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Month: August 2019

The Relationship Business

By
Insurance

Co-owners Anna Holhut and Glenn Allan.

That’s What the Nathan Agencies Have Been in Since 1969

The various names can be confusing at first, but make no mistake, the two divisions that make up the Nathan Agences — Amherst Insurance Agency and Amherst Financial Services — are all about making things clear, whether it’s choosing the right property coverage, exploring the various life-insurance options, or figuring out a strategy to carve out a secure retirement. The three principals say they’re just continuing Ron Nathan’s legacy of creating a one-stop shop to bring peace of mind to all stages of life.

Anna Holhut recalls a family with an insurance claim — no, actually, a family with a life-changing crisis.

“They had a fire, and they had nothing, and I had a check for $25,000 the next morning on my desk so they could go buy shoes and socks — and coats, because it was in the winter. They lost everything. Even if you could put a huge amount on a credit card or have reserves, it’s still huge.”

Or the man who, several years ago, had just lost his mother, so he was already in poor spirits when he came home around 9:30 p.m. to a flooded house due to burst pipes. “That night, we had people out there helping him,” Holhut, president of Amherst Insurance Agency, told BusinessWest. “He was overwhelmed, and he was saying, ‘thank you so much.’ But we want to be there, to try to put things in place to help our clients.”

Part of that process, she noted, is teaming with quality companies, from the insurers themselves to home-restoration firms, attorneys, and anyone else who needs to be part of the insurance process, both when the policy is written and when — often sadly — that coverage comes into play.

“We’ve obviously been here a long time and have the networking to get in touch with people in order to help people, and I love to do that,” she said. “That’s what I strive for.”

Glenn Allan, who co-owns the company with Holhut and serves as its vice president, agreed. “Everybody’s going to say, ‘we provide great service,’ but saying it and doing it are two different things. It’s easy to say, harder to do.”

The Nathan Agencies have been striving to meet that standard since Ron Nathan launched the firm — then known as the Nathan Agency and focusing on life insurance and investment products — in 1969. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the enterprise actually encompasses two distinct businesses under one roof: Amherst Insurance Agency and Amherst Financial Services, the latter owned by financial advisor Christian Sulmasy.

Christian Sulmasy says he brings a “comprehensive approach” to his work in financial services.

Sulmasy’s clients run the gamut from young people seeking a basic life-insurance policy or a 401(k), just getting used to saving and financial planning, to people in their 50s deciding where to focus their investment energies and discussing long-term-care insurance, to people in retirement protecting their assets.

“What I’m trying to bring to the table is a more comprehensive approach,” Sulmasy said. “When Ron set this all up, he wanted it to be a one-stop shop, so when a client comes in, it’s ‘let us help you with your retirement, your life insurance, insuring your house.’ It’s more than just, ‘let’s roll over your IRA, and let me manage your IRA.’ Now, we’re doing things like retirement projections. Are you on track? Are you not on track? And what strategies do we employ? That’s what I bring to the table, that comprehensive approach.”

In short, these two businesses under the Nathan Agencies umbrella comprise a lifetime of services for clients of all ages who are looking to the future and wondering how to make it a secure and successful one.

Continuum of Care

When Nathan opened his doors in 1969, Sulmasy said, “he created quite a practice. At one time, he sold a lot of life insurance. He did financial services. He also had property and casualty insurance, all under the Nathan Agencies umbrella. And he even had a real-estate arm at one point, which doesn’t exist anymore.”

In 1979, Nathan purchased the Amherst Insurance and Real Estate Agencies and changed his company’s name to the Nathan Agencies. These days, Amherst Insurance Agency offers property and casualty products, and the Amherst Financial Services Agency provides life insurance, health insurance, and financial-services products through Lincoln Investment.

As Nathan approached retirement, he forged a succession plan to allow the business to continue. In 2012, he sold Amherst Insurance Agency to Holhut and Allan, who had joined the firm in 1987 and 1991, respectively. Sulmasy came on board in 2014 and struck a deal to purchase Amherst Financial Services in 2017.

Holhut and Allan mainly serve individual clients, though a growing commercial-lines practice serves a range of companies, with niches including the home daycare market. “Those are people a lot of companies have difficulty insuring or don’t want to insure,” Allan said. “We’re more of a personal-lines agency than a commercial-lines agency, although we’re trying to grow the commercial aspect of the business.”

No matter the client, Holhut said, customer service is a particular point of emphasis. “I would say we run our business like a family business even though we’re not related. It’s the customer service to our clients; we really strive to go the extra mile for our clients. We have receptionists answering the phone when you call. It’s a very friendly, upbeat staff.”

Allan agreed. “We try to ensure that, when people are left messages, they respond in a timely manner. That’s the biggest complaint we hear from people coming from other agencies — ‘oh, they never got back to me.’ We never want to hear that about our staff.”

Technology has driven plenty of change in the insurance world; Holhut and Allen have both been around to witness the total changeover from paper files to electronic ones, and how that has affected speed of communication and response times between agents and customers — not to mention the ability to respond to a need from anywhere.

“Heaven forbid we had a tornado or hurricane and we couldn’t be here. I always want to be able to set up somewhere we can help our clients. And we can put things into play to do that,” Holhut said. “Because that’s when you need somebody — when something bad happens.”

Again, it’s that message of relationships and personal service, which she said customers can’t get from direct insurance writers on the internet.

“We look at people’s policies, and we’re astonished at the limits. When something happens, they find out they have only $5,000 worth of property-damage coverage and they did $25,000 in damage. There aren’t many cars out there worth only $5,000. So it’s a matter of educating them,” she said. “When people are purchasing something online, they’re just pushing buttons, and they’re just going for the lowest price, and the lowest price isn’t always the best. Maybe you get it cheaper, but you don’t have the coverage you need when something happens.”

Or, as Allan put it, “are you buying a price, or are you buying the coverage you need?”

Education is a big part of Sulmasy’s job, too, whether it’s helping small businesses navigate health-insurance offerings or explaining to individual clients what goes into hybrid life-insurance policies, which offer both a health benefit and help paying for long-term care. Or, of course, teaching people why it’s never too early to plan for retirement.

“People are becoming more wise to it, but for every client that wants to move forward, there are two or three who need a push,” he told BusinessWest. “It doesn’t have to be a full estate plan — it could be basic things like a will, healthcare proxy, or power of attorney. At the very least, getting those in place is important.

“Everybody’s different,” he went on. “Some people kick the can down the road: ‘I’ll deal with it next year.’ With them, my role would be to motivate them or push them in the direction to do what’s in their best interest. I can’t make them do it. I’m not an attorney — I can’t draft up a will for them. But we have some relations with estate planners in the area, and where appropriate, I try to at least let them know these are people I’ve done business in the past and have a comfort level with, and if they want to pursue it, I can certainly help them with that.”

Cradle to Grave

Holhut said her division of the Nathan Agencies also has strong rapport with the attorneys and realtors it works with. “We have the reputation of getting the paperwork to them correct and on time. They don’t want headaches. They don’t want to hold up a closing. It’s important. And we stand behind our reputation.”

Meanwhile, an active blog on the agency’s website educates the public on how to mitigate risk with seasonally placed articles on topics ranging from ice dams to kids going away to college.

The two sides of the Nathan Agencies often refer customers to one another, recognizing that, together, they can help people through numerous stages of life, which is something Ron Nathan always prioritized. “A lot of people say they do it,” Allan said, “but we can actually do it.”

Sulmasy, for one, enjoys the aspect of his job that helps people find security and peace of mind.

“I used to be in the corporate world, struggling to find my social footprint on this earth,” he said, adding that he wanted to make a greater impact on society. But it was a failing economy that gave him the kick he needed.

“I was laid off from my last corporate gig in 2008, when the market was plummeting,” he said. “But I was able to figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life. I made the jump into financial planning, where I could still rely on my financial skill set I’d accumulated, but, at the same time, help people in a more meaningful way than I was in the corporate world. And that’s been totally gratifying for me.

“That’s why I got into the industry — I wanted to help people,” he added. “I believe this is a relationship business. I feel like the relationship is equally important as the financial advice and guidance I and my team provide. Knowing it’s about relationships and knowing I’m trying to help people, it’s been a great fit, and I haven’t looked back.”

Holhut looks back, in some ways — like when she finds she has served multiple generations of a family.

“We watch the kids grow up, then they have kids, then the kids are driving … it’s crazy,” she said. “I enjoy that. I’ve always said I love what I do, because I love the people.” u

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Coming Together

By Kayla Ebner
Tourism & Hospitality

Gene Cassidy stands in front of what will soon be the midway sign that Big E visitors know very well.

Production of the Big E Takes a Village, and We’re Not Talking About Storrowton

As the clock ticks down the start of another Big E, an elaborate and well-choreographed effort is underway to get everything set for opening night. As it turns out, this is just one of the myriad traditions synonymous with this annual celebration of New England.

Eugene Cassidy likens the process of getting the Big E ready for opening day to choreographing a dance number. In short, a large number of people have to work in sync and in cooperation with one another to get the desired result.

Preparations for the 17-day long fair, which starts Sept. 13, begin 18 months before it happens, and there are countless moving parts that need to come together — properly and on time — to not only have the fair ready for prime time, but to ensure that each day of The Big E is a success.

“Even though we’re now just a month away from the 2019 fair, we’re well into planning for 2020,” said Cassidy, president and CEO of the Eastern States Exposition, while explaining how the jig-saw puzzle that is the 2019 fair comes together.

“Everybody is probably on pins and needles as we get ready,” he went on. “Coordinating the fairgrounds is really like being a dance instructor. There are so many little things that need to be considered, like what gets placed first. The choreography that’s required is very important.”

And this year, there is more to be choreographed than merely the tents, displays, rides, and flower gardens.

Indeed, while managing the traffic to and from the fair has always been a matter of import (and a stern test) this year there is a much higher degree of difficulty to those maneuvers.

That’s because the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge, which connects Agawam with West Springfield and borders the western end of the fairgrounds, is roughly one third of the way through a three-year renovation project.
The four-lane bridge is down to two, and as anyone who has ever tried to cross the bridge during Big E time knows, four lanes are not nearly enough.

Strategies are being developed to address the matter, said Agawam Mayor William Sapelli, adding that he is working with both the Big E and the town of West Springfield to devise ways to mitigate tieups.

“We discussed the traffic concerns and how we’re going to mitigate some of those issues,” he said. “The Big E has been very, very cooperative. There’s going to be a lot of coordination between the two police departments… it’s kind of like an orchestrated dance; we have our side and they have theirs.”

So it seems there will be a lot of dancing going on, figuratively, before and during this edition of the Big E, which will look to top last year’s record attendance mark of 1,543,470 people.

Organizers believe they have the lineup to do just that, as we’ll see, and, as always, are keeping their fingers crossed on the weather, which is one puzzle piece that can’t be choreographed.

For this issue and its focus on tourism and hospitality, BusinessWest talked at length with Cassidy and others at the fair to gain some perspective on this year’s edition and also how these fairs come to life.

Gene Cassidy says the carnival rides and games, brought in by the North American Midway Entertainment right after Labor Day, all go up in a matter of days.

Parts of the Whole

Cassidy has been coming to the Big E since his youth, and he has many vivid memories from his visits. Among them is his first view of an elephant when he was 7.

Today, it’s his job — and his mission — to make lasting memories for others. He’s been doing this for eight years as president and CEO, and 26 years of working for the exposition in various capacities.

These memory-making duties are rewarding, but also quite challenging at this time, said Cassidy, listing everything from new and different hurdles being faced by agriculture fairs, especially from animal-rights groups, to mounting competition for the time and attention of families — competition that certainly didn’t exist when the fair was launched, to the aging infrastructure of the Big E itself, with many buildings approaching 100 years in age.

These facilities are “capital intensive,” according to Cassidy, who said donations to the fair are modest because some people do not recognize the Eastern States as something that is worthy of making charitable contributions to.

“Because the fair is so successful, we’re sort of a victim of our own success,” he said. “We produce tremendous agricultural events that draw interest across North America, and we make enough income in order to support those events, but we do not have enough income to recapitalize the facility.”

This makes things difficult when updating the older buildings that hold some of the fair’s most beloved traditions. Over the past seven years, Cassidy said, the corporation has spent about $30 million fixing up the buildings.

“My goal is to raise awareness of the importance of the Eastern States in order to stimulate the interest of our region’s businesses in order to raise money to help recapitalize the facilities,” he said, adding that this awareness-raising process comes down to many factors, including the task of putting on a good show each year.

Brynn Cartelli, Longmeadow native and winner of season 14 of The Voice, is set to perform at The Big E on Sept. 13-15 on the Court of Honor stage.

 

And this involves choreography, but also a blending of the traditional and the new in ways that will draw audiences of all ages. And Noreen Tassinari, director of marketing at the Eastern States Exposition, believes this has been accomplished with the 2019 edition of the fair.

“The Big E is, across generations, a tradition here in Western Mass., Connecticut, and throughout New England — people come for many reasons, and some of the reasons are their favorite family traditions,” she said, adding that for many, the fair is a yearly stop in their calendar, which is why it’s so important to keep adding new items to the extensive list of things to do at the fair.

“We like to have a fresh approach each year, so we like to introduce new entertainment and features and certainly new foods so people are buzzing about what’s going on at the Big E this year,” she said. “We want people thinking ‘we can’t miss the fair.’”

Among the new additions for 2019 are a star-studded entertainment lineup with three stages featuring big-name stars like Loverboy, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Brynn Cartelli, as well as other local artists. Other entertainment includes everything from Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula Showcase, a cultural, educational, trade and tourism showcase featuring products from the Emerald Isle, to the Avenue of States, a unique display of buildings representing each New England state.

John Lebeaux Commissioner of the Mass. Department of Agricultural Resources, believes that The Big E might not have as significant of an impact as it does today without the unique representation from all New England states.

“It’s one of the top 10 biggest agricultural fairs in the United States,” he said. “I don’t think we would have been able to achieve that were it not for this regional aspect.”

This extended reach and regional flavor makes the Big E more than a fair and a tradition, said Cassidy, adding that it also a force within the local economy.

“A lot of our mission is to create and build a local economy,” he said, adding that the lastest economic-impact study, conducted in 2014, showed that the annual impact regionally totaled $479 million.

In Cassidy’s seven years as CEO, five have set new records for attendance. If the record is broken again, that will be a good problem to have, in most respects, because of what promises to be a trying year traffic-wise.

As a result of the bridge-construction work, left turns from River Road onto Memorial Ave. are “no longer allowed,” according to The Big E website, and fair-goers are being asked to use Baldwin Street to get to the Eastern States instead.

This will no doubt create lengthier travel times for many people traveling to and from the area, but both Agawam and West Springfield are doing what they can to minimize the inconvenience.

Sapelli said The Big E is making sure that any larger vehicles, including horse trailers and delivery trucks, are using a specific route with better access rather than coming through Agawam and having to make a tight turn onto the bridge. In addition, the fair partnered with King Ward Coach Lines, which will be shuttling people from various locations, including the Enfield Mall, to cut down on the number of vehicles that need to come in for parking.

With realistically only two ways to get to Memorial Avenue, and one of them under serious construction, West Springfield Mayor William Reichelt says delays are, unfortunately, inevitable.

“We’re working with each other and then the state to make sure there are enough resources,” he said. “I think, unfortunately, there’s just going to be traffic going that way because we went from four down to two lanes.”

Sapelli agrees and asks that people be patient while waiting to get into the fair.

“We’ll all get through this, it’s a wonderful fair,” he said. “They do a lot for the economy and the surrounding communities.”

Fair Game

Despite the likely traffic jams, the fair is likely to draw record-breaking crowds. Again, that has been the trend. For now, it’s crunch-time for the Big E staff who have to choreograph another major production.

Between the entertainment artists, the Avenue of States, the seemingly-endless food vendors, and everything in between, it’s easy to see why this fair has become a tradition for families across the Northeast and even beyond.

“You almost need more than one visit to do it justice,” said Tassinari. “We really have the New England flavor and feel, and that’s part of our mission.”

Chicopee’s Downtown; a Developing Story

By
Community Spotlight

Four years ago, a $7,500 grant from MassDevelopment helped to fund the first annual Downtown GetDown block party in Chicopee. Mayor Richard Kos understands why that was a good investment.

“They like the idea of people coming downtown, because when they do, it gives other people impetus to want to develop the downtown,” he told BusinessWest.

In that first year, he went on, “the block party really removed a lot of question marks. People say there’s no parking downtown. Well, we had 15,000 people over a weekend, and no one complained about parking. It was not an issue. We had people come down and say, ‘this is a nice place to walk around.’ It’s safe, secure, well-lit at night, and they had a lot of fun.”

Now in its fifth year, Downtown GetDown is again expected to draw around 15,000 people the weekend of Aug. 23-24, offering a steady diet of music, entertainment, food, and more than 60 vendor booths.

And what visitors will see is a downtown on the rise, the mayor noted. Take, for example, two residential projects in the pipeline, both of them conversions of former mills: the SilverBrick Group’s $29 million project that will offer 280 units at the Cabotville Mill, and Mount Holyoke Development’s $14 million project that will bring another 105 to the Lyman Mills building.

Across the street is Ames Privilege, a 270-unit development that opened several years ago and now has a two- to three-year waiting list. “We look at that as a model,” Kos said. “If anyone wonders about the need, we point out what a success Ames Privilege is.”

Mills have a particular attraction for young professionals who seek urban living surrounded by public transportation options and walkable amenities. The latter will get a boost with the expected opening of a C-Town supermarket downtown.

“That eliminates a food desert downtown,” Kos said. “To some degree, they’re anticipating what’s happening when you add several hundred apartments. People need groceries — it’s convenient to just walk out your door to a market that provides a lot of food options.”

Chicopee has also signed on to the regional ValleyBike program, with the downtown joining two other locations — in Chicopee Falls and Willimansett — with bike-share stations. “We think those will be positive, and will give people another way to get to work and do things they enjoy doing,” the mayor added.

But perhaps the most intriguing development downtown is the two-year MassDevelopment grant that will pay for a Transformative Development Initiative fellow who will focus on economic-development initiatives in the city center, said Lee Pouliot, the city’s director of Planning and Development.

“Our objectives are things like reactivating the old library that’s been vacant for a really long time, getting vacant storefronts filled, and using the GetDown as a catalyst for finding entities that might be interested in growing their business to a permanent location,” he said. “It’s taking energy from those activities and, through the fellow who’s working on our behalf, getting those things to the next step.”

To Kos, it’s all about continuing the momentum that has been picking up steam in recent years. “That’s how you get a downtown where people want to come,” he said, adding, “I grew up in an era of urban renewal where you tore everything down, and unfortunately sometimes there was no plan to replace it, so you wound up with nothing. And then people would scramble to find stuff.”

But he sees value in preserving a downtown’s character — for example, the old mills — while looking to the future. “The old brick-and-mortar buildings were so much more impressive than the new stuff.”

 

For this edition of Community Spotlight, we shine the light on what’s happening not only in Chicopee’s downtown, but across a city that developers have found increasingly attractive in recent years.

Mayor Richard Kos says Chicopee’s downtown is enjoying more visitation and vibrancy.

Long Overdue

One of the city’s more visible signs of improvement is the work going on at the 148-year-old City Hall itself, which is undergoing a $12 million improvement and renovation project addressing everything from handicap accessibility to roof and foundation repair; from a new elevator to a full auditorium renovation.

“This building needed a little attention,” Kos said. “The last time I was mayor, we built schools and a library. This time, we’re fixing things.”

The city also bought a house near City Hall from the Valley Opportunity Council, and will demolish it; coupled with other city-acquired properties nearby, the endgame will be 125 to 150 additional free parking spots next to City Hall and walking paths to connect them with downtown destinations.

That comes on the heels of a $10 million renovation of Chicopee’s public-safety complex a couple miles away on Court Street. “As one proponent of that, we’re putting a civilian dispatch facility there and making it robust enough to make it regional,” Kos said, an effort that currently includes Longmeadow but could eventually expand to other towns.

“A number of communities have been looking to do this, but nothing was being done, and we made our improvements sufficient, so it just made sense,” the mayor continued. “In some parts of the country, there’s a regional dispatch for 20 to 30 cities and towns. Here in Massachusetts, nearly every community has own dispatch, and for some, it just doesn’t make sense, with one or two calls a night, if that.”

The city is also training civilians to work the system, which will keep more uniformed officers on the street, he added.

Meanwhile, the 10-year (so far) quest to develop the former Uniroyal site continues, as the city needs to abate three more buildings, demolishing one and securing two for future development, including office and residential uses, Pouliot said.

The city also continues to invest in its two high schools, such as an upcoming replacement of the turf field at Chicopee Comprehensive High School and new LED lights for the Chicopee High School field. It’s also starting an $8 million reconstruction of Fuller Road that will include permitting work to create access to Chicopee River for kayakers.

On the city-services side, Kos continues to tout Chicopee’s low residential tax rate, a municipal electric-light utility with similarly attractive rates, and a plan, also through Chicopee Electric Light, to install high-speed fiber throughout the city, joining the growing ranks of ‘gig cities’ across the U.S.

“That will benefit both residents and businesses,” he said. “The internet is really what drives so much now.”

Meanwhile, in preparation to close its dump on New Lombard Road, which it did in June, Chicopee has promoted less waste over the past few years by limiting trash pickup to one 35-gallon barrel per household, with residents able to buy bags for additional trash.

“For the vast majority of people, it’s worked well,” Kos said. “We also gave everyone a barrel three times that size for recycling, which sends the message that you should recycle more than you throw away, and it’s been working. Our trash has gone down by over 25%.”

Give and Take

In other words, it takes cooperation between the city and its residents and businesses to create an environment where people want to live and set up shop. On the latter front, the booming commercial center at Mass Pike exit 5 picked up another pair of businesses with Five Guys and Mattress Firm in recent months, while Dinesh Patel’s planned $45 development at exit 6 is set to begin soon, and will include a hotel, a gas station, a sit-down restaurant, a coffee shop, and two fast-food eateries.

In Willimansett, major employers like Callaway and J. Polep are thriving on Meadow Street, while Chicopee Street recently saw the opening of Leadfoot Brewing. Meanwhile, the new marijuana economy has arrived in Chicopee as well, with Mass Alternative Care already operational on East Main Street, Theory Wellness set to open a shop on Fuller Road, and a couple of other businesses moving forward with the permitting process.

In short, there’s a lot going on, said Kos, who is getting ready to step down from his second stint as mayor, not seeking re-election this fall. To help harness that energy, the city is getting ready to launch a comprehensive planning project, a resident-driven project being conducted by Horsely Witten Group under a two-year, $150,000 contract.

“It will simply answer the question, ‘what does Chicopee want to be in 20 years?’” Pouliot said, “so we can start developing policy and update zoning to support what we want to build now, versus what we wanted to build back in the ’40s or the ’70s.”

Added Kos, “we’re not only dealing with the present, but preparing for the future” — and there are plenty of reasons to be excited about both.

“We’re trying, as a city,” he went on, “to move on multiple fronts to draw more businesses and more residents — to make this a place where you want to live, not where you have to live.” u

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

On a Roll

By Kayla Ebner
Autos

Peter Vecchiarelli, left, and Tom Parsons say that building relationships is the key to success when it comes to commercial truck sales.

Nutmeg Trucks Stands Out by Forging Partnerships with Customers

Peter Vecchiarelli says that selling commercial trucks — everything from box trucks to tanker trucks to huge dump trucks — is a lot like selling … almost anything else.

It’s obviously important to know everything there is about the products you’re selling and servicing, he told BusinessWest. But it’s more important to know and understand everything there is to know about the specific customer.

Indeed, sometimes what a customer thinks he or she needs isn’t really what they need, said Vecchiarelli, general manager of Nutmeg Truck Center in West Springfield, which sells and leases International and Isuzu vehicles and services all makes.

“You don’t want to be a know-it-all, but you want to suggest things that will benefit the customer,” Vecchiarelli said, adding that these suggestions comprise just one of the keys for this business.

Tom Parsons agreed. He sold cars for 30 years before joining Nutmeg, and noted some similarities between that world and this one. In both, and especially this one, success comes from working in partnership with the client to forge an appropriate solution.

“You really have to know the product and what the customer needs,” he explained. “Every single customer has a business, where every person who buys a car probably doesn’t, and each business is different.”

This mindset has enabled Nutmeg — a Connecticut-based business (hence the name) with six locations (the other five are in Connecticut — to stand out in a crowded field of competitors, said Vecchiarelli. He added that success isn’t necessarily dictated by the inventory on the lot (although that certainly helps), but rather by the level of trust that can be established with the client.

“We try to sell ourselves,” Vecchiarelli said. “People buy from who they like and trust, that’s one of our huge mottos. We’ve been around, and people trust us.”

For this issue and its focus on auto sales, BusinessWest talked at length with Vecchiarelli and Parsons about the truck business and what it takes to be leader within it.

This Isuzu truck, suitable for a wide array of potential clients, is one of many on the lot at Nutmeg Trucks.

Driving Force

And Vecchiarelli started by saying that the truck business certainly wasn’t in his plans when he graduated from Westfield State University in 1992.

Actually, he didn’t have any real plans at all.

Indeed, he earned a degree in Communications, but had no solid ideas about what to do with it. For a while, he worked his summer job and coached football with his brother at Agawam High School. One day, he came across an entry level management job at Penske Truck Rental in Chicopee.

That’s how he got his start in the truck business, and when he found Nutmeg in 1996, he never looked back.

And while looking straight ahead, he told BusinessWest, he wears a good number of hats. Many are part and parcel to having ‘general manager’ on one’s business card, but some might surprise you.

For example, he might very well be the one delivering a new or used truck to a client, an assignment he said he carries out on a regular basis.

This is one of those little things that add up, he said, adding that the big things include having quality products to offer and, again, working closely with the client to find solutions.

This is necessary, because, as noted, there is considerable competition within the truck marketplace.

On the International side, Nutmeg competes against the likes of Ford, Freightliner Trucks, and Mack Trucks. Isuzu competitors include Chevrolet, Hino and Mitsubishi.

Overall, business has been solid over the past several years as the economy has continued its pattern of slow yet steady growth, said Vecchiarelli, adding that company sold more than 40 new and used vehicles in 2018 and is on pace to double that number this year.

It’s customer portfolio, as might be expected, is diverse, and includes everything from general contractors to municipalities to area farms.

In addition to selling trucks, Nutmeg also sells truck parts and provides other services to its customers. Vecchiarelli noted that Clean Machine Power Wash buys all its trucks from Nutmeg, which has a great relationship with the owner. A few weeks ago, the business had its company picnic and asked if Vecchiarelli would do a few oil changes on their trucks while the business was closed for the day. Each oil change on a truck takes from an hour to an hour and a half to complete, and Nutmeg did 11 oil changes throughout the day.

“It’s just the little things we do,” Vecchiarelli said. “It’s not always an 8 to 5 job. You have to do what it takes.”

This brings him back to that work involving relationship-building, how it can create repeat customers and often turn relatively small transactions into much larger ones down the road.

As an example, he recalled the story of how the sale of an $11,000 used box truck eventually turned into much more.

“As I was delivering the used truck, the customer said he was interested in buying a new tri-axle dump truck in the future,” said Vecchiarelli while pointing out one of the obvious benefits of doing that work himself. “We put stuff together and sold him one and he then recommended his friend to us for another tri-axle dump; we turned an $11,000 sale into two dump trucks worth almost $400,000.”

Fundamentally Speaking

There have been many stories like that recorded over the years, said both Vecchiarelli and Parsons, adding that by focusing on the fundamentals of customer service, Nutmeg continues to thrive and grow.

“Those fundamental things are so true,” he said. “We practice fundamentals, try to over deliver and exceed expectations.”

Vecchiarelli agreed. “The biggest thing that sets us apart from the competition is experience, getting the job done, and building relationships,” he said in summation. “If you do little things right, people remember that.” u

Road Game

By
Autos

Rob Pion, says Buick is trying to make inroads in the SUV market and has a lineup to do just that.

Buick’s SUV Lineup Helps Company Shed ‘Uncle Car’ Image

Editor’ Note: With this issue, BusinessWest launches something new and different for its auto-sales section — first-person looks, and some commentary — about some of the vehicles that are, let’s say, in the news.

And that person will be me.

That laughing you just heard was brother Robert. He’s reading this and thinking, if not saying out loud, ‘George is going to do car reviews?!?’

Well, sort of, as I will explain.

First, as to why my brother is laughing … while, like most all guys (and people for that matter), I like cars and shared every Baby Boomers dream of owning a 1972 Dodge Challenger, I am not a ‘car guy.’

Am I, however, like most people. My ability to ‘work’ on cars is limited to adding washer fluid and putting air in the tires. I wash it, I vacuum it, I put Armor All on the steering wheel, I put gas in it, and I drive it. That’s most people. So am I qualified to do this? I guess. As much as anyone else.

What is this? Well, it’s not reviews of the cars and trucks coming onto the market these days. I won’t be rating cupholders, trunk space, and headlights — although they’re all important. I’ll be using test drives to talk about emerging stories in this business — and talk a little about the cars, trucks, and SUVs themselves.

First, more about me … my first car was a 1973 Chevy Impala. There are a lot of Boomers nodding their heads right now. That was a lot of people’s first car. It was a large, four-door sedan, and I have been driving those ever since, with one real exception.

My now ex-wife and I were in Aruba in 1994, visiting the far side of the island. Those who have been there know it looks like the kind of place Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy and the crew member destined to die in that episode would beam down to and put the phasers on ‘stun.’ It’s desolate, with lots of sand and pink rocks and things like that. Anyway, to get around, you need a four-wheel drive vehicle, so we rented a Chevy Tracker, a small, as in very small, domesticated version of a Jeep.

We liked it so much, we said ‘when we get back, we gotta get one of these.’ And we did.

My sister in law likened it to a ride at Six Flags. ‘You have to be at least this tall to ride in it,’ she would joke, ‘and you must keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle until it comes to a complete stop.’

Other than that, large four-door sedans. With big back seats and big trunks. This, despite the fact that I don’t think I’ve had a human passenger in my back seat since a funeral procession. In 1993. But I have to have a big back seat. As for the trunk, it’s for the golf clubs, but hardly anyone builds a trunk big enough to put all the clubs down sideways or even on an angle. So I have to take the driver out, which is a pain.

All of this provides a nice segue to … Buick.

This is the company that invented the large four-door sedan. Well, not really, but everyone thinks they did. That’s seemingly all they made for decades, for guys (and women) like me.

I had an uncle who only bought Buicks. I think everyone has an uncle who only bought Buicks. They’re an ‘uncle’ car. Or at least they were.

For some time now, Buick has been working hard to put young people into their vehicles. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, you might remember that GM hired Tiger Woods to be its Buick spokesperson. His mission wasn’t to sell to golf fans, but to the younger audience, and he had some success. That’s some.

Today, Buick is letting its cars do the talking, only the cars are, for the most part, SUVs. (I have been told that in the lingo of the industry, SUVs are not cars; they are SUVs. Large four-door sedans are cars. That’s what I’m told.)

Back to Buick … they’re not selling many cars anymore, but they’re selling more SUVs — and to people of all ages, as Rob Pion, third-generation general manager of Bob Pion GMC Buick in Chicopee, explained as we took the Buick Enclave (Avenir model), the largest of the models in the lineup, for a spin.

Big Improvement

At first, I thought it was the SUV.

The world really does look much different when you’re riding high in a large SUV (maybe 30 inches from the ground) as opposed to your standard four-door sedan (maybe 20 inches).

But it’s not the vehicle, Memorial Drive looks much different from any height, as became clear as we headed north on that road from the Pion dealership toward South Hadley.

Back when Tiger Woods was plugging Buicks and Bill Clinton was in the White House, BusinessWest operated out of a small office on Memorial Drive. Back then, this was the land that time forgot — there was a dead mall (Fairfield), a Ponderosa Steak House (maybe it was a Bonanza), and other chain restaurants seen nowhere else. Things look much better now with new hotels, a strong lineup of stores where the mall was, and many new businesses.

But there is that huge open lot where the Hu Ku Lau used to be.

“We’re not sure what’s happening there,” said Pion as we drove by the grassy lot, obvious concern in his voice. “Everyone’s watching that closely to see what develops.”

Enough about Memorial Drive … back to the Buick and the Enclave Avenir, sticker price just under $60,000. It’s large, with three rows; looking in the rear-view mirror, the back window looks like it’s in another state — one of those in the Midwest — and well-appointed. It features what’s called ‘intelligent all-wheel drive,’ which means it did well on its SATs, and has every safety device one might expect, as well as all the technology, meaning connectivity. It’s six-cylinder engine delivers 310 horses and decent mileage for something this large — 17 city/25 highway mpg (see, I can do car talk). Meanwhile, it easily passes the golf-bag test.

And it’s really, really quiet, meaning my tape recorder had no problem picking up Pion as he talked about how Buick’s SUVs — the smaller Encore, mid-sized Envision, and large Enclave — are expected to compete with the top luxury brands in the market and bring younger audiences into the Buick showrooms.

BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien tries out the Enclave Avenir, the top of the line.

“GM’s vision for this is to go against BMW, Lincoln, Mercedes … the premium SUVs,” he said, referring specifically to the Enclave Avenir, but ostensibly to the whole lineup. And while Buick is still lagging well behind other brands when it comes to SUV sales, it is starting to gather some momentum, especially with the smaller model, the Encore, priced in the mid 20s to just over $30,000.

“We’re getting young people to at least come in and give it a look,” Pion said of the SUV lineup. “Many wouldn’t even do that before.”

Buick still has a long way to go to not only shed it’s old-person’s-car image but also become a serious player in the white-hot SUV market.

But based on this drive down Memorial Avenue and the vehicles now in the Buick showrooms, the carmaker known for sedans, as in big sedans, would appear to have a fighting chance. u

Digital Security and Your Business

By
Insurance

Take These Measures to Protect Against Common Threats

Privacy and security are two growing areas for small-business owners. Most businesses have at least some digital presence. Keeping your own data and the information provided by customers safe is crucial. Verizon recently reported there were 53,000 data incidents in 2018, including 2,216 confirmed data breaches. As a small-business owner, here are some measures you can take to help protect your company from these threats.

Install Anti-malware Software

Anti-malware software is designed to prevent various types of online attacks on your computer. Malware is a general term for a program that can harm your device. It could be a virus, phishing sites, ransomware, spyware, etc. Having this type of software in place is one of the most basic, yet very effective, ways to protect your business from digital threats. If you have more than one computer or device, you should get anti-malware software for all of them.

Update Your Software

Updating your existing software is another easy but effective measure you can take. When a software has an update, it can provide additional protection from malware. Sometimes, software might release a new patch. If a new patch is available, make sure to perform the update. It’s a good idea to turn on automatic updates so you don’t have to worry about manually updating all of your software.

Install a Firewall

A firewall helps block out connections that are unauthorized or harmful. Some computer systems may have a basic firewall, but consider getting a more substantial one for your business platforms. A more robust firewall can help protect your business from potential hazards.

Encrypt Data

Encrypting data just means no one can access your data without a password or other form of authorization. It’s another layer of defense if your computer gets hacked or someone tries to access it without your knowledge. Different encryption software options are available for your business to choose from.

Back Up Your Data

Backing up your data is essential if you encounter a cybersecurity threat. If something happens, you will be able to restore all your data quickly. Make sure your backed-up data is located somewhere outside of your computer. If your computer is compromised, at least then you will have a copy somewhere safe. You can back up your data on a physical storage device, or in the cloud. You can also go through a storage device company.

Train Your Employees

Sometimes a cybersecurity threat occurs when an employee makes a mistake. Informing your employees about best practices — such as educating them on what phishing e-mails look like and how to use different security measures your company employs — can help keep your business safe. Having an educational meeting or seminar can make a difference in the world of digital threats.

Hire a Professional

Hiring a professional to visit and assess your cybersecurity efforts can help reinforce your company’s defense. They can help you set up the types of protection your business may need. It’s never a bad idea to consult a professional, since they have expertise in the field.

Get Cyber Insurance

Because of the growing threat of data breaches, you may want to consider getting cyber insurance. This coverage helps protect your business in event of a data breach, loss of sensitive or personal data, and the legal matters that go along with information loss.

Bottom Line

Hopefully, all the methods mentioned above will prevent any data loss, but sometimes things happen that are out of your control. Talk to your insurance agent about cyber insurance and how it can help protect your business. u

This article first appeared on the blog of Encharter Insurance in Amherst; Visit www.encharter.com.

Some Cool Innovations

By Kayla Ebner
Tourism & Hospitality Uncategorized

Katie DiClemente says the openness of the meeting spaces at the Sheraton is one of the biggest selling points for people looking to stage conventions.

Sheraton Springfield Takes Steps to Stand Out in the Marketplace

Stacy Gravanis acknowledged the obvious when it comes to the convention and meetings market in the Northeast, and the country as a whole — there is no shortage of competition.

And in this climate, the assignment is also obvious — to find a way, or several ways, as the case may be, to stand out in this crowded marketplace.

The Sheraton Springfield has been doing that since it opened more than 30 years ago, said Gravanis, general manager of the facility, and it keeps looking for new, innovative, and, well, cool ways of continuing that practice. Cool as in a Ding-Dong cart. Indeed, the nostalgic summertime staple, sometimes seen patrolling neighborhoods and often seen parked at pools and lakes, became part of the landscape at the downtown Springfield landmark during the first week in August.

It was parked on the grounds, providing a unique opportunity to cool down during what has been an oppressive summer to date — for guests and downtown workers alike. And it became another way to bring value and something different to visitors, said Gravanis, who told BusinessWest that this is all part of the work to not only stand out — as important as that is — but also to help build relationships and turn customers into repeat customers, a critical assignment in this industry.

One of the stops on the Sheraton’s ice cream truck tour was MGM Head Start in Springfield.

“The goal is to find that connection to them and build loyalty,” she told BusinessWest, adding that the Ding-Dong cart is just one example of programs, products, and services that go into the connection-building process.

Katie DiClemente, assistant director of Sales and Marketing for the Sheraton agreed. She said that conventions and meetings comprise a large slice of the business at the Sheraton, one where building relationships and generating repeat business is essential.

DiClemente noted that the facility hosts dozens of convention groups a year, such as the Pancretan Association of America, which was in town from June 28 to July 3 and brought 475 people to the hotel. Meanwhile, its assorted meeting spaces host a wide array of gatherings, from company retreats and annual meetings to team-training sessions, to educational seminars.

The hotel’s portfolio of facilities and its unique layout (more on that later) are attractive selling points, she said, as is the region and its many attractions.

Both Gravanis and DiClemente said an already attractive mix of attractions, from Six Flags to the Dr. Seuss museum, has been significantly bolstered by MGM Springfield, which they expect to help bring new convention business to the 413.

For this issue and its focus on meetings and conventions, BusinessWest talked with Gravanis and DiClemente about the Sheraton’s ongoing work to stand out in the market, and how it is creating new flavors of customer service — figuratively but also quite literally.

Getting the Scoop

One of the largest facilities of its kind in the region, the Sheraton boasts 325 hotel rooms, more than 36,000 square feet of meeting space, including a ballroom and eight meeting rooms on the third floor, six meeting rooms on the second floor, and two additional meeting rooms on the fourth floor, leaving plenty of space for large conventions.

DiClemente says the 10,000 square foot ballroom can hold up to 1,000 people depending on the type of event, with a 500-person cap for a banquet-style event.

But size is not the only attractive quality. Indeed, DiClemente said the setup of the meeting spaces at the Sheraton Springfield is unlike most other hotels.

“The flow of our space is something that definitely attracts people to our hotel,” she told BusinessWest. “We’re not a conference-style hotel where you’re walking down a long hallway and going to your meeting rooms and finding it that way. We’re an atrium style, so if your meeting room is on the second floor, you can look down and see where you need to go. The natural light shines through the atrium.”

This natural light, and all that comes with it, has attracted a number of groups to the Sheraton — and Greater Springfield. The Pancretan Association of America (PAA), a national organization comprised of members who support and perpetuate Cretan culture through scholarship, educational, cultural, and philanthropic programs for those in the United States, Canada, and Crete, is an example of the how the region and the hotel are drawing local, national, and even international groups.

And bringing them here is a collaborative effort, said Gravanis, adding that the hotel works closely with the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (GSCVB), keeping in daily contact with Director of Sales Alicia Szenda.

“We have a really great relationship with her being the director of sales,” said DiClemente. “If the convention center has a lead where they need overnight rooms, that’s sent to the [GSCVB] and Alicia is that middleperson between the MassMutual Center and the hotels in the area.”

Once that lead is sent out to the hotels, they bid on the piece of business, which is sent directly to Szenda. Of course, this region is usually competing against several other cities in for the right to host specific conventions, which brings us back to that notion of standing out — and building relationships.

Again, the Ding-Dong cart was just part of it.

Aside from the ice cream runs, Gravanis said the hotel staff works to stay in touch with clients — be they groups or individuals — through birthday and anniversary cards and other touch points to build a relationship and, hopefully, a long-term relationship.

“Whether it’s a local client or a client out of a different city, it’s so important to build that relationship with them and that’s something we do every day,” said DiClemente. “It’s really a top priority for our sales team.”

Gravanis added, again, that the area itself is a huge selling point for the Sheraton, and it is becoming more so through the addition of MGM Springfield, which has the potential to bring a wide array of meetings and conventions to the city, many of which will require large amounts of hotel rooms and other facilities.

Staying Power

Since it opened nearly three decades ago, the Sheraton has been one of the key players in the region’s large and important hospitality sector.

It has been one of the important pieces in the puzzle when it comes to the infrastructure needed to bring meetings and conventions, and, therefore, revenue and vibrancy, to the region.

It has maintained this position by being innovative and always finding ways to stand out. And the Ding-Dong cart, as cool as it is, is just the latest example.

Kayla Ebner can be reached at [email protected]

Eye-opening Trends on Health Insurance

By
Departments

By Katie Holahan

More Massachusetts companies of all sizes are offering health insurance to their workers, but fewer employees are enrolling as costs accelerate, according to a new state study released this morning.

The report from the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) finds that the percentage of Bay State employers who provide health insurance increased from 65% in 2016 to 71% in 2018. Only 57% of employers nationally provide health coverage.

At the same time, the percentage of eligible employees who accepted employer health insurance declined from 74% to 67% during the same period.

Part of the explanation could be the relentless increase in the cost of health insurance faced by both companies and their workers. The CHIA report says average health-insurance premiums rose 12% for single policies from 2016 to 2018 and 13% for family plans. Employer contributions remained steady at 74%, but the average annual deductible soared 42%.

CHIA is the primary center for the collection and analysis of information about the Massachusetts healthcare market. The agency’s biennial Massachusetts Employer Survey tracks and monitors employer health-insurance offerings, employee take-up rates, health-insurance premiums, employer contribution amounts, plan characteristics, and employer decision making.

The most eye-opening conclusion of the study is that even small companies remain committed to offering health-insurance benefits. Although employers with fewer than 50 employees are no longer required by law to offer health insurance, 65% of these employers do. Seventy percent of small firms (3 to 199 employees) offered insurance, versus 99% of large firms (200 or more employees).

Other key findings of the CHIA survey include:

• The 2018 average total monthly premium was $617 for single coverage and $1,687 for family coverage;

• The average employee contribution to health insurance in 2018 was 26% for single coverage and 30% for family coverage, unchanged from 2016. Employers continue to cover an average of 74% of monthly premium costs;

• The average annual deductible for single coverage in 2018 was $1,508, slightly lower than the national average of $1,573, but more than the $1,065 average for 2016;

• Massachusetts employees overall faced lower out-of-pocket limits than their national counterparts. The average out-of-pocket limit for single coverage in Massachusetts was $3,461 compared to $3,872 nationally;

• Almost three quarters (70%) of Massachusetts employees were offered a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) in 2018. Thirty-nine percent were offered an HDHP with a savings option;

• The most common reason given by employers (48%) for not offering health insurance was that they were not required to do so because of their firms’ small size. Thirty-eight percent cited the cost as being too high. The most common reason given by employers as to why they were offering health insurance was to retain employees (66%) and recruit new employees (63%); and

• Large companies were more likely than small ones to reduce their contributions toward employee premiums as a way to contain costs. v

Katie Holahan is vice president of Government Affairs at Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

BusinessWest Marks 35 Years As the Leader in Its Field

By
2019

It was early 1984, and 24-year-old entrepreneur John Gormally had an observation, then a question, and, eventually, the ultimate answer.

The observation was that most urban areas and regions had journals covering the local business community. The question was, in essence, ‘why doesn’t Western Massachusetts have one?’

The answer came in two parts — Gormally’s conclusion that the region certainly needed one, and the product he launched.

It’s now called BusinessWest, but only relative old-timers will recall that it was originally known as the Western Mass. Business Journal.

Then, as now, the publication was the most trusted, most comprehensive source of information on the local business community. Its pages were filled with articles on people, businesses, trends, developments.

It’s the same today, but BusinessWest and its sister publication, Healthcare News, launched in 2000, have gone well beyond the printed word in their efforts to inform, inspire, and even entertain its audience of local decision makers.

Indeed, over the past several years, the publications have added several recognition programs. These include 40 Under Forty, created to identify rising stars across the region; Difference Makers, a program with a name that says it all; Healthcare Heroes, a program devoted to that all-important sector of the economy; and Women of Impact, which recognizes the contributions of a still often-overlooked constituency.

There have been other additions, including the annual Resource Guide, an invaluable resource for the community; daily news blogs to provide more accessibility to important information; educational seminars, including the recent Future Tense series; special publications such as Cool Stuff, focused on employment opportunities in the manufacturing sector; and much more.

BusinessWest has come a long way in 35 years, but it has never wavered from its original mission and reason for being — to meet a critical need within the four counties of Western Mass.

WCA Celebrates 40 Years of Excellence

By
2019

Whalley Computer Associates (WCA) has grown and changed tremendously since it was founded in 1979, but it remains a friendly, flexible, family-owned business that puts the customers’ needs first, said President Paul Whalley.

WCA is a technology sales and service organization that partners with customers to reduce their costs and increase their efficiency through technology, said Whalley, adding that it accomplishes this by providing unbiased presales consultation, exceptional pricing, outstanding, product preparation, delivery, deployment and maintenance services anywhere in North America.

Since the beginning, WCA has been servicing corporations and educational institutions headquarted in New England, New York, and their remote locations throughout North America, he noted. The company has extensive experience with corporations of all sizes, educational institutions from kindergarten to college, as well as local and state government.

WCA performs services for some of the largest and most prestigious companies in New England and New York including EMC, TJMAXX, Marshalls, Friendly’s, Bertucci’s, Westfield State University, Providence College, the cities of Boston, Springfield, Warwick, R.I., and nearly 3,000 other customers.

As a result of its rapid growth, Ingram Micro, the largest distributor of technology products in the world, recognized WCA as one of their fastest growing ‘solution providers’ in the industry. WCA is also one of the largest Lenovo, Dell, Aruba, and HP solution providers in the Northeast.

Today, WCA’s corporate office is located in our new 62,500-square-foot state-of-the-art office building located at One Whalley Way in Southwick. WCA employs more than 140 computer professionals at its two business locations, serving a customer base of more than 30,000 customers. They provide hardware, software, programming, technical, networking, and training services.

WCA remains a family-owned business completely focused on providing the best service available anywhere in the United States.
As its celebrates its 40th anniversary, one thing that will not change moving forward, said Whalley, is its commitment to customer satisfaction and ability to provide the best technology products and services in the region.

bankESB Marks 150 Years of Being a True Hometown bank

By
2019

bankESB is marking its 150th birthday this year, and there is much to celebrate, especially a century and a half of being a true hometown bank.

“For all of those years, the bank has been dedicated to providing its customers with a wide range of innovative products and services,” said Dena Hall, bankESB Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “Today, bankESB is a one-stop shop for individual and commercial banking and financial services. The bank has been growing and expanding to better serve customers, including recently adding three commercial bankers, and increasing its staff in human resources, cash management, and mortgage services. Customers looking to buy a home or refinance have the option of applying for a loan either in-person with a mortgage professional or online.”

With the opening of a branch on Sargeant Street in Holyoke, bankESB has 11 branches throughout the Valley. Besides Easthampton, where it has two locations, branches are also located in Agawam, Belchertown, Hadley, South Hadley, Southampton, Westfield, and two in Northampton. And a 12th branch is scheduled to open in Amherst in 2020.

In short, the bank has grown and evolved over the years, but it remains true to the charter on which it was launched.

Indeed, a mutual bank, bankESB’s mission is to remain loyal to its customers, employees and the communities it serves, not stockholders, said Hall, adding that the bank’s mission is reflected in its values of charitable giving and volunteerism. From large organizations like Cooley Dickinson Hospital to local

Little League teams, the Easthampton Saving’s Bank Charitable Foundation has donated close to $2 million over the past five years.

Recent contributions to local nonprofits include the Hampshire Regional YMCA’s Renew and Restore Project, Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity’s Big Enough Initiative, and Northampton Survival Center’s “Partners in Doing Good Business” program.

bankESB employees can also be found volunteering their time for a myriad of charitable projects and events throughout the Pioneer Valley, so much so that the Boston Business Journal recently ranked the bank as a “Top Corporate Charitable Volunteer” in Massachusetts.

“It’s important for us to be that community partner,” said Hall. “We’re focused on how we serve our customers, how we serve our communities, and how we treat our employees.”

These efforts have culminated in Forbes Magazine naming bankESB to its 2019 Best n-State Bank list, two years in a row.

“This recognition is particularly special because we live and work by a set of core values, so I’m proud to say this award really goes to our employees,” said Matthew Sosik, President & CEO of bankESB and CEO of Hometown Financial Group, the bank’s parent company. “The commitment they bring to their job each day and the service they provide to our customers and communities is what sets us apart from other banks.”

As Hall and Sosik noted, as bankESB marks its sesquicentennial, there is plenty to celebrate.

Picture This

By
Uncategorized
Email ‘Picture This’ photos with a caption and contact information to [email protected]

Giving Back

Timm Marini, president of HUB International New England, recently presented a check for $5,000 to the Mental Health Assoc. (MHA). Marini has also committed to a $5,000 donation to MHA for 2020. “HUB International New England embraces the value of the communities where our customers and employees live and work, so we give back by supporting community-focused organizations that do good things to help others. MHA is an organization that we have supported for many years and continue to support because of the important work they do helping vulnerable people,” said Marini (pictured with Kimberley Lee, vice president, Resource Development & Branding for MHA).

Music to Their Ears

Phillips Insurance Agency Inc. recently donated $5,000 to the Berkshire Hills Music Academy (BHMA) in South Hadley, which offers a post-secondary transition program, as well as a long-term graduate program for young adults with intellectual challenges. Its educational model infuses music with an empirically based curriculum to promote skills for independence. Karen Phillips of Phillips Insurance (left) presented the check to Michelle Theroux, executive director of Berkshire Hills Music Academy, at the annual spring concert held at the Bernon Music Center on the BHMA campus.

 

City of First Socks

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno showed his support for Upscale Socks owner Lenny Underwood recently, and bought the first pair of his ‘City of First’ socks, depicting the city skyline and a basketball, representing the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The socks can be purchased online at www.upscalesocks.com, as well as the Springfield Regional Visitors Center located at 1319 Main St.

 

 

Peter Pan Marks 80 Years of Rolling Together with Firestone Tires

By
2019


Peter Pan Marks 80 Years of Rolling Together with Firestone Tires

In 1939, just six years after Peter C. Picknelly started Peter Pan Bus Lines in Springfield, he reached an agreement with the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company to lease Firestone tires for a period of one year.

That was the beginning of a partnership that kept the two companies rolling together for the next 80 years.

 

 

That lease was signed on August 11, and six decades to the day later, Bridgestone America’s Inc. marked the occasion by presenting the Picknelly family with the original tire lease contract. Twenty years later, another anniversary, the 80th was marked, and there was much to celebrate.

“When my grandfather Peter C. Picknelly sealed this important partnership with Harvey Firestone in 1939, they could only imagine how many miles these two companies would travel together,” said Peter A. Picknelly, chairman & CEO of Peter Pan. “Our agreement with Firestone was groundbreaking in the industry. It was the first agreement in the U.S. for a bus company to actually lease tires from Firestone as opposed to buying tires, and we’re the longest bus-company partnership Firestone has ever had.

“Now, 80 years later, we are still proud to share the road with a longtime leader in the tire industry,” he went on. “Together, over the 80 years, Peter Pan and Firestone have carried passengers more than 600 million miles on Firestone tires. That’s 2,514 trips to the moon and 24,094 times around the Earth. Safety is Peter Pan’s number one priority and Firestone Tires have delivered that promise with precision and consistency.”

In the original contract signed by Peter C. Picknelly and Harvey Firestone, Firestone agreed to supply enough tires to equip 10-passenger Chevrolet buses and five 19-passenger Beck buses on a cost-per-mile basis. As the buses became larger and heavier, Firestone tires evolved to meet Peter Pan’s needs.

“Passengers can take comfort in knowing they are riding on the most modern fleet with the safest tires on the road today — this is a huge safety factor,” said Picknelly. “And the reason we lease is that as soon as the tires show any signs of wear, we replace them with eight new tires; our competitors who own their tires will run them until they show considerable wear and are far less safe.”

Today, Peter Pan Bus Lines carries more than 4 million passengers throughout the northeastern United States with hubs in Springfield, Cape Cod, Boston, Hartford, Providence, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and beyond.

Looking down the road, as they say in this business, beyond logging millions of additional miles on Firestone tires, Peter Pan is expanding its fleet, adding new routes, hiring more drivers, and utilizing technology, including a new app, to serve more customers and improve service to all riders.

The new routes are on Cape Cod and between New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., said Picknelly.

As for technology, a revamped website and the new app make it easier to buy tickets online, said Picknelly, adding that the app logs previous purchases, recognize trends, and enables the consumer to rebook a schedule with one click.

“We’re the fastest-growing bus line in America,” said Picknelly, adding that this was said about the company back when it first started putting Firestone tires on its buses, and it’s still true today.

 

Court Dockets

By
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.

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Cutler Associates Inc. v. One East Pleasant, LLC

Allegation: Breach of contract: $468,000
Filed: 6/18/19

David Mitowski v. Easthampton Electrical Services Inc. and Timothy J. Hodnicki

Allegation: Breach of contract, failure to pay wages: $40,000
Filed: 7/8/19

Teresa Beaudry v. Amherst College and trustees of Amherst College

Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $25,000+
Filed: 7/16/19

Five Star Building Corp. v. Danco Management Inc. and Millstone Creations Inc.

Allegation: Breach of contract, negligence, breach of implied warranty of good faith and fair dealing: $405,257.70
Filed: 7/25/19

Kimberly A. Lucas and Antonio R. Lucas v. ST Floor Covering, LLC

Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $625,341.83
Filed: 7/31/19

Historic Round Hill Summit, LLC and PeoplesBank v. Crocker Building Co. Inc. and Safco Foam Insulation, LLC

Allegation: Negligence, breach of contract, breach of implied warranty of good and workmanlike service: $3,000,000+
Filed: 8/2/19

PALMER DISTRICT COURT

ArcBest Logistics Inc. v. Hilltop Wood Components, LLC

Allegation: Money owed for shipping services provided: $18,998.85
Filed: 7/22/19

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Donna Pittello and Jean Aube v. Smith & Son Jewelers Inc.

Allegation: Fraud, breach of contract: $24,999
Filed: 7/16/19

Nicole Q. Radwanski and Andrew E. Radwanski as parents and legal guardians of the minor Jacob E. Radwanski and individually v. Girls & Guss, LLC d/b/a A Dream Come True Learning Center

Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury, reckless infliction of emotional distress: $8,984.20+
Filed: 7/18/19

Geof E. Spear v. New England Sports Center, Renfroe H. Larue Trust, Donald Lynch Blvd. Realty Trust d/b/a New England Sports Center, New England Sports Management Corp., and Donald Lynch Blvd. Realty Trust d/b/a New England Sports Management Corp.

Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $4,798.03
Filed: 7/29/19

Agenda

By
Agenda

Celebrate Holyoke

Aug. 23-25: Celebrate Holyoke, a three-day festival drawing an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 people to downtown Holyoke each year, will take place at Heritage State Park. This year’s festival will include live musical performances, food and beverages from local restaurants, and goods from local artists and makers. The event’s new fiscal sponsor is Holyoke Community Media Inc., a nonprofit that seeks to promote all voices in the community through media. This year, songwriter, social commentator, storyteller, actor, and activist Arlo Guthrie returns to Holyoke on Aug. 24. The Celebrate Holyoke planning committee welcomes alcohol distributors, food trucks, restaurateurs, artisans, nonprofits, and community organizations to apply to be a part of Celebrate Holyoke at celebrateholyokemass.com/vendors. Volunteers are greatly needed for shifts throughout the weekend of the event.

Real-estate Sales Licensing Course

Sept. 4 to Oct. 3: The Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley will sponsor a 40-hour, 14-class, sales licensing course to help individuals prepare for the Massachusetts real-estate salesperson license exam. Tuition is $400 and includes the book and materials. The course curriculum includes property rights, ownership, condos, land use, contracts, deeds, financing, mortgages, real estate brokerage, appraisal, fair housing, consumer protection, Massachusetts License Law, and more. Classes meet Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. at the association office, 221 Industry Ave., Springfield.

Ribbon Cutting at Ohana School of Performing Arts

Sept. 5: Ohana School of Performing Arts will celebrate its new location, 41 Sheridan St. in Chicopee, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by refreshments. Expected attendees will include Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos and state Rep. Joseph Wagner. The journey to the new location was a chaotic road for Ohana, after being forced to relocate from its previous building in South Hadley less than two months before its annual end-of-year showcase in June. The building the previous studio occupied was sold abruptly in the spring, leaving Ohana only six weeks to find a space, renovate, and move. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will celebrate not only a new chapter for the studio, but an expansion in studio size and class offerings. Classes include ballet, tap, hip hop, musical theater, contemporary, parent/child combo classes, adult-level classes, fitness, and more. While quality education is crucial, it’s even more important at Ohana that each student leaves the studio having learned to value kindness, compassion, and inclusivity, said owner and Creative Director Ashley Kohl.

Car-wash Fundraiser for Chris Thibault

Sept. 7-8: Mercedes-Benz of Springfield is hosting a car-wash fundraiser benefiting Chris Thibault and his family. Thibault helped Mercedes-Benz get its start in Western Mass. more than two years ago, producing all its local commercials. “He is a very talented filmmaker and storyteller,” dealership owners Michelle and Peter Wirth said. “He touched our lives, and we want to help him as much as we can as he battles cancer.” Chris Thibault and his wife, Missy, own and operate Chris Teebo Films, a local production company. Chris has been diagnosed with stage-4 cancer and is fighting hard for his life. He recently lost his younger brother, Brandon, to cancer as well. So far, his cancer has been unresponsive to the past three treatments. He is currently undergoing a fourth treatment as well as alternative treatment options. The car wash will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at Mercedes-Benz of Springfield, 295 Burnett Road, Chicopee. If you would like to donate time or services to the event, contact Michelle Wirth at [email protected].

HCC Foundation Golf Classic

Sept. 9: Registration is now open for the Holyoke Community College Foundation’s 32nd annual fundraising golf tournament at Springfield County Club in West Springfield. Proceeds from the annual tournament will support student scholarships and academic-equipment purchases through the HCC Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of Holyoke Community College. The golf outing begins with an 11:30 a.m. 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 golf, participants can enjoy cocktails on the clubhouse porch with scenic views of the Pioneer Valley, followed by dinner and the opportunity to enter raffles and bid on dozens of items, including restaurant gift certificates, Red Sox memorabilia, wine baskets, golf outings, and more. Over the past 31 years, the annual HCC Foundation Golf Classic has raised more than $500,000 for HCC scholarships and educational technology for HCC classrooms. Participants can arrange their own foursomes or sign up as singles. To register, visit www.hcc.edu/golf. Sponsorship opportunities are also still available.

Paid Family and Medical Leave Law Briefing

Sept. 10: Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. will host a morning briefing for employers about the final Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) regulations in Massachusetts and what employers must do to prepare. Registration and continental breakfast will begin at 8 a.m., and the program will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel on Boland Way. Presenters, including attorneys at Skoler Abbott and guest speakers Michael Doheny of the executive office of Labor and Workforce Development and Mark Adams from the Employers Assoc. of the NortheEast, will discuss changes made in the final PFML regulations and what employers must do to prepare for the new law. Topics will include a summary of the PFML’s coverage and leave provisions, with discussion on intersection with federal FMLA and other laws like the Massachusetts sick-time law; review and analysis of the final regulations; important deadlines for employers; key components of the new law and how they will impact organizations and employees; calculating and collecting contributions from the workforce; notifying employees about the new law; and exemptions and how to apply for them. A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation. The fee to attend the seminar is $25 per person, which includes a continental breakfast. To register, employers can visit skoler-abbott.com/training-programs. For more information, call (413) 737-4753.

Paid Family and Medical Leave Seminar

Sept. 12: Over the past few months, Massachusetts-based employers have been inundated with information about the upcoming Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave requirements. Unfortunately, this deluge of information has done little to answer employers’ pressing questions. To date, most of this information has been speculative or otherwise subject to change before implementation. The good news is there are some things we do know for sure, and there is still some time before employer obligations go into effect. Due to the recent postponement of payroll contributions to Oct. 1, there is now more time to understand the new law and its implications. Royal, P.C. will host a discussion of the steps employers can begin to take to prepare for the implementation of Paid Family and Medical Leave. The event will be held from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at 270 Pleasant St., Northampton. The price is $30 per person, and registration is limited. For more information or to register, contact Heather Loges at (413) 586-2288 or [email protected].

RVCC Golf Tournament

Sept. 13: River Valley Counseling Center (RVCC), a multi-faceted mental-health agency, will hold its fourth annual golf tournament fundraiser at 10:30 a.m. at East Mountain Country Club in Westfield. The event is presented by Action Ambulance Services. The funds raised will help RVCC to continue providing mental health and other essential supportive services to more than 7,000 individuals yearly throughout the Pioneer Valley. The cost per golfer is $100 and includes greens fees, a golf cart, gift bag, lunch, and dinner. Golfers will also be able to participate in a raffle and silent auction. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a 10:30 a.m. shotgun start. There will also be contests on the course, with prizes donated by Marcotte Ford and Teddy Bear Pools. Other tournament sponsors include HCN, Unidine, PeoplesBank, CINTAS, Goss & McLain Insurance, Marsh & McLennan Agency, BMC HealthNet Plan, and Jefferson Radiology. For more information on sponsorships, in-kind donations, and registration, contact Angela Callahan, RVCC’s Marketing and Development specialist, at (413) 841-3546 or [email protected]. Information is also available at www.rvcc-inc.org or by visiting River Valley Counseling Center’s Facebook page.

United Arc Annual Gala and Auction

Sept. 14: The United Arc will host its annual gala and auction from 6 to 9 p.m. at Hadley Farms Meeting House, 41 Russell St., Hadley. The evening will feature a cocktail hour with open bar and hors d’ouevres, silent and live auctions, live music by Chris Eriquezzo, and dinner and program. Included once again in the raffles will be the ‘mystery box,’ valued at $400. Tickets cost $70 each. Proceeds support for the work of the United Arc, helping people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities to achieve the universal goals of inclusion, choice, and independence. Tickets may be purchased online at theunitedarc.org/auction.

Golf Tournament to Fight Childhood Hunger

Sept. 30: Feed the Kids will hold its second annual charity golf tournament to benefit No Kid Hungry and the HPS Weekend Backpack Program at Springfield Country Club, 1375 Elm St., West Springfield. No Kid Hungry is a national organization that raises funds to support school breakfast programs, summer meals, afterschool meals, and more for children throughout the country. The HPS Weekend Backpack Program distributes bags of nutritious and easy-to-prepare meals to children at the end of each week that they can enjoy over the weekend. Feed the Kids is currently seeking donations for the tournament’s silent auction, individual and corporate sponsors, and, of course, golfers. Check-in for the scramble-format tournament will begin at 10 a.m., with a shotgun start at noon. The fee is $160 per golfer, which includes greens fees, driving range, cart use, lunch, cocktail hour, dinner, and a gift bag. There will also be prizes, a raffle, and an auction. To make a cash donation, donate an item for the raffle or auction, learn more about sponsorship opportunities, or register to golf or for the dinner, visit feedthekidsgolf.com.

Healthcare Heroes

Oct. 17: The third annual class of Healthcare Heroes will be honored at the Sheraton Springfield from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Healthcare Heroes, a recognition program involving the Western Mass. healthcare sector, was launched in 2017 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. The class of 2019 will be profiled in the Sept. 2 issue of BusinessWest, and will be feted at the Oct. 25 gala. Tickets will go on sale in August. Healthcare Heroes sponsors include American International College (presenting sponsor), Baystate Health/Health New England (presenting sponsor), Development Associates (partner sponsor), Comcast (partner sponsor), Elms College (supporting sponsor), Keiter Builders (supporting sponsors), and Bulkley Richardson (supporting sponsor). Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.

Chamber Corners

By
Chamber Corners Uncategorized

FRANKLIN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.franklincc.org

(413) 773-5463

Sept. 17: Business After Hours at the United Way of Franklin County’s Taste & Toast ’Round the County, 5-8 p.m., hosted by Franklin County Fairgrounds. Join us at the historic Round House at the Franklin County Fairgrounds for the United Way of Franklin County’s Taste & Toast tournament. Mixologists are invited to face off for the chance to be named the ultimate in crafting cocktails. Register at (413) 772-2168 or uw-fc.org.

Sept. 27: Monthly Breakfast and United Way Kickoff, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Franklin County Technical High School, 82 Industrial Blvd., Turners Falls. The United Way of Franklin County is kicking off its 2019 campaign. Learn about the upcoming campaign and how you can participate. Sponsored by Melanson Heath. Cost: $15 for members, $20 general admission. Register at [email protected] or franklincc.org.

GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.chicopeechamber.org

(413) 594-2101

Aug. 21: Party on the Patio Chamber Open House, 4:30-7 p.m., sponsored by Westfield Bank, Polish National Credit Union, and PeoplesBank. Networking, international foods from favorite Chicopee restaurants, cash bar, and live music. Cost: $25 or two for $40. Register at www.chicopeechamber.org/events.

Sept. 12: Business After Hours, 4:30-6:30 p.m.. hosted by the Red Fez. Sponsored by Polish National Credit Union. Networking fun at a Chicopee staple, featuring a full Portuguese buffet and cash bar. Space is limited for this annual event. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register at www.chicopeechamber.org/events.

Sept. 18: Salute Breakfast: “Maintaining the Work-Life Balance,” 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by MassMutual Learning and Conference Center, Chicopee. Sponsored by Westfield Bank, Holyoke Medical Center, N. Riley Construction Inc., Polish National Credit Union, USI Insurance Services, Spherion Staffing Services, and PeoplesBank. Featuring state Rep. Aaron Vega (chief greeter) and Kathy Anderson of Holyoke Medical Center (keynote speaker). An interactive opportunity for small businesses and startups to learn how to tap into state and local support. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members. Register at www.chicopeechamber.org/events.

GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.easthamptonchamber.org

(413) 527-9414

Sept. 12: Networking by Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Nini’s Ristorante, 124 Cottage St., Easthampton. Sponsored by Polish National Credit Union. The event will include food provided by Nini’s, a cash bar, and business-to-business relationship building. This event is free to members and their employees; however, pre-registration is required. Non-members are invited for $20. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

Sept. 27: “Women and the Art of Risk,” 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., hosted by the Log Cabin, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. This year’s women’s leadership event will feature workshops, discussions, and career-development opportunities, all led by distinguished women from the Pioneer Valley. Hear personal and professional stories of how taking calculated risks led these women to new adventures and made them stronger leaders. Keynote speaker: Jody Kasper, chief of Police, city of Northampton. Cost: $119, which includes breakfast and lunch. A table of 10 may be purchased for $875. Pre-registration is required. No tickets will be sold at the door. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.northamptonchamber.com

(413) 584-1900

Aug. 21: Dazzle and Dine Holiday Menu Preview Party, 5-7 p.m., hosted by the Inn on Boltwood. Planning your holiday party? Mix and mingle with the inn’s team, take a tour of its event spaces, and enjoy hors d’oeuvres, a sampling of entrées, and live entertainment. Reserve your holiday party early to receive special discounts and perks. Cost: $20 per person. For more information and to register, visit northamptonchamber.com.

Sept. 11: September Arrive@5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Northampton Survival Center. Come when you can, stay as long as you can. A casual mix and mingle with friends and colleagues. Cost: $10 for members, $12 for non-members. For more information and to register, visit northamptonchamber.com.

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.westfieldbiz.org

(413) 568-1618

Sept. 9: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by the Arbors, 40 Court St., Westfield. Join us for coffee with Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan. The event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is requested so we may give our host a proper head count. Register online at www.westfieldbiz.org/events or call (413) 568-1618.

Sept. 16: After 5 Connections, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Polish National Credit Union, 1 Parkside Ave., 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 to both chamber members and non-members. For more information, call the chamber at (413) 568-1618, or register online at www.westfieldbiz.org/events.

Sept. 21: September Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., hosted by the 104th Fighter Wing ANG, 175 Falcon Dr., Westfield. Platinum event sponsor: Baystate Noble Hospital. Gold sponsor: Westfield Gas & Electric. Silver sponsor: A Plus HVAC Inc. Bronze sponsors: Behavioral Health Network/the Carson Center, Governor’s Center, and the Arbors. For sponsorships or registration questions, e-mail [email protected] or call (413) 568-1618. Cost to attend: $28 for members, $43 for non-members. Register online at www.westfieldbiz.org/events.

SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER

www.springfieldregionalchamber.com

(413) 787-1555

 

Sept. 4: Rise & Shine Business Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Sheraton Springfield, One Monarch Place, Springfield. Sponsored by United Personnel (breakfast series sponsor) and Wolf & Co. Featuring Josh Kraft, president of the New England Patriots Foundation and Nicholas president and CEO of the Boston Boys and Girls Clubs, on “Taking Social Justice Beyond Social Media.” Cost: $25 for members in advance ($30 at the door) or $35 general admission in advance ($40 at the door). To register, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.ourwrc.com

(413) 426-3880

Sept. 4: Wicked Wednesday, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Partners Restaurant, Agawam. Wicked Wednesdays are monthly social events, hosted by various businesses and restaurants, that bring members and non-members together to network in a laid-back atmosphere. Cost: free for members, $10 for non-members. For more information about this event, call the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

Sept. 17: Legislative Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., hosted by Crestview Country Club, Agawam. Presenting sponsor: Health New England. A panel of legislators, featuring state Sens. James Welch and Donald Humason and state Reps. Nicholas Boldyga and Michael Finn, will provide updates from Beacon Hill, followed by a question-and-answer session. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For sponsorships or to register online, visit www.westoftheriverchamber.com. For more information on ticket sales, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected].

People on the Move

By
People on the Move

Jill Monson-Bishop

The American Cancer Society (ACS) recently welcomed Jill Monson-Bishop into the role of Community Development manager. She comes to the ACS with expertise in networking, relationship building, marketing, project management, and more. Prior to joining the American Cancer Society, Monson-Bishop was one of the opening-day team members at MGM Springfield, with responsibilities including internal communications and employee events. She also owns Inspired Marketing, now a consultative marketing agency, but at one time a full-service marketing and event-planning company serving clients such as Smith & Wesson, Adam Quenneville Roofing, and Northwestern Mutual. Previously, she was a radio personality in Western Mass. on stations such as WMAS, Rock 102, WHYN, and more. Community engagement has always been a priority for Monson-Bishop, who, over the years, has been involved with organizations such the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, Square One, YWCA, the Springfield Regional Chamber, the Drama Studio, and more. She is a graduate of Bay Path University with a MBA in entrepreneurial thinking and innovative practices, and she earned her bachelor’s degree in communication and media studies at Westfield State University.

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Jeffrey Neumann

Valley Solar, LLC announced the appointment of Jeffrey Neumann as lead master electrician. Neumann started with Valley Solar in April 2019 and will oversee all electrical operations. Prior to working at Valley Solar, Neumann was the electrical foreman at Hampshire College from 2010 to 2019. There, he supervised a crew of four journeyman electricians and oversaw all aspects of the the college’s Electrical Department, including supervision of crews, planning, budgeting, installations, and maintenance of campus electrical systems. He also oversaw several solar projects while at Hampshire and has performed solar installations involving single-phase residential wiring as well as more complex three-phase commercial projects.

 

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Linda Morgan, an attorney with extensive experience in higher education, has been named vice president and general counsel at Springfield College, effective Aug. 26, President Mary-Beth Cooper announced. Morgan will provide legal counsel and guidance to the leadership of the college and will serve as secretary to its board of trustees. She will be a member of the president’s senior leadership team. Joining Springfield College with 13 years of service as a practicing attorney and more than six years in positions of senior-level organizational management and financial administration, Morgan is well-practiced in providing leadership to institutional compliance with laws and regulations pertinent to higher education, including the Higher Education Opportunity Act, Title IX, FERPA, HIPAA, and the Jeanne Clery Act. She provides experience in broad aspects of law and related matters, including contracts, agreements, litigation, legal investigations, dispute resolution, mediation, business formation, compliance, and management. She is admitted to the bars of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the State of New York, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Morgan most recently worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, providing expertise in areas of employment-law adjudication and related statutory interpretation. Her previous experience also includes service as associate dean for Gender Equity at Bard College, grant administrator within the School of Medicine at the University of Maryland, and an attorney in private practice. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Maryland University College and a juris doctor from Western New England University School of Law. She has teaching experience as an adjunct professor at Holyoke Community College and Greenfield Community College.

•••••

Jean Deliso

Jean Deliso, CFP has been selected for membership in the Nautilus Group, a service of New York Life. The Nautilus Group is a planning resource comprised of financial professionals experienced in taxes, law, life insurance, accounting, and charitable giving. Deliso’s access to this exclusive resource enables her clients and their other financial advisors to benefit from the group’s collective experience and solutions as they apply to the protection, accumulation, and distribution of wealth to individuals, families, and business owners throughout the country. Deliso is president and owner of Deliso Financial and Insurance Services, a firm focusing on comprehensive financial strategies that position clients for a solid financial future. Her 30-year experience has led to a focus in certain fields, such as cash management, risk management, investment, and retirement planning. She has developed an expertise in assisting business owners with protecting and securing their future. She is also fully committed to educating individuals regarding their finances and frequently conducts workshops advocating financial empowerment. She has been a member of New York Life Chairman’s Council since 2012 and a qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table since 1999. Members of the Chairman’s Council rank in the top 3% of New York Life’s sales force of more than 12,000 licensed agents in sales achievement. Deliso currently serves on and is past chairman of the board of the Baystate Health Foundation and the Community Music School of Springfield. She has also served on the board of the YMCA of Greater Springfield and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.

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Darcy Fortun

The Ad Club of Western Massachusetts recently recognized the Innovation Series with an award in the Video Series category. The Innovation Series is a documentary-style video series produced by Darcy Fortune, producer for Garvey Communication Associates Inc. (GCAi), for PeoplesBank. The series explored Valley Venture Mentors and some of its more unique entrepreneurial teams. The series was hosted by Matthew Bannister, first vice president of Marketing and Innovation for PeoplesBank. According to the bank’s website, the six-episode Innovation Series was designed and produced with the belief that PeoplesBank can not only be innovative, but help inspire innovation as well. The series garnered considerable media attention, with feature stories appearing in BusinessWest and several other area media outlets, as well as a sizable viewing audience. GCAi also distributed the Innovation Series through social-media channels, where it accumulated almost 400,000 total impressions, 100,000 engagement actions, and 90,000 video views at the time of the award. Fortune’s team included GCAi’s John Garvey as producer, Mary Shea as project manager, and James Garvey as digital dissemination manager. Matthew Derderian served as director of photography. Fortune is an experienced media professional and video producer, having served on assignment desks for both ABC and FOX News affiliates and developed videos and animations for GCAi clients including Connecticut Orthopaedic Specialists, Cape Cod Cooperative Bank, MP CPAs, PeoplesBank, Peter Pan Bus Lines, and Winchester Savings Bank. She also just released two new pro bono videos for the Children’s Study Home and Wild Care of Cape Cod.

•••••

Yvonne De Faoite

Elms College announced it will host an Irish Fulbright language teaching assistant (FLTA) during the 2019-20 academic year. Yvonne De Faoite of Limerick, Ireland, will teach Irish (Gaelic) language and culture. The Irish FLTA position is co-sponsored by the Irish Cultural Center of Western Massachusetts. De Faoite earned her primary teaching degree from Froebel College of Education in 2008. In 2012, she spent a year in Australia, where she gained international teaching experience. She recently completed a master’s degree in Irish immersion education from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. Prior to that, she completed a diploma in educational leadership in University College Dublin. De Faoite’s educational interests include immersion and second-language acquisition. As a Fulbright Irish FLTA, she will teach the Irish language and culture to Elms College students and to community members through the Irish Cultural Center. She will also take classes at Elms.

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Robert Burnell has been appointed executive chef of all dining venues at the Red Lion Inn. In his new role, Burnell oversees the day-to-day culinary operations of the main dining room, Widow Bingham’s Tavern, the Lion’s Den, and the seasonally open courtyard. In addition, Burnell will collaborate with Brian Alberg, vice president of Culinary Development, on all future food- and beverage-related development, including specialty menus for Red Lion guests and private parties. With nearly 20 years in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries, Burnell was previously executive chef at Gedney Farm in Marlborough. With a passion for clean cooking and eating, coupled with expertise in modern food trends, Burnell revamped menus to incorporate locally sourced items, along with gluten-free, vegetarian, and keto options for diners. He also strived to deliver exceptional client experiences for weddings, community events, and private dining. Additional hospitality experience includes five years as a property developer for Berkshire Hotels Group, during which he implemented construction projects for both hotels and restaurants.

•••••

Sean Sormanti

Michael Tucker, president and CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank, announced that Sean Sormanti has joined the bank as senior vice president – Human Resources. Most recently, Sormanti was director of Human Resources at Strategic Information Resources in Springfield. In his new role, he will be responsible for recruiting, planning, coordinating, and managing the activities of the bank’s Human Resources department. He will be based at 63 Federal St. in Greenfield. Sormanti has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine. He currently holds a professional in human resources certificate and is an active member of the Western Mass. chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management.

•••••

Joseph Baker

 

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF) announced that Joseph Baker has joined its team as vice president of Finance and Administration. He will oversee finances, investments, human resources, and operations for the $152 million foundation. Baker previously served in leadership roles at other community foundations for 13 years, most recently as vice president of Finance and chief financial officer at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. Before that, he was director of Finance and Administration at the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain. He brings to BTCF a background in nonprofit finance and development, as the former head of a United Way and a nonprofit service organization. He also developed Danbury Children First, a parent-led community initiative. Baker earned his MBA from the Yale School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in economics and Spanish from Colby College.

•••••

Bob Cummings has been re-elected to serve as president of the National Assoc. of Professional Benefits Administrators (NAPBA). A  NAPBA trustee since 2007, Cummings was first elected NAPBA president in 2015, and has been an instrumental force in the emergence of the consumer-directed healthcare industry over the past 20 years, orchestrating the growth of NAPBA as the primary compliance-standards and best-practice organization for third-party employee-benefits administrators serving the consumer-directed healthcare industry. As CEO and founder of American Benefits Group (ABG), a leading national employee-benefits administrator located in Northampton, Cummings has been a pioneer of the consumer-directed healthcare industry before the term even existed. ABG was one of the first administrators of flexible spending accounts (FSAs) in 1989 along with COBRA, billing-administration, and commuter-benefit accounts in the 1990s. When health savings accounts (HSA) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRA) were enabled under the Internal Revenue Code in 2002, ABG was one of the early leaders in administering consumer-directed healthcare plan designs. As pre-tax, account-based plans became a linchpin of most employer benefit-plan designs along with high-deductible health plans, NAPBA was founded to promote compliance and best-practice standards in the administration of pre-tax, account-based plans. All NAPBA member organizations are third-party administrators focused on the administration and service of employer-sponsored plans for consumer-directed pre-tax accounts such as FSAs, HSAs, HRAs, and commuter benefits, as well as COBRA administration services. Collectively NAPBA member organizations provide services to more than 30 million employee healthcare consumers nationwide.

•••••

Richard Venne, president and CEO of Viability, announced longtime staffer Richard Horton’s promotion to vice president of Administration and Finance. Horton joined Community Enterprises, one of the nonprofits that merged to become Viability, in July 2008 as director of Community Staffing. Before joining Viability as a staff member, he had executed consulting work to revive and re-engineer the Community Staffing operations. Over the next decade, his role expanded, first becoming director of Financial Planning and then associate vice president of Administration and Finance. He is known throughout the organization for serving as project manager for the implementation of Viability’s electronic health record and outcomes-management system. Two years ago, during the merger of Community Enterprises and Human Resources Unlimited into Viability, he led the effort to bring the infrastructure of the organizations together, focusing on technology and facilities. Entering its third year as Viability, the agency’s focus is on the creation, integration, standardization, and improvement of systems and processes. In his new role, Horton will play a central role in helping achieve that goal.

Company Notebook

By
Company Notebook Uncategorized

Big Y Breaks Ground on Expanded Distribution Center

SPRINGFIELD — Big Y is expanding its distribution center with a $40 million project that is set to fuel the growth of the supermarket chain for the next 20 years.

At the Big Y Store Support Center on Aug. 7, guest speakers, including Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno; Patrick Carnevale, director of Gov. Charlie Baker’s Western Mass. office; state Rep. Jose Tosado; and Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Western Mass. Economic Development Council, joined Charlie D’Amour, president and CEO of Big Y Foods, and many others in celebrating the beginning of the expansion. The now-189,000-square-foot facility is adding another 232,000 to bring the total to 425,000 square feet. The new space will have state-of-the-art refrigeration storage for fresh seafood from Boston, deli meats, salads, cheeses, fresh and local produce and flowers, as well as additional dry-product storage. Big Y is adding 32 full-time employees to meet the demands of the new facility, which is expected to support an additional 20 supermarkets.

The Creative Strategy Agency Celebrates 10 Years in Business

SPRINGFIELD — The Creative Strategy Agency Inc. (tCSA), a local digital marketing and advertising agency, celebrated its 10th anniversary in Aug. 9. Started by Alfonso Santaniello at age 24, tCSA has grown into a fully staffed agency servicing local and national clients in social-media marketing, advertising, and search-engine marketing. Santaniello established tCSA after getting laid off at the beginning of the recession in 2008, but wasn’t until he landed his first client, a national company that he took the leap to really pursue the business. In 2010, when most companies had yet to use video marketing or understand the influence of YouTube, Santaniello launched “Strictly Businews.” Over its run, this digital web talk show garnished more than 1 million views and an award. With the web series’ success, Santaniello’s clientele expanded from local to national as he signed on with businesses from Washington, D.C., Seattle, and San Diego. After six years, the series ended in 2016. Over the course of 10 years, tCSA has worked within a wide range of industries, including restaurants, e-commerce, manufacturing, and nonprofits.

UMass Amherst Again Ranks First in Campus Dining

AMHERST — For the fourth straight year, UMass Amherst tops the rankings for Best Campus Food in the nation. The honor was revealed by the Princeton Review as part of its ranking of the top 20 colleges in 62 different categories for 2020. UMass Dining is the largest collegiate dining program in America and is a recognized leader among college dining programs because of its focus on quality ingredients and meals, customer service, student health and wellness, customization options, an appreciation of global influences and modern eating trends, and creating community on campus. UMass Dining serves more than 8 million meals per year. Locally sourced food plays a major component in its success. It has relationships with more than 100 local farms, spending $2.4 million annually with Massachusetts farmers and vendors and a total of $5 million in New England.

Sunshine Village Golf Tourney Breaks Fundraising Record

CHICOPEE — Sunshine Village held its 30th annual Sunshine Village Golf Tournament fundraiser on Aug. 7 at Chicopee Country Club in Chicopee, MA. The event sold out, with 38 teams participating. A reception with awards, raffles, and a silent auction followed at the Castle of Knights in Chicopee. Ernest Laflamme Jr., president of the board of directors and chair of the golf committee, congratulated Kellco Products for winning the tournament. A team from UNUM came in second, and a team from PeoplesBank placed third. On behalf of the board of directors, Laflamme and Executive Director Gina Kos thanked the many sponsors and volunteers that helped to raise the most funds of any year in the tournament’s 30-year history. To commemorate their dedication, a group of sponsors were given special recognition as Legacy Sponsors. They include Chicopee Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, PeoplesBank, Westfield Bank, Charter Oak Financial, HUB International New England, Inter-All Corp., Kellco Products, Knights of Columbus Elder Council #69, Knights of Columbus Elder Council #4044, Polish National Credit Union, Siddall and Siddall, P.C., and USI Insurance. Other major sponsors included Caolo & Bieniek Architects Inc., Key Private Bank, Marcotte Ford, and Supreme Roofing. All proceeds from the fundraiser go toward ensuring that up-to-date technology, adaptive equipment, engaging activities, and professional-development opportunities are offered to the more 500 individuals served by Sunshine Village.

PV Squared Solar Recognized as a Top Solar Contractor

GREENFIELD — With renewable energy expected to be the fastest-growing source of U.S. electricity generation for the foreseeable future, local solar installer and worker-owned cooperative PV Squared Solar is contributing toward this period of energy transition. The company has once again been recognized by Solar Power World magazine and was listed prominently among other solar contractors and developers across the country in the magazine’s 2019 Top Solar Contractors list. “It’s an honor to be recognized among the top solar energy companies in the region, let alone the nation. Our leadership within the solar industry over the years has been a significant point of pride, and we look forward to continuing that good work,” said General Manager Jonathan Gregory.

MassMutual Foundation Gives $1.5 Million to Way Finders

SPRINGFIELD — The MassMutual Foundation Inc. announced it will give Way Finders $1.5 million to help fund the organization’s new Housing Center currently being constructed in Springfield. This donation will enable Way Finders to serve even more people in the community who are facing homelessness or struggling to achieve financial security. Way Finders is in the midst of constructing a larger, more centrally located Housing Center at 1780 Main St. in Springfield that will be more easily accessible by transportation and the nearby Union Station complex, eliminating one of the greatest barriers to accessing services. The new facility will house all 160 of Way Finders’ Springfield-based staff and is slated to open its doors in April 2020. In 2018, Way Finders’ programs impacted the lives of more than 47,000 people, including thousands of children, through services including homelessness and foreclosure prevention, financial education, first-time-homebuyer workshops, and employment training. The total number of walk-in requests so far in 2019 has exceeded 2018 demand, demonstrating the growing need from the community and the crucial support the new Housing Center will provide.

MachineMetrics Achieves Amazon Web Services Industrial Software Competency Status

NORTHAMPTON — MachineMetrics, an industrial IoT platform for discrete manufacturing, announced it has achieved Amazon Web Services (AWS) Industrial Software Competency status. This designation recognizes that MachineMetrics has demonstrated technical proficiency and proven customer success building solutions for discrete manufacturing. These specialized software solutions enable companies in the discrete-manufacturing space to increase the pace of product innovation while decreasing production and operational costs in their value chain. Achieving AWS Industrial Software Competency differentiates MachineMetrics as an AWS Partner Network (APN) member that has delivered specialized solutions aligning with AWS architectural best practices for building the most secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient cloud infrastructure for industry applications. To receive the designation, APN Partners must undergo a rigorous technical validation related to industry-specific technology. AWS is enabling scalable, flexible, and cost-effective solutions from startups to global enterprises. To support the seamless integration and deployment of these solutions, AWS established the AWS Competency Program to help customers identify consulting and technology APN Partners with deep industry experience and expertise.

Tighe & Bond Again Named PSMJ Circle of Excellence Member

WESTFIELD — Tighe & Bond has been named as a member of the PSMJ Resources Inc. 2019 Circle of Excellence for second year in a row. The Circle of Excellence highlights successfully managed firms that demonstrate outstanding achievements in areas such as profitability, overhead management, cash flow, productivity, business development, and staff growth. Founded in 2006, the Circle of Excellence represents the top 20% of participants in PSMJ’s annual A/E Financial Performance Benchmark Survey, based on 13 key performance metrics. The annual survey is open to all firms in the industry, regardless of firm type, size, gross revenue, net revenue, practice area, or location.

Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee Receives $5,000 Grant from MassMutual Foundation

CHICOPEE — The Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee received a $5,000 grant from the MassMutual Foundation as part of a national Community Service Award (CSA) program. The Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee is one of 32 organizations nationally to receive an award. The MassMutual Foundation made the grant as a tribute to the volunteer efforts of Robert Houle, a MassMutual agent with Unity Financial & Insurance Group in Holyoke and an alumnus of the club. The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee is to enable all young people reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. “We are grateful to receive this grant to help support the current programs and services provided at the club, which include art, athletics, homework help, and nutrition, to name a few,” said Jason Reed, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee. Added Houle, “I am very pleased that my dedication to the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee has been recognized by the MassMutual Foundation. This grant will provide much-needed funding to continue supporting the youth in our community.”

Work Opportunity Center Opens Community-based Day Service Facility

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Work Opportunity Center Inc. held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 23 at its newly acquired and renovated community-based day service (CBDS) facility located at 111 Park Ave. in West Springfield. Established in 1969, Work Opportunity Center (WOC) initially served its participants through a center-based work-service model. Community-based day services were added in the summer of 2014. On June 30, 2016, center-based work services were discontinued for all participants, and those services were converted to CBDS. As of July 1, 2019, there are approximately 84 individuals participating in WOC’s CBDS services. On July 1, 24 program participants and five staff members transferred from the WOC facility in Agawam to its newest facility in West Springfield. The CBDS program of enables individuals with developmental disabilities to enrich their lives and enjoy a full range of community activities by providing opportunities for developing, enhancing, and maintaining competency in personal, social, and community activities. Service options for individuals participating in the CBDS program include career exploration, community-integration experiences, skills development and training, volunteer opportunities with local nonprofits, health and fitness classes, socialization experiences, and support to enhance interpersonal skills, as well as the pursuit of personal interests and hobbies. The renovation of the 111 Park Ave. facility is supported by a $5,000 grant by United Bank in addition to a $1,000 grant from the Rotary Club of West Springfield.

STCC Wins Career Pathways Grant for Early-childhood Education

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will apply a $296,904 state grant to support a new, affordable professional-development program for early-childhood educators. The funding will allow STCC to roll out its Child Development Associate Plus program this fall. The program will help early-childhood educators obtain certification and become better-qualified to teach infants and toddlers as well as preschool-aged children. STCC announced in July that the college received the Early Childhood Education Career Pathways Grant, funded through the state Department of Early Education and Care. Those who may be interested in the program include center-based teachers, family childcare providers, and other early-care professionals who are working toward becoming qualified teachers of young children. The Career Pathways Grant provides a range of support for students in the program at STCC. Funding will pay for a new bilingual position, Early Childhood Education liaison. The person hired for the job will work closely with early-childhood students and will be able to speak Spanish and English. Additionally, the grant will be used to update an old computer lab. Students will have use of the state-of-the-art lab with access to wireless hotspots and computers to borrow if they don’t have one at home. Classes will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays evenings, and the program is estimated to take one year to complete. Students can come to STCC on Wednesday night for tutoring or to meet with the liaison for support. Students who need extra support in math and English can take a free one-week boot camp prior to the start of the fall semester. STCC also will offer a prior learning credit, which means anyone who already has earned a CDA from another institution may qualify for college credit from STCC.

GCC Receives Continuation of Title III Grant Funding

GREENFIELD — In October 2016, Greenfield Community College (GCC) was awarded a $1.6 million Title III grant from the U.S. Department of Education, to be disbursed over five years. This grant is part of the Strengthening Institutions Program, which helps institutions expand their capacity to serve low-income and at-risk students. This academic year will mark the fourth year of continued funding of GCC’s Title III grant. The aim of GCC’s Title III grant is to integrate academic-success coaching and career exploration into a structured first-year experience that supports students who have been shown to be most at risk for not continuing with their education. GCC’s focus has been on students who are the first in their family to attend college, are undecided about their major and career paths, and who place into at least one developmental-level course. The College & Career Compass program developed during the first two years of the grant offers new, current, and returning GCC students specialized advising focused on individual student needs, academic skill building, and incorporating career exploration into the academic planning process; a peer-mentoring program through which current students can share their experiences, individually and in small groups, to help other students survive and thrive at GCC; monthly academic-coaching workshops covering topics like study skills, using apps and other technology, career exploration, and avoiding procrastination; two one-credit elective courses at no cost: one focused on academic strategies for college success and the other on career exploration and planning (including four-year transfer opportunities); and a free, one-week refresher course for students who have been away from math and want to dust off their skills before the semester starts. The focus for the remaining two years of the grant is to hone and scale the Compass program to reach more students and inform advising practices across the college.

Lexington Group Celebrates 30 Years of Change, Growth

By
2019

Mark Proshan says that, scattered among the hundreds of items on the showroom floor at Lexington Group, one can still find a few of the office chairs that were popular, if that’s the right word (probably not) when the company was launched 30 years ago.

“They’re akin to Medieval torture devices — it’s like sitting on a rock,” he joked. “The evolution of the chair has been quite dramatic, but then … these days, we’re telling everyone to stand up, not sit down.”

With those comments, he made it clear that despite what some may think, office furniture evolves and changes with the times. And for three decades, Lexington Group has stayed on the cutting edge of these changes.

And while being current is important for this company that specializes in new, refurbished, and used office furniture, cubicles, workstations, and interior design solutions, staying true to the values and operating principles that have guided the company from the beginning is even more important.

“At the end of the day, the fundamentals and doing things the right way to get a desired result for your customer is what it’s all about,” he said. “And when you’re done with that, it’s about doing as much good as you can as a business to give back to the community you’re working with. And that’s we’ve been doing.”

He summed up 30 years in business — and what’s to come next — this way.

“If, in your gut, you truly believe that what you’re doing is right, and that you’re doing it for the right reasons, the rest will likely work itself out.”

Suffice it to say that things have worked themselves out for Lexington group.

 

Briefcase

By
Briefcase Uncategorized

Employer Confidence Surges During July

BOSTON — Massachusetts employers shrugged off mounting evidence of an economic slowdown during July and expressed growing confidence in both the state and national economies. The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index rose 4.4 points to 62.0 last month, reaching its highest level since September. The Index has gained 0.8 points during the past 12 months and remains comfortably within optimistic territory. The confidence surge was driven by optimism in the Massachusetts economy and a strengthening outlook among manufacturers. The July confidence survey was taken before President Donald Trump touched off financial-market gyrations last week by announcing another round of tariffs on Chinese products. The constituent indicators that make up the Index all increased during July. The Massachusetts Index assessing business conditions within the Commonwealth surged 7 points to 68.2, while the U.S. Index rose 4.6 points to 62.6. The Massachusetts reading has risen 3.1 points, and the U.S. reading 0.7 points, during the past 12 months. The Future Index, measuring expectations for six months out, rose 4.6 points to 60.8, leaving it 2.1 points higher than a year ago. The Current Index, which assesses overall business conditions at the time of the survey, gained 4.2 points to 63.2, virtually even with its reading of July 2018. The Employment Index gained 1.9 points for the month and 0.2 points for the year. Employers continue to struggle to find qualified workers in a full-employment state economy facing a demographic challenge as Baby Boomers leave the workforce. Non-manufacturers (63.6) were more confident than manufacturers (60.5), who remain concerned about the consequences of tariffs and trade tensions. Small companies (65.2) were more confident than large companies (58.9) or medium-sized companies (62.3). Companies in Eastern Mass. (63.3) continued to be more optimistic than those in the west (59.8).

UMass Amherst Economists Examine How Minimum-wage Increases Impact Job Growth

AMHERST — Economists at UMass Amherst, along with colleagues from University College London and the Economic Policy Institute, have found that the overall number of low-wage jobs remained essentially unchanged over the five years following increases to the minimum wage, and that affected low-wage workers overall saw a wage gain of 7% after a minimum-wage increase. These spillovers extended up to $3 above the minimum wage and represent around 40 percent of the overall wage increase from minimum wage changes. The authors also found that, within the scope of minimum wages they studied — which range between 37% and 59% percent of the median wage – there was no evidence of job losses even at the higher end of this scale. These findings, the researchers say, suggest minimum wages are mostly having the intended effect of raising bottom wages with little adverse, unintended consequences on jobs. The research into the impacts of 138 prominent state-level minimum-wage changes in the U.S. between 1979 and 2016 was conducted by Arindrajit Dube, professor of Economics at UMass Amherst; Doruk Cengiz, a doctoral student in Economics at UMass Amherst; Attila Lindner of University College London; and Ben Zipperer of the Economic Policy Institute. Their report, “The Effect of Minimum Wages on Low-Wage Jobs,” was published in the August edition of the Quarterly Journal of Economics.

State Designates Agawam High School for New Innovation Pathway Program

AGAWAM — Agawam High School is one of four schools, including Atlantis Charter School in Fall River, Brockton High School, and Burlington High School, that will launch new Innovation Pathway programs this fall to give students skills and experience in particular industries through college courses and internships after recently receiving official designation status from the state departments of Elementary and Secondary Education and Higher Education, the Baker-Polito administration announced. More than 1,000 students are expected to be enrolled in these college and career pathways when the new programs are fully enrolled. Twenty-five high schools in the Commonwealth now have Innovation Pathway programs designated by the state. Agawam High School is launching an Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Pathway that will serve 466 students when fully enrolled. The school is partnering with the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board and multiple employer partners, including the Western Mass. Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Assoc., Peerless Precision, Governor’s America Corp., Mechanical Plastics, OMG Roofing Products, Ben Franklin Manufacturing, EBTEC Corp., and DFF Corp. Students will take courses at Springfield Technical Community College. Launched in 2017, Innovation Pathways give students experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as information technology, engineering, healthcare, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing, through coursework and internships at local area employers. Students earn college credits, at no cost to them, and gain insight as to whether the field is something they want to pursue in college or as a career.

INCORPORATIONS

By
Incorporations Uncategorized

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

ADAMS

Got Spots Etc. Inc., 8 Marshall Ave., Adams, MA 01220. Kathy Hynes, 88 Sand Mill Road, Cheshire, MA 01225. Volunteer-powered organization of dedicated people working together to save destitute canines of any breed and age.

AMHERST

Eric J. Castenson, DDS, P.C., 148 Amity St., Amherst, MA 01002. Eric J. Castenson, 22 Harness Road, Pelham, MA 01002. Dental services.

BECKET

Friends of The Becket Spring Inc., 324 Wade Inn Road, Becket, MA 01223. Michelle Kenney, 33 Maple Ave., Chester, MA 01011. Serve as a fundraise entity in order to pay for expenses in relation to protect and preserve the Becket Spring for use of the people of Massachusetts and surrounding states.

EASTHAMPTON

Easthampton Sports Bar Inc., 334 Main St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Naresh K. Patel, 8 Kingsberry Way, Easthampton, MA 01027. Restaurant.

GREAT BARRINGTON

Friends of McAllister Park Inc., 50 Hurlburt Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230. Jeffrey N. Cohen, same. Maintain, improve and manage McAllister Park in the town of Great Barrington, Mass.

INDIAN ORCHARD

For the Love of Good Foundation Inc., 52 Darling St., Indian Orchard, MA 01151. Kevin Joslyn, same. Help our neighbors, the struggling, homeless, and disadvantaged, with fuel assistance, food, clothing, school supplies, glasses, medical devices, and other tangible assistance.

NORTHAMPTON

Fazzi Holding Company, 11 Village Hill Road, Ste. 101, Northampton, MA 01060. Robert A. Fazzi, same. Holding company.

ORANGE

East River Inc., 426 East River St., Orange, MA 01364. Jignesh Patel, same. Package and convenience store.

PITTSFIELD

Elegant Labs Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Gabe Smallman, same. Software development.

SOUTH HADLEY

Friends of South Hadley Dog Park Inc., 22 East Red Bridge Lane, South Hadley, MA 01075. Robert S. Berwick, same. Supports dog-friendly, social environments which encourages opportunities for community involvement in education, scientific, and literary development within the town of South Hadley.

SPRINGFIELD

GEG & Associates Inc., 55 State St., Suite 306, Springfield, MA 01103. Gregory E. Greene, same. Provide free and low-cost technical assistance to individuals and businesses within the Commonwealth for the creation of start-up business websites, hosting, e-mail, merchant and e-commerce solutions and services. The corporation will also provide consultation and support services for the implementation and creation of non-profit small businesses within the Commonwealth.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

EE Transport Inc., 169 Main St., Apt. 10, West Springfield, MA 01089. Aleksandr Karapetyan, same. Transportation.

Freight Services Inc., 24 Moseley Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Hussein Tasayev, same. Transportation.

WILBRAHAM

Falcon Football Youth Association Inc., 12 Addison Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Shannon Melluzzo, same. Promote and develop a youth football program in the town of Wilbraham and surrounding towns.

WILLIAMSTOWN

Eugene Sachakov DMD, PC, 182 Adams Road, Williamstown, MA 01267. Eugene Sachakov, 219 West Main St., Apt. 2, Dudley, MA 01571. Dentistry.

DOING BUSINESS AS CERTIFICATES

By
DBA Certificates Uncategorized

The following business certificates and trade names were issued or renewed during the month of July 2019.

AMHERST

Athena’s Pizza
65 University Dr.
ArdaBeraa IncI

Crossman Properties
462 Main St.
Thomas Crossman

Mass Vintage
45 Boltwood Walk
Daniel Williams

Sunset Farm
409 Main St.
William Gillen

Welcome Homes Construction
20 Western Lane
Bryan Welcome

BELCHERTOWN

BKaye Realty
39 Federal St.
Brian Kaye

Black Horse Equine Massage Therapy
86 Sabin St.
Elizabeth Adams

Creative Dance
1 Stadler St.
Kathryn Scherr

Envy Yard Maintenance
68 North Liberty St.
Nicholas Vona

CHICOPEE

470 Chicopee Marine Ball Assoc.
570 Patriot Ave., Box 43
Bradley Skidmore

A and J Trust Auto Repair, LLC
920A Meadow St.
A and J Trust Auto Repair

AK Home Improvement
66 New Ludlow Road
Anatolii Kiriukhin

Joe T Handyman Services
40 Slate Road
Joseph Taliceo

DEERFIELD

Antonellis Farm, LLC
345 Pine Nook Road
Michael Antonellis

EASTHAMPTON

C. Pelkey’s Painting and Home Repair
17 Monska Dr.
Christopher Pelkey

Sleepy Own Herbs
491 East St.
Rebecca Hoffer

EAST LONGMEADOW

Elite Nutrition
130 Shaker Road
Crystal Jimenez

Jennifer Guinipero
225 Shaker Road
Jennifer Guinipero

Villa Calabrese Inc.
162 Shaker Road
Aldo Fazio

HADLEY

Family Window Cleaning
119 South Maple St.
John Cristoforo

Hadley Garden Center
285 Russell St.
Thomas Giles, Janine Giles

Hadley Hops
83 Rocky Hill Road
David Moskin

Vision Showcase Eyecare
207 Russell St.
DD&G Holdings, P.C.

Warvik Enterprises
207 Russell St.
Christian Rahn

HOLYOKE

Auto Zone #5146
2231 Northampton St.
Auto Zone Part Inc.

Mont Marie Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center
36 Lower Westfield Road
Yitzchok Rokowsky

QWS Corp.
181 West Franklin St.
Fouzia Rafiq

Sonido Musical
327 High St.
Jorge Alban

Top-Flight Nutrition
594 Dwight St.
Erika Matos

LUDLOW

Esthetics by Erin @ Spa West
326 West Ave.
Erin Roch

Law Office of Gary Scagliarini
733 Chapin St., Suite 203
Gary Scagliarini

Monteiro Properties/Monteiro Home Improvement
60 Bluegrass Lane
Steven Monteiro

NORTHAMPTON

1776 Contract Labor & Consulting
355 Acrebrook Dr.
Debora Laizer

Bombay Royale
One Roundhouse Plaza
Pramod Warriar

Care One at Northampton
548 Elm St.
548 Elm Street Operating Co., LLC

Hannah Enright, LICSW
60 Maple St., Suite 2A
Hanna-Lee Enright

Little Ram Training Co.
265 State St.
Geneva Molins

South Brewster, LLC
1 Brewster Court
Julia Mathiau

rebelle
20 Ladd Ave.
Charlotte Hanna

River Valley Midwives
150 Main St.
Jharna Harvey Ahmai

PALMER

Hebert Home Improvement
9 Country Lane
David Hebert

Mind’s Eye Center
4 Springfield St., Bldg. 3, Unit 513
Christian Correia-Covert

Palmer Shed Sales
21 Wilbraham St.
Joshua Landry

Pioneer Valley Tree
77 Beech St.
Rudolph Marek

Shea Restoration
411 Springfield St.
Anthony Shea

Transform KM, LLC
159 Wilbraham Road
Robert Reicker

SPRINGFIELD

Anser Advisory
115 State St.
Pinck & Co. Inc.

Bay State Auto Sales Corp.
784 Bay St.
Argenis Ramos

Bay State Bottle & Can Return
836 Bay St.
Vu Hung Nguyen

Beaute’ Within Inc.
546 Sumner Ave.
Vanessa Hall

Bienveni Do Lopez
3 Hastings St.
Bienveni Do Lopez

El Gallo Mini Mart
431 White St.
Charlie Otero

Empowerment
104 Woodlawn St.
Michelle Crean

Falcon Gas
560 State St.
T.A. Khan

Fancy Your Auto
11 Willard Ave.
Yailine Ruiz

Fast Forward Learning & Development
97 Granby Road
Myra Quick

La Plazoleta
2625 Main St.
Angel Nazario

Lipsicles Beauty Supply
45 Marjorie St.
Imani Perez

Lytvynenko Services
67 Forest Park Ave.
Dmytro Lytvynenko

Majestic Barber Shop
444 Chestnut St.
Misael Colon

Mason’s Lawn Care Service
279 Mill St.
Cyril Fisher

Queen Victory
1883 Main St., Apt. 56
Vilmary Santiago

Ratell Funeral Home
200 Main St.
Cariage Funeral

Reyes Barbershop
342 Bay St.
Jose Reyes

WARE

82nd Wellness
14 West St.
Michael Harris

A+ Concepts
31 Maple Ave.
Andrew Kimball

AMC Cleaning Service
1 Susan Dr.
Anna Calvanese

Eric Bowler Floor Covering
137 West Main St.
Eric Bowler

Firesafe Chimney Services
277 Palmer Road, Unit 2C
James Walling Jr.

Front Yard Farm
16 Gilbertville Road
Kelly Wheeler

Mayberry’s Portable Welding Inc.
282 Palmer Road
Peter Mayberry Jr.

Sweet Temptations Bake Shoppe
97 Fisherdick Road
Celeste Noad

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Aquatique Pool, LLC
730 Union St.
Christopher Genereux

CJC Events
158 Doty Circle
James Powers

Entre Computer Center
138 Memorial Ave.
Norman Fiedler

KM Design Interiors
30 Burke Ave.
Kara Masters

Kohl’s #639
935 Riverdale St.
Joe Wagner

WILBRAHAM

Iron Duke Brewing
20 Cottage Ave.
Nicholas Morin

Kate’s Dance Co. Plus
65 Post Office Park
Kathryn Cavanaugh

Orchard Valley at Wilbraham
2387 Boston Road
KRE Husky Wilbraham Licensee, LLC

BANKRUPTCIES

By
Bankruptcies Uncategorized

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

Ash, Susan G.
495 South Barre Road
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/11/19

Baldridge, Brian Douglas
Baldridge, Joanne Vitkus
132 East Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/09/19

Billings, Deane Merritt
Billings, Donna Marie
552 South River Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/09/19

Bird, Bill E.
68 Valley St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/09/19

Churchill, John
29 Notch Road
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/11/19

Davis, Delise Jamie
61 Beauregard St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/19

Ierardi, John Myles
356 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/11/19

Irizarry, Edwin
Moreno, Paola A.
24 Puritan Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/19

Jacques, Frances John
Jacques, Theresa Ann
459 Fenn St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/09/19

Lopez, Nelida
225 Beech St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/11/19

Ogulewicz, Ginette
a/k/a Rheaume, Ginette
26 East Glen Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/19

Russo, Scott William
2 Belchertown Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/11/19

Saldana, Rafael A.
P.O. Box 6409
Holyoke, MA 01041
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/10/19

Sampel, Zuleika M
a/k/a Sampel Arzola, Zuleika
269 Stonyhill Road, Apt T22
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/11/19

Scholtz, William J.
251 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/10/19

Solivan, Reinaldo
80 Castle St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/19

Tatro, Jeffrey F.
Tatro, Kelly M.
606 East Main St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/19

Total Cleaning Plus
Zononi Enterprises LLC
Zononi, Charles George
9 Hancock Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/15/19

Young, Peter
Young, Kathleen
107 Woolworth St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/09/19

Real Estate Transactions

By
Real Estate Uncategorized

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

FRANKLIN COUNTY

ASHFIELD

69-A Pfersick Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Arianna Collins
Seller: Albert L. Pieropan INT
Date: 07/17/19

BERNARDSTON

147 Bald Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Cody M. Johnson
Seller: Thomas V. Newton
Date: 07/19/19

BUCKLAND

88 East Buckland Road
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: Jonathan M. Unaitis
Seller: Shari L. Ovitt RET
Date: 07/26/19

14 Pine St.
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Molly D. Porter
Seller: Diane M. McCloud
Date: 07/19/19

COLRAIN

323 Main Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Scott T. Bryant
Seller: Herzig 2015 IRT
Date: 07/24/19

CONWAY

148 Emerson Hollow Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Richard P. Bean
Seller: C. H. Alfred-Barten
Date: 07/30/19

DEERFIELD

70 Hillside Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $306,000
Buyer: Guillermo Hardman
Seller: Philip R. Allard
Date: 07/24/19

27 Juniper Dr.
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $800,000
Buyer: Viktor P. Vlasenko
Seller: Reza M. Shafii
Date: 07/26/19

98 Sandgully Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Zachary M. Cross
Seller: Heather M. Crossen
Date: 07/25/19

ERVING

11 Old State Road
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Nathan D. Black
Seller: Richard Edwards
Date: 07/24/19

GREENFIELD

106 Beech St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Sarah Cook
Seller: Raymond R. Tuttle
Date: 07/29/19

46 Birch St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Richard A. Adams
Seller: Alden D. Booth INT
Date: 07/26/19

8 Cherry Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $182,000
Buyer: Catherine A. Bozarth
Seller: Davina M. Chudzik
Date: 07/23/19

99 Columbus Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Nyuudlya M. Araeva
Seller: Ilie P. Taraburca
Date: 07/30/19

286 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $131,900
Buyer: Scott K. Russell
Seller: Kenneth W. Russell
Date: 07/24/19

112 Davis St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Sean Knightly
Seller: Ann M. Emanuelli
Date: 07/19/19

362 Log Plain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $318,000
Buyer: James G. Walsh
Seller: Catherine V. Seaver
Date: 07/29/19

115 Oakland St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Lisa Hassay
Seller: Jennifer R. List
Date: 07/29/19

15 Rockland Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $142,500
Buyer: PDV Inc.
Seller: Frederick J. Myerson RET
Date: 07/30/19

5 Taft Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Douglas S. Downham
Seller: Holly L. Alexander
Date: 07/26/19

23 Vermont St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: David Righini
Seller: Anita Y. Buchiane
Date: 07/25/19

21 Woodleigh Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Sarah W. Kulp
Seller: Jubb, Lawrence A. Sr., (Estate)
Date: 07/25/19

HAWLEY

9 Hunt Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Brandin R. Coates
Seller: Sidehill Farm LLC
Date: 07/17/19

LEVERETT

194 Montague Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $401,000
Buyer: Flavia Grattery-Musinsky
Seller: Lynn Peterfreund
Date: 07/18/19

108 Old Mountain Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Andrew P. Parker-Renga
Seller: Jonathan R. Thompson
Date: 07/23/19

MONTAGUE

Federal St.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Nathaniel I. Cook
Seller: Jenks INT
Date: 07/19/19

NORTHFIELD

2 Adams Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Gregory Richardson
Seller: William A. Richardson
Date: 07/18/19

33 Maple St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $263,000
Buyer: Jesse P. Magnuson
Seller: David J. Chula
Date: 07/30/19

533 Millers Falls Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: James Schilling-Cachat
Seller: Nancy B. Couper
Date: 07/26/19

426 Old Wendell Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: Benjamin Guest-Thomas
Seller: Deborah J. Taricano
Date: 07/29/19

ORANGE

19 Gay St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $147,500
Buyer: Bethany L. Evangelista
Seller: Imbriglio Gary J., (Estate)
Date: 07/19/19

14 Highland St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Quinn P. McAuliffe
Seller: Burkley Properties LLC
Date: 07/24/19

18 King St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Perkins
Seller: Mary L. Rieth
Date: 07/25/19

15 New Athol Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Keith J. Lague
Seller: Rebecca J. Eklund
Date: 07/17/19

202 Oxbow Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Kevin King
Seller: John H. Kelley
Date: 07/17/19

101 Walnut Hill Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: Laura Brown
Seller: Jeffrey Lacoy
Date: 07/26/19

ROWE

19 Pelham Dr.
Rowe, MA 01367
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Stephen R. Provost
Seller: Robert P. West
Date: 07/17/19

21 Pelham Dr.
Rowe, MA 01367
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Stephen R. Provost
Seller: Robert P. West
Date: 07/17/19

SHELBURNE

47 Water St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Ashley Braziel
Seller: Gail A. Bissell TR
Date: 07/24/19

SHUTESBURY

43 Merrill Dr.
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Ethan H. Schmid
Seller: Francis Merrigan
Date: 07/19/19

11 Montague Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Jessica Eldridge-Young
Seller: Sekou Sylla
Date: 07/19/19

305 Montague Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $286,000
Buyer: Lara Wahl
Seller: Glenn Motzkin
Date: 07/19/19

SUNDERLAND

35 Country Lane
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Hebert 2017 IRT
Seller: Nancy T. Mauger IRT
Date: 07/30/19

178 Montague Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Katelyn Rennie
Seller: Brian K. Peltier
Date: 07/29/19

3 River Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Patrick M. Power
Seller: Marilyn J. Munn RET
Date: 07/17/19

WHATELY

336 Haydenville Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: J2K Realty LLC
Seller: Charles E. Stacy
Date: 07/22/19

186 Westbrook Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Dennis C. Roof
Seller: Barbara J. Banik IRT
Date: 07/19/19

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

62 Alhambra Circle, North
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Matthew V. Izzo
Seller: Poplar Development LLC
Date: 07/22/19

145 Brien St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: David L. Duff
Seller: Charlene C. Hermans
Date: 07/25/19

153 Cardinal Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $4,260,000
Buyer: KRE BSL Husky Cardinal Dr.
Seller: 153 Cardinal Drive LLC
Date: 07/19/19

186 Clover Hill Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: David Wilbur
Seller: Mary L. Hollander
Date: 07/26/19

716 Cooper St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Lyudmila Serman
Seller: Liquori, Antonia E., (Estate)
Date: 07/25/19

32 Fairview St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $261,000
Buyer: Dermott O’Malley
Seller: Donald J. Taddia
Date: 07/19/19

31 High St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $139,475
Buyer: NJRE Property Group LLC
Seller: MLS Management LLC
Date: 07/26/19

158 Karen Lynn Circle
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Eagle Home Buyers LLC
Seller: Richard C. Ardolino
Date: 07/22/19

73 Kensington St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $158,260
Buyer: Lakeview Loan Servicing
Seller: Donald Woodin
Date: 07/22/19

29 Ley St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Scott E. Minalga
Seller: John D. Fiorini
Date: 07/19/19

15 Marlene Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $336,500
Buyer: Mark W. Brittain
Seller: Joseph Depalma
Date: 07/22/19

15 Mill St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $254,900
Buyer: James T. Thrower
Seller: Gail P. Sullivan
Date: 07/29/19

72 Parkedge Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Zackary Cameron
Seller: Joseph Labelle
Date: 07/29/19

54-60 River Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: 18 Canterbury LLC
Seller: John N. Depalma
Date: 07/26/19

31 Rowley St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Kaitlin Dilizia
Seller: Robert B. Paul
Date: 07/26/19

588 Silver St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $1,525,000
Buyer: Sunshine Village Inc.
Seller: ECS Realty Inc.
Date: 07/17/19

377 South West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Bridgette A. Barna
Seller: Palmer, Edward S., (Estate)
Date: 07/25/19

67 Spencer St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Elizabeth J. Bienia
Seller: John Scobie
Date: 07/23/19

29 Western Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $197,900
Buyer: James W. Wood
Seller: Franceska E. Solon
Date: 07/29/19

BLANDFORD

166 Chester Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Shane Ladue
Seller: Marjorie C. Sheridan
Date: 07/26/19

BRIMFIELD

158 Dunhamtown Palmer Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: John M. Fabrizio
Seller: Leonard R. Minnie
Date: 07/26/19

24 Forest Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $189,900
Buyer: Sarah N. Cronin
Seller: Keith R. Lachapelle
Date: 07/19/19

CHICOPEE

6 Asinof Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Urszula NT
Seller: Asinof Avenue LLC
Date: 07/19/19

87 Basil Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Suzanne L. Orsini
Seller: Sandra J. Walz
Date: 07/30/19

77 Bray St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $213,500
Buyer: Jose M. Nunez
Seller: Robert D. Labine
Date: 07/26/19

536 Britton St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $307,000
Buyer: Katherine E. Orszulak
Seller: LTL LLC
Date: 07/26/19

770 Burnett Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Ross S. Cookis
Seller: Robert Beany
Date: 07/22/19

60 Cecile Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $168,400
Buyer: Leonard P. Madzy
Seller: Dianne M. Greaney
Date: 07/24/19

22 Clark St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Roberto Perez
Seller: Inna Houle
Date: 07/19/19

22 Empire St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $159,800
Buyer: Damaris Perez-Pizarro
Seller: Sylvia J. Durphey
Date: 07/30/19

80 Empire St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: David S. Kida
Seller: Danielle A. Dion-Korell
Date: 07/30/19

32 Fairmont St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $182,500
Buyer: Daniel J. Greenwood
Seller: John Allsop
Date: 07/30/19

50 Grace St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Emily D. Descheneaux
Seller: Ashley N. Gavioli
Date: 07/30/19

161 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Cynthia Silva
Seller: Jocelyn Nunez
Date: 07/25/19

80 Hilton St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Justin Doyle
Seller: Larry S. Kelly
Date: 07/17/19

176 Jacob St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Steven R. Rivera
Seller: Edward J. Jacques
Date: 07/23/19

174 Langevin St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Robert R. Croteau
Seller: Judith A. Rusciano
Date: 07/26/19

90 Loveland Ter.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Cecilio Cruz-Rivera
Seller: CIG 4 LLC
Date: 07/18/19

103 Ludlow Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Premier Home Builders Inc.
Seller: Daniel R. Kaeble
Date: 07/18/19

47 Marcelle St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Alexander C. Trusiewicz
Seller: Maria K. Buniowska
Date: 07/29/19

54 Mary St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Sarah A. Hews
Seller: Joyce A. Labonte
Date: 07/19/19

44 Melvin St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: James Grandchamp
Seller: Anibal Rivas
Date: 07/23/19

52 Morgan Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Stephen Nembirkow
Seller: Geoffrey J. Creed
Date: 07/24/19

30 Old Lyman Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Steven J. Proulx
Seller: Jose L. Rodriguez
Date: 07/19/19

107 Parenteau Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $211,000
Buyer: Donna M. Starke
Seller: Dino A. Brunetti
Date: 07/29/19

470-472 Springfield St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Urszula NT
Seller: Asinof Avenue LLC
Date: 07/19/19

104 Streiber Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $160,900
Buyer: Asia Pietskowski
Seller: Ivy McClaflin
Date: 07/17/19

167 Summit Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Alison R. Riffenburg
Seller: Jason Venne
Date: 07/22/19

1622 Westover Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $208,000
Buyer: Steven Roy
Seller: Bruce A. Bernier
Date: 07/22/19

1694 Westover Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Wrecker LLC
Seller: Henry B. Boutilier
Date: 07/19/19

1721 Westover Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Lisa K. Lewis
Seller: DGL Properties LLC
Date: 07/19/19

43 Willow St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Cady
Seller: Daniel T. Jones
Date: 07/25/19

200 Woodcrest Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $226,500
Buyer: Thomas J. Rowland
Seller: Rita A. Desautels
Date: 07/24/19

EAST LONGMEADOW

82 Deer Park Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $5,523,299
Buyer: Arclin Surfaces-Blythewd
Seller: Surteco GMBH
Date: 07/23/19

153 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $176,512
Buyer: Bank Of New York Mellon
Seller: Laura Lacrosse
Date: 07/29/19

50 Fernwood Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $302,500
Buyer: Bradford D. Amidon
Seller: Laura A. Campbell-Sills
Date: 07/29/19

3 Greenacre Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $247,900
Buyer: Daniel P. Rosen
Seller: Mary E. Goodrow
Date: 07/19/19

38 Hazelhurst Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Natalia Salagornick
Seller: Mark L. Grabowski
Date: 07/29/19

22 Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $243,500
Buyer: Jennifer L. Palmer
Seller: John L. Maloney
Date: 07/17/19

40 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Mohamed A. Hussein
Seller: Donna Maloney
Date: 07/18/19

88 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Patrick Ayres
Seller: Mark N. Edoff
Date: 07/26/19

227 Prospect St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Jean D. Reginald-Beauzile
Seller: Jeremy F. Edwards
Date: 07/29/19

7 Schuyler Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $141,960
Buyer: Rizwan Hanif
Seller: Reid J. Lavallee
Date: 07/25/19

47 Schuyler Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Chris Nguyen
Seller: James R. Kelley
Date: 07/17/19

337 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Jared M. Flores
Seller: Scott C. Jelescheff
Date: 07/19/19

234 Wilbraham Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Felix W. Rodriguez
Seller: Tesia M. Pollock
Date: 07/26/19

GRANVILLE

Beech Hill Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Springfield Water & Sewer
Seller: Meriamne Singer
Date: 07/22/19

305 Crest Lane
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $319,000
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Benson
Seller: Henry Babiec
Date: 07/23/19

HAMPDEN

294 Glendale Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Revampit LLC
Seller: Robert R. Melville
Date: 07/22/19

144 Mountain Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $344,900
Buyer: Selina Ortega
Seller: Bruce S. Dahn
Date: 07/22/19

20 Old Orchard Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Geoffrey R. Farrington
Seller: Donna L. Muska
Date: 07/23/19

HOLLAND

12 Craig Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Roy M. Henshaw T. 1996
Seller: Duane D. Boudreau
Date: 07/19/19

12 Forest Court
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $279,900
Buyer: Rebecca C. Tanaka-Reader
Seller: Brian J. Pajak
Date: 07/26/19

83 May Brook Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Daniel R. Maketansky
Seller: Paul J. Novinsky
Date: 07/19/19

125 Vinton Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $269,900
Buyer: Lynn Brindamour
Seller: Valerie J. Butler
Date: 07/22/19

HOLYOKE

88-90 Brown Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Lennix E. Rosa
Seller: David P. Richards
Date: 07/17/19

56 Canal St.
Holyoke, MA 01013
Amount: $3,500,000
Buyer: IIP MA 3 LLC
Seller: Trulieve Holyoke Holdings
Date: 07/29/19

94 Central Park Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $389,900
Buyer: Christopher T. Gillis
Seller: Ingrid R. Gureckis-Grant
Date: 07/23/19

110 Congress Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Carmen G. Ortiz
Seller: Raymond P. Smalley
Date: 07/26/19

53 George St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Gamaliel Soto
Seller: Donna M. Lyons
Date: 07/17/19

5 Gilman St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Jill P. Fiorini
Seller: Stephen J. Orsini
Date: 07/30/19

131 Jarvis Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Katherine A. Sylvain
Seller: Shane M. Michon
Date: 07/26/19

126 Lincoln St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $322,500
Buyer: John Marshall
Seller: A. Peter Swiderski
Date: 07/19/19

Lower Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $2,500,000
Buyer: BRE Development LLC
Seller: Holyoke Mall Co. LP
Date: 07/24/19

86 Lower Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $825,500
Buyer: Plumbers & Pipefittrs Union
Seller: Holyoke Mall Co LP
Date: 07/23/19

68 Meadowview Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $303,000
Buyer: Jasmine Bustamante
Seller: Tierney, Marion F., (Estate)
Date: 07/19/19

79 Merrick Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: William Lyle
Seller: Nancy E. Clark
Date: 07/29/19

393-395 South Elm St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Angel L. Ramos-Collazo
Seller: AAD LLC
Date: 07/30/19

45 Taylor St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Karen L. Everett
Seller: Frederick Andujar
Date: 07/19/19

15 Vadnais St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Amy C. McDonough
Seller: McDonnell, Catherine R., (Estate)
Date: 07/18/19

143-145 Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $261,000
Buyer: Juan Martinez
Seller: Perry R. Dulude
Date: 07/22/19

7 Yale St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $362,900
Buyer: Maurice J. Dufresne
Seller: Ronald E. Kanagaki
Date: 07/25/19

LONGMEADOW

18 Barbara Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Alexander Fenska
Seller: Maria DelCarmen-Orejuela
Date: 07/30/19

84 Benedict Ter.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $389,900
Buyer: John R. Vellenga
Seller: Eric J. Gouvin
Date: 07/29/19

163 Cedar Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $269,900
Buyer: Dana M. Hartigan
Seller: Heather G. Sheridan
Date: 07/25/19

43 Crest Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $358,000
Buyer: Anthony M. Rosati
Seller: Louise M. Croll
Date: 07/19/19

104 Crestview Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $472,500
Buyer: Michael DiYeso
Seller: Stephen Crane
Date: 07/19/19

73 Ellington St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Christine Viereck
Seller: Linda H. Dunn
Date: 07/26/19

49 Eunice Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Vijay C. Hanchatey
Seller: Halim O. Muslu
Date: 07/29/19

42 Fairway Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Kathryn M. Belkin
Seller: Lawrence M. Conti
Date: 07/30/19

252 Kenmore Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Magee
Seller: Margaret M. Croteau
Date: 07/26/19

1195 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Sarah R. Lapolice
Seller: Barbara W. Elsner
Date: 07/19/19

86 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Mihaela S. Stefan
Seller: John Brock
Date: 07/23/19

210 Meadowlark Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Rachel E. Georgantas
Seller: Karen A. Barrows
Date: 07/18/19

80 Mill Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $484,900
Buyer: William J. Linville
Seller: Daniel P. Yerrington
Date: 07/26/19

195 Overbrook Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Michael C. Serricchio
Seller: Walter P. Gunn
Date: 07/22/19

97 Riverview Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Vy T. Luong
Seller: Richard C. Sprinthall
Date: 07/19/19

80 Severn St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $682,000
Buyer: Jared D. Hudson
Seller: Thomas C. Sullivan
Date: 07/30/19

85 Tennyson Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $674,900
Buyer: Theodore K. Mlapah
Seller: Alex F. Dixon
Date: 07/22/19

69 Warwick St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Dario Caddeo
Seller: Downey, Mary A., (Estate)
Date: 07/18/19

66 Woolworth St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Robert S. Richardson
Seller: Kathleen P. Afolabi
Date: 07/26/19

LUDLOW

144 Bondsville Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Patrick McCuskey
Seller: Mark R. Shapiro
Date: 07/19/19

28 Brownell St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Erik S. Shumake
Seller: Christine L. James
Date: 07/25/19

1252 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $205,005
Buyer: Launa B. Saleh
Seller: Machado, Paul D., (Estate)
Date: 07/17/19

48 Jackie Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $514,000
Buyer: Sean J. Robinson
Seller: Stephen Nembirkow
Date: 07/24/19

130 Kirkland Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Chocorua Realty Invests
Seller: Lisa S. Goncalves
Date: 07/26/19

122 Nash Hill Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $208,000
Buyer: Daniel Owino-Awuor
Seller: Ann C. Beardsley
Date: 07/22/19

1 Olivia Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $509,000
Buyer: Andrew Rose
Seller: Derek Rodrigues
Date: 07/18/19

71 Parker Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Kapinos
Seller: Jose F. Lopes
Date: 07/26/19

22 Salli Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Alan M. Blake
Seller: Nadia Leonidovna-Ruby
Date: 07/19/19

326 Sewall St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: CPN&J Realty LLC
Seller: Carol Labrecque
Date: 07/22/19

405 Ventura St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $205,005
Buyer: Launa B. Saleh
Seller: Machado, Paul D., (Estate)
Date: 07/17/19

881 West St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $231,900
Buyer: David R. Klock
Seller: James J. Magrath
Date: 07/25/19

100 Williams St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $190,500
Buyer: Laurie Stawicki
Seller: William E. Lawlor
Date: 07/25/19

MONSON

70 Carpenter Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Dimitri A. Bryant
Seller: Celeste M. Gould
Date: 07/25/19

22 Country Club Dr.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $259,900
Buyer: Angela M. Allain
Seller: Blythewood Property Mgmt.
Date: 07/24/19

34 Wales Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Michael H. Green
Seller: Steven B. Dethloff
Date: 07/22/19

PALMER

25 Cheney St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Paul D. Martin
Seller: Dorothy O. Tenczar
Date: 07/29/19

15 Holbrook St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $234,900
Buyer: Kerilyn R. Barrios
Seller: Preferred Property Mgmt.
Date: 07/18/19

2314 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Jessica Richardson
Seller: Joseph H. Baldyga
Date: 07/19/19

385 Rondeau St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Amnouy Soynanhang
Seller: Marcus L. Nutter
Date: 07/26/19

25 Walnut St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Michael Saccamando
Seller: James A. Deauseault
Date: 07/22/19

RUSSELL

1371 Blandford Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Allen D. Papillon
Seller: Everett R. Cooley
Date: 07/29/19

SOUTHWICK

35 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $399,900
Buyer: Brian C. Chambers
Seller: Paul E. Jerusik
Date: 07/19/19

19 Honey Pot Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: David N. Wilson
Seller: Cedar Investment Group
Date: 07/23/19

105 Point Grove Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: William L. Gould
Seller: Gould, David, (Estate)
Date: 07/22/19

26 South Loomis St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Juliet Samba
Seller: Kimberly A. Valentino
Date: 07/26/19

8 Veteran St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Kevin J. Larosa
Seller: Michael L. Menard
Date: 07/25/19

SPRINGFIELD

77 Abbott St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $234,000
Buyer: Katiria Cruz
Seller: Christina J. Cronin
Date: 07/22/19

115 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Leanna R. Lewis
Seller: Alexsandr Bloom
Date: 07/25/19

307 Arcadia Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $234,500
Buyer: Damaris D. Marmolejos
Seller: Donna Dunn
Date: 07/19/19

50 Beaufort Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Eugenio Rodriguez
Seller: Property Keys LLC
Date: 07/19/19

1269 Berkshire Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Erika Wallace
Seller: Genowefa Skora
Date: 07/26/19

8 Bosworth St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Odalina M. Portes
Seller: Martin A. Portes
Date: 07/25/19

26 Brewster St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $170,180
Buyer: John Oliveri
Seller: Bank Of New York Mellon
Date: 07/26/19

34 Brighton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: Solivelises Gonzalez
Seller: Juan Esteves
Date: 07/29/19

22 Buick St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Keanaha Milbier
Seller: Lisa J. Russell
Date: 07/18/19

93 Burghardt St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: Migdalia Flores
Seller: Ivan Rizzo
Date: 07/23/19

27 Bushwick Place
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Doraliz Ubeda
Seller: Juan M. Barrera
Date: 07/26/19

199 Cambria St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $120,769
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Steven E. Jacobson
Date: 07/18/19

674 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Brandon Klein
Seller: Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity
Date: 07/24/19

111-113 Cherrelyn St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $174,500
Buyer: Yudelkis M. Paulino
Seller: Adolfo Serrano-Torres
Date: 07/29/19

41 Copeland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Israel E. Garcia-Camacho
Seller: Brian F. Szmigiel
Date: 07/25/19

54 Cumberland St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $470,000
Buyer: Ironsides Mainland LLC
Seller: Mister Mister LLC
Date: 07/19/19

82 Druid Hill Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Robert A. McCaffrey
Seller: Carlo J. Camerota
Date: 07/26/19

50-52 Dunmoreland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Kevin Malone
Seller: Scudder Bay Capital LLC
Date: 07/19/19

222 Edendale St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Miguel Nieves
Seller: Edmond R. Moreau
Date: 07/19/19

3 Elaine Circle
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $339,000
Buyer: Juan Esteves
Seller: Grahams Construction Inc.
Date: 07/30/19

63 Eleanor Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: J. J Feliciano-Hernandez
Seller: Damaris D. Marmolejo
Date: 07/19/19

81 Embury St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Marva Peynado
Seller: Vincent Daley
Date: 07/29/19

35 Fern St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Karna B. Tamang
Seller: Hira Thatal
Date: 07/23/19

300 Forest Park Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $269,500
Buyer: Eric D. Braaten
Seller: Adam R. St.Martin
Date: 07/19/19

123 Fort Pleasant Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Marika Franklin
Seller: Christine Whyte
Date: 07/22/19

63-65 Granby St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Jason Hoffman
Seller: Gary A. Daula
Date: 07/22/19

65 Garland St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Olga L. Orengo
Seller: Patriot Living LLC
Date: 07/26/19

95-97 Genesee St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Sultan Mourad
Seller: De Q. Wu
Date: 07/26/19

42 Geneva St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Christine A. Valardi
Seller: Matthew J. Kapinos
Date: 07/26/19

317 Gillette Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Peter S. King
Seller: William F. Winslow
Date: 07/24/19

21 Gralia Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: TM Rentals LLC
Seller: Barbara Wenc
Date: 07/25/19

43 Grandview St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $215,500
Buyer: Benjamin Medina
Seller: John B. Johnson
Date: 07/18/19

8 Groveton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Andy Pham
Seller: Ha Pham
Date: 07/19/19

66 Hermitage Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $249,500
Buyer: John P. Ryan
Seller: Jordan N. Nascimento
Date: 07/29/19

38 Ina St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Soledad Diaz
Seller: LE & Associates LLC
Date: 07/18/19

47 Jasper St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $176,000
Buyer: Juliet M. Lowe
Seller: Barrington Stephenson
Date: 07/26/19

94 Joanne Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $329,900
Buyer: Shelley S. Whitley
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 07/29/19

120 Kimberly Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: Jovani S. Allen
Seller: Grace L. Smith
Date: 07/19/19

184 Knollwood St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Daniel Rivera
Seller: Diego I. Dominguez
Date: 07/17/19

191 Lamont St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Jose A. Ocasio
Date: 07/24/19

26 Lenox St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,800,000
Buyer: Sumner Avenue 473-477 LLC
Seller: Northamptonboys2 LLC
Date: 07/17/19

88-92 Leyfred Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Yerenilda R. Frias
Seller: Andrea Richards
Date: 07/19/19

2-4 Littleton St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Dillanira Arreaga
Seller: Antonio Maldonado
Date: 07/22/19

14 Lyndale St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Sumner Avenue Realty LLC
Seller: Dara M. Howard
Date: 07/29/19

2137 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $1,150,000
Buyer: Ironsides Mainland LLC
Seller: Lachenauer LLC
Date: 07/19/19

93 Melville St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Reginald P. Johnson
Seller: Shawna Gutowski
Date: 07/24/19

33 Mohegan Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $193,500
Buyer: Wilber A. Cedrez
Seller: Sarah B. Brittain
Date: 07/19/19

40-42 Mooreland St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: Lesley A. Hernandez
Seller: Mark A. Robbins
Date: 07/25/19

105 Newhouse St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Jose L. Gonzalez
Seller: Carole L. Magidson
Date: 07/29/19

202 Northampton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $131,655
Buyer: Laelia LLC
Seller: Heath J. Richardson
Date: 07/29/19

1392 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Lavinia Velazquez
Seller: Luis Velazquez
Date: 07/26/19

1286 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Imran R. Chaudhry
Seller: RETained Realty Inc.
Date: 07/19/19

87 Pennsylvania Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $172,900
Buyer: Julio Marrero
Seller: Narapati Kafley
Date: 07/29/19

79 Penrose St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Carlos A. Torres
Seller: MBC Properties LLC
Date: 07/19/19

53 Pidgeon Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Marlena Acevedo-Sanchez
Seller: Sheila Greenia
Date: 07/18/19

20 Powell Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Martin A. Portes
Seller: Rafael A. Santana
Date: 07/26/19

159 Powell Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $164,000
Buyer: Shekina T. Mondon
Seller: Gerardo Lebron
Date: 07/25/19

11 Pulaski St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: 1 Call Maintenance LLC
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 07/17/19

14 Rachael St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: James Leahy
Seller: Francine M. Kustwan
Date: 07/24/19

29-31 Ralph St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $129,625
Buyer: MHFA
Seller: Hipolito Gonzalez
Date: 07/19/19

9-11 Ramah St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $216,000
Buyer: Alexander R. O’Neil
Seller: Jamie A. Jacobs
Date: 07/29/19

42 Redstone Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Sara L. Maggipinto
Seller: Ashley M. McFarlane
Date: 07/19/19

80 Rochelle St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Chelsea Rohman
Seller: JJJ 17 LLC
Date: 07/26/19

115 Rochford Circle
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Sacha Vazquez
Seller: West, Robert, (Estate)
Date: 07/26/19

85 Ruthven St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $133,500
Buyer: Aguasvivas Realty LLC
Seller: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Date: 07/26/19

55 Saint George Road
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $3,400,000
Buyer: ARHC PSNTMA01 LLC
Seller: Pioneer Mob LP
Date: 07/23/19

1175 Saint James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Dennis O. Navarro-Cosme
Seller: Donna M. Roy
Date: 07/18/19

51-53 Sanderson St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Victor R. Lopez-Cortes
Seller: Hedge Hog Industries Corp.
Date: 07/30/19

42-44 Santa Barbara St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Steven Al-Husseini
Seller: Jason H. Casagrande
Date: 07/26/19

89 Sawmill Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Peter J. Kaufmann
Seller: Mark E. Tartt
Date: 07/24/19

19 Sedgelia St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Giovani Rivera
Seller: Prime Partners LLC
Date: 07/30/19

125 South Shore Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Laura Dubowski
Seller: Vicente Perez
Date: 07/29/19

980 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Sandra Benson
Seller: Huan V. Huynh
Date: 07/30/19

66 Sunapee St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Katherine M. McDonald
Seller: Ann M. Decoteau
Date: 07/26/19

33 Superior Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Shannon Connor
Seller: Luz Martinez
Date: 07/26/19

14 Sunridge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Michelle R. Gilley
Seller: Peter J. Kaufmann
Date: 07/23/19

66 Switzer Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Noelis Santiago
Seller: Thomas C. Baird
Date: 07/23/19

56 Tallyho Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $255,900
Buyer: Anne H. Pietras
Seller: Custom Homes Development Group
Date: 07/30/19

220 Tiffany St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Razi Jaber
Seller: Daniel Gnidenko
Date: 07/22/19

17 Vail St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: Ismael J. Cintron
Seller: Erik F. Rosa
Date: 07/18/19

36 Valley Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Ellen May
Seller: Forest, Norman P., (Estate)
Date: 07/19/19

38-40 Van Buren Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Luz D. Guerrero
Seller: Fritz Bosquet
Date: 07/29/19

28 Waldorf St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $142,500
Buyer: Santa B. Pabon
Seller: Colleen Moynihan
Date: 07/26/19

129 Warrenton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $127,850
Buyer: Denis A. Couture
Seller: Michael Ferris
Date: 07/25/19

205 West Allen Ridge Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $175,257
Buyer: Stacy E. Heimann
Seller: Michael A. Sukhram
Date: 07/26/19

155 Wheeler Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Loy Solan-Anderson
Seller: Ana N. Colon
Date: 07/25/19

101 Whittier St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $218,125
Buyer: James Kihungi
Seller: Florence Testa
Date: 07/17/19

30-32 Wilbraham Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Ngoc T. Nguyen
Seller: Hedge Hog Industries Corp.
Date: 07/19/19

75 Windemere St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $170,900
Buyer: Israel Ruiz
Seller: Onota Rental LLC
Date: 07/26/19

137 Wollaston St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Megan Dilisio
Seller: Neung Chummasorn
Date: 07/30/19

TOLLAND

272 Meadow Dr.
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $228,736
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Ashley H. Donnellan
Date: 07/22/19

WESTFIELD

17 Crescent Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Robert Paul
Seller: Peter Storozuk
Date: 07/17/19

62 Crescent Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Joseph E. Labelle
Seller: Karen E. Siart
Date: 07/29/19

7 Cross St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $204,900
Buyer: Artem Martynyuk
Seller: Liliana Burgos-Ortiz
Date: 07/24/19

29 Dana St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Pisey C. Hean
Seller: Joanne T. Ciancotti
Date: 07/19/19

79 Glenwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Everett R. Cooley
Seller: Aaron A. Bean
Date: 07/22/19

45 Grandview Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Michael L. Menard
Seller: Sandra L. Cennamo
Date: 07/25/19

3 Hanover St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $182,941
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Leo Boucher
Date: 07/26/19

7 Harrison Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: John Weir
Seller: Christopher Lusignan
Date: 07/24/19

31 Harvest Moon Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $580,000
Buyer: Nicholas Cal
Seller: David A. Metcalf
Date: 07/19/19

68 Klondike Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $1,733,000
Buyer: Arbor Residents Assn. Inc.
Seller: James Buratti
Date: 07/25/19

28 Knollwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Paul A. Laquerre
Seller: Thomas J. Keating
Date: 07/26/19

11 Lockhouse Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Vitaliy Novenko
Seller: Andrey L. Girich
Date: 07/22/19

72 Pinehurst St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $212,900
Buyer: Peter Storozuk
Seller: Lawrence H. Messer
Date: 07/24/19

273 Ponders Hollow Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $281,000
Buyer: Sonam Bhujel
Seller: John F. Kielb
Date: 07/25/19

63 Radisson Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: David R. Boudreau
Seller: Jane T. Condon
Date: 07/17/19

221 Russellville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Christa L. Blair
Seller: David Perez
Date: 07/17/19

107 Sandy Hill Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Kenneth S. Soto
Seller: Barbara F. Bodendorf
Date: 07/29/19

868 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $1,790,000
Buyer: Heritage Residents Association
Seller: James Buratti
Date: 07/25/19

27 Tow Path Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Katie B. Oleksak
Seller: Wade, Grace J., (Estate)
Date: 07/22/19

152 Valley View Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Spenser L. Afonso
Seller: William D. Murphy
Date: 07/29/19

WILBRAHAM

15 3 Rivers Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Susan Lufkin-Curtis
Seller: David P. Owen
Date: 07/30/19

2287 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $7,710,000
Buyer: KRE BSL Husky Wilbraham
Seller: 2387 Boston Road LLC
Date: 07/19/19

29 Brookside Circle
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Brianna N. Kipetz
Seller: Lori A. Martin
Date: 07/18/19

660 Glendale Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Scott A. Foulis
Seller: Christian, David A. Sr., (Estate)
Date: 07/18/19

18 Herrick Place
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $549,000
Buyer: John J. Guerin
Seller: Paul E. Abrahamson
Date: 07/29/19

6 Julia Way
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Jose L. Ferreira
Seller: Custom Homes Development Group
Date: 07/24/19

15 Linwood Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Jordan Nascimento
Seller: Oliver Leung
Date: 07/29/19

53 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Douglas Look
Seller: Charles B. Proctor
Date: 07/24/19

211 Manchonis Road Ext.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Kevin Ordynowicz
Seller: Paul A. Knaplund
Date: 07/18/19

19 Oakland St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Sarah E. Miller
Seller: Matt J. Mahaney
Date: 07/24/19

2 Park Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $322,400
Buyer: Mary E. Goodrow
Seller: John H. McCullough
Date: 07/19/19

34 Pleasant View Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Renee K. Duncan-Mckenzie
Seller: Maureen C. Moran
Date: 07/19/19

52 Shirley St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $438,000
Buyer: Ian Hart
Seller: David W. Glidden
Date: 07/22/19

136 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Luis I. Garced
Seller: Allan M. Solaroli
Date: 07/18/19

874 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Ethan J. Lafreniere
Seller: Raschilla, Michael A., (Estate)
Date: 07/19/19

29 Victoria Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $513,000
Buyer: Doris A. Naiman
Seller: John J. Guerin
Date: 07/19/19

WEST SPRINGFIELD

270 Amostown Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Oksana Lavrenchuk
Seller: Osama Jalal
Date: 07/25/19

24 Autumn Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $331,000
Buyer: William C. Reichelt
Seller: Cote FT
Date: 07/26/19

22 Chapin St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Andrey Shlykov
Seller: Jeffrey Bergeron
Date: 07/19/19

28 Cornflower Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $327,000
Buyer: Joshua M. Derry
Seller: Gerard R. Roy
Date: 07/29/19

71-73 East School St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Murad A. Sulaymanov
Seller: Morray Inc.
Date: 07/25/19

218 Forest Glenn
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Alissa L. Burke-Spaulding
Seller: Patricia M. Selva
Date: 07/18/19

127 Herrman St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $192,500
Buyer: Cheryl A. Ruggirello
Seller: Kerry J. Derry
Date: 07/29/19

2 Lenox St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: Sean C. Hurley
Seller: Mattbo RT
Date: 07/29/19

78 Lincoln St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Margarita Lopez
Seller: Lees, Alberta E., (Estate)
Date: 07/19/19

125 Monastery Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Michael T. Burque
Seller: Benjamin D. Berchulski
Date: 07/19/19

19 Moseley Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Halilu I. Daraja
Seller: Ram P. Pathak
Date: 07/29/19

131 Nelson St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jacob Johnston
Seller: Raymond L. Wellspeak
Date: 07/19/19

599 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Enrico Nitura-Talamayan
Seller: Bernard C. Pickett
Date: 07/29/19

136 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Bhakta Dahal
Seller: Megan Dilisio
Date: 07/30/19

83 Sibley Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Brady M. Walsh
Seller: Isaac Santana
Date: 07/24/19

74 Southworth St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Lori Harris
Seller: Thomas E. Hague
Date: 07/17/19

27 Sylvan St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $2,850,000
Buyer: ARHC PSNTMA01 LLC
Seller: Pioneer Mob LP
Date: 07/23/19

41 Therese Marie Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $555,000
Buyer: Maroun N. Hannoush
Seller: Daniel M. Spaulding
Date: 07/18/19

24 Western Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $5,900,000
Buyer: ARHC PSWSGMA01 LLC
Seller: Pioneer Mob LP
Date: 07/24/19

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

270 East Leverett Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $617,500
Buyer: Jesse R. Hart
Seller: Derek J. Dassatti
Date: 07/18/19

384 Henry St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Charlotte Driscoll
Seller: Elizabeth H. Follmer
Date: 07/19/19

22 Kamins Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $396,000
Buyer: Benigno R. Sanchez-Eppler
Seller: George E. Como
Date: 07/26/19

Lindenridge Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Bercume Construction LLC
Seller: Tofino Associates LLC
Date: 07/19/19

381-383 Main St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Long Mountain LLC
Seller: 383 Main LLC
Date: 07/25/19

127 Pelham Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Zhiqi Huang
Seller: Lyle E. & Melba L. Larson RET
Date: 07/25/19

34 Potwine Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $358,000
Buyer: Benjamin M. Rau
Seller: James R. Crotty
Date: 07/29/19

317 South Pleasant St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $484,000
Buyer: Amherst College
Seller: Benigno R. Sanchez-Eppler
Date: 07/26/19

28 Trillium Way
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $530,000
Buyer: Alex K. Phakos
Seller: Richard L. Gerstein
Date: 07/25/19

1240 West St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $272,500
Buyer: Raphaela R. Levy-Moore
Seller: Freda Peters
Date: 07/26/19

75 West St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $505,000
Buyer: Hang Le
Seller: Joslad & Associates PC
Date: 07/26/19

26 Wildflower Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $428,000
Buyer: M. Hajiesmaili
Seller: Charlotte A. Jackson
Date: 07/24/19

BELCHERTOWN

639 Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Kyle Alamad
Seller: Robert E. Carter
Date: 07/29/19

350 Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Bryan Lee
Seller: Robert E. Klaum
Date: 07/23/19

27 Canal Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $307,500
Buyer: Shane M. Parrott
Seller: Steven G. Burton
Date: 07/29/19

17 Dogwood Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $399,900
Buyer: Harlan G. Sturm
Seller: Albert Grimaldi
Date: 07/26/19

99 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $119,000
Buyer: James S. Pieciak
Seller: Nathan Santerre
Date: 07/24/19

800 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Phurbu Dolma
Seller: Nicholas C. Aquadro
Date: 07/17/19

31 Fuller St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Danielle M. Dushane
Seller: James D. Cole
Date: 07/29/19

814 George Hannum Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Colleen A. Duncan
Seller: Dargis, Marc A., (Estate)
Date: 07/26/19

32 Jensen St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $206,500
Buyer: Andrew Loebel
Seller: Daniel R. Roy
Date: 07/30/19

33 Magnolia Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $409,900
Buyer: Gonzalo Aguilar
Seller: J. N. Duquette & Son Construction
Date: 07/24/19

41 Magnolia Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $417,900
Buyer: Maureen Keizer LT
Seller: J. N. Duquette & on Construction
Date: 07/19/19

6 Old Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Thomas G. St.Laurent
Seller: Harlan G. Sturm
Date: 07/26/19

202 Old Enfield Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $436,000
Buyer: Neil L. Desroches
Seller: Laliberte Home Builders
Date: 07/30/19

375 Rockrimmon St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $321,700
Buyer: Christopher R. Perron
Seller: Christopher E. Pelletier
Date: 07/26/19

191 Stebbins St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Katie A. Napolitano
Seller: Bruce W. Adams
Date: 07/26/19

5 Woodhaven Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Matthew Lakso
Seller: Paul L. Beaulieu
Date: 07/29/19

CHESTERFIELD

416 Main Road
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Michael J. McVeigh
Seller: David L. Fobes
Date: 07/30/19

EASTHAMPTON

90 Briggs St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $266,900
Buyer: Cassandra Eckhof
Seller: Thomasa & K. Lombardo LT
Date: 07/30/19

21 Button Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Edward V. Harvey
Seller: Peter P. Hamelin
Date: 07/29/19

5 Campus Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: 5 Campus Lane LLC
Seller: DO Holding Co. LLC
Date: 07/25/19

17 Deerfield Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $342,000
Buyer: Catherine M. Hardie
Seller: Kevin J. Wilby
Date: 07/29/19

112 East St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $161,000
Buyer: Crossroads Property Investors
Seller: Gary R. Campbell
Date: 07/19/19

41 East Green St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $222,500
Buyer: Brian P. Brown
Seller: Valdore O. Gagne
Date: 07/30/19

3 Keddy St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Christine N. Crutchfield
Seller: Latka RT
Date: 07/24/19

22 Morin Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Joshua Smith
Seller: Edward Harvey
Date: 07/29/19

8 Oakridge Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Robert G. Labrie
Seller: Ronald T. Labrie
Date: 07/26/19

GOSHEN

35 South Chesterfield Road
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $234,900
Buyer: Shirley M. Kubosiak
Seller: Zachary A. Laroche
Date: 07/23/19

GRANBY

258 Amherst St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $329,200
Buyer: Jaroslaw Laskarzewski
Seller: James R. Maes
Date: 07/22/19

183 Chicopee St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Potts
Seller: Daniel J. Watkins
Date: 07/25/19

4 Greystone Ave.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Thomas E. Venema
Seller: Tammi J. Adair
Date: 07/18/19

234 Taylor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Philip D. Stachura
Seller: Michael R. Goff
Date: 07/17/19

HADLEY

11 Aloha Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Kristie M. Laflamme
Seller: Valorie L. Leonard
Date: 07/24/19

141 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $326,000
Buyer: Mark R. Hamel
Seller: Stephen J. Cummings
Date: 07/29/19

HATFIELD

155 Depot Road
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Niocholas A. Del-Castillo
Seller: Edward F. Shaw LT
Date: 07/30/19

55 Linseed Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Grace M. Lalor
Seller: Joseph J. Strycharz
Date: 07/26/19

North Hatfield Road
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Mieke LLC
Seller: Kestrel Land TR
Date: 07/19/19

32 North Hatfield Road
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: William Leroy
Seller: Stanley S. Sadowski
Date: 07/30/19

154 Prospect St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $464,200
Buyer: Matthew Chandler
Seller: Kathleen M. Dion
Date: 07/23/19

HUNTINGTON

89 Pisgah Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Bradley Kreger
Seller: Michael A. King
Date: 07/26/19

6 Pleasant St.
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $149,500
Buyer: Eric D. Little
Seller: James R. Gobeille
Date: 07/19/19

MIDDLEFIELD

143 Chipman Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Emmitt D. McIntyre
Seller: Michael R. Butchen
Date: 07/29/19

NORTHAMPTON

93 Bliss St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: David Clooney
Seller: Stephanie Schamess
Date: 07/17/19

191 Bridge Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Rubina Husain
Seller: David J. Carpenter
Date: 07/22/19

41 Cross Path Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Maureen O’Toole
Seller: Lyle E. Haggerty
Date: 07/17/19

435 Florence Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Roland Barbeito
Seller: Maureen Kiely
Date: 07/26/19

139 Greenleaf Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: David J. Carpenter
Seller: Stephen W. Alport
Date: 07/17/19

29 Howes St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $351,500
Buyer: Nancy E. Cohen
Seller: Valerie Nelson-Taylor
Date: 07/22/19

55 Linseed Road
Northampton, MA 01088
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Grace M. Lalor
Seller: Joseph J. Strycharz
Date: 07/26/19

30 Murphy Ter.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $291,500
Buyer: Lynn Asch
Seller: Matthew S. Braddak
Date: 07/23/19

327 North Farms Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Avy A. Skolnik
Seller: Meredith R. Bertrand
Date: 07/19/19

188 Rocky Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Yakov Kronrod
Seller: Kyle R. Alamed
Date: 07/29/19

16 Sherman Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Gregory J. Campbell
Seller: James A. Quinn
Date: 07/26/19

PELHAM

11 Enfield Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $248,000
Buyer: Nancy B. Couper
Seller: Grace E. Prime
Date: 07/26/19

8-B Harkness Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Jennifer L. Chandler
Seller: Christian D. Santangelo
Date: 07/30/19

222 North Valley Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Z. McDonnell
Seller: Eli Kwartler
Date: 07/26/19

41 South Valley Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Jerome J. Maczka
Seller: Abraham I. Gladstone
Date: 07/24/19

SOUTH HADLEY

14 Dale St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Shawn F. Langlois
Seller: Louis Langlois
Date: 07/19/19

2 Dayton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $1,400,000
Buyer: Peoples Bank
Seller: Joseph A. Marois
Date: 07/24/19

9 Doane Ter.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Matthew Bosowicz
Seller: Cavanaugh, Karen B., (Estate)
Date: 07/17/19

340 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Andrew Mankus
Seller: Nicholas Carra
Date: 07/19/19

81 Hildreth Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: Michael O’Neill
Seller: Haig K. Babikyan
Date: 07/26/19

7 Hillside Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $187,500
Buyer: Kristal R. Tolpa-Cote
Seller: Stella L. Warzenski
Date: 07/26/19

8 Karen Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Gary T. White
Seller: Helen C. Desjarlais
Date: 07/29/19

10 Lakeview Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Walter C. Braley
Seller: Neil L. Desroches
Date: 07/24/19

468 Newton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $1,400,000
Buyer: Peoples Bank
Seller: Joseph A. Marois
Date: 07/24/19

470 Newton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $1,400,000
Buyer: Peoples Bank
Seller: Joseph A. Marois
Date: 07/24/19

480 Newton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $1,400,000
Buyer: Peoples Bank
Seller: Joseph A. Marois
Date: 07/24/19

160 North Main St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Altagracia Ramirez
Seller: Tiffany Trzebiatowski
Date: 07/29/19

17 Red Bridge Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: Richard F. Cox
Seller: Katherine B. Jacobson
Date: 07/25/19

46 South St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $196,600
Buyer: Anthony Dejura
Seller: Rachael K. Perkins
Date: 07/22/19

42 Washington Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Patricia A. Keohan
Seller: Marion F. Delimat
Date: 07/26/19

40 Westbrook Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Katherine Schark
Seller: Mclaughlin, Elva J., (Estate)
Date: 07/30/19

71 Woodbridge St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Sara Harper RET
Seller: Sutton, Christopher S., (Estate)
Date: 07/19/19

SOUTHAMPTON

5 Bissonnette Circle
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Lisa A. Gawle
Seller: Jeffrey E. Schwenk
Date: 07/22/19

165 Brickyard Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Zachary A. Ribeiro
Seller: Jocelyn H. Kinlock
Date: 07/30/19

89 Clark St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Ryan L. Geeleher
Seller: Bruce A. Coombs
Date: 07/24/19

134 College Hwy.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $4,250,000
Buyer: Longhill Gardens LLC
Seller: Hampton Realty Apartments LLP
Date: 07/19/19

16 Hillside Meadows Dr.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Joseph P. Arduino
Seller: Daniel Pedersen
Date: 07/29/19

White Loaf Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Kristian C. Kasa
Seller: Ryan L. Geeleher
Date: 07/26/19

8 Woodmar Lane
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Amanda K. Duffy
Seller: Lisa A. Gawle
Date: 07/22/19

WARE

36 Cummings Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $222,500
Buyer: Tammy L. Baumier
Seller: Joann P. Champagne
Date: 07/23/19

130 Eagle St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Edward Voiland
Seller: Michael L. Boronski
Date: 07/25/19

59 Greenwich Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Glen A. Larue
Seller: King, Irene B., (Estate)
Date: 07/29/19

10 Lower Cove Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Deborah J. Ernest
Seller: Winslow A. Wildes
Date: 07/23/19

8 Lower Cove Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Deborah J. Ernest
Seller: Winslow A. Wildes
Date: 07/23/19

6 Murphy Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Charles R. Kiablick
Seller: Kusek, Louise A., (Estate)
Date: 07/19/19

WILLIAMSBURG

122 Petticoat Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $635,000
Buyer: Eli McKenna-Weiss
Seller: Brad H. Wolansky
Date: 07/19/19

WESTHAMPTON

295 Main Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: James A. Westwell
Seller: Anderson, Mark J., (Estate)
Date: 07/23/19

83 Montague Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: George Eager
Seller: Dawn M. Levay
Date: 07/26/19

Northwest Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Michael G. Proulx
Seller: Marina Nelson
Date: 07/17/19

WORTHINGTON

15 Sam Hill Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $176,000
Buyer: Vincent P. Dondiego
Seller: Alice B. Fritz
Date: 07/19/19

BUILDING PERMITS

By
Building Permits Uncategorized

The following building permits were issued during the month of July 2019.

CHICOPEE

Elms College
291 Springfield St.
$14,000 — Remove three fire-escape sections from O’Leary Hall

Meadow Street Partners, LLP
307 Meadow St.
$8,975 — Alter existing fire sprinkler system

EASTHAMPTON

Denmark Property Group, LLC
126-128 Northampton St.
$111,000 — Build infrastructure for new bank walk-up ATM kiosk

Easthampton Rod & Gun Club
23 River St.
$1,500 — Remove and replace existing deck and ramp

Eastworks, LLP
116 Pleasant St.
$10,000 — Interior renovations to Suite 155

Riverside Industries Inc.
1 Cottage St.
$30,000 — Build handicap-accessible ramp to rear of building

EAST LONGMEADOW

Pride Plaza
618 North Main St.
$17,000 — Remove non-bearing wall

GREENFIELD

Alliance Church
385 Chapman St.
$21,500 — Install 22 double-hung windows, four basement hopper windows, and five sliders to front and porch area

Alliance Church
385 Chapman St.
$2,912 — Replace exterior door at back of gym

CHD Watershed Project
148 Montague City Road
$28,782 — Install siding

James Renaud, Theresa Renaud
267 Federal St.
$3,500 — Roofing

Stop & Shop
89 French King Highway
$100,000 — Relocate customer service and modify that space to build out online pickup area

HADLEY

Pyramid Mall of Hadley Newco, LLC
367 Russell St.
$285,440 — Remove and replace rooftop HVAC units at Cinemark Theater and add in ice bear units with gas piping

W/S Hadley Properties II, LLC
7 South Maple St.
$420,000 — Redemise existing building into two tenant spaces, install new storefront glazing, reposition utilities into one common room, revise sprinklers, HVAC, replace trim boards, repaint exterior

LENOX

CR Resorts, LLC
165 Kemble St.
$22,000 — Modify existing offices

MRG CRW Holdings, LLC
55 Lee Road
$69,500 — Install fire-protection sprinklers in Mind and Wellness Center

LONGMEADOW

VK Heritage, LLC
753 Maple Road
$21,800 — Bathroom renovations

NORTHAMPTON

Aster Associates
80 Barrett St.
$44,714 — Install fire-alarm system

Aster Associates
80 Barrett St.
$29,400 — Roofing

GGB Massachusetts Land, LLC
1010 Ryan Road
$64,000 — Demolish and remove all structures

Smith College
5 Chapin Dr.
$11,850 — Install new doors in student lounge in Wright Hall, build partition wall in team room

Smith College
16 College Lane
$50,750 — Reconfigure existing office in Lyman Plant House to include new vestibule offices

SPRINGFIELD

Albany Road Springfield Plaza, LLC
1227 Liberty St.
$643,852 — Interior fit-out for new retail tenant, Citi Trends

Albany Road Springfield Plaza, LLC
1227 Liberty St.
$96,322 — Interior demolition of former retail tenant space for future buildout for Citi Trends

Albany Road – St. James Avenue, LLC
1252 St. James Ave.
$70,250 — Alter interior to fit out shell space for future tenant

ATRQ Realty, LLC
1795 Main St.
$401,240 — Alter tenant space in Suite 210 for Dental Care Alliance

Breckwood Realty, LLC
455 Breckwood Blvd.
$206,500 — Alter retail tenant space for new Family Dollar at Breckwood Shoppes

City of Springfield
180 Cooley St.
$33,000 — Install additional roof framing support for new kitchen hood rooftop unit at Kiley Middle School

City of Springfield
36 Court St.
$5,000 — Alter space for conference room and two office spaces in Law Department at City Hall

Multicultural Community Services of the Pioneer Valley Inc.
1000 Wilbraham Road
$149,830 — Replace 39 windows

Pearson-Liberty Development Co., LP
95 Liberty St.
$412,350 — Alter interior tenant space on third floor for MassHire Springfield Career Center

Pioneer Valley Federal Credit Union
1954 Wilbraham Road
$328,000 — Interior demolition and alterations for future buildout

Rivers Landing, LLC
1150 West Columbus Ave.
$450,000 — Alterations for new office space

WARE

1 Mechanic, LLC
1 Mechanic St.
$14,000 — New finishes, front doors, floor finishes, and counter surfaces

Colonial Ware Partnership
181 West St.
$100,000 — Roofing

Kanzaki Specialty Paper Inc.
20 Cummings St.
$54,627 — Roofing

Joel Pentlarge
31-37 Church St.
$23,000 — Roofing

WEST SPRINGFIELD

C Jack Realty Associates
1123 Riverdale St.
$210,000 — Rework existing Verizon location to new location

Route 20 Realty Associates
1399 Westfield St.
$10,000 — Partition to separate tenant space, new storefront system, new HVAC unit, interior finishes

State of Maine
1305 Memorial Dr.
$72,280 — Additional kitchen ventilation and electrical room ventilation, add power outlets

West River, LP
152 Elm St.
$83,700 — Interior remodel, including finish, fixture, millwork, and equipment upgrades; lighting and receptacle relocation and upgrades; upgrades to a few plumbing fixtures; accessibility upgrades

WILLIAMSBURG

Brewmasters Brewing Services
4 Main St.
$3,300 — Replace existing chillers

Balise Celebrates 100 Years of being a Driving Force in the Region

By
2019

It all started in 1919, when Paul Balise went into business fixing farm equipment in his garage in Hadley.

The company that still bears his family name has come a long way and evolved considerably since. The fourth-generation family-owned and operated business is now one of the largest automotive dealer groups in New England and the country.

Today, Balise is a billion-dollar company that employs more than 1,500 associates at more than 30 locations throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Owner Jeb Balise, Paul’s grandson, attributes this growth, evolution, and the ability to celebrate the company’s centennial to remaining true to the values and principles on which the company was founded. Then, as now, the foundation of the company is “great associates and great customers,” he said.

One of the primary guiding principles, or core values, at Balise is — and always has been — to exceed customers’ expectations and create an environment where people feel comfortable working and doing business, said Jeb Balise. Since the start, the company has been guided by these tenets:

The mission is to continually exceed the expectations of customers and associates;

The goal is to be the benchmark for excellence in every aspect of the business. Balise is dedicated to delivering exceptional service and value;

The promise is to create an environment of mutual trust and respect; to promote personal and professional growth; to foster teamwork and associate involvement; and to demand from ourselves the highest ethical standard.

The commitment to this mission makes this company a place where people want to work and do business. This is why “You’ll do better at Balise!” is a phrase that applies to customers and associates alike.

For 100 years, the Balise family has prided themselves on finding new and better ways to serve their customers and communities — a philosophy that is not only great for business, but a surefire way to cultivate passion among associates, said Jeb Balise. “When you put the customer first, growth is inevitable.”

In today’s competitive market, serving the customer is more than simply making a sale, he went on, and this is why Balise continually strives to be a one-stop-shop for all of one’s automotive needs.

In addition to the company’s 26 new and used car dealerships across Western Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Cape Cod, and Southern Connecticut, Balise has expanded over the years to include collision repair centers, full-service car washes, a finance company, and an insurance agency.

Along with the centennial celebration, exciting changes are on the horizon for the Balise Auto Group, including plans for a new Balise Mazda location opening in the South End of Springfield early next year, he said, adding that Balise is excited to be part of the revitalization of Springfield and to continue giving back to the community that welcomed it a century ago.

So much has changed in 100 years, he noted, but what matters most, the company’s guiding principles, haven’t.

Massachusetts Unemployment Drops Slightly in July

By
Daily News

BOSTON — The state’s total unemployment rate dropped one-tenth of a percentage point to 2.9% in July, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) preliminary job estimates indicate Massachusetts lost 3,500 jobs in July. Over the month, the private sector lost 4,100 jobs as losses occurred in leisure and hospitality; education and health services; professional, scientific, and business services; construction; and financial activities. Manufacturing jobs remained unchanged over the month, while trade, transportation, and utilities; other services; and information added jobs. Government added jobs over the month.

From July 2018 to July 2019, BLS estimates Massachusetts added 37,300 jobs. The July unemployment rate was eight-tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate of 3.7% reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Over the last year, the labor force has increased by 18,000, with 34,400 more residents employed and 16,400 fewer residents unemployed. These increases to the labor force, coupled with an unemployment rate that has remained below 4% for 39 consecutive months, continue to highlight the overall strength of the Massachusetts economy,” Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta said.

Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped four-tenths of a percentage point.

The labor force decreased by 4,400 from 3,838,800 in June, as 2,100 fewer residents were employed and 2,400 fewer residents were unemployed over the month.

The state’s labor-force participation rate — the total number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks — dropped one-tenth of a percentage point over the month to 67.6%. Compared to July 2018, the labor-force participation rate is up one-tenth of a percentage point.

The largest private-sector percentage job gains over the year were in other services; education and health services; information; and leisure and hospitality.

Seven Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin Attorneys Honored by Best Lawyers in America

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C. announced that seven of its attorneys were listed in Best Lawyers in America for 2020. Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer review publication in the legal profession, and its peer-reviewed listings are published in almost 75 countries around the world.

The seven Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin lawyers listed for inclusion this year are: Shareholder Michele Feinstein, in the fields of elder law and trusts and estates; Shareholder Gary Fentin (banking and finance law and commercial transactions/Uniform Commercial Code law); Shareholder Carol Cioe Klyman (elder law); Managing Partner Timothy Mulhern (corporate law and tax law); Shareholder Steven Schwartz (business organizations, including LLCs and partnerships; closely held companies; and family business law, as well as corporate law); Shareholder James Sheils (commercial transactions/Uniform Commercial Code law); and Shareholder Steven Weiss (bankruptcy and creditor/debtor rights, and insolvency and reorganization law).

Feinstein concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning and administration, elder law, probate litigation, health law, and corporate and business planning, including all aspects of planning for the succession of business interests, representation of closely held businesses and their owners, and representation of physicians in their individual and group practices.

Fentin concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and real-estate finance and development, industrial revenue bonds, affordable-housing development and finance, business law, and business foreclosures and workouts. He manages the firm’s tax-exempt bond practice and has acted as bond counsel and/or purchaser’s counsel in hundreds of such issues since 1978.

Klyman concentrates her practice in the areas of elder law, estate planning, special-needs-trust planning, estate settlement, guardianships, trust and estates litigation, and MassHealth appeals.

Mulhern concentrates his practice in the areas of family-business planning, taxation, corporate law, commercial real estate, and estate planning.

Schwartz concentrates his practice in the areas of family-business planning, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, and estate planning. His practice involves representation of principals in family-business planning (including exit planning for business owners), representation of individuals and corporations in the purchase and sale of business enterprises, strategic planning for the future of clients’ businesses, and providing advice on alternatives in financing through loans and venture capital.

Sheils concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial finance law, creditors’ rights, banking law, and telecommunications siting matters.

Weiss concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and consumer bankruptcy, reorganization, and litigation. He supervises the firm’s bankruptcy, reorganization, and workout practice and represents creditors, debtors, and others in both commercial and consumer bankruptcy cases throughout Massachusetts. Weiss has been a member of the private panel of Chapter 7 Trustees for the District of Massachusetts since 1987.

Free ‘Life After Clutter’ Workshop Slated for Sept. 7 at UMass Amherst

By
Daily News

AMHERST — For people who are struggling with clutter in their homes and lives, hope is within reach. A free workshop, “Making Space for Hope: Life After Clutter,” will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the UMass Amherst Campus Center. This program offers empowerment, support, and education for people who are struggling with clutter, and for their family members and friends.

Keynote speaker Beryl Singer will share her own experience of clutter and recovery in a presentation titled “It Started with an Eggcup.” Other presenters will include Dr. Randy Frost, a professor of Psychology at Smith College and internationally recognized expert on hoarding disorder; Lee Schuer and Becca Belofsky of Mutual Support Consulting; and Tara Ferrante, director of ServiceNet’s OCD and Hoarding Disorder Program.

This program is made possible thanks to support from the Western Massachusetts Hoarding Disorder Resource Network, ServiceNet, Mutual Support Consulting, and MassHousing. Though there is no registration charge, space is limited to the first 100 guests. For more information, visit www.mutual-support.com.

Children’s Study Home to Hold Art Show and Sale on Sept. 19

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Children’s Study Home welcomes all to an art show and sale on Thursday, Sept. 19 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Carriage House at the Barney Estate in Forest Park, Springfield.

Artwork from all mediums, including acrylic, watercolor, colored pencil, chalk, and sculptures, from the students of Mill Pond School in Springfield and Curtis Blake Day School will be shown, as well as artwork from the children of the Children’s Study Home’s residential programs and local area artisans. The art will be displayed for the evening and sold to raise money for the Children’s Study Home’s art and cultural programs. The event will include light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.

RSVP by Friday, Sept. 6 to Colleen at [email protected] or (413) 739-5626, ext. 232.

Twelve Bulkley Richardson Lawyers Named “Best Lawyers”

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Bulkley Richardson announced that 12 lawyers from the firm were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2020.

These 12 lawyers were recognized in 20 unique areas of practice:

  • Peter Barry: Construction Law;
  • Michael Burke: Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation — Defendants;
  • Mark Cress: Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Corporate Law;
  • Francis Dibble Jr.: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Litigation – Antitrust, Litigation – Labor and Employment, Litigation – Securities;
  • Daniel Finnegan: Administrative / Regulatory Law, Litigation – Construction;
  • Robert Gelinas: Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants;
  • Kevin Maynard: Commercial Litigation, Litigation — Banking and Finance, Litigation — Construction;
  • David Parke: Corporate Law;
  • Melinda Phelps: Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants;
  • John Pucci: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar;
  • Elizabeth Sillin: Nonprofit / Charities Law, Trusts and Estates; and
  • Ronald Weiss: Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Tax Law.

 

Lawyers named to The Best Lawyers in America© publication were recognized by their peers in the legal industry for their professional excellence in 146 practice areas. For the 2020 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, 8.3 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in the inclusion of more than 62,000 lawyers, or approximately 5% of lawyers in private practice in the United States.

 

SPARK EforAll Seeks Volunteer Mentors

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE —  SPARK EforAll Holyoke is actively seeking volunteers to participate as mentors in this winter’s business accelerator program.

Accelerator mentors come from a variety of backgrounds and use their business and leadership experience to guide new entrepreneurs through the process of turning their idea into a growing business. Mentors work in teams of three and are matched with an entrepreneur based on schedule availability and the desire to work together.

The team meets as a group to help reaffirm topics and themes raised during classes, while also strategizing with the entrepreneur on how to reach their specific goals during the program.

This is a high-touch year-long commitment. Mentor teams have 90-minute in-person meetings for three months and then meet once a month for the following nine months.

If you are looking for an interactive and meaningful volunteer opportunity and are interested in learning more about EforAll, e-mail [email protected].

BFAIR Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Masquerade Gala

By
Daily News

NORTH ADAMS — Berkshire Family and Individual Resources (BFAIR) is celebrating 25 years of success with a Masquerade Gala at the Proprietor’s Lodge on Friday, Oct. 25, at 5:30 p.m., sponsored by Adams Community Bank.

The fundraiser will include a VIP hour, live auction, music, great food, special guests, and feature handmade masquerade masks crafted by individuals receiving BFAIR services. The event has a business casual dress code with a black and silver theme (masks are optional).

“We have amazing community partners and supporters, and Adams Community Bank is the underwriter for this event,” said Rich Weisenflue, CEO. “We are excited to share what we’ve accomplished over the last 25 years at BFAIR, and what we see ahead of us for the next 25 years. We hope that folks come to enjoy a great night, to celebrate with us, and continue to support the incredible work that we do every day.”

To register for the event or sponsor visit www.bfair.org/25gala or call Katrina Cardillo, Director of Marketing at (413) 464-7232 ext. 317.

Since 1994, BFAIR has provided adult family care (AFC), residential, in-home clinical services, employment and day services for adults and children with developmental disabilities, acquired brain injury, autism and homecare services for older adults.

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