Daily News

AMHERST — The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) has released a comprehensive study that evaluates the potential of developing a network of water-testing demonstration centers in the Commonwealth, including one at UMass Amherst. The centers would pilot new water technologies to position Massachusetts as a global leader in the water-innovation and energy-efficiency sector, providing significant business and employment opportunities. 

The report was released at the Innovations and Opportunities in Water Technologies Conference held at the Life Sciences Laboratories at UMass Amherst. The conference was sponsored by MassCEC and the Economic Development Council (EDC) of Western Massachusetts. Speakers included Martin Suuberg, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection; Stephen Pike, CEO of MassCEC; Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Western Mass. EDC; and Kumble Subbaswamy, chancellor of UMass Amherst. 

The report calls for creating a network of three demonstration centers around the state. They would be located at the Wastewater Pilot Plant at UMass Amherst, the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center in Barnstable, and a pilot plant located at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s Deer Island Treatment Plant in Boston Harbor.

Establishing this network of water-technology demonstration centers could create jobs, lower energy costs, and optimize municipal operations in addition to supporting water-technology research, the study says. A successfully established test-bed network could serve existing Massachusetts-based water-technology companies, help attract new companies to the Commonwealth, advance new solutions to both local and global water challenges, and provide a strong foundation for innovation.

The Amherst site is ideal for this work, Sullivan said. “UMass Amherst is already a leader in this sector. The campus is positioned to undertake further research and development that will support industry growth and help grow a talented workforce for related industries.”

Authorization for an investment in water technologies was approved as part of the state’s 2014 environmental bond bill. Release of state capital funds for such an investment must be evaluated and approved by the administration of Gov. Charlie Baker.

Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — Curran and Keegan Financial has added a new client service associate, Heather Cahill. She joins with a focus on helping clients and advisors during the financial-planning and investment process. 

Cahill joined Curran & Keegan after nearly two decades of executive-level roles at a multi-million-dollar international corporation located in the Pioneer Valley. Passionate about community, education, and environment, she serves as vice chair of the Hatfield District School Committee and is a founding member of the Hatfield Community Garden.

Daily News

CHICOPEE — Joe Phillips, president of Phillips Insurance Agency Inc., recently delivered a $5,000 check to John Freedman, president of Joseph Freedman Co., for the seventh annual Joseph Freedman Bowl-a-Thon being held Wednesday, Nov. 7 at AMF Lanes in Chicopee. The proceeds go to Camphill Village, a community for adults with developmental disabilities who live together and work together, caring for each other.

Phillips Insurance Agency was established in 1953 and is a full-service risk-management firm with a staff of 27 professionals. The agency handles the personal and commercial insurance needs for thousands of individuals and businesses throughout New England.

Daily News

HOLYOKE — The Western Mass Employment Collaborative (WMEC), which partners with employers and various agencies to help individuals with disabilities find jobs, will sponsor its annual Job EXPO on Thursday, Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Holyoke Community College’s Kittredge Center, Rooms 301 and 303. The purpose of the event is for businesses to meet qualified candidates for their hiring needs and for job seekers to have multiple opportunities to speak to employers about job openings.

Employers attending the event include Auxiliary Enterprises at UMass Amherst, Balise, Baystate Health, Big Y, Cartamundi, CVS Health, Elite Logistics, FedEx Ground, MGM Springfield, MHA, Pelican, and United Personnel.

WMEC community partners attending the job fair include Dress for Success, Holyoke Community College, HCC Career Closet, MassHire Holyoke (formerly CareerPoint), MassHire Springfield (formerly Futureworks), ServiceNet, Sunshine Village, and Viability Inc.

Daily News

HOLYOKE — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and Massachusetts Secretary of Education James Peyser will be the featured speakers at a ribbon cutting and grand-opening celebration for the new $4.55 million Center for Life Sciences at Holyoke Community College (HCC) on Wednesday, Oct. 24, during Mass STEM Week. 

The celebration will run from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Center for Life Sciences, located on the lower level of HCC’s Marieb Building. Refreshments will be served, and the public is welcome to attend.

The 13,000-square-foot facility features a suite of biotechnology labs and classrooms and what is believed to be the only ISO-certified cleanroom at any Massachusetts community college and one of very few at any college or university in Western Mass.

“These state-of-the-art facilities and new equipment will allow us to train our students in laboratory settings similar to what they will experience in industry, making them more competitive for the biotech job market,” said HCC professor Emily Rabinsky, biotechnology program coordinator.

The Oct. 24 celebration will include tours of the facility, lab demonstrations by Rabinsky and her students, refreshments, and a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at 10:45 a.m. Also expected to attend are state Reps. Aaron Vega, Brian Ashe, and Angelo Puppolo, as well as representatives from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, which awarded HCC a $3.8 million grant for the project.

The new labs will be used primarily for biotechnology, genetics, and microbiology classes, and as needed for other biology courses. 

Once it’s fully operational, the cleanroom in the Center for Life Sciences will have a certification rating of ISO 8 (air quality of no more than 100,000 particles per cubic foot). Inside the cleanroom will be a hooded biosafety cabinet where the sterility will increase to ISO 7 (no more than 10,000 particles per cubic foot). 

Cleanroom operations are being incorporated into biotechnology classes for degree-seeking students, and HCC also plans to offer a non-credit, professional-development course called “Introduction to Cleanroom Technology” for people who want to learn cleanroom operations.  

Grant funds and donations also paid for new equipment, including a high-end, research-grade fluorescent microscope, like those used in the pharmaceutical industry; a micro volume spectrophotometer (used to measure small amounts of genetic material); and an electroporator (for genetic engineering).

Cover Story

29th Annual Compilation Celebrates the Depth, Diversity of Business Community

Launched nearly three decades ago, the Springfield Regional Chamber’s Super 60 program (originally the Fabulous 50 before it was expanded) has always acted like a giant telescope, bringing the breadth and depth of the region’s business community clearly into focus. And the 2108 lists are no exception. Businesses on the Total Revenue and Revenue Growth categories represent nearly every business sector — from healthcare to financial services, from marketing to dentistry, from construction to retail. There are some who have been hearing their names called at the Super 60 lunch for decades now, and others who will hear it for the first time. Overall, the lists put the region’s many strengths and immense diversity clearly on display. The Super 60 will be celebrated at the annual lunch on Oct. 26 at Chez Josef, starting at 11:30 a.m. The Super 60 awards are presented by Health New England and sponsored by Farmington Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, the Republican, and Zasco Productions.

Total Revenue

1. WHALLEY COMPUTER
ASSOCIATES Inc.
One Whalley Way, Southwick
(413) 569-4200
www.wca.com
John Whalley, president
WCA is a locally owned family business that has evolved from a hardware resale and service group in the ’70s and ’80s into a company that now focuses on lowering the total cost of technology and productivity enhancement for its customers. Boasting nearly 150 employees, Whalley carries name-brand computers as well as low-cost compatibles.

2. MARCOTTE FORD SALES INC.
1025 Main St., Holyoke
(800) 923-9810
www.marcotteford.com
Bryan Marcotte, president
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department. Marcotte has achieved the President’s Award, one of the most prestigious honors given to dealerships by Ford Motor Co., on multiple occasions over the past decade. It also operates the Marcotte Commercial Truck Center.

3. TIGHE & BOND INC. *
53 Southampton Road, Westfield
(413) 562-1600
www.tighebond.com
DAVID PINSKY, PRESIDENT & CEO
Tighe & Bond is a full-service engineering and environmental consulting firm that provides a wide array of services, including building engineering, coastal and waterfront solutions, environmental consulting, GIS and asset management, site planning and design, transportation engineering, and water and wastewater engineering.

A.G. MILLER CO. Inc.
57 Batavia St., Springfield
(413) 732-9297
www.agmiller.com
Rick Miller, president
Early in its history, A.G. Miller made a name in automobile enameling. More than 100 years after its founding in 1914, the company now offers precision metal fabrication; design and engineering; assembly; forming, rolling, and bending; laser cutting; punching; precision saw cutting; welding; powder coating and liquid painting; and more.

BALTAZAR CONTRACTORS
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow
(413) 583-6160
www.baltazarcontractors.com
Frank Baltazar, president
Baltazar Contractors has been a family-owned and operated construction firm for more than 20 years, specializing in roadway construction and reconstruction in Massachusetts and Connecticut; all aspects of site-development work; sewer, water, storm, and utilities; and streetscape improvements.

CHARTER OAK INSURANCE & FINANCIAL SERVICES CO. *
330 Whitney Ave., Holyoke
(413) 374-5430
www.charteroakfinancial.com
Peter Novak, General Agent
A member of the MassMutual Financial Group, Charter Oak been servicing clients for more than 125 years. The team of professionals serves individuals, families, and businesses with risk-management products, business planning and protection, retirement planning and investment services, and fee-based financial planning.

CITY ENTERPRISE INC.
52-60 Berkshire Ave., Springfield
(413) 726-9549
www.cityenterpriseinc.com
WONDERLYN MURPHY, PRESIDENT & CEO
City Enterprise Inc. is a general contractor with a diverse portfolio of clients, including the Groton Naval submarine base, Westover Air Reserve Base, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Park Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, and many others.

COMMERCIAL DISTRIBUTING CO. INC.
46 South Broad St., Westfield
(413) 562-9691
www.commercialdist.com
Richard Placek, Chairman
Founded in 1935 by Joseph Placek, Commercial Distributing Co. is a family-owned, family-operated business servicing more than 1,000 bars, restaurants, and clubs, as well as more than 400 package and liquor stores. Now in its third generation, the company continues to grow by building brands and offering new products as the market changes.

CON-TEST ANALYTICAL LABORATORY (Filli LLC)
39 Spruce St., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-2332
www.contestlabs.com
TOM VERATTI, FOUNDER, CONSULTANT
Established in 1987 and founded by Thomas and Kathleen Veratti, Con-Test Inc. provides industrial hygiene and analytical services to a broad range of clients. Originally focused on industrial hygiene analysis, the laboratory testing division has expanded its capabilities to include numerous techniches in air analysis, classical (wet) chemistry, metals, and organics.

DAVID R. NORTHUP ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS INC.
73 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 786-8930
www.northupelectric.com
DAVID NORTHUP, PRESIDENT
David R. Northup Electrical Contractors Inc. is a family-owned and operated, full-service electrical, HVAC, and plumbing contractor. The company specializes in everything from installation and replacement to preventative maintenance; indoor air-quality work to sheet-metal fabrication.

FREEDOM CREDIT UNION
1976 Main St., Springfield
(800) 831-0160
www.freedom.coop
GLENN WELCH, PRESIDENT & CEO
Freedom is a full-service credit union based in Springfield serving a wide range of business and consumer clients. Freedom has its main office on Main Street, with other offices in Sixteen Acres (Springfield), Feeding Hills, Ludlow, Chicopee, Easthampton, Northampton, Turners Falls, Greenfield, and the Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy.

THE FUTURES HEALTH GROUP, LLC
136 William St., Springfield
(800) 218-9280
www.discoverfutures.com
Brian Edwards, CEO
Futures provides occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language therapy, special education, nursing, mental health, and other related services to schools and healthcare facilities across the U.S. Founded in 1998, it continues to be managed by expert practitioners in their fields.

GARY ROME HYUNDAI INC. *
150 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke
(877) 830-4792
www.garyromehyundai.com
GARY ROME, President
Gary Rome is the largest Hyundai dealership in the nation after a new, much larger facility opened in 2017. The company’s mission statement is to “provide our customers with a consistent sale and service experience that satisfies each person’s needs and exceeds their expectation in a clean and comfortable environment.”

GOVERNORS AMERICA CORP. – GAC MGMT. Co.
720 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 786-5600
www.governors-america.com
Governors America Corp. is a privately held engine-control company that provides complete design, development, production, and marketing capabilities for electro-mechanical and electronic devices that are used for engine control. The engine-control products are used in a wide range of industries, including generator set, material handling, marine propulsion, mining, locomotive, and off-highway applications. Governors America has developed an advanced line of electronic governing and fuel-control systems with accessories.

HOLYOKE PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATES, LLP
150 Lower Westfield Road, Holyoke
(413) 536-2393
www.holyokepediatrics.com
KATHY TREMBLE, Care Coordinator
Holyoke Pediatric Associates is the largest pediatric practice in Western Mass., serving patients from the Pioneer Valley at offices in Holyoke and South Hadley. The group medical practice comprises board-certified pediatricians, certified nurse practitioners, and more than 75 clinical, nutritional, and clerical support staff, and has served the healthcare needs of infants, children, and adolescents since 1971.

JET INDUSTRIES INC.
307 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 786-2010
www.jet.industries
Michael Turrini, president
Jet Industries Inc. is a leading design-build electrical, mechanical, communications, and fire-sprinkler contractor. What began as a small, family-run oil company founded by Aaron Zeeb in 1977 has grown into one of the nation’s largest companies of its type, with more than 500 employees servicing projects all across the country.

KITTREDGE EQUIPMENT CO. INC.
100 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 304-4100
www.kittredgeequipment.com
Wendy Webber, president
Founded in 1921, Kittredge Equipment Co. is one of the nation’s leading food-service equipment and supply businesses. It boasts 70,000 square feet of showroom in three locations. The company also handles design services, and has designed everything from small restaurants to country clubs to in-plant cafeterias.

LANCER TRANSPORTATION & SULCO WAREHOUSING & LOGISTICS *
311 Industry Ave., Springfield
(413) 739-4880
www.sulco-lancer.com
Todd Goodrich, president
In business since 1979, Sulco Warehousing & Logistics specializes in public, contract, and dedicated warehousing. Lancer Transportation & Logistics is a licensed third-party freight-brokerage company that provides full-service transportation-brokerage services throughout North America.

LOUIS & CLARK DRUG INC.
309 East St., Springfield
(413) 737-7456
www.lcdrug.com
Skip Matthews, president
Since 1965, Louis & Clark has been a recognized name in Western Mass., first as a pharmacy and later as a resource for people who need home medical equipment and supplies. Today, the company provides professional pharmacy and compounding services, medical equipment, independent-living services, and healthcare programs.

MAYBURY ASSOCIATES INC.
90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-4216
www.maybury.com
John Maybury, president
Since 1976, Maybury Associates Inc. has been designing, supplying, and servicing all types of material-handling equipment throughout New England. Maybury provides customers in a wide range of industries with solutions to move, lift, and store their parts and products.

NOTCH WELDING & MECHanICAL CONTRACTORS INC. *
85 Lemay St., Chicopee
(413) 534-3440
www.notch.com
Steven Neveu, president
A family-owned business since 1972, Notch Mechanical Constructors provides piping installation and repair services to facilities throughout Southern New England. Its team has the capacity to address process and utility piping challenges at any business within 100 miles of its locations in Chicopee and Hudson, Mass.

O’REILLY, TALBOT & OKUN ASSOCIATES INC.
293 Bridge St., Suite 500, Springfield
(413) 788-6222
www.oto-env.com
JIM OKUN, KEVIN O’REILLY, MIKE TALBOT, principals
O’Reilly Talbot & Okun is a specialty geo-environmental engineering firm, specializing in asbestos management, brownfields redevelopment, environmental site assessment, indoor air quality and industrial hygiene, MCP compliance, vapor intrusion, geotechnical engineering, lead inspection, PCB assessment and management, and other services.

P.C. ENTERPRISES INC. d/b/a ENTRE COMPUTER
138 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
(413) 736-2112
www.pc-enterprises.com
Norman Fiedler, CEO
PC Enterprises, d/b/a Entre Computer, assists organizations with procuring, installing, troubleshooting, servicing, and maximizing the value of technology. In business since 1983, it continues to evolve and grow as a lead provider for many businesses, healthcare providers, retailers, and state, local, and education entities.

PARAGUS STRATEGIC IT
112 Russell St., Hadley
(413) 587-2666
www.paragusit.com
Delcie Bean IV, president
While still in high school, Delcie Bean founded Paragus IT in 1999, first under the name Vertical Horizons and then Valley Computer Works. Under the Paragus name, it has grown dramatically as an outsourced IT solution, providing business computer service, computer consulting, information-technology support, and other services to businesses of all sizes. 

REDIKER SOFTWARE INC.
2 Wilbraham Road, Hampden
(800) 213-9860
www.rediker.com
Andrew Anderlonis, president
Rediker software is used by school administrators across the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, and is designed to meet the student-information-management needs of all types of schools and districts. For example, 100,000 teachers use the TeacherPlus web gradebook, and the ParentPlus and StudentPlus web portals boast 2 million users.

SANDERSON MacLEOD INC.
1199 South Main St. Palmer
(413) 283-3481
www.sandersonmacleod.com
MARK BORSARI, PRESIDENT
Launched in 1958 by Ken Sanderson and Bruce MacLeod, Sanderson MacLeod invented the first twisted-wire mascara brush. Today, it is an industry leader in the making of twisted wire brushes for the cosmetics industry, the healthcare sector, the OEM-cleaning brush market, the firearm-cleaning brush market, and many others.

TIGER PRESS (Shafii’s Inc.)
50 Industrial Dr., East Longmeadow
(413) 224-1763
www.tigerpress.com
JENNIFER SHAFII
TigerPress is an award-winning, ISO 9001 & FSC-certified custom printing company featuring the latest digital prepress and printing technology. The company manufactures folding cartons, marketing and educational printed products, fulfillment services, and indoor and outdoor signs.
TROY INDUSTRIES INC.
151 Capital Dr., West Springfield
(413) 788-4288
www.troyind.com
Steve Troy, CEO
Troy Industries was founded on the principle of making reliable, innovative, over-engineered products that function without question when lives are on the line. Troy is a leading U.S. government contractor that designs and manufactures innovative, top-quality small-arms components and accessories and complete weapon upgrades.

UNITED PERSONNEL SERVICES *
1331 Main St., Springfield
(413) 736-0800
www.unitedpersonnel.com
Patricia Canavan, president
United provides a full range of staffing services, including temporary staffing and full-time placement, on-site project management, and strategic recruitment in the Springfield, Hartford, and Northampton areas, specializing in administrative, professional, medical, and light-industrial staff.

WESTSIDE FINISHING CO. INC.
15 Samosett St., Holyoke
(413) 533-4909
www.wsfinish.com
BRIAN BELL, PRESIDENT
Founded in the early 1980s, Westside Finishing is a family-owned business specializing wide array of services, including silk screening, conveyorized powder coating, batch powder coating, pad printing, trucking, sub-assembly, final packaging, and more.

Revenue Growth

1. FIVE STAR TRANSPORTATION INC. *
809 College Highway, Southwick
(413) 789-4789
www.firestarbus.com
Nathan Lecrenski, president
Five Star provides school-bus transportation services to school districts and charter schools throughout Western Mass. From its launch a half-century ago with a single bus route, the company currently services more than 12 school districts and operates a fleet of more than 175 vehicles. 

2. BAYSTATE BLASTING INC.
36 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow
(413) 583-4440
www.baystateblasting.com
Paul Baltazar, president
Baystate Blasting, Inc. is a local family-owned and operated drilling and blasting firm located in Ludlow that began in 2003. Services include site work, heavy highway construction, residential work, quarry, portable crushing, and recycling, and it is an ATF-licensed dealer of explosives as well as rental of individual magazines.

3. IN-LAND CONTRACTING INC.
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow
(413) 547-0100
Denis Baltazar, Treasurer
In-Land Contracting is a general contractor specializing in garages, exterior work, parking lots, and other types of work.

AMERICAN PEST SOLUTIONS INC.
169 William St., Springfield
(413) 781-0044
www.413pestfree.com
BOB RUSSELL, PRESIDENT
Founded in 1913, American Pest Solutions is a full-service pest-solutions company. With two offices, in Springfield and Hartford, Conn., the company serves residential and commercial customers, offering inspection, treatment, and ongoing protection.

BAYSTATE RESTORATION INC.
69 Gagne St., Chicopee
(413) 532-3473
www.baystaterestorationgroup.com
MARK DAVIAU and DON ROBERT, OWNERS
Baystate Restoration Group is a 24-hour emergency service-restoration company specializing in all areas of restoration and insurance claims due to fire, water, smoke, mold, storm, and water damage to homes and businesses.

BURGESS, SCHULTZ & ROBB, P.C.
200 North Main St., Suite 1, South Building, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-0025
www.bsrcpa.com
ANDREW ROBB, MANAGING PARTNER
Burgess, Shultz & Robb is a full-service accounting firm specializing in accounting, auditing, tax, and business planning for closely held businesses and nonprofit organizations, trusts, and estate services.

CENTER SQUARE GRILL (Fun Dining Inc.)
84 Center Square, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-0055
www.centersquaregrill.com
Michael Sakey, Bill Collins, Proprietors
Center Square Grill serves up eclectic American fare for lunch and dinner, as well as an extensive wine and cocktail selection and a kids’ menu. The facility also has a catering service and hosts events of all kinds.

CHICOPEE INDUSTRIAL CONTRACTORS INC.
107 North Chicopee St., Chicopee
(413) 538-7279
www.chicopeeindustrial.com
Carol Campbell, president
Founded in 1992, Chicopee Industrial Contractors is an industrial contracting firm specializing in all types of rigging, heavy lifting, machinery moving, machine installation, millwrighting, machine repair, heavy hauling, plant relocations, concrete pads, foundations, and structural steel installations.

COURIER EXPRESS INC.
20 Oakdale St., Springfield
(413) 730-6620
www.courierexp.com
Eric Devine, president
Courier Express is committed to providing custom, same-day delivery solutions for any shipment. Its focal point is New England, but its reach is nationwide. The company strives to utilize the latest technologies, on-time delivery, customer service, and attention to detail to separate itself from its competitors.

E.F. CORCORAN PLUMBING & HEATING CO. INC. *
5 Rose Place, Springfield
(413) 732-1462
www.efcorcoran.com
CHARLES EDWARDS and BRIAN TOOMEY, Co-OWNERS
E.F. Corcoran Plumbing and Heating, founded in 1963, is a full-service plumbing and HVAC contractor. Services include 24-hour plumbing service, HVAC system installs, design-build services, energy retrofits, system replacements and modifications, gas piping, boilers, and more.

EOS APPROACH, LLC / Proshred Security international
75 Post Office Park, Wilbraham
(413) 596-5479
www.proshred.com
JOE KELLY, OWNER
Proshred is an industry leader in on-site shredding and hard-drive destruction. The company offers a number of services, including one-time paper shredding, ongoing shredding service, hard-drive destruction, product destruction, document scanning, and drop-off shredding.

EWS PLUMBING & HEATING INC.
339 Main St., Monson
(413) 267-8983
www.ewsplumbingandheating.com
BRANT STAHELSKI, PRESIDENT
EWS Plumbing & Heating Inc. is a family-owned and operated company that designs and installs plumbing and HVAC systems. A full-service mechanical contractor, the company specializes in both residential and commercial applications.

FLETCHER SEWER & DRAIN INC.
824A Perimeter Road, Ludlow
(413) 547-8180
www.fletcherseweranddrain.com
Teri Marinello, president
Since 1985, Fletcher Sewer & Drain has provided service to homeowners as well as municipalities and construction companies for large pipeline jobs. From unblocking kitchen sinks to replacing sewer lines, Fletcher keeps up to date with all the latest technology, from high-pressure sewer jetters to the newest camera-inspection equipment.

GALLAGHER REAL ESTATE *
1763 Northampton St., Holyoke
(413) 536-7232
www.gogallagher.com
PAUL GALLAGHER, OWNER
Gallagher Real Estate is an independent brokerage that operates in Hampshire and Hampden counties in Massachusetts and Hartford County in Connecticut, and specializes in both residential and commercial properties. The company has offices in Holyoke, South Hadley, East Longmeadow, and Springfield.

GLEASON JOHNDROW LANDSCAPING INC.
44 Rose St., Springfield
(413) 727-8820
www.gleasonjohndrowlandscaping.com
Anthony Gleason II, David Johndrow, Owners
Gleason Johndrow Landscape & Snow Management offers a wide range of commercial and residential services, including lawnmowing, snow removal, salting options, fertilization programs, landscape installations, bark-mulch application, creative plantings, seeding options, pruning, irrigation installation, maintenance, and much more.

GMH FENCE CO. inc. *
15 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-3361
www.gmhfence.com
GLENN HASTIE, OWNER
Serving the Western Mass. area for nearly a quarter century, GMH Fence Co. is one of the largest fence companies in the region. The company offers fence installations from a selection of wood, aluminum, steel, and vinyl fencing for residential and commercial customers.

KNIGHT MACHINE TOOL CO. INC.
11 Industrial Dr., South Hadley
(413) 532-2507
Gary O’Brien, owner
Knight Machine & Tool Co. is a metalworking and welding company that offers blacksmithing, metal roofing, and other services from its 11,000-square-foot facility.

L & L PROPERTY SERVICES, LLC
582 Amostown Road, West Springfield
(413) 732-2739
www.
RICHARD LAPINSKI, OWNER
L&L Property Services LLC is a locally owned company providing an array of property services, including lawn care, snow removal, sanding, excavations, patios and stonewalls, hydroseeding, and more.

MARKET MENTORS, LLC *
1680 Riverdale St., West Springfield
(413) 787-1133
www.marketmentors.com
Michelle Abdow, principal
A full-service marketing firm, Market Mentors handles all forms of marketing, including advertising in all media, media buying, graphic design, public relations, and event planning.

MORAN SHEET METAL INC.
613 Meadow St., Agawam
(413) 363-1548
PAUL MORAN, OWNER
Founded in 1993, Moran Sheet metal is a family-owned company specializing in custom fabrication and installation of HVAC systems for commercial clients across Western Mass. and into Central Mass.

NORTHEAST IT SYSTEMS INC.
170 Lockhouse Road, Westfield
(413) 736-6348
www.northeastit.net
Joel Mollison, president
Northeast is a full-service IT company providing business services, managed IT services, backup and disaster recovery, and cloud services, as well as a full-service repair shop for residential customers, including file recovery, laptop screen replacement, PC setups and tuneups, printer installation, virus protection and removal, and wireless installation.

RAYMOND R. HOULE CONSTRUCTION INC.
5 Miller St., Ludlow
(413) 547-2500
www.rayhoule.com
TIM PELLETIER, PRESIDENT
Raymond R. Houle Construction specializes in commercial and industrial construction. Services include general contracting, construction management, and an integrated construction-assistance program.

RODRIGUES INC.
782 Center St., Ludlow
(413) 547-6443
Antonio Rodrigues, president
Rodrigues Inc. operates Europa Restaurant in Ludlow, specializing in Mediterranean cuisine with an interactive dining experience, presenting meals cooked on volcanic rocks at tableside. Europa also offers full-service catering and banquet space.

SECOND WIND CONSULTANTS
136 West St., #102, Northampton
(413) 584-2581
www.secondwindconsultants.com
AARON TODRIN, PRESIDENT
Second Wind Consultants is a Better Business Bureau-accredited business debt-relief consulting firm that helps companies avoid bankruptcy or litigation through a debt workout.

SKIP’S OUTDOOR ACCENTS INC.
1265 Suffield St., Agawam
(413) 786-0990
www.skipsonline.com
JOHN and SCOTT ANSART, OWNERS
Skip’s Outdoor Accents specializes in a wide range of outdoor products, including sheds and garages, gazebos, swingsets, outdoor furniture, yard and garden products, weathervanes and cupolas, indoor furniture, playhouses, and pet structures.

SUMMIT CAREERS INC.
85 Mill St., Suite B, Springfield
(413) 733-9506
www.summetcareers.inc
DAVID PICARD, OWNER
Summit Careers provides temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire services for clients in a variety of sectors, including light industrial, warehouse, professional trades, administrative, accounting, and executive.

TAPLIN YARD, PUMP & POWER (M. Jags Inc.)
120 Interstate Dr., West Springfield
(413) 781-4352
www.fctaplin.com
Martin Jagodowski, president
Taplin has been servicing the local area since 1892, and is an authorized dealer for parts, equipment, service, and accessories for a wide range of brands. It boasts a large inventory of zero-turn mowers, commercial lawn equipment, lawnmowers, lawn tractors, trimmers, blowers, generators, pressure washers, pole saws, sprayers, chainsaws, and more.

VANGUARD DENTAL, LLC
1730 Boston Road, Springfield
(413) 543-2555
www.vanguarddentistry.com
DR. YOGITA KANORWALLA, PRINCIPAL
Vanguard Dental is a full-service dental practice specializing in same-day crowns, dental implants, root canals, bridges and dentures, Invisalign, and cosmetic dentistry.

WANCZYK EVERGREEN NURSERY INC.
166 Russell St., Hadley
(413) 584-3709
www.wanczynursery.com
MICHAEL WANCZYK, OWNER
Wanczyk Nursery has been a premier plant grower in the Pioneer Valley since 1954. The family-owned business offers many kinds of trees, shrubs, bushes, and flowers.

WEBBER & GRINNELL INSURANCE AGENCY INC.
8 North King. St., #1, Northampton
(413) 586-0111
www.webberandgrinnell.com
BILL GRINNELL, PRESIDENT
Webber & Grinnell’s roots can be traced back to 1849, when A.W. Thayer opened an insurance agency on Pleasant St. in Northampton. The agency offers automotive, homeowners, and business coverage, as well as employee benefits.

Features

Thinking Outside the Big Box

This Google Earth image of the Eastfield Mall shows how, with the closing of its main anchors, its vast parking lots are almost empty.

This Google Earth image of the Eastfield Mall shows how, with the closing of its main anchors, its vast parking lots are almost empty.

The emergence of online shopping giants like Amazon and changing shopping patterns have spelled doom for giant retailers while also hastening the demise of indoor shopping malls across the country. The Eastfield Mall in Springfield is part of this trend, and so is the ambitious plan for its next life — as a so-called ‘community within a community.’

Chuck Breidenbach says the term ‘de-malling’ — or the verb ‘de-mall’ — while still not officially in the dictionary, has been part of the business lexicon for quite some time now.

That’s because, ever since they started building large, enclosed shopping malls more than 50 years ago, some have occasionally failed and had to be repurposed. This region has witnessed the phenomenon a few times, starting with the so-called ‘dead mall’ in Hadley, which went silent more than 30 years ago, and the Fairfield Mall in Chicopee, which succumbed at the start of this century.

But the pace of de-malling has picked up in recent years, as everyone knows, thanks to Amazon and other online retailers, as well as changing shopping habits, especially among the younger generations. And with those trends, old shopping malls have found new lives as everything from homeless shelters to apartment complexes to mixed-use facilities blending residential, retail, and entertainment elements.

Which brings us to the Eastfield Mall in Springfield, near the border with Wilbraham. The facility is historic, sort of, because it is the first enclosed mall in the region, opened in the mid-’60s. But it is also typical of recent trends, because most all of its big box stores — Sears, JCPenney, and Macy’s — have closed, leaving hundreds of thousands of square feet of vacant retail space looking for a new purpose.

Finding one has been Breidenbach’s day job (or one of them) for some time now, in his role as managing director of MDC Retail Properties Group, a division of New Jersey-based Mountain Development Group, which has owned the mall since 1998.

Mountain Development recently hired the real-estate brokerage firm Cushman and Wakefield to market a joint-venture partnership opportunity for the property’s mixed-use development. The solution taking shape on the drawing board — a work in progress, to be sure — is called Eastfield Commons, a $200 million, mixed-use development that Breidenbach likes to call a “community within a community.”

That’s because it will be just that, a community, a place where — theoretically, but also realistically — if all goes as planned, someone can live, work, shop, eat, take their children to daycare, go to the gym, see a movie, and more, all while walking a few hundred yards at most.

“You want to develop this as a tightly knit, walkable community,” he explained, adding that just what shape this community will take remains to be seen.

At many converted malls, the inclination is to go vertical, with multi-story developments. But at Eastfield, the tact may well be to go horizontal, with one or two levels.

The concept plan taking shape (see rendering on page 8) calls for 450,000 to 500,000 square feet of commercial space (remodeled and new construction) and 23 residential buildings with 12 units each (276 total units). The cinemas will remain, as will the existing food court.

“The idea is to open it up and take it from an enclosed mall to an open-air concept with a lot of public space, a lot of green space … very much the opposite of what you get in an enclosed mall,” he said, adding that this has been the trend nationally, by and large.

“Our vision is to put in a number of restaurants of different types and price points so people have their choice,” he went on. “And to also have some specialty retail, a mix of national and local, so we can give this center its own local flair.”

Flair of any kind has been a missing ingredient at the sprawling site off Boston Road, but as the art and science of mall conversion continues to mature — and Springfield continues its economic recovery — there is considerable optimism that Eastfield can do what it did 50 years ago and get the region buzzing about something new and different.

“The idea is to open it up and take it from an enclosed mall to an open-air concept with a lot of public space, a lot of green space … very much the opposite of what you get in an enclosed mall.”

For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Breidenbach about mall redevelopment in general, and repurposing Eastfield in particular. He noted that, with these projects, the market will dictate what can be done, but imaginative, outside-the-box — or in this case, outside-the-big-box — thinking is always needed.

Setting Sale

Breidenbach has had a long career in retail — long enough to have seen malls come to what amounts to full circle, meaning from being in demand to being in serious decline.

“I’ve seen a lot of things come and go; I’ve lived through the golden years of shopping centers, when you couldn’t put them up fast enough,” he told BusinessWest. “And now, we’re in the gray years of shopping centers, where you can’t redevelop or convert them into something else fast enough.”

The latest cycle — of conversion, or de-malling — began early in this century, he went on, adding that, as was noted earlier, Fairfield Mall, now the site of a Home Depot and other retail outlets, was part of that early wave.

But the pace of conversion really picked up roughly a decade ago, he said, as the Great Recession, coupled with the emergence of online retailers and some changing shopping patterns, took a huge toll on traditional retailers, a trend that continues today.

“There was a change in generations,” he explained. “The Baby Boom generation was and still is, in many ways, a very shopping-oriented culture. The Millennials and Generation-X folks are not.”

Some facilities — Breidenbach calls them super-regional malls, or fortress malls (the Holyoke Mall is one of them) — have been more resilient to the forces of change, because of sheer volume of stores, location (the Holyoke Mall certainly has that), and other factors.

“Holyoke has multiple levels, multiple anchors, parking decks … it’s made to do a massive amount of business,” he explained. “And retailers have pulled back into those fortress malls really as a means of protection.”

Meanwhile, those same retailers are leaving smaller facilities such as Eastfield, he went on, adding that the handwriting was pretty much on the wall for many of these malls years ago. And major real-estate companies, such as the Rouse Co., which developed and owned Eastfield for many years, saw that handwriting and sold off many of those properties.

Today, Eastfield’s huge parking lots fronting Boston Road are barren wastelands. Cars, and not many of them, are clustered near one of the main entrances where a few retailers still do business, such as Old Navy, the 99 Restaurant, O’Donnell’s Restaurant, and others.

Changing this landscape is an involved process, said Breidenbach, adding that, when it comes to how malls are converted these days, it’s generally a function of what the market in question wants, needs, and will support. In other words, while there are models that be studied and perhaps borrowed from, each property is unique, and so is its conversion.

Opened in 1967, Eastfield was the region’s first enclosed mall.

Opened in 1967, Eastfield was the region’s first enclosed mall. Today, it is part of an ongoing trend that is seeing these facilities put to new and imaginative uses.

“Your market studies will lead you to specific strategies and different amounts of space devoted to different types of uses,” he explained. “Those studies will determine how much you need for multi-family rental, multi-family condominium-style properties, retail uses, restaurant uses, entertainment uses, personal services, medical uses, health and fitness — it all depends on what the market will bear, what’s missing in the area, and what people are leaving the area to try and find because they’re dissatisfied with what they get, or it’s not being supplied.

“We have to follow the numbers very closely,” he went on, adding that market studies are followed up with surveys of various constituencies (including residents, small-business owners, and restaurateurs) in the area in question asking people what they want to see and what they’ll come to that location for.

At Eastfield, the emerging solution is a what Breidenbach calls a ‘live, work, play’ atmosphere, one that is seemingly internet-resistant.

This rendering shows the proposed components of Eastfield Commons.

This rendering shows the proposed components of Eastfield Commons.

In other words, one can’t live on the internet, or eat a meal there, or have their haircut there, or take dance lessons there.

And that’s the general idea as one goes about repurposing a mall, he went on, adding that the goal is to create a destination that will hopefully appeal to all generations, but especially those who seem to like this model — empty-nesters and the younger audiences that are less inclined to shop than their parents or grandparents.

“These younger generations would much rather pay for an experience than an expensive pair of jeans,” said Breidenbach, adding that ‘experience’ is a broad term that covers everything from a movie to a meal out to laser tag.

And these sentiments are reflected in some of the statistics relayed to attendees at the latest Shopping Center Convention in Las Vegas, a massive gathering Breidenbach has attended religiously for decades now.

“We heard that restaurant sales in the U.S. had surpassed grocery stores for the first time in history,” he said. “That means more people are eating out — they’re spending their time and money in that direction, as opposed to eating at home and then buying things.”

The Shopping Center Convention, staged annually in May, has seen discussion gravitate in recent years toward the internet and, more specifically, how to survive it, with a big focus being on just what to do with traditional malls, like Eastfield, that have been marginalized (Breidenbach’s word) by the fortress malls and online shopping.

Mixed-use developments — vertical and horizontal alike — have become the answer in many cases, with individual components varying, as stated earlier, with identified need and demand.

Breidenbach believes there will be a need for housing at that site, particularly the multi-family variety, because there haven’t been any new developments of that type in that area in decades, and there is apparent need for such a product.

“We see a huge a huge opportunity there for up-do-date multi-family housing,” he told BusinessWest. “And we also see a need for up-to-date, current retail space, meaning junior anchors, stores up to 20,000 to 25,000 square feet; this is an opportunity to think differently.”

Registering Results

Or to think outside the box — the big box, he said in conclusion.

Such thinking is necessary at Eastfield, a once-vibrant shopping area that has become part of an ongoing trend in this country — one that is seeing the enclosed shopping mall turned into a relative ghost town.

Now, Eastfield wants to be part of another trend — bringing new life to these deserted or nearly deserted areas.

If things go as planned, a property that made some history a half-century ago can make some more.

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

Banking and Financial Services

Life Goals

Gary Thomas

Gary Thomas says a diversified portfolio of investments is always a good idea, with a mix of high growth potential and stable returns.

In an ever-changing world — one in which career trends, technology, and, yes, financial markets have a way of shifting — it can be daunting to craft an investment strategy. Gary Thomas, president of the Wealth Technology Group, relishes the chance to help clients do just that, by focusing on the big picture. His job isn’t just financial planning, he says, but life planning — at least, as much as one can plan for the unexpected turns of life.

It can be daunting, Gary Thomas said, to plan for the future when no one knows what the future will look like.

“As long as there are innovators in this country, there’s going to be change, and that change is going to create disruption. And we’ve seen it already in the jobs that aren’t there that were there 20 years ago,” he said.

That’s not a new trend, of course. “We don’t even know what we want until we see it,” Thomas went on. “Henry Ford once said that, if he’d asked his consumers what they wanted, they would have said ‘faster horses.’ You just don’t know what you want until you get introduced to an idea. You always think things will be the same as they are in this little snapshot of life. You want to hang on to the past, but technology is going to be changing. And we can’t stop that.”

That’s the definition of progress, and that’s good for investment markets, which — despite their short-term fluctuations — have always grown over the long term, said Thomas, president of the Wealth Technology Group. “When the economy grows, everybody benefits sooner or later, but it doesn’t always go in a straight line.”

“Henry Ford once said that, if he’d asked his consumers what they wanted, they would have said ‘faster horses.'”

He shared these thoughts by way of explaining why it’s important for individuals planning for retirement — or just looking to save for college and other expenses — to diversify their investment portfolios. And, indeed, Wealth Technology Group helps clients preserve assets, lower their tax burden, and pass legacies to the next generation through a broad mix of tools, including mutual funds, managed accounts, real-estate investment trusts, energy shares, annuities, and life-insurance options — with the goal of creating financial stability in what can be a volatile world.

That means trusting the long-term record of the stock market, he went on, but also making sure to place money in vehicles with a more predictable return.

“You have to have a philosophy where you basically pay yourself first,” he said. “I almost don’t care where you put it, as long as you put it away. If you’re far enough away from retirement, you should have a pretty diversified approach in equities, but as you get close to retirement, you need to make sure you have some secure money, for when markets go down.”

In other words, investors have to be both educated and flexible — especially at a time when Americans are living longer, meaning they have to make their money last longer.

“We’re in a different situation than our parents or grandparents were. It takes a more creative approach, it takes education, and it takes some hand holding, too,” Thomas said, bringing the conversation back to the role his firm plays. He cited studies suggesting that individuals with a consistent financial advisor tend to do as much as 2% better per year than those that don’t, even accounting for fees.

“Part of it is behavioral science — and having somebody to call,” he explained. “Typically, people make mistakes by moving around too much. You’ve got to have a balanced approach, where you have some secure money and some growth-oriented money for your older years.”

Thomas doesn’t only help his clients navigate this landscape in his Westfield office. He’s been active over the years delivering workshops, seminars, and classroom lectures on financial topics, so he knows the value of educating people.

“In some ways, people are more torn these days, because trying to sort out all that information on the internet is like trying to take a sip through a firehose,” he told BusinessWest. “Everybody’s got an agenda — the posts you see on websites are often promoted content, and it’s hard to distinguish. Even if they’re not, they still represent one person’s philosophy.”

The goal, he added, is for clients to develop their own philosophy.

“Money and financial security mean different things to different people, and it plays a big role in our life whether we want to admit it or not,” he said. “At the same time, there’s just too much information out there — we’re bombarded with it — and there’s a big difference between information and knowledge, or between information and wisdom.”

So, while some investors get wrapped up in “the latest shiny thing,” like Bitcoin or gold, he said, it’s more important to save consistently.

“You can make a lot of money from being average if you don’t switch things around too much, because the market’s averages are pretty darn good,” he said. “But you also have to have that nest egg because when things go down.”

Growing Need

When Thomas launched his business around 1991, financial planning was a field on the cusp of significant evolution.

“Before that, everybody just had a stockbroker, they had an insurance agent, they had an accountant, but there wasn’t much in the financial-planning world. So, basically, we started the company, and it was more estate planning to begin with, but it just sort of evolved over time into money management and financial planning, because that’s where the need was.”

For years, he built the company’s reputation through a number of call-in radio programs around Western Mass., an approach that appealed to listeners hungry for information about financial strategies. “People were looking for straight information and not a sales job. That’s been our philosophy ever since.”

It’s a philosophy that’s also middle-of-the-road when it comes to investment risk, he added.

“If you come from an insurance background, you tend to be very conservative. If you come from a stock background, you tend to be maybe more aggressive. Well, I come from a legal background, and lawyers like to question everything. So it also made me a little skeptical about some of the products. So, basically, we took a more conservative approach to money management — not ultra-conservative, but middle of the road.”

One key message, which has become a company motto of sorts, is “it’s not what you make, it’s what you keep” — which is why he helps clients navigate tax-related pitfalls as well.

“I take more of a holistic approach because of my background; I have a master’s in tax law. And what good is it if you make a ton of money but you have to pay 40% of it back in taxes? So we try to use strategies to avoid that. It’s a total approach of, where are you going to be down the road? If you take money out, is it going to be taxable? Are you going to have some tax-free money?”

While taking a conservative approach, he remains confident in the stock market, but understands that it can be scary to obsess over its fluctuations on a day-to-day basis — and that investors need to rely on other sources for guaranteed returns.

“I take more of a holistic approach because of my background; I have a master’s in tax law. And what good is it if you make a ton of money but you have to pay 40% of it back in taxes? So we try to use strategies to avoid that. It’s a total approach of, where are you going to be down the road? If you take money out, is it going to be taxable? Are you going to have some tax-free money?”

“I’ve been around long enough to see that markets don’t always go up,” he explained, “and when the markets are down, you need a conservative piece someplace to take money from when you need it.”

That said, Thomas added, “this country’s always going to grow. No matter what happens, no matter what financial crisis there is, we’re always looking for new ideas and new ways to grow. And that’s what the market does. You think of the major companies today that are big names, which were not in existence 25 years ago, like Amazon and Google. And Apple was almost out of business.”

He shares these strategies of diversified investment with mainly clients approaching their retirement years, but also many young families that are trying to figure out how they’ll pay for college for their kids, at a time when the average sticker price for four years of education is around $200,000. “It’s a real challenge today,” he noted.

In short, there are many reasons why people walk through his door.

“We do some estate planning, too, but it’s primarily holistic, complete financial planning — helping to find the right portfolio and the right financial tools for each individual, and then we actively manage that,” he explained. “It’s not just about picking an investment. It’s got to be right for you.”

As an independent financial-services firm, the Wealth Technology Group isn’t tied to any single product, and as an accredited investment fiduciary, he’s required to keep the client’s interests at the fore.

“If someone goes into a store, and the owner says, ‘that suit looks good on you,’ maybe it does — but maybe that’s just the suit they want to push that day,” he explained by way of analogy. Fiduciary responsibility simply means the firm considers more than what’s suitable for a client, but what would best meet his or her needs. “It’s not just going to benefit me as a financial advisor, but benefit you as the owner of it.”

Getting the Word Out

Long after his radio talk-show days, Thomas still enjoys conducting seminars and workshops that promote his work in more effective ways than a short radio or TV ad. They’re a means not only to help people understand the compexities of financial planning, but to get the word out that the Wealth Technology Group helps clients from all walks of life, not just high-net-worth individuals, as some firms do.

And when he shares his perspectives, both through seminars and one-on-one, he emphasizes that financial planning is really about life planning — and people are not always emotionally prepared for the changes that retirement will bring.

“Retirement brings a change in lifestyle,” he said. “It’s like you’re going 60 miles an hour, then you retire — and it can be hard to adjust when you don’t have eight hours a day filled up. If your purpose in life was to be a journalist and you were a journalist for 35 years and all of a sudden someone told you you weren’t valued as a journalist anymore, you’d better have a purpose beyond that. So we encourage people to have interests that really excite them beyond work.”

In fact, people don’t expect to be impacted by that lifestyle change, as well as the social withdrawal that sometimes comes with it, as much as they worry about money.

“I’ve had clients in the past that have come in and said, ‘I’m only 200 more Mondays away from retirement,’ and the next time I see them, they say, ‘only 150 more Mondays.’ And I say, ‘you know, what are you going to do the day you walk out the door?’”

Sometimes, the sudden change brings about problems with drinking or eating or their marriage, he went on, noting that some of the first astronauts who went to the moon came back and ran into personal issues once they were past that exciting, challenging phase of their lives.

But you don’t have to go to the moon to feel loss, he went on, and Thomas continues to help people plan for all stages of life — not just financially, but holistically. Because money matters, but it’s not everything.

“There’s got to be something beyond that ‘200 more Mondays.’ So that’s what we encourage people to think about,” he said. “Join a senior center, do something, get involved. And don’t concentrate too much on money. That’s our job.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Autos

Cruise Control

As the 2019 models continue to roll into area showrooms, area auto dealers report that sales remain brisk, at something approximating the levels of 2017, which was a very robust year for the industry. Meanwhile, a host of trends have continued or accelerated, including torrid sales of SUVs and trucks, a high volume of used-car transactions, and a heavy emphasis on improving the overall consumer experience.

Jeb Balise held his hand up with his thumb and forefinger barely a half-inch apart.

And then, for emphasis, he brought them even closer together.

“They’re down about that much,” Balise, president of Balise Motor Sales, told BusinessWest, referring to new car sales in 2018 (which still has a few months left, obviously) compared to a year ago.

Essentially, sales are flat, which, as Balise and others told us back at the start of this year, around President’s Day sales time, is a really good thing, because auto sales — an almost always accurate barometer when it comes to the national economy — have been rock solid the past several years.

“They’re just about the same as last year — down a tiny, tiny bit,” said Balise, adding that there is just that much less pent-up demand (resulting from cars, like their owners, living longer lives these days) this year than the past few. But there are still a number of other factors driving steady sales, including a still-booming economy, record-low unemployment, quality vehicles across the board, attractive incentives from the manufacturers, and more.

So sales are still humming, and Carla Cosenzi, president of the Tommy Car Auto Group, believes that at her four dealerships, sales are actually up from a year ago.

“We’re seeing an increase in 2018 over last year, and 2017 was a very good year for us,” she said, echoing Balise’s comments. “It’s not a significant increase, but an increase nonetheless, and 2017 was a really good year.”

Overall, 2018 has been a year when recent trends in the auto market have maintained their speed or even accelerated slightly. These include red hot used-car sales; white-hot SUV and truck sales (especially the former); growing interest in electric and hybrid vehicles, although they still comprise a very small segment of the market; and new levels of convenience for the consumer.

“We’re seeing an increase in 2018 over last year, and 2017 was a very good year for us. It’s not a significant increase, but an increase nonetheless, and 2017 was a really good year.”

Peter Wirth, co-owner of Mercedes-Benz of Springfield, which opened just over a year ago, says he’s seen all or most of the above at his dealership, a facility that has met or exceeded the lofty goals set for its first year of operation.

And that’s especially true in an often-overlooked but quite important segment of this business — the service department.

There are many qualitative measures for this, he said, especially the fact that the dealership recently hired its 12th technician, tripling the number it started with, for the 14-bay facility.

This surge in business in the service department stems from a variety of factors, from how long Mercedes models stay on the road to the fact that the next-closest dealership is in Hartford, said Wirth, adding that demand has risen steadily since the ceremonial grand-opening ribbon was cut — a clear sign that the new dealership has made its presence known.

“The floodgates opened, and in a good way,” he noted. “We’ve been at capacity for the next few days in the service department since the day we opened, and way we’re keeping up is by adding capacity so we can keep it at a reasonable timeframe for customers.”

“It’s been a 100% success story — we’ve never had to send a technician home early; we’ve never run out of work,” he went on. “Not just in the amount of work we’re getting, but also in the team we were able to build.”

For this issue and its focus on auto sales, BusinessWest talked with several area dealers to gauge the local market and the forces, well, driving it. Cars aren’t selling themselves, obviously, but in many respects this industry is on cruise control.

Pedal to the Metal

Those who spoke with BusinessWest said that, these days, the new models arrive at the dealership almost year round, unlike years ago, when all or most would be revealed in the early fall, to considerable fanfare.

Still, many new models do make their debuts as the leaves change colors, and thus this is a good time to take stock — literally and figuratively — of what’s happening at area dealerships and within this all-important sector.

Jeb Balise, seen here at his company’s Kia dealership on Riverdale Street

Jeb Balise, seen here at his company’s Kia dealership on Riverdale Street, says new-car sales are down just slightly from 2017, but still at a very high volume.

First and foremost, said Balise, this remains a buyer’s market in most all respects, even though demand remains high, especially for those trucks and SUVs. That’s because supply is also high as the manufacturers continue to make product and dealers try to move it — usually with good success.

“All of the manufacturers are producing plenty of cars, and demand is off just slightly from a year ago — just enough to put the consumer in the driver’s seat, if you will,” he told BusinessWest. “Incentives have never been better — even for SUVs.

“It’s not because there isn’t demand,” he went on, referring specifically to the SUV segment of the market. “It’s more because all the manufacturers have them now, and they’re trying to grab their piece of the pie.”

The seismic shift (another industry term) to SUVs has been ongoing for quite some time now, but it moved to an even higher gear in 2018.

Indeed, all those we spoke with said sales of SUVs now exceed those of cars (sedans) for almost all models they sell. Overall, Balise said, truck and SUV sales now account for roughly 60% of all vehicles sold and leased.

And this trend toward SUVs extends to some manufacturers renowned for their cars, such as Volkswagen and Volvo, said Cozenzi. Indeed, as she stood in the Volvo dealership recently acquired by the TommyCar Auto Group, she was surrounded by SUVs — small, medium, and large — on the small showroom floor.

They’re all selling, at Volvo and other dealerships, and especially the smaller SUVs, said Cosenzi, adding that they appeal to drivers of all ages for reasons ranging from accessibility (they’re easier to get in and out of, for most people, anyway) to decent gas mileage.

“The smaller SUVs, like the Rogue [Nissan] and the Tiguan [Volkswagen], continue to dominate,” she said. “The Rogue is the number-one-selling vehicle at the Nissan store, and it’s been that way for a few years now.”

Even Mercedes is now selling and leasing more SUVs than cars, said Wirth, adding that the company passed that milestone in 2017, and the arrow continues to move upward.

Still, there are plenty of sedans to be sold, said all those we spoke with, noting that, overall, car makers are turning out quality, easy-to-maintain products across the board, giving consumers plenty of often-hard choices to make, thus motivating the manufacturers to offer solid incentives.

And soon there will be an intriguing new choice, said Wirth, noting the arrival — probably by early next year — of the Mercedes A class, an entry-level luxury vehicle, complete with some different bells and whistles, that should bring that famous nameplate onto more driveways.

“This opens us up to a whole new customer,” he said. “You might have someone attracted to this car not because of the Mercedes-Benz design or the Mercedes-Benz safety or the brand image; it might be just because of the technology in the car. You can say, ‘hey, Mercedes, I’m cold,’ and the temperature will come up, or ‘hey, Mercedes, I’m hungry,’ and it will list the restaurants. And this is in the car that represents the entry point, not the $100,000 model.”

Staging a Coupe

Looking back on his first year of doing business in the Pioneer Valley, Peter Wirth, who previously managed a Mercedes dealership on Long Island, said this past 12 months have certainly been a learning experience.

Among the things he’s learned is that this market is somewhat more conservative than the one he left — a trait that shows up in higher volumes of used-car sales as compared to new-car transactions and more sales than leases — and also generally less aware that Mercedes is now more affordable and therefore more attainable than it has been historically because of the introduction of entry-level models.

Peter Wirth, seen here with members of the service team at Mercedes-Benz of Springfield

Peter Wirth, seen here with members of the service team at Mercedes-Benz of Springfield, says the company has exceeded all the goals it set for its first year of operation — especially in service.

“We still have some work to do on the matter of affordability,” he told BusinessWest, adding that perceptions about the Mercedes brand being beyond one’s reach remain despite more than ample evidence to the contrary. And that goes across the board, for passenger and commercial vehicles alike.

But he’s hoping that area residents will follow the lead of Jeff Bezos, who recently ordered 20,000 Sprinters (a cargo van made by Mercedes) for Amazon.

“I’m sure he did the math before he placed that order — I’m sure he sat down and looked at the life-cycle cost, the reliability, the down time, and everything else. He’s a pretty clever guy, and the fact that they committed to us says something.”

To Wirth, it says people need to look beyond the sticker price on the windshield (and Mercedes is competitive in that regard as well with many models) and look at the other ingredients that go into the equation, such as dependability, maintenance costs, convenience, and the sum of all these parts.

“We’ve been having the conversations regarding affordability, but also about how this is an amazing value proposition,” he noted. “We’re still working on it, but we’ve made great headway.”

Something Wirth didn’t need to learn, because he knew it already, is how important customer service and providing convenience are these days, especially to time-strapped, increasingly demanding customers.

“Time is money,” he said, adding that the dealership works to save customers some of that precious commodity in every way it can, from picking up a car bound for the service department at one’s home to getting them in and out of that service waiting room as soon as possible.

Cosenzi agreed, and said the TommyCar Auto Group has responded with something called Click, Drive, Buy, a new program that enables someone to buy or lease a vehicle almost entirely from home and on the internet.

“Especially at our Volkswagen store, we’re seeing a lot of our customers complete the entire transaction online and just come into the dealership to take delivery of the vehicle,” she explained. “I don’t think we anticipated that it would be as popular as it is, but people enjoy the convenience; they like buying a car this way. And it’s been popular with people of all ages.”

Gearing Up

As he brought his forefinger ever closer to his thumb while comparing sales this year to last, Balise emphasized, again, that anything at or near last year’s mark is quite good.

And while he didn’t want to make too many projections about 2019, because things can change quickly, as history shows, he implied that he may well be doing the same thing with his fingers this time next year.

That’s because the basic laws of supply and demand — not to mention an economy still in high gear — should keep this industry operating in what amounts to the status quo.

And that’s a high-octane sales climate.

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

Business of Aging

One Step at a Time

Scenes like this one — from the 20th Rays of Hope Walk five years ago — are played out each October in Forest Park.

Scenes like this one — from the 20th Rays of Hope Walk five years ago — are played out each October in Forest Park.

Lucy Giuggio Carvalho is a tough person to say no to, as Kathy Tobin found out one afternoon 25 years ago.

“I was a health reporter for WGGB, and I was in the lobby of Baystate Medical Center to do a story,” Tobin told BusinessWest. “And this little petite thing comes walking across the lobby, points at me, and says, ‘I had a dream about you, and you’re going to help me.’ And that’s how I met Lucy.”

Carvalho — then a nurse at Baystate — had been diagnosed with breast cancer some time earlier, and, inspired by an AIDS fund-raising walk she had recently participated in, had a vision to bring something like that to Western Mass. to raise money and awareness around the cause of breast-cancer research and treatment.

A quarter-century later, it’s safe to say that Carvalho’s creation — known as the Rays of Hope Walk & Run Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer — has done just that, and a whole lot more.

As it turned out, Tobin did help her; WGGB became the media sponsor of the first Rays of Hope walk in 1994, and Tobin spearheaded a half-hour documentary special to bring attention to the cause.

“She had this overwhelming desire, not just to do this walk, but to change the way we treat breast cancer,” said Tobin, who has come full circle since then, now serving as director of Annual Giving and Events for Baystate Health, which has long overseen the Rays of Hope organization.

The first Rays of Hope event attracted some 500 walkers and raised $50,000. Today, it has raised more than $14.2 million and attracts about 24,000 walkers and runners each October. This year’s annual fundraiser, slated for Oct. 21, will once again step off from Temple Beth El on Dickinson Street in Springfield and wind through and around Forest Park.

As usual, all money raised remains local, administered by the Baystate Health Foundation to assist patients and their families affected by breast cancer. Funds support research, treatment, breast-health programs, outreach and education, and the purchase of state-of-the art equipment, as well as providing grants to various community programs throughout Western Mass. 

“Sometimes I can’t believe all that’s been accomplished,” Carvalho said. “I never would have believed we could raise the amount of money we raised; $14.2 million over the last 25 years is a lot of money, and we can do a lot of things with it — and we have. I’m really proud of Rays of Hope and all we’ve accomplished.”

It wouldn’t have happened, she added, without the continuing, loyal support from the community. “We’ve mostly accomplished what we have through individual walkers and local organizations that have supported Rays of Hope from the beginning. Most of the agencies that got involved in the early years are still involved, as well as the walkers; they come back year after year.”

Carvalho said she created Rays of Hope with a very specific vision.

“I wanted to help people that were going through breast-cancer treatment, to help them navigate the healthcare system,” she explained. “I’d found it difficult, and it was my motivation to make it easier for other people, seeing that I had such a hard time. And I wanted the money to stay local, too. That was really important for me.”

Beyond the critical funding, however, she has long recognized the importance of Rays of Hope as a bonding agent for individuals facing one of life’s most daunting challenges, and the people who love them.

Lucy Carvalho (left) and Kathy Tobin at the first Rays of Hope walk in 1994.

Lucy Carvalho (left) and Kathy Tobin at the first Rays of Hope walk in 1994.

“I think the event is very unique in that, when you’re there, it feels like there’s a big hug all around you, and that people really care about you. It’s just uplifting to be involved, and it’s something to look forward to, something that has become a tradition.”

Tobin also compared the event to a massive hug — one with a great deal of feeling behind it. “We have such a support system in place. It’s like a sorority — but I shouldn’t say sorority, because men are diagnosed, too. It’s just a network of people who care.”

Changing Times

Dr. Grace Makari-Judson has witnessed the evolution of Rays of Hope from a clinical standpoint; she was appointed medical director of Baystate’s breast program at the same time Carvalho was organizing her first walk.

“Lucy’s initial mission for Rays of Hope was not only helping breast-cancer research, but trying to provide coordinated care … a holistic approach,” Makari-Judson said — in other words, to make the journey easier for others than it was for her.

“Thinking back, it’s amazing how much we’ve been able to do with addressing those goals,” Makari-Judson went on. “Twenty-five years ago, women were having mammograms in the hospital, sharing the same waiting room with people who needed X-rays or had pneumonia. Biopsies were done in the operating room, and women got unnecessary scars.

“Today,” she went on, “we have a dedicated breast center where women go for mammograms and other breast imaging. We have needle core biopsy, which is done at the breast center and is a less invasive approach, so women go home with a Band-Aid instead of a scar. That’s the minimally invasive approach started in the mid-’90s and has since become the standard of care. It’s the whole philosophy of less is more.”

Other examples are sentinel node biopsy, introduced at Baystate in 1996, and radiactive seed localization, started in 2010. Both are minimally invasive procedures that Baystate pioneered in the region that have since become national standards of care, Makari-Judson said — and both benefited from Rays of Hope funding.

Meanwhile, Carvalho’s vision of more coordinated care has become reality as well, the doctor said.

Dr. Grace Makari-Judson

Dr. Grace Makari-Judson

“Twenty-five years ago, physicians were seeing patients all in a row — the surgeon, then the medical oncologist, then a radiation oncologist,” she explained. “And sometimes that would leave women with conflicting information. In today’s approach, we have something called a multi-disciplinary breast conference, where we get all the experts together to review radiology images and pathologist slides and come to a consensus recommendation. That has had a positive impact on care and really enhances our mission.”

It’s a model, she said, that started to coalesce around the time Rays of Hope was being launched, and it eventually spread to all Baystate hospitals and eventually became the model of care regionally and nationally.

“Everything about cancer has come such a long way,” Tobin agreed. “Women don’t have to wait days for biopsy results; they don’t necessarily have to have drastic surgeries. Everything about treatment has changed.”

“Twenty-five years ago, women were having mammograms in the hospital, sharing the same waiting room with people who needed X-rays or had pneumonia. Biopsies were done in the operating room, and women got unnecessary scars.”

Then there’s the Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research, launched in 2011 with the help of a $1.5 million Rays of Hope grant. The center brings together a group of scientists with diverse areas of expertise who work toward reducing the impact of breast cancer — for instance, understanding how obesity, diabetes, and environmental exposures interact to alter breast-cancer risk and prognosis.

It’s important work, and not something to be taken for granted, Tobin said, adding that many events like Rays of Hope eventually peter out — Avon’s national fundraiser for breast cancer isn’t continuing this year, for example — and such events require a lot of work and diligence to thrive and grow.

“Sometimes the fundraising becomes secondary,” she added. “After a while, people want to be a part of it, but they don’t remember the fundraising piece, and that’s critical to our survival. We’re trying to drive home the point that, yes, we need your involvement, but we also need your fundraising, because that’s what makes the programs happen.”

And it’s not just Baystate programs that benefit, Tobin added. Other local organizations, like Cancer House of Hope, also rely on support from Rays of Hope.

“We’re always getting new people involved,” Carvalho said. “Unfortunately, it’s often because they have breast cancer or someone close to them has breast cancer — but that passion keeps us going, and keeps us a vibrant organization. I think we’re always going to walk until there’s a cure, and we don’t need to walk anymore.”

Personal Impact

Denise Jordan was first introduced to Rays of Hope by her late friend, Tracy Whitley, and she joined its advisory board in 2008. A decade later, she’s chairing the 25th interation of the event, dedicating her service to Whitley, who succumbed to the disease last year.

Jordan calls herself an ambassador for Rays of Hope, making public and media appearances and encouraging people to take part in the Oct. 21 walk. She hasn’t found it to be a hard sell.

“I think, as long as people are affected by breast cancer, there will always be a willingness to participate in an initiative whose main focus is finding a cure,” she told BusinessWest. “Also, unlike a lot of organizations, when you give money to Rays of Hope, you can actually say, ‘the money I gave went to this person or that person; I know that because all the money stays right here in the region.’”

During her time as chief of staff for the city of Springfield, Jordan helped establish Pink & Denim Days, when city employees took up that dress code in exchange for donations to Rays of Hope. “It was really an easy ask,” she said. “Folks were very enthusiastic.”

Rays of Hope has proven to be a meaningful event for both survivors and supporters, as well as an educational experience for all ages.

Rays of Hope has proven to be a meaningful event for both survivors and supporters, as well as an educational experience for all ages.

So was Jordan, when she was asked to chair the event this year, even though she had some reservations about the time commitment. But when she thought about her Whitley, and the way she not only battled cancer but became a strong advocate for survivors, it wasn’t a hard decision.

“There’s going to be some special things happening that day,” she said of this year’s walk. “I’m pushing to get more people involved. We’ve had participants in the past who have missed a couple walks, but, this being the 25th anniversary, we’re hoping to bring a lot of folks back to the walk.”

Tobin agreed. “We’re adding some exciting elements. We’re going to tell the story of the progress we’ve made and celebrate some joyous stories of beating the disease — and remember those we’ve lost. I think there will be some special moments.”

Having been active in the walk for 25 years, Tobin has lots of stories, but likes to recount one from the event’s first year. Her 4-year-old son attended and took in the speeches, and as he settled into his car seat for the ride home, he said, ‘I’m so glad I’m not a girl.’

“My feminist self practically slammed on the brakes,” she laughed. But when she asked why, “he said, ‘because I can never get breast cancer.’

“The earnestness of this little boy took my breath away,” she continued. “I realized in that moment the impact this walk was having, and could have, if someone that young understood the seriousness of breast cancer.”

The fact that he assumed it was a girl’s disease isn’t odd; many adults think the same thing, and Rays of Hope has created plenty of teaching moments around that misconception as well.

In short, it’s hard to overestimate the impact this 25-year tradition has had on breast-cancer treatment, research, awareness, education — not to mention the giant hug of support that so many women (and men) need.

“Lucy had certainly given us a gift,” Tobin said. “She had done something incredible in that parking lot that day, and $14.2 million later, we’ve seen a lot of profound moments.”

Added Carvalho, “there’s a spirit at Rays of Hope, and I don’t know exactly how it came to be, but it’s real, and it’s powerful, and it’s heartwarming. That’s what I’m proud of — how the community has come together to make a difference.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Community Spotlight

Community Spotlight

With projects like the convenience store on Shaker Road complete, East Longmeadow is anticipating progress

With projects like the convenience store on Shaker Road complete, East Longmeadow is anticipating progress on higher-profile developments, like the health complex at the Longmeadow line and a possible mixed-use project on Chestnut Street.

Denise Menard has witnessed plenty of growth in East Longmeadow’s Town Hall since becoming the community’s first town manager two years ago, from the creation of a seven-member Town Council to the creation of a Human Resources department, a new director of Finance and director of Planning and Community Development, and the establishment of a Board of Health overseen by a full-time director.

But she says the most important change in the city offices may be the ease with which new businesses to town can navigate the permitting process.

“I see myself as a business manager for the town — a business manager that has the authority to make the kinds of decisions that need to be made to streamline the process,” she said. “Just being here day to day, helping implement the priorities of the council and all these other things, is a real a plus for the community. And in the last two years, we’ve seen a lot.”

Take, for instance, the 18,000-square-foot medical office building at 250 North Main St. constructed by Associated Builders last year for Baystate Dental Group. The dental office occupies the first floor, and the second floor is being rented for medical and office space.

“That’s a great credit to the community; they just wanted to locate in East Longmeadow,” Menard said. “We’ve been told by regional economic-development groups that we are one of the hottest communities right now to try to locate businesses in, and that’s an awesome example.”

Another, more complex project in the health realm is a joint venture with the town of Longmeadow — a medical complex that will add to East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing Center at 305 Maple St., cross town lines, and provide benefits to both communities.

“We’ve been told by regional economic-development groups that we are one of the hottest communities right now to try to locate businesses in, and that’s an awesome example.”

The project includes four structures on a 20-acre site: a 50,000-square-foot medical office building in Longmeadow that will be occupied by Baystate Health; a two-story, 25,000-square-foot office building in East Longmeadow; and an assisted-living facility and expansion of an existing skilled-nursing facility run by Berkshire Health.

“It’s really moving along,” she said, adding that the buildings on the East Longmeadow side should be up by the spring. Meanwhile, the two towns have worked together to improve road infrastructure at the site. The project encompasses three intersections on Dwight Road — two in Longmeadow and one in East Longmeadow. Longmeadow is managing the road improvements, and East Longmeadow is receiving contributions from the nursing-home developer, which will pass through to Longmeadow to offset the cost of the street improvements.

“The road improvements have been painful to say the least, but it will be such a great improvement at the end of the day,” Menard said. “It’s so nice to have a joint venture with Longmeadow, and both sides are going to win with that. Longmeadow and I are good neighbors. The two town managers really work well together.”

Major projects like these are complemented by a number of other developments in town, a trend she says was boosted by the town’s change in government two years ago.

“I’ve had developers come in and say, ‘we waited because we wanted to see what the new charter was going to be like before we decided to come to East Longmeadow,’” she recalled. “So there was a change in the philosophy of people looking in from the outside, as to what they would like to see here, and I think they’re happy with what they see now with the new government.”

Setting Down Roots

Menard said East Longmeadow has a decent stock of developable land.

“We have industrial space, and we also have agricultural land, and we’re wondering what’s going to happen with that because farming is getting more difficult. But we want to be agriculture-friendly and hope to continue down that path.”

The new director of Planning and Community Development, Constance Brawders, has been taking the land stock into consideration as part of a master plan that’s in the early stages, Menard added.

“That master plan will focus on what residents here want,” she explained, adding that a series of public forums will focus on topics like recreation, traffic, and what kind of land-use mix residents want, balancing residential neighborhoods with the need for commercial and industrial investment.

East Longmeadow
at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1894
Population: 15,720
Area: 13.0 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $20.94
Commercial Tax Rate: $20.94
Median Household Income: $62,680
Median Family Income: $70,571
Type of Government: Town Council, Town Manager
Largest Employers: Cartamundi; Lenox; Redstone Rehab & Nursing Center; East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation
* Latest information available

“It will take a little while, but it hasn’t been updated in a long time,” she told BusinessWest. “So it’s time for us to take a snapshot of today and see what we want to look like in the future.”

It’s healthy to conduct such an exercise because society changes a lot over the years, and that affects how businesses operate and how towns cater to their needs.

“Think about the changes in the world just in the past 20 years. There are huge differences,” she said. “The big businesses that required a lot of space because they needed a lot of employees — now maybe they don’t need so many on site because a lot of them can work from home. My son works from home, and he’s part of a huge organization; they don’t require the footprint they used to.

“So a lot of things have changed since we’ve updated our plan,” she went on, “and it’ll be time to just address what we have now and what the current businesses and residents and everybody that has anything to do with East Longmeadow wants, so we can move forward. That’s really exciting.”

Some projects in the works have the potential to create vibrancy in town, such as an ongoing plan to create a mixed-use development at 330 Chestnut St., in the former Package Machinery building. The project would include commercial, retail, and possibly office space in the front part of the building, and above will be some residential apartments or condominiums.

The applicant for that project, MM Realty Partners, withdrew the proposal last winter, but they are now moving forward. The exact nature of the project is still being hammered out, but Menard says mixed use is a promising model for the site, due to the energy and foot traffic it would create.

“That’s the interesting part about it, but we’ve got to make sure it’s the right fit in the right spot for East Longmeadow,” she noted. “It certainly is an interesting concept.”

Other projects have come on line recently, including a gas station and 6,500-square-foot convenience store at 227 Shaker Road, a lot that had been empty for many years. That development was delayed when Atlantis Management Group bought out the property, but after a second round of permitting and approvals, construction went forward and was completed this year.

“The whole change in ownership delayed them applying for the permits they needed to bring it all together,” she added, “but now that’s on board, and they’re always busy.”

Attractive Mix

Part of what makes East Longmeadow attractive, Menard said, is a healthy mix of properties of all kinds, both residential and commercial.

“We have some very high-end housing, but we have some very moderate housing as well,” she noted. “We have a great Recreation Department, and our schools have a great reputation.”

Residents and businesses also appreciate that the town is conservative when it comes to taxation and spending, she added.

“Businesses see that our tax rate isn’t fluctuating up and down; it is really just gradually going to a level of what we need to address the needs of the community. And it’s a community that people are saying they want their children to grow up in. They want to own houses here.”

Employers feel the same way, she added. “In fact, we had a business come in — he was going to be leasing from somebody in East Longmeadow — and he said, ‘I want to come here because my staff, my workers, would be able to live in a nice community with good amenities and good community spirit.’”

Maintaining that culture takes planning, of course, and the woman who sees herself as a business manager is pleased that those plans will be carefully crafted — and hopefully implemented — in the coming years.

“This is a moving, growing community, to be sure,” Menard said. “We have a lot going for us.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Banking and Financial Services

Sowing Seeds

Julia Coffey brought this selection of mushrooms to a local farmers market

Julia Coffey brought this selection of mushrooms to a local farmers market. She also sells to restaurants, campus food services, and other food distributors.

Julia Coffey’s business was mushrooming — in more ways than one.

In fact, her enterprise, Mycoterra Farm, specializes in mushrooms. And when she was looking for a larger space in which to grow, she received a fortuitous phone call.

“In mushroom production, as with much agriculture, efficiency of scale is big — and we had maxed out capacity at our farm in Westhampton,” Coffey said.

She found a closed equestrian center on the market in South Deerfield that would make an ideal space, and initially pursued loans through the USDA Farm Service Agency. But she still needed more funding to get up and running on the new site.

“We were trying to figure out how to get the new farm online with a little less money than I needed, and it was Rebecca who reached out to me to see if we had any funding needs,” she recalled. “It was very timely.”

That was Rebecca Busansky, program manager for the Pioneer Valley Grows Investment Fund, or PVGrows for short, a regional investment and loan program launched in 2015 that provides financing and technical assistance to food and farming businesses in Western Mass.

“We really set out to help the whole food system. This is about farms and local food businesses and everything that makes a healthy food system,” Busansky told BusinessWest the day after the Franklin County Community Development Corp. (FCCDC), which oversees the fund, marked the project’s three-year anniversary with a celebration at Raven Hollow Winery at Koskinski Farms in Westfield.

It wasn’t just an anniversary being celebrated, but a funding milestone — $1.25 million, in fact, halfway to the fund’s original goal of $2.5 million. That money has helped more than 25 local farms and food entrepreneurs grow their businesses — and, in turn, a critical sector of the Western Mass. economy.

Mycoterra is a good example. The gourmet and exotic mushroom farm, as Coffey described it, grows “wood-loving” mushrooms indoors year-round. Mycoterra specializes in shiitake, oyster, and lion’s mane mushrooms, but experiments with many other varieties as well — and, in doing so, impacts scores of other food-related businesses.

“We market directly to farmers markets, about 50 restaurants statewide, and campus food services, and with the recent move, we’re increasing production and are working with a number of local distributors,” she noted.

John Waite, executive director of the FCCDC, said PVGrows offers an innovative, mission-driven way for community members to invest in their values by supporting and sustaining businesses that can make real changes to how food is grown, distributed, and purchased. “It takes the local movement to a whole new level. It’s beyond eating local — it’s investing locally.”

Good Idea, Naturally

To date, nearly 50 investors, including individuals, businesses, and foundations from New England and New York, have contributed a minimum investment of $1,000 to the fund, with interest paid annually, Busansky explained. These community investments are pooled together to provide the financing that farm and food entrepreneurs need to grow their businesses.

The fund grew out of existing FCCDC programs that provide technical assistance to local farms and food producers in the Valley, she added, noting that a need became evident for a funding source specifically aimed at benefiting these businesses.

Jennifer Ladd says supporting local food production brings cultural, economic, and even regional security benefits.

Jennifer Ladd says supporting local food production brings cultural, economic, and even regional security benefits.

Three foundations have been important to the fund’s growth: the Solidago Foundation, the Lydia B. Stokes Foundation, and the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, which collectively established a loan-loss reserve. A community pool was then established, accepting investments of $1,000 to $10,000 with a five-year term and a very low interest rate.

“We felt it was important to add this community-investment piece,” Busansky said. “The whole idea was to make it a minimum $1,000 to invest, which doesn’t make it completely accessible to everyone, but it’s not only open to wealthy people, either. It democratizes capital.”

Larger investments come with longer terms and higher interest rates, with the idea that investors with a little more money could be willing to take on more risk, Busansky added. But so far, there hasn’t been much risk for investors.

“We have 25 well-performing businesses borrow from us so far, and we haven’t touched the loan-loss reserve — in part because we give a lot of technical assistance.”

Coffey described the loan process as easy to navigate, but that straightforward experience wasn’t the only thing that impressed her.

The recent three-year anniversary celebration featured food provided by many of the fund’s borrowers.

The recent three-year anniversary celebration featured food provided by many of the fund’s borrowers.

“I’ve got a background in bookkeeping, so I feel I had some skill sets that some people don’t,” she said. “But they were prepared to offer technical assistance, too, for people and startups and agricultural food businesses that need it. They are a very knowledgeable resource, and it was great getting things established right away.”

The FCCDC has been involved in small-business lending for close to 30 years and has plenty of expertise in providing guidance to young enterprises, Busansky noted, from business plans to websites. So she’s not surprised the PVGrows fund has found early success in its mission. “We have a system in place that’s worked well, and now we’re ready to seek the additional $1.25 million in commitments.”

Jennifer Ladd is one of those investors. “You don’t have too be a wealthy person to invest in Pioneer Valley Grows, which I think is a wonderful thing about it,” she told BusinessWest.

“Supporting agriculture in this Valley feels like contributing to a sense of vitality. It’s the same kind of feeling I get when supporting the arts — there’s creativity, growth, collaborations between people,” she went on. “And there are multiple layers of assurance that your money will actually have an impact and be of service.”

Ladd said the low interest rates for investors shouldn’t deter anyone because most people getting involved in this do so because they believe in the value of supporting local farm and food businesses.

“I enjoy cheese, fruits, vegetables, and wine around here, and I don’t mind not getting much of a financial return,” she said. “I’m choosing low interest because that serves people just starting out. These new endeavors need time to get their roots in the ground, so to speak, and this money can help them do that. It will yield benefits in many ways.”

Some of that benefit is cultural, she added, contributing to quality of life and a certain agricultural fabric of the region, as well as a sense of connection with people who thrive off the land and wind up feeding their neighbors.

“We don’t have huge farms here, like in the Midwest, with thousands of acres of corn. This is agriculture we actually do benefit from immediately,” Ladd said. “I also feel like it’s contributing to my sense of security; with climate change and the volatility we see in the world, it’s good to have food being produced locally. So it’s a sort of regional security that has a payoff right now.”

Green Thoughts

Food and farm businesses applying for financing and business support through the PV Grows Investment Fund are vetted for mission fit by a consortium of community-lending institutions and food and agriculture specialists, Busansky explained.

Terry and Susan Ragasa, owners of Sutter Meats in Northampton, were among the early borrowers. “From start-up funds to get us open to facilitating a business consultation to get us to the next level, the PVGrows Investment Fund has been an incredibly supportive asset for Sutter Meats,” Terry noted.

Coffey has had a similar experience, as she grows a business that takes agriculture and sustainability seriously. Her mushrooms are handcrafted in small batches, and her natural methods of production accelerate decomposition, build soil, and cycle nutrients — critical processes for healthy ecosystems, she explained.

In turn, she also appreciates the financial ecosystem being created through the PVGrows investors and borrowers. She said she ran into an old friend recently who had invested in the fund, around the same time Coffey became a borrower, and it struck her how PVGrows is essentially neighbors helping neighbors — and helping a critical part of the region’s economy succeed.

“Western Mass. has a phenomenal agricultural economy, not just the producing, but the processing, and the loan program helps add layers to it,” Coffey said. “We eat really well locally, but the funding and the technical aspects of setting up a business — and setting up a business well — is something that is often overlooked.”

As the fund expands, the hope is that Mycoterra won’t be the only agricultural business in the region that’s mushrooming.


Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Business of Aging

The Power of Movement

Chad Moir turned his resentment against Parkinson’s disease into a chance to help others fighting the disease that took his mother.

Chad Moir turned his resentment against Parkinson’s disease into a chance to help others fighting the disease that took his mother.

As they don boxing gloves and pound away, with various levels of force, at punching bags suspended from the ceiling, the late-morning crowd at this Southampton gym looks a lot like a group exercise class at a typical fitness center.

Except that most of them are older than the usual gym crowd. Oh, and all of them are battling Parkinson’s disease.

“A lot of them have never boxed before in their lives, and now they get to put on gloves and punch something,” said Chad Moir, owner of DopaFit Parkinson’s Wellness Center in Southampton. “Some are hesitant at first, but usually the hesitant ones are the ones who get into it the most.”

Tricia Enright started volunteering at DopaFit before joining Moir’s team as a fitness trainer.

“I just fell in love with the people,” she told BusinessWest. “I absolutely love my job, and I don’t think many people can say that. But you come here, and they inspire you in so many different ways — they walk in here with all these things they’re dealing with and get in front of these bags, and they’re pushing it and fighting. It’s so amazing to see. It makes me want to come to work every day, which is not something I’ve experienced before.”

Tricia Enright says she’s inspired not only by members’ physical progress, but by the support they give each other as well.

Tricia Enright says she’s inspired not only by members’ physical progress, but by the support they give each other as well.

It’s not just boxing. Members at DopaFit, all of whom are at various stages of Parkinson’s, engage in numerous forms of exercise, from cardio work to yoga to spinning, and more. On one level, activities are designed to help Parkinson’s patients live a more active life by improving their mobility, gait, balance, and motor skills.

But research has shown, Moir said, that it does more than that: Exercise releases the neurotransmitter dopamine into the brain, slowing the progress of Parkinson’s symptoms.

Moir has seen those symptoms first-hand, by watching his mother, stricken with an aggressive form of Parkinson’s, decline quickly and pass away five years after her diagnosis.

“She went through a hard diagnostic process,” he said. “There were probably about three to four years where we knew something was wrong; she was going to the doctor, but they couldn’t figure out what it was. There are symptoms of apathy and depression and anxiety that come along with Parkinson’s, and those manifested first. So they were trying to treat it as a mental-health issue, but Parkinson’s was underlying everything the whole time. Eventually she got her diagnosis, and from there she deteriorated pretty quickly.”

Moir said he took his mother’s death hard. “I fell into a bit of a depression. I hated Parkinson’s disease and everything to do with it. I didn’t even want to hear the word Parkinson’s. But one day, something clicked, and I decided I was going to use my resentment toward Parkinson’s in a positive way and start to fight back.”

He used a half-marathon in New York City to raise some money for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, and ended up collecting about $6,000 — an exciting tally, as it was the first time he’d ever raised money for a cause. And he started to think about what else he could do for the Parkinson’s community.

“At that point, I was a personal trainer, and the more I looked into it, the more I found out that exercise is the best thing someone with Parkinson’s can do. All the research shows that it can slow the progress of some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s, so I started researching what people with Parkinson’s could do through exercise.”

He started working with individuals in their homes, but a visit to a support-group meeting in Southwick was the real game changer. “I asked the people there if they wanted a group exercise class, and they said ‘yes,’ so I started one. I think we had four people at first.”

These days, a visitor to DopaFit will typically see around 25 people working out. “Really, it’s set up like a regular gym would be — aerobic training, running, dumbbells,” Moir said.

“At that point, I was a personal trainer, and the more I looked into it, the more I found out that exercise is the best thing someone with Parkinson’s can do. All the research shows that it can slow the progress of some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s, so I started researching what people with Parkinson’s could do through exercise.”

The difference is the clientele — and the progress they’re making toward maintaining as active a life as they can.

Small Steps

The first DopaFit gym was launched in Feeding Hills in 2015, but moved to the Eastworks building in Easthampton a year later. This year’s move to the Red Rock Plaza in Southampton was a bid for more space; ample parking right outside the door and a handicapped-accessible entrance are pluses as well.

Meanwhile, a second DopaFit location in West Boylston — Moir lives in Worcester — boasts about 20 members.

When the business was starting out, Moir was studying occupational therapy at American International College. “That’s a grueling program, so I had to make a choice — and I don’t love school as much as I love this. The deal with my wife was that I could leave the OT program, but I’ve got to finish my degree.”

Today, he’s back at AIC, working toward a degree in public health. “They’ve been instrumental and supportive of what I’m doing here, creating a business and working with this population,” he said. “Any time you’re helping the public with a healthcare need, it becomes public health.”

The Southampton gym runs classes four days a week — exercise groups on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and a yoga session on Wednesday. “Most people come two or three times a week, but some come every day,” Moir said, adding that members with jobs often make time for exercise before or after their work schedule.

Individuals are referred to DopaFit by their therapists, neurologists, movement-disorder specialists, and family members as well.

“Some go to their neurologist, who says, ‘you need to exercise,’ and they find out about us, exercise here for six months, go back to the neurologist, and their scores are better than they’ve been. When the neurologist finds out they’re going to DopaFit, they reach out and start referring more people. The proof is in the pudding.

“Exercise is the best medicine,” he added. “Your pills are great because they help with the symptoms of Parkinson’s, but when the medicine wears off, the symptoms come back right away. The exercise helps prolong some of that, so you’re less symptomatic for a longer period of time.”

When they first arrive at DopaFit, members undergo an assessment of where they are physically and where they would like to be in six months. Then they’re assigned to one of two exercise groups. No Limits is made up of people who don’t need assistance getting in and out of chairs and can move about freely with no assistive equipment, like canes, walkers, or wheelchairs. The second group, Southpaw, requires a little more assistance.

“The exciting thing is, some of those people come to that class with canes and eventually come in with no canes, and eventually they’re in the next class, running and jumping around,” Moir said. “Especially for someone who’s been sedentary for a while, it really makes a huge improvement.”

He said studies have shown that Parkinson’s patients who have been sedentary can show improvement in their symptoms simply by getting up and doing the dishes or another minor task each day, just because they’re up and moving. “If you take someone sedentary and get them moving in a training facility, sometimes the outcomes are almost immeasurable.”

Not to mention that exercise can be fun, Enright said.

“You get these people on the floor with a hockey stick and a ball, it brings them back to when they were 8,” she said. “They’re spinning and jogging, and it’s just so neat to see what it brings out in them. It’s such a testament for what this does for them. They’re pretty inspiring.”

Special Connections

Between the business and his studies, Moir doesn’t have a lot of time to stand still, but he said he occasionally allows himself to step back and let the potential of DopaFit sink in.

“I’ve been so deeply involved in it that I forget how special this really is,” he told BusinessWest, and not just because of members’ physical progress, but their growing confidence.

“A lot of times, they’re leery of going out to eat because they can’t eat a bowl of soup, or their food’s going to be shaking off the fork. When they come here, they don’t have to worry about that, or they talk about that with each other and tell each other, ‘oh this is how I get around that.’ Or, ‘when I go to this restaurant, I order this because it’s easier to eat.’”

Those conversations and the social support they gain at DopaFit hopefully translate to greater confidence in other areas of their lives, Moir said. “That support system is huge, and it’s special.”

Enright agreed. “They’re such a close group, and the support they receive is as important as the exercise, and they come for that too. But the physical piece really is amazing, to watch them slow the progression of the disease because of what they’re doing here.”

She said members are excited when they visit their neurologist, and the doctor is pleasantly surprised with how they’re managing their symptoms. “Exercising gives you a lot of confidence in your physical ability anyway, so that’s really cool to watch. They’re amazing.”

In addition to the exercise and yoga, DopaFit also hosts the Smile Through Art Workshop once a month, an art program for individuals with Parkinson’s disease that’s run by Moir’s wife, Saba Shahid.

“It’s even more gratifying knowing that, every day, I get to honor my mother. What’s happening here is a living testament to the values she instilled in me.”

“It’s the only art program in the country designed specifically for people with Parkinson’s,” he explained. “We do different art projects that work on different symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, like tremors. Or we’ll do a workshop on handwriting.”

One goal of that particular class is, simply, the increased independence someone gets by being able to sign a check or do any number of other tasks that most others take for granted. “When you give that back to someone, it’s another barrier they feel they can successfully navigate in society.”

Moir has certainly navigated his own path since those days when he was so angry about his mother’s death that he couldn’t even think about Parkinson’s disease.

“It’s even more gratifying knowing that, every day, I get to honor my mother,” he said. “What’s happening here is a living testament to the values she instilled in me.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Autos

Expansion Mode

Carla Cosenzi says the recently acquired Volvo dealership in South Deerfield is a perfect fit for the TommyCar Auto group.

Carla Cosenzi says the recently acquired Volvo dealership in South Deerfield is a perfect fit for the TommyCar Auto group.

Carla Cosenzi says that, like most companies in its category, the TommyCar Auto Group is always on the lookout for possible additions to the portfolio of dealerships.

But growth for the sake of growth is not what this venture — started by her father, the late Tom Consenzi, and taken to a new level by Carla and her brother, Tom — is looking for.

“It’s important for us to have the right brand at the right time and the right location moreso than just looking to grow,” she told BusinessWest, adding that all those boxes could certainly be checked with the company’s recent acquisition of Pioneer Volvo in South Deerfield.

Right location? Check. The dealership is only a few miles north on I-91 from the group’s other facilities — Northampton Volkswagen and the adjacent Country Hyundai, as well as Country Nissan on Route 9 in Hadley.

Right brand? Check. Volvo has always been renowned for its quality and focus on safety, and it has recently introduced several new models, including a small SUV, the XC40, that is turning heads in the industry.

Right time? Check. Auto sales in 2018 are just slightly off the levels set in 2017 — although the TommyCar Auto Group has registered growth over that span — but overall volume remains at very high levels.

Overall, this acquisition is solid in every respect, said Cozenzi, adding that that it gives the TommyCar Auto Group its first real entry into the luxury-car bracket, meaning a brand that won’t really compete with the three sold just down the interstate.

Meanwhile, the group’s size and economies of scale will enable it to give the Volvo dealership greater visibility and opportunities to grow.

“It’s a small dealership, and it was family-owned and operated, so we’re going to continue the same values they had,” she explained. “But since we’re a bit of a larger group, we have the ability to add more amenities than they were able to provide, but with the same core values.

“We’ll grow the brand — we’ll give the brand more exposure through advertising,” she went on. “And since we’re a larger group with more of a following, we’ll be able to attract more people to the dealership, and to Volvo.”

Given all this, it’s understandable why the TommyCar Auto Group has had its eye on the Volvo dealership for some time, and also why it moved quickly and decisively when the family-owned operation came on the market earlier this year.

“It’s a small dealership, and it was family-owned and operated, so we’re going to continue the same values they had. But since we’re a bit of a larger group, we have the ability to add more amenities than they were able to provide, but with the same core values.”

“This is a brand that we’ve been looking at for a long time because it fits in well with the other manufacturers we have in the group, it’s a great location, and it’s a perfect size for us,” she explained. “We’re really attracted to Volvo and everything it stands for in terms of luxury and convenience it provides to customers, the value of the brand, and the safety of the vehicle.”

Cozenzi said the dealership in Deerfield is, indeed, small compared to most these days, and not exactly modern. However, it is comfortable and well-appointed. She said it is likely the company will renovate it in the short term and replace it in the long term, meaning over the next several years.

In the meantime, as she said, it is a solid addition to the portfolio, a brand with a number of redesigned models, cars, and SUVs alike.

“So it’s an exciting time for us to be getting involved with the brand,” said Cosenzi, citing the XC 40 as one example of a Volvo model in strong demand. “I’m coming to learn the brand, and it’s clear that they’re very innovative.”

As an example, she noted ‘Care by Volvo,’ a comprehensive package of services that brings new layers of convenience to customers.

“They take care of the essentials when they lease you a vehicle, including insurance, maintenance, repairs, a concierge service, and more,” she said. “So you can see them changing with the times, and it’s exciting to be partners with an manufacturer that’s so on edge with what’s happening.”

Like she said … the right brand and the right time — and the right location.

— George O’Brien

Opinion

Editorial

Two months (and it’s not even that, really) is not a huge sample size when it comes to any new business. But especially one as large and far-reaching as the $950 million MGM Springfield.

But it might just be enough to offer some commentary — specifically the thought that, thus far, MGM seems to be everything that most of us thought it would be. Meanwhile, it is not what some feared it might become.

Yes, we need to elaborate. And let’s start with the latter.

Many feared that the casino would become predatory in nature (that’s the word many people used), in that it would devour business and employees from other employers, and disposable income from area residents. In other words, it would become a drain of sorts.

Thus far, we really haven’t seen much, if any, of that. To be sure, many of those now wearing MGM Springfield uniforms and name badges were working for someone else several months ago. But thus far, it would be fair to say that most area employers have not been negatively impacted by the arrival of the resort casino.

As for siphoning off business from others … there’s certainly been some of that, too. It’s fair to assume that many of those taking in the first several Patriots’ games at the casino might have been eating chicken wings, drinking craft brews, and watching a big screen in one of the area’s many other sports bars and restaurants. But there’s always been stern competition for those dollars, and this is just one more competitor.

From what we’ve been able to gather — and this is unscientific data collection to be sure — downtown restaurants are doing at least as well as they were before MGM Springfield, and probably better, because there are more people downtown.

And we’re sure we heard somewhere — actually, everywhere — that the Big E set a new attendance record this year, and the middle Saturday set an all-time one-day mark for visitors. You could say it did that in spite of the casino, but it might be better to say that it did that partly because of the casino.

And then there’s traffic, or the worries about it. Some people, especially those living in Longmeadow who commute via I-91, were anticipating the worst when it came to the ride home. The traffic onto Route 5 was already bad, and while it hasn’t gotten any better, it really hasn’t become any worse since the casino opened.

Overall, and we’re not sure this is a good thing or a bad thing, there are days when it would be safe to say that if you didn’t know there was a $960 million casino in the heart of downtown — well, you wouldn’t know.

However, there aren’t many days like that. Which brings us to the first part of the equation — what the casino has become.

It has become a nice addition to the landscape. Thus far, it’s not changing the landscape, and it’s not defining who we are — although the casino seems to be all anyone wants to talk about when it comes to this region lately. And why not? It’s brand new, and there’s lots to talk about.

When it was being planned and built, people talked about the casino as a spark, a momentum builder, maybe even a game changer for the city and the region. It’s far too early to say it’s acting as a game changer, but not too early to say it’s provided a spark and some momentum — as a visit downtown on a Saturday night will make abundantly clear.

Like we said, two months, give or take, is a very small sample size.

But so far, the casino is mostly everything we hoped it would be, and nothing we feared it could be.

Opinion

Opinion

By Cheryl Fasano

Workplaces that welcome the talents of all people, including people with disabilities, are a critical component in efforts to build an inclusive community and a strong economy. In my role as president and CEO of MHA, I see the impact that doing meaningful work can have on those we serve. Our participants include people with developmental or intellectual disabilities, people dealing with the life-changing effects of a stroke, people struggling with their mental wellness, and those with other disabilities.

This topic is timely because October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This annual observance educates the public about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy leads the observance nationally, but its true spirit grows from local communities through the individual determination of people who overcome barriers and do meaningful work. It also grows from the vision of employers who provide access and reasonable accommodations so persons with disabilities can contribute to their organizations and our economy as part of the workforce.

As a local, nonprofit provider of residential and support services, MHA works with people who are impacted by mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance use, and homelessness. For those whose disabilities are not so severe and medically challenged, MHA does its part to ensure that participants who want to work are ready to work. Consider two examples.

Erik, who suffered brain injury as a child, works at the CVS store in Ludlow. He has a job coach who guides him, but Erik does the work himself — as he has consistently and reliably more than 20 years. Work is part of his identity, and he will tell you he is proud to have a job. Erik resides at an MHA residential home. Our staff ensures he is well rested, eats a healthy breakfast, and is dressed in his work clothes and ready for his shift at CVS.

After Allen sustained a serious injury, he was prescribed opioid pain killers. He became addicted, and when couldn’t get more pills, as too often happens, he resorted to heroin. An overdose left him with acquired brain injury, but with support from MHA, he is making steady progress. In time, he may be able to ‘graduate’ from residential care and live independently. That is the goal. One step toward that goal is a job. Allen is just a few short weeks away from starting to work again, something he has not done in recent years. He is ready to work.

MHA also has participants who work for nonprofits as volunteers, serve meals at Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen, and clean at East Longmeadow Public Library and the Zoo in Forest Park. While they are not paid, they do meaningful work. They also make social connections, learn transferable skills, and contribute to organizations that gain from having committed, loyal, pleasant, and productive workers.

MHA encourages local businesses to consider offering employment opportunities to those we serve. Our program participants are ready to work — are you ready to hire? If your organization can provide an opportunity for someone who is ready to work, contact Kimberley Lee, MHA’s vice president of Resource Development and Branding, at (413) 233-5343 or [email protected].

Cheryl Fasano is president and CEO of MHA.

Picture This

A photo essay of recent business events in Western Massachusetts
Email ‘Picture This’ photos with a caption and contact information to o[email protected]

Tee Party

Square One’s celebrated its 13th annual Tea Party on Oct. 4. This year’s party was a vintage golf-inspired event hosted by the Starting Gate at GreatHorse in Hampden. Pictured top to bottom: Lauri Doleva (left) and Kris Allard; Lynn Brown and Bill Sullivan; from left, Nina Cameron, Dawn DiStafano, Liz Lopez, and Shynel Hayes; and Jami Ouellette Morse winning a prize.

Michael Epaul Photography

Michael Epaul Photography

Deb Hanna Photography

Michael Epaul Photography

Earning Top Grades

On Oct. 4, 220 guests filled the UMass Student Ballroom for the eighth annual A+ Awards presented by the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, recognizing leaders in the community whose work and actions bring economic and social benefit to the region. Pictured top to bottom: honorees included, from left, Catalina Arrubla of Multi-Arts, Jen Loebel-Strong of CHD’s Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County, former U.S. Rep. John Olver, Kim Alli of Greenfield Savings Bank, David Dann of Village Neighbors, and Amherst Cinema, represented by Carol Johnson. Tony Maroulis (left) and John Coull, both former Amherst Area Chamber executive directors.

Source to Sea Cleanup

On Sept. 28-29, an estimated 3,000 volunteers gathered at more than 100 locations along the Connecticut River and tributary streams in four states for the Connecticut River Conservancy’s (CRC) 22nd annual Source to Sea Cleanup. “We all have a responsibility to solve this problem — individuals, manufacturers, businesses, and government,” said Andrew Fisk, CRC executive director. “After cleaning up over 1,000 tons of trash over the course of 22 years, it’s clear that repeated cleaning is not the solution to our trash problem. We need to redesign our economy so there isn’t waste in the first place.” In addition to the tons of small litter picked up this year by volunteers, CRC uses the Source to Sea Cleanup as an opportunity to clean up large trash dump sites and remove large debris items from rivers. (Photo by Sam Masinter)

Something’s Cooking

The Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation recently donated $50,000 to Holyoke Community College for the benefit of students preparing for careers in the culinary arts and hospitality industry. Bill Wagner, president of the foundation, presented an oversized check for that amount to HCC president Christina Royal and officials from the nonprofit HCC Foundation during a brief ceremony Oct. 2 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. From left, Teri Szlosek, administrator and director of the Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation; Royal; Wagner; Paul Boudreau ’67, HCC Foundation board chairman; and Amanda Sbriscia, HCC vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director of the HCC Foundation.

Impact Award

The Polish National Credit Union (PNCU) recently received the Bronze CUSO Financial Services/Sorrento Pacific Financial 2017 Impact Award at the 2018 Annual Conference in San Diego. The award is given to a financial institution that demonstrates an excellent job of building awareness through branch marketing efforts. From left, Valorie Seyfert, president and CEO of CUSO Financial Services, L.P.; Kevin Kober, PNCU director of Retail; Christopher Casale, financial advisor, CUSO Financial Services, L.P.; and Amy Beattie, COO, CUSO Financial Services, L.P.

Court Dockets

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

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT
Law Office of Michael D. Facchini v. Robert St. Jacques and Bob St. Jacques Home Improvement
Allegation: Breach of contract, unjust enrichment, violation of Consumer Protection Act: $13,417.25
Filed: 9/28/18

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
M.K. Fuel Inc. v. Station Removal & Installation, LLC
Allegation: Breach of contract: $150,000
Filed: 9/10/18

Kenneth Page v. 113 Hampden Street, LLC
Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $60,000
Filed: 9/17/18

Marta Rivera v. Best Fitness of Springfield Inc.
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $100,000
Filed: 9/17/18

Cheryl Monette v. Charter Communications Inc.
Allegation: Employment discrimination: $70,000
Filed: 9/19/18

Kenneth Laflamme v. Talen Energy Services Holdings, LLC d/b/a Talen Energy Services Northeast Inc.
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $65,000
Filed: 9/21/18

HAMPSHIRE DISTRICT COURT
Christopher Smith v. TommyCar Corp. d/b/a Country Nissan, TommyCar Management Corp., and Islam F. Alomari
Allegation: Negligence, breach of bailment, negligent entrustment, and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing: $5,781
Filed: 9/12/18

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Michael Florio v. Western Mass. Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health Inc., et al
Allegation: Non-payment of wages: $32,992
Filed: 9/12/18

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT
US LED Ltd. v. Southwick Electric
Allegation: Money owed for goods sold and delivered, breach of contract, unjust enrichment: $14,446.52
Filed: 7/30/18

Robin A. Bennett v. Pride Convenience Inc.
Allegation: Negligence; defendant failed to exercise proper care to ensure fuel pump dispensed appropriate fuel into plaintiff’s vehicle: $5,500
Filed: 9/10/18

Agenda

Family Business Center Events

Oct. 16, 19: On Oct. 16 at the Delaney House in Holyoke, the Family Business Center of Pioneer Valley will host Sheila Heen, best-selling author of Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well. Heen teaches at Harvard Law School and in the Harvard Negotiation Project. Also, Ross Giombetti of Giombetti Associates will explain why and how companies would benefit from a “users manual of YOU.” The Family Business Center will also present a morning event on Oct. 19 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the MassMutual Learning and Conference Center in Chicopee. This spirited conversation between Delcie Bean of Paragus IT and Charlie Epstein of Epstein Financial Services will delve into how future technologies will be disruptive in a way that cannot be ignored, now or then. To register for either event, contact Ira Bryck at [email protected] or (413) 835-0810.

HCC Foundation Golf Classic

Oct. 16: Postponed from an earlier date because of rain, the 31st annual Holyoke Community College Foundation Golf Classic will be played at Springfield County Club in West Springfield. Proceeds from the tournament will support the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, the home for culinary-arts and hospitality-management training programs. The HCC Foundation, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is the nonprofit fundraising arm of Holyoke Community College. Over 30 years, the annual HCC Foundation Golf Classic has raised more than $500,000 for HCC scholarships and educational technology for HCC classrooms. As before, the program begins with buffet lunch followed by a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. The $185 fee includes greens fees, golf cart, lunch, dinner, and refreshments on the course. After an afternoon of golf, participants can enjoy cocktails on the clubhouse porch and dinner, and will have the opportunity to enter raffles and bid on dozens of items, including restaurant gift certificates, Red Sox memorabilia, wine baskets, and more. Participants can arrange their own foursomes or sign up as singles. To register or sponsor the golf tournament, visit www.hcc.edu/golf.

Bartender Classes

Oct. 16: As part of a continuing series of non-credit hospitality courses at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, Holyoke Community College is offering classes this fall for anyone interested in becoming a professional bartender or just looking to perfect classic cocktails at home. The interactive class runs for seven consecutive Tuesdays, Oct. 16 through Nov. 27, from 6:15 to 9:15 p.m. at the culinary institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke. The course will cover all the skills necessary to launch a career as a professional bartender. Students will learn how to handle various types of alcohol and how to prepare cocktails from the classics to the trendy, including pouring techniques, glassware, garnishes, legal liability, and customer service. Quincy McCray, the course instructor, has 23 years of experience in the mixology industry. His company, Liquid Solutions, consults with businesses and trains bar staff, ensuring compliance with liability laws, liquor-inventory management, and TIPS certification. The course costs $269 plus textbook. For more information or to register, visit hcc.edu/bce or call (413) 552-2324.

Panel Discussion on Question 1

Oct. 18: The School of Nursing at Elms College, in partnership with Baystate Medical Center Nursing, will host a discussion about the upcoming Massachusetts ballot question regarding nurse-staffing ratios from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Elms College’s Veritas Auditorium. Amanda Stefancyk Oberlies, CEO of the Organization of Nurse Leaders in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Vermont, will introduce the issues surrounding Question 1, and then a panel of practicing nurses will speak and take audience questions. Baystate nurses Karissa Gorman, Brittany Foley, and Tara Budriewicz will appear on the panel. The Elms College School of Nursing has joined with Massachusetts nurses, hospitals, and prominent healthcare organizations in opposing Question 1, which which would institute government-mandated nurse staffing levels at all hospitals statewide. “If approved, the law would require every hospital to adopt rigid registered-nurse-to-patient ratios at all times — without consideration of a hospital’s size or location, and regardless of individual patients’ specific care needs,” said Kathleen Scoble, dean of the School of Nursing at Elms College. This event will allow the public to hear directly from nurses and healthcare experts about the issues surrounding Question 1 and how it would affect the day-to-day practice of nursing in Massachusetts, as well as the long-term effects of such legislation on patient care and the nursing profession as a whole.

‘Come Roar’ with STCC at MGM Springfield

Oct. 19: Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will join forces with its partner in education, MGM Springfield, to raise money for student scholarships and support services. The “Come Roar” event, to be held at MGM Springfield from 7 to 10 p.m., will include cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, live music, gift bags, and prizes, said Frank Quigley, president of the STCC Foundation board of directors. Admission is $150 per person and includes food, music, and gifts. Cocktails can be purchased at the bar. A portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible. The MGM Springfield fundraiser supports the mission of the STCC Foundation to help the college meet its goals and commitment to provide superior educational opportunities in the community. Each year, STCC and its foundation give more than $1 million in scholarships to students. The foundation relies on donations and has held fundraising events similar to the one planned at MGM Springfield. Proceeds will go toward scholarships and services for students. STCC has collaborated with MGM Springfield to provide education through the Massachusetts Casino Career Training Institute. The gaming school at 95 State St., Springfield, was created to help people acquire skills to work at MGM Springfield, which opened on Aug. 24. Ticket buyers will be invited to sign up for MGM Springfield’s M life Rewards loyalty-card program, which grants access to discounted room rates, pre-sale show tickets, priority reservations, and invitations to members-only events at MGM Resorts properties across the country. Businesses that would like to sponsor the event should call Michael Buckley, interim director of Operations and Donor Relations, at (413) 755-4529. To purchase tickets, visit www.stcc.edu/mgmevent.

Seminar on Social Media in the Workplace

Oct. 25: One of the many challenges employers face in today’s business world is the ever-present impact of technology. Tim Netkovick, an attorney with Royal, P.C., will discuss the impact of employees’ social-media accounts on the workplace, and employees’ right to privacy in e-mail and internet communications. The seminar, slated for 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Royal, P.C., 270 Pleasant St., Northampton, will cover topics such as using social media during hiring, conducting an effective interview, dealing with confidentiality issues, and taking action on potentially harassing posts on social media. Human-resources professionals, CFOs, CEOs, and anyone in a management position, responsible for overseeing and/or hiring employees, may be interested in attending. The cost is $30. For more information and to register, call Heather Loges at (413) 586-2288.

Healthcare Heroes

Oct. 25: The second annual class of Healthcare Heroes will be honored at the Starting Gate at GreatHorse in Hampden from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Healthcare Heroes, a recognition program involving the Western Mass. healthcare sector, was launched last spring by HCN and BusinessWest. The program was created to shed a bright light on the outstanding work being done across the broad spectrum of health and wellness services, and the institutions and people providing that care. This year’s honorees by category are: Mary Paquette, director of Health Services and nurse practitioner, American International College; Celeste Surreira, assistant director of Nursing, the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke; Peter DePergola II, director of Clinical Ethics, Baystate Health; Dr. Matthew Sadof, pediatrician, Baystate Children’s Hospital; TechSpring; the Consortium and the Opioid Task Force; and Robert Fazzi, founder, Fazzi Associates. The seven winners were profiled in the Sept. 4 issue of BusinessWest and the September issue of HCN, and will be feted at the Oct. 25 gala. Tickets cost $90, and tables of 10 are available. To order tickets, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100, or go HERE. Healthcare Heroes sponsors include American International College (presenting sponsor), Baystate Health/Health New England (presenting sponsor), National Grid (partner), and supporting sponsors Renew.Calm, the Elms College MBA program, Bay Path University, and Mercy Medical Center/Trinity Health Of New England.

Sparkle! Springfield

Nov. 14: Mercy Medical Center/Trinity Health will present the inaugural Sparkle! Springfield at Chez Josef in Agawam, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Described by organizers as a “fabulous and engaging girls’ night out,” this unique event has been designed by Mercy’s Spirit of Women network to support women — mind, body, and spirit — and encourage them to take action for their health. They can do this through a number of special programs and presentations that night, including visits to a wide range of health and wellness experts from Mercy Medical Center and its affiliates; indulging in complementary treats and one-on-one time with physicians, who will answer questions over “Dessert with the Docs”; free chair massages; opportunities to meet community resources and vendors; door prizes; tote bags; and more. Admission to Sparkle Springfield is $15. Pre-registration and pre-payment is required. To register, visit www.mercycares.com, or call (877) 783-7262 and press 1.

Chamber Corners

1BERKSHIRE
www.1berkshire.com
(413) 499-1600

• Oct. 17: Chamber Nite, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Hillcrest Commons, 169 Valentine Road, Pittsfield. Chamber networking event. Free for members.
• Oct. 24: Good News Business Salute, featuring Women in Business Month, 5-7 p.m, hosted by Seven Hills Inn, 40 Plunkett St., Lenox.
• Oct. 28: Berkshire Young Professionals Event, 4-8 p.m., hosted by St. James Place, 352 Main St., Great Barrington.
• Nov. 14: Chamber Nite, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Berkshire Country Day School, 55 Interlaken Road, Stockbridge. Cost: free. Register at www.1berkshire.com.
• Nov. 17: Berkshire Young Professionals Holiday Festive Brunch and market, time to be determined. Businesses, send your young employees to this connecting event where they can enjoy brunch with other young professionals and then head over to Greylock WORKS for the second annual Fall FESTIVE, a handmade holiday market celebrating local food and design from the Berkshires and beyond. Cost: $5 for event entry, food and drink separate. Register at www.1berkshire.com.
• Nov. 20: Entrepreneurial Meetup, 8 a.m. Meet, greet, and make things happen at these free networking events. Meetups bring entrepreneurs together on the last Tuesday of the month for coffee or drinks. Location to be determined. Cost: free. Register at www.1berkshire.com.

AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.amherstarea.com
(413) 253-0700

Oct. 24: Multi-chamber Oktoberfest, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Hadley Farms Meeting House, 41 Russell St., Hadley. Register at amherstarea.com.
Oct. 25: Legislative Breakfast, 7:30-9:30 a.m., hosted by Lord Jeffery Inn, 30 Boltwood Ave., Amherst. The annual legislative breakfast brings together legislators, local officials, and business leaders to network and discuss current and upcoming policy issues. Cost: $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Register at amherstarea.com.

GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101

• Oct. 17: Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by MassMutual Learning & Conference Center. Featuring a community planning update. Chief greeter: Lee Pouliot, city of Chicopee. Keynote speaker: Tim Brennan, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Sponsored by United Personnel, Westfield Bank, Holyoke Medical Center, Polish National Credit Union, Gaudreau Group, Spherion Staffing Services, PeoplesBank, Lisa Vachon, CPA, and FutureWorks. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members. Sign up online at chicopeechamber.org/events.
• Nov. 15: Holiday Bazaar & Raffle, 5-8 p.m., hosted at Portuguese American Club, Exchange Street, Chicopee. Sponsored by Polish National Credit Union, PeoplesBank, Westfield Bank, Insurance Center of New England, and the Arbors Kids. Holiday Tree Raffle sponsored by Health New England. For more information, visit chicopeechamber.org/events.
• Nov. 21: Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Summit View Banquet and Meeting House. Sponsored by United Personnel, Westfield Bank, Holyoke Medical Center, Polish National Credit Union, Gaudreau Group, Spherion Staffing Services, PeoplesBank, Veteran Services Office – City of Chicopee, Prosthetic & Orthotic Solutions, and First American Insurance Agency. Chief greeter: Stephanie Shaw, Chicopee Veteran Services Office. Keynote speaker: Jack Downing, Soldier On. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members. Veterans admitted free of charge. Sign up online at chicopeechamber.org/events.

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

• Nov. 14: Hampshire County Business Bash, 5-7 p.m., hosted by the Lord Jeffery Inn, 30 Boltwood Ave., Amherst. This tri-chamber networking event is being presented by the Greater Easthampton, Greater Northampton, and Amherst Area chambers of commerce. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Pre-registration is suggested. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

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

• Nov. 2, 6, 13, 27: “Maintaining a WorkPress Website,” 9:15-11:15 a.m. (Nov. 2, 6, 27); 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. (Nov. 13). Hosted by Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Presented by Pioneer Training. This class is intended for people who are currently maintaining or building a WordPress website. The class will meet for four sessions, and part of each session will be devoted to working on your own website, with assistance from the instructor. Participants are asked to bring their own laptops, as well as login credentials for their websites. Cost: $120 for members, $150 for non-members. Pre-registration is required, and space is limited. To register, visit goo.gl/forms/RBdkeCbXPwGIoH6G2.
• Nov. 8: “Advertising with Facebook for Beginners,” noon to 1 p.m., hosted by Coldwell Banker, 112 Main St., Northampton. Presented by Pam Sclafani, Marketing director of Coldwell Banker Realtors. If you’ve been thinking about online advertising but are reluctant to pull the trigger, Sclafani will show you how to grow your audience, reach the right people, and manage and measure the results within the largest social-media platform in the world. Cost: free.
• Nov. 14: November Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by the Lord Jeffery Inn, Amherst. Three-chamber event. Sponsored by Kuhn Riddle Architects. Cost: $10 for members.

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618

• Nov. 5: November Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m. hosted by Andrea York Photography, 16 Union Ave., Suite 1A, Westfield. Please join us for our monthly Coffee Hour with Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan. This event is free and open to the public. Sign up online at www.westfieldbiz.org/events, or call the chamber at (413) 568-1618 to register so we may give our host a head count.
• Nov. 14: November After 5 Connection, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Holiday Inn Express, 39 Southampton Road, Westfield. Refreshments will be served, and a 50/50 raffle will benefit the chamber scholarship fund. Bring your business cards and make connections. Cost: free for members, $10 for non-members (cash or credit paid at the door). Sign up online at www.westfieldbiz.org/events. For sponsorships or more information, call the chamber at (413) 568-1618.
• Nov. 28: November Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner, 5:30-8:30 p.m., hosted by Tekoa Country Club, 459 Russell Road, Westfield. Join us as we gather to celebrate our 2018 award winners, including Business of the Year: Armbrook Village; Nonprofit of the Year: the Westfield Athenaeum; and Lifetime Achievement Award: Ann Lentini of Domus Inc. Sponsored by Westfield Bank. Dinner tickets cost $45 for members, $60 for non-members. Sign up online at www.westfieldbiz.org/events. For sponsorships or more information, call the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

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

• Nov. 8: “Discover Your Power Voice,” 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., hosted by Springfield Country Club. Presenter Angela Lussier will show attendees how to discover the power of their voice through her interactive presentation. Cost: $35 for members, $45 for non-members. Registration will be available soon. Visit www.professionalwomenschamber.com for more information.

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

• Oct. 24: Bonfires and Brews, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Hadley Farms Meeting House, 41 Russell St., Hadley. This multi-chamber mixer will combine networking, music, hors d’ouvres and local designer beers in a beautiful indoor and outdoor setting. There will be a firepit, games, and a full moon, if the weather gods agree. Attendees will have the chance to mix with other chamber members from all over the region and establish new network ties, all in a convivial setting. Cost: $20 for members, $30 for non-members. For further information or to register, e-mail Sara Lawrence at [email protected], or call (413) 532-6451. For details on participating sponsors and vendors, visit www.shgchamber.com and click on this event.

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

• Oct. 17: Deadline for Super 60 reservations. Register by visiting www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mailing [email protected], or calling (413) 755-1310.
• Oct. 26: Super 60 Awards Celebration, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Chez Josef, 176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. Join us as we celebrate the success of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the region. Cost: $60 for members, $75 for non-members, $100 at the door. Register by visiting www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mailing [email protected], or calling (413) 755-1310.
• Nov. 7: Rise and Shine Business Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Springfield Sheraton, Monarch Place, Springfield.
• Nov. 7: Networking Night with West of the River Chamber, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Ronald McDonald House, 34 Chapin Terrace, Springfield. Free for members who bring an unwrapped toy or non-perishable item; $10 general admission.
• Nov. 8: Professional Women’s Chamber Headline Luncheon, “Discover Your Power Voice,” with Angela Lussier, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hosted by Springfield Country Club, 1375 Elm St., West Springfield. Cost: $35 for members, $40 for non-members, $25/ for students.
• Nov. 15: Government Reception, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Carriage House, Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Cost: $60 for members in advance, $70 general admission in advance.

Reservations for all Springfield Regional Chamber events may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mailing [email protected], or calling (413) 755-1310.

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

• Oct. 18: Networking Lunch, noon to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Crestview Country Club, Agawam. You must be a member or guest of a member to attend. Enjoy a sit-down lunch while networking with fellow chamber members. Each attendee will get a chance to offer a brief introduction and company overview. The only cost to attend is the cost of your lunch. Attendees will order off the menu and pay separately the day of the event. We cannot invoice you for these events. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.
• Oct. 25: Food Fest West, 5:30-8 p.m., hosted by Springfield Country Club, West Springfield. Local restaurants show off their cuisine at this well-attended event, which also features a DJ, raffle, and entertainment. Vote for your favorite restaurant. Proceeds raised by Food Fest West will go toward the Partnership for Education and the WRC Educational Fund, which provides grants to businesses for on-the-job training and continuing-education needs. Cost: $35 in advance, $45 at the door. Tickets may be purchased online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com. For more information about this event, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected].
• Nov. 7: Night of Networking, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Ronald McDonald House, 34 Chapin Terrace, Springfield. This event, co-presented with the Springfield Regional Chamber, is a networking event bringing the two chambers together for a great cause. Bring an unwrapped toy or a non-perishable food item, and your entrance fee is free. Take a tour of this facility, learn about all they provide for communities in need, and network with fellow business people from all over Western Mass. For more information and to register, visit www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY OF GREATER SPRINGFIELD
springfieldyps.com

• Nov. 14: Professional Breakfast Series: “Trumps Taxes and What It Means for You,” 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by MassLive, 1350 Main St., fourth floor, Springfield. Join us for breakfast as Amanda Garcia, CPA reviews what’s to come as part of President Trump’s tax plan for 2019. This breakfast is part of a series sponsored by the MBA Program at Elms College. Register at springfieldyps.com.
• Nov. 15: YPS November Third Thursday, 5-7 p.m., hosted by the Student Prince, Fort Street, Springfield. Networking event. Cost: free for members, $10 for non-members. Register at springfieldyps.com.

People on the Move
Megan Kludt

Megan Kludt

Curran, Berger & Kludt announced that Megan Kludt has become its newest partner. She joined Curran & Berger in October 2010 after working as an immigration attorney for four years in Boston. She is a founding member of the Immigrant Protection Project of Western MA, and has recently gained media attention for her work to free asylum seekers from ICE detention. Kludt holds a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in international relations from Boston University, and a juris doctor with an international concentration from Boston University School of Law.

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Decorti Rodgers-Tonge

Decorti Rodgers-Tonge

Decorti Rodgers-Tonge, chair of the Undergraduate Accounting department and assistant professor of Accounting at Bay Path University, has been selected to receive an African American Female Professor Award (AAFPAA). This award was presented to Rodgers-Tonge at the African American Female Professor Awards (AAFPA) Celebration on Sept. 27 at American International College in Springfield. Rodgers-Tonge is the second Bay Path professor to receive the AAFPAA. Janine Fondon, assistant professor and chair of Undergraduate Communications, was honored at the inaugural event in 2017. The goal of the AAFPA is to recognize African-American female faculty who are full-time, part-time, or adjunct, with the hope that this recognition will help institutions recruit and retain African-American female professors, as well as inspire African-American female educators to continue their work in the classroom and pursue post-secondary assignments.

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Michael Kelley

Michael Kelley

Michael Ostrowski, president and CEO of Arrha Credit Union, recently welcomed Michael Kelley as the institution’s new mortgage loan originator. Kelley has more than seven years of experience in mortgage lending, most recently as mortgage loan originator at Polish National Credit Union. Kelley was recognized as Banker and Tradesman Top 5 Originator for Credit Unions in Western Massachusetts for two years in a row. He is a member of the Springfield Rotary Club and assistant coach for the SOY Boys Basketball team.

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Berkshire Bank announced the promotion of Deanna Markham to first vice president, Retail Distribution manager. In her new position, she will maintain a strong leadership presence and community involvement as she remains local to the Berkshires, working from the company’s Pittsfield office. Markham has held many positions throughout the company since her start with Berkshire Bank in 2006 as a branch manager in Lee. In her 12 years at the bank, she has advanced in the company, including promotions to AVP branch manager; vice president, regional manager in Berkshire County; and, most recently, vice president, Sales and Delivery in 2017. In 2016, Markham graduated from the American Bankers Assoc. Stonier Graduate School of Banking and is a Wharton Leadership Certificate recipient. She attended Marist College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and a minor in fashion merchandising. Committed to giving back to her community, Markham is a Porchlight VNA and Homecare finance committee member and active in the Berkshire Bank employee volunteer program.

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Jacquelyn (Jackie) Guzie

Jacquelyn (Jackie) Guzie

Michael Ostrowski, president and CEO of Arrha Credit Union, recently introduced Jacquelyn (Jackie) Guzie as Arrha’s new Springfield branch manager. Guzie has more than 18 years of banking experience and been recognized throughout her banking-industry career with several promotions at Rockville Bank. Since 2007, she has been a branch manager, most recently in the Suffield Branch at First National Bank of Suffield. A graduate of the New England College of Business and Finance in Boston, Guzie is also an emergency medical technician volunteering at Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Assoc.

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The United Way of Pioneer Valley (UWPV) announced it has hired Paul Mina as its new president and CEO as part of an overall management agreement. Mina brings 30 years of United Way experience to the Pioneer Valley. In addition, Steve Lowell, president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank and chairman of the UWPV board, announced that the organization is entering into a management agreement with the United Way of Tri-County (UWTC). Mina will be reporting to the UWPV board of directors so that local control and oversight is maintained. The UWTC is responsible for overseeing the Mass 211 program, the statewide source for essential community services. Mina noted that more than 45% of the phone calls to the Mass 211 helpline originate from the UWPV service area, so he is familiar with the work being done in the community.

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Melissa Tetreault

Melissa Tetreault

Michael Tucker, president and CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank, announced that Melissa Tetreault has re-joined Greenfield Cooperative Bank as a mortgage loan originator in its Northampton Cooperative division. She will work out of the Florence office for Northampton Cooperative, but is available to meet customers in any of the bank’s 10 offices throughout Hampshire and Franklin County. Tetreault has more than 30 years of experience in banking and mortgage lending, including 16 years with Greenfield Cooperative Bank. She holds a mortgage originator license from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is a graduate of UMass Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in education. She is also a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies at Babson College. She is active with the United Way Women’s Way, an affiliate member of the Realtors’ Assoc. of Pioneer Valley, active with the Shelburne Falls Woman’s Club, and a former director of the YMCA and the United Way.

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Matthew Smith

Matthew Smith

Bay Path University announced that Matthew Smith has been promoted to the position of director, Computer Science & Cybersecurity Programs. Smith has been with Bay Path University’s American Women’s College for nearly two years, first serving as an adjunct faculty member and later being named full-time academic director, Cybersecurity and Applied Technology. In June, he was promoted to academic director, Technology, Security & Justice. Smith brings more than 20 years of experience in technology and information-security leadership across the government, financial-services, and technology sectors to his teaching, most recently as a subject-matter expert in digital forensics and incident response at MassMutual Financial in Springfield. He has also held related positions with other Fortune 500 companies, such as General Dynamics and Dell-EMC Corp. He also holds a federal security clearance and is classified within U.S. federal courts for testimony as an expert witness. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Smith received his MBA from Norwich University, his master’s degree from San Diego State University, and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland.

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UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy has been named by Gov. Charlie Baker to the new Massachusetts Cybersecurity Strategy Council, which will advise state leaders on ways to spur economic growth and cyber-resilience in the Commonwealth. The appointment of the 19-member council, which includes representatives from state government, the private sector, and the Commonwealth’s leading research institutions, was announced on Sept. 27 during the 2018 Massachusetts Cybersecurity Forum in Boston. Baker also announced the appointment of Stephanie Helm as the first director of the MassCyberCenter at the Mass Tech Collaborative. The Cybersecurity Strategy Council is chaired by retired Rear Admiral Michael Brown, the former director for Cybersecurity Coordination in the National Protection and Programs Directorate of the federal Department of Homeland Security. He now serves as president of Spinnaker Security, LLC.

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Lam Nguyen

Lam Nguyen

Mayhew Steel Products (Mayhew Tools) has selected Lam Nguyen to fill the role of plant manager at the company’s Basque Plastics Division in Westminster. With more than a decade of manufacturing leadership and operational expertise, Nguyen will oversee the plant’s daily operations while simultaneously improving overall operational efficiency and productivity. Nguyen, whom will report to Mayhew Tools President John Lawless, has a proven track record for implementing lean operational techniques that result in significant cost savings while increasing yield and quality. His managerial responsibilities will include, but not be limited to: production, workflow, automation, quality control assurance, purchasing, raw materials management, assembly, maintenance, and strategic planning. Before joining Mayhew Tools, Nguyen spent seven years as vice president of Manufacturing for Advanced Cable Ties Inc. Prior to that, he was plant manager and general foreman for same Gardner-based company, spending more than 18 years there overall. Nguyen holds an associate degree in business management from Quinsigamond Community College and boasts several certifications, including Six Sigma, CSP600 Lean Manufacturing, JIT, Industrial Electric, Project Management, and Scientific Injection Molding, to name a few.

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Morgan Russell has joined the Main Street Hospitality team as the manager of Guest Experiences across four Main Street Hospitality Group properties. Originally from Boston and having grown up in the Berkshires, Russell brings 10 years of luxury hospitality concierge experience to this new position. Prior to joining Main Street Hospitality, he specialized in building guest-engagement programs for various high-end boutique hotels in Colorado, including the Arrabelle at Vail Square, the Sebastian Hotel, and the Christiana. Russell will work collaboratively with partners throughout the region to expand the guest-experience program at all of Main Street’s hotels and provide visitors an added layer of connectivity to the Berkshires experience. Russell will build out the guest-experience program at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Porches Inn at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Hotel on North in Pittsfield, and Briarcliff in Great Barrington. Russell graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in international affairs. In his early career, he worked at the Red Lion Inn, filling various positions from busboy and bellhop to the sales office.

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Jeffrey Trapani

Jeffrey Trapani

Robinson Donovan, P.C. announced that Jeffrey Trapani, a partner with the firm, has received appointments from the Hampshire County Bar Assoc. and the Supreme Judicial Court. Trapani was unanimously approved to fill the upcoming vacancy on the Joint Bar Committee on Judicial Appointments for the Hampshire County Bar Assoc. The committee is an independent, non-partisan entity comprised of two dozen attorneys from across Massachusetts, including three members each of the Massachusetts and Boston bar associations. The Supreme Judicial Court appointed Trapani to the Standing Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil and Appellate Procedure. As part of the committee, he will assist in reviewing and recommending amendments to the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure and the Massachusetts Rules of Appellate Procedure. Trapani concentrates his practice in civil litigation, including insurance defense, employment law, municipal liability, business litigation, and professional malpractice. He also represents many landlords in summary process action and housing-discrimination claims, and insurance companies in unfair-settlement claims and coverage issues. In addition to trial work, Trapani also represents clients in mediations and arbitrations. He is a member of the Defense Research Institute and the Massachusetts Defense Lawyer Assoc., and since 2008, he has been selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list.

Company Notebook

Epstein Financial Services Moves to East Longmeadow

EAST LONGMEADOW — Epstein Financial Services has relocated from Holyoke to a new, expanded office space on 12 Somers Road in East Longmeadow. Its new phone number is (413) 224-3606. Epstein Financial Services was renting its previous location in Holyoke and now owns its new office in East Longmeadow. Its square footage has increased by 50%. In addition to a new video studio used to film promotional and educational 401K Coach Program videos and promote clients’ businesses, the new location features plentiful and accessible parking, as well as larger conference and meeting spaces.

NAI Plotkin Sells 1492 Boston Road Property

SPRINGFIELD — NAI Plotkin, an office of NAI Global, a leading commercial real-estate brokerage firm, announced it has sold 1492 Boston Road, which consists of a 9,697-square-foot commercial building, formerly the Smokey Bones Restaurant, and an adjacent 20,585-square-foot commercial building, currently occupied by Namco. The asset was sold to Restoration Worship Center/Centro de Restauracion Adoracion for $2.2 million and includes a total of 6.1 acres of land next to the Lowe’s shopping plaza. Bill Low and Stephen Picard teamed up to sell the property, which was on the market for years with several real-estate companies.

Harry Grodsky & Co. Marks 100th Anniversary

SPRINGFIELD — One of America’s largest mechanical contractors achieves a new milestone this month as Harry Grodsky & Co. Inc. officially celebrates its 100th anniversary. The family-owned firm will pay tribute to both the old and the new with its centennial event on Friday, Oct. 19 at MGM Springfield. The Grodsky story began in 1918, and for four generations the company has remained focused on solving complex problems. Grodsky’s 100th-anniversary event will highlight various stories that comprise the company’s history and culture, including noteworthy projects, past and current employees and business partners, and its ongoing commitment to the Pan-Mass Challenge.

Rays of Hope Grants $17,000 to Cancer House of Hope

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Rays of Hope, part of the Baystate Health Foundation, has made a grant to the Cancer House of Hope to support services for women affected by breast cancer. The grant, totaling over $17,000, will support integrative therapies at the Cancer House of Hope, including Reiki, massage therapy, a relaxation group, and support groups. Rays of Hope has been a strong supporter of the Cancer House of Hope, both financially and as a community partner, for a number of years. This grant is the most recent affirmation of this long-standing relationship. Last week, Cancer House of Hope dedicated a room in honor of Rays of Hope. In addition to Reiki, massage therapy, and support groups, the Cancer House of Hope also provides wigs and related services, access to mastectomy bras and forms, and yoga classes. All services provided at the Cancer House of Hope are free of charge to anyone affected by cancer.

Elms Offers Grants for Urban, Catholic Education

CHICOPEE — Elms College now offers two new educational grants to help incoming first-year students offset tuition costs. The Urban Education Grant and the Catholic Education Grant each award new students $2,000. Students attending Springfield, Chicopee, or Holyoke public schools in Massachusetts are eligible for the Urban Education Grant, which is open to students attending a Catholic high school anywhere in the country. To qualify for either grant, students must be currently enrolled at their respective public or Catholic schools at the time of their application to Elms College. All qualifying students will be automatically considered for these grants when applying to Elms. These new awards can be paired with other merit-based scholarships and financial aid offered by the college, but not with each other.

Briefcase

Big E Breaks All-time Attendance Record

WEST SPRINGFIELD — A record number of visitors attended the 2018 Big E, with the final tally of 1,543,470 surpassing the previous record of 1,525,553, set in 2017. During the fair’s run, the all-time highest single-day attendance record was also broken when 172,659 visitors attended on Saturday, Sept. 22. Five additional daily attendance records were set: Sept. 14, 87,092; Sept. 15, 118,627; Sept. 23, 134,986; Sept. 27, 105,084; and Sept. 29, 171,965. “The Eastern States Exposition closed its doors on the 102nd edition with an another record year,” said Eugene Cassidy, president and CEO. “The outpouring of support for this organization from our region is humbling, as that support provides a mechanism for our mission to continue.”

Employer Confidence Slips Slightly During September

BOSTON — Business confidence in Massachusetts declined slightly during September as employers balanced optimism about economic fundamentals with concerns about tariffs and new state regulations. The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index lost 0.6 points to 62.6 last month, leaving it almost even with its level of a year ago. The Index has been moving for most of 2018 within a narrow range that is well within optimistic territory. Raymond Torto, chair of AIM’s Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) and lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Design, said the steady business-confidence readings may reflect the lack of any significant economic or political changes that threaten the nine-year-old recovery. “The underlying direction of the state and national economies remains positive. The Massachusetts economy grew at a staggering 7.3% annual rate during the second quarter, and unemployment remains near historic lows at 3.6%,” Torto said. “At the same time, employers remain wary of raw-material price increases brought about by new tariffs. The September survey was taken prior to the announcement Sunday of a new trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, so it will be interesting to learn whether that deal affects employer attitudes moving forward.” The constituent indicators that make up the overall Business Confidence Index were mostly lower during September. The Massachusetts Index assessing business conditions within the Commonwealth ended the month at 64.5, falling 0.2 points for the month and 0.9 points for the year. The U.S. Index lost 1.1 points to 63.6, leaving it 3.8 points higher than in September 2017. The Company Index measuring employer assessments of their own operations declined a half-point to 61.6, down 0.7 points from September 2017. The Employment Index gained 0.3 points during September, while the Sales Index lost 0.5 points to 60.5. The Current Index, which assesses overall business conditions at the time of the survey, fell 1.8 points last month to 64.3. The Future Index, measuring expectations for six months out, gained 0.6 points. The Current Index rose 1.4 points during the year, while the Future Index lost 1.1 points.

Girl Scouts Announce Recipients of ToGetHerThere Awards

HOLYOKE — Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts (GSCWM) announced the recipients of the second annual ToGetHerThere Awards. According to the organization, the five recipients have a shared vision of creating a culture of creativity and caring, where young women feel confident in their ability to work hard, dream big, and face with courage any obstacle that stands in the way of making their dreams come true. The awardees were selected in five categories by a panel of business, community and civic leaders. They are:

• Entrepreneur: Laurie Flynn, president and CEO, Link to Libraries;

• Financial Literacy: Kate Kane, managing director, Northwestern Mutual;

• Health & Wellnes: Dr. Sarah Perez McAdoo, co-leader, Capstone Project, UMass Medical Center at Baystate Health;

• Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout: Edward Zemba, president, Robert Charles Photography; and

• STEM: Thomas Gralinski, STEM outreach coordinator, Clark Science Center and the Jandon Center for Community Engagement, Smith College.

Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts will honor the winners at the ToGetHerThere Awards Luncheon on Friday, Nov. 2, at MGM Springfield. Tickets are $55 each or $500 for a table of 10. To order tickets and for more info on each awardee, visit the Girl Scout website, www.gscwm.org/en/events/special-events/TGHTA.html, or contact Melanie Bonsu at (413) 584-2602, ext. 3623, or [email protected]. The event is sponsored by BusinessWest and HCN, Chicopee Savings Bank, Balise Auto Group, Gaudreau Group, Monson Savings Bank, and People’s United Bank.

Unemployment Falls Across Massachusetts in August

BOSTON — Local unemployment rates decreased in 24 labor-market areas in Massachusetts during the month of August, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported. Compared to August 2017, the rates dropped in 19 labor market areas, remained the same in four areas, and increased in one labor-market area. Three of the 15 areas for which job estimates are published recorded a seasonal job gain in August. The gains occurred in the Springfield, Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, and Taunton-Middleborough-Norton areas. The Leominster-Gardner area had no change in its job level over the month. From August 2017 to August 2018, 13 of the 15 areas added jobs, with the largest percentage gains in the Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, Worcester, Haverhill-Newburyport-Amesbury, and Taunton-Middleborough-Norton areas. The Peabody-Salem-Beverly and Framingham areas lost jobs. In order to compare the statewide rate to local unemployment rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the statewide unadjusted unemployment rate for August was 3.5%. Last week, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported that the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the month of August remained at 3.6%. The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate showed a 6,100-job gain in August, and an over-the-year gain of 68,100 jobs. The unadjusted unemployment rates and job estimates for the labor-market areas reflect seasonal fluctuations and therefore may show different levels and trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates.

Single-Family Home Sales Decline in August

SPRINGFIELD — Single-family home sales declined by 5.7% in the Pioneer Valley in August compared to the same time last year, while the median price rose 5.9% to $225,000, according to the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley. In Franklin County, sales were down 17.8%, while the median price rose 5.2% from a year earlier. In Hampden County, sales were down 9.1%, while the median price was up 2.6%. In Hampshire County, however, sales rose 11.0% from August 2017, while the median price shot up 16.7%.

Incorporations

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

ADAMS

Quick & Easy Waste Disposal Inc., 69 Melrose St., Adams, MA 01220. Donna M. Macdonald, same. Waste disposal.

BELCHERTOWN

STS Homes Inc., 210 Bardwell St., Belchertown, MA 01007. Heather A. Twining, same. Contractor.

EAST LONGMEADOW

S L Beauty Inc., 30 Shaker Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Nga Thihang Nguyen, 123 Enfield St., Indian Orchard, MA 01151. Personal care service.

GRANBY

RZ Granby Convenience Inc., 30 West State St., Granby, MA 01033. Radwan Zaitoun, 3 Silver St., Springfield, MA 01107. Convenience store/gas station.

LONGMEADOW

Rockefeller Systems Incorporated, 266 Pinewood Dr., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Paul W Gorman, same. Electronics, software, control systems.

MONSON

Streamliners Inc., 8 Waid Road, Monson, MA 01057. Joseph R. Hamm, same. Manufacture, distribution and sales of products.

NORTHAMPTON

Team Finch Inc., 22 Ford Crossing, Northampton, MA 01060. Jennifer S. Bryan, same. Educational consulting.

PITTSFIELD

Saba Petroleum Reality Inc., 1030 South St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Sallam Mokbil, 535 Elm St., Monroe, CT 06468. Real estate.

SPRINGFIELD

Star Wireless Inc., 895 Carew St., Springfield, MA 01104. Abdul Ghani, 198 Stafford St., Worcester, MA 01603. Cell phone services.

WENDELL

Roxdot Property Management Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Ste 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Colin Kelly-Rand, 1189 Boylston St., Newton , MA 02464. Real estate management.

WESTFIELD

R & R Tours Inc., 38 M St., Westfield, MA01085. Randolph McBride, same. Passenger transportation.

Shafiq Mizan Rahman & Augustine Inc., 69 Franklin St., Westfield, MA 01085. Akm Mizanur Rahman Bangladesh, 616 Broadway Unit 6, Revere, MA 02151. Accounting, payroll, tax, and consulting services.

DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and trade names were issued or renewed during the months of September and October 2018.

AMHERST

Cooley Dickinson Medical Group
170 University Dr.
CD Practice Associates Inc.

CTI-ESUS JV
37 South Pleasant St.
Craig Meadows

Rachel Arnold, LMT
26 South Prospect St.
Rachel Arnold

BELCHERTOWN

Belchertown Boarding Kennel
176 Ware Road
Diane Villemaire, Alan Villemaire

Belchertown Family Dental
1 Main St.
Joseph Ting

Blue Star Farm, LLC
540 Franklin St.
Sandra Walsh

Discount Data Supplies
31 Old Amherst Road
Kenneth Markarian

Footloose School of Dance
147 State St.
Melissa Lozier

Kenneth B. Conkey Logging
164 Munsell St.
Kenneth Conkey

CHICOPEE

As Promised Professional Cleaning Service
41 Sullivan St.
Flavio Nunes da Cunha

CMS Realty Trust
78 West St.
Charles Swider

Complete West Side Home Improvement
429 Front St.
Viktor Lapik

Construction Keys
144 Broadway St.
Hector Quiles

Creative Device Art
475 Broadway St.
John Miarecki

JNC Construction, LLC
20 Nash St.
Jody Whalen

Walt Palasz Associates
54 Ames Ave.
Walter Palasz

EASTHAMPTON

Gigantic
78 Cottage St.
James Stillwaggon

Jim’s Hobby Automotive Repair
30 Strong St.
James Hannifan

M & M Auto Repair
19 Parsons St.
Jeremy Ison

M & M Service Center
19 Parsons St.
John Yagmin

HADLEY

Astarte Farm
123 West St.
James Mead

Bay Road Dairy
241 Bay Road
Amy Searle

Fee Only Financial Planning
277 Bay Road
David Martula

Hadley Robotics
136 West St.
Edward Hannigan

Joe Czajkowski Farm
86 Comins Road
Joe Czajkowski

Kokoski Farm
35 Comins Road
Stanley Kokoski

Pioneer Valley Hyperbaric
8 River Dr.
Valley Optimal Health

Saints Landscaping
116 Rocky Hill Road
Philip St. Laurence

HOLYOKE

Bal Kishan, LLC
648 High St.
Martin Johnson

Capais Construction
127 Pine St.
Marceb Capais

Deza Studios
11 Linden St.
Rob Deza

EZ Exchange
324 Appleton St.
Mimi Mai

Harmain’s
206 Maple St.
Shahid Jalil

Hi-Shine Nails
246 Westfield Road
Thuy Tran

Jose’s Maintenance
6 Gerard Way, Apt. J
Jose Rodriguez

LUDLOW

Alan Gregoire Po-Folks Farm
93 Cady St.
Alan Gregoire

Kevin Brown’s Flooring
16 Duke St.
Kevin Brown

NORTHAMPTON

The Cedar Products
239 Ryan Road
Randa Hatoum

Coaching with Compassion
71 Bradford St., #204
Shana Hiranandani

Glow Beauty Bar
46 Main St.
Kate Jaksik

Hair by Patrick
56 Main St., Suite 220
Patrick Mansfield

Hartzell Landscape Design & Construction
64 Cherry St., Apt. A
Kevin Hartzell

Inspire Studio
245 Main St., Room 207
Pamela Ferrechio

New Books Network
9 Cherry St.
Marshall Poe

Noodles Restaurant
257 Main St.
Saowanee Dechanupong

RectoBiz
137 High St.
Mehfooz Hasan

Workroom Design Studio
320 Riverside Dr., Unit 7G
Sally Staub

Zinnia Skin and Body Care
25 Main St., Suite 211
Sarah St. Germain

SOUTHWICK

Bonnie View Antiques & Collectibles
6 Bonnie View Road
Edward Deveno

Kinger Paint & Drywall
298 Granville Road
Matthew King

Lynch’s Heating and Cooling
3 Brookview Dr.
David Lynch

Restaurant Biz Consulting
Kimberlee Nastri
3 Lauren Lane

SPRINGFIELD

Alta Moda Hair & Nail Design
1295 State St.
Michael Scibelli

Bonbon Courier Express
1034 Carew St.
Bonaventa Santiago

Brenntag Lubricants North
85 Carando Dr.
BWE, LLC

Cannaworld
1021A Main St.
David Mech

Cortesia Services
325 Oakland St.
Wendy Ivette

Done Right Cleaning Service
26 Crawford Circle
Antonio Spicer

Funstruction
217 Ellsworth Ave.
Brent Anderson

Gloria’s Family Daycare
154 Roy St.
Gloria Otero

Heavenly Grooming
1648 Carew St.
Norberto Crespo

La Mexicana Supermarket
19B St. James Ave.
Amado Vasquez

Landair
305 Rocus St.
Michael Weinstein

Lawn & Order
33 Newton Road
Daniel Alfano

Mame African Hair Braiding
894 Carew St.
Mamady Keita

Maurice
126 Princeton St.
Colen Bailey

Mundo Cellular Inc.
856 Main St.
Alfredo Garib

Packard Law Office
75 Market Place
Jaclyn Packard

Pioneer Valley Artspace Inc.
91 White St.
Edward Brown

Quik Mart
603 Wilbraham Road
James Kayrouz

Rapid Hair Design
160 Catharine St.
Leon Marsh

Strategic Business Solutions
77 Melha Ave.
Peter Wood

Team Adonai
70 Harrison Ave.
Maria Colon

TLS Foods
1341 Main St.
Teri Skinner

Valley Restaurant Training
96 Lumae St.
Sin Do-Han Allen

WESTFIELD

Budsuds
14 School St.
Amanda Melloni-Caracciolo

Church of God International
79 Main St.
Maritess Abasolo

Custom Railing Tech Inc.
300 Union St.
Armand Cote

Hutghi’s at the Nook
8 Franklin St.
Hutghi’s Corp.

Moe’s Westfield
301 East Main St.
Savin Brands, LLC

Southampton Road Massage & Body Work
282 Southampton Road
Southampton Healing Inc.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Athena’s by Elaina
1144 Elm St.
Elaina Richter

Beauty Gate Salon and Spa
1646 Riverdale St.
Konrad Chmiel

Best Western
429 Riverdale St.
Natu Patel

Pretty Paws Grooming
730 Union St.
Michele Strattman

Qualimax Collision
167 Norman St.
Jose Taveras

Supercuts
1053 Riverdale St.
Abigail Allen

WILBRAHAM

Ashley’s Nails
2440 Boston Road
Jae Eun Choi

CT Enterprises
95 Post Office Park, Suite A
Christopher Thompson

Dave Hiller Real Estate
19 Cottage Ave.
Dave Hiller Jr.

Double D Construction
70 Stony Hill Road
Anna O’Toole

Inn Nails
2440 Boston Road
Changmin Jun

Norman Lachance Electric
29 Brooklawn Road
Norman Lachance

Zee Haddad Realty
5 Forest Glade Dr.
Zahi Haddad

Bankruptcies

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

ABC Pool
Kirk, Mark Alan
248 Ware St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/11/18

Banas, Laurie J.
56 Maple St. #202
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/04/18

Beaulieu, Marc R.
Beaulieu, Pamela L.
32 George Loomis Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/30/18

Bechard, Sally A.
220 Mapleshade Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/11/18

Belisle, Bridget A.
1042 Thorndike St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/05/18

Bradley, Susan Mary
1 Fulton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/12/18

Buteau, Benjamin N.
1203 Worcester St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/07/18

Chesbrough, Shawn Christopher
232 North Orange Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/05/18

CMG Associates Inc.
Patten, Philip Richard
a/k/a Patten, Cynthia Maria
14 Pearl Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/10/18

Colon, Jose L.
PO Box 2581
Holyoke, MA 01041
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/12/18

Conklin, George Robert
P.O. Box 543
Becket, MA 01223
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/14/18

Davis, Natalie G.
a/k/a Kennedy, Natalie
304 Christopher Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/06/18

Della Giustina, William C.
Della Giustina, Amber Brandie
58 Amherst St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/10/18

Dufour, Kim A.
56 Ocean St., Rt. #44
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/05/18

Dupras, Christopher J.
Dupras, Raphaella A.
20 East Glen Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/31/18

Fernandez, Maribeth
509 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/11/18

Fisher, Patricia J.
46 Otis St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/11/18

Franco, Sonia I.
11 Bowles Park
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/06/18

Garcia, Allison I.
388 Tokeneke Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/12/18

Girard, Linda A.
P.O. Box 1093
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/12/18

Gonzalez, Olga J.
a/k/a Arita, Olga J.
35 Mooreland St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/11/18

Granger, Kenneth Paul
180 Granville Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/31/18

Guevin, Kathleen
a/k/a Whitworth, Katheleen
57 Bonair Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/10/18

Gwozdzik, Jennifer Rose
35 Day Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/14/18

Hettlinger, Karen Jane
66 West St., #1
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/14/18

Joubert, Daniel J.
29 Northumberland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/30/18

Judson, Anna
148 Webber Road
Haydenville, MA 01039
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/11/18

Kenyon, Jeffrey C.
112 Stebbins Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/12/18

Lackey, Andrew Brent
Som, Sothea S.
685 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/11/18

Lavelle, Christopher E.
102 Abbey St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/13/18

Leblanc, Barbara L.
182 Old Farm Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/12/18

Lempke, Kathy J.
679 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/06/18

Lopez, Zulma J.
409 South Elm St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/13/18

Martin Appraisal Company
Homeless Hounds
Grudgen, Martin J.
19 Cross Meadow Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/31/18

Martinez, Danielle B.
347 Newbury St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 08/30/18

Merryman, Nancy L.
139 River St
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/07/18

Negron, Valerie
39 Beauchamp St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/12/18

Nimtz, Kurt D.
Nimtz, Christine E.
47 Thompson St.
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/05/18

O’Brien, Timothy D.
50 Warren Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/14/18

Oczkowski, Kathleen M.
241 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/10/18

Orduz, Gabriel
60 Grenada Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/11/18

Ortiz, Jorge Luis
Ocasio, Elizabeth
53 Algonquin Place
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/10/18

Quinones-Negron, Taysha
35 Biddle St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/12/18

Roath, Johnathan Cory
Roath, Susan Lori
116 Ames Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/12/18

Roberts, Danielle L.
15 Mechanic St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/11/18

Ruemmele, Ruben
Valle, Raquel
47 Irvington St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/11/18

SBE Strategies
Jefferson, Michael A.
1418 Berkshire Ave.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/05/18

Skiffington, William J.
40 Rosemont Ave
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/10/18

Smith, Susan Ann
a/k/a Rivera, Susan Ann
36 Montvue St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/14/18

Stefoglo, Peter
122 Windmere St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/14/18

Strings Without Boundaries
Julie Lyonn Music
Lieberman, Julie Lynn
PO Box 268
Worthington, MA 01098
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/14/18

Tatro, Jack William
24 Ash Lane
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/13/18

Thompson, Casey
314 Apremont Highway
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/06/18

Thompson, Christine
a/k/a Runyan, Christine
120 Hamilton St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/11/18

Urzedowski, Lisa A.
42 Weston St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/06/18

Walters, John R.
Walters, Armeaka P.
a/k/a Gordon, Armeaka P.
46 Pearson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/03/18

Weeks, Jeremy R.
10 Santa Maria Place
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/05/18

Woodbury, Susan M.
118 Clairmont Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 08/31/18

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

BERNARDSTON

180 Bald Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Jacob Tokarz
Seller: Scott Digeorge
Date: 09/21/18

BUCKLAND

31 Green St.
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Lynne Pledger
Seller: Gail M. Braden
Date: 09/18/18

8 Pomeroy Terrace
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Elina Lowensohn
Seller: Kathleen M. Cunningham
Date: 09/14/18

CHARLEMONT

225 Main St.
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Guerri FT
Seller: William S. Stephens
Date: 09/18/18

37 Schaefer Way
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Ryan Dupree
Seller: Russell E. Perkins
Date: 09/21/18

COLRAIN

108 West Leyden Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Dennis Depaolo
Seller: Paul S. Moyer
Date: 09/11/18

DEERFIELD

21 Lee Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Roland W. Messier
Seller: Richard R. Russo
Date: 09/21/18

87 Lee Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Jeremy C. Bucci
Seller: John F. Raymer
Date: 09/18/18

60 Mathews Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Benjamin L. Sirum
Seller: Alfred J. Kobacker
Date: 09/17/18

84 South Mill River Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $233,018
Buyer: MTGLQ Investors LP
Seller: Robert J. Sobieski
Date: 09/11/18

4 Stillwater Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: Todd Pease
Seller: Phyllis F. Parrott
Date: 09/13/18

16 Sunrise Ave.
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: George W. Myers
Seller: Saunders N. Whittlesey
Date: 09/21/18

ERVING

16 North Shore Road
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Susanne Herk
Seller: Paula A. Pereau
Date: 09/11/18

9 Warner St.
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $131,000
Buyer: Thomas G. Kosloski
Seller: Edward A. Osowski
Date: 09/21/18

GILL

5 West Gill Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: James A. Taft
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 09/11/18

GREENFIELD

65 Beech St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $158,500
Buyer: Thomas H. Carmean
Seller: Jefferey A. Wroblewski
Date: 09/13/18

260 Chapman St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $176,700
Buyer: Scott R. David
Seller: Nathan Brown
Date: 09/18/18

56 Cheapside St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Bruce G. Thomas
Seller: Peter Windolowski
Date: 09/21/18

5 Ferrante Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Cameron M. Kehne
Seller: Stafford, Thomas E., (Estate)
Date: 09/14/18

431 Green River Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Deborah A. Richards
Seller: Markoski, Margaret A., (Estate)
Date: 09/21/18

3-5 Harrison Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Redfoot LLC
Seller: Steven T. Drakulich
Date: 09/20/18

85 Maple St.
Greenfield, MA 01376
Amount: $209,900
Buyer: Emily J. Spiegelman
Seller: Deborah A. Richards
Date: 09/21/18

78 Newell Pond Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $146,000
Buyer: Jamie Law
Seller: Robert C. Fluet
Date: 09/14/18

20-22 Phillips St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Alves 401K Plan & TR
Seller: Marie C. Erie
Date: 09/10/18

196 Silver St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $208,000
Buyer: Victor Darmanchev
Seller: Jeremy S. McLoud
Date: 09/21/18

32 Western Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $181,145
Buyer: Victor A. Alvarado-Hicho
Seller: Debbie Stockwell
Date: 09/21/18

LEVERETT

131 Shutesbury Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Molly A. Drury-Daniell
Seller: Jeffrey C. McQueen
Date: 09/14/18

LEYDEN

188 River Road
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $254,000
Buyer: Andrew Carballeira
Seller: Disa K. Pratt
Date: 09/21/18

MONTAGUE

10 Grout Circle
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $163,750
Buyer: Ashley Lamoureux
Seller: Larry Bourret
Date: 09/14/18

16 Morris Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Angela Willey
Seller: Rich Young Property Management
Date: 09/14/18

3 Randall Wood Dr.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Robert Vecchio
Seller: Felix Ramos
Date: 09/21/18

68 West Chestnut Hill Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Byl
Seller: Albert Maiolatesi
Date: 09/14/18

NORTHFIELD

743 Millers Falls Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $177,400
Buyer: Jeffrey R. Gagnon
Seller: Rodney A. Duda
Date: 09/14/18

745 Millers Falls Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $177,400
Buyer: Jeffrey R. Gagnon
Seller: Rodney A. Duda
Date: 09/14/18

ORANGE

137 Cheney St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $176,000
Buyer: Tina Spano
Seller: Alicia L. Graves
Date: 09/21/18

106 Drew Blvd.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $267,058
Buyer: Laurence Obue
Seller: AGT Homes LLC
Date: 09/19/18

226 East River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $139,500
Buyer: Evan J. Proctor
Seller: Debra L. Quinn
Date: 09/21/18

509 East River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Jonah P. Bryant
Seller: Thomas Bryant
Date: 09/21/18

45 Oaklawn Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Michael L. Rivard
Seller: Thomas C. Perry
Date: 09/19/18

180 Packard Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Michael Sacino
Seller: Randal J. Boisvert
Date: 09/21/18

51 West River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Michael Woodard
Seller: John Judge
Date: 09/19/18

SHUTESBURY

4 Laurel Dr.
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Shavahn M. Best
Seller: Jennifer C. Chastain
Date: 09/14/18

SUNDERLAND

10 Ledgewood Dr.
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $319,900
Buyer: Suzanne McElroy
Seller: Richard J. Pushkin
Date: 09/20/18

WARWICK

50 Pine St.
Warwick, MA 01378
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Thomas H. Carey
Seller: Clyde W. Perkins
Date: 09/12/18

WHATELY

Grey Oak Lane #19
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Hamelin Framing Inc.
Seller: Jawk Inc.
Date: 09/14/18

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

68 Alhambra Circle North
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Zakaria Baloune
Seller: Ronald Roux
Date: 09/14/18

20 Barry St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: S. Massoia Fairway TR
Seller: John D. Wilkie
Date: 09/21/18

22 Butternut Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: Jason S. Cohen
Seller: Lloyd G. Anderson
Date: 09/17/18

69 Line St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Pavel Kuzmenko
Seller: Jason A. Root
Date: 09/21/18

740 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $399,900
Buyer: Sean P. Burke
Seller: Gary Aldrich
Date: 09/14/18

549 North Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $223,500
Buyer: John E. Cassidy
Seller: Patrick J. Lennon
Date: 09/21/18

30 Prospect St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $283,000
Buyer: Dianne M. Bisi
Seller: Daniel Kennedy
Date: 09/18/18

138 Roosevelt Ave.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Raymond R. Hauff
Seller: Janet M. Febus
Date: 09/21/18

104 Ramah Circle South
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: Fior Realty LLC
Seller: Stationery-Print Inc.
Date: 09/14/18

129 South Park Terrace
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $218,360
Buyer: Jeffrey J. Winterle
Seller: Della Ripa Real Estate
Date: 09/10/18

148-150 Walnut St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Stephen Buynicki
Seller: Benjamin J. Benton
Date: 09/20/18

71 Western Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Mark T. Pfau
Seller: Kevin M. Pfau
Date: 09/20/18

BLANDFORD

26 Blair Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Kim Sansouci
Seller: Barbara L. Moulton
Date: 09/10/18

10 Kaolin Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Caitlin R. Talbot
Seller: Mitchell K. Forish
Date: 09/13/18

BRIMFIELD

131 East Brimfield Holland
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $304,132
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Timothy D. Fortuna
Date: 09/21/18

36 Paige Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Thomas Dowling
Seller: David L. MacGillivray
Date: 09/14/18

64 Prospect Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: John L. Fearing
Seller: Karri E. Freeland
Date: 09/14/18

118 Wales Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Stephen R. Soper
Seller: Clarence Soper
Date: 09/18/18

CHESTER

220 East River Road
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $377,500
Buyer: Eric Donahue
Seller: George W. Lamountain
Date: 09/17/18

36 Lyon Hill Road
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Matthew Carrier
Seller: Nicole A. Peters
Date: 09/21/18

CHICOPEE

53 Casino Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Kelley W. Murphy
Seller: Robert J. Nummy
Date: 09/14/18

23 Celestine St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $116,875
Buyer: MHFA
Seller: Anthony N. Lapierre
Date: 09/17/18

61 Cyran St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Jackeline Garcia
Seller: Shirley J. Radtke
Date: 09/19/18

20 Donlyn Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $222,500
Buyer: Lynn A. Palasz
Seller: Renata S. Talmont
Date: 09/18/18

51 Elizabeth St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Omar B. Aljarah
Seller: Dennis M. Nubile
Date: 09/18/18

55 Fairview Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Ashley Witherspoon
Seller: Mark M. Santos
Date: 09/14/18

541 Front St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: MacMar LLC
Seller: Endo Realty LLC
Date: 09/17/18

547 Front St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $125,886
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Kevin P. Deyo
Date: 09/17/18

117 Frontenac St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $181,000
Buyer: Cristina A. Vera
Seller: Joseph G. Hurst
Date: 09/14/18

27 Harding St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Revampit LLC
Seller: Robert J. Liswell
Date: 09/14/18

8 Highland Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $139,400
Buyer: Ditech Financial LLC
Seller: Kenneth J. Butler
Date: 09/13/18

6 Lapa Farm Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Kate-Lyn Reigner
Seller: Duval, Alfred J., (Estate)
Date: 09/17/18

166 Loomis Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Spano
Seller: Mark A. Boutin
Date: 09/14/18

145 Manning St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $185,900
Buyer: Nicholas J. Brault
Seller: Adam R. Haney
Date: 09/21/18

1746 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Kasmir S. Machowski
Seller: Denise E. Ferrington
Date: 09/14/18

1790 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Shane M. Joubert
Seller: FNMA
Date: 09/14/18

Oakwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Christina Bordeau
Seller: Marco Vieira
Date: 09/19/18

111 Reed St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Felix A. Ramos
Seller: Mike A. Rivera
Date: 09/21/18

172 Rimmon Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $143,500
Buyer: Caroline E. Dziel
Seller: Revampit LLC
Date: 09/20/18

155 Royal St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $167,100
Buyer: Abigail Lynn
Seller: Peter J. Hodgson
Date: 09/20/18

28 Royal St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $116,200
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Jason D. Guertin
Date: 09/18/18

122 Saint James Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $160,500
Buyer: Cynthia A. Harris
Seller: Sabita Harold
Date: 09/19/18

74 Shaw Park Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Arnold Construction Inc.
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 09/14/18

37 Simone Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Taylor Forrant
Seller: Nancy Morales
Date: 09/10/18

23 State St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Alex T. Krofta
Seller: Maria Szmigiel
Date: 09/17/18

EAST LONGMEADOW

43 Meadowbrook Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $223,650
Buyer: Linda Coughlin
Seller: Bank New York Mellon
Date: 09/18/18

82 Meadowbrook Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $205,820
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Jeremy Weeks
Date: 09/20/18

23 Nottingham Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Thomas S. O’Connor
Seller: Wayne M. Williams
Date: 09/17/18

48 Pleasant St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Roman Bobrek
Seller: Dennis A. Matulewicz
Date: 09/11/18

120 Pleasant St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $196,000
Buyer: Kayla N. Papadoulias
Seller: Meghan Midghall
Date: 09/17/18

17 Princeton St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Kerianne Fortin
Seller: Kathryn A. Rose
Date: 09/12/18

217 Prospect St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Omar S. Cox
Seller: Patricia A. Towson
Date: 09/12/18

9 Savoy Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $334,900
Buyer: Jeffrey C. Russo
Seller: Ralph L. Urbini
Date: 09/21/18

GRANVILLE

22 Water St.
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Ronald R. Roux
Seller: K. Eric Petersen
Date: 09/18/18

HAMPDEN

376 Chapin Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $322,500
Buyer: Keith D. Lemelin-Bliss
Seller: David A. Marcotte
Date: 09/20/18

74 North Monson Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Lawrenc Sherrer-Benjamin
Seller: Barbara Cardano
Date: 09/14/18

HOLLAND

4 Darcy St.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $125,460
Buyer: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Seller: Andrew A. St.George
Date: 09/13/18

11 Leisure Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Mark E. Lund
Seller: Kaufman, Stanley, (Estate)
Date: 09/10/18

HOLYOKE

93-95 Bowers St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Anibal Rivera
Seller: Roberto Alvarado-Lopez
Date: 09/14/18

24 Clark St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Kenneth Lauzier
Seller: Josue Colon
Date: 09/13/18

11 Hendel Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: David J. Beauregard
Seller: Luis D. Arroyo
Date: 09/13/18

138 Michigan Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Summer R. Turner
Seller: James Sypniak
Date: 09/10/18

439 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: James T. Fitzgerald
Seller: Candice E. Demers
Date: 09/14/18

235 Ontario Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: M. Schlegel-Bresnahan
Seller: Edward Begley
Date: 09/21/18

19 Ross Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Samantha A. Cristofori
Seller: Suzanne Mead
Date: 09/17/18

273 Sargeant St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $173,500
Buyer: Brett A. Babilonia
Seller: Jackie Rosa
Date: 09/14/18

LONGMEADOW

130 Edgewood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Justin G. Savage
Seller: Hinson Yuen
Date: 09/21/18

579 Laurel St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Tamara L. Dominick
Seller: 579 Laurel Street LLC
Date: 09/10/18

742 Laurel St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Ryan P. Bradley
Seller: Jonathan S. Fahy
Date: 09/10/18

21 Meadowlark Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Gregory G. Wegrzyn
Seller: David Chapdelaine
Date: 09/13/18

105 Pinewood Hills
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $955,000
Buyer: Elizabeth S. Howard
Seller: Michael B. Londergan
Date: 09/11/18

64 Ridge Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $398,400
Buyer: David A. Samuelsen
Seller: Gary J. Teixeira
Date: 09/10/18

45 Riverview Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Laurie W. Cournoyer
Seller: Douglas J. Allen
Date: 09/17/18

62 Stirling St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Kristi Chamberlain
Seller: Andrew J. Stevens
Date: 09/20/18

72 Tanglewood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Douglas J. Allen
Seller: Katherine A. Spallino
Date: 09/17/18

LUDLOW

Autumn Ridge Road #40
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Sean M. Knox
Seller: Whitetail Wreks LLC
Date: 09/14/18

40 Cady St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $150,700
Buyer: Nestor J. Beauchamp
Seller: Gabriel A. Faria
Date: 09/14/18

119 Cislak Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $545,000
Buyer: Bruce L. Vlohiotis
Seller: Michael A. Major
Date: 09/11/18

341 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Angela Wozniak
Seller: Richard M. Tereso
Date: 09/21/18

1245 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $177,500
Buyer: Nathan C. Barroso
Seller: Irene C. Cellillie
Date: 09/10/18

128 Feeding Hills Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $157,500
Buyer: Kaitlyn N. Daysh
Seller: Labranche, Francis H., (Estate)
Date: 09/12/18

9-11 Joy St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Juan C. Acevedo
Seller: Victor L. Rodrigues
Date: 09/14/18

620 Miller St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $1,100,000
Buyer: 620 Miller Street LLC
Seller: Raymond A. Recor
Date: 09/12/18

123 Moody St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: John Phelps
Seller: Beaudreau, Raymond R., (Estate)
Date: 09/19/18

98 Moore St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Genevieve G. Vance
Date: 09/11/18

62 Wedgewood Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $292,000
Buyer: Philip A. Myers
Seller: Richard G. Plummer
Date: 09/11/18

85 West Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Ashley Lopez
Seller: Charles R. Percy
Date: 09/20/18

112 Westerly Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Angela L. Martins
Seller: Grzegorz Nowakowski
Date: 09/10/18

MONSON

17 Old Stagecoach Dr.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Jason Woodrow
Seller: Elizabeth C. Chase
Date: 09/14/18

122 Peck Brothers Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $160,247
Buyer: Ryan A. Shorette
Seller: Rodney A. Shorette
Date: 09/19/18

MONTGOMERY

286 Main Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $367,900
Buyer: Stefan J. Czaporowski
Seller: Daniel J. Pais
Date: 09/18/18

PALMER

75 Beech St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Brandon M. Albano
Seller: David S. Anton
Date: 09/14/18

2310 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Leslie T. Frey
Seller: Frances M. Strychaz
Date: 09/11/18

1562-1564 North Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Mary J. Johnson
Date: 09/10/18

SOUTHWICK

94 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: Brian E. Durand
Seller: Thomas E. Piccoli
Date: 09/21/18

112 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: James A. Davenport
Seller: Moreau, William A., (Estate)
Date: 09/14/18

767 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Fiore Realty Holdings LLC
Seller: Steven C. Yucha
Date: 09/14/18

771 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Fiore Realty Holdings LLC
Seller: Yucha Irene, (Estate)
Date: 09/14/18

12 Gargon Terrace
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Kalman S. Cagan
Seller: John Cassidy
Date: 09/21/18

15 Liquori Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: John Cain
Seller: J. Taylor Albright
Date: 09/17/18

143 North Lake Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Steve Wenninger
Seller: Tracy Albano
Date: 09/21/18

11 Nicholson Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Berkshire Omega Corp.
Seller: Jocelyn H. Kinlock
Date: 09/20/18

17 Oak St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $476,000
Buyer: Aleda D. Amistadi
Seller: Robert F. Danczak
Date: 09/14/18

14 Ranch Club Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Mark M. Fulco
Seller: Sunnyside Ranch Estates
Date: 09/13/18

SPRINGFIELD

126 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: Edwin J. Melendez
Seller: Adolphina Figueroa
Date: 09/14/18

705 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: William J. Curtis
Seller: Laurie Witham-Cournoyer
Date: 09/17/18

5 Angelica Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Kimberley Strother
Seller: Ronald K. Roberts
Date: 09/10/18

47-49 Ashley St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Edwin Ortiz-Gonzalez
Seller: Western Mass Realty LLC
Date: 09/17/18

18-20 Batavia St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Edwin Ortiz-Gonzalez
Seller: Western Mass Realty LLC
Date: 09/17/18

46-48 Beauchamp St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Kelvin J. Quinones-Ortiz
Seller: Stephen A. Byrne
Date: 09/21/18

170 Blanche St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Cassandra L. Asselin
Seller: Roberts, Barbara S., (Estate)
Date: 09/12/18

879 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Boston Road Assocs. LLC
Seller: Kevin A. Sarrette
Date: 09/19/18

679 Bradley Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $132,500
Buyer: DJD Real Estate LLC
Seller: Sioux Tozzi
Date: 09/10/18

101 Bristol St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Ronaldo M. DeMelo
Seller: Chad Lynch
Date: 09/10/18

89 Chesterfield Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $185,750
Buyer: Scott M. Beaulac
Seller: Paul T. Kinney
Date: 09/14/18

54-56 Clantoy St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $208,200
Buyer: Christopher D. Marble
Seller: Noemi S. Ramos
Date: 09/13/18

40 Denton Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Stalin Ortega
Seller: Bassam Mawla
Date: 09/19/18

58 Derby Dingle St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Iris L. Rivera
Seller: Ann Boucher-Makkiya
Date: 09/10/18

16 Devonshire Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Shayla Navedo
Seller: US Bank
Date: 09/10/18

56 Dimmick St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Aida Ruiz-Batiste
Seller: Byrnes, Joanne G., (Estate)
Date: 09/14/18

60 Driftwood Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: Karla M. Rivera
Seller: Jon R. Fontaine
Date: 09/12/18

1529 Dwight St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Barwako Hassan
Seller: Amat Victoria Curam LLC
Date: 09/14/18

1603 Dwight St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Nolava LLC
Seller: Kelnate Realty LLC
Date: 09/13/18

34 East Hill Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Jorge L. Rivera
Seller: Jennifer Barrett
Date: 09/14/18

18 Earl St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Damian A. Gawle
Seller: Enrique Ortiz
Date: 09/14/18

7 East St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Christian S. Carmona
Seller: Brian C. Valois
Date: 09/11/18

93 Eddywood St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $165,500
Buyer: Rosemarie Oppedisano
Seller: Trisha L. Chase
Date: 09/21/18

257 Edendale St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Douglas G. Forget
Seller: Value Properties LLC
Date: 09/14/18

190 Fort Pleasant Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: James Berlin
Seller: Richard M. Montefusco
Date: 09/18/18

240 Garnet St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Stephanie M. Johnson
Seller: James P. Rudolph
Date: 09/20/18

241 Gillette Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $164,000
Buyer: William J. Marchetti
Seller: John F. Quigley
Date: 09/18/18

56 Greaney St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $149,900
Buyer: Rosa Nunez
Seller: Yadaris Rivera
Date: 09/18/18

32 Hamlet St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Norma J. Davis
Seller: Janice Zajdel
Date: 09/10/18

65 Harkness Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Andrea Dangelo
Seller: Samantha A. Stolz
Date: 09/17/18

69 Harkness Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Carlene Foreman-Johnson
Seller: Alliance Real Estate Sol
Date: 09/18/18

46-48 Harvey St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Melani Dejesus-Cartagena
Seller: Joseph M. Welcz
Date: 09/18/18

17 Indian Leap St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $153,087
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Manuel Ramirez
Date: 09/10/18

52 Jasper St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Lucy Darkwah
Seller: SAW Contacting LLC
Date: 09/17/18

252 Jasper St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $141,000
Buyer: Marilenny Brito
Seller: Deborah D. Evans
Date: 09/19/18

267 Jasper St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: Alexander B. Farrell
Seller: S&C Homebuyers LLC
Date: 09/14/18

48-50 Jenness St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Jesus A. Batista
Seller: Anthony D. Amato
Date: 09/21/18

19 Jerilis Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $118,900
Buyer: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Seller: William S. Alexander
Date: 09/13/18

53 Kathleen St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Justin C. Mabb
Seller: William J. Curtis
Date: 09/17/18

155 Kimberly Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Tiereem Brown
Seller: Juan C. Lugo-Morales
Date: 09/14/18

95 Kimberly Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Jahaira Alamo
Seller: Joseph Basile
Date: 09/10/18

34 Lamont St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $134,000
Buyer: Antonio Lebron
Seller: Daniel P. King
Date: 09/10/18

14 Lancashire Road
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Saad Mohammed
Seller: Jose Naula
Date: 09/19/18

57-59 Leyfred Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Chad Lynch
Seller: WQN Management LLC
Date: 09/14/18

45 Malden St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Luis C. Berrios
Seller: JJS Capital Investment
Date: 09/20/18

103-105 Massasoit St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $151,000
Buyer: Timothy J. Kirsch
Seller: Betsy A. Cavanaugh
Date: 09/21/18

179-181 Massasoit St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $219,900
Buyer: J. Y. Calderon-DeGaldamez
Seller: Carolyn Carolino
Date: 09/20/18

145 Mayfair Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Luz Semprit
Seller: US Bank
Date: 09/11/18

26 Meadowlark Lane
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $195,800
Buyer: Nicole F. Acerra
Seller: Pagella, Marianne F., (Estate)
Date: 09/17/18

55 Meadowlark Lane
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Stanley Sam
Seller: Annmarie Alexander
Date: 09/14/18

27 Middlebrook Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $172,400
Buyer: Ivelisse Morales
Seller: Stephen P. Wagner
Date: 09/18/18

11 Mortimer St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Shana Ardella-Hill
Seller: Charles L. Randall
Date: 09/20/18

246 Naismith St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Kirandeep Kaur
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 09/21/18

365 Newbury St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Chad Lynch
Seller: WN Management LLC
Date: 09/14/18

365 Nottingham St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $149,900
Buyer: Susan C. Hanley
Seller: Hassan Saleh
Date: 09/14/18

20 Oakdale St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Kevin A. Sarrette
Seller: Mikart Corp.
Date: 09/21/18

1559 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Tien Pham
Seller: Dale W. Mazanec
Date: 09/10/18

19 Portland St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: Jonathan Arce-Rivera
Seller: Hecham M. Domani
Date: 09/20/18

180 Powell Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Cassandra Bachetti
Seller: Sara Penna
Date: 09/14/18

103 Prospect St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: Southbridge RE LLC
Seller: Way Finders Inc.
Date: 09/14/18

40 Revere St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Victor Calderon
Seller: Palma Faulknor
Date: 09/21/18

1027 Roosevelt Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $138,170
Buyer: Francia Filpo
Seller: Bernice D. Laterreur
Date: 09/14/18

105 Rosewell St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: T. E. Rodriguez-Gonzalez
Seller: Keith B. Lemelin-Bliss
Date: 09/18/18

222 Rosewell St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: Rebecca Goda
Seller: Western Mass. Property Development
Date: 09/21/18

559 Saint James Circle
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $3,150,000
Buyer: PMG SLB 1 LLC
Seller: HDC 2 LLC
Date: 09/12/18

104 Shefford St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Margarita Rivera-Morales
Seller: James B. Leydon
Date: 09/14/18

31 South Tallyho Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $221,000
Buyer: Ralph Darco
Seller: Jeremy Hollins
Date: 09/17/18

126 Starling Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Tiffany A. Berg
Seller: Steven H. Sansouci
Date: 09/10/18

639 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $147,627
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: James P. Harrison
Date: 09/17/18

40 Swan Hill Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Rejean Roy
Seller: Jonathan F. Kowinski
Date: 09/10/18

11-13 Tapley St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $3,150,000
Buyer: PMG SLB 1 LLC
Seller: HDC 2 LLC
Date: 09/12/18

15 Teakwood Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Gabriel Perez-Gonzalez
Seller: John T. Sternowki
Date: 09/21/18

89 Teakwood Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Edna Rodriguez
Seller: Robert C. Lepkowski
Date: 09/14/18

79 Treetop Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Awilda Rojas
Seller: Jason R. Aliengena
Date: 09/14/18

293 Tremont St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: Naken Joseph
Seller: Charles W. Strong
Date: 09/18/18

613 Union St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Chad Lynch
Seller: NI Management LLC
Date: 09/14/18

775 Union St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $123,000
Buyer: Makensy Nicolas
Seller: Mercedes St.George
Date: 09/21/18

553 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Juan Soto-Nieves
Seller: Nilsa I. Vazquez
Date: 09/21/18

25 Wilton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $147,500
Buyer: Ginger A. Hindle
Seller: Eric T. Paul
Date: 09/14/18

WEST SPRINGFIELD

5 Boulevard Place
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $259,000
Buyer: Daniel A. Kennedy
Seller: James F. Parker
Date: 09/18/18

42 Cooper St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $223,900
Buyer: Kamali Tamang
Seller: Melro Associates Inc.
Date: 09/14/18

65-71 Craig Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $12,000,000
Buyer: Homelike Management LLC
Seller: Home-Like Apartments Inc.
Date: 09/12/18

326 Dewey St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Matthew A. Wanat
Seller: TEL Properties LLC
Date: 09/17/18

76 Elmdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Nathan A. Bech
Seller: Raymond A. Nadeau
Date: 09/21/18

37 Garden St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Vasile Taralunga
Seller: US Bank
Date: 09/14/18

16 Maple Terrace
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Mahindra Chhetri
Seller: MTGLQ Investors LP
Date: 09/14/18

65 Meadowbrook Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $258,750
Buyer: Edmund J. Massa
Seller: Eileen F. Lutat
Date: 09/17/18

291 Morgan Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Kumar Sunchuri
Seller: James W. Lee
Date: 09/14/18

560 Morgan Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Glen J. Nault
Seller: Donald A. Nault
Date: 09/12/18

24 Orange St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $120,100
Buyer: Pamela M. Sherry
Seller: Bank Of America
Date: 09/19/18

15 Prince Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Sara Kyser
Seller: Peter Gurchenko
Date: 09/21/18

WESTFIELD

32 Atwater St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Noris Cuevas-Nova
Seller: US Bank
Date: 09/13/18

37 Cross St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Benjamin Velevitch
Date: 09/19/18

40 Flynn Meadow Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $449,900
Buyer: Christopher R. Casey
Seller: RSP Realty LLC
Date: 09/21/18

Furrowtown Road #D
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: G&F Custom Built Homes
Seller: F&G Development Corp.
Date: 09/21/18

42 Grandview Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $184,900
Buyer: Aaron Whitaker
Seller: Lorenzatti, Marion A., (Estate)
Date: 09/20/18

12 Hamilton Way
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $334,900
Buyer: Yuan Zhang
Seller: Glen A. Ebisch
Date: 09/13/18

274 Holyoke Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Jeffrey W. Hart
Seller: Henry J. Fries
Date: 09/20/18

16 Laurel Terrace
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Ryan E. Fisk
Seller: Christopher R. Casey
Date: 09/21/18

9 Lockhouse Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Westside Housing Inc.
Seller: Michael A. O’Donnell
Date: 09/13/18

82 Massey St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Gilberto Febus
Seller: RSP Realty LLC
Date: 09/21/18

91 Pineridge Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $338,900
Buyer: Patrick J. Lennon
Seller: Dana R. Raymond
Date: 09/21/18

157 Pontoosic Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Edward F. Carmel
Seller: Leon A. Boguszewski
Date: 09/21/18

8 Schumann Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Matthew Welch
Seller: Paul E. Jaeger
Date: 09/19/18

52 Simmons Brook Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Warren R. Tanguay
Seller: John E. Fleury
Date: 09/21/18

62 South Meadow Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Anatoliy Danyuk
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 09/12/18

380 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Borges Properties LLC
Seller: Heather E. Midura
Date: 09/14/18

229 Steiger Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $287,800
Buyer: Paul G. Thibodeau
Seller: Natalie P. Murphy
Date: 09/14/18

281 Steiger Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $352,900
Buyer: Nicholas P. Pitsiladis
Seller: Constance M. Blake
Date: 09/17/18

124 Susan Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $119,500
Buyer: Igor Shiper
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 09/20/18

10 Trimmer Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: John Blake
Seller: Brookfield Relocation Inc.
Date: 09/18/18

39 West School St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $166,460
Buyer: PNC Bank
Seller: Caitlin M. Hopson
Date: 09/14/18

40 Westfield Industrial Park
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: GKL LLC
Seller: 65 Westfield Park Road LLC
Date: 09/13/18

21 William St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Angela Hollis
Seller: Robin Sheldon
Date: 09/14/18

36 White St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $204,175
Buyer: PHH Mortgage Corp
Seller: Patricia A. Lee
Date: 09/18/18

108 Wildflower Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Anna K. Blanco
Seller: Jessica L. Mongeau
Date: 09/21/18

WILBRAHAM

3085 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $142,500
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Dolores DelRio
Date: 09/19/18

498 Glendale Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Robert C. Rubin
Seller: John O. Hayden
Date: 09/14/18

1062 Glendale Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Kermuel RT
Seller: Wilmington Savings
Date: 09/17/18

9 Hollow Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $241,000
Buyer: Nicole A. Tobin
Seller: Evan J. Moore
Date: 09/21/18

8 Ladd Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Daniel Boutin
Seller: Jeffrey P. Chapin
Date: 09/21/18

15 Magnolia St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Nequefa J. Carnegie
Seller: Michelle G. Williams
Date: 09/21/18

93 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: JP Morgan Chase Bank
Seller: Stephan M. Habiger
Date: 09/11/18

84 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Brian C. Valois
Seller: Brandy E. Alexander
Date: 09/11/18

13 Overlook Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Arnold Huruma-Kange
Seller: Paul C. Poon
Date: 09/12/18

575 Ridge Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $575,000
Buyer: Anthony M. Gomes
Seller: Christopher J. Fontaine
Date: 09/20/18

415 Soule Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Heidi M. Mantler
Date: 09/12/18

464 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $297,000
Buyer: James C. Hutchinson
Seller: Richard J. Maziarz
Date: 09/14/18

171 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: A. Richard Palatino
Seller: RC&L LLC
Date: 09/18/18

175 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: A. Richard Palatino
Seller: RC&L LLC
Date: 09/18/18

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Kestrel Land TR
Seller: Balderwood RT
Date: 09/14/18

30 Fearing St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Martha Jamison
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 09/10/18

683 East Pleasant St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $372,000
Buyer: JMJS 1 LLC
Seller: Mary A. Mader RET
Date: 09/19/18

25 Station Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $640,000
Buyer: Donna A. Rouisse
Seller: Ann R. Small
Date: 09/19/18

29-33 Summer St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $484,900
Buyer: Juan M. Ruiz-Hau
Seller: Mochon, Anne, (Estate)
Date: 09/19/18

BELCHERTOWN

247 Allen Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $275,400
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Evarice Payen
Date: 09/19/18

Magnolia Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $412,900
Buyer: Mark A. Fanty
Seller: J. N. Duquette & Son Construction
Date: 09/17/18

EASTHAMPTON

35 Ashley Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Jessica E. Brueshaber
Seller: Bruce L. Vlohiotis
Date: 09/11/18

10 Camelot Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Russell L. Ellsworth
Seller: Jeremy C. Bucci
Date: 09/14/18

50 Church St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $180,535
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Marlene E. Snape
Date: 09/14/18

65-67 Emerald Place
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Jonathan N. Kelley
Seller: Noelle K. Doherty
Date: 09/21/18

65-67 Glendale St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $555,000
Buyer: Roddy Cameron
Seller: 65 Glendale Realty LLC
Date: 09/17/18

34 Hendrick St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Roger D. Thouin
Seller: Katie J. Theriault
Date: 09/12/18

9 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $289,000
Buyer: Thomas B. Malsbury
Seller: Sean K. Porth
Date: 09/17/18

122 Loudville Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $414,000
Buyer: James A. Huston
Seller: Roland M. Liebmann
Date: 09/13/18

23 South St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Northelm RT
Seller: Lakeview Loan Servicing
Date: 09/17/18

9 Summit Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: Rhonda J. Venne
Seller: Thomas Newton
Date: 09/18/18

GOSHEN

28 Lake Dr.
Goshen, MA 01096
Amount: $263,000
Buyer: Vanessa Chatwood-Kerby
Seller: Warren Carrington FT
Date: 09/21/18

GRANBY

211 Amherst St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jennifer L. Bolmarcich
Seller: William G. Sharp
Date: 09/17/18

East State St. #1
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Nancy T. Cebula
Seller: Stephen J. Polchlopek
Date: 09/20/18

152 Pleasant St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $386,000
Buyer: Allison Lapointe
Seller: Ryan Hedges
Date: 09/20/18

HADLEY

3 Bayberry Lane
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $627,500
Buyer: Monte S. Becker
Seller: John A. Micheletto
Date: 09/13/18

68 Mount Warner Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Alexander M. Bilodeau
Seller: Rosenlund, Debra A., (Estate)
Date: 09/13/18

34 East Commons Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $459,500
Buyer: Barbara King-Shaver
Seller: East Street Commons LLC
Date: 09/20/18

131 East St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $302,500
Buyer: Katherine M. Prajzner
Seller: John A. Bakaj
Date: 09/19/18

136 East St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $710,700
Buyer: Peter Niedbala
Seller: Niedbala, Julianna, (Estate)
Date: 09/20/18

10 Frallo Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Stephen R. Bagshaw
Seller: Lois C. Sadowski
Date: 09/21/18

169 South Maple St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $775,000
Buyer: W. Eric Egan
Seller: Robert J. Dufresne
Date: 09/14/18

35 Spruce Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $379,000
Buyer: Valley Building Co. Inc.
Seller: Demay, Andree, (Estate)
Date: 09/10/18

40 West St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Valerie K. Hood
Seller: Roam Development LLC
Date: 09/21/18

HATFIELD

461 Main St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Teresa B. Houle
Seller: Mark J. Stein
Date: 09/20/18

94 Main St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: David Stryker
Seller: Arthur W. Wright
Date: 09/21/18

42 North St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: RFP 42 North LLC
Seller: Kenneth A. Zima
Date: 09/21/18

3 Old Stage Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Catherine Benincasa
Seller: Christopher J. Brennan
Date: 09/21/18

14 Pine Edge Way
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: TJPD LLC
Seller: Mary Sheridan
Date: 09/18/18

HUNTINGTON

46 Basket St.
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $201,488
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Jennifer A. King
Date: 09/21/18

9 Park Ridge Dr.
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Ronald G. Craig
Date: 09/11/18

11 Park Ridge Dr.
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $397,107
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: James G. Aiken
Date: 09/21/18

NORTHAMPTON

33 Berkshire Terrace
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Joseph W. Clark
Seller: Thomas R. Clark
Date: 09/21/18

985 Florence Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $197,478
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Sandra K. Wheeler
Date: 09/19/18

79 Golden Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: William T. Maginnis
Seller: Diane M. Huyser
Date: 09/11/18

21 Henry St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Sulafa Roumaya-Elia
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 09/13/18

260 Prospect St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: Katherine A. Jarrell
Seller: William T. Maginnis
Date: 09/11/18

25 Redford Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Lesley A. Gray
Seller: Aste, Esther Phyllis, (Estate)
Date: 09/14/18

36 Rick Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Gunther
Seller: Robin M. Staples
Date: 09/13/18

81 Sandy Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Allan E. Clawson
Seller: Stefan Czaporowski
Date: 09/18/18

29 Sumner Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Paul M. Shirk
Seller: Jonathan Lane
Date: 09/19/18

6 Trumbull Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $850,000
Buyer: Trumbull Partners LLC
Seller: Trumbull Realty LLC
Date: 09/14/18

PLAINFIELD

116 East Main St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: David Thibault
Seller: Robert, E. Waryjasz Sr. TR
Date: 09/13/18

SOUTH HADLEY

87 Abbey St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Kristie A. Levrault
Seller: Anne E. Boyden
Date: 09/18/18

51 Lamb St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $117,000
Buyer: Michael Caron
Seller: Eugene Trottier
Date: 09/10/18

1 Rivercrest Way
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $362,367
Buyer: Joseph V. Gosselin
Seller: Rivercrest Condominiums
Date: 09/20/18

50 Searle Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Hassan Saleh
Seller: Dream RT
Date: 09/20/18

SOUTHAMPTON

51 Coleman Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $487,000
Buyer: Cynthia E. Cole
Seller: Jane E. Lagowski TR
Date: 09/14/18

6 Coleman Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $129,000
Buyer: Timothy H. Hopkins
Seller: Albert E. Paone
Date: 09/14/18

30 Lead Mine Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Christopher P. Dowland
Seller: Marc F. Birchenough
Date: 09/21/18

52 Line St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $242,100
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Nancy A. Perrier
Date: 09/19/18

5 Madeline Way
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Gerald D. Lashway
Seller: Thomas J. Hogan
Date: 09/21/18

8 Madeline Way
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $537,365
Buyer: Jon P. Brodeur
Seller: Olde Colonial Building Co.
Date: 09/10/18

Pleasant St. #A2
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Robert B. Riggs
Seller: Chester J. Kellogg
Date: 09/18/18

Quigley Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Judith K. Ziegler
Seller: Pellegrini Development
Date: 09/13/18

78 Russellville Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Edward F. Podlovits
Seller: Doris E. Youmell NT
Date: 09/21/18

WARE

68 Dugan Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $292,000
Buyer: John H. Desrosiers
Seller: Lee P. Haywood
Date: 09/12/18

7 Gould Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: William J. Rabideau
Seller: Arthur Bechard
Date: 09/21/18

341 Monson Turnpike Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: William Morales
Seller: Brian Steiner
Date: 09/10/18

144 North St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Christopher P. Zisk
Seller: Richard W. Correia
Date: 09/14/18

Old Gilbertville Rd #14
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Kelsey R. Jurczyk
Seller: Andrew L. Mandell
Date: 09/18/18

Old Gilbertville Rd #15
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Kelsey R. Jurczyk
Seller: Andrew L. Mandell
Date: 09/18/18

WESTHAMPTON

12 Loudville Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Luis D. Arroyo
Seller: Viorel P. Duca
Date: 09/13/18

Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the months of September and October 2018.

CHICOPEE

64 Dulong Circle, LLC
64 Dulong Circle
$1,000 — Add sprinkler head to building

Campagnari Construction, LLC
122-124 Pine St.
$135,000 — Repair fire-damaged structure, including new heating, electric, plumbing, and roof

Christy Real Estate, LLC
710 Fuller Road
$59,400 — Remodel office area and two bathrooms on first floor, remodel bathroom in basement, painting basement walls, and install new carpeting

Houston Enterprises Inc.
1307 Memorial Dr.
$34,000 — Roofing at KFC restaurant

R Squared Realty
63 Olea St.
$1,645 — Roofing

David Roy
490 Meadow St.
$12,000 — Roofing

DEERFIELD

Deerfield Academy
15 Academy Lane
$81,975 — Remove and replace insulation

Deerfield Academy
10 Wells St.
$9,280 — Remove and replace shingles

Deerfield Academy
20 Wells St.
$8,400 — Remove and replace shingles

Deerfield Industrial, LLC
5 Industrial Dr. West
$207,834 — Construct new facade

GREENFIELD

Connecticut River Watershed Co.
15 Bank Row
$102,216 — Install 66 solar panels on roof

DCTL, LLC
305 Wells St.
Free-standing sign for Camelot Carpet Cleaners

Franklin Associates
87-91 Main St.
Change faces of free-standing sign for Wilkins Insurance Network

Four Rivers Educational Foundation
248 Colrain Road
$35,200 — Replace barn roof

Pierce Brothers Gourmet Distributors Inc.
47 Silvio O. Conte Dr.
Change face of sign for Pierce Brothers Coffee

LONGMEADOW

Longmeadow Medical Arts Center, LLC
21 Dwight Road
$36,000 — Signs

Longmeadow Medical Arts Center, LLC
21 Dwight Road
$36,000 — Signs

Longmeadow Medical Arts Center, LLC
21 Dwight Road
$2,000 — Signs

Longmeadow Medical Arts Center, LLC
21 Dwight Road
$1,600 — Signs

Longmeadow Medical Arts Center, LLC
21 Dwight Road
$25,000 — Signs

Ryan Tunstall
34 Hillcrest Ave.
$15,000 — Install small cell antenna on existing utility pole for Berkshire Wireless Corp.

NORTHAMPTON

Clinical & Support Options Inc.
29 North Main St.
$3,000 — Replace exterior stairs and landing

Community Legal Aid
20 Hampton Ave.
$3,800 — Add partition wall and exterior door

Smith College
51 College Lane
$11,000 — Add two bottle fillers

Smith College
100 Green St.
$10,000 — Modify existing cabinets and countertops in Ford Hall to accommodate new chemistry hoods

Think Tank Brewers, LLC
9 Pearl St.
$1,000 — Illuminated wall sign

SPRINGFIELD

Blue Tarp Redevelopment, LLC
99 Union St.
$12,000 — Install fire-alarm system at MGM maintenance building and kennel

C & W Breckwood Realty Co.
1060 Wilbraham Road
$25,000 — Add three cellular antennas and nine remote radio heads to existing AT&T tower

Elfran, LP
771 Page Blvd.
$50,000 — Alter interior space at McDonald’s restaurant, including new self-ordering kiosks and lighting-fixture replacements

Mittas Hospitality, LLC; DD Development, LLC; Rudra Realty, LLC
1500 Main St.
$330,000 — Alter interior space for Community Bank branch reconfiguration

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Avson Brewing, LLC
89 Baldwin St.
$176,376 — Interior renovations to existing commercial structure, install new exterior doors and windows

William Bayton
163 Norman St.
$1,526 — Install new fire/security combo panel and components

WILBRAHAM

Bellasophia, LLC
2343 Boston Road
$3,950 — New door and concrete ramp