Year: 2017

GREENFIELD — Greenfield Savings Bank announced it will open additional branch offices in Amherst and Northampton to augment its existing offices in those towns.

The downtown Amherst location will be at 108 North Pleasant St., and the downtown Northampton office will be located at 207 Main St. The bank expects the new locations to be open by mid-summer 2017, pending approvals and renovations staying on schedule.

“The new branches will enhance convenience for our customers in both of these communities,” said John Howland, president of Greenfield Savings Bank. “This is especially true for our downtown Amherst- and Northampton-based commercial customers. Last year, our commercial loan originations increased more than 20%, and the additional locations will help service the rising demand.”

The new facilities will offer all of the bank’s services, except safe-deposit boxes, which are available at the Northampton office on King Street. The bank is expecting to add an additional four to six positions over the next year to work at the new branches.

Founded in 1869, Greenfield Savings Bank has 135 employees and has offices and ATMs throughout Franklin and Hampshire counties.

SPRINGFIELD — The Gray House will hold its 26th annual Spaghetti Supper on Monday, March 13th from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Greek Cultural Center, 8 Plainfield St., Springfield.

“This fund-raiser is a wonderful opportunity for our community to connect with the Gray House and those we serve, whether they are long-time supporters or new friends who are learning about our work for the first time,” said Teresa Spaziani, executive director. “It provides a snapshot of the work we do through program representation and the crowd favorite, a performance by the children who participate in our Kids’ Club after-school program.”

All proceeds help the Gray House provide food, educational services, and youth programming to neighbors in need. This year’s $1,000 platinum sponsors include Alekman DiTusa, Freedom Credit Union, PeoplesBank, and the Springfield chapter of UNICO National. Tickets for the event are available at a minimum donation of $5. Children age 6 and under are free, and all tickets can be purchased at the door.

Supper, dessert, and children’s activities are available, as well as the opportunity to win raffle prizes. The grand-prize raffle includes a foursome to the Ranch Golf Club, tickets to the Boston Celtics game on April 12, and a Tree House Brewing Co. basket. Winners do not need to be present to win the grand-prize raffle, and tickets can be purchased in advance by calling (413) 734-6696. In addition, raffle tickets are available for purchase at the event for other prizes, such as Okemo Mountain lift tickets and spa, restaurant, and other gift certificates from local businesses.

This year, the Gray House will honor its food-pantry volunteers at the event. “The Gray House couldn’t have the impact that we do in our community without the support of our volunteers,” said Spaziani. “Over the past few years, the food-pantry volunteers have experienced many changes with the program as we evaluated its sustainability and ultimately were able to reignite the program through a partnership with Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry of Chicopee. The pantry volunteers worked through these transitions and return week after week to ensure that the families and individuals in our community receive the food they need and are treated with respect.”

For more information and to see all the sponsors and supporters of the event, visit grayhouse.org/spaghetti-supper.

AGAWAM — The Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast (EANE) announced its 13th annual Management Conference will be held on Thursday, April 6 at the Springfield Marriott. With a focus on the power of passion in leadership, the full-day conference will address how managers and supervisors can motivate themselves and their teams to create a culture of high performance.

“Passionate leadership is about engaging and challenging people to reach new highs,” said Meredith Wise, EANE president. “Our conference this year focuses on the skills that support the leadership traits of a passionate leader.”

The program will feature keynote speakers Rick Barrera and Bruce Christopher. Barrera, the head of faculty for the Center for Heart Led Leadership, works with Fortune 500 CEOs, world-class mountain climbers, astronauts, professional actors, and SEAL Team Six leaders teaching them how to build high-performance teams. Christopher, a psychologist and humorist, offers cutting-edge content with a mix of comedy, showing audiences how to embrace change and giving them practical skills to apply for success.

The cost for the program is $350 per person with discounts for three or more. Register at www.eane.org/management17 or by calling (877) 662-6444. It will offer 6.25 credits from the HR Certification Institute and SHRM. Sponsoring the program are Johnson & Hill Staffing Services and the HR Certification Institute.

NORTHAMPTON — Two of Northampton’s local businesses are uniting to co-host the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce’s Arrive @ 5 event on Wednesday, April 5. Degrees of Comfort — Northampton Plumbing Supply’s kitchen and bath showroom — will join Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice for this community-networking event from 5 to 7 p.m. at 168 Industrial Dr.

“We are excited to come together with Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice to host the Arrive @ 5 in April, and we look forward to welcoming our fellow community businesses into the showroom,” said Fred Teece, the owner of Premier Supply Group and Degrees of Comfort. “Degrees of Comfort has been serving Hampshire County homeowners, builders, and plumbers for over a decade and would like to show our appreciation by inviting our peers to see the updates, specifically our new ‘Take Home Today’ space and completely refurbished showroom.”

Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice provides home-health and end-of-life care in the Pioneer Valley. “We are thrilled to partner with Degrees of Comfort on this special chamber event,” said Priscilla Ross, executive director. “We have taken care of our community in their homes for over 100 years. This event gives us the rare opportunity to welcome you to our home.”

HOLYOKE — The Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) Oncology Department recently received a donation of more 150 hats from 14-year-old Holyoke resident Cameron Boucher.

Cameron, an eighth-grade student at Granite Valley Middle School in Monson, was assigned to complete a community-service project for school. He wanted to choose a project in memory of Danny Boyle, a Holyoke firefighter who worked with Cameron’s father, Mike Boucher. Boyle, who was often seen sporting a baseball cap, lost his battle to brain cancer in 2008.

With the connection between Boyle and baseball caps, Boucher launched Lids for Love as his community service project. Donation boxes were placed at Holyoke City Hall, Holyoke Fire Department headquarters, and Granite Valley Middle School in Monson.

“Danny was always a great big fan of baseball caps. Everywhere he went, he was usually informal and always had his hat on, especially Patriots and Red Sox,” said his widow, Debbie Boyle. “His affinity to hats was long before he was diagnosed, but it was so very important to him while he was going through treatment and losing his hair.”

The hats will be distributed to cancer patients in need. Helen Arnold, director of Oncology and Community Benefit at HMC, noted that “we have never received this type of donation of baseball caps before, and we have a lot of men and women patients who will benefit from this donation. We really appreciate the contribution.”

WILBRAHAM — Rick’s Place recently received a $10,000 Grief Reach grant from the New York Life Foundation, which will enable the organization to make significant improvements to its technological capacities, including major website enhancements.

The New York Life Foundation created the Grief Reach program to help providers overcome barriers to bringing grief-support services to youth not served by existing bereavement programs. One hundred and ninety-five Grief Reach grants totaling nearly $6 million have been awarded since the program’s inception in 2011. The New York Life Foundation has been one of the leading funders in the childhood-bereavement field, investing more than $30 million to date in support of grieving children and their families.

SPRINGFIELD — United Personnel announced the recent promotion of two staff members: Sarah Knowlton and Molly Desroches.

Knowlton, formerly a junior recruiter and administrative coordinator for the Professional Staffing Division in Springfield, has been promoted to the Light Industrial Staffing Division’s recruiter position. She has been with United Personnel for two and a half years. In her new role, she will work on the candidate pipeline for some of United Personnel’s largest clients. Knowlton is currently enrolled in the business administration program at Holyoke Community College in pursuit of her associate degree.

Desroches, formerly a Light Industrial Staffing senior recruiter, has been promoted to staffing consultant for United Personnel’s Professional Staffing Division. Desroches, hired the same day as Knowlton, will serve as a resource for United Personnel’s clients and candidates, overseeing contract and direct-hire placements. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Bryant University. She is captain of a Holyoke recreational soccer team and an ambassador for the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce.

Both Knowlton and Desroches serve on United Personnel’s social-media team, leveraging their human-resources knowledge to create content for various social-media platforms.

“The United team is proud to see two colleagues earn promotions as part of our ‘promote from within’ policy,” President Tricia Canavan said. “We look forward to the innovation and creativity they will bring to their new roles.”

SPRINGFIELD — David Horgan was recently named director of Advertising for Pride Markets. His focus has been launching the Pride 100 anniversary celebration, with outreach through television, radio, and a newly launched website.

His experience includes creating the early Gary Rome and Marcotte Ford TV campaigns, as well as election commercials for more than 30 winners, including U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, and state Sen. James Welch.

Previously, Horgan was director of Marketing for 1st Alliance Lending in Hartford. As part of the ongoing Pride Gives Back program, he teaches media and filmmaking to inner-city children at the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts on Wednesdays.

SPRINGFIELD — DevelopSpringfield will host its sixth annual Celebrate Springfield dinner event on Wednesday, March 15 in celebration of Springfield and the many accomplishments the community has achieved over the past year along with exciting new initiatives underway.

The event will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. Festivities will include a reception with live music by the Eric Bascom Trio, networking, a cash bar, and hors d’oeuvres, followed by dinner and a fun, informative panel conversation and award presentations.

Panelists will include Secretary Jay Ash, Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development for the Commonwealth; Kevin Kennedy, chief Development officer for the city of Springfield; and Jay Minkarah, president and CEO of DevelopSpringfield. The panel will be moderated by Lisa Wong, former mayor of Fitchburg.

The platinum sponsor is MassMutual Financial Group. Many other local businesses and organizations are also supporting the event as sponsors and participants. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.

DevelopSpringfield will once again present its Partner in Progress Award to recognize the outstanding contributions of four individuals toward revitalization in Springfield. This year’s honorees are Gumersindo Gomez, executive director of the Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center; Sarah Page, senior vice president, Community Building and Engagement for HAPHousing; Timothy Plante, chief administrative and financial officer for the city of Springfield; and Gordon Pulsifer, president and CEO of First Resource Development Co. In addition to the program and award presentations, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno will offer greetings.

The celebration is a benefit event; all proceeds will support DevelopSpringfield’s redevelopment initiatives, projects, and programs. More than 500 attendees, including state and city officials, leaders from the business and nonprofit communities, and local residents are expected to come together in support of ongoing efforts to advance development and redevelopment projects, stimulate and support economic growth, and further the revitalization process within the city.

Registration and sponsorship information is available on DevelopSpringfield’s website at www.developspringfield.com or by contacting Paige Thayer at (413) 209-8808 or [email protected]. The cost is $100 per person, and RSVP is requested by March 1.

AGAWAM — On Tuesday, Feb. 28 from 5 to 7 p.m., Cooper’s Gifts Apparel Home at 161 Main St. in Agawam will host a Mardi Gras event that will help fill the shelves at the Parish Cupboard while spotlighting unique local businesses.

“Cooper’s Parties with Purpose have become legendary. This event will allow other fine businesses here in our area to shine with us, and we can all have fun and do good for those in need,” said owner Kate Gourde.

Fat Tuesday is known to be a day of indulgence before Lent begins. The theme of this event is “Luxuries & Indulgences.” Cooper’s and the participating businesses will offer a variety of prizes for raffle. Guests will receive one drawing entry for every non-perishable food item they donate. Additional drawing entries may be purchased, with all proceeds going to the Parish Cupboard.

“This area is home to so many top-notch businesses, and this is a terrific opportunity to introduce our guests to what our neighborhood has to offer,” Gourde said. Guests will enjoy spa services by Massage Haven & Abella’s Skin, Lash & Nail Boutique, and wine and cheese.

Free childcare will also be provided. “We don’t want moms to feel like they have to miss this great event because they can’t find a sitter. Bring the kids, and we’ll have staff on hand to keep them busy while you enjoy yourself,” Gourde said.

Cooper’s will offer a spring chiffon top ($25 value) as a free gift with a $30 purchase, while supplies last (limit one top per customer). In the event of inclement weather, the Mardi Gras Party will be postponed to Wednesday, March 1.

LENOX — The Boston Symphony Orchestra plans to launch a $30 million expansion of its Tanglewood campus in Lenox, creating a new complex of performance, dining, and rehearsal buildings aimed at expanding the summer music festival’s offerings and improving facilities for musicians, the Boston Globe reported.

The 24,500-square-foot complex will house a new audience-engagement initiative called the Tanglewood Learning Institute and enhance the Tanglewood Music Center, the BSO’s summer academy, as well as upgrades to the rest of the 524-acre campus.

The Tanglewood Learning Institute will offer visitors up-close experiences with musical programming, including access to lectures, performances, master classes, rehearsals, panel discussions, films, and other activities.

Last year, some 350,000 visitors visited Tanglewood, where attractions included not only the symphony under music director Andris Nelsons, but also the Boston Pops and a range of guest artists in a variety of genres.

SPRINGFIELD — Retired U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Officer Hugh Dugan will present “Sport and Diplomacy” at the Center for International Sport Business (CISB) program series, “For the Love of the Games.” The presentation will take place on Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m. in the Lyman and Leslie Wood Auditorium in Sleith Hall at Western New England University.

Dugan currently serves as a distinguished visiting scholar and fellow at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University.

The intersection of sports and diplomacy can be difficult, but rewarding. Dugan will talk about his diplomatic career spanning 32 years, including serving as senior adviser to 11 U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations, and his work to secure adoption of the ancient tradition of the Olympic Truce by the UN General Assembly.

This event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Western New England University Alumni Assoc.

Established in 2007, the CISB is a forum for the study of the business of sport with an international focus. In addition to the distinguished-speaker program that brings prominent personalities from sport and business to the university community, the CISB organizes a summer seminar-abroad program that takes students to the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.