Agenda Departments

Agenda

Management Fundamentals Workshop
May 24: Lyne Kendall of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network will present “Business Plan Basics” from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Amherst Town Hall, first floor meeting room, 4 Boltwood Walk. The workshop will focus on management fundamentals from start-up considerations through business-plan development. Topics will include financing, marketing and business planning. The cost is $40. For more information, call (413) 737-6712 or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

State of the Region
June 5: The Hartford-Springfield Economic Partnership (HSEP) will stage its 2012 State of the Region Conference, from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Enfield-Springfield at One Bright Meadow Blvd. in Enfield. The event will have as its theme “State Collaboration and the Region’s Future.” Keynote speakers will be Catherine Smith, commissioner of the Conn. Department of Economic and Community Development, and Gregory Bialecki, Mass. secretary of Housing and Economic Development. Mary Ellen Jones, chair of the Connecticut Airport Authority, also will speak. There is no charge, but pre-registration is necessary.  For more information and to register, visit www.hartfordspringfield.com. The Hartford-Springfield Economic Partnership is an interstate collaboration of regional economic-development, planning, business, tourism, and educational institutions that work together to advance the region’s economic progress.

YMCA CELEBRATION
June 18:  Given the YMCA of Greater Springfield’s history with the game of basketball, it is only fitting that a celebration of the organization’s 160th Anniversary will be staged at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The event, to start at 6 p.m., will feature a keynote address by successful sports and business leader Mannie Jackson and Boston Globe sportswriters and ESPN commentators, Jackie MacMullan and Bob Ryan. MacMullan and Ryan, both Basketball Hall of Fame Award winners, will together share with guests their thoughts and experiences covering the celebrated Boston sports teams, with a special concentration on the Boston Celtics. Jackson is a former player for the Harlem Globetrotters who, after a successful business career, purchased the Globetrotters from near bankruptcy and extinction, reinvigorating one of America’s most popular sports brands. Jackson will share stories and insights from his life beginning with literally being born in a railway boxcar, to becoming the first African American player at the University of Illinois, to becoming the president of a unit of Honeywell Corporation, and his ultimate purchase of the Globetrotters and his experiences around the world with the team. Jackson is now a philanthropist and author, who recently released a book called Boxcar to Boardrooms; My Memories and Travels, that chronicles his inspiring journey. The book is on sale now www.boxcarholding.com with all proceeds donated to cancer research and the I-LEAP Academic Scholarship Program. “We are extremely honored to be joined by these three amazingly talented sports icons,” says Kirk Smith, President & CEO, YMCA of Greater Springfield. “I couldn’t ask for a better way to commemorate our 160th anniversary than with them at Center Court of the Basketball Hall of Fame.” Tickets to the June 18 celebration are available by contacting Peggy Graveline, Development assistant at the YMCA of Greater Springfield, at [email protected], or by calling (413) 739-6951, ext. 179. Tickets are $160/each, or $1,500 for a table of 10. All proceeds from the event will benefit the YMCA of Greater Springfield’s 2012 Annual Scholarship Campaign.

40 Under Forty
June 21: BusinessWest will present its sixth class of regional rising stars at its annual 40 Under Forty gala at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. The gala will feature music, lavish food stations, and introductions of the winners. Tickets are $60 per person, with tables of 10 available. Early registration is advised, as seating is limited. For more information, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100, or log onto www.businesswest.com.

WBOA 30th Anniversary
June 21: Chez Josef in Agawam will be the setting for the 30th anniversary celebration of the Women’s Business Owners Alliance of the Pioneer Valley (WBOA) at 6 p.m. The WBOA will recognize its 2012 Business Woman of the Year, as well as its 2012 Outstanding New Member, and will name its Top Women in Business in the Pioneer Valley. Renate Oliver, WBOA founder, will also be a featured speaker. The event will feature entertainment by Jeannie Pomeroy-Murphy, as well as a raffle fund-raiser. For more information or tickets, call (413) 525-7345 or visit www.wboa.org.

NYC Bus Trip
June 30: The Chicopee Chamber of Commerce will host a bus trip to New York City, leaving the chamber parking lot at 7 a.m. and returning around 9:30 p.m. Participants are on their own for the day in New York City. Tickets are $45 per person. For more information, contact Lynn at (413) 594-2101.

Massachusetts Chamber Summit
Sept. 9-11: The Massachusetts Chamber board of directors will conduct its annual Business Summit and Awards Ceremony Sept. 9-11 at the Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis. The two-day meeting allows participants to meet with business professionals from across the state, as well as listen to state and local elected officials who will discuss the future of business in Massachusetts. Additionally, representatives from the Massachusetts Office of Economic Development will discuss loans, grants, and tax incentives available to business owners. Industry experts will also be on hand to discuss topics such as leveraging social media, search-engine optimization, and health care cost containment. The winners of the Business of the Year Award and the Employer of Choice Award will also be announced during the summit. For more information, call (617) 512-9667 or visit www.masscbi.com.

Western Mass. Business Expo
Oct. 11: BusinessWest will again present the Western Mass. Business Expo. The event, which made its debut last fall at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield, will feature more than 180 exhibitors, seminars, special presentations, breakfast and lunch programs, and the year’s most extensive networking opportunity. Comcast Business Class will again be the presenting sponsor of the event. Details, including breakfast and lunch agendas, seminar topics, and featured speakers, will be printed in the pages of BusinessWest over the coming months. For more information or to purchase a booth, call (413) 781-8600, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.wmbexpo.com.