January 20, 2021 - BusinessWest

SPRINGFIELD — This year’s Women of Impact celebration has a new twist — the selection, through social-media activity, of the People’s Choice Young Woman of Impact.

BusinessWest solicitated nominations from the community for young women who are already making a difference in the community. From several dozen nominations, the five finalists are:

Yosola-Camille Dawou, Founder and Owner of the Black Room in Holyoke

A ballet dancer and entrepreneur, Dawou is a young woman of impact on many levels, but especially through the creation of her venture — the Black Room. Launched in 2020, this business builds and unifies the community through black culture and art. The Black Room offers individuals and businesses the opportunity to tell black community members’ stories and stimulate conversations by commissioning custom indoor and outdoor educational installations of black art, history, and culture to highlight significant cultural contributions of African-Americans.

April Doroski, Environmental Scientist at Tighe & Bond Inc. in Westfield

Doroski is making an impact in her chosen field as well as in the community. An environmental scientist, in 2020 she became a certified professional soil scientist. Within the community, she is active on many levels — as a volunteer for the Connecticut River Source to Sea Cleanup, chair of Tighe & Bond’s STEM Initiatives Subcommittee, the organizer of a book drive for a Westfield classroom, and creator of a unique fundraiser — a nature photography calendar — to raise money for the Clean Air Task Force.

Evelyn Humphries, Student at Longmeadow High School

Following the June 1, 2011 tornado, Humphries, then a second-grader, created a lemonade stand and single-handedly raised $1,215 to support victims of that disaster. Over the past decade, she has consistently built on this track record of service to the community, especially during the pandemic. She is an officer of the Rachel’s Table Teen Board and has continued her efforts to solicit donations for local pantries and soup kitchens. She is also a member of the Ronald McDonald House Teen Board, the Key Club at Longmeadow High School, and Girls Inc. of the Valley.

Miren Neyra Alcantara, Student at Holyoke Community College

Alcantara is an outstanding student, and in many ways an activist scholar who has a passion for helping others. As president of the Latinx Empowerment Assoc., she has spearheaded many fundraising and community events. Outside of HCC, she actively volunteers within many organizations, including Climate Change Theater Action, Common Share Food Co-op, Gateway City Arts, Wistariahurst, and SPARK Reproductive Justice. In 2020, she took part in the Planting Literacy program, which strives to help immigrants improve their literacy skills.

Tanya Vital-Basile, Owner/Broker at Executive Real Estate in Springfield

Vital-Basile is a successful business owner — she’s taken Executive Real Estate to dramatic and consistent growth — and a young woman of impact on many levels. She has long been active in the community, but has stepped up those efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has organized a number of food, toy, and clothing drives to support those hurt by this crisis and, beyond that, has provided employment opportunties to many people, including some previously unemployed, thus enabling many to find success and better quality of life through her efforts.

The winner will be based on likes and impressions on BusinessWest’s social-media channels on Facebook (@BusinessWestJournal) and Instagram (@businesswest_hcn). To share and drive buzz to a finalist, use the hashtag #BWwomen. Voting will end on Monday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m., and the winner will be announced during the Women of Impact virtual event on Thursday, Jan. 28.

This year’s Women of Impact honorees 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), WWLP 22 News/CW Springfield (media sponsor), and Chikmedia (social-media sponsor).

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County, Four Restaurants Team Up to Raise Funds

By BusinessWest Staff January 20, 2021

Daily News

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County (BBBSHC) and four area restaurants partnered in December to raise money to support BBBSHC’s youth-mentoring programs.

The four restaurant partners were located throughout Hampden County and included Springfield’s Nadim’s Downtown Mediterranean Grill, Hampden’s La Cucina di Hampden House, Wilbraham’s Blue Elephant Restaurant, and Holyoke’s Delaney House.

Staff, board members, and volunteers from BBBSHC delivered close to 100 dinners to more than 40 donors during four Fridays in December. Participants chose from customized menus created specifically for the fundraiser.

BBBSHC Executive Director David Beturne formed the partnerships as a creative way to raise funds for his organization during a trying time that has seen revenues and staffing levels cut by more than half. BBBSHC captured 50% of the revenue, and the restaurant partners captured the remaining 50%. Between the fundraiser itself and a sponsorship from Freedom Credit Union, BBBSHC was able to pull in just over $7,000.

Beturne and the remaining staff at BBBSHC know their work of keeping children in Hampden County connected may look different at this time, but is even more important. There are 219 matches at the moment, with a handful of new matches looking forward to meeting for the first time in the coming weeks. One former pair still get together to bake Christmas cookies even though the ‘little’ is 22, showing just how lasting these connections can be. The staff at BBBSHC continues to keep children in Hampden County connected, even during a pandemic.

UMass Amherst Expands COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts

By BusinessWest Staff January 20, 2021

Daily News

AMHERST — In partnership with Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration, UMass Amherst announced it will expand its role in distributing COVID-19 vaccines, providing vaccinations for the foreseeable future in concert with the criteria and timeline of the state’s phased vaccination plan.

Currently, the Commonwealth is in phase one of vaccine distribution, with first responders, COVID-facing healthcare workers (including college health staff), and congregate care and shelter staff eligible to receive the vaccine at the UMass facility. All eligible individuals must schedule an appointment in advance for the vaccine at www.umass.edu/coronavirus/vaccine.

“We are proud to devote our time, energy, and expertise to expanding the Commonwealth’s vaccination program,” UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said. “This effort reflects our deep commitment to public service. Our clinic is staffed through the invaluable assistance of the UMass College of Nursing, with our nursing students providing critical support while also gaining clinical experience to administer vaccinations.”

The vaccination clinic, launched Jan. 11, is run by the university’s Public Health Promotion Center. This week, it will be open today, Jan. 20, from 1 to 6 p.m. Currently, the vaccine clinic is administering the Moderna vaccine, which includes two doses administered 28 days apart.

The clinic is being conducted at the UMass Amherst Campus Center, 1 Campus Center Way. Free parking is available at the nearby Campus Center Parking Garage. Times and hours of the clinic are likely to vary depending on vaccine availability and the state’s distribution plans. Visit the university’s vaccine website for updates.

Academy of Music Launches Campaign to Raise Funds for Restroom Renovations

By BusinessWest Staff January 20, 2021

Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — Northampton’s historic Academy of Music Theatre announced its “We Care!” campaign, which will expand and renovate the public restrooms in the 130-year-old landmark to provide more toilets and sinks and upgrade the facilities for cleanliness and hygiene.

Among the improvements slated for the $325,000 project are the expansion of the existing restroom facilities and the installation of new plumbing, HEPA-filtered hand dryers, touch-free toilet and sink fixtures, and partitions to serve a larger patron population, according to Debra J’Anthony, executive director of the independent nonprofit arts organization that manages the city-owned building.

“With more than 60,000 patrons each year attending live performances, films, and educational programs, the need to expand the restrooms with added safety measures is due,” J’Anthony said.

The size of the ‘stalls only’ restroom (previously referred to as the women’s restroom) will be expanded to include 10 new water-efficient toilet stalls. Four new touch-free sinks will be added.

The ‘stalls and urinals’ restroom (previously referred to as the men’s restroom) will also be expanded, replacing the two existing toilet stalls and three existing urinals with four new water-efficient toilet stalls and four water-efficient urinals. The design of this restroom will provide privacy separation between the stalls and urinals so the stalls may be used gender-neutrally. Both restrooms will have new, state-of-the-art heat and ventilation installed, which will exhaust 100% of the room air, continuously bringing in fresh outside air. Both restrooms will receive new wall, floor, and ceiling finishes. These renovations will provide better service and a safer environment for the patrons of the theater.

The project is led by Northampton-based Thomas Douglas Architects, whose previous design for the renovation of the Academy of Music’s auditorium earned a Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award.

The Academy secured $225,000 last winter for the project from state and foundation sources, including the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Funds, Smith College, and the Beveridge Family Foundation. The “We Care!” campaign aims to raise the remaining $100,000 from the Pioneer Valley community.

“We plan to have these improvements completed before we reopen in the fall and welcome our community back,” J’Anthony said.

Top Entrepreneur 2020

By George O'Brien January 20, 2021

Cover Story Top Entrepreneur

Golden Opportunities Maintains a Torrid Pace of Growth, Diversification

From left, Golden Years principals Brian Santaniello, Mary Flahive-Dickson, and Cesar Ruiz Jr.

Cesar Ruiz Jr. describes the business plan for Golden Years Homecare Services as “a living, breathing document.”

That intriguing phrase was chosen to convey many things all at once — especially movement, flexibility, seemingly constant change, and a certain ambitious tone.

Indeed, while every business plan is fluid and most are written in pencil — figuratively speaking, anyway — this one has been altered countless times since it was first drafted more than eight years ago, and the new lines on the page reflect why Ruiz, the company’s president, and the entire leadership team at this East Longmeadow-based venture have been named Top Entrepreneur for 2020 by BusinessWest.

Indeed, since being launched in 2016, this company, which started with home-care services, has expanded in every way imaginable. That includes its geographic footprint — it has moved well beyond its Greater Springfield roots and into Central Mass. and Northern Conn., with a new satellite office in downtown Boston set to open later this year. It also includes services; sensing opportunities, the company has expanded into behavioral health and will soon open a staffing component as well. And with a planned acquisition that Ruiz said is now “on the 2-yard line” — which means he can’t talk about it in any real detail, as much as he would like to — Golden Years will expand the portfolio to skilled care in the home.

There’s also been seemingly constant expansion of the facilities in East Longmeadow, with a buildout now in progress for the staffing and behavioral-health pieces of this ever-changing puzzle. And, looking ahead, plans are taking shape to franchise some of the services, expand into many more states, and perhaps take the company public to raise the capital to fuel all this expansion.

“The exciting thing is that we’ve only scratched the surface.”

Like an artist’s canvas, Golden Years is taking shape — and changing shape — quickly and dramatically, with those holding the brushes not exactly sure what the picture will look like when they’re done — or what ‘done’ will mean.

“We’re beginning our fifth year of operation, and it’s said that when you hit that fifth year, that’s when you really lay down that foundation,” said Ruiz. “We have grown by leaps and bounds in terms of our census, not only with our clients, but also with our caregivers; overall, we’re an organization that’s now managing more than 1,000 people, including administrative, caregiver staff, and clients.

“And the exciting thing,” he went on, “is that we’ve only scratched the surface.”

Not even a global pandemic has been able to slow this company down.

The sign on the property in East Longmeadow’s center announced the arrival of the Golden Years Behavioral Health Group, one of many indicators of growth at this company.

OK, it did slow it down a little. Last spring, as the virus invaded the region, some of the company’s home-care clients became understandably concerned about bringing people into the home and canceled or suspended services, and some caregivers decided they no longer wanted to be in that line of work, said Mary Flahive-Dickson, the company’s chief operating officer and a 30-year healthcare veteran, adding that the virus also slowed the pace of expansion into the Central Mass. market.

But, ultimately, opinions concerning homecare during this pandemic changed, she said, adding that many came to view that option as being far more attractive than a nursing home or other types of long-term-care facility, places that saw outbreaks of the pandemic and, in some cases, large numbers of deaths.

This change in attitude is reflected in the growing numbers of clients in the Greater Springfield area, she said, adding that the census is now approaching and perhaps over the 500 mark, representing roughly 20% growth over the past year — again, in the middle of a pandemic.

“Having been in home care for more than two decades, and in healthcare for more than three, the home is far less of a risk, with the pandemic protocols that are going on now, than a facility,” she said, adding there is growing sentiment within the healthcare profession that this trend, or movement, if it can be called either, could have a degree of permanence, especially at a time when some are warning that COVID-19 will certainly not be the last deadly virus to threaten the world’s population.

Meanwhile, the pandemic and its impact on the overall mental health of area residents certainly played a role in propelling the company into the behavioral-health realm, said Ruiz.

Cesar Ruiz Jr. projects that Golden Years could again double in size over the next five years as the venture expands into new markets and new service areas.

That division of the company, if you will, was launched roughly a year ago, but the pandemic has certainly elevated the level of need and validated the decision to again rewrite that business plan and move into this field.

“Even though there’s a lot of agencies in the behavioral-health realm, we still felt there was an opportunity for us,” said Ruiz, noting that this division provides an array of services, including alcohol- and drug-addiction services and counseling to frontline workers such as police and firefighters.

For this issue, BusinessWest talked with the principals of Golden Years about how far this company has come in five short years, and just what Ruiz meant when he said they had barely scratched the surface.

Shining Examples

“We don’t look at ourselves as competitors — that’s a word that we don’t use here. We’re creators — we create our niche. And we do that by telling our story and emphasizing our services.”

That’s what Ruiz told BusinessWest when we talked with him roughly 14 months ago. That was his answer to a question concerning the home-care market in the Greater Boston region (and this one, as well), the many players already on that field, if you will, and his thoughts on why he thought there was room for one more.

His reply speaks to the confident operating tone at this venture, and offers, all by itself, some insight into why the company’s principals have been chosen for the prestigious Top Entrepreneur award, launched in 1996, and join an elite group of honorees (see chart, page 19) that includes college and hospital presidents, tech-startup founders, and many others.

“Over dinner, we realized that we had the same thoughts of creating a company that would satisfy a recognized need. We thought we could do better; we knew we could do better.”

Indeed, at Golden Years, they do look for niches, they really enjoy telling their story (we’ll get to it in a minute), and they put the emphasis on services. And, as Ruiz said, they don’t view themselves as merely another competitor in whatever field they happen to be entering, but as creators … of opportunities and, yes, niches.

That was true in homecare and in staffing, and it’s also true in behavioral healthcare, as Tracy Mineo, executive vice president of Golden Years Behavioral Health Services, explained when she was asked essentially the same question Ruiz was asked — about the playing field and why Golden Years saw opportunity within it.

“There are a lot of fine agencies operating in this region,” she said, noting that she worked for many years at one of them — Behavioral Health Network. “But even the bigger agencies … there is only so much that they can handle, especially during this time of COVID, when people are isolating; the agencies can only take on so many clients.

“So I think there’s more than enough room for these services,” she went on, adding, again, in the same fashion that Ruiz and others talk about the home-care side, that it is not merely about which services are being provided, but how.

And this brings us back to the Golden Years story. There are several, but this one is about Ruiz and his grandmother, who became the real inspiration for this venture. She needed home care in Florida more than 15 years ago, and Ruiz recalled for BusinessWest not only how poor that care was (he said family members generally provided the care for her), but also his resolve to create something much better.

That something better would eventually become Golden Years. That’s eventually. The timing and the setting were not exactly right for a new venture back then, he recalled, adding quickly that, after he relocated to this region, and especially after his father died in late 2016, he picked up the dream where he had left off.

Partnering with Lisa and Vincent Santaniello, who had similar experiences with caring for loved ones in the home, he launched Golden Years in early 2017.

“Over dinner, we realized that we had the same thoughts of creating a company that would satisfy a recognized need,” he explained. “We thought we could do better; we knew we could do better.”

Lisa Santaniello, executive vice president of Golden Years Homecare Services, agreed, noting that, from her first-hand knowledge, she understands the importance of home-care services to those suffering from a chronic condition, a devastating injury, a debilitating illness, or even loneliness, and that such individuals would certainly benefit from companion services.

Mary Flahive-Dickson says the pandemic initially forced many to cancel or suspend home-care services. But as time went on, many came to see the home as a safer alternative to nursing homes and other facilities.

“When chronic care is needed or a medical crisis occurs, I am very aware the entire extended family is affected along with the patient,” she told BusinessWest. “Lives are turned upside-down; schedules are disrupted. Sometimes, needed care is short-term; the patient will recover, and normalcy will be restored. Other times, health conditions are far more long-lasting, and improvement does not occur.

“My own mother suffered from a debilitating and chronic disease. She had the benefit of a large, extended family who could assist in coordinating care and provide the services she needed,” Santaniello went on. “Many people aren’t that fortunate; that’s where Golden Years comes in. We provide necessary home-care services to the patient, while also providing respite for their weary caretakers.”

Business was slow to start — Ruiz recalls that it was weeks after opening before the phone really started ringing — but it picked up quickly.

Flahive-Dickson, a long-time healthcare consultant and educator focusing on healthcare management, joined the company in 2019 to essentially take the home-care component to the next stage — or stages. These include expansion within this market and also into other regions, starting with Central Mass. She said her role has evolved over time and now includes elements of operations, development, and strategic planning.

Her comments about why she joined the venture speak volumes about the ambitious mindset that prevails and the entrepreneurial nature of the company.

“I saw a wonderful vision and a throwback to the way care was provided,” she explained. “My dad was a physician in the Springfield area, and his care was real and positive and forward-thinking care, and I felt that same feeling when I first came here.”

Showing Their Metal

While the home-care operation has become a regional success story, to be sure, there have been some growing pains, and the pandemic certainly created a number of challenges.

As for the growing pains, they involve everything from finding adequate numbers of caregivers — a challenge for every player in this business — to breaking into established markets with large numbers of competitors, like Worcester and Boston, and, to a lesser extent, Northern Connecticut.

Finding adequate numbers of caregivers has been a constant challenge, said all those we spoke with, but an array of factors, from what had been historically low unemployment rates to the pandemic-induced anxiety about going into others’ homes, to the company’s torrid pace of growth, has only exacerbated the problem.

And the company has responded in what can only be called an entrepreneurial way, with creation of its own education program and a collaborative initiative with the city of Springfield to help train young, homeless individuals and bring them into this profession.

Meanwhile, the pandemic has created more hurdles, said Ruiz, listing everything from those initial fears about bringing people into the home — he estimates that between 60 and 80 clients suspended service for some period of time last spring — to what to do with caregivers sidelined by those suspensions of services (they kept them on the payroll); from the need to secure PPE for staff and train them in how to use it, to paying what became exorbitantly high prices for that PPE.

Brian Santaniello, chief of staff at Golden Years, says the pandemic, and its broad, negative impact on mental health, validated the company’s expansion into behavioral-health services.

“We were experiencing the same problem everyone else was encountering — where to buy it,” he recalled. “And if we could find it … it was a terrible experience; things that we were paying 30 cents for were now costing us $1.25 or $1.50. The N-95s that were costing us 95 cents or a dollar … we were now paying $4.50 to $6 per mask.”

Flahive-Dickson agreed, and said procuring the needed supplies became a “24-hour mission” that involved all those at the company. But elements of that experience were rewarding, and even uplifting, she went on, citing volunteer efforts to not only make masks for some of the home-care providers, but also donate supplies to other institutions that were having issues, as well as gift bags to seniors and veterans.

But despite the pandemic, and in some ways because of it, the company has been able to maintain its strong pace of growth.

As Flahive-Dickson noted, attitudes about bringing people into the home — at least when viewed through the lens of a nursing home or similar facility being the most logical alternative — have certainly changed.

“We were getting calls all the time — the phone was ringing off the hook,” she said. “People were taking their loved ones out of facilities and saying, ‘now I need help.’

“There are many reasons why the home is now a safer haven than a facility, with the most obvious being that, if you’re having someone being taken care in the home, you have less than a handful of people taking care of that person,” she went on. “It’s the same person or the same team, and they are fully equipped with PPE. And they see only that one person, rather than going from room to room to room.”

These changing perceptions, along with a contract with the Commonwealth Care Alliance, one if its largest providers, and a growing relationship with the Veterans Administration, should help the company as it now moves forward with its expansion into Central Mass. — it now has a small number of clients in the Worcester area and a satellite office in Marlboro — and also into Boston, with another satellite office to open soon on Cambridge Street, said Brian Santaniello, the company’s chief of staff and a stakeholder.

“One of our primary goals for 2021 is to expand in those markets,” he said, adding that the company has a toehold in Worcester and Northern Connecticut, and is still in the infancy stages of its push into Boston, but expects the market share to grow steadily in all three regions over the next few years.

Forward Thinking

Moving forward, Golden Years is advancing plans to provide home care in multiple states, and that’s just one component of a larger expansion strategy.

Indeed, Ruiz and his team are preparing to unveil a staffing component, and it has already launched its behavioral-health division, one that was, as noted, partly inspired by the pandemic and the dramatically rising need for behavioral- and mental-health services, and likewise driven by recognized need for such services among the home-care clientele.

Indeed, Ruiz estimated that at least 15% to 20% of the company’s 500 clients are receiving some type of counseling service. With their entrepreneurial mindset, the company’s leaders began asking the question, ‘are these services that we can and should provide ourselves?’

The answer that came back was a resounding ‘yes,’ he went on. “We didn’t want to leave anything on the table; this was an opportunity for us to provide these kinds of services to our existing clients.”

Previous Top Entrepreneurs

• 2019: Cinda Jones, president of W.D. Cowls Inc.
• 2018: Antonacci Family, owners of USA Hauling, GreatHorse, and Sonny’s Place
• 2017: Owners and managers of the Springfield Thunderbirds
• 2016: Paul Kozub, founder and president of V-One Vodka
• 2015: The D’Amour Family, founders of Big Y
• 2014: Delcie Bean, president of Paragus Strategic IT
• 2013: Tim Van Epps, president and CEO of Sandri LLC
• 2012: Rick Crews and Jim Brennan, franchisees of Doctors Express
• 2011: Heriberto Flores, director of the New England Farm Workers’ Council and Partners for Community
• 2010: Bob Bolduc, founder and CEO of Pride
• 2009: Holyoke Gas & Electric
• 2008: Arlene Kelly and Kim Sanborn, founders of Human Resource Solutions and Convergent Solutions Inc.
• 2007: John Maybury, president of Maybury Material Handling
• 2006: Rocco, Jim, and Jayson Falcone, principals of Rocky’s Hardware Stores and Falcone Retail Properties
• 2005: James (Jeb) Balise, president of Balise Motor Sales
• 2004: Craig Melin, then-president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital
• 2003: Tony Dolphin, president of Springboard Technologies
• 2002: Timm Tobin, then-president of Tobin Systems Inc.
• 2001: Dan Kelley, then-president of Equal Access Partners
• 2000: Jim Ross, Doug Brown, and Richard DiGeronimo, then-principals of Concourse Communications
• 1999: Andrew Scibelli, then-president of Springfield Technical Community College
• 1998: Eric Suher, president of E.S. Sports
• 1997: Peter Rosskothen and Larry Perreault, then-co-owners of the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House
• 1996: David Epstein, president and co-founder of JavaNet and the JavaNet Café

Santaniello agreed. “This pandemic is having a tremendous negative impact on mental health and drug addiction, and we see the need,” he said. “And we’re going to meet that need.”

The company hired Mineo and also Deborah Rodrigues, now the clinical director, and gave them equity stakes in the venture.

Mineo, as noted earlier, said there is clearly unmet need in the region that this new division will meet. And the division is starting with outpatient services, including addiction, mental-health, and behavioral-health services for those 18 and over, with priority populations being seniors, pregnant and postpartum women, IV drug users, and first responders, a constituency that has been traditionally been underserved, in her view.

“We had identified that there are so many services going on in the community, including our local police departments, but no one is really providing services for our first responders,” she explained. “This includes the police officers, the EMTs, the fire departments that are right on the front line.

“With this pandemic, the civil unrest that’s going on, and everything else … all this is traumatizing and retraumatizing people on a daily basis,” she went on. “This is an unmet need in the community.”

As for that acquisition that was on the 2-yard line and that the team couldn’t talk much about, Flahive-Dickson, who likened it to a VNA, said it will broaden the client portfolio by 150 or so, add to the staff, obviously, and broaden the roster of services provided in the home.

“It’s home healthcare, not home care,” she explained, adding that this will be an important addition to the portfolio, one that provides both synergies and growth opportunities.

Looking further out, Ruiz, when asked where he expects this company to be in five years, said he expects to continue the current pace and effectively double in size. He also expects to be in many more states and possibly have franchises of the Golden Years operation — or operations, to be more exact.

That expansion will come in a number of forms, he went on, listing both organic growth and additional acquisitions, with the latter becoming more feasible, and practical, as many smaller ventures, many of them operated by Baby Boomers approaching retirement, face succession issues and other challenges.

“On the home-care front, some of the individuals that have started now want to step back,” he explained. “And because of our vision, we have a larger appetite.”

Meanwhile, Ruiz and other company leaders are in the exploratory phases of perhaps franchising the concept and even going public, to provide the capital for such steps.

“Franchising is part of our thought process; it’s part of our business plan,” he noted. “And there’s also a public initiative. Those conversations have been ongoing, and now, in 2021, they will escalate, because those things take time to structure.”

Elaborating, he said the company has hired a CPA firm and a legal team with those plans in mind and with the goal of being ready when the time and opportunity are right to move quickly and decisively.

And, in many important ways, that has been the MO from the very start.

Good as Gold

When asked to sum up what has enabled Golden Years to get off to such a fast and dramatic start, Ruiz said it comes down to two words: culture and teamwork.

The culture rests in an attitude Ruiz has instilled, one where he treats each client as if the individual was his mother or father — a culture that has resonated with Flahive-Dickson, Mineo, and others who have joined the company.

“We’ve communicated that throughout the system — we’ve built it in,” he explained. “And I think that makes a big difference. We’re hands-on, and every caregiver knows, every admin, every director here knows, how passionate I am and how serious I am; this is the collaboration of a team.”

It’s also the byproduct of an ambitious, ever-changing business plan, one that really is a living, breathing document.

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

Providers Grapple with Pandemic’s Toll on Physical, Mental Health

By Joseph Bednar January 20, 2021

Coronavirus Features Special Coverage

Impact Statements

Jeanette Wilburn (left) and Stephanie Nascimento say the pandemic has increased people’s anxiety — and the need for self-care.

Stephanie Nascimento and Jeanette Wilburn have long explored the connections between physical and emotional health at their decade-old practice, Be Vital Wellness. These days, they say, with so much anxiety gripping Americans, it’s more critical than ever to understand those connections.

“Obviously, mental illness has always been a crisis, but it’s at an all-time high now,” Nascimento said. “We spend a lot of time digging with our clients. They don’t always walk in the door and say, ‘I’m depressed.’”

In fact, the Hadley-based business began as a weight-loss and nutrition enterprise, and that’s still a major part of it. But Wilburn said it’s gratifying when clients begin to understand how their choices and circumstances affect them in ways they’ve never considered.

“Sometimes people don’t even know they’re depressed; they don’t know they’re anxious,” she explained. “They just know that they can’t fall asleep, or they can’t stay asleep, or they wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning. A lot of people call it ‘busy brain,’ but they don’t realize that’s actually anxiety. I liken it to a hamster on a wheel, and the hamster is going way too fast. You need to either slow down the wheel or get the hamster off the wheel altogether.”

The problem is, almost a year of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impacts on physical and mental health, relationships, and finances, has only cranked the wheel faster, and too many people are coping with unhealthy habits like overeating and alcohol abuse.

“ I liken it to a hamster on a wheel, and the hamster is going way too fast. You need to either slow down the wheel or get the hamster off the wheel altogether.”

“Those bad habits were there before COVID — then the pandemic arrived,” Nascimento said. “There’s so much fear, not to mention people’s whole lives are changing. Kids are home from school, parents are trying to be teachers while also working and managing Zoom calls … there’s been a lot of stress on families. We’ve had clients who were managing well, but are now struggling to maintain good habits.”

Kristy Navarro, clinical supervisor for BestLife Emotional Health & Wellness Center, a program of MHA, said the causes of increased anxiety are easy to understand.

“A lot of it is the stress people are going through financially. People have had to close down businesses they owned and lost all their income. So that produces this feeling of anxiety — ‘where am I going to get the money to pay my bills? How am I going to stay in my house? I wasn’t in debt, and now I am, so how am I going to do this?’”

That anxiety can manifest in different ways, she added.

Alane Burgess (left) and Kristy Navarro say the first step to dealing with anxiety and mental-health stresses is talking about them.

“It can be physical — the shaking, the heart pounding, sweating. It can look like avoidance — maybe not checking your mail or not going outside. It’s not just being worried, but genuine fear. Fear and feeling worried are two different things.”

Dr. Mark Kenton says healthcare workers have been feeling anxious, to varying degrees, since the start of the pandemic.

“The anxiety, depression, and worry all got heightened,” he said, especially in the early days last winter, when so little was known about coronavirus, and news media reported on soaring death counts in places like New York City. “It made you think, ‘if I get this, am I going to die?’ You think of the worst-case scenario. Healthcare providers had that anxiety, and a lot of us had to find ways to get through.”

These days, as the pandemic wears on, Kenton, an emergency medicine physician at Mercy Medical Center, still worries about such issues — and not just for providers.

“I’m definitely worried about healthcare providers getting exhausted or getting sick, but also the mental health of patients, and especially the mental health of children who have to do this remote schooling for a year and a half. What is the actual impact on children going forward?”

It’s a question being asked across the U.S., and it has no one-size-fits-all answer. But the overwhelming sentiment BusinessWest heard from health and wellness experts in the region is this: help is available. Don’t be afraid to ask for it.

Take Control — but Know When to Let Go

Navarro said much of the anxiety and depression related to the pandemic has to do with isolation — and not just physical isolation.

“We’re asking people to physically isolate,” Navarro said. “What’s more concerning is when we emotionally disconnect from people — the inability to reach out, or to get the support we need when we feel we need it.”

Kenton agreed. “Our lives have been completely turned upside-down. We’re supposed to be social beings; that’s part of our underlying nature. Now everyone has lost that element. We have elderly people who have been completely isolated and haven’t seen loved ones since March.”

It doesn’t help that many things people like to do to escape from their troubles — and get some exercise — have been eliminated or limited.

Dr. Mark Kenton

“Our lives have been completely turned upside-down. We’re supposed to be social beings; that’s part of our underlying nature. Now everyone has lost that element.”

“They gain weight, they don’t eat well, they get depressed or drink more alcohol. It’s a vicious cycle,” he said. “We already have difficult winters in the Northeast, between the snow and the cold; we can’t do much of anything, and now we’re completely isolated at home. We can’t even take a trip to Florida with the family for a week to get away from the cold weather.”

That said, many activities are still possible, Navarro said.

“What is it you like to do? If we’re able to continue to do those things that we enjoy doing, we can feel better,” she explained. “And also, what in this situation can you control? We know that COVID is out of our control. So, what is it that you can control in that context? Maybe the only thing you can control is wearing your mask outside and not being around other people. So control that piece, and have ownership over what you are able to do.”

Alane Burgess, clinic director at BestLife, tells clients to take some time every single day — even if it’s just 10 minutes, although 30 minutes would be better — to “relax and rejuvenate.”

“That means, allow yourself to take that step back from everything that’s going on — all the fears, the worries, and the anxieties — and do something that makes you feel really good about yourself. Maybe it’s a hobby or activity, or doing a teleconference with a family member or a loved one or somebody who is really going to make you feel good about yourself. That way, you can focus on the good feelings that some people are losing in the midst of the isolation and all the things in our lives that we can’t control.”

Wilburn promotes mindfulness, meditation, healthy eating, and a host of other ways in which people have the power to change their health and mindset — and, again, she’s a believer in the two being intertwined holistically. At a time when the world presents so many reasons to be anxious — and, if you read the news these days, it’s not just COVID-19 — she wants to teach people self-care.

“We don’t know about that as Americans,” Nascimento added. “Or we think it’s selfish. ‘Push harder, push harder, don’t take vacations.’ We’re teaching people you can work hard, but your play should be self-care — taking a long walk, getting body work done, taking five minutes to meditate.”

It’s important, Wilburn noted, because, even in better times, Americans too often live in fight-or-flight mode.

“Our nervous systems think we’re running away from a tiger, which means we’re not properly digesting our food, our heart rate doesn’t come down, and we’re not sleeping as well, because if you’re running away from a tiger, why would you be sleeping?”

She and Nascimento say people need to be educated on why it’s important to step back and take time for their own needs — but they also often need permission, especially men, who are quicker than women to dismiss the need for self-care. They’ll find that encouragement at Be Vital Wellness.

“They think, ‘I’m tough; I just need to tough this out,’” Wilburn said. “Women are better at it, but everyone needs permission.”

Don’t Ignore the Signs

While mental-health concerns have certainly been at the forefront lately, Kenton said it’s also important not to neglect physical health, especially when symptoms of serious problems arise.

“Looking back to March and April, we shut everything down and told patients that, unless they absolutely need to be in the Emergency Department, do not come,” he explained, noting that many patients use the ER as primary care because they lack a primary-care provider or health insurance. “We saw the wave in New York, then Boston, and we didn’t know what we were in for, so the message was, don’t come to the ER unless you’re sick.”

It worked — Mercy’s ER traffic fell from a daily average of around 225 to 110, with a low point of 72. And that caused concerns of a different kind.

“Before long, we were all wondering, where did the appendicitis go? Where did the heart attacks go? We started to worry that patients with symptoms were staying home, or coming in after four days of symptoms, and by then it’s really bad.”

By summer, ER volumes gradually rose again, but many patients still feared coming to the hospital — and still do — despite the safety measures in place to separate COVID-19 patients from those who have not been exposed. With elective surgeries being curtailed again and patients having trouble seeing their primary-care doctors in person — though telehealth is better than nothing — “there are a lot of challenges for patients trying to navigate the healthcare system right now,” Kenton said.

The challenges for kids and teenagers, on the other hand, have resided almost completely in the realm of mental and emotional health.

“We’re definitely seeing the impact on children,” Navarro said. “I’ve heard a lot of parents say to me, ‘my child is failing all their classes. They can’t concentrate.’ I’ve had children I work with talk about how there’s just too much, there’s not a break, there’s not a way to leave a home that maybe is having some turmoil — not being able to get a break from all that. They’re not going to school and having any socialization with friends. Yes, they see them through Zoom, but they’re not able to have those close conversations, the play time, those moments of friendship.”

One key, she said, is to keep kids connected, somehow, to other people, even if it’s just family, and don’t let them suffer in silence.

“I tell parents all the time, ‘talk to them. Have those conversations. Talk to them about what is going on, how they can cope with their feelings in an age-appropriate way.’”

For anyone struggling in any way — adults or children — it can be helpful to seek professional help. “Even with the smallest amount of anxiety, it does not hurt to talk to someone, whether it’s a professional or a friend or family member you trust,” Navarro said. “To talk about our feelings helps us gain control over them. Just talk to someone.”

MHA launched a program a couple of years ago called “Start Talking,” which promoted the importance of starting a conversation on mental-health concerns.

“Sometimes, when we just start talking to someone we trust — or, for some people, it may be a stranger they feel most comfortable talking to — when we start having a dialogue, we see how many things start coming up,” Burgess said, adding that holding these feelings in often causes them to fester and build, compounding anxiety and depression in the long run.

“People ask every day, ‘how are you?’” Navarro noted. “But when do you actually have the opportunity to tell someone how you really are? What do we usually say? ‘I’m good. Things are fine.’ But are they really?”

Most people have no problem talking about their physical pain — an aching back, for example — but feel stigmatized when it comes to discussing their emotional wellness, Burgess added. But if there was ever a time to push past that barrier, the era of COVID-19 is it.

“Every single person in the world is being impacted by this on some level. This is something we’re all collaboratively experiencing and going through — at different degrees for different people, of course. So, how do we manage a continuation of something many of us thought would end in April?”

Talking about it, she said, is a good place to begin.

With social-distancing regulations in place, telehealth has been a tremendous help for providers and clients in her field, she added, as it has helped clients continue critical conversations. One patient even kept an appointment while on vacation in Aruba because she didn’t want to miss one.

“I’m grateful for the ability to provide services this way,” Navarro added. “If we weren’t, it would be a very difficult world.”

Journey to Wellness

Many clients at Be Vital Wellness are folks who deal with crisis every day — firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurses, EMTs — and who have grappled with their own rising anxiety and depression during an unprecedented year.

“PTSD is definitely a thing for anyone in crisis care. They often don’t realize there are other options besides pharmaceuticals, and that they can increase their quality of life, decrease their stress, and decrease their anxiety,” Wilburn said, although she and Nascimento encourage clients to see their primary-care doctors regularly too, as part of a network of treatment.

“I feel like, in America, most people have depression or anxiety or both, and COVID has only upped the ante on all those things,” Wilburn noted. “People who previously didn’t struggle with those things are struggling with those things. I just saw a woman this morning — she’s dealing with severe depression, and we’re talking about getting into therapy.

“We’re not a one-stop shop,” she added. “People come to us and say, ‘help me with my weight loss,’ but then they realize there are a lot of other things they can get support around, and it becomes truly wellness.”

In this unsettled time, that’s a goal worth striving for — and talking about.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Former Soccer Teammates Now the Lead the Way at Monson Savings

By George O'Brien January 20, 2021

Banking and Financial Services Special Coverage

They’re Still Goal-oriented

Dan Moriarty, left, and Mike Rouette.

Michael Rouette says he keeps a copy of the 36-year-old news story in his office. He’ll take it out and read it on occasion, and will proudly show it others, usually without much prompting.

“Moriarty-Rouette Team Buys Ticket to Finals” is the headline over that item in the Palmer Journal Register from November 1984, which goes on to note how goals by Rouette, then a junior, and Dan Moriarty, a freshman, along with a “tenacious defense,” propelled the Monson High School soccer team to a 2-1 win over Monument Mountain, giving the Mustangs, as that headline noted, a ticket to the regional finals in Chicopee a few days later.

Today, the Moriarty-Rouette team is still focused on goals, but now as president and executive vice president and chief operating officer (a new position), respectively, at Monson Savings Bank. They are the leaders writing the next chapter in the bank’s history after the retirement of long-term president Steve Lowell.

As the two talked with BusinessWest earlier this month, just weeks before Moriarty was to add the title CEO to his business card (Lowell is still acting in that capacity until mid-February), they talked often about their time on various fields together — they were both three-sport stars — and made frequent use of sports terms and phrases.

Indeed, when talking about the transition in leadership at the top and work to make it seamless, Moriarty said he will try to act as a good referee would — “you don’t know he’s on the field during the game.” And the two of them made early and very frequent references to the importance of teamwork at this (and any) institution.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the pandemic and this transition in leadership, both said there is no playbook for a such a challenging passing of the baton, so they will essentially write their own.

“We’re driven, we’re motivated, but we’re humble enough to know that teamwork gets you further than individual performance.”

“As far as meeting with customers and being out in the community more, Mike and I haven’t had the opportunity to really do that, for safety reasons,” Moriarty said. “And that makes things more difficult, but we’re adjusting and preparing for that day when this is over.”

As for that article, both men say it conveys more than coincidence that two high-school soccer teammates, now in their 50s, are leading the bank headquartered in the town where they grew up. Much more. They say it conveys other ‘C’ words, including commitment to the community and continuity.

“That article reminds me of who we are and where we’re from, and not to ever forget that,” Rouette said. “But it also speaks to how we’ve grown as individuals, as friends, as co-workers, as partners, and as leaders. That article symbolizes how our lives have changed but really haven’t changed, and how success can be built on people who have the same vision, the same mindset, and the same family values.”

Moriarty concurred. “We’ve known each other for so long, but the values are the same, even though we’re a long way from the soccer field. “We’re driven, we’re motivated, but we’re humble enough to know that teamwork gets you further than individual performance; we try to bring that culture to the bank and to our employees, and we try to lead by example. But we also understand that each individual in the bank is a contributor, and we want them to be part of the team and the success of the bank. We did that before we became leaders of the bank, and we’re just going to continue that and build on that culture of teamwork.”

The two take on their new roles at an intriguing time for the bank — and all banks. The pandemic has created both challenges and opportunities — certainly more of the former than the latter, and made some aspects of being a bank leader more difficult. Meanwhile, there is immense competition in a region described by most in the industry as ‘overbanked.’

Monson Savings’ newest branch, on North Main Street in East Longmeadow, was opened at the height of the pandemic last year, but it is nonetheless off to a solid start.

Both Moriarity and Rouette said that Monson Savings, now with more than $508 million in assets, has been on a steady growth trajectory and they are committed to moving the bank toward further expansion, geographically and otherwise.

They’re on the Ball

As noted earlier, Moriarty and Rouette were both three-sport athletes. While most noted for their exploits on their soccer field — both would go to play in college; Moriarty at Providence College and Rouette at Old Dominion — they were also teammates in baseball and basketball.

And as they recalled those days, they often leaned on some self-deprecating humor to make their points.

Indeed, when discussing their time as starting guards (and captains) on the hardwood, they made it clear they were not exactly go-to options when the Mustangs were looking for points.

“I was the point guard, and I couldn’t shoot,” said Moriarty, as he looked at Rouette, who nodded energetically, but said his front-court mate was ultimately the better alternative.

“I was pretty fast … I could steal the ball, but I could only dribble left-handed,” Rouette recalled. “I would have a breakaway, and our coach, Bill Devine, would essentially tell me to stop, hand the ball to Moriarty, and let him shoot it, because it would be like throwing a brick against the backboard when I let it go. I couldn’t put the ball in the ocean.”

Despite those references, the two were much-heralded for their exploits on various fields, and for their work together, even if it was only for two years.

Indeed, while Moriarty continued to make headlines at Monson High in the mid-’80s, Rouette was playing soccer at Old Dominion, majoring in Economics, and, when home from school in the summer and winter, working as a teller at Monson Savings Bank. During those short stints, he impressed those at the bank enough to get a job offer of sorts — specifically an invitation to become part of the lending team when he graduated.

“When I was a junior at Old Dominion, I already knew where I was heading,” he said, adding that he did join the bank and has been there ever since.

Moriarty, who would take a far more circuitous route to his hometown bank, has memories of seeing Rouette heading for a work in a suit while he was toiling for the town’s Highway Department while he was home from college for the summer. “It’s 95 degrees out, Michael’s going to work in a tie, and I’m thinking, ‘I want to work in air conditioning.’”

He would, first at Coopers & Lybrand in Hartford, and later at Aetna, HealthSouth, and then Unicare.

“But the attraction to Monson Savings was always in the back of my mind,” he recalled, adding that, during some conversations with Rouette, he brought up the possibility of joining the bank, and eventually did so in 1998 as an accounting manager.

The two have risen in the ranks over the years, with Rouette rising to senior vice president and chief lending officer, and Moriarty eventually climbing to senior vice president and chief financial officer in 2011.

When Lowell announced his intentions to retire not quite a year ago, both men sought to succeed him as president and CEO. Those titles would eventually go to Moriarty, but the two essentially form a new leadership team, one that brings complementary strengths and shared values.

Moriarty noted that, through his career at the bank, he’s been focused on the finance side of the equation, while Rouette has concentrated on lending and customer relationships, and, in his new role, will add retail to his list of responsibilities.

“Mike is very customer-focused, while I have somewhat different responsibilities — strategy, human resources, finance, marketing, compliance, and technology,” said Moriarty. “I think the bank is positioned to use our strengths in a proper way.”

Net Results

All this prompts more flashbacks, and the inevitable analogies, to 1984 and that soccer semifinal against Monument Mountain, where Moriarty notched the first goal of the game, and Rouette, then the all-time scoring leader for the Mustangs, recorded the game clincher.

As for the finals game … that did not go as well — a loss to an undefeated Wahconah team that still stings three and half decades later. (Moriarty wasn’t able to play in that contest due to a broken ankle he suffered in the semifinal.)

SEE: List of Banks in Western Mass.

But while they do like to look back, Moriarty and Rouette are obviously far more focused on the present and the future.

As for the former, that means everything from coping with the many aspects of COVID-19 to growing the bank’s latest branch, on North Main Street in East Longmeadow, which opened last summer, in the middle of the pandemic.

That timing wasn’t perfect — many branch lobbies were still closed — but the new facility is off to a solid start.

“We had a good core group of customers in Longmeadow and East Longmeadow,” Moriarty said. “We transitioned them internally to the East Longmeadow branch, so we had a good start, and we’re looking to have that branch in a good position in a shorter period than you normally would in a new market.”

As for the pandemic itself, it’s been a time for the bank to play to its strengths — yes, that’s still another sports phrase — and use its focus on customer service to not only take care of (and retain) existing customers, but also gain some new ones. This has been the case on all fronts, but especially with the commercial lending portfolio and the bank’s strong track record handling applications for Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loans.

“We basically got out in front of it,” said Rouette as he explained the bank’s basic strategy with the PPP program and its commercial customers in general. “We knew that that they [customers] couldn’t be chasing us. We had a great team effort to reach out to all our business customers; we said, ‘we know there’s an issue, we know PPP is coming down the road, and when the spigot opens, we’ll be there for you.’ And we did it.

“People needed to hear your voice,” he went on, adding that every commercial customer was called in an effort to gauge their needs and concerns and update them on the status of their application. “And that calmed people, that they weren’t on voice mail or weren’t able to get through.”

This high level of customer service enabled the bank to handle PPP loans for non-customers, gains that both Moriarty and Rouette chalked up to word-of-mouth referrals that should have some long-term benefits for the institution as a new round of the program begins later this month.

Dan Moriarty, left, and Mike Rouette both found a common denominator between their soccer squad from the ‘80s and the staff at Monson Savings — the importance of solid teamwork.

Looking back, and ahead, Moriarty said he was mentored by his two immediate predecessors, Lowell and Roland Desrochers, and he understands what has made the bank successful — especially its employees and community-bank look, feel, and operating values — and has no intention of altering the game plan.

“The vision for the bank is to continue to be the community bank that these communities need,” he told BusinessWest. “From a business side, commercial customers as well as retail customers, we want to stay competitive in our delivery systems — digital, mobile … we can have people bank with us from Monson to the Cape and into Connecticut. We want to be relevant in the communities we serve for not just today, but for years to come.

“The culture will remain the same,” he went on. “And we’re just going to leverage the talent we have inside the bank.”

Meanwhile, both men intend to continue their active involvement in the community, which mirrors the work of Lowell, Desrochers, and others that came before them. This work comes in many forms, with Moriarty devoting time and energy to several groups, including the East of the River Chamber of Commerce (he’s a board member), the Baystate Health Community Benefits Advisory Council, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, the Brightside Golf Classic, and Monson High School, where he’s the assistant varsity soccer coach.

As for Rouette, he is similarly involved, but focuses most of his time on the YMCA of Greater Springfield, with which the bank has long enjoyed close ties. “Everyone has a passion, and that’s mine,” he said, adding that he’s been a long-time board member and supporter on many levels.

Bottom Line

Summoning still another sports analogy of sorts, Moriarty said it is customary, at least with good teams, to look ahead, not back, when a season ends.

“Because it’s January, we say, ‘last season’s over … we finished December, we did well, but now it’s 0-0, and we’ve got a new season ahead of us,’” he noted, adding that, given the many variables confronting banks — and all businesses, for that matter — it’s impossible to know how this new season will go.

What these two do know is that Monson Savings Bank will, as noted, continue to play to its strengths, honed over many years and under leaders that these two have learned from.

In short, there’s a winning formula at the bank, and their only real plans for the future are to continue using it.

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

Home Builders Reflect on a Successful, If Challenging, Year

By Contributor January 20, 2021

Construction Special Coverage

Space Jam

By Mark Morris

Nick Riley says he had to reschedule in-home jobs at the start of the pandemic until he could figure out how to do them safely.

For home builders in Western Mass., 2020 brought opportunity and challenge in equal measure.

For example, Nick Riley, owner of N. Riley Construction, said 2020 was his best year based on the number of projects, but COVID-19 posed obstacles to nearly all facets of the job. In fact, when the pandemic first arrived, he rescheduled all his in-home projects until he could learn how to safely do those jobs.

“We were fortunate that we had several new construction projects that kept us working until we could figure out the right way to get our in-home jobs done,” Riley said.

Other home builders shared similar stories of adjusting to a new reality on the fly.

When many industries were mandated to stop working back in March, home builders were deemed an essential business by Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration. That was the right call, said Bill Laplante, president of Laplante Construction. “We had projects with critical work that needed to be completed so people, in some cases, could get back into their homes.”

“We had to postpone jobs like kitchen renovations where people were still trying to live in the space we were working on.”

The builders who spoke with BusinessWest all construct new houses as well as additions and renovations to existing homes. On balance, they say, renovations and additions account for more business than new home construction.

“Most of the calls we get are from people who want to stay where they are, so many of them are looking to build additions or do a renovation,” said A.J. Crane, partner at A. Crane Construction.

Of course, staying put became nearly universal as COVID-19 mandates resulted in many people working from home. Even those who continued to work at their place of business found themselves at home more often because so many recreational activities and destinations had been curtailed or shut down.

And that posed opportunity for builders. As Laplante observed, the more time people spend at home, the more looking around they do. “They start thinking about adding a room or renovating part of the house to make their space more comfortable.”

In the age of COVID, that means builders must approach job sites differently than in the past. For starters, more people — both adults and children — are likely to be at home while the work is getting done. While workers follow screening protocols before going into the home and wear PPE once there, Laplante instructs his crews to isolate the work area from the residents as much as possible. That’s easy to do for additions and outside renovations, but some work is just more intrusive.

“We had to postpone jobs like kitchen renovations where people were still trying to live in the space we were working on,” he said, adding that other projects were pushed off because customers were simply not yet comfortable with outside workers in their homes during the pandemic.

But enough homeowners were OK with their presence to generate a successful, if unusual, year for the home-building and renovation industry.

Slow-building Issues

Keeping work crews and homeowners safe was only one challenge builders faced due to COVID-19. In a normal year, the process of getting a permit for a new home or addition is fairly straightforward. Builders bring plans to the appropriate municipal office and pick up the permit a week or two later. As COVID-19 shifted city and town business to e-mails and Zoom calls, it delayed the permitting process — in some cases, for months.

“When you go down the street to the local lumber yard to pick up a pressure-treated two-by-four and they don’t have any, it throws you for a loop.”

Meanwhile, supply-chain shortages of common consumer goods such as toilet paper and cleaning products marked the early days of the pandemic. The manufacturing supply chain around the world was disrupted for many building products as well. Riley said appliances and electrical components such as circuit breakers were often delayed by as much as three or four months. As another example, Crane learned that window companies were having trouble getting glass.

“As a result, we were only getting three-fourths of the windows we ordered for a job,” he said. “This created a delay that frustrates the homeowner and puts a big dent into our profit margin.”

In short, COVID-19 kept people at home, they wanted to improve their space, creating high demand for building materials at a time when many manufacturers were already experiencing delays due to the coronavirus, resulting in shortages. And in the wake of those delays, price increases followed.

Andy Crane says he wants to present a home show this year, but only if he can do so safely.

“We saw a 45% spike in the cost of building materials,” Laplante said. “That was difficult to deal with because we had jobs that were already under contract.”

Shortages of special-order or custom materials were no surprise to the builders, but everyday items were affected, too.

“When you go down the street to the local lumber yard to pick up a pressure-treated two-by-four and they don’t have any, it throws you for a loop,” Crane said.

While they acknowledge that delays, shortages, and price hikes will be here for the near term, all three builders are optimistic about 2021. Because mortgage interest rates remain at historic lows, Riley does not expect a slowdown anytime soon. “For 2021, our company is operating full steam ahead for both new construction and remodeling projects.”

“I know a lot of folks who switched to remote work, and they are not going back into the office. I believe people working from home or their vacation home will continue into the foreseeable future.”

One challenge going forward, he noted, is finding property in Western Mass. to purchase at a reasonable price where he can make a profit on new construction.

For 2021, Laplante has plenty of new construction and renovation projects in the pipeline both in Western Mass. and on Cape Cod, where he recently opened a satellite office.

“We’ve always done work on the Cape, but this is the first year we made it official with an office,” he told BusinessWest. “We’re seeing a tremendous amount of activity and opportunity there.”

SEE: List of HOME BUILDERS

Expanding to Cape Cod is a bet Laplante is willing to make because he believes that the pandemic has severely shifted consumer trends. As he sees it, the people who would have sought out exotic travel to places like Europe are now spending their money on their home or investing in a vacation home close to where they live.

On with the Show?

For 66 years, hundreds of home projects started with a tour of the Western Mass Home and Garden Show held in late March on the Big E fairgrounds. In 2020, the show was canceled for the first time in its history as the initial wave of COVID-19 swept across Massachusetts just before the event.

Will there be a show in 2021? Andrew Crane, executive director of the Home Builders and Remodelers Assoc. of Western Massachusetts, faces a common dilemma in this time of COVID-19: there is plenty of interest in holding the show, but no one knows if conditions will allow it to take place.

“When things clear up and people can safely go out and stay healthy, we will run a home show, and not until then,” he said. At the same time, his organization, which runs the home show, has nearly sold out all available booths.

“We don’t even have dates for when the home show will happen, but I sold two booths this week,” Crane said, noting that his members are involved in nearly all areas of home improvements. As most of them had success in 2020, they would like to keep the momentum going this year.

Bill Laplante says the more time people spend at home, the more they think about how to improve their homes.

When BusinessWest spoke with vendors in preparation for last year’s event, several said a key strength of the home show was the opportunity for people and contractors to speak with each other, as well as the ability to see and touch the latest products in home improvements.

Plexiglass dividers, one-way aisles, and mandatory mask wearing are among the different ways Crane and his staff are looking to configure this year’s show. He doesn’t want a situation, however, in which a member pays for an expensive booth only to allow one person at a time to visit.

“That’s not fair to the vendor or the people attending the show,” he said. “It’s not even fair to the folks who just drop by a booth to take the candy.”

Because planning events is so difficult these days, Crane continues to move forward in planning the home show, but understands that nothing is certain. “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but we don’t know if it’s a freight train or if it’s the vaccine coming to solve our problems.”

Even with an effective vaccination rollout, Laplante predicts the home-building industry will continue to thrive locally. In addition to new construction, he has several whole-house renovations in the works — projects in which an existing house is torn down and a new one is built on the same lot. With many projects in the pipeline, Laplante believes people have changed their behavior long-term, and the home will continue to be a focal point long after COVID-19 is under control.

“I know a lot of folks who switched to remote work, and they are not going back into the office,” he said. “I believe people working from home or their vacation home will continue into the foreseeable future.”

Pandemic Doesn’t Halt Greenfield’s Progress

By Contributor January 20, 2021

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

By Mark Morris

For MJ Adams, 2020 felt like someone had pushed a ‘pause’ button.

Adams, director of Community and Economic Development for the city of Greenfield, had taken part in a dynamic public forum early in the year titled “A Deliberate Downtown” that focused on revitalization plans for Greenfield.

Then the pandemic hit. And when it became clear the pause would last for more than a few weeks, she and her staff shifted their focus.

“We knew there was going to be an immediate cash-flow problem for local businesses, so we moved quickly to develop a small-business assistance program to provide micro-enterprise grants,” Adams said.

Working with other Franklin County towns, Greenfield pooled its available block-grant funds with those from Montague, Shelburne, and Buckland.

“Because small businesses are such a critical piece of the economy in Greenfield and Franklin County, we worked together to quickly design a program that didn’t exist before,” Adams said. “The micro-enterprise grants provided a cash source for small businesses until they were able to access funds from the federal Paycheck Protection Program.”

On the public-health side of the pandemic, Mayor Roxann Wedegartner credited the emergency-management team in Greenfield for their early and quick action.

“We were one of the first communities in the state to attempt to manage the public-health side of COVID-19 from the get-go,” she said, adding that her team also set up contact tracing early in the pandemic. The John Zon Community Center has served as an emergency-command area for COVID testing for Greenfield and surrounding communities. First responders are now able to receive COVID-19 vaccinations at the facility.

Greenfield Mayor Roxann Wedegartner says major projects along Main Street speak to a sense of momentum despite pandemic-related obstacles.

Like most communities, Wedegartner admits Greenfield has taken an economic hit due to the pandemic. She pointed to the micro-enterprise grants as an important early step that prevented a tough situation from becoming worse. Inaugurated to her first term as mayor a year ago, Wedegartner said finding herself in emergency public-health and safety meetings a month later was quite a shock.

“While I’m pleased that we started planning early for the pandemic, I have to say it’s not where I thought I would be in my first year in office.”

Great Outdoors

Wedegartner is not letting COVID-19 challenges dampen the many good things happening in Greenfield. She pointed with pride to the approval of a new, $20 million library and the ongoing construction of a new, $17 million fire station. Groundbreaking at the library is scheduled for April 21, while firefighters are expected to move into their new facility in July. Once complete, Adams noted that both ends of Main Street will be anchored with major public investments.

“It’s a clear statement that the town is very much committed to public safety, as well as culture and education,” she said.

These qualities, and a resilient business community, are why Greenfield is poised to bounce back quickly, according to Diana Szynal, executive director of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. She specifically mentioned the area’s many outdoor recreation options as assets that contribute to the local economy.

“Because small businesses are such a critical piece of the economy in Greenfield and Franklin County, we worked together to quickly design a program that didn’t exist before.”

“For spring and summer, we will put a strong focus on outdoor recreation because it’s a safe and healthy thing to do,” Szynal said. “You don’t have to travel far, and you can access some of the best river rapids around. We have ski areas and great golf courses — basically four seasons of outdoor activities.”

Before the pandemic, Adams and her staff were working with local restaurants to consider outdoor dining. Of course, COVID-19 accelerated those plans as moving outside was one way eateries could generate at least some revenue. With restaurants scrambled to figure out ad hoc ways to set up outside, Adams said now is the time to see how to make this concept work better for everyone for the long haul.

“We’re looking at Court Square to see if we can shut down the street that runs in front of City Hall to make that a more permanent outdoor dining space,” she said, admitting there are traffic-impact and access issues that need to be considered before the street can be closed. “We’ve been wanting to do this for some time and even have conceptual drawings to see how that space would look.”

Szynal emphasized that restaurants are one key to bringing more people to downtown Greenfield, so she hopes to draw more places to eat. While outdoor dining presents challenges, she believes the net result is positive. “Dining outside helps the downtown become a little more pedestrian. It’s a different vibe, a good vibe.”

Greenfield at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1753
Population: 17,456
Area: 21.9 square miles
County: Franklin
Residential Tax Rate: $23.55
Commercial Tax Rate: $23.55
Median Household Income: $33,110
Median Family Income: $46,412
Type of Government: Mayor, City Council
Largest Employers: Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Greenfield Community College, the Sandri Companies
* Latest information available

Wedegartner promotes the fact that Greenfield has a walkable downtown and plenty of housing within a short walk of it. A former Realtor in Franklin County, she still has contacts in real estate who tell her that houses in Greenfield barely hit the market before they are sold.

Adams said the city is poised to take advantage of welcoming new people to the area. “As we start to emerge from the pandemic, there’s a discussion about how much people miss the feeling of community and how to re-establish that. At the same time, there are people who want to live closer to nature and further away from the heavily populated cities. Greenfield can satisfy both of those concerns.”

Because the pandemic has resulted in so many people working from home, Szynal predicts a shift in where people choose to live.

Wedegartner concurred, citing the example of a couple who recently moved to Greenfield from the Boston area after learning they would be working from home for the next two years. “They bought one of the more beautiful homes in town for a fraction of what they would have paid for that type of home in the Boston area.”

While real-estate sales have been brisk across Western Mass., Franklin County has been particularly robust. Szynal shared statistics from October that compared sales among Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties. Total sales for all three were up 9.2%, while in Franklin County alone, sales increased more than 32%. She credits that growth to a number of factors, including the affordability of housing and an active arts and culture scene.

“If you have the ability to work remotely,” she asked, “why not relocate to somewhere that is beautiful and more affordable?”

Downtown Vision

Wilson’s Department Store, a mainstay in Greenfield for more than a century, wrapped up its final sales and closed last February. While that came as sad news to many, Wedegartner and Adams are hopeful about interest in the building from Green Fields Market, the grocery store run by the Franklin Community Co-op. While Green Fields representatives have not committed to the Wilson’s site, they have shown an interest in locating downtown.

“I would love to keep the co-op downtown,” Adams said. “A grocery store where you have residents living is an important part of a livable, walkable downtown.”

A former brownfield site, the Lunt Silversmith property has been cleaned up and will be available for redevelopment later this year. The site is near what Adams called “the recovery healthcare campus” where Behavioral Health Network and a number of other social-service agencies provide care and support for people in recovery.

Another redevelopment project involves the First National Bank building across from the town common. Adams said the initial vision was to make the building an arts and cultural space. After studying that as a possibility, it now appears that’s not going to happen.

The building is important, Adams noted, because it provides a face to the town common. “While the First National Bank building won’t be what we originally hoped it would be, our challenge is to figure out the right use for it.”

Just before COVID-19 hit, Adams and her team conducted a survey of residents and businesses to help define the future of downtown Greenfield. The large number of responses from both residents and businesses impressed even the survey consultants.

“The high rate of return on the surveys speaks to people’s interest and engagement of what our future will look like,” Adams said.

As people start receiving the vaccine, she believes the region will be able to put the coronavirus era in the rear-view mirror fairly soon.

“I’m a planner, so it’s exciting that there is a plan to get people vaccinated and that we are headed in the right direction,” she said.

Which would finally get the city off that pause button — and into ‘go’ mode.

Will Government Lawsuits Make Facebook More Likeable?

By Contributor January 20, 2021

Features

The Consumer’s Dilemma

By John Garvey

“If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product.”

That’s a quote from Daniel Hövermann in The Social Dilemma. If you have not seen the Netflix documentary, here are the important parts: a bunch of really rich people explain how creepy and addictive social media is, how most of them repeatedly and for different companies built it to be so, and how bad they feel about doing all that.

They explain, as their makeup artist prepares them for their actual interview, how social-media algorithms monitor our every move on the platforms. Nefariously, according to The Social Dilemma interviewees, this data is provided in anonymized form to advertisers so that they can get you to buy their products. In that way, you are the product — well, actually, your data is the product — that is offered by the platform (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google) to the advertisers.

Actually, your attention is the product and has always been what marketers and platforms seek. Data can help get your attention, but it is a big mistake to think that data is going to drive conversion. Attention does.

Enter the feds and 46 attorneys general and one of the biggest anti-trust cases in U.S. history. They are suing Facebook essentially because, years ago, it bought Instagram (2012) and WhatsApp (2014) with FTC approval and then got really good at growing them. The charge is that they got so good at it, they made it bad for consumers and advertisers. Or, as the FTC put it, “suppressing, neutralizing, and deterring serious competitive threats.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James suggested on NPR’s Here & Now that the malfeasance goes even further. “Facebook’s monopoly means that users can’t pick up and go to another platform because they have no other meaningful alternatives.”

I’m guessing she is not on TikTok, although that platform has attracted its own turbulence from the Trump administration with the president’s determination that it is a national security risk.

It’s a safe bet that the courts will be dealing with all of this mess for some time.

“Apple is acting to protect user privacy right now, and Facebook is freaking out. Apple’s upcoming version of iOS will require that apps ask user permission to track their activity across different apps or sites.”

So, where are the more near-term digital privacy protections and marketing changes coming from? This is a bit of a shocker because digital privacy protection is coming from two main sources these days: the European Union (EU) and Apple.

You know those annoying ‘accept cookies’ messages when you visit a new website? You can thank the EU and the General Data Protection Regulation obligations that went into full effect in May 2018. Because it is too hard to have one way of operating here and another there, generally EU regulations end up impacting if not protecting us as well.

There is regulation on the way. The EU’s Digital Service Act and Digital Markets Act are likely to create a new rulebook that will dramatically change the operations of online platforms as well as bolster the rights of consumers.

That’s all in the future. Apple is acting to protect user privacy right now, and Facebook is freaking out. Apple’s upcoming version of iOS will require that apps ask user permission to track their activity across different apps or sites. Even if the user gives that permission to track, iOS 14 — the software that runs the iPhone — will allow that user to turn it off at any time.

Think of it this way: Facebook will have to ask you, if you are an iPhone user, “hey, can I track a bunch of stuff you do on this phone and sell it to companies?” What would your answer be?

Apple’s iPhone controls more than 50% of the mobile-device market, so it’s no wonder why Facebook is freaking out. According to Inc., “Facebook is saying that iOS could result in a 50% drop in revenue for what is known as Audience Network. That’s Facebook’s advertising product that serves up ads within apps based on a user’s activity elsewhere. Audience Network is only a small part of the $70 billion in advertising revenue the company rakes in, but it isn’t hard to see why Facebook would be concerned.”

Recently, Facebook started running its own ads that highlight the harm users controlling access to their personal data will have on small business. The #SpeakUpForSmall campaign urges all users to take a stand for small businesses everywhere and add their voice in the comments section of their ad. At the time of this writing, there were three.

Facebook, whom Fast Company named “the worst brand of the year,” could use more likes.

John Garvey is founder of Garvey Communication Associates Inc., a digital marketing and PR agency with offices in Springfield and Los Angeles.

Banks, Credit Unions Ramp Up Philanthropy During Difficult Year

By Joseph Bednar January 20, 2021

Banking and Financial Services

Checking on the Community

Paul Scully says much of Country Bank’s philanthropy in 2020 was directed at “COVID-related initiatives.”

Paul Scully says local philanthropy is baked into the DNA of this region’s financial institutions.

“Banks have always been great about supporting communities. And we are fairly philanthropic,” Country Bank’s president and CEO added, noting that the bank gave $1.3 million to local nonprofits last year, touching about 400 different organizations in some way.

Those numbers aren’t atypical. What made 2020 slightly different is where that money went.

“Of that, about a half-million went to what I would call COVID-related initiatives,” Scully said, citing causes ranging from equipping frontline workers at hospitals to meeting soaring demand at local food banks due to the pandemic’s economic impact on families.

At Freedom Credit Union’s April board meeting — the first one after it and the region’s other banking institutions closed their doors in mid-March — President and CEO Glenn Welch said he asked to make larger monthly donations to the community than usual.

“I told them, ‘I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but we need to support the community.’ The board agreed and allocated a chunk of money that we could utilize in the community.”

In the days that followed, Freedom announced a donation of $55,000 to be dispersed among several community organizations at the front lines of the local fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, including Baystate Health Foundation; Mercy Medical Center; Cooley Dickinson Health Care; the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts; Hampshire Hospitality Group, whose Hampshire County Heroes feed first responders in Hampshire County; and Feed the Fight, an initiative of Peter Pan Bus Lines and area restaurants to feed healthcare workers and first responders in the community.

“If you’re still employed with no interruption in your household income, you might not realize a lot people were living on a shoestring, and that shoestring broke. The opportunity to donate and give back is huge.”

“A lot of those are things we haven’t done every year,” Welch said, noting that the credit union’s philanthropic contributions were up 17% from 2019 to 2020, even though it was a tougher financial year for financial institutions.

It’s a story being told across the region — not that banks and credit unions are being more generous this year (although, in many cases, they are), but that the pandemic has revealed different needs, causing a shift in where those grants are being targeted.

In September, for instance, the Berkshire Bank Foundation contributed an additional $1 million — over its $3 million total annual grant budget — to collaborative efforts supporting nonprofit organizations responding to rising community needs, including MHA, the YMCA of Greater Springfield, Western Massachusetts SCORE, and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, among others.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our local communities in ways that no one could have predicted, and the economic impact has created significant challenges for organizations who help so many every day,” said Jim Hickson, Berkshire Bank’s Pioneer Valley regional president.

The foundation’s grants have supported community-based organizations in the areas of housing, food security, health supplies, student aid, small-business assistance — all needs that have been heightened by a pandemic whose impacts will continue to be felt well into 2021.

First Response

Some of the earliest contributions from banks and credit unions, at the start of the pandemic, were targeted to hospitals and first responders. Country Bank donated $250,000 to four local hospitals, and also gave $50,000 to the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department’s First Responder Recovery Home, which provided a safe haven for doctors, nurses, EMTs, police, firefighters, and corrections professionals who were diagnosed with COVID-19, but couldn’t safely go home to recover without jeopardizing the health of a vulnerable family member.

Glenn Welch

“I told them, ‘I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but we need to support the community.’ The board agreed and allocated a chunk of money that we could utilize in the community.”

As the pandemic evolved and other nonprofits began reshaping their missions to respond to it, Country Bank directed funds to organizations like the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Springfield Rescue Mission, and Friends of the Homeless, as well as similar organizations in the Worcester area.

PeoplesBank’s charitable giving in 2020 surpassed its previous record high, totaling $1,300,000, and benefiting 292 different nonprofits in the region. While the long-standing funding priorities of PeoplesBank include education, community vibrancy, and environmental sustainability, support in 2020 also included donations to COVID-19 emergency relief funds, purchases of PPE for frontline responders, organizations fighting food insecurity and homelessness, and many area youth groups and early-childhood education centers.

“We try to say ‘no’ as infrequently as possible,” said Matt Bannister, the bank’s senior vice president of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility — even though last year’s needs definitely widened, especially considering that many nonprofits gain much of their funding from annual events that never happened.

“When the COVID hit the fan, we said to all our nonprofits we had agreements with, ‘we are going to honor all our commitments, even if you can’t hold your gala or your walk. The money’s still yours,’” Bannister said.

“The event may go away, but the need doesn’t,” he continued. “On one hand, if they don’t have the event, they don’t have to spend money on it, so that’s good. But these events are money makers. They were counting on this revenue. The visibility we get from these events is nice, but the real reason we do it is to support that cause, not because they put our logo on a T-shirt.”

Matt Bannister

“The event may go away, but the need doesn’t. On one hand, if they don’t have the event, they don’t have to spend money on it, so that’s good. But these events are money makers. They were counting on this revenue. The visibility we get from these events is nice, but the real reason we do it is to support that cause, not because they put our logo on a T-shirt.”

Kevin Day, president and CEO of Florence Bank, said his institution had no inclination to take back money spent to support such events.

“COVID drove everyone indoors this year, and a lot of events got canceled,” Day said. “We usually sign up for events, and we send money ahead of time. The nonprofits all reached out and said, “we’re not going to hold this ball or gala. Do you need the money back?’ But we’re here to support you, and the fact that you can’t throw a ball actually makes it more important that we support you. So even though we didn’t get to go to these events, we still made the donations; that didn’t change a bit.”

Later in the year, as nonprofits scrambled to find other ways to raise funds, banks looked for new ways to support them, Bannister added. “Like, the Community Foundation put together an emergency COVID fund — there’s a new need. We contributed to buy PPE for the frontline workers — that was something that wasn’t a need before. And a number of chambers put together microgrant programs for the members in their communities, with a special round of fundraising for that, and we supported that, too.”

Food for Thought

Like PeoplesBank, Florence Bank directs its philanthropy in a few general ways.

“We’ve always focused on what we call the three H’s: hungry, hurt, homeless. We thought food-insecure people having trouble getting food and buying food might be a big deal this year, so we said, ‘hey, let’s do everything we can in that area, if possible,’” Day said, adding that Florence has made good on that pledge by supporting 11 different food pantries and homeless shelters.

“We’ve always supported many of these organizations,” he was quick to add, but cast a wider net this year, donating nearly $100,000 to 10 organizations that address food insecurity.

Kevin Day

“We’ve always focused on what we call the three H’s: hungry, hurt, homeless.”

“We are so grateful. Without the support of donors, we would not have been able to continue our mission,” Ruben Reyes, executive director of Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry in Chicopee, one of the recipients, said in December. “COVID has affected us very hard. All of our fundraisers were canceled, and we were very worried about how to fund our programs.”

Compounding the problem, COVID-19 has also affected Lorraine’s clientele. Reyes said he is seeing an additional 200 to 300 families each month, and provides a month’s supply of groceries and dinners five nights a week to a total of 600 to 700 families. “We’re seeing a lot more families who typically would not need pantry services. They are coming to our doors for the very first time.”

Meanwhile, Scully noted that a Greater Boston Food Bank report that food insecurity in Massachusetts reached an all-time high in November. The state has experienced a 59% increase since 2018, representing more than 1 million people in need of food assistance. Most people are using food pantries for the first time.

“We’ve seen the demand at the food banks, and in so many other different areas,” he told BusinessWest, noting that Country has donated more than $130,000 to local food pantries throughout the year. “We’ve always supported local food pantries and food banks, and we made significant contributions to them as well. Everyone is feeling the demands are greater than ever.”

As another example of the way financial institutions have rallied to the cause of food insecurity, Freedom Credit Union partnered with its members and the local community in December by matching funds donated to benefit the Pioneer Valley USO.

Located at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, that organization provides more than 102,000 pounds of food to more than 3,200 individuals annually through the Emergency Food Pantry, among other efforts.

“We’d heard that some of the people who serve us in the military are having trouble feeding their families, and the food pantries need to be stocked,” Welch said. “It’s pretty sad when people in the U.S. have to be going to the food banks, with the loss of jobs due to COVID. A lot of people are hurting this year.”

All the region’s banks and credit unions helped customers who were struggling financially in other ways as well, such as mortgage and loan deferrals and relief loans.

“All the institutions did a lot to help members by deferring payments and coming up with loan programs,” Welch said. “It’s important to help people out, and we’re still doing that.”

Community Partners

While food insecurity and other basic needs are front of mind these days, banks and credit unions support a host of other nonprofits as well, many of which rely on performances, events, and member activity to pay their bills. Many of these were able to pivot to virtual events to maintain connections with the community until they can go back to live events, but those don’t bring in nearly as much funding as in-person gatherings.

Through its philanthropic efforts, Scully said “what we try to do is help communities thrive, whether it’s economic health, physical health, or nutritional health. Put all those pieces together, and these communities will thrive. If there’s a need and we’re able to help satisfy some of these needs, we’ll do our part to the extent we can.”

That attitude, at most local financial institutions, extends beyond monetary donations into volunteerism, Bannister noted.

“We’ve averaged about 10,000 volunteer hours across the organization pretty consistently for the past four or five years,” he said, adding that the total in 2020 was closer to 5,000, due to organizations moving to remote operations and events being canceled. “That wasn’t from a lack of desire; people were concerned about going out in public, so there was a lack of opportunity. We expect that to come back this year as things start to open up again.”

At an employee giving campaign in November, the bank actually had more associates give more money this year than ever before, Bannister added. “That could have gone the other way. There’s a lot more economic insecurity out there. So that, to us, was a sign that folks are still engaged, and they still want to give.”

While nonprofits have cut back hours and volunteers can’t always come in, especially at organizations that deal with an older population. “people have been creative,” Scully said. “We work once a month with the Ware mobile food pantry. We were there the week before Christmas, and that had upwards of 300 cars coming in. They turned it into a mobile experience. There’s a group of us there, you’re outside, masks on. It’s a way to give back, volunteer, and be safe.”

After all, he added, people want to help, and so do banks.

Day said the outpouring of concern was so great in 2020 that some nonprofits actually weathered the early months of the pandemic well.

“In March, maybe the first week of April, I think my supposition would have been that everyone is going to be hurting instantly,” he said. “But I’m involved in several nonprofit boards, and across the region, many are saying their needs have been met, in my view, pretty well.”

But 2021 poses a trap of sorts.

“The critical aspect is coming in the next year,” Day said. “Many of them received a great deal of donations during this past year, and we’re happy to do our part. I think the needs will come as the recovery moves along this year, once the perception of need goes away.”

That’s because human needs are still great among families that come to nonprofits for help, especially those in the lower economic strata who have experienced economic devastation. “They’re going to need continued support, and I expect that need will continue through 2021, easily.”

Scully agreed. “The needs are greater than the average person realizes. If you’re still employed with no interruption in your household income, you might not realize a lot people were living on a shoestring, and that shoestring broke. The opportunity to donate and give back is huge.”

And will remain so going forward, Day added.

“We gave more money this year than we ever have, sprayed it around, touched every aspect of the nonprofit world,” he said. “People know we’re a good partner of the community, and we’re happy to help out those in need.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Take Important Steps to Limit Your Overall Liability

By Contributor January 20, 2021

Banking and Financial Services

Tax Planning in a Gig Economy

By Ian Coddington

In recent years, we have seen a rise in so-called side hustles and gig work, where individuals take on part-time jobs or project-based work for additional income.

This ‘gig economy’ has been accelerated by the effects of the coronavirus outbreak; Americans are being laid off or have to remain at home or socially distance. Without a primary income source, people have turned to other solutions to pay their bills.

Ventures like DoorDash, Uber, Amazon, and Fiver all offer individuals the ability to earn income by doing work for companies and individuals. However, this does not make up the entire market of gig work.

Ian Coddington

“This form is different from your W-2 in that 1099 income is considered self-employment earnings, which is taxed differently than W-2 wages.”

People who sell artwork or wrap Christmas presents, handymen, and movers are all examples of individuals who could earn income on the side. We have seen how some side hustles can turn into profitable ventures, while others just use it to have extra spending money. If you took on additional sources of income during the pandemic, there might be some tax considerations you might not be aware of.

Self-employed Vs. W-2

Unlike a normal employed job where you receive a Form W-2, most gig work will consider workers independent contractors, and issue you a Form 1099. The most common form received for this work was a 1099-MISC, which is now replaced with the new Form 1099-NEC.

If you were paid at least $600 from a business that was not your employer, you can expect one of these forms come tax time. This form is different from your W-2 in that 1099 income is considered self-employment earnings, which is taxed differently than W-2 wages. When you work for an employer, they will withhold a percentage of your wages for taxes. However, when you are self-employed, you are subject to self-employment taxes and might be subject to estimate payments.

Depending on your level of income and other withholdings, one benefit of this is a self-employment tax deduction, where you can deduct what an employer would have paid on your tax return. For delivery drivers, it is important to track your mileage, as you can deduct the allowable mileage expense against your self-employed earnings. If you used a home office for business, you could potentially deduct a portion of your mortgage, utilities, and even repairs to that space. Prior to taking this deduction, you should review the rules closely.

Meet with an Advisor

These benefits sound good, but what if you have unique situations for your side hustle? What if you are paid through cash apps like Venmo or Zelle? Can you deduct the transaction fees paid to payment processors like PayPal or Stripe? What if you receive a Form 1099-K? Questions like these can be answered by an advisor, like a licensed tax preparer. Here is a quick list of things to bring to a meeting with a tax preparer:

• Any W-2s or 1099s received;

• Personal or business bank statements;

• Information on your home office, including square footage;

• Log of mileage; and

• Purchases for the business.

Working a side hustle can be an exciting and hopefully profitable venture; however, it can add complexity to your tax return. Take charge of the additional complexity, gather the required documentation, and minimize your tax liability.

Ian Coddington is an associate at the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.; (413) 536-8510.

Construction Backlog Inches Up Nationally in December

By Contributor January 20, 2021

Construction

Building Confidence

Construction may be on the upswing in 2021, according to a report by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).

“While many contractors enter 2021 with significant trepidation, the most recent backlog and confidence readings suggest that the onset of vaccinations has generally led to more upbeat assessments regarding nonresidential construction’s future,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Backlog is down substantially from its year-ago level, and profit margins remain under pressure, yet many contractors expect to enjoy higher sales and to support more staff six months from now.”

The organization’s Construction Backlog Indicator rebounded modestly to 7.3 months in December, an increase of 0.1 months from November’s reading, according to an ABC member survey conducted from Dec. 18 to Jan. 5. The backlog is 1.5 months lower than in December 2019.

“While many contractors enter 2021 with significant trepidation, the most recent backlog and confidence readings suggest that the onset of vaccinations has generally led to more upbeat assessments regarding nonresidential construction’s future. Backlog is down substantially from its year-ago level, and profit margins remain under pressure, yet many contractors expect to enjoy higher sales and to support more staff six months from now.”

ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales, profit margins, and staffing levels all increased in December. The sales index climbed above the threshold of 50, indicating contractors expect to grow sales over the next six months. The index reading for profit margins remained below that threshold. The staffing level index increased to 56.3 but remains well below its December 2019 reading.

“The baseline expectation is that, by the spring, the U.S. economy will blossom,” Basu said. “With many households sitting on mounds of savings and sustaining pent-up demand for many goods and services, the U.S. economy is set for rapid growth as it reopens more fully during mid- to late 2021. While it will take time for that to fully translate into new construction projects, some that were postponed earlier during the pandemic are likely to come back to life over the next several months. That should help many contractors begin to rebuild backlog, and to eagerly await 2022.”

The report comes on the heels of news that the construction industry added 51,000 net new jobs in December, according to ABC analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the last eight months, the industry has added 857,000 jobs, recovering 79.1% of the jobs lost during the earlier stages of the pandemic.

“The expectation remains that, as vaccination proceeds, the U.S. economy is poised for a significant uptick in growth during the latter half of 2021,” Basu said. “That will set the stage for improving industry performance in 2022 and beyond, particularly if the new administration is able to push forward an aggressive infrastructure stimulus package.”

What’s in the New COVID-19 Relief Package for Contractors?

By Contributor January 20, 2021

Construction

Something to Build On

By Joe Bousquin

The term ‘construction’ appears 636 times in the $908 billion pandemic relief package and $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump at the end of December.

In other words, while the relief package was less than half the size of last spring’s $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, there’s still plenty in the overall bill for contractors to be happy about.

“Lots of construction spending is always a good thing, as long as everyone has access to it,” said Kristen Swearingen, vice president of Legislative and Political Affairs at Associated Builders and Contractors. Her cautionary tone refers to the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which many non-union contractors oppose, potentially being passed in the 117th Congress after Democrats regained control of the Senate earlier this month.

But in general, construction advocates said the new pandemic relief package should be viewed as a win.

“This bill for the construction industry has a lot of good things overall,” said Jimmy Christianson, vice president of Government Relations at Associated General Contractors of America. “I would say, on the list of the many things we were asking for, we got probably 80%.”

“This bill for the construction industry has a lot of good things overall. I would say, on the list of the many things we were asking for, we got probably 80%.”

Nevertheless, one lament is that the package doesn’t include liability protection for employers against lawsuits from employees who were exposed to or became infected with COVID-19 at work.

Here’s a closer look at some of the provisions that should help contractors in 2021:

• Paycheck Protection Program. There are several wins for contractors in the the legislation’s renewed PPP funding, including a provision to ensure expenses paid for with forgiven PPP loans are tax-deductible, an issue many contractors were wringing their hands over last fall.

• Expansion of the Employee Retention Tax Credit. This gives qualifying employers a $5,000 credit per worker for employees not paid with PPP funds in 2020, as well as a $7,000 credit per worker per quarter in the first half of 2021.

“That’s a huge deal for construction companies and employees to help manage the continuing uncertainty that’s still happening,” Christianson said.

• State transportation funding. One of the headline numbers for contractors is the $10 billion earmarked for state DOTs, many of which saw their funding decline in 2020. That should provide relief for road and other civil builders who have increasingly felt the impacts of stalled projects.

“It will help mitigate the impact of bid-letting delays and project cancellations that we saw in 2020 throughout the country,” Christianson said. “And the fact that it’s dedicated funding means that states can’t use it for other things.”

• School construction. The package also includes $82 billion for education, at least some of which can be used for construction and renovations post-COVID-19, when students return en masse to classrooms.

Joe Bousquin reports on the construction industry for Construction Dive.

Commercial Real Estate January 2021

By BusinessWest Staff January 20, 2021

Commercial Real Estate

For Sale, for Lease

Download a PDF of the available commercial properties for Western Massachusetts

The Year of the Entrepreneur

By Editorial January 20, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

Starting in 1996, ˆ has, at the start of each year, presented something we call the Top Entrepreneur award.

We do this to pay homage to a long — as in three centuries long — tradition of entrepreneurship in Western Mass., and to recognize companies, institutions, and individuals who are carrying on that tradition today. Over the years, the winners have included traditional entrepreneurs — those leading tech companies, multi-faceted corporations, and some family-owned businesses that have been part of the landscape for decades, if not a century or more — and also some non-traditional entrepreneurs — a college president and a hospital CEO, for example.

This broad diversity is by design, and it shows that we’re honoring entrepreneurial spirit as much as we are entrepreneurs.

Which brings us to this year’s honoree — the partners and leadership team at Golden Years Homecare Services, an East Longmeadow-based company that started with home care and has since diversified into staffing, behavioral-health services, and other realms ). An entrepreneurial mindset prevails from top to bottom and in every aspect of this enterprise, and it has enabled the company to set and maintain a torrid pace of growth since.

We salute Cesar Ruiz, Lisa Santaniello, and other partners and managers who are aggressively rewriting the business plan and taking this company to new places and a higher plane.

And while we’re at it, we would like to salute all the entrepreneurs slugging it out across our region. They all deserve some credit at this ultra-challenging time for anyone trying to own and operate a business.

Indeed, running a company has never, ever been easy. But in these times, everything is much more difficult. As we’ve said on many occasions, one of the things that has inspired us during these times has been the manner in which the region’s business community has responded.

In short, it has been entrepreneurial. Business owners and managers have responded to adversity with imagination and determination, finding new revenue streams, new ways of doing business, and new avenues for growth. Examples abound, including everything from outdoor dining at restaurants to manufacturers retooling to make PPE. At Golden Years, the pandemic actually helped fuel a surge in home-care business, as many families came to view the home as a safer alternative to nursing homes and other facilities.

Looking back, one might call 2020 the ‘year of the entrepreneur.’ Those at Golden Years stand out, certainly, and they are most deserving of this prestigious honor. But all the entrepreneurs who have bravely battled COVID-19 deserve to take a bow.

Women’s Colleges Play Critical Role

By Contributor January 20, 2021

Opinion

By Sandra Doran

We’re just days away from watching the accomplished, inspiring Kamala Harris become the next vice president, and it doesn’t escape me that this thrilling milestone comes at the same time the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 1.1 million American workers have left the pandemic-challenged labor force — and 865,000 (80%) of them are women. The contrasts of this moment provide some context for understanding the significance of women’s colleges, and for championing the important place they hold in our world.

The Women’s College Coalition counts just 36 American women’s colleges, down from 46 six years ago and about 230 in 1960. Our numbers have dwindled against a backdrop of social, political, and economic shifts for women, shifts that have resulted in more options and opportunities across the board, but especially in the realm of higher education, where women students have outnumbered men for five decades, prompting many to ask: what purpose do today’s women’s colleges serve?

A recent study by Kathryn A. E. Enke, published by the Women’s College Coalition, looked at access, opportunity, and outcomes at today’s American women’s colleges and compared them with coed liberal-arts colleges and public universities. Her findings reveal a modern profile of women’s college students that may surprise those who still view these schools as places where America’s elite daughters are groomed to uphold the professional, and personal, status of their forebears.

Rather than resembling the student population at private liberal-arts colleges, women’s college students are demographically akin to students at public colleges and universities, meaning they’re older, more diverse, and less economically advantaged. While we still imagine that the average college student is 18 to 24 years old, that age bracket includes only 50.6% of students at women’s colleges; at private liberal-arts colleges, it’s 90.9%, and at public universities, 77.5%.

More than half of students at women’s colleges identify as students of color (51.2%), compared to 38.5% at private liberal-arts colleges and 43.6% at public universities. Enke also found that full-time, first-time undergraduates at women’s colleges are more likely to have been awarded a Pell Grant than students at liberal-arts colleges (43.2% vs. 32.6%), meaning they are more likely to come from families with limited financial means. At Bay Path, 56% of our students are Pell-eligible.

Why is this significant? According to an analysis published by the Pell Institute, low-income, first-generation students disproportionately come from ethnic and racial minority backgrounds, and they tend to be older, less likely to receive financial support from parents, and more likely to have multiple obligations outside college, all factors that require a more intentional and supportive college experience.

One real power of women’s colleges exists in the influence of academic and social experiences, which the Pell Institute describes as “studying in groups, interacting with faculty and other students, participating in extracurricular activities, and using support services.” These experiences are shown to foster success in college, and intentionally, repeatedly, and enthusiastically creating a learning environment and culture that embeds these experiences into the educational model is what defines women’s colleges.

Our schools don’t just shepherd women to their diplomas; we create a distinct and dedicated space for women to build intellectual confidence, enduring community, and unwavering tenacity — because we know they’re going to need every last bit of it as they pursue their ambitions.

Enke’s research also measured retention and completion rates at women’s colleges at 62.2%, private liberal-arts colleges (which tend to serve the most economically privileged students) at 68.9%, and public schools at 54%. We’re proud to note that the retention rate of all traditional undergraduates at Bay Path is 77%.

The past year has laid bare the persistent circumstances that continue to disrupt women’s ambitions, impede our incomes, and restrict our potential. With women’s colleges up against the financial and demographic headwinds shaking the entire higher-ed sector, we must dig deeper, hold faster, and aim higher, while keeping the initial mission of women’s education at the center of all we do: to expand access, create space, and nurture the intellect for women who deserve to realize their dreams.

Sandra Doran is president of Bay Path University.

Picture This

By BusinessWest Staff January 20, 2021

Picture This

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

Superheroes Saving Lives

JGS Lifecare recently unveiled its new “Superheroes Saving Lives” campaign. Created in English and Spanish, the three-month campaign features videos from Ruth’s House Assisted Living Residence and Leavitt Family Jewish Home residents, who thank the staff for their heroic efforts in keeping them safe during the pandemic. The campaign slogan — “Not all superheroes wear capes. At JGS Lifecare, we wear masks” — emphasizes the fact that healthcare workers have emerged as real-life superheroes, risking their own health every day to save the lives of residents.

Hand in Hand

Mercy Medical Center is participating in an international art project recognizing healthcare workers for their efforts during the pandemic with small, handcrafted ‘hand medals’ designed to create a link between the creator and the recipient. Mercy’s participation in the Hand Medal Project is a partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Richmond, Va. and artists connected to VCU who crafted 400 hand medals for distribution to Mercy nurses. Pictured, from left: Darlene Cunha, chief Nursing officer, presents a hand medal to Joseph Culver, a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit, as Mercy President Deborah Bitsoli looks on.

Round Up with Carr

Through Carr Hardware’s recent “Round Up with Carr’” campaign, customers donated $1,221.82 to the Enfield Dog Park, in Enfield, Conn. and $1,423.25 to Gifts of Love in Avon, Conn. As a fundraiser for those organizations, Carr Hardware offered customers in those two communities the opportunity to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar over the holiday season. Pictured: Ken Cohn (left) and Heather McDonald (right) of Carr Hardware present a check to Karen Pugliese, president of Enfield Dog Park.

People on the Move

By BusinessWest Staff January 20, 2021

People on the Move

Dawn Forbes DiStefano

On the heels of the recent retirement of Joan Kagan, Square One named Dawn Forbes DiStefano its new president and CEO. Following a 25-year career with the YWCA of Western Massachusetts, DiStefano joined the Square One team in 2016 to lead the agency’s grant-research, grant-writing, and program-compliance efforts. She was quickly promoted to chief finance and grants officer, where she added oversight of the agency’s financial team to her list of responsibilities. In 2019, she was promoted to executive vice president and took on oversight of the agency’s early-education and care programs and family-support services, as well as management of operations, including transportation, food service, and IT. DiStefano serves on the boards of directors for the Massachusetts Council on Gaming Health, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, the Springfield Regional Chamber, the Baystate Community Benefits Advisory Committee, and Businesses to End Human Trafficking. She also serves as a commissioner on the Hampden County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. She received her bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst and her master’s degree in public administration and nonprofit management from Westfield State University. Kagan, who led the agency for 17 years, announced her retirement plans last summer. She continues to serve as an advisor to the leadership team during the transition.

•••••

Anita Richard

Sabina Vegiard

Monson Savings Bank announced the hire of Anita Richard as vice president and residential operations officer of the bank’s Residential and Consumer Lending department, and of Sabina Vegiard as vice president of Monson Savings Bank and financial advisor with Infinex Investments Inc. In her new role, Richard is responsible for planning and organizing the residential and consumer lending operations, including streamlining loan processing, closing, and servicing. She also manages the staff in the Residential and Consumer Lending departments. Richard has more than 31 years of experience in the banking industry, with 27 years focused in the mortgage-lending area. She most recently served as Home Lending Compliance manager at Berkshire Bank and Savings Institute Bank and Trust, where she was responsible for all residential-lending regulatory compliance. Previously, she was director of Mortgage Operations at Alden Credit Union, managing the daily operations of the residential-lending area as well as compliance and loan servicing. In her new role, Vegiard is responsible for helping customers to plan for their short- and long-term financial goals, including buying a home, paying for their children’s education, retirement, and life-insurance needs. She brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding to help her customers achieve their financial goals through strategic planning and tailored investment solutions. Vegiard has been in the finance industry for 15 years, with her experience as a financial advisor spanning 10 of those years. She most recently served as vice president and branch manager at Key Bank, where her responsibilities were to manage the day-to-day operations of the branch and staff as well as act as financial advisor for six branch locations. She is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

•••••

Holyoke Community College (HCC) recently welcomed Amy Brandt as its new dean of Health Sciences and Culinary Arts. Brandt most recently worked as associate vice president and dean of Health Sciences at Broome Community College in Binghamton, N.Y., which is part of the State University of New York system. At SUNY Broome, she focused on developing partnerships with local area hospitals to address healthcare-worker shortages and advocated for enhanced use of simulation to improve clinical education and position programs to remain current with emerging national trends in healthcare education. At HCC, she will oversee seven academic programs: Foundations of Health, Medical Assisting, Medical Billing and Coding, Nursing (associate of science and practical), Radiologic Technology, Veterinary and Animal Science, and Culinary Arts. Brandt holds a master’s degree in social work from California State University, Sacramento, and a Ph.D. in social work from the University of California Los Angeles. After earning her Ph.D., she began working in education, initially at the University of California Berkeley in the School of Social Welfare, where she focused on program administration and teaching introductory social-work courses. In 2007, she transitioned to the community-college setting in California, focusing on allied-health education, and she has worked on allied-health program development in California, Florida, Texas, and New York.

•••••

Rosemary Nevins

The Royal Law Firm announced the return from retirement of attorney Rosemary Nevins. Nevins’ legal career in management-side labor and employment law has spanned more than 30 years. She has handled nearly two dozen trials to verdict, represented clients during several arbitrations, and conducted numerous seminars and training sessions for supervisory personnel and human-resources managers dealing with myriad subjects germane to the employment relationship. In 2013, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly recognized Nevins as a Top Woman of Law. She has authored numerous articles on employment-related topics and previously served as associate editor of the Massachusetts Employment Law Newsletter.

•••••

Lucas Manzi

Michael Ostrowski, president and CEO of Arrha Credit Union, announced that acting Chief Financial Officer Lucas Manzi has been appointed to a permanent position in that role. Before being promoted to acting CFO, Manzi was the Accounting Department and Finance manager at Arrha Credit Union. Manzi is a recipient of the 2019 Credit Union Difference Maker’s Award presented by the Cooperative Credit Union Assoc. at the 2019 Credit Union Marketplace Experience, Ostrowski noted. The show highlighted new technology and offered breakout sessions in many topics, including cybersecurity, latest trends in digital banking, and ways to enhance member experience. Manzi is also a member of the Arrha asset-liability committee. He has a BBA in accounting from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst.

•••••

Daniel McKellick

Christopher Pierson

Bacon Wilson announced that two of the firm’s attorneys have been promoted. Daniel McKellick and Christopher Pierson have both been named shareholders. McKellick is a business and real-estate attorney who works primarily on commercial and corporate matters, including real-estate transactions, leases, commercial lending, mergers and acquisitions, business startup and succession, and contract drafting and review. His prior experience in senior management for a large wholesale distribution company provides him with insight into business operations and profitability. He is licensed to practice in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. Pierson is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict in courts across Massachusetts. His practice encompasses all aspects of civil litigation, including commercial disputes, individual matters, and accident and injury litigation. He is a graduate of Northeastern University Law School and Gettysburg College.

•••••

Carole Bolduc

Adam Corcoran, president and CEO of Alden Credit Union, announced that Carole Bolduc will join Alden Credit Union as an LPL financial advisor with FR Investment Group. Bolduc is a lifelong resident of Western Mass. and an LPL financing advisor with 11 years of experience. She holds her series 6, 7, 63, and 66 securities registration through LPL Financial, along with a Massachusetts life-insurance license. She is registered to service clients with LPL Financial in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, California, and Arizona.

•••••

W.D. Cowls named Tony Maroulis its vice president for Real Estate and Community Development. A regional leader in economic and community development, tourism, and the arts, Maroulis will focus his efforts on building the Mill District into a premier Pioneer Valley destination, while looking to grow the company’s real-estate and business portfolio. Maroulis has worked in the chancellor’s office at UMass since 2014, when he was hired as director of Community Relations to serve as liaison with local communities, civic groups, and neighbors while advising the campus administration on community-relations issues. Since 2017, he has served as executive director of External Relations and University Events. From 2008 to 2014, Maroulis was executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. He led a successful rebranding of the chamber and was instrumental in planning and launching the Amherst Business Improvement District and the Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council, which he co-directed from 2010 to 2014. Prior to his work in economic and community development, Maroulis was co-director and owner of wünderarts, a commercial art gallery in Amherst, located in the same place as Cowls’ first hardware store. Before that, he had jobs in operations, fundraising, and marketing arts and cultural organizations, including Museums10, the Emily Dickinson Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Maroulis was a 2009 BusinessWest 40 Under Forty honoree, a 2014 Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber MVP, and in 2020 was awarded the Helen Mitchell Community Service Award by Family Outreach of Amherst. He currently serves on the boards of Leadership Pioneer Valley, United Way of Hampshire County, and the Amherst Business Improvement District.

•••••

Jennifer Cowles

LUSO Federal Credit Union announced the appointment of Jennifer Cowles to chief lending officer. She will be responsible for managing all lending staff and the credit union’s loan portfolio, while ensuring that the institution’s lending goals are met. Cowles holds a BBA in finance from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst and has more than 25 years of experience across the financial-services and real-estate industries. She has an extensive background in real-estate lending and loan servicing, investor relations, secondary market, and risk management, and most recently served as vice president of Mortgage Lending and Loan Servicing for a credit union based in Worcester County. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Cowles serves on the Board for CU REALM and is also on the board for the new England CUREN. She also served as an executive committee member for the CUNA Lending Council and chaired the CUNA Lending Council regulatory/legislative committee.

•••••

Bart Galvin joined the law firm of Bulkley Richardson as a member of two practice groups: business, mergers, and acquisitions; and finance, banking, and bankruptcy. Galvin earned his juris doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2013 and a bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 2009. Most recently, he was an attorney at the AmLaw100 law firms White & Case in Milan, Italy and Ropes & Gray in Boston, ranked ninth and 13th, respectively, by revenue among all law firms globally. He was also a law clerk for the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa and the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission.

•••••

Kelly Page

Michele Welch

The Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley (RAPV) announced its annual award winners at the association’s virtual Holiday Celebration meeting on Dec. 9. The Realtor of the Year for 2020 is Kelly Page of Trademark Real Estate. The Affiliate of the Year is Michele Welch of Embrace Home Loans. A Realtor since 1997, Page is the broker/owner of Trademark Real Estate and has served on the RAPV board of directors since 2014. She has also served on the grievance, professional development, professional standards, communications, member engagement, and strategic planning committees. Page has given back to the community by attending in-person and virtual events and assisting with the Shriners Hospitals for Children blanket drive and training in new-member orientations, and also took time to achieve the C2EX and earn her CRB designation. The senior loan officer at Embrace Home Loans, Welch has been a member of RAPV since 2016 and has served on the community service, affiliate-Realtor, and government affairs committees. She has demonstrated a tremendous amount of support to the association and in community outreach and volunteered in RAPV’s community-service efforts through fundraising, shelter support, supporting the Shriners Hospitals for Children blanket project, and being heavily involved with Revitalize CDC.

Company Notebook

By BusinessWest Staff January 20, 2021

Company Notebook

Thunderbirds Announce Suspension of 2020-21 Season

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Thunderbirds announced that they are one of three AHL franchises that have elected to opt out of play for the upcoming 2020-21 season. The decision, made in conjunction with their NHL affiliate, the St. Louis Blues, was based on numerous safety and logistical concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and will allow the organization to turn its full focus toward the 2021-22 season. The Thunderbirds will maintain their status as active members of the AHL and return to play next season. “Over the past few months, we have worked tirelessly with the St. Louis Blues to explore every possible avenue for returning to play this season,” Thunderbirds President Nate Costa said. “Unfortunately, due to health and safety concerns, travel logistics, new player-supply rules, and other considerations, the Blues and Thunderbirds collectively determined that it was in the best interests of all parties to opt out for this season. Given the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts, it has also become clear that we will be unable to host fans at our games in the foreseeable future. As an independently owned franchise, our foremost obligation is to ensure that our team is financially viable for the long term, something that is not possible without game-day revenue.”

Hazen Paper Wins Award for 2020 Holographic Calendar

HOLYOKE — The International Hologram Manufacturers Assoc. (IHMA) recently named Hazen Paper’s 2020 holographic calendar Best Applied Decorative/Packaging Product at the Excellence in Holography Awards 2020. Featuring a fire-breathing dragon with three-dimensional scales, the oversized calendar utilized an array of innovative holographic techniques to create a decorative design the IHMA called “outstanding.” These holographic designs included Hazen-Lens behind the months of the year, gray-motion for the sky background, color-motion for the dragon, and two-channel color-motion lenses and fire-motion lenses to animate the flames. The calendar was originated entirely within Hazen’s state-of-the-art holographic lab and manufactured in Hazen’s Holyoke facility on Hazen Envirofoil, an environmentally friendly product. Made with renewable energy, transfer-metallized Envirofoil is made with less than 1% of the aluminum of traditional foil laminate, a recycled film carrier that is reused again and again, and is repulpable as paper after de-inking. It was offset-printed using UV-cure inks with customized opaque white by AM Lithography of Chicopee.

Tighe & Bond Named Finalist for Engineering Excellence Awards

WESTFIELD — Tighe & Bond Inc. has been recognized by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA) as a 2020 Engineering Excellence Award Finalist (Gold Award). Tighe & Bond, in conjunction with a team of subconsultants and property owner ENGIE North America, transformed the site of the Mt. Tom coal-fired power plant into the state’s largest community solar and energy-storage facility. In 2014, the Mt. Tom coal-fired power plant in Holyoke stopped operations, and ENGIE North America began the task of decommissioning and closing the power-plant site. This undertaking involved demolition of the coal-fired plant and remediation of many areas of the property. A portion of the site was also used for renewable-energy generation and energy storage to benefit the region and the city of Holyoke. The project team aided with the decommissioning design of the property and worked to obtain a complex array of environmental and land-use permits for the entire project for future industrial and commercial redevelopment. The Tighe & Bond environmental team developed the remedial design for the power plant and the associated coal ash management on the property. The largest component of the property restoration included risk-based evaluations and various capping strategies to address coal ash that has been deposited over much of the property. The successful coal-ash closure approach resulted in preserving and protecting nearby waterways, including the Connecticut River and Kennedy Brook, as well as more than 50 acres of vegetated forest and associated rare and endangered species habitat. For the solar project, the project team provided permit-level design and engineering support as well as construction-period design for the energy-storage system. This project developed the largest community solar project in Massachusetts and the largest utility-scale energy-storage installation in the Commonwealth.

UMass Amherst Grad Students Receive Financial Support

AMHERST — The economic and research hardships stemming from the global COVID-19 pandemic have strained campuses around the country, including UMass Amherst. Especially hard-hit are graduate students in the sciences, as their research opportunities and funding trajectories have been greatly reduced by COVID-19 public-health restrictions. In response, the university’s College of Natural Sciences (CNS) created the Graduate Student Fellowship Fund this fall to provide additional funding to graduate students who need to extend their work for another year, and to make available innovations in data collection for those who are unable to conduct in-person experiments. The largest gift to the fund so far has come from alumni and long-time supporters Richard and Barbara Mahoney, who contributed $100,000 in early December. The contribution has sparked additional donations from donors who recognize the value of graduate-student research in the college and want to support those students. Graduate students are at the core of the research enterprise on campus, putting in thousands of hours to run experiments, collect data, and analyze findings. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many graduate students have lost the opportunities they previously had to spend much-needed time in labs or out in the field. More than 1,000 graduate students are working toward degrees across CNS.

Florence Bank Donates Nearly $100,000 in 2020 to Ease Food Insecurity

FLORENCE — Florence Bank donated nearly $100,000 in 2020 to support a new food-distribution collaborative and nine other longtime nonprofits with a mission to feed people who are battling food insecurity in the Pioneer Valley. The gifts have been made since March to organizations in all corners of the region, including the hilltowns, to help ease the economic strain brought on by COVID-19. In the spring, Florence Bank donated $50,000 to the Community Food Distribution Project created jointly by the Northampton Survival Center and Grow Food Northampton to help fund emergency food distribution in the early months of the pandemic. The new collaborative makes food staples available through on-site distributions at nearly a dozen local sites. Northampton Survival Center and Grow Food Northampton established the organization in partnership with Community Action Pioneer Valley, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the city of Northampton, and Northampton Public Schools. Grow Food Northampton and the Northampton Survival Center each received $25,000 from the bank. Since May, Florence Bank has also made the following gifts to these local nonprofits: Amherst Survival Center, $10,000; Springfield Rescue Mission, $10,000; Easthampton Community Center, $7,500; Chesterfield Community Cupboard, $5,000; the Gray House Market of Springfield, $5,000; Easthampton Congregational Church, $2,500; the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, as part of Monte’s March, $1,000; Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry of Chicopee, $1,000; and Open Pantry Community Services Inc. of Springfield, $1,000. Florence Bank also nominated Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen to receive a $5,000 award from the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. Charitable Foundation, which the nonprofit has accepted.

Nursing Schools Almanac Names AIC Among Best Schools for Nursing

SPRINGFIELD — Nursing Schools Almanac has released its 2020 rankings of the best nursing schools in the U.S. In collecting data on more than 3,000 institutions nationwide, only 20% made the list of the best nursing schools in each geographic region. The nursing program at American International College (AIC) was named in both the New England and Massachusetts categories, placing 45th in the region and 21st in the state. Each school was evaluated on three dimensions: the institution’s academic prestige and perceived value, the breadth and depth of nursing programs offered, and student success, particularly on the NCLEX licensure examination. Nursing Schools Almanac combined the assessments into an overall score and ranked the schools accordingly. According to Dean of Health Sciences Karen Rousseau, “while the demand for healthcare professionals grows each year, at no time has that need been more critical than now. The School of Health Sciences at American International College provides access to educational opportunities that develop a diverse network of skilled individuals who provide comprehensive nursing care in a variety of settings and who are able to demonstrate leadership in evidence-based practice to promote continuous improvement in the quality and safety of healthcare.”

Incorporations

By BusinessWest Staff January 20, 2021

Incorporations

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

AGAWAM

Homepro Handyman Service Inc., 67 Hunt St. Suite 107 Agawam, MA 01001. Demyan Volkov, 7 Rising Corner Road, Southwick, MA 01077. Handyman services.

PS Remodeling Inc., 31 Editha Ave., Agawam, MA 01001. Pavel Stakhnyuk MA, same. Remodeling.

Rinemil Liquor Corporation, 525 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam, MA 01001. Navin K. Patel, same. Retail package store.

AMHERST

Elateq Inc., 31 Salem Place Amherst, MA 01002. Ljilana Rajic, same. Develop, deploy, and maintain sustainable technologies for water treatment and purification systems.

CHICOPEE

The Corner Pocket Billiard Hall Inc., 39 Pheasant Way, Chicopee, MA 01022. Christopher J. Rogers, same. Billiard hall/bar.

The Healing Coop, Inc., 334 Britton St. Chicopee, MA 01020. Saskia Cote, same. Alternative therapy space and retail.

J C Trucking Inc., 109 Church St., Unit 2, Chicopee, MA 01020. Jonathon William Chartier, same. Trucking service.

GREENFIELD

Sabelawski Financial Group Corporation, 1 Village Green, Greenfield, MA 01301. Edward P. Sabelawski, same. Taxes and investments.

HAMPDEN

JCDC Construction Inc., 205 Chapin Road, Hampden, MA 01036. Corey Chenevert, same. Construction.

HOLYOKE

PH Select Inc., 10 Hospital Dr., Suite 306, Holyoke, MA 01040. John J. Swlerzewski, same. Research, manufacture, and distribution of consumer health and hygiene products.

LONGMEADOW

Counselink, Inc., 175 Dwight Road, Suite 306 Longmeadow, MA 01106. Joseph Leonard, 46 Arnold Road, Pelham, MA 01002. Mental health services.

Moving Specialist, Inc., 162 Field Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Lori Conte, same. To operate a moving and packing company.

NORTH ADAMS

The Yellow Door Restaurant Inc., 66 Main St. North Adams, MA 01247. Thomas Krens, 25 Fort Hoosac Place, Williamstown, MA 01267. Food and beverage sales and service.

NORTHAMPTON

Bardwell Creative Inc., 9 ½ Market St., Northampton, MA 01060. Kenneth Butler, same. Business consulting.

Golden Age Sounds Inc., 32 Masonic St., Northampton, MA 01060. Peter Hamelin, 37 B Woodmont Road, Northampton, MA 01060. Operation of music, arts, and entertainment venue.

Mill River Music Inc., 16 Armory St., Northampton, MA 01060. Jonathon Aronstein, same. Sales, repair, and exchange of musical instruments.

WEST BROOKFIELD

Xtremepaintball Inc., 153 Shea Road, West Brookfield, MA 01585. Joseph P. O’Malley, same. Paintball activities.

Doing Business as Certificates

By BusinessWest Staff January 20, 2021

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).

HADLEY

Four Seasons Wine & Liquor
333 Russell St.
Valley Spirits Inc.

Full of Grace Farm
105 Stockbridge St.
Laura Litterer

Hadley Tire
444 Russell St.
Silverleaf Tire Inc.

Off the Wall Games
41 Russell St.
War Stories, LLC

NORTHAMPTON

AT&T Authorized Retailer
140 Main St.
Laren Whiddon, Heather Krebs

The Baker’s Pin Inc.
34 Bridge St.
Lisa Greco, Dennis Greco

Beerology
342 Pleasant St., #1
Jordana Starr, Michael Schilling

Café Balagan
241 Main St.
Adi Nagli

Cher Willems Pottery
75 Lyman Road
Cheryl Willems

Developmental Testing Service, LLC
35 South Park Terrace
Theo Dawson

JKirley Collective
100 Straw Ave.
Jessica Kirley

Journey to Wellness
2 Conz St.
Pamela McMahon

Learning Solutions for Learning Success
2 Main St.
Western New England Integrated Learning Center, LLC

Niki’s Liquors
24 Haydenville Road
Pragnesh Patel

Stan-the-Fixit-Man
1 Bardwell St.
Stan Pollack

YUP Coffee Roasters
296 Nonotuck St.
Matthew Bousquet

SOUTHWICK

Auburn Brown Advertising & Promotions
142 South Longyard Road
Andrea Hunter

WESTFIELD

Blended Vintage Market Place
48 Elm St.
Blended Vintage Market Place

Blissful Brooke Family Daycare
731 West Road
Krystal Young-LaFountain

H. McClain at A Slight Edge Salon
20 Elm St.
Heather McClain

Hilltown Chic
24 School St.
Cassandra Cyr

LBI Truck & Bus Repair
14 Delmont Ave.
Dana Lecrenski

Lisa Viv Designs
287 Munger Hill Road
Lis Viveiros

New England Overland Outfitters
1750 East Mountain Road
Ryan Mahan

RE/MAX Compass
108 Elm St.
Compass Home Inc.

S & P Property Group
375 Springdale Road
Debbie Smith

This Is Me Mental Health
5 Noble Ave.
Andrea Messier

Trash Fish Junk Removal, LLC
33 Sunrise Terrace
Trash Fish Junk Removal, LLC

United American Muslim Assoc. Western Mass.
66 South Broad St.
Rizaan Abubakar

Bankruptcies

By BusinessWest Staff January 20, 2021

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcy petitions were not available at press time and will be included in the next edition of BusinessWest.

Real Estate Transactions

By BusinessWest Staff January 20, 2021

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

174 John Ford Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Amy Klippenstein
Seller: Nancy Bourque
Date: 12/18/20

BERNARDSTON

530 Bald Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $334,900
Buyer: Michael P. Nichols
Seller: Luke Smith
Date: 12/18/20

284 Purple Meadow Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Walter J. Gruszkowski
Seller: Margaret P. Haigis
Date: 12/22/20

CHARLEMONT

280 Warner Hill Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Erik Peterson
Seller: Vicky Seavey
Date: 12/14/20

DEERFIELD

321 Conway Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $549,000
Buyer: Katherine A. Kingsley
Seller: Deanne B. Loonin LT
Date: 12/18/20

404 Long Plain Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Mark Sullivan
Seller: Kane, George F., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/20

51 Eastern Ave.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $449,900
Buyer: Ann-Mary Cloutier
Seller: Jeremy Ober
Date: 12/15/20

17 Sugarloaf St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $454,000
Buyer: William F. Glass
Seller: Ann-Mary Cloutier
Date: 12/14/20

ERVING

181 Old State Road
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Lisa M. Goheen-Cole
Seller: Cole, Gary E., (Estate)
Date: 12/15/20

GILL

253 Main Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Tracy E. Dowd
Seller: J. Stadnicki-Verhyen
Date: 12/18/20

GREENFIELD

430 Colrain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Yuriy I. Falceanu
Seller: Mark E. Czuj
Date: 12/21/20

50 East Cleveland St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Ivan Urgin
Seller: Vera Urgina
Date: 12/23/20

108-110 Franklin St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Nicholas A. Perry
Seller: Emily R. Breines
Date: 12/18/20

330 Green River Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Dorsey M. Dobias
Seller: Robert J. Dobias
Date: 12/22/20

11-15 High St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: Christine K. Hale
Seller: Danika M. Dorsey
Date: 12/21/20

346 Leyden Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Eric S. Depalo
Seller: Cindy L. Bayer
Date: 12/14/20

73 Lincoln St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Daryl T. Bliss
Seller: Newton IRT
Date: 12/18/20

30 Nichols Dr.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Lynn Bassett
Seller: Johnson Funding TR
Date: 12/14/20

250 Plain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Benjamin Goody
Seller: Daniel E. Kingsley
Date: 12/18/20

LEVERETT

96 Montague Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Timothy P. Hannigan
Seller: Thurston, Betty J. V., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/20

116 Old Mountain Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $459,900
Buyer: Mark M. Yachnin
Seller: Susan M. Cinner
Date: 12/23/20

MONROE

83 North Road
Monroe, MA 01350
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Olney-Jones FT
Seller: Valerie A. Aparo
Date: 12/21/20

MONTAGUE

200 Avenue A
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: 200 Avenue A. LLC
Seller: Greenfield Pilgrim 4 LLC
Date: 12/23/20

12 Grand Ave.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Stephanie Hopkins
Seller: Gerrish, Raymond K., (Estate)
Date: 12/18/20

92 High St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Adam T. Davies
Seller: Barbara A. Mullins TR
Date: 12/18/20

453 Millers Falls Road
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Jeremy E. Miller
Seller: Janice M. Momaney
Date: 12/16/20

66 Montague St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $205,900
Buyer: Brandon S. Cloutier
Seller: Margaret E. Geraghty TR
Date: 12/21/20

1 Randall Wood Dr.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Christopher A. Glabach
Seller: Nicole Linscott
Date: 12/18/20

30 School St.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Anne M. Kittredge
Seller: Fiske, Lillian Bertha, (Estate)
Date: 12/23/20

13 South High St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Thomas E. Gorey
Seller: Calvin G. Ewell
Date: 12/15/20

19 Union St.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Emily Deutchman
Seller: Sheryl Sadler-Twyon
Date: 12/22/20

25 Worcester Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Zachary Zucker
Seller: Stephanie A. Hopkins
Date: 12/15/20

NEW SALEM

196 Cooleyville Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $360,900
Buyer: Megan L. Whitman
Seller: Donna M. Eaton
Date: 12/23/20

14 East Eagleville Lane
New Salem, MA 01364
Amount: $348,000
Buyer: Samantha Grant
Seller: Franklin J. Froton
Date: 12/18/20

NORTHFIELD

148 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Kenneth N. Rogers
Seller: Mary L. Leyden
Date: 12/21/20

31 Strowbridge Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Shannon Bassett
Seller: Edward R. Johnson
Date: 12/18/20

ORANGE

20 Memorial Dr.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $201,900
Buyer: Caitlyn Squires-Lacoste
Seller: Eric R. Whitman
Date: 12/23/20

SHELBURNE

462 Little Mohawk Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $322,500
Buyer: Rachel Nordstrom
Seller: Sidney Gerard
Date: 12/15/20

20 Main St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $334,000
Buyer: Benjamin A. Marder
Seller: Larry T. Downing
Date: 12/22/20

WARWICK

737 Wendell Road
Warwick, MA 01378
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Justine Buckley
Seller: Helen R. Hills
Date: 12/21/20

WHATELY

48 Claverack Road
Whately, MA 01373
Amount: $286,000
Buyer: Todd F. Green
Seller: Eaton FT
Date: 12/14/20

404 Long Plain Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Mark Sullivan
Seller: Kane, George F., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/20

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

64 Anthony St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Peter D. Blaisdell
Seller: Phillip J. Blaisdell
Date: 12/23/20

103 Barbara Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Andrew Parrish
Seller: G. Elizabeth Giammarino TR
Date: 12/14/20

33 Begley St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Debra A. Pope
Seller: Laplante, Jane E., (Estate)
Date: 12/15/20

82 Florida Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Tina Eggleston
Seller: Jennifer L. Gable
Date: 12/21/20

158 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: 170 Main Street LLC
Seller: George A. Vassos
Date: 12/15/20

265 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $3,550,000
Buyer: HP Hood LLC
Seller: BRN Mustang LLC
Date: 12/22/20

20 Meadow Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Michael Lapointe
Seller: Mark E. Maczka
Date: 12/15/20

76 Monroe St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $283,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Vosburgh
Seller: Chad D. Blackak
Date: 12/23/20

1194 Springfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Springfield St. Group LLC
Seller: Vinvin LP
Date: 12/23/20

127 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: John P. Warren
Seller: Ilir Selimi
Date: 12/22/20

24 Vassar Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Michael Marcus
Seller: Donald W. Blakesley
Date: 12/21/20

25 Wrenwood Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $256,500
Buyer: Dan Modirca
Seller: Phillip E. Aucella
Date: 12/18/20

BLANDFORD

37 Gore Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Eric Z. Dastous
Seller: Keith M. Bull
Date: 12/21/20

6 Sunset Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Donald G. Cornelius
Seller: Eric Z. Dastous
Date: 12/18/20

56 Woronoco Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Sara Kendall
Seller: Ryan C. Kelly
Date: 12/18/20

BRIMFIELD

139 E. Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Guan S. Liang
Seller: James R. Johnson
Date: 12/23/20

CHICOPEE

14 Abbey St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: CIG 4 LLC
Seller: Oliver V. Brassard
Date: 12/22/20

89 Ann St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $228,500
Buyer: Joshua M. Fernandes
Seller: Summer Property LLC
Date: 12/14/20

90 Ann St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Brian Brisbois
Seller: Marc S. Roberts
Date: 12/15/20

13 Baptist Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Ruth Sepulveda
Seller: Roman Radionov
Date: 12/23/20

4 Burton St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: RBT Enterprise LLC
Seller: PPK LLC
Date: 12/14/20

22 Canal St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Paul G. Silva
Seller: KV Properties LLC
Date: 12/18/20

Carew St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $449,235
Buyer: Food Bank Of Western Mass.
Seller: Westmass Area Development Corp.
Date: 12/15/20

101 Chapin St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Carmen Rivera
Seller: Alycar Investments LLC
Date: 12/21/20

168 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Krex Transport Inc.
Seller: Plumbers & Pipefitters Appr.
Date: 12/21/20

726 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $359,000
Buyer: 726 Chicopee Street LLC
Seller: Leane A. Boutin
Date: 12/21/20

499 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $134,900
Buyer: Harry J. Rodriguez
Seller: Kevin O. Lynch
Date: 12/18/20

35 Clarendon Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Byron J. Drinkkwine
Seller: Amber L. Fink
Date: 12/18/20

53 Cyran St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $177,335
Buyer: Frank N. Laflamme
Seller: Richard A. Boisjolie
Date: 12/22/20

13 Davenport St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Delvine N. Mandari
Seller: Duane Paraday
Date: 12/15/20

East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $449,235
Buyer: Food Bank Of Western MA
Seller: Westmass Area Dev Corp.
Date: 12/15/20

63 Fairview Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: Emerson J. Clauss
Seller: Kevin M. Boissonnault
Date: 12/22/20

267 Fairview Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Norquelis Veras
Seller: Michael R. Lively
Date: 12/18/20

43 Fredette St.
Chicopee, MA 01022
Amount: $399,900
Buyer: Miguel A. Vasquez
Seller: N. Riley Development Inc.
Date: 12/14/20

32 Front St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Linette Otero
Seller: Round 2 LLC
Date: 12/14/20

30 Fuller St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Janelle Portorreal
Seller: Pamela Nadeau
Date: 12/18/20

41 Grandview St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Marilyn Arroyo
Seller: Louis P. Krzeminski
Date: 12/22/20

111 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Sheryl M. Cruz
Seller: Claude J. Pouliot
Date: 12/21/20

Hampden St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: RBT Enterprise LLC
Seller: PPK LLC
Date: 12/14/20

32 Highland Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: EBK Properties LLC
Seller: Shah Ma Realty LLC
Date: 12/14/20

30 Mark St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $308,000
Buyer: Luis A. Reyes
Seller: Ronald T. Kuchta
Date: 12/14/20

619 McKinstry Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Cirilo Delgado
Seller: Luis M. Torres
Date: 12/22/20

26 Mellen St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Delinda Dykes
Seller: Jose V. Franco
Date: 12/21/20

1198 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Adriyan L. Pagan
Seller: Yoel E. Cuevas
Date: 12/23/20

79 Orchard St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Luis S. Ribeiro
Seller: Wilk, William E., (Estate)
Date: 12/18/20

24 Otis St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Ivonne Rojas-Perez
Seller: Michael A. Gendron
Date: 12/21/20

53 Parenteau Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $349,000
Buyer: Erika Brown
Seller: Dennis B. Francis
Date: 12/23/20

564 Springfield St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Rose M. Calero
Seller: Dominique Properties LLC
Date: 12/23/20

220 Woodcrest Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Stephen Wojcik
Seller: Claude J. Vermette
Date: 12/18/20

EAST LONGMEADOW

79 Allen St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Richard L. Keefe
Seller: Joseph E. Lalli
Date: 12/15/20

6 Bayne St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $324,000
Buyer: Sarah Roos
Seller: Tina M. Johnson
Date: 12/18/20

167 Canterbury Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $564,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Brookes
Seller: Jason Catanzaro
Date: 12/18/20

191 Canterbury Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $509,900
Buyer: Christine Withbroe
Seller: M&G Property Group LLC
Date: 12/16/20

12 Country Club Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Katie E. Winseck
Seller: Kenneth R. Bernard
Date: 12/18/20

423 Dwight Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01108
Amount: $202,000
Buyer: Martin J. Phillips
Seller: Surridge, Daniel W., (Estate)
Date: 12/14/20

26 Hanward Hill
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Kerry A. Chapderlane-Cox
Seller: Katie E. Winseck
Date: 12/16/20

74 Harkness Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Evelyn Gonzalez
Seller: Myrna Gonzalez
Date: 12/15/20

126 Industrial Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $3,000,000
Buyer: Roots East Longmeadow LLC
Seller: Industrial Dr. Assocs. LLC
Date: 12/21/20

2 Laurence Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $154,300
Buyer: Sandra Sousa
Seller: Kelly M. McGowan
Date: 12/23/20

27 Lombard Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Ngoc T. Vo
Seller: William D. Ferrero
Date: 12/22/20

26 Meadowbrook Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Keith R. Bilton
Seller: Ronald H. Nowak
Date: 12/22/20

160 Millbrook Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Jennifer White
Seller: Peter A. Jascievic
Date: 12/14/20

68 North Circle Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Jeremy Anekstein
Seller: Jason M. McDonald
Date: 12/21/20

346 Prospect St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Tina M. Johnson
Seller: Amanda M. Andress
Date: 12/18/20

51 Rollins Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $990,000
Buyer: Shaji P. Daniel
Seller: Pasquale Liquori
Date: 12/18/20

165 Shaker Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $437,500
Buyer: APCA LLC
Seller: Helen V. Smith
Date: 12/16/20

18 Yorkshire Place
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $393,000
Buyer: Willbert Garcia
Seller: Amelia E. Brookes
Date: 12/18/20

GRANVILLE

431 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Ryan Popp
Seller: Cusson, Dorothy M., (Estate)
Date: 12/18/20

767 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $371,000
Buyer: Nicholas D. Fitzgerald
Seller: Jay R. Larsen
Date: 12/18/20

HAMPDEN

135 Glendale Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Jeffrey E. Bean
Seller: Fritts, Alan J., (Estate)
Date: 12/18/20

HOLLAND

143 East Brimfield Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Roberta Bennett
Seller: Steven G. Rainville
Date: 12/21/20

61 Mashapaug Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $655,000
Buyer: William E. Robertson
Seller: Roy D. Walker
Date: 12/21/20

36 Overlook Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: David B. Porter
Seller: Charles Gildea
Date: 12/18/20

5 Roberts Park Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $165,900
Buyer: David Noyes
Seller: Robert S. Dean
Date: 12/18/20

83 Sturbridge Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Philip Hoenig
Seller: Jennifer J. Cibien
Date: 12/16/20

HOLYOKE

11 Alderman St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $121,000
Buyer: Malia Homebuyers LLC
Seller: Shirley C. Elliott
Date: 12/18/20

489 Beech St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: Brenna H. Werme
Seller: Judith A. Barclay
Date: 12/15/20

41 Bray Park Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $259,500
Buyer: Jaime Lopez
Seller: David Frost
Date: 12/18/20

100 Brookline Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $196,000
Buyer: Nikita L. Perez
Seller: Kathryn F. Hamel
Date: 12/21/20

80-82 Calumet Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Katie King
Seller: Garry S. King
Date: 12/15/20

12 Coronet Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $274,900
Buyer: Robert L. Elliott
Seller: Richard M. Shattuck
Date: 12/21/20

1446 Dwight St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Carlos J. Colon
Seller: Equity T. Co.
Date: 12/14/20

61 Fairfield Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $378,000
Buyer: Brandice Rafus-Brenning
Seller: Sarah M. Center-Gray
Date: 12/21/20

60-62 Gates St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $129,362
Buyer: Alycar Investments LLC
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 12/23/20

42 Granville St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $219,500
Buyer: Carlos M. Mogelinski
Seller: Amy E. Drohan
Date: 12/23/20

358-364 High St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $560,000
Buyer: Catalpa Inc.
Seller: High St. Holyoke Prop. 1
Date: 12/14/20

163 Huron Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Jerry P. Will
Seller: Alfano, Mary J., (Estate)
Date: 12/18/20

345 Jarvis Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Pszczyna RT
Seller: John R. Treworgy
Date: 12/16/20

31-33 Lincoln St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Alycar Investments LLC
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 12/15/20

2 Loomis Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $283,000
Buyer: Frank L. Vaissiere
Seller: Pierre A. Lucas
Date: 12/21/20

1455-1457 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Matthew Andrus
Seller: Robert W. Cortes
Date: 12/18/20

87 Ridgewood Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Robert D. Leblanc
Seller: Leblanc, Ann M., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/20

74 Rugby St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Adam C. Gutierrez
Seller: Nicholas O. Rodriguez
Date: 12/23/20

14 Scott Hollow Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Dorota M. Garncarz
Seller: George Arthur
Date: 12/22/20

LONGMEADOW

390 Bliss Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Carri Greenman
Seller: Christopher Distefano
Date: 12/18/20

253 Burbank Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $334,000
Buyer: Paul Iellamo
Seller: Peter V. Iellamo
Date: 12/21/20

86 Dover Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: David Fortier
Seller: Robert B. Morgan
Date: 12/18/20

77 East Greenwich Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Rahit Taneja
Seller: John D. Nichols
Date: 12/22/20

45 Exeter Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $605,000
Buyer: John J. Fialkovich
Seller: Bertrand J. Dothee
Date: 12/18/20

212 Hopkins Place
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: James Christensen
Seller: Sara C. Lavoie
Date: 12/18/20

136 Lincoln Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Nikolas C. Sierra
Seller: Margaret G. Hoban
Date: 12/22/20

1705 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Jeffrey M. Leonard
Seller: Marcia E. Manzi
Date: 12/23/20

384 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $364,803
Buyer: Fjodor Agranat
Seller: Springfield Homes LLC
Date: 12/18/20

655 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Michael J. Cobill
Seller: David W. Bogan
Date: 12/18/20

357 Maple Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Jesse David
Seller: Ryan M. Mange
Date: 12/16/20

LUDLOW

12 Andrew St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $174,500
Buyer: Robert J. Ziemba
Seller: Suzanne M. Cote
Date: 12/21/20

50 Blanchard Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $214,777
Buyer: Breanna Line
Seller: Brandee Paroline
Date: 12/16/20

19 Grant St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Riley Martin
Seller: Tiago A. Boacas-Martins
Date: 12/22/20

Harvest Dr. #23
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Kelvin Zheng
Seller: Whitetail Wreks LLC
Date: 12/15/20

52 Laroche St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Sofia Fernandes
Seller: Laurie M. Dymon
Date: 12/18/20

81 Laurel Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Abraxas RT
Seller: Field, Victor J., (Estate)
Date: 12/18/20

88 Motyka St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: Johnathan F. Bachta
Seller: Claudio Cardaropoli
Date: 12/23/20

37 White St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Steffany Lucas
Seller: Joshua S. Leone
Date: 12/22/20

MONSON

12 Cote Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $317,500
Buyer: Christine Shuron
Seller: Joanna G. Serreiro
Date: 12/23/20

43 Paradise Lake Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $434,500
Buyer: Veronicas Lakehouse LLC
Seller: John M. Carney
Date: 12/21/20

31 Stafford Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $227,500
Buyer: Robert J. O’Donnell
Seller: Theresa F. Grimes
Date: 12/15/20

25 Thayer Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Zi M. Zhao
Seller: Daniel Baillargeon
Date: 12/21/20

214 Wilbraham Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Tee Jay 9 LLC
Seller: Mary A. Sturm
Date: 12/23/20

130 Woodhill Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Joshua M. Rose
Seller: Gary Hess
Date: 12/14/20

27 Woodridge Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Eric W. Beeson
Seller: Christine A. West
Date: 12/18/20

PALMER

21 Beebe Road
Palmer, MA 01057
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Brassard
Seller: Sandra W. Reed-Hofstetter
Date: 12/14/20

61 Bourne St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Escarle S. Jaquez-DeDiaz
Seller: Aaron J. Clifton
Date: 12/15/20

1018-1020 Maple St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $262,500
Buyer: Jeffery K. Florence
Seller: Stephen T. Masley
Date: 12/18/20

1091 Overlook Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: Justin M. Belliveau
Seller: Anthony S. Coviello
Date: 12/23/20

1018 Wilson St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Koral M. Woodruff
Seller: Ronald J. Lamb
Date: 12/18/20

RUSSELL

400 Dickinson Hill Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Joshua MacDonald
Seller: Jeffrey E. Bean
Date: 12/18/20

123 Highland Ave.
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: Nicholas R. Damours
Seller: Ruth M. Smith
Date: 12/21/20

1099 Huntington Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $154,600
Buyer: Christopher Woffenden
Seller: Robert A. Prout
Date: 12/18/20

1166 Huntington Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Ryan P. Talbot
Seller: Trevor D. Andrews
Date: 12/21/20

321 Woronoco Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Dale A. Darosa
Seller: Daniel M. Marra
Date: 12/18/20

SOUTHWICK

74 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Kate Brunges
Seller: Brandon M. Tessier
Date: 12/15/20

26 Birchwood Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Lisa C. Toal
Seller: Deborah C. Morrissey
Date: 12/18/20

45 Birchwood Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Jason Sirois
Seller: Stephen S. Werman
Date: 12/23/20

9 Chapman St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Anthony R. Witman
Seller: Ali B. Kitchell
Date: 12/18/20

26 Granville Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $262,500
Buyer: Zulija Duric
Seller: Emtay Inc.
Date: 12/15/20

198 Hillside Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Doreen M. Dargon
Seller: Tina Eggleston
Date: 12/21/20

267 Hillside Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $1,165,000
Buyer: Joseph A. Walz
Seller: Ralph Depalma
Date: 12/15/20

389 North Loomis St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Raymond Mitchell
Seller: Kenneth A. Marks
Date: 12/16/20

7 Overlook Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Willard J. Kopatz
Seller: Kopatz Construction LLC
Date: 12/14/20

11 Sawgrass Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $495,000
Buyer: Paul Giusto
Seller: Hamelin Framing Inc.
Date: 12/18/20

15 Sawgrass Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $489,900
Buyer: Kristin A. Jachym
Seller: Hamelin Framing Inc.
Date: 12/23/20

56 Sunnyside Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Luke Paull
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 12/23/20

SPRINGFIELD

244 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Rebecca M. Lowe
Seller: Sandra L. Wilson
Date: 12/16/20

737 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Ly V. Nguyen
Seller: Kenny Nguyen
Date: 12/15/20

632-634 Armory St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Eric Griffith
Seller: Timothy F. Flavin
Date: 12/23/20

137 Bacon Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $137,000
Buyer: Cory Delnegro
Seller: Keith R. Northwood
Date: 12/16/20

725 Bay St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Efy R. Lopez-Matamoros
Seller: Efrain Morales
Date: 12/18/20

55-57 Beverly Lane
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Luis H. Davis
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 12/18/20

65 Biella St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $146,000
Buyer: Ricardo Santa
Seller: Daisy Rosado
Date: 12/18/20

79 Blunt Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Alexis J. Martinez
Seller: Amaan Realty LLC
Date: 12/16/20

1145 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Evelyn N. Pena
Seller: David Vedovelli
Date: 12/21/20

57 Brianna Lane
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: James Barron
Seller: Bretta, Louis T., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/20

66 Burnside Ter.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Ashley D. Shaw
Seller: Julia F. Miller
Date: 12/14/20

60 Burton St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $244,900
Buyer: Joshua Dufresne
Seller: Tiffany L. Quan
Date: 12/15/20

64 Cara Lane
Springfield, MA 01028
Amount: $329,000
Buyer: Brendon B. Welz
Seller: Michael Derose
Date: 12/15/20

657 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Jose A. Montero
Seller: Moises Zanazanian
Date: 12/18/20

1061 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Denali Properties LLC
Seller: Javier Morell
Date: 12/23/20

88-90 Chester St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: Angel F. Cruz-Marquez
Seller: Wandysbel Davila
Date: 12/15/20

77 Clifton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $200,900
Buyer: Edgardo Delgado
Seller: Clifton Ave LLC
Date: 12/16/20

9 Connecticut Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $175,250
Buyer: Teal RT
Seller: Maryann B. Hale
Date: 12/22/20

267 Connecticut Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $161,000
Buyer: Jillian A. Fisher
Seller: John F. Williams
Date: 12/18/20

17 Dartmouth St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: Debra Watson
Seller: Kevin G. Silva
Date: 12/23/20

41 Davis St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Samantha J. Scherff
Seller: John J. Pino
Date: 12/16/20

42 Daytona St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $131,977
Buyer: DLJ Mortgage Capital Inc.
Seller: Beverley N. Thomas
Date: 12/18/20

45 Delaware Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $369,900
Buyer: Yoel Cuevas
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 12/23/20

49 Delaware Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Carlos M. Sanchez
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 12/15/20

26 Desrosiers St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Irene Adolphus
Seller: Jessica Alicea
Date: 12/14/20

129 El Paso St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $164,950
Buyer: Angela M. Ramirez-Bruno
Seller: Bella M. Corbin
Date: 12/16/20

11 Elaine Circle
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $379,900
Buyer: Roody Joseph
Seller: Grahams Construction Inc.
Date: 12/23/20

27 Elaine Circle
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Maurice L. Martin
Seller: Grahams Construction Inc.
Date: 12/18/20

361 Forest Hills Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Malia Homebuyers LLC
Seller: George L. Johnson
Date: 12/14/20

229 Fountain St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: Shamira N. Davis
Seller: Jason D. MacLeod
Date: 12/18/20

90 Gillette Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Benjamin E. Uprichard
Seller: Thomas M. Korzec
Date: 12/23/20

61 Greaney St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Nicholas Fouche
Seller: Sarah Mattey
Date: 12/16/20

22 Hadley Court
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: Albert Cuevas
Seller: Rene Veloz
Date: 12/16/20

165 Hampden St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Jennifer Ramos
Seller: Onota Rental LLC
Date: 12/18/20

214 Hartwick St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Hacibey Karaaslan
Seller: Laurie A. Fox
Date: 12/18/20

25 Hazen St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Eric B. Shapiro
Seller: Stuart L. Shapiro
Date: 12/21/20

50 Jennings St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Kayla M. Krafchuk
Seller: David Douglas
Date: 12/15/20

4 Jerilis Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Jessica I. Colon
Seller: Robert Everett
Date: 12/22/20

18 Kenwood Park
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Lizbeth Cruz-Velez
Seller: Sadia Kausar
Date: 12/18/20

62 Kimberly Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $288,500
Buyer: Jamillah M. Nova
Seller: Zeljko Arbanas
Date: 12/18/20

39 Leyfred Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: CIG 4 LLC
Seller: Midfirst Bank
Date: 12/18/20

82 Lloyd Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Alexis D. Burgos
Seller: Alexis Burgos
Date: 12/22/20

14-16 Lockwood Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Anthony R. Witman
Seller: Ali B. Kitchell
Date: 12/18/20

20-22 Lockwood Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Anthony R. Witman
Seller: Ali B. Kitchell
Date: 12/18/20

45 Loring St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Cristydiam Colon
Seller: SLC Associates LLC
Date: 12/16/20

76 Manhattan St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Dionnie Johnson-Burnett
Seller: John D. Caldwell
Date: 12/18/20

393 Maple St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Gospel Power Church Inc.
Seller: American Lung Assn
Date: 12/23/20

Mapledell St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Jeanette C. Wilson
Seller: B9 Industries Inc.
Date: 12/18/20

194-196 Massachusetts Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Luis C. Infante-Perez
Seller: Marty Berliner
Date: 12/14/20

14-16 Massasoit Place
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Elijah Naylor
Seller: Amat Victoria Curam LLC
Date: 12/23/20

25 Mayflower Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Nicole M. Denver
Seller: Elizabeth M. Lundberg
Date: 12/18/20

154 Mayflower Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Garrett Owens
Seller: Sean Collins
Date: 12/14/20

63-65 Melville St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Chantel Wynn
Seller: Fosy Claude
Date: 12/23/20

10 Merrick Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: R. N. Roblero-Mendez
Seller: Deborah Sepulveda
Date: 12/16/20

167 Mildred Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Zulma I. Fermaintt
Seller: William J. Fabbri
Date: 12/21/20

98-104 Mill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,350,000
Buyer: Briarwood 18 LLC
Seller: Nicole Marie Boudreau TR
Date: 12/18/20

99 Mill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,350,000
Buyer: Briarwood 18 LLC
Seller: Nicole Marie Boudreau TR
Date: 12/18/20

100 Mill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,350,000
Buyer: Briarwood 18 LLC
Seller: Nicole Marie Boudreau TR
Date: 12/18/20

101 Mill St.
Springfield, MA 01001
Amount: $1,350,000
Buyer: Briarwood 18 LLC
Seller: Nicole Marie Boudreau TR
Date: 12/18/20

102 Mill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,350,000
Buyer: Briarwood 18 LLC
Seller: Nicole Marie Boudreau TR
Date: 12/18/20

103 Mill St.
Springfield, MA 01001
Amount: $1,350,000
Buyer: Briarwood 18 LLC
Seller: Nicole Marie Boudreau TR
Date: 12/18/20

104 Mill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,350,000
Buyer: Briarwood 18 LLC
Seller: Nicole Marie Boudreau TR
Date: 12/18/20

85 North Branch Pkwy.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: North Branch LLC
Seller: Maleshefski, Norbert A., (Estate)
Date: 12/18/20

23-25 Noel St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Godofredo Brito
Seller: Brian M. Hourlhan
Date: 12/22/20

13 Notre Dame St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Yadaris Rivera
Seller: MNB Builders LLC
Date: 12/18/20

23 Notre Dame St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Jeilyne Nieves
Seller: Carmen A. Pantoja
Date: 12/15/20

258-262 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Kiran Awan
Seller: 258 Oakland LLC
Date: 12/22/20

282 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Juan Rangel-Pacheco
Seller: Emtay Inc.
Date: 12/18/20

1710 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $188,800
Buyer: James C. O’Toole
Seller: Jeannette Hart-Steffes
Date: 12/16/20

86 Peekskill Ave.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Matthew A. Lopez
Seller: David W. LaMontagne
Date: 12/18/20

167-169 Pendleton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Evans Kumordzie
Seller: Charlie Brice
Date: 12/22/20

109 Pine Grove St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Nishan Giri
Seller: Madison Property Investment LLC
Date: 12/16/20

71 Pomona St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: 71 Pomona St. LT
Seller: Mpower Capital LLC
Date: 12/21/20

85-87 Prospect St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: A. M. Medina-Jimenez
Seller: A. Geovanni Bernal
Date: 12/18/20

61 Ramblewood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Mary C. McBride
Seller: Kerry A. Cox
Date: 12/16/20

47-49 Rochelle St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Patricia L. Caliento
Seller: Omar Loaiza
Date: 12/18/20

267 Rocus St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $2,600,000
Buyer: Black Branch Terminals
Seller: Estes Express Lines
Date: 12/18/20

2071-2095 Roosevelt Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $5,250,000
Buyer: Springfield Prep. Realty Inc.
Seller: Springfield Preparatory School
Date: 12/21/20

56 Saint James Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Holyoke Retail LLC
Seller: Walgreens Eastern Co. Inc.
Date: 12/16/20

64 Saint James Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Holyoke Retail LLC
Seller: Walgreens Eastern Co. Inc.
Date: 12/16/20

135 Santa Barbara St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $184,500
Buyer: Wanda C. Diaz
Seller: JJJ 17 LLC
Date: 12/22/20

212 Savoy Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Charles E. Gallacher
Seller: Jennifer Ramos
Date: 12/18/20

183 Seymour Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Alexandria C. Butler
Seller: Haleigh E. Sullivan
Date: 12/16/20

108 Silas St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Yeika M. Serrano
Seller: Zakaria Saleh
Date: 12/18/20

18 Strong St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Herminia Quiles
Seller: Lorie E. Witherell
Date: 12/21/20

32-34 Sullivan St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Carlos A. Garcia
Seller: Lisette Gomez
Date: 12/16/20

50 Sunridge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Paige Belcastro
Seller: CIG 2 LLC
Date: 12/23/20

41 Trafton Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Noemi Peluyera
Seller: Nikolay Vaysbaum
Date: 12/16/20

72-74 Westford Circle
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Jose L. Alvarado
Seller: Charles C. Latham
Date: 12/14/20

95 Westminster St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Marllian Rivera
Seller: Extremely Clean
Date: 12/14/20

117 Winton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Katherine Overton
Seller: Brendon B. Welz
Date: 12/21/20

134-136 Woodlawn St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Elizer Vasquez
Seller: Leonard B. Bennett
Date: 12/18/20

WALES

21 Shore Dr.
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Dianne Jaworski
Seller: Leveillee, John C., (Estate)
Date: 12/14/20

WESTFIELD

11 Arnold St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $536,700
Buyer: Arnold St. Properties LLC
Seller: B. Slayton LLC
Date: 12/16/20

237 Birch Bluffs Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Austin Herman
Seller: Thayer, Howard R., (Estate)
Date: 12/23/20

City View Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $196,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Liptak
Seller: James M. Kotowski
Date: 12/23/20

66 Flynn Meadow Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $519,000
Buyer: Jason M. McDonald
Seller: William C. Weltlich
Date: 12/21/20

7 Jeanne Marie Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: David F. Potts
Seller: Annie L. Potts
Date: 12/18/20

11 Kellogg St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: Muradbek Usmonov
Seller: John D. West
Date: 12/23/20

2 King Place
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: New England Estates LLC
Seller: Margaret M. Windzio
Date: 12/22/20

45 Montgomery St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Talat P. Khawaja
Seller: Ammar Khawaja
Date: 12/18/20

54 Montgomery St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Francis J. Weir
Seller: Oscar P. Naula-Naranjo
Date: 12/18/20

187 Munger Hill Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: Tony Lacasse
Seller: Allison Gearing-Kalill
Date: 12/18/20

18 Nicholas Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $429,000
Buyer: Christopher V. Bovino
Seller: G&F Custom Built Hone Inc.
Date: 12/21/20

29 Radisson Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Maksim V. Merenkov
Seller: Madeline C. Nicoletti
Date: 12/18/20

63 Ridgeview Ter.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Eric C. Johns
Seller: Christopher E. Balise
Date: 12/14/20

244 Shaker Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Adam Lindeland
Seller: Lisa A. Patenaude
Date: 12/21/20

14 Sibley Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $147,500
Buyer: Susan H. Avondo
Seller: Jabob Sanders-Leis
Date: 12/18/20

85 Wyben Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Sean Schnopp
Seller: Alma R. Glaiel
Date: 12/21/20

16 Zephyr Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Justin Clement
Seller: Mae E. Chillson
Date: 12/23/20

WILBRAHAM

440 Dipping Hole Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $146,000
Buyer: Plaza LLC
Seller: Town Of Wilbraham
Date: 12/21/20

6 Highmoor Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Ainsley B. Krekorian
Seller: Miller Family Realty LLC
Date: 12/16/20

4 Jewell Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Carlos A. Colon
Seller: Derek H. Wayne
Date: 12/18/20

111 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Timothy C. Tencati
Seller: Brian Q. Hang
Date: 12/15/20

146 Mountain Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Bin X. Lin
Seller: Rolando Cruz
Date: 12/16/20

9 Park Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: John Brasin
Seller: Denise L. Duchene
Date: 12/16/20

524 Ridge Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Thomas Dean
Seller: Angela M. Cipriani
Date: 12/22/20

664 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $414,900
Buyer: Ingolfur Bergsteinsson
Seller: 2018MA 01 LLC
Date: 12/21/20

7 Wilton Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $505,000
Buyer: Christopher R. Venne
Seller: C&M Builders LLC
Date: 12/18/20

WEST SPRINGFIELD

9 Albert St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Alex Vilkhovoy
Seller: John C. Cotton
Date: 12/15/20

6 Alderbrook Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Rachel L. Greenway
Seller: Faith A. Nekitopoulos
Date: 12/15/20

137 Apple Ridge Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $470,000
Buyer: Rolando Cruz
Seller: Beatrice Thibault
Date: 12/16/20

118 Bonnie Brae Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $253,250
Buyer: Bruce R. Buckley
Seller: Brett A. Diclementi
Date: 12/18/20

48 Chapin St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Benjamin Zeller
Seller: Sergey Dikan
Date: 12/18/20

37 Clyde Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Matthew S. Krahn
Seller: Lawrence Krahn
Date: 12/15/20

83 Harney St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $312,500
Buyer: Lauren Boucher
Seller: James P. Vigliano
Date: 12/21/20

65 Kent St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Grace E. Mariani-Eurkus
Seller: Rebecca Rondeau
Date: 12/15/20

150 Ohio Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Zachary Hodges
Seller: Luis A. Ureta
Date: 12/18/20

465 Prospect Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Jean Gosselin
Seller: Adam Lindeland
Date: 12/18/20

2097 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Rudd Holdings LLC
Seller: Montauk Morning LLC
Date: 12/18/20

353 Rogers Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: Lakshmi S. Mudumba
Seller: Angel R. Villar
Date: 12/21/20

115 Tatham Hill Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Robert A. Methe IRT
Seller: Catherine A. Sandillo
Date: 12/23/20

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

16 Arlington Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Marina Durano
Seller: Steven Kehler
Date: 12/14/20

Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $157,500
Buyer: Jose A. Flores
Seller: John R. Brown
Date: 12/15/20

10 Cortland Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: M. A. Ewen LT
Seller: Thomas Schneeweis
Date: 12/16/20

20 Glendale Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Cyrus J. O’Brien
Seller: Jones Properties LP
Date: 12/22/20

143 Harlow Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Michael S. Deutsch
Seller: Julie C. Kaneta RET
Date: 12/14/20

58 Henry St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Hannah Sobel
Seller: William M. Vannah
Date: 12/18/20

15 Hickory Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $487,000
Buyer: Sebastian Merrill
Seller: William Jaffee
Date: 12/22/20

26 Morgan Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $462,500
Buyer: Daniel H. Reis
Seller: Michael J. Morgan
Date: 12/18/20

31 Morgan Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Olufolajimi Oke
Seller: Cynthia A. Frado
Date: 12/22/20

164 Sunset Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Fearing Sunset LLC
Seller: Ting FT
Date: 12/22/20

174 Sunset Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $589,000
Buyer: Fearing Sunset LLC
Seller: Shlomo Barnoon
Date: 12/22/20

11 Vista Ter.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $589,900
Buyer: Annette B. Geldzahler
Seller: Colleen Osten
Date: 12/23/20

196 West St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $319,886
Buyer: Dragan Curcija
Seller: Iva Curcija
Date: 12/16/20

BELCHERTOWN

12 Blacksmith Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Jeremy M. Shaw
Seller: Susan M. Trompke
Date: 12/18/20

66 Canal Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $347,500
Buyer: Kevin Bronson
Seller: Frederick C. Kielbasa
Date: 12/18/20

12 Depot St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $308,000
Buyer: David Lund
Seller: Rama Development LLC
Date: 12/23/20

7 Fletcher Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: NJRE Property Group LLC
Seller: Nancy Lamb
Date: 12/18/20

681 Gulf Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $408,000
Buyer: Kelly D. Silva
Seller: Susan L. Surner
Date: 12/23/20

15 Hemlock Hollow
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Erin G. Young
Seller: Ryan Connolly
Date: 12/15/20

61 Magnolia Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $449,900
Buyer: Barry Johannes-Bergen
Seller: J. N. Duquette & Son Construction
Date: 12/18/20

38 North Main St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Robert W. Harris
Seller: Donna Lopatosky
Date: 12/18/20

35 Oasis Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: Christopher M. Ronkese
Seller: Denise K. Dineen
Date: 12/18/20

11 Rita Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Enix Zavala
Seller: Jennifer R. Salander
Date: 12/18/20

6 River St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Robin G. Oey
Seller: Anne M. Sanders
Date: 12/17/20

47 Sheffield Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $393,000
Buyer: Haleigh Sullivan
Seller: Scott R. Gadoury
Date: 12/17/20

29 Sherwood Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $301,000
Buyer: Ralph Rogers
Seller: Gregory Burgess
Date: 12/22/20

293 South Liberty St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $387,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Twining
Seller: Abel Goncalves
Date: 12/14/20

51 Westview Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Alan R. Bourbeau
Seller: Donald Laferriere
Date: 12/15/20

CHESTERFIELD

228 Ireland St.
Chesterfield, MA 01084
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Michael N. Burgess
Seller: Holly Chamberlin
Date: 12/21/20

CUMMINGTON

11 Swift River Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $488,000
Buyer: Pippi Kessler
Seller: Jonathan N. Ginzberg
Date: 12/21/20

EASTHAMPTON

28 High St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $334,000
Buyer: Gregory Schweitzer
Seller: David Magazu
Date: 12/14/20

7 Jessie Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $288,300
Buyer: Scott J. Rebmann
Seller: Peter M. Gregg
Date: 12/18/20

9 Maxine Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Steven M. Tataro
Seller: Patrick Ryan
Date: 12/15/20

55 Mount Tom Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $336,250
Buyer: Ardeshir Pezeshk
Seller: Victoria M. Schofield
Date: 12/23/20

41 Peloquin Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Timothy Mahoney
Seller: J. P&C A. Desrosiers RET
Date: 12/23/20

22 Pleasant St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $196,300
Buyer: Robert C. Parker
Seller: D&H Property Management Inc.
Date: 12/23/20

3 Vadnais St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Lydia I. Bussiere
Seller: Stanley Kuchyt
Date: 12/17/20

GOSHEN

72 Ball Road
Goshen, MA 01096
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Ana M. Rodica-Moise
Seller: Howard L. Paley
Date: 12/18/20

106 Shaw Road
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $322,500
Buyer: Angel Zhang
Seller: Christopher N. Mott
Date: 12/14/20

GRANBY

86 Batchelor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Michael Rioual
Seller: Scott A. Anderson
Date: 12/17/20

12 Greenmeadow Lane
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Refined Design Homes Inc.
Seller: Randy Sefton
Date: 12/18/20

11 Ken Lane
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Brittany R. Lord
Seller: Richard A. Benoit
Date: 12/15/20

114 Maximilian Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $574,326
Buyer: Radu Vlas
Seller: Mark A. Tabb
Date: 12/15/20

145 South St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $332,500
Buyer: Nathan E. McCarthy
Seller: Joshua Gomez
Date: 12/18/20

HADLEY

8 Cemetery Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Michael F. Downey
Seller: Steven P. Barrett
Date: 12/15/20

68 Comins Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $439,000
Buyer: Sarah K. Khan
Seller: Maryellen M. Fitzgibbon
Date: 12/18/20

4 Frost Lane
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $368,000
Buyer: Kathleen M. Iles
Seller: Jean A. Vickowski
Date: 12/21/20

11 Woodlot Lane
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $649,900
Buyer: Jason P. Zabko
Seller: Gregory H. Alexander
Date: 12/18/20

HATFIELD

23 Chestnut St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Michael Colwell-Lafleur
Seller: Todd A. Lockwood
Date: 12/16/20

HUNTINGTON

4 Stage Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: Jade L. Fleury
Seller: Richard P. Charron
Date: 12/14/20

NORTHAMPTON

297 Bridge Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: John Vanasse
Seller: Amy J. Sullivan
Date: 12/21/20

12 Drewsen Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Amanda B. Ashton
Seller: Joseph D. Ashton
Date: 12/22/20

29 Edwards Square
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $267,500
Buyer: Taylor Northampton RE 2
Seller: Strong Ave LLC
Date: 12/18/20

187 Emerson Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Sovereign Builders Inc.
Seller: Emerson Way LLC
Date: 12/18/20

214 Emerson Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Sovereign Builders Inc.
Seller: Emerson Way LLC
Date: 12/18/20

44 Fox Farms Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Richard Barshay
Seller: Hibshman, Kathleen, (Estate)
Date: 12/14/20

13 Gregory Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Derek C. Grimm
Seller: Karina B. Swenson
Date: 12/18/20

25 New South St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $289,000
Buyer: Patricia L. Lewis
Seller: Emerald City Partners LLC
Date: 12/18/20

135 North Main St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Kristen Mara
Seller: Simon D. Halliday
Date: 12/18/20

69 Overlook Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Sarah E. Field
Seller: Erin E. Donohue
Date: 12/18/20

7 Park Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Karen M. Pohlman
Seller: Putala, Sandra A., (Estate)
Date: 12/18/20

36 Sovereign Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $559,900
Buyer: Edith P. Kirk
Seller: John Curran
Date: 12/15/20

1095 Westhampton Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: David M. Cowan
Seller: Christopher Meyer
Date: 12/16/20

SOUTH HADLEY

460 Amherst Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Hamira LLC
Seller: Sheikh, Mohammed A., (Estate)
Date: 12/23/20

87 Charon Ter.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Katherine G. Lauffer
Seller: Robert A. Bainbridge
Date: 12/23/20

361 East St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $456,000
Buyer: Amber L. Fitzgerald
Seller: Oak Ridge Custom Home Builders
Date: 12/18/20

147 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Molly A. Pause
Seller: Jerry P. Will
Date: 12/18/20

40 Hadley St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Emily A. Tebo
Seller: Scott Family Property LLC
Date: 12/18/20

19-21 Ludlow Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Natalya Kravchenko
Seller: Sergey Savonin
Date: 12/22/20

40 Lyon Green
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: J. N. Duquette & Son Construction
Seller: Mountain Brook LLC
Date: 12/21/20

302 North Main St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Sadia Khuram
Seller: Hanna Garman
Date: 12/18/20

149 Old Lyman Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Angel Perez
Seller: Manuel Reyes
Date: 12/22/20

56 Ridge Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Kristie M. Hammer
Seller: Jeffrey A. Donais
Date: 12/22/20

117 Willimansett St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Charlene Rock
Seller: Alan G. Golinski
Date: 12/15/20

SOUTHAMPTON

306 College Hwy.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $462,500
Buyer: Holly T. Gaboriault
Seller: Jeffrey W. Glaze
Date: 12/22/20

7 High St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $514,900
Buyer: Robert R. Oehmke
Seller: W. Marek Inc.
Date: 12/15/20

79 Pomeroy Meadow Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $459,000
Buyer: Christopher N. Mott
Seller: Jonathan A. Ewald
Date: 12/15/20

123 Russellville Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $354,000
Buyer: Edward K. Schlieben
Seller: Susan B. Lynch
Date: 12/16/20

WARE

5 2nd Ave.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $209,900
Buyer: Debra Lamb
Seller: Shirley M. Ratcliffe
Date: 12/21/20

18 Berkshire Circle
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jose R. Quinones
Seller: David J. Blom
Date: 12/18/20

21 Eagle St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $116,000
Buyer: Dale A. Shaw
Seller: Christopher Johnson
Date: 12/18/20

22 Eagle St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $129,900
Buyer: Deborah A. Haskell
Seller: James T. Supczak
Date: 12/18/20

29 Fisherdick Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Abigayle V. Sidur
Seller: Amanda M. Young
Date: 12/18/20

261 Greenwich Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jacob J. Perron
Seller: Christopher M. Rasys
Date: 12/21/20

44 Morse Ave.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Amanda M. Young
Seller: Reynolds, Allen A., (Estate)
Date: 12/18/20

67 Old Poor Farm Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Brandi Estridge
Seller: Douglas B. Meekin
Date: 12/18/20

198 Osborne Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Lauren Noone
Seller: Debbra Forkey
Date: 12/21/20

63 South St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Christopher Robare
Seller: Edwin M. Krol
Date: 12/23/20

29 Walnut St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $202,600
Buyer: Jennifer L. Barnes
Seller: Aaron Reifowitz
Date: 12/21/20

WILLIAMSBURG

2 Bullard Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Peter F. Lafogg
Seller: Timothy E. Mimitz
Date: 12/18/20

79 Depot Road
Williamsburg, MA 01038
Amount: $331,500
Buyer: Priscilla M. Ross
Seller: Patricia M. Nichols
Date: 12/18/20

WESTHAMPTON

3 Kings Hwy.
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Justine W. Barrett-Figura
Seller: E. Balise Pinto T
Date: 12/18/20

WORTHINGTON

138 Witt Hill Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Dalton J. Larabee
Seller: Brandon C. Lagoy
Date: 12/14/20

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