April 2020 - Page 3 of 4

Pandemic Is Prompting Many to Get Important Estate-planning Work Completed

By George O'Brien April 14, 2020

Estate Planning

Signs of the Times

Hyman Darling says the calls started coming in several weeks ago.

At first, there were a few, and then, as the news about the COVID-19 pandemic became steadily worse and the grim reality of the situation became ever more apparent, the volume started increasing.

On the other end of the line were people looking to update a will or estate plan, or, more likely, finish the one they’d started but never finished or finally get started with one, he said, adding that there are obvious reasons why.

“Everyone knows someone who knows someone who has the virus, and they’re worried — about their parents, their brothers, their cousins … somebody,” said Darling, a partner with the Springfield-based law firm Bacon Wilson and one of the region’s pre-eminent estate-planning specialists. “And there’s more people sitting at home with less to do; they’re paying attention to this and thinking about it. The news is very distressing, and people are responding to it.”

Meanwhile, healthcare workers, and especially those on the front lines of the crisis, don’t have to watch on TV — they can see it right in from them — and, thus, they’re responsible for many of these calls to Darling and specialists like him across the area.

This phenomenon, if it can be called that, is certainly keeping area estate planners much busier than they were, providing some much-needed peace of mind to those who are watching the news and seeing the death tolls rise, and even adding some new phrases to the lexicon, like ‘driveway signing.’

Hyman Darling

“Everyone knows someone who knows someone who has the virus, and they’re worried — about their parents, their brothers, their cousins … somebody. And there’s more people sitting at home with less to do; they’re paying attention to this and thinking about it. The news is very distressing, and people are responding to it.”

That’s the phrase Liz Sillin, an estate-planning specialist with Springfield-based Bulkley Richardson, summoned as she talked about one of the more challenging aspects of this development: documents need to be signed and notarized, and at this moment (things may well change), Massachusetts does not allow electronic signatures for such documents as wills and healthcare proxies.

That’s why there really are signings in the driveway — and with all the proper precautions taken for preventing or at least minimizing the spread of the virus.

“We take as many steps as possible to keep us all away from one another and not cross-contaminate the paper,” said Sillin, who has now been part of a few of these elaborate exercises, which involve the lawyers and four participants — the party creating the document, two witnesses, and a notary. “Everyone brings their own pen, and everyone steps back while one person signs, preferably without touching the paper with his or her hand. We use lots of hand sanitizer; we use a clipboard, and we sanitize the clipboard. It’s kind of a bizarre process, but there are people for whom getting these documents done is paramount, and if remote signing isn’t legal, this is the only way we can do it.”

Liz Sillin

“Everyone brings their own pen, and everyone steps back while one person signs, preferably without touching the paper with his or her hand. We use lots of hand sanitizer; we use a clipboard, and we sanitize the clipboard. It’s kind of a bizarre process, but there are people for whom getting these documents done is paramount, and if remote signing isn’t legal, this is the only way we can do it.”

Mike Simolo, an estate-planning specialist with Springfield-based Robinson Donovan, who, like most all of his counterparts, has taken part in a few driveway signings himself, agreed. And, like others we spoke with, he said that, while it’s unfortunate that it took a pandemic to get people to do what they should have some time ago, he’s glad that many have been motivated to get this important work done.

“People who had been putting this off for one reason or another are suddenly deciding not to put it off anymore,” he said. “They’re calling up, hoping to get a plan a plan in place sooner, rather than later.”

With the accent on sooner.

And while their phones are ringing more often, those we spoke with noted that they are apprehensive that some, in an effort to get something done, and in a hurry, will take shortcuts, perhaps visit one of the legal websites out there, or, worse still, take the DIY route.

“This is LegalZoom’s dream situation,” said Simolo, referring to the popular website that provides legal assistance. “People are waking up, watching the news, and realizing, ‘I don’t have anything.’”

He said that, while people can certainly take that route, he projects that many who do will leave out something or make a mistake that could have serious implications later, when loved ones are left to settle an estate (more on that later).

Mike Simolo

“People who had been putting this off for one reason or another are suddenly deciding not to put it off anymore. They’re calling up, hoping to get a plan in place sooner, rather than later. ”

For this issue and its focus on estate planning, BusinessWest looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic is prompting many to get important estate-planning work done, and how the legal community is responding.

Where There’s a Will…

As she talked about her greater workload and when and why it came about, Gina Barry, another partner and estate-planning specialist with Bacon Wilson, used the story of a pharmacist at one of the local hospitals — an individual with a number of the health risks that make him especially vulnerable to the virus — to touch on a number of the relevant points in this intriguing development.

“He’s working long hours in the hospital,” she said, “and he was terrified — and he probably still is — that, because of his high-risk concerns, he would be one of those who would contract the virus and not survive it.

“We started his plan a few years back,” she went on. “Recently, he e-mailed me and said, ‘I have no right to ask this, given that I delayed a bit, but can you rush?’ And I said, ‘absolutely, I can rush.’ I dropped everything and got it done.”

Continuing that story, Barry said this individual managed to get the notary from the hospital and two of his co-workers together to sign these documents, and she Zoomed in for the gathering to make sure everyone was signing in the right place.

As noted, this anecdote touches on a number of the many elements of this story, from the fear exhibited by healthcare workers to the need to move fast; from the logistics involved with getting a signing done to the technology used by lawyers to get the documents signed, sealed, and delivered.

And it’s a story that is now playing itself out countless times across the region.

Indeed, while not everyone calling to write or update a will or a related document is in healthcare — and the lawyers we spoke with said these individuals have been given first priority — most everyone is terrified. And they’re also in a hurry.

And, for the most part, estate-planning specialists are able to accommodate them.

Simolo said a process that might normally take several weeks can be expedited and handled in perhaps a week to 10 days, with a fairly simple will being done in just a few days.

Meanwhile, many of these wills and other documents — living wills and healthcare proxies are also being sought — are being created in what would be considered non-traditional ways. Indeed, since face-to-face meetings are all but out given new social-distancing guidelines, estate-planning specialists are using the phone, Zoom, and other vehicles for communicating with clients and getting documents reviewed.

“People don’t care about coming in now,” said Darling. “They’re happy to do the telephone messaging, e-mails, Zoom … as long as it gets done, they don’t care if they meet us in person.”

Interest in getting documents written and notarized is especially acute among those in healthcare, and often it’s those individuals’ loved ones who are getting the ball rolling.

“I’ve been contacted by the husbands and wives of doctors,” Simolo said. “They’re saying, ‘let’s get this done as soon as humanly possible.”

Sillin agreed, and noted that there is interest among those old and young to have their affairs in order.

“Just today, I got a call from someone who is a doctor — he’s very young and has a young family,” she explained. “He’s in a facility that has cases around him, and he’s like, ‘yikes, I have to do something.”

But interest is across the board, said those we spoke with, adding that some of those calling are finally getting around to having these documents written, while others are realizing that the ones they have are dated and need to be made current.

“People are at home reading about nothing but COVID-19,” said Sillin. “They begin to contemplate this aspect of life, and we’ve been getting a lot of calls from people of all ages who want to get going on some estate planning.”

Simolo agreed.

“It’s mostly been people who don’t have a plan in place or had a plan in place 25 years ago, when the kids were 3,” said Simolo. “Now, the grandkids are 3 — that kind of thing.”

But while those we spoke with are certainly pleased that their phones are ringing more — for themselves, but especially for their clients — they are concerned that many may try to do this work online or even draft something themselves.

“It’s been my experience that, nine times out of 10, something’s missing from those documents,” said Darling, adding that, in many other cases, documents are not signed properly. “You get what you pay for, and mistakes made now can be very costly later — not for the deceased, but for their loved ones; litigation is very expensive in a will contest, not to mention the emotional stress that it brings on family members.”

Barry agreed and summoned an analogy she’s used many times during her career — too many to count by her estimate — when talking about do-it-yourself wills and related documents.

“You can pull your own tooth, too,” she said. “But would you rather visit a dentist or tie a string to a doorknob and try it that way?”

Peace of Mind

Finishing her story about the pharmacist in one of the local hospitals, Barry said that, at the conclusion of the signing — which, again, she witnessed via Zoom — she asked her client if he now had some peace of mind.

“He signed, and his shoulders must have dropped like four inches visibly,” she told BusinessWest. “They were up around his ears, and he just relaxed and dropped his shoulders. And I said to myself, ‘this is why we’re doing this.’”

And doing a lot of this.

There aren’t very many bright spots to be found in the midst of this pandemic, but this is clearly one of them. People across the region are becoming proactive and getting needed documents in place.

And that’s allowing many more people to sigh, relax, and drop their shoulders.

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

Hospitals Gird for a Potential COVID-19 Surge

By Joseph Bednar April 14, 2020

Health Care

Life on the Front Lines

Dr. Andrew Artenstein, chief physician executive and chief academic officer for Baystate Health.
Photo courtesy of Baystate Health

Dr. Andrew Artenstein isn’t the first to notice the lack of cars on the roads, but he’s certainly among those most invested in those open roads.

“When I leave work, I’m used to traffic, and there’s no traffic,” said the chief physician executive and chief academic officer at Baystate Health. “Every day feels like Sunday out there. The streets are a lot quieter. Hospitals don’t have visitors, so the hallways are quieter.”

Fewer people out and about means the social-distancing movement has largely taken hold in Western Mass., meaning fewer transmissions of the novel coronavirus and fewer cases of COVID-19 than would be present if people weren’t staying home. The question is, how much difference will it make in the end?

“I can tell you that I don’t know the effect, but I do know anything will help,” Artenstein told BusinessWest. “It’s the right thing to do, and it will hopefully blunt the peak. It will not prevent it totally, but if you can blunt the peak, flatten the curve, we can possibly manage the surge.”

What that surge will represent wasn’t clear at press time, when the state had tallied close to 17,000 cases of COVID-19 — a number that may be much higher as you’re reading this.

Based on expert estimates, Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday that coronavirus hospitalizations in the state will likely peak between April 10 and April 20, with the total estimate of coronavirus cases in the state ranging from 47,000 to 172,000 over the course of the epidemic, or about 0.7% to 2.5% of the population.

“It appears the community has done a really good job of generally heeding the recommendations from our national and state public-health experts, which is, if you’re not sick, don’t come to the hospital,” Artenstein went on. “People still need other types of care; people still have cardiac issues or lung issues or kidney issues. That’s not going to stop. But people who don’t need emergency or hospital-level care, for the most part, are finding care in other ways, which is what they’re being told to do. That keeps people from transmitting infection in hospitals, and keeps them away from other patients who might be sick.”

That means patient volume for non-urgent matters is indeed down at Baystate, with some of that work being moved to telephone or telehealth platforms (more on that later), as well as outpatient clinics and urgent-care centers, all of which are also trying to enforce social distancing as best they can.

What is on the rise in the emergency room are cases of respiratory illness, fevers, and coughs, with many of those being admitted and testing positive for coronavirus.

“It appears the community has done a really good job of generally heeding the recommendations from our national and state public-health experts, which is, if you’re not sick, don’t come to the hospital.”

“There’s clearly a lot of transmission going on in the community, which is exactly what you’d expect from a pandemic,” he said. “If you look at the data, the vast majority of people [with the virus] are not sick enough to need to go to the hospital, but they’re still infectious and potentially transmitting it if they’re not isolating themselves.”

Artenstein should know all about the effects of isolation on pandemics. He founded and directed the Center for Biodefense and Emerging Pathogens at Brown University for more than a decade before arriving at Baystate, so “I have a fair amount of experience with these things. But this is a unique experience … a 100-year event.”

It’s an event that has seen Mercy Medical Center, like Baystate, shift from a strategy prioritizing preventive wellness to one that focuses on readiness and the immediate response to coronavirus — and an expansion of capacity where possible, said Dr. Robert Roose, the hospital’s chief medical officer.

“At this point, we have been heavily focused on increasing our available beds and staffing to continue to respond to the needs of the community, and we have been seeing increasing numbers of patients infected with COVID — and the acuity of those cases continues to increase,” he told BusinessWest.

That increase in the number of patients requiring hospitalization reflects what Mercy’s leaders are tracking on a national level, and he expects the trend to increase over the coming weeks.

HCC Police Captain Dale Brown stacks boxes of personal protection equipment for delivery to area hospitals.

“In regard to our local preparedness, we have a robust surge plan that identifies three different levels of escalation to increase our capacity to treat increasing numbers of patients,” he explained. “We’re also coordinating with other local and regional hospitals on a surge-capacity plan in the event we need to share resources among different hospitals in the region.”

Testing, Testing

What would help predict and manage the coming surge is a more robust array of testing resources, but local hospitals are still hampered by a limit on how much is available at the state level.

“At the present moment, we’re prioritizing testing patients who are symptomatic and in need of care in the Emergency Department, as well as healthcare workers and first responders,” Roose said. “We’re prioritizing those groups per the CDC, and as testing capacity increases, then we’ll be able to offer more testing as it becomes more readily available.”

Artenstein reported the same protocol for priority test groups: patients hospitalized with symptoms, employees showing symptoms, and some first responders who are symptomatic. “We know it’s not in our control; it’s a national issue, and we’ve been severely limited in our ability to test. It’s starting to improve because of a tremendous effort by people at Baystate and some of our government officials to help us get more testing and more capacity and more rapid turnaround time. We’re starting to see an improvement, but it’s still not where it needs to be.”

As for the coming surge, Baystate began preparing for that in a number of ways over the past few weeks, including the construction of a rapid-response triage facility just outside the entrance to the ER. It holds around 40 chairs — each of them six feet apart — for individuals entering the ER.

“There’s community transmission of the virus at this point,” said Dr. Niels Rathlev, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, when the project was announced last month. “And we really are preparing for more patients showing up for screening. This is not to expand testing; the real issue is to try to keep patients that don’t require admission to the hospital — acute emergency care — and screen them rapidly out here.”

Construction of the triage center is a step that mirrors what is happening in other parts of the country, Rathlev noted, adding that some areas, such as the state of Washington, established such centers weeks ago in anticipation of a surge in visits to the ER and the critical need to triage those coming in. Meanwhile, field hospitals are being created at sites like Worcester’s DCU Center and the Boston Convention and Exposition Center.

Capacity concerns also cross over into the realm of protective equipment like masks and gloves. Roose said Mercy is working aggressively with suppliers to make sure it has what it needs. “I will say we have supplies, but I don’t think any hospital around here feels particularly comfortable with the amount they have because there may be a large influx of patients at any time.”

It’s a problem that has required some creativity. Earlier this month, Patriots owner Robert Kraft sent a team plane to China to pick up 1.2 million N95 masks. In all, Kraft partnered with the state to purchase 1.4 million masks for Massachusetts, and purchased another 300,000 protective masks for New York.

Locally, institutions have stepped up enthusiastically to meet the need. Springfield Technical Community College’s (STCC) School of Health and Patient Simulation donated personal protective equipment — including surgical masks, isolation gowns, and exam gloves — to Baystate Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center, Holyoke Medical Center, and Cooley Dickinson Hospital, in addition to emergency medical services personnel in the West Springfield Fire Department.

SEE: List of Hospitals (Acute Care)

“We recognize there is a critical need for personal protective equipment at hospitals and medical centers,” said Christopher Scott, dean of the School of Health and Patient Simulation at STCC. “By donating our supplies, we are doing what we can to protect the healthcare workers who are running short on masks and other protective equipment. The community needs to work together to ensure we defeat this pandemic.”

Holyoke Community College donated similar equipment from its health-science programs to area hospitals. HCC Police Captain Dale Brown spent a day last month conducting an inventory of collected supplies — including boxes of isolation gowns, exam gloves, masks, goggles, hand sanitizer, and microbial wipes — at the Campus Police station. A representative from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency picked everything up to coordinate delivery to area hospitals.

“At this point, we have been heavily focused on increasing our available beds and staffing to continue to respond to the needs of the community, and we have been seeing increasing numbers of patients infected with COVID — and the acuity of those cases continues to increase.”

Even Dakin Humane Society pitched in, donating its in-house supply of disposable surgical gowns and booties, along with other personal protective equipment, to Baystate.

“We’ve seen news stories about the need for protective equipment being faced by those in human healthcare, so we reached out to Baystate Medical Center because they’re local,” said Karina King, Dakin’s director of Operations. “We anticipated that human health workers would need these supplies soon, so we recently stopped using disposable items at Dakin and found alternative equipment, including smocks that could be laundered and re-used instead of being disposed of.”

A researcher from UMass Amherst contributed in a different way, with a dose of data. Richard Peltier, a professor in the university’s School of Public Health and Health Sciences, partnered with Dr. Brian Hollenbeck, chief of Infectious Disease at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston, to test in his lab whether used N95 facemasks were still effective at blocking infectious particles after sterilization. They determined that, yes, masks could be safely sterilized and reused.

“While these are ordinarily disposable protective devices for medical workers, these are not ordinary times,” Peltier said, “and this science shows that sterilized face masks will protect our healthcare providers who are working under extraordinary conditions.”

Across the Distance

In short, there’s a lot going on to both help hospitals prepare for the surge and to reduce non-critical traffic as much as possible. To that end, a number of institutions have stepped up their telehealth efforts, including Valley Health Systems, which includes Holyoke Medical Center, Holyoke Medical Group, and River Valley Counseling Center.

“We are expanding our capabilities to meet the needs of our patients, especially those with ongoing health concerns that need to be treated and in contact with their healthcare providers,” said Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of HMC. “It is important for everyone to maintain their health and safety regarding pre-existing conditions, as much as it is to protect from COVID-19.”

Behavioral Health Network (BHN) introduced a new program, BHNTeleCare, that allows individuals to continue counseling sessions with their therapists from the safety of their own homes.

According to Katherine Wilson, president and CEO of BHN, “this innovation in the way we provide therapy and counseling services is groundbreaking and allows us to render services where people are. This is particularly critical as a result of the needs that have emerged due to the spread of COVID-19. It allows a counseling avenue for those suffering anxiety and in need of support during this time of crisis affecting individuals and families.”

Meanwhile, MHA also introduced its new TeleWell virtual service delivery, which allows mental-health clinicians and their clients make virtual connections using a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

“With social distancing now part of daily life, people who receive therapy for emotional support, or who would like to, may experience uncertainty when it comes to making and keeping office-based appointments,” said Sara Kendall, vice president of Clinical Operations for MHA. “TeleWell provides another option by enabling people to keep their appointments virtually. Every day, more BestLife clients are using this option.”

All these efforts — including simply staying at home to avoid transmission — are helping, Roose said.

“I cannot stress enough how important the efforts of the community are in ensuring that our healthcare providers and resources adequately meet the needs of this crisis,” he said. “Physical distancing, diligent hand washing, isolating and quarantines when appropriate — those are the efforts that will flatten the curve and lessen the impact of this disease, and ensure that our healthcare providers have what they need to provide the care the community needs.

Meanwhile, Mercy’s incident command center continues to keep in contact with the entire Trinity Health system every day. “And every single day, I stress the importance of efforts we can all take to impact this disease. It’s something we all have the power to impact if we take proper precautions and follow the guidelines around physical distancing and quarantines. I can’t stress that enough.”

Those community efforts don’t guarantee Massachusetts won’t become as strained as New York City, Artenstein said, but they help.

“My feeling is that April is going to be very challenging in Western Massachusetts, and after that, I don’t know,” he told BusinessWest. “It quite possibly could extend well into May. I don’t think we’ll be completely out of the woods, and I do think, if you look at epidemics and pandemics, there are second and third waves sometimes.”

For example, he explained, the Spanish flu of 1918 saw a second wave late that year, and an even worse third wave arrived the following spring. COVID-19 has the potential of following a similar track because it’s new, and people haven’t built up the blanket of underlying immunity that keeps seasonal flu, while dangerous as well, under control.

“With each passing day, it becomes clearer we’re living in an unprecedented time, and with that comes uncertainty,” Roose added. “As this pandemic evolves, we are all called upon to learn quickly, work collaboratively, and constantly change how we do things. This is a community crisis, and it takes involvement and the efforts and support of everyone in our community.”

Ready for the Surge

Roose emphasized that he greatly appreciates those efforts, not just in the community, but from the selfless healthcare workers on the front lines.

“I could not be more inspired and impressed by our teams of providers, clinicians, nurses, everyone showing a commitment to putting patients first and responding to the needs of the community,” he said. “In a crisis like this, people show their true character, and it’s clear to me we’re much stronger together, and our teams are rising to this challenge.”

Artenstein agreed.

“I’ve never seen a group of more dedicated, committed, and compassionate people than I’ve seen here,” he said. “They’re working hard in adverse conditions.”

At the same time, he added, “they’re nervous, scared for their familes, and scared for themselves — and they have the right to be scared. But our people are true to their mission to provide excellent, compassionate care.”

No matter what form the April surge may take.

“This is a very unique point in our history — one that, hopefully, we’ll look back on and not have to relive.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Individuals Need to Have These Four Documents in Place

By Contributor April 14, 2020

Estate Planning

A Pandemic Estate Plan

By Gina M. Barry

COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, has arrived in our communities. While statistics show that many people will survive being infected, they may experience incapacity due to significant symptoms, such as breathing difficulties and fever, and, for some, the infection will be fatal.

Most have diligently stocked up on food and household supplies, particularly disinfectants. Some have also prepared a kit of ‘illness supplies,’ containing items that would be needed in the event of illness, such as a thermometer, acetaminophen, and herbal teas. Surely, this preparedness helps to alleviate some of the anxiety that has become rampant as this virus takes its toll on our communities.

However, if you were to become so ill that you could not communicate, do you know who would handle your affairs? Have you given that person the legal authority that they would need to do so without added cost, time, and administrative difficulties? Additional peace of mind can be found in ensuring that you have a plan in place should you become ill or pass away.

Gina M. Barry

“Estate planners are using modern technology, such as videoconferencing, to help you plan with the least amount of risk to all involved.”

Fortunately, legal services have been deemed to be ‘essential’ during this pandemic, and estate planners are using modern technology, such as videoconferencing, to help you plan with the least amount of risk to all involved.

Further, unless remote notarizations become legally acceptable, strict office protocols are in place to minimize the risk of illness transmission when documents are being signed.

A pandemic estate plan should, at minimum, contain the following documents:

Last Will and Testament

Your will directs how your probate assets will be distributed after you pass away. Your probate assets are those assets held in your name alone that do not have a designated beneficiary. A will is also necessary for you to name a personal representative (formerly known as executor), who will carry out your estate. Your personal representative will gather your probate assets, pay valid debts, and distribute the balance as set forth in your will. Further, a guardian can be named in your will to take custody of minor or disabled children. Likewise, a trust may be established in your will to provide ongoing financial protection for these children and other beneficiaries who should not receive their inheritance outright, usually due to spendthrift or addiction concerns.

Healthcare Proxy — and Possibly a MOLST

A healthcare proxy is a document that designates a person to make healthcare decisions for you if you are unable to make them for yourself. Your healthcare agent should make your decisions as you would make them if you were able.

Should you lose capacity and not have a proxy in place, your loved ones will need to petition the Probate Court to become your guardian, which is a lengthy, expensive, and public process. Further, access to the courts is more restricted during the pandemic, with a number of courts being accessible only for emergencies due to court staff having received positive COVID-19 diagnoses.

‘Living-will’ language should be included within the proxy to address your end-of-life decisions. This language generally sets forth that you do not want extraordinary medical procedures used to keep you alive when there is no likelihood of recovery. Due to the need for ventilators for COVID-19 treatment, many have asked whether they would be placed on a ventilator if needed.

Fortunately, recovery is quite possible with ventilator support; therefore, the triggering event of ‘no likelihood of recovery’ would not be present in most cases, and ventilator support for COVID-19 would be instituted. Here, it is especially important to review the language in an existing document and to discuss these concerns with your named proxy.

Those of advanced age, the terminally ill, and those with painful, chronic conditions may also consider establishing medical orders for life-sustaining treatment (MOLST) in addition to a healthcare proxy. A MOLST is a form, usually printed on bright pink paper, that contains actionable medical orders that are effective immediately based upon your current medical condition. A MOLST would eliminate the need for living-will language, but the best practice would be to reference the MOLST in your proxy.

“It is important to note that a living will and a MOLST are very different. A MOLST form needs to be signed by both you and your physician and is used by physicians to understand your wishes at a glance.”

It is important to note that a living will and a MOLST are very different. A MOLST form needs to be signed by both you and your physician and is used by physicians to understand your wishes at a glance.

A healthcare proxy, on the ther hand, only takes effect if you are incapacitated. Also, a living will asks the health care agent to take into account all facts and circumstances to decide whether recovery is likely before carrying out instructions to withhold or terminate life support, whereas a MOLST sets forth decisions you have already made about what you do and do not want as far as medical care.

The MOLST takes the place of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) and do-not-intubate (DNI) forms, as the MOLST is more comprehensive, but existing DNR and DNI forms remain valid. The MOLST not only addresses these situations, but also sets forth wishes regarding hospitalization, dialysis, and artificial means of receiving nutrition and hydration.

Durable Power of Attorney

A durable power of attorney is a document that designates someone to make financial decisions for you. The durable power of attorney is a very powerful document with authority that is as broad as the powers granted within it.

It gives power to the person you name to handle all your financial decisions, not just pay your bills. Should you lose capacity and not have a durable power of attorney in place, your loved ones will have to petition the Probate Court to become your conservator, which involves the same obstacles described above as to the appointment of a guardian.

Homestead Declaration

If you own your primary residence in Massachusetts, you should also record a homestead declaration in order to protect the equity in your primary residence up to $500,000 from attachment, seizure, execution on judgment, levy, or sale for the payment of debts. In some cases, such as advanced age or disability, the equity protection can be up to $1 million.

If a homestead declaration is not recorded, there is an automatic $125,000 of equity protection, which may be adequate for some. Homestead protection will likely be particularly important as the financial consequences of this pandemic take hold.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the possibility of disability or death to the fore, and prior dismissals of ‘it won’t happen to me’ ring hollow.

We are at a time when you should presume that it will, in fact, happen to you.

That being the case, would you prefer to have a plan in place to ensure your loved ones can manage your affairs with the least amount of delay, cost, and stress? If the answer is yes, please call an estate-planning attorney today, establish or update your plan, and give yourself and your family that much more peace of mind during this pandemic.

Gina M. Barry is a partner with the law firm Bacon Wilson, P.C. She is a member of the National Assoc. of Elder Law Attorneys, the Estate Planning Council, and the Western Massachusetts Elder Care Professionals Assoc. She concentrates her practice in the areas of estate and asset-protection planning, probate administration and litigation, guardianships, conservatorships, and residential real estate; (413) 781-0560; [email protected]

Area Doctors Take Care of Patients During Challenging Times

By Contributor April 14, 2020

Health Care

A New Normal

By Mark Morris

Dr. S. Lowell Kahn says he feels an obligation to the community to offer his services because it’s so difficult for people to get healthcare right now.

At a time when COVID-19 is dominating everyone’s attention and resources, people are still experiencing other urgent health issues such as heart attacks, strokes, and any number of other medical conditions that require treatment.

During the last few days of March, BusinessWest spoke with several area physicians about the challenges they are confronting in trying to serve the needs of their patients who require medical attention that is not related to the coronavirus.

The doctors BusinessWest spoke with have all reduced their normal business activity and only see patients for emergency or medically necessary reasons. They all said they closely follow the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), notices from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, as well as information from their respective medical societies.

“It’s a challenging environment, to say the least,” said Dr. S. Lowell Kahn, president of New England Endovascular Center.

Kahn said he feels an obligation to the community to offer his services because it’s so difficult for people to get healthcare during these times. The procedures he is doing are non-elective, and in many cases essential for patients, as well as their doctors.

“People with cancer still need chemotherapy, and those with bad peripheral veins need a biopsy first,” he explained. “If we don’t provide that biopsy, the oncologist can’t properly treat them.”

Dr. Stephen Jacapraro, a dentist with Family Dental Care, is only opening his office when someone has a dental emergency. He said moving from reduced hours to closing up completely was a fast transition.

“We are filling a need because my patient doesn’t want go to the emergency room, and the ER staff doesn’t want him there at this time.”

“Back on March 16, the Massachusetts Dental Association recommended that we start limiting hours; then, on March 19th, the state became more stringent, and since then, we shut down completely except for emergencies,” said Jacapraro. “If someone has severe pain or swelling, I can diagnose it, but even in normal circumstances, I would refer the patient to the proper specialist, such as an endodontist or dental surgeon.”

Dr. Christopher Peteros, a podiatrist with New England Foot Specialists, is limiting his practice to seeing post-surgical patients who need follow-up attention, diabetics with foot issues, and others with medically urgent foot conditions.

“If I have a diabetic patient with an infection in his foot, I don’t want to send him to the emergency room at this time,” Peteros said, adding that there is less risk involved in taking care of the patient in his office than sending him to the hospital. “We are filling a need because my patient doesn’t want go to the emergency room, and the ER staff doesn’t want him there at this time.”

Not Business as Usual

Even fairly routine procedures that are usually done in a hospital setting have become more difficult due to hospitals preparing to be overwhelmed with coronavirus cases. Replacing a dialysis catheter for patients would normally be handled in a hospital, but Kahn has been doing them in his office.

“Even though this isn’t considered an emergency procedure, for dialysis patients, it really needs to get done,” he noted, adding that patients prefer to go to his office these days rather than risk exposure to COVID-19 at the hospital.

Dr. Christopher Peteros is seeing patients with urgent issues for two reasons: because they need care right away, and to keep them out of hospitals.

All three doctors spoke of following the latest protocols for constantly wiping down their offices, as well as screening patients more carefully before they arrive. They all said that, if there is any reason to believe a patient has been exposed to the coronavirus, they are kept away from the office.

In the interest of social distancing, the doctors are spreading out appointment times to prevent more than one patient from being in the waiting room at any time. Kahn has taken it one step further, and offers patients the option of waiting in their car until they are ready to be seen.

“We used to let family members come in and sit with the patient in our recovery area after their procedure, said Kahn. “We don’t allow that anymore.”

The safety of their teams is an obvious priority for all three doctors as well. Kahn said all his staff wear masks the entire time they are in the office.

“We screen ourselves every single day using screening questions issued by the CDC,” Kahn said, noting that they go through the entire list of questions to check every staff member for a fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.

“People are scared these days. It’s not fun being a healthcare worker like it was before,” he told BusinessWest.

Jacapraro said one of his concerns is that he and his staff are “toward the older, more vulnerable age group,” so one upside of seeing only emergency cases is that it limits his staff’s exposure to the public. He also mentioned that, with masks and gloves in such high demand, the limited hours allows him to conserve his supplies.

“We’ve been cohesive as a team, trying to keep each other healthy both physically and mentally. We’re staying strong through it to make sure we can stay open to help patients who need us.”

“Our suppliers are taking care of the hospitals first, as they should,” he said, adding that, even with limited supplies, he has enough in stock to handle emergencies.

With his primary supplier unavailable, Jacapraro has been using a secondary supplier for masks whose price is four times higher. Jacapraro doesn’t believe the supplier is jacking up the price, but that it’s more likely a cost difference between suppliers. “When you’re not making any money, however, you still have to pay them four times as much.”

Back in mid-March, the U.S. surgeon general asked doctors to stop all elective procedures, a move that has proven almost self-regulating as the doctors have said patients are more reluctant to seek services at this time.

“Some of my patients are asking me to push off appointments, and I’m asking the others to do so as well,” said Peteros.

Jacapraro added that, once social distancing was being encouraged, the Massachusetts Dental Assoc. recommended stopping all elective treatments. “Obviously, we have to get closer than six feet to help our patients.”

Some of the most common procedures are being seen in a different light in the environment of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) issued a reminder to doctors about a basic procedure that Kahn had done many times in his office.

The procedure involves inserting a feeding tube through the skin and into the stomach. Before doing that, however, the doctor inserts a catheter into the patient’s nose, through the esophagus, and into the stomach to determine the best location for the feeding tube. When the catheter is being inserted into the patient’s nose, it is common for them to have a gag reflex. The SIR cautioned that the gag reflex could aerosolize the COVID-19 virus, and recommended that, unless the doctor and staff wear N95 masks and full headgear, they could potentially expose themselves to the virus.

“This has always been a quick and safe procedure, but we’ve had to rethink it,” Kahn said. “And for the time being, we have backed off on doing feeding tubes, per these recommendations.”

Carrying On

The doctors who spoke with BusinessWest have all based their COVID-19 protocols on information from the CDC, and they advise consumers do the same.

“There’s a lot of bad information out there on social media, where suddenly, everyone thinks they’re an epidemiologist,” said Kahn, adding that consumers should get their information from reliable sources.

Early on, as they understood the significance of the coronavirus, Kahn met with his staff to allow everyone to voice their concerns about practicing medicine at this time. By the end of the meeting, he noted, everyone was on board with how they needed to proceed.

“We’ve been cohesive as a team, trying to keep each other healthy both physically and mentally,” he said, while seemingly speaking for everyone in the industry. “We’re staying strong through it to make sure we can stay open to help patients who need us.”

What Does It Mean to Strengthen Our Immunity?

By Contributor April 14, 2020

Health Care

Back to Basics

By Ashley Tresoline

The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic. We are all trying to navigate through figuring out what is best for ourselves and our families in these uncertain times. As we all stock our homes with extra food, hand sanitizer, and the toilet paper we waited four hours for at the store, we need to be thinking about how we can keep ourselves healthy too: not just by preparing our homes, but by preparing our bodies as well. All of us are facing a new normal for the foreseeable future.

We need to refocus and go back to basics of everyday living to help us support our immune systems. Here are some tips to do just that.

Get enough sleep. I know your latest binge-worthy Netflix show is calling your name, but you still need to be trying to get seven to nine hours of sleep a night. When we are sleep-deprived, we are more likely to get sick. When we sleep, we make proteins called cytokines, which help regulate the immune system.

Stay hydrated. Drinking water seems so simple. Drinking plenty of water ensures that your blood will carry plenty of oxygen to all the cells of your body. This means all of your body’s systems will function properly, because they’ll be getting plenty of oxygen. Your immune system functions best when your muscles and organs are functioning best. If the taste of plain water is hard for you to stomach, add a little lemon, lime, or cucumber.

“Drinking plenty of water ensures that your blood will carry plenty of oxygen to all the cells of your body. This means all of your body’s systems will function properly, because they’ll be getting plenty of oxygen.”

Stay as active as possible. It is so easy to sit around more than we usually do because we are in our houses and don’t have many social activities. Make your workout a priority for your mental and physical health. There are so many gyms and studios that are offering online training and classes for you to do in your own living room. Being active will help you feel less stressed and help keep your immune system functioning in tip-top shape.

Eat your greens. Do you remember when your mom used to tell you to eat your broccoli because it would make you big and strong? Well, guess what? She was right. When you want to boost your body’s immune system, you can do it naturally by eating the most nutritious foods. Dark, leafy greens and cruciferous veggies are recommended by dietitians because these foods contain high levels of minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins. Broccoli is considered one of the most versatile vegetables to buy because you can consume it in a variety of ways, such as raw in salad, steamed, or sautéed.

Eat other foods that help with your immune system. These include citrus fruits such as oranges, limes, and lemons to help with vitamin C, ginger to protect against bacteria and inflammation, sweet potatoes, green and black tea for the amino acids, mushrooms rich in B vitamins and minerals, yogurt for the probiotics and vitamin D, spinach because of its vitamin C and iron, and turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties and flavonoids to help fight off countless infections.

Avoid alcohol and processed sugar. I know these are difficult times and drinking in moderation in most cases is OK, but an increase in your alcohol intake can increase a person’s exposure to bacterial and viral infections. Processed sugar can weaken the immune system, and we all know we should limit our processed sugar on a normal basis. Realistically, we all will have a treat or two every now and then, but processed foods are nutrient-poor. When we eat a lot of sugar, the immune system is habitually deprived of nutrients. We need nutrient-dense food to help our immune system fight off colds and viruses.

Incorporate supplements and vitamins. A lot of us take a daily multi-vitamin, which is a good way for us to help get the recommended vitamins and minerals we need in our diet. There are many other supplements that claim they can help you boost your immunity but be careful, as they can load you up with vitamins and minerals your body can’t absorb. Loading up on some minerals and vitamins in large doses can cause you to have other health problems, such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, kidney problems, headaches, and many more serious conditions, depending on your health situation.

There are a few natural cold supplements that aren’t all bad to add to your health regimen, such as elderberry syrup and zinc lozenges. Elderberry contains natural substances called flavonoids, which can help reduce swelling, fight inflammation, and boost immunity. Studies have shown elderberry can ease the symptoms of the flu, bacterial sinus infections, and bronchitis. The benefits seem to be most effective when started 24 to 48 hours after symptoms begin. (However, never consume a product made with raw elderberry.) Zinc lozenges can also help reduce cold and flu symptoms, but they come with the risk of overwhelming your body with too much zinc. If you take too much, you may be at risk for nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, copper deficiency, and risk of suppressing the immune system. Be sure to speak to a healthcare professional before adding any supplements to your healthcare regimen. Some supplements can react with prescription medications and over-the-counter medications you are taking.

Your body is working hard to keep you healthy. Help your body by eating right, getting proper sleep, staying hydrated, and keeping active. Health is a cumulative thing, so keep up your best health and wellness practices while we are in this difficult time — and, of course, wash your hands!

Ashley Tresoline is the founder of Bella Foodie, LLC; [email protected]

Picture This

By BusinessWest Staff April 14, 2020

Picture This

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

Community Support

Earlier this month, UMassFive College Federal Credit Union reached out to support community members and healthcare workers heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, sponsoring 150 portions of chicken pot pie (made fresh and delivered by Log Cabin Rolling) that were served at the Amherst Survival Center daily community meal, and also sponsoring the delivery of 200 meals to emergency-room staff, split between Springfield’s Mercy Medical Center and Worcester’s UMass Memorial Medical Center. These meals were delivered to the staff at lunchtime, with extra meals to support the next shift as well.

Meeting the Need

The United Way of Pioneer Valley recently donated 5,000 frozen meals to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. The transfer took place at Springfield City Hall, with Mayor Domenic Sarno and United Way President and CEO Paul Mina, in attendance. With the economic effects of COVID-19 causing many area businesses to close, the Food Bank and the food pantries it serves have seen a dramatic increase in need. This donation was a part of the Western Massachusetts United Ways’ combined efforts to provide relief for COVID-19. Pictured: Mina (left) and Tom Leporati of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts handle a pallet of food.

A Story Worth Reading

Last month, Link to Libraries and MGM Springfield announced a partnership to promote learning and literacy in support of Springfield students who are out of the classroom and learning from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Link to Libraries and MGM Springfield donated more than 1,000 books to children ranging from kindergarten through high school. The books were distributed to families through the 15 schools designated as lunch pick-up sites.

Court Dockets

By BusinessWest Staff April 14, 2020

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.

HAMPDEN DISTRICT COURT

Pignatare & Sagan, LLC v. Steven J. McNamara and Robert J. McNamara d/b/a T.J.J. Brothers Inc.
Allegation: Money owed for professional services rendered: $19,070
Filed: 2/18/20

Pignatare & Sagan, LLC v. FRS McNamara Wilbraham, LLC
Allegation: Money owed for professional services rendered: $8,095
Filed: 2/18/20

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Leon Booklall v. Waste Management of Massachusetts Inc.
Allegation: Employment discrimination: $50,000+
Filed: 2/21/20

Jorge L. Alvarez v. KFC/Taco Bell
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $50,000
Filed: 2/25/20

S & S Activewear, LLC v. Bolduc’s Apparel, LLC d/b/a Bolduc’s Apparel/Lil Dogs and Todd Adelson a/k/a Todd M. Adelson
Allegation: Money owed for goods sold and delivered: $143,244.72
Filed: 2/25/20

Theresa Bernard v. Lancer Transportation & Logistics Inc., Todd Goodrich, R.M. Sullivan Transportation Inc., and Robert M. Sullivan
Allegation: Breach of agreement, interference with advantageous business relationship: $235,000
Filed: 2/26/20

Dennis J. Clark et al v. CDA Roofing and Siding Contractors et al
Allegation: Breach of contract, unfair and deceptive acts or practices: $40,000
Filed: 3/3/20

People on the Move

By BusinessWest Staff April 14, 2020

People on the Move

Antoinette Candia-Bailey

Elms College has named accomplished higher-education executive Antoinette Candia-Bailey the college’s first vice president of Student Affairs and chief Diversity officer. Reporting directly to the president, Candia-Bailey, who will join Elms College on April 1, will be responsible for the strategic oversight and management of the college’s Student Affairs and Diversity and Inclusion offices. Candia-Bailey is joining Elms from the University of Wisconsin Madison (UWM), where she currently serves as senior project coordinator to the deputy vice chancellor for Diversity & Inclusion. Prior to that, she was associate dean of students and Student Life at UWM. Abiding by the college’s social-distancing policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, she will be working remotely at the start of her tenure. The position of vice president of Student Affairs and chief Diversity officer is a new one for the college. Candia-Bailey will be responsible for providing leadership, management, and supervision to the director of Diversity and Inclusion, the dean of students, the director of Campus Ministry, and the director of Athletics. She will advise the president and other members of the executive leadership team on all student-affairs and diversity matters. Candia-Bailey has more than 20 years of progressive experience in student affairs and diversity and inclusion at higher-education institutions, including North Carolina State University, Towson University in Maryland, and North Carolina A&T State University. She holds a doctoral degree in leadership studies from North Carolina A&T State University, a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and disability studies from Michigan State University, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Lincoln University in Missouri.

•••••

Nicholas Reich

Nicholas Reich, a UMass Amherst biostatistician who directs the UMass-based Flu Forecasting Center of Excellence, was invited by the White House Coronavirus Task Force to participate in last month’s coronavirus modeling webinar. The four-hour, virtual gathering included 20 of the world’s leading infectious-disease and pandemic forecasting modelers, from researchers at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. to those based at institutions in England, Hong Kong, South Africa, and the Netherlands. Reich, associate professor in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at UMass Amherst, heads a flu-forecasting collaborative that has produced some of the world’s most accurate models in recent years. He and postdoctoral researcher Thomas McAndrew have been conducting weekly surveys of more than 20 infectious-disease-modeling researchers to assess their collective expert opinion on the trajectory of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. The researchers and modeling experts design, build, and interpret models to explain and understand infectious-disease dynamics and the associated policy implications in human populations. Reich is co-author of a new study in Annals of Internal Medicine that calculates that the median incubation period for COVID-19 is just over five days and that 97.5% of people who develop symptoms will do so within 11.5 days of infection. The incubation period refers to the time between exposure to the virus and the appearance of the first symptoms. The study’s lead author is UMass Amherst biostatistics doctoral alumnus Stephen Lauer, a former member of the Reich Lab and current postdoctoral researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

•••••

PeoplesBank announced the appointments and promotion of several key associates. Eric Coutinho has been appointed mortgage consultant for Hartford and Tolland counties. In his new position, he assists homebuyers with finding the right mortgage option as well as guiding them through the application process. Coutinho has a history of volunteer service that includes serving on the fundraising committee for Longmeadow Knights Cheerleading. Aieshya Jackson has been appointed Westfield Banking Center manager. She has more than 10 years of financial services and banking experience. In her new position, she oversees and manages all aspects of a full-service banking center, including staffing, sales, lending, operations, business development, and community relations. Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bay Path University. Her volunteer service includes serving as an executive member of the board of directors of Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services, where she serves as chair of the financial committee. She also serves on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts. Daniel Malkin has been appointed East Granby Banking Center manager. He has more than eight years of financial services and banking experience. In his new position, he oversees sales and operational success of the banking center. Malkin is a member of the board of directors for the Bradley Chamber of Commerce and Kent Memorial Library in Suffield. Sara Roberts has been promoted to Sixteen Acres Banking Center manager. She has more than 10 years of financial-services and banking experience. In her new position, she aims to ensure the banking center meets and exceeds service and sales goals, provides excellent customer service, operates according to all bank policies and procedures, and serves as a leader within the community. She previously served as the assistant Banking Center manager in Holyoke. Roberts has a history of volunteer service that includes providing financial-literacy instruction for Credit for Life and at the Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center.

Company Notebook

By BusinessWest Staff April 14, 2020

Company Notebook

Community Foundation Grants $700,000 Through COVID-19 Response Fund

SPRINGFIELD — The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) announced the release of its first grants, totaling $700,000, to community organizations and nonprofits from its recently-established COVID-19 Response Fund for the Pioneer Valley. The fund has raised $2,480,000 from local philanthropic and business organizations and over 50 individuals. The first round of funding to support local response to the crisis includes $190,000 to distribute food through the region’s system of food pantries; $120,000 to address the needs of vulnerable elders, including home-delivered meals; $120,000 to provide critical health services and outreach through the Valley’s federally designated Community Health Centers; $150,000 to provide shelter for those without homes and those impacted by domestic violence; and $120,000 to provide flexible supports to the region’s lowest-income families and individuals. Organizations receiving funding include Caring Health Center, Catholic Charities Agency – Diocese of Springfield, Center for Human Development, Community Action Pioneer Valley, Community Health Center of Franklin County, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Friends of the Homeless (Clinical & Support Options), Greater Springfield Senior Services, Highland Valley Elder Services, Hilltown Community Health Center, Holyoke Health Center, LifePath, New England Learning Center for Women in Transition, Safe Passage, ServiceNet, Springfield Partners for Community Action, Springfield Rescue Mission, Valley Opportunity Council, WestMass ElderCare, Womanshelter Companeras, and YWCA of Western Massachusetts. More grants are expected to be announced and released to respond to emerging needs. In subsequent phases, grants will be made to address needs of nonprofit organizations that have been financially impacted by the crisis. The Community Foundation welcomes additional donations to the COVID-19 Response Fund for the Pioneer Valley. Donate online at communityfoundation.org/coronavirus-donations.

Fire Investigation Transfer Program Launched at STCC

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) has a hot new program. Starting this fall, the college will offer a new option in the Fire Protection and Safety Technology department: fire investigation transfer. Students who choose this option will study fire behavior, fire operations, prevention, investigations, and criminal law through courses in fire science and criminal justice. Fire investigators often work for local, state, and federal agencies, but also pursue opportunities in the private sector. The program is offered in the evening only, which will give students who work more flexibility. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for fire inspectors and investigators are expected to grow by 8% between 2018 and 2028. The median pay in 2018 was $60,200. Students who successfully complete the two-year program will receive an associate of science degree in fire protection and safety technology. To learn more about the program and to apply for the fall, visit stcc.edu/explore/programs/fitr.as. Individuals with questions may contact Tenczar at [email protected] or call (413) 755-4596.

HCC President Pledges $10,000 to ‘Together HCC’ Campaign

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) President Christina Royal has issued a personal $10,000 challenge gift toward a new HCC campaign that is as much about building moral support in a time of great uncertainty as it is about raising money for students experiencing financial distress. As part of the HCC Foundation’s “Together HCC — A Campaign for Caring,” students, staff, faculty, alumni, relatives, and friends are being asked to use the hashtag #TogetherHCC to share stories and images on social media that show the strength of the college community in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Royal’s $10,000 challenge is not just a financial one. Instead, the goal is to gather 1,000 contributions of any kind toward the #TogetherHCC campaign. That includes monetary donations as well as social-media posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well as e-mail submissions that describe an inspirational tale or messages of encouragement relating to the ongoing pandemic. Besides scholarships, the HCC Foundation manages several funds that directly support students facing financial emergencies as well as those experiencing food and housing insecurity. These include the President’s Student Emergency Fund, which was established by Royal, and another that supports HCC’s Thrive Student Resource Center, which manages the HCC Food Pantry.

Northampton Survival Center Updates Public on Services

NORTHAMPTON — While concern for staff, client, and volunteer health during the COVID-19 pandemic recently forced Northampton Survival Center to temporarily stop client visits to pick up food, the center anticipates resuming modified operations as soon as possible. Even though the building is closed, however, new community partnerships and initiatives have sprung into action. The center has teamed up with Community Action Pioneer Valley to begin distributing food out of Jackson Street School, a nearby location with ample, circular parking and cafeteria and refrigeration capabilities. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, food will be delivered by the Survival Center to the school, where a team of trained personnel will be able to create pre-bagged packages of nutritious food while maintaining safe distancing and other health precautions. On those same afternoons, bags will be carted outdoors under a tent, for quick drive-up intake and food transfer to clients safely in their cars. Another initiative between the Northampton Survival Center and Grow Food Northampton delivers fresh produce and groceries every Tuesday to high-need sites including Hampshire Heights, Florence Heights, Meadowbrook, and the Lumber Yard on Pleasant Street. Food distribution at all four sites will work in tandem with the Northampton public-school system and Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School’s new meal-delivery program for children, in order to amplify each other’s efforts to keep children and their entire families fed. Shelf-stable groceries will be paired with fresh produce purchased directly from local farms, as well as produce and other goods purchased from distributors via River Valley Co-op. To serve clients in the hilltowns, food is being brought from the Hilltown Pantry and Northampton Survival Center to the various Councils on Aging that serve the region. COAs in Chesterfield, Worthington, and Goshen have already begun distributing this food from their sites, and further outreach is being coordinated with the Hilltown Community Health Center and the Hilltown Community Development Corp. The center is exploring using a school classroom in Worthington as a mini-pantry, and fresh produce has been shared with the Maples senior housing in Worthington. Eggs from Northampton Survival Center have been shared with the MANNA hot meal program, and fresh produce and retail donations of bread and other items usually reserved for the center are now being shared with other food pantries in the area, via the center’s partners at the Food Bank.

Monson Savings Bank Donates $25,000 to Baystate Health’s Greatest Needs Fund

MONSON — Baystate Health has just completed construction of a rapid-response triage area outside of the Baystate Medical Center Emergency Department, allowing the hospital to better protect patients and medical staff from exposure to the virus as patients are being screened and tested. This new triage area is just one of the many large, unplanned expenses this health emergency has created. Additionally, the exploding demand for personal protection equipment for staff and myriad other needs to fight this outbreak are stretching resources and finances to the limit. Monson Savings Bank has donated $25,000 to Baystate’s Greatest Needs Fund. This gift will directly support resources needed at Baystate Health as it continues to address and prepare for the care the community needs during this worldwide pandemic.

UMassFive College Credit Union Offers Financial Resources, Support

HADLEY — As a local nonprofit financial cooperative, UMassFive College Federal Credit Union (UMassFive) is known for playing an active role in supporting and educating members and local communities. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UMassFive has launched a number of initiatives to continue supporting its membership and people in the local community. For example, UMassFive has joined forces with Log Rolling Catering to donate 350 meals to individuals and families in need, as well as those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. The Amherst Survival Center received 150 prepared meals for distribution to those in need, and another 200 meals went to the ER staff at both Mercy Medical Center in Springfield and UMass Medical Center in Worcester. In addition, UMassFive has pledged $1,000 to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and donated another $1,000 to the local farming nonprofit Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, which will use the funds as part of its campaign to raise $50,000 for emergency loans to local farms. Credit-union members can also participate by making charitable donations in support of their local community through the UMassFive Buzz Points program, including options benefiting the Food Bank and the Amherst Survival Center. UMassFive is committed to answering questions and providing financial guidance to its members throughout this ongoing time of economic uncertainty. Members are encouraged to reach out for one-on-one phone consultations with credit union staff to better understand what options are available to them at this time. For instance, UMassFive is offering loan-payment deferral for up to three months on all qualified consumer loans. Members can visit www.umassfive.coop/emergency-relief to learn which loans qualify and to submit their emergency-relief payment-deferral requests through an easy-to-fill-out web form. As a way to make things a little easier for qualified borrowers who decide to take on some short-term debt to address their current needs, UMassFive has temporarily lowered the rate of all new personal loans to 5.99% APR for amounts of $2,000 or less. New and existing members can apply for this loan online at www.umassfive.coop/personalloan. After signing up (for new users) or logging in, applicants should select ‘fixed-term loan,’ then ‘loan special,’ and continue filling out the form until fully submitted. The credit union strongly encourages seeking alternative options before taking on additional debt.

Country Bank Donates $250,000 to Four Hospitals

WARE — Country Bank announced it has donated $250,000 to four local hospitals to help assist with the work they are doing for patients as they fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospitals receiving donations include Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Harrington Hospital in Southbridge, UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, and Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester. Paul Scully, president and CEO at Country Bank, noted that “these are challenging and ever-evolving times as we face uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. As a community partner, we care deeply about our communities, and we wanted to support our local hospitals to help ease their financial burden as they continue to offer exceptional care to our friends and neighbors in the region.”

Providence Ministries Services Continue Through Pandemic

HOLYOKE — Providence Ministries will continue to offer essential support services to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, Executive Director Shannon Rudder shared precautions being made to ensure continuity of services while protecting program participants. Effective immediately, the following program shifts will occur: Kate’s Community Kitchen will provide warm, nutritious takeout meals; dining-room services will be suspended until further notice. Margaret’s Pantry will continue to welcome those in need of supplemental groceries to enjoy its community services. This includes both monthly guests along with anyone impacted by loss of work or simply realizing greater need at this time. Make an appointment by calling Brenda at (413) 536-9109, ext. 119. St. Jude’s Clothing Center will be closed until further notice to contain exposure, while the foodWorks culinary-training program will suspend current classes until further notice; the April 1 graduation will be rescheduled. Providence is taking every precaution to ensure its single-room-occupancy recovery housing spaces maintain cleanliness and overall health. It is difficult to ensure a true quarantine due to shared spaces, such as bathrooms and kitchens. At Loreto House, residents will suspend weekend passes and all planned workshops, no general public will be allowed entrance, a daily temperature check has been instituted, and any resident presenting symptoms and fever will be sent to the hospital or their primary-care provider. At both Broderick House and McCleary Manor, no outside visitors or overnight guests are permitted. No new residents will be admitted to any of these houses during this time. Each home has adequate cleaning products and hand soaps. Volunteers are asked to exercise caution and use their best judgement to continue in their service.

Girls Inc. Receives Grants from Baystate Health, Women Empowered

HOLYOKE — Girls Inc. of the Valley received a community-benefits discretionary grant of $5,000 from Baystate Health to Girls Inc. of the Valley’s “Informed and In Charge” program, which is designed to teach healthy sexuality. Through “Informed and In Charge,” girls acquire the knowledge and skills for taking charge of and making informed decisions about their sexual health. Exploring values, practicing responses in different situations, and thinking about their futures helps girls identify ways and reasons to avoid early pregnancy and prevent sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Meanwhile, Women Empowered, a group that strives to promote body positivity and acceptance for both adult women and future generations of girls, has donated $2,500 in proceeds of its Women Empowered calendar sales to Girls Inc. of the Valley. The receipt of this gift will support Girls Inc. of the Valley’s current research-based program offerings designed to empower girls, and will provide a boost in its annual fundraising efforts. The Women Empowered calendar features a diverse group of everyday women who have embraced their uniqueness, have overcome physical and mental obstacles, celebrate their bodies, and want to share their story to inspire others. This calendar provides the chance to send a message of body positivity and acceptance in order to teach other women and future generations to embrace the totality of who they are, and use their gifts, their beauty, and their stories to change the world. Everyone involved with the production of the calendar and all sponsors are women-owned businesses.

Amherst Area Tip Jar Launched

AMHERST — The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce and the Amherst Business Improvement District (BID) have launched the Amherst Area Tip Jar. Many locals would regularly be patronizing their favorite restaurants, bars, salons, coffeehouses, and other businesses that have been ordered closed or have shifted to take-out only, depending on the type of business, due to the COVID-19 crisis and related health and safety restrictions. The Tip Jar, first established in Pittsburgh, allows people to support local service industry staff and businesses. It allows them to send a ‘tip’ to their favorite business, which will share it with their staff — bartenders, servers, kitchen staff, stylists, aestheticians, mechanics, etc. The Amherst Area Tip Jar offers an option for these businesses and individuals to post their Venmo or PayPal information so that customers, family members, neighbors, and community members, near and far, can continue to support them using this open-source concept — a way to maximize social distancing while supporting these workers and small businesses. E-mail Claudia Pazmany, the chamber’s executive director, at [email protected] or Gould at [email protected]m with any inquiries.

Big Y Announces Support for Five Food Banks

SPRINGFIELD — On March 16, Big Y World Class Markets donated $125,000 to three Massachusetts food banks and two in Connecticut in order to help them respond to the challenges they face in helping to feed others during these challenging times. The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Greater Boston Food Bank, the Worcester County Food Bank, Foodshare, and the Connecticut Food Bank will each receive an immediate donation of $25,000. All Big Y stores also now have collection boxes to allow customers to make food donations for local pantries and shelters. As part of its recent 10th annual Sack Hunger/Care to Share program, Big Y also provided more than $11.5 million in food to area food banks, which amounts to a total of 5.7 million meals to help those in need throughout the region. In addition to Sack Hunger, it donates healthy food to these food banks six days a week throughout the year. Two-thirds of those 5.7 million meals include donations of meat and fresh produce, while bakery, non-perishable grocery items, frozen food, and dairy products account for the rest. In fact, these almost-daily donations have become a routine part of Big Y’s operations. These food banks depend upon this steady flow of food to feed those in need. Big Y also encourages support in any amount for area food banks right now. The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts estimates that every dollar donated will provide four meals for those in need. Visit foodbankwma.org for more information. Additionally, Big Y donated $50,000 to the COVID-19 Response Fund hosted by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. The fund will provide flexible resources to Pioneer Valley nonprofit organizations serving populations most impacted by the crisis, such as the elderly, those without stable housing, families needing food, and those with particular health vulnerabilities.

Incorporations

By BusinessWest Staff April 14, 2020

Incorporations

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

BELCHERTOWN

Furever Homes for Felines Inc., 5 Atherton Lane, Belchertown, MA 01007. Roxanne C. Costigan, same. Provide for the foster care, adoption, and placement of rescued cats and kittens into permanent homes.

EAST LONGMEADOW

First Time Home Buyers of New England Inc., 280 North Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Robert L. Jones, 51 Westwood Ave., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. To provide community outreach and education regarding first-time-home buyers and home buying services; and to engage in fund-raising to support education and awareness about home buying assistance.

FEEDING HILLS

Lovotti Distribution Inc., 422 Pine St., Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Nicholas F. Lovotti, same. Distribution of bakery items.

FLORENCE

Florence Community Playground for All Inc., 95 Straw Ave., Florence, MA 01062. Patrick Boughan, same. Grass roots neighborhood organization seeking to build and maintain a variety of small public playground venues in the Florence village neighborhood of Northampton, Massachusetts

LENOX

Green Railroad Group Inc., 68 Main St., Lenox, MA 01240. Paul Aronofsky, same. Retail.

LONGMEADOW

M. Bernstein Insurance Agency Inc., 15 White Oaks Lane, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Maxine L. Bernstein, same. Insurance.

LUDLOW

Ebenezer Corporation, 116 Sewall St., Ludlow, MA 01056. Loving Angels LLC, same. Non-medical health and social care services.

NORTH ADAMS

Fraternal Order of Eagles Auxiliary 310 Inc., 157 River St., North Adams, MA 01247. Catherine Barrett, 320 Cross Road, Clarksburg, MA 01247. Non-profit organization uniting fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality, to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills and promoting peace, prosperity, gladness and hope.

ORANGE

Hoof, Paw and Claw Inc., 900 North Main St., Orange, MA 01364. Rosalind Valentina Miller, same. Non-profit organization engaged in animal welfare, upholding the welfare of farm animals and those animals in rural communities, assisting rural inhabitants in the financial burden of veterinary costs, especially those associated with neutering barn cats, assisting future rural veterinarians pursuing their education. And offering support to rurally practicing veterinarians.

PITTSFIELD

Green Endeavor Capital Inc., 34 Depot St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. George C. Whaling, same. Retail sales.

SPRINGFIELD

Le Nails Spa Inc., 1704 Boston Road, Springfield, MA 01129. Tommy Nguyen, 980 Summer Ave., Springfield, MA 01108. Nail salon.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

MacGuffin Corporation, 900 Riverdale Road, Suite 285, West Springfield, MA 01089. John Miarecki, 475 Broadway St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Online sales of art supplies.

WESTFIELD

Dbtrans Inc., 81 South Maple St Apt 48, Westfield, MA 01085. Dumitru Botnari, same. Trucking.

WILLIAMSTOWN

Dottie’s Dime Corporation, 228 Main St., Williamstown, MA 01267. William Miller, 520 T St, Sacramento, CA 95811. Award academic scholarships to Berkshire county residents who demonstrate financial need.

Eat In Williamstown Inc., 234 Main St., Williamstown, MA 01267. Scott Grupe, same. Own and operate food service.

Doing Business As Certificates

By BusinessWest Staff April 14, 2020

DBA Certificates

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

BELCHERTOWN

Metanoia
6 Moss Lane
Andrea Stasio-Pikul

Rubee Ranch Orchard
310 North Washington St.
Jeffrey Pronovost

Traccie Hillion LMHC
557 Federal St.
Traccie Hillion

Upright Home Improvements
241 Franklin St.
Douglas Murray

CHICOPEE

Indie Cove
4 Fuller St.
Alexis Cruz

JMAC Transportation
28 Mercedes St.
Joseph McCallister

Svetlana Express Courier
530 Britton St.
Svetlana Akpayne

TNR Zone
563 New Ludlow Road
Regina Shea-Sullivan
SPRINGFIELD

Commonwealth Café
436 Dwight St.
Richard Malley

Cool Tees 4 U, LLC
151 Dickinson St.
Saby Pagan

Copycat Print Shop
483 Breckwood Blvd.
Moore Printing Inc.

Discolou Entertainment
268 Main St.
Luis Rodriguez

Downtown Convenience Store
160 Worthington St.
Nafees Awan

Jim’s Cleaning Two
66 Cortland St.
Lakya Wyche

Jojo’s Gardening & Landscaping
64 Osgood St.
Carmen Andino

Jordan’s Boarding Kennels
599 Tinkham Road
Rosemarie Masley

Kelley Roark Ltd.
9 Bellevue Ave.
Kelley Roark

La Rapidita Service
937 Worthington St., Suite B
Magaly Alicea

Sixteen Acres Healthcare
215 Bicentennial Highway
John Wynne Jr.

Springfield Renaissance PTA
1170 Carew St.
Donald Dorn Jr.

Stinger Style Productions
75 Greene St.
James Andrews

Studio 2000
563-569 Main St.
An Amiriam Lopez

U Break It We Fix It
143 Main St.
Joseph Rodriguez

Up & Coming Artist Network
63 Atwater Road
Devin O’Connor

Venus Rock & Panel Installation
22 Central St.
Roy Miller

Walgreens #17584
126 Island Pond Road
Todd Heckman

Wellspring Harvest
121 Pinevale St.
Fred Rose

Wireless Connection by Torres
890 Carew St.
Beury Torres

Worthy Worldwide Entertainment
317 Peekskill Ave.
Alfred Reid

WESTFIELD

360 Behavior and Performance Management
24 Camelot Lane
360 Behavior and Performance Management

Alchemy Method
7 Lozier Ave.
Amelia Fanion

Arion P. Slingerland
220 Prospect St. Ext.
Arion Slingerland

Arrow Gas
28 Arch Road
Suburban Propane, LP

ASP Plumbing & Heating
59 Washington St.
Aaron Poteat

Liptak Emergency Water Removal
825 Southampton Road
Liptak Carpet Cleaning & Restoration Inc.

Skip & Didi Lane
184 Gun Club Road
Suzanne Tracy

Slavik Transportation
85 Otis St.
Vyacheslav Sidoryuk

Veteran Tool
77 Mill St.
Dale Massai

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Fine Knots and Lines
17 Elm Circle
Ciera Bilodeau-Cox

Found Meaning Therapy
117 Park Ave.
Nicholas Decoteau

Interstate Towing Inc.
73 Windsor St.
Jeremy Procon

John R. Sweeney Insurance Agency
1233 Westfield St.
John Sweeney

K & J Logistics
380 Union St.
Jonathan Rosa

Nouria
518 Memorial Ave.
Tony El-Nemr

Nouria
1130 Riverdale St.
Tony El-Nemr

Nouria
735 Westfield St.
Tony El-Nemr

Nouria
2668 Westfield St.
Tony El-Nemr

Photography by Duval
439 Birnie Ave.
Madeline Davidson

Riverdale Shell Convenience Plus
2044 Riverdale St.
Dinesh Patel

Western Mass Hypnosis Center
201 Westfield St.
Thaddeus Muszynski

Bankruptcies

By BusinessWest Staff April 14, 2020

Bankruptcies

The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court (bankruptcy petitions omitted from our last are included hereunder). Readers should confirm all information with the court.

Albertson, Allen Brian
62 Lorimer St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/29/20

Allen, Gregory H.
259 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01035
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/06/20

Ayala, Duamel
20 Montgomery St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/28/20

Beaubien, Chad
23 Shea Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/05/20

Boyce, Cameron Ciano
116 Fomer Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/13/20

Charow, Deborah L.
49 Old South St., Apt. 504
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/10/20

Chizik, Lynn M.
74 Springside Ave.
Unit 3
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/02/20

Cicek, Goksal
Cicek, Emine
6 Randall St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/10/20

Costello, Patricia
9 Prew Ave., Unit A3
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/07/20

Costigan, William
Costigan, Karenmarie
114 St. James Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/07/20

Crenshaw, Joy
140 Ellendale Circle
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/07/20

Crowther, TerryLee
PO Box 146
Goshen, MA 01032
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/01/20

Demers, Shauna L.
a/k/a Meuse, Shauna L.
110 Elizabeth Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/02/20

DeVault, Timothy Scott
43 Oak Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/13/20

Dickinson, David Arthur
49 Highland Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/06/20

Diluzio, Laura Lee
24 Old Turnpike Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/28/20

Ellsworth, Peter R.
346 Elm St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/29/20

English, Francis J.
27 Van Ness St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/04/20

Ferrell, Joseph Roy
PO Box 336
Hadley, MA 01035
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/28/20

Fisher, Belinda
a/k/a Whitman, Belinda
198 Union Road
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/02/20

Flagg, Tammi
783 Lyon St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/29/20

Frank, Jay R.
Stanley, Alisha A.
520 Riverglade Dr., Apt. C
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/12/20

Kaplan, Aaron H.
84 Manor Court
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/12/20

Kelly, Larry Scott
201 Windsor St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/11/20

Kittredge, Tod Raymond
Kittredge, Jennifer Evelyn
a/k/a Robichaud, Jennifer E.
40 Dewey St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/28/20

LaFerriere, Mary Jane M.
a/k/a Broderick, Mary Jane M.
337 Hungerford St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/04/20

Laviolette, Lilibeth B.
8 Mechanic St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/02/20

Lebedinskaya, Olga
11 Barnard St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/06/20

LeCours, Allen R.
40 Alden St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/13/20

Leiper, Christopher A.
Leiper, Cara
a/k/a Clifford, Cara F.
11 Sikes Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/29/20

Leroux, Lori Jean
PO Box 1172
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/11/20

Liebel, Kevin Paul
114 Westwood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/13/20

Lindsey, Denise Marie
123 Arthur St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/13/20

Magri, James J.
32 Kathy Way
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/04/20

Maldonado-Burgos, Andrea L.
238 Wollaston St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/10/20

Marcille, Barbara A.
P.O. Box 1485
Warren, MA 01083
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 02/28/20

McHugh III, Bernard J.
1289 Old Turnpike Road
Oakham, MA 01068
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/11/20

Melendez, Luis Rafael
61 Saint James Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/28/2

Mieltowski, Michael J.
219 Greenwich Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/03/20

Nielsen, James Anker
656 Huckle Hill Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/13/20

Pelley, Jessica Lynn
a/k/a Briancesco, Jessica Lynn
15 John Mason Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/29/20

Ride A Transport LLC
Kickery, Gary Lee
Kickery, Carol Dawn
P.O. Box 313
Pittsfield, MA 01202
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/28/20

Rooney, Debra A.
25 Thomas St., Apt 315
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/02/20

Roy Carreras, Jorge R.
127 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/02/20

Sambou, Lucis
P.O. Box 362
Thorndike, MA 01079
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/27/20

Santiago, Alexander
Santiago, Milagros
48 Massasoit St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/28/20

Santiago, Hector L.
285 Brainerd St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/10/20

Simpson, Christopher B.
299 Crouch Road
West Warren, MA 01092
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/14/20

Sirkissoon, Barbara A.
53 Mountain Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/10/20

The Beauty of Books
Robin’s Webs
Brooks, Robin L.
79 North Catamount Hill
Colrain, MA 01340
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/09/20

Thorington, Beverley
130 Ruskin St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/01/20

Tong, Valerie
a/k/a/ Tong, Hang T.
26 Amostown Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/06/20

Trudeau, Tobias J.
Trudeau, Lisa G.
140 Peck Brothers Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/05/20

Vargas, Edgardo L.
54 Meetinghouse Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 02/27/20

Westbrooks, Kelly Lyn
44 Derryfield Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/02/20

Wilson, Kim
50 Coakley Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/13/20

Real Estate Transactions

By BusinessWest Staff April 14, 2020

Real Estate

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

FRANKLIN COUNTY

ASHFIELD

370 Buckland Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Ryan Pease
Seller: Beverly A. Labelle
Date: 03/23/20

828 Murray Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $780,000
Buyer: Matthew D. McGuire
Seller: Murray Road TR
Date: 03/12/20

BUCKLAND

5 Wellington St.
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: Sarah A. Davenport
Seller: Wilmington Trust
Date: 03/12/20

DEERFIELD

17 Childs Cross Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $182,500
Buyer: Barbara L. Williams
Seller: Richard A. Eaton
Date: 03/16/20

100 Guy Manners Road
Deerfield, MA 01370
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Hawks Farm RT
Seller: Meredith L. Chadwick
Date: 03/19/20

101 Plain Road West
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $416,000
Buyer: Ruggles FT
Seller: John L. Plotkin
Date: 03/16/20

51 Sugarloaf St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Corrine Sysun
Seller: Phyllis K. Dzenis
Date: 03/20/20

20 Thayer St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $134,500
Buyer: Jessica Howard
Seller: Peter M. Kuchieski
Date: 03/23/20

ERVING

12 Forest St.
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Francis S. Lysiak
Date: 03/18/20

8 Pleasant St.
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $119,700
Buyer: Kathy M. Halvorsen
Seller: Cromack, Bruce A., (Estate)
Date: 03/20/20

GREENFIELD

20 Albert Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $197,925
Buyer: Jeremy R. Gaudette
Seller: Silver, Carl, (Estate)
Date: 03/23/20

17 Fairview Ter.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $132,500
Buyer: Elizabeth J. Bukolsky RET
Seller: Blood John M., (Estate)

240 Federal St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $5,130,000
Buyer: Triple Net Greenfield LLC
Seller: RCK Greenfield LLC
Date: 03/17/20

LEVERETT

83 Shutesbury Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $590,000
Buyer: Village Of Light Inc.
Seller: Geoffrey I. Hitzig
Date: 03/20/20

MONTAGUE

48 Millers Falls Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Jill M. Innes
Seller: Corrine E. Sysun
Date: 03/20/20

NORTHFIELD

45 Ferncliff Ave.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $178,500
Buyer: Vincent R. Pernice
Seller: David Dukor-Jackson
Date: 03/13/20

60 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Aida LLC
Seller: Kimberly A. Farmer
Date: 03/13/20

ORANGE

50 Lake Mattawa Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $144,900
Buyer: Charles J. Wright
Seller: Susan R. Gainley
Date: 03/24/20

366 Mayo Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Stanley C. Pearson
Seller: Marsh, John A., (Estate)
Date: 03/20/20

39-41 Pleasant St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: M. Jemms Orange I. LLC
Seller: James H. Hurt
Date: 03/18/20

SHELBURNE

100 Guy Manners Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Hawks Farm RT
Seller: Meredith L. Chadwick
Date: 03/19/20

203 Shelburne Center Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $349,000
Buyer: Mary L. Gallup
Seller: Devon G. Whitney
Date: 03/13/20

SUNDERLAND

523 Hadley Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Robert H. Adair
Seller: Kuzmeski RT
Date: 03/23/20

WENDELL

65 Lockes Village Road
Wendell, MA 01380
Amount: $227,500
Buyer: Thomas M. Richardson
Seller: Jacob A. Doody
Date: 03/11/20

69 Lockes Village Road
Wendell, MA 01380
Amount: $227,500
Buyer: Thomas M. Richardson
Seller: Jacob A. Doody
Date: 03/11/20

23 Stone Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $357,000
Buyer: Jacob A. Doody
Seller: Amy E. Palmer
Date: 03/11/20

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

27 Cleveland St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: John P. Moccio
Seller: Gary E. Suffriti
Date: 03/19/20

35 Colonial Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Eric W. Lottermoser
Seller: Richard G. Schreiber
Date: 03/18/20

87 Country Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Ruby Realty LLC
Seller: William N. Beaudry
Date: 03/18/20

57 Harding St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Derek Parolo
Seller: CIG 4 LLC
Date: 03/13/20

4 Haskell St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Nicholas J. Biuso
Seller: Gloria R. Albano
Date: 03/19/20

97 James St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: David S. Weaver
Seller: Kenneth Peters
Date: 03/19/20

23 Lincoln St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Mary A. Pizzimenti
Date: 03/12/20

4 McGrath Ter.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $219,900
Buyer: Christopher D. Thumm
Seller: Douglas T. Walsh
Date: 03/19/20

698 Mill St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $157,400
Buyer: Crystal Melloni
Seller: Barbara J. Giordano
Date: 03/18/20

732 Mill St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $211,000
Buyer: Tracie Liquori
Seller: Nicholas D. Griffin
Date: 03/13/20

57 Overlook Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Robert Sopet
Seller: Kenneth D. Blews
Date: 03/11/20

157 River Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $126,251
Buyer: Etabav RT
Seller: Michael J. Depratti
Date: 03/16/20

805 River Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $142,500
Buyer: Moustafa I. Tahoun
Seller: Smith, Viola A., (Estate)
Date: 03/16/20

123 Robin Ridge Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Steven D. Hitchcock
Seller: Marlene P. Harlin
Date: 03/17/20

BLANDFORD

19 Cobble Mountain Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $162,500
Buyer: Christopher C. Gibbs
Seller: Richard J. Dame
Date: 03/19/20

54 Gibbs Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: William B. Hull LLC
Seller: Stephanie A. Fontaine
Date: 03/16/20

CHESTER

292 Route 20
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Molly I. Larkham
Seller: Nathan J. Bolduc
Date: 03/13/20

CHICOPEE

8 Andover Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $221,000
Buyer: Milton Torres
Seller: Janosik Realty LLC
Date: 03/13/20

8 Caddyshack Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: James St.Hilaire
Seller: Naz Naji
Date: 03/18/20

18 Cadieux Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Timothy L. Allen
Seller: Brian P. Patrick
Date: 03/18/20

73 Chapin St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Wheeler
Seller: 73 Chapin LLC
Date: 03/19/20

363 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Trajen LLC
Seller: Wayne L. Pare
Date: 03/16/20

66 Dwight St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $712,000
Buyer: Blackrock BNG Group LLC
Seller: Anthony D. Maloni
Date: 03/11/20

1492 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: DW Com. Prop. LLC
Seller: Russell G. Centerbar
Date: 03/17/20

18 Roberts Pond Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Ruby Realty LLC
Seller: Edward J. Blanchard
Date: 03/17/20

542 Sheridan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $314,000
Buyer: Michael D. Berardelli
Seller: Premier Home Builders Inc.
Date: 03/12/20

110 Southwick St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Melissa S. Sanchez
Seller: Byron M. Garcia
Date: 03/18/20

190 Stebbins St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $152,700
Buyer: Theodore L. Chagnon
Seller: Norman G. Barree
Date: 03/18/20

50 Thaddeus St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $132,100
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Anita Bernier
Date: 03/13/20

59 Wayfield Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $186,900
Buyer: Melissa Torres
Seller: US Bank
Date: 03/19/20

33 William St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $161,000
Buyer: Travis J. Haley
Seller: Tyler S. Austin
Date: 03/12/20

EAST LONGMEADOW

202 Canterbury Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $392,500
Buyer: Mario J. Tascon
Seller: Pandiaraja Gnanaprakasam
Date: 03/19/20

3 Converse Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Elizabeth R. Zahradnik
Seller: Mohammad J. Bhuyan
Date: 03/13/20

33 Lynwood Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Jeffrey T. Hansen
Seller: Tascon Homes LLC
Date: 03/17/20

Shaker Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $2,000,000
Buyer: DEB Realty Co. Inc.
Seller: Ranger Lumber Corp.
Date: 03/18/20

HAMPDEN

433 Main St.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Kailey Golebiowski
Seller: Mark Michalski
Date: 03/13/20

HOLLAND

30 Lakeshore Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Robert V. Summers
Seller: George Motyka
Date: 03/11/20

HOLYOKE

31 Alderman St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Deena Perdue
Seller: Posiadlosc LLC
Date: 03/13/20

101 Elm St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $1,080,000
Buyer: Blue Chip Buildings LLC
Seller: Albert E. Paone
Date: 03/19/20

105 Elm St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $1,080,000
Buyer: Blue Chip Buildings LLC
Seller: Albert E. Paone
Date: 03/19/20

241 Oak St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Brian Michaud
Seller: Scheinost, Kris S., (Estate)
Date: 03/13/20

LONGMEADOW

76 Deepwoods Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Charles Goldblatt
Seller: Ranadhir R. Beereddy
Date: 03/17/20

379 Maple Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Marleigh E. Felsenstein
Seller: Marcus C. Imes
Date: 03/19/20

75 Maple Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $307,000
Buyer: Christopher Askins
Seller: James Grimaldi
Date: 03/19/20

89 Warren Ter.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Emtay Inc.
Seller: Robert I. Cohen
Date: 03/13/20

LUDLOW

1087 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Russell A. Orcutt
Seller: Godin, Jane H., (Estate)
Date: 03/12/20

183 Colonial Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Beth A. Lemek
Seller: Wilmington Savings
Date: 03/17/20

38 Motyka St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Branco Consruction LLC
Seller: Queirogam, Charles J., (Estate)
Date: 03/13/20

15 Victor St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: NSP Residential LLC
Seller: Shawn N. Thompson
Date: 03/19/20

PALMER

1644-1646 North Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: A To Z Prop Mgmt. & Renovation
Seller: Martin H. Greany
Date: 03/12/20

1654-1658 North Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: A To Z Prop Mgmt. & Renovation
Seller: Martin H. Greany
Date: 03/12/20

RUSSELL

678 General Knox Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Timothy Brewster
Seller: Scott S. Vanden-Bulcke
Date: 03/19/20

SPRINGFIELD

52 Acushnet Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Ruben Santos
Seller: Kathy T. Truong
Date: 03/13/20

323 Bay St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Laceyann R. Nelson
Seller: Amat Victoria Curam LLC
Date: 03/11/20

137 Bellevue Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: David J. Maradyn
Seller: Jerry E. True
Date: 03/12/20

123 Buckingham St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Gregory P. Rice
Seller: Give Them Sanctuary Inc.
Date: 03/11/20

122 Carver St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Tanisha Arena
Seller: Kevin Nguyen
Date: 03/11/20

642 Cooley St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $129,231
Buyer: Lakeview Loan Servicing
Seller: Charlotte E. Maguire
Date: 03/11/20

162 Eastern Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: 162 Eastern LLC
Seller: Eastern Avenue Invests
Date: 03/16/20

29 Eddy St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Gelson D. Laguerre
Seller: Rosa M. Torres
Date: 03/11/20

36 Forest St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Adam G. Schlesinger
Seller: Oden M. Gomez
Date: 03/12/20

23 Frontenac St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Peter Adonis-Mateo
Seller: Property Keys LLC
Date: 03/11/20

110 Gilman St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Elias Severino
Seller: Onota Rental LLC
Date: 03/18/20

131 Hartford Ter.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Pamela J. O’Neil
Seller: Smith, Kathleen M., (Estate)
Date: 03/17/20

62 Kensington Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Payton Rawls
Seller: Daniel Beauregard
Date: 03/16/20

51 Kosciusko St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Sun Flynn
Seller: Manuel C. Salgado
Date: 03/19/20

892-898 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Harsh A. Patel
Seller: Virginai E. Golemba
Date: 03/16/20

110 Margerie St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Ian Gabbidon
Seller: Walid F. Ahmed
Date: 03/12/20

127 Massachusetts Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: R. Rodriguez-Pellot
Seller: CIG 4 LLC
Date: 03/17/20

44 Melville St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Miguel A. Mejia-Polanco
Seller: Homestead Connections LLC
Date: 03/18/20

99 Norfolk St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $119,000
Buyer: Alycar Investments LLC
Seller: Taylor, Charles L., (Estate)
Date: 03/19/20

N/A
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Mert C. Yanbul
Seller: Mister Mister LLC
Date: 03/17/20

21 Old Point St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $198,500
Buyer: Leticia Vazquez
Seller: Properties R Us & Investments
Date: 03/11/20

218-220 Orange St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $171,500
Buyer: Carlos M. Pena
Seller: Josefina Forestier
Date: 03/16/20

120 Orchard St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $281,000
Buyer: Angeljoy Co. LLC
Seller: 716 Spring Valley LLC
Date: 03/12/20

1333 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $137,500
Buyer: Hector Concepcion
Seller: Constance A. White
Date: 03/18/20

11 Penrose St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: James McCarthy
Seller: Wolfpack Realty Corp.
Date: 03/19/20

90 Pinecrest Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Ndayiragije Simon
Seller: Tony M. Tai
Date: 03/12/20

115 Rosewell St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Emmanuel Tete-Donkor
Seller: US Bank NA
Date: 03/17/20

64-66 Scott St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Martina Adames
Seller: Liam P. Hayes
Date: 03/11/20

52-54 Stockman St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $125,061
Buyer: Bank New York Mellon
Seller: Terrell Brown
Date: 03/16/20

24 Warrenton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Arelys Romero
Seller: Joseph S. Bruno
Date: 03/18/20

21 Wellesley St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $189,900
Buyer: Caleb M. Mattsson-Boze
Seller: Leon Woods
Date: 03/16/20

WESTFIELD

315 Buck Pond Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Jason G. Paquette
Seller: Heather A. Longley
Date: 03/13/20

1779 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $203,023
Buyer: Thomas Kowalski
Seller: FNMA
Date: 03/18/20

130 Lindbergh Blvd.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Perry L. Phillips
Seller: Cornerstone Homebuying
Date: 03/13/20

3 Locust St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $224,500
Buyer: William E. Leavy
Seller: David S. Weaver
Date: 03/19/20

5 Maplewood Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $176,000
Buyer: Julie Cuttell
Seller: Bethany E. Healy
Date: 03/18/20

39 Old Feeding Hills Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Kathleen R. Brady
Seller: Laurence N. Brady
Date: 03/17/20

WILBRAHAM

36 Glenn Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $322,450
Buyer: Arria N. Coburn
Seller: Philip H. Gosselin
Date: 03/12/20

19 Grove St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Erik R. Snyder
Seller: Sushilaben Patel
Date: 03/13/20

931 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Michelle T. Gallien
Seller: Daniel J. Kelley
Date: 03/16/20

5 Seneca St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Lindsay Russo
Seller: Ricardo R. Garrido
Date: 03/13/20

17 Weston St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $179,500
Buyer: Arthur H. Walsh
Seller: Arria N. Coburn
Date: 03/12/20

10 Winterberry Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Craig M. Healy
Seller: Susan T. McDiarmid
Date: 03/19/20

WEST SPRINGFIELD

165 Almon Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Carolyn Charette
Seller: Carolyn Charette
Date: 03/11/20

340 Amostown Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Joseph T. Martin
Seller: Fallah Razzak
Date: 03/19/20

193 Bosworth St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Round 2 LLC
Seller: Geraldine T. Racicot
Date: 03/18/20

410 Elm St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Olga G. Archakova
Seller: Lyubov Kamyshina
Date: 03/11/20

99 Forris St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $254,900
Buyer: Anthony J. Iennaco
Seller: Donald J. Donahue
Date: 03/18/20

108 Great Plains Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $200,100
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Barbara J. Kelley
Date: 03/18/20

25 Lower Grandview Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Mathew D. Gaspari
Seller: David P. Bonci
Date: 03/13/20

1844 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Nancy V. Fox
Seller: 1844 Riverdale LLC
Date: 03/13/20

537 Rogers Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: CIL Realty Of Mass. Inc.
Seller: Barbara A. Thomas
Date: 03/13/20

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

171 Gray St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Daisy Mae Realty LLC
Seller: Paul Boudreau
Date: 03/24/20

15 High Point Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jessica M. Jimison
Seller: Melanie Fletcher-Howell
Date: 03/18/20

22 Indian Pipe Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $627,000
Buyer: Michael W. McClurg
Seller: Lise N. Halpern
Date: 03/19/20

30 Justice Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $274,000
Buyer: Tracy L. Ross
Seller: Ellen Panzer
Date: 03/20/20

96 Larkspur Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $543,000
Buyer: Cheri K. Leblond
Seller: Thomas E. Kopec
Date: 03/13/20

165 Mechanic St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Martin Kounitz
Seller: Craig D. Mackinnon
Date: 03/13/20

25 Mount Pollux Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Nancy F. Rothschild
Seller: Shumway, Ilse W., (Estate)
Date: 03/12/20

43 Ridgecrest Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Andrew T. Trafford
Seller: William C. Venman RET
Date: 03/13/20

22 Rolling Ridge Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Daniel R. Friedman
Seller: Historical Enterprises
Date: 03/20/20

181 Strong St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Raymond J. Pedrick
Seller: Fiordaliza Suarez
Date: 03/23/20

36 Weaver Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $570,000
Buyer: Joel R. Acker
Seller: Richard P. Lawlor
Date: 03/20/20

BELCHERTOWN

12 Autumn Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Benjamin McCullough
Seller: Wilmington Savings
Date: 03/12/20

635 North Washington St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Meaghan L. Williamson
Seller: Lenox Homes LLC
Date: 03/20/20

22 Prescott Hill
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Peter Farfard
Seller: Newbridge Industries
Date: 03/18/20

153 Stebbins St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Brian P. Patrick
Seller: Dean M. Kolodji
Date: 03/18/20

115 Wilson Road
Belchertown, MA 01056
Amount: $216,000
Buyer: Scott A. Surner
Seller: Benjamin A. Surner
Date: 03/11/20

CHESTERFIELD

17 Bissell Road
Chesterfield, MA 01096
Amount: $273,000
Buyer: David Luquin
Seller: Vee Builders LLC
Date: 03/13/20

EASTHAMPTON

10 Lawler Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $326,000
Buyer: James W. Poro
Seller: Barry Small
Date: 03/20/20

46 Pomeroy St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $534,500
Buyer: Elyane Harney
Seller: Christopher C. Fickett
Date: 03/20/20

GRANBY

101 Kendall St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $575,000
Buyer: Alison J. Kuley
Seller: William M. Clark
Date: 03/12/20

23 North St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Robert K. Scott
Seller: Irene A. Sills
Date: 03/12/20

HADLEY

3 Nikkis Way
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $649,000
Buyer: Mohammed J. Ahmed
Seller: Bercume Construction LLC
Date: 03/12/20

20 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $582,000
Buyer: Katherine Sandak
Seller: Angelica S. Leboeuf TR
Date: 03/13/20

Shattuck Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $1,260,000
Buyer: Food Bank Of Western Mass.
Seller: Kestrel Land TR
Date: 03/20/20

42 West St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $611,250
Buyer: Trysquare LLC
Seller: 42 West Street Hadley LLC
Date: 03/13/20

HATFIELD

113 Prospect St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $394,000
Buyer: Michael Murphy
Seller: Deborah M. Keisch
Date: 03/20/20

HUNTINGTON

2 Goss Hill Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: Rachel Laurie
Seller: James Tidwell
Date: 03/23/20

44 Littleville Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Kyle Harmon
Seller: 44 Littleville Road Land TR
Date: 03/13/20

NORTHAMPTON

112 Dunphy Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Matthew P. Larochelle
Seller: Elena L. Maslowski
Date: 03/16/20

10 Hawley St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,260,000
Buyer: O’Connell Hawley LLC
Seller: Roman Catholic Bishop Of Springfield
Date: 03/17/20

3 Langworthy Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Kelli L. Miller
Seller: Frances H. Crowe IRT
Date: 03/13/20

11 Orchard St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: 11 Orchard Street LLC
Seller: Apple Tree LLC
Date: 03/16/20

Phillips Place
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: O’Connell Hawley 2 LLC
Seller: Roman Catholic Bishop Of Springfield
Date: 03/17/20

15 Ryan Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Clare Doyle
Seller: Robert Farr-Bayliss
Date: 03/24/20

597 Westhampton Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Zachary Moran
Seller: Daniel J. Smith
Date: 03/11/20

PELHAM

9 Jones Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: John J. Kulsick
Seller: Chelsea Reiff-Gwyther
Date: 03/24/20

SOUTH HADLEY

4 Birchwood Place
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: Kathleen J. Bryant
Seller: Crystal L. Harto
Date: 03/20/20

366 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Tamara R. Thompson
Seller: Cliste RT
Date: 03/23/20

631 Newton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $304,900
Buyer: Fredrick R. Smith
Seller: Daniel Dowen
Date: 03/16/20

45 Red Bridge Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $459,000
Buyer: Daniel Dowen
Seller: Patrick S. Sabbs
Date: 03/16/20

12 Skyline Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Home Improvement Assocs.
Seller: Loretta A. Chudzik
Date: 03/19/20

9 Sunrise Circle
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: John Courtney
Seller: Harry Kastrinakis
Date: 03/13/20

18 Waite Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Peter Ngure-Gitau
Seller: John Courtney
Date: 03/13/20

SOUTHAMPTON

113 College Hwy.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Susan M. Wilson
Seller: Haley E. Pearl
Date: 03/23/20

220 College Hwy.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $247,600
Buyer: Sandra Demers
Seller: Edna M. Bresnahan IRT
Date: 03/18/20

3 Jeanne Circle
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Samuel R. Maule
Seller: Mary A. Phelan
Date: 03/16/20

WARE

36 Aspen St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Kaycee E. Partlow
Seller: Rufus G. Chaffee
Date: 03/20/20

11 Barnes St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Brian R. Farmer
Seller: Linda M. Kenyon
Date: 03/19/20

27 Berkshire Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $181,100
Buyer: Best4u RT
Seller: Lakeview Loan Servicing
Date: 03/12/20

9 Castle St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Adilson Lima
Seller: Heidi Pardee
Date: 03/19/20

20 Highland St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Katherine A. Marceau
Seller: Joseph C. Heymann
Date: 03/18/20

340 Monson Turnpike Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: John S. O’Donnell
Seller: Karen L. Wallace
Date: 03/11/20

31-33 Walnut St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Helena Paez
Seller: Steven M. Lundahl
Date: 03/13/20

WESTHAMPTON

220 Northwest Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Katelyn C. Dutkiewicz
Seller: Lans G. Christenson
Date: 03/20/20

WILLIAMSBURG

21 Goshen Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $215,500
Buyer: Noah T. Illingsworth
Seller: Charles W. Odowd
Date: 03/13/20

3 Main St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Oakfield Properties LLC
Seller: WIP Inc.
Date: 03/11/20

48 South St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $624,000
Buyer: James D. Paluch
Seller: Robert W. Barker
Date: 03/16/20

Building Permits

By BusinessWest Staff April 14, 2020

Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the month of April 2020.

AMHERST

Fleet National Bank
1 South Pleasant St.
$31,000 — Demolish temporary wall, remove existing grill and gearhead

Long Mountain, LLC
383 Main St.
$2,000 — Remove non-bearing partition wall on first floor

CHICOPEE

Dow Jones and Co. Inc.
200 Burnett Road
$101,035 — Storage room roofing

LEE

AJT Realty Trust
335 Forest St.
$25,000 — Alterations to existing AT&T antenna equipment

LENOX

CR Resorts, LLC
165 Kemble St.
$25,000 — Finish upgrades in spinning room and steam room

HG October Mountain Estate, LLC
430 East St.
$5,000 — Repair front gate post

PALMER

Adaptas
7 Third St.
$50,000 — Bring wall up to two-hour fire rating, create new vestibule

SPRINGFIELD

Baystate Medical Center Inc.
300 Carew St.
$24,986 — Alter interior space for a guard station on second floor of Family Advocacy Center

Baystate Medical Center Inc.
3601 Main St.
$334,118 — Alter shell space for fit-out for medical office space, clinical trials support

Center Square Inc.
1459 Main St.
$657,475 — Interior renovations to office space on ninth floor, cosmetic updates to office space on eighth floor

Local Tortillas, LLC
1026 Bay St.
$220,250 — Repair two side entrance landings and stairs, alter front covered entry for accessible compliance, create exterior concrete pad for three metal bins

Gono Ostrovskiy
174 Locust St.
$20,000 — Replace 25 roof trusses, add insulation to attic and exterior walls, remove and replace windows and siding

Wason Avenue Partners II, LLC
80 Wason Ave.
$24,986 — Alter interior space for tenant fit-out for medical office space, clinical trials suite

Remote Workers Face Plenty of Challenges

By Joseph Bednar April 13, 2020

Coronavirus Cover Story

On the Home Front

On one hand, it’s good to be working — many people during the COVID-19 crisis have lost their jobs. However, those who continue to clock in every day, only from home, often face challenges they never had to contend with before, from balancing work with their kids’ education to the anxiety and loneliness that can accompany a lack of face-to-face contact. But that’s today’s new normal, and no one can predict for sure when people might start heading back to the office.

As the office manager at Architecture EL in East Longmeadow, Allison Lapierre-Houle has plenty to do, but enough time to do it. Usually.

“I handle all the administrative tasks — anything HR-related, financial-related, pretty much everything outside what the architects do,” she said, adding that she’s never had to work outside her set hours — until recently.

“Now, I’ve been working on weekends a little bit, at night a little bit, because I have to take constant breaks in between for homeschooling, and all of the distractions that come with running a house and doing my job at the same time.”

Like so many others right now, Lapierre-Houle is still doing that job, only she’s doing it from home — as a single mother of a first-grader and a third-grader, ages 6 and 9.

While the school provides a remote learning plan that students are expected to follow, and daily assignments to complete every day using Chromebooks and Google software — as well as Zoom meetings with classmates — children that young aren’t exactly self-directed, she noted.

“If they were in high school, it would be completely different. In first grade, she literally just learned to read, and now she’s expected to go on the Chromebook and complete assignments. So I do lot of side-by-side work with the kids, while also trying to manage the eight employees for the company, who are all working remotely as well. That’s been the biggest challenge.”

It’s challenging for Allison Lapierre-Houle to balance working at home with two young kids — but at least they can help take a photo for BusinessWest.

David Griffin Jr., vice president of the Dowd Insurance Agencies in Holyoke, is able to split the child-tending duties with his wife, who works for Travelers in Hartford. They’re both home these days, juggling their jobs and home responsibilities as parents of two young ones, ages 2 and 3.

“We’re making the most of it,” Griffin said. “She has a more set schedule than me. Obviously, I have clients calling me, and I can’t plan when the client calls me with questions I have to go through. I get as much done as I can in the morning and late at night, and answer calls and help customers throughout the day. Right now is their greatest time of need, so I have to make myself available and be there for them to lend an ear and give some advice.”

Jim Martin knows that feeling — of working from home at a time when customers have more pressing needs than perhaps ever before. As a partner at Robinson Donovan specializing in corporate law and commercial real estate, he’s been working with clients on their submissions for the Paycheck Protection Program, deciphering the regulations and grappling with an ongoing series of often-confounding changes to them. “My clients need straightforward legal advice on what needs to be included,” he told BusinessWest.

“I do lot of side-by-side work with the kids, while also trying to manage the eight employees for the company, who are all working remotely as well. That’s been the biggest challenge.”

He’s providing that advice — and much more — largely from home, as the firm’s Springfield office is maintaining the core minimum of personnel needed to connect everyone else during a trying time.

“We were well-prepared for this; we had anticipated this may be necessary, so we had a network in place that allowed people to remotely access their desktops from home,” he explained. We got everyone equipped, so when someone comes in with mail, it’s scanned and distributed to every lawyer and the support staff. And we have remote dictation, so I can dictate right to my adminstrative assistant from home. We feel we were pretty well-prepared to make the transition to working remotely.”

While Martin doesn’t have children at home, he empathizes with those who do, as day cares are closed and people generally can’t come by to babysit.

He does, however, sometimes have to vie for the landline with his wife, a clinical doctor of psychology who continues to see patients, who are dealing with all sorts of issues, from depression to anxiety to domestic violence, all of which can be exacerbated by the current health and economic crises.

“People who need therapy, they need it more now,” he said. “She fortunately has access to certified confidential means of communication, video communication and things, but sometimes it’s over the phone if folks don’t have technology. So, I’m in one room, she’s in another, and sometimes it’s stressful in the house.”

Workers from most sectors are dealing with the same situation — doing their part to keep their companies afloat while often keeping a household together. But they’re recognizing something else as well — a general patience and understanding among those they deal with, and a recognition that we’re all in this together, even as people grow more anxious to get back to their old routines.

Alone Time

Before COVID-19, Seth Kaye, a Chicopee-based photographer, would get up each morning and go to his office to work and have meetings with clients.

“For me, that’s the biggest difference right now, just not being around people at all,” he said. “I would routinely have coffee breaks or lunch with friends and colleagues; that’s how meetings would be done, face to face. Right now, everything’s over Zoom, which has been fantastic, but nothing face to face.”

Seth Kaye is among many professionals who miss face-to-face interaction with clients.

He brought his entire workstation home, so he’s able to stay in contact with clients and even book new work.

“In terms of contracts, there’s nothing for me to photograph right now, as the commercial events have all been canceled for the foreseeable future. Weddings are the lion’s share of what I do, and people are postponing those to later this year or 2021. But business is still going on. People are still getting engaged. I’m still booking new couples to 2021. The world hasn’t stopped, and people are still planning for the future. That gives me an enormous amount of optimism.”

And also a chance to pivot to other business needs, Kaye added. “I’m trying to take the to work on my marketing and work on personal projects and try new things.”

Griffin said the team at Dowd is pivoting in other ways. “We have five offices and 47 employees, and we’ve been able to get everyone up and running from home; we’re still at full capacity. Of course, the insurance industry is considered an essential business.

“Everyone wants to make this work, but it’s been tricky to say the least,” he added, noting that technology has been a huge help. Because the company uses an internet-based telephone system, everyone was able to take their phones home and plug them into their computers.

“Our receptionist is working from home, and she answers live and transfers the calls,” he said. “And most of the staff have two computer screens in the office, and they brought one of the screens home. So it’s funny — if you go into the office and see all the desks with nothing on them, it looks like we’ve been robbed, but that’s not the case.”

Lawyers are as busy as insurance agents these days, and Martin is a good example, whether it’s helping small businesses with federal stimulus programs or assisting companies scrambling to prepare for all contingencies during the pandemic.

“I spent some time over the last two weeks dealing with transfer ownership issues between shareholders and and/or partners, so if people own a company, either shares or in a partnership, they are now feeling it’s important to establish and confirm in writing how the shares will be transferred … and what the conditions are,” he explained.

Meanwhile, employment laywers are dealing with unemployment and leave issues, while real-estate attorneys grapple with pending projects held up by wholesale postponements of meetings with planning and zoning officials, and estate planners see an uptick in business from families getting their affairs in order (see story on page 24).

The list goes on — and most of the work is being done remotely.

“It is a challenge, if you haven’t worked from home before,” Martin said. “I know some people work from home regularly, but for those of us who haven’t, it’s a big adjustment period. At least it is for me.”

It certainly has been for Lapierre-Houle, and also her kids.

“I definitely find myself, especially in the evening, saying to them, ‘it’s a school night,’” she said. “For them, it doesn’t feel like a school night. They think they can get up whenever they want and stay up as late as they want, but I’m trying to keep us on schedule — they get up like for school, and I sign on to work at 8.”

Convincing students to treat these days like regular school days is undoubtedly something parents of older kids grapple with as well. And kids of all ages are likely tiring of the social isolation.

“They can’t see their friends except behind a computer screen … that’s a significant emotional challenge because they don’t understand the social aspect. But they still have to learn and do their schoolwork,” Lapierre-Houle noted, adding that the warmer weather gives a reprieve in that they can go outside — but also provides an additional distraction because they want to be outside, rather than inside doing schoolwork.

She does appreciate her boss, company president Kevin Rothschild-Shea, who, she says, has always emphasized work-life balance, which has made this transition a little easier for employees. “He’s always been very flexible with families or children, but there’s still pressure to get work done, not to mention all the distractions at home.”

New Routine

Clients have been equally understanding of the current situation, Griffin said. “They’re not giving us a hard time — ‘I need this in two hours.’ Again, turnaround times are out the window, and people have been very accommodating and very understanding of that.”

On a personal level, he does miss meeting clients in person. “There’s nothing like going out and seeing clients face to face and talking with them, trying to see what their energy level is, how business is going … I do miss that. I’ll be excited to get that aspect of things back because it is missed. Now we have to make do with what we have, and everyone is in the same boat together — it’s not like we’re at a competitive disadvantage because of it.”

“It’s funny — if you go into the office and see all the desks with nothing on them, it looks like we’ve been robbed, but that’s not the case.”

Kaye told BusinessWest that’s been a challenge for him as well.

“I would see people regularly, just in passing or at the coffee shop — the day-to-day stuff we take for granted, now that we’re not able to have that routine. The routine now is different,” he said. “Hopefully, it’s a temporary new normal, but that human contact is gone right now.

“I’m taking the quarantine thing seriously, aside from pharmacy drives and having people put food into the trunk of my car when I order it from local farms,” he added. “I haven’t had any face-to-face contact in about three weeks. Some of my friends are doing the same. Some of our parents are not, which is interesting. But the social aspect being gone is definitely challenging.”

As the virus has still not peaked, the next couple weeks will bring more of the same, and though people he talks to are starting to go a bit stir crazy, they’re adapting as best they can, Kaye said.

“The people I’ve been speaking with, whether it’s clients not sure what their plans are going to be for 2020 or talking about postponements, they’ve been really nice about it. They have their needs as business owners, and I have my needs and concerns, and so far everyone has been really great.”

That first coffee-shop meeting will still be pretty satisfying, though — whenever that might be.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

MGM Donates Sleeping Cots, Outdoor Heaters to Mercy Medical Center, City of Springfield

By BusinessWest Staff April 13, 2020

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — MGM Springfield announced a donation of 160 portable sleeping cots and 16 outdoor heaters to Mercy Medical Center and the city of Springfield. A portion of the cots will provide much-needed overflow support for the hospital, while the other portion of cots and the outdoor heaters will assist the city’s work to help the homeless population amid the COVID-19 crisis.

“We are a strong community, but this is a challenging time, and MGM Springfield will continue to do what we can to support those impacted and those on the front line,” said Chris Kelley, president and chief operating officer of MGM Springfield.

Added Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, “I want to thank MGM President and COO Chris Kelley and his MGM team for stepping up in support of our city’s ongoing and continued efforts in responding to this coronavirus situation. These much-needed items will go a long way in assisting our city’s coronavirus response.”

Deborah Bitsoli, president of Mercy Medical Center and its affiliates, added that “we are grateful to MGM Springfield for the generous donation of cots for use during the pandemic. This is another example of the local area’s remarkable community partnerships that assist our efforts to care for patients during this difficult time.”

A Real Test for the Entrepreneurs

By George O'Brien April 13, 2020

Coronavirus

By George O’Brien

“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.”

That was one of the many — as in many — poignant thoughts left with the audience as Randy Pausch, the 45-year-old professor of computer science, human-computer interaction, and design at Carnegie Mellon, who had been recently informed that his pancreatic cancer was terminal, delivered what became known, famously, as the “Last Lecture.”

I was thinking of that quote — and some of the others — as a I contemplated what this pandemic has wrought — not only for business owners and managers, but for everyone. Indeed, it was Pausch who said, “time is all you have, and you may find one day that you have less than you think.” Tragically, so many have had such a day because of this crisis.

But it is that remark about experience that has been on my mind lately.

None of us wanted any of this, and we’re getting plenty of experience, which we have to hope will make us all stronger one of these days.

These thoughts about experience are especially relevant to the entrepreneurs out there — all of them, but especially the younger ones, the ones this region has devoted so much time and energy to nurturing in recent years.

Indeed, there has been what amounts to a movement, a strong movement at that, in Western Mass. to encourage entrepreneurship and mentor those who aspire to work for themselves. We see it in the programs administered by Valley Venture Mentors, EforAll Holyoke, and other organizations, and in the work of the Grinspoon Foundation and the massive gathering its hosts each spring to recognize entrepreneurs at each of the region’s many colleges and universities.

Almost every one of the entrepreneurs, whether they’re developing an app or baking cupcakes, brewing beer or planning to put a food truck on the road, has a business plan. And it’s quite safe to say that not one of those business plans has a page with contingencies for a global pandemic.

It’s just not something you can remotely plan for. And for many of these entrepreneurs, it will provide the sternest of tests.

The pandemic has brought life, and almost all forms of commerce, to a halt. For those already in business, the crisis will certainly set them back in some way. It might force some of them to close their doors.

As for those still in the aspirational stages, this will likely put some dreams on hold — or perhaps inspire some different dreams.

What we all have to hope in this region is that these young entrepreneurs, whether their venture survives this crisis or not, never stop dreaming — because those dreams form the basis of the economy in this region in the decades to come.

As they contemplate the present and the future, and gain all this experience from not getting what they wanted, these young entrepreneurs may want to remember some other remarks from Pausch’s last lecture.

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt,” he noted, referring to his own situation and his response to it, but also life in general, “just how we play the hand.”

He also said this: “it’s not how hard you hit; it’s how hard you get hit … and keep moving forward.”

Everyone’s getting hit extremely hard right now, and they have to dig deep and find some way to keep moving forward.

“And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”

George O’Brien is the editor of BusinessWest.

Log Cabin, Delaney House Launch ‘Feed a Local Hero/Someone in Need’ Program

By BusinessWest Staff April 13, 2020

Daily News

HOLYOKE — Many people and organizations are looking for ways to help others during this trying time. In that spirit, the Delaney House and Log Cabin have created the “Feed a Local Hero/Someone in Need” meal-donation program. People can purchase meals at a discounted rate, which will then be distributed to local businesses with essential employees or community members struggling to gain access to fresh food during this difficult time.

Some of the organizations that will receive these donations are Baystate Health System, Providence Ministries (Loreto House), Amherst Survival Center, Mercy Medical Center, Springfield first responders, Holyoke first responders, and many others.

To donate, visit www.delaneyhouse.com/feedalocalhero.

UMass Amherst Scientists Prepare Sterile Solution for COVID-19 Tests

By BusinessWest Staff April 13, 2020

COVID-19 Daily News

AMHERST — Answering an urgent call for assistance from regional healthcare systems, a volunteer team of scientists at UMass Amherst is preparing, testing, and delivering thousands of vials of viral transport media, a chemical solution needed for COVID-19 diagnostic testing. Their work is having a statewide impact.

Team leaders have recruited and trained several dozen volunteers, producing 13,000 vials for seven healthcare systems: Baystate Health, Berkshire Medical Center, Cooley Dickinson Health Care, Harrington Hospital, Heywood Hospital, Holyoke Medical Center, and the Northampton VA. In addition, Massachusetts’ COVID-19 Response Command Center has requested 10,000 tubes a week.

A critical shortage of the solution, which largely had been sourced from Northern Italy, has limited testing capabilities across the nation. Following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the UMass Amherst scientists initially gathered ingredients from their own labs to produce the viral transport medium, which protects the patient’s testing sample from degradation.

“Viral transport medium is an isotonic mixture of salts and minerals, as well as serum proteins designed to stabilize the virus in the patient sample until testing can be done. It also includes antibiotics to inhibit yeast or bacterial growth, which can interfere with the test and destroy the patient’s sample,” said Michael Daley of the Cell Culture Core Facility at the Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS), which is spearheading a broad COVID-19 response effort at UMass Amherst.

“The creation of these virtual COVID-19 response teams has proven to be an effective way to rapidly address regional healthcare shortages, even in a time of social distancing,” noted Peter Reinhart, founding director of IALS, whose mission is to translate fundamental research into innovations that benefit humankind.

In a whirlwind of activity after Reinhart sought out UMass Amherst volunteers, a small group of scientists quickly produced some 600 vials of the viral transport media, painstakingly preparing exact proportions, quality-testing the solutions to ensure sterility, printing specialized labels, and affixing them to the vials before University Health Services clinical staff delivered them to two local hospitals.

“Within one week, we had verified and released our first batch,” Daley said. “A lot of credit goes out to everyone involved for us to have been able to pull this off.”

Added James Chambers, director of the Light Microscopy and Cell Culture Core Facilities at IALS, who is overseeing the labeling of the vials, “once the word got out to a few people that we were ramping up production this week, we were inundated with volunteers who want to do something to help with this fight.”

With an efficient process in place, including social-distancing setups in labs where volunteers wear gloves and face shields, the team is ready to speed creation of the viral transport medium. They now have the capacity to make 60 liters and fill 15,000 to 20,000 tubes each week, and are armed with enough supplies to create 120,000 tubes — each representing one COVID-19 diagnostic test.

“We are now at the stage where we are scaling up production and delivery to meet the needs of the frontline workers in our community and across the state,” Daley said.

A key team member is Barbara Osborne, distinguished professor of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, who helped get the project off the ground by providing ingredients from her own lab. She continues to volunteer her time to aliquot, or measure and dispense the medium from a large container into tiny vials, a highly quantitative task being carried out in IALS’ Cell Culture Lab. “This is all being done in one place, and that really is critical for the quality control,” Osborne noted.

She said additional UMass Amherst volunteers are ready to help if the sterile space and personal protective equipment are available. “There are tons of us who know how to make sterile media. I had to tell people to stop volunteering,” she said. “We could easily double the troops we have already enlisted.”

The life-sciences faculty and staff volunteers come from such departments as Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Microbiology, and Psychological and Brain Sciences. Other volunteers include IALS administrators and staff, as well as some Ph.D. candidates and one undergraduate.

In addition to Daley, Chambers, and Osborne, team leaders are Rebecca Lawlor, Osborne’s longtime lab technician; Amy Burnside, director of Flow Cytometry and the Animal Imaging Core Facility at IALS, in charge of testing the batches for sterility; and Erin Poulin, lab manager at University Health Services, who handles the delivery of the vials to the hospitals.

First Responders Pay Tribute to Mercy Medical Center Healthcare Providers

By BusinessWest Staff April 10, 2020

COVID-19 Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — On April 10, representatives of local fire departments, police departments, and ambulance companies arrived at Mercy Medical Center to pay tribute to the healthcare providers who are on the front lines taking care of patients with COVID-19.

The ‘tribute train’ entered the Mercy campus on Stafford Street and stopped at the entrance to the Emergency Department. It then continued through campus, stopping again at the hospital’s main entrance at 299 Carew St. Healthcare providers were encouraged to witness the outpouring of support by going outside, looking out a window, or listening for the sounds of the first responders as they moved through campus.

Similar tribute-train events took place the same day at all Trinity Health Of New England hospitals in Connecticut.

It’s Time to Nominate an Outstanding 40 Under Forty Alum

By BusinessWest Staff April 10, 2020

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — When BusinessWest launched its 40 Under Forty program in 2007, it did so to identify rising stars across our region — individuals who were excelling in business and through involvement within the community — and celebrate their accomplishments.

In 2015, BusinessWest announced a new award, one that builds on the foundation upon which 40 Under Forty was created. It’s called the Alumni Achievement Award (formerly the Continued Excellence Award). As the name suggests, it is presented to the 40 Under Forty honoree who, in the eyes of an independent panel of judges, has most impressively continued and built upon his or her track record of accomplishment.

To nominate someone for this award, click here. Only nominations submitted to BusinessWest on this form will be considered. The deadline is Friday, May 8 at 5 p.m. No exceptions.

Candidates must be from 40 Under Forty classes prior to the year of the award — in this case, classes 2007 to 2019. For a list of 40 Under Forty alumni, click here.

Past winners include: 2019: Cinda Jones, president, W.D. Cowls Inc. (40 Under Forty class of 2007); 2018: Samalid Hogan, regional director, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (class of 2013); 2017: Scott Foster, attorney, Bulkley Richardson (class of 2011), and Nicole Griffin, owner, ManeHire (class of 2014); 2016: Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, president, Allergy & Immunology Associates of New England (class of 2008); 2015: Delcie Bean, president, Paragus Strategic IT (class of 2008).

The 2020 honoree will be announced at the 40 Under Forty gala on Thursday, June 25. The presenting sponsor of the Alumni Achievement Award is Health New England.

Link to Libraries Brings Bedtime Stories to Children, Read by the Authors Themselves

By BusinessWest Staff April 10, 2020

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Link to Libraries recently launched a new initiative called “Link Live: Bedtime Stories,” airing on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. on Facebook Live (facebook.com/linktolibraries). Children’s book authors are reading their own books and then taking questions from participants.

This is a unique platform to bring reading into the homes of children across Western Mass. and beyond who are at home learning instead of at school during this difficult time. With the use of Facebook, children and their parents can not only enjoy being read to, but also have the unique opportunity to interact with the author in real time.

“We are all living through a very scary and unprecedented time,” said Laurie Flynn, president and CEO of Link to Libraries. “Knowing that books and stories provide a wonderful way for children and adults to escape from it all, we decided that we would deliver them right to everyone’s home.

“I was blown away by the response from the children’s book community, as author after author volunteered to share their own stories and to answer children’s questions about their writing life,” she added. “I honestly can’t thank them enough for making this outreach program possible.”

Authors Jamie Michalak (The Coziest Place) and Anika Aldamuy Denise (The Love Letter) were this week’s readers. Upcoming participants include Ashley Morse (The Big E Book) on Tuesday, April 14; Josh Funk (Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast) on Thursday, April 16, and Cynthia Platt (A Little Bit of Love) on Tuesday, April 21.

Link to Libraries is planning to extend the program into May and will be releasing an updated schedule soon.

Berkshire Money Management Welcomes Administration Specialist Tammy Gaherty

By BusinessWest Staff April 10, 2020

Daily News

DALTON — Berkshire Money Management (BMM) recently welcomed Tammy Gaherty to its fast-growing team. Gaherty is the second hire for 2020 and will be handling scheduling for advisors, managing content distribution, and helping with the flow of operations throughout the firm. Prior to joining BMM, she worked for nearly two decades as an administrative assistant with the Dalton Housing Authority.

“Everyone is going through a difficult time right now,” BMM president Barbara Schmick said. “We are hiring in order to better service our clients now and in the future. We are getting far more requests and questions during this pandemic. At this time, our clients need more services than ever, and Tammy is our answer to that growing need.”

Gaherty is a Berkshire native and graduate of Monument Mountain Regional High School. She has been the volunteer secretary and president of the Friends of the Lanesborough Public Library, and an active participant there for fundraisers to support library programming.

Country Bank Makes $50,000 Donation to First Responder Recovery Home

By BusinessWest Staff April 10, 2020

COVID-19 Daily News

LUDLOW — To help the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department successfully operate the First Responder Recovery Home for COVID-19-diagnosed first responders, Country Bank announced it will contribute $50,000 to the efforts.

The contribution from the Ware-based financial institution comes with the aim of inspiring other similar organizations to do what they can to assist the department’s effort to help the people who typically help others.

“These are challenging and ever-evolving times as we face the continued uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and how it will impact our region,” said Paul Scully, president and CEO of Country Bank. “As a community partner, we care deeply about our communities and wanted to show our appreciation and support for first responders, healthcare workers, and their families throughout the region when they need it the most. The First Responder Recovery Home will allow first responders to rest a little easier knowing they have an alternative place to recover should they become infected by the virus. It’s our hope that Country Bank’s donation will be one of many that will support this tremendous initiative, and we welcome other community businesses and financial institutions to express their appreciation of all first responders by supporting the First Reponder Recovery Home.”

The donation, which brings the overall community contributions above $87,000, will help ensure that every COVID-19-positive first responder who comes to stay at the facility has the food and comforts necessary for recovery.

“I can’t thank Country Bank enough for stepping forward and making this donation to help our first responders in this time of unprecedented need,” Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi said. “Their donation will help us provide top-notch care for the people who usually care for us, and a comfortable environment for the people who come running when we are in need in our daily lives. This is our time to help the helpers. It’s the least we can do.”

The Hampden County Sheriff’s Department opened the First Responder Recovery Home this week to fill an unmet need in the Commonwealth of providing a safe haven for our doctors, nurses, EMTs, police, firefighters, and corrections professionals who are diagnosed with COVID-19, but can’t safely go home to recover without jeopardizing the health of a vulnerable family member.

Located at the department’s Pre-Release Center on its campus in Ludlow, the refuge is provided free of charge, thanks to the department’s community supporters and partners.

Cocchi and staff started accepting guests this week, with 84 single-occupancy rooms available. Anyone coming to stay must be healthy enough to care for themselves; however, a pool of voluntary medical professionals from the community, led by Ludlow physician Dr. Shaukat Matin, will be making rounds, and if someone needs more comprehensive medical care, the Sheriff’s Department will help coordinate transportation.

Any doctor, nurse, police, firefighter, EMT, correctional professional, or military member can call (413) 858-0801 or (413) 858-0819 to request a room or ask questions. The facility needs the person’s full name, gender, and expected length of stay, among other information, and all correspondence will be kept confidential.

Community partners include Country Bank, Anthony Ravosa and the 91 Supper Club, Charlie D’Amour and Guy McFarlane of Big Y Foods, Bob Bolduc and Pride Stores, Cesar Ruiz Jr. and Golden Years Home Care, Jim Brennan on behalf of the Edward J. Brennan Jr. Family Foundation, Anthony Cignoli of A.L. Cignoli Co., Jeff Polep of J. Polep Distribution Services, Jay Caron of Bee-Line Corp., Larry Katz of Arnold’s Meats, Andy Yee and Peter Picknelly, and Matin.

Anyone wishing to contribute to the First Responder Recovery Home initiative can send tax-deductible donations to Criminal Justice Organization, 627 Randall Road, Ludlow, MA 01056, and write “First Responder Recovery Home” on the memo line.

Community Foundation Reports COVID-19 Response Fund Grows Past $3 Million

By BusinessWest Staff April 9, 2020

COVID-19 Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The COVID-19 Response Fund for the Pioneer Valley has topped $3 million in donations and is still growing, with the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) reporting the latest donations to the fund. The foundation also announced another $255,000 in emergency grants, bringing the total to $1 million awarded from the Response Fund to local nonprofits serving the immediate needs of the most vulnerable populations affected by the pandemic in Western Mass.

The most recent donations to the fund include $250,000 from the Barr Foundation in Boston; $107,000 from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts; $100,000 from the Vertex Foundation, affiliated with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. located in Boston; $75,000 from an anonymous foundation based in Boston; $25,000 from Delta Dental of Massachusetts; and $25,000 from Berkshire Bank Foundation.

This week’s grants to nonprofits support health and other urgent services for vulnerable and underserved populations, including limited-English speakers, at Gándara Center, ServiceNet, Behavioral Health Network, Clinical and Support Options, Center for New Americans, New North Citizen Council, and Enlace de Familias. Clinical Support Options (for Springfield) and ServiceNet (for Greenfield and Northampton) also received grants to cover costs associated with social distancing in shelters they manage. Also, Grow Food Northampton received a grant for food distribution in Greater Northampton.

“I am awed that $3 million has been donated in the mere three weeks that the fund has been in existence,” said Katie Allan Zobel, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. “This outpouring of generosity from across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a testimony to the goodness and generosity of our people. These donations go directly into the Response Fund and are quickly deployed into the community. Donors can feel confident that their gifts are supporting the critical work in our region of helping those most impacted by the crisis. Together, and working in collaboration with so many on the ground doing the work, we will get through this historic period of need.”

Zobel said the funding is targeted where resources have emerged and are desperately needed, including in the area of food security, where elderly individuals and others are not able to leave home to access food pantries; organizations challenged with obtaining masks and gloves in serving their constituencies; and lack of translation of critical information about safety measures during the pandemic. Resources are also being deployed to address diaper shortages for families with infants and those serving the disabled, and increased requests for mental-health supports.

Zobel also stressed that donors are encouraged to make donations directly to nonprofit organizations working to support populations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing that this fund is not a replacement for direct donations to nonprofits.

In addition to donations from business and philanthropic organizations, more than 120 individuals have made donations to the COVID-19 Response Fund. The Community Foundation welcomes additional donations to the fund online at www.communityfoundation.org/covid19.

MassHire Holyoke Career Center Continues to Offer Services Remotely

By BusinessWest Staff April 9, 2020

Daily News

HOLYOKE — The MassHire Holyoke Career Center is letting the public known it is open for business remotely for new and current customers and members of the career center. Individuals can visit www.masshireholyoke.org to access information and staff contact numbers for career-counseling and job-search services. Staff members are available to answer questions and provide support such as résumé review and career counseling. These services are available in English and Spanish. Job postings are also available on the website.

People with questions about job-seeker services can call (413) 532-4900 and leave a message, and a staff member will be in contact as soon as possible. People who need to file an unemployment claim can call (877) 626-6800 or visit www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-unemployment-benefits. Businesses can call (413) 654-1650, and a business service representative will be in touch.

Dress for Success Announces Common Threads Event to Go Virtual

By BusinessWest Staff April 9, 2020

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Common Threads, the signature event of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, will be held Thursday, April 16 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. as an online event.

The annual event celebrates women with an evening of sharing their stories of success as they have stepped up in the world. Dress for Success serves low- to moderate-income women, many of whom will be impacted disproportionally by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dress for Success Western Massachusetts is part of a worldwide nonprofit organization dedicated to the empowerment of women as they take control of their personal and professional lives. Programs include the Foot in the Door workforce-readiness program, the Margaret Fitzgerald one-on-one mentoring program, the Professional Women’s Group, and the suiting program.

The April 16 event is free, but there will be opportunities throughout to donate to the work of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts. Click here to register.

Holyoke Medical Center Shares Personal Protective Equipment with First Responders

By BusinessWest Staff April 9, 2020

COVID-19 Daily News

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Medical Center has shared personal protective equipment (PPE) with local first responders, including Action Ambulance, the South Hadley Fire Department, and the city of Springfield.

“Holyoke Medical Center is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and donations received through this COVID-19 pandemic by many community businesses, Novanta, and the efforts made by the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association,” said Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems. “Today we became aware that first responders in some of our surrounding communities, who work with our patients, were in desperate need of PPE. In a time of mutual aid, we felt it was our obligation to share some of our PPE with those first responders.”

The donations included face shields and KN95 face masks first responders. Also provided were standard face masks for the responders to provide people they interact with at a distance closer than six feet.

After canvasing the local communities, the following were in need of PPE and were provided with the followng list of contributions from Holyoke Medical Center:

• Action Ambulance: 200 KN95 masks, 100 face shields, and 600 standard masks;

• South Hadley Fire Department: 200 KN95 masks, 100 face shields, and 600 standard masks; and

• City of Springfield: 600 KN95 masks, 500 face shields, and 900 standard masks.

Holyoke Medical Center executives also spoke with officials in other surrounding municipalities, most of which had an adequate current supply of masks and face shields.

Bankers Say Institutions Are Committed to Helping Communities Through the Crisis

By George O'Brien April 8, 2020

Coronavirus

A Time to Collaborate

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of virtual roundtable discussions with area business leaders concerning the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on virtually every aspect of life and business. For this installment, we talked with five area bank presidents — Steve Lowell at Monson Savings Bank, Chuck Leach at Lee Bank, Tom Senecal at PeoplesBank, Jeff Sullivan at New Valley Bank & Trust, and Michael Tucker at Greenfield Cooperative Bank — about how this crisis is impacting this important sector and in what ways the region’s banks will be assisting those businesses impacted by the pandemic.

By George O’Brien

Steve Lowell

Michael Tucker

Tom Senecal

Jeff Sullivan

Chuck Leach

Steve Lowell called it a “fireside chat.”

That’s how he chose to describe his efforts to reach out to customers during this time of crisis and communicate a number of key points.

“With my wife holding my phone in front of me and me speaking onto the camera … we put it on our YouTube channel and sent out an e-mail blast with a link to it for our customers to get an update,” said Lowell, president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank, adding that, like the creator of the original fireside chat, Franklin Roosevelt, he used his to talk with people directly and work to calm fears at a time when many are afraid. “We wanted to assure our customers that we’re here, we’re operating, and we intend to remain here and continue operating.”

The need for a fireside chat and the method of delivering it show just how different these times are for banks and their customers, commercial and consumer alike. Most of those in both categories are in some form of distress, and they’re looking to their bank, especially if it’s a smaller community bank, for help.

And the banks are providing it, in the form of everything from deferments on mortgage payments and commercial loans to interest-only payment options if customers prefer that option, to refinancing large numbers of mortgages to enable consumers to take advantage of lower interest rates.

And, for commercial customers, these banks will be the conduits for federal assistance to be provided to distressed businesses as part of a $2.2 trillion relief package. A key part of that package is the so-called Payroll Protection Program, which includes $350 in forgivable loans for companies that keep everyone employed.

The system went live, if that’s the right term, on Friday, April 3, and in a manner of minutes, area banks were being overwhelmed by business owners desperate to apply.

“We had more than 300 calls Friday morning,” said Michael Tucker, president and CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank. “We sent an e-mail blast out to all our commercial customers at 11 in the morning saying, ‘hey, guys, you’re tying up the phone lines!’ And that was actually well-received — the calls slowed down a little.”

Tom Senecal, president and CEO of Holyoke-based PeoplesBank, reported a similar response at his institution.

“On Friday morning, we put up a link on our website and an e-mail blast to all our commercial customers, and in the first hour we had 1,300 clicks on our link for that application,” he said. “There’s an enormous amount of demand, curiosity, and need for this process.”

Indeed, there is, and as a lead player in funneling these funds, banks that were already challenged in many ways will have exponentially more work and stress — this at a time when all of them have many staffers working remotely and taking in new responsibilities.

Meaning their role will change and become broader in scope.

“In many ways, it’s analogous to what some of the manufacturers are doing now: a company that was making clothing for a baseball team a few months ago is now making masks and gowns,” said Jeff Sullivan, president and CEO of Springfield-based New Valley Bank & Trust. “We’re going to go through a version of that and have to retool and pivot and think about the new SBA loans that are part of the relief package as different than how we usually do business.”

Meanwhile, the banks are coping with a new reality when it comes to how buainess is done in the wake of the pandemic. Most have closed their lobbies or reduced hours to a large degree, with business conducted by appointment only. This means more customers are using online banking and automated tellers, technology that is new to many, and that brings its own set of challenges — and opportunities. Meanwhile, employers are working remotely and finding new ways to work as well.

“On Friday morning, we put up a link on our website and an e-mail blast to all our commercial customers, and in the first hour we had 1,300 clicks on our link for that application. There’s an enormous amount of demand, curiosity, and need for this process.”

“For some who didn’t bank digitally, they’re beginning to be forced to use it, and at our institution, for the most part, we’re getting extremely positive feedback on this,” said Senecal. “Surprisingly, many people who were afraid to use it are liking it now, and I do think this will change the behavior of people in the future to adapt to it more quickly.”

Chuck Leach, president and CEO of Lee Bank, agreed that both customers and employers are adapting to new ways of doing things.

“We’re getting everybody — customers, clients, and employees — more on board with a different way of working through electronic channels,” he told BusinessWest. “As for employees, we were thinking more about working from home before this; we were having conversations already, and we knew we could do it technology-wise, but this just triggered an acceleration of that, which has been healthy for us.”

Overall, these are different and somewhat complex times for banks in that they and their customers are relying more heavily on technology to do business. And yet, it’s a time when many customers need a close banking relationship perhaps more than they ever have.

“Whether it’s in traditional retail or banking, there’s been this drumbeat of ‘everything’s going digital,’” Leach said. “But what this crisis has also illuminated is the need for human contact, albeit by phone or e-mail. When you’re trying to go back and forth with a bank on deferment or interest-only — when you’re solving problems — you still want to talk with someone. Those are not transactional exercises.”

What banks won’t be focusing on this year, said Senecal and others, is earnings. That’s because the bottom line clearly will not be as attractive as it has been in recent years — not with interest rates down to zero, residential customers refinancing their mortgages to take advantage of these lower rates, and other revenue streams being heavily impacted by the pandemic (more on that later).

Lending a Hand

The size and scope of the pandemic’s impact on the local business community was already abundantly clear before those phone calls and e-mails regarding the Payroll Protection Program started coming in that Friday morning. But within just a few hours, area bankers had some fresh perspective.

Indeed, desperate for some relief from their cash-flow headaches and concerned that the well would run dry, even with $350 billion dollars in it, owners of businesses of all shapes and sizes were frantic to initiate the process of staking a claim to some of the relief money.

“They were advised to call their local banker, and … they did,” said Senecal, adding that the banks, often working with a third party to assist with the workload, constitute the front end of this process — taking the applications and, eventually, cutting checks to the companies whose loans are approved.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which does the approving, constitutes the back end, and right now, that back end is backlogged.

“I heard on a conference call recently that the SBA typically does roughly $3 billion a year in SBA loans,” said Senecal. “Now, they’re trying to do $350 billion in a week. They are not equipped for the volume that we’re all giving them, or trying to give them.”

Senecal and others said the sheer volume of applications has caused the system to crash temporarily on occasion as banks and the third-party companies many are working with flood the SBA with loan applications.

Lowell said his bank, which is processing the applications itself instead of using a third party, started submitting applications first thing on April 4 (a Saturday), and by noon, it had received word that a number of them had been approved — maybe $20 million worth of loans.

But that’s merely the first, or second, step in the lengthy process of getting money into the hands of business owners, he went on. “No loans have been closed, and they can’t be closed until the SBA comes up with the promissory note that they want us to use. Until they do that — and they say it could be any day — nothing can close.”

Such closures may begin this week, but that would be a best-case scenario, said those we spoke with, adding that, thus far, loan requests are coming in all sizes and from businesses in every sector.

“The SBA typically does roughly $3 billion a year in SBA loans. Now, they’re trying to do $350 billion in a week. They are not equipped for the volume that we’re all giving them, or trying to give them.”

The good news, amid all this talk of backlogs and computer crashes, is that it is highly unlikely that the money will run out. And if it should run out, there will likely be additional stages to the overall stimulus package.

“There’s $350 billion to disperse,” said Senecal. “I heard that, as of yesterday [April 6], $38 billion had been approved. That’s roughly 11% of the entire amount. For people to start thinking, ‘they’re going to run out of money’ — that’s not going to happen. It’s just a very slow process.”

A New Normal

As noted earlier, while banks are still conducting business, it is certainly not business as usual. Most all establishments have either closed their lobbies or established ‘by-appointment-only’ policies, in efforts to safeguard both customers and employees.

Drive-through windows are open, as are ATMs, and institutions with ITMs (interactive teller machines) report a dramatic increase in usage — out of necessity. Overall, those we spoke with reported a few bumps and a slowing of the pace of activity as customers began using new technology, but, overall, a relatively smooth transition, if it can be called that.

“It’s been surprisingly smooth,” Lowell said. “And I say surprisingly because I wasn’t sure how customers would respond. But they have been great. We’ve had people getting documents notarized, opening accounts, and more right through the drive-up. And while it was very busy initially, it has slowed down; we extended hours originally because we didn’t know what to expect, but we’re thinking of reducing things and going back to our normal hours to give our staff a break.”

Returning to the subject of digital banking, Senecal, speaking for all the others at the ‘table,’ said his bank has been gently pushing its customers to embrace new technology like ITMs. The pandemic has provided a great assist in these efforts, and most customers are enjoying the ride, if you will.

“Whenever a customer has done it, you get this reaction like, ‘oh, my God, this is unbelievably easy,’” he said of ITM use. “Like all of us, you need to be pushed toward new technology — it can be intimidating — and the more we push or force people, and they understand the environment we’re in, they’re learning that it’s not so bad.”

But the pandemic has also brought some staffing challenges, said many on the panel, noting that, as they try to keep employees safe, they are limiting the number of people working at one time. And there are other constraints as well.

“We have people in some critical positions who are in the National Guard,” Senecal said. “So we’ve had to readjust some of some our staffing. But otherwise, we have not diminished our services at all; we’re doing everything through the drive-up.”

Michael Tucker, president and CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank, said one of his branches actually had to be closed for a short period because the spouse of one of his workers, a first responder, had come in contact with someone who had tested positive for the virus.

“We had split our staff into Team A and Team B at each location,” he explained, noting that the employee in question is on Team A. After deep cleaning and sanitizing the office, it reopened with Team B, with Team A on self-quarantine.

Such developments could not have been imagined even three weeks ago, but they are now part of a new norm for banks.

As for the types of business conducted, the bank presidents we spoke with said that, by and large, people understand that their money is safe, and there has been an inflow when it comes to deposits, rather than anything approach a rush to withdraw money. Meanwhile, commercial activity has slowed tremendously, as might be expected. But on the residential-mortgage side, business has been booming.

‘Crazy’ was the word used by most all them.

Meanwhile, another word uttered over and over by those around this virtual roundtable was ‘outreach.’ Indeed, while taking calls from commercial clients with questions and issues, area banks have been making them as well.

“We’ve been doing a ton of customer outreach, particularly in the hospitality area, and there is a large concentration of those types of businesses in Berkshire County,” Leach said. “We’ve done a lot of proactive outreach with that sector, and there has been a significant number of loan modifications, including more than 80 interest-only and three full deferments on the commercial side.”

All methods of communication have been used, from snail mail — although not much of that anymore — to e-mail, to that fireside chat Lowell gave with the assist from his wife.

“We’ve been trying to be creative as to how we get the word out,” Lowell said. “I recently recorded several commercials that are going to be on radio stations, as well as a brief TV spot using my phone; we’re trying to be creative and take advantage of technology.”

Tucker agreed, noting that his bank has used videos on its Facebook page and other vehicles for communicating a simple but direct message: “we’re here, and we’re going to try to help.”

Earnings Statements

While the banks will play a large role in helping businesses stay afloat during this crisis, they will have to be mindful of their own bottom lines as well. Those we spoke with are projecting that this will be a very challenging year in that regard for all those reasons mentioned above.

“Margins were shrinking before this,” Tucker said. “And now, with no interest coming in for a while, that’s going to put even more pressure on banks. The good news is that the banks here are well-capitalized and have the ability to weather this, but 2020 will be a very difficult year at the end of the year when you see the numbers.”

The banks we spoke with are all mutual banks, meaning there are no stockholders. And their presidents said their respective boards understand the unusual circumstances as well as the need for these institutions to step up and help the community get to the other side of the pandemic.

“None of us are focused on earning this year; we’re doing everything to make sure our communities get through this and economically come out of this in a great position.”

“Most of us, if not all of us, are sitting on a good amount of liquidity, so we’re in a position to take these steps, suffer through a few months of losses, and still fund things that need to be funded,” Lowell said. “And on the regulatory front, everything that we’ve heard from the FDIC, federal examiners, and others is that they are encouraging us to keep this economy running and help people — and they won’t hold it against us, as long as we do it within reason and do it within the confines of safety and soundness and don’t take on excessive risk.

“I think we’re going to be prudent, and the last thing we want is to see any of our customers not get through this,” he went on. “We’re going to be looking to our existing customers first, and then, if we can help other people, we’ll try to do that, whether it’s through the SBA or direct lending, or some of the other programs.”

Sullivan agreed, saying this will be a unique opportunity for the banking community to collaborate, as perhaps never before, and work collectively to steer the economy out of extremely dangerous whitewater.

“I don’t see this as competition or anyone trying to be opportunistic about this,” he told BusinessWest. “The size and scope of this problem is huge, and part of what we want to message to the community is that the industry is collaborating to get through it.”

Senecal agreed. “The focus is to get through this year and be there in support of the community,” he said. “As mutual banks, we’re here for the community, and all of us have enough capital to sustain a really bad year. None of us are focused on earning this year; we’re doing everything to make sure our communities get through this and economically come out of this in a great position.”

Lowell might have summed up the situation, and the sentiments of everyone at the ‘table,’ by saying in conclusion: “it will be an interesting year; I don’t anticipate any of us are going to make a lot of money, but we’re all in good shape at the start of this, and I see us all coming through it the end while helping people stay in business.”

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

Big Y World Class Markets Announces Two-day Break for Employees

By BusinessWest Staff April 8, 2020

Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Big Y World Class Markets announced it will close all its stores, including Fresh Acres and the Table & Vine flagship store, on Easter Sunday, April 12, as well as Monday, April 13. Big Y Express Gas & Convenience locations will be closed on Sunday, April 12 only.

“We want to thank all of our retail heroes,” said Charles D’Amour, president and CEO of Big Y Foods Inc. “We hope that this break will allow our employees to spend more time with their loved ones and give them a much-needed rest.”

During the break, all stores will continue to be restocked and cleaned in preparation for reopening on Tuesday, April 14. Daily store hours will remain the same: 7 to 8 a.m. reserved for seniors and individuals with compromised immune systems, and open to all customers from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Paragus IT’s Delcie Bean Offering Free Videoconferencing Sessions for Businesses, Organizations

By BusinessWest Staff April 8, 2020

Daily News

HADLEY — Paragus IT CEO Delcie Bean has been a featured speaker at events across the country on topics as diverse as entrepreneurship, technology, innovation, employee ownership, and employee-driven culture. He’s now offering his services — free of charge — to businesses and organizations looking to stay connected in these uncertain times.

“Today, with a large portion of the workforce operating remotely, it’s more important than ever to keep in contact any way we can,” Bean said. “This is also a high-risk time for cybersecurity and a time when many companies are confronted with big questions about the future. I’m happy to connect with business and organizations in order to move forward together in a safe and smart manner.”

Businesses and organizations interested in setting up a videoconferencing session with Bean can get more info at paragusit.com/virtualdelcie.

UMassFive Donates Meals to Groups Impacted by COVID-19 Pandemic

By BusinessWest Staff April 8, 2020

COVID-19 Daily News

HADLEY — On April 3, the Log Rolling catering van could be seen making several special deliveries at local food banks and hospitals in Central and Western Mass., as UMassFive College Federal Credit Union reached out to support community members and healthcare workers heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the latest entry in a long-standing collaborative relationship with the Amherst Survival Center, UMassFive sponsored 150 portions of chicken pot pie (made fresh and delivered by Log Cabin Rolling) to be served at the Amherst Survival Center daily community meal. During the pandemic, Amherst Survival has adapted to continue providing many of its services amid social-distancing requirements. The community meals are now provided in a ‘to-go’ model, serving participants outside in the parking lot.

In appreciation of healthcare workers, UMassFive also sponsored the delivery of 200 meals to emergency-room staff, split between Springfield’s Mercy Medical Center and Worcester’s UMass Memorial Medical Center. Understanding that healthcare workers aren’t able to sit and reheat a hot meal these days, Log Rolling Catering curated and delivered bagged meals with sandwiches, fruit, chips, and a dessert. These meals were delivered to the staff at lunchtime, with extra meals to support the next shift as well.

UMassFive, which has branch offices at both hospital locations, wanted to show support to the frontline healthcare workers they serve by providing a meal. “We were looking for a way to support healthcare workers and our most vulnerable community members in these trying times,” said Craig Boivin, vice president of Marketing at UMassFive. “Working with Log Cabin Rolling allowed us to do that while simultaneously supporting a great local business. It was a win-win.”

In addition, UMassFive has pledged $1,000 to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and donated another $1,000 to the local farming nonprofit Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, which will use the funds as part of its Emergency Farm Fund, which provides zero-interest loans to local farms.

UMassFive members who wish to lend their own helping hand to their communities can participate via the credit union’s Buzz Points program, through which UMassFive has facilitated charitable-donation options benefiting the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and the Amherst Survival Center.

Employer Confidence Plunges in March

By BusinessWest Staff April 7, 2020

Daily News

BOSTON — The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index recorded the largest monthly drop in its history during March as the COVID-19 pandemic unraveled the global economy.

Confidence dropped 21.9 points to 40.2 on a 100-point scale, moving the reading into pessimistic territory (below 50.0) for the first time since October 2013. The largest monthly decline in confidence prior to last month took place in October 1998, when the Index dropped 9.6 points.

Business confidence in Massachusetts now stands 19.1 points below its level of March 2019 and just seven points higher than its nadir during the recession of 2009.

The confidence decline reflects the continued idling of vast swaths of the global economy as health officials work to stem to spread of the novel coronavirus. Members of the AIM Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) say the March results are not surprising at a time when experts believe the U.S. economy will contract by more than 5% in 2020.

“The unprecedented one-month erosion of business confidence represents the unique set of circumstances that have changed almost every aspect of life during the past month,” said Raymond Torto, professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and BEA chair. “Massachusetts companies are trying to map out their futures in the face of government orders to cease operations and the uncertainty of forces beyond the scope of traditional economic models.”

The constituent indicators that make up the Business Confidence Index were all down. The Massachusetts Index assessing business conditions within the Commonwealth fell 29.5 points to 36.3, leaving it 25.4 points lower than in February 2019. The U.S. Index lost 20 points to 31.9.

The Future Index, measuring expectations for six months out, declined 18.1 points to 43.7, a year-over-year slide of 24.6 points. The Current Index, which assesses overall business conditions at the time of the survey, lost 25.8 points to 36.6.

The Employment Index was down 12.2 points in March and 10.5 points for the year. The Employment Index had lagged the overall business-confidence reading for several years amid a persistent shortage of workers.

“The Baker administration deserves tremendous credit for managing through a pandemic crisis with no easy answers,” said John Regan, CEO of AIM. “State government has made good-faith and transparent efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, secure appropriate equipment for frontline medical workers, and, with the help of federal programs and resources, establish financial backstops for companies and workers alike. It will be a great day when we can all get back to business as usual.”

United Way, Boys & Girls Clubs Offering Breakfast for Springfield First Responders

By BusinessWest Staff April 7, 2020

COVID-19 Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — United Way of Pioneer Valley and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield have introduced the Good Morning Heroes program, a joint effort to give back to the first responders working hard and risking their lives for our community.

Good Morning Heroes will provide grab-and-go breakfast bags to Springfield first responders. They will be available on weekdays, 8-9 a.m. or until the bags run out, in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield parking lot on Carew Street. The program will run from Friday, April 10 until Monday, May 4, coinciding with Gov. Charlie Baker’s stay-at-home order.

In doing so, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield and the United Way of Pioneer Valley are working together to show appreciation to the workers keeping people safe and healthy every day, especially now, during this unprecedented global pandemic.

For more information or to volunteer, e-mail Vinny Borello at [email protected].

Peter Pan, Bean Restaurant Group Delivering Lunch to First Responders, Health Workers

By BusinessWest Staff April 7, 2020

COVID-19 Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Peter Pan Bus Lines and the Bean Restaurant Group are teaming up deliver lunch to first responders and frontline workers on a Peter Pan bus. The mission is to show support and gratitude to local healthcare heroes while supporting local restaurants. The first delivery will take place Wednesday, April 8, with food provided by Frigo’s.

To donate to the campaign, click here or visit peterpanbus.com/stuff-the-bus-feed-the-fight-western-mass.

Providence Ministries Services to Continue Through Coronavirus

By BusinessWest Staff April 7, 2020

COVID-19 Daily News

HOLYOKE — Providence Ministries will continue to offer essential support services to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, Executive Director Shannon Rudder shared precautions being made to ensure continuity of services while protecting program participants.

Effective immediately, the following program shifts will occur: Kate’s Community Kitchen will provide warm, nutritious takeout meals; dining-room services will be suspended until further notice. Margaret’s Pantry will continue to welcome those in need of supplemental groceries to enjoy its community services. This includes both monthly guests along with anyone impacted by loss of work or simply realizing greater need at this time. Make an appointment by calling Brenda at (413) 536-9109, ext. 119. St. Jude’s Clothing Center will be closed until further notice to contain exposure, while the foodWorks culinary-training program will suspend current classes until further notice; the April 1 graduation will be rescheduled.

Providence is taking every precaution to ensure its single-room-occupancy recovery housing spaces maintain cleanliness and overall health. It is difficult to ensure a true quarantine due to shared spaces, such as bathrooms and kitchens. At Loreto House, residents will suspend weekend passes and all planned workshops, no general public will be allowed entrance, a daily temperature check has been instituted, and any resident presenting symptoms and fever will be sent to the hospital or their primary-care provider. At both Broderick House and McCleary Manor, no outside visitors or overnight guests are permitted. No new residents will be admitted to any of these houses during this time. Each home has adequate cleaning products and hand soaps. Volunteers are asked to exercise caution and use their best judgement to continue in their service.

Pandemic Is Prompting Many to Get Important Estate-planning Work Completed

By George O'Brien April 6, 2020

Coronavirus Sections Special Coverage

Signs of the Times

By George O’Brien

Hyman Darling

Liz Sillin

Gina Barry