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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Dakin Humane Society has been named a recipient of a 2016 grant from the “I’m Animal Friendly” license-plate program, which is a program of the Mass. Animal Coalition (MAC). The funds will be used to perform spay/neuter surgery for 500 owned and free-roaming cats in Massachusetts communities.

“This grant is a real boost in our efforts to encourage people to spay or neuter their pets, and it allows us to help feral, or free-roaming, cats,” said Dakin Executive Director Carmine DiCenso. “There are some really dedicated people throughout the region who want to help stop the breeding cycle of ferals by humanely trapping them, bringing them to Dakin for spay/neuter surgery, and returning them to their outdoor colonies. Now this grant will cover the cost of many of those surgeries. We appreciate the MAC’s generosity.”

Funds for the “I’m Animal Friendly” license plates are dispersed annually to organizations that demonstrate a need for — and provide — low-cost spay/neuter services. The tax-deductible plates can be ordered by visiting www.petplate.org.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — On Friday, Oct. 14, the Western New England University School of Law will host a daylong symposium titled “Gender and Incarceration” in the Blake Law Center from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The symposium will feature an interdisciplinary discussion of issues facing incarcerated individuals, such as parental rights, treatment of transgender inmates, sexual-orientation-based segregation, sexual violence, pregnancy, solitary confinement, and the intersection of race and gender in confinement.

Presenters will include Professors Jen Manion from Amherst College, Gabriel Arkles from Northeastern University, Brenda Smith from Washington College of Law at American University, and Terry Kupers from the Wright Institute. Also presenting is Carol Strickman from Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, and Rachel Roth, author of Breaking Promises: Violations of the Massachusetts Pregnancy Standards and Anti-Shackling Law.

The symposium is sponsored by the Western New England Law Review and the Clason Speaker Series. Refreshments will be served throughout the day.

The event is free and open to the public, and registration is not required, but RSVP is appreciated, by e-mailing [email protected].

Daily News

HOLYOKE — The Western Mass. Employment Collaborative (WMEC) will present a breakfast event called “Diversify Your Workforce” on Thursday, Nov. 17 from 9 to 11 a.m., preceded by breakfast and networking at 8:30 a.m. at the Delaney House in Holyoke.

WMEC partners work toward the common goal of increasing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. WMEC works across all disabilities and represents hundreds of job seekers who have the skills, commitment, and desire to enter the workforce and contribute positively to a local employer. To that end, it is partnering with the Mass. Down Syndrome Congress and its “Find Your Next Star” campaign.

Attendees of the Nov. 17 event will learn ways to grow their business and meet their hiring needs. To register, visit www.mdsc.kintera.org/dywwest.

Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — In your job, are you responsible for conducting investigations into employee conflicts? Allegations of harassment? Employee theft? Royal, P.C. will present a workshop on workplace investigations on Thursday, Oct. 13 from 8 to 9 a.m. at 270 Pleasant St., Northampton.

Recent state and federal court decisions underscore the importance of conducting thorough investigations. In this workshop, attendees will learn about such topics as selecting an investigator, conducting an effective interview, dealing with confidentiality issues, and taking interim actions.

Who should attend? HR professionals, CFOs, CEOs, and anyone in a management position who is responsible for handling investigations. This workshop will apply to the first-time investigator as well as the most seasoned ones.

The cost is $30 per person. Payments should to mailed to — and checks made out to — Royal, P.C., 270 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060. Advance registration is required, and seating will be limited. E-mail Ann-Marie Marcil at [email protected] to register or with any questions about the workshop.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Regional Chamber announced the honorees for its annual Super 60 award, presented by Health New England and sponsored by Farmington Bank. Now in its 27th year, the program celebrates the success of the fastest-growing privately-owned businesses in the region which continue to make significant contributions to the strength of the regional economy.

The Super 60 celebration event honoring this year’s class will be held Friday, Oct. 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Chez Josef, presented by Health New England; sponsored by Farmington Bank, Zasco Productions and WWLP-TV 22; with reception sponsors the Republican and the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, gold sponsor Berkshire Bank, and in partnership with the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce (ERC5). Tree House Brewing Co. co-Founder Dean Rohan will keynote the event and discuss the success of the artisan brewery.

Reservations are required for the event; the cost is $50 for Springfield Regional Chamber and ERC5 members, $70 for general admission. Reservations for tables of eight or 10 are available. The deadline for reservations is Wednesday, Oct. 19. No cancellations are accepted after that date, and no walk-ins will be accepted. Reservations must be made in writing, online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com or by e-mail to [email protected].

To be considered, a company must be based in Hampden or Hampshire counties or be a member of the Springfield Regional Chamber, have revenues of at least $1 million in the last fiscal year, be an independent and privately owned company, and be in business at least three full years. Companies are selected based on their percentage of revenue growth over a full three-year period or total revenues for the latest fiscal year.

This year’s winners hail from 17 communities across the region and represent all sectors of the economy, including nonprofit, transportation, energy, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, retail, and service.

“Small business is the backbone of our region and our continued growth engine, and the success of this year’s winners is a clear indication that our regional economy is strong,” said Springfield Regional Chamber President Nancy Creed. “What is interesting to see this year is the emergence of the digital world. Two of our honorees, 3BL Media and LavishlyHip — which also took the top spot in Revenue Growth — have a strong presence in the online community and do business primarily on the web versus brick and mortar. I think this might be first year we’ve had such honorees.”

This year’s top honoree in Total Revenue is Amherst-based Stavros Center for Independent Living, one of the oldest independent-living centers in the country. The organization came in at number two in Total Revenue in 2014.

Creed noted that one-third of the Total Revenue winners exceeded $45 million in revenues, with all the winners combining for more than $1.3 billion in revenues. In the Revenue Growth category, she said all winners had growth in excess of 25%, while one-third had growth in excess of 60%.

Three companies in the Total Revenue category also qualified for the Revenue Growth category, while nine companies in the Revenue Growth category also qualified for the Total Revenue category. These companies are indicated by asterisks below. The top three in each category are ranked as such, with the rest following alphabetically.

The 2016 winners in Total Revenue are: 1. Stavros Center for Independent Living Inc.; 2. Springfield College; 3. Whalley Computer Associates Inc.; Baltazar Contractors Inc.; Behavioral Health Network; Braman Chemical Enterprises Inc.; City Tire Company Inc.; Collaborative for Educational Services; Commercial Distributing Co. Inc.; Community Enterprises Inc.*; the Dennis Group; Filli, LLC d/b/a ConTest Analytical Laboratory; Grand Prix International; HAPHousing (HAP, Inc.)*; Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start Inc.; Human Resources Unlimited Inc.; Kittredge Equipment Co. Inc.*; Lancer Transportation & Logistics and Sulco Warehousing & Logistics; Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.; Multicultural Community Services of the Pioneer Valley Inc.; Northeast Treaters Inc.; P.C. Enterprises Inc. d/b/a Entre Computer; Pathlight Inc.; Sarat Ford-Lincoln; Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc.; Tighe & Bond Inc.; Troy Industries Inc.; United Personnel Services Inc.; Valley Opportunity Council Inc.; WestMass ElderCare Inc.

The 2016 winners in Revenue Growth are: 1. Lavishlyhip, LLC; 2. City Enterprises Inc.*; 3. 3BL Media, LLC; Aegenco Inc.; Aegis Energy Services Inc.*; Bart Truck Equipment, LLC; Baystate Crushing; Charter Oak Insurance & Financial Services*; Courier Express Inc.; Detector Technology Inc.*; Environmental Compliance Services Inc.; Fletcher Sewer & Drain Inc.; Fun Dining Inc. d/b/a Center Square Grill; Gandara Mental Health Center Inc.*; GMH Fence Co. Inc.; Knight Machine Tool Co. Inc.; M. Jags Inc.; Maybury Associates Inc.*; Michael’s Party Rentals Inc.; MicroTek Inc.*; O’Connell Care at Home; Orthotics & Prosthetics Laboratories Inc.; Paragus Strategic IT Inc.; Powervestors II, LLC; Rediker Software Inc.*; Rodrigues Inc.; Tech Roofing Service Inc.; Universal Plastics Corp.*; Webber & Grinnell Insurance Agency Inc.; Yankee Home Improvement.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. announced that, after 40 years of practicing law, attorney Jay Presser has retired.

“It has truly been an honor for me to be a part of the firm,” said Presser. “My career at Skoler Abbott has afforded me the distinct opportunity of working alongside some of the best lawyers in our region, and I know the firm’s legal reputation will continue on for many years.”

Presser, who started with the firm in 1977, has more than 40 years of experience litigating employment cases in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, the Mass. Commission Against Discrimination, and the State Labor Relations Commission. He has successfully defended employers in civil actions and jury trials and has handled cases in all areas of employment law. He has won appeals before the Supreme Judicial Court and the First and Second Circuit Courts of Appeals, and has represented employers in hundreds of arbitration cases arising under collective-bargaining agreements. In addition to his consistent track record in the courtroom, he has received numerous honors, along with more than 20 consecutive years on the Best Lawyers in America list.

“As we reflect on Jay’s retirement, we look forward to the future of the firm,” said attorney Timothy Murphy. “With his help, we have assembled an excellent team of legal professionals — a legacy that Jay will leave behind for years to come.”

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative will present the third annual Western MA Film and Media Exchange on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel. This year’s exchange, titled “How To Tell Your Story Using Video,” is a one-day conference dedicated to helping nonprofits and small businesses de-mystify the video-production process.

“In today’s world, effective videos are key to a company’s ability to tell their story in their digital marketing, branding, and social-media campaigns,” said Diane Pearlman, executive director of the Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative. “Workshops at the exchange will cover a variety of topics, including an explanation of the video-production process, how to write a creative brief (i.e. what’s the message of your video), how to make a video to fit your budget, and how to effectively send your video message into the world.”

Workshops will be led by area filmmakers and video professionals who will share their expertise and answer specific questions from attendees. Local filmmakers will have the opportunity to display their reels and make potential business connections. Attendees will leave with an expanded knowledge of video production as well as access to area resources that can help them create their own videos.

The keynote speaker at this year’s exchange is Michael Hoffman, CEO of See3 Communications, a digital marketing agency for nonprofits based in Chicago. He is a leading authority on online video for nonprofits and a long-time consultant to nonprofit leaders on digital fund-raising, advocacy, and community-engagement strategies. Hoffman founded See3 to bring together his belief in the power of the web and his passion and experience with nonprofit fundraising, advocacy, and education.

Pearlman and Jonathan Barkan, executive producer/director and founder of Communications for Learning, a full-service communications firm in Arlington, Mass., will present a morning session, “Video Production: An Overview.” The workshop will explain all aspects of production (pre-production through post-production) as well as discuss legal issues, insurance, and local resources.

Darcy Fortune and James Garvey of Garvey Communication Associates in Springfield will present a workshop on “Innovative Video Best Practices for Social-media Marketing and Digital Branding.” They will talk about the best way to utilize video in today’s digital marketplace.

A panel featuring local professionals working in the industry will focus on local resources for making videos. Panelists include Tony Dunne, executive director of WGBY’s Connecting Point, P. Al Williams, executive director of Northampton Community Television, and Chris Landry of Landry Communications. The panel will be moderated by Patrick Berry, president of Westfield News Group.

The exchange includes breakfast and lunch, and will culminate with a networking cocktail party.

Tickets are on sale through Eventbrite at this link. Group and student rates are available. For information on programs, tickets, and more, visit www.berkshirefilm.org or call (413) 528-4223.

Sponsors to date include Baystate Health, Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Economic Development Council of Western MA, MassLive, WGBY Public Television for Western New England, New England Public Radio, Westfield News Group, Vitec Videocom, PeoplesBank, Springfield Business Improvement District, Mark G. Auerbach Public Relations, Maureen Sullivan Media Group, Imagine magazine, and Jx2 Productions.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The newly reorganized South End Business Assoc. (SEBA) has been busy over the summer, electing a slate of officers and launching a beautification campaign.

Local business owners reorganized the dormant organization and elected officers for the first time in several years at SEBA’s monthly meeting in July: President Tony Calabrese (AC Produce); Vice President Greg Zorzi (Studio One Inc.); Treasurer Susan Mulvey (E.B. Atmus Co.); and Secretary Sarah Page (HAPHousing).

SEBA has had a long-standing presence in the South End, the historic neighborhood adjacent to downtown Springfield that boasts dozens of restaurants and small businesses. The newly revitalized organization now counts nearly 60 members and is continuing to grow. Over the past year, SEBA has drafted bylaws, worked with the city to increase police foot patrols, and doubled attendance at monthly meetings. The organization is focused on expanding business opportunity and civic engagement in the South End, while promoting the district as a great place to shop, eat, live, and do business.

The revitalized organization kicked off its beautification campaign this summer with the installation of 44 hanging flower baskets along Main Street. Funding for the flowers and equipment to hang them was onated by SEBA members, including MGM Springfield, along with the Springfield Business Improvement District. SEBA is currently brainstorming ways to continue its beautification efforts and draw additional foot traffic to the neighborhood.

“These flowers are our way of saying that the South End is open for business,” Calabrese said. “We want visitors, shoppers, and diners to feel welcome. The business owners have really rallied around this project, and I think it’s a great sign of things to come.”

Daily News

AGAWAM — On Sunday, Oct. 16, New England Business Associates (NEBA) will host the NEBA F.A.B. Week Fashion Show fund-raiser from 2 to 5 p.m. at Chez Josef in Agawam.

A variety of vendors will provide clothing for the fashion show, including Men’s Warehouse, David’s Bridal, the Limited, Flex Your Face, Lane Bryant, Francesca’s, Dress Barn, Dress for Success, Babies R Us, and more. A cash bar is available, and hors d’oeuvres will be served, followed by dinner. Vendors will also be selling their products or services at the event. All contributions for this fund-raiser will be used to support individuals throughout the different programs New England Business Associates offers, which help people get jobs and become self-sufficient. To buy tickets, call (413) 272-5562 or visit www.nebaworks.com.

Daily News

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Credit Union announced the opening of its new branch at 14 North Westfield St. in Feeding Hills Center on Oct. 3. A grand-opening celebration will be held the week of Oct. 17-21, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is slated for Thursday, Oct. 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. The event will include giveaways, raffles, and refreshments.

“We are excited about the new branch in Feeding Hills and the great banking experience it will offer our members, in a beautiful, modern setting,” said Holyoke Credit Union President and CEO Michael Murphy. “The credit union expects a seamless transition from our old branch in Agawam to the new location. We look forward to serving current members and welcoming new members from Feeding Hills, Agawam, and nearby areas like Southwick, Westfield, and West Springfield.”

The new branch offers a multi-lane drive-thru; two modern, more secure ATMs with deposit capabilities (located in the vestibule and drive-thru); a ‘tech bar’ with iPads for members’ convenience; and ample parking. It is located three miles from the former branch at 4 Washington Ave. Ext. in Agawam, which closed Sept. 30.

Daily News

HOLYOKE — At the recent 2016 Mid-Year Mortgage Conference, the Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman magazine, released its annual report on the top mortgage originators in Massachusetts. Beverly Orloski, vice president and mortgage consultant at PeoplesBank, finished first among all Western Mass. loan originators in the report. She was also listed as the top loan originator in the market in 2015.

“What makes Bev the number-one consultant in Western Massachusetts is her ability to get the customers comfortable with the process and work with the team in the background to make it all happen seamlessly,” said James Sherbo, PeoplesBank’s senior vice president, commercial lending.

Orloski said the thing she likes most about her job is working with people. “You get a certain satisfaction because you take them all the way through the process, from the time they first sit with you through their closing. That can be typically 30 to 60 days, and you’re interacting with them the whole time.”

Orloski has more than 30 years of financial and banking experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Elms College and is a graduate of the American Bankers Assoc. Residential and Commercial Lending School. She is a member of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley.

Daily News

LONGMEADOW — Ning Jia has joined the faculty of Bay Path University, School of Science and Management, as director of the MS in Applied Data Science program. Prior to accepting this position, she was a statistician at Affinion Group based in Stamford, Conn., and has also worked at the Hartford Financial Group and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She has also been an assistant professor at Virginia Tech and a teaching fellow at Harvard University.

Jia received her bachelor’s degree in business from Fudan University, Shanghai, China, and a Ph.D. in pure mathematics from the University of Minnesota. Her specialties are in combinatorics, biostatistics, statistical modeling, and big-data analysis.

Daily News

BOSTON — Business confidence broke a three-month slide during September as Massachusetts employers, particularly in the service sector, discovered newfound optimism in their own business operations.

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index rose 1.8 points to 55.9 last month, the same level recorded 12 months earlier. The increase was driven by a 3.1-point surge in the Company Index, which reflects overall business conditions at employer companies, and similar jumps in readings based on employment and sales.

The uptick came as the Federal Reserve continued to suggest that the economy is strong enough to raise interest rates before the end of the year.

“Employers remain ambivalent about both the U.S. and national economies ahead of the presidential election, but companies clearly have regained a sense of buoyancy about their own futures,” said Michael Tyler, chief investment officer, Eastern Bank Wealth Management and a member of AIM’s Board of Economic Advisors (BEA). “Large increases in the sales and employment indexes bode well for a Massachusetts economy that already enjoys a 3.9% unemployment rate.”

The AIM Index, based on a survey of Massachusetts employers, has appeared monthly since July 1991. It is calculated on a 100-point scale, with 50 as neutral; a reading above 50 is positive, while below 50 is negative. The Index reached its historic high of 68.5 on two occasions in 1997-98, and its all-time low of 33.3 in February 2009. It has remained above 50 since October 2013.

The sub-indices based on selected questions or categories of employer were mixed during September. The Massachusetts Index, assessing business conditions within the Commonwealth, shed 0.3 points during the month, but gained 2.3 points over the year to 57.0. The U.S. Index of national business conditions remained slightly pessimistic, dropping 0.4 points to 49.2, 1.4 points lower than its level of a year ago. Employers have been more optimistic about the Massachusetts economy than about the national economy for 77 consecutive months.

The Current Index, which assesses overall business conditions at the time of the survey, increased 2.3 points to 55.7 while the Future Index, measuring expectations for six months out, rose 1.1 points to 56.0. The future view is a point higher than it was in September 2015.

The 3.1-point increase in the Company Index reflected a surge of 3.8 points in the Sales Index to 58.1 and a 1.9-point jump in the Employment Index to 54.5. The AIM survey found that nearly 39% of respondents reported adding staff during the past six months, while 19% reduced employment. Expectations for the next six months were stable, with 38% expecting to hire and only 10% downsizing.

Non-manufacturing companies maintain a significantly brighter outlook than manufacturers. The overall Business Confidence Index among non-manufacturers was 61.1 compared to 50.9 for manufacturing companies.

“The uptick in employer assessments of their own prospects comes as welcome news following three consecutive months of declines. At the same time, manufacturers continue to struggle with economic weakness in key export markets,” said Paul Bolger, president, Massachusetts Capital Resource Co. and a BEA member.

AIM President and CEO Richard Lord, also a BEA member, said the 2016 presidential election has become a referendum on the degree to which the economic recovery is benefiting middle-income Americans. He noted that Peter Canellos, executive editor of Politico, told the AIM Executive Forum on Sept. 16 that the legacy of the 2016 campaign will be an ongoing debate about the economic future of blue-collar, middle-class workers who have not felt the benefits of the recovery.

“It is incumbent upon all of us to create an economy that encourages the development of jobs across all sectors to train people effectively for those jobs,” Lord said.

Daily News

WESTFIELD — Kate Phelon, executive director of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, was appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker to the Mass. Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative (AMC) in September. This appointment is one of three by the governor; the other two are representatives of advanced-manufacturing companies. Phelon will be part of a commission looking at the future of manufacturing in Massachusetts.

“I am very honored and excited about this appointment and appreciate the state’s leadership in recognizing the role a chamber of commerce representative can have in not only formulating agenda’s for particular industries, but the outreach we have with our membership,” Phelon said.

The purpose of the AMC will be to develop and implement the Commonwealth’s manufacturing agenda with the goal to foster and strengthen the necessary conditions to promote growth and innovation of manufacturing within Massachusetts. The AMC will focus on four areas: workforce development and education; technical assistance, innovation, and access to capital; enhancement of competitiveness, easing cost of doing business, and regulatory review of SMEs; and promoting manufacturing, which will include attracting a talented workforce, and expansion of in-state marketing of the supply chain.

In addition, the AMC works in conjunction with President Obama’s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, as well as with seven additional states through the National Governors Assoc. Center of Best Practices Policy Academy on Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation.

Phelon attended her first full meeting of the collaborative in mid-September and learned first-hand what the subcommittees have been working on.

“Right now, the subcommittees are working on a five-year strategic-planning process to develop a strategy to keep manufacturing growing, exciting, inclusive, and innovative,” she said. “I was amazed at the work that has been done by these subcommittees and am very excited to work with stakeholders in the public and private sectors.”

As she gets more involved and acclimated to the work this collaborative is conducting, Phelon will share information as it becomes available and will be in contact with local manufacturers as necessary.

Daily News

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Theatre Group announced it is the recipient of a $25,000 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, to support the BTG PLAYS! year-round education program.

BTG PLAYS! contains 10 individual programs. Of the 16,000 schoolchildren in Berkshire County, BTG PLAYS! serves 13,000. This means 81% of all Berkshire County schoolchildren participate in this education program.

By offering in-school, after-school, and summertime programs, it reaches a wide cross-section of youth. After-school activities help low-income families by extending the school day, thus providing a safe place for their children to spend their after-school hours. The program also provides a safe place for children during the summer with its summertime classes and its annual community-theatre production.

“We’re deeply thankful for TD Charitable Foundation’s grant to BTG PLAYS!” Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire said. “With this support, we may continue to serve Berkshire County schoolchildren, showing students how to be a part of a creative, thriving community. We are grateful that TD Charitable Foundation supports the transformative work we do through our education program.”

Business of Aging Sections

Difficult Decisions

Dr. Richard Alexander says screening for prostate cancer has become controversial

Dr. Richard Alexander says screening for prostate cancer has become controversial, but at least one study shows it extends longevity in people with the disease.

While much of what is known about prostate cancer is fact — including the fact that 99% of the men diagnosed with the most common forms of the disease will survive more than five years after diagnosis — there is still a good deal of conjecture. That’s especially true when it comes to screening for the malady.

One in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime.

“It’s a complicated disease, and a lot of issues surround it; doctors have devoted their entire careers to one subset of prostate cancer,” said Dr. Adam Tyson, a urologist at Urology Group of Western New England in Springfield.

Although it’s the second-most-common cancer in men and the second-leading cause of cancer deaths (skin and lung cancer, respectively, are number one), routine testing for the disease, which typically has no symptoms until it advances to the lymph nodes and bones, has become very controversial.

Screening involves a digital rectal exam and a simple blood test that measures the level of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, which is a protein shed into the blood by the prostate gland that becomes elevated when cancer is present.

But in 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force declared that PSA testing should be abandoned. The reason is twofold: many men with elevated levels of PSA and an abnormal digital rectal exam have had biopsies that turned out to be negative, which caused unnecessary stress and did more harm than good; and arguments have been presented about whether routine testing increases survival rates.

Dr. Richard Alexander, a urologist at Baystate Medical Practices – Greenfield Urology, says a randomized study that followed a group of American men for 10 years found no difference in survival rates in men that were screened versus those not screened for the disease. But the problem with the study was that 70% of the men assigned not to be screened did indeed get screened outside of the study.

Dr. Adam Tyson says most prostate cancers are non-aggressive

Dr. Adam Tyson says most prostate cancers are non-aggressive, so the doctor and patient have to work together to figure out the best way to treat the disease, which depends on a number of factors.

In contrast, a very large European study conducted in many countries showed routine screening did lead to an increase in overall survival.

“It is not an easy thing to determine, and the results were astonishing,” Alexander said, noting that prostate cancer is found most commonly in men age and 60 older who often have two or more other diseases as well due to their advancing age, among other factors.

It can only be diagnosed by a biopsy of the prostate, which is done in a doctor’s office through the rectum using ultrasound guidance.

Alexander noted that an elevated PSA level increases the chance that cancer could be present, but it can be elevated by other factors that range from an enlarged prostate to inflammation of the prostate gland.

Neither the digital rectal exam or PSA level is a perfect test, but the American Urological Assoc. feels screening can be valuable for men between the ages of 55 and 70, especially if they are at high risk for the disease due to a family history, as it has a strong genetic component.

“I don’t think all men should be tested. But at age 50, they should have a conversation with their doctor about it, and if they ask for my recommendation, I tell them to get it done,” Tyson said, explaining that, since it is often a slow-growing cancer, it doesn’t make sense to test men over the age of 75.

“A lot of the cancers are non-aggressive and may or may not catch up with people, so the question is how to find men with aggressive cancer and treat them. Many men get biopsies who don’t need them, but if they don’t, the only other time the cancer will be found is in the late stages. And although most men with prostate cancer are more likely to die with it, rather than from the disease, there are still 26,000 men who die every year from it, and if it doesn’t kill you, it can keep you from being able to urinate, or spread to the bones and lead to fractures.”

He noted that a biopsy can be recommended with an abnormal PSA or abnormal exam.

“Often, the PSA will be repeated to confirm accuracy if it is elevated. But depending on many factors, a urologist may recommend a biopsy with a single abnormal PSA or an abnormal digital rectal exam,” he continued, explaining that, although prostate cancer is rarely found in men under the age of 40, he has seen it in men in their 50s with some degree of frequency.

Personal Decisions

The American Cancer Society says about 180,890 new cases of prostate cancer will be detected this year, and about 26,120 deaths will result from it. However, if it is caught in the early stages, it is treatable, and 2 million men who are alive today are prostate-cancer survivors. In fact, 99% of men with the most common types of prostate cancer will survive more than five years after diagnosis, and when the disease is localized to the prostate or just nearby, which occurs 90% of the time, the prognosis is even better; almost 100% will live at least five years.

But there is a great deal of fear surrounding the disease as well as myths associated with it, including the perception that prostate-cancer surgery means an end to a man’s sex life.

“When I tell someone they have cancer, that word is almost always the only thing they hear during our first conversation,” Tyson said. “It’s a life-changing event, so people with the disease need to work closely with their doctors.”

Alexander says men have choices about what will happen to them, but they need to have a clear understanding of the issue before making any decisions.

“People are terrified of the word ‘cancer,’” he said. “But many men can live with prostate cancer their entire life, while in others it progresses, and although there is no way to accurately predict the future, predictions have become more accurate than they were in the past.

“I encourage men to be aware of their options and make informed decisions,” he continued, adding he frequently hears horror stories from men who had a relative with the disease. Their initial instinct is to base their decisions on anecdotal evidence about what happened to that person, but decisions need to be made carefully, and both he and Tyson believe in seeking second and even third opinions after a cancer diagnosis.

“There is a risk in doing anything, but there is also a risk in doing nothing,” Alexander noted.

Symptoms that occur when the disease has advanced include problems with urination, loss of appetite, weight loss, and metastatic disease, which is the name given to a cancer when it has spread to the lymph nodes or bones.

But the disease has different stages as well as grades, which refers to how the cells in the biopsy look under the microscope and can indicate whether the cancer is likely to progress.

There are four treatment options available today: radical surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and active surveillance, which can include additional biopsies every year or several years. The age of the patient and their overall health and willingness to be treated help determine what choice is best. But they all have their own risks.

“A radical prostatectomy removes the entire prostate and attached glands, and the main risk is urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction,” Alexander said, adding that the surgery is done if the cancer is still confined to the prostate, and the success rate is high. As to side effects, although most men have some incontinence following surgery, few are left with a permanent problem.

Radiation therapy can be done with machines over a period of weeks, and side effects include more frequent urination, burns to the bladder or rectum, and erectile dysfunction. The therapy can also be delivered by implanting radioactive seeds into the prostate. The radioactivity is gone within a year, but the metal seeds remain. The procedure requires anesthesia and takes about an hour.

“But not everyone is a good candidate for the seeds,” Alexander said, adding that whether someone is a candidate depends on the stage of the disease and how likely it is that the cancer will spread.

Hormonal therapy is reserved for more advanced cases, but this treatment has come a long way: decades ago, it involved removing the testicles, while today it is administered through injections. Possible side effects include hot flashes, muscle loss, fatigue, and loss of bone density.

“In some cases, hormonal therapy is combined with radiation,” Tyson said, noting that is usually done only in the case of advanced disease.

And although some treatments do cause erectile dysfunction, the problem has been mitigated by drugs such as Viagra and Cialis, which can improve the quality of a man’s life.

“The way a man urinates after any treatment will shift, and since the nerves and blood vessels involved in an erection are attached to the back of the prostate, any treatment will affect it. Sometimes there is only an occasional weakening, but most men will need medications to regain potency,” Tyson explained.

The final option for men with cancer is to do nothing other than be followed closely, and this choice is becoming more popular in cases where the disease is considered low-risk. “We are finding that prostate cancer can often be watched for years and never progress,” Alexander said, adding that hundreds of thousands of men who have the disease may never know about it.

Final Recommendations

Despite conflicting opinions, Alexander believes men with abnormal PSA levels should have biopsies. “I would rather know I had the disease and make a decision not to have any treatment than not know I have it,” he said, adding that the decision is an individual one, and although in most cases prostate cancer is slow-growing, that’s not always the case, as evidenced by the number of deaths from it each year.

Advances in the field have been made, such as robotic surgery, which is less invasive, involves less blood loss, and allows men to recover more quickly than they did before it was invented.

“When people hear the word ‘cancer,’ they go into panic mode, but it’s important to understand the nature of the cancer because every cancer has its own way of behaving,” Tyson said. “Most prostate cancers do not spread rapidly and are non-aggressive, so the doctor and patient have to work together to figure out what is right for the patient. There is no single right answer; some people absolutely need treatment, and in others, it is less clear.”

Indeed, there is a lot of choice involved in the matter, but the first step — which is to get tested — is something every man should consider and talk to his doctor about.

Law Sections

Firm in Its Resolve

five of Robinson Donovan’s partners

From left, five of Robinson Donovan’s partners: Jeffrey Trapani, Michael Simolo, Nancy Frankel Pelletier, Carla Newton, and Managing Partner Jeffrey Roberts.

Robinson Donovan has experienced plenty of changes in its 150-year history, from shifting economic cycles to constantly evolving laws, to the evolution of its home city of Springfield. But one thing has remained a priority since its founder, George Robinson — who was also a high-school principal, state legislator, and governor — hung out a shingle in 1866. That is a focus on community — not just in a business sense, but through charity and volunteerism. And that’s how the firm is choosing to mark this significant anniversary.

Attorneys who have been with Robinson Donovan for any amount of time are fluent in its history, which stretches back 150 years — an anniversary the firm chose to celebrate by giving back.

Specifically, the firm traces its roots back to former Gov. George Robinson, who began practicing law in the Springfield area prior to serving as a member of the state House of Representatives and then Senate.

His contributions to the Springfield region extended beyond his appointments to public office. He was also the principal of Chicopee High School and a founding member of Chicopee Savings Bank, in addition to his law practice, now known as Robinson Donovan.

As the anniversary approached, said Carla Newton, a partner with the firm, one topic of discussion was the importance of place — how Greater Springfield itself, and its network of residents, businesses, and nonprofits are critical to the Robinson Donovan story.

“George Robinson was a public servant himself, and certainly served the public in a very direct way, so we began thinking about how to give back, rather than just celebrate internally,” she told BusinessWest. “And we began looking around at all the different nonprofits, many of which have board members and volunteers within our office. We thought it was appropriate to go beyond our own personal commitments to the community, and be a little more demonstrative and provide actual contributions.”

We all live here. We all benefit from the nonprofits that operate here, whether it be Providence Ministries or an educational institution like Bay Path University. We’ve raised families in this community and benefit from the fact that these organizations exist and make our community a better place to live.”

In lieu of some grand party or other event, that’s precisely how the firm chose to celebrate its anniversary year — with a sizable donation each month to a local nonprofit.

“We solicited input from everyone at the firm,” said Partner Michael Simolo. “As Carla said, a lot of us are involved in these organizations, and we know very well the people involved in them. It was kind of a collective effort from everyone to choose the organizations we donated to.”

“We all live here,” Newton added. “We all benefit from the nonprofits that operate here, whether it be Providence Ministries or an educational institution like Bay Path University. We’ve raised families in this community and benefit from the fact that these organizations exist and make our community a better place to live.”

Besides those two organizations, the firm has also donated to Friends of the Homeless, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Cutchins Center for Children, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Community Legal Aid, Dakin Humane Society, and the Gray House — with three more to be chosen before the calendar turns.

Looking Back

That calendar has turned 150 times since Robinson first set up shop, and Newton acknowledged that it’s difficult to determine all the reasons it has survived so long. But she had a few theories.

One is simply pride among the attorneys in how the firm does business. She recalled arriving at the firm — at the time much smaller than its roster of 17 lawyers — and getting the sense they cared about leaving the firm in good hands when they were gone — which involved not only treating clients with professionalism, but mentoring the younger lawyers. “There was a culture of continuation, and people like me ended up getting adopted into that culture.”

Nowadays, she added, growth comes from meeting specific needs. “We bring in someone to support a particular area, and we inculcate them into the culture, and it continues on. There’s no reason to believe this isn’t going to keep going, as the younger lawyers coming in here realize, ‘hey, someday this will be our firm.’”

Managing Partner Jeffrey Roberts added that longevity requires a strong reputation in the community as well. “Ultimately, there has to be some recognition of quality. People want service, they want value, and they want to feel they’re getting the best product available.”

That reputation translates into referrals, he added. “They say your clients come from your clients. Other lawyers say, ‘I don’t do that kind of work, but you should go to that lawyer.’ In the end, it’s a small community, and if you don’t carry your practice properly and honestly, word gets around. If people understand who we are, we’ll have no shortage of business.”

That culture, again, extends to its community outreach, Newton said. “We’re not a firm that says to people who come in, ‘you must find a place to volunteer.’ Everyone here, whether it’s administrative assistants, lawyers, paralegals, they all do volunteer work because it’s important to them. That just seems to be the type of individual who comes to work at Robinson Donovan. Our people are really committed to doing volunteer work.”

Service Network, receives a check from Carla Newton

Karen Blanchard, left, executive director at Providence Ministries Service Network, receives a check from Carla Newton, partner at Robinson Donovan, earlier this year as part of the law firm’s year-long series of donations to mark its 150th anniversary.

Partner Nancy Frankel Pelletier agreed. “It’s definitely part of the culture of the firm,” she said. “We encourage people to be active in things they have an interest in or a passion for. It’s never imposed on anyone or done out of obligation, but it’s what everyone does.”

Roberts noted that community involvement isn’t a one-way street, and firm members reap benefits beyond feeling good about themselves. “If you contribute to an organization, they benefit; on the other hand, you benefit because you learn about what the organization does, and you meet a lot of different people, and you get invested more in the community, rather than just getting in your car, going to work, taking care of your client matters, and going home. There’s a networking component that can lead you to other organizations.”

New hires, especially those coming from outside the area, are encouraged to find organizations that speak to them, as a way to get a real sense of what’s happening outside the walls and glass windows high above Main Street in Tower Square.

“Then it tends to build,” Roberts said, “because you’re recognized, and then someone else might ask you to help out at a function or support a cause or go to a dinner, and it builds on itself. It’s part of your education in the community.”

Looking Ahead

A general-practice firm, Robinson Donovan specializes in a number of legal niches, including corporate and business law, commercial real estate, estate planning and administration, divorce and family law, employment law, and litigation. After a period of rapid contraction — more than 30 lawyers worked there as recently as 15 years ago, when it was known as Robinson Donovan Madden & Barry — business has been steadily growing in virtually all those specialties, and the practice is on the rise again, hiring eight attorneys over the past several years, bringing the current roster to 16, with plans to possibly expand further.

“The firm is very dynamic and forward-thinking,” Simolo said. “We are celebrating our 150th, but at the same time, the firm is making some big investments in the future.”

Partner Jeffrey Trapani said the fact that economic development has been on the rise in Springfield, and the surrounding region is a quality-of-life draw, are added enticements when hiring.

“People get down on Springfield, but this region, I think, attracts people,” he told BusinessWest. “People enjoy coming to this area. We have city centers, things to do, you can see art, hear music, get outside, and still be close to Boston and New York.”

Trapani and Simolo count themselves among the former newcomers mentored by Roberts and his peers, but are now part of a middle generation rising to leadership and taking on much of that mentoring responsibility for new attorneys. That perpetuates the firm’s constant evolution, with some of the more recent hires chosen to match growth fields, including trusts and estates, corporate transaction law, labor and employment, domestic relations, and subspecialties like green energy.

“There’s such a broad scope of experience in this office,” Newton said. “So I can go to one of the associates and talk to them about something. They’ll learn from me, but I’ll also learn from them. When I sit in Jeff’s office or Nancy’s office, cross-learning takes place. Every single day, there are opportunities to sit down and talk about an issue with someone else. Not a day goes by that I don’t learn some new nuance that’s helpful to something I’m working on.”

It’s an environment some find unusual at first, Frankel Pelletier said, “but it’s the only environment I’ve ever known my entire career. We are just an open-door, collaborative community of lawyers.”

In short, Robinson Donovan has come a long way since its early days, when it was best known for George Robinson’s successful defense of Lizzie Borden on double murder charges in 1892. These days, the firm is recognized in a host of ways, such as the citations many of its attorneys have received from organizations like Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and Martindale-Hubbell.

“Unlike some other firms from the area, we really maintain a statewide presence,” said Frankel Pelletier, who was the firm’s first-ever female attorney. “We have always maintained that statewide presence and attained regional and, in some senses, national recognition. Our attorneys are constantly being recognized by organizations they belong to. That is who we are.”

Well, that and a law firm with a strong commitment to the community that has helped it thrive for 150 years.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Community Spotlight Features

Community Spotlight

 

Kate Phelon and Joe Mitchell

Kate Phelon and Joe Mitchell say the new Pioneer Valley Transportation Authority Intermodal Center will add to the revitalization of downtown and the Gaslight District when it opens next March.

Joe Mitchell says critical components of the Elm Street Urban Renewal Plan that was approved in 2013 by the state and Westfield City Council are finally coming to fruition.

“The plan is something that had been considered in one form or another for the past 20 years, but we’re finally making tangible and visible progress,” said the city’s advancement officer.

The plan is focused on revitalizing 4.88 acres in a two-block area in the heart of downtown Westfield that runs along both sides of Elm Street, which is the main commercial thoroughfare. There has also been a major effort made to revitalize the Gaslight District adjacent to it.

The efforts are critical because neglect and disinvestment has plagued the downtown area since 1986 when a fire destroyed the J.J. Newberry Department Store on the west side of Elm Street. Over the years, there were several attempts to redevelop the parcel and adjacent sites, but they failed, and additional buildings were vacated or torn down.

But the scene is changing rapidly. The city has spent $6 million over three construction seasons on infrastructure improvements to make the area attractive to shoppers and people dealing with area businesses.

In addition, the City Council recently allocated $509,000 to Westfield Redevelopment Authority to purchase four parcels that adjoin the new Pioneer Valley Transportation Authority’s Intermodal Center in the Gaslight District. The funds will also pay to demolish an old bowling alley on one of the sites, as well as legal fees associated with the purchases.

When that is done, a request for proposals will be issued for the construction of a four- to six-story, multi-use building on Elm Street. The first floor of the building will have space for retail establishments and a restaurant, while the upper floors will contain office space and market-rate housing. The final phase of the project will involve construction of a smart parking lot near the building, which is part of the Urban Renewal Plan.

The Gaslight District has also undergone dramatic change, and Kate Phelon, executive director of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, took BusinessWest on a tour of the district, where she pointed out new pillars with the words ‘Gaslight District’ engraved on them, new sidewalks, lighting, signage, reconfigured parking lots that contain islands with trees and brightly colored plantings, and pocket parks with fountains, large concrete planters, and other streetscape enhancements that are expected to be finished before winter hits.

Mitchell said business owners are taking more interest in their properties as a result of the enhanced infrastructure. “In the past, they didn’t have any incentive to make improvements because the area was blighted, but the Urban Renewal Plan is expected to increase property values and encourage investment.”

Construction on the new, $6.6 million PVTA Intermodal Center is also underway, and when it opens next March, it is expected to increase the use of public transportation and spawn related economic development. The state-of-the-art center will include parking space for four buses with bicycle racks, as well as a bicycle-repair station, which are important because the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail is only a block away.

Phase I of the rail trail has been completed, and Phase II will be finished next June, but at this point, bicyclists can access the trail from Main Street and ride all the way to New Haven, Conn.

However, it’s a complex project because the elevated, 3.5-mile trail will cross seven bridges when it is finished.

“But the economic impact will be significant; we expect tens of thousands of travelers to use it, including cyclists on multi-day trips and organizations that plan bicycling vacations,” Phelon said. “Retail stores and eateries will benefit, and the area will become a perfect spot for bed-and-breakfast operations.”

She added that the city has joined forces with Don Podalski of Horizon Sports to get funding for bicycle racks in the shape of black squirrels installed throughout the area. (Westfield is known for its large population of the rodents.)

Mitchell said the PVTA design team incorporated infrastructure elements and materials that are identical to the Gaslight District accents, such as matching pavers and lampposts that will make the revitalization of both areas appear seamless.

Indeed, the city and chamber are both on an upward trajectory in terms of growth and have a number of other projects on the drawing board to help existing businesses, attract new ones to Whip City, and advance workforce-development efforts.

Broad Base of Expansion

A ribbon cutting was staged Sept. 20 for a new, $6 million solar farm at 219 Russell Road that was developed by ConEdison and sold to Westfield Gas & Electric.

The new facility, which features 8,864 solar panels and is capable of producing 3 megawatts of power that will be consumed by the community, is set on 10 reclaimed acres of a 30-acre site that was a former sand pit and dumping ground for construction debris.

Mitchell said the city worked to help make the project possible by providing a 20-year tax incentive; ConEdison will pay Westfield $10,000 a year for the first 10 years of operation, then pay $26,000 a year for the following 10 years in lieu of taxes.

The property was once home to Kohls Construction Co., but had been vacant for 10 years and contained environmental hazards due to construction debris.

“The solar farm is a win-win for an underutilized piece of real estate,” Mitchell said, adding that it allowed a former liability to be turned into an asset.

Another ribbon cutting was held the week before at Prolamina Corp., a division of ProAmpad that manufactures packaging for the food and medical industries, including individual sugar packets.

“The 31,000-square-foot expansion allowed them to keep 256 jobs in Westfield,” Mitchell said, adding that another special tax agreement was formed to make the expansion possible, which included signing a new, 20-year lease with the landlord, and adding $2.9 million of state-of-the-art equipment, which will lead to 12 new jobs.

“Every city wants to grow, but we’re looking at smart growth that fits in well with the community,” he noted, explaining that Westfield is the third-largest municipality in the state in terms of geography, and is a gateway city composed of urban, industrial, residential, and agricultural sections.

“We’re at the intersection of the Mass Pike and Interstate 91, have rail service, and are home to Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, which we see as an economic engine for the city,” he continued.

Westfield has a 66-acre industrial park and is in the process of creating a second industrial park on city-owned land adjacent to Barnes Regional Airport.

“We’re doing permitting activities to advance it to a shovel-ready site,” Mitchell said, explaining that he receives two to three phone calls every week from people looking for buildings or land to build on, and since the city doesn’t have a large inventory of buildable industrial land, the new, 40-acre industrial park will provide property developers and large companies with the space they are seeking in the Whip City.

Mitchell says it would be an ideal site for industrial or aviation tenants, but at present, city officials are working with the state’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species program to determine if there is sensitive habitat on the property.

In addition, many businesses are expanding. Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., which is a unit of Virginia-based General Dynamics, has completed a $23 million expansion in Westfield Industrial Park, which will lead to the creation of more than 100 new jobs.

Meanwhile, Jarvis Surgical is planning to almost double the size of its facility, and Advance Manufacturing and Tell Tool number among the city’s precision manufacturers that have expanded or have plans to do so.

Coordinated Efforts

Phelon has worked hard to retain and grow the number of businesses who are members of the chamber of commerce. Although she says this is a problem that every chamber faces, the executive director has taken a proactive stance to help members and work with the city to support them.

For example, Phelon and Westfield Public School Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski have met numerous times to discuss workforce-development initiatives and a gap in technical skills noted by chamber members.

The former Westfield Technical Academy principal, who was named superintendent in July, wants to develop a task force composed of representatives from each school as well as business leaders, who would work together to identify areas where collaboration can take place.

Czaporowski said many businesses already participate in a cooperative education program at Westfield Technical Academy, which allows 60 seniors to alternate a week of academics with a week of internship at local firms, but he would like to expand programs for middle- and high-school students that would allow them to get an inside look at how businesses operate and gain real-world experiences.

He noted that 38% of students from the academy go directly into the workforce after graduation, while 7% of students from the high school choose that path.

“The task force will allow us to find out what schools need to do to prepare students to work in local businesses,” he said.

Phelon said the idea has generated enthusiasm and endless possibilities. “If we can keep the dialogue going, our businesses and our school department can help each other,” she told BusinessWest, adding that the academy was recently named one of three high schools in the country that have a program certified by the Federal Aviation Assoc. Gulfstream donated $200,000 to advance the school’s airframe and power-plant program several years ago, and recently donated an additional $100,000.

Gov. Charlie Baker recently appointed Phelon a member of the Mass Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative, which is a statewide initiative aimed at increasing advanced manufacturing in the Commonwealth.

“Westfield has more than 40 manufacturing companies, and I’m excited to do my part to keep the initiative moving forward so we can remain competitive globally,” she said.

Phelon also just completed the first four-year Institute of Management program for executives who run nonprofit organizations, which will increase her skill base and help her to develop programs to benefit membership in the chamber by increasing its value.

To that end, the Greater Westfield Chamber has already begun implementing practices identified in a Horizon Initiative: Chambers 2025 report.

The chamber’s 2017 calendar has two new dinners, but two fewer breakfasts, and the board of directors now meets quarterly instead of nine times a year.

“We realize that people’s time is valuable, and although the board sets policies, much of the work has shifted to committees,” Phelon explained.

In addition, there is no longer a charge for members to attend After 5 networking events, and the number of them has increased: one will be added in December, and two will be held for the first time next summer.

The chamber also plans to work with the city on the Shop Small American Express Small Business Saturday event, which is held on the last Saturday of November.

Phelon has been named a Neighborhood Champion each year, and as a result, small participating businesses will receive free doormats, shopping bags, balloons, banners, bandannas for animals, and pins to give out.

“Our tagline used to be ‘To Inform, Educate, and Advocate,’ but we have changed it to ‘We Focus on the Most Important Economy. Yours,’” Phelon noted. “We want to be viable, valuable, and vibrant in the year 2025.”

Promising Future

Real progress is taking place in the Whip City, and efforts to promote the growth of new businesses as well as the success of existing ones will continue.

“We’re on the cusp of great change, and the potential for the future is unlimited,” Phelon said, adding that Westfield is great place to live, work, and play.

Mitchell agreed. “Westfield has a bright future. We have many resources and attributes that are attractive to businesses as well as residents, and expanding our industrial base will help to keep the local economy vibrant,” he said.

All this has involved a tremendous amount of time and effort that is finally resulting in concrete change.

Departments Real Estate

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

FRANKLIN COUNTY

ASHFIELD

463 Main St.
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: Sandra Mcarthur RET
Seller: Harry L. Dodson
Date: 09/01/16

BERNARDSTON

356 Brattleboro Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Marcus G. Stetson
Seller: Nancy B. Stone
Date: 08/26/16

656 Huckle Hill Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: James A. Nielsen
Seller: Lawrence E. Giard
Date: 08/29/16

91 West Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $137,500
Buyer: Venazio Ciolino
Seller: FNMA
Date: 08/31/16

BUCKLAND

19 Clement St.
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $237,500
Buyer: Patricia M. Heminger
Seller: Randy J. Gobeil NT
Date: 09/01/16

DEERFIELD

823 River Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Kara M. Hayes
Seller: Kathryn Hartshorne
Date: 08/26/16

94 Sugarloaf St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Alexis Rodriguez
Seller: Kovalski, Dolores J., (Estate)
Date: 08/25/16

8 Thayer St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Laurie A. Fitzpatrick
Seller: Rotkiewicz NT
Date: 08/31/16

ERVING

27 River Road
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $202,000
Buyer: Stephanie E. Ollari
Seller: Lawrence T. Graves
Date: 08/24/16

18 Wheelock St.
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Craig A. Cadran
Seller: Danielle M. Botelho
Date: 08/31/16

GILL

167 West Gill Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: David M. Weeks
Seller: Thomas M. Bartlett
Date: 09/01/16

GREENFIELD

38 Abbott St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Kristen M. Brunton
Seller: Elizabeth Calvert
Date: 08/29/16

46 Allen St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $134,000
Buyer: Vanessa E. Brewster
Seller: Nancy J. White
Date: 08/30/16

13 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $1,220,000
Buyer: Center For Human Dev Inc.
Seller: Greenfield Development
Date: 08/26/16

22 Fairview St. E
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Denise M. Baranoski
Seller: Stephen J. Herbert
Date: 08/31/16

105 Hastings St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Joshua M. Hilsdon
Seller: Michael A. Fritz
Date: 08/22/16

16 Haywood St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Jason Clayton
Seller: Louis W. Peck
Date: 08/31/16

25 Highland Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $287,500
Buyer: Dennis M. Close
Seller: William D. Spencer
Date: 08/31/16

102 Main St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $1,220,000
Buyer: Center For Human Development Inc.
Seller: Greenfield Development
Date: 08/26/16

289 Wells St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Timber Commercial LLC
Seller: Dumont Co LLC
Date: 08/31/16

291 Wells St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Timber Commercial LLC
Seller: Dumont Co LLC
Date: 08/31/16

292 Wells St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Brian Ouellette
Seller: Robert W. Glabach
Date: 08/31/16

HAWLEY

108 West Hawley Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Amount: $326,500
Buyer: Grahame Travers
Seller: Charles A. Stetson
Date: 08/29/16

LEVERETT

24 Montague Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Shannon R. Gamble
Seller: Robert M. Hepner
Date: 09/01/16

231 Montague Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Kathleen C. Rice
Seller: Bruce E. Cleare
Date: 08/24/16

LEYDEN

71 George Lamb Road
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: James J. Paolucci
Seller: Theodore Rosenberg
Date: 09/02/16

MONTAGUE

108 Ave. A
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: 108 Properties LLC
Seller: Danny Y. Chow
Date: 08/25/16

9 Broadway
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Jacklyn A. Stein
Seller: Thomas F. Juravich
Date: 08/31/16

54 Central St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Adam J. Langellotti
Seller: Eloise Michael
Date: 08/26/16

5 Franklin St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $161,000
Buyer: Ashley Kelley
Seller: Toby A. Holmes
Date: 09/01/16

138 Millers Falls Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $148,500
Buyer: Roger A. Cloutier
Seller: Duane W. Phelps
Date: 08/29/16

51 O St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Alexander W. Chapin
Seller: Carol A. Dion
Date: 08/30/16

4 Veterans St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $124,900
Buyer: Mark P. Sena
Seller: Alicia N. Powell
Date: 08/30/16

NEW SALEM

62 Michael Lane
New Salem, MA 01364
Amount: $217,250
Buyer: Kristen L. Gates
Seller: Shawn M. Zwicker
Date: 08/24/16

NORTHFIELD

33 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $339,900
Buyer: Kathryn M. Hartshorne
Seller: Michael Grunwald
Date: 09/02/16

602 Mount Hermon Station Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $223,175
Buyer: Jay R. Butynski
Seller: 602 Mt. Hermon Station Road RT
Date: 09/02/16

ORANGE

42 Eagleville Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $214,500
Buyer: Daniel J. Hamlett
Seller: Randy A. Coffin
Date: 08/26/16

10 Lake Mattawa Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Joshua A. Rogers
Seller: Krystin M. Rice
Date: 08/22/16

100 King St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $121,900
Buyer: Jason R. Eldredge
Seller: Philip H. Fleming
Date: 09/01/16

105 Pleasant St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $128,000
Buyer: Cynthia R. Doyle
Seller: Kolby R. Kilhart
Date: 08/26/16

20 Victor Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Ryan T. King
Seller: William J. Harris
Date: 08/26/16

ROWE

244 Zoar Road
Rowe, MA 01367
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Austin Z. Willis
Seller: Vadeboncoeur, Joseph A., (Estate)
Date: 08/29/16

SHUTESBURY

1 Pelham Hill Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Sean A. Sawicki
Seller: L. Philip Kinder
Date: 08/30/16

SUNDERLAND

146 North Silver Lane
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Troy Santerre
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 09/02/16

WARWICK

200 Athol Road
Warwick, MA 01378
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Richard M. Condon
Date: 09/01/16

WENDELL

281 Jennison Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Janice R. Doubleday
Seller: Janice R. Doubleday
Date: 08/30/16

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

42 Cricket Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $309,900
Buyer: John Alicea
Seller: Kamran Kafi
Date: 08/31/16

23 Fordham Ave.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Ryan Parent
Seller: John Alicea
Date: 08/31/16

215 Poplar St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Yevgeniy N. Rudin
Seller: FNMA
Date: 08/26/16

225 Poplar St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Chester A. Zymroz
Seller: Phyllis B. Yankee
Date: 08/31/16

127 Reed St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $224,900
Buyer: Gina M. Letellier
Seller: James V. Cauley
Date: 08/26/16

82 River Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: Patrick Vassallo
Seller: Dolores C. Ascioti
Date: 08/30/16

135 Silver Lake Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Alla Abramchuk
Seller: Mary T. Quesnel
Date: 08/25/16

935 South Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jennifer M. Calo
Seller: Alton F. Grant
Date: 08/31/16

171 Valley Brook Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: David P. Pashek
Seller: Rebecca A. Bonafilia
Date: 08/31/16

83 Valley Brook Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $216,000
Buyer: Nathan Auger
Seller: FNMA
Date: 09/01/16

31 Virginia St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $204,900
Buyer: Amanda Sherbow
Seller: Daniel P. Payne
Date: 09/02/16

115 Witheridge St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Branimira Belegova
Seller: J. Bradford Czarnec
Date: 08/31/16

BRIMFIELD

44 3rd St.
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $549,000
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Hinckley
Seller: Joseph A. Gallo
Date: 09/02/16

86 Cubles Dr.
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $121,288
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Vicky A. Morin
Date: 08/23/16

55 East Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Paul M. Magierowski
Seller: Daniel L. Post
Date: 08/29/16

155 East Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: David A. Loos
Seller: David A. Loos
Date: 08/26/16

118 Wales Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Bank of America
Seller: Camille A. Maye-Leese
Date: 08/29/16

CHICOPEE

77 8th Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $224,999
Buyer: Joseph D. Coffey
Seller: Christopher M. Fredette
Date: 08/26/16

73 Acker Circle
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Evelyn Rivera
Seller: Angel Rios
Date: 08/23/16

41 Beesley Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $155,500
Buyer: Scott A. Godek
Seller: Elaine F. Robidoux
Date: 09/01/16

204 Blanchard St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $309,934
Buyer: David R. Gagne
Seller: Luis Builders Inc.
Date: 08/24/16

115 Boucher Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $189,900
Buyer: Arthur R. White
Seller: June E. Jones
Date: 08/23/16

28 Bristol St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Sandra L. Nichols
Seller: Robert E. Champigny
Date: 08/25/16

277 Broadway St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Crystal Cooper
Seller: Alan Mathewson
Date: 09/01/16

194 Chapel St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Joseph R. Coelho
Seller: Charlene A. Coehlo
Date: 09/01/16

21 Connell St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: James J. Picard
Seller: Christine A. Guyer
Date: 08/29/16

28 Crawford Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Alicia Lebron
Seller: Jason E. Orcutt
Date: 08/29/16

67 Davenport St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Jenisa L. Santos
Seller: David Narreau
Date: 08/23/16

54 Dayton St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $137,000
Buyer: Sandra Butch
Seller: Frederick J. Soja
Date: 08/29/16

9 Deslauriers St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $164,900
Buyer: Kathryn M. Croteau
Seller: Alexander J. Rock
Date: 08/29/16

536 East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Kristina J. Siclari
Seller: Sergiy Suprunchuk
Date: 08/23/16

42 Edgewood Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Ana M. Gonzalez
Seller: Nicole M. Blanchard
Date: 09/02/16

129 Edgewood Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $204,000
Buyer: Henri D. Lafond
Seller: Sarah J. Lusty
Date: 08/25/16

96 Edward St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Pamela I. Racine
Seller: Demyan Valkov
Date: 08/30/16

5 Fitzpatrick Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Marc E. Aube
Seller: Natalie B. Wright
Date: 09/02/16

241 Fletcher Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $126,500
Buyer: Perry R. Dulude
Seller: Baril, Gurski Nicole, (Estate)
Date: 09/01/16

3 Grape St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $129,900
Buyer: Neala Meade
Seller: Francis E. Godin
Date: 08/25/16

136 Hampden St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Patricia E. Cardoso
Seller: Vladimir Mironov
Date: 09/02/16

20 Henry Harris St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Joao G. Pedroso
Seller: Cheryl Vyce-Gonzalez
Date: 08/23/16

21 Henshaw St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Melissa G. Murphy
Seller: William Everett-Passmore
Date: 08/22/16

23 Hillcrest St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $136,500
Buyer: Debra A. Douglass
Seller: Kelley, Mary Y., (Estate)
Date: 08/26/16

86 Jennings St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Daniel Adamczyk
Seller: Cynthia A. Noga
Date: 08/31/16

181 Ludlow Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $283,600
Buyer: Kenneth M. Guyott
Seller: Steven R. Guyott
Date: 09/02/16

17 Mandalay Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Tien M. Nguyen
Seller: Cosgrove, Alfred K., (Estate)
Date: 08/29/16

612 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $159,000
Buyer: Craig C. Biela
Seller: Erin J. Biela
Date: 08/31/16

23 Morgan Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Nicole M. Blanchard
Seller: CRA Holdings Inc.
Date: 09/02/16

22 Nye St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Antonio F. Tereso
Seller: Kathleen M. Black
Date: 08/26/16

234 Old Lyman Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Ashley E. McGrath
Seller: Philip Lamoreux
Date: 08/31/16

69 Pennsylvania Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $129,000
Buyer: Lida Vasquez
Seller: James R. Nichols
Date: 09/02/16

14 Quebec St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Leonard P. Lawson
Seller: Michael P. Bailey
Date: 08/22/16

24 Ross Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $174,900
Buyer: Joseph D. McClain
Seller: Michael E. Harnois
Date: 09/02/16

30 Rzasa Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Jose A. Ferreira
Seller: Beverly Midura
Date: 08/29/16

40 Shaban Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Mohammad Attique
Seller: Kathryn M. Croteau
Date: 08/26/16

111 Taylor St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Edison F. Galindrez
Seller: Tracy Ploof
Date: 09/01/16

33 Wildermere St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $203,900
Buyer: Amy C. Fonseca
Seller: Frances Butler
Date: 09/02/16

EAST LONGMEADOW

119 Allen St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Joseph T. Ristau
Seller: Jonathan E. Robichaud
Date: 08/26/16

53 Baymor Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $182,000
Buyer: G. O. Markman Holdings LLC
Seller: Edgar P. Belliveau
Date: 08/22/16

3 Converse Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Mohammad J. Bhuyan
Seller: FNMA
Date: 08/30/16

95 Dwight Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01108
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Dean A. Labelle
Seller: Lynn J. Anderson
Date: 08/30/16

360 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $145,336
Buyer: Bank New York Mellon
Seller: Susan V. Degrave
Date: 08/23/16

22 Greenacre Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Christopher A. Minchella
Seller: Anthony C. Minchella
Date: 08/24/16

42 Lori Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Frank P. Morrisino
Seller: Russell Shaddock
Date: 08/29/16

365 Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Shazia Ahmad
Seller: Stephen R. Quimby
Date: 08/29/16

201 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: David Narreau
Seller: Michael D. Collura
Date: 08/23/16

34 Rankin Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $216,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Roldan
Seller: Michael W. Shea
Date: 08/26/16

5 Redin Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Ryan M. McCarthy
Seller: Michael F. McCarthy
Date: 08/29/16

22 Winterberry Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Dean M. Vecchiarelli
Seller: John F. Sullivan
Date: 08/26/16

HAMPDEN

298 Ames Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $297,000
Buyer: Loel Tronsky
Seller: Robert P. Marcelina
Date: 09/02/16

HOLLAND

24 Evelyn Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $223,500
Buyer: Catherine E. Newman
Seller: Leigh A. Joseph
Date: 08/23/16

HOLLAND

20 Joanie Lane
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $344,000
Buyer: Andrew M. Pantuosco
Seller: Sandra J. Oliver
Date: 08/31/16

7 Old Acres Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Tina M. Hogan
Seller: Karli Barrett
Date: 09/02/16

30 Williams Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $142,500
Buyer: Bradley J. Arcoite
Seller: Judith B. Crabb
Date: 09/02/16

HOLYOKE

341 Appleton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Anthony Patalano
Seller: Alfredo Improta
Date: 08/22/16

40 Bemis Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $259,900
Buyer: Clifford W. Kelly
Seller: Jennifer A. Rafferty
Date: 08/30/16

16 Brenan St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $123,300
Buyer: Coakley Corp.
Seller: FNMA
Date: 08/29/16

16 Cranberry Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Tyler M. Limoges
Seller: Kieth W. Dallmann
Date: 08/29/16

57 Eastern Promenade St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Rachel S. Tillman
Seller: Frederick W. Heisig RET
Date: 08/26/16

63 Edbert Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Paul A. Gazda
Seller: Amy B. Dagata
Date: 08/30/16

72 Hitchcock St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Janice Elsebae
Seller: Joseph C. Bey
Date: 08/26/16

4 Keefe Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $244,000
Buyer: Stephen Herbert
Seller: Richard J. Romboletti
Date: 08/31/16

24 Labrie Lane
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Paul Walter-Whelihan
Seller: Patricia M. Moriarty
Date: 08/26/16

609 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $256,500
Buyer: Elizabeth L. Washer
Seller: Zachary M. Berry
Date: 09/02/16

100 Pine St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: EME LLC
Seller: MHPD LLC
Date: 09/02/16

98 Pine St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: EME LLC
Seller: MHPD LLC
Date: 09/02/16

612 Pleasant St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Sol A. Rivera-Pomales
Seller: Edward A. Farrell
Date: 08/30/16

2 Radcliffe St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $147,060
Buyer: Leonard S. Gibbons
Seller: Louise M. Murdock
Date: 08/26/16

548 South St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Dumont & Monko LLC
Seller: Carls Pizza Inc.
Date: 09/01/16

13 Upland Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Jeffrey H. Rowley
Seller: Therese Holbrook
Date: 08/26/16

17 View St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Jonathan Escalante
Seller: Jeremiah J. Barrett
Date: 08/29/16

186-188 West Franklin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $186,500
Buyer: Diomedes Chavez
Seller: Lee M. Peterson
Date: 08/22/16

LONGMEADOW

77 Briarcliff Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $342,000
Buyer: Brian P. Farley
Seller: Sallie S. Schneider
Date: 08/31/16

76 Brookwood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Thomas F. Healy
Seller: Donald Magri
Date: 08/31/16

16 Chatham Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Kevin Connell
Seller: Edgar L. Fauteux
Date: 08/30/16

123 Colton Place
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Alyssa M. Cloutier
Seller: Michael P. Fitzgerald
Date: 08/23/16

109 Hillcrest Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: 109 Hillcrest Ave. LLC
Seller: Marian M. Wahl
Date: 08/26/16

25 Lincoln Park
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $138,100
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Joann E. Tabb
Date: 08/22/16

384 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $419,646
Buyer: Yellowbrick Property LLC
Seller: James C. Reynolds
Date: 08/22/16

57 Oakwood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Antony Richard
Seller: Doris P. Brodeur
Date: 08/31/16

55 Pleasantview Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $315,500
Buyer: Jared Butlin
Seller: Kevin M. Hockey
Date: 08/24/16

209 Prynnwood Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Jamie A. Meadows
Seller: Dorothy L. S. Larson RET
Date: 08/31/16

156 Sheffield Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $225,600
Buyer: OCWEN Loan Servicing LLC
Seller: Danielle N. Leveille
Date: 08/29/16

207 Williams St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Gary Levine
Seller: Mary M. Hefferon
Date: 08/23/16

LUDLOW

193 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $134,000
Buyer: Ronald J. Bonomo
Seller: Baltazar Costa
Date: 09/02/16

97 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Jose Diniz
Seller: Heather M. Manchester
Date: 08/26/16

246 Clover Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: David C. Olszak
Seller: Gerard Szymczyk
Date: 08/26/16

56 Higher Brook Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Roland L. Gomes
Seller: Kenneth R. Gauthier
Date: 08/23/16

78 Oakridge St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Artur Dias-DeMoura
Seller: Sandra A. Baltazar
Date: 08/26/16

37 Philip St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $149,000
Buyer: Melissa A. Graves
Seller: Elizabteh A. Closta
Date: 08/23/16

14 Salli Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $255,200
Buyer: Chad M. Gibson
Seller: Scott A. Richter
Date: 08/29/16

MONSON

175 Brimfield Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Anna P. Aiello
Seller: Philip J. Medeiros
Date: 08/31/16

15 Old Wales Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Kevin A. Thompson
Seller: Michael A. Stiles
Date: 08/24/16

5 Whitney Ave.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Kayla A. Talmadge
Seller: Lillian M. Jacobs
Date: 08/25/16

MONTGOMERY

49 Avery Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Tadd Allman-Morton
Seller: Bryan J. Balicki
Date: 08/26/16

18 Pineridge Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Keith A. Choquette
Seller: Robert E. Barnes
Date: 09/02/16

PALMER

281 Breckenridge St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Larry P. Moulton
Seller: Laurence M. Silber
Date: 08/31/16

3 Carriage Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $317,500
Buyer: Kristopher J. Theriault
Seller: Jessica L. Leblanc
Date: 08/24/16

177 Chudy St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Benjamin J. Table
Seller: Sophie Baker
Date: 08/26/16

7 Country Lane
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Jared D. Gliesman
Seller: Andrea M. Leclair
Date: 08/30/16

58 French Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Stephen A. Marotte
Seller: David Golden
Date: 08/31/16

3031 High St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $176,000
Buyer: Jennifer Jones
Seller: Boone LLC
Date: 08/30/16

2131-2133 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $122,000
Buyer: Christine A. Putz
Seller: Janice M. Rhicard
Date: 08/31/16

2135-2141 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Christine A. Putz
Seller: Janice M. Rhicard
Date: 08/31/16

61 Riverview Pkwy.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Jesse Heroux
Seller: Joyanne M. Curran
Date: 08/22/16

SPRINGFIELD

940 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Norma Perez
Date: 08/24/16

24 Arcadia Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Ling Xiao
Seller: James R. Channing
Date: 08/31/16

153 Ashland Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Andrew D. Panek
Seller: Harald Hilperath
Date: 08/29/16

24 Bangor St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Andrae S. Green
Seller: Claire T. O’Brien
Date: 08/31/16

239 Bowles Park
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $183,500
Buyer: Carmen Resto
Seller: Nelson W. St.Marie
Date: 08/31/16

48 Burdette St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Harold A. Blanco
Seller: Kristen M. Cirelli
Date: 08/23/16

37 Burton St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Emerald City Rentals LLC
Seller: Yellowbrick Property LLC
Date: 08/25/16

Cadwell Dr.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $426,000
Buyer: Western Mass Electric Co.
Seller: Rocky River Realty Co.
Date: 08/29/16

34 Canterbury Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Milagros Rodriguez
Seller: Diane R. Gray
Date: 08/26/16

739 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: JJS Capital Investment
Seller: Diamond Point Venture LLC
Date: 08/24/16

323 Central St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Jessica J. Ricketts
Seller: Viva Development LLC
Date: 08/24/16

43-45 Claremont St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: JJS Capital Investment
Seller: Diamond Point Venture LLC
Date: 08/24/16

78 Clement St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $131,500
Buyer: Karly A. Nickerson
Seller: Mary K. Shea
Date: 08/25/16

241 Connecticut Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: Yoel E. Cuevas
Seller: Juanita J. Bisson
Date: 08/22/16

70 Crystal Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Carlos Marrero
Seller: Tags Asset Management LLC
Date: 08/26/16

36 Deepfield Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Luis A. Cruz
Seller: William Raleigh
Date: 08/29/16

48 Derby Dingle St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: Sallie S. Schneider
Seller: Gary L. Lacy
Date: 08/29/16

19 Dianna Dr.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $242,900
Buyer: Pablo Morales
Seller: Sodi Inc.
Date: 08/22/16

47-49 Dickinson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: JJS Capital Investment
Seller: Diamond Point Venture LLC
Date: 08/24/16

645-673 Dickinson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Son Vo
Seller: Edward P. Szczepanek
Date: 09/01/16

820 Dickinson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $222,500
Buyer: Jonathan Metz
Seller: Stephan K. Fabricius
Date: 08/26/16

28 Drumlin Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $196,000
Buyer: Alba N. Gomez
Seller: Dianne M. Evans
Date: 08/26/16

280 Ellendale Circle
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $320,536
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Jilson R. Salem
Date: 08/29/16

225 Fairlawn St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $161,981
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Rita Quintier
Date: 08/31/16

137 Garland St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Katherine M. Anderson
Seller: Talbot, Charles A., (Estate)
Date: 08/31/16

145-147 Glenwood St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Vladislav Lazarev
Seller: Seajay Group LLC
Date: 09/01/16

28 Graham St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $178,500
Buyer: Vinh T. Le
Seller: Minh Lam
Date: 08/24/16

46 Grattan St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Anibal Cotto-Laboy
Seller: Derreck Savaria
Date: 08/24/16

6 Helberg Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Brianna K. Flaherty
Seller: Shawn M. Mann
Date: 08/29/16

18 Hickox Place
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Bank New York Mellon
Seller: Alex Rosado
Date: 08/23/16

49 Hudson St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: Ariana R. Caraballo
Seller: Robert F. Holwick
Date: 08/26/16

101 Larkspur St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: F. Jay Deacon
Seller: Thomas J. Collins
Date: 08/26/16

165 Marsden St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Caitlin M. Conway
Seller: Daniel J. Kelliher
Date: 08/31/16

87 Mulberry St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jason M. Werner
Seller: Kevin Chalton
Date: 09/02/16

23 Newman St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $267,294
Buyer: AAD LLC
Seller: AAD LLC
Date: 08/31/16

59 North Branch Pkwy.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $141,000
Buyer: Marlyn Santiago-Millan
Seller: Karen L. Reyes
Date: 09/01/16

25 North Chatham St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $133,500
Buyer: Lorraine J. Ceaser
Seller: Michael R. Dupont
Date: 08/25/16

100 Narragansett St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: AAD LLC
Seller: Nicks Affordable Home Improvement
Date: 08/24/16

38 Palmer Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Sarah J. Aftab
Seller: Migdalia Boria
Date: 08/24/16

1110 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $148,900
Buyer: Annell W. Perry
Seller: Julia M. Mastroianni
Date: 08/26/16

1680 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Michael H. Sierra
Seller: Luz A. Torres
Date: 08/31/16

158 Parkerview St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $115,200
Buyer: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Seller: Ardelia Owens
Date: 08/23/16

71-73 Pasadena St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: FV 1 Inc.
Seller: Lisa M. Morris
Date: 09/02/16

56-58 Phoenix St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $164,000
Buyer: Home Equity Assets Realty
Seller: Home Equity Assets Realty
Date: 08/31/16

38 Pine Grove St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $128,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Zoraida Moctezuma
Date: 08/26/16

61 Plumtree Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $119,900
Buyer: Colin M. Arnold
Seller: Proctor, Marjorie, (Estate)
Date: 08/24/16

284 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Tawana A. Anderson
Seller: Annemarie Doyle
Date: 08/31/16

24 Powell Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Ketzal D. Rodriguez
Seller: Gail M. Lapan
Date: 08/30/16

297 Roosevelt Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $155,900
Buyer: Burchell L. Spencer
Seller: Albert J. Dangelantonio
Date: 08/26/16

97 Sawmill Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: John P. Elias
Seller: Michael G. Trombley
Date: 08/30/16

53 Scott St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Jacqueline A. Lacombe
Seller: F&T&A Inc.
Date: 08/31/16

117 Sherwood Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Joann Lawson
Seller: Nancy S. Wells
Date: 08/30/16

271 South Branch Pkwy.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Ryan P. Wells
Seller: Richard J. Ollari
Date: 08/22/16

29 Spruce St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: JJS Capital Investment
Seller: Diamond Point Venture LLC
Date: 08/24/16

41 Stony Brook Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Daniel Escrogin-Ojeda
Seller: Eduardo Velez
Date: 08/22/16

83 Stuart St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $214,900
Buyer: Liz Y. Gonzalez
Seller: Brittany M. Jenkel
Date: 09/01/16

80 Temby St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $149,000
Buyer: Denisse Vazquez
Seller: Manuel A. Dematos
Date: 08/31/16

99-103 Trafton Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $189,500
Buyer: David J. Baker
Seller: Peter W. Maki
Date: 08/29/16

97 Tyler St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $241,122
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Dionisio Perez
Date: 08/23/16

42-44 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Eleanor L. Haywood
Seller: Nilda Bello
Date: 08/22/16

2125 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Nelson M. Ruales-Andrade
Seller: James L. Ragonnet
Date: 08/24/16

1112 Worcester St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $242,500
Buyer: Dayna S. Gomes
Seller: Dimar LLC
Date: 08/24/16

SOUTHWICK

17 Babb Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Marina T. Vaughn
Seller: Illia M. Olbrys
Date: 08/22/16

6 Pearl Brook Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Julia D. Millay
Seller: Daniel R. Thompson
Date: 08/26/16

26 Woodland Ridge
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Ryan Gilbert
Seller: Paul A. Metallo
Date: 08/31/16

TOLLAND

15 New Boston Road
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: William Magni
Seller: Whitney Bonadies
Date: 08/29/16

43 Path Road
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $222,500
Buyer: Glover FT
Seller: Gerald Lefkowitz
Date: 08/26/16

WESTFIELD

35 Country Club Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $208,500
Buyer: Casondra A. Taylor
Seller: Peter W. Jasinski
Date: 08/30/16

10 Cross St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Robert E. Kelley
Seller: Elizabeth J. Bigelow
Date: 08/30/16

1065 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $219,900
Buyer: James F. Wells
Seller: Raymond D. Como
Date: 08/31/16

33 Franklin St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: S4 Group LLC
Seller: Wood, Herbert B. Sr. (Estate)
Date: 08/31/16

60 Hawks Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Curt E. Miller
Seller: C&M Builders Inc.
Date: 08/24/16

25 Hayre St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Richard L. White
Seller: Christopher W. Harlow
Date: 08/30/16

15 Knollwood Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $283,000
Buyer: Jeremy P. Lavertu
Seller: Ryan Gilbert
Date: 08/31/16

131 Long Pond Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $196,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Spence
Seller: Gloria D. Helems-Lebeau
Date: 08/30/16

197 Loomis Ridge
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $570,000
Buyer: David P. Procopio
Seller: Paul J. Chevalier
Date: 08/30/16

271 Loomis St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Charles C. Rodgers
Seller: Quingley, Robert F., (Estate)
Date: 09/01/16

356 Loomis St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $220,900
Buyer: Nancy L. Hughes
Seller: Douglas R. St.John
Date: 08/29/16

379 Loomis St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $236,500
Buyer: Kolby Ryan-Kilhart
Seller: Caroline A. Krieg-Brady
Date: 09/01/16

16 Maple St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $128,000
Buyer: Peter E. Strniste
Seller: Lisa M. Shay
Date: 09/01/16

35 Marla Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: National Equity Inc.
Seller: Thomas J. Atkisson
Date: 08/29/16

98 Mountain View St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Lisa M. Shay
Seller: Charlotte C. Lawrence
Date: 09/01/16

48 Murray Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Melissa M. Ostrander
Seller: John Dionne
Date: 08/24/16

373 North Elm St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: AJB Realty LLC
Seller: John M. Williams
Date: 08/30/16

20 Oak Ave. Ext.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Julie A. Boucher
Seller: Heather L. Kane
Date: 08/26/16

50 Pleasant St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $147,500
Buyer: Charles Asher
Seller: US Bank
Date: 08/26/16

51 Rachael Terrace
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $433,500
Buyer: Nurcan Cayan
Seller: Shaun P. Mcconkey
Date: 08/22/16

25 Ridgecrest Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $309,900
Buyer: Steven Burkholder
Seller: G. Michael Hurley
Date: 08/29/16

32 Saint James Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $237,500
Buyer: Christopher Harlow
Seller: Claire A. Lebeau
Date: 08/30/16

185 Springdale Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $254,000
Buyer: Michael Bailey
Seller: Timothy Satkowski
Date: 08/29/16

238 Springdale Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Kevin Trempe
Seller: Louis M. Derise
Date: 08/30/16

WEST SPRINGFIELD

22 Bonair Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Vanessa E. Roldan
Seller: Krista M. Dicarlo
Date: 08/26/16

16 Circle Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $176,000
Buyer: Alison S. Danalis
Seller: Shirley M. Hardcastle
Date: 08/23/16

46 Cynthia Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $422,500
Buyer: Gaurav Jain
Seller: Marc-Alan Labrecque
Date: 08/30/16

641 Dewey St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: Samir Almoula
Seller: Jose A. Gomez
Date: 08/31/16

685 Dewey St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Jillian M. Coppola
Seller: Richard P. Stolpinski
Date: 08/25/16

112 Garden St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Bijoy Rai
Seller: Pavel Morozov
Date: 08/26/16

142 Hampden St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Amy E. Powers
Seller: Moreland Realty LLC
Date: 08/26/16

180 Harwich Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Daniel R. Madore
Seller: Russell J. Auclair
Date: 08/26/16

128 Hillcrest Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $228,500
Buyer: Anthony A. Baker
Seller: Frank A. Rizzo
Date: 08/31/16

432 Morton St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Donnovan Bambury
Seller: Pamela Powers-White
Date: 08/31/16

72-74 Pleasant St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $141,100
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Rosemarie Aussant
Date: 09/02/16

3 Rochelle St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $209,900
Buyer: Christine A. O’Malley
Seller: Faith M. Carpenter
Date: 08/25/16

378 Rogers Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Miriam E. Martinez
Seller: Jack N. Pinkerman
Date: 08/23/16

66 Sikes Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Ryan Lebeau
Seller: Emmanuel Avgoutakis
Date: 08/30/16

WILBRAHAM

8 Blueberry Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $382,500
Buyer: Randall A. Hoskinson
Seller: Kathleen A. Mosellen
Date: 08/29/16

29 Brainard Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $204,000
Buyer: Sarah Colen
Seller: Marcinek, Elizabeth B., (Estate)
Date: 08/31/16

50 Brainard Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Bryan R. Bracey
Seller: Alicia S. Cornet
Date: 08/24/16

7 Drumlin Circle
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Michael V. Langone
Seller: Jon G. Feeney
Date: 09/01/16

11 Falcon Hts.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $762,500
Buyer: Mark N. Borsari
Seller: Anthony Carnevale
Date: 08/30/16

21 Hunting Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $172,900
Buyer: Jeffrey C. Webb
Seller: Douglas R. Beach
Date: 08/25/16

23 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Beth A. Orszulak
Seller: Kevin J. Fall
Date: 08/26/16

115 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $333,000
Buyer: Deustche Bank
Seller: Nana Yaa-Boateng
Date: 08/26/16

461-465 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Kruller LLC
Seller: Sushilaben H. Patel
Date: 08/31/16

12 Maple St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: Brian F. Bedore
Seller: Silverstone Properties
Date: 08/30/16

23 Mountainbrook Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Charles Camerlin
Seller: Jason H. Macnaught
Date: 08/23/16

491 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $279,500
Buyer: Miguel Goncalves
Seller: Linda Gates
Date: 08/24/16

18 Sunnyside Terrace
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Frank Kulig
Seller: Henry L. Cooper
Date: 08/31/16

7 Sylvan Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Michael G. Trombley
Seller: Joseph O. Lavoie
Date: 08/30/16

22 Wright Place
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Karyn Beck
Seller: Jason M. Butler
Date: 08/31/16

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

55 Blackberry Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Cheng Song
Seller: Sharon Puchalski
Date: 08/31/16

33 Bridge St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Michael Hempstead
Seller: Jeffrey C. McQueen
Date: 08/23/16

15-A&B Eames Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $470,000
Buyer: Maeve Howett
Seller: 98 Spring Street LLC
Date: 08/31/16

15 Taylor St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: William A. Miller
Seller: Thomas J. Bickford
Date: 08/26/16

BELCHERTOWN

312 Allen Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Carol E. St.Amand
Seller: Andrea S. Tarr
Date: 08/26/16

11 Azalea Way
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Caralyn B. Zehner
Seller: Keith J. Lague
Date: 08/30/16

17 Bay Path Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $254,000
Buyer: Kenneth R. Close
Seller: Vincent J. Tran
Date: 08/29/16

40 Boardman St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Kaleigh J. Kopacz
Seller: Kenneth Roger-Close
Date: 08/26/16

Emily Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Christopher M. Fredette
Seller: JP Builders Inc.
Date: 08/26/16

988 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Yahdira C. Torres-Manzano
Seller: David C. Honeysett
Date: 09/01/16

792 Franklin St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Danielle M. Smith
Seller: Desharnais, David A., (Estate)
Date: 08/24/16

53 Hickory Hill
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $403,500
Buyer: Melissa M. Vozzella
Seller: J. N. Duquette & Son Construction
Date: 08/22/16

30 Metacomet St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $195,250
Buyer: David T. Hindman
Seller: James A. Thiemann
Date: 08/29/16

7 Orchard St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $122,000
Buyer: Maple Ledge Associates
Seller: FHLM
Date: 09/01/16

11 Rita Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Jennifer R. Salander
Seller: Shoshana Y. Wirth
Date: 08/31/16

259 Rockrimmon St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Michael A. Desrosiers
Seller: Martin E. Laliberte
Date: 08/23/16

399 Warren Wright Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $269,900
Buyer: Denise M. Emmons-Andler
Seller: William P. Rohan
Date: 08/22/16

36 Westview Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $359,900
Buyer: Gary P. Peterson
Seller: Jeffrey R. Blais
Date: 08/23/16

123 Wilson Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Isaac L. Gibbs
Seller: Carol S. Trosset
Date: 08/26/16

EASTHAMPTON

40 Ballard St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Zachary F. Ciaschini
Seller: Richard M. Zawacki
Date: 08/23/16

5 Boylston St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $229,900
Buyer: Lisa Jaffe
Seller: Michael F. Keezing
Date: 08/24/16

4 Duda Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Galen Caplis
Seller: Norwich Properties LLC
Date: 08/23/16

160 Ferry St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $209,500
Buyer: Michele E. Derouin
Seller: Robert P. Karczmarczyk
Date: 08/23/16

5-7 Hampton Terrace
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Kon Properties Inc.
Seller: Brian C. Franetovich
Date: 08/31/16

88 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $174,900
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Matthew Germme
Date: 08/29/16

151 Loudville Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $224,500
Buyer: Timothy A. Houle
Seller: Cummings, Edna L., (Estate)
Date: 09/02/16

132 Lovefield St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $226,500
Buyer: Eric S. Weld
Seller: Helen R. Bellunduno
Date: 08/29/16

3 Morin Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $209,900
Buyer: Helen M. Davis
Seller: Janine Gelineau
Date: 08/25/16

17 Russell Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: Linda G. Aird
Seller: James F. Boyle
Date: 08/31/16

36 Treehouse Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Shoshana Y. Wirth
Seller: Robert K. Eckert
Date: 08/31/16

2 West Park Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $199,500
Buyer: Richard G. O’Loughlin
Seller: Thomas H. Werbiskis
Date: 08/25/16

GRANBY

557 Amherst Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Hanna Kim
Seller: Kent FT
Date: 08/23/16

502 East State St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $294,500
Buyer: Theresa Dion
Seller: Roger E. Leblanc
Date: 08/29/16

79 Easton St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $471,000
Buyer: Xingcheng Hua
Seller: Linda G. Aird
Date: 09/02/16

33 High St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Victor Morales
Seller: Joel S. Rogers
Date: 08/31/16

162 Kendall St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Todd D. Mittler
Seller: Home Improvement Assocs.
Date: 08/24/16

109 New Ludlow Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Melissa A. Rojas
Seller: Rita M. Lariviere
Date: 08/26/16

6 Oak Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Joshua Gallien
Seller: Timothy S. Sorrentino
Date: 08/31/16

8 Smith Ave.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Michael E. Bourbeau
Seller: Mary E. Buss
Date: 08/25/16

HADLEY

33 Aqua Vitae Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Marc E. Katz
Seller: Paul A. Alexanderson
Date: 08/26/16

248 Bay Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $308,000
Buyer: Shaun R. Jenks
Seller: Gus W. Reinke
Date: 08/31/16

275 Bay Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Neil Sotirakoupoulos
Seller: Hampshire College
Date: 08/26/16

7 Bayberry Lane
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: Peter A. Gelinas
Seller: Justin T. Serpone
Date: 08/22/16

108 Main St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Frank R. Szawlowski
Seller: Stephen J. Proulx
Date: 09/01/16

145 Main St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Gregory J. Gagnon
Seller: Raymond C. Laflamme
Date: 08/31/16

39 Shattuck Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $855,000
Buyer: Angela A. McMahon
Seller: Peter A. Gelinas
Date: 08/22/16

2 West St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Andrew W. Ayres
Seller: Rachel R. Spring
Date: 08/23/16

HATFIELD

254 Straits Road
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Mark E. Robinson
Seller: Gary A. Gemme
Date: 08/26/16

MIDDLEFIELD

95 Town Hill Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Julian Craker
Seller: Jack D. Cobb
Date: 08/31/16

NORTHAMPTON

149 Barrett St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Christopher Chamberland
Seller: Sara Nolan-Deaguilar
Date: 08/24/16

120 Bridge Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Hannah S. Perez
Seller: Aaron A. Piziali
Date: 08/22/16

779 Bridge Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Frey
Seller: Brenda J. Wickles
Date: 08/22/16

256 Brookside Circle
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Sarah E. Hougen
Seller: Robert T. Earle
Date: 09/01/16

112 Chesterfield Road
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Peter L. Graham
Seller: Robert W. Schrader
Date: 08/22/16

160 Coles Meadow Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Sven Huggins
Seller: Stacey G. Kors
Date: 08/26/16

3 Cooke Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Gil Alvarez
Seller: Lewis G. Carter
Date: 09/02/16

140 Crescent St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $616,000
Buyer: William G. Park
Seller: Robert L. Veatch
Date: 08/30/16

169 Crescent St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $685,000
Buyer: 169 Crescent Street RT
Seller: Mary E. Tacy
Date: 09/02/16

15 Dickinson St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: ADB-2 Properties LLC
Seller: Mark F. Connor
Date: 08/26/16

1 Edgewood Terrace
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: William R. Schneider
Seller: Jeffrey Q. Sternal
Date: 08/30/16

508 Elm St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Maple & North LLC
Seller: Gail L. Frenier
Date: 08/31/16

26 Fort St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $690,000
Buyer: Leonard Seth-Schoenfeld
Seller: Marcy Eisenberg RET
Date: 08/30/16

108 Grove St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $427,000
Buyer: Kavita S. Datla
Seller: Shop Development LLC
Date: 08/31/16

21 Liberty St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Alicia M. Spence
Seller: George W. Blanchet
Date: 09/01/16

23 Massasoit St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Emily E. Harding-Morick
Seller: Glenn Alper
Date: 08/29/16

66 Massasoit St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $690,000
Buyer: Martha B. Clarke
Seller: Janice A. Hudgings
Date: 08/31/16

17 Middle St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $321,300
Buyer: David R. Saffer
Seller: Eleanor Wakin
Date: 08/30/16

119 Moser St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $365,575
Buyer: Eric M. Derman
Seller: Kent Pecoy & Sons Construction
Date: 08/30/16

190 North Elm St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Pantar Home Solutions LLC
Seller: Daw NT
Date: 08/26/16

185 North Main St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Jeremy Bonios
Seller: Pvseed LLC
Date: 09/02/16

619 Ryan Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Robert T. Earle
Seller: B&E Capital LLC
Date: 09/01/16

944 Ryan Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Christopher R. Aller
Seller: Maurice E. Scott
Date: 09/02/16

6 Shepherds Hollow Road
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $382,000
Buyer: Phillipa Gill
Seller: Jayma Hall
Date: 09/02/16

400 South St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $391,634
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Timohy J. Carey
Date: 08/23/16

63 Union St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $419,500
Buyer: Spirit Joseph
Seller: Cheryl A. Korytoski
Date: 08/29/16

97 Vernon St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Bercume Construction LLC
Seller: Deborah S. Bruce
Date: 08/24/16

PLAINFIELD

334 South Central St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Peter Bumpus
Seller: Uma M. Jolicouer
Date: 09/01/16

29 Union St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $407,500
Buyer: Thomas B. Kusek
Seller: Magdalena E. Bishop
Date: 08/31/16

SOUTH HADLEY

47 Boynton Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Marc C. Cameron
Seller: David R. Michaud
Date: 08/26/16

198 Brainerd St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Felix J. Blaney-Perez
Seller: Christopher J. Lesieur
Date: 08/31/16

19 Hildreth Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $182,500
Buyer: Sharon M. Kelly
Seller: Todd W. Danio
Date: 08/26/16

15 Kimberly Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Jamison J. Buchanan
Seller: Primestar Fund 1 TRS Inc.
Date: 08/31/16

5 Linden Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: David Miner
Seller: David R. Gagne
Date: 08/24/16

59 Lyman Terrace
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Robert E. Swan
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 08/31/16

25 North St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Kristine M. Mathis
Seller: Thomas F. Reed
Date: 08/23/16

21 Pheasant Run
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: George M. Barsalou
Seller: Michael A. Minkos
Date: 08/29/16

30 Tampa St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Jason E. Fuller
Seller: Scott C. Bishop
Date: 08/26/16

SOUTHAMPTON

6 Couture Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $196,300
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Michael R. Papineau
Date: 09/02/16

69 East St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $217,500
Buyer: Peter M. Fisher
Seller: Kevin L. Canton
Date: 08/24/16

102 Fomer Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $389,000
Buyer: Nathan Lusignan
Seller: Ronald P. Moussette
Date: 09/01/16

322 Fomer Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Paul Visintainer
Seller: Richard D. Paradis
Date: 08/26/16

53 Gilbert Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $359,000
Buyer: David G. Breveglerei
Seller: Czelusniak Custom Homes
Date: 08/31/16

WARE

48 Bacon Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: Belspring RT
Seller: Citimortgage Inc.
Date: 08/25/16

6 Desantis Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Keith Chevalier
Seller: Christopher Mason
Date: 08/30/16

7 Hillside Terrace
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Kristen Boudreau
Seller: Henry P. Ford
Date: 08/31/16

106 North St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Allison M. Biron
Seller: Michael A. Dulak
Date: 08/29/16

1 Walter Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Phoebe R. Kaminski
Seller: VR Realty Partners LLC
Date: 08/24/16

WESTHAMPTON

340 Main Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Marc N. Riel
Seller: Julie A. Boucher
Date: 08/26/16

294 Southampton Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Barbara J. Page
Seller: Patricia A. Plaza
Date: 09/01/16

WILLIAMSBURG

30 Main St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $293,000
Buyer: Jesse K. Pompei
Seller: Lawrence Lashway
Date: 08/26/16

2 South Main St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $272,500
Buyer: Michael A. Bullock
Seller: Patrick J. Quinlan
Date: 08/25/16

17 Williams St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Richard Souza
Seller: Linda E. Strong
Date: 08/31/16

WORTHINGTON

24 Indian Oven Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Amanda Curtis
Seller: FNMA
Date: 08/22/16

398 Old Post Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: James W. Mendelsohn
Seller: Stephen D. Flint
Date: 08/22/16

431 Old Post Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Chester J. Kellogg
Seller: Stephen D. Flint
Date: 08/22/16

BUILDING PERMITS

The following building permits were issued during the month of September 2016.

Chicopee

Brixmor Chicopee Marketplace LLC
591 Memorial Dr.
$9,000 — Verizon Wireless is removing and replacing existing antenna, adding two remote radio heads

City of Chicopee
125 Montgomery St.
$462,625 — Remove and replace roof

Randolf Products
33 Haynes Circle
$22,700 — Add fire protection to storage racks

Ritmar Realty Corp.
62 Center St.
$23,000 — Install second means of egress from third floor and close off fourth floor

T.E.A.M.
84 Main St.
$4,000 — Install ductwork

Hadley

Pyramid Mall of Hadley Newco LLC
367 Russell St.
$18,000 — Replace CMU wall near rear mall entrance

Northampton

B’Nai Israel Congregational
253 Prospect St.
$1,500 — Construct partition wall and door

The Brush Works LLC
221 Pine St.
$23,790 — Add three Verizon remote radio heads to existing smokestack installation

City of Northampton
Armory Street Parking Garage
$162,000 — Replace sealant and tee to tee joints

Clarke School for the Deaf
47 Round Hill Road
$50,000 — Demo work required from structure fire, excess water

Cooley Dickinson Hospital
30 Locust St.
$763 — Create men’s and women’s locker rooms

Cooley Dickinson Hospital
30 Locust St.
$1,263,329 — Create a comprehensive breast care center

Garibaldi Associates
274 Pleasant St.
$495,000 — Construct 1,500-square-foot addition, optical studio

Hill Institute
77 Pine St.
$23,800 — Strip and shingle roof

Northampton Veterinary Clinic
190 Nonotuck St.
$219,000 — Remodel and reconfigure space

People’s Institute
38 Gothic St.
$28,000 — Construct handicap ramp and deck

Thornes Marketplace
150 Main St.
$51,286 — Rebuild egress and vestibule skywalk to garage

Springfield

City of Springfield
36 Court St.
$112,000 — Alteration of space for warehouse use by SPS Information Tech, including partition walls, five sprinkler/alarm improvements, and HVAC improvements to the existing space

MassDevelopment
33 Andrews Way
$6,470 — Build out for Superior Tax and Accounting office in Suite #103 at 1550 Main St.

Norse Properties, LLC
424 Springfield St.
$50,000 — Renovate existing unit of multi-unit, single-story commercial building into café/bar

Walgreens Inc.
619 Chestnut St.
$300,000 — Interior remodel including new partitions, finishes, reuse existing ceiling, modify existing mechanical, new restroom on ground level, pharmacy and employee sinks

Westfield

Century Properties, LLC
54 Court St.
$22,000 — Alterations and repairs

City of Westfield
Franklin St.
$598,350 — Bullens Field Renovation

Jarvis Surgical
53 Airport Road
$20,000 — Install sprinklers in new addition

J&F Management
124 Elm St.
$35,000 — Redesign existing kitchen to accept new sanitation room, install wall separate in the basement

Pioneer Valley Baptist Church
265 Ponders Hollow Road
$5,000 — Add a nursery and sound room in church sanctuary

Streamfield, LLC
303 East Main St.
$180,000 — Alter existing vacant space to permit use of Moe’s Southwest Grill restaurant

West Springfield

Eastern States Exposition
Storrowton Meeting House
1305 Memorial Ave.
$22,000 — Fabricate and install duct serving first floor AC

Providence Ministries
2112 Riverdale St.
$25,000 — Add fire-protection system

Suddekor
26 Sears Way
$59,000 — Modify existing sprinkler system

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — What are the current economic challenges and opportunities confronting former industrial hubs such as Hartford, Chicopee, New Haven, Springfield, and New Britain?

That is exactly what will be discussed in Central Connecticut State University’s Torp Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at this year’s Mayors’ Fall Economic Forum, hosted by the New England Knowledge Corridor Partnership (NEKC), a consortium of more than 30 diverse organizations all focused on creating a more competitive and prosperous cross-border region stretching from New Haven north through Hartford, Springfield, and beyond.

“While no one denies our region faces its share of economic challenges, it has become increasingly apparent that much of the potential presented by our many institutions of higher learning and healthcare, as well as our advantageous proximity to Boston and New York, has yet to be fully tapped into,” said NEKC chair and Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Tim Brennan. “The New England Knowledge Corridor Partnership is all about working across sectors and state borders to ensure our region fully capitalizes on our strengths and addresses our challenges with clear eyes and a willingness to collaborate.”

On stage for a moderated dialogue focusing on key economic and workforce efforts will include the mayors of four of the region’s largest cities, including Domenic Sarno of Springfield, Richard Kos of Chicopee, Toni Harp of New Haven, Conn., and Erin Stewart of New Britain, Conn. Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear from economist Don Klepper-Smith, who will present a Knowledge Corridor economic-assessment report that will give all those present a better sense of the cross-border region’s economic metrics and how collaborative approaches can be implemented.

Additionally, Prabal Chakrabarti, senior vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, will present on the Working Cities Challenge initiative that has placed considerable resources into addressing structural and policy issues in many of New England’s post-industrial cities in order to maximize employment of their residents.

The lead sponsor for this interstate forum is Farmington Bank, which has expanded its service area from Connecticut into Western Mass. over the past several years and has increasingly looked for opportunities to highlight and support collaborative interstate ventures such as the Knowledge Corridor Partnership. The event’s other co-sponsors include Central Connecticut State University, UIL Holdings Corporation, the University of Hartford, the Capitol Region Council of Governments, and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

The event will start at 8 a.m. and is scheduled to conclude at 10:45 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. To register, click here.

Opinion

Opinion

By W. Scott Butsch, MD, MSc, and Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA

For more than a decade, obesity has been recognized as an epidemic condition in the U.S., and the numbers certainly justify the characterization.

Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 36% of adults have obesity, and a report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation declares that not a single state in the union has an adult obesity rate of less than 20%. While the obesity rate for children is lower, it, too, is alarming: 17% of Americans aged 2-19 years — nearly 13 million children and adolescents — struggle with obesity.

Despite enormous attention and numerous programs to reduce obesity — by federal, state, and local governments, community agencies, businesses, schools, and others — the high numbers persist, putting millions of Americans at risk of some of the leading causes of preventable death, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

The standard means of measuring obesity is the body-mass index (BMI), a formula that estimates a person’s total body fat based on height and weight. Someone with a BMI of 25-30 is considered overweight; a BMI of 30 or more is classified as having obesity. While BMI is a useful tool to estimate health risk, examining obesity and its health risks on an individual basis is more complicated than just determining a single number.

When we’re born, our bodies contain a certain number of fat cells, which is important, because they store fat for energy. Fat cells accumulate in childhood, but when we become adults, our bodies don’t gain additional fat cells; these cells just increase or decrease in size.

That increase or decrease in the size of the fat cells is what leads to weight gain or loss. This is important to understand, because it is the amount of fat in a person’s body that relates to health risks and raises concern among physicians. That’s why prevention in childhood is so critical: if a person is overweight or has obesity as a child, it is likely that overweight and obesity — and the accompanying conditions of poor health — will follow as an adult.

Conventional wisdom has thought of obesity as primarily a lifestyle issue, even a character flaw, with people simply eating too much and not getting enough physical exercise. However, research over the last two decades describes a highly complex system that controls our body weight, with many other factors besides diet and exercise, in addition to our own biology, contributing to obesity.

Also within the past few decades, our environment has changed dramatically, and some of those changes have led to weight gain in individuals predisposed to obesity. A proliferation of fast-food restaurants, exposure to high-calorie foods, and the easy availability of processed foods, reduction in sleep, increased stress in a fast-paced world, and a tendency toward more sedentary lifestyles encouraged by technological advances all have played a role in weight gain.

Diet and exercise are important, but they’re only parts of the puzzle. Consideration of diet, for example, should reflect not just how much we eat, or how we limit portion size, but what we eat. Eating more healthful foods, with an eye on nutritional content, is a much better approach. That’s why it’s important to read and understand the nutrition labels on food. The new nutrition facts label, announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May, should be a step forward in helping consumers make better choices about the foods they purchase.

Other factors can also lead to being overweight or having obesity, such as the quality and quantity of our sleep, and even certain medications, like anti-depressants and medications for high blood pressure, may contribute to weight gain.

For patients with overweight and obesity, it is important to recognize the associated adverse effects on health over a lifetime. It is equally important for those patients to engage in a critical self-assessment, preferably with a physician, on all of the factors that can be linked to weight gain, to see where improvements can be made to help reduce weight.

Dr. W. Scott Butsch and Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford are physicians at the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center and members of the Mass. Medical Society’s Committee on Nutrition and Physical Activity. This article is a public service of the Mass. Medical Society.

Autos Sections

Waiting to Leave

Carla Cosenzi

Carla Cosenzi says her newest dealership was designed to give the customer a positive experience and not waste their time.

There’s no one way to design an auto dealership, but increasingly — driven by both manufacturer requirements and an ever-more-demanding clientele — newer stores boast a number of specific features, from spacious, drive-in service departments to comfortable, well-stocked lounges; from energy-efficient touches to an emphasis on openness and transparency in the showroom. At a time of fierce competition for business, dealers say these elements are necessary to attract buyers — and keep them coming back.

Gary Rome summed up the experience of most of his customers succinctly and bluntly.

“When people are waiting for a car, they’re waiting to leave,” said the president of Gary Rome Hyundai. And that goes for both people in the market for a vehicle purchase and those bringing their rides in for service — in either case, no one wants to spend any more time at a car dealership than they have to.

On the other hand, sometimes it takes a while to, well, leave. Which is why so many aspects of his new facility on Whiting Farms Road in Holyoke, which opened last month, are designed to keep customers occupied and … let’s just say in less of a hurry to go home.

“One of the most important things to customers is time,” Rome told BusinessWest. “If you value their time and make it easy to purchase a car or have their car serviced, you’ll get loyal, repeat customers. So I want to make the process as enjoyable as possible by offering all the amenities I think are reasonable for our customers.”

Gary Rome car dealer

Gary Rome says energy-efficient touches throughout his new dealership are aimed squarely at reducing his carbon footprint.

To that end, the customer lounges — there’s one for watching TV, another for quietly doing business, and a play area for kids — border a coffee bar with free coffee, fruit, and muffins, as well as vending machines loaded with healthy snacks. Beside the TV is a screen detailing the status of every repair job currently underway, and the lounges overlook the service department so people can watch their cars being worked on.

Northampton Volkswagen and Country Hyundai, two neighboring stores in TommyCar Auto Group, opened their doors in 2014 with a similar focus on the customer experience. People bringing their cars in for service are met with high-speed doors followed by a porter who shows the way to a waiting room decked out with a TV, wi-fi, business workstations, smartphone jacks, free drinks and snacks, and even complimentary bicycles outside in case customers would rather take to the nearby bike trails instead of waiting indoors.

“We designed everything for the comfort and convenience of the customer,” said Carla Cosenzi, president of TommyCar. “We’re doing everything with the customer in mind.”

To that end, the facility has improved the employee experience as well, incorporating air conditioning, high ceilings, large windows, and LED lights in the service department — a far cry from the hot, cramped workspaces of old. Productivity has soared under those conditions, she said, which means, yes, less waiting for customers.

“They’re set up for efficiency, so they can be more productive and make the best use of customers’ time while they’re here. That’s where the majority of our focus was while building this.”


See: Area Auto Dealers in Western Mass.


Damon Cartelli agreed that efficiency, as it impacts the customer experience, is paramount — and a major design trend in the auto industry. His company, Fathers & Sons, opens its new, connected Audi and Volkswagen dealerships this week on Memorial Avenue in West Springfield, which boast the same type of high-speed doors — which trap air inside, keeping the space cool during warm days and warm during cold ones — that Cozensi spoke of. The driver then parks, gets out of the car, and walks directly into the shop, where a lounge with a TV area and workstations awaits.

“That’s now standard across the industry,” said Cartelli, the company’s president. “New dealerships have an area that’s comfortable and quiet so you’re able to work or sit in a lounge and have coffee and watch TV.”

While comfortable lounges and drive-in service bays may be among the more obvious hallmarks of the modern auto dealership, other trends — from a focus on transparency in the sales area to environmentally friendly features — are surging as well. For this issue’s focus on auto sales, BusinessWest explores three dealerships, two of them brand new, to talk about what dealers are doing to move customers out quickly — and get them to return, time and again.

No Secrets

Cartelli noted that many features of a new dealership — particularly Volkswagen, which demands uniformity in new dealerships with their nameplate — are blueprinted by the manufacturer, and many of the touches, including the high-speed doors, the finished service driveway (as opposed to a concrete look), the high-tech customer lounges, and display areas where customers can buy clothing, branded items, and vehicle accessories are required elements.

Damon Cartelli car dealer

Damon Cartelli says the prominent use of glass inside and outside his Volkswagen and Audi dealerships promote transparency, in both design and customer dealings.

So is the transparency. To look around the showroom is to see office walls of glass, so sales associates and managers are never hiding from customers. Cartelli said the look reflects his own philosophy of doing business in a transparent way.

“We have a transparent pricing model. We’re transparent with everything we do, with how you buy a car. We don’t want customers asking, ‘what is he doing back there?’ You can see what he’s doing. We have nothing to hide. That’s part and parcel with how we do business, which is nice.”

Cosenzi had to deal with the same demands from VW, although Hyundai was more flexible in its requirements. But she agreed with Cartelli that openness is a positive for customers.

“Sales managers are no longer in big podium stations; they’re approachable, in the middle of the showroom, and all the salespeople work in an open environment at their desks,” she said. “As you walk through the dealership, you see the open sales stations, the glass. When you’re in the finance office, you constantly see and follow what’s happening with paperwork and flow.

“We worked really hard to make the customer experience great,” she went on. “You see a lot of light when you walk in, and you’re immediately greeted by a warm, friendly body at the greeter station. We made sure all the customer parking was up front, made it really easy for them. We want customers to feel like they’re getting the VIP treatment all the way around.”

Cartelli said the best way to make customers feel important, quite simply, is to not waste their time. “If you can increase efficiency in how you do business, that’s important — the speed with which business gets done is second only to price. People want a fantastic customer experience, and they want to know how quickly you’ll get it done.”

Rome incorporated elements of transparency in his new dealership as well. “It’s important for me that customers come inside the building and are able to watch their cars being worked on,” he said, pointing out the line of sight between customer lounge areas and the spacious service department. “Some dealerships take the car around back to some black hole, and you don’t know what thery’re doing or when it will be ready. This is a much better experience.”

In this day and age, customers expect this treatment. If you don’t have it, there are other dealerships out there that do, and you’ll be missing out.”

But Rome also wanted a dealership that’s cutting-edge in environmental ways as well, incorporating a number of green elements aimed squarely at reducing the store’s carbon footprint, from energy-efficient LED lights to insulated windows to a car wash that reclaims and recycles water. All the oil collected during oil changes isn’t discarded, but rather stored in drums and pumped back into the heating system and used to heat the service department, while oversized fans circulate air in that area and control temperature. He even installed electric car-charging stations on the premises that anyone — not just customers — can stop by and use.

“Simple things like automatic faucets and toilets, motion-sensing lighting in the offices, reduces our carbon footprint,” he said. “In addition to that, we’re putting a 650-megawatt solar array on the back of the property. We’ll be generating energy.”

Lots of Options

There’s one other feature the new dealerships share: more space.

“The main feature is being able to display every model Hyundai makes,” Rome said, noting that the new showroom holds 15 cars, an outdoor canopy houses eight more, and the vast property contains hundreds more vehicles than could have been displayed at the former location on Main Street.

Cartelli’s new property is designed to handle 200% growth. “We’re in growth mode, and we have the ability to grow into it,” he said. “We’ve overbuilt for today’s business, so we can overserve the customer.”

That service begins right away when a driver enters the wide indoor bay and a device instantly tests the vehicle for alignment — a feature at the other new dealerships as well. Once out of the car, customers notice the tiled floors, which are slip-resistant and easier on the feet than cement.

In short, everything is geared to giving customers an enjoyable experience while they wait to leave. At Gary Rome, people leaving with a new car are able to fill out their paperwork in a glass-walled business office looking out over a covered area where their new car sits beside a red carpet. From the moment they walk in, he said — his rule is that associates greet any customer within 10 feet of them on the showroom floor — to that roll outside on the red carpet, everything is designed with the customer in mind.

Cosenzi said such touches are more important now than ever.

“In this day and age, customers expect this treatment,” she told BusinessWest. “If you don’t have it, there are other dealerships out there that do, and you’ll be missing out.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Columns Sections

Be Ready to Launch

By Carolyn Bourgoin, CPA

 

Carolyn Bourgoin

Carolyn Bourgoin

Crowdfunding has become a popular vehicle to raise money for personal, charitable, or business endeavors due to its ease of use and accessibility. However, many businesses and individuals who enter into a crowdfunding campaign have not considered potential tax implications prior to launching a campaign.

Here’s how it works. Websites such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and GoFundMe provide a forum for persons seeking funds (i.e. project initiators) to present their project or products in order to attract potential contributors, referred to as ‘backers.’ Project initiators may offer contributors rewards of nominal value, such as T-shirts, in exchange for a contribution, while others may offer sample products or rewards based on the level of contribution.

Campaigns can be set up with a fixed funding goal where the project initiator receives contributions only if funding goals are met, or with flexible funding goals that allow the initiators to keep funds even if the funding goal is not met. The websites charge initiators a fee per transaction; fixed funding goal campaigns are charged a lower fee.

Contributions are made via credit cards, so the crowdfunding websites often use financial intermediaries like PayPal or Amazon Payment to track the credit-card transactions. If more than 200 separate transactions worth more than $20,000 are generated by a campaign, the intermediary has to file a Form 1099-K to report the proceeds. Though a 1099-K is not required in many cases, this does not mean that the funds received are excludable from the recipient’s taxable income.

Tax Treatment of Crowdfunding Revenues

Under general income-tax principles, gross income is broadly defined to include income from all sources. Only items specifically exempt can be excluded from income. Based on these principles, most crowdfunding revenues will be includible in the recipient’s gross income unless he or she can show that the funds are excludible as: (1) contributions to capital in exchange for an equity interest in the entity, (2) loans that must be repaid, or (3) gifts made with donative intent where the donor does not receive a tangible economic benefit in return for his contribution.

Proceeds from donation-based campaigns may qualify as non-taxable gifts if the funds are for the benefit of an individual or a public charity, depending on the purpose and intent of the payment. For instance, if a campaign is to help an individual with unanticipated medical bills due to a tragedy, then the contributions might qualify as a gift. Where a gift exceeds the annual gift-tax exclusion of $14,000 (2016 exclusion amount), the donor may have a gift-tax filing responsibility.

Whether the proceeds from a reward-based campaign should be included in the recipient’s gross income is more difficult to determine because the value of the ‘reward’ must be determined. Crowdfunding often involves the project initiator providing a new product to the contributor in exchange for their ‘contribution.’ If the reward given to the contributor equals or exceeds the amount of the pledge, then the full payment is considered gross income to the recipient.

In essence, the contributor has paid for the reward, and there is no donative intent. Where the value of the reward is less than the ‘contribution,’ then the difference between the contribution and the value of the reward must be evaluated to determine whether it qualifies as a gift or some other type of contribution. In this situation, only a portion of the payment received by the recipient may be characterized as gross income.

Newer to the crowdfunding scene are equity-based campaigns, where crowdfund contributors are provided with an ownership stake in a startup venture in exchange for their contribution. These payments are a contribution to capital and are not gross income to the startup entity. However, there may be tax implications to the investor depending on the valuation of the interest, which is beyond the scope of this article.

Tax Treatment of Crowdfunding Expenditures

Once it has been determined that crowdfunding revenues should be included in federal gross income, the project initiator must determine what expenses, if any, are deductible. A detemination must be made whether the activity is a trade or business or a hobby. Distinguishing between the two is based on a fact-and-circumstances determination that looks to a series of nine factors.

In addition, the timing of when crowdfunding expenditures may be deducted can be an issue. The crowdfunding activity must be considered an active trade or business for the expenses to be eligible for deduction.

Tax Treatment of Contributions to Crowdfunding Campaigns

The tax treatment of a contribution made by a backer to a crowdfunding campaign depends on the motive of the backer as well as whether he or she receives anything in exchange for the payment. If the backer is making a campaign contribution out of disinterested generosity and does not receive anything in return, he has most likely made a gift. Only if the gift is to an approved public charity will it be deductible as a charitable contribution. A gift to a private individual seeking funds is not going to qualify as a charitable contribution even though it may be to help defray medical costs.

Contributions made to a campaign where the contributor receives goods or services of equivalent value in return are not tax-deductible. If a backer wants to make a significant contribution to a cause or project, it may be worth consulting with an advisor as to whether there are more beneficial or efficient ways to provide support.

Other Tax Issues

State and local taxes as well as sales and use taxes are other areas of concern for crowdfunding campaigns. Advance consideration should also be given to the most beneficial accounting method and best form of doing business for project initiators in a startup trade or business. Proper planning before entering into a crowdfunding campaign can help avoid undesirable tax consequences and surprises to project initiators.

Carolyn Bourgoin, CPA is a senior manager with Holyoke-based public accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.; (413) 322-3483; [email protected]

Autos Sections

Groundbreaking Event

As they took to the podium placed near the front door of the hotel known long ago as the Schine Inn (it’s had many names since), several politicians reflected on the important place the site has had in Chicopee’s history, especially its political and business history. And they noted that this legacy will certainly continue as the site is prepared for its new life — as home to a Mercedes dealership to be operated by Springfield Automotive Partners. Ground was broken for the ambitious, $12 million project on Sept. 21. The dealership, highly visible from the exit 6 tollbooth of the Mass Pike just a few hundred yards away, is due to open in just under a year, said Peter Wirth, managing partner of Springfield Automotive partners, who is undertaking the project with his wife, Michelle, and partners Rich and Amy Hess.

An architect’s rendering of the 37,000-square-foot Mercedes dealership

An architect’s rendering of the 37,000-square-foot Mercedes dealership

A large group of officials take up shovels for the groundbreaking

A large group of officials take up shovels for the groundbreaking

Managing Partner Peter Wirth

Managing Partner Peter Wirth addresses the large gathering for the ceremonies

Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — Bacon Wilson announced that attorney Lee Dawn Daniel has been selected to join the executive committee of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys (MATA).

She is currently serving her second term on MATA’s board of governors, having been appointed by MATA’s president for 2015-16, and then nominated and elected by former MATA officers to continue on the board of governors for another two-year term.

“It is my privilege to continue my service to MATA by joining the executive committee,” Daniel said. “I am thrilled to be able to help promote the mission of this tremendous organization, which allows trial attorneys to gather together to share cutting-edge techniques, discuss the latest trends in the law, and improve skills so that we can continue to serve our clients and the justice system of the Commonwealth to the best of our abilities. It’s my honor to serve.”

Attorney Daniel recently joined Bacon Wilson as of counsel. She is a litigator with more than 30 years of experience representing clients in matters of personal injury. She is a graduate of the Boston University School of Law and the State University of New York at Binghamton with honors, and has secured multiple million-dollar-plus settlements and verdicts throughout her career. She is based in Bacon Wilson’s Northampton location.

MATA has operated since 1975, with its membership working to uphold and defend the Constitutions of the U.S. and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to assure that the right to trial by jury will be secure to all, to help people whose rights may be in jeopardy, to protect the independence of the judiciary, to promote public safety and welfare while protecting individual liberties, and to uphold the honor of the profession of law.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The United Way of Pioneer Valley Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) will host its third annual Wine and Beer Tasting and Silent Auction on Wednesday, Oct. 5 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the TD Bank Center in Springfield. The event will raise money to support local initiatives for women and girls.

“When women in the WLC connect around an idea to improve lives, anything is possible,” said Kathryn Dube, senior vice president at TD Bank and co-chair of the event, which will bring together local wine and beer distributors and restaurants offering a variety of food and beverage options that attendees can enjoy while browsing silent auction items donated by local companies. To RSVP, call ShyReshia Perry at (413) 693-0200.

Sponsors for the event include Berkshire Bank, BusinessWest, TD Bank, Health New England, Springfield Technical Community College, Holyoke Community College, Sodexo, Aaron’s Rent-to-Own, Harry Grodsky & Co., and the Markens Group. Media sponsors include WMAS, WEIB, WMAS Citadel/Cumulus Media Group, and Spanish Radio WSPR – Bomba Radio 1490 and 1270.

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of September 2016.

Amherst

7 Eagle Group
39 Linden Ridge Road
Jordan Kern

Amherst Mindfulness
17 Kellogg St.
Michele Zakashansky, d/b/a Michele Miller

Asphalt House
28 Pine Grove
Silver Thimble Corp.

CTI Energy Services, LLC
34 South Pleasant St.
Craig Meadows and Thomas Timmins

F.L. Roberts
399 Northampton St.
Tony El-Nemr

Jim’s Livery Co.
11 Amity St.
James Witherell

PennyFarthing Investment Management, LLC
6 South East St.
Eric Bright

RD Mobile Tech Repair Specialists
34 Main St., #1
Rizwaan Mayet

Chicopee

Aerial 51 Studios
196 Fletcher Circle
Robert Perry

Air Temp Solutions, LLC
259 Arcade St.
William Renaud

Cellite Engineers Inc. d/b/a Johnstone Supply
590 Center St.
Jess Hill

The Frame Co.
162 Nelson St.
Leslie Lavaruway

GetReal Media
23 Blanchard St.
Lisa Marie DesRochers

Laravee Homes
39 Swol St.
Jared Laravee

Livio Gravini Music
23 Blanchard St.
Livio Gravini

M and M Cleaning and Painting Services
302 Springfield St.
Mariana Acosta

Mark Renovation
102 Lemuel Ave.
Mariusz Wozny

MPinto Transport
44 Alvord St.
Maria Pinto-Davila

Not Your Granny’s Crochet Co.
24 Ashmont St.
Olga Kravchenko

Pets Hear All Clear
55 Empire St., Unit 43
Jean Mattson

Holyoke

Frosted
50 Holyoke St.
Amanda Streeter and Shelly Phillips

Fun Toys d/b/a Sharp Trans Inc.
50 Holyoke St.
Huseyin Sari

JC Parker
8 Highland Ave.
John Parker

Mask Makers Face Painting
22 Bassett Road
Emma Huse

Tony’s Grocery Store
801 High St.
Felix Almonte

Northampton

All About You with Lisa
2 Conz St.
Lisa Lussier

Barton’s Angels Inc.
144 Riverbank Road
Nancy Whitley

Brits R Us
16 Armory St.
Alan Greaves

Ostrander Law Office
36 Service Center Road
David Ostrander

Simply Hair
110C Main St.
Melissa Duffy

Taylor Painting
29 Butler Place
Stephan Taylor

Springfield

413 Multi Service
542 Page Blvd.
Jose Luis Rodriguez

Aha! Intimates
42 Wellfleet Dr.
Gifty Esi Acquah

Casey Arthur Prosperity
617 Bay St.
Casey Arthur

Double Dees Delivery
178 Starling Road
Elizabeth Dasso

DT’s Catering
226 Old Farm Road
Traci Gaynor

The Eyeglass Co.
1268 Sumner Ave.
Jeffrey Robins

Friends Auto Sales LLC
145 Michon St.
Alaa Almaliki

Guillermo’s Barber Shop
472 Bridge St.
Jonathan Rodriguez

Handyworks
17 Crown St.
Mohammad Alkhabi

Himalaya Restaurant & Bar
475 Sumner Ave.
Bhuwan Gautam

Kranis Global Holding LLC
2625 Main St.
Sayed Irfan

More2Hair
218 Pearl St.
Aisha Sherrie

Quality Contractors
1655 Main St.
Juan Diaz

Shine Bright Cleaning, LLC
407 Bay St.
Maria Vega

TheDon413 Productions
108 Whittier St.
Edward Donell Hogan
Y Solutions
431 Main St., #306
Yevgeniy Loboda

Holiday Party Planner Sections

The Party Line

Josh Belliveau venues

Josh Belliveau says businesses planning holiday parties are drawn to the unique atmosphere of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Anthony Barbarisi recalls the years when large companies would splurge on huge holiday parties for 1,000 employees or more.

The Great Recession put a damper on the holiday-party business in general, denting sales for banquet facilities and restaurants across the region. Those very large parties haven’t really come back, said Barbarisi, sales manager at Chez Josef. But, over the past several years, most other types of parties certainly have.

“The smaller groups are coming out in force,” he said, adding quickly that companies are not only booking parties again, but have become more creative and demanding. “Menus have become really interactive. It used to be that you sat down, got your steak, and the DJ played. Now, there are a lot more exciting options out there.”

As part of the International Caterers Assoc., Chez Josef strives to keep up with the cutting edge of industry trends, he added. “We follow very closely what’s trending in the Chicagos and LAs of the world, and we try to bring it here to Agawam. And there are some very exciting trends in cooking and parties.”

The main party trend, he said, may simply be a greater focus on quality and variety of food.


See: Banquet Facilities in Western Mass.


“We do plenty of holiday parties for companies that want to book our space for the evening, and we’re finding they’re replacing the party-favor aspect of it and using that portion of the budget to enhance the menus,” Barbarisi said. “We’re doing unique stations, like a Korean noodle bar, and a lot of phenomenal dessert stations, like sundae bars. One of the newest, hottest stations is a chocolate station — it’s over the top, with all sorts of homemade chocolate concoctions; the chefs like to get really creative and push that to the limit.”

In fact, he told BusinessWest, food stations are the hot trend in the past couple of years, taking the place of sit-down dinners and traditional buffets. “With stations, it takes the best aspect about buffets — you get to pick what you like — and breaks it up into small plates. The long lines are eliminated. Guests just love it; it becomes very informal. You’re up and about picking and choosing. A lot of times they’re chef-attended, and they’ll put your plate together for you.”

Josh Belliveau, corporate sales/event manager at the Basketball Hall of Fame, said businesses planning holiday parties are asking for the full gamut of options, from formal sit-downs to buffets to cocktail parties with heavy hors d’oeuvres. The Hall handles corporate events for businesses in Western Mass. and Northern Conn., ranging anywhere from 25 guests to 300.

Most bring in their own entertainment — DJs or live bands — but many access the facility’s in-house audio system. Meanwhile, Max’s Catering, the Hall’s catering partner, handles the food service. But what really draws many clients, he said, is the atmosphere, with parties hosted on center court, surrounded by basketball history.

“Coming here is convenient and safe, and I think it’s different from other places because of the location; it’s a unique place for guests,” Belliveau said. “We have a great product that we showcase, Max Catering has a great service that they showcase, and the location is ideal. Those things not only bring companies back, but then they spread the word about what we have to offer.”

Something Different

Speaking of unique facilities, when Vitek Kruta and Lori Divine bought the Holyoke building four years ago that would become Gateway City Arts, they saw something in the dirty, empty warehouse along the city’s canals. Now, the facility functions as an artists’ workspace during the day and an event space on nights and weekends, one with a decidedly artsy, funky vibe.

“We have three different large spaces, and we’re just about to finish a fully functional commercial kitchen; right now, our food is operating out of a tiny kitchen space. That will give us the ability to prepare lots of good food,” Kruta said. Meanwhile, he and Divine are opening a restaurant on the site called Gateway City Bistro.

Still, Gateway has been hosting events for some time — weddings, fund-raisers, concerts, bar mitzvahs, birthday parties, memorial services, and more, including, yes, holiday parties for businesses.

“We’re constantly booking,” he told BusinessWest. “The demand is greater than we can actually handle at this point, but because we’re nearing completion [of the kitchen], we’ll be able to cover much more demand. We are looking at three or four events every week, at least, and all sorts of activities during the week.”

He said the calendar is well-booked into next year, and that the facility hosts corporate parties of all kinds — socials, cocktail parties, and sit-down dinners.

One of the event spaces at Gateway City Arts boasts a fully equipped stage with state-of-the-art lighting for concerts and other performances. Meanwhile, a patio Beer Garden and grill area provides an opportunity to host events outdoors as well, and the facility hosts a popular Sunday brunch as well.

During the week, the building is full of artists who rent studio space and shared resources, like woodworking and ceramics shops. “We have people here making jewelry, developing toys, puppeteers, painters, writers,” Kruta said.

Gateway City Arts’ outdoor Beer Garden venue

Gateway City Arts’ outdoor Beer Garden is one of several unique, funky spaces the facility offers.

That contributes to a specific vibe that appeals to companies looking for somewhere a little different for parties, he went on. “It’s very artistic — a big loft space in the old mills, and it’s very tastefully finished with art. People say it reminds them of Brooklyn or Paris or some other place. That’s what we had in mind when we developed this facility.”

He called Gateway a huge addition to downtown, drawing close to 20,000 people a year — some in unexpected ways.

“On St. Patrick’s Day, we had 500 state troopers here getting ready to run in the marathon. We fed them all and provided space for them to change,” he said. “We’re just a multi-function place; it can be used for so many different occasions. We’re definitely open to all sorts of events.”

For small companies looking for a big-party experience but lacking the budget (not to mention the head count), large, themed holiday parties for multiple businesses at once have become a popular trend at many venues in recent years, including Chez Josef, said Barbarisi.

“And it’s not just businesses, but clubs and even groups of friends — anybody who wants to put a couple of tables together, or just one table, and come out and celebrate the holidays. We’ve had some interesting themed parties the last couple of years that have been well-received.”

For instance, this year’s roster of parties includes a country Christmas event, with a western-themed menu and entertainment by local country band Trailer Trash; a Hawaiian luau event with a tropical menu, island décor, and music from Jimmy Buffett tribute band Changes in Latitudes; as well as a comedy dinner featuring a dueling pianist performance and interactive singalongs. For its New Year Around the World event, Chez Josef will treat participating businesses and groups to food stations featuring a wide range of global cuisine.

In contrast, Belliveau said the Hall of Fame focuses more on events for individual companies than multi-group parties. “We like to take that individual client and make them and their employees feel special.”

Bottom Line

Whatever the case — and the facilities who spoke with BusinessWest for this issue all offer something unique from the others — corporate holiday parties are certainly on the rise, and have been for several years now.

“It’s started picking up a little more,” Belliveau said. “It all varies — every company works differently based on how their year goes and what they’re able to offer. The economy is improving, but you just never know. But we have a good number of parties coming.”

It doesn’t even need to be an evening-long dinner, he said, as some companies are opting for cocktail parties that last a couple of hours and give their employees a chance to relax in a different setting.

“It just feels nice,” he said, “to recognize employees during the holiday season.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Business of Aging Sections

Lighting a Path

 

pathlightSPRINGFIELD — In a time of change for what, until recently, was known as the Assoc. for Community Living, the organization’s passion and innovative spirit will remain constants, its executive director says.

But it needed a name change, Ruth Banta went on, one that underscores the scope of the services it has provided to people with intellectual disabilities in the community — from youth through the senior years — since 1952.

That new name is Pathlight.

“What we’re hoping with the new name is that people will associate it with the breadth of the services that we offer,” she said. “When people hear that a service is a Pathlight program, we want them to know that means it is a caring, high-quality service backed by high-level expertise.”

Banta also announced that, in continuing the organization’s innovative spirit, Pathlight has partnered with Valley Venture Mentors (VVM) to offer the Pathlight Challenge. The two organizations have put out a national call to startup entrepreneurs to develop technology aimed at increasing independence for people with intellectual disabilities.

It’s expected that at least two proposals from startups will be accepted by Pathlight. Those entrepreneurs will be enrolled in Valley Venture Mentors’ four-month, intensive Accelerator Program in January.

“It’s a great partnership,” Banta said. “We’re tying our history of innovation and our passion for the people that we serve to entrepreneurs’ passion for innovation and breaking barriers.”

Paul Silva, chief innovation officer at Valley Venture Mentors, said what’s key in the Pathlight Challenge is that startups will have access to people in the populations they are hoping to serve as they produce their innovations.

“Interfacing with stakeholders is normally hard to do,” he said. “We have created a way in which companies that are worthy can get the access they need. If they want to develop something for parents, Pathlight can connect them to parents. If they want to gain access to staff, we can connect them to staff. This will allow them to troubleshoot problems as early as possible and allow their ideas to evolve more quickly. Pathlight is giving these startups a chance to be more competitive and, thus, more likely to survive.”

New Era

Formerly vice president of administration and chief financial officer at the organization that serves people with disabilities across Western Mass. from infancy through end of life, Banta said the name change to Pathlight was part of a rebranding that began last fall as a means of solidifying the agency’s persona and outlining its key values.

“Our mission is to help people on their own unique journey to experience the life they want to live,” she noted. “We weren’t being literal when we chose the new name, but we hope that it conveys that we shine a light on those journeys.”

Banta is excited about the partnership with Valley Venture Mentors, as it highlights the organization’s long-standing history of innovation. She noted that Pathlight’s history of advances dates back to its roots. “We were the first to open a community residence for people with disabilities and the first to create a shared living model for families.”

Now, she added, “we’re looking at how we serve the Millennial population of people with developmental disabilities and autism and looking at how technology can give these young adults the independence that they and their families want for them.”

The Pathlight Challenge is especially seeking solutions to issues regarding health, safety, and transportation.

“Transportation is often a big hindrance to the people we serve in terms of getting to jobs and recreational opportunities,” Banta said. “We’re looking to see how technology can offer assistance there.”

Silva said he is excited about the national call for proposals that will now be launched via both organizations’ databases and online connections. The selection process will continue through October.

The Accelerator Program is a four-month, intensive program held over one long weekend a month, offering startups connections to subject-matter experts, investors, and highly engaged and collaborative peers. Those competing in the program can win up to $50,000 in grants to develop their business or product.

The Pathlight fellows will graduate from the Accelerator Program in May, when they will also unveil their new technology, Silva said.

“To our knowledge, this challenge is the first of its kind,” he added. “There are hundreds of accelerator programs in this country running every year, but I haven’t run across any that are focused on assistive technology. Assistive technology is a new focus.”

One he and Banta — and plenty of clients — hope will continue to light a path to greater independence.

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Sara Bonakdar has been hired as group sales manager for Pioneer Valley Hotel Group. Her primary focus is the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Springfield and Holiday Inn Express in Ludlow. She brings three years of hospitality experience to the position, having previously worked at Homewood Suites in Holyoke and Residence Inn in Manchester, Conn.

“I am excited to take on a new challenge by stepping away from hotel operations and entering into direct sales,” Bonakdar said. “I feel I understand what it takes to offer a group a successful stay, and that’s what they will experience with us. Our properties offer guests an excellent value and great quality. That’s a winning combination and should make my job easy.”

Connie Foster, director of Sales for Pioneer Valley Hotel Group, added that “Sara’s energy and enthusiasm makes her an excellent addition to our stellar sales team. So far, she’s shown an unending willingness to jump in and tackle new projects and revitalize some older accounts, and she’s only been in the job a month.”

Pioneer Valley Hotel Group is a private, local, family-run company that owns and operates La Quinta Hotel in Springfield, Holiday Inn Express in Ludlow, Hampton Inn in Hadley, Comfort Inn in Hadley, and Hadley Farms Meeting House.

Departments People on the Move
Matthew Gilmore

Matthew Gilmore

Epstein Financial Services recently welcomed Matthew Gilmore to the firm as a Retirement Plan Consultant. The firm has grown substantially over the past several years with a recent upsurge in new clients due to the Department of Labor’s new fiduciary ruling. Over the coming months, Gilmore will work closely with founder Charlie Epstein to ensure the firm’s extensive services and mission statement are reflected in Gilmore’s continued growth within the firm. Gilmore gained extensive experience as a MassMutual business development consultant, meeting with business owners, plan administrators, advisors, and third-party administrators to review, evaluate, and discuss a business’ 401(k) retirement plan and/or defined-benefit pension-plan options. He is an accomplished retirement-services consultant with eight years of experience with MassMutual and the Hartford, with regard to 401(k) and 403(b) retirement plans, investment and cost analysis, and participant education. He recently obtained his Accredited Investment Fiduciary certification and is a graduate of Western New England University with a bachelors degree in business administration.

•••••

The Gaudreau Group Insurance and Financial Services Agency announced the promotion of Melissa Cuzzone to Director of Employer Benefit Services. In her new role, Cuzzone will help keep clients compliant in today’s increasingly complex regulatory environment, in line with the firm’s focused approach on compliance with the Affordable Care Act’s regulations. The Gaudreau Group’s Employee Benefits division, which has the largest staff in the region, delivers results to clients with robust compliance programs and high-tech employer and employee software solutions to facilitate cost reduction, claims management, and employee wellness and communication. “The unique skillset Melissa brings to the table, in combination with the tools and services that she provides, such as ACA reporting guidance, benefit administration, and proprietary claims analytics, are extremely valuable to our clients,” said Jules Gaudreau, president of the Gaudreau Group. “Melissa helps our clients enhance their overall benefits programs, which results in an increased ability to attract and retain great employees. Results like these are the reason more and more businesses are trusting us with their accounts.” Cuzzone has been a member of the Gaudreau Group team since 2012, and has worked in the insurance and financial-services industry since 2004, gaining a broad range of experience, including employee benefit plans, life insurance, and personal insurance. She is a recent graduate of the Western New England University Mini-Law School and has co-chaired the Wilbraham Relay For Life.

•••••

The Dowd Insurance Agencies announced that Jack Dowd will be joining the agency as an Account Executive. His addition represents the fifth generation of family to be employed at the Dowd Insurance Agencies. “It’s a real sense of pride that I feel welcoming my son, Jack, to the family business representing the fifth generation here at the Dowd Insurance Agencies,” said John Dowd Jr., president and CEO of the Dowd Insurance Agencies. “Not only is Jack continuing a legacy, but he has also spent several years working in the industry outside of the family business, gaining valuable skills and experience. I think he is a great fit for our company and will be happy in his new position. We’re all very excited to have him join our team.” Jack Dowd graduated from Saint Michael’s College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2011. He has held several positions with Goji Insurance in Boston, where he sold personal auto insurance and homeowner’s insurance. He was consistently ranked number one in sales throughout the entire company of over 120 salespeople, and was responsible for managing and training several sales teams. He is a licensed property and casualty insurance producer, has participated in the Quincy Mutual Group Commercial and Personal Underwriting Program, and is working to complete the Certified Insurance Counselors Program.

•••••

Jean Deliso, CFP has been named a member of the 2016 Chairman’s Council of New York Life. Members of the elite Chairman’s Council rank in the top 3% of New York Life’s sales force of more than 12,000 licensed agents in sales achievement. Deliso has accomplished this level of achievement for five consecutive years. Deliso’s passion for finance and strategic planning led to the creation of Deliso Financial and Insurance Services in 2000. She began her career in corporate accounting in Tampa, Fla., where she consulted with small-business owners on financial operations and maximizing performance. She has been a New York Life agent since 1995 and is associated with New York Life’s Connecticut Valley General Office in Windsor, Conn. Deliso serves on many boards in her community, including the Baystate Health Foundation and Pioneer Valley Refrigerated Warehouse, and is chairman of the board of the Community Music School of Springfield. She is past chairman of the board of the YMCA of Greater Springfield, past board member of AAA Pioneer Valley, and past trustee of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and the Advisory Council at Bay Path University. Deliso Financial and Insurance Services is not owned or operated by New York Life Insurance Co. or any of its affiliates.

•••••

Sports Traveland Tours recently hired two new team members. Len Lucien serves as Chief Operating Officer and a minority partner at the 20-year-old travel organization, and Anthony Incampo serves as Project Sales Coordinator. Lucien previously worked at Square One in Springfield, where he served as vice president of operations for the nonprofit and, previously, as its vice president of finance. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Salem State University and an associate’s degree from Newbury College in accounting and business. Throughout his career, he has worked in various aspects of finance and operations, managing businesses of different sizes, with an expertise in startups and efficiencies. For 12 years, he worked in the transit industry. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Long Island University, Incampo worked with the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, coordinating events, offering customer service, working with athletes, and planning the opening ceremonies. He also worked in the front office of the New York Yankees from 1998 to 2002, doing everything from driving players to physician appointments to handling budgets and expenses for the team. He previously worked with Sports Travel and Tours from 2005 to 2010. He left to teach school-age children and to coach, but missed the traveling.

Holiday Party Planner Sections

The ‘Wow’ Factor

hallroof

Just over a year ago, the Starting Gate, the banquet component of the GreatHorse golf and lifestyle club, was merely studs on a foundation. But weddings were already being booked for the facility, said GreatHorse General Manager Bryan Smithwick, because those who saw what was done with the course and clubhouse understood that the same attention to detail would prevail in the banquet hall. And the view from the top of the mountain didn’t hurt, either.

As he talked about the Starting Gate, the banquet-facility component of GreatHorse, the exclusive golf and lifestyle club in Hampden opened in 2015, Bryan Smithwick drew a straight line to Disney.

Well … maybe it wasn’t a straight line, but he nonetheless got his point across.

“Disney World is out in the middle of a swamp, the middle of nowhere; yes, there are 10,000 interstates that lead there, but it’s still the middle of nowhere,” he explained, referring to the Orlando area that the entertainment giant chose for its massive developments a half-century ago. “But it’s a destination, a place people want to come to, and then come back to.”

And it is, or will be, like that with the Starting Gate, he predicts, acknowledging that this analogy is far from perfect, but for the purposes of this discussion, it works.

GreatHorse and its banquet facility are, indeed, off the beaten path. The road in front of the picturesque club has two lanes with a solid yellow line in the middle, and if you’re starting from virtually anywhere but Hampden, Wilbraham, East Longmeadow, or Somers, Conn., it takes a while to get to that road.

But when you get there…

This is where that Disney analogy comes in, said Smithwick, Greathorse’s general manager, adding that this facility is well worth the trouble of getting to. It starts with the view from the top of the hill and then out the windows of the Starting Gate, he told BusinessWest, and it continues with the hall itself, its large decks with retractable roofs and side panels, the on-site wedding garden, the extremely spacious bridal suite, the food, a ‘Cadillac golf cart’ to help get the bridal couple around, and … on he went.

As did Cathy Stephens, director of catering sales for GreatHorse, who, like Smithwick, said a number of constituencies are discovering this unique facility. They include engaged couples, meeting and event planners, business owners looking for a site for a retreat, holiday party schedulers, and more.


See: Banquet Facilities in Western Mass.


Opened just before the holidays last year, the facility started attracting clients when it was little more than studs on a foundation, said Smithwick. And the course and clubhouse then surrounding the building under construction — not to mention those stunning views (it was early fall by then) — were big reasons why.

“After having the opportunity to see the clubhouse, people felt confident that the same quality would be distilled into the Starting Gate,” he explained, adding that couples were putting non-refundable deposits down for weddings months before the structure was ready for occupancy.

The Starting Gate would go on to book nearly 30 weddings for 2016, a solid start, according to its managers, with 22 already on the books for next year, a few for 2018, and even one for 2019. But while weddings will be a major focus for this business, the Starting Gate is looking to host a wide range of events.

They include holiday parties — many are already booked for this December — as well as corporate outings, business meetings (the East of the River Chamber has already staged a lunch there, for example), and more.

Cathy Stephens and Bryan Smithwick

Cathy Stephens and Bryan Smithwick say the Starting Gate is off to a fast start in the region’s highly competitive market for banquets and weddings.

And while the facility boasts one-stop shopping as one of its assets, especially for weddings, as we’ll see later, management plans to complement this by marketing the Starting Gate in conjunction with nearby Sonny’s Place (in Somers), another venture owned by the Antonacci family, said Smithwick.

Sonny’s Place, a family entertainment center featuring everything from go-carts to ziplines to miniature golf (an elaborate laser-tag park is next), could serve as the site of team-building exercises, for example, with the Starting Gate as home for corporate meetings and dinner. Likewise, Sonny’s Place could host a wedding rehearsal dinner while the Starting Gate could be the site for both the ceremony and reception.

Such possibilities have already played themselves out, said Stephens, and more are expected in the future as couples, families, companies, and nonprofit agencies discover this remote gem.

For this issue and its focus on holiday party planning, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at the Starting Gate, inside and out, because that’s what’s necessary to grasp the proverbial big picture.

Optimistic View

As they offered BusinessWest a tour of the Starting Gate facilities, Smithwick and Stephens, who have done this countless times already, started in the bridal suite.

But most don’t recognize it as such, Stephens noted, because of its large size and amenities.

“A bride could literally spend her whole wedding day here, right up until it’s time to march down the aisle,” she said while gesturing with her hands, adding that some already have done just that. “It offers the bride her own space for the day.”

The bridal suite is the first opportunity for those taking the tour to say ‘wow,’ said Smithwick, adding that there are many others as the visit continues.

The wedding garden at the Starting Gate

The wedding garden at the Starting Gate, complete with stunning views, has already hosted a number of ceremonies.

They include the views from the aforementioned decks, which can be covered during the day and then opened at night to allow views of the stars; the wedding garden, which looks out on the scenery below; the grounds themselves; and the banquet hall (described by Smithwick as a “Colorado-resort-style venue”), which can seat close to 300 for a wedding and can be configured in a number of ways.

Eliciting ‘wows,’ not just during tours, but especially during the events themselves, is what the Antonacci family had in mind when it invested more than $45 million in what is now a Hampden landmark, said Smithwick.

Indeed, while much of the initial focus in the spring of 2015 was on the golf course — a stunning transformation of the former Hampden County Club track into one of the elite layouts in the Northeast — and the massive stone clubhouse, banquets and events were always intended to be a big part of this business, he explained.

Elaborating, he said while the club itself is very private — there’s a huge gate at the entrance at the foot of the hill — the banquet facilities are open to the public. Which means those attending events are treated to the same views — and most of the same amenities — as members.

This is how the Starting Gate is marketing itself, said Stephens, noting that these efforts have become quite aggressive through exposure in everything from regional and national wedding publications (and there are many of those) to media outlets in this region and well outside it, with a heavy focus on Boston, Hartford, and New Haven.

“We sell it for its view, the fact that it’s a gated, exclusive facility, it’s uniqueness, our innovative event planning, and our food,” said Stephens, noting that such efforts are already generating results, with couples from the Boston area, for example, booking weddings there.

But perhaps the best marketing tools available to the Starting Gate are word-of-mouth referrals and first-hand experience, she noted, adding that a good number of inquiries about the facilities have come from those who ventured past that aforementioned gate for an event a month, a week, or even the day before they picked up the phone or ventured onto the facility’s website.

While the views and specific amenities elicit the lion’s share of ‘wows,’ Smithwick and Stephens said the ultimate goal is to evoke them through the service and the experience, and the Starting Gate is earning those as well.

That one-stop nature of the facilities mentioned earlier is part of this equation, said Smithwick, noting the wedding garden has become a very popular site for ceremonies themselves — he estimates that 70% of the couples have chosento be married in the garden — leaving wedding-party members to walk only a few yards to get to the reception.

“You don’t have to get married off site and then get all your guests over to the venue, losing time in the process,” he explained. “You can literally do a 20-minute ceremony or a one-hour ceremony and then step 30 feet to the facility where you’ll be enjoying the rest of your evening.”

drive up the mountain to the Starting GateBut beyond convenience and those often-mentioned views, there is a focus on creativity and attention to details that has certainly helped the Starting Gate become a player in a strong field of competitors locally, said Smithwick.

“The ability to help a client envision what we can create for them is something we’re very talented at,” he explained, citing, as one example, a client who wanted to do a s’more station for a bar mitzvah.

“Obviously, we can’t build a fire out on the deck here,” he explained. “So we got creative and built a custom s’more station, a long table with a fairly skinny wooden box. At the bottom of that box we laid down bricks, and put sternos on top of the bricks. So the kids were able to enjoy this s’more experience without potentially burning the building down.”

There have been other examples of such creativity, he told BusinessWest, adding that the overall goal is to create events that are unique and memorable.

And when it comes to today’s young people and their weddings, this is a must.

“What people wanted 10 to 15 years ago from a wedding was something very much traditional,” Smithwick said, acknowledging that he was generalizing and didn’t want to do so too much. “When you look at the modern couple, the Millennial couple, which we’re dealing with a lot, they want something completely different.

“They don’t want to be just another number, and they don’t want to just have a filet being served on the table to their guests,” he went on. “They want us to create a robust experience for their guests to enjoy, and we’re able to do that. This isn’t a venue that you’re going to come to and have your traditional event.”

Stealing the Scene

Summing up what GreatHorse and the Starting Gate will offer those who choose it for an event, Smithwick summoned a word put to heavy use by those in this particular field — an experience.

To describe it, he relayed both his perceptions of a visitor’s thoughts and some of his own observations.

“It’s a magical arrival — you get to the gate, and you begin climbing, gaining altitude, and you end up on top of the side of this mountain,” he said. “You can see it all in the expressions of the wedding guests; as they make their way down from the parking lot, they stop at the first set of stairs, pause for a moment, and look out over the venue.

“This is not your typical wedding venue,” he went on, adding that this magic, as he called it, should help the Starting Gate make tracks in a highly competitive banquet field locally — and perhaps even draw some comparisons, from a business perspective anyway, to another company that uses that word in its marketing.

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

Departments Picture This

Innovative Project

State and UMass Amherst officials broke ground recently on the $62 million Business Innovation Hub at the Isenberg School of Management. The ambitious project will add 70,000 square feet of classrooms, labs, and student spaces, including an expanded career center, advising spaces, and learning commons, as well as faculty offices to the school’s existing facilities. The project is scheduled for completion in September 2018, with occupancy in January 2019. The new addition accompanies additional renovation of select spaces within the original 1964 building and the 2002 addition named for Harold Alford. The new and renovated facilities will combine to create a single unified campus for the Isenberg School. Speakers at the groundbreaking included UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, Isenberg School of Management Dean Mark Fuller (bottom left), state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg (bottom right), UMass Building Authority Chairman Phillip Johnston, UMass trustee Henry Thomas, and Isenberg graduates Edward Shirley, Stephanie Berenson, and Martin Boyle. Above: an architect’s rendering of the new Business Innovation Hub.

ex_fine-art-plaza

 

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Company Notebook Departments

HCC Awarded $127,741 for EMT Training Program

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) has been awarded a $127,741 Workforce Skills Capital Grant to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for its EMT Training Program. The grant, announced this week by the governor’s office, will allow HCC to expand the number of students served in its non-credit EMT classes and offer new training equipment and materials at the college’s new Center for Health Education, adjacent to the main campus on Jarvis Avenue. HCC was one of seven community colleges, vocational high schools, and educational collaboratives chosen to share in a total funding package worth $2.6 million. “This was a great opportunity for us to get some needed funding to replace outdated materials and equipment, which, because of the cost, is difficult to keep up to date,” said Ken White, dean of HCC Community Services. The grant will allow HCC to expand the number of students served in the non-credit certificate EMT classes, which are geared for firefighters and other emergency workers who need certification or continuing education, individuals interested in beginning careers as EMTs, and nurses or other heath professionals. “Students at all levels will have access to state-of-the-art technologies, including simulators that respond to student actions,” White said. Instructors for the enhanced program will be supplied by Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), White said. Together, HCC and STCC, through Training and Workforce Options, their collaborative workforce program, will work with area employers to provide customized EMT training opportunies at HCC’s Center for Health Education. “The goal of these grants is to expand the capacity of programs that build skills for Massachusetts residents,” said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. “We already see the impact these grants are having at educational programs around the state, and we know these investments will strengthen the state’s economy for all residents.”

Springfield Museums Named Smithsonian Affiliate

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Museums have been formally accepted as an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Affiliations is a national outreach program that develops long-term, high-quality partnerships with museums and educational organizations in order to share collections, exhibitions, learning opportunities, and research expertise. The partnership  has been made possible through the support of the MassMutual Foundation, which is providing a three-year, $145,000-plus grant to bring a wealth of resources and programming to Springfield. “For us to continue to develop a culturally rich community, it is important that all of us — especially our children — have access to some of the world’s most treasured art collections, artifacts, and perspectives of the most renowned experts in the country,” said Roger Crandall, chairman, president, and CEO of MassMutual.  “The MassMutual Foundation’s support of the partnership between the Springfield Museums and the Smithsonian helps strengthen the cultural fabric of our community, and we are proud to do our share to provide opportunities that inspire people to never stop learning and growing.” Joining Crandall at an announcement ceremony hosted by the museums was Harold Closter, director of Smithsonian Affiliations; Springfield Museums President Kay Simpson; Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno; U.S. Rep. Richard Neal; and state Sen. Eric Lesser. The day also included a presentation titled “Driving Around Mars” by planetary scientist John Grant from the National Air and Space Museum. There are currently more than 200 institutions nationwide that have been selected to be Smithsonian affiliates. In identifying possible candidates for affiliation, the Smithsonian seeks out organizations that share a common mission, a commitment to education and public service, and the capability of bringing Smithsonian artifacts, exhibits, and programs to their venues. Candidates are subject to a rigorous application process involving all aspects of their organization, from their leadership and financial structure to a review of their collections-management and programming protocols. Those selected to be affiliates enjoy a range of benefits, from facilitated object and exhibit loans and discounted Smithsonian memberships for their patrons to custom-developed education, performing-arts, and public programs. Staff at the Smithsonian and the Springfield Museums have already commenced discussions of potential collaborative projects for the first three years of the affiliation, including object loans and additional visits from Smithsonian experts.

Johnson & Hill Launches Accounting, Finance Division

SPRINGFIELD — Johnson & Hill Staffing Services Inc. recently enhanced its service offerings to include a specialized Accounting & Finance Division. While Johnson & Hill has always placed accounting and finance professionals, this move signals an increased commitment to this area of expertise. The agency sees a growing demand for this skill set and an opportunity to assist clients more proactively. Tiffany Appleton has been appointed director, Accounting & Finance Division. Boasting more than a decade of recruiting experience in accounting and finance, she will provide direct-hire, contract-to-hire, and contract staffing, assisting clients in filling critical accounting and finance needs within their organizations. Roles range from clerk level up to CFO with a concentration on middle-management positions, including senior accountant, accounting manager, controller, financial analyst, manager of FP&A, internal audit, and public audit and tax. Her staffing experience crosses many industry sectors, spanning manufacturing, technology, nonprofit, professional service, and life science, with companies ranging from startup to publicly traded. Appleton will focus on developing and nurturing long-term relationships with both clients and job seekers, which are built on mutual trust, sincerity, and confidentiality. She is sought after by clients for her progressive ideas on acquiring talent and consistent ability to deliver quality candidates. Job seekers appreciate her willingness to provide career coaching, interview preparation, and résumé assistance. Prior to Johnson & Hill, her professional career included serving as client relations director for a large, regional CPA firm and principal and talent advisor for a boutique staffing firm specializing in accounting and finance placement. Johnson & Hill is an independent, regional, woman-owned staffing service offering temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire employment opportunities, serving Western Mass. and Northern Conn. Johnson & Hill specializes in administrative, accounting, legal, and professional staffing services.

Springfield College Rises Again in U.S. News Rankings

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College has again moved up the list of highest-ranked colleges in U.S. News & World Report’s latest edition of “Best Colleges.” In the 2017 report, Springfield College is ranked 27th in the first tier in the category of Best Regional Universities – North. This marks the sixth consecutive year that Springfield College has moved up in the U.S. News rankings. This year’s ranking of the college is up two spots from 2016 and 40 spots from 2011. “I am extremely proud that Springfield College is being recognized for our outstanding academic offerings and a rich co-curricular life outside of the classroom,” said President Mary-Beth Cooper. “The rise in our ranking over the past six years demonstrates that the value proposition for a school like Springfield College, grounded in the Humanics philosophy, is well-regarded.” The college also ranked 12th in Best Value Schools for Regional Universities – North, the first year it has been listed in the Best Values category, which takes into account a college’s academic quality and net cost of attendance. According to U.S. News, the higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal. Springfield College’s rise in the rankings is spurred by improved graduation rates and improved retention of first-year students. The college’s traditional, undergraduate enrollment for the fall of 2016 remained steady, with 550 first-year students enrolling again this year. The ratings are based on such variables as peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, student selectivity, class size, alumni giving, and student-faculty ratio. The college was ranked in a third category by U.S. News for 2017. It is ranked 14th in the North region in Best Colleges for Veterans.

CARF Accredits West Central Family and Counseling

WEST SPRINGFIELD — CARF International announced that West Central Family and Counseling has been accredited for a period of three years for its Outpatient Treatment: Mental Health (Adults) and Outpatient Treatment: Mental Health (Children and Adolescents) programs. This is the first accreditation CARF has awarded to West Central Family and Counseling. This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a three-year accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer-review process. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality. West Central Family and Counseling has been providing outpatient mental-health programs in the Greater Springfield area since 2008. CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served.

Berkshire Bank Named One of  Top Charitable Contributors

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank announced it was named by Boston Business Journal as one of Massachusetts’ Most Charitable Companies at the publication’s annual Corporate Citizenship Summit in Boston on Sept. 8. The Boston Business Journal is one of the leading sources for business news, research, and events in the Greater Boston area. Each year it honors a select list of companies for their charitable work in the community. Berkshire Bank ranked 42nd for total financial contributions, with more than $1.27 million donated in Massachusetts alone and more than $2 million donated overall. Massachusetts-based bank employees also donated more than 27,000 hours of volunteer service. Berkshire Bank joined a select list of statewide, national, and international companies honored at the summit. The award recognized Berkshire Bank and Berkshire Bank Foundation’s philanthropic investments in the community through their charitable grants, corporate giving, scholarships, in-kind donations, and employee volunteerism.

Country Bank Participates in Habitat’s Operation Playhouse

WARE — A group of 14 Country Bank employees recently joined forces with Habitat for Humanity Metro West/Greater Worcester in a team-building exercise that ended with a local veteran family receiving a unique gift: a custom playhouse. Habitat’s Operation Playhouse is a program that brings groups together to create a custom playhouse in one day. The opportunity to work together and collaborate on design and construction of the house is wrapped up with the reward of seeing it turned over to a local veteran and their children. “Working with the Habitat staff was seamless, and the day couldn’t have been more rewarding,” said Deb Gagnon, the bank’s Corporate Relations officer. “Completing the playhouse gave us all a sense of accomplishment, and when the family arrived to receive their gift, there wasn’t a dry eye around.”

Bankruptcies Departments

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

Aiello, Thomas F.
1021 Dorchester Ave., Apt. 1
Boston, MA 02125
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/31/16

Alfaro, Blanco
304 Liberty St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/24/16

Batutis, Paul Alexander
519 East River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/31/16

Bellino, Nick Matthew
Bellino, Christine Kyle
a/k/a Pearson, Christine Kyle
a/k/a Ringgard, Christine Kyle
381 Valley Road
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/31/16

Beltrandi, Michael R.
516 Amherst Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/22/16

Berard, Betty A.
47 Dartmouth St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/23/16

Beutler, Jack Lee
P.O. Box 413
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/26/16

Billitz, Phillip Stanley
141 North Pleasant St.
Amherst, MA 01004
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/19/16

Botelho, Carla M.
a/k/a Melo, Carla M.
1691 Central St.
Stoughton, MA 02072
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/31/16

Bruno, Nunzio
21 Sylvan St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/30/16

Butler, Allen A.
Butler, Mary E.
59 Church St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/26/16

Carabetta, Joseph N.
Carabetta, Nancy J.
51 Maplehurst Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/18/16

Charles, John L.
162 Oak Grove Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/22/16

Corbett, Roscoe
Corbett, Gerthy M.
117 Sliver St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/30/16

Cowell, Curtis C.
Cowell, Krista L.
395 West Main St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/17/16

Delamere, Timothy
35 Riverbend St., Unit 11
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/18/16

Dixson, Joshua R.
19 Aspen St., Apt. B
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/19/16

Drumm, Jean M.
24 South Atlantic St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/22/16

Duprey, Lynne E.
806 Fairway Ave.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/23/16

Ely, Richard S.
120 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/18/16

Farnham, Chad R.
12 Hunter St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/23/16

Finnerty, Michael
549 Sheridan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/30/16

Flagg, Michael A.
Flagg, Rebecca L.
72 Oakland Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/24/16

Fortin, Debra A.
215 Silver St.
Granville, MA 01034
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/26/16

Golfieri, James Joseph
35 Park Ave., Apt.#7
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/31/16

Grande, David M.
312 Dalton Division Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/23/16

Hackett, Robin-Ann A.
a/k/a Hackett-Hill, Robin A.
100 Edgewood Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/23/16

Hanson, John R.
12 Feeding Hills Road, Apt. 8B
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/22/16
Hussey, Deven Lee
a/k/a Vautour, Deven Lee
27 Wendell St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/31/16

Johnson, Justin C.
316 Apremont Hwy.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/26/16

Karabetsos, Chris
35 Plaza Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/24/16

Kenneway, John F.
184 Podunk Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/25/16

Lafrennie, Michael Robert
80 Pine Grove Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/19/16

Laureano, Jessica
1967 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/23/16

Lopez, Santos Abel
Burgos-Lopez, Joanne
54 Bridge St., Apt. D 69
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/24/16

M. H. I. (Millett Home Improvement)
Millett, Albert
92 Hope St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/22/16

Maleko, Bernard S.
Maleko, Jill M.
20 Hudson Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/19/16

McLaughlin, Teresa H.
128 Old Albany Road
Greenfield, MA 01370
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/22/16

Meunier, Ellen T.
12 State St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/22/16

Minney, Jonathan M.
343 Chicopee St., Apt.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/24/16

Nesbitt, Alicia
59 Harkness Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/30/16

Ortiz, Maria
46 Hebron St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/30/16

Powling, Eric K.
1 Chaney St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/23/16

Psychic Readings
Miller, Margurite D.
249 Russell St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/17/16

Rabtor, Michael D.
35 Fowler Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/18/16

Smart, Carole A.
3 Isaac Bradway Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/23/16

Staples, Christopher A.
34 Pequot Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/31/16

Taganova, Yekaterina
65 Craig Dr., Apt. T4
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/18/16

TC LLC d/b/a Route 9 Diner
35 Plaza Ave
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/24/16

The Professional Agency Protected Services
Garcia, Norberto
PO Box 727
Bondsville, MA 01009
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/25/16

Thomas, Cynthia D.
122 Fargo St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/25/16

Tisdell, Steven Robert
Tisdell, Michelle Lee
12 McCarthy Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/31/16

Transcription Services
Hawkins, Sally A.
111 Upton St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/31/16

Trudeau, Christina Claire
a/k/a Corey, Christina Claire
a/k/a Hebret, Christina Claire
5 Arcade St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/29/16

Vargas, Taniel
25 Vermont St., #2 Right
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/22/16

Velevitch, Joseph S.
37 Cross St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/17/16

Ward, Joseph E.
84 Twin Hills Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/23/16

Court Dockets Departments

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

Hampden Superior Court

Charrice Goodrich v. Storrowton Tavern Corp.
Allegation: Personal injury, two fractured ankles: $42,000
Filed: 9/16/16

Sally Starks v. Big Y Foods Inc.
Allegation: Slip and fall causing injury: $97,267
Filed: 9/13/16

Vibra Hospital of Western Mass., LLC v. Lillian Sydlo
Allegation: Failure to pay for medical and/or healthcare services: $256,163.76
Filed: 8/29/16

Hampshire District Court

Cichy’s Garage Inc. v. Star Construction
Allegation: Failure to return unearned deposit on construction contract: $22,000
Filed: 9/1/16

Hampshire Superior Court

Jean M. Boutin as personal representative of the estate of Ruth Morgan v. Service Matters, LLC and Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co.
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $160,820.16
Filed: 9/8/16

Jillian M. Niedzwiecki and Patrick Niedzwiecki v. Maple and Main Realty, LLC et al
Allegation: Breach of contract and breach of deed covenants resulting in necessary septic-system repair and diminution of property value: $25,000
Filed: 9/2/16

Karisa M. Gifford et al v. Burning Heart, LLC d/b/a Burning Heart Hot Yoga Pilates & Indoor Cycling
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $69,574
Filed: 9/19/16

Holyoke District Court

Roxanne Roman v. Derek Borkowski d/b/a ZB Dream Homes
Allegation: Faulty shingle installation: $5,600
Filed: 8/15/16

USA Hauling & Recycling Inc. v. Paper City Brewing Co.
Allegation: Balance due for sanitation services: $4,532.24
Filed: 9/12/16

Agenda Departments

Northeast Training Institute

Oct. 4-5: The International Business Innovation Assoc. (InBIA), in partnership with the Assoc. of Cleantech Incubators of New England (ACTION), will host a two-day Northeast Training Institute at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke. Four courses will be offered for the professional development of incubator managers or those exploring the development of an incubator or accelerator program in their community. Those who should consider attending include  business incubation and acceleration professionals, university administrators and faculty in entrepreneurship, community influencers and chamber of commerce of leaders, and economic-development leaders. Join other participants from around the region for these world-recognized training programs and hear about development plans for the Holyoke Innovation District. Learn more at www.actionnewengland.org. E-mail Joan Popolo at [email protected] with any questions.

Pop-up Galleries and Street Art

Oct. 5: The Springfield Central Cultural District (SCCD) announced it is organizing a blowout for downtown Springfield from 4 to 7 p.m. The district has partnered with 1550 Main Street, New England Public Radio (NEPR), and SilverBrick Lofts to open three galleries in unexpected spaces simultaneously, which it is calling Art Stop. Between the galleries, which will have the typical artist talks, drinks, and appetizers, there will be street performances and other surprises. “We are so excited to throw a party in downtown Springfield,” said SCCD Director Morgan Drewniany. “There’s always a demand for more community-based events, and we’ve been working hard to make this something special.” The SCCD, along with organizing the curation of art in all three spaces, has hired unique buskers to encourage attendees to walk from place to place. There will be activities between the 1550 Plaza and SilverBrick Lofts ranging from student films to speed painting to acoustic, indie, and traditional fiddle music. Inside the galleries, visitors can ask the artists questions one on one and key down from their workday. Art Stop will take place on the same night as the Springfield Public Forum featuring Nancy Lublin, a global nonprofit superstar, which will begin at 6 p.m. Attendees of the gallery walk who show proof that they attended one of the Art Stops will receive a special (and artistic) gift if they attend the forum. A call for art was issued in August from the SCCD, asking local artists interested in selling their work downtown to submit proposals. Art Stop was designed to both activate underutilized community spaces with colorful art, but also create economic opportunity for artists. The Springfield Central Cultural District encompasses an area of the metro center of Springfield, and is membership-based, involving many of the downtown arts institutions. Its mission is to create and sustain a vibrant cultural environment in Springfield.

CSO Spaghetti Dinner

Oct. 5: In celebration of Mental Health Awareness Week, Clinical & Support Options (CSO) Green River House and Quabbin House Programs will host a spaghetti dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Moose Lodge on School Street in Greenfield. CSO believes that mental-health issues are important to address year-round, but highlighting them during Mental Health Awareness Week provides a time for people to come together and share stories of recovery and hope and to spread the message that your total health matters. Program Manager Kim Britt knows how important events like these are to reducing mental-health stigma. “The purpose of this event is to bring awareness and educate the community and to change individuals’ perception about mental illness,” she said. “Individuals who experience mental illness are not what the media portrays. The truth is, one in four adults experience mental illness in America each year. People who experience mental-health challenges are just like you and I. They’re able to lead healthy, meaningful, and productive lives. Although the road to recovery is a journey, recovery is possible.” Raffles, entertainment, and mental-health information will be paired with a traditional spaghetti-dinner menu. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for kids age 3 and up, and free for children under 3. Tickets are available in advance or at the door. For questions or to purchase tickets, call the Green River House at (413) 772-2181 or Quabbin House at (978) 544-1859.

Square One Tea

Oct. 6: Chez Josef in Agawam will be transformed into a One-derland spectacular for the 11th annual Square One Tea, expected to draw 400 supporters who will celebrate the work that the region’s foremost provider of early learning and family services is providing to thousands of families throughout the Greater Springfield region. “From its humble beginnings as a small gathering in the classroom at our Main Street Children’s Center, it is amazing to see how this very special event has evolved over the years,” said Square One President and CEO Joan Kagan. “Year after year, we look forward to this wonderful opportunity to highlight the work we are doing and the impact that our programs and services have had on the thousands of children and parents who have been served by Square One. It is so gratifying to hear from our guests how much they enjoy being a part of this special day, and it’s always fun to see who is going to have the best hat.” The wearing of hats for women and men has become a great tradition, with a Top Hat Award bestowed upon the wearer of the most elaborate or unusual hat. This year’s event is sponsored by Health New England, Smith & Wesson, BusinessWest, USI, MGM Springfield, the Insurance Center of New England, WMAS, MassLive, and others. Tickets cost $60 each, and tables of 10 are available. To sign up, visit startatsquareone.org. For sponsorship or vendor information, call Andrea Bartlett at (413) 858-3111.

Workshop on Conducting a Workplace Investigation

Oct. 13: In your job, are you responsible for conducting investigations into employee conflicts? Allegations of harassment? Employee theft? If so, Royal, P.C.’s workshop on workplace investigations is for you. Recent state and federal court decisions underscore the importance of conducting thorough investigations. In this workshop, attendees will learn about such topics as selecting an investigator, conducting an effective interview, dealing with confidentiality issues, and taking interim actions. Among those who may be interested in attending are HR professionals, CFOs, CEOs, and anyone in a management position who is responsible for handling investigations. This workshop will apply to the first-time ‘investigator’ as well as the most seasoned ones. The workshop will take place from 8 to 9 a.m. at Royal, P.C., 270 Pleasant St., Northampton. The cost is $30 per person. Mail your payment and make your check payable to Royal, P.C., 270 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060. Advance registration is required, and seating is limited. E-mail Ann-Marie Marcil at [email protected] to register or with any questions about this workshop.

Berkshire Healthcare Harvest Run

Oct. 15: The Berkshire Healthcare Harvest Run will be held at 10 a.m. on the scenic cross-country trails at Paterson Field House at Berkshire Community College (BCC). The event begins with a 5K trail run, including a three-person relay race for those interested, followed by a one-mile Kids’ Race at 10:45 a.m. and a free community cookout offered by Berkshire Healthcare affiliates. All proceeds will benefit the Berkshire Community College nursing program. There will be a “Round the World” dish competition among affiliates of Berkshire Healthcare Systems, including Hillcrest Commons, Williamstown Commons, North Adams Commons, Mt. Greylock Extended Care, Kimball Farms, Fairview Commons, and Linda Manor. The public is invited to sample the entries featuring foods from Germany, France, Greece, Brazil, Poland, and Mexico. Cash prizes will be awarded to the overall male and female 5K finishers and to the top three relay teams. The top three male and female finishers in seven age categories will also be recognized. Ribbons and cider doughnuts will be awarded to all one-mile finishers. Runners are encouraged to bring family members to enjoy the free cookout. Online registration is $25 for all adult racers until Friday, Oct. 14, after which it will be $30. Race-day registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at BCC’s Paterson Field House. The first 150 runners to register for the 5K will receive a free long-sleeve technical shirt. Youth T-shirts — a short-sleeve technical shirt — can be purchased for an additional $5. To register online or for further information, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/harvestrun, or call (413) 236-2185. Printable registration forms are also available. Runners may check in on the day of the race beginning at 8:30 a.m. The Harvest Run’s lead sponsor is Berkshire Healthcare Systems Inc., with additional support from Pittsfield Cooperative Bank and Berkshire Gas Co. Other race sponsors include Berkshire Orthopaedic Associates, Crescent Creamery, David H. Dunlap & Associates, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Macfarlane Office Products, MassMutual Financial Group, McKesson, the Petricca Family, Pittsfield Pipers, and the Roche Associates.

‘Not Talkin’ ’bout Your Generation’

Oct. 20: In 2016, Millennials overtook Baby Boomers as America’s largest generation. And by 2020, it’s estimated that 46% of the U.S. workforce will be millennials. With that in mind, Paragus Strategic IT will host a fun, informative breakfast session called “Not Talkin’ ’bout Your Generation,” which will address how to think young, stay relevant, and keep a business looking toward the future. Speakers will include Dr. Michael Klein, an organizational psychologist who helps businesses make effective hiring decisions, develop managerial skills, and grow trusting and collaborative teams, and author of Trapped in the Family Business; and Paragus CEO Delcie Bean, who presides over a mass of productive Millennials every day. And, as a Millennial himself, he brings some first-hand experience to the table. The event is free and will take place from 8 to 10 a.m. at Paragus, 112 Russell St., Hadley. Come by for breakfast, strong coffee, and good advice. To sign up, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/not-talkin-bout-your-generation-tickets-27725222888.

Western Mass. Business Expo

Nov. 3: Comcast Business will present the sixth annual Western Mass. Business Expo at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield, produced by BusinessWest and the Healthcare News. The business-to-business show will feature more than 150 exhibitor booths, educational seminars, breakfast hosted by the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce, lunch hosted by BusinessWest, and a day-capping Expo Social. Current sponsors include Comcast Business (presenting sponsor), Express Employment Professionals, Health New England, the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, Johnson & Hill Staffing Services, MGM Springfield, Wild Apple Design, the Western Mass. Economic Development Council, Savage Arms, the Better Business Bureau, and the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County. The event’s media partners are WMAS, WHMP, and Rock 102/Laser 99.3. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. Exhibitor spaces are also available; booth prices start at $725. For more information on sponsorships or booth purchase, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100. For more Expo details as they emerge, visit www.wmbexpo.com.

Briefcase Departments

LIPPI Featured in National Storytelling Platform

EASTHAMPTON — The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts’ Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI) was one of several featured programs that launched Tuesday during the rollout of a new national storytelling initiative unveiled by the Women’s Funding Network (WFN) at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting. The uniquely interactive digital tool seeks to bring attention to a leading challenge facing women in the U.S. and around the world — economic security — and lift up the vital work of women’s foundations that are addressing this issue. “Telling the story of local women on a national scale is crucial to the work we do. If we want our communities to thrive, we must ensure the economic security of women,” said Elizabeth Barajas-Román, CEO, of the Women’s Fund. This year, Barajas-Román was invited to represent Western Mass. on the national board of the Women’s Funding Network. The launch highlights the story of the Women’s Fund LIPPI program, a unique leadership institute developed in response to a shortage of women in civic leadership positions, in public office, and serving on boards. The coursework equips women with the tools and confidence to become civic and political leaders. More than 250 participants are now leaders in their local communities; 22 have run for elected office, one received a gubernatorial appointment, one graduate is the first female police chief of Northampton, one ran a successful race for mayor of Pittsfield, and two graduates are serving in executive cabinet positions. Many more continue to serve on various boards and commissions, organizing grassroots campaigns, and raising their collective voices on issues that impact women and families. The Economic Security Digital Storytelling Platform is a data-driven, yet narrative, evidence of women’s foundations’ ongoing commitment to ensuring women’s economic prosperity. The platform gives users the opportunity to explore the data alongside the powerful stories of the women, programs, and organizations making an impact on this issue, breathing life into facts and figures. The responsive and flexible format encourages user engagement and learning by featuring links and downloadable files throughout, as well as links to social media to make these important stories easy to share. WFN’s Economic Security Digital Storytelling Platform can be previewed at economicsecurity.womensfundingnetwork.org.

State Nets $2.5M Grant to Help People with Disabilities Find Jobs

BOSTON — Massachusetts was one of only six states awarded $2.5 million this week by the federal government to help people with disabilities find employment. The grant will target youth and young adults, ages 14 to 24, in Hampden County and the Greater Lowell area by expanding access to credential-based education and training. The U.S. Department of Labor yesterday announced $14.9 million in grants to six states as part of the Disability Employment Initiative. “We know that, unfortunately, people with disabilities face much higher rates of unemployment, and we have been developing plans to tackle that problem for over a year now. One of the first executive orders I signed was to create a task force to look at ways to help people with barriers to employment find and keep jobs,” Gov. Charlie Baker said. “This award from the federal government will help us continue that important work, and create more opportunities for young people with disabilities to find fulfilling careers.” According to the U.S. Department of Labor, people with disabilities make up only 19.8% of the nation’s workforce. In Massachusetts, it is estimated that 15% of people with disabilities are unemployed. The grant is expected to serve more than 350 youth and young adults with disabilities. In Massachusetts the funds will also be used to create partnerships with local employers to increase hiring opportunities for young people with disabilities, and expand short-term subsidized work programs. The grant will provide job-retention and placement services to young people who have difficulty finding work due to their disability. “This is the first initiative where we will completely focus on youth and young adults with disabilities in order to help them find and keep employment,” Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald Walker II said. “We are thrilled to be one of only a few states to receive this grant, and it will enable us to continue the work started by the task force for people facing higher employment.” The other states to receive grants were Connecticut, California, Idaho, Minnesota, and Maryland. While Massachusetts’ unemployment rate is lower than the national average, at 3.9% in August, certain populations face chronically higher rates of unemployment, including African-Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, people with disabilities, Native Americans, and recently returned veterans.

Unemployment Rate Drops to 3.9% in August

BOSTON — The state’s total unemployment rate dropped to 3.9% in August from 4.1% in July, and preliminary estimates show the state gained 5,900 jobs over the month, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported. The last time the state’s unemployment rate hit 3.9% was in August 2001. At 3.9%, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is down 0.9% over the year from 4.8% in August 2015. There were 30,300 fewer unemployed residents and 73,000 more employed residents over the year compared to August 2015. Massachusetts’ unemployment rate remains lower than the national rate of 4.9% reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state added fewer jobs over the month in July than the Bureau of Labor Statistics originally estimated, gaining 5,800 jobs compared to the previously published 7,300-job-gain estimate. Year to date, December 2015 to August 2016, Massachusetts has added 61,000 jobs. In August, the largest over-the-month job gains occurred in the leisure and hospitality, education and health services, and other services sectors. The state’s labor force participation rate — the total number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks — is 65.0%. Over the year, the labor-force participation rate has increased 0.2% compared to August 2015.

State Releases Detailed Report on Opioid Epidemic

BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration released an in-depth analysis of the state’s opioid-related deaths from 2013 to 2014. The findings reveal that opioid-related deaths have increased by 350% in Massachusetts in 15 years and marks the first time data from multiple state agencies has been linked to give a comprehensive overview of deaths associated with the opioid epidemic. “We are pleased to unveil this report to combine state resources and aggregate data in an innovative way to better understand the drivers behind opioid and heroin-related overdoses,” Gov. Charlie Baker said. “We are hopeful that new information will help us better understand the contours of this public-health crisis as we continue to work on prevention, education, and treatment in our communities to combat the opioid crisis in the Commonwealth.” Added Marylou Sudders, secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, “in 2013 and 2014 alone, opioid-related deaths were recorded for two-thirds of the cities and towns in Massachusetts. In the face of this crisis, we must continue our efforts to battle this epidemic that continues to take a record number of lives.” The analysis, performed by the state Department of Public Health, reviewed opioid-related deaths in 2013 and 2014 by analyzing data from multiple government entities including the Department of Public Health, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the Department of Correction, MassHealth, and the Center for Health Information and Analysis. The Commonwealth’s technology agency, MassIT, facilitated integration work to bring the various streams of data together. The report, which was released at a reconvening of the Governor’s Opioid Working Group, chaired by Sudders, is part of continued efforts to improve the collection and release of data examining the impact that opioids have on Bay State communities. Earlier this year, Baker signed landmark opioid legislation into law to address the deadly opioid and heroin epidemic plaguing the Commonwealth. “Opioid-use disorder is a chronic disease, and this epidemic is a complex and persistent problem that will not be solved through a single solution,” said Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel. “This data will be leveraged to allocate resources more efficiently and effectively to help us save lives.” In 2015, the Governor’s Opioid Working Group released recommendations and a comprehensive action plan aimed at curbing the opioid epidemic. These short- and long-term recommendations focus on prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support. Approximately 93% of the initiatives in the governor’s action plan are complete or underway.

Five Colleges Inc. Breaks Ground for Library Annex

HATFIELD — At a brief ceremony on Sept. 15 attended by campus officials and developers, Five Colleges Inc. broke ground on for its Library Annex on a site it purchased in Hatfield. When complete, the 35,000-square-foot building will provide shelving for up to 2.5 million items from the libraries of the campuses of the consortium — Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges and UMass Amherst — freeing up space for new materials and other academic needs. In addition, it will serve as a temporary home for much of the collection of Smith College’s Neilson Library while it undergoes a major renovation. “This facility will help Smith greatly in coming years. It’s a great example of how the institutions help each other,” said Susan Fliss, Smith College dean of Libraries. Added Chris Loring, the recently retired director of libraries at Smith College and a driving force behind the development of the annex, “this will become another library for us.” The 12-acre parcel is at the junctions of the Interstate 91 exit 22 ramp, West Street, and Plain Road in Hatfield. Five Colleges paid $925,000 for the property, which had been owned by Lynda, Martin, and Sharyn Holich. Site preparation work began on May 17, and work is expected to be complete in May 2017. With climate-controlled conditions for long-term preservation of print materials, the annex will house a part of the Five College library repository collection, which already preserves nearly 600,000 items for its member campuses.

Departments Incorporations

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

EAST LONGMEADOW

JMC Entertainment Inc., 444-A Main St., #177, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Jessica L. Miller, same. Entertainment and stand-up comedy.

GILL

Hickory Hill Kennel Inc., 20 Hickory Road, Gill, MA 01354. Duncan J. Elliott, same. Small animal kennel boarding and grooming facility.

HOLYOKE

Karaoke Social Club Inc., 56 Adams St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Candy Villaronga, 62 Jefferson Ave., Springfield, MA 01107. Social club where members can perform karaoke and play dominoes.

MONTGOMERY

Donald Cormier Inc., 78 Pine Ridge Road, Montgomery, MA 01085. Donald Cormier, same. Owns subway stores.

NORTH ADAMS

Lake Amphibian Club Inc., 734 State Road, North Adams, MA 01247. Myron Mitchell, 154 Marchmont Dr. Advance, NC 27006. Corporation organized for the purposes of establishing and maintaining a non-profit social club for aviation enthusiasts interested in the amphibious aircraft known as “Lake Amphibians.”

PALMER

Naman Corporation, 2390 Main St., Palmer, MA 01080. Mitesch Patel, same. Convenience store.

PITTSFIELD

Kushi & Co., P.C., 21 Henry Ave., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Raymond T. Kushi, Jr., same. Public accounting services.

SPRINGFIELD

ICPS Alumni Association Inc., 609 Beacon Circle, Springfield, MA 01119. Balmin Bingham, same. Promotes a strong relationship between the alumni and the school, promotes, strengthens and maintains school pride. Conducts fundraising events to provide scholarships, maintains infrastructure and monetary support for the school and its various programs.

Iglesia Del Salvador Healing Broken Souls, 83 D Mill St., Springfield, MA 01108. Saul Ramos, 4711 West 125t St., Cleveland, OH 44135. Nonprofit organization whose mission is to spread the Christian faith in Jesus Christ as is revealed in the holy scriptures by all means of mass media, be it visually, verbally, or written.

THREE RIVERS

Dollar Town Inc., 20004 Main St., Three Rivers, MA. Waseem Ahmad, same. Dollar and grocery store.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Kenney Remodeling Group Inc., 110 Ohio Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. James A. Kenney, same. Surface refinishing.

Daily News

LONGMEADOW — On Wednesday, Oct. 5, the Glenmeadow community will bid farewell to Timothy Cotz, who has served as president and CEO for the past 23 years.

This week, in advance of the celebration, Cotz learned that $16,000 has been raised in his honor by staff, residents, and community members for the Glenmeadow Staff Education Fund, which makes scholarship funds available for employees returning to school. In addition, the largest gathering room, formerly known as Great Hall, has been renamed Timothy V. Cotz Hall.

Reflecting on his time at Glenmeadow, Cotz said much has changed in the industry since he began, noting that residents are coming to the life plan community later in life, they expect more in terms of quality, and they are healthier and more active.

Cotz also noted that the nonprofit itself, known for its holistic mission and innovative programs and outreach to the wider community, has greatly expanded. Once offering services only to residents, the organization now provides services to people living across the Greater Springfield area. Through such innovations as Glenmeadow at Home, the Lifestyle Pass, and Glenmeadow Learning — all programs Cotz helped found — area residents have access to services from transportation and care management to education.

“We serve more people who don’t live on site than we do who live on site,” he said. “By expanding the number of people we’re serving, we’re better able to fulfill our mission of meeting the needs of elders. That’s been a real positive.”

What has not changed over several decades, Cotz said, is Glenmeadow’s mission, vision, and values. “Our mission of providing premier services and meeting the needs of the whole person has not changed, and the organization’s values of caring, compassion, quality, integrity, and stewardship remain very much in place.”

These guiding principles, coupled with the longevity that’s evident in the staff team and a committed board of directors, will provide consistency and stability as Glenmeadow transitions to a new president and CEO, Cotz said.

“The 200 employees of Glenmeadow are diverse in so many ways, but they all share one commonality — genuine compassion and kindness,” he said. “Our board members are so willing to share their talent and expertise. They bring such a depth of knowledge and talent in areas that are not my areas of expertise.”

Glenmeadow has always operated from a strategic plan, and the board recently approved a new, two-year strategic plan that offers a guideline for the organization through October 2018.

“The plan is focused on further expansion of community services, staffing levels, because we know that, if you look at projected numbers of elders compared to projected numbers of available workers, there’s an ever-growing gap between the two,” Cotz said, adding that “we are also going to be looking more closely at how we provide services to people with cognitive loss. As people live longer and longer, the older people live, the odds of developing cognitive loss increase.”

Cotz said his work over the past 23 years has been both a passion and a joy. “The absolutely enriching part of this job is getting to know both the people we serve and the people we employ. It’s been a real gift to me to share the life’s wisdom of the people we serve — they’re role models for me on how they deal with loss, how they age with dignity.”

Cotz plans to spend the next three months traveling with his husband, Ken Moffett. He continues to sit on the board for Girls Inc. of Holyoke, and he is a lay reader and member of the altar guild at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Holyoke, where he also serves as a trustee of the church’s investment portfolio.