LONGMEADOW — A shopping plaza at 909 Shaker Road in Longmeadow has been destroyed by fire. Six businesses were destroyed in the blaze, which drew 13 different fire departments to the scene.
The fire started about 6:15 a.m. Tuesday, Western Mass News reported, adding that Longmeadow Town Manager Lyn Simmons met with the business owners Tuesday to talk about ways to help, including the 74 employees left without paychecks moving forward. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
RUSSELL — The town of Russell has a new broadband, video, and voice services provider, as Comcast announced it has acquired Russell Municipal Cable TV. Comcast plans to transition residents and businesses to its Xfinity and Comcast Business suite of services through the end of the year.
“The acquisition of Russell Municipal Cable TV gives Comcast an opportunity to provide customers in the town of Russell with access to our Xfinity and Comcast Business innovative products and services, including our broadband internet experience, with the fastest broadband speeds available to residents,” said Carolyne Hannan, senior vice president of Comcast’s Western New England Region, which includes Western Mass. “We have a long-standing commitment to serving the communities in the Commonwealth where our customers and employees live and work and are proud to extend that commitment to our newest community in Western Massachusetts.”
Comcast is now available in 248 communities across Massachusetts and employs local residents at its Xfinity Stores in Springfield and Holyoke, and in several business and technical operations centers across the state, which serve residential customers and businesses.
“We chose Comcast because it is the best operator in the business with the fastest and most reliable network,” said Randy Merritt, manager of Russell Cable. “They are true innovators who continuously invest in their network to meet customers’ current and future needs, and we are confident this sale will ensure our customers have access to Comcast’s best-in-class network, products, services, and customer experience.”
FLORENCE — Florence Bank has promoted Lachlan Harris to the position of information security administration officer.
Harris joined Florence Bank in 2016. Prior to his recent promotion, he had served as the information and cybersecurity administrator. In his new role, he will be responsible for security protocols throughout the bank’s information infrastructure. He is a certified information systems security professional and also a member of the Global Information Assurance Certification Advisory Board.
“We are very pleased to announce Lachlan’s promotion,” said Kevin Day, president and CEO of Florence Bank. “Lachlan has proven that he is a visionary within the information-security space, and we are delighted to continue to watch him progress even further in the years to come.”
EASTHAMPTON — Smith Brothers Insurance has hired Mike Kelly as private client practice leader. He is responsible for private-client growth initiatives, client service, and enhancing the company’s people-focused culture.
Kelly brings 15 years of experience in the insurance industry on the agent, broker, and carrier sides, with key leadership roles in high-net-worth personal lines. Most recently, he was vice president, regional executive for PURE Insurance, a carrier that specializes in financially successful families.
Founded in Hartford, Conn. in 1971, Smith Brothers Insurance has expanded to more than 200 professionals. The agency is licensed in every state in the U.S. and protects risk all over the world. Headquartered in Glastonbury, Conn., Smith Brothers has offices throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.
Matt Yee and Mark Cutting of Enlite in Northampton
David Narkewicz wasn’t just a supporter of cannabis coming to Northampton. He was the first customer.
That was three years ago, when NETA opened on Conz Street and became the state’s very first dispensary for legal, recreational cannabis. Today, with cannabis businesses proliferating in the city and across Massachusetts, the outgoing mayor believes his initial enthusiasm was justified.
“We saw the experience of other states, and a lot of the Massachusetts law, when they were trying to put together the regulatory framework, was based on looking at laws in other states,” Narkewicz said. “First and foremost, I supported legalization just as a public-policy meaure, but I also saw an opportunity for investment in the community.”
Elaborating, he said the city is known as a destination with a vibrant retail sector, arts and culture establishments, and plenty of restaurants and bars. “So my sense, and my hope, was that this would be a new investment in the community and a new source of jobs and revenue, and another reason to come to Northampton. I think we took a pretty forward-looking approach to this.”
Today, Northampton is home to eight retail dispensaries for adult-use cannabis, seven manufacturers, four cultivation facilities, and a testing lab. Those numbers grow seemingly by the month.
Meanwhile, three years of excise taxes on adult-use cannabis have brought in more than $4.3 million. “That helps us continue funding schools, police, fire, DPW, all the services we provide as a city.”
Mark Cutting and Matt Yee certainly saw potential, not only in the state’s legalization of cannabis, but Northampton’s embrace of it. Just last week, they opened the city’s eighth adult-use dispensary, Enlite, just off the Coolidge Bridge rotary — and they have a long-term vision for it based on the idea that this is a still-evolving industry.
“Our getting into cannabis was really just another attempt on our part to find jobs that people can get into at the entry level, or get a better job. It’s imperative that we find people who are unemployed, underemployed, those with limited education, limited work history, and get them into employment and on a career track.”
“We thought that, with our background in business and the Yee family’s background in restaurants and entertainment, there may be potential beyond even the retail space,” Cutting said. “There may be opportunities to have some type of dining or some type of entertainment along with cannabis partaking at some point in time — though that’s not legal here yet.”
Yee noted that the sheer number of cannabis businesses in Massachusetts — almost 190 and counting, not just in retail, but in cultivation, manufacturing, and wholesaling — is making it easier for all players to succeed, because of the cross-pollination. It’s why Enlite has adopted the model of many area dispensaries of partnering with boutique makers of cannabis products.
“Early on, it was difficult because [product] availability was so low, you had to be vertically integrated to supply yourself,” he noted. “But Western Mass. has been really kind to small-scale producers, and we’re really happy to showcase them here at this location.”
Cutting added that “a lot of the multi-state operators don’t necessarily like companies like that to sit on their shelves. But we’re basically an open market for some of these producers to share shelf space and advertise their product here locally.”
With each business open, total sales in Massachusetts increase — crossing the $2 billion mark, in fact, earlier this month, a number even proponents might not have expected so soon after voters approved legalizing recreational cannabis in November 2016, four years after giving a similar go-ahead to medical marijuana.
Jeff Hayden says cannabis has created fertile ground for hundreds of new jobs in Holyoke — and an impressive diversity of them.
And those businesses mean jobs, said Jeffrey Hayden, vice president of Business and Community Services at Holyoke Community College (HCC).
“We’ve experienced high levels of unemployment during the pandemic; both Springfield and Holyoke unemployment have been ahead of the federal and state average. In both communities, we see a strong need to connect people to the workforce,” Hayden told BusinessWest.
That’s one reason HCC became a lead partner in the creation of the Cannabis Career Center in late 2019. If HCC exists to give people the skills they need to get into jobs, he reasoned, then the potential of cannabis couldn’t be ignored — especially in a city rivaled only, perhaps, by Northampton in its full-on embrace of this new industry.
“Our getting into cannabis was really just another attempt on our part to find jobs that people can get into at the entry level, or get a better job,” he explained. “It’s imperative that we find people who are unemployed, underemployed, those with limited education, limited work history, and get them into employment and on a career track.”
But cannabis is changing Holyoke in other ways, too, notably in its canal district, where long-neglected mill buildings are springing to life with cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and sales.
David Narkewicz
“We put in place zoning regulations that were not onerous; we’re essentially allowing retail cannabis anywhere we allowed retail, and it was generally the same for manufacturing.”
“The private investment in Holyoke as a result of this industry coming to Massachusetts has been extremely significant,” Hayden said. “Cannabis companies are buying properties that have been long underutilized — and it’s not like acquiring a building and leaving it as is; they’re investing significant dollars to improve it and create new jobs in the city, literally hundreds of jobs already. And, obviously, the tax revenue generated for the city is significant. This is a growing industry in Massachusetts.”
That’s true — literally and figuratively. Five years after that critical vote and three years after businesses started opening, cannabis has proven to be a hardy economic driver, one that not only survived the pandemic, but thrived throughout it. And no one really knows what the ceiling may be.
Not everything has been smooth in what is becoming a hyper-competitive market. Enlite is the state’s first Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) applicant to open its doors, and Yee concedes that the Cannabis Control Commission’s stated commitment to MBE and social-equity opportunities — with the goal of helping communities and demographics negatively impacted by the war on drugs to access entrepreneurship opportunities in cannabis — has met with inconsistent results.
“It’s a really big topic in the industry. We’ve had a lot of commissioners change out in the last year or so, and a lot of people in the program saw CCC failing them as far as getting those applicants to the finish line,” Yee explained. “It’s a combination of things: operators with not a lot of resources can be an issue. Obviously you’ve got your multi-state operators with a million dollars allocated to their lawyers and legal teams, so they’re able to have the resources to get them pushed through a little bit faster. Those are big issues.”
Holyoke’s mill district has become a promising location for cannabis cultivation for companies like GTI.
But things are changing, he added, with new commissioners “really focusing on those applicants and assisting them, figuring out where the pain points are and getting them to the finish line and open. We’ve been seeing some traction on that.”
The process can be a tricky one (see related story on page 22).
“The biggest issue — because it’s not federally legal — is access to capital,” Cutting said. “It’s a journey getting through the CCC, and if you do make a mistake and don’t dot your I’s and cross your T’s, it gets rejected, and you have to start all over again, and you don’t necessarily go back to the same queue you were in — you may go to the bottom of the pile. And it can be a long, painful process to get back to the top of the pile. And God forbid you make a mistake again.”
It helped, he said, to deal with a city that didn’t limit the number of application approvals. “We sat down with the mayor, and it was the most seamless, easiest process you can ever imagine, versus other cities that either opted out, or there’s a lottery, or they really capped the number of cultivators or retailers they’re allowing.”
In Narkewicz’s eyes, Northampton’s voters approved cannabis — first medical, then recreational — at a much higher percentage than the state average, and the city’s leaders took their cue from that.
“We put in place zoning regulations that were not onerous; we’re essentially allowing retail cannabis anywhere we allowed retail, and it was generally the same for manufacturing,” the mayor said. “And I think we saw a pretty strong response — lots of people wanting to locate here in Northampton.”
He does hear questions from people wondering if the market is too saturated, and has a quick response. “Northampton has 17 liquor stores. I have yet to hear anyone complain that we have too many liquor stores. To me, this is a legal industry, and it’s the free market, which is why I opposed caps on liquor licenses for years, because they hold back economic development in a city like Northampton and only drive up the cost of those licenses and make it harder for entrepreneurs.
“There’s opportunity to get in on the ground floor and also opportunity to grow in these occupations. It’s not like we’ve got 100 people in Holyoke who are cultivators, or 50 people who have strong customer-service experience in retail dispensaries. No one has 10 years of experience in this area. So in Massachusetts, for the job seeker, it’s all about what they bring to the occupation.”
“In an industry like cannabis, which is trying to focus on equity and economic empowerment, particularly for populations that were disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of cannabis and the war on drugs,” he went on, “putting up barriers like that defeats the purpose and works against the goals of this new industry.”
Narkewicz also noted that each new business may be 20 or 25 new local jobs as well.
In Holyoke, cannabis means hundreds of new jobs in a short period of time. And the variety of jobs is appealing to us,” Hayden added, noting that someone with strong customer-service skills could become an effective patient advocate, while someone with an agricultural background could work in cultivation, and someone with a knack for science could work in extraction and infusion.
The appealing thing, he noted, is that companies are looking for workers with broad skills who just need, and want, to be trained in the intricacies of this field and their specific roles.
“There’s opportunity to get in on the ground floor and also opportunity to grow in these occupations,” Hayden said. “It’s not like we’ve got 100 people in Holyoke who are cultivators, or 50 people who have strong customer-service experience in retail dispensaries. No one has 10 years of experience in this area. So in Massachusetts, for the job seeker, it’s all about what they bring to the occupation.”
Kathleen Proper, chief Human Resources officer at Canna Provisions in Holyoke, said as much at a panel discussion that preceded a recent Cannabis Career Fair at HCC, titled “Cultivating an Industry.”
“Our biggest thing is providing outstanding customer service,” she noted. “So if you’ve got experience doing customer service, whether you’ve worked retail, worked in a restaurant, waited tables, tended bar, all of those skills work out really well. Even though cannabis retail is a different animal than other retail … we tend to do really well with people who have waited tables or tended bar.”
Yee isn’t worried about the ninth dispensary that will open in Northampton, or the 10th or 11th. Like Narkewicz, he believes the legal cannabis industry is thriving, with the saturation point well in the distance.
“I always say our biggest competitor is the black market. Many consumers are still shopping on the black market because the pricing is far better,” he said, noting that an eighth-ounce of cannabis may cost $50 in a store and $30 on the street, with no tax.
“A lot of folks who are stuck in their ways, they know the brands they like on that market, they know the cultivators they want to work with … the black market is still very, very strong,” he went on. “As we see more interesting products hit the shelves here at a commercial dispensary and prices begin to drop — and we are seeing a little more of that — we’ll see folks moving over from the black market to the commercial market. So there’s still a massive untapped customer base out there.”
Cutting agreed that, as the legal cannabis industry matures and deepens, the sheer volume of product will lower prices, and that — as well as the aesthetic and educational experience that many cannabis shops tout — will draw more people in.
“Additionally, all the product on our shelves has been tested; you know what’s in the product. On the black market, you don’t have test results and don’t know what metals or pesticides or mold or yeast are in their product. They don’t have to test — they just roll and sell their product from whatever location they’re growing in.
“Here, it’s a safe, friendly environment,” Cutting went on. “You’re not looking over your shoulder buying something off the black market. And I think that market will eventually snuff itself out. Not entirely, but I think, over time, you’ll see it. The question some will ask is, ‘hey, do I want to be safe, or roll with this and take the risk of an untested product?’ I think most people will want to be on the safe side.”
As for public safety, Narkewicz said concerns from cannabis opponents — regarding surging crime and diversion problems — simply haven’t come to pass. And looking back, he’s proud to have been the first customer in the city’s newest growth industry.
“Obviously, in the early going, we had a little traffic crunch and parking crunch, but I don’t know many mayors worried about too many people wanting to visit their city,” he told BusinessWest. “It’s a good problem to have.”
Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]
To Our Readers
While philanthropy is a year-round activity, the holidays are a time when many of us think about those who are in need, and how, in general, we can help make Western Mass. a better community for all who call this region home.
To help individuals, groups, and businesses make effective decisions when it comes to philanthropy, BusinessWest and the Healthcare News present their annual Giving Guide. In this section are profiles of several area nonprofit organizations, a sampling of the region’s thousands of nonprofits.
These profiles are intended to educate readers about what these groups are doing to improve quality of life for the people living and working in the 413, but also to inspire them to provide the critical support (which comes in many different forms) that these organizations and so many others so desperately need.
And while the need to support these nonprofits is constant — year-round and every year — at this challenging time, the need is even greater. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on many of the nonprofits in this region, at a time when the collective needs within the community have perhaps never been greater, not just because of COVID, but also a struggling economy, inflation, and even natural disasters.
These profiles within the Giving Guide list not only giving opportunities — everything from online donations to corporate sponsorships — but also volunteer opportunities. And it is through volunteering, as much as with a cash donation, that individuals can help a nonprofit carry out its important mission within our community.
BusinessWest and HCN launched the Giving Guide to 2011 to harness this region’s incredibly strong track record of philanthropy and support of the organizations dedicated to helping those in need.
The publication is designed to inform, but also to encourage individuals and organizations to find new and imaginative ways to give back. We are confident it will succeed with both of those assignments.
George O’Brien, Editor and Associate Publisher
John Gormally, Publisher
Kate Campiti, Sales Manager and Associate Publisher
The Giving Guide is Presented by:
As part of a broad rebranding and rebuilding effort at the Greater Holyoke Chamber, Jordan Hart is working to build a stronger relationship with the Hispanic business community.
Jordan Hart admits to sometimes getting lonely at the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce’s spacious offices on High Street.
There are still monthly board meetings in the large conference room and an occasional visitor. And the entrepreneur leasing a small office toward the back of the space comes in now and then.
But mostly, it’s just Hart.
Indeed, this chamber is now essentially a one-person operation, the culmination of a trend that started before the pandemic and has only been accelerated by COVID-19.
“I am the chamber,” said Hart, one several relatively new chamber leaders in the region — she became executive director almost a year ago after more than nine years with the agency in various roles, adding that there were five people working in the same space when she first started there.
And Holyoke’s is not the only area chamber to be run by a staff of one. That’s the model now in place at several agencies, including the Springfield Regional Chamber (SRC), which had five staff members just prior to COVID, but now there’s just one computer humming at its suite of offices at the TD Bank Building, a downsizing that happened over time.
“Part of it was attrition, part of its was budgetary as a result of COVID,” said Nancy Creed, president of the SRC, who announced earlier this month that she will be stepping down from her position no later than next spring to care for her elderly mother.
Coping with smaller staffs — and, in some cases, some loneliness — has been just one of the adjustments area chambers have had to make over the last few years, and especially since COVID. There have been some changes in the services they provide and how they are provided, and there has been somewhat of a change in role as well.
“As chambers stepped up, people saw us as a lifeline. We’re in the business of serving businesses, but never did we realize that we would actually be saving businesses.”
Indeed, where once chambers existed to help promote members and connect them to one another and the community, while also providing needed information on matters ranging from new legislation to changes in tax laws, the mission escalated during COVID — up to and including simply helping members survive an unprecedented disruption to their business and their life.
“As chambers stepped up, people saw us as a lifeline,” said Claudia Pazmany, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. “We’re in the business of serving businesses, but never did we realize that we would actually be saving businesses.”
Overall, the chamber members we spoke with summarized what’s happened over the past 21 months or so by saying chambers became more relevant during the pandemic, as evidenced by the fact that membership didn’t decrease for many of them at a time of extreme financial duress for many of their members. In some cases, it actually increased.
“Throughout all of this, chambers have really shown their relevance,” Creed said. “It’s like having health insurance in some respects; you don’t ever want to use it, but you’re glad that it’s there when you need to use it, and we’ve shown what we can do and what our value proposition is.”
Now, the challenge is to remain relevant, they said with one voice, noting that they’re going about this assignment in many different ways.
At the Holyoke Chamber, for example, there has been a rebranding — a new logo and a new website, for starters — but also some strong outreach to Hispanic business owners, said Hart, adding that, historically, that population hasn’t felt as if the chamber represented them.
“It was really important to me to become a more inclusive organization, fostering not only our current members, but growing that and extending that into the Hispanic business community, which has really not had the same opportunities that the chamber has offered to other businesses,” she told BusinessWest, adding that she considers 2021 to be a comeback year for a beleaguered chamber. “I don’t want to continue to segregate the two different business communities, but instead find ways to become more unified and be the business community of Holyoke.”
Grace Barone says the East of the River Five Town Chamber has brought back many of its events, but with adjustments due to COVID.
At the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, which includes Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Ludlow, and other communities south and east of Springfield, there has been a return to many of the gatherings staged before COVID, including the popular breakfasts, an important value-added service for members.
“There’s definitely a need for these kinds of networking events,” said Grace Barone, who came on as executive director of the chamber in June. “Everyone needed to know how folks were doing, how to adjust sales, and how to move forward in this world, so we set out to do that, to bring people together again.”
For this issue, BusinessWest talked with several chamber leaders about this process of ‘moving forward,’ and all that this phrase entails. As with businesses in every sector of the economy, it means pivoting when necessary and finding new and sometimes different ways to be relevant and present value to members.
As she talked about her chamber’s recent trade show and fundraising event, the ERC5 Talkin’ Turkey Table Top 2021, Barone said she took a page from the playbook BusinessWest used at its 40 Under Forty gala in September — the one that called for spreading people out to help reduce risks during a surge in COVID.
“We utilized all the different spaces at Twin Hills Country Club that we could,” she explained. “We had some vendors outside and in the lobby — we provided people with more room. People had to do a little more traveling through Twin Hills, but it happened, and it was a success, and everyone was very happy.”
It was the same at an earlier networking event, staged outdoors in another nod to COVID, at the Apple Place in East Longmeadow, which boasts a creamery and a number of farm animals. It wasn’t your typical networking event setting, but it worked, serving as an example of thinking outside the box and making needed adjustments to how things are normally done, Barone said.
“Throughout all of this, chambers have really shown their relevance. It’s like having health insurance in some respects; you don’t ever want to use it, but you’re glad that it’s there when you need to use it, and we’ve shown what we can do and what our value proposition is.”
Making adjustments at events — and conducting fewer events overall — while also making due with smaller staffs, and often one person, are just some of the changes area chambers have been making since COVID changed the landscape.
“It has certainly not been easy, and chambers have to do more with less now,” Creed said. “But that’s not necessarily a bad thing — I think that’s just business, and everyone needs to learn how to do that.”
Overall, most chambers have handled the adjustments they’ve had to make. There have been cutbacks in staffing for many of the agencies — again, through attrition and some cuts — and other forms of downsizing. But while chambers have closed and merged in other parts of the country and even other parts of this state, all of the chambers in the 413 have kept their names and their identities.
That’s not to say there weren’t some precarious times. Indeed, when Kate Phelon, the long-time executive director of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, announced she would retire at the end of 2020, a search for a successor commenced that September. It was halted a few months later amid some concerns about the chamber’s future — and fiscal concerns stemming from the pandemic — but then started again as arrangements were made to collect past-due membership fees and take other steps to put the agency on solid financial footing.
“Dues started coming in, and people started getting creative about getting businesses into the chamber,” said Eric Oulette, who would eventually become that successor, adding that, today, membership is solid, at nearly 240 members, or roughly where things stood before the pandemic, with the ambitious goal of getting to 300 in the months to come.
Nancy Creed says area chambers certainly proved their relevance during COVID, and the challenge now is to maintain that relevance.
He’s confident the chamber can continue adding members and perhaps reach that lofty goal because of the value it has put on display during the pandemic, especially as a resource to members looking for needed information and guidance on relief programs.
Barone agreed. “We’ve been climbing higher and adding new members since I’ve come onboard,” she said, adding that the numbers have been steady and the chamber is on solid ground moving forward.
At the Holyoke Chamber, amid several changes in leadership, the agency fell out of view of many business owners and needed to not only rebrand but reintroduce itself to the business community and in some ways even reinvent itself. And Hart, because of her long tenure with the organization and familiarity with many of the business owners, thought she was in a position to orchestrate what could be called a turnaround.
“I thought I was in a position to really rebrand us and make it known that we’re here to help the community, because there was talk that the chamber was idle,” she told BusinessWest. “We were administering grants, but other than that, we had a very idle pandemic, so I took that opportunity last spring to rebrand us, with a new logo, new website, and new dues structure.”
The more significant aspect of what she is calling a ‘renaissance’ for this chamber is its efforts to promote inclusion and broaden the membership base by putting out a proverbial welcome mat to Hispanic business owners. It is doing this through a number of vehicles, including everything from diversity, equity, and inclusion seminars to complementary Spanish classes (Hart is taking one herself) and English classes as well.
“What I’ve noticed from working here almost a decade is that there are a lot of roadblocks preventing unification within our business community,” she said. “So if can we cross-pollinate and promote one another and highlight one another, using the power of the chamber to become an ally with everyone in our community, we can see tremendous growth. The potential is really endless, in my opinion.”
As he talked with BusinessWest, Oulette was just returning from a ribbon-cutting ceremony, one of many he’s been part of over the past few months.
The giant scissors have been given a workout, he said, thanks in part to a surge in entrepreneurship fueled in some ways by the pandemic and the time it gave people to think about, and act on, their dreams of owning their own business.
“It was really important to me to become a more inclusive organization, fostering not only our current members, but growing that and extending that into the Hispanic business community, which has really not had the same opportunities that the chamber has offered to other businesses.”
“More than 20 businesses have opened up in the Greater Westfield area this year alone,” he said, adding that, from what he can gather, most area chambers are equally busy with those ribbon cuttings, and they represent just one of many ways chambers are showing up during these still-challenging times.
Indeed, with federal PPP money and other sources of funding, such as a large grant the Holyoke chamber has secured through its partnership with EforAll Holyoke, area chambers have been able to carry on — in somewhat different fashion, in some cases, and with a somewhat different mentality in others. And, yes, with fewer people at many agencies.
“We’ve transitioned to be more of a mission-driven organization than an events-driven organization,” said Creed, noting quickly that spending less time on events, such as those monthly or quarterly breakfasts that so many area chambers are known for, has freed up time for “things that truly matter.”
Using different words and phrases, all those we spoke with said essentially the same thing — although, for many, those events are still critical as ways to serve members and raise needed operating revenue.
But the pandemic has inspired all the chambers to look beyond those events and at different ways to help members, especially as they continue to battle not only the pandemic, but also a workforce crisis that is without precedent, and now new challenges to their existence, such as inflation and supply-chain woes.
Eric Oulette says he has been busy at ribbon cuttings, one of the many ways the Greater Westfield Chamber has been visible and involved.
While the pandemic has eased in some ways, said Pazmany, area chambers are still working to not only serve but save area businesses. And this work takes many forms, from supporting the Amherst BID’s proposal to build a new parking garage downtown to more global efforts to inspire people to buy local.
But the biggest issues, one that chambers are struggling to help with, are the supply-chain woes and the workforce crisis. And they have Pazmany worried because they are preventing businesses from fully bouncing back from the pandemic, and in some ways still threatening their existence.
“I’m worried that, though our business are performing and they’re still open … they’re often just hanging on because of staffing and because of supply-chain issues,” she said. “Look at restaurants; they can’t stay open and serve the same number of people they used to. Most restaurants are busy, but they have to close two days a week, and if a restaurant has to close two days a week, they’re not doing what they were doing before the pandemic.”
And because a chamber’s fortunes are tied to the relative health of the business community it serves, there is understandable cause for concern, she went on.
“I’m a chamber, I’m a member-driven organization, all my support comes from my members and dues and sponsorships,” she explained. “I certainly have a right to worry; we’ve certainly proven ourselves in terms of our value, but if you’re not making the money, you’re going to cut somewhere. And what we don’t know is how long this staffing shortage and these other issues are going to go on.”
“It has certainly not been easy, and chambers have to do more with less now. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing — I think that’s just business, and everyone needs to learn how to do that.”
Barone agreed, but noted that one of the enduring lessons from the pandemic is that challenges can be met if groups and individuals work together and think outside the box.
“If we learned anything from this, it’s that the community comes together; if it weren’t for the residents in our small towns, a lot of businesses, a lot of restaurants, would not have survived,” she said. “But the community rallied, and that’s the piece that we’ve got to take forward — not that we didn’t before, but we need to focus on that with chambers. If our businesses are doing well and they’re successful, they give back to the communities they’re in, and everyone thrives.”
As she walked and talked with BusinessWest during a visit to the space on High Street, Hart pointed to the desk positioned in the front lobby, the one she occupied when she started with the agency a decade or so ago.
When she became executive director, she recalled, she sat at that desk for some time, partly because of the familiarity, but also, as a one-person show, she wanted to be out front, greeting whoever came through the front door.
She has since settled into her office located behind the conference room, her “zen space,” as she called it. The broad goal for 2022 is to rebuild the chamber’s finances and, hopefully, place another employee at that desk out front — or one of the other unoccupied workstations.
Getting Hart some company is just one of the many challenges to address, and hopefully overcome, as chambers — like the businesses they serve — move on from surviving the pandemic to life after it.
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
By Kristina Drzal Houghton
What a year it’s been. So far, we have had to cope with a global pandemic, extreme political division, and a series of natural disasters — just to mention a few noteworthy occurrences. These events have complicated tax planning for individuals and small-business owners.
What’s more, new legislation enacted over the last couple of years has had, and will continue to have, a significant impact. First, the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act addressed numerous issues affected by the pandemic. Following soon after, the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) extended certain provisions and modified others. Finally, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) opens up even more tax-saving opportunities in 2021.
And we still might not be done. New proposed legislation is currently being debated in Congress. If another new law is enacted before 2022, it may require you to revise your year-end tax-planning strategies. This article focuses primarily on techniques to reduce your 2021 taxes. However, if tax rates increase for 2022, as has been proposed, your strategy might be to accelerate income and defer deductions.
Kristina Drzal Houghton
“Make sure qualified property is placed in service before the end of the year. If your business does not start using the property, it does not qualify for these tax breaks.”
This is the time to assess your tax outlook for 2021. By developing a comprehensive year-end plan, you can maximize the tax breaks currently on the books and avoid potential pitfalls.
Be aware that the concepts discussed in this article are intended to provide only a general overview of year-end tax planning. It is recommended that you review your personal situation with a tax professional.
At year-end, a business may secure one or more of three depreciation-related tax breaks: (1) the Section 179 deduction, (2) first-year ‘bonus’ depreciation, and (3) regular depreciation.
ACTION: Make sure qualified property is placed in service before the end of the year. If your business does not start using the property, it does not qualify for these tax breaks.
• Section 179 deductions: Under this section of the tax code, a business may ‘expense’ (i.e., currently deduct) the cost of qualified property placed in service anytime during the year. The maximum annual deduction is phased out on a dollar-for-dollar basis above a specified threshold.
The maximum Section 179 allowance has increased gradually since 2018, for 2021 the limit is $1.05 million, and the phaseout begins when acquisitions exceed $2.62 million. However, be aware that the Section 179 deduction cannot exceed the taxable income from all your business activities this year. This could limit your deduction for 2021.
• First-year bonus depreciation: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) doubled the 50% first-year bonus depreciation deduction to 100% for property placed in service after Sept. 27, 2017 and expanded the definition of qualified property to include used, not just new, property. However, the TCJA gradually phases out bonus depreciation after 2022.
• Regular depreciation: If any remaining acquisition cost remains, the balance may be deducted over time under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS).
TIP: The CARES Act fixed a glitch in the TCJA relating to ‘qualified improvement property’ (QIP). Thanks to the change, QIP is eligible for bonus depreciation, retroactive to 2018. Therefore, your business may choose to file an amended return for a prior year.
Many business operations have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. At least recent legislation provides tax incentives for keeping workers on the books during these uncertain times.
Under the CARES Act, the ERC was equal to 50% of the first $10,000 of qualified wages per quarter, for a maximum credit of $5,000 per worker. The CAA extended availability of the credit into 2021 with certain modifications, including a maximum ERC of $14,000 per worker per year. Now ARPA authorizes a maximum credit of $28,000 per worker for 2021.
In addition, ARPA allows businesses that started up after Feb. 15, 2020 and have an average of $1 million or less in gross receipts to claim a credit of up to $50,000 per quarter.
Previously, a business could deduct 50% of the cost of its qualified business entertainment expenses. ARPA doubles the usual 50% deduction to 100% of the cost of food and beverages provided by restaurants in 2021 and 2022. Thus, your business may write off the entire cost of some meals this year.
If your business becomes busier than usual during the holiday season, it may add to the existing staff. Consider all the relevant factors, including tax incentives, in your hiring decisions.
ACTION: All other things being equal, you may hire workers eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). The credit is available if a worker falls into a ‘target’ group.
“Step up your charitable giving at the end of the year. Then you can reap the tax rewards on your 2021 return.”
Generally, the WOTC equals 40% of the first-year wages of up to $6,000 per employee, for a maximum of $2,400. For certain qualified veterans, the credit may be claimed for up to $24,000 of wages, for a $9,600 maximum. There is no limit on the number of credits per business.
TIP: The WOTC has expired — and then been reinstated — multiple times in the past, but the CAA extended it for five years through 2025.
• Stock up on routine supplies (especially if they are in high demand). If you buy the supplies in 2021, they are deductible in 2021, even if you do not use them until 2022.
• Under the CARES Act, a business could defer 50% of certain payroll taxes due in 2020. Half of the deferred amount is due at the end of 2021, so meet this obligation if it applies.
• If you pay year-end bonuses to employees in 2021, the bonuses are generally deductible by your company and taxable to the employees in 2021. A calendar-year company operating on the accrual basis may be able to deduct bonuses paid as late as March 15, 2022 on its 2021 return.
• Generally, repairs are currently deductible, while capital improvements must be depreciated over time. Therefore, make minor repairs before 2022 to increase your 2021 deduction.
• Have your C-corporation make monetary donations to charity. ARPA extends a 2020 increase in the annual deduction limit from 10% of taxable income to 25% for 2021.
There were plenty of worthy causes for individuals to donate to in 2021, including disaster aid relief. Besides helping out victims, itemizers are eligible for generous tax breaks.
ACTION: Step up your charitable giving at the end of the year. Then you can reap the tax rewards on your 2021 return. This includes amounts charged to your credit card in 2021 that you do not actually pay until 2022.
Under the CARES Act, and then extended through 2021 by the CAA, the annual deduction limit for monetary donations is equal to 100% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). Theoretically, you can eliminate your entire tax liability through charitable donations.
Conversely, if you donate appreciated property held longer than one year (i.e., long-term capital gain property), you can generally deduct an amount equal to the property’s fair market value. But the deduction for short-term capital-gain property is limited to your initial cost. In addition, your annual deduction for property donations generally cannot exceed 30% of your AGI.
TIP: If you do not itemize deductions, you can still write off up to $300 of your monetary charitable donations. The maximum has been doubled to $600 for joint filers in 2021.
The tax law allows you to deduct qualified medical and dental expenses above 7.5% of AGI. This threshold was recently lowered from 10% of AGI. What’s more, the latest change is permanent.
To qualify for a deduction, the expense must be for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or payments for treatments affecting any structure or function of the body. However, any costs that are incurred to improve your general health or well-being, or expenses for cosmetic purposes, are non-deductible.
ACTION: If you expect to itemize deductions and are near or above the AGI limit for 2021, accelerate non-emergency expenses into this year, when possible. For instance, you might move a physical exam or dental cleaning scheduled for January to December. The extra expenses are deductible on your 2021 return.
Note that you can include expenses you pay on behalf of a family member — such as a child or elderly parent — if you provide more than half of that person’s support.
TIP: The medical deduction is not available for expenses covered by health insurance or other reimbursements.
• Pay a child’s college tuition for the upcoming semester. The amount paid in 2021 may qualify for one of two higher-education credits, subject to phaseouts based on modified adjusted gross income (MAGI). Note that the alternative tuition-and-fees deduction expired after 2020.
• Avoid an estimated tax penalty by qualifying for a safe-harbor exception. Generally, a penalty will not be imposed if you pay during the year 90% of your current tax liability or 100% of the prior year’s tax liability (110% if your AGI exceeded $150,000).
• If you are in the market for a new car, consider the tax benefits of the electric-vehicle credit. The maximum credit for a qualified vehicle is $7,500. Be aware, however, that credits are no longer available for vehicles produced by certain manufacturers.
• Empty out your flexible spending accounts (FSAs) for healthcare or dependent-care expenses if you will have to forfeit unused funds under the ‘use it or lose it’ rule. However, due to recent changes, your employer’s plan may provide a carryover to next year of up to $550 of funds or a two-and-a-half-month grace period or both.
Traditionally, investors time sales of assets like securities at year-end for optimal tax results. For starters, capital gains and losses offset each other. If you show an excess loss for the year, you can then offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income before any remainder is carried over to the next year.
Long-term capital gains from sales of securities owned longer than one year are taxed at a maximum rate of 15% or 20% for certain high-income investors. Conversely, short-term capital gains are taxed at ordinary income rates reaching as high as 37% in 2021.
ACTION: Review your portfolio. Depending on your situation, you may want to harvest capital losses to offset gains or realize capital gains that will be partially or wholly absorbed by losses. For instance, you might sell securities at a loss to offset a high-taxed short-term gain.
Be aware of even more favorable tax treatment for certain long-term capital gains. Notably, a 0% rate applies to taxpayers below certain income levels, such as young children. Furthermore, some taxpayers who ultimately pay ordinary income tax at higher rates due to their investments may qualify for the 0% tax rate on a portion of their long-term capital gains.
However, watch out for the ‘wash sale rule.’ If you sell securities at a loss and reacquire substantially identical securities within 30 days of the sale, the tax loss is disallowed. A simple way to avoid this harsh result is to wait at least 31 days to reacquire substantially identical securities.
TIP: The preferential tax rates for long-term capital gains also apply to qualified dividends received in 2021. These are most dividends paid by U.S. companies or qualified foreign companies.
Normally, you must take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from qualified retirement plans and traditional IRAs after reaching age 72 (70½ for taxpayers affected prior to 2020). The amount of the RMD is based on IRS life-expectancy tables and your account balance at the end of last year. If you do not meet this obligation, you owe a tax penalty equal to 50% of the required amount (less any amount you have received) on top of your regular tax liability.
The CARES Act suspended the RMD rules for 2020 — but for 2020 only. The RMD rules are reinstated for this year.
As a general rule, you may arrange to receive the minimum amount required, so you can continue to maximize tax-deferred growth within your accounts. However, you may decide to take larger distributions — or even the full balance of the account — if that suits your needs.
TIP: The IRS has revised the tables for 2022 to reflect longer life expectancies. This will result in smaller RMDs in the future.
Moderate- to high-income investors should be aware of an add-on 3.8% tax that applies to the lesser of net investment income (NII) or the amount by which MAGI for the year exceeds $200,000 for single filers or $250,000 for joint filers. (These thresholds are not indexed for inflation.) The definition of NII includes interest, dividends, capital gains, and income from passive activities, but not Social Security benefits, tax-exempt interest, and distributions from qualified retirement plans and IRAs.
ACTION: After a careful analysis, estimate both your NII and MAGI for 2021. Depending on the results, you may be able to reduce your NII tax liability or avoid it altogether.
For example, you might invest in municipal bonds (‘munis’). The interest income generated by munis does not count as NII, nor is it included in the calculation of MAGI. Similarly, if you turn a passive activity into an active business, the resulting income may be exempt from the NII tax. Caution: these rules are complex, so obtain professional assistance.
TIP: When you add the NII tax to your regular tax plus any applicable state income tax, the overall tax rate may approach or even exceed 50%. Factor this into your investment decisions.
Beginning in 2018, the TCJA generally eliminated the tax-deferral break for most Section 1031 exchanges of like-kind properties. However, it preserved this tax-saving technique for swaps involving investment or business real estate. Therefore, you can still exchange qualified real-estate properties in 2021 without paying current tax, except to the extent you receive ‘boot’ (e.g., cash or a reduction in mortgage liability).
ACTION: Make sure you meet the following two timing requirements to qualify for a tax-deferred Section 1031 exchange:
• Identify or actually receive the replacement property within 45 days of transferring legal ownership of the relinquished property; and
• Have the title to the replacement property transferred to you within the earlier of 180 days or your 2021 tax-return due date, plus extensions.
TIP: Proposed legislation would eliminate the tax break for real estate. If this technique appeals to you, start negotiations that can be completed before the end of the year.
Going back to the turn of the century, Congress has gradually increased the federal estate-tax exemption, while establishing a top estate-tax rate of 40%. At one point, the estate tax was repealed — but for 2010 only — while the unified estate- and gift-tax exemption was severed and then subsequently reunified.
Finally, the TCJA doubled the exemption from $5 million to $10 million for 2018 through 2025, with inflation indexing. The exemption is $11.7 million in 2021.
ACTION: Develop a comprehensive estate plan. Generally, this will involve various techniques, including trusts, that maximize the benefits of the estate- and gift-tax exemption.
Furthermore, you can give gifts to family members that qualify for the annual gift-tax exclusion. For 2021, there is no gift-tax liability on gifts of up to $15,000 per recipient ($30,000 for a joint gift by a married couple). This reduces the size of your taxable estate.
TIP: You may ‘double up’ by giving gifts in both December and January that qualify for the annual gift-tax exclusion for 2021 and 2022, respectively.
• Contribute up to $19,500 to a 401(k) in 2021 ($26,000 if you are age 50 or older). If you clear the 2021 Social Security wage base of $142,800 and promptly allocate the payroll-tax savings to a 401(k), you can increase your deferral without any further reduction in your take-home pay.
• Sell real estate on an installment basis. For payments over two years or more, you can defer tax on a portion of the sales price. Also, this may effectively reduce your overall tax liability.
• Weigh the benefits of a Roth IRA conversion, especially if this will be a low-tax year. Although the conversion is subject to current tax, you generally can receive tax-free distributions in retirement, unlike taxable distributions from a traditional IRA.
• Consider a qualified charitable distribution (QCD). If you are age 70½ or older, you can transfer up to $100,000 of IRA funds directly to a charity. Although the contribution is not deductible, the QCD is exempt from tax. This may improve your overall tax picture.
This year-end tax-planning article is based on the prevailing federal tax laws, rules, and regulations. Of course, it is subject to change, especially if additional tax legislation is enacted by Congress before the end of the year.
Finally, remember that this article is intended to serve only as a general guideline. Your personal circumstances will likely require careful examination.
Kristina Drzal Houghton, CPA, MST is a partner at the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.; (413) 536-8510.
‘Unprecedented.’ ‘Once in a lifetime.’ ‘Once in a generation.’ ‘Transformative.’ ‘Totally unique.’
These are just some of the words and phrases people are using to describe the federal money now flowing into the state and its individual cities and towns from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to help them, their residents, and their businesses recover from the hard sting of COVID-19. Area communities are in line for windfalls ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars for the smallest of towns in Franklin and Hampshire Counties to more than $130 million for Springfield. And the state itself is receiving more than $5 billion.
By and large, there are few strings attached to this money, so the $64,000 question (or the ‘fill in an amount’ question, as the case may be with individual communities) concerns how this windfall will be spent.
Keith Nesbitt
“There are very safe investments that can be made, and everyone would benefit. But there are game-changing investments that can be made, and I hope that they are.”
The debate is continuing on Beacon Hill and all across the region as mayors, city and town councilors, selectmen, and town administrators mull myriad options for spending these funds — and how other federal money, such as that included in the infrastructure bill recently passed into law, might be put to use.
Much of the talk on the local level concerns infrastructure — roads, bridges, sewer and water lines — as well as new roofs, HVAC systems, and more for municipal buildings, new parking garages, parks, etc., etc., etc.
And while these options have merit, those who spoke with BusinessWest on the broad subject of how this spending spree, especially the ARPA money, should be conducted said that, from an economic-development standpoint, area cities and towns — and the state itself — would do well to think bigger, and more long-term, with an eye toward using this money in ways that justify that word ‘transformative,’ and also spark private-sector development in housing (especially market-rate housing), new businesses, and more.
“These can’t be ‘bridge-to-nowhere’ kinds of investment — they have to be meaningful investments that all of us can benefit from,” said Jeff Daley, president and CEO of Westmass Development Corp., who also warned against a rush to commission studies that would likely yield reports that sit on shelves for years.
Keith Nesbitt, Berkshire Bank’s senior vice president for Business Banking for the Pioneer Valley and Connecticut, agreed.
“There are investments that are needed, and I think they come in a variety of forms,” he said. “I don’t know how we’re going to attract significant private investment without that pump priming that government resources are going to provide. I think this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and I really hope that local leaders are bold enough to dream big when it comes to how we use these funds.
“There are very safe investments that can be made, and everyone would benefit,” he went on. “But there are game-changing investments that can be made, and I hope that they are.”
What falls in that category? Nesbitt, who is also hiring manager for the bank and understands the workforce issues facing area businesses and the lack of qualified talent across the board, cited a community in Minnesota that is earmarking some of its federal money to ensure that all high-school graduates can attend community college.
Joy Martin
“You do have a unique opportunity that you didn’t before because you have money to offer people to come in and develop in your area.”
“They recognized that need to prepare our young people for the jobs of the future,” he said. “The investment in free, two-year community college is what they’ve decided to do, and I’d love to see something that like here.”
Meanwhile, Joy Martin, director of Asset Management with Davenport Companies, which has worked on MGM Springfield, recently converted the former Willys-Overland property on Chestnut Street into market-rate apartments and is redeveloping the former Registry of Motor Vehicles building on Liberty Street, said Springfield and other communities need to think about investing the federal money in ways that would make it easier to undertake such projects.
“You do have a unique opportunity that you didn’t before because you have money to offer people to come in and develop in your area,” she said, adding that many projects need help from state and local government to make the numbers work for developers.
Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, who can speak to this subject from various perspectives (he’s the former mayor of Springfield and a current city councilor), concurred, and also stressed the need to invest the money and not just spend it.
“I do think it’s a chance to look at the bigger picture and look down the road,” he told BusinessWest. “And not just fill a gap that might exist today, or not just make some repair that might be necessary, but really further your economy or the quality of life in your community you’re living in.”
While certainly advocating for longer-term thinking when it comes to how the ARPA money should be apportioned, Sullivan and others noted there are some immediate concerns that may also have some ramifications down the road.
That’s especially true when it comes to existing businesses and especially the smaller ventures across many sectors that are still struggling from the effects of not only COVID but some of the side effects from treating it as well.
“With the pandemic, the small, mom-and-pop, downtown, core-district businesses are still hurting,” he told BusinessWest. “They have supply-chain issues, they have employment issues … so I think some of these monies should go to the small, the really small businesses that make up the fabric, the fiber of your downtowns and your communities.
“And it can’t be loans because loans come with interest,” he went on. “It has to be either grants or no-interest loans that have a forgiveness provision — it goes away after a short period of time, be it two years or three years or five years; if you stay open and you’re moving forward, the obligation to pay goes away. Some of this money needs to go to your smallest businesses.”
Rick Sullivan
“With the pandemic, the small, mom-and-pop, downtown, core-district businesses are still hurting. They have supply-chain issues, they have employment issues … so I think some of these monies should go to the small, the really small businesses that make up the fabric, the fiber of your downtowns and your communities.”
That said, Sullivan and others stressed repeatedly the need to think big when it comes to ARPA, meaning a focus on investments that will pay off the long term, with benefits for generations of residents of a given city or town. That could mean investments in everything from education and training initiatives to faster and more reliable internet, to initiatives that will unlock the development potential of unused and underutilized properties.
Seth Stratton, a business lawyer and managing partner of East Longmeadow-based Fitzgerald Attorneys at Law, said the focus should be on economic-development-related investments, a broad term to be sure.
“The programs and initiatives that should be funded with these resources should be intentional, impactful, and innovative — all with an eye toward a continuing spark; it has to be transformative,” he said, putting support for new housing projects high on his list of priorities. “We want to see economic development and a rising tide that lifts all boats. If we just do one-off projects here and there, that can be helpful, but it won’t have this comprehensive effect of economic development in what many of us see as somewhat of a new economy.
“What do restaurant, food and beverage, and entertainment venues look like going forward?” he continued. “We ought to be thinking about what they look like moving forward and how to embrace that and use funds in a smart way that would have exponential impact, rather than talking about one-off items.”
Daley agreed, and mentioned, as one example, Ludlow Mills, the sprawling former jute-making complex along the Chicopee River that Westmass now owns. He said investments made there by the state and perhaps the town of Ludlow could bring property in line for development and create jobs for several generations of area residents.
“We have several under-underutilized and undevelopable properties, and I think this one-time type of money coming in could help put us over the top to redevelop Ludlow Mills and other projects,” he said, adding that he hopes the ARPA money and funds in other federal programs, such as the infrastructure bill that was recently signed into law, trickle down to Western Mass. and help it attract the attention of the development community, which has often found it difficult to take on projects here for a number of reasons, including the market lease rates and the costs of renovating old mills and other properties.
“With a small investment — small relative to the numbers they’re talking about Congress and feds giving the state — we could recapitalize those dollars and give a return on investment that would be a million times what they would give us,” Daley said. “We have very, very large properties in Ludlow, specifically, that, without an infusion of cash, it’s going to hard to redevelop. With a small infusion of cash, several million dollars, we can generate a return on investment of $300 million or $400 million, realistically, within five to 10 years — and create a lot of jobs and tax dollars; there are three or four projects we could do that would change the face of Ludlow.”
Jeff Daley
“We have several under-underutilized and undevelopable properties, and I think this one-time type of money coming in could help put us over the top to redevelop Ludlow Mills and other projects.”
Martin concurred, noting that this infusion of federal money comes at an intriguing time, as many forces are coming together to make Western Mass. a more attractive option for individuals and businesses alike. These include the much higher cost of living in other areas such as Boston and New York and the opportunity to now work in those areas but live in a lower-cost region like the 413.
“Western Mass. is getting more attractive to investors and to people in general. Overland Lofts is 97% leased, and it has been 97% leased for some time,” she told BusinessWest. “We thought we were going to have a problem leasing these apartments, and we have not, and what surprised us is that we’ve attracted a lot of residents from the Worcester and Boston areas, because this location is near things that are about to happen — it’s not far from the casino, it’s near the train station … it checks a lot of boxes for urban living at a much lower cost than living in Boston or Worcester.”
Elaborating, she said one of the units is being leased by an executive with a Boston-based firm who is now able to work remotely, and chose to do so in downtown Springfield.
With these trends, or developments, in mind, those we spoke with said area cities and towns need to be thinking about ways to utilize the ARPA funds to take full advantage of the opportunities currently presenting themselves.
Returning to that town in Minnesota using ARPA money to send young people to community college, Nesbitt said this is the kind of long-term, high-impact investing that state and area leaders should be thinking about as they consider options for allocating funds in the broad realm of economic development.
“These kinds of human-capital investments need to be prioritized,” he said, adding that the workforce crisis now impacting every sector of the economy must be considered a long-term problem and not one that will correct itself in a quarter or two or with the end of additional unemployment benefits.
Seth Stratton
“We have to have more market-rate housing in the region and be creative about it, and that’s where we talk about downtown developments. We can leverage Western Mass. and our lower cost of living by investing in market-rate housing, and such investments will help our businesses, because they are struggling to find and keep employees, and if we have robust market-rate housing, that will certainly help.”
Stratton agreed, noting that expanding vocational-education programs to assist the trades and the region’s large manufacturing sector should also be a priority. Meanwhile, he noted that other forces are converging that might bring more people into the local workforce, such as the ability to work remotely. He said there are more individuals like that executive now living in Overland Lofts, and, moving forward, they will need places to live.
“We have to have more market-rate housing in the region and be creative about it, and that’s where we talk about downtown developments,” he said. “We can leverage Western Mass. and our lower cost of living by investing in market-rate housing, and such investments will help our businesses, because they are struggling to find and keep employees, and if we have robust market-rate housing, that will certainly help.”
Meanwhile, with these changes in how and where people work, communities like Springfield have to think about the large amounts of office space currently unleased and the potential for those numbers to climb, he went on, adding that some thought should go into repurposing some of this space into flexible workplaces.
Getting projects like these off the ground is often difficult because it’s not easy to make redevelopment projects like the Overland initiative “pencil out,” as developers say, meaning make the numbers work. Often, historical tax credits or other forms of funding are needed to bridge gaps, said Martin, adding that the state and individual communities should look at using the federal funds flowing to them to make such projects more feasible and doable.
“We thought we were going to have a problem leasing these apartments, and we have not, and what surprised us is that we’ve attracted a lot of residents from the Worcester and Boston areas, because this location is near things that are about to happen — it’s not far from the casino, it’s near the train station … it checks a lot of boxes for urban living at a much lower cost than living in Boston or Worcester.”
“We run into a gap between the cost to build something and the actual asking price for something,” she said, citing the Overland project as an example. “We got 60 apartments out of it and rents that fit the area, but none of that would have happened without historical funds and state housing funds. So if the city had something that could bridge some of the financial gap between new-build and the current economic conditions in Springfield, that will help to bring developers here.
“It’s hard to justify an $18 million project with $2-per-square-foot rent,” she went on. “But if there’s some way to help bridge that gap, I think you’d see more developers willing to come in and give you a good product.”
Daley agreed, noting that the developers of the so-called Clocktower Building at Ludlow Mills, another housing project, have had to wait the better part of six years for the historical tax credits needed to move that initiative off the drawing board.
“We have another mill that’s 600,000 square feet; if we were to start today and try to get those kinds of tax credits, it would be 12 to 15 years before they were all distributed,” he said. “If the state wanted to have an impact on development of those kinds of projects, it should make more money available for good projects that are shovel-ready.”
Martin said the gap in funding facing those looking to develop existing but older and challenged buildings is one of the key factors impeding redevelopment of the buildings across Main Street from MGM Springfield.
“It’s not that people don’t want to be there,” she said. “It costs a lot to redevelop these buildings, and then to charge a rent that fits the community … it doesn’t pencil out without some kind of help,” she said. “Using these funds in a smart way like that would help bring back the Main Streets in Western Mass.”
Sullivan agreed, and said such investments are part of that process of looking beyond today and to tomorrow, and what communities want and need to look like in a rapidly changing landscape.
“I do think this is an opportunity for communities to look at the bigger picture regarding where they want their communities to be 10 years down the road, what they want their downtowns to look like, and what sectors — be it a restaurant district or an entertainment sector, travel and tourism, for example — they want to attract,” he said. “It’s about determining what you want your future to look like, and investing in it.”
Summing things up, Sullivan said these are what he hopes are once-in-a-lifetime windfalls that have come to area cities and towns.
“Hopefully, we won’t ever have to go through this again,” he noted, adding quickly that this unique moment in time represents an opportunity to pause, think about the future, and make some investments in it.
Fixing a bridge or putting a new roof on the fire station might be a suitable use for some of the money, he went on, but overall, cities and towns have to think bigger. Much bigger.
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
By Mark Morris
William Rosenblum says Ludlow needs to use available funds to benefit the most people and invest in the future, not just immediate needs.
This fall, two long-anticipated projects in Ludlow opened to the public, and officials say there’s more to come.
In September, the Harris Brook Elementary School on Fuller Street opened for full classes for students in grades 2-5. And in early November, the new Ludlow Senior Center officially opened on State Street. Board of Selectmen Chairman William Rosenblum said that, while Ludlow is already a desirable community, the new school and senior center make it even more so.
“We’ve addressed the bookends of our lives by investing in our children and our seniors,” Rosenblum told BusinessWest, adding that next up for this community is determining the best ways to spend $6.3 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Rosenblum said the Board of Selectmen is asking for input from town department heads and Ludlow citizens on how to spend the funds in a way that will benefit the most people in the community and act as investments for the future.
“It’s like the quote from Star Trek — ‘the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few,’” he said, citing a line credited to Mr. Spock.
Rosenblum added that using the funds to make improvements and updates to existing facilities will take priority over embarking on new projects.
“For example, we’ll be upgrading the HVAC system at the safety complex,” he said. “It’s something that needs to be done, and we will most likely use ARPA funds for it.”
Ludlow Town Planner Doug Stefancik said the guidelines in spending ARPA money focus on helping public health departments and businesses that were hit hard by the pandemic. They also allow towns to address recreational areas such as community centers and parks.
“This might be an opportunity to upgrade some of the existing facilities in our parks,” he added.
“The mill developments are such a game changer for the town. It’s also where a lot of our major economic development will be going forward.”
Another type of project allowed by ARPA involves investments in broadband. Rosenblum said he’d like the town to explore a fiber-optic installation in Ludlow, an idea that was inspired by his work-from-home experience. During the pandemic, while he stayed connected to work through the internet, his two children also attended school online, which severely taxed his home internet capabilities.
“I learned the 19 IP addresses that were in my house, so I could shut down different devices in order to get better internet reception,” he said.
Rosenblum acknowledges that, while fiber optics certainly fits the Star Trek criteria in benefiting many people, such a move requires considerable research to see if it’s even remotely affordable for the town.
For this, the latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest looks at ARPA options and other pressing matters in Ludlow, a community that has seen considerable residential growth in recent years and is now seeing business growth as well.
According to Rosenblum, home sales remain brisk, largely because interest rates have stayed low. Meanwhile, over the past two years, home prices in Ludlow have increased 30%, with the average list price topping out at $376,000.
While some residents are concerned about the tax rate, he pointed out that increasing home values are what leads to higher tax bills.
“When you look at tax rates in communities across Massachusetts, Ludlow is right in the middle,” he noted.
Stefancik added that some of the larger McMansion-type homes in town bring in more than $10,000 a year in taxes.
“While that may seem high, taxpayers are getting a new school and a new senior center, which are both good things for the community,” he said. “The new school might even convince a family to move here.”
As Stefancik reviewed the many activities happening through his department with BusinessWest, one interesting trend stood out. Last year, 17 homeowners applied for special permits for home-based businesses, a high-water mark for the community.
“It’s easy to get hung up on what’s going on at the federal level, but people need to look in their own backyard. The decisions that are made in town are the ones that affect people the most.”
While it would be easy to assume the pandemic sparked this increase in home-based business permits, Stefancik said it’s a trend that actually started before COVID arrived.
“The permits range from electricians and carpenters to artists and consultants,” he noted. “Back when I started in the job, these requests might occasionally trickle in, but now it’s our most common special permit.”
This trend was certainly in evidence back in October when the Ludlow Cultural Commission held a Community Market event at Memorial Park. Grace Barone, executive director for the East of the River Chamber, an event sponsor, was impressed with the community support and the number of home-based businesses represented at the market.
Doug Stefancik says home values have soared in Ludlow, and so has the prevalence of home-based businesses.
“I saw some wonderful business ideas, and the community market provided a great showcase for them,” Barone said. “It would not be a surprise to see some of these vendors become future storefronts in town.”
The original idea for a community market was to bring together small businesses, artists, and community organizations, according to Michelle Goncalves, chair of the Ludlow Cultural Commission. Because the pandemic’s impact hurt many small businesses, especially those in arts and culture, the event’s focus shifted to become an occasion to support these entities.
For a first-year event, Goncalves was surprised to see nearly 40 vendors reserve space. She speculated that most of the smaller vendors were home-based businesses.
“In addition to businesses that have storefronts, I would guess that many of our vendors were based at home,” she said. “For example, we had a person who makes wreaths, a photographer who uses his home for a studio, one person who sells essential oils, and another who makes charcuterie boards.”
Planning has begun to bring the community market back next fall. “We definitely want to do this again,” Goncalves said.
While the population of Ludlow has remained fairly steady over the last several years, Rosenblum noted the town is seemingly growing based on the increased activity that happens there.
“Folks in Chicopee like to say they are the crossroads of New England,” Rosenblum said. “Well, Ludlow is the crossroads of about four or five towns, too.” Indeed, from the Ludlow exit on the Mass Pike, travelers head to Granby, South Hadley, Belchertown, Palmer, Indian Orchard, Wilbraham, and other communities.
The busy Ludlow exit from the turnpike feeds into Center Street, which is part of Route 21. Even after the state completed a comprehensive upgrade of the roadway last year, traffic has never been busier.
“I think we got used to traffic during the pandemic, which was very light because people weren’t commuting to work,” Stefancik said. “Now there’s traffic all week, and it’s still busy on the weekends.”
Don’t expect traffic to lessen anytime soon because Ludlow continues to invest in its future. In 2017, town officials working with Westmass Area Development Corp. and Winn Development transformed one of the old mill buildings in the sprawling Ludlow Mills complex into Residences at Mill 10, providing 75 units of age-55-plus, mixed-income housing. In 2022, construction begins on Mill 8, the mill building with its iconic clock tower. Once complete, that project will bring an additional 95 units of senior housing to Ludlow. Town officials offered high praise both for what’s been done so far and the potential for the entire area.
“The mill developments are such a game changer for the town,” Stefancik said. “It’s also where a lot of our major economic development will be going forward.”
Rosenblum concurred, adding that “the mills are a long-term investment for Ludlow, and we enjoy a great partnership with the developers.”
Like Mill 10, Mill 8 will also offer mixed-income housing. Considering the mills, the new single-family houses being built, and the condominiums that exist and are under construction, Stefancik said, Ludlow gives potential residents many options on where to live.
“Looking forward,” he added, “we’re a community that can offer a wide range of housing and provide a great place to live and do business.”
As a selectman, Rosenblum enjoys his involvement in projects that make a positive impact on Ludlow, and he believes local politics is “where it’s at.”
“It’s easy to get hung up on what’s going on at the federal level, but people need to look in their own backyard,” he said. “The decisions that are made in town are the ones that affect people the most.”
Mr. Spock couldn’t have said it better.
The executive team at 6 Brick’s includes, from left, Taylor Shubrick, Payton Shubrick, and their parents, Dawn and Fred Shubrick.
Payton Shubrick always wanted to effect change in the world.
She never thought it would be through a product that was, for most of her life, illegal.
Specifically, when she graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 2015 with a degree in political science — and concentrations in Africana studies and peace and conflict studies — the goal was to enroll in law school, she explained.
“Our speaker for our class talked heavily about moving mountains — ‘how do you leave this college on a hill and move mountains the rest of your life?’” she recalled. “So my idea was, I was going to have this landmark case that would change the trajectory of my career and rewrite some type of law.”
But she found herself working full-time at MassMutual instead — and missing her college days filled with extracurricular activities. “It was work, work out, and go home. There was nothing in between.”
So, with the help of her father, Fred, she secured an internship with the Springfield City Council. Meetings became more interesting after Massachusetts voters approved the legalization of adult-use cannabis in late 2016, with out-of-state operators hanging around and officials trying to hash out what the rules would be for zoning and other aspects of legalization. And Shubrick was intrigued — so much that, when the councilor she was interning for lost a re-election bid, she kept attending meetings anyway.
“I was hearing so much conversation about how these businesses were going to make millions. Honestly speaking, they made it sound so easy.”
“I was hearing so much conversation about how these businesses were going to make millions,” she recalled. “Honestly speaking, they made it sound so easy.”
But as Shubrick thought about her own potential in this new industry, she had something else in mind besides dollar signs. She’d read Michelle Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow and gained an understanding of how the failed war on drugs had impacted urban communities like Springfield. And she saw the cannabis industry as a way to engage with that community, succeed in business there, and pay it forward.
“I went to a Springfield public high school, where, if somebody dropped a dime bag, they were going to in-house suspension or being arrested in the middle of the school day because you had police officers present in the building with you. So, when you start to peel back the layers and realize this is going to be a billion-dollar industry, how can you get people in your community to benefit from that?”
The answer is 6 Brick’s, an adult-use retail cannabis shop expected to open early in 2022 on Main Street in Springfield, in the Republican complex.
“We are what most would describe as a mom-and-pop shop, which I tend to agree with since both my parents are on the executive team,” she told BusinessWest.
The Shubrick family hopes to have 6 Brick’s open by early 2022.
She thought her biggest hurdle would be getting her father on board. “Saying I wanted to be a lawyer has a certain level of prestige around it. Saying I wanted to be a legal drug dealer and own a cannabis dispensary … not so much. How do you make that business case and get Dad to switch gears?”
But not only has Fred become her biggest supporter, he’s also chief procurement officer at 6 Brick’s — a name that echoes the family name, Shubrick. Payton is CEO, while her mother, Dawn, is executive secretary, and her sister, Taylor, is head of community responsibility and quality assurance. Two younger siblings — who aren’t currently old enough to work in cannabis — round out the ‘6’ in the company name.
Once she decided to wade into this burgeoning industry, Payton knew she wanted to do it in Springfield.
“There’s this idea that, to be a star, you have to leave the area and go to Boston or New York. I heard, ‘you have so much potential; go somewhere.’ That was frustrating because I’ve always seen the potential Springfield has, and this industry, in many ways, allows me to prove people wrong; I can stay here, and I can be successful in my own right, and I don’t have to move out of the city of Springfield to do that.”
“Saying I wanted to be a lawyer has a certain level of prestige around it. Saying I wanted to be a legal drug dealer and own a cannabis dispensary … not so much.”
Furthermore, she said, “I can participate in an industry that previously caused so many people’s lives to be disrupted and negatively impacted, and I can try my hand at something I had always been interested in, which is entrepreneurship.”
It hasn’t been easy, and the journey is far from over — and the cannabis landscape in Massachusetts is still a difficult one for minority entrepreneurs, despite the state’s establishment of a social-equity program (more on that later). In a wide-ranging interview, Shubrick talked about why that’s the case, and what can be done to improve the prospects of business owners who lack the resources of large, established companies and, ultimately, create a more level playing field.
Shubrick and her family officially launched 6 Brick’s in 2019, and the road since has been a thornier one than she had imagined.
Back in 2017, “I thought if I did my homework and put together a really strong application, I would get the license. I didn’t expect an RFP, 27 groups applying, only four being selected. That’s when your heart starts to do many palpitations — what if we don’t get picked? What happens next? I didn’t have a plan B.”
Payton Shubrick and Marcus Williams, president of the Block, which seeks opportunity for minority-owned cannabis businesses, share a few words at a recent mixer.
But she did fight through to become one of the four entities chosen in Springfield’s first round of permits.
“The running joke in the industry is they never ask when are you going to open, they say where are you in the process,” Shubrick said, noting that it’s a two-pronged process. At the city level, it involves a special permit and a host-community agreement, while the state’s Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) requires a provisional license, post-provisional-license inspections, and other steps, including a certificate of occupancy (back to the city for that), which is required by the state for the final license.
Shubrick described it all as a long sequence of queues, of getting on meeting agenda after meeting agenda. “It’s a very layered process with two entities that don’t talk to each other, and you need a series of documents from each. It’s a series of waiting rooms in some capacities.”
On top of that, 6 Brick’s has had to deal with supply-chain issues during the pandemic to get its space — now 90% built out — up and running. It even had to wait for doors that were stuck in shipping containers. “There’s not a lot in your control as you think about moving through this process. So patience is key.”
All along, a Springfield-based business was the only goal, she noted, as opposed to, say, Northampton, which never capped the number of cannabis permits.
“I didn’t look to start as a business model that was going to be rinse and repeat in any city,” she explained. “I looked at it as, ‘I can be the hometown hero because, when I hire people, I’m going to hire them from the community, and I’m going to hire those who were impacted by cannabis prohibition.’ And that doesn’t just mean who did jail time — it could be their daughter, their niece, their nephew, because, let’s be honest, when someone is removed from the home and incarcerated, that whole family is impacted.”
In short, “for me, this was aligned to social-justice elements of my hometown and less aligned to me becoming a millionaire overnight.”
She found tht the road to being profitable at all begins with a lot of money up front — between $1 million and $2.5 million, typically, depending on the state of the building, its HVAC requirements, and other costs.
“I didn’t look to start as a business model that was going to be rinse and repeat in any city.”
That has been a roadblock for many applicants that have gone through the state’s social-equity program aimed at creating an entrepreneurial path for communities that were particularly hard hit by the war on drugs — most of them minority-dominated communities. Today, only 8% of cannabis companies currently open in Massachusetts are run by those who emerged from the social-equity program.
“Some go through the process but have no funding at the end of the program,” Shubrick said. “So now you’re well-versed in the process and know how to get through it, and you’re looking around, and there’s no banks giving you money. If you don’t know people with deep pockets, how do you get the right investors? I’ve seen horror stories of people who have the best of intentions and got so far in the process, but you have the wrong investor, and then it becomes a nightmare. And now you’re selling for pennies, and you’ve lost time, energy, and money.
“That’s the heartbreak people don’t talk about,” she went on. “And I wouldn’t categorize it as those people failing; I would categorize it as not having have a holistic structure in place that supports people from start to finish. It’s almost a tease in order to say, ‘hey, I’m going to show you how to make a pizza, but I’m never going to give you the ingredients so you can make your own.’ Many people simply can’t raise the money to do what they’ve gone through a program to learn how to do.”
In an editorial last week, the Boston Globe agreed, noting that the state has ignored calls to create a loan program to help equity applicants, adding that, “as if the barriers to entry weren’t high enough already, getting financing for a marijuana business is difficult because of its murky legal status.”
But the Globe cites other barriers to social-equity applicants as well, particularly the power of municipalities — which are not required to consider equity when awarding licenses — over the approval process, not to mention the head start large medical-marijuana businesses have had in the recreational license-approval process, which has paved the way for bigger medical companies to dominate the market.
“So the state has to double down on its social-equity program and prioritize licensing for minority applicants,” the Globe argues.
It’s also a hyper-competitive industry in general, Shubrick said, one where players are fiercely protecting their piece of the pie, and new retailers are often offered unfair deals to partner with growers, manufacturers, and wholesalers, and vice versa.
“It’s key to have a team of lawyers and accountants help you stay away from the sharks in the water because people are so hyper-focused on trying to extract as much money as possible, they’re not thinking through long-term impacts like ‘how can I be a decent businessperson to this other individual so maybe down the line we can do business together?’ Instead, it’s ‘how can I squeeze as much equity as possible? How can I give them terms that maybe aren’t favorable because I’ll benefit in the short term?’
“Other states around us are legalizing, so the captive audience in Massachusetts won’t be the same,” she went on, “and that doesn’t bring out the best in people when they don’t view competition as healthy and an opportunity to get better.”
Proponents of true social equity in cannabis are working toward a more equitable industry, however. Earlier this month, the Block — an organization that aims to support black and Latino cannabis professionals in Massachusetts — held the last of three networking mixers at White Lion Brewery in downtown Springfield. About 80 people attended, including a CCC commissioner.
In addition to efforts around business development, resources, and connections for its members, the Block is also developing options for members to gain capital, such as minority-owned investment firms, crowdsourcing, and more traditional, institutional backing.
“Plenty was discussed. It was a really good evening overall,” Shubrick said. “Social equity here in Massachusetts is well-intentioned, but logistically, it has opportunities to become more meaningful so we see more people opening doors who have gone through the program.”
She stressed that she’s fortunate to be entering this business backed by people — her family foremost — with her best interest at heart, and she’s passionate about using her business to lift up the only city she considered for this business.
“I want to hire folks from the community who can benefit from this industry, not just because they were impacted by the war on drugs, but also because Springfield should be benefiting from these jobs.”
That passion, she noted, will be shared by ‘budtenders’ who understand the plant and can educate customers on the store’s products, many of them created by local manufacturers that are also smaller companies, many owned by women, veterans, and people of color.
“We’re being intentional about our partnerships and helping customers understand why we’re partnering with them,” she said. “So it’s more of an experience and less of a transaction.”
Certainly, opening a cannabis retail shop — and, again, it’s a long process, one that’s not over yet — has been quite the experience for the Shubrick family.
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced,” wrote James Baldwin, a quotation Payton calls her favorite. Indeed, she’s facing the challenging realities of cannabis entrepreneurship — with a mind to change things for the better for those who come after.
Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]
By Jim Moran, CPA
With 2021 drawing to a close, it is time for business owners to start thinking about year-end tax-planning opportunities to minimize 2021 taxable income and mitigate the impact of taxes prior to the start of the new year.
Planners are once again faced with the fact that tax reform is still unclear. Congress continues to debate President Biden’s Building Back Better legislation, and revenue raisers are still thinking carefully about how to fund this legislation.
This bill contains numerous tax provisions, but with a divided Congress, it is not known which provisions will end up in the final version. A prudent strategy would be to do year-end tax planning based on the status quo but be flexible based on any last-minute year-end legislation.
Jim Moran
“A prudent strategy would be to do year-end tax planning based on the status quo but be flexible based on any last-minute year-end legislation.”
Here are items to consider as you proceed, taking into consideration current tax law, including provisions of the recent CARES Acts passed as a result of the pandemic:
The standard mileage rate, for those taxpayers who can use it, is $0.56 for 2021. The IRS mileage rate for 2022 will be released sometime next month.
The CARES Act allows a 100% deduction in 2021 and 2022 for meals purchased from a restaurant. These meals must continue to meet the “ordinary and necessary” business requirements. Entertainment, amusement, and recreation-type events continue to remain 100% non-deductible.
The Code Section 179 expense deduction is $1,050,000 for 2021 with a total investment limitation of $2,620,000. Also, 100% bonus depreciation remains in effect in 2021 and 2022. After 2022, the bonus depreciation amount decreases by 20% each year until bonus depreciation is no longer allowed (beginning in 2027).
The COVID relief bills raised the limit to 25% of taxable income through 2021 for cash contributions to eligible charities. The increased deduction does not automatically apply. C-corporations must elect the increased limit on a contribution-by-contribution basis.
Businesses that contribute food inventory for the care of the “ill, needy, or infants” get an enhanced deduction in 2021. The previous deduction limit was 15% of the taxpayer’s aggregate net income or taxable income. For 2021, business taxpayers may deduct contributions of up to 25% of their aggregate net income or taxable income.
For C-corporations, the 25% limit is based on their taxable income. For other businesses, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S-corporations, the limit is based on their aggregate net income for the year from the businesses from which the contributions are made.
If your business had a PPP loan forgiven during 2021, the amount forgiven should be reported as debt-forgiveness income on your income statement. As a reminder, PPP loan forgiveness income is non-taxable federally.
Principal and interest payments on loan payments made by the SBA established by the CARES Act and revised by the Economic Aid Act are not taxable for federal income-tax purposes. The SBA is authorized to automatically pay up to six months of principal and interest.
Generally, net operating losses (NOL) arising in 2021 or later cannot be carried back and must be carried forward indefinitely.
Net operating losses arising in tax years 2018 through 2020 can be caried back five years and then carried forward indefinitely. The NOL carryforwards beginning in 2018 can offset only 80% of taxable income for taxable years beginning in 2021.
NOL carryforwards arising in taxable years prior to 2018 can first offset 100% of 2021 taxable income. If all pre-2018 NOLs are used in 2021 and taxable income remains, any NOL carryovers from 2018-20 can offset only 80% of any remaining taxable income.
With the current improvement in the economy, and employees being harder to find and retain, a net-income-reduction measure (in turn tax reduction), businesses should consider bonuses for employees, whether through incentives or through setting work goals. Bonuses should also be contingent on cash flows and the current net income of the company.
For bonuses paid to a controlling shareholder (an individual who owns directly or indirectly greater than 50% of the value of a corporation’s stock), the bonus is considered paid in the year the controlling shareholder reports the income. Thus, in order to deduct the controlling shareholder’s 2021 bonus, it must be paid to the shareholder prior to the end of 2021.
Bonuses subject to a contingency cannot be accrued in 2021 and paid in 2022 even if paid within two and a half months of year-end. Therefore, if employees cannot receive their deferred bonuses for performance in 2021 unless they are still employed in the year 2022 bonus payment date, the company’s liability for the bonus is subject to a contingency and cannot be deducted for tax purposes in 2021, even if paid within two and a half months of year-end.
Similarly, the IRS has held that bonuses are not fixed in the year of service when the amount of individual awards are finalized but revert back to the company if an employee left before receiving the bonus, even though the forfeited amounts could be considered insignificant.
IRS rulings provide that an employer can establish the liability under the first prong of the all-events test for bonuses payable to a group of employees even though the employer does not know the identity of any particular bonus recipient, or the amount payable to that recipient, until after the end of the tax year if the amount of bonuses payable under the program is determinable through a formula that was fixed prior to the end of the year, or through other corporate action that fixed the amount payable to the employees as a group.
Any bonus amount allocable to an employee who was not employed on the date on which bonuses were paid and was reallocated among the other eligible employees and did not revert back to the company is deductible up to the amounts paid within two and a half months of year-end.
Having a well-thought-out tax-planning strategy for year-end is an important part of business decision-making processes. Contact your CPA to help you develop a plan specific to your goals and needs.
Jim Moran, CPA is an accountant in the Greenfield office of Melanson; (413) 773-5405.
Nov. 29 to Dec. 4: Laura Bundesen, an artist-entrepreneur from Huntington, will exhibit and sell her mixed-media ‘brain artwork’ at a one-of-a-kind, neuro-themed pop-up shop at ReevX Labs in Springfield. Bundesen is one of 10 entrepreneurs chosen for the inaugural experience at the community hub at 270 Bridge St., which is funded by Berkshire Bank and supported by Valley Venture Mentors. She is excited to have the opportunity to use the space for her solo display and sale. Her neuro-art pop-up shop will be open Nov. 29 to Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Dec. 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Community members are invited. Bundesen calls herself a ‘neuro-artist,’ and said her work, which ranges from $14 enamel lapel pins to $3,600 embroidered paintings, especially resonates with people with neurological disorders, their loved ones, and with scientists, neurologists, psychologists, and others in healthcare. At the heart of most of her work is painstaking hand embroidery. A canvas might feature a whimsical rendering of a brain, in handiwork at the center, with paint on a work’s periphery. Each piece is unique and colorful and offers what Bundesen calls “fantastical, imaginary brains.” Her work includes mixed-media originals, prints, earrings, coloring books, and brain-shaped lapel pins. A large selection will be available at the pop-up shop for in-person shopping. Anyone interested in learning more about her wares can visit her website and shop at www.laurabundesen.com.
Dec. 7: United Way of Pioneer Valley (UWPV) has merged with the Springfield-based nonprofit OnBoard. Continuing under the same name as a UWPV program, OnBoard will continue hosting biennial conferences to increase diversity on the boards of local and regional nonprofits, and work more closely with nonprofits to build diversity through trainings and other tools. Leadership Pioneer Valley, which provides training and support for rising nonprofit professionals in the region, will work with UWPV to support the program. An OnBoard matching event is scheduled for Dec. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Valley Venture Mentors, 276 Bridge St., Springfield. Registration information can be found at uwpv.org/onboard, and donations can be made at uwpv.org/donate.
Dec. 9: BusinessWest will honor its fourth annual class of Women of Impact at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel. This year’s class, like the first three, demonstrates the sheer diversity of the ways women leaders in our region are making an impact on the worlds of business, nonprofits, health, and the community. Profiled the Oct. 27 issue of BusinessWest, they are: Jessica Collins, executive director of the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts; Elizabeth Dineen, CEO of the YWCA of Western Masachusetts; Charlene Elvers, director of the Center for Service and Leadership at Springfield College; Karin Jeffers, president and CEO of Clinical and Support Options; Elizabeth Keen, owner of Indian Line Farm; Madeline Landrau, Program Engagement manager at MassMutual; Shannon Mumblo, executive director of Christina’s House; and Tracye Whitfield, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer for the town of West Springfield and Springfield city councilor. The event is sponsored by Country Bank and TommyCar Auto Group (presenting sponsors) and Comcast Business and Health New England (supporting sponsors). Tickets cost $65 per person (tables of 10 are available). For more information, visit www.businesswest.com or call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100.
Through Dec. 9: Do you know someone who is truly making a difference in the Western Mass. region? BusinessWest invites you to nominate an individual or group for its 14th annual Difference Makers program. Nominations for the class of 2022 must be received by the end of the business day (5 p.m.) on Thursday, Dec. 9. Difference Makers was launched in 2009 as a way to recognize the contributions of agencies and individuals who are contributing to quality of life in this region. Past honorees have come from dozens of business and nonprofit sectors, proving there’s no limit to the ways people can impact their communities. So, let us know who you think deserves to be recognized as a Difference Maker in our upcoming class by visiting businesswest.com/difference-makers-nomination-form to complete the nomination form. Honorees will be profiled in an upcoming issue of BusinessWest and celebrated at a gala in the spring.
Email ‘Picture This’ photos with a caption and contact information to [email protected]
“Cherry Blossoms Under the Moonlight” was the theme of the 2021 City of Bright Nights Ball on Nov. 13 at MGM Springfield.
Shawn Pace, site manager with Eastman, the event sponsor
Judy Matt, president of Spirit of Springfield, which presents the ball each year
Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno with Abe Berry, vice president of Hospitality at MGM Springfield
from left, Dr. Stanley Glazer, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, Candy Glazer, and state Sen. Eric Lesser
a gathering of event sponsors
As part of American Eagle Financial Credit Union’s month-long celebration of veterans, their families, and the organizations that support them, the credit union donated $5,000 to Easterseals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut, Veterans Rally Point, a program committed to the successful reintegration of active military, National Guard, Reserve, veterans, and their families into all aspects of civilian life.
Pictured, from left: Brig. Gen. Ron Welch of Veterans Rally Point, Teresa Knox of American Eagle Financial Credit Union, and Wendy Archer of Easterseals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut.
From left, state Sen. Eric Lesser; Kay Simpson, president and CEO of the Springfield Museums; Mike Kerr, director of the Springfield Science Museum; and state Sen. Adam Gomez gathered to announce $100,000 in funding secured for the construction of the International Space Station exhibit as well as other upgrades in the Springfield Science Museum. Lesser acted as lead Senate sponsor in securing this state funding in the FY22 budget, signed into law in July.
Springfield Ballers held its first annual Ballers’ Ball on Nov. 13. Springfield Ballers provides affordable opportunities to youth in athletics through programs that promote academic achievement and overall health and wellness for the purpose of creating a complete and well-rounded student athlete.
Pictured, from left: Thomas DeVane, James Gee, Amy Royal, Alethea Stevenson, Jennifer Wallace, Michelle Torchia, Michael Anderson, and Marion Illouz.
The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce presented its annual A+ Awards on Nov. 10 at the newly refurbished UMass Amherst Student Ballroom. Each year, the chamber bestows A+ Awards to individuals and organizations that enrich the life of the community through their work in business, education, and civic engagement.
The family of Andy Yee of the Bean Restaurant Group, who won this year’s Legacy Award posthumously
Sid and Isabel Ferreira of Amherst a Better Chance (third and fourth from left), winners of the Community Service Award, pictured with, from left, state Rep. Mindy Domb, Jamilla Ferreira, Cid Ferreira, Mila Ferreira, and Mary Custard from Amherst Regional High School
Nancy Creed
After more than a decade serving the Springfield Regional Chamber (SRC) and overseeing the region’s economic growth, Nancy Creed is stepping down from her position as chamber president to help care for her elderly mother. Creed served as the president of SRC since 2016, and as vice president of Marketing and Communications for five years prior to her appointment as president. She successfully navigated the chamber through several challenges, the most recent being the COVID-19 pandemic. During Creed’s tenure, she repositioned the chamber as a regional organization for businesses in Western Mass., creating a channel for the voices of the Pioneer Valley to be heard by key stakeholders in the eastern part of the Commonwealth. Creed developed a successful future for SRC by establishing educational programming for businesses and dynamic networking opportunities for professionals, engaging members across all industries, creating a minority business council to better support the growing business sector, and issuing informative legislative updates for the community that are now pillars of the chamber’s mission and will continue after her departure. To ensure an orderly transition, Creed will remain president until either a successor is appointed by the chamber’s board of directors, or no later than April 21, 2022. The board has engaged a search committee and recruiter to find the best candidate to serve as the next president of the Springfield Regional Chamber.
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Teressa Bezenar
Garrett Kelly
Melanson announced the hiring of two of its newest managers, Teressa Bezenar, CPA, CFE, and Garrett Kelly, CPA. Bezenar has been in the accounting profession for more than two decades and recently joined Melanson’s Commercial Services team. Her focus is in taxation for individuals, corporations, flow-through entities, and estates, and she has extensive knowledge in construction and real-estate businesses. She received a master’s degree in accounting and a graduate certificate in forensic accounting at Southern New Hampshire University in 2017 and received a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Metropolitan State University in 1998. She earned her CPA licensure in Minnesota in 2002 and Missouri in 2020. In 2018, she became a certified fraud examiner. She holds memberships with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Minnesota Society of Certied Public Accountants, the National Society of Leadership and Success, and Delta Mu Delta. She spends some of her spare time volunteering with the American Legion Auxiliary, American Legion Riders, Minnesota Patriot Guard, and Knots of Love. Kelly has been a tax accountant for more than five years and has joined Melanson’s Commercial Services team in Merrimack, N.H. He provides tax planning, compliance, and prep for high net-worth individuals and a variety of businesses. His other areas of focus include bank taxation, real estate, and flow-through entities. He received his master of taxation degree at Baylor University in 2016 and a bachelor of business administration degree, accounting in 2015. In 2018 he received his CPA licensure. He is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Before his recent move to New Hampshire, he enjoyed working with and volunteering his time as a youth leader at his church.
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Alicia Valentine
Florence Bank promoted Alicia Valentine to the position of assistant vice president and cash-management relationship officer. She brings 15 years of banking knowledge to her new position. In this role, she will provide support to the bank’s commercial customer base by utilizing her in-depth knowledge of cash-management products and services while proactively developing existing relationships and new business opportunities. During her tenure at the bank, Valentine has been the recipient of the President’s Award, which is given to employees who demonstrate superior levels of performance, customer service, and overall contribution to the bank. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Assumption College. She is also an active member of her community, serving as a board member for Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts.
•••••
W.D. Cowls Inc. recently welcomed Arthur Haskins as director of Real Estate and Community Development. With a career spanning more than two decades, Haskins has worked on all facets of real estate and community building. He has overseen the completion of numerous mixed-use, commercial, and residential developments in New England and has a strong understanding of real-estate development, with expertise in new-construction management, affordable housing, residential brokerage, land sales, permitting, homeowner associations, property management, and conservation land trusts. Most recently, for Beacon Communities, Haskins managed North Square’s residential development, construction, completion, and 100% lease-up of 130 new residential units, which include one-, two-, and three-bedroom affordable apartments for households both 50% and 30% below area median income. His initial efforts in Amherst were related to developing a residential community on the campus of Hampshire College, marketing and completing all initial pre-sales related to Hampshire’s cultural-village concept for Veridian Village. Haskins draws from multi-generational Haskins family sawmill and timberland roots in the Quabbin Valley of Massachusetts. He grew up in Greenfield and spent four years attending school in Bangkok, Thailand.
•••••
Scott Keiter
Frank Newhall Look Memorial Park announced the addition of a new member to its board of trustees: Scott Keiter, president of Keiter Corp., a construction company based in Florence. His wealth of knowledge in building, development, sales, operations, and human resources made him a unanimous choice to join the team. Keiter has served on other community boards, including the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, New England Support Team, Smith Vocational & Agricultural School, and the Cutchins Programs for Children and Families. He brings his commitment to the community, family, sustainability, and progress to Look Park’s volunteer board, which also includes Sharianne Walker, Michael Wall, Nancy Reeves, Robert Ostberg, Anthony Villani, and Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz (ex-officio).
•••••
Scott Branscomb
In a move to support growth, outreach, and overall program quality, the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club (PVRC) hired Scott Branscomb as head coach. Branscomb, who speaks Spanish and English, will work with PVRC Executive Director Ben Quick and organization leadership to continue PVRC’s post-pandemic recovery. Branscomb rowed competitively for UMass, where he graduated with dual degrees in Spanish and comparative literature before earning a master’s degree in teaching from the University of New Hampshire. In his 14 years of rowing experience, he has served community and club programs in a variety of roles. He worked the last four years in Connecticut as director and head coach of Middle School and Development Programs for Greenwich Crew. Among his achievements there, he operated an outreach program for students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Greenwich Public Schools. At the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club, Branscomb returns to the waters of the Connecticut River, where he first rowed, and to his roots in the nonprofit world, where he feels at home.
•••••
Monson Savings Bank recently announced the hiring of William Toth as branch manager of the East Longmeadow location at 61 North Main St. Toth will be assisting customers with all of their banking needs, including loan applications and closing needs of borrowers. Additionally, he will be responsible for planning, organizing, and directing branch operations, as well as fostering an environment of teamwork. He has been in the banking industry for 26 years, with his experience in retail banking spanning 19 of those years. He most recently served as branch manager of Arrha Credit Union’s West Springfield location. There, his responsibilities were to oversee the day-to-day operations of the branch, while assisting new and current members with their financial and banking needs. He assisted members with consumer-loan applications, credit-card requests, and home-equity line of credit questions and document closing. He served as the primary resource to employees and oversaw the training of new and current branch staff. Toth has strong roots in the local communities, and is involved with the West of the River Chamber of Commerce, East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, and the Security & Loss Prevention Assoc. He is a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College with an associate degree in business administration.
•••••
Jaren Makuch
OMG Roofing Products has expanded its customer service department with the addition of Jaren Makuch as a customer service representative. In his new position, Jaren is responsible for assisting customers placing orders and in funneling product and technical questions to the organization. He is initially responsible for working on national key accounts as well as supporting the company’s Mid-West sales region. He reports to Karen Young, customer service manager. Makuch brings more than 10 years of customer-service experience to OMG. He joined OMG Roofing from Baystate Health, where he was a customer service representative for six years. Earlier, he was a customer service representative at FM Facility Maintenance in Hartford, Conn. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University.
•••••
Kimberley Lee, vice president of Resource Development and Branding for the Mental Health Assoc. Inc. (MHA), has accepted Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi’s invitation to join his newly created Community Advisory Board to provide long-range planning and support for the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center in Chicopee. The regional correctional facility houses both pre-trial and sentenced women primarily from Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester, and Berkshire counties and offers a range of integrated clinical services and specialized programs that address rehabilitation. Cocchi outlined the board’s mission as one of developing long-range planning for the facility and building relationships and resources to assist women as they re-enter the community. Lee, who joined MHA in 2018 as its first vice president of Resource Development, is well-known for her work in the nonprofit sector. She previously served in communications and development roles for several other locally based nonprofit organizations, including CHD, Square One, the Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Community United Way.
•••••
Square One recently elected a new slate of officers to its board of directors. The election was held at the agency’s annual meeting on Oct. 15. Taking on the role of chairperson is Andrea Hickson-Martin of Bay Path University. The vice chair seat will be filled by attorney Corrine Ryan of Community Legal Aid. Moving into the treasurer position is Kate Kane of Northwestern Mutual, assisted by Julie Quink of Burkhart Pizzanelli, P.C. Colleen Stocks, assistant superintendent of the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center, will serve as the board’s clerk. New to the full board of directors are Lavar Click-Bruce of the city of Springfield Mayor’s Office and Leonard Underwood of Upscale Socks and Upscale Photography.
SPRINGFIELD — Health New England (HNE) awarded $400,000 in grants to help three nonprofit organizations improve the health and well-being of vulnerable populations in Western Mass. The grants, made via HNE’s Where Health Matters grant program, will allow Wellspring Cooperative’s GoFresh Mobile Farmers’ Market, Girls on the Run of Western Massachusetts, and the Care Center’s Roqué House Program to expand needed programs focusing on food, girls’ health, and supporting mothers seeking college educations, respectively. The Wellspring Cooperative’s GoFresh Mobile Farmers’ Market aggregates fresh local produce and delivers it through pop-up markets at low-income housing sites, senior centers, health clinics, and community organizations. The three-year, $150,000 grant will enable Wellspring to double the number of people it provides access to fresh, healthy, local foods; enact a pilot program to expand the GoFresh farmers market throughout winter (the current program operates from May to October), providing year-round access to health foods; partner with local health clinics to establish a food-referral program that meets the needs of patients with chronic conditions through education and access to healthy foods; and continue to support minority and immigrant farmers via the Wellspring Harvest greenhouse program in the Indian Orchard neighborhood. Girls on the Run of Western Massachusetts helps girls develop essential social, emotional, and physical skills to successfully navigate life experiences and prepares them physically and mentally to participate in a celebratory 5K run. The two-year, $100,000 grant will enable the organization to double the number of chapters of the popular program and expand into Holyoke and Chicopee. The Care Center’s Roqué House Program provides stable housing for young parents, primarily women of color, working toward a college degree, as well as their children. The three-year, $150,000 grant will fund an artist in residence and counselor for families who live in Roqué House. Health New England’s Where Health Matters grant program, now in its fourth year, has invested $1.2 million in nonprofits in Western and Central Mass. Health New England also partners with each awardee via volunteering and advising to help them thrive.
EASTHAMPTON — Effective Nov. 1, Smith Brothers Insurance, with an office in Easthampton, has acquired Oxford Insurance Agency, an independent insurance agency in Oxford. The acquisition expands the company’s footprint in Massachusetts and allows Oxford Insurance to maintain its local presence while leveraging the resources of Smith Brothers Insurance. Brian Ravenelle, who was CEO of Oxford Insurance, will become a partner of Smith Brothers Insurance and will stay fully engaged in client service, business development, and in serving clients with the same team of insurance professionals. All Oxford Insurance team members will be joining Smith Brothers. Smith Brothers Insurance has more than 200 team members in locations across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.
HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) has been named one of the top women-led businesses in Massachusetts for 2021 by the Commonwealth Institute, a nonprofit that supports female business leaders. The Institute’s 21st annual rankings of the “Top 100 Women-led Businesses in Massachusetts” were announced on Nov. 5 during a Zoom celebration attended by HCC President Christina Royal. Royal and HCC were ranked at number 50. The full list was published Nov. 6 in a special “Women and Power” edition of the Boston Globe Magazine. Royal has been the president of HCC since January 2017. She is the fourth president in HCC’s 75-year history and the first woman to hold that position. Also on the list at number 55 is HCC alumna and Westfield native Linda Markham, president and chief administrative officer of Cape Air and Nantucket Airlines, based in Hyannis. To compile the list, the Commonwealth Institute examined revenue or operating budgets for each organization as well as other variables, including number of full-time employees in the state, workplace and management diversity, and innovative projects.
SPRINGFIELD — The YMCA of Greater Springfield, in partnership with Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno, announced it received a $25,000 grant from Comcast to support digital-literacy programming and access to the internet at the YMCA’s North End Youth Center, which also features a Comcast Lift Zone. Comcast has installed more than 1,000 WiFi-connected Lift Zones across the country, with 64 located across Massachusetts. These Lift Zones, which are based in community centers like the YMCA of Greater Springfield, have helped students stay connected and get online to do their schoolwork and more. Free WiFi connectivity is essential to many youth in Springfield, including the teens the YMCA serves at its North End Youth Center on Dwight Street. “This grant from Comcast will support technology programming and digital skills training for teens here at our North End Youth Center technology lab,” said Dexter Johnson, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Springfield. “Our goal is to teach virtual coding and robotics in our after-school teen program, components of which include computer programming, information technologies, and video-game design.” The after-school teen programming at the YMCA is funded by community support and hosts more than 300 teens each year. There will be at least 60 openings available for teens to participate in the upcoming coding and robotics program.
SPRINGFIELD — For the third year in a row, Big Y has been recognized as a Forbes Best-in-state Employer for 2021. Forbes America’s Best-in-state Employers have been identified across all industries based upon an independent survey of employees who anonymously recommend their employers for this award. Employers such as Big Y have no knowledge of which employees are polled, nor do they have the ability to influence the results in any way. According to Forbes, employees are asked to rate their willingness to recommend their own employers to friends and family. Employees are also asked to give their opinions on a series of statements surrounding work-related topics such as working conditions, salary, potential for development, and company image regarding their current employer. Big Y’s award spans 25 different industries. Big Y has also been named among Forbes Best in State for Diversity, Forbes Best Employers for Women, and Forbes America’s Best Large Employers.
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College hosted an official kickoff event for Advancing Humanics: The Campaign for Springfield College on Nov. 12 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Center Court. Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper officially introduced the comprehensive campaign, which supports the Springfield College Humanics philosophy, which is to educate the whole person in spirit, mind, and body for leadership and service to others. Cooper provided an overview of the campaign goal of $50 million. Advancing Humanics is being co-chaired by trustees Gregory Toczydlowski and Michele Megas-Ditomassi. Trustee emerita Helen Davis Blake, co-chair of the last Springfield College campaign, is serving as the honorary campaign chair. Gifts collected during the Advancing Humanics campaign will have a direct effect on every aspect of campus life, and the financial support will provide immediate assistance to the most critical needs of Springfield College, including scholarship resources for students and the new Health Sciences Center.
SPRINGFIELD — U.S. News & World Report selected three Springfield-based firms for its 2022 Best Law Firms listing. Bulkley Richardson was named a Best Law Firm in the Springfield region in the following 11 practice areas: bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, banking and finance law, commercial litigation, corporate law, criminal defense: general practice, criminal defense: white-collar, litigation – labor and employment, medical malpractice law – defendants, personal injury litigation – defendants, tax law, and trusts and estates law. Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin has been recognized for Tier 1 metropolitan designations in Springfield in the areas of banking and finance law, bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, corporate law, elder law, and trusts and estates law. It is also recognized for Tier 2 metropolitan designations in Springfield in the areas of business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships) and tax law. Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. was awarded a Metropolitan Tier 1 ranking in employment law – management, labor law – management, and litigation – labor and employment. Law firms that are honored on the U.S. News Best Law Firms list are ranked based on a careful evaluation process that includes the collection of evaluations from lawyers and clients, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and other additional information that law firms provide as part of the formal submission process.
SPRINGFIELD — Freedom Credit Union has made a $15,000 commitment — $3,000 per year over five years —to support a new family-medicine residency program designed to attract and retain young physicians to Franklin County. Led by founding Chair Dr. Robert Baldor, the Department of Family Medicine is a partnership between Baystate Franklin Medical Center and UMass Chan Medical School – Baystate. The residency will be housed at the Greenfield Family Medicine Practice at 48 Sanderson St., which is adjacent to Baystate Franklin Medical Center and easily accessible to the Greater Greenfield community. Family medicine physicians are trained to treat all members of a family, from children to adults and seniors, diagnosing and treating a wide range of ailments and providing preventive care. Four new residents will be welcomed annually into the three-year training program (12 in total). They will learn from the physicians at Baystate Franklin Medical Center and specialists from Franklin County and other Baystate Health facilities. The first class of four residents will arrive in June 2022. Freedom’s $15,000 donation is among $245,700 that has been donated in support of the hospital’s $4.2 million investment in creating a state-of-the-art clinical/teaching facility at 48 Sanderson St. Two education grants from the federal government will support the program as well, including a $750,000 Health Resources & Services Administration grant and an Area Health Education Center grant for $100,000.
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Uvitron International Inc., a designer and manufacturer of high-performance UV light curing systems and accessories, recently launched a new website — uvitron.com — offering streamlined navigation and improved quoting capabilities, among other features. Uvitron was established as a developer and manufacturer of switch-mode power supplies for light curing systems, developing the first electronic arc lamp power supply. The company has since evolved into a total solutions provider of light curing systems and accessories. In addition to enhanced navigation and quoting capabilities, the new site also features more comprehensive product information, applications by industry, and information about services and capabilities, such as application analysis, sample testing, and demo units.
WESTFIELD — Behavioral Health Network Inc. (BHN) announced it has received a grant of $5,000 from Westfield Bank’s Future Fund Program to benefit Kamp for Kids, the organization’s summer day camp for children and young adults with and without disabilities. Westfield Bank, a longtime supporter of BHN’s Kamp for Kids, established the Future Fund in 2002 as a response to overwhelming community needs and the shrinking sources of corporate philanthropy. It prioritizes funding to 501(c)(3) educational, recreational, cultural, and social-service programs that serve Westfield Bank’s market area. Grants made to Kamp for Kids provide camperships to youth with or without disabilities to ensure that all children, regardless of family income, are able to attend camp.
The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties and are the latest available. They are listed by community.
AGAWAM
Green Forest Corp., 173 Leonard Street, Agawam, MA 01001. Vakny Chonmany, 818 Stafford Hallow Road, Monson, MA 01057. Community Center.
BELCHERTOWN
Clancy & Company Inc., 532 Chauncey Walker St., Belchertown, MA 01007. Keith William Clancy, same address. Development of sustainable technology.
CHICOPEE
RSA Services Inc., 646 Gratan St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Muhammad Amin, 1040 Pleasant St., Palmer, MA 01069. Retail store.
EAST LONGMEADOW
The Zinga Group Inc., 443 Shaker Road, Suite D, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Paul Zingarelli, same address. Real estate company.
EASTHAMPTON
Main Street Gas Inc., 334 Main St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Harnish Patel, 21 Hillcrest Circle, Westfield, MA 01085. Retail gas sales.
Northeast Terminals Inc., 40 O’Neil St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Jeffrey S. Hunter, 16 Kylene Circle, Southampton, MA 01073. Fuel sales.
PALMER
Aric Audio Installations Inc., 32 River St., Palmer, MA 01069. Aric S. Kimball, 1486 Palisado Ave., Windsor, CT 06095. Audio visual equipment sales.
SOUTH HADLEY
ARC Energy Services Inc., 19 Cedar Ridge, South Hadley, MA 01075. Martin Kulig, 47 West Otter Dr., Tolland, MA 01034. Engineering sales and services.
SPRINGFIELD
Faisal Raza Khan Inc., 251 Quincy St., Springfield, MA 01109. Faisal Khan, same address. Quality seed sales.
Fontaine Community Foundation Inc., 510 Cottage St., Springfield, MA 01144. David P. Fontaine, Jr., 572 Hall Hill Road, Somers, CT 06071. Charitable foundation.
Gaby Express Corp., 131 Maron St., Apt. 2, Springfield, MA 01109. Juan Jose Madera, same address. Transportation.
WILBRAHAM
MRDM Inc., 4 Dollar Ave., Wilbraham, MA 01095. Michael Richards, 53 Parker St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Wholesale lubricants distributor.
Wilbraham Welcome Project Inc., 31 Main St., Wilbraham, MA 01095. Aurora Pierangelo, same address. Town and community organizations.
The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the months of October and November 2021. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).
DEERFIELD
Deerfield Greenhouse Builder & Repairs
345 Greenfield Road
Victoria Laczynski
Holiday Pizza
3A Elm St.
Aristides Theodoropoulos
Two Feathers Restoration & Design LLC
707 Greenfield Road
Brian Artherton
Wisdom Way Inc.
51 Upper Road
Jonathan Friz
HADLEY
Exotic Auto Service and Sales
12 Russell St.
Paul Narus
Reading by Mrs. Miller
249 Russell St.
Steven Eli
Slow Tractor
27 Middle St.
Christian Stanley
Valley Malt LLC
27 Middle St.
Andrea Stanley
Up to Speed
9 Kennedy Dr.
Robert Kuzmeski
NORTHAMPTON
Big Y Northampton Express #120
138 North King St.
Big Y Foods Inc.
Cannabis Culture
26 Strong Ave.
Thomas Little
Forget Me Not Florist
114 Main St.
Rebecca Fitzgerald
Gabriel Books
21 Market St.
Patricia Riley
Joe’s Albums LLC
5 Market St.
Joseph Demers
The Mars Orchestra
23 Pomeroy Ter.
Keny Hardwick
Mat Day
293 Elm St.
Thuy Nguyen
Oriental Bodywork
68 Bradford St., Suite H
Sujun Li
Ross Sister
78 Maple St.
Samantha Ross
Ryan Imported Car Repair Inc.
3 Brewster Court
Joseph Ryan
Sandri #139
776 North King St.
David Nelson
Stone’s
2 Conz St.
Alex Vidavd
Ted Anderson, Handyman
137 North Main St., Apt. 2L
Edward Anderson
Wild Chestnut Café
22 Chestnut St.
Rosalie Black, Melissia Lacharite
SOUTHWICK
The Bar Shoppe
106 Point Grove Road
Karen Pashko
WGI Inc.
34 Hudson Dr.
Frederick Filios
SPRINGFIELD
Dee’s Treasure 413
19 Dearborn St.
Diana Cox-Pusey
Diversity Resource Group
703 Bradley Road
Frederick Smith
Elite Rider
98 Drexel St.
Luis Graceski
Frank Used Appliances
2625 Main St.
Frank Used Appliances
Grez Automotive LLC
604 Boston Road
Pan Siphanoum
Mercado Orthotics & Prosthetics
10 Temple St.
Audrey Mercado
Mi Antojito Bakery & Restaurant
126 Walnut St.
Marilyn Gali
Northeastern Transport LLC
148 Leyfred Ter.
Yana Dipon
Optical Expressions Inc.
1514 Allen St.
Shelia Gibbs
Performance Auto Accessories
479 Main St.
Ronique Evans
Shaolin Kung Fu Center
441 White St.
Lisandro Vega
Smash Cleaning Services
85 Westford Ave.
Tanyika Scott
Springer’s Oil LLC
538 Page Blvd.
Samuel Springer
Sticcorella Cleaning Fairies
19 Parkwood St.
Maria Sticco
Sunbelt Rentals Inc.
95 Fisk Ave.
Sunbelt Rentals Inc.
Tanaka and Sons Property Services
22 Willard Ave.
Jorge Martinez
WESTFIELD
A. Dorsey Construction & Remodeling
357 Southampton Road
Andrew Dorsey
Busy Lizzy Cleaning Co.
64 Noble St.
Faith Rinehart
Circle Square Logistics
34 Meadow St.
Stanislav Butnaru
Katt Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning
308 Springdale Road
Ronald Tabb
LB’s Property Maintenance
18 Verona St.
Bernardo Sanchez
Master Carpenter
3 Lozier Ave., Apt. 2
Danil Tarnovskiy
Westfield Purple Heart Trail
4 School St.
Domus Inc.
WEST SPRINGFIELD
Classic Burgers
1261 Westfield St.
Rashpal Singh
Goodless Electric
100 Memorial Ave.
Jeffrey Goodless
Hallies Comet
28 Van Horn St.
Christina Giebner
Lucky 7 Nails Spa
1146 Union St.
Tommy Nguyen
Panera Bread
935 Riverdale St.
Dean Carman
Trinity Health Of New England at Home
202 Hillside Ave.
Gina Rogers
Union Street Auto Sales
697 Union St.
Joshua Martel
Water Falls for Women
903 Main St.
Melvin Mitchell
West Springfield Wings LLC
1290 Riverdale St.
Daniel Gadbois
Westside Cuts
84 Westfield St.
Erik Berrios
The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.
Callahan, Susan C.
a/k/a Ouellette, Susan C.
526 Franklin St. Ext.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/23/2021
Casassa, Andrew J.
Casassa, Rita L.
62 Broadway
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/29/2021
Davignon, Robert
Davignon, Lynn A.
a/k/a Browsky, Lynn A.
96 Admiral St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/29/2021
Fernandes, Celia Ferreira
160 Massachusetts Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/21/2021
Hall, Kenneth
47 Anthony St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/25/2021
Hurd, Richelle Ann
223 Northwest Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/21/2021
Jarvis, Allison
62 Thorton St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/29/2021
Kluepfel, Keith E.
86 Chestnut St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/28/2021
Laboy, Angel L.
Laboy, Krystal M.
a/k/a Rodriguez, Krystal M.
19 Hope St., Apt. B
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/28/2021
Labrie, Paul A.
114 West St.
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/21/2021
McCarthy, Thomas W.
P.O. Box 42
Russell, MA 01071
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/28/2021
Meade, Paula D.
14 West Stockbridge Road
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/26/2021
Pupello, Leonard A.
250 Poplar St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/20/2021
Soth, Run
36 Greenleaves Dr., Apt. 45
Hadley, MA 01035
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/27/2021
Sweeney, Sean
Sweeney, Vivian
320 Palmer Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/20/2021
Ward, Michelle M.
a/k/a Lamb, Michelle
108 Peterson Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/25/2021
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
168 Main St.
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Martina Kacurova
Seller: Sandra L. Maynard
Date: 10/22/21
371 March Road
Ashfield, MA 01370
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Seth E. Donovan
Seller: Jessica S. Thompson
Date: 10/18/21
BERNARDSTON
895 Brattleboro Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Ramelle C. Schepp
Seller: Burt, Maureen M., (Estate)
Date: 10/22/21
107 Northfield Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: All Purpose Storage
Seller: Damon, Edwin H. Jr., (Estate)
Date: 10/21/21
111 Northfield Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: All Purpose Storage
Seller: Damon Edwin H. Jr., (Estate)
Date: 10/21/21
BUCKLAND
1 Fred Laird Road
Buckland, MA 01370
Amount: $965,000
Buyer: Matthew P. Hart
Seller: B. G. Ludovico TR 2006
Date: 10/25/21
CONWAY
367 Hoosac Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Christina G. Salgo
Seller: Christopher Weinberg
Date: 10/21/21
112 Pleasant St.
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Timothy Z. Horton
Seller: Leland A. Gray
Date: 10/18/21
DEERFIELD
234 Lower Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Samantha C. Clay
Seller: Markw T
Date: 10/22/21
8 Pine St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $433,000
Buyer: Alexander Rubic
Seller: Sara I. Coblyn
Date: 10/22/21
123 Plain Road West
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $411,900
Buyer: Marco A. Seguil
Seller: Austin P. Graf
Date: 10/19/21
GILL
8 Myrtle St.
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Jonathan Hawkins
Seller: Mauria Sirum
Date: 10/20/21
GREENFIELD
202 Chapman St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Marlene R. Willard
Seller: Jessica L. Mullins
Date: 10/20/21
10 Coombs Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: City Of Greenfield
Seller: Andrew Musacchio
Date: 10/21/21
12 Coombs Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: City Of Greenfield
Seller: Andrew Musacchio
Date: 10/21/21
141 Elm St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Freedom Credit Union
Seller: Nathan R. Jackson
Date: 10/20/21
31 Gold St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Ashley N. Bulseco
Seller: Jeffrey J. Zahradnik
Date: 10/21/21
14 Harrison Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Bonny L. Grant
Seller: Michael H. Bozek
Date: 10/27/21
33 Main St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: City Of Greenfield
Seller: Andrew Musacchio
Date: 10/21/21
35-39 Main St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: City Of Greenfield
Seller: Andrew Musacchio
Date: 10/21/21
200 Mohawk Trail
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Orion Pro Friend KP LLC
Seller: SIC Property LLC
Date: 10/21/21
9 River St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Robert F. Malek
Seller: Donald W. Miller
Date: 10/19/21
89 West St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $254,000
Buyer: Danielle J. Smith
Seller: Johnathan R. Griffin
Date: 10/25/21
LEVERETT
33 Long Plain Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $378,300
Buyer: Michael Leflar
Seller: Anna J. Sloan
Date: 10/22/21
LEYDEN
39 North Bernardston Road
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $995,000
Buyer: Brian Prunier
Seller: Giard NT
Date: 10/22/21
MONTAGUE
83 2nd St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $267,070
Buyer: Linda C. Tardif
Seller: Jonathan J. Hall
Date: 10/18/21
4 George Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Joseph P. Chabot
Seller: Jacqueline M. Kingsbury
Date: 10/18/21
NEW SALEM
39 Blackinton Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Robert W. Grenier
Seller: Colin Lancaster
Date: 10/22/21
NORTHFIELD
3 Pine St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $747,500
Buyer: LCS Realty LLC
Seller: Kuznik TR
Date: 10/27/21
5 Pine St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $747,500
Buyer: LCS Realty LLC
Seller: Kuznik TR
Date: 10/27/21
ORANGE
East Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Royal Development Projects LLC
Seller: Orange Properties LLC
Date: 10/26/21
54 King St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $254,000
Buyer: Clarence E. Beezley
Seller: Richard J. Noel
Date: 10/22/21
290 North Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Catherine D. Truesdell
Seller: Caroline Carrithers
Date: 10/18/21
276 Pleasant St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Peter P. Gartland
Seller: Mark A. Smith
Date: 10/22/21
265 South Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Jesse G. Poirier
Seller: Lila Suchocki
Date: 10/27/21
369 Walnut Hill Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Douglas K. Heffner
Seller: Ann Marie Holmgren
Date: 10/20/21
189 West Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $296,000
Buyer: Property Foresight Inc.
Seller: Peter Cellana
Date: 10/25/21
50 Ward Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Brett Walker
Seller: Shane Quinn
Date: 10/27/21
SHELBURNE
98 Mechanic St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $359,000
Buyer: Judy E. Wilmeth
Seller: William G. Amstein
Date: 10/27/21
WARWICK
164 Wendell Road
Warwick, MA 01378
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Kelsey Walker
Seller: Ronald B. Stanford
Date: 10/22/21
WHATELY
8 Pine St.
Whately, MA 01373
Amount: $433,000
Buyer: Alexander Rubic
Seller: Sara I. Coblyn
Date: 10/22/21
HAMPDEN COUNTY
AGAWAM
127-129 Cooley St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Omarthan M. Clarke
Seller: Joanne M. Meagher
Date: 10/22/21
53 Deering St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $284,900
Buyer: Christopher T. Salvin
Seller: Steven J. Halloran
Date: 10/25/21
61 Faymore Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Taylor J. Regensburger
Seller: Wayne F. Lungarini
Date: 10/22/21
83 Lealand Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $202,000
Buyer: Roberto Berrios
Seller: STE Properties LLC
Date: 10/25/21
66 Liberty St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $278,000
Buyer: Jasmin Robinson
Seller: Double D. Investments LLC
Date: 10/20/21
1010 North West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $329,000
Buyer: William A. Lundy
Seller: Eric S. Hoague
Date: 10/22/21
24 Provin Mountain Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Daniel B. Leiper
Seller: Sheila J. Longley
Date: 10/18/21
15 Ralph St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $259,900
Buyer: Jason Kopyscinski
Seller: Joann Joubert
Date: 10/20/21
134 River Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $342,000
Buyer: Metehan Karaduman
Seller: Jacques E. Kmon
Date: 10/26/21
61 Senator Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Christopher Chamberland
Seller: Peter J. Gorski
Date: 10/19/21
130 Senator Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Muhammad Khan
Seller: Petro Boyko
Date: 10/26/21
28 Virginia St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $353,000
Buyer: Nicholas Sliech
Seller: Sergey Tokarev
Date: 10/19/21
322-340 Walnut St., Ext.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $640,000
Buyer: B&I Properties Inc.
Seller: Willowbrook Assocs.
Date: 10/20/21
BRIMFIELD
64 Apple Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Vanessa M. Flynn
Seller: John D. Carpenter
Date: 10/20/21
5 Kings Bridge Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Francis W. Soucie
Seller: Michael Delnegro
Date: 10/19/21
CHICOPEE
128 Blanan Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Ronald J. Charbonneau
Seller: Maria Tluczek
Date: 10/19/21
85 Bonneville Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: Mary C. Christensen
Seller: Kenneth G. Diegel
Date: 10/21/21
450 Broadway St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Mark Maldonado
Seller: Maria Halama
Date: 10/26/21
508 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $227,504
Buyer: James Fleming
Seller: James Cherewatti
Date: 10/20/21
874 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Alyssa Remington
Seller: Yamil Montanez
Date: 10/18/21
55 Cortland St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Rachael E. Durand
Seller: Manchester Enterprises LLC
Date: 10/21/21
11 Eldridge St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Jose Rivas
Seller: Santana Real Estate Inc.
Date: 10/20/21
12 Ellen St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Amr M. Mahmoud-Hassan
Seller: Sheila Bailey
Date: 10/19/21
24 Hastings St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Junior P. Swaby
Seller: Allan J. Sbrega
Date: 10/25/21
164 Ingham St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Edwin Collazo
Seller: Rachel C. Dupuis
Date: 10/21/21
30 Jones Ferry Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Dmitriy Salagornik
Seller: Margaret Mort
Date: 10/22/21
39 Joy St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Michael T. Baker
Seller: Kenneth Guyott
Date: 10/25/21
92 Marten St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Timothy Ramos
Seller: Joseph E. Kozlowski
Date: 10/27/21
425-521 Meadow St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $25,840,000
Buyer: NPSSA Chicopee LLC
Seller: CPI 425 Meadow Street LLC
Date: 10/22/21
904 Meadow St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Tabby Town Properties LLC
Seller: 904 Meadow Street LLC
Date: 10/20/21
59 Melvin St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $121,700
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: PNC Bank
Date: 10/21/21
529 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $1,300,000
Buyer: Orion Pro Friend KP LLC
Seller: SIC Property LLC
Date: 10/21/21
174 Newbury St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Brian K. Rodrigues
Seller: Junior P. Swaby
Date: 10/25/21
435 Oldfield Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Matthew A. Hubbard
Seller: Robert W. Blinn
Date: 10/25/21
16 Olivine St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $226,500
Buyer: Hurricane Properties LLC
Seller: Dave Place LLC
Date: 10/18/21
519 Prospect St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $230,500
Buyer: Jose A. Robles-Lopez
Seller: Glenn R. Pittsinger
Date: 10/22/21
635 Prospect St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Nageh Shenouda
Seller: Prospect Meadow Assocs. LLC
Date: 10/25/21
65 Rivers Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Alexandro A. Mejia-Romero
Seller: Erin N. Vermette
Date: 10/19/21
25 Robert St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Emily Johnson
Seller: Andrew R. Chapdelaine
Date: 10/26/21
31 Roy St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Eric Velasquez
Seller: John M. Clark
Date: 10/20/21
488 Springfield St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Urszula NT
Seller: Vieira Family Properties LLC
Date: 10/22/21
43 White Birch Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Frances M. Cosme-Ramos
Seller: Guardino, Vincent, (Estate)
Date: 10/27/21
57 Willwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $135,300
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Joann McCallum
Date: 10/22/21
4 Yvette St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Cecile J. Vazquez
Seller: Steven D. Hanna
Date: 10/20/21
EAST LONGMEADOW
8 Ainslie Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Willard Brown
Seller: Constance M. Barnes
Date: 10/19/21
26 Anthony Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Kathleen A. Reid
Seller: Irene E. Collins
Date: 10/19/21
40 Baldwin St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: 40 Baldwin St. LLC
Seller: Charles Richard
Date: 10/27/21
7 Cedar Hill Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Patrick J. Biancur
Seller: Eugene P. Sullivan
Date: 10/27/21
12 Fairway Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Peter W. Otiende
Seller: Michael Carabetta
Date: 10/19/21
5 Marshall St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Joshua F. Sand
Seller: Christopher J. Sand
Date: 10/20/21
562 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $875,000
Buyer: Orion Pro Friend SL LLC
Seller: SIC Property LLC
Date: 10/19/21
600 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $700,000
Buyer: WN Management LLC
Seller: Pasquale Liquori
Date: 10/18/21
327 Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $353,000
Buyer: John P. Bechard
Seller: Raymond P. Filiault
Date: 10/27/21
54 Pine Grove Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $679,875
Buyer: Jennifer L. Erickson
Seller: Arminder Singh
Date: 10/27/21
10 Powder Hill Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Theodore Anoje
Seller: Wilmington Savings
Date: 10/25/21
40 Wood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Khialeny Pena
Seller: FNMA
Date: 10/22/21
HAMPDEN
20 Sessions Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $257,900
Buyer: Barbara McEwen
Seller: Sybil H. Laflamme
Date: 10/20/21
14 Wehr Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $299,500
Buyer: Kerry Gallagher
Seller: Laura K. Pashko
Date: 10/25/21
HOLLAND
5 Birch Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Ann L. Rasmussen
Seller: Joseph T. Collins
Date: 10/22/21
HOLYOKE
194 Apremont Hwy.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Rock Valley Keystone Construction
Seller: Steven E. Cormier
Date: 10/26/21
165 Brown Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Albert E. Paone
Seller: Karl A. Krassler
Date: 10/20/21
12 Cranberry Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $320,500
Buyer: Nathaniel Parrish
Seller: William A. Andrades
Date: 10/22/21
1512-1514 Dwight St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $279,000
Buyer: Katherine Sanchez
Seller: Juan Torres
Date: 10/25/21
44-46 Gilman St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $126,500
Buyer: Alycar Investments LLC
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 10/22/21
4 Glen St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Jorge L. Colon
Seller: Santiago Hernandez
Date: 10/25/21
101 North Bridge St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: SBP RT
Seller: Robert S. Vogel
Date: 10/22/21
1745 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $1,050,000
Buyer: Orion Pro Friend SL LLC
Seller: SIC Property LLC
Date: 10/19/21
1895 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Black
Seller: John E. Martin
Date: 10/27/21
2093-2095 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $284,100
Buyer: Hector R. Cortes
Seller: David A. Iarossi
Date: 10/27/21
8 Park Slope
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Hannah Smith
Seller: Yeisie Mateo
Date: 10/18/21
248-250 South St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Juana M. Cruz-Antigua
Seller: Jose A. Robles-Lopez
Date: 10/22/21
36 Woods Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Amanda K. Surgen
Seller: John F. Raftery
Date: 10/25/21
LONGMEADOW
95 Albemarle Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Elena Burke
Seller: O’Connor, Constance B., (Estate)
Date: 10/22/21
15 Falmouth Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Kevin C. Peabody
Seller: Michael R. Moseman
Date: 10/22/21
233 Franklin Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $489,000
Buyer: Ke Ma
Seller: Joseph C. Salvon
Date: 10/21/21
10 Prynne Ridge Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Christopher N. Russell
Seller: David P. Fontaine
Date: 10/20/21
103 Warren Ter.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: JJB Builders Corp.
Seller: Edward M. Sluis
Date: 10/18/21
12 White Oaks Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Quercus Properties LLC
Seller: Yvonne Balaban
Date: 10/18/21
LUDLOW
188 Cady St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Shawn Smith
Seller: Platinum Homes LLC
Date: 10/26/21
1608 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Vitaliy Volkov Family RT
Seller: Lori Hughes
Date: 10/20/21
17 Gilbert St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $211,500
Buyer: Patrick J. Carey
Seller: Patricia M. Corjay
Date: 10/21/21
134 Heritage Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $379,000
Buyer: Patrick Karalekas
Seller: Steven M. Lozyniak
Date: 10/18/21
244 Hubbard St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jorge S. Laires LT
Seller: Maxine M. Costa
Date: 10/25/21
85 Hunter Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Erik Garcia
Seller: Mary R. Tobin
Date: 10/25/21
37 Lehigh St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Louis M. Goncalves
Seller: Socha, Frank C. Jr., (Estate)
Date: 10/19/21
118 Oak Knoll Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $367,000
Buyer: Jaclyn Alves-Quiterio
Seller: Manuel B. Salvador
Date: 10/20/21
43 Prospect St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: 3 Little Pigs LLC
Seller: S&J Properties LLC
Date: 10/25/21
MONSON
42 Bridge St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $339,900
Buyer: Jacob Mead
Seller: Richard Josefek
Date: 10/25/21
188 Bumstead Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $620,000
Buyer: Stephen Murdoch
Seller: Mary E. Freddo
Date: 10/27/21
145 Palmer Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: JNS Amherst LLC
Seller: Rykam Inc.
Date: 10/26/21
38 Zuell Hill Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Kate Vartanian
Seller: James H. McInerny
Date: 10/25/21
MONTGOMERY
58 North Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Joseph G. Lafreniere
Seller: Murphy, Judith L., (Estate)
Date: 10/20/21
PALMER
331 Burlingame Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $361,000
Buyer: Eric Kerr
Seller: Joseph S. Lyons
Date: 10/22/21
19 Emelda St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $312,500
Buyer: Keyla M. Gonzalez
Seller: Caitlin A. Lamoureux
Date: 10/22/21
331 Flynt St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Dylan Morris
Seller: Adam J. Skowyra
Date: 10/25/21
Foster St. (off)
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $611,000
Buyer: Gerald Hinkle
Seller: Henry L. Rigali
Date: 10/19/21
3121-3123 High St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Heriberto M. Olavarria
Seller: Michael C. Walker
Date: 10/25/21
1519 North Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $775,000
Buyer: Orion Pro Friend ML LLC
Seller: SIC Property LLC
Date: 10/19/21
124 River St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $302,500
Buyer: Dias Properties LLC
Seller: Edmund J. Stokowski
Date: 10/22/21
3 Silvia St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Jon J. Higgins
Seller: Gareth E. Desautels
Date: 10/27/21
RUSSELL
1024 Blandford Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: William F. Barry
Seller: Howe, Lillian M., (Estate)
Date: 10/18/21
163 Main St.
Russell, MA 01008
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Robert Pronovost
Seller: Barlow, Marita M., (Estate)
Date: 10/26/21
SOUTHWICK
130 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $279,900
Buyer: Jesse S. Salzarulo
Seller: William Rivera
Date: 10/26/21
72 Granville Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $282,781
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Ellen Hansen
Date: 10/22/21
6 Hunters Ridge Circle
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Mohammad K. Asif
Seller: Mohamed A. Assim
Date: 10/19/21
33 Point Grove Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $318,000
Buyer: Bradley Wright
Seller: Stephen C. Putnam
Date: 10/22/21
105 Vining Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Diane Lyons-Frasco
Seller: Mark A. Plasse
Date: 10/22/21
SPRINGFIELD
31 Arthur St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Sarah V. Gonzalez
Seller: Adrianna M. Isham
Date: 10/20/21
45 Balfour Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Lincoln Edwards
Seller: Howard Jean-Denis
Date: 10/18/21
180 Benz St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Adaliz Diaz
Seller: Highridge Real Estate LLC
Date: 10/27/21
1811 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $700,000
Buyer: Orion Pro Friend ML LLC
Seller: SIC Property LLC
Date: 10/21/21
4 Bosworth St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Carterud
Seller: Amy Z. Gustman
Date: 10/20/21
219 Bowles Park
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Justin M. Chellman
Seller: Christopher J. Lambert
Date: 10/21/21
80 Brentwood St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $419,000
Buyer: Kamal Biswa
Seller: Anatoliy Ovdiychuk
Date: 10/26/21
70 Brunswick St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Daniel Johnson
Seller: Joshua T. McLain
Date: 10/22/21
1753 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Gerald Mason-Sheffield
Seller: Gino A. Burno
Date: 10/26/21
48 Charter Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Colvest & State Street LLC
Seller: DevelopSpringfield Corp.
Date: 10/19/21
143-145 Commonwealth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Josue J. Pujols-Vasquez
Seller: Ronaldo G. Alcantara
Date: 10/18/21
262 Connecticut Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Jose M. Irizarry-Torres
Seller: Richard P. Plasse
Date: 10/20/21
170-172 Cornell St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Yeremy Kovylyak
Seller: Joejoe Properties LLC
Date: 10/22/21
58-60 Davenport St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $177,500
Buyer: Winners O. LLC
Seller: Marilou B. Krause
Date: 10/26/21
62-64 Davenport St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $177,500
Buyer: Winners O. LLC
Seller: Marilou B. Krause
Date: 10/26/21
127 Dayton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Bikash Tamang
Seller: Jessica A. Athas
Date: 10/22/21
42 Dewey St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Angelica Burgos-Torres
Seller: Adaliz Diaz
Date: 10/27/21
145 Devens St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Ruth D. Salcedo
Seller: Lori A. Chilcote
Date: 10/19/21
194 Draper St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Alejandro E. Cuellar
Seller: Cecily D. Wiswall
Date: 10/20/21
101 Dwight Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Emmanuel Dias
Seller: Johnson, Ruport L., (Estate)
Date: 10/20/21
133-135 Edendale St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Edwardo Hernandez
Seller: Pauline D. Isabelle
Date: 10/22/21
180 Feltham Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Brian Y. Kolontay
Seller: Elizabeth Surprise
Date: 10/18/21
250 Gillette Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Kaitlyn Burns
Seller: Timothy VanZalen
Date: 10/27/21
80 Harrow Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Nelson Zayas
Seller: David R. Klock
Date: 10/27/21
28 Highland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: NRES LLC
Seller: Salim Abdoo
Date: 10/18/21
50 Holy Cross St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Joaquin G. Machado
Seller: James T. Farley
Date: 10/20/21
19 Humbert St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Nikia White
Seller: Keenan Comer
Date: 10/26/21
56 James St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Amanda A. Rodriguez
Seller: Nextlife Realty LLC
Date: 10/18/21
77 Kerry Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Suk B. Mudel
Seller: Mary B. Freeman
Date: 10/18/21
12 King St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Blythewood Property Management LLC
Seller: Genesis Arias-Santos
Date: 10/21/21
43 Lafayette St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Darlene Hodges
Seller: Anthony Wirth
Date: 10/21/21
87 Lakevilla Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Shanita L. Cruz
Seller: Anthony N. Rojas
Date: 10/18/21
48-50 Lester St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $279,900
Buyer: Lynval Baker
Seller: Hai H. Tran
Date: 10/25/21
357-365 Liberty St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $8,500,000
Buyer: Behavioral Health Network
Seller: 401 Liberty Street LLC
Date: 10/27/21
385-401 Liberty St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $8,500,000
Buyer: Behavioral Health Network
Seller: 401 Liberty Street LLC
Date: 10/27/21
138-140 Magnolia Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: William Raleigh
Seller: Fitzpatrick, M. A., (Estate)
Date: 10/22/21
278-280 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Orlando O. Roberts
Seller: L&J Properties LLC
Date: 10/20/21
528-534 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $349,000
Buyer: Main Parker Shops LLC
Seller: Czepiel, Theodora J., (Estate)
Date: 10/22/21
34 Oak St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Colvest & State Street LLC
Seller: Developspringfield Corp.
Date: 10/19/21
36 Oak St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Colvest & State Street LLC
Seller: Developspringfield Corp.
Date: 10/19/21
1-3 Palmyra St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Lisuannette Santiago
Seller: Jared D. Smith
Date: 10/22/21
138 Park Dr.
Springfield, MA 01106
Amount: $495,000
Buyer: Maggi Della-Predmore
Seller: Mark M. Suazo
Date: 10/26/21
82 Pelham St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $257,500
Buyer: Eric X. Sanchez
Seller: Pelham Springfield LLC
Date: 10/22/21
10 Pemaquid St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Lissette Perez
Seller: Angel J. Huertas
Date: 10/22/21
44 Piedmont St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Kimberly M. Payne
Seller: Kelly, Judith M., (Estate)
Date: 10/21/21
64 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $237,900
Buyer: Sharon D. White
Seller: Raffaele Cuomo
Date: 10/27/21
79 Quincy St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $141,500
Buyer: Eastcoastbuyers LLC
Seller: Nolava LLC
Date: 10/25/21
55 Ringgold St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Yojeiri Diaz-Antigua
Seller: Willie Hanson
Date: 10/26/21
198 Russell St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Robert L. Martinez
Seller: Joel Quinones
Date: 10/22/21
32 Scarsdale Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Derrick St.Amand
Seller: Andria Boland
Date: 10/22/21
14 Schley St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: East Coast Contracting
Seller: Brooks, Theodore S., (Estate)
Date: 10/26/21
42 Sherwood Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Christopher W. Paoli
Seller: Jacob Lemieux
Date: 10/21/21
70 Sonia St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $218,500
Buyer: Aieshya Jackson
Seller: CP IRA LLC
Date: 10/21/21
393 Stapleton Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $221,000
Buyer: Sergio Renta
Seller: Vianni K. Gomez
Date: 10/27/21
78-80 Sterling St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Hedge Hog Industries Corp.
Seller: Godin, Judy Anne, (Estate)
Date: 10/19/21
64 Temple St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Remianna Hearns
Seller: J. Norbert Properties LLC
Date: 10/26/21
93 Thompson St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Jose A. DeJesus
Seller: Jacqueline Rivera
Date: 10/21/21
470 Union St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Colvest & State Street LLC
Seller: DevelopSpringfield Corp.
Date: 10/19/21
125 Victoria St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Hector S. Torres-Umana
Seller: Kyle Gauthier
Date: 10/26/21
25-29 Walnut St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Colvest & State Street LLC
Seller: DevelopSpringfield Corp.
Date: 10/19/21
321-323 Water St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Jared Saporito
Seller: Meeghan A. Ziolkowski
Date: 10/22/21
343-345 Water St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $179,400
Buyer: Karla D. Travieso
Seller: Meeghan A. Ziolkowski
Date: 10/21/21
14-16 Webster St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Luis A. Reyes
Seller: H&P Investments LLC
Date: 10/19/21
93 West Canton Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jose E. Barbot
Seller: Holly A. Paquette
Date: 10/22/21
137 Whittum Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: William J. Torres
Seller: Derek Chapdelaine
Date: 10/19/21
100 Wilmont St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Brianne G. Summers
Seller: Trudel C. Allen
Date: 10/27/21
137 Winton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Walter Ramos
Seller: Jeffrey E. Fritz
Date: 10/21/21
WESTFIELD
83 Christopher Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $457,500
Buyer: Kyle J. Fisher
Seller: David D. MacPhail
Date: 10/18/21
114 City View Blvd.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $412,000
Buyer: Trevor J. Perrault
Seller: Helen C. Ware
Date: 10/18/21
4 Dwight St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Benjamin P. Digiammo
Seller: Christopher Peterson
Date: 10/26/21
67 Jefferson St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: Cameren Sporbert
Seller: R. Benjamin Walker
Date: 10/19/21
37 Old Farm Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Heather Dekarski
Seller: Ashley M. Traynor
Date: 10/21/21
405 Root Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Leroy Clink
Seller: Barry M. Standish
Date: 10/22/21
26 Smith Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: Aaron J. Brown
Seller: Sheila M. Wilson
Date: 10/19/21
566 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Nicholas J. Blais
Seller: Laura E. Sico
Date: 10/22/21
19 Sunbriar Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $418,000
Buyer: Melissa M. Taylor
Seller: Jose J. Bermejo
Date: 10/18/21
29 Sunrise Ter.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $379,500
Buyer: Mary E. Page
Seller: Sergey Novenko
Date: 10/20/21
10 Union St.
Westfield, MA 01089
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: North Elm Realty Inc.
Seller: WF1 Realty LLC
Date: 10/18/21
139 Union St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Susan Morrie
Seller: Denise M. Gastringer
Date: 10/21/21
WILBRAHAM
22 Briar Cliff Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $825,000
Buyer: Carolina Cardillo
Seller: Hazel Zebian
Date: 10/25/21
3 Edson Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Pamela Elmer
Seller: Nancy Godbout
Date: 10/21/21
17 Peak Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $1,675,000
Buyer: Lynne A. Kleeberg
Seller: Kent W. Pecoy
Date: 10/19/21
22 Pine Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Andres Dejesus
Seller: Courtney Skutnik
Date: 10/21/21
63 Soule Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $372,000
Buyer: Thaivan VanBui
Seller: Janet G. Farrell
Date: 10/27/21
472 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $281,500
Buyer: Alyssa Hodgdon
Seller: Custom Home Development Group LLC
Date: 10/22/21
192 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $441,500
Buyer: Jeffrey L. Hammond
Seller: William Wardlaw
Date: 10/19/21
12 Tracy Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Lisa M. Summers
Seller: George A. Wells
Date: 10/19/21
WEST SPRINGFIELD
85 Birnie Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Jeremy J. Bergeron
Seller: Lee J. Kozikowski
Date: 10/27/21
129 Chestnut St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $301,300
Buyer: G&C Real Estate Investments LLC
Seller: Angelo Valentini
Date: 10/19/21
9 Hampden St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Siobhan Lloyd
Seller: Vasily Vilkhovoy
Date: 10/20/21
198 Heywood Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $284,000
Buyer: Adiyanna Zeidel
Seller: Maria V. Duducal
Date: 10/26/21
750 Main St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $351,000
Buyer: Javat Azizov
Seller: RJH Properties LLC
Date: 10/22/21
1094 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Orion Pro Friend KP LLC
Seller: SIC Property LLC
Date: 10/19/21
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY
AMHERST
65 High St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $710,000
Buyer: Muhamma Sheneryar-Sheikh
Seller: Faye J. Crosby RET
Date: 10/25/21
Market Hill Road #3
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Kelvy Bird
Seller: Michael J. Stosz
Date: 10/21/21
Market Hill Road #4
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Damon R. Bosetti
Seller: Michael J. Stosz
Date: 10/21/21
263 Northampton Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Aung Win
Seller: Melanie Krumrey
Date: 10/21/21
485 Pine St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: CNS Home Solutions LLC
Seller: Margaret V. Reed
Date: 10/19/21
12 Sand Hill Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Elizabeth S. Butler-Gluck
Seller: Kathleen A. Bailer
Date: 10/20/21
418 Shays St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $419,000
Buyer: Jan DeLeeuw
Seller: Meredith E. Marvin
Date: 10/19/21
227 West St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $177,500
Buyer: Solha Clinton Jigmey LLC
Seller: Patricia P. Wheelock
Date: 10/21/21
BELCHERTOWN
28 Alden Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Lihui Tan
Seller: Kimberly A. Frisino-Hurst
Date: 10/18/21
810 Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: David Lopes
Seller: Margarita Canuel
Date: 10/18/21
411 East St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $632,000
Buyer: Derek Healy
Seller: Joseph D. Bernard
Date: 10/22/21
620 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Timothy E. Spears
Seller: John R. Diggles
Date: 10/22/21
7 Fletcher Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Kailey Pacheco
Seller: NJRE Property Group LLC
Date: 10/20/21
201 Michael Sears Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: David J. Murphy
Seller: Willard Brown
Date: 10/18/21
123 South St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Miriam M. Newhouse
Seller: Dale R. Jolly
Date: 10/19/21
CHESTERFIELD
172 South St.
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: Lauren F. Contalonis
Seller: Thomas A. Dolan
Date: 10/21/21
EASTHAMPTON
2 Adams St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Dutt LLC
Seller: William Hatzipetro
Date: 10/18/21
218 East St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $387,000
Buyer: Candice R. Price
Seller: Jordan P. Healy
Date: 10/26/21
72 Northampton St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $219,900
Buyer: Benjamin Winsor
Seller: John F. Cataloni
Date: 10/18/21
14 Peloquin Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Angela S. Fitzgibbon
Seller: Jeannine M. Smith
Date: 10/21/21
46 Pleasant St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Partnership Liquidity Investments
Seller: Harrilee 2 LLC
Date: 10/27/21
21 South St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $307,000
Buyer: Estuardo Diaz
Seller: Daniel R. Berger
Date: 10/21/21
6 Sterling Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $381,000
Buyer: Emily Negard
Seller: Felty, James D., (Estate)
Date: 10/20/21
64 Strong St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Nader Saborouh
Seller: Donna M. Cwikla
Date: 10/22/21
38 Williston Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $336,000
Buyer: Philip Close-Barber
Seller: Marie A. Scavotto
Date: 10/21/21
GOSHEN
19 Spruce Corner Road
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Joseph T. Magnuson
Seller: Jeffrey J. Kwolek
Date: 10/20/21
GRANBY
192 Taylor St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Brad A. Seymour
Seller: Zobka, William C. Jr., (Estate)
Date: 10/22/21
219 West St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Ryan F. Garvey
Seller: Jesse E. Brownback
Date: 10/25/21
HADLEY
2 Crystal Lane
Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $815,000
Buyer: Steven D. Goodwin
Seller: Bercume Construction LLC
Date: 10/18/21
12 Farm Lane
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $409,000
Buyer: Joanne M. Despres
Seller: Katie A. Szelewicki
Date: 10/25/21
5 South Maple St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $1,600,000
Buyer: 5 S. Maple St. Hadley LLC
Seller: PeoplesBank
Date: 10/26/21
HATFIELD
121 Depot Road
Hatfield, MA 01066
Amount: $321,000
Buyer: Matthew R. Szczepanek
Seller: June D. May IRT
Date: 10/22/21
HUNTINGTON
24 Allen Coit Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Daniel A. Noel
Seller: Andrea A. Jordan-Amberg
Date: 10/21/21
MIDDLEFIELD
11 Clark Wright Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: Carissa L. Desiderato
Seller: Scott T. McCoy
Date: 10/18/21
NORTHAMPTON
6 Calvin Ter.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: Jessica Ray-Mendoza
Seller: Greaves NT
Date: 10/27/21
15 Elizabeth St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Birdie Properties LLC
Seller: Billieux, Robert J. Sr., (Estate)
Date: 10/20/21
20 Hayward Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $580,000
Buyer: William G. Park
Seller: Alexander, Mary A., (Estate)
Date: 10/21/21
195 Industrial Dr.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $2,400,000
Buyer: Altera Northampton Investments LP
Seller: Yankee Wood Industries
Date: 10/22/21
38 Myrtle St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Dobrska
Seller: Sydney N. Thorn
Date: 10/20/21
236 North Maple St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $532,000
Buyer: Kelly Mackay
Seller: John P. Zadworny
Date: 10/21/21
18 Orchard St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,600,000
Buyer: MZZ Lucky LLC
Seller: Guzik Realty Inc.
Date: 10/22/21
17 Westwood Ter.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Sage Campbell
Seller: Drew, Howard A., (Estate)
Date: 10/25/21
11 White Pine Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $301,900
Buyer: John S. Derr
Seller: Tobin, Rita B., (Estate)
Date: 10/22/21
SOUTH HADLEY
3 East Parkview Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Timothy R. Sweeney
Seller: Josephine A. Florence
Date: 10/20/21
5 Forest Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $277,325
Buyer: Raymond O. Colon
Seller: Jeremy J. Tremblay
Date: 10/21/21
22 Kimberly Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $432,500
Buyer: Kristen M. Gauthier
Seller: Evelyn P. Hollering
Date: 10/22/21
110 Mosier St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: David Isakson
Seller: Robert L. Scribner
Date: 10/21/21
347 Newton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Zu L. Li
Seller: Sharon R. Miner
Date: 10/22/21
43 West Summit St. #H1
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Andrew Moreno
Seller: Kathleen M. Keane
Date: 10/26/21
SOUTHAMPTON
19 Camp Jahn Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Bryan Velez-Morales
Seller: Sarah A. Mackay
Date: 10/25/21
21 Camp Jahn Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Bryan Velez-Morales
Seller: Sarah A. Mackay
Date: 10/25/21
3 Courtney Lane
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $499,900
Buyer: Michael C. Carriveau
Seller: Andew P. Bzdel
Date: 10/22/21
60 High St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $472,500
Buyer: Joshua E. Perlstein
Seller: Susan M. Buczala
Date: 10/27/21
43 Pequot Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Pavel Gorobinskiy
Seller: Carol A. Giera
Date: 10/22/21
WARE
122 Bacon Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $319,900
Buyer: Sara Wall
Seller: Gary P. Mikus
Date: 10/19/21
Foster St. #1
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $611,000
Buyer: Gerald Hinkle
Seller: Henry L. Rigali
Date: 10/19/21
7 Hillside Ter.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $302,000
Buyer: Jennifer Maher
Seller: Kristen Boudreau
Date: 10/19/21
16 Kelly Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $611,000
Buyer: Gerald Hinkle
Seller: Henry L. Rigali
Date: 10/19/21
45 Marjorie St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $264,000
Buyer: Melissa Baez-Guiliani
Seller: Paul R. Hawley
Date: 10/18/21
80 Shoreline Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Catherine Salegna
Seller: Francis W. Soucie
Date: 10/19/21
WILLIAMSBURG
15 Main St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Ivana M. Liebert
Seller: Chapter 2 LLC
Date: 10/22/21
WORTHINGTON
Williamsburg Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $176,675
Buyer: Paul A. Sena
Seller: Richard P. Oleksak
Date: 10/26/21
The following building permits were issued during the months of October and November 2021. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).
CHICOPEE
Arc Fevpema001 LLC
140 Lonczak Dr.
$22,375 — Install new dry-pipe system for new loading-dock canopy
Chicopee Provision Co.
19 Sitarz Ave.
$27,590 — Remove and replace ceiling tiles and grid, install temporary partition and door
Michael Chojnowski
705 Chicopee St.
$10,000 — Siding and closing up doors
Crown Castle
31 Jamrog Dr.
$50,000 — Replace six antennas, add three antennas, and upgrade equipment at existing wireless facility
Brian LaPointe
219 School St.
$17,500 — Remove and replace structural elements to restore front-porch structure to original appearance
Main Street Property
340 McKinstry Ave.
$287,000 — Verizon Wireless to install wireless communication antennas and supporting equipment on existing silo
She’s Your Queen to Be LLC
56 Grove St.
$225,715 — Roofing
HADLEY
Pyramid Mall of Hadley Newco LLC
367 Russell St.
Install additional fire-alarm devices to system
LEE
Berkshire Corporate Realty LLC
480 Pleasant St.
$200,000 — Convert existing informal office space into open office space, private offices, and conference room
LENOX
17 Main Cottage LLC
17 Main St.
$177,000 — Renovate several interior rooms
Suzanne Marcene Andeway
212 Main St.
$215,000 — Change entire structure from mixed-use to residential
Lenox Collection LLC
11 Old Stockbridge Road
$25,000 — Reconfigure and remodel ground-floor area, allowing for guest rooms in the owner’s quarters, including one ADA-compliant guest room
Austin Randy
72 Church St.
$8,000 — Roofing
NORTHAMPTON
11 Orchard St. LLC
11 Orchard St.
$96,000 — Add second floor
320 Riverside LLC
80 Damon Road, #8205
$20,000 — Repair after fire
7Q59 Amherst LLC
23 Eastern Ave.
$14,400 — Kitchen and bath renovation
All North LLC
21 North Main St.
$6,700 — Repair porch
City of Northampton
56 Vernon St.
$198,948 — Replacement windows at Vernon Street School
Global Tower Assets LLC
0 Haydenville Road
$35,000 — Install antennas
Matt & Nick LLC
199 Pine St.
$4,866 — Modify solar array
Nonotuck Community School Inc.
221 Riverside Dr.
$59,642 — Roofing
Oxbow Professional Park LLC
22 Atwood Dr.
$70,000 — Install antennas
PITTSFIELD
Morningside Baptist Church
475 Tyler St.
$1,000 — Install fire-suppression system in commercial kitchen exhaust hood
Ranchodji Inc.
16 Cheshire Road
$48,000 — Roofing
SPRINGFIELD
Bear Rock Properties
247 Union St.
$24,000 — Roofing
Natha Brown
161 Hancock St.
$9,800 — Roofing
Center Square Inc.
1441 Main St.
$14,440 — Interior demolition of partition walls and ceiling on fifth floor for new tenant fit-out
Financial Plaza Trust
1350 Main St.
$36,000 — Convert interior space on 11th floor into new offices
Ryan Foi
222 Cadwell Dr.
$204,970 — Roofing at Hale Trailer Brake and Wheel Inc.
GELW MASS LLC
1365 Main St.
$2,000 — Remove non-load-bearing partition wall in after-school program office
Neslo Realty Co.
245 Cadwell Dr.
$519,027 — Renovate office and warehouse space for new Goodwill office
Malave Rafaela
37 Jefferson Ave.
$15,000 — Weatherization and air sealing
Titeflex Corp.
603 Hendee St.
$16,810 — Roofing
