Month: February 2022

This Unique Nonprofit Helps At-risk Youths Find a Way Out of Darkness

Leah Martin Photography

Stefan Davis has a scar on his leg.

The mark was left by his stepfather, who lashed at him with a hook of some sort, as he recalls, tearing at the skin. While Davis remembers that physical attack, one of many he endured, he also never forgot what his stepfather then said — and the emotional trauma it created: “if you ever tell anyone about this … you’ll never say anything to anyone again.”

Actually, Davis has several scars. There’s also one above his right eye from when he was beaten out of the gang he joined — the Bloods. And there’s another one on his right wrist from when things became so dark in his life, he attempted suicide.

“I was done … I was ready to give up,” said Davis, now an educator, football coach, and behavioral interventionist for at-risk students and families at Springfield High School of Science and Technology. “And I show this scar to people who are in darkness and think there is no other way out.”

Davis made it out of his dark place — through the help of others, but mostly his own strong will — and into the light. And today, he helps others bearing different types of scars — everything from homelessness to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, to seemingly insurmountable life challenges — do the same through a nonprofit agency he created called, appropriately enough, I Found Light Against All Odds.

“He always gave me that push that no other teacher would. And he’s been there for hundreds of students. There’s a lot of kids that were in his program who looked at him not as a teacher or as a coach, but as a father figure.”

Its stated mission is to “provide high-risk youth and families with the tools and opportunities to break the cycle of poverty, desperation, and dependence that dominates their lives, enabling them to become contributing members of our society.”

These tools vary, but the most important one is the sheer will and determination it takes to overcome the often very long odds against finding the light. And when you talk to people who have been helped and guided by Davis, or ‘Coach,’ as they all call him, they say he essentially coaxes it out of them, compelling them to find strength and determination they didn’t know they had.

That was certainly the case with Destiny Cortez, who, as she was entering her senior year at Sci-Tech, found out that she was six weeks pregnant. Graduation now became a much steeper climb, she said, but ‘Coach’ helped her find the will to press on and handle all that life was throwing at her.

Stefan Davis is seen here with a group of Sci-Tech students at a recent visit to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.

“He always gave me that push that no other teacher would,” she recalled. “And he’s been there for hundreds of students. There’s a lot of kids that were in his program who looked at him not as a teacher or as a coach, but as a father figure.”

Ethan Deleon, a current student at Sci-Tech, tells a similar story.

“Coach gives you that little sense of hope,” he said, adding that hope is often a missing ingredient in the lives of many young people having trouble seeing the light.

Before he launched the nonprofit agency, Davis created a the aptly named Fresh Start program, which would eventually draw praise from President Obama for its work to help students on the verge of dropping out of school. And he also hosted a show on Focus Springfield Community TV called Against All Odds. The show allowed young people and families to share encounters they had during a time in their lives when they overcame and conquered serious issues. The goal was to inspire others, and Davis and his guests accomplished that with shows on topics ranging from teen fathers to incarceration to bullying.

Desiring to reach, inspire, and help a larger audience, Davis launched I Found Light in 2016. The agency has succeeded in gaining the support — both financially and from a volunteer perspective — from a number of area businesses, including Monson Savings Bank.

MSB President Dan Moriarty said the agency’s mission, to help young people with social, emotional, and economic issues in their lives, resonates with the institution, and fits into its broader strategy for giving back to the community.

“That mission really hits home for us,” he told BusinessWest. “Helping out young people, in general, is important, but also, giving the youths who have a difficult situation an opportunity to overcome that and achieve a capacity to do the best they can — that’s very important to us, and this the difficult and important work that I Found Light Against All Odds is doing.”

Such sentiments certainly help explain why this inspiring, life-changing nonprofit has become a true Difference Maker — for young people, families, and this region.

‘I’m Them’

Before telling the story of I Found Light Against All Odds, one must first tell Davis’s story — and for many reasons,

He is the founder of the nonprofit and its heart and soul. But beyond that, his story echoes that of so many others he has helped over the years, from the perspective of how one can move from the darkness and into the light.

“I’m them,” Davis said, adding that he was the victim of physical and emotional abuse in his youth, and was in the foster-care system for two months before being sent to live with his grandparents in Beacon, N.Y. He developed a passion for football — “I hid the trauma through sports,” he said — and eventually won a full scholarship to play at American International College.

The problem was … he didn’t know exactly where the school was located.

“I was leaning toward Syracuse, and my coach called and said, ‘come on up to Springfield,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘Springfield, Illinois?’ and he said, ‘no, Springfield, Massachusetts.’”

Davis eventually found his way to the campus on State Street, but found his way into trouble as well.

“I lost that structure — for whatever reason, my past caught up to me.”

“I lost that structure — for whatever reason, my past caught up to me,” he told BusinessWest, adding that, while he eventually lost his scholarship, he stayed all four years, with his grandmother paying for his education. He left with 69 credits and, later, an associate degree, but in the meantime, the ‘street,’ as he called it, started taking over his life.

“It was really dark,” he explained. “I didn’t want to go back home to live because I felt that my grandmother raised me — she did her job — and it is was up to me to deal with my life on my own. Which wasn’t good.”

He joined the Bloods, and gang life led to many problems, but he eventually moved on from the gang (with the scar over his eye to prove it) and landed a position with the Westover Job Corps working with young people to help them find employment opportunities, and then with Brightside for Families and Children.

“And that’s where I found myself,” he went on, “because those young kids I saw every day, and the abuse, the trauma … reminded me of myself, and there was a connection. When people couldn’t connect with a child who was highly at-risk, I went in, and there was like something from God — the child just felt safe and started talking about their issues with me.”

Fast-forwarding a little, Davis would eventually land at the Center School, an alternative school for at-risk youths. He became a liaison to public schools, going to a number of different districts to work with students who were losing their way. Later, he coached at Cathedral High School and Western New England University (WNE), while still battling depression and eventually attempting suicide.

He fought his way through those dark times and landed more coaching opportunities, first during a two-year internship with the NFL’s Houston Texans, and then at WNE, before taking a job at Springfield’s Sci-Tech as a paraprofessional and coaching the football team.

He was encouraged to go back to school to get the degree he needed to teach — and he did. And while teaching, he continued his work with at-risk young people, launching Fresh Start, a credit-recovery program that successfully turned around dozens of students who were close to dropping out of school.

“The program was based around at-risk youths who were about to get kicked out of high school. I was their last alternative; if they couldn’t make it with me, they were going to be kicked out of mainstream and put into the alternative school,” said Davis, adding that these were young people involved with gangs who were skipping school, getting into fights, and landing in trouble.

School of Thought

Fresh Start would eventually evolve and expand into I Found Light Against All Odds, which helps today’s young people address social, emotional, and economic issues. The agency acts as a multi-faceted resource, providing information; referrals to partnering agencies such as Mental Health Associates, the Center for Human Development, Unify Against Bullying, and many others; and assistance that comes in many forms, including:

• Individualized trauma-informed care;

• Education counseling and coaching;

• Assistance with employment opportunities;

• Reinforcement of effective daily-living skills;

• Skill development for financial literacy; and

• Creation of a robust ‘transition plan’ for each individual as they move on with the next steps in life.

The agency steps in to help young people and families in all kinds of ways, from scholarships and help finding employment to providing families with turkeys at Thanksgiving and gifts for children — and even Christmas trees — during the holidays.

As she talked about Davis, I Found Light, and how the agency helps those in need, Jenny Lebron, Ethan’s mother, said the agency has helped both her sons find the motivation to move beyond depression and other issues and get to a better place. For her older son, this place was a high-school degree and, now, a solid job as a corrections officer. For Ethan, it was a place where he simply wanted to go to school to do the work needed to graduate.

“He had no motivation left — I couldn’t get him motivated for school, or anything else,” she recalled. “Every time he went to school, his teachers would call; he felt no one understood him, and in his mind, everyone was against him and didn’t understand what he was going through.”

In part because he did know what Ethan was going through, Davis was able to get him motivated.

“He understands my son, and he’s such a big motivation for him,” Lebron said. “Since Coach has been in his life, he talks differently, he acts differently, and he brings everything that Coach tells him and teaches to others.”

Stefan Davis is seen with recent Sci-Tech graduates Cassandra Rivera, left, and Destiny Cortez.

An emerging next chapter for the agency is the I Found Light Against All Odds Lighthouse project, which will support homeless girls in the region. The goal is to create a transitional home for such girls, while also providing a variety of resources to the residents and assisting in the development of self-sufficiency and independent living, said Davis, adding that there is a story behind Lighthouse — or a story that inspired it, to be more precise.

It’s about a girl he identified only as ‘Faith.’

“She was homeless … a beautiful young girl,” said Davis, pointing her out in a photograph of several young girls on display in his office. “She was living in the port-a-potties at Blunt Park — she was homeless for a year and a half. There’s a Dunkin’ Donuts near Sci-Tech … Faith would crawl in the dumpster there to eat.”

Unfortunately, there are more people like Faith in Springfield and other are communities than most people can imagine, he said, adding that there is a real need for a facility where they can not only live, but get the many other types of support they need.

“There’s another type of pandemic that’s going on right now, and that involves homeless teen girls,” Davis said. “And I wanted to be a beacon, or a voice, for those girls, and give them an opportunity to find their potential in themselves, and not worry about whether they’re going to be able to eat tomorrow. I want to be able to give them a home where they’ll have the proper tools to become successful young women. And that’s what the Lighthouse will do for these young women.”

Plans for the Lighthouse are in the formative stage, he said, adding that I Found Light is looking to partner with other agencies to identify potential participants in the program and with area businesses to secure a site and finance the initiative.

Overall, he said his goal is to continually grow I Found Light and expand both its mission and impact across the region — because there are many now in the dark and looking for a way to bring some light into their lives.

Shedding Some Light

Davis, both while while speaking to large audiences during motivational talks or conversing with students one-on-one, will talk about the scar on his leg. All of his scars, actually.

He does so to drive home the point that most young people, and especially those who are at risk, have scars themselves, whether they are visible or not.

Such scars are permanent, he stressed, but they can be overcome. He’s living proof of that, and through I Found Light Against All Odds, he has created considerably more proof.

Overcoming challenge, especially in the form of physical and emotional trauma, is never easy, Davis said in conclusion, and no one can really do it alone. A strong, reliable support system is needed, and I Found Light has become one.

And that’s why it is a Difference Maker.

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

Ted Hebert, Founder and Owner, Teddy Bear Pools and Spas

By Contributor February 17, 2022

He’s Always Made a Difference, but Not a Very Big Splash

By Mark Morris

Leah Martin Photography

When discussing his favorite movies, Ted Hebert includes the Frank Capra classic and holiday tradition It’s a Wonderful Life.

He says he’s always been inspired the movie’s message about how one person’s life can impact so many others — and he sees a little (or maybe more than a little) of himself in the film’s main character, George Bailey. Indeed, their lives took some similar paths, as we’ll see.

Like Bailey, Hebert — the founder and president of Teddy Bear Pools — has spent his life serving his community and being a Difference Maker for thousands of his neighbors.

Hebert’s office is located above the Teddy Bear Pools and Spas store in Chicopee. Recognition plaques, thank-you notes, and photos cover nearly every inch of every wall in the area leading to his office, where those walls are covered, too.

It’s not unusual for community leaders to devote all or most of their philanthropic efforts to one specific cause or organization. Hebert does not have one favorite, saying “I love all the causes we’ve supported.” Indeed, the walls are lined with dozens of plaques recognizing years of support for the Children’s Miracle Network, the Jimmy Fund, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and several animal-welfare groups.

“As human beings, I feel we have a responsibility and an obligation to take care of our furry friends,” Hebert said, noting that his efforts on behalf of animals have included support of and involvement with agencies ranging from the MSPCA to the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center to the Zoo in Forest Park, which he serves as a board member, an invitation he accepted as a tribute to his mother.

“My mom grew up in the Great Depression, and to earn money for the family, she would babysit neighborhood kids and bring them to Forest Park,” he recalled. “When I was young, she brought me to the zoo, so I have those special memories as well.”

Hebert’s position on the Forest Park Zoo board goes well beyond sitting around a conference table. On the day he spoke with BusinessWest, the zoo had enlisted his help to repair the metal bucket on its Bobcat tractor. Just before this interview commenced, Hebert was making calls to enlist Tom O’Sullivan, a welder friend, to take on the job. When the repair to the bucket was successful, Hebert contacted Bernie Croteau, another friend, and arranged to put four new tires on the tractor.

“I’m blessed to be part of a circle of friends who are good people and whom I respect,” Hebert said. “It’s not about me; they simply helped solve a problem for the zoo. It’s all about helping people.”

For all the high-profile and public contributions that Hebert makes in the community, there are just as many that are, like that fixing of the tractor at the zoo, efforts that are out of the spotlight but critically important to those involved.

“I always share with the audience that I used to stutter and that I still battle insecurity and low self-esteem. All of a sudden, people connect with you because many of them are facing similar struggles.”

When Hebert takes part in community activities, he is often accompanied by his wife, Barbara, who also does a great deal of work in the community. For many years, the couple volunteered to deliver Thanksgiving meals at a senior center in West Springfield.

Rather than just dropping off the food and moving on to the next apartment, the Heberts would introduce themselves, start up a conversation, and spend time with each resident. That extra attention became something the residents looked forward to every year, and they would remark on how the couple made Thanksgiving special for them. Hebert said he and Barbara enjoyed the visits as much as, if not more than, the seniors.

Ted and Barbara Hebert

“What does it cost to give your time?” he asked, adding that he’s spent a lifetime finding ways to give back that go above and beyond writing checks — although he’s done a lot of that, too.

For all these efforts, and for the way he has inspired others to follow his lead, Hebert has certainly earned his place in BusinessWest’s Difference Makers class of 2022.

Diving Right In

While many residents know that Hebert started Teddy Bear Pools from his parents’ carport and built it into a hugely successful business, fewer know the insecure kid with the stutter.

Hebert described himself as someone with low self-esteem who felt good only when he was working.

“Whether it was mowing lawns, washing cars, or doing my paper route, having a job made me feel better about myself,” he said. “I liked the feeling, so I kept trying hard to challenge myself. I still do that to this day.”

Hebert’s “first real job” came at age 14 as a busboy at the Hu Ke Lau restaurant after he told the owners he was 16. “They didn’t question my age because my friend worked there.”

In his early 20s, Hebert signed up for karate lessons, which provided another big boost to his self-esteem and self-confidence. All these experiences contributed to gradually overcoming his stutter.

A lifelong car aficionado, Hebert joined a local Corvette club and found himself voted in as the youngest president of the group. One time, at a gathering of Corvette clubs in Vermont, he found his voice.

Clubs from around the Northeast had come to Thunder Mountain racetrack for the event. When announcements were taking place, Hebert wasn’t pleased with the way they were handled and decided that, since he was a good ad-libber, he would take on the emcee role.

“Sure, we’ve had our challenges, but it’s like being in a boxing ring. You take your punches, you get knocked down, and then you get back up.”

“I felt comfortable because these were all racing people just like me,” he recalled. “When I finished, it suddenly hit me — ‘oh my God, I was speaking in front of all these people.’”

Now a confident speaker in demand at settings ranging from swimming-pool industry conferences to local schools, Hebert said his goal in speaking is not to motivate, necessarily, but to inspire others to succeed in their lives.

“I always share with the audience that I used to stutter and that I still battle insecurity and low self-esteem,” he told BusinessWest. “All of a sudden, people connect with you because many of them are facing similar struggles.”

During his college years, Hebert spent his summers as a subcontractor working day and night on installing swimming pools — he literally worked at night with spotlights to finish some installations. It’s hard to believe now, but Hebert’s career in swimming pools almost didn’t happen.

After attending Holyoke Community College (where he is currently a trustee), then Springfield Technical Community College, Hebert completed his degree at Worcester State College, and then committed himself (sort of) to continuing a family legacy; 11 generations of Heberts, before his father, were doctors.

Ted had studied pre-med and had above-average scores on his medical boards. He applied to 15 medical schools and received 14 rejections. The University of Southern California extended an invitation only after another candidate dropped out. But Hebert had conflicted emotions about leaving for Los Angeles.

“I had started a little business, I had a girlfriend, and I had planned to travel the country,” he said. The decision became clearer one day, while working at a friend’s house, when he received a call that his mother had been taken to the hospital with an aneurysm.

“I never left, and I have no regrets,” he said.

Like George Bailey, Hebert put off his dreams of traveling to take care of family matters. As his business outgrew the carport, Hebert rented space in a former car wash on Memorial Avenue in Chicopee. When the owner was foreclosed upon, Hebert then bought a vacant building on East Street that once housed a Studebaker dealership back in the 1940s. Today, customers from all over Western Mass., as well as parts of Connecticut and Vermont, know the East Street location as Teddy Bear Pools and Spas.

Since the pandemic hit, homeowners have invested much more in their backyards, which often means adding a swimming pool or hot tub. Business at Teddy Bear has skyrocketed with Hebert’s main challenges, which involve a lack of products due to supply issues and finding installers for all the orders when they arrive.

Though his business is booming, Hebert is quick to empathize with the many businesses that have struggled to survive in the COVID era. “We’ve been blessed to be buried with business,” he said.

It’s easy to look at Hebert’s success today without appreciating the many challenges he faced along the way. Most notably, back in the 1980s, several employees embezzled more than $1 million dollars from the business in two separate incidents. Experiences like this can leave a person cold and cynical, but not Hebert.

“Sure, we’ve had our challenges, but it’s like being in a boxing ring. You take your punches, you get knocked down, and then you get back up.”

For Hebert, it all starts with a belief that, if you have faith, then you can find hope. “I don’t necessarily mean religious faith, but a belief that there is something bigger than us.”

He called being chosen as a Difference Maker one of the more important honors he has received.

“In some ways, Difference Makers brings together all the community efforts Barbara and I have been involved in,” he said. “As much as we appreciate it, we don’t do this for recognition, but because we feel it’s our responsibility as people in our community.”

The Deep End

Among the inspirational sayings posted in Hebert’s office is one that reads: “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

From the busboy who battled his stutter to the successful businessperson and community leader, Ted Hebert exemplifies the ability to make a new ending and reflects the spirit of a Difference Maker.

“I know it’s a cliché,” he said, “but I believe, as long as you are a good person and treat others like you want to be treated, how can you go wrong?”

Yes, he does sound a whole lot like George Bailey. And he has had a wonderful life.

Roca Holyoke and Springfield

This Unique Program Proves That Meaningful, Lasting Change is Possible

When BusinessWest first caught up with Trevor Gayle in the winter of 2015, he was a relatively new employee of Chase Management in Springfield.

A recent ‘graduate’ of the Roca program, which helps high-risk individuals — those who have been incarcerated, are in gangs, have substance-abuse issues, or have dropped out of school — Gayle was handling a wide range of duties for Chase, a property-management firm, from painting to snow removal to apartment-turnover work.

He was also learning what it took to be a good employee and putting to work lessons learned while in Roca that would help him keep his past — he spent six months in jail for sitting in the seat next to a friend who shot and wounded an individual as he approached their vehicle — from becoming his future.

Today, he is superintendent of a huge — as in 447-unit — apartment complex in Groton, Conn., and has several people working under his supervision.

As he reflects on his Roca experience and how it helped him get from where he was — behind bars — to where he is today, he said simply, “I learned how to be my own leader.”

Not all Roca stories have such positive trend lines, but many of them do. And it is transformations like this that Molly Baldwin had in mind when she started Roca in Chelsea in 1988 to help transform the lives of young, at-risk men. The concept, as summed up in the marketing slogan “less jail time, more future,” is simple — use street outreach, data-driven case management, stage-based education, and employment training to reduce individuals’ involvement in crime, keep them out of jail, and help them get jobs — and perhaps a career.

In recent years, the program has been expanded to include young mothers facing challenges ranging from a lack of education and work experience to gang involvement, drug and alcohol use, violence, abuse, trauma, and more. And the goals for this constituency are the same — to help participants heal from their hurt and anger and gain the tools needed to achieve success later on.

“Our mothers’ program is really about parenting,” said Christine Judd, the indefatigable director of Roca’s programs in Springfield and Holyoke. “It’s helping them be better parents. It’s helping them overcome substance abuse. Many of them are victims of domestic violence, and some are victims of sexual violence. These are trauma-based services aimed at making them better parents.”

Roca’s official mission is to “disrupt the cycle of incarceration and poverty by helping people transform their lives,” Judd said. And it does this through an intense, three- or four-year intervention model (more on it later) that, at its core, recognizes that meaningful, lasting change does not happen overnight.

Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni says Roca works to help people “disentangle” themselves from the trauma in their lives.

And it also does it through partnerships — with constituencies ranging from law-enforcement officials to private business owners and managers who employ participants — that essentially involve the entire community in the work to keep young people on a path to success.

Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni is one of those partners. Over the years, and especially through a new program he created, the Emerging Adult Court of Hope (EACH), he has helped many at-risk young people find the Roca program.

And what they find, he said, is a support system like none other in this region, one committed to helping them traverse the whitewater in their lives and get on a course that enables them to be productive members of society.

“Our young people, and the young people in EACH in particular, have had so many disadvantages and so many hurdles put in front of them, from day one — lack of parenting, lack of mentorship, lack of positive role models, lack of opportunity — just tough environments,” Gulluni explained. “They’ve suffered so much trauma, and that’s stuff that lives with people. And Roca works to disentangle that and works to support these young people and help them see better things and do better things.”

As noted, a number of area employers have also become partners with Roca, providing employment opportunities to participants. Several area companies, large and small, have hired graduates or have plans to do so. They include manufacturers such as Meredith Springfield in Ludlow, maker of plastic products, and McKenzie Vault in East Longmeadow, which produces cremation urns; distributors such as J. Polep in Chicopee; landscaping firms; municipal public-works departments; and Baystate Health, which expects to soon have some graduates of the program for young mothers working in its Hospitality Department.

AnnaMarie Golden, director of Community Relations at Baystate Health, said the system was already a partner with Roca, with members of its trauma and social-work teams meeting with participants, including those in the young mothers’ program. Through that involvement, the system became aware of another need — for employment opportunities for these women.

“One of the entry doors at Baystate is our Hospitality department — food services and guest services,” she explained. “Our goal is to have them get their foot in the door at Baystate, but the ultimate goal is to have them think about what the next steps might be and consider career steps within the organization if there is interest to stay in the healthcare field.”

Trevor Gayle says Roca has helped him put his past — and the streets — behind him.

It is sentiments like these that certainly help explain why Roca is worthy of that designation Difference Maker. It is making a huge difference in the lives of participants in its programs, and a huge difference in this region as well.

Change Agents

Judd told BusinessWest that, while words can be used to sum up Roca’s mission and its importance to the region, numbers tell the story effectively as well. And she has plenty of them at the ready. Here are some, courtesy of a recent study involving participants:

• While more than 85% of Roca’s young men come to the agency with a violent record, four out of five stop engaging in violent crime;

• Only 33% of Roca’s young men who served from 2012 to 2019 recidivated within three years, compared to the state’s recidivism rate of 47% to 56%;

• 54% who practiced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) made measurable emotional-regulation gains;

• 74% who completed the first two years were placed in jobs, and 71% held their job for six months or longer; and

• 95% who completed the first two years were not reincarcerated.

As for the programming involving young mothers:

• 52% of open child-welfare (MA-DCF) cases closed;

• 85% demonstrated workforce-readiness gains;

• 74% who completed the first two years placed in outside jobs; and

• In Springfield, between 2010 and 2020, the program served 761 participants and boasts a 78% employment-placement rate; 82 of participants retained employment for three months or longer, 74% had no new arrests, and 88% had no new incarcerations.

Together, these numbers back up what Gulluni, Golden, Judd, and others said about Roca’s ability to make all-important change possible for its participants.

It does this, Judd said, through an intervention model that is rooted in evidence-based practices of community corrections, deep studies of behavior-change models (stages of change and CBT, among others), brain development, and three decades of critical data collection and on-the-ground work with young people.

“They’ve suffered so much trauma, and that’s stuff that lives with people. And Roca works to disentangle that and works to support these young people and help them see better things and do better things.”

The model, she explained, has five core components: relentless outreach, transformational relationships, tailored programming designed to withstand relapse and the comings and goings of young people in traditional learning or work environments, an engaged-institutions strategy to support young people and help them move out of the criminal-justice system, and performance-based management.

One of the keys to the program, Judd said, is that cognitive behavioral theory, which she described as a way to understand how situations affect what people think and say in their heads, what they feel in their bodies, and what they do in response. Practicing CBT helps individuals identify a cycle, stop, use a skill, and make a choice instead of reacting.

Gayle credited CBT with helping him put street reflexes to situations — those that often lead to violence and incarceration — behind him, to be replaced by more measured, reasoned responses. And he continues to practice CBT in his current position in Connecticut.

Finding Hope

Perhaps the best way to fully appreciate how Roca is changing lives is to talk with current participants in the program.

People like Tyreice Harper, 25, from Springfield.

He’s actually in his second stint with Roca. The first came when he was 17, and he admits that he just wasn’t ready for the regimen and the “environment” at the time, and wound up reverting back to a life that landed him in several different Department of Youth Services (DYS) facilities across the region.

“I was locked up … for armed robbery,” he said, adding that, after a three-and-a-half-year stint at the state’s maximum-security prison in Shirley, he was ready to give Roca another try, especially after conversations with ‘lifers’ at the ‘max’ — those who would never be going home — left him yearning for another chance.

“My whole mindset is that I’m not a child anymore, so I want to do better, not just for myself, but for the community and for my child,” he told BusinessWest. He’s now part of a work crew at Roca, handling snow removal and other odd jobs, while also working toward his high-school equivalency.

When asked where he can see himself in a few years, he paused and eventually said, “maybe buying a home and working a real good job,” in a voice that revealed that he knows there’s plenty of hard work ahead to achieve those goals.

And he believes the intervention model at Roca can help him get where he wants to go.

“Roca helps us young men after incarceration to not only get back on our feet, but to keep out of trouble by having work programs and having work crews for us to go on,” he said, adding that there are layers of accountability he has never encountered before, and they are helping him to remain focused.

Mabbie Paplardo agreed. She’s a young mother, age 17, from Holyoke, who found out about Roca from some friends already in the program. She said her advisor helps her with everything from getting her to driving lessons to studying for her HiSET test, or simply to get to the store for formula or diapers.

“There really isn’t a program like this,” she said. “I’ve been in a lot of programs that say they’re going to help, but they really don’t; Roca is different — it’s a support network that is helping me be a much better parent.”

One of the keys to creating real, lasting change for people like Paplardo and Harper is securing employment opportunities, said Judd, adding that the Roca offices in Springfield and Holyoke work with a number of area employers to create such opportunities, and anticipate working with more as the workforce crisis in the region continues.

Many of them, like J. Polep in Chicopee and Meredith Springfield, have hired several Roca participants over the years and have had good success, in part because the program strives to prepare these people for the world of work, stressing the importance of both hard and soft skills, starting with showing up on time, ready to work.

Evelyn Arroyo, a recruitment and retention specialist at Meredith Springfield, agreed. She said the company currently has two Roca graduates currently working as inspector/packers.

“What I like about Roca is that it’s there to not only advocate for these men, but to support them and prepare them for the workforce,” she explained. “They prepare them for what to expect in an interview and what do expect on the job. And, for the most part, those they refer to us are better-prepared than other individuals.”

Golden agreed. “Roca has an approach like no other,” she told BusinessWest. “It works to set up the participants for success long-term.”

Taking the Lead

Summing up Roca and its impact within the region, Gulluni said it is meeting a critical need at a critical time.

“We have a young population, young adults and juveniles in this region that need a lot of help,” he noted. “And we are not going to incarcerate our way out of the problems we have in cities like Springfield, Holyoke, and elsewhere. We need organizations and leaders to think creatively and put forth the effort and work to help young people find themselves through so many challenges.”

Roca is an organization that has become a leader in these ongoing efforts to provide that needed help. The numbers listed above regarding everything from recidivism to job placement show that Roca is clearly making a difference.

But it’s stories like Trevor Gayle’s that rise above the statistics. As he said, the program has gone beyond keeping him out of trouble and in a good job. It has shown him how to be his own leader, and as a result, he has been able to change his life in profound ways.

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

Ruth Griggs, President, Northampton Jazz Festival; Principal, RC Communications

By Joseph Bednar February 17, 2022

By Reviving a Beloved Event, She’s Creating a More Vibrant Downtown

Leah Martin Photography

Ruth Griggs was having coffee with Amy Cahillane one day in 2017, when Cahillane, who had recently taken charge of the Downtown Northampton Assoc., posed a question.

“She said, ‘what do you think about the Jazz Festival?” Griggs recalled. “I said, ‘what do you mean?’”

Cahillane told Griggs that, in her interactions with people downtown, she kept getting asked questions like, “can we have the Jazz Festival back? We miss live music downtown. What happened to the festival? Can you get it back?”

Griggs had been involved in the first incarnation of the Northampton Jazz Festival, from 2011 to 2015, after returning to her hometown following a three-decade marketing career in New York City. “I went to the shows, and once they got to know I was a marketing professional, I kind of was an advisor to them. I was never on the board, but I was definitely an advisor and helped them out quite a bit, the last two years in particular.”

Then the festival went away for two years, and Cahillane was angling to get Griggs and others who had supported it in the past to bring it back to life, promising to help build stronger relationships between the festival and city leaders and boost marketing and fundraising efforts.

“Having a strong presence downtown and good relationships downtown was really important to me, and I also know all the jazz people who knew how to put on that festival, some of whom had been involved in previous festivals,” Griggs said. “So I set to work to rally some support.”

The biggest challenge at the time, she said, was not losing the event’s 501(c)(3) status, which had been achieved right before the final festival in 2015. “If you let a 501(c)(3) go without any kind of documentation to the feds or the state for three years, it’s gone. And I could not let that happen.”

So Griggs and others formed a board, pulled the festival back from the brink, and started planning for the return of the event in 2018. Oh, and that board put Griggs in charge.

“I really care about the vitality and the economy of Northampton. I’m hoping the Northampton Jazz Festival will continue to reaffirm and reinforce the unique entertainment value that Northampton offers.”

It made sense — since returning from New York in 2011, she had built a marketing firm, RC Communications, that focused on small to mid-sized businesses and especially nonprofits, which are, in many ways, the lifeblood of the region. She has also been a board member with the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for the past six years and is currently its immediate past vice president.

“I am a marketing strategist by trade, and, as such, I am good at seeing the big picture, keeping my eye on the vision and mission of an organization,” Griggs told BusinessWest. “When you combine that with my work in nonprofits over the last 15 years, that adds up to the type of experience that enables me to lead a nonprofit, which, of course, is what the Jazz Fest is at the end of the day.”

Her leadership in the chamber and her role as an entrepreneur with RC Communications have helped her build a wide network in the business community, she added.

Ruth Griggs announces from the stage of the Academy of Music in Northampton during the headline Jazz Festival concert last October.
Photo by Julian Parker-Burns

“I also just have a knack for getting things done; I am a doer,” she went on. “Fundraising for the Jazz Fest, which is a big part of what I do, benefits from these relationships. As president of the board, I oversee all operations of the festival and keep everyone’s eye on the ball, but I have a particular focus on marketing and fundraising and community relations, with the help of Amy Cahillane.”

Within that model, she leaves the choosing and booking of the musicians and the running of the performances to five producers who serve on the board. And the model works, with the two-day October festival roaring back to life in 2018 and following that with successful outings in 2019 and 2021 as well; pandemic-disrupted 2020 saw a series of virtual performances instead.

But that success isn’t contained to the festival, or even to jazz lovers. As a two-day event held in locations scattered throughout the downtown (more on that in a bit), the event promotes the downtown corridor and boosts its businesses, making the festival’s success a true economic-development story, and Griggs a Difference Maker.

“I really care about the vitality and the economy of Northampton,” she said. “I’m hoping the Northampton Jazz Festival will continue to reaffirm and reinforce the unique entertainment value that Northampton offers.”

Taking It to the Streets

One key factor in the festival’s growing impact on downtown Northampton is a change in how it’s staged. From 2011 to 2015, it was presented in the Armory Street Parking Lot behind Thornes Marketplace. Along with the music stage was a beer tent, food vendors, a chef competition, and an art fair. It was a fun, multi-activity event, and attendees enjoyed it, Griggs said.

“What I felt was lacking was, if you were on Main Street, you had no idea anything was going on,” she explained. “It was tucked behind Thornes. It was efficient in that everything took place in one place, but there wasn’t a lot of space for an audience.”

Then, Cahillane and board member Paul Arslanian both came up with the same idea independently for the 2018 festival.

“In order to keep the cost down, which had gotten very high, and to be more all around town, they said, ‘let’s stage it in different places,’” Griggs said of the decision to schedule music acts inside downtown businesses, requiring attendees to move around to see them all.

The Art Blakey Centennial Celebration last October featured five original Jazz Messengers, including Robin Eubanks on trombone, Brian Lynch on trumpet, and Bobby Watson on saxophone.
Photo by Julian Parker-Burns

“The idea was to get people to walk from place to place and stop in at a gallery or stop in at a restaurant or stop in at a café, and we would leave time in between shows so people could do that,” she explained. “Half the mission is supporting the economy of Northampton and bringing vibrancy back, which is what people said they wanted.”

Saturday’s slate of performances ends with the only ticketed show of the festival, a nationally known headliner at the Academy of Music. In recent years, that show has featured the Paquito D’Rivera Quintet in 2018, the Kurt Elling Quintet in 2019, and the Art Blakey Centennial Celebration in 2021, featuring five original members of Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.

The model has worked well, Griggs said, although the board has talked about streamlining it by bringing the venues closer together. One thing that won’t change, however, is the Friday Jazz Strut, which features local and regional bands, including student bands, and overlapping performance schedules.

“We stage the music a half-hour apart, and every band plays for two hours,” she noted. “That definitely gets people all over town, patronizing the restaurants and breweries and cafés. And that’s important.”

Speaking of students, the festival board also supports jazz education through a program called Jazz Artists in the Schools, in which Arslanian secures jazz artists from big cities across the Northeast to workshop with local high-school jazz bands.

“It’s an incredible opportunity for students to learn from musicians who make music, who have successfully made music their life — active, performing musicians,” Griggs said.

While “the board is the Jazz Festival,” she said, noting that it’s certainly a working board with year-round responsibilities, the festival itself also pulls in dozens of young volunteers each year, and she’s been moved by the sentiments they’ve expressed.

Cocomama performs at Pulaski Park in Northampton in October, one of many female-fronted acts who played last year’s Jazz Festival.

“One said, ‘I’ll do whatever you need me to do. I’ll be a runner, whatever you need for this to run smoothly; this is important,’” she recalled. A woman who had recently moved from Brooklyn said, “when I found out that Northampton has a jazz festival, I thought, ‘wow, this is a cool down, I want to live here, this is really cool.’

“That’s important for me to hear,” Griggs noted, adding that one vocalist who took part in the Jazz Strut clamored for more involvement and is now serving on the board.

“That’s critically important to me,” she went on. “I want this to last. I’ve been at this now since 2017, and I’ll be darned if, when I step down, it dies. That cannot happen. I would feel I failed if that happened. It’s critically important. So we need to keep bringing in the younger players and the younger musicians and the younger people who really care about keeping it alive. I think the Jazz Festival is now, and will be, an important feather in Northampton’s cap.”

Community Focused

Another volunteer and musician noted the 2021 festival’s increased slate of women performers, telling Griggs that was a definite plus for such an event in Northampton. She was impressed by young jazz enthusiasts pointing that fact out. “The goal is to continue to showcase women in jazz.”

Griggs has certainly shone over the years as a woman in marketing. As noted, she worked in New York City for 30 years, marketing for dot-com firms, mutual funds, and large corporations like American Express and Coca-Cola. She and her husband actually owned a firm for eight of those years, doing mostly financial-services marketing.

“That was lucrative, but totally intangible,” she said. “I got so tired of marketing credit cards and things like that.”

Then, while taking her teenage sons on college tours, she fell in love with higher education and the idea of “marketing people.” So she segued into higher-ed marketing for Queensboro Community College in the city.

“It totally changed my life. I felt like I got a crash course in nonprofit marketing and fundraising, because I reported to Development.”

When she returned to Northampton in 2011, she carried that experience with her into her new firm, RC Communications, working with a host of nonprofits in the Valley. She was also part of the Creative, a marketing enterprise she formed with Janice Beetle and Maureen Scanlon.

“But I was getting so involved in the chamber and the Jazz Festival, I felt like I needed to pull back and be semi-retired,” she told BusinessWest. While she still works with a few long-time clients, the rest of her time is split between the Jazz Festival, the chamber, her role chairing the investment committee at Edwards Church, and also Valley Jazz Voices, a group, formed in 2015, of 30 vocalists who sing exclusively jazz throughout region. “I just have so many initiatives I’m doing in the community, I just feel fortunate that I can spend more time doing them.”

She sees a symbiosis in these roles, just as she does between the Jazz Festival and the downtown environment it lifts up, and gets a lift from in return.

“The relationships I’ve made in the chamber are helpful to my business, and also helpful to the Jazz Festival, which is, in turn, helpful to the town. It’s a complete full circle.”

And a full life, one with the controlled, yet exciting, rhythm of a jazz performance — a life of true impact, note by note.

“I feel like I’m making a difference that people see most visibly — in the Jazz Fest — because of all the other things I do,” Griggs said. “It’s all of those things that I think make a difference together.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

John Greaney, Retired Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice; Senior Counsel, Bulkley Richardson

His Decisions, and His Actions, Have Helped Move Society Forward

Leah Martin Photography

It wasn’t the most compelling moment in John Greaney’s long and distinguished career behind the bench. And it certainly wasn’t the most controversial.

But it was poignant, and it spoke volumes about who he is and how he does things.

As the opposing sides in a bitter power struggle for control of the Boston Red Sox gathered in Room 1006 of the Massachusetts Court of Appeals on Feb. 14, 1984, Greaney, the recently appointed chief justice of the Appellate Division, and his fellow justices could feel the tension rising.

“We had practically every major lawyer in Boston there either observing or arguing,” Greaney, currently senior counsel at Bulkley Richardson, recalled. “[Justice] Ami Cutter, who was sitting next to me, said, as the whole thing ended, ‘this was very tense; can you say something?’”

He did. Speaking specifically to the lawyer in front of him, but also all those present, he said, “it may take into the baseball season before a decision is rendered, so I Ieave you with this thought. I urge all of the disputing parties in the meantime to at least get together to do something about the pitching.”

The next day’s story on the court session in the sports section of the Boston Globe carried this headline:

May They Please the Court

Judge Offers Red Sox Litigants Advice on Pitching as Appeals Are Heard

The episode also found its way into Sports Illustrated, said Greaney, who said that, while his tongue may have been in cheek, he was speaking for all Sox fans thirsty for a pennant, and with a sense of humor that became a trademark.

Indeed, whether it was while he sat on the state Supreme Judicial Court — his next stop after the Appeals Court — or at the table for a meeting of the Noble Hospital board of directors, Greaney usually had a one-liner (or three or four) and a way of relieving tension in whatever courtroom he was serving in. And that’s just one of his many talents.

Only a small percentage of lawyers enter the profession with the hard goal of one day sitting on the bench, but Greaney did. He said he was influenced in a profound way by his experience serving working for Westfield District Court Judge Arthur Garvey the summer after his first year at New York University School of Law.

“I was basically just hanging around, observing the court,” he recalled. “So every morning, I sat and observed the court, and I was bewitched because he seemed to handle the cases that would come in — driving while intoxicated, small burglaries, those kinds of things — with relative ease. And he had a good demeanor about giving defendants a break; usually, if they had a job and had a family, he didn’t want to incarcerate them, so he’d give them warnings, tell them to behave, and maybe give them probation.

“I said ‘jeez, he’s certainly doing something worthwhile here,” he went on, adding that he went back to law school in the fall committed to finding a career path that would enable him to do the same.

And to say that he did would be an understatement. After serving in the military and then working for a decade at the law firm Ely and King in Springfield, Greaney was appointed the presiding judge of the Hampden County Housing Court, the second such court in Massachusetts. In 1976, the was appointed a justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court; in 1978, he was appointed a justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court; and in 1984, as noted, as that court’s chief justice.

“He had a good demeanor about giving defendants a break; usually, if they had a job and had a family, he didn’t want to incarcerate them … I said, ‘jeez, he’s certainly doing something worthwhile here.’”

In 1989, he was appointed to the Supreme Judicial Court, and during his two decades on the court, during which he famously rode a Peter Pan Bus to work most days so he could work during his commute, he participated in many significant decisions, including the landmark Goodridge v. Department of Health, in which he wrote the concurrence to the opinion establishing Massachusetts as the first state to legalize same-sex marriage (more on that later).

He also wrote many other significant decisions, including the 1993 decision that recognized the rights of gay couples in Massachusetts to adopt children, a 1997 decision affirming the unconstitutionality of a statute prohibiting panhandling, and a 2007 decision upholding a $2 million libel verdict against the Boston Herald.

Slicing through all those cases and work on each of those courts, Greaney said he remembered what he learned back in Westfield District Court in the early ’60s and tried to make the same overall kind of impact on people’s lives.

Daniel Finnegan, managing partner for Bulkley Richardson, who nominated Greaney for the Difference Maker award, summed up Greaney’s career, and his broad impact, this way:

“Throughout each phase of his career, Justice Greaney has earned tremendous respect for his intellect, professional integrity, and commitment to the community. He has demonstrated compassion and understanding as an advocate to so many in need of a voice, influenced our societal values and ways of thinking, and continues to be a valuable mentor, sharing wisdom and insight deemed from his impressive career. Greaney has proven that he is a trailblazer, an agent of social change, and a true difference maker.”

Court of Opinion

Long before imploring those fighting for control of the Red Sox to get some pitching help, Greaney was making his mark in a different kind of setting.

That would be this region’s housing court, an assignment that would in many ways set the tone for all that would come later.

Indeed, Greaney would essentially create the Housing Court from scratch, making it into what he called a true ‘Peoples Court,’ with the help of an advisory committee that included another member of this year’s Difference Makers class, Herbie Flores (see story on page 30).

“People who came in were not going to be intimidated, if we could help it,” he recalled. “We were going to design simple, plain-English forms to be used in evictions and other actions, and we were going to print them in two languages, Spanish and English, and we were going to allow people to be pro se as much as we could. And I decided in Small Claims that I would write a decision in every case.

“I then took the court on the road, which was unheard of at the time,” he went on, adding that he had sessions in public buildings, such as city halls, schools, and other facilities, to make the court more accessible. Its home base, though, was the courthouse in Springfield, which had no room at the time, he recalled, noting that a small courtroom was eventually secured, and for a clerk’s office, “a janitor was kicked out, and we took that space — but it was a heck of a fight.”

As noted, that Housing Court assignment would enable Greaney to make his mark and forge a reputation as an imaginative, hard-working, people-oriented jurist. And these were some of the qualities that caught the attention of Mike Dukakis, who would play a huge role in his career trajectory.

The two first met when Dukakis was running for lieutenant governor and Greaney, long active with the state’s Democratic party, was a state delegate. Greaney backed Dukakis in that election, and he won the nomination, but the Democratic ticket lost the election. Two years later, Dukakis ran for governor and won, and not long after appointed Greaney to the state’s Superior Court. Later, he would appoint him to the Appeals Court, where he later became chief justice.

“Then he lost the next election to Ed King, and I thought, ‘that’s the end of that,’ Greaney recalled. “But he was back four years later, and he later appointed me to the Supreme Judicial Court, so I owe a lot to Mike.”

Looking back on his career and his legacy, Greaney said he carried on in the spirit of Judge Garrity, and with the same philosophy that defined his work when building the Housing Court.

“Simple principles of decency dictate that we extend to the plaintiffs, and to their new status, full acceptance, tolerance, and respect. We should do so because it is the right thing to do.”

“I was motivated by helping the little guy and helping society move forward, and the SJC gave me a great opportunity to do that,” he said, referring to several of those groundbreaking cases he heard and helped decide.

One was the 1993 decision that recognized the rights of same-sex couples to adopt children, and another was the historic Goodwin v. Department of Public Health case that led to Massachusetts becoming the first U.S. state to allow same-sex couples to marry, a ruling that has influenced many other states that have followed suit and the U.S. Supreme Court as well.

The wording used in his concurring opinion has not only brought tears to the eyes of many gay-rights activists, but they have reportedly found their way into the wedding vows used by many same-sex couples:

“I am hopeful that our decision will be accepted by those thoughtful citizens who believe that same-sex unions should not be approved by the state,” he wrote. “I am not referring here to acceptance in the sense of grudging acknowledgment of the court’s authority to adjudicate the matter. My hope is more liberating … we share a common humanity and participate together in the social contract that is the foundation of our Commonwealth. Simple principles of decency dictate that we extend to the plaintiffs, and to their new status, full acceptance, tolerance, and respect. We should do so because it is the right thing to do.”

Throughout his career, Greaney has demonstrated the right thing to do, whether it was on the bench or in service to the community — on the board of Noble Hospital and the Westfield Academy or while serving on commissions such as the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Task Force, and the Massachusetts Gender Bias Study Committee.

Today, he is back where he started with his career — sort of. As senior counsel at Bulkley Richardson, he’s been involved with a number of cases, including some involving some area colleges; and some mediation, although there is less call for it now with most courts still being closed; and even some work on the firm’s COVID-19 Response Committee to advise clients on the latest status of the law and matters ranging from vaccines to aid from the federal government.

He works two days a week on average, more if he has active projects he’s working on, and even works remotely on occasion, although he much prefers to be in the office. At 83, he’s still committed to staying busy — and making a difference in any way he can.

Bottom Line

While Greaney’s request probably wasn’t the reason, Red Sox ownership did eventually do something about the pitching, and the team delivered an American League pennant in 1986.

That plea for help doesn’t have much to do with Greaney being a Difference Maker, but, then again, it does. Looking back, he was able to seize that moment, as he was with so many other moments over the past 60 years, whether they were in Hampden County’s first Housing Court, on the Supreme Judicial Court, or as a professor of law at Suffolk University after his forced retirement from the bench at age 70. Suffice it to say, he wasn’t ready to leave.

As Finnegan noted, Greaney has demonstrated compassion and understanding as an advocate to so many in need of a voice. And that has made him worthy of inclusion in the Difference Makers class of 2022.

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

Tara Brewster, Vice President of Business Development, Greenfield Savings Bank

She’s Put Her ‘Superpowers’ to Use to Help Those in Need

Leah Martin Photography

Tara Brewster says she’s probably bought more than 100 copies of the children’s book — and given them all away. She joked that she’s waiting for the author to call and thank her for her consistent support.

It’s called The Three Questions, and it’s based on a story by Leo Tolstoy. It’s about a young boy named Nikolai who sometimes feels uncertain about the right way to act. So he devises three questions to help him know what to do:

• When is the best time to do things?

• Who is the most important one?

• What is the right thing to do?

He then commences asking several different animal characters for the answers, and by book’s end he’s still asking, although one of those characters, a turtle, points out that, through the course of some recent actions — and especially his efforts to save an injured panda and its child — Nikolai had answered the questions himself.

Those answers are: ‘there is only one important time, and that time is now,’ ‘the most important one is always the one you are with,’ and ‘the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side.’

And these, the turtle notes, are the answers to “what is most important in this world — why we are here.”

Brewster says the book and its message are more than a fun, informational, and inspirational story. The Three Questions sums up quickly and effectively how she has lived her life to this point — and what drives her, if you will, to lend her time and talents to several area nonprofits as a board member, cheerleader, and relentless fundraiser.

“These are questions that I really fall back on a lot in a day,” she explained. “They’re really simple, and they just help me think about what am I doing, who am I impacting, and when am I supposed to be doing the thing that matters most. When I get really stressed out and start thinking, I should do doing this, and I should be doing this, I realize that I can only focus on one thing at a time, and it’s the thing that you’re doing that you should be putting your heart and soul into.”

Brewster, who seems to possess enough energy to power all of Northampton by herself, is involved as a board member with several nonprofits in that area, ranging from the Downtown Northampton Assoc. (DNA) to the Hampshire Regional YMCA; from Double Edge Theatre to Cutchins Programs for Children and Familes.

“I can honestly say that I have never met anyone so dedicated to helping those that are less fortunate in our community than Tara. I’ve seen so many people join local not-for-profit boards for networking opportunities or to strengthen one’s résumé. Unlike anyone I’ve ever met, Tara works tirelessly to gain support and funding for the organizations that she serves.”

But she also volunteers for, and helps fundraise for, the Food Bank of Wester Massachusetts and Monte’s March, Tapestry Development Committee, Safe Passage and its Hot Chocolate Run, and the Cancer Connection and its Mother’s Day Half Marathon.

But it’s not what she does that makes her a Difference Maker, although that’s part of it, but how she does it. Bill Grinnell, president of Webber & Grinnell Insurance, who nominated her for this honor, explained it this way:

“I can honestly say that I have never met anyone so dedicated to helping those that are less fortunate in our community than Tara. I’ve seen so many people join local not-for-profit boards for networking opportunities or to strengthen one’s résumé. Unlike anyone I’ve ever met, Tara works tirelessly to gain support and funding for the organizations that she serves.”

To get some perspective on those comments, one needs only to listen to Brewster as she talks about how she set out to become the top fundraiser for the Hot Chocolate Run, and then made the goal reality.

Tara Brewster, right, poses for a promotional photo for the Treehouse Foundation’s ‘Stir Up Some Love’ fundraiser with A.J. Bresciano, first vice president and commercial lender at Greenfield Savings Bank, and Julie Kumble, director of Strategic Partnerships & Development for the foundation.

“Safe Passage has a leaderboard every year, and since I started doing the Hot Chocolate Run in 2009, it’s been my goal to be number one on the leaderboard,” she said. “And two years ago, I finally got there. How did I do that? I asked, and I asked, and I asked people that I knew — friends, family, those in the community — to donate to Safe Passage to help deal with domestic violence.

“That’s what it comes down to: doing what you can, and using your superpowers to help others,” she went on. “And everyone has the power to do something, some good, every day.”

Because she uses her power every single day, it seems, Brewster has earned her place in the Difference Makers class of 2020.

Buy the Book

Brewster grew up Florence, not far from where she lives now, which was certainly “not the plan,” she said.

She told BusinessWest that many of those she grew up with were firm of the belief that one had to leave this area to achieve whatever dreams they had made for themselves. And she came to that belief herself.

But her desired next destination was certainly different than most others had in mind.

“I wanted to go to Montana — I think Wyoming and Montana are my two favorites,” she recalled, adding that she had already been to several states by the time she was in high school, and had determined that the Rocky Mountain region was where she wanted to go to college. “I thought I would like Big Sky country and being out in the wilderness; I wanted to be a pediatrician, and I wanted to go the University of Montana Bozeman.”

But fate would keep her closer to home.

Indeed, her mother was diagnosed with stage-4 ovarian cancer when Tara was just 15, a turn of events that would not only alter her plans for college, but inspire her to continuously review how she was living her life, with the goal of reaching higher — professionally, but also in the way she was using her considerable talents to help others who were less fortunate.

“That completely changed the course of my entire life; I have no idea where I would be had that not happened. She fought like hell, and ultimately lost the fight,” she said, adding that, long before her mother died, she gave up the dream of going to Montana, knowing she could not leave her father and brother at that critical time.

Tara Brewster works a United Way annual campaign event with Markus Jones, senior Major Gifts officer at Northfield Mount Hermon School.

Brewster would eventually graduate from Smith College, majoring in government and anthropology, and found her way into the men’s clothing business. She started at Taylor Men, which had a store in Thornes Market, while she was at Smith, and would later be regional sales manager for seven stores in the Northeast before moving to Manhattan and working for a men’s wholesale apparel company and becoming what she called a “road warrior.”

Eventually, the road took her back to Northampton and where she started — sort of. Taylor Men in Thornes Marketplace had closed, and she began contemplating owning her own store on that site.

Later, she and partner Candice Connors would open Jackson & Connor, an entrepreneurial venture that would — with her already-significant involvement in the Greater Northampton community — earn Brewster her first honor from BusinessWest: a 40 Under Forty plaque. It would also help set the tone when it comes to how she would be “all in,” as she put it, with both her career and her involvement in the community.

“I call that business my ‘first child,’ because I gave it my all,” she said. “And Jackson & Connor really helped me understand purpose and place of myself as a human, as a community member, and as a business owner; it gave me a clear direction of how I wanted to be in my community and in my region, and how I wanted to use my resources, my influence, and my power to lead and have an impact. And from the epicenter, I’ve grown as a human, as a person, as an employee, as a member of a team.”

The Plot Thickens

Eight years after launching Jackson & Connor, the two partners sold the enterprise, which is still operating today, and commenced writing their own next chapters. Brewster segued into consulting before Mark Grumoli, senior vice president and commercial loan officer at Greenfield Savings Bank, who years earlier had helped the partners secure funding to launch Jackson & Connor when he was with Florence Bank, convinced her to become the new vice president of Business Development.

She recalls friends and family members saying she wouldn’t last long in that role, but five years later, she’s still in it. That’s because it gives her what she desires most in a job — a situation where each day is different, a role where she can flex her entrepreneurial muscles, and a position that gives her the time and opportunity to be ‘out in the community,’ in every aspect of that phrase. And it has allowed her to take both her career and her civic endeavors to a bigger stage.

When asked what a typical day is like for her, she said there is no such thing. Each day is different. But each one is filled with conversations — phone calls, e-mails, texts, and some old-fashioned, face-to-face meetings. And only some of them have to do with banking.

“They pertain to connection, encouragement, engagement, assistance, and more,” she explained. “I serve on five boards, and there are probably five boards that I do other things for. So a lot of my conversations are with community members, and nonprofits in particular.

“These nonprofits have a real piece of my heart because I believe that, if you focus on and encourage and support the nonprofits, then more of the people who need help in this world and this region will get the help they need, because they are the helpers,” she went on,” she went on. “The nonprofits, first and foremost, are the ones that are doing the professional helping in a day, so if you want to do something and you don’t feel you have the time or whatever, support a nonprofit — that’s the easiest way to ensure that you’re creating some impact for the people who need it most.”

Brewster has certainly lived by these words, assisting nonprofits in many ways, especially through leadership as board member and with the all-important task of fundraising, which is always critical, but particularly during COVID, when the need is greater and many nonprofits have been hurt financially.

As she does so, she said she draws inspiration from others who, like her, balance work, family, and giving back, and somehow find the time and energy for all three. She mentioned Monte Belmonte, the host and program director at WHMP radio, the creator of Monte’s March, and a Difference Maker himself in 2020.

“He has a job at the radio station that he gets paid for, but then he has this other thing that he doesn’t get paid for — it’s his heart desire, it’s his calling, it’s how he uses his day job to be more and do more, to make a larger stage, to make a greater impact for a call to action,” Brewster said. “I have some people in my life who I’ve looked to for guidance on how to live and how to make a greater social impact with the talents that we have, because we all have these spheres of influence, whether it’s connections, or an employer, or social awareness.

“We all have these superpowers that we have to tap into in order to do greater good, in order to make a difference,” she went on. “And people think, ‘oh, I don’t have anything, I don’t have the time, I don’t have the resources.’ But we do. We all do. We all have connections, we have have these superpowers. We just have to use them.”

The Last Word

When asked to list her superpowers, she mentioned ‘connectivity,’ ‘engagement,’ ‘compassion,’ ‘awareness,’ and even ‘caretaking,’ and she traces them to when her mother got sick and after she died.

“For me, I’m acutely aware of sorrow and pain and hardship and loss, and what that means to being a whole self and a whole person — how you show up and how other people show up,” she explained. “It’s impacted the way I serve the community and serve on boards.”

Brewster serves in a way that enables those fundraisers to carry on that work they do and provide the many kinds of help that are needed.

“There’s an old saying … “you only get one life to live, and if you do it right, one is enough,’” she said in conclusion.

She has certainly done it right, and because of that, she has earned her place as a Difference Maker.

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

Heriberto Flores, President, New England Farm Workers’ Council

By Joseph Bednar February 17, 2022

He’s Spent a Lifetime Investing in His Community — and People in Need

Leah Martin Photography

Herbie Flores could have become hardened, even embittered, by a tumultuous youth.

Instead, he’s spent a lifetime helping people overcome their own difficulties.

“I came from a very poor family in Puerto Rico,” he said, raised by his mother early on after his father died. “At some point, my uncle told my mother and sister it would be better if I had a male role model. That’s a cultural thing. So I ended up in Delaware with my uncle, who was a hardworking guy.”

Back in the ’60s, Delaware wasn’t the liberal bastion it is today, as it grappled, as all states did, with school desegregation and other racial issues. So he learned early on about race relations and the futility of racism.

After moving to Springfield in 1965, Flores entered the Army and shipped off to Vietnam, where certain images stick with him to this day. “It’s not a good feeling killing a human being. But as George Patton said, the mission is to go from point A to point B, and whatever gets in the way, get rid of it.”

He remembers servicemen being spit on and called baby killers back stateside, but he was more haunted by the sheer numbers of U.S. wounded and dying. “You just put that someplace, everything goes to a compartment — it’s the only way. You continue moving on. There were a lot of drugs. Many of my friends did not sleep.”

After his war experience, though, Flores wanted to focus on bettering lives, not dwelling on a war that ruined so many of them.

“Life is short, when you put it in perspective. And the time you have here, what do you do to make it better — not only in a selfish way, but for the next person?”

Specifically, his affinity with migrant farm workers that led to the development of an agency — the New England Farm Workers’ Council (NEFWC) — to help them out with various needs, from fuel assistance to job skills to education.

That agency, launched in 1971, eventually morphed into Partners for Community, a nonprofit with multiple departments under its umbrella, including the Corporation for Public Management, which seeks solutions to welfare dependency, chronic joblessness, and illiteracy, and also focuses on providing services to those with physical and developmental disabilities; and New England Partners in Faith, which seeks to provide sustainable development and capacity building for small faith-based organizations throughout New England through technical assistance and job-related training.

Herbie Flores’ office walls are filled with proclamations, awards, and photos of his interactions with state and national leaders.

“All those experiences, from there to here to Vietnam, helped me see that things are bad, but they’re not real bad,” Flores said. “Life is short, when you put it in perspective. And the time you have here, what do you do to make it better — not only in a selfish way, but for the next person?

“I’ve been homeless, I’ve been without food, but you move forward,” he added. “Many people get stuck in the same place, but you can’t stay stagnant.”

For helping people move forward from adversity over the past 50 years, while continually investing in the vitality of Greater Springfield, explains why Flores is certainly a Difference Maker.

Taking Root

Established in 1971 as a small organization to support farm workers, NEFWC has become a multi-faceted human-services agency dedicated to improving the quality of life for thousands of low-income people throughout the Northeast.

Among its chief programs are home-energy assistance for income-eligible families in Hampden and Northern Worcester counties; emergency shelter assistance for at-risk families throughout Massachusetts; employment and job training for migrant seasonal workers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, as well as welfare-to-work populations in Connecticut; and youth programs providing services to at-risk, low-income youth both in and out of school in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

And its programs, both under the NEFWC name or the Partners for Community umbrella, continue to evolve.

“We have different organizations still tied up with us,” he said, citing, as one example, Gándara Center, which arose from Partners for Community because a population of Latino and Puerto Rican veterans were struggling with heroin. “We were not trained psychologists, but we wanted to help those guys. So we started bringing people in who could.”

Many of the organization’s services, like its fuel-assistance program that helps low-income households with utility bills through subsidies and discounts, and its three homeless shelters for families eligible for emergency assistance, found growing need throughout the pandemic, but a more challenging environment to deliver services.

“I brought life to this building; it was a historical building, but it was empty. I like to use old buildings because you bring back the history.”

Take fuel assistance, for example. “There are federal regulations, paperwork, we give to people who give us money. But a lot of people in state government took off and were working at home. Before, you could talk to a human being. Now, you’re not talking to a human being — they give you a number, you call it, but the telephone is ringing all the time. For days, that information wasn’t transmitted,” he recalled.

“I’d have 1,600 applications here for fuel assistance ready to go, but I can’t get to the right person,” he went on. “And it’s not just me; all the state nonprofit agencies were dealing with that. The bureaucrats went home.

In other words, he said, communication broke down just as needs were rising. “It was tough, but we survived.”

Flores knows something about need. He was intimately acquainted with poverty as his family struggled for sustenance throughout his childhood in Puerto Rico. It was there, he said, that he began to identify himself with economically deprived groups and devote himself to service on their behalf — just as his experience in the military has spurred him to stay active in veterans’ causes; he was named Springfield Veteran of the Year in 2001.

Yet, through all his work with NEFWC and Partners for Community — whose services also extend to young people through HiSET support and mentoring programs, workforce-training programs for job seekers, and programs for adults with developmental disabilities or acquired brain injury — he remains humble.

“Everything we have done … I’m the figurehead, in a sense,” he said. “I have a whole team that works with me.”

Growing Recognition

This is the second time BusinessWest has honored Flores with one of its coveted awards; he was named Top Entrepreneur for 2011 for all his community-investment work, but particularly his real-estate projects that focused on urban renewal, housing, and other forms of economic development.

These included the Borinquen project in the impoverished North End of Springfield, which involved the renovation of 41 units of low-income housing, as well as six commercial spaces. The $11 million project combined federal tax credits, private-investment tax credits, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development funds, city of Springfield HOME funds, and private financing — a good example of the tapestry of players Flores must weave together to turn one of his visions into reality.

“I brought life to this building; it was a historical building, but it was empty,” he said. “I like to use old buildings because you bring back the history.”

About 35 years ago, Flores made his first forays into real estate through Brightwood Development Corp. (BDC), a nonprofit formed with the goal of providing housing and economic development on the north side of Springfield. As president and CEO of the BDC, he developed a $2.5 million shopping center, La Plaza del Mercado, on Main Street in 1995, followed by a $3 million neighborhood medical clinic, El Centro de Salud Medico Inc., the next year. That was immediately followed by a $2 million rehabilitation of blighted, multi-family houses in the North End.

A more current project, a $38 million effort to transform Springfield’s historic Paramount Theater, which opened in 1926, into a performing arts center — and the adjoining Massasoit building, which was constructed before the Civil War, into a boutique hotel — has run into debt issues and delays in recent years, but remains a significant part of Flores’ downtown vision.

In addition to his other endeavors, he is president of the North End Educational Development Fund, which administers the largest Hispanic scholarship fund in New England, providing college scholarships for underprivileged, inner-city Springfield residents — and, hopefully, starts them on their own journeys of success.

All this earned him yet another honor in 2019, the prestigious Pynchon Medal from the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts and the Pynchon trustees. Now, being named a Difference Maker soon after NEFWC marked 50 years of service is especially gratifying.

“I feel honored and proud to have been chosen by BusinessWest as one of the 2022 Difference Makers,” he said, noting, again, that his board of directors and staff deserves much of the credit for what he’s been able to accomplish. “Our longevity and success is a direct result of their dedication to our clients and our organization. All that I have accomplished is with the assistance of those around me.”

He also credited a number of regional business and nonprofit luminaries; throughout a broad interview, he dropped names like Janis Santos, Dick Stebbins, Leon Pernice, Bill Dwight, Paul Doherty, Joe LoBello, and Ronn Johnson as examples of mentors, supporters, and influences.

“I needed to produce something positive, not for me or for a little group, but for all of society,” he said. “In doing that, you develop relationships.”

He’s also been willing to lend a hand — and his acumen — to other organizations. “I sit on Janis Santos’ board,” he said, referring to the recently retired leader of HCS Head Start. “It’s about the education of children. People like that ask, ‘can you give us some time and help us open some doors?’ Yes, I can.”

Or, as another example, “Sister [Mary] Caritas asked me, ‘Herbie, can you come sit on my board? I need some advice for only three months.’ And three years later, I’m still there.”

Harvest of Success

He’s still there, all right — fighting the good fight to help folks who are struggling, and raising the profile and well-being of Springfield as well.

“You might change something a little bit,” he said of his philosophy of taking on new projects. “But it’s better than nothing. If you have a vision, you have to see where it will go.”

Springfield, and its environs, are certainly better off because of the difference Herbie Flores has made over the past half-century.

“It’s our city,” he told BusinessWest. “Let’s make it better, and leave it better for the next generation.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts

This Organization Has Harnessed the Exponential Power of Working Together

Leah Martin Photography

Convene and connect.

Those are the two words you hear most often when it comes to the mission of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, and how the agency carries it out.

Together, those words explain how and why this organization — one of hundreds of community foundations across the country — does much more than write checks to nonprofits and provide scholarships and interest-free loans to students — although those are certainly parts of what it does.

More crucially, by convening groups, individuals, and institutions from across the 413, and connecting those constituencies as well as donors with resources and opportunities, the Community Foundation is working to identify the issues and challenges confronting the region, and acting as a leader in ongoing work on matters ranging from helping students complete college to helping children get a solid start to their education; from assisting the creative-arts community to helping agencies addressing issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Katie Allan Zobel

“Our whole mission is to improve quality of life for everyone in the Valley and create opportunity and equity for all members of our community.”

Add another word — partner — and one can understand the full impact of the foundation. It doesn’t merely support nonprofits and students, it partners with them to improve outcomes — and quality of life — on myriad levels to become what its president and CEO, Katie Allan Zobel has called a “catalyst for change.”

“Our whole mission is to improve quality of life for everyone in the Valley and create opportunity and equity for all members of our community,” Zobel said, noting that most of the foundation’s funding comes from individuals, not large entities. They contribute both while they’re alive and in their wills and estate plans because they recognize how this organization’s model of convening and connecting multiplies the impact of their dollars.

“If they want to support an arts organization that’s much beloved by them, they can do that themselves; they don’t need the Community Foundation,” she explained. “But if they want to support reducing poverty in a particular area, well, that’s hard for one person to do on their own; you have to pool resources. And that kind of effort isn’t going to take a year or two; it’s going to take a sustained effort. We provide an option to individuals to do something they can’t do on their own.”

Paul Murphy

“We were able to distribute funds without a formal grant-application process because we had to constantly get the money out the door so we could meet those needs.”

Paul Murphy, chair of the Community Foundation’s board of trustees, noted that the pandemic has not changed the agency’s mission, necessarily, but merely spurred it to pivot, as all businesses and nonprofits have, and look at ways to meet new and emerging needs within the community, including food insecurity, eviction prevention, and mental healthcare.

“The foundation had just completed development of a new strategic plan, and it was all set for adoption by the board of trustees in March of 2020, which was just as the pandemic was hitting,” he recalled. “And part of that strategic plan that we wanted to implement was around leadership, flexibility, and community engagement, and suddenly, even before the plan was officially adopted, we had to put all those things into play because of the pandemic.”

Elaborating, he said the Community Foundation was able to secure what he called “an outpouring of funds” from a variety of sources, and it went about calling nonprofits and elected leaders in the region to identify areas in need. Simultaneously, it streamlined its grant-funding process so it was able to manage applications more quickly — and effectively.

“The foundation brings together philanthropists and helps them understand what the needs are in our community.”

The result was a quadrupling of grant funding over a typical, pre-pandemic year, Zobel said, adding that the team called on partners at organizations like the Women’s Fund and the Davis Foundation and borrowed their program officers to help make decisions, while recruiting volunteers to pitch in as well. “This was a huge collaborative effort. But I’ve always felt the work of the Community Foundation is a total team effort, not just with the staff, but volunteers.”

Once the foundation had the information it needed, Murphy explained, “we were able to distribute funds without a formal grant-application process because we had to constantly get the money out the door so we could meet those needs. That was an example of how the pandemic forced us to pivot, act more quickly, listen more closely to the community, and make sure the needs were met.”

Listening has always been one of the more important qualities at the foundation, said all those we spoke with, and it is just one quality that helps it explain why it has been named a Difference Maker for 2022.

“We’re moving away from being transactional and just handing someone a check.”

Beyond listening, it has acted on what has heard, and in many areas, but especially education and the needs of area students, said Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College, a trustee of the foundation, and chair of its education committee. But perhaps its greatest quality, she and others noted, is as a connector.

“That’s a huge piece because there are a lot of organizations and a lot of great work happening in our region, and the foundation acts a connector between donors, students, and nonprofit agencies,” she explained. “The foundation brings together philanthropists and helps them understand what the needs are in our community.”

Denise Hurst, the foundation’s vice president for Community Impact and Partnerships, agreed, saying it’s her job, and the foundation’s mission, to not only write checks, but work to make sure such grants are used in ways that are, in a word, “transformational.”

“We’re engaging with nonprofits and having deep conversations about how the work can be more transformative and impactful,” she explained. “We’re moving away from being transactional and just handing someone a check for money but not necessarily ensuring that they have all the tools and the resources they need to make that money transformational for the region.”

“We came to understand that the majority of arts organizations in our region are quite small, they have really small budgets, a fair amount of turnover … and there was, and is, a real need for capacity support.”

Connecting the Dots

The headlines placed atop recent press releases issued by the agency go a long way toward helping to quantify and qualify its impact within Western Mass. and explain why it is a Difference Maker:

• “Community Foundation Awards $1.3 Million in New Grants for Eviction Prevention, Mental Health, Food Insecurity Programs” (Feb. 11, 2021)

• “Community Foundation Awards $860,000 in New Grants for Immigrant Populations Impacted by COVID-19” (March 5, 2021);

• “Over $818,000 in Grants Distributed by Community Foundation in Latest COVID-19 Response Rounds” (June 22, 2021);

• “Community Foundation Deepens Partnership to Support BIPOC Arts and Creativity Across Massachusetts” (Oct. 20, 2021); and

• “Community Foundation Announces $150,000 Grant to Healing Racism Institute” (June 10, 2021).

Funding for these projects and so many others have increased significantly during the pandemic, Zobel said. “It’s an anomaly, but people have really been incredibly generous. We’ve even received a lot of contributions from outside the community.”

The foundation reported that its FY21 contributions to the community, across all endeavors, totaled $24.6 million and involved 1,668 total donors. That number includes $16.7 million in grants and $1.6 million in scholarships and interest-free loans to 848 students.

Becky Packard

“We’re not just looking at scholarships, but also looking at what kinds of mentoring and supports can help people cross the finish line.”

Beyond these numbers, and those press-release headlines, are copious amounts of convening, connecting, and partnering, said Zobel, adding that, to properly serve the region and responsibly distribute the funds it raises, with an eye on both today and tomorrow, the Community Foundation must do a lot of listening and then acting on what it hears.

This applies to many of the traditional areas of focus for the foundation, especially education, but also some new ones, such as the arts, through creation of the ValleyCreates program, which serves to connect (there’s that word again) the arts and creative communities across Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties.

“We started with a seed, a planning grant from the Barr Foundation, and we did a number of focus groups and surveys and interviews with key stakeholders in the arts sector in our three counties to understand what kind of support they needed, and also how best we can utilize our dollars to support that sector,” said Nicole Bourdon, program officer for ValleyCreates.

Elaborating, she said those research efforts revealed the need for not only grant writing — and the foundation has awarded hundreds of $1,000 grants that are combined with coaching and business-resiliency webinars — but also collaboration, across counties and across disciplines, to build capacity and enable this important sector to speak with a louder, more effective voice.

“We came to understand that the majority of arts organizations in our region are quite small, they have really small budgets, a fair amount of turnover … and there was, and is, a real need for capacity support,” said Bourdon, adding that the foundation continues to monitor and survey the sector to learn what tools it can offer so it can be what she called a “repository for artists and arts organization where they can gather resources and connect and collaborate.”

Zobel said Western Mass. doesn’t have as many large foundations or private philanthropy as the eastern part of the state, so corraling more support from outside Western Mass., such as the Boston-based Barr Foundation, is critical.

“There isn’t a large source of funding for the arts here,” she added. “That was a place the foundation felt we could be useful. We’ve been building that out and supporting not just the arts, but artists, especially artists of color.”

Degrees of Success

In many ways, ValleyCreates illustrates just how the Community Foundation works, said Zobel, adding that it first arms itself with information, then works with various constituencies to develop strategies for addressing region-wide issues and challenges.

Perhaps the best example of this process is the Western Mass Completes program, created with the understanding that it’s not enough to help students enter college — the bigger priority, for them and the region, is to see them to the finish line.

Faced with statistics that the average graduation rate at four-year institutions is 60% — and a staggering 25% at two-year institutions — the foundation commissioned a study and recruited Becky Packard, a trustee and professor of Psychology and Education at Mount Holyoke College, and a leading expert in research on factors that contribute to higher-education persistence, to lead it.

Ten local colleges and universities joined the endeavor, delving into the last eight years of student data on Community Foundation scholarship awardees, gathering information on the resources and systems in place at these schools, and collecting findings from national research and articles.

What became clear is that students often need more time and more resources to complete degrees; many are working full-time while in school and taking a reduced course load, while others are balancing school, work, and family responsibilities. Financial roadblocks create barriers that result in ‘stopping out,’ especially for high-need, first-generation students.

One example, Packard told BusinessWest, is a proliferation of “almost nurses” — nursing students who are close to a degree, “but have to sit out because they can’t afford licensing exams or can’t take the last set of courses because someone in their family lost their job. We’re not just looking at scholarships, but also looking at what kinds of mentoring and supports can help people cross the finish line.”

Royal agreed, noting that the foundation’s work to research the issues related to college completion has been critical in ongoing efforts regarding the direction of scholarships and who would benefit most from the scholarships that are awarded.

“You connect people, they apply, they get a scholarship … but then, what happens to them after?” she asked. “Did it contribute to increased retention or persistence within their educational pursuit? Did they go on to graduate? Being able to look at the impact beyond the scholarship is also really critical. That research contribution is also an important piece.”

Packard said data is still being gathered, and strategies formulated, to boost those graduation rates. She characterized Western Mass Completes as an economic-development issue at a time when companies of all kinds are in dire need of workers with specialized training.

“Usually foundations are charitable organizations and don’t always try to be catalyzers in the region like this, and that’s what I’m excited about.”

In every case — including its annual Valley Gives initiative, which focuses the region’s attention on nonprofits that need support — the foundation is doing this necessary work of convening and catalyzing, in so many critical areas.

“My role is to help convene the nonprofits in the three counties that we serve to help ensure that we are able to help provide them with funding to strengthen organizations that are doing the important work of helping to mitigate food insecurity, to stabilize housing, to provide our residents with opportunities for education, as well as workforce development training,” Hurst explained. “In addition to that, we are really committed to making sure we’re helping these nonprofits thrive and sustain themselves so they can do that important work.”

No Time to Rest

Zobel spends a lot of time thinking about inequity — not only in society, but in the philanthropic landscape of Western Mass.

“This is my life’s work: service to community. So I often see what’s missing and where the gaps are, what we’re not doing,” she told BusinessWest. “I guess it’s my job to keep my eye on who’s not part of this and who needs to be, and how to include others. I’m often thinking that way.”

That’s not to say she’s not gratified by this work. But she’s not satisfied, either, and there’s a difference.

“I’m proud of being a part of something that’s a movement for good, and for improvement and change and equity. I’m really proud of that,” she said. “Yet, I know there’s so much more work to do, so I stay focused on that.”

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

Girls Inc. of the Valley Fundraiser to Benefit Survivor Theater Project

HOLYOKE — Girls Inc. of the Valley’s Teen Advocacy Board (TAB) has launched a T-shirt sale fundraiser to bring awareness to survivors of sexual assault and abuse. All proceeds from this fundraiser will go to the Survivor Theater Project, an organization that supports survivors of sexual violence.

The teens of Girls Inc. of the Valley have created Project TEAL to let survivors know they are not alone, and that the community wants to support them and hear their voices. A local shop, La Diáspora, will host a pop-up shop for this fundraiser on Tuesday, Feb. 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. at 234 Exchange St., Chicopee. Those who contribute a $20 minimum donation will receive a T-shirt.

“I find hypersexualization to be an extremely important topic because, even though I am not the ‘average size,’ I can still be easily hypersexualized,” said TAB member Kaitlyn J. “It can happen to anyone, and we’re here to bring awareness to that.”

The fundraiser location, La Diáspora, is a collaborative space for local creators, run by local creators. All its merchandise has been designed by creatives from Chicopee and neighboring areas. The T-shirts for Project TEAL were created by teens to bring awareness to the reality of sexual violence and sexual harassment toward many, especially women and girls.

“It’s been so powerful to see our Teen Advocacy Board members come together to craft this campaign from the very beginning,” said Becca Neubardt, Girls Inc. of the Valley’s director of Middle and High School Programs. “Many of the TAB members have been affected by sexual harassment and sexual violence either personally or in their close contacts. They have a really clear analysis that the problem is not how someone presents themself, it is the way that our culture and media often treat women and girls as sexual objects and nothing more.”

Monson Savings Bank Announces Scholarships for Local High-school Seniors

MONSON — Monson Savings Bank provides $28,000 in scholarships to local graduating high-school seniors annually. The bank’s 2022 scholarships are now available to graduating seniors in the Monson, Ware, Hampden-Wilbraham, and East Longmeadow school districts. The purpose of the Monson Savings Bank scholarship is to promote the attainment of higher education for graduating seniors who reside within the communities the bank serves.

“Monson Savings Bank is always proud to be an integral part of its greater community,” said Dan Moriarty, Monson Savings Bank president and CEO. “Providing local high-school graduates with scholarships to help them with the cost of continuing their education is just one of the ways we demonstrate this. We are happy to help these hard-working young people continue their education and find success in this next chapter of their lives.”

To qualify, graduating seniors must be planning to attend an accredited college, technical school, or certification program.

Scholarship awards will be based on the applicant’s financial need, academic performance, and extracurricular activities. A candidate for this scholarship should have also demonstrated a commitment to their community. In addition to an application, applicants should include an essay outlining the service that they have generously given to their community and the impact achieved through this contribution.

If students are interested in applying for the Monson Savings Bank scholarship, they should contact their high-school guidance department for an application. The deadline for application acceptance is April 5.

WNE College of Engineering to Offer Hands-on Integrated Photonics Training

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University’s (WNE) College of Engineering Laboratory for Education and Application Prototypes (LEAP@WNE) in Springfield is the first to offer the latest hands-on integrated photonics training in collaboration with Spark Photonics to enhance the Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) Department’s optics/photonics bachelor of science in electrical engineering degree sequence.

Spark Photonics, an independent commercial photonic integrated circuit-design house based in Waltham, recently delivered its first commercially available education and workforce development (EWD) photonic integrated circuit (PIC) kit to the Western New England University College of Engineering Laboratory for Education and Application Prototypes. LEAP@WNE is a state-of-the-art optics/photonics training center established through the Massachusetts Center for Advanced Manufacturing to advance innovation and job growth throughout the state.

Steve Adamshick, associate professor and director of LEAP@WNE, said there will definitely be a shift in the program as a result of the EWD PIC kit.

“Starting in the fall of 2022, WNE will officially include an integrated optics/photonics sequence within their electrical engineering program using learning modules from the EWD PIC kits,” he said. “This is a far more effective way of communicating critical integrated photonics concepts to students. Before, we relied heavily on computer-simulation tools to visualize abstract concepts such as guided wave modes and how they contribute to key parameters such as waveguide loss and confinement. Now, with the EWD PIC kits, we can provide the hands-on learning experiences to demonstrate these concepts in action and, more importantly, close the loop from design to fabrication to test.”

Unlike other established industries, few education and workforce-development programs focus specifically on the integrated photonics industry in the U.S., and only a handful of those offer students the type of hands-on experience that they will face in a real-world manufacturing environment.

Neeraj Magotra, chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, applauded the development of more hands-on learning tools for students and educators. “The hands-on learning experience is a critical and key component of all ECE offerings, including embedded systems, digital signal processing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence/robotics, wireless communication, and now integrated optics/photonics.”

The hands-on difference at WNE has resulted in the ECE department placing 99% of its students in jobs with a median salary of $103,390 or full-tuition scholarships at prestigious R1 institutions (those with very high research activity).

“Integrated photonics is just the latest technological advancement that enhances core ECE fundamentals,” Magotra said, “and we look forward to innovating joint projects/collaborations across the College of Engineering.”

Willie Ross School for the Deaf to Reveal Innovative New Rigamajig Play System

LONGMEADOW — The Willie Ross School for the Deaf (WRSD) will unveil its new Rigamajig, granted by the Morgan Stanley Foundation and the national nonprofit KABOOM!, at an event this Friday, Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Wing Hall at the school, located at 32 Norway St., Longmeadow. Students will get to play with the new system at the fun-filled event. Representatives from the Morgan Stanley Foundation and Willie Ross will be in attendance.

An interactive set of wooden planks, wheels, and pulleys, Rigamajig allows children to develop language, communication, and problem-solving skills that are key to cognitive development and STEM learning. WRSD will incorporate the Rigamajig play set into its school programming, providing a unique, year-round play element for kids.

WRSD provides deaf and hard-of-hearing students access to comprehensive, evidence-based education and support services in the classroom and in the greater community. The school works to maximize each individual’s intellectual, social, and emotional growth from the early-childhood level through high school.

Play is essential to the physical, social, and emotional health of every child. However, far too many kids lack access to safe and fun play opportunities. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on kids has created an even more urgent need to ensure that all kids have opportunities to play where they live and learn.

The partnership with KABOOM! is part of the Morgan Stanley Foundation’s commitment to give kids a healthy start to life. Safe places to play are vital to that commitment. Since the beginning of this long-standing, successful partnership in 2011, Morgan Stanley and KABOOM! have built 25 playgrounds and awarded 42 Imagination Playground and Rigamajig grants, serving more than 36,000 children in communities across the U.S.

Picture This

Picture This

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

Trees of Hope

Ronald McDonald House of Springfield and partnering sponsor Gary Rome Hyundai surpassed their fundraising goal for the inaugural Trees of Hope event held in November. The effort raised $126,823 and included a total of 46 trees and displays. Gary Rome plans to host Trees of Hope at the dealership each year, including Nov. 4-18, 2022. “We are going to make this event bigger and better every year and be able to help so many families stay close while their children are receiving medical care,” Rome said.

Quick Results

Baystate Noble Hospital was able to purchase a portable X-ray machine (pictured, with X-ray tech Katie Unsderfer), thanks to funds raised through the 2021 Baystate Noble Ball. Now, rather than patients being transported to another area of the hospital and waiting for results, the portable X-ray machine brings the technology to the patient’s bedside, providing a high-quality image immediately, so the attending physician can read it and provide guidance on the patient’s course of care quickly.

Special Delivery

Advanced Vein Care Center in Springfield recently donated 33,000 medical-grade face masks to schools in Western Mass. The Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee school systems, as well as Veritas Prep Charter School in Springfield, received the masks to distribute to students and staff. Pictured: Advanced Vein Care Center Medical Director Dr. K. Francis Lee delivers boxes of masks to Nicole Gauthier, director of special projects at Veritas Prep Charter School.

Agenda

Agenda

Howdy Awards Nominations

Through March 1: After a two-year delay caused by the pandemic, the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (GSCVB) announced that the 2022 Howdy Awards for Hospitality Excellence will be held on Monday, May 16 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. The Howdy Awards were first celebrated in 1996, designed to acknowledge the essential role that superior customer service plays in creating positive visitor encounters, and encouraging return trips, glowing online reviews, and positive word of mouth. Thus, Wydra pointed out, the 2020 event would have formally marked the prestigious program’s 25th anniversary. Anyone can nominate a candidate who’s demonstrated outstanding customer service in the categories of Accommodations, Beverage, Attractions, Banquet, Food Casual, Food Tableside, Public Service, Retail, and Transportation. Nominations must be received by Tuesday, March 1. Enter online at www.explorewesternmass.com/howdy-awards.

Nominations for 2022 Ubora and Ahadi Awards

Through March 31: The Springfield Museums announced a call for nominations for the 31th annual Ubora Award and the 12th annual Ahadi Youth Award. These prestigious awards, conferred by the African Hall Subcommittee, honor African-American people from Greater Springfield who have — above and beyond — demonstrated commitment to the fields of community service, education, science, humanities, and/or the arts. The African Hall Subcommittee is a volunteer group comprised of educators, business people, and community leaders from the African-American community. The nomination deadline for both awards is Thursday, March 31. True to the Swahili word that comprises its name, the Ubora Award recognizes an adult of African heritage who exemplifies excellence in their commitment to creating a better community through service. In 2021, the Ubora Award was given to Robert “Cee” Jackson as an exemplary philanthropist and humanitarian. Named for the Swahili word for promise, the Ahadi Youth Award is presented to a young African-American who excels in academics and performs admirable service to the Greater Springfield community. Eligible candidates must be age 19 or younger, live in or have strong ties to the Greater Springfield area, and be currently enrolled in grades 10, 11, or 12. In 2021, the Ahadi Award honored Tigist Dawit Terefe for her remarkable civic-minded volunteerism and outstanding academic record. The Ubora and Ahadi awards will be presented at a ceremony at the Springfield Museums in September. Nominations forms can be downloaded by visiting springfieldmuseums.org/ubora. Nominations may be e-mailed to [email protected] or mailed to African Hall Subcommittee, c/o Karen Fisk, Springfield Museums, 21 Edwards St., Springfield, MA 01103.

Black Experience Summit

Feb. 17: In celebration of Black History Month, Elms College will hold its fifth annual Black Experience Summit from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The event is hosted by the Elms College President’s Office and Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Due to COVID-19 protocols, this event will be held virtually via Zoom. This year’s theme is “Stories of Our Becoming: the Shoulders on Which We Stand,” and the event will feature two keynote speeches. The opening keynote address, “Freefalling and Finding Self: Meditations on Blackness and Rasanblaj,” will be given by Gina Athena Ulysse, a Haitian-American feminist and artist-anthropologist. The closing keynote address, “Witness and Withnessing: the Archive of Black Freedom Struggles,” will be given by Treva Lindsey, a black feminist historian and co-founder of the Black Feminist Night School at Zora’s House in Columbus, Ohio. Two interactive panels are also part of this year’s summit. “The Art of Storytelling” will examine why the stories about black history are so central to black experiences. The second panel, “Lifting as We Climb,” involves a discussion on the career paths of three presidents from colleges and universities in New England. The free event is open to the public. For a full schedule, information about the speakers and panelists, and to register, visit www.elms.edu/events/bes. A Zoom link will be sent to all attendees prior to the summit.

YPS Third Thursday

Feb. 17: The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield (YPS) will host its signature Third Thursday event series at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in West Springfield from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Presented by event sponsor Canna Provisions, the networking event will support and encourage young professionals to become more involved and invested in their local communities. February’s Third Thursday event will include a 30-minute ballroom-dance lesson, networking with fellow young professionals, complimentary snacks, samples from Hardwick Vineyard & Winery, and more. Guests do not need a partner or take a lesson to attend. Fred Astaire Dance Studio is located at 54 Wayside Ave. in West Springfield. Pre-registration is not required, but highly recommended. Registration is free for members and $10 for non-members. Visit www.springfieldyps.com/events to register.

Healing Racism Institute Sessions

Feb. 23-24: The Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley (HRIPV) has slots open for its February two-day in-person session. To register, visit www.healingracismpv.org/seminars. The two-day seminar is held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at STCC Technology Park in the Corridan Center Conference Room, 1 Federal St. in Springfield. HRIPV also has openings for its five-part virtual series. For more information and to register, visit www.healingracismpv.org/seminars. Scholarships are available to those with financial need. E-mail Vanessa Otero at [email protected] for more information. The Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley was formed in 2012; since then, more than 1,000 people from Western Mass. and throughout the Commonwealth have participated in its signature two-day Healing Racism program.

Game Month and Hunter’s Dinners

Feb. 24: Wild-game dinners started decades ago at the Student Prince and the Fort as a treat for the regulars. Former owner Rupprecht Scherff heard the call of the wild from his customers and started game-night dinners to please local hunters and anyone with a curious palate. The tradition continues in 2022 as the Student Prince and the Fort present Game Month throughout February. The second of two Hunter’s Dinner Nights will take place on Thursday, Feb. 24. A special Game Month menu (in addition to the house menu) will be available all month and feature appetizers such as deep-fried frog legs. Entrées include a game wurst trio with pheasant, rabbit, and venison; bison; buffalo ribeye; and the locally famous student Prince veal shank. Hunter’s Dinner menus include an assortment of table appetizers and a six-course dinner. Courses include deep-fried frogs legs, pheasant and venison sausage, duck legs, poussin, and buffalo ribeye, followed by a flaming dessert. Reservations are recommended and can be made online at www.studentprince.com or by calling (413) 734-7475.

MOSSO Chamber Music Series

March 10, April 14, May 12: The Westfield Athenaeum will present a three-concert chamber music series beginning Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m., with Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MOSSO) providing the music. MOSSO violinist Beth Welty is bringing her ensemble, the Aryaloka Quartet, to the Athenaeum to kick off the series. Guy McLain, executive director of the Westfield Athenaeum, will offer a pre-performance talk at 6 p.m., which is free to ticket holders. Violinists Mark Latham and Beth Welty, violist Noralee Walker, and cellist Sandi-Jo Malmon will perform William Grant Still’s Lyric String Quartet, Charles Ives’ String Quartet #1 Op. 57 “From the Salvation Army: A Revival Service,” Beethoven’s String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59 #3; and an additional piece to be announced at the performance. Tickets for the concert cost $20 and must be purchased in advance at the Westfield Athenaeum during business hours, or online at www.westath.org. Audience members will be required to wear masks. Two additional concerts are planned for Thursday, April 14 and Thursday, May 12.

Difference Makers

March 24: Since 2009, BusinessWest has been recognizing the work of individuals, groups, businesses, and institutions through a program called Difference Makers. The 2022 Difference Makers include Tara Brewster, vice president of Business Development at Greenfield Savings Bank; the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts; Heriberto Flores, president of the New England Farm Workers’ Council; John Greaney, retired State Supreme Court justice and senior counsel at Bulkley Richardson; Ruth Griggs, president of the Northampton Jazz Festival and principal at RC Communications; Ted Hebert, owner of Teddy Bear Pools and Spas; I Found Light Against All Odds and Its Founder and CEO, Stefan Davis; and Roca Holyoke and Springfield. Their stories are told in this issue of BusinessWest. The 14th annual Difference Makers celebration will be held at the Log Cabin in Holyoke from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $75 and can be ordered at businesswest.com. The sponsors for this year’s program are Burkhart Pizzanelli, the New England Farm Workers’ Council, the Royal Law Firm, TommyCar Auto Group, and Westfield Bank.

Springfield Symphony Orchestra Spring Concerts

April 22, May 13: The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) Board announced two spring concerts will be hosted at Springfield Symphony Hall with former SSO Music Director Mark Russell Smith serving as guest conductor. Smith is music director and conductor of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. He previously served as music director for the SSO from 1995 through 2000. He has worked as director of New Music Projects for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and artistic director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Minnesota, and has also served as music director for the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra. Details about the concerts, program, and availability of tickets will be forthcoming and available at springfieldsymphony.org.

Court Dockets

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

Henry Schein Inc. v. Smiley Dental LLC and Bank of America

Allegation: Money owed for goods sold and delivered: $70,157.95

Filed: 11/2/21

Catherine Shea v. MGM Springfield Redevelopment LLC and Blue Tarp Redevelopment LLC d/b/a MGM Springfield d/b/a MGM Resorts Springfield

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

Filed: 12/30/21

Susan Hansen v. Tri-PBJ Enterprise LLC

Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $31,685

Filed: 1/3/22

28 Commercial Drive LLC v. St. Clair Landscaping Services Inc.

Allegation: Breach of contract, unjust enrichment: $250,000

Filed: 1/4/22

Anne G. Jacque v. Trinity Health Of New England a/k/a Mercy Medical Center a/k/a Mercy Specialty Physicians

Allegation: Employment discrimination

Filed: 1/4/22

Jeffery P. Donnelly v. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Round Robin LLC

Allegation: Intentional infliction of emotional distress, reckless infliction of emotional distress, negligence, negligence hiring, negligence training, negligence supervising, wrongful termination, slander/defamation, Wage Act violation, and employment-law violation: $40,000+

Filed: 1/5/22

Jeffery P. Donnelly v. MGM Springfield

Filed: 1/5/22

Jeffery P. Donnelly v. McDonald’s Corp. and McDonalds, 360 Main St., Springfield, Mass.

Filed: 1/5/22

Abir Eldada v. City of West Springfield

Allegation: Motor-vehicle negligence causing personal injury: $11,009.50

Filed: 1/5/22

Sandra Meagher v. Eastfield Associates LLC and Mountain Development Corp.

Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $24,695

Filed: 1/10/22

Keith Nunes v. Leoni Wire Inc.

Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $89,123.01

Filed: 1/13/22

Chamber Corners

Chamber Corners

This issue of BusinessWest marks the return of Chamber Corners, a compendium of upcoming events organized by chambers of commerce throughout Western Mass. This long-running department was suspended early in the pandemic when events shut down, but now that they have largely returned (though many are still virtual), Chamber Corners will be part of each issue moving forward. Chambers should e-mail event information to [email protected].

1BERKSHIRE

(413) 499-1600; 1berkshire.com

• Feb. 17: GoFundU Session #1: “Introduction to Crowdfunding,” 5-7 p.m. Crowdfunding is an exciting way to engage your audience and fund a particular project, venture, or opportunity. Join us to learn the basics of crowdfunding campaigns. This session will provide you a high-level overview of what they are, how they operate, and the diversity of options that are out there for you and your business. If you participate in at least three of the five GoFundU workshops, you will be eligible to receive direct, free, one-on-one technical assistance to help plan and launch your own crowdfunding effort. Sessions are planned to be hybrid. In-person attendance will be at the Berkshire Innovation Center, and remote participation via Zoom. The program may go fully remote pending any changes in the COVID-19 landscape. This series made possible through the support of the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corp. and the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corp. Register for either in-person or electronic attendance at us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpceyrpjMuG9C0SPjJfG9k1H__z7q61pt4.

• Feb. 22: 1Berkshire Virtual Entrepreneurial Meetup, 9-10:30 a.m. Our featured speaker will be Liam Gorman of CozQuest, who will share his experiences in building his business and launching it in 2021. 1Berkshire Entrepreneurial Meetups are free to attend and made possible through the support of Pittsfield Cooperative Bank. Registration is required. Register at bit.ly/3tEmps4.

• Feb. 24: GoFundU Session #2: “Developing the Value Proposition for Your Business and Your Contributors,” 5-7 p.m. Crowdfunding isn’t just about you getting money, it also provides a level of mutual benefit to your contributors. An effective crowdfunding campaign describes how campaign funds will be used to add value to your business, and how campaign backers will benefit from being involved. For some, this is the benefit of feeling good about what their dollars are helping to do. For others, the benefit comes from the tangible ‘thing’ they receive as a return on their contribution. This workshop will tackle both how to tell the story and emphasize the impact that their dollars are going to make, and to help you structure contributor awards and levels that will attract more contributions but not meaningfully diminish the funds you are raising. If you participate in at least three of the five GoFundU workshops, you will be eligible to receive direct, free, one-on-one technical assistance to help plan and launch your own crowdfunding effort. Sessions are planned to be hybrid. In-person attendance will be at the Berkshire Innovation Center, and remote participation via Zoom. The program may go fully remote pending any changes in the COVID-19 landscape. This series made possible through the support of the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corp. and the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corp. Register for either in-person or electronic attendance at us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqfuCvqzsuH9xjOhYEEz3cD1lh6GnpRwkS.

• March 1: Berkshire Economic Recovery Project Kickoff Workshop: Why Brands Matter. In this session, brand consultant Lee Rafkin will explain why brands matter and show entrepreneurs and business owners how to clearly define their value propositions by building an authentic brand platform, using cases and examples to explore topics including positioning, branding, naming, logos, taglines, and key messages. By registering, you are claiming a limited opportunity offered to a limited number of businesses. If you attempt to register and the cohort has reached capacity, e-mail [email protected] to be added to the waiting list. Register at bit.ly/3G7FHZK.

AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

(413) 253-0700; amherstarea.com

• March 9: Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce 2022 Annual Meeting, noon to 2 p.m., hosted by the Red Barn at Hampshire College. Join us for lunch as we reflect on our impact, salute our outgoing board members, welcome our new board members, elect a slate of officers, and launch our New Year, New Vision for 2022. Presented by Encharter Insurance, supported by bankESB, and honoring the work of Amherst Cinema, our featured nonprofit. See COVID guidelines and register at business.amherstarea.com/events.

SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER

(413) 787-1555; springfieldregionalchamber.com

• Feb. 24: Leadership 2022, 1:30-4:30 p.m., TD Bank Conference Center, 1441 Main St., Springfield. Develop your next generation of leaders through the Springfield Regional Chamber Leadership Institute, a professional-development program in partnership with the College of Business at Western New England University (WNE). A series of six workshops, facilitated by WNE faculty, will take participants through a range of evidence-based tools and frameworks to apply immediately to leadership practice. Peer coaching supplements the program. Scholarship support for eligible nonprofits provided by the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation. Cost: $885, which includes all course materials, parking, and graduation celebration, and successful graduates receive a free WNE leadership course valued at more than $2,500. Apply by Feb. 17 at springfieldregionalchamber.com/leadership-institute.

• March 11: Outlook 2022, 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Hear from top policymakers and influencers on the outlook for 2022, hosted by U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. This virtual event is presented by Baystate Health and MassMutual, with sponsorship support from Comcast, Eversource, the Republican, and WWLP-TV22. Cost: $24.95 for SRC members; $110, enterprise-level SRC members (six seats); $29.95 for future members; $140, enterprise-level future members (six seats).

• March 24: Fire & Ice, 5:30-8 p.m., Springfield Country Club, 1375 Elm St., West Springfield. Join us for our annual craft cocktail competition featuring area establishments mixing up creative fire- and ice-themed cocktails. Sample the concoctions and vote for your favorite. Cost: $50 for SRC members ($60 at the door); $60 for future members ($70 at the door).

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

(413) 426-3880; www.ourwrc.com

• March 3: Networking Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m. Join us as we meet fellow members, non-members, and local business people to network virtually on Zoom. Introductions will be followed by breakout rooms to learn about your business peers and network. Register at business.ourwrc.com/events.

• March 23: Job Fair 2022, 4:30-7:30 p.m., Storrowton Tavern/Carriage House, West Springfield. The West of the River Chamber will be hosting a local job fair. West Springfield and Agawam businesses, along with other employment opportunities from around Western Mass., will be showcased for the public. High-school students, college students, and adults will be attending this event looking to begin or advance their careers. This event is free and open to the public. To be a participating vendor, register at business.ourwrc.com/events.

Many Ways to Make a Difference

By Editorial February 16, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

Thirteen years ago, BusinessWest launched a new recognition program, Difference Makers, as a way to celebrate the many different ways individuals and organizations can make a difference in their community, and Western Mass. as a whole.

And this year’s additions to that list provide still more evidence that there are countless ways to make a difference, and they all need to be celebrated. They include:

• Tara Brewster, vice president of Business Development at Greenfield Savings Bank, who has made community service more than a mantra, immersing herself in the work of area nonprofits and causes — not in a slapdash fashion, but putting her heart and soul into whomever she happens to be helping each day;

• The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, which for 30 years has convened and connected myriad resources in the region to benefit a host of groups, from students trying to pay for college to the arts community to organizations focused on helping people through the pandemic and economic disruption;

• Heriberto Flores, president of the New England Farm Workers’ Council, who has spent the last half-century operating programs — centered on energy, education, child welfare, workforce development, and more — that help people in need, while at the same time investing in the economic well-being of Springfield;

• John Greaney, retired State Supreme Court justice and senior counsel at Bulkley Richardson, a judicial trailblazer who, as one peer put it, “has demonstrated compassion and understanding as an advocate to so many in need of a voice, influenced our societal values and ways of thinking, and continues to be a valuable mentor”;

• Ruth Griggs, president of the Northampton Jazz Festival and principal at RC Communications, whose business has helped nonprofits reach new levels of marketing and success, and who brought those skills to bear on reviving a beloved music festival that continues to raise the profile of Northampton’s downtown;

• Ted Hebert, owner of Teddy Bear Pools and Spas, who has used his decades of success in the pool business as a springboard to support dozens of causes and organizations throughout the region, through both philanthropy and giving of his time — often in ways few people see;

• I Found Light Against All Odds and Its Founder and CEO, Stefan Davis, who emerged from a very difficult youth to found an organization that brings many resources together to, as its name implies, help young people journey from some dark, difficult times to a promising future; and

• Roca Holyoke and Springfield, an innovative program that helps young people in the criminal-justice system find a better path than recidivism and more time behind bars, by using case management, education, and employment training to get them into jobs and a stable, crime-free life.

As we said, there are no limits on the ways an individual or group can make a difference here in Western Mass. That’s what we’ve been celebrating since 2009, and the celebration continues with the class of 2022.

Lessons from a Poignant Death

By Contributor February 16, 2022

Opinion

By Kimberley Lee

The death of Peter Robbins resonated with me. He was tapped to be the first voice of Charlie Brown as a child actor in the early 1960s when Charles Schultz began to adapt his popular “Peanuts” cartoon strip for TV and movies.

I grew up with these shows, and so did my children, but it was not just nostalgia that made me take notice of Robbins’s death. His family announced on Jan. 25 that the 65-year-old Robbins had died the week before by suicide. He had long struggled with both mental-health and substance-use disorders.

MHA, the Mental Health Assoc., is the organization I work for, whose behavioral-health outreach clinic and residential programs have long offered support and treatment to individuals with such dual diagnoses. It was especially disheartening to read how the life of Robbins, associated through the 1970s with a character that brought much entertainment to the screen, ended.

The cartoon strip itself was sometimes subtitled “Good ol’ Charlie Brown,” and the world Schultz created was a self-contained one about childhood. Its ups, downs, and misplaced crushes were depicted by characters who were very animated, even in print. No adults are featured, but the characters struggle with plenty of personal issues that often follow into adulthood. Some, like Lucy, can be bossy; some are a bit vain, like curly-haired Freida; and some are self-absorbed, like Schroeder on his piano. Everyone is just trying to fit in or fit into who they are, including Snoopy, Charlie Brown’s beagle, who often retreats into his own world on top of his doghouse or into his imagination, where he fights the Red Baron as the Flying Ace. There is also Pig-Pen, who tells Sally, Charlie Brown’s younger sister, he doesn’t appreciate that name he has been tagged with because of his appearance, but neither does he like the rain to wash away that appearance from a day of playing in the dirt.

They are a complicated bunch, defying stereotypes in their own ways of being and thinking and friendships across neighborhoods and interests.

Schultz, who died in 2000, wondered if his characters would resonate through time, and they do, as Charlie Brown embodies a little bit of all of us emotionally as he navigates this world of personalities. And, of course, should he need advice, there is Lucy, who sets up a Psychiatric Help booth, where she gives her version of professional help for five cents. It is a world in which the timeless troubles and alienations of childhood are on display, but also one in which the characters cope and carry on with their pursuits and come together.

I grew up with all the animated specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and, again, so did my children. Each time these classic movies aired, those 30 minutes provided an opportunity for us to be together as a family, to make a connection, to embrace each other emotionally.

In our house, emotional connectedness happens in other ways as well. For example, once a week, my husband and I pull our girls together (now that they are in college, this is done remotely), we all unplug, and we just simply and sincerely ask them, “how are you?” And not just physically, but emotionally. Their answers have been honest and transparent and emotional at times.

It gave them, at an early age, a green light to talk openly about how they feel from a mental-health perspective, and there was no stigma, no shame, no hesitancy in doing this.

We all know that challenges to mental health start young, and the sooner we address them, the better the outcome.

Kimberley Lee is vice president of Resource Development & Branding for the Mental Health Assoc.

People on the Move

People on the Move

Priscilla Kane Hellweg

Enchanted Circle Theater’s executive and artistic director, Priscilla Kane Hellweg, has stepped down after 40 years of service, having grown Enchanted Circle from a small touring educational theater company into a nationally recognized leader in the field of arts integration. The board of directors is currently working with a consultant and staff on temporary management while studying various governance models. The organization will announce the plan by the end of the school year. Under Hellweg’s direction, Enchanted Circle has become the regional leader in the field of arts integration, working district-wide in public schools throughout Western Mass. and collaborating with more than 60 community partner organizations, developing work that bridges arts, education, and human services. She received the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network and was a finalist for Excellence in Leadership in 2018. She has received a Champions of Arts Education Award from the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts in Education and a Millennium Award from the National Guild of Community Arts Educators for her commitment to making quality arts education accessible to all. In 2016, Enchanted Circle was nominated to represent Massachusetts by the Massachusetts Cultural Council to receive the Creativity Connects Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Its work was highlighted in the national PBS series, American Graduate, for its Shakespeare program that combats summer learning loss in Holyoke Public Schools. Enchanted Circle received the 2015 Commonwealth Award, Massachusetts’ highest honor in arts, sciences, and humanities; received the 2013 Arts and Humanities Award for Outstanding Organization from NEPR; and was named Outstanding Arts Collaborative in 2011 from Arts/Learning. Hellweg has created district-wide arts-integration initiatives to enhance academic achievement for Holyoke, Amherst, Northampton, and Westfield public schools, and has collaborated on the development of several Teacher Training Institutes with numerous partners, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Teaching American History grants. She has taught professional-development workshops for many district-wide school systems in Massachusetts and Connecticut, including the Wang Center in Boston, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the History Institute at the University of Massachusetts, and the Collaborative for Educational Services in Northampton. She has been adjunct faculty at the University of Hartford, Hampshire College, and Westfield State University. She has also co-written and directed several site-based historical plays for educational and cultural tourism sites.

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Melissa English

MP CPAs recently announced the promotion of Melissa English to senior audit manager and Tim Provost to senior tax manager. English works with clients across a variety of industries, including nonprofits, manufacturers, distributors, and other small to medium-sized businesses. She is also the lead professional for the firm’s employee benefit-plan practice. She performs technical reviews of employee benefit-plan audits and is frequently called upon to assist with research regarding plan issues. Her experiences with benefit plans include working on Internal Revenue Service examinations, voluntary plan corrections, and self-corrections of plan errors. English joined the firm in 2001 and has more than 20 years of audit experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Westfield State University and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and AICPA’s Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center. She is very active in the community as a volunteer board member of the Down Syndrome Resource Group of Western Massachusetts and the Chicopee Galaxy Youth Athletic Assoc., of which she is also a co-founder. Provost provides consulting and tax solutions to a diverse group of clients including individuals, partnerships, limited-liability companies, corporations, and trusts. He also has experience working with international affiliates on foreign tax issues, and specializes in working with high-net-worth clients and with private equity firms and their owners. Provost joined the firm in 2008 and has more than 13 years of experience in personal and business taxation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Westfield State University and a master’s degree in accounting and taxation from American International College. He is a certified public accountant and a member of AICPA. He is very active in the community as a volunteer board member of the West Springfield Youth Basketball Assoc. and a volunteer youth basketball coach.

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Melissa Stefanowich

Country Bank announced that Melissa Stefanowich has joined its Retail Banking division. An experienced leader who has been in the retail banking industry for 14 years, she will serve Western Mass. in her new role at Country Bank. Stafenowich joins Country Bank from Westfield Bank where she was a Retail Banking officer, branch manager, and mortgage specialist. She was responsible for the leadership and management of branch service, sales, operations, and team development. She worked for Chicopee Savings Bank for eight years before it merged in 2016 with Westfield Bank. She is a supporter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America and Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts.

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After a nationwide search, Bay Path University announced that Frank Rojas has joined the university as the new vice president of Enrollment Management. In this role, he will oversee many duties, including creating and driving the strategic vision for enrollment, overseeing all aspects of enrollment operations, executing a comprehensive enrollment plan, and identifying and employing strategies that clearly demonstrate the university’s value proposition and align with institutional goals. Rojas has extensive experience in higher education, most recently as chief operating officer and executive vice president at Los Angeles Pacific University. In that position, he led a team that successfully drove enrollment growth and increased revenue, while implementing marketing plans and strategies for an online university that also integrated a focus on student support. As an educator, he is a strong advocate in providing access to learners, including marginalized students in post-secondary higher education. During his career, he has been a results-oriented leader committed to building profitable growth and return on investment both domestically and internationally. He earned a Ph.D. in organizational development and change and a master’s degree in organizational leadership through Fielding Graduate University. In addition, he received an executive MBA through Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from DeVry University.

•••••

American International College (AIC) has appointed Michael Dodge associate vice president for Academic Affairs following a national search. Dodge has been with AIC since 2018, previously serving as dean of Student Success and Opportunity. As dean, he had oversight of the tutoring and advising programs on campus and the James J. Shea Memorial Library, and was instrumental in the success of the AIC’s Plan for Excellence (APEX) program for students, serving as director of the program. In addition, he served as the principal investigator for the U.S. Department of Education Title III Grant program. While maintaining several of his previous responsibilities, as the associate vice president for Academic Affairs, Dodge will serve as the chief of staff to the executive vice president for Academic Affairs (EVPAA), including responsibility for day-to-day operational support for all areas reporting to the EVPAA, including the schools of Business Arts and Sciences, Education, and Health Sciences. Among his many areas of responsibility, Dodge will represent the Office of Academic Affairs to internal and external constituencies to develop comprehensive and integrative structures and processes to support student success and timely graduation. In addition, he will assist in the institution’s assessment processes and support development of meaningful and measurable institution, program, and course student-learning outcomes. He will research and analyze new program proposals from concept to market. Prior to joining AIC, Dodge worked for more than a decade at UMass Amherst in a variety of teaching and administrative roles. He earned his doctorate in educational policy, leadership, and administration at UMass Amherst after first earning his master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his bachelor’s degree in secondary education and English at the State University of New York Oswego.

•••••

Western New England University School of Law Professor Jennifer Levi has been named an inaugural fellow in a new Salem State University program of the Berry Institute of Politics (IOP). Levi will share this honor with former Boston Mayor Kim Janey for the spring 2022 semester. Levi is a lawyer, professor, and nationally recognized expert on transgender legal issues who has dedicated their career to fighting for the rights of women, children, the poor, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) clients. Currently, Levi serves as director of the Transgender Rights Project for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and as professor of Law at Western New England University. Throughout their career, Levi has led legal fights for transgender equality across a range of contexts, including in the areas of family law, education, healthcare, incarceration, military service, and beyond. As rising or seasoned professionals, fellows share their knowledge, skills, and experiences with students who are exploring and pursuing careers in politics and public service. As current practitioners, fellows support students building practical skills that will supplement what they are learning through academic courses. Through one-time and ongoing engagement, fellows serve as resources and mentors to students. During their visits, IOP fellows will participate and lead both curricular and co-curricular programs.

•••••

Evelyn Rivera-Riffenburg

Holyoke Community College (HCC) recently welcomed Evelyn Rivera-Riffenburg as the college’s executive director of Human Resources. Rivera-Riffenburg has worked in human resources for more than 25 years. She started her career as a personnel assistant and most recently worked as director of human resources for Chicopee Public Schools. Her previous employment featured positions in human resources for the town of Amherst, Medtronic (formerly Covidien), Hot Mama’s Foods, C&S Wholesale Grocers, and Coca-Cola. She is also an adjunct professor at Bay Path University and Western New England University. Rivera-Riffenburg began her undergraduate education at HCC before transferring to Baker College, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in human resources management. She holds master’s degrees in communications and information management from Bay Path University and in organizational leadership from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a Society for Human Resources Management certified senior professional, an HCRI senior professional in human resources, and a certified K-12 Title IX coordinator.

•••••

The New England Financial Marketing Assoc. (NEFMA) welcomed Mary Cate Mannion, a digital PR analyst for Garvey Communication Associates Inc. and producer for New England Corporate Video, as the keynote presenter for its virtual Awards Show on Feb. 11. The event featured the winners of awards for the most creative, innovative, and successful campaigns across several different financial-services categories. Mannion’s presentation, “What’s Old Is New: How the Age-old Art of Storytelling Will Set Your Existing Media Channels on Fire,” explained how brands can generate meaningful and measurable engagement while shedding all that extra budget weight of meaningless and empty impressions. Included in her presentation were best-practice examples from HarborOne Bank, Mascoma Bank, Monson Savings Bank, Needham Bank, and PeoplesBank. Mannion has worked in the Holyoke-Springfield DMA as an anchor/reporter for ABC, CBS, and FOX News affiliates; in Bismarck, N.D. as an anchor/reporter for an NBC News affiliate; and in Portland, Maine as a reporter for an ABC News affiliate. She won a Broadcaster’s Award for her work and was nominated for two Midwest Emmy Awards. She is a graduate of Emerson College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. She is also currently a board member of the Willie Ross School for the Deaf and a member of Women in Film & Video New England.

•••••

New England Public Media has named Deepa Krishna director of Finance and Accounting. Krishna will oversee the nonprofit media organization’s $10 million budget, working directly with internal departments as well as community funders and grantors. A licensed certified public accountant, Krishna joins NEPM from the Connecticut Airport Authority in Windsor Locks, where she served as the accounting manager for Bradley International Airport and five general aviation airports, overseeing annual budgets and managing federal and state grants for the nonprofit organization. Prior to that, she was the finance manager for Bristol Hospital and Healthcare Group. She received her master’s degree in commerce and accounting from Madurai Kamaraj University, India, and her bachelor’s degree in commerce and accounting from Mahatma Gandhi University, India.

•••••

Colin Griswold

OMG Roofing Products promoted Colin Griswold to the position of codes and approvals engineer. In his new role, he will manage product approvals for OMG Roofing’s product portfolio as well as assist the new-product development team in addressing code and approval issues. In addition, he will work closely with OMG’s private-label customers and code and approval officials with product evaluations, developing technical product specifications, as well as maintaining code approvals and keeping abreast of technical changes and advancements in the commercial roofing industry. Griswold started with OMG Roofing Products in 2013 in the manufacturing area. Since then, he has held positions as a laboratory technician in the company’s New Product Development & Innovation department, and most recently in the Technical Services department as a technical support specialist. He is a member of the Single-Ply Roofing Industry and holds an associate degree in engineering from Springfield Technical Community College.

•••••

Nourse Farms Inc. announced that founder and President Timothy Nourse has transitioned from overall leadership of Nourse Farms to chairman of the board of directors. He is leaving the day-to-day operational oversight in the hands of John Place, who has been promoted to CEO. Over the past 90 years, Nourse Farms has grown to be a leader in berry-plant propagation in North America and now produces more than 30 million strawberry plants in addition to 6 million raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, currant, gooseberry, elderberry, asparagus, rhubarb, and horseradish plants each year to customers around the world. Tim Nourse is recognized as a pioneer in tissue-culture propagation, having built the first lab at Nourse Farms over 40 years ago. Establishing this capability in the 1980s was a key to growth and innovation for customers around the world. Before joining Nourse Farms as chief operating officer in 2019, Place built his career in Pennsylvania at Keepsake Farm. He holds a degree in agriculture and animal science from the University of Delaware and is a highly accomplished farmer and successful business executive.

Company Notebook

Company Notebook

Pride Stores Sold to ArcLight Capital Partners

SPRINGFIELD — Eight months after announcing plans to sell the chain, Pride Stores CEO Bob Bolduc announced a sale to ArcLight Capital Partners. The 31 stores — with several more in development — will keep the Pride name, and the company’s customers and 525 employees will see little change in day-to-day operations, Bolduc told local news outlets, which is one of the reasons ArcLight won out over several other interested parties. In 1976, Bolduc bought a self-serve gas station in Indian Orchard and gradually expanded his business over the years, creating the chain of stores known today as Pride. He also developed a reputation as an industry innovator by marrying the self-service station with another emerging phenomenon, the convenience store. Other innovations would follow; Pride would eventually become the first chain in Western Mass. to put a Dunkin’ Donuts in the stores, and the first to incorporate a Subway. But where the company has really made a name, in recent years, is with its own fresh-food production, supported by the Pride Kitchen, located at the company’s headquarters on Cottage Street in Springfield.

TD Bank Center Sold to New Real-estate Partnership

SPRINGFIELD — The 240,000-square-foot, class-A office complex located at 1441 Main St. in Springfield, known as the TD Bank Center, has been sold. The property, located at the corner of Main Street and Harrison Avenue, was sold by an affiliate of TD Bank to a limited-liability company comprised of the principals of Colebrook Realty Services and a company controlled by Jeb Balise, CEO of Balise Auto Group. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed. Originally known as Center Square, the property was developed in the early 1980s by a subsidiary of SIS Bank in a project led by Colebrook CEO Jack Dill. Colebrook has managed and leased the building since its opening in January 1982. Most recently, Colebrook partners Mitch Bolotin and Kevin Morin have had responsibility for leasing and managing TD Bank Center. Balise and Colebrook have worked together for nearly two decades on Balise real-estate projects, represented by Bolotin.

Western New England University Cited Among Top Online Programs

SPRINGFIELD — In newly released rankings by U.S. News & World Report, Western New England University (WNE) was again recognized among the 2022 Best Online Programs. Among online MBA Programs, WNE made significant gains, jumping 71 places and ranking 153rd (up from 224th in 2021); among Online Graduate Business Programs (Non-MBA), the university ranked 110th (up from 129th in 2021); and among Online Master’s in Engineering Programs, it ranked 79th, up from 104th. The rankings place Western New England University in the top 10 in Massachusetts for accredited online MBA and graduate business programs and in the top three in Massachusetts for accredited master’s in engineering programs. For the 2022 edition, U.S. News & World Report assessed 1,728 online degree programs and ranked 1,646, both all-time highs. Best Online Programs rankings credit schools for long-term investments in designing and scaling their student services, technologies, curricula, and instructor training toward distance learners. The Western New England University College of Engineering continues to be top-ranked in the Online Master’s in Engineering Programs category. For the 2022 Best Online Graduate Engineering Programs rankings, U.S. News ranked ABET-accredited schools using five categories: engagement, faculty credentials, and training; expert opinion, services, and technologies; and student excellence. The College of Engineering offers several full master’s programs online: MS in industrial engineering, MS in engineering management, and MS in electrical engineering. The colleges of Engineering and Business offer a dual-degree master of science in engineering management and an MBA that can be completed entirely online.

Holyoke Community College to Introduce Free Child-watch Service

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) will soon introduce a free, drop-in child-watch program for parents who need safe and affordable supervision for their children while they tend to their college studies. When the Itsy Bitsy Child Watch opens in March, HCC will be just the second community college in the state — and the only one in Western Mass. — to offer a child-watch service for its students. The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch will offer free, short-term care to children 6 weeks to 12 years old, provided their parents sign up in advance and remain inside on the Homestead Avenue campus. Parents will be given a restaurant-style pager to alert them to return if necessary. The pilot phase is being funded through a $100,000 allocation in the 2022 Massachusetts budget secured by state Sen. John Velis. HCC is in the process of hiring an interim director to get the child-watch program up and running. Many of the details still need to be worked out, such as days and hours of operation.

Forest Park Zoo Again Honored for Education Programming

SPRINGFIELD — For the second time in six months, the Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center is being recognized for its innovative education programming. Most recently, the zoo received the 2021 Educational Award of Excellence, presented by the Zoological Assoc. of America for its Kids Go Wild programming. Kids Go Wild provides a fun, interactive way for school-aged children to learn about various animal species while exploring diets, habitats, adaptations, daily zoo life, and more through cross-hatched science, literacy, and art lessons. Each lesson also meets state education standards set forth by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in at least one or more of the aforementioned disciplines. These lessons were created, developed, and ultimately implemented by the zoo’s director of education, Caroline Cay Adams. The one-on-one, hands-on interactions offered as part of Kids Go Wild bring the typical textbook science lessons right off the page. Kids Go Wild goes beyond single-program learning objectives by encouraging groups to book multiple programs that are implemented over a longer period of time. This ensures that the educator can scaffold lessons to incorporate themes, vocabulary, and topics from previous lesson plans, as well as offer plenty of opportunities for participants to engage with ambassador animals. Examples of lessons include Animal Adaptations; the Food Web; Living Dinosaurs; and Herbivores, Carnivores, and Omnivores. In August 2021, Adams also received the Janet McCoy Excellence in Public Education Award from the American Assoc. of Zookeepers for her work on Kids Go Wild.

Berkshire Bank Earns Top Marks in Corporate Equality Index

BOSTON — Berkshire Bank announced that it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Berkshire joins the ranks of more than 840 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year. “We are honored to be recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation,” said Gary Levante, senior vice president, Corporate Responsibility. “Our goal at Berkshire is always to be a shining example of how a purpose-driven organization can be successful while lifting up everyone in our community. Our Pride Employee Resource Group has been steadfast in their work to create a more equitable workplace, and this honor is a testament to their tireless efforts. We hope that this recognition and our culture will inspire more members of our LGBTQIA+ family to join the Berkshire team as customers and employees.”

MCLA, Habitat for Humanity Partner to Offer Free Tax Assistance

NORTH ADAMS — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and its Department of Business Administration will once again partner with Habitat for Humanity to offer free tax-preparation services to local residents in need through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Habitat for Humanity administers VITA, a program of the IRS, to assist taxpayers with disabilities or limited English-speaking skills, those 60 years of age or older, and individuals who make $57,000 or less per year. MCLA students will be available to complete both basic and advanced returns, including those with itemized deductions. The students who participate in this program undergo a rigorous training, become IRS-certified, and will work under the supervision of MCLA Professor of Accounting Tara Barboza, an enrolled agent with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and a certified public accountant (CPA). In addition to meeting a significant need in Northern Berkshire County, participating in the VITA program is an opportunity for students to gain valuable, hands-on preparation experience. They will earn college credit, and accounting students can use this credit toward the requirements for the CPA exam. Interested individuals should call Habitat for Humanity offices at (413) 442-0002 or (413) 442-3181 to find out if they qualify and schedule an appointment. Hours will be Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 to 8 p.m. in Murdock Hall on the MCLA campus in North Adams. The program will continue through April 13.

Incorporations

Incorporations

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

CHICOPEE

Daniel’s Truck Center Inc., 10 Montcalm St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Daniel LaFlamme, same address. Used truck and auto sales.

Precision Professionals Inc., 22 Harrington Road, Chicopee, MA 01020. Alexandre Holan, same address. Cleaning services.

GREENFIELD

CK Sandwich Inc., 446 Country Club Road, Greenfield, MA 01301. Christine M. Kuzm eskus, same address. Sandwich shop.

LUDLOW

3 Dukes Fishing Inc., 164 Lyon St., Ludlow, MA 01056. Mark D. Simonds, same address. To engage in the operation of commercial fishing.

The Watch Wellness Group Inc., 31 Nash Hill Road, Ludlow, MA 01056. Lisa Knowles-Warren, same address. Counseling and therapy services to the public.

MONSON

Bean Camping Inc., 72 Sutcliff Road, Monson, MA 01057. Joshua Unwin, same address. Campground.

PITTSFIELD

Waste Management Solutions Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Ste. 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Jacob Levy, same address. Waste management.

Akso First Health Treatment Center Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Ste. 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Yiling Wang, same address. Health consulting.

SPRINGFIELD

Worthington Package Store Inc., 1334 Liberty St., Springfield, MA 01104. Khushal Gogri, 135 Bernie Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Liquor store.

WESTFIELD

A.G. Falcetti Carpentry Inc., 262 Paper Mill Road, Westfield, MA 01085. Anthony Falcetti, same address. Carpentry.

Est US Express Inc., 105 Franklin St., third floor, Westfield, MA 01085. Pjotr Ptselnikov, same address. Trucking.

WILBRAHAM

Adam Long Painting Inc., 60 Manchonis Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Adam K. Long, same address. Painting and power washing.

Baskor Inc., 241 Crane Hill Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. John M. Basile, same address. Insurance inspections with drone.

Packology Design Group Corporation, 35 Burleigh Ave., Wilbraham, MA 01095. Walter Grono, same address. Packing and distribution.

Doing Business as Certificates

DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the month of January 2022. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

DEERFIELD

AllyKev LLC
105 North Main St.
Allison Molongoski, Kevin Molongoski, Linda Molongoski

Deerfield River Liquors
62 Purple Meadow Road
Melissa Winters

Whitney Hill at the Gables
178 Old Vernon Road
Dale Whitney

NORTHAMPTON

Auto Plus
125 Carlon Dr.
Jonathan Lastowski

Brightworks Inc.
15 Higgins Way
Douglas McCarroll

Cancer Connection Thrift Shop
375 South St.
Christine Quinn

Carrie Ferguson Music
68 Cherry St.
Carrie Ferguson

Chameleons Hair Salon
2 Conz St., Unit 64
Kathleen Molongoski

Champagne Conference & Consultation
418 Ryan Road
Tina Champagne

Computer First Aid
209 Main St.
Cian Dowling

Context Capital Asset Management LLC
123 South St., #2
Melissa Frydlo

Cyclepottery
42 Maple St.
Kathryn Kothe Roszko

Filos Greek Taverna
279 Main St.
Konstantinos Sierros

Haven Body Arts
108 Main St.
Penelope Silverstein

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

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

Maple Street Architects
39 Revell Ave.
Peter Stevens

Northampton Athletic Club
306 King St.
Perry Messer, Judy Messer

Northampton Tire and Auto Service
182 King St.
Kurt Zimmerman

Northeast Painting Associates Inc.
881 North King St.
Christopher Hellyar

Richard Huntley & Sons
254 Easthampton Road
Richard Huntley

Sitelab Architecture & Design
35 Maynard Road
Caryn Brause

Sutter Meats LLC
65 King St.
Terence Ragasa

TommyCar Auto Group
347 King St.
Carla Cosenzi Zayac

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

SOUTHWICK

Beauty and the Brow
627 College Highway, Suite 5
Kelly Miller

Thairapy with Amber Laborde
320 College Highway
Amber Laborde

WESTFIELD

A & B Gets It Clean
10 Hampden St.
Brandon Callahan

Ashley Papineau LICSW
1029 North Road
Ashley Papineau

Atlantic Trade Winds
405 Northwest Road
Wendy Diltz

BB Odd Jobs
53 Moseley Ave.
Rickey Beckett Jr.

Cusson Remodeling
64 Yeoman Ave.
Christopher Cusson

HES Hedges Electrical Service
1181 Russell Road
Chad Hedges

IK Ceramik Tiles
289 Buck Pond Road
Igor Kuzin

Lana’s Flowers
143 Llewellyn Dr.
Svetlana Ryabchukova

Local Lawns
32 South St.
Joshua Velez

Simon Sez Pets
35 Schumann Dr.
Richard Simons

SRW Court Reporting
132 Wild Flower Circle
Sharon Waskiewicz

Westfield Animal Shelter HEROES
5 Lathrop Ave.
Hearts to Pawz Project

Yellow Wood Coaching
8A Pumpkin Lane
Daniel Persuitte

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Allegiance Trucks Isuzu Springfield
268 Park St.
Randy Rindels

Atlas Technical Consultants LLC
73 William Franks Dr.
Michael Chadwick

Beacon ABA Services
59 Interstate Dr.
Robert LittleonJr.

BK Builders
59 Norman St.
Brian Kolodziej

Christian D. Smith LICSW
141Westwood Dr.
Christian Smith

Dean Moke America of West Springfield
874 Memorial Ave.
Randy Rindels

Doty Riverdale LP
143 Doty Circle

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcies

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

Allen, Theresa Marie
45 Kane St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 11
Date: 01/14/2022

Alshuwaykh, Ahmed
60 Devens St., Apt. 4
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/31/2021

Bay Counseling Associates
Shea, Peter M.
Shea, Jennifer L.
42 Manor Court
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/30/2021

Biancomano, Andrew
15 Elwood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Date: 01/05/2022

Gomez, Miguel A.
9 Owens Place
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/31/2021

Haverty, Scot D.
PO Box 266
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 13
Date: 01/12/2022

Johnson, Jeffrey Allan
303 Scantic Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 13
Date: 01/13/2022

Keyes, Aaron
11 Lyman Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Date: 01/12/2022

Kulakowski, Sandra Eva
150 Pinedale Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Date: 01/12/2022

Labrie, Caitlin J.
341 North St.
Windsor, MA 01270
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/31/2021

Leask, Kimberly A.
131 Alfred Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Date: 01/08/2022

Lewicki, Jane A.
45 Beacon Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Date: 01/06/2022

Pajak, Sharon A.
185 Windsor St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Date: 01/12/2022

Pennell, Jonathan L.
a/k/a Shears-Pennell, Jonathan Luke
139 Main St.
Cheshire, MA 01225
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/31/2021

Valentin, Josue
113 Prospect St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/31/2021

Vazquez, Andres
735 Memorial Dr. Unit 115
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Date: 01/13/2022

Real Estate Transactions

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

42 West Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Matthew D. Killeen
Seller: Jill E. Powell
Date: 01/14/22

COLRAIN

3 Patton Hill Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $349,900
Buyer: Nathanial J. Boyer
Seller: Ryan M. Billiel
Date: 01/18/22

DEERFIELD

44 Graves St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Marsha L. Leavitt
Seller: Susanne Recos
Date: 01/14/22

400 Greenfield Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Mathew Ainsworth
Seller: April C. Greene
Date: 01/14/22

9 Kelleher Dr.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Michael Robbins
Seller: Ann E. Shelton
Date: 01/21/22

GREENFIELD

633 Bernardston Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $182,000
Buyer: EDS Enterprises LLC
Seller: FHLM
Date: 01/20/22

50 Cleveland St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $174,570
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Sarah L. Coulsey
Date: 01/10/22

2 Earl Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Heath Hutchinson
Seller: Thomas Friedman
Date: 01/14/22

359 High St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $2,900,000
Buyer: 359 Hight Street LLC
Seller: Somerset Property Group LLC
Date: 01/20/22

106 Maple St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Linda M. Shea
Seller: Matthew D. Killeen
Date: 01/14/22

72 Vernon St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Rachel Eskridge
Seller: Patricia K. Robertson-Hall
Date: 01/14/22

HEATH

38 Bray Road
Heath, MA 01340
Amount: $150,381
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Robert L. Sessions
Date: 01/21/22

136 Hosmer Road East
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Thomas Serino
Seller: Thomas Flynn
Date: 01/13/22

162 Sumner Stetson Road
Heath, MA 01340
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Adam D. Bergeron
Seller: Bohrer, David L., (Estate)
Date: 01/21/22

LEVERETT

36 Broad Hill Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $206,250
Buyer: Annie Pollak
Seller: Elizabeth W. Scheffey
Date: 01/14/22

35 Juggler Meadow Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $668,500
Buyer: Julia Firl
Seller: Mill River Renovations LLC
Date: 01/19/22

LEYDEN

218 Greenfield Road
Leyden, MA 01301
Amount: $477,000
Buyer: William D. Streeter
Seller: Andrew H. Killeen
Date: 01/13/22

MONTAGUE

12 Central St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $155,800
Buyer: Michael J. Dickerman
Seller: Doris M. Paulin IRT
Date: 01/14/22

111 L St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $296,500
Buyer: Jose A. Moran
Seller: Munju M. Song
Date: 01/10/22

47 Oakman St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Timothy M. Livingwater
Seller: Anne R. Homme
Date: 01/21/22

NEW SALEM

301 Petersham Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $541,000
Buyer: Janell E. Lopez-Curtis
Seller: Ashoryn LLC
Date: 01/21/22

309 Petersham Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $502,203
Buyer: Andrew J. Drawec
Seller: Ashoryn LLC
Date: 01/14/22

315 Petersham Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $449,900
Buyer: Dana M. Degen
Seller: Ashoryn LLC
Date: 01/21/22

NORTHFIELD

173 4 Mile Brook Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $489,900
Buyer: Carmine C. Vivolo
Seller: Kickery, Justin M., (Estate)
Date: 01/21/22

Pratt Hollow Road Lot A2
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: John J. Schuster
Seller: Gorzocoski, Paul T., (Estate)
Date: 01/19/22

Pratt Hollow Road Lot A5
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: John J. Schuster
Seller: Gorzocoski, Paul T., (Estate)
Date: 01/19/22

Pratt Hollow Road Lot A8
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: John J. Schuster
Seller: Gorzocoski, Paul T., (Estate)
Date: 01/19/22

Pratt Hollow Road Lot A9
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: John J. Schuster
Seller: Gorzocoski, Paul T., (Estate)
Date: 01/19/22

Pratt Hollow Road Lot A10
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: John J. Schuster
Seller: Gorzocoski, Paul T., (Estate)
Date: 01/19/22

ORANGE

249 Brookside Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $381,000
Buyer: Poitier Wright
Seller: Dodge Contracting LLC
Date: 01/14/22

52 Eddy St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: William P. Harris
Seller: Thomas Richardson
Date: 01/13/22

138 Pleasant St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Sean Hilliard
Seller: Charles Piragis
Date: 01/21/22

129 Prentiss St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Joseph C. Ledoux
Seller: Raymond H. Ledoux
Date: 01/20/22

18 Shelter St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: John V. Bruinsma
Seller: Kathy Talbot
Date: 01/21/22

210 Wheeler Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Orange Equity Holding LLC
Seller: Marmac Investments LLC
Date: 01/18/22

48 Old Cyrus Stage Road
Rowe, MA 01367
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Jeffrey P. McGuire
Seller: Stanley R. Zielonka
Date: 01/10/22

ROWE

32 Shippee Road
Rowe, MA 01367
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Robert C. Vandermaaten
Seller: John Rose-Fish
Date: 01/21/22

SHELBURNE

3 Pattern Hill Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $349,900
Buyer: Nathanial J. Boyer
Seller: Ryan M. Billiel
Date: 01/18/22

SHUTESBURY

140 Leonard Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Michael O’Connor
Seller: John J. Gurman-Wangh
Date: 01/10/22

SUNDERLAND

226 North Main St.
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Marcie E. Lyons
Seller: Saunders N. Whittlesey
Date: 01/21/22

280 North Main St.
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Ann Shelton
Seller: Julie M. Talbot
Date: 01/21/22

108 Plumtree Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $252,500
Buyer: E. Ashley Fogle
Seller: Elaine E. Grigonis
Date: 01/21/22

WENDELL

1 Elm St.
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $262,500
Buyer: Craig Morey
Seller: Pioneer Valley Redevelopment LLC
Date: 01/10/22

166 West St.
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Heather Wight
Seller: Dennis T. Lewis
Date: 01/19/22

WHATELY

6 Eastwood Lane
Whately, MA 01373
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Rebecca M. McDaniel
Seller: Kathleen Z. Zeamer
Date: 01/14/22

14 Swamp Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $406,000
Buyer: James A. Selman
Seller: Stephen D. Gross
Date: 01/21/22

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

29 Hunting Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Todd Prince
Seller: Shirley E. Jackson
Date: 01/21/22

15 Joey Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $319,600
Buyer: Jennifer L. Siewers
Seller: Edward Monette
Date: 01/13/22

18 Karen Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $241,500
Buyer: Jean C. Turgeon
Seller: Theodore R. Zern
Date: 01/14/22

395 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $152,600
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

883 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Thaddeus C. Dobek
Seller: Mary L. Barlar
Date: 01/21/22

11 Meadow Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $319,900
Buyer: Wilneris Uroza-Figueroa
Seller: Joseph D. Valenti
Date: 01/14/22

6 North Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $1,369,800
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

25 Randall St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $219,900
Buyer: Sandra Fraccalvieri
Seller: Brian G. Radwilowicz
Date: 01/14/22

BRIMFIELD

7 Cubles Dr.
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $715,000
Buyer: Burnell FT
Seller: Maris Ozolins
Date: 01/14/22

65 Holland Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Priscilla D. Steinbrueck
Seller: Anthony J. Polakowski
Date: 01/21/22

Mill Lane
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Nicholas S. Short
Seller: Arlene M. Rasys-Cadieux
Date: 01/20/22

CHESTER

54 Holcomb Road
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Mark Hetherington
Seller: Richards, Madeline M., (Estate)
Date: 01/12/22

116 Maynard Hill Road
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $254,000
Buyer: Jake Flaherty
Seller: Mark R. Shlosser
Date: 01/18/22

CHICOPEE

45 Asinof Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Paul Kestler
Seller: Maria D. Pedro
Date: 01/18/22

363 Burnett Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $1,557,500
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/18/22

229 Center St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $418,800
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

167 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $2,209,670
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

177 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $2,209,670
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

910 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: MD&PB Properties LLC
Seller: Lachenauer LLC
Date: 01/20/22

431 East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Sage M. Abreu
Seller: Robert S. Talbot
Date: 01/21/22

29 Glenwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $244,900
Buyer: Savannah R. Tardy
Seller: Peter Sacuta
Date: 01/10/22

140 Goodhue Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Revampit LLC
Seller: Edward S. Bury
Date: 01/20/22

84 Laclede Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $279,000
Buyer: Juquan Hicks
Seller: Raymond S. Procon
Date: 01/20/22

307 Meadow St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $5,050,000
Buyer: Gleason Johndrow Group LLC
Seller: Meadow St. Partners LLP
Date: 01/18/22

27 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $1,217,400
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

8 Old Dale St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $183,500
Buyer: Aida Medianero
Seller: Patrick R. Neill
Date: 01/21/22

14 Park St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Lenix R. Vega
Seller: Milan P. Peich
Date: 01/12/22

48 Randall St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Carlos D. Vasquez
Seller: Eileen B. Monaghan
Date: 01/10/22

35 Savory Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $436,000
Buyer: Doreen Cunningham
Seller: Todd A. Beaudoin
Date: 01/11/22

34 Sheridan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Mark Camarata
Seller: Deslauriers, David, (Estate)
Date: 01/12/22

128 Sunnymeade Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $196,000
Buyer: Daniel Carthon
Seller: Ruthie M. Therrien
Date: 01/19/22

4 Taylor St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: Mark Camarata
Seller: Deslauriers David, (Estate)
Date: 01/12/22

17 Whitman St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: 855 Liberty Springfield LLC
Seller: Campagnari Construction LLC
Date: 01/12/22

19 Whitman St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: 855 Liberty Springfield LLC
Seller: Campagnari Construction LLC
Date: 01/12/22

34 Wintworth St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Travis J. Vadnais
Seller: O&R Group LLC
Date: 01/21/22

58 Worthington St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Nathan P. Leclerc
Seller: Desmarais, Doris I., (Estate)
Date: 01/21/22

EAST LONGMEADOW

63 Birchland Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Nexus Apartments LLC
Seller: Douglas W. Long
Date: 01/21/22

15 Helen Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Christopher Lyman
Seller: Steven Donato
Date: 01/14/22

64 Helen Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Julie A. Mathieu
Seller: Eric A. Retzlaff
Date: 01/21/22

40 Linden Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Mary Boadu
Seller: William Raleigh
Date: 01/14/22

51 Maplehurst Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Julie K. Grondin
Seller: Quercus Properties LLC
Date: 01/20/22

58 Markham Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Marilyn Gonzalez
Seller: James F. Mannino
Date: 01/10/22

13 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $730,700
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

21-23 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $723,800
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

7 Odion St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $181,750
Buyer: Freeport RT
Seller: Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC
Date: 01/11/22

78 Old Farm Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $815,000
Buyer: Augusto S. Garcia
Seller: Peter C. Dimaria
Date: 01/10/22

451 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $519,000
Buyer: Lenny Harris
Seller: Kenneth F. Bernier
Date: 01/19/22

157 Prospect St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Robert A. Walker
Seller: Mark P. Racine
Date: 01/10/22

HOLLAND

20 Knollwood Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $244,900
Buyer: Michael P. Sullivan
Seller: Walter R. Rogers
Date: 01/19/22

27 Vinton Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: Timothy J. Moynagh
Seller: Michael J. Martino
Date: 01/10/22

HOLYOKE

31 Amherst St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Anthony S. Morsen
Seller: M. C. Bushner TR
Date: 01/10/22

89 Beech St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: 89 Beech St LLC
Seller: 89 Beech Street LLC
Date: 01/19/22

1553 Dwight St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $602,800
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

60 Edbert Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: John W. McCoy
Seller: Minkler, Kathleen M., (Estate)
Date: 01/19/22

19 Francis Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Jacqueline Dorsey
Seller: Frank A. Demarinis
Date: 01/14/22

56 Laurel St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $199,999
Buyer: Jose A. Vazquez-Garcia
Seller: William N. Shipwash
Date: 01/18/22

47 Queen St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Carol Huben
Seller: Posiadlosc LLC
Date: 01/12/22

28 River Ter.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Virginia McWilliam
Seller: R. Kirk Mackey
Date: 01/20/22

295 Southampton Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $315,900
Buyer: Tiffany Mackey
Seller: Aaron G. Horowitz-Frary
Date: 01/14/22

11 Steven Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Jeffrey A. Tannatt
Seller: Edward Cauley
Date: 01/14/22

35 Waldo St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Carolyn M. Diaz-Rodriguez
Seller: Wegrzyn, Teresa, (Estate)
Date: 01/14/22

112-114 West St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Cristal Muniz-Francisco
Seller: 4 Harps LLC
Date: 01/20/22

17 Wolcott St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Reinaldo Guzman
Seller: Extremely Clean LLC
Date: 01/21/22

LONGMEADOW

32 Edgewood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Kristiana A. Tadeo
Seller: Albert C. Krafcik
Date: 01/21/22

87 Ely Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $882,000
Buyer: Heather Orsi
Seller: Sasi K. Penukonda
Date: 01/13/22

72 Fairview St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Danielle Wilby
Seller: Donald F. O’Connor
Date: 01/13/22

144 Lawnwood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Anna Russo
Seller: Jeffrey A. Guerra
Date: 01/12/22

1730 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $918,800
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/19/22

1734 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $918,800
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/19/22

33 Oxford Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $645,000
Buyer: Melrose Hurley
Seller: 4 Kings FT
Date: 01/14/22

40 Woodsley Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $837,500
Buyer: Frank Colaccino
Seller: Robert B. Bolduc
Date: 01/20/22

LUDLOW

279 Cady St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Jose C. Alves
Seller: Horacio M. Salvador
Date: 01/13/22

478 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $1,630,100
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

138-140 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Tymmothy R. Dore
Seller: Margaret S. Glassman
Date: 01/20/22

853 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $470,000
Buyer: Carlos Melendez
Seller: Ana P. Dias
Date: 01/18/22

189 Miller St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Eric Retzlaff
Seller: Kyle K. Sullivan
Date: 01/21/22

125 Simonds St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Russell Cable
Seller: Carl E. Binette
Date: 01/21/22

23 Stivens Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: John Sugrue
Seller: David R. Sedelow
Date: 01/14/22

10 Warren St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Danyun Huang
Seller: Stephen J. Pare
Date: 01/14/22

Winsor St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Mill Road Properties LLC
Seller: Alcides Marques
Date: 01/18/22

173 Winsor St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Mill Road Properties LLC
Seller: Alcides Marques
Date: 01/18/22

MONSON

4 Hampden Court
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Sabrina B. Ireland
Seller: Timothy West
Date: 01/21/22

100 Lakeshore Dr.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $575,000
Buyer: David Henry TR
Seller: Daniel Cassidy
Date: 01/18/22

MONTGOMERY

4 North Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: John Buikus
Seller: Sandra D. Bundy
Date: 01/18/22

PALMER

10 Alden St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: Tristan Soucie
Seller: Joshua A. Pelski
Date: 01/13/22

1 Beech St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Jeffrey R. Surette
Seller: Stratton Renovation LLC
Date: 01/13/22

10 Fieldstone Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $498,000
Buyer: George Langlitz
Seller: Siyang Song
Date: 01/13/22

1061 Park St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Karl E. Sweikhart
Date: 01/13/22

153 Shearer St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Luke H. Hardy
Seller: Margaret J. Wilson
Date: 01/21/22

189 Shearer St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $232,800
Buyer: Joshua Robidoux
Seller: Charles W. Gambino
Date: 01/21/22

1215 Thorndike St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $206,600
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

RUSSELL

384 Huntington Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: LBI Real Estate LLC
Seller: General Knox Post 6645
Date: 01/14/22

SOUTHWICK

43 Buckingham Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $151,000
Buyer: Thomas Romero
Seller: John P. Guzewicz
Date: 01/21/22

198 College Hwy
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $748,100
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

42 Depot St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: Right Hand Clyde Real Estate LLC
Seller: William J. Malone
Date: 01/21/22

SPRINGFIELD

46-48 Albemarle St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Elvis E. Olivares-Vasquez
Seller: Rafael A. Reyes
Date: 01/18/22

248 Ambrose St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Foley Capital LLC
Seller: Walker, June S., (Estate)
Date: 01/21/22

61 Arthur St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Gladys Resto
Seller: Maria L. Rodriguez
Date: 01/21/22

910-912 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: 716 Spring Valley LLC
Seller: WMass Capital Partners LLC
Date: 01/14/22

1143 Berkshire Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $640,400
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

74 Bernard St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: Adela Flores
Seller: Alicia M. Coppolo
Date: 01/14/22

142 Blanche St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Jillian Godbout
Seller: James C. Ward
Date: 01/14/22

1235 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $2,000,000
Buyer: Caring Health Center Inc.
Seller: C&S Partnership LLC
Date: 01/21/22

1189 Bradley Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Roberto Gonzalez
Seller: Ram Tamang
Date: 01/19/22

455-477 Breckwood Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $4,600,000
Buyer: RN Enterprises LLC
Seller: Breckwood Realty LLC
Date: 01/21/22

48-50 Clifton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Necasty Vilnaigre
Seller: Marc Rhodes
Date: 01/13/22

53 Cloran St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Benson Acheampong
Seller: Global Home Property LLC
Date: 01/13/22

29 Clydesdale Lane
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Cecil J. Hiscock
Seller: Thomas R. Caruso
Date: 01/20/22

327 Commonwealth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $238,000
Buyer: Keshauna M. Burwell
Seller: Jonell O. Sostre-Rosado
Date: 01/13/22

258 Cooper St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Taysha Quinones-Negron
Seller: Benjamin W. John
Date: 01/18/22

117 Corcoran Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: David Sanchez
Seller: Jonathan M. Stenta
Date: 01/21/22

246 Cottage St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $1,934,400
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Plazas Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

85 Covington St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $205,923
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Hector Pagan
Date: 01/11/22

48 Crystal Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Jose D. Crespo
Seller: Nghe Vanho
Date: 01/14/22

97 Cuff Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Madison Property Investments LLC
Seller: Daniel Torres
Date: 01/10/22

74 Denver St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Hiram Torres
Seller: Daniel S. Sojkowski
Date: 01/11/22

220 Denver St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: David Burgos
Seller: Jose Z. Rodriguez
Date: 01/21/22

235 Eastern Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Jan Deleeuw
Seller: Ecumenical Church Inc.
Date: 01/19/22

37-39 Draper St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: AJ & Sons Properties LLP
Seller: Scott Swenson
Date: 01/12/22

1211 East Columbus Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $1,515,100
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

319 El Paso St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Idalis Rios
Seller: Phantom Holdings LLC
Date: 01/14/22

67 Fairhaven Dr.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: JJJ17 LLC
Seller: Thomas, Ethel P., (Estate)
Date: 01/20/22

289 Forest Hills Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Andres Dejesus
Seller: Elizabeth M. Woike
Date: 01/21/22

18 Fresno St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $349,600
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

33 Hebron St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Siu M. Chow-Tsang
Seller: Richard E. Allen
Date: 01/18/22

40 Juliet St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $334,000
Buyer: Thi Nguyen
Seller: Bukowski Construction LLC
Date: 01/12/22

79 Kenyon St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Pauline Maloney
Seller: Martha Rankins
Date: 01/13/22

29 Lamont St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $241,500
Buyer: Miguel A. Rodriguez-Ruiz
Seller: Kenneth E. Kellum
Date: 01/20/22

84 Lamont St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Santos Marrero-Gonzalez
Seller: Buong V. Le
Date: 01/20/22

68 Lavender Lane
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Megan E. O’Connell
Seller: Margaret E. McLane
Date: 01/12/22

15 Lawton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Hassan Saleh
Seller: Colapinto Dorothy M., (Estate)
Date: 01/13/22

164 Leopold St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Rosa M. Andino-Baez
Seller: Minerva Andino
Date: 01/21/22

49 Malden St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Mary Rodriguez
Seller: Ana L. Santiago
Date: 01/21/22

92 Marion St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Mariangely Diaz-Torres
Seller: Property Advantage Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

42-44 Maryland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Christina Valle
Seller: Antoinette Bonavita
Date: 01/10/22

70 Milton St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Christopher Stanavage
Seller: Tyler J. Malone
Date: 01/11/22

381 North Brook Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Brital 1987 LLC
Seller: Bank New York Mellon
Date: 01/19/22

192-194 Northampton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Jose Alvarado
Seller: Ovida Williams
Date: 01/11/22

427 Orange St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Squire Investments LLC
Seller: Rasmas Properties LLC
Date: 01/11/22

535 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $349,600
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

541 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $349,600
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

549 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $349,600
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

90 Paramount St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: Sol D. Rivera
Seller: Carlos Rivera
Date: 01/14/22

1225 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $1,351,500
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

47 Phillips Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $224,500
Buyer: Tammy Woodruff
Seller: Wanda Vega
Date: 01/21/22

98-100 Prospect St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Ruben Santos-Burgos
Seller: Tara M. Johnson
Date: 01/11/22

142-144 Putnam Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Zainab Raza
Seller: Gabriel Martinez
Date: 01/11/22

256 Quincy St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Fijerique Koffi-Tessio
Seller: Quan K. Terry
Date: 01/11/22

31 Ramblewood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $309,900
Buyer: Khina M. Darjee
Seller: Mary A. Ayala
Date: 01/13/22

40-60 Robbins Road
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $1,934,400
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Plazas Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

21 Sabin St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: John Gunther
Seller: James F. O’Brien
Date: 01/20/22

1139 Saint James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Taisha L. Rodriguez
Seller: Tiffany N. Mock
Date: 01/10/22

64 Saint James Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $167,900
Buyer: Jorge Espinosza-Arce
Seller: Paul A. Hosmer
Date: 01/14/22

8-10 Scott St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $273,000
Buyer: Leonides A. Monegro
Seller: Jose J. Tavarez
Date: 01/19/22

130 South Branch Pkwy.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Kasuba FT
Seller: Agnes M. Robie
Date: 01/21/22

234 Stapleton Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Tiffany Mock
Seller: Allder, Morris C., (Estate)
Date: 01/10/22

700 State St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $1,571,300
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

714 State St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $1,571,300
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

1458-1460 State St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Luis M. Diaz-Marte
Seller: Danilo Gonzalez
Date: 01/10/22

26 Steuben St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Kristal M. Cabrera
Seller: Ricardo Y. Garib
Date: 01/11/22

244 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Xiaomao B. Wang
Seller: Cassandra Y. McClain
Date: 01/14/22

672 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $235,400
Buyer: Kwesi M. Roberts
Seller: Felipe Amaro
Date: 01/21/22

52 Surrey Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Humboldt Realty LLC
Seller: Deborah M. Walsh
Date: 01/13/22

130 Timothy Circle
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $248,000
Buyer: Elli Ann Oskar
Seller: Michael A. Johnson
Date: 01/18/22

289 Tremont St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Adelaida H. Claudio
Seller: Joejoe Properties LLC
Date: 01/12/22

205-207 Verge St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Junior P. Swaby
Seller: Billie Jo M. Heatwole
Date: 01/13/22

77 West St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $2,435,900
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

191 West Allen Ridge Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Angel L. Rivera
Seller: Catherine N. Pauze
Date: 01/14/22

166 West Alvord St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Carlanys Rivera-Camacho
Seller: Christina Valle
Date: 01/10/22

95 Whittier St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Mayling Murillo
Seller: AJN Rentals LLC
Date: 01/11/22

1110 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $1,598,600
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

47 Wilcox St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Siu M. Chow-Tsang
Seller: Ahmed Aljanabi
Date: 01/18/22

950 Worcester St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: 950 Worcester Street Corp.
Seller: Ineos Styrolution America
Date: 01/14/22

WEST SPRINGFIELD

24 Ames Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Najea Parkinson
Seller: Alexis Romero
Date: 01/21/22

149 Bear Hole Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Mark A. Brancic
Seller: John S. Langevin
Date: 01/10/22

86 Greenleaf Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Luke O’Brien
Seller: Dorothy G. Drewiany
Date: 01/11/22

62 Hemlock Hill Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: J. M&Deborah A. Ramah RET
Seller: Lawrence H. Stevens
Date: 01/14/22

57 Hill St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $287,625
Buyer: TM Properties Inc.
Seller: Domenico R. Rettura
Date: 01/14/22

70 Irving St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $277,500
Buyer: Jose Delvalle
Seller: Yakelin Hidalgo
Date: 01/12/22

47 Kelso Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Jose G. Olmo
Seller: Kim L. Dion
Date: 01/11/22

324 Lancaster Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $306,000
Buyer: Troy Geoffroy
Seller: Lancaster Properties LLC
Date: 01/12/22

81 Oakland St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Jennifer McGrath
Seller: Thomas P. Silva
Date: 01/11/22

905 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Flagstone Properties Inc.
Seller: David M. Prova
Date: 01/14/22

336 Prospect Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Etabav RT
Seller: Lynda Peters
Date: 01/21/22

757 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $877,100
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

1247 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $841,600
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

1267 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $710,300
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

174 Robinson Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Ramona M. Teodorescu
Seller: Joanne F. Ortegas
Date: 01/14/22

67 South Blvd.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Marni E. Ayers
Seller: Maria Rivera
Date: 01/10/22

WESTFIELD

11 Airport Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: 13 Airport Drive LLC
Seller: Mark J. Staruk
Date: 01/21/22

234 East Main St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $1,925,300
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/21/22

26 Hampden St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: Mechanic Man LLC
Seller: P. P & R. Properties LLC
Date: 01/21/22

198 Holyoke Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $146,500
Buyer: Diamond Inv Group LLC
Seller: Jeremy M. Daigneault
Date: 01/12/22

125 Lindbergh Blvd.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $294,000
Buyer: Jonathan Charles
Seller: Donna P. Salo
Date: 01/21/22

Lockhouse Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Lockhouse Development LLC
Seller: Wayne Fowles
Date: 01/14/22

15 Maple Ter.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Brett M. Worden
Seller: Ognen, Thomas M., (Estate)
Date: 01/14/22

27 Noble Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Yevgeniy Kafanov
Seller: Michail V. Sharakin
Date: 01/14/22

10 Putnam Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Erin Fitzgerald
Seller: Carol A. Crowley
Date: 01/18/22

25 Radisson Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: Stephen J. Donnelly
Seller: Joel C. Lund
Date: 01/21/22

592 Russell Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Vitali Econom
Seller: Matthew G. Roy
Date: 01/14/22

123 Shannon Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Kevin M. Barlow
Seller: Margaret R. Barlow
Date: 01/14/22

43 Shepard St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Tok Chang
Seller: Robert Godin
Date: 01/11/22

128 Springdale Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: N. P. Vicencio-Delgado
Seller: Joan E. O’Brien
Date: 01/19/22

43 West School St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: T. Lea S. Williams-Sleight
Seller: Hillary M. Wright
Date: 01/14/22

26 Westwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Yevgeniy Naumenko
Seller: Lauren M. Donnelly
Date: 01/21/22

WILBRAHAM

2585 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Briana Goncalves
Seller: G. O. Fontaine Development LLC
Date: 01/20/22

12 Deerfield Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $615,000
Buyer: Majorie Prochaska
Seller: Nestor L. Otero
Date: 01/13/22

12 Magnolia St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Christopher Przybyl
Seller: Boynton, Richard D., (Estate)
Date: 01/21/22

2 Northwood Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $389,900
Buyer: Cassandra McClain
Seller: Aaron J. Tillberry
Date: 01/14/22

81 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $800,000
Buyer: Michael W. Sheerin
Seller: Joseph A. Pellegrino
Date: 01/10/22

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

Amherst

25 Flintlock Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Peter Cohen
Seller: Colin J. Gleason
Date: 01/12/22

66 Longmeadow Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $282,566
Buyer: Luke Zbylut
Seller: Joyce M. Southwell TR
Date: 01/12/22

Market Hill Road Lot 5
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Mill Riv Renovations LLC
Seller: Michael J. Stosz
Date: 01/12/22

275 Pelham Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Michael MacDonald
Seller: Richard A. MacDonald
Date: 01/14/22

295 West St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $295,325
Buyer: Xian G. Dole
Seller: Dorothy E. Knightly
Date: 01/10/22

BELCHERTOWN

247 Allen Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Jared A. Bradshaw
Seller: Nicole A. Miner
Date: 01/12/22

270 Barton Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $635,000
Buyer: Lynnette Watkins
Seller: Pavel Taralunga
Date: 01/10/22

357 Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Benjamin Viens
Seller: Michael E. Viens
Date: 01/12/22

125 Mountain View Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Kimberly Coughlin
Seller: Paul D. Healey
Date: 01/10/22

13 Magnolia Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $559,800
Buyer: Alice A. Baldwin
Seller: Mark A. Fanty
Date: 01/19/22

99 Daniel Shays Hwy.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $252,500
Buyer: Quincy L. Ortiz
Seller: G&H Development LLC
Date: 01/18/22

Munsell St. Lot 1
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Kenneth Conkey
Seller: Orin L. Bracey
Date: 01/21/22

Shea Ave Lot 2C
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: NE General Construction Inc.
Seller: Jared Moriarty
Date: 01/10/22

165 State St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $1,161,400
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

CHESTERFIELD

22 Bisbee Road
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $479,000
Buyer: Rose D. Khalsa
Seller: Daniel Benedisuk
Date: 01/14/22

CUMMINGTON

56 Main St.
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Jacquelyn H. Southern
Seller: Matthew J. White
Date: 01/11/22

9 Thayer Corner Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Jaye M. Brink
Seller: Timothy W. Barrus
Date: 01/21/22

EASTHAMPTON

47 Carillon Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $531,000
Buyer: Sharron M. Vaillette
Seller: Michael A. Jurkowski
Date: 01/18/22

111 East St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $505,000
Buyer: Moonim S. Emond
Seller: Ramsey FT
Date: 01/18/22

11 Kingsberry Way
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Leah C. Tonetti
Seller: Eric J. Grenier
Date: 01/20/22

234 Loudville Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Christine L. Martin
Seller: D. Clford TR
Date: 01/10/22

84 Phelps St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Robert J. Dibrindisi
Seller: Russell Cable
Date: 01/11/22

60 Union St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $1,098,800
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

143 West St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $333,000
Buyer: Wendy R. Pearson
Seller: Sarah A. Sassorossi
Date: 01/11/22

GRANBY

90 Carver St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Kristen E. McGrann
Seller: Paul D. Tatro
Date: 01/19/22

64 Kendall St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Lanea G. Bushey
Seller: Tang Properties LLC
Date: 01/12/22

156 Kendall St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $281,000
Buyer: Holly Bouvier
Seller: Deana M. Deady-Drapeau
Date: 01/20/22

107 New Ludlow Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: Christopher M. Giroux
Seller: Jeffrey A. Dudek
Date: 01/14/22

138 West State St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $3,630,000
Buyer: Washington St. Granby LLC
Seller: Jeffadam Realty LLC
Date: 01/12/22

HADLEY

27 East St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $392,000
Buyer: Scott Schabacker
Seller: Gregory J. Rodak
Date: 01/11/22

386 River Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $399,000
Buyer: Gail C. Whitlock RET
Seller: Marfaret C. Dwyer TR
Date: 01/21/22

25 Russell St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $1,530,500
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

445 Russell St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $594,900
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/18/22

HATFIELD

131 Main St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $1,275,000
Buyer: M&S Renovations LLC
Seller: Edward W. Lesko
Date: 01/14/22

7 Pantry Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Haley E. Marek
Seller: Robert W. Start
Date: 01/18/22

HUNTINGTON

11 Russell Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Benjamin F. Snape
Seller: Resolute RT
Date: 01/18/22

38 Worthington Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Brandon L. Lafollette
Seller: Jacob Reider
Date: 01/13/22

MIDDLEFIELD

26 Harry Pease Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: Lauren Suriner
Seller: Paul E. Richardson
Date: 01/14/22

NORTHAMPTON

150 Federal St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Jordan D. Barnard
Seller: Marie A. Klekot
Date: 01/21/22

375 King St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,298,000
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride Convenience Inc.
Date: 01/14/22

26 Laurel Lane
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Michelle C. Lesperance
Seller: Sandra F. Albano
Date: 01/18/22

326 North Farms Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Paul Krepel
Seller: Irene M. Lovett
Date: 01/14/22

254 Old Wilson Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $359,000
Buyer: Edith Phippen
Seller: Pine Meadows Property LLC
Date: 01/14/22

11 Orchard St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: Jordan T. Burns
Seller: 11 Orchard Street LLC
Date: 01/14/22

311 Prospect St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Lindsay Hunter
Seller: Jerzy W. Pfabe
Date: 01/21/22

49 Ridge View Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Christine O’Hara
Seller: Chocorua Realty Investments LLC
Date: 01/14/22

67 Riverbank Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $530,000
Buyer: Ian A. Wilson
Seller: Jesse L. Lang LT
Date: 01/18/22

107 Westhampton Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $334,000
Buyer: Colleen Byrnes
Seller: Saul N. Kuhr
Date: 01/19/22

SOUTH HADLEY

80 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Ryan Spencer
Seller: Richard S. Watanabe
Date: 01/19/22

169 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Sumner E. Hancock
Seller: Lisa A. Kennedy
Date: 01/14/22

280-286 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Pride Real Estate LLC
Seller: Pride LP
Date: 01/14/22

24 Jewett Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Robert T. Ouellette
Seller: Theresa B. Walsh
Date: 01/20/22

4 Pheasant Run
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: John A. Bacevicius
Seller: Roberta A. Urbanski
Date: 01/12/22

44 Searle Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Conor D. Nolan
Seller: Zachary Wallace
Date: 01/14/22

72 Woodbridge Ter.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Nicholas R. Bernier
Seller: M. J. Levine 2009 TR
Date: 01/14/22

SOUTHAMPTON

69-1/2 East St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $467,500
Buyer: Steven Reid-Cowley
Seller: Lee Dawn-Daniel
Date: 01/10/22

98 East St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $503,000
Buyer: Lauren Johnson
Seller: Donald F. Treadwell
Date: 01/21/22

73 Glendale Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Melissa Stlaurent
Seller: Christine A. Kicza
Date: 01/21/22

WARE

9 Clinton St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $297,000
Buyer: Johnathan Thornton
Seller: Todd J. Vanderwarker
Date: 01/19/22

31 High St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Lillybelle M. Wloch
Seller: Pamela J. Gauthier
Date: 01/18/22

39 Highland St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Paul Campeau
Seller: Rachel Mace
Date: 01/18/22

16 Laurel Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Robert E. Bolieau
Seller: Jeffrey M. Tweedie
Date: 01/14/22

2 Lee Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Maria Rodriguez
Seller: Jimmy E. Mosher
Date: 01/21/22

199 Monson Turnpike Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Elizabeth M. Shevock
Seller: GM Properties LLC
Date: 01/21/22

10 Mountainview Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Imbier
Seller: William R. Imbier
Date: 01/18/22

45 Old Poor Farm Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Phat D. Ly
Seller: Hua Z. Zhao
Date: 01/19/22

30 Pleasant St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Marc A. Varnum
Seller: Charbonneau Funeral Home
Date: 01/14/22

28-30 Vigeant St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $208,000
Buyer: Donovan M. Manzaro
Seller: New England Equities LLC
Date: 01/11/22

WILLIAMSBURG

6 Cole Road
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Andrea Bryck
Seller: R. Scott Baldwin
Date: 01/19/22

19 Fairfield Ave.
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $263,900
Buyer: Jennifer N. Podel
Seller: Nancy L. Winninger
Date: 01/12/22

182 Main St.
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Patrick M. Malone
Seller: Lisa L. Marney
Date: 01/14/22

WESTHAMPTON

275 Northwest Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Brianna L. Eichstaedt
Seller: McCloud FT
Date: 01/11/22

WORTHINGTON

202 Huntington Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Sean M. Klimmek
Seller: Christopher Britland
Date: 01/13/22

Building Permits

Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the month of January 2022. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

CHICOPEE

CPI 425 Meadow Street LLC
425 Meadow St.
$22,000 — Construct new non-structural walls around new electrical transformer

Teresa Joguin
10 Taylor St.
$38,100 — New electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, sheetrock, flooring, drop ceiling, and countertop

Adam Piskorowski
11 Hendrick St.
$14,373.37 — Decking

HADLEY

Walter Czajkowski
135 Mount Warner Road
N/A — Addition

Konover Properties
30 Greenleaves Dr.
N/A — Repair drywall and finishes

Konover Properties
36 Greenleaves Dr.
N/A — Repair drywall

LEE

South Lee Assoc. LLC
501 Pleasant St.
$17,325 — Add sprinklers in new clean room from existing main

Town of Lee
32 Main St.
$1,953 — Replace bad fire-alarm panel

LENOX

Blantyre LLC
16 Blantyre Road
$20,000 — Selective investigative demolition

Evelyn Witkowski Pascal
38 Church St.
$23,500 — Remodel Apt. 2E

NORTHAMPTON

Aquadro & Cerruti Inc.
131 Texas Road
$1,500 — Outfit portion of second-floor office space as a hydroponic grow facility

Brigi Inc.
289 Elm St.
$7,400 — Bathroom renovation

Glass Lake Partners LLC
43 Ladd Ave.
$2,500 — Build wall for storage area

Smith College
Henshaw Avenue
$350,000 — Replacement windows and repairs

Smith College
College Lane
$918,000 — Renovate collection storage areas

UG South LLC
165 South St.
$1,705 — Insulation and weatherization

PITTSFIELD

Kathleen Broderick
91 Appleton Ave.
$1,500 — Install emergency lights in stairwell

Darryl Hamel
276 Columbus Ave.
$42,000 — Machine demolition of structure, remove foundations, backfill to surrounding grade

Seven Oh Three Nominee Trust
703 West Housatonic St.
$9,583 — Roofing

SPRINGFIELD

1626 Bay Street LLC
797 Berkshire Ave.
$62,000 — Build addition for new office; remodel interior space for warehouse; remove and replace windows, siding, roof, and exterior wall framing

Mawla Bassam
438 Chestnut St.
$33,500 — Roofing

Mawla Bassam
444 Chestnut St.
$33,500 — Roofing

Ngoc Minh Thi Le
556 Sumner Ave.
$50,000 — Roofing at Subway restaurant

Premier Supply Group
372 Pasco Road
$518,350 — Roofing

Springfield Boys Club
481 Carew St.
$40,000 — Verizon Wireless to add six cellular antennas and associated equipment to existing monopole

Springfield Investors LLC
1083 Boston Road
$194,000 — Alter interior store fixtures for retail sales floor area, relocate main entry door, Xfinity store

Springfield Redevelopment Authority
7 Elm St.
$3,834,802 — Alter interior for rehabilitation of four residential units in Court Square building

Springfield Redevelopment Authority
31 Elm St.
$45,000,000 — Alter interior for rehabilitation of 70 residential units and three future commercial tenant spaces in Court Square building

Springfield Redevelopment Authority
31 Elm St.
$1,000 — Interior demolition in preparation of future buildout of Court Square building

Verizon Wireless
15 Girard Ave.
$15,000 — Remove and replace three antennas

Paul Weinberg
3 Rutland St.
$75,500 — Roofing at Martin Luther King Family Services Inc.

WILBRAHAM

1997 Boston Road Wilbraham Eat LLC
1997 Boston Road
$10,000 — Install free-standing sign for O’Reilly Auto Parts and Valvoline

Valleystone Credit Union
2002 Boston Road
$20,100 — Replace existing ground sign for Polish National Credit Union

Manning Family Foundation Provides $3 Million Gift to UMass Amherst

AMHERST — Alumnus Paul Manning and his wife, Diane, have committed $3 million through their family foundation to expand the Manning Innovation Program at UMass Amherst. The gift provides three years of support in advancing a robust and sustainable commercialization pipeline of applied and translational research projects from the university.

The Manning Innovation Program, based in the university’s Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS), provides grants to advance applied research and development efforts in the sciences and engineering through the creation of startup companies and the licensing of intellectual property. Since its inception, 14 faculty members have received a Manning Innovation Award, including one research professor who has used these new funds to make strides toward new, life-saving liver-disease treatments. The program has also fostered a stronger culture of entrepreneurship in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) and greater collaboration among Isenberg School of Management advisors, science and technology researchers, and industry experts as they work to translate research into field-disrupting products.

“Early-stage innovation is a high-risk proposition and difficult to find funding for,” said Peter Reinhart, founding director of IALS. “The Manning Innovation Program is catalytic in that it creates a competitive mechanism for enabling the creation and development of promising startup companies focused on human health and well-being.”

The success of the program is illustrated by the diversity and caliber of the projects supported thus far. With these grants, faculty members are translating research into viable solutions addressing problems in areas such as cancer treatments, wastewater treatment, veterinary science, and reproductive healthcare.

The Manning Innovation Program was originally established in 2019 with $1 million in seed funding from the Mannings and was initially open only to CNS faculty.

“When we established the Manning Innovation Program almost three years ago, our goal was to fund brilliant minds as they tackled some of the world’s biggest problems,” Paul Manning said. “But the program’s success has surpassed our expectations, which is why we are investing in its expansion. We look forward to seeing many more innovative solutions that are sure to make a global impact.”

Freedom Credit Union Promotes Rae Brown to Branch Officer in Hampshire County

SPRINGFIELD — Freedom Credit Union announced it recently promoted Rae Brown to the role of branch officer for its Northampton and Easthampton locations. She previously served as the assistant branch officer at the Main Street, Springfield office.

“Rae has been with us for nearly eight years and has proven herself to be a wonderful leader, dedicated to providing outstanding service to our members and committed to the success of her team,” Freedom Credit Union President Glenn Welch said. “She is the perfect person to oversee our two branches in Hampshire County.”

Brown has more than two decades of experience in banking, including more than 11 years in Hampshire County. She has an associate degree from Springfield Technical Community College and is also a notary public.

Monson Family Celebrates Home Preservation Program

WEST SPRINGFIELD — In September, Purple Heart Homes (PHH), a veterans-services agency that focuses on housing solutions, asked Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity (GSHFH), a nonprofit and non-governmental organization, if it would like to collaborate on a home-preservation project. Peter, a retired Army National Guard staff sergeant, and his wife, Beth, purchased a duplex in Monson three years ago. They live in one unit. Beth’s daughter and young son live in the other residence. Both units needed repair.

GSHFH’s Home Preservation Program provides affordable microloans to qualifying homeowners who need help with accessibility modifications, home weatherization, general home repairs, yard cleanup, and landscaping. Greater Springfield Habitat sent staff to assess the three areas of concern — a moss-spotted roof, a broken water heater in the daughter’s unit, and damaged exterior doors at both dwellings.

“We are always happy to work cooperatively with Purple Heart Homes to improve the living conditions for an area veteran and his or her family,” said Deborah O’Mara, Family Services manager. “By teaming up, we can do much more than either organization could ever do alone. When we are finished, the Wiggins family will have a fully functional and weathertight home in which to live.”

Matt Stevenson, director of PHH’s Veteran Home Opportunity Program, agreed.

“For Purple Heart Homes, our partnership with GSHFH for Peter’s home remodel/repair project is a significant force multiplier for our organization. This collaboration bridges both our organizations’ strengths, and together, we’re able to assist more veterans in our communities,” Stevenson said. “This is the second veteran project PHH has completed with Greater Springfield Habitat, and we look forward to a continued partnership in the future.”

The roof, siding, and water-heater issues were addressed in December. Exterior doors for side entrances and the basement are on order.

“My house was looking like the Amityville Horror house, but now it sparkles like Disneyland,” Peter said. “The moss on the roof, gone, The mossy steps in the front, gone. An excellent job worthy of praise and kudos.”

Pioneer Valley Home Sales Down from a Year Ago, but Average Price Up

SPRINGFIELD — The Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley reported that Pioneer Valley home sales were down 11.7% from January 2021 to January 2022, and the median price was up 9.8%.

In Franklin County, last month’s sales were down 14.6% from the previous January, and median price was up 30.3%. In Hampden County, sales were down 16.1%, and median price was up 6.3%. In Hampshire County, sales were up 7.4% from a year earlier, and median price was up 9.9%.

Inventory of available property was significantly down year over year, with 333 homes for sale in January 2022, 44.9% fewer than the 604 homes for sale in January 2021. Average days on market also fell, from 50 in January 2021 to 36 in January 2022.

Horace Smith Fund Sets March 15 Deadline to Apply for Scholarship, Fellowship Money

WESTFIELD — The Horace Smith Fund, now in its 123rd year, has scholarship and fellowship money available for residents of Hampden County graduating from eligible public and private high schools.

This year, a total of $247,000 will be awarded in the form of 16 scholarships given to students working toward an undergraduate degree, three fellowships given to students enrolled in a graduate-degree program, and one award given to a high-school senior with special needs who is about to enter college.

Scholarship awards of $12,000 are distributed as $3,000 annually, renewable each year until graduation. Fellowship awards of $15,000 are distributed as $5,000 annually, renewable for two additional years. All recipients must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 each semester.

Recipients are selected on a variety of criteria, including merit, financial need, recommendations, and community involvement. Of greatest importance is the applicant’s personal written account of why they feel deserving of the award. All recipients must be full-time students and residents of Hampden County.

Completed applications must be received no later than Tuesday, March 15, either electronically or by mail to the Horace Smith Fund, 16 Union Ave., Suite 2K, Westfield, MA 01085. Applications are available at local high-school guidance offices, college financial-aid offices, online at www.horacesmithfund.org, or by calling (413) 739-4222.

Congressman Neal Named 2022 National Education Service Award Winner

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal was awarded the 2022 National Education Service Award during the Assoc. of Community College Trustees’ (ACCT) Community College National Legislative Summit. Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal was on hand to make the presentation.

This award honors a national leader who has made extraordinary contributions to national public policies and resources that support education, training, and post-secondary learning.

According to the ACCT, “as chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, Neal was instrumental in the inclusion of the Tax-Free Pell Grant Act, which would prevent students from being taxed on the portion of their Pell award which exceeds tuition costs, in the Build Back Better Act passed by the House this fall. He was also instrumental in securing $1.2 billion in funding for a potential successor to the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training Grants (TAACCT) in proposed legislation.”

“The community-college system in America plays a critical role in preparing individuals for the workforce,” Neal said. “I have been a longtime supporter of our community colleges because they are successful. They provide technical career training, serve as a stepping stone, and welcome individuals looking to retrain or refresh their skillset. Western and Central Massachusetts is lucky to have many of these types of educational options right outside their doors and at their fingertips. I am thankful to the Association of Community College Trustees for this recognition, and I am committed to continuing to provide for the community-college system so that all students have a path to higher education.”

Royal added that “it was an honor to present Congressman Neal with the National Education Service Award on behalf of ACCT. He has long been an advocate for progressive programs and federal funding for community colleges and our students, particularly workforce-training programs. He recognizes that investments in our community colleges support regional growth, job creation, and economic mobility for individuals and families. I know this was a proud moment for him as it also was for me and should be for all the communities in Massachusetts that he represents.”

Sen. Adam Gomez Presents Square One with $100,000 Check from ARPA Funds

SPRINGFIELD — Last week, state Sen. Adam Gomez attended an event at Square One in Springfield to present the organization with a $100,000 check from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker in December. Gomez was able to advocate for this funding through the filing of an amendment to the ARPA spending bill during the state Senate debate.

“As a Springfield Day Nursery alum and a lifelong resident of the great city of Springfield, I know firsthand the important and essential work that Square One does in our community,” Gomez said. “The wide range of support and educational services give our young people and their families the opportunities and skills they need to thrive. I was proud to be able to get this very worthy organization funding and cannot wait to see the lives they continue to touch with their work.”

Panel on ‘Resources for Veterans in the Court System’ Slated for Feb. 16

SPRINGFIELD — The Hampden County Bar Assoc., along with one of its committees, the Military/Attorney Resource and Communication Hub, is hosting a panel called “Resources for Veterans in the Court System” on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

The panel will speak on topics intertwined within the Veteran Treatment and Diversion Courts. This will include the process, differences between the courts, the Brave Act, the Valor Act, and helpful resources provided throughout Massachusetts.

The event will be held via Zoom at 1 p.m. To RSVP, contact the Hampden County Bar Assoc. at (413) 732-1388 or [email protected].

BusinessTalk with Beth Ward, director of Community Affairs at MGM Springfield

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.

Go HERE to view all episodes

Episode 100: February 14, 2022

George Interviews Beth Ward, director of Community Affairs at MGM Springfield

BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien has a lively, wide-ranging discussion with Beth Ward, director of Community Affairs at MGM Springfield. The two talk everything from the Valentine’s Day menu (5-pound lobster), to the prospects for sports gambling, to MGM Springfield’s steady climb back to something approaching normalcy after two years of pandemic. It’s all must listening, so join us on BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest in partnership with Living Local and sponsored by PeoplesBank.

Sponsored by:

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Valley Venture Mentors Joins Forces with Western Massachusetts EDC

SPRINGFIELD — The Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) announced it has welcomed Valley Venture Mentors (VVM) into the EDC ranks as a regional leader in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. With a shared vision in stimulating and facilitating a vigorous regional economy, the EDC is committed to supporting local entrepreneurship, which ultimately leads to the acceleration of economic development and community vitalization.

“VVM has played an integral role in the entrepreneur ecosystem as a leader in scaling businesses to the next level of operation, promoting innovation in every aspect of business and generating regional wealth for our local economy,” said Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the EDC. “We are eager in taking an inclusive approach in supporting our local entrepreneurial network as they grow into economic engines in Western Mass.”

EDC and VVM leadership have been in discussion on the future of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and have decided to join forces. The board of directors of VVM issued the following statement:

“VVM started with a simple mission: to help entrepreneurs succeed. That mission has guided the organization for over a decade, through economic boom and bust times, as VVM grew from an all-volunteer, ragtag organization into a professional, fully staffed operation with an inspiring space in downtown Springfield. Along the way, VVM has witnessed the explosion of entrepreneurship across the Pioneer Valley, with new programs like EforAll Holyoke, the Berthiaume Center at UMass and its summer student accelerator, LEVER in Berkshire County, and WNEU’s expanding entrepreneurship program, to name a few. VVM has also seen the addition of several new options for startup funding, including the Alchemy Fund, the Maroon Fund, Launch413, and the Springfield Venture Fund.

“We are thankful for the support that VVM has received over the years from its lead funders, MassMutual and the MassMutual Foundation, the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation, MassDevelopment, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Berkshire Bank, and countless other supporting businesses and individuals. We are also thankful for the thousands of hours that individual mentors gave to young (and some old) entrepreneurs. Many business relationships were started at VVM, and hopefully these will continue into the future. Many friendships were also started at VVM, and these have enriched all of our lives.

“The leadership at the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts recognizes the unique value of VVM, its impactful programming, and diverse pool of mentors. We are excited to hand over the reins to the EDC and watch VVM and the EDC work more closely together to fulfill the mission of helping all entrepreneurs in Western Mass. not just succeed, but thrive.”

With this new transition, the EDC has appointed Hope Ross Gibaldi as executive director of VVM.

“Hope’s leadership has been instrumental in navigating VVM through the pandemic while simultaneously developing meaningful and effective relationships and enriching the organization’s programming,” said Xiomara Albán DeLobato, chief of staff of the EDC. “VVM will continue to support entrepreneurs through curated mentoring and networking opportunities — and we are very excited to share more information [in the near future] on the innovative opportunities coming to Western Mass. for the betterment of our entrepreneurs, residents, and overall economy.”

Freedom Credit Union Names Carla Banas Branch Officer in Ludlow

SPRINGFIELD — Freedom Credit Union hired Carla Banas as branch officer for its Ludlow location. She brings more than 16 years of banking experience to her role, the last several of which were in Ludlow, where she specialized in commercial banking.

“Carla has a depth of experience in community and commercial banking, and a proven track record of coaching and staff development,” Freedom Credit Union President Glenn Welch said. “She lives in Ludlow and has a passion for the local community and for helping small businesses.”

In her new role, Banas will oversee the daily operations of the branch, ensure the growth and development of employees, ensure exceptional customer service for members, and grow new business by cultivating lasting relationships.

Outside her professional role, Banas is on the board for Women to Watch and serves as community outreach chair. She is also a member and past president of the Ludlow BNI Core Connections chapter and is active in the East of the River Chamber of Commerce. In her previous position, she was recognized for her work with employed veterans by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

Mellon Foundation Awards Five Colleges $1.6 Million Faculty-development Grant

AMHERST — The Five College Consortium has been awarded a $1.6 million grant by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to create programming that will develop faculty members’ administrative leadership skills. Titled “Building Academic Leaders in the Humanities,” the grant will fund a three-and-a-half-year program to prepare humanities faculty to take on leadership roles at Five Colleges’ member institutions — Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges and UMass Amherst — and elsewhere.

The program builds on a seminar one held at Amherst College in 2020 for 24 faculty members interested in taking on or already occupying administrative roles. The success of the Amherst model led the chief academic officers of the Five College campuses to propose a collaborative leadership-development effort across all five institutions.

Amherst College Associate Provost and Associate Dean of Faculty Pawan Dhingra will lead the grant team, along with UMass Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professor of Sociology Michelle Budig, Mount Holyoke College Associate Dean of Faculty Elizabeth Markovits, Smith College Dean for Academic Development Hélène Visentin, and Hampshire College Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Yaniris Fernandez.

“The transition from faculty member to campus leader can be a challenging one, requiring a broad understanding of institutional operations and in-depth knowledge of the higher education landscape, and this program is intended to support faculty in moving into these roles skillfully,” said Five College Executive Director Sarah Pfatteicher, who will help lead the effort. “Our goal with this initiative is to develop a diverse pipeline of early- to mid-career humanities faculty who are prepared to take on administrative roles at the Five College campuses and beyond.”

The Mellon Foundation funding will support two annual institutes, one designed for early- to mid-career faculty who are planning to take on their first administrative responsibilities, and another for current faculty administrators looking to move into higher leadership roles. Facilitated by experienced campus leaders, these institutes will cover subjects ranging from managing budgets to maintaining work-life balance. Developing participants’ capacity to support diversity, equity, and inclusion will be an overall theme of both institutes.

MCLA to Present Seminar on Transportation and Decarbonization on Feb. 16