BusinessWest Staff, Author at BusinessWest

CHICOPEE — The Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce is hosting a bus trip to New York City on Saturday, Dec. 5. Attendees will enjoy on their own in the city to shop, see a show, or go sightseeing.

The bus will leave the chamber parking lot at 7 a.m. and return around 9:30 p.m. The cost is $55 per person. Seats can be purchased by calling (413) 594-2101.

‘Firearms of Famous People’ Exhibit on View at Wood Museum

SPRINGFIELD — “Firearms of Famous People: From Target Shooters to Presidents,” a temporary exhibit of extraordinary firearms and memorabilia owned by well-known politicians, presidents, and celebrities, is now on view at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History. The exhibit, which was organized in cooperation with the Smith & Wesson Collectors Assoc., is on display through April 24, 2016 in a space adjacent to the Smith & Wesson Gallery of Historic Firearms.

The exhibit includes three presidential pistols, including a .44 double-action Smith & Wesson revolver owned by Teddy Roosevelt, along with a belt knife used by Teddy’s Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War. Also featured is a .32 safety hammerless Smith & Wesson acquired by Franklin Delano Roosevelt when he was employed as an attorney in New York in the 1920s. The third presidential weapon is a .357 Magnum made especially for John F. Kennedy, featuring the handiwork of master engraver Alvin White. The revolver is fully engraved and inlaid with gold and silver, and bears the Great Seal of the U.S. on the side plate.

This exhibit also includes three guns owned or used by movie stars, including a .32 caliber Smith & Wesson belonging to George Montgomery, well-known for his career as a film actor in many westerns. Clint Walker, best-known as the star of the Cheyenne TV series, owned a Smith & Wesson Model 3 that is on view. Also on display is a prop gun designed to look like a .45 caliber U.S. Army automatic pistol, used by Lee Marvin in the film Delta Force in 1986.

Probably the two most famous gunmakers in the history of this country are Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson, and this exhibit features firearms connected to both of these innovators. Other firearms featured in this exhibit were owned by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, Theodor Robert Geisel (the father of Dr. Seuss), and Christina Nilsson, one of the opera stars of the 19th century.

Admission prices are $18 for adults, $12 for seniors and college students, $9.50 for children 3-17, and free for children under 3 and museum members. The fee provides access to all four museums. General admission is free for Springfield residents with proof of address.

Christina’s House Slates Third Annual Ball for Dec. 5

SPRINGFIELD — The public is invited to attend the third annual ball at Christina’s House on Saturday, Dec. 5 at Chez Josef in Agawam. The event, which will include food, music, dancing, raffles, and a silent auction, supports this unique Christ-centered ministry that helps homeless women and children in the Springfield area.

Every day in Springfield, women with children go without basic housing and food. Christina’s House is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization that was created more than three years ago to change this. The organization is more than just a shelter for women, aiming to become a resource and a home. Christina’s House supports all residents with an educational transitional program that provides emotional, spiritual, and physical support.

“Our goal is to equip the women and children in this home with the skills they need to be successful, confident, and independent,” said Shannon Mumblo, a member of the board of directors and director of business development for Christina’s House.

The most difficult challenge, Mumblo added, has been turning away the many women and children in need of a home, hope, and healing. The organization receives e-mails and calls every day from individuals looking for help, and plans to continue to grow with the support of the community and donations made by local businesses.

“With every one family we are able to help, we know countless generations will be impacted,” Mumblo said. “I know that I am helping to make a lasting change in the lives of these women and children. I also know that I am being a light and that God is using me to fulfill his mission at Christina’s House.”

For the past two years, more than 200 supporters of Christina’s House have come together to eat, mingle, and dance at the gala fund-raising event. This year it will continue with plenty of raffle items, including the chance to win a $2,500 diamond ring. A silent auction will allow attendees to bid on items such as signed sports memorabilia from Wade Boggs and Rob Gronkowski, a weeklong getaway to Naples, Fla., flatscreen TVs, and more. All items have been donated to support the organization and raise funds.

All money raised at this event, the organization’s largest fund-raiser of the year, directly benefits Christina’s house and the women and children who reside there. Those who can’t attend the ball are welcome to make monetary donations or purchase tickets for the ring raffle (the winner of the diamond ring will be announced at the ball). To purchase tickets for the event or the ring raffle, or for more information, visit www.christinashouse.org.

Trent Domingos, Emily Sit Join Staff at Aaron Smith, P.C.

EAST LONGMEADOW — Aaron Smith, P.C., a certified public accounting firm serving individuals and businesses in the Pioneer Valley, announced the addition of two new staff accountants, Trent Domingos and Emily Sit. Both are responsible for audits, reviews, and compilations.

“We are pleased to add two staff accountants to our team, as this allows us to maintain a high level of excellence and personal attention that our clients have come to expect,” said David Padegimas, CPA, managing director of Aaron Smith, P.C.

Domingos is a graduate of Fairfield University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He previously served as a tax intern at Therrien & Associates, P.C., in Wilton, Conn. At Fairfield University, Domingos was a four-year member of the varsity rowing team.

“I am excited to join the team. I look forward to growing as an accountant in this position and contributing to the distinguished reputation that Aaron Smith, P.C. has established,” Domingos said.

Sit is a graduate of the UMass Isenberg School of Management with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting. She is expected to obtain her master’s degree in accounting in May. Prior to joining the team at Aaron Smith, P.C., she was employed by IBM Corporation as a financial analyst. She is fluent in English and Chinese, and enjoys gardening in her spare time.

“Aaron Smith, P.C. has an excellent track record of great customer service,” Sit said. “I am thrilled to continue my passion for accounting in a well-respected firm.”

CPAs at Aaron Smith, P.C. continually invest time and resources into furthering professional education, using state-of-the-art computer technology and developing extensive new business relationships. For more information, visit www.aaron-smith-cpa.com.

Wine and Food Tasting Event Nov. 21 to Benefit Alzheimer’s Assoc.

SPRINGFIELD — Swanson Meetings & Event Planning, LLC will present its second annual Wine and Food Tasting Fund-raiser, with proceeds to benefit the Alzheimer’s Assoc. of Massachusetts, on Saturday, Nov. 21 from 7 to 9 p.m. at La Quinta Inn and Suites, 100 Congress St., Springfield.

Attendees are invited to browse many local vendors as they display their products and services just in time for holiday shopping. The event will include music, food, wine and beer tasting, and massages by Ericka. Food tasting will be provided by La Quinta and Antonio’s Catering. Sponsors include Williams Distributing, United Liquors, and Rob Alberti’s Event Services.

The cost to attend is $35 per person. For tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com or www.localwinevents.com.

Country Bank Promotes Susan Teixeira to Senior Vice President

WARE — Country Bank President and CEO Paul Scully announced that Susan Teixeira has been promoted to senior vice president. Teixeira has been with Country Bank since 2007. She has 23 years of experience in the financial-services industry and manages the bank’s Operations and Compliance departments.

“Susan brings a unique perspective and fresh ideas to our senior team and to the departments that she manages. We are delighted to be able to recognize her efforts,” Scully said.

Prior to joining Country Bank, Teixeira worked for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Woronoco Savings Bank, and Florence Savings Bank. She earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Western New England College and is a graduate of Stonier Graduate School of Banking. She is a board member for the Randall Boys & Girls Club/Ludlow Community Center and serves on the advisory board for the Springfield Salvation Army.

Goodwill Offers Amnesty Day for Computer Parts on Dec. 12

SPRINGFIELD — Goodwill Industries of the Pioneer Valley will hold an Amnesty Day on Saturday, Dec. 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at each of its eight retail stores in Hampden and Hampshire counties, as well as at the corporate office located at 570 Cottage St. in Springfield. Visit www.ourgoodwill.org for individual store information. Any brand of computer or computer components will be accepted at no charge to the donor through a partnership with Dell.

This free program promotes responsible recycling while diverting e-waste from landfills. Dell Reconnect, as the partnership is called, makes getting rid of old technology easy as well as free. Make sure to remove your personal data from hard drives or other storage media before donating to Goodwill. Bring monitors, scanners, mice, printers, keyboards, speakers, cords, and cables. Television sets will not be accepted, however.

“Dell has come up with an innovative way to reduce e-waste and recycle old computers,” said Steve Mundahl, Goodwill Industries president and CEO. “Previously, we had to charge consumers for each piece of electronics they wished to donate, as we were unable to find a suitable vendor. Partnering with Dell means this is now free to the consumer. And all donations help us forward our mission of helping people with disabilities and other barriers to employment get jobs.”

In addition to its retail stores, Goodwill Industries of the Pioneer Valley offers employment and training programs, adult foster care, and community-based day services.

SBA Massachusetts Announces 2015 Lender Awards

BOSTON — The Massachusetts District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced its fiscal year 2015 lender awards.

Massachusetts District Director Robert Nelson called 2015 “an amazing SBA year in Massachusetts. It is awesome to recognize the many significant accomplishments of our lenders and small-business resource partners helping to make life-changing impacts here in Massachusetts. Congratulations to the entire Massachusetts small-business team for their continued focus on the small-business economy.”

Among the banks with a Western Mass. presence that won awards:
• Easthampton Savings Bank, Q4 Lender of the Quarter;
• Santander Bank, Massachusetts Lender of the Year to Restaurants;
• NUVO Bank and Trust Co., Western Mass. 3rd Party Lender (dollars and volume);
• New England Certified Development Corp., Western Mass. 504 Lender (dollars and volume); and
• Berkshire Bank, Western Mass. 7(a) Lender of the Year (dollars and volume).

In fiscal year 2015, the Massachusetts District Office supported a total of 2,667 loans totaling $657 million through its 7(a) Loan Guaranty Program, Certified Development Company/504 Loan Program, and Microloan Program.

Sip and Shop Extravaganza on Nov. 21 to Benefit Rays of Hope

SPRINGFIELD — Holiday shopping doesn’t have to be so stressful.

At least, not while browsing the first Rays of Hope Sip & Shop Extravaganza to be held on Saturday, Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at La Quinta Inn & Suites on 100 Congress St. in Springfield.

The first-time holiday fund-raiser for the Rays of Hope will feature more than 20 vendors selling a variety of handmade items and specialty foods such as handbags, hand-painted ties and scarves, cooking utensils, metal artwork, Christmas ornaments, engraved wooden items, create-your-own home fragrances, organic herbs and aromatherapy teas, and more. Food vendors will include Tastefully Simple and Pop’s Biscotti & Chocolates. There will also be Rays of Hope items for sale, including hand-painted wine glasses.

The entrance fee is $10, and the first 100 shoppers through the door will receive a silver quilted tote bag with the Rays of Hope logo and a signature cocktail to sip on while shopping. There will also be a cash bar.

Since its inception in 1994, Rays of Hope has been helping women and men in the fight against breast cancer. Through the Baystate Health Breast Network, Rays of Hope provides funding for state-of-the-art equipment, breast-health programs and outreach, and education throughout Baystate Health, as well as providing grants for complementary therapies and cancer programs to community partners.

For more information on the Sip and Shop event, call Barb Turcotte at (413) 794-7737 or Michelle Graci at (413) 794-4654. For more information on Baystate Health, visit baystatehealth.org. For more information on Rays of Hope, visit baystatehealth.org/raysofhope.

Berkshire Bank Foundation Invests in Baystate Charter Academy

SPRINGFIELD — Berkshire Bank Foundation is investing in Baystate Academy Charter Public School’s (BACPS) new program, Project Lead the Way, a nationally award-winning high-school biomedical science curriculum.

“Berkshire Bank Foundation is committed to education in Hampden County and the region. This $20,000 grant to Baystate Academy helps deliver on the school’s promise of world-class biomedical science education for Springfield high-school students,” said Lori Gazzillo, director of Berkshire Bank Foundation.

The three-year-old, college-preparatory, public charter school in Springfield for grades 6-12 is focused on science, math, and health careers. By integrating the nation’s leading provider of STEM education, Project Lead the Way (PLTW), into its academic program, BACPS will create a path to high achievement in science, technology, math, and particularly the biomedical sciences for high-school students.

To prepare students for the global economy, the PLTW biomedical science curriculum inspires innovating thinking and collaborative learning using digital tools, and empowers students to creatively solve real-world problems. The four-year program builds understanding of the principles of biomedical science, human-body systems, medical interventions, and biomedical innovation. Baystate Academy high-school students will study physiology, biology, chemistry, and research processes, and be exposed to immunology, genetics, and other medical careers through hands-on projects and intensive learning expeditions.

Research has shown that PLTW students score higher on state math tests, are more prepared for college, attend at higher rates, and earn wages 13.6% higher than non-PLTW students. In addition, many colleges actively recruit PLTW students and offer preferred admissions, scholarships, and course credit. The intensive program includes teacher training, classroom learning, and rigorous evaluation standards.

Unemployment Stable as Massachusetts Gains 11,000 Jobs in October

BOSTON — The state’s total unemployment rate remained at 4.6% in October, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced Thursday.

The preliminary job estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate Massachusetts added 11,000 jobs in October. The largest over-the-month job gains occurred in the education and health services; professional, scientific, and business services; and other services sectors. Year-to-date, Massachusetts has added 62,800 jobs.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised preliminary job estimates for September that originally indicated Massachusetts lost 7,100 jobs. BLS revised estimates for September show the state lost 2,200 jobs.

The October preliminary estimates show 3,396,900 Massachusetts residents were employed during the month, and 164,000 were unemployed, for a total labor force of 3,560,900.

The labor force decreased by 8,700 from 3,569,600 in September, as 9,600 fewer residents were employed and 900 more residents were unemployed over the month.

Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell 0.9% from 5.5% in October 2014. There were 32,000 fewer unemployed persons over the year compared to October 2014. The October state unemployment rate remains lower than the national rate of 5.0% reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Massachusetts continues to add jobs, and the labor market is strong. We frequently hear from employers that they have jobs to fill, which is a good position for the state to be in,” Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald Walker II said.

The state’s labor-force-participation rate — the total number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks — decreased 0.2% point to 64.7% over the month. The labor-force-participation rate over the year has decreased 0.8% compared to October 2014.

The largest private-sector percentage job gains over the year were in professional, scientific, and business services; construction; other services; leisure and hospitality; and education and health services.

Veteran WGBY Newsman Jim Madigan Inducted into Silver Circle

SPRINGFIELD — Longtime WGBY producer and host Jim Madigan has been named a 2015 inductee for the prestigious Silver Circle Award of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Boston/New England Chapter. He will receive his award in a ceremony today in Boston.

The Gold and Silver Circle Awards are a special recognition to honor television professionals who have “made significant contributions to their community and to the vitality of the television industry,” according to NATAS. Madigan is one of six Silver Circle award recipients, which honor those with more than 25 years of distinguished service to broadcasting.

Madigan joined WGBY in December 1990 as senior producer for public affairs and is now director of public affairs. In addition to hosting WGBY’s Connecting Point public-affairs series, he is producer and host of “The State We’re In,” a weekly Connecting Point segment broadcast each Friday focusing on local, state, and national politics. Madigan is also a veteran moderator of seven gubernatorial debates over the past 20 years.

Prior to joining WGBY, Madigan was a reporter and backup anchor for WGGB/ABC 40 in Springfield, where he specialized in political reporting and Massachusetts State House coverage. This included the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans and the presidential campaign of then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. Before that, he was news director for WLDM Radio in Westfield/Springfield. Prior to his broadcasting career, he served on the staff of the minority leader of the New York State Senate in Albany.

In 1992, Madigan was honored with both a New England Regional Emmy and National Public Service Emmy as a co-producer of the documentary Out of Work, a co-production by WGBH-Boston, WHYY-Philadelphia, and WGBY-Springfield.

MGM Springfield’s Evolving Design Outlined at Public Forum

SPRINGFIELD — MGM Resorts detailed on Wednesday how and why the MGM Springfield design has evolved over the last four months. In a public presentation at CityStage in downtown Springfield, MGM executives, led by President Bill Hornbuckle, walked hundreds of attendees through the enhanced design plan, highlighting changes that allow for both design and operational efficiencies. The late-afternoon forum was hosted by Mayor Domenic Sarno and his economic-development team, led by Chief Development Officer Kevin Kennedy.

“We are very proud of MGM Springfield’s improved design,” Hornbuckle said. “Our commitment to the city of Springfield, the region, and the Commonwealth has never wavered. Today, I am hopeful that people will see it has only gotten stronger. We are as ready as we have ever been to help return downtown Springfield to its glory days.”

The MGM team presented a detailed comparison of commitments in the May 2013 host-community qgreement and the new design plan, with an amenity layout resulting in a less than 1% adjustment in square footage to be experienced by customers. While some amenities, such as the child-care facility and retail, have grown in size, other operational and back-of-the-house spaces were reduced through design efficiencies.

A redesign was made public earlier this fall when MGM Springfield announced it was moving the 250-room hotel along Main Street and market-rate apartments off-site. With the changes, MGM hopes to further engage Main Street while promoting ancillary development opportunities with off-site market-rate apartments. MGM is currently negotiating the purchase of 195 State St., the former Springfield School Department headquarters, to move forward with a housing redevelopment at that property.

Brian Packer, MGM’s vice president of construction and development, joined Hornbuckle on stage, giving a construction update. Packer said that the company already has spent more than $23 million on MGM Springfield construction and employed 675 construction workers. Many of those workers were involved in the renovation of the new Mission on Mill Street, providing an updated, secure facility that will house a rehabilitation program, giveaway center, and business offices. Additionally, Packer laid out a sequence of construction events that will lead up to the September 2018 opening.

The company estimates it will now cost more than $950 million to open MGM Springfield. Original estimates were expected to exceed $860 million, including capitalized interest and land-related costs.

“MGM Springfield is not only the largest development project Western Massachusetts has ever seen, it is starting to rival the investment of the most-talked-about about development projects in the Commonwealth,” said Michael Mathis, MGM Springfield president. “We developed this presentation to provide transparency on our process. The people of Western Massachusetts want to be excited about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is MGM Springfield. We know maintaining a level of positive energy is our responsibility. Major demolition, large contract awards, and exciting opportunities to get involved are all part of the next phase, which will start very soon.”

MGM is scheduled to present a comprehensive cost and design analysis to the Mass. Gaming Commission on Dec. 3. The mayor and City Council must still approve the updated site plans before MGM can go forward with its design-approval process.

Mental Health Assoc. to Cut Ribbon at Magazine Commons Nov. 23

SPRINGFIELD — The Mental Health Assoc. (MHA) will hold a ribbon cutting and opening reception at Magazine Commons, located at 143 Magazine St. in Springfield, on Monday, Nov. 23 at 3 p.m.

Magazine Commons is a 16-unit affordable-housing development that was constructed as a replacement for housing at 145 Union St. which was destroyed by the 2011 tornado. MHA worked with the city of Springfield to acquire the land along Magazine Street to create this new facility.

Magazine Commons was designed by Studio One Inc. of Springfield, and N.L. Construction of Ludlow is the general contractor. The project is as an architecturally compatible addition to the neighboring McKnight Historic District that aligns with the city’s revitalization efforts. Magazine Commons represents a significant investment in the Magazine and Worthington neighborhood, including sidewalks, lighting, neighborhood stabilization, and brownfields development.

“MHA is incredibly proud of this project,” said Joan Ingersoll, MHA’s president and CEO. “It has been a joy and a privilege to participate in the creation of such exceptional housing. Magazine Commons will be a new beginning for 16 people who are filled with enthusiasm about their new residence. This opening represents the culmination of a lengthy process that required the investment and dedication of many people and partners. MHA is grateful to the city of Springfield and the state of Massachusetts for their ongoing collaboration and support.”

Magazine Commons, which is a HUD 202 project for people with disabilities, received funding and support from the following partners: the city of Springfield, the Mass. Department of Housing and Community Development, the Mass. Community Development Assistance Corp., the Mass. Department of Mental Health, the Mass. Development Authority, the Affordable Housing Program of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, and People’s United Bank.

MHA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing residential and support services that promote independence, community engagement, and wellness for people impacted by mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, homelessness, and other challenges. It was founded in 1960 and serves more than 400 people annually throughout Greater Springfield.

Country Bank Promotes Denise Walker to Senior Vice President

WARE — Country Bank President and CEO Paul Scully announced that Denise Walker has been promoted to senior vice president, Retail Lending.

Walker has been with Country Bank since 2008 as first vice president, director of Retail Lending. She has 35 years of experience in the financial-services industry and is responsible for Country Bank’s Retail Lending division, including origination, processing, underwriting, secondary market, and loan servicing.

“Her commitment to exceptional service along with her strong leadership skills has made her a valuable asset to her team and to the bank,” Scully said. “We are delighted to recognize her for her efforts.”

Prior to joining Country Bank, Walker worked at Springfield Institution for Savings, Woronoco Savings Bank, and Monson Savings Bank, holding different positions in banking throughout her career. She attended the Massachusetts School for Financial Studies and the National School of Banking.

Walker was a treasurer for the Belchertown Football Assoc. for many years and started the Belchertown Salvation Army Community Unit in 2010. In 2013, Country Bank’s Retail Lending team was voted #1 Residential Lender by Banker & Tradesman.

State to Adopt Hybrid MCAS-PARCC Test

BOSTON — In an 8-3 vote, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted Tuesday to replace the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test with a hybrid version that incorporates elements of a proposed replacement, known as PARCC. The new test will be administered starting in the spring of 2017.

School districts that tried out the PARCC this past spring will do so again for 2016, and districts that chose to stick with the MCAS will continue to use it unless they opt to switch to the PARCC, short for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.

Massachusetts must begin administering the new test in 2017 to comply with a federal law that requires states to use a single standardized test. The state had obtained a two-year waiver to the law so districts could try out the PARCC before the vote.

According to the Boston Globe, the PARCC aims to examine how students arrived at their answers and requires more critical thinking skills than the MCAS, and is aligned with the Common Core standards adopted by the state in 2010. Just like the MCAS, students will have to pass the new hybrid test to graduate.

The Mass. Business Alliance for Education (MBAE), a supporter of the PARCC, issued a statement supporting the decision of Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, with reservations.

“We are encouraged that Board Chairman Paul Sagan clearly stated that, in developing a new test, the board does not intend to duplicate five years of investment by the state and hundreds of Massachusetts educators who developed a high-quality assessment in PARCC. We continue to believe the evidence showed PARCC was a superior assessment,” the Alliance said. “MBAE is concerned, however, that we don’t know what we’re buying, or what it will cost. Although Chairman Sagan pledged not to follow the experience of other states, the fact is that those developing a test like PARCC spent as much as $50 million or more.”

Baystate Health Announces Changes to Eastern Region Services

WARE, PALMER — A year after adding Wing Memorial Hospital in Palmer to its family of community hospitals, Baystate Health announced it is seeking regulatory approval to integrate what is now known as Baystate Wing Hospital and Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware into a single-license regional hospital network.

This change in status will involve a consolidation of all inpatient services to Baystate Wing and begin a transition of the Baystate Mary Lane campus into a regional outpatient services center.

The transition process will formally begin in December with applications by Baystate Health to Massachusetts regulatory authorities to consolidate both facilities onto a single license. Pending those approvals, the change is expected to take place in the spring of 2016.

“Providing the right care in the right place at the right time is the notion that’s driving our efforts to evolve and succeed for our patients in the era of healthcare reform,” said Dr. Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health. “Transitioning inpatient services to a single campus allows us to provide the safest and highest-quality hospital care at a single site.”

With 74 beds, Baystate Wing Hospital has the ability, with its existing capacity, to care for patients who are now hospitalized at Baystate Mary Lane, said Dr. Charles Cavagnaro III, president of Baystate Health’s Eastern Region, which includes the Palmer and Ware facilities.

“On average, there are fewer than 10 patients being cared for on the inpatient unit at Baystate Mary Lane each day,” he added. “Consolidating the region’s inpatients in one location would be a more efficient use of our limited resources at a time when all healthcare organizations need to receive and deliver the greatest possible value for every healthcare dollar spent.”

Particularly following an expansion of Wing’s inpatient units in 2009, adding 40 medical-surgical beds, six ICU beds, and 28 psychiatric beds, the Palmer campus is more than capable of handling additional traffic, Cavagnaro noted.

“That’s one of the reasons behind this consolidation. It’s certainly more efficient to keep inpatient care in one location. It also allows us to think about how to transform healthcare to meet the future needs of the region.

“Healthcare is moving increasingly away from inpatient care to outpatient care,” he elaborated. “I think everyone is trying to make do with fewer inpatient beds and pushing that care into the outpatient arena. It’s something we want to do — move away from volume-based care to value-based care, how well we’re keeping the population healthy.”

That’s why the Baystate Mary Lane campus — where, even now, 80% of visits are outpatient — will remain an important part of the Baystate system, which, like all providers in the age of accountable care, is focusing more on keeping people well and out of the hospital than just treating them when they’re ill, Cavagnaro said.

Therefore, Baystate Mary Lane will continue to provide outpatient services for the Ware community, and the region’s primary-care network will not be affected by the inpatient consolidation.

“That piece of the business is not changing,” he said. “My feeling is, whatever we’re doing now for patients in this region, we’ll continue to do for the foreseeable future, and we’ll make changes on the basis of what the community needs and what we can sustainably deliver.”

The move of inpatient services will lead to a reduction of jobs at Baystate Mary Lane. While Baystate Health is still determining the eventual job impact, the consolidation is expected to affect 25 to 30 full-time positions, including management and front-line employees. The system has a workforce-transition policy that supports employees displaced by these changes in numerous ways, including offering placement into open positions within the organization for which they are qualified, Cavagnaro explained.

“We are committed to a transparent process with our team members and our community throughout this period of change,” he said, “and we hope many of the affected employees will find positions within our Eastern Region or the Baystate Health system. We are grateful to all the region’s team members for their dedication and service.”

In the meantime, Baystate Health will continue to monitor community needs as it determines the roles its facilities in Palmer and Ware will play.

“We have a direction and a pathway forward. We kind of know the ultimate destiny, but in healthcare, it’s always going to be fluid,” Cavagnaro said. “Every year, we have a strategic plan, a community-needs assessment. It’s unfair to say, ‘this is what the future is going to be, and it’s written in stone.’ We do know we need to add more value to healthcare, and we need to keep patients healthy wherever they are, here or in their homes. And we need to do this in a way that adds sustainability and quality. We want to be here forever.”

WMBExpo 2015

Events WMBExpo

Scenes from this Year’s Event

More than 125 exhibitors and 2,500 attendees packed the MassMutual Center in Springfield on Nov. 4 for the fifth annual Western Mass. Business Expo, presented by Comcast Business and produced by BusinessWest and the Healthcare News. The event featured 16 educational seminars; corridors dedicated to robotics, healthcare, and retail; the annual Pitch Contest staged by Valley Venture Mentors; a Business Support Center offering myriad resources to business owners; breakfast and lunch programs; the day-capping Expo Social; and more.

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Go HERE to view the 2015 WMBExpo Show Guide

Colleges Are Generating Energy, Vibrancy Downtown

Cover Story Education Sections

Building an Education Hub

Downtown Colleges

It all started three years ago, when Cambridge College, after surveying a number of potential sites for its regional campus, settled on some former retail space on the ground floor of Tower Square. Now there are four colleges and universities with what could be called a presence in the central business district. That constitutes a “hub,” according to many we talked to about this development, one that has the ability to bring additional energy and vibrancy to the downtown area.

When Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke at the MassMutual Center on Sept. 9 as part of the 2015 Springfield Public Forum series, there were more than 2,500 people in the hall.

A good number of them represented the area’s many colleges and universities, including students, faculty members, administrators, distinguished alums, and supporters. Springfield College, for example, had roughly 40 people in attendance, and prior to Sotomayor’s talk, most of them were gathered at a reception in unique community space set aside for tenants and their guests on the third floor of 1350 Main St., just across the street from the convention center.

The college wasn’t officially in the building yet, said its president, Mary-Beth Cooper, but lease papers had been signed for space on the second floor just a few days before Sotomayor came to Springfield, so the school took full advantage of a huge opportunity.

Mary-Beth Cooper says Springfield College leaders wanted to be part of the downtown revitalization in the city, so an address in the central business district made sense.

“I called and asked if we could we use that space,” said Cooper. “There’s a deck, it’s right across the street … we had a nice reception.”

Gaining the ability to host such a party wasn’t the reason why Springfield College became the fourth area institution of higher learning to add a downtown Springfield mailing address over the past few years.

But it may well have been one of the reasons.

There are myriad others, said Cooper, who told BusinessWest that, to make a somewhat long story short, the college wanted to support the city it is named after, and, perhaps more importantly, it wanted to be part of what’s happening downtown — be that a revitalization, comeback, renaissance, or whatever term may be deemed appropriate.

Thus, Springfield College is now part of what would have to be called a movement involving higher education and Springfield’s central business district.

It all started in 2012, when Cambridge College, looking for a replacement for tired and insufficient facilities for its Springfield Regional Center in an industrial building on Cottage Street, settled on long-vacant retail space on the ground floor of Tower Square. Two years later, Bay Path College, bursting at the seams on its Longmeadow campus and in search of a home for its American Women’s College, chose the spacious seventh floor of 1350 Main St. from several appealing options.

And in September of 2014, The University of Massachusetts opened the UMass Center at Springfield, a 26,000-square-foot facility on the mezzanine level of Tower Square that is now hosting classes involving roughly 700 students this fall.

By comparison to those other facilities, Springfield College’s investment is small by any measure — its offices total less than 2,000 square feet, and only a few people are actually in those offices at any given time.

But there is room for growth, and in the meantime, this latest addition only adds to what Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno called an infusion of “positive energy and brainpower.”

“Eds and meds are an important part of economic development,” he said, using the term to connote the education and healthcare sectors. “And when you couple what’s happening with the colleges downtown with efforts to promote entrepreneurship, the innovation district we’re building, and the efforts of groups like Valley Venture Mentors, it generates additional momentum.

“Years ago, people laughed at us when we said we were going to bring colleges and universities into the downtown,” he went on, adding that no one is laughing anymore.

Instead, they’re undertaking some speculation and analysis — on the impact of all this proliferation of colleges along Main Street, and about how and in what ways this momentum can be built upon.

Lynn Griesemer, assistant vice president of Economic Development at UMass and executive director of the UMass Donohue Institute, has been doing some analysis herself. She told BusinessWest that what’s developing downtown could certainly be termed an “education hub,” one that has the potential to attract additional businesses, non-profits, people, and vibrancy to the area.

“It’s starting to create a magnet,” she said, emphasizing those words ‘starting to.’ “With patience and ongoing support from the community, the city, and the state, I think that you could see this magnet growing into something that brings a lot more vitality into the downtown.”

For this issue and its focus on education, BusinessWest looks at how this hub, or magnet, came to be, and also at what its potential forces of attraction might become.

Course of Events

Hot Table restaurant on the ground floor at Tower Square is now open until 8 p.m. on weekdays, several hours later than its old closing time.

Teresa Forte, director of Cambridge College’s Springfield Regional Center, located just a few dozen feet away, knows that prodding from her and many of the students who attend classes into the early evening played a big part in that decision.

Overall, she believes that’s only one relatively small example of the impact that Cambridge and the other colleges are having downtown, an influence she described with the same phrase Greisemer summoned.

“Whether we call it that or not, the downtown is becoming an educational hub for Springfield,” she told BusinessWest. “I’m proud that Cambridge College started the trend; the true benefactors are the students who can now use downtown as a one-stop shopping zone when they are considering educational opportunities.”

Looking back over how this hub came together, it becomes clear that, while the schools involved had somewhat different motivations and goals behind their respective decisions, the common denominator is that they reached a decision that they wanted — and in many respects needed — to be downtown.

Retracing the steps that led to Cambridge becoming urban pioneers, if you will, or at least next-generation pioneers, Forte said the school looked at a number of options as it went about the task of replacing the Cottage Street facilities, which it called home for more than 20 years.

At the time, the school wasn’t really focused on being part of a revitalization effort — although that was certainly part of the equation — as much as it was centered on making a move that simply made sense from the perspectives of visibility and convenience for all constituencies involved, and would enable the school to ultimately grow enrollment, she explained.

“I described us as the best-kept secret in higher education in Springfield — even our sign didn’t light up,” she said of the Cottage Street facility. “Our lease was up, and the decision was made to search for a new, upgraded location. After many months and many visits to locations all over Springfield, it became clear that the best options for us were in downtown.

“It would not only provide us with better transportation options for our students — on a bus line and close to 91 — but also give us an opportunity to become a stronger contributor to the Springfield community,” she went on. “The search was narrowed to three locations in downtown, and Tower Square was chosen for a few very important reasons. First, it had the street-level site available, which was important for signage. Second, it was one of the most secure locations in all of downtown.”

Elaborating, she said Tower Square has a very responsive security staff which conducts patrols on the hour both inside the mall and outside the perimeter of the building, and there are also cameras everywhere, including the garage. Meanwhile, in terms of parking, students are given the option to park in the Tower Square garage, meaning they can take the elevator to class.

With that package of amenities, Cambridge thought it could grow its Springfield Regional Center, she continued, and in reality, that’s exactly what has happened.

Teresa Forte says Cambridge College’s location in Tower Square — which offers students solid security, parking, and transportation amenities — has spurred an increase in enrollment.

“Cambridge College has a very unique mission — we cater to a diverse population of students for whom educational opportunities may have been limited or denied; we were one of the first colleges to specialize in assisting non-traditional students,” she explained. “And the interesting trend that has happened since we moved downtown is that we seem to be attracting a larger number of traditional students who have never been to college before. We’ve been in downtown for almost three years, and our enrollment in Springfield has been steadily rising for the past five years.”

For UMass, meanwhile, its arrival downtown, while certainly part of ongoing efforts to become more of a factor in Greater Springfield economic-development efforts, was actually sparked by a statewide study of potential growth opportunities for the university apart from its five campuses, said Griesemer.

That analysis identified several such locations, she went on, including Brockton, Southeastern Mass., Springfield, and the Marlboro area in the eastern part of the Commonwealth.

“There is a whole wedge in that area that has no higher-ed institutions — it’s between Routes 128, 495, 2, and 90,” she said of what amounts to Greater Marlboro, adding that most of the sites identified were in so-called Gateway cities (many of its existing campuses are in different ones) such as Springfield, and the university decided, after an in-depth market research study, to first pursue a project in the City of Homes.

What eventually emerged was the UMass Center at Springfield, which was announced in the fall if 2013 and opened less than a year later. It now hosts classes for several UMass Amherst programs, including the College of Nursing, the Isenberg School of Management’s part-time MBA program, the University Without Walls, and others. It also hosts programs offered by or in conjunction with UMass Boston, Springfield Technical Community College, Holyoke Community College, and Westfield State University.

Griesemer didn’t have a specific number when asked how many people are at the Springfield facility on a given day, but pegged student enrollment alone at between 600 and 700, a number that has gone up each semester.

Schools of Thought

As for Bay Path, its move downtown in the fall if 2013 was generated by a basic need for additional space for the online American Women’s College, said President Carol Leary.

“We spent a good amount of time looking at various locations, but Springfield was at the top of our list because we have our roots there going back to 1897,” she said, adding that school administrators fell in love with the culture at 1350 Main St.

And by culture, she meant everything from its focus on the arts — there are several galleries there — to its eatery to its eclectic mix of tenants.

“You have a feel, when you enter this place, that it’s more than an office building,” she explained, adding that the 11,805 square feet now in use hosts roughly 40 full-time employees.

And they are certainly contributing to the health of the local economy, said Leary, who attended college in Boston, understands and appreciates how higher education adds vibrancy to a city, and enjoys being part of that equation locally.

“I love the energy of a city, so I’ve enjoyed it, and our staff enjoys it,” she noted. “And we’re definitely pumping some money into the economy.”

Cooper said Springfield College’s ties to the City of Homes obviously run even deeper, and they certainly played a part in the school’s decision to lease some space at 1350 Main St.

She said she was having lunch downtown with trustee vice chair Jim Ross, when the discussion turned to the city, it’s central business district, and the many things happening there. “We talked about MGM, the rebirth of the city, transportation … everything,” she recalled, adding that the conversation eventually evolved into a discussion about if and how to become part of it — or a bigger part.

Actually, Cooper says she’s been asked several times since she arrived in the fall of 2013 about the school establishing a presence downtown. She was intrigued by the questions, in part because, in many ways, she thought the school was already downtown.

It is only a few miles as the crow flies from Main Street, she acknowledged, adding quickly that, through her lunch talk with Ross, she came to the conclusion that a direct presence in the CBD was an appropriate step.

Bay Path University President Carol Leary says the school’s space at 1350 Main St. has plenty of room for expansion.

Fast-forwarding a little, Ross and the college are now essentially sharing space on 1350’s second floor. The former conference room for a bank has been converted into a conference room and two offices, one for Cooper and one for Ross.

It’s not a big presence, certainly, and its specific uses have yet to be determined, but the college is now a part of what is becoming an increasingly larger and more impactful whole, said Cooper, who, when asked what she has in mind for the space besides receptions, told BusinessWest the same thing she told her board.

“I want people to think about the possibilities,” she said, listing everything from candidate interviews to leadership team sessions to subcommittee meetings involving the many boards she’s on.

But she wants that’s phrase ‘think about the possibilities’ to extend well beyond how the school’s physical space may be used.

Indeed, she said the expanding higher-ed presence downtown may well inspire and facilitate additional collaborative efforts involving a host of area schools, and eventually generate more opportunities to pair area students with downtown businesses through internships and other programs.

“Part of my agenda is to facilitate a move toward collaboration between the colleges and universities,” she said. “I think that would be good for individual schools, better for all our students, and better for the community.”

Class Acts

As she gave BusinessWest a quick tour of the Bay Path suite of offices, Leary, who spends two full days a week downtown, stopped at the spacious kitchen. It is very well-stocked and outfitted with every necessary appliance.

There are also several round tables and chairs arranged café-style. They get a decent amount of use, said Leary, but many of those working at the downtown location prefer to eat out, and do so quite regularly.

Many are also members of the gym upstairs, she went on, adding that membership was paid by the landlord the first year (another perk of tenantship), but several employees are staying on even though the cost has shifted to them.

Meanwhile, Hot Table’s hours have expanded; the store that UMass operates on the ground floor at Tower Square, the UMass Marketplace, has expanded its food offerings; and Griesemer said there have been more than a few conversations lately about the lines at most downtown eateries getting longer — and how that’s a good thing.

But the more serious talk is about how the proliferation of colleges downtown will have a much deeper impact than a bottom-line bounce for downtown dining establishments.

Indeed, those we spoke with talked about the potential for more and deeper collaborations and of that aforementioned ‘magnet effect.’

Griesemer relayed some recent discussions that more than suggested that the schools are helping to foster an environment that may draw more draw more employers — and employees — to the central business district.

“We’ve had a few nonprofits say to us, ‘we’re interested in moving into downtown Springfield because you have,’” she said. “There are already several in the tower and room for many more.”

Sarno agreed, and noted that the critical mass of students, employees, and administrators created by the movement of higher education into the downtown area will only facilitate efforts to create more market-rate housing there, which is considered one of the keys to generating more vibrancy and additional retail.

“I think this will help in our push for market-rate housing,” he explained. “And the more pedestrian traffic you can have matriculating from the North End to the South End, the more beneficial it will be to bringing in spin-off businesses.”

When asked if there was a model for a larger, more sophisticated education hub that Springfield could aspire to, she said there are several, including Phoenix.

“There are examples of places where you had a single higher-education institution put down a footprint and others followed, like Arizona State,” Griesemer explained. “There is still room for considerable growth in Springfield when it comes to this hub.”

While the current picture is one defined by enthusiasm, and there is considerable optimism about what might come next, the immediate forecast is at least somewhat clouded by two concurrent, and massive, construction projects that will certainly impact access to the downtown — MGM’s South End casino and reconstruction of the I-91 viaduct.

“We absolutely are concerned about that,” said Forte, noting that accessibility is a key factor in the success of the downtown location. “But we’re also hopeful that the city and highway department will be considerate of our population and create traffic alternatives that will not cause great impact for us.”

Sarno said the city — not to mention the contractor handling the I-91 work — is certainly incentivized to do just that, and also get the project done on time.

“So far, so good — communication has been great, and they’re ahead of schedule … and there are 9 million reasons why this contractor wants to get phase one done ahead of time,” said the mayor, citing the bonus put in place by the state for accomplishing that feat. “This had to be done, and we’re hoping to keep the disruption to a minimum.”

Study in Possibilities

As she wrapped up her tour of Bay Path’s facilities, Leary spent a few moments in the cluttered, currently unused space on the seventh floor into which the school could, and likely will, expand.

“I can see us filling all of this someday,” she said, sweeping her arm across the area. “We’re not done yet down here.”

With those sentiments, she spoke for seemingly everyone that is now part of this education hub in the central business district.

In fact, by almost all accounts, those within this key sector are just getting started.

George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]

Chattanooga Offers a Raft of Lessons for Springfield

Features

When 30 economic-development, nonprofit, and community leaders from Greater Springfield visited Chattanooga last month as part of the City2City Pioneer Valley program, they heard, over and over, about the time Walter Cronkite called it “the dirtiest city in America.” That story is clearly part of the community’s DNA — but so is 45 years of recovery and rebirth, both ecologically and economically. How Tennessee’s fourth-largest city accomplished those goals, and its challenges moving forward, provide plenty of inspiration and food for thought back home in the Bay State.

Chattanooga’s recovery has included a cleanup of its riverfront.

In the 1960s, Ron Littlefield says, no one needed GPS to find Tennessee’s fourth-largest city.

“You could tell when you were getting close to Chattanooga because you could smell Chattanooga; it stunk,” said the former mayor, who served from 2005 to 2013. “It was an old foundry city. And when you had stormy weather, you had inversions, because we have mountains and valleys, and it would trap the smoke, and you would literally be eating smoke when you walked outside.”

City leaders were mortified when, in October 1969, Walter Cronkite came across a recent EPA study, sat down behind the news desk, looked into the camera, and declared Chattanooga “the dirtiest city in America.”

“It was so bad that people had to change their shirts in the middle of the day,” said John Bridger, executive director of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency. “They were tough times — but tough times create opportunities.”

In truth, Bridger continued, many residents put up with the pollution because the manufacturing sector was chugging along, but Cronkite’s report jarred them out of complacency. “If not for those challenges, I don’t think we would have changed, because we were comfortable. We were the dynamo of Dixie — why change what we were doing if we were making money? But that report created an impetus for change; it brought a new perspective.”

Still, Chattanooga was no overnight turnaround. Even after efforts to clean up the waterway and better connect the riverfront with the downtown area, a downturn in the region’s manufacturing base led to mass flight from the city, which lost more than 10% of its population during the 1980s. But, as current Mayor Andy Berke points out, it was the only American city with that level of population loss during the ’80s to actually gain residents in the 1990s.

“It took a long time — a lot of people over a great period of time — to make it happen,” he said. “And it started with real investment in the core of our city.”

Rick Sullivan, left, president of the Western Mass. Economic Development Council, chats with Nick Wilkinson, Chattanooga’s deputy administrator of Economic and Community Development.

Today, Chattanooga is a growing city (population just over 173,000, about 20,000 more than Springfield) riding a wave of entrepreneurship and high-tech innovation, and touting itself as the Gig City after building a broadband network (known as ‘the Gig’) able to connect every home and business to the Internet at 1 gigabit per second, or 50 to 100 times faster than the average U.S. Internet connection.

As part of the City2City Pioneer Valley program, 30 economic-development, nonprofit, and community leaders from Greater Springfield visited Chattanooga late last month to hear the story of how a stinking foundry city transformed itself into a beacon of innovation.

In doing so, they learned that this community on Georgia’s northwestern border is no utopia; it still faces serious education, workforce-development, and racial-gentrification issues, to name a few. But it’s also proving to be an example of how public, business, and nonprofit interests can work in concert to produce and then fund real solutions.

“There seems to be one goal with all these organizations we’ve met. They’re all doing their own things, but they’re all on the same page and have the same goal, and that’s to help all these spinning wheels move the city forward,” said Alfonso Santaniello, president of the Creative Strategy Agency in Springfield, who values his company’s downtown presence and wanted to visit a growing city with a similar emphasis on building up its central business district.

“Springfield needs to find a way to get everyone on the same page and push forward from there,” he went on. “That’s one of our biggest issues; everyone is doing great things, but why are we not doing them together?”

Chattanooga’s striking collaboration culture (more on that later) is one reason why the Gig City label is, in fact, not the top storyline there, but a way to draw national notice to everything else that’s going on.

“The technology is great,” said Enoch Elwell, founder of Co.Starters, a Chattanooga-based entrepreneuship program that has expanded nationally, including into Holyoke earlier this year. “But its biggest impact is as a rallying cry for our community, something that brings us together and draws the world’s attention.”

The City2City contingent from Massachusetts was certainly listening.

Cleaning Up Their Act

Littlefield recalls a time when Chattanooga manufacturers treated the Tennessee River like a sewer, dumping garbage directly into the waterway. “But in the ’70s, we cleaned up our water, and we began to clean up our act.”

From an ecological perspective, it actually helped when the foundries started to close, but it posed economic issues, he went on, which were partially remedied by attracting industries from the north, like textiles and automaking, with the promise of cheaper labor. But that wasn’t a sustainable strategy, and a steady population drain ensued.

“Ultimately, it’s not just about transportation, it’s not just about economic development, it’s not just about the natural environment — it’s about how all those things work together to create place,’ said John Bridger.

“When you lose jobs, you also lose hope, and when you lose hope, you lose your children,” he said. “They grow up and get an education and go somewhere else. We began to say, ‘we have to change this community in ways we’ve never changed it before. We’ve got to change our attitude, our way of thinking.’”

The first step was the creation of the Tennessee Riverpark Master Plan to transform the riverfront and downtown area, but only after many hours meeting with residents — many of whom had felt disenfranchised — and incorporating their concerns into the process. As Littlefield recalled, one woman told him, “this is the first time, when I said something, that someone wrote it down in my own words.”

Municipal leaders also visited other cities (notably a 1981 trek to Indianapolis) to find ideas and inspiration.

These information-gathering efforts led to the creation in 1986 of River City Co., a nonprofit tasked with implementing the master plan, a 20-year blueprint for the riverfront and downtown, initially capitalized with $12 million from local foundations and financial institutions.

“We did visioning before visioning was cool, and we found that it actually works,” Littlefield said. “So we set about to create quality of life, and that started with the river.”

Bridgett Massengill, executive director of Thrive 2055 — a more recent coalition of economic leaders tasked with creating economic opportunity in a tri-state, 16-county region surrounding Chattanooga’s Hamilton County — detailed how four area foundations took the first step to fund River City Co., and called it typical of the way the city has operated in the past 30 years.

The conversion of former industrial buildings to retail and business space echoes myriad Pioneer Valley developments like Eastworks and Open Square.

“I have been blown away by the collaboration in this region, the way we come together, roll up our sleeves, and make it happen,” she said. “There was a will that we were going to proceed with or without federal dollars.”

That caught the attention of Katie Allan Zobel, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.

“The success in Chattanooga has grown from public-private partnerships,” she told BusinessWest. “They keep saying how foundations have played a role in these partnerships, and it seems to me that’s something Springfield and surrounding regions should be exploring with more focus.”

She first thought, upon hearing of the role of the region’s foundations, that they must be larger and better-capitalized than those in Western Mass., but was surprised to find that wasn’t the case. “We can always do more together, and Chattanooga has been proving that for the last 25 years.”

The tax structure in Tennessee — property and sales taxes but no income tax — is a challenge for economic development, officials note. That’s why the public-private partnerships that have sprung up to support development are so noteworthy, said Beth Jones, executive director of the Southeast Tennessee Development District. “Typically, we don’t start with how much money an initiative will cost. We ask, ‘is this a good idea?’ and then we bring people together to raise the money.”

That’s part of the so-called “Chattanooga way” cited by many of the people who met with the City2City contingent. Kim White, president and CEO of River City Co., said the term essentially refers to the way leaders “get a diverse group of people together and really plan.”

Landing a Gig

The city’s successes included a complete overhaul of the riverfront, including the privately funded Tennessee Aquarium, the nation’s largest freshwater aquarium, and the pedestrian-only Walnut Street Bridge; as well as an innovation district downtown aimed at attracting both high-tech giants like Amazon (which has a presence in the city) as well as a raft of intriguing startups.

Chattanooga’s recovery has included the establishment of a high-speed broadband network known as ‘the Gig.’

Despite the successes of the Tennessee Riverpark Master Plan, the planning process had never focused specifically on entrepreneurship or technology until the city’s power company, EPB, tapped into federal stimulus money in 2009 to launch the Gig, said Ken Hays, president and CEO of the city’s Enterprise Center and Innovation District, which followed in the wake of the massive fiber project.

Since then, an accelerator program for startups has graduated 67 companies that have raised $3.1 in combined capital. In 2012, a nonprofit called CoLab launched GigTank, an annual, 14-week summer entrepreneurship program; 40 participating companies have raised $4.37 million in capital to date. CoLab’s “Will This Float?” startup pitch competition, launched five years ago, has attracted 47 participants, and the five winners all continue to grow, with $5.5 million in capital raised to date. Then there’s Tech Goes Home, a computer-education program aimed at everyone from preschoolers to the elderly.

Chattanooga has plenty of traditional industry, of course, none more prominent than Volkswagen, which employs about 2,400 people at its only North American plant and is planning an expansion — even amidst controversy over its diesel engine — that will bring production of a new SUV to Chattanooga and boost its workforce by another 2,000, including 200 in research and development, a first for the area. Other giants, like Coca-Cola and Little Debbie, dot the landscape as well.

But economic-development leaders are focused on the Innovation District and the cultivation of small businesses that may one day grow to be the next Coca-Cola or Amazon. Efforts to do so range from Startup in a Day, a commitment to streamlining business permitting on a 24/7 basis, to the Growing Small Business program, a financial incentive offered to companies with fewer than 100 employees that hire at least five workers in a 12-month period.

“If we can subsidize their next hire and keep them afloat for another couple of months, that’s what we want to do, and it’s been pretty successful,” said Nick Wilkinson, the city’s deputy administrator of Economic & Community Development.

With the type of 21st-century businesses attracted by the Gig, however, comes the need for a culture change, or at least a greater focus on the quality-of-life issues that matter to a young, hip, tech-savvy worker base, Bridger said. In addition, the population has shifted from one dominated by two-parent families with children in 1970 to one with mostly single-income households, and that affects the type of housing — smaller and closer to workplaces — that needs to be built in the city.

“Place matters,” he said, noting that IT workers aren’t tied to their workplaces like people in more traditional industries. “So, if you want to compete economically, they’re thinking place first, jobs second. Ultimately, it’s not just about transportation, it’s not just about economic development, it’s not just about the natural environment — it’s about how all those things work together to create place.”

That’s where quality-of-life improvements like the revamped riverfront and growing arts and recreation initiatives come in. The city is obviously doing something right, with $4 billion in business investment since 2008. Now leaders are trying to keep the momentum going by developing more housing in the city — an expected 160,000 new units by 2055, in fact — and touting the success of amenities like the free downtown shuttle (cheekily known as the Choo Choo) and an extensive network of bike lanes, all to support a Millennial population that doesn’t necessarily want to rely on automobiles.

The task isn’t easy when 97% of the downtown workforce drives in from the outside, and only 1.2% of downtown zoning is mixed-use. Regional passenger rail service may be 20 years away or more simply because the surrounding counties don’t have the population density of, say, Western Mass. to support it.

“Our focus is on how to create that housing density that makes us a more 24/7 city,” White explained, noting that the next two years will see the addition of 1,500 apartments downtown, more than doubling the current number, in addition to 500 more hotel rooms and 1,300 more student units to support the 12,000-student University of Tennessee Chattanooga, which skirts the downtown area. “If you come back in three years, this will be a completely different city.”

Barriers to Progress

Some of those changes are more pressing than others. The City2City tour came in the shadow of a recent, searing report by Ken Chilton, a Public Administration professor at Tennessee State University, on the city’s ongoing racial gentrification and the challenges minorities face overcoming poverty, violence, and poor health.

The 23-page report, “The Unfinished Agenda,” examines how investment and development in certain downtown neighborhoods has come at the expense of low-income African-American families that used to live there but have been forced out by rising costs.

For example, in 1990, the downtown white population was 2,402, while the black population was 3,720. In 2013, those numbers were reversed, with 4,880 whites and 2,358 blacks living downtown. In effect, African-Americans are increasingly being pushed into poorer neighborhoods and schools mired in violence and chaos and not seeing the type of investment that characterizes the downtown and riverfront, Chilton writes.

Because some of these neighborhoods have more adult high-school dropouts than college graduates, many are forced to rely on low-paying jobs instead of the white-collar jobs that have defined the downtown renewal. As a result, 36% of blacks in Chattanooga live in poverty, compared with 14.5% of whites. In the 11 lowest-income neighborhoods in Chattanooga, where the population is 73% African-American, the average poverty rate is 63.5%. Bridger told the City2City contingent that, while the city’s unemployment rate is 5.5%, it’s about double that in the black population.

James McKissic, director of Chattanooga’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, agreed that gentrification is a problem, noting that certain neighborhoods have indeed become unaffordable for lower-income residents. But he added that several housing developments are in the works over the next few years, targeted at different income levels, in desireable neighborhoods. “We don’t want to be the next San Francisco or Austin; we want people from various income levels to live together.”

Still, he added, the heart of the issue is poverty — and the need for initiatives that will improve education and provide economic opportunity for people of all races and income levels.

The country’s largest freshwater aquarium, a privately funded project that was mocked by some residents as a “fishtank” when it was proposed, is now one of the highlights of Chattanooga’s revamped riverfront.

However, public education — which is operated on the county level — hasn’t made enough strides to satisfy Chattanooga officials, a situation detailed in a 2013 Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies report, again written by Chilton, affirming that the system’s poor, majority-black schools lag far behind schools in more prosperous — usually whiter — neighborhoods.

To compound matters, Tennessee finishes 49th in the nation in per-pupil education spending, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but Hamilton County spending fell between 2007 and 2012, even compared to the state as a whole. Adjusted for inflation, the county spent about $321 less per pupil in 2012 than in 2007. In those years, the Hamilton County Board of Education cut about $44 million to balance budgets in the face of rising costs in health care, utilities, and salaries. “There’s a disconnect between the school system, the state Board of Education, and the real world,” Berke said.

Added Bridger, “public education is not where it needs to be, and it’s becoming a job-recruitment problem.” He noted that the rural counties surrounding Chattanooga fare even worse when it comes to graduation rates. “We’re not getting enough qualified employees to work in the jobs.”

After all, the city’s manufacturing base hasn’t disappeared; it’s just that many of today’s manufacturing jobs are high-skill, high-paying positions. Much like the situation in the Pioneer Valley, plenty of openings exist, but the Hamilton County region grapples with a skills gap between what employers require and the level of education that job seekers bring to the table. Unfortunately, Jones noted, applied-technology classes at local community colleges struggle with empty seats and a lack of interest in manufacturing as a career.

“We’ve basically taught people throughout the South and throughout the country that manufacturing is dirty, it’s not cool, it’s a sweatshop, it doesn’t pay well, the whole nine yards. I still hear that from our young people,” Jones said. “We’ve got to do a better job educating our young people that there are good jobs out there, and you can get them with certain certifications and certain degrees, and you can make more a whole lot more money than I’ve been making all my life with a four-year degree.”

Ruth Thompson, communications and outreach manager for Thrive 2055, agreed, stressing the importance of education. One notable initiative, called Tennessee Promise, pays for two years of community college, in an effort to narrow the skills gap.

“The majority of the country has about 8% of their economy driven by manufacturing. If you hear us talking a lot about advanced manufacturing, it’s because, in our region, it’s 22%. We still have a very, very heavy manufacturing base,” she said. “But previously, a 16-year-old from Trenton, Georgia could drop out of school, go work in a hosiery mill, and have a good job the rest of his life. We know that’s no longer the case. So as we work on changing the culture, we’re working in partnership with the community colleges and four-year universities to change that mindset that you don’t have to go to school.”

However, “we have other problems on top of the skills gap,” Jones added, noting that substance abuse — in another parallel to Massachusetts — keeps many people out of the workforce, while Tennessee (unlike the Bay State) ranks near the bottom of the 50 states in health metrics such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.

“We’re starting to have that culture change; people are starting to realize that education and health are both economic issues,” she said. “Before, people kept them in their separate silos. And as a state, we didn’t value education, but we’ve started moving in that regard.”

On the Plus Side

The city’s current mayor, however, chose to highlight some positive statistics, noting that property crime is down 22%, and violent crime down 5%, since last year, though well-known pockets of crime tend to skew perception. “It’s frustrating for us that people don’t feel safe.”

Berke also noted that, despite Chattanooga’s position along two major interstates, which makes it an attractive corridor for drug trafficking, the city is no worse off than others of its size. “We have drug crimes, and we have drug-related violence, of course, but nothing you’d say is unsual for similar cities.”

Meanwhile, “Thrive 2055 is trying to change the culture, helping us manage the changes that are happening to our region,” Thompson said, noting that the project is built on the pillars of economic development, natural treasures, transportation, and education and workforce.

All are important in their own way, she added; the region is, after all, a biodiversity hotspot, with the highest concentration of different freshwater fish species in the world — but also one of the top 10 shipping corridors in the U.S., leading to ‘pinch points’ of daily congestion along Interstates 24 and 75. Juggling such disparate resources and challenges is a major part of the Thrive effort.

As for the Gig, it hit a goal of 40,000 subscribers — the mark needed to achieve profitability — two years after its launch, and now boasts 75,000. It’s now the centerpiece of the city’s marketing efforts — signs at the Chattanooga’s airport greet visitors with the message ‘Welcome to Gig City’ — but, as Elwell noted, is only one part of the story.

“Some people have taken it for granted; they’ve forgotten how hard it was,” said Charles Wood, vice president for Economic Development for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, referring to the entire 45 years of changes since Walter Cronkite’s paradigm-shifting report. “As a chamber, how do we make sure we don’t get complacent?”

Scott Foster thinks the city’s culture of collaboration will guard against exactly that.

“The emphasis from the private sector, the nonprofit sector, and the the public sector is on collaboration,” said Foster, an attorney at Springfield-based Bulkley Richardson and chairman of Valley Venture Mentors. “Sometimes the city takes an interest in something and the foundations come and support it, while other times, the private-sector guys say, ‘this is important, so we’re starting it, and we’ll see if anyone wants to join in with us.’

“That’s great,” he went on, “because you’ve got these three legs of the stool, and all three keep saying, ‘I’m going to experiment with this, and if it works, I know you guys will come along.’ There’s a trust there, and an openness to trying new things. It doesn’t matter whose idea it was; it matters that it’s a good idea, and if it’s a good idea, in Chattanooga, they’re all behind it.”

That’s an example, Foster went on, that public officials, businesses, nonprofits, and foundations can learn from in Greater Springfield and the Pioneer Valley, where much good work is happening, but not always in concert.

“If somebody’s got a good idea, let’s celebrate it and support it, not tear it down, not say, ‘well, it doesn’t quite work,’ or ‘it conflicts with what another group is doing.’ OK, fine — they can do it too. There’s no such thing as too much entrepreneurship or too much economic development. When we get to that point, then we’ll figure out that problem. But we’re not at that point.”

Looking Forward

Littlefield recalled how, when Volkswagen had to choose between Chattanooga and another city to locate its U.S. plant, the competing financial incentives were largely a wash. “But they told us, ‘We came here for the intangibles, because, at a certain point, the intangibles become tangible. And you can’t put a price on that.’”

The greatest benefit Chattanooga has seen during its impressive recovery, the former mayor continued, has been a new, prouder, more confident attitude.

“After we visited Indianapolis, someone said, ‘wouldn’t it be great if, someday, people came to Chattanooga to see how we did it? And now, here you are — and you’re one of many. We don’t claim any special knowledge, any magic — just people coming together saying, ‘we all live here, and we’re going to make sure this is a city where our children will want to raise their children.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Demand Continues to Soar for Mobile and Wearable Technology

Sections Technology

Always Connected

Apple Watch OS2

An on-the-go society demands on-the-go technology, and the array of smartphones, wristband health sensors, and tablets only continues to expand as the major players compete for their share of a growing pie. In its annual look at some of the hottest tech items available, BusinessWest focuses this year on those mobile devices, which are connecting more Americans than ever, 24/7, to all the data they could possibly want.

In an increasingly connected world, mobile technology continues to advance in ways both predictable and surprising, with the final market potential still unclear.

Take the newest iteration, the ‘wearable tech.’ A recent Forbes study reported that 71% of 16- to 24-year-olds either use or want wearable tech, which includes the Apple Watch, the Fitbit, and the Microsoft Band. Those products are where BusinessWest begins its annual look at the most popular and best-reviewed technology available, with a focus this year on mobile devices.

Apple is banking on continuing demand by improving its Apple Watch OS2 ($339), which Digital Trends calls “a piece of wearable tech that feels friendly and has a little bit of quirky character about it. It’s not without its issues, but they’re not too bad. The effort to learn the interface feels worth it to us.”

CNET calls the product, which packs the apps of a smartphone into a small package that fits on the wrist, “a beautifully constructed, compact smartwatch. It’s feature-packed, with solid fitness software, hundreds of apps, and the ability to send and receive calls via an iPhone.” However, it continues, the battery doesn’t last much more than a day, and the interface can be confusing.

Still, Digital Trends notes, “the world of wearable tech has been crying out for a product that engages people — something that operates as a companion device to our phone, but also goes a step further. For Apple, that step was using it to connect people in unusual, fun ways.”

Go HERE for a chart of area telecom/voice/data providers

As Apple Insider explains, initial response to the Apple Watch has promoted competition in the marketplace from upstarts like Pebble, which is offering a new model starting at $250 — almost $100 cheaper than the Apple Watch — in addition to models above and below that price point.

Many consumers love wrist-worn devices for their health-tracking capabilities, a category currently dominated by Fitbit. “I think back to when fitness wearables first emerged — devices like the Fitbit — and wonder, what made them so great? Why did people get so excited?” CNET’s Scott Stein asks. “Was it really the fitness, or was it the idea of turning fitness-based into something fun?”

He noted that the devices counted steps like their pedometer predecessors, but made a game of it — hit a goal, get a reward; share progress with friends and compete. “Gamification, a catchphrase a few years ago, is exactly what these [devices] provided: they’re carrots on a stick to motivate exercise.”

Fitbit Charge HR

That said, he likes what he sees in the Fitbit Charge HR ($139), which adds heart-rate tracking to the mix and syncs all data to the user’s smartphone. “The more expensive $250 Fitbit Surge does practically the same things, but adds a larger watch display and can track runs via standalone GPS.”

But, while $150 for the Fitbit Charge HR is a good price for a full-featured device, Stein adds, “in practice, something about the Charge HR feels a step short of exciting. It’s how Fitbit handles heart rate. It’s how it feels to wear. And, it’s how useful — or not — I found the addition of heart rate to be in my daily routine. It’s one of the best wrist-worn heart-rate trackers out there, but it’s not the complete slam-dunk fitness band I expected it to be. It is, however, the best Fitbit band currently available.”

Microsoft Band 2

Microsoft is a player in this field as well, and Yahoo’s David Pogue calls the just-released Microsoft Band 2 ($250) “a smartwatch with more sensors and fitness-monitoring capabilities than anything else you can buy,” from original features like a GPS antenna to track runs or bike rides, a heart-rate monitor, UV light detectors, and a skin-temperature sensor, to new additions including a barometer for measuring elevation (a bonus for hikers and climbers) — 11 sensors in all, in fact.

It’s not for everyone, however; Pogue declares the Band the winner for serious exercisers, but says the Fitbit Charge HR is better for the all others — those who aren’t hardcore about exercise but could benefit from gentle reminders and motivators.

Smartphones Everywhere

Of course, smartphones remain the go-to mobile device for most Americans, with 64% of all adults and a whopping 85% of the 18-29 age group among their users, according to the Pew Research Center.

PC Advisor notes that fierce competition in the smartphone market means there’s a quality device for everyone at just about every price point — and consumers are typically happiest with the operating systems they are comfortable with.

“Although there are others around, it’s best to stick with the big names, including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and potentially BlackBerry. If you’re already using one, then it might be best to stay in that camp — especially if you’ve invested time and money in its apps. However, it’s not difficult to switch, so you should consider them all.”

Design will come down to personal taste, the site adds, and most of the top smartphones now have a very thin and light chassis. “The best smartphones typically use premium materials like glass, aluminum, or even steel, and on this front you’re best off trying a phone out in the flesh to see whether it feels good for the size of your hand.”

Despite the greater competition, most of the tech press still places Apple’s iPhone and Samsung Galaxy atop their lists of best phones.

Samsung Galaxy S6

For example, TechRadar calls the Samsung Galaxy S6 ($499) “a brilliant phone that shows Samsung still has what it takes.” An improvement from the Galaxy S5, the latest edition boasts improved camera performance and audio quality, and the sharpest video display on the market.

In addition, “the design is finally something we’re pleased to hold in our hand, rather than the plastic cheapness of last year,” TechRadar notes, and “it’s actually extended its lead at the top thanks to some amazing price drops — so you can now get the best phone on the market for an incredibly low price these days. A no-brainer.”

PC Advisor piles on the praise as well, calling the Galaxy S6 the best Android phone of 2015. “It’s fast, it’s well built, it has a gorgeous screen, and the software isn’t overly intrusive. The fingerprint scanner is vastly improved, the heart-rate scanner a potential draw for some users, and the wireless- and fast charging welcome inclusions.”

But Apple’s iPhone 6S Plus ($499) tops many rankings as well. CNET praises the latest version’s improved speed, better camera, always-on Siri, pressure-sensitive display, longer battery life, and bigger, higher-resolution screen — all improvements over the 2014 model. In fact, the screen size has grown so much that some people might consider it too bulky. “The iPhone 6S Plus has a few key advantages that give it an edge for serious iPhone users, but its big body may not fit for a lot of people.”

iPhone 6S Plus

Meanwhile, Phone Arena says it’s not surprising that the iPhone 6 is the world’s bestselling smartphone, citing the 3D Touch display and Live Photos as desireable improvements, as well as an improved system chip and better battery life.

“Put in simple words, the new iPhone has a much faster processor and memory. It also comes with a new, 12-megapixel camera that now is able to capture a more detailed images than before and records video in the trendy 4K resolution, plus it supports new slo-mo options. Add to this the rich iOS ecosystem that continues to secure the best apps and games first, and one starts to understand the huge appeal of the iPhone 6s.”

Still, Apple and Samsung have some competition in the market. PC Advisor offers praise for Sony’s Xperia Z5 ($349), which comes with an aesthetically improved rear cover and adds a fingerprint scanner, but keeps much of its previous design.

“Once again, the camera is great, but it’s tough competition out there, and arriving late in 2015 means rivals are now available for a decent chunk less,” the site explains. “Once the price drops, which it will, this will be a great option for those of you looking for a waterproof flagship with a Micro-SD card slot.”

A Bigger Canvas

Smartphones are far from the only tech battlefield, however. The tablet market continues to be hotly contested as well. According to TechRadar, Apple still tops the game with its iPad Air 2 ($599) — a remarkable improvement over even the “remarkable achievement” that was the original iPad Air.

iPad Air 2

“It’s even thinner and lighter than last time around, and to a noticeable extent. The screen is better, with more vibrant colors, it’s more powerful thanks to its A8X processor, and the battery life holds up just as well. It even benefits from Touch ID and Apple Pay, and while these features aren’t as exciting here as they are on phones, they’re still nice to have. In short, the iPad Air 2 really is the complete package, and while you can always find things to niggle about, there are no significant flaws.”

As always, however, Apple has competition. PC Magazine touts the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 ($399), calling it an improvement over its predecessor in every way, including a thin and light design, upgraded performance, and better-quality camera.

“Do tablets matter anymore?” the site asks? “Samsung would like you to think so. Despite releasing some very large phones recently, the company still believes there’s a home for tablets in a market crowded with enormous phablets. And Samsung’s latest offering, the Galaxy Tab S2, definitely makes the case that, yes, tablets are still very much relevant.”

It’s the same story told in many different ways — Apple continues to set the pace, but its main competitors keep closing the gap. That’s healthy for consumers, no matter which device they prefer to take on the go.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Town Builds on Momentum from Ludlow Mills

Community Spotlight Features

Community Spotlight

Carmina Fernandes and Douglas Stefancik say the redevelopment of Ludlow Mills will preserve the town’s history while providing opportunities for economic growth.

Town Planner Douglas Stefancik calls it “the crown jewel of the mills.”

He was referring to the recently completed HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Western Massachusetts, the first new structure to be built on the Ludlow Mills property, owned and being redeveloped by Westmass Area Development Corp.

The $28.5 million, 74,000-square-foot hospital has 53 private rooms and a state-of-the-art physical therapy center, said Stefancik, adding that the project received the prestigious national Sustainability Impact Award at the Redevelopment and Renewal Awards Ceremony in Chicago.

“It is serving as a model for other HealthSouth facilities, and our intent was for it to become a catalyst to other growth and development on the Ludlow Mills site,” he went on. “Fortunately, we’re seeing that come to fruition.”

Indeed, officials are happy to have HealthSouth in the mill district and are looking forward to another exciting project.

“The HealthSouth building is historically accurate, and the second jewel will soon be built,” said Stefancik, referring to the town’s decision on Oct. 8 to grant Winn Development and Westmass the approvals needed to transform what’s known as Mill #10 into a senior-housing development.

The four-story structure will be converted into 75 one- and two-bedroom apartments; 66 will be affordable, and the rest will be rented at market rate.

“It’s fantastic because it will preserve the whole building and help continue revitalization of the downtown area,” said Stefancik. “There will be new landscaping surrounding the parking lot, traffic islands with seating areas, and a patio, which will help it to become a nice residential community.”

Westmass President and CEO Kenn Delude said the plans were approved in 17 days, which is highly unusual, because it typically takes months for a project of this magnitude. “We’re proud because the town found these plans consistent with their master plan,” he told BusinessWest. “It shows how strong the partnership is between WestMass, Winn Development, and the town.”

Westmass will sell Winn three acres of the mill property, with closing anticipated to take place at the end of December. The work should start in February, and the units should be complete and occupied by June 2017, Delude said, adding that the town has a backlog of 150 seniors seeking affordable housing, and this will help fill the gap.

“Winn will spend $19 million in 14 months, and we anticipate 300 new construction jobs; we’re pretty proud of this,” he continued.

In addition, the first phase of a 1.5 mile Riverwalk is complete and just opened to the public. It runs behind the mill property along the Chicopee River, features beautiful overlooks, and was a private project; HealthSouth contributed $600,000, and WestMass did the engineering, permitting, and other necessary work.

“We’re excited about the redevelopment of the mills and the partnership with the town, as well as the shared vision for the preservation of some of the buildings,” Delude said. “We’re on our way, and although the project is not near completion, $74 million has been invested in Ludlow Mills over the last four years. It’s a great start, and we hope to work with other developers to preserve things like the historic clock tower.”

But while Ludlow Mills continues to be the story in this community of 21,000, it is far from the only news.

There is a solid mix of residential and commercial development taking place, said Stefancik, adding that the town has a number of attractive selling points, including its reputation as a safe community, a relatively low tax rate, and many amenities, such as free limited trash pickup, a free van service for seniors, and its own ambulance service, which people can subscribe to for $40 annually and use as often as they need.

Together, these attributes make this an attractive community in which to live, work, and do business, its leaders say. For this latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest looks at how Ludlow intends to build on a current wave of momentum.

A Developing Story

Carmina Fernandes, chair of the Board of Selectmen, said the mills were the heartbeat of the town in their heyday, and the redevelopment is encouraging reinvestment within the community.

“The Iron Duke Brewing microbrewery moved into a mill building two years ago and is already expanding; they want to put in an outdoor patio near the Riverwalk,” she said, adding that the former Montelegre Restaurant on State Street, located across the street from HealthSouth, is under new ownership and has been renamed the Com e Cala-Te Restaurant. It’s owned by Pedro and Joe Fernandes (Carmina’s brothers), and since it reopened two months ago, it has been booked solid on weekend nights.

Those are are just a few of the many signs of progress in the community. Indeed, Stefancik said, additional residential development is taking place, and the town is continuing to grow in every respect.

Last year, HAPHousing completed a $7.4 million conversion of the Stevens Memorial Building into 28 affordable rental apartments for seniors. The three-story 23,760-square-foot building at 12 Chestnut St. was built in 1906 by the Ludlow Manufacturing Co. as a recreation facility for its employees. The town acquired it in 1949, and it was home to the Ludlow Boys & Girls Club until 2005.

“It’s a great project because it’s across from the senior center and near restaurants, the library, shops, the post office, and a number of mom-and-pop stores,” Stefancik said.

He added that, in addition to affordable housing, there has also been an uptick in the number of proposed subdivisions. Roughly 40 single-family lots were approved earlier this year as the second phase of a Parker Lane Extension project, with an estimated infrastructure cost of $1.5 million; a 19-lot subdivision extension on Cislak Drive with an infrastructure cost of $780,000 was just approved; and a definitive plan is expected late this month for 14 lots across the street from Cislak Drive on Maria’s Way.

“These homes will bring in additional tax dollars to the community,” Stefancik said. “It’s a positive sign when this much building is going on.”

However, commercial growth is also taking place.

The Cumberland Farms store on West Street is undergoing a $500,000 renovation, and the Planning Board approved a site plan and special permit for the East Street store, which will result in a new building that will help to further revitalize the street, Fernandes said.

Stefancik explained that the company purchased a former bar with two parking lots on East Street next to the existing store, which will be knocked down to make way for a new building.

It’s a project that was planned with community feedback, and is in line with the Board of Selectmen’s request that businesses seek input from neighbors when making changes. In this instance, the feedback led to an agreement to install a fence to block views of the store, additional landscaping, noise deflectors on the air-conditioning units, and glare-free lighting.

In addition, the Colvest Group has begun work on the former Mobil station property at 450-456 Center St. across from CVS. The firm received approval for two commercial buildings in April; one will have a drive-thru, and both can house up to three suites.

Growth is also taking place on Holyoke Street, where Black Diamond Development LLC just completed work on a new medical building.

Commercial investments are definitely on the rise, but Fernandes says town officials strive to balance residential and commercial growth. Still, the town is doing everything it can to make it easy to open a new business. Its permitting process went online in the last year, which helps the growing number of home-based firms.

“In the past, people had to go before the Planning Board, but we have eliminated that step,” Fernandes told BusinessWest. There is also a new computer screen outside the entrance to the Building Department which allows people to access information if they are closed, and Ludlow Community Television installed new technology on their website that allows viewers to look at presentations put before the Board of Selectmen.

Continued Progress

Everything being done falls in line with Ludlow’s master plan, which was approved last year.

“Ludlow is a great place to own a business, live, and play. It’s a vibrant town, and we were recently selected to be on Terry Bradshaw’s Communities of Distinction TV show because of our economic development and quality of life,” Fernandes said.

The hope is that Ludlow Mills will become the heart of the community once again as redevelopment efforts transform the property. “It’s in an ideal location and will become vibrant because it’s within walking distance of restaurants, storefronts, hairdressers, and many other businesses on the intersecting streets,” Fernandes said. “But the most wonderful thing is the symbiotic relationships that are being created with the town. There are a lot of things in the pipeline that are very exciting.”

Delude agreed. “We are proud of this project,” he said, “and it’s important to the community.”

Ludlow at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1774
Population: 21,103
Area: 28.2 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $17.29
Commercial Tax Rate: $17.29
Median Household Income: $57,803
Family Household Income: $71,601
Type of government: Town Administrator; Board of Selectmen; Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Hampden County House of Correction; Ludlow Public Schools; R & C Floral Inc.; Town of Ludlow; HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital
* Latest information available

Moving Forward from Chattanooga

Opinion

Editorial

Ron Littlefield, the former mayor of Chattanooga, said municipal leaders in Tennessee’s fourth-largest city haven’t been too proud to listen to others’ ideas — and steal them.

For example, in 1981, before launching a decades-long revitalization plan, Littlefield — then a city planner — and other officials visited Indianapolis to talk economic development, but also found inspiration in the recreational activities taking place along Indy’s White River. Once back at home, they launched efforts to promote recreation — kayakers, regattas, and the like — on the Tennessee River.

They weren’t done. A visit to Baltimore spurred the construction of the Tennessee Aquarium. The Creative Discovery Museum was inspired by children’s museums in Charlotte and Birmingham. And so on.

“We shamelessly stole things from all over, and we’re proud of it,” Littlefield said. “We tried to do it better than they did.”

That spirit of sharing — or stealing, as the case may be — is the driver behind City2City Pioneer Valley, a program that, every year or two, brings a host of Springfield-area leaders to a city with similar demographics and challenges; Chattanooga was the fourth such stop after visits, over the past several years, to Grand Rapids, Mich.; Winston-Salem/Greensboro, N.C.; and Allentown/Bethlehem, Pa.

And Chattanooga certainly had no shortage of ideas to chew on (see story, page 6), from its high-speed broadband network, which has drawn a number of high-tech businesses the city, to the way its public, private, and nonprofit sectors work closely together to fund projects; from its riverfront revitalization to its ambitious efforts to cultivate innovative startups. All have parallels to challenges the Pioneer Valley is facing.

So, what happens now?

That’s the big question, and one that has dogged the City2City program since its inception. The only initiative launched in Western Mass. as a direct result of a City2City visit is the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley, a Springfield-based program modeled after a similar initiative in Grand Rapids.

That’s about it. There has been plenty of talk about what Greater Springfield can do better, but little in the way of tangible changes based on these trips. That’s not to say the education, inspiration, and idea sharing that participants experience isn’t valuable; it certainly is. But what’s the next step?

After all, Springfield today has an underutilized riverfront, a waterway far cleaner than the polluted Tennessee River of the 1960s and 1970s, when efforts began to connect Chattanooga’s riverfront with its downtown district. Springfield faces the same type of manufacturing skills gap Chattanooga does, as well as similar challenges graduating students from underperforming schools.

To be fair, there are some lessons Chattanooga could take from Springfield, should their leaders ever come here. Connections between our region’s colleges and workforce-training organizations seem more robust than in Chattanooga, for instance. Leaders in Chattanooga seem hesitant to fully discuss the racial gentrification issues that beset their downtown neighborhoods. And healthcare drives economic development in far deeper ways in the Pioneer Valley than they do in Southeastern Tennessee.

It’s probably most accurate to say both cities have something to learn from each other. The challenge now, in Springfield and its environs, is to put into action what we’ve learned, and get to work turning this region into a destination officials from other cities will want to visit — and steal from.

In some respects, it’s already there.

Downtown Shows Power of Higher Ed

Opinion

Editorial

Let’s be realistic; Springfield will not become Boston, Worcester, or Cambridge — or even Northampton or Amherst, for that matter — when it comes to higher education and its impact on a community’s economy, culture, psyche, or anything else.

Springfield, while it has four colleges and a university conducting classes within its borders, is not, and probably never will be, what would be considered a college town. (Worcester isn’t one, either, really, but that’s another story.)

But while the City of Homes is not a college town, the colleges based within and just outside it have certainly been major contributors to the community’s overall health and well-being, in ways ranging from educating a workforce to providing significant buying power to adding cultural and entrepreneurial vibrancy.

But in recent years, the higher-education community is making a difference in another way — by bringing people, energy, brainpower (Mayor Sarno’s term), and additional vibrancy to the city’s central business district (see story, page 21).

There are now four schools with a downtown mailing address — Cambridge College, which arrived in 2012; Bay Path University (located in Longmeadow but founded in Springfield more than a century ago) in 2013; the University of Massachusetts, through its UMass Center at Springfield, in 2014; and Springfield College, which opened the doors to a small office in 1350 Main St. just a few weeks ago.

The size and scope of these facilities vary — UMass and Cambridge are conducting classes downtown, Bay Path has 40 employees and its American Women’s College based at 1350 Main St., and Springfield College has only a few small offices — but, together, it’s becoming somewhat of a force.

The phrase ‘education hub’ was used by some of those we spoke with, and that seems like an effective assessment of what is taking shape. Because of these schools and their facilities, there are now a least a few hundred more people in the downtown on a typical day than we saw before.

They’re buying lunches, coffee, and greeting cards, and thus helping existing businesses, while helping to create a critical mass that may inspire more retailers to consider downtown.

We shouldn’t expect a return to the days before the Fairfield and Holyoke malls were built and there were a number of thriving department stores along Main Street, but we should expect progress when it comes to creating an environment in which downtown can expect the residential and commercial growth that feed off one another.

In the meantime, this proliferation of higher education will likely stimulate more collaborative efforts between the schools, more internships involving city businesses, and more innovation and entrepreneurship.

Overall, this higher-education hub, if you will, equates to one decent-sized employer moving downtown, when it comes to additional bodies in the central business district, or feet on the street, as they say. But there is more to than that.

The colleges and universities do bring positive energy and momentum, and the promise of much more of both in the years to come.

As some of the administrators we spoke with noted, Hot Table in Tower Square is now open until 8 p.m. because of the students now taking classes in the building, and the lines at all eateries are longer.

We expect this to be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the overall impact of this education hub.

Disconnected Students Meet Success at Phoenix

Education Sections

A Second Chance

Angela Gonzalez and Eboni Lopez say Phoenix Academy Charter School in Springfield has helped them become successful.

Kayliana De La Cruz was quite candid as she talked about what her freshman year of school was like at Commerce High School.

“I had put a hard shell around myself and stopped caring,” said the 18-year-old from Springfield. “I kept everything inside; my face was like stone.”

Her attitude was reflected in her academic track record: she missed 100 out of 180 days and received horrible grades. “They kept me putting me in credit recovery, which meant sitting in front of a computer, and I just didn’t care,” she recalled.

Everything changed when a representative from Phoenix Academy Public Charter High School in Springfield gave a presentation at Commerce and her guidance counselor suggested she fill out an application.

She took the advice, albeit reluctantly. And although she initially found the stringent rules at Phoenix “really annoying,” today De La Cruz is — in her opinion and that of those around her — a much different person.

The transformation — very much still in progress — results from a combination of small classes, endless support, and the feeling of family generated within the school, which has has broken through her barriers and motivated her to succeed.

“Phoenix is a place where people rise from the ashes and get the chance to start again,” she told BusinessWest, as she wiped tears from her eyes and spoke about the help and personal attention that have led to her laudatory achievements.

“I’m a little softie now. I am doing really well. I’m running for student president, and I help a lot of other students,” she explained. “Everything is just coming naturally now.

“I passed the MCAS exam, and I really want to go to college,” she went on. “And if I see other students leaving the building, I tell them they better have a good excuse. Phoenix has made a real difference in my life. If I hadn’t come here, I don’t know where I would be right now.”

The teen’s high praise is mirrored in stories from other students who told BusinessWest they felt like failures and were ready to drop out before they found a safety net in the new downtown charter school, located within the Technology Park at Springfield Technical Community College.

“Our mission is to challenge students with rigorous academics and relentless support so they can recast themselves as resilient, self-sufficient adults in order to succeed in high school and beyond,” said Head of School Mickey Buhl.

He said the key to the school’s success is not just small classes, but the multi-faceted support and encouragement students receive from teachers so dedicated that many are there until 7 p.m. each night helping young people master their assignments.

“Their economic futures would be bleak without a high-school diploma, and our school creates an opportunity for them to move into a middle-class life; it’s our reason for being,” he said, adding that students cannot graduate from Phoenix until they have a letter of acceptance to a college, and groups have been taken to visit Boston University, Salem State University, UConn, Yale, and other institutions of secondary learning.

For this issue and its focus on education, BusinessWest goes inside the recently constructed walls of this unique facility to discover the reasons for its success and why it is worthy of the name on the door.

Network of Hope

The charter school, which opened its doors in September 2014 in temporary quarters, is part of the Phoenix network. Its first school was founded a decade ago in Chelsea; the second was an alternative public high school in Lawrence, which Phoenix was asked to run when the town went into receivership; and the third is its Springfield location, which serves students in Springfield, Chicopee, and Holyoke.

Students wear uniforms and are given a free Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus pass to get to school, where the day runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the exception of Fridays, when the hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We serve students ages 14 to 22 who need a second chance because they have not been successful in a traditional school,” said Buhl. “I was working today with a student who dropped out six years ago.”

He noted that many of these ‘scholars,’ which is the name given to all students, either left school or planned to due to continued failure and frustration.

Operations Director Angela Gonzalez is a graduate of Phoenix’s flagship school in Chelsea. She did well as a public high-school freshman, but lost interest in her sophomore year. Her mother was extremely strict, and once she discovered she could leave school or skip it entirely and they wouldn’t call her home, she began taking advantage of the newfound freedom.

That changed when a truant officer saw the teen on the streets. When she was taken back to school, she was told she would have to repeat the year because she had been absent 75 times, which meant she wouldn’t graduate with her class.

Gonzalez was referred to, and signed up for, Phoenix Academy, and although she had no plans to attend classes, a school official came to her house if she didn’t show up to change that equation.

“My mother would send him into my bedroom, and he told me I had 20 minutes to get up and get ready. And it worked,” she said, adding that the support she received and the knowledge that people cared so much about her was inspiring.

Mickey Buhl and Corey Yang say the support and personal attention scholars receive at Phoenix inspire them to achieve more than they thought possible.

“I could sit with the principal at lunch and share how I felt,” Gonzalez said, adding that the school’s leader was instrumental in keeping her on track when she got pregnant during January of her senior year.

“I thought I had ruined my life, but there was never any judgment — it was all about moving forward,” she recalled, adding that she is happy to be working at Phoenix, where she can give other students the same encouragement she enjoyed.

The school has a no-excuses policy, and Buhl said the staff has very high academic expectations. “We need the students to establish a new image and think of themselves as scholars,” he told BusinessWest, adding that society has labeled his students failures, and they feel that way when they arrive.

“But they do become scholars here; they are smart and have abilities and talents,” he noted. “Just because they have hard things knock them off track doesn’t mean they can’t achieve the same academic outcome as other students.”

By the Book

To meet that goal, classes are kept small by design, and many students stay after school for extra help. In addition, there is a voluntary Saturday session established by a teacher who conducts the sessions without pay.

“Our teachers really buy into the mission that we’re here to help students, and they are committed to helping them recast themselves as successful academically and personally,” Buhl said. “Our goal is to break through obstacles and change the scholar’s direction, and our teachers’ patience and extra effort are really remarkable. They invest heavily in their relationships with the kids.”

For example, many conduct home visits, even though it’s not required, and some go to appointments with students that range from court to counseling, while others take students shopping.

“We don’t succeed with every kid, but we do hold them to strict academic, behavioral, and attendance standards because we know they will have to overcome obstacles if they want to go to college and get a job to support themselves and their families,” Buhl explained. “They have to be resilient enough to overcome their pasts.”

He added that some students dropped out last year, but returned in the fall. “We tell them we will never lower our standards, but if they fail they can come back and try again.”

Community support also plays heavily into the equation.

“I have been a principal for 15 years in elementary, middle, and high school, and have never had support like this,” Buhl said. “There are at least 50 community agencies that we have partnered with to serve our scholars.”

They include organizations like the Young Parenting Program, the Department of Youth Services — some students are on probation or involved with the court system — and Springfield Public Schools. The latter works with Phoenix very effectively, and guidance counselors and principals frequently refer parents and their teens to the charter school.

Healthy Families is another nonprofit that connects with teachers and staff to coordinate services such as counseling, home support, and transportation. And the school has received a tremendous amount of help from STCC and the Technology Park.

“They’re a big reason why we are here; they wanted a school in this building, and the Technology Park has been integrally involved in our development,” Buhl said, explaining that, when Phoenix opened last year, classes were housed in a variety of rooms in the park while a building was renovated for it.

The school was completed in time for a September opening and includes its own day-care center, which is important because many students drop out because they get pregnant and have no one to watch their baby or children.

“We call it the Little Scholar Center,” Buhl said, adding that everyone in the school — staff, students, and the little scholars (if their parents choose) eat lunch together at the same time, which allows them to form close relationships.

Americorps volunteers also spend time at the school, tutoring students for the MCAS exams. And although staff members understand that the young people they are working with have a wide range of experiences, which can include being expelled or suspended from other schools, standards are rigid, and no exceptions are made.

Change of Heart

On a recent day, Anaeishly De Jesus sat in the principal’s office and proudly pulled an exam out of her book bag.

“I just got this back; it’s my history midterm, and I got an 89,” she said, wiping joyous tears from her eyes, as she spoke about her newfound academic success. “I’m getting A’s now. I was never like this before, but this school has changed me. I feel at home; the people are my family.”

It’s a far cry from where De Jesus was when she started at Phoenix; she cried bitter tears when she was told she was being sent to the charter school.

“I had been making bad choices, skipping classes, and disrupting teachers,” the 17-year-old said. “But I didn’t care because I was going to drop out.”

Anaeishly De Jesus and Kayliana De La Cruz say they are doing well in school thanks to the second chance Phoenix offered.

That changed as soon as she sat down in her first class at Phoenix. She felt comfortable and said the support since that time has been amazing. “If I do something bad, they don’t throw it in my face,” De Jesus noted, explaining, however, that students get demerits for things like chewing gum, having their phone out, or cursing.

“I didn’t ask for help at first, but my algebra teacher kept telling me she knew I could do the work,” she said. “I told her over and over that I couldn’t, but she insisted I could, and she sat down and showed me how.”

To her astonishment, she was able to follow the teacher’s instructions and completed the assignment.

“After that, I started finishing all my work, and also did my homework. It gives me energy to know that people actually care and want me to be successful in life,” she went on. “They give you a lot of chances here, and if you make a mistake, they still stand by your side. Kids can come here until they are 22, and you don’t get a GED; you get a real diploma.”

The belief that students can and will change if they are repeatedly encouraged and given another chance to do well is exemplified by Eboni Lopez, who transferred to Phoenix from Commerce High School.

“I used to skip classes, skip school, and was hanging out with the wrong crowd,” she said, adding she was going through some difficult life situations, which included being bullied.

She attended classes at Phoenix last year but remained unmotivated. However, this year, the 17-year-old has set ambitious goals for herself.

“I didn’t want to be here when I was 20, and knew I needed to change, so I put my foot down. I’m getting good grades, and my attendance is good now, too,” she said, adding that she is looking forward to graduating next year, enjoys playing soccer at school, and is interested in a career as an athletic trainer.

“I feel like I fit in this building,” Lopez said. “The people here push us to do everything we need to do. You have to meet the standards, and I don’t want to waste time. I am trying to get back on top.”

Corey Yang also attended Commerce before starting at Phoenix in September. At Commerce, he said, he was frustrated because he wasn’t making any progress and his teachers weren’t offering him extra help, even though he needed and wanted it.

The teen felt alone and unsupported, so he left school early each day or skipped it entirely, and was failing as a result. “I like learning new things, but I wasn’t getting anything out of school,” he told BusinessWest.

But that has changed since he entered Phoenix.

“I’ve met new people and am working hard,” he said, noting that he has attended the Saturday sessions because the teacher is a former wrestling coach and sets aside time for teens to wrestle under his supervision if they choose to do so, which Yang enjoys.

“I wanted to change and start trying; I wanted to see what would happen if I pushed myself,” he said.

And he has done exactly that, thanks to unprecedented support. “People want to help me with my work here and will also help get me into college,” the 16-year-old said, adding that his goal is to study computer engineering after graduation.

Expanding Opportunities

Last year, Phoenix accepted 125 students. This year, it has 175, and next year, it plans to accept 250 young people who need and want a second chance.

It’s a place where encouragement never ends. Twice a week there is a community meeting with the entire school body, and students and staff give each other shout-outs, recognize each other’s work with beads, and even publicly choose to apologize for inappropriate behaviors.

“Phoenix symbolizes rising after you have been burned, so students who have been kicked out of other schools always get a second chance here,” De La Cruz said. “To me, it’s a really amazing symbol.”

Tax Planning in Uncertain Times

Accounting and Tax Planning Sections

Inaction by Congress Leads to a Challenging Assignment

Kristina Drzal-Houghton

By KRISTINA DRZAL-HOUGHTON, CPA, MST

Year-end tax planning, which always brings its own challenges, has become even more burdensome this year due to the inaction of Congress on extending a host of expiring tax breaks, among other issues. But there are still a host of tax strategies that businesses and individuals can enact now while they wait for lawmakers to do their part.

Year-end tax planning for 2015 is particularly challenging because Congress has not yet acted on a host of tax breaks that expired at the end of 2014.

It is uncertain at this time whether the extender provisions will be extended by Congress on a permanent or temporary basis (and whether any such extension would be made retroactive). These extender provisions may be dealt with as part of a broader tax-reform effort. These tax breaks include, for individuals:

• The option to deduct state and local sales and use taxes instead of state and local income taxes;
• Educator-expense deduction;
• Deduction for mortgage-insurance premiums;
• Exclusion of gains on sale of small-business stock;
• Energy-efficiency tax provisions;
• Above-the-line deduction for qualified higher-education expenses;
• Tax-free IRA distributions for charitable purposes by those age 70 1/2 or older; and
• Exclusion for up to $2 million of mortgage debt forgiveness on a principal residence.

For businesses, tax breaks that expired at the end of last year and may be retroactively reinstated and extended include:

• A 50% bonus first-year depreciation for most new machinery, equipment, and software;
• Expanded Section 179 deduction;
• R&D tax credit;
• Section 179D energy-efficiency deductions for commercial buildings;
• Section 45L energy-efficiency credits for multifamily and residential developers; and
• The 15-year write-off for qualified leasehold-improvement property, qualified restaurant property, and qualified retail-improvement property.

TaxPlanningDPart It’s obvious that taxpayers across the spectrum are affected by these tax provisions. The delayed action on the part of Congress has left taxpayers with questions about how to proceed.

One might think we should be fully able to plan despite uncertainty. Remember, the tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 included sunset provisions, so these cuts began to expire at the end of 2010. Since then, they have been extended for one or two years at a time. On Dec. 17, 2014, the cuts were extended for the tax year 2014 and expired on Dec. 31, 2014.

Although the Senate Finance Committee has voted to extend the provisions for 2015, Congress will not address possible legislation until later in the year. Such action is anticipated, but what exactly can be concluded for this year is unknown at this point. This is not an insignificant item since the tax impact of these expired provisions is significant for millions of taxpayers.

There are those in Congress who hear the voice of the taxpayer and are attempting to address these issues sooner rather than later. There is also a contingent in the House that would make the tax cuts permanent.

The best advice for taxpayers at this point is to:

• Make good business decisions, regardless of the tax implications;
• Reject a strategy that is dependent on Congress extending these provisions;
• Be ready to act if the cuts are extended; and
• Keep in close communication with their CPA to stay abreast of any late-breaking tax developments.

If the continued uncertainty of tax breaks doesn’t have you aggravated enough, contacting the IRS for guidance has become more difficult because budget cuts have resulted in personnel layoffs and reduction in services. On the bright side, your chances of facing an IRS audit are greatly reduced.

Meanwhile, the IRS continues to send out computer-generated notices, usually from document-matching processes. Since IRS notices generated in this way are sometimes incorrect, you should consult your tax professional about the appropriate response.

Business Planning

If you’re a business owner, you are facing another year-end with more tax questions than answers.

One 2015 inflation adjustment applies to the small-business healthcare tax credit. This year the maximum credit is phased out based on the employer’s number of full-time equivalent employees in excess of 10 and the employer’s average annual wages in excess of $25,800, which was $25,400 in 2014.

Of course, a major unknown right now is whether Congress will restore expired tax provisions noted above retroactively to the beginning of 2015, providing some tax relief. Or will extender legislation get trapped somewhere between the Senate, the House, and the Oval Office?

You can’t stake the welfare of your business on possibilities, but there’s some evidence that many of the business tax provisions will be extended.

While you’re waiting for the outcome of the extenders, you need to proceed with your standard tax filings, making sure they are properly filed in a timely manner.

Important guidance to keep in mind is the recently issued U.S. Department of Labor clarification of the definition of an independent contractor, as opposed to an employee. If you are classifying workers as independent contractors to reduce your health-insurance obligations, your share of Social Security and Medicare payments, and unemployment taxes, tread carefully.

If you classify some of your workers as independent contractors who are actually employees, your business could be required to pay unpaid payroll taxes and interest and penalties. It could also be obligated to pay for employee benefits that your company didn’t previously provide, as well as federal penalties.

The basic guidance is an ‘economic realities test.’ In other words, how much control does your company have over the way workers perform their jobs? For example:

• Do the workers in question determine how they accomplish their task, or do you closely supervise them?
• Do they have other clients, or do they work full-time for you?
• Do they receive payment for each job, or do you pay them on your schedule?
• Do they own their own equipment and facilities, or does your company provide equipment, supplies, and office space?

These and other considerations are important in determining a worker’s status. If you have any questions, consult with your CPA about the proper classification of your workers to avoid additional taxes and penalties.

Individual Planning

For 2015, the personal and dependency exemptions were increased to $4,000, from $3,950 in 2014. The standard deductions for all filing statuses received a small boost of between $100 and $200 above the 2014 amounts.

The annual health flexible spending account (FSA) contribution limit increased by $50 to $2,550. Both employee and employer may contribute to this account, but the combined contribution may not be greater than the annual limit.

Taxpayers who have a health savings account under a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) have higher contribution limits this year of $3,350 per individual and $6,650 for a family. The HDHP’s out-of-pocket maximums of $6,450 per individual and $12,900 for a family and minimum deductibles of $1,300 per individual and $2,600 for a family are up somewhat from 2014.

A good tax strategy is to participate in your employer’s 401(k) plan. You may elect to contribute up to $18,000 this year before taxes, and the additional catch-up contribution for employees who are age 50 and above is $6,000. Refer to your employer’s plan to confirm that the catch-up contribution is permitted. These increased contribution limits also apply to 403(b) plans, most 457 plans, and the Thrift Savings Plan.

The IRA contribution limit was not raised in 2015. It is still $5,500, with an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution allowed for people 50 years of age or older.

But rules governing IRA rollovers have changed. As of 2015, you may make only one IRA-to-IRA rollover per year. This does not limit direct rollovers from trustee to trustee.

Whether the estate tax will be repealed is an unknown at this point. Currently, the estate-tax exemption is $5.43 million. Together, a married couple can pass an estate valued at $10.86 million to their heirs without paying federal estate tax because of the portability provision. Taxpayers will have to see what awaits them in 2016.

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Estate-tax planning is incredibly complex. It should be done in concert with a qualified financial adviser or CPA who specializes in estate- and gift-tax planning. You don’t have to be wealthy to engage in estate-tax planning. Middle-income couples have made mistakes in estate planning costing them thousands of dollars. Additionally, for Massachusetts, the minimum taxable estate is considerably lower than the federal amount.

Another inflation adjustment applies to foreign earned income. U.S. citizens and U.S. resident aliens who live abroad are taxed on worldwide income. If you worked outside of the U.S. this year, you may qualify for the foreign earned income exclusion, which means you may qualify to exclude from income for 2015 up to $100,800 of foreign earnings. This amount is adjusted annually for inflation. You may also exclude or deduct certain foreign housing amounts.

As most taxpayers are aware, federal tax law allows a deduction for charitable contributions made to qualified IRS tax-exempt organizations. Before making such contributions, however, you should become familiar with some of the laws and limitations on contributions so you can maximize the tax benefit of the deduction.

The contribution must be made by Dec. 31. A check mailed with a Dec. 31 postmark is acceptable. The organization cannot ‘hold the books open’ for a few days after the end of the year and credit those contributions to the year just ended.

There are limitations on the amount of charitable contributions that you may deduct. For individuals, the limit is 50% of adjusted gross income (AGI) or 30% of AGI if the donation is capital-gain property. Any excess may be carried over to future years.

Corporations are limited to deducting 10% of the corporation’s pre-tax net income. An S corporation carries the contribution to the individual shareholders’ returns, so they are not subject to the 10% limitation.

Beyond the laws and limitations discussed above, some strategies may be employed to maximize the benefit of the deduction. If your itemized deductions are near the amount of the standard deduction, you may wish to bunch contributions in a year in which the standard deduction amount has been exceeded.

In addition, if your AGI exceeds a threshold amount — for example, $309,900 for married filing jointly — your charitable deduction amount will be phased out to not less than 80% of the contribution. If you have unusually large income in a particular year, you may wish to defer your giving to another year to receive a greater benefit.

It is a good strategy to keep a running list of your charitable contributions so you can be prepared to speed up or delay any contributions to maximize your deductions. Along this same line, keeping tabs on your total income for the year, in case you will be subject to the phaseout provisions, will enable you to plan properly.

If you plan to contribute appreciated capital-gain property, you will achieve the maximum benefit if the property is long-term — property held for more than 12 months. You can normally deduct the fair market value of the contribution rather than the cost basis. If held for 12 months or fewer, the deduction is limited to the basis in the property.

Before making such a contribution, you should ascertain that the property does qualify for deduction of the fair market value and is, in fact, appreciated property.

Timing income and expenses can be an important tax-reduction strategy. As you consider your tax plan, determine whether you are likely to be subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT). The AMT’s function is to level taxes when income — adjusted for certain preference items — exceeds certain exemptions, but the tax rate applied to that income falls below the AMT rate.

Before deciding to accelerate or defer income and prepay or delay deductible expenses, you need to gauge the possible effect of the AMT on these tax-planning strategies. Having a number of miscellaneous itemized deductions, personal exemptions, medical expenses, and state and local taxes can trigger AMT. Our experience is that a vast number of taxpayers in Massachusetts and Connecticut pay the AMT tax as a result of the amount of real estate and state income tax they pay.

After analyzing your specific tax situation, if you anticipate that your income will be higher in 2016, you might benefit from accelerating income into 2015 and possibly postponing deductions, keeping the AMT threat in mind.

Individuals usually account for taxes using the cash method. As a cash-method taxpayer, you can deduct expenses when you pay them or charge them to your credit card. Expenses paid by credit card are considered paid in the year they are incurred.

In addition to charitable contributions discussed earlier, you should decide whether it would be beneficial for you to prepay the following expenses:

• State and local income taxes;
• Real-estate taxes;
• Mortgage interest;
• Margin interest; and
• Miscellaneous itemized deductions.

Taxpayers usually elect to itemize deductions only if total deductions exceed the standard deduction for the year. If itemized deductions are near the standard deduction amount, grouping these deductions in alternating years is often an effective tax-planning strategy. Bunching your deductions can be particularly advantageous for taxpayers with unreimbursed medical and dental expenses, who may deduct the amount in excess of 10% of AGI. For taxpayers age 65 or older, the percentage is 7.5%, but this exception is temporary, slated to expire after Dec. 31, 2016.

TaxPlanningGRAF1115B Also deductible are unreimbursed employee business expenses, tax-return-preparation fees, investment expenses, and certain other miscellaneous itemized deductions that together are in excess of 2% of AGI

Keep in mind that not only AMT, but the amount of itemized deductions you can claim on your 2015 tax return is reduced by 3% of the amount by which your AGI exceeds the threshold amount.

Taxpayers cannot lose more than 80% of the itemized deductions subject to the phaseout. And deductions for medical expenses, investment interest, casualty and theft losses, and gambling losses are not subject to the limitation.

Conclusion

The U.S. tax code is incredibly complex and can change rapidly, even though it may sometimes seem to be moving along at a snail’s pace. This complexity has given rise to more calls for simplification. For now, taxpayers must still live with the complexity and the changes, as simplification appears to be only a dream.

Although a majority of taxpayers have their taxes prepared by a professional, they are turning in larger numbers to self-prepared returns. Since the online program does the calculations, it seems to be an economical approach to preparing and filing taxes.

However, the program is no substitute for a qualified tax professional such as a CPA. Programs can calculate tax liability, but they cannot substitute for professional advice and guidance. As a CPA, I would equate it to watching a how-to video on YouTube and embarking on repairing my car.

With such complexity in the tax code, a CPA is better able to keep abreast of the changes and can prepare taxes in a manner that determines a taxpayer’s minimum legal tax liability. But minimizing tax liability started last week, last month, last year. Tax planning is a constant in today’s complex world.

Kristina Drzal-Houghton, CPA MST is the partner in charge of Taxation at Holyoke-based Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.; (413) 536-8510.

Now Is the Time for Conversations About Charitable Intentions

Accounting and Tax Planning Sections

Giving Advice

By HILLARY BURR, CPA, MST

Hillary Burr

While I can’t confirm the percentage of us that are procrastinators, I am comfortable assuming that, when it comes to year-end planning, that percentage skyrockets.
Understandably so, because this time of year is filled with travel, family, and holidays. For those reasons, now is the time to start thinking about year-end. This is particularly true if this will be a high-income year or if you are considering making larger charitable donations before year-end.
Here are some things to think about:

Get Your Advisors Talking
We often work with investment advisors, estate-planning attorneys and sometimes a client’s family office as a team. Each advisor brings a valuable piece to the table to assist in the decision-making process. Having a handle on how the current year compares to the prior year and the impact on your upcoming tax liability allows your tax preparer to take a team approach with you and any of your other financial and legal professionals in deciding what makes sense for the remainder of the year.
It also allows this team to combine estate planning with income-tax planning.

A Focus on Philanthropy
When you have a high-income year, this is a natural time to consider the benefit that year-end charitable contributions can have.
This could be from selling a business or large holding in your portfolio, a stock-option exercise, or maybe a significant bonus. Often, clients know the amount they are comfortable donating. Your tax professional’s role is in educating you and your team to structure those donations in the most tax-efficient way and to confirm the desired outcome has been achieved.
If you are planning on donating or gifting appreciated securities, have a conversation with your custodian as to when they stop accepting transfer requests. The deadlines can vary by custodian, so having the conversation earlier allows you to ensure that it can be acted upon, as opposed to waiting until the end of the year, when it may be too late to request these transactions.
If you are planning on donating real estate or tangible property, you’ll need time to obtain the proper valuations and get the legal documents in order, so the earlier the better.

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Consider a Donor-advised Fund
An excellent planning tool for charitable giving is a donor-advised fund (DAF). This allows you to take the deduction on your return for the contribution in the current year while allowing you to be thoughtful in your giving. For example, if you are able to give a large amount to a DAF in a high-earning year, you can give smaller amounts away to your favorite charities, keeping annual donations at a level you are comfortable with and allowing you to give the same amount to the charity in your lower-income years. This approach is particularly useful in the last earning years before retirement.
Donor-advised funds can also be used to meet required distributions from a private foundation and can serve as a good opportunity to get younger members of the family involved in charitable giving with the funds in the DAF.

Review of Carry-forwards
If you have larger donations made in previous years that are coming up on their five-year expiration, you may be able to utilize the carry-forward and delay the contribution to January, effectively moving it into the next tax year.
Similarly, if income can fluctuate, as we saw with late capital-gain dividends in 2014, consider whether it makes sense to create a little bit of a carry-forward with your donations and make sure you’re achieving as much tax minimization benefit as you can.

Don’t Miss Out
Not taking action until Dec. 31 can leave you open to changes in the law but could also move a deduction or planning opportunity out another year, meaning April 2017 before you see the benefit. n

Hillary Burr is a CPA and principal with Wolf & Co., an accounting firm in Springfield and Boston; (617) 428-5460; [email protected]

R.A. McCullough Builds Custom Homes to Match Lifestyles

Luxury Living Sections

Personal Space

Rick McCullough

Rick McCullough learned plenty of lessons from his father, who launched what is now a second-generation home-construction business 60 years ago — among them hard work, integrity, and an emphasis on personal relationships. It’s that hands-on quality of his work that McCullough counts among the most enjoyable aspects of his job — not to mention an economy that has shed some lean years and is roaring with new life as families once again invest in high-end, custom homes.

Richard McCullough runs a successful home-building company, but he still refers to it as “my dad’s business.”

That’s because he grew up around R.A. McCullough Inc. — the construction firm launched by his father during the 1950s — and, along the way, picked up plenty of inspiration and lessons for his future career as the second-generation president of this Longmeadow-based family business.

“He first sold houses for other builders as a Realtor, and as he looked at what people were building, he said, ‘I can do this, and I can do it better,’” McCullough told BusinessWest. “So he purchased some raw pieces of land and developed them, and just built the company from there over the decades.”

After he graduated from college in 1995, he went into his father’s business full-time.

“Before that, I was out in the field, doing the grunt work, but after college, I graduated to the office,” he said — a decision that wasn’t always set in stone. “My dad was this amazing businessman, builder, and developer, but I didn’t seriously consider it until I got older. During my college years, I began to see [construction] as a natural fit for me.”

As one of the region’s most prominent builders of high-end and custom residences — typically 3,000 square feet and up — McCullough says he enjoys the hands-on aspect of dealing with clients and helping them turn their design visions into reality.

“I love helping them make decisions around building custom homes,” he said. “And I find there’s less miscommunication when I’m hands-on. I don’t get that phone call saying, ‘so-and-so didn’t call me back; what’s going on?’ There are fewer surprises that way. But I really do enjoy every aspect of this business, everything that’s involved in building homes, from the design through the end result.”

For this issue’s focus on luxury living, McCullough talks with BusinessWest about the changing nature of what a custom home is — and why he enjoys keeping up with those changes.

Beyond the Floor Plan

Make no mistake, he explained — ‘custom’ has meant different things over the decades.

“For example, in the ’80s, bigger was better, and customizing didn’t mean quite what it does nowadays. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, there wasn’t a whole lot of custom millwork, for example, unless it was in the ultra-high end. People today are less concerned about size and more about quality, what goes into it, the finishes.”

Today’s home buyers seem more educated and sure of the touches they desire in a home. As he walked along Bridle Path Ridge in Somers, Conn., a small development of high-end homes his company developed, he explained that, while the exteriors reflect a consistent — but not copycat — look, the interiors are very different, based on their buyers’ preferences.

“The houses’ architecture matches — you can tell it’s the same builder — but they’re very different from each other,” he said. “I love the challenge of creating something different. Sometimes they’ll see a house next door to where they want one built, and they’ll say, ‘that’s what I want.’ Well, we can do that floor layout, but let’s do something unique and something that won’t be a carbon copy of your neighbor.”

Those differences encompass everything from materials to finishes to subtle stylistic changes. “We can mix it up a little bit without going crazy — we’re not going to build a contemporary next to a colonial. It’s a different flavor while staying in the same realm of style.”

As for interior layout, customization today is largely a reflection of the family’s lifestyle.

“It’s really about customizing to an owner’s needs,” he said. “Where is the focus? It’s normally still through the kitchen, through the family room, areas where you spend the vast majority of the time, for ease of entertaining. Or you might want areas for a child to be close to the main part of the house, but have their own separate area.”

Home buyers are always going to focus on price — a home is likely their biggest investment — but McCullough said square footage doesn’t tell the whole story.

“Plenty of people say, ‘what’s the price per square foot,’ but what’s in the house? People think going from 3,500 to 2,500 square feet translates very easily from a cost-per-square-foot standpoint, but if you’re spending, say, 175 per square foot on a 3,500-square-foot home and you want to go to a smaller footprint, you’ll probably have the same size kitchen, same number of bathrooms, same finishes — so you’re going to spend more money per square foot.”

Particularly in the high-end housing market, he added, it’s important to keep an eye on a home’s future marketability. “You say you want only three bedrooms. Well, at least leave space to have a fourth bedroom — over the garage, unfinished. Marketability-wise, that adds a little value for the next person who’s going to buy it down the road.”

Priorities have shifted somewhat for homeowners in the realm of energy efficiency, McCullough said, noting that airtight construction and energy options like geothermal heating are becoming more popular.

He also noted that technology has impacted the features that high-end homebuyers are looking for today — and not just in the realm of home entertainment.

“People want things to be automated now; they want their lighting systems working off their smartphones. Controlling your heating and cooling from outside your home — that’s a relatively new thing in our industry, and you can’t underestimate that part of the business and how much that will grow.”

Bridle Path Ridge in Somers, Conn. is one of McCullough’s recent developments of high-end, custom homes.

That goes for retrofitting existing homes as well, he added, a process made easier these days by the emergence of wireless technology.

“Cable companies are offering security systems — 20 years ago, you wouldn’t have guessed that would be happening. We have complete home automation … lights, thermostat, cameras you can view on a smartphone,” he went on. “There are so many apps, so many security systems. And it’s evolving so fast. Once you get these systems installed, things will change even more. It happens quickly.”

Ups and Downs

With the homebuilding industry on the upswing, McCullough is happy the recession years are well behind.

“That was an incredible challenge, and something that definitely left a mark on every developer, builder, and remodeler. Some fared better than others, but it was a rough recession,” he said, adding that it was difficult to tell when the tough times would end, challenging developers who wanted to time their investments.

“If a developer saved money throughout the recession, they might have been able to pick up properties, be opportunistic as they prepared for a turnaround, but the turnaround took longer than we thought. Developers were thinking, ‘we’ll have another year or two of this,’ but it lasted a little longer,” he explained. “There’s no book to go to on how to play it. It changed our industry somewhat, and hopefully we don’t forget the lessons of what we went through.”

As a recent past president of the Home Builders & Remodelers Assoc. of Western Mass. — an organization that advocates for contractors on the legislative level and educates consumers about companies and services — McCullough was in regular contact with builders during the extended downturn and came away impressed by their resilience.

“Everyone kept their heads up, even though it was obviously tough,” he said. “It’s a tough industry. We all know it. But our membership has significantly increased recently, which tells you where the economy is.”

The word he chose to describe the current mood? “Euphoric.”

“The market hasn’t fully recovered; we may not reach the level of the early to mid-2000s, when things were flying. But it was so bad for so long, and everything is good right now, in my mind — everything from existing home sales to remodeling to new construction.”

That’s partly because many potential buyers were just waiting out the storm but never ditched their plans for a new residence.

“A lot of people doing that work now had the money to do it, but had a lot of uncertainty — ‘will I get my investment back if I spend a premium on a major remodel or a new home?’ You don’t do that unless you have some view of the future that’s positive. It’s been great getting back into the swing of things after so long a downturn.”

The year has been so positive for the industry, in fact, that even the cold months will be productive in many corners.

“I normally see the vendors and the subcontractors I work with go into seasonal adjustments, down periods heading into winter,” McCullough said. “But people are staying busy through the holidays. Not everyone believes contractors work through the holidays because of the frozen ground, and they wonder whether that’s a good time to have something done. But it’s busier now than it’s been in years.”

Two Hats

McCullough’s father continued to work in real estate in the ’70s, at a good-sized brokerage firm called McCullough & Taft Realty — a tradition the junior McCullough continues today as a real-estate agent at Keller Williams Realty in Longmeadow.

“I’ve been a real-estate agent, where I’m helping a client negotiate with a builder, and I look over the specifics of the contract. It’s an interesting perspective, being more on the outside.”

But there’s something special about being on the construction side.

“I love being hands-on and engaged in every aspect of the project; that’s something I enjoy,” he said, noting that, even though the company has fluctuated in size over the years, he’s always stayed closely involved in projects — an emphasis on relationships he learned from his father.

“My dad was so honest and straightforward,” McCullough said. “I’ve told people he was no rocket scientist, but he worked hard, and his integrity was at the forefront of everything he did. And that’s the way I choose to follow. In the old days, everything was done on a handshake, and it’s nice to feel like we can do that in certain circumstances.”

That’s why he tells people R.A. McCullough is his father’s business.

“To me, it’s more about maintaining the same standards he had. That definitely builds the passion with me — wanting people to be happy, wanting people to have a good experience. It’s definitely not about the money. It’s about everything my dad stood for.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

As Economy Improves, RV Popularity Soars

Luxury Living Sections

Rolling Along

RV trailer Stock

Chris Adams says the reasons behind a resurgence in recreational-vehicle sales are obvious.

“The economy is getting better, and gas prices are going down quite a bit. The industry is way up,” said Adams, a member of the Pioneer Valley 8 chapter of the North American Family Campers Assoc., and co-chairman with his wife, Trudi, of the upcoming 2016 Camping & Outdoor Show at the Eastern States Exposition.

The statistics back up that assessment. According to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Assoc. (RVIA), RV shipments in 2015 are expected to top 365,000 units, which would be the highest total since 2006, and the sixth consecutive year of growth since sales bottomed out in 2009, the low point of the Great Recession.

But RV popularity isn’t only a recent phenomenon driven by economic winds. According to the RVIA, motorhome ownership has reached record levels, with more than 9 million households in the U.S. now owning an RV, the highest level ever recorded. That figure marks a 16% increase since 2001 and a 64% jump since 1980.

Marc LaBrecque has experienced the entire spectrum of that growth. He started servicing, then selling, towable RVs in 1973, at Minuteman RV in Chicopee. Today, he’s the owner of Diamond RV Center in West Hatfield, the region’s largest motorhome dealer, and a business reaping the benefits of not only a surge in sales, but growing demographic diversity among buyers.

“In 2004 or 2005, you could pinpoint the fifth-wheel buyer by age — 62 to 72,” he said, referring to a towable RV that connects to the rear axle of a pickup truck. “That’s really changed. That demographic starts now at 30 and goes to 70.”

Meanwhile, big-dollar motorhomes, the kind that don’t need towing, have become more popular with the 45- to 60-year-old demographic, when they were once dominated by older buyers.

“It’s getting much younger — probably because 20-year payments are available,” LaBrecque noted. “It’s almost like getting a mortgage on your home. You can get into a nice, new motorhome for $125,000, and that payment could be $600 or $650 a month.”

Still, he went on, “our bread and butter is still our travel trailers. You can get a nice travel trailer in the $25,000 to $35,000 range and have a payment about $250 a month — that’s affordable for many people.”

Smart Investment

That affordability has drawn growing numbers of Americans looking for a more outdoor-oriented style of vacation, and perhaps new friendships, as regular campers tend to form bonds and meet up on weekends.

“It’s a nice way to just get away from the hustle and bustle of the work week and kind of kick back and relax,” said Adams, who has owned RVs for more than 20 years.

In a Harris Interactive survey on the benefits of RV ownership, experiencing nature and outdoor activities and enjoying quality family time topped the list. Owners also said they’ve built stronger bonds with loved ones, eat healthier food on the road, and enjoy sleeping their own beds and using their own bathroom facilities.

There may be financial benefits as well. A vacation cost comparison prepared last year by PKF Consulting USA showed that a family of four can save 27% to 62% on vacation costs by traveling in an RV, even when factoring in ownership costs and fuel. For a two-person traveling party, savings are 11% to 48%.

In addition to vacation travel, RV owners use them for tailgating, travel with pets, business, and to participate in outdoor sports and other leisure activities. As for vacation time, the survey indicates that owners lean toward shorter trips closer to home — enjoying campgrounds rather using up fuel and time on the road. More than 90% of RVers take three or more mini-vacations per year, choosing from more than 16,000 campgrounds nationwide.

Chris Adams says RV enthusiasts may prefer different types of vehicles, but they bond through their mutual love of camping.

For this style of vacation, fuel prices would have to nearly triple over current levels to make RV trips more expensive for a family of four than other forms of travel. “While fuel costs are a component of the overall vacation cost, fluctuations in fuel prices aren’t significant enough to affect a family’s decision of whether or not to take RV trips over other types of vacations,” said Kannan Sankaran, PKF’s lead researcher for the study.

It helps, Adams, that motorhome enthusiasts have many price points to choose from.

“It’s a large spectrum,” he told BusinessWest. “A family that’s just starting out, or that may not have a lot of money, may want to start with a pop-up camper or just get out there with a tent. It goes all the way up to people who are retiring and buying the big-dollar motorhomes with all the luxuries. There’s a huge variety all depending on where you are in life.”

LaBrecque said he started selling Newmar motorhomes — a high-end line, costing $250,000 and up — about two years ago. “We’re doing a pretty good job with the $400,000 Dutch Stars — 40- to 43-foot, diesel motorhomes with ceramic tile floors, cherry cabinets, high-end stuff. That market has come alive. It makes Diamond more of a destination point.”

RV SalesChart1115b According to the RVIA, manufacturers, recognizing the growing diversity of RV owners, are focused on offering products with an optimal mix of size, amenities, and price, including budget-friendly options like lightweight trailers and smaller, fuel-efficient motorhomes. Technologies such as solar panels and energy-efficient components are showing up on more models as well, to appeal to users with a bent toward going green.

LaBrecque said he’s selling more high-end models than ever to people who aren’t yet retired but are looking down the road to a luxurious mode of recreation.

“A lot of these guys have done OK in business, but were pushed into a corner” by the Great Recession, he explained. “They worked hard for the last 10 years to get through this stuff, not spending money. But now, things are OK, and they’re thinking, ‘I can afford to do this. My family suffered through the recession; let’s do it.’”

Whatever the level of luxury an RV owner prefers (or can afford), “once you get out camping with other people, you all have that in common,” Adams said, citing his own experiences with members of Pioneer Valley 8. “In our group, we treat it like a family; we all know each other. Everyone is friendly. If someone is having trouble with their motorhome, people stop and help them. We all relate to each other.”

Showtime

These days, Adams and his wife are focused on chairing the annual Camping & Outdoor Show, a year-round task that heats up as the event approaches; the couple have been spending at least 10 to 12 hours a week on coordinating all the moving parts that will draw hundreds of vehicles and thousands of enthusiasts to the Big E on Feb. 12-15.

“Everything is put on by volunteers,” he said. “It’s a lot of work. It definitely would be a lot easier if it was a job with a salary, and you could focus on if eight or hours a day. But we’re all volunteers. It’s a pretty large undertaking.”

The show’s popularity seems secure, as analysts at research firm TechNavio estimate that North American RV sales will continue to grow at more than 8% per year, on average, through 2019. With buyers in the 35-to-54 age group now the largest segment of owners, according to a University of Michigan study, industry prospects seem secure. And no one is counting out the Baby Boomers, retiring with, in many cases, large nest eggs.

“This has made our advertising so hard to do,” LaBrecque said. “In the old days, we would hit country-western stations, the NASCAR people. Now, there’s such diversity. And with fuel prices down, so many people are buying SUVs again, and they have that tow trailer.”

In short, RV sales keep rolling along.

“The good economy is just getting started,” LaBrecque told BusinessWest. “I’m hoping we’ll be on a roll for awhile.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Communicating IT

Sections Technology

How Come the Message So Often Gets Lost in Translation?

By STEVE SHAW

Steve Shaw

Most companies and organizations do an admirable job when it comes to communicating with employees. That rumored merger, those pending layoffs, a change in leadership, or implementation of a new health plan are the classic reasons for reaching out and touching someone in the cubicle down the hall.

So, how come the message from the IT department often gets lost in translation?

Technology can be a scary thing, and oftentimes, it’s treated that way. The IT department is happy to be left alone to its bits and bytes, while the communications department says, “just let us know when we’re going to be down for maintenance or need to teach people how to use that new software.”

That way of thinking is no longer valid in today’s technology-driven economy.

According to the global professional services company Towers Watson, companies with highly effective internal communications had 47% higher total returns to shareholders versus companies with the least effective internal communications programs over the last five years.

A Gallup poll says 70% of U.S. employees are not engaged and that disengaged employees cost our economy $450 to $550 billion a year in lost productivity. The Work Foundation, a U.K.-based, nonprofit think tank, says organizations that increase practices related to engagement by just 10% increase profits by an average of $2,400 per employee per year. Do I have your attention now?

One of our healthcare clients, a mid-sized hospital system with 12,000 employees, is implementing a new hyper-converged infrastructure, totally revamping its approach to networking, data storage, and computing. This two-year effort comes at a time when hospitals, mandated by the federal government to adopt expensive electronic health record (EHR) systems, are asked to do more with fewer resources.

The new infrastructure will do that, cutting datacenter construction costs by millions and allowing the IT department to become faster and more efficient. They’ll even be able to monetize their new technology investments by offering services to the outside world. But that’s what’s in it for IT. What about the doctors, nurses, and administrators who just want to be able to access their work data from any device, anytime, from anywhere?

We recommend beginning the communications process by putting yourself in your customer’s head. They want the software they depend on to do their jobs to be available whenever they need it. They have little sympathy for outages, maintenance windows, and the availability of a technician to fix an issue when it arises. In most cases, they have little concern for operating systems, storage hardware and software, or data-center design.

Go HERE for a chart of area telecom/voice/data providers

In that case, IT communications to an organization should come down to answering three basic questions.

• What are you doing and why? Use metaphors and real-life examples to put the answer into an easily relatable context. Try something like this: “why are we implementing a new network infrastructure? Think about how much data we all produce, share, and store each year. If you printed it all out, the paper alone would fill an 80,000-seat football stadium. Now, think about the secure network needed to handle that information, the machines needed to store it safely, and the system needed to protect it all in the event of a natural disaster. That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

• How does the technology directly benefit the ability of people to do their jobs? Eliminate the jargon. The people who know the difference between ESX and Hyper-V will seek you out if they want to get technical. Your message? “Our new network will practically eliminate outages, support service times will improve dramatically, maintenance windows will go away, and if a piece of hardware fails, our backup kicks in immediately with virtually no interruption.” People generally don’t need to know how it works. They just want to know how it affects them. Resist the temptation to explain further.

• What do I need to do now? Be specific, but be reassuring. People customize their desktops and develop their own unique way of working. They also feel that, just when they finally get the handle on how to access the ‘E’ drive and navigate to where their data is stored, someone in IT decides to perform an upgrade that has them throwing a shoe at their computer screen. Sympathize. Produce easy-to-read checklists, develop logical implementation schedules, and communicate on a regular basis when things change. A single e-mail won’t do the trick.

The bottom line when it comes to communicating IT initiatives is this: you’re asking people to change (sometimes in a big way). There’s natural resistance to it, and it takes time. Don’t just tell them what, when, and why. How it will make their life easier is most important. Don’t be afraid to ask for input. You know what you want people to do. You just want to get them to think it was their idea.

You can’t communicate too much if the message is relevant and substantial. You can communicate too much if it’s overly technical and isn’t easy to internalize. Finally, choose your vehicle wisely. A one-time e-mail or fancy newsletter may find its way to the “I’ll read it later” file. Be creative. A mixture of written communication, live events, and interactive forums are critical for long-term buy-in.

Remember, IT is highly technical, but it’s not rocket science. Don’t confuse communicating the end result with a need to tell people how you got there.

Steve Shaw has spent more than three decades in the marketing and communications industries as a television reporter, production agency founder, and multi-media network executive. He is the vice president of Marketing and Communications for Holyoke-based VertitechIT, a business and healthcare IT networking and consulting firm; [email protected]

Building Permits

Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of October 2015.

AGAWAM

Dunkin Donuts
38 North Westfield St.
$8,000 — Foundation only

Hope Community Church
152 South Westfield St.
$25,000 — Remodel three existing restrooms

Verizon Wireless
491 Mill St.
$158,000 — Construct a 100-foot telecommunications tower

AMHERST

57 East Pleasant St., LLC
57 East Pleasant St.
$172,000 — Tenant fit up of previously unoccupied space

Barbara Mantovani
163 Sunderland Road
$15,000 — Replace hood for commercial kitchen

Sixty-Nine Ninety-One Main St. Inc.
85 Main St.
$8,000 — Storefront remodel

CHICOPEE

Hebron, LLC
153 Grove St.
$4,000 — Repair drywall damage

Meadow Street Partners
307 Meadow St.
$141,000 — Addition of angle braces and flat plate reinforcement

GREENFIELD

American Legion
7 Legion Ave.
$850,000 — Renovate existing building into new dispensary facility with elevator

Erin Miner
469 Bernardston Road
$8,000 — Replace shingles

PDV Inc.
278 Main St.
$14,000 — Interior renovations

Robert Cohn
117 Main St.
$65,000 — New roof

LUDLOW

Fletcher Sewer & Drain
824 Perimeter Road
$28,000 — New roof

Ludlow Country Club
Tony Lema Dr.
$38,000 — Re-shingle roof

NORTHAMPTON

Cooley Dickinson Hospital
30 Locust St.
$137,000 — New roof

Eric Lucentini
36 Main St.
$25,000 — Renovate legal offices

Jackson Street School
120 Jackson St.
$43,000 — Construct new concrete landings and ramp

Northampton Parking Garage
85 Hamden Ave.
$178,000 — Concrete repairs

PALMER

Baystate Wing Hospital
40 Wright St.
$82,000 — Renovations

Jane Alden
1069 Main St.
$17,000 — Replace roof

WESTFIELD

1144 Southampton Road, LLC
1144 Southampton Road
$15,000 — Renovate space for new salon

Cargill, Inc.
163 Union St.
$22,000 – Repair walls at rear of building

City of Westfield
59 Court St.
$82,500 — Renovation of vault located in city clerk’s office

Continental Cablevision
1116 East Mountain Road
$61,000 — Updating finishes

Pioneer Valley Baptist Church
265 Ponders Hollow Road
$57,000 — Install new sprinkler system

Pioneer Valley Military & Transport
110 Airport Road
$87,000 — Construct storage building

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

83 Bird Hill Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $517,500
Buyer: Joan L. Gemme
Seller: Olaf J. Thorp
Date: 10/14/15

BERNARDSTON

6 Burrows Tpke.
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $127,900
Buyer: Anthony E. Demarco
Seller: Rath, Helen M., (Estate)
Date: 10/09/15

84 Church St.
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Johan D. Livingstone
Seller: Olsen, George, (Estate)
Date: 10/08/15

535 Fox Hill Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Gary A. Hanson
Seller: Christopher Roberts
Date: 10/01/15

40 Shedd Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Roger Hughs
Seller: Jonathan M. Kopera
Date: 10/02/15

BUCKLAND

104 Ashfield Road
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $468,332
Buyer: Benjamin J. Hay
Seller: Joseph G. Schmidt
Date: 10/16/15

CONWAY

197 Williamsburg Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $142,800
Buyer: Nancy Goldsmith
Seller: Robert D. Herfurth
Date: 10/13/15

284 Williamsburg Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Brian W. Culver
Seller: Harry Culver
Date: 10/16/15

DEERFIELD

47 Sawmill Plain Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Dennis C. Lake
Seller: Chuen U. Chu
Date: 10/01/15

GREENFIELD

50 Allen St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Alden H. Dreyer
Seller: Thomas H. Dion
Date: 10/09/15

36 Brookside Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $229,900
Buyer: Kimberly A. Storey
Seller: David R. Norris
Date: 10/16/15

52 Chapman St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $640,000
Buyer: PRB LLC
Seller: Mohawk Properties LLC
Date: 10/01/15

92 High St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Clifford W. Andrew
Seller: Roger Hughs
Date: 10/02/15

24 Leyden Woods Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $9,454,551
Buyer: New Leyden Woods 1 LP
Seller: TCB Leyden Woods LP
Date: 10/16/15

14 Oak St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Linda J. Blake
Seller: Pamela S. Kelly FT
Date: 10/09/15

93 Sanderson St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $204,000
Buyer: Jonah A. Keane
Seller: Larry S. Sherman
Date: 10/16/15

259 Silver St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Shawn S. Kelsey
Seller: Henry S. Hardy
Date: 10/16/15

155 Wells St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $141,000
Buyer: James C. Rae
Seller: Robert P. Bourke
Date: 10/05/15

LEVERETT

53 Amherst Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $238,000
Buyer: Ashley E. Starsiak
Seller: Jane W. Taupier
Date: 10/09/15

331 Long Plain Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $237,500
Buyer: Jennifer Thornton
Seller: Kelly Norris
Date: 10/14/15

LEYDEN

22 Stephen Lane
Leyden, MA 01301
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Brannon D. Pratt
Seller: Johan D. Livingstone
Date: 10/08/15

MONTAGUE

16 Bridge St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Element Properties LLC
Seller: D. C. Curcija
Date: 10/01/15

483 Federal St.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $136,500
Buyer: William Aubrey
Seller: Debra L. Franklin
Date: 10/05/15

18 Highland St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $192,900
Buyer: Jonathan M. Kopera
Seller: Joel C. Tognarelli
Date: 10/02/15

262 Millers Falls Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $2,060,000
Buyer: Hillside Plastics Inc.
Seller: Richard G. Haas RET
Date: 10/15/15

268 Montague City Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: Scott A. Keldun
Seller: Robert A. Depalma
Date: 10/09/15

8 Norman Circle
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $208,500
Buyer: Stanley S. Gochinski
Seller: Patricia A. Pelletier
Date: 10/01/15

75 Turnpike Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $164,679
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Terry G. Lovett
Date: 10/14/15

ORANGE

9 Adams St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Eric M. Isrow
Seller: John Tulloch
Date: 10/02/15

45 Fountain St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Joseph A. Leduc
Seller: William M. Golding
Date: 10/02/15

15 Oaklawn Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Leo P. Melanson
Seller: Lawton, Elwyn T., (Estate)
Date: 10/15/15

SHELBURNE

16 Main St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $273,000
Buyer: Peter R. Allard
Seller: Philip Kass
Date: 10/08/15

42 South Maple St.
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Sweetheart Realty LLC
Seller: Mauricia Alvarez RET
Date: 10/05/15

SHUTESBURY

473 Wendell Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Debra L. Blakeman
Seller: Patricia A. Dempsey
Date: 10/09/15

SUNDERLAND

49 Garage Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $161,000
Buyer: Daniel Scott
Seller: Bryant E. Benson
Date: 10/08/15

WARWICK

1055 Orange Road
Warwick, MA 01378
Amount: $121,000
Buyer: Robert Rivers
Seller: Edwin R. Witherell
Date: 10/15/15

WHATELY

17 Laurel Mountain Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Paul Duga
Seller: William S. Laidlaw
Date: 10/15/15

305 Long Plain Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $208,500
Buyer: Walter A. Piekarski
Seller: Stephen Pielock
Date: 10/01/15

4 Sandy Lane
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $810,000
Buyer: Town Of Whately
Seller: Western Massachusetts Regional Library System
Date: 10/05/15

424-C State Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $720,000
Buyer: Old State Road LLC
Seller: CCMS Development Co. LP
Date: 10/16/15

1 Sugarloaf St. Ext.
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Maureen S. Heon LT
Seller: Kathleen A. Dunn
Date: 10/09/15

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

15 Allison Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Nadia R. Garvey
Seller: Richard J. Zina
Date: 10/16/15

51 Belvidere Ave.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Patricia L. Tencati
Date: 10/07/15

80 Bradford Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $237,797
Buyer: HSBC Bank
Seller: Michelle M. Bryant
Date: 10/13/15

62 Carmen Ave.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Brian T. Beaver
Seller: Anthony S. Grasso
Date: 10/15/15

36 Country Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Joel D. Barlar
Seller: George T. Hudson
Date: 10/02/15

11 Herbert P. Almgren Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $620,000
Buyer: Eurofins Spectrum Analytics
Seller: Spectrum Analytical Inc.
Date: 10/07/15

551 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Zahoor U. Haq
Seller: Timothy Driscoll
Date: 10/15/15

17 Merrill Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Nicholas M. Preston
Seller: Hazel A. Egan
Date: 10/16/15

85 Monroe St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $269,900
Buyer: Jacob G. Dushane
Seller: Sandra E. Urbanski
Date: 10/08/15

57 Riverview Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: John P. Kilpatrick
Seller: Timothy J. Murphy
Date: 10/06/15

22 Scherpa St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $151,900
Buyer: Dmitri Constantinov
Seller: FNMA
Date: 10/09/15

830 Silver St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $1,000,000
Buyer: Eurofins Spectrum Analytics
Seller: Spectrum Analytical Inc.
Date: 10/07/15

56 Tom St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Steven A. Montagna
Seller: Karen R. Mezzetti
Date: 10/14/15

20 Westview Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Shannon L. Church
Seller: Deborah A. Marini
Date: 10/01/15

BRIMFIELD

35 3rd St.
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Tammy L. Chase
Seller: Warren H. Kenyon
Date: 10/16/15

90 Oakwood Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $182,017
Buyer: Bank of America
Seller: John L. Hastings
Date: 10/14/15

CHICOPEE

14 Bardon St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Israel Vargas
Seller: CRA Holdings Inc.
Date: 10/02/15

54 Beaudry Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Valerie I. Laplante
Seller: Paul E. Brissette

17 Cambridge St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Matthew S. Valentine
Seller: Denis, Lillian B., (Estate)
Date: 10/05/15

61 Chester St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $279,668
Buyer: Bank Of New York
Seller: Mark A. Soto
Date: 10/06/15

223 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Lindsey S. Quinones
Seller: Fallon M. Saldo
Date: 10/09/15

295 College St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Roger A. Laplante
Date: 10/02/15

19 Debra Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $207,500
Buyer: Ethem Ozturk
Seller: FNMA
Date: 10/14/15

27 Frink St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $142,500
Buyer: Dawn Presz
Seller: Denis D. St.Laurent
Date: 10/01/15

29 Grove Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $885,000
Buyer: 91 East Park Inc.
Seller: 18 Piece Chicopee LLC
Date: 10/07/15

120 Labelle Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $216,000
Buyer: Marek Skora
Seller: Linda A. Boucher
Date: 10/02/15

24 Langevin St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: Alexander T. Devik
Seller: Ronald J. Cormier
Date: 10/09/15

41 Lawndale St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Michael D. Winnie
Seller: Peter J. Lawrence
Date: 10/05/15

118 Leona Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Muriel J. Leone
Seller: Robert W. Gruszczynski
Date: 10/08/15

264 Mandalay Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Jamie M. Buiso
Date: 10/01/15

89 Mathieu Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Zahra Younes
Seller: Robert J. Jolicoeur
Date: 10/07/15

175 Murphy Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $179,500
Buyer: Scott K. Larose
Seller: Michael A. Blake
Date: 10/16/15

28 Oakwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Patrick M. Martin
Seller: Andrew T. Grybko
Date: 10/13/15

70 Orchard St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $885,000
Buyer: 91 East Park Inc.
Seller: 18 Piece Chicopee LLC
Date: 10/07/15

75 Quartus St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Philippe G. Tobin
Seller: Martin S. Niemiro
Date: 10/08/15

126 Royal St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $124,000
Buyer: Erin Bishop
Seller: MHFA
Date: 10/01/15

500 Sheridan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Mark J. Dion
Seller: Stephen G. Theroux
Date: 10/08/15

143 Skeele St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $151,250
Buyer: CIG 2 LLC
Seller: Alan R. Kwasnik
Date: 10/09/15

210 Stebbins St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $885,000
Buyer: 91 East Park Inc.
Seller: 18 Piece Chicopee LLC
Date: 10/07/15

102 Winthrop St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Wilmington Savings Fund Society
Seller: Albert Adomako
Date: 10/02/15

EAST LONGMEADOW

11 Betterly Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Mark Suse
Seller: Aaron J. Gilbert
Date: 10/02/15

169 Brookhaven Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Brendan Kavanagh
Seller: Dana R. Bean
Date: 10/02/15

78 Colony Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Rudolf J. Wengjen
Seller: Louis F. Arborio
Date: 10/07/15

48 Glynn Farms Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $400,700
Buyer: Kevin G. Wood
Seller: David J. Nadeau
Date: 10/09/15

41 Rural Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $291,000
Buyer: Paul Giguere
Seller: Longtin, Doreen D., (Estate)
Date: 10/16/15

GRANVILLE

157 Hartland Hollow Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Elizabeth J. Gouthier
Seller: Richard C. Hasko
Date: 10/09/15

HAMPDEN

379 Glendale Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Andrew H. Pillard
Seller: Tippett, Thomas M., (Estate)
Date: 10/07/15

93 Somers Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $151,203
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Steven B. Roulier
Date: 10/09/15

HOLLAND

257 Mashapaug Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: John I. Mitchell
Seller: Francis A. Laplante
Date: 10/09/15

5 Pine Tree Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Jendrysik
Seller: Brian Cameron
Date: 10/13/15

2 Sandy Beach Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Kenneth Safft
Seller: Edward R. Dailey
Date: 10/16/15

95 Union Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Michael McKnight
Seller: Robert A. Bergeron
Date: 10/02/15

HOLYOKE

194 Allyn St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Heather A. King
Seller: Emily F. Larocque
Date: 10/02/15

42 Clayton Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $187,500
Buyer: Kenneth M. Sicard
Seller: Maurice Laverdiere
Date: 10/01/15

2 Deer Run
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $531,000
Buyer: Robert F. Borawski
Seller: Eric M. Curran
Date: 10/16/15

1395-1397 Dwight St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Dacasty D. Pena
Seller: Ariceli Medina
Date: 10/01/15

24 Gary Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $167,750
Buyer: Kathryn T. Brunelle
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 10/16/15

755 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $191,900
Buyer: Gregory A. Westcott
Seller: Margaret J. Averill
Date: 10/08/15

939 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Gladys A. Beltran
Seller: Barry W. Robinson
Date: 10/02/15

74 Knollwood Circle
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Felicia Sloin
Seller: Melissa A. Broomfield
Date: 10/14/15

45 Lexington Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $272,600
Buyer: Balbina Szalkucki
Seller: Kasprzynski, V. C., (Estate)
Date: 10/16/15

9 McMahon Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Roger M. Reidy
Seller: Michele A. Wright
Date: 10/01/15

4 Michelle Lane
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Nieves
Seller: J. N. Duquette & Son Construction
Date: 10/15/15

14 Old Rock Valley Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Lynn A. Border
Seller: Terry T. Border
Date: 10/07/15

147-149 Suffolk St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $128,000
Buyer: Carmen J. Martinez
Seller: Eduvino Cruz
Date: 10/14/15

LONGMEADOW

73 Allen Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: John Perenick
Seller: Robert F. Brunette
Date: 10/06/15

129 Brookwood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $281,000
Buyer: Marcel D. Carcea
Seller: Paul J. Rivard
Date: 10/09/15

79 Chiswick St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Tusk RT
Seller: Karolina Kearney
Date: 10/01/15

49 Eunice Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $366,500
Buyer: Claudia J. Kokaz-Muslu
Seller: Jeffrey S. Goodless
Date: 10/06/15

4 Hillcrest Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Richard J. Ward
Seller: Jay S. Therrien
Date: 10/14/15

110 Hopkins Place
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Richard P. Alvord
Seller: Jeffrey S. Alvis
Date: 10/15/15

28 Lexington Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Megan A. Fettes
Seller: Maria Neris
Date: 10/16/15

180 Pinewood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $494,000
Buyer: Jay Therrien
Seller: Mo-Chun C. Yu
Date: 10/14/15

178 Westmoreland Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Douglas J. Janik
Seller: Nolan W. Pratt
Date: 10/06/15

7 Woodland Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Ann M. Zito
Seller: Wilkinson, Charles H., (Estate)
Date: 10/02/15

95 York Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Jay M. Talbert
Seller: Cornelius K. Sutton
Date: 10/15/15

LUDLOW

209 Alden St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Scott H. Kozak
Seller: Cheryl A. Misterka
Date: 10/07/15

41 Brookfield St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Antonio Sebastio
Seller: Nathan R. Witherow
Date: 10/06/15

12 Carmelinas Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $875,000
Buyer: MW RT
Seller: Lower Pioneer Valley Education
Date: 10/01/15

199 Clearwater Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $301,000
Buyer: Maureen T. Fitzgerald
Seller: John K. Ollson
Date: 10/16/15

768 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Vieira Family Properties
Seller: Genevieve L. Ziemian
Date: 10/07/15

150 Highland Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Michelle Elliot
Seller: Mark Cassesse
Date: 10/08/15

16 Noel St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $243,500
Buyer: Michael Swiatlowski
Seller: Michael D. Mertzic
Date: 10/07/15

50 Poole St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: William H. Leab
Seller: Amber A. Hiersche
Date: 10/02/15

43 Prospect St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $322,500
Buyer: Nelson S. Goncalves
Seller: Baltazar A. Costa
Date: 10/02/15

MONSON

47 Thompson St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $157,500
Seller: Philip C. Chaffee
Date: 10/08/15

23 Woodridge Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Curtis A. Jones
Seller: Valerie L. Young
Date: 10/07/15

PALMER

2015 Chestnut St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $169,700
Buyer: Christopher A. Davis
Seller: Norman W. Mackinnon
Date: 10/02/15

8 Summit Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $141,459
Buyer: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Seller: Michael N. Burgess
Date: 10/15/15

300 Ware St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $159,500
Buyer: David Hickenbottom
Seller: Ranner, Gerald A., (Estate)
Date: 10/02/15

RUSSELL

122 Blandford Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $136,660
Buyer: USA HUD
Seller: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Date: 10/15/15

SOUTHWICK

8 2nd St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Amanda L. Madiera
Seller: Robert D. Morgan
Date: 10/13/15

SPRINGFIELD

18-20 Biella St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: Mohamed Elhadi-Haya
Seller: Bruce L. Morin
Date: 10/14/15

99 Bowles Park
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Michael D. Rancitelli
Seller: Megan A. Fettes
Date: 10/16/15

34 Brewster St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $141,000
Buyer: Samantha Laporte
Seller: Roy L. Arcand
Date: 10/06/15

58 Brewster St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Aisha A. Pizarro
Seller: David J. Broska
Date: 10/16/15

65 Bruce St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Sean T. Govoni
Seller: Nilsa Molina
Date: 10/09/15

36 Buick St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Random Properties Acquisition
Seller: Thomas J. Kelly
Date: 10/07/15

29 Burnside Terrace
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Caitlin M. Hanley
Seller: Greta D. Oakley
Date: 10/08/15

145 Carr St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Jason S. Young
Seller: Brian S. Kingsley
Date: 10/06/15

229 Chalmers St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $149,500
Buyer: Paul S. Minto
Seller: Jennifer M. Elkas
Date: 10/14/15

47 Colton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Eliezer Garcia
Seller: Tyburski, Davis, (Estate)
Date: 10/01/15

77 Derryfield Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $145,500
Buyer: Emily A. Walsh
Seller: Neil T. Childs
Date: 10/07/15

6 Dianna Dr.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $231,000
Buyer: Steven W. August
Seller: Sodi Inc.
Date: 10/16/15

38 Dwight Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Luigi Liquori
Date: 10/09/15

172 East Allen Ridge Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Tara Adhikari
Seller: Janice E. Hills
Date: 10/02/15

34 East Hill Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $120,473
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Evelyn A. Bosfield
Date: 10/15/15

26-28 Eddywood St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Nikia M. Verdejo
Seller: Martin Nystrom
Date: 10/14/15

90 El Paso St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $116,000
Buyer: Deborah L. Allsop
Seller: Jane S. Best
Date: 10/01/15

74 Ellsworth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Melissa Rodriguez
Seller: Mya Realty LLC
Date: 10/08/15

28-30 Glenham St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $174,900
Buyer: Charlie S. Melo-Perez
Seller: Sergey Savonin
Date: 10/01/15

854 Grayson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $119,000
Buyer: Carol A. Dubilo
Seller: Joseph C. Lombardi
Date: 10/16/15

142 Hancock St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Living Water Church God
Seller: City View Property Services
Date: 10/08/15

198 Hanson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Bradley Walker
Seller: Nicholas A. Raimer
Date: 10/02/15

173 Harkness Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Krista Gale
Seller: Daniel M. Moran
Date: 10/08/15

113 Haskin St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Angel C. Aviles
Seller: US Bank
Date: 10/15/15

20 Hatch St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $117,500
Buyer: Rebecca S. Odell
Seller: Natalie Solaroli
Date: 10/07/15

64 Hillside Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $126,000
Buyer: Jennifer L. Boucher
Seller: Mary E. Johnson
Date: 10/09/15

4 Jean Dr.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: Alison M. Weckerly
Seller: Bob Costa
Date: 10/07/15

220 Jeffrey Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Brett Winston
Seller: Jami B. Chrzanowski
Date: 10/01/15

35 Jonquil Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Jo-Ann St.Jean
Seller: James M. Niedbala
Date: 10/08/15

232 Laconia St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Laconia Enterprises LLC
Seller: Allegro Realty Inc.
Date: 10/09/15

5 Mandalay Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $121,000
Buyer: Kharga B. Gurung
Seller: Mary F. Palazzo
Date: 10/09/15

12 Maplewood Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $189,500
Buyer: Humberto J. Caro
Seller: Julie A. Rousseau
Date: 10/13/15

25 Marengo Park
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $150,500
Buyer: Wanda I. Martinez
Seller: Legacy Strategic Investments
Date: 10/06/15

18 Mary Coburn Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Joyce R. Cadiuex
Seller: Roger E. Petit
Date: 10/08/15

N/A
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Pierre U. Solon
Date: 10/07/15

273 Newhouse St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Anna V. Scala
Seller: Joseph Cardaropoli
Date: 10/13/15

149-151 Oak Grove Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Home Equity Assets Realty
Seller: Home Equity Assets Realty
Date: 10/02/15

42 Olmsted Dr.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Efrain Diaz
Seller: Oscar Velazquez
Date: 10/07/15

32 Osborne Terrace
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Lamoureux LLC
Seller: Michael D. Rancitelli
Date: 10/16/15

138 Packard Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $125,500
Buyer: Jason D. Beston
Seller: Jayson Fernandez
Date: 10/16/15

22 Palo Alto Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Paul M. Foley
Seller: Antonio M. Martins
Date: 10/13/15

20 Paramount St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Anibal Rosado
Date: 10/07/15

1357 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $187,500
Buyer: Henry Mercado
Seller: Sherry A. Marchessault
Date: 10/07/15

2064 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $252,000
Buyer: Steve Ramos
Seller: Gail M. Anderson
Date: 10/07/15

46 Pasco Road
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $137,900
Buyer: Alice A. Jumba
Seller: Mark E. Lemire
Date: 10/06/15

25 Patricia Circle
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $127,900
Buyer: Irina Ovchinnikova
Seller: US Bank
Date: 10/01/15

Pendleton Ave. (NS)
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Living Water Church God
Seller: City View Property Services
Date: 10/08/15

14-16 Pequot St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Home Equity Assets Realty
Seller: Home Equity Assets Realty
Date: 10/02/15

35 Senator St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Ernest J. Nemeth
Seller: Victoria A. Vermette
Date: 10/16/15

105-107 Shawmut St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $117,500
Buyer: Kenny B. Nguyen
Seller: Susan Finerman-Bierly
Date: 10/09/15

17 Shirley Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $122,500
Buyer: Brian S. Kingsley
Seller: Shirley Park Realty LLC
Date: 10/06/15

131 Sunbrier Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Christopher Skora
Seller: Kenneth R. Knodler
Date: 10/09/15

87 Sunnybrook Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Luz Diaz
Seller: Mello, Charles A., (Estate)
Date: 10/16/15

Tremont St. (NS) #229
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Angel L. Lafargue
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 10/02/15

49 Varney St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Christopher R. McMaster
Seller: Richard P. Alvord
Date: 10/15/15

67 Winding Lane
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $229,900
Buyer: David G. Luthi
Seller: Anna V. Scala
Date: 10/13/15

WALES

32 Reed Hill Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Michael Mariettos
Seller: Kelly Crowley
Date: 10/14/15

112 Stafford Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Cheryl A. Misterka
Seller: Kenneth L. Nolin
Date: 10/07/15

WESTFIELD

1095 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Susan M. Zemba
Seller: Valeriy Gumenyuk
Date: 10/09/15

78 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $482,943
Buyer: Walter G. Gummelt
Date: 10/05/15

21 Highland View St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Tina D. Avery
Seller: Constance M. Cramton
Date: 10/16/15

22 Janelle Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: John D. Daniels
Seller: Andrea Spohr
Date: 10/16/15

10 Heggie Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: John O. Brettman
Date: 10/09/15

35 Jeanne Marie Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $322,500
Buyer: Ivan Panasyuk
Seller: Marc A. Yacovone
Date: 10/08/15

16 Knollwood Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Irina Girich
Seller: Michaelian, Vahe, (Estate)
Date: 10/07/15

26 Lady Slipper Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Tamal K. Galustov
Seller: Caroline M. Murray
Date: 10/09/15

32 Laflin St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Matthew R. Dellea
Seller: Pavel V. Banari
Date: 10/16/15

86 Ridgecrest Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Robert G. Gordon
Seller: Pierce, Charles P., (Estate)
Date: 10/14/15

402 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: 410 Southampton Road LLC
Seller: DC Cycle Accessories & Services
Date: 10/09/15

459-R Southwick Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Carol C. Blanchard
Seller: Jo-Ann St.Jean
Date: 10/08/15

12 Toledo Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Markt
Seller: Henry C. Begin
Date: 10/15/15

88 Union St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Pepperbug Real Estate Investment
Seller: Kathy Kim
Date: 10/07/15

40 Vadnais St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Cheryl A. Hawkins
Seller: Leveille, Lorraine M., (Estate)
Date: 10/01/15

23 Whispering Wind Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Michael D. Charland
Seller: Carol C. Blanchard
Date: 10/07/15

WEST SPRINGFIELD

61 Avondale Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Faiz Rabbani
Seller: Michael B. Fournier
Date: 10/09/15

54 Blossom Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Patrick J. Lynch
Seller: Leonard W. Anair
Date: 10/15/15

40 Bonair Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Saif M. Aljabi
Seller: Susan L. McCarthy
Date: 10/01/15

46 Boulevard Place
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $143,435
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Thomas J. Inserra
Date: 10/15/15

51 City View Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $156,950
Buyer: Jennifer Miarecki
Seller: August Martinelli
Date: 10/09/15

90 Frederick St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $327,000
Buyer: Mark H. Harrison
Seller: Yelena Chernysh
Date: 10/02/15

58 Glenview Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Corey R. Decker
Date: 10/15/15

139 Hillcrest Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Stephen Leclair
Seller: Edward W. Grabowski
Date: 10/01/15

19 Houston Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Donna J. McCarthy
Seller: Dorothy O. Barrett
Date: 10/08/15

129 Lancaster Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $122,000
Buyer: Anthony Valentino
Seller: Patricia G. Desrosiers
Date: 10/15/15

293 Lancaster Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $151,000
Buyer: Zijad Catic
Seller: Jason D. Lashway
Date: 10/02/15

177 Norman St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Sunnyside Corp.
Seller: Cardinal Homes Inc.
Date: 10/14/15

42 Old Barn Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: William V. Guiel
Seller: Joyce Bannick
Date: 10/05/15

46 Penrose Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $352,500
Buyer: Carrie R. Ingham
Seller: Walter R. Tucker
Date: 10/16/15

726 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $143,900
Buyer: Katelynn T. Filippone
Seller: William J. Lyons
Date: 10/07/15

96 Sawmill Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Michael J. Marcus
Seller: James M. Black
Date: 10/16/15

WILBRAHAM

1844 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $1,800,000
Buyer: 935-979 Main St. Realty
Seller: Emanuel D. Rovithis
Date: 10/02/15

1846 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $1,800,000
Buyer: 935-979 Main St. Realty
Seller: Emanuel D. Rovithis
Date: 10/02/15

1872 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $1,800,000
Buyer: 935-979 Main St. Realty
Seller: Emanuel D. Rovithis
Date: 10/02/15

15 Bradlind Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: Michael Gagne
Seller: Christopher L. Garrow
Date: 10/16/15

68 Cherry Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: Darlene A. Bowen
Seller: 2301 Boston Road LLC
Date: 10/02/15

2 Conifer Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: S&C Homebuyers LLC
Seller: Gregory D. Vreeland
Date: 10/07/15

10 Dollar Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $351,000
Buyer: HLZC Holdings Inc.
Seller: Lower Pioneer Valley Education
Date: 10/01/15

9 Dudley St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $1,800,000
Buyer: 935-979 Main St Realty
Seller: Emanuel D. Rovithis
Date: 10/02/15

11 Dudley St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $1,800,000
Buyer: 935-979 Main St. Realty
Seller: Emanuel D. Rovithis
Date: 10/02/15

13 Dudley St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $1,800,000
Buyer: 935-979 Main St. Realty
Seller: Emanuel D. Rovithis
Date: 10/02/15

15 Dudley St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $1,800,000
Buyer: 935-979 Main St. Realty
Seller: Emanuel D. Rovithis
Date: 10/02/15

680 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Brian M. Kibbe
Seller: Barbara W. Fitzgerald
Date: 10/15/15

10 Merrill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $139,200
Buyer: Ashley E. Adamski
Seller: Aly E. Sebae
Date: 10/08/15

11 Pearl Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Eric D. Ganley
Seller: Mashiyat Moghaddam
Date: 10/09/15

2 Pidgeon Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Michelle Malafronte
Seller: Shelby L. Cook
Date: 10/09/15

11 Pleasant View Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $269,900
Buyer: Douglas J. Althen
Seller: John G. Singiser
Date: 10/01/15

4 Stirrup Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Thomas R. Sheldon
Seller: Peter A. Rossi
Date: 10/02/15

2 Three Rivers Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Andrea L. Davis
Seller: Jeffrey C. Allard
Date: 10/02/15

1 Whisper Walk
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Patrick J. McCarthy
Seller: John M. Zeroogian
Date: 10/15/15

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

129 Gray St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Kilerine Properties LLC
Seller: Virginia Lewis
Date: 10/05/15

72 Mechanic St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Eric Knyt
Seller: Mary E. Gouge
Date: 10/13/15

14 South Orchard Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $676,000
Buyer: Casie A. Smith
Seller: Gail Fuller
Date: 10/01/15

89 State St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $219,500
Buyer: Matthew D. King
Seller: Edward G. Lyon
Date: 10/06/15

BELCHERTOWN

170 Allen Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Heather A. Plouffe
Seller: KLN Properties LLC
Date: 10/16/15

1 Bunker Way
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $292,000
Buyer: Patrick Guerdon
Seller: Lynn A. Bock
Date: 10/02/15

196 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Brandon J. Gonzalez
Seller: Gregory N. Normand
Date: 10/08/15

88 Gold St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Michael A. Mosher
Seller: USA VA
Date: 10/16/15

25 Green Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Nathan M. Goraj
Seller: Michael McLaughlin
Date: 10/01/15

40 Grenwich Hill
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Robert J. Donovan
Seller: James F. Holden
Date: 10/01/15

N/A
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $124,141
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Debra L. Ducharme
Date: 10/15/15

71 North Main St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Olympic RE LLC
Seller: Yih-Ming Hsiao
Date: 10/07/15

345 Rockrimmon St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Lee Belisle
Seller: Michael E. Millette
Date: 10/05/15

260 State St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Irene Mariettos
Seller: Michael E. Mariettos
Date: 10/14/15

16 Trillium Way
Belchertown, MA 01002
Amount: $359,900
Buyer: Linda M. Wentworth
Seller: Mark G. Jackson
Date: 10/02/15

199 Warner St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $342,000
Buyer: Nicholas A. Raimer
Seller: Steven McCafferty
Date: 10/02/15

CUMMINGTON

24 Main St.
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $212,844
Buyer: Richard M. Zafft
Seller: Christopher S. Beach
Date: 10/02/15

12-B Swift River Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $326,000
Buyer: Justin J. Wiernasz
Seller: Gary P. Burt
Date: 10/16/15

EASTHAMPTON

9 Elliot St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: John A. Connolly
Seller: Aaron J. Stone
Date: 10/09/15

86 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Heather Salazar
Seller: Leakhena Som
Date: 10/02/15

203 Loudville Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $259,000
Buyer: David Jean
Seller: Elizabeth Nieves
Date: 10/15/15

15 Melinda Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Raymond E. Dinsmore
Seller: Michael P. Broussard
Date: 10/07/15

199 Park St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Kevin C. Netto
Seller: Richard E. Konopka
Date: 10/07/15

5 Pinebrook Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $221,125
Buyer: Felicia K. Malachite
Seller: Angelique M. Britt
Date: 10/05/15

16 Sterling Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $191,363
Buyer: Veterans Affairs
Seller: Sean E. Krause
Date: 10/16/15

GRANBY

545 Amherst Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $176,000
Buyer: Leanne A. Becker
Seller: Rose E. Gonzalez
Date: 10/01/15

162 Kendall St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $427,104
Buyer: Bank of America
Seller: Bonnie B. Snyder
Date: 10/08/15

HADLEY

204 Middle St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $349,900
Buyer: Angelo Vissas
Seller: John Fillio
Date: 10/15/15

319 River Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Montgomery Rose LLC
Seller: D. A. Johnson
Date: 10/02/15

River Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Sweet Meadow Farm LLC
Seller: D. A. Johnson
Date: 10/02/15

HUNTINGTON

30 Pisgah Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $785,000
Buyer: Bernard P. Gawle
Seller: Julia M. Jones RET
Date: 10/09/15

MIDDLEFIELD

102 West Hill Road
Middlefield, MA 01243
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Conservancy Nature
Seller: Richard S. Merrell
Date: 10/02/15

NORTHAMPTON

40 Berkshire Terrace
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $421,000
Buyer: Mark W. Erba
Seller: Robert & Heather King NT
Date: 10/02/15

20 Bridge Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $482,631
Buyer: Mark D. Hamill
Seller: Bridge Road LLC
Date: 10/06/15

60 Emily Lane
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Michael L. Kesten
Seller: Arnold D. Well
Date: 10/09/15

40 Fairway Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Hampshire Fairway TR
Seller: Lee J. Robinson
Date: 10/02/15

350 Florence Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Nancy E. Kirk
Seller: Delia A. Shelkey
Date: 10/09/15

7 Hampton Terrace
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Alan H. Bloomgarden
Seller: Zimmerman, George R., (Estate)
Date: 10/14/15

317 Kennedy Road
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Rachael A. Hanley
Seller: Michelle Stevens
Date: 10/05/15

38 Ladyslipper Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $461,000
Buyer: Alexander Simon
Seller: Deborah J. Cahillane
Date: 10/09/15

67 Liberty St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $289,000
Buyer: Roger Taylor
Seller: Debra B. Costello
Date: 10/02/15

97 Mountain St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Peter J. Bienkowski
Seller: Christine Driscoll
Date: 10/08/15

68 Nonotuck St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $343,400
Buyer: David C. Hammer
Seller: Suzanne R. Starling
Date: 10/08/15

51 Phillips Place
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $569,000
Buyer: Hope M. Klein
Seller: Phillips Place LLC
Date: 10/16/15

182 Prospect St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $515,000
Buyer: Bryan Coutain
Seller: Donald J. Sonn
Date: 10/09/15

409 Rocky Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Kira E. Jewett
Seller: Suzanne Schuster
Date: 10/07/15

Village Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Wright Builders Inc.
Seller: Hospital Hill Development
Date: 10/15/15

61 Woodlawn Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Frank E. Antonucci
Seller: William R. Murray
Date: 10/07/15

PELHAM

9 Pine Tree Circle
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Janet Lansberry
Seller: Chastain, Frances G., (Estate)
Date: 10/07/15

PLAINFIELD

64 Old South St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Christine T. Pinney
Seller: Michael R. Packard
Date: 10/02/15

386 West Main St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $118,500
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Peter C. Gorham
Date: 10/05/15

SOUTH HADLEY

279 Brainerd St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Kristene M. Schwantner
Seller: Louise K. Haas
Date: 10/15/15

24 Brigham Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Kelley F. Haigh
Seller: Debra L. Sayers
Date: 10/09/15

239 East St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $159,000
Buyer: Jade C. Jump
Seller: Rhoda M. Donze
Date: 10/09/15

317 Hadley St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: John H. McCarthy
Seller: David D. Gregory
Date: 10/16/15

12 Harvard St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $141,973
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Robert W. Bishop
Date: 10/14/15

3 Hillside Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Michael R. Boyle
Seller: David R. Scofield
Date: 10/08/15

29 Noel St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: F. H. Donovan
Seller: Mercier, Walter I., (Estate)
Date: 10/09/15

3 Ralph Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $124,900
Buyer: Kasey N. Bunnell
Seller: Christopher J. Schwantner
Date: 10/15/15

SOUTHAMPTON

16 Geryk Court
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Petra 2 T
Seller: Robert H. Perrea
Date: 10/14/15

Old Harvest Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $128,900
Buyer: G&F Custom Built Homes
Seller: Triple 7 LLC
Date: 10/05/15

Old Harvest Road #4
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $126,900
Buyer: James F. Boyle
Seller: Triple 7 LLC
Date: 10/09/15

WARE

78 Aspen St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $141,000
Buyer: Robert D. Ellithorpe
Seller: Smith, Lauretta C., (Estate)
Date: 10/08/15

36 Fisherdick Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Paul A. Moryl
Seller: Anna Wyderka
Date: 10/07/15

16 Monroe St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Roman Catholic Bishop Springfield
Seller: Phillip G. Vadnais
Date: 10/01/15

WORTHINGTON

47 Old Post Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Keith Desjardins
Seller: McGrath, John J., (Estate)
Date: 10/05/15

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcies Departments

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

Akca, Fahri
628 College Highway
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/03/15

Bancroft, Jessica A.
6 Royalston Road
Phillipston, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/30/15

Bezio, Kevin M.
124 Highland Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/30/15

Bilton, Mark A.
43 Meadowbrook Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/13/15

Bonanno, Christopher T.
5 Maple St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/30/15

Brignoni, David
a/k/a Brignoni-Nieves, David
72 Kearney Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/08/15

Bryden, Christopher L.
Bryden, Christina M.
61 Dickinson St.
2nd Floor
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/15/15

Burns, Robert F.
44 Daniel Dr.
Leominster, MA 01453
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/02/15

Cameron, Lucretia D.
1259 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/08/15

Churchill, Michael J.
Churchill, Rachel L.
26 East Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/02/15

Coleman, Erin S.
111 Paige Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/02/15

Creative Touch
Dawson, Colleen
346 College Highway
Southhampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/08/15

Delaney, Wendy J.
a/k/a Delaney King, Wendy
452 West Pelham Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/30/15

Forsyth, James M.
19 Revere St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/05/15

Hartmann, Paige I.
10 Holland Road
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/30/15

Hill, Sean E.
85 Franklin Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/15/15

Jones, Icie B.
a/k/a McMullen-Jones, Icie B.
211 Crane Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/13/15

Keeler, Allan E.
22 Manor House Court
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/10/15

Kelley, Kristopher R.
47 Richelieu St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/03/15

Larson, Frank T.
Larson, Kathleen P.
a/k/a Proulx, Kathleen
a/k/a Kate Larson
21 Sterrett Dr.
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/05/15

Latini, John
19 Wilson St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/08/15

Lemke, John
53 Corey Colonial
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/14/15

Lord, Janet Irene
35 Robert St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/09/15

Marshall, Robert J.
93 Grochmal Ave., Lot 40
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/10/15

Martinez, Angel
83 Ontario St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/13/15

McGuigan, John M.
43 Lakewood Dr.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/08/15

Monopoli, Leanne F.
a/k/a Josephson, Leanne F.
a/k/a Farr, Leanne F.
P.O. Box 1435
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 09/30/15

O’Hare, William J.
O’Hare, Susan A.
a/k/a Gosselin, Susan A.
54 Mountainview St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/06/15

Perry, Ivan J.
Perry, Marie E.
a/k/a Perry, M. Ella Anita
315 Ridge Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 09/30/15

Perry, Kimberly A.
a/k/a Sullivan, Kimberly A.
1362 Massachusetts Ave.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/01/15

Rivera, Gisela
37 Woodrow St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/15/15

Rodriguez, Graciela
147 Beech St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/07/15

Rose, William W.
87 James St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/06/15

Sanocki, Henry S.
19 Pine St., Apt. A
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/07/15

Sickler, Suzanne Hunt
6 Treehouse Circle Apt. 3
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/15/15

Sinopoli, Jessica M.
450 Greylock St.
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/08/15

Slate, Wiona S.
22 South Long Yard
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/15/15

Torres, Elis Z.
391 Tokeneke Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/08/15

Vasquez, Alex
21 Bowers St., Apt 306
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/15/15

Doing Business As Certificates

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of October 2015.

AGAWAM

ASD Plumbing & Heating
55 School St.
Stan Anisimov

GBB
540 Southwick St.
Christopher Catjakis

Feeding Hills Wellness Center
567 Springfield St.
Gina Manning

Paradise Destinations Travel
33 North St.
Danielle Plascik

HOLYOKE

Electric Cafe & Catering
10 Open Square Way
John Aubin

Lighthouse Holyoke
208 Pace St.
Josiah Litant

Mount Joe to Go
206 Maple St.
Peter Rosskothen

Scout Curated Wears
10 Lexington Ave.
Lorg Fischer-Dewitt

NORTHAMPTON

Behrens Collective
56 Meadow St.
Kory J. Behrens

Clinic Alternative Medicines
98 Main St.
Jennifer Nery

Euphoria Float Spa
241 King St.
Loria Schott

Northampton Radio Group
15 Hampton Ave.
Samuel Bush

Rhodes, Bixby & Wakefield
125 Pleasant St.
Keith Bixby

River Valley Company
330 North King St.
Rochelle Prunty

PALMER

Baldyga Service, LLC
11 Wanut St.
Bruce Baldyga

Jane Alden Convenience Store
1469 North Main St.
Mukesh Patel

SPRINGFIELD

A Pro’s Touch
169 Savoy Ave.
Yamil Santiago

A to Z Gate
465 Belmont Ave.
Benjamin Nguyen

All World Costume Jewelry
18 Eldridge St.
Foster White

BWF Inc.
354 Main St.
Joseph Pafumi

C.J. Bella’s Landscaping
38 Sunrise Terrace
Carlos Labella

Cedar’s Food Mart
405 Armory St.
Linda A. Gheit

Cotto’s Power Washing Inc.
16 Tyler St.
Alexander Cotto

Deb’s Auto Repair
250 Vergs St.
Albert Charles

Duke’s Barbershop
902 Carew St.
Juan Santana

Elsie’s Flower Shop
166 Main St.
Rebecca L. Kelly

Envy Nails
1777 Boston Road
Loan Nguyen

Escuadron de Limpiesa
26 Arch St.
Betty Duena

Forest Hills Landscaping
138 Gillette Ave.
David P. Robillard

J & D Polish & Deburring
33 Mohawk Dr.
Dennis Nelson

WESTFIELD

Ebenezer’s Bar & Grill
110 Elm St.
Ebenezer’s Westfield Inc.

French Twist Bakery
183 Highland Ave.
French Twist Bakery

Frosted Swirl Cupcakes
36 Jeremy Dr.
Frosted Swirl Cupcakes

Michael’s Towing
247 Elm St.
MCV Inc.

The Country Clipper
9 Russell Road
Sara Noska

The Groomer
77 Main St.
Tracy Durkee

Top to Bottom Cleaning
23 Reservoir Road
Lynn Cornelius

Whip City Music
126 Elm St.
Whip City Music

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Auto Kraft Service Center
44 Mulberry St.
Frederick Fruwirth

Beedle’s Baubles
179 North Blvd.
Galen Plourde

Direct Results
2005 Riverdale St.
John Epstein

Gorecki Enterprises Inc.
1285 Riverdale St.
Gorecki Enterprises

Park Square Realty
470 Westfield St.
PSQ Inc.

Sol’s Tire Service Inc.
953 Union St.
William R. Ellis

Speedway
341 Memorial Ave.
Speedway, LLC

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

Avidity Care Inc., 264 Exchange St., Ste. 2, Chicopee, MA 01013. Corey Briere, 16 Stewart St., South Hadley, MA 01075. Home health care services.

EASTHAMPTON

Tabbat Inc., 116 Pleasant St., Suite 158, Easthampton, MA 01027. Richard S. Lyman Jr., 96 Gunn Road, Southampton, MA 01073. Real estate holding company.

HATFIELD

Masssolar is Working Inc., 136 Elm St., Hatfield, MA 01038. Mark Sandeen, 10 Brent Road, Lexington, MA 02420. To create a public understanding of solar energy generation.

HOLYOKE

Gil’s Auto Repair & Performance Inc., 606 Main St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Gilberto Rivas, same. Auto repair.

Maruti Corp., 455 Homestead Ave., Holyoke, MA 01040. Shivani Patel, same. Package store.

LONGMEADOW

Brown & Brown Investment Advisory Inc., 734 Bliss Road, Ste. 4, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Registered investment advisor.

NORTHAMPTON

Rightway Drywall Inc., 206 Coles Meadow Road, Northampton, MA 01060. Brian Johnson, same. Drywall installation.

SOUTH HADLEY

Art Builders Inc., 311 Brainerd St., South Hadley, MA 01075. Deoclecio F. Artur, same. Construction and renovation services.

SPRINGFIELD

190 Bowdoin St. Development Inc., 11 Preston St., Springfield, MA 01109. Elisha Colgram, 304 Bay St., Springfield, MA 01109. To develop land at 190 Bowdoin Street in accordance with historic preservation.

Behavior Services of Western Massachusetts Inc., 1441 Main St., Ste. 900, Springfield, MA 01103. Kathleen Deniger, same. Autism behavior services.

WESTFIELD

Aura Nails & Spa Inc., 261 East Main St., Unit 10, Westfield, MA 01085. Youngran Chan, 20 Sunbriar Dr., Westfield, MA 01085. Nail salon.

TNN Transport Inc., 11 Lockhouse Road, Apt. A, Westfield, MA 01085. Anatoliy Tulchinskiy, same. Trucking.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

9312-3610 Quebec Inc., 23 Morningside Terrace, West Springfield, MA 01089. Miroslav Tkach, same. Trucking.

WILLIAMSBURG

Hilltown Village Inc., 106 Petticoat Hill Road, Williamsburg, MA 01096. Meghan Patricia Taylor, same. Practical, social, and emotional support services.

Agenda

Agenda Departments

SRC Government Reception

Nov. 19: The Springfield Regional Chamber will hold its annual Government Reception from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Carriage House at Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Sponsored by Baystate Health and Comcast with support from Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and Westfield State University, the reception provides business and community leaders with the opportunity to meet socially with local, state, and federal officials following the end of the formal legislative session. Last year, more than 200 people attended the event, including members of area select boards and city councils, as well as state representatives and senators. Reservations for the event are $50 for chamber members and $70 for general admission. To reserve a spot, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com or e-mail Sarah Mazzaferro at [email protected].

Neuroscientist to VisitSpringfield College

Nov. 19: The Springfield College Center for Wellness Education and Research (CWER) will host world-renowned neuroscientist and nutrition and diet expert Nicole Avena at 7 p.m. in the Fuller Arts Center. Avena’s presentation, “Why Diets Fail: Because You’re Addicted to Sugar,” will focus on years of research showing that sugar is addictive, and present a science-based plan to stop cravings. The event is free and open to the public. Author of more than 50 scholarly journal articles, Avena’s research suggests that overeating of palatable foods can produce changes in the brain and behavior that resemble addiction, findings that have jump-started an entire new field of exploration and discovery related to the obesity epidemic. She has presented her research to an array of audiences, including pharmaceutical companies, diabetes-prevention groups, food-industry marketing executives, nutrition groups, and obesity-education groups, and has contributed to articles in Men’s Health, Psychology Today, Bloomberg Businessweek, and WebMD. The New York Academy of Sciences, the American Psychological Assoc., and the National Institute on Drug Abuse have honored her research achievements. Housed in the Springfield College School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, CWER’s mission of is to serve as the region’s pre-eminent source for best practices in nutrition and physical-activity programming for young people.

Briefcase

Briefcase Departments

Difference Makers Nominations Due Nov. 20

WESTERN MASS. — Do you know someone who is truly making a difference in the Western Mass. region?
BusinessWest invites you to nominate an individual or group for its eighth annual Difference Makers program. Nominations for the class of 2016 must be received by the end of the business day (5 p.m.) on Friday, Nov. 20. Nominations can be completed online HERE and clicking ‘Our Events.’ Difference Makers was launched in 2009 as a way to recognize the contributions of agencies and individuals who are contributing to quality of life in this region.

Four Nonprofits to Share Space at GCC’s Downtown Center

GREENFIELD — Four nonprofit organizations that serve Western Mass. will share office space at Greenfield Community College’s Downtown Center as a base for building stronger relationships with the people and organizations of Franklin County. The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts, Leadership Pioneer Valley, and the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts will each staff the office one day a week. “In general, the idea behind this partnership is that we are stronger together,” said Katie Allan Zobel, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Western Mass. (CFWM). “We’re all better, more effective, and more well-informed when we can share our resources, information, and energy.” She noted that the Community Foundation has had an office at the GCC Downtown Center since January 2014. “GCC President Bob Pura generously provided us with a space where we could hold regular office hours, offer training opportunities, and have donor conversations that would be more convenient for those we served in the Upper Valley. This has resulted in many, many more conversations and, thus, more learning about the specific issues and needs in Franklin County.” Allan Zobel continued, “we realized that other organizations serving the Pioneer Valley without offices in Franklin County might also benefit from using this space. Since the CFWM was only using the office one or two days a week, it seemed obvious that others could benefit from sharing the space with us. Bob agreed. After several conversations, the groups selected days of the week each would hold office hours and one day a month when all the groups would gather to update each other on work and to explore possible collaborations.” Pura, applauding the new collaboration, added, “this is a win for each organization, a win for the community, and especially a win for those who will benefit directly from this collaboration. As I have said on many occasions, this community is a best practice for collaborations, and this adds to that body of evidence.” Lora Wondolowski, executive director of Leadership Pioneer Valley, noted that “Leadership Pioneer Valley is committed to the whole region, but having a primary address in Springfield can be offputting for those in Franklin County. We look forward to expanding our presence in the community and to getting beyond the traditional boundaries that separate Western Mass. counties and organizations. I believe there is power in this collaboration that will be greater than the sum of what each organization is doing individually.” Added Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Economic Development Council, “it is important to have a physical presence in Franklin County and to build working relationships with the leaders, businesses, and citizens of the County. Bob Pura has been very helpful in providing this opportunity for our four organizations to have a base in Franklin County.” Finally, Elizabeth Barajas-Román, CEO of the Women’s Fund, said that “Franklin County residents can teach us a lot about how to work together for greater impact. This partnership with like-minded organizations is a terrific example of how we are deepening our understanding of the region and each other.”

EANE Announces Findings of Salary & Budget Survey

AGAWAM — The Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast announced its findings from the 2015-16 Salary & Budget Survey, with close to 100 companies participating from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The survey results include numerous breakout reports to meet employers’ diverse data requirements for compensation planning, including salary and pay increases based on industry segment, job category, and more. The survey addresses salary increases for the period of July 2014 to June 2015, and also forecasts salary changes for July 2015 to June 2016. Overall, manufacturing employers participating in the survey indicated employees received, on average, a 2.7% increase for 2014-15, while non-manufacturing participants averaged a 3.0% increase. Both categories are holding steady with the forecast for pay raises. Manufacturing participants projected an overall 2.8% increase for 2016, while the non-manufacturing group forecasted a 2.6% increase, on average. Factored into the data are companies that reported there would be no increase or decrease. “Given the multitude of other factors competing for funds — from healthcare and other benefit costs to capital investments — it is not surprising to see limited increases,” said Mark Adams, director of HR Solutions for the Employers Assoc. “That said, we know that employers want to give raises to keep top talent.” For a full summary of results, visit eane.org/salary-budget-survey-results.

Redevelopment Authority Approves Two Proposals

HOLYOKE — The Holyoke Redevelopment Authority (HRA) board reviewed and accepted two private investment proposals at its Oct. 21 meeting, directing Planning & Economic Development staff to negotiate and finalize agreement terms over the next few weeks in accordance with the city’s Urban Renewal Plan (URP) titled “Connect. Construct. Create. — A Plan for the Revitalization of Center City Holyoke.” The first proposal, by WinnDevelopment, would create approximately 100 units of mixed-income housing for rent at 216 Appleton St., with on-site parking on the first level of the building, community space, and on-site leasing offices for tenants. The development concept for the property will seek funding through historic preservation and housing tax credits over the next two years, which Winn has abundant experience securing for similar mill-redevelopment projects throughout Massachusetts. The project is estimated to represent a $38 million investment. The second proposal, submitted by Bueno y Sano/Good & Healthy Inc., intends to temporarily lease land between Main and Race streets along the second-level Canal Walk to establish a mobile-food-truck operation that would produce a new line of smoked-meat menu items, for sale both on site and at its stores in Northampton, Springfield, West Springfield, Amherst, and Acton, as well as Burlington, Vt. Bueno y Sano is a Western Mass.-based, family-owned restaurant business serving burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and salads. The operations are expected to be set up during the spring of 2016. “We’re happy to be part of the excitement in Holyoke,” said Bob Lowry, owner of Bueno y Sano/Good & Healthy Inc. “There is a strong sense of possibility and purpose. That is a great combination.” Mayor Alex Morse praised the Redevelopment Authority for its actions, noting that “the success in attracting projects like these isn’t a coincidence. It takes many years of aggressive marketing and hard work to make sites ready for private interest and successfully execute the city’s Urban Renewal Plan. I thank WinnDevelopment and Bueno y Sano for their interest to invest here and look forward to welcoming them to Holyoke.”

Company Notebook

Company Notebook Departments

MassMutual Reports Record $1.7 Billion Dividend Payout

SPRINGFIELD — MassMutual’s board of directors approved an estimated dividend payout of $1.7 billion for 2016 to its eligible participating policyowners — a nearly $100 million increase over 2015, and the fourth consecutive year it has reached a new record. The 2016 payout also reflects a competitive dividend interest rate of 7.1% for eligible participating life and annuity blocks of business, maintaining the same rate as both 2014 and 2015. “Today is a special day where the commitment we’ve made our policyowners is brought to life through our annual dividend payout,” said Roger Crandall, MassMutual’s chairman, president, and CEO. “Through nearly our entire history, our policyowners have received an annual dividend regardless of what is happening in our world — whether it’s through world wars, pandemics, market crashes, and most recently, a historically low interest-rate environment where even three-month Treasury bills are yielding zero percent.” While dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has consistently paid them to eligible participating policyowners since the 1860s. The 2016 dividend marks nearly two decades that the company has consecutively announced an estimated dividend payout exceeding $1 billion. “As a mutual company, operating for the benefit of our policyowners and members, we are thrilled to share our collective and cooperative success,” Crandall said. “Our consistent payment of dividends is proof of the enduring financial strength and stability we provide, as well as the resiliency of our long-term strategy.” Among the key contributors to MassMutual’s dividend payout are its retirement-services and international insurance businesses, as well as its asset-management subsidiaries, such as Babson Capital Management LLC, Baring Asset Management Limited, Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC, and OppenheimerFunds Inc. The estimated payout also occurs at a time when the company’s financial-strength ratings are among the highest in the industry and its total adjusted capital as of June 30, 2015 — a key indicator of overall financial stability — surpassed $17 billion for the first time in the company’s history. Of the estimated $1.7 billion dividend payout, an estimated $1.65 billion has been approved for eligible participating policyowners who have purchased whole life insurance. MassMutual had its ninth consecutive record year of growth in whole-life policy sales in 2014 with $418 million, and sales of whole life continue to be strong through the first three quarters of 2015. In addition to receiving the dividend payouts in cash, other ways whole-life insurance policyowners may use the dividends include paying premiums, buying additional insurance coverage, accumulating at interest, or repaying policy loans and policy-loan interest. “Whole life insurance enables people to plan for both the expected and unexpected events in their lives, whether it’s leaving a legacy for loved ones or using cash value to help fund a college education or fill an income gap in retirement,” said Michael Fanning, executive vice president and head of MassMutual’s U.S. Insurance Group. “We have provided millions of people with financial resources they can use to chart a course through these turbulent times, further proof that, whether bulls or bears are driving the market, policyowners have received their dividend payout from MassMutual.”

Bacon Wilson Selected Among U.S. News Ranking of Best Law Firms

SPRINGFIELD — Bacon Wilson announced the firm’s inclusion in the 2016 “Best Law Firms” rankings published by U.S. News – Best Lawyers. The full-service firm has been recognized with a Tier 1 Metropolitan designation for Springfield. Firms are selected for professional excellence, with tier rankings based on a meticulous assessment process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations as well as peer reviews from leading attorneys in their fields. Achieving a Tier 1 ranking indicates both quality law practice and expansive legal knowledge. This marks the sixth consecutive such honor for Bacon Wilson. Additionally, in August, four partners were named to the Best Lawyers in America 2016 list: Paul Rothschild, Stephen Krevalin, Michael Katz, and Jeff Fialky. Bacon Wilson’s managing partner, Stephen Krevalin, noted that the latest award is “among the most significant in our field. We are pleased and gratified to be counted among the 2016 Best Law Firms. For me, Bacon Wilson’s inclusion in this publication highlights the outstanding skills of our attorneys.” Bacon Wilson, P.C. is one of the largest firms in Western Massachusetts, with a total of 42 lawyers and approximately 60 paralegals, administrative assistants, and support staff. The firm’s main office is located in Springfield, with regional offices in Northampton, Amherst, and Westfield.

Holyoke Medical Center Breaks Ground on New ED, Office Building

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Medical Center (HMC) broke ground recently on construction for a new, state-of-the-art Emergency Department that, when completed, will expand the current space from 8,500 square feet to approximately 22,000 square feet, as wel as a new, 16,000-square-foot medical office building. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2017. The Emergency Department will feature a new Crisis Center for Psychiatric Services, 40 treatment areas, multi-patient trauma rooms, advanced life-saving equipment, and a patient-navigation service. This will allow HMC to treat patients in a more efficient and dignified way. The medical office building will house a host of new services, including a comprehensive weight-loss center, sleep-apnea clinic, and other multi-specialty physician practices. These expanded services will address the current and emerging community health needs of Hampden County, including the sharp rise in obesity and diabetes rates, while also creating new jobs in Holyoke. “Today’s groundbreaking represents our strong commitment to providing tens of thousands of patients in the Pioneer Valley with access to convenient and compassionate life-saving care,” said Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems Inc. “HMC’s new Emergency Department and medical office building will offer the latest in medical technology, a broader range of emergency services, and highly skilled clinicians dedicated to serving our community.” Funding for the project is provided partially by the Commonwealth’s Health Policy Commission (HPC), through Phase 2 of the Community Hospital Acceleration, Revitalization, and Transformation Investment Program, also known as CHART, which aims to promote care coordination, integration, and delivery transformation to enhance Massachusetts community hospitals’ delivery of efficient and effective care. The $3.9 million grant supports the integration of new behavioral-health services in the Emergency Department. “Our partnership with community hospitals is a critical part of HPC’s efforts to achieve the Commonwealth’s cost-containment and quality-improvement goals,” said David Seltz, executive director of HPC. “CHART hospitals were issued a challenge: propose initiatives that will put you on a path of transformation, while meeting the critical health care needs of your community. Today, I’m pleased to report that HMC exceeded that challenge. We look forward to continuing to partner with the Holyoke community to build a more coordinated and affordable healthcare system.” HMC’s award was the highest award for a single hospital in CHART Phase 2. HMC will leverage an innovative, multi-disciplinary high-risk-care team, known as the Behavioral Health Emergency Care Service, to support all patients with behavioral-health conditions in the Emergency Department. At the same time, this coordinated initiative will introduce robust care navigation in partnership with community-based organizations to ensure that patients receive targeted interventions, including those necessary to address the high incidence of complex, challenging social issues, and are referred to the right services for successful follow-through on individualized care plans. A portion of this investment will also support HMC’s efforts to redesign its Emergency Department, and will create a separate healing and therapeutic behavioral-health space in the emergency room designed to reduce patient anxiety, streamline patient flow, and improve overall quality of care in a safe and secure environment. Additional financing partners for the total project budget of $22.8 million include Valley Health Systems, MassDevelopment, People’s United Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and A.I. Wainwright. Last year, more than 42,500 patients visited Holyoke Medical Center’s Emergency Department, and the department will continue to serve the Greater Holyoke community throughout the construction phase of the project.

Country Bank Supports Local Senior Centers

WARE — Country Bank has been assisting local senior centers since 2011 with an annual donation of $2,000 each. This gift assists them with some of the expenses that may not be covered within their regular budget. A total of $166,000 has been donated over the last five years to local senior centers. “We have heard stories of our gifts helping to fund events such as veterans breakfasts, helping to put in a new floor, or, most recently, to assist with transportation costs to out-of-town medical appointments,” said Shelley Regin, senior vice president. “One director explained that many seniors may forgo important medical appointments due to the difficulties involved with public transportation or their fear of driving in unfamiliar areas such as Springfield. We are so pleased that we can help in this way.” Country Bank serves Central and Western Mass. with 15 offices.

HAPHousing Recognized as NeighborWorks Green Organization

SPRINGFIELD — HAPHousing has been recognized as a NeighborWorks Green Organization for its comprehensive commitment to sustainable operations. To achieve this designation, HAP was required to demonstrate adherence to a set of green business practices across its operations and all of its program areas.
This is the fourth consecutive year that NeighborWorks America has recognized member organizations for their efforts to create healthier, energy-efficient environments for homeowners, renters, community residents and employees. To date, 81 of the 240 organizations in the NeighborWorks network have achieved this designation. HAPHousing’s green initiatives and programs include ensuring that its housing developments and offices are energy efficient, and distribution of information on energy conservation to clients, residents, employees, and the public. According to Peter Gagliardi, President and CEO of HAPHousing, “An increasingly vital part of our work in developing affordable housing in the region is the building and maintaining of sustainable projects and practices that are environmentally friendly. We take this designation seriously and with pride in our mission to build healthy communities where people thrive.”

STCC to Offer Certified Fiber Optics Technician Courses starting Dec. 7

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) Workforce Development office will offer three Certified Fiber Optics Technician Courses starting Dec. 7.
The courses will cover a variety of topics for both those new to the field and experienced technicians. The Fiber Optic Training class combines theory and hands-on activities to prepare students to take the Certified Fiber Optic Technician exam sanctioned by the Fiber Optics Association. The exam is administered and graded during the final class.
Students will learn how to identify fiber types; recognize various connectors used in fiber installation; and install, terminate, splice, and properly test installed fiber cable to existing standards. The program explores the history and future of fiber optics and fiber optics capabilities, and basic testing and troubleshooting.
Anyone interested in becoming a Certified Fiber Optics Technician is highly encouraged to sign up. The course fee includes study materials and text book, a CD, exam fees, plus a one year membership to Fiber Optics Association. In addition, STCC will offer Certified Fiber Optic Specialist Outside Plant (CFOS/O), Certified Fiber Optics Splicing Specialist Course (CFOS/S) and Certified Fiber Optics Specialist in Testing & Maintenance (CFOS/T).

Chamber Corners: Upcoming Events