Home 2022 (Page 6)

Year: 2022

UMass Amherst to Build UMass Service Workers Honor Pavilion, Funded by Major Gift

By
Daily News

AMHERST — UMass Amherst has received a $7 million gift from an anonymous donor to build a UMass Service Workers Honor Pavilion, recognizing the vital contributions provided to the university community by these dedicated employees.

The pavilion will be constructed on land adjacent to the Arthur F. Kinney Center for Renaissance Studies off East Pleasant Street. The open-air facility will be a valuable community asset, open for quiet contemplation as well as gatherings. The pavilion is being designed by architect Sigrid Miller Pollin, UMass professor emerita, who is donating her time and expertise. Construction will begin soon, with the facility expected to be completed by next summer.

“This beautiful new addition to campus will be dedicated to our service workers who played an immense role in sustaining the university during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will provide an enduring reminder of their importance to UMass Amherst,” Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said. “We are deeply grateful for all they do each day, and for our donor’s generous gift.

The chancellor noted that the anonymous donor was inspired by the frontline service provided by the approximately 1,400 UMass employees who cook and serve food on campus, clean and maintain buildings, operate campus stores, and more generally deliver, day in and day out, a flourishing teaching, research, and learning environment.

Everyone associated with UMass, as well as the general public, will be able to enjoy the pavilion and its natural surroundings. The university especially welcomes opportunities for service workers to organize family outings at the pavilion.

MassINC Names Joe Kriesberg President, CEO

By
Daily News

BOSTON — Joe Kriesberg has been named the next president and CEO of MassINC, a non-partisan think tank dedicated to making Massachusetts a place of civic vitality and inclusive economic opportunity.

Kriesberg will oversee all strategic planning, fundraising, and operations for the organization’s work across multiple disciplines, including research and civic programs, and will serve as publisher of CommonWealth, MassINC’s civic news outlet. The organization also includes the MassINC Polling Group, a for-profit subsidiary of MassINC.

Kriesberg will join MassINC after nearly 30 years at the Massachusetts Assoc. of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), an organization which he has led as president and CEO for the past 20 years. MACDC is the policy and capacity-building arm of the community-development movement in Massachusetts, with 100 nonprofit member organizations across the state. As President, Kriesberg was responsible for the overall management of the agency, including financial management and fundraising, program development and implementation, policy advocacy, staff supervision, board management, and strategic planning.

In his role leading MACDC, Kriesberg has been a strong advocate for vibrant communities and has advanced issues such as economic opportunity, affordable housing, and innovative development, all of which align with MassINC’s dedication to civic vitality and economic inclusion.

“With his background at MACDC, proven track record of results, and deep expertise on the most timely issues facing the Commonwealth, I can’t think of a better person than Joe to build upon MassINC’s success over the last 27 years and carry this incredible organization into the future,” said Greg Torres, MassINC board chair and co-chair of the search committee. Torres also served as president of MassINC from 2007 to 2016.

Kriesberg, who will officially start in mid-January, will replace Lauren Louison Grogan, who was most recently MassINC’s president and CEO. Maeve Duggan, currently chief operating officer of MassINC, has been acting president and CEO since June.

“MassINC plays a unique and vital role in maintaining Massachusetts’ leadership in our democracy,” Kriesberg said. “At a moment when our Commonwealth is working to build a more inclusive and equitable economy and respectful public discourse, the need for high quality, fact-based research; collaborative civic engagement; and exceptional journalism that a nonpartisan organization such as MassINC offers has never been more important. I am thrilled and honored to lead this work, and I can’t wait to get started.”

YPS to Host Inaugural Friendsgiving Networking Event on Nov. 15

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield (YPS) will kick off the season of giving with its inaugural Friendsgiving event on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at Holyoke’s Divine Theatre at Gateway City Arts from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

YPS’ Friendsgiving event will focus on building community, one connection at a time, through supporting and encouraging young professionals to become more involved in their local communities. Sponsored by NWS Fast Pitch, Postgame Amateurs Podcast, and DDS Acoustical Specialties, the event will feature a structured time for networking, a buffet of heavy appetizers and beverages, and community table seating to help foster new connections.

Raffle prizes will be auctioned off at the event, featuring gift-cards, baskets, and certificates from Ron Lemelin Photography, Girls Inc. of the Valley, Misty City Windows, Nuclear Crayon Tattoo, and Aura Day Spa.

The Friendsgiving event is free for YPS members, and members are encouraged to bring a friend for free. Non-members may purchase one $10 admission and bring a friend for free. Attendees are encouraged to register in advance by clicking here.

Throughout the giving season, YPS encourages volunteerism through its partnership with the Springfield Rotary Club by supporting Springfield’s Friends of the Homeless (FOTH) chapter. Volunteers can sign up to assist in serving food at the FOTH Worthington Street shelter location in Springfield by clicking here.

“Events like Friendsgiving will help retain individuals who are enthusiastic about the future of the community and their personal endeavors,” YPS President Heather Clark said. “YPS is here to exchange ideas, share common interests, and cultivate membership to serve as local leaders of tomorrow. We’re hopeful that our monthly events will make it easier to make meaningful connections that will help local young professionals thrive.”

Girls on the Run 5K Slated for Nov. 20 at Stanley Park

By
Daily News

WESTFIELD — Girls on the Run of Western Massachusetts will host its 5K event on Sunday, Nov. 20 at Stanley Park in Westfield. Girls on the Run is a physical-activity-based, positive youth-development program that uses fun running games and dynamic discussions to teach life skills to girls in grades 3-8. During the 10-week program, girls participate in lessons that foster confidence, build peer connections, and encourage community service while they prepare for an end-of-season, celebratory 5K event.

This fall season, Girls on the Run has 770 participants in 52 sites around Western Mass., with 225 volunteer coaches that bring the curriculum to life. There will be two waves, 9:30 a.m. and noon. Between 2,500 and 3,000 people are expected at this 5K. The event starts with activities, a group warmup, and more one half-hour before each wave.

Participation is open to the public, and all proceeds from the event will benefit Girls on the Run of Western Massachusetts. Last season’s 5K event brought together 4,000 people, including program participants, their families and friends, and community members. This year’s registration cost is $30 for adults and $10 for youth and includes an event shirt.

Early arrival is suggested. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. for the first wave and 11 a.m. for the second wave. For more information about the event, how to register, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.girlsontherunwesternma.org.

Pittsfield Is Transforming Its Economy

By
Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer
Community Spotlight

Community Spotlight

Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer

Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer says the city has made great strides when it comes to growing and diversifying an economy once dominated by GE.

It’s called ‘Site 9.’

This is a 16-acre parcel within the William Stanley Business Park, created at the site of the massive General Electric transformer manufacturing complex in Pittsfield, which closed nearly 30 years ago.

The site has been available for development for more than two decades now, said Linda Tyer, Pittsfield’s mayor for the past seven years, but there have been no takers because, in a word, this site is ‘intimidating.’

“Every time we host a business and we identify this as a potential location, they look at it, and they’re instantly intimidated because of the condition that’s in,” she explained. “It’s a big scar in the heart of our community that’s a remnant of our past. People have looked at it, and they’ve just said, ‘I can’t envision my business here.’”

Gov. Charlie Baker was in the city a few weeks ago to hand-deliver a $3 million check that might change this equation. The money will go toward infrastructure work, putting new roads in, greening the space, and other measures that will make this parcel more shovel-ready and, ultimately, a part of this city’s future, not merely its past.

“If we don’t get any interest for the next 10 years, at least it’s not this giant wound in the heart of our city,” Tyer went on, adding she is expecting plenty of interest in the years to come.

Site 9 is where we begin our look at Pittsfield, the latest installment of BusinessWest’s Community Spotlight series. This is a city that has been trying to move beyond its past, and the dominating influence of GE on just about every facet of everyday life, since the company left. And in many ways, it has been making great progress.

Its economy is far more diverse and far less dependent on one company or one sector, said Tyer, adding that this was quite necessary given the devastation and outmigration that occurred when GE pulled up stakes. Today, the city boasts a few large employers — such as Berkshire Health Systems and General Dynamics — but the economy is dominated by small businesses across several sectors including manufacturing, IT, healthcare, and especially tourism, hospitality, and the arts.

Those latter categories now provide a good number of jobs and have contributed to a rebirth of North Street, the main thoroughfare in the city, after it was decimated by GE’s departure, said Jonathan Butler, president and CEO of 1Berkshire, a county-wide organization focused on economic development and promotion of the region.

“The Pittsfield of 2022 is a completely different city than it was 20 years ago,” he said, adding that a strong focus on the arts and hospitality has changed the narrative in this community.

The pandemic obviously took a heavy toll on these businesses and the overall vibrancy of Pittsfield, said Butler, but it has managed to come almost all the way back this year, with the arts venues rebounding and hospitality venues back to something approaching normal.

James Galli, general manager of the Hotel on North, so named because it is on North Street, agreed. He said the hotel is on pace to have its best year since opening in 2015, and the mix of guests that it attracts provides some good insight into Pittsfield and what now drives its economy.

“The Pittsfield of 2022 is a completely different city than it was 20 years ago.”

“We get a lot of travelers coming in from Boston and New York to go to Barrington Stage and the Colonial Theatre,” he said, citing two of the main cultural draws in the city. “We get a lot of millennials coming in for hiking and the beauty of the area, some business travelers coming in for General Dynamics and some of the area businesses in town — and it’s a good mix. We are the center of the Berkshires, so we get people staying with us for two, three, four days at a time; they’ll go down to South County or up to North County or into the Pioneer Valley, but they’ll stay with us because we’re very central and they can do a lot more if they stay with us.”

In some ways, the pandemic has actually benefited the Berkshires and especially its largest city, said those we spoke with, noting that the remote-work phenomenon has made it possible for those working for businesses in New York, Boston, and other expensive metropolitan areas to do so from virtually anywhere.

And with its high quality of life and (comparatively) low real-estate prices and overall cost of living, Pittsfield has become an attractive alternative, said Tyer, noting that the city is in the midst of a housing boom that has slowed only slightly even in the wake of rising interest rates and persistently high prices.

 

The Next Chapter

It’s called the ‘Library Suite.’

This is the largest suite among the 45 guest rooms at Hotel on North, and easily the most talked about. That’s because, as that name suggests, it’s decorated with books — some 5,000 of them by Galli’s count.

“There’s a moveable ladder, and … it looks like a library,” he told BusinessWest. “There’s everything from full sets of encyclopedias to children’s books, the Harry Potter collection; we’ve found them at tag sales over the years and made it into a unique, different type of room. It speaks for itself.”

Jonathan Butler

Jonathan Butler

“Pittsfield has benefited from planting its flag in the cultural and arts scene in the Berkshires; that’s a huge part of our growing economy and has been for the past 10 to 15 years.”

The library suite, which boasts about 850 square feet and goes for as much as $700 a night, depending on the season, has been occupied most every night over the past several months, said Galli, noting, again, that visitors of all kinds are coming back to Pittsfield, and to this hotel, which was created out of two historic buildings on North Street.

Business started to pick back up in June 2021 as the state essentially reopened, he said, and momentum continued to build into this year, which has yielded better numbers than the years just prior to the pandemic.

He attributes this to many factors, including some pent-up demand for travel and vacations as well as the unique nature of the hotel, which has several different kinds of rooms, each of them is unique.

“A lot of people are looking for a hotel that’s a little different — a boutique or independent hotel,” he said. “There’s a clientele that goes for the branded properties, but the people who stay with us are looking for that unique experience when they walk in the door.”

But Galli also credits Pittsfield’s resurgence in recent years, especially its cultural attractions and other quality-of-life attributes, making the city a destination for people of all ages.

Hotel on North is part of a new look and feel on North Street, said Butler, noting that the well-documented vibrancy of the GE chapter in the city’s history was followed by the dark and dismal time that he grew up in: “North Street was not a place to be in the ’90s.” The vibrancy has returned in the form of cultural attractions and new restaurants and bars.

“Pittsfield has benefited from planting its flag in the cultural and arts scene in the Berkshires; that’s a huge part of our growing economy and has been for the past 10 to 15 years,” he told BusinessWest. “You have investments like Berkshire Theatre Group with their theater in downtown Pittsfield, and Barrington Stage Company, which has become a major anchor, as well as a number of smaller cultural offerings and pop-ups and galleries in downtown Pittsfield.

“And this has been further bolstered by the emergence, over the past eight to 10 years, of a vibrant food scene — an exciting, trending type of food environment,” he went on, citing establishments, new and old, like Methuselah Bar and Lounge, Berkshire Palate (located in Hotel on North), Pancho’s Mexican Resaurant, Trattoria Rustica, Flat Burger Society, Patrick’s Pub, and Otto’s Kitchen & Comfort.

“There’s some finer dining options — downtown Pittsfield’s a great place to go host some clients if you’re a business or to have a good date night as a couple or a fancy night out with friends,” Butler explained. “But there’s also a lot of great casual offerings in downtown Pittsfield; there’s some great pubs, some great cocktail lounges. There’s also a lot of immigrant-owned businesses in downtown Pittsfield, which adds to the diversity and provides a more rich experience.”

 

At Home with the Idea

This diversification and strengthening of the city’s economy has become the main economic-development strategy for Tyer since she became mayor.

“I have some family history with General Electric — my great-grandparents were part of the GE economy,” she told BusinessWest. “And when I became mayor, I felt strongly that the economy cannot be dependent on one sector; my priority has been that we have diversity in the economy, and that includes everything from the travel, tourism, and hospitality sector to the cultural economy, and it also includes manufacturing and science and technology.”

To attract businesses across all these sectors, and to help existing companies expand, the city has created what Tyer calls its ‘red-carpet team,’ a name that hints strongly at its mission.

Pittsfield at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1761
Population: 43,927
Area: 42.5 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $18.56
Commercial Tax Rate: $39.90
Median Household Income: $35,655
Median family Income: $46,228
Type of Government: Mayor, City Council
Largest Employers: Berkshire Health Systems; General Dynamics; Petricca Industries Inc.; SABIC Innovative Plastics; Berkshire Bank
* Latest information available

“We want to make sure that businesses that are here now, that are homegrown and might want to expand into a new market, expand their facilities, or grow their employment base, have the same level of support from the city of Pittsfield as we would give to a new business that wanted to start up in the city,” she explained. “We’ve been successful at balancing that approach.”

The red-carpet team consists of a number of city department leaders who work collectively to help counsel and guide a new or existing business toward fulfillment of whatever goal they might have. This integrated process enables a CEO to have one meeting, rather than several, said Tyer, adding that having everyone seated around one table enables the city to be more responsive and move more quickly.

And, overall, there have been a number of interested parties, she said, noting that the Berkshires, and Pittsfield, has a lot to offer employers, including quality of life and lower cost of living, as well as a population that is stabilizing, rather than declining, as it had been for decades.

“We have great neighborhoods, we’re still affordable, and we have beautiful outdoor recreation,” she said. “The combination of all of that is the magic that Pittsfield has going into the future.”

Much of this magic became even more forceful during the pandemic, said those we spoke with, noting that, while most hospitality-related businesses had to shut down for an extended period, the Pittsfield area’s outdoor recreation and quality of life came more into focus for many looking to escape what COVID brought with it.

The hiking trails became even more popular, and the Berkshires — and its largest city — became an attractive alternative for those looking to escape larger cities, their congestion, and their higher costs.

“Our housing market has been on fire,” said Tyer, noting that many professionals from Boston, New York, and other major cities have moved to the Berkshires. “And I think it speaks to this phenomenon that people can be employed by a Boston firm but work from home here in Pittsfield and have all the amenities and quality of life of a small city in a beautiful region of the state.”

The housing market shows no signs of slowing, said those we spoke with, despite rising prices and, more recently, soaring interest rates as a result of Fed action to stem the tide of inflation.

“There’s still this competition, these bidding wars, for homes,” Tyer said. “And the seller is still selling; the market hasn’t really slowed down.”

This phenomenon has led to an increase in the value of homes across the city, she went on, adding that this brings benefits on many levels — everything from the city’s bond rating to its tax rate. It also creates some problems for first-time homebuyers and those looking to trade up, and rising prices within the rental market as well, creating shortages of what would be considered affordable housing.

But in the larger scheme of things, these would be considered some of those proverbial good problems to have, said the mayor, especially in a city that had seen so much hardship over the previous 30 years.

 

The General Idea

The sports teams at Pittsfield High School are still nicknamed the Generals, said Tyer, adding that this just one of the myriad ways to measure the influence that GE had in this city for the better part of a century.

But while the city can still pay homage to its past in this and other ways, it has managed to move past it in almost all others.

Yes, Site 9 and many other parcels that were part of the massive complex remain undeveloped, but overall, Pittsfield and its economy have moved on. It took some time, as it does when a city loses an employer of such magnitude, but the city’s economy, like North Street itself, has been reinvented, and vibrancy has returned.

“We’ve overcome that group depression that we all suffered, and I think there’s a lot of excitement around the art and culture economy; the small-business, science, and technology economy; and some long-standing businesses that have grown since my time in public service,” she told BusinessWest. “I think we’ve overcome the ‘we’re a dying community because we lost GE’ sentiment, and I think we’re a growing, emerging community.”

 

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

Opioid Addiction Remains a Persistent Problem in Massachusetts

By
Cristina Rivera and Dr. Katie Krauskopf
Health Care

Crisis State

Cristina Rivera and Dr. Katie Krauskopf

Cristina Rivera and Dr. Katie Krauskopf say recovery is often a winding process marked by frustrating times and bumps in the road.

 

Christine Palmieri has read the numbers regarding a spike in overdose deaths in Massachusetts over the past couple years. But to her, they’re not just numbers.

“My role is to oversee our community-based programs that work with people who have experienced mental-health issues, substance-use disorders, and homelessness. As part of that, we run residential recovery programs for people who have a dual diagnosis, and we also run a number of different housing programs for people in recovery,” said Palmieri, vice president of Recovery and Housing at the Mental Health Assoc. (MHA) in Springfield. “And over the past year, maybe two years, we as a program have experienced more deaths by overdose than at any other time in my career.

“That’s troubling. There’s definitely times when it feels very hopeless and very frustrating, but I think our programs have done an excellent job of showing up every day, meeting people where they’re at,” she went on. “One of our programs is called GRIT, and that’s how I would describe what we need to keep coming back every day, and what the people we’re supporting in recovery need to keep coming back every day.”

After several years of decline, the rate of opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts increased by 8.8% in 2021 compared to 2020, according to a June report by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Drug-overdose deaths in Massachusetts continue to trend lower than nationwide figures, but the statistics are still startling, with the rise in death rates reflecting the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasingly poisoned drug supply, primarily with the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.

“Massachusetts and the rest of the country have definitely seen a rise in overdose rates during the pandemic,” said Dr. Katie Krauskopf, medical director of Substance Use Disorder Services at MiraVista Behavioral Health Center in Holyoke. “It looks like Massachusetts’ trend is better than nationally, and there is some indication that 2022 might be better than 2021. But we clearly saw people struggling during the pandemic, and a lot of that probably had to do with difficulty accessing care and the isolation that came along with it.”

In her experience, the pandemic impacted two groups differently: many of those with substance-use disorder who were already in treatment programs did better during the pandemic because the social restrictions helped them avoid some of the triggers they might normally have encountered more frequently. Meanwhile, regulatory changes around access to treatment allowed patients to take home medications they could not previously.

“People are reluctant to hire somebody with an history of opioid addiction; people are reluctant to house somebody with a history of opioid addiction, in lots of ways that aren’t based in reality, but based in fear, based in discrimination, based in stigma.”

“So patients in treatment have done quite well,” she went on. “The real issue was the patients who were not already engaged in treatment and were unable to do so.”

The DPH found clear evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on mental health and led to increased substance use and poorer mental health across the Commonwealth, especially among BIPOC communities and LGBTQ+ individuals.

“We continue to be relentless in our commitment to increase access to harm-reduction services, low-threshold housing, and treatment,” Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said. “By working to destigmatize addiction and meeting people where they’re at, including with an expanded array of harm-reduction tools, we can reverse this negative trend.”

Locally, organizations committed to improving behavioral health — and removing the stigma and barriers that keep people from accessing care — are doing just that.

 

Support System

Palmieri said it’s important to remember that recovery doesn’t happen in a vacuum, but is tied to social determinants like housing and economic stability.

“Whether it’s opioids or anything else, our role is to help people understand what’s getting in the way of their recovery and help fill the void that used to be filled with drugs or alcohol with things they can find meaning in,” she told BusinessWest. “We’re not only interested in sobriety and helping people stop using, but also, what are you going to do instead? Our primary goal in our residential programs and our housing programs is to make sure people have a safe, affordable place to go to live after treatment, someplace that isn’t necessarily the same neighborhood where they started using in the first place, someplace they can afford and sustain — but also to find employment, something that gives their life meaning beyond using, something they can wrap recovery around.”

René Piñero, vice president of Behavioral Health & Clinical Operations at MHA, said the pandemic curtailed some services in the community to counter addiction.

“But I definitely agree that it’s not all about accessible treatment; it’s about having housing and other supports. The state has provided funding for these programs and services, but it’s also about where people go to live after treatment, what supports they have, and opportunities to find employment. Even if we have treatment that is accessible for them, if we can’t find them a home address, it’s going to be more difficult.”

For those lacking access to care, the pandemic-driven isolation people felt didn’t help, Palmieri added — and in some cases increased a sense of stigma around seeking help.

René Piñero and Christine Palmieri

René Piñero and Christine Palmieri say addiction recovery often goes beyond treatment and entails social supports like stable housing.

“People are reluctant to seek support and services because asking for help means admitting there’s a substance-use issue that’s going on, and the stigma that surrounds opioid addiction is sometimes insurmountable,” she said, adding that stigma isn’t a one-way street. “We’re trying to get people connected, but we face barriers all the time. People are reluctant to hire somebody with an history of opioid addiction; people are reluctant to house somebody with a history of opioid addiction, in lots of ways that aren’t based in reality, but based in fear, based in discrimination, based in stigma.”

Krauskopf said the Greater Holyoke area has plenty of resources in place, from increased naloxone distribution to facilities like MiraVista, which offers a full continuum of substance-use programming, from acute inpatient detox to a clinical stabilization service to outpatient programs like an intensive, four-week program that teaches skills ranging from emotional regulation to mindfulness to dealing with triggers. “It’s not one-size-fits-all here at all. We have all these programs, and patients can really fit themselves into what they need at any given time and move through the services depending on where they are.”

The state has been aggressive with programming as well, expanding substance-use-disorder treatment and overdose-prevention initiatives since the start of the pandemic and investing $120 million in prevention programs from 2016 to 2022, as well as distributing well over 150,000 naloxone kits since March 2020 to opioid-treatment programs, community health centers, hospital emergency departments, and houses of correction.

 

Try, Try Again

Cristina Rivera, director of Outpatient Services and Substance Use at MiraVista, said everyone’s addiction-recovery journey is different.

“We know that recovery is ongoing, and there might be bumps in the road. In that sense, we help people wherever they’re at. If you start using substances again, it’s not like we’re not going to accept you into our program and try to get you back on track.”

Piñero said it’s helpful to recognize that mental-health and substance-use challenges require the same attention as any chronic, physical medical issue.

“Recovery has its ups and downs just like other medical issues. Often, with diabetes, cancer, and other medical conditions that aren’t stigmatized, people are more willing to recognize that.”

Krauskopf agreed, citing studies suggesting that rates of relapse and loss of control in addiction recovery are similar to those in people managing diabetes, asthma, and high blood pressure.

“The notion that recovery is a straight line is not realistic; it’s really up and down. Part of the disease is that patients will relapse, and we’ll help them get their footing back,” she told BusinessWest. “People have begun to pivot to understand this condition as a long-term chronic condition that requires people’s full attention at different levels of intensity, and we try to provide that here.

“Recovery is about medication for some, but lifestyle modification, too,” she added. “When you think about diabetes, many people do well with changes in their diet and exercise, and many people do that and need something else at well. It’s all the same goal.”

While the need for more resources is high, she said, especially when it comes to residential programs, the hope is that those struggling with addiction will see past the persistent stigma and seek help from the many resources that are currently available, and that those overdose numbers will start to fall again.

After all, they’re much more than just numbers.

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Event Venues and Caterers See Solid Demand, but Also Challenges

By
Peter Rosskothen
Shop Local

Serving Up a New Reality

Peter Rosskothen

Peter Rosskothen says banquet facilities have had to become more selective about which events they take on.

For an events and catering industry devastated by the pandemic in 2020 and still hampered in 2021, this past year was certainly reason to celebrate.

“It’s been an incredibly strong year post-COVID,” said Seth Mias, owner of Seth Mias Catering in Leeds. “We had quite a few people making up for postponements, and a really robust season overall.”

The problem, said Mias and others we spoke with, is that it can be difficult to meet that demand due to a workforce crunch that has hit this sector hard.

“The challenge is staffing, obviously — getting people to come back to work — and supply-chain issues,” he noted. “Honestly, we were able to work through all that and had a really good season. To me, it seemed like clients were gracious and understanding about some of the challenges we’re facing as opposed to other years, like when certain products were unavailable.”

Peter Rosskothen has faced some of those realities as well, but said the Holyoke businesses he owns — including the Log Cabin, Delaney House, and Log Rolling Catering — have weathered them well.

“It’s been an above-average year — actually, a very good year,” he told BusinessWest. “Business has been very strong. Attendance to events is a little lower than it used to be, but the quantity of events, and the quality of events, has been better.

“The world is different,” he added. “We are much more focused on smart events for us. So we’re not giving stuff away, we’re charging more, and we’re being selective in the process to make sure we have staff and the ability to do something right.”

That selectiveness forced by workforce realities has changed the entire event industry quite a bit, Rosskothen added. “We just don’t say yes to everything anymore.”

Peg Boxold, owner of Elegant Affairs Catering in Springfield, has had to become more selective as well. “Coming out of the pandemic, we’ve got business, no problem, but we don’t have the staff. My staff have other jobs, just like the rest of the world. So we do what we can.”

During one past holiday season, she recalled, the company had a couple of days with 12 different events at different venues. “But now I have to think twice about doing two parties in one day, depending on whether I have staff. Also, it’s tough sometimes getting product for the kitchen, so if I don’t get the menu soon enough, I’ve got to hunt for the product. It’s not an easy world out there, and the profit margin is so much tighter now; we’ve had to go up on prices. It’s a new world.”

Like others we spoke with, Boxold said turning down business is simply a matter of not taking on a job she may not be equipped, because of staffing, to do well; she noted that she’s built up a reputation over more than three decades for quality events, and won’t risk that on understaffed bookings.

“I’ve worked too hard for too many years to jeopardize everything now for something I know I’m not going to be able to handle.”

“I had one lady call in September; she wanted a lunch on a Wednesday for 200 people, a plated meal. I said, ‘I can do a buffet setup the day before, but I don’t have the staff for plated.’ She wanted to be served, so I said, ‘sorry, I can’t.’ I’m not going to take something I don’t feel comfortable with in terms of quality of product and quality of service. I’ve worked too hard for too many years to jeopardize everything now for something I know I’m not going to be able to handle.

Even the events that do go on are more challenging, Boxold added. “Last week, I had a Thursday fashion-show luncheon in Wilbraham for 90 people. I begged, borrowed, and stole people to make it happen.”

 

Picking and Choosing

Rosskothen said he expects the upcoming holiday season to be a bit slower than in past, pre-pandemic years.

“I haven’t read any statistics, but my instinct tells me corporate is still slow to do group parties. So we see them, but we don’t see them to the level we used to. Every Friday and Saturday is booked, but if you go back a few years, we used to be booked five days a week. So it’s a little different than in previous years, and again, the selective process of picking and choosing the business that fits our company also gets rid of a few.”

The Log Cabin won’t be hosting group holiday parties this year, he explained, noting that the Delaney House, with its smaller rooms, is being used for smaller parties, while the Log Cabin focuses on big events.

And events are ‘big’ in different ways, Rosskothen noted. Wedding attendance is down, from an average around 170 years ago to 120 today, partly due to today’s marrying couples being slightly older. But the average per-head charge is up.

“This generation knows what they want; they’re very specific about their wishes, and it pushes the check average up,” he explained, noting that, once they book the event and set their guest list, they’re willing to pay more for certain things. “Prime rib used to be included in all our prices. Now, if you want prime rib, its $8 a head more. But the people who want it select it.”

The biggest challenge dealing with customers is that the price of everything is up these days.

“When somebody’s booked a long time in advance, which happens mostly on the wedding side of the industry, it’s very frustrating. There’s a budget established, and you kind of have a vision, but if you planned a wedding two years ago, you’re paying 20% more than you were planning. And that’s a big jump, especially if somebody’s on a budget. But there’s no choice; our costs are easily 20% higher versus pre-pandemic.”

For the most part, people have been understanding, Rosskothen added.

“I think most understand, though once in a while we get questions — ‘why this is $5 more a head?’ We go through the process and explain it, but I’d say 99% of the people kind of expect it.”

Mias agreed that this holiday season seems a bit slower than what he’s seen in the past. “I’m booking a solid base now, and just looking to do some fill-in booking at this point.”

Over the years, his business has morphed into a wedding-reception-focused enterprise, with those events gradually shifting from 10% to 15% of his bookings to around 85% today. “But we’re still doing corporate events, retirements, funerals, things like that.”

Many clients postponed events during the pandemic, he noted, which led to a scramble to fit them in with new business once COVID restrictions eased; only a few clients couldn’t make a new date work and had to go elsewhere.

 

Out and About

Rosskothen wonders how his industry will be affected by a trend he’s observed in the younger generation of not wanting to go out as much, and not valuing networking as much as young professionals used to. But he’s especially focused on economic trends.

“I think 2023 is going to be very interesting; I don’t know where it’s going to go. Are we really going into recession? I think people are going to contract and be careful. If the national climate changes, that’s going to affect us. So I’m a little worried about 2023, I really am.”

Still, he added, “it’s too early to tell. We might get out of this. There’s a lot of money in the economy, and a lot of companies have saved money, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out.”

Most people these days are not afraid of COVID when it comes to gatherings, he added. Boxold agreed, but noted that Elegant Affairs has COVID-friendly, individually packaged meal options as well. “For a lot of companies, it’s important for them to be able to stay in business and make sure everything is COVID-friendly, so we can do something for their employees but keep it within the parameters of COVID-friendliness.”

As she noted earlier, demand for events of all kinds is there. Meeting that demand with steady staff, however, is a persistent challenge.

“Hopefully it changes somewhere down the road,” Boxold said. “I’m assuming people have to go back to work at some point; they have to pay the bills. I don’t know whether they’re opting for other jobs or still sitting at home. I just can’t get a good read on everything. But I think it’s coming back, and that people will be coming back to work.”

Mias said 2022 was one of his strongest years — if not financially, then with the quality of events.

“Looking at the product we were able to put out with all the challenges, I thought it was a great year,” he added. “Hopefully the next few weeks continue on that path, and 2023 is looking just as good. We keep plugging along.”

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Dietz & Co. Transitions into New Leadership, ESOP Status

By
new leadership team at Dietz & Co.
Architecture

Blueprinting a Succession Plan

new leadership team at Dietz & Co.

From left, the new leadership team at Dietz & Co.: Kevin Riordan, Tina Gloster, Jason Newman, and Lee Morrissette.

As he talked about the transition in ownership, and leadership, taking place at Springfield-based Dietz & Co. Architects, Jason Newman used the phrase ‘ease-in, ease-out mentality’ to describe the process.

By that he meant that Kerry Dietz, founder of the firm and its principal, has been easing out of the many responsibilities involved with leading this company of nearly 30 employees and its many projects, while a team of four leaders — architects (and principals) Jason Newman, Lee Morrissette, and Kevin Riordan, and CFO Tina Gloster — have been easing into them.

That’s a simple yet efficient way of describing what’s been happening at the Dietz firm for roughly the past two years now as it transitions from a single owner to one with an employee stock-ownership plan, or ESOP, which is a form of employee benefit plan, similar in many ways to a profit-sharing plan.

“Kerry didn’t want to just hand us the keys and walk away, and we didn’t want her to do that either,” said Newman, who studied under her while earning his degree in architecture at UMass Amherst. “We’ve been in our new roles and taking on new responsibilities as principals in the firm, but we also have the comfort, and benefit, of Kerry being here on a limited basis to help guide us and mentor us and still bring all the positive energy she brings to the office, which will sorely be missed when she finally steps away.”

And with Dietz, who is now working just a day or two a week, set to fully retire at the end of this year, the transition process is now pretty much complete, said Newman, adding quickly that those involved are still easing in or out in many respects, but settling into their new roles.

For Dietz, that means the next stage of her life after a more than 40-year career in architecture that saw her make her mark not only in her field, but in the city of Springfield, where she moved her firm into the renovated Union Station; and in the community, where she has been active and philanthropic, and made sure her company and its employees were as well. For this strong combination of business success and involvement in the community, Dietz became a member of BusinessWest’s inaugural Women of Impact class in 2017.

For those succeeding her in leadership positions, it’s a time to write the next chapter for a company that has changed the landscape in the region, literally, designing buildings across many different sectors, from housing to education; office to gaming (it designed many of the spaces at MGM Springfield).

 

Transparent Approach

As they start writing those new chapters, those we spoke with said the ESOP model, one in which ownership of the firm is essentially shared by all employees, will work well at Dietz, and for a number of reasons.

“It’s a very interesting way to look at a business, especially in the design industry, where so much of what we do is teamwork,” said Newman, adding that the ESOP model dovetails nicely with the company’s operating structure in ways that were not really anticipated, or fully understood, when the concept was first proposed in late 2020.

“The ultimate authority at the company is the employee. If we’re not running the company in a way that is benefiting, or for the benefit of, the employees, then we’re not doing our jobs.”

Another factor is the high level of transparency that has defined Kerry Dietz’s management style and now characterizes the company, said Morrissette, an experienced architect who came to Dietz in 2019 after working at firms in the Boston area.

“One of the things that is most remarkable to me, coming from other firms in the Boston area and elsewhere before that, is the level of business transparency that the Dietz company has offered from the very first meeting I came into,” he explained. “The quarterly performance of the company and our business initiatives are clear to all the employees, and we have an open-book policy when it comes to everything but salaries, and that’s very uncommon in our industry.

“There has been a very consistent approach to sharing the business of architecture with the entire staff,” he went on. “It’s an education for everyone; it was for me when I first came here — I learned a lot about the business of architecture, and it’s made it a lot easier to do this transition, because we were included the whole time so we could take on more and more understanding and more and more responsibility.”

Riordan, who has been with Dietz for nearly 20 years, agreed.

“Kerry was one person running the firm, and that was a huge responsibility, with a lot of tasks and pieces attached to that,” he said. “It’s been really great to see everyone step into those roles in their own way and actually make a better process for running the firm, because there’s no one person trying to manage it all, plus run projects. There are four of us that are actually taking on the tasks and developing our own initiatives for how we make those tasks better.”

Still, there has been a sharp learning curve with this transition, said Newman, adding that it’s still ongoing.

“It’s definitely a completely different way to run a business,” he said. “Many of the aspects of being an ESOP are quite positive; we have a lot more opportunities for our employees to engage and reap the benefits of being a company owner, from the financial side as well as the cultural side. It’s not one person at the top who has full authority on decision making and the strategic direction of the company.”

Elaborating, he said that, in addition to the four in the four leadership positions, there is also a board of directors charged, in essence, with making sure the company is being run fairly and that all voices are heard.

“The ultimate authority at the company is the employee,” Newman went on. “If we’re not running the company in a way that is benefiting, or for the benefit of, the employees, then we’re not doing our jobs.”

With the transition in leadership, the three principals have taken on new responsibilities. Morrissette said he will be working on marketing, alongside Marketing Coordinator Ashley Solomon, while also directing the many housing projects the firm takes on, as well as municipal projects. Meanwhile, Newman said he will be working closely with Gloster and focusing on the business side of the company — “talking with our lawyers, corporate governance, contracts, insurance, all this stuff you love to do as an architect.”

Riordan, meanwhile, said he will be focused on “quality control” and developing systems to enable the firm to operate better and more efficiently, adding that all three principals will be involved in several aspects of management, including the recruitment and hiring of talent and building the book of business.

 

Branching Out

Moving forward, those we spoke with expect some changes at Dietz. One of them involves a broadening of the firm’s reach and getting closer to clients — quite literally, said Morrissette, adding that, with the firm doing consistently larger amounts of work in the Boston area, it will open an office in that city in the near future.

With the pandemic and the manner in which it allowed firms to connect with and work for clients remotely, he explained, the firm has taken on more projects outside the 413 and in areas like Boston, a trend that will continue into the future.

“We’re reaching out, geographically, more than we have in the past, and that’s very exciting,” he said. “This [remote] interaction is something we’re getting very comfortable and familiar with, and it has allowed us to reach much farther than we have before … that’s a big step forward, and it’s something we definitely gained from the pandemic.”

What won’t change, though, is the high level of commitment to the community, and giving back, that Kerry Dietz made part of its fabric of doing business.

“We have a long and strong history in affordable housing and in serving the organizations and the nonprofits that serve our communities,” Newman said. “And our passion to continue to fill that role has not wavered in the slightest. When Kerry was running the company herself, she had a very generous charitable-giving strategy, which we have looked at, revisited, and ramped up.

“We pride ourselves on being an architecture firm that supports the people who support us,” he went on. “And that won’t change.”

 

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

Baker Will Be Missed in the 413

By
Opinion

Editorial

 

As Charlie Baker winds down his time as governor of the Commonwealth, it should be clear to all those in Western Mass. that he will be missed in this part of the state.

Since he was first elected eight years ago, and even before he took office a few months later, he made it clear that the 413 would be a priority for him and his administration. And he has followed through on that pledge.

We bring this up because all governors say they are going to represent the entire state and take a keen interest in every community from Fall River to North Adams. But most don’t actually deliver on those promises. Baker has.

And he’s done it by doing more than showing up at the Big E for a creampuff or coming out to distrubute checks and get his picture taken while doing so — although he done that, too. He has actually taken a real interest in what happens out here, and he became visible, and influential, in ways most governors haven’t.

Whether it was listening to a group of entrepreneurs at Valley Venture Mentors — and asking them probing questions about how to take their ventures to the next level — or taking the lead in efforts to make projects like the Court Square Hotel and a new parking garage in downtown Springfield a reality, Baker didn’t just show in up this region, he became a strong advocate for it.

Before we go any further, we do need to note Baker was late, as in very late, in officially signing on to plans for a high-speed rail project that has been proposed, in large part, to help level the playing field between east and west and create more opportunities for those in this part of the state. This hesitancy to fully support the initiative, for whatever reason, certainly slowed the process.

Meanwhile, his administration’s response to the pandemic was more draconian than was necessary, and this deepened the challenge facing businesses of all sizes, but especially smaller ventures and those in the hospitality and tourism industry, one of the foundations of the Western Mass. economy.

That said, Baker made his presence felt in this part of the state, and in many ways made it a full partner in many initiatives here, not just in Springfield, but across the region.

It has been said by some that we have an inferiority complex in this state and that we spend too much time thinking we are slighted, ignored, or both. While there is some truth to that, it has been easy for some governors to talk a good game, but, in the end, pay lip service to the broad region west of Worcester.

Baker succeeded in getting his name on a menu item at the Student Prince restaurant — a bun-less hamburger, to be specific. But far more importantly, he let people in this region know that they not only had a voice, but that their voice was being heard.

We can only hope the state’s next governor can continue that pattern of involvement.

Raising the Bar Downtown

By
Opinion

Editorial

They cut the ribbon at the new Marriott Springfield Downtown last week.

It was a lavish ceremony that was more than three years in the making. That’s how long it has taken serial entrepreneurs Vid Mitta and Dinesh Patel, owners of Springfield Hospitality, to transform the property in Tower Square, which lost the Marriott flag several years ago amid serious decline, into one of the state’s best hotels west of Boston.

A host of local, state, and national elected officials, area business leaders, and representatives of the Marriott chain turned out to celebrate the transformation of the property and the return of the Marriott flag to Springfield. There were speeches, tours, music from the Springfield Sci-Tech band, and more.

The ceremony marked more than the official ribbon-cutting for the hotel, though. It commemorated a triumph over extreme challenge — this renovation, or re-imagination, of the property was undertaken during the pandemic and thus had to overcome a series of stern challenges — and a raising of the bar, if you will, in Springfield and its downtown.

Indeed, like MGM Springfield before it, the new Marriott sets a new standard for imagination and quality in the city, and it is our hope that it will inspire others to reach higher and think bigger as they contemplate what can be done in Springfield and its downtown.

From the beginning, not just with the hotel but with the larger Tower Square property, Patel and Mitta have thought outside the box — relocating the Greater Springfield YMCA to the property is perhaps the best example — and never settled for ‘good enough’ as they have remade the landmark that opened in the late ’60s and set the tone for a period of building higher and better in the city’s downtown.

It is our hope that, more than 50 years later, the renovated Marriott and Tower Square complex can have a similar impact.

Indeed, while there has been some real progress in downtown Springfield over the past several years with MGM Springfield, the renovation of the former Court Square Hotel (still ongoing), the construction of a new parking garage (set to begin), and other initiatives, many other properties remain vacant or very much underutilized.

This is especially true farther south on Main Street in the area across from the MGM complex. But there are other properties as well that are awaiting new life.

The Marriott project, and the larger Tower Square initiative, have shown what can be done. They’ve shown what’s possible when people are willing to commit to Springfield and, as we said, think big. It is our hope, and expectation, that it will be a big success from a business perspective as well.

It is also our hope that this project, and some of the others now taking shape, like Court Square, will inspire other developers to look at Springfield as a city worth investing in.

All this, in addition to a grand new hotel, is what people were celebrating at that ribbon cutting.

 

UMass Amherst Named a Bike Friendly University by League of American Bicyclists

By
Daily News

AMHERST — UMass Amherst has been designated as a Bike Friendly University (BFU) by the League of American Bicyclists, a grassroots advocacy organization encouraging better bicycling and protecting the rights of people who bike. UMass Amherst is one of only eight universities in Massachusetts to receive the commendation for providing safe, accessible biking on campus.

“We first applied for the designation in 2012 and didn’t quite make the list, receiving an honorable mention at the time,” said Ezra Small, campus sustainability manager. “This bronze award shows that UMass Amherst is committed to promoting bicycling as a healthy, environmentally friendly way of getting around campus and that we have improved our bike access significantly over the past decade.”

Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists, noted that “I am pleased to celebrate 37 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Universities joining the movement to build a bicycle-friendly America for everyone. Bicycle Friendly Universities, like UMass Amherst, offer a far more holistic experience of campus life for students, faculty, and staff by implementing policies, programs, and infrastructure improvements that make for safer and easier car-free commutes, healthier lives through increased physical activity, and a campus community more connected to its surroundings.”

Providing bike-friendly accommodations is a vital part of the university’s Sustainable UMass initiative. In recent years, four-foot-wide bicycle lanes have been constructed on the primary campus roadways of Massachusetts Avenue, North Pleasant Street, and Commonwealth Avenue to promote safe bike travel. In 2016, the university expanded its bike access for students, faculty, and staff by becoming a founding member of ValleyBike Share, and six bike-share stations are now spread across campus to allow students, faculty, and staff to easily rent and return bikes.

The UMass Bicycle Commuter Program coordinates the Campus Bicycle Advisory Committee to help the university prioritize bike-related goals on campus, and the UMass Amherst Bike Library rental program, operated by the Student Government Assoc. and the Physical Plant, lets students, faculty, and staff borrow bikes for free, for as long as an entire academic year.

Landscape architecture and regional planning major Ryan Griffis was instrumental in completing the university’s application, Small said.

UMass joins Harvard, MIT, UMass Lowell, Bentley University, Tufts University, and Boston University’s Charles River and medical-school campuses as Bike Friendly Universities. Since the program launched in 2011, such designations have been certified at 222 U.S. colleges and universities in 47 states.

Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. Announces New Hires

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. (MBK) recently welcomed Colleen Berndt, CPA as senior manager, as well as Mia McDonald; Karen Korpinen, MSA; and Eric Bone as associates in the Audit and Accounting department.

Berndt has practiced public accounting since 1989 and holds valuable experience in both public accounting and corporate firms. She holds a bachelor’s degree from American International College and sits on the board of directors of the Colburn Keenan Foundation.

McDonald has worked in public accounting since 2020 when she began as an intern with MBK. She holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and business management with a mathematics minor, accounting concentration, and anticipates completing her master of science in accounting (MSA) degree in May.

Korpinen brings experience in the nonprofit field to her work in public accounting with MBK. She holds an MSA from Merrimack College and an MBA from Clark University. She serves as treasurer on the board of directors of the Northampton Parents Center.

Bone brings a fresh perspective to his engagements as a recent college graduate; he holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy with a minor in finance from Providence College and is currently pursuing his MSA with a focus in data analytics at UMass Amherst.

DUC-PAC to Cut Ribbon on New Springfield Facility Today

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Today, Nov. 10, at 11 a.m., DUC-PAC, a specialty producer of aluminum, copper, and other metal ductwork, will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration event of its new manufacturing and warehouse space in Springfield.

After being located in East Longmeadow for decades, DUC-PAC chose Springfield as its new home. The company has been a family-owned producer of high-quality metal fabrication in Hampden County since 1949.

Working with the city of Springfield, DUC-PAC has refurbished 1125 Page Blvd., a large, landmark brick building in the city’s East Springfield neighborhood that once housed four separate businesses. One business had vacated the premises, and another was moving out when DUC-PAC first became interested in the site at the suggestion of Springfield economic-development officials and Mayor Domenic Sarno’s administration.

The change at the property is significant. The interior contains a massive floor-to-ceiling warehouse for the company’s various specialty products, and the production floorspace is designed for precision manufacturing, skilled tradespeople working with machines to build to the specifications of a nationwide customer base. Exterior work, still in progress, includes new landscaping and cleanout of the previous businesses located there.

DUC-PAC President Greg Merchant, made the addition of a very large privacy fence along the entire frontage a priority. The goal was to make the refurbished complex more compatible and presentable with the neighborhood’s unique mix of residential homes and industrial and small businesses.

Sarno and city economic-development officials will take part in today’s event. The entire employee team will shut down production to join in the celebration as well. DUC-PAC brought 58 existing employees to the city and have added eight more.

“DUC-PAC is made up of team members that are family, quite literally so,” Merchant said. “In addition to my wife Heidi and me, we are fathers, daughters, and sons, many families working together as part of the DUC-PAC family.”

The workforce includes new employees as well as some who have been with DUC-PAC for decades. Many Vietnamese and Latino workers, both long-time citizens and more recent immigrants to the U.S., comprise a cohesive workforce that helps DUC-PAC compete against global manufacturers.

A tour of the facility will take place after remarks and the ribbon cutting. All are invited to stay for lunch with the entire DUC-PAC team.

MCLA Appoints Jean Clarke-Mitchell to Board of Trustees

By
Daily News

NORTH ADAMS — MCLA announced that Jean Clarke-Mitchell, assistant professor of Social Work at Lesley University, has been nominated to the MCLA board of trustees. A 2000 alumna of MCLA, she is also in her second term on the college’s foundation board.

Clarke-Mitchell is a licensed clinical social worker who served as the clinical director of the Elizabeth Freeman Center, and an outpatient clinician at the Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. With more than 20 years of experience in the clinical field and more than 10 years in academia, she looks forward to participating on the board.

“I am very excited and feel very privileged and honored to be chosen to not only represent my alma mater but also to represent future students. To be on the board is monumental to me,” she said. “I’m feeling there is a lot to be done, and I’m hoping I can make an impact in so many ways. There are so many intersections to me and my experiences, and I want that to be something that I can bring to the table that will make a difference.”

Clarke-Mitchell has an extensive resume in social justice activism and working with community organizations, including the Rights of Passage and Empowerment program as a senior mentor. She serves as a board member on Rockfort Moving Forward, Leadership Councils of Western Massachusetts, the Albany Assoc. for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, and the Massachusetts Women of Color Network.

“Having Dr. Jean Clarke-Mitchell on the board of trustees is a tremendous delight,” MCLA President James Birge said. “I’m confident that her experiences and education will expand the dynamics and work of the board.”

Clarke-Mitchell has invested many years in helping, advocating for, and educating others, including trauma and sexual-assault survivors, survivors of intimate-partner violence, and adults struggling with substance use and mental-health disorders.

“Just being a woman of color, I can bring a perspective that is not often considered. When I think of that, I think about how we can retain professors of color and welcome students of color,” she said. “How do we honor those people in our society? How do we manage the funds of the college and what we’re invested in? The perspectives which I bring are not always present.”

Prior to teaching at Lesley, Clarke-Mitchell taught social work and psychology at Westfield State University, Smith College, Cambridge College, and Elms College. She has worked with groups in South Africa, taught students in Ghana, and conducted presentations on healthy relationships and self-care in Jamaica. She continues to affect positive change by teaching social work full-time and continuing to develop effective social-work practitioners.

“When we consider different decisions that have to be made, I can have a voice at the table,” she said. “I have a lot of appreciation and respect for people who felt they should nominate me.”

Momentum Is Building on Victory Theatre Project

By
Donald Sanders, executive artistic director of MIFA Victory Theatre
Cover Story

The Next Stage

Donald Sanders, executive artistic director of MIFA Victory Theatre

Donald Sanders, executive artistic director of MIFA Victory Theatre

When asked how many tours he’s given of the Victory Theatre in Holyoke, the landmark that went dark in 1979, Donald Sanders gave a hearty laugh — something he does often — and just shook his head. That was his way of saying ‘more than I could count.’

Those tours have been given to elected officials, economic-development leaders, city department heads, arts groups, members of the media … you name it. They’ve all been in for a look at this piece of history that a city, and a region, have been desperate to renovate and make a part of the future, not merely the past.

And while the tours given today are essentially the same as those given years or even decades ago — they go everywhere from the front lobby to the mezzanine to the stage area — there is a new sense of urgency, optimism, and, yes, momentum — with these visits, said Sanders, executive artistic director of MIFA Victory Theatre, which has been at the forefront of efforts to restore the theater for the past 20 years.

Indeed, over the past several months, there has been a new tone to the discussions about restoring the 1,600-seat facility back to a Broadway-style theater. Specifically, there is a growing sense, after more than 40 years of talk, that this project is real.

“It’s more than just arts and culture; it’s really about impact to community and the secondary impact it offers.”

“I’ve always been optimistic that this could happen, but now, there is greater reason for optimism,” said Sanders, noting that MIFA (the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts) acquired the Victory Theatre from the city in 2009 and has been committed to its revival since because it region’s best option for bringing large Broadway shows back to the Pioneer Valley. “There is a greater sense of momentum now than perhaps ever before.”

Several factors have contributed to this momentum — everything from a visit to the theater by gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey back in late June to a recent bus trip to Schenectady, N.Y. to take in the restoration of the Proctors arts complex, a project that is similar in many ways to the Victory initiative, to progress with the closing of a persistent funding gap thanks to federal ARPA money.

renovated Victory Theatre.

An architect’s rendering of a renovated Victory Theatre.

Some of that money has been aside for “transformative projects” in communities, said Sanders, adding that he and others have long been making the case that a restored Victory Theatre hosting Broadway shows and other large events can and will have a transformative effect on the local economy.

But there are other factors as well, said Susan Palmer, a principal with the Palmer Westport Group, which focuses on strengthening and developing fundraising and leadership capacity of theaters across the country.

She has consulted on a number of projects aimed at bringing formerly dark theaters back to useful life, and she credits the leadership in Holyoke, and especially Joshua Garcia, the city’s first Puerto Rican mayor, with injecting some needed energy and confidence in the Victory Theatre project.

“He has been fearless; he has been relentless,” said Palmer, who was a theater producer at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield and also worked at Jacob’s Pillow, the Colonial Theater, and the Berkshire Theatre Festival before launching her consulting firm in 2005. “He has a three-legged stool of priorities for the city; he wants to increase and improve the housing stock, he wants to improve educational outcomes, and he wants Holyoke to be the center of economic revitalization in that area, and he feels putting the Victory Theatre back in service is a key to that.”

Garcia, who has put together a strike force (led by his wife, Stephanie) to keep the focus on the project and raise funds within the community for the efforts, said the theater project is, indeed, a key element in efforts to revitalize the city and its downtown and bring new businesses and vibrancy to the community.

The theater has been closed since before he was born, but its importance to the city, from a cultural, economic-development, and pride standpoint, is certainly not lost on him, and he believes the remaining hurdles to restoration of the Victory can be cleared.

“This project is in the ninth inning, as I like to say, and we have a short window to close the funding gap,” Garcia said. “The gap is $15 million to $20 million, but a very clear and doable path has been identified.”

He said the trip to Schenectady, during which participants got to take in a performance of Aladdin, showed not only what can be done to restore a landmark, but what doing so means for the community.

children watch a movie at the Victory Theatre in the ’70s

At top, children watch a movie at the Victory Theatre in the ’70s. Above, a view of Suffolk Street and the theater from 1955.

“It was such an eye-opening experience to know what Schenectady has been able to accomplish with their community,” he said. “It’s more than just arts and culture; it’s really about impact to community and the secondary impact it offers; their story felt very similar to ours.”

For this issue, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at the Victory Theatre project and at how those involved believe that now, more than 40 years after the last movie was shown there, there is sufficient funding, and momentum, to get this initiative over the goal line.

 

Marquee Moments

Palmer told BusinessWest that she has been involved with several theater-restoration projects, including the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, a project credited with helping to revitalize a city that had been devastated by the loss of its largest employer, General Electric.

While all of these initiatives differed in some ways, there was a common denominator: time.

Indeed, almost all of these projects took several decades to complete, she said, adding this is an element that is often overlooked in some communities undertaking such initiatives, including Holyoke.

“They all take a long time,” she said. “But the people who are working in these individual communities are only working on their project; they don’t realize that they’re in a pool of companions who have experienced the same thing.

“I worked on one in Ohio, the Woodward Opera House, that took 33 years. So there are two generations of people who have been involved with that. I was brought in in the last three years, and I would talk to people who would say, ‘my parents were working on this back when I was in grade school.’”

“I worked on one in Ohio, the Woodward Opera House, that took 33 years,” she went on. “So there are two generations of people who have been involved with that. I was brought in in the last three years, and I would talk to people who would say, ‘my parents were working on this back when I was in grade school.’”

There are at least two generations of Holyoke residents who have been hearing about, and been part of, efforts to restore the Victory Theatre.

Time has mostly stood still for the landmark since its last showing of the Clint Eastwood comedy Every Way Which Way but Loose in 1979. As one enters the theater, there are some remnants from that final showing, including a few old popcorn tubs, still to be seen.

Movie showings were the last chapter for the Victory, which was commissioned by leading industrialists in the city, including silk-factory owner William Skinner, in 1918, said Sanders, adding that it was intended to be the largest, grandest theater in a thriving city that already boasted many of them.

Turning back the clock a century or so, Sanders said Holyoke had several theaters in its downtown area, as well as a 3,000-seat opera house that stood where a parking garage now exists across from City Hall. The theaters included the Strand, the Majestic, the Suffolk, and the Bijou.

The site selected for the Victory Theatre, a name chosen to commemorate the Allies’ victory in World War I, was adjacent to the Holyoke House, then the finest hotel in the city, said Sanders, adding that this was a pattern followed by many cities at that time.

The Victory Theatre closed in 1979

The Victory Theatre closed in 1979 and hasn’t seen much light since then.

The Victory was what’s known as a ‘legitimate house,’ said Sanders, meaning that it had the finest of accommodations and was the therefore the preferred theater of choice for many performers of that era.

“That terminology means it hosted the highest level of shows and was a theater that was the best-equipped, had the best dressing rooms, etc., etc.,” he said, adding that Holyoke didn’t have a ‘legit house,’ and its leaders were determined to build one.

Fast-forwarding through the history of the Victory, Sanders said its fortunes mirrored those of the city. As the paper and textile mills that enabled Holyoke to boast one of the highest per-capita income rates in the country a century ago began to move south and then eventually offshore, the theater and the area around it started to decline, and the Victory eventually became a movie house.

As the trend in movie theaters shifted to smaller facilities in large complexes with multiple screens, its fortunes faded further until it ultimately closed. After it was taken for non-payment of taxes in the early ’80s, there were various efforts to restore the landmark, said Sanders, adding that, in all cases, the money needed — $9 million maybe 30 years ago and then progressively higher figures as the scope of the work increased — could not be raised.

In 2005, an item came before the Holyoke City Council to raze the Victory Theatre, he said, adding that he lobbied that group to stay the execution, arguing that such a vital landmark — and potential economic-development engine — should not be lost to the past.

The council listened, he said, and the Victory lived to fight another day.

To the casual observer, meaning those who haven’t been in for a tour, the facility seems frozen in time and unchanged. But that’s not the case, said Sanders, noting that a number if improvements have been undertaken over the years to ready the theater for restoration.

Steps have included asbestos removal, installing a new roof, converting the gas utility to electric (a project still underway), restoration of historic murals located near the stage, replacing non-compliant window coverings with new polycarbonate clear coverings, and other initiatives that together total nearly $5 million.

Overall, the structure is very sound, noted Sanders, adding that no expense was spared in building it.

 

Victory Is in Sight

To bring a project like the Victory Theatre to a successful result, a number of elements have to come together, Palmer said. These include leadership, a commitment from the community, funding, of course, and sometimes a little luck.

In the case of the Victory, the luck, if one chooses to call it that, comes in the form of ARPA money in the wake of the pandemic, funds that are expected to close most, but not all, of a $5 million to $6 million gap between the $58 million needed for the project and what has been raised through various means, including historic tax credits and new market tax credits; private, individual, corporate, and foundation donations; and public grants.

“ARPA money is what helped this project turn the corner,” Palmer explained, adding that the federal government has released $350 billion in funds to individual cities and states, and those working on the Victory Theatre project are currently working with several lobbyists to position this initiative for a $12 million ARPA allocation.

“It hasn’t happened yet … it’s coming in dribs and drabs, pieces here, pieces there,” she said, adding that the ARPA funds will constitute roughly half of what still needs to be raised for the project.

The rest will be raised locally, she said, adding that $7.5 million has been pledged, and there are plans for a community effort with a goal of raising $2 million.

Local fundraising will include mostly smaller donations, Palmer said, but that grassroots effort, which will involve phone calls, knocking on doors, letter-writing campaigns, and fundraisers and friendraisers of all kinds, will bring area residents and businesses into the fight to restore the theater, and it will send a strong message to elected leaders about the importance of the initiative — to the city and region as a whole.

Mayor Garcia agreed, and noted again the importance of the project, not just from the standpoint of the arts, as significant as that is, but to the proverbial big picture in Holyoke and the region.

“The Victory Theatre checks off a lot of boxes,” he said. “When we think of what we’re trying to do in our city, in our downtown, in terms of tourism and economic development, this is just another piece of the greater economic system puzzle that we’re trying to solve here.”

Elaborating, he said the theater cannot exist in a vacuum, and there must be an infrastructure of supporting businesses — restaurants, bars, and other hospitality-related ventures — to make a revitalized Victory Theatre succeed.

Palmer concurred, and to explain, she did some math.

“When the theater opens, it’s going to be substantial — there are 1,600 seats in there,” she said. “The average occupancy, or utilization, rate of any nonprofit regional theater on any given night is 65%, so there will be 1,100 people bopping around that neighborhood several times a week. Right now, there aren’t many things to do, and certainly not enough to accommodate 1,100 people.

“So, there’s a parallel effort we’re working on to make sure, when the theater opens its doors, that the ancillary economic benefit will be ready to go,” she went on, adding that city officials and the strike force are working to help make sure that there is an infrastructure in place to support the theater.

Meanwhile, work continues to build on the current momentum and convince the public that there is a path to getting this done, said Aaron Vega, Holyoke’s Planning director, adding that more than 40 years of waiting for action on the property has created some stubborn skepticism that still must be overcome.

“It does take a long time for these projects to happen, and there has been work done,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s not visible from the outside; people drive by and say, ‘it looks the same as it did 10 years ago or 20 years ago.’ Overall, we need to reinstill some energy and some trust that this project is real.”

The bus trip to Schenectady and the Proctors arts complex was part of this larger effort, said Vega, noting that Schenectady and Holyoke are very similar in that they were both devastated by the loss of large employers (in the former’s case, it was General Electric). And their respective restoration projects are similar as well in that they involved long periods of time and a deep commitment from the community.

“One of the reasons we took that trip is to have people be able to come back and tell the story of what a theater like this could do for Holyoke, obviously, but also the entire region,” he said, adding that these discussions are now being had, generating what he and others expect will be more momentum.

And momentum not just for theater, he said, but what can come because of such a facility.

“I’m hoping that people can see the spinoff,” he explained. “The new restaurants, the buildings that were unoccupied being reoccupied — that’s the thing we want to see, the spinoff and the ripple effect; that’s what is going to affect everyone, not just those who will go to the theater.”

 

Bottom Line

Returning to the subject of those tours he has given — and will continue to give — Sanders said they do more then enlighten. They also educate and inspire those who take them.

In most all ways, they are better than a marketing brochure, better than talking to someone about the history and importance of this landmark.

“It’s our biggest selling point; it’s much better than me saying, ‘we have the last Broadway house in the region,’” he noted. “People walk through the door, they see 800 seats and the stage … and they realize what a treasure this is.”

It’s been 43 years since this treasure was anything more than a piece of history, but if all goes well — and things are tending in that direction — it will soon be an important piece of the future.

 

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

The Holidays Bring New Emphasis on Buying into — and in — the 413

By
Michelle Wirth, left, with Lexi Walters Wright
Shop Local Special Coverage

Local Call

Michelle Wirth, left, with Lexi Walters Wright

Michelle Wirth, left, with Lexi Walters Wright, owner of High Five Books, one of the many area companies now showcased on the Feel Good Shop Local platform.

If anyone needed any proof concerning the importance of buying local to the regional economy, Michelle Wirth said, it came during the pandemic.

As consumers were forced to shop from their computers, except for what they could find at the supermarket or the big-box stores allowed to stay open, they resorted to Amazon and, for the most part, the national brands with which they were familiar.

As a result, a good number of smaller retailers were just not able to carry on and had to close their doors, putting some people out of work as they did so. Many of those storefronts are still vacant, impacting vibrancy on Main Street — and many other streets as well. Meanwhile, the jobs created by those stores, and the local spending generated by them — on everything from marketing to signs; electricity to office supplies — have been lost.

“During COVID, all of us were relying on online shopping more than ever before — we were relying on Instacart or some of the big names, Amazon, Nordstrom’s, L.L. Bean, Walmart … and when we could finally raise our heads and we were comfortable leaving our houses and driving around the neighborhood, I noticed that a lot of the stores that I had frequented prior to COVID were closed or closing,” said Wirth, who said this harsh reality was one of many factors that led her to launch Feel Good Shop Local, or FGSL, as it’s called, an online e-commerce platform that makes it easier for area residents and businesses to find local retailers, and much easier to do business with them.

In a word, the site — feelgoodshoplocal.com — ‘connects’ consumers with local retailers, said Wirth, adding that these connections benefit consumers, retailers, and communities alike.

“The vitality of our local communities is important. How do you ensure the vitality of our local communities? By supporting our local neighbors, the local stores, things that are happening in our backyard.”

There are now more than 20 businesses on the site, including Lenny Underwood’s Upscale Socks; High Five Books in Florence; Hallie’s Comet Fine Jewelry; Feather & Bloom, a florist, plant, and gift shop in Suffield, Conn.; Relax.Rinse.Repeat, a Westfield-based provider of organic health and beauty products; and many others. Upon visiting a participating shop, one can learn about it, see products, read reviews, and — this is the ultimate goal — place orders (more on all this later).

The Feel Good Shop Local site is one of the listings in our annual Buy Local Holiday Gift Guide, which includes a lengthy list of gift suggestions and places to find them starting on page XX. Wirth and others we spoke with said that the holidays are a good time — although any time is a good time — to remind people of the importance of shopping locally for all those reasons mentioned above.

In many ways, that message is resonating, said Hannah Rechtschaffen, director of Placemaking at the Mill District in North Amherst, a mixed-use community that now features more than 130 housing units and an eclectic array of small shops. She noted that shopping with local retailers has become a priority for some, and even a political statement for others.

show off some of the many items at the store.

From left, Shauna Wallace, interim manager of the Mill District General Store; Hannah Rechtschaffen, director of Placemaking for the Mill District; and Tim O’Brien, senior Communications director for WD Cowls Inc., show off some of the many items at the store.

“People really find that, for them, shopping locally is meaningful beyond just the fact that it’s nice to go in and touch something and connect with someone,” she said. “They also feel a point of pride shopping locally, giving a gift that has a story they heard right from the artist that made it.

“It becomes this sense that people are part of the recovery,” Rechtschaffen went on. “And I think that this is both real and important. At places like this, people are able to come out and shop and meet the store owner, meet the people working there, meet people making things … it’s just a nicer experience and gives everyone a sense of recovery and reclaiming things.”

Melissa Peavay, marketing manager for Grove Real Estate, owner of the Longmeadow Shops, agreed. She said shopping local has, indeed, become a priority for many consumers, especially after the lessons — and the casualties — of the pandemic.

But she noted that ‘shopping local’ is a broad term. It means buying from local vendors, obviously, she said, but it also means buying from a local outlet of a national chain, one that is providing jobs and contributing to the vibrancy of a downtown, a mall, a shopping plaza (like the Longmeadow Shops), or a community.

“Shopping with people who own their own business and live locally is wildly important,” she said. “But it’s very important to come out and shop local, even if it’s a national chain; it’s local people who work at these stores.”

 

The Going Rate

There are two bathrooms in the General Store at the Mill District. One, very popular with children, features a jungle motif. The other one? Well, it features one-way glass on the entire wall facing the parking lot. Those using it can see out, but no one can see in.

“People really find that, for them, shopping locally is meaningful beyond just the fact that it’s nice to go in and touch something and connect with someone. They also feel a point of pride shopping locally, giving a gift that has a story they heard right from the artist that made it. It becomes this sense that people are part of the recovery.”

“Still, it can a little disconcerting or unnerving at first, but overall, it’s different, and it’s fun,” said Shauna Wallace, interim manager of the store, adding that the bathroom, said to be one of just a handful in the country with such one-way glass (the others are in tourist spots), has become a talking point. There’s even a sign on the property directing visitors to it that says “you have to go!”

While people might use this bathroom while visiting the store, and others at the Mill District, it is not the reason they go there, said Rechtschaffen, adding that their primary motivation is to find a unique mix of stores and shop locally. And the General Store provides maybe the best example of this.

It features thousands of different items, almost all of them from local vendors and artists: hand-made quilts from Night Sky Quilts in Amherst, maple syrup from Boyden Bothers Maple Syrup in Conway, dog treats from Berkshire Dog in Lanesboro, reclaimed cutting boards from Firefly Hollow in Leverett, local sauces and grocery items from the Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland … the list goes on.

Melissa Peavay

Melissa Peavay says the pandemic helped motivate many consumers to shop local.

As noted earlier, the General Store is just one of many small, locally owned shops in the Mill District. Others include the Closet, which offers vintage and ‘new to you’ clothing; Graze Craze, which offers customizable charcuterie boards and catering; the Lift Salon; Provisions, the Mill District Local Art Gallery; and many others. Collectively, they provide opportunities for people to find what they’re looking for, locate some unique gifts, and shop local in one spot.

It was this same objective that motivated Wirth to create the Feel Good Shop Local platform, which was sparked by the reality that local artists and retailers are simply not as visible as they would like to be.

“One of the reasons some people don’t shop local is because it’s hard — it’s time-consuming, especially if you’re a newcomer to the area, to find these places,” she said. “If you Google items, they don’t show up; if you Google ‘black sweater near me,’ you get the big-box stores, not the local stores. It’s a connection issue.”

Feel Good Shop Local was created to forge connections and enable people to shop at those stores when it’s convenient for them.

“As a mother of four, I’m shopping early in the morning and late at night, and, unfortunately, our local stores are not open at those hours,” Wirth said, adding that many people are similarly constrained by time.

But convenience is only part of the equation. The platform, which was launched during the Big E and is focused largely on gift giving, enables people to shop by recipient (everything from family members to pets; from teachers to co-workers), price, occasion, interest (from travel to wellness to pets — again), and values, everything from women-owned to BIPOC to ‘sustainable practices.’

Wirth considers the platform a classic win-win, or win-win-win, because it benefits consumers, local shops and artists, and communities across the region.

“The vitality of our local communities is important,” she said. “How do you ensure the vitality of our local communities? By supporting our local neighbors, the local stores, things that are happening in our backyard.”

As noted, 25 stores now participate on the platform, with another 25 or 30 in the pipeline, and as the holidays approach, Wirth expects interest in the site to rise. Participating businesses pay a 15% commission on each sale to FGSH, a lower rate than most other sites of this type.

The Mill District General Store is one of those businesses. Click on that site, and one can find a few dozen different items with the store’s own label, including spicy pickles, cracked peppercorn dressing, jams, salsa, and ‘Moonshine Barbecue Sauce.’

Wirth said the platform is essentially just getting started and is still “learning and growing.” She expects that as word of mouth spreads about its ability to make connections and generate sales, it will draw more local shops and artisans.

“The intention behind this is to create community — a community of sellers and a community of like-minded shoppers that are supporting these sellers in a way that is convenient for everyone.”

Meanwhile, with the holidays just a few weeks away, anticipation is building for the season, which is increasingly clouded by questions about the economy, recession, inflation, and the impact of all that on spending.

Amid these concerns, there is, as noted earlier, growing encouragement of efforts to shop local and support businesses looking to make a full recovery from the pandemic.

Peavay said 2020 and 2021 were very difficult times for most all retailers, and some, as Wirth noted, were not able to successfully pivot and navigate their way through the whitewater.

The Longmeadow Shops saw a few casualties, she said, adding quickly that these vacancies have been filled, and the outdoor shopping plaza is now fully leased.

It features several locally owned stores, including Caren & Company, a clothing store; In Chic Shoenique, a merger of two stores, In Chic and Shoenique; Batch Ice Cream; Delaney’s Market; Max Burger; Posto; and the Shot Shop, a salon and spa.

In addition, it features a number of national chains, from J.Crew to Ann Taylor to the Gap, that provide jobs and contribute to the overall vibrancy of the complex and the town itself.

“If people don’t come out and stroll our sidewalks and shop in our stores, those national chains will leave,” Peavay said. “And then, people are disappointed; you always hear after someone closes, ‘I loved that store … why did it close?’ It’s super important to shop locally owned stores and to shop local, at the Longmeadow Shops or any shopping center, if you find that shopping center convenient.”

 

Bottom Line

There’s a ticker of sorts on the Feel Good Shop Local Site. It keeps a running track of the money spent at participating businesses through the site, under the header ‘Money Invested in the Local Economy.’

At present, that number is still in the five digits as the site continues to build visibility and a presence across the region. In time, it will go much higher, said Wirth, adding that, beyond this number, the site is creating those all-important connections that make it much easier for consumers to shop local first.

When they do, it is truly a win-win-win scenario.

 

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

Dennis Group Stays True to Its Process

By
Architecture Special Coverage

Food for Thought

Dennis Group project

This aerial photo is of a large Dennis Group project under construction in Ohio.

 

At any given time, the Dennis Group is working on 400 to 500 projects around the world. But you wouldn’t know it by looking around New England.

Sure, it’s worked with Agri-Mark in West Springfield, Pepperidge Farm in Bloomfield, Conn., and a host of other companies locally over the years, but food-production plants — and that’s exclusively what this design-build engineering firm works on — tend to be bunched in certain pockets of the country, and for good reason, said Mike Damiano, head of the company’s process engineering group.

For example, “Pennsylvania supplies the Northeast. That’s a big distribution corridor. All the major players like to be within a stone’s throw of each other,” he noted, adding that other clusters are located in Ohio (serving the Midwest), Georgia (the Southeast), Texas (the South), and California (the West Coast). “We have a lot of work local to our Utah office, which seems abnormal, but it’s a growing area. A lot of it is about logistics, and where they can get to as many places in the U.S. as economically as possible.”

In addition, food-production companies find labor, taxes, and utilities less expensive outside New England, said Chris Siart, head of the firm’s civil, structural, and architectural group.

“We basically design and build food and beverage facilities. We started off doing food and beverage, and we’re still doing food and beverage, for a wide range of products and clients,” he told BusinessWest. “We work with small startup companies all the way up to top-100 companies — Nestlé, Kraft, Pillsbury, and all those other big guys.”

Damiano said the Dennis Group performs full-service engineering for the facility side of the production systems. That involves detailed design work, procurement of equipment and workforce, and management of the construction of the plant. “We don’t self-perform any construction activities, so we’re design-build in the sense that we do construction management.”

 

Up from the Attic

The Dennis Group has witnessed explosive growth since it was launched by founder — and still president — Tom Dennis in his attic in 1987. It now boasts about 200 employees in its headquarters in the Fuller Block building in downtown Springfield, and another 400 in seven satellite offices: in California, Georgia, Michigan, Utah, Brazil, and two in Canada.

Some of this success can be traced to timing — specifically, an explosion in the popularity of convenience-based foods and the recession-proof (and, as it turns out, pandemic-proof) nature of the food industry.

“A lot of it is about logistics, and where they can get to as many places in the U.S. as economically as possible.”

Each project begins with a concept, Siart said — a new product a company wants to develop or an existing product for which it wants to ramp up production. After a definition study, which is a report defining project scope, scale, cost, and schedule, the study is handed off to the food manufacturer for approval, with projects ranging anywhere from $1 million to $1 billion in cost.

“Then we set the engineering — we have all disciplines in house. We have civil engineers, architects, structural engineers … we have everything to do with the building, but also all the internal engineers as well — mechanical engineers, chemical engineers, control engineers, electrical engineers, basically designing all the equipment inside.”

One reason for the Dennis Group’s sustained success — it has topped Engineering News Record’s annual rankings of the top food and beverage engineering firms by revenue in numerous years — is due to its ability to tackle new industry trends, which constantly drive the design and construction of new plants.

For example, Damiano said, “we’ve been doing a lot of vertical farming, which is kind of new — it’s like a warehouse with an indoor greenhouse.”

That has helped stores keep ever-popular bagged salads on shelves longer because they’re arriving in stores sooner, particularly in the Northeast, said Nathan Marcucci, a process engineer and head of the firm’s project management group.

Mike Damiano and Chris Siart

Mike Damiano and Chris Siart say continual innovation in food trends drives robust production of manufacturing facilities.

“Bagged salads were always field harvested, and you had only a few days to get that salad from the field to somebody’s house,” he explained. “Now, with an indoor vertical grow facility in the Northeast in the wintertime, you can get that bagged salad to the consumer in the Northeast quicker, so it lasts longer. So it’s a combination of new technologies that invigorate some of these older products.”

The Dennis Group has also worked with the Impossible brand on alternative meats, ridden a wave of Greek yogurt and alternative milk production when those products became popular, and worked with Ocean Spray on Craisins.

“That used to be a byproduct; they used to pay to have it hauled away,” Damiano said. “Then they turned it into a product that was more profitable than the juice. The juice became a byproduct on the Craisins line. They basically flipped the table.”

Much of the product innovation in supermarkets begins with smaller companies and gets picked up by larger ones when products become popular. Larger companies are often hesitant to step out of their comfort zone, like J.M. Smucker, a repeat client that has long focused on peanut butter and jelly — and premade Uncrustables sandwiches — as well as a line of pet food. The Dennis Group is currently working on its third Smucker factory; a recently opened facility in Colorado was named Food Engineering’s Plant of the Year for 2020.

Sometimes innovation in the way food is packaged drives plant production as well, Marcucci noted, such as a move toward squeezable containers some years back for everything from peanut butter to yogurt.

 

No Slowdown

When the pandemic hit in 2020, Marcucci said, some jobs got put on hold, but the Dennis Group experienced no real downturn. In fact, demand soared for certain food products, like those aforementioned Uncrustables when kids were largely stuck at home.

“When the economy gets tough, people have less money to buy food at restaurants, so they want pre-made grocery food,” Siart said. “That’s when our clients’ orders go through the roof; they can’t keep up with the orders.”

And that’s when they call on the Dennis Group, which has developed a worldwide reputation in its engineering niche.

“There’s nobody with the title ‘salesperson’ in the company,” he added. “The way we look at it here is that everybody’s a salesperson. You’ve got to do good work to bring in repeat customers, and 80% to 90% of our work is repeat customers; basically, large food manufacturers come back to us and do multiple projects.

“A smaller percentage is new clients that are finding us through different ways — people moving from one company to another,” he went on. “Someone might have been working for Nestlé and is now working for another food company, and work comes to us through word of mouth from former clients. Some of it’s cold calling. Some of it’s someone doing a Google search and finding Dennis Group that way. That’s how our sales work: repeat business and word of mouth.”

It’s business the company’s leaders don’t expect to slow any time soon, if the way people shop — and the convenient products they desire — is any indication.

“Food is essential,” Damiano said. “If you go to the grocery store, you have that one section of fresh produce; everything else is processed. The minute people stop buying processed food, we’re in trouble.”

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Women Innovators & Trailblazers Helps Grow the Women-led Economy

By
Hope Ross Gibaldi, executive director of Valley Venture Mentors (left), and her mentee, entrepreneur Lenore Abare
Entrepreneurship Special Coverage

Match Makers

Hope Ross Gibaldi, executive director of Valley Venture Mentors (left), and her mentee, entrepreneur Lenore Abare

Hope Ross Gibaldi, executive director of Valley Venture Mentors (left), and her mentee, entrepreneur Lenore Abare.

Lenore Abare was familiar with Valley Venture Mentors (VVM) and even attended one of its events when she was dabbling with the idea of becoming an entrepreneur a few years ago.

“It all stayed in the back of my mind,” she said. “Now that I’m full-blown running my own consulting business, I knew it would be really important to align with other like-minded women who are hopefully beyond me, and learn from other people’s experiences.”

So she reached out to Women Innovators & Trailblazers, a VVM-affiliated program that matches professional women in mentor-mentee relationships. She was accepted into the program and found out last week that she was matched with Hope Ross Gibaldi, VVM’s executive director.

Seven years ago, WIT was the brainchild of Liz Roberts, then-CEO of VVM; Ann Burke, vice president of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, and a number of other women, Gibaldi told BusinessWest.

“It arose out of the need for female-based mentorships and knowing there’s such great human capital here in the Valley. There are so many women who are seeking mentorship. And it’s not that we feel women can’t benefit from male mentorship, but there’s a unique connection and bond when women are mentoring women — women understand the struggles, the unique challenges, and the system under which all of us are operating. There’s something unique about that relationship.”

The initial cohort in 2019 included 12 mentor-mentee matches, which has increased to 25 pairings in the just-announced fifth iteration, with specific matches based on shared interest, mentor experience, and mentee need. In Abare’s case, Gibaldi can help her with various entrepreneurship challenges as Abare builds Vircilitation Impact (the name is a play on ‘virtual facilitation’), a consulting business that works with training providers in the business world.

“I was really excited to be matched to her,” Abare said, minutes after meeting Gibaldi for the first time at a WIT mentor-match kickoff event on Nov. 2, adding that she’s excited about Gibaldi’s work with VVM on starting organizations, business acceleration, and more. “I’m definitely going to tap into that experience.”

Paulette Piñero, a leadership coach and CEO of Unstoppable Latina, was another mentor on hand at the kickoff to meet her new mentee and network with the group. Her main focus is building a strategic plan for a business, “and then building a brand to attract the right clients, the right opportunities, and the right partners, with a strong brand voice,” as she explained to BusinessWest.

“It’s very refreshing to be able to be vulnerable and talk to other women and realize that you’re not alone, and that we’re all trying to figure it out.”

“I’ve been part of other Valley Venture Mentors programs, and I’m very involved with the work they do — and I do mentoring for entrepreneurs for other programs, like EforAll and the Center for Women & Enterprise,” she said. “So when I had the opportunity to mentor with women and be part of an ecosystem of local entrepreneurs, of course I had to say yes.”

 

Lighting a Spark

The tagline of WIT is “igniting a women-led economy,” and the program is essentially a community of female innovators and trailblazers with the common goal of supporting other women in their professional and entrepreneurial aspirations. Members include entrepreneurs, professionals, students, educators, and business leaders at all stages of their careers. From the initial meetings of 30 women in 2015, WIT has grown to encompass more than 350 women.

The mentor-match program aims to provide mentoring that helps women navigate their business or career, develop key competencies, and/or grow their professional network. New cohorts begin each fall and run through the spring — typically seven to eight months.

Paulette Piñero

Paulette Piñero says women feel more at ease being vulnerable around other women.

“The program grew over time, and we’ve had a series of other offerings, like networking brunches and educational offerings and workshops,” Gibaldi said. “But over time, we’ve really focused on the mentor-match part of the program.”

WIT leaders spend a month recruiting mentors and mentees. First, the mentors rank several categories — including entrepreneurship, career development, networking, finance, executive presence, and work-life balance — based on their interest and experience.

“I would like to mentor somebody in my biggest background, entrepreneurship,” Gibaldi said a few days before her pairing with Abare was finalized. “I’m also great at networking, so I put that as my second category. The mentees then fill out a form that is basically a mirrored version of that, but they focus on the interests they have and where their biggest mentorship need is. Then we pair them.”

Once the matches are created, WIT gives little specific guidance to the pairs, beyond asking them to meet at least once a month, for at least an hour, in person or virtually — though the interactions can occur as often as they like.

“Once we’ve created the pair, it’s hands-off. There’s not a specific curriculum we follow; it’s based on the needs of the mentee,” Gibaldi said. “We do encourage the pair in the first meeting to create a set of goals and outline what they plan to work on over the next couple of months.”

Abare said the program’s women-mentoring-women model is a valuable one.

“I think, in general, there are unique challenges that are presented to women in our culture, in our society, and when we can understand that context with each other, I think it helps us provide more valuable insight so we can empower each other — because we know, even when it’s not said, some of the struggles and inhibitors, the things that might prevent us from taking a chance or taking a risk or asserting ourselves.”

That latter point is a key one, Abare noted, because women sometimes are not as assertive as men when it comes to stating their value proposition — charging a high-enough fee for their work, for example.

“Research shows that men see themselves as qualified even if they check two boxes,” she added. “Women think they’ve got to have everything checked before they take the initiative.”

Working through that process requires being vulnerable, Piñero added, and women often feel more at ease among their female peers.

“It’s very important to be able to have conversations where we’re vulnerable with other women, so that they can understand what we’re going through, what are some of the obstacles that we face, what are some of the barriers that we face, and hear stories about how we were able to overcome those obstacles so they don’t feel so alone,” she said.

“In my experience, you’re in so many spaces where you feel like you have to be perfect, and there’s this perception that, when you go into entrepreneurship, you should have it all figured out,” she went on. “And it’s very refreshing to be able to be vulnerable and talk to other women and realize that you’re not alone, and that we’re all trying to figure it out.”

Abare agreed. “I think that’s the unique thing about bringing women together in a space. We understand these things from an experiential perspective, so we can empower each other.”

 

From Mentee to Mentor

Gibaldi said WIT has evolved over time, and even though it’s under the umbrella of VVM, it boasts its own community and serves its own unique need.

“It’s always been received really well, and we have increased the mentor and mentee participation in the program; we have people with a lot of experience with social and intellectual capital participating,” she added. “It goes to show mentors want to give back, and mentees want to get tapped into this network.”

One gratifying element is the number of pairs from previous cohorts who continue to work together, Gibaldi noted. “I think that’s a good reflection on how that curated mentor-match process really works. We take good care pairing people up, and it shows when we have people continue to work together outside the cohort.”

In addition, “another great indicator of success is the number of people who participate as mentees and then return as mentors. We encourage people to go on that journey as well,” she added. “To be able to grow people and transition them from mentees to mentors is very powerful.”

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

V-One Original Earns Top Honors at Warsaw Spirits Competition in Poland

By
Daily News

HADLEY — From its distillery in Kamień, Poland and its headquarters in Hadley, Valley Vodka Inc. announced that its original V-One Vodka earned its third Double Gold medal at the Warsaw Spirits Competition in Poland last weekend.

The Warsaw Spirits Competition is in its fifth year. This year, the number of entries and producers was record-breaking, with hundreds of alcoholic beverages from more than 32 countries. In the most competitive category, unflavored vodka (in the wheat/spelt/barley category), V-One earned the Double Gold with a score of 93.14.

“This was our third year entering the Warsaw Spirits Competition, and it is our third Double Gold Medal. To receive such a high rating at such a prestigious tasting, in the birthplace of vodka, is amazing. Poland has over a 700-year history with vodka production. It is like creating a champagne and winning best sparkling wine in France,” said Paul Kozub, owner and founder of V-One Vodka. “To think of where I started, from basement of my house with just $6,000 and a dream, to now have my own farm-to-glass distillery in Poland and to keep winning these awards, is beyond my wildest expectations.”

Springfield Public Forum to Host Ana Navarro to Discuss Midterm Elections on Nov. 10

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Public Forum, one of the country’s oldest free public speaker series, continues its 2022-23 season with CNN and Telemundo commentator, GOP strategist, and The View co-host Ana Navarro for a talk, “After the Midterms: A Political Outlook.” The event will take place at Springfield Symphony Hall on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. Attendance is free and open to the public with no tickets required.

Named a permanent co-host of The View on ABC in September, Navarro has a distinguished background in national, state, and international politics. She served as the national Hispanic co-chair for Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2012 campaign, and was the co-chair of John McCain’s Hispanic Advisory Council and national surrogate for the McCain presidential campaign in 2008. She has played a role in several federal and state races in Florida, served on Gov. Jeb Bush’s transition team, and was his first director of immigration.

Navarro served as ambassador to the UN’s Human Rights Commission and has represented private and public clients on federal issues, particularly related to immigration, trade, and policy affecting Central America. She is a graduate of the University of Miami, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies and political science and a juris doctorate. Born in Nicaragua, she and her family immigrated to the U.S. in 1980 as a result of the Sandinista revolution.

“Ms. Navarro is respected on both sides of the aisle for sharing her candid, honest opinions. She will offer her insider’s view on the issues people are talking about and insights on where the country may be headed in the wake of the midterm elections,” said Michelle Morash, executive director of the Public Forum.

Following the talk, there will be a dinner reception with Navarro in the Mahogany Room of Symphony Hall. Tickets for the reception can be purchased at bit.ly/SPFNavarro.

Holyoke Community College to Honor Veterans at Celebration Today

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) will recognize Veterans Day with a campus ceremony today, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the PeoplesBank Room on the third floor of HCC’s Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.

The keynote speaker will be U.S. Army veteran James Bradford, a retired police officer and lawyer and a two-time graduate of Holyoke Community College from the classes of 1972 and 2022, a 50-year span.

Liz Golen, coordinator of Student Activities, will deliver opening remarks, followed by the posting of colors by the Honor Guard from Westover Air Reserve Base and the Pledge of Allegiance led by officers of the HCC CAMO (Civilian and Military Organization) Club. Isabel Vigneault, a business administration major, will sing the Star-Spangled Banner.

Robert Vigneault, HCC’s Veteran and Military Services counselor, will narrate the MIA/POW Table of Honor ceremony and give a talk titled “What is Veterans Day?”

After the ceremony, all participants and guests are invited to stay for a free lunch.

HCC is recognizing Veterans Day today because the college is closed on Friday, Nov. 11 for the federal holiday.

Lawyer on the Line Program Slated for Nov. 14

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Hampden County Bar Assoc., in conjunction with Western Mass News, will hold its Lawyer on the Line program on Monday, Nov. 14 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Local, experienced attorneys will be able to provide legal advice on various topics, including divorce and family, bankruptcy, business, employment, landlord/tenant, and real estate. Individuals needing advice should call (413) 846-0240 to speak to a volunteer.

Picture This

By
Collins Electric Co
Picture This

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

 

Historic Transformation

Collins Electric Co. in Chicopee was recently recognized by the National Electrical Contractors Assoc. with a Project Excellence Award in Education in the over $1 million category for Smith College Neilson Library. The project involved 150,000 square feet with 5,000 LED, energy-efficient light fixtures; glass skylights; dimming; and window-shade controls. Strict attention was paid to controlling temperature and humidity, as well as tight security, for the library’s rare-books collection.

Collins Electric Co

Pictured, from left: Larry Eagan, president and CEO; Andrew Collins, vice president of Operations; Patrick Egan, vice president of Finance; and Mike Blaxland, project manager

 

Serving Up a Milestone

As part of its 50th-anniversary celebration, Greater Springfield Senior Services (GSSSI) recently hosted a luncheon for its staff, providers, local politicians, and community partners at the Carriage House at the Barney Estate in Springfield. The event featured speeches by Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno and GSSSI Executive Director Jill Keough, and a letter of recognition from U.S. Rep. Richard Neal.

Greater Springfield Senior Services

Pictured, from left: state Reps. Jacob Oliviera and Carlos Gonzalez, and GSSSI’s Nilsa Cintron, Keough, and Magy Ramos.

 

 

Meeting a Growing Need

Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford, Conn. recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and blessing to celebrate the opening of the new, 15-bed Lillian “Dolly” Santilli Geriatric Wellness Pavilion, as part of efforts to expand the hospital’s array of behavioral-health services.

 

Dr. Robert Roose

Pictured: Dr. Robert Roose, chief administrative officer of Johnson Memorial Hospital and Mercy Medical Center, addresses the gathering as Stuart Rosenberg, president of Johnson Memorial Hospital, looks on.

 

Johnson Memorial Hospital administrators

Donors Diane Lerz and Larry Santilli (center) join Johnson Memorial Hospital administrators, board members, and colleagues as they prepare to cut the ribbon.

 

 

Answering the Call

Representatives from PeoplesBank recently visited the Gray House to present the agency with a donation to cover the cost of replacement doors and frames that were damaged last May during a robbery. “I take great comfort in knowing that we live in a community that truly cares,” McClintock said.

Johnson Memorial Hospital

Pictured, from left: PeoplesBank’s Jaimee Guerra, banking center assistant manager (center), and Monica Borges, banking center senior specialist (right), present Gray House Executive Director Kristen McClintock (left) with the donation.

 

 

 

Court Dockets

By
Court Dockets

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

 

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

 

Diane Litwin, individually and as a personal representative of the estate of Gary Litwin v. Stanley Kardys, Santamaria Trucking Services Inc., and Miller Auto Leasing Co.

Allegation: Wrongful death, negligence: $62,755.48

Filed: 10/4/22

 

Jonathan Tenholm v. John Romanelli, MD; David Desilets, MD; Laura Veras, MD; Baystate Health Inc.; and Baystate Medical Center Inc.

Allegation: Medical malpractice: $250,000

Filed: 10/6/22

 

Brant DuBois v. UFP Eastern Division Inc. and 84 Lumber Co.

Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $500,000

Filed: 10/7/22

 

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

 

Anne Wiktor v. University of Massachusetts

Allegation: Negligence resulting in personal injury and property damage: $6,500

Filed: 9/20/22

 

Heidi Holley and Robert Holley v. Breathe Eazy Restoration LLC and Breathe Eazy Restoration Group LLC

Allegation: Breach of contract, intentional misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, unfair and deceptive business practices

Filed: 9/26/22

 

Robert Ghazey as trustee of the Massachusetts Pension Trust v. Genex Capital Inc., Roger Proctor, and Sutton Park Servicing LLC

Allegation: Breach of contract

Filed: 10/7/22

 

Julio Ventura v. Allstate Insurance Co.

Allegation: Breach of contract: $100,000

Filed: 10/7/22

 

Chamber Corners

By
Chamber Corners

AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

(413) 253-0700; www.amherstarea.com

Nov. 9: “Beyond COVID: Leadership Self-Assessment Tools,” 8-11 a.m., hosted by Venture Way Collaborative, 200 Venture Way, Hadley. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for non-members. For more information and to register, visit business.amherstarea.com/events.

Nov. 17: 2022 A+ Awards Dinner, 5-8:30 a.m., hosted By UMass Amherst Student Union Ballroom, 41 Campus Center Way. Each year, the Amherst Area Chamber bestows A+ Awards to individuals and organizations that enrich the life of the community through their work in business, education, and civic engagement across the area that the Chamber serves: Amherst, Belchertown, Hadley, Leverett, Pelham, Shutesbury, and Sunderland. The theme for the 19th annual event is “This Is What’s Next.” Cost: $90 per person, $700 for a table of eight. For more information and to register, visit business.amherstarea.com/events.

 

EAST OF THE RIVER FIVE TOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

(413) 575-7230; www.erc5.com

Nov. 9: ERC5 Talkin’ Turkey Table Top 2022, 3-7 p.m., hosted by Twin Hills Country Club, 700 Wolf Swamp Road, Longmeadow. This is an opportunity to learn more about some local businesses. From community-oriented financial, marketing, and security institutions to gift shops, elder-care facilities, and more, this is a one-stop-shop for all types of personal and professional business. Exclusive vendor offers will be available. Admission is free. To register, visit www.erc5.com.

 

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

(413) 568-1618; www.westfieldbiz.org

Nov. 9: After 5 Connections, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Hampton Inn, 39 Southampton Road, Westfield. Join us for an evening of networking. Bring some business cards to share with the attendees and to enter into the raffle. Cost: free to chamber members, $5 for non-members. To register, visit members.westfieldbiz.org/events.

Nov. 16: Annual Meeting, 5-8 p.m., hosted by Tekoa Country Club, 459 Russell Road, Westfield. Join us for a cocktail hour, dinner, welcome and annual meeting, and award presentations. Platinum sponsor: Westfield Bank. Cost: $65 for chamber members, $75 for non-members. To register, visit members.westfieldbiz.org/events.

Nov. 17: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Shaker Farms Country Club, 866 Shaker Road, Westfield. Introduce your business to the group and take advantage of this networking opportunity. Cost: free. To register, visit members.westfieldbiz.org/events.

 

SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER

(413) 787-1555; www.springfieldregionalchamber.com

Nov. 10: Super 60, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by the MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield. This annual award luncheon will honor businesses from many communities across the region representing all sectors of the economy, including real estate, transportation, sports, dining and entertainment, insurance, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, and more. Keynote speaker Myke Connolly, president and CEO of Stand Out Truck, will share his story, insights, and business expertise as an entrepreneur who began his career as an 18-year-old immigrant dishwasher with a strong ambition and a dream. Cost: $60 for members, $75 for general admission. Reserved tables of eight or 10 available. To register, visit myonlinechamber.chambermaster.com/eventregistration/register/6186.

 

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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

Nov. 17: Legislative Luncheon & Tour, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., hosted by Lower Pioneer Valley Education Collaborative/CTEC, Brush Hill, West Springfield. Join us as the culinary students from CTEC serve lunch while we listen to updates from our local legislators on the happenings on Beacon Hill and then tour the CTEC school and see the trade opportunities it provides students. Cost: $35 for chamber members, $45 for non-members. To register, visit www.ourwrc.com.

Dec. 1: Holiday Networking Spectacular with ERC5 and YPS, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern, 13305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Join the WRC, ERC5, and YPS for an evening of festive fun and friendly competition. Rock your most fabulous ugly holiday sweater and vote for your favorite chamber cocktail. Cocktail competition sponsored by PeoplesBank. Cost: $20 for members, $30 for non-members. To register, visit www.ourwrc.com.

Agenda

By
Agenda

Fall Workshop Series to Support Small Businesses

Nov. 7, 14, 21: The North Adams Chamber of Commerce (NAC) will host a series of fall workshops to assist small businesses in the Northern Berkshires. In November, the NAC will start a technology-makeover series that will dive into online commerce, effective software options, and digital marketing. Each class costs $15 to attend, or $30 for all three. The Monday sessions run from 6 to 8 p.m. and will be held in the NAC office at 85 Main St., Suite 200A, North Adams. The sessions include “Get Organized: Digital Management Tools for Workflow Efficiency,” Nov. 7; “Get Found: Digital Marketing Basics to Get Your Business Found,” Nov. 14; and “Get Social: Social Media Marketing Strategies and Content Planning,” Nov. 21. This workshop series is the result of two years of recognizing the technology needs of local businesses through the chamber’s Business Assistance program. In 2019, the organization received grant funding through the Franklin County CDC to launch this one-on-one consulting program and has since helped the business community grow and maintain jobs, get access to legal and financial help, and grow their social-media presence. After an event the NAC hosted in June called “Reimagine the Chamber,” two dozen business owners expressed their everyday challenges. Many of those challenges were related to implementing technology to run their businesses more efficiently and learn how to use digital marketing tools more effectively. All businesses throughout Northern Berkshire County interested in improving their digital marketing or learning how to make their business more efficient using the latest tech tools are encouraged to attend one or all of the upcoming workshops. Learn more about the workshops and register at nachamber.org.

 

Free Line-cook Training Course

Nov. 8 to Dec. 16: Holyoke Community College (HCC) will be running a free, six-week line-cook training course. The course runs Tuesdays to Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute at 164 Race St. in Holyoke. The program is designed for those already in the restaurant industry who want to upgrade their skills as well as unemployed or underemployed individuals interested in starting a new career. The program is taught both online and in person at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. Participants will learn all the essential competencies they need to become successful line cooks: knife skills; how to prepare stocks, soups, sauces, desserts, poultry, fish, and meat; culinary math and measurements; moist and dry-heat cooking methods; as well as workplace soft skills, such as building a résumé and searching for jobs. Offered as part of HCC’s Business & Workforce Development division, the line-cook course is free to qualifying applicants. For more information, contact Laura Smith, HCC job-placement assistant and career-development counselor, at [email protected] or (413) 552-2833, or fill out the inquiry form at hcc.edu/job-ready.

 

A+ Awards

Nov. 17: The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce will present its 2022 A+ Awards from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the UMass Student Ballroom at UMass Amherst, with returning presenting sponsor Peoples Bank and major supporting sponsor UMass Amherst. Each year, the Amherst Area Chamber bestows A+ Awards to individuals and organizations that enrich the life of the community through their work in business, education, and civic engagement across the area that the chamber serves: Amherst, Belchertown, Hadley, Leverett, Pelham, Shutesbury, Sunderland, and the Pioneer Valley as a whole. This year’s awardees include United Way Franklin & Hampshire Region (Legacy Award), Angelina Ramirez , CEO of Stavros Center for Independent Living (Lifetime Achievement Award), Joshua Rousseau, CEO of Amherst Intelligent Security (Leader in Innovation Award), Taylor Robbins of UMassFive College Federal Credit Union (Young Professional Award), Sean Barry of Four Seasons Wines & Liquors (Community Service Award), and Kyle Dumas of Greenfield Savings Bank (Chamber MVP Award). The chamber will also honor its 2022 Cooley Dickinson Health Care & Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce $1,000 Scholarship Award recipients — four deserving seniors from Amherst Regional High School, Hopkins Academy, Belchertown High School, and Frontier Regional School pursuing business- and/or healthcare-related studies at an institution of higher education. Tickets to the A+ Awards event cost $90 per person and $700 for a table of eight, and registration is open at amherstarea.com.

 

LumiNAMA Holiday Lights

Nov. 23 to Jan. 1: The North Adams Chamber of Commerce announced the first citywide LumiNAMA holiday lights initiative. LumiNAMA is intended to brighten up the city, give residents and visitors a memorable experience, and encourage foot traffic during the holiday season. All businesses, not just downtown businesses, in North Adams are encouraged to create a window display and illuminate their windows with holiday lights from 4 to 8 p.m. daily, coinciding with the city’s tree-lighting ceremony on the evening of Nov. 23. The LumiNAMA downtown holiday lights route will run along Marshall, Holden, Main, and Eagle streets, and Route 2 between Big Y and behind 85 Main St. Many downtown businesses have already committed to participating in the initiative, including MASS MoCA, MCLA, and Gallery 51. The city of North Adams will also assist in installing lights along Route 2. Additionally, the chamber is connecting commercial real-estate owners with local artists and community groups to activate unoccupied storefronts. Businesses interested in participating in LumiNAMA are encouraged to register their display by Nov. 18 at nachamber.org/luminama. Those who register will be considered for the following awards: Brightest Lights, Best Window Display, and Best Art Installation. Voting begins on Nov. 23 and ends on Dec. 14. Winners will be announced on Dec. 16.

 

Women of Impact Gala

Dec. 8: BusinessWest has long recognized the contributions of women within the business community and created the Women of Impact awards in 2018 to further honor women who have the authority and power to move the needle in their business, are respected for accomplishments within their industries, give back to the community, and are sought out as respected advisors and mentors within their field of influence. The class of 2022 features Latoya Bosworth, program officer at Mass Humanities; Sr. Mary Caritas of the Sisters of Providence; Jodi Falk, executive director of Rachel’s Table; Anika Lopes, Amherst town councilor and president of Ancestral Bridges; Laurie Raymaakers, president of J.L. Raymaakers & Sons Inc.; Hilda Roqué, executive director of Nuestras Raíces Inc.; Ashley Sullivan, president of O’Reilly, Talbot & Okun; and Aelan Tierney, president of Kuhn Riddle Architects. Their stories are told in the Oct. 31 issue of BusinessWest and at businesswest.com. The fifth annual Women of Impact Gala will take place at the Sheraton Springfield, One Monarch Place. Tickets cost $85 per person, and tables of 10 are available. Visit businesswest.com/blog/women-of-impact-event-tickets to purchase tickets. The event’s presenting sponsors are Country Bank and TommyCar Auto Group, and the supporting sponsors are Comcast Business, Granite State Development Corp., and Smith Executive Education.

People on the Move

By
People on the Move
Lisa Halbert

Lisa Halbert

Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, P.C. announced the hiring of Lisa Halbert as an attorney in the law firm’s Northampton office. Halbert joined Doherty, Wallace in July and brings more than 30 years of experience in representing clients throughout Western Mass. Halbert has an extensive background in elder law and estate planning, estate and trust administration (including estate-tax return preparation), special-needs trusts, asset-protection planning, residential real estate, and preparation of personal and fiduciary income-tax returns. She is available to assist clients in Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin counties. Since 2016, Halbert has served on the board of directors for Lathrop Community located in Easthampton and Northampton, and currently serves as its secretary. She is a member of the National and Massachusetts Associations of Elder Law Attorneys, the Massachusetts Bar Assoc., the Hampshire County Bar Assoc., and the Pioneer Valley Estate Planning Council.

•••••

Malissa Naylor

Malissa Naylor

KeyBank announced that Malissa Naylor has joined the bank as vice president, Business Banking relationship manager for the Hartford and Springfield areas. In her new role, she will provide customized financial solutions such as commercial lines of credit, SBA financing, equipment financing, cash management, merchant services, and more to businesses with sales revenues between $3 million and $25 million annually. She reports to Allison Standish-Plimpton, Business Banking sales leader for KeyBank’s Connecticut and Massachusetts market. Naylor brings to KeyBank more than 15 years of banking experience, most recently as a business banker with Webster Bank. She has also held various branch-network management roles with New Valley Bank and Trust, PeoplesBank, and TD Bank. She is active in her community, volunteering with Home City Development Inc., Springfield Young Professional Assoc., Holy Redeemer Cathedral, Vision Intervention Technology Academic Learning Center, YMCA of Greater Springfield, East Longmeadow Lions Club, and numerous chambers of commerce in both Connecticut and Massachusetts.

•••••

Nayroby Rosa

Nayroby Rosa

Nayroby Rosa, director of Community Engagement and Resident Services for OneHolyoke CDC, has been appointed to the Holyoke Community College (HCC) board of trustees by Gov. Charlie Baker. Her term will expire on July 10, 2027. An HCC alumna, Rosa graduated in 2010 with an associate degree in human services before transferring to UMass Amherst, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in child and youth services through the University Without Walls program. Rosa, a certified nursing assistant and home health aide, got her start in human services as a personal-care attendant for Community Enterprises, assisting patients with their daily living and transportation needs. Since then, she has worked as site director and case manager for the YMCA in Springfield, home health aide for Home Health Solutions, program specialist for HAP Inc., and resident services coordinator for Beacon Residential Management. She has been employed in her current position at One Holyoke since 2018.

•••••

Mary Cate Mannion

Mary Cate Mannion

Social-media platforms, like New England weather, seem to change by the minute. For that reason, Mary Cate Mannion, digital PR analyst and video producer at GCAi, was tapped to lead a panel of experts through a discussion of best practices and new innovations at New England Financial Marketing’s (NEMFA) fall conference in Worcester. Joining Mannion on the “Navigating New Media: How to Evaluate Emerging Trends” panel were Anna Baskin, content manager at Service Credit Union; Justin Roberts, vice president of Marketing for Country Bank; and Kristin Sundin Brandt, president of Sundin Marketing. “The experts were focused on metrics — specifically, the metrics that matter to your organization,” Mannion explained after the conference. “Content was also a focus, and the discussion focused on the power of these platforms for highlighting community support and corporate responsibility efforts.” Mannion was also the keynote speaker at the NEFMA 2022 Awards Show, where she presented on “What’s Old is New: How the Age-old Art of Storytelling Will Set Your Existing Media Channels on Fire.”

•••••

Amelia Holstrom

Amelia Holstrom

Amelia Holstrom, a partner at Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., a leading labor and employment law firm, was recently appointed to the Wilbraham Commission on Disabilities by the Wilbraham Board of Selectmen. The commission provides information, referrals, and technical assistance to individuals, businesses, and organizations in all matters pertaining to disability. It acts as an advocate for disabled individuals, their family members, and caregivers, and also advises and assists Wilbraham businesses and municipal officials in ensuring compliance with disability laws. Holstrom’s involvement will include promoting awareness of disability-related issues and assisting in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and state disability laws. Holstrom, who joined Skoler Abbott in 2012, defends employers against claims of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wrongful termination, as well as actions arising under other employment-related laws. She also frequently provides counsel to management regarding litigation-avoidance strategies.

•••••

Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) Chair Walter Gunn announced the completion of a new five-year contract with Executive Director Kimberly Robinson, who has led the PVPC — the state-designated regional planning agency for Hampden and Hampshire counties — since October 2019. Robinson came to the PVPC after serving as executive director of the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency in Greater Reno, Nev. for more than seven years. Additionally, she has held leadership positions for Washoe County, also of Greater Reno, as well as the city of Detroit.

•••••

Jeffrey Gelinas

Jeffrey Gelinas

OMG Inc., a Steel Partners company and a leading manufacturer of fasteners, adhesives, and construction-productivity tools, has named Jeffrey Gelinas manager of Sales Training for its FastenMaster and Roofing Products divisions. In his new role, Gelinas will develop and manage a comprehensive sales-training program focused on reducing time to proficiency for sales personnel in both company divisions. Specific responsibilities include developing curriculum, role-specific sales training, as well as analytics for measuring program effectiveness. He will also oversee new hire training as well as advancement training for sales personnel moving into new roles. Gelinas joined OMG from Westfield Middle School, where he has been teaching science since 2007 and was on the team that helped develop the school district’s current science curriculum. In addition to the classroom work, he has also been coaching at the collegiate level, overseeing the women’s golf program at Westfield State University since 2021. He has also been actively involved in coaching a variety of teams at Westfield High School and numerous youth sports programs in Western Mass. for years. Prior to his teaching career, Gelinas held various sales positions for Tommy Hilfiger Golf, TaylorMade/Adidas, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals, and Spalding Sports Worldwide. He holds a master’s degree in education from UMass Amherst, a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Westfield State University, and an associate degree from Holyoke Community College.

•••••

Excel Dryer Inc., manufacturer of the XLERATOR hand dryer, announced that Timothy Bates has joined its growing team as senior director of Operations. He has more than 35 years of industry experience and has spent nearly 25 years in a senior management role. Bates is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a degree in industrial engineering. Since starting his career as an industrial engineer, he has held various positions, each with increased responsibilities, including positions such as program manager, director of operations, and general manager/vice president at organizations like Kaman Aerospace Corp. and TigHITCO. At Excel Dryer, Bates will oversee manufacturing and warehouse operations, ensuring the facility is running in a safe, efficient, and profitable manner.

•••••

Geoff Naunheim

Geoff Naunheim

United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region announced that Geoff Naunheim will take on the role of executive director. Naunheim, who has served as interim executive director since the departure of former Executive Director John Bidwell in April, brings five years of experience within the organization. Most of Naunheim’s tenure at United Way has been spent running its Community Investment program, a term used to describe the community-informed process of distributing community funds and creating partnerships with local nonprofits that are addressing the greatest needs of the region. Naunheim was also instrumental in developing and expanding United Way’s Diaper Bank, which distributes over 100,000 diapers a year across Franklin and Hampshire counties. Before joining United Way’s Development team in 2017, Naunheim worked in the development departments of two nonprofits focused on education and literacy. He is currently the board president of the Council of Social Agencies of Hampshire County.

Company Notebook

By
Company Notebook

Collins Electric Wins Project Excellence Award in Education

CHICOPEE — Collins Electric Co. Inc., an electrical contractor based in Chicopee, was recently recognized by the National Electrical Contractors Assoc. with a NECA Project Excellence Award in Education in the over $1 million category for Smith College Neilson Library. NECA established the Project Excellence Award to showcase the exceptional work that its members perform throughout the country. Collins Electric was recognized along with this year’s other winners during NECA’s 2022 convention in Austin, Texas on Oct. 17. The renovation gutted the historic building with a new focus on the future. Additions to the library in the 1930s, 1960s, and 1980s were demolished along with the entire interior of the original 1909 library. The front and rear brick brownstone façades were the only remaining parts. The project involved 150,000 square feet with 5,000 LED, energy-efficient light fixtures; glass skylights; dimming; and windo- shade controls to deliver the best-quality energy-efficient lighting possible. Strict attention was paid to controlling temperature and humidity, as well as tight security, for the library’s rare-books collection.

 

Breeze Airways to Expand Flights at Bradley in 2023

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — The Connecticut Airport Authority announced that Breeze Airways is launching four new destinations from Bradley International Airport, including non-stop service to Vero Beach, Fla., and Phoenix, Ariz., starting from $79 and $99 one-way, respectively; and one-stop/no-plane-change ‘BreezeThru’ flights to Provo, Utah, and San Bernardino, Calif, starting from $99. The new routes will operate on an A220 aircraft as follows: Vero Beach daily, starting Feb 2; Phoenix and Provo Thursday and Sunday, starting Feb. 9; and San Bernardino Thursday and Sunday, starting Feb. 16. “Partnering with Breeze on their expansion has been transformative for Bradley International Airport,” said Kevin Dillon, Connecticut Airport Authority’s executive director. “Their national growth, ongoing innovation, and expanding local network offer our passengers more opportunities to travel conveniently and affordably. We thank Breeze for their partnership in bringing these exciting new routes to this key market and for their continued commitment to our community.”

 

bankESB Supports Food Pantries with Annual Fundraising Drive

EASTHAMPTON — Matthew Sosik, president and CEO of bankESB, announced the kickoff of the bank’s 2022 Neighbors Helping Neighbors fundraising drive to help support local food pantries. This marks the second year of the bank’s annual appeal, inviting bank customers, employees, and members of the community to donate money toward food pantries throughout the month of November. All donations (up to $2,500 per customer) will be matched dollar for dollar by bankESB, and the total raised will be divided among participating food pantries across Western Mass. in communities the bank serves. In 2021, a total of more than $39,000 was raised, which equated to $3,000 for each participating pantry. Donations of any amount are encouraged, and as an added incentive to give, the bank will offer those who donate the opportunity to win a $25 gift card at each of its locations. Those who wish to participate have until Nov. 30 to make their donations. Checks should be made payable to “bankESB Neighbors” and can be dropped off at any bankESB branch or mailed to Margaret Prendergast, bankESB, 36 Main St., Easthampton, MA 01027. The food pantries to be supported include Amherst Survival Center Food Pantry; Best Life Food Ministry, Agawam; BUCC Helping Hands Cupboard Food Pantry, Belchertown; Chicopee Cupboard; Easthampton Community Center Food Pantry; Easthampton Congregational Church Food Cupboard & Oasis Kitchen; Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Hatfield; Hadley Food Pantry; Hilltown Food Pantry, Goshen; Margaret’s Pantry, Holyoke; Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Inc., South Hadley; Northampton Survival Center; Southampton Community Cupboard; and Westfield Food Pantry.

 

Lee Bank Foundation Distributes $48,600 in Year’s Third Grant Round

LEE — Lee Bank Foundation awarded $48,600 to 16 Berkshire-area organizations in its third round of 2022 community funding. Recipients were awarded grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,600 to support local programming. Included in the awards are a series of Arts Access Grants for arts and culture organizations to expand access to programming for underserved audiences and Food Security Grants for organizations with programs focused on providing food to community members in need. The following organizations received funding from Lee Bank Foundation: Berkshire Innovation Center, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Center for Peace Through Culture, Chabad of the Berkshires, CDCSB, the Christian Center, Dalton CRA, EforAll, Good Work Institute (Alliance for a Viable Future), Housatonic Heritage (the Mastheads), Lee Historical Society, Life Needs Co-Op (Stanton Home), the People’s Pantry, Second Street Second Chances, Volunteers in Medicine, and WAM Theatre. Lee Bank Foundation was established in 2021 to support Lee Bank’s long-standing mission of community reinvestment. In its first year, 2021, the foundation awarded a total of $228,610 in grants, and the bank contributed an additional $84,000 in sponsorships.

 

Berkshire Bank’s Foundation Supports 160 Nonprofits During Q3

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank announced more than $660,000 in philanthropic investments from its foundation during the third quarter of 2022. The grants awarded cover a wide range of projects that help foster community DEI-focused programs, support education and youth, and enhance opportunities for individual success in the communities the bank serves. These investments also support the company’s BEST Community Comeback, which includes a planned $15 million in community contributions by the end of 2024. “We are so pleased to support nonprofit organizations once again with philanthropy to sustain vital community services in all the regions that Berkshire Bank serves during challenging economic times,” said Lori Gazzillo Kiely, foundation director. “Since January 2022, the Berkshire Bank Foundation has provided nearly $2 million to support the needs of the community.”

 

 

JimBuddy’s Rec Shop Hosts Grand Opening

CHICOPEE — The Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce celebrated the grand opening of JimBuddy’s Rec Shop at 1269 Memorial Dr. with a ribbon cutting on Nov. 2. It officially opened to the public on Oct. 1. JimBuddy’s Rec Shop is owned by Jim and Lisa Robinson, who opened JimBuddy’s Glass Gallery & Vape Shop next door at 1271 Memorial Dr. in 2015. When the space next door at 1269 became available in 2018 — the year cannabis was legalized by Massachusetts voters — the Robinsons rented the space with hopes to open a dispensary. JimBuddy’s received a special permit from the city of Chicopee in April 2021, making it the third recreational cannabis dispensary approved in the city. As a small family business, JimBuddy’s focus is offering quality products from small, local businesses in the cannabis industry like those based Florence, Whately, and Pittsfield. JimBuddy’s Rec Shop is open to customers who are age 21+ with valid ID.

 

Girl Scouts Receive $10,000 from TD Charitable Foundation

HOLYOKE — The Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts announced that it has received a $10,000 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation in support of On Your Own: Financial Literary for Girls. The grant will provide a free badge program to all Girl Scouts designed to empower them to control their financial futures. All participants complete age-appropriate activities to gain real-world money-management skills. Girl Scouts develop leadership skills and self-esteem as they build a greater understanding of becoming responsible consumers, creating and living by a budget, building and managing credit, increasing their income, and saving and investing for whatever’s next. With the support of contributors such as the TD Charitable Foundation, Girl Scouts is able to help build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. On Your Own: Financial Literacy for Girls is available to all members in grades K through 12. Learn more and sign up to be a member at www.gscwm.org.

 

Chariot Payments Network Emerges from Reorganization

BOSTON — Chariot Payments has emerged from reorganization with a reconstructed board, a new CEO, and an experienced team poised to launch its bank-compliant, hybrid-payment network to introduce a new way to connect traditional finance and banking to the emerging digital economies burgeoning in the world of decentralized finance. Chariot’s hybrid network is configured for bank and regulatory compliance, enabling trusted, secure transactions between traditional finance and banking and instant settlement across digital currency protocols at a fraction of the cost imposed by the current payment networks. Chariot’s CEO, Benjamin Cavallari, along with Chief Technology Officer Mariana Jbantova, resuscitated the startup. After a long rebuild, Chariot Payments announced that Glenn Hanson, CEO of Colony Hills Capital and co-founder of River Valley Investors, and Jay Como, chief data officer of Silicon Valley Bank, are joining Cavallari on the new board of directors. Chariot also announced the reformation of its board of advisors, which includes prominent compliance leaders Angela Ratliff and Kevin Troxell (both with US Bank) and Brandon Oliver (previously with JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, and the DCU Fintech Center).

 

 

Liberty Bank Supports Habitat for Humanity

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Liberty Bank recently selected Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity (GSHFH) to receive one of its community grants. The foundation aims to help low- and moderate-income families improve their economic situation and quality of life. “We are very grateful to have been selected to receive this grant. It will help us to continue to provide home-ownership and home-repair services in Hampden County,” GSHFH Executive Director Aimee Giroux said. Through Liberty Bank Foundation, Liberty Bank supports nonprofit organizations that its neighbors depend on to build strong families and communities. Grant making is focused on organizations that serve people within Liberty Bank’s market area. GSHFH is a housing ministry dedicated to strengthening communities by empowering low-income families to change their lives and the lives of future generations through home-ownership and home-repair opportunities. This is accomplished by working in partnership with diverse people, from all walks of life, to build and repair simple, decent, affordable housing.

Incorporations

By
Incorporations

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

AMHERST

Performing Arts and Education Cooperative Inc., 12 Teaberry Lane, Amherst, MA 01002, David Mullins, same. Charitable organization designed to provide education and training of children and adults of all abilities across multiple areas in the performing arts including dance, theater, and musical performance.

CHICOPEE

Hold Fast Welding Inc., 825 Grattan St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Brad Desmarias, same. Welding services.

MTEC International Inc., 27 New Ludlow Road, Chicopee, MA 01020. Osama Ehsan, same. Internet commerce.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Andy Main Street Inc., 191 Elm St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Jasvinder Arora, same. Package store.

EASTHAMPTON

Royal Home Goods Inc., 10 Bayberry Dr., Easthampton, MA 01027. Rafiullah Gholam, same. Online retail sales.

GREAT BARRINGTON

Crosby Street Consultants, Ltd., 30 Berkshire Heights Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230. Nelson Fernandez, same. Business consulting services.

HOLYOKE

Portorreal Corp., 161 High St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Yanercy Diaz De La Cruz, 12 Randolph St., Apt. 1, Yonkers, N.Y. 10705. Commercial building.

LENOX

Therakoss Inc., 249 Main St., Lenox, MA 01240. Brittany Brooks, same. Skin care services.

MONSON

KMX Properties Inc., 25 Bradway Road, Monson, MA 01057. Xavier Cody, same. Real estate rental properties.

PALMER

E & K Transport Inc., 3 Pioneer Dr., Palmer, MA 01069. Eduard Sinigur, same. Trucking services.

 

PITTSFIELD

Global Alliance Protection, 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. James Bunch, 44965 10th St., West Lancaster, CA 93534. Full-service security firm.

Shenqi Medical Sirius Technology Ltd., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Wei Sheng, same. Research and manufacture of innovative medical devices.

World Of Retail Services Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. David Roth, same. Construction services.

SOUTH HADLEY

Western New England Provisions Inc., 180 Old Lyman Road, South Hadley, MA 01075. Richard Matthew Biele, same. Wholesale foods distributor.

SOUTHWICK

Next Level Strategies Inc., 51 Mort Vining Road, Southwick, MA, 01077. Brian M. Iserman, same. Hair salon.

SPRINGFIELD

Love Art Collective Inc., 123 Mulberry St., Springfield, MA 01105. Jasper McCoy, same.

Rock Solid Business Solutions Inc., 46 Ledyard St., Apt. 1, Springfield, MA 01104. Juan C Juiz, same. Business solutions.

Vascular Specialists, P.C., 3640 Main St., Suite 302, Springfield, MA 01107. Dr. Sidney Lowell Kahn Iv, same. Medical practice specializing in vascular care.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Shwe Sushi Inc., 1626 Westfield St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Shan Maung, same. Retail sales of sushi.

WESTFIELD

La Placita Mini Mart, Inc., 4 Edgewood St., Westfield, MA 01085. Carlos Emanuel Pizarro, same. Grocery retailer.

WILBRAHAM

Bailey’s Hive Inc., 2650 Boston Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Kathleen Bailey, same. Juice bar.

Bankruptcies

By
Bankruptcies

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

Brunelle, Christopher R.
PO Box 641
Belchertown, MA 01007-0641
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/14/2022

Chelkonas, Erika G.
330 Miller St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/11/2022

Cherival, Daniel
189 Santa Barbara St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/11/2022

Desmarais, Gary N.
Desmarais, Nancy E
819 McKinstrry Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/30/2022

Figueroa, Kyle Anthony
31 School St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/12/2022

Gougeon, David
10 Lewandowski Ave.
East Hampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/12/2022

Hanks, Helen Elizabeth
75 Cowls Road, Apt. 423
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/12/2022

Hutchins, Roger F.
789 Tea St.
Charlemont, MA 01339
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/14/2022

Kaewprasertchai, Boorana
408 Eliot St.
Ashland, MA 01721
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/05/2022

King Koffee
King Jr., Alton
49 Memery Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/13/2022
Ledbetter, Gage M.
Ledbetter, Genevieve
a/k/a Frazier, Gage
117 South St., Apt. C
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/12/2022

Mailloux, Cheryl Ann
116 Bostwick Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/11/2022

Parker, Jacob D.
473 College Highway
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/30/2022

Perry, Antonio R.
70 Fort Pleasant Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/15/2022

Suares, Jolene M.
a/k/a Cundiff, Jolene
19 Clinton St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Date: 10/04/2022

Tran, Ai
a/k/a Tran, Ai Quoc
105 Laurel St., Apt 4B
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/06/2022

Wang, Hi Trung
178 Clarendon Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/11/2022

Real Estate Transactions

By
Real Estate

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

FRANKLIN COUNTY

ASHFIELD

1789 Baptist Corner Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: Jonathan E. Stark
Seller: Mislak FT
Date: 10/06/22

BERNARDSTON

87 Northfield Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $990,348
Buyer: Heirloom Collective Inc.
Seller: Crumpin Fox Club Inc.
Date: 10/06/22

231 South St.
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $354,000
Buyer: John P. Hovnanian
Seller: Kittredge Industries LLC
Date: 10/07/22

COLRAIN

121 Call Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Elliston O. Bingham
Seller: Sarah Davenport
Date: 10/03/22

241 Thompson Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Cassiel Owens
Seller: Nicholas R. Piantanida
Date: 10/07/22

GREENFIELD

49 Arnold Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Monique Frigon
Seller: Philip E. St.Germain
Date: 10/07/22

9 Hancock Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Jessica Matteson
Seller: Charles G. Zononi
Date: 10/04/22

163 Leyden Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Betty Saunders
Seller: Charles W. Saunders Inc.
Date: 10/11/22

157 Log Plain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Brendan Kenny
Seller: Paul S. Richmond
Date: 10/13/22

79 Montague City Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $332,000
Buyer: Joseph S. Bialek
Seller: Scott A. Callahan
Date: 10/03/22

65 Munson St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $154,200
Buyer: Donald Connelly
Seller: David G. Norman
Date: 10/07/22

336 Plain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $285,500
Buyer: Adam R. Martin
Seller: James L. Galipault
Date: 10/06/22

LEVERETT

Cave Hill Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Adam R. Levine
Seller: Matthew J. Pfannenstiel
Date: 10/06/22

29 North Leverett Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Oliver T. Miller
Seller: Hall, Lynn, (Estate)
Date: 10/03/22

MONTAGUE

120 Millers Falls Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Alyssa N. Edwards
Seller: FNMA
Date: 10/13/22

177 Millers Falls Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $705,000
Buyer: Bradley Ferris
Seller: Kenneth R. Hubbard
Date: 10/07/22

NEW SALEM

4 Old County Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Scott Chastain
Seller: Nathanial Mizula
Date: 10/12/22

NORTHFIELD

126 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Laurice Russell
Seller: Northfield Mt. Hermon
Date: 10/13/22

26 Pentecost Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Ann Chappell
Seller: Wright, Kathleen F., (Estate)
Date: 10/13/22

ORANGE

34 Bacon St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $269,900
Buyer: Kristyn M. Lombarde
Seller: Philip S. Zahodiakin
Date: 10/03/22

100 Cove Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Cain J. Blackbird
Seller: David L. Songer
Date: 10/05/22

18 Gay St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Kelly M. Walker
Seller: Pultorak FT
Date: 10/12/22

315 Gidney Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Whitney M. Bell
Seller: Jennifer L. Tenney
Date: 10/03/22

243 Hayden St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Cameron Woodcock
Seller: Jay M. Guilmette
Date: 10/07/22

22 Logan Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Charles J. Verheyen
Seller: Victor Chaplin
Date: 10/06/22

ROWE

544 Tunnel Road
Rowe, MA 01367
Amount: $435,500
Buyer: Diane J. Parrington
Seller: David Wells Lenth LT
Date: 10/13/22

SHUTESBURY

266 Leverett Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Mitchell
Seller: Funk, Audrey M., (Estate)
Date: 10/13/22

399 Leverett Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $354,511
Buyer: Deerfield Valley Management TR
Seller: Russell P. Mizula
Date: 10/05/22

27 Wendell Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $331,500
Buyer: Geoffrey Lansdell
Seller: Todd E. Jansen
Date: 10/04/22

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

206 Corey St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Bryan Riley
Seller: Matthew Gour
Date: 10/06/22

88 Doane Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $283,000
Buyer: David North
Seller: Christopher R. Mader
Date: 10/13/22

48 Highland Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $283,900
Buyer: Dan Guyette
Seller: Kenneth B. Beagle
Date: 10/05/22

78 Kensington St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Lisa M. Gamelli
Seller: Richard W. Ivey
Date: 10/05/22

14 Laura Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Jose M. Quintanilla
Seller: Gregg M. Robinson
Date: 10/07/22

321 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $700,000
Buyer: AK Brothers LLC
Seller: Marcon Investments LLC
Date: 10/06/22

123 Nicole Ter.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $760,000
Buyer: Nicholas C. Alvanos
Seller: Hillside Development Corp.
Date: 10/12/22

73 Ottawa St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Allan C. Ramsdell
Seller: Denis J. Clark
Date: 10/07/22

99 Paul Revere Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Roger C. Phillips
Seller: William O. Bellows
Date: 10/07/22

66 Ramah Circle South
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Popco Real Estate LLC
Seller: Popowich Family Investments LLC
Date: 10/12/22

9 Ridgeview Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Lamarche
Seller: Peiffer, Sally L., (Estate)
Date: 10/07/22

586 South West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Tina M. Depalma
Seller: Ralph Depalma
Date: 10/11/22

53 White Oaks Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $343,500
Buyer: Martin J. Lee
Seller: Richard R. Wheeler
Date: 10/03/22

51 Wilson St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: L&A Property LLC
Seller: Arnold, Roy R., (Estate)
Date: 10/07/22

BRIMFIELD

61 Cubles Dr.
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Michael Wasielak
Seller: William J. Campbell
Date: 10/06/22

15 Little Rest Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $605,000
Buyer: Maureen Jolicoeur
Seller: Christopher Lowe
Date: 10/05/22

CHESTER

424 Route 20
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Rory M. Mason
Seller: Lemarier, James A., (Estate)
Date: 10/11/22

23 William St.
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Philip Zahodiakin
Seller: Willard Vail-Zook
Date: 10/04/22

CHICOPEE

47 Algonquin St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Houssam A. Baki
Seller: Joshua Mitera
Date: 10/05/22

63 Bemis Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Brooke Chisholm
Seller: Maryjane Kopie
Date: 10/12/22

69 Bonner St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Juan C. Crespo
Seller: Elizabeth D. Siciliano
Date: 10/04/22

83 Boucher Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $244,500
Buyer: Michael J. Doherty
Seller: Jessica Duga
Date: 10/12/22

130 Bridle Path Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: Rekha Kamat
Seller: Garrett D. Sickles
Date: 10/12/22

12 Burton St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Dexter Taylor
Seller: Alyssa M. Henderson
Date: 10/04/22

101 Cochran St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: RM Blerman LLC
Seller: Edward A. Ziemba
Date: 10/11/22

41 Dorrance St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $256,900
Buyer: Juan Rivera
Seller: Denise L. Johnson
Date: 10/07/22

75 Dresser Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Matthew J. Wilkinson
Seller: Kenneth M. Krupa
Date: 10/06/22

18 Ferry St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Lizbeth Velez
Seller: Wesley V. Gumlaw
Date: 10/06/22

69 Gelinas Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Hamit Tamer-Adiguzel
Seller: Robert A. Ruszala
Date: 10/04/22

789 Granby Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Michael N. Houle
Seller: Norman J. Bourbeau
Date: 10/07/22

246 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Ronald Balthazar
Seller: Bigos FT
Date: 10/11/22

1206 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $358,000
Buyer: Michael Murdock
Seller: Joseph M. Yiznitsky
Date: 10/13/22

155 Hampden St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Bohombe Lawi
Seller: Pah Properties LLC
Date: 10/13/22

24 Hartford St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: Rehab Home Buyers LLC
Seller: Daniel J. Nute
Date: 10/12/22

93 Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $700,000
Buyer: Investmentguru LLC
Seller: William J. Stetson
Date: 10/07/22

18 McKinley Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Brion E. Smith
Seller: Francis J. Czepiel
Date: 10/03/22

52 Morgan Circle
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $515,000
Buyer: Allen E. Edwards
Seller: Stephen Nembirkow
Date: 10/13/22

89 Olko Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Alison L. Coulombe
Seller: Daniel J. Gagne
Date: 10/03/22

15 Pleasant St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $285,245
Buyer: Rasidi Akodu
Seller: Michael P. Fitzgerald
Date: 10/04/22

151 Rimmon Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Raysa A. Lopez-Martinez
Seller: Patrick S. McGrath
Date: 10/07/22

41 Robbins Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Koi 2 Koi Associates LLC
Seller: DDM Property Group LLC
Date: 10/12/22

131 State St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Jenise A. Jaworski
Seller: Deborah A. Fortin
Date: 10/12/22

100 Stebbins St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $388,000
Buyer: Cyryline P. Reid
Seller: Gabriel Martinez
Date: 10/04/22

23 Stockbridge St.
Chicopee, MA 01103
Amount: $428,000
Buyer: Donald R. Turcotte
Seller: Waycon Inc.
Date: 10/06/22

181 Wheatland Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Johnny McClease
Seller: Susan Gazda
Date: 10/12/22

EAST LONGMEADOW

25 Bettswood Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Steven Moyers
Seller: Janice E. Flebotte
Date: 10/05/22

126 Franconia Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Alyssa Henderson
Seller: Elizabeth F. Collaro
Date: 10/04/22

9 Harris Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Wenfeng Wang
Seller: John Pappas
Date: 10/12/22

31 Harwich Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: 31 Harwich Road LLC
Seller: J. J Kiernan RET
Date: 10/06/22

11 Lester St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Lee A. Guilbault
Seller: J. M. Kupperman 2009 IRT
Date: 10/03/22

32 Maryland St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $327,315
Buyer: Thomas J. Russo
Seller: Vip Homes & Assocs. LLC
Date: 10/04/22

57 Redin Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Steven Hogan
Seller: Timothy Driscoll
Date: 10/05/22

58 Wood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $306,000
Buyer: Tacia Munn
Seller: Sareen Properties LLC
Date: 10/07/22

GRANVILLE

144 Barnard Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Daniel M. McGorty
Seller: Daniel Scibelli
Date: 10/06/22

776 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Nathaniel Sindland
Seller: Jayden B. Cowles
Date: 10/13/22

HOLYOKE

145-147 Brown Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Willow Permanent Real Estate Coop
Seller: Jonathan R. Bates
Date: 10/06/22

44 Claremont Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Lamont Whitebear
Seller: Bobby J. Stovall
Date: 10/11/22

21 Claren Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $407,000
Buyer: Servicenet Inc.
Seller: Richard P. Courchesne
Date: 10/12/22

313 Linden St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Avi Holdings LLC
Seller: Ysaaca Axelrod
Date: 10/11/22

97 Merrick Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Emily Bouvier
Seller: Michael J. Spirito
Date: 10/03/22

1698-1700 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $407,500
Buyer: Raymond Sullivan
Seller: Andrew R. Weibel
Date: 10/12/22

35 Ridgeway St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $289,000
Buyer: Megan E. Pfefferle
Seller: Donald R. Packard
Date: 10/03/22

27 Rugby St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $339,900
Buyer: Wendreth A. Gregoire
Seller: Candia M. Athas
Date: 10/13/22

416 Southampton Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Elissa Wright
Seller: Maple Leaf Capital Reserve
Date: 10/07/22

83 Wellesley Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Lily A. Foster
Seller: Dwight B. Kelley
Date: 10/07/22

67 Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Alexandra Ortiz-Pagan
Seller: Lemire IRT
Date: 10/07/22

LONGMEADOW

43 Barrington Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Michael Palaschak
Seller: Charlene A. Clark
Date: 10/04/22

25 Berwick Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Thomas R. Wilks
Seller: Pamela H. Rich IRT
Date: 10/12/22

250 Burbank Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $327,000
Buyer: Jennifer A. Lerch
Seller: Wesley H. Carter
Date: 10/11/22

38 East Primrose Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $585,000
Buyer: Tyler J. Oleksak
Seller: Matthew D. Raymond
Date: 10/12/22

80 Hawthorne St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: David M. Wendt
Seller: Peter S. Donner
Date: 10/07/22

112 Lynnwood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $390,345
Buyer: Brian Newkirk
Seller: Goodless Realty LLC
Date: 10/03/22

75 Oak Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Luis Rodriguez
Seller: Lapierrej, Ronald, (Estate)
Date: 10/05/22

LUDLOW

20 Birch St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: Li Z. Lin
Seller: Henry Hampton
Date: 10/03/22

541 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: DMR Holdings LLC
Seller: Diamond Real Estate Ventures LLC
Date: 10/13/22

795 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Melina Canter
Seller: Jessica Leroux
Date: 10/07/22

18 Winsor St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: George J. Bosco
Seller: Laura J. Galloway
Date: 10/07/22

96 Yale St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Arturo Aguillon
Seller: Frank Novelli RET
Date: 10/06/22

MONSON

22 Bethany Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Pedro L. Sauri-Rosado
Seller: Yvette I. Wheeler
Date: 10/03/22

369 Cedar Swamp Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $267,500
Buyer: Nathan M. Dunn
Seller: Frank W. Hull
Date: 10/06/22

3 Green St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Derek Belisle
Seller: Sara E. Malo
Date: 10/07/22

40 High St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Michael H. Fograshy
Seller: Janice T. Kissel
Date: 10/07/22

11 Robbins Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $431,500
Buyer: Todd M. Bonett
Seller: Marion E. Talbot
Date: 10/11/22

11 Wales Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Brad Burlingham
Seller: ARPC LLC
Date: 10/12/22

PALMER

3137 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Eboney O. Sims
Seller: Andrew Cienciwa
Date: 10/05/22

9-11 Maple Ter.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Mandy Holmes
Seller: Louis D. Teixeira
Date: 10/13/22

24 Squier St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $342,000
Buyer: Fabian Perkins
Seller: Jin Gao
Date: 10/04/22

SOUTHWICK

188 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: James E. Jaron
Seller: James E. Jaron
Date: 10/07/22

43 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Malia Homebuyers LLC
Seller: Eric Lacombe
Date: 10/12/22

20 Depot St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Joseph Fontaine
Seller: Martin Lee
Date: 10/03/22

221 Granville Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Eduardo Rosado
Seller: Richard E. Fiore
Date: 10/12/22

SPRINGFIELD

65 Adams St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Kassandra Perez
Seller: Daisy Sanchez
Date: 10/07/22

70-72 Albemarle St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Equity Trust Co.
Seller: Ucal T. Palmer
Date: 10/05/22

248 Ambrose St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Radames Lopez
Seller: Foley Capital LLC
Date: 10/07/22

138 Appleton St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $152,500
Buyer: JJJ17 LLC
Seller: Plata O. Plomo Inc.
Date: 10/04/22

1060 Bay St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $1,200,000
Buyer: Oliver Auto Body Realco
Seller: Lamoureux, Normand O., (Estate)
Date: 10/05/22

12-14 Beauchamp St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $311,000
Buyer: Shabona Sharmaine-Hyatt
Seller: Jean N. Duquette
Date: 10/03/22

23 Belvidere St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Samuel Peront
Seller: Erin M. Chubka
Date: 10/06/22

81 Bessemer St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Alonzo Williams
Seller: Olga L. Yanginski
Date: 10/07/22

42 Brewster St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Rachel Lightfoot
Seller: Etabav RT
Date: 10/11/22

100 Bronson Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Michael K. Roche
Seller: Susan K. Halpern
Date: 10/07/22

658-662 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $2,300,000
Buyer: Jose L. Martinez
Seller: Antonio Dejesus
Date: 10/05/22

16 Carlisle St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Waiwai RT
Seller: Luis A. Torres
Date: 10/06/22

107-109 Cherrelyn St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Abner Diaz
Seller: Elizabeth Arroyo
Date: 10/03/22

5 Connolly St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Michael J. Spirito
Seller: Christina M. Gregorio
Date: 10/03/22

71 Copeland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: Jose Blanco
Seller: Quang V. Huynh
Date: 10/12/22

45-47 Copley Ter.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Cedriq R. Clemente
Seller: Irene C. Rivera
Date: 10/04/22

50-52 Darling St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Carleton D. Johnson
Seller: Joslyn R. Kevin, (Estate)
Date: 10/05/22

72 Donbray Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Marie Berthe Francois
Seller: David F. Savickas
Date: 10/07/22

61-63 Draper St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Zachary P. Nunnally
Seller: FNMA
Date: 10/11/22

25 Driftwood Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Daisy Sanchez
Seller: Juan E. Quiles
Date: 10/07/22

90-92 Elmore Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Henry M. Gallegos
Seller: Michael R. Bleau
Date: 10/03/22

106 Fargo St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: William A. Rivera-Figueroa
Seller: Lashaunna D. Davis
Date: 10/05/22

41-43 Fenwick St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $294,000
Buyer: Eric Frimpong
Seller: Amea Properties LLC
Date: 10/07/22

42 Forest St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Pedro Alicea
Seller: Anna Deshommes
Date: 10/05/22

52 Freeman Ter.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Mint Realty Group LLC
Seller: Sheila Rivera
Date: 10/12/22

77 Garfield St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Gretchen E. Eisenman
Seller: Rachel Thomas
Date: 10/07/22

48 Gladstone St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: Delinas R. Maldonado
Seller: Kirk Craigg
Date: 10/13/22

87 Helberg Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Juan S. Torres
Seller: Shayne M. Wilson
Date: 10/07/22

23 Hicks St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Nicole A. Santiago
Seller: Jorge R. Rivera
Date: 10/12/22

27 Inglewood Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Thomas B. Murphy
Seller: Daniel G. Verteramo
Date: 10/07/22

356 Island Pond Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $241,000
Buyer: Rejeanne D. Boissonneault
Seller: Thomas Murphy
Date: 10/07/22

76 Keith St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $256,900
Buyer: Todd F. Johnson
Seller: Eagle Homebuyers LLC
Date: 10/13/22

79 Keith St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Ackeem J. Donaldson
Seller: MGC Realty LLC
Date: 10/13/22

47 Kulig St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Robert J. Schroeter
Seller: Rashad M. Evans
Date: 10/06/22

70 Labelle Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Lashaunna Davis
Seller: James L. Campbell
Date: 10/05/22

59 Lancaster St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Timothy Keeley
Seller: William M. Gonzalez
Date: 10/04/22

20 Lexington St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Angie J. Acevedo
Seller: SRV Properties LLC
Date: 10/11/22

325 Longhill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Mazhar Iqbal
Seller: Joan C. Marsh
Date: 10/06/22

13 Lorimer St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $306,000
Buyer: Cesar Deleon-Maria
Seller: Ryan Smith-Carignan
Date: 10/07/22

36 Lumae St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Marilyn M. Valenti
Seller: Duc T. Le
Date: 10/11/22

103-105 Massasoit St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Doms Home Improvement LLC
Seller: Timothy J. Kirsch
Date: 10/12/22

57 Merwin St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Christine Cohee
Seller: Francisco J. Martinez
Date: 10/03/22

132 Miller St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $229,999
Buyer: Chantelle M. Jack
Seller: Locah Y. Allemany
Date: 10/13/22

200 Moss Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Arthur J. Coy
Seller: Joejoe Properties LLC
Date: 10/07/22

6 North Chatham St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: ALDD Real Estate LLC
Seller: Prevostj, Geraldine, (Estate)
Date: 10/05/22

121-123 Orange St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Panther Development LLC
Seller: Opus Durum LLC
Date: 10/04/22

65 Palo Alto Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Alessandro Malafronte
Seller: Carmino J. Demaio
Date: 10/13/22

23 Plumtree Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: Laurie J. Larsen
Seller: Ronald A. Ogulewicz
Date: 10/04/22

42 Rollins St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $283,000
Buyer: Luis H. Solivan
Seller: Joseph T. Sanky
Date: 10/03/22

33 Rosella St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Rodman Capital Group LLC
Seller: Almena, Brunilda D., (Estate)
Date: 10/06/22

751 Saint James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Aliyah M. Adorno
Seller: Coulombe, J. Albert, (Estate)
Date: 10/05/22

229 Saint James Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Bogdanow RT
Seller: James R. Landers
Date: 10/04/22

245 Saint James Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: David Panidis
Seller: Allan C. Ramsdell
Date: 10/07/22

48 Superior Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Glenn M. Pittsinger
Seller: Thomas R. Connery
Date: 10/13/22

44 Superior Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Glenn M. Pittsinger
Seller: Thomas R. Connery
Date: 10/13/22

140 Talbot Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Ali Ali
Seller: Michael R. Randall
Date: 10/07/22

465 Taylor St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Robert Couture
Seller: Robert J. Pelzek
Date: 10/03/22

57 Telbar St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Wesley A. Gwatkin
Seller: Deso, Barbara I., (Estate)
Date: 10/04/22

34-36 Tracy St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Myria E. Oliveras-Martinez
Seller: Robert Paskins
Date: 10/11/22

101 Vadnais St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Ronald Scott
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 10/11/22

40 Wellesley St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Clara Rodriguez
Seller: PFGC LLC
Date: 10/13/22

113 West Canton Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Soreya Schartner
Seller: Schartner, Delra M., (Estate)
Date: 10/07/22

60 Wayne St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Richard Ponce
Seller: Platinum Homes LLC
Date: 10/07/22

3-5 Wedgewood Circle
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $287,000
Buyer: William J. Diederich
Seller: Paul M. Cincotta
Date: 10/05/22

35 Wells Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Kevin J. Medero
Seller: Carolyn L. McDonagh
Date: 10/07/22

129 White Oak Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Pascual Perez
Seller: Carol E. Getty
Date: 10/04/22

1606 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: Evan Pope
Seller: Alexander Sied
Date: 10/06/22

2106 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $239,500
Buyer: Justin Debs
Seller: Khoi D. Vo
Date: 10/04/22

131 Yale St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Mikaelle S. Hyppolite
Seller: Veronica Gasque IRT
Date: 10/13/22

WEST SPRINGFIELD

36 Beauregard Ter.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Claire A. Lebeau
Seller: Richard Vasconcellos
Date: 10/12/22

95 Clarence St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Roman Bespalov
Seller: Plata O. Plomo Inc.
Date: 10/04/22

43 Day St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $482,000
Buyer: Suleyman A. Carsancakli
Seller: Revampit Holdings LLC
Date: 10/05/22

105 Lewis Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Carter Berchin
Seller: Debra A. Carras
Date: 10/07/22

70 Lockhouse Road
West Springfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Bek Realty LLC
Seller: Viryalto LLC
Date: 10/03/22

139 Myron St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $1,450,000
Buyer: Salamon Realty LLC
Seller: Walter S. Wood LLC
Date: 10/11/22

66 Sikes Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $487,000
Buyer: Michael D. Rheaume
Seller: Ryan Lebeau
Date: 10/12/22

WESTFIELD

13-15 Ames Ave.
Westfield, MA 01089
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Alexander R. Desautels
Seller: Anna M. Pouso-Guillan
Date: 10/06/22

209 Birch Bluffs Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Gale
Seller: Victor Desabrais
Date: 10/07/22

26 Brentwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Kevin M. Ritchie
Seller: Ritchie RT
Date: 10/05/22

66 Butternut Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Muhammad H. Chaudhry
Seller: Four & Five FT
Date: 10/05/22

46 Chapel St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $267,400
Buyer: Douglas Fuller
Seller: Michael T. Kane
Date: 10/03/22

55 Cranston St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $326,000
Buyer: Hazim Dautovic
Seller: Michael J. Reilly
Date: 10/03/22

58 Deer Path Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Cody Gallup
Seller: Seth T. Philipp
Date: 10/04/22

18 Elizabeth St.
Westfield, MA 01030
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Elizabeth St. Holdings LLC
Seller: Windham Properties LLC
Date: 10/06/22

26 Elizabeth St.
Westfield, MA 01030
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Elizabeth St. Holdings LLC
Seller: Windham Properties LLC
Date: 10/06/22

151 Franklin St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Ernest Rental LLC
Seller: Sean S. Sullivan
Date: 10/13/22

4 King St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: Panther Development LLC
Seller: Emtay Inc.
Date: 10/04/22

94 Orange St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Tatiana Litvac
Seller: Mark L. Bonavita
Date: 10/11/22

30 Prospect St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Taylor Lavoie
Seller: Manchester Enterprises LLC
Date: 10/07/22

13 Vincent Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Kelvin Muniz-Roque
Seller: Pinhas Rabenou
Date: 10/11/22

WILBRAHAM

2205 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Jeremy Ober
Seller: Rohit Kar
Date: 10/06/22

7 Evangeline Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Vincent R. Pelletier
Seller: Jack C. Swan
Date: 10/07/22

7 Joan St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $389,900
Buyer: Aviva N. Berezin
Seller: Charles Davanzo
Date: 10/07/22

39 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Sean P. Murphy
Seller: Randall P. Flagg
Date: 10/07/22

15 Wandering Mdws
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $635,000
Buyer: Alessandro Markovic
Seller: Jon A. Zeo
Date: 10/06/22

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

106 Belchertown Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $336,000
Buyer: Pioneer Valley Vent LLC
Seller: Truman B. Likens
Date: 10/03/22

120 Belchertown Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $364,000
Buyer: Pioneer Valley Vent LLC
Seller: Truman B. Likens
Date: 10/03/22

11 Duxbury Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $334,000
Buyer: Jennifer F. Jones
Seller: Jennifer D. Randall
Date: 10/06/22

296 Pomeroy Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Eric Olsson
Seller: Charles Webb-Posey
Date: 10/07/22

18 Teaberry Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $661,000
Buyer: Siddhartha Shah
Seller: Barbara R. Wollensak RET
Date: 10/06/22

BELCHERTOWN

350 Bardwell St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Andrew F. Cienciwa
Seller: Roger C. Phillips
Date: 10/07/22

371 Bardwell St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $473,999
Buyer: Joseph C. Mull
Seller: Sherri M. Dubois LT
Date: 10/06/22

280 Granby Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Jason M. Bond
Seller: Joanna G. Mull
Date: 10/06/22

483 Michael Sears Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Megan Hoy
Seller: David G. Fontaine
Date: 10/05/22

640 North Washington St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Ronald A. Aickelin
Seller: M&G Land Development LLC
Date: 10/03/22

64 Old Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $355,150
Buyer: Beth Anderson
Seller: Carolyn R. Letendre
Date: 10/06/22

243 South Liberty St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Kristen Kowal
Seller: Ronald N. Loftus
Date: 10/04/22

28 Sarah Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Scott A. Wade
Seller: Glenn E. Burrows
Date: 10/07/22

EASTHAMPTON

5 Donais St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $388,600
Buyer: Robert Shar
Seller: Lemeland RET
Date: 10/04/22

30-32 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Eileen P. Rice
Seller: Bixby, Thomas P., (Estate)
Date: 10/03/22

98 Lovefield St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Aaron O. Reyes
Seller: Carol J. Graham
Date: 10/13/22

34 Pine Hill Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Kaufman Chappuis FT
Seller: Susanne Weinman
Date: 10/07/22

GRANBY

418 Miller St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Jonathan Mastalerz
Seller: Heather Leclair
Date: 10/07/22

19 North St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $413,560
Buyer: Diana Adair
Seller: Steven R. Pelletier
Date: 10/12/22

30 Smith Ave.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Andrew Ryan
Seller: Patricia L. Leclair
Date: 10/12/22

HADLEY

3 Adare Place
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Rosemund LLC
Seller: Adare Place Properties LLC
Date: 10/05/22

5 Aloha Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $442,500
Buyer: Jack C. Petrides
Seller: Sally F. Rubenstone
Date: 10/03/22

11 Indian Pipe Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $711,000
Buyer: Eric D. Tattersall
Seller: Guoping Zhang
Date: 10/12/22

5 Meadow St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Melina A. Masterson
Seller: Heather E. Goodhind
Date: 10/12/22

1 Woodlawn Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Keith S. Hevey
Seller: Bonnie L. Bobetsky
Date: 10/06/22

HATFIELD

221 Linseed Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $621,000
Buyer: Stephanie Wilson
Seller: Janet J. Warren
Date: 10/07/22

HUNTINGTON

14 Barr Hill Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $324,900
Buyer: Jesse Meyers
Seller: Daniel Schott
Date: 10/13/22

2 Brookside Glen
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $407,500
Buyer: Irene Lozach
Seller: Andrew J. Lucia
Date: 10/03/22

240 Lakeshore Dr.
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Michael J. Dibrindisi
Seller: Ken Kinghorn
Date: 10/05/22

MIDDLEFIELD

143 East River Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Michael Lay
Seller: Robert L. Keach
Date: 10/07/22

154 Skyline Trail
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Alexander W. Seid
Seller: William R. Denault
Date: 10/06/22

NORTHAMPTON

1021 Burts Pit Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $348,000
Buyer: Mateso Kagenyekero
Seller: David A. Katz
Date: 10/07/22

34 Harlow Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Amber B. Bemak
Seller: Richard C. Gifford
Date: 10/07/22

12 Leonard St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $149,000
Buyer: James M. Ryan
Seller: Hines, Arlene C., (Estate)
Date: 10/12/22

52 Maple St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Pioneer Valley Vent LLC
Seller: 52 Maple Street Place LLC
Date: 10/04/22

103 Massasoit St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $785,000
Buyer: Bryan Hobbs
Seller: Jordi Herold
Date: 10/06/22

68 North St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $304,900
Buyer: Jonathan E. Devilbiss
Seller: Jeannine M. Wolfram
Date: 10/05/22

43 Summer St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $590,047
Buyer: Nu Way Homes Inc.
Seller: Thomas P. Caine
Date: 10/11/22

35 Willow St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Robert V. Redick
Seller: Jane E. Bogan
Date: 10/12/22

PELHAM

40 South Valley Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Dianne K. Tatro
Seller: Kathleen M. Keyes
Date: 10/13/22

SOUTH HADLEY

84 Bardwell St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $216,000
Buyer: Sheila D. Pennell
Seller: Dorene Pennell
Date: 10/13/22

32 Boynton Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Christine A. Phillips
Seller: Mary T. Quesnel
Date: 10/07/22

192 Brainerd St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Pah Properties LLC
Seller: Jack E. Mills
Date: 10/07/22

459 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: 459 Commissary LLC
Seller: Cycle Stop LLC
Date: 10/03/22

55 Lyman Ter.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Heather Goodhind
Seller: Robert J. Dufault
Date: 10/12/22

25 Silver St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: George Furrer
Seller: Mario O. Perez
Date: 10/11/22

2 Silverwood Ter.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $545,000
Buyer: Steven R. Pelletier
Seller: John E. Geoffroy
Date: 10/12/22

20 Sullivan Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $334,300
Buyer: Garrett Fortin
Seller: Ernest L. Provo
Date: 10/07/22

SOUTHAMPTON

43 Coleman Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Christopher P. O’Leary
Seller: Kevin J. Evelti
Date: 10/06/22

69 Crooked Ledge Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $845,000
Buyer: Jonathan M. Stolpinski
Seller: David A. Peich
Date: 10/12/22

26 Helen Dr.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Jose L. Rivadeneira-Argudo
Seller: Nilay N. Patel
Date: 10/11/22

75 Pequot Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $545,000
Buyer: 75 Pequot Road NT
Seller: David T. Grosso
Date: 10/13/22

69 Sabbath Day
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $845,000
Buyer: Jonathan M. Stolpinski
Seller: David A. Peich
Date: 10/12/22

WARE

71 Greenwich Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $366,000
Buyer: Melyssa R. Stankiewicz
Seller: Carolyn Bessette
Date: 10/05/22

24 Marjorie St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Robin Sager
Seller: Elizabeth M. Zulkiewicz
Date: 10/13/22

27 Pulaski St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Chu J. Perez-Martinez
Seller: Wieslaw Modzelewski
Date: 10/13/22

7 Spring St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: Joyce Boisvert
Seller: Megliola Realty LLC
Date: 10/12/22

2 Sunnyhill Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Stewart Terrien
Seller: Anna M. Malboeuf
Date: 10/07/22

39-41 West Main St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: R&P Real Property Corp.
Seller: Richard J. Kszaszcz
Date: 10/07/22

WILLIAMSBURG

14 Pine St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: 14 Pine Street LLC
Seller: Harold J. Gibber
Date: 10/05/22

WESTHAMPTON

324 Northwest Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Cristina I. Hilchey
Seller: Lauryn B. Cronin
Date: 10/03/22

37 Pine Island Lake
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Janna Ugone
Seller: Arnold G. Levinson
Date: 10/13/22

WORTHINGTON

24 Indian Oven Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $177,397
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Caleb Curtis
Date: 10/07/22

Professional Drywall Construction Promotes Two Employees

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Professional Drywall Construction Inc. (PDC), a commercial drywall company headquartered in Springfield, announced the promotion of two of its employees. Jason Tsitso was promoted from executive project manager to vice president of Operations, and Joseph Leon was promoted from project manager to executive project manager.

“We are thrilled that both Jason and Joe are taking on increased responsibilities on our team,” PDC owner Nick Shaink said. “We are committed to offering our employees the opportunity to grow within the company. Jason and Joe are key contributors to our success and demonstrated leaders in the company. They are already making an impact in their new roles.”

Tsitso has been with PDC for five years, starting as a project manager and taking on increasing responsibility as a senior project manager and executive project manager. As the vice president of Operations, he is now responsible for the development and success of the staff and company. He is a graduate of Porter & Chester Institute and was named to BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty class of 2012.

Leon, who holds a degree in construction management from the University of Nevada, joined PDC three years ago as a project manager. In his new role as executive project manager, he will oversee the project-management staff.

Nominations Sought for Difference Makers Class of 2023

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — BusinessWest is now accepting nominations for its Difference Makers class of 2023.

This program, initiated in 2009, is a celebration of individuals, groups, organizations, and families that are positively impacting the Pioneer Valley and are, as the name suggests, making a difference in this region. As previous classes have shown, there are many ways to do this: through work within the community on one or many initiatives to improve quality of life; through success in business, public service, or education; through contributions that inspire others to get involved; through imaginative efforts to help solve one or more societal issues; or through a combination of the above.

Nominations for the class of 2023 are due by Saturday, Dec. 10, and can be submitted at businesswest.com/difference-makers-nomination-form.

For more information, call Melissa Hallock, Marketing and Events director, at (413) 781-8600, ext. 100, or email [email protected].

Business Confidence Weakens in October

By
Daily News

BOSTON — Confidence among Massachusetts employers weakened for a second consecutive month during October as rising interest rates began to take a toll on key economic sectors such as housing, finance, and technology.

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index lost 3.0 points to 50.9, barely within the range that defines an optimistic outlook. The Index is now at its lowest level since June and 7.5 points short of its level a year ago.

The slide in confidence came as the Federal Reserve increased interest rates another three-quarters of a percentage point in an effort to control inflation. And though the Massachusetts economy grew at a 0.5% annualized rate during the third quarter, the Commonwealth also saw a slowdown in job growth and a decline in the labor force.

“Consumers continue to cautiously increase their spending, but we are starting to see higher interest rates adversely affect housing markets and related purchases such as furniture and appliances. Rising interest rates are also affecting the technology sector through constraints on the supply of venture capital and private investment funding,” said Sara Johnson, chair of the AIM Board of Economic Advisors (BEA).

The AIM Index, based on a survey of more than 140 Massachusetts employers, has appeared monthly since July 1991. It is calculated on a 100-point scale, with 50 as neutral; a reading above 50 is positive, while below 50 is negative.

The constituent indicators that make up the Index were mostly lower during October.
The confidence employers have in their own companies fell 1.3 points to 53.6, ending the month 7.6 points lower than in October 2021. The Massachusetts Index assessing business conditions within the Commonwealth, gained 3.1 points to 50.6, down 7.4 points from a year earlier. The U.S. Index measuring conditions throughout the country fell into pessimistic territory at 42.9.

The Current Index, which assesses overall business conditions at the time of the survey, decreased 2.5 points to 52.5. The Future Index, measuring projections for the economy six months from now, lost 3.5 points to end the month at 49.2.

The Manufacturing Index rose 1.6 points to 50.7, virtually identical to the 50.9 reading for non-manufacturing businesses. The Employment Index rose 1.6 points to 50.7 as employers continue to struggle to hire and retain talent.

Large companies (52.9) were more optimistic than medium-sized companies (51.5) and small companies (49.1).

Suzanne Dwyer, president of Massachusetts Capital Resource Co. and a BEA member, said companies are again hungry for capital after a period of consolidating debt following the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM President and CEO John R. Regan, also a BEA member, said the workforce challenges facing employers may be more dire than anyone imagined. He noted that a survey released by MassINC this summer concludes that the working-age college-educated population of Massachusetts will decline by 10%, or 192,000 people, by 2030.

“Many AIM member businesses don’t need a survey to tell them what they already know: that labor shortages and lack of qualified talent, exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19, have dealt a major blow to day-to-day operations,” he noted. “Our members across all industries are unable to fill positions with qualified candidates, and the Commonwealth is losing workers to lower-cost states.”

GCAi’s Video for Harvard University Tours Middle East

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Harvard Graduate School of Education tapped GCAi’s New England Corporate Video (NECV) division over the summer to produce a series of videos (click here to view) on the Middle East Professional Learning Initiative (MEPLI).

MEPLI aims to develop the capacity of teachers in the region. The fellowship is job-embedded and lasts for one year, providing scholarships for professional-education courses (online and/or residential) and support for incorporating learning into existing work. Fellows receive a certificate in professional education upon successful completion of the program.

The NECV-produced videos, now being shown at presentations on the program in the Middle East, were shot on campus at Harvard University and produced at NECV’s edit suite in Springfield. Three separate videos were produced, including English, English and Arabic, and all-Arabic language versions.

“As a storyteller, weaving is a key part of the process, stitching together narratives and moving through themes to create an end result that is hopefully both compelling and engaging no matter what the language or culture,” noted Mary Cate Mannion, producer at NECV.

Mannion also noted that the support of Harvard School of Education’s MEPLI staff was critical. “We could not do it without their partnership, particularly in the face of our challenge of editing video interviews that were in another language.”

BusinessTalk with Mark Paglia, COO of Mira Vista Behavioral Health Center

By
Business Talk Podcast Special Coverage

We are excited to announce that BusinessWest 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 135: November 7, 2022

George Interviews Mark Paglia, COO of Mira Vista Behavioral Health Center

Mark Paglia, COO of Mira Vista Behavioral Health Center — and a Healthcare Hero for 2022 — is the guest on BusinessTalk this week, and there was a lot to discuss with BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien. Topics include the opening of Mira Vista in the middle of a pandemic, the behavioral health crisis that accompanied COVID, the ongoing, and  now often overlooked, opioid addiction problem in this country, and much more. It’s all must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest in partnership with Living Local and sponsored by PeoplesBank.

Sponsored by:

Also Available On

Opinion: Raising the Bar Downtown

By
Daily News

They cut the ribbon at the new Marriott Springfield Downtown last week.

It was a lavish ceremony that was more than three years in the making. That’s how long it has taken serial entrepreneurs Vid Mitta and Dinesh Patel, owners of Springfield Hospitality, to transform the property in Tower Square, which lost the Marriott flag several years ago amid serious decline, into one of the state’s best hotels west of Boston.

A host of local, state, and national elected officials, area business leaders, and representatives of the Marriott chain turned out to celebrate the transformation of the property and the return of the Marriott flag to Springfield. There were speeches, tours, music from the Springfield Sci-Tech band, and more.

The ceremony marked more than the official ribbon-cutting for the hotel, though. It commemorated a triumph over extreme challenge — this renovation, or re-imagination, of the property was undertaken during the pandemic and thus had to overcome a series of stern challenges — and a raising of the bar, if you will, in Springfield and its downtown.

Indeed, like MGM Springfield before it, the new Marriott sets a new standard for imagination and quality in the city, and it is our hope that it will inspire others to reach higher and think bigger as they contemplate what can be done in Springfield and its downtown.

From the beginning, not just with the hotel but with the larger Tower Square property, Patel and Mitta have thought outside the box — relocating the Greater Springfield YMCA to the property is perhaps the best example — and never settled for ‘good enough’ as they have remade the landmark that opened in the late ’60s and set the tone for a period of building higher and better in the city’s downtown.

It is our hope that, more than 50 years later, the renovated Marriott and Tower Square complex can have a similar impact.

Indeed, while there has been some real progress in downtown Springfield over the past several years with MGM Springfield, the renovation of the former Court Square Hotel (still ongoing), the construction of a new parking garage (set to begin), and other initiatives, many other properties remain vacant or very much underutilized.

This is especially true farther south on Main Street in the area across from the MGM complex. But there are other properties as well that are awaiting new life.

The Marriott project, and the larger Tower Square initiative, have shown what can be done. They’ve shown what’s possible when people are willing to commit to Springfield and, as we said, think big. It is our hope, and expectation, that it will be a big success from a business perspective as well.

It is also our hope that this project, and some of the others now taking shape, like Court Square, will inspire other developers to look at Springfield as a city worth investing in.

All this, in addition to a grand new hotel, is what people were celebrating at that ribbon cutting.

Country Bank Promotes Lisa Saletnik

By
Daily News

WARE — Country Bank announced that Lisa Saletnik has been promoted to vice president of Business Systems Optimization.

Saletnik holds an associate degree in health science from Bay Path University and graduated from the New England School for Financial Studies. She has been with Country Bank for 23 years and has extensive experience in the bank’s core systems and digital technologies. Having worked in various departments at the bank, she found her passion in the Information Technology and Innovation department in 2018. Before joining the IT department, she managed the eServices area for eight years. She has been instrumental in working with vendors and partners to continue to find the best solutions to help the bank best serve its internal and external customers.

“I am thrilled to congratulate Lisa on her promotion and all of the accomplishments that got her here; she is a key part of our success,” said Miriam Siegel, first senior vice president of Human Resources. “We’re pleased to provide opportunities for our people to develop not only within their roles today, but into new opportunities tomorrow.”

Virtual New England Regional Job Fair to Connect Job Seekers, Employers Across Six States

By
Daily News

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and MassHire Department of Career Services announced that the virtual New England Regional Job Fair will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 15-16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days on the Premier Virtual platform.

“I encourage job seekers from all over New England and beyond to see what great career opportunities Massachusetts has to offer,” Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta said. “High-demand industries like hospitality, education, healthcare, STEM, finance and banking, and the trades are looking for workers with different levels of experience, and the New England Regional Job Fair is a great opportunity for the Commonwealth’s employers to directly connect with job seekers.”

Job seekers and employers can attend either of the two days relevant to their career or hiring needs. On Nov. 15, the employer industries will be healthcare, education, and hospitality, plus other sectors. On Nov. 16, the employer industries will be manufacturing, engineering, construction, transportation, and warehousing, plus other sectors. Both days will feature first-hour priority for veterans.

All job seekers are welcome to attend, from entry-level to experienced. Career changers are also encouraged to join. The New England Regional Job Fair will be hosted on Premier Virtual, where job seekers can video chat with employers, submit résumés, review job openings, and find company information.

Job seekers can click here to register. Click here for a list of participating employers and to access Premier Virtual resources and training.