Agenda

Family Business Center Dinner Forum

Sept. 12: The next dinner forum of the Family Business Center of Pioneer Valley will be held at the Delaney House in Holyoke, and the main presenter is Robert Frank, professor of Management and Economics at Cornell University. Frank will discuss how the field of behavioral economics helps business owners (and all humans) understand our irrational decisions, behaviors that run counter to our own interests, and what we can do about it. Owners and managers who are members or interested in a closer look may contact Ira Bryck at (413) 835-0810, or learn more at fambizpv.com.

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Sept. 13: The abundance of recent high-profile sexual-harassment complaints has completely changed the public perception of this persistent problem. Sexual harassment is no longer a silent epidemic which is by and large being ignored. Posts stating the phrase ‘#metoo’ have created camaraderie among individuals who are choosing to speak up and stand up. However, despite the nation’s growing awareness about the prevalence of sexual harassment, as business owners and human-resources professionals, the problem probably isn’t all that surprising. Clearly, the perfunctory sexual-harassment policies and bland pro forma sexual-harassment trainings are not working. As business leaders, we need to approach sexual harassment in the workplace from a new perspective. You’re invited to join a roundtable discussion on how we can profoundly change our approach to sexual harassment in the workplace. The event will take place from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Royal, P.C., 270 Pleasant St., Northampton. Advance registration is required, and seating will be limited. The cost is $30 per person. Mail your payment and make your check payable to Royal, P.C., 270 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060. 
E-mail Heather Loges at [email protected] to register or if you have any questions about this workshop.

‘The Basics of Starting a Business’

Sept. 17: The Mass. Small Business Development Center Network’s Western regional office will offer a free workshop, “The Basics of Starting a Business,” four times this fall. Presented by Allen Kronick, senior business advisor with the MSBDCN’s Western Mass. office, will focus on business fundamentals, from startup considerations to business-plan development to funding sources. It is designed for owners of existing businesses as well as those who are planning to start one. Oresta Varela, Springfield brand manager of the U.S. Small Business Administration, will also present “SBA Advantage,” an overview of the SBA’s programs and services. The program will be presented on Sept. 17, Oct. 1, Nov. 5, and Dec. 3 in the STCC Technology Park, Scibelli Enterprise Center, Building 101, third floor. Pre-registration is required; register at www.msbdc.org/wmass/training.

No Kid Hungry Golf Tournament

Sept. 17: The sad reality is that one in six kids in the U.S. goes hungry every day. No Kid Hungry is a national nonprofit organization created to alter that reality. Through its fundraising efforts, No Kid Hungry supports school breakfast programs, after-school meal programs, summer meal programs, and food-skills education programs to help parents sustain nutrition efforts. Each dollar raised by No Kid Hungry provides 10 meals to at-risk children and supports education programs for parents. No Kid Hungry Golf, a local affiliate, will sponsor a golf tournament at Longmeadow Country Club to raise money to help feed these hungry kids. A number of businesses and organizations have already joined the effort as sponsors. Participants can register to golf, be a sponsor or donor, or come to the cocktail hour/dinner and auction. For more information or to register, visit www.nokidhungrygolf.com or contact Dr. Fred Kadushin at [email protected] or (413) 893-9677.

Future Tense Lecture

Sept. 20: The third installment of the BusinessWest lecture series Future Tense, titled “Change Considerations: An Examination of Lean Process, Market Disruption, and the Future of Your Business,” will take place on Thursday, Sept. 20 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Tech Foundry, 1391 Main St., ninth floor, Springfield. The lecture, open exclusively to CEOs and business owners, will be delivered by Mark Borsari, president of Sanderson MacLeod. The cost is a $25 donation to Tech Foundry. Event sponsors include Paragus IT, the Jamrog Group, and Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. See story on page 9 for more information about the program. To register, visit businesswest.com/lecture-series.

‘Hacks for Your Hindrances’

Sept. 21: The Family Business Center of Pioneer Valley (FBCPV) will present a workshop by business coach Julia Mines, called “Mindset: Hacks for Your Hindrances.” Attendees will learn how to gain some control over their amygdala, set better boundaries, be more courageous, stop procrastinating, and increase their self-esteem and happiness. Attendance is free for members and strategic partners of the FBCPV and $30 per person for others, who are owners and key managers of Western Mass. closely held and family owned companies. Contact Ira Bryck at [email protected] to register or for more information.

Source to Sea Cleanup

Sept. 28-29: Registration is now open for the Connecticut River Conservancy’s (CRC) Source to Sea Cleanup. This annual event, now in its 22nd year, has grown into New England’s largest river cleanup, winning an American Rivers award for most miles cleaned in 2017. There are three ways for volunteers to get involved in the Source to Sea Cleanup this year: report a trash site in need of cleaning, find a cleanup group near you to join, or organize and register your own local cleanup group. For more information or to register for the event, visit www.ctriver.org/cleanup. The annual Source to Sea Cleanup is a two-day river cleanup coordinated by CRC in all four states of the 410-mile Connecticut River basin. Volunteers remove trash along rivers, streams, parks, boat launches, trails, and more. If your group wants to get involved but needs a cleanup site, if you have questions, or if you know of a trash site in need of cleaning, contact CRC Cleanup Coordinator Stacey Lennard at [email protected]. Learn more about the event at www.ctriver.org/cleanup.

Drone Pilot Certification Course at HCC

Sept. 29 to Oct. 20: Holyoke Community College (HCC) will again offer a hands-on program for individuals who want to become FAA-licensed drone pilots. “Flying Drones for Profit, Public Safety, and Commercial Applications” will run on four consecutive Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the main campus of HCC, 303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke. The course will prepare individuals to take the Federal Aviation Administration Remote Pilot in Charge exam, which they must pass to become licensed drone operators. All classes will be taught by Larry Harmon, co-director of the GeoGraphics Laboratory at Bridgewater State University and an industry consultant on small, unmanned aircraft systems. The lecture portion of the course will meet in the HCC Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development on the main campus. Students will fly drones outside on the college sports fields. The course focuses on all content required to pass the FAA test, including regulations, national airspace system rules, weather, aircraft loading, aircraft performance, and flight operations. The cost for the four-week, non-credit course is $315. Space is limited. Drones will be provided for use in class. Participants can bring their own, but that is not necessary.

Luncheon Program on ‘Grand Bargain’

Oct. 2: Nancy Creed, president of the Springfield Regional Chamber, and John Regan, executive vice president for Government Affairs for Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), were part of a team, including the state’s other major business groups, that worked for months to negotiate a legislative compromise on minimum wage, sales tax, and paid family and medical leave to avoid the ballot box on these three issues. At a luncheon event from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, Creed and Regan will discuss how the comprehensive legislative compromise on paid family and medical leave, sales tax, and minimum wage (the ‘grand bargain’) came to be and the impact it will have on the business community. The program will explain the process and what it could mean for future hot-button issues. Creed and Regan had two of just seven seats at the table, and Creed was the single voice representing the Western Mass. business community. The Springfield Regional Chamber program is presented in partnership with 1Berkshire, AIM, and the Greater Easthampton and Greater Northampton chambers of commerce, and sponsored by Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn. Reservations cost $30 for members of the Springfield Regional Chamber, the Greater Easthampton and Greater Northampton chambers of commerce, and 1Berkshire, and $40 for general admission, and may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamberchamber.com.

Healthcare Heroes

Oct. 25: The second annual class of Healthcare Heroes will be honored at the Starting Gate at GreatHorse in Hampden. Healthcare Heroes, a recognition program involving the Western Mass. healthcare sector, was launched last spring by HCN and BusinessWest. The program was created to shed a bright light on the outstanding work being done across the broad spectrum of health and wellness services, and the institutions and people providing that care. The winners, in seven distinct categories, are profiled in this issue of BusinessWest and the September issue of HCN, and will be feted at the Oct. 25 gala. Healthcare Heroes sponsors include American International College (presenting sponsor), Baystate Health/Health New England (presenting sponsor), National Grid (partner), and supporting sponsors Renew.Calm, the Elms College MBA program, Bay Path University, and Mercy Medical Center and Trinity Health Of New England.