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Month: February 2021

Auto Dealers Finish Strong and Look Ahead to 2021

By Contributor
Autos Special Coverage

Revving Up

By Mark Morris

 

In the early days of the pandemic, people huddled in their homes while streets were abandoned by nearly all traffic. Area auto dealers, understandably, braced for a slow year.

Instead, sales for many dealers hit record highs in 2020.

It was that kind of year for Jack Sarat, dealer principal for Sarat Ford, who said the pandemic definitely kept sales down in March. “After that, business rebounded, starting with a strong finish in April, and then every month following kept getting better.”

Auto-manufacturing facilities and many of their subcontractors around the world experienced shutdowns early in the pandemic. Steve Lewis, owner and president of Steve Lewis Subaru, said the delays kept inventories low at many dealerships and were also a factor in sluggish sales early in the spring.

“Once the factories were up and running again, around May or June, our inventory started to build back up, and it continues to build,” Lewis said. “Believe it or not, 2020 was our best year ever.”

“After [March], business rebounded, starting with a strong finish in April, and then every month following kept getting better.”

Even with inventory delays, Lewis continued to take pre-sell orders, so when new cars began rolling into the lot, nearly 65% of them were already sold.

Gary Rome, president of Gary Rome Auto Group, said the Korean factories where Hyundai and Kia are made were fortunate, with only brief shutdowns due to COVID-19 concerns.

“Hyundai and Kia never took their foot off the gas when the pandemic hit,” Rome said, which set the table for a strong year. “Our sales increased nearly 20% in 2020; it was one of the best years we’ve ever had.”

Every year, Presidents’ Day represents the first big sales push for local dealerships. Sarat pointed out that Presidents’ Day as a sales event tends to be more of a Northeast phenomenon.

Jack Sarat (left) and Jeff Sarat

Jack Sarat (left) and Jeff Sarat are among many area dealers reporting strong sales down the stretch in 2020 and into 2021.

“In Virginia, if you ask about the Presidents’ Day sale for cars, they don’t even know what you’re talking about,” he said, adding that ‘Presidents’ Month’ might be a more accurate name because the manufacturers heavily promote sales incentives throughout February.

With an already strong January in the books, Lewis approaches this Presidents’ Day understanding each year is a different experience.

“Last Presidents’ Day, we had a great weekend. Some years sales are magnificent, other years we are slow,” he said, adding that he defines the weekend as running from the Thursday before the holiday through Presidents’ Day Monday.

Good weather is the key to strong President’s Day sales, Rome said. Encouraging car sales on Presidents’ Day has often been a way for people to start thinking about spring and new beginnings.

Steve Lewis

“Once the factories were up and running again, around May or June, our inventory started to build back up, and it continues to build. Believe it or not, 2020 was our best year ever.”

This year, they may be especially clamoring for spring; on top of the normal winter doldrums, everyone has endured nearly a year of pandemic disruption and isolation. In that environment, auto dealers expect plenty of pent-up demand.

 

Rolling Along

Each of the dealers who spoke with BusinessWest shared his thoughts on why people continue to buy cars during the pandemic.

Those who did not suffer a job loss due to COVID-19 were able, in many cases, to increase their savings. After months of staying inside people, Lewis said, people started doing the math and realized that, with used-car values remaining high, they could trade up to a newer vehicle without spending lots of money.

“They capitalized on it, we capitalized on it, and everybody’s happy,” he added.

Sarat talked about customers who canceled vacations that involved air travel but still wanted to get away. “Several customers told me they were buying vehicles just so they could drive to their vacation,” he said.

While zero-percent interest rates across the industry have helped reluctant buyers, Rome said a job-assurance program gave Hyundai customers more comfort about making a purchase. “Through this program, if you buy a car and lose your job, Hyundai will make your payments for up to six months.”

He also believes battling COVID fatigue played a role in many vehicle-purchasing decisions. “People started realizing that life is short, and this might be a good time to do something nice for themselves.”

The pandemic has produced an interesting economic situation in which many homeowners made big investments in their homes, resulting in an extremely successful year for construction and landscape contractors. Sarat reaped the benefit of the contractors’ good fortune in his commercial-truck business. Contractors tend to replace their vehicles in December to obtain a tax credit against their income for the year, so it’s not unusual to see more sales activity then. Thus, the boom in home improvements in 2020 contributed to record sales in December for Sarat.

“We sold twice as many Super Duty trucks than a normal December,” he said. “Contractors were replacing vehicles and, in some cases, adding to their fleet.” Super Duty trucks are a popular choice among contractors because they can be adapted to a variety of trade professions.

While online shopping and purchasing a vehicle are not new, the pandemic brought out more people interested in using this no-touch approach to buying. Before the pandemic, Lewis noted, nearly 45% of his business was generated from the internet, where customers would do their research online, then come in for a test drive before buying the car. Since the pandemic, that’s increased to 70%.

“What’s different now is that people are taking delivery of vehicles they’ve never seen or have driven,” he said, adding that customers who do this are relying on the brand’s reputation.

Website upgrades since the pandemic allow Rome’s customers to complete their entire vehicle purchase online. From figuring out the value of a trade-in to applying for credit, the entire purchase or lease can be generated online and finished off with an electronic signature. “We will even bring the car to your home to test drive if you want,” he added.

Before internet research, the average customer would visit three or four dealers before purchasing a vehicle. Sarat cited industry statistics showing that customers now visit, on average, only 1.3 dealers before making a purchase. “Because they’ve done the research online, they’ve usually made a decision on what they want to buy before they even come in.”

 

Shifting Gears

For several years, buying trends have shifted away from passenger cars and toward SUVs and crossover vehicles.

“SUVs make up 68% of our sales, compared to sedans,” Rome said. “It used to be the inverse.”

He credits the shift to SUVs handling more like a car than earlier models, which were built on truck frames. He also noted that, as buyers age, they prefer a higher vehicle to make it easier to enter and exit.

“We won’t be back to normal for a while, but everything I read in automotive reports suggests new-car sales in 2021 are going to be very strong . I think it’s going to be an exciting year.”

Nearly every model in Lewis’ showroom is an SUV or crossover vehicle. “The crossover is really a replacement for the old station wagon,” he said. “It’s designed to open up the hatchback, put the back seats down, and throw in your junk.”

Ford is another of the many manufacturers moving away from traditional sedans and toward crossovers and SUVs. In addition, Sarat sells one of the most popular vehicles in the U.S., the Ford F-150 pickup truck, calling it his “bread and butter.”

Ford recently released a hybrid version of the popular pickup truck, and the new Ford Mustang Mach E is an all-electric vehicle. And Sarat has made a move toward all-electric vehicles among commercial cargo vans as well. Jeff Sarat, general sales manager, said these vans can run up to 300 miles a day and then plug in for recharging overnight.

“For business owners, it significantly reduces the cost of ownership,” he said, noting that an electric motor eliminates traditional maintenance and substantially reduces the vehicle’s carbon footprint. “We’ve got a lot of good things coming down the road, and our electric vehicles are going to be on people’s shopping list when they look for their next car.”

While hybrid and electric vehicle sales represent about 5% of Rome’s sales, he expects that number to rise to 10% soon.

“The manufacturers have jumped into this market with both feet. Within two years, we expect to offer a dozen hybrid or electric vehicles,” he said, adding that hybrid vehicles can improve mileage up to 140 miles per gallon, while some all-electric vehicles can go 386 miles on a full charge.

“In some ways, it’s like owning an iPhone, where you want to get a new one every three years to stay up on the latest technology,” he added.

Another shift this year has taken place in the used-car market. The economic shutdown last spring affected new-car production, and dealers found they had more empty spaces on their lots. “When fewer new vehicles are coming in, it also creates a lack of used inventory because people are not trading in their cars,” Sarat said.

For this reason, all the dealers we spoke with said used-car prices stayed high last year and will continue to remain strong in 2021.

Rome acknowledged the strength of the used-car market, but said his business runs somewhat counter to the normal trend.

“In our world, we sell about two new cars to every used car,” he explained. “If you can buy a new car with a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty for about the same price as a used car, why would you buy the used car?”

 

No Slowing Down

With his business finishing 2020 with a 19% sales increase, Rome predicts an 18% increase on top of last year’s success for 2021.

With his dealership in Hadley, Lewis noted that he is located two miles from five colleges and universities. When students and faculty all abandoned campus early in the pandemic, it cut deep into his business. He is hopeful these sales will return as everyone comes back to campus.

“Despite all that, we had our best year ever, and we’re hoping 2021 is as good as 2020,” he said.

Jack Sarat anticipates at least some supply disruptions due to COVID in 2021, but remains optimistic for a good year ahead as well.

“We won’t be back to normal for a while, but everything I read in automotive reports suggests new-car sales in 2021 are going to be very strong,” he said. “I think it’s going to be an exciting year.”

Agenda

By
Agenda

Virtual Town Hall to Discuss Baystate Mary Lane Closure

Feb. 23: Baystate Health will hold a virtual town hall at 5 p.m. to discuss the closure of the Baystate Mary Lane Outpatient Center in Ware and future plans for patient care. All are welcome to attend. Baystate Health’s goal over the next several months is to work collaboratively with the Baystate Mary Lane team and engage with the community in developing an orderly transition plan for programs and services to Baystate Wing. In June, the emergency facility will close, and cancer care services will be transitioned to the D’Amour Center for Cancer Care. Over the next two years, imaging/3D mammography and rehabilitation services, as well as ob/gyn and pediatric medical practices, will relocate to Baystate Wing. Cancer patients who receive care at Baystate Mary Lane will be offered transportation at no charge following the transition of care to Springfield. To support access to outpatient appointments at Baystate Wing Hospital when the two Baystate medical practices at Baystate Mary Lane transition over the next two years, Baystate will look to the foundation it has built with the Quaboag Connector and, if feasible, will further invest in this resource. More information will be forthcoming as needs, services, and transportation options are evaluated. To register for the virtual town hall, visit baystatehealth.org/easternregion.

 

40 Under Forty Nominations

Through Feb. 26: BusinessWest is currently accepting nominations for the 40 Under Forty class of 2021. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Feb. 26. Launched in 2007, the program recognizes rising stars in the four counties of Western Mass. Nominations, which should be as detailed and thorough as possible, should list an individual’s accomplishments within their profession as well as their work within the community. Nominations can be completed online at businesswest.com/40-under-forty-nomination-form. Nominations will be weighed by a panel of judges, and the selected individuals will be profiled in BusinessWest in May and honored at the 40 Under Forty Gala in late June. Event sponsorship opportunities are available.

 

Institute for Trustees

Starting April 7: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF) announced it is partnering with the Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) in presenting the 2021 Institute for Trustees, an annual conference inviting nonprofit leaders to gather together for educational workshops and networking opportunities. Building on the success of BTCF’s 2018 Board Leadership Forum and designed for board leaders and executive directors, the event features 24 virtual workshops from leading nonprofit experts and opportunities to connect with hundreds of peers equally committed to their leadership roles. This partnership is part of a broader effort between BTCF and ECCF to leverage resources in support of building capacity and leadership within the nonprofit sector, given the challenges facing organizations due to the pandemic and its economic consequences. The Institute for Trustees kicks off on April 7 with a keynote address by Phil Buchanan, president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, titled “Leading for Nonprofit Impact Amid Unprecedented Challenge.” Beginning April 9, workshops and opportunities to connect with fellow attendees through topic-driven, informal peer discussions will be spread over the course of four weeks. Workshop topics include racial equity, endowment building, crisis planning, governance, advocacy, finance, and much more. To register for the program, visit eccf.org/ift. Registrations will be accepted at a discounted early-bird rate of $110 until March 7. After that, registration will cost $130 and will close April 7.

 

Springfield Partners for Community Action Scholarships

Through April 23: Springfield Partners for Community Action announced it will award a number of $1,000 scholarships that can help recipients with tuition and alleviate the cost of going back to school and investing in bettering themselves. All applicants must be Springfield residents, and income-eligibility guidelines may apply. Scholarships will be awarded to those attending accredited/licensed schools in Massachusetts. Applications must be received by April 23. Late entries will not be considered. If selected, recipients must be available to attend an awards event (most likely virtual) in June. Visit www.springfieldpartnersinc.com/whatwedo/scholarshipsprogram for the application form and information on how to apply.

 

Amherst Moves Forward in Challenging Times

By Contributor
Paul Bockelman said he’s worked with chamber and BID leaders
Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

By Mark Morris

Paul Bockelman said he’s worked with chamber and BID leaders

Paul Bockelman said he’s worked with chamber and BID leaders to address the urgent needs of the business community during the pandemic.

 

Epictetus, the Greek philosopher, first made the observation, “it’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

While Epictetus did not live in Amherst, town officials and business leaders there have certainly adopted the philosopher’s adage in their robust efforts to return the town to vitality in the face of a pandemic.

Last March, when COVID-19 began to affect life in communities everywhere, Amherst took a broader hit than most because UMass Amherst, Hampshire College, and Amherst College all shut down earlier than other area institutions.

Gabrielle Gould, executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District (BID), said the suddenly empty campuses posed a shock to the system.

“We lost 40,000 people in a 48-hour period,” she recalled. “It was like turning off a light switch.”

With college closings and retail activity coming to a screeching halt, Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman said his town lost its two major industries because of the pandemic. Still, he noted, “despite all that, the town has been resilient, and we are prepared to emerge from the pandemic in a very strong way.”

Early on, Amherst quickly mobilized a COVID-19 response team as Bockelman and the department heads of the Police, Fire, Public Works, and other departments met daily to strategize, he explained. “We prioritized the health of our workforce because we wouldn’t be able to help residents if our fire, police, and DPW staff weren’t healthy.”

The next priority was to maintain continuity of government functions. Amherst migrated town staff to remote work and incorporated Zoom meetings to assure key bodies such as the Town Council and the School Committee could keep moving forward. Permit-granting committees soon followed.

“We prioritized the health of our workforce because we wouldn’t be able to help residents if our fire, police, and DPW staff weren’t healthy.”

As plans were coming together to allow outdoor dining, the Town Council passed a special bylaw to delegate simple zoning decisions to the building commissioner. This move sped up the permitting process and cut down on much of the bureaucratic red tape.

“For example, permits for serving alcohol outdoors or expanding the footprint of a restaurant could be done through one person instead of going through an often-lengthy permitting process,” Bockelman said.

To address the urgent needs of the local business community, he also met weekly with Gould and Claudia Pazmany, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. The BID and chamber share office space on Pleasant Street, so Pazmany and Gould worked together to learn about the many grants available to local businesses impacted by COVID-19. The main goal was to help owners stay in business.

Claudia Pazmany

Claudia Pazmany says one of her most important roles has been helping business owners navigate the grant system.

“We knew that closing their doors would mean closing their doors forever,” Pazmany said. “That’s what we were trying to avoid.”

 

Granting a Reprieve

Before the pandemic, the chamber would host 56 events in a typical year. Pazmany said she quickly moved to digital events to keep everyone together. “We went from 56 events to 56,000 connections on Facebook and other social media.”

More importantly, in addition to helping local businesses apply for the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Gould and Pazmany have successfully secured grant programs at the state and federal level.

A number of Amherst businesses received grants through the state COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program, which provided a total of $668 million for Massachusetts businesses. Amherst also secured $140,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds for local businesses.

State Sen. Joan Comerford helped the Chamber and BID to fund the recently formed Relief and Resiliency Microgrant Program. Originally designed to provide $500 microgrants, Pazmany said they were able to secure matching dollars, so $1,000 grants will soon be awarded to 18 of Amherst’s small-business owners in the first round of the program.

“The microgrant money will help defray some costs and allow people to keep going,” she said. “Many of these business owners are not even paying themselves; they just want to pay their bills.”

One of the more important roles Pazmany and Gould have taken on involves helping business owners navigate the grant system. Whether it’s identifying eligible funding, helping to fill out forms, or solving technical issues, Pazmany said they are not limiting their support to just chamber members. “Right now, it makes no difference if you are a chamber member or not. If you need help and you cross our threshold, we will help you.”

While outdoor dining and takeout have enabled restaurants to keep their doors open, the BID launched an effort to do more, buying meals from local restaurants and giving them to families in need. The effort began two months ago with the moniker December Dinner Delights and recently received funding to continue through April. Gould sees this as a win-win.

“We pay the restaurants $1,500 twice a week to help them sustain business, and we provide meals for families in our community,” she noted.

Another effort to support local business involves a gift-card program run by the chamber. Launched at the beginning of the holiday season, the gift cards can be redeemed at more than two dozen local businesses, from restaurants to a cat groomer. Pazmany said she has had to reorder cards to keep up with demand. “It works because you are able to give someone a gift and, at the same time, support a small business; it’s the best type of reinvestment in our community.”

As for town-run programs, last spring, municipal leaders had to figure out what to do about the farmers’ market it runs every Saturday from April through November. In the past, it was held in a cramped parking lot that would not conform to social-distancing protocols. Because the town common had no activities scheduled, the farmers’ market set up there — and had its most successful year ever.

“Right now, it makes no difference if you are a chamber member or not. If you need help and you cross our threshold, we will help you.”

“Our town common is a bucolic setting, and people who were cooped up all week could safely come and buy things,” Bockelman said. The manager of the farmers’ market reported the average sales week in 2020 equaled the best sales week in 2019, and the booths sold out of their products every week.

The farmers’ market was a highly visible way to revitalize interest in Amherst, as are continuing “quality-of-life developments,” as Bockelman called them, such as the newly opened Groff Park and the building of a new playground at Kendrick Park.

But smaller acts, like making picnic tables available in parks and other public places, were popular as well, he added. “As soon as we put out the tables, people were immediately using them. It was awesome.”

 

Forward Thinking

Looking to the future, Amherst is making decisions on four major capital projects slated for construction in 2022. On the drawing board are a new elementary school, a new library, a new Public Works facility, and a new fire station.

“We are trying to incorporate these projects into our ongoing budget so the taxpayer does not have to take on too much of a burden,” Bockelman said.

The desirability of Amherst as a place to live keeps housing prices high, which he calls a two-edged sword because it hurts the town’s ability to build a diverse socioeconomic community.

“People value diversity in Amherst,” he said. Still, he added, “it’s much more diverse than most people realize, especially our school district.”

To deepen that diverse profile, Amherst is looking to invest in property to develop more affordable housing. Bockelman pointed to a recently approved development on Northampton Road and a potential land purchase on Belchertown Road as additional projects in the works. “The town is willing to make the investment to develop and retain affordable-housing units in Amherst.”

To better address diversity in business, the chamber makes available an open-source document for proprietors who want to identify their business as being run by a woman, minority, or LGBTQ individual.

Pazmany said it’s simply good for business, noting that “we are getting steady requests from people who want to do business with various self-identifying businesses.”

Amherst at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1759
Population: 39,482
Area: 27.7 square miles
County: Hampshire
Residential Tax Rate: $21.82
Commercial Tax Rate: $21.82
Median Household Income: $48,059
Median Family Income: $96,005
Type of Government: Town Council, Town Manager
Largest Employers: UMass Amherst; Amherst College; Hampshire College
* Latest information available

One element in the town’s strategy emphasizes Amherst’s potential as a tourist destination. Several national news articles have suggested that this decade may become a second “roaring 20s” with a renewed emphasis on cultural attractions. If that’s so, Pazmany pointed out, Amherst has plenty to offer, such as Museums10, a collaborative of 10 area museums, of which seven are located in town. Together, the museums cover various aspects of history, art, literature, and the natural world.

“In a normal year, Museums10 will bring more than a half-million people to the area,” she said. “The Emily Dickinson Poetry Festival itself is a global event.”

For the more immediate future, the plan is to have outdoor dining up and running by April 1. The BID was able to supply enough table umbrellas and heaters during the summer to boost last year’s effort. Because there are so many barriers in place to ensure safe outdoor dining, the BID also paid 35 artists to turn the plain concrete into a medium to express themselves.

“The barriers became nice displays of public art, and they give downtown a bit of an art-walk feel,” Gould said.

Simple touches like the artwork and adding planters around town generated positive comments from visitors and business owners alike. Pazmany appreciated the boost of confidence. “In this next phase, we just want our businesses to be up and running so they can take a paycheck and start to rehire people.”

Most Amherst leaders, in fact, look to the coming year with great anticipation. Bockelman noted that the town has several fundamental strengths, including the university and colleges. Pazmany added that UMass has already reported an increase in enrollment for the coming fall.

Gould admits that pushing forward on grants and other relief efforts helped Amherst through the worst of the pandemic. “Despite how hard everyone was hit, we’ve created a resiliency that kept our businesses here.”

Bockelman agreed. “Everyone’s efforts worked because they were sequential and were patiently done. We just kept moving forward.”

Epictetus would be proud.

Avoid Costly Tax Issues by Considering the Section 754 Election

By Contributor
Features Special Coverage

Entering a Partnership?

 By Brenden Cawley and Gabriel Jacobson 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused several partnerships local to Western Mass. to either consider or actually effect a change in ownership. When navigating the complexities of these changes in ownership, partnership basis is a vital component.

For tax advisors and taxpayers alike, basis would be better as a four-letter word. However, understanding the basics of cost basis can prevent future headaches.

 

Understanding the Basics of Basis

It stands to reason that the cash spent or provided to acquire an asset would be the cost (basis) of that asset. However, when analyzing partnerships, understand the concepts of ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ basis. The difference is a shift in perspective. The outside basis is established when the partner joins or forms the partnership through the contribution of cash (or property, which adds additional complexity). The partnership then uses that cash to purchase assets.

The cash outlay to acquire those assets establishes the total inside basis of the partnership. Based on each partner’s ownership, a share of the inside basis of the individual assets is assigned accordingly. This inside basis does not fluctuate with changes in market value of the assets. When a tax year closes, the partners each receive a Schedule K-1 and adjust their outside basis by the income, expense, gain, or loss disclosed on the Schedule K-1.

Brenden Cawley

Brenden Cawley

“For tax advisors and taxpayers alike, basis would be better as a four-letter word. However, understanding the basics of cost basis can prevent future headaches.”

Over the life of the partnership, cash or property will be distributed to the partners, which will decrease their outside basis. The inside basis of the partnership will similarly be reduced as the cost of assets is removed from the books through sale or distribution. When the partnership is in need, the partners may contribute additional cash or property. Additional contributions have the same positive impact on outside basis as the initial contribution that formed the partnership or acquired an interest.

As time goes by, differences can arise between the inside and outside basis of the partner(s). As the inside and outside basis of the partnership fall out of alignment, the partners can experience negative tax consequences. Each taxpayer is responsible for maintaining their own outside basis, so consult your tax advisor if questions arise. Through a Section 754 election, the partnership has an opportunity to avoid these consequences.

Like anything worthwhile, this election takes work. It is perhaps especially laborious if the partner or partnership have not been actively tracking the inside and outside basis disparity. The partners’ Schedule K-1s could offer a lifeline. Prior to 2020, each partner’s capital account in item L could be prepared on a book, GAAP, Section 704(b), or tax basis. It is possible that the partner’s capital account prepared using book, GAAP, or Section 704(b) is a reasonable approximation for the inside basis of the partner.

This is a highly simplified approach that needs to be vetted with the partnership’s tax advisor. Starting in 2020, the IRS has mandated that Item L of Schedule K-1 must be prepared on a tax basis. The partner’s tax capital account is a good starting point for both outside and inside tax basis. Again, this simplified assumption needs to be discussed with a tax advisor. Please note that tax capital reported on the Schedule K-1 is not equivalent to outside tax basis. Instead, outside tax basis considers liabilities of the partnership for which the partner is individually responsible and partner-specific adjustments.

 

Everyday Example

In year one, Ann and Bob purchase a building for $200,000 and split the cost evenly, giving them each 50% ownership in ABC Partnership. Initially, they each had outside basis equal to their inside basis of $100,000. In year two, as a result of COVID-19, Bob wants to exit the partnership. The building has appreciated in value to $300,000, so he sells his interest in ABC Partnership to Carl for $150,000. Bob will recognize a $50,000 gain in year two as a result of the excess cash received compared to his cost basis.

First, let’s imagine the partnership does not make a 754 election at this point. Carl steps into Bob’s inside basis of $100,000. However, his outside basis equals the total amount he paid, or $150,000. In year three, Ann and Carl decide to sell the building (for simplicity’s sake, let’s assume no depreciation has been expensed), which is still valued at $300,000 and therefore results in a gain of $100,000. Both Ann and Carl receive Schedule K-1s with a $50,000 gain for the year because they both had an inside basis of $100,000 prior to the sale.

Gabriel Jacobson

Gabriel Jacobson

“Partnerships may be relatively easy to form, but the tax implications can be very complex.”

After recording the gain, their inside basis increases to $150,000. Ann’s inside and outside basis remain aligned, but Carl’s basis disparity persists as the $50,000 of gain impacts his inside and outside basis in the same manner. In year four, Carl and Ann decide to dissolve the partnership. At this point, the $300,000 cash they received from the sale of the building is distributed to both partners evenly. Ann receives $150,000 in cash, which equals her outside basis. For this reason, she recognizes no gain or loss on the dissolution of the partnership.

Alternatively, Carl recognizes a $50,000 loss outside of the partnership since his total outside basis is $200,000. At this point Carl is kicking himself because he paid taxes on a $50,000 gain in year three only to recognize a loss of $50,000 one year later. If Carl does not have any capital gains in year four, he can only utilize $3,000 of the capital losses on his tax return. The remaining losses are carried forward indefinitely.

Now let’s imagine the partnership made the 754 election when Carl purchased his 50% interest in year two. At that time, his inside basis would have been increased by $50,000 to match his outside basis. The partnership would have adjusted Carl’s inside basis in the building to $150,000, matching his outside basis. Then in year three, when Ann and Carl sell the building, Carl would not recognize any gain because his inside basis matches his share of the sales proceeds ($150,0000).

In year four, when the partnership dissolved, Carl would not recognize a loss on the distribution of cash from the partnership because his portion of the partnership’s cash balance ($150,000) equals his outside basis ($150,000). Carl avoided the timing issue regarding any taxable gain on the building sale and any loss on dissolution by making the 754 election.

 

On an Income-tax Return

If Carl and Ann decided to hold onto the building instead of selling in year three, Carl could deduct from his Schedule K-1 the basis adjustments related to the Section 754 election. The total Section 754 adjustment of $50,000 is reduced to zero over time using the same mechanics as the depreciation on the building. The 754 adjustment reduces both Carl’s inside and outside basis equally. The benefit is that he will receive deductions on line 13 of his K-1 against income on his tax return each year until the $50,000 is fully deducted.

Partnerships may be relatively easy to form, but the tax implications can be very complex. Section 754 is important for a partner purchasing an interest and for existing partners looking to secure a new partner to help their business. Accurate tracking of inside and outside basis is of the utmost importance to reduce negative tax consequences down the line.

 

Brenden Cawley is a senior associate at the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka P.C., and Gabriel Jacobson is an associate with the firm; (413) 536-8510.

Saluting the Women of Impact

By
Event Galleries Women of Impact Women of Impact 2020

Late last month, BusinessWest staged its annual celebration of the Women of Impact, a recognition program launched in 2018. This was a virtual celebration because of the pandemic, but the eight honorees were certainly celebrated in style, with live virtual networking, lively chat during the presentation, poignant introductions of the honorees, and inspiring remarks from the Women of Impact themselves. The virtual program featured videos of and welcoming remarks from presenting sponsors Country Bank, Health New England, and TommyCar Auto Group. Other sponsors and partners include Comcast Business, WWLP 22 News/CW Springfield, and Chikmedia.

The honorees for 2020 are :

Carol Campbell, president of Chicopee Industrial Contractors; Andrea Harrington, Berkshire County district attorney; Tania Barber, president and CEO of Caring Health Center; Helen Caulton-Harris, Health and Human Services commissioner for the city of Springfield; Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College; Toni Hendrix, director of Human Resources at Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing; Sue Stubbs, president and CEO of ServiceNet; and Pattie Hallberg, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts.

Carol Campbell, president of Chicopee Industrial Contractors

Carol Campbell, president of Chicopee Industrial Contractors

 

Andrea Harrington, Berkshire County district attorney

Andrea Harrington, Berkshire County district attorney

 

 

Tania Barber, president and CEO of Caring Health Center

Tania Barber, president and CEO of Caring Health Center

 

Helen Caulton-Harris, Health and Human Services commissioner for the city of Springfield

Helen Caulton-Harris, Health and Human Services commissioner for the city of Springfield

 

 

Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College

Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College

 

 

Toni Hendrix, director of Human Resources at Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing

Toni Hendrix, director of Human Resources at Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing

Sue Stubbs, president and CEO of ServiceNet

Sue Stubbs, president and CEO of ServiceNet

 

Pattie Hallberg, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts

Pattie Hallberg, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts

 

 

 

Editorial

By
Opinion

They’re All Making a Difference

Since BusinessWest started its Difference Makers recognition program in 2009, we’ve told dozens of stories involving individuals, groups, and institutions that are positively impacting life in the 413.
Each one is different, although there are some common threads, and each one is inspiring. And this is the point of this exercise, if you will — to tell these amazing stories, because they need to be told, and to inspire others to find their own way to make a difference in their community.
The Difference Makers class of 2021 certainly continues this tradition. The stories beginning on page 22 convey, in a single word, the passion that these individuals and groups have for helping those in their communities and improving quality of life here. And they all go about it in a different way:

• Kristin Carlson, by becoming the face, or the new face, of manufacturing in this region. And a new voice as well, one that works overtime (that’s an industry phrase) to educate people, and especially young people, about the many opportunities in this field. Her efforts are already reaping dividends, as evidenced by her own shop floor, which now boasts a number of women in machining positions;

• EforAll Holyoke, by becoming another powerful force in the region’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. Through its accelerator programs, mentorship initiatives, and other ongoing forms of support, this nonprofit is helping many people, especially those in the minority community, realize their dreams of owning their own business;

• Janine Fondon, by being a constant source of energy and ideas, through initiatives ranging from UnityFirst.com, a national distributor of diversity-related e-news, to programs like On the Move, which bring women, and especially women of color, together for forums that are designed to engage, educate, and inspire;

• Harold Grinspoon, by being a successful business person, but especially by being a philanthropist who has never stopped asking about how he can help. Over the years, he has launched initiatives to support entrepreneurship at area colleges and universities, assist the region’s farmers, celebrate excellent teachers, and improve Jewish life and culture;

• Chad Moir, by creating the DopaFit Parkinson’s Movement Center, inspired by the experience of his late mother, to help those suffering from this dreaded disease live healthier, more confident lives through various forms of exercise that have proven to slow the progression of symptoms;

• Bill Parks, by not only helping young people and their families access critical programs through the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield, but by using his own experiences to show them that their dreams and goals really are possible. His club’s programs not only impact young people’s lives today, but help them take charge of their future; and

• Pete Westover, for working tirelessly to help preserve and protect this region’s open spaces through a remarkable, decades-long career that featured a lengthy stint as conservation director in Amherst and ongoing work as managing partner of Conservation Works, which is involved in a wide range of preservation, trail-building, and other types of projects across the Northeast.

We salute these members of the class of 2021, and encourage others to read their stories and become inspired to find new and different ways to make a difference here in Western Massachusetts.

Opinion

By
Opinion

An Appreciation for Chris Thibault

Filmmakers are storytellers. That’s what they do. They tell stories, and they help others tell their stories.

That’s what Chris Thibault did, and he was very good at it. He started Chris Teebo Films, and he worked with businesses and institutions across this area — from Spirit of Springfield to BusinessWest and its many award recipients and program sponsors Mercedes-Benz of Springfield — to help them communicate and get their messages across.

In recent years, though, the most compelling story Chris told was his own — specifically his long and difficult battle with cancer, which ended this week when he died at age 38. Starting from when he was first diagnosed with breast cancer, Chris used his talents and his desire to help others to take his battle public, through short films, blog posts — including one titled “How to Run a Production Company While Living (or Dying) of Stage 4 Cancer” — and more.

In the course of doing so, he became an inspiration to many, and in a number of ways. It was more than Jim Valvano’s famous ‘don’t give up, don’t ever give up’ messaging — although there was some of that. His message was more along the lines of never letting cancer run his life or tell him what he could or couldn’t do.

And there was still more to this story. Indeed, even though he was dealt a very bad hand and had every reason to say ‘why me?’ or bemoan his fate, he didn’t. He accepted what was happening to his body, and he never stopped trying to be upbeat, optimistic, and even humorous.

Indeed, when he talked with BusinessWest about that aforementioned blog post and the subject matter involved, he said simply, “I haven’t figured that one out yet … and to be honest, I wrote the title to get your attention so you would actually start reading the thing.”

Like all good filmmakers, he did grab your attention, and he held it.

His story certainly did not end the way he or all those who loved and admired him wanted, but it was one that left us even more thankful for the time we had with him — and more appreciative of the time we have on this planet. Period.

We thank him for that, and we thank him for the way he inspired us to live life to the fullest, even when serious roadblocks are put in front of us.

The best story he told was his own.

Picture This

By
Picture This

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

 

 

We’ll Drink to That

Ed Sunter, president of the Hampden County Estate Planning Council of Springfield; Julie Quink, treasurer; and John Arnold, past president, recently presented a check for $1,400 to Terry Maxey, executive director of Open Pantry of Springfield. In the second annual fundraiser, council members were invited to participate in a wine and beer tasting sponsored by Baystate Brewing Co. of Sturbridge, Progression Brewery of Northampton, White Lion Brewery of Springfield, and  Hardwick Winery.  Members enjoyed beer and wine samples in their homes and offices. Pictured, from left: Sunter, Arnold, and Maxey.

 

 

Investment in the Future

The Advanced Manufacturing Technology Program at Asnuntuck Community College (ACC) has received $15,000 in grant funding from the Gene Haas Foundation to use for student scholarships for tuition and books. The scholarship will be managed by the ACC Foundation, and awards will be given based on need and merit. Pictured, from left, are students Nina Rattray, Emma Mack, and Jonathan Paskewitz.

 

 

 

Young Woman of Impact

BusinessWest Editor and Associate Publisher George O’Brien and Sales Manager and Associate Publisher Kate Campiti recently presented Evelyn Humphries, a student at Longmeadow High School, with a plaque recognizing her as the inaugural People’s Choice Young Woman of Impact. The public chose Humphries from among five deserving nominees, honoring her impressive track record of service to the community, especially during the pandemic. The social-media-driven program was a popular addition to this year’s Women of Impact celebration, held on Jan. 28. Below: Humphries with her mother, Gina

 

 

 

Special Delivery

On Jan. 28, the Rotary Club of Springfield distributed 6,000 disposable personal protective masks to the city of Springfield. Mayor Domenic Sarno joined with Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris and John Perez, president of the Rotary Club of Springfield, on the front steps of City Hall for the PPE distribution. In total, 20,000 masks were donated to organizations serving Springfield’s residents, including the Gray House, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Open Pantry Community Services, the MLK Community Center, the New North Citizens Council, Square One, and Gandara Mental Services of Springfield.

 

 

People on the Move

By
People on the Move
Javier Padilla

Javier Padilla

Javier Padilla, a human-resources and talent manager with almost 20 years of human-resources experience and more than 10 years in management and leadership roles, has been named assistant vice president and director of Human Resources at Bay Path University. Padilla, who most recently served as the chief Human Resources/Talent officer for Norwalk (Conn.) Public Schools, assumed his duties in December. Padilla brings many strengths to the position, including experience in change management, workforce planning, customer service, employee benefits and compensation, employee relations, contract negotiations, talent acquisition, diversity and inclusion, and HR analytics and technology, among others. In his career, he has worked in the fields of education, healthcare, industry, and insurance. In his new role, he will lead the Human Resources division in fostering collaborations and partnerships with departments and areas across the university in support of Bay Path’s mission and strategic plan. He will also implement HR policies, practices, and technologies; enhance customer service; support employee engagement; and build a diverse workforce. Padilla holds a juris doctorate from Western New England School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish from the University of Connecticut. A member of the Society for Human Resource Management, he is also a certified professional co-active coach, accredited by the International Coach Federation, and a certified strategic workforce planner, accredited by the Human Capital Institute.

•••••

Nicole Coakley

Nicole Coakley

Springfield College announced that Nicole Coakley has been named the Springfield College Center for Service and Leadership assistant director following a national search. Coakley has more than 20 years of experience in community-service programming, collaboration, leadership training, budgeting, and supervision. A native of Springfield, Coakley is the current administrator for the Springfield Police Department Mason Square C3 community-policing program. In addition, she has been a lead organizer of Unity in the Community, a local program helping to bridge the gap between youth in the community and law enforcement. Coakley’s involvement and dedication to the community includes work as program director at Morris Professional Child Care Services in Springfield, collaborator for the Side by Side initiative, program director with Digital Boombox Networks/DBN Access, a member of both Leadership Pioneer Valley Inc. and the Gun Violence Elimination Alliance, and a contributor to the Neighbor 2 Neighbor program. Coakley serves on the board of directors for Easterseals Massachusetts and is also a volunteer disaster action team supervisor and community volunteer leader with the American Red Cross, a member of Chicopee Women of the Moose, and a clerk for the nonprofit organization Morris Open Pantry.

•••••

Rose Colon

Rose Colon

John Garvey

John Garvey

Dr. Allison Sullivan

Dr. Allison Sullivan

Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services Inc. (MLKFS) announced the addition of three new members — Rose Colon, John Garvey, and Dr. Allison Sullivan — to its board of directors. Colon is a criminal-defense and personal-injury attorney based in Springfield. She engages in all aspects of criminal-defense and civil personal-injury litigation. She earned her paralegal certificate from the American Bar Assoc., earned a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in legal studies at Bay Path University, and earned her juris doctorate at Western New England University. Garvey is the founder of Garvey Communication Associates Inc., a Springfield-based digital public-relations and marketing agency. He is a graduate of Marquette University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in arts and sciences with honors, and of American International College, where he earned a master’s degree in organizational development with an emphasis on strategic planning. He is a volunteer at Wild Care Cape Cod, a former board member of Valley Venture Mentors, and a past mentor for the startup accelerators MassChallenge and SparkHolyoke/EforAll. Sullivan is lead faculty for the Occupational Therapy doctorate program at American International College. As an occupational therapist and educator, she has dedicated her 27-year career to improving the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan, working in day-habilitation services, school-based occupational therapy, and residential settings. She is the chair of the MAOT Western Massachusetts Mental Health Special Interest Group, a certified group-exercise and yoga instructor, and the co-founder and leader of #OTalk2US, a Twitter chat for occupational therapists with tens of millions of views of tweets carrying this tag. Sullivan earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Amherst College, a master’s degree in occupational therapy from Springfield College, and a doctorate in occupational therapy from Temple University. She currently volunteers as an advisory board member for Lighthouse and a board member and social media committee chair for Allen Cognitive Network, and serves on the human rights committee for Viability.

•••••

Katherine Amato

Katherine Amato

Robinson Donovan, P.C., a full-service law firm, announced it has named attorney Katherine Amato a partner in the firm. Amato focuses her practice on all aspects of family law, including divorce; custody; representing children, parents, and guardians in guardianship of minors proceedings; and appellate work. She received her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law after completing a bachelor’s degree at Springfield College. She was selected to the Massachusetts Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers in 2018-20, and is a member of the BusinessWest 40 Under Forty class of 2016.

•••••

Western New England University (WNEU) announced that Dr. John Pezzuto, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, has been recognized in Stanford University’s recently released list of “Top 2% of Scientists in the World.” The list names an elite group of scientists with criteria based on the citation impact of their publications. In the overall category of career impact, Pezzuto is ranked in the top 4% of the top 2% of scientists. His placement is even more remarkable in the discipline-specific ranking of medicinal and biomolecular chemistry, where he is placed 21st among 80,622 researchers in that field — the top 0.02% of the top 2%. Pezzuto joined Western New England University in August 2020 as professor and dean. Over the years, he has investigated natural products as drugs, with special emphasis on cancer therapy and prevention. He is well-known for his pioneering work concerning resveratrol, a component of grapes and grape products, that has been shown to mediate a raft of biological responses. His work on investigating the effect of grapes on health and longevity continues at WNEU.

•••••

Pioneer Cold Logistics Services named Joseph McMahon executive vice president. He will be responsible for managing all aspects of the company’s operations as it continues to build upon Pioneer’s 70-year history of providing cold-chain warehouse and logistic service to food producers marketing in the Northeast. McMahon has 20 years of corporate experience in increasingly impactful roles. He began his career as an auditor at State Street Bank and furthered his accounting skills with Pricewaterhouse Coopers. He expanded his executive skill set at Bain & Co. before accepting management positions at CFGI, the nation’s largest non-audit business-advisory firm, and later Cloudant, an IBM company. He joined Pioneer in 2017, serving on the executive team in his most recent position as chief financial officer and controller. McMahon is an active member of his community, serving as a mentor for EforAll, a nonprofit that partners with communities nationwide to help under-represented individuals successfully start a business. He is a CPA and graduate of Bentley University in Waltham.

•••••

Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc., the parent company of Berkshire Bank, announced that the joint board of directors of the company and the bank has appointed Nitin Mhatre as president and CEO of the company and CEO of the bank, effective Jan. 29. Mhatre will also serve as a member of the board. Sean Gray, who has served as acting CEO since Aug. 10, has been and will continue to be president and chief operating officer of the bank. Mhatre is a senior banking executive with 25 years of community and global banking experience. Most recently, as executive vice president, Community Banking at Webster Bank, he was a member of Webster’s executive team and led its consumer and business banking businesses. In this role, he was responsible for profitable growth of the Community Banking segment at the $31 billion bank and led a diverse team of more than 1,500 employees. Previously, he spent more than 13 years at Citi Group in various leadership roles across consumer-related businesses globally. Mhatre served on the board of the Consumer Bankers Assoc., headquartered in Washington, D.C., since 2014 and was chairman of the board from 2019 to 2020. He also serves on the board of Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, headquartered in Hartford, Conn.

Company Notebook

By
Company Notebook

Bay Path Recognized for Supporting Students Throughout Pandemic

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University announce it was selected as a winner of the Virtual Innovation Awards: Excellence in Delivering Virtual Student Services hosted by NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Bay Path is among 10 schools recognized across the nation for exemplary virtual student support services, and one of only three schools to receive the top award of $50,000. The award highlights the effectiveness of the work being done to support both Bay Path’s traditional undergraduates and adult students enrolled in its online undergraduate degree program, the American Women’s College. These best practices will serve as case studies to inform the field at large. As Bay Path’s online program for adult women, the American Women’s College has been continually developing and enhancing its virtual support services since 2013. At the onset of the pandemic, university staff were able to put these supports into overdrive to ensure campus-based undergraduate students could easily access services despite the abrupt move to remote. Some of the virtual services that have allowed Bay Path University to be responsive to its diverse student body, whether in person or online, include a virtual career-services hub; UWill, a telecounseling service; and Tutor.com, which provides access to online tutoring services 24/7. Similarly, programming related to orientation, peer-to-peer engagement, community building, and multi-cultural affairs was provided by a support team that was able to quickly pivot to virtual platforms and social-media tools.

 

 

STCC to Reinstate Five Programs

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will restore five programs that were discontinued last year in response to projected budget shortfalls brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The STCC board of trustees voted to support biomedical engineering technology, biotechnology, civil engineering technology, dental assisting, and landscape design and management. STCC President John Cook said the college will work to reinstate programs after open, transparent, and public conversations with college stakeholders about needs and resources. In June, the college announced the discontinuation of seven programs as part of a broad set of cost-saving measures. Trustees established a committee to examine these programs, including costs, enrollment, facilities and equipment needs, and to consider questions of sustainability. Beyond the five programs, at a future time, trustees will continue the examination of two programs: automotive technology and cosmetology. STCC will work to relaunch the five programs in fall 2021, and the gross annual operating cost of these programs is approximately $500,000.

 

United Personnel Services Wins ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Award

SPRINGFIELD — United Personnel Services was recently honored in the Best of Staffing Client, Employee, and Talent Awards from ClearlyRated, in recognition of high levels of satisfaction from customers, job seekers, and employees. Winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and staff. Focused on helping to connect people with the right job opportunities, United Personnel Services received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 90.9% of clients and 78% of placed job candidates, significantly higher than industry averages. These ratings led to United Personnel’s fourth consecutive year of recognition as a Best of Staffing company from ClearlyRated.

 

Holyoke-based Startup Aims to Spark Non-alcoholic Beer Revolution

HOLYOKE — New to the beer and brewing industry, Ezra Bleau is introducing his business, Na Brews, with the launch of a Kickstarter campaign, “Na Brews (Nah Brooz) – Craft Beer for All People, for All Occasions.” This campaign will raise money for his mobile de-alcoholization production plan, increasing access to social, healthy alternatives nationwide. The main draw of the campaign is a $20 pledge to be part of the “world’s largest non-alcoholic beer collaboration, which he intends to do during a livestreamed interactive event with his brewer. The company has been in contact with the Guinness Book of World Records and is working on certifying the event. Participants will be a part of this new craft beer every step of the way, selecting everything from style, grains, and hops to label design. With their $20 pledge, each participant’s name will be included in the collaboration can label for a future keepsake, and they will also be sent a can for their enjoyment and have exclusivity to purchase more before it is opened up to the general public. NA Brews currently is an e-commerce operation based in Holyoke, offering online retail sales of non-alcoholic beer, spirits, and wine selections, including specialty boxes and subscription services for others to enjoy in the comfort of their own home or any social setting. Bleau also has a manufacturing and full alcohol-free production plan, partnering with independent breweries in surrounding communities to produce quality craft non-alcoholic beer.

 

Berkshire Bank Foundation Supports MCLA’s Summer STEM Academy

NORTH ADAMS — The Berkshire Bank Foundation awarded Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) $20,000 to fund the Berkshire Bank STEM Academy, which accepts up to 20 incoming first-year students enrolled in a STEM major or who have expressed interest in STEM fields. Designed to introduce incoming students to careers in STEM, the residential, five-day academy includes opportunities to network with STEM faculty, students, and staff in the interest of developing a deeper relationship with those involved in STEM careers in the Berkshires. The program’s ultimate goal is to encourage more students to secure jobs in the Berkshires and remain here after graduation. This summer will mark the ninth year of the Berkshire Bank STEM Academy. Alumni of the program, which was developed to serve low-income and first-generation college students, have gone on to be leaders at MCLA as residential advisors, tutors, and supplemental instructors. Graduates have gone on to have careers at Raytheon, General Dynamics, Edge Pharma, and as public-school teachers. Students are selected based on their responses to surveys taken upon their acceptance to the college. Interested students should e-mail program director Dr. Sara Steele, assistant professor of Psychology, at [email protected] to have their name prioritized in the selection process.

 

Country Bank Reports $1.3 Million in Community Philanthropy in 2020

WARE — Country Bank reported that its donations and sponsorships for 2020 totaled $1.3 million. Through the bank’s philanthropic efforts, it provided support to local nonprofits throughout the communities it serves; in 2020, more than 400 of these organizations received donations. The pandemic has left businesses and individuals facing continued looming uncertainties. Many nonprofits struggled from the economic fallout, and they looked to community partners like Country Bank for assistance. Country Bank donated more than $500,000 to area hospitals and first-responder housing efforts to provide the financial and tangible emergency resources needed to support their mission during the pandemic. Organizations receiving support included the Baystate Health Foundation, Quaboag Valley Community Development Corp., Christina’s House, Springfield Rescue Mission, Ronald McDonald House, and Behavioral Health Network Inc. Recognizing the importance and overwhelming need to help organizations that address hunger, Country Bank also provided monetary donations to food programs throughout the region that exceeded $100,000. The recipients of these funds included Friends of the Homeless, Rachel’s Table, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and many local food pantries.

 

Meyers Brothers Kalicka Unveils New Website

HOLYOKE — Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. (MBK) announced a new website, mbkcpa.com, this week. The primary goal during the redesign process was to create a more user-friendly and valuable resource for clients and community alike. More specifically, the firm wanted users to easily locate information about accounting services, industries it serves, the firm’s story and team members, career opportunities, and community support. The website also features an active blog with articles about taxation, accounting, advisory, news, and community. Additionally, the firm offers free newsletters centered around taxation, business, not-for-profits, and healthcare. These newsletters help readers stay informed on recent provisions and guidance, access articles, get invitations to special webinars or podcasts, and gain industry knowledge. You can subscribe to any or all of these newsletters for free by adding your e-mail address into the ‘subscribe’ feature located in the footer of the new website.

 

Community Comes Through to Help Amherst Survival Center Families

AMHERST — Hannah Rechtschaffen, director of Placemaking for the Mill District, and Andy Haase of Cowls Building Supply recently delivered more than 400 games purchased by W.D. Cowls Inc. to the Amherst Survival Center, augmenting dozens of community donations already collected and delivered from North Amherst Motors, the Toy Box, North Square Apartments in the Mill District, and Cowls Building Supply. In December, Lev Ben-Ezra, executive director of the Amherst Survival Center, outlined to Cinda Jones, president of W.D. Cowls, how the community could help her cause this winter. Ben-Ezra explained that the center was looking for ways to brighten the winter for families stuck at home, including craft kits, valentines, and other fun activities. Her hope for February was to distribute more than 400 games and puzzles to local families, and she asked the Mill District for help generating donations. Now, with more than 500 games donated in January, the Amherst Survival Center is providing families with games and activities along with groceries in February. Community members who want to help the Amherst Survival Center serve more families can donate online at amherstsurvival.org/donate.

 

WNEU Offers Free Graduate Courses to Current Students

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University announced that all current students (class of 2021 to class of 2024) will be offered two graduate courses free of charge with acceptance to a WNEU master’s-degree program upon completion of their bachelor’s degree. “As our undergraduates consider next steps, especially with the current economic climate, we want to help provide them with the opportunity to advance their credentials in what could prove to be a difficult time as the nation returns to post-COVID normalcy,” said Matt Fox, executive director of Graduate Admissions. According to the NACE Job Outlook Survey, 2021 hiring will be “more positive than expected given that the pandemic shut down the economy, plummeted the stock market, and raised the unemployment rate.” Nearly 17% of organizations responding to the NACE survey plan to increase their hiring levels of 2021 graduates, compared to 2020 graduates, and about 53% plan to maintain their level of hiring. Fox outlined the many benefits this opportunity offers, including improving employment and future advancement opportunities, deferred undergraduate loan payment, and what essentially equates to a 20% reduction in graduate tuition. For more information, visit www1.wne.edu/admissions/graduate/two-grad-courses.cfm.

 

Ludlow Elks Supports Program at Scantic Valley YMCA

LUDLOW — The Ludlow Elks awarded the Scantic Valley YMCA a $2,000 Beacon Grant from the Elks National Foundation to help the Y launch MOVE2Function, a movement-disorder fitness program. The Ludlow Elks have provided financial and in-person support for the Scantic Valley YMCA’s healthful-living programs. LIVESTRONG at the YMCA supports those impacted by cancer. The latest program to receive the Ludlow Elks support is MOVE2Function, offering those impacted by movement disorders evidence-based functional fitness programming to support them in making changes to support and improve all aspects of their health. Movement disorders include Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and essential tremor. In 2019 and 2020, the Ludlow Elks supported the Interactive Health Fair at the Scantic Valley YMCA, which was open to the public. With previous funding, the Ludlow Elks provided the food along with preparing and serving it. Attendees enjoyed a healthy meal while interacting with company representatives, YMCA staff, and college students to learn about such topics as nutrition, heart health, fitness, balance programming, blood pressure, and eye screenings.

 

UMassFive Directs $4,000 to Local Survival Centers

HADLEY — UMassFive College Federal Credit Union announced it has directed $4,000 in donations to local survival centers in Amherst and Northampton. The donations were made possible thanks to UMassFive winning a Credit Union Give Back Sweepstakes held by its credit-card servicer, PSCU. This sweepstakes selected 25 credit unions from across the country to receive $4,000 to donate to local charitable organizations of their choice. UMassFive chose to direct donations of $2,000 each to the Amherst Survival Center and the Northampton Survival Center in support of the extra cost burden that 2020 placed on the organizations. Both organizations had to pivot operations quickly to meet the most pressing needs of their communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and have seen more need than ever before.

 

Country Bank Supports Quaboag Valley CDC

WARE — Country Bank announced a $25,000 donation to the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corp. (QVCDC) to support various programs to help local communities in the region. A portion of the donation will be used toward a matching grant for a senior-citizen outreach program. This project was funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development, Massachusetts CDBG Program. Projects are developed and administered by local officials with the assistance of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Services for the outreach program include grocery shopping and prescription pickups for low-income seniors in Ware, Hardwick, Belchertown, and Warren. The QVCDC also offers various programs to assist businesses in the region with navigating these unchartered times. One of the latest programs includes companies with up to five employees that could be eligible to receive up to $10,000 in grant funding through a Microenterprise Assistance Grant.

 

Incorporations

By
Incorporations

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

LENOX

Pizzeria Boema Inc., 84 Main St. Lenox, MA 01240. Molly B. Lyon, 65 Blythewood Dr., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Restaurant.

LUDLOW

Sakura LI Inc., 456 Center St., Suite B, Ludlow, MA 01056. Xiao Xia Li, same. Restaurant – food service.

NORTHAMPTON

Viola Aesthetics and Day Spa Inc., 140 Main St. Northampton, MA 11060. Wioleta Guberow, 49 Elizabeth St. Palmer, MA 01069. Beauty spa services.

PITTSFIELD

Rock Business Solutions Inc., 346 North St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Rocco R. Errichettoe III, 715 North St. Windsor, MA 01270. Business equipment and systems.

Variable Standards (Varstan) Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. George Varimezov, same. Bookkeeping services.

SOUTH HADLEY

Paylessforoil.com Inc., 95 Main St., South Hadley, MA 01075. Christopher J. Chase, 29 Thomas St. Windsor Locks, CT 06096. Home fuel delivery.

Ray Rose Enterprises Inc., 125 College St., South Hadley, MA 01075. Scott Moore, same. Food concession.

SPRINGFIELD

Precise Transportation, Corp., 3 Fox Den Lane Springfield, MA 01109. Luis Rijo Morales, 3 Fox Den Lane, North Salem, NY 10560. Car transport.

Safe Royal Delivery Inc., 211 Starling Road, Springfield, MA 01119. Yevhen Marmura, 188 South Westfield St. Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Trucking.

Sami International Inc., 1212 Main St., Springfield, MA 01069. Iftikhar Ahmed Raja, 112 Main St., Apt. A Agawam, MA 01001. Trading, contracting, import export, real estate.

United Transmission of Springfield Inc., 33 Winter St. Springfield, MA 01103. Lester A. Deauseault, 819 Britton St. Chicopee, MA 01020. Automotive and truck repairs.

WESTHAMPTON

Trust, Auer, Rocque Inc., 213 Northwest Road, Westhampton, MA 01027. Farming and production of maple products.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Parker Acoustics Inc., 31 Pearson Way Suite 1 West Springfield, MA 01089. John W. Parker Jr., 111 Berkshire Ave. Southwick, MA 01077. Installation, replacement, and manufacturing acoustics.

Pharmacy Amanecer, 96 Cedar Woods Glen, West Springfield, MA 01089. Adnan Dahdul Ma, same. Pharmacy and retail sales.

Realigned Design Inc., 67 Hunt St., Suite 107 Agawam, MA 01001. Gregory Kishko, 88R Bosworth St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Design & construction.

WILBRAHAM

ROP Consulting Inc., 19 Brookmont Dr. Wilbraham, MA 01095. Ricky O. Pollard, same. Consulting.

WILLIAMSBURG

Williamsburg Market Inc., 7 Old Goshen Road, Williamsburg, MA 01096. Stephen Denny Smith, same. Retail food market.

Doing Business as Certificates

By
DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the month of January 2021. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

DEERFIELD

All One Massage
235 Greenfield Road
Melanie Phillips

Get It Together
26 Pleasant St.
Jenelle Wilkins, Marion MacMunn

Natural Stone Creations
3B Meadow Oak Lane
Ross Finch
Revisions Candles
175 North Main St.
Jaimie Allen

NORTHAMPTON

Amy Dawn Kotel Productions
56 Dunphy Dr.
Amy Dawn Kotel

High-Five
41 Strong Ave.
Christos Christodoulou

Honey & Wine
150 North Main St.
Alana Daviann Traub

The Institute for Emerging Adulthood
25 Main St., Suite 218
Jaycelle Monsanto Pequet

Lime Red Teahouse
11 Pleasant St.
Joe Deng

Milestone Farm
Valley Field Road
Angela Plassmann

Pig Pug Press
535 North Farms Road
Travis Norsen

Silent Source, LLC
58 Nonotuck St.
Harry Winton Ridabock II

Solana James Design
29 Cahillane Terrace
Solana Thais James

SOUTHAMPTON

A-Z Exterior Repairs
258 Hillside Road
Maksim Vovk

JRG Real Estate & Auction Services, LLC
68 Will Palmer Road
Tiffany Jacquier

WESTFIELD

Atlantic Travel
120 Steiger Dr.
Avis Lemire

Chrissy G’s Cakes
9 Michael Dr.
Christine Gustafson

Complete Excavating
16 Murray Ave., #3
William Kafanov

Distinct Impressions, LLC
4 Columbia St.
Angela Cooley

Franklin Auto Body
11 Dwight St.
Paul Mancino

Greater Springfield PAL
28 West Silver St.
Boys & Girls Club

John & Ariana, LLC
108 Wild Flower Circle
Anna Blanco

MDN Consulting, LLC
66 Flynn Meadow Road
Jason McDonald

Meeting House Commons Condominium Trust
138 Main St.
Brian Houser

Ravenwood Investigations
57 Jaeger Dr.
C. Lee Bennett

Red Cardinal
265 Union St.
RC Retail Westfield, LLC

Uplifting Art
6 Coleman Ave.
Tracey Miller

Veteran to Veteran Support & Assistance
14 Lowell Ave.
Peter Dehey IV

Zoey Management Service
76 Gary Dr.
Zhong Chen

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Allegiance Lease & Rental
268 Park St.
Michael Sirignano

Angelo Bertelli’s Liquor Mart
726 Main St.
Michael Passerini

Club Fitness
1452 Memorial Ave.
Steven Suschana

Costco Liquors
119 Daggett Dr.
Gail Tsuboi

Dean Auto Sales
6 River St.
Richard Rindels

Eddie Shore Enterprises Inc.
1305 Memorial Ave.
Catherine Pokorny

Huntington Creative Commercial Photography
132 Myron St.
David Michalak

IHOP
640 Riverdale St.
Timothy Mulson

Massage Envy
935 Riverdale St.
Mark Sarrazin

Mattress Firm
935 Riverdale St.
Vernon Holguin

Parashute
1095 Westfield St.
Yousuf Jaafar

Rafa Transportation, LLC
203 Circuit Ave.
Rafael Mkanga

Riverdale Imports
1497 Riverdale St.
Joseph Spano

Subway
1329 Riverdale St.
Umeshkumar Patel

Victory International Store Inc.
573 Union St.
Andrey Kolesnichenko

Bankruptcies

By
Bankruptcies

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

Alexander, Robert Bruce
811 East St., Apt. 8
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Date: 01/08/2021

Andre, Lenna
137 Vienna Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 13
Date: 01/08/2021

Benoit, Tricia M.
18 Helm St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 13
Date: 01/15/2021

Bliss, Donna Allene
47 Haywood St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Date: 01/14/2021

Bouchard, Michelle A.
22 Meadowbrook Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Date: 01/14/2021

Brink, Harold
Brink, Barbara A.
316 State Road – Apt. C10
Great Barrington, MA 01230
Chapter: 7
Date: 01/02/2021

Chalke, Sheryl Ann
150 Athol Road
Phillipston, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Date: 01/06/2021

Dunbar, Lawrence B.
Dunbar, Jeanette
a/k/a Zupkofska, Jeanette
14 Editha Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Date: 01/04/2021

Lamontagne, Philip
103 Doverbrook Road
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/31/2020

McNaney, Patrick Francis
McNaney, Deborah Jean
a/k/a Novak, Deborah
41 South St., Unit 68
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Date: 01/06/2021

Rivera, Wanda I.
a/k/a Rivera-Colon, Wanda I.
a/k/a Hernandez, Wanda I.
70 Harrison Ave., Apt. 701
Springfield, MA 01103
Chapter: 7
Date: 01/13/2021

Sawyer, Cheryl Lynne
5 Miller Ave.
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Date: 01/06/2021

Real Estate Transactions

By
Real Estate

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

FRANKLIN COUNTY

ASHFIELD

177 Brown Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $511,000
Buyer: John A. Kleber
Seller: Keith H. Snow
Date: 01/19/21

462 John Ford Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $328,000
Buyer: 462 John Ford Road LLC
Seller: Seymour W. Itzkoff
Date: 01/13/21

BERNARDSTON

924 Brattleboro Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Chester A. Phillips
Seller: Gardener F. Merritt
Date: 01/22/21

631 Fox Hill Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Kristie M. Timberlake
Seller: Michael J. Holden
Date: 01/22/21

BUCKLAND

2 Charlemont Road
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $517,000
Buyer: Scott L. MacMillan
Seller: Dennis F. Patterson
Date: 01/22/21

CHARLEMONT

400 Legate Hill Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Issac N. Sisum
Seller: Timothy J. Fazio
Date: 01/22/21

COLRAIN

4 Avery Hill Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Lisa J. Genetelli
Seller: Heather E. Garey
Date: 01/22/21

318 North Green River Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $297,500
Buyer: Cynthia M. Weeks
Seller: Wells NT
Date: 01/22/21

CONWAY

805 East Guinea Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: Keith Heberlein
Seller: MC AC & MC LLC
Date: 01/13/21

54 Maple St.
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: David Clark
Seller: Ellen Macleish-Zale
Date: 01/22/21

GILL

46 Mountain Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: John F. Waite
Seller: Kristie M. Timberlake
Date: 01/22/21

18 Walnut St.
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Heather Lawton
Seller: Trombley IRT
Date: 01/15/21

GREENFIELD

110 Beech St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Michael C. Stempel
Seller: Daniel J. Trenholm
Date: 01/13/21

30 Canada Hill
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Tricia M. Guerino
Seller: John G. Organ
Date: 01/15/21

148 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $207,500
Buyer: Tammy C. Jezek
Seller: John Burek
Date: 01/14/21

104 Leyden Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Rebecca Snow-Kowal
Seller: Heather L. Tencza
Date: 01/15/21

30 River St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $246,500
Buyer: Jorge A. Quintanilla
Seller: Christopher H. Martenson
Date: 01/22/21

HEATH

198 Hosmer Road East
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Justin F. Quinn
Seller: Charles E. Denmark
Date: 01/14/21

MONTAGUE

4 Church St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Craig Bryant
Seller: Derian M. Neyra
Date: 01/20/21

14 Morris Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Jason Edson
Seller: Jacob S. Dlugosz
Date: 01/19/21

94 Turnpike Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $269,900
Buyer: Katie R. Sabourin
Seller: William J. Doyle
Date: 01/21/21

NEW SALEM

21 Stone Hill Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Timothy J. Fazio
Seller: Barbara L. Hawley
Date: 01/22/21

NORTHFIELD

105 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Community Bible Church
Seller: Norway Spruce RT
Date: 01/22/21

173 4 Mile Brook Road
Northfield, MA 01354
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: Justin M. Kickery
Seller: Robert T. Duby RET
Date: 01/15/21

196 Millers Falls Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Joelle E. Fabrizio
Seller: William R. Chaney
Date: 01/15/21

665 Millers Falls Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $125,400
Buyer: John V. Bellenoit
Seller: Arthur James
Date: 01/14/21

SHELBURNE

1204 Mohawk Trail
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Todd M. Gerry
Seller: Joyce E. Root
Date: 01/15/21

SHUTESBURY

73 West Pelham Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Ariel Pliskin
Seller: Jason P. Zabko
Date: 01/14/21

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

32 Federal St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Vilai Sivongxai
Seller: Martin M. Downey
Date: 01/22/21

127-129 High St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Daniel C. Erickson
Seller: V&A Realty LLC
Date: 01/15/21

11 Liberty Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jason L. Elder
Seller: Ryan M. Scott
Date: 01/12/21

49 North St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: 716 Spring Valley LLC
Seller: Mark D. Olson
Date: 01/15/21

31 Ottawa St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $279,000
Buyer: Tyrell Smith
Seller: Daniel L. O’Connor
Date: 01/14/21

459 River Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Michael J. Pisano
Seller: James C. Stellato
Date: 01/14/21

92-94 Royal St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Jason R. Sinay
Seller: Ruslan Kuzmenko
Date: 01/21/21

301 South West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Ivanov NT
Seller: MS Homes LLC
Date: 01/20/21

32 Shoemaker Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $1,000,000
Buyer: Beach Mountain LLC
Seller: Irish Nugget RT
Date: 01/19/21

Shoemaker Lane (rear)
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $1,000,000
Buyer: Beach Mountain LLC
Seller: Irish Nugget RT
Date: 01/19/21

49 Woodside Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Dianne Robare
Seller: Edwards, Nancy A., (Estate)
Date: 01/21/21

 

BLANDFORD

2 Russell Stage Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Brittney Stuck
Seller: Adrian Z. Bruening
Date: 01/22/21

BRIMFIELD

111 Brookfield Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Kelly M. Carroll
Seller: Porter, Carolyn J., (Estate)
Date: 01/11/21

16 East Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $439,000
Buyer: Kyle T. Hill
Seller: Mark G. Saloio
Date: 01/15/21

CHICOPEE

109 Arcade St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $178,250
Buyer: Nicholas Adams
Seller: Carlisle, Andra H., (Estate)
Date: 01/19/21

36 Artisan St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: MDDO LLC
Seller: 855 Liberty Springfield LLC
Date: 01/22/21

36 Bostwick Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Viankie Pagan-Bonilla
Seller: Cecelia M. Roy
Date: 01/20/21

61 Chester St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Steven P. Gray
Seller: Mary M. Lamica
Date: 01/22/21

25 Dayton St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $171,500
Buyer: Juan A. Santana
Seller: Jorge Garcia
Date: 01/11/21

1466 Donohue Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Martin Thomas
Seller: Smuk, Josephine B., (Estate)
Date: 01/21/21

102 Felix St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $279,900
Buyer: Center For Human Developmen Inc.
Seller: Toth John, (Estate)
Date: 01/13/21

42 Forest St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Aguasvivas Realty LLC
Seller: Hebert, Paula L., (Estate)
Date: 01/15/21

92 Freedom St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $129,554
Buyer: E&G Joint Venture NT
Seller: Stevens, Doris A., (Estate)
Date: 01/20/21

52 Gladdu Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: NG Chicopee Realty LLC
Seller: Janet D. Mandeville
Date: 01/20/21

20 Glendale St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $197,500
Buyer: Thomas W. Adasiewicz
Seller: Lori A. Norton
Date: 01/21/21

1057 Granby Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Marta Ayala
Seller: Kulig, Ruth Mary, (Estate)
Date: 01/14/21

47 Greenleaf St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Mac Phail
Seller: Phuong T. Ly
Date: 01/13/21

5 Grise Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $342,000
Buyer: Aimee L. Diliberto
Seller: William E. Grise
Date: 01/12/21

332 Grove St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Nelson Alicea
Seller: Christine A. Morando
Date: 01/20/21

29 Jennings St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Alex M. Koval
Seller: Michael J. Klaus
Date: 01/13/21

81 Lord Ter. North
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Evaristo Almonte
Seller: Ryan S. Kumiega
Date: 01/11/21

82 Mandalay Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Jessica Campos
Seller: Dunne, Fleurette J., (Estate)
Date: 01/21/21

708 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Roy & Shirley Fanti LLC
Seller: Fanti Roy, (Estate)
Date: 01/15/21

14 Paderewski Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $281,000
Buyer: Barbara Baymon
Seller: Walter A. Medianero
Date: 01/19/21

52 Percy St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Tyler W. Judicki
Seller: Sandra M. Leese
Date: 01/13/21

130 Rimmon Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Maria M. Sierra
Seller: Remillard, Irene T., (Estate)
Date: 01/11/21

53 Saratoga Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Jose O. Morales
Seller: Gayle M. Moson
Date: 01/20/21

EAST LONGMEADOW

43 Breezy Knoll Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $479,900
Buyer: Alanna Lenahan
Seller: Steven J. Lussier
Date: 01/19/21

116 Colony Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $337,500
Buyer: Janene M. Kane
Seller: James M. Lentz
Date: 01/22/21

94 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $273,800
Buyer: Toni K. Coombs
Seller: Marco A. Scibelli
Date: 01/20/21

9 Fairview St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Nicholas Milluzzo
Seller: Joseph A. Blais
Date: 01/12/21

2 Harvest Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Emtay Inc.
Seller: Wilmington Savings
Date: 01/20/21

41 Helen Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Lynda S. Azar
Seller: David G. Chapdeliane
Date: 01/15/21

14 High St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Marvin Quentel-Newkirk
Seller: John A. Robinson
Date: 01/22/21

60 John St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $136,500
Buyer: Etabav RT
Seller: Christina L. Johnson
Date: 01/14/21

128 Lasalle St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jacob A. Levine
Seller: Sheila F. Brainerd
Date: 01/15/21

40 Linden Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Marjorie L. Hanks
Date: 01/13/21

101 Nottingham Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $585,000
Buyer: James M. Lentz
Seller: Conor M. Long
Date: 01/22/21

41 Rural Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $397,000
Buyer: Timothy Giguere
Seller: Paul Giguere
Date: 01/12/21

GRANVILLE

126 Barnard Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $308,500
Buyer: Andrew J. Richardson
Seller: Joseph F. Walsh
Date: 01/12/21

HAMPDEN

77 Old Orchard Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $322,000
Buyer: Thomas E. Young
Seller: Michael Bavaro
Date: 01/14/21

HOLLAND

10 Old County Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Brian D. Breen
Seller: Michael R. Vieira
Date: 01/19/21

11 Vinton Lane
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Lynn Elmy
Seller: Gregory L. Morsbach
Date: 01/13/21

HOLYOKE

24 Ashley Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $223,500
Buyer: Robert C. Daniell RET
Seller: Conor J. Bevan
Date: 01/20/21

23 Brenan St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $269,999
Buyer: Sarah M. Gray
Seller: Laura E. Carmody
Date: 01/20/21

67-69 Brown Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Alexander A. Almonte
Seller: Evaristo Almonte
Date: 01/11/21

93 Franklin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $125,014
Buyer: Sonia E. Salgado
Seller: Paul M. Bourbeau
Date: 01/22/21

25 Hickory St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Tambria Pioggia
Seller: Christopher W. Butler
Date: 01/20/21

94 Hillview Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Michael J. O’Connor
Seller: Joseph A. Deleva LT
Date: 01/21/21

20 Longwood Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Atlas Inspires LLC
Seller: Yankee Home Improvement Inc.
Date: 01/20/21

4 Loomis Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Joan E. Jackson
Seller: Whisperwood LLC
Date: 01/15/21

90 Lyman St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Carlos A. Millayes
Seller: John Sadowski
Date: 01/15/21

47 North Summer St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Ale Ventures LLC
Seller: Rafael Fernandez
Date: 01/20/21

37 Princeton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Jesse Stasinos
Seller: Andrew S. Lape
Date: 01/22/21

36 Queen St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Caroline Pinto
Seller: Jamie M. Cardoza
Date: 01/22/21

16 Taylor St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Eva R. Jaffe
Seller: Gail A. Hornstein
Date: 01/20/21

19 Village Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Kimberly A. Duclos
Seller: Deborah E. Parent
Date: 01/14/21

246 West Franklin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Miguel Colon
Seller: Jahjan LLC
Date: 01/15/21

LONGMEADOW

104 Barclay St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $287,000
Buyer: Carolyn Palmer-Wallace
Seller: CIG 2 LLC
Date: 01/11/21

69 Drury Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Paul R. Stevens
Seller: Eleanore C. Stevens
Date: 01/21/21

193 Edgewood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Harry Miller
Seller: Donald R. Einck
Date: 01/14/21

27 Fairfield Ter.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Robert M. Mack
Seller: Baiqing Li
Date: 01/15/21

73 Herbert St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $259,500
Buyer: Debra D. Zimmerman
Seller: Elizabeth A. Williams
Date: 01/11/21

103 Laurel St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $319,900
Buyer: Kelly Freeman
Seller: Maxwell D. Sullivan
Date: 01/19/21

27 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Joshua Vinocour
Seller: Derek Upson
Date: 01/14/21

66 Morningside Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $507,500
Buyer: 2019 Shenoy FT
Seller: Meadows RE LLC
Date: 01/11/21

131 Yarmouth St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $122,500
Buyer: Quercus Properties LLC
Seller: Charles F. Baatz
Date: 01/15/21

LUDLOW

35 Harvest Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Nicholas A. Zucco
Seller: Whitetail Wreks LLC
Date: 01/22/21

32 Lower Whitney St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Cecile Bryant
Seller: Theodore A. Bryant
Date: 01/21/21

121 Prokop Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: Richard Nguyen
Seller: Antonio G. Silva
Date: 01/22/21

24 Ridgeview Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Dolores Rodrigues
Seller: Ormeche, Gloria, (Estate)
Date: 01/20/21

Sunset Ridge
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Alex G. Kudla
Seller: Baystate Developers Inc.
Date: 01/22/21

MONSON

13 Paradise Lake Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Gary D. Suter
Seller: Billy W. Pope
Date: 01/14/21

MONTGOMERY

22 Pineridge Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $148,500
Buyer: June Wright
Seller: David A. Wright
Date: 01/21/21

PALMER

260 Breckenridge St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Carlton B. Martin
Seller: Steven J. Desmarais
Date: 01/22/21

19 Colonial St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Lauren Meister
Seller: Paul J. Les
Date: 01/12/21

10 Fieldstone Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Siyang Song
Seller: Mark T. Baldyga
Date: 01/13/21

54 Mechanic St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Martin
Seller: Steven P. Skaza
Date: 01/15/21

1246 Park St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $121,000
Buyer: Nicholas A. Martowski
Seller: Linda M. Swift
Date: 01/15/21

3 Salem St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Mary E. Dembkowski
Seller: Susan Monat
Date: 01/13/21

RUSSELL

55 Cedar Ter.
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Joshua Bush
Seller: Brittany E. Cox
Date: 01/22/21

75 Dickinson Hill Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Paul J. Girard
Seller: Margaret A. Kurtz
Date: 01/20/21

SPRINGFIELD

11-15 Alsace St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Jayleen A. Rivera
Seller: Susan G. St.Onge
Date: 01/14/21

70 Alvin St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Vanessa J. Zurita
Seller: Christopher M. Lemieux
Date: 01/22/21

213 Arcadia Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Janet Namono
Seller: Phaneuf, Arthur N., (Estate)
Date: 01/11/21

147-149 Arnold Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $329,900
Buyer: Roland Nkwanyuo
Seller: John P. Goodwin
Date: 01/14/21

51 Atwater Road
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Declan O’Connor-St.Pierre
Seller: Carlos Morales
Date: 01/19/21

101 Avery St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Daneiry Velez
Seller: Keena S. Clarke-Guillaume
Date: 01/15/21

176 Barrington Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Juan E. Espinosa
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 01/15/21

18 Beaven St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Glenmary Ortiz-Alvarado
Seller: Casiano Ramos
Date: 01/11/21

17 Bellevue Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Lana Adero
Seller: Barbara M. Robillard
Date: 01/15/21

49 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $571,161
Buyer: Springfield Portfolio Holdings
Seller: Belmont State LLC
Date: 01/19/21

710-712 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Sineade Sokolskiy
Seller: Nancy Figueroa
Date: 01/12/21

1195 Berkshire Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Pedro Diaz-Almenas
Seller: Jennifer L. Flynn
Date: 01/20/21

181 Bowdoin St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Angie O. Obomanu
Seller: Sovereign Properties Inc.
Date: 01/22/21

12 Burns Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Rachel Elliott
Seller: Michelle D. White
Date: 01/14/21

83 Catalina Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Willis E. Glidden
Seller: Dorothy A. Gloster
Date: 01/15/21

24 Cleveland St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $182,000
Buyer: Taiye M. Ologunro
Seller: Evelyn S. Lopez
Date: 01/22/21

59 Corey Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Jill C. Nelson
Seller: Anthony S. Diliberto
Date: 01/12/21

189-191 Corthell St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Brandon A. Ford
Seller: Dylan A. Chasse
Date: 01/14/21

24 Crest St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Santana Real Estate Inc.
Seller: William Rivera
Date: 01/20/21

186 Davis St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $122,250
Buyer: Equity T. Co.
Seller: Fettes, James W., (Estate)
Date: 01/22/21

42-44 Dubois St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $224,500
Buyer: Robert Arnett
Seller: Walter S. Czepiel
Date: 01/15/21

16 East Canton Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Oksana L. Gonzalez
Seller: Michele A. Ouimet-Rooke
Date: 01/15/21

48 Enfield St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jonathan DosSantos
Seller: Paul J. Lizak
Date: 01/13/21

17 Euclid Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Julisa Rosado
Seller: Mark Robbins
Date: 01/15/21

224 Forest Hills Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Felixavier Fuentes-Colon
Seller: Ryan, Mary F., (Estate)
Date: 01/22/21

230 Forest Park Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Deepak Limbu
Seller: Marc A. Hertz
Date: 01/15/21

149 Glenoak Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Rosabel Andrillon
Seller: Value Properties LLC
Date: 01/11/21

46 Grand St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Melissa Magnan
Seller: VDS Properties LLC
Date: 01/13/21

68 Grandview St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Yolonda Pearson
Seller: Nicole A. Rodriguez
Date: 01/14/21

152 Grayson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Thomas Cloarec
Seller: Ryan W. Kalriess
Date: 01/15/21

8 Hartford Ter.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Meaghan E. Murphy
Seller: City View Property Services LLC
Date: 01/15/21

22-24 Highland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Miriam Medina
Seller: Ferdinand Gonzalez
Date: 01/13/21

40 Ingersoll Grove
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $287,500
Buyer: Joshua H. Rando
Seller: Cory B. Coleman
Date: 01/12/21

72 Jean Dr.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Lisa M. Bobbitt
Seller: Angela J. Murray
Date: 01/22/21

172 Keddy St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Luxiana Property LLC
Seller: Susan E. Jones
Date: 01/15/21

90 Kensington Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Yanming Wang
Seller: Hernan A. Fabian
Date: 01/11/21

35 Knollwood St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $211,000
Buyer: Ann Saez
Seller: Nicholas S. Manolarakis
Date: 01/15/21

135 Laconia St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Sundari Kishore
Seller: TL Bretta Realty LLC
Date: 01/12/21

41 Ladd St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Lischey M. Correa
Seller: Yellowbrick Property LLC
Date: 01/21/21

18 Larkspur St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Lorna Rickord
Seller: Larkspur LLC
Date: 01/15/21

4-8 Leyfred Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $571,161
Buyer: Springfield Portfolio Holdings
Seller: Belmont State LLC
Date: 01/19/21

99 Leyfred Ter.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Frederick Afranie
Seller: Brico Properties LLC
Date: 01/21/21

29-31 Mansfield St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Melvin Malave
Seller: Willie E. Glidden
Date: 01/12/21

220 Maple St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $339,000
Buyer: Emily Le
Seller: Courtemanche, D. A. 2nd, (Estate)
Date: 01/15/21

400 Maple St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Amount: $499,000
Buyer: Quinfield Realty Investors LLC
Seller: Brandon Donnelly
Date: 01/22/21

83-85 Mayfair Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: KTHP Realty LLC
Seller: Christopher J. Gamble
Date: 01/15/21

15 Mazarin St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Fannie J. Loadholt
Seller: Tamara L. Brown
Date: 01/15/21

339 Newbury St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $173,400
Buyer: Elizabeth Maisonet
Seller: Iris Valentin
Date: 01/15/21

80 Northampton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Dennis Vasquez
Seller: Alycar Investments LLC
Date: 01/11/21

49 Nutmeg Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Gina Bartolo
Seller: Lindsey M. Knodler
Date: 01/22/21

22 O’Connell St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: Michael F. Lipinsky
Seller: MacDonald, Martha C., (Estate)
Date: 01/20/21

247 Osborne Ter.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $193,500
Buyer: Daniel C. Hernandez
Seller: Nicholas J. Laporte
Date: 01/15/21

111-113 Parallel St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Patrick Thomas
Seller: Joshua M. Cedeno
Date: 01/15/21

138 Park Dr.
Springfield, MA 01106
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Mark M. Suazo
Seller: Linda C. Kinsley
Date: 01/15/21

208-212 Pearl St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $571,161
Buyer: Springfield Portfolio Holdings
Seller: Belmont State LLC
Date: 01/19/21

112 Penrose St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: Aimee L. Gladden
Seller: Melva Martinez
Date: 01/15/21

88-90 Phillips Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Luis G. Valcarcel
Seller: Rose Ngigi
Date: 01/15/21

Pondview Dr.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Patricia S. Reilly
Seller: Sheehan, Rita H., (Estate)
Date: 01/15/21

27 Preston St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $152,900
Buyer: Brizeida D. Ayala
Seller: Blodgett, Richard A., (Estate)
Date: 01/13/21

51 Pulaski St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: John J. Paquin
Seller: Barbara Potter
Date: 01/13/21

8 Putnam St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $147,500
Buyer: Plata O. Plomo Inc.
Seller: Manyra A. Starrjohnson
Date: 01/19/21

72-74 Rittenhouse Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $259,700
Buyer: Belki Tejeda
Seller: Elisandro Cuevas
Date: 01/19/21

49 Sherman St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Framary Maldonado-Resto
Seller: Jonathan Cruz
Date: 01/15/21

3 Silver St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Chizoba Okoye
Seller: Radwan Zaitoun
Date: 01/13/21

80-82 Silver St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Diplomat Property Manager LLC
Seller: Springfield City Code Housings
Date: 01/21/21

683-685 State St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $571,161
Buyer: Springfield Portfolio Holdings
Seller: Belmont State LLC
Date: 01/19/21

83-85 Sterling St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Johnson
Seller: Marowski, Robert, (Estate)
Date: 01/15/21

53 Talmadge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Crystal Velez
Seller: Damaris Morales
Date: 01/20/21

59 Terrence St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $121,000
Buyer: MCN New Wave LLC
Seller: Olga L. Orbe
Date: 01/11/21

195 Tyler St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Nurys Rodriguez-DeCruz
Seller: Robby A. Thomas
Date: 01/22/21

19-21 Victoria St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Tracy C. Bradford
Seller: Jamie Kiniry
Date: 01/20/21

153 Westminster St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $259,900
Buyer: Quetty C. Jean-Ebian
Seller: William Warner
Date: 01/22/21

169 Wheeler Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Annemarie Doyle
Seller: Loomis, Mary J., (Estate)
Date: 01/20/21

758 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Nahiomi Pagan
Seller: Samantha Thompson
Date: 01/12/21

59 Wilmont St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Vananh Nguyen
Seller: Son Vo
Date: 01/21/21

164-166 Woodlawn St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $255,200
Buyer: Robert Monegro
Seller: Oanh Ngoc-Phan
Date: 01/11/21

1422-1424 Worcester St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Kameron Wilson
Seller: Joaquim C. Martins
Date: 01/14/21

SOUTHWICK

193 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Laura O’Neill
Seller: Louis J. Evans
Date: 01/22/21

54 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Frank Bogdanovich
Seller: Kevin P. Brennan
Date: 01/22/21

796 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $392,500
Buyer: Southwick Care LLC
Seller: Gerald M. Pohner
Date: 01/20/21

1 Lexington Circle
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Michael J. Pellerin
Seller: Eric W. Lottermoser
Date: 01/15/21

51 Pineywood Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Aaron Bryant
Seller: Sarah E. Barton
Date: 01/15/21

WEST SPRINGFIELD

47 Angeline St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Bawichin Sung
Seller: Mykola Persanov
Date: 01/15/21

41 Banks Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Jason Kevit
Seller: Shelley A. Bourgeois
Date: 01/21/21

38 Clarence St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Carmagnola Realty LLC
Seller: Donald Felix
Date: 01/21/21

63 Elm Circle
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Johany Narvaez
Seller: Minas Alitbi
Date: 01/15/21

40 Fairview Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Elenilton Oliveira
Seller: Nelya Mecher
Date: 01/14/21

21 Lyman St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $289,000
Buyer: Jose Gonzalez
Seller: JBD Empire LLC
Date: 01/22/21

20-22 Merrick St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Aleksandr Katykhin
Seller: Yuriy Sychev
Date: 01/19/21

353 Rogers Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: Lakshmi S. Mudumba
Seller: Angel R. Villar
Date: 01/11/21

62 Southworth St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $247,500
Buyer: Anthony J. Ruffule
Seller: John E. Prenosil
Date: 01/22/21

5 Wilder Ter.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Jacquelyn D. Gordon
Seller: Jeffrey W. Dean
Date: 01/21/21

135 Wilder Ter.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Matthew T. Maratea
Seller: Rodney J. Dole
Date: 01/15/21

WESTFIELD

6 Apple Orchard Heights
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Matthew T. Howard
Seller: Catherine B. Shannon
Date: 01/22/21

7 Atwater St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $232,200
Buyer: David F. Burgoyne
Seller: Jennifer Balukonis
Date: 01/15/21

53 Bailey Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $449,000
Buyer: Jason Pressey
Seller: Sruti M. Brahmbhatt
Date: 01/15/21

111 Birch Bluffs Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Adam D. Orth
Seller: Polaski, James W., (Estate)
Date: 01/15/21

6 Brenda Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Jessica M. Luczynska
Seller: Richard Girard
Date: 01/22/21

2 Lewis St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: 358 Mlc LLC
Seller: M&C Real Estate LLC
Date: 01/20/21

95 Lindbergh Blvd.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Bridgette T. Mulville
Seller: CIG 2 LLC
Date: 01/15/21

13 Maple St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Maksim Martynyuk
Seller: Igor I. Popov
Date: 01/22/21

76 Montgomery St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: John Joyce
Seller: Kristy L. Johnston
Date: 01/12/21

48 Pleasant St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Sandra Atkins-Jason
Seller: Johanna L. Lamb
Date: 01/22/21

3 Powdermill Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Christine Ciollaro
Seller: David P. Crichton
Date: 01/14/21

121 Ridgecrest Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Travis Brenner
Seller: Renkowicz, Linda, (Estate)
Date: 01/20/21

48 Ridgeway St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $208,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Durocher
Seller: Mary Mahan
Date: 01/15/21

91 Shaker Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: Bridget A. Barber
Seller: April M. Lewis-Krol
Date: 01/13/21

4 Shepard St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $284,000
Buyer: Arshik A. Samad
Seller: Mario Santaniello
Date: 01/14/21

11 Violet Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $410,500
Buyer: Joseph N. Zurheide
Seller: Francis Wheeler Construction
Date: 01/12/21

26 William St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Gennadiy Laba
Seller: Vitaliy Lukin
Date: 01/22/21

WILBRAHAM

24 Dumaine St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: IJN Equities LLC
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 01/11/21

130 Mountain Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Collette Haskell
Seller: Nathan D. Torretti
Date: 01/22/21

3 Patriot Ridge Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $619,900
Buyer: James J. Pignatiello
Seller: Richard J. Fraziero
Date: 01/13/21

547 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $273,900
Buyer: Daniel R. Jusler
Seller: Thomas Young
Date: 01/14/21

791 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Taina Vargas
Seller: Paul J. Robbins
Date: 01/12/21

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

473 Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: Darrell Hunter
Seller: Laurie J. St.Amand
Date: 01/22/21

830 Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Ertugrul Tonak
Seller: Norman S. Holland
Date: 01/20/21

77 North Whitney St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $562,500
Buyer: Joel M. Greenbaum
Seller: Richard L. Shumway RT
Date: 01/15/21

BELCHERTOWN

42 Clark St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $248,000
Buyer: Shane Hollenbeck
Seller: Christopher C. Phelps
Date: 01/12/21

1035 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Kenneth Eggleston
Seller: William B. Keedy
Date: 01/21/21

85 Jackson St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $267,500
Buyer: Justin Ritter
Seller: Nicole A. Miner
Date: 01/15/21

138 Kennedy Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $399,000
Buyer: Michael J. Stacy
Seller: Benjamin B. Mattingly
Date: 01/20/21

6 Pine St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Christopher Anciello
Seller: Blanco Realty LLC
Date: 01/19/21

18 Pine St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $472,609
Buyer: Matthew R. Ridenour
Seller: Robert A. Morra
Date: 01/15/21

37 Pine Brook Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Alyssa Puia
Seller: NJRE Property Group LLC
Date: 01/15/21

232 Rockrimmon St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Jordan Ross
Seller: Charles J. Forest
Date: 01/12/21

111 Warner St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $369,900
Buyer: Ashley Gallagher
Seller: Dean A. Marshall
Date: 01/15/21

EASTHAMPTON

217 Hendrick St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $344,000
Buyer: Stephen T. Hyde
Seller: Thomas Bacis
Date: 01/15/21

10 John St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Scott A. Smith
Seller: Blanchette, Robert L., (Estate)
Date: 01/11/21

108 Line St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: W. Marek Inc.
Seller: Edna M. Bresnahan LT
Date: 01/12/21

30 Pomeroy St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: David Marek
Seller: Michael J. O’Connor
Date: 01/20/21

GOSHEN

104 Ball Road
Goshen, MA 01096
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Andrew B. Watt
Seller: Nordic Real Estate LLC
Date: 01/15/21

26 Westshore Dr.
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Hosea Baskin
Seller: Rainer Noess
Date: 01/11/21

GRANBY

169 Chicopee St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Jolene N. Brennan
Seller: Jose Lopez
Date: 01/21/21

52 Ferry Hill Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $527,500
Buyer: Adam D. Corcoran
Seller: Roberta M. Green
Date: 01/12/21

HADLEY

9 Hillside Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Barry M. Sponder
Seller: Thomas F. Quinlan
Date: 01/20/21

5 Nikkis Way
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $729,000
Buyer: Norman S. Holland
Seller: Bercume Construction LLC
Date: 01/21/21

108 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $489,000
Buyer: Richard A. Walton
Seller: Bruce D. Montague
Date: 01/15/21

HATFIELD

87 School St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $987,000
Buyer: Old Mill Enterprises LLC
Seller: Carl G. Burwick
Date: 01/12/21

NORTHAMPTON

53 Acrebrook Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $326,388
Buyer: Breanna K. Lynch
Seller: Morin, Anna G., (Estate)
Date: 01/11/21

20 Bates St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $340,800
Buyer: Janixa M. Tercero-Parker
Seller: Alexia Manin
Date: 01/12/21

186 Bridge St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Horan
Seller: Michele L. Kirouac
Date: 01/15/21

1261 Burts Pit Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $284,000
Buyer: Roger L. Friedel
Seller: Homestead Connections LLC
Date: 01/15/21

25 Elizabeth St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Justin Smith
Seller: J. M. Hart RET
Date: 01/14/21

19 Ellington Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $287,000
Buyer: Michael L. Matuszek
Seller: Matthew Motamedi
Date: 01/15/21

137 Emerson Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $665,000
Buyer: David Morse
Seller: Rosemund LLC
Date: 01/13/21

34 Fruit St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Leah King
Seller: Bruce A. Gibbs
Date: 01/12/21

47 Higgins Way
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Allison Snow
Seller: Sturbridge Development LLC
Date: 01/15/21

8 King Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: William S. Hogan
Seller: John E. Mahoney
Date: 01/13/21

56 Laurel St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $376,000
Buyer: Kay Canavino
Seller: Jacquelyn Duda
Date: 01/15/21

Maynard Road #2
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: Martin Sexton
Seller: Kerry Dinh
Date: 01/21/21

117 Olander Dr. #15
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $590,078
Buyer: Karen Clay
Seller: Sunwood Development Corp.
Date: 01/15/21

117 Olander Dr. #18A
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $371,058
Buyer: Craig Meck-Machado
Seller: Sunwood Development Corp.
Date: 01/11/21

5 Orchard St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $372,000
Buyer: Carol Pineda
Seller: Melissa J. Lampron
Date: 01/21/21

109 Overlook Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Leigh K. Shippee
Seller: Ahearn, Neal T., (Estate)
Date: 01/21/21

30 Park St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Corinne Butler-Guest
Seller: Frances V. Krumpholz
Date: 01/11/21

567 Sylvester Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Nathan Moczulewski
Seller: Philip Moczulewski
Date: 01/22/21

35 Westwood Ter.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Roger W. Salloom
Seller: Wells, Joan R., (Estate)
Date: 01/19/21

PLAINFIELD

Liberty St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $169,717
Buyer: Maud Geng
Seller: Tomkat International Corp.
Date: 01/14/21

SOUTH HADLEY

23 Chestnut Hill Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: David G. Morris
Seller: Ceasar P. Fernandes
Date: 01/22/21

108 College St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Joe Villanueva
Seller: Laplante Construction Inc.
Date: 01/22/21

16 Columbia St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Evan P. Warner
Seller: Jay D. Beaulieu
Date: 01/19/21

57 Hadley St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Kevin A. Trousdale
Seller: Ethan L. Bagg
Date: 01/15/21

8 Hollywood St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $228,900
Buyer: Karina Linares
Seller: Marilyn M. Halliday
Date: 01/22/21

77 Judd Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Cody A. Griswold
Seller: Wildman, James M., (Estate)
Date: 01/21/21

12 Plainville Circle
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Geoffrey Falade
Seller: Joanne Walton-Bicknell
Date: 01/22/21

24 Tampa St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Phyllis A. Leach
Seller: David G. Morris
Date: 01/22/21

 

23 The Knolls
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Amanda J. Shallcross
Seller: Leslie A. Dickinson LT
Date: 01/12/21

SOUTHAMPTON

Fitch Farm Way #1
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $138,500
Buyer: David Garstka Builders LLC
Seller: RGB Industries Inc.
Date: 01/15/21

WARE

64 Eagle St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $224,900
Buyer: Niki J. Vaughan
Seller: Jill Gravel-Combs
Date: 01/22/21

259 Greenwich Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Lynn E. Ruwet
Seller: Daniel J. Luksha
Date: 01/22/21

25-27 Grove St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $247,300
Buyer: Scott Lunt
Seller: Marth-E LLC
Date: 01/14/21

73 Hardwick Pond Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Mark E. Hausser
Seller: Mary A. Beeman
Date: 01/19/21

19 High St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Erika R. Lima
Seller: Nasser Zebian
Date: 01/22/21

5 Maple St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: David Warren
Seller: Dudek, May, (Estate)
Date: 01/15/21

29 Pinecrest Circle
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Greg Robbins
Seller: Normand T. Mathieu
Date: 01/22/21

24 Sherwin St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $181,000
Buyer: Debra A. Valois
Seller: Jason McBride
Date: 01/15/21

WESTHAMPTON

112 Kings Hwy.
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Conar Myers
Seller: Christopher M. Tautznik
Date: 01/13/21

WILLIAMSBURG

81 South St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Terry D. Dawson
Seller: Shane L. Lashway
Date: 01/20/21

Building Permits

By
Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the month of February 2021

AMHERST

Mary Ellen Pappas Barden
76 North Pleasant St.
$31,000 — Replace two existing rear doors with auto bi-parting doors, other repairs

CHICOPEE

DKRV Commercial Properties, LLC
1247 East Main St.
$20,000 — Roofing

RK Chicopee, LLC
591 Memorial Dr.
$10,887 — Install customer-access gates

LEE

Lee Premium Outlets
17 Premium Outlets Blvd.
$12,629 — Replace two gas-fired rooftop units

LENOX

MRG CRW Holdings, LLC
55 Lee Road
$455,000 — Construct new deck off Wyndhurst Mansion ballroom, including stairs, door access, and minor interior modifications

Sharon Walker
10 Richmond Mountain Road
$5,950 — Remove and dispose of exterior metal fire escape

NORTHAMPTON

City of Northampton
North Maple Street
$31,194 — Replace seven sheds at Arcanium Field

Saqib Tasneem, Kimberly Tasneem
242 King St.
$1,500 — Reface illuminated ground sign

Saqib Tasneem, Kimberly Tasneem
242 King St.
$1,500 — Reface illuminated wall sign

Tandem Bagel
3 North Main St.
$10,000 — Remove non-structural wall and add wall

PITTSFIELD

Allendale Shopping, LLC
5 Cheshire Road
$39,115 — Interior demolition for proposed renovation

City of Pittsfield
874 North St.
$4,000 — Install two windows

Louis Costi
1315 East St.
$57,000 — Alterations for retail cannabis store, including creation of five rooms, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and finishes

Mark Mancari
31 Lakecrest Dr.
$23,500 — Construct small three-season porch on existing deck

Wohrles Inc.
1619 East St.
$56,850 — Roofing

SPRINGFIELD

447 State Street, LLC
447 State St.
$17,000 — Repair rear deck, stairways, and railings

Baystate Medical Center Inc.
759 Chestnut St.
$15,323,888 — Infrastructure upgrades related to surgery expansion on second floor, install new elevators and elevator rooftop machine room, new electrical substations and two new generators

Baystate Medical Center Inc.
759 Chestnut St.
$1,073,000 — Alter interior space on sixth floor for adolescent/pediatric psychiatric care unit

Center for Human Development
1985 Main St.
$8,000 — Install fire-alarm system at CHD training center

City of Springfield
255 Plainfield St.
$5,856,100 — Install fire-alarm system at Brightwood Elementary School

East Springfield Industrial Buildings Corporated
225 Carando Dr.
$4,835,785 — Alter former warehouse space for educational use at Veritas Preparatory Charter School

Financial Plaza Trust
1350 Main St.
$10,855 — Alter interior space on 10th floor for subdivision of existing suite into two suites

Icarian Real Estate Advisors, LLC
77 Mill St.
$12,000 — Add insulation to basement walls

Pearson Liberty Development
300 Birnie Ave.
$65,300 — Remodel interior space at New England Orthopedics

Rise and Walk Ministry
379 Oak St.
$12,000 — Roofing

Springfield 3550 Medical Properties, LLC
3550 Main St.
$100,150 — Remodel interior medical office at Valley Women’s Health

Kristin Carlson, President, Peerless Precision

By
Class of 2021

She Has in Many Ways Become the Face of Manufacturing Locally

Leah Martin Photography

Kristin Carlson calls it the ‘Boston Marathon bomber story.’

Because … it’s about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the two brothers who perpetrated those heinous crimes almost eight years ago now. More to the point, though, it’s about the role her company played in eventually apprehending him.

Indeed, Tsarnaev was found hiding in a boat in a backyard in Watertown, and he was discovered through the use of a thermal-imaging camera in a police helicopter flying over the area. Carlson’s company, Westfield-based Peerless Precision, makes several components for that camera, including one for the cryogenic cooling system that ensures that the camera doesn’t overheat during use.

As she held one up for BusinessWest to see, she said just showing people the part isn’t nearly as impactful as trying to explain what it’s used for — or, in this case, how it can play a significant role in writing history.

That’s why she tells the Boston Marathon bomber story often, although she admits that its days might soon be numbered. That’s because she usually tells it to young people in the hopes that they might be intrigued enough by it to perhaps pursue a career in precision manufacturing. And by young, she means high-school age, and preferably middle-school age. And those in that latter category are now, or soon will be, too young to really remember the 2013 bombing and its aftermath.

“I want to make sure that kids, and adults who are looking for another career option, are aware of what we do in Western Mass., and they know about the viability of a career in manufacturing and what it has to offer.”

But Carlson has other stories — perhaps not as dramatic or crystalizing. All of them are designed to show what precision manufacturing is all about, and also how companies in this area provide parts for helicopters, fighter jets and bombers, the Space Shuttle, medical devices, automobiles, submarines, and so much more. She often borrows the line used often by Rick Sullivan, now the president and CEO of the Western Mass. Economic Development Council but formerly mayor of Westfield, who would say that, if you saw a plane flying over the city, there’s a good chance that tens of thousands of dollars worth of its parts were made in the city.

Other stories talk about how someone manufacturing these parts can make a very good living and have a job with real security — yes, even in the wake of a global pandemic. And she tells them often, too.

Kristin Carlson holds up one of the parts her company

Kristin Carlson holds up one of the parts her company, Peerless Precision, makes for thermal-imaging cameras, like the one used to locate one of the Boston Marathon bombers.

And then there’s her story — a 38-year-old woman now managing this precision manufacturer. We’ll get to that one in a minute. These stories help explain why Carlson has been named a Difference Maker for 2021. Indeed, while she has helped grow the company since she took over for her father, Larry Maier, as he battled and eventually succumbed to cancer, she has made an even bigger mark — on a regional and now national stage — in the ongoing effort to educate people about what gets made here and also about careers in manufacturing, thus addressing ongoing issues involving workforce and a skills gap.

“I want to make sure that kids, and adults who are looking for another career option, are aware of what we do in Western Mass.,” she said, “and they know about the viability of a career in manufacturing and what it has to offer.”

In a field where complaints about these issues have been going on for decades involving generations of shop owners and managers, she has distinguished herself by going beyond complaining. Well beyond. In fact, in many ways, she has become the face of manufacturing in Western Mass. — a much different face than has ever been associated with this sector locally.

“Instead of sitting idly by and talking and complaining, I wanted to do something about it,” said Carlson, who was recently appointed to the state’s Workforce Training Advisory Board and also sits on the National Tooling and Machining Association’s AMPED (Advanced Manufacturing Practices and Educational Development) Board.

And while there’s still much work to be done, she has, indeed, done something about it, and that’s why she’s a Difference Maker for 2021.

 

Making Her Mark

Despite everything you’ve read already in this piece about manufacturing, what a good career it is, and how Carlson has thrived in it, she readily admits she had to be talked into coming back to this this region and Peerless Precision after her father got sick.

And it took a lot of talk.

She was living in San Diego at the time, working for a fire-alarm contractor, handling everything from inside sales to building websites to being the runner to go to City Hall and get the fire-alarm building permits for new construction.

In 2009, her father was diagnosed with colon cancer. “At the time, he asked me … if something ever happened, would I come home from California and help my mom either decide to keep the company or sell it,” she recalled. “My dad always wanted me to be doing what I’m doing now, and I was pretty much in a place at that point in my life where I needed to decide what my path was going to be on my own; I didn’t want someone else to define that for me.

“Because he was stubborn and I’m just as stubborn as he was, I fought what he wanted tooth and nail until it came time for me to make that decision,” she went on. “So when he asked me if I would come home if something happened, I said ‘yes.’”

Kristin Carlson, seen here with Peerless Precision machinist Kaitlyn Fricke

Kristin Carlson, seen here with Peerless Precision machinist Kaitlyn Fricke, says progress has been made to inspire women to enter the manufacturing field, but more work must be done.

Something did happen. After undergoing surgery and chemotherapy and eventually earning a clean bill of health, her father’s cancer not only returned but spread to other parts of his body. And Carlson kept her promise to her dad, even if he didn’t remember her making that promise.

That was in 2012. Since that time, Carlson has verified the faith her father had her, establishing herself not only at the company — transitions such as these are rarely seamless — but also in the industry, and especially in the broad realm of helping to educate people (and especially young people) about precision manufacturing as a career path.

Such efforts have been going on for decades, and Carlson notes that, in many respects, she is simply carrying on the work of her father, who was extremely active with workforce initiatives in this sector. Indeed, the two of them share what could only be called a passion for such work.

Much of her work involves debunking myths, or at least long-standing beliefs. There are many of them, and they range from those concerning the death of manufacturing in this region (it’s not what it was 30 or 40 years ago, to be sure, but it’s not dead) to the presumption that women can’t or shouldn’t get into this field, to the opinion that one has to go to college to succeed in life.

“I was pretty much in a place at that point in my life where I needed to decide what my path was going to be on my own; I didn’t want someone else to define that for me.”

Carlson, who went to college because she was told she needed to, is working on all these fronts simultaneously. She confronts the problem with statistics, with stories — like the one about the Boston Marathon bomber — and sometimes just by showing up in a room.

Indeed, as a woman not just in this industry, but one leading a company and sitting on regional and national boards, she has become an effective role model, or ‘exhibit A,’ if you will, when it comes to everything she talks about. As in everything.

“For a kid whose father had bought a machine shop and was pushed to go to college when I’m better at hands-on things … I wish I had been given different options,” she told BusinessWest. “My parents told me that I couldn’t make anything of myself if I didn’t have a college degree; that’s not a good message, but it’s also the message that was being pushed across the board back then — and still, today.”

Like her father, Larry Maier, before her, Kristin Carlson has made workforce development a passion and a big part of her life and work.

While the pandemic is keeping people from touring the facilities at Peerless Precision in person, there are still virtual visits, where young people can meet not only Carlson, but her pit bull, Bruno. They can also see six women on the manufacturing floor (years ago, they would only have seen them in the front office or shipping and receiving). And they can see parts like the one that goes into the thermal-imaging camera that captured Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in that boat.

“My parents told me that I couldn’t make anything of myself if I didn’t have a college degree; that’s not a good message, but it’s also the message that was being pushed across the board back then — and still, today.”

And they can hear Carlson talk about other things made in this region — from toys at LEGO and Cartamundi to ketchup bottles at Meredith Springfield to coolers at Pelican Products. Overall, it’s a powerful message, she said, but one that needs to be reinforced and told to new audiences every year, several times a year, if possible. That’s because those old myths, those old perceptions, die hard.

 

Parts of the Whole

Before ever telling the Boston Marathon bomber story, Carlson wanted to make sure she had her facts straight.

“When I saw our customer’s logo on that camera shot, I called him right away and said, ‘do you think there’s a possibility that that part in the camera that found the bomber is from our shop?’ — and he said ‘absolutely,’” she recalled, adding that additional research verified what she suspected.

She’s told the story many times since, because it conveys what many people don’t know, but should — that the precision-machining sector in this region is making a difference in the lives of people across the country.

Likewise, Carlson is making a difference as well, carrying on the work of her father in so many ways, and, as noted, becoming the face — or at least one important, perhaps unexpected face — in a sector with a rich history and, thanks to her efforts, perhaps an equally rich future.

 

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

EforAll Holyoke

By
Class of 2021

This Nonprofit Ensures That Entrepreneurs Won’t Have to Go It Alone

Tessa Murphy-Romboletti, executive director of EforAll Holyoke.  (Leah Martin Photography)

“If your dreams don’t scare you … they are not big enough.”

That’s the quote, attributed to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian president, economist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, that is stenciled onto one of the walls at EforAll Holyoke’s headquarters on High Street, in the heart of the city’s downtown.

Tessa Murphy-Romboletti, executive director of this nonprofit since its inception, chose it for many reasons, but mostly because it resonates with her and also because it accurately sums up entrepreneurship in general, as well as the work that goes on in that facility.

In short, she said, dreams of running a business should scare someone, because there is nothing — as in nothing — easy about getting a venture off the ground … and keeping it airborne.

“Entrepreneurship is so terrifying,” she said. “And when our entrepreneurs come to us, they often don’t have the support of friends or families or big networks telling them to go for these dreams. That’s why we’re here — to tell them that they’re not alone … and that you have to be a little crazy to be an entrepreneur.”

Helping turn dreams into reality is essentially what EforAll is all about. This is a statewide nonprofit with offices in a number of cities with large minority populations and high unemployment rates — like Holyoke. Its MO is to blend education in the many facets of business with mentorship to help entrepreneurs navigate the whitewater they will encounter while getting a venture off the ground, to the next level, or even through a global pandemic (more on that last one later).

It will be many years, perhaps, before a city or a region can accurately gauge the impact of an agency focused on inspiring entrepreneurship and guiding entrepreneurs, but Murphy-Romboletti believes EforAll is already making a difference, especially with the minority population.

“The difference we make is very tangible for people who are seeking new sources of income for their families and themselves, and when you’re an entrepreneur who’s just getting started, it’s really hard to navigate where to go, who to talk to.”

“The difference we make is very tangible for people who are seeking new sources of income for their families and themselves, and when you’re an entrepreneur who’s just getting started, it’s really hard to navigate where to go, who to talk to,” she told BusinessWest. “The model that we use, providing really close mentorship, makes such a difference — you don’t have to go through the process alone.”

Her sentiments are backed up by some of those who have found their way to EforAll and been part of one of its many accelerator cohorts. People like Sandra Rubio.

Years ago, she started baking cakes for family members because she wasn’t happy with the quality and price of what she found in area stores. Soon, she was making cakes and other items for friends, neighbors, and even total strangers who had been exposed to her work. And her success promoted her to launch Totally Baked 413, which will soon open a location in the Holyoke Transit Center on Maple Street.

Sandra Rubio credits EforAll and its director, Tessa Murphy-Romboletti

Sandra Rubio credits EforAll and its director, Tessa Murphy-Romboletti, with helping her get her venture, Totally Baked 413, off the ground.

She credits EforAll with helping her make the leap from part-time activity to full-time enterprise — but not leap until she was ready and not make too big a leap too soon. She also credits her mentors and Murphy-Romboletti with getting her through those times when she was tempted to let the dream die.

“There were times when I just wanted to give up, say ‘forget it,’ and go back to work,” she recalled. “But then, I would meet with my mentors, meet with my class, and it got me right back on track — it gave me the push I needed to press on.”

And people like Jailyne Torres, who launched Shyguns, a creative clothing brand and seller of vintage clothing. She said she took part in the Spanish-speaking accelerator, called EsparaTodos, and credited EforAll with helping her gain consistency and take a concept she conceived when she was only 16 years old and make it into a business.

“I always had the idea, the concept, but I never really knew how to make it actually make it a brand,” she said. “But EsparaTodos helped me with all that.”

Such comments explain why EforAll, while still small and emerging, if you will, like the businesses it mentors, is already a Difference Maker in the community it serves.

 

Dream Weavers

As she talked with BusinessWest at EforAll’s facility, Murphy Romboletti said being there elicited a number of different emotions.

Indeed, while she said it always feels good to be in that space, COVID-19 has made the visits far more infrequent, and it has brought what is often an eerie quiet to a place that was always full of people and energy. The co-working space is now unused for safety reasons, and there are far fewer meetings and activities taking place there, with most programs carried out virtually. All this is made more frustrating by the fact that it took more than a year of hard work to secure the space and get it ready for its opening in the fall of 2019, only to have the world change and the space go mostly dark just a few months later.

“For those first couple of weeks when I would come back, it was like, ‘oh, man, this is tortuous — this is a hard pill to swallow,’” she noted before quickly taking the conversation in a different, more poignant direction. “The irony is that’s exactly what so many of my entrepreneurs were feeling; a lot of them, especially those in the cohort that we graduated that March, were just coming into the world as new entrepreneurs, and the world said, ‘hold on … we’ve got some other plans.’

“So, during the pandemic, we kind of became therapists for a while, listening to people’s concerns and what they needed help with, and trying to connect them with all the resources that were out there,” she went on. “But at the end of the day, there was so much that was out of our control; we tried to be as supportive as we could and continue to provide a community for them so they could survive this.”

COVID has changed some things, certainly, but when you get right down to it, EforAll Holyoke has always been about providing a community and helping entrepreneurs not only survive, but thrive.

Jailyne Torres says EforAll has been instrumental

Jailyne Torres says EforAll has been instrumental in helping her take Shyguns to the next level.

Launched five years ago as SPARK, the agency quickly became an important part of the region’s growing entrepreneurship ecosystem. In 2018, it affiliated with EforAll, short for Entrepreneurship for All, a network that now boasts eight offices across the state, including the most recent, in the Berkshires.

Like many of the other offices, the one in Holyoke now conducts accelerator programs in both English and Spanish (EsparaTodos), and graduates four cohorts of entrepreneurs each year, two in the spring and two in the fall.

Like most accelerators, these XX-week programs are designed to educate participants on the many aspects of starting and operating a business — everything from writing and updating a business plan to working with the media — while also connecting them with mentors who can impart their wisdom and first-hand experiences.

When asked what it’s like, Rubio said simply, “intense.” By that, she was referring to everything from the classwork to the back and forth with her mentors. And that intensity helped her persevere through the challenges of getting a plan in place, finding and readying the site for her bakery and café, and getting the doors open.

“So, during the pandemic, we kind of became therapists for a while, listening to people’s concerns and what they needed help with, and trying to connect them with all the resources that were out there. But at the end of the day, there was so much that was out of our control; we tried to be as supportive as we could and continue to provide a community for them so they could survive this.”

“Every time I was close to saying, ‘I’m done,’ they would say, ‘you’re on the right track; keep going,’” she recalled. “And we would keep going.”

Likewise, Carlos Rosario kept going with his venture, Rosario Asphalt, which specializes in residential driveways and repairs.

Rosario, speaking in English that is, like his bottom line, improving consistently from year to year, said EforAll has helped him make the big leap from working for someone else to working for himself.

He told BusinessWest that those at EforAll helped connect him with sources of capital, including banks and Common Capital, to secure loans that have enabled him to buy the equipment needed to handle more — and larger — jobs, including a trailer and a truck. And he’s hired his first employee, a truck driver.

“If it wasn’t for EforAll, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he said, adding that the agency and the mentors assigned to him have helped with all facets of running a business, but especially with making those all-important connections to professionals, capital, and potential clients.

Torres agreed. She said EforAll has helped her with aspects of her business that people don’t think about when they’re focused on an idea and maybe a brand. Things like data entry, pricing, marketing, and “allowing transformation to happen.”

“When I started the project, it was based on the creative clothing part,” she explained. “And then, I was able to add second-hand clothing, and not limit what the future might bring.”

That’s certainly another colorful and poignant way of summing up what EforAll does for those who participate in its programs.

 

Scare Tactics

Here’s the full quote attributed to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: “The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.”

Most people have the capacity to dream as big as Johnson Sirleaf believes they should. But not everyone has what it takes to make those dreams become reality. Those who have entrepreneurial ambitions and spirit are among those who can.

But even such driven individuals can’t go it alone. EforAll exists to make sure they don’t have to. And that’s why it’s a true Difference Maker in Holyoke — and beyond.

 

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

Janine Fondon, Founder, UnityFirst.com; Professor, Bay Path University

By
Class of 2021

This Journalist, Educator, and Mentor Inspires Others with Her Unstoppable Energy

Leah Martin Photography

Karen Fisk, director of Marketing and Communication for the Springfield Museums, calls Janine Fondon a “connector.”

And that’s just one of many words that can be used to describe the founder of UnityFirst.com, a national distributor of diversity-related e-news to corporations and diverse communities. Indeed, she is also an educator — she’s currently chair of the Undergraduate Communications Department at Bay Path University and has been an adjunct professor at many area colleges and universities — as well as a journalist, public speaker, colleague, and mentor.

But ‘connector’ probably works best, and it most effectively sums up what she does in the Western Mass. community — and beyond.

“As a team player, she connects people in various institutions who could work together for positive change,” Fisk, who worked with Fondon to help bring the exhibit Voices of Resilience (more on that later) to the Museums, wrote in her nomination of Fondon as a Difference Maker. “As the Leader of UnityFirst, she connects the public with black-led, owned, and operated businesses and institutions. As a teacher, she connects young people to ideas that empower them … she helps nurture the seeds that grow into remarkable projects that make a difference.”

Through all this work connecting people, Fondon, who relishes this role, told BusinessWest that she strives to make the region a better place through the sharing of knowledge, ideas, goals, and dreams for the future.

“As a team player, she connects people in various institutions who could work together for positive change. As the Leader of UnityFirst, she connects the public with black-led, owned, and operated businesses and institutions. As a teacher, she connects young people to ideas that empower them … she helps nurture the seeds that grow into remarkable projects that make a difference.”

During her time at Colgate University, a liberal-arts college in Upstate New York, Fondon recalled that she was encouraged to “raise your voice, be part of the world, and make a difference.” She did so there — she became part of a gospel choir, for example — and has done so throughout her life.

Part of her MO, if you will, is to inspire others by telling the stories of those who came before, those who blazed a trail, and those who, well, made of difference in the community and the world. This is especially true when it comes to women, and women of color. Many of these stories haven’t been told, or told as much as they need to be, she said, adding that telling them was the broad goal behind Voices of Resilience, which is still on display at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts at the Quadrangle.

It features more than 70 stories of women — activists and businesswomen, mostly — ranging from Gwen Ifill, the longtime host of Washington Week (and Springfield native) who passed away a few years ago, to Lejuana Hood, who founded Springfield’s Pan African Museum, to Miriam Kirkaldy, Fondon’s grandmother, who came to Ellis Island in 1917 and forged a new life for herself.

“I decided to pull together some stories — some rooted in Springfield, others rooted around Springfield — and these are stories that needed to be told because we can learn from them,” Fondon explained, using her grandmother as an example.

“She came via Ellis Island from Jamaica, and she came the year before the 1918 pandemic,” she explained. “You think about the fortitude she displayed and her experience; I grew up with her experience, and I said, ‘we can learn from that experience.”

The exhibit also formed the backdrop for the fourth annual On the Move event in 2020. Organized by Fondon, this gathering, which will be staged virtually this year due to the pandemic, encourages conversation and networking among women, and it has become a well-attended tradition.

It’s also another example of how Fondon has devoted her time, energy, and imagination to finding new and different ways to bring people together, share ideas, and work individually and collectively to move the needle when it comes to diversity, inclusion, women breaking down barriers, and so much more.

In short, it’s just another case of how she connects and serves this region as a true Difference Maker.

 

Loud and Clear

If you look closely, as in very closely, you might be able to pick out Fondon in one of the pictures of real students from New York’s fabled High School of Music & Art at the end of the 1980 movie Fame.

She was in the choir, and the shot of that group was among many of the last class of that school before it merged with the School of Performing Arts and moved to Lincoln Center.

“I wouldn’t even call it a cameo,” said Fondon, who noted that she had some talent, but not enough to join the likes of famous alums such as Billy Dee Williams, Christopher Guest, Susan Strasberg, Hal Linden, or Steven Bochco and make it as a performer or producer.

But she left the school with an even deeper appreciation for the arts than what she already had, and it has remained with her throughout her life. And you might say she’s achieved a different kind of fame after first graduating from Colgate University, where she majored in sociology and anthropology and studied in London, Paris, and Barbados, among other places.

The exhibit Voices of Resilience

The exhibit Voices of Resilience is just one of many ways Janine Fondon has helped educate others and inspire them to find their own voices.

After leaving Colgate, she pursued work in the media, working first at CBS as a news intern and handling research for 60 Minutes, among other shows, then ABC in the Public Relations department, where she was encouraged to continue her education, and did so, earning her master’s degree at New York University.

Fondon worked in New York for some time before moving to an ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C. and eventually relocating to Massachusetts, where she has worked in a number of fields. She worked at Digital Equipment Corp., for example, and later at Bank of Boston, in its Corporate Communications department.

After starting a family, she desired more flexibility in her schedule and started freelance writing and then teaching on an adjunct level, with the former becoming the basis for UnityFirst.com, an information portal that shares topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion with more than 4,000 members of the national press, including top mainstream business publications, television, radio, and internet sources.

Recent pieces on the site include headlines like these:

• “Barbara Bush Foundation Celebrates Black History Month with the Release of New Anti-racist and Anti-bias Teaching Resources”;

• “Barefoot Celebrates and Supports Black Female Business Owners with the Return of #WeStandforHer Campaign”; and

• “Canada’s Black Loyalists Honored on Royal Canadian Mint’s New Silver Coin Celebrating Black History.”

“We go to thousands of people in a variety of formats, from our direct e-mails, the website, and collaborations that we have with others across the country,” she explained. “We’re just here engaging and sharing information.

“And we have one of the most loyal readership bases I can imagine — people have been with us for 20 years and continue to read with interest,” she went on. “People are engaged in our news, and it continues to grow every day. And I’m really proud that we have a really young base that’s coming in and engaging. That, to me, is the hallmark — sharing information, having people engage, learning, and using that information.”

This past year was certainly an important one for UnityFirst, she said, given all the racial turmoil in the country and new dialogue about equity and inclusion.

“I started to do some writing and speaking beyond our own circle,” she told BusinessWest. “And that engaged a lot of people as well. And I want to do more of that because engaging with others and beginning new dialogues … that brings about change.”

While she continues to byline new stories each week and teach at Baypath, she continues to look for new and different ways to use her voice, inspire others to use theirs, and further inspire an entire region by recalling some voices of the past.

“And we have one of the most loyal readership bases I can imagine — people have been with us for 20 years and continue to read with interest. People are engaged in our news, and it continues to grow every day.”

Such is the case with On the Move, which will again be staged on March 8, this time virtually. Fondon doesn’t like the word ‘conference’ to describe it, though, preferring ‘forum’ instead.

“We have a conversation, and sometimes there are breakouts that we do,” she said, adding that the setting has changed through the years — it has been staged at Bay Path, CityStage, and the Springfield Museums, for example — but the mission remains the same: to engage, educate, and inspire. “This year, we’re going to look at where we are and where we’re going.”

Looking ahead, and anticipating what might come next in a career that has taken her to different parts of the country and a host of different career opportunities, Fondon said she intends to keep doing what’s she always done — and maybe find even more ways to do it.

“There’s so much work yet be done,” she explained. “As long as we can keep sharing information that helps us make better decisions and get to a better place, there is room for all that I have to do.”

 

Hear and Now

Returning to that nomination of Fondon, Fisk wrote that “she listens, she encourages, she shares ideas, she shares remarkable, unstoppable energy. Most important, she cares, deeply cares, and she hopes, and then she takes action.”

And, above all, she connects. Indeed, all her life, Fondon has been doing what she was encouraged to do while in high school and college — find her voice. And not only find it, but use it.

She’s used it to educate and empower people. And with this knowledge and power, others can hopefully do what she has long been doing acting as a Difference Maker in the community and, in truth, everywhere one’s voice can be heard.

 

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

Harold Grinspoon, Philanthropist; Founder, Aspen Square Management

By
Class of 2021

By Highlighting and Supporting the Under-recognized, He’s Changing Lives

Leah Martin Photography

For almost three decades, Harold Grinspoon has built an impressive network of philanthropic endeavors by asking a key question: who deserves more help and recognition than they’re currently receiving?

The most recent major piece of that network, the Local Farmer Awards, are a perfect example.

“Farmers have a really hard time making a living, and they work so hard,” he told BusinessWest, citing, as an example, a farmstand he frequents in the Berkshires, whose proprietor once told him about her difficulties getting water from a nearby mountain to her farm.

“Selling corn at fifty cents an ear doesn’t leave too much extra for a pipeline,” he said. “She gave me an idea — what can we do for the farmers? Farmers need help. Farmers never ask for help. They’re the most humble, hardworking people in the world. And this idea came to me to help them with capital improvements.”

Since the 2015 launch of the Local Farmer Awards, the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation (HGCF) has given 375 awards — of up to $2,500 — to about 200 farmers in Western Mass. to aid with capital projects. In doing so, the foundation and its team of corporate partners has invested more than $885,000 in local farming.

“Farmers need help. Farmers never ask for help. They’re the most humble, hardworking people in the world. And this idea came to me to help them with capital improvements.”

“We don’t do anything alone,” said Cari Carpenter, director of the Local Farmer Awards and the Entrepreneurship Initiative, two key programs of the HGCF. “Big Y came on board right at the start because they’re such advocates for local products and wanted to support the local farmers.”

Other program partners — Baystate Health, Ann and Steve Davis, Farm Credit East, HP Hood, and PeoplesBank — have signed on over the years as well, making the Local Farmer Awards an ideal representation of what Grinspoon tries to accomplish with each of his charitable programs (and we’ll talk about several of them in a bit). That is, partnering with like-minded individuals, foundations, and businesses to not only support worthy causes, but stimulate philanthropy across the region.

In other words, making a difference shouldn’t be a solo performance.

“From my point of view, if you made the money in the Valley, you’d better give it back to the Valley,” he said. “You have to give back. This is where you made your living, and these are the people you need to support.”

In the case of farmers, that support is more critical now than ever.

“To show you just how significant the need is, we just closed out our application cycle on January 31, and we had 170 applications,” Carpenter said. “These are 170 unique projects in our region, and when you read through them, the words ‘COVID’ and ‘pandemic’ were repeatedly mentioned, and how they’ve really had to change their whole strategy of ‘how do I even deliver products to customers?’

“We just feel we’ve met a need in good times, and it’s even more of a need now during this pandemic,” she went on. “We really want to help the farmers reach their full potential. It’s a hard business, and by giving them these awards to help them purchase a tractor implement or netting to cover their blueberry bushes so birds won’t get at them, or whatever the project is, it’s to help the farm reach their full potential.”

Harold Grinspoon congratulates honorees at the Local Farmer Awards (top) and the Excellence in Teaching Awards.

Harold Grinspoon, now 91 years old, has been helping people — and communities — reach their potential in myriad ways for decades now. He’s a Difference Maker not only for where he directs his money, but for the thought and passion he puts behind each initiative — and for planting the seed for others to get involved, too.

 

Giving Back

Grinspoon made his fortune as a real-estate entrepreneur, founding Aspen Square Management almost 60 years ago and watching the company bloom into a nationally recognized housing group managing more than 15,000 properties across the country.

In 1991, he established the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, focused on enhancing and improving Jewish life and culture. The Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for a number of educational and entrepreneurial activities in the Western Mass. region, followed soon after.

As he worked his way up in real estate, he told BusinessWest in a 2008 interview, he developed a great sense of appreciation for the average blue-collar worker, and for the opportunities this country has afforded him, and felt a real responsibility to give back.

“I always knew, if I made it, I was going to give it away. I didn’t want to spend the entirety of my life making money,” he said at the time. “Philanthropy has, in many respects, set me free.”

Perhaps the best way to examine his collective impact is through his foundations’ individual programs, such as the Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative, a collaboration among 14 area colleges and universities.

Behind Harold Grinspoon are photos

Behind Harold Grinspoon are photos of his large, colorful sculptures created from dead trees, many of which can be seen around the region.

Since 2003, the program has recognized and awarded more than 1,000 students for their entrepreneurial spirit and business ideas, while its entrepreneurship education, competition, and celebration events have reached well over 10,000 students and members of the community.

“That’s very close to my heart,” he noted. “Every college and university in the Valley is involved with that.”

The program actually offers four awards each year, each aimed at a different stage of the startup experience: elevator-pitch awards for compelling ideas, concept awards for startups in the pre-revenue stage, Entrepreneurial Spirit awards for companies that have begun to generate revenue, and alumni awards for later-stage successes.

“Elevating the stature of entrepreneurs has been incredibly impactful among these college students,” Carpenter said. “It gives them the sense this could be a viable career option. On top of that, it recognizes the importance of creative thinking — one of Harold’s beliefs — to help people realize the importance of being curious and using their creativity, and that’s what these entrepreneurs are doing.”

The Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards debuted the same year, and with the same idea: to recognize, inspire, and help a critically important group of people.

“Financially, because I’m a businessman, I can afford to financially give. But I know people who are very humble financially, but are very giving of their time and energy and their spirit, and their legacy is so important to them.”

“To be a great teacher is amazing,” Grinspoon said. “They’re molding children at a very impressionable age, and we’re recognizing them for the outstanding work they do. I think someone should stand up and applaud the teachers.”

Applaud he does, at three separate banquets each year, to accommodate all the winners and the friends, families, and colleagues who come out to support them.

“If you know anything about Harold, he wants to recognize under-recognized people,” said Sue Kline, who spearheaded the Excellence in Teaching Awards for many years. “He thinks of his own path and the difference that teachers made in his own life, and he saw an opportunity where not enough was being done.”

These days, the program recognizes more than 100 teachers each year from about 45 school districts. “Like everything he does, it has evolved over time,” Kline said, noting that, in addition to the $250 cash prize, each honoree has the opportunity to apply for a Classroom Innovator Prize to bring some form of project-based learning into the classroom.

Harold Grinspoon in his art workshop

Harold Grinspoon in his art workshop with fellow artist Alicia Renadette.

“This isn’t really intended for teachers about to retire, although districts can nominate anyone they feel is outstanding,” Kline said. “It’s meant to encourage mid-level teachers who want to do more. That’s what the project-based learning part does — to help them do something they’ve always wanted to try.”

It’s an extra touch that separates these awards from other recognition programs, just as the Local Farmer Awards ceremony invites each winner to bring $50 worth of products, to create ‘harvest swap bags’ that all guests receive at the end.

“These things represent his own creative thinking, his own energy — the way he cares about children and teachers, or about farmers not being well-supported,” Kline said. “That depth doesn’t come from every ordinary philanthropist, but it is reflected in everything his foundation and his charitable foundation do.”

 

Global Impact

Though Grinspoon, understandably, wanted to focus his recent interview with BusinessWest on the local efforts of the charitable foundation, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation — the arm that focuses on Jewish life — has quietly become a powerhouse across the country and around the world. For example:

• JCamp 180, launched in 2004, helps build the capacity of nonprofit Jewish camps through mentorship, professional-development opportunities, and challenge grants;

• PJ Library (2005) connects people to a colorful world of Jewish history, tradition, and values by delivering Jewish-themed books to hundreds of thousands of children and their families around the world each month;

• Voices & Visions (2010) is a poster series eliciting the power of art to interpret the words of great Jewish thinkers;

• Life & Legacy (2010) helps Jewish day schools, synagogues, social-service organizations, and other Jewish entities across North America build endowments that will provide financial stability; and

• PJ Our Way (2014), the ‘next chapter’ of PJ Library, provides tweens (ages 9-12) the gift of Jewish chapter books and graphic novels.

Several years ago, Grinspoon’s vast array of work attracted the attention of Warren Buffett, who invited Grinspoon and his wife, Diane Troderman, to join the Giving Pledge, a commitment by the world’s wealthiest indivduals to dedicate at least half their wealth to philanthropy.

“I met some fantastic people through the Giving Pledge,” he said, and reiterated why he was already well on his way to fulfilling the pledge even before joining it. “I don’t understand how people with wealth don’t give it back. It’s foreign to me. And I’m not just talking about giving serious dollars; I’m talking about giving your time and energy.”

These days, Grinspoon has more time to work on his art — his large, colorful sculptures created from dead, reassembled trees can be seen throughout the region — while he enjoys seeing decades of work in philanthropy take root in other, very real ways.

“For me, it’s about developing your legacy,” he said. “Who do you want to be known as? Financially, because I’m a businessman, I can afford to financially give. But I know people who are very humble financially, but are very giving of their time and energy and their spirit, and their legacy is so important to them.”

In other words, anyone can be a Difference Maker — just look to Harold Grinspoon for inspiration, and get to work.

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

 

Chad Moir, Founder and Owner, DopaFit Parkinson’s Movement Center

By
Class of 2021

He Helps People with Parkinson’s Disease Live Healthier, More Confident Lives

Leah Martin Photography

Chad Moir calls his mother his greatest teacher.

“She really, truly lived by the mantra that you never look down on someone, and that you always stick your hand out to help them,” he said. “I’ve been lucky enough to be put in a position where I can help people while honoring my mother, and I can do it in a fun and exciting way.”

He’s referring to DopaFit Parkinson’s Movement Center, the business he started six years ago as the culmination of a tragic event — the premature passing of his greatest teacher, who was stricken with an aggressive form of Parkinson’s and was gone five years after her diagnosis.

Moir took his mother’s death hard. “I fell into a bit of a depression,” he told BusinessWest when we first spoke with him two years ago. “I hated Parkinson’s disease and everything to do with it. I didn’t even want to hear the word ‘Parkinson’s.’ But one day, something clicked, and I decided I was going to use my resentment toward Parkinson’s in a positive way and start to fight back.”

Today, DopaFit members, all of whom are at various stages of the disease, engage in numerous forms of exercise, from cardio work to yoga; from spinning to punching bags, and much more. On one level, activities are designed to help Parkinson’s patients live a more active life by improving their mobility, gait, balance, and motor skills.

“It has been proven through science that, when you do vigorous exercise while living with Parkinson’s disease, your symptoms won’t progress as quickly, and sometimes they are halted for a while as well. We have seen people whose symptoms have regressed.”

But research has shown, Moir said, that it does more than that: exercise releases the neurotransmitter dopamine into the brain, slowing the progress of Parkinson’s symptoms.

“Exercise is the only proven method to slow down the progression of Parkinson’s disease,” he told BusinessWest. “It has been proven through science that, when you do vigorous exercise while living with Parkinson’s disease, your symptoms won’t progress as quickly, and sometimes they are halted for a while as well. We have seen people whose symptoms have regressed. The goal is for people not to progress, or progress slowly, but if we can reverse some of those symptoms, that’s a big win.”

Members are typically referred to Moir from their movement-disorder specialist, neurologist, or physical therapist. “A lot of times, for our older members, it can be one of their kids who finds us; their parent was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, they want to do anything they can to help, and they come across us online.”

Whatever the case, Moir and his team will meet with the individual and often a family member and discuss symptoms, their story, and how DopaFit might help.

“We have about a 99% success rate of people who try it and stay,” he said. But getting in the door — or online, as the case may be in this challenging time — is only the beginning.

 

Recognizing a Need

Moir’s own beginnings in a career focused on this deadly disease was a half-marathon in New York City to raise some money for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. He ended up collecting about $6,000, and started to think about what else he could do for the Parkinson’s community.

Chad Moir says membership was climbing

Chad Moir says membership was climbing steadily before the pandemic, and it has been a challenge to keep everyone engaged, whether in person or virtually, over the past year.

While attending classes at American International College, he saw a need for a Parkinson’s exercise group in the area. “There is a lack of Parkinson’s services in general. I really, truly believed that if I built it, they would come. That was our motto, and I stuck to that motto through the hard times, and it certainly has brought us here. We thought there was a need, and we’ve proven there was a need.”

He started working with individuals in their homes, then opened the first DopaFit gym in Feeding Hills in 2015. He moved to the Eastworks building in Easthampton a year later, and then to the current location, at the Red Rock Plaza in Southampton, in 2018 — a site with more space, ample parking, and a handicapped-accessible entrance. He also launched a second, smaller DopaFit location in West Boylston.

When they first arrive at DopaFit, members undergo an assessment of where they are physically and where they would like to be in six months. Then they’re assigned to one of two exercise groups. One includes people who don’t need assistance getting in and out of chairs and can move about freely with no assistive equipment, like canes, walkers, or wheelchairs. The second group requires a little more assistance.

“With the group-exercise portion, that’s where we have to be very imaginative and come up with fun and different ways to work with you because there are different levels of disease progression,” he explained.

Programming has continued to expand. “Our goal is to provide every non-pharmalogical therapy that you can in one place for people with Parkinson’s disease,” Moir said. “So we have yoga, tai chi, our exercise classes and movement program, and the Art Cart.”

That latter piece, a nationally recognized creativity and movement program for individuals with Parkinson’s disease, was launched by Moir’s wife, Saba Shahid, who nominated him for the Difference Makers award.

The Southampton center is DopaFit’s third Western Mass. location, but Chad Moir envisions a larger space down the line, with more Parkinson’s treatment services in house.

“Chad is truly the definition of a Difference Maker,” Shahid wrote. “He has provided countless hours of free educational services for patients and assisted-living and nursing centers that provide support to people with Parkinson’s, and has spoken at a variety of seminars with the simple goal of spreading awareness about Parkinson’s and the importance of exercising for disease management. His dedication and love for others is seen in his daily efforts.”

Moir is always open to new modalities as well, such as a recent addition, ‘laughter yoga.’ A member brought the idea to him, and it turned out one of the practice’s leading instructors lives in East Longmeadow, and was happy to teach a class.

“Everybody loved it,” Moir said. “People said it made a difference that day, and in the days after, to be able to laugh again.”

Indeed, the past year has brought unforeseen stress to the lives of everyone, including business owners like Moir and the folks with Parkinson’s disease he serves.

“We had been growing exponentially prior to the pandemic; we had a little over 100 members, and we’d see about 80 of those members every week, at different sessions,” he recalled. And when COVID-19 shut down the economy, including DopaFit’s facilities, Moir had to pivot — fast.

“Yes, we do exercise, but we also educate, and then we empower. So we had to move the education online as well. Even though we couldn’t be in the space, we were able to support them physically and mentally.”

He quickly moved to an online model, starting with prerecorded exercise videos, daily e-mails, and phone calls. Zoom classes followed, which were more engaging and interactive than the videos, and trainers could work with members to make sure they were doing everything correctly.

“We did our best to keep our members engaged,” he added, through efforts like webinars with movement-disorder specialists to make sure members stayed current with the latest information. “Yes, we do exercise, but we also educate, and then we empower. So we had to move the education online as well. Even though we couldn’t be in the space, we were able to support them physically and mentally.”

While the West Boylston facility remains shuttered and programs are run completely virtually, DopaFit’s Easthampton site opened about four months ago to small, scaled-down classes — two groups of no more than four people each — who work out separated by distance and dividers, and all surfaces and equipment are sanitized between each use.

“People who come say they feel 10 times safer here than they do going to the grocery store,” Moir said.

Through it all, he had his worries about surviving such a difficult time.

“The rent didn’t stop. The space was closed, but the bills were still here. But we’re blessed with a tremendous community,” he said, noting that local groups ran fundraisers to support DopaFit, and he was able to keep the business in operation and pay employees through the pandemic. “You truly see the impact when it’s taken away. Even people who don’t come here but know what we do wanted this service to stay available to the people in this community.”

 

Moving Ahead

Through it all — the expanded membership, and then the obstacles posed by COVID-19 — DopaFit’s outreach in the community has only grown, Moir said. “We’ve made some great connections with the local physical therapists and neurologists in the area, which has helped tremendously. We are now well-known as a very viable and necessary option for someone with Parkinson’s disease.

“When it comes to being innovative and trying new things, that is something we will always do,” he added. “The world is ever-changing, and there are so many great people who do so many great things that can help someone with Parkinson’s disease.”

With that in mind, the next goal is a larger, standalone building that offers not just a big exercise room, but plenty of rooms for other services, from education to support groups to social work. In short, Moir wants to take what he’s learned in the past six years and build a truly one-stop destination for people with Parkinson’s disease to access the resources they need.

Some things he’s learned have been unexpected — like mastering Zoom.

“I helped so many people navigate Zoom, many of them older people,” he said. “I figure, if this doesn’t work out, I can go to Zoom and work for their technical support. I’ve got that down.”

Fortunately for so many, his day job seems to be working out just fine, despite the recent challenges. And he’s grateful his members have a place where they can come and, well, just be themselves.

“It pains me to hear someone stopped talking to their friends because ‘I don’t want them to pity me.’ Or, ‘we used to go out to dinner every Thursday, but I stopped going because I shake too much and don’t want people looking at me.’

“But after spending time here with other people with Parkinson’s disease, they come back and say, ‘you know what? I felt confident to go out and have dinner with my friends, and I felt better than I’ve felt in 10 years,’” he said. “So the exercise is a beneficial part of this; it can physically make someone better. But being able to feel better and be more confident gives them so much empowerment in other ways.”

That’s yet another difference Moir wants to make in people’s lives, as he continues to honor the legacy of one great teacher.

“Knowing that I can make a difference in someone’s life, just a little bit of difference, means the world to me,” he said. “It’s the fuel that keeps me going through the day. And that we’ve been able to figure out how to do it on a bigger scale is just very exciting.”

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Bill Parks, CEO, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield

By Contributor
Class of 2021

For This Youth Leader, Opportunities Make All the Difference

By Mark Morris

Leah Martin Photography

Bill Parks like to tell the story of a former ‘Youth of the Year’ at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield who was discussing possible careers with a staff member.

“She wanted to be a marine biologist but said, ‘I know that will never happen,’” Parks recalled, but the staffer assured her that her desire was most certainly possible. This led to numerous conversations with the young woman about what she could do at the club and in her studies to make this dream a reality.

“He convinced her to think in terms of ‘yes, I can do this,’” Parks said. “Today, she is working in Florida as a marine biologist.”

And it’s not a surprising outcome to someone who believes life is about opportunities and relationships. As the club’s executive director, he follows this guiding principle, which, as much as anything else, is responsible for his being named a Difference Maker.

His own experience with the Boys & Girls Club actually began when he was a young boy attending the Marlborough Boys Club. He enjoyed going there because it was a place to meet up with friends, play basketball, and take part in activities. At that time, the club was for boys only, but Parks credits his sister with breaking the gender barrier and becoming the first girl to become a member.

“We snuck her into a Halloween party one year,” he said with a laugh. “After we did that, the staff decided to allow girls be part of the club.”

Once in high school, the club provided Parks his first job. “I worked at the gym, in the game rooms, and at the front desk,” he remembered. “It taught me how to deal with the public and how to work with kids.”

As a basketball player for Marlborough High School, Parks was recruited to play basketball at Fitchburg State College, allowing him the opportunity to become the first member of his family to attend college.

“That small gesture, to make sure I could go back to school, had a huge impact on my life. I’ve never forgotten it, and it’s been a goal of mine to always pay that forward.”

But the Division III college does not award scholarship money for athletes, and his parents — his father worked in a shoe factory, and his mother provided day-care services in the home — couldn’t afford to send him. To make matters worse, a local bank rejected his student-loan application.

Parks was worried he would have to give up his college plans, but when the club’s executive director heard about the rejection, he got involved, and gave Parks the name of a banker at First National Bank of Marlborough who was willing to approve the loan request. “You’re all set,” Parks recalled the director telling him. “You’re going back to school.”

It’s a story he recalls often as a moment that changed him forever. “That small gesture, to make sure I could go back to school, had a huge impact on my life,” he said. “I’ve never forgotten it, and it’s been a goal of mine to always pay that forward.”

By paying it forward through his role at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield — by helping other young people act on opportunities they don’t see as possible — Parks is truly a Difference Maker.

 

View to the Future

While the story of the marine biologist is inspiring, Parks told BusinessWest, it’s not really about any particular job.

“It’s more important for young people to see the opportunities they have to develop their futures,” he said. “Our latest campaign is called ‘Building Futures’ because that’s who we are and what we do.”

Education has been a driving force in Bill Parks’s life

Education has been a driving force in Bill Parks’s life, and he emphasizes its importance to those he serves.

Parks’ professional career with the Boys & Girls Club began in Eastern Mass., serving as executive director for clubs in Billerica and Waltham. Before he joined the Westfield club in 2004, he spent two years with the Jason Foundation, where he helped introduce STEM programs to Boys & Girls Clubs on a national level.

While he enjoyed the work at the foundation, he missed the interaction with all the staff and families who form the culture of a Boys & Girls Club. He found that again in Westfield, which was, in some ways, a return to his geographic roots, as he was born in Springfield and moved to Marlborough as a young child.

Applying what he’d learned in his earlier executive roles, Parks began to lay out a vision and a course of action for the Westfield club. He also understood that he could not accomplish his goals alone but needed to convince others to get behind his vision.

“One of the things I am most proud of is that people in the community wanted to be part of the vision we had for the club,” he said.

When he started in Westfield, the club provided services for nearly 100 children every day with an annual budget of $600,000. Now the club provides day-care, educational, and meal services for 350 children and teens every day with an annual budget of nearly $3 million.

Parks credits his staff for helping to make the vision a reality. Many staffers have long tenures on the job, and several started there even before he arrived.

“When you can maintain your existing staff, it allows you to do big things because you are not constantly changing people and roles,” he said, adding that the staff has also grown to 12 full-time and more than 40 part-time workers, making the organization a “decent-size employer in the city.”

A dedicated and consistent staff that gets results, he noted, makes it easier to attract potential donors. One donor told Parks he supports the club because he is confident that the contribution will generate efforts to help young people succeed, adding, “I like what you are doing, and I believe it will have an impact on our community.”

The role of Boys & Girls Clubs today has greatly changed from the days when Parks played basketball with his friends in Marlborough. Once he began his career there, he saw education becoming a more vital part of the organization’s mission.

Bill Parks says, the club became a critical resource

During the pandemic, Bill Parks says, the club became a critical resource for both kids with their remote learning and their parents who had to work.

“It was easy to see that, in addition to having a gym director and game-room director, clubs also needed an education director,” he said, adding that relationships with the School Department and the community at large are essential to his club.

“We are a part of the city of Westfield,” he said. “We think about what’s outside the walls of our club and how to help the overall community because, in the long run, that’s going to help the kids who are members of the club and kids who are members of the community.”

In 2011, the Westfield club was licensed to provide daycare for 77 children. Concerned he was running out of space and anticipating increased demand, Parks led a $3 million fundraising campaign titled “Raise the Roof.”

“We literally took the roof off the gym, raised the gym up to the second floor, and built classrooms underneath for the licensed childcare program,” he said, adding that the club also expanded the education room and technology lab. Now, the facility is licensed to provide daycare services for 200 children.

 

Learning Experiences

When COVID-19 hit, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield was available for virtual learning for students, and in September, the club became a remote-learning site for the School Department. The city of Westfield provided every school-age child with a Chromebook tablet, and, with club staff making sure to keep age groups separated and properly distanced, students are linked into the school system for a full day of learning via their Chromebooks. Middle-school and younger kids make up most of the students in this program, which has proven to be a vital resource for families.

“Some of the students couldn’t link in from home, while others have parents who have to leave the house for work during school hours,” Parks said. “With no one at home to take care of them, they have the option to come here and not miss school.”

With all those young minds at work, the club has become a significant meal provider for children as well.

“Parents can drop off kids at 7:30 in the morning, and they will get breakfast, lunch, a snack, and a hot meal every day,” he explained. The club also provides meals at three public-housing sites, resulting in the staff serving nearly 600 meals a day. Like remote learning, Parks sees the meals program as essential to the organization.

“A working parent can pick up their kid at the club and know their homework is done and they’ve been fed,” he said. “It allows parents to interact more with their kids instead of rushing around to put a meal on the table.”

Right now, Parks has plans to expand the club and its services further with a 15,000-square-foot addition, which will allow the club to offer services to an additional 100 children.

“We think about what’s outside the walls of our club and how to help the overall community because, in the long run, that’s going to help the kids who are members of the club and kids who are members of the community.”

The building plans originally called for an 11,000-square-foot expansion, but the pandemic forced engineers to increase the square footage per child and redraw the now-larger plans. The addition is scheduled to be completed by August with a September opening, in time for the new school year.

For Parks, the new structures are exciting, but the real payoff is the impact the programs have on people’s lives. “One of the things I’m most proud of is that people in the community say, ‘let’s call the Boys & Girls Club because they can probably help us or help these kids.’”

Thinking back to the time he got some needed help, Parks said he learned, years after graduating from college, that the banker who approved his student loan was on the board of directors for the Marlborough club. Likewise, he credits his current board of directors as the “guiding force” that supports all the Westfield club’s efforts, and points with pride to the cross-section of community members who make up the board.

“It’s not always easy to encourage people to be on your board,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate that people have reached out to us with an interest in joining ours.”

They are people, he added, who are willing to step up and help a kid in the community, and who recognize the value of paying it forward. His future was changed when he was able to go to college, and he’s dedicated his career to changing lives and finding ways to truly make a difference.

Pete Westover, Founder and Partner, Conservation Works, LLC

By
Class of 2021

When It Comes to Land Preservation, He’s Been a Trailblazer

Leah Martin Photography

Pete Westover says his appreciation of, and passion for, outdoor spaces traces back to a family vacation trip to, among other places, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, or Rocky, as it’s called, when he was 12.

The park, which spans the Continental Divide, is famous for its grand vistas, high alpine meadows, and dramatic walking trails, some of them at elevations of 10,000 feet or more. And, suffice to say, the park made quite an impression on the young middle-school student.

“There’s bighorn sheep and mountain goats and all kinds of great wildlife and flora,” he noted, adding that he’s been back several times since. “The road goes well over 11,000 feet, so you’re up there among the peaks.”

It was this trip that pretty much convinced Westover he wanted to spend his working life outdoors. And if he needed any more convincing, he got it while working in a hospital just after high school, at a time when he was still thinking about going to medical school and following in the footsteps of his father, who became a doctor.

“I realized, there’s no way I want to spend my time in time in a hospital or a clinic,” he told BusinessWest, adding that he instead pursued a master’s degree in forest ecology at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

“Pete has dedicated his entire career to conserving land and creating trails — the Valley’s forests and farms simply would not be as intact as they are today if Pete Westover hadn’t been a prime champion for their protection.”

Thus, as they might say in what has become his line of work, he took a different trail than the one he originally envisioned. Actually, those who know him would say he’s blazed his own trail — in every aspect of that phrase.

It has led to an intriguing and highly rewarding career that has included everything from work on a helicopter forest-fire crew in Northern California when he was in college to a 30-year stint as conservation director for the town of Amherst, to his current role as founder and partner of Conservation Works, a conservation firm involved with open space and agricultural land protection; ecological and land-stewardship assistance to land trusts, towns, colleges, and other entities; and other services.

Described as a “legend” by one of those who nominated him for the Difference Maker award, Dianne Fuller Doherty, retired executive director of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network’s Western Mass. office (and a Difference Maker herself in 2020), Westover has earned a number of accolades over the years.

These include the Valley Eco Award for Distinguished Service to Our Environment, in his case for ‘lifetime dedication and achievement’; the Governor’s Award for Open Space Protection; the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s Regional Service Award; the Massachusetts Assoc. of Conservation Commissions’ Environmental Service Award; and even the Millicent A. Kaufman Distinguished Service Award as Amherst Area Citizen of the Year.

Pete Westover, center, with fellow Conservation Works partners Chris Curtis and Elizabeth Wroblicka

Pete Westover, center, with fellow Conservation Works partners Chris Curtis and Elizabeth Wroblicka in Springfield’s Forest Park, where the company is currently working on several projects.

And now, he can add Difference Maker to that list, a title that certainly befits an individual who has preserved thousands of acres of land, created hundreds of miles of trails, and even helped innumerable parks and other open spaces identify and hopefully eradicate invasive species.

“Pete has dedicated his entire career to conserving land and creating trails — the Valley’s forests and farms simply would not be as intact as they are today if Pete Westover hadn’t been a prime champion for their protection,” wrote Kristin DeBoer, executive director of the Kestrel Land Trust, a partner and client of Conservation Works on many of its projects, in her nomination of Westover. “The number of conservation areas and protected farms that Pete has been involved with are too many to name.”

While justifiably proud of what’s been accomplished in these realms over the past several decades, Westover stressed repeatedly that this work has never been a one-man show. Instead, it’s always been accomplished through partnerships and teamwork, especially when it comes to Conservation Works.

“This is such a great valley to work in,” he told BusinessWest. “There are so many dedicated people in our field; we’re just lucky to be in a place where there are so many forward-looking people.”

Westover is certainly one of them, and his work (that’s a broad term, to be sure) to not only protect and preserve land, but educate others and serve as a role model, has earned him a place among the Difference Makers class of 2021.

 

Changing the Landscape — Or Not

It’s called the Robert Frost Trail, and it’s actually one of several trails in the Northeast named after the poet, who lived and taught in this region for many years.

This one stretches 47 miles through the eastern Connecticut River Valley, from the Connecticut River in South Hadley to Ruggles Pond in Wendell State Forest. Blazed with orange triangles, the trail winds through both Hampshire and Franklin counties, and includes a number of scenic features, including the Holyoke Range, Mount Orient, Puffer’s Pond, and Mount Toby.

And while there are literally thousands of projects in Westover’s portfolio from five decades of work in this realm, this one would have to be considered his signature work, first undertaken while he was conservation director in Amherst, but a lifelong project in many respects.

Indeed, those at Conservation Works are working with Kestrel on an ongoing project to improve the trail. But the Robert Frost Trail is just one of countless initiatives to which Westover has contributed his time, energy, and considerable talents over the years. You might say he’s changed the landscape in Western Mass., but it would be even more accurate to say his work has been focused on not changing the landscape, and preserving farmland and other spaces as they are.

And even that wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Indeed, Westover said, through his decades of work, he hasn’t been focused on halting or even controlling development, but instead on creating a balance.

“When I worked with the town of Amherst, our philosophy was, ‘we’re not trying to prevent development; we’re trying to keep up with it,’” he explained, adding that this mindset persists to this day. “For every time you see a new subdivision go up, it makes sense to address the other side of the coin and make sure there are protected lands that people can have for various purposes.

“When you see real-estate ads that say ‘near conservation area,’ or ‘next to the Robert Frost Trail’ … that’s important to the well-being of a town or the region to have that balance,” he went on, adding that it has essentially been his life’s work to create it.

Top, Conversation Works partner Dick O’Brien supervises volunteers at Lathrop Community in Northampton in bridge building on the Lathrop Trail off Cooke Avenue. Above, several of the company’s partners: from left, Fred Morrison, Dick O’Brien, Molly Hale, Chris Curtis, and Laurie Sanders.

Tracing his career working outdoors, Westover said he started at an environmental-education center in Kentucky, where he worked for three years. Later, after returning to Yale for a few more classes, he came to Amherst as its conservation director, a role he kept from 1974 to 2004. In 2005, he would partner with Peter Blunt, former executive director of the Connecticut River Watershed Council (now the Connecticut River Conservancy) to create Conservation Works. Blunt passed away in 2010, but a team of professionals carries on his work and his legacy, and has broadened the company’s mission and taken its work to the four corners of New England and well beyond.

But over the years, Westover has worn many other hats as well. He’s been an adjunct professor of Natural Science, principally at Hampshire College, where he has taught, among other courses, “Conservation Land Protection and Management,” “The Ecology and Politics of New England Natural Areas,” “Ecology and Culture of Costa Rica,” “Geography, Ecology, and Indigenous Americans in the Pacific Northwest, 1800 to Present,” and, most recently, “Land Conservation, Indigenous Land Rights, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.”

He’s also penned books, including Managing Conservation Land: The Stewardship of Conservation Areas, Wildlife Sanctuaries, and Other Open Spaces in Massachusetts, and served on boards ranging from the Conservation Law Foundation of New England to the Whately Open Space Committee.

“When I worked with the town of Amherst, our philosophy was, ‘we’re not trying to prevent development; we’re trying to keep up with it. For every time you see a new subdivision go up, it makes sense to address the other side of the coin and make sure there are protected lands that people can have for various purposes.”

But while he spends some time behind the keyboard, in the lecture hall, or in the boardroom, mostly he’s where he always wants to be — outdoors — especially as he works with his partners at Conservation Works on projects across New England and beyond.

The group, which now includes seven partners, handles everything from conservation of open space and farmland to the development and maintenance of trails; from invasive-plant-management plans to what are known as municipal vulnerability-preparedness plans that address climate change and the dangers it presents to communities.

And, as Westover noted, teamwork is the watchword for this company.

“One of the things that attracted me to Conservation Works is that all of the professionals have very unique skills, and we all complement one another,” said Elizabeth Wroblicka, a lawyer and former director of Wildlife Lands for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. “Land conservation is multi-faceted, from the acquisition to the long-term ownership to the stewardship, and with the wildlife biologists we have, the trail constructors, boundary markings … I do the contracts, but we all have a piece that we excel in.”

Chris Curtis, who came to Conservation Works after a lengthy career with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission as chief planner and now focuses extensively on climate-change issues, agreed. He noted that, in addition to land preservation, trail-building and improvement, and other initiatives, the group is doing more work in the emerging realm of climate resiliency — out of necessity.

“We’ve been working with the town of Deerfield for four years,” he said, citing just one example of this work. “We’ve helped it win grants for more than $1.2 million worth of work that includes a municipal vulnerability-preparedness plan, flood-evacuation plans, a land-conservation plan for the Deerfield River floodplain area, and education programs, including a townwide climate forum that was attended by 200 to 300 people.”

Such efforts to address climate change are an example of how the group’s mission continues to expand and evolve, and how Westover’s broad impact on this region, its open spaces, and its endangered spaces grows ever deeper.

 

Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Reflecting back on that trip to Rocky, Westover said that, in many ways, it changed not only his perspective, but his life.

It helped convince him that he not only wanted to work outdoors, but wanted to protect the outdoors and create spaces that could be enjoyed by this generation and those to come. As noted, he’s both changed the landscape and helped ensure that it won’t be changed.

He’s not comfortable with being called a legend, but Difference Maker works, and it certainly fits someone whose footprints can be seen all across the region — literally and figuratively.

 

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

Opinion: Momentum Builds for a New Soldiers’ Home

By
Daily News

Make no mistake about it, when it comes to the tragic COVID-related deaths at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke almost a year ago, there are no silver linings. There is nothing that can fill the void left by lost loved ones, and nothing that can relieve the anguish visited upon staff members who had to endure that catastrophic sequence of events that led to the deaths of at least 76 veterans.

But sometimes, such tragedies eventually lead to progress, to improvements, to new and better ways of doing things. And it appears that this may well be the case with the Soldiers’ Home.

Indeed, out of the ashes of the calamity of last spring have emerged plans for a new, eight-story Holyoke Soldiers’ Home that will replace the 70-year-old facility that is, in many ways, inadequate and obsolete. Last week, the Baker-Polito administration filed a $400 million bond bill to move forward with the construction of the new home, the next big step in the process of making a new facility reality.

While the need for a new Soldiers’ Home has long been understood and embraced, there is no doubt that the events of last spring — when the virus overran the facility amid a series of questionable decisions that ultimately led to resignations and, later, indictments for criminal neglect — have helped pave the way for a proper, modern, 235-bed facility that will serve veterans for generations to come.

This project still has a long way to go before it becomes reality. There are stern deadlines to meet and more important votes to take place in the state Legislature. But there certainly appears to be sufficient momentum to see this initiative to the finish line. It has been generated by caring people who want to do right by future generations of veterans — but also, we believe, by a deep desire to “make things right” for the families of those who died last spring and the for the staff members who have long endured inadequate facilities, said the chairman of a coalition of former Soldiers’ Home administrators, families, and veterans advocates who have embraced plans for a new home.

Truthfully, nothing will really make things right. But this is huge step in the right direction.

Bradley International Airport Recognized in USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards

By
Daily News

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) announced that USA Today has named Bradley International Airport a winner in its 2021 10Best Readers’ Choice travel contest in the “Best Small Airport” category. Bradley placed seventh out of 15 airports that were selected by industry experts as the best across the nation.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by our passengers and industry experts as being among the best of the best,” said Kevin Dillon, executive director of the CAA. “I believe this speaks volumes of our entire airport community’s commitment to our passengers and providing an exceptional customer experience even amidst some of the most challenging times in our industry.”

In response to COVID-19, the CAA has continued to enhance services at Bradley International Airport over the past year, aimed at providing a safe, clean, and comfortable travel experience. More information about the safety measures undertaken and what travelers can expect can be found at www.bdlcares.com.

On its website, USA Today noted that Bradley International Airport “ranks as the second-busiest airport after Boston Logan, yet it remains a convenient option with on-site parking, lots of charging stations, free wi-fi, and proximity to both New York and Boston.”

Bradley was chosen by a panel of industry experts for inclusion in the USA Today contest, which was followed by four weeks of public voting nationwide. This is the airport’s second national recognition within the year after placing as a top-10 airport in the 2020 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice survey.

HCC Women’s Leadership Series Continues on Feb. 24

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Business coach and strategist Lynn Turner of Clear Alliance Inc. and Moe Belliveau, executive director of the Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, will give a presentation titled “Maintaining Power and Grace While Glass Ceilings Are Being Shattered” as the Holyoke Community College (HCC) Spring Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series continues on Wednesday, Feb. 24.

The luncheon series takes place over Zoom on the last Wednesdays of January, February, March, April, and May from noon to 1:15 p.m.

Each month, participants join a group of women leaders to discuss current issues and ideas to help their leadership development. They will also have the opportunity to form a supportive network of women leaders to help navigate their careers.

Each lunchtime event features two presenters leading discussions on different topics. Future topics include:

March 31: “Women’s Leadership from a Male Perspective” (presenters to be determined);

April 28: “Courageous Actions,” with Dr. Sarah Perez McAdoo, population health capstone director at UMass Medical School, and Jessica Collins, executive director of the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts; and

May 26: “Leading Through Change,” with Margaret Tantillo, executive director of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, and Jess Roncarati-Howe, the organization’s program director.

The first session on Jan. 27 focused on “Compassion Fatigue,” with presenters Luz Lopez, executive director of MetroCare of Springfield, and Annamarie Golden, director of Community Relations for Baystate Health.

Sessions cost $20 each or $50 for the full series. Space is limited, and advance registration is required. To register, visit hcc.edu/leadership-luncheons.

Valley Blue Sox Sign New Head Coach

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — The Valley Blue Sox announced that an alumnus of their 2016 season, Hezekiah (Hez) Randolph, will take over for John Raiola as head coach.

Randolph, 25, of Baton Rouge, La., has had a successful career in both high-school and collegiate baseball. He was a designated hitter and second baseman for the University of New Orleans Privateers, where he was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in his freshman year and All-Louisiana First Team during his senior year.

Randolph joined the Blue Sox as a player in the summer of 2016, where he was selected for the New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game, in addition to earning second-team honors. He then went on to join the Blue Sox coaching staff as a hitting coach in 2018.

“I think everyone’s goal is to one day fill the position of head coach, so I am first thrilled to take on this role,” said Randolph. “The dynamic [from being an assistant coach to a head coach] is different. The players feel like they can be a little more comfortable with you.”

Randolph added that he looks forward to navigating the position of head coach by connecting with his players and motivating the team to be the best players they can be. “This opportunity pretty much changed my life.”

BusinessTalk with Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority

By
Business Talk Podcast Special Coverage

We are excited to announce that BusinessWest, in partnership with Living Local, has launched a new podcast series, BusinessTalk. Each episode will feature in-depth interviews and discussions with local industry leaders, providing thoughtful perspectives on the Western Massachuetts economy and the many business ventures that keep it running during these challenging times.

Episode 52: February 15, 2021

George O’Brien talks with Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees Bradley International Airport

Kevin Dillon

BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien talks with Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees Bradley International Airport. The two discuss the profound impact the pandemic has had on passenger volume and revenue at the airport, and what the outlook is for the short and long term. The two also discuss the airport’s ongoing efforts to improve service and effectively compete against both larger and smaller airports both in this region and across the country for planes and routes. It’s must listening, so join us on BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest in partnership with Living Local.

 

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State Files $400 Million Bond Bill for Capital Project to Rebuild Holyoke Soldiers’ Home

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — The Baker-Polito administration filed “An Act Financing the Reconstruction of the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke,” which would provide $400 million in capital authorization for a major project to reconstruct the long-term-care facility at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.

This bill provides the capital authorization that would allow the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) to construct a new facility on the site of the current Soldiers’ Home that would meet the needs of the veterans of Western Mass. and their families.

The capital project is on an expedited timeline, necessitated by the April 15 deadline for the VA State Home Construction Grant Program, which would provide 65% matching federal funds. To meet that deadline, DCAMM must have this authorization available by April 1, which requires this bond bill to be enacted by mid-March, with a terms bill filed and enacted soon afterwards. The design-development phase must be completed by Aug. 1 to be eligible for this cycle of the grant program.

“Building a new, state-of-the-art long-term-care facility at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke will ensure we can continue providing quality care for current veterans residing at the home, as well as future residents,” Gov. Charlie Baker said. “I look forward to working with our partners in the Legislature to pass this bill so that we can transform the future of the home, meet the next major deadline in the capital project, and continue to secure funding from our federal partners at the Veterans’ Administration.”

The current Holyoke Soldiers’ Home was constructed before modern design standards for medical facilities, said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, “and the administration has taken immediate steps to address urgent capital and infection-control needs, but it is clear that a major reconstruction of the campus is necessary for the safety, health, and comfort of future generations of veterans and staff. We are pleased that the planning process involved significant opportunity for community and stakeholder input into the plan’s development to date.”

Massachusetts National Guard Maj. Gen. Gary Keefe, who chairs the board of trustees for the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, added that “I have been pleased by the rapid planning process and the Baker-Polito administration’s commitment to hearing and responding to the views and concerns of the veteran residents, families, and staff on a wide range of priorities, including bed capacity. This is a great example of how we can achieve positive outcomes for our Western Massachusetts veterans, and we look forward to serving them in this beautiful new facility.”

Friendly’s Co-founder S. Prestley Blake Dies at 106

By
Daily News

SOMERS, Conn. — S. Prestley Blake, co-founder of Friendly’s, died Thursday at age 106, the Republican reported. His niece, Holly Thrasher Schroeder, announced the passing on Facebook:

“Our family could use your prayers now … my dear Uncle Pres just passed 2 hours ago, at age 106. The end of a legend! Co-founder of Friendly Ice Cream, along with his brother, my Uncle Curt, who we lost in May 2019, he will be sorely missed! We love you, Uncle Pres! Godspeed and please give Gram and Grandfather and Uncle Curt a HUGE hug and kiss for me! Until we get there, take care of them for us!!!”

Brothers Curtis and S. Prestley Blake built Friendly’s from a single ice-cream shop in Springfield’s Pine Point neighborhood into a chain with 850 restaurants at its height. Curtis died in 2019 at age 102.

Holyoke Medical Center, Valley Health Systems Welcome New Chief Financial Officer

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems, announced the appointment of Dean Vitarisi as chief financial officer (CFO) at Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems.

“We are proud to welcome Dean to our leadership team here at Holyoke Medical Center and the affiliates of Valley Health Systems. He brings with him over 20 years of hospital finance experience and will play an integral part in the financial management of our organization,” Hatiras said.

Vitarisi’s prior experience included executive-level finance positions with Essen Health Care, Trinity Health Of New England, Yale New Haven Health, St. Mary’s Health System, and St. Raphael Healthcare System. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Bryant University. He then completed an MBA from Quinnipiac University, followed by a master certificate in healthcare leadership from Cornell University School of Human Ecology.

“I am excited to join this organization, with its strong culture and commitment in providing the highest standards of quality, safety, and cost-effective care for all patients,” Vitarisi said. “One of my first goals will be to focus on the revenue cycle and reimbursement strategies, which are ever-changing due to legislation, regulation, and marketplace reform.”

MGM Springfield to Reopen Hotel & TAP Sports Bar on March 5

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — MGM Springfield will reopen its hotel and TAP Sports Bar on Friday, March 5. The hotel will reopen in a limited capacity to invited casino guests only for the immediate future. TAP Sports Bar will be open Friday through Sunday.

Other dining options at MGM Springfield, as of March 5, include the Chandler Steakhouse, Friday and Saturday; and South End Market, featuring Bill’s Diner, Wicked Noodles, and Jack’s Lobster Shack (all open every day) and Gelato & Espresso (Friday and Saturday).

All guests and employees are required to wear masks everywhere on property. Visit mgmspringfield.com for current hours of operation.

Fundraising Walk Planned in Remembrance of WNEU’s Dave Stawasz

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University (WNEU) faculty, colleagues, family members, and students are invited to participate in a commemorative event in memory of Assistant Vice President of Marketing Communications Dave Stawasz, who passed away peacefully on Jan. 28, surrounded by his family, after a courageous two-year battle with stage-4 colorectal cancer.

Stawasz was a graduate of South Hadley High School and Syracuse University. His early career was as a news producer at WWLP and then later at WFSB. He joined the university in 2004.

“During his cancer battle, Dave taught us so much about courage, perseverance, and love, all of which were pinnacles of who Dave was,” said Bryan Gross, vice president for Enrollment Management and Marketing. “As a beloved member of our university family, we want to honor his distinguished memory as well as support his wife and daughters, who meant everything to him.”

Stawasz was a loving family man and committed husband to his wife of 25 years, Lisa, and the proud father of his two daughters, Paige and Kristen, both of whom are currently enrolled as undergraduate students at colleges in the New England region.

Steps for Stawasz is a virtual walk taking place throughout the month of April in his honor. Participants will log as many virtual steps as they can during the month by either walking or running while collecting donations along the way through friends and family sponsorships. By signing up, participants will receive a link to share on social media. From there, participants can create a personal giving page to collect donations and update progress. Details and instructions can be found by clicking here.

Interested individuals can also make a direct donation on the website without participating in the walk. All proceeds will go directly to the Stawasz family.

Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. Announces Two New Hires

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. (MBK) recently welcomed Brendan Cawley and Garrett Welker to the firm.

Cawley is a senior associate in the firm’s Taxation department. Prior to MBK, he worked on a variety of clients and industries as a manager at one of the Big Four national firms. He brings to MBK nearly 10 years of public accounting experience and a strong commitment to helping clients. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Boston College and is an enrolled agent with the Internal Revenue Service.

“I am dedicated to providing a high-quality work product with as little hassle to the client as possible,” Cawley said. “I strive to stay well-informed on changes to the tax code and share that information with my clients.”

Welker is an associate in the Assurance department. He served for seven years in the U.S. Air Force and went on to become a finance manager at a privately held business in Western Mass. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management with a concentration in accounting from Westfield State University.

As an associate, Welker attributes his ability to bring fresh perspective, integrity, and attention to detail to his diverse background. “My approach to customer service is to always be positive and professional. My goal is to always go above and beyond my customers’ expectations and make the experience as enjoyable as possible.”

Ad Club of Western Massachusetts Opens Submissions for Annual Scholarship

By
Daily News

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts invites the community to apply for its annual merit-based scholarship, and applications are now available online.

This $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to one deserving Western Mass. high-school graduate going to college to study communication arts. High-school seniors who plan to attend an accredited college or technical school to study advertising, communications, marketing, or graphic arts and will be attending this fall are encouraged to apply. The scholarship must be applied against tuition and fees at the school.

Candidates will be judged on academic performance; extracurricular activities; community service and/or work experience; a demonstrated interest in advertising, communications, marketing, or graphic design; personal recommendations; and a letter of introduction outlining future plans. Scholarship decisions will be made by the scholarship committee of the Ad Club, and are considered final. The scholarship will be awarded at the Ad Club’s Creative Awards show in May.

Completed scholarship applications and all support materials must be submitted or postmarked by March 31. Applicants can find the guidelines and application form by clicking here or can contact the Ad Club at (413) 342-0533 or [email protected].

“Over the years, the Ad Club has been pleased to award scholarships to graduating seniors throughout the four Western Mass. counties,” said Matt Audette, Ad Club scholarship chair. “Many of these students have, indeed, gone on to careers in marketing, graphic design, advertising and communications.”

Monson Savings Bank Welcomes Caitlin O’Connor as VP, Marketing Officer

By
Daily News

MONSON — Monson Savings Bank announced the hire of Caitlin O’Connor as vice president and marketing officer in the bank’s Marketing department.

“Caitlin’s extensive background in community-bank marketing is incredibly valuable to our customers and our entire team at Monson Savings Bank. She is invested in our customer- and community-focused approach as a local bank working to serve the financial needs of our area,” said Dan Moriarty, president of Monson Savings Bank. “I know she will be effective in communicating our high-quality customer service, our many product and services, and our convenient technology and tools. She is a great fit for the Monson Savings Bank culture, and we are happy to have her here.”

In her new role, O’Connor will oversee all aspects of the bank’s brand and business-line marketing, advertising, public relations, and communications efforts. She will also be responsible for establishing and implementing an effective, innovative, and comprehensive marketing plan that aligns with the bank’s vision, mission, values, and strategic goals.

O’Connor has been in the banking industry for 13 years and has 17 years of experience in the marketing and design industry. She is a graduate of Mount Ida College in Newton, now a campus of UMass Amherst. Prior to joining Monson Savings Bank, she held the role of vice president and marketing manager of North Brookfield Savings Bank.

“I am incredibly happy and proud to join Monson Savings Bank and continue my career with such a great community bank,” O’Connor said. “They have such a positive and elevating employee culture here that really is very special. They genuinely care about the well-being of their customers and the communities they serve and continually prove this through the attention, service, and support provided every day. I look forward to continuing to get to know the Monson Savings Bank team and exploring new ways we can help our customers throughout every life stage of their financial journey.”

An Appreciation: Remembering Chris Thibault

By
Daily News

Filmmakers are storytellers. That’s what they do. They tell stories, and they help others tell their stories.

That’s what Chris Thibault did, and he was very good at it. He started Chris Teebo Films, and he worked with businesses and institutions across this area — from Spirit of Springfield to BusinessWest and its many award recipients, to Mercedes-Benz of Springfield — to help them communicate and get their messages across.

In recent years, though, the most compelling story Chris told was his own — specifically his long and difficult battle with cancer, which ended this week when he died at age 38. Starting from when he was first diagnosed with breast cancer, Chris used his talents and his desire to help others to take his battle public, through short films, blog posts — including one titled “How to Run a Production Company While Living (or Dying) of Stage 4 Cancer” — and more.

In the course of doing so, he became an inspiration to many, and in a number of ways. It was more than Jim Valvano’s famous ‘don’t give up, don’t ever give up’ messaging — although there was some of that. His message was more along the lines of never letting cancer run his life or tell him what he could or couldn’t do.

And there was still more to this story. Indeed, even though he was dealt a very bad hand and had every reason to say ‘why me?’ or bemoan his fate, he didn’t. He accepted what was happening to his body, and he never stopped trying to be upbeat, optimistic, and even humorous.

Indeed, when he talked with BusinessWest about that aforementioned blog post and the subject matter involved, he said simply, “I haven’t figured that one out yet … and to be honest, I wrote the title to get your attention so you would actually start reading the thing.”

Like all good filmmakers, he did grab your attention, and he held it.

His story certainly did not end the way he or all those who loved and admired him wanted, but it was one that left us even more thankful for the time we had with him — and more appreciative of the time we have on this planet. Period.

We thank him for that, and we thank him for the way he inspired us to live life to the fullest, even when serious roadblocks are put in front of us.

The best story he told was his own.

Country Bank Welcomes New Senior Vice President of Innovation & Technology

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Daily News

WARE — Country Bank announced that Peter Morales has joined its Innovation & Technology Division as senior vice president. Morales has held several technical leadership positions, most recently as vice president and chief information officer for an international educational organization supporting more than 45,000 students in more than 40 countries worldwide. He also held positions at New York University, (leading technology at the Law and Engineering schools), and the New York and American stock exchanges.

Morales began his career developing diagnostic systems for the F18, the jet the Blue Angels currently fly. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, a master’s degree in engineering management, and a doctorate in computer science and information systems. He continues to teach in two master’s programs at NYU and is on the board of directors for several incubator startups and nonprofits.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Dr. Morales to our leadership team,” said Miriam Siegel, senior vice president of Human Resources at Country Bank. “His extensive background as a senior technology leader in a variety of industries brings an exciting level of strategic thought and direction to the Country Bank brand of community banking. His commitment to technology development, high-performing teams, and experience as an educator aligns with our iSTEP corporate values of integrity, service, teamwork, excellence, and prosperity. We are proud that Peter has chosen Country Bank to be his employer of choice.”

Pearson Wallace Insurance Promotes Alex Bennett to Partner

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Daily News

PITTSFIELD — Pearson Wallace Insurance (PWI), with offices in Pittsfield, Amherst, and Boston, announced that Alex Bennett has been promoted to partner within the agency.

Bennett has been with PWI from the beginning, most recently holding the position of vice president of Sales. He will continue to spearhead the growth of sales as well as become involved in the day-to-day operations of the business.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing from Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I., and started his insurance career at Liberty Mutual in personal-lines direct sales in the Greater Boston area.

United Ways Across Massachusetts to Celebrate Mass2-1-1 Day Virtually

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Every year on Feb. 11, United Way organizations in Massachusetts and across the country celebrate 2-1-1 Day to raise awareness of this important public service. Everyone knows the three-digit number to call in an emergency, but some Bay Staters may not be aware of the simple number they can dial for health and human-service assistance.

Mass2-1-1 provides telephone and web information and referral service for residents of the Commonwealth 24/7/365. Trained 2-1-1 information and referral specialists connect callers to thousands of human-service organizations, including providers for food programs, housing and emergency shelter, elder care, physical and mental-health services, childcare resources, drug and alcohol services, utility assistance, and victim services. It is also activated when needed for emergencies and disasters.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mass2-1-1 Day celebration will be held virtually on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 2:11 p.m. The public is invited to attend and can do so by clicking this link to attend virtually via Zoom. The meeting ID is 972 0171 7774, and the passcode is 257168.

Several notable attendees and long-time supporters of Mass2-1-1 will be in attendance, including Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, state Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis, Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper, Mass2-1-1 Executive Director Paul Mina, Mass2-1-1 Vice President and Call2Talk Director Eileen Davis, as well as Mass2-1-1 board members and Call2Talk volunteer call takers.

“Dialing 2-1-1 from a landline or cell phone provides residents of Massachusetts with free, confidential referral services and is easy to use,” Davis said. “Mass2-1-1 is available in all 14 counties across the state and offers translation in over 150 languages. This is a critical service every day, but moreso now while the pandemic continues to impact every aspect of our daily lives.”

Added Mina, “our Mass2-1-1 team, in partnership with MEMA and the Department of Public Health, have done an outstanding job answering calls non-stop since the Governor’s Command Center activated Mass2-1-1 to answer COVID-19 calls last March. More than 200,000 COVID-19 calls have been answered from across Massachusetts since that time, while close to a thousand calls continue to come in daily. When people need up-to-date, accurate information, they can count on Mass2-1-1 to be there.”

Call2Talk, the mental-health helpline of Mass2-1-1, is also celebrating the grand opening of its new call center, located at the United Way of Pioneer Valley offices in Springfield. The office, which began taking calls in mid-September, is open to assist residents within the 413 area code. Trained volunteer call takers help callers move from a place of emotional crisis to a calmer state by providing non-judgmental listening, comfort, and encouragement. Sarno and Cooper will join the United Way and Mass2-1-1 leadership to cut the ribbon to officially launch the new call center.

“The new Call2Talk call center will better serve the local community and expand capacity by providing resources, 24/7, for those going through troubling times,” Davis said.

Call2Talk answers calls through the Mass2-1-1 statewide platform as well as answering calls from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Trained volunteers answer calls and provide confidential and often life-saving support to people experiencing emotional distress or potential suicidal ideation and have nowhere else to turn. Call2Talk also works in partnership with Crisis Text Line to provide support by text for those uncomfortable with speaking to a call taker. Anyone needing emotional support can call Call2Talk directly at (413) 505-5111.

It’s Time to Nominate Someone for the 40 Under Forty Class of 2021

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — BusinessWest is currently accepting nominations for the 40 Under Forty class of 2021. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Feb. 26.

Launched in 2007, the program recognizes rising stars in the four counties of Western Mass. Nominations, which should be as detailed and thorough as possible, should list an individual’s accomplishments within their profession as well as their work within the community. Nominations can be completed online at businesswest.com/40-under-forty-nomination-form. Nominations will be weighed by a panel of judges, and the selected individuals will be profiled in BusinessWest in May and honored at the 40 Under Forty Gala in late June. Event sponsorship opportunities are available.

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