Day: March 3, 2020

Holyoke Medical Center Proposes New Behavioral Health Hospital

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Medical Center’s leadership team, recognizing the increased need for behavioral-health inpatient beds in Western Mass., has been planning for approximately one year to identify a way to address this need. This process has produced a proposal for a new, state-of-the-art, standalone inpatient facility.

In addition, in September, 2019, Holyoke Medical Center partnered with Signet Health Corp. to assist the hospital in the delivery of behavioral-health services by providing high-quality management and consulting services.

The current inpatient behavioral-health unit at Holyoke Medical Center has a capacity of 20 beds. The proposed new facility would have approximately 100 beds, including the 20 existing beds currently on the fifth floor of the main hospital building. It is designed to provide best-in-class care in a purpose-built facility specifically tailored to accommodate the needs of behavioral-health patients with all of the modern requirements, including secure outdoor space.

A letter of intent has been signed with the Leo Brown Group, a full-service healthcare real-estate development and solutions company, to design and build the facility. Holyoke Medical Center has identified a suitable location on the main hospital campus for the proposed building. In addition, the hospital will continue to work with Signet Health for management services within the proposed facility.

The conversations with appropriate stakeholders, including the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Public Health, and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, will begin shortly and will continue in the following weeks as the hospital seeks to obtain local and state approval to move forward with the project.

“Holyoke Medical Center is eager to have conversations at the state level to expand the much-needed behavioral-health bed capacity in Western Massachusetts. This proposal is fully in line with the Commonwealth’s goal to increase investment in behavioral-health services,” said Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems.

It is estimated that, once approved, the new facility will take 18 months to complete and become operational.

For the past six years, Holyoke Medical Center has been growing and expanding services through recruitment and retention of doctors and advanced-practice providers, Hatiras noted, and the proposed project is aligned with the mission of the health system.

Girls Inc. of the Valley Receives $500,000 Grant

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Girls Inc. of the Valley announced plans for major expansion and the launch of its new campaign. The organization is in the early stages of an ambitious, comprehensive campaign, “Her Future, Our Future,” with three primary goals: to develop a permanent Girls Inc. home in downtown Holyoke; to expand school-based programming in Holyoke, Chicopee, and Springfield; and to extend the Eureka! STEM education program.

To that end, it has received $500,000 in support from the Kendeda Fund, a private grantmaker based in Atlanta. This transformative gift will support the expansion of Girls Inc. of the Valley’s programs and create a stronger network that encourages girls to achieve. Girls Inc. of the Valley is launching this campaign to offer more girls fundamental support and research-based programming. These programs are designed to empower girls and present them with opportunities to navigate barriers they face in school and beyond. More than 85% of the girls who participate in Girls Inc. of the Valley’s programs say they view their future positively and plan to go to college; most will be the first in their families to do so. Girls Inc. hopes the positive and lasting effects of its programs on girls who participate will grow substantially.

A rigorous, comparative study by the American Institutes for Research found that Girls Inc. girls have an advantage over their peers in more than 20 key areas. The findings demonstrate that girls not only thrive at Girls Inc. of the Valley, but they are also more likely than other girls to see themselves as leaders, with the skills and capabilities of influencing and improving their local communities.

While there are more women today in key leadership positions than ever before, there is still a pervasive gender gap in top leadership. The need for qualified science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professionals in the workforce continues to grow, and women — particularly women of color — continue to be underrepresented in these fields. At the heart of Girls Inc. of the Valley is a comprehensive approach to whole-girl development that equips girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers and grow up healthy, educated, and independent. The “Her Future, Our Future” campaign is a bold initiative designed to positively influence generational change and provide tangible opportunities for girls in the region to achieve academic and personal success.

“We are so appreciative for the Kendeda Fund’s belief in the importance of girls’ growth and development,” said Suzanne Parker, executive director of Girls Inc. of the Valley. “Simply put, we couldn’t have made this happen without an incredible, devoted team of volunteers and staff. This gift has fueled all of us in the early stages of our campaign.”

When the campaign is complete, Girls Inc. of the Valley will serve more than 1,000 girls per year — nearly 5% of the combined female population of the Holyoke, Chicopee, and Springfield public school systems — and be positioned to advance policy initiatives, structures, and best practices to address the unique challenges that await girls, equipping them with the skills and tools to achieve their goals and take charge of their futures.

New Shared-services Initiative at UMass to Save $16 Million During First Phase

By
Daily News

BOSTON — The University of Massachusetts President’s Office recently announced the launch of its Unified Procurement Services Team, a shared-services project expected to save UMass more than $16 million in administrative costs over the first 12 to 18 months.

The newly established Unified Procurement Services Team (UPST) is the most recent step in the university’s ongoing efficiency and effectiveness (E&E) program that is allowing the university to direct more funds to student financial aid, academic programming, and deferred maintenance. The E&E program was first launched in 2012 to improve services while reducing overall costs. Not including the UPST initiative, the E&E program is projected to save $124 million through 2024.

“The savings realized through this program will allow us to continue making targeted, high-impact investments in the programs and facilities that benefit our students, and ultimately the Commonwealth,” UMass President Marty Meehan said. “This work is always critical, but especially so during a time of disruption across the higher-education landscape. As we ask families, the Commonwealth, Congress, and donors to do their part in supporting UMass, we have an obligation to do ours through innovative and collaborative management.”

The UPST consolidates multiple procurement operations into one single unit, reducing administrative payroll and leveraging the university’s purchasing power while increasing collaboration across the Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and UMass Medical School campuses and improving service delivery.

The UPST is being led by David Cho, the university’s new chief Procurement officer, who joined UMass last fall after serving as chief Procurement officer of BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset-management firms.

The savings realized through the E&E program are achieved through a combination of cost-reduction and cost-avoidance strategies. Since 2012, UMass has initiated 145 projects that are projected to result in more than $124 million in avoided and reduced costs by 2024, not including the projected $16 million in savings from the launch of the UPST.

For example, in 2019, UMass completed a comprehensive review and evaluation of the system’s banking services, resulting in annual savings of approximately $300,000, with a cumulative five-year savings of approximately $1.5 million. UMass also awarded and implemented a new janitorial-supply contract estimated at $3.5 million annually, a projected cost reduction of $580,000. In addition, energy-supply costs have declined, as have related carbon emissions per student and building square footage.

Free Legal Help Hotline Rescheduled for March 12

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Hampden County Bar Assoc. is apologizing to those who attempted to call the Legal Help Hotline that was scheduled for Feb. 27. Due to technical difficulties, the phones were not working properly and did not ring. The Hampden County Bar Assoc. and Western New England University School of Law have rescheduled the Legal Help Hotline to Thursday, March 12 from 4 to 7 p.m.

The volunteers will provide legal advice on a variety of topics, including divorce and family law, bankruptcy, business, landlord/tenant, and real estate. Individuals needing advice should call (413) 796-2057 to speak to a volunteer.

Holyoke Medical Center Proposes New Behavioral Health Hospital

By
HCN News & Notes

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Medical Center’s leadership team, recognizing the increased need for behavioral-health inpatient beds in Western Mass., has been planning for approximately one year to identify a way to address this need. This process has produced a proposal for a new, state-of-the-art, standalone inpatient facility.

In addition, in September, 2019, Holyoke Medical Center partnered with Signet Health Corp. to assist the hospital in the delivery of behavioral-health services by providing high-quality management and consulting services.

The current inpatient behavioral-health unit at Holyoke Medical Center has a capacity of 20 beds. The proposed new facility would have approximately 100 beds, including the 20 existing beds currently on the fifth floor of the main hospital building. It is designed to provide best-in-class care in a purpose-built facility specifically tailored to accommodate the needs of behavioral-health patients with all of the modern requirements, including secure outdoor space.

A letter of intent has been signed with the Leo Brown Group, a full-service healthcare real-estate development and solutions company, to design and build the facility. Holyoke Medical Center has identified a suitable location on the main hospital campus for the proposed building. In addition, the hospital will continue to work with Signet Health for management services within the proposed facility.

The conversations with appropriate stakeholders, including the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Public Health, and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, will begin shortly and will continue in the following weeks as the hospital seeks to obtain local and state approval to move forward with the project.

“Holyoke Medical Center is eager to have conversations at the state level to expand the much-needed behavioral-health bed capacity in Western Massachusetts. This proposal is fully in line with the Commonwealth’s goal to increase investment in behavioral-health services,” said Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems.

It is estimated that, once approved, the new facility will take 18 months to complete and become operational.

For the past six years, Holyoke Medical Center has been growing and expanding services through recruitment and retention of doctors and advanced-practice providers, Hatiras noted, and the proposed project is aligned with the mission of the health system.

Mercy Medical Center Plans Fourth Annual Caritas Gala

By
HCN News & Notes

SPRINGFIELD — Mercy Medical Center’s fourth annual Caritas Gala will be held on Saturday, March 21 at MGM Springfield. The gala, with its theme of “A Magical Night in Monte Carlo,” will raise funds to benefit the greatest needs of Mercy Medical Center. These areas include the Pathway to Care initiative addressing the opioid crisis, the new Mandell Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Center, as well as improvements to the Emergency Department.

Honorary chairpersons for the event include Daniel and Jill Keenan and Dr. Robert and Heather Roose. The annual Caritas Awards will honor Nicholas Cocchi, Hampden County sheriff, and Anthony Gulluni, Hampden County district attorney. A posthumous Caritas Award will also be given to the family of Carolyn Meuse, who was Complex Care coordinator at Mercy Medical Center.

The Caritas Gala will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception, live entertainment, dinner, silent auction, a Hannoush Jewelry drawing, and dancing. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to purchase tickets to the gala, visit www.mercycares.com/caritasgala.

Health New England Announces Third Year of ‘Where Health Matters’ Grants

By
HCN News & Notes

SPRINGFIELD — Health New England is launching its “Where Health Matters” grant program as part of its Community Benefits Program for the third year in a row. The grant application process runs through April 27.

The “Where Health Matters” grant program is designed to advance the health and well-being of vulnerable population groups living in Central and Western Mass. Health New England will award five $50,000 grants to community nonprofit organizations, for an annual total of $250,000. The grant program focuses on three areas of health and social factors that influence health: built environment (such as access to healthy foods and places to exercise), transportation, and care coordination.

“We are pleased to continue our grant program in 2020 and acknowledge the importance of giving back to the community to help support the health needs of our most vulnerable community members,” said Marion McGowan, president and CEO of Health New England. “We look forward to partnering with five local organizations that have strong community relationships and are committed to improving the health outcomes of our at-risk residents.”

The grant program will award both one-year and multi-year grants to eligible non-profit organizations, with current IRS-designated 501(c)(3) status, that manage innovative, community-based programs benefiting underserved residents of Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, or Worcester counties of Massachusetts, with a particular focus on Greater Springfield. Preference will be given to programs that focus on mental health, substance use, chronic health conditions (obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, cancer), and the need for increased physical activity and healthy diet.

Health New England’s “Where Health Matters” Grant application process begins with a letter of intent. Organizations meeting the request for proposal (RFP) criteria are encouraged to submit a letter of intent online by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 23. Complete grant RFP applications are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 27. For additional information, visit healthnewengland.org/community/grantprogram.

Hooplandia Has the Makings of a Legacy Event

By
Cover Story Meetings & Conventions

Nothing but Net

John Doleva, left, and Eugene Cassidy say Hooplandia could have a huge economic impact on the Greater Springfield region.

One observer referred to Hoopfest, the giant 3-on-3 basketball tournament in Spokane, Wash., as a ‘phenomenon,’ and the adjective fits. The event consumes 40 blocks in the downtown and literally takes over the city each June. Inspired, a group of organizers are looking to do something similar — although Springfield won’t be taken over — in just four months. The event is called Hooplandia, and it’s already being hailed as a slam dunk for the region.

Mark Rivers called it “an a-ha moment.’ Then he quickly amended the phrase in a poignant manner.

“It was an ‘aha/duh!’ moment.”

He was referring to his visit last summer to the giant 3-on-3 basketball tournament in downtown Spokane, Wash., called Hoopfest. And by giant, we mean giant. Indeed, it is billed as the largest event of its kind in the world, and no one doubts that claim. It annually draws more than 7,000 teams, or 28,000 participants (four people to a team on average), and total visitation for the tournament, staged the final weekend in June, approaches 200,000‚ which is roughly the city’s population.

While taking in Hoopfest and marveling at its size and the manner in which it has become synonymous with Spokane, Rivers, an event promoter by trade who has developed strong ties to both the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Big E, had that aforementioned ‘moment,’ during which he concluded that this event, or something like it, would be an even more natural fit in the birthplace of basketball.

“I was thinking, ‘why isn’t there an event like this in Springfield?’”

“I was thinking, ‘why isn’t there an event like this in Springfield?’” he recalled, adding that not only is the city home to the Hall of Fame, it’s located in the heavily populated Northeast, whereas Spokane is in decidedly rural Central Washington.

“It just seemed to make a whole lot of sense,” he went on, adding that what also made sense was to stage the event in the wide-open spaces of the Big E, which has all the needed infrastructure, and also at the Hall of Fame and its Center Court, which would be a special place to play games and act as a magnet for teams around the world.

Fast-forward eight months or so, and Hooplandia, the name chosen for this event, is moving on a fast train toward its June 26-28 debut. Such speed is attainable because of the partners involved — especially the Big E, where most of the games will be staged, and the Hall of Game, which is, indeed, proving to be a strong selling point.

Mark Rivers, seen here at a recent press event announcing Hooplandia, says the gathering has the potential to be a legacy event for the region.

“I’ve already had inquiries from teams in Russia, Belgium, Slovakia, Latvia, Poland, and Brazil,” Rivers explained. “I don’t know if we’ll get teams from all those countries, but we’ve had inquiries — a lot of these teams have expressed an interest in playing in the hometown of basketball and increasing their profile with games in the U.S.”

The goals for this first edition of Hooplandia — and specifically the one for participation (2,500 teams) — are ambitious, said Eugene Cassidy, president and CEO of the Big E, but they are also attainable — and sustainable.

“I firmly believe that, first year out of the box, we can be the second-largest 3-on-3 in the country,” said Cassidy, who experienced Hoopfest while visiting Spokane for a fair-association meeting a few years ago and had the same reaction as Rivers. “And my goal is to supersede Spokane within three to five years.”

Even if the first-year goals are met, or even approached, then Hooplandia could well wind up being one of the biggest single events (the 16-day Big E aside, obviously) the region has seen.

That becomes apparent in the projections for overall economic impact, a formula with a number of factors, including hotel stays, restaurant meals, rental cars, and many others, that Mary Kay Wydra, executive director of the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, describes this way:

“It’s an industry standard, and we use it for all our conventions. We populate different data fields, like the average daily rate they’ll pay, how many people are coming, how many rooms they’ll be utilizing … we put that into the calculator, and it spits out a number for us.”

However the number is derived, for this first edition of Hooplandia, the projected total is roughly $7.3 million. For some perspective, the recently staged Red Sox Winter Weekend, which brought a host of star players, past and present, fans from across the broad Red Sox nation, and a horde of media, was projected to bring in $2 million (the final numbers are still being tabulated). Meanwhile, the AHL All-Star Classic weekend, staged just over a year ago, brought in $2.8 million, according to Wydra, and the much-publicized square-dancing convention in 2015 that brought 4,000 people to Springfield for eight days brought in $2.3 million.

“I firmly believe that, first year out of the box, we can be the second-largest 3-on-3 in the country. And my goal is to supersede Spokane within three to five years.”

“This is certainly about basketball, but it’s also about economic development and tourism,” said John Doleva, president and CEO of the Hall of Fame. “It’s about filling hotel rooms and having people come to the Hall and the Seuss museum and the Armory and local restaurants … this is a multi-day event, and people will stay for the duration and perhaps longer.”

For this issue and its focus on meetings and conventions, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at Hooplandia, what it can become, and what it might mean to the region.

Court of Opinion

Rivers calls it “getting the plane off the ground.”

That’s an industry phrase of sorts for launching an event of this magnitude. It’s never easy, he said, but with Hooplandia, there are a number of factors contributing to make it somewhat easier.

Especially the ability to stage this huge event at the Big E, a place — and a business — that’s well-versed in hosting large events, everything from the fair itself to a wide range of shows and competitions that fill the calendar.

To help explain, Rivers first referenced Hoopfest, which, essentially takes over downtown Spokane for three days, shutting down roughly 40 blocks in the heart of the city, a logistically difficult and expensive undertaking.

“Typically, when an event like this comes together, you do have a hard time getting the plane off the ground because your first expenses are renting port-a-potties, tents and road barricades, permits, shutting down streets, and doing all those things,” he went on. “You won’t have to do any of those at the fairgrounds, so it just seemed like a natural fit.”

Indeed, the majority of Hooplandia’s thousands of individual games will take place on the roads within the Big E’s 39 acres, although some will be played in its historic Coliseum, said Cassidy, adding that there is infrastructure in place to effectively handle the teams, spectators, media, and anyone else who descends on the area.

“We can handle large numbers of people; we have the capacity to host huge events — it’s what we do,” he said, adding that he has always viewed the Big E as an economic driver for the region — again, not just with the annual fair but all the events staged there — and Hooplandia provides another opportunity to build upon that role.

At the same time, the event provides an opportunity to further leverage basketball for the benefit of the region’s economy.

“It occurred to me that basketball should be an economic growth industry for Springfield,” he noted. “Hooplandia can help drive attendance to the Hall, drive awareness, and build the brand of basketball in the city where it was invented.”

Planning continues for the event, which, as noted earlier, has the ambitious goal of attracting 2,500 teams. And these teams will cover a broad spectrum, said all those we spoke with, adding that this will differentiate this tourney and festival from some others like it and add to its already strong drawing power.

Mark Rivers says the Big E’s vast spaces and deep infrastructure will help ‘get the plane off the ground’ when it comes to Hooplandia.

Indeed, there will be divisions for youths, high-school and college players, professionals, first responders, veterans, military, wheelchair, Special Olympics, and more, said Rivers.

There will also be an under-8, or U8, division, for which entrance fees will be waived in honor of the late Kobe Bryant, the former NBA superstar who died in a recent helicopter crash (and wore number 8 in his playing days).

In addition to the hoop tournaments, a number of other activities are on the agenda, many to take place the Friday night before the playing starts in the Coliseum, said Doleva. These include slam dunk, 3-point shot, free throw, full-court shot, dribble course, and vertical jump competitions.

To date, several partners have signed on, including Chevrolet, the first national-level sponsor, as well as USA Basketball, Springfield College, and Boys & Girls Clubs, which Hooplandia has designated as its charitable partner, offering financial support and playing opportunities for boys and girls in the region. For more information, visit www.hooplandia.com.

Overall, in the opinion of those now planning it, this is the right event at the right time, and the right city (or region), and we’ll address each of those in turn.

Actually, the first two go together. The event is 3-on-3 basketball, and the timing could not be better, because the sport — already described as the largest urban team sport in the world in one study — is enjoying a surge in popularity, said Doleva, with new leagues such as Big3, a league founded by Ice Cube featuring mostly former NBA stars.

And it will almost certainly enjoy another growth spurt after the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where 3-on-3 basketball will make its debut as an Olympic sport.

“3-on-3 has become sort of the hot segment of the sport, and for a bunch of reasons,” said Rivers. “The Olympics is part of it, but beyond that, 3-on-3 makes the sport more accessible because you only need six players, and you only need half a court; it’s particularly hot in Europe, and many of the best teams come from former Soviet Bloc countries — that’s where a lot of the great ball is being played.”

As for the place, as Rivers and others noted, Springfield, and in this case Greater Springfield (the Big E is across the river), is a natural location.

Not only it is the home of the game and its Hall of Fame, but it’s located in the Northeast, two hours from New York, 90 minutes from Boston, and well within reach of a number of large metropolitan areas.

And, as noted, some of those great teams from Europe — and individuals from across the country — are already expressing interest in playing on what could truly be called the sport’s home court.

A Slam Dunk

This brings us back to those projections about overall economic impact. The numbers are still being crunched and there are a number of factors that go into the final projection, said Wydra, but at the moment, the number is $7 million.

That’s based on the assumption that, while many participating teams will be local, meaning they will drive to and from the Big E each day to compete, a good number — again, just how many is not yet known — will have to travel into the region and stay a few nights.

At the moment, the projected number of hotel-room nights is 1,500, said Wydra. Again, to put things in perspective, there were 840 room nights for Red Sox Winter Weekend and 4,666 for the square-dance convention, and for Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, the number varies depending on who is being inducted, but the 2019 edition had 850.

And for Hooplandia, these room nights will be coming at an important time for the region’s hospitality-related businesses, she went on, adding that the college-graduation season will have ended, but summer won’t be in highest gear.

“I love the timing — school is just out, and people have the ability to travel,” she said. “The other good thing about the June weekend is that Six Flags is up and running, and we have a lot of things for people to do when they’re not at the event. You bring people in for specific purpose, but if we can expose them to other things, we have the ability to bring them back again as a leisure visitor, and that’s very important.”

Wydra said that a now-former member of her team had a chance to observe and absorb Hoopfest first-hand — and somewhat by accident.

Coincidentally, Spokane was hosting the square-dance convention mentioned earlier the year before Springfield was scheduled to do so — and on the same weekend as Hoopfest. The GSCVB had someone on hand to observe the dance gathering and promote the following year’s edition.

But while doing so, she got a good taste of the reach — and the deep impact — of the 3-on-3 festival.

“I remember her calling in and us asking about the square-dance event, and she said, ‘the city’s been taken over by this massive basketball event, and everywhere you look there’s basketball courts, traffic’s been rerouted … it’s huge.”

It won’t be quite like that in Greater Springfield because the event will mostly take place at the Big E. But the impact will be significant, and the region — and especially its hospitality sector — will know that there are thousands of people in the area to play 3-on-3 basketball.

And organizers say it has the potential to not only reach the size of Hoopfest in terms of teams and visitation, but perhaps match it in terms of impact and providing an identity for the region — which would be saying something given what the Spokane event has become.

“Hoopfest is truly part of the culture of that community,” said Rivers. “Hoopfest is to Spokane what the Tournament of Roses is to Pasadena — it’s the fair-haired community phenomenon of that region, and it’s wonderfully done.

“With Hooplandia, I believe we have the makings of a true legacy event, something that could last for decades, much like Hoopfest,” he went on. “I think it will have meaningful, long-lasting economic impact, and I also think that, over the years, it will become a week in June that will be about more than basketball — it will be a week-long celebration of the sport.”

Cassidy agreed. While in Spokane, he saw and heard that the city referred to itself as ‘Hoop Town USA,’ and has trademarked that brand. “Quite honestly, I was offended by that,” he told BusinessWest, noting that Springfield should have that designation. With Hooplandia, hopefully it will — trademark aside.

Getting a Bounce

Returning to Spokane one last time, figuratively, anyway, Rivers described it as a “phenomenon.”

“It’s unbelievable … you can’t get a hotel room, you can’t get a rental car, you can’t get a dinner reservation,” he said. “It’s exciting, and it’s fun.”

Whether Hooplandia can approach that same kind of impact remains to be seen, but all those involved believe it has the potential to be, as they say in this sport, a slam dunk.

Or, as Rivers and others said, a legacy event for this region.

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

Granny’s Baking Table Speaks to a Different, Much Simpler Time

By
Features

Blast from the Past

Todd Crossett and Sonya Yetter

It’s a small business, but it might just be a big part of a significant movement. Granny’s Baking Table, which opened just a few months ago, speaks to a different age in Springfield’s history, when small, locally owned businesses dominated Main Street and the roads around it. And in many ways, it operates in a way consistent with that age — there’s no wi-fi and, instead, a focus on conversation. It’s a blast from the past, but those behind it hope they represent the future.

Todd Crossett remembers how it all started — and especially how his chapter in this story began.

Then a faculty member at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, he was making beignets, a French pastry featuring dough and powdered sugar, as a hobby more than anything else. His son told him they were so good that he could sell them from a bicycle.

So he did. In downtown Springfield.

“There were a lot of motivations for that, starting with the fact that downtown Springfield was kind of boring at that time, and I complained about it a lot,” he told BusinessWest, noting that he’s lived in the Mason Square area for more than 25 years. “But then I thought, ‘what am I going to do about it?’ So I thought, ‘this is my contribution, a funky bicycle and beignets that people swoon over; that will be my part.’

“But it didn’t end that way, did it?” he went on, with a hearty laugh, gesturing to his current business partner.

That would be Sonya Yetter, who, While Crossett was selling his beignets on his bike, was in business for herself with a soup and sandwich shop in the Forest Park section of the city.

After years spent cocktail waitressing, bartending, and other assorted jobs, she decided to attend culinary school in Europe. Upon returning to the States, she lived and worked in Maryland and Florida before returning to her hometown of Springfield.

“There were a lot of motivations for that, starting with the fact that downtown Springfield was kind of boring at that time, and I complained about it a lot. But then I thought, ‘what am I going to do about it?’ So I thought, ‘this is my contribution, a funky bicycle and beignets that people swoon over; that will be my part.’”

Through a series of circumstances that will be detailed later, the two have come together in a new venture called Granny’s Baking Table, a name that reflects what goes on there, but doesn’t come close to telling the whole story.

Granny’s is a blast from the past, and in all kinds of ways, as we’ll see. It’s a nod to a day when the streets of downtown Springfield were teeming with small, locally owned businesses like this one. And it’s a nod to the small bakery, with this one combining the baking traditions of the American South and Northern Europe.

It’s all summed up — sort of — in this line from the eatery’s website: “It is our mission to create a space and products that harken to simpler times, when baking was from scratch and the table was for gathering and conversation.”

The menu, like many other aspects of Granny’s Baking Table, is simple, direct, and a nod to the past.

That table — and there is, for the most part, just one large one that sits in the middle of the room — is indeed just for those purposes. There is no wi-fi, so one could do some work, theoretically, but if they wanted to read the morning paper, they would likely have to do it the old-fashioned way and crack open the print edition.

Speaking of old-fashioned, there’s more of that on display at this venue, from the simple menu displayed on a chalkboard — items include the ‘Oh Lawdy’ to the ‘Goodness Gracious’ to the ‘Not Too Fancy,’ a phrase that describes pretty much everything in the place — to the pictures on the wall; some are of family members, others of random individuals that reflect the diversity of the city and its downtown being celebrated at this establishment, to the holiday cookie exchange staged in mid-December (more on that later)

Overall, Granny’s is a nod to the past, and so far, to one degree or another, it seems to be working. The partners acknowledge that, three months after opening, they’re seeing both newcomers and repeat customers, and a good supply of both. But they acknowledged that it’s difficult going up against national chain coffee shops and other forms of competition. And they also acknowledged that times have indeed changed, and operating a business based on small-batch baking is far from easy.

The scope of the challenge they’re facing is reflected in the skepticism they encountered as they went about securing a site, putting a business plan in place, and getting the doors open. It came from family, friends, and even the broker that showed them the property.

“People didn’t like our concepts; they didn’t like the one table, they didn’t like the no wi-fi — there was so much that people were averse to,” Crossett explained. “But we believed in what we were doing, and we still believe in it.”

For this issue, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at this unique new venture and how its principals are undertaking a noble but nonetheless daunting assignment — bringing the past into the present and making it work.

To-Dough List

Returning to the story of how these two came together — a story they share often because they’re asked often — that chapter really began when Crossett was serving as food-vending recruiter for the Springfield Jazz Festival, and knocked on the door to Yetter’s business in Forest Park.

He successfully recruited her for the event, and they kept in touch. “And here we are,” she said while bypassing several subsequent chapters as the two talked with BusinessWest at that large table in the middle of the room — actually, it’s several smaller tables pushed together.

Filling in the gaps, Crossett said he was looking for a space in downtown Springfield — specifically some square footage in the Innovation Center taking shape on Bridge Street — a from which to sell beignets and other items. Unbeknownst to him, Yetter, a UMass graduate who grew up Springfield, had signed a lease for the property almost across the street — one that had most recently been home to the Honey Bunny’s clothing store but had seen a number of uses over the decades — as a second location for her business.

The Innovation Center plans essentially fizzled as the development of that property changed course, Crosset recalled, adding that he left the last discussions on those plans quite dejected. He was on a cross-country tour with his son when he started thinking about how he and Yetter would not be in competition with one another, so maybe they should become partners.

Some of the pastries available at Granny’s Baking Table.

“He texted me and said, ‘we should talk,’” Yetter recalled, again zooming through subsequent steps for another ‘and here we are.’

That text was sent roughly a year ago; the months that followed were spent converting the space into a bakery — ceilings had to be raised, and a kitchen had to be built — as well as overcoming the skepticism of others around them and getting the venture off the ground.

They were fueled by the desire to make downtown less boring and to be a part of ongoing efforts to restore the vitality that Yetter remembers from her childhood.

“I grew up here, so I remember what downtown once was,” she told BusinessWest, adding that she was in one of the last classes to graduate from Classical High School, which closed in 1986. “I spent a lot of time in Johnson’s Bookstore and Steiger’s — it was a booming, booming town.”

By the time she returned to the city, it was no longer booming, she said, adding that she believes the large shopping malls, now struggling mightily themselves, sucked much of the life out of the central business district. The best hope for the future is small businesses moving into the downtown, she said, adding that Granny’s is part of that movement.

“My hope, and my belief, is that there are more people who are interested in becoming small-business owners now and perfect a craft they might have,” she said. “It’s my hope that this will revitalize the downtown area.”

The communal table, designed to stimulate conversation among patrons.

Today, Yetter splits her time between the Super Sweet Sandwich Shop in Forest Park and Granny’s, with more time at the latter because it’s just getting off the ground. Both she and Crossett said they are off to a solid start and they expect to gain momentum as more people find out about them and perhaps change some eating habits — specifically getting away from fast food, not only at lunch but breakfast as well.

Granny’s features an array of pastries — each day the lineup is different — that include danish, scones, sticky buns, muffins, beignets, and more. The lunch menu, as noted, is rather simple and focused on the basics; for example, the Not Too Fancy is pulled pork with homemade barbecue sauce, the Oh Lawdy is sweet-tea-brined fried chicken with pimento cheese and spicy peach jam served on a biscuit, and the Goodness Gracious is a mustard-infused, buttery croissant with black forest ham and smoked cheese.

Thus far, there’s been a lot of grab and go, especially with the businesspeople working downtown, said Crossett, but there have been many who have sat down to eat as well.

“It is our mission to create a space and products that harken to simpler times, when baking was from scratch and the table was for gathering and conversation.”

Which means that most have had to adjust some other habits as well, the partners acknowledged, noting again that there is no wi-fi here, and there is that ‘communal table.’

“We have a space where we want people to come in and talk and have a conversation,” Yetter explained, “and hopefully get to know anyone else who’s at the table with them — that’s our goal.”

It’s a goal that’s being met in many respects.

“Sometimes you’ll see a full table, and other times you’ll see a few people there,” said Yetter. “What we’ve noticed is that they talk to each other now, which is what we wanted — getting people to talk that normally wouldn’t.”

What’s Cooking

When asked about the success formula to date, Crosset said there are some interesting ingredients.

“We got into the space together, we both have a good sense of humor, we’re both patient, and we’re both really, really finicky about our product,” he explained. “And those things hold us together.”

Yetter agreed, and said another big factor was successfully creating “the feel and the vibe” they were looking for — which together speak to another age, another time, as reflected in that mission statement on the website and the reference to simpler times and baking from scratch.

Time will tell if the skeptics were right or if these somewhat unlikely partners can actually turn back the hands of time. But for now, they seem to be taking some of the boring out of downtown and giving people something new to talk about — whether it’s at that communal table or back in their office.

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

Smart-home Technology Puts Homeowners in Full Control — Wherever They Are

By
Home Improvement

Age of Automation

The design trend known broadly as home automation comes in many forms, from a command to Amazon’s Alexa to turn off the lights to a smartphone app that controls door locks and room temperature — and a dozen other functions — from across the country. This technology is attractive, says one local expert, because it solves problems in a very individualized way — and people like technology that makes their lives easier.

When people think of home automation, what comes to mind? Heat controls and security cameras, for sure. Maybe the TV and music, or door locks, or window blinds.

Bill Laplante also thinks of his shower.

“I have a digital control panel in my shower,” said the president of Laplante Construction in East Longmeadow, noting that he inputs a ‘user profile’ that gives him the exact temperature and flow he wants. “My wife has a different profile, so hers is four or five degrees cooler, and a different shower head. A lot of this stuff is pretty cool.”

It’s stuff that’s becoming more common in the modern home, as the rise of what’s known as the ‘Internet of things’ has people connecting any number of household functions to the Internet and controlling them from smartphone apps.

“Take lighting systems. We changed our bulbs, and now the lights are controlled by cell phone,” Laplante told BusinessWest. “I’ve gotten pretty lazy with the technology — instead of getting up to turn on the lights, I just grab my phone.”

But he’s not just enjoying smart-home technology at his own house; he’s building homes for customers who increasingly demand such features themselves. He works with EPOS Systems in West Springfield — a company whose motto is “Your future home. Today.” — on whole-home automation systems that run off one app, known as Control4. But people can take an a la carte approach as well.

Bill Laplante says homeowners have many options when it comes to automation, but many today are opting for full-home systems that run off a single app.

“I see a combination of both. Some people, usually in the higher-end homes, will want a whole-house smarthome system that’s controlled by one app and can do multiple things with lighting, television, heat, cameras, all of that stored on one app,” he explained. “And then there are other people who want less expensive options, who have multiple apps that do different things, but it’s not necessarily controlled by one central program.”

The uses for such a system are myriad.

“When you’re away for vacation and you forgot to turn your heat down, you can do it remotely. Even the door locks — you can send a code from your phone to unlock the door for someone cleaning the house or someone coming over to watch your kids,” Laplante said. “Control4 is really a home-management system, a technology-management system. You can create lighting scenes, you can control television, music, security, garage-door cameras — virtually everything that could link together, you can link through this central system.”

The popularity of so-called ‘smart homes’ is only expected to increase as more people experience it and costs continue to drop. According to Forbes, the value of the smart-home device market will grow from $55 billion in 2016 to $174 billion by 2025.

Dan Crouss says home automation is about solving problems — and quality of life.

Dan Crouss, owner of EPOS, said homeowners have many points of entry to choose from.

“Sometimes you start out small, but then we tie in the music and the TVs and all that stuff into one app. You kind of piecemeal it as you go — start small and work your way up over the years. Some people do it all at once when they build their house, but usually it’s small increments.”

And it’s not as foreign a concept as some people may think, he added.

“Everyone’s got some type of automation from their phone, even if it’s just Siri or Alexa controlling the lights. What we do is take it a step further, put it into one app instead of having 15 apps. Everybody’s got a little bit, but we’re able to tie it all into one interface.”

Problem Solvers

EPOS was launched in 2007, the merger between two companies, Perfect Sound and Olympic Electric. Its services have evolved considerably since then, both because technology is always advancing and because people are attracted to products that make their lives easier, Crouss said.

“Home automation can start out as a simple Alexa that turns on lights. Then door locks and heat are two things people usually do. Being able to unlock your door for somebody when you’re not home is a big deal. And with heat, I can save a lot of money. I get home at random times because of my job, so, if I’m getting home at 5:30, I can log on at 4 and pump up the heat a little bit, so when I get home, it’s nice and warm, but I saved a lot of money during the day.”

Then homeowners may add options from there, he added, from window shades — which can be adjusted or programmed to bring some extra sunlight into the house during the winter or keep it darker and cooler in the summer — to strategically placed cameras, both for outdoor security and to monitor the interior of a home when residents are away for the winter.

“Sometimes you start out small, but then we tie in the music and the TVs and all that stuff into one app. You kind of piecemeal it as you go — start small and work your way up over the years. Some people do it all at once when they build their house, but usually it’s small increments.”

“You can get a notification on your phone if you have movement at the front door,” Laplante said. “And you can pull up the camera view and pull up the audio and say, ‘can I help you?’ and do it all remotely. You can be on vacation and you’re answering your door, essentially. There are all types of things like that that are pretty cool, and most manufacturers now are incorporating things like this into their own apps and making everything as seamless as possible.”

As he noted earlier, many people opt for buying individual devices, such as one that manages the garage door.

“When your car pulls into the driveway, it will automatically open the garage door rather than actually pushing a button. You can also let somebody in your garage door remotely with your app. So you have individual products like this, with their own apps, which create the, quote-unquote, ‘smart home,’ or you can have a central control system that controls all of the various components of the house.”

The whole-house system can be preset for any number of situations, from delivering the exact heating and lighting arrangement upon waking up in the morning to creating a variety of ‘lighting scenes’ in the kitchen, such as for cooking, dining, or hosting a party — or telling the Christmas tree when to turn on and off every day.

“Basically, what home automation does is solve people’s problems, and everybody’s got different ones to solve,” Crouss said. “When my kids were growing up, they’d get off the bus and would put in their [front door] code, and I would get a text to let me know my daughter was off the bus. Or let’s say cleaners come to your house, who bill by the hour. There’s a time stamp when they put in the code and a time stamp when they lock the door.”

As another example, “people with oil tanks have smart sensors that automatically e-mail you when the tank is getting low, or e-mail people who deliver the oil. A lot of people with vacation homes show up, and the oil is way down. This is a way to avoid that problem.”

Price and Promise

In Forbes, Bernard Marr, a futurist, author, and business and technology advisor, recently noted a few developments on the horizon when it comes to smart homes. One is increasing standardization, as manufacturers of smart-home devices are increasingly ensuring their products and services will work on platforms provided by Amazon, Google, Samsung, and Apple to capture the broadest customer base.

He also sees smart homes actually becoming smarter over time as they make use of machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and other technologies that are capable of making decisions and learning. Smart thermostat systems from Nest and Honeywell already use machine learning to adapt their behavior to the inhabitants of a house, based on observing and then replicating their habits, and that trend should accelerate to other devices as well.

Finally, the global rollout of 5G, as well as improved wi-fi technology, mean smart-home devices will be linked by faster, more powerful networks, meaning better access to data and processing resources in the cloud.

“The smart-home technology has come way, way down in price,” Laplante said, especially when it comes to buying multiple devices. “The Control4 system is nice because everything runs through one app. But people have multiple apps on their phones for multiple things anyway.

“There are many different components,” he added. “The cost depends on how much you bring into the system. The big advantage to having a one-hub system is that everything runs through that system, so you’re going to one app.”

EPOS continues to introduce new services, Crouss said, like ‘smart outlets’ that can reboot cable or Internet if it goes down, rather than having to deal with physical plugs and wires. In fact, those devices can now send a signal on their own and be rebooted automatically when a problem is detected.

“Most of my customers want this technology, want to be able to do those things,” Laplante said. “Especially when you’re going away, you want to be able to control things, you want to keep an eye on the house. If you go away for the winter, you want to be in contact with your home, to monitor the temperature and see if there are any issues.”

Not to mention that much of this technology — whether it’s changing the music coming out of the ceiling speakers or stepping into a perfect shower — is just, well, fun.

“It’s something the average person today is expecting — especially the younger generations,” he said. “They grew up with technology, and they expect it. And it is kind of neat.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Home Care Grapples with the Challenges of an Evolving Sector

By
Business of Aging

Shifting the Balance

Visiting Angels Director Michele Anstett

When Michele Anstett opened a Visiting Angels franchise with her husband in 1999, it was only the ninth branch of a home-care company that now boasts more than 500 locations in the U.S. and overseas. Home care in general had yet to proliferate; maybe a dozen agencies were offering such services in the Pioneer Valley.

The law of supply and demand meant there were more caregivers than jobs, which was great for companies, she noted.

“We had more control, and they were more willing to do what we said. Because there were fewer agencies for these caregivers to go to, they had less choice. They were easier to hire back then — you could find a well-trained one easily because there was a deeper pool, and they were more experienced. The pay was lower — like $7.50 an hour when we started. And more of them were willing to work full-time. They were more likely to take whatever you could give them.”

These days, that balance has shifted, to say the least. Home-care services, both small independents and national chains, now dot the region, and workers are in demand.

“Now, it’s not us with the control,” Anstett said. “They have the control. They can pick where they want to go. They can choose how many hours they want to work. They’re less willing to take whatever you want to give them.”

It helps, she said, that her Visiting Angels franchise, now celebrating its 21st year, is a known name with deep roots in the community.

“You don’t have someone down the hall where you can yell, ‘hey, can you help me?’ This can be a challenge for some nurses, but the nurses we have appreciate meeting with a patient exclusively, being able to develop relationships they often don’t have time for in an acute-care setting.”

“When we first started, there were only a few businesses like this. It was just emerging, and it was something that was really needed,” she told BusinessWest. “Our model was based on what people wanted. We matched the caregiver to the client. We weren’t telling people, ‘we’ll come here at this time.’ We made it all about the client. But we also matched them with a caregiver, and they could meet their caregiver and say, ‘yes, this works,’ or ‘no, this isn’t a good fit.’ There’s a lot of work in matching a personality, skill level, schedule — it’s really challenging.”

That philosophy hasn’t changed over the years, but the challenge has become more intense with increased competition for certified nursing assistants, home health aides, and personal-care assistants.

Also more challenging is the level of care many patients require, in an era when hospital stays are shorter and Americans are living longer than ever before.

“I was a home-care nurse fresh out of nursing school in the early ’90s, and compared to the patients we saw then — even compared to five years ago, really — the patients are much higher acuity, much more complex, and they really need a lot of care coordination and are on so many medications,” said Priscilla Ross, executive director of Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice.

“One of the biggest roles of the home-care nurse is reconciling those medications, because medication errors are one of the most common reasons for rehospitalization,” she went on — for example, people often don’t follow instructions, or aren’t aware of certain drug interactions, or are mixing pharmacy prescriptions with mail-order drugs. “Things are so much more complex than years ago, with hospitals focused on shorter stays, and there’s pressure on skilled-nursing and rehab facilities for shorter stays as well, so people are coming home with more needs.”

Michele Anstett (second from left) with some of her team at Visiting Angels, from left, Julie Dewberry, Helen Gobeil, and Natali Pilecki.

For this issue’s focus on the business of aging, BusinessWest spoke with several home-care professionals about what’s appealing about this critical work, what’s challenging, and why those challenges are only increasing as the senior population in the U.S. continues to swell.

Return to Form

The VNA has a sizable clinical staff, as many of its clients have been in and out of hospitals or acute rehab settings. But the focus isn’t on the illness itself, Ross said, but returning people to functional status in the short term. “They want to get back to making dinner, doing the laundry, taking care of grandchildren. With nursing and rehab, that process can happen much more quickly.”

She noted that the national shortage of non-medical home health aides may be more pronounced than the shortage of nurses, but it’s a struggle for organizations to recruit both. For nurses, not only is the pay scale less than in, say, a hospital setting, but some nurses don’t like the autonomy and independence that home care requires; they’d rather work in a team setting. Of course, other nurses desire the opposite, and relish the idea of focusing on one patient instead of several at a time.

“You don’t have someone down the hall where you can yell, ‘hey, can you help me?’ This can be a challenge for some nurses, but the nurses we have appreciate meeting with a patient exclusively, being able to develop relationships they often don’t have time for in an acute-care setting.”

Julie Dewberry, marketing and recruitment specialist for Visiting Angels, agreed. “They like the one on one,” she said. “They don’t have the pressure of one person with five different patients. Some come from nursing homes and say they don’t want to do that.”

Helen Gobeil, staffing supervisor for Visiting Angels, said determining who will be a good care worker is as much art as science.

“It’s a mother’s instinct — you’ve got to feel it,” she said about sitting with prospective staff. “You see they’re caring, they want to work, they really enjoy elders. They don’t call them old people; they respect them. I have to feel it.”

That ‘feel’ can be as simple as whether the interviewee makes eye contact, Anstett said. “What’s their demeanor? Are they a warm and caring person? If they’re warm, caring, and compassionate, that’s the basis, and we can move on to skill.”

That skill can be reflected in many ways — their degree, their experience, perhaps a referral. Sometimes, the agency will bring on someone whose only experience was taking care of their grandmother. “If they have good character, we’ll put them on a companion case, with a mentor, and help them get more education. We didn’t do that before. Now that the pool is lower, we’re trying to find ways to bring in more people.”

One way is to offer more training to staff. In addition, Visiting Angels has done well bringing on nursing students from area colleges, who are able to supplement their income while gaining on-the-job experience. “They’re very good workers,” she said.

The shallower pool of talent is only one growing challenge; a tougher financial climate is another. Wages are higher — Anstett said her goal is to keep what she pays workers above Massachusetts’ minimum wage as it creeps toward $15 over the next few years — as well as higher recruiting costs and expanded paid medical and family leave in the Bay State.

Finally, as noted earlier, workers increasingly eschew full-time work and often make home care one of two jobs, and they increasingly resist set shifts in favor of flexible schedules.

“We are a known name with deep roots, but it is a challenge,” she said. “We do well, though — we’re finding people of quality. Because of our experience, we understand what makes a good caregiver and who wouldn’t make a good caregiver, and how to screen them properly.”

Constant Mission

Roseann Martoccia, executive director of WestMass ElderCare, says her 45-year-old organization’s goal has long been in line with the goals of the home-care industry.

“From the beginning, our mission has been constant: to help people remain at home with the supports they need,” she said, noting that most people, as they age, want to remain in their homes, with some measure of independence.

To help them achieve that goal, WestMass ElderCare offers a broad range of supports, not just home care, aimed at helping seniors live independently. These range from nutrition services — it delivers about 1,400 hot meals daily in seven communities — to adult foster care; from housing support to personal-care management, helping people with chronic conditions or disabilities direct their own care by hiring and supervising personal-care attendants.

In the realm of home care, the goal is similar to other agencies: to help transition people from rehab settings into the home, and to maintain their function there.

“Our goal is to provide compassionate care and guidance so people can live in their homes and communities,” Martoccia said. “When we visit the home, we’re setting up a plan of care. What is your family doing? What do you need help with? What do you want help with? What’s most important?”

“Generally, people have chronic conditions, and their family may be at a distance, or they may not have a lot of family supports,” she continued. “In that case, we might be providing more services to them, helping them with many things they may not be able to accomplish on their own.”

WestMass focuses on the needs of family caregivers as well as patients, she added — people who have to work or raise families, but still want to make sure their parents or grandparents are OK.

“A lot of times, we hear caregiver stories about how what we do helps them and gives them peace of mind,” she said. “They may be checking in daily or weekly, but they know services will be coming.”

Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice has a different model than home-care agencies that focus on non-clinical assistance, often over the long term. Instead, it hires nurses and physical, occupational, and speech therapists, among other team members, to help clients transition from an acute or rehab setting to home life over a shorter term. Involving family caregivers in the process is often critical.

“We offer things your average person can’t provide without some training — wound care, IV therapy, or teaching about disease processes and how to manage an illness and manage medications,” Ross explained. “We’re teaching family members how to do wound care, how to provide care at home.”

The other side of the company is hospice care, which can be a longer-term engagement for people who are grappling with terminal illness and the decisions that come with it.

“What matters to you? What are your goals? How do you want your care to play out? It’s really hard to have that conversation, introducing that sense of taking away hope from people,” Ross said.

“But often, when you open those conversations, you’re relieving a burden for the patient and their family, and giving them an opportunity to actually talk about the elephant in the room — and that can lead to earlier access to care,” she went on. “Studies show that the earlier patients get on hospice, the better they do in the course of their terminal illness and the better the family does in the bereavement process.”

Giving Back

There’s a large, framed photograph at Visiting Angels of an aide with Anstett’s mother-in-law, who required home care due to Alzheimer’s disease around the time she and her husband opened the franchise; she passed away a few years ago. It’s a reminder that these services hit close to home for many people, and they’re important.

And not just for the clients, said Natalie Pilecki, the company’s administrative specialist. For workers in this field — at least the good ones — it’s more than a job.

“Spending time with the elderly is always nice,” she told BusinessWest. “The hours are good, the flexibility is always good, and they enjoy socializing with the elderly. Every day is different — it’s different every time you walk into their house.”

A good work experience starts with the employer, though, Anstett said. “I think we all have to value our workforce. We did a survey of our caregivers, about what’s most important to them. They put the highest value on how they’re treated. Pay was second, and benefits third. We listen to our caregivers, and those are the things we work on.”

She noted that one client has been with the company for 13 years, just one of many long-term connections being made.

“You develop a relationship with clients and their families. It’s about giving, and when you give, people respond. The job gives back.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

As Threats Evolve, Opportunities in Cybersecurity Abound

By
Technology

Into the Breach

Cybersecurity experts say there’s still plenty of misunderstanding when it comes to the reality of data threats. For example, it’s not just big companies being attacked — these days, everyone is a target, and data thieves are becoming more subtle and savvy with their methods. That means companies need to be more vigilant — but it also means career opportunities abound in a field that desperately needs more young talent.

Everyone knows what cybersecurity is. Fewer know what people who work in the field actually do — and how much they earn.

And that’s a problem, Tom Loper said, when it comes to drawing young talent into a field that desperately needs it — and will need it for many years to come, as the breadth and complexity of data threats continue to evolve.

“That’s why we need to start with the high-school students,” said Loper, associate provost and dean of the School of Science and Management at Bay Path University. “They don’t really understand cybersecurity, and that’s a big problem because we have this incredible shortage of folks qualified to work in cybersecurity.”

Bay Path is doing its part, he said, not only with two undergraduate programs in the field and a graduate program in cybersecurity management, but by actively promoting those tracks to incoming students with undecided majors.

“We allow them to take cyber courses that first semester just to try it out, and the whole faculty is steering them toward it because the pay is so good in this field. Most of the ones who take it, believe it or not, they stay in that field,” he said, noting that about 90 students are currently enrolled in the three programs. “That’s a pretty good number for a small school like this. Now, we’re trying to get more high-school students to understand.”

“Companies are becoming more savvy. They’re asking, ‘how protected am I?’ The word’s getting out there, but unfortunately, it’s getting out because someone hears that a friend or another company got attacked.”

Loper said Bay Path’s programs are tailored specifically to the requirements of various cybersecurity careers, so students can get entry-level jobs immediately and go on to earn whatever further industry certifications they may need. “We have graduates making $60,000 to $80,000 coming out of school with these degrees. And if they get some experience before graduation, they’re worth even more.”

Tom Loper said cybersecurity is a complex challenge best tackled from a region-wide, ‘ecosystem’ perspective.

To that end, Bay Path recently won a grant from the Mass Cyber Center at MassTech to support internship and workforce experiences for students. That’s just one aspect, he said, of the way the region can build a cybersecurity hub from what he calls an “ecosystem perspective,” one that encompasses high-school and college students, workforce-development programs, government agencies, and business sectors where cybersecurity is important. These days, that’s most of them.

“Companies are becoming more savvy,” said Mark Jardim, lead engineer at CMD Technology Group in East Longmeadow. “They’re asking, ‘how protected am I?’ The word’s getting out there, but unfortunately, it’s getting out because someone hears that a friend or another company got attacked. But they are calling us and saying, ‘how can we be more protected?’”

Chris Rivers, vice president of Phillips Insurance in Chicopee, agreed that more companies are coming around to the threat potential.

“It sometimes depends on whether they’ve had an incident or a near miss,” he said, adding that, while people may hear news reports about data breaches at large companies, no business of any size is totally immune.

In fact, “smaller businesses tend to have less security, and sometimes it’s easier for hackers to get in there, taking credit-card information or any type of information, really. Think of a law office, and the risk of private information being taken and used against clients.

“Things we’ve preached over the years still hold true — they just keep changing the vector of attack. And the damage to smaller companies is more significant because they often don’t have the resources to deal with it, and it’s painful.”

“If you have a breach and data is stolen,” Rivers added, “it can get pretty costly.”

Data security has become a primary form of business insurance at all commercial agencies, but a policy to recover damages, even a comprehensive one, isn’t enough; the long-term brand damage, Rivers noted, is much harder to quantify. “Once your reputation is gone, it’s gone.”

The fact that businesses are catching on to this reality, combined with high-tech advances that will making defending against cybercrime more challenging, has created significant opportunities in what promises to be one of the most important career fields over the next decade.

Human Nature

Charlie Christianson, president of CMD and its sister company, Peritus Security, said data breaches cost companies $11.5 billion in 2019. And the threats come in many forms.

“Things we’ve preached over the years still hold true — they just keep changing the vector of attack,” he told BusinessWest. “And the damage to smaller companies is more significant because they often don’t have the resources to deal with it, and it’s painful.”

The human element to data breaches is still prominent, as e-mail phishing schemes remain the number-one way cybercriminals gain access to networks. These often arrive with URLs that are very close to a legitimate address. More importantly, phishers are ever-honing their ability to replicate the tone, language, and content of the supposed sender.

“They look incredibly realistic,” Christianson said. “A week doesn’t go by where we don’t get one and say, ‘wow, this looks good.’ For people who don’t live it every day, it can be very easy to fall into the trap. The trick is to just stop and think about it before you click on it.”

These attacks are more specific and targeted in the past, he went on, but they’re not the only way data thieves are getting in. Another is through employees’ personal devices, which don’t typically boast the security features of a large corporate system.

“Devices are hit and used to launch an attack, or they’re infected and brought into a secure environment. What’s on that device can get into the corporate network and spread,” he explained, which is why many companies have tightened up their BYOD (bring your own device) policies.

“That’s slowing down as businesses are becoming aware of the risk,” Jardim added. “We’re actually seeing a trend of slowing down the bring-your-own-device idea in the workforce; companies are saying, ‘maybe we shouldn’t do that because attackers are using those vulnerabilities.’”

The trend known as the internet of things, or IoT, poses new threats as well, Christianson said.

“When people think about securing their network, they think about their computers, their servers, their tablets, things like that. But they don’t think about the SimpliSafe security system or the time clock that hangs on the wall or the voice-over-IP phone system they use every day. You have all these devices that aren’t being maintained — they just let them run.”

He knows of one company that was attacked through its security-camera system, and said segmenting networks is one way to minimize such a threat. “That shouldn’t be on same network as your finances.”

The defenses against breach attempts are myriad, from password portals and multi-factor verification of online accounts to geoblocking traffic coming from overseas.

“A lot can be done with training,” Christianson said. “The most important thing you have in your business is your people, and educating people how to act and what to do when they see something — to make your staff savvy — is one of the most beneficial things you can do.”

Mark Jardim (left) and Charlie Christianson say cybercrime is constantly evolving, and so must the strategies businesses employ to prevent it.

It’s definitely a challenge, Jardim added. “We have to protect every single door and window, we have to be right 100% of the time, and a hacker just needs to find one vulnerability.”

Cultivating an Ecosystem

That list of threats and defenses — which only skims the surface — drives home the need for a more robust cybersecurity workforce, Loper said.

“We believe you have to take a regional approach to cybersecurity,” he noted. “We don’t believe you can just think of yourself as island unto yourself. Whether you’re a big organization or a small organization, you’re part of the supply chain, and there are opportunities for breaches. Everyone is connected.”

Boosting workforce-development programs is one spoke on the wheel. “It needs more attention. At one point, we didn’t have enough tool and die makers. The Commonwealth got behind it, and now we have enough. Something like that is going to happen in the high schools, and across this region, where we’re retraining people to work in this space just because there are so many opportunities.”

“The most important thing you have in your business is your people, and educating people how to act and what to do when they see something — to make your staff savvy — is one of the most beneficial things you can do.”

One plan is to develop a ‘cyber range,’ which is a simulated IT environment that emulates the IT structure of businesses, Loper explained. “We can bring people into the cyber range and help them deal with threats to a simulated environment.”

All these strategies are running headlong into the rise, in the very near future, of 5G wireless connectivity, which will dramatically increase data speed — and perhaps security threats as well.

“The threat we have now is going to go on steroids with 5G and with IoT,” Loper said. “The opportunties for business development will be greater than ever, and the opportunities for penetration will be greater than ever as well. It’s amazing what’s happening with 5G — it’s mostly good, but pretty darn challenging.”

Those threats provide business for commercial insurers, and that coverage is important, Rivers said, but businesses have to think about their own common-sense defenses as well.

“As we do renewals or reach out to clients, we try to bring out what policies are available to them to protect them from different things,” he noted. “It’s easy for us to recommend everything, but there’s a cost, so we try to inform them what’s out there so they can make decisions — ‘do I want this? Do I want that?’”

Rivers cited a statistic from Philadelphia Insurance Companies, which reports that the average cost of a data breach is $204 per lost record, with more than half of such costs attributable to lost customers and the associated public-relations expenses to rebuild an organization’s reputation.

“It’s one thing to take the data out, but when your brand is affected because you’ve had this incredible breach, that’s something else,” Loper added. “Your brand is what people think it is; it’s not what you think it is, like in the old days. Now, just look on social media, and that tells you what your brand is. Cybersecurity is one of those things that, if not done properly, can undermine your brand so quickly.”

In the end, Jardim said, the idea is to minimize risk.

“I always joke, the most secure machine is one that’s shut off in a locked room, but you have to find a balance,” he said — one that employs measures from simple common sense to choosing the right firewall.

“We see clients who have $5 million businesses buying a $100 firewall from Staples. You’re not going to protect your infrastructrure with that. You need the right equipment for your size. You need professional stuff for your business — you can’t use the same equipment you buy for your house for your business.”

“Well, you can,” Christianson added quickly, noting just one more way people might take a limited view of cybersecurity threats — and come to regret it.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

West Side’s Story Is One of Redevelopment

By
Community Spotlight

Community Spotlight

Mark Avery, co-founder of Two Weeks Notice Brewing, says the company is working hard to build its brand.

Mark Avery says he doesn’t tell the story as much as he used to — maybe because so many people have heard it by now — but he still gets asked on a fairly regular basis.

And he never tires of telling it, because it’s a good story — and, perhaps more importantly, it’s good marketing.

As he recalls, he was out driving one day and thinking about how great it would be to finally give his two weeks notice at work and start making a living doing what had become his passion — brewing beer.

“And that’s when a lightbulb went off in my head,” he said, “and Two Weeks Notice Brewing was essentially born. I Googled it to see if anyone else had it, and luckily no one else did.”

“The vast majority of what we see is redevelopment projects, and we see a steady amount of development happening every year.”

Today, Avery and business partner Derrick Upson — the individual to whom he left those two weeks notice — are brewing a number of labels at their location on Bosworth Street in West Springfield, across Memorial Avenue from the Big E. They include everything from ‘Resignation IPA’ to ‘Casual Friday,’ a pale ale; from ‘West Side Big Slide,’ another IPA that features the Big E’s famous yellow slide on the label, to ‘Bumby Love,’ an imperial stout. Meanwhile, the tap room the partners opened soon after labeling their first can has become an increasingly popular venue, as evidenced by the large crowd on a recent Saturday.

Thus, Two Weeks Notice has become one of many intriguing development stories in West Springfield in recent months. Or redevelopment stories, as the case may be. Indeed, while this community of 29,000 lies on the crossroads of New England, literally — both I-91 and the Mass Turnpike have exits in it — there isn’t much undeveloped land left. Thus, most of the new-business stories involve redevelopment of existing property.

City Planner Allyson Manuel says many of the business projects in West Springfield involve redevelopment of existing properties.

In the case of Two Weeks Notice, it was a comprehensive renovation of the former Angie’s Tortellinis property, a complicated undertaking, as we’ll see. And there have been several others in recent years, said City Planner Allyson Manuel, listing everything from a new seafood restaurant taking the site of the old Bertucci’s on Riverdale Street to remaking an old junkyard operation into the Hot Brass shooting and archery range just off Memorial Avenue.

And now, the city is looking to write more of these stories, especially at two landmark restaurants on or just off Memorial Avenue that are now sporting ‘closed’ signs in their windows.

One is the site that most still refer to as the Hofbrahaus, even though that restaurant closed several years ago, with 1105 Main (also the address) opening in that same space. The other is the small but nonetheless significant White Hut, an eatery with a very loyal following that closed abruptly a few weeks ago.

The site has been in the news almost constantly since, with TV film crews seen getting close-up shots of that aforementioned sign, with most of the news centered on exploratory efforts by Peter Picknelly and Andy Yee, principals of the Bean Restaurant Group, to launch another rescue operation.

The first, of course, was a reopening of another culinary landmark, the Student Prince in downtown Springfield, after it closed briefly in 2014. At press time, the partners were still essentially crunching numbers, said a spokesperson for the Bean Group, adding that a decision on the fate of the beloved burger restaurant would be coming “soon.”

Two landmark restaurants in West Side — the White Hut, above, and 1105 Main (formerly the Hofbrauhaus), now have ‘closed’ signs in their windows.

Meanwhile, there are other properties awaiting redevelopment, said Manuel, listing the former home to United Bank on Elm Street and a mill property off Front Street that was gifted to the city by Neenah Paper Co. in 2018, among others.

But the more pressing news involves infrastructure, she told BusinessWest, adding that the city, and especially businesses along Memorial Avenue, eagerly await the completion of what amounts to the replacement and widening of the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge, which connects the city to Agawam; the latest target date is late summer 2021, an improvement over the original timetable due to incentives being offered by the state for early completion. The other major project is an upgrade to Memorial Avenue itself, a comprehensive project that calls for reconfigured lanes and a bike lane and promises improved traffic flow.

For this, the latest installment in its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest tells West Side’s story, which is increasingly one of redevelopment.

Feeling a Draught

Avery told BusinessWest that the Angie’s Tortellinis property — it actually had other uses after Angie’s moved to Westfield several years ago — had been vacant for some time when he and Upson first looked at it.

By then, at least a few other brewers had been through and decided that the property would be too difficult to convert for that use. They thought otherwise, although they conceded it would be a stern challenge.

“There were drop ceilings everywhere, the heat hadn’t been on in more than a year, probably … it was a dump when we got it,” he recalled, adding that a number of refrigeration units had to be ripped out and the area that is now that tap room required almost complete demolition and rebuilding.

Backing up a bit, and returning to that story about the name now over the door, he said Upson was his boss at a company called Pioneer Tool Supply, which was located in West Springfield when he started and eventually relocated to the industrial park in Agawam. When not working, Avery was spending most of his time home brewing — and thinking about taking that from a pastime to a career.

After that lightbulb moment noted earlier, he had a name, and he also had several recipes. He was set to partner with another individual and open a brewery in Westfield, but the two eventually concluded that the partnership wasn’t going to work. That’s when Upson, who by then was big into craft beers, entered the equation, and Avery eventually did give his two weeks notice.

They started selling cans in the fall of 2018 and haven’t looked back. The company’s various brands are now on tap in a number of area bars and restaurants, including several in West Springfield and Agawam, and loyal followers can buy cans at the brewery. On the Saturday we visited, Avery had just finished brewing a batch of what he called Performance Review 13 — and, yes, there were a dozen versions before it.

“These are the beers where I kind of play around with different hops, different yeasts, and different styles if I want to,” he explained. “It gives me a little creativity to break up the monotony of production.”

The tap room is now open Thursday through Sunday, and while business — and growth — have been steady, Avery says more aggressive marketing, and just getting the word out, is perhaps the company’s top priority at the moment.

“We’re working to get our name out — we’re still fairly unknown at this point,” he explained. “People will come in and say, ‘this is the first time we’re been here,’ or ‘we’ve never heard of you guys’ — even people in West Side. So we need to change that and grow the brand. For the most part, it’s just doing interesting and fun events.”

While Two Weeks Notice Brewing goes about building its brand, there are other things brewing in West Springfield, pun intended. Especially those infrastructure projects.

Like its neighbor to the west, Agawam, West Side has struggled during the lengthy but very necessary project to replace the 70-year-old Morgan-Sullivan Bridge. Gene Cassidy, president and CEO of the Big E, which worked with officials in both cities to minimize the impact of the bridge work during the fair’s 17-day run, said businesses along Memorial Avenue have definitely been affected by the project, which began roughly 18 months ago.

“In the late afternoons, traffic gets backed up all the way to our to our main entrance,” he said, noting that it is several hundred yards from the bridge. “Many businesses are struggling, and people are going elsewhere to do business.”

He praised the state for incentivizing the contractor handling the work, Palmer-based Northern Construction Service, thus pushing up the closing date and making this fall’s Big E hopefully the last that will have to cope with the bridge work.

But not long after that project is over, another much-anticipated project, the redesign and reconstruction of Memorial Avenue, will commence, said Manuel, noting there is no timetable at present, but the target date is the spring or summer of 2022 — after the bridge project is done.

When asked to summarize the scope of the project, she summoned the phrase ‘road diet’ to describe what will take place before elaborating.

West Springfield at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1774
Population: 28,529
Area: 17.5 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $16.99
Commercial Tax Rate: $32.65
Median Household Income: $40,266
Median Family Income: $50,282
Type of Government: Mayor, City Council
Largest Employers: Eversource Energy, Harris Corp., Home Depot, Interim Health Care, Mercy Home Care
* Latest information available

“This is the new best practice, and it involves reducing the amount of pavement while at the same time incorporating amenities or facilities for transportation other than personal vehicles, such as bikes, pedestrians, and buses,” she explained. “By designing it more efficiently, especially when it comes to the intersections and turning areas, you ideally need fewer lanes — that’s what is meant by road diet.

“The plans are not finalized,” she went on. “But it will have a bike lane and new sidewalks and trees; in addition to trying to improve traffic flow, it’s also a beautification project.”

Thus, there will be significant change to a thoroughfare that is already in a seemingly constant state of motion, not only with vehicular traffic, but also with businesses coming and going.

That’s certainly the case today, with a new, larger Planet Fitness opening in the Century Plaza, and the fate of both the White Hut and the Hofbrauhaus property still unknown.

Both landmarks date back to the 1930s, and they have become part of the landscape on Memorial Avenue, said Manuel, adding that the hope is that both will soon have new names over the door, or, in the case of the White Hut, perhaps the same name but with new ownership.

As for the Hofbrauhaus property, it presents both challenges and opportunities.

“The size of the facility is a bit daunting for another restaurant,” she noted. “But the location is so good that I’m sure that something will happen there.”

Meanwhile, movement is also a constant on the other major thoroughfare in the city, Riverdale Street, where the new seafood restaurant is set to open soon, said Manuel. It’s not far from a recently opened Marriott Courtyard, which was built on the site of the former Boston Billiards, yet another example of redevelopment in this city.

“The vast majority of what we see is redevelopment projects, and we see a steady amount of development happening every year,” she said, adding there are many other examples of this, including the ongoing expansion of Titan Industries on Baldwin Street, Hot Brass, and the Holyoke Creative Arts Center moving into one of the mills vacated by Neenah Paper.

Lager Than Life

The hope, and the expectation, is that this pattern will continue, Manuel said, adding that, while the city is indeed land-poor, it is opportunity-rich given its location, easy accessibility, and inventory of properties that can be redeveloped.

Sometimes it takes some imagination and determination — as was certainly the case with Two Weeks Notice and the former tortellini factory — but West Springfield has generally proven to be a mailing address worthy of such diligence.

Avery noted the same while finishing that batch of Performance Review 13, which will hopefully become yet another positive chapter in a business story written in a city where more such sagas are penned each year.

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

Greater Springfield Becoming a More Attractive Convention Site

By
Meetings & Conventions

Making a Match

Mary Kay Wydra (left) and Alicia Szenda say the region’s recent momentum and new attractions have made it a stronger sell to event and convention planners.

Conventions are good business for a city like Springfield. But they don’t exist in a vacuum.

“We’ll ask if they have time for things outside their program,” said Mary Kay Wydra, president of the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau (GSCVB). “Are they bringing spouses? Will they have time, either pre-event or post-event, to go to Yankee Candle, or Six Flags, or the Seuss museum?”

“That’s part of their convention experience as well,” added Alicia Szenda, the GSVCB’s director of Sales. “They might be at the MassMutual Center for three or four days, but they might do a couple off-site events, too. We can help them — ‘OK, do you want to do the Springfield Museums? The Hall of Fame? What is it that your group is interested in?’ Because we do want them to have a good experience and feel welcome.”

Both Wydra and Szenda share a philosophy that, while conventions and major sporting events positively impact the region during the weekend or week they’re around, they also pose an opportunity to draw convention-goers back in the future — either as a group for future events, or individually, as leisure travelers.

That’s why attracting convention business focuses not just on the venue, lodging, and amenities involved in the event itself, but on the entire region.

“Our goal is always to expose them to more of what we have to offer,” Wydra told BusinessWest. “Sometimes we whet their appetite, and they come back as a leisure visitor. That’s a goal. If we do our job right, they’ll come back again.”

And when they’re here, they’ll spend money, from hotels and restaurants to gas stations and recreation destinations, Szenda added. “We’re really lucky we have great attractions, and that’s enough to keep people entertained while they’re here and get them to come back.”

The convention and event mix in 2020 is a diverse agenda, one featuring newcomers and repeat business alike. The city recently hosted the New England Fence Assoc., which the GSCVB had been trying to bring in for years, as well as the New England Region Volleyball Assoc. (NERVA). In its sixth straight year here, the latter event filled 2,000 hotel-room nights over the course of a weekend.

The city will also host the Amateur Athletic Union volleyball super-regional in March — partly because someone who took part in the NERVA event liked what he saw from the city. “We’re hoping that becomes annual as well,” Szenda said.

Other upcoming events include the largest collegiate fencing competition in the country and a First Robotics event at the Eastern States Exposition, both in April; a gathering of the National Assoc. of Basketball Coaches in May; and Hooplandia in June. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

In all cases, Szenda said, the goal is to match what an organization needs with what a venue — and the city and region — have to offer. Take the International Jugglers’ Assoc., which convened in Springfield last year.

“This group was looking to go anywhere in the country, so we looked at their parameters and put together a proposal. They needed a convention center, two full-service hotels within walking distance, a historic theater, and a fun kind of bar atmosphere with a stage. I read that and was like, ‘that fits perfectly here,’” she recalled, noting that Symphony Hall was an ideal theater, and Theodores’ fit the bill for the bar.

“Our goal is always to expose them to more of what we have to offer. Sometimes we whet their appetite, and they come back as a leisure visitor. That’s a goal. If we do our job right, they’ll come back again.”

The GSCVB will also suggest gathering options that planners might not know about — perhaps a cruise outing on the Lady Bea, or an outdoor reception at the Springfield Museums. “You can have a unique dinner event on Center Court at the Basketball Hall of Fame. Nowhere else in the world can you do that event. We try to be creative, and try to really hype the assets we have.”

Rising Interest

The GSCVB has seen an uptick in conventions in recent years, and Szenda is constantly talking with hotels, asking them to quote rates and block off a certain inventory of rooms, sometimes three years out. Then she gets to work finding the aforementioned local connections, setting up reasonably priced hotel options and assembling tourism information about the region.

The bureau also boasts a hospitality program that many similar-sized cities don’t offer, which includes everything from airport pickups and hotel greeters to downtown maps and goodie bags.

“At the end of the day, it’s about sales,” she said. “We go to trade shows, but we also get leads from locals who live around here who might be part of national associations or hobby groups or special-interest groups who want to bring the event they travel to every year here. Once we make that initial contact, the process becomes pretty streamlined. We want to get all the information we can from them — how many room nights do they need? What kind of venue do they need?”

Organizations based in New England already see Greater Springfield as a convenient location, with interstates 90 and 91 intersecting here, and they might be aware of its recreational and hospitality options. Those from far away, though, may need some convincing, and that’s what Szenda does when she attends those industry trade shows, where she may schedule appointments with up to 30 meeting planners or sporting-event organzers to talk about how this region suits their needs.

“We’re Western Mass. — we don’t have the cachet of a first-tier city, like Boston or Chicago,” Wydra said. “With national groups, a lot of times, that’s where a local person comes into play.”

For instance, the National Square Dance Convention, a national gathering of Daughters of the Nile, and a large insurance convention all landed in Springfield in recent years because a local member got the ball rolling. “I think the local tie to national groups is a really important and powerful one for us.”

One selling point is that national groups that hold conventions in the Pioneer Valley get plenty of local attention — everyone knows they’re here, and are often excited about it.

“We tell the event planner, ‘you’re going to be a big fish in a little pond,’” Wydra said, noting that Daughters of the Nile held its convention in Orlando the year before coming to Springfield. “I don’t know if the local people knew they were in Orlando. But when they came to Springfield, there was a story or photograph in our mainstream media, talking about this group, every day they were here. You kind of take over our city, our region.”

Another plus? Springfield is a different city than it was five years ago, with MGM Springfield, the Seuss museum, and ongoing Basketball Hall of Fame renovations among the recent major stories.

“I go to these trade shows, and all they want to know is what’s new,” Szenda said. “With some cities, they sit there and say, ‘we’ve got the same stuff,’ but we’ve been able to go every year and say ‘this is what’s new, this is what’s new.’”

Wydra agreed. “That makes our job so much easier and more exciting. The sell is easier when we can say we’ve added these things.”

Key Connections

‘It takes a village’ is a bit of a cliché, Wydra admitted, but in the GSCVB’s case, it really is true, especially when it comes to booking events and providing the kind of experience that will bring people back.

“It does take a village to host a group of people. Everyone’s got to work together,” she said, adding that the region is fortunate to have assets like Eastern States, a campus-like setting with plenty of parking and room for large equipment, not to mention a modern convention center in the heart of Springfield and a couple of anchor hotels downtown complemented by a growing roster of lodging options around the region.

“Anyone who lives here and belongs to a group or goes to an event they want to host, they should contact me,” Szenda said, putting that sales hat back on for a moment. “If we get the site visit, we have a better shot of landing that event.”

“We do the work for them,” Wydra added. “We try to make it as easy as possible, but those local leads are so important.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Personal Touch Keeps Annual Home Show a Vital Resource

By
Home Improvement Uncategorized

Advice — on the House

Andrew Crane holds up a prototype of one of the reusable bags attendees will receive at the 2020 Home and Garden Show.

By Mark Morris

Sometimes the online approach isn’t the most efficient way to tackle a project.

“If you’re looking to hire a landscaper, for example, you could look all over the internet and be dissatisfied,” said Andrew Crane, executive director of the Home Builders and Remodelers Assoc. of Western Massachusetts (HBRAWM).

Instead, he suggests conducting a search at the Western Mass Home and Garden Show, where consumers can speak directly with local landscapers and myriad other professionals.

Crane’s organization sponsors the annual event, which is now in its 66th year. Held at the beginning of spring, this year’s edition is scheduled for March 26-29 at the Eastern States Exposition grounds in West Springfield.

Originally, the event served as a venue for tradesmen in the association to familiarize each other with their craft. Over time, the show evolved, putting more emphasis on consumers, and has grown to the point where more than 350 exhibitors reserve space every year.

Exhibitors at the show can help consumers with everything from replacing a faucet to building an entire home — and everything in between. Innovations in building products, as well as home-related services such as Realtors and insurance agents, all have a presence at the home show.

Todd Hickman, Steve Sgroi, and John Collins will use the show to introduce a new segment of their business, Home Service Electrical.

Regarding that landscaper search, at press time, four landscapers had reserved booths at this year’s home show. For landscape projects that involve ‘hardscape’ (incorporating stone work into a landscape design), 14 different vendors of this specialty have signed on.

BusinessWest caught up with several different exhibitors to this year’s show, representing a wide range of industries. Their home-show experience varies from nearly two decades to a couple of first-time exhibitors, but they all share an enthusiasm about the opportunity to connect with people during the event.

Room to Grow

Stuart Fearn, president of Safeco Foam Insulation, marks his 17th home show this year. “Since day one, the home show has proven to be a home run for my business,” he said, adding that he sees his main job at the show as educating people about spray-foam insulation, and it’s a worthwhile effort.

“We get a lot of business and awareness from the home show,” he noted. “It helps people know we exist, and we will often get calls up to six to nine months after the show when they need insulation.”

For nearly two decades now, remodeling has remained a strong trend in home projects. Whether someone is updating their current home or purchasing an older home to modernize, Crane said demand remains strong for windows, siding, and many other products that will fit into existing homes.

Scott Fleury, business development director for Kelly-Fradet Lumber in East Longmeadow, sees the home show as an opportunity to put consumers in touch with the best people for their remodeling projects. The current president of HBRAWM, Fleury has been a part of the home show for 10 years. Kelly-Fradet often displays kitchen, bath, and outdoor deck products it sells primarily through contractors.

Painters Christopher Grenier and Jillian Forcier inspect the results of their recent work in a Northampton home.

“Often a homeowner will come to our booth with a project, and we are able to walk them right to a contractor who is also at the show,” he said. “On the flip side, contractors will bring people to our booth to show them the products we carry that apply to their project.”

Lori Loughlin, showroom manager for Frank Webb Home in Springfield, has taken part in the show for the past five years. Loughlin, vice chair of the organizing committee for the event, said her company sees an almost immediate return on its investment.

“Initially we see a big spike in sales right after the home show,” she said adding that the impact of the event often continues throughout the year. “People will come in as late as Christmas time and tell me they saw us at the home show.”

Christopher Grenier, owner of Grenier Painting and Finishing, reserved a booth at the home show last year for the first time. He enjoyed the experience so much, he is now on the event’s organizing committee.

Grenier noted that customers who need painting services often ask him for referrals about flooring, plumbing, and other services. He gladly recommends other members of the association to help customers find the right person for the job.

“I’ve recommended other painters when a customer needs someone who specializes in painting cabinets, for example,” he said. “We’re not in competition; it’s more of a camaraderie.”

One of the key benefits he sees to having a booth at the show is the ability to give people individual attention for their projects.

“When I’m asked why people should go to the home show, my response is, you’re going to find local people you can trust,” he noted.

Loughlin agreed and said that, because people can touch the products in her company’s booth, it helps them recognize quality kitchen and bath fixtures. When products like these are researched and then bought online, there’s no tactile experience, and service after the purchase is often lacking.

“Our customers know they can call us if there is ever a problem,” she said.
“There’s no sending things in the mail; we’ll just take care of it right here.”

As in past years, most booths will be located in the Better Living Center and the adjacent Young Building. New this year, the space between the two buildings will be used as a “contractor’s village” for products that exhibit better outside.

Scott Fleury helps Kelly-Fradet Lumber get all decked out for the show.

PV Squared Solar, a residential solar-energy installer, will forego the traditional booth setup indoors and will instead set up a solar-powered trailer in the contractor’s village to run electrical devices off the grid.

Anna Mannello, marketing coordinator for PV Squared, said that, as a first-time exhibitor, the home show presents a great way to connect with people in the community.

“PV Squared Solar is based in Greenfield, so we’ve done most of our business in Franklin and Hampshire counties,” she said. “While we’ve done a few installations in Hampden County, this will be an opportunity to increase our exposure to lots of new people.”

Mannello hasn’t yet finalized what appliances they plan to demonstrate, but during the four days of the show, attendees will be able to connect to PV Squared’s trailer to charge their phones using solar power.

It’s one thing to be a first-time exhibitor, and it’s quite something else to launch a new business at the home show. That’s how Todd Hickman, president of Hickman and Sgroi Electric, is approaching his inaugural exhibit.

While his company is an established residential, commercial, and industrial contractor, he and his partner, Steve Sgroi, are introducing Home Service Electrical, a membership-based, comprehensive approach to homeowner electrical needs. Instead of waiting for an emergency, Hickman said the service starts with a full inspection of the home’s electrical system to prevent familiar problems, such as losing power while cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

When a service call is needed, a professional technician in a fully stocked van will be expected to solve most problems in one visit. Each service has a standard price, so the consumer knows upfront what the job will cost. The home show represents an opportunity to introduce this different concept for electrical service.

“We’re creating a brand, so it’s important to educate the public on who we are, the image we present, and to assure people that we plan to be here for generations to come,” Hickman said.

Sgroi, vice president of Hickman and Sgroi, said their goal for the home show is simple, and it’s one shared by many, on one level or another.

“We hope to schedule inspections and grow the business until we are overwhelmed,” he said, while Hickman quickly added, if that happens, the business will gladly expand to meet the demand.

The Finish Line

For many years, HBRAWM provided plastic bags for show attendees to collect information from exhibitors. Crane proudly noted that the plastic bags are gone and have been replaced this year with reusable cloth bags, similar to those found in supermarkets.

“It’s one small way our members can be part of the solution to improving our environment,” he said. The bag will include a map showing all booth locations and a guide with contact information on all the HBRWM members.

“If you have a specific project, the map and guide will help you navigate the show to get the information you need,” Crane said. “If you don’t have any projects and you want a social experience, then you can just walk around, and you’ll have a great time.”

He concluded that other home shows have come and gone in the area, but ‘the original’ home show is here to stay. “After 66 years, it’s now a piece of Western Mass. history.”

The Western Mass Home and Garden show will be open Thursday and Friday, March 26-27, from 1 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $10 for adults. Children under 12 are admitted free. Veterans and active military with ID are admitted free on Thursday only. Discount coupons for every day of the show are available at www.westernmasshomeshow.com.

Developers, Builders, Architects Should Seize Opportunities

By
Home Improvement

Green-building Tax Breaks

By Lisa White, CPA, CJ Aberin, CCSP, and Brandon Val Verde, CEPE

On Dec. 20, 2019, a pair of tax provisions, Sections §45L and §179D, made their way into the government’s year-end spending package. These often-overlooked incentives provide a lucrative tax-saving strategy for the real-estate industry.

Not only were the 45L credit and 179D deduction extended through 2020, but the benefits can also be retroactively claimed if missed on prior tax returns. Real-estate developers, builders, and architects that may be unfamiliar with the provisions should take a closer look to avoid a missed opportunity.

45L: Tax Credit for Residential Real Estate

The 45L credit is a federal incentive worth up to $2,000 per qualified unit and is designed to reward homebuilders and multi-family developers of apartments, condos, or production homes. To qualify, a dwelling unit must provide a level of heating and cooling energy consumption that is 50% less than the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) Standards.

Of this 50% reduction, a minimum of 10% must come from the building envelope. All residential developments and apartment buildings completed within the last four years are worth assessing for potential 45L tax credits. Eligible construction also includes substantial reconstruction and rehabilitation. The credit is available in all 50 states; however, developments must be three stories or less above grade in height.

Here’s an example of now the credit works:

A building owner has an apartment complex consisting of three, two-story buildings, and each building has 20 units. All 60 units meet the qualifications to claim the credit. In year one, 48 of the units go under lease. The credit in year one would be $96,000 ($2,000 x 48). In year two, if the remaining 12 go under lease, a credit of $24,000 can be claimed in that year.

Of course, there are some costs for this benefit. The amount of basis in the building will need to be reduced by the amount of the credit claimed. Since a credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in tax liability, taking a credit over a deduction usually results in a more favorable tax position. There is also the cost for the study and certification, but this expenditure would qualify as a business deduction.

The credit can be claimed in the year the dwelling unit is leased or sold, and there is no limit on the number of qualifying units that can be claimed. The amount of the credit applied is limited to the tax liability (meaning it’s not a refundable credit), and the credit cannot be used to offset AMT. However, any unused credit can be carried back one year or carried forward for 20 years.

The following types of projects should be evaluated, as there are typically benefits available for:

• Affordable housing (LIHTC);

• Apartment buildings;

• Assisted-living facilities;

• Production-home developments;

• Residential condominiums; and

• Student housing.

179D: Tax Deduction for Commercial Real Estate

While 45L typically applies to residential properties, 179D is designed for energy-efficient commercial buildings and offers a tax deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot for energy-efficient lighting, HVAC systems, and the building envelope.

Unlike most deductions, which are based on the amount spent, this deduction is primarily based on square footage. New construction and a wide range of improvements, from simple lighting retrofits to full-scale construction projects, are eligible for this beneficial tax break.

Improvements are limited to the affected area, and to be eligible, they must reduce energy and power costs by making investments in any of the following categories: a building’s envelope, HVAC and hot water, and/or interior lighting systems.

Beneficiaries of this deduction may include:

• Building owners (commercial or residential);

• Tenants making improvements; and

• Architects and designers of government-owned buildings.

Added Benefits for Architects and Designers of Government Buildings

Architects and designers who implement energy-efficient designs on government buildings are also eligible for the 179D tax deduction if their design meets the criteria. Because government entities cannot use the tax deduction, they can assign the deduction to the designer in the year that the building was placed in service. Since 179D was extended retroactively, architects, engineers, and building contractors should review government projects from prior years to obtain all the deductions for which they are eligible.

Claiming the Benefit

Pursuant to the IRS guidance on claiming these green-building tax breaks, taxpayers are required to certify the tax credit or deduction with a detailed engineering analysis. These supporting studies can be generated by a third-party provider.

While a taxpayer may have missed out on tax credits or deductions when filing original tax returns, the good news is that the tax benefits can be claimed retroactively, dependent on the taxpayer’s situation. A tax preparer can assist in the finer details while working with a qualified professional that has expertise in securing both 45L and 179D tax incentives.

Lisa White, CPA is a tax manager with Holyoke-based public accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.; [email protected]

CJ Aberin is a principal at KBKG and oversees the Green Building Tax Incentive practice. Over the last several years, he has performed green building tax incentive studies and cost segregation for clients in various industries that range from Fortune 500 companies to individual real estate investors.

Brandon Val Verde is a certified energy plans examiner and senior manager within the Green Building Tax Incentives practice of KBKG. His understanding of various energy standards and codes such as ASHRAE 90.1, IECC, and Title 24 allow him to identify opportunities for Green Building Tax Incentives.

 

 

 

Mercy LIFE Strives to Keep Seniors Engaged and Healthy

By
Business of Aging

Care Connections

Kathy Burns says Mercy LIFE’s team approach to care has helped seniors maintain and even improve their health.

Celina Conway tells the story of a man who arrived at Mercy LIFE after five years in a nursing home, and was so weak, he couldn’t even hold a cup with both hands. After five years receiving services there, though, he felt stronger than he had in a decade — since before his nursing-home stay, in fact.

“They’re getting stronger,” said Conway, the facility’s director of Enrollment and Marketing. “There are people who came here in wheelchairs and now walk — quite a number, actually. Those are not uncommon stories.”

Mercy LIFE is a PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) program run by Trinity Health PACE that will celebrate its sixth anniversary on March 1. PACE programs are on the rise in the U.S. because the role they play — providing a range of health programs aimed at keeping seniors out of nursing homes — is becoming more prominent.

“We’re serving people who could be in nursing homes. The model was designed as a place for folks who need some care and need some eyes on them on a more regular basis than an elder living independently,” said Kathy Burns, the center’s executive director. “In fact, everybody who joins us has to be, in the eyes of the state of Massachusetts, clinically nursing-home eligible. And they tend to thrive here because of the intensive care management we do with this big, multi-disciplinary team.”

Indeed, that team includes primary-care doctors, home-care nurses, physical and occupational therapists, dietitians, social workers, among others, all working as a team on each enrollee’s individualized care plan. And it’s not just healthcare; it’s also a place for seniors to socialize, participate in activities, and be generally engaged in life.

“Everything is under one roof, kind of like a nursing home, but nobody lives here; they go home at the end of the day,” Conway said. “When people enroll in the PACE program, they agree to have all their services provided by the staff here, including primary care.”

It’s a managed-care model not far removed from accountable care, the model that has crept into hospitals nationwide, which involves teams of providers being paid by insurers to keep patients well over a period of time, rather than being paid for each treatment, test, and hospital stay.

“It’s actually the precursor to accountable care,” Burns said, noting that, about 40 years ago in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood, families wanted a place for their elders to go instead of a nursing home — a central location where they could bring in health services. Medicare funded a trial run, and the model worked. A second PACE site followed in Boston, and today, 131 PACE programs provide services at 263 centers nationwide, serving about 51,000 participants.

Why? Because the model works, Burns said, giving one example of how such programs keep people healthier while saving money.

“We get a good idea how this person functions, what’s important to them, what their goals are, how we think we can meet their needs. They have the ability to say, ‘I don’t want to do this,’ but typically, once they walk in the door, they’re sold and they do want to enroll.”

“Everybody on the team is equally important in their observations of what’s going on with the elder. Let’s say a driver who’s driven Mrs. Smith here every week for a long time notices, ‘boy she’s really out of sorts today.’ He’s supposed to come in and tell his boss, who will come to the morning meeting and say, ‘Mrs. Smith isn’t right today.’

“So Mrs. Smith is sent right down to the clinic, and we’re going to look at her,” she continued. “And if she’s got, say, a UTI brewing, we’re going to get her on some antibiotics and take care of her right here instead of her going home, where the infection gets worse, and she ends up in the ER with delirium because the infection makes her delirious, and all of a sudden she’s in a psych ward spending Medicare or Medicaid’s money unnecessarily because what she needed was antibiotics, which we can take care of right here.”

Safe Haven

Mercy LIFE currently enrolls more than 300 seniors, about 100 of whom are on site on a typical day.

“We explain to people this is a different way to have your healthcare delivered, and we have conversations to make sure they want care delivered this way,” Conway said. “We want to help them live safely at home.”

If, after being assessed by a nurse, they meet the criteria of needing nursing-home-level care, team members speak further with them and their family members, she went on.

“We get a good idea how this person functions, what’s important to them, what their goals are, how we think we can meet their needs. They have the ability to say, ‘I don’t want to do this,’ but typically, once they walk in the door, they’re sold and they do want to enroll.”

Conway said Mercy LIFE enrollees are assessed and placed into one of four different activity levels, from totally independent to needing more help to memory care, and it’s not uncommon for people to move from one level to another over time. “If people are concerned they won’t find people like them, they will.”

The rehab gym is a popular spot where participants can get stronger, she added. Some sign up for time with a personal trainer, while others might work in small groups or one on one to deal with specific issues, such as balance.

“They always think they’ll get weaker and less mobile as they age, but we’re lifers; we’re planning to be with them for life. So we’re trying to do preventive care, which is less expensive than dealing with a crisis after an episode where somebody falls.”

Occupational therapists on the team also spend time in the home, and are always scoping out issues that could be dangerous, Conway noted.

“We are responsible for everything. So if someone needs a grab bar, or someone needs a toilet set, we are going to order it and deliver it ourselves, which is better than getting a script and going to the medical equipment store. It’s very personalized service. When we work as a team, we prevent so many hospitalizations, emergency-room trips, that sort of thing.”

Burns added that the attention and engagement seniors get at Mercy LIFE brings a richness and measure of security they might not find on their own. “It’s an intensive model of oversight that really keeps them safe at home, happy at home. A lot of folks who come here had spent years at a time just sitting at home watching television. Now they’re doing all kinds of interesting things in our day room, while they’re seen by doctors and therapists.”

And the care plan is different for everybody, Conway said as she walked with BusinessWest past a conference room where an interdisciplinary team was meeting, as they do multiple times each day, to discuss whatever issues may have arisen with some of the people in their charge.

“We’ve helped 550 people over the past six years,” she added. “We don’t discharge people to hospice. We serve people until the end of their life. It’s a beautiful model. To see people when they enrolled and then see the progress and the support they get is very rewarding.”

Burns agreed. “A lot of families have been incredibly grateful for that gift.”

Effective Model

Burns and Conway both came back repeatedly to the financial benefits of preventive care and the value of preventing incidents before they arise. “If you don’t have an ambulance ride, an ER visit, a hospitalization, and a rehab visit, you’re saving a ton of money right there,” Conway said. “I know our interdisciplinary team members work hard to prevent those four key things. Everybody’s happy as a result of that.”

There is no cost to the vast majority of the seniors or their families (there is a private-pay option for a small percentage of participants). Medicare grants the program a flat monthly premium, while MassHealth provides funding as well. However, this year, MassHealth reduced its rate by 2.1%.

“We’re advocating for some of that to be brought back,” Burns said. “The problem for small but effective programs like ours is they’re easy targets for things like that. And we’re really hoping MassHealth will consider pulling back that decrease.”

Those who work at the West Springfield site see that effectiveness every day, Conway said. “This is mission work. I don’t think you’ll find anyone working at Mercy LIFE for the money. They stay here because they enjoy it so much.”

She told BusinessWest she appreciates the chance to tell the Mercy LIFE story because many people still have misconceptions.

“People think it’s home care, they think it’s adult day health, they think it’s a doctor’s office … but it’s all of those things,” she said.

“It sounds too good to be true,” Burns added. “But it just works.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

New Hearing-aid Technology Improves Quality of Life

By Kayla Ebner
Business of Aging

Sound Judgment

By Kayla Ebner

The girl sits in her classroom and turns up the volume wheel on her hearing aid loud enough to hear her teacher. Suddenly, the classmate sitting next to her drops his book. She tries to turn her hearing aid down, but it’s already too late. A loud ‘bang’ echoes through her head, then ringing, and more ringing.

Decades later, Jen Sowards remembers exactly how moments like those — and hearing loss in general — felt.

She’s struggled with hearing loss for her whole life, although it wasn’t identified until she was 6 years old. Fortunately, technology in hearing aids continues to get better and better, and Sowards gets to be a part of the evolution. 

Her life experience with hearing loss inspired her to become an audiologist, a career she has thrived in for more than 18 years. After spending more than a decade practicing across the country in Portland, Ore., she returned to the East Coast, where she worked at Clarke Hearing Center in Northampton for about a year. She has since opened her own practice at Florence Hearing Health Care and continues to help people who face the same daily struggles as she does.

“My own experience helped shape my philosophy for clinical practice now. I remember the audiologist just not necessarily taking a lot of time to explain things to me.”

“My own experience helped shape my philosophy for clinical practice now,” said Sowards, adding that her interactions with audiologists as a young child weren’t always positive. “I remember the audiologist just not necessarily taking a lot of time to explain things to me.”

Now, years later in her own practice, she takes ample time to explain to patients what she’s doing, why she recommends one type of hearing aid over another, and much more.

Dr. Deborah Reed, doctor of Audiology at Ascent Audiology & Hearing in Hadley, compares the human auditory system to a piano. The sensory nerve cells in the ear are like the keyboard, and their job is to stimulate the auditory nerve fibers. 

Jen Sowards uses her personal experience with hearing loss to help her patients who face the same daily struggles she does.

“If we unroll that auditory nerve, each fiber would be tuned to a particular pitch just like each string of a piano would be tuned to a particular note, and the job of the keyboard is to play the piano strings,” Reed said. “What we look for during the hearing test is, how well is your keyboard working, and how tuned are your piano strings?”

To continue with this analogy, hearing aids are tuned to respond wherever the keyboard dysfunction is occurring. 

“The bottom-line job of the hearing aid is to restore speech sounds and to improve our communication,” Reed continued. “We’re not necessarily looking to just give you a bunch of volume, we’re looking to give you clarity of speech, and we can do that by fine-tuning the digital processor of the hearing aids today.” 

That’s a long way from the earliest hearing aids, which were hollowed-out animal horns in the 1800s. As technology continues to improve, more people than ever are able to receive custom treatment for their hearing loss — and more lives are being changed.

Beat of a Different (Ear) Drum

Now, Sowards no longer hears the ringing, and loud noises are no longer painful.

That’s because the hearing aids themselves automatically adjust the volume of sounds coming into them. If a sound is very soft, the hearing aid recognizes that and turns it up, and vice versa.

“They really came a long way to where, by digitizing that signal, they were able to have an automatic volume control,” she said, adding that a hearing aid is a lot like a mini-computer. “Being able to automate the volume control on those really made a big difference.”

This is just one way in which modern-day hearing aids have improved. From those initial hollowed-out animal horns, hearing aids evolved to giant battery packs strapped to a person’s chest. A lot of variations have followed — with the past decade in particular seeing a notable burst of progress.

“We’re not necessarily looking to just give you a bunch of volume, we’re looking to give you clarity of speech, and we can do that by fine-tuning the digital processor of the hearing aids today.”

Sowards was fit with just one hearing aid when she was identified with hearing loss as a child. Since then, research has shown that the brain processes sound a lot better when hearing clearly through both ears.

“The prevailing thought at the time was, ‘well, if you can hear with one ear, that’s probably good enough,’” she said. “But if you can hear well out of both ears, you tend to have much better processing for speech when there’s competing background noise, and you also have much better localization skills, or the ability to tell what direction the sound is coming from.”

To achieve this, the patient must first be fit with the right hearing aid. They come in myriad types and sizes, but the ideal match depends on their ear anatomy and severity of hearing loss.

“In a perfect world, we would want to fit the best technology with everybody, but we can’t always do that,” said Reed, adding that fitting hearing aids to people is very much a case-to-case basis. “Then, we have to make judgment calls around quality of life and need.”

For example, someone who is a manager working full-time attending events and interacting with people on a daily basis will want a hearing aid that can process noise much better. On the other hand, someone who works in assisted living might not need all the fancy features.

One of the more recent developments is fall detection. If a person falls, Reed said, some hearing aids now have the ability to detect that fall and issue an alert. If the person does not respond and cancel the alert, a message is sent out to an emergency contact list.

“What we know about people with hearing loss is they tend to be older and might be more isolated,” she explained. “We’re trying to keep them safe and independent.”

Another feature is the ability to Bluetooth hearing aids to a smartphone. Apps allow a person to adjust the settings of their hearing aid and pin that location, so the next time they go there, the hearing aid will adjust to those saved settings automatically.

Hearing aids are also rechargeable, whereas years ago, batteries needed to be replaced. Sowards says most hearing aids now last 20 to 21 hours before needing to be charged again.

Not every person with hearing loss needs hearing aids, but for those that do, plenty of technology is available to support their needs.

“We’re really fortunate today in that technology is amazing,” Reed said. “The digital processing available in hearing aids has never been faster or more accurate.”

Don’t Ignore the Signs

The effects of untreated hearing loss can be startling. An estimated 36 million Americans have some sort of hearing loss — that’s 17% of the adult population.

Unsurprisingly, the incidence of hearing loss grows with age; however, hearing loss is growing in teens as well. According to the Hearing Loss Assoc. of America, an estimated one in five American teens experiences some degree of hearing deficit. Meanwhile, 12.5% of kids between the ages of 6 and 19 have hearing loss as a result of listening to loud music, particularly through earbuds at high volumes.

And the effects go beyond the ears. Studies show that those with hearing loss show significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and other psychosocial disorders. Hearing loss has also been associated with decreased social and emotional communication and cognitive function.

Dr. Deborah Reed

“What we know about people with hearing loss is they tend to be older and might be more isolated. We’re trying to keep them safe and independent.”

 

When it comes to teens with hearing loss due to loud music, Sowards says two factors are hugely important: the volume of the music and the time the ears are exposed to the sound.

She compares the fine hair cells in the ears to a green lawn. “If you walk across it a couple times, those blades of grass spring right back up, and it’s no big deal. But if you and 20 of your friends walk that same path eight hours a day, you’re going to get a bare patch.”

The simple solution: be careful with how loud and how often you listen to music. “If it’s loud and constant, that’s when you start to see the damage,” Sowards said.

Reed gave another analogy: exposure to sunlight. Limiting the duration of loud sounds is similar to putting on sunblock or avoiding long stretches of exposure to harmful UV rays.

“It’s okay to listen to music a little louder when you’re working out or something, but make sure you’re turning it down when you’re hanging out reading or doing homework,” she said.

Signs a person may be experiencing hearing loss may include muffled speech and other sounds and difficulty understanding words, especially with competing background noise.

When experiencing symptoms like this, Reed said it’s important to visit an audiologist to get a baseline hearing test sooner rather than later. “What we know now that we didn’t know seven or eight years ago is that the sooner we start treating hearing loss, the better we do.”

Cloud Voice Makes Small Companies Look Like Big Businesses

By
Technology

Air Apparent

By Sean Hogan

Small businesses have been drawn to VoIP technology because of the substantial cost savings they gain when making the switch. However, as VoIP has continued to evolve over the years and moved into the ‘cloud,’ small businesses have begun to leverage VoIP in new ways to gain competitive advantages in their respective industries.

The growth of virtual companies and remote workforces has brought everyone to the same playing field, and customers across every industry are looking to work with credible, prestigious, large companies. Here are some ways in which cloud voice can make your business look bigger than it is today.

Your office just got a receptionist you don’t have to pay for. Cloud-based phone systems today include features that completely eliminate the need for a receptionist. Systems can be configured in order to route calls directly to the intended employee via a unified auto-attendant. Also, if your office doesn’t have a receptionist, systems can distribute incoming calls among specific groups.

This goes beyond simply sending sales calls to salespeople and admin calls to support employees. For example, you can use caller ID to send specific accounts directly to the CEO’s cell phone. Or if none of the salespeople answer an incoming call, it goes to the sales manager’s cell phone.

Sean Hogan

“Small businesses have begun to leverage VoIP in new ways to gain competitive advantages in their respective industries.”

Unlimited locations, one office number. With the rampant growth of startups and virtual companies, many businesses need to have a communications system that supports both in-house and remote workers while maintaining a professional image across the board. With cloud voice, calls to the main office can be sent out anywhere simply by asking the customer to dial an extension, just like how large corporations are doing.

Seamless conference calls and lightning-fast voicemails. Conference calls or online meetings are often a source of frustration for most companies. Cloud voice solutions enable businesses to host conferences during meetings so you can be face to face, even when you can’t be in the same location.

Furthermore, all technology is hosted through a single solution, so when it’s time to host a meeting, businesses can rest assured that the technology will perform as promised. Another way in which cloud voice accelerates collaboration is through its ability to convert voicemails into MP3 files, which can be sent as e-mail attachments. Additionally, voice calls can be converted to text and vice versa for easier retrieval and communication.

Collaborate on the fly. Today’s employees need to be constantly connected. Collaboration can’t always be planned out in advance, and when a good idea strikes, everyone needs to be in the loop. Cloud technology has made it easy for employees to see from their desktop what their co-workers are doing and how to best access them (e.g. instant message, voice, or e-mail) so communication can happen immediately.

There are many advantages to moving a company to cloud voice. For small business, the rewards are plentiful because they can utilize the same technology as large enterprises for a fraction of the cost and make them look just as big.

Sean Hogan is president of Hogan Technology.

A Chance to Court Opportunity

By
Opinion

Editorial

For years now, economic-development leaders have been talking about the need to better leverage the sport of basketball in the place where it was invented.

What they’ve always meant by that is that Greater Springfield has to a better job of capitalizing on perhaps the strongest point of identification when it comes to the city, and perhaps this entire region, beyond the mountain range known as the Berkshires — to do a better job taking full advantage of what is truly an international sport and one that, unlike football, baseball, or hockey, can be played and enjoyed by people of all ages and levels of ability.

Put another way, what people have been saying is that Springfield needs to be more than the home of the sport’s Hall of Fame; it needs to be the sport’s mecca, if that’s possible, given the number of places — from Madison Square Garden to Tobacco Road in North Carolina to the state of Indiana — that have a rich tradition of basketball and also want to make that claim.

Over the years, there have been several attempts to move in this direction, everything from season-opening games for college basketball at the MassMutual Center to the Spalding HoopHall Classic, which brought hundreds of young people — and top college coaches — to the area. And now, the region is poised to take a huge step forward with an ambitious project called Hooplandia.

This event — hailed as a 3-on-3 tournament and celebration rolled into one — could bring a huge economic bounce (pun intended) for Springfield and the entire region.

Inspired by Hoopfest in Spokane, Wash., which attracts roughly 7,000 teams, 28,000 players, and about 200,000 visitors overall, and firm of the belief that Springfield would be an even better place for such an event, organizers, including the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Eastrn States Exposition, which will host the event and most of the games, have quickly put a new event on the calendar.

This event — hailed as a 3-on-3 tournament and celebration rolled into one — could bring a huge economic bounce (pun intended) for Springfield and the entire region.

They gave it a name, Hooplandia, and scheduled it for the same weekend in late June as Hoopfest. They have ambitious goals, not just for the first year — 2,500 teams and 10,000 players — but to eventually supplant Spokane’s event as the largest of its type.

This is where some people might start to think about the recent and highly publicized competition, if it could be called that, between Springfield and Battle Creek, Mich. for the rights to say which city held the largest breakfast gathering in the world (Springfield liked to claim that its pancake breakfast, staged by the Spirit of Springfield, earned that honor).

But this isn’t about outgunning Spokane to say who has the largest 3-on-3 tournament. It is about aggressively leveraging a tremendous asset — Springfield’s identity as home to perhaps the most popular sport in the world. This is reflected in some early projections for overall economic impact — $7 million, which would be nearly four times the amount from the recent Red Sox Winter Weekend.

It’s still early in the process — registration for Hoolandia didn’t begin until March 1 — but already it appears that teams from not only across the region, but also countries like Russia, Belgium, Poland, and Brazil want to not simply vie for another 3-on-3 title but perhaps play a game on Center Court at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

This is what people, including this publication, have meant by better leveraging the sport of basketball.

We won’t call this a slam dunk yet — that would be presumptuous — but it certainly appears that the region has a winner in the making.

Can We Call It ‘Commonwealth Rail’?

By
Opinion

Editorial

A few weeks back, we referenced that massive public hearing conducted to provide an update on the ongoing study of rail options for the Commonwealth. At that time, we focused on the high degree of skepticism concerning the state’s projections for cost and especially ridership (Western Mass. planners project almost 500,000 riders annually, while MassDOT has estimated roughly half that number and now promises to take a second look at the projections) and, overall, the many expressed opinions that the state wasn’t being sincere in its approach to this study.

All this is problematic on many levels. But there was one comment that was troubling on another level. It had to do with repeated use of the phrase ‘east-west rail,’ which has been used in most of the discussions and is even the formal name of this ongoing initiative — the ‘East-West Passenger Rail Study.’ The comment was made that it should be called ‘west-east rail’ because this is the region that would be benefit, and — we’re paraphrasing here — it’s essentially a Western Mass. project.

This line of thinking is flawed in a number of respects. Let’s start with the whole Western Mass. inferiority-complex thing — and it is a thing. Many out here have that complex, and it manifests itself in a number of ways, including jokes — if they’re even jokes — about how this region would be better off if it seceded and became part of Vermont. But to suggest that labeling a study ‘East-West’ as opposed to ‘West-East’ is a slight, and an indication of the state’s indifference to all the real estate west of Worcester, is take things too far and miss the far bigger point.

‘East-west’ is a phrase used to describe how roads, highways, and, yes, rail lines run. Few people, if any, say the Turnpike runs ‘west-east.’ It goes in both directions. ‘East-west’ is a figure of speech.

But there’s something else that’s wrong with this line of thinking — something far more important. This isn’t a Western Mass. project, and it can’t simply be a Western Mass. project. Why? Because it will never sell if it is. The state just isn’t going to spend $25 billion or $5 billion or even $2 billion — the various price tags attached to the options outlined at the meeting last month — on a Western Mass. project.

‘East-west’ is a phrase used to describe how roads, highways, and, yes, rail lines run. Few people, if any, say the Turnpike runs ‘west-east.’ It goes in both directions. ‘East-west’ is a figure of speech.

We get it. This project is mostly, if not entirely, being pushed by Western Mass. lawmakers and especially state Sen. Eric Lesser from Longmeadow. And one of their arguments is that this rail line would likely provide a huge boost to many of the cities and towns that are not seeing the same kind of economic prosperity being enjoyed by communities inside Route 128. It would provide a lifeline to communities that are seeing their populations age and decline because young people don’t have enough incentives to live in these places. It would, according to those proposing it, help level the laying field between east and west.

But that’s not the only argument, and it can’t be the only argument if this thing is ever going to move beyond the study phase and stand any chance of being approved by the Legislature.

For this to work, it has to be a project that will benefit not only Chester and Palmer, Pittsfield and Springfield, but also Boston and its suburbs, which are seeing congestion, traffic, and overall cost of living rise to almost untenable levels.

We understand that a name is not a big deal, and it’s mostly about semantics. Why not call it the ‘West-East Rail Study’? We could, if it would make people out here feel better (it wouldn’t make us feel better). But we should instead call it the ‘Commonwealth Rail Study,’ because it’s a project to benefit those living or working on both sides of the state.

If it wasn’t, it would never get off the ground.

Picture This

By
Picture This Uncategorized

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

A Visit from the First Lady

On Feb. 21, Massachusetts First Lady Lauren Baker paid a visit to Square One’s Tommie Johnson Child & Family Center, where she spent the afternoon learning about Square One’s work with children and families in the region. She was greeted by Square One educators, therapists, and children, who welcomed her with songs and gifts for the children Baker engages with in her work with the Wonderfund of Massachusetts.

 

Advocating for Community Colleges

James Lombella (left), North-West regional president of Connecticut Community Colleges, and Eileen Peltier (right), dean of Workforce Development and Continuing Education for Asnuntuck, Northwestern Connecticut, and Tunxis community colleges, traveled to Hartford in February to represent the 12 Connecticut community colleges as part of a 2020 Skills Summit organized by the National Skills Coalition. Lombella and Peltier met with staff from the office of state Sen. Richard Blumenthal and state Rep. Joe Courtney (center) to provide updates on the community colleges and seek support for Pell grants for students in non-credit programs that provide industry licensure and credentials.

Grand Opening

Brenda Cuoco & Associates Real Estate Brokerage celebrated its grand-opening ceremony on Feb. 8. The office opened for business in Wilbraham in November. State Rep. Angelo Puppolo presented Cuoco, who has been a real-estate agent for 15 years, with a House of Representatives citation.

The brokerage team, from left, Amy Beaulieu, MaryKate Caron, Paula Lynch, Alyssa Stout, Brenda Cuoco, Tammy Sandomierski, Kathleen Brenner, Paige Belcastro, and Cori Bessette

 

From left: Puppolo, David Cuoco, Brenda Cuoco, Marco Cuoco, and Antonio Cuoco

 

Giving Back to the Community

Community Bank N.A. announced that its annual charitable giving reached more than $2.6 million in 2019 through sponsorships, donations, and grants, with its branches across Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont donating to more than 2,500 local organizations. In Massachusetts, it supported a variety of organizations, including the Boys and Girls Club of Springfield, the YMCA of Greater Springfield, Springfield Rescue Mission, Open Pantry Community Services, Way Finders, Gardening the Community, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County, and (pictured) the Western Regional Office of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC).

From left: Community Bank N.A. Springfield Branch Manager Gilbert Nieves, Commercial Banking Team Leader Keith Nesbitt, MSBDC Regional Director Samalid Hogan, MSBDC Client Services Coordinator and Office Manager Lynn Shedd, and MSBDC Senior Business Advisor Anita Elisaon.

 

 

Art History

Tower Square unveiled a James Kitchen sculpture in its Center Court on Feb. 26. The 11-foot-high sculpture, titled “Tower Squares,” is comprised of intricate, stacked blocks, a la Dr. Seuss, filled with parts and pieces recycled from Springfield’s past. Visitors will discover a 1940s Indian motorcycle seat, pipe wrenches invented by Solymon Merrick in 1835, a clip-on ice skate patented by Everett Barney in the 1800s, a basketball hoop, ice tongs, hammers, gears that turn, doorbells that ring, faucets, and much more. The entire installation is interactive, inviting children and adults to explore its components. The statue will be a permanent feature of the building.

 

 

 

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.

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT

Tareka Leialoha v. Bel-White Trust

Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $43,112.42

Filed: 1/7/20

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT

Debra Gagnon as personal representative of the estate of Jean v. Schouler v. New England Health Center, LLC; Synergy Health Center, LLC; and Next Step Healthcare, LLC

Allegation: Malpractice, nursing-home negligence causing injury: $123,113

Filed: 2/13/20

HAMPSHIRE DISTRICT COURT

Manuel Batson Jr. v. Nini’s Italian Cuisine and Lounge Inc. and Nini’s Real Estate, LLC

Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $7,157,57

Filed: 2/13/20

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Vanessa Brower v. Amherst Nursing Home Inc. d/b/a Center for Extended Care at Amherst

Allegation: Wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, interference: $25,000+

Filed: 2/5/20

Rosemary Eads v. Echo Hill Townhouse Condominium Trust and Structural Preservation Systems, LLC

Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $36,174.22

Filed: 2/3/20

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Richard Sabonis v. Bedard Sheet Metal Co. Inc.

Allegation: Negligence; multiple dog bites causing injury

Filed: 1/30/20

F. Michael Joseph, Esq. v. Michael B’Shara a/k/a Michael D. B’Shara and Michael’s Pasta-in-the-Pan Inc.

Allegation: Unpaid attorney services: $10,375

Filed: 2/11/20

Agenda

By
Agenda

On the Move Forum

March 4: In honor of Women’s History Month, Bay Path University, Springfield Museums, and the Springfield Women’s Commission will present the fourth annual On the Move Forum from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Springfield Museums, 21 Edwards St., Springfield.cThis year’s theme, “Generation Equality: Stand Up, Stand Out, RISE,” offers attendees an inter-generational, cross-cultural, gender-inclusive conversation focused on women’s rights, civic engagement, career opportunities, and wealth. Now in its fourth year, the forum explores women’s history and the advancement of women. The On the Move Forum will engage attendees in an interactive conversation about the gaps, gains, and opportunities to advance women, empower young professionals, and inspire students. Kamilah A’vant, director of Diversity Programs for Color magazine, will be the event’s keynote speaker. The forum will also include a panel discussion, where attendees will have the opportunity to have their questions addressed by community, business, and academic leaders. This event is free and open to the public, and is hosted in collaboration with the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, Girls Inc. of the Valley, Arise for Social Justice, the African American Female Professors Assoc., NAMIC New England, the Rhode Island Black Film Festival, and others. Registration is required. For more information and to register, visit onthemoveforum2020.eventbrite.com.

Florence Bank Customers’ Choice Community Grants

March 10: Florence Bank will present awards to 57 area nonprofits at its annual Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program, to be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Garden House at Look Park in Northampton. The program is an annual offering founded in 2002, through which Florence Bank customers are invited to vote for their favorite local nonprofit in hopes it will receive a share of grant funding. To qualify for a community grant, organizations must receive at least 50 votes. In the 18 years of the program, the bank has given away more than $1.2 million. At this year’s event, 10 organizations that received between 40 and 49 votes are also invited to attend to be in a drawing for one additional $500 award.

Difference Makers Gala

March 19: The 12th annual Difference Makers gala will take place at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. BusinessWest launched its Difference Makers program in 2009 to celebrate individuals, groups, organizations, and families that are positively impacting the Pioneer Valley and are, as the name suggests, making a difference in this region. The class of 2020 will be revealed in the Feb. 3 issue of BusinessWest. Tickets cost $75. To reserve spot, e-mail [email protected] or HERE. Difference Makers is sponsored by Burkhart Pizzanelli, Royal, P.C., Mercy Medical Center/Trinity Health Of New England, and TommyCar Auto Group, and the Tom Cosenzi Driving for the Cure Charity Golf Tournement, MHA, and United Way of Pioneer Valley are partners. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.

Women’s Leadership Conference

March 27: Bay Path University’s division of Strategic Alliances announced that producer, author, entrepreneur, educator, and, of course, top model Tyra Banks will bring her bold attitude, unique style, and well-honed business acumen to Springfield as the keynote speaker at the 25th annual Women’s Leadership Conference (WLC). This year’s theme, “Own Your Now,” will encourage conference guests to examine the forces that have shaped their careers, relationships, and aspirations; recognize what drives them and what holds them back; and empower them to confidently move forward. Suzy Batiz, who will deliver the morning address to open the conference, earned a place on Forbes’ list of most successful self-made women — and an estimated net worth of $260 million — by creating of a suite of eco-minded household products, including Poo-Pourri, a toilet spray she developed to combat bathroom odors. Patrice Banks (no relation to Tyra) will address the audience at lunchtime. She is the owner of the Girls Auto Clinic and Clutch Beauty Bar, an auto mechanic shop and beauty bar staffed by women. She is also the founder of the SheCANics movement, which looks to demystify car repair and engage more women in the automotive industry. Breakout sessions — focused on navigating the complicated relationships, personalities, and dynamics of the workplace and the impact those have on our careers and opportunities — will be led by four bestselling authors and researchers. For further information on the conference and to register, visit www.baypathconference.com.

Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series

March 27, April 10, May 8, June 19: Women leaders of prominent area institutions will be the featured presenters at the spring 2020 Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series hosted by Holyoke Community College and the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. During the four-part, monthly “Leadership in Your Future 2020” series, each of four presenters will sit at a different table each week and speak on a subject of their choosing. Over the course of the four-session series, they will rotate among the tables so guests have the opportunity to hear all the presentations. The four presenters are Theresa Cooper-Gordon, commissioner, Holyoke Housing Authority (“Self-Determination”); Priscilla Kane Hellweg, executive/artistic director, Enchanted Circle Theater (“In it for the Long Haul”); Jody Kasper, chief of Police, city of Northampton (“Rising to the Top”); and Christina Royal, president, Holyoke Community College (“Leading Through Change”). The luncheons run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St. Lunch will be prepared and served by students in the HCC Culinary Arts program. The series will provide an opportunity to learn from women leaders of area institutions and a chance for participants to network with their peers and gain insights on building their own careers. The cost is $150 for all four sessions. Seating is limited. For more information or to reserve a seat, contact Valentyna Semyrog at (413) 552-2123 or [email protected].

Unify Against Bullying Cut-a-Thon

April 4: Hair-salon owners and their teams are being asked to make a difference in the fight against bullying. Unify Against Bullying is looking for local and regional salons to participate in a one-day Cut-a-Thon, donating proceeds from haircuts, blowouts, and styling to the anti-bullying organization. Some salons will also offer temporary pink hair color — the signature color of Unify Against Bullying. In addition, each salon will add its own fun activities and promotions for the event. Although the main event is being held on April 4, some salon owners can choose the option to hold the fundraiser for the whole month to make it easier on their team. This year, Basia Belz, a Unify Against Bullying board member and owner of Vivid Hair Salon, located at 99 Elm St., Westfield, will chair the event. Salon owners who wish to participate can contact Belz at (413) 564-0062 or [email protected].

Elms College Executive Leadership Breakfast

April 9: Elms College will host its third annual Executive Leadership Breakfast for the region’s business executives, state and local legislators, and community leaders. The keynote speaker for the event is U.S. Rep. Richard Neal. His talk, “Leadership in Turbulent Times,” will examine how our congressional delegation is providing leadership on issues that could impact the economy of the Western Mass. region. Neal was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988. He currently serves as chair of the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. This annual event features talks by the region’s leaders on topics of relevance that impact all sectors of business and the economy in Western Mass. Corporate sponsorships are available for this event, and an invitation is required to attend. For more information on the various sponsorship opportunities or to request an invitation, call the Elms College Office of Institutional Advancement at (413) 265-2448.

Knights of Columbus Golf Tournament

May 22: The Greenfield Knights of Columbus, Council #133, will host its seventh annual charity golf tournament at the Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston. This year, the Greenfield Council #133 recognizes the United Arc as its tournament partner. The event will be an 18-hole, four-person scramble with tee advantages for senior golfers. The entry fee of $125 per person includes greens fees, carts, lunch and dinner, and prizes for the winners. Those less inclined to tee off and who would rather enjoy the views of the 18th green while supporting a good cause can take in a meal at Zeke’s Grill. Dinner-only tickets are available for $30. Raffles and a silent auction will feature lottery tickets, gift cards, a three-day Cape Cod vacation, Crumpin-Fox and Hopyard golf certificates, a mystery box, and more. There will also be a hole-in-one contest for a chance to win a new car. The United Arc supports people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities in achieving the universal goals of inclusion, choice, and independence. Every year the organization provides services to individuals and their families in Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, and Worcester counties. In addition to the United Arc, proceeds from the event will be used to fund a number of Council #133’s worthy causes in Greenfield and Franklin County, including the Pan Mass Challenge, Baystate Hospital Wheeling for Healing, Farren Hospital Gift of Light, the Greenfield Homeless Shelter, monthly community meals, honoring veterans by placing flags on graves for Memorial Day and Wreaths Across America wreaths placed on graves at Christmas, several youth sports programs, and more. To sign up or to get more information, call Lou Grader at (413) 774-2848, Dan Arsenault at (413) 774-5258, Bob Wanczyk at (413) 774-2465, Paul Doran at (413) 774-2801, or Joe Ruscio at (413) 768-9876.

Chamber Corners: Upcoming Events

By
Chamber Corners

AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.amherstarea.com

(413) 253-0700

• March 4: Driven By Community, 5-7 p.m., a multi-chamber event at Mercedes-Benz of Springfield with the Amherst Area Chamber, East of the River Chamber, Greater Northampton Chamber, West of the River Chamber, Hampshire County Young Professionals, and Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield. Sample food, drink, and learn something about area nonprofits. Meet someone new and learn more about businesses in your community. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.

• March 11: March After 5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Pulse Café, Hadley. Our monthly networking event with a focus on healthy living and eating. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.

• April 2: Margarita Madness, 5-7:30 p.m., hosted by Insterskate 91 at Hampshire Mall. Presented by Steve Lewis Subaru. Mix, mingle, and network at our largest signature event of the year. Enjoy an evening of tasty margaritas and vote for your favorite. Local restaurants will showcase their fare, and dozens of raffles prizes will be donated by Amherst Area Chamber members. Cost: $35 pre-registered, $45 at the door.

• April 15: April After 5, 5-7 p.m., sponsored by Paciorek Electric at its DiamondBack Properties, LLC Building, 65D Elm St., Hatfield, with food and drink catered by Grill N’ Chill. Enjoy this night of networking with people from across the Valley. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members.

 

GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.easthamptonchamber.org

(413) 527-9414

• March 4, 11, 18, 25; April 1: Her Place at the Table, 7:45-9 a.m., hosted by the chamber office, 33 Union St., Easthampton. A five-part series designed to help women increase confidence and build leadership skills to be wildly successful and take their place at the table. Cost for all five sessions: $99 per person for members, $129 for future members. Pre-registration is required. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

• March 13: St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon, noon to 2 p.m., hosted by Summit View Banquet House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. Join us as we salute Greater Easthampton St. Patrick’s Day Committee award winners and enjoy a traditional corned-beef lunch. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for future members. Pre-registration is required; there will be no registrations at the door. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

• March 19: Books & Joe with Moe, 8:30 a.m., hosted by the chamber office, 33 Union St., Easthampton. The second meeting of the Chamber Book Club. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

• March 24: Speed Networking Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Summit View Banquet House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. We are partnering with the Springfield Regional Chamber for another fun-filled networking event. Kick-start your day and join us for breakfast. Cost: $20 for members, $30 for walk-ins. To register, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.

GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.explorenorthampton.com

(413) 584-1900

• March 4: March Arrive @5: Multi Chamber Networking Event, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Mercedes-Benz of Springfield, 295 Burnett Road, Chicopee. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register at northampton.chambermaster.com/events/details/2020-arrive-5-march-4-3807.

• April 1: April Arrive@5 netWORK, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Smith Vocational School, 80 Locust St., Northampton. Our netWORK Arrive@5 series will feature a nonprofit in the Greater Northampton Community and invite guests to participate in a project to benefit that organization. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register at northampton.chambermaster.com/events/details/2020-arrive-5-network-april-1-3808.

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.westfieldbiz.org

(413) 568-1618

• March 13: St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., hosted by Westfield State University, Scanlon Hall, 577 Western Ave., Westfield. Platinum sponsor: Westfield State University; coffee bar sponsor: Westfield Starfires; in-kind sponsor: Flowers by Webster. Join us for our annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast as we honor our 2020 Sons of Erin Colleen, Brigid Mary Moriarty, and her court; Irish Woman of the Year, Beth Burns; Irish Man of the Year, Mark Hanrahan; Parade Marshal, Packie Smith; and Billy Buzzee St. Pat on the Back, Jim Hogan. The guest speaker is Associate Justice Edward McDonough Jr. of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. The chief greeter is Chuck Kelly. Platinum sponsor: Westfield State University; coffee bar sponsor: Westfield Starfires; bronze sponsor: Armbrook Village; in-kind sponsor: Flowers by Webster. Cost: $28 for members, $43 for non-members. For more information and to register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org/events or contact the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

• March 23: Block Party, 4-6 p.m. It’s time to rock the block in Southwick. The Block Party is co-hosted by Your CBD Store, 549 College Highway, and New England Chimney Sweeps & Masonry Inc., 535 College Highway. Join us for an open house to meet the hosts and chamber businesses for drinks, appetizers, networking, and more. Chamber members are welcome. Southwick businesses are encouraged to join the chamber by March 23 for 10% off their membership rate. For more information and to register, e-mail [email protected] or call (413) 568-1618.

SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER

www.springfieldregionalchamber.com

(413) 787-1555

• March 6: Outlook 2020 hosted by U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield. Cost: $60 for members in advance, $80 general admission. Tables of 10 available. Reservation deadline: Feb. 26. No walk-ins will be accepted.

• March 24: Multi-chamber Speed Networking in partnership with the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Summit View Meeting House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. Cost: $20 for members in advance ($30 at the door), $30 general admission in advance ($40 at the door).

• April 7: Mayors Forum featuring Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt, and others, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by the Delaney House, 3 Country Club Road, Holyoke. Cost: $30 for members in advance ($35 at the door), $40 general admission ($45 at the door).

• April 29: Beacon Hill Summit, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A day at the State House in Boston, hosted by state Sen. James Welch and state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez. An opportunity to spend a day with members of the Baker-Polito administration. Includes lunch and reception. Cost: $180 for members, $225 general admission.

To register for any chamber event, 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

• March 4: Driven by Community, a multi-chamber networking event, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Mercedes-Benz of Springfield in Chicopee. Join us as we network with some of the region’s chambers and organizations. Fun, food, and friends. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• March 19: Mayoral Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern & Carriage House, West Springfield. Presenting Sponsor: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Join us for an informative discussion with our mayors, who will update guests on all that is going on in our towns individually and collaboratively. To register or sponsor, visit www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• April 16: Networking Lunch, noon to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Riverdale Street, West Springfield. Enjoy a sit-down lunch while networking with fellow chamber members. Each attendee will get a chance to offer a brief intro and company overview. You must be a member or guest of a member to attend. Cost: free for members (plus lunch), $10 for non-members (plus lunch). Attendees will order off the menu and pay separately that day. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY OF GREATER SPRINGFIELD

springfieldyps.com

• March 19: YPS Third Thursday Networking Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Trinity Pub at the Irish Cultural Center. Enjoy free appetizers, a cash bar, and live Irish music. Cost: free for YPS members, $10 for non-members. Register at springfieldyps.com.

• April 16: YPS Third Thursday Networking Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Towne Taproom. Enjoy complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. Cost: free for YPS members, $10 for non-members. Register at springfieldyps.com.

Company Notebook

By
Company Notebook

Bay Path University Names Sandra Doran Its Sixth President

Sandra Doran

LONGMEADOW — The Bay Path University board of trustees announced today that Sandra Doran has been selected by unanimous vote to become the sixth president of Bay Path effective June 30. She will succeed Carol Leary, who retires in June following her 25-year presidency of Bay Path. Doran’s appointment is the culmination of a comprehensive, 10-month, national search process. “Sandy Doran is a charismatic leader who cares deeply about women’s education and is passionate about access to education and student success,” said Jonathan Besse, board chair. “She has an impressive and broad background in a variety of complex organizations, all of which flourished greatly under her leadership.” Doran is currently president of Salem Academy and College in Winston-Salem, N.C. As president, she led an inclusive and aggressive strategic planning process that resulted in a transformation of the college as evidenced by unprecedented growth in enrollment and fundraising. “I am humbled by the trust the board has placed in me to continue the spirit of innovation here at Bay Path,” Doran said. “The visionary nature of President Leary is inspiring and unprecedented in higher education, and I look forward to working with the Bay Path faculty and staff to build on her legacy. Serving our students, and providing them with a superior learning experience, gives us all great joy. I look forward to engaging with all members of our community, students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and our business and philanthropic partners.” Doran holds a juris doctor degree from the Syracuse University College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern Methodist University. Before serving at Salem, Doran was CEO at Castle Point Learning Systems (CPLS), a company that develops innovative teaching and learning technologies incorporating artificial intelligence and adaptive learning algorithms to provide better student outcomes in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Prior to her position at CPLS, she was president of the American College of Education in Indianapolis, where she grew the organization into the fifth-largest graduate school of education in the country, serving more than 5,000 adult and non-traditional students. Her professional experience also includes positions at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey as an entrepreneur-in-residence, as well as at the New England Board of Higher Education as national policy director. Early in her legal career, she transitioned into higher education, joining Lesley University in Cambridge in 2004 as chief of staff, vice president, and general counsel. Doran currently serves as chair of the board for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation and on the board of the Online Learning Consortium. She was named the Triad Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO, and Power Player of 2019.

AIC to Offer Graduate Program in Cannabis Science and Commerce

SPRINGFIELD — American International College (AIC) will offer a master of science program in cannabis science and commerce beginning in the fall of 2020, the first of its kind in this region. The 30-credit, hybrid graduate program is designed for individuals interested in a career in the cannabis industry and will provide students with an understanding of the science, business, and legal issues associated with the cannabis industry. The program offers education in the areas of basic science, including chemistry, horticulture, cultivation, uses, and delivery systems; business management, marketing, and operations; and federal and state laws and policies. According to a March 2020 jobs report issued by Leafly, the world’s largest cannabis website, over the past four years, legal cannabis has supported nearly a quarter of a million jobs. That equates to a 15% annual uptick in employment. For more information regarding the AIC’s master of science program in cannabis science and commerce, visit www.aic.edu/cannabis.

MGM Springfield Revenues Rebound in January

SPRINGFIELD — The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reported that gross gaming revenue (GGR) at MGM Springfield totaled $20.6 million in January, up from $18.9 million in December, which was its worst-ever full month. Meanwhile, the Encore Boston Harbor casino recorded $48.6 million in GGR in January, down from $54 million in December, while Plainridge Park Casino posted $11.1 million in January, an almost $900,000 increase from December and its first monthly uptick since last spring. MGM Springfield’s January GGR totaled included $14.9 million from slot machines and $5.7 million from from table games. The facility named a new president and chief operating officer following December’s poor numbers, replacing Michael Mathis with Chris Kelley.

Country Bank Donates More Than $900,000 in 2019

WARE — Country Bank reported its donations to area nonprofits totaled $905,049 last year. Throughout 2019, more than 500 organizations in the communities the bank serves received donations, including the Children’s Trust, Ludlow Community Center Boys and Girls Club, Ronald McDonald House, Habitat for Humanity, Project Bread, and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, among many others. Recognizing the importance and overwhelming need to help organizations that address hunger, Country Bank provided monetary donations exceeding $100,000 to food programs throughout the region. The recipients of these funds included Friends of the Homeless, Springfield Rescue Mission, and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, as well as many local food pantries. In addition, Country Bank’s employee charitable giving program raised more than $30,000 in 2019 through events such as jeans days, bake sales, and raffles, and employees volunteered more than 1,000 hours of personal time at various events within the bank’s communities.

Bank of America Entrusts More Than $22 Million to Community Foundation

SPRINGFIELD — After collaborating with the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) for 29 years, the Bank of America in May transferred three trusts totaling more than $22 million to the Valley-wide grant funder. The move brings CFWM’s total earned assets from roughly $153 million to $175 million and bolsters its role as an enduring philanthropic leader in the Pioneer Valley. Founded in 1990, CFWM administers a charitable endowment consisting of more than 600 separately identified funds totaling approximately $175 million. Some of these charitable assets are unrestricted and used to meet emerging and changing needs in the region. Others support named nonprofit organizations or provide financial support to college-bound students. Still others are donor-advised, offering flexibility to donors in timing, amount, and beneficiary of their giving. Last year, CFWM awarded $7.3 million in grants to nonprofits and $2.2 million in scholarships and interest-free loans to more than 770 area students. The Bank of America funds will continue to support a wide variety of organizations for generations to come, from grassroots community food pantries to region-spanning arts programs — and will preserve the original donors’ wishes to support their communities in perpetuity. The three trusts transferred from the bank to the foundation are the Eugene A. Dexter Charitable Fund, established in 1944; the Nan and Matilda Heydt Fund, established in 1960; and the Valley Charitable Trust Fund, established in 1960. All three were originally created to support and serve charitable organizations and interests with a focus on Springfield and Hampden County.

Eversource Earns Award for Using Smart Technology to Reduce Peak Energy Usage

BOSTON — An Eversource program that pays customers to use less electricity during high-demand periods has received an award for Outstanding Achievement in Residential Program Design & Implementation by the Assoc. of Energy Services Professionals. The award recognizes the company’s ConnectedSolutions demand-response program, which leverages customer-owned devices, such as wireless thermostats, battery storage, and electric-vehicle chargers, to reduce electric use during peak periods, when the cost and greenhouse-gas emissions of electricity in New England are at their highest. More than 9,000 customers have enrolled in the volunteer demand-response program in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Customers allow their devices to automatically communicate with Eversource during regional peak energy periods, resulting in a short reduction of power or, in the case of batteries, a reduction of the stored energy. Residential customers with eligible connected wireless thermostats, battery storage, or electric-vehicle chargers can participate and earn incentives ranging from $20 to more than $1,000 a year. The energy company anticipates that, at full enrollment, the collective ability to call on these customers during high-demand periods could have the environmental equivalent effect of taking 20,000 homes off the grid.

EforAll Holyoke Seeks Mentors for Summer Business Accelerator

HOLYOKE — EforAll Holyoke is actively seeking both English- and Spanish-speaking volunteers to participate as mentors in the summer 2020 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. Anyone interested can e-mail [email protected] for more information.

Incorporations

By
Incorporations

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

CHICOPEE

Rob Campbell Inc., 36 Mercedes St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Robin Campbell, same. Sales/service of home equipment and furnishings.

DEERFIELD

Suns Mass Inc., 198 Mill Village Road, Deerfield, MA 01342. Steven White, 627 South 48th St., Suite 100, Tempe, AZ 85281. Cultivate, manufacture, market, promote, sell, and distribute medicinal cannabis and products.

EASTHAMPTON

Procedural Writing Associates Inc., 205 Hendricks St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Devin D. Hague, same. Technical writing, documentation, training.

FLORENCE

Taba Inc., 2 Juniper St., Florence, MA 01062. Maya Tal-Baker, same. Real estate.

HAYDENVILLE

New England Support Team Inc., 4 South Main St., Haydenville, MA 01039. George D’Asous, 254 Bryant St., Chesterfield, MA 01012. Nonprofit organization pooling together contractors from all over country; organizing regional support teams of licensed professionals in localities where disaster has struck.

HOLYOKE

Premier Growers Inc., 5A Appleton St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Norman Robert Betournaym 24 Shore Rd, Southwick, MA 01077. Agriculture.

Searles Automation Corp., 110 Northbridge St., Holyoke, MA 01040. William K. Searles, same. Corporation service company.

MONSON

Patriot Riders of America Chapter 6 WMass, Corp., 306 Main St. Monson, MA 01057. Floyd Fairbanks, same. Membership organization made up of volunteers whose sole intention is to help out our Veterans & local communities.

PITTSFIELD

Starbp Athletics Inc., 82 Wendell Ave. Ste 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Jianrong Zheng, 167 North 3rd Ave., Suite H, Upland, CA 91786. Trading.

SOUTH DEERFIELD

Nova Leap Health Ma III Inc., 235 Greenfield Road #6, South Deerfield, MA 01373. Christopher Dobbin, 4-37 Wentworht St., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. Provide personal care services, homemaking, and non-medical companion care.

SPRINGFIELD

Sabuska Corporation, 305 State St., Suite C2, Springfield, MA 01105. Veerjinder Singh, same. Business management services.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Springfield Motor Freight Inc., 11 Haywood Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Mickeal J. Wilson, same. Trucking/transportation.

WILBRAHAM

Pulse Cellular Inc., 45 Stonegate Circle, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Anthony Orlando Colapietro, same. US national wireless carrier, cellular provider.

WORTHINGTON

Systems Plumbing and Heating Inc., 19 Rida Road, Worthington, MA 01098. Ryan Rida, same. Plumbing.

Doing Business As Certificates

By
DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and trade names were issued or renewed during the month of February 2020.

AMHERST

Amherst Chinese Medicine
409 Main St., #111
Xiaoqiang Zhao

Captain’s Quarters Antiques
6 Wildwood Lane
Jeffrey Cobb

Encharter Insurance
25 University Dr.
Encharter Insurance

Moving Mentor Inc.
123 Maplewood Circle
Teresa Bragg

Norwottuck Chamber Concerts
366 Station Road
Ernest May

Stone House Farm Bed and Breakfast
649 East Pleasant St.
Candace Talley

BELCHERTOWN

Cold Spring Country Club
336 Chauncey Walker St.
Fan Du

Cynders Designs
36 Bay Path Road
Cyndy Gillen

Gabby’s Detailing
147 Boardman St.
Gabrielle Contois

GK Forest Products
374 Mill Valley Road
Gregory Krol

Infinity Auto Rental Inc.
248 Barton Ave.
Joseph Gallo, Heidi Gallo

Linden Fawn
71 Pondview Circle
Seasson Kiesari, Oryhn Kiesari

CHICOPEE

Stop and Run
1057 Montgomery St.
Nadir Feroz

Walgreens #17542
1 St. James Ave.
Walgreen Eastern Co. Inc.

DEERFIELD

Amazuu Whole Body Healing
220 North Main St.
Judy Peters

EASTHAMPTON

Cedar Horticultural Services
2 Culdaff St., Apt. M
Zachary Firtion, Stephanie Yarmesky

D & L Cleaning
25 Franklin St., Apt. C
Denial Bond

Ecotek Print Solutions Inc.
123 Union St., Suite 201-5
Abdallah Ghalayini

Flock Consulting
9 Orchard St.
Nicole Desjardins

M & M Auto Repair
19 Parson St.
Efrain Diaz

Mango Fish Inc.
117 Maple St.
Lori Novis

Moove In Self Storage
165 Northampton St.
Investment Real Estate Management, LLC

Tend Bodyworks Inc.
186 Northampton St.
Adam Brady

Walgreens #17980
32 Union St.
Walgreen Eastern Co. Inc.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Enso Martial Arts
80 Denslow Road
Dustin Humphrey

The Glowtique
38 Harkness Ave.
Natalya Czapienski

Reliable Bookkeeping & Tax Services
119 Industrial Dr., #814
Ming Tsang

GREENFIELD

Antique Revival & Collectibles
186 Main St.
Ada-Marie Naser

Barlow Landscaping Excavation Paving and Construction Corp.
77 Davis St.
Scott Barlow

Byrne Racing & Used Autos
86 River St.
James Byrne Jr., Benjamin Byrne

Country Garden Florals and Gifts, LLC
284 High St.
Michele Pratt, Annette McLean

Cowan’s Garage
93 Vernon St.
James Cowan, Alice Cowan

Green Mart Convenience
124 Conway St.
Shahid Habib

Greenfield Self Storage
78 Woodard Road
George Maniatty

Honey Hive
15 Elm St., #2
Diana Van Cott

Kathleen Tomaus Catering
3 Church St.
Kathleen Tomaus

Loopyker Creates
252 Log Plain Road
Kerrie Rusk

Nolan Plumbing & HVAC Inc.
26 Clark St.
Tyler Nolan

Pioneer Valley Garlic
31 River St.
Abigail Nash

Ryan & Casey Inc.
55 Main St.
Peter White, Kristie Faufaw

The Silver Fox Farm
402 Leyden Road
Maeg Yosef, Sarah Yosef

Sumatrae
187 Elm St.
Roy Baltzer

HOLYOKE

Aerie by American Eagle #2745
50 Holyoke St.
AE Outfitters Retail Co.

Dillon’s Package Store
589 High St.
Marek Wieczorek, Janusz Lecko

The Hemp Den
52 Main St.
Tri-Wise, LLC

LONGMEADOW

Aspen Lawn
56 Maplewood St.
Joel Wun, Antonina Ventino

LUDLOW

Austin Auto Body
162 Booth St.
Frank Collins

BAK Precision
71 Highland Ave.
Krzysztof Checiek

Hick-or-Rock Farm
312 Miller St.
Paul Cocchi

Mainely Drafts Horse and Carriage
1361 Lyon St.
Keith Ouellette

Paul’s Tree Service
312 Miller St.
Paul Cocchi

Steve Santos Landscaping Services
16 Palmer St.
Stephen Santos

Tony’s Premier Painting Service
16 Watt Ave.
Anthony Egea

NORTHAMPTON

AJ’s Shop
144 King St.
Andrew Yarns Jr., Justice Kirkland

Bacon Wilson, P.C.
57 Center St.
Bacon Wilson, P.C.

Bacon Wilson, P.C./Morse & Sacks
57 Center St.
Bacon Wilson, P.C.

Creative Therapy
13 Old South St.
Siobhan Silver

Kristy’s Nails
137C Damon Road
Ngoc Vo

The Living Art Studio
219 Main St.
Scot Padgett

Moove In Self Storage
550 Easthampton Road
Investment Real Estate Management, LLC

Moove In Self Storage
600 Easthampton Road
Investment Real Estate Management, LLC

The Research Group
51 Day Ave.
Nancy Mihevc

SPRINGFIELD

2000 Barbershop
563-569 Main St.
Ana Lopez

Alattar Barbershop
886 Sumner Ave.
Odai Alattar

Arron Tree and Landscaping
116 Treetop Ave.
Gary Gaudette

Asian Bazaar
607 Dickinson St.
Purna Ramdam Kami

Azy the Artist
101 Main St.
Azariah Cordona

Dulani Transit
98 David St.
Jean Rosario

Essence Unlimited
126 Caseland St.
Loleta Collins

Flores Cleaning Service
129 Suffolk St.
Neri Flores

Gallery Motor Sport, LLC
879 Boston Road
Damaris Rodriguez

Lancaster Construction Co.
69 Chapin Terrace
Marietta O’Flaherty

Latin Nails by Joana
874 State St.
Joana Marrero

Lavish Entertainment
111 Chestnut St.
Jason Perez

Lexourious Beauty
33 Laurel St.
Lexyani Rivera

Liana Rivera
27 Lynwood Terrace
Liana Rivera

Pub 155
155 Maple St.
Carregan’s Tavern

Salix Investments, LLC
771 Belmont Ave.
Salix Investments, LLC

Samuel Bowles PTA
24 Bowles Park
Donald Dorn Jr.

Shane Suban Studio Inc.
163 Middlesex St.
Shane Suban

X & W Cleaning Services
13 Ruskin St.
Xavier Cuadra

Your Grandfather’s Wine Cellar
148 Carol Ann St.
Edward Pagliaro

WEST SPRINGFIELD

All the Way Graphics
20 River St.
Charissa Majeran

Beauty Gate Salon & Spa
1646 Riverdale St.
Jacek Chmiel

Bernard Welding
70 Morton St.
Barry Bernard

Delta Bulk Transport
66 Western Ave.
Bruce Voight

Enviro Clean Air Duct Cleaning
6 River St.
Ron Rindels

Mylyfe Specialty Pharmacy
111 Elm St.
Adam Oliveri

New World Athletics, LLC
103 Wayside Ave.
Jordon Bradley

Organized Home Spaces
1343 Riverdale St.
Laura Ferguson

Primal Krav Masa
865 Memorial Ave.
William Kravs

WILBRAHAM

The Firefly Creative
348 Stony Hill Road
Brian Tracy

Fitzgerald Capital Group
5 Iriquois Lane
Frank Fitzgerald II

Frankie Bakes
43 Monson Road
Francesca Dias

Ravenwood Solutions, LLC
1083 Glendale Road
David Carver

Real Estate Transactions

By
Real Estate

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

FRANKLIN COUNTY

COLRAIN

123 Foundry Village Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Geoffrey W. Roske
Seller: 123 Foundry Road NT
Date: 01/31/20

DEERFIELD

169 North Main St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $228,900
Buyer: Lydia Gardner-Hemphill
Seller: Alycia M. Fabry
Date: 02/05/20

24 Pleasant Ave.
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $149,214
Buyer: Carrington Mortgage Services
Seller: Jennifer L. O’Keefe
Date: 01/29/20

GREENFIELD

111 Burnham Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Adam R. Martin
Seller: Roderique Roberge
Date: 01/30/20

7 Cedar St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Adam J. Leblanc
Seller: Fisher, Linda A., (Estate)
Date: 02/10/20

93 Franklin St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Lans G. Christenson
Seller: Levesque, Gerard R., (Estate)
Date: 02/04/20

122-1/2 High St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Leonard Yakir
Seller: El Gold LLC
Date: 02/05/20

127 Homestead Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Alex E. Wenger
Seller: Adam R. Martin
Date: 01/30/20

18 Sunrise Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Andrew M. Leaf
Seller: Karen A. Guthrie
Date: 02/07/20

HEATH

60 Branch Hill Road
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $197,500
Buyer: Amy C. Kelley
Seller: Mark P. Eldred
Date: 02/10/20

LEVERETT

46 Teawaddle Hill Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Arthur G. Inglot
Seller: Katherine A. Sargent
Date: 01/30/20

LEYDEN

72 Eden Trail
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Kayla M. Smith
Seller: Matthew J. Muka
Date: 01/31/20

MONTAGUE

15 Dry Hill Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $155,900
Buyer: Charles Tormanen
Seller: Timothy S. Lang
Date: 01/29/20

NEW SALEM

4 Old County Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $262,450
Buyer: Nathanial Mizula
Seller: Chris A. Carey
Date: 01/31/20

NORTHFIELD

15 Mountain Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Anthony Marsili
Seller: Frank A. Penny
Date: 01/30/20

ORANGE

30 East Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Huong Le
Seller: TD Bank
Date: 01/31/20

145 Fairman Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Richard Watson
Seller: Eleanor M. Plant
Date: 02/04/20

72 Mattawa Circle
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Lisa A. Johannsson
Seller: Henderson, David A., (Estate)
Date: 01/30/20

WHATELY

145 State Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Kyle J. Monahan
Seller: Barbara Tenanes
Date: 02/10/20

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

91 Burlington Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Sergey Kulyak
Seller: Ally Bank
Date: 01/29/20

25 Century St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: RPM Century Street LLC
Seller: Precision Realty LLC
Date: 01/30/20

519 Cooper St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Terrell Carter
Seller: Siarhei Siarheyev
Date: 02/07/20

149 Coyote Circle
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Atu O. White
Seller: Leroy C. Matthews
Date: 02/07/20

28-30 Hunt St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $369,900
Buyer: Muhammad A. Razzaq
Seller: Marina Otero
Date: 01/31/20

221 Lancaster Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $408,000
Buyer: Nicole M. Lissandri
Seller: Christina A. Bode
Date: 02/03/20

23 Mardale Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Sean E. Sullivan
Seller: Anthony G. Circosta
Date: 02/03/20

220 North West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Anna Disabito-Rosenthal
Seller: Cornerstone Homebuying
Date: 02/07/20

62 Northwood St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $203,401
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Richard B. Smith
Date: 02/11/20

57 Reed St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $207,400
Buyer: Darwin Gomez
Seller: Toufic Yacteen
Date: 01/31/20

132-134 Sheri Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $372,000
Buyer: Muhammad A. Razzaq
Seller: Janine Pranka
Date: 01/31/20

171 White Fox Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Peter Lacamera
Seller: David A. Robinson
Date: 02/03/20

BRIMFIELD

251 Brookfield Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $327,825
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Richard R. Tilton
Date: 02/10/20

Brookfield Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Alise Messier
Seller: Mary E. Sampson
Date: 02/10/20

48 Saint George Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Lisa B. Palmer-White
Seller: Kimberly S. Donze
Date: 01/31/20

CHESTER

11 Johnson Hill Road
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $587,500
Buyer: Christopher H. Martenson
Seller: James R. Hathaway
Date: 01/29/20

CHICOPEE

69 Billings St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Princess Eckles-Lopez
Seller: Wendy S. Martin
Date: 02/03/20

206 Fairview Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Kamlesh S. Mistri
Seller: CJK Realty LLC
Date: 01/31/20

30 Fairway Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Mary K. Mastalerz
Seller: Servicenet Inc.
Date: 02/11/20

20 Johnson Road
Chicopee, MA 01022
Amount: $8,085,000
Buyer: Hampden Charter School
Seller: RM Acre Chicopee Hampden
Date: 01/29/20

52 Marlborough St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Alzira Costa
Seller: Stanley F. Kozikowski
Date: 01/31/20

57 Marten St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Nathan W. Garstka-Osley
Seller: Sherry M. Enserro
Date: 01/31/20

26 Muzzy St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Steven J. Tessier
Seller: Denette Properties LLC
Date: 01/31/20

109 Paradise St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Antonio Daniele
Seller: Douglas W. Dolbow
Date: 01/31/20

58 Roberts Pond Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Jeremy M. Guz
Seller: Richard P. Jambora
Date: 01/31/20

54 Shaw Park Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $179,950
Buyer: Alberto S. Diaz
Seller: Rosemary Saccomani
Date: 02/10/20

36 Taylor St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $125,460
Buyer: Midfirst Bank
Seller: Ida B. Smith
Date: 01/31/20

47 Trilby Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Leonard Yakir
Seller: Albert G. Weibel
Date: 02/05/20

EAST LONGMEADOW

112 Braeburn Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Lena Vellturo
Seller: Dasilva, James F., (Estate)
Date: 01/30/20

15 Corning St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01108
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Deborah I. Cubi
Seller: Pamela L. Rutherford
Date: 01/30/20

23 Decelles Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $1,425,000
Buyer: K. Fradet Mass. LLC
Seller: Kelly Fradet Lumber Inc.
Date: 01/30/20

25 Decelles Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $1,425,000
Buyer: K. Fradet Mass. LLC
Seller: Kelly Fradet Lumber Inc.
Date: 01/30/20

Dorset St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $1,425,000
Buyer: K. Fradet Mass. LLC
Seller: Kelly Fradet Lumber Inc.
Date: 01/30/20

62 Gerrard Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Damaris Lopez
Seller: CIG 4 LLC
Date: 01/29/20

5 Michel St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $156,601
Buyer: Carrington Mortgage Services
Seller: Shaun M. Thomas
Date: 02/07/20

557 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $1,425,000
Buyer: K. Fradet Mass. LLC
Seller: Kelly Fradet Lumber Inc.
Date: 01/30/20

587 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $1,425,000
Buyer: K. Fradet Mass. LLC
Seller: Kelly Fradet Lumber Inc.
Date: 01/30/20

257 Pease Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Anthony C. Camerota
Date: 02/05/20

176 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Robert L. Carlson
Seller: Carlson, Sally J., (Estate)
Date: 02/10/20

64 Rogers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Harry Barksdale
Seller: Judith Lee-Cox
Date: 02/11/20

29 Sylvester St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $470,000
Buyer: William A. Townsend
Seller: Leslie W. Townsend
Date: 02/06/20

HAMPDEN

186 Bennett Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Natasha Rodriguez
Seller: Richard A. St.Aubin
Date: 01/31/20

291 Scantic Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Michael A. Ciecko
Seller: Michael J. Sicbaldi LLP
Date: 01/31/20

HOLYOKE

140 Essex St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $172,500
Buyer: Sylvia Delgado
Seller: Diana Garcia
Date: 01/30/20

122 Jarvis Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: NRZ REO X. LLC
Seller: US Bank
Date: 02/06/20

339 Jarvis Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Andrea York
Seller: Andrey Bateyko
Date: 02/05/20

445 Mountain Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $204,000
Buyer: Scott L. Cournoyer
Seller: Gabriele T. Brin-Martin
Date: 01/31/20

2199 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $1,157,500
Buyer: Transform Saleco LLC
Seller: Kmart Corp
Date: 02/07/20

23 Queen St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: Sheila Serrano
Seller: Kathleen M. Brady
Date: 02/07/20

17-19 Royal Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Samantha N. Colon
Seller: Marguerite, Lucille B., (Estate)
Date: 02/06/20

147 Sheehan Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Dorrell
Seller: Ellen J. Moriarty
Date: 02/07/20

31 Springdale Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $129,900
Buyer: Jose L. Rivera
Seller: Luis A. Gonzalez
Date: 01/31/20

162 Sycamore St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Yasmin Thahir
Seller: Philip H. Shute
Date: 02/10/20

2175 Whiting Farms Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $1,157,500
Buyer: Transform Saleco LLC
Seller: Kmart Corp.
Date: 02/07/20

LONGMEADOW

28 Dwight Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $2,240,000
Buyer: Store Master Funding 17
Seller: KC Propco LLC
Date: 01/30/20

309 Frank Smith Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: John A. Tomaszewski
Seller: Shelley Cotton
Date: 01/31/20

80 Hawthorne St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Ehdaa A. Tahoun
Seller: Steven N. Sobel
Date: 01/30/20

35 Herbert St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $168,041
Buyer: Dmitry J. Gulak
Seller: Merullo, Helen C., (Estate)
Date: 01/29/20

689 Laurel St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Donald H. Bolduc
Seller: John T. Kreinest
Date: 01/30/20

Ludlow Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $575,000
Buyer: Inspired By Opportunity
Seller: Bruce F. Zamora
Date: 02/06/20

16 Meadowbrook Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Timothy B. Thompson
Seller: Patricia D. Keady
Date: 02/03/20

LUDLOW

33 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $1,168,939
Buyer: SPP Citizens NLREF 5 LLC
Seller: Vereit Real Estate LP
Date: 01/30/20

488 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $470,000
Buyer: Inspired By Opportunity
Seller: Landmark Partners Inc.
Date: 02/06/20

183 Colonial Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $287,000
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Lee M. Guarda
Date: 02/05/20

13 Nowak Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Dnepro Properties LLC
Seller: Sapphire Property Dev. LLC
Date: 01/31/20

57-59 Oak St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: David C. Bull
Seller: Pelczar, John, (Estate)
Date: 01/29/20

241 Sewall St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: George R. Rogers
Seller: Goncalves, John P., (Estate)
Date: 02/04/20

16 West Belmont St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $128,500
Buyer: Robert Archambault
Seller: Dolores R. Norton
Date: 01/30/20

MONSON

44 Stebbins Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Brandon Mackenzie
Seller: Arnold Construction Inc.
Date: 01/30/20

PALMER

3087 High St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $255,900
Buyer: Stephen J. Devoll
Seller: Seth A. Ciejka
Date: 01/31/20

57 Jim Ash Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Chantel M. Mallalieu
Seller: Brian A. Bachand
Date: 02/03/20

147 Jim Ash Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Yves Lachance
Seller: Adam Lachance
Date: 01/30/20

1061-1063 Pleasant St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Edward J. Walsh
Seller: R2R LLC
Date: 02/10/20

36 Saint John St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $247,500
Buyer: Natan S. Hagopian
Seller: Shirley M. Lamb
Date: 01/31/20

RUSSELL

961 Blandford Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $181,600
Buyer: Newrez LLC
Seller: Marcus Houston
Date: 02/07/20

366 Woodland Way
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $483,500
Buyer: Jennifer Grassy
Seller: Richard S. Lempke
Date: 02/11/20

SPRINGFIELD

22 Albee St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Gifm Holdings TR
Seller: Jose M. Sala-Diaz
Date: 02/04/20

43-45 Algonquin Place
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Librado Ortiz
Seller: Leonard A. Cowles
Date: 01/31/20

16 Alvin St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Kaylene Negron
Seller: Hector Salgado
Date: 02/03/20

63 Beaumont St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Zuleika M. Figueroa
Seller: Purna Chhetri
Date: 02/11/20

732 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $129,780
Buyer: Anthony Massop
Seller: FNMA
Date: 01/29/20

768 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Wytas Properties LLC
Seller: Peter E. Sares
Date: 02/07/20

69 Bristol St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Beverly B. Bromfield
Seller: Global Homes Properties LLC
Date: 02/10/20

48-50 Clifton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $132,500
Buyer: Marc Rhodes
Seller: Springfield Homes LLC
Date: 01/30/20

23 Denesley Road
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $219,500
Buyer: Shawn Vance
Seller: Cooper Properties LLC
Date: 02/07/20

23 Enfield St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Thomas W. Cleplik
Date: 02/07/20

98-100 Fenwick St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Astrid N. Soto-Serrano
Seller: Teresa Ayala
Date: 02/06/20

70 Gary Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Klaudia Z. Czerwinska
Seller: Matusko, James M., (Estate)
Date: 01/30/20

34 Georgetown St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Lamar D. Nash
Seller: Paul G. Allen
Date: 01/31/20

69 Gillette Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Adam Gauthier
Seller: William J. Borowiec
Date: 01/29/20

63 Glenmore St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $123,000
Buyer: Eddie Lau
Seller: Norman Major
Date: 02/07/20

169 Hampden St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Carlos Mulero
Seller: Properties R. US
Date: 02/04/20

169-171 Hancock St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Koala Properties LLC
Seller: Suk H. Forrester
Date: 01/30/20

123 Hanson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $139,400
Buyer: PHH Mortgage Corp.
Seller: Corrie L. Ybarra
Date: 01/29/20

23 Irene St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $124,900
Buyer: Parbati Baker
Seller: Garden Park LLC
Date: 02/03/20

90 Jennings St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $334,900
Buyer: Patrick M. Swaby
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 01/31/20

165 Knollwood St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Orlando Quinones
Seller: Tabitha Guess
Date: 02/11/20

7-9 Kosciusko St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Frances I. Rivera-Reyes
Seller: H. P. Rum LLC
Date: 02/11/20

57 Leatherleaf Dr.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $187,900
Buyer: Brian K. Pickard
Seller: Katharine A. Johnson
Date: 01/31/20

935 Liberty St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: 935 Liberty Street LLC
Seller: Amat Victoria Curam LLC
Date: 02/03/20

88 Lorimer St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $185,500
Buyer: Lee F. Saltmarsh
Seller: Justin C. Tracy
Date: 01/30/20

363 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $1,400,000
Buyer: Om Orchard Main St LLC
Seller: Kayrouz Petroleum LLC
Date: 01/31/20

950 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Amount: $701,363
Buyer: SPP Citizens NLREF 5 LLC
Seller: Vereit Real Estate LP
Date: 01/31/20

62 Melba St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $170,157
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Odessa Wilson
Date: 02/11/20

North Main St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $1,425,000
Buyer: K. Fradet Mass. LLC
Seller: Kelly Fradet Lumber Inc.
Date: 01/30/20

18 Nagle St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Oscar Vega
Seller: Revampit LLC
Date: 01/31/20

347-349 Newbury St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $199,656
Buyer: Anjeannette M. Dowd
Seller: NSP Residential LLC
Date: 01/30/20

36 O’Connell St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Joycelyn Philp
Seller: Kevin T. Cavanaugh
Date: 01/30/20

52 Orlando St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $181,000
Buyer: Jonathan X. Rodriguez
Seller: Lachenauer LLC
Date: 01/31/20

1286 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: Kyle S. Hadley
Seller: Imran R. Chaudhry
Date: 02/07/20

54 Patton St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $720,000
Buyer: Spectra S1 LLC
Seller: Amrap LLC
Date: 01/29/20

254 Peekskill Ave.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $229,900
Buyer: Francisco J. Perez-Luna
Seller: Manchester Enterprises
Date: 02/07/20

39 Ramblewood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Zanoris S. Perez
Seller: Long River Partners LLC
Date: 01/31/20

2071-2095 Roosevelt Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $4,825,000
Buyer: Friends Of Springfield
Seller: Saremi LLP
Date: 01/29/20

867 Roosevelt Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Jacqueline J. Naylor
Date: 01/29/20

86 Ruthven St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $176,900
Buyer: Meghan K. Shewchuk
Seller: Joseph C. Ekmalian
Date: 01/31/20

46 South Tallyho Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Richard H. Griffin
Seller: Darlene P. Atkinson
Date: 02/04/20

196 Savoy Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Terry J. Wanzo
Seller: Edna R. Hernandez
Date: 01/31/20

100 Sunridge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Erin Mullen
Seller: Daniel A. Canuel
Date: 02/07/20

34-36 Sylvan St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Keron K. Baker
Seller: Morrell P. Thomas
Date: 01/31/20

98-100 Sylvan St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $144,500
Buyer: Travis T. Moran
Seller: US Bank
Date: 01/31/20

39 Tamarack Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $259,000
Buyer: Gannon Longtin
Seller: Efrain Bermeo
Date: 01/31/20

40 Truman Circle
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Laura Enriquez
Seller: James A. Harpe
Date: 02/04/20

775 Union St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Pablo A. Diaz-Castro
Seller: Makensy Nicolas
Date: 02/03/20

268 Washington Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $268,500
Buyer: Annette M. Pellegrino
Seller: Kenneth M. Scibelli
Date: 01/31/20

26 Wigwam Place
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Pioneer Housing LLC
Seller: Richard A. Femmel
Date: 01/30/20

1590 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Timothy Monson
Seller: Jennifer M. McCarthy
Date: 02/10/20

SOUTHWICK

58 George Loomis Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Allyson R. Crooke
Seller: Swientisky, Eleanor R., (Estate)
Date: 01/30/20

303 North Loomis St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Amanda Lynch
Seller: David L. Wallis
Date: 02/04/20

399 North Loomis St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $164,000
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Lani E. Mullen
Date: 02/07/20

20 Vining Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Banks Family Farm LLC
Seller: William H. Strain
Date: 01/31/20

13 Wood St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $174,900
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: William K. Shoemaker
Date: 02/06/20

TOLLAND

246 Owls Nest Lane
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Michael F. Seaver
Seller: Stanley F. Rosen
Date: 01/31/20

WALES

70 McBride Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Heidi Bara
Seller: Chevers, Margo, (Estate)
Date: 01/29/20

WESTFIELD

48 Breighly Way
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Viktoria Dubovoy
Seller: Edward F. Szuba
Date: 02/04/20

2 Bristol St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Bank New York Mellon
Seller: Anthony Paroline
Date: 01/31/20

9 Cross St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Krystalee B. Ryan-Krieg
Seller: Kyle G. Beluzo
Date: 01/31/20

27 Hayre St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Ronald I. Haskell
Seller: Lisa I. Schmith
Date: 01/31/20

311 Holyoke Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $272,500
Buyer: Daniel J. Blair
Seller: Christopher Monasterski
Date: 02/07/20

166 Montgomery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Trevin C. Correia
Seller: Lorraine C. Masciadrelli
Date: 02/05/20

11 Saint Paul St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $179,500
Buyer: Joseph L. Russo
Seller: Chiara Bassett
Date: 01/29/20

13 Stuart Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Bradford W. Kline
Seller: Sherrilynn G. Polson
Date: 01/30/20

126 Western Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Heather M. Siegel
Seller: Barbara D. Ross
Date: 01/31/20

WILBRAHAM

3 Chilson Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $338,000
Buyer: Efrain Bermeo
Seller: Kevin J. Campion
Date: 01/31/20

11 Delmor Circle
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Nicholas M. Brown
Seller: Jay N. Tryon
Date: 01/31/20

23 Devonshire Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Iglesia Pacto Eterno Springfield
Seller: Church Of The Epiphany
Date: 01/29/20

20 Highland Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Iglesia Pacto Eterno Springfield
Seller: Church Of The Epiphany
Date: 01/29/20

23 Hunting Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Haseeb Hafeez
Seller: Ibis Duo Holdings LLC
Date: 01/31/20

48 Oakland St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Herminio Rivas
Seller: Russell L. Swift
Date: 01/31/20

7 Pease St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Robert D. Jones
Seller: Nu Way Homes Inc.
Date: 02/10/20

37 Red Bridge Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Michael F. Dolan
Seller: Mark Pessolano
Date: 01/31/20

664 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $133,500
Buyer: 2018 MA-01 LLC
Seller: Flippin Good Home Buyers
Date: 01/31/20

WEST SPRINGFIELD

21 Bramble St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: Memorial Avenue RT
Seller: DDS Memorial Partnership
Date: 01/31/20

63 Bridle Path Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Timothy V. Flouton
Seller: David M. Cerpovicz
Date: 02/03/20

17-19 Fox St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Manaf Ali
Seller: Tejash R. Patel
Date: 02/07/20

18 Greenleaf Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Nicholas M. Topjian
Seller: Anthony Heim
Date: 01/29/20

78 Greenleaf Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: One Eyed Cat TR
Seller: MAA Property LLC
Date: 01/31/20

76 Kings Hwy.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $149,350
Buyer: Rachel L. Federico
Seller: Stephanie E. Condino
Date: 01/31/20

21 Lyman St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $122,000
Buyer: Ruby Realty LLC
Seller: Christopher A. Bernardi
Date: 01/31/20

55 Lyman St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $238,000
Buyer: Lee Johnson
Seller: Konstantinos Tsavidis
Date: 01/30/20

1022 Main St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $204,000
Buyer: ALE Ventures LLC
Seller: Invast LLC
Date: 02/06/20

759 Memorial Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: Memorial Avenue RT
Seller: DDS Memorial Partnership
Date: 01/31/20

236 Norman St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Zeina O. Awkal
Seller: Imadeddine Awkal
Date: 01/31/20

1095 Westfield St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $6,000,000
Buyer: Stoneridge Realty LLC
Seller: LJCD Associates LLC
Date: 01/31/20

1111 Westfield St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $6,000,000
Buyer: Stoneridge Realty LLC
Seller: LJCD Associates LLC
Date: 01/31/20

1598 Westfield St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Ellie Hyte
Seller: Michael R. Fitzgerald
Date: 02/04/20

196 Wolcott Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $182,500
Buyer: Tyler J. Frederick
Seller: Christy A. Frederick
Date: 01/31/20

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

60 Echo Hill Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $530,000
Buyer: D. Joseph Jerry
Seller: Michael S. Jensen
Date: 01/31/20

29 Hickory Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Beth Shally-Jensen
Seller: Madjid Kemache
Date: 02/07/20

550 West St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $237,500
Buyer: Ellen S. Story
Seller: Patricia J. Bachand RET
Date: 02/04/20

BELCHERTOWN

535 Bardwell St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: David A. Robinson
Seller: Chantel Mallalieu
Date: 02/03/20

110 Daniel Shays Hwy.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Amy Jordan
Seller: Kurtis W. Couture
Date: 02/10/20

801 Franklin St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $204,000
Buyer: Michael Marsden
Seller: Katherine A. Malandrino
Date: 02/07/20

20 Juckett Hill Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $272,500
Buyer: Jacob S. Girard
Seller: Margaret M. Suttenfield
Date: 01/31/20

7 Old Farm Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $127,756
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: James B. Laroche
Date: 02/06/20

33 Trillium Way
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $363,000
Buyer: Michael McMorrow
Seller: Eric J. Watson
Date: 02/05/20

EASTHAMPTON

3 Kimberly Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Nicholas D. Duprey
Seller: Lord, Theresa M., (Estate)
Date: 01/30/20

228 Northampton St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $2,850,000
Buyer: RVC Properties LLC
Seller: Mountain View Investors
Date: 01/31/20

GOSHEN

75 Pond Hill Road
Goshen, MA 01096
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Michael J. Cesario
Seller: Richardson, Sylvia E., (Estate)
Date: 01/30/20

GOSHEN

14 Sundown Dr.
Goshen, MA 01096
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Michael J. Kennedy
Seller: Laurie A. Baker
Date: 02/07/20

GRANBY

19 New Ludlow Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $214,900
Buyer: Vania M. Guzman
Seller: Michael Bennett
Date: 01/31/20

HADLEY

44 Chmura Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Robert Farr-Bayliss
Seller: Kimberly A. Hughes
Date: 02/07/20

37 Lawrence Plain Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $580,000
Buyer: 8 Directions LLC
Seller: Kiss Realty LLC
Date: 02/03/20

9 Moody Bridge Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Sharon Wachsler
Seller: Hoggman, Walter R., (Estate)
Date: 01/31/20

HATFIELD

8 Elm Court
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $277,500
Buyer: Jenni L. Manfredi
Seller: Angela Greco
Date: 01/31/20

51 North St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $263,000
Buyer: Paula Sayword
Seller: Burda, Ann N., (Estate)
Date: 01/31/20

24 North Hatfield Road
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $221,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Wickles
Seller: Holhut, Louise E., (Estate)
Date: 02/05/20

26 Pleasant View Dr.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $482,000
Buyer: Chuong Q. Dinh
Seller: Gary R. Hebert
Date: 01/31/20

12 Primrose Path
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Gary R. Hebert
Seller: Osepowicz, Nellie A., (Estate)
Date: 01/31/20

HUNTINGTON

87 Worthington Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Hilltown Sand & Gravel LLC
Seller: Donovan Brothers Inc.
Date: 02/07/20

NORTHAMPTON

235 Crescent St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,200,000
Buyer: Simone Topal
Seller: Jeffrey Caplan
Date: 01/31/20

54 Easthampton Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,400,000
Buyer: Om East Hampton Road LLC
Seller: Trak Petroleum LLC
Date: 01/31/20

5 Garfield Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $137,986
Buyer: Raquel Valentin
Seller: Christopher A. Wolcott
Date: 02/07/20

20 Highland Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $747,900
Buyer: Leonard Yakir
Seller: William Yenner
Date: 02/05/20

642 North Farms Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $477,500
Buyer: Timothy D. Scott
Seller: Pokeladenny Funding TR
Date: 02/06/20

21 Valley St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Laurie M. Nichols
Seller: Cronkite, Herschell A., (Estate)
Date: 02/07/20

PELHAM

80 Buffam Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Stephanie Nascimento
Seller: Yu, Jeffrey J., (Estate)
Date: 01/31/20

SOUTH HADLEY

8 Blueberry Bend
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: Diego Garcia
Seller: Diane Gosselin
Date: 01/31/20

337 East St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: George J. Ladas
Seller: Ladas Funding TR
Date: 02/05/20

25 Edison Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Alan A. Ash
Seller: Revampit LLC
Date: 01/30/20

3 Hickory Place
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Jennifer Vieu
Seller: Thomas E. Butler
Date: 02/07/20

6 Hollywood St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $203,500
Buyer: Irene M. Rule
Seller: Samuel Bruel
Date: 02/03/20

28 Mountain View St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $251,500
Buyer: Linda Sidorsky
Seller: Reardon Kathleen A., (Estate)
Date: 01/30/20

92 Sorbi Circle
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Samuel Bernash
Seller: Daniel W. Kokonowski
Date: 02/07/20

18 Spring Meadows
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Gosselin
Seller: Paula S. Katz
Date: 02/06/20

12 Young Circle
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Revampit LLC
Seller: Szymonik, Vera A., (Estate)
Date: 02/07/20

SOUTHAMPTON

124 Fomer Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $317,500
Buyer: James J. Murning
Seller: Preferred Property Management
Date: 01/29/20

2 Quigley Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Harold A. Butson
Seller: Pellegrini Development
Date: 02/03/20

5 Thomas Circle
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Kevin E. Balicki
Seller: Zabawa, Victoria P., (Estate)
Date: 01/31/20

WARE

22 Coldbrook Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Donna E. Tarantino
Seller: Sandra Renaud
Date: 01/29/20

398 Palmer Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: James C. Merkel
Seller: T. Rozzen LLC
Date: 02/06/20

29 Sczygiel Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Roger T. Montanez
Seller: Brian Connolly
Date: 01/29/20

WILLIAMSBURG

94-1/2 Old Goshen Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $381,500
Buyer: Christine D. Tronnier
Seller: Mark J. Chereski
Date: 01/31/20

Doing Business as Certificates

By
DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and trade names were issued or renewed during the month of February 2020.

AMHERST

Amherst Medical Properties, LLC
31 Hall Dr.
$91,800 — Replace carpet, flooring, and countertops; reinstall existing sink and faucets; three toilets; paint walls

Town of Amherst
4 Boltwood Ave.
$30,000 — Remove front entrance door and surrounding millwork, install temporary wall and door during repairs

CHICOPEE

Chicopee Property
443-445 Chicopee St.
$30,000 — Demolish metal building, open-structure greenhouse, and wooden greenhouse

Mike Laser Enterprises, LLC
675 Fuller Road
$10,000 — Demolish drywall and drop ceiling

Pioneer Valley Concrete
98-102 North Chicopee St.
$40,000 — Demolish all structures on site, remove debris, and level site

EASTHAMPTON

City of Easthampton
200 Park St.
$84,831,000 — New three-story elementary school

ETA BAV Realty Trust
10 East Greene St.
$13,000 — Install vinyl siding

Keystone Enterprises
112 Pleasant St.
$126,000 — Roofing

McDonald’s Corp.
121 Northampton St.
$391,000 — Interior and exterior renovation

North Harlow 3, LLC
2 Culdaff St.
$5,000 — Repair building damaged by tow truck

Williston Northampton School
4 Brewster Ave.
$600,000 — Geothermal HVAC system, piping, and ductwork

Williston Northampton School
37 Park St.
$147,000 — New fire sprinkler system

EAST LONGMEADOW

Multicultural Community Services
191 Vineland Ave.
$15,500 — Remodel bathroom

Peoples United Bank
62 Center Square
$9,000 — Two signs

HADLEY

Hampshire Mosque Inc.
451 Russell St.
$3,755 — Reface existing ground sign for Lara’s Labyrinth

W/S Hadley Properties II, LLC
355 Russell St.
$96,225 — Build out Sports Clip space, including minor upgrade of interior finishes and new hair-wash sinks and partitions

GREENFIELD

Connecticut River Conservancy
15 Bank Row
$4,000 — Cut two openings in wall for louvers

Dunkin’ Donuts
60 Mohawk Trail
$12,300 — Remove and replace two rooftop units

NORTHAMPTON

Black Sheep Development, LLC
227 South St.
$18,000 — Install sprinkler system throughout building

City of Northampton
67 Conz St.
$84,105 — Roof-mounted solar system at Housing Authority housing and Senior Center

Cooley Dickinson Hospital Inc.
30 Locust St.
$3,200 — Illuminated monument sign

George Danziger
229 Main St.
$6,000 — Repair and reinstall existing awning damaged by vehicle

Kerryman Partnership
48 Damon Road
$2,500 — Flood cuts in offices due to water mitigation

Smith College
23 West St.
$17,000 — Relocate kitchenette at Lilly Hall

SPRINGFIELD

3455 Main Street Associates, LP
3455 Main St.
$73,150 — Alter medical tenant office space for expansion of two treatment rooms in existing dental practice of Dr. Aaron Fox

Center for EcoTechnology
83 Warwick St.
$4,500 — Modifications for signage improvements

Green Village Properties, LLC
42 Ridgewood Terrace
$173,000 — Alter interior space for new use as group residence for Mental Health Associates

Ruth Kimani
246 Breckwood Blvd.
$15,000 — Install rooftop solar system

MassMutual
1295 State St.
$595,000 — Alter second-floor interior space for ELT conference center

Mittas Hospitality, LLC; DD Development, LLC
1500 Main St., Suite 109
$85,000 — Alter tenant space for Skin Catering

Northgate Plaza, LLC
1985 Main St.
$4,000 — Alter fire-alarm system

Pioneer Valley Christian School
965 Plumtree Road
$15,000 — Add insulation to perimeter of building and air seal

Springfield Boys Club
481 Carew St.
$15,000 — Add two antennas to existing monopole tower for Verizon Wireless

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Pasquale Albano
660 Kings Highway
$18,255 — Remove floor tiles, install new tiles, move divided wall, build new bar, patch and repair walls

Amerco Co. – U-Haul
380 Union St.
$19,500 — Erect steel canopy

Ann Gish Inc.
857 Elm St.
$5,000 — Install wall partition at loading dock

Eversource Energy
529 Union St.
$7,000 — Add small cell antenna, radio shroud, radios, and associated equipment to existing utility pole

Koko Holdings, LLC
94 Doty Circle
$21,700 — Install walk-in cooler and freezer

WILBRAHAM

James Krajewski
126V Beebe Road
$1,599,876 — Construct large ground-mount solar-panel system

WILLIAMSBURG

CDM Properties
11 East Main St.
$6,000 — Siding

People on the Move

By
People on the Move

Kevin Day

Florence Bank’s incoming President and CEO Kevin Day said his 11 years with the bank will allow for a smooth transition for employees, customers, and the community. He stressed that he and the board are committed to keeping the bank independent. “Where the bank is and where it is going will not change. I am 100% committed to the mutual form of ownership,” Day said. “Remaining mutual is what allows our culture to exist. As a mutual bank, we can’t be forced into a sale or merger with another bank. We have the flexibility to do what is right, not just what’s profitable.” Day has 37 years in the banking industry and has been in senior management for 34. He came on board at Florence Bank in 2008 as chief financial officer, responsible for finance, facilities, and risk management. His responsibilities expanded to include compliance in 2013, residential lending in 2014, and retail banking in 2016. When he was promoted to executive vice president, also in 2016, Day was supervising 90% of the bank’s personnel. Immediately after earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration at UMass Amherst, Day worked for five years as a CPA for the accounting firm Arthur Young & Co. In 2016, he graduated from the Executive Development Program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and he is a 2018 graduate of the ABA Wharton Executive Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Day became president on Jan. 29, replacing John Heaps Jr., the longest-serving president and CEO of Florence Bank. When Heaps retires on May 1, Day will also become CEO. Active in the community, Day is currently a member of the board of directors and the finance committee for United Way of Hampshire County, a board member for the Springfield Rescue Mission, a member of the finance committee for Westfield Evangelical Free Church, and board president for the Northeast Center for Youth and Families.

•••••

Nicole Gagne

Nicole Gagne recently joined the Center for Human Development (CHD) as its new chief operating officer, bringing a wealth of compliance knowledge and a strong history in supervision from both clinical and administrative standpoints. As COO, Gagne will work in partnership with the CEO to support and guide other leaders across the organization in their efforts to launch initiatives and help their respective departments and programs, and thus the agency, continue to move forward. Additionally, Gagne will oversee all of CHD’s compliance efforts. Backed by her extensive experience with compliance work, she will be critical in the creation, strengthening, and revision of organization processes and systems. Most recently, Gagne served as president and CEO of Community Healthlink Inc., a position she held for four of her eight years with the organization. Gagne has also been a consultant for the House of Peace and Education, served in executive roles with Montachusett Opportunity Council and North Central Human Services, and has years of experience as a direct-care worker earlier in her career. She holds a master’s degree from Assumption College in counseling psychology with a concentration in cognitive behavioral therapy with children and families. Gagne has also served as a board member on the Assoc. of Behavioral Health (ABH) and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. With ABH, she has worked on some of the planning around Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders’ work to revamp ambulatory services.

•••••

Kristin Leutz announced she is leaving Valley Venture Mentors after more than two years as CEO. VVM board member Chris Bignell will step into the role of interim CEO on March 1 as the organization begins the search for a permanent director. Bignell has been a mentor, volunteer, and startup founder, as well as a partner in the Alchemy Fund. Leutz plans to remain engaged with VVM on various projects as she moves on to her next professional role as a consultant and executive director of the Startup Champions Network, a national membership organization supporting entrepreneurship ecosystem builders. This past year marked significant leaps forward for VVM, Leutz said, including opening the Valley Venture Hub, the new co-working space that anchors the Springfield Innovation Center; relaunching a new mentorship program that has engaged more than 40 people in learning and mentorship; graduating 15 high-growth startups in the VVM accelerator; and creating a groundbreaking collegiate summer accelerator for Pioneer Valley students, co-hosted with colleagues at the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship at UMass Amherst.

•••••

Thomas Maulucci

Thomas Maulucci, professor of History at American International College (AIC), has been named secretary of the board of directors for the Springfield Public Forum. In this role, he is a member of the executive committee. He joined the board in 2012. Maulucci graduated from Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. with a bachelor’s degree in international relations, economics, and German. He attended Yale University, where he received a master of arts, a master of philosophy, and a doctorate in modern European history. Joining the faculty of AIC in 2006, he first became affiliated with the Springfield Public Forum while arranging events co-sponsored by the college and the Forum.

•••••

Rosemarie Ansel, executive director of River Valley Counseling Center (RVCC), has announced Kelly Gloster as its senior grants director. In this new role, she will oversee all grant programs to ensure the organization’s funded programs are compliant with grant rules and regulations based on the terms and conditions set by each funding organization. Gloster is also the program director for both River Valley Counseling Center’s School-Based Health Centers and HIV/AIDS Project. Prior to joining RVCC, Gloster was an assistant vice president of Grants and Government Relations at Landmark College in Vermont. She brings more than 20 years of grant-writing and grant-administration experience, and owned her own grant consultancy. She maintains a certificate in financial research administration. She also has extensive experience in the nonprofit and mental-health sectors, having worked as a foster-care supervisor, residential case manager, and crisis hotline counselor. Gloster received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UMass Amherst and a master’s degree in social work planning, policy, and administration from Boston College.

•••••

Vonetta Lightfoot

Vonetta Lightfoot, Multicultural Afairs operation manager at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), will be honored for her contributions to the community at the 100 Women of Color Gala & Awards on Friday, April 3. The event, to be held at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, Conn., recognizes women of color in business, education, entrepreneurship, entertainment, government, and public service, and their impact on the lives of people in Western Mass. and Connecticut communities. Others at STCC who received the award include Denise Hurst, vice president of Advancement and External Affairs, and Lidya Rivera-Early, director of Community Engagement. In her role as Multicultural Affairs operation manager, Lightfoot brings a diverse range of speakers and performers to the college, from jazz musicians and actors to journalists and acclaimed authors. She said she is proud to expose students and the community in Springfield to the Diversity Series at STCC. Lightfoot took the role of managing the Diversity Speaker and Performance Series after her mother, Myra Smith, retired. The award is presented by Eleven28 Entertainment Group.

•••••

Steve Kaplan was awarded the Paul Harris Award by the Rotary Club of Holyoke on Feb. 18 at the Delaney House in Holyoke. Paul Harris Fellowships are awarded as recognition for donations of $1,000 to the Foundation of Rotary International. The foundation utilizes the funds raised to support Rotary International humanitarian efforts throughout the world. The recognitions are named in honor of Paul Harris, the Chicago businessman and visionary who formed the first Rotary club and began what has become an organization with more than 22,000 clubs and more than 1 million members. Both Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike are eligible to receive Paul Harris Fellowships. While anyone may make a donation and receive a Paul Harris recognition, the Holyoke Rotary Club has chosen to utilize its credits to honor some of its own members for their service to the club and the community. A recipient must be a humanitarian, willingly participate in Rotary Club activities over an extended period of time, be a person whose daily actions personify the Four Way Rotary Test, display initiative, and be a leader. Consideration is given to Rotary activities at the district, national or international level; volunteer participation in civic and/or religious groups; and volunteer service to town, city, state, or federal government.

•••••

John Moore, a Springfield artist, was recently recognized at the Massachusetts State House as the winner of the Assoc. of Developmental Disabilities Providers’ (ADDP) 2020 Legislative Calendar cover contest. Moore is a member of Pyramid, a day habilitation program at Viability in Springfield. He was among 31 artists — all of whom have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, including autism or brain injuries — who submitted their artwork for entry into the contest. The ADDP calendar is an annual project that features compelling stories from its member provider agencies and legislators’ birthdays. It is distributed to both the House of Representatives and Senate, and its association members statewide. As part of his winnings, Moore was recognized in front of approximately 300 people, including state legislators, during ADDP’s Legislative Luncheon, held last month at the Massachusetts State House. ADDP hosts the annual luncheon to outline its budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year and to honor its Legislators of the Year.

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