Home 2015 (Page 29)

Year: 2015

New England Unemployment Numbers Mixed in Recent Report

By
Daily News

BOSTON — The New England Information Office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released New England unemployment numbers for March 2015. These data are supplied by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program, which produces monthly and annual employment, unemployment, and labor-force data for census regions and divisions, states, counties, metropolitan areas, and many cities.

Among the report highlights, the New England unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 5.2% in March. One year ago, the New England jobless rate was higher, at 6.2%. Five New England states posted jobless rates that were significantly different from the U.S. rate of 5.5%; Vermont (3.8%), New Hampshire (3.9%), and Maine (4.8%) recorded lower-than-average unemployment rates, while Connecticut (6.4%) and Rhode Island (6.3%) had jobless rates that were significantly higher than the national average in March. Massachusetts tracked closest to the national rate.

Meanwhile, over the last year, four New England states recorded statistically significant unemployment-rate decreases, with declines ranging from 1.9% in Rhode Island to 0.6% in New Hampshire.

Discussion on Transportation Equity in Springfield Slated for May 12

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Transportation is a crucial link to ensure opportunity for all, connecting people to jobs, schools, housing, healthcare, and grocery stores. But millions of poor people and people of color live in communities where quality transportation options are unaffordable, unreliable, or nonexistent. Federal transportation policy choices can address this inequity — and have an enormous impact on the economy, climate, and health.

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and LiveWell Springfield will present a discussion on Tuesday, May 12 on advocating for transportation policies that advance economic and social equity in Springfield and the region. The event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the UMass Center at Springfield, 1500 Main St. (Tower Square). Parking is available in the Tower Square parking garage and will be reimbursed. The site is also easily accessible by major bus lines.

The guest speaker will be Beverly Scott, a national transportation leader who most recently served as general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. From 2007 to 2011, she
was the CEO of Atlanta’s Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority system. In 2012, President Obama named Scott a Transportation Innovator of Change for her record of exemplary leadership and service in the transit industry. A catered reception will follow Scott’s talk.

For additional information, contact
Catherine Ratté, PVPC principal planner, at (413) 285-1174 or [email protected]. This event is funded through a Leadership Conference Education Fund and PolicyLink to advance affordable, accessible transportation policy. The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, on behalf of LiveWell Springfield, is one of just six organizations across the country to receive this award.

Royal LLP Presents Seminar May 21 on Changes in Employment Law

By
Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — Due to the high volume of interest, Royal LLP will present an encore of its seminar pertaining to three major changes in employment law that every employer needs to be aware of for 2015. The event will take place Thursday, May 21 from 8 to 9 a.m. at Royal LLP, 270 Pleasant St., Northampton.

This informative roundtable, led by founding partner Amy Royal, will focus on the topics of sick leave, domestic-violence leave, and paternity leave. It will also touch on the Affordable Care Act relating to healthcare reimbursement, as well as minimum wage.

The cost is $30 per person. Mail your payment, and make your check payable, to Royal LLP, 270 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060. Advance registration is required, and seating will be limited. E-mail Ann-Marie Marcil at [email protected] to register or with any questions about this seminar.

Springfield Police Commissioner to Present Year in Review to ACCGS

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Since taking his post last June, Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri has focused his efforts on a collaborative, community-oriented approach to public safety through five priority objectives. Barbieri first addressed these objectives at the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield’s (ACCGS) Pastries, Politics and Policy in May 2014. He will return for an update on his first year as commissioner at the ACCGS Pastries, Politics and Policy on May 26 from 8 to 9 a.m. at the TD Bank Conference Center, 1441 Main St., Springfield.

When he first was sworn in, Barbieri said he would strive to “re-engineer police services to positively impact crime, quality of life, and fear-of-crime issues, and improve quality of service and stakeholder satisfaction” through becoming more proactive, improving response times, increasing levels of service, building relationships with stakeholders, and developing and measuring feedback processes.

He has launched an expanded Counter Criminal Continuum (C-3) policing model to the North End, the Hollywood section of the South End, the area around Mason Square, and the Belmont Avenue/Oakland Street section of Forest Park; introduced an innovative, web-based neighborhood-watch program; and continues to conduct successful law-enforcement sweeps across the city, concentrating on quality-of-life issues.

The cost of the May 26 event are $15 for members, $25 for general admission, and includes continental breakfast. Reservations may be made online at www.myonlinechamber.com or by e-mailing Sarah Mazzaferro at [email protected].

Smith & Wesson to Host Second Annual Celebration of Heroes

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Smith & Wesson Corp. announced it will present its second annual “Celebration of Heroes.” The company invites the community to join it in honoring those who have served their country by attending the event on Monday, May 25 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on the grounds of Smith & Wesson, 2100 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield.

At 11:45 a.m., the Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, along with James Debney, president and CEO of Smith & Wesson, will preside over a program to honor local heroes and our country. Eight-year-old Shea Braceland of Westfield will deliver the national anthem. Following the program, the Celebration of Heroes will commence.

There is no admission fee, and proceeds from the sale of food and items at the event will benefit the Friends of Ward 8 and the Friends of the Springfield Vet Center, two local veterans’ organizations supported by Smith & Wesson. Activities will include live stage performances by local bands including Lower Level, Maxxtone, and more. A kids’ tent will feature interactive musical performances by Rachel Hiller of Music Together, a photo booth, activities run by the YMCA of Greater Springfield, and other free activities. Bottled water will be provided free of charge by Big Y.

In 2014, Smith & Wesson was honored to restore Springfield’s Veterans War Monument, which had been destroyed by the impact of weather and time. On Memorial Day 2014, a rededication ceremony and the first annual Celebration of Heroes was held to reveal the restored monument and to honor local veterans, active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and military families. Proceeds benefited the Friends of the Springfield Vet Center, which offers social, recreational, and educational programs to combat veterans and their families, as well as the Friends of Ward 8, a nonprofit organization that supports the Veterans of Ward 8 at the VA Medical Center in Leeds. Ward 8 veterans suffer from combat PTSD and benefit from a six week in-treatment program to learn how to better cope with the condition.

During the 2015 Celebration of Heroes, funds will be raised for these two deserving organizations through ticket sales for fare from area food trucks and a beer and sangria tent courtesy of Commercial Distributing and Log Rolling. Event T-shirts will be available for a minimal fee. Military personnel (with military ID) will receive a free event shirt.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/celebrationofheroes, call Elaine Stellato at (413) 747-3371, or e-mail [email protected].

Local Attorneys to Review Developments Affecting Employer Policies

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., a leading labor and employment-law firm serving the Greater Springfield area, announced that partners Susan Fentin and Timothy Murphy will present a Breakfast Briefing on Friday, May 15 at Sheraton Springfield, One Monarch Place.

The event, “Your 2015 Handbook: New Developments That Employers Must Understand,” will highlight recent legal developments that have affected policies in the workplace, including the Domestic Violence Leave Act, the Parental Leave Act, the Earned Sick Leave Law, and the March memorandum from the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regarding impermissible handbook language.

“This has been quite a year for employers in Massachusetts. Beginning last August, there have been three new statutes impacting employment policies,” said Fentin. “The Earned Sick Leave Law, passed by referendum in November, is slated to go into effect on July 1, and the attorney general’s regulations on that statute were issued in April. The Breakfast Briefing will cover the statute and those regulations and their potential impact on your obligations under the law.”

In addition, Murphy noted, “the National Labor Relations Board has had employee handbooks under a microscope, finding certain, common policies to be unfair labor practices that subject an employer to liability, even if none of the employer’s workers are unionized.”

The Breakfast Briefing will focus on these new developments and will cover the policy changes required by the new laws and the NLRB. Attendees will review the handbook provisions that may need to be changed under the Earned Sick Leave Law, as well as those that have been ruled to be violations under the National Labor Relations Act. “If a handbook review is in your future — and we think it should be — you won’t want to miss this important Breakfast Briefing,” said Fentin.

The continental breakfast and registration begin at 8 a.m. The program begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 10 a.m. The cost of the event is $25. For more information or to register, visit www.skoler-abbott.com.

Westfield Financial Reports Q1 Results, Declares Quarterly Dividend

By
Daily News

WESTFIELD — Westfield Financial Inc., the holding company for Westfield Bank, reported net income of $1.3 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared to $1.6 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2014. Selected financial highlights for first quarter 2015 include:

• Total loans increased $82.2 million, or 12.7%, to $730.4 million at March 31, 2015 compared to $648.2 million at March 31, 2014. This was primarily due to increases in residential loans of $38.9 million, commercial and industrial loans of $29.8 million, and commercial real-estate loans of $13.0 million. On a sequential-quarter basis, total loans increased $5.7 million, or 0.8%, from $724.7 million at Dec. 31, 2014. This was due to an increase in commercial real-estate loans of $8.7 million, offset by a decrease in commercial and industrial loans of $2.8 million, primarily due to normal loan payoffs and paydowns.

• Securities declined $26.3 million, or 4.9%, to $515.2 million at March 31, 2015, compared to $541.5 million at March 31, 2014. On a sequential-quarter basis, securities increased by $6.4 million, or 1.3%, at March 31, 2015, compared to $508.8 million at Dec. 31, 2014.

• Net interest and dividend income decreased $65,000 to $7.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 compared to $7.7 million for the comparable 2014 period. On a sequential-quarter basis, net interest and dividend income decreased $288,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared to the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2014. The fourth quarter 2014 included $88,000 in deferred fee income recognized upon the payoff of a relationship.

• The bank prepaid a repurchase agreement in the amount of $10.0 million with a rate of 2.65% and incurred a pre-payment expense of $593,000 for the first quarter 2015 in order to eliminate a higher-cost liability.

• Non-interest expense was $6.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 and $6.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2014. On a sequential-quarter basis, non-interest expense increased by $215,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared to $6.5 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2014. The increase on a sequential-quarter basis was due in part to an increase in salaries and benefits of $178,000. Of this amount, $51,000 is attributable to salary-related taxes, which are typically higher in the first quarter of each year.

“During the first quarter, harsh winter weather slowed economic activity, and therefore loan demand, particularly commercial construction projects,” said Westfield Bank President and CEO James Hagan. “We continue to cultivate new and existing customer relationships in Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut, and our outlook for growth remains positive for 2015. We have an experienced, disciplined, regional leadership team prepared to take advantage of continued opportunities for organic growth and expansion into demographically attractive markets.”

Hagan continued, “the customer response to our strategic initiatives has been very positive. Our Enfield branch, which opened in November 2014, and our Granby branch, which opened in June 2013, have combined deposits of over $23.0 million. We currently have both a commercial lender and a residential lender based in the Connecticut market, and we anticipate adding another commercial lender in 2015. In addition, we relocated a commercial-loan team to downtown Springfield in 2014, which provides proximity to the I-91 corridor and better access to the borrowers and centers of influence in the Greater Springfield area and Northern Connecticut. We have taken action to strategically expand our market reach, and while this initially has increased non-interest expense, we feel this will create opportunities to grow our franchise and generate higher revenue.”

Residence Inn by Marriott in Chicopee Wins Prestigious Gold Award

By
Daily News

CHICOPEE — The Residence Inn by Marriott in Chicopee recently received a prestigious Gold Award at Marriott International’s 2015 CRFST General Managers Conference in Washington D.C.

The awards event honored specific properties in the Residence Inn brand for their achievements in customer service, breakfast quality, and social activities. The Residence Inn Chicopee is ranked in the top 10% of Residence Inn hotels nationwide, earning the prestigious Gold Award. This award is based on the hotel’s overall guest-satisfaction ratings and financial success during the year. Recipients of the Gold Award are also eligible to submit a nomination for Hotel of the Year. The 115-room Residence Inn Chicopee is owned by Satya Enterprises.

“Each member of the outstanding Chicopee team played a key role in earning these recognitions,” said Karen Warren, general manager of the hotel. “This group will go to great lengths for their guests, and we are honored to have been recognized by Marriott in this way.”

Holyoke Merry-Go-Round Launches New Website

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round, the region’s prized carousel with a storied history that dates back to the early 1900s, announced the launch of a new website, holyokemerrygoround.org. Site upgrades include a new layout with enhancements for secure payments, easy-to-use forms and downloadable contracts, plus updated historical and photo pages to relive the magic, and more.

“Today, more and more people turn to their mobile devices to search the Internet. We wanted a website that would provide them the best, most secure web experience on any device,” said Angela Wright, executive director. “This new site includes easy access to our party and private rental, reservation, donation, and events pages; online store; and forms, all on an easy-to-navigate platform.”

The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round is located in Holyoke’s Heritage State Park, which is managed by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. The carousel includes 48 horses hand-carved by the Philadelphia Toboggan Co., 56 original scenic panels, 864 brightly colored lights, and 98 beveled mirrors.

Through the merry-go-round’s new website, users are able to book birthday or private parties and can share their own memories of the carousel’s history from Mountain Park to today. Additionally, secure payment options are available for the merry-go-round’s online store and donation pages.

“As a nonprofit organization, we rely heavily on the generosity of the public, many of whom prefer to donate quickly and easily through our website,” Wright said. “With secure payments using PayPal, our supporters can make their tax-deductible donation online with peace of mind.”

Springfield Issues Permits to Utilities for Casino Site Work

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Following months of design reviews and coordination meetings, the city is preparing for a significant amount of utility construction work to begin in and around the casino resort area in downtown Springfield. Beginning in the next few weeks, utility upgrades, expansions, and relocation work will begin on roadways surrounding the footprint for the casino resort, specifically Main Street, Union Street, East Columbus Avenue, and State Street.

The work is required to terminate existing utilities that currently serve buildings that are slated for demolition; reconstruct, upgrade, and relocate utilities surrounding the MGM Springfield development area to support the size and scale of the project; and perform necessary maintenance on the aged infrastructure to extend its life expectancy into the future to support the casino development and additional growth.

The Springfield DPW has issued numerous permits for utility disconnections and installation of project fencing. However, the department is preparing for a significant ramping up of construction activities through the spring and summer.

Christopher Cignoli, DPW director, noted that, “based upon our meeting with the MGM Springfield development team, its contractors, and all of the area utility companies, there will be a significant amount of work occurring in the next four to six months in and along Main Street, Union Street, East Columbus Avenue, and State Street. Our job is to coordinate all of the requests for work and attempt to minimize the impact to parking and traffic and to notify the public as much in advance as possible to seek alternate routes, if necessary. We also have to coordinate this utility work with any work proposed for the I-91 viaduct project, which is also scheduled to begin in the next few months.”

In order to provide the public with as much information as possible on the construction of the entire casino complex and associated construction work, the city will be launching an MGM Springfield casino-construction website, which will list all the permits issued by the city as well as issue weekly construction updates to notify residents and businesses of potential impacts.

State Business Confidence Hits Pothole in April

By
Daily News

BOSTON — The Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index dropped 1.1 points in April to 59.1, backing off from its post-recession high.

“In April, the snow finally melted, the sunlight got stronger, and Massachusetts employers were a bit more positive about current business conditions — but other concerns weighed more heavily,” said Raymond Torto, chair of AIM’s Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) and lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. “The index’s decline is attributable to lower confidence among the state’s manufacturers, who confront both weak growth domestically and challenges in global markets due to the stronger dollar.”

As in 2014, Torto noted, the index performed well through a weak first quarter for the U.S. economy, which recorded a 0.2% growth rate.

“We think AIM members have confidence in the fundamental stability of business conditions,” he said. “Slow growth has caused survey respondents to temper their expectations, but they continue to foresee improving conditions ahead. The AIM Index is up 6.1 points from last April and 9.6 points over two years, reflecting a significantly better business climate in Massachusetts and nationally.”

The AIM Business Confidence Index, based on a survey of Massachusetts employers, has appeared monthly since July 1991. It is calculated on a 100-point scale, with 50 as neutral; a reading above 50 is positive, while below 50 is negative. The index reached its historic high of 68.5 on two occasions in 1997-98, and its all-time low of 33.3 in February 2009.

Most of the sub-indices based on selected questions or categories of respondent declined from March to April, but all were up from a year before. The Massachusetts Index, assessing business conditions within the Commonwealth, shed 2.2 points on the month to 58.6, and the U.S. Index of national business conditions lost 1.7 points to 53.8.

“Despite the weak first quarter, the U.S. Index been above 50 for five consecutive months, and seems at last to be established in positive territory,” said Alan Clayton-Matthews, professor at the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, a BEA member. “The Massachusetts Index continues to lead its national counterpart, and the latest MassBenchmarks Economic Index shows that the state’s economy has outperformed the nation’s so far this year.”

Decisions, Decisions

By
Employment Sections
Recent SJC Rulings Reject Efforts to Constrain Employers

By PETER VICKERY, Esq.

Peter Vickery

Peter Vickery

In April, the State Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued two important employment-law decisions. In both cases, the SJC rejected arguments that would have further constrained the ability of employers to run their businesses flexibly and efficiently.

The first relates to the Tips Act (M.G.L. c. 149, §152A) and should come as good news to restaurateurs and bar owners. The second case involves the independent-contractor law (M.G.L. c. 149, §148B), and, although it concerns the highly regulated field of Boston taxi cabs, the way the SJC interpreted the statute may help businesses in other fields rebut the legal presumption that any given individual performing a service is, by default, an employee.

The case about tips, Meshna v. Scrivanos, concerned a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee that adopted a no-tipping policy. In Massachusetts, employers have to ensure that employees receive their tips by the end of the day or in their next paycheck at the latest. Violating the Tips Act can have drastic consequences: having to pay restitution plus 12% interest, and criminal penalties ranging from hefty fines to one year’s imprisonment (for a first offense).

To avoid both potential liability under the Tips Act and the administrative costs of dividing up tips among the employees, the franchisee adopted a policy of prohibiting tips altogether. In addition to telling employees not to accept tips, the employer put up signs for customers stating “no tipping” and “thank you for not tipping.”

Prior to the Meshna case, two Superior Court justices and one federal district court had ruled no-tipping policies lawful under the Tips Act. Nevertheless, some current and former Dunkin’ Donuts employees, all of whom earned at least the minimum wage, filed suit in Superior Court alleging that the no-tipping policy violated the law.

The Tips Act provides that no employer “shall demand, request, or accept from any staff employee, service employee, or service bartender any payment or deduction from a tip or service charge given to any such staff employee, service employee, or service bartender by a patron.” The employees and the Labor Relations and Research Center at UMass Amherst (which filed an amicus brief) argued that the words ‘deduction from’ are flexible enough to mean ‘prohibit’ — i.e. no employer shall prohibit an employee from receiving a tip.

Not so, said the SJC. When it enacted the statute, the Legislature’s intent was to bar employers from deducting or retaining tips that customers had given to the waitstaff. Making it unlawful for restaurant and bar owners to keep or skim tips is not the same as forbidding employers from trying to prevent customers from tipping in the first place. A no-tipping policy simply does not violate the statute. And so long as the owner clearly communicates the policy to customers, if they still leave money behind, the servers do not have the right to claim that money as theirs. The employer is not breaking the law by keeping it or giving it away.

The take-away for employers? If you have a no-tipping policy, make sure that you get the message across to your customer clearly.

In the second case, Sebago v. Boston Cab Dispatch Inc., the issue was whether licensed Boston taxi drivers were independent contractors or the employees of the defendants (taxi-cab license owners, radio associations, and a taxi-servicing garage). Three drivers, together with the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, argued that the separate defendants really constituted one monolithic industry, a sham designed to evade the strictures of wage and overtime laws.

The SJC disagreed, holding that the various entities were not all one and the same and that “distinctions in services within the taxi-cab industry as a whole are not illusory, but quite real.”

Much of the court’s decision revolves around the municipal rule that regulates taxis in Boston, namely Police Department Rule 403, which establishes four possible business models for cabs. One permissible model allows the owners of medallions (taxi licenses) to lease their medallions to drivers at a flat rate, not a percentage of the fares. This was the model at issue in the Sebago case: the drivers paid the medallion owners a fixed amount rather than a cut of their takings.

Rule 403 requires parties using that business model to sign a City of Boston Hackney Carriage Shift Lease Agreement, which includes an optional independent-contractor clause. Under the independent-contractor clause of the city-mandated contract, the drivers are free to operate anywhere they choose, and to pick and choose which radio dispatches to accept. As the SJC noted, drivers “may lease taxicabs and medallions from whomever they wish … each day of the week, they may lease from a different owner, each using a different radio association… earn as much as they are able and need not accept a single dispatch.” Moreover, the statutes governing workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and income-tax withholding all exclude taxi drivers operating under flat-rate leases from the definition of ‘employee.’

Nevertheless, the plaintiffs argued that they were employees. This is because, under Massachusetts default rule, the onus is on the defendant to rebut the presumption that an individual is an employee, and this can be done only by clearing three distinct hurdles. The defendant has to prove that:

(1) the individual is free from control and direction in connection with the performance of the service, both under his contract for the performance of service and in fact;
(2) the service is performed outside the usual course of the business of the employer; and
(3) the individual is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, profession, or business of the same nature as that involved in the service performed.

The Sebago case hinged on the second factor, i.e. whether the service that the drivers provide is outside the usual course of the defendants’ business. That depends on whether the service is necessary to that business or merely incidental to it. So is taxi-driving necessary or incidental to the medallion owners’ business? Incidental, said the SJC. The medallion owners are in the business of leasing medallions, something that is “not directly dependent on the success of the drivers’ endeavors.”

At first blush, this interpretation of the term ‘usual course of the [defendant’s] business’ may appear a stretch. How can cab drivers be merely incidental to — rather than necessary to — the business of a company whose sole raison d’être is the leasing of taxi licenses? After all, without the drivers, the medallions would be worthless. In fact, this was the approach that the Superior Court judge took in denying the defendants’ motion for summary judgment.

But the SJC said that the judge’s reasoning “proves too much.” Taken to its logical conclusion, it would mean that “all lessees would be deemed presumptive employees of their lessors.” Instead, the SJC stated that the second prong (the ‘usual course of the business’) does not include all aspects of the business.

The nutshell for business owners? First, Sebago arose in a unique regulatory environment involving city-prescribed contracts governing the leasing of city-issued licenses. Second, the courts remain vigilant for Rube-Goldbergian contractual arrangements involving several legal entities designed to evade the Wage Act. But with those two caveats, business owners operating several connected but distinct entities should remember that individuals claiming to be employees rather than independent contractors must establish — and not simply assert — that the several entities are merely alter egos.

If the companies are not organized as part of a ruse but are legitimately separate, the courts will be more likely to define the ‘usual course of the business’ narrowly, to the benefit of the business owner. So, while the Massachusetts independent contractor remains an endangered species, it is not yet extinct.


Peter Vickery practices law in Amherst; (413) 549-9933; www.petervickery.com

Progress Comes Marginally

By
Employment Sections
Paternity Leave Becomes Law in Bay State — but Hold the Applause

By Valerie Vignaux, Esq.

Massachusetts has officially recognized the importance of paternity leave.

On April 7, the Bay State updated its Maternity Leave Act, expanding it to include time off for fathers. The new Act Relative to Parental Leave, with its more inclusive title, offers both men and women eight weeks of unpaid leave from employers with six or more employees. Such leave is available for the birth or adoption of a child, or for the placement of a child under the age of 18.

Qualified employees must be full-time workers and have passed their employer’s probationary period, not to exceed three months, and must provide two weeks’ notice of their intended leave. Two parents at the same job are limited to a total of eight weeks between them.

Employers, upon the new father’s return, must restore him to the same position, or one similar (with an exception if there is a similarly qualified individual who had been laid off). Employers may not reduce the father’s benefits because of leave taken — no reduction in sick time, vacation, seniority, or pay, for example — but that time off can be discounted in calculating such benefits.

Businesses may grant a longer leave. In such cases, these job protections cease at the end of eight weeks only if the employer informs the employee in writing before the leave is taken. Any violation of this act is a violation of Massachusetts anti-discrimination laws.

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) remains in place with time off for mothers and fathers alike, but is applicable only to employers of 50 or more. This act provides for 12 weeks of unpaid leave for full-time employees of one year or more.

This extension of Massachusetts law to provide for fathers is a step in the right direction. Massachusetts, after all, has a reputation for being a state with progressive policies (e.g., it was the first in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage). Consider, however, the affordability of unpaid leave for the 99%. Whether eight weeks or 12, mothers or fathers, how many new parents have the luxury of forgoing a paycheck for any stretch of time?

California, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia stand alone in the U.S. for offering paid family leave to both men and women. Globally, the U.S. is an embarrassment: out of 185 countries, the U.S. is one of only three that do not offer national paid maternity leave (the other two are Oman and Papua New Guinea).

For perspective, Iran offers 12 weeks, the Democratic Republic of Congo offers 14, and the United Kingdom offers 40 weeks of paid maternity leave. The U.S. and Massachusetts offer none. Further, there are 70 countries that offer national paid leave. Iceland provides three months, Finland six weeks, and Kenya two weeks. The U.S. and Massachusetts offer none.

Some may laud Massachusetts for moving toward a more family-friendly policy, expanding the rights of new fathers, and protecting employees of small businesses. Certainly this movement is preferable to the status quo. But any celebration should be tempered until true progress is made, in this state and the nation, toward the support of an employee’s responsibilities at home.


Valerie Vignaux is an associate attorney with Bacon Wilson and a member of the firm’s Estate Planning and Elder Law team. She assists clients with all manner of estate planning and provides representation for guardianship and conservatorship matters. She has also served as Superior Court clerk to the justices of the Massachusetts Trial Court; (413) 781-0560.

The Here and Now

By
Employment Sections
Do Employers Have to Tolerate Attendance Problems Under the ADA?

By ERICA E. FLORES, Esq.

Erica Flores

Erica Flores

Today, just about any physical, mental, or emotional ailment will likely qualify as a ‘disability’ under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), giving rise to a growing number of requests by employees for workplace accommodations. And, increasingly, such accommodations implicate what is perhaps the single most fundamental requirement of any job — attendance.

So how can Western Mass. employers best position themselves for potential ADA litigation when considering an employee’s request for an attendance-related accommodation? A recent decision out of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit offers some helpful guidance.

Jane Harris worked for Ford Motor Co. as a resale buyer of raw steel for auto parts. At first, her performance was strong, but it quickly began to decline, and by her final year at Ford, she ranked in the bottom 10% of her peers. Harris’s poor performance was due largely to her poor attendance, which was related to her disability — irritable bowel syndrome.

Harris disclosed her condition to her supervisor, and Ford approved a series of accommodations. First, Ford granted Harris a flexible schedule, allowing her to work four 10-hour days per week and telecommute as needed. Despite this flexibility, Harris’s attendance was irregular and unreliable, and she failed to perform the core objectives of the job.

Ford next provided Harris with workplace reporting guidelines and then allowed her to telecommute both during and after core business hours. Harris’s attendance problems continued, however, and she finally requested permission to work from home permanently up to four days per week.

In response to the request, Harris’s supervisor and two HR representatives met with her to discuss the essential functions of her position. They identified 10 different essential responsibilities and discussed her ability to accomplish each of those duties from home. Harris admitted that she could not complete four of her duties from home at all — including attending meetings with suppliers, attending internal meetings, and creating price quotes — and Ford concluded that Harris also could not effectively perform four of her other duties from home.

Accordingly, Ford denied her telecommuting request as unreasonable, but proposed two alternative accommodations — moving Harris’s workspace closer to the restroom or transferring her to a position better suited for a flexible telecommuting arrangement. Harris declined these offers and instead filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which took up her case and filed a lawsuit against Ford on her behalf.

Ford won the case both in the district court and on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The court agreed with Ford that a trial was not necessary, finding that regular and predictable on-site attendance was an essential function of Harris’s job, and the accommodation she requested was unreasonable because it would have eliminated that essential function.

Although Harris disagreed that her physical presence at work was necessary, the court noted that an employee’s definition of the essential functions of her position is not valid when it is based solely on her personal viewpoint and experience. Although Ford allowed other resale buyers to telecommute, those employees telecommuted no more than one set day per week.

And, finally, there was no evidence that improved technology eliminated the need for Harris to participate in face-to-face interactions. In short, regular, on-site attendance was an essential function of Harris’s job because it was “job-related, uniformly enforced, and consistent with business necessity”; there was no accommodation available that would have allowed her to perform that essential function; and Ford had acted in good faith by maintaining an interactive dialogue with Harris and trying to accommodate her illness.

The Sixth Circuit’s opinion provides useful guidance for employers who may face requests for attendance-related accommodations.

Most importantly, employers must be able to clearly articulate the essential functions of each and every job in their workforce, including the attendance requirements. Those essential functions should be documented in written job descriptions that are provided to new employees at the time of hire and updated as job duties change.

Additionally, employers who make flexible schedules, telecommuting, or other alternative attendance arrangements available (upon request or through a policy, for example) should consider developing specific eligibility or other criteria designed to ensure that such arrangements do not impede the effective performance of the other essential functions of each position.

If employers do this homework ahead of time, they will be in a good position to handle a request for an attendance-related accommodation and will be able to better assess whether that requested accommodation is reasonable, whether it would instead eliminate an essential attendance requirement, and whether any other reasonable accommodations might be available.

Erica E. Flores is an attorney at Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C ., which exclusively represents management in labor and employment matters. She has successfully defended employers before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. In addition to her litigation practice, she regularly advises clients with respect to day-to-day employment issues, including decisions regarding adverse employment actions and litigation avoidance. This article is not intended as legal advice related to individual situations. If your business is facing a specific legal problem, consult your labor and employment counsel for legal advice and planning; (413) 737-4753; [email protected]

Milestone Matters

By
Banking and Financial Services Sections
GSB’s New President Is Focused on Next 150 Years

John Howland

John Howland

John Howland says he recently had the opportunity to get in a photo with his three immediate predecessors as president of Greenfield Savings Bank — the recently retired Rebecca (Becky) Caplice, Joe Poirier, and Ed Tombs.

When asked what the occasion was, Howland, who took the helm roughly seven weeks ago, shrugged and said there really wasn’t one.

“They’re all around, they all live here — Ed is living in the same house he’s lived in for 40-something years … it doesn’t take much to get them together,” he told BusinessWest, adding that this fact reflects the stability, continuity, and community-centered flavor of this institution.

These qualities certainly helped pique his interest early last fall when an executive search firm called to gauge his interest in succeeding Caplice.

“This is an amazing institution, and positions like this — well, let’s just say it’s the kind of job you don’t leave,” Howland said, adding that by ‘this’ he meant positions leading institutions with long histories, stability, and a future that will look very much like the past and present — with some needed refinements to keep up with the times.

“They asked me when I was being interviewed if this was going to be a stepping stone to the next position,” he went on, adding, without any hesitancy in his voice, that he fully expects this to be the last line on his résumé. “I told them I’d love to be here for the rest of my career. I find it difficult to conceive of something materially better than what I have here.”

Of course, there soon will be another occasion to bring the former presidents — and many others — together. This will be the bank’s 150th anniversary, due to be celebrated some time in 2019.

The exact date of the festivities isn’t known, and hard planning is yet to commence, although discussions are certainly underway for what will be a momentous occasion in Greenfield.

Meanwhile, Howland considers it his unofficial job description to see to it that this institution can and will be around for another 150 years.

Fulfilling that mission is a simple yet critical function of doing what the bank has always done — meeting the many needs of the community it serves, and not attempting to be something it isn’t, or shouldn’t be.

Howland told BusinessWest that this strategy extends to the name over the door and the pocket of the shirt he was wearing.

Indeed, GSB is one of the banks left in this region that has kept the ‘S’ as part of its brand — many consider it somewhat anachronistic and not entirely reflective an institution’s full range of services — and he has no plans to lose it.

“I don’t have any interest in changing that,” he said with a dose of defiance, if it can be called that, in his voice. “I’m not embarrassed by that name … I’m about tradition in this organization, we’re all about tradition, we’re proud of being 150 years old in the same town with the same name, and I don’t see any reason to change it.”

For this issue and its focus on banking and financial services, BusinessWest talked at length with Howland about his new assignment and his outlook on the future.

Interest Bearing

Howland majored in physics in college, but soon determined that this wasn’t his calling and went into finance instead. He went to work for Merrill Lynch in New York City, working specifically with banks, especially small, community institutions, on investment-banking services.

But he soon decided he wanted to work for one of those institutions, not provide them with services.

“I consistently saw that people that ran banks like this seemed to derive significant personal and professional satisfaction from their positions,” he told BusinessWest. “Going back to the 1980s, I knew that this is what I wanted to do.”

So, in 2005, he accepted a position as executive vice president of the Bank of Southern Connecticut in New Haven.

The bank had some fairly significant regulatory issues at the time, said Howland, and he was hired to help clean up that mess. There was a father and son team ahead of him on the leadership ladder, but when the father retired and the son decided he wanted to do something else, Howland became president in 2008 and orchestrated a successful turnaround.

GreenfieldSavingsLogoThe bank was sold in 2010, and Howland interviewed for and then accepted a position as president of the First Bank of Greenwich, where a similar scenario unfolded.

“Greenwich was in very difficult shape with the regulators — it was under what was known as a consent order, which I tell people is the outer marker for failure at an institution,” he explained, adding that he was able to right the ship there and put the bank on solid ground.

He said he’d fielded a few calls from recruiters assessing his interest in other jobs, but wasn’t driven to pursue anything aggressively until the GSB presidency came onto his radar screen.

The job was appealing because, unlike his past two stops, this bank wasn’t troubled, it wasn’t destined to be sold to a larger institution, and it was, in many ways, part of the bedrock of Greenfield.

“Having come from two companies that were in a lot of trouble, this is an appealing change,” he explained. “There’s a reason this company is so strong — it has great people in the right positions.”

Moving forward, Howland says his basic strategy is not to fix anything that isn’t broken — and that covers just about all facets of this operation — and thus continue dealing from a position of strength.

Greenfield is a dominant player in the Franklin County market, he said, adding that the primary competition comes from Greenfield Co-operative Bank, which recently merged with Northampton Cooperative Bank, and several larger regionals and super-regionals.

GSB has a presence in Northampton and Amherst, where there is considerably more competition from mutual banks, he went on, but has a good franchise — “we have, for the most part, very well-positioned locations in the various markets that we serve, with seven branches and solid market share.”

Other branches are in Shelburne Falls, Turners Falls, South Deerfield, and Conway, he went on, adding that he sees little need to put more push pins on a map, even if many banks seem to be in a frenzy to add locations.

“Our decision to open in Northampton and Amherst was really more an accommodation to those customers who commute back and forth to those locations — people who live here and work there and vice versa,” he explained. “We’d have to look closely at things, but there’s no obvious expansion that would be an easy one and make sense to our franchise at this point.”

Change Agent

Still, one of the items on Howland’s to-do list is a long-range strategic plan, an undertaking that usually accompanies a change in leadership, and one that will commence shortly.

One of the focal points of that plan will be developing strategies — and there are few obvious ones other than increasing market share — for becoming more profitable in an ever-more-challenging operating environment for banks of all sizes. The biggest challenge at the moment involves historically low interest rates and the manner in which they are making margins razor-thin.

“The biggest risk that we face right now is interest-rate risk and what happens if rates change drastically,” he said. “We use one of the leading firms in the country to assist us with that endeavor, and we feel we’re well-positioned for changes in interest rates that will mitigate the impact on our bottom line as best as can be expected.

“It’s challenging that every time you get together and have a meeting with a professional to talk about the future of interest rates, it’s going to be two quarters out before the fed starts easing,” he went on.

“This makes it challenging for banks; it’s a tough, tough time for us, and in many ways, it’s like a person on a fixed budget,” he continued. “You have a pile of money, and 10 years ago you were making 5% on your money, and now you’re making 25 basis points — you lost 90% of your income. That’s the easiest way to look at what’s happened to banks and why their profitability has gone down so much.”

This tight squeeze on profits certainly helps explain the recent surge in mergers and acquisitions, said Howland, adding that acquiring banks, through efficiency efforts and economies of scale, can eventually bolster their bottom lines.

But GSB doesn’t see any critical need to expand at this juncture or go public, he noted, adding that it has plenty of capital and can better serve its customers by maintaining the status quo.

“I don’t see how going public is consistent with the notion of sticking around for another 150 years — it takes control away from the community and puts it in someone else’s hands, and we don’t want to do that,” he told BusinessWest. “The mission of this organization is not to expand and drive the bottom line; it’s to serve the community. How does raising capital help with that? If we start down that road, we’ll never be here for another 150 years.”

Photo Finish

Returning to that photo op with his immediate predecessors, Howland said there were a number of stories exchanged at that gathering, as well as a great deal of pride in the history and continuity of the institution.

This is something he certainly doesn’t take lightly.

Indeed, keeping GSB around for another century and a half isn’t a goal as much as it is a responsibility, one he takes very seriously.

Being around for that milestone was one of the motivations for taking this job, he said, adding quickly that the real reason was not to mark history, but to write more of it.


George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]

On the Move

By
Banking and Financial Services Sections
Merchants Bank to Acquire NUVO Bank & Trust Co.

M. Dale Janes says customers won’t feel any impact when NUVO Bank & Trust becomes a subsidiary of Merchants Bank later this year — no negative impacts, anyway.

“From our point of view, this is an outstanding marriage, for us and Merchants,” Janes said of the agreement announced last week, in which Merchants plans to acquire Springfield-based NUVO for about $21.8 million in stock and cash, representing $7.15 per share.

“We’re a good bank; we’re growing, and we’re doing well,” said Janes, NUVO’s CEO, who will become regional president under the deal. “But Merchants has a wider array of products for businesses and consumers, like a trust division with investment-management options.

NUVObankLOGO“But, most importantly, we’re a small-business, mid-market lender, and this allows us to bring more capital and more loans to the community, and approach larger businesses,” he told BusinessWest. “Our legal lending limit is $3 million, and our in-house limit is $2.5 million. Their comfort level is around $20 million. That’s a big, big difference for us. They’re a great-performing bank, and they’re really good folks who understand community banking, and they want to be in Springfield and Western Mass.”

NUVO, which launched eight years ago, focuses on providing business loans, deposits, and cash-management services to small and medium-sized businesses and individuals in Western Mass. On Dec. 31, 2014, NUVO reported approximately $153 million in assets, $139 million in loans, and $134 million in deposits. Merchants had approximately $1.7 billion in total assets as of Dec. 31, 2014.

“Merchants is a 166-year-old community bank, and NUVO is not quite that old,” Geoffrey Hesslink, Merchants’ president and CEO, told BusinessWest, with more than a bit of understatement. “But it’s a very similar business. It’s a commercially oriented business, and we were impressed with their track record, impressed with their management team, and what they’ve done over the past eight years, while going through a tough economic cycle.”

When leaders of Vermont-headquartered Merchants and NUVO’s leaders, including Janes and President and Chief Loan Officer Jeffrey Sattler, sat down to discuss a possible partnership, “it occurred to us that, by joining forces, we could make NUVO, this great bank, even better, and grow it even faster in its core commercial business, but also add some ancillary business,” Hesslink continued. “It was really a cultural fit, and the management expertise was a major attractor for us — and, of course, the Springfield market has a breadth and depth that appeals to us.”

Michael Tuttle, president and CEO of Merchants Bancshares, added that the market has witnessed a great deal of change recently, but he too is impressed with the NUVO team and the growth opportunity presented by the bank’s market. “We plan to invest in and grow the NUVO team and business. While operational areas will be combined, the value created in this merger will be more attributable to revenue growth than expense reduction.”

The agreement has been approved by both institutions’ boards of directors. The closing is anticipated to occur during the fourth quarter of 2015, subject to approval by NUVO shareholders, receipt of required regulatory approvals, and other customary closing conditions.

NUVO’s chairman, Donald Chase, is expected to join the board of directors of Merchants Bank. In addition, Merchants has entered into employment agreements with Janes and Sattler. NUVO will remain a distinct brand and operate as a division of Merchants Bank.

“There is tremendous opportunity in our market, and we believe that we can best capitalize on it by leveraging the liquidity, expanded lending limits, lower-cost deposit base, and broader product range of a strong partner like Merchants,” Chase said. “Additionally, Merchants’ publicly traded stock and dividends will be attractive to our shareholders. We have admired Merchants for some time, and getting to know their team better has reinforced the fact that we share common values and a similar operating philosophy.”

While Janes becomes regional president, Sattler will be managing director and remain the bank’s chief lender in the Greater Springfield market. “But neither of us is concerned about titles,” Janes told BusinessWest. “All we’re concerned about is being able to continue to grow at a better pace, and we’re excited about that.

“There aren’t any negatives for customers,” he reiterated. “The lending team is staying in place, the leadership team is staying, and almost all the employees will be here. This is not a slash-and-burn acquisition; this is about growth.”

— Joseph Bednar

Value Proposition

By
Banking and Financial Services Sections
Berkshire Bank Acquisition of Hampden Bank Becomes Official

Mike Daly

Mike Daly says the affiliation of Berkshire Bank and Hampden Bank is a marriage of similar cultures.

Berkshire Bank’s acquisition of Hampden Bank, which closed in April, will position the Pittsfield-based institution as the fifth-largest bank in the region in deposit market share. But Michael Daly said it’s more than a growth opportunity; it’s a marriage of cultures.

“We’re careful in selecting partners; we don’t acquire just to do acquisitions,” said Daly, Berkshire Bank’s president and CEO. “We have a set of core competencies here, and we look to develop relationships with companies that have the same core competencies and beliefs. We want to determine whether or not we can, as partners, make a bigger impact with what we do.”

Earlier this year, Berkshire Hills Bancorp and Hampden Bancorp signed a definitive merger agreement under which Berkshire acquires Hampden in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $109 million. The deal, which recently received all necessary regulatory approvals, increases Berkshire’s total assets to $7.1 billion, including the $706 million in acquired Hampden assets.

Daly said the in-market merger will create efficiencies while expanding Berkshire’s market share, particularly in the Springfield area. “It’s always easier when you partner with someone in a market where you already operate, where you already know the lay of the land and have some commonality with the customer base and commercial lenders; those things are always very important,” Daly told BusinessWest, adding that the merger complements the bank’s recent expansion initiatives in Central Massachusetts and Hartford.

“Our acquisition growth is a result, not a cause,” he added. “When we do well organizationally in communities where we have a presence, and the bank continues to do well, we become a viable partner with other companies all around New England and New York who are looking for a cultural fit like the one we provide. We continue to operate on a day-to-day basis and do the best we can in our communities, and when an opportunity to partner with somebody arises and the cultural fit is good, we’ll act on that.”

Making Change

Berkshire’s acquisition of Springfield-based Hampden Bank means that, for the first time in generations, no bank will be headquartered in the City of Homes. But Berkshire leaders say customers and the community will both benefit from the merger.

Specifically, Hampden operates 10 branches in the Greater Springfield area and reported $508 million in net loans and $490 million in deposits as of Sept. 30, 2014. Berkshire operates 11 branches with $627 million in deposits in the same market area. Three branches — 977 Boston Road, Springfield; Tower Square, Springfield; and 475 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow — will close due to overlapping footprints.

“We have increased our branch count in the area to 18, and that starts to become the type of density that you need in order to serve an area. Increasing the number of branches is important,” Daly said. “Yes, we will have some overlapping branches, and three branches will close. But taking care of employees is one of the most important, if not the most important, thing for us. So we’ve actually been able to ensure that 100% of the people in those branches will have jobs in the company.”

When the merger was announced last fall, Hampden had 126 employees, and Sean Gray, Berkshire Bank’s vice president of retail sales, told BusinessWest that the organization’s priority was to make sure they all kept their jobs or similar positions, citing the bank’s acquisition of Legacy Bancorp in 2010, when it was able to do the same with the vast majority of that institution’s employees.

“People like to find fault with a bigger company,” Daly said. “But that’s one of the benefits of a bigger company — we have a lot of opportunities.”

Meanwhile, he hopes Hampden customers see very little impact on their day-to-day interactions with the bank, both now and when new signage and branding starts to emerge next month.

“Hopefully, as we’ve seen in other successful partnerships, there will be a positive impact on customers. They will see little change in who they deal with; they’ll still see the same faces in the branches they visit,” he noted, adding that they will enjoy what amounts to their current set of services “on steroids.”

“We’ll be able to bring a significantly more diverse and broader product set than the one they had when dealing with Hampden, in areas like insurance, wealth management, mortgage products, and consumer loan programs,” he said. “The only impact on customers ought to be a positive one.”

Allie O’Rourke, Berkshire’s vice president of investor relations, told BusinessWest that conversions to expanded product offerings are ongoing. “We’re working to introduce new products and service offerings, and enhance the customer experience, even though most of the branding won’t happen until June.”

BerkshireBankLOGODaly added that, while Hampden has done a “great job” in the commercial-lending arena, larger loans have sometimes proven difficult. “This gives them an opportunity to play in a bigger space.”

Specifically, he added, “as we talk about our commercial presence in the area, we’re now the number-one SBA lender in Western Massachusetts. We continue to push that hard and provide opportunities in the Springfield area, where small-business lending is so critical.”

Helping small businesses grow, he went on, is important to a city on the rebound — and he believes Springfield is certainly that. “A lot of people don’t believe Springfield can come back to where it was at one point. I’m not one of those people. I believe it can, and I want to be a part of what’s happening. There are issues in the Springfield area, but if everyone pulls in the same direction, Springfield could become an economic hub again.”

Size and Scope

While recognizing the value of community banks in Western Mass., Daly also makes an argument for banks with size and reach — and believes Berkshire can be both.

“The industry will continue to see consolidation because smaller banks have a more difficult time dealing with the additional costs that have come to bear in order to stay in business,” he said, noting that regulatory oversight, and the resources necessary to meet new reporting mandates, have both grown significantly since the financial crisis of 2008.

But he also emphasized Berkshire’s civic role, noting that Berkshire, like Hampden, boasts a culture of community involvement through both donations — $269,852 since 2013 — and employee volunteerism. Ray Smith, Berkshire’s assistant vice president of marketing, said “decisions about which local organizations to support, through grants and sponsorships, will be made by local committtees.”

In addition, “Berkshire Bank pays its employees for two full days of volunteer work in the community,” O’Rourke said, a figure that totaled 50,000 volunteer hours last year alone. “Hampden Bank employees will have that now.”

It’s one more example, Daly said, of how the two organizations match in terms of values and culture.

“They are a company that cares very deeply about its employees, cares very deeply about the communities that they’re in. They do everything they can to provide a high level of customer service. Those things are attractive to us — they are things that we also concentrate on. They are right up our alley.

“People ask us whether our shareholders believe the deals we do are good deals,” Daly went on. “I always say, if we deal with companies that share the values we do, companies that make a commitment to the community, our shareholders always benefit. This is one of those deals, and we’re excited about it.”


Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Taste for Success

By
Restaurants Sections
Center Square Grill’s Partners Celebrate an Eventful First Year

Michael Sakey, left, and Bill Collins

Michael Sakey, left, and Bill Collins say the lively tap room turns regulars into friends.

Michael Sakey said restaurants often conduct a soft open with family and friends to work the kinks out before opening the doors to the public.

In the case of Center Square Grill, the East Longmeadow eatery he and business partner Bill Collins launched last spring, the soft opening got a little out of hand. Of the 600 or so people they invited, only 250 said they would come — but 450 showed up.

“By 8 o’clock, we were out of vegetables; then we ran out of proteins,” Sakey said.

Yet, they were enthused by the response to the food that was served — and they’re still excited a year later.

“Sometimes I have to pinch myself,” Collins said. “It’s been a great ride. We’re psyched with our numbers, and the reviews have been great — four and a half stars on Yelp.”

The pair partially credits their success to their chemistry in the kitchen and business, forged over a 15-year friendship, during which they worked for Claudio Guerra, the serial restaurateur behind Spoleto and a broad array of other establishments.

“Not only have we been great friends for a decade, but in business, we both bring different things to the table,” Collins said, recalling how a chance conversation over glasses of wine about 18 months ago turned into a plan to launch their own enterprise. “When we started talking about doing this, it just snowballed.”

Their success in getting off the ground startled them, but also gave them confidence, he added. “We raised the money to buy the place in two and a half weeks. Once we got a ‘yes’ from one investor, we were more comfortable in the next meeting, and the next. By the last meeting, we were like, ‘are you kidding me? Why wouldn’t you invest in our business?”

Opening the doors was a leap into the unknown, but entrepreneurship has suited them so far.

“When we were first talking about a concept we liked,” Collins said, “we thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great if we opened this place, and it didn’t go out of business? That would be really cool. Then, once we got a little more secure, we started to think we’d actually make it. It’s been a ride, going from being salaried employees, getting a paycheck every week, to making sure everyone else gets their paycheck every week.”

For its annual Restaurant Guide, BusinessWest sat down with Sakey and Collins to talk about wine, local produce, restaurant reviews, and the mentor they both credit with giving them the confidence to succeed on their own.

Career Moves

“I always joke that I was an accidental restaurateur,” said Sakey, adding that he studied theater in college. Even then, though, he was a restaurant veteran, having worked at pizza, sub, and coffee shops from age 14. In early 2000, he took a job with Guerra, who was opening Spoleto Express at the time.

“I went in thinking, ‘it’s just going to be for now, until I figure out what’s next.’ Over the next 12 years, it spiraled into spearheading the catering division, helping open many restaurants for Claudio, and becoming really good friends with Bill.”

He was also starting to sense a connection between food and his other passion. “Restaurants can be theatrical,” he said. “It’s kind of like throwing a party every night. If you can make them all happy, that’s something really unique, not like any other industry I can think of.”

Collins knew at a younger age where his career was headed. “I’m an un-accidental restaurateur,” he said. “I joke that I wish being a doctor ran in my family, but, no, my family owned restaurants and hotels in New York.”

He started working in those businesses from a young age and rose through the ranks. “I was the youngest restaurant manager ever hired by Applebee’s,” he told BusinessWest. “The head of HR met with me, tapped me on the shoulder, and said, ‘please don’t tell anyone you’re under 21; I might lose my job.’”

Local art

Local art — fitting for the fare served up at Center Square Grill — livens up the restaurant’s interior.

Collins met Guerra in 1999, when he was 19. While holding down his managerial job at Applebee’s, he worked as a waiter at Spoleto, just to get his foot in the door in a company he had long admired. He eventually became director of operations. “I wound up opening six concepts with him — and we closed some concepts, too. I got to see the good, the bad, and the ugly. He’s been my mentor in the business.”

Sakey recalls how one location Guerra owned morphed from a fine-dining restaurant to something with a pub feel, then to what is now his flagship Spoleto location. “To have three different concepts in one location and still come out on top … it really does take a unique individual to weather the storms of this industry and know when to change and admit to himself that, even though he liked a concept, it wasn’t working as a business.”

As for Center Square Grill, the partners have broken away from the Italian fare Guerra specializes in. “We call ourselves a creative American grill, but we pull from South America, classic French cooking, New Orleans, Jamaica — we even had some Asian dishes,” Sakey said. “We try to do many things well.”

Collins noted that there are about a dozen Italian restaurants in a 10-mile radius, and families tend to go to their favorite. So he and Sakey wanted to bring more variety to the table.

“My favorite thing about the menu is, if you want to come in and get a cheeseburger and an IPA, you can do that,” Sakey said. “If you want to take your wife out and have oysters and a filet topped with crab Oscar, you can do that, too. The menu runs the gamut, and the atmosphere does, too.”

Indeed, the restaurant features a few different dining areas, from a formal dining room to a small room for private events to a lively bar area. “The tap room is where we meet the regulars; they’re actually friends now,” Sakey said, recalling how one regular and her mother were sitting at the bar, talking about making homemade ravioli, and he joked that they should bring him a couple. “The next day, they brought in two platters — one for each of us — and said, ‘dinner’s on us tonight.’”

Guerra himself has visited the restaurant on several occasions, and the partners said he has been supportive of their new venture. “He taught me the culinary side,” Sakey said. “I made my first roux working with him — ‘no, you’re browning it too much, you want that nutty smell’ — but he also taught me front of house. For a guy in chef whites to be just as good in front, that’s incredible.”

Collins agreed. “The guy doesn’t miss a detail in front of house. He burned a lot of that into us.”

The employees have picked up on that sense of pride, Sakey added. “I can’t speak more highly about the staff. Front of the house, back of the house — they take such ownership of what they’re doing. It’s unique and amazing.”

On the Menu

Collins said that Center Square Grill has stayed true to its original core of steak, seafood, and pasta, but the menu offers many iterations on dishes in those categories, and others.

“We’ve tried to change the menu seasonally,” he added. “Most restaurants, out of the gate, don’t change the menu often, but we wanted to change with the season, and use local produce when it’s available, local meat when it’s available. We bought a whole lamb from a farm recently and used every single piece of it.”

Changing the menu also keeps people coming back to try new things, he added. But the regulars do have their favorites, including a crispy duck confit with house-made tomato jam, butternut squash risotto, and seasonal vegetables; seared Maine diver scallops over asparagus risotto and finished with a lemon thyme beurre blanc; Jamaican jerk chicken thighs marinated in a Caribbean rub and served over dirty rice with black bean corn salsa and chiptle aioli; and a slow-braised lamb shank with creamy polenta and seasonal veggies, finished with a twice-reduced port wine demi-glace.

Collins has been on a mission to create lamb converts with the latter dish, arguing that people who say they don’t like lamb are thinking of their grandmother’s gamy-tasting lamb topped with mint jelly. So he created a lamb-based amuse-bouche to give reluctant diners a taste. “I’ve converted every single one of them. I have people who said ‘I don’t like lamb’ ordering the lamb shank.”

Sakey takes particular pride in the restaurant’s impressive — and affordable — array of wine, beer, and cocktails.

“I think our wine program is one of the things that makes us unique. Bill and I know what wine costs, and when we go out and see a bottle of wine being sold for five times the cost, it’s hard to take the leap,” he told BusinessWest, noting that some restaurants mark up the price three or four times what he does. “We want people to be able to try more than the house wine and not worry about getting taken.”

Added Collins, “it’s a matter of inventory — do I want to sell wine, or do I really want to sell wine? It’s no benefit for me to sit on one case of wine for years.”

the restaurant’s outdoor patio

Warmer weather means ideal conditions to enjoy a meal or drinks on the restaurant’s outdoor patio.

To make sure the food keeps bringing people back, the restaurant recent hired Andrew Brow as head chef. “He was chef at a French bistro in North Carolina, but had moved up here to be closer to his family,” Collins said.

Brow took a job as director of operations for Rachael’s Smoked Fish, a division of J. Polep in Chicopee. But his passion for the chef’s life eventually took over. “We wanted him to come in one or two nights, to keep his hand in it, and eventually he left Rachael’s and came here full-time. We’re fortunate — he’s been in the food business all his life.”

Collins characterized himself and Sakey as foodies, noting that they visit other restaurants regularly, keeping abreast of what’s happening in their industry. That passion for food, however, is balanced by what they call a refreshing lack of ego. “It’s collaborative; if Mike has the better idea for a dish, it goes on the menu. If I have a better idea, or if Andrew has a better idea, that goes on the menu.

“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a little ego, but it’s ego about getting the best product on the menu,” he went on. “It’s a full-on collaboration. It’s a great process, and it keeps us all energetic about finding new ideas. You don’t want to be the one guy at the table without an idea.”

Star Struck

It has been, by any measure, a strong first year at Center Square Grill. “I don’t think we’re just lucky,” Collins said. “It’s taken a lot of hard work. But we’re fortunate in the way the outcome has turned out.”

As for that four-and-a-half-star Yelp rating, Sakey likes it just where it is, noting that it’s a reminder that he, Collins, and Brow can always aim just a bit higher. “Nothing’s ever perfect,” he said, “but we can be really good.”

Collins disagrees, saying he wants that extra half-star.

“The drive for five fuels my passion for food,” he said, saying it’s a constant obsession. One day, he was telling a friend about a conversation he had with his fiancée, Julia, while lying in bed, telling her about an idea for a new dish.

“Someone overheard me talking about that, and they said, ‘that’s your pillow talk?’ But I’m always thinking about what I’m going to do next, what’s going to be on the table the next day.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Winning Recipe

By
Restaurants Sections
The Alvah Stone Creates Cuisine for Every Palate

Howard Wein

Howard Wein says attention to detail has led to the success of the Alvah Stone.

Howard Wein is sitting at a copper-topped table positioned directly above the Saw Mill River in the Alvah Stone restaurant in Montague. The view of the waterfall rushing over a rocky surface below is mesmerizing, and the blues music that echoes softly throughout the historic, carefully apportioned structure was carefully chosen by him to enhance the atmosphere.

“We want this to become known as a community-based neighborhood restaurant that is also the best restaurant in the Valley,” said Wein, who opened his eatery a year ago. “But it’s not a special-occasion place. It’s very casual and very comfortable, and we are providing a service and resource to the community that didn’t exist. We are focused on appealing to different people for different reasons at different times of the week, which is why we have such a flexible menu.”

The restaurant is only one of Wein’s undertakings (more about that later). But it brings together everything he has learned in his career, which includes extensive experience in some of the most competitive markets in the restaurant and hospitality arenas.

“I’ve always wanted a brick-and-mortar business in the community, and this is my dream space,” he said. “You could put this restaurant anywhere in the world, and people would find the setting absolutely spectacular. It’s the most unique location within an hour in any direction.”

Preserving the Past

Wein conducted an in-depth study of the building’s history before renovating the interior, as he felt it was important to retain its character. It is one of several establishments in the historic Montague Mill, including the Montague Bookmill and the Sawmill River Arts Gallery.

“Many different things happened in this building,” Wein told BusinessWest. “In addition to being a grist mill, the logo for Louisville Slugger bats used to be stamped on them here, and it was once home to Martin Machine Shop. But the mill was built in 1834 by Alvah Stone, so I took his name for my restaurant.”

He also kept original machinery related to the gristmill’s operation, some of which is still embedded in the floor, and added a few other historic pieces. But he also injected a modern flair into the space, which can be seen in details such as the citron color of the drink menu, which was created to match the hue of the overhead light fixtures.

Wein also built a bar that serves fine wines and draft beer, including Alvah Stone Ale, made for the restaurant by Lefty’s Brewery in Greenfield, as well as a full stock of liquor.

The Alvah Stone was designed to appeal to a wide audience, and its menus include the best meat and produce that can be found in the region, Wein said. “We are very focused on using local ingredients that are produced close to us. Sustainable agriculture is very important to me,” he noted, adding that he doesn’t limit his business to farms labeled ‘organic’ because he knows the certification process is costly and there are many “very small, talented local growers in the area.”

The Alvah Stone’s outdoor patio

The Alvah Stone’s outdoor patio is set above the scenic Saw Mill River.

However, he takes great care with the menu, grouping the selections into several categories. People can stop in at the bar and get a homemade pretzel and a beer or hot dog on a brioche bun, share a few items with friends, or order a full meal prepared with ingredients grown in the area.

For example, the restaurant serves Wagyu sirloin, which is the American version of the renowned Japanese Kobe beef known throughout the world for its quality. “We get it from Royalton Farms in Vermont. They are the only producer east of the Mississippi that breeds this beef. It’s very, very rare,” said Executive Chef Dave Schrier, adding that the farm also raises highly sought-after Berkshire and Mangalitsa pork.

Schrier loves all types of food, and although the menu is strongly influenced by Southern and American dishes, there are also items with a bold Asian influence, such as soba noodles and bok choy. “We don’t label ourselves farm to table, but 95% of what we use comes from local farms,” he said, adding that the menu changes frequently.

Wein said local ingredients, including fresh juices, are used in many of the cocktails, and herbs such as sumac and pepper are infused into vodka and other spirits.

“We give everything we do here a lot of thought. The Alvah Stone is not about me; it’s about the experience people have here and the team who serves guests from the moment they enter,” he said. “It’s also about the colors we use, the music we play, and the way tea is served. Every single detail, including every word on the menu, matters.”

To that end, even the menus are in distinct colors: black and white for the food and citron for the cocktail selection. New drinks are created frequently with names that reference the area’s history, such as the Machine, Scotch Shagger, Old to Alvah, and Gristmill Grog.

Fusion of Knowledge

Wein’s illustrious career has come full circle at the Alvah Stone. He chose to leave a high-profile position in New York City four years ago to move his family to Leverett, which is a six-minute drive from where he established Howard Wein Hospitality LLC in 2011.

Everything on the menu at the Alvah Stone is made at the restaurant

Everything on the menu at the Alvah Stone is made at the restaurant, including the sausages, hot dogs, breads, hot pretzels, and pastries.

He met his wife, Jennifer, in 1993 when they were both students at Hampshire College, and after Wein graduated with a degree in culinary arts and business, he stayed in the area while she finished her studies. “I was cooking at Sienna Restaurant in South Deerfield and was also the executive director for food and beverage at Jacob’s Pillow,” he told BusinessWest.

But he wanted to own his own business, so he returned to school and earned an MBA from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, which launched him on an ambitious career path. “I took a job at the corporate office of Starwood Hotels and Resorts in White Plains, New York, and was responsible for 400 hotels doing $2 million of revenue in food and beverages alone,” he said.

His next stint was chief operating officer of Starr Restaurants in Philadelphia, where he grew the company from a $40 million operation with eight locations in the City of Brotherly Love to a $120 million business with 16 locations in three cities. “It was amazing, but it was also exhausting. I was working seven days and at least 120 hours every week,” he recalled.

Four years later, Wein took a job as senior vice president of restaurants, bars, and entertainment for the Morgan Hotel Group in New York City. He commuted back and forth from Philadelphia each day and traveled frequently, as the group has hotels in London, Las Vegas, New York, Miami, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

But after his daughter was born, he and Jennifer decided it was time to move back to Western Mass., where they wanted to bring her up, so they left and bought a home in Leverett.

“My wife and I grow all of our produce and like being surrounded by an agricultural community,” Wein said. “This is a very liberal, intellectually-minded area, and people here are content with what they do and what they have.”

Shortly after, he opened Howard Wein Hospitality LLC, in the Montague Mill. He said the business has been very successful, with clients including Iron Chefs Geoffrey Zakarian and Scott Conant, who both regularly appear on the Food Network show Chopped.

But when the restaurant space next door became available, Wein was finally able to realize his dream of owning a restaurant business he cares deeply about.

Broad Audience

Wein is active in the community and serves on the Hampshire College board of directors. The institution was one of his clients before he became a board member, however, and he worked to connect the college’s food service with local farms.

As it has grown in popularity, the Alvah Stone expanded from a six- to seven-day operation. “This area is my home, and the restaurant is a big part of that. It’s an amazing place to work at every day, and we have built an amazing team and an amazing brand,” he said.

His statement is backed by positive reviews from both critics and patrons.

“This is a phenomenal place. It’s very calming and conducive to a fine dining experience,” said Nina Pollard from Hadley as she sat outside on a recent weekend and looked at the river rushing by.

Her dining companion agreed. “It’s a real retreat. The sights and sounds make it a moving oasis and work together to create a special ambience,” said Ann Kenny from Merrimack, N.H.

Wein is glad that people are enjoying his eatery and hopes it will grow and became a significant fixture in the Montague Mill’s history.

“We are trying to build something that will still be here in 50 years,” he said. “We are really committed to this, and everything we do is with a long-term vision in mind.”

Compelling Viewpoints

By
Meetings & Conventions Sections
Smith College Conference Center Offers a Slice of Paradise

Smith College Conference CenterAddie MacDonald was offering a quick tour of the Smith College Conference Center.

He started in the front lobby and quickly moved on to the main meeting room, ticking off its various amenities — including a host of seating possibilities, state-of-the-art audio-visual systems, ample parking, and a slew of catering options — as he walked.

“And then … there’s that,” he said, gesturing out the huge windows covering one side of room.

‘That,’ of course, is Paradise Pond and the many views of it and the surrounding grounds that are perhaps the best selling point of this relatively new entry into the highly competitive local market for meetings and conventions.

Intriguing even in winter, the pond area is exceptionally beautiful in the spring and fall, said MacDonald, manager of the conference center, adding that the views — from the Paradise Room, as that aforementioned main meeting facility is called, to the deck nearby and many of the other rooms in this complex — certainly help explain why this facility has become an attractive option for groups of several sizes since it opened to the public only four years ago.

But there is more to this venue than what’s visible out the windows, or experienced up close if one chooses to venture outside during a break in the proceedings in question — which almost everyone does, said MacDonald.

There’s the location — downtown Northampton and, more specifically, the Smith campus, which boasts everything from century-old buildings to its famous botanical garden (designed by the firm headed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also conceptualized Central Park), to the pond and its waterfall — which is something decidedly different among meeting venues. There are also the many catering options available, said MacDonald, adding that the facility’s kitchens have been used by many of the city’s renowned restaurants to prepare meals for clients.

Addie MacDonald

Addie MacDonald says the Smith College Conference Center is off to a good start because of its mix of scenery and amenities.

Addie MacDonald says the Smith College Conference Center is off to a good start because of its mix of scenery and amenities.
[/caption]Until very recently, these views and amenities could be enjoyed only by Smith faculty and invited guests. Indeed, the conference center, or at least the main building in the complex, was once the Faculty Club and then the College Club, said MacDonald, meaning it was open only to faculty and staff and was, as he put it, the “social epicenter for the academic mission of Smith.”

“For years, there is where faculty would come to wine and dine and entertain lecturers who would come from out of town, or interview potential candidates,” he explained, adding that the conference center is comprised of two buildings — the 1950s-era former Faculty Club, and a century-old building eventually acquired by the college that was believed to be the home of a buggy-whip manufacturing facility. “And this was ultimately a place where they could freely speak, exchange ideas, develop coursework, and invite other professors from local colleges.

“Over the years, it became more and more popular, and the college decided to open it up to the Northampton general public — and then well beyond,” he continued.

Mostly through word-of-mouth referrals, it quickly became the site for a wide array of functions — from weddings to corporate retreats; from holiday parties to meetings of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

“They do retreats, and once or twice a year they might meet here to discuss policy — I think they like looking at our pond because they can identify the various ducks that are coming and going from there,” MacDonald joked, referencing the fish and wildlife agency.

He told BusinessWest that Smith has become more aggressive in its marketing of the conference center in recent months, and it can certainly no longer be considered a hidden gem or best-kept secret.

It now stages more than 25 weddings a year, and the calendar, especially for those warmer months, fills up quickly.

“In many respects, this is like a classic startup business with a great infrastructure behind it,” he said of the venture. “And it’s gone well — we’ve picked up business even faster than we anticipated; the location has really attracted a number of people.”

For this issue and its focus on meetings and conventions, BusinessWest takes in the views at the Smith College Conference Center and examines why it has quickly become a venue of choice for many different types of groups.

Setting the Stage

MacDonald brings an intriguing background to his role as manager of the conference center.

Indeed, the Vermont native eventually settled in New York City, where he worked for years for the Directors Guild of America, handling a number of screenings and movie premieres in Gotham.

“It was the classic New York job in many ways — a lot of late nights and meeting many interesting people,” he explained, adding that there were several factors that motivated him to come back to New England and get this startup successfully off the ground.

The deck, with its views of Paradise Pond

The deck, with its views of Paradise Pond and the many forms of wildlife that inhabit it, has become a popular spot at the Smith College Conference Center.

“New England is in my blood, and my wife and I really knew that we wanted to find a place to settle down and find a community,” he explained. “We found all that in Northampton and Smith.”

But there are still quite a few of those late nights that he was in many ways hoping to leave behind, he went on, adding quickly that this is a good thing because it’s a clear sign that the conference center is off to a strong start in its bid to become a player in the region’s meeting and conventions market.

“We hit the ground running, because part of my charge here was to bring in new business, and people from Northampton and beyond, across Western Massachusetts, have always been eager to come to campus, utilize our facilities, and take advantage of the many resources we have here — and, quite frankly, impress their clients, because the view and this location are unparalleled.”

As MacDonald mentioned, the conference center, which was given a facelift in early 2014 — one that opened up the lobby area and gave it a new façade — is more than one room with a great view. Offering a more elaborate tour, he and Merrilyn Lewis, associate director of the Events Management Office at Smith, stopped at a number of smaller rooms that are appropriate for a number of different types of events.

There’s the Oak Room, which can accommodate 75 for a reception, 100 for theater-style seating, and 55 for a seated dinner. There’s the adjacent lounge, which can host 50 for a reception, said Lewis, adding that clients can book both rooms for a slightly larger event.

There’s also the so-called Directors Room, which can seat 15 for meetings, and Meeting Rooms B and C, which can accommodate six and 15 people, respectively. Meanwhile, the lobby and adjoining deck, which can accommodate 75 for a reception, has become a popular alternative, in part because it brings guests even closer to the beautiful surroundings and allows more of the senses to get some exercise.

“Everyone likes it out here, and it’s part of the attraction; not many venues have an outdoor location that’s this convenient,” said MacDonald as he stepped onto the deck, noting that various forms of wildlife often come into view, including some otters that recently established residence nearby and have put on some good shows for guests.

the conference center at Smith

Addie MacDonald says the conference center at Smith is much more than a room with a view.

The venue is a natural for weddings because of the facilities and surroundings, said MacDonald, adding that the center has booked several, some involving individuals, especially students, who have connections to Smith, but also many others who don’t.

And already, a number of businesses, nonprofit groups, and even government agencies have discovered the conference center, said Lewis, noting that Yankee Candle, headquartered in nearby Deerfield, has hosted a number of events there, as has Baystate Health, the Northampton School District, United Way of Hampshire County, and others. Some of those groups are based a few blocks or a few miles from the campus, but many others are headquartered in Springfield and points further south and east.

“Sometimes, when you’re staging a company retreat, it’s nice to hold it away from the office in a completely different setting, which frees up thinking,” Lewis explained. “And that sentiment has brought a lot of people here.”

And while the spring, summer, and early fall are easily the busiest months, the center books a number of corporate outings and annual meetings in the winter, and the venue has hosted a number of smaller holiday parties as well.

View to the Future

Looking ahead, the conference center’s obvious goal is to add more events to its calendar, said MacDonald, who told BusinessWest that he expects this will happen as more individuals and groups come to the facility for the first time.

This will lead to more word-of-mouth referrals, he noted, as well as repeat business — and there has already been a good amount of that.

“We’ve been very fortunate to have a number of repeat clients because of the convenience, location, and simplicity of it all,” he said, adding that a number of businesses and nonprofits have returned several times.

They obviously liked what they saw — both literally and figuratively.


George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]

A Meaty Subject

By
Meetings & Conventions Sections
Entrepreneur Resurrects Chicopee’s Fabled Kielbasa Festival

kielbasa is king at the K-Fest

In the event’s revitalized form — as it was in the ’70s and ’80s — kielbasa is king at the K-Fest.

Rich Kos says it was sometime in the early ’80s; he doesn’t remember the specific year.

What he does remember is meeting the professional wrestler Ivan Putski — known then, and probably still, as the “Polish Power” and “Polish Hammer” — as he made the rounds during Chicopee’s annual Kielbasa Festival.

“He was quite the hit as he walked around the grounds — kids, and grown-ups, kept running up to him,” said Kos, who was city solicitor then, and is now in his second go-around as mayor. “That’s just one of many memories I have from the old days.”

Seemingly everyone from Chicopee has a mental photo album crammed with snapshots from the festival and those ‘old days,’ meaning the ’70s and ’80s, when the K-Fest, as it was called, would draw north of 80,000 people to the rear parking lot of the old Fairfield Mall for its annual four-day run in September.

License plates from states half a continent away would dot the parking lot, and national and even international acts, including some of polka’s greatest legends, would entertain the throngs. There were rides, attractions, and the ‘world’s largest kielbasa’ contest, with the winner weighing in at several hundred pounds.

Alas, the old days eventually became solely the stuff of memories, as the K-Fest succumbed to many ills (more on all that later) in the mid-’90s and was discontinued.

And it might have remained a part of the city’s past if Tom Kielbania Jr. didn’t set about to create some new old days more than 18 months ago.

That’s when this serial entrepreneur of sorts — he’s been involved with everything from music (as drummer for the ’80s dance band Orange Crush) to real estate — decided the K-Fest could be revived, and it could succeed as a for-profit venture, even if there was no shortage of people telling him that was flawed thinking.

“There were a lot of doubters — some people told me I was crazy,” he told BusinessWest as he recalled how he brought back the festival roughly a year ago at Szot Park. He believes more than 16,000 attended that rain-bothered event, which did well enough in his estimation to convince him that he had made the right decision.

Year two of the ‘new’ Kielbasa Festival is set for Memorial Day weekend. Kielbania is expecting perhaps 40,000 people if the weather cooperates. They’ll be treated to a wide array of entertainment, including a host of polka banks and, yes, Orange Crush. There will be a wide assortment of kielbasa, Polish food, barbecue, and other menu options, as well as rides and other attractions.

“This will be a family event, like it was all those years ago,” he said, adding that now, as it was then, the K-fest will be a celebration of Chicopee as much as it is a celebration of Polish food and traditions.

For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Kielbania about why and how he resurrected this event once synonymous with Chicopee, and with others about what it all means for this community.

Spicing Things Up

The ‘new’ Kielbasa Festival, or K-Fest

The ‘new’ Kielbasa Festival, or K-Fest, as it’s called locally, drew solid crowds its first year, despite some inclement weather.

Steve Jendrysik is considered Chicopee’s unofficial historian. Thus, the retired social-studies supervisor at Chicopee Comprehensive High School can easily recite the life and times of the K-Fest, and has done so in many ways, including a regular column on Chicopee history he has written for the Republican since 1998 and as a major contributor to several of the Arcadia Publishing books on the city.

He told BusinessWest that, ironically, the festival was started not by a member of the city’s large Polish population, but rather by an Irishman, Neil O’Leary.

He owned a dry-cleaning business down the street from the main entrance to Westover Air Reserve Base, said Jendrysik, adding that it was O’Leary’s idea to create a community event centered around what was arguably Chicopee’s signature product. There were several shops producing kielbasa at that time, including Chicopee Provision Co., makers of the Blue Seal label for more than a century.

He pitched the idea to the Chamber of Commerce, and it eventually became the purview of that agency’s fund-raising arms, known as the Fireball Club (a men’s group) and the Super Cs (for women).

“This was a product of that era — in the ’70s, festivals were very big,” said Jendrysik, citing Wilbraham’s Peach Festival and the myriad ‘Tastes’ that became popular in the ’80s as other examples.

The festival started small, as a larger version of an event run by St. Stanislaus’ parish, he said, but eventually gained momentum — and much larger crowds — through the participation of big-name polka bands from around the country — including Jimmy Sturr’s Orchestra, Lenny Gomulka and the Chicago Push, and others.

The K-Fest, staged the week before the Big E and often featuring many of the same rides and attractions as the fair, enjoyed a mostly healthy 20-year-run, said Jendrysik, adding that there were several factors that eventually led to its demise in 1994.

Chief among them was simply fatigue on the part of organizers, he noted, adding that this was a volunteer-led effort, and there was quite a workload. But rising insurance costs also played a part, as did a lawsuit (one that threatened to push those rates considerably higher) stemming from an altercation during the festival and near one of its parking areas.

Over the ensuing years, there were some minor efforts to resuscitate the festival and some much smaller events launched in its wake, including something known as the Festiv-All. But there were seemingly too many obstacles standing in the way of a comeback.

Enter Kielbania, who by that time was looking for a new, additional outlet for his considerable entrepreneurial energy.

Orange Crush, which started performing as an R.E.M. tribute band in 1996, was and still is immensely popular — it has played at more than 250 colleges and in more than 20 states, and a few years ago it released an original album — but music is a difficult business and, in this case, not as lucrative as it once was.

Tom Kielbania

Tom Kielbania says the K-Fest has a great legacy in Chicopee, and he fully expects that the event will return to its past glory.

A Chicopee native, Kielbana knew of the K-Fest’s history and success decades ago, and began talking with friends and people in the promotions business about turning back the clock, figuratively speaking.

As he mentioned, the idea met with skepticism from those who knew of the event, its rise and fall, and with question marks from those who understood none of the above.

“My wife is from Northfield,” he noted. “When I got the rights to the festival, I was ecstatic — I knew about all the possibilities; I knew what it could be as a business — but she didn’t get it, because she didn’t know the history.”

Music to His Ears

After several long and quite stressful months of planning — Kielbania says he lost 30 pounds while putting it all together — the inaugural version of the reinvented festival was staged the week before Memorial Day to avoid the considerable competition that dominates the summer weekends.

Attendance was roughly 12,000 paid — young children are admitted free, he said, adding that the four-day festival itself was profitable, and the year-round venture as a whole broke even, a solid performance for events of this kind.

“For a new event, usually it takes five years to become profitable,” he said. “The fact that my event was profitable in the first year … no one expected that; all my promoter friends told me I was going to lose or, at best, break even. We did way better than break even.”

He’s taken that first year’s success and the momentum it generated to create a show for 2015 that will be bigger in every respect, in large part because that first year convinced people that Kielbania was serious and, more importantly, capable of pulling off an event worthy of its name.

“I had a lot of people who didn’t think it was going to happen, and I had a lot of people who didn’t think this was going to work, because they remember the old days,” he said, adding that many didn’t believe he could properly honor the event’s legacy. “They didn’t realize that there’s new blood in the mix. We’re a different generation; we get things done, and we can get it done.”

That first year’s performance has also led to more support from some of the players in the business community — an outcome resulting in part from Kielbania’s efforts to convince business owners that, despite the event’s for-profit nature, it gives back to the community.

“This year, I’m hoping to put $20,000 back into the schools’ coffers, to the PTOs, and several nonprofits,” he said, adding that, as in those often-mentioned old days, those groups are involved with the operation of the event.

“I’m not trying to push the event or stress why people should go to it,” he said in reference to his formal and informal marketing efforts. “Instead, I’m focused on how we can benefit the city and how we can get the city to help run it, using the nonprofit organizations.”

Chicopee Savings Bank is one of those businesses that has stepped up to sponsor the event. Its president, Bill Wagner, remembers the old days, and believes Kielbania has shown that he can potentially replicate them.

“It rained for two days last year, and they still had a lot of people there — I was surprised at how well they did,” Wagner said, adding that the bank has gone to a higher sponsorship level this year. “I never thought he’d make it work, but he did, and you’ve got to give credit where credit’s due.”

Kos, who regained the corner office a few months before the 2014 event, agreed. He said Kielbania talked with him about his plans and impressed him with his resolve.

“We talked about how this was quite an endeavor, and he said he was up for it,” the mayor recalled. “He showed that he was.”

Ivan Putski will not be making an appearance at this year’s K-Fest, but there will be plenty of star power in other forms. The entertainment list includes a host of polka bands, including the Chardon Polka Band from Ohio and the Chris & Ronnie Polka Band from New Jersey, as well as many other acts, from A Ray of Elvis to a slew of tribute bands.

Meanwhile, Kielbania says he’s addressed the three main complaints from last year — lack of a dance floor, a shortage of Polish food, and not enough options when it came to kielbasa — and especially that last one.

“I have my own ‘Tour of Kielbasa’ tent, where I’m bringing in different kielbasas from Poland, Chicago, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and lots of local guys,” he told BusinessWest. “I’m making it a kielbasa festival — I’m celebrating kielbasa.”

Food for Thought

Looking down the road, and not far down, Kielbania expects to take this business — meaning the staging of festivals and like events — to the next level.

He’s talking with a potential partner and is already mulling options for more events in Chicopee and well beyond, including a Kielbasa festival in the Berkshires and maybe another on the Cape.

At the moment, though, most of his energy is focused on bringing an end, or at least a sharp reduction, to talk about the old days and heightening attention on the present day.

And he’s already well on his way to doing just that.

George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]

Sky-high Expectations

By
Meetings & Conventions Sections
Great New England Air Show Set for May 16-17 at Westover

The U.S. Navy’s precision flying team, the Blue Angels

The U.S. Navy’s precision flying team, the Blue Angels, will be one of many star attractions at the Great New England Air Show later this month at Westover.

As he talked about the Great New England Air Show set for later this month, his expectations for large crowds, and even the clock that counts down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the show on its official website, Bud Shuback came back repeatedly to the phrase ‘pent-up demand.’

It explains quite a bit in a very succinct way, he noted, adding that there hasn’t been a major air show in this region for several years.

And by ‘major,’ he means a show featuring one of the military precision flying teams that have captivated audiences over the past several decades. Those demonstration teams were essentially grounded — at least for civilian shows such as this one — by federal budget sequestration in 2012. And there were other factors that kept such teams from performing regionally, such as a major runway reconstruction project at Barnes Municipal Airport, which has hosted an air show on even-numbered years for some time.

“We haven’t had one of those teams at Westover since 2008,” said Shuback, president of the Galaxy Community Council, which stages the Great New England Air Show, adding that the 2015 edition, which will help mark the 75th anniversary of Westover, will more than make up for lost time.

Indeed, the show will feature both the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Snowbirds, as well as a host of other acts, in addition to traveling warbirds, including a B-17 Flying Fortress and an original, World War II-era C-47 transport plane, and a number of static displays.

“We’re expecting some very large crowds if the weather cooperates,” said Shuback. “We haven’t had a show like this in a while; we have quite a lineup, and people are very excited about this show.

“The demonstration acts were halted by federal budget cuts,” he went on, “but they’re back in full force again to inspire the next generation of aviation enthusiasts — and show what the taxpayers are spending their money on.”

The Blue Angels were scheduled to be in Rhode Island in early May, said Shuback, and the group placed a call to the Great New England Air Show organizers to see if they could perform in Chicopee the following week.

That opportunity prompted organizers to move the show from its traditional late-summer date, said Shuback, adding that the May weekend comes complete with a host of challenges — there are several college graduations slated, and hotel rooms are scarce — but the opportunity to book the Blue Angels was too attractive to pass up.

The air show will officially kick off with a breakfast on May 15 at Westover that raises funds to offset the cost of the event. Expected to draw 600 to 700 people, the breakfast will feature a salute to Korean War veterans and retired Air Force Col. Charles Brown as keynote speaker. A former B-52 pilot who was a prisoner of war after being shot down in North Vietnam, Brown completed his military career at Westover, where he served as logistics group commander for the 439th Airlift Wing before his retirement.

Breakfast attendees will have the opportunity to meet some of the military and civilians scheduled to fly over the weekend and also watch arriving aircraft and practicing teams until noon. Tickets are $30, and may be purchased in advance by visiting the show’s website, www.greatnewenglandairshow.com.

Those who choose to stay at the base following the breakfast might get an intriguing preview to the main event as the planes continue to arrive. The lineup features aircraft that cover several decades of aviation history, including:

• The C-47, named “Second Chance,” which was transferred to the Royal Air Force prior to D-Day and saw action in both Operation Overlord (the Normany invasion) and Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands. Show organizers are raffling off a flight on the plane;
• The B-17, one of the later models of that famous bomber, named “Yankee Lady”;
• The B-25 bomber named “Miss Hap,” one of the oldest of the surviving medium bombers used before and during World War II; and
• Other World War II-era aircraft, including an FG-1D Corsair, a TBF Avenger, a P-51 Mustang, and others.

The performing acts include the Blue Angels, who will be making their first trip to Westover, and the Canadian Snowbirds, precision teams that perform a host of maneuvers with the jets only inches apart; the U.S. Army parachute team the Golden Knights; a demonstration of the F-22 Raptor, the U.S. Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft; a demonstration of the Canadian CF-18 fighter; the GEICO skytypers airshow team; a flight squadron of six World War II-vintage U.S. Navy SNJ trainers; and the Sean D. Tucker & Team Oracle stunt flyers; Tucker has been named one of the Living Legends of Aviation.

There will also be several planes on static display, including a B-52 Stratofortress, a C-17 Globemaster, an A-10 Thunderbolt, a C-5 Galaxy, an F-15 Eagle, a C-130 Hercules, and others.

The event is made possible by a host of sponsors who help underwrite the costs of bringing the teams and displays to Chicopee, said Shuback. The sponsors of the 2015 show include Big Y, GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney, and a host of local companies.

Admission to the air show is free. For more information, visit www.greatnewenglandairshow.com.


— George O’Brien

Building Permits

By
Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of April 2015.

AGAWAM

LRB Realty Trust
1804 Main St.
$18,000 — Upgrade antenna panels

CHICOPEE

Ames Privilege Apts.
1 Springfield St.
$24,000 — Exterior renovations to bring guard rails up to code

BJ Wholesale Club
150 Memorial Dr.
$254,000 — Reconstruct the tire center for more retail space

Chapin School Veterans Housing, LLC
40 Meadow St.
$5,661,000 — Convert school to 43 housing units

Chicopee Street Association
714 Chicopee St.
$50,000 — Repairs in basement

SOUTH HADLEY

Crossroads Realty Holdings, LLC
84 Willimansett St.
$7,000 — Renovations

Town of South Hadley
267 Granby Road
$17,000 — Install sprinkler system

SOUTHWICK

Haftman & Sons
249 College Highway
$15,000 — Construct new addition

SPRINGFIELD

Israel Calderon
650-652 Chestnut St.
$6,000 — Interior renovation

Maraline Development Corporation
370 Pine St.
$841,000 — Convert first floor to classrooms and construct a handicap ramp

SIS Center Inc.
1441 Main St.
$42,500 — Renovation for new tenant

Tom Maeur
153 Plainfield St.
$367,000 — Renovate existing building to new business layout

WESTFIELD

City of Westfield
100 Elm St.
$17,000 — Install beams to support generator

Susana Baltazar
480 Southampton Road
$15,000 — Partitions for two new offices

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Calabrese LLC
54 Park St.
$10,000 — New counters and serving area in convenience store

Eastern States
1305 Memorial Ave.
$11,000 — New computer room

Taco Bell
25 Morgan Road
$536,000 — Construction of a new Taco Bell Restaurant

Verizon Wireless
Toccoa Lane
$30,000 — Upgrade antennas

Real Estate Transactions

By
Departments Real Estate

The following real estate transactions (latest available) were compiled by Banker & Tradesman and are published as they were received. Only transactions exceeding $115,000 are listed. Buyer and seller fields contain only the first name listed on the deed.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

ASHFIELD

57 Bronson Ave.
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $135,800
Buyer: Eleanor Dodson
Seller: Peter H. Wiitanen
Date: 03/31/15

1601 West Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Robert J. Wigmore
Seller: Steven R. Greenberg
Date: 03/31/15

BERNARDSTON

10 Gill Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Donald S. Fraser
Seller: Dylan F. James
Date: 04/01/15

16 Shaw Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Valerie K. Deane
Seller: Galen A. Stearns
Date: 03/30/15

25 Shedd Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Lorena R. Norwood
Seller: Florence Savings Bank
Date: 03/27/15

BUCKLAND

45 Conway St.
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $1,300,000
Buyer: John Madocks
Seller: Lamson & Goodnow Manufacturing Co.
Date: 03/25/15

CONWAY

151 South Deerfield Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Alan E. Greenfield
Seller: Ellen D. Zanetti
Date: 03/30/15

173 Whately Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Emmet P. Drische
Seller: Diane Poland
Date: 04/01/15

470 Wilder Hill Road
Conway, MA 01370
Amount: $208,702
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Rebecca E. Snow
Date: 03/26/15

DEERFIELD

7 Memorial St.
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $1,150,000
Buyer: Freccia LLC
Seller: Linda C. McInerney
Date: 03/23/15

ERVING

8 West High St.
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Jagla
Seller: Michael A. Letourneau
Date: 03/27/15

GREENFIELD

43 Freeman Dr.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Arthur J. Hannan
Seller: John D. Bergeron
Date: 03/26/15

20 Hancock Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $210,587
Buyer: Wilmington TR
Seller: Andrew W. Candler
Date: 03/30/15

59 High St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $296,000
Buyer: Roy J. Balaconis
Seller: Stacy, Marilyn, (Estate)
Date: 03/25/15

102 Highland Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Christopher M. McInerney
Seller: Diane D. Peterson
Date: 03/23/15

38 Shattuck St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $187,500
Buyer: Amanda S. Abramson
Seller: Peter Szemere
Date: 03/31/15

194 Wells St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Hassan A. Peters
Seller: Wilk, Richard P., (Estate)
Date: 03/31/15

65 Wildwood Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: James R. Lord
Seller: Lawrence E. Diluzio
Date: 04/01/15

MONTAGUE

48 Broadway
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $119,000
Buyer: Maureen B. Mooney
Seller: Barbara E. Turner-Delisle
Date: 03/27/15

9 Chestnut St.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Smith
Seller: Turners Falls RT
Date: 04/01/15

NORTHFIELD

42 Ashuelot Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Owen B. Davidson
Seller: Jane Southworth
Date: 03/23/15

46 Warwick Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Laura H. Fries
Seller: Wayne A. Decatur
Date: 03/26/15

ORANGE

36 Rogers Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Jane Whelton-Wallace
Seller: Kimball, Marilyn H., (Estate)
Date: 03/30/15

218 South Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $132,673
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Peter Parker
Date: 03/23/15

SHELBURNE

106-108 Bridge St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Melanie C. Dreher
Seller: FHLM
Date: 04/03/15

Memorial Dr.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: T&T Property LLC
Seller: J. Gaulin Properties LLC
Date: 04/02/15

WARWICK

65 Royalston Road
Warwick, MA 01378
Amount: $123,000
Buyer: Seth D. Wright
Seller: FNMA
Date: 03/27/15

WHATELY

25 Grey Oak Lane
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Oliver G. Rich
Seller: Scapes Builders & Excavation
Date: 03/31/15

239 State Road
Whately, MA 01373
Amount: $254,000
Buyer: Jordan M. Bean
Seller: John H. Zieminski
Date: 03/31/15

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

24 Broz Terrace
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Paul F. Broz
Seller: Eleanor G. Broz
Date: 03/24/15

17 Liswell Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $360,045
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Jennifer M. Hall-Cotto
Date: 04/01/15

201 Meadow St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Jeremy S. Abrahamson
Seller: James E. Scliopou
Date: 04/01/15

775 Niorth West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: John G. Kudlic
Seller: Crane, Robert F., (Estate)
Date: 04/03/15

BRIMFIELD

29 Crestwood Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $323,707
Buyer: USA HUD
Seller: Cosmo J. Casamassa
Date: 03/31/15

13 Main St.
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Shiv Krupa RT
Seller: Kevin F. Spencer
Date: 04/02/15

146 Tower Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $388,000
Buyer: Dmitry Voloshinov
Seller: Ronald A. Wagner
Date: 04/01/15

CHICOPEE

22 Arlmont St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: David F. Crumb
Seller: FHLM
Date: 03/27/15

54 Berger St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: MNH Sub 1 LLC
Seller: Donna M. Deschenes
Date: 04/01/15

150 Empire St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $189,900
Buyer: Jessica Ojeda
Seller: Luis Builders Inc.
Date: 04/02/15

150 Empire St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Nadezhda Sycheva
Seller: Jessica Ojeda
Date: 03/26/15

44 Eton St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Steven J. Ross RET
Seller: Stanley W. Sawa
Date: 04/02/15

32 Luther St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: James Louis
Seller: Kazimierz F. Irzyk
Date: 03/27/15

22 Marguerite St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Joseph N. Lavigne
Seller: Carol O. Josefek
Date: 03/27/15

452 Prospect St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Joanna D. Pagan
Seller: Cheryl A. Salvador
Date: 04/01/15

861 Prospect St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Timothy J. Wrona
Seller: 1580 Ocean Avenue LLC
Date: 04/03/15

30 Rimmon Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Marcel A. Lacen
Seller: Harbor Investment Group
Date: 04/01/15

59 Sullivan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $134,900
Buyer: David K. Pernell
Seller: George J. Fontaine
Date: 03/23/15

95 Thaddeus St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: John Valerio
Seller: Raymond L. Cloutier
Date: 04/02/15

39 Thomas St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $214,000
Buyer: Vernon T. Jones
Seller: Arclair Development LLC
Date: 03/26/15

58 White Birch Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Dana M. Hoover
Seller: Keith W. Bradway
Date: 03/31/15

51 Willow St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Stacy Tassone
Seller: Ronald J. Pete
Date: 03/27/15

219 Woodcrest Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Cinoe F. Cortes
Seller: James T. Russell
Date: 04/01/15

EAST LONGMEADOW

1 Apple Blossom Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $27,203,112
Buyer: SNR 24 Bluebird Estates Owner
Seller: East Longmeadow Retirement
Date: 04/01/15

47 Avery St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Philip M. Payer
Seller: John Czupryna
Date: 03/24/15

8 Day Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Amy M. Pawle
Seller: James G. Kantany
Date: 03/31/15

253 Maple St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $188,063
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Robert H. Johnson
Date: 03/23/15

102 Meadow Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Dean McKeever
Seller: Westcott G. Clarke
Date: 03/24/15

665 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Passive Realty LLC
Seller: City Line Development Corp.
Date: 03/31/15

671 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Passive Realty LLC
Seller: City Line Development Corp.
Date: 03/31/15

Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $27,203,112
Buyer: SNR 24 Bluebird Estates Owner
Seller: East Longmeadow Retirement
Date: 04/01/15

322 Prospect St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Alicia Gamelli
Seller: Karen M. Hand
Date: 04/03/15

HAMPDEN

152 Allen St.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $269,022
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Jacob Garcia
Date: 04/01/15

118 Raymond Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $276,094
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Vincent A. Bortolussi
Date: 04/02/15

70 Rock A. Dundee Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $629,000
Buyer: Micheal S. McGovern
Seller: Oscar L. Elguero
Date: 04/01/15

303 Wilbraham Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $171,850
Buyer: Joseph Sullivan
Seller: Roger F. Dialessi
Date: 03/26/15

HOLYOKE

359 Chestnut St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Marque Sheppard
Seller: Greater Springfield Habit
Date: 03/31/15

11 Claren Dr.
Amount: $185,005
Buyer: Kristen A. Amos
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 04/03/15

407 Hillside Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Marilyn Thomas
Seller: CDM Properties LLC
Date: 03/27/15

135 Lincoln St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Bet J. Alwin
Seller: Mary B. Agostino
Date: 03/26/15

17 Mason Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $173,900
Buyer: Ryan P. Neveu
Seller: Mary D. Moriarty
Date: 03/31/15

491 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Nicholas R. Ryder
Seller: Jon Deblase
Date: 03/25/15

79-81 Taylor St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Kevin J. Godek
Seller: Maria E. Pabon
Date: 03/27/15

LONGMEADOW

28 Edson St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Eric P. Lesser
Seller: Michael J. Russell
Date: 04/01/15

140 Field Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Tracey M. Arcelli
Seller: Paul R. Lopardo
Date: 04/02/15

118 King Philip Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Alexander M. Payes
Seller: Margaret B. Jenkins TR
Date: 04/01/15

190 Knollwood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Marielle J. Morgan
Seller: George R. Sullivan
Date: 04/01/15

6 Meadow Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Tracy B. Jeanis
Seller: John Lanucha
Date: 04/02/15

82 Merriweather Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $317,500
Buyer: Allan R. Shendell
Seller: FNMA
Date: 04/02/15

15 S. Park Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $341,000
Buyer: Kaitlyn E. Wong
Seller: Michael A. Siciliano
Date: 04/01/15

488 Williams St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $217,500
Buyer: Casja Jarry
Seller: Tracy B. Jeanis
Date: 03/31/15

LUDLOW

1388 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $274,000
Buyer: Steven A. Prior
Seller: Wendell M. Prior
Date: 03/26/15

32 Fairway Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Fernando Barroso
Seller: Isabel G. Martins
Date: 03/26/15

72 Highland Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $145,800
Buyer: Patrick J. Hurtado
Seller: Edite J. Freitas
Date: 04/03/15

203 Pondview Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $127,500
Buyer: Daniel O. Stebbins
Seller: Margaret G. Daigle
Date: 03/31/15

32 White St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $166,498
Buyer: Webster First Federal Credit Union
Seller: Daniel D. Larrow
Date: 03/30/15

MONSON

110 Bumstead Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Theresa A. Bodak
Seller: Frederick McDonald
Date: 03/30/15

35 Elm St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $194,758
Buyer: Bayview Loan Servicing
Seller: Charles M. Woodcock
Date: 03/27/15

24 Robbins Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Amber L. Letendre
Seller: FNMA
Date: 03/27/15

MONTGOMERY

16 Birch Bluff Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Oleg Stupak
Seller: Annemarie Brahm
Date: 03/31/15

PALMER

229 Burlingame Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $168,600
Buyer: John Bell
Seller: James N. Athearn
Date: 03/24/15

225 Old Warren Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: James M. Hensley
Seller: Alexander Dorjets
Date: 03/26/15

2 Pioneer Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $346,000
Buyer: Dustin T. Hermann
Seller: Karl Haywood
Date: 03/27/15

5 Sibley St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Selina A. Ammann
Seller: Fervest LLC
Date: 03/30/15

359 Springfield St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $341,000
Buyer: Victor C. Lopez
Seller: Manuel Duarte
Date: 03/30/15

SPRINGFIELD

Albany St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $1,905,000
Buyer: Buckeye Terminals LLC
Seller: ExxonMobil Oil Corp.
Date: 04/02/15

670 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Matthew A. Gosselin
Seller: Nicole A. Ciavola
Date: 03/30/15

3-7 Audubon St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Passive Realty LLC
Seller: City Line Development Corp.
Date: 03/31/15

5 Audubon St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Passive Realty LLC
Seller: City Line Development Corp.
Date: 03/31/15

7 Audubon St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Passive Realty LLC
Seller: City Line Development Corp.
Date: 03/31/15

65 Bartels St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Matthew P. Dibiaso
Seller: Jason S. Maynard
Date: 03/24/15

736 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Christiaan X. Vandamme
Seller: Robert G. Ferron
Date: 03/25/15

104 Belvidere St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Rebecca L. Mckeever
Seller: Deluca Development Corp.
Date: 04/02/15

36 Bennington St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $134,500
Buyer: Yanitza I. Lebron
Seller: Paul J. Sears
Date: 03/23/15

15 Berard Circle
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Cindy A. Wodecki
Seller: Joseph E. Pelletier
Date: 04/02/15

179 Bridle Path Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: Christopher S. Crosno
Seller: Brenda J. Thompson
Date: 03/30/15

328-330 Chapin Terrace
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: FAB Holdings LLC
Seller: Peter P. Hoontis
Date: 04/01/15

174 Denver St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $127,500
Buyer: Jose M. Garcia
Seller: Nelson Garcia
Date: 03/27/15

Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Redempter I. Isiaho
Seller: Bousquet, Virginia V., (Estate)
Date: 03/27/15

99 Fisher St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Jose L. Ortiz
Seller: Delson F. Nunez
Date: 03/31/15

212 Garnet St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Odessa Torres
Seller: Karen E. Torres
Date: 04/03/15

170 Goodwin St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Jose A. Rodriguez
Seller: Helder F. Nunes
Date: 03/23/15

15 Gourley Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Vincent L. Ashton
Seller: Beth A. Conway
Date: 03/26/15

63 Governor St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Dwayne Brown
Seller: Global Homes Properties
Date: 03/31/15

136 Kerry Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $146,500
Buyer: Erica Etchells
Seller: Edward J. Haluch
Date: 03/24/15

14 Lafayette St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Dionne Real Estate LLC
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 03/30/15

368 Longhill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $417,000
Buyer: Pierre W. Joseph
Seller: Jennifer A. Thorn
Date: 03/25/15

72 Lumae St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Susan C. Young
Seller: Lee J. Dufault
Date: 03/31/15

65 Mallowhill Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $122,000
Buyer: Luz E. Cotto
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 03/30/15

206 Pine Acre Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $134,000
Buyer: Lisa M. Zunis
Seller: Leonor Depina
Date: 03/23/15

162 Redlands St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $117,000
Buyer: Judith A. Hurston
Seller: Scott, Beverly V., (Estate)
Date: 03/27/15

125 Squire Lane
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Jason F. Hyde
Seller: Ceislak, Edward S., (Estate)
Date: 03/27/15

15 Sorrento St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Terry Streeter
Seller: Adeleke Thomas
Date: 04/01/15

259 Trafton Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Geoffrey M. Schmidt
Seller: Douglas M. Campbell
Date: 03/30/15

116-118 Victoria St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: Shao T. Ma
Seller: Kalena Alston-Griffin
Date: 04/01/15

116 White Birch Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Shane M. Manning
Seller: Dennis M. Maleshefski
Date: 04/03/15

540-542 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Jorge Santana
Seller: Sergey Savonin
Date: 04/01/15

78 Wilmington St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $198,108
Buyer: Flagstar Bank
Seller: Orlando Palacios
Date: 03/23/15

34 Winding Lane
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: James M. Plushner
Seller: Andrew J. Lucia
Date: 03/31/15

SOUTHWICK

150 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Phillip Milidantri
Seller: Nancy R. Mackinney
Date: 04/03/15

391 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Daniel A. Storrs
Seller: Samuel C. Chevalier
Date: 04/03/15

19 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Sharon King
Seller: Welch, Sylvia N., (Estate)
Date: 03/31/15

36 Grove St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $447,000
Buyer: Mary Troy
Seller: Brendan T. Gunther
Date: 03/30/15

WEST SPRINGFIELD

258 Belmont Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $242,500
Buyer: Katherine Zielinski
Seller: Patricia M. Kocor
Date: 03/27/15

59 Boulevard Place
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $185,000
Seller: Edouard Devarennes
Date: 03/26/15

106 Buckingham Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Rachel L. Dionne
Seller: Stephen P. Bail
Date: 03/27/15

116 Cedar Woods Glen
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Stephen P. Bail
Seller: Anthony J. Wheeler
Date: 03/27/15

21 Dale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $173,465
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Linda Shaw
Date: 03/27/15

71 Elmwood Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $122,472
Buyer: USA VA
Seller: Albert F. Borzomato

871 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: Dmitriy Kaplyuk
Seller: Nadezhda Sychev
Date: 03/26/15

56 Squassick Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $271,750
Buyer: Eric J. Early
Seller: Anne C. Beauregard
Date: 03/27/15

44 Stone Path Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Danielle S. Petraitis
Seller: Petraitis, Edward S., (Estate)
Date: 03/27/15

1290 Westfield St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $134,000
Buyer: Carlos H. Melendez
Seller: Andreoli, Anthony J., (Estate)
Date: 03/27/15

WESTFIELD

90 Big Wood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Vanessa E. Beattie
Seller: William P. Farrell
Date: 03/31/15

48 Claremont St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $176,000
Buyer: Olga V. Kravets
Seller: Burrage, Rosemarie, (Estate)
Date: 03/27/15

31 Dug Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Zane B. Skerry
Seller: Deborah C. Woodford
Date: 03/26/15

1087 East Mountain Road
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Allen C. Therrien
Seller: Anil K. Mallavarapu
Date: 03/31/15

9 Gladwin Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: S&C Homebuyers LLC
Seller: Retained Realty Inc.
Date: 03/24/15

19 High St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Nathaniel L. Nunez
Seller: Kara Adamites-Grant
Date: 03/27/15

12 Kellogg St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Rocki Fleming
Seller: Douglas R. Peters
Date: 03/31/15

265 Montgomery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Vladimir Carmona
Seller: James J. Vadnais
Date: 03/25/15

110 Old Stage Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Brian Brown
Seller: Mark G. Lawrence
Date: 03/31/15

551 Southwick Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Paul Coughlin
Seller: Gordon F. Durphey
Date: 03/27/15

161 Tannery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Ivan Kirpichev
Seller: Mallory K. Dazelle
Date: 03/27/15

WILBRAHAM

9 Branch Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Katie L. Knodler
Seller: Eileen M. Nicoli
Date: 03/31/15

13 Craigwood Terrace
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Mark A. Edgar
Seller: Tinamarie Talenda
Date: 04/03/15

10 Daniele Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $369,900
Buyer: Mark D. Davis
Seller: Custom Homes Development Group
Date: 03/31/15

8 Opal St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $141,500
Buyer: Eileen M. Nicoli
Seller: Carol A. McFarlin
Date: 03/31/15

14 Woodside Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $248,000
Buyer: Brian P. Normoyle
Seller: William J. Aguilar
Date: 04/02/15

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

1279 Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $279,000
Buyer: Elana M. Kleiman
Seller: Joanne E. Tebaldi
Date: 04/01/15

35 Elf Hill Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $357,500
Buyer: Hanna Spinosa
Seller: Reed F. Perkins
Date: 04/03/15

236 Harkness Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Chelsea E. Grybko
Seller: Gordon S. Kramer
Date: 03/31/15

289 Pelham Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Rocky Hill Road Partners
Seller: Thomas C. Thornton
Date: 04/02/15

136 Pomeroy Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $392,888
Buyer: Sheldon F. Finlay
Seller: Cheryl B. Wilson
Date: 03/27/15

345 Strong St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Joan West
Seller: Rongheng Lin
Date: 04/01/15

30 Sunrise Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Yeshi Gyaltsen
Seller: FNMA
Date: 03/30/15

15 Teaberry Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $393,000
Buyer: Terry S. Johnson
Seller: Milly Butera FT
Date: 03/31/15

15 Trillium Way
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Jonghyun Lee
Seller: Robert S. Bergquist
Date: 03/31/15

115 Van Meter Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Abbigail T. Chickering
Seller: Bailey, Leeta L., (Estate)
Date: 03/27/15

170 Wildflower Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Matthew A. Lackner
Seller: Anthony M. Pellegrino
Date: 04/03/15

BELCHERTOWN

49 Azalea Way
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: William D. Porter
Seller: Brian J. Sullivan
Date: 03/27/15

24 Brandywine Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Robert E. Bergendahl
Seller: Cathy A. Dow-Royer
Date: 03/23/15

28 Hickory Hill
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Changli He
Seller: J. N. Duquette & Son Construction
Date: 03/30/15

261 South Liberty St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Rudolf Pauls
Seller: Constance M. Loftus
Date: 04/02/15

255 West St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: Mitchell T. Halon
Seller: US Bank
Date: 04/01/15

CHESTERFIELD

27 Indian Hollow Road
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Richard W. Pytko
Seller: Wilburn G. Dawson
Date: 04/01/15

237 Ireland St.
Chesterfield, MA 01084
Amount: $377,100
Buyer: Gregory E. Meister
Seller: David B. Kielson
Date: 03/27/15

EASTHAMPTON

35 Beyer Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Laura M. Mangones
Seller: Kathleen Thomas
Date: 03/26/15

401 East St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Paul J. Laliberte
Seller: James J. Laliberte
Date: 03/23/15

9 Elliot St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $120,967
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: William R. Pereira
Date: 03/25/15

15 Kingsberry Way
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $363,500
Buyer: Dipan L. Patel
Seller: Crown Meadow Corp.
Date: 03/27/15

274 Loudville Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Mylo Kushner
Seller: Paul A. & Cecile A. Blais IRT
Date: 03/31/15

369 Main St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Louise F. Vera
Seller: Paul J. Duda
Date: 03/30/15

22 Morin Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $214,000
Buyer: Edward Harvey
Seller: Kristopher B. Wiemer
Date: 03/27/15

231 Park St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Albert T. Baer
Seller: Worthington Group LLC
Date: 03/31/15

66 Taft Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $281,350
Buyer: Ian J. Ybarra
Seller: Zaik, Chester F., (Estate)
Date: 03/27/15

33 West St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Michael A. Pusch
Seller: Elizabeth Crawford
Date: 03/31/15

GRANBY

133 Cold Hill
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $262,500
Buyer: Hollis D. Haley
Seller: Peter W. Dewitt
Date: 04/01/15

20 Ferry Hill Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Nicholas J. Desroches
Seller: Andrew J. Grogan
Date: 03/23/15

34 Greenmeadow Lane
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Melissa Sulikowski
Seller: Whote, Lincoln E., (Estate)
Date: 03/27/15

23 New Ludlow Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Goodale
Seller: Beaudry, Raymond T., (Estate)
Date: 04/01/15

HADLEY

231 River Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Green Tree Family LP
Seller: Jennifer R. Gwozdzik
Date: 03/24/15

104 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $268,600
Buyer: Luis O. Hernandez-Munez
Seller: Lobsang Dolma
Date: 03/26/15

270 Russell St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: To Your Health LLC
Seller: Paul J. Ciaglo
Date: 03/31/15

272 Russell St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $1,025,000
Buyer: TDC LLC
Seller: Valhalla Property Ent. LLC
Date: 03/31/15

42 Stockbridge Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Michael S. MacDonald
Seller: Bednarz, Barbara A., (Estate)
Date: 03/30/15

8 Wampanoag Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: James W. Deloge
Seller: Quentin S. Amrani
Date: 03/25/15

HATFIELD

27 Prospect St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Carl G. Burwick
Seller: Emily M. Rich
Date: 03/31/15

HUNTINGTON

Sampson Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $203,500
Buyer: Dept. Of Conservation & Recreation
Seller: Charles M. MacDonald
Date: 03/23/15

NORTHAMPTON

115 Emerson Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Sunwood Development Corp.
Seller: Emerson Way LLC
Date: 03/26/15

145 Emerson Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $117,500
Buyer: Rosemund LLC
Seller: Emerson Way LLC
Date: 03/23/15

49 Lyman Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $517,000
Buyer: Peter O. Zierlein
Seller: Earl T. Billingsley
Date: 04/01/15

89 Marian St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $369,000
Buyer: Steven Moga
Seller: David Ruderman
Date: 03/31/15

87 Nonotuck St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Andrew E. Morehouse
Seller: Rudzenski, Alice, (Estate)
Date: 04/01/15

208 Rocky Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $196,000
Buyer: Ashley S. Guerin
Seller: Lucille H. Barbour
Date: 03/27/15

963 Ryan Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $185,500
Buyer: Ryan Road Partners LLC
Seller: Mark B. Hoover
Date: 04/02/15

PELHAM

29 Butterhill Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: Barbara M. Masley
Seller: Claudia P. Brown
Date: 03/26/15

SOUTH HADLEY

504 Amherst Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $161,500
Buyer: Ryan Lafond
Seller: FNMA
Date: 04/03/15

15 Ashfield Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Carolyn P. Collette
Seller: Helping Hands Support Inc.
Date: 03/23/15

15 Chapel Hill Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Nicholas Kranz
Seller: Claire Carter RET
Date: 03/30/15

9 Enterprise St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Virginia L. Traub
Seller: George W. Lafley
Date: 03/27/15

15 Lois Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Matthew D. Relihan
Seller: Philip P. Karwoski
Date: 03/27/15

40 Park Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $150,500
Buyer: Quentin S. Amrani
Seller: Susan M. Bishop
Date: 03/25/15

SOUTHAMPTON

75 Middle Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Marcia Touchette
Seller: John P. Sheehan
Date: 03/26/15

7 Old County Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $327,000
Buyer: Adriana Marcinowska
Seller: Robert J. Archbald
Date: 03/31/15

WARE

31 Mountainview Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: William Deschamps
Seller: FHLM
Date: 03/24/15

160 North Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Joly
Seller: Michael A. Labelle
Date: 04/01/15

108 River Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Joshua T. Ellis
Seller: Daniel P. Fama
Date: 03/27/15

WESTHAMPTON

Easthampton Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: Judith G. Steinberg
Seller: Karen S. Alexander
Date: 03/27/15

Bankruptcies

By
Bankruptcies Departments

The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.

Abad, Francis F.
43 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/31/15

Anderson, Patrick M.
10 Edward Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/24/15

Artioli-Amlaw, Deborah J.
39 Central Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/24/15

Baceski, Mary Stella
22 Lessey St. #513
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/23/15

Barton, Roderick R.
65 Oak Grove Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 11
Filing Date: 03/27/15

Beauregard, Nicole M.
1 Day Ave., #2R
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/15

Bertelli Realty Group Inc.
P.O. Box 275
East Longmeadow, MA 01105
Chapter: 11
Filing Date: 03/26/15

Bowler, Debra J.
1653 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/24/15

Bruso, Toni Marie
1094 James St.
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/31/15

Cardinal Sports Inc.
Cardinal Complete Door
Cardinal, Francis David
38 Wheatland Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/15

Cove, Ramona T.
39 Oak St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/23/15

Curet-Febus, Eva N.
63 Kensington Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/26/15

Cyrulik, Shelley A.
a/k/a Cozzaglio, Shelley Ann
58 North Summer St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/17/15

Czerwiec, Michael C.
112 East St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/20/15

Dickinson, Angela L.
8 Pomeroy Place
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/23/15

Earls, Joseph C.
Earls, Melissa P.
48 McGregory Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/23/15

Eclipse 186 Main LLC
Weller, Jean M.
400 Ireland St.
West Chesterfield, MA 01084
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/15

Gaylord, Katarina E.
97 Appleton Ave., Apt. 1
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/31/15

Gomez, Maria C.
67 Franklin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/27/15

Gorkin, Alissa J.
11 Pleasant St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/15

Gosselin, Ronald R.
Gosselin, Debra J.
32 Dover Brook Road
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/15

Gosselin, William W.
Gosselin, Sarah M.
a/k/a Aloisio, Sarah M.
2434 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/18/15

Guillemette, Dany Y.
Guillemette, Kathryn J.
29 John St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/31/15

Gutierrez, Jeanette
a/k/a Gosselin, Jeanette
40 Munsing Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/31/15

Hardie, Benjamin A.
36 Atwater St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/31/15

Harrington, James E.
1387 Lower Road
Gilbertville, MA 01037
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/18/15

Hatwood, Alex Dwayne
38 Daviston St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/19/15

Hawley, Christopher B.
31 Lawnwood St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/17/15

Hayward, Kelly Ann
a/k/a Farmer, Kelly Ann
36 New Braintree Road
Gilbertville, MA 01031
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/26/15

Hillenbrand, Carl E.
21 Lincoln St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/15

Hosford, Theodore R.
128 College Highway
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/15

Hunter-Hackett, Janet I.
312 James St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/15

Johnson, Maise V.
105 West Alvord St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/24/15

Jordan’s Roofing
Jordan, Mark S.
143 Canterbury Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/26/15

Juda, Christine J.
800 Franklin St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/20/15

Keating, Patrick L.
Keating, Lori J.
88 Autumn Dr
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/25/15

Kemp, Dorothy
18 Hall Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/27/15

Kobee, Jill M.
51 Victoria St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/24/15

Kopecky, Bernard Vincent
Kopecky, Jodi
35 Beaqufort Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/31/15

Lasante, Eric R.
Lasante, Karen
8 Harrison Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/15

Liebenow, William Martin
Patenaude, Cheryl Carol
69 Amherst St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/31/15

McDermott, Mark George
87 Oakwood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/25/15

Miller, Vicki L.
a/k/a Deome, Vicki
166 West Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/15

Montanez, Jeanette
a/k/a Castaner, Jeanette
1340 Memorial Dr., Apt 7B
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/24/15

Moore, Alan R.
Moore, Brenda M.
102 Ashton Ave.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/26/15

Morales, Miguel A.
921 Worthington St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/26/15

Murch, Daniel
Murch, Christina M.
90 Old Amherst Road, #2
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/25/15

Murzin, Steven F.
44 Massey St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/31/15

Nadolny, Mark Richard
41 Craig Dr. Apt. Q5
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/19/15

Opielowski, Helen N.
P.O. Box 356
Thorndike, MA 01079
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/31/15

Ortiz, Maria E.
25 Piedmont St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/26/15

Pelkey, Sarah Dawn
7 Division St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/26/15

Pomeroy, Neil R.
244 Hampden Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/20/15

Quilez, Martin A.
Quilez, Gladys I.
73 Demond Ave.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/26/15

Ranelli, Allyson J.
132 Osborne Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/26/15

Roche, Timothy J.
Roche, Susan M.
11 Three Rivers Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/25/15

Rodriguez, Ada I.
20-24 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/17/15

Roney, Christina Cecilia
a/k/a Pietrowski, Christina
9 Lee Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/19/15

Roy, Kristine A.
a/k/a Case, Kristine A.
19 Enterprise St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/31/15

Takyiaw, Akosua
24 Crystal Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/17/15

Wells, Laurie Jean
196 Davis St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/26/15

Doing Business as Certificates

By
DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of April 2015.

AGAWAM

Budsuds, LLC
52 Greenock St.
Joseph Caracciolo

Divine Elegance
32 Shoemaker Lane
Christina Haracsy

Eco Décor Company
49 Cooley St.
Radu & Ilinkyh

Hot Works and Welding
85 Ramah Circle
Hector Ramos

J & R Sales
270 Main St.
John Wiczkowicz

The Cutting Edge
975 Springfield St.
Amanda Olmo

CHICOPEE

CG Painting and Home Improvement
222 Hampden St.
Carlos Guarneri

Chik-fil-A
501 Memorial Dr.
Robert Hewes

K & J Motors
337 Hampden St.
Kyle Rosa

Positive Spaces Architectural Design
1 Springfield St.
David LeTellier

GREENFIELD

Fresh Jones
14 Miner St.
Florence Jones

Honey & Wine
200 Main St.
Alana Travis

Kevin’s Auto Body & Sales
35 Montague City Road
Kevin LaBelle

Lucia Pottery
86 Leyden Road
Lucy Fagella

HOLYOKE

Beaven Kelly Home
25 Brightside Dr.
Christopher McLaughlin

Chris’s Cut & Design
910 Hampden St.
Kenneth A. Adams

E.B. Apparel Mass Inc.
50 Holyoke St.
Edward Blanco

Rack Room Shoes
50 Holyoke St.
Peter Barr

Sunglass Hut
400 Whitney Ave.
Deborah Ackerman

TKTMZ Hydrographics
68 Winter St.
John Breen

LUDLOW

All Seal Asphalt
4143 Owens Way
Gerald Veautour

EB Homes
35 State St.
Evan Willard

KB Carpentry
38 Lyon St.
Kenneth Butts

Rachel’s Painting
1632 Center St.
Rachel Saloio

PALMER

Amy’s Natural Soaps
21 Wilbraham St.
Amy Mitchell

Cute Kids Daycare
24 Lawrence St.
Ghada Ghrear

JSJ Business Solutions
7 Desimone Dr.
Jennifer Baraffaldi

R.J. Foskit Building & Remodeling
42 Barker St.
Ronald Foskit

SOUTHWICK

Birch 306
24 Iroquois Dr.
Gregory Zito

Courtney’s Touch of Serenity
549 College Highway
Courtney Walker

Designer Consignor
549 College Highway
Linda Ligsukis

Do Good Designs
24 Iroquois Dr.
Gregory Zito

Kurt Langheld Design
7 Mockingbird Lane
Kurt Langheld

Mama Bird Designs
352 Granville Road
Jessica Thornton

SPRINGFIELD

Carew Mini Market
158 Carew St.
Martin E. Severino

Community Transportation
288 Verge St.
Houshang Ansarifar

Discovery Services Investment
97 Lumae St.
Keith L. Walker

Presbyterian Church
526 Grayson Dr.
George Koomson

RDR Trucking, LLC
98 Bristol St.
Radhames D. Rodriguez

Racing Mart
363 Main St.
Robert Kayrouz

Raices Spanish Cuisine
1021 Main St.
Jose A. Baez

SSD Tactical Training
100 Verge St.
Crystal A. Williams

Samuel D. Plotkin & Associates
41 Taylor St.
Evan C. Plotkin

Santana’s Fashion
2633 Main St.
Jose Santana

Sidecar Bakery
156 Buckingham St.
Todd Crosset

Southside Mini-Market
469 Main St.
Juan C. Lopez

Spades Clothing Company
17 Ringgold St.
Justice Kirkland

Springfield Mass Investment
78 Bowdoin St.
Tamara Williams

T & G Services
8 Bellevue Ave.
Timothy M. Guilmain

T & T Nail Bar, LLC
340 Cooley St.
Vinh Nguyen

The Car Guy
199 Laconia St.
Freddy Rosario

The Maine Lure Company
34 Front St.
Michael Lee

Thompson Center
2100 Roosevelt Ave.
Smith and Wesson

We the Best Construction
14 Alsace St.
Armando Roman

Wolkee, LLC
1250 St. James Ave.
Rebecca Keenan

WEST SPRINGFIELD

84 Lumber Company
38 Monterey Dr.
Robert Berry

A & A Furniture Repair
32 Partridge Lane
Alan Archambault

Friendly Car Wash
668 Westfield St.
James D. Porter

Kolodiej Enterprises, LLC
263 Quary Road
Brian Kolodiej

Landry Lock and Alarm
33 Sylvan St.
George Condon

Naatz Law Office
1012 Memorial Ave.
Carrie A. Naatz

Super Washing Well Laundry
1126 Union St.
David Cortis

TRC Precision Trucking
14 Kelso Ave.
Ralph E. Figueroa

Village Pizza
1164 Westfield St.
Eray Arslan

Zalewski Landscaping
791 Piper Road
Jeffrey Philip

Incorporations

By
Departments Incorporations

The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties and are the latest available. They are listed by community.

AMHERST

Lin’s Sushi Inc., 175 University Dr., Amherst, MA 01002. Jinping Lin, 177 West St., Apt. 1, West Hatfield, MA 01088. Restaurant.

HAMPDEN

Cyr Relocation Inc., 8 Hollow Road, Hampden, MA 01036. Brian A. Cyr. Moving of household and office goods.

HOLYOKE

Modern Salvage Inc., 247 Cabot St, Holyoke, MA 01040. Ralph Thompson, same. Real estate.

Urban Pizza Inc., 420 High St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Gani Dinc, 398 Page Blvd., Springfield, MA 01104. Pizza restaurant.

LONGMEADOW

Cofam Development 1984 Corporation, 63 Churchill Dr., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Sharon B. Cohen, same. To invest in business enterprises.

Li Guang Brothers Inc., 795 Maple Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Guang Xiong Li, 1121 Converse St., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Food service.

PITTSFIELD

Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative Inc., 66 Allen St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. William Beautyman, same. To create educational, workforce, and production opportunities.

Retail Contracting Group Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Kenneth Pritchard, same. Commercial general contracting.

SHEFFIELD

Michael Designs Upholstry Inc., 44 Main St., Sheffield, MA 01257. Michael Subklew, same. Furniture upholstery.

SOUTHWICK

Jacquier Auctions Inc., 18 Klaus Anderson Road, Southwick, MA 01077. Philip A. Jacquier, same. Auctioneering and appraisal services.

SPRINGFIELD

Arroyo Inc., 326 Dwight Road, Springfield, MA 01108. Ruben M. Arroyo, same. Real estate management.

Best Parking Inc., 45 Willow St., 234, Springfield, MA 01103. Yassine Zian, same. Parking/restaurant management.

City Mosaic Inc., 41 Taylor St., Springfield, MA 01103. Evan C. Plotkin, 43 Twin Brook Dr., Somers, CT 06631. Springfield cultural arts.

Desk Incorporated, 116 Pheasant Dr., Springfield, MA 01119. Cory Mickens, same. Charity for education.

K. Duran Enterprises Inc., 68 Chester St., Springfield, MA 01105. Kelvinson Duran, same. Grocery business.

Old School Italian Pizzeria Inc., 770 Bay St., Springfield, MA 01109. Martino Dibenedetto, 929 Parker St., Springfield, MA 01129. Restaurant.

You R Special Inc., 661 Bay St., Springfield, MA 01109. Roslyn N. Banks, same. Adult daycare.

WESTFIELD

Jandak Logistics Inc., 549 Russell Road, Unit 4D, Westfield, MA 01085. Paul Jandaczek, same. Cargo transportation.

Pat’s Platoon Inc., 350 Elm St., Westfield, MA 01085. Joshua M. Kelsey, 24 Edgewood St., Westfield, MA 01085. Fundraising for non profits.

Ricky’s Porta Potties Inc., 336 Paper Mill Road, Westfield, MA 01085. Richard R. Guyott, same. Porta potty rental.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Car Hunter Inc., 54 Oleander St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Roman Shtefan, same. Transportation of vehicles from point A to point B.

Park West Auto Sales and Rental Inc., 60 Chilson Road, West Springfield, MA 01089. Anthony Calabrese, same. Auto sales and rental.

VJMAX Auto Inc., 1157 Elm St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Maxim Fisenko, same. Transportation services.

WILBRAHAM

Brenda Cuoco Inc., 788 Ridge Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Brenda D. Cuoco, same. Marketing and sale of real estate.

Gates & Associates Consulting Inc., 8 Briarcliff Dr., Wilbraham, MA 01095. Sharon E. Gates, same. Business consulting and planning.

People on the Move

By
Departments People on the Move

Leykia Brill has been named to the newly created post of assistant provost for diversity at UMass Amherst, effective May 6. Brill will play a leadership role in the university’s ongoing efforts to make the undergraduate student body more diverse and to help foster an inclusive campus community that attracts and supports diversity in many forms. Currently, she works at Amherst College as associate director for student activities and the Keefe Campus Center. “This appointment is an important step in our ongoing efforts to increase recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented groups,” said Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, who created the assistant provost position last fall. “In her outreach to underrepresented communities, Ms. Brill will play a key role in promoting our campus’ values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and will help us fulfill our goal to create a climate where all students can thrive and excel.” As a member of the university’s Enrollment Management team, Brill will develop contacts and foster relationships with high-school and community-college personnel, communicate directly with prospective students and parents, and collaborate with the Admissions Office in off-campus recruitment efforts. She will train admissions staff on ways to best present the diversity of the university, as well as how to speak about the value of a diverse campus community and work with colleges and departments to coordinate their diversity recruitment and retention efforts with those of Enrollment Management. Brill will also help define and coordinate undergraduate recruitment efforts and marketing materials to reach underrepresented student populations. In her current post at Amherst College, Brill advises, directs, and provides leadership training to the school’s activities board, social council, student association, radio station, yearbook, and more than 100 recognized student organizations. She also oversees $100,000 in the student activities budget and its allocation for programs and student-organized events. From 2009 to 2014, Brill was a member of the admissions staff at Amherst, first as an assistant dean and then as associate dean of admissions/coordinator of diversity outreach. She was involved in developing strategies to increase the enrollment yield of underrepresented students of all backgrounds, focusing additional effort on programming for Native students. She also supervised an assistant dean of admissions, two admissions fellows, and 14 diversity interns for on-campus events, diversity programming, and outreach to community-based organizations. Her achievements included a 50% increase in American Indian applications during one admission cycle and the design of new marketing campaigns for Native student programming and general diversity programs. From 2006 to 2008, Brill was assistant director of admission at Wheaton College in Norton, where she directed the multi-cultural admissions committee and planned programming and recruitment for prospective students of color. She earned her B.A. at Wheaton and an M.S. in higher education policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
•••••

Craig Poisson

Craig Poisson

Craig Poisson has been named the Springfield College director of Athletics, President Mary-Beth Cooper announced. Poisson has more than two decades of athletics administration experience, spending the previous 19 years as a member of the Springfield College Athletics staff and professor of Physical Education. The senior associate director of athletics at Springfield College since 2007, Poisson will begin his new role on July 1. “I admire Craig’s loyalty to Springfield College and his commitment to the field of collegiate athletics,” Cooper said. “I look forward to working with Craig to maintain that standard and to lead our storied program forward as we strive to reach new goals.” Poisson has worked in varied capacities for the previous three directors of athletics at Springfield College: Edward Steitz, Edward Bilik, and outgoing director Cathie Schweitzer, who announced last fall that she would retire in June after 14 years in the position. Poisson’s administrative duties as senior associate director have focused on scheduling and event management for the college’s 26 varsity athletic programs. He has served as event manager or tournament director for numerous NCAA national championships. “I could not be more excited to take this new step as the director of Athletics at Springfield College,” said Poisson. “I would like to express my thanks to President Cooper and the search committee for providing me the opportunity to lead an athletic program with such a rich and storied history. After spending nearly 20 years as a member of the Springfield College family, I am honored to continue the tradition of academic and athletic excellence, and will keep the student-athlete experience as the driver for every decision that we make.” Prior to Springfield College, Poisson served as an athletic administrator and adjunct faculty member at Purchase College, SUNY. He earned a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in physical education from Springfield College and was awarded a bachelor’s degree in elementary and secondary physical education from Southern Connecticut State University.
•••••
Jennifer Brown, Assistant Vice President of Operations at United Personnel, has been elected to the board of directors at Dress for Success Western Massachusetts. Dress for Success is an organization that strives to improve the lives of economically underprivileged women. As a board member, Brown will support Dress for Success’s mission of promoting the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and the career-development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Brown has worked in the staffing industry for 16 years and brings a strong understanding of how individuals can succeed professionally to her work with Dress for Success. She noted, “I am so excited to bring my experience in staffing to help women successfully bridge into a career and chapter in their lives.”
•••••
Springfield College Psychology Professors Judy Van Raalte, Al Petitpas, and Britt Brewer are the recipients of a $10,000 one-year NCAA Innovations in Research and Practice Grant focused on student-athlete career development. Research has shown that student-athletes lag behind their non-athlete peers in regard to career readiness, often failing to recognize how sport-related skills can aid in career preparation. The professors will use the grant funds to refine an evidence-based career-development pilot program designed specifically for college student-athletes. A controlled field trial will be conducted to test the pilot program’s effectiveness. The program is expected to help student-athletes understand how qualities acquired in sport pertain to the workplace, enhancing their career readiness. “Student-athletes develop a number of skills, such as leadership, communication, teamwork, time management, and self-motivation, all of which are highly valued in the workplace,” said Van Raalte. “Our project will help student-athletes to identify skills they have learned through sport and understand how such assets can transfer to the world of work.” Prior research has shown that student-athletes have limited access to campus resources like career centers due to academic and athletic obligations. To complement on-campus career-planning resources, Van Raalte and her colleagues have created the website supportforsport.org to host the content they will create for student-athletes. “Providing web-based psychoeducational materials that are available for program use by a range of campus professionals who work with student-athletes may offer solutions to some of the limitations of career center-focused approaches,” said Van Raalte. “This is exciting research that can directly benefit student-athletes. I am thankful that the NCAA selected our project for funding, and my colleagues and I are thrilled to get started on this project.”

Company Notebook

By
Company Notebook Departments

Springfield Falcons, Arizona Coyotes Announce Affiliation
SPRINGFIELD — The Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League and the Springfield Falcons will enter into a multi-year affiliation agreement beginning in the 2015-16 season, Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney and Falcons President Sarah Pompea jointly announced last week. Under this affiliation agreement, the Coyotes will move their American Hockey League prospects, along with coaching and training staff, from Portland, Maine to Springfield. The Falcons and Columbus Blue Jackets have mutually agreed to terminate the final year of their affiliation agreement upon completion of the 2014-15 season. “We are very pleased to partner with the Springfield Falcons,” said Maloney. “Springfield is one of the best hockey markets in the AHL and a great environment to develop our top prospects; we’re looking forward to a great relationship with the Falcons.” Said Pompea, “we are looking forward to starting this partnership with the Arizona Coyotes.”

Columbia Gas Files Rate-hike Request
WESTBOROUGH — Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, a subsidiary of NiSource Inc., filed a petition with the Mass. Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to increase annual revenues by $49.3 million, representing a 9.86% increase in total operating revenues. The filing marks the beginning of the public process of rate setting for a utility, as required by the DPU. Evidentiary hearings on the filing will be held within the next several months. If approved by the DPU, the change would impact the annual gas bill for a typical residential heating customer by an average of $8.50 per month, or 7.5%, beginning March 1, 2016. The requested increase is necessary, said company officials, due to Columbia Gas of Massachusetts’ “intensive multi-year transformative actions to continuously improve its standards and practices in order to continue to provide natural-gas service to customers in a safe, reliable, and cost-effective basis.” The DPU decision is expected by February 29, 2016, with rates taking effect March 1, 2016.

Grant to Enhance Latino Studies at HCC
HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College has been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) that will enable the college to incorporate Latino studies material into humanities classes, a step faculty and administrators hope will lay the foundation for a full-fledged Latino Studies program at HCC. The $120,000 Bridging Cultures at Community Colleges grant was the largest awarded this year by the NEH to any college or university in Massachusetts, putting HCC on a prestigious list of recipients that also included Mount Holyoke College, Northeastern University, UMass, Amherst College, and Brandeis University.
“Incorporating a Latino-studies perspective into a range of humanities courses will certainly serve the college’s sizable — and growing — Latino student population,” said Matt Reed, vice president of Academic Affairs, in support of the grant. “Students and faculty at large will also benefit from increased understanding, awareness, and appreciation of cultures that play such a significant role in our home community.” From 2009 to 2014, the number of Hispanic/Latino students at HCC rose from 1,477 to 1,879, a 27% increase. During the same period, Latino enrollment grew from 16% to 21% of the total student population. Nearly half, 48.4%, of Holyoke’s population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, according to the grant proposal.

BCC to Combine Pittsfield Locations
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Community College (BCC) announced that the institution will consolidate its downtown Pittsfield facilities beginning July 1. In an effort to streamline efficiencies, BCC will shift its operations from the Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC) to the Silvio O. Conte Federal Building when its agreement expires on June 30. In 2008, BCC and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) embarked on a unique initiative that involved utilizing available space at the ITC to allow students to access classes in downtown Pittsfield at the public-transportation hub. The effort was achieved with the assistance of former Congressman John Olver, the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, and the city of Pittsfield. BCC and MCLA expanded their downtown presence at the Silvio O. Conte Federal Building in 2011. Dubbed the Education Center at Conte, the location provides convenient access to public transportation. “As part of BCC and MCLA’s commitment to downtown Pittsfield, we will focus our efforts on one convenient location where we can provide high-quality educational services to our students,” said Vice President for Community Education & Workforce Development William Mulholland. 

Springfield College Announces Enhanced Brand Strategy
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College revealed a new brand and visual identity system designed to showcase its rich heritage, varied academic offerings, and commitment to community service. Created to help present a unified message and look, the system includes a new logo and messaging that is built on the foundation of the college’s mission. “The affirmation of our core values of educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others is more relevant today and more needed in today’s society than it was when we opened our doors in 1885,” said Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper. “The triangle in our new logo will remind us of what matters to this community.” The college partnered with the national branding agency Ologie for the comprehensive market-research study, which began in late 2013. The end result clarified the institution’s core values and crafted a unique and compelling message that the entire college community may use moving forward. One of the key insights that emerged from the process was the college’s focus on service to others. “It is the tie that binds together all of the Springfield College programs and departments,” said Cooper. A new college logo, which includes the words ‘Springfield College’ and an inverted triangle, exemplifies the college’s Humanics philosophy, which recognizes that an individual’s emotional, intellectual, and physical lives are interconnected. The inverted equilateral triangle utilized in the new logo dates back to former Springfield College faculty member Luther H. Gulick, a pioneer in physical education and recreation in the U.S., who first introduced the symbol to the college in 1891. “With such a vast and interesting history, the college must bring all of its stories together into a cohesive brand message that authentically expresses the identity of everyone and every program at Springfield College,” said Executive Director for Marketing and Communications Stephen Roulier. The new logo and messaging will appear in enrollment marketing and advertising. An expanded and redesigned website will launch at a later date.

Children’s Hospitals Announce Partnership in Pediatric Neurosurgery
SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Children’s Hospital and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center are furthering their clinical collaboration with a new partnership in pediatric neurosurgery. Dr. Jonathan Martin, a board-certified pediatric neurosurgeon employed by Connecticut Children’s, will see patients in Springfield at Baystate Children’s Hospital. Patients who require evaluation for brain- and nervous-system-related surgical care can now receive these services at Baystate Children’s Hospital as well as Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. The new partnership in pediatric neurosurgery advances a clinical collaboration that the two organizations announced last October, aimed at increasing the availability, sophistication, and coordination of pediatric services throughout the Connecticut River Valley. “We’re thrilled to announce that our collaboration is moving forward to provide sophisticated neurosurgical care for kids here in Western Mass.,” said Dr/ Charlotte Boney, chair of Pediatrics at Baystate Children’s Hospital. “This is the first time such services will be available in our community, and it’s another step forward in our efforts to provide the best in healthcare right here in the Pioneer Valley.” Added Dr. Fernando Ferrer, chief physician executive at Connecticut Children’s, “our main goal, in exploring a closer relationship with Baystate Children’s, has been to increase the availability of high-level, high-quality, and well-coordinated pediatric services to the Hartford and Springfield communities. Sharing clinical resources helps us achieve that goal and deliver greater value to our patients in the care we provide. We’re proud to be extending the reach of advanced neurosurgical care to the Pioneer Valley with Dr. Martin.” Connecticut Children’s is a clinical affiliate of the UConn School of Medicine; Baystate Children’s is part of the western campus of the Tufts University School of Medicine. Both facilities are Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and both have been recognized by U.S. News and World Report among the top U.S. children’s hospitals.

Vann Group, ROCG Announce Affiliation
SPRINGFIELD — The Vann Group, providers of strategic consulting and transactional advisory services, announced its recently formed affiliation with ROCG Americas, the leading business exit- and transition-planning specialist in North America. The first-of-its-kind affiliation will be mutually beneficial. It will provide the Vann Group with access to the extensive proprietary planning resources and expertise that ROCG has developed over the past 10 years, while ROCG continues to build its capabilities with the addition of Kevin and Michael Vann, a father-and-son team with a diverse set of skills and business experience. “As business transition specialists, we do much more than guide owners through the exit from their business,” said Ronen Shefer, CEO of ROCG. “We are unique because we focus on helping business owners achieve both their personal as well as their business goals, and the earlier we get involved, the chances of actually gaining a better quality of life and increasing business value improve tremendously. Ultimately, we help owners view and run their companies as investors would.” Michael Vann, CEO of the Vann Group, sees the affiliation as a great opportunity. “The ROCG team are the leaders in the succession/transition planning field; no one comes close. Their team has a tremendous amount of real-world experience, and they have developed an approach to planning that can’t be matched. Joining ROCG is a great opportunity for us to grow our planning practice and provide more value to our clients, because we’ll be able to access ROCG’s intellectual property and network of experienced transition specialists.”

Briefcase

By
Briefcase Departments

MassDOT Awards Contract for I-91 Viaduct Project
SPRINGFIELD — The Mass. Department of Transportation has awarded a contract for the rehabilitation of the I-91 viaduct structure in Springfield to the joint venture JF White-Schiavone. The bid price submitted by the joint venture was $148,000,150, making JF White-Schiavone the lowest responsible bidder for the project. There were three bids in total. The total project cost — which, in addition to the bid price, includes railroad flaggers, traffic details, protections against cost overruns, and an incentive clause for the contractor to expedite the work — is approximately $183,325,172. The approval of the contract allows for the replacement and rehabilitation of the concrete deck, repair and replacement of the supporting steel, and major improvements to drainage and lighting. First built in the 1960s, the viaduct has experienced significant deterioration and requires frequent emergency repairs, which exacerbates traffic congestion. While a long-term solution will be determined through a corridor-planning study currently under development, this contract guarantees lower maintenance costs and a reduction in the need for emergency repairs for the next 30 years. “The I-91 project will not only address immediate regional transportation needs for the Greater Springfield community, but will also ensure reduced maintenance costs and longer serviceability over the next three decades,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. Work on the project is anticipated to begin in early summer of this year and last through late February 2019, a duration of approximately three and a half years. Accelerated bridge-construction techniques will be used to reduce the number of traffic impacts and minimize disruptions to traffic flow caused by construction. The contract also provides for an incentive of $50,000 per day for each day the contractor completes the work early, up to 180 days, meaning the contractor would be eligible to receive a total of $9 million as a maximum bonus. Likewise, the contract has a disincentive clause that penalizes the contractor $50,000 for each day the work continues on past the expected point where drivers should be expected to have full use of the corridor. For the duration of the work, two travel lanes will be maintained in both directions; the on- and off-ramps within the project limits will be closed for the length of the project. Traffic seeking to access downtown streets will be diverted off I-91 before and after the project limits. The total cost for the project is being funded with 80% federal highway funding and 20% state funding. 

Grant Awarded for Façade Improvements
SPRINGFIELD — DevelopSpringfield announced it has awarded a $20,000 grant for facade improvements to 595 Main Street, the new location for Glory Inc., a family-owned South End department store. The grant is made possible under DevelopSpringfield’s Corridor Storefront Improvement Program, which provides grants of up to $10,000 per storefront for exterior improvements to first-floor businesses located on State and Main streets in Springfield. Improvements to this space included renovations to multiple storefronts. The recently awarded funds were used to create larger window openings, as well as for new signage, lighting, and doors. “DevelopSpringfield is pleased to support the Lee family in the rehabilitation of new space for their successful retail business and in helping to support the reuse of a vacant commercial building on Main Street in the South End,” said Jay Minkarah, president and CEO of DevelopSpringfield. A $7,963 grant was also recently provided to Islazul Realty, LLC to support the substantial rehabilitation of a building located at 2547 Main St. in Springfield’s North End. The project included the installation of new, large windows, as well as a door, lighting, and an awning to convert a former commercial garage into professional office space that will attract additional service businesses to the neighborhood. DevelopSpringfield’s Corridor Storefront Improvement Program was established in 2009. Funds are no longer available to support new projects except for properties located on State Street in the Mason Square area and on Main Street in the North End. For more information on the Corridor Storefront Improvement Program, go to www.developspringfield.com and click on ‘programs’ or contact Minkarah at (413) 209-8808 or [email protected].

Unemployment Rates Decline Across State
BOSTON — The state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development recently reported that the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates for March were down in all 24 labor market areas over the month and over the year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). During March, 12 of the 15 areas for which job estimates are published recorded seasonal job gains, one area had no change in jobs, and the remaining two areas lost jobs. The largest job gains were in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Worcester, Springfield, Barnstable, and Peabody-Salem-Beverly areas. Taunton-Middleborough-Norton was the only area with no change in its jobs level. Since last March, all 15 areas added jobs, with the largest percentage gains in the Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead, Barnstable, Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, Worcester, Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, and Peabody-Salem-Beverly areas. In order to compare the statewide rate to the local unemployment rates, BLS estimates that the statewide unadjusted unemployment rate for March was 5.0%, down 0.4% from the revised February 2015 rate. Over the year, the statewide unadjusted rate was down 1.3% from the March 2014 rate of 6.3%.

Construction Industry ‘Hits Soft Patch’
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Even as construction firms added jobs in 41 states between March 2014 and March 2015, construction employment declined in 29 states and the District of Columbia between February and March, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials cautioned that ongoing D.C. gridlock over how to pay for needed infrastructure improvements and declining demand for oil-related projects likely contributed to so many states shedding construction jobs last month. “While the year-over-year data remains relatively positive, it is troubling to see so many states losing construction jobs during the past month,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “As energy firms cancel or delay projects and congressional action on transportation and other infrastructure measures remains stalled, many construction firms appear to be reducing headcount, at least temporarily.”
Added Stephen Sandherr, the association’s CEO, “the construction industry has clearly hit a soft patch. Passing needed infrastructure measures will certainly help keep construction employment levels from backsliding.”

Leadership Pioneer Valley Produces Positive Results
SPRINGFIELD — Leadership Pioneer Valley (LPV), now in the recruitment process for the fifth year of its 10-month leadership-development program, has seen positive results in careers and community as a result of participation in the program. LPV, working with Denny Consulting, has evaluated skills transfer, learning, and career and community impact of both program participants and alumni over the past four years. The overall satisfaction with the program has increased each year, with 100% rating the program as either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ (54%). The LPV curriculum focuses on developing leadership skills, creating broader connections, and increasing regional understanding leading to action. Nearly all (99%) LPV participants reported having made meaningful connections with fellow participants, and 64% reported having made meaningful connections with other leaders met through opportunities provided by the program. Most participants reported statistically significant skill increases in collaboration, leading teams, creativity, confidence, managing conflict, and understanding personality types. Meanwhile, 76% of participants increased their cultural competency, and 53% of alumni have a new leadership role at work, while 29% have taken a new job with increased responsibility. Finally, 64% of alumni have joined a new board of directors, and 31% of alumni have initiated a new community project. “We are astounded to already be making such an impact in the region after only four years,” said Lora Wondolowski, executive director. “It is incredibly humbling to see the kind of changes that our alumni are making as a result of their participation in Leadership Pioneer Valley.”

State Voters Oppose Boston Olympic Bid
BOSTON — With a proposed referendum still more than 18 months away, Massachusetts voters are leaning against Boston’s bid to host the 2024 Olympic Summer Games, according to the latest survey from the Western New England University Polling Institute. The telephone survey of 427 registered voters, conducted April 6-14, found that only 40% of voters support Boston’s bid for the games, while 46% are opposed and 14% are undecided. The sample has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus five percentage points. The 427 registered voters were part of an overall sample of 499 adults, and among all adults sentiment was more closely divided; 42% of all adults support the proposal, while 43% are opposed, and 15% are undecided. The U.S. Olympic Committee has selected Boston as the nation’s entry in the competition to host the 2024 Olympic Summer Games. The International Olympic Committee is scheduled to select the host city in 2017. With other polls showing public support for the bid in decline, the private group that is developing the Olympic bid, Boston 2024, has agreed that it will not proceed with the bid unless voters approve of the idea in a statewide referendum in November 2016. Organizers also have said approval must come from voters in the Boston area in the referendum in order for the bid to go forward for consideration in 2017. The survey found a potentially ominous sign for Boston 2024 and other supporters of the bid. Voters who said they had heard a lot of information or some information about the bid were more likely to oppose it than were voters who had heard only a little or no information. Among voters who said they had heard a lot of information, 62% opposed the bid, and 27% supported it. Among those who had heard a little information, 45% supported the bid, and 39% were opposed. Among voters who said they had heard no information, 51% supported the bid, and 29% were opposed. “When you are trying to win public support for a proposal, you obviously hope your information is getting through to voters and that the information is persuasive,” said Tim Vercellotti, director of the Polling Institute and a professor of Political Science at Western New England University. “These results suggest that, as people get more information, they are less likely to support the bid. Boston 2024 appears to be losing the public-relations debate right now.”

Chamber Corners: Upcoming Events

By
Chamber Corners Departments

AFFILIATED CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE OF GREATER SPRINGFIELD
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555
 
• May 6: ACCGS Business@Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the Colony Club, 1500 Main St., Springfield. Speed networking — a fast-paced way to work the room. Sponsored by United Personnel. Reservations are $20 for members (in advance, $25 members at the door), $30 for general admission. Reservations may be made online by visiting www.myonlinechamber.com.
• May 13: ACCGS After 5, 5-7 p.m., at the Residence Inn by Marriott, 500 Memorial Ave., Chicopee. Join us for our last After 5 of the season for a tailgate party, featuring food trucks with tailgating cuisine, parking-lot games like cornhole and ladder toss, music, and cash bar. Reservations are $5 for members, $10 for general admission. Reservations may be made online by visiting www.myonlinechamber.com.
• May 14: East of the River Five Town Chamber Feast in the East, 5-7:30 p.m., at Twin Hills Country Club, 700 Wolf Swamp Road, Longmeadow. Enjoy culinary tastings from local restaurants and caterers to benefit the ERC5 Scholarship Fund. Reservations are $25. Reservations may be made online by visiting www.myonlinechamber.com.
• May 19: Professional Women’s Chamber Woman of the Year, 5:30 p.m., at the Carriage House, Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Honoring Anne Paradis, chief executive officer, Microtek Inc. Reservations are $55 and may be may be made online by visiting www.myonlinechamber.com.
• May 26: ACCGS Pastries, Politics & Policy, 8-9 a.m., at TD Bank Conference Center, 1441 Main St., Springfield. For political and policy junkies. Reservations are $15 for members, $25 general admission, and includes continental breakfast. Reservations may be made online by visiting www.myonlinechamber.com.
 
AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.amherstarea.com
(413) 253-0700
 
• May 6: After 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Bridgeside Grille, 9 Amherst Road, Sunderland. Register online at www.amherstarea.com or call the chamber office at (413) 253-0700. Tickets: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.
• May 27: After 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Florence Savings Bank, 377 Russell St., Hadley. Sponsored solely by Florence Saving Bank. Register online at www.amherstarea.com or call the office at (413) 253-0700. Tickets are $10 members, $15 for non-members.
• June 18-21: Taste of Amherst, on the Amherst Common. Featuring 22 individual restaurants on the common for a weekend of fun, food tasting, food demos, live music, kids’ area, zoo, and much more. Hours: June 18-19, 5-9 p.m.; June 20, noon-10 p.m.; June 21, noon-4 p.m. All food is under $5 per item. No entry fee.
• June 23: After 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at J.F. Conlon , 29 University Dr., Amherst. Sponsored in part by J.F.Conlon & Associates. Register online at www.amherstarea.com or call the chamber office at (413) 253-0700. Tickets: $10 per member, $15 per non- member.
 

GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101
 
• May 15: Lunch & Learn, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Hampton Inn, 600 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. “ACA Compliance: Employer Requirements and Management Tools.” Learn about a solid, user-friendly road map for understanding compliance issues. Tickets: $15 for members, $23 for non-members.
• May 20: Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m., at Renaissance Manor on Cabot, 279 Cabot St., Holyoke. Tickets: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.
• May 21: Golf Tournament at Chicopee Country Club; 10 a.m. shotgun start. Registration: $125 per golfer.
• May 27: Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at Elms College. Tickets: $23 for members, $28 for non-members.
• June 13: 5K Road Race/2-mile Walk. Begins and ends at Portuguese Club, 149 Exchange St., Chicopee. Registration: $25 per person; $15 for children 12 and under. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. Fee includes T-shirt and free lunch provided by the Munich Haus.
• June 18: Mornings with the Mayor, 8-9 a.m., at the Willimansett Center West, 546 Chicopee St., Chicopee. Free for chamber members.
• June 24: Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m., at Wireless Zone, 601E Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Tickets: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.
 
GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414
 
• May 11: Monday Morning with the Mayor. “Getting Down to Business About Business: Casual Conversation with Mayor Cadieux,” 8-9 a.m., at Easthampton Savings Bank, 36 Main St., Easthampton. Free and open to the public.
 
GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.holycham.com
(413) 534-3376
 
• May 15: Chamber After Hours, 5-7 p.m. Sponsored and hosted by Pic’s Place, 910 Hampden St., Holyoke. Tickets: $10 for members, $15 for the public. Call the chamber at (413) 534-3376 or sign up online at holyokechamber.com.
• May 18: Annual Chamber Cup Golf Tournament celebrating the chamber’s 125th anniversary, at Wyckoff Country Club, 233 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. Registration and lunch at 10:30 a.m.; tee off at noon (scramble format); dinner following game with food stations catered by the Log Cabin. Cost: $125 includes lunch, 18 holes of golf, cart, and dinner. Dinner only: $25. Awards, raffles, and cash prizes follow dinner. Sponsors: Log Cabin and PeoplesBank. Corporate sponsors: Dowd Insurance, Goss & McLain Insurance Agency, Holyoke Gas & Electric, Mountain View Landscapes, Holyoke Medical Center, People’s United Bank, the Republican, and Resnic, Beauregard, Waite & Driscoll. For reservations, call (413) 534-3376 or register at holyokechamber.com.
• May 21: Chamber Business Connections, 5-7 p.m., in the Atrium in the PeoplesBank building, 330 Whitney Ave. Sponsored and hosted by PeoplesBank. Join your friends and colleagues for this fun and casual evening of networking. Refreshments, door prizes, and 50/50 raffle. Cost: $19 for chamber members, $15 for non-members.
• June 19: 125th Anniversary Gala Ball, starting at 6 p.m., at the Log Cabin, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. Cocktails at 6, dinner at 7. Enjoy an elegant meal and dance to the music of the Floyd Patterson Band. Join Marcotte Ford as one of the major event sponsors by calling (413) 534-3376. Event is open to the public. More details to follow. 
 
GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.explorenorthampton.com
(413) 584-1900
 
• May 6: May Arrive@5, 5-7 p.m. Sponsored by Whalen Insurance Agency. For more information or to register, call the chamber at (413) 584-1900.
• July 1: July Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m. Sponsored by Pioneer Landscapes and Easthampton Electrical. For more information or to register, call the chamber at (413) 584-1900.
 
GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618
 
• May 4: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., at Renaissance Manor, 37 Feeding Hills Road, Westfield. Join us for our monthly coffee hour with Westfield Mayor Dan Knapik. This event is free and open to the public. Call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618 to register for this event.
• May 13: May After 5 Connection, 5-7 p.m., at Armbrook Village, 551 North Road, Westfield. Sponsored by Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity and the ReStore. Refreshments will be served. Bring your business cards and make connections. Tickets: $10 for members, $15 for non-members; cash at the door. To register, call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.
• May 18: 54th Annual Golf Tournament, at Tekoa Country Club, 459 Russell Road, Westfield. Schedule: 10 a.m., registration and lunch; 11 a.m., shotgun start; 4 p.m., cocktail hour; 5 p.m., dinner. Title sponsor: Westfield Gas & Electric. Premium gift sponsor: Westfield Bank. Cart sponsor: Doctor’s Express.
• June 1: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., at Westfield Vocational Technical High School, 33 Smith Ave., Westfield. Free and open to the public. Register by calling (413) 568-1618.
• June 19: Chamber Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the Ranch Golf Club, 65 Sunnyside Road, Southwick. Platinum sponsor: Mestek. Golf sponsor: Berkshire Bank. Silver sponsors: First Niagara and Prolamina. Registered attendees of the chamber breakfast can golf at a discounted rate of only $65 at the Ranch following the breakfast. Call Bill Rosenblum, golf pro, to register at (413) 569-9333, ext. 3. Cost for the breakfast: $25 for members, $30 for non-members. For more information on sponsorships, to register, or to donate a raffle prize, call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.
 
PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CHAMBER
www.professionalwomenschamber.com
(413) 755-1310
 
• May 19: Professional Women’s Chamber Woman of the Year, 5:30 p.m., at the Carriage House, Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Honoring Anne Paradis, CEO of Microtek Inc. Sponsored by BusinessWest. Reservations are $55 and may be made online at www.myonlinechamber.com.
 
WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.ourwrc.com
(413) 426-3880

• May 6: Wicked Wednesday, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Northeast IT, 777 Riverdale Road, West Springfield. Free for chamber members, $10 at the door for non-members. Event is open to the public. Wicked Wednesdays are monthly social events, hosted by various businesses and restaurants, that bring members and non-members together to network in a laid-back atmosphere. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or e-mail [email protected].
• May 20: Networking Lunch, noon-1:30 p.m., at the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative, 174 Brush Hill Ave., West Springfield. Must be a member or guest of a member to attend. Enjoy a sit-down lunch served while networking with fellow chamber members. Each attendee will get a chance to offer a brief sales pitch. Cost: $10 at the door, which includes lunch. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or e-mail [email protected].

Agenda

By
Agenda Departments

‘Victorian Opulence’ Exhibit
Through April 2016: On April 7, the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History unveiled a new exhibit titled “Victorian Opulence: Springfield’s Industrial Elite.” The exhibit, which runs through April 10, 2016, features a representative selection of the kinds of luxury and everyday items that would be found in the typical upper-class Victorian homes, while also exploring the lives and values of many of these prominent families. Using beautifully ornate objects from the Springfield Museums’ own collections, this exhibit provides a window into the lives of America’s privileged classes both at home and at play during the Victorian era. Some of the fine clothing and personal items, like elegant men’s pocket watches and ladies’ jewelry and hair combs, will be familiar to fans of Downton Abbey. Objects like grandfather clocks and gentleman’s ceremonial items exhibit a level of craftsmanship no longer evident today. The items on view tell many stories about their owners, the time and place in which they lived, and the level of wealth that allowed them to possess such luxury items. The exhibit covers the period between 1840 and 1900, a time when Springfield was a powerhouse of innovation and industry. Wealthy industrialists like Everett Barney, the inventor of the clamp-on ice skate, and railroad president and Congressman Chester Chapin displayed their success through their philanthropic pursuits and by making their homes into showpieces for their newfound wealth. The spirit of philanthropy shown by individuals like James Rumrill and George Walter Vincent Smith helped create some of Springfield’s most venerable institutions, including Forest Park and the Springfield Museums themselves.

Speed-networking Breakfast
May 6: The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield’s (ACCGS) will hold its monthly Business@Breakfast with a speed-networking theme from 7:15 to 9 a.m. at the Colony Club, 1500 Main St., Springfield. Sponsored by United Personnel, the breakfast will provide attendees with a quick and entertaining opportunity to introduce themselves and pitch their company to other attendees. The core concept in speed networking is the ‘elevator speech,’ a short summary of an individual, business, organization, product, or service — a summary that a person could deliver in the time span of a short elevator ride. Attendees will be divided into two groups, seated across from each other. Each group member will have 60 seconds to give his or her elevator speech to the person seated directly across. Once each member has given their elevator speech, they will change seats, and the process will begin again with a new partner. This round-robin format of networking will continue until the event is over. The event will begin with networking and breakfast at 7:15 a.m. To accommodate the event, breakfast will not be served after 7:45 a.m., and no admittance will be allowed after 7:55 a.m. Reservations are $20 for members or $35 for general admission. Reservations must be made online and in advance at www.myonlinechamber.com or by e-mailing Sarah Mazzaferro at [email protected].

‘Life’s Impressions’ Exhibit
May 9-17: The Springfield Museums will host a community art show featuring creations by local students in grades 5 through 12. “Life’s Impressions” will be on view in the Special Exhibit Gallery of the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. The show is free with general admission. The exhibition is funded, in part, by the Michele and Donald D’Amour Fund, established in 2008 to bring world-class art exhibitions to the museum. The 36 featured works include drawings and paintings that were selected by museum staff from more than 65 entries from the following schools: Belchertown High School, Chicopee Comprehensive High School, Hatfield Elementary School, Longmeadow High School, Northampton High School, PV Chinese Immersion Charter School, Springfield Conservatory of the Arts, Springfield Central High School, West Springfield High School, and Westfield High School. In addition to the privilege of having their art displayed at a prestigious museum, the winning students will also receive free enrollment in one of the summer art courses offered through the Museum School. The opening of “Life’s Impressions” will be celebrated with a reception in Blake Court of the D’Amour Museum on May 9 at 2 p.m. 

EASTEC
May 12-14: With manufacturing a driving force of economic growth in the Northeast, as well as across the U.S., more than 12,000 business owners, engineers, designers, production managers, and purchasing executives will gather at EASTEC, the East Coast’s premier manufacturing event. Produced by SME, the biennial event takes place at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield and features more than 650 exhibitors and three days of complimentary educational sessions. In its 34th year, the event showcases the latest manufacturing technologies from additive manufacturing/3D printing to waterjet cutting, and provides access to industry experts sharing insights on how to foster innovation, increase productivity, and improve profits. This year, attendees will also get to see more than 300 new products being highlighted at the show. “Since 1790, when the first cotton mill was founded in Rhode Island, New England has been a leader in our country’s quest to capitalize on American innovation and passion for making things,” said Kimberly Farrugia, senior event manager for SME. “EASTEC is committed to keeping New England manufacturers competitive by bringing the human ingenuity needed and manufacturing brilliance demanded together in a face-to-face environment.” At EASTEC, attendees will have the opportunity to connect with resources, research and purchase the latest technologies, and discover ways to improve productivity and increase profits. Meanwhile, the complimentary educational sessions will address trending topics such as automation innovations and Lean creativity, along with other major advancements in manufacturing. New features in 2015 will include keynote presentations from Carl Palme, applications product manager, Rethink Robotics; and Jason Prater, vice president of Development, Plex Systems, that will help with solving complex issues that U.S. manufacturers face today. EASTEC also will highlight the Bright Minds Program, designed to educate the next-generation workforce on the advancements in manufacturing that make it an exciting and rewarding career path. Winners of the Bright Minds Dream It! Do It! Student Challenge will be recognized at a special program during the three-day event. EASTEC is recommended for professionals in industries such as aerospace, defense, medical, automotive, commercial machinery, electronics, fabricating, and plastics. The event is nearly sold out, so SME encourages companies to reserve exhibit space before it’s too late. To learn more about EASTEC, view full conference and exhibit details, or register, visit easteconline.com.

Tailgate Party
May 13: The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield (ACCGS) will hold a tailgate party at its last After 5 of its 2014-15 season, at the Residence Inn, 500 Memorial Ave., Chicopee, sponsored by Get Set Marketing. The After 5 will create a tailgating atmosphere with food trucks serving tailgating cuisine, parking-lot games such as cornhole and ladder toss, networking around outdoor firepits, and more. Reservations for the After 5 are $5 for members and $10 for general admission. Reservations may be made online by visiting www.myonlinechamber.com or by e-mailing Sarah Mazzaferro at [email protected]. 

Striving and Driving Golf Tournament at GCC
May 18: In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the event, area residents and businesses are invited to participate in the Striving and Driving for GCC Scholars Golf Tournament at the Country Club of Greenfield. The tournament is an opportunity to enjoy golf while helping students attend Greenfield Community College. The tournament is an anchor fund-raising activity of the GCC Foundation 2015 Annual Campaign, “Investing in Students, Creating a Future.” “Striving and Driving is a win-win day for all,” said GCC President Bob Pura. “Golfers enjoy a day out on the course early in the season. People are just happy to be out after winter’s hibernation. The best part of the day comes when we all hear just how much has been raised for scholarships. You can feel the community’s goodwill and heart in that moment. It really is a wonderful day for the golfers, the community, the college, and especially the students.” Funds raised by the tournament go toward unrestricted scholarship funds for GCC students. Striving and Driving has raised $398,861 for scholarships since the tournament began. Lead sponsored by Cohn & Co. and Greenfield Savings Bank, and co-chaired by Terry Boyce and Princy Stotz, the tournament will include lunch, dinner, and prizes and awards. The field is limited to the first 144 players. Players may register either as individuals to be placed in foursomes by the tournament organizers, or as teams of four. The cost is $115 per player. “Striving and Driving combines the fun of playing golf with raising funds for scholarships for students in high need,” said tournament co-chair Terry Boyce, who teaches psychology at GCC. “I know that many GCC students depend on scholarship assistance to be able to attend college, just like I did when I studied at a community college in New York. I’m a first-generation college graduate, and scholarships made it possible for me to go to college. I’m glad that I can help others have the same opportunity that I did.” To register for the Striving and Driving Golf Tournament or for information about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.gcc.mass.edu/golf or call (413) 775-1470.

40 Under Forty
June 18: The ninth annual 40 Under Forty award program, staged by BusinessWest, will be held at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House the evening of June 18. The event honors the region’s most accomplished and civic-minded professionals under age 40, and this year’s class was profiled in the April 20 issue. This year’s winners represent virtually every sector of the economy — from financial services to manufacturing; retail to healthcare; technology to nonprofit management; education to law. They also show the seemingly innumerable ways people can give back to the community. This year’s event will feature a new award — the Continued Excellence Award, presented to the previous honoree who has most impressively built upon their track record of excellence. Always one of the most anticipated events and best networking opportunities on the calendar, the gala will feature lavish food stations, entertainment, and the introduction of this year’s class. Tickets cost $65 each, with tables of 10 still available. Tickets can be ordered by calling (413) 781-8600, ext. 100, or by visiting HERE. The 40 Under Forty program and gala are sponsored this year by Northwestern Mutual (presenting sponsor), Paragus Strategic IT (presenting sponsor), Fathers & Sons, the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, Moriarty & Primack, and United Bank.

Valley Fest
Aug. 29: White Lion Brewing Co. announced that it will host its inaugural beer festival, called Valley Fest, at Court Square in downtown Springfield. MGM Springfield will be the presenting sponsor. The festival is poised to be White Lion’s signature annual event, introducing the young brand to craft-beer enthusiasts throughout New England and beyond. White Lion Brewing Co., the city of Springfield’s only brewery, launched in October 2014. Founder Ray Berry and brewmaster Mike Yates have released three selections under the White Lion brand and have been busy promoting their efforts in venues all over Massachusetts and other New England states. “Valley Fest will have the best of the best local, regional, and national beer and hard cider brands,” Berry said. “Even in our inaugural year, Valley Fest will be the largest one-day beer festival in Western Massachusetts. We expect to draw up to 2,000 enthusiasts from throughout New England. We are very excited to showcase the fourth-largest city in New England and all of its amenities.” Berry anticipates that more than 50 breweries and many local food vendors will converge on Court Square for two sessions. Enthusiasts will have an opportunity to sample more than 100 varieties of beer and hard cider alongside pairing selections by local chefs. Michael Mathis, MGM Springfield president, said his company “is excited to take the lead in sponsoring the inaugural Valley Fest. The local entrepreneurial spirit of White Lion Brewing, coupled with the historic Court Square setting, is a winning combination to start a new Springfield tradition. We look forward to Aug. 29.” A number of sponsors have already committed to the event, including MassMutual Financial Group, the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, the Dennis Group, Springfield Sheraton Monarch Place, Paragus Strategic IT, Williams Distributing, and the Springfield Business Improvement District (BID). “We are honored to sponsor Valley Fest and look forward to it being an annual event that shares in the facilitation of growth within the downtown community,” said Chris Russell, executive director of the Springfield BID. Visit www.valleybrewfest.com for event details, ongoing updates, and sponsorship opportunities. A portion of Valley Fest proceeds will support several local charities.

Western Mass.Business Expo
Nov. 4: Comcast Business will present the fifth annual Western Mass. Business Expo at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield, produced by BusinessWest and the Healthcare News in partnership with Go Graphix and Rider Productions. The business-to-business show will feature more than 100 booths, seminars and Show Floor Theater presentations, breakfast and lunch programs, and a day-capping Expo Social. Details about specific events, programs, and featured speakers will be printed in future issues of BusinessWest. Current sponsors include MGM Springfield, Expo Social sponsor; the Isenberg School of Business at UMass Amherst, education sponsor; DIF Design, silver sponsor; and 94.7 WMAS, media sponsor. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. Exhibitor spaces are also available; booths prices start at $750. For more information on sponsorships or booth purchase, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100.

Court Dockets

By
Court Dockets Departments

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT
Christian Antunes v. City of Greenfield
Allegation: Plaintiff’s home was flooded with sewage backflow when town employees attempted to repair a main sewer line: $48,179
Filed: 3/11/15

Multimedia Center Inc. v. Lange Chiropractic Inc. and Kimberly Lange
Allegation: Non-payment of promissory note: $58,000
Filed: 2/25/15

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Cosale Inc. v. NiSource Inc. and Baystate Gas Co. d/b/a Columbia Gas of MA
Allegation: Employees of Columbia negligently ruptured a pipe causing a massive explosion, property damage, and lost revenue: $301,066.59
Filed: 3/13/15

PALMER DISTRICT COURT
Jordan Quitero v. Boston Road Auto Mall and Platte River Insurance Co.
Allegation: Breach of contract and odometer fraud: $12,650
Filed: 3/25/15

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Security Credit Services, LLC v. Silks Auto Service Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment on business credit account: $58,063.19
Filed: 3/20/15

Tamaro Ako-Brew v. Graham’s Package Store Inc. and 1655 Main St., LLC
Allegation: Negligent maintenance of property causing slip and fall: $1,634
Filed: 3/19/15

Picture This

By
Departments Picture This

Send photos with a caption and contact information to: ‘Picture This’ c/o BusinessWest Magazine, 1441 Main Street, Springfield, MA 01103 or to [email protected]

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Grinspoon Spirit 1Grinspoon Spirit 2Grinspoon Spirit 3Grinspoon Spirit 4Grinspoon Spirit 5From top to bottom: Laura Whiteley, a Holyoke Community College student, took first place at the elevator-pitch competition at the annual awards ceremony and banquet for the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, held at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. She pitched the Scorpion, a small wallet with the ability to protect itself with thumbprint recognition and tracking capabilities. The evening also honored 75 area college students for launching businesses or well-developed business concepts, such as UMass Amherst student Erun Fernando with U-Pro Test Prep, and Amherst College students Sarah Jordan, Meghan McDonough, and Khalil Flemming with Pioneer Creative Filmmaking; Grinspoon (third from left) recognizes the work of Bay Path University student entrepreneurs and their adviser; Lauren Way (second from right), with Entrepreneurial Spirit Awards; Aaron St. John, CEO of HitPoint Studios, delivered the night’s keynote address.

EANE, FIT Staffing Launch New IT Roundtable Series May 19

By
Daily News

AGAWAM — The Employers Association of the NorthEast (EANE) and FIT Staffing are partnering to offer a new IT Roundtable Series. The first event will take place on Tuesday, May 19 at 8:30 a.m. at the EANE offices in Agawam, and will feature an interactive discussion on the top trends and issues facing CIOs and IT managers in today’s changing business climate.

Topics like information security, big-data management, and BYOD (bring your own device) are posing critical challenges for businesses across a wide array of industries. IT leaders from regional businesses are welcome attend and bring their unique challenges to the group for discussion about best practices and solutions. For more information, contact Allison Ebner at FIT Staffing at [email protected] or (413) 355-5125.

Steve Wozniak, Steve Vinter Visit Tech Foundry

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Tech Foundry was recently visited by two luminaries in the tech world. Steve Vinter, director of Google Cambridge, toured the facility on Thursday, and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak stopped by before his sold-out event at the MassMutual Center.

Founded by Paragus Strategic IT CEO Delcie Bean, Tech Foundry is a nonprofit education and job-placement program for high-school students looking to work in the world of information technology.

“It’s very inspiring for our students to have up-close access to individuals who’ve been so wildly successful in this field,” Bean said. “It drives home the message we’re trying to send that anything is possible. It also speaks to the commitment of Mr. Vinter and Mr. Wozniak and their passion for the next generation of IT innovators.”

Tech Foundry aims to create a homegrown workforce for the many area businesses looking for tech professionals. Upon completing the program and graduating high school, the goal is to place students in an entry-level IT job in the $30,000-$40,000 range.

In the long term, Tech Foundry aims to turn Western Mass. into a technology hub, attracting companies such as Amazon and Google to open satellite offices the area.

Attorney General Maura Healey to Keynote Women’s Fund Event

By
Daily News

EASTHAMPTON — The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts (WFWM) will host “Women Lead Change: A Celebration of the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI) Class of 2015” at the Log Cabin in Holyoke on Thursday, May 28 from 6 to 8 p.m.

More than 200 participants are expected to attend, including local and state elected officials. The keynote speaker is Attorney General Maura Healey, who began her term in January. She has led groundbreaking cases for civil rights, fair lending and housing, and litigation supporting access to reproductive health care for women. The Women’s Fund will honor her achievements with a “She Changes the World” award at the event.

Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse will welcome guests, and Emily McLaughlin, deputy director of the Massachusetts Treasury’s department on Economic Empowerment, will also give remarks. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online until Sunday, May 24 at www.womensfund.net.

“We are thrilled to host our distinguished speakers as we welcome 38 highly qualified women into our LIPPI ranks,” said WFWM CEO Elizabeth Barajas-Román. “Our LIPPI program has trained more than 200 women in Western Massachusetts to run for elected office, 20% of whom have run their first race, with a 60% success rate. We know LIPPI women run, and LIPPI women win.”

LIPPI is a 10-month program, the only one of its kind in Massachusetts, designed to respond to the shortage of women stepping into leadership at all levels. Focusing on areas such as public speaking, community organizing, the legislative process and policy making, fund-raising and campaigning, collaborative and cooperative working models, and board service, LIPPI gives women the tools and confidence they need to become more involved as civic leaders in their communities and to impact policy on the local, state, and national levels.

Representing 40% women of color, LIPPI graduates comprise a wide spectrum of backgrounds, ethnic groups, and ages. They also represent all four Western Mass. counties, and their achievements range from running for office to managing campaigns; from fund-raising for female candidates to entering the Yale Women’s Campaign School. Two graduates are currently running for mayor in Pittsfield and Greenfield. Together, graduates form a strong cohort of like-minded women who support each other when they run for office, meet with policy makers, form coalitions, and conduct get-out-the-vote efforts.

The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts is a public foundation that invests in local women and girls through strategic grant making and leadership development. Since 1997, the Women’s Fund has awarded more than $2 million in grants to nearly 100 organizations in Western Mass.