SPRINGFIELD — The second annual class of Healthcare Heroes will be honored at the Starting Gate at GreatHorse in Hampden on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Healthcare Heroes, a recognition program involving the Western Mass. healthcare sector, was launched last spring by HCN and BusinessWest. The program was created to shed a bright light on the outstanding work being done across the broad spectrum of health and wellness services, and the institutions and people providing that care.

This year’s honorees by category are: Mary Paquette, director of Health Services and nurse practitioner, American International College; Celeste Surreira, assistant director of Nursing, the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke; Peter DePergola II, director of Clinical Ethics, Baystate Health; Dr. Matthew Sadof, pediatrician, Baystate Children’s Hospital; TechSpring; the Consortium and the Opioid Task Force; and Robert Fazzi, founder, Fazzi Associates. The seven winners were profiled in the Sept. 4 issue of BusinessWest and the September issue of HCN, and will be feted at the Oct. 25 gala.

Tickets cost $90, and tables of 10 are available. To order tickets, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100, or visit www.businesswest.com. call Healthcare Heroes sponsors include American International College (presenting sponsor), Baystate Health/Health New England (presenting sponsor), National Grid (partner), and supporting sponsors Renew.Calm, the Elms College MBA program, Bay Path University, and Mercy Medical Center/Trinity Health Of New England.

AGAWAM — Governors America Corp. (GAC) recently welcomed Michael Rose as director of Engineering and Innovation. He brings more than 15 years of product development and innovation experience within the aerospace industry. In this role, he will lead the engineering department and work closely with technical and marketing executives to broaden the company’s portfolio and develop innovative products for the engine control and adjacent markets.

“I am delighted that Michael has decided to join our team here at GAC,” said President Sean Collins. “His multiple accomplishments and wide-ranging experience will assist our entire organization garner new levels of success.”

Rose brings a blend of business acumen, broad technical knowledge, and facilitation practices that stem from his years of experience in the roles of engineer, business development manager, and project leader at L3 Technologies and MIT Lincoln Laboratories. His addition to the team reflects the company’s focus on innovation, continuous improvement, and engineering execution.

Governors America Corp. is a leading provider of engine governing and system controls to a worldwide list of equipment manufacturers and power providers.

HOLYOKE — The Dowd Agencies, LLC announced that Steve Corbin has joined its Holyoke staff as an account executive responsible for overseeing employee benefits.

“We have a rapidly growing employee-benefits division, and we are proud to welcome Steve to our team to help us achieve our ambitious growth plans,” said John Dowd Jr., president and CEO. “Steve has nearly two decades of experience in the sales and servicing of business accounts of all sizes.”

As an account executive, Corbin has a team-management role and oversees the division, including managing the renewal process, negotiating with carriers, coordinating open-enrollment meetings, assisting clients with changes, monitoring claims, and related responsibilities.

Corbin attended Johnson & Wales University and served in the U.S. Army Reserve. Involved in his community as a youth coach for basketball, soccer, and lacrosse, he is also a grand knight at the Knights of Columbus St. Francis of Assisi Council #10698 and a board member for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke.

Jon Lumbra, managing partner of Dowd Financial Services, LLC, noted that employee-benefits programs can be complex and confusing for companies to manage on their own. “Steve joins a dynamic team of financial and employee-benefits experts who partner with companies to create and administer everything from group health, life, dental, and vision insurance to employee-wellness programs, executive compensation plans, and individual and corporate retirement plans, among other programs. The relationships we build are based on trust and professionalism, two qualities Steve has in spades.”

SPRINGFIELD — Officials from Springfield, Holyoke, South Hadley, Northampton, Amherst, and UMass are pleased to see long-anticipated ValleyBike Share bikes out and about in their respective communities, as the system has now surpassed 60,500 miles ridden since its launch less than three months ago, with nearly 30,000 total trips.

From Main Street in Springfield to UMass Amherst’s campus, Pioneer Valley residents and visitors alike have embraced this 21st-century urban mobility amenity, which has brought riders of widely varying experience levels into the region’s biking public.

While a majority of these riders have followed the basic rules of the road, ValleyBike Share and local officials remind ValleyBike Share users, as well as anyone else out on a bike, to remember to ride with traffic, never against it; stop at stopsigns and red lights; avoid riding on sidewalks; and use additional bike lighting when necessary for enhanced visibility.

Additionally, ValleyBike Share reminds its users that, while the baskets fitted to the front of the bikes are great for transporting groceries, backpacks, briefcases, and other day-to-day luggage, they are absolutely not for transporting additional passengers. Not only are the baskets not engineered to withstand the weight of a person riding in it, but that additional burden can impact the handling of the bike, putting both people at risk. 

For additional information on the system, the public can visit valleybike.org or contact [email protected] or (833) 825-2453.

AGAWAM — As part of organizational changes previously announced by OMG Inc. to accelerate growth, the company has named Peter Coyne to the newly created position of senior vice president and general manager for the Roofing Products division.

In this role, Coyne is responsible for developing and executing the division’s overall strategy for the three recently created divisional business units: fasteners, adhesives and solar, and metal accessories, which includes edge metal. In addition, he is responsible for overseeing Roofing Products’ new product-development and innovation group and its global sales and marketing teams, including key-account sales, customer service, and technical support. He reports to Hubert McGovern, president and CEO of OMG.

“Peter is a great fit for this position,” said McGovern. “He has a proven track record of being an extraordinary leader with a strong focus on creating long-term value for customers and shareholders.”

Coyne joins OMG from Gulftech International, a diversified holding company with five operating businesses serving food-production and processing companies in 85 countries. Working in the company’s Denver headquarters, he served as general manager and head of operations following various roles in finance and operations with Danaher Corp., Saw Mill Capital, and Steel Partners. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the College of William & Mary and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

HOLYOKE — PeoplesBank has promoted Aleda Amistadi to the position of senior vice president of Retail and Operations. She formerly served as first vice pesident of Operations and has 22 years of banking experience.

“While I have led Operations here at PeoplesBank, I actually started my banking career in retail, so I am very familiar with that aspect of the industry,” Amistadi said. “I believe that combining retail and Ooperations leadership into one position will create better communications and decision making internally, which will lead to an improved customer experience.”

Amistadi earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Westfield State University and an MBA from Western New England University. She also earned a Wharton leadership certificate from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Six Sigma green belt certification from Duke University Continuing Studies MindEdge Online Learning. She is also a graduate of the ABA Stonier School of Banking.

Amistadi serves on the board of directors and the finance committee for Dress for Success of Western Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD — Emily Harman, director of the Office of Small Business Programs for the Department of the Navy, in partnership with the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts Assistance Center, will conduct a small-business workshop titled “Doing Business with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps” on Thursday, Sept. 20 as part of Springfield Navy Week, Sept. 17-23.

In 2017, the Department of the Navy awarded $3.2 billion in contracts to businesses in Massachusetts, with more than $66.8 million going to small businesses within 50 miles of Springfield. Industries awarded contracts include engineering services, aircraft manufacturing, commercial and institutional building construction, commercial and institutional building construction, radio and television broadcasting, wireless communications equipment manufacturing, and more.

The small-business workshop, slated for 10 a.m. to noon at the TD Bank Conference Center, 1441 Main St., Springfield, is designed to educate small businesses on how to do business with the Navy and Marine Corps. The workshop will also cover how to find out about upcoming contracting opportunities and how small businesses can contribute to the warfighter mission.

There is no cost to attend. Parking is available behind the conference center at a rate of $1 per half-hour. Reservations are required to attend. To register, click here or e-mail Karen Tetreault at [email protected].

HADLEY — Associated Industries of Massachusetts and UMass Amherst University Without Walls will host a panel discussion on the workforce skills gap and tuition-reimbursement benefits on Thursday, Sept. 27 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Hadley Farms Meeting House, 41 Russell St., Hadley.

Industry and workforce-development leaders will detail the current skills gaps facing Western Mass. industries and the impact that employee-friendly educational programs and tuition-reimbursement benefits can have in closing those gaps. University Without Walls (UWW) staff and student panelists will detail how non-traditional higher-education programs can benefit both employees and their employers, helping working adults increase their level of education while balancing work, life, and family.

Keynote speaker Cheryl Scott is the executive director of the MassHire State Workforce Board, which serves as an advisory board to Gov. Charlie Baker on building a strong workforce-development system that is aligned with economic-development goals and education policies. Scott has worked in workforce-development policy and programming for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since 2009, and helped to spearhead the Massachusetts Career Readiness Initiative, a statewide effort to enhance basic skill development and work-readiness credentialing across the workforce-development, adult-education, and community-college systems.

Panelists include Joanne Berwald, vice president of Human Resources at Mestek Inc.; Jason Randall, director of Human Resources at MGM Springfield; Jesse Lederman and Myles Sanders, pre-admissions advisors and recruitment coordinators for UWW; and Joan Iwanicki, UWW student.

“For over four decades, UWW has been working to provide an option for non-traditional adult students to take the next step in their careers by earning a bachelor’s degree,” said Ingrid Bracey, director of UMass Amherst University Without Walls. “The skills gaps that exists today support the need for programs like ours that help working adults develop the knowledge, skills, and credentials they need to move up in their careers, as well as meet the growing needs of industry.”

Dawn Creighton, Western Mass. director of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, added that her organization has identified the skills gap as a major concern, and believes a discussion about tuition reimbursement is important for retention, recruiting, and job development.”

The cost of the event is $25, and includes coffee and a continental breakfast. To register, click here. For more information, e-mail Creighton at [email protected].

SOUTH HADLEY — Local businesses and individuals took a swing — or many — at changing the lives of children and families living with disabilities in Western Mass. through their participation in a day of golf at the Orchards Golf Club earlier this month, benefiting the WillPower Foundation.

Tournament sponsors included Orthotics & Prosthetics Laboratories, LePage Financial Group, JP’s Restaurant, Alekman & DiTusa Attorneys at Law, Pride Stores, and McCarthy’s Pub.

Chicopee was well-represented, as a team from Rubner Oil won the tournament, with O’Neil Insurance placing second. Players from Northampton, West Springfield, Holyoke, South Hadley, Monson, Amherst, Springfield, and other communities also joined in the event.

“I love this tournament — it’s the best of all I play in,” said attorney John Connor. “The players are always fun, the mood is special, and we know that our playing and bidding on auction items is helping people right here in our community. We all know someone with a disability, and WillPower gives our neighbors an easy way to get a bit of help when no one else does. I appreciate that my donation is staying in Western Mass. and making a real difference to people.”

The proceeds from this tournament are passed directly to families through small grants of up to $500 for therapy-based items or inclusion-focused services that give relief to parents and the right supports to their children.

WillPower Foundation serves individuals and families living with disabilities in Western Mass. by providing financial assistance when insurance and other programs do not. Recognized this year as a BusinessWest Difference Maker in time for its tenth anniversary, the organization plans to expand services to the community through its easy-to-access grant application for items not covered by insurance. Five grant cycles annually are managed by a volunteer committee who thoroughly review each application with caring and compassion, as well as by focusing on individual impact.

HOLYOKE — Attorney Karen Jackson of Jackson Law, an elder-law and estate-planning firm, will teach a series of classes highlighting the latest developments in elder law and estate planning at Holyoke Community College.

The six-hour course, called “Elder Law and Estate Planning: What You Need to Know,” will be presented in three two-hour sessions on Mondays, Oct. 15, 22, and 29, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Jackson will present comprehensive subject matter on what she calls “the core estate plan” and will explain key estate-planning documents as well as trusts, as well as providing stories and examples. She will also discuss the probate-court process and Medicare hot topics, as well as community care programs and MassHealth planning for nursing-home care.

“The course will explain the basic building blocks of an estate plan and a plan for home and nursing home care, if needed,” Jackson said. “From that foundation, we will also consider the various specialized trust documents that support this planning. I will clarify the probate-court process and what it means to probate a will. And, finally, we will explore current MassHealth issues that are affecting seniors.”

While participants may attend only one session of their choosing, they must still pay the full course cost of $89. To register, call Holyoke Community College at (413) 552-2500 or visit www.hcc.edu/bce.

SPRINGFIELD — The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reported that MGM Springfield generated $9,456,976.90 in gross gaming revenue between Aug. 23 and Aug. 31, its first week of operation.

Slot machines generated $7,347,491.15 in revenues, while table games generated $2,109,485.75. Of that, or $2,364,244.23, will go to the state in taxes.

The Gaming Commission also reported that the Plainridge Park Casino, a slots-only facility operated by Penn National Gaming, generated $15,380,183.28 in gross gaming revenue in August, and $7,536,289.81 in tax revenue. 

MGM Springfield is taxed by the state on 25% of its gross gaming revenue. Under its host-community agreement, MGM pays the city of Springfield $17.6 million annually in lieu of taxes.

WILBRAHAM — USI Insurance Services (USI), a world leader in insurance brokerage and risk management, announced the acquisition of the Gaudreau Group. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1921, the Gaudreau Group is a commercial-insurance, employee-benefits, personal-risk, and financial-services firm insuring more than 6,000 businesses and families across 14 states. Jules Gaudreau, company president, represents the third generation of the Gaudreau family to lead the company. He will join USI’s New England regional management team as president of the company’s Springfield office.

“We are excited to welcome the clients and experienced professionals from the Gaudreau Group to the USI family,” said Joseph Fico, USI New England’s regional CEO. “By joining together as one, we look forward to continuing Gaudreau’s long-standing tradition of providing superior service to clients through the USI ONE Advantage, a unique platform that delivers innovative risk-management and employee-benefit solutions with bottom-line financial impact.”

Added Gaudreau, “joining USI marks an exciting milestone for our company. USI is an established leader in the risk-management, insurance-brokerage, and consulting market, known for their best-in-class solutions, including proprietary analytics, local and national resources, and team-based planning. This partnership will not only sustain, but strengthen our long-standing reputation for delivering superior solutions, expertise, and service to our clients in the New England region and beyond.”

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) recently welcomed Mark Hudgik as its new director of Admissions.

Hudgik is an HCC alumnus from the class of 2002 who returns to campus with 14 years of experience working in academic admissions, most recently as director of Admission at Greenfield Community College, where he started as a senior Admission counselor in 2009. He had previously worked as assistant director of Admissions at Bay Path University in Longmeadow and as Admissions director at the Berkshire Hills Music Academy in South Hadley.

After graduating from HCC with his associate degree in liberal arts, Hudgik earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Massachusetts and his master’s degree in higher education administration from Bay Path.

He enrolled at HCC in 2000 after serving four years in the U.S. Air Force at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, as an aerospace-propulsion and jet-engine journeyman and programs manager. For two years as a student at HCC, he worked in the college Career Center.

“The experience I had as a student at HCC was probably the most formative of any that got me where I am in my career,” Hudgik said. “My work-study experience really got me interested in higher ed. As somebody who is really interested in people’s stories and likes to do different things, admissions was a really good fit.”

CHICOPEE — Polish National Credit Union (PCNU) was recently awarded the Bronze CFS/SPF 2017 Impact Award at annual conference of CUSO Financial Services, LP and Sorrento Pacific Financial, LLC in San Diego. The conference is an opportunity for businesses to come together to share and discuss best practices as well as hear from industry experts. This award is given to a financial institution that demonstrates an excellent job of building awareness through branch marketing efforts.

“As the investment industry becomes more competitive, financial institutions must be increasingly creative and resourceful when it comes to the promotion of their investment-services program,” said James Kelly, president and CEO of Polish National Credit Union. “Not only is our team receptive to our ideas, they are eager to participate and shed light on all the fantastic options there are for our members to reach their financial goals through PNCU Financial Services.”

Founded in 1921, The Polish National Credit Union provides a full range of financial services to individuals, families, and businesses. The organization operates eight Western Mass. branches plus a satellite office at Chicopee Comprehensive High School.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will join forces on Friday, Oct. 19 with its partner in education, MGM Springfield, to raise money for student scholarships and support services.

The “Come Roar” event, to be held at MGM Springfield from 7 to 10 p.m., will include cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, live music, gift bags, and prizes, said Frank Quigley, president of the STCC Foundation board of directors.

“This will be a wonderful event in a terrific space — and we have a few surprises planned,” Quigley said. “I think everyone will have a great time and will feel good knowing the cost of the ticket will go toward supporting our students.”

Admission is $150 per person and includes food, music, and gifts. Cocktails can be purchased at the bar. A portion of the ticket price is tax-deductible.

The MGM Springfield fundraiser supports the mission of the STCC Foundation to help the college meet its goals and commitment to provide superior educational opportunities in the community. Each year, STCC and its foundation give more than $1 million in scholarships to students. The foundation relies on donations and has held fundraising events similar to the one planned at MGM Springfield. Proceeds will go toward scholarships and services for students.

“Our supporters in the region, be they alumni, staff, faculty, or friends in the community, always look forward to our fall fundraiser,” STCC President John Cook said. “This year we’re supporting students by working with our partner in education and workforce development, MGM Springfield. We are very grateful to MGM for hosting us in their new entertainment complex.”

STCC has collaborated with MGM Springfield to provide education through the Massachusetts Casino Career Training Institute. The gaming school at 95 State St., Springfield, was created to help people acquire skills to work at MGM Springfield, which opened on Aug. 24.

“Springfield Technical Community College has been an invaluable partner in our efforts to grow the workforce of tomorrow in downtown Springfield,” said Alex Dixon, general manager of MGM Springfield. “We’re honored to stand with them in this fundraising effort. We have been inspired by their strong commitment to creating a healthier economy through employment opportunities, and are grateful for their willingness to learn about and adapt teachings for our industry.”

Jennifer Brown, STCC Foundation board member and chairwoman of its development committee, called MGM Springfield an ideal location to hold this year’s fundraiser.

“MGM has been a great partner with STCC in workforce training,” said Brown, vice president of Business Development at United Personnel. “Together, we’ve helped many Springfield area residents get the skills they need to start new careers. We’re thrilled to hold the next fundraiser in MGM’s beautiful new facility.”

Ticket buyers will be invited to sign up for MGM Springfield’s M life Rewards loyalty-card program, which grants access to discounted room rates, pre-sale show tickets, priority reservations, and invitations to members-only events at MGM Resorts properties across the country.

Businesses that would like to sponsor the event should call Michael Buckley, interim director of Operations and Donor Relations, at (413) 755-4529. To purchase tickets, visit www.stcc.edu/mgmevent.

SPRINGFIELD — Dress for Success Western Massachusetts will host “Breaking Down the Barriers,” its second annual half-day conference with a focus on domestic violence, its impact on women in the workforce, and new legislation affecting both survivors and their employers. The event will be held on Thursday, Oct. 11 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.

Panelists include Elizabeth Dineen from the YWCA, Morgan Ferrarotti from MassMutual, Diana Lozano from Riverside Industries, and Pamela Thornton from the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast. The perspective of a survivor will also be part of the discussion. The keynote speaker will be a representative from Employers Against Domestic Violence.

Tickets are $25 per person and may be purchased through www.westernmass.dressforsuccess.org. They will also be available at the door.

The target audience includes lay people, managers and human-resource professionals, and anyone interested in the topic of domestic violence. The event is open to the public, and a light breakfast is included.

According to Dawn Creighton, past president of Dress for Success (DFS) Western Massachusetts, “domestic violence impacts one in every four women, a startling statistic that DFS thinks should be brought to the forefront,” she said. She urges people to come to “Breaking Down the Barriers” to learn how to be a resource and how employers can save valuable employees.

Event sponsorships are available, and interested parties should contact Margaret Tantillo, executive director, at [email protected].

NORTHAMPTON — Astronomer and Smith College Professor Suzan Edwards will deliver the Five College Jackie Pritzen Lecture, “Ashes to Ashes, Disk to Disk” on Tuesday, Sept. 25 in Seelye Hall, Room 106, at Smith College. This event is free and open to the public.

In “Ashes to Ashes,” Edwards will explore the theme of connections — in the universe through space and time, and within the Five College consortium through collaborating institutions and departments.

Edwards arrived at Smith College in 1980. For most of that time, she served as chair of the Five College Astronomy Senate, and has more recently served as chair of the Five College Astronomy Department. She is also a member of the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and the International Astronomical Union. She has published many articles, most often in the Astrophysical Journal and the Astronomical Journal. Her scientific research is on the formation of young stars and proto-planetary systems using space and ground-based telescopes.

The annual Five College Jackie Pritzen Lecture is named for longtime consortium staff member Jackie Pritzen, who worked with many different faculty groups during her 25 years at the consortium. The lectures were initiated in tribute to the central role that faculty members play in furthering cooperation among the five institutions, and to celebrate a distinguished faculty member whose scholarship, teaching, and service continue that work.

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) is launching a pilot program to teach English-language skills to nurses from Puerto Rico so they can re-enter the workforce in Massachusetts.

The project, called the Western Mass. Pipeline for Puerto Rican Nurses, gives priority to evacuees from Hurricane Maria but is also open to other nurses from Puerto Rico who now reside in Western Mass.

The free program, supported by a $35,000 Nursing and Allied Health Pathways grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, will provide 108 hours of ESOL (English as a second or other language) classes, six hours a week for 18 weeks, for up to 30 Puerto Rican nurses who want to pursue their licenses in Massachusetts.

“There is a need for more nurses in the region,” said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC’s vice president of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development. “At the same time, we have nurses from Puerto Rico who are already licensed, have experience, and are living here, and are not able to work in their field and typically working below their education and training because their license doesn’t apply in Massachusetts.”

The ESOL classes are designed to prepare participants to pass the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam, which will qualify them to take the NCLEX nursing exam.

The program is based on the successful Welcome Back Center at Bunker Hill Community College, one of HCC’s partners, along with MassHire Holyoke, formerly CareerPoint. Bunker Hill established the Boston Welcome Back Center in 2005 to help immigrant and refugee nurses who had earned their credentials outside the U.S. obtain their Massachusetts nursing licenses and find jobs.

“The Welcome Back Center has found that, generally, nurses from Puerto Rico don’t need to retake any coursework,” Dunkelberg said. “They need to pass the language exam, so it’s primarily an English barrier and a licensing barrier, and we’re addressing that.”

Dunkelberg said the pilot program could be expanded in the future to include other professionals, such as teachers, who may need to improve their English to get jobs in their fields. “This nursing initiative is hopefully the beginning of a wider look at licensure of people with credentials from Puerto Rico or from other countries so they can enter the workforce in Massachusetts more quickly.”

Classes are tentatively scheduled to begin by the end of September. Nurses from Puerto Rico who are interested in applying should contact Sheila Kelly at [email protected] or (413) 552-2027 for more information.

WESTFIELD — Tighe & Bond climbed six spots this year to 148th on Engineering News Record’s (ENR) 2018 Top 200 Environmental Firms ranking. ENR ranks its list of top 200 environmental firms nationally based on the percentage of their 2017 gross revenue from environmental services.

Earlier this year, Tighe & Bond moved up 19 spots to 241st on ENR’s 2018 Top 500 Design Firms ranking, up 34 spots in the past two years. ENR ranks its list of top 500 design firms nationally based on design-specific revenue from the previous year.

“Our yearly climb in this important national ranking is made possible by the ongoing trust that both our public and private clients place in us for their environmental consulting and engineering needs, as well as our dedicated, professional staff,” said David Pinsky, president and CEO of Tighe & Bond. “Our goal is to provide an expansive portfolio of engineering and environmental services to our valued clients throughout New England and New York.”

SPRINGFIELD — Fitzgerald Attorneys-at-Law announced the addition of a new partner, attorney Bradford Martin Jr.

Martin has been practicing law in Western Mass. for 39 years, with extensive experience in commercial real-estate transactions and business and corporate law. Over his career, he has been involved in real-estate projects and financings in the area and has litigated complex property issues in the Massachusetts Land Court. 

“We are very pleased to welcome Brad to our firm,” said Managing Partner Frank Fitzgerald. “Brad is an outstanding lawyer with deep ties to the region, and he brings a wealth of critical experience in areas that our clients value.”

A native of the area, Martin attended Northfield Mt. Hermon School and is a graduate of Springfield College and Western New England University School of Law. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Assoc. and the Hampden County Bar Assoc. and is admitted to the Massachusetts Bar, the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, the U.S. District Court of Connecticut, the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Tax Court.

“I am excited to join Fitzgerald Attorneys-at-Law,” Martin said. “This firm has a long track record of handling some of the region’s most complex and high-profile legal cases, and I look forward to joining my colleagues in building upon that success.”

Martin was formerly a partner at Ryan & White, P.C. and Morrison Mahoney, LLP. He serves on the board of ChildHope, a charitable organization dedicated to building and running schools in Central and South America, and is chairman of the board of Teen Challenge New England, a faith-based, nonprofit drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. He serves as a deacon at Bethany Assembly of God in Agawam.

CHICOPEE — Elms College ranks in the top 100 of Best Regional Universities – North Region in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Colleges listings.

“That Elms College continues to rank among the best colleges in the entire Northeast is a testament to the quality and strength of our academic programs,” said Walter Breau, vice president of Academic Affairs at Elms College. “We strive to prepare our students for their whole lives — academically, professionally, personally, and spiritually — through a strong liberal-arts curriculum and extensive hands-on learning opportunities, both in the classroom and beyond.”

The rankings evaluate colleges and universities on 16 measures of academic quality that education experts say are reliable indicators of academic quality. These measures are grouped into the following indicators: outcomes (including social mobility and graduation/retention rates), faculty resources (including class size, faculty salary, terminal degrees among faculty members, student-faculty ratio, and full-time faculty ratio), expert opinion (including peer assessment and guidance-counselor assessment), financial resources, student excellence (including standardized test scores and high-school class standing), and alumni giving.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College is once again ranked in the top tier in the category of Best Regional Universities – North Region in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges report. For the fourth consecutive year, Springfield College is ranked in the top 30 in its category, placing 28th.

Springfield College was ranked in the A-Plus Schools for B Students category, which highlights colleges with strong academic ratings in the Best Colleges rankings that accept students with non-stratospheric transcripts.

Springfield College was also ranked 19th in the Best Value rankings that showcase colleges with high quality and a lower cost. This is the third consecutive year that Springfield College has been listed in this category. The Best Values category takes into account a college’s academic quality and net cost of attendance.

“The continuation of our top-tier ranking demonstrates that the value proposition of a Springfield College education, grounded in the Humanics philosophy, is well-regarded,” said President Mary-Beth Cooper. “I am extremely proud of the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our faculty, staff, and students to advancing the Springfield College mission. We have accomplished a great deal in recent years, and we are proud to receive continued recognition for our outstanding academic offerings and rich co-curricular life.”

The consistent ranking of Springfield College in the top tier is spurred by improved graduation rates, improved retention of first-year students, and positive feedback by peers.

“Our enrollment will continue to grow because we have a vision for how to educate and serve our students in exceptional ways,” said Cooper. “We have a strategic plan that puts students first, and we have a campus master plan that will provide exceptional learning and recreation facilities that prepare students for all aspects of personal and professional success. We are innovatively reinvigorating our academic programs and creating new ones along with ways to deliver those classes and degrees that meet the needs of 21st-century learners.”

HOLYOKE — Baystate Health and VertitechIT announced the formation of a new company to meet the increasingly complex IT needs of medical practices, clinics, and healthcare social-service organizations in the Western Mass. and Northern Conn. regions.

BaytechIT is a first-of-its-kind independent joint venture, providing monitoring and management of information-technology networks, telephony, clinical engineering support, and other IT-related consulting and engineering expertise previously unaffordable to the local healthcare community. Already serving Baystate Health, its operating medical practices, and several large and mid-sized offices and clinics, baytechIT currently has 150 clients and manages/monitors more than 16,000 endpoint devices.

“While we’re rooted in technology, baytechIT focuses on how to make IT useful and valuable to our clients. Rather than seeing IT as a cost or an imposition, we want to make it an invaluable asset woven into the fabric of a medical practice,” said baytechIT President Patrick Streck.

Added baytechIT Executive Vice President Steve Shaw, “this requires a highly specific set of skills and experience in healthcare IT that most independent practices either don’t have or can’t afford. Meeting this need will ultimately have a positive impact on patient care throughout our community.”

BaytechIT will be headquartered in Holyoke with additional offices throughout Western Mass.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield will be host to the 24 Educare early-education center to be built in the U.S., and the only one in Massachusetts, with a groundbreaking to be held at 100 Hickory St., adjacent to Brookings School, on Monday, Sept. 17 at 10 a.m.

Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will be joined by Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno; Educare officials; Janis Santos, executive director of Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start; other representatives of the Commonwealth; local leaders in philanthropy and project funders; representatives of Springfield College and Old Hill Neighborhood Council; and other community members for the official groundbreaking of the nearly $14 million early-education school that will serve children from birth to age 5 in an all-day program.

Educare offers an early-education model designed to help narrow the achievement gap for children living in poverty and represents a national collaboration between the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and the Ounce of Prevention Fund. Currently, there are 23 Educare schools located in 15 states across the country, including urban and suburban communities.