Month: March 2016

SPRINGFIELD — Dakin Humane Society has announced the formation of Pat’s Cats Feline Success Fund to provide necessities and upgrades for several aspects of cat and kitten care at Dakin’s two locations in Leverett and Springfield.

The fund is named for the late Patricia Ford Yurkunas, former director of development and marketing at Dakin Humane Society. Yurkunas, who passed away in March 2015, had provided a bequest for Dakin which has been used to establish the fund. Yurkunas was especially fond of the cats and kittens who arrived at Dakin and spent considerable time caring for them. She adopted several during her seven years at the nonprofit organization.

“Pat’s generosity enabled us to launch this important fund, and we are asking the public to join in to help these cats and kittens,” said Nancy Creed, president of Dakin’s board of directors. “Your contributions will bring many wonderful essentials and enhancements to the lives of these felines as they await a new home, including nebulizers for sick kittens in Nick’s Nursery, which is our kitten-care ward, as well as life-saving medical treatments, specialized behavioral support, spay/neuter surgery for community cats and mothers with litters, enrichment toys, climbing surfaces, and more. You’ll also help with much-needed renovations to our cat-housing areas. The cost of providing these life-saving services is more than $110,000, so we hope you will help make them a reality for these homeless cats. Every donation counts!”

Donations can be accepted online at www.dakinhumane.org/support. Whether choosing to make a one-time gift or a monthly contribution, donors may select Pat’s Cats as a designation option. Those wishing to send a check may write ‘Pat’s Cats’ on the memo line to ensure their gift will be directed to the fund. Donations may be mailed to Dakin Humane Society, P.O. Box 6307, Springfield, MA 01101.

Region’s Home Sales Strong in February

SPRINGFIELD — The Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley reported that single-family home sales in February were up 30.3% compared to the same time last year. The median price dropped 6.9% from $186,750 to $172,000.

While inventory of homes for sale dropped 14.7% in February, new listings coming on the market rose 23.4% in February.

Springfield Museums Announce Lecture Schedule for April

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Museums’ popular Museums à la Carte lectures continue throughout April on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. in the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts.

Admission is $4 ($2 for members of the Springfield Museums). Visitors are invited to bring a bag lunch; cookies and coffee are provided. For more information about Museums à la Carte, call (413) 263-6800, ext. 488. This month’s lectures are:

• April 7: “The English Garden: Perfection on Earth.” Curt DiCamillo, historian, will discuss the development of the English landscape tradition and demonstrate why the English garden has often been called Britain’s single most important contribution to world culture.

• April 14: “All Over England.” Amy Dane, global traveler, lecturer, and photographer, highlights the amazing gardens, moody British landscapes, Roman and Medieval ruins and castles, university towns, and charming villages she witnessed in her recent visit.

• April 21: No lecture scheduled.

• April 28: “All About Emus, and Why Would a Museum Hatch Their Eggs?” Elizabeth Thwing, nonfiction writer for children, traces the zigzag historical trail that connects the odd emu with its meat-eating dinosaur ancestors and the Science Museum’s egg-incubator project.

As part of the Museums’ members-only Continuing Conversations series, museum docent Jerre Hoffman will lead a guided gallery discussion at the Wood Museum of Springfield History following the April 14 lecture, and docents Dennis and Nancy Swartwout will lead a post-lecture gallery discussion on April 28 at the Springfield Science Museum.

‘Parent Cafés’ in Springfield, Holyoke to Address Child Sexual Abuse

SPRINGFIELD — Parents will discuss what adults can do to protect their children from child sexual abuse at a series of ‘parent cafés’ titled “Keeping Privates Private” to be held in Springfield and Holyoke throughout April.

The events, sponsored by the Prevention Collaboration — a community-based group organized out of the Family Advocacy Center at Baystate Children’s Hospital — are being held in conjunction with Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. The Prevention Collaboration is dedicated to helping the community take action to prevent child sexual abuse. Parent cafés will be held on:

• Thursday, April 7: Head Start, 30 Madison Ave., Springfield, 5:30 to 7 p.m.;

• Wednesday, April 20: Square One, 1095 Main St., Springfield, 5 to 6:30 p.m.; and

• Thursday, April 28, HCS Head Start, 206 Maple St., Holyoke, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four girls and one in six boys will experience some form of sexual abuse before they turn 18. Sexual abuse does not discriminate; children and adolescents of all races, cultures, and backgrounds are equally susceptible to sexual abuse.

Those attending the events will receive a children’s book, My Body Belongs to Me, then guided through a discussion of parenting choices help prevent child sexual abuse in their families.

The Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime offers the following strategies on how to respond if a child reports he or she has been abused:

• Stay calm.

• Listen to the child’s words and expressed emotions. Believe the child and stress that his or her safety is important.

• Don’t press the child for more information.

• Reassure the child that he or she has done nothing wrong. Abuse is never a child’s fault.

• Remember that the people who harm children are often people whom children love.

• Avoid negative comments. Encourage the child, saying that he or she did the right thing by telling and that it was brave to tell.

Berkshire Bank Promotes Allan Costello to EVP, Home Lending

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank announced that Allan Costello has been promoted to executive vice president, home lending and will join the bank’s executive team.

Costello has more than 30 years of experience in the banking industry with expertise in risk management, compliance, accounting, internal audit, and operations. He will lead the sales and operations functions of the home lending division, including loan origination, underwriting, compliance, processing, and servicing.

Costello joined Berkshire Bank in 2011 and held the position of senior vice president, audit before transitioning to the home lending division. Prior to Berkshire Bank, his career was focused in the financial field, including director at Accume Partners, divisional vice president of bank protection at Charter One Bank, and chief financial officer at Rhinebeck Savings Bank. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Siena College and completed the American Bankers Assoc. three-year graduate banking program. His certifications include certified internal auditor and certified fraud examiner.

Farmington Bank Community Concert Series Grows to 20 Shows

FARMINGTON — Farmington Bank announced the fifth annual Farmington Bank Community Concert Series, featuring 20 free performances by Simply Swing, a popular, 10-piece swing orchestra based in Connecticut.

“We’re proud to support communities in Greater Hartford and Western Massachusetts by continuing to sponsor free concerts throughout the spring and summer months,” said John Patrick Jr., chairman, president, and CEO of Farmington Bank. “These fun-filled concerts provide wonderful opportunities for families, friends, and neighbors to enjoy time together in their own communities.”

This year’s expanded series includes performances at Pleasant View Senior Center in East Longmeadow on Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m.; the Common in West Springfield on Monday, July 4 at 2 p.m.; plus 18 performances in Connecticut.

Simply Swing specializes in the music of Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie; vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, and Diana Krall; and high-energy swing dance favorites. In 2013, the group released its Dancing to Simply Swing CD, featuring music composed for swing and ballroom dancers by Joe LaRosa, the group’s musical director and drummer.

“Our goal is to engage and entertain audiences throughout the region,” said Vivian LaRosa, Simply Swing’s featured vocalist. “We love seeing people swaying in their lawn chairs, singing along, and getting up to dance.”

For a complete listing of dates, times, and locations, visit www.farmingtonbankct.com/communityactivity and click on ‘Community Concert Series.’

Academy Of Music Theatre to Host ‘125 Years Of Memories’ Benefit

NORTHAMPTON — The Academy of Music Theatre will host a “125 Years of Memories” benefit on Thursday, April 21st at 6:30 p.m. in the theater.

In the late 19th century, Edward H.R. Lyman, a philanthropist and Northampton native, had a vision for a new venue for culture and theater in his hometown. On May 23, 1891, the 800-seat Academy of Music Theatre opened its doors to the public for the first time. One year later, Lyman deeded the Academy to the citizens of Northampton, making it the first municipally owned theater in the nation.

The theater quickly became a favorite stop on tours of leading troupes and big-name performers: legendary French actress Sarah Bernhardt, film star Mae West, and illusionist Harry Houdini all performed at the Academy in the early 20th century. Today, the 800-seat Academy of Music has been renovated and reclaimed as a venue for live theater, as well as dance, film, music, and performing-arts education.

The “125 Years of Memories” benefit will begin with a cash bar reception in the lobby, where guests will mingle and enjoy hors d’oeuvres, craft beer, and wine. In addition, silent-auction items donated by local businesses and artists will be on display. At 6:30 p.m., guests will move into the theater for a brief program, paying tribute to the Academy through the decades. Following the production, attendees will be invited onstage for the party, with musical accompaniment by jazz pianist Jerry Noble, appetizers from River Valley Market, craft beer, and wine provided by Black Birch Vineyard.

Tickets for the event are $50, and can be purchased online at www.aomtheatre.com. For those who prefer to pay by check, tickets are available at the Academy of Music Theatre box office, Tuesday through Friday, from 3 to 6 p.m.

Any questions can be directed to Development Coordinator Kathryn Slater at (413) 584-9032, ext. 101, or [email protected].

Basketball Hall of Fame, CHD Recognize Autism Awareness Month

SPRINGFIELD — Much as pink is associated with breast-cancer awareness, blue is the color connected with awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a group of complex disorders of brain development. To help spread ASD awareness, the Basketball Hall of Fame is turning the light on its enormous basketball completely blue at 5 p.m. on April 1-4 as part of the “Light It Up Blue” campaign for Autism Awareness Month in April.

ASD affects more than 3 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide. Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that 1 out of 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls in the U.S. are diagnosed with autism.

“Autism Awareness Month activities help to create an environment of learning and sharing to keep the discussion of ASD disorders open and ongoing,” said Kimberley Lee, vice president, Development for the Center for Human Development (CHD). Through its Early Intervention program, CHD is actively involved in ASD screening and helping to identify those red flags, and works with infants and children from birth to age 3 in Springfield, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Wilbraham and Hampden who have, or are at risk for, developmental delays. A CHD team can assess a child’s abilities, and, if indicated, work to develop an individualized plan to promote development of play, movement, social-emotional behavior, communication, and self-care skills.

“We work with children and their families in their most natural environment. We are excited that the Hall of Fame is helping to Light It Up Blue and keep the conversation about autism going,” said Erinne Gorneault, program director, Early Intervention.

To learn more about CHD or for more information on available supports and services, call Gorneault at (413) 733-6624.

Springfield Museums’ Festival of Flowers Heralds Arrival of Spring

SPRINGFIELD — The coming of spring also brings the return of the Springfield Museums’ annual Festival of Flowers. The year’s celebration, on April 7-10, will feature nearly 50 objects from the art, history, and science collections creatively interpreted by local florists, designers, and garden club members. More than 4,000 people flocked to the event last year.

The Festival of Flowers is free with museum admission. Associated festivities begin on Thursday, April 7 with a Museums à la Carte lecture at 12:15 p.m. titled “The English Garden: Perfection on Earth” by historian Curt DiCamillo. The cost to attend is $2 for members, $4 for non-members.

That evening, visitors can enjoy a Culture & Cocktails event from 5 to 8 p.m. Guests can view the colorful arrangements in all four museums and watch the popular Floral Fashion show as models stroll through the galleries wearing accessories created from flowers. The evening, which also includes music, specialty cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres by Log Rolling Catering, is sponsored by United Personnel. Admission is $5 for museum members and $15 for non-members (age 21 and over only). For reservations, call (413) 263-6800, ext. 379, or buy tickets online.

Following that is a presentation on Saturday, April 9 at 1 p.m. titled “Jaw-dropping, Traffic-stopping, Get-your-neighbors-talking Containers” by Deborah Trickett from the Captured Garden. Trickett’s work has been featured in the Boston Globe and on the TV show New England Dream Home. The talk is free with museum admission. Tours by museum docents highlighting many of the floral interpretations will also be available on April 8-10 (hourly, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., free with museum admission).

The Museum School will also offer courses related to the festival. On Friday, April 8, instructor Paul Leveille will teach a one-day class in creating “Floral Art with Pastels.” On Saturday, April 9, artist Annette Chittenden will lead a class titled “Zentangle Botancial Drawing.” To sign up, call (413) 263-6800, ext. 377 or 382, or register online.

Festival of Flowers is sponsored by Durocher Florist, with additional support from Dave DiRico’s Golf and Racquet, Gardeners on the Green in Longmeadow, Pat Parker and Sons Florists, Pennock Floral, Randall’s Farm and Greenhouse, and Springfield Florists Supply Inc. For more information about Festival of Flowers, visit springfieldmuseums.org or call (413) 263-6800, ext. 386.

State Sen. James Welch to Address Springfield Rotary Club

SPRINGFIELD —  State Sen. James Welch will address the Springfield Rotary Club’s luncheon meeting on Friday, April 1. His topic will be the opioid crisis and marijuana-legalization issues that face the Commonwealth.

Welch was elected to the Senate in 2010, representing a district that includes West Springfield, Springfield, and Chicopee. He currently serves as Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, and is a member of the joint committees on Public Safety and Homeland Security, Election Laws, and Post Audit & Oversight.

The Springfield Rotary Club meets every Friday at 12:15 p.m. in the MassMutual Room at the Basketball Hall of Fame, West Columbus Avenue, Springfield. The April 1 luncheon is $18 per person and is open to the public. For more information on the Springfield Rotary or becoming a member, contact Mike Healy, membership chair, at (413) 267-1217 or visit www.springfieldmarotary.org. 

PeoplesBank to Host Seminar on Managing Employee Performance

HOLYOKE — “Performance management is the foundation of performance excellence,” said Janice Mazzallo, executive vice president and chief human resource officer at PeoplesBank. “Unfortunately, the best-laid management systems often go awry due to lack of communication.”

Mazzallo will help area business leaders overcome performance-related communication hurdles at a free seminar titled “Managing Employee Performance” on April 14 from 7:45 to 9:30 a.m. at the PeoplesBank executive office, 330 Whitney Ave., Holyoke. She will address how to establish SMART goals, provide counseling documentation, and develop an effective performance-improvement plan (PIP). “Most importantly,” she said, “should the PIP be unsuccessful, we’ll discuss the necessary steps to take prior to terminating an employee for poor performance.”

The event — part of an ongoing business best-practices seminar series offered by PeoplesBank — is open to the public; however, registration is required, and attendance is limited. To register, visit bit.ly/PBPerformance.

Mazzallo has more than 30 years of human-resource-management experience and joined PeoplesBank in 2005. She is a graduate of America’s Community Bankers National School of Banking at Fairfield University and holds a master’s degree from Cambridge College. She serves on the board for the Stonier ABA Graduate School of Banking Advisory and the Northampton Survival Center. She is also an active member of the Northeast Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management and a volunteer reader for Link to Libraries.

Elms College to Host Massachusetts Geographic Bee

CHICOPEE — On Friday, April 1, Elms College will welcome 100 elementary- and middle-school students and their families from across the state as the Massachusetts Geographic Bee comes to campus for the first time.

The event will run from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Veritas Auditorium in Berchmans Hall at Elms. From 1:15 to 2:30 p.m., the public is invited to watch as the top 10 finalists compete and the winner is honored. The winner of this statewide competition will move on to compete in the National Geographic Bee in Washington, D.C., in May, where the grand prize is a $50,000 college scholarship.

Each year, thousands of schools in the U.S. participate in the National Geographic Bee, using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The contest is designed to inspire students to be curious about the world. The National Geographic Bee sponsors competitions in every state as well as the final nationwide contest.

“This is the second level of the National Geographic Bee competition, which is now in its 27th year,” said Sarah Duncan, the state bee coordinator for Massachusetts. “Bees were held in schools with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school’s bee winner.” The school-level winners then took a test and submitted it to the National Geographic Society; the students with the top 100 test scores in each state were invited to complete at the state level.

“The Massachusetts State Geography Bee is an exciting competition for students because they are competing against kids their age who love geography as much as they do,” Duncan said. “I think that the public will be in awe of the vast knowledge these students have about the world at such a young age. As an audience member, it is always fun to follow along to see how much you know.”

The state winner will receive $100, a copy of the book The National Parks, and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent Massachusetts in the national finals, which will be held at National Geographic Society headquarters May 22-25. The national winner will receive a $50,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the society, as well as an all-expenses-paid trip to the Galapagos Islands to experience geography first-hand through close encounters with the unique landscapes and wildlife of the islands.

Throughout the day on April 1, geography-related stations will be set up on campus for competitors, family members, and the general public to visit. EarthView, a large, inflatable globe that people can go inside, will be installed in Berchmans Gym, as will a large world floor map from National Geographic.

“Attendees will have a fun-filled, geography-themed day,” Duncan said. “From traveling out to Western Massachusetts and navigating around the Elms campus to competing or watching the rounds of questions, to exploring EarthView and the giant traveling floor map of Africa — geography will surround us all day.”

This is the first time the bee will be held at a college or university. Elms alumna Arlene Kowal is co-coordinator of the Massachusetts Geographic Alliance, which holds teacher workshops on campus, and she felt that Elms would be a good venue. Other Elms alumni have been recruited to serve as timekeepers, scorekeepers, and tour guides.

Wistariahurst Presents Workshop on Interviewing Technique

HOLYOKE — On Monday, April 4, Wistariahurst Museumm will host a workshop with journalist and photographer Dennis Hohenberger on conducting one-on-one interviews in order to collect family and community history.

Anyone who has ever wanted to interview aging family members about their younger years or wanted to document community leaders about past events will benefit from this evening session, starting at 6 p.m. Participants will learn how to prepare their materials, stay focused during a conversation, and how to set a subject at ease. The workshop is open to all, and the fee is $7, or $5 for museum members. No prior experience is required. Pre-registration at www.wistariahurst.org is suggested, as space is limited.

Hohenberger is a reporter and photographer based in Western Mass. He majored in journalism at UMass Amherst. He has lived in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. He has developed an interviewing style that has proved successful in both formal and informal settings.

BusinessWest Seeks Nominations for Continued Excellence Award

SPRINGFIELD — As part of its 10th annual 40 Under Forty program, BusinessWest is taking nominations for its second annual Continued Excellence Award, the winner of which will be unveiled at the 40 Under Forty gala on June 16. The nomination deadline has been extended to May 2 at 5 p.m.

Last year, BusinessWest inaugurated the award to recognize past 40 Under Forty honorees who had significantly built on their achievements since they were honored. The five finalists for that award last year were Kamari Collins, Jeff Fialky, Cinda Jones, Kristin Leutz, and the eventual winner, Delcie Bean IV.

“So many 40 Under Forty honorees have refused to rest on their laurels,” said Kate Campiti, associate publisher of BusinessWest. “We wanted to honor those who continue to build upon their strong records of service in business, within the community, and as regional leaders. Last year’s five finalists have certainly done that, and we expect this year’s nominees to be equally inspiring.”

Candidates must hail from 40 Under Forty classes prior to the year of the award, in this case, classes 2007-15. The nomination form is available at businesswest.com/40-under-forty/40-under-forty-continued-excellence-award. For your convenience, a list of the past nine 40 Under Forty classes may be found at businesswest.com/40-under-forty/40-under-forty-past-honorees.

Advertising Club Presents Screening of CLIO Awards

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts invites the public to the annual showing of the CLIO Awards, the world’s most recognized international awards competition for advertising, design, digital, and communications.

The event will be held Tuesday, March 29 at 6 p.m. at Majestic Theater, 131 Elm St., West Springfield. Registration and networking begin at 5 p.m. Light appetizers will be provided, and a cash bar will be available. On-street parking is available, with additional parking behind CVS across Elm Street.

The cost is $15 for Ad Club members, $25 for non-members, and $10 for students. To reserve a seat, call (413) 736-2582 or e-mail [email protected], or pay at the door for an additional $5.

Connecticut River Diver to Share Her Petroglyph Discovery

GREENFIELD — On Saturday, April 2, the Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC) will host master diver Annette Spaulding to discuss her recent petroglyph discovery beneath the Connecticut River. Spaulding will be joined by members of the Nolumbeka Project, who will discuss Native American history in this region. This free program is open to the public and will be held at the Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls at 1 p.m.

This is one of two petroglyph sites known to have been submerged underwater after the creation of the Vernon Dam more than 100 years ago. Spaulding is the first to locate one of the two sites. With more than 33 years of diving experience, she has discovered hundreds of historical sites and artifacts. She’s had many interesting adventures, including exploring shipwrecks, diving with great white sharks, and recovering a historic aircraft (which aired on National Geographic), but is quick to note that the Connecticut River is her favorite place in the world to scuba dive.

Spaulding is also a volunteer and trustee of the Connecticut River Watershed Council. Ed Lenik, author of Making Pictures in Stone: American Indian Rock Art of the Northeast, will include Spaulding’s petroglyph find in his newest book.

To learn more about CRWC, call (413) 772-2020, stop by the Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls on weekends, or visit www.ctriver.org.

State Unemployment Rate Drops to 4.5% in February

BOSTON — The state’s total unemployment rate dropped to 4.5% in February from the January rate of 4.7%, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported Thursday. The preliminary job estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate Massachusetts continues to gain jobs, with 13,300 added in February. Year to date, Massachusetts has added 14,500 jobs.

In February, over-the-month job gains occurred in education and health services; professional, scientific, and business services; financial activities; leisure and hospitality; other services; construction; trade, transportation, and utilities; and government.

“Massachusetts continues to add jobs, and the labor force showed positive gains with 14,100 more residents employed and 7,400 fewer residents unemployed over the month,” Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald L. Walker II said.

The February state unemployment rate remains lower than the national rate of 4.9% reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped 0.6% from 5.1% in February 2015. There were 24,600 fewer unemployed people over the year compared to February 2015. Over the year, the largest private-sector percentage job gains were in construction; professional, scientific, and business services; education and health services; and financial activities.

PNCU Hosts Chamber’s ‘Mornings with the Mayor’ on April 21

CHICOPEE — Polish National Credit Union at 46 Main St., Chicopee, will host “Mornings with the Mayor” on Thursday, April 21 from 8 to 9 a.m. Coffee and light refreshments will be served while Mayor Richard Kos shares important updates on what’s happening in the city of Chicopee. This Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce event is an opportunity for questions, answers, and open dialogue.

This event is for chamber members only and is free, but registration is required so the host business knows how many will be attending. To register, e-mail [email protected].

Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretaries Support Hydropower Bill

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker received bipartisan support from three former secretaries of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Maeve Vallely-Bartlett, Rick Sullivan, and Ian Bowles, for the administration’s efforts to diversify the state’s energy portfolio through the procurement of cost-effective hydropower generation.

The announcement followed a State House meeting between Baker, current Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matthew Beaton, and his predecessors to discuss the need to stabilize New England’s electricity rates, meet the Commonwealth’s Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) goals, and provide ratepayers with a clean, cost-competitive alternative to coal and oil generation.

“I appreciate the support from our state’s former top energy officials as our administration aims to pursue a balanced, diversified energy portfolio through the pursuit of hydroelectric power,” Baker said. “This endorsement is illustrative of the pressing need to address Massachusetts’ rising energy costs, increase electricity-grid reliability, and reduce carbon emissions to meet the Commonwealth’s energy and environmental goals.”

Added Beaton, “I thank former Secretaries Bowles, Sullivan, and Vallely-Bartlett for their endorsement of the Baker-Polito administration’s legislation for the procurement of hydroelectric power, which will provide needed generation capacity, while positioning the Commonwealth to achieve our Global Warming Solutions Act goals. As part of the administration’s balanced approach to making the necessary investments in our regional energy infrastructure, this legislation strikes an important balance between climate and environmental awareness and the Commonwealth’s need for clean, reliable, cost-effective generation resources.”

In July, the Baker-Polito administration filed Senate Bill 1965, “An Act Relative to Energy Sector Compliance with the Global Warming Solutions Act,” to require Massachusetts utilities to jointly, and competitively, solicit long-term contracts for clean energy-generation resources and associated transmission together with the Department of Energy Resources.

In addition to the benefits this legislation aims to bring to the regional electricity market, clean energy generation will position Massachusetts to reach its ambitious greenhouse-gas-reduction targets, Baker said. A recent update to Massachusetts’ “Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020” concluded that the Commonwealth is well-positioned to meet, or exceed, a greenhouse-gas-reduction goal of 25% by 2020 through the full implementation of the Baker-Polito administration’s energy policies, which include hydropower and solar legislation.

“The Commonwealth is a national leader in clean energy and has built a world-class clean-energy industry that is increasing homegrown energy and reducing carbon emissions,” said Rick Sullivan, who served as secretary from 2011 to 2014, and currently serves as CEO of the Western Mass. Economic Development Council. “We must build on this success while continuing to work to reduce the high cost of energy for residents and businesses across Massachusetts. Bringing in cost-effective, large-scale hydro and other renewable-energy resources is critical to these efforts.”

Montessori Schools Host Documentary Screening at Amherst College

By BusinessWest Staff March 24, 2016

AMHERST — The Montessori School of Northampton and Amherst Montessori School will host a screening of Most Likely to Succeed, the educational documentary that has been inspiring conversation about a model for education that prepares students for the 21st century.

The film will screen on Tuesday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Amherst College’s Pruyne Auditorium in Fayerweather Hall. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m., and the run time is 89 minutes. The screening is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so reservations are encouraged. To reserve a ticket, e-mail [email protected] or call (413) 586-4538.

The film, written and directed by Greg Whitely, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015 and has been named “among the best edu-documentaries ever produced” by Education Week.

Corey Hadden, the teacher recently hired to launch the Montessori School of Northampton’s new middle school, feels that the ideas the film describes parallel the approach to education used in Montessori schools. “What the film reveals as new about what motivates students — opportunities to act on their curiosity, find a deep connection with their work, and work with their peers — has been at the heart of a Montessori education for over 100 years.”

Berkshire Bank Provides More Than $225,000 to United Way

By BusinessWest Staff March 24, 2016

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank announced it has contributed $225,895 to local United Way organizations as part of its 2016 workplace campaign. The money raised includes corporate donations from the bank’s charitable foundations totaling $85,000, employee contributions of $105,242, and matching donations of $35,653. The total dollars contributed rose by more than 10% compared to 2015.

Eighteen separate United Way affiliates were supported through Berkshire Bank’s 2016 campaign. Outside of Berkshire County, where the bank is headquartered, the foundation matched employee United Way contributions dollar for dollar up to $10,000 per region. In Berkshire County, the foundation provided a corporate contribution to the Berkshire United Way.

“We’re proud of the double-digit increase in our donation to local United Way organizations across our regions in 2016, due in large part to the personal contributions of our employees,” said Lori Gazzillo, vice president and director of Berkshire Bank Foundation. “The response of our team members throughout our footprint speaks to the incredible work local United Ways are doing to address critical needs in the communities where we live and work.”

Springfield College Hosts Athletic Administration Leadership Series

By BusinessWest Staff March 24, 2016

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield College Athletic Administration Graduate Program will host its annual spring leadership series, titled “One Graduate Degree. Endless Possibilities,” on Wednesday, March 30, at 7 p.m. in the Cleveland E. and Phyllis B. Dodge Room in the Flynn Campus Union. The event is free and open to the public.

The event features panelists Ryan Bamford, UMass Amherst director of Athletics; Rachel Horn, Eaglebrook School director of Athletics; and Heath Rollins, Wayland High School director of Athletics.

All three panelists earned a master’s degree from Springfield College in 2003, and they gained experience working in the Springfield College Office of Athletics during their graduate-school years. The trio represent three different levels of athletic administration, including junior high school, high school, and college athletics.

Launched in the spring of 2011, the Athletic Administration Leadership Series is held each semester and alternates a focus between high school and intercollegiate athletics.

Springfield College to Welcome Former Professional Snowboarder

SPRINGFIELD — Kevin Pearce — former professional snowboarder, inspirational public speaker, and co-founder of LoveYourBrain LLC — will be a guest speaker at Springfield College on Tuesday, March 29, starting at 7 p.m. at Blake Arena. The event is free and open to the public, and is presented by the Springfield College Office of Student Activities; Office of Athletics; School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; and School of Health Sciences and Rehabilitation Studies.

While training for the 2010 Olympic trials, Pearce suffered a life-altering brain injury, effectively cutting his snowboarding career short. After a rigorous recovery, he became an advocate for the prevention of brain injuries and the promotion of a brain-healthy lifestyle for all people.

Together with his brother, Adam, he co-founded LoveYourBrain LLC, which supports traumatic brain-injury survivors and their caregivers to participate in gentle yoga and meditation classes tailored to their needs.

Pearce’s career began in 2005 when he became a professional snowboarder at just 18 years old, and he went on to earn numerous accolades, including a silver medal in the 2009 Winter X Games.

Pearce’s journey was recently chronicled in the HBO documentary The Crash Reel. Currently, he is a sports ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society, as well as the founder of the Kevin Pearce Fund to support nonprofit organizations across the country that assist those affected by brain injuries, Down syndrome, and other challenges. He also is the 2014 recipient of the Dana and Christopher Reeve Inspiration Award from Craig Hospital and the 2011 Victory Award from the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C.

UMass Center Celebrates Women’s History Month with Book Signing

SPRINGFIELD — Inspirational stories of courage and healing will take center stage during a book signing on Wednesday, March 23 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the UMass Center at Springfield. Authors Patricia P. Martin and Helene D. Houston will present readings and discussion from their book The Other Couch: Discovering Women’s Wisdom in Therapy as part of a Women’s History Month observance.

“We try to remove the stigma of mental illness and acknowledge that the wisest people are the ones that seek help,” said Houston. “We provide a caution about our digital age and the increased isolation of the individual and the danger that the sharing of wisdom through stories will become a lost art.”

The Other Couch explores the lives of 36 spirited women who struggle and overcome their challenges with courage, resilience, and commitment. Martin and Houston focus on the wisdom patients bring to their therapists as they introduce women diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, multiple personality disorder, chronic suicidal ideation, and substance abuse. Each chapter conveys an important life lesson about the human condition and touches on situations including abusive relationships, addiction, and the death of loved ones.

The event will include a book reading and signing by the authors, an opportunity for networking, and light refreshments. This event is being held in conjunction with the Art for the Soul Gallery.

“We are celebrating Women’s History Month by promoting and hosting community events that empower women, girls, and those concerned about this segment of our population,” said Jamina Scippio-McFadden, director of Marketing & Community Relations at the UMass Center. “This particular book relates to physical and emotional health, to which several of our academic programs support as well.”

Scippio-McFadden highlighted the center’s programs related to the broader healthcare field, specifically the Nursing program, the Addictions Counselor Education Program (ACEP), the recent addition of extensive training offered by Berkshire AHEC, and the developing Psychological and Brain Sciences @ Springfield research program.

Copies of The Other Couch will be available. To RSVP for this free event, call (413) 788-6277 or e-mail [email protected]. Walk-ins are welcome. Light refreshments will be served.

Advertising Club Seeks Pynchon Award Nominations

SPRINGFIELD — The Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts is seeking nominations from the four Western Mass. counties for the 101st annual William Pynchon Award, the area’s oldest and most prestigious community-service award.

Established in 1915, the award honors individuals from all walks of life who go beyond the call of duty to enhance the quality of life in Western Mass. Past recipients have included social activists, teachers, philanthropists, historians, clergy, housewives, physicians, journalists, and business leaders — a diverse group with one thing in common: a drive to make the region a better place for all who live here.

To nominate an individual, submit a one-page letter explaining why the nominee should be considered. Include brief biographical information, outstanding accomplishments, examples of service to the community, organizations he or she is or has been active in, and the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of at least three people who can further attest to the nominee’s eligibility for induction into the Order of William Pynchon.

All nominees will be considered and researched by the Pynchon trustees, comprising past and present presidents of the Advertising Club. Nominations must be submitted by April 30 to William Pynchon Trustees, Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts, P.O. Box 1022, West Springfield, MA 01090, or by e-mail to [email protected]. Pynchon medalists for 2016 will be announced in August.

Chamber Lunch and Learn Event to Explore Benefits of Solar Energy

AGAWAM — The West of the River Chamber of Commerce announced its second Lunch and Learn event, an event co-hosted with the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce.

The event will take place, Thursday, April 14 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Crestview Country Club in Agawam. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the economic benefits for Massachusetts businesses that install solar power. Guest speakers from Green Earth Energy PhotoVoltaic and clean-energy expert Jim Barry from the state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs will be on hand to discuss solar energy and answer questions from attendees.

The event costs $35. For more information, call the West of the River Chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or visit www.westoftheriverchamber.com to register.

Picture This

Departments Picture This

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

Celebrate Springfield

DevelopSpringfield recently presented its fifth annual Celebrate Springfield dinner at the MassMutual Center.

Photos by Ed Cohen

This year, its Partner in Progress Award, recognizing the contributions of individuals toward revitalization in Springfield, was given to, (from left) Brian Connors, Springfield’s deputy director of Economic Development; Maureen Hayes, president of Hayes Development Services; and Ira Rubenzahl, president of Springfield Technical Community College

Vincent Maniaci, American International College; Mary Kay Wydra, Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau; Michelle Goldberg, Pioneer Valley Transit Authority; and Judy Matt, Spirit of Springfield

MassMutual-Table-at-Dinner

Some of the more than 500 attendees at the dinner

Microenterprise Program Helps Refugees Launch Businesses

Cover Story Entrepreneurship Sections

Land of Opportunity

After years in a Nepalese refugee camp, Gokul Budathoki and Mena Tiwari found a new life — and business — in Springfield.

If all Ascentria Care Alliance did for refugees was help them get established in the U.S. and find jobs, it would be important work. But, thanks to an initiative launched in 2010 called the Microenterprise Development Program, Ascentria is actually putting many of its clients on the road to business ownership, through education, assistance with permitting and other hurdles, and small loans. The result, so far, is a patchwork of intriguing startups across the Pioneer Valley owned by people who truly appreciate their new opportunity, and have their sights set on continued growth.

Mena Tiwari’s story begins much like that of many refugees.

She was born in Bhutan, but, at age 2, her family fled that country’s inter-ethnic conflict, and she wound up in a refugee camp in Nepal, where she spent the next two decades.

While growing up there, owning a business — in the United States, no less — was the furthest thing from her mind.

“Back in the refugee camp, we didn’t get the chance to do anything like that,” Tiwari said, noting that her family ran a little shop in the camp, but it resembled in no way the complexity of opening a store in the U.S.

“Basically, we had a lot of love, but we didn’t have money,” she said, recalling how people would work with their hands — carving sandalwood into sticks for incense, for example — to make a little profit, and if they were able to scrape up enough for, say, a picnic outing, they appreciated it. “I always look for happiness in the little things. They made me happy because I worked for it.”

Tiwari met Gokul Budathoki in the camp, and after they immigrated to the U.S. — she in 2009, staying with family in Buffalo, N.Y., and he to New Hampshire in 2011 — they reconnected, and eventually married in late 2011; a year later, to the day, their son was born.

Tiwari worked in a salon as a hairdresser before moving to New Hampshire after the wedding, and Budathoki had been working at a Walmart, gaining a knowledge of retail he would put to use when the couple started talking about opening a business.

“Nobody was here to support us; her parents were in Buffalo, and my parents were back in country, so we had to support ourselves,” said Budathoki, who eventually enrolled at a community college and landed a new job with a mental-health nonprofit. “We said, ‘why don’t we open our own thing?’ So, after the baby was born, we put him in the carseat and drove around the countryside, looking.”

What they found was a new life in the Pioneer Valley — as proud owners of Interstate Mart near the ‘X’ in Springfield — with the help of the Microenterprise Development Program at Ascentria Care Alliance.

“We’re a resettlement agency,” Emil Farjo said of ACA, which has offices in Westfield and Worcester and was previously known as Lutheran Social Services. “We have refugees come from overseas, and we help them get an apartment, furniture, their first IDs, benefits from welfare and MassHealth, Social Security numbers, and ESL classes.”

Beyond those basic services, however, is the microenterprise program, which was created in partnership with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement in 2010, with the goal of helping refugees launch businesses and reach economic self-sufficiency.

Nazar al Khaled was a famous singer in Iraq; now he hawks his wife’s authentic cuisine in West Springfield.

Farjo was hired to lead the program in 2012, leveraging his education, background in computer science, and experience as a business owner in Iraq, where he’d owned three very different enterprises, in engineering and HVAC, food distribution, and wholesale.

After fleeing Iraq in 2004 for the safety of his family and spending six years in Syria, he immigrated to the U.S. and connected with what was then Lutheran Social Services, working with other refugees on computer classes, vocational training, and other skills before being tapped to lead the business-startup program.

“I was very successful in my business, but when we fled our country, we left everything behind,” he told BusinessWest. “My experiences help me understand how these people think. I can be a bridge from their former country to the American system. This is my passion. I find everyone’s success is my success. I love what I’m doing, and I want to help them make their dreams come true.”

First Steps

The microenterprise program provides business planning, financing, and training to refugees in the Bay State. Applicants receive guidance in budgeting, marketing, finance, and obtaining permits and licenses. Typically, refugees lack sufficient credit history or loan collateral to receive traditional business loans, so the program provides small startup loans, typically in the range of $500 to $15,000.

To date, the program has helped spawn 32 businesses in Greater Springfield and 12 more in Worcester, ranging from child care to cleaning services; web-based services to landscaping and farming; delivery services to auto repair. Most owners are Iraqi or Bhutanese, with a smattering of refugees from Liberia, Lithuania, and Burundi.

“They’re new to the system, so we provide classes in financial literacy and money management, how to write a business plan, how to budget,” Farjo said. “We’re also a microlender; we don’t ask for credit, we just want them to take their first steps in business loans, and prepare them for the next step, which is traditional loans from traditional lenders.”

Mike Garjian, a serial entrepreneur who has been working with Farjo in the program, added that these classes tend to be full. “There’s a thirst for knowledge; they’re fully engaged. And that translates to business success.”

Farjo also works one on one with participants on hurdles such as site selection, licensing, and permitting. “They would be lost without us. We’re dealing with surrounding cities, and each city is different. It’s a hassle for them.”

For Tiwari and Budathoki, the hassles since opening almost 10 months ago have been worth it. Their store sells both American and ethnic food products, as well as an impressive array of Bhutanese clothing. Their customer base has been steadily growing, and they’re looking to establish a space for community gatherings in additional space at the back of the store.

“It began with a little stress,” Tiwari said, “but we can say we are happy.”

Nazar al Khaled is also pleased with his new business. He was a famous Iraqi singer — “very famous, not normal famous,” he noted — whose life, like that of so many countrymen, was turned upside down after the U.S. invasion in 2003. He caught a bit of a break when the New York Times and other sources reported him dead in an airstrike in 2004, as some Muslim groups that rose up after Saddam’s fall were targeting singers and other artists, and the report took some of the pressure off.

In 2009, he arrived in the U.S. with his family and stayed for a couple of years in New York before moving to Western Mass. in 2011 for a quieter lifestyle.

From left, Mohammed Najeeb, program director at Ascentria, with Emil Farjo and Mike Garjian.

Recently — recognizing the culinary skills of his wife, Asmaa Mohammed, and wishing to go into business for himself — al Khaled connected with Farjo and opened Ahalna Foods on Main Street in West Springfield, a multi-ethnic neighborhood where eight of Ascentria’s refugee clients have launched enterprises. To hear him tell it, he definitely needed Farjo’s help.

“In America, there are many ways to start work, but no one tells you the right way,” he said of his earlier dealings with banks and municipal officials. “There are many rules, and nobody answers you, nobody smiles at you, nobody does anything for you. I say, ‘I want to open this business.’ They say, ‘OK, come back next month.’”

Ascentria, on the other hand, “brings us together and teaches us how to work with the banks, how to start a business,” he went on. “Any license or anything else we need, they help us with that.”

Iraqi cuisine, al Khaled said, is based on tradition that extends back 8,000 years, adding that his wife’s creations — which lean heavily on beef, lamb, and chicken — are meant to be savored by all the senses and demand the diner’s entire focus, as opposed to American “technology food” (his term for heavily processed fare) swallowed quickly in front of the TV.

Currently, Ahalna prepares meals for takeout, but also caters events, and aims to eventually move into wholesale distribution. So far, his clientele is mainly people who have already experienced and enjoy Iraqi fare, but he hopes to attract Americans who seek an authentic culinary experience.

“Americans don’t want to change,” he said, “but some Iraqi families have friends and neighbors, and when they bring them our food, they give it a taste and find it’s something different, and after that, they come here to buy it.”

Untapped Potential

Garjian believes Ascentria’s success helping refugees launch businesses should receive more attention than it does.

“This is a sector that’s been really invisible, but it’s a very powerful and interesting component to the region’s economic vitality,” he said. “They are competent, highly energized people.”

He recalled hiring a Vietnamese refugee from Lutheran Services 20 years ago for one of his businesses. She had been a mathematician in her homeland, but had never worked with computers. After he introduced her to one and showed her how to operate Excel, she was quickly running complex equations. What Ascentria’s microenterprise program does, he noted, is help people with these types of skills — or at least the potential to quickly attain them — achieve business success in a very different environment from where they began.

Take the three Iraqi refugees who operate Chicopee Auto Service & Sales Center on Front Street, for example. “We did not want to work for anybody,” said Ahmed Mustafa, who partnered with his brother, Abraheem Mustafa, and a friend, Omar Abdul Razzak, to establish the business early in 2015. They arrived in the U.S. by way of Syria after fleeing their homeland a few years after the invasion.

From left, Abraheem Mustafa, Ahmed Mustafa, and Omar Abdul Razzak are partners at Chicopee Auto Service & Sales Center.

“It was the war,” Ahmed Mustafa said when asked why they left. “It’s always the war.”

But he credited Ascentria and Farjo for helping the partners navigate the permitting process to launch the business, on the site of a former, then-closed used-car dealership. They started with 13 cars for sale and now have 25 on the lot, and typically service about 15 cars at any given time. They recently installed a second repair bay to conduct alignments, and do state safety inspections as well.

Mustafa said there are challenges to starting a business, but he welcomes some of them, like the gradually growing presence of other auto-related businesses in the Chicopee Falls neighborhood. “Having more than one dealer is better for the business that has better prices and better quality,” he said, already speaking the language of a businessman who embraces competition.

Growing the business will bring other benefits as well, he added, not the least of which is being able to hire other immigrants, especially those who struggle with the English language and, therefore, find it challenging to land a job.

Farjo has high hopes for all the businesses his agency helps launch, but he always cautions against overly optimistic expectations.

“They need to be patient. They might not be successful right when they open. Taking a risk is not easy. Starting a business is not easy, even for Americans,” he said. “But when they find someone who will speak with them as a person, someone who cares, that makes a difference. I just want to go the extra mile to see these people be successful, and at the end of the day, they thank me for helping them out.”

Credit Where It’s Due

Budathoki and Tiwari say they have qualities that complement each other: his fortitude and her business mind, for starters. But both say Ascentria was a key element in their success.

“I cannot thank them enough,” Tiwari said. “We wanted to find a way to find success and feed our family, but we went to City Hall and and so many places before we met with Emil. Back in my country, I didn’t know the meaning of a business plan.”

But Farjo says his agency is merely helping them open doors. “They have our support, but it’s their skills and ambition and effort that makes them succeed.”

In a country that accepts some 70,000 refugees a year, Garjian said the microenterprise program serves a social purpose even beyond raising the standard of living for its handful of participants and boosting economic development region-wide. At a time when so many Americans look suspiciously at immigrants and refugees, these small-business owners (who are, like anyone who receives Ascentria’s services, thoroughly vetted and screened) might well be changing a few perceptions.

“Many of them are coming from areas of tyranny and loss of hope,” Garjian told BusinessWest. “To them, each breath is a gift. I’ve seen people walk off the elevators here and take their first breath of freedom. That’s so profound to me.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Smith & Wesson’s ‘Night of Laughter’ to Support Children’s Charities

SPRINGFIELD — Smith & Wesson will host its annual live comedy show, “A Night of Laughter,” to support two local children’s charities, Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Ronald McDonald House. The event will be held on Saturday, April 30 at the Cedars Banquet Facility, 419 Island Pond Road in Springfield. The show will feature two comedians, Chris Zito and Tony V.

Zito is a mainstay of the Boston comedy scene and made appearances on Comedy Central, USA, A&E, and NESN. He has been heard on New England radio for more than 20 years, and currently “Zito and Kera” can be heard on weekday mornings on Mix 93.1. Tony V started his comedy career in 1982 in Boston. In 1986, he was named “Funniest Person in Massachusetts” by Showtime. He has also appeared on HBO, A&E, Comedy Central, and MTV. His big-screen performances include State and Main, Celtic Pride, Housesitter, One Crazy Summer, and Shakes the Clown.

The doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and the comedy will begin at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person and include an evening of laughs, hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, raffles, and more. Tickets are now available at eventbrite.com. For more information, contact Elaine Stellato at (413) 747-3371 or [email protected].

Chamberlain Group, Berkshire Bank Honored by SBA

BOSTON — A handful of Bay State businesses were recently honored by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as part of National Small Business Week, including two Western Mass.-based companies.

The Chamberlain Group, LLC in Great Barrington, represented by Lisa Chamberlain, vice president and managing partner, was named Small Business Exporter of the Year. Meanwhile, Berkshire Bank, represented by Peter Rice, senior vice president, business banking, was recognized as Financial Services Champion.

“We are extremely excited to honor a truly amazing line up of small business owners and champions this year,” said Bob Nelson, SBA’s Massachusetts district director. “It is so important to recognize our small businesses in the Commonwealth, as they are the job creators, innovators, and the fabric of our local communities.”

This year, National Small Business Week will be celebrated May 1-7 with national events planned across the country. The slate of leading small businesses in the Commonwealth will be honored at the annual Small Business Week Awards Luncheon at the Doubletree in Westborough on Wednesday, May 4.

Monson Savings Bank Promotes Kevin Hicks, Dina Merwin

MONSON — Monson Savings Bank (MSB) announced that Kevin Hicks has been promoted to vice president, information technology officer, and Dina Merwin has been promoted to vice president, compliance and BSA officer.

Hicks joined MSB in early 2015 as assistant vice president, information technology officer. He has more than 16 years of experience managing a financial-institution IT department. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the bank’s technology infrastructure as well as security. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering with a minor in psychology from UMass.

Merwin began her career at MSB in June 2013 as a compliance officer and was quickly promoted to assistant vice president, compliance and BSA officer. She has more than 20 years of experience in community banking. She is responsible for coordinating all regulatory changes throughout the bank, improving processes that enhance efficiency and compliance, as well as ensuring adherence to all rules and regulations. She is a graduate of the ABA National School of Banking at Fairfield University.

“We have an incredible team here at Monson Savings,” said Steve Lowell, president of Monson Savings Bank. “I am very pleased to publicly congratulate Kevin and Dina on their well-deserved promotions.”

Historic Round Hill Summit Project Takes Progressive View

Commercial Real Estate Sections

Landmark Development

Peter Picknelly outside Hubbard Hall.

Peter Picknelly calls it the right property — and the right project — at the right time. He’s referring to Historic Round Hill Summit, a luxury-apartment complex being created at the former Clarke School for the Deaf complex in Northampton, an initiative that will bring the past, present, and future together in intriguing fashion.

Peter Picknelly says he understood, when he submitted what would eventually become the winning bid for the former Clarke School for the Deaf property in Northampton, that there would be some significant challenges standing in the way of developing the various buildings on the campus for commercial and residential purposes.

As things turned out, he didn’t know at the time just how stern those hurdles would be. But he told BusinessWest that those challenges are the same things that make the property — and his project — so unique and attractive.

Indeed, this complex of buildings is historic — Calvin Coolidge, the nation’s 30th president, and before that, governor of Massachusetts, and before that, mayor of Paradise City, once lived in one of the buildings — and most of the structures are a century or more old. Meanwhile, the views of the surrounding area are stunning, and Northampton’s eclectic, bustling downtown is about 10 minutes away by foot.

The challenge? Blending the old (while at the same time preserving it) with the new, as in modern amenities and liveability in the luxury apartments that Picknelly and several partners will carve out of two former classroom buildings.

The preserving part of that equation is the most demanding, said Max Hebert, project manager for this $10 million endeavor, noting that these two properties, Hubbard Hall and Rogers Hall, like most others on the campus, are on the National Register of Historic Places — which means each nuance of the plans must be approved by the National Park Service before work can proceed.

“That process in itself was very complicated and very lengthy — it was an educational experience and it took much longer than we thought,” said Picknelly, but overall, work is progressing on an ambitious project that be believes represents the right product at the right time, and in the right location.

The Clarke School property has a number of unique buildings being converted for residential and commercial development.

“Apartment living is becoming increasingly popular — people want to get out of their home and live in a vibrant community,” he said, noting that it has become an attractive option for both young professionals and empty nesters looking to downsize but still enjoy luxury.

As for the location, he said it’s ideal for both of those constituencies he described. Northampton is one of the region’s most walkable communities, and Historic Round Hill Summit is just minutes from a bike trail, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Smith College, and everything downtown has to offer.

“The location is ideal, and there’s nothing else on the market like what we’re going to build here,” he said. “We think it’s an incredible mix.”

For this issue and its focus on commercial real estate, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at that mix and how Picknelly and his partners are writing an intriguing new chapter to the already-rich history of this property.

Taking Things to New Heights

Picknelly, CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines and the third-generation owner of that Springfield-based company, has — like his grandfather and father before him — always been entrepreneurial.

He’s picked up several businesses over the past few decades, with Springfield’s iconic Fort Restaurant, which he acquired with several partners from the Scherff family in 2014, the latest example. And, again, like his father, who famously acquired Monarch Place in 1994, he has been an aggressive player in the commercial real-estate realm.

He was a player in the bid to locate a casino in Springfield’s North End, on the Peter Pan property and adjoining parcels, for example, and the Opal Real Estate Group, which he also owns, is advancing plans to convert the former Court Square Hotel property in Springfield into a mixed-use complex blending retail, office space, and market-rate housing.

Max Hebert is seen here outside Rogers Hall, phase two of the Historic Round Hill Summit project.

The plan for Historic Round Hill Summit is much the same, but the project is moving forward more quickly, with one of the old Clarke structures, Coolidge Hall, already home to several commercial tenants, and phase one of the ambitious residential component of the work already underway.

That would be the renovation of Hubbard Hall into 22 apartments — a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units — which should be ready for occupancy by summer.

As he offered a hard-hat tour of the work in progress at the 36,000-square-foot Hubbard Hall, Hebert talked about that challenge of enabling the historic elements of the property to co-exist with modern needs, building codes, and a focus on energy efficiency.

As an example, he pointed to the windows — specifically a few in one unit that offer views of downtown Northampton and the Holyoke Range well beyond.

They are large (eight feet in height), in keeping with the original design, but the glass being looked through is an energy-efficient, double-paned product.

“You still have the historic charm of the window, but you don’t get the cold draftiness,” he explained, adding that, whenever possible, the historic integrity of the property has been maintained.

Beyond the windows, there are many other examples of maintaining many of the original historic features, said Hebert, who listed everything from the chalkboards that graced the classrooms to the wood trim; from fireplaces to the original Clarke School president’s safe.

But the past will also be blended with the present and even the future in the form of transitional-style fixtures, granite and quartz countertops, in-unit laundries, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, and a commodity that has become a luxury item in Northampton — on-site parking.

All this comes with a steep price. Indeed, these units represent the very high end of the luxury-apartment market, with units going for between $1,500 and $2,900 a month.

Picknelly believes there is sufficient demand for such a product, and the early levels of interest, and even a few deposits on units, would seem to bear that out.

“We believe there is going to be a solid market for these units given the location, the views, the amenities — the whole package,” he said, listing professionals at Smith College, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and other companies, as well as the growing number of retirees eyeing Northampton as a suitable landing spot, as potential tenants.

The Final Word

Time will tell if he’s on target with that assessment, and if Historic Round Hill Summit becomes a sound investment.

But, at the moment, Picknelly believes he has a winning proposition.

And in a nod to Calvin Coolidge and his legendary frugality with words, Picknelly was brief and to the point when asked if he was optimistic about the next life for this historic property.

“Absolutely,” he replied.

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

People on the Move

Departments People on the Move

Attorney Kenneth Albano

Bacon Wilson announced that Attorney Kenneth Albano will assume the role of Managing Shareholder, effective Jan. 1, 2017. For the remainder of 2016, he will share the role with Bacon Wilson’s current managing shareholder, Stephen Krevalin, who has led the firm for the past 15 years, during which time Bacon Wilson has become one of the largest regional, full-service law firms in Hampden and Hampshire counties. “I am thrilled at the choice of attorney Albano as my successor,” Krevalin said. “Ken was the unanimous choice among the shareholders, and I have every confidence that he will do a phenomenal job as the firm’s next managing shareholder.” Albano is a senior partner and a member of the firm’s corporate, commercial, and municipal practice groups. In addition to his legal practice, he is active in the community, chairing the board of the March of Dimes Western Mass Division and serving on the board of the New England Chapter of the March of Dimes. He is a board member with Behavioral Health Network, where he has served for over 20 years. He also works with the American Cancer Society, Make-A-Wish, and the ALS Assoc. Last June, Albano was honored with the Massachusetts Bar Assoc. Community Service Award in recognition of his volunteer work. Bacon Wilson, P.C. boasts total of 43 lawyers and approximately 60 paralegals, administrative assistants, and support staff. The firm’s offices are located in Springfield, Northampton, Amherst, Holyoke, and Westfield. For more information, visit www.baconwilson.com.

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Elyse Merrigan

Sevane Khatchadourian

Mila Renkas

Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. (MBK) announced the hiring of three new associates: Elyse Merrigan, MSA, Sevane Khatchadourian, and Mila Renkas.
• Merrigan is an Associate in the Tax department. She previously held a career as a trial paralegal with a regional law firm. However, based on her strong aptitude with numbers, she decided to pursue the necessary advanced education that would allow her to transition into the field of public accounting. She is a graduate of the Commonwealth College at UMass Amherst and recently earned her master’s degree in accounting from Western New England University. She joined the Mass. Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) as a student during her graduate studies and is currently a candidate to sit for the CPA exam.
• Khatchadourian is beginning her career in public accounting in the Audit and Accounting (A&A) practice at MBK. As an A&A Associate, she will help service a wide variety of A&A clients throughout the year. She graduated from Westfield State University in 2015 with a bachelor’degree in business management with a concentration in accounting, and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in accounting at the same school. As a current graduate student, Sevane is a student member of the MSCPA and AICPA.
• Renkas, who is also an A&A Associate, brings five years of bookkeeping experience and fluency in three languages to her new position. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Elms College in 2015 and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in accounting at Westfield State University. She has been recognized for her significant academic achievements though her membership with various honors societies and scholarships, including the Western Mass Women magazine scholarship.

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Stuart Jones

Springfield College announced the hiring of Stuart Jones as Vice President for Enrollment Management, effective April 1. An enrollment-management professional in higher education for more than 20 years, Jones was vice president for Enrollment Management at Trine University in Angola, Ind. since 2013. Prior to that role, he was vice president for Enrollment Management at Averett University in Danville, Va. and dean of Enrollment and executive director of the Student Success Center at Manchester University in North Manchester, Ind. At Springfield College, Jones will work to further strengthen the college’s competitive position through enrollment growth in traditional undergraduate and graduate programs. He has a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal and public communications from Purdue University, a master’s degree in divinity and theology from the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, and a Ph.D. in higher education leadership from Northcentral University in Prescott Valley, Ariz.

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Toby Grader

Bob Pion Buick GMC recently welcomed Toby Grader to the team. Grader has worked in the auto industry for more than 25 years and is a GM certified service manager. He took time off to open his own restaurant, but is now excited to start a new chapter at Bob Pion Buick GMC. “I enjoy the challenge of working in the auto industry. Helping people find the car of their dreams and making them happy is very rewarding,” he said. “Being in the auto industry for over 25 years, you make a lot of friendships. It makes the hard work worthwhile.”

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Jennifer Butler

Attorney Jennifer Butler has joined Royal, P.C., the management-side only labor and employment law firm, and will focus her practice in labor law and complex employment litigation. With her experience, Butler counsels companies on the multitude of state and federal employment laws impacting them, including employment discrimination and harassment, wage-and-hour law, disability and leave law, workplace safety, OSHA, affirmative action, and contract negotiations. Her other preventive work includes drafting employee manuals; preparing non-disclosure, non-solicitation, and non-compete agreements; and conducting management training. Butler is a graduate of Norwich University and Western New England University School of Law.

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Monson Savings Bank (MSB) announced the following:
• Kylie LaPlante has been promoted to branch manager of the bank’s Ware office. She began her career at Monson Savings in 2011 as a customer service associate in Wilbraham and quickly rose to customer service associate supervisor. In 2015, she moved to the Ware branch as assistant branch manager and now to branch manager. She is a graduate of Assumption College with a bachelor’s degree in business management;
• Clare Ladue has been promoted to Commercial Loan Officer. Ladue, formerly one of MSB’s retail banking officers, has more than 20 years of experience in banking. She is a graduate of the Mass Bankers New England School of Financial Studies, holds numerous professional certifications, and is active in several community organizations.

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Keith Nesbitt

Keith Nesbitt has joined the Springfield office of NUVO Bank as Regional Commercial Credit Officer. Nesbitt, joins NUVO, a division of Merchants, bringing a vast wealth of knowledge with 11 years of experience in commercial lending, portfolio management, and credit administration in regional and community banking institutions. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, his master’s degree from Georgia State University, and his MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. He is also a candidate for the chartered financial analyst (CFA) designation and will sit for the CFA Level III exam in June. Nesbitt is a high-school and college football official and a member of the Western Massachusetts Football Officials Assoc. and the Eastern Assoc. of Intercollegiate Football Officials.

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Margo Jones

The 2016 Jury of Fellows from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) elevated 149 AIA members to its prestigious College of Fellows, an honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to their profession. Margo Jones, principal of Jones Whitsett Architects (formerly Margo Jones Architects), was nominated and elected to the College of Fellows in recognition of her leadership in the field and her service to the communities of Western Mass. Jones, who holds a master’s degree in architecture from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has practiced architecture in Greenfield for more than 30 years. As principal of her own design firm since 1984, she has designed numerous award-winning schools, public projects, and significant historic-preservation projects, including Sanderson Academy in Ashfield, several projects at the Bement School in Old Deerfield, renovations to the Ted Shawn Dance Theater at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, and, most recently, the renovation of Colegrove Park Elementary School in North Adams, a project currently being considered for a Massachusetts Historic Commission Preservation Award. Jones has also served on the board of directors of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Architects, and the board of directors of the Western Mass. chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Out of a total AIA membership of nearly 88,000, fewer than 3,200 members are distinguished with the honor of fellowship. Jones will be honored at an investiture ceremony at the AIA convention in Philadelphia in May.

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J. Polep Distribution Services announced the promotion of Eric Polep to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Polep has been with the company since 2002, most recently as director of sales. Over the past 14 years, he has worked his way up through the company, working in warehouse-control positions, cutting and stamping cigarettes, warehouse inventory, and as equipment delivery representative, field sales representative, and district manager. He has also played a key role in building and transforming J. Polep’s technology marketing and sales capabilities, in the process simplifying store managers’ everyday duties.

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Name Net Worth announced the hiring of Pam Thornton as Chief Operating Officer. Thornton has had an extensive career in the human-resources field, beginning in 1996 with LEGO Systems Inc. in Enfield, Conn. There, she was able to acquire hands-on experience with recruitment, interviewing, and training of year-round and part-time field personnel. Additionally, she was responsible for employee relations, benefits administration, and staff performance management. She also served in a management role with K2 Sports, where she hired a field merchandising staff of 100 employees. She was also business development manager for United Personnel, a woman-owned staffing firm in Springfield, and most recently served as a member of the HR legal team with the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast. Name Net Worth, a startup app launched by Jeremy Casey and currently in beta testing, is a connective platform that leverages trusted relationships to measure and strengthen personal and professional networks, allowing the ability to measure the success of connections and easily manage follow-ups. The company was accepted to the Valley Venture Mentors accelerator program and has received investment capital. Thornton serves on the board of directors for the Human Resources Management Assoc. of Western New England and leads its membership effort. She is a past president and served on the board of directors for the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield. She has also held her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification from the Society for Human Resource Management since 2003.

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Cumulus Springfield announced that Bridget Lynott is back in radio and on 94.7 WMAS weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. She is also the promotion director for 94.7 WMAS and 1450 WHLL. “I’ve been in love with music for as long as I can remember … that love of music brought me to radio,” said Lynott, whose previous stints on the region’s airwaves include time at 1250 WARE, 560 WHYN, and 97.9 WPKX. “Growing up a shy kid, it was a shock for others to hear me on the air … but like an actor that delivers lines every night without fear, radio is my stage, and I love it. It is such an exciting time to be back on the air in the Springfield market and working with an incredible team.”

Company Notebook

Company Notebook Departments

Trinity Health Awards Grant for Mercy Project

SPRINGFIELD — Trinity Health, the parent organization of Mercy Medical Center, has selected Mercy’s new community health project as a recipient of a grant under its Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI), a program that will result in the investment of $80 million in grants, loans, community-match dollars, and services in six communities over the next five years. As one of the six initial grant recipients, Mercy Medical Center will receive up to $500,000 per year to support a collaborative program that will improve health and well-being in the local community. The Springfield-based TCI partnership involves Mercy Medical Center and Live Well Springfield (LWS), a multi-sector, community-based coalition that includes more than 26 organizations working in the city. The program aims to provide services and improve policies that target low-income adults and children disproportionately impacted by health conditions related to poor diet, inactivity, tobacco use, and other social determinants. Specific strategies include enhancing early-education and care sites through nutrition and physical activity, school-nutrition improvements, Complete Streets infrastructure, and tobacco-use prevention. Partners currently include Mercy Medical Center and LWS members Martin Luther King Jr. Center, HAPHousing, Square One, Springfield Food Policy Council, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, and Partners for a Healthier Community, serving as co-conveners and evaluators. Expected community benefits for the Springfield community include reduced rates of smoking, reduced youth obesity rates, improved access to nutrition and physical activity opportunities, fewer health disparities, and enhanced community wellness and resiliency. “The partnership between Mercy Medical Center and Live Well Springfield is truly a collaborative effort that brings numerous agencies together to improve the health of our community and each person we serve,” said Doreen Fadus, executive director of Community Benefit and Health, Mercy Medical Center. “It also reaffirms our commitment to population health management that calls us to identify specific individuals with particular needs within a given population, and then create care systems that work to improve the care and the health for individuals, particularly those at high risk or with chronic disease.” Mercy Medical Center earned the grant after responding to an RFP that defined appropriate multi-sector partners for these funded community collaborations. Potential partners included community groups, businesses, social-service agencies, schools, and others. The collaboration is expected to leverage system, hospital, and community expertise, funding, and other resources to improve community health. “We are delighted to be providing Mercy Medical Center and Live Well Springfield with this support,” said Dr. Bechara Choucair, senior vice president for Safety and Community Health, Trinity Health. “Mercy Medical Center and Live Well Springfield have a strategic collaboration and shared commitment to improving people’s lives. It’s a great investment.” In addition to the partnership between Mercy Medical Center and Live Well Springfield, Trinity Health has selected community partnerships in New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, Idaho, and New York for participation in TCI. All of these programs will focus specifically on policy, system, and environmental changes that can directly impact identified areas of high local need and which can reduce tobacco use and obesity, leading drivers of preventable chronic diseases and high healthcare costs in the U.S.

Lee Bank Announces Alliance with St. Germain

LEE — Lee Bank President and CEO Chuck Leach announced that Lee Bank and St. Germain Investment Management have entered into a strategic alliance called October Mountain Financial Advisors, by which St. Germain will provide investment-management and financial-planning services to Berkshire County clients from its new offices in Lee. “Lee Bank is thrilled to offer a Berkshire County-focused wealth-management platform staffed with Berkshire residents who care deeply about their customers and community,” said Leach. “We’re extremely pleased to join forces with St. Germain Investment Management as we embark on this new endeavor. Furthermore, with our recently granted trust powers, we look forward to working closely with attorneys, CPAs, and our clients on trust and estate-planning matters right here in Berkshire County. We have long considered tackling the wealth-management space because it’s a natural extension of what we do extremely well — building strong relationships with our customers and community. It is logical for us to be working with St. Germain given their deep bench of talented investment professionals, most of whom I have worked closely with in the past, and their commitment to remaining independent and committed to our same core values.” Prior to being named president and CEO of Lee Bank last July, Leach served as senior vice president/managing director of wealth management and chief investment officer at Berkshire Bank Wealth Management. Previous positions include vice president/senior portfolio manager at TD Bank Wealth Management Group and vice president of the Gilder Technology Group and the Telecosm Fund. According to Tim Suffish, senior vice president and head of equities at St. Germain Investment Management, “we place the highest value on client relationships and locally made investment decisions, whether it’s a family’s nest egg or a nonprofit’s endowment. We believe that October Mountain Financial Advisors is well-positioned to avoid the conflicts of interest, persistent fee increases, and key person risks inherent with most investment options available today. As a long-time resident of Pittsfield, I’m thrilled to bring our highly qualified team to the Berkshire community.” Along with Suffish, October Mountain Financial Advisors’ principal team includes St. Germain Investment Management’s Michael Matty, president and director; Richard Bleser, vice president, portfolio manager; Matthew Farkas, vice president, portfolio manager; and Thaddeus Welch, portfolio manager. October Mountain Financial Advisors is now open for business at the bank’s branch in Lee and at St. Germain’s offices in Springfield and Hartford, Conn. October Mountain’s permanent headquarters will be located at 103 West Park St., adjacent to Lee Bank, and is slated to open in the spring following renovations to the building.

Waterfront Tavern Re-opens in Holyoke

HOLYOKE — Earlier this month, the Waterfront Tavern held a grand re-opening event at its newly renovated facility on Main Street, featuring Damn Yankee BBQ. Events slated for the restaurant and nightclub include concerts, dancing, and comedy. Private events can be booked in one of the three banquet rooms, with capacities ranging from 50 to 300 people. “Holyoke is a great spot to set up shop. We’re thrilled to be part of such a committed group of impassioned business owners,” owner Don Robert said. “The ease of obtaining the required permits went way above my expectations. This is definitely a business-friendly city.” Robert, one of the partners at the Waterfront Tavern, has been in the restaurant business since he was 14, starting at Lacroix’s, his family-owned business in Willimansett. He is the owner of Maximum Capacity in Chicopee, which he acquired in 2004. Waterfront Tavern’s restaurant partner is Rich Davieau, owner of Damn Yankee BBQ, a full-service barbeque catering company that has been in business, developing its own barbeque rubs and sauces, since 2010.

Taylor Street Dental Offers Free Lunch at Hot Table

SPRINGFIELD — In a new campaign, Taylor Street Dental is offering patients a voucher for a free meal at Hot Table restaurants when they make an appointment. “For a lot of people, it’s hard to make time in their schedule for a dental appointment,” said Dr. David Peck, owner of Taylor Street Dental. “We thought we’d make their lives a little easier, in case they had to skip breakfast or miss their lunch break to come in.” Peck established his practice on Worthington Street 30 years ago. In 2015, he moved to the historic Stacy Building on Taylor Street. He completely refurbished the building with the latest state-of-the-art technology and equipment, in addition to adding new dentists and associates. “John Devoie from Hot Table and I are both committed to investing in Springfield and helping the city thrive,” Peck said. “Their Tower Square location is very popular with downtown businesspeople and local neighborhood folks, the same people who make up a large part of my patient base. This promotion is designed to make everyone happy.” Patients must mention the Hot Table offer while making their appointment in order to claim the gift card when they come in. The gift card has a $20 value.

Big Y Announces Make-A-Wish Promotion

SPRINGFIELD — In honor of its 80th Anniversary, Big Y Foods has partnered with Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island, inviting customers to purchase ‘Wish Stars’ in checkout lines at all 61 Big Y World Class markets, including at 30 stores in Massachusetts. Stars cost $1 each, and customers are welcome to write their name on their star for display in their store. Funds raised through the sale of Wish Stars in Massachusetts throughout March will help grant wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions throughout the Big Y communities. On Thursday, March 17, Big Y will match all Wish Star purchases and any additional donations up to $8,000.

Columbia Gas Recognizes 75th Anniversary of USO of Pioneer Valley

SPRINGFIELD — Columbia Gas of Massachusetts has supported the USO of Pioneer Valley in its efforts to keep military families together. This year, as the USO celebrates its 75th anniversary, Columbia Gas continues its tradition by gifting the USO $2,500 in support of its programs for 2016. According to the United Service Organizations (USO), America’s 1.3 million active-duty service members receive an estimated annual total of 10 million acts of connection from USO centers, services, and volunteers. The Pioneer Valley USO, located at the Westover Air Reserve Base, is one of those centers that has made a significant difference. “Columbia Gas is proud to support the work of the Pioneer Valley USO, which provides an abundance of services to hundreds of families it serves from all branches of the military. As a company that actively recruits and employs veterans, we feel privileged to work with organizations such as the USO that focus on our military men and women as well as their families,” said Andrea Luppi, manager of Communications and Community Relations. Added Allan Tracy, executive director of the Pioneer Valley USO, said the organization “is extremely thankful for the continued support from Columbia Gas. This partnership over many years has helped the Pioneer Valley USO continually meet the ever-changing needs of our local military and their families.”

Pieces of the Puzzle Coming Together in Holyoke

Community Spotlight Features

Community Spotlight

Marcos Marrero stands across the lower canal from a planned condo project that he says will offer “beachfront property.”

As he talked about Holyoke and the broad economic-development plan he put in place for it when he became mayor just over four years ago, Alex Morse listed a number of key strategic planks in that platform.

They include everything from improving and broadening the housing stock, especially with market-rate options that would attract young professionals, to programs that would encourage entrepreneurship; from public investments aimed at spurring private development to a focus on expanding the creative economy; from public-private partnerships to bolstering the hospitality industry.

And for evidence of progress in all those realms, he pointed (figuratively, although he could also have done so literally from a window in his office in City Hall) to the many developments taking place on — or that can been seen from — Race Street.

Indeed, that north-south artery that runs along what’s known as the lower canal in this gateway city, famous for its legacy of paper making, represents a microcosm of the progress Holyoke has seen in recent years, said Morse, and the promise it holds for the future.

Along a three-block stretch, one can see perhaps the best example of the creative economy in motion in the Gateway City Arts venture, a mixed-use property that will soon feature a new restaurant. Moving south, one encounters the aptly named Cubit building (that’s the shape it takes), which will soon house Holyoke Community College’s Culinary Arts program on the first and second floors and residential space on the third and fourth floors, in an ambitious public-private partnership.

In between those properties is a vacant lot that will become home to the latest expansion effort involving Bueno Y Sano, the Mexican-food chain launched in Amherst two decades ago that now has six locations in Massachusetts and Vermont. The Holyoke facility will be a site for manufacturing some of the food items, but it will also have an eatery.

Across the street, and then across the canal, one can see the sprawling Canal Gallery complex. Once a home to artists and vacant for several years, it is the site of a planned 50-unit condominium complex, one with dozens of windows facing the canal, thus becoming what Marcos Marrero, Holyoke’s economic-development director, affectionately calls “beachfront property.”

From Race Street, one can see the city’s new railway platform, built on the site of Holyoke’s original train station, which is being hailed as one instrument in the city’s efforts to attract new businesses and residents. And one can also see the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center, touted as a spark for more technology-related ventures.

Mayor Alex Morse says the developments on — and that can be seen from — Race Street are a microcosm of the progress Holyoke is experiencing.

Also visible, but much further south, is the property at 216 Appleton St., a former mill being repurposed into housing, and still farther south is the former Parsons Paper building, which will soon be razed for a much-needed expansion of Aegis Energy Services, a provider of modular combined heat and power (CHP) systems for a variety of applications.

There are dozens of other developments in various stages of progress across the city, but the view of and from Race Street explains why there is a good deal of optimism and momentum in Holyoke, said Marrero, as well as some challenges that probably couldn’t have been envisioned a half-decade ago, but definitely fall in the ‘good-problem-to-have’ category.

“The progress over the past several years is quite dramatic, and we’re running into problems of success,” he explained. “Four years ago, very few people were saying, ‘our problem is we have too many people who want to be downtown, and we don’t have enough parking for everyone.’

“Four years ago, most people, not just in Holyoke, but across the region, would not have given this city a second glance or perceived it as a place they wanted to be,” he went on. “Now, that’s not the case; there’s a lot of momentum happening.”

For this, the latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at the many forms of progress in the Paper City, and at what the future holds for this historic city on the comeback trail.

It Looks Good on Paper

As he gave BusinessWest a walking tour of the area east of City Hall down to Race Street, Marrero stopped at one point to admire the view as the limited amount of sun light on that warm March afternoon danced on the water in the upper canal near the city’s acclaimed children’s museum in Heritage Park.

Soon — and ‘soon’ is admittedly a relative term — there will be many more people enjoying similar views as residents of the city.

By Marrero’s count, there are approximately 450 units of housing — condos and apartments across a wide mix of price ranges — that are already planned or in the proverbial pipeline.

“There’s more housing in the downtown to be constructed or rehabbed than at any time since the city was first built,” he explained, while listing several projects within a few blocks of one another.

And housing represents a key component of the city’s broad development strategy, said the mayor, adding that Holyoke’s population, which was once at or near 60,000, sank below 40,000 in the ’90s, but is now back above 40,000, with hopes that it will continue to rise.

There are many reasons why the population decreased, said Morse, and, coincidentally, they mirror those economic-development platforms listed earlier, and range from a shortage or jobs to a dearth of attractive housing, to a distinct lack of incentive on the part of the development community to build such housing.

Indeed, until recently, the prevailing sentiment in Holyoke was, ‘you can built it, but will anyone come?’ with enough accent on the question mark to dissuade developers.

Recent interest in those properties on or near Race Street would seem to indicate a more positive attitude, which was effectively expressed by Denis Luzuriaga, who, with his brother, Marco, acquired the Cubit building and blueprinted its mixed-use plans (more on those in a bit).

“I see Holyoke as being not only a great place to live,” said Luzuriaga, who has called the city home for nearly 11 years, “but a place for potentially good returns on real estate as well.”

The basic development strategy for Holyoke is similar to the ones being blueprinted for other Gateway cities, said Morse, noting that, in simple terms, it involves making the community a more attractive place to live, work, and start a business — which Holyoke was until fairly recently.

There are many moving parts within this strategy, he went on, listing everything from job creation to new housing options; from incubator space in which new businesses can take root to rail service that can connect residents to jobs and clients, and connect others with Holyoke.

It will take years, perhaps even decades, for the canvas to fill in completely, but pieces to the puzzle are falling into place. And to see this — although in many cases the assignment requires imagination because projects haven’t started yet — we return to Race Street.

This artery certainly speaks to Holyoke’s past — it is dotted with old mills that manufactured everything from paper to wire, with emphasis on the past tense — but also its present and future.

Regarding the former, many of those properties have been vacant or underutilized for years, if not decades. As for the latter, the projects on the drawing board reflect broad optimism for a more vibrant city.

The Shape of Things to Come

The Luzuriaga brothers are in many ways typical of what could be considered a new generation of investors in Holyoke, lured by attractively priced but structurally sound real estate, but moreso by the city’s potential to reverse its fortunes.

Denis Luzuriaga told BusinessWest that he was a dabbler in commercial real estate, focusing on multi-family homes, when he decided to takes things up a notch — or two. And when deciding where to scale up his activities, he focused on the Paper City because of its attractive opportunities and recognizable momentum.

The Luzuriagas hadn’t officially closed on the 50,000-square-foot Cubit building (purchase price $350,000) when Holyoke Community College put out a request for proposals for a location in the city’s downtown in which to relocate its Culinary Arts program, but they submitted a proposal anyway.

It wasn’t chosen by the school (none of the bids in that round were), but it did garner some attention. And when the winner of the next round of submissions couldn’t make that plan materialize, the school went back to the Cubit building.

Denis Luzuriaga, who, with his brother, Marco, is rehabbing the Cubit building, is among a new generation of investors in Holyoke.

Work on that project is slated to begin in a few months, said Luzuriaga, adding that roughly the same timetable applies to the residential component of the property — 18 units of market-rate apartments. At present, work is ongoing to replace the large windows that pour natural light into the property, which has housed operations manufacturing everything from shoelaces to corsets to wire.

Looking back to when he arrived in Holyoke, Luzuriaga said he liked what he saw — an old mill city with history, character, and potential. And now, he likes the picture that much more.

“There was something about this city, beyond the people and the way it looked, especially in the downtown area, that was very attractive to me,” he said. “I could see the potential for all kinds of positive change.”

So could Lori Divine, when she and fellow artist Vitek Kruta created Gateway City Arts in 2012. The venture has grown over the years, and now puts under one roof everything from learning areas to co-working space; from an event facility to incubator facilities for food-service businesses.

Actually, it’s two roofs (there are adjoining buildings along Race Street), and the expansion process is ongoing.

Indeed, the venture now includes Gateway City Live, which, as that name suggests, hosts a wide variety of live entertainment and events ranging from ‘tango nights’ to weddings. Coming next is the Gateway City Bistro, set to open in June, which will bring another much-needed eatery to the downtown area.

Divine and Kruta were so intrigued by the possibilities downtown that they acquired the Steam Building further down Race Street, so called because it once housed a steam-equipment manufacturer, and renamed it the STEAM (Sustainability Technology Entrepreneurship Art Media) building, with intentions for more mixed-use activity. It currently hosts a few businesses, including a web-design company and an alternative education program called Lighthouse, and will soon be home to a karate studio.

Assessing the scene along Race Street, and Holyoke in general, Divine sees momentum accumulating at a solid pace.

“It’s really exciting,” she said. “The Canal Walk is beautiful, the area is safe — and I know safety is a big issue for people — and it’s fun. It’s just a great place to be.”

Looking forward, the obvious goal is to prompt more residents and business owners to say just that, said Morse, adding that there is progress on both fronts.

The Parsons Paper demolition and cleanup, a long-awaited development after fire extensively damaged the site two years ago, will enable Aegis Energy Services, one of Holyoke’s fastest-growing companies, to expand in the city, he said.

Meanwhile, programs such as the SPARK (Stimulating Potential, Assessing Resource Knowledge) initiative, launched by the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, helps residents develop ideas into businesses.

“We want to encourage entrepreneurship, and we’re been recognized as one of the leading cities in that regard,” he explained, citing the city’s presence on a listing in Popular Mechanics. “This is a city with a history of entrepreneurship and innovation, and it continues today.”

Building Momentum

Luzuriaga believes Holyoke can and will attract more investors, turn its fortunes around, and become a true destination. And that optimism stems from the fact that he’s seen such a reversal of fortune up close and personal.

That was in Jersey City, N.J., a community across the Hudson River from Manhattan that had fallen on hard times and was making progress with the hard work of getting back on its feet while Luzuriaga lived and worked there.

“When I moved there 20 years ago, you could see that it had seen better days,” he explained. “It took a lot of effort by developers and city officials to get a steady pace of growth going, and I see the same type of thing happening in Holyoke; all the indicators are there.”

Luzuriaga says Jersey City was just starting to hit its stride by the time he relocated to Holyoke nearly 11 years ago. But he visits friends there often and marvels at the turnaround.

In Holyoke, he expects to not only witness the turnaround, but be a real part it. And he’ll have a front-row seat — right there on Race Street, at his beachfront property.

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

Holyoke at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1850
Population: 40.135 (2012)
Area: 22.8 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: 19.12
Commercial Tax Rate: 39.86
Median Household Income: $33,242
Family Household Income: $39,130
Type of government: Mayor, City Council
Largest employers: Holyoke Medical Center, Holyoke Community College, ISO New England, Universal Plastics, Marox Corp.
* Latest information available

Springfield’s Mayor Isn’t About to Rest on Any Laurels

Features

Forward Thinking

Mayor Domenic Sarno with a just a tiny piece of the vast collection of items now on display in his office.

Now in his ninth year as Springfield’s CEO, Domenic Sarno says much has been accomplished since he took office. He’s proud of these feats and will list them if prodded, but he’s more focused on the hard work still to come in the ongoing efforts to return the city to prominence. He’s buoyed by mounting evidence that cities, in general, are making a comeback, and that his, battle-tested by various forms of adversity, is more than ready to break out.

Domenic Sarno has now been mayor of Springfield for eight years and three months, give or take a few days. That means he’s been in that office longer than anyone in nearly six decades.

And if one wants to get an appreciation for everything’s that’s gone down in that time, all he or she has to do is visit Sarno’s office on the second floor of City Hall and take a good look around. But it would be wise to schedule a good bit of time for that assignment, if one wants to do it right.

Indeed, while most all mayors amass and display items that have come their way over their tenures, it’s unlikely that any corner-office holder can top this collection.

Almost every inch of Sarno’s large desk has been obliterated by a host of items, and all but the highest reaches of the tall, paneled walls are covered, mostly by photographs. Meanwhile, a decent chunk of floor space has been lost to items that can stand, like the nearly two dozen ceremonial shovels given to the mayor at groundbreakings for everything from MGM’s casino to CRRC’s subway-car manufacturing plant; from AIC’s new dining commons to Central High’s new science labs.

As for the photographs, they come in all shapes and sizes and portray a wide range of subjects. Framed shots of his family — father, mother, wife Carla, and daughters Cassandra and Chiara — sit on a shelf directly across the room from the center of his desk, for easy viewing, something he says he does often, and particularly when the going gets tough.

As for the rest of the photos, most of them unframed and printed from his computer or the sender’s, they run the gamut, and feature the mayor with individuals and groups of all sizes. There are some celebrities in the mix — Rob Gronkowski, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Charles Barkley, and the late Tom Menino, long-time mayor of Boston, would all qualify for that category. But most portray city residents with no claims to fame, and especially children in settings ranging from the classroom to the Big Balloon Parade.

Together, the items tell a story — actually, two of them.

First, they do a decent job of chronicling major developments and milestones during Sarno’s tenure — a list that includes everything from MGM’s historic decision to choose Springfield for a Western Mass. casino to the 25th anniversary of the Spirit of Springfield, conveyed in a large book that takes up a good amount of that desktop.

But the compendium also tells you a good deal about the person — an admittedly poor delegator who likes to be hands-on — who amassed it, hung all those pictures himself, and defies attempts by his staff to thin the herd of collectibles.

Together, he says, they speak to matters that are important to him — it would appear, then, there is very little that is unimportant — and that he doesn’t display them for his own viewing pleasure.

“People send me stuff all the time, and they love it when they come in, whether it’s for a meeting or a cup of coffee, and they see that photo that they sent or the gift they presented,” said Sarno, adding that he can help people in that quest because he knows where everything is. “It makes them feel part of the city, part of the administration.”

What this vast collection doesn’t convey, and obviously can’t, is what happens next.

Sarno admitted that many of the goals he set when he became mayor — everything from improved finances (the city now boasts the highest bond rating in its history) to more vitality downtown to sharp reductions in crime rates — have been achieved, to one degree or another.

Mayor Sarno says Springfield is primed to take full advantage of a movement back to cities by young professionals and retiring Baby Boomers.

But perhaps the biggest goal — restoring a sense of pride that has been missing since long before he took office — is still very much a work in progress.

When he became mayor, Sarno’s stated objective was to prompt people to stop saying ‘why Springfield?’ and start saying ‘why not Springfield?’ And while most have made an adjustment of sorts, many are still using some variation of the old language, and he wants that to change.

“We’ve shown what we can do, but we have to continue to confront, in concrete ways, the naysayers and the haters,” he explained. “I think this happens in every urban center — people get the sense that you can’t succeed. I know we can succeed, but we have to change the morale, the psyche of the city.”

For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Sarno about what’s been accomplished, what remains to be done, and how he intends to build on the collection in his office, even though there’s no room left for anything bigger than a commemorative thumbtack.

Picture Perfect

Sarno’s résumé is replete with career stops that have provided him with experience and mentorship that have helped him navigate eight years as the city’s CEO.

That list includes his four terms on the City Council and time as its president; his presence on the Financial Control Board that essentially ran the city for several years, including his early time in office; a lengthy stint as executive director of the South End Community Center; work in Hampden County District Attorney William Bennett’s office, where, among other things, he directed a program for juvenile probationers; and two years spent in the small office just a few feet away from the one he currently occupies, as aide to Mayor Mary Hurley.

But the top line on that résumé — or the bottom one, depending on how things are arranged chronologically — fits that category as well.

It reads simply ‘flooring installer, Corby Co.,’ four words that don’t begin to convey all that Sarno, then in his early 20s, gleaned from that job.

“Let me start by saying that I hated grouting — I mean, I really hated it,” he said, referring to the work of placing grout between tiles to keep them in place. “But I learned a lot on that job about working hard, getting your hands dirty, and taking pride in your work — and that’s why I always leave that line on my résumé.”

There is little, if anything, about his current job that he hates, although he admits there are frustrating days — many of them, in fact.

“There are times when I want to bang my head against the wall, and there are times when I want to bang someone else’s head against a wall,” he said, sounding a tiny bit like the Republican frontrunner for president. “And then you’ll get a thank-you card or letter or run into someone on the street, and they say, ‘thanks, mayor — you helped that individual or that cause or that family.’ And that keeps you going.”

He said he’s also had to endure a steep learning curve, despite all that he observed as Hurley’s aide, a city councilor, and Control Board member, and says the learning never stops.

Echoing sentiments he expressed to BusinessWest just a few months after taking office in 2008, when the top of his desk was uncluttered and the walls clear, he said that one can’t fully appreciate what it’s like to be mayor until one actually has that title on his or her business card — only Sarno doesn’t carry business cards.

Instead, he carries ‘Text-a-Tip’ cards, which, as that name suggests, implores the holder to text in tips that might help prevent or solve a crime, and he hands them out to everyone. But that’s another story.

Getting back to this one, Sarno said that when he talks about how his a 24/7 job, he means it.

“You can never turn off being mayor,” he explained. “When someone reaches out to you, no matter what day or time, night or day, you can’t say, ‘time out, I’m not the mayor right now.’ It’s part of your DNA.”

And this is especially true when his office, and the city itself, are in crisis mode. And there’s been a lot of that over the past eight years, including disasters of the Mother Nature-induced variety, such as the June tornado and October Nor’easter in 2011; the man-made type, such as the 2012 natural-gas explosion; and the Great Recession, which is in a category all its own.

Sarno told BusinessWest that weathering these storms has left the city — and him — battle-tested, for lack of a better term, and in some ways better able to tackle the hard work that remains.

Talking the Talk

Referring back to that learning curve he mentioned, Sarno said it takes many forms and includes virtually all aspects of the job, including that part about not being able to please everyone — something he knew already, but needed to experience as mayor, not as someone merely advising that office holder.

Also in that category is the art of public speaking, something he has to do almost every day. He believes he’s getting better at it, and constantly perfecting a style that blends unprepared remarks, humor, and his signature ending: ‘God bless you all, and God bless Springfield.’

“I don’t like to be on script — I like going off the top of my head,” he explained. “You need to do your homework and know your subject, but you also need to come from your head, your heart, and your gut. And you need to personalize and know your audience; you need to know when a dissertation is not warranted.”

Most all of his speeches also make reference to what he calls ‘priorities 1A and 1B.’ These would be education and jobs, respectively, and they represent the keys, he said, to alleviating the vexing problems of crime and poverty, not only in Springfield, but in every major urban center.

Seen here at the Big Balloon Parade, Mayor Sarno says Springfield has made progress, but work remains to improve the city’s psyche.

So while maintaining his focus on constituent service and what he calls the “meat and potatoes” of this job — making sure the trash gets picked up and the roads are plowed, for example — he places special emphasis on 1A and 1B, and believes progress has been achieved in both realms.

“People are less likely to get into that vicious cycle of poverty or involved in public-safety issues if they have a career trajectory,” he said, adding that his administration’s focus on jobs includes everything from attracting large new employers like MGM to encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation, through a variety of programs.

Overall, Sarno wants Springfield to be a place where people will want to raise a family, start a business, or both, and that stated goal is a tacit admission that people have been wary of doing so in recent years, and such attitudes still persist.

And this brings him back to that challenge of improving the city’s collective psyche. It won’t happen through a marketing initiative, although that might help, and the city has created one, he said. No, it will come about only if and when Springfield creates sufficient vibrancy and quality of life to become a destination.

Other urban centers have scripted impressive turnaround stories, he said, listing Lowell, Mass. and Brooklyn, N.Y. as examples, while noting that he’s buoyed by mounting evidence that cities are making a comeback decades after many residents and businesses abandoned them for the suburbs.

“We want to build on this phenomenon that’s happening across the country — empty nesters and Baby Boomers, besides young professionals, want to come back to their core city,” he said, “if you keep it clean and safe and give them the amenities they’re looking for — market-rate housing, job opportunities, and excitement.”

As for that marketing video, he said his administration thought about creating one several years ago, but didn’t believe there were enough success stories to tell. Now, there are more than enough, he noted, citing $2.5 billion in public and private investments taking place or recently completed.

Such numbers, and images, should help change some attitudes outside the city, he went on, adding that he’s probably more concerned about the outlook of those already living and or working in Springfield.

“This will get people to take a new look at themselves and the city,” Sarno explained. “Sometimes, we’re our own worst enemy, and we need to address that. I’m not going to paint a panacea of urban America — there are issues that you have to deal with day to day, and we’re doing that, but there are good things happening in Springfield.”

Collective Thoughts

As he looked around his office, Sarno all but acknowledged what his staff has been telling him for a long time now — that his office collection is due for some downsizing.

He’s not sure when or even if he’s going to get started on that project, or where he will put the items that come down off the walls or his desktop.

He does know that he probably has at least three years and nine months still to serve in this capacity, and that means more photos, T-shirts, ball caps, ceremonial shovels, and other items. His office isn’t going to get any bigger, so something will have to give.

What won’t give is his resolve to keep moving forward in his bid to achieve a real turnaround in Springfield. Progress has been made, but the job is far from finished.

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

Tighe & Bond Engineers an Ambitious Growth Plan

Environment and Engineering Sections

Generation Next

President David Pinsky says Tighe & Bond projects run the gamut from wastewater-facility design to coastal engineering; from alternative-energy initiatives to the Westfield River levee trail.

In its first 90-plus years, Tighe & Bond had emerged as a Western Mass. leader in civil engineering, carving out a strong reputation and myriad civil-engineering projects around the region. But over the past decade, the company has embarked on an impressive growth trajectory, adding offices, expanding its services, and adding 100 employees. The current vision, President David Pinsky says, involves staying independent, nimble, sensitive to industry trends, and increasingly driven by a burgeoning youth movement.

With 105 years in business and a workforce of 270, Tighe & Bond boasts numerous employees whose experience stretches back four and five decades. But many more are just beginning their career journey.

It’s a healthy mix, David Pinsky says.

“For the first time, Millennials are the largest generation at Tighe & Bond,” the firm’s president noted. “I think it’s exciting — four generations working together. We’ve got young professionals working with seasoned people, and they’re all learning from each other. We have some wonderful young talent; I’m so excited.”

At the same time, many of the company’s long-time clients are experiencing the same shift, as Baby Boomers begin to retire and Millennials climb the leadership ladder. It’s just one more reminder that nothing stays the same in the world of civil engineering, which is why Tighe & Bond has maintained an ambitious schedule of growth and expansion over the past decade.

“It starts with a vision for the company,” Pinsky said, holding a copy of a strategic plan, titled “Vision 2020,” the latest iteration of an exercise the company conducts every few years. “We sit down and talk and develop a strategic plan, and that starts with a vision of where we want to go. The real challenge is executing that plan.”

The most basic goal, he told BusinessWest, is to remain a privately owned, independent company at a time of great consolidation in the industry, with larger firms constantly acquiring smaller ones.

“We like exactly where we are; it provides some unique opportunities. We’re a regional, northeast firm — no longer just a Western Mass. firm, but not a national firm. We know our place, and it’s a sweet spot for us. We continue to grow, but not for growth’s sake. We want to grow profitably and be better able to serve our clients.”

That growth has been significant in nature; Tighe & Bond saw its workforce increase from 170 to just over 200 from 2006 to 2011, and the past five years have seen an even more dramatic surge, to a current roster of 270 — what Pinsky calls moderate and steady, but not “crazy,” growth, of between 5% and 10% per year. “That’s comfortable for us, and not overwhelming for employees.”

Growth has come in two ways, he added: Geographic expansion and adding new services. For the former, over the past five years, the company has opened up new offices in Portsmouth, N.H. — allowing it to reach customers in that state as well as Northeastern Mass. and Southern Maine, Pinsky said — as well as new branches in Westwood, serving Eastern Mass., and Red Hook, N.Y.

Go HERE for a PDF chart of the region’s engineering firms

The company had already tackled projects in these areas, Pinsky noted, and expanding its footprint simply enabled it to better serve those clients, as well as shift some employees who live in those areas and had been commuting long distances. In the case of Portsmouth, Tighe & Bond acquired an existing firm, doubled its office size, and retained many of its employees and leadership.

Chief Additions

Partly in response to that growth, Tighe & Bond has added two new leadership positions over the past two years, hiring Bill Hardy as chief operating officer and Bob Belitz as chief financial officer. “It’s been great having their experience and work ethic on the team, helping us as we continue to grow,” Pinsky said.

For more than a century, the company lacked those specific roles. Founded in 1911 to consult on broad-based civil-engineering projects, Tighe & Bond eventually came to specialize in environmental engineering, focusing on water, wastewater, solid-waste, and hazardous-waste issues, and now boasts eight offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York.

Tighe & Bond designed Holyoke’s new treatment facility that disinfects drinking water using ultraviolet light.

The firm’s diversity of expertise, said Pinsky, has been a buffer against economic downturns in any one area. Currently, about 60% of its projects are public contracts with municipalities and state government agencies throughout New England and New York, and 40% is private work for a diverse group of industries, from healthcare to education to utilities.

Meanwhile, Tighe & Bond has significantly ramped up its expertise and focus on MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) services, Pinsky said, as well as increasing its presence in the realm of coastal engineering.

“That’s a really important service, recognizing that rising tides, storm events, and the effects of climate change can wreak havoc with infrastructure along the coastline, as well as inland near waterways,” he noted, explaining that the company has the expertise to plan and design facilities that are more resilient to events, like Superstorm Sandy in 2012, that threaten public and private infrastructure near coastlines. “It dovetails well with the services we already provide.”

The firm has also expanded its presence in renewable-energy projects over the past decade, Pinsky noted, adding that municipalities and developers in the Northeast are increasingly valuing alternative energy sources, and Tighe & Bond has established itself as an expert in the field, working on numerous photovoltaic, wind, and hydro power projects.

As an example, he said the firm has undertaken a number of solar projects where photovoltaic solar has been placed on capped landfills.

“Since we had expertise on the landfill side and expertise on the solar side, there’s a great synergy there,” he noted. “A lot of those projects are happening here.”

While seeing growth in all its markets, however, Tighe & Bond, like all such firms, has faced an increasingly complex regulatory and permitting landscape, one where environmental concerns once considered minor are now paramount.

“The permitting hurdles for most projects are very significant,” Pinsky said. “But we have experts on staff who are very skilled at navigating their way through the process; that’s absolutely something we bring to our clients. Permits can affect schedule, cost, and project viability to a significant extent, so having that expertise is very helpful.”

One advantage of being such a large, regional company is that employees are often called upon to work with other offices, whether by commuting or videoconferencing, if they bring a specific skill set to a challenging job, he went on. “We’re a very collaborative firm, so projects are done across offices all the time. We don’t consider a project to be a Westfield project or a Portsmouth project; it’s a Tighe & Bond project. We bring in the best talent we have to suit the needs of the client.”

Priming the Pump

Because that talent is critical to a project’s success, Pinsky said, it’s vital that Tighe & Bond retain its key staffers while continually bringing in new blood.

“It’s absolutely a big challenge,” he told BusinessWest. “We talk about the war for talent, and we’re certainly in the middle of that. People have so many opportunities coming out of school, a lot of choices. A lot of companies are looking for people who want to make a difference in engineering and the environment, and we do as well.”

Tighe & Bond now employs more Millennials than any other generation, which bodes well for its future.

While engineering programs at colleges and universities are generally drawing attention, competition can be fierce for graduates, he went on, and firms especially value those who have worked in the field between three and 10 years, as they have some experience but also plenty of potential to grow.

“There’s a shortage of them. We certainly do a good job growing them internally, always thinking that a person we’re hiring today, in three years, will be one of those people. We make a lot of training programs, both internal and external, available to employees, and we certainly immerse them in a lot of project work by surrounding them with experienced people they can learn from and be mentored by.”

To be sure, Tighe & Bond employees regularly volunteer in classroom programs to encourage the next generation of scientists and engineers, but it also seeks to be an “employer of choice,” Pinsky said, for college graduates launching their careers.

“People want to work for great firms — they want to go to firms where they can grow and develop their careers, where there are strong core values, and for us, those values include respect, integrity, commitment, excellence, and reliability. They want to know they are contributing to the firm’s overall vision.”

The days of writing a vision plan and stashing it in the CEO’s top drawer are over, he added, noting that Vision 2020 was developed in conjunction with the whole team and distributed to each of them.

One recent change was the dramatic renovation of the firm’s Westfield headquarters, which increased the floor space from 32,000 to 42,000 square feet, accommodating 180 employees in one building instead of 130 in two, and adding more space for collaborative work. The project included ‘green’ elements like LEED-certified carpeting, LED lighting and more natural light, and a stepped-up recycling initiative to reduce waste. Similar expansion projects have been undertaken at the Worcester, Portsmouth, and Middletown, Conn. branches.

“We’ve improved our offices, invested in technology, and, overall, invested in people. That’s extremely important to us. We’ve created an environment where our people love being here,” Pinsky said. “Sometimes little things matter. It’s the culture of the organization — being connected with clients, and everyone in the office knowing they’re appreciated for the time they put in and the good work they do.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

HCC, STCC Create a Culture of Cooperation, Collaboration

Education Sections

Now Friendly Rivals

Bill Messner, right, and Ira Rubenzahl.

Located just seven miles apart as the crow flies, Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College have always competed, and in vigorous fashion, for everything from students to press coverage to state funding for capital projects. But when they arrived at their respective campuses in 2004, Presidents Bill Messner and Ira Rubenzahl found the relationship between the schools to be a case not of healthy competition, but unhealthy animosity. So they set about changing that equation. And as both men prepare to retire, they talked about what would have to be considered a stunning new attitude that prevails at both schools.

Neither man recalls which one of them actually picked up the phone and called the other.

What they clearly remember, though, is that a call, the first of many, was made. And, considering all that’s happened since the conversation ended, it could only be described with the adjective ‘historic.’

Ira Rubenzahl and Bill Messner had been at their new positions, as president of Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College, respectively, for just a few months (Rubenzahl arrived a few weeks earlier) in that summer of 2004. And while they hadn’t learned everything about the challenges that lay ahead, they did know one thing — that the relationship between the two schools, located just seven miles apart, had to change, and soon.

“Let’s just say that the institutions had not been working well together,” said Messner, his tone blending understatement with a dose of sarcasm as he described what he found upon his arrival. “And that was really not productive.”

Added Rubenzahl, “it didn’t take long to figure out that there was this problem. And we basically said, together, ‘we have to stop competing and start working together.’”

Actually, the competition hasn’t stopped, and both presidents agree that it can’t and won’t because, as the old saying goes, it’s good for the parties involved. But the animosity that prevailed a dozen years ago is mostly gone. And it hasn’t been missed.

For evidence of this, Rubenzahl and Messner pointed to a number of initiatives involving everything from workforce development to adult basic education; from legislative get-togethers to initiatives to train workers for MGM’s planned $900 million casino in Springfield’s South End.

They even listed the fact that the two travel together to meetings in Boston and elsewhere, and did so with a note of wonder in their tone that speaks volumes about just how bad things were.

Perhaps the very best piece of evidence, though, is the Deval Patrick Award for Workforce Development, presented by the Boston Foundation, which the schools earned together in 2014 for their collaborative effort known as TWO (Training & Workforce Options); more on that later.

Getting from where relations (if one could call them that) were in 2004 to where they are now didn’t happen overnight and would never be described as easy, both men noted.

“There are areas in which we’re much better off collaborating than we are competing,” said Messner. “But it took us a couple of years to get our arms around what those areas were, and how we could collaborate effectively.”

Also, the mountain to climb in terms of the level of animosity to be overcome was high and steep, said Rubenzahl.

“Bill and I got comfortable very quickly,” he noted. “But it took a while for the troops to line up because it was so inbred.”

Eventually, the troops did fall in line, both men noted, but the movement clearly started at the top.

Which is exactly why BusinessWest met with both presidents in Messner’s office in Frost Hall earlier this month. They’ve both announced that they’re retiring, with Rubenzahl due to exit stage left in June, and Messner a month or two later.

Yes, the presidents who arrived in the Pioneer Valley together will be leaving it together. And they’re leaving behind a track record of collaboration that couldn’t have been imagined a decade and a half ago.

Perhaps the best news is that both believe this pattern of cooperation has become so ingrained — and so welcomed by the schools’ respective boards — that they find it difficult to imagine a scenario in which it won’t continue after they’ve left their respective campuses.

“It will probably change in some ways to reflect the personalities of the two folks who are going to be following us,” said Messner. “But I think it’s grounded enough that it will continue. And my sense is that, if those two folks don’t choose to continue to collaborate, they’ll pay a price of some sort.”

New Course of Action

To put the dramatic change in the relationship between the two colleges in perspective, both Rubenzahl and Messner took a quick trip back to last summer and a press event that was significant on a number of levels.

Gov. Charlie Baker was coming to Western Mass. to deliver good news for both schools: HCC was getting $2.5 million for much-needed renovations of its cramped, antiquated, and leaky campus center, and STCC was getting $3 million for design work on a planned $50 million project to convert the historic structure known as Building 19 — one of the oldest buildings on the Springfield Armory complex later repurposed into the community college — into a new campus center.

He would announce both awards in a single ceremony at HCC, an arrangement STCC quickly signed off on.

“Before we came, they would never have dared to do that,” said Rubenzahl, saying those words slowly for additional emphasis and using the word ‘they’ to mean both the institutions and their presidents. “There would have been huge objections to doing that.”

Messner agreed, and, like his counterpart, treaded lightly, and diplomatically, when asked about the root causes of the sentiments that prevailed when he arrived.

The opening of HCC’s Kittredge Center is one of the highlights of Bill Messner’s tenure, which was defined by improved relations with STCC.

However, it was well-known across the region, and even across the state, that the leaders’ predecessors — David Bartley, previously speaker of the Massachusetts House, at HCC, and Andy Scibelli, former Springfield city official and nephew of powerful state Rep. Anthony Scibelli, at STCC — didn’t exactly get along and were ferociously competitive, to put it mildly. And their institutions followed their lead — with a passion.

To explain the mood, Rubenzahl recalled some dialogue at a meeting he convened with several senior staff members at STCC not long after arriving.

“Someone referred to the ‘enemy,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘what enemy? Do you mean Holyoke?’ And he said, ‘yes, Holyoke.’ I was really taken aback by that, and said, ‘they’re not the enemy.’”

Rubenzahl believes that aforementioned phone conversation with Messner had already occurred by that point, but the chosen terminology cemented in his mind — actually both men’s minds, because similar language was being used in the campus off Homestead Avenue in Holyoke — that change was necessary.

And it came about, they said, partly due to those changes at the top, but also because it simply made sense.

Indeed, both presidents and their staffs had concluded that, while the schools would go on competing — “like Ford and Chevy do,” said Messner — they could also collaborate in many ways and, while doing so, achieve much more together than they ever could separately.

Examples abound, but TWO is clearly the most visible and perhaps the most impactful.

Messner described it as a “mechanism” for collaboration, the initiative that resulted from that somewhat time-consuming process he described earlier of determining in which realms the schools could collaborate, and how.

As the name suggests, the program involves creation of individually tailored programs to help solve workforce problems, specifically those related to the skills gap that has impacted virtually every sector of the economy.

Since its creation five years ago, TWO has assisted large corporations, small businesses, and broad economic sectors, said Rubenzahl, and it’s an example of something the schools could do with some success independent of one another, but to a much greater level of achievement together.

School of Thought

While TWO is the most visible manifestation of the new climate of cooperation between the two schools, there are many others, said the two presidents — starting with the meeting they were at just before sitting down with BusinessWest.

This was a gathering of state legislators to discuss matters involving public higher education, especially funding for the schools and individual initiatives. Years ago, there would have been two of these sessions, said Rubenzahl, one for HCC and one for STCC, because, well, that’s how it was done. (Actually, Greenfield Community College and Berkshire Community College had their own sessions as well.)

Now, there’s a single gathering — a practice that began the spring after the two presidents arrived — and it involves not only those two schools, but all seven public colleges and universities in Western Mass. Thus, the sessions are usually more productive because there are more people in the room, and far more convenient for legislators.

“I called Bill and said, ‘doesn’t it make sense to just have one?’” Rubenzahl recalled. “And for a lot of reasons; you’re more likely to get more legislators, and you can be more effective if you have several colleges saying the same thing as opposed to each one stating their individual needs.”

The legislative get-together is a simple yet effective example of collaboration, said Messner, adding that many others share its basic reason for being: common sense.

STCC President Ira Rubenzahl says his campus now looks for ways to collaborate with its competitor in Holyoke.

That list includes everything from faculty-development programs to the joint hiring of a consultant to create so-called wage grids; from adult basic education — something STCC has become more proficient at thanks to assistance from HCC — to the somewhat daunting task of training hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of the individuals MGM will eventually hire.

When looking back at how the current partnership on casino training came about, both presidents said this is another example of something that wouldn’t have materialized 13 years ago because of the animosity between the schools.

“We have this trust … we have this agreement — we don’t do things separately,” said Rubenzahl, adding that, years ago, the two schools probably would have fought tooth and nail for the entire pie. In this new era of cooperation, they agreed to split the pie long before the Gaming Commission determined the winner of the Western Mass. license.

“It wasn’t clear where the casino was going. Was it going to go to Palmer? Was it going to Springfield? Was it going to go to Holyoke?” he recalled. “But before we knew where it was going, we said, ‘an individual campus is not going to get involved in the training; we’re going to do it together.

“It winds up going in Springfield, but instead of fighting over it, we had already lined up our ducks,” he went on. “We had already figured out that, because Holyoke is really strong in culinary arts, if there’s culinary training, they’re going to get it. They can do it; we can’t do it. And we’re going to do some of the IT training, perhaps.”

Whenever there’s a meeting with MGM officials, the schools go together, said Messner, adding that the casino project is a good example of how the schools work together to meet the workforce needs of the five major sectors of the economy — manufacturing, healthcare, technology, hospitality, and financial services — because neither school can do all that alone.

As still another example of something happening now that wouldn’t have happened years ago — this one involving geography, or territory, as much as anything else — Messner cited initiatives blueprinted by Holyoke schools’ receiver Stephen Zrike for Dean Technical High School.

“He wants two programs connected to college work,” Messner explained. “One is going to be in healthcare, and we’ll do that one, and the other is manufacturing, and we’re going to do that in conjunction with STCC; we’re not going to try to do that alone.”

Added Rubenzahl, “because of this [new relationship], we can do things we couldn’t do otherwise. Before, you couldn’t do that — you couldn’t go into the other college’s hometown and run a public-school program.”

Class Act

As for those shared rides to Boston and other destinations for gatherings of public-school leaders, both men laughed as they talked about how the practice has evolved and how it never would have happened with their predecessors.

“I drive, and he talks,” said Messner, referring to how a typical journey unfolds.

But while they carpool to such meetings, they usually don’t sit together once they arrive — a tradition that is more strategic than any kind of statement about how the schools, and presidents, get along.

“We don’t want to look like a two-headed monster,” said Rubenzahl, adding that the two are usually of a similar mind on most matters and don’t want to appear to be delivering comments in stereo.

Messner agreed. “You can’t cluster your strength all in one part of the room — you have to spread it out.”

In truth, and despite those seating arrangements, the schools have indeed become a two-headed monster — of collaboration.

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

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