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Month: January 2022

Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley Installs 2022 Officers, Directors

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Cheryl Malandrinos was installed as the 2022 president of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley (RAPV), a nonprofit trade association with more than 1,800 members. The installation of officers and directors was held on Jan. 14 at the RAPV headquarters and was also livestreamed on Facebook.

Malandrinos started her professional real-estate career in 2014 and quickly became involved in RAPV. She has served on the board of directors for three consecutive years and has been involved in several committees. The RAPV named her Realtor of the Year in 2019.

In addition to her association involvement, she devotes her time to other community-outreach programs such as Rick’s Place in Wilbraham, Christina’s House in Springfield, and as treasurer for WriteAngles Inc.

The following individuals were installed as 2022 officers: Lori Beth Chase of LAER Realty Partners as president-elect, Arlene Castellano of Maria Acuna Real Estate as treasurer, Peter Ruffini RE/MAX Connections as secretary, and Elias Acuna of Maria Acuna Real Estate as immediate past president. Directors include Shawn Bowman of Trademark Real Estate, Brenda Cuoco of Brenda Cuoco & Associates, Peter Davies of Borawski Real Estate, Janise Fitzpatrick of Jones Group Realtors, Luci Giguere of Landmark Realtors, Sharyn Jones of Executive Real Estate, Michelle Stegall of Property One, and Clinton Stone of Property One.

HCC Spring Women’s Leadership Series Begins Jan. 26

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Daily News

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) will begin its spring 2022 Women’s Leadership Series on Wednesday, Jan. 26 with Dawn DiStefano, president and CEO of Square One in Springfield, who will give a presentation titled “What’s the Worst That Can Happen?”

All sessions run from noon to 1 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month over Zoom. During each session, participants will join prominent women leaders for discussions on relevant topics and ideas to help their leadership development. They will also have the opportunity to form a supportive network to help navigate their own careers.

“The sessions are interactive and perfect for professional women who want to connect,” said Michele Cabral, HCC’s executive director of Business, Corporate and Professional Development.

On Feb. 23, Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College, will present “Growth Mindset.” That will be followed on March 30 by “Finding Your Mentors” with Willie Maddox, executive vice president and chief risk officer at ACBB. On April 27, Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle will present “My Ankle is Made of Steel,” and on May 25, the series will wrap up with “Self Love,” with Shawntsi Baret, leadership coach and owner of SBSWF Consulting.

The cost of each session is $25. The full, five-session series can be purchased for $100. Cost, however, will not be a barrier to participation. If pricing is an issue, e-mail Cabral at [email protected].

Space is limited, and advance registration is required. To register, visit hcc.edu/womens-leadership.

Happier Valley Comedy Offering Free Events to Local Nonprofits

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Daily News

HADLEY — After the year nonprofit organizations have had, who couldn’t use more happiness? Happier Valley Comedy offers the Free Happiness Program, through which nonprofits serving underrepresented, marginalized communities can apply for a free Happier Valley Comedy event, such as an improv show, a personal- or professional-development training session, a keynote, or a workplace-wellness event to be held either online or in person at a venue selected by the organization or Happier Valley Comedy’s theater and lounge in Hadley.

“Our mission is to share laughter, joy, and ease with the world through the tenets of improv,” Happier Valley Comedy founder and President Pam Victor said. “The Free Happiness Program is the next step in our commitment to fulfilling that mission specifically with communities that have been unfairly underserved.”

The Free Happiness Program is one part of the comedy theater and training program’s ‘green-lining’ efforts, which aim to provide some balance for the historic, grossly unjust ‘red-lining’ of BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) communities in the greater worlds of comedy, personal and professional development, wellness, and beyond.

“We’ve intentionally made the application process as simple and easeful as possible. We know nonprofits are stressed on many levels, so we want to make this program extremely accessible to those who need it,” Victor said.

Preference is given to local organizations serving underrepresented, marginalized, and/or BIPOC individuals and communities. Organizations must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to qualify.

The next round of applications are being awarded by Happier Valley Comedy’s board of directors in late February. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis at www.happiervalley.com/free-happiness.html.

Top Entrepreneur 2021

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Cover Story Top Entrepreneur

Towering Achievements

Dinesh Patel and Vid Mitta Are Reimagining a Springfield Landmark

In 1996, BusinessWest introduced a new recognition program, one that pays homage to the entrepreneurial spirit that has long defined this region. Since then, the Top Entrepreneur honor has gone to small-business owners, college and hospital presidents, and even Holyoke’s municipal utility. This year’s recipients are Dinesh Patel and Vid Mitta, true serial entrepreneurs who rolled the dice and purchased Tower Square, the iconic but troubled Springfield landmark, in 2018. Their efforts to change the landscape and reimagine the property have been slowed by COVID, and there are many chapters in this story still left to write. But there are signs of progress, and the partners’ patience, persistence, and entrepreneurial mettle are big reasons why.

Demetrios Panteleakis recalls his company being one of many commercial real-estate brokerage firms that were interviewed to represent the new ownership group at Tower Square as leasing agent.

He also recalls being rather surprised when the Macmillan Group won the contract. That’s because … well, he was rather candid in his assessment of what needed to be done with the downtown Springfield landmark.

Probably too candid, in his mind.

“I think I was pretty brutal when it comes to what needed to change and what types of investments needed to be made in the building,” he said, looking back more than three years. “I sent it to them kind of thinking, ‘they’re going to look at this and probably say, ‘forget this guy — there’s no way we’re doing all this.’

“But to my surprise, and to my surprise ever since, it’s been the complete opposite,” he went on. “They wanted to meet with me again, and they wanted me to go into detail on a marketing plan, they wanted me to go into detail on the improvements … the concept of doing away with traditional retail and doing more of a community-based approach for the tenants of the building and focusing on just the constant improvement of the building.”

Panteleakis said that this response to his “brutal assessment,” and the actions taken since, go a long way toward explaining why partners Vid Mitta and Dinesh Patel have been named BusinessWest’s Top Entrepreneurs for 2022, the latest winners of an award first handed out in 1996.

Actually, this is the second time they’ve won the award — sort of. Indeed, they were, and still are, part of the ownership and management team of the Springfield Thunderbirds that took home the Top Entrepreneur award for 2017 for their efforts to not only bring hockey back to the city but make it a force in efforts to reinvigorate the downtown.

The two were already serial entrepreneurs at the time MassMutual was looking to sell the Tower Square complex in 2017, owning everything from hotels to fast-food restaurants; from an information-technology-solutions company to early-education facilities. But this was their first real joint venture and certainly their first class-A office tower, and Panteleakis said they entered this exercise with what he called a “thirst for learning.”

Demetrios Panteleakis stands in the space in Tower Square now occupied by Country Bank

Demetrios Panteleakis stands in the space in Tower Square now occupied by Country Bank, one of many new tenants to arrive since Vid Mitta and Dinesh Patel acquired the downtown Springfield landmark.

“And that’s unusual,” he went on. “Most people who own buildings always think they know more than the broker; it’s rare for them to listen. I was shocked when they started instituting the plan, and they really stuck to it.”

While listening has been a major ingredient in their success at Tower Square — and in business in general — there are many others, the partners told BusinessWest, including patience, especially amid COVID-19, which has certainly slowed the pace of progress. But also watching and learning what has worked elsewhere (we’ll see some examples of that) and applying it to their venture.

Persistence and adherence to the plan are also keys, they said.

“We just keep moving and keep achieving one target at a time,” said Mitta in describing the overall strategy for the property. “Right now, we’re at 70% occupancy, compared to roughly 40% when we took over the building. So we still have another 30% to go, so we’re not there yet, and we work on a day-to-day basis based on the leads that we get. We’ve come this far, and we hope to go all the way to the finish line, to 100%.”

Patel concurred, noting that, while nothing has really been easy with this venture — undertaken mostly during the two years of COVID and made much expensive and complicated because of it (more on that later) — there are encouraging signs. Overall, the project has been a learning experience and has emboldened the partners in many ways.

“I think I was pretty brutal when it comes to what needed to change and what types of investments needed to be made in the building. I sent it to them kind of thinking, ‘they’re going to look at this and probably say, ‘forget this guy — there’s no way we’re doing all this.”

“This project has given us a lot of confidence,” he said. “If there’s a space, and the structure is good, like we have here, we know we can create something in our mind and move forward.”

Tim Sheehan, Springfield’s chief Development officer, lauded the work at Tower Square, saying that, in many respects, the partners’ efforts mirror the original mission of the property and take it a new and higher level at a different point in the city’s history.

“This is a critically important project for Springfield,” he said. “The whole impetus behind the building itself was to enliven the commercial business district of the downtown, and to enliven it by bringing businesses to the heart of the city, workers to the heart of the city, visitors, and supportive retail, and clearly the building has done that.

“When you look back at how this was conceived in the 1960s as part of a large urban-renewal effort, the contemplation of this building really started with a small group of civic and downtown business leaders, and ultimately it was advanced by MassMutual,” Sheehan continued. “So I guess you could say Tower Square continues to attract entrepreneurial investors to the property. And while the vision that those initial investors had was clearly bold, Dinesh and Vid’s vision to reposition the property is as bold, if not bolder.”

 

Background — Check

A quick look at the partners’ résumés and portfolios of business interests reveals why the phrase ‘serial entrepreneur’ applies to both.

A pharmacist by trade, Patel has become a prolific business owner and developer. His portfolio now includes several 99 Restaurant & Pub locations, including one in Greenfield; a Walgreens in Worcester; a CVS in Bridgewater, Conn.; three McDonald’s franchises, including one in Holyoke; several Hampden Inn & Suites locations across New England; a few adult day-care facilities; and even a self-storage operation.

As for Mitta, he started as a software programmer and has, over the past three decades or so, put together a broad and diverse portfolio of business interests known collectively as Mitta’s Group. Like Patel, he has properties in the hospitality realm, including several hotels within the Marriott, Hyatt, Choice, and Wyndham franchises, but also owns several early-education facilities operating under the name the Learning Experience, as well as Synergic Solutions, which provides information-technology solutions to businesses around the globe.

The new façade on the hotel at Tower Square

The new façade on the hotel at Tower Square is symbolic of the changes that have taken place at the property.

And they continue to invest in new ventures, including development of a 14-acre parcel in Windsor, Conn. into a mixed-use complex that will include a hotel, apartments, a gas station, a car wash, and other components. Work on the project, to be called Windsor Crossing, is set to commence next spring.

The top line on each résumé now, though, is Tower Square, and how these two came together to purchase the 50-year-old landmark is an intriguing story, which they summed up as a calculated risk well worth taking.

The two certainly knew each other well — as noted, they both had ownership stakes in the Thunderbirds, and Patel had sold some properties to Mitta — but they had never launched a joint venture together … until Tower Square came on the market in late 2017.

“Most people who own buildings always think they know more than the broker; it’s rare for them to listen.”

“When I came across this particular listing from MassMutual, I approached Dinesh and asked him what his thoughts were,” Mitta said. “He said that if I was interested, he was willing to partner, and that got the ball rolling.”

Patel recalls them having a lengthy discussion concerning the property — which came in two parts, the hotel and the retail/office complex adjoining it — on opening night of the Thunderbirds’ 2017-18 season, which came only a day before the deadline for submitting bids for the Tower Square property.

cover of BusinessWest’s Top Entrepreneur issue

This is actually the second time Vid Mitta and Dinesh Patel have been on the cover of BusinessWest’s Top Entrepreneur issue. They’re part of the ownership and management group of the Springfield Thunderbirds that took home the honor in 2017.

“Between 4 and 5 o’clock, I was in Northampton on a bike ride, and I thought to myself, ‘I want to pull the trigger on this,’” he went on, adding that a bid was submitted mere minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline.

Bidding on Tower Square was certainly not a slam-dunk proposition at the time; in fact, it was far from it. While the building, which changed the downtown Springfield skyline in dramatic fashion when it opened in the late ’60s, had some core tenants in its retail space — UMass Amherst, Cambridge College, and a CVS, among others — and several more in its office tower, the complex had certainly seen better days.

MassMutual was soon to be vacating several floors in the office tower, many spaces in the retail portion of the building were vacant or underutilized, and the hotel on the property had lost the Marriott flag that had flown over it for decades and was now known as the Tower Square Hotel.

But while others were looking at a glass half-empty — or far worse — the two partners saw potential, and something else as well: an important property in a city that they had invested in and become part of.

“My wife and I were having lunch together and started talking about Tower Square,” Patel recalled. “She described it as an ‘iconic building’ in Springfield and a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’ She said, ‘we need to figure out how to get this building.’”

Mitta recalls having similar thoughts, and noted that, while their initial interest was focused on the hotel, which they successfully bid on first, they eventually pursued the rest of the property as well, paying $17.5 million for both halves of the operation.

And they did so understanding that there would be much larger investments to come.

“We knew what we were getting into,” said Mitta, acknowledging that this comment covers considerable ground, meaning acknowledgement that large amounts of work needed to be done not only to get the Marriott flag back on the hotel, but to renovate the parking garage; repair and upgrade aging equipment, including the elevators; and undertake other improvements to bring new tenants, and new vibrancy, to the property.

 

Building Momentum

Elaborating, the two partners said they entered this joint venture with a plan of sorts, one that would take shape over the coming months and years.

That plan called for focusing less on traditional retail and more on creating something approaching a community, with pieces that would complement one another, said Patel, adding that, even before he and Mitta had finalized their commitment to bid on the property, he was talking with Dexter Johnson, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Springfield, about moving parts of that operation, specifically the fitness center and childcare facilities, to Tower Square.

“This project has given us a lot of confidence. If there’s a space, and the structure is good, like we have here, we know we can create something in our mind and move forward.”

Those operations would eventually become part of a larger plan that called for attracting businesses that would bring convenience, as well as needed products and services, to those working in the tower, but also the students attending classes there and those living in and around downtown, said the partners, adding that other components have come to include White Lion Brewing Co., a spa (SkinCatering), and even the wine exchange that recently opened in the space next to the Hot Table restaurant.

“We never thought that this would come back as a retail building,” Mitta said. “But when we purchased the property, we knew that MassMutual had already put UMass and Cambridge College into the retail mall, and that gave us a good start toward bringing more semi-retail businesses into the mall, so it would be a win-win situation for all of us.”

Previous Top Entrepreneurs

• 2020: Golden Years Homecare Services
• 2019: Cinda Jones, president of W.D. Cowls Inc.
• 2018: Antonacci Family, owners of USA Hauling, GreatHorse, and Sonny’s Place
• 2017: Owners and managers of the Springfield Thunderbirds
• 2016: Paul Kozub, founder and president of V-One Vodka
• 2015: The D’Amour Family, founders of Big Y
• 2014: Delcie Bean, president of Paragus Strategic IT
• 2013: Tim Van Epps, president and CEO of Sandri LLC
• 2012: Rick Crews and Jim Brennan, franchisees of Doctors Express
• 2011: Heriberto Flores, director of the New England Farm Workers’ Council and Partners for Community
• 2010: Bob Bolduc, founder and CEO of Pride
• 2009: Holyoke Gas & Electric
• 2008: Arlene Kelly and Kim Sanborn, founders of Human Resource Solutions and Convergent Solutions Inc.
• 2007: John Maybury, president of Maybury Material Handling
• 2006: Rocco, Jim, and Jayson Falcone, principals of Rocky’s Hardware Stores and Falcone Retail Properties
• 2005: James (Jeb) Balise, president of Balise Motor Sales
• 2004: Craig Melin, then-president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital
• 2003: Tony Dolphin, president of Springboard Technologies
• 2002: Timm Tobin, then-president of Tobin Systems Inc.
• 2001: Dan Kelley, then-president of Equal Access Partners
• 2000: Jim Ross, Doug Brown, and Richard DiGeronimo, then-principals of Concourse Communications
• 1999: Andrew Scibelli, then-president of Springfield Technical Community College
• 1998: Eric Suher, president of E.S. Sports
• 1997: Peter Rosskothen and Larry Perreault, then-co-owners of the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House
• 1996: David Epstein, president and co-founder of JavaNet and the JavaNet Café

Patel concurred, noting how he and Mitta have seen the ‘education hub’ concept work in Worcester, and they believe it can work in Springfield as well.

In the office tower, said Panteleakis, the goal has been to take advantage of the attractive class-A space, including the floors vacated by MassMutual, as well as other amenities, such as on-site parking, those aforementioned service businesses, and a safer, more vibrant downtown to bring some of the businesses that had left Springfield back to its central business district while also bringing some new names to that area.

And that has happened with the addition of Wellfleet, which now has its name and logo on the building, as well as Farm Credit Financial Partners, the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, Country Bank, several state offices, and many other new tenants.

“We’ve replaced 150,000 square feet vacated by MassMutual with 140,000 square feet of new tenants,” Panteleakis said, adding that there is one more full floor to fill and several “smaller pockets” that remain vacant.

The partners said that, while there is certainly a plan in place, the simple objective moving forward is to continue adding complementary pieces and creating a destination — something Tower Square was decades ago but hasn’t been for some time.

“If you look at the building today, it efficiently serves the needs of modern office tenants, and that’s been though significant upgrades to that space,” Sheehan said. “The investment of more than $20 million in completely refurbishing the hotel and restoring the Marriott flag will attract new and more visitors to downtown and enhance the city’s attractiveness as a meeting and convention destination. Additionally, they’ve created a sense of excitement — I don’t think you can use any other word — about what the building’s public space could actually be.”

While progress has been made on many different levels at the Tower Square property, the pandemic has certainly slowed its pace, due to everything from the soaring cost of materials to labor shortages, said the partners, adding that it has also made improvements and enhancements more expensive — and far more expensive, in many cases.

That’s especially true with the ongoing work at the hotel, where supply-chain issues have made it difficult to obtain needed materials in a timely fashion. Overall, the project, with a price tag that has risen past $30 million, is well behind the original schedule, which had the hotel reopening last year, but the partners are confident that the facility will be welcoming guests by the end of the second quarter of this year.

“COVID has hurt us because the cost of construction has shot up, and the cost of raw materials has shot up as well,” Mitta said. “Every time we import things from China or some other country, the container fees alone are almost four to five times what they used to be two or three years back. We don’t want to stop, so we had to pay these higher prices and keep going.”

As just one example, Patel noted that steel prices have risen 48% this year, an increase that could not have been foreseen when they bought the property.

“Increases of 10% or so, you anticipate that; you can factor that in,” he noted. “But 48% to 50%, you can’t plan for that. It’s all about supply and demand.”

Despite the skyrocketing cost of the project, the partners remain optimistic about the hotel and its prospects for the future. They said COVID will eventually relent, and when it does, people — if not businesses — will be ready and willing to travel again.

“People are coming back,” Mitta said. “They’re traveling, they’re using hotels, and the travel industry is coming back — especially when it’s not related to business travel.”

COVID has also brought a halt to any plans to develop the parcel across Main Street from Tower Square, known to many as the ‘Steiger’s lot’ because that’s where the department store once stood.

The rooftop area at Tower Square

The rooftop area at Tower Square is one of many that have a new look.

Original plans called for building a Hyatt on that property, but the pandemic and its deep impact on travel of all kinds put that initiative on ice, said Patel, adding that their plans will be revisited once the Marriott opens.

Meanwhile, they’re advancing plans for Windsor Crossing and continually looking for new entrepreneurial opportunities. That thirst for new opportunities brought them to Tower Square in the first place, and it has seen them through this challenging but ultimately fulfilling time.

“It’s been exciting,” Mitta said. “Every day is a new adventure.”

 

Landmark Decision

Flashing back to when the partners acquired the Tower Square property, Mitta noted that they had both a plan as well as a backup plan, one that called for converting the office tower into residential space if the office market didn’t develop as anticipated.

That backup plan wasn’t needed, obviously, although there have been some struggles, and COVID certainly has brought many unanticipated challenges.

Instead, the partners are moving forward, as Mitta noted, achieving one target at a time. The larger goal is not to turn back the clock and make Tower Square exactly what it was decades ago, but turn it back to the extent that the landmark is a destination and center of vibrancy.

There is still work to do, but if Mitta and Patel have proven anything, it’s that they are persistent and determined to make the plan they put on the drawing board more than four years ago a reality.

They’ve also shown that they’re quite worthy of BusinessWest’s Top Entrepreneur honor.

 

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

There’s Still No End in Sight to Soaring Home Prices

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Cheryl Malandrinos says the pandemic changed
Features Special Coverage

Feeding Frenzy

Cheryl Malandrinos says the pandemic changed

Cheryl Malandrinos says the pandemic changed how people look at how they work and where they live, sparking greater demand for homes in Western Mass.

“A $180,000 house going for $275,000 … it can’t continue this way, or else the average homeowner won’t be able to afford a mortgage, and then the market will have to stabilize.” That’s a quote from a Realtor who spoke with BusinessWest last January about the low supply and high prices of homes in Western Mass. A year later, the situation has, simply put, not stabilized, with the region remaining an in-demand destination for remote workers and new housing stock still lagging. For potential buyers, it’s a situation that demands patience — and, again, hope for a correction down the road.

In her 25 years as a Realtor, Nancy Hamel has never seen anything like it.

Looking back at 174 houses sold in Amherst last year, 63 sold for more than $500,000, said Hamel, who is a top-producing agent with Jones Group Realtors. “That’s crazy. For years, we just had a handful sell for over $500,000.”

She rattled off some actual examples: a home with an asking price of $410,000 going for $511,000. A $595,000 listing selling for $675,000. A $649,000 listing topping out at $740,000. “It could just be underpriced, or it could be it rang all the right bells.”

Mostly, though, it’s supply — and that’s an issue in residential real estate that has pushed home prices into the stratosphere.

“Supply has just been very strange,” said Amy Hamel, Nancy’s daughter and partner on her team at Jones — and someone who, unlike Nancy, focuses primarily on the buyers’ side. It can be hugely frustrating.

“Lack of inventory has played a role in people panicking to find suitable housing,” Amy continued. “More people are able to work remotely now because a lot of companies decided to do that long-term because it’s worked so well. They’re saying, ‘why have communal space when we’re doing the same amount of revenue, or more, having employees work from home?’”

As a result, buyers have flocked to Western Mass. — and other attractive regions of the U.S. when it comes to quality of life — and the existing housing stock is not sufficient to meet demand.

“We see a lot of people moving here from all over — from New York, or from out west, Arizona, New Mexico. People are picking a place on a map, and Amherst is definitely a top place for people to come to,” she explained. “So prices are going up more than I could have ever imagined. Money is coming in from all over the place.”

“When it comes from high-home-value regions like California, where a half-million doesn’t seem as expensive for a home, that drives up prices for locals, for whom that is an intimidating chunk of change,” Amy said. “What they’re paying beyond the asking price is unlike anything I’ve seen in my 15 years.

“A lot of people are saying it’s been the best year for Realtors,” she went on. “Not really, unless you’re a top listing agent. Working on the buying-agent side has been very frustrating. I’ve had a lot of buyers put in many, many different offers before they found something, and still I have a lot of buyers laboring because they’re being outbid. And it’s not like they haven’t put in strong offers.”

Nancy noted that her daughter lost out on $14 million in offers last year. “She just got outbid — by people with cash, people offering $50,000 over asking price and still not getting it.”

“A lot of people are saying it’s been the best year for Realtors. Not really, unless you’re a top listing agent. Working on the buying-agent side has been very frustrating.”

She took one buyer from California on a virtual tour over FaceTime, who made an offer immediately, and well over asking price.

That’s great for sellers and listing agents, she admits, “but I’m having concerns. What are working people going to do? If you haven’t made money in real estate, it’s very hard to buy in now.”

Locally, in her Amherst-area market, “it could affect people who apply to UMass because professors don’t want to live far away and teach; they want to live in a 20-mile radius,” she noted. “But South Hadley’s expensive, Belchertown’s exploding, Hadley … forget it, and Northampton’s out of sight.”

The pricing has forced some creativity, to say the least, Nancy said. “People are waiving inspections; that’s scary to me. And I’m seeing an awful lot of parents step up to the plate and help. They say, ‘I’d rather help my kids when my eyes are open, rather than having them get it when I’m gone, and I don’t get to see the joy.’

Amy (left) and Nancy Hamel say they’ve never seen home prices where they are now

Amy (left) and Nancy Hamel say they’ve never seen home prices where they are now, sometimes selling close to $100,000 over the asking price.

“I’m grateful — we’re lucky to be a listing agency,” she went on. “But a lot of my colleagues are disappointed they’re in this feeding frenzy. If they’re new and working with buyers, it’s a lot of work to place an offer — a lot of paperwork, disclosures, everyone has to sign, get pre-approval … to do all that work just to be disappointed. The feeding frenzy is just cuckoo.”

 

Shifting Sands

Cheryl Malandrinos, president of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley (RAPV), said the pandemic caused people to look differently at how they work and, in turn, where they live.

“They decided they didn’t really need to live as close to their offices if they were going to be able to stay remote for the time being. So we’ve definitely seen a shift here,” she told BusinessWest. “We did see buyers from the outside area, from other states, come into the Valley as well. So we continue to struggle with low inventory and rising prices throughout. The reality is, we haven’t been able to produce housing for quite some time. That has not helped us any.”

At the end of 2021, inventory in the region was 30% down when compared to December 2020, and prices rose about 15.4%, on average, over that same time period — which is remarkable, considering that articles like this one — discussing the same issues of a supply crunch and high selling prices — were being written a year ago, too.

One issue is that Millennials are increasingly entering the market, and they’re looking for affordable homes. “The reality is 41% of total buyers are first-time homebuyers, so entry-level homes are high demand,” Malandrinos said, and those homes aren’t being built at the rate buyers demand — especially during a lumber shortage. “It’s hard to build that first-time-homebuyer, entry-level home and make it affordable.”

“A lot of my colleagues are disappointed they’re in this feeding frenzy.”

For that reason and others, she said, Realtors and economists expect demand to continue to soar in 2022, especially with the prospect of the Fed raising interest rates. “Buyers will keep us busy in the winter season, looking for homes and hoping to secure them while the rates are still historically low, which gives them more purchasing power.”

Last year, the median price of an existing single-family home nationally jumped to an all-time high of $357,900, up 23% from 2020, according to the National Assoc. of Realtors (NAR).

“Supply-chain disruptions for building new homes and labor shortages have hindered bringing more inventory to the market,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “Therefore, housing prices continue to march higher due to the near record-low supply levels.”

Yun noted that inflation and the pace of price appreciation is expected to subside next year. At NAR’s recent Real Estate Forecast Summit, economists and housing experts agreed that inflation would likely ease in 2022 at a 4% rate, while home prices are expected to rise at a moderate pace of 5.7%.

So what does that mean for buyers? “You have to be prepared because you’re going to face a fair amount of competition in the marketplace,” Malandrinos said. “Gone are the days when you could find something and, a few days later, think about talking to a lender.

“You need to be prepared right away — engaging a Realtor as soon as possible, getting pre-approved, so you’re all set once you find what you want, because you’re not going to have time to second-guess it,” she continued. “You have to move forward with a strong offer. We’re still most likely going to see things selling over asking price, with multiple offers on properties that are well-priced.”

At the end of 2021, listings lingered on the market 22 days on average, but that number is skewed by a few outliers. “In reality, many properties are leaving the market before that.”

What she doesn’t recommend is acting out of panic — for instance, by waiving inspections. “I’m not one, in good conscience, to recommend that. Maybe you’re saying, ‘I want to hold off my inspection and reserve the right to withdraw, but don’t expect you to do any repairs.’ That’s also a way to get around that.”

 

Street-level View

Nancy Hamil has seen downtown Amherst values rise to 20% higher than similar properties in other neighborhoods, and one factor might be that migration into Western Mass. from people in urban centers who still want to live near amenities.

Lawrence Yun

“Supply-chain disruptions for building new homes and labor shortages have hindered bringing more inventory to the market. Therefore, housing prices continue to march higher due to the near record-low supply levels.”

“People covet living in downtown Amherst; they love to be able to walk places. Northampton is the same,” she said, noting that apartment rents are also on the rise, again impacted by supply and demand, and people priced out of the home-buying market needing a place to live.

“I do think affordable housing needs to stabilize to some extent because prices have gone a little beyond where I thought they would be in our area,” Amy Hamel added. “I do wonder what this year is going to be like. There are many factors that play into the market, and especially with COVID still running rampant, it’s going to be interesting to see how this year plays out.”

The pandemic did change the way homes are shown, Malandrinos said, with 2020 givijg rise to virtual tours using 360-degree videography.”

“That stayed with us and likely will continue, as it makes everyone feel safer,” she said, while noting that in-person tours are still common, though some sellers are leaning more toward open houses instead of many individual showings.

“Some people are still concerned about safety, so you have to work with your Realtor and make a plan that makes sense for you,” she noted. “Often, properties come on the market, and Realtors defer showings and have many people come in at once instead of private showings.”

It’s not unusual, she added, for those tours to have a set layout, with interested buyers entering by one door, following a path, and leaving by a different door. “As we go back to in-person showings, we’re trying to keep it as normal as possible, but as safe as possible, too.”

She pointed to the state’s Housing Choice Initiative, created a few years ago to incentivize communities to build more housing stock, as one way to increase supply.

“I really hope for a market correction so more people can afford to come into the market,” Nancy Hamel said. “I remember, when I was young, we didn’t require these huge down payments, and a house cost $50,000. Home ownership shouldn’t be only for the wealthy.”

Malandrinos agreed. “Buyers are tired,” she said. “It’s not unusual to hear, ‘my buyer lost out on their third property.’ Everyone benefits when there’s more equity in the market. I hope we get there, but we’re not there yet.”

There’s only so much comfort those words bring to people who feel they’re priced out of the kind of home they want in Western Mass.

“It’s easy for people to get frustrated, but stick with it. There is a property for you,” she added. “You need to be confident and come in with a strong offer you’re comfortable with — and hang tight.”

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Restaurants Still Navigating Thorny Challenges

By
Fred Gohr says the lingering pandemic may extend industry trends
Hampshire County Special Coverage

Food for Thought

Fred Gohr says the lingering pandemic may extend industry trends

Fred Gohr says the lingering pandemic may extend industry trends both positive (more outdoor dining) and negative (staffing issues).

There’s no doubt that 2021 was a better year for restaurants than 2020, which was marked by weeks of closure in the spring and strict capacity restrictions after that. Many restaurants stayed afloat with expanded takeout and outdoor seating, while looking forward to what they hoped would be a stronger 2021. But while restrictions were lifted and patrons returned last year, other issues — from a workforce shortage and supply issues to new COVID variants — kept the industry from reaching full strength. What’s on the menu in 2022 for this industry so critical to the economic health of Hampshire County? Stay tuned.

 

By Joseph Bednar and Mark Morris

 

Fred Gohr recalls thinking, a year ago, that there would be a lot of pent-up demand for eating out in 2021, and he was right.

Which is why it’s a little strange to be thinking the same thoughts again, after a persistent series of COVID-19 surges — the Omicron variant is only the latest — that kept slowing down restaurants’ progress last year.

Still, “we’ve actually done pretty well,” said Gohr, owner of Fitzwilly’s in downtown Northampton. “Fortunately, Fitzwilly’s is pretty large and kind of spread out. We put up plexiglass between all the booths, which a lot of places did; it makes guests certainly feel more comfortable.

“But all in all, 2021 was not a bad year,” he added. “It certainly had ups and downs, peaks and valleys — a few patches that were really rough — but overall, from a business level, we looked back at the end of the year and felt we did better than we thought we would at the beginning of 2021. So that was a pleasant surprise — or relief, whatever you want to call it.”

Restaurants, one of the main economic and tourism drivers in Hampshire County, certainly saw that pent-up demand manifest in 2021, especially after Memorial Day, when the state lifted the final restrictions on gatherings. Most restaurants reported strong summer business. The problem, however — and it’s a big one — came when they realized hospitality workers were leaving the field in droves, and not coming back any time soon.

“I guess the biggest challenge in 2021 was staffing. It was very, very difficult,” Gohr said. “We’re fortunate we have a core of staff who have been here a long time. Most of those folks hung in through the highs and lows and are still here.”

“Probably in late December we noticed a little slowdown because of the resurfacing of Omicron and the changing variants. But overall, it was a very good year.”

Bryan Graham, regional manager for the Bean Restaurant Group, which boasts a family of 11 eateries throughout the region, many in Hampshire County, agreed that staffing has been a challenge even for the most popular restaurants.

“All restaurants across the region are struggling to find hourly cooks, along with a few entry-level positions,” he said. “We definitely had to reshift our labor pool and are taking care of employees with more aggressive wage increases to retain them.”

Edison Yee, president of the Bean Group, agreed with that assessment of the workforce shortage. “It’s still a big part of the picture. We’re definitely focused on the future and retaining our employees, but the general application pool is way down.

“We have guys, hourly employees, with longevity, who love this group, but when someone is offering a $4 hourly increase to them, they have to jump ship a lot of times, unfortunately,” Yee added. “We’ve been giving more increases to employees in the past six months than in prior years.”

The problem has been exacerbated by Omicron, which has kept many employees out of work at establishments around the region, forcing some restaurants to reduce hours or even close for certain days.

All of this affects the bottom line, but so does another global economic issue currently impacting not only restaurants, but industries of all types: supply shortages and costs. For restaurants, that largely means food products, but affects paper products and other supplies as well, Graham said, and it sometimes forces eateries to switch menu items or ingredient brands to keep up with price fluctuations and availability.

Bryan Graham says there’s often “no rhyme or reason”

Bryan Graham says there’s often “no rhyme or reason” to what products will be harder or more expensive to obtain.

“Products have definitely increased in price. As far as supply goes, it’s hit or miss. We’re still seeing shortages on some of your higher-end meats — prime meats are definitely a little scarce to come by and very expensive — but some other products have come back down in price. There’s no rhyme or reason to it — just the trucking-industry delivery windows of these vendors getting their products in.”

Still, overall in 2021, “we did see a good recovery, with most of our restaurants operating at 2019 levels or a little bit below,” Yee said. “I think we saw a good amount of pent-up demand in 2021, especially in the latter part of the year; through the summer and into fall, we were really busy, traffic-wise. Probably in late December we noticed a little slowdown because of the resurfacing of Omicron and the changing variants. But overall, it was a very good year for our restaurant group in Hampshire County.”

 

Takeout Takes Off

Amit Kanoujia, general manager of the India House in Northampton, said the pandemic has taught everyone to be nimble and to roll with the punches. His recent renovation of the India House came as the result of winning a liquor-license lottery; when the Sierra Grille closed, that license became available. Kanoujia entered the lottery and, to his great surprise, won, calling it a blessing in many forms.

“Before the vaccines were widely available, we were only doing takeout, so that’s when we considered remodeling,” he said. “When we won the liquor license, we now had to install a bar, so we did a once-in-a-lifetime renovation of the restaurant.”

Kanoujia, like other restaurants, is also facing a shortage of help, noting that his ‘help wanted’ sign has been up since April. And because he has had to rely so much on takeout business, he said the costs for supplies used for takeout meals has skyrocketed. “The same containers I used to buy for $35 a case now cost $100, and that’s if I pick them up myself.”

Another problem is finding the right supplies. Kanoujia pointed out not all containers are equal, just like not all cuisines are equal.

“Our food is curry-based, so I need to use containers that will hold the heat and not scald the person handling it,” he said, adding that he’s grateful Northampton has backed off a proposed ban on plastic takeout supplies for now, because supply-chain issues often make plastic the only available choice.

He’s far from the only restaurateur who made a hard pivot into takeout over the past two years. At Fitzwilly’s, takeout service, never a major factor in the business, morphed into a significant part of the model, accounting for about 25% of sales at its peak, when indoor capacity was restricted. While those restrictions were still in play, other restaurants relied even more heavily on pick-up service — 75% or more, in some cases — because they don’t have the interior space or outdoor-dining opportunities that Fitzwilly’s has.

To move outdoors, as many Hampshire County establishments did, Gohr rented a large parking lot next door in 2020 and used it for tented outdoor dining, seating up to 70 patrons under the tent. The option proved so successful, he returned to it in 2021 — and wants to keep doing so, if possible.

“For the last two summers, state’s ABCC [Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission] made it much easier to get an extension of the premises necessary to make that happen, so I’m talking to the [city] License Commission and ABCC now to make sure we can do that,” he explained. “I’ve already talked to the fellow that owns the parking and have his blessing. Now it’s in the hands of the License Commission and ABCC.”

Gohr noted that restaurants that remained closed the longest during the peak of the pandemic may be finding it more difficult to secure and retain staff now. “We got up and running fairly quickly with takeout back in the spring 2020, and when it was outdoor dining only, we kept the tables under the tent pretty full and kept our staff busy. Folks who weren’t able to do that are probably having a little more difficult time now with staff.”

Across Main Street from Fitzwilly’s, a handful of restaurants teamed up last year, with the city’s blessing, on an initiative called Summer on Strong, closing off a section of Strong Avenue to traffic and setting up tables on the street. It was a huge success, packing the road each night.

Inside restaurants, patrons in Northampton, Amherst, South Hadley, and other communities have had to continue wearing masks under mandates that have never really loosened over the past two years, Graham said. But he noted that the college students who make up much of the region’s restaurant business are already used to wearing masks to live and study on campus, and other patrons have been gracious about understanding the need for them.

“We do provide masks for those who don’t have one; we’ll hand them out,” he said. “But we haven’t run into too many problems in that area.”

Yee agreed. “Customers have been really working with us and understanding for the most part. We haven’t had too many disgruntled customers over the mask situation — very few of them.”

 

Welcome Mat

During the holiday season, the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce and the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce promoted their local restaurants — and retailers and service businesses as well — with gift-card programs (and, in Amherst’s case, a gift-card-matching promotion).

After all, anything that helps the county’s restaurants bounce back from an Omicron-infused winter will be welcome.

“The last few weeks with the new variant certainly slowed us down considerably,” Gohr said. “But January and February, after the holidays, are always a quieter time for us, and for Northampton in general.”

After that? Well, he’s hoping to see another winter of pent-up demand manifest at his tables.

“We had a good ’21, I think. The Omicron variant is at the forefront of people’s minds, but once we get through that, barring another variant, the spring and into summer should be good.”

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Mergers and Acquisitions Continue to Dominate the Insurance Industry

By
Timm Marini
Insurance Special Coverage

Come Together

Timm Marini

Timm Marini says HUB has become more “laser-focused” in the way it grows.

If you think you’ve seen more headlines than usual lately about insurance agencies being bought and sold, you’re not mistaken. In fact, 2021 was the fifth straight record-setting year for M&A activity in the insurance world. The reasons range from federal fiscal trends to a desire to broaden an agency’s expertise; from pandemic fatigue to the aging of the Baby Boomers who built and grew many of these firms. The idea, area leaders say, is to grow strategically, with customer service and company culture at front of mind.

HUB International is no stranger to mergers and acquisitions in the insurance world; they have long been a key element of the company’s growth, nationally and globally.

“For us and some of the bigger acquirers, we’re getting more laser-focused in what we do,” said Timm Marini, president of HUB International New England. “It used to be you acquired to grow — and grow profitably. And then it became geographic expansion, where you wanted to find some agencies in places where you weren’t.

“In the last 18 to 24 months, it’s gotten more laser-like,” he went on. “When I say that, I mean looking for specialists or looking for specialty shops that may bring in different disciplines, like medical malpractice, life sciences, startup companies, or financial services. In the last two years, we’ve acquired 50 investment firms across the country, four or five of them in New England alone.”

Still, even at a firm with that kind of record, the sheer pace of M&A activity in recent years has been striking, Marini said. Last year, a record 798 insurance agencies were sold in the U.S. — breaking the previous records of 711 in 2020, 653 in 2019, 580 in 2018, and 557 in 2017.

“Part of that was the pending increase in taxes — people were nervous the tax rate was going to go up significantly, and that may have given some of them the impetus to sell,” he noted.

Phil Trem, president of Financial Advisory for Marsh Berry, a leading M&A advisory firm for the insurance industry, noted the same dynamic.

“The heightened activity can be traced back to a number of different factors. Firms who sold believed that they might be negatively impacted by a potential federal capital-gains tax increase and a shift in expectations by the insured community,” he wrote on the firm’s blog. “While tax legislation was not enacted in 2021, there are still looming concerns that it could happen at some point in 2022. Will it be retroactive? Anything is possible, but at this point concern about a significant tax increase has waned.”

But other factors have been in play as well, Marini said. “I also think there’s some COVID fatigue in the marketplace, folks dealing with all the extra issues we’ve all had to deal with. Plus, honestly, the multiples folks are paying for these companies are significant.”

John Dowd, president and CEO of the Dowd Agencies, agreed, calling the current landscape a “feeding frenzy” marked by “irrational exuberance” on the part of buyers. “We look at what’s a good fit, what’s a fair price. We’re not going to chase.”

Dowd, whose own firm has made some key additions recently (more on that later), sees a demographic shift in play as well.

“Baby Boomers, who built this modern-day economy and have been a powerful force in every industry across the country, have been retiring to the tune of 2 or 3 million a year. That obviously includes every segment of the economy, including insurance agencies,” he noted. “A lot of agency owners have reached the point of retirement, and if they don’t have an internal succession or perpetuation plan in place, they might look to sell to somebody. That’s what’s going on out there.”

John Dowd

John Dowd

“A lot of agency owners have reached the point of retirement, and if they don’t have an internal succession or perpetuation plan in place, they might look to sell to somebody.”

As for that feeding frenzy, Dowd and Marini both noted that agencies are being sold for multiples of the EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) valuation formula that would have been uncommon just a decade ago.

“Our business models haven’t changed, so why have these multiples suddenly gone so much higher?” Dowd wondered. “It’s causing people to maybe sell sooner than they had planned, thinking the multiples will go away sometime, and they don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to monetize their asset.”

 

Pathways to Growth

There are two ways of growing an insurance company, Dowd told BusinessWest. One is organic.

“That’s what we do every day, trying to attract more customers and certainly hold onto and retain those we already have,” he said. “Then there’s growth through acquisition. Our philosophy and strategy is to do both. Any business plan is going to focus on growth, profitability, and retention. When you put together your growth plan and have a healthy balance of organic growth and growth through acquisition at a pace you can accommodate and not stress your staff and your balance sheet, that’s what we consider a good, strong, healthy philosophy for growth.”

Marini said HUB has made targeted investments in niche-specific talent as a way to better serve customers, but has also not shied away from acquiring good-sized firms in the region — like the Insurance Center of New England in 2019, a move he called a strong “cultural mesh” at the time, similar to the one HUB found when it acquired his former firm, Field Eddy, five years earlier.

Over the past year or so, the Dowd Agencies acquired two local agencies, J. Raymond Lussier Insurance and Wilcox Insurance Agency, citing a similar cultural fit.

“When I talk about a good fit, it’s book of business, carrier representation, geographic location, and, most important, cultural fit,” Dowd said. “By that, I mean, are the current owners sharing the same philosophy that we have in terms of how they treat clients and how they treat staff? When there’s a good match in those two areas from a cultural standpoint, we can begin to move forward with analyzing the proposal that’s on the table.

“Not every prospective agency is a good fit for acquisition,” he went on. “We know the metrics we look for, and we have to check the boxes before we start to move forward. We can’t grow for the sake of growing; we have to do it incrementally and selectively. That’s our philosophy. We see people out there acquiring agencies all over the place; they’ve got their own philosophy, and we have ours.”

Elaborating, he called Lussier and Wilcox good examples of strong cultural fits. “We’ve known these owners for years. We know how important a priority their customers were. It was very important to these owners that their clients, who they worked very hard to build over the years, are going to be well cared for by the new owners, treated similarly and respected and serviced at the level they had become accustomed to.

Phil Trem

Phil Trem

“The build-versus-join decision is bringing a lot of firms to the deal table. This dynamic is not going away, and the market will likely continue to be very robust.”

“The proof is in the pudding,” Dowd added. “Lussier came on a year ago, and Wilcox was six months ago, and they have blended beautifully with our staff. We’ve had some get-togethers as a team where everyone gets to meet and know one another.

“That careful vetting is really important so there’s not any disruption to service to clients, that it’s seamless and smooth, and everyone is comfortable,” he went on, “because people get anxious when there’s change. It’s natural. To the extent we can, we want to address and dispel those concerns before, during, and after the transition. And it’s worked well.”

A larger agency with a broader range of specific expertise is important to customers these days, Marini said.

“Customers are demanding more service for the same dollar amount,” he noted. “And then, industry experts who know the nuances of different coverages can negotiate better premium deals with their carriers.”

It’s a win-win, in other words.

“One major driver of sellers coming to the table is evolving expectations of brokers’ clients, the buyers of insurance,” Trem wrote. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, insureds have created an expectation that their broker act as a consultant, not just someone who helps purchase insurance coverages. The end client is looking for someone who can help provide strategic guidance, risk management, and/or mitigation services.

“This creates a conundrum for insurance brokers who must keep investing in tools, resources, and talent in order to effectively compete,” he went on. “Independent brokers have to decide whether they want to use their cash flow to make these investments or partner with a firm that has already done it. The build-versus-join decision is bringing a lot of firms to the deal table. This dynamic is not going away, and the market will likely continue to be very robust.”

 

Bigger and Better

Building broader and deeper expertise in an insurance agency is one way to counter the bottom-line-focused direct writers, Marini said, especially on the personal-lines side, where they continue to grow market share in New England. And not just expertise, but relationships.

“We don’t want to be big just to be big; that thinking was 10 or 15 years ago. Now it’s getting big to be good, or just being good … and part of that model is having independent expertise, services, and claim advocacy like never before.”

He noted that HUB has won some national awards for its COVID-related communication about how the industry should react and deal with all the different challenges the pandemic has wrought. “We’ve had some competing brokers, large companies, bigger than us, grabbing those materials for their customers. We didn’t protect it; we shared it.”

Dowd agreed that M&A activity often focuses on what it brings to customers, from a broader carrier mix to specific expertise. While the mergers with Lussier and Wilcox focused more on the shared culture, he added, any benefit to customers is a factor when considering an acquisition.

Nationally, those mergers and acquisitions will continue to be a major story in the insurance world. After five straight years of setting new records for M&A activity, Trem doesn’t see a major slowdown in 2022.

“Buyers and investors are continuing to push their way into the marketplace,” he wrote. “If anything, the pandemic reminded the financial community what a great investment the insurance distribution space is and that demand is greater than ever before. It is a very favorable seller’s market because there is still more demand than there is quality supply.”

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Commercial Real-estate Market Sees Movement in Many Categories

By
Mitch Bolotin, left, and partner Kevin Morin
Commercial Real Estate Special Coverage

Activity Report

 

Mitch Bolotin, left, and partner Kevin Morin

Mitch Bolotin, left, and partner Kevin Morin stand near the entrance to 11 Interstate Dr. in West Springfield, which recently welcomed a new tenant, Millipore Sigma, which absorbed 27,000 square feet in the office building.

Looking back, area commercial real-estate brokers, managers, and developers said 2021 was a busy year with activity across all sectors and especially the retail side and the white-hot industrial segment of the market. On the office side, there was less movement and more question marks due to COVID-19 and uncertainty about when and under what circumstances workers will return to the office. The expectation for 2022 is for more of all of the above.

Area commercial real-estate brokers, developers, and property managers spoke with one voice when they told BusinessWest that there can be activity in their sector — and sometimes lots of activity — even when the economy is not hitting on all cylinders.

And this fact of life certainly helps explain why most brokers said 2021, year two of the pandemic, was one of the busiest years they’ve seen recently.

Indeed, there were some business closures and companies moving on from their leases, said those we spoke with, and other businesses downsizing for one of many reasons — all of which created movement in the market.

But there were many other forces contributing to this movement, and most of them were positive, said Mitch Bolotin, a principal and vice president of Springfield-based Colebrook Realty Services.

Listing them, he noted everything from low interest rates to the continued growth of the state’s cannabis industry, which has been absorbing industrial and retail space in communities across the region; from the improved health of the manufacturing sector, which has also contributed to the white-hot market for industrial spaces (more on that later), to the continued growth of delivery and warehousing operations, which has created ever more demand for those spaces. There’s has also been a noticeable increase in the amount of entrepreneurial activity in the region, inspired in part by COVID-19, which has created interest in retail space and some of the restaurants that have fallen victim to the pandemic.

“There is going to be some creative reuse of office space, and retail space, in this region.”

“This past year was one of our busiest years, and there was a lot of activity on all ends of the marketplace,” Bolotin said. “We’ve had deals in the retail world, the industrial market has been very active, the office market has been active, and there have been some development deals. We’ve seen it all across the board.”

Evan Plotkin, president of Springfield-based NAI Plotkin, agreed, noting that some of the movement on the retail side and office side has been as a result of COVID and its ill effects, but there has been positive movement as well, especially on the industrial and multi-family residential sides of the ledger, where the laws of supply and demand have forced prices higher as competition for available properties escalates.

There has even been some movement in the office market, said those we spoke with, but overall, this is the category still clouded by question marks. Large question marks.

Indeed, while all those we spoke with expressed the opinion (and we’ll paraphrase) that many workers now toiling remotely will eventually return to the office because employers realize there is more and better collaboration and more productivity when a team is in one place, there was also something approaching general consensus that things won’t be like they were before the pandemic.

And this means that some office space — just how much comprises one of those question marks — must be repurposed.

“There is going to be some creative reuse of office space, and retail space, in this region,” said Ken Vincunas, president of Agawam-based Development Associates. “I don’t know want it’s going to be or who is going to do it, but the malls and some office buildings are going to turn into something that no one foresaw, something they weren’t designed for.”

Paul Stelzer, president of Holyoke-based Appleton Corp., which currently manages more than 2 million square feet of property in the region, agreed.

Citing a movement to convert large amounts of office space to lab facilities in Boston, Cambridge, and Worcester to feed a biotech sector ravenously hungry for space, he said this might be one possible course for Western Mass. … if it can attract workers for that sector.

“We need to look at how we can maybe take two floors of a building that might never be leased again and convert to some type of bio, some type of medical, some type of related spaces,” he said, “because when you talk about quality of life, we have an incredible quality of life here in Western Mass., and I think there’s some desire for people not to be going up and down a 30-story elevator every day or taking the subway to work.”

For this issue, BusnessWest talked at length with area brokers and property managers about the current scene and what they project for the future, both short- and long-term.

 

Moving Story

As he talked about the commercial real-estate market and the year that was, Bolotin said there was considerable movement across the region — and in all sectors.

And he pointed to properties Colebrook handled in 2021 — and is still handling in many cases — as evidence. The portfolio includes:

• The leasing of 27,000 square feet at 11 Interstate Dr. in West Springfield to Millipore Sigma. The company, a life-sciences R&D firm and subsidiary of Merck, was in a small office in Wilbraham and expanded into the space;

• The sale of the industrial property at 2024 Westover Road in Chicopee, one of many such properties that saw considerable interest, went fast, and sold for a good price;

• The successful leasing of the property at 95 Elm St. in West Springfield, formerly home to United Bank. The large office complex is home to a broad mix of tenants, including Tandem Bagel;

• The sale of 100 Water St. in Holyoke, a large former mill complex, to GFI, one of the many cannabis companies that now call Holyoke home;

• The sale of 5 South Maple St. in Hadley, once a PeoplesBank branch, a sign of continued movement in the retail market;

• The sale of the former Troy Industries property on Capital Drive in West Springfield; and

• The sale of the 68,368-square-foot, fully leased warehouse space at 87-147 Avocado St. in Springfield to Woodrow Studios LLC, a deal that closed roughly a month ago. “That’s an example of an industrial investment property that had a strong amount of activity,” Bolotin said.

Collectively, these transactions speak to those many forces mentioned earlier — everything from the cannabis sector to tremendous growth of warehousing, distribution, and delivery businesses to growth within the manufacturing sector — that made 2021 one of the busiest years the company has seen recently.

“And 2022 is shaping up to be more of the same,” he told BusinessWest. “There’s a lot of demand, a lot of positive activity; we see the market being resilient, and, overall, there is a good deal of optimism.”

Plotkin agreed, citing his company’s portfolio of activity in 2021 as more evidence of what has been happening, even with some sectors struggling to fully recover from the pandemic and its many side effects.

Paul Stelzer

Paul Stelzer

“We need to look at how we can maybe take two floors of a building that might never be leased again and convert to some type of bio, some type of medical, some type of related spaces, because when you talk about quality of life, we have an incredible quality of life here in Western Mass., and I think there’s some desire for people not to be going up and down a 30-story elevator every day or taking the subway to work.”

On the industrial side, the company handled the sale of a large property in South Deerfield being leased by Yankee Candle, and Plotkin said it continues to receive calls from companies actively seeking warehouse or light manufacturing space with highway access in Springfield and surrounding towns.

On the retail side, it handled a number of transactions, from the former Hafey Funeral Home in Springfield to the former Manchester Hardware store in Easthampton to the Golf Acres recreational facility in Westfield. It is also negotiating the sale of a large shopping center in Pittsfield. There has been less activity on the office side, but the company did handle the sale of 480 Hampden St. in Holyoke to Girls Inc., among other deals, and has handled several leases and a few sales for companies reorganizing or downsizing space.

Overall, the two sectors seeing perhaps the most activity are retail and industrial, said those we spoke with, with cannabis impacting both in a positive way, although there are other factors as well.

Pat Goggins, president of Goggins Realty in Northampton, said the cannabis sector has certainly helped that city’s downtown, one that has seen several stores close due to the retirement of long-time owners, but also complications from COVID. But there have been other types of entrepreneurial activity, including some new restaurants and clothing stores.

Overall, he said it was certainly a much more “nervous time” in Northampton a year or so ago as vacancies started piling up in and around the downtown in a way that hadn’t been seen in decades, and there was uncertainty concerning when and under what circumstances those vacancies would be filled. Now, with many of those storefronts leased or under contract, including the Silverscape Designs property, there is far more stability.

“We’re making some nice progress in the level of activity that we’re seeing downtown, and it’s something that more closely mimics what we had been accustomed to,” he said, adding that, while there are still some vacant storefronts to be addressed, the overall tone is much more positive than it was a year or 18 months ago.

Plotkin agreed, noting that, overall, while retailers are seeing increasingly higher volumes of online sales, most of them still need a bricks-and-mortar presence, and this is contributing to ongoing movement in that segment of the market.

Ken Vincunas says the market for industrial properties is white hot

Ken Vincunas says the market for industrial properties is white hot, with immense competition for available properties pushing prices higher.

“They may shop for something online, but they want to go to the store to try it on,” he explained. “And that’s why I believe retail will remain strong.”

But it is the industrial market that is seeing the most activity, said Bolotin and others — and it would see considerably more if there was inventory.

At present, there isn’t much, said Vincunas, noting that what exists generally goes quickly and at high prices, which makes this category much like the residential real-estate market (see story on page 6).

“The industrial market has very little inventory, and for the few things that come up, there are a lot of takers, and the pricing has increased significantly, because people have products that people want, they’re making money, and they need that new building,” he said. “There’s been a lot of demand, things don’t stay on the market for long, and prices are way up.”

“There’s a lot of demand, a lot of positive activity; we see the market being resilient, and, overall, there is a good deal of optimism.”

As just one example, he cited the former home of Work Opportunity Center in Agawam, an 18,000-square-foot industrial space, which was under contract just a few weeks after it went on the market. Many other properties have moved in similarly quick fashion, and at prices — and here’s another parallel to the residential housing market — that have prompted buyers to also become sellers.

“We’re actually selling properties, which we hardly ever do, because the pricing is so high that you have to take some chips off the table and reposition the properties you want versus the ones that are in your past,” Vincunas said, noting that the company is in the process of selling a multi-tenant property in Chicopee.

“The price seemed right, and we thought it maybe it was time to change that in for something else,” he explained, adding that many property owners are thinking along similar lines to take advantage of the white-hot market.

 

Space Exploration

As noted earlier, it’s the region’s office market that has perhaps struggled the most, and it’s the one confronting an uncertain future.

Vincunas, whose company manages several office facilities, including the Greenfield Corporate Center, said the past 23 months have been a struggle on many levels, especially as companies find new ways to do business, with many employees working remotely.

Like others we spoke with, he believes employers will eventually bring workers back the office, for reasons involving productivity, communication, efficiency, and other factors, and when that day comes, the market will see a surge in activity.

Pat Goggins

Pat Goggins

“We’re making some nice progress in the level of activity that we’re seeing downtown, and it’s something that more closely mimics what we had been accustomed to.”

In the meantime, this will remain a tenants’ market, with many of the companies looking to downsize or just reduce their monthly rent expenditure finding landlords willing to make attractive deals, another trend that is expected to continue into 2022 and perhaps beyond.

As for the longer term, those we spoke with said that some (again, how much remains to be seen) of the traditional office space in the region will need to be repurposed, and it is incumbent upon those who own and manage it to start looking at viable options.

Stelzer noted that biomed is simply one of many possible alternatives.

“We have to do a really good job moving forward of cataloging what we have available, what we can pivot, what’s available for us, what the economic-development agencies can push,” he said, “because the days of the 200-person call center or 300-person call center are probably gone.

“So we have to turn around and figure out where people have to congregate, and lab space is one of them,” he went on. “There’s also an incredible demand for social services and mental-health space, which is partly driven by COVID and partly driven by the large amount of funding available for it; you may see some of these nonprofits that would typically be in a class B space or in space that doesn’t work as nicely for them taking the plunge and coming downtown or coming to a class A building; they can afford to do it, and demand for their workers is high.”

Stelzer said he’s already seeing such movement at one of the properties managed by Appleton, the Technology Park at Springfield Technical Community College. One of its major tenants, Liberty Mutual, has moved out of most of its space in the park (47,000 square feet) — part of a larger movement to have employees work remotely — and new tenants that have moved in include Mental Health Associates and Clinical & Support Options.

Since almost the very beginning of the pandemic, Plotkin has noted that, in this region, where the office market has traditionally had a comparatively high vacancy rate, the additional stress from COVID will force some property owners to think outside the box and find new uses for their square footage.

For the building he co-owns, 1350 Main St. in Springfield, and others, he has proposed housing or perhaps a hybrid concept, what he calls a “remote-work hub,” a facility in which people would live and work.

“There would be a living space, something like a dormitory, but done in an upscale way, with a lot of amenities,” he explained. “And then you have a work hub. The idea is to have a living space and then a floor where you can lease an office, so you’re not working at your kitchen table.”

Whether the remote-work hub is the answer remains to be seen, he went on, adding that, from his view, it’s clear that something — and something imaginative — needs to happen within the office market, especially in downtown Springfield.

“We have to look at the half-million square feet of vacant office space that we have and examine how we repurpose and reposition that,” he went on. “We also need to look at what kind of help we need from MassDevelopment and the state to incentivize business owners — people like me — to take a building like 1350 Main St. and convert half of it to co-living space.”

 

Bottom Line

Looking ahead to the rest of 2022, those we spoke with said that COVID makes it difficult to project exactly what will happen. Stelzer equated the landscape in the sector to “shifting sands,” and said that, until the ground stabilizes, more uncertainty will prevail.

Overall, the experts are predicting more of the same for the foreseeable future, meaning this will continue to be a tenants’ market in the office realm, and the laws of supply demand will create more movement in the industrial and retail segments of the market.

And it means more hard thinking — and some action — when it comes to deciding what can and will happen within the office market.

In other words, it’s shaping up to be another busy year.

 

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

Bulkley Richardson Promotes Liz Zuckerman to Partner

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Bulkley Richardson announced that Elizabeth “Liz” Zuckerman has been promoted to partner in the firm’s Litigation department.

Zuckerman joined the firm in 2014 as an associate in the Litigation department, where her practice focuses on general commercial litigation, First Amendment issues, and defamation. She has a proven history of successfully litigating complex cases in both state and federal courts.

“Liz is an incredible asset to the firm,” said Dan Finnegan, managing partner at Bulkley Richardson. “Her keen insight and unshakeable confidence has helped shape her into a formidable lawyer. Not only is she a skilled litigator, but she is compassionate, making her an effective advocate for her clients.”

Florence Bank Hires Jim Hickey as VP, Director of Marketing Operations

By
Daily News

FLORENCE — Florence Bank hired a Greenfield native with 25 years of strategic marketing experience with a focus in the banking sector to serve as vice president and director of Marketing Operations.

Jim Hickey stepped into the new role in mid-November after keeping his eye on Florence Bank for many years because he respects its creative marketing strategy, customer-focused approach to banking, and community engagement.

“I value what the bank stands for,” Hickey said. “Customer service drives everything we do here. That’s refreshing. Also, the level of community support the bank provides is impressive. It steps up and pitches in. I like associating myself with organizations that put people and the community first.”

He added that “Florence Bank is dedicated to the community. It creates relationships based on trust and not those based on meeting certain goals and selling certain products.”

Previously, Hickey was vice president of Account Service at Communicators Group, a marketing communications firm in Keene, N.H. He has also served as vice president and director of Marketing for Westbank, a financial institution formerly based in West Springfield.

He said his experience in financial-services marketing and communications will inform his work for Florence Bank. “I have managed the marketing and communications efforts for a number of clients in the banking industry. Those experiences have helped prepare me for this role.”

Hickey holds a bachelor’s degree in English from UMass Amherst. He has experience in areas that include account management, creative development, media-plan execution, and media buying.

He said Florence Bank has a well-established brand, and the challenge for him and the Marketing team moving forward will be paying homage to that brand and evolving it. “Our goal is to keep the brand fresh and take it to the next level.”

Kevin Day, president and CEO of Florence Bank, noted that “Jim is a creative, analytical thinker with a collaborative approach and a proven track record of managing projects from conception to implementation. We are excited to have him on the team.”

Dietz & Co. Architects Designated as Emerging Professional Friendly Firm

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Dietz & Co. Architects Inc. has been designated by AIA New England as a 2021 Emerging Professional (EP) Friendly Firm. This program recognizes architecture firms that promote the advancement of emerging professionals through professional development and personal-growth opportunities.

“Here at Dietz & Company, investing in the professional growth of our staff is the foundation of our firm culture,” Principal Jason Newman said. “We want our people to achieve their personal and professional goals, and we want them to feel supported and encouraged as they pursue them. This philosophy not only builds the confidence and the skills of our team, it helps us keep them as well.”

Dietz & Co. Architects architectural associates and emerging professionals shared their sentiments on working for an EP Friendly Firm as well.

“The experience of working for an EP Friendly Firm straight out of graduate studies has been pivotal in my early professional success,” Kaeli Howard said. “Being encouraged and supported as a valued member of my project teams helped me find my voice and set a sustainable foundation for the rest of my architectural career.”

Added Liam Bernier, “since I started with an internship here during my undergrad, and now as a full-time employee, the Dietz team has been critical to the growth of my career. I am still relatively green as a junior staff member, so I’m glad that our firm culture offers the senior staff a chance to share their knowledge, provides professional development opportunities, and encourages me to meet my own career goals.”

Dietz & Co. Architects has been awarded this designation each year since 2019.

Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. Announces New Hires

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. recently welcomed Danny Krasin, Olivia Calcasola, Anthony Romei, and Samantha Calvao to the firm.

Calcasola is an associate in the firm’s Taxation department. Prior to MBK, she worked for two years as a senior corporate tax associate for a Boston-based firm. She brings a strong sense of service to MBK, noting that, “in order to achieve great customer service, I believe it is most important to understand the clients’ needs and wants inside and out.” She received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in accounting from UMass Amherst.

Krasin joined the Accounting and Audit department at MBK. He started his career in private accounting and transitioned to public accounting in 2018. In his role as an associate, he will focus on a vast array of audit engagements, including not-for-profit, commercial, employee-benefit plans, and HUD. “My goal is to consistently exceed the customers’ expectations by listening to the customer’s problems so that I may go above and beyond to find the best way possible to efficiently solve their problems to ensure their happiness with our services,” he said. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from American International College and his master’s degree in accounting from Southern New Hampshire University.

Romei joined the firm’s Accounting and Audit department. He began his career on public accounting in 2019, and will primarly focus on not-for-profits and HUD engagements. When asked about customer service, he said, “I strive to provide quality work in the most efficient manner.” He received his bachelor’s and masters degrees in accounting from Elms College.

Calvao joined the firm as a paraprofessional. She received her associate degree in accounting from Holyoke Community College and is a candidate to receive her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern New Hampshire this summer. She was also recently awarded the PwC LLP Scholarship by the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Picture This

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Picture This

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

 

 

In Support of Excellence

Pictured, from left: Matt Bannister, senior vice president, Marketing and Corporate Responsibility at PeoplesBank; Kerry Pepin, vice president, portfolio manager at PeoplesBank; Steve Winn, BHN President and CEO; and Vicky Crouse, senior vice president, Commercial Lending, PeoplesBank.

Behavioral Health Network, Inc. recently received a $25,000 donation from PeoplesBank to benefit the Katherine B. Wilson Staff Excellence Fund, which supports the career and professional development of BHN’s workforce and assists in achieving social-justice objectives.

 

 

 

Top Student Investors

Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts (JAWM) recently held its annual Stock Market Competition at the Cedars Banquet Facility in Springfield. Taking home the top prize this year in the live event was the Raiders team from Hampshire Regional High School (pictured). JAWM later held a virtual competition for students who could not attend the live event, at which students from Putnam Vocational Technical High School took first and third place. Teams of middle- and high-school students at the event are ‘given’ $1 million to invest in more than 50 fictitious stocks, aiming to build the highest portfolio net worth.

 

 

Boosting Food Security

Pictured: Community Bank Branch Manager Gilbert Nieves (left) and Open Pantry Community Services Agency Director Terry Maxey.

Community Bank recently donated $6,500 to support Open Pantry Community Services, which aims to increase food security for families in the surrounding community through its Emergency Food Bank, Loaves and Fishes Community Kitchen, and Holiday Meals programs. It further supports those in need by providing Teen Parent and Open Door Social Services programs, as well as permanent housing for homeless single women recovering from substance abuse.

 

 

Court Dockets

By
Court Dockets

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

 

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

 

Ashley Piccirilli v. Randy Baker Excavating & Construction; Aharon Sharff, P.E.; Sharff Group Ltd.; and P-Tush 2 LLC

Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $75,000

Filed: 12/2/21

 

David J. Sheedy v. Vintage Inc. d/b/a Storrowton Tavern and Carriage House

Allegation: Negligence, slip and fall causing personal injury: $100,000

Filed: 12/2/21

 

Nadene Westbrook v. Corporation for Independent Living

Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury and property damage: $179,363.51

Filed: 12/6/21

 

Nanci Salvidio v. Emma’s LLC d/b/a Emma’s Everyday Gourmet

Allegation: Negligence, slip and fall causing personal injury: $10,691.16

Filed: 12/9/21

 

Nancy Burns v. J & F Management LLP

Allegation: Negligence, slip and fall causing personal injury: $50,000

Filed: 12/14/21

 

Gloria Holcomb v. Eastern States Exposition d/b/a the Big E

Allegation: Negligence, slip and fall causing personal injury: $170,504.41

Filed: 12/14/21

 

Benedicta Perez v. City of Springfield

Allegation: Motor-vehicle negligence causing personal injury: $4,431

Filed: 12/27/21

 

Timothy C. Kamyk, personal representative of the estate of Kenneth Kamyk v. Agway Farm & Home Supply LLC

Allegation: Negligence, wrongful death: $8,121

Filed: 12/27/21

 

Synergic Solutions Inc. v. Insigma Inc. and TATA Consultancy Services Ltd.

Allegation: Breach of contract: $47,480

Filed: 12/30/21

Agenda

By
Agenda

Local Farmer Awards Applications

Through Jan. 31: Farmers in Western Mass. are invited to apply for Local Farmer Awards of up to $2,500. These awards are for capital and infrastructure-improvement projects related to growing, harvesting, and processing that will help farms compete in the marketplace. The Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, in partnership with Big Y and with the support of other funders, is entering the eighth year of the awards program, which has helped more than 225 farmers carry out a total of 400 projects. Some examples of how the awards have been used include a commercial egg washer, irrigation systems, shade cloth for a greenhouse, high-tensile fencing for rotational grazing, a feed wagon, and a maple cream machine. To be eligible, farms must have gross sales of $10,000 or above and either be a member of Berkshire Grown or Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture or reside in one the four counties of Western Mass. The deadline for applying is Jan. 31. Interested applicants are encouraged to visit www.farmerawards.org for more information.

 

Free Legal Help Hotline

Jan. 20: The Hampden County Bar Assoc. will hold a Legal Help Hotline on Thursday, Jan. 20 from 3 to 6 p.m. Local, experienced attorneys will be available to provide legal advice on various topics, including divorce and family, bankruptcy, business, employment, landlord/tenant, and real estate. Individuals needing advice should call (413) 732-4648 to speak to a volunteer.

 

YPS, Ad Club Mix & Mingle

Jan. 20: The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield (YPS) and the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts will host an annual Mix & Mingle membership event to support young professionals and encourage them to become more involved and invested in their local communities. The Mix & Mingle membership event will take place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Paper City Bar & Grill, 241 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke. The Springfield YPS is an organization built to exchange ideas, share common interests, and cultivate its membership to serve as the Pioneer Valley’s leaders of tomorrow. YPS aims to engage the younger demographic in distinct areas such as business and career development, networking, cultural involvement, community involvement, educational opportunities, volunteerism, recreational and social activities, and more. The Ad Club of Western Massachusetts is the premier organization for all marketing and communications professionals in Western Mass. and Northern Connecticut. The club offers its members the ability to advance and enrich the advertising community by acting as a catalyst for idea exchange, professional development, and creative energy. Members can register for the event at www.eventbrite.com/e/mix-mingle-registration-219246591457.

 

Cannabis Training Programs

Jan. 22-23: The Cannabis Education Center (CEC) at Holyoke Community College announced its schedule of industry training programs for the spring 2022 semester. The CEC will offer four 12-hour, introductory Cannabis Core educational training courses, with the first set to run Saturday, Jan. 22, and Sunday, Jan. 23, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. each day over Zoom. The Cannabis Core program provides an overview of the cannabis industry in Massachusetts and is geared for people looking for general knowledge as they consider a cannabis career. During four three-hour sessions, students will interact with cannabis experts and guest speakers in reviews of the plant, various cannabis products, the endocannabinoid system, laws and prohibition, growing and plant care, labeling, packaging, testing, employment considerations, and more. The Cannabis Core program is a foundational course and a prerequisite for the following career track courses: patient services associate (classes start Feb. 5), cultivation assistant (Feb. 26), extraction technician (April 2), and culinary assistant (April 19). Additional Cannabis Core programs will run Feb. 19-20, March 19-20, and April 5-6. The cost of the Cannabis Core training is $599, but scholarships are available to those who qualify. To register, visit hcc.edu/cannabis-core.

 

LPV Board-development Program

Jan. 26: Leadership Pioneer Valley will offer programming starting in January focused on leadership and board development for regional nonprofits through its Leaders OnBoard program. On Wednesday, Jan. 26, Leaders OnBoard will kick off its year of board-development events with “Board Basics,” a free, two-hour training led by Eric Phelps from Rainmaker Consulting that covers topics like what it means to sit on a board, roles and responsibilities, and how to be effective as a board member. To register, e-mail Samantha Rudd at [email protected]. The next “Board Basics” will be offered in March. Leaders OnBoard will provide several training sessions and events focused on nonprofit board leadership and development throughout the Pioneer Valley this year, including workshops focused on fundraising, diversity, strategic planning, and board matching. Leaders OnBoard is an ideal way for nonprofits to enhance the knowledge base and skills of their board members, while also offering people who are looking for a way to get involved in their community some training and personal support so they feel confident serving a nonprofit they feel passionate about. A12-month membership is available for Leaders OnBoard, with a sliding fee scale based on the organization’s budget. Membership includes free tickets and unlimited participation in all program workshops and training sessions, including Peer2Peer Conversations and board-matching opportunities. For full benefits and fees, visit leadershippv.org.

 

Human Service Forum Events

Jan. 28, Feb. 3: The Human Service Forum (HSF), a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Massachusetts public-service leaders, announced two upcoming events to support local nonprofit professionals in building skills and relationships. On Friday, Jan. 28 from 8 to 10:30 a.m., HSF will host its annual Legislative Reception. With more than 20 local lawmakers confirmed to attend, this event is a chance for public-service leaders to connect and build awareness for the key issues and priorities in the community. The event will be held via Zoom. Visit www.humanserviceforum.org/event/2021-hsf-legislative-reception to register. Beginning Thursday, Feb. 3, HSF will offer “Supervisory Skills Certificate Series,” an eight-week online training program for public-service professionals who are new to supervising staff. The series, which will be offered virtually, will cover a wide range of supervisory competencies, from multicultural sensitivity to legal issues, cybersecurity, and more. The training is open to all HSF members as well as the general public. Visit www.humanserviceforum.org/event/winter-2022-virtual-supervisory-skills-certificate-series/2022-02-03 to register or learn more.

Company Notebook

By
Company Notebook

Legacy Counsellors, P.C., Gove Law Office Merge

EASTHAMPTON — Legacy Counsellors, P.C. and Gove Law Office announced the merger of their firms in order to expand the estate- and tax-planning and real-estate services they offer to clients. The Gove Law Office team will complete the transition to join the existing Legacy Counsellors, P.C. firm in January. This merger also creates the new division of Legacy Title & Escrow, to handle residential and commercial real-estate transactions. Legacy Counsellors, P.C., founded in 1994, focuses on helping clients protect and perpetuate their savings and assets. Its mission is to empower clients to preserve their legacy through services including trust, estate, and asset-protection planning, elder law and Medicaid planning, and probate administration. Gove Law Office has provided practical, solutions-oriented guidance to clients in the areas of residential and commercial real estate, estate planning, business representation, and family law since 2013. The expanded firm of Legacy Counsellors, P.C. and Legacy Title & Escrow includes four attorneys, along with paralegals and client-services coordinators. Attorney and Legacy founder Kevin Quinn will remain president, with attorney and Gove Law Office founder Michael Gove joining as vice president and partner. The merged firm has five office locations throughout Hampshire, Hampden, Worcester, and Hartford counties.

 

Original Car Detailing Open for Business in Agawam

AGAWAM — Original Car Detailing and its mobile auto-detailing operation recently pulled into shop space at 71 South Ramah Circle in Agawam. The move has allowed owner Nick Riccitelli and his team to expand their operation and provide more services this winter. Original Car Detailing (OCD) has an expanded menu that includes ceramic coatings, remote starters, heated seats, winter prep packages, and vehicle cleaning and sanitizing, along with its continued mobile detailing services. A shortage of new cars and trucks has put an emphasis on vehicle maintenance, as people are now keeping their cars longer than ever. Protecting and enhancing the appearance of customers’ vehicles, including commercial fleets and equipment, allows for a much longer service life, reducing overall costs to the owner substantially, Riccitelli noted. Original Car Detailing offers trade-in reconditioning packages to provide more leverage for its customers when selling or trading in their cars or trucks. The packages also minimize any additional condition fees when turning in leased vehicles.

 

Boston Bud Factory Questions Springfield’s Cannabis Process

SPRINGFIELD — Boston Bud Factory has filed a Freedom of Information request with the city of Springfield Procurement Department, specifically requesting documents related to phase 2 of adult-use applications and Cannabis RFP/Q No. 21-107. Boston Bud Factory submitted a proposal for a retail store in East Forest Park, along with all the required documentation related to RFP/Q No. 21-107. Boston Bud Factory would like to better understand the ranking process and the scoring system for each submission, as well as which proposal was improperly scored. Boston Bud Factory is a participant in the state’s social-equity program and was the first social-equity establishment to open in Western Mass. Boston Bud Factory co-owners Frank Dailey and Carlo Sarno live in Western Mass., and the business has no outside investors or startup financing. Dailey was born in Springfield, is an economic-empowerment applicant, and previously served on the East Forest Park Civic Assoc. board. He is also an active volunteer at several local charities, including the Springfield Rescue Mission. In addition, Boston Bud Factory has been very active educating the community and the city of Springfield, holding the first cannabis educational event in East Forest Park in 2017 and then going on to host four local and successful Pioneer Valley Cannabis Industry Summits.

 

Hazen Paper Captures International Holography Award

HOLYOKE — The International Hologram Manufacturers Assoc. (IHMA) honored Hazen Paper for the second year in a row for Best Applied Decorative/Packaging Product at the 2021 Excellence in Holography Awards. The awards, presented at the Holography Conference Online, recognize “outstanding achievement … in holographic products or techniques which represent the best in the industry for innovation and commercial potential.” Hazen captured the judge’s attention with the 2020 enshrinement yearbook produced for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. The award-winning yearbook employed holography to create a dynamic, three-dimensional image of the Hall of Fame’s iconic dome and spire and its panoramic interior, which was overprinted with a collage of the year’s inductees in action. The combination of two contrasting yet complementary techniques served to amplify the engaging power of holography, as well as to draw attention to the honorees in the foreground. The back cover featured eye-catching holographic treatment of Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun, the location of the enshrinement ceremony. Hazen produced the unique cover holography wholly within its vertically integrated facility. The custom hologram was originated in Hazen’s holographic laser lab, micro-embossed and transfer-metallized onto 12-point WestRock Tango C2S using Hazen’s environmentally friendly Envirofoil process. Envirofoil is manufactured with less than 1% of the aluminum of traditional foil laminate, reuses the film carrier multiple times, and is recyclable as paper. Agency GO of Hartford, Conn. designed the limited-edition yearbook cover, which was printed and individually numbered for authenticity on an HP Indigo 5500 digital press by Starburst Printing of Holliston.

 

Bousquet Mountain Opens First Floor of New Base Lodge

PITTSFIELD — Bousquet Mountain is opening the first floor of its new base lodge today, Jan. 7, for ski operations. Tickets, rentals, bootup and warmup areas, and restrooms will be available in the lodge from noon to 9 p.m. today. Food trucks will be available at the mountain until food and beverage service in the building launches. The 17,500-square-foot building features a multi-purpose area for comfortable breaks from the slopes, a quick-service dining option in addition to the full-service restaurant, a rental shop with full-service ski-tuning operation, and retail space. Multiple high-definition screens are featured throughout the lodge, enabling live streaming of on-mountain races along with viewing of high-profile sporting events. Heated walkways, firepits, and a large patio area provide numerous options for outdoor enjoyment of the base area in addition to the second-floor outdoor deck. Bousquet will launch Lift Bistropub, a full-service bar and restaurant, on the second floor of the lodge in early February. Open year-round, Lift Bistropub expects to provide service to both indoor and outdoor seating, with the second-floor deck providing panoramic views of the mountain. The lodge is part of a substantial investment in the nearly 100-year-old ski area by Mill Town, the owner of the mountain. Other new features this year include new terrain, added tubing lanes, upgraded lighting, and a full overhaul to the mountain’s snow-making system.

 

Thunderbirds, Peoples United Bank Continue Community Partnership

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Thunderbirds, AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, have carried on their mission of being pillars of the Springfield community, with continued support from People’s United Bank. Since the start of the 2021-22 regular season, the Thunderbirds have made more than 60 appearances in the community, in addition to charitable initiatives such as Hockey Fights Cancer, Toys for Tots toy drives, and Teddy Bear Toss donations. Many of these events have featured interaction in the community from the team mascot, Boomer. In the month of November, the Thunderbirds went lavender across their platforms to spotlight the NHL and AHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer initiative. Proceeds raised throughout the month went on to benefit a wide array of local cancer-based charities, including the Sister Caritas Cancer Center, CHD’s Cancer House of Hope, Baystate Children’s Hospital, and the Hockey Fights Cancer charity itself. Highlighting a busy month of December, the Thunderbirds collected more than 5,000 stuffed animals in the club’s annual Teddy Bear Toss on Dec. 11. In a showing of holiday spirit, Thunderbirds staff and Boomer delivered donations of those bears to a wide range of area charities, including the Springfield Boys & Girls Club, Ronald McDonald House, YMCA of Greater Springfield, CHD, Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services, and the Boys & Girls Club Family Center. Furthering the team’s heartfelt gestures, Thunderbirds captain Tommy Cross, together with teammates Michael Kim and Drew Callin, also provided a meaningful gesture at holiday time when the trio purchased a plethora of presents for three local families who were recently displaced from their homes. This marked the second time in his two Thunderbirds seasons that Cross has led such a mission. Boomer and the team were active in numerous other charitable affairs throughout the fall and early winter. The T-Birds partnered with local elementary schools for yet another successful kickoff to the team’s Stick to Reading program, with support from MassMutual. The initiative promotes literacy among elementary-school students in the Western Mass. community. Schools participate in a six-week reading program during the Thunderbirds’ regular season, with a reward of tickets to a game for students who complete their reading goals.

 

Greater Northampton Chamber Announces New Gift-card Kiosk

NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce has installed a new, state-of-the-art gift-card kiosk on the second floor of Thornes Marketplace in downtown Northampton. The kiosk allows shoppers to buy a Northampton Gift Card or check the balance on an existing card any time Thornes is open to the public. The Northampton Gift Card program, which has been celebrating its 15th anniversary all year long, enables card holders to redeem their cards at more than 70 participating restaurants, retailers, salons, and other services throughout the Great Northampton area. Since its inception, the program has infused almost $5 million into the local economy. The new self-service kiosk at Thornes is the latest investment and replaced the previous machine, which was at least 12 years old. Another big investment in the program earlier this year was Keiter Corporation’s $10,000 donation and the ‘Keiter Card’ promotion that allowed shoppers to buy a $50 gift card for just $25.

 

Jewish Family Service, Yad Chessed Partner to Help Jewish Households

SPRINGFIELD — Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts (JFS) is partnering with Yad Chessed to expand its offerings to Jewish individuals and families in Western Mass. struggling with financial insecurity. As a social-services agency rooted in the Jewish values of kindness (chessed) and charity (tzedakah), Yad Chessed is committed to helping those in need navigate a path toward financial stability while preserving their privacy and dignity. This partnership will bring new resources to the Western Mass. community, including emergency financial aid, monthly food cards, and ongoing support. In 2020, JFS was the recipient of a Jewish Poverty Challenge grant from the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, and has been working to build a sustainable response to Jewish poverty in Western Mass., including food insecurity, unemployment, childcare and health crises. With the goal of raising awareness and building partnerships, JFS is excited to be partnering with Yad Chessed. Individuals or families in need of assistance should contact Rosalind Torrey at [email protected] or (413) 737-2601.

 

People on the Move

By
People on the Move

Kevin J. O’Neil, chairman of the board of directors of Greenfield Cooperative Bank (GCB) and its Northampton Cooperative Bank division, announced the promotion of Anthony Worden to chief executive officer. Last year, Worden took over as president of GCB, following the planned retirement announcement of former President and CEO Michael Tucker. Worden’s promotion to CEO culminates a transitionary year and overall succession plan put in place by the board of the bank. Worden is a director, executive committee member, and former chair of the governance committee for the United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region; a former director of the Franklin County Community Development Corp.; and a former director of Berkshire Brewing Co. of South Deerfield. He received his bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst and his MBA is from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, and he is a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania.

•••••

Paul Lambert

Paul Lambert

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) board announced the hiring of Paul Lambert, former vice president of Enshrinement Services & Community Engagement at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as interim executive director of the SSO. Lambert succeeds interim Executive Director John Anz, who left the SSO to take a position at another organization. Lambert will start in the position immediately. Lambert’s professional experience includes nearly 20 years with the Basketball Hall of Fame, initially as vice president of Guest Experience and Programming, and more recently as vice president of Enshrinement Services & Community Engagement. Prior to the Hall of Fame, Lambert served as director of Event Production for the NBA, working on the development and execution of live programming, grassroots initiatives, and international events, including the NBA Jam Session program, numerous All-Star Games, successfully staged events in Canada and Mexico, and numerous initiatives and events throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia. Before working in the basketball industry, Lambert enjoyed a career in professional theater, including his roles as general manager of the Cape Playhouse in Dennis for seven years and as executive director of the Westport (Conn.) Country Playhouse. He also served as a production stage manager for many years. Lambert serves on a number of local boards and community organizations, including the National Conference for Community and Justice; former board chair of New England Public Media; the Loomis Communities; and the boards of the Cape Cod Center for the Arts, the South Hadley Cultural Council, Longmeadow UNICO, and the Springfield Rotary. He is a graduate of Boston College, cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in English and theater.

•••••

Greg LaCasse

Greg LaCasse

Whittlesey announced the promotion of Greg LaCasse, CPA to director, effective immediately. LaCasse joined the firm in 2017 and has more than 25 years of experience in public and private accounting, including Big 4 experience and four years in the private sector, serving as the chief financial officer for an international retail and consumer goods IT consulting firm. LaCasse is an active member of Whittlesey’s real-estate, construction, and manufacturing niche and specializes in providing tax and advisory services to both businesses and individuals with a focus working with clients in the professional-service, real-estate, retail, wholesale, construction, and manufacturing and distribution industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Central Connecticut State University and a master’s degree in taxation from the University of Hartford. He also pursues continuing professional education in taxation and business-advisory services. He is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants.

•••••

Alexander Cerbo

Alexander Cerbo

The Royal Law Firm recently welcomed attorney Alexander Cerbo to its team. Cerbo received his bachelor’s degree from Assumption College and his juris doctor from Western New England University School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in the state of Massachusetts. Prior to joining the Royal Law Firm, he worked at Rhode Island Legal Services (RILS), a nonprofit legal-aid organization dedicated to providing high-quality legal representation to low-income individuals. As their rent-relief specialist, he assisted more than 60 indigent tenants and their families secure more than a half-million dollars in federal funding to pay rental arrears as a result of financial hardship experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before his time at RILS, Cerbo served as a law clerk to Judge Robert Fields of the Western Massachusetts Division Housing Court. The Royal Law Firm is a boutique, corporation-side-only law firm operating throughout New England.

•••••

Following a rigorous national search, the New England Public Media (NEPM) board of directors selected Matt Abramovitz as the new president of NEPM, starting Feb. 1. Abramovitz joins NEPM from New York Public Radio, where he is currently serving as vice president of Programming for WQXR, one of the nation’s leading classical-music stations. During his tenure, he developed new digital content, diversified programming, and established innovative partnerships, including a collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera that produced the critically acclaimed podcast “Aria Code.” He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and received his master’s degree from Cornell University.

•••••

The Children’s Museum at Holyoke celebrated 40 years of growth and service earlier this year, and hopes to accelerate its success with the appointment of new Executive Director

Jenny Powers

Jenny Powers

. She succeeds Susan Kelley, who retired earlier this year. Powers’s background includes work in public school and museums, as well as a long history of volunteering with Girl Scouts in Holyoke. The Children’s Museum at Holyoke was founded in 1981 by the Junior League and was incorporated in 1984. It exists to ensure that any child who is interested can take advantage of the educational and cultural programming. Powers hopes to build on this legacy and to increase community partnerships and bring the museum outside of its four walls into the community.

Incorporations

By
Incorporations

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

AGAWAM

Jaybee Logistics Inc., 22 Regency Park Dr., Agawam, MA 01001. Johnnie Cruz, same address. Transportation services.

MS Transport Inc., 62 Center St., Agawam, MA 01001. Margarita Malyshevski, same address. Transport services.

BELCHERTOWN

The Aisling Center Inc., 6 Cheryl Circle, Belchertown, MA 01007. Susan Howe, same address. Support services for dog rescue professionals.

The Good News with Peter Hicks, 80 Shaw St., Belchertown, MA 01007. Peter James Hicks, same address. Christian radio ministry.

CHICOPEE

Melifra Inc., 28 Maple St., First Floor, Chicopee, MA 01020. Yosi Ifraimov, same. Online retailor for cosmetics.

Naz Renovations Inc., 63 Peter St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Nazar Levchyk, same address. Construction.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Treehouse – A First Step Learning Center Inc., 310 Maple St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Jennifer Michaelian, 28 Brookhaven Dr., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Childcare.

Tu Pham, Corp., 613 North Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Tu Pham, 294 Anthony Way, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Hair and nail salon.

LUDLOW

Shawn’s Painting, Co., 18 West Akard St., Ludlow, MA 01056. Shawn Cantwell, same address. Residential and commercial painting.

NORTHAMPTON

Rare Forms Inc., 285 North King St., Northampton, MA 01060. Gregory Bossie, same address. Construction and design services.

PITTSFIELD

Block Farm Power Computing Corp., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. James Trethaway, 10 Wheeler Lane, Westford, MA 01886. Computer related services.

Centerline Utilities Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Jori Briggs, 21 Bean Estates, Bangor, ME 04401. Locates buried/underground utilities.

SPRINGFIELD

J & R Mechanical Corp., 293 Clemente St., Apt. 2L, Springfield, MA 01040. Juan Rivera, same address. Mechanical service, car repair.

PJW Logistics Inc., 5 Bellwood Road, Springfield, MA 01119. Demond Williams, same address. Package delivery service.

Doing Business as Certificates

By
DBA Certificates

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

DEERFIELD

Kelly’s Farm Store
218 Greenfield Road
Kelly Hickey

River Bend Farm
44A South Main St.
Richard Wysk

LONGMEADOW

Goldrup Vocational Consulting
95 Field Road
Andrea Goldrup

Knot My Balloon
63 Churchill Dr.
Katerina McGowen, Scott McGowen

Longmeadow Dental Care
813 Williams St.
Reiff Eichenlaub

Susan Choquette
184 Edgewood Ave.
Susan Choquette

True Help Financial
165 Prynnwood Road
Lihua Zhao

NORTHAMPTON

Auto Plus
125 Carlon Dr.
Jonathan Lastowski

Cancer Connection Thrift Shop
375 South St.
Christine Quinn

Carrie Ferguson Music
68 Cherry St.
Carrie Ferguson

Champagne Conference & Consultation
418 Ryan Road
Tina Champagne

Computer First Aid
209 Main St.
Cian Dowling

Filos Green Taverna
279 Main St.
Konstantinos Sierros

Haven Body Arts
108 Main St.
Penelope Silverstein

Ken Hobbs Design Build
95 South St., Apt. 2R
Kenneth Hobbs

The Houle School
251 Pleasant St., Apt. 7A
Erika Houle

Sutter Meats LLC
65 King St.
Terence Ragasa

Toward Harmony Tai Chi & Qigong
16 Center St., Suite 527
Charles Ryan

SOUTHWICK

Hany’s Barber Shop
587 College Highway
Hany Fares

Jay’s Mobile Welding Office
97 Foster Road
Joseph Mendes

Red’s Café LLC
95 Berkshire Ave.
Jason Hartwig

Vesta Organics LLC
22 South Longyard Road
Robert Slate Jr.

SPRINGFIELD

ARA Junk Removal
35 Eldridge St.
Peter Albano

BB Gas
362 Liberty St.
Leroy Sterling

Balise Ready Credit
693 East Columbis Ave.
Balise HY Inc.

Bearly Bothered Boards
18 Homestead Ave.
Cameron Gauthier

DSP Audio
20 Leonard St.
Alejandro Sanchez

Delores Dotson
120 Sunrise Ter.
Delores Dotson

Deon L. Smith Mobile Mass
191 Chestnut St.
Deon Smith

El Che Auto Repair
720 Berkshire Ave.
Jose Cedeno

Elsthetics
133 Maple St.
Elena Figueroa

Gemazing413
60 Westbanks Court
Eric Klimkowicz

Get Bats Out
759 Chestnut St.
UBC I Inc.

Get Pressed by Elise
72 Prospect St.
Elise Gonzalez

Gladys Cleaning Services
56 Kensington Ave.
Gladys Orozco Lopez

Glam & Glow Studio
460 Main St.
Shannon Yelinek

Kababji Grill
253B Pasco Road
Ibrahim Babetti

Kenneth the Barber
9 Robert Dyer Circle
Kenneth Jose

Kumar & Andy Inc.
145 Boston Road
Ravinder Arora

KaeHaus Creator
7 Peekskill Ave.
Kailyn Giroux

Lunenburg Store Inc.
349 Allen St.
Sawkat Wally

Medeiros Remodeling & Building
25 Gardens Dr.
Clifton Medeiros

Macho Taco at South End Market
One MGM Way
Blue Tarp Redevelopment LLC

Market Liquors
459 Main St.
Chandresh Patel

North End Mini Market Inc.
2469 Main St.
Xiomara Marrero

Ron Desellier Electric
97 Goodwin St.
Ronald Desellier

Ronda Trucking
138 Sanderson St.
Freddie Ronda

Safe Harbor
47 Braywood Circle
Cynthia Brown-Clemons

Sammy’s Tires
32 Lincoln St.
Elisamuel Figueroa

Trinity Health Of New England
271 Carew St.
Trinity Health Of New England

V’s Slipcovers & Bows
170 Cambria St.
Patricia Vallecillo

WESTFIELD

DM Wood Ceramic
11 Skipper Lane
Dmytro Monko

Mount Everest Expedite
44 East Silver St.
Bijoy Rai

Roy Memorial Lettering
63 Knollwood Dr.
Robert Roy

Vozik
22 Dickens Dr.
Eric Shilyuk

Willey Landscaping LLC
260 Prospect St. Ext.
Dylan Willey

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Crepes Tea House
261 Union St.
Arturas Ribinskas

Donut Dip Inc.
1305 Riverdale St.
Paul Shields

Five Star Games West Springfield
233 Memorial Ave.
Michael Farnham

Healthtrax Fitness and Wellness
155 Ashley Ave.
Marina Lebo

Janna Grill & Social Club LLC
751 Union St.
Andrei Modirca

Joe’s Landscaping
19 Wayside Ave.
Joseph Schmidt

Pavel Pavement Maintenance
70 Windsor St.
Michael Crean

Pride
757 Riverdale St.
Marsha Medina

Pride
1247 Riverdale St.
Marsha Medina

Bankruptcies

By
Bankruptcies

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

Amidou, Moumouni Noma
6 The Hamlet, Apt. F
Enfield, CT 06082
Chapter: 13
Date: 12/07/2021

Bernier, David H.
178 Glendale Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 13
Date: 12/15/2021

Chesapeake Boutique Bags
Mayewski, John D.
Bard, Virginia L.
111 Daniel Shays Highway
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/07/21

Cwiok, Michael J.
1115 Overlook Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/13/21

Haberern, John E.
221 Pinehurst Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 13
Date: 12/03/2021

K Painting
TEK Paint
Davis, Kevin S.
11 Summit Ave.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 13
Date: 12/06/2021

Lander, William J.
Lander, Jennifer
747 Pecks Road
PO Box 848
Pittsfield, MA 01202
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/14/2021

Marcinczyk, David Peter
P.O. Box 4
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 13
Date: 12/14/2021

Perry, Kati
74 Holmes Road
Lenox, MA 01240
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/06/2021

Prince, Kyleigh Lauren Margaret
a/k/a Letourneau, Kyleigh Lauren Margaret
682 Western Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/10/2021

Przybyla, James J.
14 Lorraine St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/14/2021

Rivera, Rosa Lee
416 Orange St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/14/2021

Real Estate Transactions

By
Real Estate

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

FRANKLIN COUNTY

BERNARDSTON

525 Bald Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $1,100,000
Buyer: Michael P. Cohrs
Seller: Scott M. Digeorge
Date: 12/20/21

19 South St.
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Alexander F. Fiorey
Seller: Paul C. Skiathitis
Date: 12/22/21

BUCKLAND

25 Birch Road
Buckland, MA 01370
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Joseph Moynihan
Seller: Raymond E. Scott
Date: 11/29/21

30 Franklin St.
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $271,600
Buyer: Melissa Plesnar
Seller: William Leitner
Date: 12/03/21

8 Goodnow Road
Buckland, MA 01370
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Honor Mosher
Seller: Mosher, Constance Z. B., (Estate)
Date: 12/20/21

COLRAIN

121 Call Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Sarah Davenport
Seller: Brothers, Sr. Duane E., (Estate)
Date: 12/20/21

205 Greenfield Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Richard R. Hebert
Seller: C. Leigh Morrell
Date: 11/30/21

16 High St.
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Yolanda Romero
Seller: Preecha Srisupa
Date: 12/22/21

2701 Shelburne Falls Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: John Berard
Seller: Bear River Investments LLC
Date: 11/30/21

3 York Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Cory M. Dale
Seller: Lori Regienus
Date: 12/03/21

DEERFIELD

Conway Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $636,500
Buyer: Matthew Ramon
Seller: Joann M. Denehy
Date: 11/30/21

19 Graves St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Michael C. Pascoe
Seller: John W. Kinchla
Date: 11/30/21

Greenfield Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $636,500
Buyer: Matthew Ramon
Seller: Joann M. Denehy
Date: 11/30/21

250 Greenfield Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Dale & Jay Whitney LLC
Seller: Doris A. Bilodeau TR
Date: 12/21/21

252 Lower Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Sara A. Simmons
Seller: Jocelin Cesar
Date: 12/17/21

Mill Village Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $636,500
Buyer: Matthew Ramon
Seller: Joann M. Denehy
Date: 11/30/21

176 North Main St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $636,500
Buyer: Matthew Ramon
Seller: Joann M. Denehy
Date: 11/30/21

123 River Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $720,000
Buyer: Dawn Tenney
Seller: Lois S. Gates
Date: 12/01/21

Route 10
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Dale & Jay Whitney LLC
Seller: Doris A. Bilodeau TR
Date: 12/21/21

Route 5
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Dale & Jay Whitney LLC
Seller: Doris A. Bilodeau TR
Date: 12/21/21

19 West St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Charles E. Stacy
Seller: David Prystasz
Date: 11/30/21

ERVING

3 Central St.
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $282,900
Buyer: Alma J. Escott
Seller: Franklin Technical School
Date: 12/03/21

GILL

20 Walnut St.
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Andrew Paige
Seller: Harris IRT
Date: 12/17/21

GREENFIELD

345 Chapman St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $257,500
Buyer: Justin R. Ducharme
Seller: Brunette, Steven P., (Estate)
Date: 12/20/21

638 Colrain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $580,000
Buyer: Old Gorge NT
Seller: Starkey, Richard E., (Estate)
Date: 12/17/21

309 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Chankroeusna Kry
Seller: Peter Lapa
Date: 12/22/21

176 Federal St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: ZN Realty LLC
Seller: Alexander F. Fiorey
Date: 12/17/21

16 Oak Hill Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Louis Vinci
Seller: Arthur R. Sumner
Date: 12/03/21

39 Phillips St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Jason R. Penfield
Seller: Robert G. Penfield
Date: 12/17/21

36 Sunset Square
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $495,000
Buyer: John P. Doleva
Seller: Matthew D. Parody
Date: 12/01/21

51 Vernon St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Kelley Ives
Seller: Eagle Home Buyers LLC
Date: 12/20/21

53 Washburn Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Gwen Gannon
Seller: Monkeith E. Arnold
Date: 12/21/21

33 Washington St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Bonnie J. Tuthill
Seller: Grink TR
Date: 11/30/21

55 White Birch Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Jessica A. Barnes
Seller: Darlene A. Holland
Date: 12/17/21

HAWLEY

10 Forge Hill Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Amount: $690,000
Buyer: Adam L. Littman
Seller: Craig Shrimpton
Date: 11/30/21

12 Forge Hill Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Amount: $690,000
Buyer: Adam L. Littman
Seller: Craig Shrimpton
Date: 11/30/21

HEATH

11 Bellor Road
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: 11 Bellor LLC
Seller: Gallup INT
Date: 12/20/21

8 West Main St.
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Donald Lebreux
Seller: Lisa C. Burke
Date: 11/30/21

LEYDEN

240 Eden Trail
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Carol Michelfelder
Seller: Pedro J. Borgos
Date: 12/21/21

MONTAGUE

5 Bulkley St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Sandi H. Graves
Seller: Mary K. Dillon RET
Date: 11/30/21

128 East Chestnut Hill Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Richard Drohen
Seller: Deborah A. Rose
Date: 12/21/21

18 Highland St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $311,000
Buyer: Emily Tareila
Seller: Jonathan M. Kopera
Date: 12/17/21

46 Vladish Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Jeffrey E. Burt
Seller: Burt Family Trust
Date: 12/23/21

NEW SALEM

185 Moosehorn Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $202,500
Buyer: Todd Blake
Seller: Anna J. Bergmann
Date: 12/01/21

182 Neilson Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Nicholas J. Curry
Seller: Anderson, Pauline, (Estate)
Date: 11/29/21

30 New Main St.
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: Kathleen J. Lawless
Seller: Susan G. Arnold
Date: 12/21/21

NORTHFIELD

52 Ashuelot Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Jared J. Erho
Seller: Susan H. Garland TR
Date: 12/22/21

753 Mount Hermon Station Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Jonathan M. Kopera
Seller: Ivan Doncev
Date: 12/20/21

23 Saint Marys St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $281,000
Buyer: Elaine Toomey
Seller: McCollester INT
Date: 12/03/21

ORANGE

4 Meadow Lane
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $278,000
Buyer: Francisc Santiago-Rivera
Seller: Glenn A. Skorb
Date: 12/17/21

162 Memory Lane
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Dana Soroka
Seller: Pamela J. Bellar
Date: 12/17/21

70 Prentiss St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Prentiss Street Real Estate LLC
Seller: Brian R. Newton
Date: 12/03/21

91 West River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Patricia M. Lee
Seller: Katherine A. Stemm
Date: 12/22/21

SHELBURNE

208 Smead Hill Road
Shelburne, MA 01340
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Jeremy L. Johnson
Seller: Robert C. Fish
Date: 12/22/21

SHUTESBURY

409 West Pelham Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Jeffrey C. Bird
Seller: Bradford Spry
Date: 12/17/21

SUNDERLAND

70 South Main St.
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Gregory C. Pipczynski
Seller: Thomas F. Devine
Date: 11/30/21

WENDELL

493 New Salem Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Douglas Simon
Seller: Sullo, Sandra L., (Estate)
Date: 11/30/21

WHATELY

79 State Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Glen Skorb
Seller: Andrew F. Gianino
Date: 12/20/21

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

85 Chestnut Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $304,500
Buyer: Adam Gravel
Seller: Andrew S. Mayo
Date: 11/30/21

95 Corey St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Fisnik Halili
Seller: Hitas, Peter Andrew, (Estate)
Date: 12/22/21

102 Cricket Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $515,000
Buyer: Lee A. Papadimitriou
Seller: Gary Szczebak
Date: 12/03/21

64 Day St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Robert E. Wojcik
Seller: Jeremy D. Kislus
Date: 11/29/21

24 Deering St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $287,500
Buyer: Christine B. Turrini
Seller: David S. Gold
Date: 11/30/21

35-37 Hope Farms Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Carmino J. Mineo
Seller: Denis H. Surprenant
Date: 12/01/21

117 Maple St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Karla M. Dejesus
Seller: Joseph T. Martin
Date: 12/03/21

196 Meadow St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: Uduak Enyiema
Seller: Carmino J. Mineo
Date: 11/30/21

1149-1151 North Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Kevin D. Ghareeb
Seller: Dino R. Mercadante
Date: 11/30/21

204-206 North St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Vadim Plotnikov
Seller: Jessica Mongeau
Date: 11/29/21

61 Parker St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $267,500
Buyer: Benjamin E. Nuzzolilli
Seller: Andrew Lopez
Date: 12/23/21

80 Ridgeway Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Ihsan Salman
Seller: McIntyre, Florence A., (Estate)
Date: 11/30/21

375 River Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $218,500
Buyer: Donna M. Tauro
Seller: Felicia Germain
Date: 11/30/21

321 Rowley St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Janice A. Matias
Seller: Marco Scibelli
Date: 11/29/21

23 Samuel St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Kristina M. Healey
Seller: Charles A. Calabrese
Date: 12/03/21

450 Silver St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Scott Swenson
Seller: Carl A. Zingarelli
Date: 11/30/21

611 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Thomas A. Montagna
Seller: Deborah Auld
Date: 12/20/21

616 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $315,900
Buyer: Timothy A. Bates
Seller: Alyssa L. Febo
Date: 12/20/21

750 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Josues DeLeon
Seller: Manchester Enterprises LLC
Date: 11/29/21

23 Walter Way
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Robert A. Oldberg
Seller: Ruslan Kuzmenko
Date: 12/17/21

BLANDFORD

76 Main St.
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Kyle Bean
Seller: Leah A. Priest
Date: 12/02/21

1-R Old Chester Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Olamide Oladosu
Seller: Deborah A. Dion
Date: 12/03/21

BRIMFIELD

9 Crestwood Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Paul Dibaro
Seller: Squires, Richard L. Jr., (Estate)
Date: 12/20/21

85 Dunhamtown Palmer Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Judith H. Jaeger
Seller: Charles E. Hornbuckle
Date: 11/30/21

28 East Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $667,000
Buyer: Jennifer E. Mormile
Seller: Nicole Escolas
Date: 12/17/21

80 Lyman Barnes Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Daniel McCabe
Seller: Mark E. Kifer
Date: 12/22/21

116 Paige Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $862,000
Buyer: Weisheng Xu
Seller: Howlett, Oliver L., (Estate)
Date: 12/20/21

146 Wales Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Joshua A. Patraw
Seller: Everett C. Rubel
Date: 12/20/21

CHESTER

146 Bromley Road
Chester, MA 01050
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Aaliyah DeJesus
Seller: Eugene L. Turner
Date: 12/23/21

CHICOPEE

89 9th Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Center For Human Development Inc.
Seller: Elaine A. Delisle
Date: 11/30/21

9th Ave. #654
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Center For Human Development Inc.
Seller: Elaine A. Delisle
Date: 11/30/21

17 Adams St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Esha Farm LLC
Seller: Deslauries, David, (Estate)
Date: 12/23/21

27 Adams St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Esha Farm LLC
Seller: Deslauries, David, (Estate)
Date: 12/23/21

21 Alvord Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: 21 Alvord Ave. LLC
Seller: Kirby A. Ward
Date: 12/03/21

57 Baltic Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $295,500
Buyer: Luis A. Reyes
Seller: Bruce R. Brun
Date: 12/17/21

8 Bennett St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Nancy E. Gosselin
Seller: Andrea Theriault
Date: 12/03/21

126 Bostwick Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Tracey C. Ward
Seller: Denis Andre
Date: 12/02/21

24 Cadieux Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Nanette E. Figueroa
Seller: Lena J. Lamagdeleine
Date: 12/03/21

92 Carew St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $221,000
Buyer: Matthew L. Flood
Seller: Michael S. Miner
Date: 12/02/21

247 Carew St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Michael N. Penna
Seller: Paul T. Gebbie
Date: 12/02/21

449 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Yailene Otero
Seller: Robert W. Yates
Date: 12/17/21

818 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Esha Farm LLC
Seller: Deslauries, David, (Estate)
Date: 12/23/21

939 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $1,200,000
Buyer: KOR Realty LLC
Seller: Standex International Corp.
Date: 12/17/21

132 Clairmont Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Stephanie D. Lepsch
Seller: Dan G. Wilder
Date: 12/23/21

711 East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $10,471,450
Buyer: Agilent Technologies Inc.
Seller: Oxford Investment LLC
Date: 12/21/21

391 Front St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Victor J. Garriga
Seller: Phoenix Development Inc.
Date: 11/30/21

292 Frontenac St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $322,000
Buyer: Tasha Rivera
Seller: Miguel Rodriguez-Cortes
Date: 12/22/21

110 Hampden St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Amyleeann Muniz
Seller: Wendy S. Markham
Date: 12/17/21

281 James St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Vantage Home Buyers LLC
Seller: Revampit LLC
Date: 12/02/21

97 Lombard St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Kaali Huang LLC
Seller: Hartling, Evelyn L., (Estate)
Date: 12/20/21

307 Mandalay Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Felix Andino
Seller: Kristen M. Gauthier
Date: 12/17/21

28 Marble Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $226,101
Buyer: Tyler Vaccaro
Seller: John F. Barry
Date: 12/21/21

70 Medford St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Nana K. Agyemang-Duah
Seller: Linda L. Parlee-Chowns
Date: 12/17/21

1692 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: MD&PB Properties LLC
Seller: 896-900 Prospect St. Inc.
Date: 12/20/21

704 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: AG Brothers LLC
Seller: Kyprea LLC
Date: 12/23/21

46 Mount Vernon Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Natanael Crespo
Seller: Ganna Boyko
Date: 12/20/21

88 Narragansett Blvd.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Arben Keka
Seller: Erik T. Pereira
Date: 12/20/21

196 Pendleton Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $216,000
Buyer: Jeremy A. Torres
Seller: Kevin A. Jemiolo
Date: 12/03/21

80 Providence St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Vianiee Gonzalez
Seller: Cy Group LLC
Date: 12/02/21

584 Sheridan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Franky Soto
Seller: DGL Properties LLC
Date: 11/30/21

85 Southwick St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Luise M. Nieves
Seller: Thomas E. Dart
Date: 12/20/21

47 Taylor St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Jose M. Casimiro
Seller: Melissa Grasakis
Date: 12/01/21

40 Warregan St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: William Gonzalez-Crespo
Seller: Jacqueline Rivera
Date: 12/17/21

25 Western Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Joel E. Duron-Coca
Seller: Richard B. Elmer
Date: 12/17/21

1628 Westover Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $308,000
Buyer: Maria I. Rosario-Torres
Seller: Michele T. Oparowski
Date: 12/17/21

2024 Westover Road
Chicopee, MA 01022
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Steel City Sisters Group
Seller: Lee Regional Visiting
Date: 12/03/21

EAST LONGMEADOW

Bella Vista Dr. #14
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $204,900
Buyer: Adnan Dahdul
Seller: John J. Papale
Date: 12/20/21

27 Bunker Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01108
Amount: $421,000
Buyer: Octavio Seijas
Seller: David S. Preste
Date: 12/01/21

11 Edmund St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $316,000
Buyer: Margaret G. Finnegan
Seller: Robert A. Black
Date: 11/29/21

25 Granby St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $237,500
Buyer: 25 Granby Street LLC
Seller: John Occhialini
Date: 12/21/21

37 High St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: Bryce A. Peritz
Seller: Thomas J. Stewart
Date: 12/23/21

12 Holly Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Dennis A. Zambrano
Seller: Alan Notre
Date: 12/23/21

245 Maple St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $269,000
Buyer: Joaquim Costa
Seller: Michael J. Cook
Date: 11/30/21

14 Peachtree Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Charles W. Suglia
Seller: Paul D. Traina
Date: 12/03/21

48 Pine Grove Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $765,000
Buyer: Victoria K. Pepper
Seller: Karen M. Phelan
Date: 12/02/21

216 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Angel L. Vega-Maldonado
Seller: Steven M. Suse
Date: 12/03/21

48 Tufts St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01108
Amount: $470,000
Buyer: Lauren J. Heaton
Seller: Darlene M. Demorad
Date: 11/30/21

62 Tufts St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01108
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Nana Anowuo
Seller: FNMA
Date: 12/17/21

GRANVILLE

128 Crest Lane
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Benjamin J. Reddall
Seller: Shaun Troy
Date: 12/17/21

1542 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Morgan K. Ireland
Seller: Deborah A. Dallaire
Date: 12/22/21

19 Old Westfield Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Timothy E. Fedora
Seller: Juan Ochoa
Date: 12/23/21

290 Water St.
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Autumn Allen
Seller: Terry A. Dillon
Date: 12/03/21

HAMPDEN

51 Genevieve Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Tia Lafromboise
Seller: Brittany A. Moreland
Date: 12/03/21

180 Glendale Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Wayne E. Phaneuf
Seller: Prior, Jacqueline J., (Estate)
Date: 12/23/21

357 North Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $635,000
Buyer: Jason P. Dionne
Seller: Kenneth J. Berthiaume
Date: 11/29/21

HOLLAND

21 Craig Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: John D. Sciacca
Seller: Preston J. Gilpatrick
Date: 11/30/21

23 Craig Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $671,000
Buyer: Anthony A. Marini
Seller: Mark S. Yaglowski
Date: 12/03/21

34 Craig Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Mary C. Scannell
Seller: Michael J. Woznicki
Date: 11/30/21

56 Kimball Hill Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $296,900
Buyer: Sara Meier
Seller: Scribner Management LLC
Date: 11/30/21

HOLYOKE

4 Anderson Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Sierra Vaughan-Gabor
Seller: Angela T. Sweeney
Date: 12/02/21

77 Brookline Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Lucila Bruno
Seller: Martinelli Martini & Gallag
Date: 12/21/21

139 Hillside Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Hattie L. Adastra
Seller: Meghann A. Jurkowski
Date: 12/23/21

102 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Nathan B. Lapointe
Seller: Eric M. Rogers
Date: 11/30/21

366 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Francisco Rivera
Seller: Ethel M. Kennedy
Date: 12/17/21

34 King St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Tyler C. Nelson
Seller: Linda L. Audet
Date: 12/20/21

2133 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $259,900
Buyer: Jordan Dill
Seller: Adam J. Braunschweig
Date: 12/03/21

1 Park Slope
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: Danielle Schmidt
Seller: L. Mara Dodge
Date: 11/30/21

63 Pine St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Nathaniel James
Seller: Lisette Velez
Date: 12/17/21

13 Roland St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: Daniel R. Poulin
Seller: Michael J. Fitzgerald
Date: 12/02/21

20 School St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Nelson Figueroa
Seller: Lisa Rosario
Date: 11/30/21

95 Wedgewood Ter.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $214,000
Buyer: Katrina Turner
Seller: Jorge R. Diaz-Figueroa
Date: 11/29/21

108-110 West St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Dorline Diaz-Garay
Seller: 4 Harps LLC
Date: 12/22/21

LONGMEADOW

32 Arcadia St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $347,800
Buyer: Robert Mimaki
Seller: Nancy E. Croteau
Date: 12/17/21

Arcadia St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Vicki L. Shotland
Seller: Orr, Sara J., (Estate)
Date: 12/17/21

242 Burbank Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Marta Flavin
Seller: Brett D. Pendragon
Date: 12/01/21

56 Cambridge Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Custom Home Development Group LLC
Seller: Leon W. Bailey
Date: 11/30/21

153 Edgewood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $287,500
Buyer: Joseph P. Kocot
Seller: Lauren J. Heaton
Date: 11/30/21

42 Elm Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Grace V. Helmich
Seller: Benjamin J. Barker
Date: 12/21/21

142 Elmwood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $223,500
Buyer: Edward F. Cassell
Seller: Swinski, Kenneth S., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/21

101 Ely Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $700,000
Buyer: Evan Dalton
Seller: Mingqi He
Date: 12/20/21

182 Englewood Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Larry R. Cloutier
Seller: Nissenbaum, Steven A., (Estate)
Date: 12/23/21

11 Forest Glen Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Rabih E. Yafawi
Seller: Baiqing Li
Date: 12/03/21

126 Greenacre Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jane Barrett
Seller: Tower, Anne M., (Estate)
Date: 12/03/21

162 Greenmeadow Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Jennifer M. Hirst
Seller: Hsiang-Ching Kung
Date: 12/20/21

267 Kenmore Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Brandon Harris
Seller: Robert L. Suttmiller
Date: 12/17/21

217 Laurel St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Randolph S. Yanoshak
Seller: Lauren Rollins
Date: 12/01/21

21 Lincoln Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $361,000
Buyer: Tai T. Huynh
Seller: Rajendrasinh S. Mahida
Date: 12/17/21

857 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $755,000
Buyer: Benjamin Kraus
Seller: Robert A. Walsh
Date: 12/20/21

168 Maple Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Alan Notre
Seller: Samantha M. Dubner
Date: 12/23/21

737 Maple Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: VK Heritage LLC
Seller: Sandra L. Olko
Date: 12/17/21

111 Nevins Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Saosokrith Pech
Seller: Brianna J. Butcher
Date: 12/21/21

184 Nevins Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: SA Holding 2 LLC
Seller: David Ronaldson
Date: 12/22/21

216 Overbrook Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $1,137,500
Buyer: Daniel M. Flynn
Seller: R. Scott Smith
Date: 12/17/21

103 Quinnehtuk Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $602,500
Buyer: Syed M. Owais
Seller: James A. Fehily
Date: 11/30/21

89 Silver Birch Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $560,000
Buyer: O. Nadazdin-Boskovic
Seller: Michael R. Kessler
Date: 12/17/21

125 South Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Edward J. Thomas
Seller: Paul F. McLaughlin
Date: 12/17/21

26 Tennyson Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $822,000
Buyer: Rakesh Talati
Seller: Lisa M. Campbell
Date: 12/02/21

359 Williams St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Murdock
Seller: John G. Bagley
Date: 12/20/21

173 Wolf Swamp Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Zachary Ferrara
Seller: Robin S. Odentz
Date: 12/23/21

LUDLOW

1st Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $754,500
Buyer: Brownbox Properties LLC
Seller: Westmass Area Development Corp.
Date: 12/17/21

549 Alden St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $208,884
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Patricia A. Messier
Date: 12/21/21

41 Arch St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Kyle Roy
Seller: Mary C. Gero
Date: 12/17/21

12 Autumn Ridge Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Arthur Ralph Gaudio TR
Seller: Hemlock Ridge LLC
Date: 12/03/21

132 Barna St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $263,000
Buyer: Brian Morris
Seller: John Fortune
Date: 11/29/21

52 Bliss St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Homestead Connections LLC
Seller: Ahearn, J., (Estate)
Date: 11/30/21

534 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: Haviland Pond LLC
Seller: Haviland Pond LP
Date: 12/01/21

676 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Andreas
Seller: Drew R. Ledwith
Date: 11/30/21

1102 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Joao A. Dias
Seller: Thomas, Amy Elaine, (Estate)
Date: 12/17/21

172 Edison Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $418,000
Buyer: Derya Tanriverdi
Seller: Jeffrey A. Touchette
Date: 12/20/21

150 Highland Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $248,500
Buyer: Barbara E. Thompson
Seller: Michelle Elliot
Date: 12/21/21

70-84 Hubbard St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: BK Investment LLC
Seller: Gary R. Guilmette
Date: 12/02/21

12 Keith Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $241,000
Buyer: Brenda M. Opielowski
Seller: Matthew G. Nay
Date: 11/30/21

3 Leland Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $670,000
Buyer: Michael P. Richardson
Seller: Michael L. Banville
Date: 12/17/21

125 Munsing St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Torretti Builders LLC
Seller: Mary Rarogiewicz
Date: 12/21/21

48 Nash Hill Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $359,900
Buyer: Matthew W. Beaudette
Seller: Carole C. Dighello
Date: 12/01/21

41 Stevens St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Grace Dias
Seller: Ruth L. Pancotti
Date: 11/30/21

223 Woodland Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $630,000
Buyer: Raymond MacDonald
Seller: Luis C. Martins
Date: 11/29/21

MONSON

74 Bethany Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Meghan L. Chotain
Seller: Andrew B. Johnston
Date: 12/20/21

141 Brimfield Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: Peter D. Davenport
Seller: Heather M. Hartman
Date: 11/29/21

29 Bumstead Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Dominique P. Batiste
Seller: Sheena M. Carney
Date: 12/03/21

4 Carpenter Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Robert T. Morrin
Seller: Emma Ladd-Shepherd
Date: 11/30/21

47 Cote Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Trevor E. Wentworth
Seller: Daniel W. Zglobicki
Date: 12/03/21

109 Cote Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Kenneth Chaplin
Seller: US Bank
Date: 12/02/21

179 Fenton Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $333,000
Buyer: Jason M. Seybold
Seller: PB Partners Development LLC
Date: 12/17/21

28 Main St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $444,244
Buyer: SBA Management LLC
Seller: Margaret S. Glassman
Date: 12/23/21

8 Margaret St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Karl J. Gunther
Seller: Bonnie E. Turnberg
Date: 12/02/21

231 Munn Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Gary W. Barrows
Seller: Terri A. Anderson
Date: 11/30/21

16 Pinnacle Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Kourtney Senquiz
Seller: David P. Ruiz
Date: 12/02/21

43 Robbins Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Stanley R. Lamb
Seller: Nissenbaum, Steven A., (Estate)
Date: 12/03/21

PALMER

261 Barker St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Matthew Brotherton
Seller: Eric M. Nacsin
Date: 12/23/21

25 Belchertown St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Chandra Jackson
Seller: David Oliveira
Date: 12/01/21

139 Boston Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Richard A. Houle
Seller: Stanley R. Lamb
Date: 12/03/21

141 Breckenridge St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Medgine Fleury
Seller: Travis J. Richer
Date: 12/01/21

1084 Central St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Nicholas R. Smick
Seller: Ryan P. Ratcliffe
Date: 11/30/21

106 Flynt St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Maribel Ortiz
Seller: Laura A. Martin
Date: 12/22/21

8 George St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Jenna Dziok
Seller: Aaron McKee
Date: 12/17/21

4037 Hill St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Max E. Bock
Seller: Peter J. Kuzontkoski
Date: 11/30/21

2 Pioneer Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $439,700
Buyer: Judith T. Tumusiime
Seller: Dustin T. Hermann
Date: 12/03/21

2014 Quaboag St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $259,900
Buyer: Allison A. Flebotte
Seller: Brital 1987 LLC
Date: 12/23/21

382 Rondeau St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Mandi Laisure
Seller: Brenda M. Opielowski
Date: 11/30/21

RUSSELL

1440 Blandford Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $204,450
Buyer: Rondell Stauffer
Seller: Henry W. Mikucki
Date: 12/01/21

260 Blandford Road
Russell, MA 01070
Amount: $535,900
Buyer: Adam J. Braunschweig
Seller: Jason S. Fiddler
Date: 12/03/21

1441 Blandford Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Footit
Seller: Jesse M. Veprauskas
Date: 12/22/21

25 Blandford Stage Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Austin W. Fortier
Seller: Luke Paull
Date: 12/01/21

SPRINGFIELD

375 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $2,223,281
Buyer: Gregory Springfield LLC
Seller: NDA 385 Allen St LLC
Date: 12/03/21

645 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Loriann Ruiz
Seller: Theresa A. Zheleznyakov
Date: 12/20/21

127 Ambrose St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Pascacio Reynoso
Seller: Jose R. Martinez
Date: 12/03/21

35 Andrew St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Raquel Reyes
Seller: Carlos Duran
Date: 12/02/21

137 Bellevue Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Fred Swan
Seller: David J. Maradyn
Date: 12/23/21

293 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Ericka Vasquez-Lopez
Seller: Tuan Tran
Date: 12/21/21

486-494 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $840,000
Buyer: JK Wave Inc.
Seller: Carriage Funeral Holding Inc.
Date: 12/20/21

855 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Invest Best Lending LLC
Seller: Ether Properties LLC
Date: 12/01/21

79 Benz St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Thi N. Huynh
Seller: Vito M. Dellaera
Date: 12/20/21

586 Berkshire Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Sanchez Family Enterprises LLC
Seller: David Haluch
Date: 12/01/21

58-60 Bither St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Kevin J. Reilly
Seller: Stephen M. Reilly
Date: 12/17/21

216 Breckwood Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Kevin S. Diaz
Seller: Jesmaniel Bermudez
Date: 12/03/21

26 Brookside Circle
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $124,000
Buyer: Jorge L. Rodriguez
Seller: Biagio Cordiano
Date: 12/03/21

40 Bulat Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Loudine Alty
Seller: Felicia Griffin
Date: 11/30/21

25 Burke St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Aisha K. Gonzalez
Seller: Veronica M. Reyes
Date: 11/30/21

386-388 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $293,000
Buyer: Kimberly Paine
Seller: Paul E. Carmody
Date: 12/02/21

417-419 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Maira Silva
Seller: Cindy R. King
Date: 12/21/21

834 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Kelnate Realty LLC
Seller: 834 Carew Street LLC
Date: 12/03/21

1061 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Jose Colon-Torres
Seller: Denali Properties LLC
Date: 11/29/21

157 Carver St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Michael Riggins
Seller: Mizraim Rodriguez
Date: 12/03/21

33 Castle St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $267,700
Buyer: Rebecca L. Rothberg
Seller: David Lussier
Date: 12/17/21

63 Chauncey Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Perry Dulude
Seller: Skwisz, R., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/21

17 Chilson St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Paula Medina
Seller: Angel M. Senquiz
Date: 12/02/21

9-11 Cloran St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Kathiana Mathieu
Seller: Michael Gardner
Date: 12/02/21

117 Cloran St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Prime Partners LLC
Seller: Estella M. Lyons
Date: 12/03/21

95 Clough St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Victor Diaz
Seller: Joseph J. Neff
Date: 12/02/21

246-248 College St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Shane A. Rhiney
Seller: Alicia H. Porter
Date: 12/23/21

147 Colton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Summers Sunshine
Seller: 147 Colton Street LLC
Date: 12/23/21

595 Cottage St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: Brockway Realty LLC
Seller: G&R Properties LLC
Date: 12/23/21

24 Craig St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Khyam Darjee
Seller: Freedom Mortgage Corp.
Date: 12/02/21

30 Craig St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $128,700
Buyer: JCG Investments LLC
Seller: Pennymac Loan Services LLC
Date: 12/20/21

14 Dalton Place
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Daina Rosa
Seller: Robert V. Swanson
Date: 12/03/21

6 Delaware Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Jennife Gonzalez-Morales
Seller: Homes RE Vent LLC
Date: 12/02/21

725 Dickinson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Chastity Nieves
Seller: Arthur H. Helmus
Date: 12/23/21

17 Earl St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Romanus C. Maduabuchi
Seller: Michael Molinari
Date: 11/30/21

129 Eddy St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Roger J. Ramsey
Seller: Bonnie J. Lynch
Date: 12/22/21

55 Edendale St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Normari Rivera
Seller: Equity Trust Co.
Date: 12/20/21

84 Edgewood St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Maria P. DeLeon
Seller: Hayder Alhamdani
Date: 12/17/21

36 Eldridge St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Venancio Ramos
Seller: Brenda J. Burgess
Date: 11/29/21

133 Entrybrook Dr.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Ebonee Ganious
Seller: Roseline C. Chiuwa
Date: 12/23/21

24-26 Ferris St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Huiqing Zhu
Seller: Mark T. Laramee
Date: 12/22/21

102 Florida St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: John S. Marrero
Seller: Paula Nowick
Date: 11/30/21

30 Ford St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Anthony C. Demaio
Seller: Kathleen R. Duncan
Date: 12/20/21

148 Glenoak Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $283,500
Buyer: Jose Gonzalez
Seller: James Schmidt
Date: 11/30/21

868 Grayson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Ryane Babyak
Seller: William H. Keet
Date: 12/01/21

38 Greenbrier St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Mohamed Ali
Seller: Victor M. Rojas
Date: 12/01/21

239 Gresham St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Magaly Lopez-Ramos
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 12/20/21

207 Groveland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Jessica M. Laboy
Seller: Stephanie A. Meekin
Date: 12/02/21

19 Hawthorne St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Lakisha Collins
Seller: Magdalene Kelly
Date: 12/03/21

228 Hermitage Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Michael P. Lamoureux
Seller: Bell L., (Estate)
Date: 12/01/21

90 Hillside Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Hector R. Rosado
Seller: Mary T. Critelli
Date: 12/02/21

412 Island Pond Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: M&F Vazquez Home Improve
Seller: Wilmington Savings
Date: 12/22/21

25 Ivan St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Kyle Menard
Seller: John H. Keith
Date: 11/29/21

70 Jonquil Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: Vanessa Lima
Seller: Stephen W. Wyszynski
Date: 11/30/21

60-62 Kamuda St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Zhi Huang
Seller: Paula C. Deferreira
Date: 11/30/21

72 Kensington Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Richard C. Ferullo
Seller: Kan Zhang
Date: 12/03/21

86 Kirk Dr.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Damaris Melendez
Seller: Frederick Barile
Date: 12/21/21

66 Larchmont St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jose M. Riveraortiz
Seller: Madeline Rodriguez
Date: 12/02/21

109-111 Leavitt St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Angel L. Reyes
Seller: Moises Zanazanian
Date: 11/30/21

1225 Liberty St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $23,000,000
Buyer: 1277 Liberty 10190746 LLC
Seller: Albany Road Springfield Plaza LLC
Date: 12/22/21

158 Littleton St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Juan Bermudez
Seller: James W. Scott
Date: 12/20/21

2460 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $800,000
Buyer: Isla Associates 1 LLC
Seller: Brightwood Development Corp.
Date: 12/03/21

57 Manchester Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Jose Rosado
Seller: Albert C. Kalmbach
Date: 11/29/21

8 Marlborough St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: Tyeschiea L. Richards
Seller: Rita Gil
Date: 12/03/21

28 McBride St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Jose Cotte
Seller: Smith, Drew M., (Estate)
Date: 12/03/21

53 Merrill Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: James Poreda
Seller: Garland Smith
Date: 12/21/21

75 Mohegan Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: James J. Silva
Seller: William Harrison
Date: 12/02/21

20 Monticello Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Dolores Hale
Seller: Arianna L. Cage
Date: 11/30/21

323 Morton St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Chloe J. Cincotta
Seller: Homes Real Estate Ventures LLC
Date: 11/30/21

56 Mulberry St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $289,500
Buyer: Daniel P. Thibeault
Seller: Jennifer Nwaifejokwu
Date: 11/30/21

113 Newland St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Friday Williams
Seller: Serge Dikan
Date: 12/21/21

23 North Hood St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Patrick Ogilvie
Seller: Patricia A. Pepin
Date: 12/01/21

196 Oak Grove Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Maritza Delgado-Rivera
Seller: Emtay Inc.
Date: 12/03/21

78 Oak St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Om Belmont Ave. LLC
Seller: Amaan Realty LLC
Date: 11/30/21

84 Orange St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Joann Agramonte
Seller: Lisa M. Sarno
Date: 12/17/21

32 Overlea Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Nediem N. Velez-Acevedo
Seller: Smith, Kathleen M., (Estate)
Date: 11/30/21

24-26 Palmer Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Belkis Alvarez
Seller: AJN Rentals LLC
Date: 12/22/21

132 Parkerview St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Cristiane Fischer
Seller: Richard E. McNabb
Date: 12/03/21

85 Penncastle St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $274,000
Buyer: Leonard J. Giannetti
Seller: Jason M. Seybold
Date: 12/17/21

23 Pennsylvania Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Omar J. Olmo-Valles
Seller: Justin R. Bullard
Date: 12/03/21

31 Pheland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Shawn Alexander
Seller: Emmanuel Tete-Donkor
Date: 11/30/21

247 Pheland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Maria D. Nunez
Seller: Lissette M. Rivera
Date: 12/22/21

172 Quincy St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $216,000
Buyer: Marilou B. Krause
Seller: Wilson Tejeda
Date: 12/17/21

27 Reed St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Nikayla A. Chapman
Seller: Gerome K. Gore
Date: 12/20/21

49 Rimmon Ave.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Michael Martinez
Seller: Ryan Deland
Date: 12/02/21

49-51 Rittenhouse Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Simone D. DosSantos-Alves
Seller: Allan M. Maende
Date: 12/23/21

34 Rutledge Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Rodman Capital Group LLC
Seller: Paul R. Stevens
Date: 12/17/21

1200 Saint James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Lamont C. Thomas
Seller: Idelramon Izquierdo
Date: 11/30/21

197 Shawmut St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Hector Martinez
Seller: Christine A. Johnson
Date: 11/29/21

228 Shawmut St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $238,000
Buyer: Victor Lopez
Seller: Round 2 LLC
Date: 11/30/21

33 Sherbrooke St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Jose A. Dilone
Seller: Benny Crespo
Date: 12/17/21

60-62 Suffolk St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Wilfredo Arvelo-Ruiz
Seller: Genevieve Construction Development Group
Date: 11/29/21

30 Sumner Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: Orlando Mora
Seller: Kevin J. Kaczynski
Date: 11/29/21

1357 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Kerri-Ann Warren
Seller: Reinaldo Guzman
Date: 12/20/21

34-36 Sylvan St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Melinda A. Carey
Seller: Keron K. Baker
Date: 12/20/21

45 Talmadge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Paul F. Carmody
Seller: James J. Silva
Date: 12/02/21

85 Tamarack Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Idaliz Melendez
Seller: McCarthy, Stephen F., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/21

99 Tavistock St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Marie C. Molina
Seller: Cynthia C. Shaughnessy
Date: 12/17/21

71-73 Tulsa St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: David J. Audet
Seller: Eric D. Ainsworth
Date: 12/22/21

83 Vann St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $311,000
Buyer: Julio A. Viruet
Seller: Ryan A. Brown
Date: 12/03/21

Vanness Ave.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: JJJ17 LLC
Seller: JJJ17 LLC
Date: 11/30/21

50 Wason Ave.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $26,762,981
Buyer: Baystate Medical Center Inc.
Seller: Wason Ave. Partners 3 LLC
Date: 12/01/21

241-243 Water St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: 552 West High LLC
Seller: MS Homes LLC
Date: 12/02/21

245 Water St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: 552 West High LLC
Seller: MS Homes LLC
Date: 12/02/21

131 Welland Road
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Thomas Noonan
Seller: Debra L. Crepea
Date: 12/23/21

36 Weymouth St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Trey Cushman
Seller: Mary L. Disantis
Date: 12/21/21

230-232 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Alpina Williams
Seller: Equity Trust Co.
Date: 12/22/21

742-744 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Geovanni Montesino
Seller: Fred M. Cocchi
Date: 12/20/21

393 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Gama Investments LLC
Seller: Trinh T. Tran
Date: 12/20/21

56 Winding Lane
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Michelle Stuart
Seller: Harvey, Jay L., (Estate)
Date: 12/03/21

86 Winding Lane
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Tek B. Budathoki
Seller: Laura A. Braica
Date: 12/20/21

120 Winton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Walter L. Martinez
Seller: SRV Properties LLC
Date: 12/17/21

72 Woodrow St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $225,999
Buyer: Mary I. Rodriguez
Seller: Jason Nicholson
Date: 11/29/21

1182 Worcester St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: BRVS LLC
Seller: MS Homes LLC
Date: 12/02/21

1188 Worcester St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: BRVS LLC
Seller: MS Homes LLC
Date: 12/02/21

1417 Worcester St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Porfirio Molina
Seller: Alycar Investments LLC
Date: 12/17/21

787 Worthington St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Yarmin G. Colon
Seller: Amat Victoria Curam LLC
Date: 12/03/21

889 Worthington St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Nathaniel James
Seller: RWM RE Investment LLC
Date: 12/17/21

SOUTHWICK

64 Buckingham Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Gloria J. Collazo
Seller: Barowsky, Charles L., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/21

31 Coes Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Jesse Veprauskas
Seller: David M. Meyer
Date: 12/23/21

49 Coes Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Michael Werman
Seller: Wolfe, Theodore H., (Estate)
Date: 12/01/21

49-R Coes Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Michael Werman
Seller: Wolfe, Theodore H., (Estate)
Date: 12/01/21

175 College Highway
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $202,500
Buyer: Benjamin V. Arcangeli
Seller: Thomas A. Montagna
Date: 12/17/21

14 Fenton Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Jarrod N. Goss
Seller: Stephen Pelkey
Date: 12/17/21

89 Hillside Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $502,000
Buyer: Michael S. Grobe
Seller: Gina M. Page
Date: 12/02/21

18 Shaggbark Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $307,400
Buyer: Daniel J. Gelina
Seller: Keith A. Long
Date: 12/23/21

Silvergrass Lane #11
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $142,500
Buyer: Hamelin Framing Inc.
Seller: Fiore Realty Holdings LLC
Date: 12/22/21

Silvergrass Lane #8
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $127,500
Buyer: Hamelin Framing Inc.
Seller: Fiore Realty Holdings LLC
Date: 12/22/21

281 South Longyard Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $439,900
Buyer: Jason S. Fiddler
Seller: Andrew S. Felix
Date: 12/03/21

TOLLAND

120 Brook Lane
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $415,500
Buyer: Robert Archer
Seller: Karen E. Mernoff
Date: 12/02/21

WALES

41 Lake George Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $216,300
Buyer: Yakov Kronrod
Seller: Wilmington Savings
Date: 11/30/21

33 Sizer Dr.
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Emily Dunbar
Seller: Katie S. Martin
Date: 11/29/21

148 Stafford Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Michael Delnegro
Seller: Thomas, Robert V., (Estate)
Date: 12/17/21

198 Stafford Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $212,800
Buyer: GJL RNL NT
Seller: Shannon M. Blando
Date: 12/20/21

90 Stafford Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Jonathan G. Carbonneau
Seller: Mary A. Grueter
Date: 12/22/21

15 Walker Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Brett A. Ouimette
Seller: Petrie Rubio Ent. LLC
Date: 12/20/21

WEST SPRINGFIELD

35 Armstrong St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Caroline Novelli
Seller: Jennife Gonzalez-Morales
Date: 12/02/21

24 Bear Hole Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $357,000
Buyer: James R. Regnier
Seller: Morytko, John A. Jr., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/21

62 Blossom Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Sandra E. Pinkham
Seller: Guistina, Rhea C., (Estate)
Date: 12/17/21

99 Bosworth St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Nargiza Afrailova
Seller: David F. Piangerelli
Date: 11/30/21

8 Bretton Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $414,000
Buyer: Felecia Griffin
Seller: Lane, Nancy E., (Estate)
Date: 11/30/21

323 Cold Spring Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Lindsay Abdelmaseh
Seller: Harry Kalamarakis
Date: 12/22/21

59 Day St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Andrii Tverdokhlib
Seller: Sergey A. Kripakov
Date: 12/17/21

120 Hampden St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Alycar Investments LLC
Seller: Abare, Thomas M. Sr., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/21

35 Morningside Ter.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Raj Dhimal
Seller: Nicholas Larivee
Date: 12/17/21

40 Moseley Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Kiran Gotamay
Seller: Man B. Rana
Date: 12/03/21

150 Pine St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Gagan Naubag
Seller: Mandhoj Gurung
Date: 12/03/21

1407 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $406,500
Buyer: Thomas P. Silva
Seller: Nancy M. Nadeau
Date: 12/01/21

55 Redden Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Erica Cadiz
Seller: Daniel K. Carney
Date: 12/17/21

28 Smith Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Alexander Shaver
Seller: James P. Nestor
Date: 11/30/21

39 South Blvd.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Dream Realty Group LLC
Seller: Nicole E. Eutiquio
Date: 12/22/21

145 Upper Beverly Hills
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Cecelia Kryzwick
Seller: Denise M. Labelle
Date: 12/23/21

WESTFIELD

45 Breighly Way
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Alexander Fagnand
Seller: Spencer Loftus
Date: 12/02/21

276 Buck Pond Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Nancy Handy
Seller: Ronald St Marie
Date: 12/17/21

29 Cedar Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $174,305
Buyer: Bank New York Mellon
Seller: Ernest Dupee
Date: 11/30/21

46 Crane Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Ismael Rivera-Diaz
Seller: Michael J. Sweeney
Date: 12/02/21

22 Dry Bridge Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $246,900
Buyer: Eugene A. Swift
Seller: Daniel J. Gelina
Date: 12/23/21

80 Elizabeth Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Lizette Rodriguez
Seller: Donald Appleton
Date: 12/20/21

107 Farnham Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Vasiliy I. Okhrimenko
Seller: Louis J. Annino
Date: 11/30/21

25 Gary Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $477,500
Buyer: Marco Liquori
Seller: McGovern, Robert P., (Estate)
Date: 11/30/21

55 Gifford Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $389,000
Buyer: Nathaniel L. Nunez
Seller: Richard P. Harrison
Date: 12/21/21

187 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Karen H. Payne
Seller: Alexander D. Fagnand
Date: 12/01/21

19 High St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Brian G. Desilets
Seller: Nathaniel L. Nunez
Date: 12/21/21

46 Janelle Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: Morgan Sanders
Seller: Brian D. Sanders
Date: 12/23/21

14 Jessie Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Brian Whitman
Seller: Cassandra Sgueglia
Date: 11/30/21

40 Knollwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Brice W. Herrick
Seller: Richard W. Gast
Date: 12/17/21

180 Little River Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $248,000
Buyer: Daniel Batir
Seller: Anthony C. Bannish
Date: 12/03/21

12 Maria Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Ian Sullivan
Seller: Normand V. Champagne
Date: 11/30/21

164 Montgomery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Mike Covileac
Seller: Wendell P. Dickinson
Date: 12/23/21

49 Northwest Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Peter Garstka
Seller: Eric Harshbarger
Date: 12/17/21

55 Northwest Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Michael Hunt
Seller: Kelly J. Silvestri
Date: 12/02/21

28 Old Feeding Hills Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Katelyn Mcgovern
Seller: Constance B. Carson
Date: 11/29/21

22 Otis St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $184,900
Buyer: David L. Letellier
Seller: Stuart M. Conner
Date: 12/01/21

45 Pequot Point Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $298,629
Buyer: Kyle J. Cyr
Seller: Egloff, John J. Jr., (Estate)
Date: 12/17/21

19 Princeton St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Kemar Dwaynes-Stephens
Seller: Joseph R. Moynihan
Date: 12/22/21

200 Reservoir Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $168,165
Buyer: Jay M. Bushey
Seller: Jay M. Bushey
Date: 12/21/21

57 Rosedell Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Iris Febres-Dompreh
Seller: Avery J. Sheehan
Date: 12/01/21

222 Russellville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Jennifer Yanyuk
Seller: Kathryn Cowles
Date: 12/02/21

246 Russellville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $645,000
Buyer: Jennifer Yanyuk
Seller: Kathryn Cowles
Date: 12/02/21

65 Shannon Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Troy Adams
Seller: Shirley A. White
Date: 12/02/21

309 Southwick Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Charles Beaulieu
Seller: Margaret A. Cavanaugh
Date: 11/30/21

81 Yeoman Ave
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Michael J. Rigali
Seller: Jacqueline Paye
Date: 11/30/21

WILBRAHAM

2 Brooklawn Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Jamie L. Fiorentino
Seller: Kathleen M. Brenner
Date: 12/03/21

4 Daniele Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Brendon Fontanella
Seller: Carol Daniele
Date: 11/30/21

8 Dollar Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: SMC Properties LLP
Seller: Harris Properties LLC
Date: 12/23/21

10 Highridge Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $546,000
Buyer: Karen M. Hall
Seller: Catherine W. Labine
Date: 12/20/21

9 Linwood Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $342,000
Buyer: Marla J. Jarrell
Seller: Barbara Robert
Date: 11/30/21

384 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $287,000
Buyer: Andrew A. Jacque
Seller: SK3 Realty LLC
Date: 12/03/21

8 Meadowview Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Michael J. Stirlacci
Seller: Madalena L. Diniz
Date: 12/03/21

15 Southwood Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $433,000
Buyer: Jennifer Puhalski
Seller: Susan B. Aiken
Date: 12/22/21

106 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Madison M. Chmyzinski
Seller: Melinda S. Oleksiak
Date: 12/17/21

335 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $296,400
Buyer: Vantage Home Buyers LLC
Seller: Katie Klem
Date: 12/01/21

89-91 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $309,000
Buyer: Stony Hill LLC
Seller: BK Invest LLC
Date: 11/30/21

 

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

55 Baker St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $604,055
Buyer: Colin J. Gleason
Seller: Benjamin A. Surner
Date: 11/30/21

1175 Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Marco Monoc
Seller: Robert W. Ritchie
Date: 11/30/21

367 Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Jarrod Thompson
Seller: Gladys L. Rodriguez
Date: 11/29/21

10 Bridle Path
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Kevin C. Klement
Seller: Oates, Stephen B., (Estate)
Date: 11/30/21

338 College St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $1,510,000
Buyer: 338 College Street LLC
Seller: Spirit Corp. Of Amherst
Date: 12/01/21

86 Dana St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $496,500
Buyer: Gonen Dori-Hacohen
Seller: Kenneth W. Samonds
Date: 12/17/21

269 Lincoln Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Natalie Stephenson
Seller: Zephaniah Varley
Date: 11/30/21

Lindenridge Road #20
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Countryside Home Builders Inc.
Seller: Bercume Construction LLC
Date: 11/29/21

710 Main St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Karyad B. Hallam
Seller: Loren Wellesley-Walker
Date: 12/17/21

19 Research Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $736,000
Buyer: Amherst Office Park LLC
Seller: Sand Dollar RT
Date: 12/23/21

46 Sunset Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $950,000
Buyer: Amherst Colleg
Seller: Lucy Wilson Benson RET
Date: 12/17/21

BELCHERTOWN

433 Amherst Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Robert H. Adair
Seller: Diane M. Lemire
Date: 12/20/21

62 Barton Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Jake Swinicki
Seller: John M. McCue
Date: 12/21/21

74 Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Benjamin D. Gross IRT
Seller: Thomas A. Bliss
Date: 12/17/21

81 Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Noel E. Acevedo
Seller: John Coelho
Date: 12/17/21

29 Depot St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Antonio Carvalho
Seller: Jared Moriarty
Date: 12/03/21

12 Dogwood Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $572,000
Buyer: Basil A. Stewart
Seller: Yang Liu
Date: 11/29/21

16 Grela Ter.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Gerald S. Bolduc
Seller: Henrichon, Robert J., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/21

56 North Main St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Shawn E. Rivard
Seller: Robert H. Adair
Date: 12/20/21

401 North Washington St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $343,000
Buyer: Felicia Siclari
Seller: Heidi M. Bradway
Date: 12/22/21

590 North Washington St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Elizabeth H. Skelly
Seller: Michael Teixeira
Date: 12/17/21

191 Orchard St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $279,900
Buyer: David G. Higgins
Seller: Douglas W. Adler
Date: 12/20/21

270 State St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Denise A. Pooler
Seller: Paula M. Kirkpatrick
Date: 12/03/21

60 Woodhaven Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Dat H. Nguyen
Seller: Derek M. Sullivan
Date: 11/30/21

CUMMINGTON

1 Honey Hill Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Christine M. Brandon
Seller: Bonnie A. Hunt
Date: 12/20/21

75 Mount Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $486,000
Buyer: Lauren E. Bullis
Seller: John W. Gurney RET
Date: 12/03/21

Trouble St.
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Christine M. Brandon
Seller: Bonnie A. Hunt
Date: 12/20/21

EASTHAMPTON

4 1st Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $337,500
Buyer: Christopher Heon
Seller: Amberlynn Inglis
Date: 11/30/21

3 Button Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $505,000
Buyer: Andrew M. Blefeld
Seller: Debbie L. Patterson
Date: 12/01/21

6 Carol Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $322,500
Buyer: Jonah S. Vorspan-Stein
Seller: Joseph Korza
Date: 12/17/21

20 Florence Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $607,000
Buyer: Dylan Rickles
Seller: Gigi Rentals LLC
Date: 12/21/21

14 High St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Victoria Gumaer
Seller: David Y. Cohen
Date: 11/30/21

17 Laurin Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $417,000
Buyer: Paul McMillan
Seller: Antti R. Kaisla
Date: 12/20/21

1 Louise Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Robert Scott
Seller: Cassy A. Cohoon
Date: 12/17/21

18 Strong St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Mario R. Paiva
Seller: Cole R. Pouliot
Date: 12/01/21

34 Ward Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Sarah A. Sullivan
Seller: Chelsea M. Dann
Date: 12/17/21

19 Westview Ter.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $342,000
Buyer: Dale A. Canon
Seller: Andrew M. Blefeld
Date: 12/01/21

GRANBY

10 Deerbrook Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $398,000
Buyer: Joyce Beaulieu
Seller: Peter M. Brown
Date: 12/03/21

139 New Ludlow Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $277,500
Buyer: Matthew Appleton
Seller: David B. Rafferty
Date: 12/03/21

5 Norman Ave.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Tedeschi Properties LLC
Seller: Joseph Suleski TR
Date: 11/30/21

7 Pleasant St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Kevin Musiak
Seller: Harvey A. Smith
Date: 11/30/21

HADLEY

4 Phillips Place
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $484,000
Buyer: Jun Wang
Seller: Michael A. Stone
Date: 12/17/21

HATFIELD

2 Prospect Court
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Mill River Ventures Inc.
Seller: HNE LLC
Date: 12/03/21

4 Prospect Court
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Mill River Ventures Inc.
Seller: HNE LLC
Date: 12/03/21

164 West St.
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $5,770,000
Buyer: SV Property 1 LLC
Seller: Gleason Johndrow Group LLC
Date: 12/20/21

NORTHAMPTON

212 Chestnut St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Amelia S. Moore
Seller: Robert A. Aquadro RET
Date: 12/22/21

547 Easthampton Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $10,815,000
Buyer: NSA Property Holdings LLC
Seller: Meetinghouse Realty
Date: 12/23/21

30 High St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $508,000
Buyer: Melissa Revell
Seller: Douglas J. Wheat
Date: 12/01/21

46 Hubbard Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Kevin G. Cote
Seller: Helene FT
Date: 11/29/21

Kennedy Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Robert S. Fletcher
Seller: Robert A. Borawski
Date: 12/21/21

177-181 Main St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $2,750,000
Buyer: Ampersand Sprout LLC
Seller: Essex Corp.
Date: 11/30/21

10 Michelman Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Scher Mass. LLC
Seller: Marlene A. Morin
Date: 11/30/21

299 Pleasant St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Scher Mass. LLC
Seller: Marlene A. Morin
Date: 11/30/21

45 Prospect Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Elizabeth B. Hannigan
Seller: Stacey L. Novack
Date: 11/30/21

49 Prospect St.
Northampton, MA 01063
Amount: $536,000
Buyer: Bianca Sena
Seller: Robert P. Hincks
Date: 12/20/21

13 Rust Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Kate H. Mcintosh
Seller: David A. Paine
Date: 11/30/21

605 Ryan Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Thomas P. Keane
Seller: Margaret N. Broughton
Date: 11/30/21

75 Spruce Hill Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Marc A. Bobrow
Seller: Michael A. Wishnow
Date: 11/30/21

24 Water St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Julia Cafritz
Seller: Joseph W. Garland
Date: 12/20/21

81 Water St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Linwood A. Williams
Seller: D. & Jeanette Williams FT
Date: 12/03/21

11 Winter St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Raquel Kosovske
Seller: Pamela R. Davidson
Date: 12/23/21

PELHAM

25 Shutesbury Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Jade River-King
Seller: Anne M. Hazzard
Date: 12/17/21

SOUTH HADLEY

514 Amherst Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Sean Sentenn
Seller: Russell P. Mariani
Date: 11/30/21

43 Dale St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $333,000
Buyer: Myra Cardona-Grammo
Seller: Raymond J. MacDonald
Date: 11/29/21

5-7 Ingram St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $331,240
Buyer: Steven A. Carra
Seller: Alexander C. Thiel
Date: 12/17/21

37 Ludlow Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $413,800
Buyer: Zachary T. Odonnell
Seller: NAR Realty LLC
Date: 11/29/21

15 Margaret St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Michael McLain
Seller: Mary P. Beaudreau
Date: 12/03/21

6 Midway St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Marianne Neal-Joyce
Seller: Stephen Friedman
Date: 11/30/21

6 Paul St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Robin L. Brochu
Seller: Derek W. Hogan
Date: 11/30/21

33 Pershing Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Tyler Turschman
Seller: Kathleen M. Nevins
Date: 12/03/21

69 Pond Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: James Defond
Seller: Roger Tetreault RET
Date: 12/20/21

9 San Souci Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: Bruce J. Camrie
Seller: Walter W. Haynes
Date: 12/20/21

24 West Parkview Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $346,700
Buyer: Nickolas E. Anderson
Seller: Lesley M. Kelly
Date: 12/17/21

SOUTHAMPTON

262 County Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $279,900
Buyer: Olivia Wakefield-Colly
Seller: Emerald City Rentals LLC
Date: 12/01/21

77 Gunn Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: New England Remodeling
Seller: Cecelia Ann Mantia TR
Date: 12/17/21

69 High St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: CTNA Construction LLC
Seller: Parsons, David H., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/21

46 Line St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $359,900
Buyer: Alex P. Morris
Seller: Gail A. Gehm RET
Date: 11/30/21

133 Pomeroy Meadow Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Wendy J. Allen
Seller: Joseph G. Lafreniere
Date: 12/02/21

WARE

95 Beaver Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Robert Burstein
Seller: Brsuo, Richard A., (Estate)
Date: 12/03/21

13 Clifford Ave.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $233,900
Buyer: Corrina G. Stoddart
Seller: Kelly M. Millier
Date: 12/21/21

8 Gareau Ave.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Margaret Haluska
Seller: Vernon M. Flynn
Date: 11/30/21

48 Gould Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Wendy M. Stearns
Seller: Gail M. Martel
Date: 11/30/21

59-63 Pulaski St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $218,621
Buyer: John Paull
Seller: Luke Paull
Date: 12/03/21

252 West St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $1,550,000
Buyer: 5 Apple Mill Lane LLC
Seller: Frank P. Desantis FT
Date: 12/17/21

WILLIAMSBURG

10 Judd Lane
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Nicole C. Farach
Seller: Kyle J. Schwartz
Date: 12/02/21

88 Main St.
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: David M. Nehring
Seller: Darrin E. Pensivy
Date: 12/17/21

19 Williams St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jennifer Brotman
Seller: Steven E. Clark
Date: 12/03/21

WESTHAMPTON

288 Chesterfield Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Daniel Perry
Seller: Cynthia Crooks-Garcia
Date: 12/20/21

20 South Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Nicole Demarey
Seller: David W. Demarey
Date: 12/23/21

172 Southampton Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Playe RET
Seller: Jennifer L. Lennon
Date: 12/03/21

WORTHINGTON

217 Huntington Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Mary Ott-Dahill
Seller: Kenneth E. Andersen
Date: 12/21/21

Building Permits

By
Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the month of December 2021. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

CHICOPEE

ALP of Chicopee Inc.
185 Grove St.
$5,000 — Install fire-suppression system in commercial kitchen exhaust hood

City of Chicopee
110 Church St.
$49,000 — Verizon Wireless to remove six antennas and nine remote radio heads and replace with 12 antennas and 12 remote radio heads on existing telecommunications tower

City of Chicopee
5 West Main St.
$27,000 — Furnish and install cantilever shade shelter at new fitness stations at Chicopee Senior Center

Luke Realty Management
48 West St.
$2,720 — Interior remodel, including subfloor, flooring, and trim

She’s Your Queen to Be
132 East Main St.
$172,725 — Remove and replace flat roof assembly

HADLEY

Hollrock Realty LLC
294 Russell St.
N/A— Install interior door

LEE

Berkshire Corporate Realty LLC
480 Pleasant St.
$11,900 — Add/relocate sprinklers for new architectural layout

Town of Lee
45 Railroad St.
$8,400 — Remove and replace concrete floor in highway garage

LENOX

Lenox Collection LLC
11 Old Stockbridge Road
$73,000 — Shower renovation in 19 guest rooms at Rockwood

North Sandy Brook LLC
80 Church St.
$5,000 — Investigative interior demolition

WS Development
489 Pittsfield Road
$1,500 — Remove footing over pour from existing footing

NORTHAMPTON

3 Adams St. LLC
557 Easthampton Road
N/A— Install fire system

Center at 35 State Street LLC
35 State St.
$3,291 — Insulation and weatherization

Chamisa Corp.
21 Main St.
$4,000 — Repairs to drywall, flooring repairs

City of Northampton
80 Locust St.
N/A— Fire and security modifications to Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School

Colvest/Northampton LLC
325 King St., A and B
$4,000 — Install sound-masking system

Cooley Dickinson Hospital Inc.
30 Locust St.
N/A— Renovations to Childbirth Center

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management
Damon Road
N/A— Install new street-lighting control box at Damon Road and Norwottuck Rail Trail intersection

Northampton Golf Inc.
135 Main St.
$238,000 — Golf sim room addition with deck above

Smith College
College Lane
N/A— Install two eye-wash stations, one fume hood sink, one sink, and water piping on fourth floor

Smith College
College Lane
$268,133 — Renovate two lab rooms

PALMER

Baystate Health
40 Wright St.
$817,172 — Renovate existing space at Wing Memorial Hospital into audiology suite

Baystate Health
40 Wright St.
$185,000 — Renovate existing space at Wing Memorial Hospital to support mobile MRI location with patient prep and staff area

Bolduc Mechanical Services
1237-1239 Park St.
$68,813 — Install new fuel-island canopy

Chris Donohue
1023 Central St.
$3,000 — Renovate existing space into nail salon

David Giordano
1321 Main St.
$13,500 — Roofing

Pioneer Plaza
1240 Park St.
$65,000 — Change veterinary space into a space to recertify EMTs

Pioneer Plaza
1240 Park St.
$65,000 — Change rest of veterinary space into more grooming space

PITTSFIELD

Berkshire Medical Center Inc.
510 North St.
$4,700 — Add two sprinklers in new storage room, replace 15 outdated sprinklers

The Cooper Center LLC
116 North St.
$200,000 — Renovation, including installation of doors and windows and creation of two bathrooms

Kathryn R. Kearns Revocable Trust
14 Dalton Ave.
$15,900 — Roofing

Wojtkowski Bros. Inc.
1575 West Housatonic St.
$3,707 — Install new wet chemical fire-suppression system

Wojtkowski Bros. Inc.
1575 West Housatonic St.
$1,000 — Minor retrofitting of existing fast-food restaurant for new fast-food restaurant

SPRINGFIELD

Belkis de Leon
43 Adams St.
$37,000 — Roofing on retail store

Jeanette Enriquez
266 Bridge St.
$29,790 — Roofing

Eversource
300 Cadwell Dr.
$20,000 — Install one new antenna and two new coaxial lines on communications tower

Icarian Real Estate Advisors LLC
109 Mill St.
$4,500 — Build two bathrooms for karate studio

Mason Wright Senior Living Inc.
439 Union St.
$60,000 — Install new steel decking, reinforced concrete sidewalk, and door that serves the basement of Emerson Hall at Colony Care at Home

Springfield Lodge 61 of the Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks
440 Tiffany St.
$6,500 — Install three new antennas on Dish Wireless cell tower

PeoplesBank Sets New Record for Charitable Contributions in 2021

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Daily News

HOLYOKE — With a focus on food insecurity, housing, and literacy, PeoplesBank announced a record level of charitable contributions, with donations reaching $1,315,000 over the past year with a total of close to $11 million donated since 2011. The bank has doubled its donations in the last five years.

“It is a big part of who we are as an organization, our employees, and how they volunteer in the community,” said Tom Senecal, president and CEO of PeoplesBank. “I see 2022 as a tremendous opportunity for us to give back and be committed to the communities that we serve.”

PeoplesBank’s associates donate 10,000 volunteer hours per year, and 74 of them have served on 54 nonprofit boards.

“I can’t really point to anything that Square One does that doesn’t have PeoplesBank’s stamp on it,” said Kristine Allard, vice president of Development and Communication at SquareOne. “They are amazing experts in the field of banking, so they offer their expertise to us in terms of our operational needs. But when it comes to the philanthropic side of things, there’s very little that happens at Square One that isn’t somehow impacted by PeoplesBank.”

Chris Conway, executive director of the West Hartford (Conn.) Chamber of Commerce, noted that “businesses look for two things with the Chamber of Commerce: what can I get out of the relationship as far as exposure and networking opportunities. PeoplesBank is interested in that, of course, but they also want to know how they can be helpful and contribute. They have certainly done that. I know they’ve worked with a number of nonprofits, and they’ve worked within their neighborhood and beyond.”

Colleen Shanley-Loveless, president and CEO of Revitalize Community Development Corp., added that “they get great turnout and participation — from the president of PeoplesBank, Tom Senecal, to all the departments and all of the branches. We could not do the work we do without the help of PeoplesBank.”

Suzanne Parker, executive director of Girls Inc. of the Valley, added that “I can’t think of a way that PeoplesBank has not been there for us. We actually had a field trip to the PeoplesBank headquarters, and I’ll never forget the picture of our girls sitting around that big boardroom table. That was a meaningful, special experience for them that exposed the girls to the world of banking.”

More information on PeoplesBank’s corporate responsibility and how to apply for a donation can be found at bankatpeoples.com/support.

Kristine Goodwin Named Vice President of Student Affairs at WNEU

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University (WNE) President Robert Johnson announced the appointment of Kristine Goodwin as the university’s vice president of Student Affairs.

“Kristine Goodwin is a widely respected administrator in the field of student affairs with over 30 years of direct experience. She is a proven problem solver and highly regarded in her field,” Johnson said. “Western New England University is fortunate to have Kristine join us.”

Goodwin is charged with developing and maintaining an energized approach to cultivating an engaged student environment where learning, academic success, career readiness, and personal development are top priorities. She will oversee the university’s departments of Athletics, Career Education, Residence Life, Community Standards and Education, Student Involvement and Leadership Development, Inclusive Excellence, and the Center for Health and Wellness.

Goodwin earned a bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University and a master of education degree from UMass Lowell before graduating magna cum laude from the UMass School of Law in 2020. A senior executive in higher education for more than 20 years at multiple institutions, most recently having worked as an attorney and adjunct faculty member teaching ethics, Goodwin succeeds interim Vice President for Student Affairs Bryan Gross, who will return to his previous position as vice president for Enrollment Management and Marketing.

Springfield YPS and the Ad Club to Host Annual Membership Event on Jan. 20

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Daily News

HOLYOKE — The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield (YPS) and the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts will host an annual Mix & Mingle membership event to support young professionals and encourage them to become more involved and invested in their local communities.

The event will take place on Thursday, Jan. 20 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Paper City Bar & Grill, 241 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke. Members can register for the event by clicking here.

“I am thrilled to be parenting up with Springfield YPS to bring together the area professionals and creative community. I believe in the mission behind both organizations and am looking forward to growing awareness of both,” said Kelly McGiverin, multi-platform senior account executive for the Ad Club.

The Springfield YPS is an organization built to exchange ideas, share common interests, and cultivate its membership to serve as the Pioneer Valley’s leaders of tomorrow. YPS aims to engage the younger demographic in distinct areas such as business and career development, networking, cultural involvement, community involvement, educational opportunities, volunteerism, recreational and social activities, and more.

The Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts is the premier organization for all marketing and communications professionals in Western Mass. and Northern Conn., offering its members the ability to advance and enrich the advertising community by acting as a catalyst for idea exchange, professional development, and creative energy.

OMG Roofing Products Welcomes Brittany deRonde as Product Development Chemist

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Daily News

AGAWAM — OMG Roofing Products, a leading manufacturer of fasteners, adhesives, and installation-productivity tools for the commercial roofing industry, named Brittany deRonde to the newly created position of Product Development chemist.

In her new role, deRonde will work with the product managers and development team to address unmet market needs with innovative new adhesive and sealant solutions based on advanced engineering. She reports to Cecile Mejean, director of New Product Development & Innovation.

deRonde comes to OMG with significant technical experience. Most recently, she was with ProAmpac in Westfield, where she was a Product Development engineer. Earlier, she worked for Mondi Tekkote of Leonia, N.J. in various engineering and technical management positions supporting product-development efforts.

She holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in polymer science and engineering, both from UMass Amherst, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Rutgers University.

Springfield Leader Ronn Johnson Leaves Rich Legacy of Community Impact

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Daily News

Ronn Johnson

SPRINGFIELD — Ronn Johnson, who spent the last four decades making a difference for children and families in the Springfield community, died on Saturday at age 63.

The date — Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday — was a significant one for the long-time president and CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services Inc., who not only led that organization over the past decade but modeled much his of work around King’s example of service.

“I do what I do because I have a passion for making a difference for people. It’s that simple,” Johnson told BusinessWest in 2020, when he was named a Difference Maker by this publication. And I’ve been fortunate enough where I’ve been able to make a career around doing that. So I feel I’m doubly blessed to have made a good life for myself, but in the context of being a professional helper.”

After graduating from WNEC, he was recruited to the W.W. Johnson Life Center, an organization that dealt in mental-health issues, and earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Cambridge College. His next stop was the Dunbar Community Center, where he was involved in grant writing in an effort to meet the needs of an “underfunded community,” as he called it.

After that, he served as vice president of Child and Family Services at the Center for Human Development (CHD), where he worked for 13 years. Gang violence was on the rise during the early part of the 1990s, and it was creeping into local schools, so he created a CHD program called the Citywide Violence Prevention Task Force, among many other initiatives.

Johnson then worked for six years as director of Community Responsibility at MassMutual, until the economic downturn in 2009 forced cutbacks at many companies, and he was laid off, after which he launched a consulting firm, RDJ Associates. One of his clients was MLK Family Services, which approached him, during the summer of 2012, with an offer to take over leadership of the venerable but financially struggling agency.

When he came on board, the first goal was simply to make payroll, but eventually he righted the ship — with the help of a business community that saw the organization’s value and quietly helped raise a half-million dollars.

“It was stressful, but I was committed. And I had a committed board of directors who hung in there and facilitated the change that needed to happen,” he said. “We regained credibility with funders. That was big.”

At MassMutual, he told BusinessWest, he learned the value of measurable results, and he was able to demonstrate that the MLK Family Services programs — from helping people access healthier food to a College Readiness Academy that gives students tutorial help while bringing them to college campuses to raise their educational aspirations — do make a difference.

But no effort has been more personal to Johnson than the Brianna Fund, named for his daughter, who was born into the world with multiple broken bones from the brittle-bone condition known as osteogenesis imperfecta. Over the years, she would fracture dozens more. The family decided they needed an accessible van to keep Brianna in her wheelchair while moving from place to place, so they started a fundraiser.

“The community got behind us so significantly that we over-fundraised by about $30,000,” he recalled last year. “That was a message from God. I said all along that I didn’t want to do this if we’re not in it for the long haul. This needed to be ongoing, in perpetuity, for children in our community.”

Twenty-two years later, the Brianna Fund has raised more than $750,000 and helped the families of more than 50 children purchase a vehicle, renovate a home, widen hallways, install ramps, secure a service dog, and meet many other needs.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique challenges to providers of community services, who had to find new ways of delivering them. MLK Family Services restructured itself from being an after-school resource to being a remote-learning center, and also expanded its emergency-food program, serving up to 400 people weekly.

Even so, pantry volunteers weren’t seeing some of the faces they expected to see — mainly older people — and learned these regulars were staying at home because of fears for their health. So Johnson talked to community partners, in particular Baystate Health, which helped procure a cargo van to deliver food to elderly, sick, and shut-in individuals in their homes.

“I do believe that God has a plan for every one of us,” Johnson told BusinessWest. “I’m a very faith-driven person. I’ve been blessed to be in places where people see my interests and read my heart, and where I’m able to make some things happen.”

Emilie Czupryna Joins Springfield Museums as Director of Development

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Museums announced that Emilie Czupryna has joined the staff as director of Development.

Czupryna arrives in her new role ready to build a strong development team as the Museums focus on their new strategic plan, which includes the objective of long-term fiscal sustainability.

“Emilie is poised to help the Museums in so many ways,” said Kay Simpson, president and CEO of the Springfield Museums. “We are constructing a dynamic road map for our future, and institutional advancement is an essential part of our success. We have confidence that Emilie will lead a strong team in our Development Office and build the scaffolding we need to keep our Museums vibrant and ready to meet our community’s needs.”

Czupryna worked her way quickly up the ladder at UMass Amherst. She began her career as assistant director of External Affairs for Communication & Events, and was promoted to associate director of College Events. In 2017, she was selected for the position of assistant director of Development and in 2018 was promoted to associate director of Development.

“I am thrilled to be working with such a wonderful team here at the Springfield Museums,” Czupryna said. “I look forward to enhancing the vision and strategic goals of the Museums through individual philanthropic support and corporate partnerships.”

HCC Professor Vanessa Martinez Honored for Inspiring Civic Engagement

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) Professor of Anthropology Vanessa Martínez is the recipient of the 2022 Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award from Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education.

The award, presented in partnership with Brown University’s Swearer Center, recognizes senior faculty who practice exemplary, engaged scholarship through teaching and research. Recipients are selected on the basis of their collaboration with communities, institutional impact, and high-quality academic work.

“Holyoke Community College is incredibly fortunate to have Vanessa Martínez among its faculty,” said Lisa Mahon, professor of English and service-learning coordinator at HCC, in a letter nominating Martínez for the award. “Her outstanding commitment to community-based learning, teaching, and advocacy has positively impacted our students, staff, and faculty, as well as the Greater Holyoke community.”

Martínez was recognized for teaching and scholarship that inspires students to take on leadership roles in their communities.

Through academic work that focuses on storytelling, culturally responsive instruction, and cultural humility, Martínez invites diverse groups of students to learn about community-based organizations, advocate and fundraise for community needs based on engaged research, and think critically about the role they play in their communities.

One example is the Women of Color Health Equity Collective, a Springfield-based nonprofit organization she co-founded that seeks to provide communities of color better access to maternal health, therapeutic services, and support. Through the collective, students learn about the social determinants of health and the role social inequality plays in health outcomes while researching community needs and developing advocacy plans to help create change.

“This is a wonderful and distinguished honor, and well-deserved,” HCC President Christina Royal said. “Professor Martínez continues to be actively engaged in our community, and our region is better for it. It benefits our students, who get to witness some exercising civic engagement beyond the classroom.”

Martínez is also coordinator of HCC’s Honors Program and leads a new community leadership certificate program at the college to give students formal training to continue work at community organizations and take on leadership roles.

“Taking action in the world can and should start in your community,” Martínez said in a commencement speech she delivered to graduates in 2021. “The actions can be big or small; they can be self-reflective or engaging of large groups. Remember, there are community agencies to assist, neighborhood mini-libraries to build, book clubs to host, protests to plan, government policies to change, peer-support groups to run, and so much more.”

Born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, Martínez holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbus State University, a master’s degree from Georgia State University, and a PhD from UMass Amherst. In 2011, she received the Latino Teaching Excellence Award from then Gov. Deval Patrick, and in 2015 she was selected as a leadership fellow by the American Anthropological Assoc.

In 2020, Martínez received the Elaine Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence, HCC’s highest faculty honor. She has been teaching at HCC since 2006.

Monson Savings Bank Announces $15,000 in Donations Through Community Giving Initiative

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Daily News

MONSON — The people have voted, and the results are in for the Monson Savings Bank (MSB) 2022 Community Giving Initiative. After MSB asked its community members to cast their vote for their favorite nonprofit, they did just that with great enthusiasm, submitting over 3,500 votes.

In total, 373 organizations were nominated. Now that the votes have been tallied, Monson Savings Bank is donating a total of $15,000 to the top 10 vote recipients to stay true to their longstanding mission of supporting of local communities.

“Each and every origination is a well-deserving nonprofit, and it is clear why they were chosen by our community members,” said Dan Moriarty, president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank. “Each nonprofit provides tremendously valuable resources to our communities and their residents.”

The 2022 Monson Savings Bank Community Giving Initiative recipients include Academy Hill School Scholarship, Behavioral Health Network, I Found Light Against All Odds, Miracle League of Western Massachusetts, Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, and Women’s Empowerment Scholarship, all based in Springfield; Rick’s Place and Wilbraham United Players, both based in Wilbraham; Link to Libraries Inc. of Hampden; and Monson Free Library in Monson.

This was the 12th year of the Monson Savings Bank Community Giving Initiative, and public participation has grown throughout the years.

“All of us at Monson Savings Bank are so happy to have such a passionate involvement from the public year after year through our Community Giving Initiative. We love working directly with the community and giving members a voice to ensure that the nonprofits that make a positive impact in our communities are recognized and supported,” said Michael Rouette, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “As a local, community bank, we are committed to doing whatever it takes to support our customers, businesses, and communities. We understand that these charitable organizations have the power to truly make a difference for our neighbors. Thank you for casting your votes.”

BusinessTalk with State Senator Eric Lesser

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Business Talk Podcast Special Coverage

We are excited to announce that BusinessWest, in partnership with Living Local, has launched a new podcast series, BusinessTalk. Each episode will feature in-depth interviews and discussions with local industry leaders, providing thoughtful perspectives on the Western Massachuetts economy and the many business ventures that keep it running during these challenging times.

Episode 96: January 17, 2022

George Interviews State Senator Eric Lesser

Eric Lesser

BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien has a lively, wide-ranging discussion with State Senator Eric Lesser. The two talk about everything from the prospects for high-speed rail finally becoming reality, to Lesser’s recent decision to run for lieutenant governor. There’s a lot to unpack, and it’s all must listening, so join us on BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest in partnership with Living Local.

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SCOTUS Blocks Vaccine Mandate for Large Employers, Allows It for Some Healthcare Workers

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Daily News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine-or-testing mandate for large employers, but allowed a more limited mandate requiring healthcare workers at facilities receiving federal money to be vaccinated.

The vote in the employer mandate case was 6 to 3, with Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor in dissent. The vote in the healthcare case was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joining Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor in the majority.

According to the New York Times, the president welcomed the ruling in his favor, saying it would save the lives of healthcare workers and patients. But he said he was disappointed that the court had overturned the employer mandate, which he said was “grounded squarely in both science and the law.”

The majority opinion in the employer case said a statute on workplace hazards did not justify a mandate that would have required more than 80 million workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or to wear masks and be tested weekly, the Times added. It also stressed the novelty and sweep of the mandate issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, saying Congress had not authorized the agency to act and describing its response as “a blunt instrument.”

The mandate “draws no distinctions based on industry or risk of exposure to COVID-19,” the majority opinion said, adding that it was “a significant encroachment into the lives — and health — of a vast number of employees.”

The Times noted that the dissenting justices blasted the court’s willingness to frustrate “the federal government’s ability to counter the unparalleled threat that COVID-19 poses to our nation’s workers.” They argued that regulating safety in the workplace is exactly what OSHA is commanded to do.

Diocese of Springfield Hires Jonathan Van Beaver as Director of Development

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Diocese of Springfield hired Jonathan Van Beaver as the new director of Development. Van Beaver will be responsible for all diocesan fundraising efforts, including overseeing the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA), which funds ministries that help the elderly; mothers and families in crisis; the homeless; and youth. He will also oversee the Foundation Grants, which support Catholic schools, the Newman Catholic Center at UMass Amherst, and lay and social ministries.

A graduate of Providence College and convert to Catholicism, Van Beaver most recently worked for Guidance in Giving, which provides fundraising services to Catholic dioceses and schools nationwide.

He has worked with the Diocese of Providence, helping to raise more than $2 million. He also helped the Diocese of Worcester, raising $6 million during the pandemic.

“I think when we realize everything that Jesus has done for us and how important it is to be in a community of believers, and everything our faith does for us, that makes us want to give back our time, talents, and treasure,” said Van Beaver, who also worked as a campus minister after college in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. “So in terms of helping people see why it’s important to give, I think we want to focus on evangelization and helping parishioners really focus on discipleship.”

In addition to working with the diocese, Van Beaver will assist parishes.

“My goal is to aid the parishes. I’d like to meet with all the parishes in the first six months, and I’d really like to learn what the parishes need in terms of development and in terms of raising funds,” he said. “I’d like to do everything I can to help strengthen these parishes and to help strengthen the diocese as a whole as well.”

Greenfield Cooperative Bank Announces Three Promotions

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Daily News

GREENFIELD — Tony Worden, CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank and its Northampton Cooperative Bank division, announced three promotions within the bank.

Chelsea Depault is being promoted to AVP, Commercial Operations officer. She originally started with the bank back in 2007 as a float teller and also worked in the Accounting department before moving on to Commercial Lending, where she has been for the past several years as a credit analyst and then as an AVP, Commercial Lending. In her new role, she will oversee the operations of commercial loan servicing and administration. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UMass.

Marjorie Smith is being promoted to senior commercial credit analyst. She has been with the bank since 2010, when she started as a teller. In the years since, she worked for the Residential Lending department in various roles before joining the Commercial Lending side as a credit analyst. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Houghton College.

Erica Josephson is being promoted to senior commercial credit analyst. She has been with the bank since 2019, when she joined as a credit analyst with several years of experience in credit underwriting at two other local institutions. Since coming on board, she has played a critical role in shepherding customers’ PPP loans through to forgiveness. She holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Vermont.

NIH Grant Will Support Trailblazing Research in UMass Amherst Lab

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Daily News

AMHERST — Jianhan Chen, a UMass Amherst chemistry and biochemistry and molecular biology professor, has received a five-year, $2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to support research in his computational biophysics lab aimed at better understanding the role of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) in biology and human disease.

The grant falls under the National Institute of General Medical Sciences MIRA program, which stands for Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award. It’s designed to give highly talented researchers more flexibility and stability to achieve important scientific advances in their labs.

“The MIRA award enables us to continue working on several central problems regarding the study of disordered proteins and dynamic interactions. The flexibility of this funding mechanism also allows us to follow new research directions as they emerge,” Chen said.

Until relatively recently, it was thought that proteins needed to adopt a well-defined structure to perform their biological function. But about two decades ago, he explained, IDPs were recognized as a new class of proteins that rely on a lack of stable structures to function. They make up about one-third of proteins that human bodies make, and two-thirds of cancer-associated proteins contain large, disordered segments or domains.

“This disorder seems to provide some unique functional advantage, and that’s why we have so much disorder in certain kinds of proteins,” Chen said. “These IDPs play really important roles in biology, and when something breaks down, they lead to very serious diseases, like cancers and neurodegenerative diseases.”

In his lab, Chen and colleagues focus on using computer simulations to model the molecular structure and dynamics of proteins. “IDPs are a mess; it’s difficult to determine the details of their properties because they are not amenable to traditional techniques that are designed to resolve stable protein structures,” he noted.

Because of their chaotic state, IDPs must be described using ensembles of structures, and computer simulations play a crucial role in the quantitative description of these disordered ensembles. “Our goal is really trying to combine simulation and experiments in collaboration with other labs to tease out what are the hidden features of these disordered proteins that are crucial to their function,” Chen said. “Then we can look at how these specific features might be perturbed by disease-related mutations or conditions.”

The next step would be to develop effective strategies for targeting disordered protein states. Toward that end, Chen’s lab will study the molecular basis of how the anti-cancer drug EGCG, an antioxidant found in green-tea extract, and its derivatives interact with the p53 gene, a tumor suppressor and the most important protein involved in cancer.

The key, he explained, is knowing how to design drug molecules to bind well enough to IDPs to achieve a therapeutic effect. Traditional, structure-based drug design strategies are faced with significant challenges, he noted, because IDPs do not contain stable, “druggable” pockets.

“We believe that targeting IDPs requires new strategies that explore the dynamic nature of IDP interactions,” he said. “If we can do this, it could really open up a whole class of drugs that were previously thought impossible.”

Webber & Grinnell Insurance Joins Alera Group

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Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — Webber & Grinnell Insurance announced that it has joined a national network of insurance agencies called the Alera Group.

The Alera Group was formed by 24 agencies similar to Webber & Grinnell in 2017. Since then, it has added many others across the country and is now one of the largest independent insurance agencies in the U.S.

Joining Alera allows Webber & Grinnell to tap into a wealth of best practices and insurance resources, enabling the company to better serve its diverse clientele. Examples include more insurance-carrier choices, the ability to converse with subject-matter experts, and having more resources to help hire and train employees. Joining Alera also provides a perpetuation plan for the agency.

Webber & Grinnell President Bill Grinnell wanted to partner with a firm that believes in keeping services local. “The Alera Group checked all the important boxes for the type of firm we wanted to partner with into the future,” he said, adding that its culture and customer-service model is a mirror of what Webber & Grinnell has been building for many years.

The agency’s staff and their roles are staying exactly the same, so clients will continue being serviced the same way they have been all along. Grinnell will also continue to lead the agency at the local level.

Leadership Pioneer Valley Kicks Off Board-development Program

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Leadership Pioneer Valley will offer programming starting in January focused on leadership and board development for regional nonprofits through its Leaders OnBoard program.

On Wednesday, Jan. 26, Leaders OnBoard will kick off its year of board-development events with “Board Basics,” a free, two-hour training led by Eric Phelps from Rainmaker Consulting that covers topics like what it means to sit on a board, roles and responsibilities, and how to be effective as a board member. To register, e-mail Samantha Rudd at [email protected]. The next “Board Basics” will be offered in March.

Leaders OnBoard will provide several training sessions and events focused on nonprofit board leadership and development throughout the Pioneer Valley this year, including workshops focused on fundraising, diversity, strategic planning, and board matching.

Leaders OnBoard is an ideal way for nonprofits to enhance the knowledge base and skills of their board members, while also offering people who are looking for a way to get involved in their community some training and personal support so they feel confident serving a nonprofit they feel passionate about.

A12-month membership is available for Leaders OnBoard, with a sliding fee scale based on the organization’s budget. Membership includes free tickets and unlimited participation in all program workshops and training sessions, including Peer2Peer Conversations and board-matching opportunities. For full benefits and fees, visit leadershippv.org.

Elms College to Start Spring Semester on Campus

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Daily News

CHICOPEE — To continue to provide a full on-campus living and learning experience for the spring 2022 semester, Elms College announced it will start the spring 2022 semester on Wednesday, Jan. 19 as originally intended, with in-person learning.

“After much deliberation and closely following the guidelines from federal, state, and local health officials, we have decided to start the spring semester on campus with in-person instruction,” Elms College President Harry Dumay said.

In addition, the college will require students, faculty, and staff to have a COVID-19 booster shot by March 1.

“Prior to the start of the fall 2021 semester, we required all students, faculty, and staff to be fully vaccinated, and that decision proved to keep our COVID-19 rates down and help everyone remain safe,” Dumay said. “With the onset of the Omicron variant, we are now requiring everyone to receive a COVID-19 booster shot when they are eligible.”

According to Dumay, many individuals in the Elms campus community have already received their booster shot in an effort to stay healthy and stem the progression of the virus.

For the start of the spring 2022 semester, Elms will continue adherence to the ElmsSafe safety plan, which includes social distancing whenever possible and wearing masks indoors.

Human Service Forum Announces Upcoming Events to Empower Local Nonprofit Leaders

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Daily News

HOLYOKE — The Human Service Forum (HSF), a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Massachusetts public-service leaders, announced two upcoming events to support local nonprofit professionals in building skills and relationships.

On Friday, Jan. 28 from 8 to 10:30 a.m., HSF will host its annual Legislative Reception. With more than 20 local lawmakers confirmed to attend, this event is a chance for public-service leaders to connect and build awareness for the key issues and priorities in the community. The event will be held via Zoom. Click here to register.

Beginning Thursday, Feb. 3, HSF will offer “Supervisory Skills Certificate Series,” an eight-week online training program for public-service professionals who are new to supervising staff. The series, which will be offered virtually, will cover a wide range of supervisory competencies, from multicultural sensitivity to legal issues, cybersecurity, and more. The training is open to all HSF members as well as the general public. Click here to register or learn more.

“Our mission is to support public service and nonprofit leaders, so they have the tools, connections, and resources to excel in their roles, in service to their communities,” said Becca Coolong, executive director of HSF. “When we come together as professionals to learn and grow, we are better equipped to make an impact.”

Former North Adams Mayor Tom Bernard to Lead Berkshire United Way

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Daily News

PITTSFIELD — Tom Bernard, who just wrapped up his last term as mayor of North Adams, has been selected to lead Berkshire United Way (BUW) as the new president and CEO starting Jan. 24.

“I’m thrilled to begin the next chapter of my career as part of the Berkshire United Way team,” Bernard said. “The organization’s mission is clear and critical, and the board, staff, partner agencies, and individuals we serve are laser-focused on building a stronger and more resilient community throughout the Berkshires. Our work has been a cornerstone of supporting individuals and strengthening families for nearly a century, and our role will continue to evolve and our impact magnify as we work together to address the challenges and opportunities ahead of us.”

Bernard earned his bachelor’s degree from Williams College and later his master of public administration degree from Westfield State University. After a decade working in Boston and then as a freelance writer, he began a long career in the nonprofit sector. Bernard first served as development officer at Mass MoCA, followed by nearly 10 years at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts as director of Corporate, Foundation, and Government Relations, then executive assistant to the president, and eventually director of Business Affairs. He was the director of Special Projects at Smith College before becoming mayor in 2018.

“Tom’s proven leadership experience and dedication to the community will serve him well as head of Berkshire United Way,” said Michael Stoddard, chairman of the BUW board. “He has worked with multiple stakeholders, is familiar with federal and state granting agencies and processes, and has experience in community and economic development and strategic planning. His leadership and response to the needs of his constituents during COVID-19 also shows his ability to quickly adapt and address emerging and critical needs. His passion for public service, commitment to being an advocate and voice for change, and willingness to collaborate with others to build a stronger community align with Berkshire United Way’s mission and vision. The staff and board look forward to having him join the team.”