Home 2016
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Regional Chamber will hold its January Business@Breakfast on Jan. 4, featuring a focus on success, happiness, and humor, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Steve Sobel.

The breakfast will also feature salutes to Anne Thomas, new president/CEO, Glenmeadow Retirement, and the the Zoo at Forest Park.

The event, to take place at the Carriage House at Storrowton Tavern in West Springfield, will begin with networking at 7:15 a.m., with the program beginning at 7:55 p.m.

Daily News

HOLYOKE — PeoplesBank has announced the promotions and appointments of several key associates.

Matthew Bannister was promoted to first vice president of Marketing and Innovation. He previously served as vice president of Corporate Responsibility. He possesses more than 30 years of brand management and corporate social responsibility experience. A resident of Hadley, Bannister holds a bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

David Thibault was promoted to first vice president of Cash Management Sales and support manager. He previously served as vice president Cash Management Sales and support manager. Thibault possesses 17 years of banking experience. A resident of Palmer, he holds a bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Norwich University and a Master of Business Administration from Western New England University.

Steve Parastatidis was promoted to Vice President of Commercial Lending. He previously served as assistant vice president and commercial loan officer. A resident of Hampden, Parastatidis has more than 10 years of financial and banking experience focusing on commercial and industrial and investment real estate transactions, with concentrations in the credit analyst, portfolio, and commercial lending areas. He holds a bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance from Western New England University.

Tammy Bordeaux was promoted to assistant vice president and regional manager, Retail. She previously served as assistant vice president and Business Banking Center manager. Bordeaux has more than 19 years of banking experience. A resident of Somers, Conn., she holds a bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Western New England University and associate’s degree in Business Administration from Springfield Technical Community College.

Michelle Chase was promoted to assistant vice president, Consumer and Business Banking Center manager. She previously served as Consumer and Business Banking Center manager. Chase has more than 15 years of banking experience. A resident of Agawam, she holds a master of Business Administration in Entrepreneurial Thinking and Innovation Design from Bay Path University and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Joseph Dias was appointed to assistant vice president, assistant controller. Dias possesses more than 10 years of accounting experience. A resident of Wilbraham, he holds a bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a bachelor of Science in Accounting from Elms College.

Meghan Parnell-Gregoire was promoted to assistant vice president, Business Lending Center manager. Parnell-Gregoire previously served as Assistant Vice President Business Banking. She has more than 14 years of banking experience. A resident of Holyoke, she holds an associate of Science in mathematics from Holyoke Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the UMass Amherst.

Robert Raynor was promoted to assistant vice president, Compliance, Risk Oversight. Raynor previously served as internal audit officer. He possesses eight years of banking experience. A resident of Northampton, Raynor holds a bachelor of Science in Business Management from Springfield College.

Cassandra Pierce was promoted to assistant vice president, Business Intelligence Manager. Pierce formerly served as Business Intelligence manager. A resident of Northampton, she holds a bachelor of Science in Business Management from Westfield State University, and a master of Science in Communication and Information Management from Bay Path University.

Erinn Young was promoted to Deposit Operations officer. Young formerly served as assistant vice president, branch manager of the Longmeadow office. She possesses 20 years of banking experience. A resident of Agawam, Young holds a bachelor of Science in Executive Management from Bay Path University.

Christina Bordeau was appointed branch manager, Sixteen Acres. She possesses 20 years of banking experience. A resident of Springfield, she is currently pursuing an associate degree in Business Administration and Management Degree from Springfield Technical Community College.

Alisa Feliberty was appointed to Call Center manager, Customer Relations. A resident of Enfield, Conn., she holds a bachelor of Science from Syracuse University and is currently pursuing a master of Business Administration in Entrepreneurial Thinking and Innovative Practices from Bay Path University.

Malissa Naylor was promoted to branch manager, East Longmeadow. Naylor previously served as assistant branch manager. She possesses more than 11 years of banking experience. A resident of Springfield, Naylor holds a bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Western New England University.

Lori Stickles was appointed to branch manager, Longmeadow. She possesses more than 18 years of banking experience. She is a resident of Feeding Hills.

Daily News

The Labor Department reported Thursday that fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits the previous week, continuing a nearly two-year trend that suggests a solid job market.

The department reported that weekly requests for jobless aid fell 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 265,000.

The four-week average for claims was 263,000. Claims have stayed below 300,000 — a level indicative of healthy hiring levels — for 95 straight weeks.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Continuing a tradition that began more than 20 years ago, BusinessWest will profile the winner of its ‘Top Entrepreneur’ award in its next issue, to be released Jan. 9.

The award pays homage to the region’s more-than-250-yeard-old tradition of entrepreneurship, said Associate Publisher Kate Campiti, and honors individuals, families, and companies that are carrying on that tradition.

Previous winners of the award, first presented in 1996, include Peter Rosskothen, co-creator of the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, former Springfield Technical Community College President Andrew Scibelli, the D’Amour family, founders of Big Y, Timm Van Epps, president and CEO of Sandri LLC, the Holyoke Gas & Electric, Jeb Balise, president of Balise Motor Sales, and many others.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — In conjunction with the upcoming anniversary of Shays’ Rebellion, join curator Alex MacKenzie for his Behind the Storage Door presentation highlighting firearms of the American Revolution. The program will take place on Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. Admission is free.

The weapons shown during this presentation will highlight the tactics and weapons used in Shays’ Rebellion, which peaked with an attack on the Springfield Arsenal 230 years ago, on Jan. 25, 1787. MacKenzie will explain the history and details of each firearm, enabling visitors to learn more about the rich collections of Springfield Armory National Historic Site.

“With the upcoming anniversary of Shays’ Rebellion, we will highlight weapons from the collection that are not normally on display, giving the public an excellent opportunity to learn about the American Revolution and Shays’ Rebellion up close,” said MacKenzie.

Following the presentation, there will be a question-and-answer period, as well as an opportunity to see these featured items up close.

To learn more about Shays’ Rebellion, visit the Armory on Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. as author Leonard Richards discusses Daniel Shays  and the impact his “rebellion” had on the nation as a whole.

The Springfield Armory National Historic Site it is the location of the nation’s first armory (1794 – 1968) and was established by George Washington. The site includes historic grounds, buildings, and the world’s largest historic American military firearms collection. For further information call (413) 734-8551, or visit www.nps.gov/spar

Daily News

BOSTON — A handful of state lawmakers voted quietly Wednesday to delay the likely opening date for recreational marijuana stores in the Bay State by half a year — from January to July 2018.

The measure was sent for approval to Gov. Charlie Baker, a vocal opponent of the legalization of marijuana who called the six-month delay “perfectly appropriate.”

The bill was passed by just a small number of legislators — formal sessions for the two-year legislative session have already ended — during informal sessions during which action is usually limited to non-controversial items.

The measure passed Wednesday does not effect provisions of a marijuana-legalization law that 1.8 million voters approved in November, that were already in effect. These include personal possession inside and outside a person’s primary residence and home growing. Those provisions went into effect Dec. 15.

Daily News

WATERBURY, CONN. — Webster Private Bank announced that Joe M. Cox II, senior vice president, senior investment manager, and Chris Perry, senior vice president, senior managing director — both of Webster Wealth Advisors, a Webster Financial Company — have been named Five Star Wealth managers in Connecticut. This is the fifth consecutive year for Cox and the fourth consecutive year for Perry to have received this honor. Webster Wealth Advisors Inc. is located in Wilton, Connecticut. The two men are featured in the December issue of Connecticut Magazine.

“Experience and knowing your client are what matter most,” said Joe Savage, executive vice chairman of Webster and Head of Webster Private Bank. “Through comprehensive financial planning and specialized attention, Joe and Chris are leaders of a team that’s at the top of their game when providing a ‘big picture’ approach that covers all areas of our clients’ financial lives.”

The Five Star professional program is one of the largest and most widely published financial services award programs in North America. Those who achieve this honor are a select group of industry leaders who are evaluated against 10-point objective criteria, including client retention and favorable regulatory history.

Webster Private Bank, a division of Webster Bank, provides premium banking and customized lending, investment management, fiduciary, depository, and planning advisory services to individuals, families, and institutions with at least $1 million in investable assets. Webster Bank is a leading regional bank living up to consumers, business, and the community since 1935.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and City of Springfield Office of Disaster Recovery and Compliance are releasing funding for Preservation of Historic Properties that were damaged by the 2011 tornado for the second time.

“The city continues to be committed to complete tornado recovery, and this is another opportunity for property owners of historic buildings to receive funding for outstanding unmet repair needs from the tornado,” said Sarno. “We hope property owners will take advantage of this funding while it is available.”

The city has released a Notice of Funding Availability and Invitation for Bids. The city will provide up to $175,000 in grant funding to owners of historic buildings within the tornado impact zone that still have unrepaired tornado-related damages. This is the second time the city is making this funding available. The city previously released $200,000 and received only one proposal from an eligible property owner.

Eligible property owners are required to submit their proposals to the City of Springfield’s Office of Procurement no later than Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. Funding is competitive and a review committee will evaluate and score each proposal according to Historic and Neighborhood Appropriateness, Financial Need, Historic Significance of the Property and Readiness to Proceed and Ability to Comply with CDBG-DR Guidelines.

Property owners with questions should contact the Office of Disaster Recovery at (413) 750-2114.

Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — Adina Edgett and Bailey Eastman of Webber & Grinnell Insurance Agency have both passed their Massachusetts property and casualty licensing examinations given by the state Division of Insurance, bringing the agency’s total number of licensed employees up to 23.

Edgett and Eastman work in the commercial insurance division at Webber & Grinnell, serving more than 900 businesses throughout Western Mass.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Recognizing both the abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities and natural beauty within the region, as well as its unique involvement in the creation and protection of much of it, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) has released its second edition of “Pioneer Valley Trails: A Hiking and Biking Guide.”

Self-published using revenue from the sale of the guide’s first edition, which has sold over 2,200 copies since 2011, the PVPC is hoping this comprehensive map of Hampden and Hampshire County’s recreational opportunities remains a popular item within the region’s many outdoor outfitters.

In preparing the guide, the PVPC reached out to many cooperating entities for data and map information, including all 43 PVPC member municipalities, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, as well as nonprofit partners such as the Trustees of Reservations and Mass Audubon.

The guide includes many of the Pioneer Valley’s most popular trails, including the New England National Scenic Trail and the Robert Frost Trail for hiking, as well as the Manhan Rail Trail and Norwottuck – Mass Central Rail Trail for biking. It also includes many smaller trails spread out across the region’s cities and towns, allowing visitors and residents alike to discover new opportunities to enjoy nature.

Since 1962, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission has been the designated regional planning body for the Pioneer Valley region, which encompasses 43 cities and towns in Hampden and Hampshire counties. PVPC is the primary agency responsible for increasing communication, cooperation, and coordination among all levels of government as well as the private business and civic sectors in order to benefit the Pioneer Valley region and to improve its residents’ quality of life.

Daily News

WESTERN MASS. — Connecticut-based author Harriet Scott Chessman’s new novel, The Lost Sketchbook of Edgar Degas, will be released by Outpost19 in March 2017, and the national book tour includes three dates in Western Mass.

The tour includes R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, Conn., March 1; Why There Are Words in Sausalito, Calif., March 9; Books Inc. in Palo Alto, Calif., March 13; Mrs. Dalloway’s in Berkeley, Calif., March 16; the Concord Bookshop in Concord, Mass., March 26; Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, Mass., March 28; Blue Umbrella Books in Westfield, Mass., April 1; Water Street Books in Williamstown, Mass., April 4; and Guilford (Conn.) Free Library, May 18.

Daily News

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc., and Ronald N. Lazzaro P.C., an independent financial-planning and investment-services firm based in Rutland, Vt., announced the completion of an asset-purchase transaction earlier this month, and the launch of a strategic combination between the two firms. Under the terms of the transaction, Berkshire Bank acquired the business assets of Ronald N. Lazzaro P.C., which will expand Berkshire Bank’s wealth-management and investment services provided in Vermont.

Ronald N. Lazzaro P.C. has been renamed RNL & Associates, a division of BerkshireBanc Investment Services, reflecting RNL’s new position as a key component of Berkshire Bank’s financial-planning and investment-services platform. RNL & Associates offers investment management services through Commonwealth Financial Network, an independent broker-dealer.

RNL & Associates will continue to provide a full suite of holistic financial-planning and investment-management services to individuals and families to help them prepare for retirement and pursue their financial goals. The firm will continue to work with clients nationwide, with a primary geographic focus on Vermont and the Northeast.

Opinion

Opinion

By Jane Banks

With the temperatures dropping into single digits, you can’t help but talk about how cold it is. It was again the topic of conversation at a recent meeting with a colleague who recalled, when she was a little girl, her dad coming into the house on very cold days, rubbing his hands together, and saying, “thank goodness for a warm house.”

Sadly, not everyone has a warm house to live in. On nights so cold you don’t even want to step onto the street — let alone live there — it’s comforting to know that the Center for Human Development (CDH) is working 24/7 to help the most vulnerable families in our community access a warm place to live while working to transition them to permanent housing and self-sufficiency.

Today, there are about 525 families, about 2,200 people altogether, who are sheltered and/or housed within our housing system. Families referred to CHD by the state Department of Housing and Community Development typically spend from 30 to 90 days in shelter. During that time, they receive financial-literacy training, employment and skills training, clinical and mental-health services, and help identifying and qualifying for appropriate permanent housing. Our primary goal is to get families into housing where they have privacy and safety — a place that feels like home.

CHD’s Housing Stabilization Program receives state funding to address specific goals as defined by state law. We help ensure that our veterans, mothers with small children, people with disabilities, and others who are struggling don’t find themselves huddled on a street corner. It may surprise you that people in shelter include families displaced by fire, fathers whose jobs vanished in a tough economy, and persons whose disabilities make finding work and accessible housing extremely challenging.

With help from CHD, families are in from the cold, learning to budget and save money, getting job training or going back to school, and getting help navigating the range of supports to get them back on their feet. Once families leave shelter, they can access a state grant that helps them move into their own place, continue job training, get help with tenant rights and responsibilities, apply for fuel assistance, and secure child-care vouchers so they can work — just the things a struggling family might need to be successful.

Ongoing support for a 12-month, home-based period is dictated by state regulation, and during that period CHD helps families stay on the path to self-sufficiency. It’s especially rewarding when families we’ve helped come back to us to say they’re doing well — and how thankful they are that CHD was there when they were struggling.

If you someone you know is homeless, contact the Department of Housing and Community Development, 310 State St., Springfield, or call (413) 858-1300. A conversation with a homeless coordinator can determine eligibility for shelter, financial assistance, and services (including from CHD) to help transition to permanent housing.

We are thankful for our many collaborations, partnerships, and contributions from a caring community which make our work possible. During these frigid days, we are grateful for the opportunity to provide a warm home, for which we and our families can all be thankful.

Jane Banks is program director, Homeless Services, at the Center for Human Development.

Banking and Financial Services Sections

Family Matters

 

Some of the team at BRP/Grenier

Some of the team at BRP/Grenier, from left: Kelly Landron, Pat Grenier, Kim Galinski, and Lindsey Arventos.

As one of eight children, Patricia Grenier says she really doesn’t need any more family. Yet, as principal at BRP/Grenier, her growing financial-services practice, she treats clients like family members — which often means helping them make tough decisions.

One client was transitioning into assisted living and needed $200,000 immediately, and wanted to take it from her investment account. But the market was down, so Grenier was loath to do that.

“Her response was, ‘I don’t care what you do, just find me the money,’” she told BusinessWest. “So I called an associate at a bank and asked him if we could coordinate an equity line for this woman.” They did, and six months later, she sold her home, paid off the equity line, and moved into the facility.

“Those are the kinds of things we think about,” she said. “If all we focus on is investments, we would not go beyond and start asking the appropriate questions that need to be asked.”

Another client called about wanting to buy a car, and asking about loan options. “I asked, ‘why are you taking out a loan? You have enough money invested. You can use your own money.’ She was elderly; there was no need for her to have debt.”

In short, BRP/Grenier is an investment-strategy firm that goes well beyond its advertised services, which run the gamut from financial planning and education savings to retirement strategies and estate planning. Grenier considers it all life planning, which encompasses far more than crunching numbers.

Clients want to protect what they have but also grow it, and helping them do so takes a comprehensive understanding of their lives and goals — what’s important to them, what their resources are, and what their challenges will be to get there. With close to $200 million under management, it’s a responsibility she takes seriously.

“There are all kinds of issues to resolve: do they need more cash flow? Maybe there’s too much liquid, too much invested. Do they have a will? We’ll prod them to do a will or trust, those kinds of things.”

Those are questions she and her firm are asking many more clients these days, following the acquisition of a practice in Wethersfield, Conn. (more on that later). Getting to know the ins and outs of those lives is a challenge Grenier embraces, because it’s key to helping them succeed.

“I try not to focus on what the market is doing currently,” she said. “It’s a long-term strategy, so I focus on your life — what will make your life better. Temporary moves in the market won’t make a big difference in the scheme of things.”

Getting to Know You

Grenier says her skills as a listener, problem-solver, planner, and fact-checker were developed at a very young age, as the family interpreter and liaison for her large, family of Ecuadorean immigrants. So she enjoys learning the details of clients’ situations to help them formulate a big-picture perspective.

“Some things that people might find daunting, we think are really easy to handle,” she said. “For example, they might not be able to make ends meet, and they’re charging monthly expenses on a credit card. We’ll work on cash flow, figure out how to reprioritize spending. Maybe it’s time to downsize their home, or buy things for less money.”

Pat Grenier

Pat Grenier says crafting a strategy for long-term financial security begins with fully understanding the goals, circumstances, and challenges of each client.

While many clients are concentrated around the pre-retirement years, Grenier said, she helps people in all stages of life — for example, young professional couples making enough to save but worried about mortgages and school debt and saving for their kids’ college education, and knowing they’re in an income bracket that isn’t making them rich, but won’t be a magnet for financial aid. So they need a strategy.

And young people don’t start out with the advantages past generations did, notably the idea that they’ll work for one employer and retire with a healthy pension that will see them through their retirement years. These days, young professionals expect to progress through several jobs, none of them offering pensions. So it’s up to them to navigate investment options like 401(k)s and other vehicles.

“It’s a dynamic process. Life isn’t black and white, and we have to adjust,” Grenier said. “If there’s a job change or an illness or a birth or a divorce, we have to make sure we can adjust their plan so that it’s a viable plan that works for them. Everyone’s different, so the plan is going to be different for everybody.

“We want to help them achieve their goals, and sometimes we have to be the reality check,” she went on. “We have to say, ‘no, you can’t do this; you don’t have enough money.’ And sometimes, we need to say, ‘yes, you can buy that home on the Cape; you can afford it.’ So it works both ways.”

After a while, she explained, as she gets to know clients better, they come to trust her and her team, and they’ll be more comfortable divulging personal matters.

“I feel like sometimes I know them better than their own family members. And sometimes I have to protect them,” she said. For example, one client was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and her nephew wanted power of attorney, but she didn’t feel he’d do a good job and recommended she pick someone else.

That said, Grenier can’t force anyone to make a financial decision.

“People have to be willing to cooperate. They have to want to be willing to make changes. If not, it’s not going to work. And sometimes it’s not going to work. Maybe they’re not willing to make the change. But it’s our job to explain, in our professional opinion, what they need to do to realize their goals.”

Not every decision is bottom-line based. One client was selling her business to family members and wanted to know how much she should get for it — not necessarily top dollar according to its value, but what she needed to strike a fair deal for her family, yet be able to live comfortably in retirement. “So we needed to make a projection about life expectancy and her needs, and once we figured that out, it was easy to come up with a number.”

Branching Out

Grenier was looking to expand her practice’s footprint when she learned that Joseph Connelly, owner of the Wethersfield Investment Center, was looking to retire. A few months after he and Grenier met, they agreed their cultures were a good match, and Wethersfield became a division of BRP/Grenier in September.

The Wethersfield office, which had previously operated under a different name, became the Wethersfield Investment Center in 2003 when Connelly assumed full ownership and became a Cadaret Grant-registered financial professional. The fact that Wethersfield and BRP/Grenier share the Cadaret Grant connection has made for a smooth transition, Grenier said.

“It’s in Connecticut, so it’s a different market, different laws, things like that, but a lot of the same principles apply,” she told BusinessWest. “I’m getting to know the clients, starting to delve into their lives, telling them, ‘you can count on us to help you with whatever you need help with.’ I know I have big shoes to fill. It’s a big challenge, but I love a challenge.”

All this makes for what she calls an exciting time in her business, but through the growth, she doesn’t want to lose track of the personal involvement that characterizes her relationships with clients. She began her career working for large houses where she had no time to get to know clients, and that frustrated her and drove her to become an independent advisor in 1990. And people welcome the sometimes necessary hand-holding it takes to help them navigate downturns in the market and, sometimes, in their own families.

“Maybe it’s my personality, but I tend to get way involved in people’s lives, maybe because I’m one of eight kids,” she said. “Every person who comes to me is treated as if they were my own family. And every person on my staff, that’s how they look at our clients, too.”

And it’s satisfying, Grenier said, to see financial strategies pay off in the form of peace of mind.

“In this business, we are so overregulated, and we have to love our business to be in it,” she said. “We want to retire people well, and it’s so gratifying to get a note from a client thanking me for what they currently have. I want to help people lead the good, comfortable life they’re accustomed to.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Departments Incorporations

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

FEEDING HILLS

Agawam Citizens for Responsible Development Corp., 568 Mill St., Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Collette Parsons, same. Non-profit organization designed to foster responsible growth and expansion of neighborhoods within the community.

LONGMEADOW

Ottani Service Corp., 200 West Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Wayne Ottani, same. Tree services.

Pioneer Valley Bakery Inc., 1020 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Robert F. White, same. Food and beverage service.

NORTHAMPTON

Oishi Sushi Inc., 136 N King St., Northampton, MA 01060. Wei Jiang, 5008 7th Ave., Apt. 5E, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11220. Restaurant.

Paradise City Dragon Boat Inc., 185 Crescent St., Northampton, MA 01060. Elizabeth G. Powell, same. Non-profit organization designed to assist cancer survivors and supporters by teaching the sport of dragon boat paddling on the Connecticut River and to organize fundraising activities associated with the sport.

PALMER

Palmer Domestic Violence Task Force Inc., 4417 Main St., Suite 3, Palmer, MA 01069. Tammy Koske, 85 Southwick St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Non-profit organization formed as a domestic violence service provider for individuals affected by domestic violence.

PITTSFIELD

S&C Texas Investments Inc., 82 We Dell Ave., Ste. 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Ryan Swift, 9802 Reston River Lane, Cypress, TX 77433. Foreign corporation developed to own and operate a Sky Zone trampoline park located in Westborough.

SOUTH HADLEY

S. Lowell Kahn, M.D., P.C., 17 Mary Lyon Drive, South Hadley, MA 01075. Sidney L. Kahn, IV, M.D., same. Medical practice.

STURBRIDGE

Oak-VA Inc., 179 Main St., Sturbridge, MA 01566. Bonnie Baird, 26 Hillside Road, Southbridge, MA 01550. Medical Transcription.

WILBRAHAM

R&T Printing Inc., 2041 Boston Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Timothy Hardick, 171 Hovey Road, Monson, MA 01057. Print shop.

WILLIAMSTOWN

Northern Berkshire Medical, PC, 345 Main St., Williamstown, MA 01267. Carl Dobson, M.D., 100 Hospital Dr., Bennington, VT 05201. Medical group practice.

Cover Story Features

The Year in Review

 

The region’s business community had no shortage of big developments

The region’s business community had no shortage of big developments for BusinessWest to write about throughout 2016.

As 2016 comes to a close, BusinessWest looks back at what has been a year of significant progress on major regional projects, of a growing economy that nonetheless posed challenges for employers and business owners, and of company mergers, leadership transitions at large employers, and even some untimely deaths. Here are some of the stories that had the Western Mass. business community talking.

January

At the start of the new year, the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast (EANE) unveiled the regional findings from the 2016 National Business Trends Survey conducted by the Employer Associations of America. Results indicated that the majority of executives surveyed were optimistic for 2016, were confident about raising pay, emphasizing recruiting, increasing training budgets. However, regulatory compliance was a bigger concern in the Northeast than in other regions: 42% of the Northeast respondents saw regulatory compliance as a serious long-term challenge, whereas nationally, the average checks in at 34%. With state and national changes looming in the realms of sick leave, pay equality, overtime pay, and others, those results weren’t surprising.

The past year brought a striking number of notable deaths on the national stage, but locally, few matched the impact of Mike Balise and Paul Doherty. Balise, who actually passed away just before the calendar turned to 2016, was more than the co-owner of Balise Motor Sales; he was a dedicated philanthropist who showed the world how to squeeze every moment out of a life he knew would be cut short by stomach cancer. His fierce battle, and his life’s work, inspired his selection as one of BusinessWest’s Difference Makers for 2016. Meanwhile, Doherty, who grew his law firm, Doherty Wallace Pillsbury & Murphy, into one of the largest in the region and cultivated a culture of philanthropy there, was known not only as the man who rarely turned down an opportunity to contribute time and energy to a good cause, but who inspired others around him to do the same. In one month, the region lost two lights who both understood how to live well by doing good.

February

After many months of planning and communicating with Springfield residents and business people, the joint venture of White-Schiavone began demolishing the I-91 viaduct’s reinforced concrete bridge deck, marking the start of a $148 million deck-replacement project that will continue throughout 2017. The lane closures slowed traffic through the artery to a crawl, while a temporary exit helped southbound commuters navigate their way downtown.

Across the state, gambling revenue at Plainridge Park Casino increased by $1.3 million in January, snapping five straight months of revenue declines after a strong start in the spring of 2015. That began a streak of several months of increases at Plainridge. That was good news for casino watchers in Western Mass., who wondered if Plainridge’s first-year performance, which fell well short of projections, would be repeated at MGM Springfield when it opens in the fall of 2018.

The $950 million MGM Springfield project

The $950 million MGM Springfield project took a dramatic step forward in 2016, dramatically altering the South End skyline.

Meanwhile, the MGM Springfield plan was dealing with growing pains of its own. In February, the Springfield City Council approved a revised site plan that includes the elimination of a 25-story hotel tower, replacing it with a six-story, 250-room hotel on Main Street. In another change, MGM’s host-community agreement with Springfield allows MGM to move about 54 proposed market-rate apartments from the casino grounds to a location near the casino.

March

Taking the fight against the state’s opioid-abuse crisis to the next level, Gov. Charlie Baker signed landmark legislation into law to address the epidemic. “An Act Relative to Substance Use, Treatment, Education, and Prevention,” passed with unanimous votes in both legislative chambers, calls for prevention education for students and doctors and a seven-day limit on first-time opioid prescriptions, among other provisions. The state’s estimated rate of 17.4 opioid-overdose deaths per 100,000 residents in 2014 is the highest ever for unintentional opioid overdoses and represents a 228% increase from the rate of 5.3 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2000.

Real gross domestic product in Massachusetts grew at an annual rate of 2.3% in the first quarter of 2016, according to MassBenchmarks, the journal of the Massachusetts economy published by the UMass Donahue Institute in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In contrast, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, national real gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 0.5% during the same period. The pace of economic growth in Massachusetts picked up in the first three months of 2016 after slowing in the second half of 2015.

Also in March, BusinessWest honored its Difference Makers Class of 2016. In addition to Balise, the magazine honored Bay Path University President Carol Leary; Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties; and John Robison.

April

One of the region’s signature banks is no more, at least not in name, as Chicopee Savings Bank was acquired by Westfield Bank in a deal announced in April and made official later in the year. The merger creates the largest locally managed bank in Hampden County and the second-largest bank in terms of deposit market share in the county. The combined company will have total assets of $2.1 billion and 21 branch locations serving customers throughout Western Mass. and Northern Conn. In other merger news, Key Bank acquired First Niagara Bank in a deal that became official this fall.

Massachusetts marked the 10-year anniversary of universal access to healthcare, an achievement that predated the federal Accountable Care Act by several years. “Ten years ago, Massachusetts led the country by creating a landmark healthcare coverage law, and today we are pleased that 96.4% of the state’s population is insured,” Gov. Baker said. “Through our state-based marketplace, individuals and families have the ability to choose their best coverage options, and while there is still more work to be done to increase accessibility and transparency for consumers, we have taken many steps in the right direction.”

John Cook, vice president of Academic Affairs at Manchester Community College in New Hampshire, was selected by the Springfield Technical Community College board of trustees to succeed the retiring Ira Rubenzahl as STCC president.

May

Twelve area startups won a total of $252,000 at the annual Valley Venture Mentors (VVM) Accelerator Awards, led by Celia Grace, whose founder, Marcelia Muehlke, calls her company a fair-trade, ethical wedding-dress seller that gives back and empowers women around the world. Muehlke won $50,000 at the ceremony at the MassMutual Center. The other two top winners were  Homebody Holistics ($45,000), a maker of all-natural, hand-crafted, herbal cleaning solutions using no harsh chemicals or additives; and Scout Curated Wears ($32,000), a designer, curator, and producer of thoughtful women’s accessories.

Robinson Donovan, P.C. marked a year-long celebration of 150 years in business with a series of donations to local nonprofits, from Providence Ministries Service Network and Friends of the Homeless Inc. to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and Bay Path University, just to name a few. The firm’s founder, George Robinson, was a true public servant, said attorney Carla Newton. “That is why we are choosing to celebrate our 150th anniversary, and honor our founder, by supporting local nonprofits. Nonprofits are vital to the fabric of our communities, and we hope to raise awareness for their causes and support important initiatives that benefit us all, which continues the legacy of our founder and our firm.”

June

The University of Massachusetts announced that the system was responsible for $6.2 billion in economic activity in Massachusetts last year — a record high — and helped to support more than 43,000 jobs statewide. “UMass educates more students than any college or university in the Commonwealth and is one of the state’s three largest research universities, but it also has a profound impact on the Massachusetts economy based on the scope and reach of its operations,” President Marty Meehan said. “UMass is a vital economic engine for the Commonwealth, and its impact is felt in every community and by virtually every family across Massachusetts.”

72,000-square-foot addition to the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst

A $62 million, 72,000-square-foot addition to the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst was one of several major undertakings at area colleges and universities launched in 2016.

 

When the Springfield Falcons took flight to Arizona following the 2015-16 season, the city didn’t have to wait long for a new bird to swoop down and replace the Falcons on the ice at the MassMutual Center. The Springfield Thunderbirds, owned by a large group of area business leaders, were unveiled as the new AHL franchise taking the ice for the 2016-17 season.

After more than two years of strategic planning, in a deal valued at approximately $1.6 million, Paragus IT announced in June that its employee stock-ownership plan (ESOP), which distributes ownership of 40% of the company to its 40-plus employees, is officially a go. ESOPs are traditionally formed after the company has fully matured and when a major shareholder is looking to exit. For Paragus, however, it’s about fueling future growth by giving everyone a direct stake and a personal investment in the future of the company, said President and CEO Delcie Bean. “It made sense to give everybody some skin in the game. Now they aren’t just growing a company, they’re growing their company. Which means Paragus is here to stay, and we’re only getting bigger.”

BusinessWest also honored its 40 Under Forty Class of 2016 at a sold-out Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, marking 10 years of shining a light on rising young stars in the region.

July

In a move that echoed similar laws around the U.S., Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law an anti-discrimination bill, passed by the state House and Senate, that gives transgender people the right to use public restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identities, regardless of their sex at birth. “No one should be discriminated against in Massachusetts because of their gender identity,” Baker said. “This compromise legislation extends additional protections to the Commonwealth’s transgender community, and includes language to address the public-safety concerns expressed by some by requiring the attorney general to issue regulations to protect against people abusing the law.”

In local news, Nancy Creed, vice president of Marketing and Communications for the Springfield Regional Chamber, was tapped to succeed Jeffrey Ciuffreda as president of that institution, becoming the first woman chief executive in the chamber’s more than 125-year history. She had played an integral role in the recent chamber restructuring and was responsible for its rebranding effort.

The Thunderbirds weren’t the only new sports team making news in Springfield this year, as the city welcomed the Sting, the first American Basketball Assoc. (ABA) team to call Springfield, the birthplace of basketball, its home when it commenced play in November. The Sting joined the ABA’s Northeast Division for the 2016-17 season, alongside teams in Boston, Providence, New York, Long Island, and New Jersey.

August

August brought more employment news when Gov. Baker signed a bipartisan pay-equity bill aimed at ensuring equal pay for comparable work for all Massachusetts workers and equal opportunities to earn competitive salaries in the workplace. The law, which will go into effect on July 1, 2018, will prevent pay discrimination for comparable work based on gender. The bill allows employees to freely discuss their salaries with co-workers and prohibits employers from requiring applicants to provide their salary history before receiving a formal job offer. “Pay equity is not only a women’s issue, it’s a family issue, and with this new law on the books, we are closer to closing the pay gap in our state,” Attorney General Maura Healey said.

The Valley Blue Sox scored a playoff berth in 2016, and fans responded to the team’s success, with attendance at McKenzie Stadium in Holyoke averaging 2,121 fans per game, enough to rank them 11th nationally out of 169 summer collegiate teams. This placed them second in New England overall to only the Worcester Bravehearts of the Futures League and first overall in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Furthermore, the Blue Sox ranked 154th overall on Ballpark Digest’s ‘mega list’ of minor-league teams and summer collegiate teams, with the team beating out 20 A-ball teams and three AA teams. The total attendance per game jumped almost 600 fans from 2015.

Not all the news was good in August. Baystate Health announced the elimination of 300 positions from among the system’s 12,500 employees, citing a budget gap of $75 million for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2016. “Many factors are causing this projected shortfall, most significantly the continuing shortfalls in the reimbursements we receive for providing Medicaid services,” said President and CEO Dr. Mark Keroack.

September

In September, BusinessWest detailed Springfield Technical Community College’s $50 million effort to convert its historic Building 19 into a campus center. The 700-foot Armory warehouse, which predates the Civil War, will become home to a wide array of offices and facilities now scattered across the campud, including the library, admissions, registration, financial aid, the bookstore, the welcome center, student government, the parking office, health services, student activities, a café, the IT help desk, meeting and convention space, and more.

building-19

$50 million initiative at STCC

Another landscape-altering project launched in 2016 was a $50 million initiative at STCC to convert Building 19 (seen above in the 1930s) into a new campus center.

 

Meanwhile, state and UMass Amherst officials broke ground on the $62 million Business Innovation Hub at the Isenberg School of Management. The ambitious project will add 70,000 square feet of classrooms, labs, and student spaces, including an expanded career center, advising spaces, and learning commons, as well as faculty offices to the school’s existing facilities. The project is scheduled for completion in September 2018, with occupancy in January 2019.

Speaking of the state’s university system, UMass continued a decade-long surge in enrollment, surpassing 74,000 students for the first time, with 74,678 students enrolled across the five campuses. Over the past decade, student enrollment at UMass has risen almost 27%, from 58,939 in the fall of 2006 to the current 74,678, making UMass one of the fastest-growing universities, public or private, in the nation. In the recently released U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” rankings, the four UMass undergraduate campuses for the first time are all represented in the magazine’s top category.

October

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index rose 0.3 points to 56.2 in October, 0.6 points higher than in October 2015. The increase was driven by a 2.6-point jump in the manufacturing index. In fact, the AIM Index, based on a survey of Massachusetts employers, has been rising consistently throughout 2016. AIM President and CEO Richard Lord noted that the economic recovery appears to be benefiting the entire Commonwealth, not just the metropolitan Boston area. “It’s great to see unemployment falling in areas outside the Boston-Cambridge technology belt, which has been enjoying explosive economic growth since the onset of the recovery,” he said. “One of the key tenets of AIM’s Blueprint for the Next Century economic plan for Massachusetts is that lawmakers must make public policy that allows economic opportunity to flourish in all areas of the Commonwealth, from Boston to the Berkshires.”

The $88.5 million rehabilitation of Union Station in Springfield into an intermodal transit hub continued to chug toward its expected completion in January 2017. The project has included the complete renovation of the terminal building and its central concourse, the renovation and reactivation of the Amtrak passenger tunnel linking the terminal building to train platforms and the adjacent downtown area, demolition of the former baggage-handling building and construction of a regional and intercity bus terminal and parking garage, and opening up of 64,000 square feet of leasable commercial space on the upper floors of the terminal building.

November

BusinessWest kicked off November with the sixth annual Western Mass. Business Expo at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. Now a fall tradition for the region’s business community, the show featured more than 100 exhibitors, more than 2,000 attendees, dozens of educational seminars, special presentations, breakfast and lunch programs, and much more, including demonstrations of virtual-reality technology that proved to be extremely popular. “There are a great many challenges to doing business today, from harnessing the latest technology to recruiting, developing, and retaining young talent, to creating an environment where several generations can work, and thrive, together,” said BusinessWest Associate Publisher Kate Campiti. Once again, she added, the Expo helped businesses identify and cope with these challenges.

Meanwhile, the state’s total unemployment rate dropped to 2.9% in November, marking the fifth consecutive month the rate went down, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported. The last time the state’s unemployment rate was that low was January 2001. “We are very pleased to see the unemployment rate consistently go down month after month,” said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald Walker II. “Not only is the unemployment rate declining, but we have continued job growth in key sectors that drive the Massachusetts economy.”

December

Christina Royal, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, Minn., was approved as the next president of Holyoke Community College (HCC), succeeding William Messner, who retired in August after serving for 12 years. Meanwhile, HCC announced the details of an upcoming two-year, $43.5 million renovation project that will transform the look, feel, and organization of the campus. The HCC Campus Center is scheduled to close Feb. 3, 2017, and construction will begin soon after. The key features of the project include squaring off the building’s sloping façade and giving the entire building a new exterior shell that will make it both weathertight and energy-efficient. About 9,000 square feet of space will be added to the current 58,727.

The MBTA announced it will place a second order for new Red Line cars with CRRC, the company already contracted to build new train cars at a facility it is building in Springfield. MBTA officials say it’s cheaper to pay $300,000 for each new car than to rehab aging trains. CRRC, the Chinese-owned world leader in rail-car manufacturing, won a contract in 2014 to build 152 Orange Line cars and 132 Red Line cars to replace aging trains. Under the new proposal, CRRC will start building an additional 120 Red Line cars in 2022 after completing the initial order of Red Line and Orange Line cars. The proposal includes an option to purchase 14 more cars after that.

Building Permits Departments

The following business permits were issued during the month of December 2016.

Agawam

Rocky’s Ace Hardware
7 Springfield St.
$210,000 — Install a rooftop solar array

Chicopee

Robert Benoit
506 Grattan St.
$31,500 — Repairs to front of building due to vehicle accident

Pizza Chop
486 Springfield St.
$25,140 — Minor renovations and alterations to pizza shop

Sentry Uniform
803 James St.
$27,500 — Roofing

Shawnigan Drive LLC
645 Shawnigan Dr.
Install three antennas and three RRUs

East Longmeadow

Plastipak
108 Industrial Dr.
$184,067.33 — Commercial addition, silos

Tiger Press
50 Industrial Dr.
$60,000 — Solar

Greenfield

Lisa Underwood
571 Bernardston Road
$3,500 — Remove and replace five exterior doors

Richard Wilby
122 Main St.
$39,100 — Roofing

Hadley

Domino’s
459 Russell St.
$20,000 — Interior lobby renovations, including new flooring, wall finishes, suspended ceilings, lighting, sales counters, and HVAC

Edens
446 Russell St.
$10,000 — Sign

Longmeadow

Longmeadow Mall LP
827 Williams St.
$32,750 — Roof replacement

Ludlow

Sovereign Health Group
14 Chestnut Place
$800,000 — Commercial alterations

TD Bank
549 Center St.
$70,000 — Commercial alterations

Ludlow Center LLC
485 Center St.
$12,000 — Demolition

Northampton

Chen’s Management LLC
16 Crafts Ave.
$17,000 — Remove skylights and apply roof to entire building

City of Northampton
170 Glendale Road
$372,978 — Solar field on landfill

City of Northampton
85 Hampton Ave.
$162,000 — Repleace sealant and tee-to-tee joints in parking garage

Edwards Church of Northampton
297 Main St.
$16,558 — Remove old granite stairs and relay new granite stairs

Gleason Brothers Inc.
7 Pearl St.
$11,000 — Remove existing interior cubicles, create two interior cased openings

Smith College
54 Green St.
$14,000 — Roofing at treasurer’s office

Smith College
67 West St.
Strip and shingle roof

Palmer

Camp Ramah
39 Bennet St.
$30,000 — Sprinklers for fire protection

ITW Realty Trust
668 Old Warren Road
$6,400 — Pad and coaxial cable to cell tower

Springfield

401 Liberty St. LLC
401 Liberty St.
$262,000 — Install solar array

City of Springfield
60 Alton St.
$963,321 — Extend structural steel and exterior walls to raise roof, install metal roof deck and PVC roofing membrane, remove and reinstall rooftop HVAC equipment at STEM Middle Academy

DTM & GDU Inc.
420 Pasco Road
$9,684.71 — Roofing

Dwight Station LLC
95 Frank B. Murray St.
$350,000 — Tenant fit-out for Sunrise Behavioral Health Clinic

Eyesight & Surgery Associates
299 Carew St.
$651,101 — Interior renovations for a medical office

HS Holdings
980 Bay St.
$16,000 — Install solar array

Orange Park Management LLC
13 Oak St.
$12,500 — Construction of foundation for proposed additions to condominium

Verizon Wireless
1061 Wilbraham Road
$22,000 — Install six remote heads on existing telecommunications tower

Ware

Westfield Bank
350 Palmer Road
$4,500 — Sign

Wilbraham

85 Post Office Park LLP
85 Post Office Park
$42,000 — Remodel existing dental office for another dentist

95 Post Office Park LLP
95 Post Office Park
$10,000 — Remove and replace wall partitions

Wilbraham & Monson Academy
423-451 Main St.
$6,134 — New shed

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

Spruce Corner Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $189,900
Buyer: Thomas S. Kaye
Seller: Mountain Stream LLC
Date: 11/22/16

62 West Branch Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Karl J. Koenigsbauer
Seller: John L. Parker Funding TR
Date: 11/18/16

BERNARDSTON

7 Eden Trail
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $202,000
Buyer: Adam M. Dery
Seller: Grover, Janice E., (Estate)
Date: 11/16/16

369 West Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $560,000
Buyer: Kimberly Hamilton-Bobrow
Seller: Roger G. Rulewich
Date: 11/15/16

DEERFIELD

40 Hawks Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Walter H. Kleeberg
Seller: Timothy S. Murphy
Date: 11/15/16

165 Lower Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $292,500
Buyer: Ameer A. Whitmyer
Seller: Terry J. Kimball
Date: 11/15/16

22 Meadow Wood Dr.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $296,600
Buyer: Max P. Sherrill
Seller: Sandra L. Lamb
Date: 11/18/16

ERVING

30 Wheelock St.
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: John P. Doleva
Seller: John W. Griffiths
Date: 11/14/16

GILL

181 Main Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Joann Stafford
Seller: Roger H. Bolio
Date: 11/23/16

626 Main Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Sherry Heldt
Seller: Drew Gillett
Date: 11/22/16

GREENFIELD

27 Beech St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Gregory A. Larouche
Seller: David A. Masaitis
Date: 11/18/16

48 Cypress St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Aaron D. Frentzos
Seller: George R. Marchacos
Date: 11/16/16

19 Elm St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Brenda J. Pratt
Seller: Justin Gendron
Date: 11/15/16

17 George St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Mark A. Abraham
Seller: Alexandra Stein
Date: 11/17/16

104 Leyden Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Heather L. Tencza
Seller: Nancy E. Apple-Fratoni
Date: 11/15/16

156 Meridian St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $157,500
Buyer: Jennifer A. Pond
Seller: Mushovic, Anton M. 2nd, (Estate)
Date: 11/18/16

538 Shelburne Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Gregg Jenczyk
Seller: Pamela J. Fournier
Date: 11/18/16

3 Village Green
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jonathan Souza
Seller: Matthew C. White
Date: 11/14/16

11 Westwood Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Samuel D. Kaeppel
Seller: Martha J. Hadley
Date: 11/18/16

169 Wisdom Way
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Shawn F. Fortin
Seller: Walter H. Kleeberg
Date: 11/15/16

LEVERETT

132 Cave Hill Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $571,000
Buyer: Robin Mandel
Seller: Michael C. Sanders
Date: 11/23/16

MONTAGUE

53 Main St.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Freedom Legacy LLC
Seller: Greenfield Pilgrim 3 LLC
Date: 11/22/16

16 Norman Circle
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Paul L. Parda
Seller: Brenda J. Pratt
Date: 11/15/16

22 Park St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $121,000
Buyer: Ann M. Canavan
Seller: Reilly, Patricia A., (Estate)
Date: 11/22/16

9 Wrightson Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Stanborn M. James
Seller: Ronald M. Rancourt
Date: 11/23/16

NEW SALEM

351 Petersham Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: John E. Lake
Seller: Safi Khan
Date: 11/21/16

NORTHFIELD

20 Parker Ave.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $142,500
Buyer: Joanne Flagg
Seller: Alden D. Booth
Date: 11/22/16

ORANGE

143 Memorial Dr.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Darlene Nutter-Truehart
Seller: Donna M. Bunnell
Date: 11/15/16

200 West Orange Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Rodolfo Gonzalez-Galvez
Seller: Chester T. Randolph
Date: 11/17/16

ORANGE

53 Oak Dr.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Brandon Coy
Seller: Andrei Agapov
Date: 11/23/16

SHELBURNE

94 Patten Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Hitor LLC
Seller: Robert A. Dean
Date: 11/18/16

304 Patten Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Daniel D. Reid
Seller: Nora M. Roche
Date: 11/22/16

Reynolds Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Hitor LLC
Seller: Robert A. Dean
Date: 11/18/16

8 South Maple St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Susan J. Barry
Seller: Soaring Investment Properties
Date: 11/18/16

SUNDERLAND

82 South Plain Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Jason Viadero
Seller: Valley Building Co. Inc.
Date: 11/14/16

WHATELY

95 Haydenville Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $495,000
Buyer: Vanessa C. Anspaugh
Seller: Mary K. Klippel
Date: 11/16/16

13 State Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Steven R. Keyes
Seller: Barbara E. Smith
Date: 11/18/16

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

40 Allison Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Tirone Development Corp.
Seller: Rosemarie E. Kieffer
Date: 11/21/16

48 Carmen Ave.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Seller: Barbara Nutbrown
Date: 11/18/16

52 Cesan St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: Deborah A. Blackak
Seller: Richard R. Corriveau
Date: 11/18/16

76 Dutchmaster Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $411,000
Buyer: Joseph M. McDonald
Seller: Frank S. Cardaropoli
Date: 11/16/16

204 Elm St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $369,500
Buyer: Fyodor Grechka
Seller: Citimortgage Inc.
Date: 11/18/16

65 Hampden Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Joshua P. Costa
Seller: Americo M. Costa
Date: 11/16/16

84 Horsham Place
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $238,000
Buyer: Karen A. Barron
Seller: Cory W. Flowers
Date: 11/15/16

212 Line St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Jason Stasiowski
Seller: Brian J. Sullivan
Date: 11/15/16

26-28 Mark Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Benoit L. Dion
Seller: Langone Realty Corp.
Date: 11/18/16

755 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Ronald Clifford
Seller: Deborah Conte
Date: 11/22/16

970 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Yvon G. Blais
Seller: Eric J. Sealander
Date: 11/23/16

442 Silver St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Susan Dore
Seller: Carl C. Dore
Date: 11/22/16

BRIMFIELD

1023 Dunhamtown Brimfield Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $211,500
Buyer: John J. Kalliavas
Seller: Virginia A. Irvine
Date: 11/23/16

CHESTER

404 Route 20
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: 404 Huntington Road Land TR
Seller: Marie L. Morrissey
Date: 11/16/16

506 Skyline Trail
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: MTGLQ Investors LP
Seller: Cynthia C. Archer
Date: 11/14/16

CHICOPEE

16 Bernard St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Tracy E. Reynolds
Seller: Virginia P. Ainsworth
Date: 11/18/16

276 Bostwick Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $149,000
Buyer: Johnathan Alvarado
Seller: FNMA
Date: 11/17/16

74 Bray St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Cantwell
Seller: Robert L. Durant
Date: 11/17/16

13 Charpentier Blvd.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Yuriy Kopytyuk
Seller: Bank New York Mellon
Date: 11/14/16

54 Deslauriers St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $172,500
Buyer: Todd M. Davis
Seller: Carol A. Szulc
Date: 11/22/16

64 Felix St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: David A. Bodman
Seller: Hector R. Quiles
Date: 11/18/16

34 Hearthstone Terrace
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Michael J. Poirier
Seller: Michael A. Kibbie
Date: 11/18/16

35 Henry Harris St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Lorraine Fortes
Seller: Ibrahim M. Mustafa
Date: 11/22/16

47 Irene St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Dilmarie M. Torres
Seller: Susan Nizinski
Date: 11/22/16

42 Macek Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Melissa C. Bak
Seller: Joanne T. Burke
Date: 11/18/16

143 Mandalay Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Ryan P. Spring
Seller: Wolfendon, Agnes K., (Estate)
Date: 11/18/16

18 Maple St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Jody E. Germann
Seller: Nancy R. Keenan
Date: 11/23/16

20 Miller St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Luis A. Lopez
Seller: James W. Fiore
Date: 11/14/16

130 Oakridge St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Miguel A. Rivera
Seller: Vitaliy Korobkov
Date: 11/16/16

72 Ross Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $189,900
Buyer: Joseph L. Desroches
Seller: Ralph A. Guilbeau
Date: 11/21/16

567 Springfield St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: J5 Properties LLC
Seller: Thomas G. Kerner
Date: 11/23/16

EAST LONGMEADOW

8 Brook St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Lynsey M. Cantalini
Seller: Daniel K. Paquette
Date: 11/23/16

27 Dewey Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Hector Irizarry
Seller: Richard H. Augherton
Date: 11/18/16

41 Franconia Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Mark S. Vaniderstine
Seller: Richard D. Gastone
Date: 11/21/16

20 Lynwood Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: Tyler W. Simmons
Seller: Andre J. Sample
Date: 11/14/16

141 Orchard Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $366,000
Buyer: Thomas R. Ellerbrook
Seller: John R. Adamo
Date: 11/22/16

309 Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $193,920
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Lynndia Roncarati
Date: 11/16/16

42 Pease Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Edward J. Linehan
Seller: Laura A. Stevens
Date: 11/23/16

101 Ridge Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Amy L. Harris
Seller: Thomas R. Ellerbrook
Date: 11/22/16

18 Shelby Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: C&M Builders LLC
Seller: Bradley V. Sulewski
Date: 11/22/16

484 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $164,500
Buyer: William T. Raleigh
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 11/23/16

141 South Brook Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: Fredrick O. Odhiambo
Seller: Harish S. Patel
Date: 11/14/16

GRANVILLE

35 Sodom St.
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Jeremy J. Santos
Seller: Karen A. Robtoy
Date: 11/25/16

Water St.
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $115,800
Buyer: John C. Stevenson
Seller: Elizabeth S. English
Date: 11/23/16

HAMPDEN

17 Baldwin Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Christopher P. Lizotte
Seller: Eric R. Devine
Date: 11/18/16

36 Issac Bradway Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Sharon A. Lauer
Date: 11/17/16

HOLLAND

5 Pine Tree Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $298,900
Buyer: William F. Ahern
Seller: Thomas J. Jendrysik
Date: 11/22/16

HOLYOKE

353 Bennett Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Joseph Efantis
Seller: Marjorie S. Crogan
Date: 11/21/16

66 Brookline Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Keri L. Dejong
Seller: Julien S. Rosskam
Date: 11/18/16

50 Francis Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Daniel C. Shaw
Seller: Elizabeth A. Rist
Date: 11/21/16

30 Franks Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Christopher Larose
Seller: Hampson, Anna, (Estate)
Date: 11/18/16

9 Mohawk Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Barbara J. Williamson
Date: 11/23/16

126 Oxford Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Noah P. Menard
Seller: Marianne Katz
Date: 11/16/16

429 Pleasant St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Samantha L. Hostetler
Date: 11/17/16

17 Princeton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $262,500
Buyer: Katherine Kahn
Seller: Donna M. Fobare
Date: 11/15/16

77 Queen St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Rachel A. Ellis
Seller: Gary D. Zyra
Date: 11/16/16

33 Raymond Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Erin K. Fleming
Seller: Sean C. Mangano
Date: 11/14/16

128 South Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Marzluft
Seller: Richard A. Riga
Date: 11/21/16

190-192 West Franklin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $175,500
Buyer: Linda M. Capen
Seller: J. E. Sergeiko-Marcotte
Date: 11/15/16

LONGMEADOW

51 Colony Acres Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $348,000
Buyer: Charmaine Stephens
Seller: Joan E. Semel
Date: 11/18/16

107 King Philip Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $399,900
Buyer: Jeffrey R. Madsen
Seller: Bronwyn M. Monahan
Date: 11/18/16

52 Wilkin Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $366,064
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Joseph R. Hannigan
Date: 11/16/16

LUDLOW

631 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Patricia H. Walter
Date: 11/17/16

21 Erin Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Kemalettin Ibas
Seller: Carl A. Antonucci
Date: 11/16/16

45 Fox Hill Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Scott J. Ray
Seller: Richard L. Hoffman
Date: 11/21/16

163 Highland Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $151,000
Buyer: Anna S. Rodrigo
Seller: Manuel F. Nogueira
Date: 11/22/16

Miller St. #A
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Alicinio Martins
Seller: Alan J. Siok
Date: 11/25/16

539 Miller St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Seth Dinuovo
Seller: Joseph H. McDaneld
Date: 11/18/16

280 Moody St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $800,000
Buyer: MNL Management LLC
Seller: Charles K. Abro
Date: 11/21/16

141 Pondview Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Jasen Zak
Seller: Granger, Janet M., (Estate)
Date: 11/14/16

280 Moody St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $800,000
Buyer: MNL Management LLC
Seller: Charles K. Abro
Date: 11/21/16

36 Posner Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Robert S. Lincoln
Seller: Nicklaus Kalish
Date: 11/23/16

29 Victor St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $184,900
Buyer: Katarzyna A. Kopacz
Seller: Douglas M. Jaciow
Date: 11/16/16

37 White St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Joshua S. Leone
Seller: Nickolas Linna
Date: 11/18/16

MONSON

103-R Main St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $167,250
Buyer: Garry A. Ferency
Seller: Matthew Dill
Date: 11/14/16

12 Munn Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Luc Hardyn
Seller: George C. Pigeon
Date: 11/22/16

285 Silver St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Nathan G. Jones
Seller: Delskey, Andrew J., (Estate)
Date: 11/16/16

PALMER

2141 Baptist Hill Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Bradley V. Sulewski
Seller: Richard D. Carey
Date: 11/22/16

3053 Palmer St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: Andre J. Sample
Seller: Jeremy J. Wizeman
Date: 11/14/16

RUSSELL

Dickinson Hill Road #B
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $183,850
Buyer: Frederick J. Wojick
Seller: Brenton Keefe
Date: 11/14/16

SOUTHWICK

132 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $362,500
Buyer: Edward H. Moszynski
Seller: Mehmet Mizanoglu
Date: 11/16/16

14 Bungalow St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $164,900
Buyer: Douglas W. Bradshaw
Seller: Jennifer Nolasco
Date: 11/17/16

32 Fred Jackson Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $319,749
Buyer: Brian A. Ardizoni
Seller: Lisa L. Scarnici
Date: 11/22/16

97 Klaus Anderson Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Evan R. Jellison
Seller: Paul V. Poole
Date: 11/15/16

3 Mayflower Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $417,500
Buyer: Eric J. Sealander
Seller: Pamela F. Spear
Date: 11/23/16

50 Vining Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Paul V. Poole
Seller: Rheta F. Hamberg
Date: 11/21/16

SPRINGFIELD

Albany St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $1,905,000
Buyer: Buckeye Terminals LLC
Seller: Exxonmobil Oil Corp.
Date: 11/16/16

99 Alden St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $123,000
Buyer: Maria D. Maldonado
Seller: Salim N. Abdoo
Date: 11/18/16

59 Alwin Place
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Anthony Caputo
Seller: Grahams Construction Inc.
Date: 11/18/16

515 Berkshire Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $150,900
Buyer: Ronnie T. Salas
Seller: Douglas C. Coombs
Date: 11/16/16

993 Berkshire Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Enrique J. Olivo
Seller: Jessica Lopez
Date: 11/23/16

50-52 Biddle St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $157,500
Buyer: Stony Hill Properties LLC
Seller: Armindo Goncalves
Date: 11/22/16

786 Bradley Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: William L. Gerow
Seller: Geoffrey Parenteau
Date: 11/14/16

1629 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Jessica Garces-Ramirez
Seller: Hedge Hog Industries Corp.
Date: 11/14/16

285 Cortland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Jose Delgado
Seller: Mark R. Pafumi
Date: 11/22/16

100-102 Darling St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $268,846
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Tiffany Hall
Date: 11/14/16

33 Fellsmere St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $164,900
Buyer: Pedro Negron
Seller: Lindsay N. Ferzoco
Date: 11/17/16

79 Fenway Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Kevin W. Greene
Seller: Susan E. O’Donnell
Date: 11/15/16

36 Gatewood Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Melissa Figueroa
Date: 11/17/16

173 Gillette Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $156,900
Buyer: Patricia C. Parent
Seller: Kevon Isa
Date: 11/16/16

19 Gunn Square
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $126,000
Buyer: Yamila G. Torres
Seller: Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity
Date: 11/17/16

20-22 Hampden St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Jonathan J. Falcetti
Seller: Sergey Savonin
Date: 11/18/16

59 Harrow Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jessica Lopez
Seller: Mabel D. Madsen
Date: 11/18/16

111 Ingersoll Grove
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $134,401
Buyer: Thomas Hodge
Seller: Arnold J. Lizana
Date: 11/18/16

47 Irvington St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Ruben Ruemmele
Seller: William Raleigh
Date: 11/17/16

210 Jamaica St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: PHH Mortgage Corp.
Seller: Erin L. Lahart
Date: 11/16/16

108 Jerilis Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $124,800
Buyer: Sunny Kim
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 11/21/16

34 Jonquil Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Emiliana Rivas
Seller: John Lewis
Date: 11/18/16

74 Jordan St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Luis H. Moreno
Seller: Juan Cruzado
Date: 11/16/16

131 Kerry Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Juana Martinez-Dejesus
Seller: Calkins, John H. Sr, (Estate)
Date: 11/18/16

283-285 Lexington St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Sultan Abdelghani
Seller: Chester J. Wasileski
Date: 11/14/16

45 Linden St.
Springfield, MA 01020
Amount: $122,000
Buyer: Peter Mancuso
Seller: Heather Campbell
Date: 11/15/16

928 Liberty St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: NSP Residential LLC
Seller: FHLM
Date: 11/23/16

55 Linnell St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Edward A. Millner
Seller: Yuk Chang
Date: 11/14/16

35-37 Loring St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $118,080
Buyer: Citimortgage Inc.
Seller: Richard McCarthy
Date: 11/15/16

39 Ludlow Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $127,500
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Barbara J. Vanasse
Date: 11/22/16

18 Michigan St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $139,097
Buyer: Laymaris Ortiz
Seller: Karen P. Kulakowski
Date: 11/17/16

90-92 Newfield Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Juan Robles
Date: 11/17/16

21-23 Norfolk St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $232,900
Buyer: Dolores I. Cardona
Seller: Lance Watson
Date: 11/17/16

187-189 Oak St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Nicole S. Brunson
Seller: Solange J. Remillard
Date: 11/14/16

74 Oklahoma St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Tyrone Miranda
Seller: Craig Kefalas
Date: 11/23/16

162 Parkerview St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Christopher Brown
Seller: James W. Fiore
Date: 11/18/16

332 Parkerview St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Brendaliz Vallejo
Seller: Michael C. Dorval
Date: 11/15/16

1 Pasco Road
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Manuel A. Menendez
Seller: Giang Nguyen
Date: 11/17/16

20 Pinta Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $149,000
Buyer: Eduardo Colon
Seller: Henry G. Landry
Date: 11/23/16

37 Pondview Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Daniel M. Auclair
Seller: Kelley A. Mickiewicz
Date: 11/14/16

8 Rhinebeck Ave.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Christian R. Encarnacion
Seller: Gilberto Jimenez
Date: 11/23/16

159 Shefford St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Zaban Salem
Seller: Stacey Dipalma
Date: 11/16/16

1678 South Branch Pkwy.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $176,500
Buyer: Marjorie Silveira-Crogan
Seller: Glenn A. Mellis
Date: 11/21/16

151 Springfield St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Gilberto Jimenez
Seller: Michele A. Vanhal
Date: 11/25/16

9 Stockbridge St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: 7 Stockbridge LLC
Seller: William J. O’Neil
Date: 11/18/16

172 Talmadge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Kwame A. Amoako
Seller: George Lackman
Date: 11/15/16

531 Tiffany St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Eduardo Navarro
Seller: Nu-Way Homes Inc.
Date: 11/18/16

170 Treetop Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Michael J. Krukowski
Seller: Hector R. Quiles
Date: 11/17/16

145 Union St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: DF Main Street LLC
Seller: Mental Health Association
Date: 11/21/16

137 Vincent St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Edward R. Brunelle
Seller: Michael A. Godbout
Date: 11/17/16

20-22 Waterford Circle
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Anthony C. Fowler
Seller: Joseph A. Colaccino
Date: 11/18/16

12 Wells St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Donald Wiswall 12 Wells TR
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 11/21/16

103 West Crystal Brook Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $162,900
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Thomas F. Miller
Date: 11/21/16

15-17 Windemere St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Jose Lopez
Seller: Robert Taddia
Date: 11/14/16

49 Wing St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Abigail Velez
Seller: Jessica Lopez
Date: 11/18/16

186 Winterset Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Christopher D. Wiltey
Seller: Jamie L. Litchfield
Date: 11/14/16

108 Wolcott St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Francis K. Okyere
Seller: Joyce Doyle
Date: 11/16/16

23 Wood End Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: High Ridge Real Estate LLC
Seller: Lapoint, Barbara A., (Estate)
Date: 11/21/16

59 Wrenwood St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Francheska Deleon
Seller: Macarthur Starks
Date: 11/22/16

TOLLAND

119 Lands End Dr.
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: David Dirico
Seller: Mierzejewski, Jean A., (Estate)
Date: 11/15/16

WESTFIELD

184 Birch Bluffs Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $117,670
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Roy Williams
Date: 11/22/16

346 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Arlene Rivie
Seller: Helen E. Nagorka
Date: 11/22/16

1928 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $141,500
Buyer: Andrey Gnidenko
Seller: Kevin G. McClain
Date: 11/15/16

350 Elm St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Enrique O. Olivarez
Seller: David Maciver
Date: 11/15/16

70 Forest Glen Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $227,900
Buyer: Tracey L. Tristany
Seller: Nancy Schulte
Date: 11/18/16

26 Hassler St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $217,500
Buyer: Heather Erwin
Seller: Sophie Tolstow
Date: 11/18/16

55 Hawks Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $309,900
Buyer: Michael J. Saltmarsh
Seller: Stephen A. Jaikissoon
Date: 11/22/16

178 Highland Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: Chelsea Thresher
Seller: Greany, Lorraine M., (Estate)
Date: 11/15/16

99 Hillcrest Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: MA Home Buyers LLC
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 11/23/16

36 Ingersoll Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Alyssa Maldonado
Seller: Alan J. Shular
Date: 11/18/16

63 King St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Charles H. Darling
Seller: Matthew E. Collins
Date: 11/18/16

23 Leonard Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Michael J. Urbanski
Seller: Hope Mongeau
Date: 11/23/16

63 Pequot Point Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: William Hannifan
Seller: Roy B. Seipel
Date: 11/23/16

107 Pequot Point Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Downey FT
Seller: Sally A. Girouard
Date: 11/14/16

50 Ridgecrest Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $287,000
Buyer: Greg E. Smith
Seller: Kristen Cragg
Date: 11/18/16

138 Sackett Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Kenneth F. Heiden
Seller: Evan R. Jellison
Date: 11/15/16

115 Sunset Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Ricky E. Wills
Seller: Pighetti, Rose M., (Estate)
Date: 11/21/16

Sy Pierres Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $429,000
Buyer: Jeffrey A. Dunlop
Seller: Kimberly A. Christenson
Date: 11/18/16

16 Yankee Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Cristina M. Culcea
Seller: Diane Igel
Date: 11/15/16

WEST SPRINGFIELD

107 Althea St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $119,000
Buyer: Rick Gene-Most
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 11/15/16

66 Beech Hill Road #66
West Springfield, MA 01030
Amount: $284,585
Buyer: Michael P. Finnie
Seller: Beech Hill Construction
Date: 11/22/16

788 Birnie Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $192,900
Buyer: Gary A. North
Seller: Edward H. Fillion
Date: 11/18/16

23 Bluebird Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Jean Altis
Seller: Timothy J. Caney
Date: 11/15/16

76 Chester St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $234,000
Buyer: Suraj Gurung
Seller: Chester M. Clark
Date: 11/18/16

43 Chestnut St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: David Fogg
Seller: Peter J. Pashko
Date: 11/22/16

190 Chilson Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Christopher Bliss
Seller: Michael A. Beiermeister
Date: 11/22/16

314 Edgewood Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Jeremy Wizeman
Seller: Bradford S. Cabral
Date: 11/14/16

244 Ely Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: Usha R. Sharma
Seller: Richard J. Samberg
Date: 11/21/16

11 Healy St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Hang Lin
Seller: Santiago Hipolita, (Estate)
Date: 11/16/16

85 Jensen Circle
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $145,100
Buyer: Reshat Arifi
Seller: Bank Of New York Mellon
Date: 11/18/16

180 Kings Hwy.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Nilson Agostinho-Desa
Seller: Luce, Paul R., (Estate)
Date: 11/14/16

106 Lincoln St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Kristen L. Parker
Seller: Kandc Associates LLC
Date: 11/18/16

38 Monterey Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $1,562,000
Buyer: 84 Properties LLC
Seller: Spirit SPE Portfolio 2007
Date: 11/14/16

67 Oakland St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Margaret L. Ross
Seller: Katherine Ross
Date: 11/16/16

913 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $161,000
Buyer: Brenton R. Beaumier
Seller: Jonah, Aaron K., (Estate)
Date: 11/18/16

824 Prospect Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $296,400
Buyer: Eric M. Eastham
Seller: Charles R. Hassler
Date: 11/21/16

145 Quarry Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Fuentes
Seller: Teddi I. Bachawaty
Date: 11/23/16

112 Southworth St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $146,000
Buyer: Cam M. Alamed
Seller: Kevin M. Fitzgerald
Date: 11/18/16

WILBRAHAM

111 Bartlett Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $211,800
Buyer: Kyle B. Bourgoin
Seller: Kevin W. Miller
Date: 11/18/16

8 Becker St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $152,900
Buyer: James Gianfelice
Seller: Paul E. Perrigo
Date: 11/15/16

26 Eastwood Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Jamie L. Litchfield
Seller: Marilyn L. Heiney
Date: 11/14/16

2 Hawthorne Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Amber C. Leary
Seller: David M. Money
Date: 11/18/16

9 Hunting Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Otto F. Welker
Seller: Kevin T. Burke
Date: 11/16/16

4 Memory Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $135,100
Buyer: William Laporte
Seller: Bank New York Mellon
Date: 11/18/16

15 Merrill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Jessika J. Pecoy
Seller: John R. Stabilo
Date: 11/16/16

1-A Old Orchard Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Michael A. Godbout
Seller: Joan L. Dahlen
Date: 11/22/16

1315 Tinkham Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Kevin T. Burke
Seller: Nancy E. Apple
Date: 11/16/16

11 Tracy Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Philip H. Richardson
Seller: Brick Road Properties LLC
Date: 11/21/16

11 Woodsley Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Peter A. Staffier
Seller: Elissa M. Langevin
Date: 11/16/16

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

87 Aubinwood Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Zac Early
Seller: Carrie L. McGee
Date: 11/22/16

79 Hulst Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Colin J. Hill
Seller: Paul J. Page
Date: 11/15/16

671 North East St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Soyeon Choi
Seller: June I. Guild
Date: 11/15/16

94 Rambling Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: Judith A. Barter
Seller: David H. Refermat
Date: 11/16/16

916 South East St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $518,000
Buyer: Muhammad Shakeel-Awaisi
Seller: Richard T. Slobody
Date: 11/21/16

1260 South East St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $321,250
Buyer: Eugene D. Herman
Seller: Lisa M. Hastings
Date: 11/17/16

BELCHERTOWN

267 Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Trudy C. Oppenheimer
Seller: Howard I. Mann
Date: 11/14/16

14 Lexington Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $382,500
Buyer: Neil M. Seelan
Seller: Sharon Riley
Date: 11/18/16

172 Ludlow St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $147,055
Buyer: Emerald City Rentals LLC
Seller: Joshua P. Vermette
Date: 11/21/16

19 Mountain View Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $362,250
Buyer: Zachary A. Grzelak
Seller: Cynthia M. Downey
Date: 11/17/16

30 North St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $162,500
Buyer: Alex C. Lanstein
Seller: Jeri Baker
Date: 11/14/16

CHESTERFIELD

10 Bisbee Road
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Drew Morse
Seller: William H. Nugent
Date: 11/14/16

6 South St.
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: 6 South Street RT
Seller: Thomas E. Dawson-Greene
Date: 11/22/16

EASTHAMPTON

28 Campbell Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $201,075
Buyer: Carol Salois
Seller: Janice R. Wohl
Date: 11/18/16

88 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $145,300
Buyer: Matthew P. Hurteau
Seller: FNMA
Date: 11/22/16

395 Main St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $238,000
Buyer: Andrew D. Sweigart
Seller: Frank Pietrasiuk
Date: 11/17/16

54 O’Neil St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Jebi Holdings LLC
Seller: Peter J. Tobin
Date: 11/22/16

20 Picard Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Christopher G. Coffelt
Seller: Jose O. Cruz
Date: 11/15/16

GRANBY

54-56 West State St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: TGYF Realty LLC
Seller: Eugene F. Marion
Date: 11/15/16

HADLEY

6 Edgewood Terrace
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Kasey J. Nagle
Seller: Susan L. Cohen
Date: 11/17/16

HATFIELD

161 Depot Road
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Ileana Vasu
Seller: Stacy R. Ashton
Date: 11/15/16

31 Elm St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $429,000
Buyer: Charles M. Wojewoda
Seller: Northeast ENT Realty Partners
Date: 11/22/16

67 Old Stage Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Edi Franceschini
Seller: Michael T. Helems
Date: 11/16/16

HUNTINGTON

16 Blandford Hill Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $118,500
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: William C. Deveno
Date: 11/21/16

137 Norwich Lake
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $177,500
Buyer: Todd P. McCoy
Seller: Christine J. Cook
Date: 11/14/16

MIDDLEFIELD

134 Arthur Pease Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: AnnCaroline Chubb
Seller: ATM NT
Date: 11/16/16

NORTHAMPTON

41 Chestnut Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $401,000
Buyer: Ray G. Sylvester
Seller: Nira Harper-Elkins
Date: 11/14/16

23 Dunphy Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $251,500
Buyer: Heather A. Labonte
Seller: Jacqueline Tobin-Griffin
Date: 11/14/16

120 Emerson Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: Donna M. Sugrue
Seller: Hampshire Property Mgmt.
Date: 11/18/16

25 Harrison Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $690,000
Buyer: Travis M. Johnson
Seller: Barry D. Sarvet
Date: 11/18/16

423 Haydenville Road
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Paul Serio
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 11/15/16

121 Hinckley St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: New Harmony Properties
Seller: Thomas H. Friedman
Date: 11/17/16

81 Laurel Park
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Michael L. Boyce
Seller: Joanne B. Hoyt
Date: 11/18/16

PELHAM

339 Amherst Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $282,500
Buyer: Michael P. Vilcans
Seller: Catherine Ulitsky
Date: 11/22/16

SOUTH HADLEY

83 Alvord St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $228,900
Buyer: Douglas T. Scanlon
Seller: Ryan K. Johnson
Date: 11/18/16

2 Apple Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $379,000
Buyer: Michael A. Morrow
Seller: Adam & Eve Construction LLC
Date: 11/18/16

26 Canal St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Wayne Davidson
Seller: Linda J. Leblond
Date: 11/18/16

161 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $349,900
Buyer: Gail A. Olesiak
Seller: Home Improvement Assocs.
Date: 11/22/16

27 Kimberly Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $343,000
Buyer: Thomas E. Kelly
Seller: Kenn M. Tirrell
Date: 11/23/16

195 Lathrop St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Zofia Lysik
Seller: Douglas T. Scanlon
Date: 11/18/16

16 McKinley Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Robert F. Moos
Seller: Shawn T. Hall
Date: 11/16/16

25 Queen Circle
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $182,500
Buyer: Alice E. Stalker
Seller: Vision Investment Props.
Date: 11/23/16

6 Victoria Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Patrick J. Nicholls
Seller: Judith A. Pedigo
Date: 11/16/16

SOUTHAMPTON

8 Buchanan Circle
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Timothy J. Strojny
Seller: Janet E. Roy
Date: 11/14/16

50 Coleman Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Clark
Seller: John J. Marcyoniak
Date: 11/23/16

139 College Hwy.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $250,100
Buyer: Martin J. Kane
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 11/18/16

74 Pleasant St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Ronald W. Korza
Seller: James F. Boyle
Date: 11/15/16

33 Rattle Hill Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Edward A. Ackley
Seller: John W. Cummings
Date: 11/18/16

16 Riverdale Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $319,000
Buyer: Johanna L. Truswell
Seller: Kenneth L. Lambrich
Date: 11/21/16

WARE

54 Marjorie St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Karen L. Lackman
Seller: Catherine A. Rhodes
Date: 11/15/16

9 Old Gilbertville Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Monique M. Messier
Seller: Quigley FT
Date: 11/14/16

WESTHAMPTON

76 Main Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Philip E. Gould
Seller: Frances M. Thompson
Date: 11/22/16

12 North Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Jeremy R. Durrin
Seller: David C. Braastad
Date: 11/18/16

112 Reservoir Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: Susan A. Scott
Seller: Geraldine A. Pothier
Date: 11/16/16

75 Stage Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Gloria A. Gagnon
Seller: Bruce W. & F. A. Partridge NT
Date: 11/18/16

WILLIAMSBURG

13 Goshen Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Scott A. Leonard
Seller: Angela S. Waskiewicz
Date: 11/17/16

6 Hyde Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Keith H. Snow
Seller: Dawn L. White
Date: 11/22/16

WORTHINGTON

328 Ridge Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $340,266
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Richard D. Flynn
Date: 11/17/16

Chamber Corners Departments

GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414

• Jan. 19: Celebrate Success, 5-8 p.m., at the Delaney House, 3 Country Club Road, Holyoke. Join us for the annual meeting and business awards dinner at the Delany House in Holyoke. The chamber will celebrate successes of the past year, and outline plans for the New Year. Awards will be given to Business Person of the Year, Genevieve Brough, Business of the Year, Silver Spoon Restaurant. and Innovative Entrepreneur of the Year, Dandelions. For more information, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org, or call the Chamber of Greater Easthampton at (413) 527-9414.

• Feb. 9: Networking by Night, 5-7 p.m., at Northampton Country Club, 135 Main St., Leeds. Cost: $10/members, $15 /non-members and will include great food, networking and a cash bar. Register online at www.easthamptonchamber.org

GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.holyokechamber.com
(413) 534-3376

• Jan. 11: The Chamber Coffee Buzz Morning Networking 2017,7:30 -9 a.m., at CareerPoint, 850 High St., Holyoke. The Coffee Buzz is a great way to jump-start your day with the opportunity to meet business and community leaders while enjoying coffee and a light breakfast. Sponsored by Northeast IT Systems, Inc. and United Personnel. Coffee sponsored by Spradley Deluxe Coffee. Cost: Free to the business community.  Sign up online at holyokechamber.com or call (413) 534-3376.

• Jan. 18: Chamber After Hours, 5-7 p.m., at the Children’s Museum at Holyoke, 444 Dwight St. Join us for a casual networking experience at the Children’s Museum of Holyoke. The Chamber Ambassadors are hosting a book drive; bring three new or gently used children’s books and get in for free. Cost: $10/members, $15/non-members. Sign up online at holyokechamber.com.

• Jan. 25: Candidate & Elected Officials Reception, 5-7 p.m. Check the chamber’s website for location. An enjoyable evening where we honor our local and state elected officials. Cost: $25; ticket price includes a light supper. Sign up online at holyokechamber.com

GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.explorenorthampton.com
(413) 584-1900

• Jan. 11: Arrive at 5, 5-7 p.m., at Linda Manor Assisted Living, Leeds. Arrive when you can, stay as long as you can. A casual mix and mingle with your colleagues and friends. Cost: $10 for members.

• Jan. 12: Workshop: Tips, Tricks & Shortcuts in Microsoft Excel, 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Presented by Pioneer Training., and hosted by the  Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St. Northampton. This workshop will present our favorite tips, tricks and shortcuts that we have collected and developed over 15 years of teaching and using Microsoft Excel. Topics will include shortcuts for selecting ranges, using Autofill to create a series of dates or numbers, setting the print area, using page break preview, adding headers and footers, and using page layout view Participants are encouraged to bring laptops and follow along with the instructor, but this is not required.  Cost: $35 for members; $45 for non-members. Registration: E-mail [email protected]. Pre-registration is required; space is limited

• Feb. 1: February Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., at Lia Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, 55 Damon Road, Northampton. Arrive when you can, stay as long as you can. A casual mix and mingle with your colleagues and friends. Cost: $10 for members.

• Feb. 10: Workshop: Introduction to Small Business Accounting on Excel, 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Presented by Pioneer Training and hosted by Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St. Northampton. This two-hour workshop is an introduction to small business accounting with Microsoft Excel. We’ll start by introducing accounting concepts such as income and expense tracking, maintaining a balance sheet and profit and loss statement, and forecasting income and expenses. You’ll learn how to load and use of pre-built Excel templates for financial projections, start-up expenses, and a break-even analysis. Cost: $35 for members; $45 for non-members. Registration: E-mail to [email protected]. Pre-registration is required; space is limited

• March 8: March Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., at Delap Real Estate, 158 North King St., Northampton. Arrive when you can, stay as long as you can. A casual mix and mingle with your colleagues and friends. Cost: $10 for members.

• March 9: Workshop: Introduction to Google Apps Docs, Sheets & Forms, 2017, 9-11 a.m.  Presented by Pioneer Training, and hosted by the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. The class is an introduction to Google Apps (Docs, Sheets and Forms) and Google Drive, the online storage location for Google Docs.  In this two-hour workshop, you’ll learn how to set up a local Google Drive folder, which automatically synchronizes with Google Drive on the Web.  You’ll learn to create new documents in the Google Docs format, as well as how to work with Word documents in Google Docs. You’ll learn basic editing and formatting techniques in both Docs and Sheets, and also how to work with Excel files in Sheets. Cost: $25 for members; $35 for non-members. Registration: E-mail to [email protected]. Pre-registration is required; space is limited.

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CHAMBER
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• Jan. 18: PWC Tabletop Expo and Luncheon, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 pm., at the Carriage House, Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. An opportunity to showcase your products and services to the female professional. Reservations for exhibitors are $75 for PWC members, $105 for general admission and includes a draped display table and complimentary attendee lunch.  Reservations for lunch only are $25.00 for PWC members, $35 general admission.  Reservation deadline is Jan. 11.  Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com. The Professional Women’s Chamber is a division of the Springfield Regional Chamber.

SOUTH HADLEY & GRANBY CHAMBER
www.shgchamber.com
(413) 532-6451

• Jan. 24: 2017 Annual Meeting, 5:30 p.m., at the Willits-Hallowell, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley. The South Hadley & Granby Chamber of Commerce cordially invites you to the 2017 Annual Meeting. Cocktails at 5:30 p.m. and a buffet dinner at 6 p.m. It will be fun and informative. Save the date. Please check our website at www.SHGChamber.com for more details as they become available.

SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• Jan. 4: Springfield Regional Chamber Business@Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the Carriage House, Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Sponsored by United Personnel. “Special Prescriptions for Success, Happiness and Humor” – Dr. Steve Sobel, motivational speaker, educator and humorist. Cost:  $22.50 for members in advance ($25 at door); $30 for general admission in advance ($35 at door). Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com

• Jan. 24: Springfield Regional Chamber Pastries, Politics and Policy, 8-9 a.m., at the TD Bank Conference Center, 1441 Main St., Springfield. State Senate President Stan Rosenberg will give an update on happenings in the Senate with an eye towards the upcoming legislative session. Cost: $15/ for members in advance ($20 at door); $25 for general admission in advance ($30 at door). Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com.

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.ourwrc.com
(413) 426-3880

• Jan. 12: Google Workshop, noon-1 p.m., at the West Springfield Public Library, 200 Park Ave., West Springfield. Workshop hosted by WRC and SCORE.  Learn how to effectively utilize Google analytics/Adwords to better your company’s online exposure. Light lunch is served. Cost: Free and open to the public. For more information contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or email us at [email protected] or register online: www.westoftheriverchamber.com

• Feb. 9: NEW! Multi-Chamber Lunch N Learn Seminar – Roberts Rules of Order, noon-1:30 p.m., at Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Enjoy lunch while learning about Roberts Rules of Order with guest speaker Robert MacDonald.  Cost: $35 per guest;  Sponsorship opportunities are available for this event. Register online: www.westoftheriverchamber.com.  For more information contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or e-mail us at [email protected]

• Feb. 22: Legislative Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., at Springfield Country Club, 1375 Elm St., West Springfield. The breakfast will have a panel of various legislators: State Sen. James Welch, state Sen. Donald Humason, state Rep. Nicholas Boldyga, state Rep. Michael Finn, Mayor of Agawam Richard Cohen, Mayor of West Springfield Will Reichelt.  Sponsorship opportunities available. Register online:  www.westoftheriverchamber.com.  Cost: $30 for members, $35 for non-members. For more information on ticket sales, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or e-mail us at [email protected].

Company Notebook Departments

HCC Campus Center Begins $43.5 Million Renovation

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) is about to embark on a two-year, $43.5 million renovation project that will transform the look, feel, and organization of the campus. The HCC Campus Center is scheduled to close Feb. 3, 2017, and construction will begin soon after. When it reopens in 2019, college officials say, the building will be a place that truly lives up to its name. Originally known as G Building, the sloping, three-story concrete structure sits in the middle of the campus between an intermittent stream choked with invasive plants and the HCC Courtyard. Since it opened in 1980, the Campus Center has been plagued by water leaks. Projects that would have waterproofed the building have been delayed since at least 2008. “The main impetus for this is to get the building watertight,” said interim HCC President Bill Fogarty. “Then we also wanted to do things that will improve the operation of the building and make it a real campus center.” The state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance is in charge of the project. Walsh Brothers Construction of Boston has been hired as the general contractor. The state has already allocated $8 million for the current fiscal year to begin the project, with the remainder of the funding to follow, Fogarty said. The key features of the project include squaring off the building’s sloping façade and giving the entire building given a new exterior shell that will make it both weathertight and energy-efficient. The squaring off and the addition of large windows on its eastern side will give the building a look that complements the adjacent Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, which opened in 2003. About 9,000 square feet of space will be added to the current 58,727. A glass atrium will be added to the west side of the building, covering a set of double stairs that descend from the lower courtyard into an area known as the ‘pit’ that now serves as the main entrance to the food court and cafeteria. On the east side of the building, the open balcony on the second floor will be enclosed, adding extra interior space to the student dining area. The first floor of the Campus Center, on the side facing Homestead Avenue, will become the new ‘front door’ to the campus, accessed by a bridge to be built over a restored Tannery Brook. HCC Admissions, Assessment Services (college placement testing), and the ACT Center (Advising, Career and Transfer Affairs) — now in the Frost Building — will relocate to a new Welcome Center. Admissions will have a dedicated parking lot, and a separate, college-funded project will reconfigure traffic flow, creating a new bus drop in the front of the campus. The Campus Store (formerly the College Bookstore) will move from the first floor to the second floor, on the same level as the food court and cafeteria. The second floor will include programs and departments focused on student engagement, including Student Activities, Student Clubs, and Multicultural Academic Services (MAS), which are being relocated to the building from other parts of the campus.

AIC Awarded Grant from Davis Educational Foundation

SPRINGFIELD — American International College (AIC) has been awarded $186,400 over three years in support of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship. The grant was received from the Davis Educational Foundation, established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after Stanton Davis’s retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets Inc. In an effort to strengthen and bring together student support services in one accessible location on campus, AIC created the Center for Academic Success (CAS) in 2008 with support from Davis Educational Foundation and others. CAS offers a number of student-support programs, including mentoring and advising, a writing program, tutoring, and support for first-generation college students. The AIC Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship (CETLS) is designed to complement the efforts of CAS by enhancing a vibrant academic culture at AIC. The mission of CETLS is to provide all faculty members with opportunities to achieve and be recognized for teaching excellence, be supported in scholarship, and grow through collaboration and community. When CETLS was created in 2014, a regular schedule of workshops and grants for travel to conferences on teaching and learning were offered to AIC faculty for the first time. CETLS now offers a variety of opportunities for faculty development.

Berkshire Medical Group Joins Berkshire Health Systems

PITTSFIELD — In a move that will help to ensure continued and expanded access to primary care and infectious disease services in the Berkshires, the Berkshire Medical Group has joined the Berkshire Health Systems Physician Practice organization. Berkshire Medical Group, an Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease practice, includes Paula Aucoin, MD, Rebecca Caine, MD, Prakash Darji, MD, Jason Kittler, MD, Michael McInerney, MD, Sharon Rawlings, MD, Amy Cassotta, ANP-BC, Helen Majchrowski, FNP/C, and Wanda Torres, ANP-BC. The practice has been renamed Berkshire Internists of BMC, and will remain at its existing location in the BMC Medical Arts Complex in Pittsfield, with few if any noticeable changes for patients. This partnership helps to stabilize the physician practice and ensure continued and expanded access to critical primary care and infectious disease services. Growing changes in healthcare policy and in the health insurance reimbursement system have challenged the viability of private physician practices. Healthcare systems like BHS are increasingly relied upon to ensure current and future access to critical services for the community by investing in physician practices and ensuring they have the necessary support systems and financial stability and investment to succeed in the long-term. By becoming part of the BHS physician practice group, Berkshire Medical Group can not only continue to serve its patients, but has the enhanced ability to expand through the support of Berkshire Health Systems’ comprehensive physician recruitment program, which has successfully expanded critical patient access to primary care and specialties across the Berkshires.

JGS Lifecare Opens Michael’s Café

LONGMEADOW — JGS Lifecare opened Michael’s Café at the Sosin Center for Rehabilitation on Dec. 12, the first day residents moved into the new rehab center. The kosher café offers classics like grab-and-go sandwiches on rye bread, bagels, baked goods, salads, and soup, as well as specialty items like ‘Converse Street potatoes,’ shakshuka, and slow-simmered corned beef, which will be available on Wednesdays. “We hope it will be a community gathering space for residents, guests, and families to meet, enjoy a meal, and gather with friends,” said Alexis Girhiny, director of Food Services at JGS Lifecare. The kosher café is dedicated to the memory of the late Michael Frankel, who was an outspoken advocate for Project Transformation, an initiative of reimagining and improving how care is delivered across the JGS Lifecare family of services. “Naming the café in his honor is a permanent tribute not only to Frankel’s extraordinary commitment to the care of our elders at the highest standards, but also his vision for JGS Lifecare for generations to come,” said Susan Kimball Halpern, vice president of Philanthropy for JGS Lifecare. The work of several local artists is displayed in the café and throughout the Sosin Center. Artists include Lewis Bryden, Diana Cote, Heidi Coutu, Laura Eden, Peiliang Jin, Cindy Lutz Kornet, Laura Radwell, and Jim Rosenthal.

STCC Honored for Reducing Greenhouse-gas Emissions

SPRINGFIELD — The state named Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) a 2016 Leading by Example Award Winner in the higher-education category for its efforts to advance energy efficiency and sustainability on campus. Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito recently recognized STCC and other state agencies, public colleges, municipalities, and public-sector individuals for their leadership in promoting clean energy and environmental initiatives with the 10th annual Leading by Example Awards. The Leading by Example program — a division of the Department of Energy Resources — coordinates clean energy and environmental opportunities at facilities owned and operated by the Commonwealth. “As a member of the Greater Springfield community, we believe it is our responsibility to be good stewards of the environment and promote the use of clean energy and sustainable practices,” said Joseph DaSilva, STCC’s vice president of Administration and chief financial officer. “We are proud of the accomplishments we have made so far. We continue to develop and implement new initiatives regularly. All of our initiatives are not only environmentally necessary, but also save us a great deal of money operationally.” According the Department of Energy Resources, STCC was recognized for its progress and creative approach to reducing its carbon footprint. STCC has reduced greenhouse-gas emissions more than 40% percent since 2011. The college is implementing several sustainability efforts, including energy efficiency, waste reduction, recycling, and a green building renovation. Highlights of STCC’s clean-energy efforts include upgrading the heating system in fiscal year 2014, saving an estimated $200,000 a year; adding insulation, upgraded windows, and installed LED lights across campus to address efficiency challenges in historic buildings; connecting the curriculum of the Architecture and Building Technology Program to the historic building-renovation project targeting LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver certification; switching to single-stream recycling in 2015, and upgrading containers and signage; reducing use of disposable water bottles with six bottle-filling stations on campus; implementing a double-sided printing requirement, reducing paper waste and saving an estimated $14,000 a year in printing costs; and streamlining the campus shuttle route to save fuel and reduce emissions.

WNEU College of Pharmacy Hosts Chinese Pharmacists

SPRINGFIELD — The Western New England University (WNEU) College of Pharmacy recently welcomed six Chinese pharmacists to the university as part of the Pharmacy Education and Clinical Pharmacy Practice Training Program, a partnership with Yale New-Haven Hospital and the Chinese Pharmacological Society – Division of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Research (CPS-TDM). The program allows international pharmacists to spend one month at the WNEU College of Pharmacy to learn about doctor of pharmacy education, and five months at Yale New-Haven Hospital to learn about the practice of pharmacy in the U.S. The program represents a new opportunity for international collaboration at Western New England University, and is managed by Dr. Shusen Sun, director of International Pharmacy Programs and board member of CPS-TDM. The Chinese pharmacists attend College of Pharmacy didactic lectures, case discussions, interactions with students on clinical rotations, and faculty-development seminars. A variety of lectures and topics of discussions are offered, including pharmacy admissions process, accreditation standards and outcome assessment, curricular design, mission and vision development, experiential education, pharmacists as educators, and leadership development in pharmacy practice. The visiting pharmacists also have opportunities to interact with faculty to discuss research and clinical practice.

WNEU School of Law Sweeps ABA Competition

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University (WNEU) School of Law entered the American Bar Assoc. (ABA) Region 1 Negotiation Competition with three two-person teams this fall. A total of 16 law-school teams from throughout New England and New York competed at the University of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford. After two days of intense competition, the three WNEU teams finished in first, second, and third place, sweeping the competition. The teams included law students Thomas Holman and Joseph Masse in first place, Kimberly Roche and Matthew Minniefield in second place, and Rachna Khanna and Egzon Beha in third place. “I learned the importance of creative problem solving in negotiations,” Roche said. “Sometimes you have to go beyond typical solutions and find a creative, alternative solution that both clients will accept.” The university teams that placed first and second in the ABA Region 1 competition will go on to compete nationally in Chicago in February. Assisting Professor René Reich-Graefe in coaching the teams were law alumni Sandra San Emeterio, Mark Borenstein, Cara Hale, and Chris Rousseau. “I’m so very proud of all the Western New England students,” San Emeterio said. “My fondest memory of law school is the time I spent on the negotiation team. Best of luck in Chicago, and I hope to get the opportunity to work with you again.” In the 2015 ABA competition, the School of Law team of Rousseau and Emily Dubuc went on to compete in the finals in San Diego.

Reap Talks Leadership with Young Professionals

CHICOPEE — Elms College hosted a leadership luncheon for the Young Professional Society (YPS) of Greater Springfield on Dec. 7. The keynote speaker at the event was the college’s president, Mary Reap. In her lecture, Reap discussed the importance of recognizing opportunities, even unexpected or perhaps at-first unwelcome ones, and taking advantage of them to further one’s career goals. She also talked about developing diplomacy and perseverance, banishing self-doubt, and learning from mistakes. YPS is a group of young professionals who work and live in Western Mass., particularly around the Greater Springfield area, bringing them together to exchange ideas, share common interests, and become the Pioneer Valley’s leaders of tomorrow. The group aims to represent the region’s corporate, nonprofit, and cultural interests by engaging a younger demographic in several distinct areas, including business and career development, networking, cultural and community involvement, educational opportunities, volunteerism, and recreational and social activities. The lunch series, formerly called the CEO Luncheon Series, is meant to highlight prominent local business owners who are successfully working in the city.

HCC Offers Free Culinary-hospitality Training to the Unemployed

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) is using a $190,000 grant from the state’s Workforce Competitive Trust Fund to train unemployed and underemployed people for new jobs in the culinary and hospitality industry. The program is free to participants, who must commit to attend classes every day for nine weeks, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The course teaches them fundamental culinary skills and exposes them to a wide variety of careers in hospitality, including hotel operations. “It’s a hands-on opportunity to try out a lot of things and find out what their interests and aptitudes are,” said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC’s assistant vice president of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development. “Another key part of the program is that, when it ends, they have to let us help them find a job.” The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced the grant earlier this year. Commonwealth Corp., a quasi-public state agency that fosters partnerships between industry, education, and workforce organizations, administers the Workforce Competitive Trust Fund. Students graduate from the program with four key credentials: ServSafe and OSHA-10 certifications, which show they have been trained in safe food handling and workplace safety; TIPS certification, which allows them to serve alcohol; and a National Career Readiness certification, which demonstrates they possess fundamental workplace skills. The first cohort of students started in October and will celebrate their graduation today, Dec. 15, as they prepare and serve a noontime meal for family and friends at Food 101 Bar & Bistro in South Hadley. The restaurant is owned by chef Alan Anischik, who serves as the main instructor for the program. Most of the classes meet at Dean Technical High School in Holyoke. Last week, in preparation for the graduation celebration, the class met at Food 101. In addition to cooking techniques, the program offers lessons in customer-service etiquette, workplace communication, conflict resolution, product purchasing and receiving, and food and wine pairing. During the course, students had the opportunity to attend a job seminar with representatives from MGM Resorts to learn about future employment opportunities at the casino now under construction in Springfield. They also participated in speed interviews with local employers from the restaurant and hotel industry. The next program cohort begins March 23. Anyone interested should contact Milissa Daniels at (413) 552-2042.

Sections Sports & Leisure

Level Best

Greg Stutsman and George Myers

Greg Stutsman and George Myers say the Quarters is intended to appeal to a wide range of people, from kids to college students to adults who crave a nostalgia fix.

George Myers and Greg Stutsman didn’t spend the early ’80s in arcades; they were toddlers when the arcade craze peaked in 1982 and 1983 before collapsing alongside the boom in home consoles.

So they don’t remember first-hand the thrill of mastering Ms. Pac-Man and Q*bert and Donkey Kong and dozens of other titles from that golden age. But they experience it vicariously every day at the Quarters in Hadley, watching 40-somethings light up with nostalgia at the old games while their own tweens, raised on the hyper-realistic games of the 21st century, discover the simple charms of these retro titles for the first time.

“A lot of people say our games are obsolete, and one reason is home-gaming consoles,” said Stutsman, who opened the Quarters with Myers in January 2014. “But the thing that’s missing is being in the physical space, enjoying the games alongside other people. Here, they can play one game, move to another — it’s a more energetic space.”

The pair had known each other for 12 years through event production, mainly music shows, and began talking about going into business together. The original idea was a music venue with food and drink and maybe a few arcade games, and they visited several potential locations before their current neighbor, who runs a tattoo business next to the Quarters, told them about the available space, which used to house a café and a furniture gallery.

It didn’t work as a music venue, but Myers and Stutsman saw plenty of potential for both nightlife and weekend traffic, and the Quarters concept began to take shape.

“We’ve seen an emergence of destinations like this, arcade bars,” Stutsman said. “A lot of places focus on nightlife, a young, creative crowd, but we saw an opportunity for a more inclusive place, where we could include a broader community than the college-student nightlife crowd.”

Myers recalled with a smile how friends they’d go out with would complain when he and Stutsman criticized how a venue was laid out and how they’d do it differently. When they had their space, and saw how it bordered the region’s main bike trail and was close to both Hadley’s downtown area and area colleges, they recognized that the games should be the main draw, with their appeal to multiple generations.

And so they are — almost two dozen at any given time, ranging from 1978’s Space Invaders to a few from the early ’90s, but mainly hailing from that early-’80s golden age.

“We liked the idea of creating a space that was special in nature and provided opportunities for people to bond over their shared love of these retro games,” Myers said. “We wanted to make sure it was exciting and interesting for a lot of different people.”

Some patrons might be drawn by theme trivia nights, he went on, while kids tend to pour in on weekend mornings and early afternoons. “We want all these different people in this space. At its core, it never stresses one thing, and we make sure no one feels alienated or unwelcome.”

Word on the Street

After deciding on their concept, the owners relied on an Indiegogo campaign to raise money to buy the initial machines, which got the word on the street that a retro arcade was coming. That turned out to be a positive development, even when the opening took longer than expected.

“All businesses take longer than people think to open, and we started advertising pretty early,” Stutsman said. “But that was to our benefit. People knew about us; the word was out. We were often telling people, ‘next month it’s going to happen.’ And when we did open, we were busy from day one.”

Myers said he and Stutsman deliberately crafted their business as a space where everyone could come and feel comfortable. It’s a popular booking spot for kids’ birthday parties, and weekly Super Cereal Saturdays, which feature unlimited tokens, a cereal and milk bar, and ’80s and ’90s cartoons, are well-attended.

“It’s a place for 11-year-olds and people who remember being 11, and may be in their 30s or 40s with their own kids,” Myers said. “People on the bike trail might stop by for lunch. At night, it’s a little more bar-oriented crowd. In the span of 24 hours, so many different types of people can come here and enjoy it on their own terms. We went through great pains to make that happen.”

As for the food, it’s not an afterthought, said Stutsman, who ran sandwich shops in Northampton in a previous career. “We’re happy to see the recognition it’s getting. People are really happy with the food. For us, it’s an important piece of the puzzle, and a lot of thought was put into that.”

Q*bert

Myers and Stutsman get a kick out of seeing parents introduce their kids to the games they grew up with, like Q*bert, Ms. Pac-Man, and Burgertime.

The menu features food that can be carried around while patrons play games, but with a twist. For example, a series of small, locally made hot dogs, or ‘pups,’ come in varieties ranging from the classic New York pup to a kimchi pup and a banh mi pup. At the other end of the taste spectrum, the place was packed for a recent vegan night, which featured a wide-ranging menu of all-vegan fare.

But the games themselves are the main draw, and they’re not as difficult to find as one might think, Stutsman said. Craigslist was an obvious starting point, and in the four years since they began collecting the machines, they’ve come to know a network of sellers across the country — some in the Western Mass. region — so the task of replacing games and adding to their collection has become easier.

When they sat down with BusinessWest, the Quarters had 22 games on the floor and another 35 in storage. Games are rotated in and out on a regular basis, both for repairs and simply to maintain variety for players.

And, yes, the games do need repairs. Over the years, they’ve learned enough to fix some issues themselves, while others require outside repair experts; some are hobbyists, others electrical engineers with an interest in vintage games.

“Games do break, and we try to stay on top of that,” Stutsman said. “This is not a museum.”

Some video-game collectors, he elaborated, display their machines as showpieces, not meant to be played, but the games in the Quarters are meant to be used, and used a lot, and their moving parts often require maintenance. “These aren’t like the collector’s pieces you’ll find in someone’s basement.”

Blast from the Past

Myers and Stutsman knew their concept was a winner after the success of their Indiegogo campaign and the initial crowds, which haven’t dampened. They recognize they’re giving something valuable to their customers: a chance to relive fond memories and create new ones.

“One of the neatest things for me is to see the joy on people’s faces when they walk in here,” Stutsman said. “It’s a pretty special place — not just because it’s a room full of arcade games, but because of the atmosphere. On the flip side of that, all the work that goes into it is hard to overstate.”

Myers agreed.

“It’s much easier to talk about the fun aspects as the years move along, but opening it was a challenge, a lot of sweat equity,” he told BusinessWest. But he’s gratified to see the sheer range of people who come in every day — kids and their parents, teenagers, college students, young professionals — all with a shared love of playing retro games and soaking in the distinctly ’80s vibe. Here, after all, is a place where the arcade industry never disappeared, where people still patiently line up for their turn on Galaga or Arkanoid or Burgertime.

“I love seeing a dad in his 40s introducing his daughter to the game he was so great at — and the daughter turns out to be better than he is,” Myers said.

“That’s a great experience,” Stutsman added, “sharing that joy, seeing someone experiencing a game for the first time.”

And then dropping in another quarter. And another. And another.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Community Spotlight Features

Community Spotlight

Chris Marsden and Stephen Shatz

Chris Marsden and Stephen Shatz say the new solar farm on the town’s capped landfill will generate revenue as well as green energy.

 

The idea of change in Stockbridge might seem antithetical to its nature, because the town’s economy is centered on tourism driven by its quintessential New England charm.

Indeed, thousands of people flock to Stockbridge each year to frequent its quaint downtown shops or visit iconic attractions that include Tanglewood, the Norman Rockwell Museum, and the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.

But change has taken place in the town in recent years. Some of it has been unplanned, while other measures have been carefully crafted to retain its ambience, while keeping up with the times.

“Between 1996 and 2010, our population decreased by almost 25%, and the median age went from 39 to 55, which we now think is over age 60,” said Select Board member Stephen Shatz. “Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life in Berkshire County, and even though we don’t have all of the tools we need to respond, we are trying.”

To that end, the town has taken a proactive stance to find ways to keep pace with technology and continue to provide police, ambulance, and fire services to its 1,800 year-round residents as well as its second homeowners and the 7,000 visitors who add to the population every week during the summer.

The cost for those services is high, but Stockbridge has taken a piece of seemingly useless property — its capped landfill — and put it to use in ways that will generate new income as well as green energy.

The first project is a cell-phone tower that Verizon is erecting on the southern end of the landfill. It should be completed next spring and will make a significant difference because 50% of the town has no cell service and downtown tourists are often surprised when told they have to walk uphill to use their phones.

Shatz said some businesses, including the Red Lion Inn, have put in boosters to help with the problem, but the lack of service also presents a public-safety issue as police officers and first responders need to communicate via cell phones when a problem or emergency occurs.

Shatz has been working on the issue for three years, and says town officials were pleased to have Verizon win the bid to build the cell tower.

He added that Verizon spent almost $400,000 to rebuild a 1,500-foot road to provide access to the southern end of the landfill where the new tower is under construction. Underground circuits were also installed; excavation began recently, and plans are in place to complete construction this winter and have the tower operational by April, although inclement winter weather could affect the schedule.

“Verizon has been a wonderful partner in this venture,” Shatz said, adding that Stockbridge will receive $24,000 in rent annually for the next 20 years for the land, plus half of any co-location income received from other cellphone carriers who use the tower.

The access road, which was completed in early October, made a second project possible on the capped landfill, which is also under construction.

Ameresco is building a 900,000-kilowatt solar facility and when it’s complete, the town will receive rent from the company for 20 years as well as net-metering credits.

Shatz noted that crews have been working weekends to ensure the solar facility is mechanically connected to the National Grid’s power grid by Jan. 8, which is the deadline for federal and state tax incentives.

Stockbridge Facilities Manager Chris Marsden has visited the site daily since work began in August and says the project has been complicated by regulations associated with a capped landfill.

“But the Department of Environmental Protection has been very helpful in making the positive reuse of this land possible,” he said. “They have offered us advice and information about how to proceed so we don’t damage the cap and maintain standards that have to be upheld.”

He described the reuse of the landfill as an unusual venture.

“The property couldn’t have been used for recreation or development, and was costing the town money to maintain. But we have turned it into a valuable piece of land that will generate revenue from the leases and net-metering credits, which is icing on the cake,” Marsden told BusinessWest.

Shatz added that every square foot of the landfill has been put to use.

“It’s also important to have Stockbridge become part of the effort to produce renewable energy; we’re a green community and will be the first town in the Berkshires to finish a solar project,” he said, noting that the town’s Green Committee, led by Laura Dubester, received a $140,000 state grant last year to insulate public buildings and continuously work to find funding for green projects.

New Pathways

Stockbridge has six bridges in need of major repairs, and a plan is being formulated to address the problem. Several are on Route 183, a well-traveled corridor that connects Great Barrington and Lenox, continues into Stockbridge, and runs past the main gate to Tanglewood before continuing on toward the Norman Rockwell Museum and the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.

“Mass DOT has downgraded one of the bridges every year for the past five years and has restricted access to heavy vehicles on it,” Shatz said, explaining that the town needs six bridges because the Housatonic River runs through it, as do a number of streams.

“We’ve underfunded infrastructure in the past and are paying the price for not having banked money for it. It’s an important issue because, when a bridge fails here, it’s more than an inconvenience, it’s a loss of revenue for our cultural institutions,” he continued. “They provide employment and the tourist dollars that float the Stockbridge boat. Tanglewood alone has a $50 million economic impact on the region, which is very significant.”

A special town meeting will be held next month to authorize spending $2.6 million to repair the bridges, which would be funded through a bond.

“It will cost $1 million in engineering expenses to reconstruct three of the bridges, but we hope to do that next year,” Shatz said, adding that the town will apply for a state grant to make needed repairs to the largest bridge after the engineering report is complete, and further work will be planned for the future.

Raising revenue and cutting costs are two items that rank high on the town’s priority list, and a joint meeting recently took place with the towns of Lee and Lenox to discuss the viability of sharing a town administrator.

In late July, Jorja Ann Marsden retired from her position of town administrator after 31 years of public service. Her position was filled temporarily several months ago when Danielle Fillio was promoted from administrative assistant to interim town administrator, but the future of that position is a matter of speculation.

“There has been a fair amount of disagreement over the idea of sharing a town manager; it’s a contentious issue because some people fear the loss of Stockbridge’s identity,” Shatz said, explaining that a public meeting will be held Jan. 9 to discuss the issue. Discussion could determine whether it is on the agenda at the annual town meeting in May.

He noted that the combined population of the three towns is 12,000, and sharing a town administrator would allow them to hire a full-time finance director and a planner/grant administrator, which none of the communities can afford on their own.

Several years ago, forward-thinking town officials decided the town needed to come up with a plan for the future. To that end, a Visionary Project Committee was formed and two planning consultants were hired to help develop a set of recommendations that could be implemented over the next 20 years and possibly lead to the creation of a new master plan.

The committee issued a report in May titled “Planning a Way Forward” and presented it to the all-volunteer Planning Board.

“It’s important as Stockbridge’s last master plan was completed in 1996, and the time has come to evaluate changes that have taken place or need to be made,” Shatz said.

The report includes input from several public meetings where a wide variety of topics were discussed. Common themes included the need to improve traffic flow and parking downtown as well as to increase transportation options.

The importance of luring new businesses as well as attracting and retaining young people and families were other key elements mentioned in the report.

Planning Board Secretary Jennifer Carmichael said a public meeting was held after the report was made public. In addition, several business owners and residents scheduled meetings with the board to discuss matters that concern them.

“We’re also still getting input from town officials,” Carmichael said, noting that, when the process is complete, the Planning Board will decide how to proceed with the recommendations in the report.

But positive change continues in town. A $4 million renovation to Stockbridge Library, Museum and Archives was completed last spring, and people from nearby towns have been taking advantage of new programs and activities, along with state-of-the-art improvements that include a new multi-purpose room in the main part of the building that holds 35 people.

“The library is absolutely exquisite, and its offerings include a cooking club, book club, speaker series, and expansion of the children’s programs,” Shatz said, explaining that the library houses historic artifacts, dates back to the darkest days of the Civil War, and was started by a group of public-spirited men who believed it was central to the life of the town.

Into the Future

Although Stockbridge is a great place to live and visit, its leader say, the town lacks employment opportunities needed to attract and retain young people.

“We don’t have jobs, so we have find a way to manage our resources better,” Shatz said.

Officials are doing their best to make that happen, and hope revenue from Verizon’s cell-phone tower and the Ameresco solar farm, combined with infrastructure improvements, will help to resolve their challenges without disturbing the character that has made Stockbridge a destination people return to time and time again.

 

Stockbridge at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1739
Population: 1,800
Area: 23.7 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $9.59
Commercial Tax Rate: $9.59
Median Household Income: $60,732
MEDIAN FAMILY Income: $65,469
Type of government: Town Administrator; Board of Selectmen; Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Tanglewood; Norman Rockwell Museum; Red Lion Inn
* Latest information available

Bankruptcies Departments

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

Adzhigirey, Sergey
Adzhigirey, Natalya
109 Silver St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Allyn, Ryan M.
16 Memorial Circle
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/29/16

Best Results Home Improvement
Lamagdelaine, William F.
212 Blisswood Village Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/23/16

Boze, Daniel
484 Chicopee St. 1st F
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/17/16

Carroll, Jessica C.
192 Breckenridge St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/28/16

Cookis, Ross S.
286 East Main St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

DeLevo, David F.
12 Phyllis Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Diaz, Santiago
P.O. Box 3953
Springfield, MA 01101
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Dunham, George E.
229 Ashley St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Faivre, Louis David
168 Edgewood Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/16/16

Foster, Christopher L.
128 Point Grove Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Foster, Nelson J.
Foster, Linda J.
58 Frederick St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/17/16

Gluten-Free Gourmet Cafe
Levy, Dara J.
Levy, Matthew
323 Lenox Ave.
First Floor
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/17/16

Goncalves, Miguel F.
149 Stevens St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/17/16

Gonzalez, Nancy
29 Ward Ave., Apt. B
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/16

Guillette, Richard R.
Guillette, Barbara A.
841 Southbridge Rd
Warren, MA 01083
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/17/16

Hall, Albert T.J.
Santiago-Hall, Jaszmine Alizea
PO Box 17
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/16

Harrington, Henry W.
118 Church St., Apt. A
Williamstown, MA 01267
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/19/16

Hernandez, Richard N.
21 Smith Road
West Stockbridge, MA 01266
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Jawando, Denise Laverne
a/k/a Jawando, Denise Laver Gillard
7 Cornell St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Jette, Michael A.
590 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Kisiel, Michelle L.
246 Vining Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/17/16

Lalchandani, Michael Manohar
447 Beech St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/16

Lewinski, Craig A.
81 Lamb St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/18/16

Maloy, Michelle A.
23 Newark St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/17/16

McCollum, Ian M.
65 Bangor St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/16/16

Melendez, Francisca
300 Walnut St., Apt. 5
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/17/16

Menard, Brandon D.
Menard, Elizabeth Susan
19 Vernon Place
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Morgan, Obie J.
80 Vienna Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/22/16

Motta, David
Motta, Donna M.
38 Veazie St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/16

Ortiz, Eduardo
104 Pheonix Terrace
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Reardon, Robert P.
136 Wilbraham Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/28/16

Redman, Natalie A.
33 Ferris St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/28/16

Romano, Alan G.
107 Beaver St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/23/16

Rowan, Jonathan M.
Rowan, Angela M.
22 Lincoln St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/16

Roxanne Pearls
Andrade, Karen J.
21 East St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Smith, Catherine J.
102 Northway Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/22/16

Smith, Duncan Eric
6 Embury St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/16/16

Talbot, Paul R.
Talbot, Kristen M.
30 Oxford St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/17/16

Taylor, Nancy Lee
a/k/a Wager, Nancy Lee
58-D Edward Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Tulyholowycz, Teresa Ann
8 Shore Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Wayte, Christopher Francis
25  Wilbert Terrace
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/25/16

Wells, Porter A.
3 Elm Terrace, Apt. A
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/20/16

Whyte, Peter
Whyte, Marilyn
a/k/a Nazario, Marilyn
90 Audubon St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/16

Banking and Financial Services Sections

A Matter of Addition

Kristi Reale and Jim Krupienski

Kristi Reale and Jim Krupienski are the newest partners at Meyers Brothers Kalicka.

As part of a strategic plan to generate new opportunities and more profound growth for the company, and also to ensure a steady flow of new leadership, the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka has named two new partners — senior managers Jim Krupienski and Kristi Reale. They’ve been acting essentially as partners without that title for more than year now, and say the firm has provided them all the tools they need to succeed.

Jim Barrett says it was maybe the worst-kept secret he’d seen in quite some time.

He was referring to the granting of partner status to two senior managers at the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka — Jim Krupienski and Kristi Reale. The two, who have been with the firm for 12 and 15 years respectively, and had risen through the ranks to senior manager, were told more than a year ago, in something approaching confidentiality, that they were on the track to becoming partners and would likely achieve such status so by the end of this year.

Their promotion wasn’t exactly classified information, but it certainly wasn’t broadcast loudly, said Barrett, the firm’s managing partner since 2009, adding that he made it all official in an announcement to the staff on Dec. 19.

To say that it was somewhat anti-climactic was an understatement, as evidenced by this anecdote from Reale, several days before the news was scheduled to break internally.

“Someone walked up to me and said ‘has your promotion been made official yet?’ she recalled. “It wasn’t exactly a secret, but I didn’t think everyone knew. I guess they did.”

But while the promotions may not have been as discreet as intended, they are certainly significant, said Barrett, and represent an important and in many ways unique step in the company’s efforts to grow and put in place an effective succession plan that will ensure solid leadership for decades to come.

“This was a well-thought-out component of our strategic plan,” he explained. “We have a partner who is retiring, so we have a practice need; Jim and Kristi have demonstrated all prerequisite skills to get there, and we’ve been talking to them for almost two years about how they’re on the track.

“It’s been a process that’s taken a number of years to unfold,” he went on. “We want to onboard them so they know what to expect and the know what’s expected of them; we want this to be a success for everyone.”

While Reale and Krupienski took essentially the same path to a partnership, and their resumes have many common denominators, including extensive work in the community, BusinessWest 40 Under Forty plaques (Reale in 2009 and Krupinski a year later), and a number of bylined submissions to this magazine, they arrived at MBK with different career aspirations, as we’ll see in a few moments.

But they arrived at this career moment together, and for now, they’re excited about moving into different, slightly bigger offices and having their names and bios found by clicking the ‘partners’ button on the MBK homepage. But they’re far more focused on meeting the responsibilities that some with that title and helping the firm grow at a time when doing so is certainly challenging for any financial services firm in a region that has seen little, if any, overall expansion.

For this issue and its focus on Banking & Financial Services, BusinessWest talked with the two new partners, as well as the managing partner, about the promotions and the firm’s strategic plans moving forward.

Watching Their Figures

When she first came to Meyers Brothers, P.C. in February of 2001, Reale was thinking more about staying maybe 16 weeks than the nearly 16 years it took her to reach partner.

Indeed, a veteran with seven years of public accounting work under her belt, she was hired to help during tax season on a per-diem basis, and walked in the door already thinking about what she might do next. But a funny thing happened on the way to carrying out those plans.

“I never left,” she said, stating the obvious before moving on to the more important topic — why.

“I was thinking about going into private industry, but after a couple of months at Meyers Brothers, I just loved it and decided to stay,” she explained, adding that she was hired after just five weeks of per-diem work. “It was very professional, everyone was treated well … it was just a great place to work. I looked forward to going there every day.”

Kristi Reale

When she arrived at Meyers Brothers, Kristi Reale was focused on staying 16 weeks, not 16 years, but the environment she found changed those plans quickly.

 

Meanwhile, Krupienski got off the elevator on the eighth floor of the PeoplesBank Building just off I-91 (the merged companies came together there in 2005) with a much different mindset.

After serving as a senior accountant at a Big-4 firm (PricewaterhouseCoopers) and then shifting gears and working as a senior auditor at the Hartford, he had made up his mind to return to public accounting. The question was where, he said, adding that through a friend he heard about an opening at MBK.

“I interviewed, liked what I heard, liked the firm, the culture, the people I met with … and felt I should throw my hat into the ring,” said Krupienski, adding that while it would be a leap to start thinking about making partner back in 2003, he allowed himself to harbor such thoughts, and before long, that became a hard goal.

“It was kind of a thought in the back of my mind — I had made the jump back into public accounting, and you generally don’t do that if you don’t have some aspirations for being partner someday,” he told BusinessWest, adding quickly that reaching this rung at a firm of that size is never a given and it would likely take much more than a decade.

“I came from a big-firm mentality,” he explained. “It’s very structured there in terms of the progression, and while this firm isn’t PricewaterhouseCoopers … things are similar in many ways.”

Those sentiments help explain how accounting firms are in many ways different from small and medium-sized law firms, said Barrett, adding that with the latter, an associate is in many cases on a partner track soon after arrival, and if they’re good at what they do, can probably expect to make partner within a certain number of years, although the number and circumstances vary widely with the firm.

In accounting, it’s different, he said, adding that law is more of a transactional business, where individual lawyers have what amounts to their own book of business and client list, while in accounting, one to 10 people could be working with the same client.

Jim Krupienski

Jim Krupienski says MBK has provided him and fellow new partner Kristi Reale with all the tools they need to succeed.

When asked why both Reale and Krupienski were named partners at this time, Barrett said it this amounted to a sound business decision. Both are qualified, experienced managers, and both have the capacity to help the firm grow market share.

Elaborating, he said there are certain required skill sets for reaching the partner rung, and both certainly possess them.

“Can you serve clients?” he began. “Are you able to grow the practice — attract new clients and develop relationships with existing clients? Can you train and develop staff? These are the prerequisites, and they have them.”

By the Numbers

Beyond those required skills, Reale and Krupienski also complement each other in many ways, said Barrett, adding that while they’re both involved in auditing and accounting, or A&A as they say in this business, they have different focus areas and specialize in different sectors of the economy.

Krupienski, for example, specializes — and has written about — medical practice operation, tax planning, and retirement plan strategy, while Reale specializes in closely held businesses, business valuations, management advisory services, and business and tax planning, and has extensive experience in retail, manufacturing, construction, distribution, real estate, insurance, and other service organizations.

“We have people with somewhat similar skill sets,” said Barrett. “But they’re different enough so they can go out and not compete with each other, and complement each other in some cases.”

Meanwhile, bringing them both on as partners now is a proactive step within the company’s broad efforts within the realm of succession planning, he went on, adding that many firms, especially smaller operations, are not putting enough emphasis on creating a solid pipeline of leadership of the years to come.

Elaborating, he said that when the two firms merged, there were 13 partners, a large number that the shareholders knew would eventually be whittled down, out of necessity, through retirement. That point has been reached, he went on, and the firm needs to replace that leadership.

“Our number one strategy starting when I became managing partner was to have a succession plan,” he told BusinessWest. “And everything we’ve done subsequent to that has been to develop that plan, including an investment in technology, investment in people through training, investment in human resources; this is just the culmination of that.

“We chopped this down to a five-year program,” he went on. “And the culmination of that is to have our replacements in place. This is the first example of all those efforts coming to fruition.”

When asked if, when, and under what circumstances additional partners would be named, Barrett gave a very quick answer: “Growth of the firm.”

And there are several ways to achieve growth, he went on, listing acquisition, geographic expansion, attaining a larger piece of the existing pie, or moving aggressively and effectively if the pie should happen to become larger.

And the two partners could, and likely will, play a large role in those growth efforts.

“We’re hoping that with their respective areas of expertise — Jim in medical and pension work and Kristi with business valuation — that they’re going to bring another level of services to clients or perspective clients that will allow us to grow,” he explained.

Both partners sounded like they were up for that mix of opportunity and challenge.

“It’s taken us time to get here, we’ve gone through the needed steps,” said Krupienski. “And in terms of where we are — they’ve afforded us with every tool we need to meet those challenges — training, development, helping us get out there, supporting us with joining boards and getting involved in the community … all of that will help in terms of meeting new people, meeting new prospective clients, and meeting other associates and professionals that will develop our base moving forward.”

Said Reale, “we’ve both had a lot of training, whether it’s in our own special niche, sales training, soft-skills training, leadership training … and it’s all going to help us develop professionally. And we’ve already been essentially working as partners, just without the title, for more than a year now.”

Focus on the Bottom Line

That last point certainly helps explain why the promotion of Reale and Krupienski to partner has been the proverbial worst-kept secret.

But while the announcement on the 19th might have been anti-climactic in some ways, it was a milestone moment nonetheless.

That’s because, as Barrett noted, it represented one significant step in ongoing efforts to achieve growth and a solid leadership for the future.

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

Daily News

WARE — Holyoke Community College, in collaboration with the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corp., is offering a busy schedule of non-credit classes this winter and spring.

Registration is open for a variety of convenient and affordable professional-development, workforce-training, and personal-enrichment college courses at the Quaboag Region Workforce Training and Community College Center at 79 Main St., Ware, also known as the E2E — Education to Employment Center. Courses include:

• ServSafe Prep & Exam: Jan. 16 and 23, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (two sessions, $109); March 7, 14, and 21, 3-6 p.m. (three sessions, $109); May 9, 16, and 23, 3-6 p.m. (three sessions, $109);

• Emergency Medical Technician Training, Feb. 14 to June 22, 6-10 p.m. (38 classes, $1,099);

• HeartSaver CPR AED, March 14, 6-9 p.m. (one session, $45);

• First Aid, March 16, 6-9 p.m. (one session, $45);

• How to Get Debt Free, April 4, 6-9 p.m. (one session, $39);

• Basic Home Repair, April 13, 20, 27, and May 4, 6-8 p.m. (four sessions, $99);

• Career Planning, Goal Setting, and Assessment, April 18, 6-9 p.m. (one class, free);

• Elder Law and Estate Planning, May 1 and 8, 6-9 p.m. (two sessions, $85); and

• Nursing Assistant Exam Preparation/Home Health Aide: call for class times.

For more information or to enroll, call (413) 552-2500 or visit www.hcc.edu/bce.

DBA Certificates Departments

The following business certificates and trade names were issued or renewed during the month of December 2016.

Amherst

Amherst Trading Post
460 West St.
Louise McGrath, Aaron McGrath

Edward Jones
100 University Dr., First Floor, Suite 3
EDJ Holding Co. Inc., the Jones Financial Cos., LLLP

Edward Jones
495 West St., Suite 1
EDJ Holding Co. Inc., the Jones Financial Cos., LLLP

Gemmy Land
44S Mount Holyoke Dr.
Riaohong Duan, Rosemund Capital LLC

Great Oak Associates
1193 South East St.
Michael Wright

High Horse
24 North Pleasant St.
Jason DiCaprio

The Moan and Dove
460 West St.
Jason DiCaprio

Belchertown

Belchertown Pizza Shop
6 Park St.
Andre Dupont

Belchertown Tire
50 Turkey Hill
Wendy Soleimani

Contented Cats
340 Amherst Road
Gwendolyn D’Aguiar

Cottage Grove LLC
37 Cottage St.
Stephen Lanphear

Sensible Sort Professional
15 Meadow Pond Road
Kira Coopersmith-Funk

Chicopee

ASAP Jobs
27 Pheasant Way
William Saporito

Family Barbers and Beauty Supply
210 Exchange St.
Alex Nieves-Vazquez

L&M Handyman Services
527 Grattan St.
Paul Lolos

Metro Motors of Chicopee
650C Memorial Dr.
Michael Bertera, Steven Bertera, Razmik Ghazarian

Treasure Cove
165 Front St.
Andrea West

Valley Ventures
277 Irene St.
Nathan Hall

Easthampton

Dominic Perri Photography
30 Pleasant St.
Dominic Perri

Easthampton Chiropractic Center LLC
51 Union St.
Jill Smith

Lisa T. Skincare
123 Union St., Suite 100
Lisa Tavney

East Longmeadow

Andean Imports
31 Knollwood Dr.
Jennifer Kupis

Cashmere Sale
626 North Main St.
Janice Lattell

Chestnut Hill Farm
12 Chestnut St.
Frederick Stevens

C-Mart II
668 North Main St.
Abid Akhtar

The Dessert Bar & Bakery by Cupcake Café
173 Shaker Road
Catherine Russo

Redcarpet Nails
424 North Main St.
Jeang Ja Lee

Shear Integrity
60 Shaker Road
Theresa Tranghese

White Dove Cleaning
503 Parker St.
Gerald Rising

Greenfield

Bowerbirds Nest
115 Maple St.
Barbara Day

Edward Jones
55 Federal St., Suite 260
EDJ Holding Co. Inc., the Jones Financial Cos., LLLP

Edward Jones
21 Mohawk Trail, Suite 9
EDJ Holding Co. Inc., the Jones Financial Cos., LLLP

LiptonMart
100 Mohawk Trail
Michael Lipton, Sanford Lipton

Pete’s First Market
54 School St.
Peter Ruggieri

PV Squared
311 Wells St., Suite B
Pioneer Valley Photovoltaics Cooperative Inc.

Veterans Network United Inc.
14 Miles St.
Veterans Network United Inc.

Holyoke

Holyoke Sporting Goods
1584 Dwight St.
Elizabeth Frey

Safe Auto Repair
65 Commercial St.
Myrna Cruz

Ludlow

Jennifer Rooney at Salon Accents
247 East St.
Jennifer Rooney

Poppi’s Pizzeria
351 West St.
Kevin Fonseca

Northampton

Balanced Lactation
15 Nonotuck St.
Rachel Baker

The Book Bag
20 Hampton Ave., #409
Zane Lumelsky, Leith Colon

Hair Factory
2 Conz St., Suite 20
Erich Husemoller

ICE Cat Consulting Crew
106 Washington Ave.
Joanna Donahue

Lectica Inc.
35 South Park Terrace
Dr. Theo Dawson, Shanti Gaia

Shewman Copyediting Services
30 Allison St.
Kathleen Shewman

Palmer

Kenneth Nothe
27 Lathrop St., Apt. 1
Kenneth Nothe

Michael Borkowski’s Sporting Goods
51 Glenn St.
Michael Borkowski

Payless Auto Auctions
26 Wilbraham St.
Wayne Doyle, Kelly Doyle

Ray Croteau Electric
244 Burlingame Road
Raymond Croteau

S&S Food Mart
2019 Main St.
Syed Hashmi

S&S Food Mart
1520 North Main St.
Syed Hashmi

Tony V Entertainment
65 Springfield St.
Anthony Valley

Southwick

Liberty Enterprises
92 South Loomis St.
Robert Liberty

Walt’s Auto Sales
479-483 College Highway
Robert Pion

Springfield

Alice’s Photobooth
78 Chauncey Dr.
Alice Baiyee

Basement Finish Pro LLC
1242 Main St.
Alexander Pascal

Belmont Tax Preparation
465 Belmont Ave.
Subash Majhi

Cabo Fashion Footwear
795 Liberty St.
Edwin Acevedo

Ciro’s
904-912 Main St.
Ciro’s Restaurant Group

Cowork Springfield
1350 Main St.
John Perez

Divine Designs
23 St. James Blvd.
Micheline Martin

Fighting Arts Academy
190 Verge St.
Jeremy Libiszewski

Goldenfingers Barber Shop
433 White St.
Tony Younes

P Knox Market
17 Knox St.
Adan Fernandez

Puerto Rico Convenience Store
2460 Main St., Suite 12
Domingo Rosario

West Springfield

Bertelli’s Skate Shop
726 Main St.
Jay Passerini

Element Au
33 Old Westfield Road
David Dambrowski

Greasecar Vegetable Fuel
19 Norman St.
Justin Carven

Hathorn Associates
42 Old Barn Road
Joyce Bannick

Joel’s Automotive Repair
2 Elizabeth St.
Edgar Ramos

Suburban Janitorial
1900 Westfield St.
Ralph Figueroa

Tania Neff at the Hair & Nail Co.
1346 Elm St.
Tania Neff

Wilbraham

Elegant Creations by Nicole
2 Catherine Circle
Nicole Semanie

Little Oak Farm
650 Monson Road
Beverlee Corriveau, Peter Corriveau

The Print Shop
2041 Boston Road, Unit 3
Timothy Hardick

Salon J
70 Post Office Park, Unit 7005
Diane Rodrigues

The Wood Shed
2400 Boston Road, Unit 1
Patrick Danford Jr.

YMCA of Greater Springfield
45 Post Office Park
Scott Berg

Health Care Sections

On the Home Front

Holyoke Soldiers’ Home resident Ted Dickson

Holyoke Soldiers’ Home resident Ted Dickson

Opened in 1952 to provide long-term care to those who served in the war to end all wars, the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke has continued to be a solid option to those who have served in all the wars since, and in peacetime as well. The 24/7 care is complemented by a unique environment that brings veterans together, recognizes them for their service, and gets them out into the community. Said its new superintendent, “every day is Veterans Day here.”

 

Bennett Walsh was searching for some words he thought he could sum up the purpose, or mission, of the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke and, more importantly, what it means to the veterans who reside there and their families.

He eventually summoned the phrase ‘safety net,’ and would use it several times in the course of a discussion about this state-funded long-term-care facility’s past, present, and likely future. And in many ways, that works.

“People come here because, for one of a variety of reasons, the family cannot provide the 24/7 care that their loved one needs,” said Walsh, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel who was named superintendent of the facility just before Memorial Day last May. “We’re a facility that can provide that. In many cases, a husband loses his wife, and she was the primary caregiver. Now that she’s gone, there’s no one in the family that can care for him 24/7. Every veteran here has a different story, but it all starts with a need that we can meet.”

But to those who call this facility home, it is much more than a safety net. For some perspective, BusinessWest talked with Ted Dickson, a submariner who served on the USS Snook, a nuclear-powered Skipjack-class vessel, during the Vietnam War. He suffered a brain aneurism two years ago, underwent surgery at Leahy Clinic, recuperated at several hospitals, and then spent some time in a local nursing home.

It was that last stop that he used as a launching point for his comments about the Soldiers’ Home, which he moved to roughly a year ago.

“I didn’t like that experience at all,” he said of his time in the nursing home before quickly changing the subject to his present surroundings. “It’s much different here … you have the freedom to do what you want, and there are so many activities. But you’re also surrounded by other people who served, and it’s great to be around these people.”

Elaborating, he said that, while the more than 250 veterans living at the facility share a number of common threads and can — and do — share many war stories (in this case, in a literal sense), that’s just part of the equation.

Other parts include the atmosphere, the camaraderie, the compassionate staff, the myriad activities the veterans can participate in —Dickson himself partakes in everything from photography to watercolor painting — and the many events, on site and off, that those at the Soldiers’ Home become part of.

Indeed, they don’t celebrate Veterans Day at the facility, said Walsh; instead, they commemorate what has become known as ‘Veterans Month.’

“Actually, every day is Veterans Day here,” said Walsh, adding that this mindset, or operating philosophy, if you will, is one of the reasons why the facility is a popular choice for those who have served, and their families.

“Every day in November, there was something going on — not only here at the home, but also out in the community that our veterans were asked to attend,” he said while trying to explain some of the many elements that set this facility apart. “It was heartwarming to see the amount of outpouring from all the different groups in the community; the message was clearly sent that our veterans are not forgotten.”

But while the Soldiers’ Home, opened in 1952, has a proud history, a mission that clearly resonates, and a seemingly solid future, there are challenges, said Walsh, whose successor left the facility due to what he considered weak support from the state, compared to what it provides to a much larger sister facility in Chelsea.


List of Home Care Options in the Region


Walsh believes the Holyoke facility is adequately funded — “could I use more money? Ask anyone that question, and they would say ‘yes’” — and that the challenge is to make the most of the resources it has and create greater efficiencies, especially since the facility is now nearly 65 years old and certainly showing its age.

“We have to do better and be smarter,” he explained, adding that this mindset has many components, including greater use of clean energy. “We need to ensure that we’re using every dollar properly because, while this facility has great bones and great structure, when it reaches this age, there are challenges.”

For this issue and its focus on healthcare, BusinessWest visited the Soldiers’ Home and talked with its new superintendent to gain some perspective on its unique mission and how it carries out that all-important assignment.

Branch Office

Walsh is in the process of having his office painted, and one of the first steps in that process is to take down much of the collection of plaques, pictures, awards, and other items he’s collected over the years.

Collectively, they tell quite a story, one of a 25-year career in the Marines that saw duty with each of that branch’s fabled divisions and in nearly all of the notable hot spots since the early ’90s.

Indeed, he was an infantry platoon commander in Mogadishu, Somalia and completed three tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. He was stationed on Okinawa when a tsunami slammed into Northern Japan in 2011, and was among those troops assigned to aiding in the recovery from that disaster.

“I was stationed there for 30 days and could feel the aftershocks,” he recalled, adding that, when his time with the Marines ended early last year, he was faced with the often-challenging assignment of determining what comes next. As he looked back, he said that administering a long-term-care facility for veterans wasn’t exactly on his immediate radar screen.

Bennett Walsh

Bennett Walsh says the Soldiers’ Home has effectively served as a safety net for veterans for nearly 65 years now.

In fact, one of his first interviews was with MGM concerning a possible security-consulting assignment with the casino due to open in September 2018, and another concerned a similar assignment with United Technologies.

But upon hearing about the opening at the Soldiers Home, and with some prodding from family and friends, he decided to explore that option.

“I was actively interviewing for life after the Marine Corps — the next act, as I like to say — and I was approached about this position, which appealed to me because I would get to work with veterans,” said Walsh, who is now serving on the home front, in every sense of that phrase.

Since arriving, he’s spent the requisite considerable amount of time and energy needed to acquaint himself with everything from the staff of 300 to the veterans themselves (he knows most all of them on a first-name basis), to the facility’s rich history.

Relating some of the latter, he said the facility — a converted mental-health hospital built on a former apple orchard on a hill on Cherry Street with a commanding view of the Paper City — was built with the intention of serving the nation’s many World War I veterans, who, by the early 1950s, were likely in their 60s or 70s.

Over the years, the composition of the group residing in the home has naturally changed, and it continues to do so, said Walsh, noting that, while the bulk of current veterans served in World War II or the Korean War, there are a large number of Vietnam War vets, now in their early 60s at the youngest, as well. And there are many who served in peacetime in various locations around the world.

“Overall, it’s a very intriguing mix of people, and what they all have in common is that they served their country,” said Walsh, adding that the average age of the residents, as it is in most long-term facilities, is just over 80.

Most are from Western Mass., which is the unofficial service area of the Holyoke facility, he went on, adding that this means all four counties. But some are also from the central and eastern parts of the state as well.

The home, which serves more than 2,000 veterans a year through a host of inpatient and outpatient services, including dental and lab work and a pharmacy, is generally fully occupied, and there is a waiting list.

All branches of the service are well-represented, said Walsh, referring to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine. And veterans currently in residence have taken part in a host of landmark battles and campaigns, including Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Bulge, the Normany invasion, and the Manhattan Project that brought about the atom bomb.

“There is a lot of history represented here,” said Walsh.

Most veterans will spend two to three years at the facility, on average, he said, adding that veterans are charged $30 per day ($900 per month) to stay there, with most of the costs offset by veterans benefits.

Battle Plan

As noted earlier, the care provided at the Soldiers’ Home is 24/7 in nature, which makes the facility similar to a typical long-term-care facility.

But, given the unique nature of the client base, that is where most of the comparisons end, said Walsh.

Indeed, while each of the veterans living there has a story — both in terms of their service to their country and how they arrived in Holyoke — that is in some way different, there are those abundant common denominators, especially a desire to be among fellow service men and women and enjoy a host of programs and activities simply not available at a traditional nursing home.

‘Veterans Month’ is just part of that equation, Walsh said, adding that there are events all year, and a number of special programs (including successful efforts to make the home a voting place last November) designed to make sure that veterans and their service are not forgotten.

That includes those who fought in what some have come to call the ‘forgotten war,’ the one waged in Korea just as the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke was opening its doors.

“This year they marked the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, and there were special pins made up for all our Vietnam veterans,” he explained. “But we made the decision that we didn’t want to forget the Korean War veterans, so we made up special pins for them as well and had a ceremony earlier this month.”

It was this unique environment and focus on veterans that certainly appealed to Dickson, 73, whose story, at least the the chapter relating to the Soldiers’ Home, began a few years ago, when, as he colorfully put it, “my wife thought I was acting a little wacky.”

Her instincts proved correct, because an MRI revealed an aneurism, which led to surgery at the Leahy Clinic that “took a chunk out of my head and pulled out the aneurism.”

As Dickson said, his stay in a traditional nursing home was not enjoyable, and an examination of options revealed that the Soldiers’ Home was one of them, and he took full advantage of that opportunity.

“It’s been a super experience — it’s nice to be in the middle of a group like that,” he said, adding that, while he’s receiving care, he likes to give back — to both those providing the care and the community at large, through everything from his photography to events for veterans in area cities and towns.

The goal moving forward, said Walsh, is to simply write more stories like Dickson’s, an assignment that comes with many challenges.

And that’s why another of Walsh’s first priorities is to create a long-term strategic plan for the facility, one that will ensure that it can live up to its unofficial operating slogan, “providing quality care with honor and dignity.”

“You have to look forward because, if you don’t, you’re not looking ahead,” he explained. “A big part of our five-year strategy is to make better use of our existing resources.”

Soldiering On

On the day he talked with BusinessWest, there was a Santa Claus suit hanging on a rack in the corner of Walsh’s office.

He acknowledged that, in his present role, he wears many different hats — and in this case, a red wool one, as he distributed gifts to veterans and their family members at the annual holiday party.

The Santa suit — not to mention the jacket and tie he wears most days — is quite a departure from the Marine camos he’s been wearing for more than half his life. But he sees it simply as service, or, to be more precise, as a continuation of service, to both the country and others who have answered the call.

Providing that service in the form of a unique environment featuring specialized 24/7 care is what the Soldiers’ Home is all about. And that’s what makes it a safety net, but also much more.

Just ask Ted Dickson — or anyone else who calls this place ‘home.’

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

Daily News

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker named Mary Burns, Imari Paris Jeffries, Michael O’Brien, Elizabeth Scheibel, and Charles Wu to the board of trustees for the University of Massachusetts, and reappointed Robert Manning to the board. Manning, who previously chaired the board from 2008 to 2010, will also assume the chairmanship of the board that oversees the UMass system.

Baker also announced several other appointments, including longtime UMass trustee Victor Woolridge as well as O’Brien to seats on the UMass Building Authority (UMBA), serving as representatives of the UMass board. Baker supports Woolridge, a commercial real-estate professional, for chairman of the Building Authority, which oversees the planning, financing, and construction of university facilities. The governor also supports Philip Johnston for vice chair. In a separate announcement, the UMass Foundation announced that Johnston will join its board of directors at the end of the year, where he is also expected to be named vice chair.

“I congratulate the new members of the boards on their appointments and thank them for stepping forward to serve the Commonwealth and the University of Massachusetts,” Baker said. “UMass continues to be a global leader in education, and these leaders will help the university continue to think creatively and boldly about the future of public education in order to grow our economy, strengthen our communities, and create opportunity for future generations of students.”

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.

Chicopee District Court

Kimberly Lucciano, as mother and next friend of Julia Lucciano, a minor v. Arbors Kids Child Care Center, Arbor Associates, LLC
Allegation: Plaintiff sustained laceration to forehead that required stitches and potential scarring: $2,911
Filed: 11/10/16

Franklin Superior Court

Heritage Healthcare Services Inc. v. Newport Bickford Inc. d/b/a Bickford Health Care Center and Somerset Health Care Management Group, LLC
Allegation: Breach of contract, monies owed for services rendered and goods sold and delivered: $52,506
Filed: 11/11/16

Hampden District Court

Perkins Paper, LLC v. Sons of Divine Providence Inc. d/b/a Don Orione Nursing Home
Allegation: Monies owed for goods sold and delivered: $10,058.29
Filed: 11/28/16

Hampden Superior Court

Tanzania Roberts v. The Silver Street Group, LLC, Silver Street Development Corp., Peabody Properties Inc., and Edgewater Apartments
Allegation: Slip and fall causing injury: $18,000
Filed: 11/30/16

Hampshire District Court

NES Equipment Services Corp. d/b/a NES Rentals v. Paul Shepard d/b/a Gentlemen Painting and Western Surety Co.
Allegation: Monies owed for rental equipment: $8,340.66
Filed: 12/2/16

Hampshire Superior Court

Delaney Ratner v. Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, University of Massachusetts a/k/a UMass Transit, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Jane Doe
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $25,000+
Filed: 11/17/16

Shelton Brothers Inc. v. Johnson Brothers Liquor Co., Johnson Brothers of Hawaii Inc., and Johnson Brothers of Massachusetts
Allegation: Monies owed for goods sold and delivered: $26,373+
Filed: 11/18/16

Darlene R. Rutherford v. 434 Southbridge LLC
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $24,101
Filed: 11/22/16

Ellen Yvonne Simms v. Samuel Topal, M.D., Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and Mount Holyoke College
Allegation: Negligence, medical malpractice, and wrongful death: $100 million
Filed: 11/28/16

Westfield District Court

Joachim Lusa v. Work Opportunity Center Inc.
Allegation: Violation of Massachusetts Wage Act, failure to pay earned vacation time: $7,431.60
Filed: 12/6/16

Health Care Sections

Life-saving Knowledge

Barbara Pummell says students who take STCC’s EMT Basics course need to be prepared to put in a lot of work outside the classroom.

Barbara Pummell says students who take STCC’s EMT Basics course need to be prepared to put in a lot of work outside the classroom.

If a medical crisis occurs when Joan Osana is nearby, he feels confident that he can take control of the situation until help arrives.

The 25-year-old father of two just completed an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Basics course at Springfield Technical Community College, and although it involved a tremendous amount of study, he is happy he signed up for it.

“I gained a lot of knowledge in a short period of time that will help me throughout my entire life. I would advise others to take the course,” Osana said, adding that he hopes to become a firefighter, and gaining the basic certification in EMT is a stepping stone towards that goal.

Holyoke resident Daniel Rivera also takes pride in the knowledge and skills he mastered during the EMT course that ended a few weeks ago. “I want to save lives and assist people in any way that I can so I can make a difference in my community,” said the 30-year-old father.

His ultimate goals are to become a paramedic, which would fulfill a dream, then study fire science and become a firefighter.

Rivera told BusinessWest he worked in the masonry field until he saved up enough money to buy a home and take the course. “It was my goal for many years, but in the past I couldn’t take time off from work for it. Now, I can focus on what I am learning.”

The 170-hour class takes place in four-hour sessions, either three days or three nights a week, and is popular, but very difficult as it covers a great deal of medical information taught in the classroom as well as in hands-on, simulated settings.

In the past, it was a non-credit offering from the Department of Continuing Education’s Workforce Development Program and could not be applied toward a college degree. But that is about to change: STCC recently announced EMT Basics will be offered next fall as a seven-credit course that can be applied toward an associate degree in fire protection and safety technology or another field of study, although students may still choose the non-credit option.

Christopher Scott said STCC made the decision so more students can afford the course, which costs $1,400 without financial aid and will now number among classes that could qualify for a federal loan or Pell grant. The interim dean of the School of Health and Patient Simulation added that STCC also wanted to help its community partners, who have said there is a real need for EMTs in the Pioneer Valley.

The course credits will also be transferable next fall to other degree programs, including Greenfield Community College’s paramedic certificate course or associate degree in fire science technology, or the bachelor’s-degree program in emergency medical service at Springfield College.

Although EMT Basics is an entry-level course, Scott said, it’s a building block; the next level is Advanced EMT, followed by EMT Paramedic, which is a two-year course.

Barbara Pummell of Human Services Training Consultants Inc. in West Springfield has taught the course for 30 years and told HCN that students who complete it become eligible to take a practical written exam and become registered, then can apply to the state for licensure, which allows them to work for a municipal or private ambulance service. Licensure also raises their status under Civil Service and gives job candidates a better chance at being hired if they want to become a firefighter.

Challenging Curriculum

Pummell’s students come from many walks of life and have included a flight nurse for an ambulance service, physical therapists, physician’s assistants, nurses, and people in non-medical occupations. Although the majority live locally, others have come from as far away as Saudi Arabia or the Dominican Republic.

However, some students aren’t fully prepared for the amount of study the course demands due to the amount of material it covers.

Medical problems addressed include allergic reactions, respiratory issues, wound care, fractures, cardiac problems, how to immobilize a patient after a serious motor-vehicle accident, pediatric care, care for the elderly, and care for people with special needs, which can include autism, someone on a ventilator, a paralyzed individual, or a person with a feeding tube or tracheostomy tube.

“Students also learn about the legal aspects of the profession and how their actions affect them as well as the patients they deal with,” Pummell said.

Lessons are taught about how to deal with someone with a communicable disease such as meningitis, the flu, or pneumonia, and what they need to wear as protection — at minimum, gloves and a mask. “Students are taught to ask questions before they touch a patient,” the instructor noted.

However, the first thing they learn is cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, and each student must pass a practical exam and short written test and become certified by American Heart Assoc. before they can continue their coursework.

The next topic taught deals with the use of oxygen and other delivery devices, as well as how to splint arms and legs.

“As students became proficient in these skills, we advance to overall scenarios,” Pummell explained, adding that they learn to prioritize needs.

For example, if a woman falls down a flight of stairs and is having difficulty breathing, that must be addressed before injuries are taken into consideration.

Participants also learn how to respond to childbirth, which is taught not only in the classroom, but with a childbirth mannequin that can simulate different situations such as a breech birth or when an umbilical cord comes out before the baby, which can be very dangerous.

The course also takes life-threatening situations into account, such as when an ambulance is called to a scene where bullets are flying. Pummell said the ambulance must be parked a short distance away from the high-risk area until police arrive and deem it safe for the EMT team to enter.

“It’s heartrending when you can’t help someone who is ill or injured, but it’s critical to stay away until it’s safe,” she said, adding that she knows an EMT in Springfield who has experienced bullets flying by his head. “EMTs go in as a team of two, and if anything happens to their partner, their focus switches to that person.”

Scene safety also comes into play during a motor-vehicle accident. Firefighters have to be called if someone needs to be extricated from their vehicle, and a police presence is also critical for safety.

Another part of the curriculum deals with hazardous materials; EMTs can’t take care of a person until they are decontaminated, which is usually done by firefighters.

Pediatrics also comprises a large area of study, as caring for an adult or older adolescent is markedly different than helping an infant or toddler.

“Children’s bodies aren’t well-formed until they are 18. Their bones aren’t hard, and their muscles are not fully developed, so they are more susceptible to injury,” Pummell told BusinessWest, noting that small differences can be critical. For example, a child’s tongue takes up more room in their mouth than an adult’s tongue, which means they are more likely to choke if they lose consciousness as it can slide to the back of the throat and block the airway.

The course is rigorous, and students must be prepared to work hard inside and outside of the classroom, as in addition to time spent at STCC they must accumulate 128 hours of online work that includes exercises and quizzes designed to reinforce what they learn in textbooks and during the hands-on portion of the class.

Students also learn what medications they are allowed to administer. “If they are working for an ambulance service, they can assist a patient with an inhaler, use an EpiPen if the person shows signs or symptoms of a life-threatening allergic reaction, or administer Narcan,” Pummell said, explaining that the latter is a nasal spray used when a opiate overdose is known or suspected.

Other procedures are taught in more advanced courses, but the basic class teaches them how to discern whether they need to call a paramedic who can intercept the ambulance or meet them at the scene.

Eye to the Future

Scott said the course is ideal for people interested in the medical field as it gives them real insights into what will be involved.

“EMT Basics provides students with an entry-level opportunity that allows them to explore the healthcare field experience as well as patient care, and gives them the ability to advance either in a degree program or on the career ladder,” he said.

Rivera said the knowledge he gained has tremendous value. “It provides you with a lot of information that sticks with you. I really enjoyed the hands-on learning and feel confident that I can administer CPR and do a patient assessment.”

Which will fulfill his desire — and the wishes of other students seeking careers that will make a difference in their own lives, as well as the lives of others.

Cover Story Sections Sports & Leisure

Plane and Simple

Angela Greco stands by her Cessna 172 SP

Angela Greco stands by her Cessna 172 SP, which she acquired just before Thanksgiving and is now putting through its paces.

Attaining a pilot’s license involves a deep commitment — of time, money, and energy. But for those who persevere, the rewards are many, and include freedom, convenience, and sometimes a career. Meanwhile, there is the simple phenomenon of flight, which continues to captivate and stir the emotions. Said one woman who recently bought her own plane, “it’s almost like magic when that plane lifts off the ground.”

Angela Greco says she first started dreaming about learning to fly and one day owning her own plane when she was a freshman in high school.

Her family had a summer home in Laconia, N.H., she told BusinessWest, and she would become captivated watching the sea planes land and take off, allowing her imagination to take her to a time and place when she might be able to do those things herself.

The dream was put on hold for awhile — OK, a long while, as in more than 40 years. Her mother said ‘no’ when she first raised the prospect of taking flying lessons, and then, well, life got in the way, as it often does. But it has been realized — big time.

Indeed, Greco got her license three years ago, and just last month took possession of a 2005 Cessna 172 SP (price tag: $200,000). She is still in the process of breaking it in and becoming comfortable with its so-called glass cockpit — one that features electronic (digital) flight-instrument displays, rather than the traditional analog dials and gauges — but she’s just about ready to put it through its paces.

Specifically, she’s starting to assemble a list of attractive destinations, and is zeroing in on the state of Tennessee — she recently took in a show on the Smithsonian channel detailing many of its attractions and scenery from the air, and her interest was certainly piqued.

“I love to travel, that’s one of my passions,” she said, adding this pursuit was one of the reasons she pursued a pilot’s license. “There seemed to be a lot of interesting things in Tennessee, and it’s a state I haven’t been to yet.”

Thus, Greco has joined what appears to be a growing number of people making the sizable commitment — in terms of both time and money — it takes to learn how to fly and gain a license.

The numbers of new flyers are not exactly soaring, to use an industry term, noted Rich MacIsaac, manager of Northampton Airport and Northampton Aeronautics Inc., who has been a flight instructor for nearly 20 years. But they are climbing.

And, as has been the case historically, most of those taking to the air are in their 20s and early 30s — before the responsibilities of everyday life really start to pile up — or their 50s and 60s, after those responsibilities have at least started to ease up a bit.

Greco falls in that later category, obviously — she’s an owner and manager of several residential properties and is getting ready to sell them and officially retire — while Shannon O’Leary is among the former.

She’s a 22-year-old senior at Ithaca College in Upstate New York who told BusinessWest that, if all goes well, she might just be handed her diploma and her pilot’s license at roughly the same time.

She said she gained the urge to fly from her father, who flew years ago, put that hobby aside, and then picked it up again a few years ago, or just in time to start flying to Ithaca to hear his daughter, an accomplished French horn player and music teacher in the making, perform at a host of events.

Gaining a pilot’s license, as noted, is an expensive, somewhat time-consuming endeavor, said MacIsaac, noting that, when all is said and done, a license will usually set one back between $8,000 to $10,000, and most will spend 12 to 18 months earning their wings.

Rich MacIsaac

Rich MacIsaac says the sensation of flight continues to attract people of all ages.

Thus, only about half of those who start down this path will reach their destination, he said.

For those who persevere, however, the rewards are considerable, in terms of everything from the convenience that flying provides — one can get from Northampton Airport to Martha’s Vineyard in maybe an hour, a fraction of the time it take to get there via car and the ferry — to the sensation of flying, which can lead those who have experienced it to summon a host of descriptive words and phrases.

Like these.

“It’s almost like magic when that plane lifts off the ground,” said Greco. “That’s the only way I can describe it — magic. It’s exciting, and at the same time very peaceful.”

Added O’Leary, “taking off is probably my favorite part. It’s that moment when you really feel like you can do something so liberating as flying a plane; that feeling that you’re flying is just incredible.”

For this issue and its focus on sports and leisure, BusinessWest talked with a number of people who can talk about that experience, what it takes to join those ranks, and why it’s all well worth it.

Working in the Cloud

It was bitterly cold the day Greco talked with BusinessWest, and the wind, while not as strong as the forecasters predicted, was significant, and gusting up to 15 to 20 miles per hour.

Not ideal flying conditions, certainly, and many of the people who were scheduled to head out of Northampton Airport that day or take lessons there decided to scrap those plans.

But not everyone, and eventually Greco decided that the weather was not bad enough to keep her on the ground. When asked what she had in mind for the afternoon, she paused for a moment as if to indicate she was still considering options, before saying she might head up to Keane, N.H. to have lunch and maybe do some shopping. After all, in her Cessna, she could probably do all that in just a few hours — and take a nice, relaxing ride while doing so.

“It is just this convenience and … let’s call it freedom that has always appealed to people with an interest in aviation,” said MacIsaac, adding quickly that, for most, there is much more involved than a desire to chop a commute time in half.

Indeed, the phenomenon of flight still resonates with many individuals, he noted, even at a time in history when being at the controls at cloud level certainly isn’t as, well, mind-blowing as it was a century ago, or even a few decades ago.

“Flying used to be a kind of technical thing, and it was something people could gravitate toward — these were technically advanced pieces of equipment,” he explained. “Now, if you’re interested in technology, there’s lots of other things you can be doing.”

Still, flying continues to capture the imagination, said MacIsaac, who speaks from personal experience. He moved into a house not far from a small airport outside Omaha, Neb. in his early 30s and, after years of watching planes fly over his yard, eventually decided he’d rather do than observe.

Shannon O’Leary, seen here after her first solo flight last summer

If all goes well, Shannon O’Leary, seen here after her first solo flight last summer, will get her college diploma and pilot’s license at about the same time.

 

“I got to the point where financially I could do it and I had the time to do it,” he explained. “So I got my private pilot’s license and flew recreationally. Over time, I added ratings and became a flight instructor, and it slowly morphed into a career.”

In many ways, his story is typical of those who take the plunge and get their license, he said, adding that recreational flying is just part of the equation. Indeed, some are attracted by career opportunities, he went on, noting that, while many airline pilots don’t earn as much as one might think, that’s just one route one can take, and, overall, one can certainly earn a decent (and fun) living with a pilot’s license.

He’s proof of that.

After instructing for several years, he took aviation as a career to a much higher plane, becoming manager of Northampton Airport in 2004, the year it was acquired by local business owner Bob Bacon, who invested heavily in infrastructure and facilities, including several new hangars. He owns his own plane, a four-seat Sirrus SR22.

Today, MacIsaac oversees a multi-faceted business that operates under the name SevenBravoTwo Inc. It includes everything from the flight school to scenic flights; aircraft maintenance to leasing hangar and tie-down space (there are roughly 90 planes based there).

The flight-school operation generally has about 50 people working toward their pilot’s license at an given time, and that translates into roughly 4,000 flights a year, said MacIsaac, noting that 70% of these individuals are doing so for what would be considered personal or recreational flying, with the other 30% harboring aspirations to become a professional pilot of some sort.

One must be 17 to attain a license, he went on, adding that an individual can start the process earlier. He sees a few who choose to balance flying lessons with high-school classes, but most are older and fall in those two categories mentioned earlier — young professionals who still have the time and the means to pursue a license, and older individuals who have paid off the house and put the children through college.

One must have 40 hours of flight time and be able to successfully complete a wide array of maneuvers to get a private pilot’s license, MacIsaac noted, and most will take their time gaining that requisite experience, usually more than a year. And many won’t reach their intended destination, for one of many reasons.

“For many, it’s a financial issue; it becomes more expensive than they thought it was going to be,” he noted. “Or, over a period of time, something happens in their life that puts them in a situation where they can’t afford it anymore and they have to stop.”

As for those who persevere and gain their licenses, only a small percentage, maybe 5%, will actually buy their own plane, he told BusinessWest, adding that many others will join partnerships and clubs that jointly own planes.

And many will simply choose to rent one of the many aircraft the airport has available for such purposes, he went on, adding that they generally lease for about $120 per hour of flight time (that includes fuel).

Considering that one can fly to the Vineyard and back in two hours and skip a considerable amount of time and hassle that are part and parcel to driving to the island, renting a plane has become an attractive option for day trips to that destination and many others.

Winging It

Dave Strassburg’s story is in many ways similar to MacIsaac’s.  A pharmacist by trade, he attained his license more than 20 years ago, and continued to add ratings, moving from private to ‘instrument,’ to commercial.

Becoming an instructor was an objective he put on his bucket list some time ago, and he’s been doing it for 15 years now. While doing that at Northampton Airport on a very part-time basis, he also flies recreationally, and for business — he owns a medical-device-manufacturing company, Strassburg Medical Inc., based just outside Buffalo, N.Y., and takes his twin-engine Cessna there at least once a month.

Business takes him all over the country, and whenever possible, he’ll fly himself, he said, adding that doing so frees him from having to comply with the airlines’ schedules and a host of other inconveniences.

“Besides, if I was sitting in the back of a commercial airliner, I’d just be wishing I was up front anyway,” he said with a laugh.

Strassburg says flying is a passion, and he’s dedicated himself to encouraging others to take up that pursuit and persevere in their quest for a license. He’s convinced a good number, including his wife, who got her license about six months ago, and two Blackhawk helicopter instructor pilots based at Barnes Municipal Airport in Westfield.

“I’m a big proponent of aviation, and I love getting other people involved in it — I like giving people that little push they need,” he told BusinessWest. “There are so many people who think about it, but they never pursue it. I instruct people for the passion of flying and getting people involved in it and showing them that they can do it.”

That push he described comes in various forms, including Groupons used as incentives to get people who are on the fence to try to get over it.

And it was one of that Groupons that caught Greco’s eye.

“I said to myself, ‘that’s it, it’s sign, time to go do it,” she said, adding that she never actually lost that fascination for flying she acquired while summering in Laconia. She just had to wait till the time was right.

She said the lessons were not easy or inexpensive, but she stuck with it and gained her license in the spring of 2014. Soon thereafter, she rented planes and became a half-share partner in a another Cessna 172, taking trips to a host of destinations, including, Block Island, Niagara Falls, Cape Cod, Maine, and North Carolina.

“My plan now is to take my plane and just fly to destinations all over the United States,” she said, adding that she’ll likely start with Tennessee and move on from there.

O’Leary has some similar ambitions, and some others as well. She plans to teach music for a living, but intends to make flying an important part of her life.

“In an ideal world, I see myself getting a recreational license and being able to have a side gig where I might be able to take people on scenic flights,” she told BusinessWest. “That would be a second source of income for me during the summers, because I’m going to be an educator.

“It would be awesome to be able to fly and also service others,” she went on, adding that she intends to make this a life-long pursuit. “You start doing this because you love it, and when you don’t stop loving it, you get to open up all kinds of possibilities.”

And with that, she spoke for everyone who has had the privilege to enjoy life in what’s known in aviation as the ‘left seat.’

Final Approach

Summing up the pursuit of a pilot’s license and recreational flying in general, MacIsaac said it’s like golf or many other activities one might pursue during their lifetime.

“Some people are naturally going to be better at it than others, some people are going to enjoy it more and it’s going to become a big part of their life forever,” he explained. “And for some, it’s going to be something they tried, and maybe they enjoyed it, but for reason or another, they moved on to something else.”

Perhaps, but not too many of those activities can evoke the same kind of emotions — and the same kind of language used by those who have experienced flight.

As Greco said, “it’s like magic when that plane lifts off the ground.”

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

Construction Sections

Building Expectations

constructiondpartThe construction sector has always been a good barometer when it comes to the economy and what may happen with it in the foreseeable future. And this historical trend is one of many reasons why cautious optimism abounds in the region. Indeed, many firms report that they have a number of projects on the books for the year ahead and beyond, and that these projects involve a number of economic sectors.

 

Gagliarducci Construction in Springfield has been in business since 1916, and the fourth-generation, family-owned company has had to switch its focus many times over the years to keep pace with change. It specializes in excavation, earth moving, site work, and mobile crushing of stone, concrete, and asphalt, and the majority of its current projects are centered in educational and healthcare settings.

And it is extremely busy, reflective of a trend involving many players within the broad construction sector — one that is generating a good deal of optimism within the industry, and probably outside as well, because the sector has historically been a good barometer regarding the economy and what will happen with it.

“We have jobs on the books that extend well into 2018,” said Jerome Gagliarducci as he and his son Jay talked about their business history and projections for the future. “Most of the jobs are in the private sector and involve hospitals and schools. Between 2000 and 2006, we did a lot of work for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, but education and healthcare are a big part of the Western Mass. economy, and this is where the money is being spent now. There are a lot of colleges in the Pioneer Valley, and we’re glad to be involved in their ongoing projects.”

Still, having jobs booked this far in advance of a new year is not something they take for granted. “There have been times when all of our projects were completed by the end of the fall or winter and we had nothing scheduled for the upcoming year,” said Jay Gagliarducci. “We have been lucky: it’s unusual to have so many new jobs lined up this early that will continue into the future.”

Eric Forish, president of Forish Construction Inc. in Westfield, said his firm has also fared well.

“We’re celebrating our 70th year in business, and the last few years have been good ones; I credit that to our staff and expect that work in the commercial construction industry will continue to move in a positive direction,” he told BusinessWest, noting that the company typically has six or seven major projects taking place simultaneously.

Holyoke-based Daniel O’Connell’s Sons Inc. also reports that 2016 has been a good year. The company also has offices in Franklin, New Haven, Conn., and Kingston, N.Y., and President Jeff Bardell is often on the road. He told BusinessWest that entirely different dynamics exist in Eastern and Western Mass.

“Things are booming in the Boston area inside of Route 128. It’s obvious to drivers because there are so many cranes up,” Bardell said. Construction is also taking place in Western Mass., but not at the same level, and work in the public sector has declined.

“Work has been pretty steady here for the past few years, but the amount of roadwork, wastewater-treatment work, and public infrastructure spending has decreased over the past 12 months,” Bardell went on, noting that work in that sector was much more prevalent four or five years ago.

However, institutional jobs have filled the gap. “Colleges are still spending money, and we have done some nice projects,” he said.

Bardell believes some people are waiting for the work on Interstate 91 and the MGM casino in Springfield to be complete before launching new projects.

“A lot of people are looking at Springfield and hoping redevelopment will occur when the casino is finished,” he said, adding that one of O’Connell’s largest jobs in Springfield is the $60 million Union Station intermodal transportation center.

Eric Forish

Eric Forish says the $4 million, LEED-certified Westfield Transit Pavilion at Elm and Arnold streets is one of many projects his firm is working on at present.

It includes a 120,000-square-foot historical renovation to the old station in the downtown Railroad Historic District. The project has been complex and includes construction of a new, 24-bay bus terminal; a 480-car parking facility; and upgrades to the landscaping and hardscapes around the area.

Before the work began, Union Station consisted of two vacant buildings: a three-story terminal and a two-story baggage building that were both constructed in 1926.

“We’ve been working vigorously to wrap up the project and are very close to being done,” Bardell said, adding that he expects that to happen in the first quarter of 2017.

For this edition and its focus on construction, BusinessWest looks at a host of projects keeping commercial builders busy, as well as what they have lined up for the future.

Going Up

Bardell said O’Connell recently completed new residence halls at Amherst College. Four new dorms were erected as part of a greenway campus project, which will include demolishing the old dorms and building a 250,000-square-foot science center and expansive greenway along the full length of the landscape that can be used for recreation and relaxation.

Jerome and Jay Gagliarducci

Jerome and Jay Gagliarducci say they have work booked into 2018 and expect to be very busy in the coming year.

Another project at UMass Amherst will be completed in January, but right now work is still underway on its historic South College building. It includes a renovation of 30,000 square feet in the structure, built in 1886, and a four-story, 67,500-square-foot addition that will provide new common areas, faculty offices, classrooms, and an auditorium.

“The new building will be LEED-certified,” Bardell said. “It will be used next semester, and furniture is being moved into it now.”

The company has other ongoing projects in the educational sector. It just finished a $110 million job at Vassar College centered around an 80,000-square-foot Bridge Building that spans two sections of campus terrain and connects to the school’s Olmsted Hall via a two-level skywalk.

In addition, a $2 million renovation and addition to Philips Exeter Academy Center’s theater in Exeter, N.H. is underway. The job started two months ago and will expand the space to 63,000 square feet.

Four months ago, O’Connell began working on the $9 million Dartmouth College Hood Museum expansion and renovation project, which involves a restoration and addition to the existing gallery space. When it is finished by the end of next year, there will be five new galleries and advanced technology classrooms.

The company also has a few smaller jobs, including a renovation project at the Culinary Institute of America in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Another project in that state is at the Trinity-Pawling School, where O’Connell began working on a 27,000-square-foot addition to the Smith Field House about a month ago that will be complete sometime next year. “It will be used for basketball, lacrosse, and other sports,” Bardell said.

In addition to jobs in the educational sector, O’Connell has projects in other realms. Six months ago, it began a $29 million dollar upgrade to an existing wastewater-treatment plant that serves Mansfield, Foxborough, and Norton in the eastern part of the state.

Work on the MFN Regional Treatment Plant entails installing new aeration facilities, chemical facilities, and electrical upgrades as well as concrete work, and is expected to take another two years.

O’Connell is also doing a $17 million project in Providence, R.I. on the Providence River Pedestrian Bridge that connects two sides of the city and includes sections of a riverfront park.

“We’re optimistic as we look ahead at the coming year,” said Bardell. “We have some backlog, which we like, and are always looking for new work.”

Varied Portfolios

The majority of Gagliarducci’s projects take two to three years to complete.

“We’re usually the first on a site and the last to leave it. But it is a challenge to predict a year ahead of time exactly when we will be needed,” Jay said, explaining that schedules change from one month to the next, and although the end date is usually firm, weather and production by other trades affect the timetable.

Right now, all of the company’s work is institutional, and there has been plenty of it.

It just finished an addition at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield and started one at Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer that will open in 2018.

“We dig the foundations and put in sewer, water, and drainage systems, which is work that people don’t see,” Jerome explained, adding that such work takes place at the start of a project, while work at the end of a project involves paving, curbing, sidewalks, and more.

Galiarducci has also broken ground at the site of the new Pope Francis High School in Springfield, which is slated to open in the fall of 2018. This school is being built on 40 acres of open space, which is unusual in this area; most of the company’s projects involve working in or around existing structures.


List of General Contractors in Western Mass.


The company was just hired to undertake work in a massive renovation of what’s known as Building 19 at Springfield Technical Community College, and that job will carry over into 2018.

Gagliarducci worked with O’Connell on the Amherst College greenway residence project, and will complete phase 1 of another large project at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst this month, which involves relocating water, sewer, and drainage lines in the footprint and moving them to allow for new construction.

Although the work may not sound complex, renovations and additions in tight spots can be quite challenging. “UMass presented real challenges because we had to work around the student traffic,” Jay told BusinessWest.

Deerfield Academy has also hired the firm to do site work for a new hockey arena. The project began in March and will be completed in 2018.

“It involves a lot of digging inside the foundation to support the renovation,” Jerome said, explaining that the firm will put in new sewer lines, curbing, and a parking lot.

Later this winter, it will begin a drainage project at Springfield Armory Museum.

This is a federal project, as the museum is owned by the government, and will include new sewer lines and curbing, sidewalks, and pavement. The work should be finished by the end of next year. “We’re also starting phase 2 of an over-55 community in Hadley,” he noted.

The first phase consisted of building seven or eight units, most of which have been spoken for, and the second phase will commence next spring when Gagliarducci will do site work to allow additional housing units to be built.

The company is also involved with the new South End Community Center in Springfield. Jay noted that Fontaine Brothers is building the new center on Marble Street and his firm is doing the sitework, which began in September.

Westfield’s Gaslight District Improvement Project is also on Gagliarducci’s roster. “It was our job to put in the water, sewer and drainage lines, as well as the sidewalks, curbs, and two parking lots, in addition to reconstructing several streets,” Jerome said, explaining that the project began two and a half years ago and involves major reconstruction in the area.

Future Endeavors

Forish Construction has a mix of ongoing projects that include the new $4 million Westfield Transit Pavilion at Elm and Arnold streets. The glass and steel building will have five bus berths, a shelter for passengers, a coffee shop, and administrative offices, and will be surrounded by brick walkways. Parking will be available in an adjacent facility, and there will be repair stations and racks for bicycles.

“It is the first major piece of the city’s long-term downtown redevelopment plan that will be completed,” Forish said, noting that the pavilion will be LEED-certified.

Several buildings were knocked down to make way for the new pavilion, which will make it more convenient for Westfield State students to travel to and from the university via a shuttle that runs between them.

The company has also several projects underway or that have been recently completed at UMass Amherst, including a roughly $4 million renovation to the W.E.B. Du Bois Library. “It is our third major project in this library, which they are redoing floor by floor,” Forish said.

Auto dealerships rank high on the company’s list of projects, and include work for Sarat Ford, Curry Nissan, and Sarat-Lincoln.

“We’re just wrapping up a renovation and addition to Lia Chrysler on King Street in Northampton,” Forish said, noting it is adjacent to Lia’s Honda store.

No one can predict the future, but work has been steady for Forish and other commercial contractors.

“We have a number of projects already under contract for 2017,” Forish said, noting that they include auto dealerships as well as private industrial buildings and the company is always active in the public sector and plans to bid on some local projects.

He told BusinessWest his optimism stems in part from the fact that Donald Trump is the new president-elect.

“It appears he is business-friendly and wants to see growth in U.S. and an increase in jobs here as opposed to abroad. We are already seeing a rise in the stock market, and people are optimistic about the direction the country is headed in, so we are hopeful that good things will come to fruition,” Forish said.

In the meantime, commercial contractors will continue to work hard to complete current projects, bid on new jobs, and rely on the stellar reputations that have kept them busy for generations as they plan for the New Year and beyond.

Departments Picture This

Email ‘Picture This’ photos with a caption and contact information to [email protected]
A photo essay of recent business events in Western Massachusetts December 26, 2016

Future of Nursing

Future of Nursing
Elms College recently received $2,000 from the veterans honor society known as La Societé des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux (the Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses, or the Forty & Eight), to fund a nursing scholarship. This award will grant $400 per year to support a sophomore or junior student’s nursing education. Preference will be given to veterans, children of veterans, or active military. Pictured, from left: Ralph LeFebvre, cheminot local, Forty & Eight; James Hoar, cheminot and chef de gare passé, Forty & Eight; Kathleen Scoble, dean of the School of Nursing at Elms College; and Delfo Barabani Jr., commissar intendant, Forty & Eight. Photo courtesy of Elms College.

Sharing an Important Story

Sharing an Important Story
BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien, a board member with Link to Libraries (LTL) and frequent celebrity reader, was the guest speaker at a recent meeting of the Ludlow Zonta Club. He updated the members on progress at both the magazine and LTL, the nonprofit that provides books for school library shelves across Western Mass. and Northern Conn. Here, he accepts a check for $300 from Ludlow Zonta President Mary Knight to further Link to Libraries’ efforts.

Driving Support

Driving Support
The Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce donated a total of $1,000 to Margaret’s Pantry and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke Inc. on behalf of Bryan Marcotte, dealer principal of Marcotte Ford, who was named the 2016 Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year. A portion of the proceeds from the event’s advertising sales was set aside for Marcotte to donate to the charities of his choice. Pictured from left: Mike Filomeno, General Manager, Marcotte Ford; Jeannie Filomeno, human resources manager,  Marcotte Ford; Eileen Cavanaugh, president, Boys and Girls Club of Holyoke; Bryan Marcotte; Benda Lamagdeleine, program manager, Margaret’s Pantry; Michael Marcotte, president, Marcotte Ford; Sue Keller, marketing director, Marcotte Ford; and Kathleen Anderson, president, Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce.

Departments People on the Move
Christina Royal

Christina Royal

The state Board of Higher Education unanimously approved Christina Royal as the next president of Holyoke Community College. Royal traveled to Boston on Nov. 29 for her official interview with the Board of Higher Education. The HCC board of trustees voted unanimously on Nov. 3 to recommend Royal as the successor to William Messner. “Holyoke Community College has made an excellent choice in Christina Royal,” said Carlos Santiago, commissioner of Higher Education. “Her demonstrated record of success and commitment to high-quality education make her the perfect candidate for this role, and we look forward to having her at HCC.” Royal, is now the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. She visited the HCC campus at the start of November for a series of interviews and meetings with a presidential search committee, trustees, staff, faculty, and students. She was one of three finalists who visited the HCC campus earlier this semester. Royal plans to start work at HCC on Monday, Jan. 9, when she will become the fourth president in the 70-year history of HCC and the first woman to hold the position. “We’re pretty excited about it,” said Robert Gilbert, chair of the HCC board of trustees. “I think you’ll see a lot of interesting thoughts and ideas coming from Christina. I know we picked the right person for the coming years to continue the mission of HCC.” Royal holds a PhD in education from Capella University, as well as a master’s degree in educational psychology and a bachelor’s degree in math from Marist College. She joined Inver Hills Community College in 2013. Prior to that, she served as associate vice president for E-learning and Innovation at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland and director of Technology-assisted Learning for the School of Graduate and Continuing Education at Marist College.

•••••

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. announced that seasoned corporate social-responsibility executive Dennis Duquette has been appointed head of Community Responsibility and president of the MassMutual Foundation. Duquette, who has more than 30 years of financial-services industry experience, including oversight of community relations and brand development, is based in the company’s Springfield headquarters and reports to MassMutual Head of Brand and Advertising Jennifer Halloran. Duquette will lead all aspects of MassMutual’s community-engagement efforts, including the recently established MassMutual Foundation. This includes such initiatives as the FutureSmart program, which is helping to address the critical need for youth financial literacy; LifeBridge, which provides income-eligible families with free term life insurance that protects their children’s education; and Mutual Impact, MassMutual’s employee-giving program. “For 165 years, giving back to the community has been a part of MassMutual’s culture,” said Halloran. “We are thrilled to have Dennis, with his extensive industry experience, innovation, and passion for collaboration, help build on that rich history and drive MassMutual’s community-engagement efforts to a new level.” Prior to joining MassMutual, Duquette was with Fidelity Investments since 1989, where he created groundbreaking sponsorship efforts, grew and expanded Fidelity’s corporate presence and sponsorships across the U.S., and managed FidelityCares, an employee-volunteerism program that also provides philanthropic support to nonprofit organizations. Joining MassMutual represents a homecoming for Duquette, who began his career with the company and held a variety of roles in community relations, human resources, and marketing communications. Duquette earned a master’s degree in public policy and administration from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in administrative studies from Boston College, where he also earned his bachelor’s degree in English and communications.

•••••

Michael Gove

Michael Gove

The Gove Law Office, LLC announced that founding attorney Michael Gove has been named a 2016 Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Gove has been recognized among high-achieving young attorneys in Massachusetts. A program of Thompson Reuters, Massachusetts Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who, through peer review and independent research process, have been identified as attaining a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only the top 2.5% of up-and-coming Massachusetts attorneys are named to the Rising Star list. Gove earned his juris doctor from Boston College School of Law in 2004 and is admitted to the Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Bar of the State of Connecticut, the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, and the U.S. District Court of Connecticut. The Gove Law Office, with offices in Northampton and Ludlow, is a bilingual firm with attorneys who assist clients in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, providing legal representation in the areas of business representation, commercial lending, residential and commercial real estate, estate planning, immigration, and bankruptcy.

•••••

Robert Magovern, president of Agawam-based Neighbor to Neighbor, has been re-appointed to serve on Westfield State University’s Board of Trustees. The appointment marks Magovern’s third term of service on the board, following an initial term from 1997 to 2002 and a second from 2005 to 2009. Magovern’s current term will continue through 2021.

Board oversight is critically important, especially at our public institutions, and we are confident these appointees will bring extensive leadership, professional and academic experiences to the benefit of the schools and their students,” said Gov. Charlie Baker in the fall when he announced Magovern and other board appointments for public colleges and universities in Massachusetts.

“Our students and full campus community will again benefit from trustee Magovern’s keen business sense and his veteran perspective as an incumbent board member at Westfield State,” said Westfield State University Board of Trustees Chair Steven Marcus. “Trustee Magovern’s appreciation for and intimate understanding of the impact of public higher education is critical in the governance of the university.”

Magovern started his own business in 1975, which grew to become Neighbor to Neighbor, a regional “new resident” welcoming company serving customers in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Prior to Neighbor to Neighbor, he was vice president of the Magovern Company—a retail company that sold golf course equipment with stores throughout Western Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. Magovern earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University.

Aside from running his business, he is highly engaged in his hometown community of Agawam, where he is the current chair of the Republican Town Committee. As the former City Council president, Magovern formed the Financial Oversight and Industrial Relations committees. He was also president of the Agawam Rotary Club, was a co-founder of both Agawam’s St. Patrick’s Day Committee and the Longmeadow Historical Society’s Long Meddowe Days event. In addition, Magovern was a co-founder of the Society of the 17th Century, a group that promotes 17th Century New England history and performs reenactments in the area. On the state level, Magovern was a member of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee and served on its executive board.

“As a firm believer in public higher education, I am thrilled to rejoin the Westfield State board,” said Magovern. “Westfield State is one of the finest state universities within Massachusetts.”

•••••

Andrea Gauvin

Andrea Gauvin

Splash Marketing and Creative, a full-service marketing agency located in Westfield, announced its recent hire of Andrea Gauvin, who has joined the team as digital marketing manager. In this role, Gauvin will manage the digital assets for business clients, including, but not limited to, websites, SEO/SEM, blogging, social media, and digital ad campaigns. Gauvin has been in the marketing and communications field for more than seven years within the nonprofit, retail, and healthcare industries. Prior to assuming this role with Splash Marketing and Creative, she was marketing and communications manager at HealthyCT, a nonprofit health-insurance company located in Wallingford, Conn. She also held marketing positions at the United Way of Pioneer Valley and EcoBuilding Bargains, both located in Springfield. She graduated summa cum laude from Bay Path College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and has been involved with several community organizations, including the United Way of Pioneer Valley Women’s Leadership Council, the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, the Westfield Chamber of Commerce, and Cub Scouts.

•••••

Allison Ebner

Allison Ebner

The Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast (EANE) announced that Allison Ebner has been named director of Member Relations and Val Boudreau has joined the team as a senior training specialist. Ebner works to define and identify the greatest needs of prospective members and fully engage current members in the programs and services that will generate the most value for their membership investment. She has more than 17 years of experience in human resources, recruitment, and corporate branding, including talent acquisition and retention, employee engagement and team building, and labor trends and compliance. Most recently, she was director of recruitment for FIT Staffing and director of membership development for Associated Industries of Massachusetts. She also served as director of marketing and talent acquisition for United Personnel. Ebner is the current president and board chair for the Human Resource Management Assoc. of Western New England. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and a member and secretary of the board of trustees for Mason Wright. She is a 1987 graduate of Ithaca College in New York, where she received a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Boudreau is known for her ability to understand talent, learning, and people requirements and deliver strategic solutions that achieve business objectives. Before joining EANE, she was the owner of Leadership Heights, a strategic planning consulting business. Prior to that, she spent more than 25 years in the financial-services industry, serving in various learning and development and talent-management leadership roles. Boudreau received a bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University and a master’s degree in training and development from Lesley University. She is currently a board member of GFWC Wilbraham Junior Women’s Club.

Opinion

Editorial

As we noted last issue, 2016 was, in many ways, and across the region, a year of progress. The economy didn’t grow by leaps and bounds — although the stock market certainly soared after the election — but that’s been the trend for roughly eight years now.

Overall, there was notable movement of the needle in the right directions — on economic development, entrepreneurship, revitalization of downtown Springfield, progress in efforts to reinvent the so-called Gateway Cities, and much more.

As the new year approaches, our basic hope is for essentially more of all of the above. Here, though, are some more specific thoughts on what we’d like to see:

• Continued movement in response to the aging Baby Boom generation. Everyone is talking about it, which is a good thing, but companies, and the region as a whole, have to move beyond talk. Baby Boomers are retiring in great numbers, and companies are waking up to the fact that, unless they are proactive, they may be facing a huge void in talent.

Much of the focus is on leadership and the higher rungs of a company’s management, but the problem will be felt at all levels. Succession planning is a must, as are steps to train people — in everything from soft skills to ever-advancing technology — so that, when it’s their time to lead, they’re ready.

• More and better efforts to promote the region. This goes well beyond efforts to find a new logo or slogan to somehow replace ‘Pioneer Valley’ and/or ‘Arrive Curious/Leave Inspired,’ which certainly needs replacing. And it goes further than making greater use of Dr. Seuss and his worldwide fame to promote Springfield, as one consultant has recommended. We’re talking about real marketing campaigns — for Springfield and the region, whatever we decide to call it from now on.

With MGM due to open in 18 months or so, the Dr. Seuss museum nearly ready to open its doors, Union Station set for its rebirth, and Springfield primed to put its troubled past behind it, the world needs to know what’s going on here. Yes, this takes money, but the region needs to find some and tell its story with a loud and effective voice.

• More momentum on entrepreneurship. We’ve managed to create quite a bit of it over the past few years, through Valley Venture Mentors, the EDC, other agencies, and the region’s colleges and universities, but the region as a whole needs to keep the pedal to the metal.

As we’ve said countless times, promoting entrepreneurship and mentoring those who choose that course is one of this region’s best economic-development strategies. Large numbers of jobs will not come overnight, and there is certainly a temptation to become frustrated with the pace of progress. But entrepreneurship is a huge part of this region’s business history, and there are many chapters still to write.

• A continued focus on keeping talent here. In some of the more rural areas of this region (such as Stockbridge: see story, page 10), the exodus of young people is reaching what amounts to crisis proportions. Indeed, the average age of the residents of some of the communities in Franklin and Berkshire counties is approaching 60, and this is dangerous territory.

Young people are leaving because there are no jobs — or no jobs that can become careers. With fewer and fewer young people, cities and towns lose vibrancy, tax dollars, and leadership. The problem is less acute in Hampden and Hampshire counties, but it remains a threat.

Elected officials and economic-development leaders have to work together to diversify economies and bring good jobs to some of these towns. If they don’t, they will pay a huge price down the road.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The American International College (AIC) men’s baseball community outreach committee delivered just under 400 pounds of food to Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen in Chicopee to help stock the pantry shelves during the holiday season.

Junior on the field and graduate student Jason Coscio, committee chairperson, along with teammates Jose Hernandez, Andrew Gould, and Matthew Costanza, were accompanied by Head Coach Nick Callini and Assistant Coach Tyler Gauthier in making the holiday delivery the day before final exams began at the college.

“We knew we wanted to do a canned food drive and selected Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen,” Coscio said. “It’s important to give back during the holidays when families need it most. We also wanted to help the local community.”

Added Callini, “this drive was selected for a variety of reasons. We wanted to engage the school and the community. It is one of the first events they’ve had as a team. Earlier this fall, men’s baseball team members were part of AIC’s Action in the Community Day in which we assisted our campus neighbors who needed extra help with fall cleanup. The entire team pitched in. This is also an opportunity for student-athletes to develop leadership skills, as in the case of Jason, who served as committee chairperson. He is learning skills that will be important as he enters the workforce. We hope that our outreach efforts will serve as a model and encourage other teams and students to get involved.”

Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen serves 12% of Chicopee’s population, helping 6,500 people each year. In addition to meal and food pantry services five days a week, the agency provides social services on a regular basis, and a free health clinic with visiting nurses once a month. Lorraine’s Kitchen also hosts Christmas dinner with gifts for children.

“It’s great to see young people get involved with the kitchen,” Executive Director Andrea Marion said. “For us, it’s so helpful in taking the burden off of us as we fight food insecurity, especially around this time of year, to get food out to the community. Expenses go up, and more people come to the pantry for help.”

Briefcase Departments

November Unemployment Rate Drops to 2.9%

BOSTON — The state’s total unemployment rate dropped to 2.9% in November, marking the fifth consecutive month the rate declined, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported Thursday.
The last time the state’s unemployment rate was at 2.9% was in January 2001. The unemployment rate in October was 3.3%.
In November, preliminary estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate Massachusetts added 5,800 jobs over the month.  BLS slightly revised the October job estimates, reporting the state loss 5,400 jobs as opposed to the previously reported 5,500 job loss estimate. Year-to-date, December 2015 to November 2016, Massachusetts has added 67,200 jobs.
Massachusetts’ unemployment rate has remained lower than the national rate since April 2008. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the national rate at 4.6% in November.
At 2.9%, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is down 2.0% over the year from 4.9% in November 2015. There were 68,100 fewer unemployed residents and 108,400 more employed residents over the year compared to November 2015.
“We are very pleased to see the unemployment rate consistently go down month after month,” said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald L. Walker, II. “Not only is the unemployment rate declining, but we have continued job growth in key sectors that drive the Massachusetts economy.”
In November, over-the-month job gains occurred in the financial activities; professional, scientific and business services; construction; information; ‘other services’; education and health services; and local government sectors.
The state’s labor force participation rate — the total number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks — is 64.7%, down 0.2 of a percentage point over the month.  Over the year, the labor force participation rate has increased 0.1 of a percentage point compared to November 2015.

MBTA to Place Second Order of Rail Cars with CRRC

BOSTON — The MBTA announced it will place a second order for new Red Line cars with CRRC, the company already contracted to build new train cars at a facility it is building in Springfield, the Republican reported. MBTA officials say it’s cheaper to pay $300,000 for each new car than to rehab aging trains. CRRC, the Chinese-owned world leader in rail-car manufacturing, won a contract in 2014 to build 152 Orange Line cars and 132 Red Line cars to replace aging trains. Under the new proposal, CRRC will start building an additional 120 Red Line cars in 2022 after completing the initial order of Red Line and Orange Line cars. The proposal includes an option to purchase 14 more.

State Adds More Than 6,300 Clean-energy Jobs

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) today announced that the Commonwealth added 6,317 clean- energy jobs and has surpassed 100,000 clean energy jobs statewide for the first time, currently 105,212. The figures, released as part of MassCEC’s 2016 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report, show the Bay State clean energy sector maintained a strong growth rate of six percent between 2015 and 2016. The report also found that the number of clean energy jobs in Massachusetts has increased by 75% since 2010.
“The Commonwealth’s highly educated and well-trained workforce makes it an attractive place for innovative industries, including clean energy companies,” said Gov. Charlie Baker. “Massachusetts’ recently passed comprehensive energy diversification legislation will continue to build on the recent success of the clean energy industry by increasing opportunities for growth and advancement.”
“The Clean Energy Industry Report clearly shows that the booming clean energy sector is a pivotal jobs creator within the Commonwealth and a driving force for diversifying our energy sources,” said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. “The Baker-Polito Administration is committed to continuing our support of Massachusetts’ robust clean energy sector and making these benefits accessible to residents throughout the Commonwealth.”
The report found that clean energy is an $11.8 billion industry in Massachusetts, and represents 2.5% of the Commonwealth’s Gross State Product. Clean energy jobs represent 2.9% of the overall workforce in the state, the report found. The clean energy industry employs residents of every region in Massachusetts. Jobs grew over the past year in each of the state’s regions, with the largest growth coming in Northeastern Massachusetts (8.8%) and Southeastern Massachusetts (8.2%).
“The continued strength of Massachusetts’ clean energy industry continues to bring innovation, energy savings and environmental benefits to communities across the state,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Matthew Beaton. “The Baker-Polito Administration will continue to work with our partners in the clean energy industry to reduce costs to ratepayers, usage and emissions as we work to achieve our Global Warming Solutions Act goals.”
“The clean energy industry in Massachusetts continues to see strong job growth while helping to drive the state’s vibrant innovation economy,” said MassCEC CEO Stephen Pike. “The clean energy sector is fueled by the economic activity of small businesses, universities, nonprofits, technologists and entrepreneurs hard at work on addressing our most pressing energy challenges.”
The report found that Massachusetts installed 25,390 renewable energy projects in 2016, adding an additional 374 megawatts (MW) of electric capacity in the process, enough to power 56,040 homes. The Commonwealth also remains first in the United States for per-capita early-stage clean energy venture investment, beating out California. Early stage investment in Massachusetts clean energy companies grew 166% over the previous year.
The report, prepared for MassCEC by BW Research Partnership, also found Massachusetts to be the national leader in early-stage clean energy investment. Overall, public and private investment in the industry exceeded $658 million.

State Treasurer Issues Report on Financial Literacy in Massachusetts

BOSTON — State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg recently unveiled a one-year progress report on her Office of Economic Empowerment’s financial-education initiatives. The review highlighted the advancements resulting from the 2015 Financial Literacy Task Force Report. The task force consisted of a diverse group of policymakers, educators, bankers and advocates, and convened last year to develop an action plan for Massachusetts residents to have access to the financial skills they need to attain economic stability. The report culminated with the release of 22 recommendations aimed at empowering residents with an understanding of how to budget their money, save for retirement, and understand the impact of economic decisions. “I am thankful for the many partners that share our vision and commitment to expanding economic security in Massachusetts,” Goldberg said. “We will continue to innovate and expand our programs through a digital delivery of financial education and partnerships throughout the state.” In one year, Goldberg’s Office of Economic Empowerment initiated 14 of the 22 policy recommendations provided by the task force, including: establishing $eedMA, a pilot program designed to help kindergarten families save for post-secondary education and training; creating the Women’s Economic Empowerment Series, a free financial-empowerment workshop series for women; and the relaunch of Operation Money Wise as a grant program for organizations to provide financial education and programming to the military, veteran, family, and survivor community.

Springfield Cultural District Releases Video Map

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Central Cultural District (SCCD) launched a new video map to accompany the Downtown Springfield Cultural Walking Tour. The tour, first introduced in the summer of 2015, is a tool designed to be used by visitors or residents to learn more about the city’s architectural, historic, and cultural highlights. Printed maps are available at all downtown hotels, visitor’s centers, and cultural institutions, and is also available digitally on the SCCD website, springfieldculture.org. “Sometimes even residents are unaware of the beautiful assets we have throughout the Cultural District, and these videos are a living, breathing way for everyone to connect with the people at our historic and cultural landmarks, not just the buildings,” said Morgan Drewniany, SCCD director. The video map brings a new dimension to the walking tour. Viewers gain insight into the history of each location on the map and have the chance to learn an unexpected fact about the venue or building. Each video is presented by a member of the Springfield Central Cultural District on location, and is under two minutes, to allow viewing while out and about. There are 12 videos linked to the Walking Tour. Kay Simpson, president of the Springfield Museums; John Doleva, president and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame; Stacey Church, general manager of the MassMutual Center; and Peter Salerno, executive director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, are just a few of the highlighted speakers, among many others. The project was funded, in part, by a Springfield Cultural Council grant, and was produced by Focus Springfield.

Daily News

BOSTON — The New England Information Office of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released data on occupational employment and wages for scienc, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) occupations in Massachusetts’ metropolitan areas and divisions for May 2015. These data are supplied by the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program, which produces employment and wage estimates for the U.S., by state, and by metropolitan area for more than 800 occupations.

Among selected metropolitan areas in Massachusetts, the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua New England City and Town Area (Boston NECTA) had wages that were significantly higher than the respective national averages for three STEM occupations — computer user support specialists ($63,840), applications software developers ($109,540), and systems software developers ($115,180).

Leominster ($58,940) also had above-average wages for computer user support specialists, while Pittsfield ($40,790) had wages that were significantly lower than the U.S. average for this occupation.

Wages for applications software developers in the Lawrence NECTA division ($112,050) were significantly higher than the national average of $102,160. Conversely, Springfield ($94,610) had wages that were significantly below the national average for this occupation.

The Boston NECTA had a combined employment of 69,990 for the three selected STEM occupations, with 49,230 of these jobs in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton NECTA division. Among the other selected areas, Worcester and Springfield had a combined employment of 2,630 and 2,450, respectively, for the three occupations.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Western New England University Small Business Legal Clinic is now accepting applications from entrepreneurs and small-business owners seeking legal assistance for the spring 2017 semester. Under faculty supervision, law students assist clients with legal issues, including choice of entity, employment policies, contract drafting, regulatory compliance, and intellectual-property issues relating to trademark applications and copyright.

This is a free service available to local businesses that would not otherwise have the resources to obtain these types of services. The Small Business Clinic at Western New England School of Law has assisted more than 300 small businesses.

“The clinic is a great resource for entrepreneurs who lack the finances to retain an attorney,” explained Law Professor Robert Statchen. “By using the clinic’s services, businesses can avoid problems by getting legal issues addressed early and correctly. It also provides students with a great opportunity to get real-world experience.”

Applications need to be submitted by Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017. Applications received after Jan. 5 will be considered if additional resources are available. Students will begin providing services in January. For more information, call the Small Business Legal Clinic at (413) 782-1469 or e-mail Marie Fletcher at [email protected].

The Western New England University Small Business Legal Clinic was established to provide law students with an opportunity to provide practical consultation to entrepreneurs starting new and building existing small businesses in the community.  This initiative strengthens alliances within the community by using the resources of the university to foster new-business development.