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Month: May 2023

Massachusetts Awards $14 Million to Address Digital Equity

By Contributor
Cybersecurity

Bridging the Divide

Leaders from the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Economic Development and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at MassTech recently announced $14 million in new grants from the state’s Digital Equity Partnership Program to address statewide digital-equity gaps during an event at Tech Foundry in Springfield.

The three grants were announced by Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao, who highlighted selected projects from Tech Goes Home, which will receive $4.5 million; Vinfen, on behalf of the Human Services Alliance for Digital Equity, which will receive $4.3 million; and Baystate Health, on behalf of the Western Massachusetts Alliance for Digital Equity, which will receive $5.1 million.

“Massachusetts has a real opportunity to close the digital divide and ensure all people in our state can participate in the digital economy,” Hao said. “These grants will help residents build their digital skills and get online affordably, thereby expanding their connections to job and training opportunities, healthcare resources, social connections, and so much more. We are grateful to the Massachusetts Broadband Institute for its work to make affordable high-speed internet available to residents across the state.”

The secretary was joined at the event by business and nonprofit leaders from across the state, highlighting the critical need for increased digital connectivity for residents statewide, an issue that grew in importance during the COVID-19 public-health crisis. Following the secretary’s remarks, MassMutual Chairman, President, and CEO Roger Crandall spoke about the issue, appearing in his role as a board member of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, which published a report last year titled “Connecting Communities through Digital Equity,” highlighting the importance of addressing digital equity statewide.

“Internet access is a crucial driver of economic and social advancement, from fostering innovation and creating new jobs to utilizing government and community services,” Crandall said. “Yet, far too many households in Massachusetts lack broadband service, creating a significant barrier to many career and educational opportunities. The business community has a collective responsibility to help address this inequity by continuing to invest in and expand access to digital infrastructure, literacy programs, and affordable digital tools for all residents throughout the Commonwealth.”

The event included a roundtable discussion with executives from the three grant-recipient organizations, which pointed to the digital-equity challenges Massachusetts citizens face each day and how the awarded projects aim to increase connectivity and access. The grants will support two years of critical digital-equity project development and implementation across the state.

“The genesis of the Alliance for Digital Equity in June 2020 was a direct response to digital disparity — not new — and our societal dependence on the internet to address to meeting basic material needs as the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced,” said Dr. Frank Robinson, vice president of Public Health at Baystate Health. “It was embarrassingly obvious that digital marginalization for already-marginalized people would exacerbate negative health outcomes, economic oppression, and racial injustice. Digital equity and inclusion is truly a super-social determinant of health, critical to our meaningful progress toward health equity and satisfying basic human rights in this connected society, linking people to vital resources, such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, and information.”

The Digital Equity Partnerships Program was launched in September 2022 with the goal of designating qualified organizations to implement projects that meet the goals outlined in the Commonwealth’s ARPA COVID recovery legislation, which created a $50 million fund to bridge the digital divide in the state.

“I am thrilled to see that Baystate Health, in partnership with the Western Massachusetts Alliance for Digital Equity, have been recognized by the Commonwealth’s Digital Equity Partnership Program and received a grant of $5.1 million to continue addressing the digital divide,” state Sen. Jo Comerford said.

State Sen. Adam Gomez added that “the funds created by the ARPA COVID recovery legislation of 2021 represented a momentous step toward bridging the digital-equity divide for Western Massachusetts. There are far too many unserved communities in this region of the Commonwealth who do not have simple access to WiFi. Communities in this region will now have substantially increased access to not only WiFi, but also support for key programming areas such as digital literacy, public-space internet modernization, and connectivity initiatives for economic hardship. Eliminating the digital-equity divide in Western Mass. is absolutely crucial to supporting a thriving economy.”

While the state has made trides to improve broadband and WiFi access, state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa noted, many communities have been left behind, much public housing remains unwired, and towns that don’t know how to fund projects that would level the playing field for all residents. “The Digital Equity Partnership Program will assist these communities, providing important funding and assistance in learning how to incorporate this technology into their daily lives.”

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said the Digital Equity Partnership Program will help eliminate or mitigate the barriers faced in accessing digital equity and help close the digital divide. “Access to affordable and reliable internet is essential for our residents, and achieving this goal will not only enhance the quality of life for many, but will also help advance vital economic-development projects and educational initiatives, not only here in Springfield, but across the Commonwealth.”

The state’s digital-equity programs build on initiatives launched in response to the COVID-19 public-health crisis, which included public WiFi hotspots in unserved towns in Western and Central Mass., as well as the Mass Internet Connect program, which worked with MassHire to provide financial support and digital-literacy tools to help get unemployed residents back to work.

The MBI has also launched a Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program to support Massachusetts communities with planning activities that will help build a broad understanding of how a lack of internet access is impacting residents in their community, as well as a Broadband and Digital Equity Working Group comprised of stakeholders from across the state that will inform the makeup and focus of state programs, providing key technical expertise and representation of target populations.

“Our partner organizations are leaders in the digital-equity field and have cultivated an incredible network of local stakeholders who will ensure these funds have maximum benefit to the communities they are designed to serve,” said Michael Baldino, MBI director. “Today’s grants, coupled with our municipal planning program and the engagement of our dedicated working-group members, will ensure that the dollars invested lead to the desired impact — more residents will not only gain access to devices, digital skills, and more affordable internet, they will have access to a wider range of social, educational, and healthcare resources.”

Allison Ebner Takes the Reins at Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast

By
Allison Ebner
Women in Businesss

Making Workplaces Better

Allison Ebner

Allison Ebner says EANE’s services have become more important in the wake of recent workforce challenges, from retention to legislative compliance.

Looking back, Allison Ebner said she’s had the perfect trajectory to transition into her newest role, as president of the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast (EANE).

“My background has always been in the third-party services area, working in the staffing industry,” said Ebner, who joined EANE seven years ago. “You get to see so much when you’re in so many different businesses, so many different organizations, across a variety of industries, working with their leadership teams and their human-resource departments.”

Those roles, over the years, included talent agent at FIT Staffing, director of Membership Development at Associated Industries of Massachusetts, and vice president of Sales & Marketing at United Personnel Services.

“So I’ve had the opportunity to get to know so many of the businesses that are members of EANE throughout my career,” she added. “And that’s why it’s really fun to be able to step into this position and continue some of the relationships I’ve had with HR professionals and CEOs for a number of years.”

Longtime EANE President Meredith Wise recently announced she will be stepping down at the end of June after 28 years with the organization, the last 21 as president.

“We have the opportunity every day to make 1,050 organizations across the Northeast better, to have a better employee experience. We talk about that here — how we help create exceptional workplaces.”

“I am so proud of our accomplishments and the work we’ve done to continue the 100-plus-year tradition of the association, including expanding our footprint to serve employers in Connecticut and Rhode Island as well as all of Massachusetts,” Wise said. “The depth and breadth of our resources and services has grown to meet the ever-changing needs of our members and employers in the region.”

Ebner joined EANE in 2016 as director of Membership and Partnerships, overseeing the group that is responsible for keeping members with the association and expanding membership, as well as developing relationships with partners who might provide services and support to members.

For example, “we have partners in the payroll space. We have partners in the background-checking space,” she said. “And we fully vet those vendors and bring them to our members if they’re good partners for our members to have and use.”

Last year, Ebner was promoted to vice president of Membership and Partnerships, and later selected by the board to succeed Wise. Linda Olbrys will join the EANE team as the new director of Membership and Partnerships, bringing considerable experience in both human resources and talent acquisition and retention services.

As for Ebner, she brings not just her experience to the president’s chair, but a passion for EANE’s multi-faceted work.

“We are a nonprofit organization that provides amazing resources to these member companies, and we all really believe so strongly in that mission,” she told BusinessWest. “We have the opportunity every day to make 1,050 organizations across the Northeast better, to have a better employee experience. We talk about that here — how we help create exceptional workplaces. That’s really what we do.”

 

What’s the Pitch?

Ebner jokes that it’s impossible to craft an elevator pitch detailing all the reasons a business should join EANE. An elevator ride of that length simply doesn’t exist. But it helps the discussion, she said, to break its services into three pillars.

The first is membership support, funded by annual dues that are benchmarked to the number of workers a member employs.

“Probably the most popular member benefit we have is access to our employer hotline, which is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 and 5 with seven or eight certified HR professionals. Members can call with compliance questions, employee-relations issues, safety-related issues, best practices, anything around policies, forms … really, anything.”

Last year, the hotline fielded more than 5,000 calls. During the first year of COVID, it took more than 8,000 as companies were suddenly faced with unprecedented challenges.

“When needs arise, people want answers, they need advice, they need resources,” Ebner said. “Our director of Compliance, Mark Adams, was doing weekly Friday webinars with 500, 600 people — it almost crashed our Zoom. Everyone was trying to keep up — ‘well, what are they saying now about compliance? What do we do about testing? Are we allowed to require masks, or not require masks?’ It just got so crazy. And we had to be on top of everything.

“The pandemic was a game changer,” she added. “The hotline was really crazy during that time. And it still remains our most popular member benefit.”

But members also get access to monthly webinars, compensation and salary-benchmarking data, a library of sample forms and policies, and an online resource tool offering performance-management systems, job-description writing tools, and other resources.

“The pandemic was a game changer. The hotline was really crazy during that time.”

The second pillar has to do with HR support services, like employee handbooks, affirmative-action plans, audits, and recruiting services.

“We’ve done a lot of compensation reports for organizations. When you can’t find the talent, the first place people go is, ‘well, what am I paying? Am I paying fair market? How am I benchmarked versus my competition?’ So we’ve done a lot of compensation work over the last few years, during the talent crunch.

“We also use a service called HR Partner, where, if you need an extra hand in HR or you’re missing HR — maybe you’re a small organization, and you don’t have a dedicated HR person, or maybe you lost your HR person to a medical leave — we have a team that will go out and be your HR team,” she explained. “That’s a really nice option for folks, and a very fast-growing part of our business here at EANE.”

The third pillar centers on learning and development, including more than 40 different training programs, both virtually and on site.

“Our learning and development area is very, very strong, and that’s a fast-growing part of our organization,” Ebner said. “We just had a leadership summit with over 500 attendees at the MassMutual Center.

“So, it’s all those resources, the HR services and the training. What I love about EANE is we’re all under one umbrella; members get a discount on all the HR services and training, and then they get all those benefits with their membership dues,” she went on. “Our challenge is shortening that elevator speech. But, in alignment, it all makes sense.”

 

Growing Footprint

That network of services and resources benefits members of all sizes, she said, and from all across the Northeast; the majority of EANE members are in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, but the organization is growing in Vermont, and it has members in New Hampshire and even Maine as well.

“It’s for a five-person organization that’s looking for support getting started with their HR infrastructure, all the way up to a large healthcare organization here with more than 10,000 employees,” she noted. “The sweet spot for us is that 50- to 300-employee organization.”

No matter what their size or sector, employers of all kinds continue to deal with compliance challenges, from proposed legislation to raise the Massachusetts minimum wage again to recent laws regarding sick time and family leave.

“We’re looking at those challenges from a compliance standpoint, federally and statewide. But I think what’s really changed for organizations is the deal between employers and employees — that currency, that transaction.”

Elaborating, Ebner noted, “pre-pandemic, employers were really in the driver’s seat. The talent crunch was tight, but it was still a very employer-driven economy for the workforce. That has been turned upside down, and it’s turned into an employee-driven marketplace, where employees are making demands. They want more flexibility. They want work-life balance. They want to work differently. They want to work from anywhere.

“That’s where we’ve had to pivot and provide resources to employers so they can sustain their organizations,” she went on. “And a lot of our members are in multiple states, too. So paid family leave in Massachusetts is very different than paid family leave in Connecticut. And if you’ve got a headquarters in Massachusetts, but you’ve got another facility in Connecticut, you have to know everything; you’ve got to know what’s happening in both states, plus federally. We just brought on a new member, and they have remote employees in 22 states, which means you’ve got tax and employment implications in 22 states.”

HR professionals often find it challenging to keep up with all of that on their own, Ebner noted, and that’s if a company even employs an HR team. “So we really try to provide that value, where we keep up with those things so you don’t have to. And we execute on those things that you need to know.”

And while the questions might not be flying the way they were during COVID, the quickly changing nature of business — from compliance to talent retention to strategies for pay and benefits — is a constant.

“It’s challenging, obviously, but it’s gratifying, helping businesses navigate all this,” Ebner said. “That, I think, is our core mission. That’s why we work here.”

State’s Workforce Has Become More Female, Older, More Diverse

By Contributor
Women in Businesss

Changing Tides

The Massachusetts labor force has transformed in recent decades, with some of the biggest changes being the advancement of women, workers getting older and more diverse, and a divergence in labor-force participation rates based on levels of educational achievement.

Those are among the findings in “At a Glance: The Massachusetts Labor Force,” a policy brief written by Aidan Enright and published by Pioneer Institute, with data drawn from the institute’s new laboranalytics.org website.

“Decreasing labor-force participation rates among prime-aged (25-54) men and college-educated individuals may portend future labor shortages,” Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios said.

Nationally, the labor-force participation rate among 25- to 54-year-old men has fallen from 96.2% in 1948 to 88.8% last year.

Massachusetts had nearly 300,000 unfilled jobs in 2021. Inadequate daycare capacity, a mismatch between the skills needed for these jobs and the skills possessed by potential workers, immigration restrictions, and a spike in retirements during the pandemic are among the reasons economists cite for the shortage.

The number of individuals 65 and older in the Massachusetts workforce rose dramatically in recent years, then plateaued and decreased from 2019-21, possibly due to retirements during the pandemic. Overall, the number of older workers more than doubled between 2007 and 2021, from 131,000 to 271,000.

The increase in older workers was particularly notable among women aged 55-64. Between 2007 and 2021, an additional 105,000 women in that age group entered the workforce, compared to 79,000 men.

According to the report, women are likely the reason why New England has a high labor-participation rate compared to other census regions, as women there have a higher rate than in all but one other region. New England men, on the other hand, had the fourth-highest rate out of nine total census regions in 2021.

The pandemic also affected women the most — their employment rate dropped 7.7% compared to 6% for men — even though their recovery from it has been quicker than for men. Women in Massachusetts also had a labor participation rate 4.5% higher in 2021 than women nationally. While men in that age range accounted for 79,000 additional workers to the workforce, women added 105,000.

Among other findings in the report:

• As a higher rate of older individuals remained in the workforce, the number of 16- to 19-year-old workers fell by 40,000 between 2019 and 2021.

• The labor-participation rate among non-whites has been higher than among white workers in every year since 2018. Minorities accounted for 18% of the Massachusetts labor force in 2007, rising to 30% in 2021. The Massachusetts workforce is still less diverse than many other states, but it’s by far the most diverse in New England.

• In New England, Massachusetts ranked second behind New Hampshire with 62.1% of its total population employed in 2021. Previously, the Commonwealth also often ranked behind Connecticut and Vermont.

• Massachusetts saw a notable increase in the size of its workforce between 2016 and 2018 before shrinking during the pandemic. In 2018, the labor-force participation rate reached its highest level since 2007, and the workforce was still larger in 2021 than it had been in 2016.

Without policy intervention, serious structural challenges will remain for the Massachusetts labor force, the report notes. Like the rest of New England, Massachusetts has an older population and will struggle to maintain and grow its labor force as Baby Boomers continue to retire and less-populous younger generations attempt to fill the void they create. This, if left unattended, will create an employment desert. Employers finding it increasingly difficult to hire skilled candidates to fill positions will limit the state’s economic growth potential.

To address these issues, the report continues, the Healey administration and Beacon Hill lawmakers should consider three primary areas that are ripe for reforms and advocacy: expanding daycare capacity and affordability, expanding vocational-technical school programs, and advocating for less-strict high-skill immigration caps.

One of many issues that keep healthy, prime-aged adults sidelined from the labor force is concerns over childcare. Several studies have indicated that affordable childcare increases the number of hours worked by mothers and frees up parents to re-enter the labor force. Nationally, Massachusetts ranks below average in terms of available childcare. One study found that, in 2019, the state was likely more than 30% below demand in terms of available seats. This lack of supply has severely inflated prices; the average parent pays as much as $20,000 a year for an infant and $15,000 for a 4-year-old, ranking Massachusetts near the bottom of all states in affordability.

Separately, many workers remain sidelined as a result of a skills mismatch between them and employers. While there are nearly 300,000 job openings in the state, there remain 140,000 unemployed workers, a ratio of more than two open jobs for every unemployed person. This ratio has largely remained the same since 2021, despite millions of dollars spent on workforce training.

Lastly, and likely most consequentially, the state has suffered from diminished immigration levels due to overly restrictive federal immigration policies. Massachusetts relies heavily on immigrants, as the state would likely have seen significant net outmigration without inflows from immigrants over the last decade. Only recently has the state lost net residents — more than 110,000 since 2019 — due to pandemic-era restrictions on immigration and other compounding factors like remote work and an increased cost of living.

Downtown Northampton Assoc. Receives $200,000 Grant from MassTech Collaborative

By
Daily News

WESTBOROUGH — The Innovation Institute at the MassTech Collaborative has awarded grants to three organizations to boost the development of regional startup communities. The $500,000 in grants from the Strong Entrepreneur Ecosystems program will allow the Downtown Northampton Assoc. (DNA), North Central Massachusetts Development Corp., and Worcester’s Venture Forum to drive more openness and collaboration among entrepreneurs, government, academia, nonprofits, and anchor institutions in each region, uniting organizations that welcome diverse innovators and encouraging them to start and scale companies.

DNA, the sole Western Mass.-based grantee, received $200,000 to strengthen the community of female entrepreneurs in the Greater Northampton area through the creation of a new entity called the Sphere, to provide a network of support built by and for female entrepreneurs in Northampton.

The Sphere will be a cooperative effort led by DNA, the Community Classroom, and several local entrepreneurs. Features of the Sphere include virtual resources and in-person events that help female founders navigate their entrepreneurial journeys while addressing their unique challenges. DNA will also unite the community of female founders through a ‘strengths and skills database,’ in which business owners volunteer to help peers address various business weak spots.

The Strong Entrepreneur Ecosystem grant program was launched in April 2002 to provide regions with funds to design and implement entrepreneur-led economic-development strategies that put local founders at the heart of development initiatives. Organizations were selected to develop strategic planning grants, receiving an initial $25,000 pilot grant to convene advisory groups of local entrepreneurs and community stakeholders to understand the unique needs of entrepreneurs in their regions.

Common themes emerging from the planning phase were the lack of awareness about the types of local business resources available to entrepreneurs and the desire for entrepreneurs to be able to connect and learn from each other, feedback which led to development of strategic plans, which were then reviewed again and selected for larger grants through the program. Each grantee will use the expanded awards to address these and other challenges unique to their communities.

“We need to do everything we can to support entrepreneurs in Massachusetts and provide them with the resources they need to grow and succeed,” Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao said. “These grantees have done great work to build excitement and engagement from community organizations that are ready to support the growth of entrepreneurs in their regions and help them get their ideas to market, including by providing matching funds that will leverage the state’s support.”

Patrick Larkin, program executive at the MassTech Collaborative and director of the Innovation Institute at MassTech, added that “the Innovation Institute is grateful for the role that entrepreneurs play to ‘re-image’ the future of local economies. Communities thrive when you have a mix of successful businesses. These grantees each understand the resources in their backyards that will help entrepreneurs get off the ground and ensure startup founders know where to go when they’re ready to launch their idea.”

MassHire Franklin Hampshire Announces Relocation to Greenfield Corporate Center

By
Daily News

GREENFIELD — MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center and Workforce Board, the leading workforce-development agencies providing employment and training services to job seekers and employers in Franklin and Hampshire counties and the North Quabbin area, are moving to a new location in Greenfield.

Doors will open to customers at the new location at the Greenfield Corporate Center, 101 Monson St., Suite 210, on Thursday, June 1. The new MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center features 13,000 square feet of modern space with state-of-the-art resources to provide in-person, virtual, and hybrid services and allows MassHire Franklin Hampshire to provide even better service to more customers.

“I’m very excited to welcome our employers and job seekers to this new professional space,” MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board Executive Director Rebecca Bialecki said. “The more efficient floor plan, expanded parking availability, and modern features will support our staff in serving residents of Franklin, Hampshire, and the North Quabbin.”

During the move of the physical location, virtual services will continue to be offered to customers. The last day of in-person services at the current location of One Arch Place will be Monday, May 22. Virtual-only services will be provided May 23-26 and 30-31.

“The new space will allow us to accelerate customer-service timelines and ultimately increase employment and training outcomes,” said Maura Geary, executive director of MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center. “We have space for our partner agencies to co-locate at the Career Center, which will allow seamless service delivery to our shared customers.”

Partner agencies with a staff presence at the Career Center include the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Literacy Project, the Center for New Americans, International Language Institute of Massachusetts, Westover Job Corps, Greenfield Community College, the Senior Community Service Employment Program, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, and Community Action Pioneer Valley. Core partner Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission already has office space at the Greenfield Corporate Center.

Junior Achievement Slates Purse & Power Tool Bingo Fundraiser for June 2

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts (JAWM) will hold a Purse & Power Tool Bingo fundraiser on Friday, June 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus on 371 Washington Road, Enfield, Conn.

Event participants will enjoy 10 rounds of bingo, each with the opportunity to win a designer handbag or a power tool. Registration fees will support JAWM programs and events for youth throughout Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties.

“In addition to our popular annual events, we are always looking for unique and engaging ways to fundraise, and this event promises to be tremendous fun,” said Jennifer Connolly, JAWM president. “It’s also a great way to increase the community’s awareness about Junior Achievement and how our programs help inspire and prepare young people to succeed in our global economy. We are grateful to 2 Moms on a Mission for organizing this special night.”

Guests are welcome to bring food and non-alcoholic beverages to enjoy, and there will be a cash bar. Registration costs $40 per person, which includes 10 bingo cards and a dauber. Raffle tickets and extra cards will also be available for purchase.

Admission must be purchased in advance through paypal.me/2MomsOnAMission or via Venmo @Two-MomsOnA-Mission. Include the date of the event when purchasing tickets.

BFAIR Promotes Leanne Martin to Assistant Director of Day Habilitation

By
Daily News

NORTH ADAMS — BFAIR announced it has promoted Leanne Martin to assistant director of Day Habilitation.

Martin began working for BFAIR in 2014 as a direct-care professional at the agency’s Day Habilitation program located in North Adams. In 2020, she was promoted to case manager for the Community Based Day Services (CBDS) program and later to the Day Habilitation program in the same role.

In her new role, Martin is responsible for the everyday operation of the Day Habilitation program, which is designed to support members and their unique needs to increase independence and socialization, helping them participate as active and fully integrated members of their community.

According to Kayla Brown-Wood, director of Day Services, “we are eager for Leanne to use her existing experience with the department to further develop programming and services offered for the individuals we support. I am excited to see Leanne flourish in her new position and look forward to working more closely with her.”

AI Promises to Impact the Workforce in Unexpected Ways

By
Cover Story Cybersecurity

Rise of the Machines

 

Twice a year, Tom Loper participates in a Cybersecurity Advisory Council meeting. The last one was … different.

“I would say there was a sense of concern that I hadn’t seen before at that council because of ChatGPT and the phishing potential,” said Loper, dean of the School of Arts, Sciences and Management at Bay Path University.

He explained that people can use ChatGPT, the AI chatbot that has drawn major worldwide attention since its unveiling last fall, to input information from any website, or emails from an organization, to generate a phishing episode much more realistic, and much more likely to draw a response, than its target had ever received.

“These are people — from Facebook, from Fidelity, from the Hartford, from every major organization you can think of in our area and beyond — who were taken aback by the capabilities of ChatGPT,” Loper said.

“It really scares the hell out of all of us, because we know the biggest problem that we have in cybersecurity, the biggest challenge, comes between the brain and the keyboard. Human beings allow people in.”

“It really scares the hell out of all of us, because we know the biggest problem that we have in cybersecurity, the biggest challenge, comes between the brain and the keyboard,” he explained. “Human beings allow people in. The systems are very good at stopping people from breaching — flags go off, bells and whistles go off. But the biggest problem we have is the human intervention that has to take place. And human beings make mistakes. Especially when we’re connected to the outside world, we make mistakes that allow phishing to take place.”

Tom Loper says ChatGPT is already making work easier

Tom Loper says ChatGPT is already making work easier for students and professionals, but that raises issues ranging from plagiarism to how jobs might change.

And ChatGPT just made that challenge even more daunting.

But the impact of this and other AI tools extend far beyond cyberthreats.

“AI has the ability to be as impactful as the internet — possibly even as impactful as electricity — on the way business is conducted,” said Delcie Bean, president and CEO of Paragus Strategic IT in Hadley. “We all knew this day was coming for a long time, but now it’s here, and by the end of this decade, the only businesses that will still be in business are the ones that embrace the change.”

Bean explained that these tools allow enormous amounts of work previously done by humans to be completely automated, often in a fraction of the time and with much greater accuracy — and not just basic administrative work.

“We are also talking about highly complex work like computer coding, law, and even practicing medicine,” Bean related. “In a recent demonstration, AI correctly diagnosed 225 cancer cases within 18 minutes and at 85% accuracy, while human doctors took 50 minutes and only achieved a 64% accuracy rate with the same cases. Between now and the end of the decade, we are going to see dozens of new companies and technologies emerging, displacing a lot of legacy processes and technologies at a rapid pace.”

What does that mean for employers, the workforce, and job opportunities in the future? No one has all the answers to that question — although ChatGPT itself took a stab at it for us  — but there is broad agreement that change is coming.

“AI has the ability to be as impactful as the internet — possibly even as impactful as electricity — on the way business is conducted. We all knew this day was coming for a long time, but now it’s here, and by the end of this decade, the only businesses that will still be in business are the ones that embrace the change.”

“This really challenges all forms of expertise because it’s drawing on this incredible domain of knowledge,” said James Wilson, professor of Business at Bay Path. “Now, the accuracy of it, the citing of it, all that is not there yet. But it will come.”

Wilson recently started teaching courses in a certificate program on digital transformation, which includes discussion of the impact of AI on the workplace.

“It started as a therapy session because the students were like, ‘what’s the future going to be? What skills do I need to have? What’s going to happen?’ It’s very uncertain. We have these things called human skills … which are presumably going to differentiate us from this artificial intelligence — that is, creative thinking, inquiry, critical thinking, collaboration. You’re not going to run your business on ChatGPT.”

Delcie Bean says AI promises to disrupt

Delcie Bean says AI promises to disrupt not only administrative and computer careers, but law, medicine, and a wide range of other fields.

But that’s not the only viewpoint. “The most pessimistic view of this is that AI will do for humans what the automobile did for horses,” Wilson said. “There are some dire projections.”

 

Future … Tense

Loper and Wilson have delved into the capabilities and possibilities of ChatGPT and other AI tools on the higher-education level, and they’ve been impressed.

“ChatGPT is the hot topic because it’s a breakthrough in the way it uses large language processing,” Loper said. “It’s never been made available to the public like this before. The exciting part is how it processes data at a phenomenal speed — it’s absolutely amazing.”

And it’s not just regurgitating knowledge, he stressed. Xiaoxia Liu, assistant professor and director of Applied Data Science at Bay Path, has been using ChatGPT in her classes, helping students finish programming projects.

A Brief ‘Interview’ with ChatGPT

We went right to the source and asked ChatGPT for its take on this article’s topic. These are the answers it provided within seconds.

How will ChatGPT and other AI tools threaten the job market in the coming years?

AI tools and automation have already impacted the job market in many ways, and it is likely that this trend will continue in the coming years. ChatGPT and other AI tools can automate repetitive or low-level tasks, leading to job displacement for those whose work can be automated.

However, it’s essential to note that AI tools and automation can also create new job opportunities, particularly in areas that require specialized skills or expertise in implementing and managing AI technology. Additionally, the use of AI tools can increase productivity and reduce costs, which can result in businesses expanding and creating new job positions.

Overall, the impact of AI on the job market is complex and multi-faceted. While some jobs may be replaced by automation, new opportunities may arise, and existing roles may evolve and require different skill sets. It is essential for individuals and businesses to adapt to these changes by acquiring new skills and embracing the opportunities presented by AI.

What are some jobs that ChatGPT and other AI tools will impact the most?

ChatGPT and other AI tools are likely to impact a range of jobs, particularly those that involve repetitive or low-level tasks that can be automated. Some examples of jobs that may be impacted the most include:

• Customer-service representatives: ChatGPT can automate many customer service tasks, such as answering common questions or directing customers to the appropriate department.

• Data-entry clerks: AI tools can be used to scan and input data, reducing the need for manual data-entry clerks.

• Factory workers: AI-powered robots can perform tasks such as assembly-line work, reducing the need for human workers.

• Drivers: The use of self-driving cars and trucks may impact the job market for drivers in the coming years.

• Financial analysts: AI tools can analyze financial data and identify patterns, potentially reducing the need for human financial analysts.

• Retail salespeople: The rise of e-commerce and automated checkout systems may reduce the need for human retail salespeople.

• Administrative assistants: AI tools can be used to automate tasks such as scheduling appointments, managing email, and organizing files, reducing the need for human administrative assistants.

It’s important to note that the impact of AI on these jobs may vary depending on the industry, location, and other factors. While AI may automate some tasks, it may also create new job opportunities in areas such as data analysis, AI development and maintenance, and other specialized roles.

Write a haiku about how AI might change the way people work.

Machines learn and grow.
Work becomes more efficient.
Humans thrive with ease.

“She gives them a start, and then they have to finish it; they use Python or whatever to finish it,” Loper explained. “Now, she’s letting them use ChatGPT, and they’re finishing it in seconds. And it’s very accurate, very fast. She’s excited about that. That’s an example where ChatGPT uses large language learning to help it finish something that you started without you giving it much guidance at all, other than the start of the program.”

Loper noted that ChatGPT also gives different answers to questions based on who’s asking and in what way.

“The algorithm, for whatever reason, is drawing on what it thinks is ideal, but your past references influence the way that it searches. The type of question you ask generates a certain type of format and answer. So if you’re asking a business question, you get an answer in a business format. If you’re asking a question for a literary magazine, you get a different format.”

And that raises issues with academic plagiarism, Loper noted, because professors can no longer throw a chunk of a student’s work into Google to get a definite take on whether something was lifted, verbatim, from another source.

He has experimented with generating presentations from ChatGPT based on a series of prompts, and recognizes the ramifications for students. “It was logically laid out and put in a format that, if a student gave it to me, I would say, ‘damn, that’s good. You really learned this material.’”

When it comes to cracking down on plagiarism, Wilson added, “we might have to abandon ship on that in a way, because it’s not so much about being original anymore as being creative in your inquiry and critical in your understanding of it.”

Wilson called up other AI tools as well during his talk with BusinessWest, from Butternut AI, which can build a website in 20 seconds, to Pictory AI, which generates videos, to Wondercraft AI, which asks for discussion prompts and will generate a full podcast, featuring multiple voices.

“I teach a business-analytics class, where it was all research, research, research. I don’t think it’s about research anymore,” he said of the way AI will affect academia. “I think it’s about asking the right questions. It’s about the right inquiry. It may not be about writing anymore. It may be about editing and getting a draft from the AI expert and then adjusting it. The amount of content that can be created is staggering.”

Even classroom lectures can benefit, he added. “I can put in a few prompts, and it generates an entire lecture. I can go in and change the text, which will then be re-narrated through AI. Suddenly, all my content is better organized.”

Amid all these implications is the compelling idea that AI will only get sharper.

James Wilson

James Wilson

“We’ve all gotten used to Siri, and we’ve all gotten used to Google, but now you’re going to have this super-intelligent, conversational assistant with you,” Wilson said.

Loper added that these discussions are no longer theoretical. He noted that speakers at the Davos World Economic Forum, among others, have been thinking seriously about what types of work are going to be replaced by artificial intelligence and what careers will continue to be dominated by human beings, with their unique sensing and critical skills.

“Human beings aren’t going away any time soon, but we’re going to have a level of augmentation that we’ve never experienced, and we don’t know how to work with it yet. It’s so new,” he added. “James and I are playing with ChatGPT, and we’re kind of in awe of it, but we’re just skimming the surface compared to some of the ways people are using it. It’s just amazing.”

Added Wilson, “if you try to imagine this in a much smaller sense, it’s like when the smartphone came out — how did that change business? Texting and emailing and video chat reconfigured the way things are done, but in a smaller sense.”

Loper agreed. “This is much bigger than anything like that.”

 

Risk and Reward

Przemyslaw Grabowicz, a computer scientist in the College of Information and Computer Science at UMass Amherst, is heading up a research initiative called EQUATE (which stands for equity, accountability, trust, and explainability), which is currently developing a coordinated response to the Biden administration’s request for public comment on its AI Accountability Policy.

“As a computer scientist, I believe technology can make our lives better, maybe in some senses easier,” he told BusinessWest. “But I think there’s a risk that, if we step into new technologies too quickly, then society may develop a distrust for new technology that may, in the end, slow down developments.”

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a Commerce Department agency that advises the White House on telecommunications and information policy, is studying whether there are measures that could be implemented assure that AI systems are “legal, effective, ethical, safe, and otherwise trustworthy.”

“Responsible AI systems could bring enormous benefits, but only if we address their potential consequences and harms,” NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson told Reuters. “For these systems to reach their full potential, companies and consumers need to be able to trust them.”

In crafting accountability policies, Grabowicz said, leaders in all areas of life need to think carefully about the consequences of technology development and ways in which profits from this development will be converted into long-term societal gain rather than short-term profits. If not, such technology may contribute to the growth of misinformation and polarization.

“As a society, nobody wants these kinds of consequences, but if corporations focus on short-term financial gain, they may not consider the potential harmful consequences of technology being used in a way that it wasn’t meant to when it was developed.”

Such questions, Bean noted, will be further accelerated by advances in other technologies, especially robotics. “We are rapidly approaching the day when there will be free-standing robots in our lives who are able to think, make decisions, and interact with the world around them.”

In terms of security, he went on, it is hard to quantify the threat. “With Microsoft’s new tool VALL-E, which can mimic a human voice with a sample size as small as three seconds; deepfakes being able to be produced in minutes by anyone with basic computer skills; and more and more data being available to be mined, we are going to need to rethink security.

“While it is possible to imagine how technology will respond to meet these threats, the risk to businesses is the gap that exists in between the threats coming online and the response being available and adopted,” he added. “A lot of businesses are likely to face real threats in that gap — not to mention physical security, things like hacking a moving vehicle or sending a robot to conduct a robbery.”

In short, Bean said, “while there is much to look forward to, there are certainly many threats that will need to be understood and addressed.”

Meanwhile, artificial intelligence continues to evolve — in ways we may not even see coming.

Springfield Science Museum Unveils State-of-the-Art Planetarium Projector

By
new Zeiss projector
Features Special Coverage

The Sky’s the Limit

new Zeiss projector

[email protected]

 

For a few minutes on April 28, if you were looking for a gaggle of local lawmakers and Springfield Museums board members, you’d have to look beyond earth, because they were traveling through space.

At least, they felt like they were.

That’s the idea, anyway, and it’s becoming reality thanks to the addition of a state-of-the-art Zeiss Velvet full-dome projector in the Seymour Planetarium, which will provide a fully immersive, 3D experience for visitors to the Springfield Science Museum. The planetarium opened to the public with the new system on April 29, the day after legislators and museum supporters got a tour.

“Our new projector creates an incredibly immersive experience,” said Jenny Powers, director of the Science Museum. “We hope that even more in-depth learning will happen when our visitors feel that they are traveling through part of our universe.”

The planetarium’s venerable Korkosz star ball — in continuous operation since 1937 — is not being replaced; in fact, it works in tandem with the Zeiss projector to create a more detailed, realistic virtual journey through the cosmos.

Meanwhile, just down the hall from the planetarium, a newly upgraded, interactive International Space Station exhibit will provide visitors with a better understanding of what it takes (and what it’s like) to fly among the stars, living and working in outer space for months on end. That improved exhibit also opened on April 29.

“In addition to the educational value of these improvements for schools and workforce development, the dynamic additions to the Science Museum will help drive tourism and generate critical economic development for the region.”

Taken together, these improvements — and others throughout the Science Museum — represent a $750,000 investment made possible through private donations as well as support from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism and a partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under a federal earmark sponsored by U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren.

Kay Simpson, president and CEO of the Springfield Museums, said these projects are major steps toward the goal of making the museums the premier STEM learning center of the region.

“Today is historic,” she told the gathered guests the day before the new exhibits opened. “The story starts back in 1934 to 1937, when the Korkosz brothers of Chicopee made a star-ball projector by hand for the Seymour Planetarium. And they did this because it was the Depression and the museum could not afford a state-of-the-art Zeiss projection system. That being said, this star-ball projector was a marvel of innovation and invention. And it entertained such celebrities as movie star Clark Gable, who actually saw a live show in the planetarium in 1939.”

Fast-forward to 2022, and the museum was still using what had become the oldest operating star ball, not just in the country, but in the world, she added.

“So we’re very, very proud of our antique star ball, but we knew that we could do so much more to teach children and families about the wonders of the universe and really provide high-quality STEM learning experiences for students,” Simpson said. “So we’re fortunate that we were able to receive funding through federal and state earmarks so we could finally purchase the state-of-the-art Zeiss projector that we could not afford back in 1934. We have come full circle, and we are so excited about what is happening.”

 

The Final Frontier

In 2018, Simpson explained, the Springfield Museums launched its Evolution Campaign, which was designed to make the Science Museum a 21st-century, state-of-the-art attraction.

“In addition to the educational value of these improvements for schools and workforce development, the dynamic additions to the Science Museum will help drive tourism and generate critical economic development for the region,” she said.

Simpson emphasized the public and private support for the project, which has drawn on state and federal earmarks and leveraged funding from private foundations and individuals as well.

“So, needless to say, this is just an incredible moment for the Science Museum and a major investment in amplifying our importance as an educational resource for students and also a must-see tourist attraction. And I think we are really doing great work on both fronts.

opening of the upgraded planetarium

Kay Simpson celebrates the opening of the upgraded planetarium alongside (from left) state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, state Sen. Jake Oliveira, and Darryl Williams from the office of state Rep. Bud Williams.

“We all know that the education for our children is essential for workforce development,” she added. “We hear a lot about educational equity. Museums are playing a role in all of that. And tourism, as we all know, is a major economic driver in Western Massachusetts.”

State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez agreed. “We know the importance of tourism; we know the importance of these destinations,” he said. “Having these locations to bring people from across the world to visit is so critical and important. But also, for the community and city of Springfield to come and embrace the educational opportunities that they have here is so great.”

State Sen. Jake Oliveira agreed. “Tourism is our third-largest industry, and it is so important for the Pioneer Valley, and the Springfield Museums have played such a critical role in that.”

He added that he was pleased to attend the legislative visit as someone who has always loved outer space. In fact, he recalled visiting the Springfield Museums as a child, taking in the space exhibits, and dreaming of one day being an astronaut.

“That dream ended very quickly when I realized I’m afraid of heights, small places, and fires. So that dream ended very quickly,” Oliveira said. “But I’m so glad that so many families can explore the opportunities of space that we have here at the Springfield Museums — and going into a planetarium that can actually project the images of the Webb Space Telescope, which are some of the most beautiful images of our galaxy and beyond that we can see.”

Powers emphasized the potential the Seymour Planetarium will have in creating customized programs for local teachers and students.

“There are two different ways that we’re going to be able to serve schools,” she said. “First of all, the planetarium shows have previews, and we’ve been able to embed them on our website so teachers can see them in advance and match the content of the show to what they need to teach their children. That’s really important.”

“The planetarium shows have previews, and we’ve been able to embed them on our website so teachers can see them in advance and match the content of the show to what they need to teach their children.”

In addition, Kevin Kopchynski, STEM curator for the Springfield Museums, can create custom shows for students, Powers explained.

“So if a teacher comes in from any level, from kindergarten up through college, and has a particular thing they need to focus on, Kevin can make them a show about that. It’s something that’s highly customizable.”

Also, for the first time ever, the planetarium will offer Spanish-language planetarium shows.

“We can do almost any kind of representation that we want to using this system,” Powers said. “The modern planetarium shows offer us such a greater diversity of people than the old ones do. That’s one way we can serve not only schools, but all of our visitors. We’re incredibly excited about that.

 

The Next Generation

Darryl Williams, district director for state Rep. Bud Williams, spoke at the legislative event and, like Oliveira, recalled fond early memories of the Science Museum.

“This is my favorite museum here in Springfield. I grew up going to this museum every summer; my parents made sure that we came here,” he said, noting that his parents also bought him a telescope to gaze at Mars and Venus and myriad constellations — and that he was inspired by learning about the accomplishments of scientists during his museum visits.

“I really enjoyed it, and I look forward to many, many more years,” he said, “and I look forward showing my grandkids this one day.”

That’s the kind of legacy the Springfield Science Museum and its Seymour Planetarium has cultivated for generations, and will continue to cultivate — only now, in much sharper detail.

Meyers Brothers Kalicka Celebrates 75 Years of Change — and What Hasn’t Changed

By
The five partners at Meyers Brothers Kalicka
Banking and Financial Services Special Coverage

Marking a Milestone

The five partners at Meyers Brothers Kalicka

The five partners at Meyers Brothers Kalicka: from left, Jim Krupienski, Kristi Reale, Howard Cheney, Rudy D’Agostino, and Kristina Drzal Houghton.

It’s called the ‘Founders Room.’

This is a small conference room at Holyoke-based Meyers Brothers Kalicka featuring a table that can comfortably seat six or seven people, which makes it a popular spot for smaller meetings and an attractive alternative to the cavernous main conference room, which can host more than 40.

There are a few other gathering spots at this accounting firm, but this one is unique because it pays homage to those who were there at the beginning — and in the decades that followed — for both Meyers Brothers and Joseph Kalicka and Co., two accounting firms that started the same year, 1948, and came together in a consequential merger in 2004 that created the firm known to most by the letters MBK.

The Founders Room takes on a little more importance this year as the firm celebrates a milestone — its 75th anniversary. As it does so, it looks back at the important work of the three Meyers brothers who went into business together — Ben, Raymond, and Maurice (there’s a photo of them on the wall in the Founders Room) — and Joseph Kalicka, founder of the firm that took his name (there’s a photo of him with former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis).

But the present and the future are the dominant topics of conversation on this occasion, and there was much to discuss as we gathered thoughts from the five partners now setting a course for the firm — Howard Cheney, Rudy D’Agostino, Kristina Drzal Houghton, James Krupienski, and Kristi Reale — as well as David Kalicka, partner emeritus.

Collectively, they said the tenets put in place by the founders of both firms in 1948 — everything from a laser focus on customer service to a tradition of innovation and an emphasis on anticipating what the future might bring (and being ready for it) — are still serving MBK well as it copes with an onslaught of change coming from every direction.

“I’ve always felt that the strength of our firm is the people here. It’s a collaborative effort. People work really well together; we’ve got a lot of smart people who work hard. From the top down and the bottom up, everybody works as a team.”

This change involves everything from technology and how it is used to better serve both the company and its clients to creating a workplace that recognizes emerging needs and enables several generations of employees to work effectively — work that was in some ways impacted by, and accelerated by, the pandemic and the many ways in which it impacted the workplace.

For this issue and its focus on banking and financial services, BusinessWest talked with MBK’s partners about the past 75 years, but mostly about what will come next — for both the firm and the industry.

 

Addition by … Addition

It was in early 2003 that talks began about merging Meyers Brothers and Joseph Kalicka and Co., two firms that were in ‘friendly competition’ — a phrase heard early and often — for more than a half-century and had a lot of things in common.

Looking back on those days, Drzal Houghton, who joined Meyers Brothers in 1995, said that, while the firms were operating in many of the same spaces, or sectors of the business community, they had different niches. Also, Meyers Brothers had a benefits-consulting business as well as a wealth-management business. So a merger made sense on many levels.

“Both firms had a lot of clients in the medical field, but Meyers Brothers had a lot of clients in the nonprofit industry, so there was a lot of summer work,” she explained. “Whereas, Joseph Kalicka and Co. didn’t have as much summer work, so that was a good fit. Meanwhile, Joseph Kalicka and Co. had a lot of work in the construction and real-estate industries, so it was just clear that we would be stronger together.”

Kalicka agreed. “We decided that it had been 50 years since we’ve been competing against each other and we’d both do better if we merged,” he explained. “It’s worked great; it’s helped us to survive different challenges. We’ve been around for a long time and have been approached by several bigger firms to merge and have turned them down.”

D’Agostino, who joined the Kalicka firm in 1995, noted that there were several young partners with that firm at the time, a core of leadership that appealed to those at Meyers Brothers and made a merger even more attractive.

“The opportunity to make the firm stronger, work on some bigger accounts, and have a good nucleus of young partners — those were all driving forces in the merger,” he noted. “And the culture was very similar.”

The firm that emerged from that merger is now the largest accounting firm based in Western Mass., with more than 60 employees. And that size brings with it several advantages, said the partners, including the ability to attract young talent, a challenge that has only grown in size and scope in recent years as competition for talent grows and the need for young leaders to replace retiring Baby Boomers increases.

MBK serves individuals, privately held businesses, family and independent businesses, and not-for-profit organizations in Western Mass. and well beyond. Services include taxation, accounting, auditing, and business-advisory work. The client list is deep and diverse, and it reflects the many business sectors served and the niches the company has developed. That client list includes Peter Pan Bus Lines, the Springfield Thunderbirds, the construction firm Fontaine Bros., the nonprofit agencies Square One and Mental Health Assoc., and small to mid-sized businesses such as New England Dermatology and Tyler Equipment Corp.

Partners Kristi Reale and Jim Krupienski

Partners Kristi Reale and Jim Krupienski, seen here in MBK’s Founders Room, say the firm has priorities for the future, but especially the need to develop the next generation of leadership.

As they talked about what makes MBK different, and successful, the partners used different words and phrases, but essentially said it comes to down to people — those at all levels of the organization.

“I’ve always felt that the strength of our firm is the people here,” Cheney said. “It’s a collaborative effort. People work really well together; we’ve got a lot of smart people who work hard. From the top down and the bottom up, everybody works as a team.”

Drzal Houghton agreed. “We believe here that it’s family first,” she said. “Our clients think of us as family, and I think it’s just that whole feeling … the clients feel it, the employees feel it. And it really makes us different — we care about every member of our team and every client, like family.”

As they look ahead, the partners again spoke with one voice as they talked about the priorities moving forward and what will be needed for this firm to thrive for another 75 years.

Remaining an independent firm at a time when mergers remain the order of the day and the partners field calls from private-equity firms about acquisition on a regular basis is an important goal — and also a major challenge, said those we spoke with.

“We’d like to remain independent; it’s a tough fight to stay independent, but it’s worth it because it benefits the clients,” D’Agostino said. “We make the decisions here, the philosophy that the client comes first — we can keep that. We all have to follow the same regulations, but we like to make sure we are doing things responsibly and really know our clients.”

Drzal Houghton agreed. “We definitely want to stay independent,” she said. “In the industry, there have been a lot of mergers; a lot of private equity is trying to buy firms, but we have worked very hard to be independent, and we want to give that opportunity to our rising stars.”

 

Crunching the Numbers

MBK’s partners told BusinessWest that, years ago, the firm’s leadership team would conduct an annual two-day retreat to discuss matters and set in place a strategic plan for the future.

Now, they stage four- to five-hour strategy sessions every six to seven weeks. The shorter, more frequent sessions are ultimately more productive — people are tired and less effective at the end of the second day of a retreat, they noted — and follow-up and accountability are more manageable. Meanwhile, change is coming at such a constant and profound rate that more frequent strategy meetings with shorter agendas are certainly necessary.

“We’re maintaining the momentum and holding ourselves more accountable,” said Krupienski, adding that items for discussion include everything from staffing to succession planning; from IT conversions to client services and client development.

Staffing is certainly a common agenda item, and there are layers to this issue, said those we spoke with, adding that these include everything from attracting and retaining talent to creating policies for remote work.

“We definitely want to stay independent. In the industry, there have been a lot of mergers; a lot of private equity is trying to buy firms, but we have worked very hard to be independent, and we want to give that opportunity to our rising stars.”

“A major issue with all businesses, and especially accounting firms, over the past few years has been staffing — staff costs, recruiting staff, and maintaining staff have all been significant concerns within this industry,” said D’Agostino, adding that there are some issues unique to the accounting sector, such as the compression of work during tax season and a reluctance on the part of many younger workers to “want to work the kinds of hours the previous generations have.”

“So we need to adapt to that,” he said, adding quickly that this is one of the many reasons why firms need to embrace technology — especially the technology that can handle some of the more mundane accounting tasks and thus enable professionals in the industry to focus more on consulting and advising clients.

“A lot of the bigger firms are embracing artificial intelligence,” said Reale. “We’re not there yet, but we should look at it and determine if there is anything that AI can help us with.”

Elaborating, she said that, while there is concern in some sectors about AI and its potential for eliminating jobs by doing work that humans can do (see related story on page 32), forward-looking accounting firms need to focus on its potential to create efficiencies and free up professionals to serve clients in different ways.

“AI is not going to be able to have meaningful discussions with a client and help grow its business,” she explained, adding that, increasingly, clients are looking for such consulting services — everything from contracts to mergers and acquisitions — from their accounting firm.

To provide these services effectively, firms need a pipeline of talent, said the partners we spoke with, adding that maintaining such a pipeline has become more difficult in recent years, and for a number of reasons, some of them amplified by the pandemic.

Indeed, Krupienski noted that, years ago, local and regional firms might have had a leg up when it came to the graduates of local colleges and their accounting programs, but now, those same individuals are fielding offers from firms on the other side of the country offering remote work opportunities at wages higher than those traditionally offered in Western Mass.

And that’s one of many challenges this firm and others in the region face as they try to recruit and maintain talent, said D’Agostino, adding that the firm generally likes to hire people with three to five years of experience, but there are simply fewer people with that background available to hire in this market.

Thus, the firm is hiring more individuals out of college, training them, and hoping to hang on to them when they have that three to five years of experience.

 

Then and Now

As they talked about what’s changed in the industry and for this firm, and what hasn’t, the partners we spoke with started with the later.

And Krupienski offered the obligatory “death and taxes.”

That was his way of saying that many of the services — basic and complex — have remained the same over the past 75 years. How they are provided, and sometimes when … well, that’s a different story.

This firm has been essentially paperless for years, said Reale, noting also that the phone has been replaced by email, which has, to a large degree, been replaced by the text, which can come at all hours of the day or night. And, for the most part, it needs to be answered soon after it’s received.

The midnight or 5 a.m. text comprises just one of the many changes that have taken place within the industry, said the partners, adding that many significant changes have also come in the workplace.

Elaborating, they said the younger generations now dominating workplaces like MBK have different needs and priorities than those that preceded them, and firms that want to be successful must acknowledge this and respond accordingly.

And flexible schedules are just part of the equation, said D’Agostino, adding that these generations place a premium on work-life balance and how to achieve that balance.

As an example, he recalled a few younger team members departing at 5:15 p.m. during the height of tax season to go to spinning class, something those in his generation wouldn’t think about doing.

But beyond a need to go to the gym when they need to go the gym, these generations want different things from their work, and they want them more quickly than previous generations, he went on.

“They want diversity in their work situation,” D’Agostino said. “They don’t want to just do a tax return; they want to do consulting work, they want to do something above and beyond that, they want to do things that are interesting to them, and they want challenges.

“In order for this firm to continue to survive, we have to be flexible and accommodate the next generation,” he went on. “That’s what every firm is dealing with; I’m resistant to change, but things have to change, because this is the next generation of leadership here, and this is how they operate.”

Meanwhile, another change that has taken place at MBK is a greater focus on giving back to the community and getting involved with its many nonprofits and causes, said Reale, who couldn’t speak to how things were 75 years ago, but can point to a dramatic change over the 23 years she has been with the firm.

“Twenty years ago, we would do one or two charity days,” she recalled. “And now, every other Friday, there’s a specific dress-down for charity, and some of our team members pick a special organization each month, and we do something for the community each month, whether it’s a service, or stuff the bus, or bringing in toys for the holidays, or providing needed items for the homeless … as a firm, we’re much more involved.”

As an example, she cited work involving an employee who was born in Ukraine and whose family was still in that country when the war with Russia started.

“When that war began, they needed certain things,” she recalled, adding that a local church put out a call for items, and the firm answered that call. Indeed, clothing and other items were donated by employees and clients alike over several days during tax season.

“You couldn’t walk in our lobby; they took three truckloads of items to that church,” she went on. “And that really hit home because it affected one of our team members.”

This heightened involvement in the community is important to the younger team members at MBK, said D’Agostino, and it’s one of the many cultural traits that will aid efforts to recruit and retain talent.

“They want to feel that the firm is behind certain community activities and certain charities because that’s important to them beyond the work environment,” he said. “Usually, it’s one of the staff people that takes the lead on these initiatives, and they really do enjoy it.”

 

Bottom Line

The photos along the walls in the Founders Room generally speak to another time. Indeed, most of those in the pictures have passed away, and the black-and-white images are stark reminders of just how much technology has advanced and the world has changed.

Still, the partners we spoke with said that, when it comes to the business of accounting and auditing, what truly matters most hasn’t changed since 1948, and it won’t change. This would be the matter of working closely with clients to handle their needs and help them set a course for success. And the ability to do this, as stated earlier, comes down to having people who care.

This has always been the main ingredient in the success formula, and as MBK looks forward to the next 75 years, it isn’t about to change that recipe.

Hayley Procon Takes the Route of a True Entrepreneur

By
Special Coverage Women in Businesss

From the Grounds Up

Hayley Procon

Hayley Procon entered college with the goal of one day getting into broadcast journalism.

In fact, her ambition was to be the “next Erin Andrews,” as she put it, referencing the well-known sideline reporter for FOX on its NFL broadcasts.

“I loved baseball, and I still love baseball; I just wanted to be on the sideline for the Red Sox,” she told BusinessWest, adding that it wasn’t long after arriving at Suffolk University in Boston that she realized that this wasn’t a realistic, or even desirable, goal.

And upon transferring to Springfield College, she would set a new goal — to be her own boss.

“I definitely didn’t want to work for someone else,” she explained, with a note of extreme confidence in her voice. “I didn’t want to put in the work and put in the effort and see someone else basically reap the benefits; I don’t want to work hard for someone else’s success.”

She kept pursuing that goal and made it reality in what would be called a joint venture with her mother, Kristen Procon. Together, they acquired an established business, Common Grounds, a coffee shop on busy Boston Road in Wilbraham, while she was still in college — a venture for which she would win the Spirit Award from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

“I definitely didn’t want to work for someone else. I didn’t want to put in the work and put in the effort and see someone else basically reap the benefits; I don’t want to work hard for someone else’s success.”

Together, the partners made a few subtle changes, building on an existing foundation, and have built on that success story. While doing so, though, they have taken things to a different level, becoming serial entrepreneurs with the opening of Aura Day Spa in Ludlow, a new venture they have taken from the ground up — as opposed to the grounds up with the coffee shop.

As she talked about these ventures, Procon used many of the words and phrases summoned by others profiled over the years in BusinessWest’s Women in Business sections. She said her work has been fun and rewarding, but also challenging and, at times, a little frightening.

In the end, though, she has no second thoughts about the entrepreneurial path she has chosen because she’s ultimately doing what she set out to do back in college — put her name over the door, figuratively if not literally, and sign the front of the paycheck, not the back.

“I really enjoy it,” she said of the entrepreneur’s life. “There are some days when I wish I did the 9-to-5 and went to work for someone else, but I don’t think I would have been happy in the long run.”

 

Bean Entrepreneurial

Procon told BusinessWest that she’d been coming to Common Grounds, a popular spot in the back of a large office and retail plaza on Boston Road, when she was in high school.

The business came onto the market in September 2020 — yes, the height of the pandemic — and, despite the many challenges facing all businesses at that time, but especially those in the broad hospitality sector, Hayley and her mother decided to take the plunge.

Haley Procon and her business partner and mother, Kristen Procon

Haley Procon and her business partner and mother, Kristen Procon, have become true serial entrepreneurs, starting with Common Grounds and then opening Aura Day Spa.

“It was COVID, and everything was still pretty weird,” she recalled, using that word to sum up a time when many consumers were still hunkering down, college students like herself (she was just starting her senior year) were mostly taking courses remotely, and those in hospitality were managing day to day. “We found out it was for sale, we walked in, we sat down with the owner, and we bought it a month later.”

As noted earlier, the two partners took the existing, and fairly successful, business and made some minor but important tweaks, including adjustments to the menu, changing some furniture, extending the hours of operation, and, perhaps most importantly, opening on Sundays.

“Sunday is a good coffee day, a good breakfast day,” Procon said. “But overall, this place has been running great, and we wanted to keep the same vibe; we have a lot of great regulars, and we have great work-of-mouth.”

She said the business draws heavily from the plaza it’s located in, as well as the massive Post Office Park, home to a YMCA and dozens of businesses large and small, just down the street.

While she’s managing her own business, this is certainly not what she was thinking about when she was in college and planning and plotting to work for herself one day — and soon.

“I never thought I’d own a coffee shop … I’ve never worked with coffee before, and I figured, ‘how hard can it be?’” Procon asked rhetorically, before answering the question by saying that every business, even an existing one with a core of loyal customers, comes with a complete set of challenges.

“I just loved the idea of having a spa and building from scratch. My hobby is building; I like taking things from the ground up and just expanding from there. Seeing it from start to finish is something I really wanted to do.”

She said the partners split up the duties of running the business, with her mother handling most of the accounting and bookkeeping responsibilities while she tackles marketing, social media, and many of the day-to-day operations.

It’s a juggling act that was taken to a much higher plane when the two decided to double down, if you will, and take entrepreneurial plunge, this time with a new business, a spa they opened in Ludlow last September called Aura Day Spa.

Unlike Common Grounds, this was something that she aspired to do and has been thinking about for some time now.

“A spa has always been a dream of mine,” she said. “And when we realized how well we did with this place [Common Grounds] and how well we worked together, we kind of looked at each other and said, ‘let’s try to open a spa.’

“Neither one of us is in the cosmetology industry; we don’t do any of the services,” she went on. “But I just loved the idea of having a spa and building from scratch. My hobby is building; I like taking things from the ground up and just expanding from there. Seeing it from start to finish is something I really wanted to do.”

Having a dream and making it a reality are two different things, she acknowledged, adding that she did extensive research into everything from where her spa concept might work (Ludlow was quickly identified as a community in need of such a facility) to what types of services should be offered.

“I was all over the internet looking at spas; I went around here looking at spas, and just pieced together how ours would run,” she told BusinessWest. “We have no experience in the industry, but we did our homework, and here we are.”

That due diligence led to a former dance studio on Holyoke Street that the partners gutted and converted to a facility offering everything from facials to massage; body contouring to a sauna.

The venture is off to a solid start that Procon credits to hiring the right people to provide those services, some aggressive efforts to get the word out about the facility, and continued work researching the industry with an eye toward best practices and the best avenues for achieving results.

“I’m always looking at other places — East Coast, West Coast, just seeing what other places are doing and how to stay up to date in the industry and what we can add,” she said. “I just like to stay on top of all that and find new ways to bring people and add more services.”

Procon dares to ponder where this venture might go next and perhaps the possibility of opening several Aura spas. For now, though, she and her mother have their hands more than full managing these two businesses, as well as the ups and downs and emotional swings that are part of parcel to being business owners.

“It’s a grind,” she said, borrowing another term, sort of, from her coffee-shop business. “I love the idea of being a business owner, and everything falls on you at that point; I just knew that this is exactly what I wanted.

“I realize that the more I put into it, the more I’ll get out of it,” she went on. “I’m excited to get to that point — I know it will take a few years, but we’ll get there.”

 

Skin in the Game

When asked about the path she’s chosen and what she likes about being an entrepreneur, Procon said this life offers her everything she wanted and expected. Well, sort of.

“I like the freedom that it offers,” she explained. “I have very little right now — I’m tied to both of these places for quite a long time, but just being able to show people what we did and what we started and what our goals are, it’s really rewarding, knowing that I’m in here most mornings at 5:30 and then go over to the spa. Some people call me crazy, but it’s very rewarding.”

It is certainly that, and the woman who wanted to be the next Erin Andrews found something much better.

 

Alumni Achievement Award Nominations Due Today

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Time is just about up — all nominations for BusinessWest’s 2023 Alumni Achievement Award are due by 5 p.m. today, May 10. Click here to nominate someone for this award. Only nominations submitted to BusinessWest on this form will be considered. The 2023 honoree will be announced at the 40 Under Forty gala on Thursday, June 15.

When BusinessWest launched its 40 Under Forty program in 2007, it did so to identify rising stars across our region — individuals who were excelling in business and through involvement within the community — and celebrate their accomplishments.

In 2015, BusinessWest announced a new award, one that builds on the foundation upon which 40 Under Forty was created. Called the Alumni Achievement Award, it is presented to the 40 Under Forty honoree who, in the eyes of an independent panel of judges, has most impressively continued and built upon his or her track record of accomplishment. The presenting sponsor of the 2023 Alumni Achievement Award is Health New England.

Past winners include: 2022: Anthony Gleason II, president and co-founder of the Gleason Johndrow Companies (40 Under Forty class of 2010); 2021: Anthony Gulluni, Hampden County district attorney (class of 2015); 2020: Carla Cosenzi, president, TommyCar Auto Group (class of 2012), and Peter DePergola, director of Clinical Ethics, Baystate Health (class of 2015); 2019: Cinda Jones, president, W.D. Cowls Inc. (class of 2007); 2018: Samalid Hogan, regional director, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (class of 2013); 2017: Scott Foster, attorney, Bulkley Richardson (class of 2011), and Nicole Griffin, owner, ManeHire (class of 2014); 2016: Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, president, Allergy & Immunology Associates of New England (class of 2008); and 2015: Delcie Bean, president, Paragus Strategic IT (class of 2008).

Candidates must be from 40 Under Forty classes prior to the year of the award — in this case, classes 2007 to 2022. For your convenience, a list of 40 Under Forty alumni can be found by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom.

UMass Amherst Innovation Challenge Awards $65,000 to Student, Alumni Entrepreneurs

By
Daily News

AMHERST — Ten UMass Amherst students and recent graduates will share $65,000 in equity-free funding to pursue their entrepreneurial endeavors, thanks to the 2023 Innovation Challenge hosted by the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship in the Isenberg School of Management. The center’s premiere pitch event aims to launch novel ideas into scalable, impactful ventures.

The students and Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) represented five teams in the finals of the two-part competition, held in Old Chapel and remotely via livestream from the Mount Ida campus in Newton on May 3. Friends and alumni cheered on the teams in the competition hosted by Gregory Thomas, the Berthiaume Center’s executive director and a lecturer at the Isenberg School of Management.

Computer science and marketing dual major Juliano Wahab ’23 and computer science major Alex Rohrberg ’23 earned $41,000 in equity-free funding for developing Monet. The online platform, which connects artists with art lovers worldwide, was inspired by the mission to support artists by providing a platform to collaborate and connect with potential buyers and monetize their art.

IRON garnered $21,000 in equity-free funding. The brainchild of marketing majors Elijah Mishkind ’21 and Kyle Collins ’19, IRON is an app for the gym, empowering users with frictionless workout tracking and discovery though an addictive user interface.

Noah Martinez ’23 and Aaron Xu ’23, who will be graduating this month with degrees in sport management and computer science, respectively, devised the venture that earned the People’s Choice Award by the viewing party at the Mount Ida campus and $1,000 in equity-free funding. Drafted is an all-inclusive app that aims to streamline the athlete-recruiting process by creating a more casual and social experience intended to boost athlete exposure.

The two remaining teams also earned $1,000 in equity-free funding for their entrepreneurial creations. Finance major Emily Shal ’23 developed Food Near Me, a mobile app designed to simplify the restaurant search process for food lovers, allowing users to filter search results based on distance, food type, and price range. CardVerse, from computer engineering majors Ritik Shah ’23, Jatan Pandya ’23 and Shubham Shah ’23, seeks to revolutionize the multi-billion-dollar collectible-card authentication industry by introducing an automated solution.

“My favorite part of the event was to see the emphasis on the Berthiaume ecosystem,” Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement Michael Malone said. “The Innovation Challenge has been going for 18 years strong, and it’s been a pleasure to watch it grow to include participants and spectators from all over the UMass community.”

The Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship is central in promoting entrepreneurship and innovation across the UMass Amherst campus, region, and state. Headquartered in the Isenberg School of Management, the center has become the central hub of a cross-campus network of scholars, innovators, and entrepreneurs, with a three-fold mission of supporting research, education, and practice, all targeted at facilitating the transformation of ideas into business realities.

The judging panel for the Innovation Challenge included Tara Brewster, director of Philanthropy and vice president of Business Development at Greenfield Savings Bank; Hisao Kushi, co-founder and chief legal officer of Ernesta Home Inc. and co-founder and past chief legal officer of Peloton Interactive Inc.; Bud Robertson, former chief financial officer of Progress Software Corp., member of Launchpad Venture Group, and board member at OpenExchange Inc.; and Erica Swallow, co-founder, co-lead, and Realtor at the Turnberg & Swallow Team of Coldwell Banker.

Business Confidence Nears Pessimistic Territory in April

By
Daily News

BOSTON — Massachusetts employer attitudes toward the economy shifted from optimistic to neutral during April amid concerns about the banking sector and continued interest-rate increases designed to slow inflation.

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index lost 1.4 points to 50.1 last month, its lowest level since December 2020. Confidence was 8.0 points lower than a year ago and essentially even with the 50 mark that separates optimistic from pessimistic outlooks.

The Western Massachusetts Business Confidence Index, developed in collaboration with the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce, rose to 55.4.

Employers are seeing signs of slowing business activity after 10 consecutive interest-rate increases from the Federal Reserve. Another sign of that slowdown came last week when Massachusetts officials reported that corporate and business tax collections fell 3.0% in April from the same month in 2022. And tightening credit conditions pose downside risks to the region’s commercial real-estate market.

“Businesses report that some customers are postponing buying decisions as they evaluate whether the economy is headed for a soft landing or a recession. At the same time, however, the report that U.S. employers created 253,000 jobs in April shows that the employment market continues to defy the gravity of any slowdown,” 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 in March. The confidence employers have in their own companies fell 2.4 points to 53.2, ending the month 6.8 points below April 2022.

The Massachusetts Index assessing business conditions within the Commonwealth lost 0.7 points to 48.6, down 8.7 from a year earlier. The U.S. Index measuring conditions throughout the country rose 1.4 points to 42.4 but remained in pessimistic territory for a seventh consecutive month.

The Current Index, which assesses overall business conditions at the time of the survey, fell 1.4 points to 51.5. The Future Index, measuring projections for the economy six months from now, lost 1.2 points to end the month at 48.8.

The Manufacturing Index edged down 0.2 points to 48.7. Confidence among non-manufacturing companies was down 2.2 points to 51.1.

The Employment Index fell 3.2 points to 51.6, potentially signaling some easing of a persistently tight labor market.

Large companies (51.9) were slightly more optimistic than small companies (50.8) or medium-sized companies (49.0).

Barry Bluestone, retired Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University and a BEA member, said the mixed economic signals should not distract Massachusetts from addressing the important long-term workforce issues facing its economy.

“Massachusetts will ultimately succeed by ensuring that the workers who drive growth have the skills needed by the economy and have the opportunity to find housing that allows them to remain here in the commonwealth,” Bluestone said.

AIM President and CEO John Regan, a BEA member, said employers are also increasingly concerned about the standoff between the White House and Congress about raising the debt ceiling.

“Employers may disagree about federal spending, but no one disagrees that hitting the debt limit will cause significant economic damage,” Regan said. “The members of AIM join others in calling upon elected officials to set aside their disagreements and find a solution.”

Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women to Host Advocacy Day on May 31

By
Daily News

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW) is slated to host its annual Advocacy Day on Wednesday, May 31 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Each May, the commission welcomes hundreds of community activists to the State House to rally behind legislation that increases women’s access to opportunities and equality.

“Advocacy Day has always been a very powerful day for the state and regional commissions,” MCSW Chairwoman Sarah Glenn-Smith said. “It’s a chance to come together and not only really be heard, but be seen, to speak with legislators about issues that affect us, our families, and our community. We hope that you join us to learn about the legislative progress, our legislative priorities, and how we can move the needle for women across the Commonwealth together.”

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, and will be the first in-person Advocacy Day in more than three years. This day comes on the heels of the MCSW announcing its 2023-24 policy priorities for the 193rd legislative session (click here). At the event, the commission will also discuss key findings from public hearings conducted with women throughout the past year across the Commonwealth.

For more information, contact MCSW at (617) 626-6520 or [email protected]. Click here to register here directly.

Springfield Symphony Youth Orchestras to Present Season Finale Concert on May 14

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Symphony Youth Orchestras (SSYO) will hold their season finale performance on Sunday, May 14 at 3 p.m. at Springfield Symphony Hall.

Adult tickets are $20, and admission is free for those under 18. Tickets can be purchased online at springfieldsymphony.org or at the door beginning at 2 p.m.

The SSYO consists of two ensembles, the Springfield Youth Orchestra, which has 35 students, and the Springfield Youth Sinfonia, with 21 students. The Springfield Youth Orchestra (SYO) is conducted by Jonathan Lam, and Matt Bertuzzi is conductor of the Springfield Youth Sinfonia (SYS).

The SYO and SYS are merit-based orchestras sponsored by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra for talented young musicians, through grade 12, living in the Pioneer Valley and beyond. Musicians rehearse weekly. Those interested in auditioning to become part of the SSYO for the next season should contact Rocio Mora at [email protected].

SSO Labor Deal Strikes Right Chord

By
Opinion

Editorial

 

Last week’s announcement of a new, two-year labor agreement between Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Local 171 of the American Federation of Musicians is, undoubtedly, good news. And the press conference at which it was announced, attended by SSO board members, union musicians, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, and others, was all warmth — and a palpable sense of relief.

That’s because it ended an awkward period, starting during the pandemic and extending well beyond, in which an expired contract turned into a divorce of sorts, with the union musicians forming a separate organization, Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MOSSO), and scheduling smaller-scale concerts throughout the region.

As part of the agreement, MOSSO will live on as the renamed Springfield Chamber Players, ensuring that the SSO continues to produce full symphony concerts, while transitioning chamber concerts to the new entity.

So, maybe divorce is the wrong word. Maybe separation is more appropriate, because no one involved — not the SSO’s leadership, board, or the musicians themselves — thought a permanent dissolution was a good idea. That’s why the atmosphere at the May 4 announcement was so festive, and why SSO President and CEO Paul Lambert and Local 171 President Beth Welty repeatedly expressed their admiration for each other and for the way the other handled the long negotiation process — which, let’s not forget, included an unfair labor practice complaint by the musicians’ union registered with the National Labor Relations Board (which has, of course, been dropped).

So, labor peace has been achieved, and everyone’s ready to make beautiful music together.

For now.

As noted, the labor agreement — which guarantees musicians annual raises and a minimum of eight concerts per year — applies only to the next two seasons 2023-24 and 2024-25. The hope is that it will serve as a framework for future negotiations, because, again, no one wants the SSO imperiled.

After all, the Springfield Symphony is one part of a downtown renaissance in Springfield that relies on a number of drivers — from the Thunderbirds to MGM to the club district — as well as a plan for more housing and mixed-use development, to continue an era of revitalization. And the SSO is also a critical element in the arts and culture scene in Western Mass. as a whole, one of its more attractive tourism drivers and quality-of-life elements.

In addition to the agreement between the SSO and Local 171, the city of Springfield has pledged $280,000 over two years in financial support for SSO youth educational programming, underscoring the organization’s generational importance.

Now, it’s up to the business and philanthropic communities, as well as area residents, to support these performances and the SSO itself. But it’s also up to the organization and its musicians to guard against another messy separation — or worse.

Joe Bednar Named Editor at BusinessWest

By
Opinion

Joe Bednar, long-time senior writer at BusinessWest magazine, has been named editor of the publication, succeeding long-time Editor George O’Brien, who is retiring after nearly 30 years in that role.

Bednar, who joined BusinessWest 22 years ago, said he is looking forward to continuing its long history of being the region’s go-to source for business news and information and building on a solid foundation of excellence.

“BusinessWest has established itself as the clear leader when it comes to being a voice for the region’s business community and keeping it informed of the latest news, trends, challenges, and opportunities,” Bednar said. “I’m excited about the challenge of continuing this track record of excellence and building on everything we’ve accomplished since 1984.

“As the magazine prepares to celebrate 40 years of carrying out its important mission,” he went on, “I want to raise the bar higher and then clear that bar when it comes to the quality of what we do and how we meet the changing needs of the region’s business community.”

Bednar has been a journalist in the region for almost 30 years. A 1991 graduate of Evangel College in Springfield, Mo., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and English, he broke into the newspaper business with the Waterbury Republican-American in Connecticut, and later worked as a reporter for the Westfield Evening News.

He was recruited to BusinessWest in 2001 and used his writing and editing skills to help the magazine expand its coverage of area businesses, trends, and issues. He played key roles in the growth and development of BusinessWest’s sister publication, the Healthcare News, and the expansion of BusinessWest from a monthly to a twice-monthly publication in 2005.

Later, as BusinessWest expanded into events, such as Forty Under 40, Difference Makers, Healthcare Heroes, and Women of Impact, he became known for his poignant profiles of honorees and his work behind the microphone at events, especially as one of the emcees for Forty Under 40 each June.

“I grew up believing I’d one day write the great American novel, but eventually accepted that wasn’t in the cards,” Bednar said. “Instead, I’ve developed a passion for telling other people’s stories — several thousand of them, in fact, over the past three decades. I’m so grateful that so many people have taken the time to share their stories with me — how they got into business, their struggles and victories, how they contend with the challenges facing all businesses today.

“And I enjoy going beyond what they do for a living, writing about who they are, what they value, and what their passions are, both at work and outside of it,” he went on. “Their stories inspire me, and I’m beyond proud to keep bringing them to our readers in this new role.”

Kate Campiti, associate publisher of BusinessWest, said that, given his vast experience with the publication, knowledge of the area and its business community, and commitment to taking BusinessWest to the next level, Bednar was the logical choice to become its next editor.

“Joe isn’t just a writer and editor — he’s a trusted source,” she said. “He’s a resource for this region and its business community.”

When he’s not working, Bednar enjoys live music, cryptic crosswords, and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, compliance director at Appleton Corp. in Holyoke; his college-bound son, Nathan; and their three dogs.

He added, “I want to thank George O’Brien, who has been a mentor, example, and constant support in my career for more than two decades. I appreciate him more than he knows. And I told him I’ll start wearing ties, but we’ll see.”

Picture This

By
Girls Inc. of the Valley’s annual signature event on April 28
Picture This

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

 

Spirit of Girls

Girls Inc. of the Valley’s annual signature event on April 28 exceeded its fundraising goal of $100,000, thanks to the support from corporate sponsors, including lead sponsor PeoplesBank, and generous individual donors. About 400 people attended “Spirit of Girls: Hall of Fame,” where they heard from current students, alumni, and parent speakers about the impact Girls Inc. programs have had on them. More than 50 volunteers worked to make this event happen. Funds raised directly support free summer programming for youth in Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee, and beyond.

Girls Inc. of the Valley’s annual signature event on April 28

Girls Inc. of the Valley’s annual signature event on April 28

 

 

Seamless Transition

Maria Toyoda (left), provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs Western New England University (WNE), and Holyoke Community College (HCC) President Christina Royal recently signed a joint admissions agreement intended to strengthen existing academic and student-support partnerships and facilitate an easier transfer pathway for eligible HCC students to attend WNE after they complete their associate degrees and meet other conditions. Students who satisfy the requirements are eligible for several benefits, including guaranteed acceptance and junior status at WNE.

Maria Toyoda (left), provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs Western New England University (WNE), and Holyoke Community College (HCC) President Christina Royal recently signed a joint admissions

Maria Toyoda (left), provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs Western New England University (WNE), and Holyoke Community College (HCC) President Christina Royal recently signed a joint admissions

 

 

Reading and Talking

Throughout May, Mental Health Awareness Month, MiraVista Behavioral Health Center is partnering with Holyoke Public Library and Springfield’s city libraries to encourage awareness and conversations on the topic of mental wellness. Displays of books and other materials dealing with mental health are on display to promote understanding around mental health and encourage similar collaborations for libraries to become better resources on the topic.

Pictured: Jean Canosa Albano (left), assistant director for Public Services at Springfield Central Library, and Maria Pagan, director of Holyoke Public Library.

Pictured: Jean Canosa Albano (left), assistant director for Public Services at Springfield Central Library, and Maria Pagan, director of Holyoke Public Library.

 

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.

 

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT

Dan Pellerin v. Springfield Plumbing Supply Co. Inc. and Donald Barnard Jr.

Allegation: Consumer fraud and negligence resulting in theft of funds from plaintiff: $22,454.52

Filed: 1/11/23

 

Jessica Pena v. Equitas Tahoe LLC, Family Dollar Stores of Massachusetts LLC, and Spartan Concrete Services Inc.

Allegation: Negligence and failure to warn, causing personal injury: $24,264

Filed: 1/18/23

 

Michelle Correa v. Madison Square Realty Management Inc. et al.

Allegation: Negligence; trip and fall causing personal injury: $25,000

Filed: 3/24/23

 

Julia Makusiewicz v. Dyeisha Terry, PV Holding Corp. d/b/a Avis Rent-A-Car System LLC, and Sedgwick Claim Management Inc.

Allegation: Motor-vehicle negligence causing personal injury: $4,094.50

Filed: 4/4/23

Agenda

By
Agenda

Mother’s Day Brunch, Concert

May 14: Judd’s Restaurant at Gateway City Arts has a full schedule of events planned for Mother’s Day, beginning with its Sunday brunch, served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Following brunch at 2 p.m. will be a benefit concert for Safe Passage, featuring “Fantasie for Flute and Piano,” performed by Mosaic, the flute/piano duo of Sue Kurian and Meg Kelsey Wright. The concert, which is free and open to the public, will feature a kaleidoscope of unusual pieces: two fantasies by Gabriel Fauré and Albert Franz Doppler; two tangos by Astor Piazzolla and Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth; a folk-like, jazzy theme and variation by New Hampshire composer Gwyneth Walker; a haunting nocturne for alto flute and piano by Norwegian composer Johan Kvandal; and flute and piano solos by Arthur Honegger and Clara Schumann. The concert is part of the classical-music series at Gateway City Arts sponsored by GLC, the venue’s nonprofit arm. Donations for Safe Passage will be accepted at the door. Safe Passage provides survivors with the support and information to keep themselves and their children safe and to rebuild their lives in the wake of domestic violence. Learn more at safepass.org. Visit tableagent.com/springfield/judds-restaurant to make Mother’s Day brunch reservations.

 

Great Golf Escape

May 15: The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield (YPS) will host its 15th annual Great Golf Escape event starting at 10 a.m. at the Country Club of Wilbraham. Check-in begins at 9 a.m. The cost for this event is $125 for individual YPS members, $500 for a YPS member foursome team captain, $150 for individual non-members, and $600 for a non-member foursome team captain. There will be prizes, a hole-in-one contest with a cash prize, a poker challenge, and more. Registration includes lunch, post-golf dinner, and giveaways. Visit www.springfieldyps.com/events.html#!event/register/2023/5/15/great-golf-escape-2023 to register. This event is open to the public, so there is no need to be a YPS member to play. However, members will receive a free mulligan, entry into the door-prize raffle, and more. The event’s presenting sponsor is PeoplesBank. Other sponsors include Beauty Batlles Lounge, Brown and Brown Insurance, Caring Medical Staffing, Chikmedia, DDS Acoustical Specialties, HUB International, Kyle Sullivan, LiftTruck Parts & Service, LUSO Federal Credit Union, Monson Savings Bank, Raymond James, UMass Dining, and Visual Sound Production.

 

‘A Journey of Hope and Recovery’ Walkathon

May 21: The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Western Massachusetts (NAMI-WM) will hold its 23rd annual Walkathon Celebration, “A Journey of Hope and Recovery,” at the Stanley Park Beveridge Pavilion Annex starting at 11 a.m. Registration begins at 10 a.m. The event is suitable for all ages and abilities and will directly benefit the organization’s continuing efforts to help improve the lives of those individuals living with mental-health conditions and their families. The festivities will include guest speakers, fun activities, raffles, and more. People can help NAMI-WM continue its mission by participating in this walkathon as an individual or team and/or sponsoring the event. For more information, call (413) 786-9139 or visit www.namiwm.org/events for pledge and sponsorship forms. Volunteers are needed.

 

You Ball Fundraising Gala

June 1: The Springfield Pride Parade organization announced the inaugural You Ball Fundraising Gala, taking place at 6 p.m. in MGM Springfield’s Aria Ballroom. With a Met Gala-inspired Fabergè egg theme, the You Ball will celebrate the diverse beauty, uniqueness, and prestige of the LGBTQIA+ community. The gala will feature music, dining options, performances, and conversations with parade organizers and Springfield city officials. Proceeds from the You Ball Fundraising Gala will directly support the Springfield Pride Parade organization’s Safe Space program, which provides Springfield public-school students with a safe environment to effectively communicate, build self-confidence, work on their social and emotional skills, develop healthy relationships, and focus on community engagement. Sponsored by MassMutual, MGM Springfield, Springfield Technical Community College, and the Springfield Department of Health and Human Services, the event aims to be an inspirational evening to celebrate and honor the region’s LGBTQIA+ and ally business owners, professionals, and community leaders. For more information on You Ball tickets, table sponsorships, and gala program marketing inquiries, visit www.springfieldprideparade.org/youball.

 

Free Shred Days

June 10, Sept. 23, Oct. 14: Monson Savings Bank will once again host free community shred days in 2023. As in previous years, Monson Savings Bank is partnering up with PROSHRED of Wilbraham for this series of events welcoming the public to discard their documents in a safe and secure manner. This is an ideal opportunity to dispose of unwanted documents such as tax returns, bank or credit-card statements, bills, and medical records. Pre-packaged refreshments and giveaways will be available while supplies last. Shred days are scheduled for Saturday, June 10 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hampden branch, 15 Somers Road; Saturday, Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Ware branch, 136 West St.; and Saturday, Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Wilbraham branch, 100 Post Office Park.

 

40 Under Forty

June 15: BusinessWest will host the annual 40 Under Forty Gala at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. One of the most anticipated events of the year, the gala will celebrate the class of 2023, which is announced and profiled in this issue of BusinessWest and at businesswest.com. The gala will feature a VIP hour for the honorees and sponsors, networking, the presentation of the Alumni Achievement Award, and introduction of members of the class of 2022. For more information or to purchase tickets, go HERE. This year’s 40 Under Forty presenting sponsor is PeoplesBank, and the 40 Under Forty Alumni Achievement Award presenting sponsor is Health New England. Partner sponsors include Comcast Business, Live Nation, the Markens Group, MGM Springfield, Mercedes-Benz of Springfield, the UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management, and Webber & Grinnell Insurance.

 

Hooplandia

June 23-25: Registration for Hooplandia, a 3×3 basketball tournament and festival, is now open at www.hooplandia.com and includes levels of play for all ages and divisions. The tournament, presented by the Eastern States Exposition (ESE) and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, will take place on the grounds of ESE in West Springfield June 23-25, with special games at the Hall of Fame in Springfield. The event is expected to attract thousands of fans and players as hundreds of games take place across more than 70 courts. Divisions of play have been created to provide an all-inclusive environment for players of all ages and playing abilities. With brackets that include veterans, first responders, youth, wheelchair athletes, college elites, and many more, there’s a spot on the court for everyone. Players are invited to build teams of four, create their own unique team name and uniforms, and register at www.hooplandia.com. Team fees range from $75 to $190, with children under 8 and participants in the Special Olympics category being free of charge. Anyone interested should email [email protected]. Hooplandia welcomes participation from youth team referees, scorekeepers, Fan Village contest facilitators, and volunteers for myriad duties to help make this inaugural year a success. Those interested in participating in this groundbreaking event can fill out the volunteer form at www.hooplandia.com.

 

People on the Move

By
People on the Move
George Timmons

George Timmons

The Holyoke Community College (HCC) board of trustees voted in favor of George Timmons — currently provost and senior vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Columbia Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y. — as the next president of HCC. He is expected to start his term as HCC’s fifth president the last week of June. Christina Royal, who has led HCC since January 2017, will officially step away on July 14; her last three weeks will overlap with Timmons’ first three at HCC. Timmons, 61, holds a Ph.D. in higher-education administration from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio; a master’s degree in higher education from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., and a bachelor’s degree in financial management from Norfolk State University, also in Norfolk, Va. He has held his position as provost and senior vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Columbia-Greene Community College since 2019. Before that, he worked at Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y., where he held a number of administrative positions culminating with dean of the School of Liberal Arts.

•••••

Bethany Mauri

Bethany Mauri

Jason Waisnor

Jason Waisnor

Priscilla Ramos

Priscilla Ramos

Dietz & Co. Architects Inc. recently welcomed three new employees, all in the role of architectural staff, to the firm. Bethany Mauri earned bachelor of architecture and bachelor of building science degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to joining Dietz & Co., she worked for firms in Albany, N.Y., and Connecticut, and as a freelance architectural designer. She has primarily worked on projects in the K-12 education sector but also has experience with retail and residential projects. Jason Waisnor has spent his career thus far working for architecture firms in New York City, where he focused on housing and sustainable redevelopment. He also completed work for the hospitality and gaming industries earlier in his career. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s of architecture degrees from Roger Williams University. He enjoys working on preservation projects and specializes in historic restoration, renovation/interior fit-outs, and housing projects. Priscilla Ramos earned a master of architecture degree from Hampton University and has spent a number of years working for firms in New York City in multiple market sectors, specializing in programming and spatial relationships. Project types she has worked on include single- and multi-family housing, education, and transportation. Outside of architecture, she has experience with engineering, code consulting, and work with the National Park Service.

•••••

Zelda Harris

Zelda Harris

Western New England University (WNE) announced that Zelda Harris, currently the director of the Dan K. Webb Center for Advocacy and Mary Ann G. McMorrow professor of Law at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, has been appointed the incoming dean of Western New England University School of Law, starting Aug. 1. For more than a decade, Harris has been responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Loyola University Chicago Law School’s Center for Advocacy, including curriculum development for both the JD certificate and LLM degree programs in advocacy. Under her leadership, the school’s trial-advocacy program became nationally ranked. Prior to joining Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Harris served as a clinical professor of Law and director of the Domestic Violence Law Clinic, a multi-disciplinary clinical program, at the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law. She also co-directed the Child and Family Law Clinic. Prior to her time at Arizona, Harris was a staff attorney in the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern University School of Law. She began her practice as an attorney at Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation in Alton, Ill.

•••••

Mel O’Leary Jr.

Mel O’Leary Jr.

Meredith-Springfield Associates Inc., a plastics manufacturer specializing in bottles and hollow technical articles manufactured through extrusion blow molding and injection stretch blow molding, announced that President and CEO Mel O’Leary Jr. was honored on April 13 for his two decades as a second-chance employer as part of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office’s All-Inclusive Support Services (AISS). The award was presented by Hampden County Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi during the 24th annual AISS graduation ceremony at the Cedars in Springfield. AISS helps formerly incarcerated people in all aspects of their lives as they move from incarceration into the community. In addition to educational and employment support, it offers a comprehensive range of services, such as parenting groups, assistance accessing housing and food benefits, behavioral-health and addiction-recovery services, and support groups. In 2019, Cocchi opened AISS to anyone in the community in addition to the justice-involved population.

•••••

Deborah Dart

Deborah Dart

Carol Campbell, president and CEO of Chicopee Industrial Contractors (CIC), announced the promotion of Deborah Dart to vice president of Operations. Dart started her career at CIC as a work-study student at Chicopee High School and has held many roles with the company. Her responsibilities include overseeing day-to-day operations and scheduling. Chicopee Industrial Contractors is a leader in relocation service and machinery installations, celebrating more than 30 years in business.

•••••

Paul Mokrzecki

Paul Mokrzecki

Tony Worden, president and CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank, announced that Paul Mokrzecki has joined the team as senior vice president of Government Banking. Mokrzecki brings more than 40 years of experience in the public and private sectors, with a focus on providing banking solutions to municipal clients. He has been responsible for establishing, growing, and maintaining Government Banking departments for two local banks in the past. He has also served as the Finance director, treasurer, and collector for the town of Greenfield, where he oversaw all aspects of financial operations. Prior to that, he was the elected treasurer and collector for the town of Hadley. He holds an MBA from UMass Amherst. He is a certified municipal treasurer, a certified municipal collector, and a member of the Massachusetts Collectors and Treasurers Assoc.

•••••

Anthony Arevalo

Anthony Arevalo

Best Western Plus Berkshire Hills Inn & Suites promoted Anthony Arevalo to the position of director of Operations for Best Western Plus Berkshire Hills Inn and Suites in Pittsfield. Arevado will be responsible for day-to-day operations of all departments and ensuring customer satisfaction. In addition, he will work with General Manager Kevin Martin to increase group sales and general revenue management for the hotel. He has been a member of the team for two years, working in maintenance, front desk, and sales. Growing up in California, Arevado worked on the customer-service side of the wedding and function industry and in manufacturing of new housing developments.

•••••

Ian Megraw

Ian Megraw

bankESB recently promoted Ian Megraw to information technology officer. Megraw joined bankESB in 2016 as a systems administrator. He has seven years of experience in banking and brings many strengths that have significantly contributed to the success of the IT department and the bank’s conversions since joining the team. He is a respected manager, strong technician, and an important part of the growing Hometown Financial Group family. Megraw earned an associate degree in Business Administration and Network Administration from John Abbott College.

•••••

The board of directors of Big Y announced the appointment of Tenneille McFarlane-Smart as director of the newly created Project Management Office. As director, she will be responsible for all project activity across all divisions at Big Y, including Big Y Supermarkets, Big Y Express Gas and Convenience, Big Y at Fresh Acres, and Table and Vine. She will serve as a liaison between Information Resources Technology and all business units to track strategic projects centrally for visibility, prioritization, and resource allocation. In addition, she will provide guidance and support for these initiatives toward timely and successful strategic project delivery. She reports to Michael D’Amour, chief operating officer. McFarlane-Smart’s work experience expands across many different industries. In 2005, she served as associate project manager supporting new business development for J. Walter Thompson, an international advertising agency in New York City. Two years later, she moved to Voya Financial in Connecticut, where she held several roles, starting as a business analyst lead for Retirement Services IT, then a continuous-improvement change agent by 2013 and, finally, project manager for Retirement Services IT. In 2019, she joined Envision Pharma Group as a senior IT project manager before becoming chief of staff in the office of the CEO from 2021 until the present. McFarlane-Smart holds a BBA from Pace University, an MBA from Bay Path University, and a JD from Western New England University School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in the state of Connecticut. She is a certified project-management professional, a credential from the internationally recognized Project Management Institute. She serves on the executive board of directors of the Pathlight Foundation, a nonprofit that supports individuals with developmental disabilities. She also volunteers for the Connecticut Bar Assoc. Pro Bono Legal Advice Clinic.

•••••

Florence Bank promoted Candace Pereira to the role of vice president, commercial lender. Since 2018, she has worked at Florence Bank as assistant vice president, commercial portfolio manager in the Commercial Lending department. In her new role, she will concentrate on commercial and industrial lending, as well as lending to women-owned businesses. Pereira holds an associate degree in finance from Springfield Technical Community College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. She is currently pursuing an MBA from Isenberg as well. She began her career in banking in 2003 and has held various roles at mutually held and stockholder-owned banks in Western Mass., in both residential and commercial lending. Recently named an ambassador for the Springfield Regional Chamber, Pereira is also a member of the BusinessWest 40 Under Forty class of 2017, and she attended the Springfield Leadership Institute. She has served on various local boards over the last several years and has also volunteered as an athletic coach in East Longmeadow, where her daughter is a student.

•••••

Dennis Gober, a longtime executive in hospital management, has been named chief operating officer of MiraVista Behavioral Health Center. Gober served previously as CEO in Oklahoma of Cedar Ridge Behavioral Hospital, whose campus in Oklahoma City provides inpatient psychiatric and residential services to children and adolescents, and its Bethany campus, which serves the mental-health needs of adults. Cedar Ridge is part of Universal Health Services, one of the largest providers of hospital and healthcare services in the country. Gober, who holds a master’s degree in community counseling, has held several other senior-level positions, CEO for Acadia Healthcare’s Rolling Hills Hospital in Ada, Okla., which provides mental-health and substance-use services for adolescents, adults, and seniors, and division director of community-based youth services for the state of Oklahoma. As a licensed behavioral practioner, Gober also served as the Director of the Community Works’ Norman Academy Day Treatment Program leading treatment teams, and providing individual, group, and family therapy. He received a master of education degree in community counseling and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Company Notebook

By
Company Notebook

HCC Receives Pledge of Historic $10 Million Gift

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) received a pledge of more than $10 million, the largest single gift commitment in the college’s 77-year history and one of the largest gifts ever to any community college. The pledged gift is included in the estate plan of HCC alumna Margaret (Peg) Wendlandt ’58 and her husband, Gary Wendlandt, longtime supporters and frequent donors to the college. The money, estimated to be at least $10 million, will go toward student scholarships and the college’s greatest needs. The Wendlandts’ many gifts to the college in their lifetime already total more than $1 million and include donations to the President’s Student Emergency Fund and two endowed scholarships administered by the HCC Foundation: the Peg ’58 and Gary Wendlandt Scholarship, for students with financial need; and the Peg ’58 and Gary Wendlandt Health Scholarship, for students in nursing or health-related fields. In each of the past three years, the Wendlandts have made matching gift donations of $100,000 during the HCC Foundation’s one-day “Together HCC: Drive to Change Lives” fundraising campaign. Their $10 million-plus gift will be among the largest so far to any community college in the U.S., rivaling a $15 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott to Amarillo College in Texas in 2021 and a $10 million gift to Arapahoe Community College in Colorado from the Sturm Family Foundation in 2019.

 

WNE School of Law Recognized Among Nation’s Best Law Schools

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University’s (WNE) School of Law recently earned a spot on the Princeton Review’s “Best Law Schools for 2023” list. The Princeton Review’s rankings are based on data the company gathers from surveys of administrators at the law schools, as well as surveys of students attending the schools, who rate and report on their experiences at them. The rankings for 2023 are based on surveys of administrators at 168 law schools in 2021-22 and surveys of 17,000 students enrolled in the schools over the past three academic years. More than 60 data points are factored into the company’s rankings. Founded more than a century ago to provide legal education to underrepresented populations, the WNE School of Law today welcomes students from all walks of life who are seeking a rigorous education that blends theory, skills, and ethical values. The School of Law’s Center for Social Justice fosters student interest in establishing a more equitable and just society and serves as a focal point for community engagement through research, innovation, education, and advocacy.

 

UMassFive Federal Credit Union Joins MassHousing Program

HADLEY — UMassFive College Credit Union announced it is offering MassHousing loans to its members in partnership with Member Advantage Mortgage, its mortgage service organization. As a community-focused financial institution, UMassFive is always looking for more ways to make a positive difference in the financial lives of its members. Joining the MassHousing program contributes to this aim by helping to make homeownership accessible to more prospective buyers. MassHousing is an independent agency created in 1966, charged with providing financing for affordable housing in Massachusetts. It offers proprietary products, including down-payment assistance; affordable, straightforward terms; and unique mortgage insurance. UMassFive and partner Member Advantage Mortgage are excited to offer these options to their membership. The MassHousing program offers benefits including down-payment assistance up to $50,000; loans with affordable rates that are fixed for the life of the loan; and MIPlus, a unique mortgage insurance that includes job-loss protection. MassHousing has already helped more than 70,000 Massachusetts residents buy a home in the Commonwealth. To learn more about MassHousing and potential eligibility, visit umassfive.coop/mahousing.

 

Springfield College Recognized by Campus Prevention Network

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College has been named a recipient of the Campus Prevention Network (CPN) Seal of Prevention. Presented by Vector Solutions, the CPN Seal of Prevention is awarded to institutions of higher education that have demonstrated leadership in digital prevention programming focused on student safety, well-being, and inclusion. Each recipient of the CPN Seal of Prevention has taken action to create a safer, more inclusive campus through comprehensive, evidence-based digital prevention education on issues such as sexual assault, alcohol misuse, mental health, and discrimination. It establishes guidelines for discerning quality online prevention education and implementation practices, and positions prevention as central to key institutional outcomes. At Springfield College, incoming students complete three courses: “AlcoholEdu” (first-year and transfer students), “Sexual Assault Prevention” (all new undergraduate, graduate, and regional and online students), and “Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging for Students” (all new students). Sophomores complete “Sexual Assault Prevention Ongoing: Healthy Relationships,” juniors complete “Sexual Assault Prevention Ongoing: Taking Action,” and student-athletes complete “Sexual Assault Prevention for Student-Athletes.” In addition, all new employees complete “Title IX and Sexual Harassment Prevention” (supervisor or non-supervisor courses), “FERPA: Confidentiality of Records,” “Data Security & Privacy,” and “Managing Bias.”

 

Cooley Dickinson Hospital Receives $450,000 Grant for Alzheimer’s Services

NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson Hospital has a received a $450,000 grant from the Eisenberg Family Trust to provide free services to older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and the family members who care for them. The grant funds the Pioneer Valley Memory Care Initiative (PVMCI), a collaborative program that empowers older adults with dementia to improve their quality of life through personalized support in coordination with their medical care. PVMCI was founded in 2020 with the support of the Eisenberg Family Trust. Over the past three years, the program has provided personalized services to nearly 200 patients with dementia and their family members. It has also hosted family support groups and educational programming, facilitated training for volunteers at partnering organizations, and convened local nonprofits to coordinate services. All these activities were made possible through the Eisenberg Family Trust’s grant funding and in part by a grant from Highland Valley Elder Services through funding under the Federal Older Americans Act. With the renewed grant funding from the Eisenberg Family Trust, PVMCI can deepen support for patients with Alzheimer’s and their families.

 

Bradley Unveils New Identity-verification Technology

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — The Connecticut Airport Authority announced the launch of CLEAR and its biometric identity-verification technology at Bradley International Airport. CLEAR already serves nine of Bradley’s top 10 domestic destinations, allowing members traveling through the airport to use CLEAR on both ends of their journey. Nationally, it offers an expedited security program at 52 airports, serving more than 15 million members. Members use CLEAR’s network of dedicated lanes to verify their identity with their eyes or fingers, replacing the need to take out their wallet and driver’s license. After verification, a CLEAR ambassador escorts members through the dedicated lane and directly to TSA physical security, saving them time waiting in line at the security checkpoint. CLEAR’s launch at Bradley is expected to create 23 jobs and generate approximately $1.2 million in local economic activity every year. CLEAR Plus, an opt-in membership that provides access to CLEAR’s expedited identity-verification lanes, costs about $16 a month billed annually, with discounts available for Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Express members. Newly enrolling active military, veterans, and government officials are also eligible for discounted memberships, and additional family members can be added to an existing CLEAR Plus account for $60 per adult per year.

 

Berkshire Museum Offers Foster Families Free Admission

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Museum announced a partnership with Wonderfund, a nonprofit working with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families to provide enrichment opportunities to foster children and families. Under this program, foster families receive free admission to Berkshire Museum for two adults and two children. Free admission to the museum also gives families access to museum programs such as WeeMuse Littlest Learners, a weekly, educator-led activity for infants and toddlers to spark curiosity with hands-on cognitive and social experiences, on Thursdays from 4 to 4:45 p.m. The museum’s aquarium also hosts Discovery Tank, an educator-led program, on Fridays from 3 to 4 p.m., featuring the animals of the aquarium’s tide pool and demonstrating the behavior and life of crustaceans, sea urchins, starfish, and many other creatures of the shallows.

 

Springfield Thunderbirds Raise $30,000 for Rays of Hope

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Thunderbirds announced a donation of $30,000 to Rays of Hope as a result of proceeds from the live jersey auction during the T-Birds’ sixth annual Pink in the Rink game on March 11. Thunderbirds President Nathan Costa and Vice President of Sales & Strategy Todd McDonald presented a check to Rays of Hope earlier this week inside the MassMutual Center. This year’s Pink in the Rink game set new records for total funds generated, and the MassMutual Center came out in full force with a sixth straight Pink night sellout crowd of 6,793. Established during the T-Birds’ inaugural season in 2016-17, Pink in the Rink serves as a kickoff to the Rays of Hope fundraising efforts each March to shine a light on breast-cancer awareness outside of the traditional October awareness month. Each year, the fundraising efforts culminate in the annual Rays of Hope Walk & Run in October. Since the establishment of this staple night, the Thunderbirds have generated more than $100,000 for the Rays of Hope Foundation, all of which stays local in Western Mass. in hopes of finding a cure. Proceeds for this donation were raised primarily via the post-game live jersey auction, as every Thunderbirds player had his jersey sold to directly benefit Rays of Hope. In addition, Chris Hayes, general manager of Oak View Group Hospitality, the food and beverage partner for the MassMutual Center, contributed toward the donation total through the sales of Pink Whitney beverages throughout the evening.

 

Health New England Earns Award for Workplace Wellness

SPRINGFIELD — The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) awarded Health New England its Well Workplace Award at the gold level. The awards recognize organizations that contribute to workplace health and employees’ ability to lead healthy, resilient, and fulfilling lives through their wellness efforts. WELCOA, a membership organization for health promotion and wellness professionals, judged employers over seven benchmarks, including support for the whole employee, support for a health-promoting environment, policies and practices, commitment of leadership, and meaningful data collection. Health New England’s employees have access to the same health programs the insurer offers its customers. Its Healthy Directions worksite wellness programs include reimbursements for fitness and wellness activities, nutritional counseling, tobacco-cessation programs, health education, and more. Health New England has been honored in past years with the Well Workplace Award at the bronze level. In 2022, the company concentrated even more on expanding its programs and ensuring its employees understand the resources available to support their mental, physical, and emotional health.

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.

CHICOPEE

Andrew Placzek Electrician Inc., 96 Lord Ter., Chicopee, MA 01020. Andrew Placzek, same. Residential and commercial electrical work.

Jack Watson Realtor Inc., 71 Ames Ave., Chicopee, MA 01013. Jack Watson, same. Real-estate sales.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Tony’s FBS Inc., 60 Shaker Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Dino Isotti, same. Barber shop.

EASTHAMPTON

Megan Shaughnessy-Mogill Psychotherapy Inc., 9 West Green St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Megan Shaughnessy-Mogill, same. Psychotherapy and mental-health resources.

HOLYOKE

NKD Inc., 98 Lower Westfield Road, Holyoke, MA 01040. Sack Keomoungsong, 400 Walker St., Lowell, MA 01850. Individual and family services, maintenance.

PITTSFIELD

Pramukhji Corp., 268 Wahconah St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Kalpeshkumar Patel, 11 Old Middlesex Turnpike, Chelmsford, MA 01824. Liquor store.

SOUTH HADLEY

Rob Thomas Fitness Inc., 6 Grant St., South Hadley, MA 01075. Robert J. Thomas, same. Health, fitness, and wellness care and training.

SPRINGFIELD

Bostonomics Trucking Inc., 43 Fenwick St., Springfield, MA 01109. Eric Adjei Frimpong, same. Trucking services.

Consolidated Singh MD P.C., 299 Carew St., Springfield, MA, 01104. Arminder Singh, 89 Mapleshade Ave., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Medical practice.

Judkins Construction Inc., 65 Edgeland St., Springfield, MA 01108. Victor Judkins, same. Construction services.

Willow Practice Management Inc., 299 Carew St., Springfield, MA 01104. Kerry Valley, 89 Mapleshade Ave., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Medical practice management and consulting.

WARE

Snows Surf Inc., 136 Pleasant St., Ware, MA 01082. Andrew Norton, same. Restaurant.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

FC Installation Inc., 49 Windsor St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Florin Condorachi, same. Flooring-installation specialists.

Doing Business as Certificates

By
DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the month of April 2023.

AMHERST

Elements Hot Tub Spa
373 Main St.
Todd Thibodeau

Fusako Yamagiwa
85 Olympia Dr., Apt. 11
Fusako Yamagiwa

If Wishes Were Horses
321 Main St.
Kay Gregory

Kenos & Kenos Ventures
131D Brittany Manor
Kingsley Onyeukwu

Law Office of Peter Vickery
27 Pray St.
Peter Vickery

NESF
460 West St., #11
Jacob Smith

The Panda Hot Zone
497 East Pleasant St., Apt. 103
Rafael Perez

Rivka Solomon
145 University Dr., #3582
Rebecca Edelson

Sebastian Management
48 Fairfield St.
David Sebastian

Sovereign City Pressure Washing
75 Cowls Road
George Vazquez

West Street Coffee & Tea LLC
450 West St.
Christopher Rollins

HADLEY

Carroll Consulting
66 Moody Bridge Road
Theodore Carroll

Gohyang Restaurant
113 Russell St.
Hoon Song

J&J Brothers Tacos & Mini Market
41 Russell St.
Eliana Taveras

MAP Maintenance
56 Stockbridge St.
Richard Perry

Pioneer Valley Storage
333 Rocky Hill Road
Stadium Storage Inc.

Seneca Consortium LLC
5 Moody Bridge Road
Jean Forray

Subway
337 Russell St.
Frank Patel

Susanne Moser Research & Consulting
4 Kozera Ave.
Susanne Moser

PITTSFIELD

Berkshire Camino LLC
437 North St.
Mindy Miraglia

Edwin A&C Construction
23 Pleasure Ave.
Edwin Guerrero Umana

Future-Hope
341 West St.
Tinamarie Smith

Get Striped
20 Brooks Ave.
Jenae Halsted

Global Underwriters Inc.
82 Wendell Ave.
Global Underwriters Agency Inc.

Harbor Compliance
1830 Colonial Village Lane
Harbor Business Compliance Corp.

Joystick Interactive
82 Wendell Ave.
Incubeta US Corp.

Law Enforcement Against Drugs
82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100
LEAD Inc.

MCP OPS LLC
50 Downing Two
Timothy Burke

Professional House Painters
23 Lakeway Dr.
Santiago Salas

Ready Set Play
675 Merrill Road
Melissa Fawcett

Tractor Supply Co. #728
898 Crane Ave.
Tractor Supply Co. Northeast LLC

Trueshine Cleaning
46 Cherry St.
Lauren Lewis

UrbanFarm 413
17 Linden St.
Duane Kerber, Sheila Kerber

SOUTH HADLEY

Beers & Story Funeral Home
646 Newton St.
FPG Beers-Story LLC

Bud Production Studios
28 Pleasant St.
Brandon Roberts

Poesia Pottery
24 Upper River Road
Poesia Pottery

WARE

C&C Enterprises
32A Campbell Road
Robert Campbell

GJP Property Maintenance
97 Dugan Road
Gavin Rohan

Harper’s Landscaping & Moving
18 Bellevue Ave.
Mason Harper

R.P. Berthiaume Land Clearing & Logging & Trucking
66 Pulaski St.
Robert Berthiaume

Two Guys Haul
81 Greenwich Road
Edward Wyzik, Tonya Wiggin

Wicked Awesome Voiceovers Inc.
109 Church St.
Kristen Clemmer

WESTFIELD

A&Z Autos
66 South Broad St.
A&Z Autos Corp.

Accounting Enterprises
92 Little River Road
Patricia Castro

The Black Dog Grooming Salon
1430 Russell Road
Maria Della Ripa

Gary’s Auto Repair
11 Bartlett St.
Gary Francis

Genswiss
6 Old Stage Road
Genevieve Swiss Industries Inc.

GS Microteck
6 Old Stage Road
Genevieve Swiss Industries Inc.

Gulfstream Aerospace Service Corp.
7 Char Dr.
Gulfstream Aerospace Service Corp.

K-9 Services
3 Klondike Ave.
Donna Blews

KRM Office Equipment
1 Arch Road
Kevin McNair

Top Notch Paws
363 Northwest Road
Randall Hess

Westfield Auto Mall
82 Springfield Road
MMBM Inc.

WILBRAHAM

Blue Elephant Restaurant LLC
2000 Boston Road
Dan O’Connell, Nuchjaree O’Connell

Brianna Nicole Photography
29 Brookside Dr.
Brianna Kipetz

DIY Productions
4 Chestnut Hill Road
Ryan Visneau

Edible Arrangements
2036 Boston Road
Waqar Haider

Essential Canine
777 Stony Hill Road
Heather Hitchcock

Home Medics
4 Tall Timber Dr.
Oussama Awkal

Luzi’s Auto Body
2650R Boston Road
Todd Luzi, Dana-Lee Luzi

Nathan’s Consulting Services
3 Captain Road
Nathan Navarro

Mountainbrook Landscaping
27 Mountainbrook Road
Brett Jones

The Music Express
17 Tall Timber Dr.
Mark Bish

Wilbraham & Monson Academy
432 Main St.
Brian Easler

Wilbraham Commons Assoc.
269 Stony Hill Road
Chris Bowden

Bankruptcies

By
Bankruptcies

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

Adamites, Emily Kate
1234 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/11/2023

Allen, Wayne A.
4H St.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/11/2023

Blackwell, Valerie
63 Riviera Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/12/2023

Chapin Center RE LLC
200 Kendall St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/13/2023

Cleaning Crew Corp.
Goodwin, Daniel M.
17 Grimard St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/12/2023

Colon, Elaine
30 Lester St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/04/2023

Donovan, William E.
13 Meadow Ridge Dr.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/12/2023

Dupuis, Richard R.
56  Circle Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/05/2023

Gallant, Michael Joseph
181 East River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 13
Date: 04/13/2023

Gamlin, Suzanne T.
215 High St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/04/2023

Governor’s Center RE LLC
66 Broad St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/13/2023

Hanson, Lindsi A.
a/k/a Brodeur, Lindsi
215 Dalton Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Date: 03/31/2023

Kelleher, Marianne
63 Chesterfield Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/14/2023

Lacroix, Donald M.
249 Barton Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Date: 03/31/2023

Leary, Thomas X.
67 Klaus Anderson Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Date: 03/31/2023

Lorion, Jeffrey R.
Lorion, Carolynn Marie
a/k/a Burby-Lorion, Carolynn
27 Champlain St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/03/2023

Mawyer, Brian P.
Mawyer, Gina M.
264 Alden St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Date: 03/31/2023

Nye, Eric P.
78 Main St.
Blandford, MA 01008
Chapter: 13
Date: 04/03/2023

Parrott, Gregory C.
15 Eckington St., Apt. 2
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/05/2023

Picard, Jamie Marie
269 Chapman St., Fl. 2
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/11/2023

Pierce, Wanda
150 Cloran St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Date: 04/07/2023

Rolon, Wanda
190 Fountain St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/07/2023

Sweet Chicks
Anderson, Christine S.
a/k/a Cage, Christine S.
a/k/a Wilkes, Christine S.
Anderson, Angela M.
9 Cirrus Dr., Apt. 9208
Ashland, MA 01721
Chapter: 7
Date: 03/31/2023

Watson, Debra L.
17 Dartmouth St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Date: 04/05/2023

Willimansett Center East RE LLC
11 Saint Anthony St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/13/2023

Willimansett Center West RE LLC
546 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/13/2023

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

BUCKLAND

80 Ashfield Road
Buckland, MA 01370
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Sarah S. Olds
Seller: Mcintosh, Jeremy E., (Estate)
Date: 04/04/23

75 North St.
Buckland, MA 01370
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Charles F. King
Seller: Joyce C. Hollyday
Date: 04/05/23

CONWAY

482 Newhall Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $820,000
Buyer: Julia L. Washburn
Seller: Emily D. Howe
Date: 04/04/23

DEERFIELD

47 Lee Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Kara J. Jacobsen
Seller: Mark Mongeau
Date: 04/06/23

GREENFIELD

426 Davis St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $191,200
Buyer: Methuselah RT
Seller: Mark A. Meader
Date: 04/13/23

30 Fairview St., E
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Brandon Kelley
Seller: Federal National Mortgage Assn.
Date: 04/11/23

187 Leyden Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: James Brown
Seller: Wrisley, Linda M., (Estate)
Date: 04/06/23

6 Silver Crest St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Steven D. Mayhew
Seller: William R. Kostanski
Date: 04/12/23

HEATH

20 Knott Road
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Brian Gaines
Seller: Katherine B. Peppard
Date: 04/10/23

LEYDEN

425 North County Road
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Joni R. Sullivan
Seller: Thomas W. Mayo
Date: 04/05/23

MONTAGUE

73 5th St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Bonfire International LLC
Seller: Elliot A. Hartmann-Russell
Date: 04/05/23

93 K St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $326,755
Buyer: Tamara G. McKerchie
Seller: Faller, Nancy Ann, (Estate)
Date: 04/14/23

8 Madison Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Vincent A. Rupp
Seller: Fenwick LLP
Date: 04/06/23

NORTHFIELD

57 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $364,000
Buyer: Redfoot LLC
Seller: Medeiros Sr., Joseph, (Estate)
Date: 04/14/23

759 Millers Falls Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Wicked Deals LLC
Seller: Theodore R. Sweeney
Date: 04/11/23

ORANGE

24 Church St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $302,000
Buyer: Jennifer N. Lawton
Seller: John Dunphy
Date: 04/13/23

105 East Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Sherry L. Venezia
Seller: Salvatore Amaru
Date: 04/07/23

55 Spring St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Johnson
Seller: Hastings Jr., George E., (Estate)
Date: 04/10/23

SHELBURNE

10 Bridge St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Daughters Properties LLC
Seller: Martin Ventures LLC
Date: 04/14/23

8 Church St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $470,825
Buyer: Diane J. Johnson
Seller: William L. Jacobson
Date: 04/03/23

52 Maple St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Gregory Krause
Seller: Myers-Rankin Int.
Date: 04/04/23

22 Percy Roberts Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Arke Realty LLC
Seller: Mohawk Trail NT
Date: 04/07/23

WHATELY

170 Christian Lane
Whately, MA 01373
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Kyle Robert
Seller: Robert J. Lefebvre
Date: 04/10/23

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

26 Alhambra Circle North
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Benjamin Celik
Seller: Jeffrey Daigneau
Date: 04/07/23

27 Anthony St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Stephen M. Buynicki
Seller: Julie A. Moulton
Date: 04/04/23

25 Damato Way
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $725,000
Buyer: Hailley K. King
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 04/04/23

220 Line St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Katelin E. Carlson
Seller: Douglas Dichard
Date: 04/13/23

52 Mallard Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Santosh Rai
Seller: Nandi Mainali
Date: 04/03/23

604-606 Springfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Eric D. Lebeau
Seller: Paul F. Broz
Date: 04/07/23

86 Sylvan Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $386,000
Buyer: Antonio Daniele
Seller: David M. Murray
Date: 04/12/23

BRIMFIELD

209 East Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Taylor Kieler
Seller: G. S. Bruno
Date: 04/04/23

196 Wales Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Brody J. Rubenstein
Seller: Mass. Housing Finance Agency
Date: 04/11/23

CHESTER

162 Route 20
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Chester Theatre Co. Inc.
Seller: James D. Adams
Date: 04/03/23

CHICOPEE

23 Bessette Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Brandon L. Beaulieu
Seller: Andrew R. Serrenho
Date: 04/07/23

70 Britton St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $389,900
Buyer: Hameed Bello
Seller: Viktor Moshkovskiy
Date: 04/14/23

4 Burton St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $612,000
Buyer: Viktorian Estate LLC
Seller: RBT Enterprise LLC
Date: 04/04/23

50 Chateaugay St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Waleed K. Okal
Seller: Anne J. Dillard
Date: 04/11/23

424 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Roseann Bonatakis
Seller: Vantage Home Buyers LLC
Date: 04/06/23

56 Ellerton St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Edwin Barroso
Seller: Andrew R. Marof
Date: 04/13/23
19 Emerson St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $655,000
Buyer: LSH Investment LLC
Seller: RBT Enterprise LLC
Date: 04/06/23

80 Frontenac St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Eliezer R. Vazquez
Seller: Richard P. Lengieza
Date: 04/12/23

11 Graham Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Charlene Dominik
Seller: Joanne Gendron
Date: 04/07/23

Hampden St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $612,000
Buyer: Viktorian Estate LLC
Seller: RBT Enterprise LLC
Date: 04/04/23

187 Hampden St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Johnny Rosario
Seller: Three Lions LLC
Date: 04/14/23

645 James St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $334,900
Buyer: Lekecia M. Powell
Seller: Derek S. Dere
Date: 04/12/23

24 Laurel St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $307,000
Buyer: Brendan Duffy
Seller: Jean J. Croteau
Date: 04/07/23

136 Madison St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $220,800
Buyer: John Lynch
Seller: James Lynch
Date: 04/11/23

896 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Dennis Terron-Espinosa
Seller: Zahraa Abdullah
Date: 04/12/23

38 Paderewski Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Travis W. Beaudoin
Seller: Nadezhda Volkov
Date: 04/06/23

109 Paradise St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Matthew Pollette
Seller: Antonio Daniele
Date: 04/12/23

22 Parkwood Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Adam J. Eckert
Seller: Heather E. Nash
Date: 04/06/23

177 Rimmon Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Mackenzie Mendoza
Seller: Hannah Orenstein
Date: 04/14/23

286 Szetela Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Jan Makselon
Seller: Jo-Ann Ethier
Date: 04/05/23

26 Walter St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Lois A. Brown
Seller: Mun Y. Cheng
Date: 04/14/23

EAST LONGMEADOW

267 Dwight Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01108
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: Lori Picard
Seller: Louis Bonavita
Date: 04/07/23

87 Edmund St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Hannah Orenstein
Seller: Noraimi Rivera
Date: 04/14/23

30 Fernwood Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Maryann Atkinson
Seller: Wakeby Development Inc.
Date: 04/07/23

41 Holland Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Hugh K. Martin
Seller: Hadeler, Frederick C., (Estate)
Date: 04/14/23

21 Melwood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $376,000
Buyer: Timothy Garstka
Seller: Ashley Smith
Date: 04/07/23

368 Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Bretta Construction LLC
Seller: Antonio Bordoni
Date: 04/14/23

3 Pineywoods Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $366,000
Buyer: Miah J. Digregorio
Seller: James W. Johnston
Date: 04/07/23

41 Villanova St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01108
Amount: $201,260
Buyer: Ryan Suprin
Seller: Magni Properties LLC
Date: 04/04/23

10 Westminster St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $296,000
Buyer: Laura J. Liberty
Seller: Carpenter Diana, (Estate)
Date: 04/12/23

GRANVILLE

76 McCarthy Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $319,000
Buyer: Deseree Zorick
Seller: Timothy R. Judd
Date: 04/12/23

HAMPDEN

70 Bennett Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Gary Dobson
Seller: Michael Marion
Date: 04/13/23

42 Evergreen Ter.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $575,000
Buyer: Krysta Menard-Tanguay
Seller: Deeba A. Zaher
Date: 04/07/23

18 Greenleaf Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $460,750
Buyer: Tamara Kelcey
Seller: Edgett, Michael J., (Estate)
Date: 04/10/23

53 Greenleaf Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Victoria Lynch
Seller: RMAC T. Series 2016-CTT
Date: 04/04/23

HOLLAND

70 Brimfield Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $439,000
Buyer: Keri L. Darling
Seller: Pamela L. Gentile
Date: 04/05/23

HOLYOKE

426 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Revampit LLC
Seller: Kenneth J. Cowdell
Date: 04/04/23

22 James St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Joemiliz Torres-Rivera
Seller: Damian Cotto
Date: 04/10/23

22 Laurel St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: KMAK LLC
Seller: Barbara A. Mckenzie
Date: 04/14/23

77 Locust St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Z. I. Sanabria-Rodriguez
Seller: Primitiva Cruz
Date: 04/10/23

262 Lyman St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: Albert C. Nadeau
Seller: Tariq Green
Date: 04/14/23

349-351 Main St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Netflips LLC
Seller: Cook & Assocs. Property Investment LLC
Date: 04/13/23

253 Oak St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Jean C. Pizarro-Morales
Seller: Real Estate Investments Northeast LLC
Date: 04/13/23

342 Pine St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Ralph Y. Hernandez
Seller: Pah Properties LLC
Date: 04/14/23

554 Rock Valley Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Gilbert N. Correa
Seller: Lennice L. Johnson
Date: 04/14/23

23-25 Vernon St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Victor Golebiowski
Seller: Lorinda A. Luce
Date: 04/11/23

LONGMEADOW

53 Brookwood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Anthony E. Heim
Seller: Albert I. Newman
Date: 04/13/23

807 Converse St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Christopher E. Collins
Seller: Regina B. Ellis
Date: 04/14/23

30 Dunsany Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $428,000
Buyer: Byan Rapala
Seller: Thai Phan
Date: 04/14/23

11 Harwich Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: Kevin Miller
Seller: Lsf10 Master Part TR
Date: 04/10/23

174 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Elias Deleault
Seller: Kimberly P. Barton
Date: 04/11/23

116 Williams St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Jenna Shoemaker
Seller: Robert J. Duquette
Date: 04/12/23

LUDLOW

700 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Elizabeth S. Barber-Jones
Seller: Pah Properties LLC
Date: 04/13/23

296 Colonial Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $426,000
Buyer: Alex Dobiecki
Seller: Michael A. Brown
Date: 04/05/23

131 Fuller St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Turan Gul
Seller: Gina M. Potter
Date: 04/05/23

319 Sewall St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Nicholas J. Dos Santos
Seller: Lyria L. Unsderfer
Date: 04/12/23

N/A
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $154,900
Buyer: Eugeniu Ciubotaru
Seller: Whitetail Wreks LLC
Date: 04/11/23

MONSON

77 Bradway Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $499,900
Buyer: Joel C. Henrickson
Seller: William H. Rawleigh
Date: 04/06/23

46 High St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $186,500
Buyer: Katherine Santiago
Seller: Robert A. Soderstrom
Date: 04/12/23

170 Hovey Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $705,000
Buyer: Barbara Clay
Seller: Premier Home Builders Inc.
Date: 04/04/23

25 Oak St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Ashley R. Putnam
Seller: Audra L. Staples
Date: 04/10/23

MONTGOMERY

281 Main Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Laura Prince
Seller: Gary M. Levite
Date: 04/03/23

PALMER

1035 Central St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: MGC Property Mgmt. LLC
Seller: Jose L. Fragoso
Date: 04/03/23

2021 Pine St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Choctaw American Insurance Inc.
Seller: Thomas Desotell
Date: 04/04/23

4038-4044 Pine St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Heather Korzec
Seller: Shannon E. Webster
Date: 04/04/23

1058 Pleasant St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: MGC Property Mgmt. LLC
Seller: Jose L. Fragoso
Date: 04/03/23

60 Shearer St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Ernest J. Doucette
Seller: Cheryl J. Theofane
Date: 04/14/23

11 Sibley St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $233,900
Buyer: Brian Kellaher
Seller: John L. Lessard RET
Date: 04/10/23

50 Walnut St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Joshua A. Hoy
Seller: Bonnie K. Shackleford
Date: 04/03/23

RUSSELL

14 Raymur Dr.
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Joseph J. Largay
Seller: Scott Ainsworth
Date: 04/12/23

SOUTHWICK

50 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: Zuriel C. Dimailig
Seller: Thomas P. O’Donnell
Date: 04/03/23

49 Congamond Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Aldis Ulrych
Seller: John B. Brown
Date: 04/14/23

15 Lexington Circle
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $730,000
Buyer: Jeffrey T. Daigneau
Seller: Dwayne Dowd
Date: 04/07/23

Silvergrass Lane Lot 9
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: James St George
Seller: Hamelin Framing Inc.
Date: 04/06/23

SPRINGFIELD

132 Abbe Ave.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Simon Grato
Seller: Luz N. Rodriguez
Date: 04/03/23

16 Abbott St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Magdalee Santiago
Seller: Ramon A. Ortiz-Santini
Date: 04/07/23

169 Acrebrook Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Ivan M. De Vargas
Seller: Goda, George F., (Estate)
Date: 04/07/23

94 Aldrew Ter.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Paul R. Brandt
Seller: Osetek FT
Date: 04/07/23

27 Ansara St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Marc J. Proulx
Seller: Matthew Kearney
Date: 04/13/23

11 Arden St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Arriana Dimaio
Seller: Keyla Zayas-Rodriguez
Date: 04/14/23

17 Avon Place
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $2,995,000
Buyer: Iqra Farm LLC
Seller: Avon Place LLC
Date: 04/06/23

19-23 Avon Place
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $2,995,000
Buyer: Iqra Farm LLC
Seller: Avon Place LLC
Date: 04/06/23

735 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Maria M. Avelar-Gonzalez
Seller: Jacob T. Klieback
Date: 04/05/23

95 Benz St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Vincent Calcasola
Seller: Emily A. Tavella
Date: 04/14/23

33 Bernard St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Ceciliana A. Torres
Seller: Thomas Henson IRT
Date: 04/03/23

65 Bessemer St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $226,500
Buyer: Sara T. Hayden
Seller: George E. Young
Date: 04/07/23

28 Bosworth St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Leighton W. Farquharson
Seller: Nextgen Construction Service Inc.
Date: 04/14/23

17 Campechi St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Victoria A. Bermudez
Seller: Reinaldo Martinez
Date: 04/14/23

52-54 Campechi St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Davann Chhem
Seller: Marcus A. Starks
Date: 04/14/23

72 Clement St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Citizens Bank
Seller: Barbara Joslin
Date: 04/11/23

113 Clement St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: Christopher Pacheco
Seller: Susan Poirier
Date: 04/11/23

90 Corcoran Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Sol M. Arroyo
Seller: John C. Doyle
Date: 04/14/23

33 Crest St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Freedom Foundation Corp.
Seller: Gerard E. Reardon
Date: 04/14/23

15 Danaher Circle
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Prince A. Taylor
Seller: Denise McCarthy
Date: 04/11/23

1460-1462 Dwight St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Jean Merisier
Seller: Chad Lynch
Date: 04/05/23

250 East St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Connie L. Georgeopolus
Seller: Daniel Beauregard
Date: 04/14/23

140 Eddy St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: Luis M. Sanchez
Seller: Arpc LLC
Date: 04/07/23

60-62 Edgemont St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Bianca L. Frederick
Seller: Ericka G. Carrillo
Date: 04/14/23

52 Eleanor Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Sushma Gurung
Seller: Dilip Biswa
Date: 04/14/23

199-R Emerson St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: Gerald H. Chambers
Seller: Katie McLaughlin
Date: 04/12/23

30 Farnsworth St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Roberto Rivera-Negron
Seller: Emily M. Cruz-Dejesus
Date: 04/07/23

139 Fox Hill Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Aubri N. Bailly
Seller: Grundstrom, Dena, (Estate)
Date: 04/04/23

38 Fox Woods Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Jonathan Barnhart
Seller: Fumi Realty Inc.
Date: 04/05/23

68 Fresno St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Fernando I. Rodriguez
Seller: Jorge Maldonado
Date: 04/07/23

318-320 Goodwin St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Denise Martinez
Seller: Felicita Delgado
Date: 04/13/23

50 Hall St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Mimi Le
Seller: Thi Tai
Date: 04/10/23

23 Hampden St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Salih A. Alotaibi
Seller: Manoogian, Martin, (Estate)
Date: 04/14/23

449 Hancock St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Rey J. Rodriguez
Seller: Johnson-Glaze, Dorothy, (Estate)
Date: 04/10/23

11 Horace St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Alicea
Seller: Moises Roman
Date: 04/03/23

15-17 Hutchinson St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $308,000
Buyer: Carlos J. Figueroa-Galarza
Seller: Rodriguez, Maria C., (Estate)
Date: 04/05/23

11 Ingersoll Grove
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Arianna F. Gray
Seller: Donna L. Jordan
Date: 04/07/23

86 Inglewood Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $289,000
Buyer: Roberto L. Lozada Soto
Seller: Domingo Diaz
Date: 04/11/23

54 Johnson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Damian T. Blake
Seller: Trong Tran
Date: 04/07/23

28-30 Kendall St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Carmelo G. Ruiz
Date: 04/10/23

25 Kimberly Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Rafael Beato
Seller: Seneca Slaughter
Date: 04/05/23

119 Kimberly Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $318,000
Buyer: Carl Hovey
Seller: William Raleigh
Date: 04/03/23

59 King St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Angelica I. Mendez
Seller: Danny Olavarria
Date: 04/07/23

51 Lang St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: German Rodriguez
Seller: Marianna Alvarado
Date: 04/06/23

51 Leete St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $116,000
Buyer: Tavernier Investments LLC
Seller: Aracelis M. Echevarria
Date: 04/11/23

1060 Liberty St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $224,900
Buyer: Melrose Hurley
Seller: Nolava LLC
Date: 04/04/23

24 Lumae St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $312,500
Buyer: Michael T. Henderson
Seller: Christopher M. Gates
Date: 04/05/23

97 Maebeth St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $357,000
Buyer: Chenghua Deng
Seller: David Belanger
Date: 04/05/23

25 Mill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,050,000
Buyer: Milestone Funeral Services
Seller: Mill Street Station LLC
Date: 04/11/23

43 Mill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,050,000
Buyer: Milestone Funeral Services
Seller: Mill Street Station LLC
Date: 04/11/23

98-104 Mill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,777,411
Buyer: SMS Real Estate Investments LLC
Seller: Briarwood Eighteen LLC
Date: 04/07/23

336 Newhouse St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Robert Doucette
Seller: Matthew Byrnes
Date: 04/03/23

278 Newton Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: James Coombs
Seller: Webber, Thomas R., (Estate)
Date: 04/14/23

230-232 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Manfredo A. Medina
Seller: Fernando Serrano
Date: 04/12/23

355-357 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $278,000
Buyer: Jermet L. Campbell
Seller: Quoc N. Huynh
Date: 04/04/23

122 Osborne Ter.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Paul Baptiste
Seller: Salim N. Abdoo
Date: 04/07/23

676 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: 676 Page Realty LLC
Seller: Mark J. Raymond
Date: 04/05/23

1655 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Jose P. Lopez
Seller: Jjj17 LLC
Date: 04/03/23

271 Parkerview St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Ernery Blaise
Seller: Hailley K. King
Date: 04/04/23

32 Peekskill Ave.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Crystal Dukes
Seller: David S. Bell
Date: 04/07/23

136 Pine Acre Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Keyla A. Zayas-Rodriguez
Seller: John A. Cuoco
Date: 04/14/23

181 Pine Acre Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Michael B. Cruz
Seller: Maryann Atkinson
Date: 04/07/23

123 Pondview Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Myron Callender
Seller: Kyle D. Callender
Date: 04/14/23

84 Price St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: David Baertschi
Seller: Peter C. Georgeopolus
Date: 04/14/23

187 Quincy St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Jose Tabora-Rosales
Seller: Red Falcon Development LLC
Date: 04/11/23

33 Rosella St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $234,000
Buyer: Meghan Collopy
Seller: Rodman Capital Group LLC
Date: 04/03/23

15 Sachem St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Tashira Fuentez
Seller: Hakeem X. Mafuz
Date: 04/14/23

102-104 Santa Barbara St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Rosa J. Marte
Seller: Daphne G. Cruz
Date: 04/12/23

156-158 Santa Barbara St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $317,500
Buyer: Manual Torres
Seller: Lake Rentals LLC
Date: 04/07/23

131 Savoy Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Edwan Alzuhairi
Seller: RCF 2 Acquisition TR
Date: 04/14/23

279 Sheridan St.
Springfield, MA 01020
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Justin R. Reeves
Seller: Amrap LLC
Date: 04/07/23

126 Stockman St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: William S. Demarski
Seller: Cherry Tree Realty LLC
Date: 04/07/23

23 Sumner Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $303,000
Buyer: Joseph Lewin
Seller: Robert L. Craig
Date: 04/06/23

144-146 Tremont St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $347,000
Buyer: Jefferson Figueroa
Seller: Celeste Solano-Lorenzano
Date: 04/07/23

256 Tremont St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Franchesca Lafontaine
Seller: Courageous Lion LLC
Date: 04/07/23

63 Ventura St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Nayiah M. Boyd
Seller: Rogers, Therese Marie, (Estate)
Date: 04/05/23

374-382 Walnut St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: 374-382 Walnut Street LLC
Seller: 374 Walnut Street LLC
Date: 04/03/23

184-186 Westford Circle
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Maria Maysonet
Seller: Luis O. Baez
Date: 04/10/23

353 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Keecha V. Riley
Seller: Jjj17 LLC
Date: 04/10/23

69 Windemere St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Paganstomb LLC
Seller: Deborah A. Mansfield
Date: 04/14/23

WALES

20 Hollow Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $387,000
Buyer: Danielle Macmillan
Seller: FNMA
Date: 04/14/23

WESTFIELD

845 Airport Industrial Park R
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Dtour Realty LLC
Seller: Barbieri Realty LLC
Date: 04/10/23

44 Beckwith Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Adam Beaupre
Seller: David J. Webber
Date: 04/12/23

8 Denise Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Sophia Kelleher
Seller: Linda A. Pyzik
Date: 04/07/23

349 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Clifford Laraway
Seller: Lucinda C. Cooper
Date: 04/05/23

1463 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Samuel Mancini
Seller: John C. Dasilva
Date: 04/14/23

14 Grandview Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Lori Call
Seller: Phoebe L. Harris
Date: 04/14/23

128 Main St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Andrey R. Zhirnov
Seller: Viktorian Estate LLC
Date: 04/10/23

37 Harvard St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Karen M. Pac
Seller: Janet M. Kedzierski
Date: 04/06/23

16 Montgomery St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $329,900
Buyer: Sara J. Brewer
Seller: Roberto Lopez
Date: 04/04/23

287 Notre Dame St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: John Child
Seller: Nathaniel P. Munson
Date: 04/05/23

144 Park Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Mark Oleksak
Seller: Kevin A. Call
Date: 04/03/23

100 Riverside Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Sarah M. Foley
Seller: Sarah H. Underwood
Date: 04/14/23

WILBRAHAM

2005 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: 2005 Boston Road Wilbraham
Seller: Kahn-Wilbraham LLC
Date: 04/05/23

4 Briar Cliff Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $595,000
Buyer: Chris Montemayor
Seller: Phillip B. Clawson
Date: 04/07/23

207 Manchonis Road, Ext.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Sarah Senatus
Seller: Brett B. Wright
Date: 04/04/23

23 Ripley St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Ethan T. Campbell
Seller: Karen M. Dalecki
Date: 04/10/23

3 Rochford Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Emily A. Tavella
Seller: Joel D. Castleman
Date: 04/14/23

11 Stonegate Circle
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $710,000
Buyer: Christopher Roos
Seller: Brain S. Chateauvent TR
Date: 04/06/23

WEST SPRINGFIELD

47-49 Belle Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Bolaji Mustapha
Seller: Ofd Partners LLC
Date: 04/03/23

25 Birnie Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Robin D. Hendrix
Seller: James St George
Date: 04/06/23

114 Heywood Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Emir Telalovic
Seller: Federal National Mortgage Assn.
Date: 04/07/23

1038 Morgan Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Stuart G. Vogt
Seller: Virginia I. Sayward
Date: 04/14/23

37 Morton St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: John K. Sullivan
Seller: Robert L. Koonz
Date: 04/07/23

206 Prospect Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Calvin Rivera
Seller: Martha M. Kisser
Date: 04/03/23

16-18 Shepard St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Vincenzo L. Calabrese
Seller: Thomas F. Halpin
Date: 04/03/23

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

101 Pelham Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Pamala Thornton
Seller: Kathleen G. Cortright
Date: 04/14/23

BELCHERTOWN

47 Hamilton St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $481,250
Buyer: Maia Kolchin-Miller
Seller: Daniel R. Cadorette
Date: 04/11/23

5 Juckett Hill Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Bruce Graber
Seller: Mcquillen Jr., George J., (Estate)
Date: 04/11/23

418 Springfield Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Mary S. Dyer
Seller: Misty M. Sklarski
Date: 04/04/23

CHESTERFIELD

11 Bryant St.
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $167,314
Buyer: Ruby Realty LLC
Seller: Jenny L. Roske
Date: 04/03/23

EASTHAMPTON

85 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Eric R. Horne
Seller: Malia Homebuyers LLC
Date: 04/13/23

82 Loudville Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $376,500
Buyer: Periwinkle NT
Seller: Robert F. Martin
Date: 04/10/23

136 Parsons St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Charles Peckar
Seller: Rut Santana
Date: 04/11/23

GRANBY

95 Cold Hill Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Philip T. Braese
Seller: White FT
Date: 04/05/23

125 Cold Hill Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Windswept RET
Seller: Carol Reinke
Date: 04/07/23

20 New Ludlow Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $261,000
Buyer: Alberto Gonzalez
Seller: Matthew J. Kearney
Date: 04/03/23

HADLEY

18 Cold Spring Lane
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Cindy Shy
Seller: Matthew Viaggio
Date: 04/14/23

22 Mount Warner Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $770,000
Buyer: Rohit Amembal
Seller: Anita M. Sever
Date: 04/06/23

333 River Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: James B. Palmer
Seller: Karls Site Work Inc.
Date: 04/13/23

33 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Barbour House LLC
Seller: Jjj17 LLC
Date: 04/12/23

169 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $463,000
Buyer: Lucas Tragos
Seller: Philip W. St. Laurence
Date: 04/03/23

HATFIELD

97 Prospect St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: JFLF Properties LLC
Seller: Duga Jr., Paul, (Estate)
Date: 04/05/23

HUNTINGTON

27 Church Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Sara Colhoun
Seller: Alicia E. Hackerson
Date: 04/12/23

NORTHAMPTON

111 Audubon Road
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Benjamin S. Weil
Seller: Weil 2016 LT
Date: 04/12/23

25 Bayberry Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $1,296,500
Buyer: Orion M. Howard
Seller: Kathy L. Teece
Date: 04/14/23

310 Bridge St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: 310 Bridge St. Realty LLC
Seller: Platinum Auto Spa LLC
Date: 04/06/23

17 Glenwood Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $374,599
Buyer: Bear Stearns Alt-A TR
Seller: Sandra A. Heywood
Date: 04/06/23

171 Nonotuck St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Eric P. Hagelstein
Seller: Edward A. Hagelstein IRT
Date: 04/07/23

20 Ormond Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $412,000
Buyer: Mark W. Erba
Seller: Raymond F. Wheeler
Date: 04/05/23

Roberts Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $690,000
Buyer: City Of Northampton
Seller: Barbara K. Pomeroy
Date: 04/05/23

Sylvester Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $690,000
Buyer: City Of Northampton
Seller: Barbara K. Pomeroy
Date: 04/05/23

SOUTH HADLEY

11 Los Angeles St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: CIL Realty Of Mass. Inc.
Seller: Diane M. Fountain
Date: 04/14/23

34 School St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $360,750
Buyer: RB Homes LLC
Seller: Anthony D. Maloni
Date: 04/07/23

15 Sycamore Knls
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: David R. Adams
Seller: Charles A. Hebb
Date: 04/03/23

SOUTHAMPTON

22 Bluemer Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $242,500
Buyer: Donald Krivicky
Seller: Darcelle A. Ward
Date: 04/13/23

WARE

Greenwich Road, Lot 1C
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Donald R. Dunbar
Seller: Penny Lane Development LLC
Date: 04/10/23

Hardwick Pond Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: East Quabbin Land Trust Inc.
Seller: Great Lakes Camp Inc.
Date: 04/03/23

32-34 South St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Depina & Saintil Investments LLC
Seller: Santana Real Estate Inc.
Date: 04/06/23

WESTHAMPTON

124 Southampton Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $444,000
Buyer: Stephen Testori
Seller: Rhonda J. Venne
Date: 04/14/23

Building Permits

By
Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the month of April 2023.

EASTHAMPTON

Center for Human Development
55 Union St.
N/A — Selective interior demolition

Bernard Gawle
14 Ward Ave.
N/A — Roofing

HADLEY

Joseph Czajkowski
Shattuck Road
N/A — Install dual-use solar array

LENOX

Boston University
45 West St.
$66,715 — Roofing

Bruce Stringer
529 Walker St.
$4,310 — Install four vinyl windows

PITTSFIELD

Roy Andersen Jr.
25 Bartlett Ave.
$6,010 — Replace five windows

Berkshire Family YMCA
292 North St.
$298,887 — Roof replacement over court and track; alterations to toddler room; add two new windows; add lockers and changing stalls at men’s locker room

Cedar Tree Investment Group LLC
409 West St.
$44,000 — Install 33 roof-mounted solar panels

Kidzone Child Care Educational
699 Dalton Ave.
$30,850 — Modify existing fire sprinkler system

NORTHAMPTON

Bang Bang LLC
29 Pleasant St., Unit C
$14,000 — Basement renovation for tattoo artist

Bowles Enterprises LLC
235 Main St.
$5,350 — Illuminated wall sign for Bagalan Cannabis

Glass Lake Partners LLC
43 Ladd Ave.
$4,000 — Build partition wall in storage area

Healthy Neighborhoods Group LLC
47 High St.
$18,000 — Siding

Lankleine Realty LLC
881 North King St.
$6,000 — Illuminated ground sign for Northeast Painting Associates

Northampton Rentals LLC
206 King St.
$3,000 — Illuminated ground sign for Advance Psychotherapy

Northampton Revolver Club
519 Ryan Road
$27,000 — Roofing

Rankin Holdings LLC
115 Conz St.
$220,000 — Demolish building

Smith College
7 College Lane
$15,000 — Remove mezzanine

Standick Trust
158 Main St.
N/A — Remove partition walls

SPRINGFIELD

1277 Liberty St. LLC
1295 Liberty St.
$24,000 — Alter tenant space for Ivy’s Events at Springfield Plaza for use as assembly area

CIG2 LLC
281 Belmont Ave.
$7,000 — Repair exterior rear egress system, install new Sonotube to left-side deficient post

City of Springfield
1170 Carew St.
N/A — Remodel entry of Van Sickle Academy into handicap-accessible passageway, remodel life-skills classroom.

Hector Bermudez
175 Oakland St.
$9,000 — Insulation

DDM Property Group LLC
1630 Boston Road
$185,000 — Remodel interior for new Hannoush Jewelers store

David Della Torre, Lynn Baker, Paul Della Torre
13 Morgan St.
$20,000 — Alter interior for accessible restroom, office, and storage area for vehicles

Five Town Station LLC
380 Cooley St.
$50,000 — Erect addition for additional dining seating at Texas Roadhouse

Ronald McDonald House of Springfield
34 Chapin Ter.
$242,454 — Remove and replace windows and siding

Stone Soul Inc.
41 Colton St.
$4,000 — Install new bathroom

Springfield Cemetery
171 Maple St.
$25,875 — Remove and replace garage roof

Haq Zahoor Ul
679 Main St.
$92,000 — Erect canopy #1 for gas station pumps

Haq Zahoor Ul
679 Main St.
$92,000 — Erect canopy #2 for gas station pumps

YMCA of Greater Springfield Inc.
1784 Dwight St.
$60,999 — Roofing

Robert E. Barrett Fishway Opens for Season with Free Admission

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — The first and most successful fish lift on the Atlantic Coast, the Robert E. Barrett Fishway at the Holyoke Dam, opens for its annual viewing season on Wednesday, May 10, with special Mother’s Day activities on Sunday, May 14. Admission is free.

The Barrett Fishway, owned and operated by Holyoke Gas & Electric (HG&E), consists of two elevators, or ‘lifts,’ which carry migrating fish up and over the Holyoke Dam. Visitors can watch the lifts in action from an observation deck overlooking the Connecticut River.

The fishway is open for self-guided tours during regular business hours. In addition, HG&E will provide a guided tour each Saturday and Sunday throughout the season at 1:30 p.m. This tour is free and open to the public. A knowledgeable and friendly guide will take guests on a 45-minute tour of the facility and share information about fish species of the Connecticut River. Additionally, the Barrett Fishway offers free educational programs for schools. Reservations for school groups are required; visit www.hged.com/tour for details.

Continuing a decade-old tradition, all mothers visiting the Fishway on May 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. will receive a free carnation to commemorate Mother’s Day and the spirit of rebirth on the Connecticut River.

In addition, the 56th annual HG&E Shad Derby will be held the weekends of May 13-14 and 20-21, with a grand prize of $1,000 in cash for the first-place winner in the senior division (www.hged.com/shadderby).

Located off Bridge Street (Route 116) in Holyoke, the Holyoke Fishway’s 2023 season runs from May 10 through June 18. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The facility is closed on Monday and Tuesday, with the exception of Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day), when it will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ukrainian-American Guest Conductor to Close Out SSO Season on May 13

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) will present “Beauty Amid Chaos,” its final concert of the 2022-23 season, on Saturday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Springfield Symphony Hall. The performance will feature Ukrainian-American guest conductor Theodore Kuchar and renowned cellist Matt Haimovitz.

Tickets are on sale, starting at $20, at www.springfieldsymphony.org. The SSO is partnering with Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts to support their Refugee Resettlement Program by asking concert attendees to bring items from the organization’s ‘wish list’ to the concert. These items will provide essential resources to refugees from countries like Ukraine and Haiti. Click here to view wish-list items. Those who donate items will be offered the chance to win a pair of tickets to the SSO’s 2023-24 opening-night concert.

According to Paul Lambert, president and CEO of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, “our theme in our final concert for the 2022-23 season, “Beauty Amid Chaos,” also could describe what is occurring in Ukraine, with artists and musicians still sharing their talents while war ravages their country. With this as backdrop, we are blessed to have Ukrainian-American Theodore Kuchar as guest conductor in this stirring presentation. We honor the people of Ukraine in this special evening with the incomparable Matt Haimovitz accompanying on cello.

“As we wind down our season, I want to thank our musicians, the SSO staff, all of our concert attendees, and the community at large for their partnership and collaboration in support of the SSO’s first full season of on-stage performances in two years with our 2022-23 season,” Lambert added. “We look forward to a new season with classical and pops performances, and the community’s continued support and engagement with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra.”

“Beauty Amid Chaos” will open with Antonín Dvořák’s “Carnival Overture,” followed by Ukrainian composer Thomas de Hartmann’s Cello Concerto, performed by Haimovitz; the piece was written in the wake of the Nuremberg Laws and rise of Nazi movement in Germany. The concert will close with Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2. The time during which this piece was composed draws similarities to current events, as described on the symphony’s website: “The political oppression and desperation imposed by Russia on the Finnish nation slightly over one century ago is not dissimilar to the national destruction and genocide being presently inflicted on Ukraine by the same Russian nation.”

A Classical Conversation with Kuchar and Haimovitz will take place at 6:30 p.m. on May 13 for all ticket holders, and there will be a meet and greet following the performance in the Mahogany Room.

Chamber of Greater Easthampton to Host sheLEADS Women’s Leadership Conference

By
Daily News

EASTHAMPTON — The Chamber of Greater Easthampton announced its upcoming women’s leadership conference, sheLEADS, to be held on Friday, June 16 at Williston Northampton School, 19 Payson Ave., Easthampton.

This year’s conference will feature a lineup of inspiring speakers who will share their personal stories and insights on leadership, career development, and understanding the power of knowing one’s worth.

This year’s conference features two keynote speakers: Sabrina Antoine Correia, vice president of Public Engagement and Corporate Responsibility for New England, JPMorgan Chase; and Lindsay Barron LaBonte, branch manager, Applied Mortgage. Correia will discuss “Advocating for Yourself and Your Ideas,” and LaBonte will discuss “How I Found My Worth.”

Other topics to be discussed during the conference include “Is Money Power,” a thought-provoking discussion featuring panelists Karen Curran of Curran & Keegan Financial, Diane Dukette of Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Ashleigh Beadle of Sourcepass, and Joanna Ballantine of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Attendees will also participate in the interactive workshop “The RACI Side of Communication and Collaboration,” led by Tiffany Espinosa from Teal Executives, Mount Holyoke College.

The sheLEADS conference is designed to empower women in all stages of their careers by providing them with the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to achieve their professional goals. This day-long experience offers opportunities to build networks and relationships and share insights with like-minded professionals from around the region.

“The Chamber of Greater Easthampton is proud to host the sheLEADS conference, which serves as a platform for women to connect, learn, and grow,” said Moe Belliveau, executive director of the chamber. “We believe that, by empowering women to lead and succeed, we can create a stronger, more prosperous community.”

Registration for sheLEADS 2023 is now open, and early-bird tickets of $99 are available through May 18. Starting May 19, tickets are $119. Click here for more information and to register.

Alumni Achievement Award Nomination Deadline Is Tomorrow

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — When BusinessWest launched its 40 Under Forty program in 2007, it did so to identify rising stars across our region — individuals who were excelling in business and through involvement within the community — and celebrate their accomplishments.

In 2015, BusinessWest announced a new award, one that builds on the foundation upon which 40 Under Forty was created. Called the Alumni Achievement Award, it is presented to the 40 Under Forty honoree who, in the eyes of an independent panel of judges, has most impressively continued and built upon his or her track record of accomplishment. The presenting sponsor of the 2023 Alumni Achievement Award is Health New England.

Past winners include: 2022: Anthony Gleason II, president and co-founder of the Gleason Johndrow Companies (40 Under Forty class of 2010); 2021: Anthony Gulluni, Hampden County district attorney (class of 2015); 2020: Carla Cosenzi, president, TommyCar Auto Group (class of 2012), and Peter DePergola, director of Clinical Ethics, Baystate Health (class of 2015); 2019: Cinda Jones, president, W.D. Cowls Inc. (class of 2007); 2018: Samalid Hogan, regional director, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (class of 2013); 2017: Scott Foster, attorney, Bulkley Richardson (class of 2011), and Nicole Griffin, owner, ManeHire (class of 2014); 2016: Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, president, Allergy & Immunology Associates of New England (class of 2008); and 2015: Delcie Bean, president, Paragus Strategic IT (class of 2008).

Click here to nominate someone for this award. Only nominations submitted to BusinessWest on this form will be considered. The deadline is Wednesday, May 10 at 5 p.m., no exceptions. The 2023 honoree will be announced at the 40 Under Forty gala on Thursday, June 15.

Candidates must be from 40 Under Forty classes prior to the year of the award — in this case, classes 2007 to 2022. For your convenience, a list of 40 Under Forty alumni can be found by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom.

BusinessTalk with Meredith Wise, soon-to-be-retired president of the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast

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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 161: May 8, 2023

George O’Brien Interviews Meredith Wise, soon-to-be-retired president of the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast

Talk of a four-day work week is nothing new; it’s been a topic of discussion for more than a decade now. The talk has heated up recently, though, as the four-day model has been touted as a way to do everything from relieve stress to help in the challenging task of recruiting and retaining talent. On the next installment of BusinessTalk, Meredith Wise, soon-to-be-retired president of the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast, talks with BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien about whether the four-day week can work, in what sectors it might make sense, and under what circumstances. It’s all must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest and sponsored by PeoplesBank.

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Opinion: SSO Labor Agreement Strikes Right Chord

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Daily News

Last week’s announcement of a new, two-year labor agreement between Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Local 171 of the American Federation of Musicians is, undoubtedly, good news. And the press conference at which it was announced, attended by SSO board members, union musicians, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, and others, was all warmth — and a palpable sense of relief.

That’s because it ended an awkward period, starting during the pandemic and extending well beyond, in which an expired contract turned into a divorce of sorts, with the union musicians forming a separate organization, Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MOSSO), and scheduling smaller-scale concerts throughout the region.

As part of the agreement, MOSSO will live on as the renamed Springfield Chamber Players, ensuring that the SSO continues to produce full symphony concerts, while transitioning chamber concerts to the new entity.

So, maybe divorce is the wrong word. Maybe separation is more appropriate, because no one involved — not the SSO’s leadership, board, or the musicians themselves — thought a permanent dissolution was a good idea. That’s why the atmosphere at the May 4 announcement was so festive, and why SSO President and CEO Paul Lambert and Local 171 President Beth Welty repeatedly expressed their admiration for each other and for the way the other handled the long negotiation process — which, let’s not forget, included an unfair labor practice complaint by the musicians’ union registered with the National Labor Relations Board (which has, of course, been dropped).

So, labor peace has been achieved, and everyone’s ready to make beautiful music together.

For now.

As noted, the labor agreement — which guarantees musicians annual raises and a minimum of eight concerts per year — applies only to the next two seasons 2023-24 and 2024-25. The hope is that it will serve as a framework for future negotiations, because, again, no one wants the SSO imperiled.

“These types of arts and cultural events add to the roster of events we have to offer, which enliven many of our downtown business establishments,” Sarno said.

We agree. The Springfield Symphony is one part of a downtown renaissance in Springfield that relies on a number of drivers — from the Thunderbirds to MGM to the club district — as well as a plan for more housing and mixed-use development, to continue an era of revitalization. And the SSO is also a critical element in the arts and culture scene in Western Mass. as a whole, one of its more attractive tourism drivers and quality-of-life elements.

In addition to the agreement between the SSO and Local 171, the city of Springfield has pledged $280,000 over two years in financial support for SSO youth educational programming, underscoring the organization’s generational importance.

Now, it’s up to the business and philanthropic communities, as well as area residents, to support these performances and the SSO itself. But it’s also up to the organization and its musicians to guard against another messy separation — or worse.

Alumni Achievement Award Nomination Deadline Is May 10

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — When BusinessWest launched its 40 Under Forty program in 2007, it did so to identify rising stars across our region — individuals who were excelling in business and through involvement within the community — and celebrate their accomplishments.

In 2015, BusinessWest announced a new award, one that builds on the foundation upon which 40 Under Forty was created. Called the Alumni Achievement Award, it is presented to the 40 Under Forty honoree who, in the eyes of an independent panel of judges, has most impressively continued and built upon his or her track record of accomplishment. The presenting sponsor of the 2023 Alumni Achievement Award is Health New England.

Past winners include: 2022: Anthony Gleason II, president and co-founder of the Gleason Johndrow Companies (40 Under Forty class of 2010); 2021: Anthony Gulluni, Hampden County district attorney (class of 2015); 2020: Carla Cosenzi, president, TommyCar Auto Group (class of 2012), and Peter DePergola, director of Clinical Ethics, Baystate Health (class of 2015); 2019: Cinda Jones, president, W.D. Cowls Inc. (class of 2007); 2018: Samalid Hogan, regional director, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (class of 2013); 2017: Scott Foster, attorney, Bulkley Richardson (class of 2011), and Nicole Griffin, owner, ManeHire (class of 2014); 2016: Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, president, Allergy & Immunology Associates of New England (class of 2008); and 2015: Delcie Bean, president, Paragus Strategic IT (class of 2008).

Click here to nominate someone for this award. Only nominations submitted to BusinessWest on this form will be considered. The deadline is Wednesday, May 10 at 5 p.m., no exceptions. The 2023 honoree will be announced at the 40 Under Forty gala on Thursday, June 15.

Candidates must be from 40 Under Forty classes prior to the year of the award — in this case, classes 2007 to 2022. For your convenience, a list of 40 Under Forty alumni can be found by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom.

Live Shows Return to Downtown Springfield Beginning May 26

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Summer in New England comes early this year as live music returns to MGM Springfield with the new and expanded Free Music Fridays concert series. Every Friday from May 26 to Sept. 8, some of the area’s most popular bands and national artists will perform on the Plaza at MGM Springfield in the city’s South End, starting at 7:30 p.m. (weather permitting).

Kicking off the 2023 series is the popular Pink Floyd tribute band Brain Damage. Additional local favorites such as Trailer Trash, Brass Attack, Back in Black, and Aquanett, among others, are scheduled to perform throughout the summer. MGM Springfield will also welcome new additions to the Free Music Fridays lineup, including local light Brynn Cartelli, season 14 winner of The Voice. Also debuting on the Plaza stage is Zac Brown tribute band Zac N’Fried; Springfield based R&B, soul, and hip-hop group Malado!; and national pop and hip-hop band LFO.

“MGM Springfield is thrilled to welcome guests and the community back to the Plaza starting even earlier this season, to enjoy free live music under the stars,” said Chris Kelley, MGM Springfield president and chief operating officer. “Based on the incredible success of last summer, we have expanded the lineup and will kick off just before Memorial Day. Many local fan favorites will be back, and we are excited to announce the addition of nationally known artists who will take the Plaza stage for the first time.”

MGM Springfield will continue its partnership with White Lion Brewing Co. to provide guests with a wide selection of craft beer during each Free Music Fridays concert.

“MGM Springfield is a local community collaborator and partner that continuously bridges the gap between small business and vendor opportunity,” said Ray Berry, White Lion president and general manager. “It is their commitment to the region that affords companies like White Lion the ability to align itself with a global company and brand. We look forward to continuing our partnership and offering local artisan beverages on the Plaza of MGM Springfield during Free Music Fridays.”

The series will also feature local food trucks, including North Elm Butchers Block, Batch Ice Cream, Cousins Maine Lobster, Las Kangris, and many more.

OMG Inc., Joey’s Deli to Raise Funds for Wounded Warrior Project, Michael J. Dias Foundation

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Daily News

AGAWAM — OMG Inc. and Joey’s Deli of Agawam are hosting the Whoopie Pie Waddle, a 5K run or two-mile walk around the Agawam Industrial Park, on Saturday, May 20 to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project and the Michael J. Dias Foundation.

The running and walking events start at 8:30 a.m. at OMG, Inc., 153 Bowles Road. The entry fee is $30 per runner or walker and includes a race bib and T-shirt. Prizes from OMG and Joey’s Deli will be awarded to the top three men and women racers. All participants will be treated to a whoopie pie from Joey’s Deli.

“This is a great event for two wonderful charities in need of funding, and we are proud to sponsor it with Joey’s Deli,” said Geri McCarthy, OMG’s director of Employee Engagement. “Employee wellness and giving back are important to our corporate philosophy and culture. We have a highly engaged wellness committee focused on nutrition, financial wellness, mental well-being, and physical health, and believe our employees are happier and more productive due to this attention to personal improvement.”

Jonathan Cunningham, owner of Joey’s Deli, added that “we at Joey’s Deli are excited to co-host and sponsor our first 5K. Both Joey and I love to share our passion for running and giving back to the community that we call home. We look forward to raising a lot of money for these two worthy charities.”

Guests and spectators can enjoy snacks, beverages, kids’ activities, and raffles during the race, which will be held rain or shine, and is expected to end by about 12 noon.

Participants for the 5K run or two-mile walk must register online before the start of the race by clicking here. In addition to the $30 entry fee, there is a $2.80 sign-up fee.

Springfield Symphony Orchestra Strikes Two-year Labor Deal with Union Musicians

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) announced, in a joint statement with the union representing musicians of the Springfield Symphony, Local 171 of the American Federation of Musicians, that they have reached a labor agreement with musicians on a two-year collective bargaining agreement. The new agreement starts in the upcoming 2023-24 season and extends through the following season.

According to Paul Lambert, president and CEO of the SSO, the new labor agreement guarantees six classical concerts and two pops concerts, a total minimum of eight concerts, for each of the coming two seasons. If additional funding can be identified, other community and educational concerts will be produced as well.

Lambert said musicians will receive a raise over each of the two years of the contract, and the agreement calls for an average of 64 musicians at each of the classical concerts.

In a separate agreement with the union, the Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MOSSO), the organization formed by musicians, will transition into an entity called the Springfield Chamber Players and will assume the role of creating chamber-music concerts, including the longstanding Longmeadow Chamber Series. The Springfield Chamber Players will provide outreach that will bring elements of the Springfield Symphony to the community. Under the agreement, Springfield Chamber Players will not compete with the SSO on fundraising. The SSO will continue to produce full symphony concerts and chamber orchestra opportunities.

“This is a great day for Springfield and for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra,” Lambert said. “For the SSO to survive and thrive, we need all parties working in harmony and in the same direction to bring this magnificent music and our talented musicians to the entire community. The agreement will result in the SSO and our musicians working together to grow our audience and build the philanthropic and business support we need in order to be sustainable.”

According to Beth Welty, president of Local 171, “the SSO musicians are very happy to begin a new chapter in our beloved orchestra’s history. Local 171 of the American Federation of Musicians, which represents the SSO members, congratulates all involved for their hard work in securing this new agreement. The musicians are eager to collaborate with the board and SSO staff, under the inspired leadership of Paul Lambert, in order to realize our shared dream of an orchestra that fully serves Springfield and Western Massachusetts. The SSO belongs to everyone, and we are committed to making our music available to all.”

Tony Falcetti, board chair of the SSO, added that “this is a great day for the SSO, for the musicians who play in the Springfield Symphony, and for all in our community. Working together is the only way to assure that live orchestral music is sustainable into the future. On behalf of the board of directors of the SSO, I look forward to our future success together in presenting musical programs and performances that are embraced by all of Springfield and Western Massachusetts.”

As part of the agreement, a pending unfair-labor-practice complaint by the musicians’ union registered with the National Labor Relations Board will be dropped by the musicians.

Since returning to the stage in the current 2022-23 season, the SSO has held eight concerts — six classical and two pops concerts — and has drawn old and new, increasingly diverse audiences to Symphony Hall. Since the beginning of the year, the SSO has also expanded its board of directors, and Lambert has moved from interim director to the permanent new position of president and CEO of the organization.

Monson Savings Bank Announces Three Free Shred Days

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Daily News

MONSON — Monson Savings Bank announced it will once again host free community shred days in 2023. All are welcome to attend the events.

As in previous years, Monson Savings Bank is partnering up with PROSHRED of Wilbraham for this series of events welcoming the public to discard their documents in a safe and secure manner. This is an ideal opportunity to dispose of unwanted documents such as tax returns, bank or credit-card statements, bills, and medical records. Pre-packaged refreshments and giveaways will be available while supplies last.

Shred days are scheduled for Saturday, June 10 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hampden branch, 15 Somers Road; Saturday, Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Ware branch, 136 West St.; and Saturday, Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Wilbraham branch, 100 Post Office Park.

“We take the protection of information and data very seriously,” said Dan Moriarty, president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank. “By partnering with PROSHRED, we are further able to protect our community members by giving everyone a free opportunity to dispose of sensitive documents securely. We welcome everyone to join Monson Savings Bank and the on-site PROSHRED trucks during our community shred days.”

Monson Savings Bank also helps customers learn the importance of protecting their personal information and their identity through the bank’s frequently updated Safety and Security blog section. These learning opportunities and reminders help consumers to be more vigilant when it comes to protecting their private and personal details and making sure their information does not fall into the wrong hands.

Girls Inc. Exceeds $100,000 Fundraising Goal at Spirit of Girls Event

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Girls Inc. of the Valley’s annual signature event on April 28 exceeded its fundraising goal of $100,000, thanks to the support from corporate sponsors, including lead sponsor PeoplesBank, and generous individual donors.

About 400 people attended “Spirit of Girls: Hall of Fame,” where they heard from current students, alumni, and parent speakers about the impact Girls Inc. programs have had on them.

“We are ecstatic about the support we have received from the community,” Girls Inc. of the Valley Executive Director Suzanne Parker said. “It was an incredibly inspiring evening that would not have been possible without our table ambassadors, volunteers, board members, and staff. It was an unforgettable evening!”

More than 50 volunteers worked hard to make this event happen. Funds raised directly support free summer programming for youth in Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee, and beyond.

“Spirit of Girls: Hall of Fame” was sponsored by PeoplesBank; Hazen Paper Co.; Scout Curated Wears; Aaron’s; bankESB; the Collins Companies; Monson Savings Bank; Westfield State University; Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, P.C.; Holyoke Gas & Electric; Marcotte Ford; Parker’s Portables; the Place 2 Be; Bay Path University; Ellen Rudley & Associates; Holyoke Medical Center; Kuhn Riddle Architects; O’Reilly, Talbot & Okun Engineering Associates; and Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.

Girls Inc. of the Valley is a nonprofit organization that offers transformational youth programs that support the personal and professional development journeys of students throughout the Valley at no cost to their families.