Agenda

Craft Brewer Lecture
Sept. 25: Dan Kenary, co-founder and president of Harpoon Brewery, will speak about the history and success of New England’s largest craft brewery at Old Sturbridge Village (OSV). His appearance is part of the village’s continuing OSV Overseers’ Distinguished Speaker Series. Kenary, a Worcester native, will host a fun-filled evening of beer tasting paired with food samples and will share the story of Harpoon’s success. Doors open at 6 p.m., a cash bar is available, and Kenary’s program will begin at 7 p.m. In his talk, “How Passion, Continuous Improvement, and Grassroots Marketing Have Made Harpoon Brewery the Largest Craft Brewer in New England,” Kenary will recount how Harpoon introduced fresh, local craft beer to Boston in 1986, becoming the first brewery to commercially brew and bottle beer in Boston in more than 25 years. “The big beer companies are like factories. What craft beer has done is to bring some local flavors,” he noted. “I’m bullish on better beer. We don’t believe in making beer we don’t like.” Tickets are $45 per person, $40 for Old Sturbridge Village members. Attendees must be at least 21 years old. Seating is limited, and pre-registration is required. The event is sponsored by Spencer Bank. For more information, visit www.osv.org or call (800) 733-1830. Old Sturbridge Village celebrates New England life in the 1830s and is one of the largest living-history museums in the country. The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. OSV offers free parking and a free return visit within 10 days. Admission is $24, or $22 for seniors; $8 for children ages 3-17, and free to children 2 and under.

Great River Challenge
Sept. 28: The only town in Massachusetts located on both sides of the fourth-largest river in the U.S., Northfield will be the scene of the first annual Great River Challenge Triathlon. The event will begin at Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center’s riverfront park and extensive trail system located on Route 63. Classified as a ‘non-traditional’ triathlon because it involves paddling rather than swimming, the Great River Challenge will be the first event of its kind in the Upper Pioneer Valley to use the broad Connecticut River. The Northfield Mountain recreational facility offers a number of advantages for racers and spectators, including a comfortable lodge, convenient parking, and a food-vendor area, amenities that most other race locations lack. The race features a canoe/kayak/SUP leg, a trail run, and an off-road mountain-bike leg on scenic Northfield Mountain. The paddle leg will be a mass start from the center’s riverfront park, paddling out and back and around Captain Kidd’s Island over 5.2 miles. The running leg is a challenging 3.5 miles of single-track trails and groomed trails, followed by a 6.5-mile mountain-bike ride on mixed single-track and open trails. Individuals and two-, three-, and four-person teams are welcome, and there is a junior division. Registrations start at $65 for individuals, with discounts for teams and half price for junior competitors (age 20 and under), plus a small sign-up fee at runsignup.com. Detailed information about the race, pre-registration and on-site registration, and pre-race activities can be found at www.greatriverchallenge.com. Organizer David Thomas — an athlete, coach, and owner of Stellar Kayaks in Northfield — expects 150 racers and 500 spectators at the first of what he hopes will be an annual event. “We are excited to launch this event in Northfield, showcasing the unusual beauty and abundant natural features we have here, from the river to the surrounding mountains,” he said. Proceeds from the event will support Northfield Kiwanis programs for children and needy families and visitor programs produced by the Northfield Area Tourism Assoc.

ACCGS Breakfast
Oct. 1: Menck Windows Chairman Bodo Liesenfeld will be the keynote speaker at the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield’s October Business@Breakfast at 7:15 a.m. at Twin Hills Country Club, 700 Wolf Swamp Road, Longmeadow. The event will be hosted by WGBY Director of Public Affairs Jim Madigan and sponsored by United Personnel. Liesenfeld will present “Looking from the Outside In,” and discuss the benefits and strengths the region has to offer businesses interested in locating and relocating to Western Mass. Menck Windows, a joint venture of Menck USA Inc. and Menck Fenster GmbH, of Hamburg, Germany, a 130-year-old, fourth-generation business that provides custom windows and doors in Europe, the Far East, and the U.S., recently opened the doors to its first U.S. manufacturing operation here in Western Mass. Liesenfeld is managing partner of Liesenfeld International GmbH, a private investment enterprise. For nearly 30 years, he was CEO and chairman of German-based Rohde & Liesenfeld, an international air and sea freight-forwarding group with global presence. He is the honorary representative of the city of Hamburg to the Northeast region of the U.S. and serves as chairman of the German Latin America Business Assoc. Since making his home in Boston in mid-2009, he became a fellow at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and chairman of the advisory board of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. He is chairman of the board of the Latin America Business Assoc. and a board member of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, among other board positions in the U.S., Germany, and Latin America. Reservations are $20 in advance for ACCGS members ($25 for member walk-in registration) and $30 for general admission. Reservations are suggested and can be made online at www.myonlinechamber.com.

Amherst Area Chamber Annual Awards Dinner
Oct. 2: The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce announced the upcoming Farm to Table Annual Awards Dinner, to be held Oct. 2 at Hadley Farms Meeting House in Hadley. The dinner, a yearly celebration that is a highlight of area businesses’ community social calendar, is expected to sell out. This year’s award winners reflect a celebration and acknowledgement of a number of community partners and leaders. The “A+” Award Winners include the Rotary Club of Amherst, which will receive the chamber’s Community Service Award, recognizing the many contributions that this group of volunteers has made to the Amherst area, in addition to its work dedicated to the global eradication of polio; Stephanie O’Keeffe, who will receive the chamber’s Legacy Award, a celebration of what this individual has accomplished, specifically in her role on the Amherst Select Board; and Tony Maroulis, former executive director of the organization, who will receive the chamber’s Most Valuable Player award for all of his hard work elevating the chamber’s stature and involvement in the community. “It was a daunting task to sift through the nominations for this year’s batch of award winners, because as there are so many individuals and organizations in this community worthy of recognition,” said Don Courtemanche, Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce executive director. “We feel that the recipients that we have selected represent the best, the brightest, and the most outstanding of the terrific partners that the chamber is fortunate to be associated with.” Tickets for the dinner will be available Sept. 2. Reservations for the dinner or for the program book may be made by contacting the chamber at (413) 253-0700.

Stroke Lecture at CDH
Oct. 2: Stroke is a major cause of death and disability in the U.S. Stroke occurs when a blood vessel that brings blood and oxygen to the brain gets blocked or ruptures. When this happens, brain cells don’t get the blood they need, and deprived of oxygen, nerve cells can stop working and die within minutes. In “Stroke Prevention and Treatment,” a Cooley Dickinson/Massachusetts General Hospital lecture, stroke neurologist Dr. Scott Silverman will discuss ways to reduce the risk of stroke and how to recognize stroke warning signs. He will also discuss treatments for stroke. Community members are invited to attend the lecture, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Dakin Conference Room at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. Silverman is an instructor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and an assistant in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he works on the stroke service. He received his undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Bowdoin College, and received his medical degree and completed his neurology residency at UMass Medical School. He then completed a fellowship in vascular and critical-care neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Silverman is board-certified in neurology, vascular neurology, and neurocritical care, and is director of Outpatient Stroke Services at Mass General. He has a strong interest in medical education and is currently the director of the Partners Vascular Neurology Fellowship. Silverman’s research and clinical interests are in ischemic stroke, specifically intracranial atherosclerotic disease and stroke in the young. Also participating in the lecture will be Dr. Tor Krogius, an emergency department physician at Cooley Dickinson and medical director of the Cooley Dickinson Hospital Stroke Program, as well as the telemedicine programs for stroke, neurology, and burn. He earned his medical degree at McGill University Faculty of Medicine and completed his internship and residency training at Baystate Medical Center.

BMLH Tag Sale and Electronics Recycling Day
Oct. 17: Recent building renovations and office upgrades at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital have resulted in a quantity of usedchairs, tables, desks, file cabinets, and other office equipment. As a result, a tag sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot near the back of the Medical Office Building, off Marjorie Street. Combined with the tag sale, the hospital will also sponsor a community-wide recycling event. Old and/or non-working electrical devices such as radios, air-conditioning units, toasters, phones, light fixtures, etc. will be collected at no cost,with the exception of TVs and CRTs, for which there will be an $8 fee. The community recycling event will also take place in the parking lot near the back of the Medical Office Building. All items collected will be trucked away to a recycling center shortly after the event. All proceeds will benefit community-benefit programs sponsored by the hospital. For more information, contact Ryan Moore at (413) 967-2140.

Western Mass. Business Expo
Oct. 29: The fourth annual Western Mass. Business Expo will be presented by BusinessWest at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. The event is a business-to-business show featuring more than 150 booths, seminars, breakfast and lunch events, Show Floor Theater presentations, and a day-capping Expo Social. Details about events, programs, and featured speakers will be printed in future issues of BusinessWest. Comcast Business will again be Presenting Sponsor, while the social will be sponsored by Northwestern Mutual and MGM Springfield. Silver Sponsors are Health New England, DIF Design, Johnson & Hill Staffing, and MassMutual Financial Group. Education sponsor is the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. In 2013, more than 2,200 business professionals attended the expo, and between 2,500 and 3,000 are expected in 2014. For more information on sponsorships or booth purchase, call (413) 781-8600 or visit www.wmbexpo.com.