Home 2021 May 12 (Page 2)

Day: May 12, 2021

Sarah Murphy

By
Class of 2021

Client Relationship Manager, Traffic Manager, Market Mentors, LLC; Age 27

Sarah Murphy went to college just outside Boston — at Lasell University in Auburndale — and was thinking about a summer internship in the Hub between her junior and senior years. But the city is expensive, and she quickly determined it was too expensive, so she opted to come back home to Agawam for summer break.

With some guidance from a friend, Bob Greeley, owner of R.J. Greeley Co., she readjusted her sights for an internship and started by talking with Michelle Abdow, owner of Market Mentors. That talk led — eventually — to the start of a career in the marketing business, and an intriguing job with many moving parts.

That’s eventually, because Murphy later interned in Boston for a large marketing firm and had to make the decision about which side of the state to work in. She chose Springfield, and Market Mentors, and has never looked back.

“In Boston, it felt like I would have been a little fish in a big pond,” she explained. “In coming here, I feel like I’m making more of an impact being with a smaller agency — and that spoke volumes to me.”

That impact, as she called, it, can be seen both in the agency and within the community.

Indeed, Murphy is now relationship manager and ‘traffic manager,’ a new position in which she handles a number of responsibilities and builds on experience gained while working her way up the ladder.

“I’m the liaison between the account executives and the other departments at the agency — I’m the middle person between our AEs and our copy and design, digital, and web departments,” she explained. “And I manage the deadlines for all of our projects. You might say I’m the hub for the agency; all the workflow goes through me.”

As noted, she is also quite active in the community, continuing a pattern that started in college, when she traveled to Uganda for two months with the Shoulder to Shoulder program and assisted seventh-grade school children by teaching science. Today, she’s an involved board member for the Foundation for TJO Animals, which supports the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center.

With TJO, she helps lead many of its fundraising and outreach events, such as the Ride Like an Animal Motorcycle Run and Car Show. She also volunteers additional time at the adoption center, providing companionship to the shelter’s numerous animals.

 

—George O’Brien

Matthew Nash

By
Class of 2021

Manager, Audit & Assurance Department, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.; Age 31

Like most who venture into the broad realm of accounting, Matt Nash discovered early on that he had an affinity for numbers. But, again, like most of those who join this profession, he discovered this business isn’t really about numbers; it’s about relationships and helping business owners and managers cope with the challenges and opportunities that come their way.

And that was before COVID-19.

The pandemic has merely served to amplify those sentiments, said Nash, manager in the Audit & Assurance Department at Holyoke-based Meyers Brothers Kalicka, who, since joining the company as an intern a decade ago, has risen in the ranks and taken on a host of new responsibilities within the firm, while also becoming quite active within the community as well.

“It’s making it more fun,” he said of the pandemic, with a discernable amount of sarcasm in his voice. Speaking with BusinessWest at the height of tax season, he said the firm is helping clients navigate a host of COVID-related matters, from two rounds of Paycheck Protection Program grants to the Employee Retention Credit, to simply keeping the doors open in the wake of falling revenues. “It keeps it interesting.”

And that phrase applies to much more than accounting and auditing. Indeed, Nash and his wife, Riley, welcomed their first child, Brooks, just a few months after COVID arrived, with the pandemic adding new layers of intrigue to what is always a memorable and challenging time.

“Any time my parents or my wife’s parents wanted to see our son, it was almost like a two-week quarantine for them,” he recalled. “My father-in-law wasn’t able to hold my son for three or four months after he was born. It definitely made things much more difficult.”

As for his work in the community, Nash, a native of West Springfield, said he wants to give back to the region, and the firm not only encourages its employees to do so, it facilitates that process by giving them the time to get involved.

Nash is a board member with Springfield School Volunteers, a member of the Ronald McDonald House golf tournament committee, a mentor for the Westfield State University accounting program, a volunteer for Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity, and a co-leader of his firm’s community initiative to help ‘stuff the bus’ for the United Way of Pioneer Valley.

 

—George O’Brien

Lauren Ostberg

By
Class of 2021

Attorney, Bulkley Richardson; Age 35

Lauren Ostberg took a winding road to Western Mass. — as one can see from the maps she and her husband and two sons are holding up in the accompanying photo.

Indeed, she’s also lived in Ohio (she grew up there), Vermont, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Montana (“it’s delightful — and cold — there, but there are no speed limits in most places”), and also Argentina for a short time.

She and her husband came to Western Mass. for a variety of reasons, and here, she’s found not only a home, but a professional niche, if you will — one she wasn’t necessarily thinking about when attending law school at Vanderbilt: cybersecurity.

Indeed, Scott Foster, co-chair of Bulkley Richardson’s cybersecurity practice (and a 40 Under Forty honoree in 2011), describes her as the “heart and soul” of that group, and one of the driving forces in its creation.

In this role, she has been instrumental in the launch of a well-respected series, CyberSafe, an in-person seminar turned virtual (because of COVID-19) that focuses on topics like preparation, implementation, and response to ensure that businesses and organizations are aware of their legal obligations; safeguards to stay protected; and what to in the event of a breach.

She has delivered cybersecurity presentations to large groups on a variety of topics, including WISPs (written information security programs), and contributed to articles on this broad subject for publications including BusinessWest.

“It’s a lot of fun, both intellectually and in terms of the work on the ground,” she said of cybersecurity law. It’s fun intellectually because the law and its applicability are always changing — even the definition of ‘personal information’ is constantly changing.

“And you also get some of the adrenaline you get from litigation,” she went on, “in responding to potential breaches for clients, like writing notification letters to attorneys general, crafting notices to consumers, counseling people on whether or not to pay the ransom … it’s all really interesting stuff, and very important.”

When not helping clients keep their businesses safe, Ostberg, who started her career as a freelance journalist and creative writer, is a regular participant in New England Public Media’s Valley Voices, with one of her stories taking the runner-up prize in the 2019 Valley Voices Championship. She is also active in the community, co-managing an annual fundraising campaign for the United Way of Pioneer Valley and also serving on Easthampton’s Cultural Council.

 

—George O’Brien

Kishore Parmar

By Contributor
Class of 2021

Vice President, Pioneer Valley Hotel Group; Age 39

Kishore Parmar takes pride in finding distressed hotel properties and returning them to greatness in the community.

He does so as vice president for Pioneer Valley Hotel Group (PVHG), his family’s business, which manages the largest number of hotel rooms in Western Mass.

For example, nearly a decade ago, Parmar oversaw the revitalization of La Quinta Inn in downtown Springfield, which had suffered years of neglect.

“We always knew La Quinta had good bones and was something we could build on,” he said. “We also saw things were happening in Springfield, so we thought it was the right time and the right place to make the investment.” Since the rehab, La Quinta has been a successful business and received accolades from the state for contributing to Springfield’s economic growth and revitalization.

As a family business, Parmar said the emphasis is on family, which includes the 75-plus employees who work for PVHG.

“We have employees who have worked with us for decades and have dedicated their professional careers to our company, and they are like family to us,” he said. “My family is blessed to have these people, and that’s why we’ve succeeded.”

In 2020, the impact of the pandemic on hospitality and tourism brought the industry to a near-standstill. After robust growth years in 2018 and 2019, PVHG entered what Parmar labeled “the ice age of COVID.” The most heartbreaking impact of this time, he said, was the need to reduce some of the workforce. “As the ice age starts to thaw, I’m looking forward to bringing people back and getting our properties fully staffed again.”

Meanwhile, as an executive board member with the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, Parmar is helping to lead the effort to start envisioning a post-COVID tourism economy.

“There will be long-term changes in the hospitality industry,” he said. “One area we are studying looks at how to market tourism in our area. I’m looking forward to seeing what we learn.”

The arrival of spring has sent occupancy rates slightly upward, and Parmar remains hopeful the trend will continue into summer, traditionally the busiest months for PVHG.

“We predict some growth this year, but the real momentum will be next year and 2023,” he said. “The foundation is in place for us to really take off in the next few years, so I’m excited.”

 

—Mark Morris

Anne-Alise Pietruska

By
Class of 2021

Co-owner, Mellowship Entertainment, LLC; Age 28

Like many Western Mass. natives, Anne-Alise Pietruska always loved the Big E and looked forward to it every year.

So she was thrilled to be able to intern there while in college and later land a full-time gig, splitting her days between marketing — with roles ranging from social-media strategy, copywriting, and website design to community outreach — and coordinating entertainment alongside John Juliano, who has been booking talent at the Big E for more than 30 years.

“JJ at that point was a one-man band and didn’t think he needed me,” Pietruska said. “But soon, he learned about how passionate I was for music and the ideas I had.”

Eventually, she and Juliano began talking about starting their own company. That enterprise, Mellowship Entertainment, launched in 2017. It provides services ranging from program and event management and production to talent buying, consulting, and artist representation.

While the Big E remains a major part of Mellowship’s work, during a typical year, Pietruska and Juliano are also responsible for more than 1,000 shows; one fair might offer 30 events in a single day. They’re also heavily involved in the automotive entertainment industry, not only representing major shows, but establishing their own Collector Car Live brand.

But note that phrase ‘during a typical year.’ Because the past year has been anything but typical.

“It was March 12 or 13, and we were on a plane to Arizona,” she recalled. “We got to our layover, and my phone was blowing up.”

Within hours, cancellations snowballed, and within a matter of days, nothing was booked through June; before long, the entire year — and beyond — was lost to live events. But Pietruska didn’t just retreat; she joined the RESTART initiative to support the live-event industry, and Mellowship is also working with the biodefense company Synsexis, the security and health monitoring system PatriotOne, and the COVID-19 screening program Virified to help relaunch clients’ events in 2021.

The entertainment industry has been battered, she said, but it is resilient, and people will come back.

“I love creating live experiences; some of my best memories are from attending concerts and festivals,” she said. “The thrill of a live show and the communal power of music has had such a lasting impact on me, I want to create those memories for people. That’s why I think I have the best job. It can be stressful, but I love what I do.”

 

—Joseph Bednar

Joseph Popielarczyk

By
Class of 2021

Project Manager, Tighe & Bond; Age 30

Joe Popielarczyk always liked math and science, and became exposed to the world of engineering in high school and as a student at UMass Amherst. But it was his uncle, a civil and environmental engineer, who helped him narrow his interest.

“I chose civil engineering and enjoyed it right from the beginning,” he said, adding that he interned at Tighe & Bond as an undergrad and joined the firm full-time upon earning his master’s degree.

Since then, his contributions to the region’s quality of life have included design and construction services for water-system improvements along College Highway in Southwick, design of a wastewater treatment plant conversion in Northampton, improvement design for a wastewater pumping station in West Springfield … the list goes on, really, each project building on — and growing — his expertise.

“I’m a total people person,” he said. “I really enjoy personal interactions, whether it’s with clients, co-workers, or regulators. I enjoy the personal aspect of engineering. And in my role at Tighe & Bond, I’m always learning from people.”

Popielarczyk says he’s fortunate to be in a field where he can constantly learn and grow, but he’s especially grateful for the impact his work has on entire communities.

“I love the idea that it’s helping people, even though it’s not something that gets recognized,” he said, adding that people often don’t think about why they have clean water, reliable sewer service, and streets that don’t flood during rainstorms, the same way shoppers buying food in a grocery store don’t often think about the farming, production, and transportation behind getting it there. “We’re not in the public eye, but we do impact a tremendous amount of people.”

His impact extends outside of work as well, including as a mentor to young people considering a career in engineering. After graduating from UMass Amherst, he returned for several years to speak with the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and he regularly volunteers as a judge at local high-school science fairs, taking time to speak with teenagers about his career and where their STEM interests might take them.

“There’s always something to learn at Tighe & Bond, and a lot of great people willing to pass on their knowledge,” he said. “I take the same perspective with mentoring. It’s an opportunity to pass along what I know and pay it forward.”

 

—Joseph Bednar

 

Claudia Quintero

By
Class of 2021

Staff Attorney, Central West Justice Center; Age 32

Growing up in Los Angeles, Claudia Quintero saw plenty of disparities — by class, race and ethnicity, gender, and more — and wanted to do something about it.

“But I was undocumented,” she said. “So I didn’t know if I could go to college, much less law school.”

In high school, though, she met a lawyer who helped her attain legal status. “I was so inspired by this attorney — who was also a Latina, and was very kind and very effective in her advocacy — that I wanted to go to law school and do for others what she had done for me.”

That law school was at Western New England University, where she knew she wanted to focus on social-justice work. Fittingly, she landed a job with Central West Justice Center immediately after achieving her juris doctorate. “It seemed like the right fit … like work I was meant to do.”

As a subsidiary of Community Legal Aid, Quintero explained, “we provide legal civil services to indigent clients, people who can’t afford lawyers for things like eviction defense, state and federal benefits law, family law, wage-and-hour claims, immigration … that’s just a smattering of the different projects we have.”

Central West’s migrant seasonal farmworker project, her area of focus, provides holistic legal advocacy to farmworkers across Massachusetts on housing, work conditions, and other protections, while advocating for these workers on the state level. “A lot of farms are located in rural parts of the state where the workers might not even know we exist,” she noted.

The performing and visual arts are a big part of Quintero’s identity; she’s a classically trained pianist, was a Mexican folkorico dancer for 15 years, and is an amateur photographer. The work she performs today at Central West has become a critical part of that identity as well — and a continuing tribute to her journey and those who helped her along the way.

“It’s a really gratifying job. I feel like it’s kind of my responsibility, since I was given such an amazing opportunity getting legal status in the United States,” she explained. “That’s not an easy feat; not everyone is eligible to become a lawyer in the United States, and even to be a legal citizen is such a huge privilege for me. So I know I have to do something worthwhile. I know it’s an opportunity I shouldn’t squander.”

 

—Joseph Bednar

Michael Regan

By Contributor
Class of 2021

Owner and President, Clayton Insurance Agency; Age 38

Integrity means a great deal to Michael Regan.

As an insurance professional who had been steadily growing in his career, Regan was ready to pursue his next business goal: to run his own agency. He had heard that Martin Clayton, longtime owner of the Clayton Insurance Agency in Holyoke, was looking for a young person to carry on the legacy of his business.

While he appreciated Regan’s 10-plus years of experience with Goss and McLain Insurance Agency, Clayton was particularly impressed that the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce had honored Regan with the Henry A. Fifeld Award for Voluntary Service to the Chamber.

“It turns out Clayton knew Fifeld and told me, ‘if you won Hank’s award, you must be a pretty good citizen,’” Regan recalled, adding that the conversation was a key step toward eventually acquiring the agency.

Once he settled in as the new owner at Clayton, he admits he felt some pressure to uphold the integrity of the firm and to make sure customers receive the same quality service they always have.

“I gave Martin my word that I would continue the legacy of the agency,” Regan said. “I work very hard to always keep my word.”

He had the option to change the name of the agency or add his name to it, and Clayton even encouraged it. But Regan decided he didn’t need his name on the sign. “The Clayton Insurance Agency has such a good reputation, I didn’t feel the need to mix that up and add my name. It’s not about me, it’s about continuing the agency and taking care of employees and customers.”

Since Regan took the helm in 2019, the agency has grown by just over 30%, a trajectory he hopes to continue for years to come.

“We’re looking to bring on more staff in the next couple of years and to keep the agency moving forward,” he said.

Regan is extremely community-minded, from funding scholarships to running food drives; from collecting donations for youth sports in Granby to volunteering with the First Tee program to teach inner-city kids about golf, a sport he’s also introduced to his four daughters.

Meanwhile, he hopes to continue the legacy of his agency until he’s ready to pass it along. “Fast-forward 50 years, I want to look back the same way Marty did and find a successor who can continue the Clayton Insurance Agency even further.”

 

—Mark Morris

Yadilette Rivera Colón

By
Class of 2021

Assistant Professor of Biology, Undergraduate Science Program Research Coordinator, Bay Path University; Age 35

It may have taken Yadilette Rivera Colón a while to find her passion — but she’s certainly been a force in helping other young women find theirs.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, she first enrolled in a nursing program, but soon decided she’d prefer to become a medical doctor. After a tough first semester of study, she worked at a dental office but found the work tedious.

Then she interviewed for a summer internship with Craig Martin, professor of Chemistry at UMass Amherst. The program was already full, but he saw something in her and brought her on anyway. As it turned out, she recalled, “he had wanted to be a dentist, too, and realized it wasn’t for him, and he thought I should have a backup plan.”

Rivera Colón was hooked when she helped conduct and publish research through the program, experiencing the thrill of sharing new knowledge with the world. “I gave everything else up to go into research,” she said, and eventually earned a doctorate at UMass in molecular and cellular biology.

Her role at Bay Path is multi-faceted, and her impact extends well beyond campus. In addition to helping students navigate a path to careers in science, her outreach in the community, especially in Holyoke, helps young people, especially women of color, discover the possibilities of STEM.

“It’s a leaky pipeline,” she said, partly explaining why women remain underrepresented in the sciences. “They don’t always have the support and resources in place. Or they hear, ‘you’re not good at math,’ or ‘you’re not good at science.’ But it’s a skill — you can get better, and I’m going to show you how.”

Rivera Colón creates bridges in other ways, too. She co-advises the Women in STEM organization at Bay Path and co-organizes its speaker series, and also facilitates training sessions that focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the STEM field. Through volunteer work with Girls Inc. of the Valley and the Latino Scholarship Fund of Western Massachusetts, she helps girls pursue their college and career goals. And she has led anti-racism trainings for colleagues and students at Bay Path, as well as for staff at MassHire Holyoke.

In short, she’s passionate, and it all started with finding that initial spark. “I tell girls, ‘if you decide to pursue a career in science, you’ll never be bored.’”

 

—Joseph Bednar

Victoria Ann Rodriguez

By Contributor
Class of 2021

Litigation Paralegal, MassMutual; Age 30

When Victoria Ann Rodriguez says she likes to stay busy, she’s not kidding.

In addition to her work as a litigation paralegal for MassMutual, she chairs the Puerto Rican Parade Committee, serves on the board of the Springfield YWCA, and on nights and weekends helps clients find their dream homes as a part-time real-estate agent.

Back when she was looking into colleges, Rodriguez considered majoring in criminal justice with the hope of eventually becoming an FBI agent.

“Once I realized there was blood and other things involved, I was no longer interested in the FBI,” she said with a laugh. Instead, she decided to pursue legal studies and has just begun studying for the LSAT exam. “I love the law, and I hope to one day become an attorney.”

Passionate about giving back, she formerly chaired the community responsibility subcommittee for the Assoc. of Latinos at MassMutual and Allies, and she’s heavily active with the Girl Scouts as a decorated alumna, troop leader, and tireless advocate. Before COVID-19, she served as a mentor to students from her alma mater, the High School of Commerce, in weekly sessions at MassMutual.

“We taught them skills such as budgeting, how to prepare for an interview, and how to draft a résumé,” she recalled. “I enjoyed the sessions because I saw myself when I was in high school and would have loved to be part of this type of program.”

The Rodriguez family has always been civically active. In fact, two decades ago, Victoria’s mother was chair of the Puerto Rican Parade Committee.

“I remember helping out my mom when I was younger, and now here I am, 20 years later, as the chair of the parade committee, so it’s come full circle,” she said.

With the pandemic still lingering, the committee is weighing its options for the next parade, always with the safety of the community in mind. But she can hardly wait to step off once again. “The parade draws folks from all ethnicities, and everyone is so excited on that day. I just love it.”

The idea of persistence motivates Rodriguez; when times get tough, she calls on her courage and strength to keep “leveling up.” And through it all, she still appreciates the journey.

“Sometimes I can’t believe I’m here,” she said. “I have my own place, my own car, I even have my own dog. I’ve grown up. It’s crazy.”

 

—Mark Morris

Elizabeth Sauer

By
Class of 2021

Project Manager and Estimator, Chicopee Industrial Contractors Inc.; Age 32

Liz Sauer says she’s getting used to it. Sort of. At least in some respects.

She’s referring to her responsibilities in a field — rigging, moving machinery, and related work — still heavily dominated by men, and, more specifically, to the annoying questions she gets, almost exclusively from men.

“They’ll ask how long I’ve been doing this kind of work,” said Sauer, adding that the implication is that she hasn’t been doing it very long, and thus her credentials are in question. “And they’ll ask if my father owns the company.”

Sauer says she never wants to appear fazed or upset with those questions, and has worked overtime to make sure she isn’t. Better still, she has developed an intriguing response mechanism, one that essentially turns the tables on those questioning her.

Indeed, while she says she hasn’t become “sassy enough” to ask any of her inquisitors if their father owns the company they work for, she will ask them how long they’ve been doing what they’re doing.

“The responses often lead to lively conversations and relationship building in a business — and industry — where that’s very important,” said Sauer, who is now a proud member of an all-female leadership team at Chicopee Industrial Contractors, one that has steered the company through the many challenges presented by COVID-19.

But there is much more to her résumé than her duties at CIC. Indeed, Sauer is the founder of Route to Rise Yoga and currently offers classes at a Windsor, Conn.-based studio called Wabi Sabi Yoga & Wellness Center. She also advocates for yoga and wellness in the workplace at the Eversource Health and Wellness Fair, and facilitates small-group active workplace chair yoga for the Commonwealth Care Alliance.

Sauer, who holds a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Florida, is also a mixed-media artist with a strong emphasis on fiber arts, sculpture, and figure drawing. Meanwhile, dance has been a constant passion throughout her life, and, with her partner, Gregg Todd, she offers workshops involving yoga, dance, and couples connectivity through shared movement. Both professional dancers, the duo perform a fusion of Latin-inspired modern dance.

When asked how she finds time for all that, she said she makes time — somehow — while also saving a few moments to offer a defiant ‘no’ when asked if her father owns the company.

 

—George O’Brien

Deepika Bains Shukla

By Contributor
Class of 2021

Chief, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Springfield; Age 39

Deepika Shukla always savors the moment in court when she states her name and declares her representation of the United States of America.

“I don’t just rattle off my name because for someone like me to stand up and represent the United States is a real honor,” she said.

A naturalized citizen who was born in Canada and lived in Chelmsford before moving to Western Mass., Shukla is chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Springfield — the first woman of color to run the Springfield office and the youngest to attain the chief’s position.

In a normal legal setting, a lawyer’s job is to always try to win a judgment for the client. Working for the Department of Justice had a strong appeal to Shukla because a U.S. attorney takes a different approach to the law.

“At the DOJ, your objective is to pursue justice,” she said. “It’s not about winning, it’s about doing the right thing.”

Shukla oversees eight U.S. attorneys and five staff members in the Springfield office, which covers the four counties of Western Mass. While many cases involve prosecuting federal crimes, the Springfield office also brings civil-rights actions against various entities. Shukla takes a special interest in these cases.

“I have experienced discrimination in my life, and I feel that’s an important perspective to bring to the job,” she said, adding that she has also successfully prosecuted hate-crime cases.

While in college, Shukla became a U.S. citizen, calling it one of the greatest days of her life. The day was September 6, 2001, when she and a roomful of people all rejoiced in becoming Americans. The sense of elation was short-lived when, five days later, the tragic events of 9/11 took place.

“Suddenly, I found that people who look like me and my family were being targeted as victims of hate crimes because of the way we looked and just for being ourselves,” she said — an experience that motivated her to give a voice to people who are not often heard from in the justice system.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Martin Luther King Jr. once declared, a quote that resonates strongly with Shukla.

“Wherever we see injustice, it’s our job to correct it,” she said. “If we let it go, it becomes a threat to our whole justice system.”

 

—Mark Morris

Christopher Thibault

By
Class of 2021

Owner, Filmmaker, and Director, Chris Teebo Films; Age 38

“His camera was his paintbrush, and his canvas his screen.”

That’s how Judy Matt, president of the Spirit of Springfield, chose to sum up the life and work of Chris Thibault, who created some stunning videos for the agency and its Bright Nights holiday lighting display in Forest Park. As she did so, one could sense the pain of having to use the past tense — a pain felt by all who came to know him, even if only for a short while.

Thibault is BusinessWest’s first posthumous 40 Under Forty honoree. He passed away in February, during the nomination period, and the many who nominated him felt firmly that, because of his body of work, his professionalism, the manner in which he touched those he worked with and for, and the way in which he took a long and difficult cancer battle public and inspired countless people in the process, he earned a place within the class of 2021.

And they’re right.

Thibault was an entrepreneur, launching his production company, T-Bo Productions, in 2004. But while he was a businessman, he was, to most, an artist — one who took ideas and goals and turned them into video works of art. Over the years, he worked with a number of area clients, including Spirit of Springfield, Big Y, Mercedes-Benz of Springfield, the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, Health New England, and many others.

There were no small projects in his mind, said his wife, Missy, and he approached every project with passion and energy.

“Some people can immerse themselves in their work, and it can have a negative effect — like it was too much,” she explained. “With him, it seemed like a very natural balance. He put everything he had into each and every project. That’s how he did things.”

He kept doing things that way even as cancer ate away at his body and made it more difficult to work and create, and this was just one of the many ways he inspired others. Another was the way he and Missy shared their cancer battle with the world.

“That just came naturally to us because we love to document,” she explained. “He always said, ‘the story is king,’ and he had a story of his own that he felt he had a responsibility to tell.”

By telling it, he took his already-considerable talents as an artist to an even higher level.

 

—George O’Brien

John Thomasian

By Contributor
Class of 2021

Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer, North Brookfield Savings Bank; Age 34

“There’s no place like home” is more than a sentiment for John Thomasian. The North Brookfield native was 3 years old when his parents opened a savings account with North Brookfield Savings Bank. Back then, no one could have predicted he would return someday as the bank’s chief financial officer.

Representing the fifth generation of his family to live in town, Thomasian joined North Brookfield Savings last March. “The opportunity to come back to my hometown savings bank was just too good to ignore,” he said.

During his career, Thomasian appreciates what he’s learned from working closely with successful CEOs, but his biggest inspiration comes from days spent with his late grandfather, longtime North Brookfield Chief of Police Harbig Thomasian.

“I remember driving around with him and seeing how everyone liked and respected him,” he said. “I thought I could carry on his legacy and the family name by coming back to town.”

The return to his hometown is not simply nostalgia, but, rather, a look ahead. After a decade in the financial industry in roles of ever-increasing responsibility, Thomasian understands that banking business models of the past will not work going forward, so he has brought a data-driven approach to North Brookfield Savings.

“Since joining the bank, I’ve implemented several new strategies that will put us in a position to succeed in the future,” he said.

Along with innovative approaches, he also understands the importance of the personal touch. “I’ve had the chance to reacquaint myself with lots of old friends. That’s good for the bank because people like to do business with someone they know and can trust.”

Thomasian also made clear there are no limits to his ‘banker’s hours.’

“My cell-phone number is on my business card, and I tell people they can call me personally any time of day,” he said. “If a customer has an issue with any of our products or services, I want to be the first to know.”

It’s always a good situation for a bank when its customers are, literally, friends and neighbors, Thomasian said, adding that returning to his hometown is more than just business — it’s personal. “North Brookfield has always had a special place in my heart.”

 

—Mark Morris

Erin Zwisler

By Contributor
Class of 2021

Clinical Director, Autism Learning Partners; Age 35

To hear Erin Zwisler tell it, working with autistic children every day is challenging and, at the same time, very satisfying.

“Every day is different,” she said. “The children are teaching us just like we are teaching them.”

She joined Autism Learning Partners in 2018 and has been credited with growing its clinician team and client base, as well as expanding the group’s locations into Connecticut, with offices in Hartford and New Haven.

Within the Western Mass. autism community, Zwisler is known as an ally and an advocate for families. In that role, she has forged dynamic and diverse partnerships in the larger community.

As a board-certified behavior analyst, she was drawn to her career choice by a fascination with applied behavior analysis (ABA), a scientific approach to behavior proven to work well with autistic individuals. Unlike other approaches, she noted, ABA helps those with autism to achieve at higher levels.

“Let’s say we want to encourage a particular behavior from a child,” Zwisler said. “We look at the environment to understand what barriers they are facing, then change one thing in the environment, and we begin to see progress.”

As an example, if a child sees a toy on a shelf and expresses they want it by crying, a clinician will help the child communicate what they want and model how to say it.

“So, the next time the toy is out of reach, the environment you’ve set up and the prompts you’ve exposed the child to make it possible for them to request it on their own,” she said.

COVID-19 presented a challenge to Zwisler and her staff because so much of their services are provided in the home. In addition to nervous parents who feared letting outsiders in, the children suddenly saw clinicians wearing masks and could no longer give high-fives or hugs.

But she said her team treated living with COVID like any new skill they teach their clients. “We meet them where they are, then slowly and surely increase the demands and provide positive reinforcement as they achieve each step in what they’ve learned.”

Zwisler remains passionate about her work because every small success helps build behaviors to promote independent living in the long run.

“A child’s progress can be amazing,” she said. “From holding a fork to speaking their first words, we see big accomplishments from them.”

 

—Mark Morris