Day: December 22, 2020

By Timothy F. Murphy

Employers have a key role to play in ensuring the successful rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and that people are safe at work. Many employers may wish to adopt vaccine mandates, especially if their employees work in close contact with others. But before doing so, employers need to consider a number of things.

Can Employers Require Vaccinations?

Yes. Non-union employers can unilaterally require employee vaccinations because employment relationships are ‘at will,’ and they have a legal duty to provide a safe and healthy workplace. Many employers already require workers to get inoculated against certain infectious diseases.

Can Employees Object to Vaccine Mandates?

Yes. Anti-discrimination laws provide disabled and religious employees with legal protections from vaccine mandates. Employers that require employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine must meet certain requirements under those laws.

A worker with a covered disability may seek an exemption from a vaccine mandate. For instance, medical advice to avoid a vaccine due to an employee’s underlying health condition may legally justify a vaccine refusal. In such situations, the employer must explore whether an exemption is a reasonable accommodation given the disability and job duties — so long as it isn’t an undue burden for the employer. Accommodations — like telework or working in isolation from co-workers — that would allow the unvaccinated employee to perform essential job functions would likely not be an undue burden.

According to recent guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, sincerely held religious beliefs may also justify a vaccine refusal. An employer must provide a reasonable accommodation “for the religious belief, practice, or observance” that prevents the worker from receiving the vaccine, unless that accommodation poses more than a “de minimis” cost or burden. Employers may seek verification of such beliefs only if they have an objective reason for doing so.

Government Vaccine Mandates Appear Unlikely for Now

A general state vaccine mandate does not appear to be in the cards anytime soon. On the federal level, President-elect Biden has signaled that he is not considering a vaccine mandate at this time. It also appears unlikely that the federal agency charged with workplace safety, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), would require employers to mandate a COVID-19 vaccine. In the past, OSHA has permitted employers to require employees to receive the flu vaccine.

Public-health Experts Warn Against Mandates for Now

Even if employers can legally mandate COVID-19 vaccinations, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams recommends against it. “Right now, we are not recommending that anyone mandate a vaccine,” Adams said in a recent interview with Yahoo Finance, noting that Pfizer’s vaccine hasn’t been fully approved yet. According to Saad Omer, a vaccinologist and infectious-disease epidemiologist at Yale University, “mandates shouldn’t be the frontline policy option.”

Avoid the Backlash

A vaccine mandate could trigger employee-morale issues. Vaccine hesitancy is a concern across the country. One study revealed that more than one-third of Americans would refuse a COVID-19 vaccine if offered one. However, other data suggests that Americans’ willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine has risen as data on the vaccines’ efficacy have emerged. Many people have said they are more comfortable waiting a few months to get the vaccine. Employers need to be sensitive to employee concerns if vaccination is mandated as soon as it becomes publicly available.

Reduce Potential Legal Liability

Employees injured by a mandated vaccine may bring legal claims for workers’ compensation, negligence, and OSHA violations. It is difficult to predict the success of such claims. The ability to argue that government recommendations were followed would go far in defending against them. Limiting a vaccine mandate to high-risk positions or workplaces may also reduce potential legal liability and employee backlash.

Wait and See Is the Way to Go

Most Massachusetts non-healthcare employers and their employees are not going to have access to any vaccines before the spring of 2021. So most employers can wait to decide to mandate vaccines simply because there won’t be vaccines immediately available.

In the meantime, employers should be prepared to provide reliable information; reinforce other steps to protect employees and the public, like continued screening, fitness-for-duty programs, and contract tracing; implement employee incentives for voluntary vaccinations; and consider mandatory rapid testing, as those products come to market, as an alternative to mandatory vaccination.

Timothy Murphy is a partner at Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., focusing his practice on labor relations, union avoidance, collective bargaining and arbitration, employment litigation, and employment counseling.

Country Bank Welcomes Victoria Graffam to Corporate Risk Division

WARE — Country Bank announced that Victoria Graffam has joined its Corporate Risk division. Graffam held various BSA and loss-prevention roles before joining Berkshire Bank in 2017 as the BSA/AML EDD manager. While at Berkshire Bank, her focus was to develop and maintain a program to identify and mitigate risk for higher-risk customers. She is also a member of the Assoc. for Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialists.

“I am passionate about inclusion and the value in having different perspectives as it pertains to combating various forms of fraud,” Graffam said. “I believe that, when we work together sharing our experiences and knowledge, we all contribute to making well-rounded decisions.”

Miriam Siegel, senior vice president of Human Resources, added that “we are excited to welcome Victoria to Country Bank. She brings over 30 years of professional experience, with 20 years in community banking, and is a perfect cultural fit for our team. Her can-do attitude, commitment to customer service, and collaborative management approach aligns perfectly with our iSTEP corporate values of integrity, service, teamwork, excellence, and prosperity. We are proud that Victoria has chosen Country Bank to be her employer of choice.”

OneHolyoke CDC Receives Massachusetts COVID-19 Community Grant

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke Community Development Corp. received a Massachusetts COVID-19 Community Grant to provide education to Holyoke residents in order to prevent and reduce the continuing spread and rise of COVID-19.

Communities of color in Massachusetts are among the hardest-hit by COVID-19 in terms of infection, illness, and death. The goal of COVID-19 Community Grants is to reduce COVID-19 infections, morbidity, and mortality among black, Latinx, and other people of color in the hardest-hit cities in the Commonwealth. The grant has been awarded to OneHolyoke CDC to engage the Holyoke community by developing and delivering effective messages, and further support to the hard-hit community with education, training, and outreach to effectively meet Holyoke’s specific needs.

The public information campaign will be concentrated on predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods to address the disproportionate spread of the virus among communities of color.

Educational topics will cover physical distancing, mask wearing, hygiene, and other harm-reduction behaviors and activities, and will be shared widely in both English and Spanish through OneHolyoke CDC’s social-media accounts. Posts will also feature members of the Holyoke community.

The organization will also engage media to widely disseminate information, with information tables available at community outlets in the Latinx-majority neighborhoods of Holyoke. A designated page on OneHolyoke CDC’s website, oneholyoke.org, will provide a collection of resources, blogs, and videos for the community.

Juan Flores, a Latino Holyoke resident, will coordinate social-media and related placements and engagements to educate the community about COVID-19 education and safety. Flores recently earned an associate degree in computer support from Holyoke Community College.

Holyoke is consistently listed as high-risk for COVID-19, according to the state’s COVID-19 map, updated weekly. Furthermore, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Latinos are hospitalized from COVID-19 at four times the rate of white Americans.

John Pucci, Jennifer Levi Join Advisory Search Committee for U.S. Attorney

SPRINGFIELD — John Pucci, a partner at Bulkley Richardson, and Jennifer Levi, professor of Law at Western New England University School of Law, were named members of a bipartisan advisory committee to review and provide recommendations on U.S. attorney candidates for the District of Massachusetts. The announcement was made on Dec. 18 by U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey.

The advisory committee will solicit, interview, and comment on applications for the position of U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, the state’s top federal law-enforcement officer. The committee is comprised of members of the Massachusetts legal community, including prominent academics and litigators, and is chaired by former U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Gertner.

Levi noted that “the strength of our justice system depends on the inclusion and participation of people from every community and walk of life. It’s an honor to serve on this committee and get the chance to work to build a strong, diverse pool of candidates for such an important position.”

Other members of the committee include Elissa Flynn-Poppey, former deputy legal counsel to Gov. Mitt Romney and executive director of the judicial nominating commission for the Office of the Governor of Massachusetts; Angela Onwuachi-Willig, dean of Boston University School of Law; Walter Prince, partner at Prince Lobel and former president of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Assoc; and Georgia Katsoulomitis, executive director of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.

“The advisory committee plays an important role ensuring that a highly qualified, fair-minded, and justice-seeking candidate is appointed as U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts,” Warren and Markey said in a joint statement. “We look forward to receiving the committee’s recommendations.”

Revitalize CDC Helps Bridge Healthcare, Housing Through COVID-19 Emergency-response Program

SPRINGFIELD — Revitalize Community Development Corporation (CDC) and the BeHealthy Partnership accountable-care organization (ACO) made up of Health New England, Baystate Health Centers, and Caring Health Center, have been doing innovative work to understand patients’ social and medical needs throughout Western Mass. These needs are addressed under MassHealth’s Flexible Services Program.

Since early November, the partnership, as part of COVID-19 and nutrition emergency response, has supported patients at risk of contracting COVID-19 by providing them with essential supplies and access to nutritious food at home. The program specifically serves vulnerable members of the community who may face food insecurity and homelessness to allow them to remain safe and healthy in self-isolation.

Patients enrolled in the program are insured through the BeHealthy Partnership and are identified as high-risk for contracting COVID-19 or have already contracted the virus with a risk factor of nutritional imbalance. The program will run through the end of the year and is making contactless deliveries that also include COVID-19 prevention supplies, including disinfectants, microfiber cleaning cloths, face masks, cleaning gloves, dish detergent, food-storage containers, hand soap, disinfectant wipes, paper towels, hand sanitizers, and food from local pantries.

In addition, over Thanksgiving, Wildwood Elementary School in Amherst, CCRC Manufacturing in Springfield, and an individual donor donated turkeys with all the fixings. Revitalize CDC is also collaborating with Stone Soul to deliver turkeys, hams, and chickens to families over the December holidays.

“The BeHealthy Partnership ACO jumped at the opportunity to utilize the Flexible Services funding provided to them by MassHealth to help our community in need during this pandemic,” said Preeti Nakrani, Medicaid and BeHealthy Program manager at Health New England. “The prevalence of food insecurity has risen to unseen levels in recent months, and the COVID-19 food-delivery program that the ACO has launched in partnership with Revitalize CDC aims to promote social distancing while simultaneously addressing the food crisis. Our high-risk community members will no longer need to leave their homes and risk exposure in order to buy groceries. In a very short amount of time, we have seen significant demand for this service.”

Libby Lord, Revitalize CDC COVID-19 Program Assistant, noted that “the people I’m delivering to are cooperative and appreciative despite the hard times they’re having. They inspire me, and they’ve made me feel the holiday spirit — which I really haven’t felt for quite a while.”

COVID Stories

Coronavirus Cover Story

Pandemic Tests the Mettle of the Region’s Small Businesses

Over the course of this long, trying year, BusinessWest has offered a number of what we call ‘COVID stories.’ These are the stories of small-business owners coping with a changed world and challenges they could not possibly have foreseen a year ago. As this year draws to a close, we offer more of these sagas. Like those we documented before, they put on full display the perseverance, imagination, and entrepreneurial will that has defined the business community’s response to the pandemic.

Things Are Heating Up

Hot Oven Cookies Seizes Growth Opportunities During Pandemic

COVID Tails

Pandemic Has Forced This ‘Pet Resort’ to Consolidate and Pivot

Words to Live By

Greenfield Recorder Stays Locally Focused on Pandemic — and Everything Else

The Latest Word

At Hadley Printing, the Presses Have Started Rolling Again

Root Causes

For This Dental Practice, COVID Has Brought Myriad Challenges

Giving Guide 2020

Giving Guide Special Coverage Special Publications

Regional Philanthropic Opportunities

While philanthropy is a year-round activity, this is a time when many of us think about those who are most in need, and how, in general, they can help make Western Mass. a better community for all who call this region home.

To help individuals, groups, and businesses make effective decisions when it comes to philanthropy, BusinessWest and the Healthcare News present the annual Giving Guide, which is especially relevant during this time of a global pandemic, when so many people are in need, and when so many of the nonprofits that work to meet those needs are struggling.

View the 2021 Giving Guide Flipbook HERE

Open the PDF flipbook to view profiles of several area nonprofit organizations, a sampling of the thousands of agencies that provide needed services. These profiles are intended to educate readers about what these groups are doing, and also to inspire them to provide the critical support (which comes in many different forms) that these organizations and so many others desperately need.

Indeed, these profiles list not only giving opportunities — everything from online donations to corporate sponsorships — but also volunteer opportunities. And it is through volunteering, as much as with a cash donation, that individuals can help a nonprofit carry out its important mission within our community.

BusinessWest and HCN launched the Giving Guide in 2011 to essentially harness this region’s incredibly strong track record of philanthropy and support the organizations dedicated to helping those in need. The publication is designed to inform, but also to encourage individuals and organizations to find new and imaginative ways to give back. We are confident that it will succeed with both of these assignments.

George O’Brien, Editor and Associate Publisher

John Gormally, Publisher

Kate Campiti, Sales Manager and Associate Publisher

The Giving Guide is Presented by:

For Banks, COVID-19 Disruption Leads to Innovation

Banking and Financial Services Special Coverage

Lending a Hand

By Mark Morris

Sometimes being thrown into a challenging situation leads to … well, a good idea or two. Or at least a new way of thinking.

Back in March, when COVID-19 first hit, banks and credit unions in Massachusetts were designated essential businesses by Gov. Charlie Baker. That meant making sure everyone had access to their accounts while, at the same time, limiting in-person banking to appointments only, complete with masks, social distancing, and frequent sanitizing protocols.

“It forced us to think outside the box and to figure out the best ways to serve our members during a time of reduced access,” said Kara Herman, vice president, Retail Administration with Freedom Credit Union, adding that her team set out to first communicate all the options members had available to them to get business done without going inside a branch.

BusinessWest spoke with several local bank and credit-union professionals about the challenge of making adjustments to their businesses in the middle of a pandemic. For Kevin O’Connor, executive vice president and chief banking officer for Westfield Bank, reducing foot traffic in the lobbies back in the spring was a chance to review how to make customer interactions with the bank easier in ways that were not face-to-face.

“We published all our branch phone numbers on our website so people can easily reach their local branch,” O’Connor said. “In this way, we could blend the digital experience with the personal touch of a local branch staff member who is there to assist.”

During the summer months, mandates were relaxed, and banks and credit unions were allowed to reopen their lobbies to walk-in traffic. But this month, as COVID-19 infection rates spiked, lobby restrictions were reinstated at many institutions.

“Because we went through lobby closures back in the spring, we were able to refine the process of helping customers find different ways to accomplish what they need to do,” O’Connor said.

Mike Ostrowski says the pandemic has been a “disruptive innovation” that helped many customers appreciate the benefits of banking online.

For example, Westfield Bank makes video tutorials available online for those who are new to electronic banking. “We do this to encourage people to be comfortable in whatever way they interact with us.”

Michael Ostrowski, president and CEO of Arrha Credit Union, noted that, when lobby traffic was first curtailed and members would call to complete a basic transaction, his staff would take the the time to educate the caller on how to accomplish what they wanted to do electronically.

“In some ways, the pandemic was a disruptive innovation because it helped us to migrate so many people to the electronic world,” Ostrowski, said adding that online and mobile activity with Arrha has increased 30% in the last nine months.

Educating members is also the approach Craig Boivin, vice president of UMassFive College Federal Credit Union, has taken. While the aim is to reduce traffic in the branch, there’s still one in-person appointment that he encourages.

“A member of our contact center staff will set up an in-branch appointment with folks who aren’t as tech-savvy and take them through a hands-on tutorial on how to use what’s available,” he explained. “We do this so the member can avoid going to the branch in the future for simple transactions.”

Customers who regularly use online banking and mobile apps barely noticed the limited lobby access, but there are others who rely on being able to walk into a branch and do business face-to-face.

“Some of our customers need to come in every day, such as small-business people who need coin and currency to run their shops,” said Kate Megraw, chief operating officer and chief information officer for New Valley Bank and Trust. This past summer, while adhering to all safety and cleaning protocols, New Valley’s lobbies stayed busy.

Kevin O’Connor

“We published all our branch phone numbers on our website so people can easily reach their local branch. In this way, we could blend the digital experience with the personal touch of a local branch staff member who is there to assist.”

“As a new bank, we are in a growth mode right now, so we were trying to make it easy for customers to come in and open accounts,” she noted. With renewed limits on lobby access, she now encourages appointments as well as the drive-up location at the 16 Acres branch.

Drive-up banking has gone from a routine convenience to a vital service as customers bring more complex transactions to the drive-up window than in the past. It’s one way both bank customers and employees had to adjust to a new environment back in the spring — and may have to adjust again.

Striking a Balance

As branches reopened over the summer, loan activity related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ramped up as as well, Megraw said, providing another opportunity.

“The PPP allowed us to touch a lot of local businesses in Massachusetts and parts of Connecticut,” she added, noting that, through the PPP, New Valley arranged more than 500 small-business loans totaling nearly $90 million.

With branches retreating to a less-accessible time, the challenge now is to strike the right balance between giving people the time they need and keeping the line of cars in the drive-thru moving. Along with placing experienced tellers at the window, O’Connor said, other branch staff speak with people as they approach the drive-up to make sure they have their materials at the ready to make their visit more efficient.

Kate MeGraw

“The pandemic has shown us that high-touch customer service and the ability to speak to someone over the phone or safely take a meeting still makes a big difference when a customer is trying to get something done.”

UMassFive recently converted a drive-up ATM machine at its Hadley branch to a video teller. As a complement to the two existing drive-up tellers, the video teller provides a third option that reduces long lines and still maintains the personal touch.

“It gives our members an additional way to talk to a live person without having to come into the branch or get out of their car,” Boivin said. Installed in two other branch foyers, he added, video tellers have really caught on as usage has tripled just this fall.

Herman said Freedom recently launched video chat as part of its online offerings and said it’s the next best thing to an in-person meeting. “It gives people a chance to see us and talk to us. It’s face-to-face communication even though they are not physically in front of us.”

Because so many people are more comfortable doing things from their home, opening accounts online has substantially increased. While this tool was lightly employed before the pandemic, O’Connor saw an opportunity to enhance it for customers who use it.

“We are supplementing the online account-opening process by having a branch person follow up with the customer to make sure they received the experience they wanted,” he said.

On the lending side of the business, Herman noted that online applications and electronic signatures have further streamlined the process of people conducting bank business from home.

Boivin reported that volume at the UMassFive contact center is up 43% for the year and has nearly doubled in the last two months as coronavirus has spiked. A number of employees moved out of their traditional retail positions to handle the increased activity in the contact center.

“Our staff has been impressive with their flexibility and willingness to work in different departments to get the job done,” he added.

Ostrowski believes his staff were as vulnerable as essential retail workers who have been on the job throughout the pandemic. “Because we appreciate their hard work,” he said, “we recently rewarded our staff with a hazard-pay bonus for all their efforts during COVID-19.”

The People Part

As customers increasingly use online and mobile apps for banking, all the managers we spoke with agree that in-person branches still play a vital role. Ostrowski emphasized that technology doesn’t take the place of personal service, but just enhances it.

While acknowledging that digital services are an important and growing part of banking, Megraw also believes the “people part” is still essential.

Craig Boivin

“Our staff has been impressive with their flexibility and willingness to work in different departments to get the job done.”

“The pandemic has shown us that high-touch customer service and the ability to speak to someone over the phone or safely take a meeting still makes a big difference when a customer is trying to get something done.”

Boivin hopes the changes that forced people out of the branches will result in more convenience for them and an elevated role for the branches.

“In the long run, we see branches being centers where people can sit down with someone face-to-face for those in-depth conversations about their finances, such as buying a house for the first time,” he said. “We still see a need for those interactions to continue at the branch level.”

Ostrowski predicts banking will move toward a hybrid approach that combines the latest technology innovations with an old-fashioned, hometown banking experience.

“I like the term ‘the big hug,’ meaning, even if you do all your regular business electronically, there are times when you want to come in for a mortgage, or you’re having trouble with a tax bill, and we’re there to give you that big hug of caring service when you need it.”

Herman believes the events of the last nine months have caused banks to re-evaluate the roles and responsibilities that branch staff will have in the future.

“I think the traditional job descriptions we had back in February no longer exist, and they are evolving as we speak,” she said, adding that, while people will remain an important part of branch banking, the industry has to figure out how to serve the new needs their customers will have going forward.

For Dealers, a Sense of Normalcy, or a New Normal, Is Settling In

Autos Special Coverage

Driving Forces

Rob Pion was walking outside at his family’s Buick/GMC dealership on Memorial Avenue in Chicopee, and used the view to put things in perspective for this industry as a trying, but not altogether terrible, year comes to an end.

“That’s basically the new-car inventory,” he said, pointing to a long single line of cars along the front of the property, noting that he was exaggerating, but only slightly.

Indeed, inventory remains an issue for almost all dealers in this region as manufacturers struggle to catch up after weeks, if not months, of shutdown at the factories. And matters are worse for GM dealers, said Pion, the third-generation principal of this venture, because of the lengthy strike at that corporation in 2019.

But aside from supplies of new cars — and things are getting slightly better on that front as well, as we’ll hear — the picture is brightening somewhat for auto dealers, and a sense of normal is returning, at least in some respects.

Or a new normal, if you will.

Indeed, Pion said the pandemic has effectively served to speed up the pace of change within the auto industry when it comes to doing things remotely and moving away from those traditional visits to the dealership to look at models, kick the tires, and even drop off the car for service.

Rob Pion says inventory remains an issue at his dealership, and it will likely remain that way into the new year.

“There are experts out there saying that we moved forward 10 years in three months when it comes to internet purchasing, out-of-state deliveries, and people doing 98% of the deal over the phone or the internet,” he told BusinessWest. “And that sounds about right.”

Carla Cosenzi, president of TommyCar Auto Group, which operates four dealerships (Volkswagen, Nissan, Hyundai, and Volvo), agreed. She said the pandemic has certainly made online buying, as well as vehicle pickup and dropoff for needed service, more popular, and these trends will have staying power, especially as the number of COVID-19 cases rises again.

And while it was a somewhat tumultuous year, especially when it came to inventories of both new and used cars (and the prices of the latter), it wasn’t really a bad year for many dealerships — and certainly not as bad as things as things looked in March and April, when some dealerships actually closed and all others were seeing business come to something approaching a standstill.

“We’re actually on track for what our plan was 2020, even with what happened in March, April, and May,” said Peter Wirth, co-owner with his wife, Michelle, of Mercedes-Benz of Springfield, quickly noting a few caveats to that assessment. “Some things moved around a little — more used cars and fewer used cars based on supplies — but overall, as I said, we’re on track for where we wanted to be as a dealership.”

Cosenzi concurred. “Given the circumstances and what happened, we feel really good about how we finished in 2020,” she said. “When you look back to how everyone was feeling in March, we feel really appreciative of how we finished the year.”

‘Normal’ also applies, to some extent, to end-of-year, holiday-season sales, said those we spoke with, adding quickly that smaller inventories will certainly limit how many cars, trucks, and SUVs will be sold, including to businesses looking for tax incentives — although demand is certainly there.

But those end-of-year sales, such as Mercedes’ annual Winter Event, are happening, and they are bringing customers to the ‘dealership,’ literally or figuratively.

“It’s like a cherished piece of normalcy,” said Wirth. “People see that the Winter Event is happening, that the deals are out there. I feel like both our customers and our team are enjoying the fact that there’s a normal, busy holiday-selling season — so far, at least.”

He made that statement toward the middle of December, and that tone reflects a degree of uncertainty that still prevails in this industry and most all others as well.

Peter and Michelle Wirth say their Mercedes-Benz dealership managed to hit most of the set goals for 2020 despite the pandemic.

Indeed, while it’s easy to reflect on 2020, projecting what will happen in 2021 is much more difficult, said those we spoke with. Generally, there is optimism — or guarded optimism, which is the popular phrase at this time of year, and this time in history especially — but still some concern.

Overall, those we spoke with said trends and sentiments that took hold in 2020 — from less reliance on public transportation and services like Uber and Lyft (fueled by pandemic fears) to people gaining more comfort from (while also putting more resources into) their vehicles — should continue in 2021, and that bodes well for the year ahead.

But, as this year clearly showed, things can change — and in the time it takes for one of these new models to go from 0 to 60.

Changing Gears

Looking back on 2020, the dealers we spoke with said it was a trying year in many respects, and, overall, a time of adjustment — for both those selling cars and buying them — because of the pandemic.

Many of those adjustments involved the purchase or leasing process, with much of it, as noted, moving online. But the pandemic also forced most car manufacturers to shut down for weeks or months, eventually leading to those half-full (if that) lots at the dealership that became one of the enduring, and very visible, symbols of the pandemic.

Thus, instead of going to the lot and picking out what they wanted, as they had become accustomed to doing for years, many more customers had to factory-order their vehicle and wait, usually several weeks, for it to arrive. This meant extending leases in some cases, said Wirth, adding that the factory-ordering process took longer, in general. Overall, he noted, customers and his dealership adjusted, and there wasn’t a significant loss of business.

“Given the circumstances and what happened, we feel really good about how we finished in 2020. When you look back to how everyone was feeling in March, we feel really appreciative of how we finished the year.”

That’s because demand was consistently high, for a number of reasons, starting with some pandemic-fueled reliance on the family cars — yes, even as people were driving less, and considerably less in some cases — and a greater desire to take care of that car or trade up, something made more feasible and attractive by everything from incentives from the manufacturers to stimulus checks from the federal government, to the fact that people weren’t spending money on vacations or many other things.

Indeed, Michelle Wirth said 2020 was a year of greater appreciation for the car, and a time when many chose to focus on, and put money in, their homes, their cars, or both.

“There was a point in time during all this when your vehicle was probably the only recommended mode of transportation available to you,” she explained. “And if you chose, for whatever reason, not to have a car for a long time, suddenly, you felt you needed one.

“And if you had one, and it wasn’t as safe or new or nice as you might like, you did something about that,” she went on. “It was the same with home improvement — people were looking around and saying, ‘I didn’t spend much time here before. Now I do; I need to do something.’ The same with their car.”

Cosenzi agreed. “We saw many people reallocating their household budget,” she said. “We saw the majority of the people who shop our brands put their money in their houses and their vehicles, and also feel more like they had to rely on their vehicles, now more than ever.”

Elaborating, she said — and others did as well — that this sentiment applies to both service (taking better care of the car currently in the driveway) and buying or leasing something new or newer, more reliable, and in some cases lighter on the monthly budget.

Indeed, some manufacturers have been offering unprecedented incentives — Cosenzi noted that at least one brand is offering no interest for 84 months — and many of those still employed and with stimulus checks in hand soon eyed new or used cars as rock-solid investments.

“People were saying, ‘I can upgrade my car and get a lower interest rate; I can have a newer car that’s under warranty; I can pay less in interest in the long run and maybe lower my payment,’” she explained. “There are a lot of people who weren’t working or nervous about not working, that were taking advantage of the stimulus and really took that to make decisions about how to allocate their income.”

The problem is that supplies haven’t been able to keep up with demand — for most of this year and on most lots, anyway.

Keep On Truckin’

Which brings us all the way to back to Rob Pion pointing at that single line of new cars at his dealership. He said inventories have been consistently low and are due to remain that way. And when vehicles do arrive on the lot, they’re either already spoken for or not on the lot for long, especially when it comes to trucks, the pride of the GM line.

“We’re preselling vehicles at an unprecedented rate — the vehicles are sold before they hit my lot,” he explained. “Typically, people just want to come in and see them: ‘give me a call when it gets here.’ Now, they’re ‘here’s my deposit, call me when I can pick it up.’

SEE: List of Auto Dealers

“I don’t have any pickup truck inventory,” he went on. “So any businesses looking to make those year-end purchases for tax writeoffs … that’s just not happening this year because there’s little or no availability for them when it comes to that type of vehicle.”

Still, overall, dealers are reporting that the parking lots are more full than they have been.

Peter Wirth said supplies have been steadily improving at Mercedes-Benz, and in the meantime, between the stock at the Chicopee location and a sister dealership in New York, most customers have been able to find what they’re looking for or factory-order it.

Cosenzi, meanwhile, said inventory levels have “balanced out” at her dealerships, and there are now adequate supplies for what she hopes will be a solid end-of-year run.

As for what has been a crazy year for the used-car market, where at times vehicles were difficult if not impossible to find and prices skyrocketed, some normalcy is returning to that realm as well.

“As quickly as it went up, the market is perhaps just as quickly coming back down,” said Pion, adding that, overall, it’s been ultra-challenging for dealers to not only get used cars but cope with the fluctuations in that market — from when the bottom dropped out back in the spring to when prices soared during the summer, to the state of relative uncertainty that exists now.

Peter Wirth agreed that it’s been a bumpy road when it comes to used cars — for a time, he had one employee who did nothing else but try to find vehicles to buy — but said some stability has returned.

“We have roughly 75 used cars in stock,” he noted. “It took us a while to catch up on inventory, just because sales were really good on pre-owned cars all year, so while we kept buying more cars, we sold them right away. It’s taken us until now to find more cars so we replenish supplies. And it’s not just about buying cars — you want be selective and find the right cars.”

Looking ahead … well, while people can do that, it’s difficult given how many unknowns dominate the conversation, regarding everything from pandemic spikes to vaccines to new- and used-car inventories.

“The vaccine is a positive, people not wanting to depend on public transportation or ride-sharing is a positive, and the incentives and low interest rates are positives,” Cosenzi said. “But we can’t be in denial that there is still a virus out there and people are being more cautious than ever before.”

But while question marks remain for the year ahead, the consensus is that 2020 was, overall, not as bad as it could have been, and that a sense of normal — if perhaps a new normal — has returned.

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

Cedarbrook Village Navigates Safe Opening During Challenging Year

Business of Aging

No Time Like the Present

By Mark Morris

The senior-living industry is preparing for a “gray tsunami.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 every day for the next 10 years, while the oldest Boomers will start turning 80 in 2025.

Robert Kelley, in-house counsel for Everbrook Senior Living, predicts that, once Boomers start reaching that age, the demand for senior-living communities will increase significantly. That’s one of the many reasons he’s excited about his company’s newest community, Cedarbrook Village in Ware.

From its corporate office in Southampton, Everbrook already manages three senior-living communities in Windsor Locks, Hebron, and Bozrah, Conn., and Cedarbrook is its first community in Massachusetts.

Originally planned for a July opening, various delays postponed the ribbon-cutting ceremony until Sept. 14. Kelly Russell, executive director of Cedarbrook Village, has worked in the industry for more than 20 years and has overseen plenty of community openings, but this one was different.

“For this grand opening, we made sure to have plenty of PPE on site for anyone who needed it,” Russell said. Moving people into their apartments safely during COVID-19 also required a new approach.

“We set up different times and arranged for people to use different doors, so they would not run into each other,” she said, adding that social distancing and cleaning between move-ins was all part of the extra planning and organization necessitated by the pandemic.

When families help their parents move into senior living, it’s often a stressful time, she said, and the added stress of COVID-19 has only intensified the anxiety and guilt family caregivers feel. With all the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, families now worry they won’t be able to see their loved ones.

“We reassure family members that we are taking all the necessary precautions so they can schedule visits in a safe environment and stay in touch with their loved ones,” Russell said.

For example, scheduled visits are a departure from pre-COVID times when families could drop in anytime.

Kelly Russell says senior living is an attractive option during a pandemic because the safety measures in place give families peace of mind.

“We would tell families this is their home, too. If they wanted to come spend the night with their loved ones and eat in the dining room with them, they were welcome to do all that,” Russell said.

Unfortunately, that wide-open policy is on pause — one of many ways life is different right now in the senior-living sector. But the fact that Cedarbrook opened at all during such a year is a reflection of the growing demand for such facilities, and how this multi-site company intends to continue meeting that need.

Safety First

Keeping an aging loved one safe at home during the pandemic can mean a great deal of work for a family. That’s why senior living is a good option, Russell said, noting that Cedarbrook has extensive COVID-19 safety measures in place which can ease the burden for families and give them peace of mind.

“We saw this location as a good fit, and the town of Ware was very accommodating to work with.”

“Even if families don’t see them as much, they know their loved ones are getting all the care they need and still being able to socialize with the residents,” she noted, adding that she also reassures families through social-media postings.

“Whether we’re using FaceTime or sending videos, I post a lot online,” she said. “This way, the families who can’t visit their loved ones often enough can see them smiling and engaged in activities with other people. It lets the family know their loved one is OK.”

Among its 119 units, Cedarbrook offers independent living, assisted living, and a memory-care center. Russell explained there are many reasons why people choose to move in.

“Folks usually move in to our independent-living apartments because they are tired of taking care of a house and a yard, or their laundry is in the basement and stairs have become too difficult, things like that,” she said, adding that independent residents can either make meals for themselves or join others in the dining room.

“Those who move into assisted living usually need some help with everyday tasks such as eating, dressing, and grooming,” she continued. Instead of sitting home alone watching TV, they can be part of a community and engage in activities and exercise programs, and socialize with other people.

Independent-living residents can either make meals for themselves or join others in the dining room.

Everbrook chose Ware as the site for Cedarbrook because the Quaboag region, encompassing Ware, Brimfield, and surrounding towns, had no senior-living facilities; the closest options were located in the Wilbraham/Ludlow area to the west and Greater Worcester to the east.

“We saw this location as a good fit, and the town of Ware was very accommodating to work with,” Kelley said, adding that the building design incorporated local influences.

“Several design details of the building are reminiscent of the South Street School that once occupied this site,” he noted, while another example is the large-screen movie room at Cedarbrook, called the Casino Theatre, inspired by the iconic movie house once located on Main Street in Ware.

Trends in senior living have changed over the years. Twenty years ago, such communities tended to attract people in their mid- to late 70s. As longevity has increased, the average move-in age these days has risen closer to the 80s and even 90s.

In the past, inquiries from families focused on services and amenities offered, as well as activities and the level of care. Since COVID-19, Russell said, the questions have changed. “Now, we’re asked, ‘do you have a generator?’ ‘how do you respond to emergencies?’ and ‘what supplies do you have on hand?’”

As a new building that has only recently opened, Russell is able to market the community as having plenty of space for socially distanced meals in two large dining rooms. “Everyone can eat together because we can space them far enough apart.”

Cedarbrook also works with a primary-care physician whom residents can access through telehealth for routine inquiries, rather than going out to a doctor’s office. Meanwhile, an exercise physiologist runs the fitness programs for residents. At one time, exercise programs and other activities filled the calendar, but the number of activities has been reduced to allow for disinfecting equipment and rooms in between sessions. Russell described it as emphasizing quality and safety over quantity.

“If you’re smart about it,” she said, “you can still offer activities and keep everyone safe.”

Shifting Tides

By following that same approach, Russell continues to assure families that senior-living communities such as Cedarbrook are the right choice for their loved ones during this crisis.

SEE: List of Senior Living Communities

“We want families to feel secure in knowing that there will always be support here for their loved ones,” Russell said, adding that, while no one can guarantee COVID-19 won’t find a way to infect people, Cedarbrook has measures and equipment in place in the event of an outbreak.

“If our residents have to quarantine, they will still get the care they need and still have their meals,” she said. “We will also help residents stay in touch with their families.”

Keeping safety as the main priority, Russell believes the key is to make adjustments as things change. “I don’t really feel like there is a ‘new normal’ because every day brings new and different challenges we have to face.”

And, like everyone, she looks forward to a time when COVID-19 restrictions are a thing of the past. “We can’t wait until we can fully open the community and share with families everything we have to offer here.”

Prior to Cedarbrook’s opening, Russell had another big event on her calendar this year — she was married on Aug. 28, a date she intentionally chose before the September opening.

“The wedding was much easier to plan than opening the building,” she said with a laugh — but is happy to have accomplished both during a year no one will forget.

North Adams Remains a Draw on Many Levels

Community Spotlight

Tom Bernard says myriad entities in North Adams, from restaurants to municipal offices to MCLA, have had to do business differently this year.

The last time BusinessWest spoke with Mayor Thomas Bernard for the Community Spotlight, about a year ago, he was talking up the city’s Vision 2030 plan, which was hatched in 2011 and is revisited regularly.

At a public information session last year, city leaders discussed the plan’s seven priorities — economic renewal, investment in aging infrastructure, creation of a thriving and connected community, intergenerational thinking, fiscal efficiency, historic preservation, and food access — and some specifics of what’s happening in each.

But 2020 has been about reacting as much as planning — though Bernard says communities need to do both, even during a pandemic.

“I look at my wonderfully organized and beautifully color-coded and phased planning documents from January and February, and I think about our February staff meeting where we discussed this COVID thing — ‘what could this mean for us?’” he recalled. “It’s been such a difficult year, but I can still point to some really great signs of progress.”

That includes continued movement toward adaptive reuse of old mill space, plans to renovate 67-year-old Greylock Elementary School, and a regional housing-production study that uncovered a need for more affordable housing, but more market-rate housing as well.

That said, it’s been a tough year for many businesses, too.

“People want to get the most bang for their buck without sacrificing quality, without sacrificing engagement, without sacrificing the memories they make. In that sense, North Adams continues to be attractive, and the Berkshires continue to be attractive.”

“Everyone has been struggling,” the mayor said. “Our restaurants did a terrific job early on in making the pivot to curbside and delivery, and they did fairly well when the weather was nice, and then a lot of them got really creative in how to expand their outdoor dining. The city and the licensing board tried to be as friendly and accommodating and make it as easy as possible for people,” Bernard noted, adding, of course, that winter will pose new hardships.

Municipal business continued apace as well, albeit sometimes with a creative, socially distanced flair.

For example, “as part of our property-disposition strategy, we did an auction of city properties, and we did it down at the municipal ballfield. There was plenty of space in the bleachers and stands for bidders, and the auctioneer was out on the field, taking bids. We brought people back to City Hall, one at a time, to do the paperwork. We went nine for 10 on properties we put up for auction.”

The Old College Try

Another success story took place at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) — simply because it made it through a semester of on-campus learning with no major COVID-19 outbreaks.

“We heard loud and clear that the campus experience is important,” said Gina Puc, vice president for Strategic Initiatives, noting, of course, that it’s a somewhat different experience than usual, with students alternating between the classroom and online learning in their residence halls, while only 550 of the 1,225 enrolled students this fall were on campus, all in single rooms.

“And it worked — our positivity rate was 10 times lower than the state’s,” she said. “We made it through the entire semester without having to alter our plans. The students were the main reason we were able to stay the course. We had incredible adherence to all the social-distancing and health and safety guidelines in place.”

The testing program was so successful, in fact, that MCLA was able to donate 130 leftover COVID tests to the city’s public schools, to perform asymptomatic testing on teachers and staff.

“They did such a great job with their testing program,” Bernard added. “Their positivity stayed low, contact tracing was good, and it helped that they were out before the holidays, so Thanksgiving didn’t play into it.”

Enrollment was down about 20%, but mostly among first-year students, reflecting a nationwide trend. “The 2020 high-school graduates didn’t even get their own graduation ceremonies, and it certainly disrupted their college plans,” Puc said.

But she’s confident the college will build off its unusual, but encouraging, fall semester and continue to attract students to North Adams. “We have an incredible combination of beauty and the kinds of cultural amenities usually found in urban areas,” she said.

Students studying the arts have plenty of local institutions at which to intern, but the college’s STEM center and the addition of a radiologic technology program in the health sciences reflect the regional growth of careers in those fields, as reflected by big players like General Dynamics, the Berkshire Innovation Center, and Berkshire Health Systems, and a host of smaller companies.

Tourism is a critical industry in North Adams as well, and visitor numbers were certainly down in 2020 overall, Bernard said, although MASS MoCA had a successful reopening and continues to do well. “The big advantage they have is space — you can be there in a socially distanced way. But, still, fewer people have come through this year.”

North Adams at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1878
Population: 13,708
Area: 20.6 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $18.64
Commercial Tax Rate: $39.83
Median Household Income: $35,020
Family Household Income: $57,522
Type of government: Mayor; City Council
Largest Employers: BFAIR Inc.; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
* Latest information available

The exception is outdoor recreation, which has thrived across the Berkshires this year.

“As much as we’ve done incredible work because of our location, because of MASS MoCA and Williamstown Theatre Festival and Williams College and Barrington Stage and Berkshire Theatre and all these tremendous cultural resources, we don’t always appreciate how gorgeous it is out here,” Bernard said. “But, for a lot of people, that’s a huge draw.”

While the number of people visiting for foliage season may have been down from past years, he said he drove around the iconic Route 2 hairpin turn on a number of occasions, and always saw people stopping to take photos.

“Again, what a great, socially distanced way to appreciate the nature of the Berkshires in a year when you can’t engage in the area as fully as you might otherwise,” he said. “You can still get in the car, a motorcycle, or take a bike ride, and see it all. We know there’s demand for that.”

Hit the Road

He belives tourism in and around North Adams should rebound fine post-pandemic — if only because people’s dollars go further here, because of the mix of reasonably priced attractions and no-cost nature.

“People want to get the most bang for their buck without sacrificing quality, without sacrificing engagement, without sacrificing the memories they make. In that sense, North Adams continues to be attractive, and the Berkshires continue to be attractive,” he said.

As part of the Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership, the city recently landed some funding for a comprehensive mapping and marketing effort of its trail systems. “It’s for people who want to visit, maybe go to a museum, have a good meal, stay a few days as tourists, but then they want to get out on the trails.”

Add it all up, and there’s plenty to look forward to in 2021.

“I’m bullish and optimistic about what spring and summer could bring,” Bernard went on. “I think there will still be caution, I think there will be wariness, but I think there’s also pent-up demand, too, and people will think about where they want to go and what they want to do.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Country Bank Announces Sponsorship Agreement with WooSox

Banking and Financial Services

Play Ball

Paul Scully (right) tours the under-construction Polar Park in Worcester with team President Charles Steinberg.

Baseball season is — hopefully — just four months away, and Paul Scully says that’s reason for excitement in Massachusetts.

“Just think about this year and the fact that so many of us have been inside, just looking for something to do,” said Scully, president and CEO of Country Bank, while talking about the bank’s ‘founding partner’ status with the Worcester Red Sox during a recent episode of BusinessTalk, the BusinessWest podcast.

“Just the prospect of having baseball back, right here within a quick drive for most of us … we’re very excited about it for the fans, for our customers, and for businesses throughout the area. It’s a great time.”

As one of 21 founding partners of the WooSox, who plan to begin play in Worcester’s brand-new Polar Park this spring, Country Bank’s multi-tiered sponsorship includes a large sign in right field atop the stands known as the Worcester Wall, along with the Country Bank Guest Services area located on the first-base concourse.

“We toured the park two weeks ago … and it really has some wonderful attributes that represent the Central Mass. area. It’s different from Fenway, but there are some similarities,” Scully said, noting that the high Worcester Wall is in right field, and will be colored blue, as opposed to the left-field Green Monster in Fenway.

Meanwhile, the Country Bank Guest Services area is a place where fans can come for help with any number of issues, from missing keys to missing kids, he noted — a way for the bank to extend its customer-service philosophy to this new partnership.

Speaking of partnerships, the bank and the WooSox Foundation will work together on a number of charitable efforts, from a Teacher of the Month recognition program to a combined charitable-giving campaign throughout the baseball season.

“We have been impressed and inspired by Country Bank’s sense of community involvement,” WooSox President Charles Steinberg said. “We see how helpful they are to various institutions and thousands of people in our region, and we welcome them to Polar Park with open arms as we work together to enhance the quality of life in our community even more.”

To kick off their partnership last month, a team from Country Bank and the WooSox mascot, Smiley Ball, delivered 500 Thanksgiving meals prepared by Old Sturbridge Village along with apple pies from Worcester-based Table Talk to the St. John’s Food Pantry for the Poor.

“Just the prospect of having baseball back, right here within a quick drive for most of us … we’re very excited about it for the fans, for our customers, and for businesses throughout the area. It’s a great time.”

“The alignment of our organizational values with the WooSox solidifies our commitment to service and teamwork as we continually strive for excellence in all we do,” Scully said.

He noted that, at a time when spectator sports continue to be redefined by new norms of social distancing, sports sponsorships are taking on new forms, extending beyond the stadium walls to make a real impact in the community. But he knows fans want to have a good time, too.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the WooSox and the Worcester community,” he said. “The addition of year-round entertainment, including ballgames, concerts, and various family activities at Polar Park, is exciting for the people and businesses in the region. We all look forward to the day when we can come together again at the ballpark, enjoying activities with our families and friends. We also look forward to seeing our businesses thrive once again after being heavily impacted by the pandemic.”

Scully knows, of course, that the pandemic is far from over, and the baseball season may or may not start on time in April. But he also senses a regional fan base that will enthusiastically support another professional sports franchise in this region, especially one with the cachet of the Boston Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate.

“They’re part of the Central Mass. community now, and we’re excited for them, and we’re excited for us,” he told BusinessWest. “But, more importantly, we’re just excited for the fans.”

—Joseph Bednar

Blockchain Can Provide Efficiencies in Healthcare and Other Sectors

Banking and Financial Services

More Than Just Bitcoin

By Matthew Ogrodowicz, MSA

‘Blockchain’ is a term used to broadly describe the cryptographic technology that underpins several applications, the most widely known of which is Bitcoin and other similar cryptocurrencies.

Matthew Ogrodowicz

Even though it is the largest current application, a survey conducted on behalf of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in 2018 found that 48% of American adults were not familiar with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Litecoin, three cryptocurrencies among those with the largest market capitalizations. The largest of these, Bitcoin, currently sits at a market capitalization of approximately $355 billion. If half of all adults are unfamiliar with this largest application, it is safe to assume that even fewer know about other ways the technology could be used — including for some of the region’s major industries.

Three of these largest industries in Western Mass. are healthcare, manufacturing, and higher education. In each of these industries, the secure and verifiable information network created by blockchain can provide efficiencies. This network, essentially a public ledger, consists of a series of transactions (blocks), which is distributed and replicated across a network of computers referred to as nodes. These nodes each maintain a copy of the ledger, which can only be added to by the solving of a cryptographic puzzle that is verified by other nodes in the network.

The information on the ledger is maintained by another aspect of cryptography, which is that the same data encrypted in the same way produces the same result, so if data earlier in the chain is manipulated, it will be rejected by the other nodes even though the data itself is encrypted. Thus, an immutable chain of verifiable, secure information is created, capable of supporting applications in the aforementioned fields.

Each of these industries can benefit from the blockchain’s ability to host ‘smart contracts.’ A smart contract is a digital protocol intended to facilitate, verify, or enforce the performance of a transaction. The simplest analogue is that of a vending machine — once payment is made, an item is delivered. Smart contracts would exist on the blockchain and would be triggered by a predefined condition or action agreed upon by the parties beforehand. This allows the parties to transact directly without the need for intermediaries, providing time and cost savings as well as automation and accuracy.

Combined with the security and immutability noted earlier, smart contracts should prove to be a valuable tool, though there is still work to be done in codifying and establishing legal frameworks around smart contracts. Other applications of blockchain technology are more specifically applicable to individual fields.

In the field of healthcare, blockchain’s ability to process, validate, and sanction access to data could lead to a centralized repository of electronic health records and allow patients to permit and/or revoke read-and-write privileges to certain doctors or facilities as they deem necessary. This would allow patients more control over who has access to their personal health records while providing for quick transfers and reductions in administrative delay.

In the field of manufacturing, blockchain can provide more supply-chain efficiency and transparency by codifying and tracking the routes and intermediate steps, including carriers and time of arrival and departure, without allowing for unauthorized modification of this information. In a similar fashion, blockchain can provide manufacturers assurance that the goods they have received are exactly those they have ordered and that they are without defect by allowing for tracking of individual parts or other raw materials.

Finally, in the field of higher education, blockchain could be used to improve record keeping of degrees and certifications in a manner similar to that of electronic medical records. Beyond that, intellectual property such as research, scholarly publications, media works, and presentations could be protected by the blockchain by allowing for ease of sharing them while preserving the ability to control how they are used.

And, of course, blockchain development will be a skill high in demand that will benefit from the creation of interdisciplinary programs at colleges and universities that help students understand the development of blockchain networks as well the areas of business, technology, law, and commerce that are impacted by it.

For these reasons and many more, businesses should feel an urgency to increase their knowledge of blockchain’s impact on their industries while exploring the potential dividends that could be reaped by a foray into an emerging technology.

Matthew Ogrodowicz, MSA is a senior associate at the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.

Here Come the COVID Vaccines — but Hurdles Remain

Business of Aging

Shot in the Arm

As COVID-19 vaccines begin to roll off production lines, many questions remain — about how quickly they’ll reach the general public, about long-term efficacy and safety, about how many Americans will actually want one.

But on one issue, there is no doubt, Dr. Andrew Artenstein said.

“This is a spectacular achievement just to get where we’ve gotten so far, and I think we should appreciate that,” the chief physician executive and chief academic officer at Baystate Health told BusinessWest. “It’s been a whirlwind, and I mean that in a good way.”

Everyone in healthcare understands the upside — the dramatic promise — of a vaccine as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its 10th month.

“A vaccine is a major component of getting on the other side of this,” Artenstein added. “It’s not the only component, but it’s an important and necessary piece of shortening the duration of this pandemic and possibly preventing future waves.”

With Pfizer gaining emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to begin distributing its vaccine — and Moderna expected to do the same — the Baker-Polito administration announced allocation and distribution plans for the first round of vaccine shipments to Massachusetts, expected to begin around Dec. 15. The state’s first shipment of 59,475 doses of the Pfizer vaccine was ordered from the federal government and will be delivered directly to 21 hospitals across eight counties, as well as to the Department of Public Health immunization lab.

Doses will then be redistributed for access to 74 hospitals across all 14 counties for frontline medical workers. Another 40,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be allocated to the Federal Pharmacy Program to begin vaccinating staff and residents of skilled-nursing facilities and assisted-living residences in Massachusetts.

In all, Massachusetts is expecting 300,000 doses of vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna to be delivered by the end of December. Both vaccines require two doses administered three to four weeks apart. While all delivery dates and quantities are subject to change due to ongoing federal approval and allocation, state leaders expect to receive and distribute more than 2 million doses to priority population groups by the end of March.

Dr. Andrew Artenstein says the public should not let down their guard when it comes to masking and social distancing while they wait for the vaccine.

“It does make perfect sense,” Artenstein said of the prioritization plans, which reflect judgments on the federal level and ensure delivery to groups like healthcare workers, first responders, the elderly, and people with co-morbidities before the rest of the public. In the case of seniors, for example, “it’s not that they’re more likely to get the virus, necessarily, but they’re more likely to die if they get infected. They do worse.”

Meanwhile, he added, healthcare workers have a greater risk of coronavirus exposure than most other people.

“We’ve been inundated — inundated — with calls from other groups that they want the vaccine,” he said, placing heavy emphasis on that word. “But the truth is, it isn’t available for the general population now, and it may be several months before it is.”

Artenstein, an infectious-disease expert who founded and directed the Center for Biodefense and Emerging Pathogens at Brown University for more than a decade before arriving at Baystate, has been one of the public faces locally of the fight against COVID-19, and he was careful to temper optimism about a vaccine with a reality check on the timeline — and what people need to do in the meantime.

“A vaccine may eventually be the answer, but it’s only going to be part of the solution for the next six to 12 months, assuming we continue to get vaccines that are safe and effective. It’s going to take a while — even if all goes well — before we get enough immunity in the population to really put an end to this thing.

“In the meantime,” he went on, “we would benefit greatly by continuing to push the classic ways to interrupt transmission: masks, distancing, avoiding gatherings. All those things will continue to help us because, even after we start vaccinating parts of the population, it will take the better part of the year to roll it out to everyone, and we need to continue to interrupt transmission.”

Jessica Collins, executive director of the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, agreed, even though it can be a challenge getting through to people suffering from ‘pandemic fatigue,’ who feel isolated and weary of all the changes in their lives over the past year.

“I’m sorry people are tired,” she said. “But the basic messaging isn’t hard — wear a mask, wash your hands, and don’t be inside spaces with a mask off with people you don’t know. I do think the holidays have created a tremendous sense of urgency to remind people again, especially with students leaving schools and coming back to their homes.”

Hopefully, health leaders say, vaccines will put a definitive end to the crisis. But that day is still far off, Collins added. “People need to wait it out.”

Making a List, Checking It Twice

In announcing the Commonwealth’s vaccine-distribution plans, Gov. Charlie Baker noted that Massachusetts goes further than national recommendations by prioritizing all workers in the healthcare environment, not only providers, but also food-service, maintenance, and other facility workers. Similarly, home health workers, including personal-care attendants, are prioritized on the list, recognizing their important role providing services to vulnerable individuals and the fact that they often reside in communities highly affected by COVID-19.

Jessica Collins

“Messaging is critical, and the messengers are critical. Hopefully, we’ll have good results, and more people will be willing to take it.”

Phase one of vaccine distribution — which, as noted, includes healthcare-facility workers; police, fire, and ambulance workers; congregate-care settings, including not only senior-living facilities, but shelters and jails; and home-based healthcare workers — is expected to last into February. Phase two, expected to run from February to April, will prioritize individuals with co-morbidities that put them at higher risk for COVID-19 complications; all adults over age 65; as well as workers in the fields of early education, K-12 education, transit, grocery, utility, food and agriculture, sanitation, public works, and public health.

Phase three, expected to follow in April or May, will see the vaccine more widely available to the general public.

Baker’s announcement noted that vaccines go through extensive testing, more than any pharmaceuticals, including extensive testing in clinical trials. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which approves the vaccine, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which will make its recommendation for use, must ensure any vaccine is both safe and effective for the public before approval and distribution.

All this is necessary for emergency-use authorization of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, Artenstein said, but the testing process is far from over, and long-term effects won’t be known until, well, the long term.

The emergency-use ruling “is not licensure, but allows the immediate use of the vaccine pending more information that leads to licensure down the road — because we’re in a pandemic,” he noted, adding that he’s optimistic about further testing, as trials so far have shown about 95% effectiveness across all age groups, with no serious adverse effects.

“The data I’ve seen is pretty impressive for efficacy and safety of the vaccine. And there were around 40,000 people in the trial, so that’s a good sample,” he said — enough to start delivering some immunity to high-risk populations now.

The question, especially as distribution widens in the spring, is how many Americans will actually take the vaccine. Collins said the Public Health Institute has conducted preliminary outreach and found some skepticism and mistrust of the government when it comes to vaccine advice, especially in communities of color.

“In order to counteract that, we have been trying to find and lift up messengers in the community who are trusted people, whether faith-based leaders or other trusted messengers, to counteract skepticism and fear about getting vaccines, whether the flu vaccine or the COVID-19 vaccine,” Collins told BusinessWest, adding that the institute held a virtual town-hall event two days before Thanksgiving and asked 10 such messengers to share their wisdom on prevention measures.

Artenstein breaks down vaccine attitudes into three distinct groups of people — two of which are those champing at the bit for a vaccine, and a small but robust community of anti-vaxxers who express skepticism at vaccines in general.

“Then there’s a whole middle group who could be convinced to get the vaccine, but they’re concerned about safety and effectiveness,” he explained. “It’s a risk-benefit calculation, and based on what I know about vaccines, the risk seems low, and the risk of COVID seems pretty high, especially right now, with such high rates in the community.

Hampden County, in fact, currently ranks third among Massachusetts counties for transmission rate, with more than 50 positive cases per 100,000 residents.

Typically, around 70% of people in a community — or a nation — need to be exposed, either through natural infection or a vaccine, to reach the desired herd immunity, he added. “In the U.S., that’s a big number. But the risk-benefit calculation is obvious. You’d like, over time, to have enough people willing to get the vaccine to help the general population.”

Anticipation and Reality

While surveys currently suggest about 60% of Americans are willing to take a COVID-19 vaccine, that number could rise higher if early results from the priority groups demonstrate both effectiveness and safety.

“The U.K. is going first, and then U.S. healthcare workers have to go — which is obviously the right thing to do — then people over 65,” Collins noted. “It’s not like the general public is being made guinea pigs. We will actually be able to see a lot of people getting the vaccine, and the companies will see the reactions.

“So, messaging is critical, and the messengers are critical,” she added. “Hopefully, we’ll have good results, and more people will be willing to take it.”

Artenstein agreed, adding that, for the group of Americans ready to line up right now, the wait may be longer than they realize, but that’s OK.

“We’re a little over our skis on this,” he said. “There’s a lot of excitement and anticipation, but it’s going to come out as more of a slow roll; there’s a manufacturing process, an approval process, and a safety process. There won’t be 300 million doses available tomorrow, and that’s hard for some folks.

“There’s going to be a lot of interest, questions, and anxiety, and rightly so,” he added. “We’re living in a very different time, and people want to move very fast. But we have to make sure we do things in the safest possible way.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

More Business Dreams Are Dying

By Editorial December 22, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

While the arrival of vaccines is fostering some optimism across this country and we’re hearing phrases like ‘beginning of the end’ (for the pandemic) and ‘light at the end of the tunnel,’ the sad fact is that relief won’t come soon enough for some businesses in this region.

The latest victim of the COVID-19 crisis is Gateway City Arts in Holyoke. Owners Lori Divine and Vitek Kruta announced they can longer continue operating their cultural-arts center, which had become such a critical part of Holyoke’s resurgence, and will now attempt to sell the complex.

Their message to the community sums up the plight of so many businesses in this region and the frustration that has accompanied the restrictions, shutdowns, and general lack of support from state and federal officials.

“We have reached the point where we just don’t have the resources and energy to try to survive,” they wrote, echoing the sentiments of many who have been trying, unsuccessfully, to hang on. “It took us 10 years to start feeling that we could make it, and then COVID took it all away.”

The two went on to talk about life just before they were forced to close their doors. There was a sold-out concert with more than 500 people in the Hub (and an impressive upcoming slate of big-name artists), a theater production with more than 100 people, and a full house in Judd’s restaurant. And in the veritable blink of an eye, it was all gone.

Like most small businesses in this region, Gateway City Arts received a PPP loan last spring. It was intended to provide eight to 10 weeks of support and keep people paid — and that’s exactly what it did. The problem, as everyone knows, is that the pandemic has lasted far longer than a few months. No further relief, other than a GoFundMe campaign, was forthcoming, and with no end to this crisis in sight, Divine and Kruta had to let their dream die.

As we all prepare to turn the calendar to 2021, many businesses are some state of peril — and many more dreams may have to die. If there is a lockdown or further restrictions, as many fear is possible, if not imminent — or even if the status quo continues — many more small businesses will be forced to close their doors.

Yes, the vaccines are coming, and yes, there just might be some light at the end of this incredibly long, exceedingly dark tunnel. But for many, it won’t come soon enough. As this issue was going to press, Congress was making some progress toward a new stimulus package, one we have to hope will include some relief to embattled small businesses.

But these companies need more than that. As we’ve written on many occasions, they need the support of the community, in any way it can come, to get through this.

We were encouraged to see that a number of businesses were stepping up during the holidays to help. Indeed, instead of sending the traditional gift basket or tray of cookies to an office where few if any people are working anyway, some businesses have sent gift certificates or even small, pre-paid credit cards, with instructions to use them to support local businesses.

Likewise, instead of having that holiday party at a local venue, some businesses are instead giving employees gift certificates for local restaurants, a step that shows appreciation not only for valued workers, but for the local eateries that have been devastated by this pandemic.

It’s unlikely that such steps would have saved Gateway City Arts, a intriguing, potential-laden business that was just hitting its stride when the rug was pulled out from under it. Unless the region rallies around the still-surviving small businesses, other dreams may die as well.

Coping with Loss During the Holidays

By Editorial December 22, 2020

Opinion

By Stuart Anfang, M.D.

The holidays are supposed to be ‘the most wonderful time of the year,’ as one song notes. But for some, it may be the most difficult time of the year after the loss of a loved one.

The holiday season can be especially difficult for those who are preparing to spend these joyous occasions for the first time without a spouse, child, or other beloved family member or friend by their side. These feelings of grief are only exacerbated this year by COVID-19, which has taken the lives of so many, plus the general stress of dealing with the pandemic.

It’s only natural to experience a range of emotions such as sadness, loneliness, and even helplessness and hopelessness while navigating the hustle and bustle of the holidays. But you don’t have to suffer alone. Recognize that you are not alone, and that mixed or sad feelings during the holidays are not uncommon. Do not suffer in silence, and watch for the tendency to isolate or withdraw from others. Denying or bottling up your feelings — or self-medicating with alcohol or drugs — are worrisome signs.

As you prepare for the holidays, include activities that are important to you and your family. Share the load and accept offers of help. If some activities are too difficult or draining, set limits or decide to drop them. Remember, it’s OK and not a sign of weakness to ask for help.

It is always important to remember that you have options. You can change routines. Modify past traditions or join your family in creating new traditions. If you wish, you can find a way of formally remembering your loved one who is not physically present with you — for example, serving their favorite dessert and reflecting on the joy that it brought to your loved one in the past. It is stressful to experience the holiday without your loved one, but you can find ways to honor and include them.

Together, you can share a holiday that is different, but still meaningful and hopeful. As a family, you can add a memory ritual into your holiday by including a special activity such as looking at old photo albums or making and displaying a special holiday decoration with significant ties to the deceased. Given the current COVID-19 circumstances, make sure to follow public-health recommendations about masking, social distancing, and gathering in limited numbers.

Many people also find solace in generosity, as this is the ‘season of giving.’ Many people also volunteer during the holidays, such as serving meals at a local shelter or distributing toys to needy children.

For some, the holidays may offer a reprieve from sad feelings, and you may find yourself caught up in the moment as you experience the joy of family and friends around you. But if you are noticing more significant symptoms causing impairment at work, school, or home — problems with sleep, low energy, dramatic change in appetite or weight, inability to concentrate, frequent crying, easy irritability, thoughts of hurting yourself, or wanting to die — that may be time to seek some professional evaluation. A good place to start can be your primary-care provider or a trusted clergy.

The bottom line is, help is available. Do not suffer in silence.

Dr. Stuart Anfang is vice chair of Psychiatry at Baystate Health.

Agenda

Agenda

Difference Makers Nomination Deadline

Dec. 29: Do you know someone who is truly making a difference in the Western Mass. region? BusinessWest invites you to nominate an individual or group for its 13th annual Difference Makers program. Nominations for the class of 2021 must be received by the end of the business day (5 p.m.) on Wednesday, Dec. 29. Difference Makers was launched in 2009 as a way to recognize the contributions of agencies and individuals who are contributing to quality of life in this region. Past honorees have come from dozens of business and nonprofit sectors, proving there’s no limit to the ways people can impact their communities — and the ongoing pandemic has no doubt shed a spotlight on other ways to make a difference. So, let us know who you think deserves to be recognized as a Difference Maker in our upcoming class by completing the nomination form at businessWest.com/difference-makers-nomination-form. Honorees will be profiled in an upcoming issue of BusinessWest.

Small Business Legal Clinic Application Deadline

Jan. 1: The Western New England University Small Business Legal Clinic is accepting applications from entrepreneurs and small-business owners seeking legal assistance for the spring semester 2021. Under faculty supervision, law students assist clients with legal issues including choice of entity, employment policies, contract drafting, regulatory compliance, and intellectual-property issues relating to trademark applications and copyright. This is a free service available to local businesses that might not have the resources to obtain such services. The Small Business Clinic has assisted more than 350 small businesses since it opened. The clinic requests that small-business owners submit their applications by Friday, Jan. 1. Applications received after that date will be considered if additional resources are available. Students will begin providing services in late January. For more information, call the Legal Clinic at (413) 782-1469 or e-mail Marie Fletcher, Clinical Programs administrator, at [email protected]. For more information or to complete an online application, visit www1.wne.edu/law/centers/small-business-legal-clinic.cfm.

Women’s Leadership Training Program

Starting Jan. 6: Building on the success of its popular Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series, Holyoke Community College (HCC) is launching an eight-week training program for women who want to develop and enhance their leadership skills.

For convenience, the program, “Women Leaning Into Leadership 2021: Empowering Your Voice,” is being offered over Zoom in two separate, eight-week sessions. One meets on Wednesdays, Jan. 6 through Feb. 24, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., while the other meets on Thursdays, Jan. 7 through Feb. 25, from noon to 1:30 p.m. The interactive workshops will be facilitated by Annie Shibata, owner of Growth Mindset Leadership and Communication Coaching. Enrollment is limited by design. In addition to weekly 90-minute group seminars, each participant can schedule a private, 30-minute session of personalized coaching with the instructor. During the program sessions, participants will learn to evaluate their communication skills and apply new communication techniques, practice the power of mindfulness, distinguish forms of influence and persuasion to create powerful messages, assess their leadership strengths, and create short- and long-term plans for career development. To register for the Wednesday program, visit hcc.edu/women-2021-1. To register for the Thursday program, visit hcc.edu/women-2021-2.

Asnuntuck Super Saturday

Jan. 9: Asnuntuck Community College (ACC) will hold a virtual Super Saturday event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., aimed at helping new and continuing students who have questions about how to apply, would like to speak to an advisor, or have questions regarding financial aid and registering. The college’s spring semester begins on Friday, Jan. 22. New and continuing students are invited to attend the event. Participants will also be able to virtually meet with Asnuntuck’s Manufacturing department, as well as speak with staff from ACC’s Continuing Education and Workforce Development Office to learn about our non-credit certificate options. Anyone who is interested in attending the online event, but has not yet applied, should complete the application ahead of time to maximize their time during the event. Participants may pre-register at asnuntuck.edu/virtualsupersaturday if there is a specific department they plan to meet with. If seeking to meet with an advisor during the event, it is strongly encouraged to pre-register ahead of time at asnuntuck.edu/student-resources/casa to request an appointment.

Healthcare Heroes

Jan. 14: Due to spikes in COVID-19 cases across the U.S. and beyond, BusinessWest and the Healthcare News will celebrate this year’s Healthcare Heroes with a virtual event. They include Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health; Christopher Savino, Emeline Bean, and Lydia Brisson, clinical liaisons for Berkshire Healthcare Systems; Friends of the Homeless; the Nutrition Department at Greater Springfield Senior Services Inc.; the staff at Holyoke Medical Center; the Institute for Applied Life Sciences at UMass Amherst; Rabbi Devorah Jacobson, director of Spiritual Life at JGS Lifecare; Maggie Eboso, Infection Control and Prevention coordinator at Mercy Medical Center; Jennifer Graham, home health aide at O’Connell Care at Home; and Helen Gobeil, staffing supervisor at Visiting Angels West Springfield. The Healthcare Heroes program is sponsored by Elms College (presenting sponsor), Baystate Health and Health New England (presenting sponsor), and partner sponsors Bulkley Richardson, and Trinity Health Of New England/Mercy Medical Center. More details about the event will be announced soon.

Women of Impact

Jan. 28: Due to spikes in COVID-19 cases across the U.S. and beyond, BusinessWest will celebrate this year’s Women of Impact with a virtual event. They include Tania Barber, president and CEO of Caring Health Center; Carol Campbell, president of Chicopee Industrial Contractors; Helen Caulton-Harris, Health and Human Services commissioner for the city of Springfield; Pattie Hallberg, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Central & Western Massachusetts; Andrea Harrington, Berkshire County district attorney; Toni Hendrix, director of Human Services at Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing; Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College; and Sue Stubbs, president and CEO of ServiceNet. The event is sponsored by Country Bank, Health New England, and TommyCar Auto Group (presenting sponsors), Comcast Business (supporting sponsor), and WWLP 22 News/CW Springfield (media sponsor). More details about the event will be announced soon.

Picture This

Picture This

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

Celebrating Heroes

Supporters were out bright and early in the morning cold last week to cheer Hillcrest Commons staffers during a shift change for their tireless efforts the last several weeks caring for residents through the coronavirus surge. They planned to be out the following day for a similar morale-boosting event during the afternoon shift change.

I Can See Clearly Now

Several months ago, Jackie Santana (left), a deaf woman who depends on lip reading as well as sign language, wrote about her frustrations communicating with people wearing face masks in a newsletter published by the Holyoke Community College Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center, where she is a student. Inspired by Santana’s essay, Ash Aliengena (right), a literacy specialist at the center, started making masks with clear plastic windows and created a website offering free, accessible face-mask patterns, where people can “Click. Print. Cut. Trace. Go.” To date, Aliengena has hand-sewn more than 60 masks and donated most of them to people at the center and to public-school teachers in Holyoke.

Provider of Choice

Golden Years Home Care Services recently received the 2020 Best of Home Care – Provider of Choice Award, which is based on client satisfaction scores gathered by Home Care Pulse, an independent satisfaction-research firm for home care. Best of Home Care – Provider of Choice award-winning providers have contracted with Home Care Pulse to gather feedback by conducting live phone interviews with their clients each month. Because Home Care Pulse is a third-party company, it is able to collect honest and unbiased feedback.

People on the Move

People on the Move

Brian Thompson

Springfield College Director of Strength and Conditioning Brian Thompson has been named the National Strength and Conditioning Assoc. (NSCA) College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year as part of the 2021 NSCA awards announcement. Thompson was selected by his peers from a list of nominees that represented Division I, II, and III colleges and universities from throughout the country. The NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award is given to one outstanding certified strength and conditioning specialist, recognizing his or her dedication to improving athletic performance with safe and effective science-based programs. Since 1998, Thompson has served many roles at the college, including associate director of Strength and Conditioning, head Strength and Conditioning coach, professor of Exercise Science, and the graduate Strength and Conditioning program director. In addition to teaching in the Applied Exercise Science program, he is responsible for the Strength and Conditioning program design and implementation for 26 sport programs at Springfield College, as well as teaching and advising in the graduate Strength and Conditioning program. Thompson first started working in the field of strength and conditioning in 1987 and has trained athletes at the elementary-school, middle-school, high-school, collegiate, professional, Paralympic, and Olympic levels. He has presented and conducted strength-and-conditioning-related workshops in Australia, China, Mexico, Taiwan, and throughout the U.S. In 2016, Thompson received an official appointment as an expert technical consultant to the Chinese National Fitness Trainers Assoc. by the Chinese Sports Bureau, the only non-Chinese citizen ever to receive this status.

•••••

Sara Rodrigues

Monson Savings Bank recently announced the promotion of Sara Rodrigues to Commercial Loan Operations officer. In her new role, she is responsible for managing the commercial-loan administrative team and servicing team at Monson Savings Bank, as well as planning, organizing, and directing all commercial-lending operations. Rodrigues has been with Monson Savings for eight years, previously serving in the role of Commercial Loan Operations manager. She has more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry, with 19 of those years within the commercial-lending sector. Prior to working with Monson Savings Bank, she worked with TD Bank, N.A. as a commercial-loan document supervisor. A believer in giving back to the communities she works and resides in, Rodrigues is a volunteer with Link to Libraries and the Monson Schools Read a Loud program. She reads to schoolchildren and helps the organization with its mission to distribute new books to the school and home libraries of children in need. She also serves on the Monson Savings Bank community reinvestment committee.

•••••

Bacon Wilson announced that attorney David Lavenburg has joined the firm as of counsel and a member of the litigation team. He will practice primarily from Bacon Wilson’s Springfield location. Lavenburg represents creditors of all kinds, such as banks, credit unions, and debt purchasers, in loan-recovery and collection matters. He also litigates extensively for commercial property landlords and tenants, management companies, and large and small businesses. His legal work spans a variety of areas, including complex commercial litigation, lease disputes, commercial collections, real-estate foreclosure, and bankruptcy litigation. He is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Massachusetts and Connecticut, appears regularly in the trial and appellate courts for both states, and has argued in the Connecticut Supreme Court. Prior to joining Bacon Wilson, Lavenburg was a partner with Kroll, McNamara, Evans & Delehanty, LLP, of West Hartford, Conn., preceded by his partnership with the Springfield law firm Gold & Vanaria, P.C. He received his juris doctor in 1990 from Capital Law School of Columbus, Ohio, having earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1987 at Ohio Wesleyan University. He also chairs Longmeadow’s Zoning Board of Appeals.

•••••

Eleanor Williams

Eleanor Williams, a lawyer who now works for MassMutual, has been appointed to the Holyoke Community College (HCC) board of trustees by Gov. Charlie Baker. Her term will expire on March 1, 2024. She attended her first HCC board meeting on Nov. 24 over Zoom. Williams has worked for MassMutual since 2011, starting as assistant vice president and counsel in the company’s dispute-resolution group. From 2017 to 2019, she served as chief of staff to the executive vice president and was part of the senior leadership team. She is now the business leader working with the Product and Marketing business units to drive product development and efficiency. Prior to that, she worked at Choate Hall & Stewart LLP in Boston as an associate in the law firm’s finance and restructuring practice group. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University, a law degree from Boston College School of Law, and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

•••••

Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C. announced that attorney Mark Esposito has taken on an expanded role within the firm, now serving of counsel. Esposito joined the firm in 2017 and has a wide-ranging, litigation-focused practice. He represents clients in general, commercial, and probate litigation; labor and employment matters; administrative law; and criminal cases. After graduating magna cum laude from Williams College, Esposito graduated summa cum laude from Boston University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the U.S. District Court, the District of Massachusetts, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit.

•••••

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services announced that Glen Hevy will join the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home as its new, permanent deputy superintendent on Dec. 21. Hevy, a retired U.S. Army Infantry Officer, joins Holyoke from the Bedford VA Medical Center, where he was the senior operations official for Patient Care Services at the 400-bed VA hospital. Also at the Bedford VA Medical Center, he held the roles of chief of the Sensory and Physical Rehabilitation Service and an investigator for Equal Opportunity Employer policies in the Office of Resolution Management. Before his time at the Bedford VA, Hevy held other public-service positions, including unit manager at the North Central Correctional Institute, program director at the Department of Youth Services, and as program director at human-services agencies in the Commonwealth. Hevy served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. During his 10 years in the Army, he was a rifle platoon leader, senior instructor, company commander, and academic chairperson. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Troy State University.

•••••

Six campus researchers in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) at UMass Amherst have been recognized among the world’s most highly cited researchers in 2020 by London-based Clarivate Analytics, owner of the Web of Science. They have consistently had high citation counts over a decade. Now in its seventh year, the citation analysis identifies influential researchers as determined by their peers around the world. They are judged to be influential, and their citation records are seen as “a mark of exceptional impact,” the company says. The six from UMass Amherst are environmental chemist Baoshan Xing in CNS’s Stockbridge School of Agriculture, Distinguished Professor of Food Science David McClements and food scientist Hang Xiao, microbiologist Kelly Nevin Lovley, materials scientist Thomas Russell, and Vincent Rotello, the Charles A. Goessmann Professor of Chemistry and a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. All are repeat members of the list. McClements is internationally known for his cutting-edge work in food design and nanotechnology, including encapsulating nutraceuticals in nanoparticles to preserve nutrients. Xiao’s lab focuses on molecular mechanisms and interactions of possible disease-preventing nutraceuticals to enhance nutrient bioavailability through food processing and nanotechnology, among other topics. Nevin Lovley’s lab, part of the Geobacter Project, works to determine the electron transport chain in these bacteria with a goal to develop techniques to optimize the cells’ electrical production for better fuel-cell performance, among other goals. The Rotello lab takes a multi-disciplinary approach, bringing chemistry, biology, and biomedical engineering to tailor nanomaterials to develop new biological applications. Russell, internationally known as an inventor, names his lab’s research interests in polymer phase transition, polymers’ surface and interfacial properties, directed self-assembly processes, and using polymers as scaffolds and templates to generate nanoscopic structures. Environmental scientist Xing’s lab focuses on protecting the environment by maintaining and improving soil and water quality. This includes investigating the behavior and agricultural application of engineered nanomaterials and using spectroscopic and analytical instruments to study interactions among organic compounds, natural organic matter, and mineral particles. Two years ago, Highly Cited Researchers introduced a new cross-field category to identify researchers with substantial influence across several fields during the data census period. At UMass Amherst, Nevin Lovley and Rotello appear in this category for 2020.

Company Notebook

Company Notebook

Women’s Leadership Conference to Be Held in Person in 2022

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University will host its 25th Women’s Leadership Conference (WLC) in person at the MassMutual Center in Springfield on Friday, April 1, 2022. The decision comes nine months after the March 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual conference brings more than 2,000 attendees to downtown Springfield for a day of speakers and workshop sessions devoted to professional development and personal goals. After weighing several options for hosting the annual conference, the university decided to forgo a 2021 event and wait until the event could take place in person. With an extended timeline, social media and digital forums will serve as virtual hubs to generate conversations and share thoughts and information that will carry over to the WLC. More information on speakers and schedules is forthcoming and will be posted at baypathconference.com.

Freedom Credit Union to Match Donations to Pioneer Valley USO

SPRINGFIELD — Throughout the month of December, Freedom Credit Union will partner with its members and the local community to raise funds to benefit the Pioneer Valley USO. Freedom will match total donations made through Dec. 31 up to $2,500. The mission of the USO (United Service Organizations) is to strengthen America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home, and country throughout their service to our country. The Pioneer Valley USO, located at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, provides more than 102,000 pounds of food to more than 3,200 individuals annually through the Emergency Food Pantry, supports more than 600 families annually with holiday food baskets for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and sends more than 500 care packages to deployed military men and women around the world. Funded entirely by private donations, sponsorships, and grants, it supports both Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee and Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield. Donations can be made to Freedom’s matching drive online at bit.ly/393WCzo.

STCC Creates Affordable Transfer Agreements with Post University

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) partnered this fall with Post University in Waterbury, Conn. to offer seamless transfer pathways in six programs. Students in the following STCC associate-degree programs have an opportunity to transfer to Post University and pursue a bachelor’s degree: applied psychology, business transfer, communication and digital media, criminal justice transfer, early childhood education transfer, and human services/social work. Post University offers classes online but also has a 58-acre main campus that includes six student residence halls, an admissions building, a library, a fitness center, and a multi-purpose sports facility. The main campus classes for spring 2021 will be online in response to risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. STCC is also planning online classes this spring with a mix of low-density, in-person labs for health and manufacturing programs. STCC and Post University signed the agreements in September. STCC offers dozens of pathways for transferring to a four-year college or university. Students who take advantage of the transfer pathways can see significant financial savings, said Matt Gravel, dean of Academic Initiatives at STCC.

Comcast Supports MHA Programming, Families of Staff

SPRINGFIELD — Comcast recently awarded a $5,000 grant to MHA, which includes $2,000 to fund the purchase of school supplies for children of MHA staff dealing with hybrid and remote learning models as a result of the pandemic. Supplies for the children include face masks, hand sanitizer, pencils, pencil sharpeners, notebooks, erasers, and pocket folders. The remaining $3,000 will underwrite a Room to Recover at MHA’s Safe Haven program for a year. Safe Haven offers transitional housing support to people served by the Department of Mental Health who are experiencing chronic homelessness, including those in recovery. Since a large proportion of the staff have school-aged children, and with so many schools either remote or hybrid, providing these supplies helps ensure that kids are prepared for school, said Kimberley Lee, vice president, Resource Development & Branding for MHA.

Holyoke Medical Center Earns Leapfrog Top Hospital Award

HOLYOKE — Highlighting its nationally recognized achievements in patient safety and quality, Holyoke Medical Center was named a Top General Hospital nationally by the Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers widely acknowledged as the toughest standard setters for healthcare safety and quality. More than 2,200 hospitals were considered for the award. Among those, Holyoke Medical Center received a Top General distinction. A total of 105 hospitals were selected as Top Hospitals, including nine Top Children’s Hospitals, 29 Top General Hospitals, 19 Top Rural Hospitals, and 48 Top Teaching Hospitals. The quality of patient care across many areas of hospital performance is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, practices for safer surgery, maternity care, and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors. Holyoke Medical Center also received the Top General Hospital recognition from the Leapfrog Group in 2014 and 2016.

Six Flags New England Sends Holiday Thrills to Square One

SPRINGFIELD — Six Flags New England will donate more than 200 toys valued at more than $1,000 to Square One’s children. “Six Flags New England is honored to support Square One this holiday season,” said Jennifer McGrath, the park’s Communications manager. “Now more than ever, we need to rally as a community and support causes and families here in Western Massachusetts and beyond.”

Girls Inc. of the Valley Receives Grant from Rotary Club

HOLYOKE — Girls Inc. of the Valley received a $2,000 grant from the Rotary Club of Springfield to support Girls Inc. of the Valley’s “Bridge the Digital Divide” project. This donation will help girls and their families overcome social and economic stressors during this pandemic. In the midst of the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for positive, girl-focused, youth-development programming is stronger than ever. Girls who were already dealing with adverse childhood experiences like poverty and racism need additional support during these challenging times, and this donation from the Rotary Club of Springfield will allow both organizations to help serve the community. Many of the girls have been asking if Girls Inc.’s Eureka! STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education program will happen during the summer of 2021. To ensure the safety of their participants, staff, and volunteers, Girls Inc. will provide Eureka! University, a virtual version of the program, this summer.

EforAll and EparaTodos Holyoke Looking for Volunteer Mentors

HOLYOKE — EforAll and EparaTodos Holyoke are actively seeking volunteers to participate as mentors in this winter’s business-accelerator program. Accelerator mentors come from a variety of backgrounds and use their business and leadership experience to guide new entrepreneurs through the process of turning their idea into a growing business. Mentors work in teams of three and are matched with an entrepreneur based on schedule availability and the desire to work together. The team meets as a group to help reaffirm topics and themes raised during classes, while also strategizing with the entrepreneur on how to reach their specific goals during the program. This is a high-touch, year-long commitment, and everything is virtual. Mentor teams have 90-minute meetings for three months and then meet once a month for the following nine months. Anyone who is looking for an interactive and meaningful volunteer opportunity and is interested in learning more about EforAll should e-mail [email protected].

Local College Students Compete in Online Grinspoon Pitch Contest

AGAWAM — The Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative’s first online, fully remote regional pitch competition took place on Nov. 17. Twenty-one students from area colleges delivered 60-second pitches to an audience of their peers in Zoom breakout rooms. After a popular vote, four finalists were selected to receive $50 each. Next came the final competition. Winning the grand prize and a total of $150 was Jenny Jung, a junior at Amherst College. Her idea is PressBeta, a beta-testing platform for independent game developers to be connected to beta testers for $59 per month. Passionate gamers can test out interesting, pre-launch games and give feedback in exchange for limited, early access.

Bradley Recognized by Condé Nast Traveler Readers as Eighth-best U.S. Airport

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) announced that t released the results of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards, with Bradley International Airport recognized as the eighth-best airport in the U.S. The awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry. Bradley International Airport was recognized as a top-10 airport for the fourth consecutive year. “This award is a tremendous honor during a challenging year for the travel industry, and we are proud to once again be recognized among our nation’s best airports,” said Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority. “We thank the travel community for their continued vote of confidence in Bradley International Airport and for underscoring the value of traveling through a smaller airport. Now more than ever, Bradley Airport stands out by always offering a clean, safe, and convenient travel experience.”

Incorporations

Incorporations

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

AMHERST

Free Journal Network, Inc., 710 North Pleasant St., Dept of Math&Stat c/o Mark Wilson Amherst, MA 01003. Mark Curtis Wilson, 40 Summerfield Road, Amherst, MA 01002. Promotion of the theory and practice of publishing scholarly research without financial barriers to readers or authors (“diamond open access” or “platinum open access”).

ASHFIELD

Mozaik, Inc., 947 Apple Valley Road, Ashfield, MA 01330. Abigail K. Straus, same. Management Consulting and Systems Development.

ASHLEY FALLS

High Five Inc., 20 Hillside Lane Ashley Falls, MA 01222. Christos Christodoulou, same. Applying for a license with the CCC.

CHICOPEE

Kings Student Transport Inc., 975-A Springfield St. Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Dennis King, 40 Mountainview St., Agawam, MA 01001. Transportation services.

Ramcity Corp., 40 Dale St., Chicopee, MA 01013. Vadzim Loban, same. Trucking.

EASTHAMPTON

Abbetor Inc., 3 Zabek Dr. Easthampton, MA 01027. Andrea A. Przybyla, same. Express employment franchise.

Chemetal, Inc., 51 Ferry St. Easthampton, MA 01027. H. Michael Schaefer, 16 Pleasant St. Southampton, MA 01073. Metal laminate business.

GRANBY

Rightwise Inc., 362 East State St. Granby, MA 01033. Sarib Nawaz Ma, 1 Eagle Dr., South Hadley, MA 01075. Retail convenience store.

GREENFIELD

Beckwith Electric Inc., 780 Bernardston Road, Greenfield, MA 01301. Steven Beckwith, same. Electrical services.

Greenfield Makers Co-operative Inc., 231 Main St., Second Floor, Greenfield, MA 01301. Adrienne LaPierre, 20 Union St., Montague, MA 01351. P.O. Box 8, Montague, MA 01351.

Grew-It-Yourself Hydroponic Consulting, Inc., 39 Abbot St. Greenfield, MA 01301. Devin William Joseph Duval, same. The purpose of Grew-It-Yourself Hydroponic Consulting Inc. is to provide to people from marginalized groups, no-cost equipment and training to grow their own hydroponic plants, including but not limited to, fruits and vegetables for those seeking food security, medical cannabis for those who qualify under Massachusetts statute, and otherwise therapeutic hydroponic plants.

HAMPDEN

Roots to Ends Hair Salon Inc., 346 Bennett Road, Hampden, MA 01036. Stephanie M. Guyer, same. Conduct and carry on business of a hair salon.

LONGMEADOW

National Fitness and Wellness for the Blind Inc., 127 Bel Air Dr., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Payman Sadeghinejad, same. Be devoted to providing blind and legally blind people with a means to exercise their right to safely and independently maintain their physical and mental health by providing safe, regular, and convenient physical training services, wellness service, and related services.

LUDLOW

E&S Consulting, Inc., 77 Howard St. Ludlow, MA 01056. Suzette F. Batista, same. Consulting services for business management.

PITTSFIELD

Benjamin Builds Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100 Pittsfield, MA 01201. Andrew Benjamin, 47 Upland Ave. Haverhill, MA 01835. Woodwork, construction, property management.

Delivering Hope Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100 Pittsfield, MA 01201. Victor Aleman, same. Delivering backpacks and schools supplies to children in need.

Doing Business as Certificates

DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the month of December 2020. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

DEERFIELD

Scott & Sons
604 River Road
Meredith Williams

NORTHAMPTON

Ambient Oaks Photography
239 North King St.
Karissa Rigali

Caroline Ruderman Reiki
16 Center St., Suite 515
Caroline Ruderman

Eversource
351 Earle St.
Eversource Gas Co. of Massachusetts

Eversource Energy
351 Earle St.
Eversource Gas Co. of Massachusetts

Flower & Frequency, LLC
129 North St., Apt. 2
Nora Toomey, Joshua Bruner

Mouse Collectibles
343 Glendale Road
Kari Nykorchuk

The People’s Contract
92 Laurel Park
Matthew Herschler

RiverMind Virtual Assistance
239 North King St.
Karissa Rigali

Sunflower Massage and Reiki
19B Hawley St.
Jane Harris-Toomey

VNA & Hospice of Cooley Dickinson Inc.
168 Industrial Dr.
Priscilla Ross

SOUTHWICK

Boston Window Fashions
24 Shore Road
Andrew LeBlanc

Tynic Landscaping
22 Tannery Road
Scott Lamon

WESTFIELD

Bags Baubles & Chocolate
256 Union St.
Bags Baubles & Chocolate

Close to Body
30 White St.
Lyubov Shevchenko

Cornerstone Diving Club
247 Munger Hill Road
Scott Pierson

David M. Ritchie Plumbing & Heating
35 Barbara St.
David Ritchie

Furrow Engineering
199 Servistar Industrial Way, Suite 2
Frank DeMarinis

JC Snacks
225 Root Road
James Gumlaw

Photography by Tiffany K
8 Whitaker Road
Tiffany Knurek

Rob Alberti Event Services
1310 Russell Road
Robert Alberti

Southern States Coop Inc.
323 Lockhouse Road
Southern States Coop Inc.

The Spa at Little River
38 Elm St., #11
The Spa at Little River

WEST SPRINGFIELD

ATC Group Services, LLC
73 William Franks Dr.
Sheree Garber

Foxy Nails
589 Westfield St.
Vananh Nguyen

Fransua Massage
411 Main St.
Francheska Boria

Matt’s Auto Mall
2405 Westfield St.
Matthew Jensen

Pension & Benefits Associates Inc.
131 Wayside Ave.
Mark Shea

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcies

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

Alonso, Steven James
Alonso, Beth Ellen
232 West St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/25/2020

Bailey, Mark Alan
Bailey, Bunny, Lynn
120 Cheney St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/18/2020

Banas, Andrea L.
49 Old South St., Apt. 704
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/27/2020

Barker, Laura A.
1147 Elm St., Apt. 1-L
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/24/2020

Bugli, Brian G.
a/k/a Bugli, Brian J
135 Riviera Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/17/2020

Canning, Joanne M.
337 Commonwealth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/30/2020

Cary, Gail M.
10 Comanche Dr.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/23/2020

Cruz, Sonia, D.
39 Leitch St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/30/2020

Ferrigno, Maryann A.
148 Pleasant St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/17/2020

Grant, Nicole R.
Grant, Jerome E.
138 Clarendon Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/28/2020

Hannah, Bonnie S.
501 Hancock St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 13
Date: 11/30/2020

Henry, Marshawn C.
77 Humbert St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/23/2020

Holmes, Russell A.
Holmes, Susan M.
a/k/a Evitts, Susan
21 Alma St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/28/2020

Kalogerakos, Demetrios
2C Mansionwoods Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/17/2020

Knowlton, Patrick
124 Exchange St., Apt. 2R
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/23/2020

Koske, Rebecca Anne
49 Pynchon Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/25/2020

Lacasse, Lincoln A.
Lacasse, Kimberly A.
2115 Old Keene Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/27/2020

Lavigne, Joseph N.
22 Marguerite St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/25/2020

Lefsyk, William E.
Lefsyk, Linda S.
15 Beach St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/25/2020

Lynch, Lisa A.
420 Hillside Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/25/2020

Nater, Jose Angel
64 Cherry St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/17/2020

Ojeda, Daniel E.
41 Stony Brook Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Date: 11/21/2020

Peralta-Ortiz, Michael
49 Decatur St., 2nd Fl.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/30/2020

Perea, Louann Alice
a/k/a Holden, Louann Alice
a/k/a Ridgeway, Louann Alice
519 East River St.
Chapter: 13
Date: 11/30/2020

Perez, Jose M.
62 Farnum Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/17/2020

Restivo Cournoyer Margaret S.
15A Mill Village Road
South Deerfield, MA 01373
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/25/2020

Rydzak, Jason
Rydzak, Meaghan
17 Aldrew Ter.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/23/2020

Williams, Clifton E.
79 Pleasant St., Apt. G110
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/16/2020

Yanbul, Metin William
7 Belmont St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/25/2020

Yvon Jr., Larry R. UBER Driver
Yvon, April R.
a/k/a Blais, April
52 Phelps St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Date: 11/19/2020

Real Estate Transactions

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

24 Baptist Corner Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $467,500
Buyer: Joshua Soper
Seller: Michael L. Skalski
Date: 11/24/20

1637 West Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: Randy J. Gobeil RET
Seller: Robert J. Wigmore
Date: 11/20/20

BERNARDSTON

50 Bald Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Michael Kosloski
Seller: Kristina L. Woods
Date: 11/19/20

86 South St.
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Kyle J. Matteson
Seller: David W. Streeter
Date: 11/30/20

28 Turners Falls Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Larry Downing
Seller: John S. Cyhowski
Date: 11/30/20

BUCKLAND

13 South St.
Buckland, MA 01330
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: David E. Chaplin
Seller: Donald G. Churchill
Date: 11/20/20

CHARLEMONT

Warner Hill Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: John H. Sargent TR
Seller: Molly Scott
Date: 11/18/20

COLRAIN

16 Leon Herzig Dr.
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $409,000
Buyer: Mickayla M. Dilorenzo
Seller: Ruby S. Rice
Date: 11/30/20

CONWAY

234 Mathews Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $334,000
Buyer: Sara Coblyn
Seller: Lisa Fortin
Date: 11/23/20

43 Stetson Brothers Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $302,000
Buyer: Casey M. Peters
Seller: William C. Cole
Date: 11/16/20

DEERFIELD

13 Eastern Ave.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $297,075
Buyer: Cheryl R. Roberts
Seller: Christopher J. Harris LT
Date: 11/19/20

25 Meadow Wood Dr.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $307,500
Buyer: Caryn Gardner
Seller: Hayes-Forsythe, P. (Estate)
Date: 11/20/20

GREENFIELD

1124 Bernardston Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $241,800
Buyer: Lisa S. Cecala
Seller: Steven Dedinas
Date: 11/23/20

79 Birch St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Emily Bassarear
Seller: Mary B. Konieczny IT
Date: 11/16/20

36 Brookside Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $267,750
Buyer: Jon Huer
Seller: Kimberly A. Storey
Date: 11/24/20

40 Brookside Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: John R. Keir
Seller: Cheryl E. Brissette
Date: 11/19/20

22 Conway Dr.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $537,500
Buyer: Jennifer M. Frangie
Seller: David A. Conway
Date: 11/19/20

3 Devens St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $138,900
Buyer: Francisco Cosme
Seller: Pucko, Richard G., (Estate)
Date: 11/23/20

56 Freeman Dr.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Amy Anderson
Seller: Maureen Forrestall
Date: 11/17/20

50 Lincoln St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Alix E. Sorrell
Seller: Michael J. Holden
Date: 11/30/20

57 Madison Circle
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $297,000
Buyer: William Carlino
Seller: Jeffrey D. Reed
Date: 11/25/20

17 North St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Gregory A. Cote
Seller: John M. Sundell
Date: 11/20/20

56 Wisdom Way
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Franklin County & North Quabbin
Seller: Green River Cemetery Co.
Date: 11/24/20

LEYDEN

30 Laurel Hill Dr.
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $710,000
Buyer: Michael Schvarczkopf
Seller: Karin M. Gravina RET
Date: 11/16/20

296 River Road
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Ramani M. Dayon
Seller: Sue E. Sojka
Date: 11/30/20

MONROE

7 School St.
Monroe, MA 01350
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Diann M. Noren
Seller: Gail Dieter
Date: 11/18/20

MONTAGUE

45 Dell St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $162,500
Buyer: Alyson M. Wickline
Seller: Donald A. Baker
Date: 11/30/20

75 Dell St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Nora M. Maynard
Seller: Cole J. Johanneck
Date: 11/30/20

11 Green Pond Road
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Edward J. Terault
Seller: Philip M. Cyhowski
Date: 11/19/20

117 L St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: Benegan 2 LLC
Seller: Edward F. Wilcox
Date: 11/18/20

54 Prospect St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $239,700
Buyer: Ryne Hager
Seller: Edward S. Shamo
Date: 11/25/20

358 Turners Falls Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Tia E. Collins
Seller: Richard F. Caldwell
Date: 11/20/20

478 Turners Falls Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $457,500
Buyer: Marie T. Sullivan
Seller: Jennifer M. Frangie
Date: 11/19/20

NEW SALEM

219 West St.
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Thomas G. Vinciulla
Seller: Lynnette M. Goodnow
Date: 11/16/20

NORTHFIELD

50 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Nicholas M. Andrews
Seller: Anne Trimmer-Shepard
Date: 11/24/20

ORANGE

161 Drew Blvd.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Scott A. Marigliano
Seller: James P. Gebo
Date: 11/19/20

690 East Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Alberto L. Salome
Seller: Loren Scott
Date: 11/23/20

Flagg Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Channel Z. Seismometry Inc.
Seller: Heyes Family Forests LLC
Date: 11/24/20

92 Fountain St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Tyler W. Hauth
Seller: Laurie L. Chiasson
Date: 11/18/20

218 Holtshire Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Andrea J. McGrath
Seller: Lisa A. Kidwell
Date: 11/23/20

33 Kelton St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Corey R. Ellis
Seller: Patricia A. Bushey
Date: 11/20/20

15 King St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: P. Valiquette-Lalonde
Seller: Charles L. Hunt
Date: 11/24/20

138 Royalston Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Samuel Hurtado
Seller: Gretel L. Schatz
Date: 11/25/20

231 South Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Leslie Proctor
Seller: Michael S. Lehmbeck
Date: 11/20/20

358 Tully Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Nicholas Jamieson
Seller: Douglas R. Jillson
Date: 11/24/20

159 West River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Peggy Bruso
Seller: Roxanne Butler
Date: 11/18/20

ROWE

Davis Mine Road
Rowe, MA 01367
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: John H. Sargent TR
Seller: Molly Scott
Date: 11/18/20

SHELBURNE

Bardwells Ferry Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Bellino
Seller: Kayel G. Deangelis
Date: 11/30/20

108 Colrain Shelburne Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: John N. Waynelovich
Seller: Barbara A. Bishop
Date: 11/23/20

SUNDERLAND

Cross Mountain Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Sunderland Water District
Seller: Kestrel Land TR
Date: 11/19/20

56 Plumtree Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Kamolluk Puch
Seller: Vincent J. Tran
Date: 11/30/20

152 Russell St.
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $654,000
Buyer: Galina B. Agapov
Seller: Andrei Agapov
Date: 11/25/20

WENDELL

331 Lockes Village Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $320,650
Buyer: Elizabeth R. Lewand
Seller: Ellen Newcombe-Trousdale
Date: 11/30/20

WHATELY

179 Chestnut Plain Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $306,000
Buyer: Maida D. Goodwin
Seller: Christopher C. Rose
Date: 11/18/20

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

578 Cooper St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $283,600
Buyer: Vicki A. Brown
Seller: Thai V. Bui
Date: 11/19/20

15 Ellington St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Samar Kamil
Seller: Marco A. Scibelli
Date: 11/16/20

48 Logan Place
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Andrii Pikulskyi
Seller: Mark S. Tetrault
Date: 11/20/20

5 Maple Meadows Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: John Ferrero
Seller: Agnes T. Puricelli
Date: 11/23/20

19 Meadowbrook Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Christopher Nascembeni
Seller: Scuderi, Maria, (Estate)
Date: 11/24/20

91 Mill St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $158,026
Buyer: Gorete S. Goncalves
Seller: NJRE Property Group LLC
Date: 11/18/20

6 North West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $394,500
Buyer: Jason Perez
Seller: MS Homes LLC
Date: 11/16/20

9 Poinsetta St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $276,200
Buyer: Ilo B. Gassoway
Seller: Christine M. Moauro
Date: 11/25/20

323 Poplar St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: Kelly A. Miller
Seller: Jillian Pena
Date: 11/17/20

70 Raymond Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Mathew Waskiewicz
Seller: Elizabeth A. Gamelli
Date: 11/24/20

45 Rhodes Ave.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Kashieka T. Thomas
Seller: Nils Pilotte
Date: 11/25/20

1244 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Amy Morgan
Seller: Stapleton, Margaret K., (Estate)
Date: 11/25/20

45 Vassar Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Cory J. Pike
Seller: Janice A. Deveno
Date: 11/23/20

299 Walnut St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: 12 Doors LLC
Seller: Gary Block
Date: 11/20/20

BLANDFORD

54 Gibbs Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Michael Peay
Seller: William B. Hull LLC
Date: 11/23/20

BRIMFIELD

19 Brookfield Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $336,000
Buyer: Anthony C. Samuel
Seller: Robert C. Cheney
Date: 11/16/20

11 Sutcliffe Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Marc D. Foley
Seller: Wendy Thomas
Date: 11/24/20

CHICOPEE

24 Blanchard St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Joseph Frasco
Seller: Andrew M. Chagnon
Date: 11/30/20

33 Calvin St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Hines
Seller: Raymond F. Wenninger
Date: 11/18/20

31 Charpentier Blvd.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Narine L. Hastings
Seller: Christopher Vega
Date: 11/20/20

38 Cherryvale St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $263,000
Buyer: Douglas J. Furkey
Seller: John C. Kisiel
Date: 11/16/20

128 Davenport St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Jose Rodriguez
Seller: Pamela B. Davis
Date: 11/19/20

23 Fernwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Alexandra M. Rodriguez
Seller: Jeremy J. Lavigne
Date: 11/16/20

53 Fredette St.
Chicopee, MA 01022
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: George L. Johnson
Seller: N. Riley Development Inc.
Date: 11/24/20

65 Frederick St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $221,000
Buyer: SAW Construction LLC
Seller: Saw Construction LLC
Date: 11/19/20

1122 Granby Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Marisol E. Manners
Seller: Rita M. Romero-Demetriou
Date: 11/30/20

140 Hendrick St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Joseph J. Tiroletto
Seller: Evan T. Berneche
Date: 11/20/20

13 Hillman St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: MPower Capital LLC
Seller: PNC Bank NA
Date: 11/18/20

24 Jefferson Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: Tho Le
Seller: US Bank
Date: 11/24/20

22 Lawrence Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Joann M. Riley
Seller: Theodore Pienkos
Date: 11/25/20

106 Mandalay Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Jeffrey M. Welch
Seller: Adam Tetrault
Date: 11/30/20

136 Manning St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Sayeh Bonakdar
Seller: Maciejewski, Joseph, (Estate)
Date: 11/30/20

70 Mathieu Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Brian Mateo
Seller: Deborah J. Warwick
Date: 11/25/20

99 Mayflower Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Rosa I. Rivera
Seller: Juliette Son
Date: 11/24/20

62 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Controlled Chaos RE LLC
Seller: Mya K. LLC
Date: 11/23/20

101 Pendleton Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $278,800
Buyer: Carl S. Williams
Seller: Lorraine P. Lachowetz
Date: 11/24/20

1102 Sheridan St.
Chicopee, MA 01022
Amount: $3,300,000
Buyer: YUT Realty LLC
Seller: 1102 Sheridan Street LLC
Date: 11/23/20

39 Sunnyside St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Felicia Rodrigues
Seller: Green Fields Inc.
Date: 11/23/20

EAST LONGMEADOW

115 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $380,500
Buyer: Luz M. Gonzalez
Seller: Jason Whitaker
Date: 11/30/20

141 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $274,800
Buyer: Jeffrey D. Rega
Seller: Stephen E. Steitz
Date: 11/18/20

12 Holly Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $261,000
Buyer: Alan Notre
Seller: Judith A. Mazzaferro
Date: 11/18/20

56 Lynwood Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Justin R. Gloster
Seller: Dennis J. Reyes
Date: 11/25/20

150 Patterson Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Bao T. Vu
Seller: William R. Ludkiewicz
Date: 11/30/20

27 Pioneer Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Ryan J. Quimby
Seller: Stephen R. Quimby
Date: 11/20/20

75-79 Pleasant St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $2,765,692
Buyer: Brownstone Gardens Inc.
Seller: Brownstone Gardens 1 Inc.
Date: 11/23/20

23 Sanford St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: John F. Albano
Seller: Amy J. Barron
Date: 11/30/20

126 South Brook Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $608,000
Buyer: Daniel S. Tarbell
Seller: Charles T. Lanigan
Date: 11/20/20

316 Westwood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Rachel C. Loiselle
Seller: Frank A. Demarinis
Date: 11/19/20

GRANVILLE

383 Granby Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $438,000
Buyer: Rockwood Pallet Co. LLC
Seller: Wackerbarth Box Mfg. Co.
Date: 11/20/20

427 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Cynthia T. Levasseur
Seller: Craig Perras
Date: 11/20/20

799 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $167,700
Buyer: Michael Bascom
Seller: FNMA
Date: 11/16/20

HAMPDEN

294 Ames Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $585,000
Buyer: David W. Jackson
Seller: Ty A. Alexander
Date: 11/24/20

295 Chapin Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Shelby Schmeelk
Seller: Christopher M. Barden
Date: 11/16/20

479 Glendale Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $439,000
Buyer: John Goda
Seller: Laurie M. Sullivan
Date: 11/24/20

530 Glendale Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Edward Kennedy
Seller: Andrei V. Guidette
Date: 11/25/20

18 Greenleaf Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $427,500
Buyer: Michael J. Edgett
Seller: Joseph A. Pantuosco
Date: 11/30/20

116 Sessions Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Casey Papineau
Seller: Fumi Realty Inc.
Date: 11/30/20

170 Wilbraham Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Clark B. Kadis
Seller: Mark G. Casey
Date: 11/17/20

HOLLAND

5 Birch Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: Joseph T. Coolins
Seller: Betty A. Brown
Date: 11/20/20

19 Forest Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Sean J. O’Brien
Seller: Mandi L. Ortega
Date: 11/18/20

10 Hisgen Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Joseph Tavernier
Seller: Theresa Johnson
Date: 11/20/20

19 Island Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Ernest M. Riley TR
Seller: Paul J. Les
Date: 11/20/20

53 Mashapaug Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $531,500
Buyer: Howard Kogan
Seller: Steven M. Digeronimo
Date: 11/20/20

168 Stafford Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $229,900
Buyer: Adam D. Grimes
Seller: Joel Wilson
Date: 11/16/20

112 Wales Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Patrick Marino
Seller: Casey A. Ledger
Date: 11/16/20

HOLYOKE

170-172 Allyn St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $146,000
Buyer: Sokham Sing
Seller: Tammy A. Lieber
Date: 11/16/20

100 Appleton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $1,277,000
Buyer: Edaron Reh LLC
Seller: Edaron Inc.
Date: 11/17/20

58 Arthur St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Paul W. Bonatakis
Seller: Stanley J. Hilton
Date: 11/20/20

69 Beacon Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Herbin T. Diaz
Seller: John T. O’Connor
Date: 11/18/20

149 Beech St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $123,000
Buyer: Christopher Cappucci
Seller: Rony E. Galindo
Date: 11/30/20

18 Canby St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Amer Ahmed
Seller: Abdulla A. Arman
Date: 11/18/20

10 Charles Hill Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Polly Campbell-Kelley
Seller: Lynch, Joseph P., (Estate)
Date: 11/24/20

43-45 Cherry St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Adele Stiles
Seller: Victor H. Rodriguez
Date: 11/23/20

28 Clinton Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Montserrat Centeno
Seller: Polly Campbell-Kelley
Date: 11/24/20

1289 Dwight St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Christian Zayas
Seller: Paul R. Laclair
Date: 11/20/20

75 Elmwood Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Jose D. Membreno-Garcia
Seller: Susana E. Navarro
Date: 11/16/20

89 Franklin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Gladis Duran
Seller: Rosa I. Rivera
Date: 11/23/20

172 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Felipe Morales
Seller: Gary Gaudrault
Date: 11/18/20

15 Howard St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $277,500
Buyer: Richard M. Lee
Seller: Nilda Wotton
Date: 11/19/20

234 Madison Ave. West
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Susan L. Goldman
Seller: Denise D. Cantin
Date: 11/24/20

1150 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Robert J. Lyons
Seller: Michael J. Sullivan
Date: 11/20/20

2055 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Carlisle W. Baskin
Seller: Chelsea M. Derouchey
Date: 11/24/20

39-41 Portland St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Andre Gamble
Seller: Dara N. Davignon
Date: 11/20/20

59 Queen St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Frances Martin
Seller: Pedro L. Ruiz
Date: 11/20/20

272 Sargeant St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $168,500
Buyer: Theo F. Lefevre
Seller: Mark H. Harrison
Date: 11/17/20

60 Sherwood Ter.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $216,000
Buyer: Shannon K. Brisbois
Seller: Robert J. O’Donnell
Date: 11/20/20

395-1/2 South Elm St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Lorena Avendano
Seller: Kaplan, Rita M., (Estate)
Date: 11/23/20

46 Taylor St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Rolando Muniz-Lopez
Seller: Brian E. Robinson
Date: 11/18/20

95 Vermont St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Brittany S. Masse
Seller: Katie Goshea
Date: 11/23/20

32 West Glen St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Jacob D. Champagne
Seller: Ryan D. Tabb
Date: 11/19/20

LONGMEADOW

168 Dunn Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $630,000
Buyer: Caiying Liang
Seller: Patrick Gottsclicht
Date: 11/20/20

113 Ely Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $620,000
Buyer: Nelson M. Vieira
Seller: Greg S. Scyocurka
Date: 11/20/20

124 Englewood Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $615,000
Buyer: Paul G. Silvi
Seller: Mark A. Flavin
Date: 11/20/20

410 Frank Smith Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Kayla A. Basile
Seller: Joejoe Properties LLC
Date: 11/23/20

73 Green Hill Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $495,000
Buyer: Jessica Dean
Seller: Scott A. Vuori
Date: 11/20/20

24 Lincoln Park
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $277,500
Buyer: Tracy B. Jeanis
Seller: Trisha D. Ripton
Date: 11/24/20

186 Lynnwood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Juan C. Restrepo
Seller: Timothy C. Greenman
Date: 11/24/20

6 Meadow Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Andrea S. Martin
Seller: Tracy B. Jeanis
Date: 11/24/20

45 Prynnwood Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Michael S. Ferguson
Seller: James R. Thomas
Date: 11/30/20

764 Shaker Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Tushin Shah
Seller: Daniel Tarbell
Date: 11/20/20

51 Wilkin Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $362,000
Buyer: Ahmed Mostafa
Seller: Robert D. Fusaro
Date: 11/24/20

LUDLOW

202 Cady St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: David Demmon
Seller: Antonio Aleixo
Date: 11/25/20

484 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $2,970,297
Buyer: A&L Property Group LLC
Seller: Restaurant Holdings LLC
Date: 11/18/20

686 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Joao A. Gomes
Seller: Jonathan Jorge
Date: 11/30/20

58 Cislak Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $630,000
Buyer: David J. Fonte
Seller: Judith Chiasson
Date: 11/24/20

39 Cypress St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Andrew Collette
Seller: Andrew Fenton
Date: 11/19/20

19 Eden St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Sara E. McCollum
Seller: Susan L. Bergeron-West
Date: 11/24/20

78 Georgetown Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Gregory Cormier
Seller: Patrick A. Roy
Date: 11/16/20

28 Grandview Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $116,000
Buyer: Janosik Realty LLC
Seller: John W. McCarthy
Date: 11/24/20

172 Highland Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $255,500
Buyer: Jason M. Pagan
Seller: Misty L. Haynes
Date: 11/16/20

132 Holy Cross Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Lisa L. Botha
Seller: Matthew H. Cloutier
Date: 11/19/20

21 Leland Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $602,000
Buyer: Loic R. Assobmo
Seller: Brian L. Page
Date: 11/24/20

77 Mountainview St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Daniel Goggins
Seller: Terry Randall
Date: 11/30/20

85-87 Oak St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $281,000
Buyer: Louis Thouin
Seller: 85-87 Oak Street LLC
Date: 11/20/20

29 Pinewood Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Dominic M. Puntillo
Seller: Angelique A. Pasquale
Date: 11/23/20

68 Pleasant St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: William G. Davidson
Seller: Jose C. Leandro
Date: 11/18/20

228 Sewall St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $119,000
Buyer: Robert N. Ely
Seller: Nicholas A. Matthess
Date: 11/20/20

Sunset Ridge #11
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Sergii Bonchukov
Seller: Baystate Developers Inc.
Date: 11/25/20

Sunset Ridge #12
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Lorrijane Massa
Seller: Baystate Developers Inc.
Date: 11/20/20

MONSON

20 Cedar Swamp Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $219,100
Buyer: Edward J. Bird
Seller: Robert H. Bird
Date: 11/24/20

72 Fenton Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Megan E. Ruscio
Seller: Steven R. Marcotte
Date: 11/19/20

88 Lakeshore Dr.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Gabriel Darco
Seller: Michael J. Edgett
Date: 11/30/20

51 Stafford Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Anthony Poehler
Seller: Jake T. Janas
Date: 11/18/20

40 Washington St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: John W. Hodgdon
Seller: Mile Properties LLC
Date: 11/16/20

PALMER

40 Beverly St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $225,800
Buyer: Jessica Libiszewski
Seller: Norman A. Tworek
Date: 11/23/20

4049-4051 Church St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Ricardo M. Cedeno
Seller: Lylian Floyd
Date: 11/17/20

190 Emery St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Alex R. Thomson
Seller: Roger W. Barnes
Date: 11/17/20

1022 School St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $254,900
Buyer: Jason B. Pietrewicz
Seller: Richer, Paul J., (Estate)
Date: 11/20/20

RUSSELL

488 Blandford Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Veaceslav Dragnea
Seller: Angela Cross
Date: 11/19/20

557 Dickinson Hill Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Nathan R. Lepage
Seller: Edward S. Thomas
Date: 11/16/20

SPRINGFIELD

975 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Jennifer Gardner
Seller: Daniel J. Duncan
Date: 11/19/20

70 Amore Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Joshua Cruz-Birriel
Seller: Casa Trio LLC
Date: 11/17/20

868-870 Armory St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $259,000
Buyer: I. Y. Benitez-Carradero
Seller: Karen L. Dougherty
Date: 11/23/20

186 Arnold Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $274,900
Buyer: Tek B. Gurung
Seller: Nu-Way Homes Inc.
Date: 11/27/20

106 Bacon Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Martin Tejada
Seller: Rosa M. Burgos
Date: 11/30/20

135 Bartels St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Anthony D. StAmand
Seller: Joseph M. Paixao
Date: 11/18/20

1455 Bay St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $128,000
Buyer: Luis A. Gonzalez-Cortes
Seller: Dona J. Bluteau
Date: 11/16/20

15 Berard Circle
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $233,500
Buyer: Kevin Estrada
Seller: Cindy A. Wodecki
Date: 11/23/20

52 Bronson Ter
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Timothy Ramgren
Seller: Kevin M. Lalime
Date: 11/20/20

102 Burns Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $223,500
Buyer: Brian S. Peloquin
Seller: Revitalized Renovations
Date: 11/23/20

120 Calhoun St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Damaris Echevarria
Seller: Yaril Castro
Date: 11/23/20

38 Castle St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Diana Dillon
Seller: Mary H. Amato
Date: 11/17/20

108 Clayton St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Ivonne Padilla
Seller: James W. Fiore
Date: 11/16/20

123 Clearbrook Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Yaril K. Castro
Seller: Martha M. Waters
Date: 11/23/20

131 Clement St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Thi L. Mai
Seller: Bao Vu
Date: 11/30/20

64-66 Cleveland St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Maria J. Cruz
Seller: Jocelyn M. Desjarlais
Date: 11/20/20

236 Connecticut Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Stephanie Deleon
Seller: Anthony Gladden
Date: 11/24/20

272 Connecticut Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Celany Z. Valdez
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 11/25/20

24 Crest St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: William Rivera
Seller: Michelle Y. Sanabria
Date: 11/30/20

93 Creswell Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: Meadowbrook Property Solutions
Seller: John F. Hennebery
Date: 11/24/20

24 Crosby St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $775,000
Buyer: Monnay Miller
Seller: ANHS Inc.
Date: 11/17/20

18 Cuff Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Krystal R. Duncan
Seller: Mary M. Caplette
Date: 11/19/20

40-42 Daniel St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Henry C. Buckle
Seller: Kevin S. Mcnamara
Date: 11/24/20

9 Dayton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Maryellen Little
Seller: Santander Bank
Date: 11/17/20

55 Delaware Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $344,000
Buyer: Amy Breus
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 11/24/20

18 Donbray Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: Andrew Aldrich
Seller: Nancy D. Oconnor
Date: 11/30/20

58-60 Dresden St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $185,650
Buyer: Wayne Mitchell
Seller: Sharayah A. Rodriguez
Date: 11/19/20

82 East Canton Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Cassandra M. Santos
Seller: Mary G. Morgan
Date: 11/23/20

225 El Paso St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Eddy A. Hodge-Demota
Seller: Gary Daula Property LLC
Date: 11/25/20

200 El Paso St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Jessie L. Medina
Seller: Juan Santana
Date: 11/20/20

20 Emeline Ctourt
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $292,000
Buyer: Priscilla Baah
Seller: Tianyi Zhou
Date: 11/23/20

53 Felicia St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Amado Perez-Hernandez
Seller: Alan H. Mowry
Date: 11/18/20

161 Fernbank Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $242,820
Buyer: Raymond L. Cooper
Seller: Robin H. Fowlkes
Date: 11/18/20

11 Filmer St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Maricely Vega
Seller: Lauren M. Lemon
Date: 11/18/20

493 Forest Hills Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Bethanie L. Calvanese
Seller: Joseph Kusnierz
Date: 11/19/20

271 Gifford St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $273,000
Buyer: Emanuel Vazquez-Rivera
Seller: Abrah N. Orth
Date: 11/18/20

214 Gilbert Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $135,200
Buyer: Alberto Ayala
Seller: Norma I. Torres
Date: 11/20/20

328-A Gilbert Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: Hieu Nguyen
Seller: Nu-Way Homes Inc.
Date: 11/30/20

93-95 Governor St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Juan Sanchez-Hernandez
Seller: Sullivan, Jeremiah F., (Estate)
Date: 11/18/20

117 Governor St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $154,900
Buyer: Anne Furtado
Seller: Sheila A. Powers
Date: 11/23/20

5 Greentree Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $125,133
Buyer: Matadormus RT
Seller: FHLM
Date: 11/30/20

360-362 Hancock St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $775,000
Buyer: Monnay Miller
Seller: ANHS Inc.
Date: 11/17/20

41 Harrison Ave.
Springfield, MA 01103
Amount: $3,500,000
Buyer: Massachusetts Convention Center
Seller: Springfield Parking Auth
Date: 11/23/20

36 Harvard St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $174,250
Buyer: Lavagn S. Claudio
Seller: Ramil LLC
Date: 11/20/20

70 Jeffrey Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $216,500
Buyer: Yamil M. Maldonado
Seller: Maureen E. Williams
Date: 11/16/20

19 Judson St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Sherron Colgram
Seller: Nasser Zebian
Date: 11/19/20

64 Kathleen St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Alexander Ortiz
Seller: Patriot Living LLC
Date: 11/17/20

56 Kazbeck St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Erin E. Daley
Seller: Angela M. Burke
Date: 11/20/20

49 Kenwood Park
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Marisol Torres
Seller: Orange Pk Management LLC
Date: 11/25/20

46 Kimberly Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Noel A. Rodriguez
Seller: Juan M. Barrera
Date: 11/25/20

59 Knox St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Ruberqui A. DeRodriguez
Seller: Posiadlosc LLC
Date: 11/17/20

88 Lakeside St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Wanda Resto
Seller: Ruben V. Rosa
Date: 11/30/20

47 Laurence St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Kevin J. Catapang-Adona
Seller: Miguel A. Vasquez
Date: 11/24/20

34-36 Lawndale St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Ernest Smith
Seller: Yohanka M. Siceron
Date: 11/25/20

61-63 Leete St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $775,000
Buyer: Monnay Miller
Seller: ANHS Inc.
Date: 11/17/20

16 Loretta St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Jackeline I. Velazquez
Seller: Robert E. Werner
Date: 11/16/20

2273 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $1,200,000
Buyer: Trolley Barn Property LLC
Seller: Park View South LLC
Date: 11/17/20

260 Mallowhill Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Devon M. Bourget
Seller: Roger H. Bourget
Date: 11/30/20

14 Mansfield St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $137,700
Buyer: Mortgage Network Inc.
Seller: Jermaine Rodriguez-Smith
Date: 11/16/20

31 Maple St.
Springfield, MA 01001
Amount: $5,350,000
Buyer: Chateau Apartments LLC
Seller: Tema LLC
Date: 11/23/20

16 Marsden St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Joe Joe Properties LLC
Seller: Richard S. Mongeau
Date: 11/16/20

9-11 Massasoit Place
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $214,000
Buyer: Natasha M. Rosado
Seller: Amat Victoria Curam LLC
Date: 11/17/20

41-43 Mazarin St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Jose L. Mendez
Seller: Walski, Allen, (Estate)
Date: 11/24/20

149 Melville St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Jonathan Labarre
Seller: Cynthia G. Gow
Date: 11/25/20

77 Methuen St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Ivelisse Colon-Ortiz
Seller: James Fiore
Date: 11/25/20

25-27 Montcalm St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $244,000
Buyer: Crisalis Sanchez
Seller: Jonathan Cabrera
Date: 11/20/20

46-48 Montgomery St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $244,500
Buyer: Shawn Mitchell
Seller: Brennan Properties LLC
Date: 11/24/20

96 Montrose St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Albert Smoak
Seller: JJJ 17 LLC
Date: 11/17/20

64-66 Mooreland St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Joel Rodriguez-Puello
Seller: Daniel W. Goggins
Date: 11/24/20

70 Nagle St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $128,000
Buyer: MS Homes LLC
Seller: Barbara A. Stadnicki
Date: 11/20/20

114-116 Noel St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Huy H. Lam
Seller: Huy H. Lam
Date: 11/16/20

49 Northway Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Alfred Cole
Seller: Dennis F. Pimental
Date: 11/17/20

71 Oak Grove Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $775,000
Buyer: Monnay Miller
Seller: ANHS Inc.
Date: 11/17/20

73 Oklahoma St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Kalvin I. Torres-Ortiz
Seller: Wendi L. Tatro
Date: 11/18/20

161-163 Oklahoma St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Nicholas A. Maratea
Seller: Tracy Adams
Date: 11/23/20

103 Ontario St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Gillian Peters
Seller: Brital 1987 LLC
Date: 11/25/20

212 Osborne Ter.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $197,500
Buyer: Patrick J. Saramago
Seller: Chad M. Jacobs
Date: 11/23/20

577 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Lilliam Aponte-Bermudez
Seller: Michael Katsounakis
Date: 11/30/20

32-34 Parallel St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Denise Morales
Seller: Brital 1987 LLC
Date: 11/20/20

49 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Ian Fowler
Seller: Mondry, Agnes B., (Estate)
Date: 11/30/20

380 Plainfield St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $1,407,500
Buyer: Baystate Medical Center Inc.
Seller: Centro De Salude Medico
Date: 11/20/20

31 Pomona St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $219,150
Buyer: Carmen Y. Rosario
Seller: Nhung T. Ngo
Date: 11/18/20

34 Revere St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Felicia R. Barber
Seller: VDS Properties LLC
Date: 11/17/20

78 Sherbrooke St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Tascon Homes LLC
Seller: Jenni Manfredi
Date: 11/30/20

77 Somerset St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Katherine R. Kayser-Hirsh
Seller: H. Alez Weck
Date: 11/17/20

58 Sparrow Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Jose A. Colon
Seller: Gilbert L. May
Date: 11/20/20

25 Spear Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Jon Martin
Seller: Krista Stott
Date: 11/17/20

67 Steuben St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Sandra A. Houle
Seller: Alberto Olivera
Date: 11/23/20

75 Strong St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Ricardo Velasquez
Seller: Roger Belliveau
Date: 11/30/20

51 Stuart St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Lasharia Coleman
Seller: Donald Coleman
Date: 11/17/20

159-163 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,553,500
Buyer: 2 Stroke Holdings LLC
Seller: Stoneridge Realty LLC
Date: 11/16/20

83-91 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $2,486,500
Buyer: Palpum Raw LLC
Seller: Kevin H. Knight
Date: 11/16/20

128 Tallyho Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Minh Q. Ha
Seller: Helena N. Davis
Date: 11/24/20

5-15 Temple St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $5,350,000
Buyer: Chateau Apartments LLC
Seller: Tema LLC
Date: 11/23/20

120 Tioga St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Brian T. Drinkard
Seller: Anne C. Joy
Date: 11/30/20

84 Upland St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: Qualazale Jones
Seller: John M. Goda
Date: 11/23/20

12-14 Virginia St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Lee E. Moonan
Seller: John J. Ragno
Date: 11/23/20

19 Warner St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $502,000
Buyer: 15 Warner Street LLC
Seller: Luxiana Property LLC
Date: 11/23/20

4 Washington St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Vanessa I. Alfaro
Seller: Pamela J. Coon
Date: 11/18/20

144 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,082,000
Buyer: Pioneer Housing LLC
Seller: Arch Properties LLC
Date: 11/20/20

363 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Carlos J. Morales
Seller: Daisy J. Hernandez
Date: 11/30/20

1725 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Laurie M. Goulet
Seller: Keroack. Mary M., (Estate)
Date: 11/20/20

239 Windemere St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Yesenia M. Rodriguez
Seller: Stacey Hurley
Date: 11/20/20

92 Winterset Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Pierre Manga
Seller: David J. Cieboter
Date: 11/17/20

111 Winterset Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Stephen Farr
Seller: Antoinette M. Litrenta
Date: 11/23/20

107 Winton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Liana S. Morrison
Seller: Cynthia R. Carbonneau
Date: 11/17/20

1105 Worthington St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Dorothy P. Gaby
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 11/20/20

SOUTHWICK

3 1st St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Kristeen Nero
Seller: Richard R. Labarre
Date: 11/25/20

758-770 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Whalley Properties Inc.
Seller: Fiore Realty Holdings LLC
Date: 11/16/20

Honey Bird Run #2
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Hamelin Framing Inc.
Seller: Fiore Realty Holdings LLC
Date: 11/19/20

Honey Bird Run #5
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Hamelin Framing Inc.
Seller: Fiore Realty Holdings LLC
Date: 11/19/20

18 Kimberly Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: David Quaglini
Seller: Timothy J. Carreira
Date: 11/25/20

1 Pine Knoll
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Gamelli
Seller: Carole L. Janicki
Date: 11/24/20

1 Saw Mill Park
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $19,085,000
Buyer: Southwick Care LLC
Seller: GKS Corp
Date: 11/30/20

WALES

56 Fountain Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Thomas Smith
Seller: Sharon L. Shoar
Date: 11/30/20

WEST SPRINGFIELD

258 Bear Hole Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Noah P. Menard
Seller: Jensen, Diana J., (Estate)
Date: 11/16/20

204 Belmont Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Loan Tran
Seller: Nancy A. Mcnulty
Date: 11/18/20

212 Bosworth St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Winners O. LLC
Seller: William V. Sinico
Date: 11/30/20

143 Brookline Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $254,000
Buyer: Gerald K. Noah
Seller: Cynthia A. Reardon
Date: 11/16/20

271 Cold Spring Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Winners O. LLC
Seller: William V. Sinico
Date: 11/30/20

20 Connecticut Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Gregory T. Chartier
Seller: KSC Holdings LLC
Date: 11/16/20

144 Connecticut Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Maureen F. Moynihan
Seller: Maureen F. Moynihan
Date: 11/24/20

29 Glenview Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Heidi E. Doten
Seller: Kristopher M. Carrington
Date: 11/24/20

141 Highland Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Eliezer Lopez
Seller: Michael J. Stimpson
Date: 11/16/20

40 Johnson St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Oscar A. Mena-Gonzalez
Seller: Nicholas M. Belanger
Date: 11/17/20

550 Kings Hwy.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Michael Laflamme
Seller: Nancy B. Delbuono
Date: 11/16/20

1490 Memorial Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Michael Masciadrelli
Seller: Marc T. Bergeron
Date: 11/20/20

124 North Blvd.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Steven Fraga
Seller: Robert J. Mcnamara
Date: 11/23/20

65 Ohio Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $349,900
Buyer: Pedro L. Ruiz-Montes
Seller: Karen L. Smith
Date: 11/20/20

36 Old Orchard Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Janet R. Lynch
Seller: Katherine R. Lyman
Date: 11/20/20

117 Pine St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Cheryl Charko
Seller: Eric J. Ehle
Date: 11/20/20

37 Sherwood Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Peter C. Marino
Seller: Mabel T. Balboni
Date: 11/30/20

16-18 Southworth St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Emtay Inc.
Seller: Daniel L. Montagna
Date: 11/25/20

47 Sprague St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Olmstead RT
Seller: Michael Donskoy
Date: 11/16/20

31 Sunnyside St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $366,000
Buyer: Anthony Boido
Seller: Vyatcheslav Tsukanov
Date: 11/25/20

18 William St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Michelle Sorcinelli
Seller: Dustin P. Summers
Date: 11/24/20

WESTFIELD

71 Beverly Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Daniel D. Grabowiec
Seller: Adam T. Grabowiec
Date: 11/23/20

20 Crescent Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $397,000
Buyer: Donald C. Jones
Seller: Paul Longtin
Date: 11/19/20

291 East Main St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $640,000
Buyer: Absak LLC
Seller: Donald W. Obitz
Date: 11/19/20

122 Farnham Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Douglas J. Fuller
Seller: Knowlton, Kenneth C., (Estate)
Date: 11/24/20

3 Hanover St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Merveil Meyitang
Seller: Tighe R. Dudeck
Date: 11/23/20

21 Jeanne Marie Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: William K. Majurinen
Seller: David F. Potts
Date: 11/30/20

22 Lynnwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Jonathan Cabrera
Seller: Lance F. Hedge
Date: 11/20/20

131 Main St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Tyler R. Grono
Seller: Teresa D. Fitzgerald
Date: 11/20/20

16 Maple St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $188,500
Buyer: Paul J. Russell
Seller: Peter E. Strniste
Date: 11/25/20

24 Mullen Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Oleksandr Stets
Seller: Robert J. Sorcinelli
Date: 11/23/20

183 Munger Hill Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Drew Strandness
Seller: Kimberly S. Cameron
Date: 11/17/20

61 Old Farm Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $276,700
Buyer: Kelly M. Robinson
Seller: Gary W. Hall
Date: 11/17/20

3 Progress Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $2,350,000
Buyer: Function Of Time LLC
Seller: Stellwagen Realty Group Inc.
Date: 11/20/20

73 Ridgecrest Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $281,000
Buyer: Tracy Houle
Seller: Kimberly A. Perron
Date: 11/25/20

237 Russellville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $439,000
Buyer: Rodney F. Perez
Seller: Andrea C. Perez
Date: 11/24/20

101 Shaker Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Tricia Goodreau
Seller: Molly P. Hansen
Date: 11/20/20

76 South Maple St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $207,500
Buyer: Aaron M. Barden
Seller: Douglas W. Webb
Date: 11/23/20

439 Springdale Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Ranju Gurung
Seller: Lisa Totz
Date: 11/17/20

48 Westwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $332,500
Buyer: Rajinder Kaur
Seller: William F. Barry
Date: 11/24/20

120 Wyben Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Dennis W. Underwood
Seller: James Lefebvre
Date: 11/20/20

WILBRAHAM

2 Bittersweet Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Brian Decker-Lenahan
Seller: Jamie J. Mastrio
Date: 11/16/20

1997 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $1,350,000
Buyer: 1997 Boston Road LLC
Seller: Peoplesbank
Date: 11/24/20

11 Cadwell Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $451,500
Buyer: William Dupuis
Seller: Stephen D. Lowe
Date: 11/20/20

176 Cottage Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $1,155,000
Buyer: Monnay Miller
Seller: Wilbraham Land & Development LLC
Date: 11/18/20

104 East Longmeadow Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Coury RET
Seller: Matthew J. Brodeur
Date: 11/20/20

8 Maiden Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $248,000
Buyer: Benjamin Rios
Seller: Sharma Realty LLC
Date: 11/17/20

17 Oldwood Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Evan T. Berneche
Seller: Richard W. Stoddard
Date: 11/17/20

15 Pleasant View Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $383,000
Buyer: Patricia A. Pastoreck
Seller: Kendra P. Duffy
Date: 11/20/20

680 Ridge Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $489,000
Buyer: Sidney M. Madison
Seller: William F. Camerlin
Date: 11/16/20

443 Soule Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $418,000
Buyer: Abrah N. Orth
Seller: Jessica Leblanc
Date: 11/18/20

192 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $385,700
Buyer: William Wardlaw
Seller: Susan M. Barcomb
Date: 11/19/20

22 West Colonial Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $368,500
Buyer: Scott A. Vuori
Seller: Vinculum LLC
Date: 11/23/20

20 Westernview Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: James Gibbs
Seller: Tony Desousa
Date: 11/25/20

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

48 Berkshire Ter.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Alexander Pham
Seller: Dorothy A. Baronas
Date: 11/20/20

151 Columbia Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $455,938
Buyer: Wenjun Xing
Seller: Eric Engelson
Date: 11/30/20

116 Glendale Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Maida B. Ives
Seller: Sergey Glebov
Date: 11/18/20

31 Jeffrey Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $233,500
Buyer: Steven Ozcelik
Seller: Wendy Simpson
Date: 11/20/20

72 Larkspur Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $615,000
Buyer: Ionel Halaciuga
Seller: Colleen M. Osten
Date: 11/20/20

35 Logtown Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Charmaine Koo
Seller: Ann L. Wood
Date: 11/16/20

756 South East St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $353,000
Buyer: Meredith S. Simpson
Seller: James W. Wentworth
Date: 11/24/20

1006 South East St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: George R. Hoffeditz
Seller: Rachel T. Mustin TR
Date: 11/16/20

BELCHERTOWN

210 Bardwell St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Tyler M. Lazarz
Seller: Christopher J. Twining
Date: 11/30/20

340 Cold Spring Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Liguang Huang
Seller: Katherine G. Simard
Date: 11/24/20

15 Crestview Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Bryan Williams
Seller: Stephen M. Delude
Date: 11/17/20

726 Franklin St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Luke Paull
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 11/18/20

34 Juckett Hill Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Carisa C. Rehbein
Seller: James J. Hummon RET
Date: 11/18/20

15 Main St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Robert H. Adair
Seller: Arthur R. Lemire
Date: 11/24/20

17 Maplecrest Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Andre D. Remillard
Seller: Carla L. Brodeur
Date: 11/20/20

148 Metacomet St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Nichole Lee-O’Hearn
Seller: Melanie S. Lewis
Date: 11/16/20

260 North Liberty St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Eric Engelson
Seller: Jeremy Duchesne
Date: 11/30/20

36 Oakridge Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Reid J. Collins
Seller: Richard W. Noble
Date: 11/20/20

7 Old Farm Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Barbara L. Hawley
Seller: EDC Real Estate LLC
Date: 11/23/20

Shea Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: M&G Land Development LLC
Seller: Mark A. Keroack
Date: 11/18/20

50 Sheffield Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $412,000
Buyer: Ron E. Gielgun
Seller: Silvio Depalma
Date: 11/16/20

365 South St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $431,000
Buyer: Mary M. Lamica
Seller: Carl R. Nolan
Date: 11/20/20

345 Springfield Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Andrew Fenton
Seller: Gordon Richards
Date: 11/20/20

CHESTERFIELD

7 Bissell Road
Chesterfield, MA 01096
Amount: $288,275
Buyer: Sarah J. Aftab
Seller: Charles L. Valencik
Date: 11/20/20

702 Main Road
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: Victoria A. Lawrence
Seller: Helen Steiner-Copp
Date: 11/20/20

6 South St.
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $547,500
Buyer: James L. Thomson
Seller: 6 South Street RT
Date: 11/24/20

EASTHAMPTON

11 Davis St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Kevin C. Netto Construction Inc.
Seller: City Of Easthampton
Date: 11/20/20

7 Gaugh St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Karel S. Rescia
Seller: Michael S. Demarey
Date: 11/16/20

243 Hendrick St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: David A. Dembowski
Seller: Timothy S. Rogers
Date: 11/17/20

6 Pine Hill Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $379,000
Buyer: Cory G. Larochelle
Seller: Robert M. Buckingham
Date: 11/20/20

13 Water St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $291,000
Buyer: Jennifer L. Cotton
Seller: Jessica Spaulding
Date: 11/18/20

GOSHEN

27 Fuller Road
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $569,900
Buyer: Barbara A. Bishop
Seller: Michael Enright
Date: 11/23/20

GRANBY

121 Amherst St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Serenity Farm NT
Seller: Axel B. Hellstrom
Date: 11/18/20

84 Batchelor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $383,000
Buyer: Hilary N. Piquette
Seller: David J. Anderson
Date: 11/17/20

108 Batchelor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $337,000
Buyer: Richard Filiault
Seller: Natalia P. Trznadel
Date: 11/30/20

208 Batchelor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Thomas Duda
Seller: Rifkin, Alan, (Estate)
Date: 11/30/20

4 Ken Lane
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: Michael J. Brassil
Seller: Kristen M. Killeen
Date: 11/25/20

177 Kendall St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $409,000
Buyer: Christina Anastasovites
Seller: Ann M. St.Germain
Date: 11/20/20

131 New Ludlow Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $301,100
Buyer: Kelly C. Coelho
Seller: Edwin J. Feliciano
Date: 11/17/20

HADLEY

12 Indian Pipe Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $799,000
Buyer: Shaun McConkey
Seller: Eagle Pine Holdings LLC
Date: 11/30/20

12 Ladyslipper Lane
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $512,000
Buyer: Sergey Glebov
Seller: Claire Aniello
Date: 11/18/20

305 Russell St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Frontage Inc.
Seller: RC Building Inc.
Date: 11/20/20

HATFIELD

46 North St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $484,000
Buyer: Joanne Chan
Seller: Jason D. Charpentier
Date: 11/30/20

181 West St.
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $309,900
Buyer: Seth C. Kielbasa
Seller: Richard Giusto
Date: 11/30/20

HUNTINGTON

115 County Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $286,000
Buyer: Lisa Fortin
Seller: Gastone, Geraldine S., (Estate)
Date: 11/23/20

21 Goss Hill Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $227,900
Buyer: Melissa R. Pike
Seller: Cory G. Larochelle
Date: 11/20/20

17 Kennedy Dr.
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Peter H. McCready
Seller: Jordan INT
Date: 11/25/20

MIDDLEFIELD

55 Town Hill Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Kurt J. Bergemann
Seller: David C. Nurse
Date: 11/30/20

NORTHAMPTON

380 Chesterfield Road
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $472,000
Buyer: Joy H. McGaugh
Seller: David C. Atwell
Date: 11/20/20

91 Chestnut St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $425,500
Buyer: Clara W. James
Seller: Sandra A. Worden
Date: 11/25/20

42 East Center St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $329,000
Buyer: Sarah Mazza
Seller: Tyler E. Boudreau
Date: 11/17/20

17 Hawthorne Ter.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $618,000
Buyer: Juan D. Rumpf
Seller: Mark W. Jankowske
Date: 11/19/20

5 Highland Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $484,500
Buyer: Justin T. Serpone
Seller: Donna M. Bliznak
Date: 11/16/20

44 North Farms Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Theodore Q. Hughes
Seller: Kately Smithling-Kopcsay
Date: 11/20/20

450 Spring St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Eve Lytle-Rich
Seller: Donald Rogers
Date: 11/20/20

50 Olive St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $935,000
Buyer: Luke C. Brown
Seller: Barbara R. Cruikshank
Date: 11/23/20

PELHAM

215 North Valley Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $529,900
Buyer: Eric D. Klopfer
Seller: Stanley J. Swiercz
Date: 11/23/20

PLAINFIELD

615 West Main St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Michael J. Slocum
Seller: Edward J. Kaplita LT
Date: 11/20/20

SOUTH HADLEY

72 Charon Ter.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $228,500
Buyer: David J. Cook
Seller: Daniel J. Pease
Date: 11/23/20

51 East St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $309,270
Buyer: Andrew Neil
Seller: Peter D. Bishop
Date: 11/30/20

26 Edison Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $323,000
Buyer: Jonathan Scully
Seller: Vladimir Telelyuyev
Date: 11/18/20

5 Enterprise St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $166,500
Buyer: Jacob Saleh
Seller: Citimortgage Inc.
Date: 11/20/20

10 Glenn Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $311,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Pease
Seller: Gary F. Cloutier
Date: 11/23/20

296 Hadley St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Corey Moquin
Seller: Arthur A. Carrington
Date: 11/24/20

9 Lorraine Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Jack R. Kearney
Seller: Roman J. Milos
Date: 11/16/20

113 Lyman St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Jacob Woodruff
Seller: Sally Granada-Smith
Date: 11/18/20

25 Tampa St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: Jeanna Krasin
Seller: Lynn A. Carboneau
Date: 11/19/20

SOUTHAMPTON

156 East St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $499,900
Buyer: Angel Maldonado
Seller: Fuller, Brendan P., (Estate)
Date: 11/25/20

Fitch Farm Way #6
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Thomas A. Fuller
Seller: RGB Industries Inc.
Date: 11/24/20

Fitch Farm Way #7
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $138,500
Buyer: David A. Hardy Contractor
Seller: RGB Industries Inc.
Date: 11/19/20

Fitch Farm Way #8
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $138,500
Buyer: Ryan L. King
Seller: RGB Industries Inc.
Date: 11/19/20

1 Halon Way
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $459,900
Buyer: Matthew Malo
Seller: Bellinger Const Inc.
Date: 11/17/20

4 Hawthorne Dr.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $442,900
Buyer: Erin F. Obrien
Seller: Rebecca A. Fisher
Date: 11/16/20

10 Hillside Meadows Dr.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Bernadette Stark
Seller: Sandra L. Carboneau RET
Date: 11/30/20

Valley Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Jonathan P. Labrie
Seller: Robert D. Peloquin
Date: 11/16/20

WARE

7 Beach Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Marjolin Ehlert
Seller: James R. Nowakowski
Date: 11/24/20

716 Belchertown Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Joseph A. Routhier
Seller: Katie M. Desantis-Falvo
Date: 11/19/20

31 Coldbrook Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Judith Duffy
Seller: Joshua A. Bowie
Date: 11/20/20

22 Highland St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $269,000
Buyer: Bruce K. Darrah
Seller: Christine A. Buchanan
Date: 11/20/20

60 Morse Ave.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $176,000
Buyer: Jared D. Juelke
Seller: Goodreau, James M., (Estate)
Date: 11/20/20

41 Pine St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Damian S. Cieszkowski
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank NA
Date: 11/30/20

59-63 Pulaski St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $174,900
Buyer: Luke Paull
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 11/18/20

33 Sorel Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $194,600
Buyer: Eric J. Moulton
Seller: Charles A. Moulton TR
Date: 11/16/20

WESTHAMPTON

21 Tob Hill Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $1,137,000
Buyer: Samuel Ostroff
Seller: William H. Truswell
Date: 11/16/20

WILLIAMSBURG

68 Nash Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $577,000
Buyer: Danielle Peloquin
Seller: Peter A. Arts
Date: 11/23/20

WORTHINGTON

68 Witt Hill Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Emma Tanner
Seller: Knickerbocker, Alice K., (Estate)
Date: 11/24/20

Building Permits

Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the month of December 2020. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

AMHERST

100 Sunderland Road, LLC
100 Sunderland Road
$20,000 — Install two ADA-compliant bathrooms

Grover Ballou Jr.
754 Main St.
$12,000 — Reroof building

Lundgren Honda of Greenfield
409 Federal St.
Erect new sign on existing foundation

CHICOPEE

Joao Fernandes
77 South St.
$9,000 — Install fire-alarm system in common areas

Joyce Lincourt
31 Lambert Ter.
$8,262 — Remove and replace four windows and one patio door

GREENFIELD

ServiceNet
60 Wells St.
$105,000 — Renovate second-floor space for expansion of homeless shelter

Tapestry
278 Main St.
$2,500 — Replace six and install three cellular antennas at existing site

LEE

Lee Bank
102 West Park St.
$6,756 — Install fire-alarm system

LENOX

Overlee Property Holdings, LLC
65 Church St.
$1,074 — Repipe wet chemical fire-suppression system to cover changes appliances

NORTHAMPTON

American Tower
123 Haydenville Road
$30,000 — Modify existing wireless telecommunications facility equipment

Bowles Enterprises
235 Main St.
$122,435 — Renovate first-floor space for retail cannabis store

DAS Property Group, LLC
108 Main St.
$22,250 — Construct pergola on rooftop deck

Eversource
Easthampton Road
$1,478 — Non-illuminated wall sign

Jordi Herold
7 Pleasant St.
$15,200 — Roofing

Kendrick Properties
17 New South St.
$89,940 — Roofing

Perfect Properties, LLC
1 Corticelli St.
$29,000 — Roofing

SNF Enterprises
123 Hawley St.
$21,000 — Roofing

PITTSFIELD

Mirabito Holdings Inc.
25 Downing Parkway
$3,000 — Install twin-pole, double-faced, non-illuminated sign

Miss Hall’s School Inc.
498 Holmes Road
$37,494 — Emergency radio responder communication system

Small Block, LLC
561 Dalton Ave.
$4,000 — Demolish external salt shed

SPRINGFIELD

Eight Iron, LLC
145 Armory St.
$10,000 — Repair exterior wall of City Coal building damaged by car

Financial Plaza Trust
1350 Main St.
$7,505 — Remove portion of partition wall and convert to soffit at ceiling level in Suite 1350 of MassLive building

Lingo Associates, LLC
20 Carando Dr.
$220,994 — Remove glass-block window infills and install insulated metal panels for Carando Foods

Peter Merwin
187 Main St.
$32,000 — Renovate interior space at Reevx Labs; demolish wall and partition, build stage, and sheetrock walls

Juan Salmeron
229 Hancock St.
$50,000 — Repair fire-damaged restaurant, repair ceiling rafters

For This Dental Practice, COVID Has Brought Myriad Challenges

Root Causes

Dr. Ronald Goldsher says COVID has brought a host of new challenges for his practice, but also some rewards in the form of being able to help patients in need.

In many ways, Dr. Ronald Goldsher says, dentists and periodontists were better-prepared for COVID-19 than many others in healthcare, and certainly most business owners not in that sector.

“In some respects, dentists are way ahead of the curve because of what happened years ago with the AIDS epidemic,” said Goldsher, owner of Pioneer Valley Periodontics, which operates offices in Northampton and Greenfield. “At that time, there were a lot of mandated changes in infection control, so we’re used to sterilizing everything, using barriers on equipment, wearing masks, and disinfecting surfaces between patients; we may have ramped things up a bit [since COVID], but we were used to doing all that.”

But being better prepared certainly didn’t mean Goldsher and others in this profession were fully prepared for all that COVID-19 would throw at them — from the trepidation of patients to seek needed care to the equipment that would have to be purchased (from PPE to special air filters) to keep staff and patients safe; from confusion regarding what procedures could be carried out (and when) to the sharp reduction in overall business volume.

Add it all up, and it’s been ultra-challenging and even unnerving, said Goldsher, before adding quickly that it has also been rewarding at times. Indeed, to be open and able to provide needed services to those in need, especially those with emergencies, has been gratifying, he told BusinessWest.

“Every day, I have patients thanking me for being open and doing what I’m doing,” he said. “Some people tell me stories about how they have food delivered outside their home, their mail goes into plastic bags and they wait several days until they open it, they don’t exchange any money and they don’t leave their house — but they come to their dental appointment because it’s been eight months, and they used to come every two or three months to get their teeth cleaned, and they haven’t had a cleaning in a year. They’re so happy we’re open and providing this service, and, in their words, we’re taking risks to see patients. That’s brings a lot of lot of joy to my practice and my staff.”

Playing back the tape from a trying 2020, Goldsher said he was skiing in Colorado in late February as the news about the virus started to intensify. By the time he returned in early March, things were still normal, but soon began to change in a profound way — for both his business ventures; he and his sons also operate the entertainment venue Hawks & Reed in downtown Greenfield.

“In some respects, dentists are way ahead of the curve because of what happened years ago with the AIDS epidemic.”

Hawks & Reed had to close down, as all indoor performance venues did, and the periodontal office did as well, starting March 13.

“We shut down for what we thought would be two weeks, and two weeks turned out to be almost three months,” he explained, adding that the green light to reopen came in late May, only to have that date come and then be moved back another week, forcing the practice to reschedule a number of appointments and inconvenience several patients — and staff as well.

“There was a lot of confusing information, even when were ready to reopen Pioneer Valley Periodontics; the timelines that were given us by the governor were convoluted and confusing,” he said, noting that these adjectives also describe the information coming out about which procedures fell into the category of ‘essential’ — those that could be undertaken at that time — and which ones didn’t.

But gaining clarification on such matters was just one of the struggles, he went on.

“We were available on an emergency basis, but that comes with a lot of other issues,” he explained. “Like having staff that can come in in an emergency — they can’t be there all the time — and preparing the office for those emergencies.”

As noted earlier, Goldsher said dental practices in general were in some ways better-prepared for this pandemic because of safety measures that have been in place for some time. And his practice was even better-prepared than that in some respects because of the way he had stockpiled PPE over the years.

“I had thousands of surgical gowns that I collected over the years from doing implants,” he explained. “They come in a pack — there would be four or five in a package; we’d use two, and there would be two or three left over. The staff would always say, ‘let’s just throw these away,’ and I would say, ‘put them in a bag.’ We had garbage bags filled with gowns, so we were able to donate several thousand of them to Baystate Franklin Medical Center.”

Still, the pandemic has tested this practice in myriad ways, he went on, speaking for all those in healthcare when he mentioned everything from maintaining adequate staffing to coping with sharply reduced patient volumes, to simply dealing with all the unknowns, not to mention the emotional trauma of seeing patients in the middle of a pandemic.

“Despite all those precautions we were taking, it was still a little unnerving, and it took a couple of weeks for people to settle down because the psychological impact of the virus was there; you can’t see it, but it’s there,” he noted, adding that the spouse of one patient treated by the staff developed COVID-19 and eventually died.

As the calendar turns to 2021, the practice is coping with patient volumes far below what would be considered normal, said Goldsher, mostly due to a fear factor that has always been prevalent, but has kicked into an even higher gear amid the recent spike in cases.

“Patients will cancel at the very last minute depending on the news of the day,” he told BusinessWest, adding that overall revenues are down probably 35% or more for the year, this on top of all those additional expenses. “And from the top levels on down, there has been a lot of confusing information that’s been disseminated.”

He’s not sure when something approaching normal will return, but he does know that challenges remain and it will be some time before there is significant improvement for those in the field.

As he said, being better-prepared certainly helped, but it didn’t fully prepare anyone for what this unforgettable year has brought.

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

At Hadley Printing, the Presses Have Started Rolling Again

The Latest Word

Chris (left) and Greg Derosiers say Hadley Printing is back to something approximating normal, and employees have actually logged some overtime.

Chris Derosiers was searching for a way to describe what things were like last spring, at the height of what’s now being called the first COVID-19 surge.

And he found an analogy that probably works for just about every small-business owner in this region.

“It’s like being on the highway … you’re going to 65, 70 miles an hour and cruising along nicely, but with three-quarters of your trip still in front of you,” he said, effectively summing up how things were going during Q1 at Hadley Printing, the family-owned venture he serves as president. “And then … it’s like hitting a wall of traffic, and you don’t know how long that wall of traffic is. And six or seven months later, we’re just finally getting to the other side of that traffic jam.”

By that, he meant the company has been experiencing gradual improvement over the past several months, and is approaching something approximating normal: business that is off perhaps 10% from last year. Recently, and for the first time since the pandemic started, the workflow was such that team members were actually able to earn some overtime, a much-celebrated milestone because of what they believe it indicates.

What isn’t known is whether the company will hit another wall of traffic, or when, said Chris’s brother, Greg, the company’s vice president, adding quickly that this puts Hadley Printing in the same position as just about every company during the pandemic — an unsettling place, to be sure.

“What we don’t know is whether this ‘back to normal’ will stay that way, or whether there will be another cycle where people pull back a little bit,” he told BusinessWest, adding that the best this company, or any company, can do is find ways to cope and persevere until times improve.

Flashing back to mid-March, a painful exercise for most every business owner in the region, the brothers Derosiers recounted how their venture hit that proverbial traffic jam.

“When this thing broke back in March, we were doing just great; everything was rocking and rolling, and we had a ton of work in here,” said Greg, adding that things changed abruptly and profoundly. “Every time we picked up the phone or answered an e-mail in the second half of March, it was ‘cancel this,’ or ‘please put this on hold.’ Literally, everything was just getting stopped in its tracks.”

Elaborating, the two said that print jobs of all kinds and sizes were being shelved, and for various reasons. Cost was one of them, obviously, but in the case of the 2020-21 schedule for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, for example, it was a case of need — or lack thereof. Organizers had no idea when they could next stage live concerts, so there was no need for a schedule. And in the case of annual appeals launched by colleges and nonprofits (and there are traditionally many of those throughout the year), those leading area institutions decided the peak of a pandemic was certainly not the time to be waging such a campaign.

“Every time we picked up the phone or answered an e-mail in the second half of March, it was ‘cancel this,’ or ‘please put this on hold.’ Literally, everything was just getting stopped in its tracks.”

Add it all up, and the phone kept ringing, and each time it did, the person at the other end was canceling an order.

“And Chris and I looked at each other and went, ‘whoa.’ We didn’t know whether to look left or right; we didn’t know what was going on,” he went on, adding that, by late April, relief, in the form of PPP and other measures, had been rolled out with the intention of helping companies like Hadley — and the businesses that form their customer base — through what was projected to be eight to 10 weeks of very rough water.

“We all know now that it wasn’t an eight- to 10-week problem,” Greg continued, adding that one of the biggest challenges for this company was not knowing if printing would be deemed essential — status that was eventually earned.

“A lot of the printers rallied together to fight and make the case that printing was essential,” Greg said. “When the governor initially sent out the guidelines on this, the lines were a little blurred; it didn’t say in black and white whether commercial printing was essential.

“The few orders we did get were communication and mailing pieces focused on how to deal with COVID,” including man from hospitals and other healthcare providers, he went on. “Chris actually sent a letter to Governor Baker explaining why printing wasn’t an essential business.”

From the start, the priorities, the two said, were to be conservative with spending and watch every dime, and do everything they could to hang onto to talented, hard-to-replace printing professionals.

“The difficulty that we have in the manufacturing world is that we have some pretty highly trained people who are very good at what they do,” Greg explained. “Finding these people is very difficult, so we don’t want to let our workforce go. And so, for us, the last resort was to lay people off or furlough them; we hung on for as long as we could before we made any decisions like that.”

Fortunately, the company has historically been conservative fiscally, he went on, and had the ability to put money aside and weather a storm of this consequence, although it certainly hasn’t been easy.

“That part has been a blessing, but we need to make that back up,” he went on, adding that the company, which turned some type of corner in September, believes its improved situation is part of a broader pattern within the business community — and society in general — to find ways to cope with the pandemic and not merely cancel or put things off, as was happening in the second and third quarters.

As for 2021, Greg said no one really knows what to expect. He does believe that, because of what businesses went through in 2020, and because they don’t know when ‘normal’ will return, many will remain conservative in their approach — right down to print jobs.

“It’s like walking on a sidewalk on an icy day,” he explained. “You’re going to be careful where you walk and what you do, as opposed to proceeding as usual. I think 2021 will be that way — like walking on ice.”

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

Greenfield Recorder Stays Locally Focused on Pandemic — and Everything Else

Words to Live By

Joan Livingston says reporters are working hard remotely, but she’s looking forward to the unique energy of a full newsroom.

Late last winter, Joan Livingston and her team at the Greenfield Recorder were planning a comprehensive, multi-part series of articles marking the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in the U.S. But, as businesses of all kinds can attest, plans made in February had a way of shifting in March.

“We were planning a series on suffrage; it was going to run, and we stopped that immediately,” said Livingston, editor in chief of a daily publication that covers some 30 communities in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region. But while the editorial focus may have changed — we at BusinessWest also remember, quite clearly, those early days of all COVID stories, all the time — the Recorder’s philosophy of hyper-local coverage did not change.

“That has remained our focus, how those communities have been impacted,” she said. “We had to shift gears pretty fast. We weren’t expecting this; no one was expecting this.”

Michael Moses, publisher of the Recorder and several other community newspapers in Western Mass. and New Hampshire, remembers closing all the buildings on March 16 and setting up reporters, designers, salespeople, and others at home.

“At that point, everyone wanted to work remotely, so we took steps to make sure they were able to work from home,” Moses said. “Like everyone else, we didn’t have a lot of time for planning for that, but everything came together pretty well. From an IT perspective, we were already teed up with our front-end system for the news to operate from anywhere, and that flexibility certainly helped us. So it was an essentially seamless transition.”

Since then, the newspaper offices have been open to employees who need to use them, from customer-service staff to the business offices, as well as some reporters, but in general, much of the work of producing these daily and weekly publications has continued remotely.

“A few people work only from home, some are hybrid and come in half the week, and then there are people like myself, who work in the newsroom all the time,” Livingston said of the environment at the Recorder, which is headquartered in downtown Greenfield. “We wear masks when we talk to each other, and we practice safe-distancing rules, but I miss that camaraderie, reporters just sitting around and swapping stories. I look forward to getting that back when things turn around eventually.”

That said, “I’m impressed with our hardworking staff,” Livingston went on. “They continue to generate coverage — that’s one good thing the pandemic did not stop. They’ve been great.”

Like all community newspapers with a wide coverage area, the reporters tend to stick to specific geographic beats, getting to know their communities intimately. The pandemic has shuttered municipal offices to the public and canceled annual events, making a reporter’s traditional in-person contacts harder to come by.

“I miss that camaraderie, reporters just sitting around and swapping stories. I look forward to getting that back when things turn around eventually.”

However, “business hasn’t stopped in terms of what’s happening in town governments, which we cover pretty heavily,” she added. “Some of it’s done virtually, we’ve had annual town meetings in cars or a field, and people have been inventive about trying to be safe during this time. That has been nothing like being in person, but we’re doing the best we can with what we have right now.”

At the same time, readers’ reliance on locally generated news is more critical than ever, especially in a year when locals need to understand how COVID-19 affects them personally, yet messages from national media sources and (especially) the internet have ranged at times from sensationalized to misleading.

That reporters are delivering that news by communicating with team members remotely is all the more impressive, Livingston noted. “Our computer system allows us to work anywhere, and that’s really helpful.”

It’s a slightly smaller team these days, too, she added.

“We had some layoffs after a few months [of the pandemic], and the paper got smaller because businesses are struggling and advertising is not their priority. But I’m impressed by the work ethic of the staff because we are down a few people, and hopefully, when things change, we’ll be able to restock those positions. But they’ve picked up the slack, and I’m impressed.”

Moses sees a silver lining in this year’s shifts in the way people work, because the industry was already moving in some ways toward more remote work, or at least asking questions about the best use of physical space.

“This has allowed us to accelerate where we were going anyway, so there are some positives to all this,” he said. “Like everyone else, we’re always trying to find efficiencies, and I want to be able to draw on those efficiencies.”

That’s not to say publishing hasn’t been challenging this year; it certainly has. “No surprise there, but, thankfully, we’ve been able to manage through it, and as difficult as it’s been, everyone has stepped up pretty well, regardless of which part of the business they’re functioning in.”

The Recorder did eventually get to that series on suffrage over the summer, examining the issue over a period of weeks, not only from a national perspective, but also — and maybe more importantly — through the lens of local history, local organizations, and local viewpoints.

That’s how the newspaper has continued to handle COVID-19 as well.

“I’m reminded every day that, on a whole range of subjects, whether or not they’re health-related, we’re helping readers manage through this, giving them critical news they need, and trying to provide them the right local information they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else,” Moses said. “That’s even more critical now.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Pandemic Has Forced This ‘Pet Resort’ to Consolidate and Pivot

COVID Tails

Chris Pratt, right, and Tracy Faulstick have had to pivot and create new revenue streams, because COVID-19 has left fewer dogs home alone.

“Because no one wants to be left home alone.”

That’s the marketing tagline for a venture called Wagging Tails Pet Resort, and until the middle of last March, it effectively summed up what this company was all about and why it was so successful; dog owners wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment.

That was true for the boarding side of this operation, obviously, but the day-care component as well, said owner Chris Pratt, who told BusinessWest that many professionals had come to understand the value of leaving a dog in a day-care facility — for companionship and also, in the case of larger, athletic breeds, to work off some off their considerable energy before their master gets home at the end of the day.

But starting in March, most dogs didn’t have to be left home alone. Their owners were working remotely for the most part, if they were still working at all. Meanwhile, very few people were traveling anywhere.

Almost overnight, business for the day care, boarding, and other components of the multi-faceted Wagging Tails operation plummeted, said Pratt, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic could not have come at a worse time for her — not that it’s come at a good time for anyone.

“Going into March, we were overbooked in Hadley … by March 15, we had one dog left, who actually went home with me at night. I called the owner and said, ‘your dog is the only one here; do you mind if I take him home?’ They said, ‘no, please do.’”

That’s because business had been so good at her resort on Russell Street in Hadley that she moved aggressively and opened a second location on Florence Road in Easthampton — the Heritage Farm — last February to handle what had become an overflow.

Just a few weeks later, though, there was no overflow. She said she kept operating both locations as long as she could, but when Thanksgiving came and the numbers of boarding and day-care dogs were just a fraction of what they were a year ago — and not able to generate enough revenue to pay the staff — Pratt was forced to shut down the Hadley operation, with the intent of reopening when things get better.

“We’re combining our resources to get through the winter,” she explained. “And we’ve been very fortunate that a number of customers have decided to make the 15-minute journey across the bridge to bring their dogs here to the farm.”

That farm, all 30 acres of it, like the Hadley setting, is described by Pratt as a one-stop shop for dogs and their owners, offering everything from boarding to grooming; from day care to retail sales of food and other pet supplies; from walking to training. But because there’s less of all that, there’s now even more that people could do during one stop — or a few.

Indeed, Pratt is making the most of the indoor and outdoor spaces at the farm, and now offering new services ranging from horse boarding to riding lessons, to animals (such as several goats that arrived recently) that children and families can visit with.

“There’s a lot of things going on here that families can take part in,” said Tracey Faulstick, a business consultant working with Pratt to revise the Wagging Tails business plan. “There’s farm animals … there’s a lot that families can participate in in terms of training, horse lessons, and more. There’s an entire community here that’s dedicated to taking care of animals and people in a very safe environment.”

Creation of this community is a classic case of pivoting, making do, and trying to earn a living and keep people employed until things get better — a business survival plan, if you will. It’s also another case — among a great many in this region — of a company doing very well and expanding its operations … until the word COVID became part of our lives.

Indeed, as dogs barked parked consistently — and loudly — in the boarding area, Pratt recounted how and why she amended her business plan more than a year ago and put some ambitious expansion plans on the table.

“Hadley was full at the time … we had a waiting list,” she noted, adding that, essentially, all aspects of the business were booming, from the grooming to the training to the boarding and day care. But COVID-19 changed things in a hurry.

“Going into March, we were overbooked in Hadley … by March 15, we had one dog left, who actually went home with me at night,” she recalled. “I called the owner and said, ‘your dog is the only one here; do you mind if I take him home?’ They said, ‘no, please do.’”

But that was just the start. Indeed, restrictions imposed by the governor essentially shut down the grooming and training operations, two reliable revenue sources, for two months. Meanwhile, as noted, few people were traveling anywhere, for work or pleasure, putting a deep dent in the boarding side of the venture.

Some aspects of this business have returned to one extent or another — grooming and training, for example — and the day-care side has bounced back somewhat, as some dog owners realize the value of that service, even if they are home working all day. Pratt is hoping more people get that message.

“Dogs still need to socialize,” she explained. “Even if people are home working and with their dogs, they should still bring them to day care occasionally, to keep them socialized and keep them from getting separation anxiety; it’s better for the dogs. We were seeing, with people who hadn’t been here for weeks, that when they brought the dog back to day care, the dog was so happy, so excited, and so energetic that they lost most of their socialization skills — so we had to reteach them.”

This reteaching is just part of the COVID story at Wagging Tails, an intriguing saga that, like many in this region, involves imagination, perseverance, and entrepreneurial spirit, all of which are needed to get to other side of this pandemic.

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

Hot Oven Cookies Seizes Growth Opportunities During Pandemic