BusinessWest Staff, Author at BusinessWest

By Jane Roulier

In schools, on the streets, in relationships, and online, girls in communities across the country are experiencing bullying and harassment. In addition to sexual harassment, many girls experience discrimination based on their race, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, religion, and more.

Over the past year, one in four high school girls has been bullied on school property, which negatively affects everyone involved — the victim, the harasser, and the bystanders — as well as the learning environment.

While Massachusetts has laws requiring schools to develop and implement plans to address bullying, Girls Inc. of Holyoke recognizes that bullying is not limited to the school grounds. Indeed, the prevalence of social media means that bullying follows girls into their homes and lives outside of school. Children who are bullied often have little reprieve.

To address this pervasive problem, Girls Inc. dedicates Girls Inc. Week 2017, May 8-12, to helping girls advocate for change and make our communities better places to live.

But this is an initiative that goes on year-round — because it must.

Girls Inc. recently surveyed nearly 800 members of our national network, including girls and alumnae, parents, staff, board members, and donors, to determine the top challenges facing girls today. Nearly 70% of respondents identified ‘bullying, harassment, and sexual violence’ as an issue of concern to them. We can’t ignore this. This is a problem that affects us all.

It is important we understand the facts and myths about bullying and harassment in order to effectively address this issue.

Myth: Bullying is just ‘kids being kids,’ and we should stop making it such a big deal.

Fact: Bullying can cause lasting harm. Repeated or severe conduct based on sex or other protected categories is unlawful harassment.

Myth: If it happens off school grounds, it’s not the school’s responsibility.

Fact: Under Title IX, schools have to address conduct they know about, or should know about, that leads to a hostile environment or impedes a student’s ability to benefit from the educational program.

Myth: Bullies are ‘problem kids’ who have aggression issues and should be punished.

Fact: Actually, it is quite common for kids who bully to be victims themselves.

Myth: Bullying will stop only if the victim stands up to the bully.

Fact: Just as society does not expect victims of other types of abuse to “deal with it on their own,” we should not expect this from victims of bullying or harassment.

Girls Inc. encourages girls to be change agents within their communities, boldly advocating for themselves and others. Along with more than 450 other attendees at Girls Inc. of Holyoke’s Spirit of Girls breakfast fund-raiser last month, I witnessed girls doing this. Girls as young as 7 through 17 spoke confidently in front of this large crowd about how the programs at Girls Inc. have impacted their lives by building their self-esteem and encouraging them to make sure their voices are heard. Because of what they are learning, these girls will not be afraid to advocate for themselves or others.

Girls Inc. of Holyoke is also working every day to change policies, attitudes, and beliefs to improve the conditions in which girls are growing up. It takes all of us coming together to ensure that girls feel safe in their schools, in their communities, and with their peers.

Together, we can put an end to bullying and harassment to create more inclusive, kind, safe, and supportive schools and communities.

Jane Roulier is chair of the board of directors for Girls Inc. of Holyoke.

Rays of Hope Breast Cancer Survivors’ Day Slated for May 13

SPRINGFIELD — Rhonda Kallman, breast cancer survivor and founder of Boston Beer Co., brewer of Samuel Adams, will be the keynote speaker at the 20th annual Rays of Hope Breast Cancer Survivors’ Day on Saturday, May 13 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield.

After founding Boston Beer Co. at the age of 24, Kallman left the company in 2011 to purse her next challenge, founding New Century Brewing Co., where once again her unique contributions were recognized by her peers, and in 2014 she founded the Boston Harbor Distillery. An acclaimed professional speaker and breast-cancer survivor, Kallman delivers inspiration and motivation to audiences by focusing on entrepreneurial business, sales, and marketing, as well as women’s empowerment and overcoming adversity. During her talk, “Beer Battered: Overcoming Personal Adversity,” she will discusses what it takes to be a leader, how to accept the pitfalls of business and life, as well as having the courage to try again.

In addition to Kallman’s keynote address, participants can select two workshops to attend from, among “Fabulously Functional Fitness,” “Rolling the Dice: Chance, Fate, and Risk — What Would You Do?” “Project Life — Papercrafting with Pocket Pages,” “Treat Yourself — Make and Take,” “Thriving with Breast Reconstruction: Patient Perspectives and New Directions,” “The Healing Labyrinth,” “Updates in Breast Cancer: A Surgeon’s Perspective,” “What’s New (or Not So New) in Breast Prosthesis and Pocketed Lingerie,” and “Healthy Eating for Stronger Bones.”

There will also be two interactive stations from which those attending can choose to participate in during the day. In “Paint Social Art,” local artists will guide painters — no experience necessary — in creating their own mini-painting, which they can display at home. At the “Paper Craft Cafe,” the ladies of Life’s Memories and More will provide a choice of three kits to make on site. Additional kits may be available for purchase.

There will also be networking opportunities throughout the day and the chance to visit with several exhibitors who will sell a variety of breast-related products and more. A continental breakfast will be served, as well as a buffet luncheon.

Registration is required. The cost is $35 per person, with the remaining dollars underwritten by the Rays of Hope. For those unable to afford the fee, a limited number of scholarships are available for breast-cancer survivors by calling Sue-Ann Hilton at the Rays of Hope Outreach office at Baystate Medical Center at (413) 794-9556.

For more information, or to request a registration form, call (413) 794-9556. Also, for more information on Rays of Hope, visit www.baystatehealth.org/raysofhope.

Cooley Dickinson, United Way to Host Discussions about Race

NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson Health Care, the United Way of Hampshire County, and the Jandon Center for Community Engagement at Smith College are addressing the issue of racism, as well as race-related incidents that continue to occur both locally and nationally, by offering a series of community dialogues on race in Northampton and Amherst. Community members who live or work in Hampshire County are invited to attend either of the sessions.

The two-part dialogue will be offered Friday, June 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Jandon Center for Community Engagement at Smith College, Wright Hall, 5 Chapin Dr., Northampton. A second two-part session will be offered Friday, June 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Amherst Survival Center, 138 Sunderland Road, Amherst.

Event organizers say they aim to move toward solutions rather than continue to express or analyze the problem; to reach beyond the usual boundaries, offering opportunities for new, unexpected partnerships; and to unite divided communities through a respectful, informed sharing of local racial history and its consequences for different people in today’s society.

The community dialogue is free, and lunch will be provided. Attendance is limited to 30 people, and participants must attend both Friday and Saturday. When registering, people will be asked their name, the organization they represent, if any, and their race/ethnicity. Organizers are asking about race/ethnicity as they have a goal of 50% participation from people of color.

To register, call (888) 554-4234 by Tuesday, May 30. You will receive confirmation on whether you have been selected to attend a session.

Fund-raising Expert Tom Ahern to Deliver Two Workshops on June 1

GREAT BARRINGTON — Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation invites regional nonprofit staff to attend “An Afternoon with Tom Ahern,” a two-part workshop on Thursday, June 1 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Jane Iredale Cosmetics, 50 Church St., Great Barrington.

Back by popular demand, Ahern will present two back-to-back workshops: “The Big (little) Diff: Writing for Online Readers,” a discussion of best practices in writing for web, e-mail, and social-media platforms; and “Writing a Powerful Case for Support,” which will review effective fund-raising methods. The New York Times calls Ahern “one of the country’s most sought-after creators of fund-raising messages.”

This event is part of Berkshire Taconic’s popular annual Seminars in Nonprofit Excellence series. Tickets are $40 per person, and light food and beverages will be provided. To register, visit www.berkshiretaconic.org/ahern.

River Roll & Stroll Festival Set for May 7

SOUTH HADLEY — Residents of South Hadley and Holyoke, and people from around the state and the region, will come together on Sunday, May 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the River Roll and Stroll, an open-streets festival on the Route 116 Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Bridge, which connects the two communities.

This is a an unprecedented event for the Pioneer Valley; the local MassDOT office has never before agreed to close a bridge to vehicular traffic and open it up exclusively to pedestrians, bicyclists, rollerskaters, or anyone else traveling under their own steam. This event promises one-of-a-kind views of the Connecticut River, the Holyoke Dam, Mount Tom, and numerous family-friendly activities as well.

“We’re going to have lots of entertainers from the two communities, as well as the region — musical groups, street busker performers, face painting, chalk art stations, you name it — not to mention the local food trucks that will be there,” said Mariann Millard, South Hadley co-chair of the River Roll and Stroll steering committee. “It’s going to be a very special, family-friendly event that brings everyone together on the bridge. I’m especially looking forward to the parade and short ceremony honoring our veterans, scheduled for 1 p.m., which will be kicked off by a musket volley from the End Zone Militia who perform at New England Patriots games.”

The River Roll and Stroll is one of many open-streets events that take place around the country. From San Antonio to Cambridge, numerous communities have closed roadways to vehicular traffic for a day and opened them to families, community groups, and entertainment. This year, the River Roll and Stroll will serve as the kick-off event for Bay State Bike Week, put on by MassDOT and the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition.

“Roll and Stroll will showcase Holyoke’s and South Hadley’s shared commitment to livability and active living,” said Holyoke co-chair Sean Condon. “The amount of community support has been amazing, from cash sponsorships to volunteers to in-kind donations. This event is truly going to set the standard for similar efforts around the Valley.”

The alcohol-, drug-, and smoke-free festival and all of its activities are free to the public except for the food and beverage vendors. To keep everyone safe on the bridge, there will be no coolers allowed and no fishing from the bridge (underneath is allowed) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., no climbing on bridge railings, and all dogs must be leashed. The event will be held rain or shine unless the weather is forecasted to be hazardous, which will force a broadcasted cancellation; no rain date is available. Plenty of free parking is available near both ends of the bridge on streets and open lots in South Hadley and Holyoke. Special ADA parking has been designated at the South Hadley police station, 41 Bridge St. The bridge and its immediate entrance areas will close to vehicular traffic from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and detour signs will be posted.

For more information, visit the event on Facebook at www.facebook.com/riverrollandstroll or e-mail [email protected].

Ad Club of Western Mass. to Present Creative Awards on May 11

EASTHAMPTON — Celebrate the creative work coming out of Western Mass. at the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts Creative Awards 2017, set to take place Thursday, May 11 at the Boylston Room in Easthampton, starting at 6 p.m.

The event will include heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and entertainment — and, most important, the best creative work in the valley. This year, the Ad Club will be handing out over 65 awards honoring creative professionals from copywriters to videographers. The cost is $35 for club members, $50 for non-members, and $20 for students. For more information and to reserve your ticket, click here.

J. Polep Acquires Assets of Garber Bros. Inc.

CHICOPEE — J. Polep Distribution Services announced its recent acquisition of certain assets, including inventory, from Garber Bros. Inc., other than accounts receivable or its facilities in Stoughton.

J. Polep is now New England’s largest family-owned convenience-store distributor, servicing over 6,000 customers weekly. To balance the continued leveraged growth, J. Polep was able to retain a majority of Garber’s sales force. J. Polep is excited about the opportunities this acquisition gives its employees and customers. Heavy concentration will be on the development and growth of customers’ in-store sales and improving their margin dollars.

With the newly acquired assets, J. Polep will present newly obtained value-added services and food service programs to its customers.

One of the new food-service offerings acquired from Garber Bros. is the popular branded coffee program, Beantown Coffee. J. Polep holds the exclusive rights to Beantown Coffee, allowing customers to have a coffee shop within their convenience stores featuring specialty roasted Beantown blend and flavored coffees, cappuccinos, iced coffee, and beans.

Beantown Coffee is being added to the already extensive hot beverage category at J. Polep, which includes Keurig Green Mountain, Baronet, and New England Coffee.

These assets and operation synergies will give J. Polep a stronger presence within the convenience-store industry throughout the Northeast and will further strengthen its business.

Springfield Dragon Boat Festival Seeks Organizations to Sponsor Boats

SPRINGFIELD — The fifth annual Springfield Dragon Boat Festival will take place on Saturday, June 24 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at North Riverfront Park, 121 West St. in Springfield. Racing begins at 9 a.m. Registration is now open for teams wishing to participate at www.pvriverfront.org/db-fest-reg.

In addition to dragon-boat races, the festival will feature family-friendly events such as music, performances, food, vendors, and children’s activities.

The boat races will have both community and club racing categories. For businesses and organizations looking for a team-building opportunity, the $2,000 race fee includes a coached training session the week prior to the race, the use of boats and paddles, and personal flotation devices. On race day, teams will participate in three 200-meter races. No prior experience is necessary to participate.

Proceeds from the event will provide support for riverfront programs for youth and adults at Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club as it grows and strengthens its presence in Springfield and the Pioneer Valley.

“Our mission is to connect the community to the Connecticut River,” said Ben Quick, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club. “Past community team participants have included MassMutual, Health New England, the Center for Human Development, and more. It is a great way for community groups to have fun and create awareness. They love that they can enjoy a great team-building event and support programs that help our local youth and adults get fit.”

Lecture on May 10 to Tackle ‘Big Data … Your Strategic Advantage’

SPRINGFIELD — As part of the ongoing BusinessWest and HCN Lecture Series, Comcast Business will host an informative program titled “Big Data … Your Strategic Advantage” on Wednesday, May 10. The event is part of a series of lectures, panel discussions, and presentations that address timely and important business information. This is an opportunity to meet industry leaders and network with area business professionals.

“Big Data … Your Strategic Advantage” will be presented by Dennis Perlot, vice President, Enterprise Architecture at CleanSlate Centers, and former ‘technology evangelist’ at Microsoft and BI specialist master at Deloitte. It will take place at La Quinta Inn & Suites, 100 Congress St., Springfield. Perlot will address how other organizations are using their data to provide them with a competitive advantage. Attendees will learn how data can be analyzed for insights that lead to better decisions and strategic business moves.

On-site parking is available. Registration is scheduled for 7:15 to 7:30 a.m., followed by breakfast and Perlot’s presentation from 7:30 to 9 p.m. RSVP at businesswest.com/lecture-series.

Employer Confidence Declines in April

BOSTON — Massachusetts employers hit the pause button on a seven-month rally in business confidence during April, but their outlook remained solidly optimistic in the face of mixed political and economic signals.

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index lost 2.2 points to 60.2 last month, 4.0 points higher than its level of a year earlier. Every constituent element of the confidence index lost ground after reaching a 13-year high during March.

The results came as the Massachusetts economy contracted at a 0.5% annual rate during the first quarter and state unemployment rate rose to 3.6%.

“We should not be surprised to see confidence readings correct slightly after advancing six points since September,” said Raymond Torto, chair of AIM’s Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) and lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Design. “It bears watching to determine whether the broad April decline becomes a trend as we move into the summer.”

Analysts believe the numbers may also reflect growing concern among employers about the ability of the Trump administration to deliver the many pro-growth policies it promised during the campaign.

The AIM Index, based on a survey of 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 Index reached its historic high of 68.5 on two occasions in 1997-98, and its all-time low of 33.3 in February 2009. The index has remained above 50 since October 2013.

Employers grew less confident about both the overall economy and their own operations during April. The Massachusetts Index, assessing business conditions within the Commonwealth, lost 0.4 points to 63.3, leaving it 6 points higher than in April 2016.

The U.S. Index of national business conditions shed 2.7 points after gaining ground for the previous sixth months. April marked the 85th consecutive month in which employers have been more optimistic about the Massachusetts economy than the national economy.

The Current Index, which assesses overall business conditions at the time of the survey, declined 1.9 points to 59.9, while the Future Index, measuring expectations for six months out, dropped 2.5 points to 60.5. The future outlook remained 3.2 points higher than a year ago.

The Company Index, reflecting overall business conditions, fell 2.6 points to 60.2. The Employment Index fell 2.8 points to 56.2, and the Sales Index declined 2.1 points to 60.5.

The AIM survey found that nearly 39% of respondents reported adding staff during the past six months, while 19% reduced employment. Expectations for the next six months were stable, with 37% planning to hire and only 10% downsizing.

The April survey also reversed an unusual result in March, when Western Mass. companies were more confident than those in the eastern portion of the Commonwealth. Eastern Mass. employers posted a 61.7 confidence reading in April versus 58 for employers in the western part of the state.

AIM President and CEO Richard Lord said employer confidence is facing headwinds from accelerating healthcare and health-insurance costs. Massachusetts has exceeded its objective for healthcare spending in each of the past two years, and employers continue to pay some of the highest costs in the nation.

“The good news is that Massachusetts is beginning to identify some answers. And there appears to be enough common ground and political will on the issue to pursue some solutions,” Lord said. “New research conducted by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission suggests that Massachusetts employers, insurers, and policymakers could reduce total healthcare expenditures anywhere from $279 million per year to $794 million per year, or 0.5% to 1.3%, by making several key improvements to the healthcare system.”

CHD Introduces Summer Program for Youth on Autism Spectrum

CHICOPEE — For typical youth in their high-school years, summer vacation provides a break from academic and social pressures. But for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), this break in their normal school-year routine can lead to substantial regression.

For summer 2017, the Center for Human Development (CHD) is providing an Extended School Year (ESY) Autism Coaching Program in support of select school districts in Hampden and Hampshire counties. The program, developed by Jennifer Bogin, coordinator of Autism Initiatives for CHD, is designed specifically for a higher-functioning population of youth with ASD. The program was designed for a specific population:

• Diagnosis or presumed diagnosis of ASD/asperger’s, non-verbal learning disability, social communication disorder, or any other disability that leads to social/emotional challenges;

• Co-occurring behavioral-health challenges (depression, anxiety disorder, OCD, ADHD);

• Age 16 to 22;

• Average IQ (either mild or no intellectual disability); and

• Skills deficit in relationship skills, communication, adaptive/life skills, employment/pre-employment, self-regulation, time management, community participation, and self-advocacy.

CHD’s ESY Autism Coaching Program runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from July 5 to Aug. 10. The program is located at Chicopee Comprehensive High School, 617 Montgomery St., Chicopee. The co-location with the other Chicopee Public Schools Extended School Year programs on site will allow students possible vocational or volunteer placements as well as access to full culinary-arts facilities.

“CHD conducted a needs assessment from September 2016 to February 2017 and found there was a wide service gap in ESY programming for a higher-functioning population,” said Bogin. “While it’s not designed as a summer-camp experience, CHD’s ESY Autism Coaching Program does allow youth and families living with autism to participate in a fun, social learning program designed for their needs. It helps keep youth engaged academically and involved socially so their summer isn’t spent alone or glued to a video game. Some ESY programs exclude youth based on the need for a mental-health component, but CHD has built this program with that in mind.”

ESY program participant will gain new and transferrable skills, such as time management, grooming and self-care, budgeting, using transportation, as well as soft skills, such as making small talk, taking a break, and making plans with a peer. “Some social-skills programs focus on the hard skills and lack intentional work on soft skills, but this program is combining both,” said Bogin. “Community inclusion is the goal, and independence, socialization, and transition readiness to adulthood are the objectives.”

One intended outcome of the program is building a regional cohort of youth who share similar interests. “Naturally developing communities are based more on interest than geography,” Bogin explained. “So instead of forcing socialization based on a specific school district, we’re attracting youth from all over the region, and providing an engaging, supportive environment where similar interests will be whatever develops organically.”

A typical program day starts with a brief small-group check-in and review of the daily schedule. Students are then brought to one of three different community sites to work on the skills targeted in their individualized education program and ESY plan. Following community time, students are transported back to the program site for a professionally facilitated lunchtime social-skills group followed by a half-hour of unstructured (though supported) generalization and recreation time.

Students spend the final hour of their day in a small group facilitated by a clinician to focus on interpersonal relationships, dressing for success and grooming, self-regulation and cognitive behavior therapy, time and money management, or self-advocacy. A new topic is chosen each week and is repeated three times per week to allow students an opportunity to practice what they are learning in the group and report on how they are able to generalize skills.

School-district and private-pay options are available. Space is limited. For more information, visit www.chd.org and search ‘autism’ or e-mail Bogin at [email protected].

Western Mass Green Consortium Slates Green Night for May 10

NORTHAMPTON — The Western Mass Green Consortium has slated its next Green Night for Wednesday, May 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Platform Sports Bar in Northampton.

Greenfield Community College (GCC) has significantly contributed to Massachusetts’ national prominence in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and its interns are often on the forefront of these fields. Student interns have contributed to such forward-looking developments as manufacturing fuel from recycled vegetable oil, assessing the energy performance of the region’s building stock, increasing outreach to businesses and volunteers for a local low-income housing franchise, and designing and installing solar arrays.

At Green Night, recent and current interns will give a thumbnail sketch of their experiences working for local organizations such as Northeast Biodiesel, Power House Energy Consulting, and Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity. Representatives of host sites will also be on hand to discuss their perspective of the internship process. Teresa Jones, GCC’s Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency (RE/EE) program director; Christine Copeland, GCC’s internship coordinator guru; and Beth Paulson, adjunct faculty for the RE/EE program, will update attendees on GCC’s accomplishments, describe how other businesses can get involved, and introduce the presenters.

GCC’s pioneering Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency degree and certificate programs have been closely aligned with local sustainable businesses since the program began in 2008. It is a leader in not only the state, but the country. It has graduated 29 students in the degree program and 79 students in the intensive, one-year certificate program.

Shrine Circus Opens May 4 at Big E Coliseum

WEST SPRINGFIELD — On Thursday, May 4, the Melha Shriners will launch four days of wholesome family fun at the Big E Coliseum on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition. The 63rd Melha Shrine Circus will present seven shows through Sunday, May 7.

The circus begins with a grand entry at 6:30 p.m. on May 4. Inside, circus-goers will enjoy entertainment from the Hamid Elephants, the Vincent Von Duke Tigers, daredevil Johnny Rockett, human cannonball Shawn Marren, the Flying Angels trapeze artists, and Neecha Braun and her Amazing Dobermans.

The circus schedule will be as follows: Thursday, May 4, 7 p.m.; Friday, May 5, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 6, 10 a.m., 2:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, May 7, 12:30 and 4:30 p.m.

Prices are $15 for general reserved seats and $18 for box seats (no discounts apply to box seats). Children under age 3 seated on an adult’s lap do not need a ticket. To purchase tickets, call (413) 205-5087 or visit the Eastern States Coliseum box office, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (On performance days, the box office will remain open until 9 a.m.) In addition, all Western Mass. Big Y locations are offering a buy-three, get-one-free promotion.

When ordering tickets, indicate if a ticketholder uses a wheelchair or requires special assistance; the Shriners will make every effort to accommodate attendees’ needs. In such situations, there will be room for only one other person to sit with the ticketholder.

As always, all proceeds from this annual tradition of family fun stay in the Western Mass. area to assist the work of the Shriners.

WGBY Asparagus Festival Connects Families with Agriculture

SPRINGFIELD — The WGBY Asparagus Festival returns to the Hadley Town Common on Saturday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to once again celebrate the region’s legacy of agriculture and community.

The family-friendly, outdoor event features more than 90 local food, crafts, and agricultural vendors at a Farmers’ & Makers’ Market. In addition, there will be entertainment displays, kids’ games, and a live visit from PBS Kids character Curious George.

A large “Rooted in the Valley” stage will feature popular performers. Family entertainer Tyler Conroy will start off the day, followed by bands Western Den and Parsonsfield, which were selected by Northampton-based Signature Sounds. Western Den blends “compelling lush harmonies with ambient textures,” and Parsonsfield “trades instruments, shares microphones, and sings in tight multi-part harmonies,” according to each of the bands’ websites.

“As a public television station, our WGBY Asparagus Festival is so rewarding to us because it not only raises funds for local educational programs and services, but also helps fulfill our mission of connecting Western New England,” said Lynn Page, WGBY’s interim general manager. “Seeing so many community partners and so many neighbors from around the region, you really leave the event feeling good, feeling like you’re a part of the community.”

Attendees will leave the event feeling well-fed, too. More than a dozen Pioneer Valley culinary artisans, local brewers, and regional food vendors will offer a wide variety of snacks and meals. Taste original dishes from Mi Tierra, Esselon Café, or Spoleto. Visit the Wheelhouse Farm, UMass Dining, or Hadley Fry King food trucks. Or, go on the sweeter side and sample asparagus-flavored ice cream from Flayvours of Cook Farm, maple treats from the North Hadley Sugar Shack, or a specialty from the Florence Pie Bar. Other food vendors include North Hadley Congregational Church, Harmony Springs, and Dean’s Beans. In addition, a large craft-beer tent will provide tasting opportunities from popular local breweries (craft beer tasting tickets available at wgby.org/beer).

The WGBY Asparagus Festival is open to the public and free with a recommended donation of $5 per person. It will be held rain or shine. Donations directly benefit public television and education efforts in the Western New England region. The event is sponsored by the Dennis Group, Greenfield Savings Bank, Whole Foods Hadley, and Alternative Recycling Systems. Media sponsors include the Daily Hampshire Gazette, MassLive, and Yankee magazine.

Technology Allows Women to View Breast-surgery Results in Advance

Sections Technology

Virtual Breakthrough

Dr. Glen Brooks demonstrates how patients can adjust specifications on a screen before viewing themselves with virtual-reality goggles.

Dr. Glen Brooks, who runs a cosmetic-surgery practice in Longmeadow, says he was initially “awed” by a virtual-reality device that allows breast-surgery patients, using 3D goggles, to view their own post-surgery bodies — before the actual surgery — in a virtual-reality space. He says Crixalix, as the technology is known, has helped ease patients’ anxieties, while assuring him they’re getting exactly what they want.

Dr. Glen Brooks understands that preparing for cosmetic surgery can be an anxious time, especially for women unsure of what the end result will look like. Take breast augmentation, for example.

“The biggest fear of the patient is that she’s going too big. But the biggest fear of the doctor is that I have to reoperate because she’s gone too small,” Brooks said, explaining that, while the fear of choosing too large an implant is a common concern, the patient typically discovers she had nothing to worry about.

Still, he added, “I don’t want to do a revision, and the patient wants to get it right the first time. A revision costs someone money, takes time, and has risks. If we can avoid a revision, that’s an excellent outcome.”

If only there were a way for a woman to see the end result, on her own body, before the surgery.

Now there is.

Five months ago, Brooks, who owns Aesthetic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, P.C. in Longmeadow, started using Crisalix, a virtual-reality technology developed in Switzerland that allows patients, using 3D goggles, to view their own bodies — not just on a screen, but in a virtual space, as if they were looking down at themselves — exactly how they will look after the breast surgery.

“I was really awed when I watched a demonstration,” Brooks said of his first exposure to the device. “What it allows us to do is create a 3D image of someone’s chest. Then, we can image every single breast manufacturer, any size, any shape implant, and using 3D goggles, the patient can view herself from all angles.”

The result, he said, is a true ‘a-ha moment.’

“The first time they look down and see they have cleavage, they’re like, ‘oh my God.’ It’s an a-ha moment because they’re seeing themselves; it’s a real view of what they look like, not like in a mirror.”

Indeed, Crisalix markets itself as a way for doctors and patients to answer the common question, ‘how might I look after the procedure?’ The goal is to increase patient satisfaction and decrease anxiety, both during the consultation and post surgery.

brooksscreen1art

Crisalix markets itself as a leader in web-based, three-dimensional, virtual-reality simulations for plastic surgery and aesthetic procedures. The company is a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, a fast-growing life-science cluster, and the Institute of Surgical Technology and Biomechanics at the University of Bern.

“It gives the patient a chance to see herself,” Brooks said, “and know precisely what she’s going to look like afterward.”

First Steps

But first, the patient sees herself on a screen. Brooks scans her chest and uploads the image to a tablet, where he can help the woman decide on which implant manufacturer to use and which volume and shape to use. They can test out myriad options on the screen, rotating the image to see the change from multiple perspectives.

When both doctor and patient are comfortable with a particular option, the patient dons goggles and enters a 3D, virtual-reality world where she can view herself with the new breast size and shape, and either approve the specifications or go back to the tablet for something else.

Brooks told BusinessWest that breast augmentation, reduction, and reconstruction — Crisalix is effective on all three — are more science than art, a matter of delivering precisely what the patient is asking for. What the VR technology does is help the patient clearly communicate that decision.

“The patient predetermines beforehand what volume they want to have — ‘this is what I am, and this is what I want to be,’” he noted. “It’s a very different type of technological advance because so much of the surgery is objective, but showing patients their size in advance in this way is more powerful than a verbal discussion.

“Most of the other technological advances in this field tend to be things like lasers and non-surgical devices to either remove fat or tighten skin,” he went on. “This is more on the side of patient awareness of outcomes than the actual outcome. It’s the first device that helps on the awareness side so well. There are other imaging systems out there, but this is the first true VR system, and it’s so simple to use.”

The reasons women ask for augmentations varies greatly, Brooks said, but there are a few common categories: early-20-somethings whose breasts are mismatched in size; women in their late 30s or early 40s who want a “mommy makeover,” feeling they’ve lose some volume and gained some sag after having kids; and women of any age who feel more attractive or confident with a different look, to name a few.

“This gives them a really great education in what I need to correct,” he said, adding that the technology is just as effective with reconstructions, typically after mastectomies with cancer patients, in that it can formulate a completely symmetrical look to the patient’s specifications.

According to data from the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among U.S. women after skin cancer, representing nearly one in three cases. Furthermore, the ACS notes, seven out of 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer who are candidates for breast reconstruction are not aware of their options. As a result, fewer than one in five American women who undergo a mastectomy go on to have breast reconstruction.

“Many women are able to get an immediate breast reconstruction performed at the same time as the mastectomy, but that option depends on what treatment is necessary after surgery,” Brooks said. “Patients with breast cancer have numerous options to help them restore a breast to near-normal shape, appearance, and size following mastectomy or lumpectomy.”

Seeing the Future

Crisalix is only the latest option to reach that goal, and Brooks said patients have been pleasantly surprised at what the virtual images tell them. The technology to convert 2D images to 3D virtual reality is currently being used on five continents.

Dr. Glen Brooks says he was “awed” the first time he used the Crisalix technology.

“Months ago, they asked whether I would re-up next year for the software license, and I said ‘absolutely,’” he told BusinessWest. “It makes what I do so much more precise, putting together the right outcome by showing exactly what we’ll provide to patient. It’s absolutely a home run.”

And it’s far from the only potential use of VR in the surgical world. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on others, such as GE’s early-stage testing of technology that will allow a doctor wearing a Rift headset to take a virtual tour of a patient’s brain and perhaps determine how surgery might affect various parts of it, and pediatric surgeons at Stanford University Medical Center who have used a virtual-reality platform from EchoPixel, a California startup, to plan surgeries on newborns missing pulmonary arteries. Another promising use of VR may be in medical training, as universities that can’t afford to store cadavers for education may be able to rely on virtual reality instead.

Even in cosmetic surgery, Crisalix isn’t limited to breast surgeries; the company also touts its use for eyelids, faces, and other body parts, though Brooks says the impact on patients’ expectations isn’t as dramatic.

“For breast surgeries, it’s absolutely fantastic,” he said. “It’s a great feeling, seeing the change for themselves.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

UMass Amherst Project Boosts Deep Learning Research

Sections Technology

View to the Future

By Janet Lathrop

With a new cluster of specialized graphics processing units (GPUs) now installed, UMass Amherst is poised to attract the nation’s next crop of top Ph.D. students and researchers in such fields as artificial intelligence, computer vision, and natural-language processing, said Associate Professor Erik Learned-Miller of the College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS).

“GPUs are critical for modern computer-science research because they have such enormous computational power,” Learned-Miller said. “They can address extreme computational needs, solving problems 10 times faster than conventional processors, in days rather than months. They can run neural network algorithms that are prohibitively slow on lesser machines. Our new network of 400 GPUs is unusually large for an academic cluster.”

UMass Amherst’s new GPU cluster, housed at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke, is the result of a five-year, $5 million grant to the campus from Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative last year. It represents a one-third match to a $15 million gift supporting data science and cybersecurity research from the MassMutual Foundation of Springfield.

Deep-learning research uses neural network algorithms to make sense of large data sets. The approach teaches computers through trial and error to categorize data, much as human brains do.

“Deep learning is a revolutionary approach to some of the hardest problems in machine reasoning, and is the ‘magic under the hood’ of many commercial products and services,” said Learned-Miller. “Google Translate, for example, produced more accurate and natural translations thanks to a novel deep-learning approach.”

Andrew McCallum, professor and founder of the Center for Data Science at UMass Amherst, added that “this is a transformational expansion of opportunity and represents a whole new era for the center and our college. Access to multi-GPU clusters of this scale and speed strengthens our position as a destination for deep-learning research and sets us apart among universities nationally.”

He noted that the campus currently has research projects that apply deep-learning techniques to computational ecology, face recognition, graphics, natural-language processing, and many other areas.

The state funds must be used for computing hardware at UMass Amherst, its Springfield Center for Cybersecurity and for terminals at Mount Holyoke College and the UMass Center in Boston, the researchers noted.

Learned-Miller says he and colleagues are now in the first year of the grant, during which about $2 million has been spent on two clusters: the GPU cluster dubbed ‘Gypsum’ and a smaller cluster of traditional CPU machines dubbed ‘Swarm II.’ Gypsum consists of 400 GPUs installed on 100 computer nodes, along with a storage system and a backup system. It is configured with a leading software package for deploying, monitoring, and managing such clusters.

Not only do the researchers hope the GPUs will accelerate deep-learning research and train a new generation of experts, but an important overall goal is to foster collaborations between UMass Amherst and industry. For example, if MassMutual data scientists design a practical problem with high computational needs, they can collaborate with sponsored UMass faculty and graduate students to solve it on the Gypsum cluster.

Janet Lathrop is associate news editor and science writer for the UMass Amherst Office of News & Media Relations.

Simple Password-protection Policies Can Help Keep Businesses Safe

Sections Technology

The Best Defense

By Sean Hogan

Hogan Technology recently announced it is educating small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) on password-protection policies to help safeguard their businesses from a variety of threats.

Sean Hogan

Password management has become increasingly important, with daily attacks from hackers specifically targeting SMBs. For example, some 6 million LinkedIn account passwords were compromised just few years ago, and the list of breaches has grown dramatically since. Anyone who has been using major social-media sites, like LinkedIn, may have received a notification forcing them to reset their passwords. This is the result of colossal breaches in Internet security, and Hogan Technology has been advising businesses on how to protect themselves.

As the Internet continues to expand in complexity, so do its vulnerabilities. In order for business owners to protect their organizations, they need to utilize best practices in password security. Here are some steps that business owners can take immediately.

1. Never use the same password twice. One of the most effective ways to prevent breaches is also the simplest: never use the same password for multiple accounts. Strong, unique passwords, with symbols, numbers, and capital letters are usually far more effective than anything else.

2. Enable two-step authentication and verification. This is one of the other simple ways a business can instantly upgrade the security of its entire network by simply passing a company policy. Two-step password authentication essentially means that, when a user logs into their account, they’ll be required to confirm that log-in attempt by replying to a text message or phone call. This best practice makes it much harder for hackers to impersonate the true account owner because it requires them to have access to multiple accounts before their hacking attempts can be effective.

3. Stay vigilant against phishing. Hackers have long relied on phishing, a common strategy in which a hacker attempts to defraud an online account holder of financial information by posing as a legitimate company. For example, a hacker will gain access to your account information by purchasing your e-mail and password on the black market, and then they will log into your e-mail and send a desperate note to one of your contacts, posing as you, something like, “John! My transmission just blew, and I’m stranded out here. My phone is about to die. Can you send me $2,000 to this account? I’ll pay you back as soon as I get into town.”

Users need to constantly remain vigilant against attacks like this because they are prevalent and have proven effective over the years. While these are a few proactive steps a company can take in the right direction, they are only a mere shadow of what is possible if they work with a true managed IT services provider. Hogan Technology partners with SMBs that need to secure a competitive advantage with advanced technology and want to remain focused on growing their business, instead of keeping up on the latest in online security.

Sean Hogan is president of Easthampton-based Hogan Technology, a business-technology company that specializes in increasing customer profitability and efficiency through the use of technology; (800) 929-5201; teamhogan.com

New England Orthopedic Surgeons Offers Specialized Care

Health Care Sections

Skeletal System

Dr. Steven Wenner, who specializes in hand surgery, and nurse practitioner Jessica Drenga show off a model of the bones beneath the skin.

Rehabilitation is a very broad term in the medical community, encompassing a range of services — ambulatory, cardiac, developmental, the list goes on — with one basic aim: to help patients achieve, or rediscover, the quality of life they desire. This story and the ones that follow demonstrate how area facilities are doing just that.

Thirty years ago, Dr. Joseph Sklar and Dr. Sumner Karas were among a group of physicians who gave birth to a medical practice that was ahead of its time: a place where every orthopedic surgeon had a subspecialty and only saw patients whose problems related to their area of expertise.

New England Orthopedic Surgeons (NEOS) was opened in 1987 by seven doctors and three physician assistants who made the decision to merge Mulberry Orthopedics and Chestnut Orthopedics, which were both in Springfield. The roster of physicians included Sklar and Karas, who met doing their residencies and fellowships at Mass General Hospital, liked the model they saw there that focused on subspecialties, and presented the idea to their partners, which became a central focus as they orchestrated the merger.

Over the past three decades, the practice has been highly successful. It has grown to 18 physicians and 22 physician assistants who see 700 patients a day in their Springfield office and two physical-therapy locations.

“We were a little ahead of the game, but thought this was the best way to deliver optimal patient care,” Sklar told BusinessWest, explaining that the idea stemmed from the belief that, if a doctor focused all of his or her energy on a subspecialty and did the same surgery frequently, their skill would improve, which would result in improved patient care and outcomes.

“We also believed if each doctor specialized in one area, the likelihood would increase that they would be able to recognize unusual problems and know the best way to treat them,” he added.

At the time, no studies had been done to substantiate these beliefs, but over the past several decades, a wide range of benefits from treatment by subspecialists have been documented; they range from accurate diagnoses to a low incidence of post-operative complications.

Today, NEOS is the largest surgical orthopedic practice in the Pioneer Valley. Patients range in age from infants to people in their 90s, although children who need reconstructive surgery for conditions such as congenital hip or spinal disorders or a club foot are usually treated at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield.

Dr. Sumner Karas, Dr. John Corsetti, and Dr. Joseph Sklar say New England Orthopedeic Surgeons has grown to be the largest subspecialty practice of its kind in Western Mass.

But NEOS does provide care for many young people with traumatic injuries that include broken bones, dislocated shoulders, meniscus tears, or other sports-related problems.

Dr. John Corsetti, who specializes in sports medicine, arthroscopy, and shoulder and knee surgery, joined NEOS in 1995. He was impressed by the practice and said the number of surgeries its physicians perform today is significantly higher than orthopedic groups in Boston.

“Orthopedic surgeons in private practice usually do about 300 to 400 surgeries a year, but our doctors can do as many as 1,300 every year,” he said, noting that many of their patients are referred by other doctors for diagnosis refinement and confirmation.

The practice continues to grow, and on June 5 a new location was opened on Benton Drive in East Longmeadow with the goal of making care more convenient for patients who live in that area or in Connecticut. To that end, the NEOS physical-therapy office in the Sixteen Acres area of Springfield also moved to East Longmeadow.

Two new jobs for physician assistants were created, and an aggressive growth plan is in place for the future, but in the meantime, changes have been put into place that have reduced the time it takes to get an appointment.

In the past the wait was often several months, but NEOS has established a waiting list, and as soon as an appointment is cancelled, a receptionist picks up the phone and begins calling people until someone is found to fill the slot. It has led to 80 additional appointments each week, due in part to a ripple effect: when a cancellation slot is filled, the appointment time the person originally scheduled opens up.

In addition, X-rays no longer need to be taken in advance of an appointment. They can be done while the patient is in the office, which makes it easier for people to get the care and treatment they need in an expedited manner.

For this issue and its focus on rehabilitation and sports medicine, BusinessWest examines the growth of NEOS, the types of problems its doctors treat, and its plans for the future.

Storied History

Karas and Sklar moved to Springfield from the Boston area after completing orthopedic fellowships, which requires an extra year of training in a specialized area after a surgeon fulfills his or her residency requirements.

Sklar joined Mulberry Orthopedics, while Karas joined the Chestnut practice, and although they knew each other, they never dreamed they would play a major role in developing the largest orthopedic practice in Western Mass.

Sklar told BusinessWest he had enjoyed working with children at Boston Children’s Hospital, and one of the things that attracted him to Mulberry Orthopedics was the fact that its doctors provided staffing for Shriners.

It turned out that surgeons from both Mulberry and Chestnut covered for each other on weekends there, and the relationship between Sklar and Karas deepened through their shared work ethics and similar beliefs.

When the decision to merge and form NEOS was made, the two practices had nine doctors between them, but one retired and another moved, leaving seven doctors when the group opened their doors at 300 Carew St. in Springfield.

But forming the new partnership was a complex endeavor. In addition to requiring complete trust and a willingness to send each other patients, there were also financial implications. Since the surgeons agreed to see only patients whose problems fell into their areas of specialized expertise, they had to find a way to share incomes, because limiting their work meant some were no longer doing routine procedures that accounted for a significant percentage of their earnings.

But NEOS quickly became known, and as referrals from other orthopedic surgeons with challenging cases as well as the general public mushroomed, it added a physical-therapy area to its medical office.

“It allowed us to work closely with the therapists, which was particularly important for post-operative patient care,” Karas said, adding that it also enhanced their goal of providing the highest quality of care possible.

Fifteen years ago, NEOS moved to a much larger location at 300 Birnie Ave. in Springfield, and today, it is the only subspecialized comprehensive orthopedic surgical practice in Western Mass. Its physicians are all board-certified and focus on sports medicine, knee and hip replacements, hand and wrist care, foot and ankle surgeries, total joint care, trauma and fracture care, spine care, and orthotic services.

Each surgeon has completed a fellowship in at least one of these areas, but the physician assistants and nurse practitioners are generalists.

“This is important because sometimes it is not clear what the problem is; the neck can cause shoulder pain, while a problem with the spine can result in pain in the hip or knee,” Sklar explained, adding that PAs often determine which doctor the patient should see.

Surgery accounts for only half of the services provided at NEOS because medications, different types of injections, and physical therapy are often the best way to treat muscular-skeletal problems. For example, frozen shoulders can be helped with injections, people with arthritis in their knees or shoulders can experience relief with the help of medication and physical therapy, tendinitis in the hands can improve with splints, and ankle pain can be relieved with a splint or brace, which patients often get before they leave the practice, thanks to the wide array of durable medical equipment that NEOS stocks in its office.

A large number of the surgeries undertaken by NEOS physicians are performed at Baystate Orthopedic Surgery Center, and the results are reviewed by Baystate Medical Center.

“We also keep up with technology,” Karas said, adding that NEOS adopted an electronic medical-records system, has digital X-ray machines, and does casting on site.

Patients also benefit from communication that takes place between the surgeons, especially when a case involves complex injuries. “We come up with a plan and help each other with surgery, which gives everyone a great deal of comfort,” Corsetti said.

Sklar says being able to focus on one aspect of orthopedic medicine gave him the time and experience to create tools and implants that would make a difference in knee surgery, which, coupled with sports medicine, has been his primary focus.

He designed and co-designed two fixation devices that anchor grafts to reconstruct torn ACL ligaments into the bones inside the knee, has developed tools to make arthroscopic surgery more successful, secured a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effect of a patient’s outlook on their recovery from ACL surgery, and is an advocate of preventive measures that athletes or anyone engaging in exercise can take to avoid injury.

Changing Landscape

Corsetti said NEOS treats every type of orthopedic problem, and has a large population of patients with degenerative disorders. It continues to specialize and keep current in its respective fields, but thanks to minimally invasive surgical procedures, the length of a hospital stay after surgery has been greatly reduced.

“People used to be in the hospital for five to seven days after a total knee replacement, but now are in for two or three days. In the past, a shoulder surgery could involve a five- to seven-day stay, but today people sometimes return home right after it,” Corsetti told BusinessWest, noting that 60% of the patients they operate on go home the same day and often return to work several days later.

It’s all part of staying ahead of the curve in an ever-changing field, which NEOS has done since its early beginnings when Sklar, Karas, and their partners imagined a new way of delivering orthopedic care in Western Mass. — and made it a reality.

Weldon Rehabilitation Hospital Hones Its Outpatient Programs

Health Care Sections

Small Steps Toward Wellness

Jill LeGates says Weldon’s outpatient services have become both more personalized and more regionalized as the healthcare industry continues to change.

Almost 600,000 Americans died of cancer last year. But almost 15 million were living with — and often well beyond — a cancer diagnosis, a figure expected to rise to 19 million by 2024, as cancer treatments continue to improve and Americans live longer than ever.

That trend poses opportunities in the world of outpatient rehab — opportunities Weldon Rehabilitation Hospital in Springfield has embraced.

“We went through a cancer rehab certification program to offer additional services to cancer patients. It’s a large area of growth,” said Jill LeGates, director of Rehabilitation Services at the facility. “More patients are surviving cancer treatments, but now they have fatigue, pain, dysfunction. We can help return them to the activities of daily living, so that’s been a huge focus for us.”

Specifically, Weldon is certified by the STAR Program (Survivorship Training and Rehabilitation) program, a nationally recognized certification that focuses on improving the lives of cancer survivors who experience side effects caused by treatment.

A team of therapists, physicians, and nurses has undergone training to provide patients with individualized cancer rehabilitation treatment to improve the symptoms that affect their daily functioning and quality of life. It’s similar to rehabilitation that people undergo after a serious illness or injury, but tailored to the unique issues they face as a cancer survivor.

“Our rehabilitation professionals can help you with a wide variety of treatment-related conditions and the symptoms they cause, targeting not just pain and fatigue, but balance and gait problems, memory and concentration issues, swallowing and speech problems, and lymphedema.

“You might expect your oncologist to say to you, ‘I did my job; you’re wonderful. This is your new normal,” LeGates said. “But some patients are saying, ‘I still have this pain.’ So, is there a way we can manage their pain and fatigue, increase their endurance, get them back to working, back to caring for their children, back to living? Rehab can be a huge part of that.”

It’s just one example, actually, of how Weldon — founded in 1974 and part of the Sisters of Providence Health System (SPHS), which includes Mercy Medical Center — continues to change with the times to meet rehabilitation needs.

The most obvious change is the new location of its outpatient services, a block away from the main Weldon facility, in the medical office building the health system opened in 2015 on the corner of Carew and Chestnut streets.

“When we were at the old building, we had multiple outpatient services in different places, scattered throughout the building,” LeGates said. “Here, all the outpatient services are together in one suite — physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and some specialized programs.”

Those programs include occupational, physical, and speech therapy; hand therapy for a variety of conditions; specialized programs for lymphedema, swallowing disorders, vestibular therapy, and voice disorders; a wheelchair clinic; a driver-advisement program to help people determine whether it’s safe for them to drive; a broad pediatric program; and the STAR program for cancer patients.

“As a mission-driven hospital organization, our focus is on patient-centered care,” LeGates said. “We strive to provide patients with the individualized care and treatment plans they require. If someone needs more specialized care, we have therapists with those specialties to consult and help patients increase their function.”

Meeting Needs

Patients arrive in Weldon’s outpatient programs in a number of ways, but post-hospital care remains a key focus, especially at a time when the accountable-care model in healthcare is putting a premium on discharging patients sooner than before and emphasizing preventive and rehabilitative care outside the hospital setting.

“They’re coming out of the hospital faster, and health systems are looking at cost containment,” LeGates said. “So the environment where patients receive therapy services is a huge component — how is that patient functioning, and what are their needs?”

While many patients are referred from hospitals, others may be referred directly from physician practices. “They go to the doctor, who identifies an illness, something that requires the services of a therapist. We also see patients that have an injury on the job, and they may need therapy services in order to return to work.”

The pediatric wing of Weldon Rehabilitation Hospital features therapeutic and sensory tools that are both effective and fun.

Since SPHS absorbed the former Hampden County Physician Associates practices and is affiliated with Riverbend Medical Group’s network, these referrals are an especially critical pipeline. “As a huge health system, we want to maintain the integrity of where our patients receive services,” she noted. “Keeping all those services within the health system has been a huge opportunity.”

In short, she went on, “we always knew if we were in strong alignment with referral resources, we would see growth. And we do have a very positive referral base, and we are continuing to grow. Our physical-therapy services are extremely busy, and we’ve added additional therapists to absorb that growth, which is great.”

The growing need for services is also being driven by an aging population, as the Baby Boomers surge into their senior years but are often living with a host of conditions that require therapy. But at the other side of the age spectrum, Weldon has broadened its pediatric services, working with children dealing with autism, sensory-processing disorders, Down syndrome, developmental delays, handwriting difficulty, speech apraxia, language delays and speech issues such as stuttering, neuromuscular disorders, ADHD, and a host of other conditions.

Weldon’s pediatric therapists evaluate each child’s needs and develop an individualized treatment plan that may include one-on-one occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy, all provided in a colorful, child-centered environment, LeGates said.

“We may work in collaboration with schools or with home services — there’s a lot of collaborating with the pediatric world,” she added. “We’re treating the whole person and all the child’s needs, whether educational, medical, or social. We also have a well-established animal-assisted therapy program with the Zoo at Forest Park; animals seem to bring out a lot in people. That’s a huge piece of what we do as well.”

Regional Focus

Since SPHS became part of a much larger, regional health system, Trinity Health New England, Weldon has begun to assess the regional big picture for rehab services, and perhaps find ways to collaborate on population-health initiatives with facilities like Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital in Hartford and St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, which boasts several outpatient rehab centers.

“How can we expand to grow and regionalize some of this?” LeGates said. “As we look to the future, as we move from fee for service into all kinds of payment changes, we may be able to collaborate on this from a regional perspective.”

Despite that big-picture outlook, however, rehabilitation remains, at its core, a one-on-one connection between therapist and patient.

“It’s a wonderful profession,” she told BusinessWest. “You’re helping people and truly seeing people gain back their independence, gain back function, and return to the activities they had stopped doing.”

In the end, success stories are based on more than hard work in the gym; they rest on strong relationships — which don’t necessarily end when the care does.

“We’ve had patients come back and show us how they’re doing, tell us how they went back to school or went back to work,” LeGates said. “It’s a rewarding career, and the people who work here are a people-driven team.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs Help Keep Hearts Healthy

Health Care Sections

Safety Net

Larry Borysyk takes Lucille Chartier’s blood pressure as she exercises in Holyoke Hospital’s cardiac rehabilitation gym.

Lucille Chartier had no idea she had heart problems until a day last October when she got out of the shower, began sweating, and felt like she was going to pass out.

“I knew something was really wrong,” said the 68-year-old Chicopee woman, who was diagnosed with a heart attack after an ambulance took her to the hospital.

While there, she was told about a cardiac-rehabilitation program in a gym, but wasn’t given much information, and since she had never exercised on machines, she was hesitant to sign up.

Several months later, she spoke to Larry Borysyk at Holyoke Medical Center (HMC), and after he explained its program in detail and why it was important, Chartier decided to give it a try.

That was two months ago, and today she would advise anyone who has had a cardiac event to take part in cardiac rehabilitation. She enjoys walking on the treadmill as well as the camaraderie between staff and participants, and says it has helped her gain strength and confidence.

Borysyk, cardiac rehabilitation counselor at HMC, said Chartier’s initial reaction was not unusual.

“Cardiac rehabilitation is life-saving, but it can be a scary adjustment for people who have never exercised in a gym, so we try to reduce their mental and physical stress,” he told BusinessWest, adding that individuals need to slowly acclimate to the equipment. Meanwhile, people who exercised on a regular basis before a cardiac event need to relearn what they can do, and how long and hard they can safely push themselves.

Exercise can be problematic because people can become hyper-vigilant after a heart attack and think any symptom is a precursor to another event. But cardiac rehabilitation can help them learn what is normal.

“Each participant is assessed by a nurse while they are exercising to make sure they stay within their limits,” said Kelley Weider, department director of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Berkshire Medical Center, adding that patients are connected to wireless telemetry monitors, and if they experience symptoms during exercise they are worried about, they are immediately evaluated.

Holyoke, Baystate, and Berkshire medical centers all have cardiac-rehab programs, and participants exercise in their gyms two or three times a week for 10 to 12 weeks under close supervision. Their blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rhythm are measured during activity, and routines are tailored to meet individual needs and fitness levels.

Participants must have a doctor’s referral, and although the majority have had a heart attack or stent placement, others have had bypass surgery, a heart-valve replacement, congestive heart failure, a heart replacement, or angina.

Kelly Weider says studies show regular exercise can help decrease the risk of a second cardiac event.

In addition to monitoring that takes place during each session, participants receive education on topics that include diet, stress reduction, smoking cessation, and other factors that affect heart health, and slowly build strength, get used to exercising, and understand it needs to become part of their lifestyle.

People also learn the importance of genetics and how that factor and their lifestyle have affected their health. “Heart disease does not happen overnight,” Borysyk said.

For this issue, BusinessWest examines the importance of cardiac rehabilitation, how treatment has changed, and how it helps people understand what they do can safely — and when symptoms should not be ignored.

Changes in Care

Borysyk has worked in cardiac rehab since the early ’70s, and has seen changes due to technology and medical advances that allow heart disease to be detected and treated earlier than in the past, which results in better outcomes.

“Coronary-care units were set up in the ’60s, but before that, nurses did everything for patients after a heart attack, including feeding them. They worried about compromising their damaged hearts, and as a result, people ended up as cardiac cripples,” he said, noting that, in the late ’70s and early ’80s, people were kept in the hospital for two weeks after a heart attack, but today they are released after two or three days.

Cardiac procedures and surgeries are not done at Holyoke Medical Center, and in many instances patients who go to their emergency room are transported by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center.

Heidi Szalai, manager of Baystate Medical Center’s cardiac-rehab program, which is the largest in the area, told BusinessWest that, although rehab doesn’t usually start in the hospital, staff members get patients up and moving.

“We want to make sure they’re walking and that it is safe for them to go home,” she said, adding that healing speeds up when they leave the hospital and they are told about programs available to them when they are discharged.

However, cardiac rehab doesn’t begin for a week or two after a person leaves a medical center, especially if they have had surgery, because the heart needs time to recover.

The programs start with individual assessments to determine the best plan of action. In addition to an exercise routine that is created for each participant, they are taught about risk factors that include high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, stress, nutrition, and lack of exercise.

“They are usually on new medications, and we need to make sure they understand them,” Szalai said, explaining that some prescription drugs may slow their heart rates, and their doctors receive periodic reports about their blood pressure and how the heart responds during exercise, which helps them determine how well a medication is working and if adjustments need to be made.

Heidi Szalai said cardiac rehab helps patients know how they should feel when they exercise and when to seek medical help.

Lifestyle changes are also discussed. “Some people have always eaten well and are doing everything they should, but need to learn to control stress and cope with it so it doesn’t affect their heart,” she continued, adding that patients have a clinician trained in mindfulness-based stress management. “We tell people that exercise is a dose of medication and has positive affects on risk factors; it helps lower blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and improves their overall sense of well-being.”

The goal is to get people exercising five days a week, which can make a profound difference because studies show finishing a cardiac-rehab program can lower the likelihood of another event.

Insurance typically covers the cost of the programs, but some people have high co-pays and cannot afford to attend all of the sessions.

When that occurs, staff in cardiac programs do their best in a limited number of sessions. Berkshire Medical Center has a program that pays half of co-pays of $15 or more for qualified individuals, and although it can help, it may not be enough.

“We’ve seen people with co-pays that are $80 a session, so even if they receive financial help, attending 36 sessions may be cost-prohibitive,” Weider said, adding that, in some instances, they have modified the program into six sessions, which is less than ideal, but helps to give a patient security and knowledge about what they can do safely.

“During the intake process, we get a sense of what they’ve done in the past as well as their level of conditioning,” she noted. “About 90% of people haven’t been exercising on a regular basis, but some were running five miles a day.”

Exercise machines are integral to the program and include different types of stationary bicycles, a treadmill, and resistance bands, which are used for strength training.

The final phase of the program is maintenance, and although people can join gyms or exercise on their own, if they still want to be monitored, most hospitals have ongoing exercise programs that cost $40 to $45 per month and are overseen by cardiac rehabilitation staff members who are available to take their blood pressure or put them on a cardiac monitor if they feel it is needed.

Some people like the idea of having that safety net ,and Weider said Berkshire Medical Center’s maintenance program has about 320 participants who want the peace of mind that comes from knowing that, if any concerning symptoms arise, they can be assessed.

“We’ve sent some people to the emergency room, but many times they simply need to be checked out and reassured that they are OK,” she said, noting that a nurse is always available.

Future Outcome

Borysyk says people with cardiac conditions who don’t exercise are at greater risk of not being able to do the things they want as they get older, especially if their diet is poor and they smoke. And although some people avoid cardiac rehab because they want to bury the memory of the event, learning what they can do safely is an excellent way to help ensure their heart health in the future.

“Many studies show that exercise is the biggest modifiable factor to decrease the risk of another heart event,” Weider said, citing one study showing that participants in a cardiac rehab program reduced their risk of another event by 25%.

In addition, it helps participants understand how they should feel when they exercise, what the red flags are, and when they need to call their doctor or go to the emergency room.

“It helps them return to what is important to them in life and gets them into a routine of exercising 150 minutes a week that they can continue when they finish the program,” Szalai said.

It’s definitely an investment of time and money, but one that yields positive results and can lead to a healthier and happier lifestyle.

Tree-service Companies Branch Out into Specialty Work

Landscape Design Sections

Weighty Business

Trees serve both practical and aesthetic functions, and people can become quite attached to them. But work to maintain, trim, and even remove trees should be left to the professionals, who say their profession is often dangerous, but in all ways rewarding.

Joseph Alexopoulos has given many customers quotes for taking down a tree. But he will never forget the day he arrived at a house, saw a rope hanging from the tree the homeowner wanted removed, and asked about it.

“I was told the man they hired before me died trying to fell it,” said the president of Tree 413 in Longmeadow, adding that the tragedy is an example of how dangerous the work can be.

Local experts agree it’s critically important to hire professionals with the knowledge, training, proper equipment, and insurance to prevent homeowners from being sued if an accident occurs on their property.

The Tree Care Industry Assoc. says successfully felling a tree requires knowledge of tree physics, biology, dangerous tools, and advanced cutting techniques, and homeowners who attempt their own tree removal may be injured by falling limbs, malfunctioning equipment, or the tree itself.

The work is hazardous by nature, and professionals are completely outfitted in protective gear and trained to climb trees, operate cranes, and use chainsaws, ropes, wood chippers, and stump grinders safely.

Manager Randy Sample of Arbortech Tree Service LLC in Springfield says the company holds weekly meetings led by employees to discuss situations they encounter and the safest way to deal with them.

“Unforeseen scenarios can occur, but we go to great lengths to eliminate the possibility of accidents,” he said, adding that employees use a wide range of equipment, adhere to OSHA standards, and are certified annually in electrical hazard and prevention, which ensures they are familiar with equipment utility companies use to provide electricity and the dangers associated with tree care and utility lines.

Tree pruning and felling is a major source of income for most local tree-service companies, but many have branched out, and the scope of their work includes a wide variety of jobs.

Arbortech created a Plant Healthcare Division five years ago to keep trees healthy, because problems almost always begin in the root system.

Randy Sample says Arbortech employees meet weekly to discuss potentially dangerous situations and how to handle them.

“By the time they are noticeable, it may be too late to save the tree,” Sample said, adding that he has heard countless stories from families about their emotional attachment to a particular tree, and, therefore, the company strives to prevent damage that can threaten the health of these woody plants.

Tree 413, meanwhile, specializes in difficult tree removal that typically requires cranes, special equipment, and skilled climbers. “Many trees literally need to be lifted over the house with a crane as a whole or in pieces; it’s not a job where you can cut corners,” said Alexopoulos, adding that the company’s business has doubled every year for the last three years and workers do everything possible to ensure that limbs don’t fall on a roof, power line, vehicle, or anywhere else that could cause damage.

The company also does excavation and demolition, plans to start selling colored mulch, and recently opened a store in Southwick that carries equipment for professionals and homeowners that can be rented or purchased. It ranges from heavy-duty machinery to chainsaws and leaf blowers and includes clothing appropriate for tree work, because professionals are outfitted from head to toe to ensure safety.

Northern Tree Service Inc. in Palmer does a wide range of residential, industrial, and commercial work in three divisions that include tree service, land clearing, and construction. Its work ranges from felling trees to identifying potential hazards such as overhanging branches, dead limbs, or diseased trees for municipalities, golf courses, and other venues, as well as providing access for utilities.

For this issue and its focus on landscape design, BusinessWest looks at the scope of work that tree service companies do and the reasons they are called upon for help.

Diverse Services

Local tree-service companies say homeowners should never hire anyone without asking for proof they have liability and workers’ compensation insurance.

Nick Powers says Northern identifies problems like weak limbs for its clients before they cause damage or injury.

“Many small contractors let their insurance lapse, so even if the person hands you a copy of a policy, you should call the phone number on it to ensure they are paid up to date,” Alexopoulos told BusinessWest.

Sample concurred. “People need to do their homework; the level of danger is very real, and there are many companies that are not qualified to do this type of work,” he said, adding that homeowners should also ask for referrals, make sure the company adheres to industry standards, and check if its arborists are certified through websites such as www.treesaregood.com, which offer educational materials and links to helpful information.

In addition to tree trimming and removal, Tree 413 performs excavation and demolition ranging from removing a sidewalk to an entire garage and foundation, or a Gunite pool made entirely of concrete. When the demolition is complete, workers fill in the cavity, spread topsoil over it, then seed it.

The company recently took down three trees for a homeowner in a project that was similar to a major demolition project, because they weighed a total of 60,000 pounds.

“The job was very involved and required skilled tree climbers, a crane, and a police officer in the road near our groundsmen who were cutting and chipping sections and putting logs in a truck to be taken away,” Alexopoulos said.

He added that dead trees are very difficult to take down, and the job often has to be done in sections. “If a cut branch slams into a dead tree, it can shatter,” he explained, noting that a small limb can weigh 600 pounds.

Arbortech also does a large amount of residential work, but its slogan is “more than just tree removal.” The company employs certified arborists who evaluate trees, shrubs, and woody plants and diagnose and treat disease, insect problems, and the type and amount of fertilizer needed for optimal growth.

SEE: List of Landscape Design Companies

“We try to care for trees from the roots up; we focus on tree preservation rather than removal,” Sample said, adding that indications that a tree is in trouble include problems such as leaves that fall too early.

He told BusinessWest that most problems stem from improper planting. Trees can be too close to a driveway, home, or power line, and choosing the right location for a specific species and its future growth is critical.

“The root system is the foundation of a tree and is typically as large as its crown or the drip line from the farthest branch,” Sample said.

The company’s arborists uncover roots, which are usually buried a foot or two beneath the ground, take soil samples, and inspect the root collar to make sure roots aren’t choking each other, which can affect the nutrients the tree is able to absorb.

Arbortech also plants trees and maintains orchards for customers that include apple, pear, and peach trees, as well as raspberry and blueberry bushes.

In addition, it sells mulch, loam, topsoil, and both green and 100% seasoned firewood.

“It can be a frustrating endeavor to buy firewood that is dirty, not properly seasoned, and doesn’t give the heat people are looking for,” Sample said, noting that the company purchases wood from logging contractors that has been specially cut to fit their machines, tests it with a moisture meter, rotates it so it will dry properly, then puts it through another screening process after it is purchased to ensure the delivered product doesn’t include any loose bark or chunks of wood.

Northern Tree Services performs jobs in many settings. It builds roads and work pads for utility companies, and has cleared sections of land that range from a half-acre to 550 acres to make way for power lines, solar fields, gas and oil pipelines — including the Keystone Pipeline — and large commercial contractors.

The company has 220 employees across the U.S., but the majority of its work is done in New England, and it also has contracts with colleges, golf courses, apartment and condominium complexes, 40 airports, the cities of Springfield and Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the state Department of Transportation, and Eversource. It has also developed a Google Earth program to identify trees that need to be pruned, thinned, or felled.

“It’s our job to identify hazards before they happen,” said company spokesman Nick Powers, noting that Northern also has a contract with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which is responsible for monitoring and maintaining vegetation on its roads, including the well-traveled Storrow Drive in Boston.

The company also does residential and commercial plantings and tree removal and pruning, which is especially important for utility companies because falling limbs can cause power outages.

Kevin Ferguson, project manager and estimator, told BusinessWest that arborists identify weak limbs that need to be supported or removed so they don’t fall during a windstorm or from the weight of snow.

“It doesn’t take much wind to knock deadwood out of a tree,” he said, explaining that, when they are called to a home, they examine the entire property and point out potential dangers. Some trees can be thinned to eliminate shade and the growth of moss on a roof, while helping prevent gutters from getting clogged with leaves, while others need low-hanging or dead limbs removed.

Safety First

Local tree companies do everything in their power to prevent accidents, but tree work is a risky business and can lead to damage or injury when unqualified people are hired to do a job.

It all comes down to respecting the power of nature and checking a company’s credentials, but anyone who hires licensed professionals to plant, prune, or fell trees can rest assured that every possible safety precaution will be taken, and their trees will add beauty and life to their property and be enjoyed by generations to come.

For Homes and Businesses, Mulch-n-More Has Things Covered

Landscape Design Sections

Barking Up the Right Tree

James Wawrzyk says the mulch business soars in the spring, and the colder months are spent preparing for the inevitable surge.

James Wawrzyk is a successful entrepreneur twice over, after starting his second business specifically to meet a need in his first.

That initial company was Growing Concern, a Wilbraham-based landscaping firm he launched in 1981, offering a wide range of outdoor services, from lawn installation to irrigation; from fertilizing to tree and shrub maintenance.

One of those services was applying mulch, but he had grown frustrated at the quality of the products he was encountering. “People were cutting topsoil with sand and cutting bark mulch with wood and ash. I guaranteed my work, so I needed to start off with the best products available. So I started Mulch-n-More in 1996 to supply my own landscaping company with quality material.”

He soon recognized that processing and selling mulch was a huge business opportunity in itself, so he eventually transitioned out of the landscaping field to grow Mulch-n-More, also based in Wilbraham, full-time.

“What I realized was, these customers I was supplying through Growing Concern, their neighbors wanted material — quality material — and that’s what ended up happening.

“What we do is bring in the raw material — 100% bark — and grind it. We add nothing to it,” Wawrzyk went on. “By doing the processing ourselves, we eliminate the middleman, so no foreign matter is added to the bark. From start to finish, we make sure it’s 100%.”

Bark contains a natural insect repellent, which is one reason many homeowners prefer it to wood-pulp-based mulch, while others are just looking to save a few bucks with cheaper products.

“It’s the almighty dollar — people are trying to save money. But when you buy these products that aren’t bark, they can run into trouble with mold spores, insects, and termites,” he noted. “The biggest problem now is called artillery fungus, which comes from the decomposition of green, rotting wood, and it shoots mold spores, which are nearly impossible to remove. They’ll stick to cars, houses, and if they get in vinyl siding, you can’t take it off.”

Colorful Description

Despite these considerations, however, most customers come in most concerned about color. Wawrzyk enjoys educating them on the different aspects of each product beyond the shade.

“Cedar has the highest percentage of insect repellent, and is fastest to fade, but slowest to decompose. Just like with cedar fence, clapboard siding, or shingles, cedar has the longevity,” he explained.

“Hemlock is what we call a rusty red color. Sable is a dark chocolate brown,” he went on. “Spruce is a dark brown, and it holds the color the longest of all the natural barks.”

mulchhouse1

For customers who value long-lasting color above all else, Mulch-n-More carries a dyed wood-fiber product, in red or black, that keeps its color longer than natural bark. “The dyed material we carry is kiln-dried and then dyed with FDA-approved food coloring; it has only 12-18% moisture content, so there are no worries about mold spores, insects, or termites.”

The company also carries topsoil — a clay-based product that holds moisture well — and stone products for decorative landscaping, drainage, patio base material, and other uses.

The landscape-supply business is an oddly paced one, said Wawrzyk as he brought BusinessWest to a large dirt lot where a loader was scooping huge piles of raw bark into a machine that grinds it into much finer pieces. The vast majority of all purchases are made between April and June, when homeowners are focused on their yards, and it’s impossible to know when the first flood of orders will pour in.

“The weather has a lot to do with mulch,” he noted. “Most people are not going to put mulch down until they’re done cleaning out their yard. Some people, though, always order the second week of April, and that’s when they’ll be mulching, hell or high water. Mostly, it’s based on weather. So that’s tough for us; we have to be ready no matter what happens. And when Mother Nature says ‘go,’ we’re ready.

Last year, for instance, the mulch season started much earlier than usual after a mild winter. Two years ago, however, the region was slammed with snow, and landscape-related businesses dealt with a later start.

Customers are split almost 50-50 between landscapers and homeowners, he said, adding that orders from landscaping companies are easier because they bring their own trucks. Still, Mulch-n-More delivers mulch, priced by the cubic yard, to more than 30 towns throughout the region — often well over 50 deliveries a day during peak season.

Backyard Changes

There have been many peak seasons in the two decades since Wawrzyk started processing and selling his own mulch, although the economy can often cause ripples — and larger waves — through this industry. “We flatlined in 2008 like everyone, but we’ve had a steady increase ever since then. More homeowners are convincing themselves that mulch is an easy way to improve a yard.”

They also understand that the more mulch they use, the less mowing and lawn maintenance they need to do.

“Mulch is expensive, but it is not as expensive as maintaining turf grass,” he told BusinessWest. “If you want to make your backyard a garden paradise, mulch or stone will be the biggest complement to your shrubs and flowers — if you use the right mulch, they’ll really pop.”

After 36 years in the landscaping field, Wawrzyk finds himself learning new things, especially the growing importance of social media in raising the company’s profile. But he’s also a believer in old-fashioned customer service.

“We have a good customer base; they tend to come back every couple years,” he said. “And I’m still the primary person they talk to. When people call, I answer the phone. And when we say we’ll be there, we will be there.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Editorial

Opinion

Valley Gives Day Highlights Area Needs

It’s an inspiring — and important — 24 hours.

It’s called Valley Gives, and organizers — including the event’s founder and host, the Community Foundation of Western Mass. — hope to top last year’s haul, when more than $1.6 million was donated to 450 nonprofit organizations in one day. Since Valley Gives was launched in 2012, nearly 20,000 donors, both local and far away, have opened their hearts and wallets to the tune of $7.2 million.

This year, the big day is Tuesday, May 2, and for 24 hours — from midnight until 11:59 p.m. — individuals are invited to log into valley-gives.org and, well, give. It couldn’t be easier: participants are asked to choose an organization or cause (or multiple ones) from Hampden, Hampshire, or Franklin county and how much they want to donate.

The goal of Valley Gives is threefold: to raise money for organizations throughout the Pioneer Valley that serve the needs and address the aspirations of its communities, to expand and enhance philanthropy and the spirit of giving throughout the region, and to provide support and tools to organizations in the region to effectively increase their capacity to raise funds and share their stories.

It’s a deceptively simple idea, in that it highlights for one day just how great the needs of nonprofits are, how many such organizations there are, and how expansive their work is. The existence of Valley Gives doesn’t mean residents of Western Mass. aren’t generous year-round; they certainly are. But by turning giving into an event — a festival of funding, if you will — it brings extra awareness, and financial support, to needs people may not have considered before. And the online nature of the event is easier than even writing and mailing a check.

The organizations benefiting from Valley Gives have a varied and broad range of missions, but all are focused on their community’s hopes and needs. And all are counting on the generosity of their neighbors.

Let the giving begin.

Educating Staff Pays Many Returns

Opinion

By Kimberley Lee

Just about every day, I pass the training room. It’s hard to miss because it’s right on the way to my office and typically buzzing with activity. Recently, staff members at the Center for Human Development (CHD) were there taking a CPR course. Groups of staff members have also been learning to be more effective supervisors, prevent the transmission of blood-borne pathogens, apply dielectical behavior therapy, conduct motivational interviews, and more.

Since our founding in the 1970s, CHD has always placed an emphasis on training. Why? Because every day, our diverse, multi-site team of professionals, paraprofessionals, and support staff works with clients who are typically vulnerable and facing complex challenges in their lives. Our mission is to help these people, so we help our staff to successfully identify and address whatever issues their clients are facing.

The nature of our work in fields such as health and wellness, behavioral health, and developmental services means a large proportion of our staff is comprised of highly educated, credentialed professionals. That’s a benefit because we can leverage the advanced knowledge of our own people to develop and present training programs in-house.

For example, social worker Nina Slovik developed and has been presenting a training program called “Suicide Risk: From Despair to Hope.” Her program, which focuses on ways to recognize and respond to suicide risk factors, gives our employees knowledge to use in their daily work. She helps staff understand how to work with folks who have experienced trauma or some other life component that could heighten risk factors related to suicide. She also incorporates conversations about suicide with people who have lived experience with the issue. The tools she teaches staff to apply when working with their clients truly can save lives.

I spoke with my colleague, Carol Fitzgerald, CHD’s vice president of Human Resources, about the role of training at CHD. “Professional development and staff training are embedded in the culture of CHD,” she told me. “It can take the form of on-the-job training, formal training programs developed and presented in-house, and in certain cases off-site training with specialists. Some trainings are mandatory, like those covering compliance and diversity, and those for licensed professionals who need to earn continuing-education credits. Others are programs that staff members can take to respond to a particular client’s needs.

“Say a house manager has a new client who is presenting with a specific behavioral issue,” she elaborated. “Related trainings may be available, often online, that can be used to build capacity with individual staff. Our experience demonstrates that well-trained staff members can more fully understand their clients’ scope of needs and the context that their support is presented in. This helps them serve clients better. We also support employees with tuition reimbursement for formal education where that’s relevant. Actually, we’ve been doing that for decades, long before it was common. In our industry, not every agency is willing or able to do that, and it sets CHD apart.”

Fitzgerald said there’s an additional benefit of employee training that should not be discounted. “It’s an ongoing challenge for all agencies to find licensed, credentialed clinical staff. We want to attract top people who stay engaged and stay here, so one of our strategic objectives is to be the employer of choice in each field and in our industry. We know from experience that effective training programs and the opportunity to apply what is learned on the job can be great recruitment and retention tools.”

A commitment to effective, relevant training helps employees stay current and focused, leverages their ability to deliver quality services, and supports their organization’s human-resources strategy. Give your people something new to learn every day. The results, as they are at CHD, can be positively life-changing.

Kimberley Lee is vice president of Development at the Center for Human Development, a nonprofit, CARF-accredited organization providing a broad range of community-oriented human services to 17,000 children, adolescents, adults, and families each year.

Building Permits

Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of March 2017.

EASTHAMPTON

Eastworks, LLP
116 Pleasant St.
$10,000 — Continue walls to ceiling for Puzzled Escape Games

Eastworks, LLP
116 Pleasant St.
$30,725 — Install 10 storefront windows

Eastworks, LLP
116 Pleasant St.
$14,000 — Construct wall for Media Center

Interland Real Estate, LLC
180 Pleasant St.
$13,000 — Install partitions to create office space

Riverside Industries Inc.
1 Cottage St.
$69,500 — Replace roofing on two buildings

EAST LONGMEADOW

Cornerstone Church
15 Kibbe Road
$22,779.48 — Windows and siding

East Longmeadow Housing Authority
39 Wood Ave.
$65,988 — Interior and exterior rehab

GREENFIELD

American Tower Corp.
180 Country Club Road
$35,000 — Swap antennas and add radio heads and other equipment to existing AT&T tower

Clinical & Support Options
140-144 High St.
$2,800 — Rebuild ramp

Donoghue Realty Inc.
238 Main St.
$6,000 — Create storage area and reinforce platform for lightweight storage

Franklin County Community Development Corp.
324 Wells St.
$500 — Fire protection

Greenfield Corporate Center, LLC
1012 Munson St.
$8,000 — Remodeling for commercial office

HADLEY

Pearsons NCS
300 Venture Way
$9,000 — HVAC renovation

Pyramid Mall of Hadley Newco, LLC
367 Russell St.
$352,900 — Various renovations at Planet Fitness

LUDLOW

Charter Spectrum
433 Center St.
$6,000 — Illuminated sign

Site Acquisitions
1 State St.
$30,000 — Cell tower alterations

Beverly Tokarz
109-113 Sewall St.
$7,000 — Reshingle roof

NORTHAMPTON

American Tower Corp.
254 Old Wilson Road
$20,000 — Install three new cellular antennas and related equipment

Bermor Limited Partnership
180 Main St.
$5,600 — Remove partitions

Building 8 Brewing
320 Riverside Dr.
$2,000 — Illuminated wall sign

FMC Assoc.
190 Nonotuck St.
$10,000 — Install handicap openers to front lobby doors

Greenfield Savings Bank
207 Main St.
$26,700 — Install two new windows, new HVAC furnace, basement partition, and toilet room

Nonotuck Mill, LLC
296 Nonotuck St.
$12,000 — Construct interior partitions, wooden platform, insulation, and ceiling finish

Smith College
71 Dryads Green
$17,900 — Roofing

Thornes Marketplace, LLC
150 Main St.
$70,000 — Renovation and alterations of existing first-floor restroom facilities

PALMER

Camp Ramah in New England
39 Bennett St.
$20,000 — Repair or replace floors in the bathrooms of 14 cabins

Pride Limited Partnership Inc.
1045 Thorndike St.
$65,000 — Improvements to create a dental office

SPRINGFIELD

3455 Main Street Associates
3455 Main St.
$750,000 — Interior renovation to second-floor medical office space

3500 Main St., LLP
3550 Main St.
$15,000 — Demolish partition in medical office suite

Linden Towers, LLC
310 Stafford St.
$10,000 — Remove and replace two rooftop antennas, install remote radio unit

Peter Martins
1048 Wilbraham Road
$350,000 — Build a Dunkin’ Donuts

Armand Roy
830 Liberty St.
$90,000 — Install roof-mounted wireless communications facility

Union Station
55 Frank B. Murray St.
$97,000 — Renovate a tenant space for a Dunkin’ Donuts

WARE

Owl’s Nest, LLC
250 South St.
$60,000 — Install basement partitions and remodel baths and kitchens in four units

Wilmington Savings Bank
23 Walnut St.
$11,000 — Strip and re-roof, repair front porch

WESTFIELD

Armbrook Senior Living, LLC
551 North Road
$10,000 — Insulation and drywall

Cumberland Farms Inc.
69 Main St.
$14,850 — Re-roof structure

Whip City Investments, LLC
798 Airport Industrial Park Road
$108,000 — Construct an accessory building

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Islamic Center of Western Mass.
377 Amostown Road
$59,905 — Install wheelchair lift

J & N Salema Family Limited Partnership
2068 Riverdale St.
$6,500 — Charging station at Dunkin’ Donuts

Springfield Country Club
1375 Elm St.
$8,500 — Remove partition walls and erect new walls

WILBRAHAM

Ampersand Collins Hydro, LLC
176 Cottage Ave.
$8,870 — Construct a fire-separation wall

Wilbraham Housing Authority
2 Ridgewood Road
$6,620.75 — Repair front wall from car strike

Real Estate Transactions

Departments Real Estate

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

FRANKLIN COUNTY

ASHFIELD

820 Conway Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Jonathan R. Williams
Seller: Williams INT
Date: 03/31/17

912 Creamery Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $208,000
Buyer: Marley Engvall
Seller: John L. Perkins
Date: 03/21/17

CHARLEMONT

56 Potter Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: Nicholas Bilgri
Seller: Keith R. Obert
Date: 03/31/17

COLRAIN

Avery Hill Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $124,500
Buyer: Ralph Aurelia
Seller: Call INT
Date: 03/23/17

268 Jacksonville Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Terri H. Finkel
Seller: Scott R. Sylvester
Date: 03/29/17

Old Avery Hill Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $124,500
Buyer: Ralph Aurelia
Seller: Call INT
Date: 03/23/17

DEERFIELD

1 Steam Mill Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Ann M. Colo
Seller: Theodore M. Russo
Date: 03/29/17

168 Whately Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Tyler A. Hersom
Seller: Susan L. Hacker
Date: 03/21/17

16 Yankee Candle Way
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $13,000,000
Buyer: Yankee Candle Way LLC
Seller: Deerfield Yankee Candle
Date: 03/28/17

27 Yankee Candle Way
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $13,000,000
Buyer: Yankee Candle Way LLC
Seller: Deerfield Yankee Candle
Date: 03/28/17

ERVING

28 Forest St.
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Glenn T. McCrory
Seller: James D. Paulin
Date: 03/27/17

10 Wells St.
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $219,900
Buyer: Brody L. Misiun
Seller: George G. Johnson
Date: 03/24/17

GREENFIELD

637 Bernardston Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $256,500
Buyer: Allison B. Henry
Seller: Kristen Johnson
Date: 03/31/17

12 Devens St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Noah H. Diamond
Seller: Allison B. Henry
Date: 03/31/17

104 Federal St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: KB 104 Federal LLC
Seller: Christopher J. Ethier
Date: 03/22/17

16 Forest Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Christopher M. Giver
Seller: Mary E. McGarrah
Date: 03/24/17

39 Highland Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Joan R. Schwartz
Seller: Bruce G. Douglass
Date: 03/22/17

62 James St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Keith E. Fernet
Seller: John P. Nee
Date: 03/31/17

41 Madison Circle
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Christopher A. Dedinas
Seller: Alan P. Dedinas
Date: 03/20/17

23 Pleasant St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: Heather L. Quinn
Seller: Evan S. Childress
Date: 03/27/17

LEVERETT

416 Long Plain Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $128,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Linda S. Delcastilho
Date: 03/24/17

MONTAGUE

6 Bridge St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Daniel L. Healey
Date: 03/31/17

214 Millers Falls Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: Tyler M. Peters
Seller: Linda M. Vight
Date: 03/31/17

44 Oakman St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $179,500
Buyer: Keith R. Parenteau
Seller: Megan R. Glabach
Date: 03/31/17

NORTHFIELD

730 Old Wendell Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Marshall E. Royce
Seller: Peter J. Blackmore
Date: 03/31/17

ORANGE

395 Jones Cemetery Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Jonathan J. Hastings
Seller: Philip J. Hastings RET
Date: 03/23/17

30 Meadow Lane
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Ashley Manley
Seller: Haughton, Reginald C., (Estate)
Date: 03/22/17

344 West River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Kevin J. Mchugh
Seller: William J. Donovan
Date: 03/24/17

SHELBURNE

32 Severance St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: James F. Smith
Seller: Roberta E. Milner
Date: 03/27/17

SUNDERLAND

242 North Silver Lane
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Michael S. Wan
Seller: Mildred A. Ralicki IRT
Date: 03/31/17

WENDELL

11 Wendell Depot Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Janet Mankowsky
Seller: Robert Shulman
Date: 03/20/17

WHATELY

394 Long Plain Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Sheila A. Wentzel
Seller: Nancy A. Capen
Date: 03/27/17

113 River Road
Whately, MA 01373
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Joshua C. Coates
Seller: Walter F. Letourneau
Date: 03/27/17

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

75 Belvidere Ave.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Paul M. Sandy
Seller: Kenneth Modzelesky
Date: 03/27/17

29 Briarcliff Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Thomas M. Roberts
Seller: Edwin J. Adamski
Date: 03/24/17

19 Brookline Ave.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: Taylor N Hartmann
Seller: Amy R. Smith
Date: 03/24/17

62 Cambridge St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Deborah M. Leonczyk
Seller: Charles E. Ritter
Date: 03/27/17

19 Cherry St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $151,700
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Michael A. Santos
Date: 03/22/17

317 Cooper St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Douglas H. Clark
Seller: John Lesik
Date: 03/31/17

18 Deer Run Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $268,600
Buyer: Sinan Turan
Seller: Samuel Hurley
Date: 03/20/17

20 Denise Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $224,500
Buyer: Kevin M. Wyman
Seller: Clifford Packer
Date: 03/30/17

80 Elbert Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Keith M. Garvey
Seller: Laurance R. Andrews
Date: 03/31/17

13 Frank St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Christopher D. Bonneau
Seller: Mario C. Sotolotto
Date: 03/31/17

94 Garden St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $710,000
Buyer: J. Norbert Properties LLC
Seller: Giordano Building Inc.
Date: 03/20/17

Garden St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: J. Norbert Properties LLC
Seller: Richard S. Thomas
Date: 03/20/17

91 Raymond Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Michael Lim
Seller: Jammie E. Perry
Date: 03/24/17

804-806 South West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Kevin D. Ghareeb
Seller: Patch, Susan, (Estate)
Date: 03/27/17

180 Southwick St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Timothy A. Smith
Seller: Donald R. Silkey
Date: 03/24/17

75 Spruce Circle
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $449,900
Buyer: Timothy M. Davis
Seller: Lee E. Smith
Date: 03/27/17

BLANDFORD

24 Sperry Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $218,500
Buyer: 24 Sperry Road Land Trust
Seller: Brian D. Boisseau
Date: 03/20/17

BRIMFIELD

30 Haynes Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Armand H. Dimo
Seller: Adams, Susan L., (Estate)
Date: 03/28/17

35 Oakwood Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Michael A. Goodwin
Seller: George Markopoulos
Date: 03/31/17

CHESTER

9 Lynes Road
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Deborah A. Ashton
Seller: Diane Paquette
Date: 03/24/17

CHICOPEE

88 Ashgrove St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Peter A. Haas
Seller: Goyette, Claire L., (Estate)
Date: 03/22/17

58 Ashmont St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $127,500
Buyer: Kimberly A. Dziedzic
Seller: Manning, Roger E., (Estate)
Date: 03/23/17

13 Bonneta Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Matthew R. Phillips
Seller: Lisa J. Thomas
Date: 03/27/17

63 Bourbeau St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Cady L. Spencer
Seller: Robert J. Wrzesinski
Date: 03/24/17

275 Broadway St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Jeira Castro
Seller: Ashe, Helen P., (Estate)
Date: 03/31/17

130 Catherine St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $129,900
Buyer: Michael J. Bourbeau
Seller: Bryan J. Szymczyk
Date: 03/24/17

174 Champagne Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Jennifer L. Cardinal
Seller: Michael L. Kerley
Date: 03/31/17

359 Dale St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $2,650,000
Buyer: Briarwood 16 LLC
Seller: Chateau Harmonie Apts. LLC
Date: 03/31/17

27 Dunn St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Jacques
Seller: Todd J. Kasperowski
Date: 03/31/17

22 East Street Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $161,470
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: John A. Dussault
Date: 03/22/17

75 Falmouth Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Timothy P. Murphy
Seller: Laura E. Carmody
Date: 03/24/17

646 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $318,000
Buyer: Fazi LLC
Seller: Grattan Bld LLC
Date: 03/24/17

190 James St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $157,900
Buyer: Marek Boryczka
Seller: FNMA
Date: 03/31/17

99 Jean Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $234,450
Buyer: Abdulrahman Addy
Seller: John Marques
Date: 03/30/17

71 Laramee St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $145,450
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Debra Himmelreich
Date: 03/21/17

32 Macek Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: James A. Stefanik
Seller: Frances M. Morawiec
Date: 03/21/17

82 Madison St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: HLR Home Inc.
Seller: Lucille D. Harland
Date: 03/23/17

21 Marble Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $165,900
Buyer: Matthew J. Crowley
Seller: John R. Crowley
Date: 03/31/17

78 Old Lyman Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Robert J. Wrzesinski
Seller: Jonathan Scully
Date: 03/24/17

70 Rich St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Dana C. Rhicard
Seller: Petros Mirisis
Date: 03/31/17

17 Saint Jacques Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Casa Bonita Apartments
Seller: FNMA
Date: 03/31/17

19 Smith St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $208,650
Buyer: Joseph S. Grab
Seller: Janusz Kosciolek
Date: 03/31/17

EAST LONGMEADOW

128 Allen St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $316,000
Buyer: JPMT Realty LLC
Seller: Vincenzo Montefusco
Date: 03/20/17

Hampden Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Chad P. Herrick
Seller: George W. Wegman
Date: 03/28/17

60 Helen Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $151,001
Buyer: Olmstead RT
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 03/23/17

11 Oak Brook Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Gabriel E. Sanchez
Seller: FNMA
Date: 03/31/17

92 Pleasant St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $142,400
Buyer: Amy Kloss
Seller: Marla J. Shelasky
Date: 03/20/17

238 Pleasant St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $279,900
Buyer: Tiffany Sanchez
Seller: Jacqueline L. Evans
Date: 03/31/17

232 Prospect St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $332,000
Buyer: Patrick M. Kehoe
Seller: Lorraine Eastman
Date: 03/31/17

40 Redin Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Edward C. Corl
Seller: Sandra J. Wheeler
Date: 03/30/17

25 Somerset St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Sean F. Merrigan
Seller: Nasman, Ernest O., (Estate)
Date: 03/23/17

65 Westernview Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $150,013
Buyer: Timothy P. Marquis
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 03/24/17

110 Wood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Richard R. Pinkman
Seller: Constitution Properties
Date: 03/31/17

GRANVILLE

441 North Lane
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $190,966
Buyer: RBS Financial Products
Seller: Eugene G. Slack
Date: 03/28/17

198 South Lane
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $284,500
Buyer: Jose Rivera
Seller: Ruth M. Hauff
Date: 03/31/17

HAMPDEN

8 Mohawk Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: John R. Roden
Seller: Robert J. Gossman
Date: 03/22/17

84 North Monson Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Brenda M. Scungio
Seller: Austin P. O’Toole
Date: 03/31/17

175 Stafford Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Susan A. Delrosso
Seller: Steven Balut
Date: 03/24/17

HOLLAND

8 Amber Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Renee Murphy
Seller: Karen A. Raymond
Date: 03/31/17

58 Leno Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Justus M. Gevry
Seller: Country Bank For Savings
Date: 03/22/17

HOLYOKE

31 Bayberry Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Dennis K. Schall
Seller: Anne O. Murphy
Date: 03/22/17

127 Congress Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Hayward D. Jones
Seller: Efrain Cosme
Date: 03/22/17

30 Harvard St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Nancy H. Adams
Seller: Hastings, Kimball, (Estate)
Date: 03/24/17

8-10 Saint James Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $159,000
Buyer: Ivan Carrasquillo
Seller: Michael W. Lapalme
Date: 03/31/17

17 Winterberry Circle
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Eliane D. Gauthier IRT
Seller: Leon M. Beauchemin
Date: 03/31/17

LONGMEADOW

214 Captain Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $311,000
Buyer: Christina Ly
Seller: Chi-Ping Wang
Date: 03/31/17

81 Converse St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $182,637
Buyer: Wilmington Trust
Seller: Leigh Cherkas
Date: 03/27/17

36 Magnolia Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: William J. Dupont
Seller: Estelle A. Gross
Date: 03/21/17

64 Meadowlark Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $172,500
Buyer: Andrea S. Martin
Seller: Tai W. Kang
Date: 03/24/17

LUDLOW

88 Cedar St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $165,500
Buyer: Devan M. Curry
Seller: Karen Pestaina
Date: 03/31/17

972 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $269,000
Buyer: Evelyne M. Cuipenski
Seller: Sapphire Property Dev. LLC
Date: 03/31/17

152 Edison Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: James Footit
Seller: Martin J. Murphy
Date: 03/24/17

51-53 Greenwich St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Bank Of New York Mellon
Seller: Cheryl A. Cronin
Date: 03/22/17

7 Highland Place
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Megan M. Chastain
Seller: Clarissa P. Tsim
Date: 03/24/17

Holyoke St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Pauldin LLC
Seller: Gilmar Realty LLC
Date: 03/31/17

31 Nash Hill Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $281,000
Buyer: Christopher M. Pelletier
Seller: William P. Hogan
Date: 03/20/17

133 Pond St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Bethany N Williams
Seller: Paul R. Racine
Date: 03/27/17

109 Ray St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: John A. Beaver
Seller: Jennifer L. St.Marie
Date: 03/21/17

170 Ridgeview Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Kenneth Massey
Seller: Carol A. Girard
Date: 03/24/17

128 Swan Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Kathleen Sweeney
Seller: Jakub Kopec
Date: 03/24/17

281 Westerly Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Samuel Hurley
Seller: Elke A. Greenwood
Date: 03/20/17

18 Winsor St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $196,000
Buyer: Laura J. Galloway
Seller: Brooke Surran
Date: 03/31/17

360 Winsor St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $188,500
Buyer: Jing C. Wei
Seller: Caitlin M. Clark
Date: 03/27/17

MONSON

59 Bradway Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Steven K. Meher
Seller: Ronald L. Poremba
Date: 03/30/17

100 Peck Brothers Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Daniel Alves
Seller: Pennymac Loan Services
Date: 03/30/17

1 Robbins Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Alison T. Zaikowski
Seller: Daniel C. Pippin
Date: 03/30/17

123 Stebbins Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $183,665
Buyer: Kelsey L. Millier
Seller: Carrie A. Terpening
Date: 03/20/17

33 Washington St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Ryan P. Fortier
Seller: Daniel S. Baer
Date: 03/31/17

PALMER

Ains Manor Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Palmer Crystal Lake LLC
Seller: Southbridge Savings Bank
Date: 03/23/17

2 Breckenridge St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Palmer DG LLC
Seller: Kathleen J. Pelletier
Date: 03/20/17

4486 High St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $151,900
Buyer: Eric J. Chartier
Seller: Frank J. Cyran
Date: 03/31/17

2 Memory Lane
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Marcin A. Wszolek
Seller: Steven R. Tetreault
Date: 03/31/17

749 River St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $252,417
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: John T. Innarelli
Date: 03/21/17

1226-1230 South Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: South Middlesex Non Profit
Seller: Richard G. Primavera
Date: 03/31/17

3050-3052 South Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Michael J. Mastriani
Seller: Christensen, Sharon, (Estate)
Date: 03/28/17

89 Shearer St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $137,500
Buyer: Amanda Taylor
Seller: John F. Davis
Date: 03/31/17

416 Springfield St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Patrick J. Austin
Seller: Michael R. Austin
Date: 03/31/17

30-32 Squier St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Christopher Falero
Seller: Michael J. Russo
Date: 03/20/17

RUSSELL

34 West Main St.
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $124,000
Buyer: Matthew Gelinas
Seller: Karl R. Dagenais
Date: 03/31/17

SOUTHWICK

173 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $255,500
Buyer: June M. Wilby
Seller: Kenneth Eggleston
Date: 03/27/17

151 Granville Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $116,830
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Eben C. Willey
Date: 03/27/17

22 Southwick Hill #22
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $349,900
Buyer: Amy L. Starling
Seller: 20 Depot Square LLC
Date: 03/31/17

SPRINGFIELD

268 Arnold Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Norman Davey
Seller: John V. Zielinski
Date: 03/31/17

769-771 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Suranthey Panton
Seller: Maria Maragoudakis
Date: 03/31/17

11 Bethel St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $147,300
Buyer: Lisbette Perez
Seller: Paula Lapolice
Date: 03/31/17

82 Birchland Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $128,800
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: John T. Andras
Date: 03/28/17

28 Bither St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $134,900
Buyer: Jayza M. Jimenez
Seller: Andros, Catherine, (Estate)
Date: 03/22/17

354 Central St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Magdiel Colon
Seller: Viva Development LLC
Date: 03/30/17

252 Christopher Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Gregory C. Flechsig
Seller: Earl D. Baidy
Date: 03/28/17

240-242 College St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Miche Mede
Seller: Charmaine Stephens
Date: 03/31/17

130 Connecticut Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $125,962
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Ann Hurley
Date: 03/21/17

37 Dorchester St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $146,000
Buyer: Joshua M. Gonzalez
Seller: Campagnari Construction
Date: 03/29/17

38 Doyle Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Juan A. Santa
Seller: Anita F. Mahan
Date: 03/28/17

312 Dutchess St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Stephen P. Wagner
Seller: Benjamin E. Jenne
Date: 03/20/17

280 Ellendale Circle
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $154,230
Buyer: Sean T. Anderson
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 03/27/17

133 Entrybrook Dr.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $157,500
Buyer: Roseline C. Chiuwa
Seller: FNMA
Date: 03/31/17

22 Fresno St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Wanda I. Torres
Seller: Eliezer Vega
Date: 03/30/17

131 Gardens Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $158,250
Buyer: Alexa Acosta
Seller: Yamil I. Cruz
Date: 03/20/17

152 Gilbert Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $149,000
Buyer: Maritzabel Cabrera
Seller: Devon Boreland
Date: 03/29/17

125 Granger St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $118,500
Buyer: FHLM
Seller: Mark E. Pariseau
Date: 03/20/17

762 Grayson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Lydia Vega
Seller: Seana A. Coughlin
Date: 03/31/17

194 Hermitage Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $122,500
Buyer: Leonard A. Lindsay
Seller: Bryson, Aaron, (Estate)
Date: 03/20/17

92 Hudson St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $144,900
Buyer: Jon D. Mitchell
Seller: Theodore G. Sarant
Date: 03/31/17

26 Irvington St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Wilmington Trust
Seller: Donald G. Fontaine
Date: 03/31/17

203 Jewett St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Justin Henry
Seller: Christian A. Barthelette
Date: 03/31/17

28 Jimmy Court
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $219,900
Buyer: Adam C. Santiago
Seller: Justin D. Greenia
Date: 03/22/17

293 Laurelton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $138,700
Buyer: Miguel Nieves
Seller: Maryann L. Connor
Date: 03/31/17

17 Lyndale St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Johnny Lopez-Santos
Seller: Lyle T. Le
Date: 03/30/17

2477 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $1,175,000
Buyer: 2477 Main Street LLC
Seller: North Park Apartments LLC
Date: 03/31/17

19 Mary Louise St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Brianna Mangano
Seller: Francisco Ramirez
Date: 03/20/17

88 Mildred Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $188,500
Buyer: Julian May
Seller: Living Stone LLC
Date: 03/24/17

8-10 Monroe St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $124,000
Buyer: AAD LLC
Seller: Nicks Affordable Home Improvement
Date: 03/21/17

202-204 Monrovia St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $199,500
Buyer: Jose A. Colon
Seller: Roland Lapointe
Date: 03/23/17

166 Nottingham St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $123,900
Buyer: Jason C. Chapdelaine
Seller: Cara L. Sullivan
Date: 03/31/17

57-59 Observer St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: MNJ LLC
Seller: 59 Observer Street LLC
Date: 03/31/17

71 Old Farm Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Jose Rivera
Seller: Brico Properties LLC
Date: 03/31/17

1172 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: Daniel Santiago
Seller: Brenda C. Branchini-Lage
Date: 03/20/17

31 Palo Alto Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Kathleen E. Wright
Seller: Thomas E. Linnehan
Date: 03/22/17

37 Parkside St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Nitsy J. Torres
Seller: William Raleigh
Date: 03/31/17

1537 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $134,000
Buyer: Danielle M. Boutot
Seller: James C. Gay
Date: 03/31/17

7 Rollins St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $229,900
Buyer: Jason K. Streeter
Seller: Sergey Savonin
Date: 03/30/17

33 Ryan Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Yamil I. Cruz
Seller: Progressive Community Baptist
Date: 03/20/17

26 Steuben St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $139,200
Buyer: Ashley M. Franco
Seller: Mya Realty LLC
Date: 03/31/17

98 Talbot Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $185,900
Buyer: Nancy Perez
Seller: Lawrence J. Pease
Date: 03/24/17

127 Thompson St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Joseph M. Morrison
Seller: Robin S. Babineau
Date: 03/30/17

129 Thompson St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Joseph M. Morrison
Seller: Robin S. Babineau
Date: 03/30/17

110-112 Tyler St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Asleudis Gonzalez
Seller: Maria Salazar
Date: 03/24/17

3 Waterford Circle
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $198,000
Buyer: Brian Santiago-Diaz
Seller: Peter J. Kelly
Date: 03/31/17

71 Westford Circle
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Damon A. Bermudez
Seller: Joseph Domingos
Date: 03/24/17

WEST SPRINGFIELD

109 Ashley Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $4,000,000
Buyer: Briarwood 15 LLC
Seller: Olympia Manor Apartments
Date: 03/31/17

42 Cedar Woods Glenn
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: Rodney B. Thomas
Seller: Renee S. Marcus
Date: 03/31/17

389 Gooseberry Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Matthew S. Leahy
Seller: Ellen R. Dagostino
Date: 03/24/17

72 Jensen Circle
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $123,500
Buyer: Ruslan Shvetsov
Seller: Cardinal Homes Inc.
Date: 03/31/17

65 Lowell St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Adriano G. Cosentini
Seller: Richard A. Larivee
Date: 03/31/17

187 Morton St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: Justin L. Enriquez
Seller: Carianne M. Leahy
Date: 03/24/17

7 Neptune Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: George Santiago
Seller: FHLM
Date: 03/30/17

11 Orange St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Kara RET
Seller: Donald A. Rivers
Date: 03/24/17

24 Orange St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Adele M. Kapelewski
Date: 03/20/17

326 Park St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: 326 Park Street LLC
Seller: Carol Delevo
Date: 03/31/17

83 Spring St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Romanko Realty LLC
Seller: Christopher A. Granger
Date: 03/29/17

256 Valley View Circle
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Caitlin M. Clark
Seller: Brandon T. Dantonio
Date: 03/27/17

124 Winona Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $327,900
Buyer: Kristine J. Villaruel
Seller: Donald C. York
Date: 03/31/17

95 Woodmont St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $191,200
Buyer: Shawn M. Schellenger
Seller: Kevin Wyman
Date: 03/30/17

WESTFIELD

95 Big Wood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Michael F. Cyran
Seller: Paul T. Kireyczyk
Date: 03/20/17

6 Cortez St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Ottavia Bush
Seller: Tallage Adams LLC
Date: 03/31/17

19 Country Club Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: John E. Veit
Seller: Vasily Zhuk
Date: 03/31/17

58 Deer Path Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $259,900
Buyer: Seth T. Philipp
Seller: William Scott
Date: 03/23/17

1381 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $239,000
Buyer: Joan Judge
Seller: Ann M. Duquette
Date: 03/27/17

8 Hillcrest Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $362,500
Buyer: Petros I. Mirisis
Seller: Erin P. Thomas
Date: 03/31/17

6 Joseph Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $178,500
Buyer: Brian J. Morrissey
Seller: Patricia A. Brown
Date: 03/31/17

67 Kittredge Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Jeremie Lambert
Seller: Patrick F. Martunas
Date: 03/21/17

38 Lindbergh Blvd.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Kyle P. Hughes
Seller: Joseph A. Craven
Date: 03/30/17

11 Maple Terrace
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Collins
Seller: Raisa Amirova
Date: 03/31/17

758 North Road
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Kenneth F. Harder
Seller: Edgar A. Collis
Date: 03/20/17

119 Northridge Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $154,660
Buyer: Jesse Babcock
Seller: US Bank
Date: 03/23/17

101 Ridgeway St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Igor Adzhigirey
Seller: Mcgarry, Edith F., (Estate)
Date: 03/31/17

1050 Russell Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $187,500
Buyer: Sarah A. Nuttall
Seller: Ryan Menard
Date: 03/30/17

9 West School St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Big Buck Properties LLP
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 03/22/17

WILBRAHAM

2377 Boston Road #101
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: JCE Realty LLC
Seller: Baystate Wing Hospital Corp.
Date: 03/31/17

12 Brainard Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $238,000
Buyer: Kenneth W. Valentine
Seller: Edward W. Irla
Date: 03/22/17

6 Danforth Farms Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $592,500
Buyer: Francisc Dejesus-Paulino
Seller: Mohammed S. Ahmed
Date: 03/31/17

593 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $217,300
Buyer: Branch Bank and Trust
Seller: Gilbert A. Barrett
Date: 03/31/17

47 Monson Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Anthony E. English
Seller: Michael A. Smith
Date: 03/31/17

3 North Hills Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Clarissa P. Tsim
Seller: Boston Road Properties
Date: 03/27/17

4 Old Farm Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $364,000
Buyer: Michael P. Ferzoco
Seller: Timothy J. Chipman
Date: 03/31/17

4 Opal St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $177,700
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Thomas F. Budlong
Date: 03/20/17

33 Pomeroy St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Thomas E. Linnehan
Seller: Jacqueline P. Daniels
Date: 03/22/17

412 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Michelle L. Downie
Seller: Gary J. Soverow
Date: 03/24/17

Squire Dr. #13
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Peter C. Thompson
Seller: Crane Hill LLC
Date: 03/22/17

33 West Colonial Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Owen M. Knox
Seller: Roberta J. Perry
Date: 03/22/17

10 Woodsley Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $499,900
Buyer: Jeffrey R. Weinberg
Seller: Zhizhong Liu
Date: 03/28/17

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

150 Blackberry Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $522,000
Buyer: Jeewon Park
Seller: Daniel A. Viederman
Date: 03/28/17

22 Lessey St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $12,500,000
Buyer: Amherst Clark House LP
Seller: Clark House Assocs.
Date: 03/24/17

97 Lincoln Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $605,000
Buyer: Michael A. White
Seller: Amherst College
Date: 03/27/17

38 Maplewood Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Theodore G. Fay
Seller: Neil E. Mendelsohn
Date: 03/22/17

150 Sunderland Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Goat Meadow LLC
Seller: Watrola, Chester E., (Estate)
Date: 03/29/17

178 West Pomeroy Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Eugene Young
Seller: Robert S. Anderson
Date: 03/31/17

34 Wildwood Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $570,000
Buyer: David A. Driver
Seller: Robert T. Wilce
Date: 03/31/17

BELCHERTOWN

11 Blacksmith Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Nicholas E. Bernard
Seller: Eduardo Melendez
Date: 03/22/17

1067 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Solsiree DelMoral
Seller: Thomas M. Kerle
Date: 03/31/17

111 Mill Valley Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $309,000
Buyer: James S. Bachand
Seller: Lauren Clarke
Date: 03/31/17

49 Mountain View Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Devon J. Thomas
Seller: Thomas E. Soutier
Date: 03/28/17

58 Stebbins St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: William R. Pesco
Date: 03/24/17

CUMMINGTON

4 Thayer Corner Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Nate Loux
Seller: Daniel Loux
Date: 03/31/17

EASTHAMPTON

10-12 Center St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $328,000
Buyer: Michael Colwell-Lafleur
Seller: Chen Ping Yap
Date: 03/22/17

18 Clark Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $359,900
Buyer: Colleen M. Chambers
Seller: Anthony J. Stonina
Date: 03/31/17

89 Maple St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $144,900
Buyer: Julianne Busa
Seller: US Bank
Date: 03/28/17

216 Park St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Patrick M. Goodreau
Seller: Eliane D. Gauthier IRT
Date: 03/31/17

15-17 Water St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $227,900
Buyer: Kaitlin Ames
Seller: Anthony J. Stonina
Date: 03/31/17

2 West St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Randi Garcia
Seller: Gary P. Talbot
Date: 03/31/17

GRANBY

239 Amherst St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Gerald R. Archambault
Seller: Gary P. Shannon
Date: 03/30/17

26 Circle Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $232,400
Buyer: Kirsten Therrien
Seller: Edith A. Blais
Date: 03/24/17

8 Sherwood Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Westover Metropolitan Development Corp.
Seller: George W. Cooke
Date: 03/28/17

HATFIELD

26 Chestnut St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: David Zononi
Seller: Thomas J. Wickles
Date: 03/31/17

11 Dwight St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Karen May
Seller: Roy R. Coulter
Date: 03/24/17

359 West St.
Hatfield, MA 01066
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Classic Garage 359 LLC
Seller: 359 Lap LLC
Date: 03/31/17

NORTHAMPTON

34 Calvin Terrace
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $545,000
Buyer: Stultz RET
Seller: Dorien J. Miller
Date: 03/27/17

185 Cardinal Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $462,500
Buyer: James E. Gillespie
Seller: 185 Cardinal Way LLC
Date: 03/31/17

37 Drewsen Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Benjamin Brumbaugh
Seller: Robert Baird
Date: 03/31/17

5 Franklin St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Community Enterprises Inc.
Seller: Janet B. Hutchins
Date: 03/29/17

11 Hatfield St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $314,000
Buyer: Friends Of Hampshire County
Seller: Anthony W. Rossi
Date: 03/20/17

191 Main St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Cynthia A. Roberts
Seller: Roman Catholic Bishop
Date: 03/20/17

109 Olander Dr.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,424,999
Buyer: Robert A. Jonas
Seller: Wright Builders Inc.
Date: 03/20/17

104 Pine St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Dennis A. Grimaldi
Seller: Eva S. Dewitz
Date: 03/23/17

17 Ridge View Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Katie A. Clifford
Seller: Ridgeview Development LLC
Date: 03/30/17

64 Riverside Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Vera D. Beauvais
Seller: Carol A. Beauvais
Date: 03/27/17

392 South St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Christopher P. Cahillane
Seller: Norma J. McElligott RT
Date: 03/31/17

249 Sylvester Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Jay A. Fisher
Seller: Daviau & Hathaway Dev. LLC
Date: 03/31/17

south hadley

66 Brainerd St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Karen E. Sause
Seller: William M. Gorczycz
Date: 03/24/17

72 Lathrop St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: Richard R. Sligo
Seller: Sligo, Virginia, (Estate)
Date: 03/21/17

116 Mosier St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $308,000
Buyer: James W. Buckley
Seller: Kimberly M. Roy
Date: 03/30/17

414 Newton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Random Properties Acquisitions
Seller: George Cunliffe
Date: 03/22/17

18 Pleasant St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $174,900
Buyer: Karol Makusiewicz
Seller: Margaret C. Giustina
Date: 03/31/17

20 Rivercrest Way
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $381,400
Buyer: Christopher S. Sutton
Seller: Rivercrest Condos LLC
Date: 03/31/17

6 Riverlodge Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Jonathan Scully
Seller: Patrick J. Spring
Date: 03/24/17

27 Saybrook Circle
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $165,300
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Diana F. Gaouette
Date: 03/28/17

19 Smith St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $208,650
Buyer: Joseph S. Grab
Seller: Janusz Kosciolek
Date: 03/31/17

17 Summit St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Danielle A. Langevin
Seller: Sequoia Properties LLC
Date: 03/31/17

SOUTHAMPTON

35 Bissonnette Circle
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Troy M. Copeland
Seller: Katie Clifford
Date: 03/30/17

10 Manhan Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: David E. Derouin
Seller: John P. Higgins
Date: 03/31/17

108 Moose Brook Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $317,000
Buyer: Christopher W. Mahoney
Seller: Matthew L. Puza
Date: 03/30/17

WARE

47 Eddy St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Philip J. Dupell
Seller: Neil Seelen
Date: 03/23/17

WORTHINGTON

110 Williamsburg Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $171,035
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Robert A. Bourdon
Date: 03/20/17

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcies Departments

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

Balathunis, Timothy P.
116 Austin St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/28/17

Bessette, Paul Emery
Bessette, Audra Lynn
966 Main St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/22/17

Bouchard, Clovis V.
Bouchard, Patricia M.
27 Joan Dr.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/26/17

Bradley, Timothy A.
36 Hartwick St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/17/17

Calabrese, Anthony J.
124 Barrington Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/29/17

Coakley, Margie R.
100 Leyfred Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/26/17

Colonial Pizza
Anagnos, Constantine
a/k/a Anagnostopolus, Constantine
Anagnos, Eleni
a/k/a Anagnos, Helen
66 Holbrook St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/29/17

Cranson, Richard Earnest
Cranson, Barbara Ann
65 Broadway St., Apt. 68
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/17

Dow, Leah S.
1 Day Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/28/17

Edward Acker Photography
Acker, Edward G.
34 Main St.
Lenox, MA 01240
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/28/17

Eldridge, Larry F.
54 Charter Oak Dr.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/27/17

English, Brian K.
English, Andrea E.
a/k/a Wilke, Andrea Elizabeth
a/k/a Lyman, Andrea Elizabeth
27 Van Ness St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/22/17

Gerber, Stuart M.
20 Halifax Court
Apt G, Bld. 23
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/24/17

Gonzalez, Marianne Theresa
303 Sanders St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/17

Grant, Harvey M.
79 Old Farm Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/24/17

Holbrook, Lawrence Russell
P.O. Box 225
Gilbertville, MA 01031
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/22/17

Huynh, Tay T.
1170 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/17/17

Jackson, Wendy L.
244 Silver St.
Granville, MA 01034
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/27/17

K & B construction
Dubrule, Bruce G.
21 East Buckland Road
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/20/17

Knechtel, Katie Louise
149 Bartlett Lane
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/24/17

Labine-Perry, Valerie J.
5 Elm Circle
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/21/17

Lavoie, Tracy A.
a/k/a Lotito, Tracy Ann
188 Saffron Circle
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/29/17

Lawrenchuk, Timothy
Lawrenchuk, Mary
39 Birchwood Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/30/17

LeSage, Julie P.
119 Chantilly Ave.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/17

Lewis, James M.
12 Lenox St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/19/17

Maharne, George J.
840 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/17

Malloy, Gary A.
87 1/2 Orchard St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/28/17

Mastroianni, Karen L.
68 Highland Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/17

McCabe, Michael T.
56 Perrine Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/17/17

McDonald, Amanda R.
40 Thompson St.
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/27/17

McLain, Laura
5 Lyman St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/28/17

Murphy, Christopher R.
169 Wachusett St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/17

Olbrych, Mary A.
a/k/a Friel, Mary A.
451 Britton St.
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/28/17

O’Neil, Judith A.
87 East Road
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/19/17

Peck, Wayne T.
P.O. Box 206
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/27/17

Potters Playhouse
Potter, Thomas R.
Potter, Kelly G.
91 Old Douglas Road
Warren, MA 01083
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/20/17

Ravento, Arnaldo
a/k/a Lopez, Arnaldo Ravento
222 Pine St., Fl. 1
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/20/17

Ryan, Tracey Anne
416 North Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/17

Scerbo, Justine M.
P.O. Box 776
Williamstown, MA 01267
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/26/17

Schenk, Scott Parker
a/k/a Schenk, Ashley
49 Old Stage Road
Montague, MA 01351
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/24/17

Shukes, John M.
a/k/a Tressler, John M.
92 Moulton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/24/17

The Hairport
Collins, Kristen
186 West Main St., Apt
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/30/17

V.I.P. Pest Solutions
Smart Looks II
Fortin, Jason M.
Fortin, Brenda Lee
a/k/a Marquis, Brenda Lee
151 Woodcrest Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/28/17

Vorce, Melanie Marie
78 West St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/24/17

Watson, Dallas A.
Watson, Tina Marie
165 Cole Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 03/20/17

White, Patrick
81 Hawthorne St.
lenox, MA 01240
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/21/17

Wilson, Kelley L.
a/k/a Gyurasz, Kelley L.
157 Corinth St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/22/17

Winners Circle
Sheikh, Mehmood A.
92 Blokland Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 03/17/17

Doing Business as Certificates

DBA Certificates Departments

The following business certificates and trade names were issued or renewed during the month of March 2017.

AMHERST

Oliver Construction
170 East Hadley Road
Omar Gayle

Renaissance School Inc.
867 North Pleasant St.
Dotty Meyer

Socialopolis
151 Orchard Hill Dr.
Jacob Ayers

TrailTech
5 Morrow Lane
John Kowalski

CHICOPEE

Big Boys Contracting
930 McKinstry Ave.
Victor Borisik

Casa del Caribe Restaurant
108 West St.
Bernice Rivera

Ela Deli
226 Exchange St.
Elzbieta Magda, Gregorz Magda

Europa Deli
55 Cabot St.
Krystyna Kania

Frank’s Garage
11 Lawndale St.
Frank Drewniak

Hearth and Harness
35 Cochran St.
Ginger Moon

Oasis Risk
57 Sanford St.
Garrett Owens

RJ Services
1 Exchange St.
Richard Jones

EASTHAMPTON

Elite Quality Cleaning Service, LLC
22 Treehouse Circle, Apt. 2
Pamela Ann Lumpkin

In Unity Healing Center
384 Main St.
Candice Amendola

R & D Ventures Group
37 Maple St.
Robert Bolon

Spirit Playground Healing Arts
384 Main St.
Tammi Jo Bechard

Superior Roof Cleaning
25 Franklin St.
Luke Delisle

EAST LONGMEADOW

Added Attractions
180 Shaker Road
Carol Kononotz

Ciao Bella
128 Shaker Road
Donna Brayton

Great Clips of East Longmeadow
420 North Main St.
Clifford Laraway

Perron’s Automotive Inc.
197 Shaker Road
Brian Perron

Salon Karma
35 Harkness Ave.
Sarah Pliska

GREENFIELD

Connecticut River Conservancy
15 Bank Row
Connecticut River Watershed Council, Andrew Fisk

Lafave Plumbing & Heating
182 Fairview St.
Brian Lafave

HADLEY

Debra Rusenko, Licensed Acupuncturist
8 Goffe St.
Debra Rusenko

Leah Hollrock Jewelry
298 Russell St.
Leah Hollrock

Nail Pro
367 Russell St.
Ouyn Nguyen, Lien Luong

Peters Farm
112 East St.
Clinton Peters

Rtrue Productions
3 Kennedy Dr.
Richard Trueswell

S&M Rebuilders
75 Lawrence Plain Road
Carl Johnson

HOLYOKE

Cajun Café & Grill
50 Holyoke St.
Harry Chen

Dr. Vonnahme & Associates, P.C.
98 Lower Westfield Road
Dr. Hans Vonnahme

Providence Behavioral Health Hospital
1233 Main St.
The Mercy Hospital Inc.

Rogue Life Art
20 Hitchcock St.
Kristen Davis, Amy Davis

Ven You Events
14 School St.
Beatriz Cruz

LONGMEADOW

Mousse Café
101 Converse St.
Darby Mather

Muslu Law Firm
785 Williams St., #185
Claudia Kokaz

RA Wireless of MA
744 Bliss Road
Sammy Fathalla

Sagacity
114 Crescent Road
Barbara Flynn

School Volunteers Share
18 South Park Ave.
Jennifer Cosgrove

LUDLOW

Fall Fields Farm 2
482 Holyoke Road
Clarke Kennedy

Psych Care Associates, P.C.
185 West Ave., Suite 301
Usman Qayyum

NORTHAMPTON

Al-Mehar Inc.
15 Locust St.
Syed Iqbal

Angie Gregory Consulting
18 Northern Ave.
Angela Gregory

Anthony King Wheelbuilding
32 Highland Ave., Apt. 2
Anthony King

Arborcast Films
28 Highland Ave.
David Gaestel

Born Perfect
72 Center St., #3B
Jaye McElroy, Leta Herman

The Children’s Clinic
17 Brewster Court
Tina Champagne

Easthampton Farmers’ and Makers’ Market
198 Sylvester Road
Adrienne Ehlert-Bashista

Grow Haus Inc.
26 Strong Ave.
Moses Nasar

Hybrid Strength and Conditioning
215 Lovefield St., Unit D
Alexander LeBoeuf

Noho Music
104B Damon Road
Philip Warren

Rebekah Markham
16 Center St., Suite 511
Rebekah Markham

Studio 338 Handwoven
221 Pine St.
Paula Veleta

Tidy Gnome
59 Chestnut St.
Angela Parro

PALMER

Ancestral Link
1321 Main St., Apt. 6
Romari Caesar

Arrange This Travel
1350 Ware St.
Tonya Girouard

Bourgeois Transportation
3001 Hill St.
Kenneth Bourgeois

Federico’s Sales and Service
323 Burlingame St.
Francis Federico

Payless Auto
26 Wilbraham St.
Kelly Doyle, Wayne Doyle

Stephen’s Tree Service
102 Chestnut St.
Shane Stephens

SOUTHWICK

Center Property Services, LLC
15 Pearl Brook Road
Michael Buscemi

The Cove
90 Point Grove Road
Tina Siniscalchi

New Main Moon
610 College Highway
Zhao Yang

Residential Bulk Deliveries
9R Rising Corner Road
Norman Mogul

SPRINGFIELD

CEMA 69
25 Mattoon St.
Carlos Mendez

Chicke D’s Chicken & Grill
1375 Carew St.
Derrick Brathwaite

Clayton Commons Management
7 Clayton St.
Ernest Harris

Creative Mind Labs
248 Hancock St.
Marcus Hickley

Hong Kong Garden Restaurant
475 Breckwood Blvd.
Shaoquing Ni

Insurance Paid Construction
93 Maryland St.
Mayra Martinez

It Makes Scents
77 Fairfield St.
Michelle LaRocque

JDL Financial
11 Preston St.
Julius Demetrius

JDL Productions
27 Lyman St.
Julius Demetrius

Life in the Valley
83 Ontario St.
Angel Martinez

Magnolia Family Daycare
204 Abbott St.
Michelle Mann

Papa Bear Gift Baskets
186 Belmont Ave.
Jasmine Green

Plummer Enterprise
116 Andrew St.
Deveron Plummer

Posh Studio LLC
1372 Allen St.
Cynthia Rossini

Power Gospel Church
43 Ferris St.
Jesse Lee

Quang’s Forest Park Barbershop
529 Belmont Ave.
Tuyen Nguyen

Trueheart Enterprise
38 Wilber St.
Lolitta Lowe

Tyler John Inc.
28 Verge St.
Samuel Wilson

Universal Real Estate
33 Mulberry St.
Anthony Ardolino

Yung Kidney
75 Copeland St.
Shequinna Barton

WARE

Deer Haven Farm, LLC
417 Palmer Road
Brian Skoczylas, David Skoczylas

DeSantis, LLC
417 Palmer Road
Brian Skoczylas, David Skoczylas

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Advanced Landscaping
955 Piper Road
Allan Beiermeister

Ashley Arms, LLC
131 Ashley Ave.
Mary Thayer

Atlantech Security
203 Circuit Ave.
Steven Rodrigues

Atwood Fire & Security
33 Sylvan St.
George Condon III

Bertera Mitsubishi
526 Riverdale St.
Bertera Automotive

Bob’s Auto
622½ Union St.
Robert Philip

Cyber Exchange
1267 Riverdale St.
Stephen Buynicki

Joe’s Barbershop
450 Main St.
Joseph Guadalupe

Mr. Siding
96 New Bridge St.
Maksim Reznichenko

Northeast Family Services
59 Interstate Dr.
Peter Patch

Orgullo Latino
2260 Westfield St.
Lois Reyes

Otis Boat Lift & Docks
849 Amostown Road
Brian Battista

Pat Tours
1285 Riverdale St.
Mary Gorecki

Savers
135 Memorial Ave.
Michael Ensine

Stella’s Bones & Pet Care
640 Elm St.
Lesley Maple

Super Petro Inc.
230 Day St.
Michael Vickers

Then G Creations
240 Dewey St.
Angelica Dias

Ultimate Home Inspections
379 Rogers Ave.
Theodore Pinkerman

Zen Cowork
865 Memorial Ave.
Karoun Charkoudian

WILBRAHAM

The Law Office of Karen M. Romano, Esq.
1060 Stony Hill Road
Karen Romano

Incorporations

Departments Incorporations

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

CHICOPEE

Lang J. Moran Electric Inc., 25Lagadia St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Lang Jamal Moran, same. Electrical contractor.

EASTHAMPTON

Mahaw Inc., 44 Pleasant St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Majid A. Malik, 419 Montcalm St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Retail business.

FLORENCE

Northampton Taxpayers Association Ltd., 88 Turkey Hill Road, Florence, MA 01062. John Riley, same. Voluntary organization to study Northampton city expenses and income, especially the new storm water fee.

HOLYOKE

Mont Marie Affordable Land Inc, 32 Lower Westfield Road, Holyoke, MA 01040. Yitzchok Rokowsky, 274 Ridge Ave., Lakewood, NJ 08701. Nonprofit designed to provide housing to seniors and needy people.

SOUTH HADLEY

Pioneer Valley Industrial Hemp Inc., 56 Lincoln Ave., South Hadley, MA 01075. Adam R. Sweet, same. Nonprofit dedicated to the research and education of the uses of industrial hemp.

SPRINGFIELD

I Found Light Against All Odds Inc., 1380 Main St., Suite 409, Springfield, MA 01103. Stefan Davis, 1328 Page Blvd., Springfield, MA 01104. To aid today’s youth and communities by designing and implementing a television talk show program, that addresses social, emotional and economic issues that today’s youth are experiencing in their communities.

Kites of Compassion Inc., 45 Miller St., Springfield, MA 01104. Teresa M. Carrasquillo, same. Nonprofit formed to raise money for individuals and families living in extremely difficult circumstances in need of a helping hand.

Lucky Star Food Inc., 266 Belmont Ave., Springfield, MA 01108. Muhammad A. Nasir, same. General trading.

Montalvo Transportation Inc., 92 Mondrovia St., 2 Fl., Springfield, MA 01104. Anthony Montalvo, same. Trucking.

Mourad Exports Inc., 49 Bartels St., Springfield, MA 01128. Hassan Mourad, same. Used auto exports.

STOCKBRIDGE

Mcelhiney Woodworks Inc., 3 Goodrich St., Stockbridge, MA 01262. Brian Mcelhine, same. Residential construction.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

One Shop Solutions Inc., 130 Elm Street, 1L, West Springfield, MA 01089. Naveen Kumar Sharma, same. IT services and selling of computers and devices.

Briefcase

Briefcase Departments

SC Learning Commons to Be Named for Benefactor

SPRINGFIELD — During his lifetime, Rev. Harold Smith dedicated himself and his many gifts to Springfield College. Mary-Beth Cooper, Springfield College president, announced that, to celebrate his rich legacy, the college will name its newly reconstructed learning commons to honor his memory and the many ways in which he helped Springfield College grow and prosper. Smith passed away March 21, 2017, in New York City, at age 83. “Harold had a passion for Springfield College and for the YMCA,” said Cooper. “His life’s work will live on in this learning commons and in the lives of our students who will study and research there.” Smith was a valued member of the Springfield College board of trustees for more than three decades, and served as chair of the board’s investment committee for 25 of those years, as well as on the executive committee and the committee on business affairs. Under his leadership, and through his investment expertise and strategy, the college’s endowment experienced unprecedented growth through a diverse portfolio. Smith was recognized for his dedication and commitment to serving others in the Springfield College tradition when he was awarded the Springfield College honorary doctor of humanics degree in 1998. He was a member of the college Naismith Giving Society, which recognizes donors who have given more than $1 million during their lifetime. He is enshrined in the YMCA Hall of Fame located on the college campus. The Harold C. Smith Learning Commons will be dedicated when the building is opened later this year to honor the man who studied for the ministry, but went on to become the president and chief investment officer of the YMCA Retirement Fund. Reflecting 21st-century library innovations, the learning commons will become the heart of the college’s academic program, providing facilities where students and faculty can study, research, work in groups, and receive writing and other academic support. Renovations of the college’s 45-year-old library began in August 2016, and the new facility will include a 24-hour reading room, a café, and a technology hub designed to promote collaboration between research and information technology, and will be home to the college’s Academic Success Center. Smith was a dedicated philanthropist and volunteer throughout his lifetime and volunteered for the League of Women Voters, the Interfaith Committee of Trumbull, and the Bridgeport Area Foundation. He was a trustee of the YMCA Retirement Fund, YMCA Greater Bridgeport, and Ursinus College, as well as a board member of the YMCA of Greater New York, Bank Mart, and Y-Mutual Insurance. Born in the Bronx, Smith was an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and held a bachelor’s degree and doctor of divinity degree from Ursinus College, a master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary, and an MBA from New York University. He was a chartered financial analyst, a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts, and a member of the American Economics Assoc. He had a 40-year dual career in ministry and investments.

STCC to Offer Summer Classes

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will offer five-week and 10-week on campus and online summer classes. Session One begins June 5, and Session Two starts July 10. Summer classes an ideal opportunity for area college students to earn college credit between June and August, said STCC Dean of Enrollment Management Matthew Gravel. “The majority of classes available during summer session can be used to fulfill requirements at other colleges and universities,” he added. “Classes fill up very quickly, and we continue to offer classes across the curriculum to meet the demands of STCC students, as well as students from other colleges and universities who are home for the summer.” Academic subject areas include accounting, anthropology, biology, business law, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, electronic systems, English, finance, graphic communication and photography, history, IT, math, marketing, medical assisting, music, office information technologies, philosophy, physics, psychology, sign language, sociology, Spanish, and speech. Class schedules are available at www.stcc.edu/summer. Students can register online, by phone at (413) 755-4321, or in the Registrar’s Office, Garvey Hall South, first floor.

Company Notebook

Company Notebook Departments

United Financial Announces Q1 Earnings, Dividend

GLASTONBURY, Conn. — United Financial Bancorp Inc., the holding company for United Bank, announced results for the quarter ended March 31, 2017. The company reported net income of $13.7 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2017, compared to net income for the linked quarter of $14.6 million, or $0.29 per diluted share. The company reported net income of $11.9 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2016. “Over the last three consecutive quarters, United Financial Bancorp Inc. has averaged a return on average assets of 0.87% and a return on average tangible common equity of 10.89%, as the company continues to make progress on its four key objectives communicated in April 2016,” said William Crawford IV, CEO of the company and the bank. Assets totaled $6.70 billion at March 31, 2017 and increased $97.1 million, or 1.5%, from $6.60 billion at Dec. 31, 2016. At March 31, 2017, total loans were $4.94 billion, representing an increase of $42.3 million, or 0.9%, from the linked quarter. Changes to loan balances during the first quarter of 2017 were highlighted by a $44.6 million, or 6.2%, increase in commercial business loans and a $16.6 million, or 4.0%, increase in owner-occupied commercial real-estate loans. Total residential mortgages increased during the first quarter of 2017 by $11.2 million, or 1.0%. Total cash and cash equivalents decreased $6.3 million, or 6.9%, during the linked quarter, while the available for sale securities portfolio increased by $32.3 million, or 3.1%. Deposits totaled $4.79 billion at March 31, 2017 and increased by $79.2 million, or 1.7%, from $4.71 billion at December 31, 2016. In the first quarter of 2017, money-market deposit accounts increased $157.2 million, or 12.9%, and NOW checking deposits increased $39.2 million, or 7.9%, from the linked quarter, reflective of a seasonal increase in municipal deposits and successful new account acquisition. These increases were offset by a $110.1 million, or 6.3%, decrease in certificates of deposit, some of which migrated to money market deposit accounts. The board of directors declared a cash dividend on the company’s common stock of $0.12 per share to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 28, 2017 and payable on May 10, 2017. This dividend equates to a 2.73% annualized yield based on the $17.58 average closing price of the company’s common stock in the first quarter of 2017. The company has paid dividends for 44 consecutive quarters.

Johnson & Hill Partners with Family Business Center

AMHERST — The Family Business Center of Pioneer Valley has been helping family-owned and closely held companies from around Western Mass since 1994, through a series of educational dinner forums and morning workshops, roundtables and customized consults. The center’s strategic partners contribute to that professional development in the areas of accounting, banking, leadership, insurance, wealth management, staffing, and law, and BusinessWest is the media partner for the center. Now Johnson & Hill Staffing will be taking on the role of the FBC’s staffing sponsor-partner. “As a longtime member of the FBC, we are excited to move into the role of sponsor/partner in our continued support of family business across the Pioneer Valley,” said Andrea Hill-Cataldo, president. “As specialists who staff anything from short-term needs to key direct hire roles in administrative, accounting and finance, legal, and professional settings, the Johnson & Hill team collectively brings decades of staffing insight to the table. Our goal is to provide members of the FBC with that insight to help them evaluate new and innovative ways of acquiring the talent that will drive their business forward.” The schedule of educational events for the Family Business Center is at fambizpv.com.

Berkshire Bank Receives Six Marketing Awards

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank was recently honored with six awards for community engagement and marketing of leading-edge products. The bank was recognized at the Financial Marketing Awards in Newport, R.I. and the New England Financial Marketing Awards in Burlington, Mass.; both events took place in March. The Financial Marketing Awards are the oldest financial awards in New England. The program honors banks and credit unions for creative marketing and branding efforts, while the Community Champion Award recognizes a bank or credit union for the difference they make in the community. Berkshire received recognition in the following categories:

• Community Champion Award – Gold for Pittsfield Public Schools attendance billboard;

• Loan Award – Silver for home-equity campaign; and

• Deposit Award – Bronze for Leap Year deposit campaign.

The New England Financial Marketing Assoc. has a diverse membership representing financial institutions with assets ranging from less than $500 million to more than $5 billion. Its annual awards program honors banks and credit unions in the New England states for creative marketing, branding, and community efforts. Berkshire received recognition in the following categories:

• Overall Community Service – 2nd Place for Xtraordinary Day campaign;

• In-Branch Design – 2nd Place for Mid-Atlantic region branch design; and

• Customer Service – 2nd Place for Game Plan point of sale.

Pride Stores Partners with Local Beer Brand White Lion

SPRINGFIELD — White Lion Brewing continues to root itself as Springfield’s craft-beer brand. Pride Stores, which has a beer and wine selection in five of its 30 locations, will feature White Lion as the preferred local beer brand. “The partnership is part of Pride Stores’ commitment to the local community,” said David Horgan, director of Advertising. White Lion has accounts throughout Massachusetts, but company President Raymond Berry said “there is no better feeling than knowing local decision makers like Pride Stores want to be part of our growth. This partnership will put the brand and our portfolio in front of people daily. Both companies are committed to the city and surrounding communities.” The stores will carry White Lion’s portfolio of bottled and soon-to-be-released canned products.

HMC Earns ‘A’ Grade for Patient Safety

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) has once again earned an ‘A’ rating from the Leapfrog Group, ranking it among the safest hospitals in the U.S. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the first and only national healthcare rating focused on errors, accidents, and infections. The program has been assigning letter grades to general acute-care hospitals in the U.S. since 2012. Holyoke Medical Center was one of 823 hospitals to receive an ‘A’ ranking among the safest hospitals in the U.S. “This is the third consecutive ‘A’ rating for Holyoke Medical Center. As a free-standing, independent community hospital, we must rely on providing our patients with the safest, highest-quality, affordable care possible, and we appreciate our staff who join us every day in being dedicated to our mission,” said Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems Inc.

Sunshine Village Earns CARF Accreditation

CHICOPEE — The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) announced that Sunshine Village has been accredited for a period of three years for its day-habilitation, employment-services, and day-services programs. The latest accreditation is the 10th consecutive successful three-year Accreditation given to Sunshine Village by the international accrediting body. This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be given to an organization. An organization receiving a three-year accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality. CARF accreditation is a useful tool to determine the best organization for services. Specifically, the organization was tested against 856 standards in areas including leadership, strategic planning, financial planning, input from people served, risk management, health and safety, human resources, technology, rights of people served, accessibility, and performance improvement, as well as quality individualized services and supports. In the past ten years, this achievement indicates Sunshine Village’s well-established pattern and commitment to practice excellence. “I am so proud that Sunshine Village has again been recognized by CARF with their highest level of accreditation,” said Gina Kos, executive director for Sunshine Village. “This is an outstanding achievement, and it shows that the organization meets our mission of improving the lives of people with disabilities. Every day, more than 230 staff work hard to achieve that mission — and this accreditation is validation of that. It shows that we do deliver on the promise of a great day — and that our employees truly shine.” Now in its 50th year, Sunshine Village is a nonprofit organization with a main campus in Chicopee and additional sites in Chicopee, Springfield, Three Rivers, and Westfield. It has been providing day services for adults with developmental disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, since 1967.

Mary Ann’s Dance and More Announces Relocation

EASTHAMPTON — Mary Ann’s Dance and More, a local dance-apparel store, announced it will be moving to its new home on Route 10 in Easthampton on July 1. The company will move to 396 Main St., the former home of Fit Body. The location offers easier parking, a more friendly shopping experience, better accessibility, and the ability to host more in-store events. In January, the company launched its app on Google Play and the App Store. It will also be celebrating its 10th anniversary in August. Mary Ann’s Dance and More offers customers dance supplies, including apparel and accessories, as well as novelty and gift items. An active business in the community, the company is recognized as a consistent sponsor of various local organizations.

People on the Move

Departments People on the Move

Aaron Miller

Strengthening its business strategy and development expertise, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. (MassMutual) named Aaron Miller Head of Strategy & Corporate Development. Miller reports to Betsy Ward, MassMutual’s chief financial officer and chief actuary. In his new role, Miller, who will work closely with MassMutual’s executive leadership team, is responsible for leading the development of the company’s corporate and business strategies, as well as competitive intelligence, helping maximize MassMutual’s long-term performance. Miller joins MassMutual from Capital One Financial Corp., where he spent more than six years as managing vice president of Strategy. In this role, he was responsible for supporting the company’s overall corporate development agenda and evaluating potential acquisition targets. Of note, he led Capital One’s $9 billion acquisition of ING Direct USA in February 2012, and the company’s $2.6 billion acquisition of HSBC’s U.S. credit-card business in May 2012. Prior to Capital One, from 2006 through 2010, Miller was a principal with Boston-based private equity firm Great Hill Partners, where he was responsible for originating and evaluating investment opportunities in the financial-services, Internet, and business-services sectors. He also served on the boards of Ziff Davis Media Inc. (acquired by j2 Global Inc.), and Central Security Group (acquired by Summit Partners), among others. Miller began his career in 1999 with McKinsey & Co.’s North American financial-services practice, eventually becoming a senior consultant. There, he helped Global 1000 and earlier-stage companies address such issues as strategy, new-business development, and operations. Miller received his bachelor’s degree in economics and public policy studies from Duke University, and earned his MBA from the Harvard Business School.

•••••

Kevin Manghan

PeoplesBank announced the appointment of Kevin Manghan to Infinex Financial Advisor, PeoplesFinancial and Insurance Services. Manghan possesses more than 29 years of financial-planning and investment experience. He will be responsible for providing financial planning and investment-portfolio planning to bank customers. PeoplesFinancial and Insurance Services offers access to a wide array of investment and insurance options through Infinex Investments Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Products include mutual funds, annuities, retirement and pension plans, life insurance, long-term care insurance, and 529 college savings plans. Manghan holds a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y., and is a certified financial planner. He served for more than 20 years on the board of directors for the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corp. and Business Assistance Corp.

•••••

Alfred Albano Jr.

Bacon Wilson announced that Attorney Alfred Albano Jr. has joined the firm. He is a general practitioner with more than 35 years of experience representing clients in Western Mass. Albano is a member of Bacon Wilson’s real-estate, estate-planning, business, and family-law practice groups. To ensure continuity of client service, Bacon Wilson will maintain his current office at 100 Russell St. in Hadley. This new branch will also enhance Bacon Wilson’s presence as a regional, full-service law firm with five locations throughout the Pioneer Valley: in Amherst, Northampton, Springfield, Westfield, and now in Hadley.

•••••

Daniel Carr

Attorney Daniel Carr has joined Royal, P.C., the management-side-only labor and employment law firm, and will focus his practice in labor law and complex employment litigation. Carr’s practice includes matters involving labor relations, workplace safety and OSHA, unfair competition and trade secrets, discrimination, harassment and retaliation, wrongful discharge, workers’ compensation, employee privacy, wage-and-hour law, breach-of-contract and unfair-competition claims, and laws related to disability and other leave. His preventive work includes drafting a variety of employment-related manuals and contracts, such as executive agreements, compensation and commission agreements, restrictive covenants, and severance and settlement agreements. Prior to joining Royal, P.C., Carr worked at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and has insight into state and federal employment discrimination law and agency regulations. He obtained his juris doctor from the George Washington University School of Law. He received his bachelor’s degree in English and American literature from New York University.

•••••

Glenn Welch, president and CEO of Freedom Credit Union, announced a promotion within the credit union and the appointment of a new mortgage loan originator:

Edward Nuñez

• Edward Nuñez has been promoted to Assistant Vice President of Member Business Lending at Freedom. He has more than 19 years of experience in the financial-services industry, 15 of which have been at Freedom. Most recently, Nuñez led the credit union’s business-development department and led its youth banking, credit union partners program, and financial-literacy programs. He is active in the community, and serves on numerous boards and committees, including the Roger L. Putnam Technical Fund, Elms College board of trustees, the Basketball Hall of Fame finance subcommittee, the executive committee for the Credit for Life Financial Literacy Fairs, and the Greater Springfield Visitors Convention Bureau Howdy Award committee, to name a few. He is a West Springfield Rotarian and treasurer for the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade Committee. In 2012, Nuñez was named one of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty honorees and was one of the first recipients of the Warren Group’s Credit Union Hero awards recognizing credit-union leaders throughout Massachusetts; and

Lisa Mish

• Lisa Mish has joined Freedom as a mortgage loan originator and is responsible for real-estate origination throughout Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. As she helps expand Freedom’s mortgage services to its members throughout the Pioneer Valley, she will offer her expertise in conventional, FHA, MassHousing, Mass. Housing Partnership’s One Mortgage, as well as USDA and VA loans. Mish has 14 years of experience in the finance industry, including expertise in residential mortgage origination, first-time homebuyer assistance, and secondary-market sales. Most recently, she was loan originator at Lee Bank. Currently, Mish is a board member of the Home Builders and Remodelers Assoc. of Western Mass., a member of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley, and participates on several committees. She is working at Freedom’s main office branch in downtown Springfield.

•••••

Gary Blanchette

Springfield College announced that Gary Blanchette has been named Vice President for Institutional Advancement. The move marks the return of Blanchette to his alma mater. He received a bachelor’s degree with honors from Springfield College in 1980 with concentrations in psychology and counseling. As vice president, Blanchette will be responsible for the overall leadership and management of the college’s development and alumni-relations efforts, including the development and implementation of a long-range fund-raising strategy. He will serve as a member of Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper’s leadership team. Blanchette was the senior vice president of Development for the Junior Achievement USA, where he was responsible for the successful organization and execution of an unprecedented multi-year national campaign to raise $25 million. Previously, he served the regional Junior Achievement of Central Florida in several executive roles over a 20-year term including president for five years. There, he led a strategic planning process and launched a capital campaign that resulted in the establishment of the first JA Academy for Leadership and Entrepreneurship in the country. “It is with sincere gratitude and joy that I accept the position of Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Springfield College,” said Blanchette. “As a proud alumnus, the ability to come home to Springfield College and to be part of the team that will continue to create an environment where future students will have the opportunity to experience the life-changing education that Springfield College provides is a dream come true. Springfield College has made a difference in so many lives, including mine. I look forward to the opportunity to connect with the Springfield College community as together we move our mission forward.”

•••••

Splash Marketing and Creative, a full-service marketing agency located in Westfield, announced the recent hiring of Amanda Myers, a 2016 graduate of Roger Williams University. Myers joins Splash Marketing and Creative as its newest web designer. In this role, Myers will combine creativity and technical savvy to build or redesign websites for clients, improving the aesthetics, functionality, and overall usability of a brand or company’s web presence. Myers earned a bachelor’s degree in web development with a minor in both marketing and graphic design. She has experience building websites for several different industries, including nonprofit, manufacturing, and higher education. Myers also has significant experience in customer service.

Company Notebook

Company Notebook Departments

United Financial Announces Q1 Earnings, Dividend

Johnson & Hill Partners with Family Business Center

Berkshire Bank Receives Six Marketing Awards

• Community Champion Award – Gold for Pittsfield Public Schools attendance billboard;

• Loan Award – Silver for home-equity campaign; and

• Deposit Award – Bronze for Leap Year deposit campaign.

• Overall Community Service – 2nd Place for Xtraordinary Day campaign;

• In-Branch Design – 2nd Place for Mid-Atlantic region branch design; and

• Customer Service – 2nd Place for Game Plan point of sale.

Pride Stores Partners with Local Beer Brand White Lion

HMC Earns ‘A’ Grade for Patient Safety

Sunshine Village Earns CARF Accreditation

Mary Ann’s Dance and More Announces Relocation

Chamber Corners: Upcoming Events

www.easthamptonchamber.org

Chamber Corners Departments

GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

(413) 527-9414

• May 11: Networking by Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Amy’s Place Bar & Grill, 80 Cottage St., Easthampton. Sponsored by Easthampton Savings Bank.

• June 6: Networking by Night, 5-7 p.m. “Move the Mountain” with the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, hosted by New City Brewery, 180 Pleasant St., Easthampton. Sponsored by Finck & Perras Insurance Agency Inc. and Westfield Bank.

• June 28: Speaker Breakfast: “Why Ping-pong Tables Do Not Define Your Business Culture,” 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Williston Northampton School, 19 Payson Ave., Easthampton. Featured guest speaker: Tim Retting of Cincinnati-based InTrust. Sponsored by BusinessWest, Easthampton Savings Bank, Finck & Perras Insurance Agency Inc., Innovative Business Systems Inc., United Personnel, and Williston Northampton School.

GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.explorenorthampton.com

(413) 584-1900

• May 5: Spring Swizzle Auction, 6:30-10:30 p.m. Hosted by Eastside Grill, Strong Ave., Northampton. Cost: $75. Purchase tickets at www.chamberspringswizzle.com.

• May 10: May Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., at Goggins Real Estate, 79 King St., Northampton. Sponsors: Applied Mortgage, Greenfield Community College Foundation, MassDevelopment, and Northeast Solar. Networking event. Cost: $10 for members.

• May 11: “Google Analytics,” 9-11 a.m., at the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Presented by SCORE of Western Mass. What is Google Analytics? A free, powerful analytics tool that provides reports showing how visitors found your website and what they did when they got there. It measures the effectiveness of your online and offline marketing campaigns. Pre-registration is required; space is limited. Cost: free.

• May 18: “Intro To QuickBooks,” 9-11 a.m., at the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Presented by Pioneer Training. This session will cover setting up a new company, invoicing and receiving payments, writing checks, and paying bills. The session will end with a brief introduction to and overview of reports. It is suitable for those who have recently started using QuickBooks and those planning to use it. This session is taught on the PC desktop version, but the basic principles of QuickBooks remain the same for the Windows, Macintosh, and online versions of the program. Be aware that specific details of how to accomplish a task or available features may differ on the different versions, and these differences will not be covered. It is not required, but if you have a laptop or tablet and have QuickBooks installed, you may bring it and follow along. Note: this workshop is designed for training on the basics of QuickBooks and is not intended to troubleshoot problems individuals may currently be experiencing. Those types of questions are better suited to a one-on-one consulting session. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for non-members.

• June 7: June Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., at ConVino, 101 Armory St, Northampton. Sponsors: Keiter Builders and MassDevelopment. Networking event. Cost: $10 for members.

• June 23: “Microsoft Excel: Tips, Tricks & Shortcuts,” 9-11 a.m., at the Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Presented by Pioneer Training. Pre-registration is required; space is limited. To register, visit [email protected]. Cost: $35 for members, $45 for non-members.

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.westfieldbiz.org

(413) 568-1618

• May 1: Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, May Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Amelia Park Ice Arena, 21 South Broad St., Westfield. Join us for our monthly Coffee Hour with Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan. This event is free and open to the public. Call the chamber office at (413) 568-1618 to register for this event so we may give our host a head count.

• May 5: “What to Expect at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination,” 8:30-10 a.m., hosted by Holiday Inn Express, 39 Southampton Road, Westfield. Imagine one afternoon an envelope from the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) arrives in the mail. You are filled with dread as you discover that a former employee has filed a complaint alleging discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Now what? Join Attorney Timothy Netkovick of Royal, P.C. for a workshop to discuss what to expect at the MCAD. Cost: free for members, $30 for non-members (cash or credit paid at the door or in advance). Light refreshments will be served. Online registration is available at www.westfieldbiz.org. For more information, call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

• May 10: May After 5 Connection, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Armbrook Village, 551 North Road, Westfield. Cost: free for members, $10 for non-members (cash or credit paid at the door). Refreshments will be served, and a 50/50 raffle will benefit the chamber’s CSF – Dollars for Scholars fund. Online registration is available at www.westfieldbiz.org. For more information, call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

• May 22: The chamber’s 56th annual golf tournament, 10 a.m., the Ranch Golf Club, Southwick. Sponsors: Whip City Fiber, SealRyt Corp., Westfield Bank, Baystate Noble Hospital. Along with a round of golf, bid at the live auction to benefit three $500 student scholarships and win some raffles. Online registration, along with information on sponsorships and foursomes, are available at www.westfieldbiz.org. For more information, call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER

www.springfieldregionalchamber.com

(413) 755-1310

• May 3: Business@Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Chez Josef, 176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. Featuring Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor at large, who will speak about trending words, Merriam-Webster’s sassy tweets, and some of the 1,000 new words recently added to the dictionary. Cost: $22.50 for members in advance ($25 at the door), $30 for non-members in advance ($35 at the door).

• May 10: Lunch ‘n’ Learn, “The Trump Effect: Potential Impact on Employer Mandates,” 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Lattitude, 1338 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Presented by attorney Amelia Holstrom of Skoler, Abbott & Presser. Cost: $25 for members in advance ($30 at the door), $35 for non-members ($40 at the door).

• May 17: Speed Networking, 3:30-5 p.m., hosted by Lattitude, 1338 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Cost: $20 for members in advance ($25 at the door), $30 for non-members in advance ($35 at the door).

• May 23: Professional Women’s Chamber Woman of the Year Celebration, 5:30 p.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern Carriage House, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield.

• May 30: Pastries, Politics, and Policy, 8-9 a.m., hosted by TD Bank Conference Center, 1441 Main St., Springfield. Cost: $15 for members ($20 at the door), $25 for non-members in advance ($30 at the door).

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Register online for events at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com or e-mail [email protected] for more information.

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.ourwrc.com

(413) 426-3880

• May 3: Wicked Wednesday and grand re-opening, 5:30-7:30 p.m., hosted by Curry Printing/Fast Signs, West Springfield. Wicked Wednesdays are monthly social events, hosted by various businesses and restaurants, that bring members and non-members together to network in a laid-back atmosphere. For more information about this event, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or register at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• May 10: Job Fair 2017, 3-7 p.m., hosted by Crestview Country Club, 281 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. The town of Agawam and the West of the River Chamber will be hosting a local job fair. West Springfield and Agawam businesses, along with other employment opportunities, will be showcased. This event is free and open to the public. To be a participating vendor, register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• May 18: Networking Lunch, noon to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Lattitude in West Springfield. Members or guests of members may attend. Enjoy a sit-down lunch while networking with fellow chamber members. Each attendee will get a chance to offer a brief sales pitch. The only cost to attend is the cost of lunch. Attendees will order off the menu and pay separately the day of the event. We cannot invoice you for these events. For more information or to register, visit www.westoftheriverchamber.com or contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected].

Agenda

Agenda Departments

Stroke Assoc. Forum for Survivors, Caregivers

May 3: May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and the American Stroke Assoc., a division of the American Heart Assoc., will once again host a forum open to stroke survivors and their caregivers. The 2017 Pioneer Valley Stroke Survivors and Caregivers Forum, “The Future Belongs to Those Who Dream,” will take place at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the day will include exhibitors, local healthcare providers, and stroke survivors who will educate and share information. The forum will once again be hosted by Boston comedian and American Stroke Assoc. supporter Chris Tabb, whose family has been personally touched by stroke. The Pioneer Valley Stroke Forum is open to the public, and admission is $5, which will include a light breakfast and heart-healthy lunch. For tickets, call the American Heart Assoc. local office at (203) 303-3373.

Kentucky Derby Fund-raiser for Square One

May 6: The Colony Club in Springfield will the setting for hats, horses and hors d’oeuvres to celebrate the 143nd annual Kentucky Derby. Presented by the Gaudreau Group and Northeast IT, with sponsorship support from Nuvo Bank, American International College (AIC), the Colony Club and others, the event, starting at 4:30 p.m., will raise much-needed funds for Square One’s programs and services. Tickets cost $45 in advance and $50 at the door. The event will include big-screen monitors to enjoy the race, hearty hors d’oeuvres, and a complimentary mint julep. Prizes will be awarded for the best Derby attire. Tickets may be purchased via Eventbrite or by calling Heather at Inspired Marketing at (413) 303-0101.

Women Build Week

May 6-14: Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity (GSHFH) and future Habitat homeowners will work alongside Lowe’s volunteers and all-female construction crews for Habitat for Humanity’s 10th annual National Women Build Week. The event invites women to help make a difference and devote at least one day to help build decent and affordable housing in their local communities. More than 17,000 women, including Lowe’s Heroes volunteers, are expected to volunteer at construction sites across the country as part of Habitat’s 2017 National Women Build Week. In the Upper Hill neighborhood of Springfield, volunteers will work to frame the exterior walls on the first floor of the house as well as tackle interior walls and prep to start the second floor. This year, Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity will be kicking off its new construction in Springfield as part of National Women Build Week. In support of Women Build Week and Mother’s Day, an annual fund-raising event, Men Can Cook, will be held on May 9, and several men, including local business owners, Habitat board members, and others, will volunteer as chefs and waiters to put on an evening of food and fun to honor the women in their lives.

‘Big Data … Your Strategic Advantage’

May 10: As part of the ongoing BusinessWest and HCN Lecture Series, Comcast Business will host an informative program titled “Big Data … Your Strategic Advantage. The event is part of a series of lectures, panel discussions, and presentations that address timely and important business information. This is an opportunity to meet industry leaders and network with area business professionals. “Big Data … Your Strategic Advantage” will be presented by Dennis Perlot, vice President, Enterprise Architecture at CleanSlate Centers, and former ‘technology evangelist’ at Microsoft and BI specialist master at Deloitte. It will take place at La Quinta Inn & Suites, 100 Congress St., Springfield. Perlot will address how other organizations are using their data to provide them with a competitive advantage. Attendees will learn how data can be analyzed for insights that lead to better decisions and strategic business moves. On-site parking is available. Registration is scheduled for 7:15 to 7:30 a.m., followed by breakfast and Perlot’s presentation from 7:30 to 9 p.m. RSVP by Tuesday, May 2 HERE.

Lunch ‘n’ Learn on the ‘Trump Effect’

May 10: Skoler, Abbott & Presser will present a talk on how Trump administration mandates could potentially affect employers at the Springfield Regional Chamber Lunch ‘n’ Learn from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lattitude restaurant, 1338 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Attorney Amelia Holstrom will discuss recent developments and her predictions about what may happen at both the state and federal levels under the new administration and what it could mean for employers. Holstrom will talk about what is happening with the Affordable Care Act and steps Massachusetts may be taking while the issue is sorted out at the federal level, the potential for paid family leave both at the state and federal levels, and her predictions regarding trends in the enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requirements, including the new EEO-1 requirements. She will also address what employers should be watching for relative to medical marijuana and what an employer’s current legal rights are, and her predictions for labor-relations developments under the new National Labor Relations Board. Reservations for the Lunch ‘n’ Learn are $25 for members ($30 at the door) and $35 for general admission ($40 at the door). Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com or by e-mailing Jessica Hill at [email protected].

Film and Media Exchange

May 12: Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative (BFMC) will partner with Vitec Videocom to bring their nationally touring ‘Roadshow’ to the Sheraton Springfield from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. This will be BFMC’s 4th Film and Media Exchange — a “Day 2 Play” — with workshops and an exhibit hall showcasing the latest in production equipment. The event will focus on cost-effective production techniques designed for anyone in broadcasting, filmmaking, photography, communications, and marketing. The exchange also includes lunch, a keynote speech, and networking opportunities with others in the industry. For more info on programs and tickets, contact BFMC at berkshirefilm.org or (413) 528-4223.

Continued Excellence Award Nomination Deadline

May 12: There’s still time to nominate someone for the Continued Excellence Award, as BusinessWest will accept nominations through Friday, May 12. The winner of the award will be unveiled at the magazine’s 40 Under Forty gala on June 22. Two years ago, BusinessWest inaugurated the award to recognize past 40 Under Forty honorees who had significantly built on their achievements since they were honored. The first two winners were Delcie Bean, president of Paragus Strategic IT, and Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, president of Allergy and Immunology Associates of Western Mass. and chief of Allergy and Immunology at Baystate Medical Center. Candidates must hail from 40 Under Forty classes 2007 to 2016 and will be judged on qualities including outstanding leadership, dedicated community involvement, professional achievement, and ability to inspire. The award’s presenting sponsor is Northwestern Mutual. The nomination form is available HERE. For your convenience, a list of the past nine 40 Under Forty classes may be found HERE.

40 Under Forty

June 22: The 11th annual 40 Under Forty award program, staged by BusinessWest, will be held at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke, honoring 40 of the region’s rising stars under 40 years old. An independent panel of judges has chosen the winners, and their stories are told in the April 17 issue and at businesswest.com. The event is sponsored by Northwestern Mutual (presenting sponsor), PeoplesBank (presenting sponsor), Moriarty & Primack, Health New England, the Gaudreau Group, the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, Six-Point Creative Works, Renew.Calm, and the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield. Tickets cost $75. A limited number of tables are available, and some individual and standing-room-only tickets are also available, but are expected to sell out quickly. To purchase tickets, call (413) 781-8600.

Court Dockets

Court Dockets Departments

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

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Patrick Connelly v. New Beginnings Retail, LLC d/b/a Shop Therapy
Allegation: Failure to pay overtime wages: $31,355.60
Filed: 3/20/17

Yankee Home Improvement Inc. v. Jonathan Moore and Brandolini Construction, LLC
Allegation: Breach of contract: $2.3 million
Filed: 3/17/17

Matthew Leary v. AMP Electrical Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract: $25,000+
Filed: 3/20/17

Magali Medina v. Peabody Properties Inc.
Allegation: Slip and fall causing injury: $40,000
Filed: 3/23/17

Michael Morin v. Home Depot USA Inc., USM Inc., and Grant Services Inc.
Allegation: Neglience causing personal injury and property damage: $27,860.87
Filed: 3/23/17

Michael DiRoma v. The Stop and Shop Supermarket Co. Inc.
Allegation: Slip and fall causing injury: $61,627.80
Filed: 3/28/17

Betts Plumbing & Heating Supply Co. Inc. v. Pouliot’s Plumbing & Heating Inc.
Allegation: Monies owed for goods sold and delivered: $84,508.87
Filed: 3/28/17

HAMPSHIRE DISTRICT COURT

Carl Lounder v. Thomas Crossman d/b/a Crossman Properties
Allegation: Non-payment of overtime wages: $4,232.81
Filed: 3/21/17

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Patrick Connelly v. New Beginnings Retail, LLC d/b/a Shop Therapy
Allegation: Failure to pay overtime wages: $31,355.60
Filed: 3/28/17

Marlene P. Barnett as administratrix of the estate of William D. Barnett a/k/a William D. Barnett Jr. v. David E. Lawton and Lashway Lumber Inc.
Allegation: Wrongful death, motor-vehicle collision with tractor-trailer
Filed: 3/28/17

Debra M. Budrewicz, individually and as personal representative of the estate of Ronald E. Madejewski v. Steven Robinson d/b/a Robinson Properties
Allegation: Breach of contract, negligence: $200,000
Filed: 4/3/17

BFAIR to Hold Second Annual Walk for Independence on June 24

NORTH ADAMS — Berkshire Family & Individual Resources (BFAIR) announced its second annual Walk for Independence on Saturday, June 24. Last year, the inaugural walk along the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail saw participation of nearly 100 walkers of all ability levels, with this year already set to exceed that number.

A stroll to Cheshire and back (with or any distance in between), the walk will be a fund-raising event in which BFAIR participants, community members, and sponsors can get involved in through sponsored walking, lunch, bucket raffles, and entertainment. Starting and finishing at the Adams Visitors Center, the walk is a day of fun and helps BFAIR share its mission to enrich the lives of people of all ages and abilities by providing positive life experiences and advocacy through distinctive, individualized, quality services.

As a local nonprofit, BFAIR relies on public funds to provide critically needed residential, vocational, habilitative, and clinical services for adults, adolescents, and children with developmental disabilities, autism, and acquired brain injury, as well as home-care services for the elderly.

The registration fee for the walk is $25 for adults and $12.50 for children 10 and younger. Registration includes a picnic lunch and ball-cap giveaway. Interested walkers can register online at thedriven.net/bfairwalk, by calling (413) 664-9382 ext. 40, e-mailing [email protected], or visiting www.bfair.org.

In addition to registering, walkers may seek individual sponsors by asking family and friends to support their walk. Donations are accepted via thedriven.net/bfairwalk, or donation envelopes can be provided for walkers.

Corporate sponsorships are available for the trail, mile, bronze, silver, and gold levels, ranging from $100 to $2,500, respectively. Interested businesses should contact Jennifer Civello at [email protected] for more information. Current gold-level walk sponsors include Greylock Federal Credit Union, MountainOne, and the Print Shop Williamstown.

Monson Savings Bank to Hold Complimentary Workshop on May 16

MONSON — Monson Savings Bank will host a complimentary workshop titled “Home Care and Financing Strategies: A Workshop for Families and Caregivers,” featuring Paul Hillsburg, president and owner of Amada Senior Care of Western & Central Massachusetts, and Nancy Simms, sales vice president, Long Term Care for Highland Capital Brokerage.

Finding the right senior care for you or a loved one can be overwhelming and time-consuming. This event is designed to help people learn and understand what options there are for care and how to pay for it. Hillsburg and Simms both have extensive backgrounds in long-term healthcare and understand how daunting the process can be. This workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 16 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Monson Savings Bank Corporate, 107 Main St., Monson. It is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

“So many people are concerned about senior care these days,” said Steve Lowell, president of Monson Savings Bank. “The options are confusing, and people want to know how they can help their loved ones live as independently as possible. We want people to know that the event is open to the public, not just our customers.”

Seating is limited. Those interested may call Anna Calvanese at (413) 267-1221 or e-mail [email protected] to RSVP.

AIC Announces Commencement Speaker, Honorary Degree Recipients