George O'Brien, Author at BusinessWest

Deerfield Is ‘a Front Door and a Backbone’

By George O'Brien February 16, 2026

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

Victoria Tubbs and Vytautas Sukys have big plans for Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory.

Victoria Tubbs says her first visit to Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in Deerfield was certainly a memorable one.

Indeed, as she and her brother, Vytautas Sukys, offered a tour of the business they now own and manage, she pointed to the bridge over the small koi pond in the conservatory and said, “I was proposed to right there 16 years ago.”

As she and Sukys stopped for a photo on that very spot, with one of the 4,000 or so butterflies inhabiting the place at any given time fluttering in the background, they said their broad goal is to create special memories for others while taking this business — now celebrating 25 years as one of the pillars of Franklin County’s tourism scene — in new and different directions.

These include a greater focus on events and creating more experiences for the thousands who come here every year, everything from glassblowing to classes on various subjects, blending nature with art and education.

Magic Wings, as noted, is one of the major draws in Deerfield. Others include Yankee Candle, Tree House Brewing Co., Historic Deerfield, and the Rock Fossil and Dinosaur Shop, all of these on or accessible from Routes 5 & 10.

Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory

Together, they contribute to an outsized role in the local tourism sector, its workforce opportunities, and overall regional identity for a town of just over 5,000 people.

“I like to say Deerfield consistently punches above its weight,” said Jessye Deane, executive director of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce & Regional Tourism Council. “Deerfield works as a front door and a backbone in a lot of ways. It’s where a lot of visitors first experience Franklin County, and it’s also home to businesses that quietly operate on a regional and national scale, and it’s great that they found their home here.”

Elaborating, she said easy access off I-91 and multiple attractions combine to make Deerfield a destination for people looking for fun and education across a broad spectrum, whether it’s candles, beer, butterflies, or 18th century history — lots of it.

The last item on that list can be found at Historic Deerfield, an outdoor museum that interprets the history and culture of early New England. And, like other venues celebrating that time in the nation’s history, it is gearing up for the country’s 250th birthday with several new exhibits.

These include “Picturing the Revolution,” an exhibit that explores the diverse ways in which 18th-century individuals ‘pictured’ or understood the revolution as it unfolded, with maps, drawings, ceramics, and even satirical cartoons; “Dressing the Revolution: Fashion and Politics 1760-1789,” a display that includes more than 20 garments, accessories, textiles, and prints that illuminate the role of clothing at the time of the Revolution; and “A Town Divided: Deerfield in the Age of the Revolution,” an exhibit that explores how this rural Massachusetts community responded to the upheaval of the late 1760s through the 1780s.

They will all open April 18, said Amanda Lange, director of the Curatorial Department and curator of Historic Interiors for Historic Deerfield, adding that these and other programs will shed light on a time being brought into focus by the 250th celebrations — as well as some current events — and also bring more people to the museum and Deerfield.

“It’s an increasingly interesting time to be re-examining the birth, or origins, of the United States of America and the foundational documents,” Lange said, “as well as what was going on here, especially in Western Massachusetts, at that time.”

Amanda Lange

“It’s an increasingly interesting time to be re-examining the birth, or origins, of the United States of America and the foundational documents, as well as what was going on here, especially in Western Massachusetts, at that time.”

Overall, it promises to be an intriguing year for Deerfield, with new owners at Magic Wings, new programs at Historic Deerfield, more concerts at Tree House, and the many other draws. For this latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest looks at how Deerfield lives up its billing as a both a front door to Franklin County and the backbone of the region’s tourist economy.

Taking Flight

Tubbs told BusinessWest that she’s held leadership positions at several businesses, including a stint as wedding and event coordinator for the former Yankee Pedlar in Holyoke, but never owned one until now.

“I’ve always made money for other people,” she said, adding that all this changed, and she started working for herself, when she saw a notice on the internet that Magic Wings was for sale. “I thought, ‘that’s nice,’ and I closed my computer, but my brain would not let it go.”

Thus began a lengthy process of due diligence, learning a business that would be foreign to just about everyone, and talking her brother, an aerospace engineer by trade, into coming out for a look, and then eventually to come along for the ride.

“I knew there was a lot of stuff I didn’t know about — heating and cooling, for example — that I needed his help with,” she explained. “I do know weddings, I do know events, and I knew that this place was awesome.”

Sukys, who was working for GM in Michigan when his sister first started the exploratory process, said it was a slow, gradual course by which the two decided not only that they wanted to buy the business, but that they could make it a success.

“From the get-go, we were excited about it, but it was over time that we came to realize that we could make Magic Wings happen and also thrive,” he explained. “Then, it was like a full-out commitment, and I moved out here entirely; I got a lot of hands-on experience just being here.”

“From the get-go, we were excited about it, but it was over time that we came to realize that we could make Magic Wings happen and also thrive.”

All of the above took about two years, and in mid-January, they began a new era in this venerable business, officially taking over for another sister-and-brother team, Kathy Siore and George Miller.

The business plan calls for everything from updating the heating system and making it more efficient — a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees must be maintained for the butterflies — and also making the conservatory even more of a destination, especially for events. Several weddings are staged there each year — ceremonies and receptions alike — and Tubbs wants to do more of them, as well as birthday parties and other gatherings.

Meanwhile, there are plans to add a glass-blowing studio, reopen the café at the facility and broaden its menu, incorporate more local art in the gift shop, and offer classes in everything from painting butterflies to preserving butterfly wings they find in nature.

This is a year-round business, Tubbs noted, and January is actually a popular time to visit, both to beat back cabin fever and enjoy a few minutes without needing a winter coat.

“It’s the best way to get to the tropics without going very far,” Sukys said, adding that people come just to get a break from winter and smell the flowers in the conservatory.

Magic Wings and its new owners comprise one of many intriguing business stories in Deerfield, said Deane, noting that, while tourism is the dominant force, the town’s economy is quite diverse, featuring a solid mix of hospitality ventures, retail, manufacturing, education, agriculture, and service businesses.

This image is one of many that will be on display as part of the “Picturing the Revolution” exhibit to open on April 18 at Historic Deerfield.

It also boasts both legacy businesses and institutions, such as Deerfield Academy, Historic Deerfield, and Yankee Candle, and relative newcomers, such as Marty’s Local, a regional food distribution company founded in 2015 that connects more than 100 local farms and food producers with restaurants, schools, grocers, and institutions across New England and New York.

“That’s the best part about Deerfield — it’s not one product or one sector; it’s really an ecosystem,” she noted. “There’s agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, and culture, and they’re all intersecting in Deerfield in a visible way.

Stitch in Time

As she talked about the new exhibits soon to open at Historic Deerfield, Lange noted that she’s sensing growing interest, not just in that round-number anniversary celebration to climax on July 4, but in the period being celebrated.

The Ken Burns documentary The American Revolution has certainly helped fuel such interest, she said, as have the many commemorations in area communities of the Henry Knox Trail, the route of Col. Knox’s famous ‘noble train of artillery’ from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to the army camp outside Boston, a trek that ended in January 1776.

Knox and his men didn’t pass through Deerfield, Lange said, but there was plenty of other history written in this community, as a trip to the museum will reveal.

And the new exhibits to start in April will shed more light on the period and the people who lived through it, she said, adding that the museum has been planning for the 250th for some time now, especially with regard to assembling items for display, both from its own collection and other sources.

The “Picturing the Revolution” exhibit, for example, will include some battle plans for an engagement in 1780, showing the arrangement of the regiments and troops of the Continental Army.

“It didn’t happen because they were betrayed by Benedict Arnold,” she explained, adding that the plans were scrapped, and the forces were instead deployed to reinforce the fort at West Point.

The battle plan is among the dozens of items that will be on display at the museum across three exhibits. The “Dressing the Revolution” exhibit will focus on fashion, but also the manufacturing of items here and the profound shift — after the imposition of onerous taxes on British-made goods — toward non-importation. The “Town Divided” exhibit, meanwhile, will present multiple perspectives on how Deerfield residents embraced, rejected, or questioned Revolutionary ideals, said Lange, adding that the community was evenly split, more so than other area towns, between Loyalists and Whigs.

Other programming includes three one-act plays set in Deerfield during July 1774, on the eve of the Revolution, as well as a recreation of a tea party staged by Loyalists in defiance of non-consumption agreements. Historic Deerfield expects these various exhibits and programs to draw more people to the museum than would be considered typical.

Meanwhile, at Tree House, the brewery will continue to be a major draw, when it comes to both beer and music.

“Tree House has always been a destination, and not much has changed in that regard in the past decade,” co-founder Nate Lanier said. “We draw from all over — we’ve had visitors from more than 50 countries in the past year alone.”

Music has become a big part of the scene, he added. “Music has always been part of the Tree House experience. It goes all the way back to a record player in our original red barn in Brimfield. We started our concert series in Charlton with a small show, developed relationships with artists and promoters, and grew from there. Today, we’re hosting nationally touring acts; it’s been a natural evolution.

“Last year, concerts accounted for roughly 10% of our foot traffic in Deerfield,” he went on. “The concert-going crowd is significantly more diverse than our regular customers, which is great for us and for the region. Concerts are a challenging business, as we’ve learned the hard way, but they’re a significant economic driver: they generate regional lodging, food, and transportation spending, along with foot traffic to other businesses in the area. We’re proud of the role we play in making Deerfield a unique destination.”

And the backbone of the region’s tourism economy.

Zeno Temple

By George O'Brien February 16, 2026

Class of 2026

Founder, Just Us Movement

He Shows Up Every Day Striving to ‘Get One Better’

Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

Zeno Temple played football at Western New England University.

He started on the defensive line and eventually moved to offensive guard. He played all four years he was at the school, and the teams he played on did well, winning the Conference of New England title each year and advancing to the Division III playoffs.

Temple, who spent several years working as a community safety outreach specialist at the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, says he takes a number of lessons from his playing days into his current work — both as a senior legal analyst with the law firm Royal Parker Spruce, working toward becoming a lawyer (he’s on track to graduate from Western New England University School of Law in May and envisions specializing in employment law); and with a nonprofit he launched called the Just Us Movement.

In both cases, he strives to do something his former head coach, Keith Emery, or ‘Coach E,’ always told his players.

“Human rights and civil rights are not things where you can sit back and be like, ‘OK, I have those, and everything will be fine.’ These are things that always have to be advocated for and fought for.”

“He told us, ‘you gotta show up every day and get one better,’” Temple recalled, noting that the one refers to 1%. “He said it every day — ‘one better, one better.’ I keep that handy and ready because it’s true; I try to get one better in some aspect of my life every day.”

This philosophy, if you will, of continually getting 1% better is reflected in the broad mission of the Just Us Movement — to empower individuals, strengthen communities, and dismantle systemic barriers through legal education, health and wellness initiatives, and dynamic leadership programs — and its specific initiatives.

They fall into three categories — education, law, and health — and include everything from a program called Nourish the Neighborhood, through which Temple and his team have served hundreds of families with fresh meals; to a series of Know Your Rights workshops, free webinars covering topics from immigration encounters to mental health in the workplace; as well as the distribution of Red Cards, pocket-sized constitutional rights guides.

Temple is also establishing what he calls the Emerging Leaders Council, a pipeline for young professionals and students entering fields like law, education, and healthcare. It’s designed to cultivate the next generation of justice-driven leaders, he said — people who will carry forward the values of equity, service, and community advocacy.

“Zeno is one of Hampden County’s emerging leaders, whose work is transforming how communities access support, advocacy, and empowerment,” wrote Khadijah Allen, the Just Us Movement’s chief of staff. “His leadership reflects a clear vision — that justice and community well-being must be accessible to everyone, not just those who know how to navigate complex systems. That belief is the foundation of his work and the driving force behind the movement he leads today.

“Zeno is a Difference Maker because he doesn’t just witness inequities — he responds to them with action,” Allen went on. “Through the Just Us Movement, he has built a model of leadership that uplifts, empowers, and unites communities. His work is not only changing individual lives; it is shaping the future of justice and advocacy in Hampden County.”

Zeno Temple says the Just Us Movement aims to empower individuals, strengthen communities, and dismantle systemic barriers.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

Reflecting on what’s been done in the year since he started the nonprofit — and the work still to come — Temple said there are many needs within the community, including equal access to justice.

“It sounds so simple, and it sounds so basic, but it’s true — justice as a whole needs to be accessible to everyone, period. And I don’t think that we’re doing a good enough job of that as a society, and my goal is to make that a reality.”

Knowing the Score

Temple grew up in Philadelphia and recalls that his early aspiration was to become an architect.

“As the years went on, I got more in tune with current events and things that were going on, like Trayvon Martin,” he said, referring to the case of the Florida teenager shot and killed by a neighborhood watch member who claimed self-defense and was eventually acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter. “I was glued to the TV and, for the first time, saw what was going on.

“I started becoming more interested in the law,” he went on, adding that this interest, while keen, took a back seat to athletics. He played football in high school and in his senior year commenced a search for schools where he could continue playing.

“I visited a ton of schools and fell in love with Western New England,” he said, adding that, while playing, he also majored in law and society and became a life-skills mentor to younger players on the football team.

“When the freshmen would come in as athletes, we’d be the people to look out for them, help them out, check in on them, make sure their grades were good, and get them any resources they needed,” he recalled, adding that these experiences helped inspire his advocacy efforts to come later.

After graduating in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, he took some time off, went back to Philadelphia, did some policy work, and helped with a few political campaigns, before getting an offer to return to Springfield and work in the DA’s office as a community safety outreach specialist.

In that role, he worked as part of a small unit that worked within the community on several initiatives, everything from school visits to talk with students on a variety of subjects to court tours, by which young people became acquainted with the legal system, from arraignment to trial.

“Zeno is a Difference Maker because he doesn’t just witness inequities — he responds to them with action.”

“It was a cool job … we went into schools across Hampden County, getting to students early and doing prevention work,” Temple explained. “We talked about internet safety, alcohol and drug abuse, driving safety, and more. We had those discussions in big group settings, but also smaller sessions as well.

“Having that connection with the students was amazing,” he went on. “Being out in front of 100 high school students or middle school students and talking about important topics … it was not just educating the students, but also educating myself, trying to keep up on what’s new and what’s happening so we can be most productive and most helpful to the community. It gave me the opportunity to work on my public speaking skills, while also finding lanes to grow as an individual.”

Temple started attending law school at night in 2022, and is closing in on his degree, with intentions to focus on employment law and civil rights. As a paralegal and senior legal analyst at Royal Parker Spruce, he is gaining additional learning experiences while sitting in on mediations and other sessions.

Inspired by several factors — everything from the example set by his mother, a social worker, to the work he’d become involved with at the DA’s office, to various, and obvious, needs within the community, he started the Just Us Movement roughly a year ago.

As noted earlier, the Chicopee-based agency has a broad mission and service area (Western Mass. and Northern Conn.) and several focus points.

These include Nourish the Neighborhood; a Community Earth Day initiative (tree planting and neighborhood beautification); virtual programs to connect community members with information and resources; a back-to-school teacher supply drive in Hartford; participation in the Dignity Grows Partnership, a national initiative that provides hygiene and menstrual care products to individuals experiencing period poverty; a Black Balloon Day webinar on March 6 to join others in honoring those lost to overdose; and more.

The ‘Rights’ Thing to Do

Each of these initiatives grew out of need and a desire to meet it, Temple said, adding that the Nourish the Neighborhood effort is a good example. It was inspired by efforts undertaken by a friend at shelters in Philadelphia.

“I was thinking, ‘we should definitely do something like that up here,” he recalled, adding that the first effort, one that provided meals to more than 70 people — with his mother, also a caterer, doing most of the cooking — was in Hartford, with others to follow in the 413.

“We knew it was the right thing to do and that we were on the right track,” he said, adding that two more events followed over Thanksgiving and Christmas, with more planned for this year.

Another key element of his mission is education, including Know Your Rights seminars. These are free webinars on topics such as “Bridging the Gap: Access to Justice and Community Engagement,” “Know Your Rights: Law Enforcement and Immigration Encounters,” and “Mental Health in the Professional World.”

“We have some amazing people come in and speak on these panels — judges, attorneys, people who work in the community,” he said, adding that there have been seven of these webinars to date, with other subjects ranging from employment law matters to record sealing and expungement, and they are available on YouTube and various social media platforms.

The most recent offering was on Feb. 7, a program on housing featuring officials with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

And the response has been very positive, he said, adding that several dozen people have attended the live webinars, and there are usually energetic rounds of Q&A at the end of each one.

Behind these events is the simple philosophy that information is power and that access to justice and the rights that many take for granted is in many cases not equal.

“Human rights and civil rights are not things where you can sit back and be like, ‘OK, I have those, and everything will be fine,’” he said, adding that recent events in Minneapolis and elsewhere have driven home this point. “These are things that always have to be advocated for and fought for, and right now is the most important time to have people speak up for human rights. We need to realize that we all matter.

“The easiest thing to say would be, ‘I want peace and happiness, and things like that,’” he went on. “But we also have to realize that history repeats itself, and we all have to do a better job of learning from history, in all facets of life.”

Looking ahead, Temple wants to keep growing the Just Us Movement and broadening its impact. “I want us to be an organization that reflects the community we serve, and I want it to be an organization that will serve the community based on access to justice.”

This brings him all the way back to that notion of getting 1% better. It’s a personal goal, of course, but also something everyone involved in the Just Us Movement strives for.

“That’s what we do here — 1% better,” he said. “If you try to shoot for 1% better every day for a year, and you reach that, at the end of the year, you’ll be doing well.”

That mindset certainly helps explain why Temple is a Difference Maker.

Edward Sokolowski

By George O'Brien February 16, 2026

Class of 2026

Managing Partner and Wealth Advisor, Pioneer Valley Financial Group

He Sets the Tone at a Company That Cares About Community

Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

Ed Sokolowski calls it the ‘triangle.’

It comprises what he says are the three sides of any company that wants to consider itself truly successful.

One side involves the client and, more specifically, providing consistent, quality service — “you need to be there for them; we pick up calls on the weekend,” he said. Another involves employees, taking care of them, and giving them the tools they need to succeed in whatever role they might perform.

And the third involves the community and giving back to it, said Sokolowski, managing partner and wealth advisor with Pioneer Valley (PV) Financial Group in Ludlow, the company he and a few partners founded in 2002, adding that these three sides must be equal, and he makes sure that, with his business, they are.

“If we equally take care of those elements — you put the clients on top, you have the employees and the community, and you put PV in the middle … we’ll be OK,” he told BusinessWest. “We’re not here to make the most money; we’re here to make a difference in all three of those areas.”

Indeed, from the beginning, he has stressed that the company, and everyone who works for it, must be focused as much on the community as on the team and the customers.

“It’s in our mission statement — we believe in helping our clients and community live better,” he said. “Our legacy is the people and lives we have touched.”

“If we equally take care of those elements — you put the clients on top, you have the employees and the community, and you put PV in the middle … we’ll be OK. We’re not here to make the most money; we’re here to make a difference in all three of those areas.”

This philosophy has manifested itself in countless ways — from the PV Charitable Fund, which Sokolowski funds out of his own pocket, to the annual Slide into Summer Safely programs on the last day of school in Ludlow, Wilbraham, and Hampden (more on this later); from an annual First Responders Dinner, a salute put on by the company in conjunction with the local VFW, to small donations to myriad nonprofits across the region.

It has also manifested itself in a relatively new position at the firm — Community Outreach manager, a post held by Katherine (Kat) Ferri, who acknowledged that it is rare for a company this small (just 20 people) to have someone in such a role, which also includes marketing duties. But the fact that it exists, she added, speaks volumes about Sokolowski and his belief in giving back.

From left: Antonio Bastos, Ed Sokolowski, Karen Nogueira, and Kelly Haber at the Boston Business Journal’s Corporate Citizen Awards in 2025.

“Going back to when I was first interviewed, Ed talked about the company and how it has a focus on finance and helping people plan,” Ferri recalled. “And then, he went all in about the work we do in the community, the events we do, and the importance placed on giving back to the community.”

This hard focus on community has led to some recognition. Indeed, PV Financial, an employee-owned company, made its first appearance on the Boston Business Journal’s list of the state’s most philanthropic companies (what it calls its Corporate Citizenship Awards) in 2025, placing 96th in total giving ($145,000, not counting another $50,000 from the charitable fund — a large number for a small company) — but first in the average number of hours per employee devoted to community work, roughly 75 a year. The company was also among the first to be recognized by the Springfield Regional Chamber’s Super 60 category known as ‘Give Back.’

The awards are nice, and they bring attention to what is truly a team effort, said Sokolowski, adding quickly that the greater rewards come from seeing the impact of that team’s work in the community — the smiles on the faces of children at Slide into Summer Safely events or the appreciation from first responders at that annual dinner, for example.

“I don’t know how much it’s helped; we’ll probably never know, but we’ve had thousands of kids participate over the years, and we certainly think this is worth doing. It’s enjoyable to see the kids, knowing that they’re having fun, but learning.”

“I know we were happy when we crossed $100 million in assets, and then $200 million, $500 million, and on our way to $1 billion. I know I was proud, but I don’t remember the dates; I don’t remember the weather that day; I don’t remember too much,” he said. “But I do remember the kids’ faces and something that someone might say to me when it comes to charitable giving. I’m just as proud of those things, and they’re more memorable.”

Sharing the Wealth

Every Monday at 9, the staff at PV Financial gathers in the conference room for a weekly meeting. This room was carved out of the former LUSO Federal Credit Union offices, and there is still a teller’s window looking out onto what used to be a drive-thru.

These meetings start with Sokolowski giving what he calls a ‘state of the union’ report on the company, its performance, and its financial health. The agenda also includes updates from partners Kelly Haber and Karen Nogueira on compliance and initiatives to serve clients, before things are turned over to Ferri, who gives a lengthy update on upcoming events and all other matters involving the company’s involvement in the community.

This is just another indicator of the importance placed on this work, said Sokolowski, who told BusinessWest that he knew what he wanted to do for a living when he was 12, when he visited the EF Hutton office that his sister worked in and saw the ticker-tape machine used to print stock prices.

As he advanced these career plans, he decided early on that he wanted to work on the financial consulting side, rather than the stockbroker side.

“There’s a big difference between buying and selling stocks and doing financial planning,” noted Sokolowski, who ran the investment arm of the former Palmer Goodell Insurance before launching PV Financial Group in 2002. “I like watching money grow, but I’d rather watch what it does for people at the other end. Money can help in so many ways; it doesn’t necessarily buy happiness, but it helps, for sure.

The team at PV Financial puts a hard focus on community involvement.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

“I didn’t want to call people and say, ‘I have a hot stock tip for you,’” he went on. “I’d rather do that longer-term planning.”

This thoughtfulness, this caring about people and their futures, permeates every aspect of this company, and all three sides of the triangle. That includes the community side, which includes many different types of giving.

The list includes monetary donations — almost all of them small in nature, meaning a few hundred dollars — to a wide array of groups of causes, from Rick’s Place and Ludlow High School hockey to the WillPower Foundation and Baystate Children’s Hospital; from Belchertown Little League and the Southwick Animal Shelter to the Miracle League of Western Massachusetts and the Michael J. Dias Foundation.

“We rarely say no when we’re asked,” said Sololowski, adding that the company likes to spread the wealth, if you will, and support as many causes and agencies as it can.

But it’s important to note that the giving back goes well beyond writing checks — and, again, it’s a company-wide effort, with Sokolowski setting the tone.

He said he was influenced by his upbringing — he grew up in a low-income household and attended a state university (what is now Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) — and also by mentors, especially Bob Carnavale, president of Palmer Goodell.

“He was a very philanthropic person — he gave back a lot, and that’s how he ran his business,” said Sokolowski, adding that, like Carnavale, he and his team members make giving back a corporate philosophy.

Getting Creative in the Community

When it comes to those 75 volunteer hours that employees spend on average, Sokolowski — who’s very proud of that number and knows it by heart — said the company likes to get creative in this regard.

By that, he meant fun and productive, such as staging putt-a-thons and fling-stick challenges to raise additional money at charity golf tournaments, rather than playing in the event.

“We try new things,” he said, putting the Slide into Summer Safely programs in that category. Undertaken in cooperation with local police and fire departments, and started a dozen or so years ago in Ludlow and later expanded into Wilbraham, they place on the last day of the school year.

“The thinking was that, if we can talk with them right before they head into summer break, that would be ideal; that’s when they get into trouble — riding bikes without helmets, fireworks, swimming,” he said, adding that the challenge would be how to get students to come to such a program after school let out, and then how to get to them to listen and respond to what they were being told.

The answer was a program that’s as entertaining as it is educational, with ice cream, slides, popcorn, and more.

“I don’t know how much it’s helped; we’ll probably never know, but we’ve had thousands of kids participate over the years, and we certainly think this is worth doing. It’s enjoyable to see the kids, knowing that they’re having fun, but learning.”

“In order for the kids to get free popcorn and ice cream, they have to go up to a police officer or firefighter,” Sokolowski explained. “They’ll be asked a question — like a firefighter asking, ‘what do you if you light yourself on fire?’ And the kid has to say ‘stop, drop, and roll.’ If it’s a police officer, he’ll ask, ‘what do you do when you swim?’ And the kid has to say, ‘you swim with a friend.’ Their wristband gets marked, and then they get the free food.

“I don’t know how much it’s helped; we’ll probably never know, but we’ve had thousands of kids participate over the years, and we certainly think this is worth doing,” he went on. “It’s enjoyable to see the kids, knowing that they’re having fun, but learning.”

Another program the company has initiated is a first responders dinner event, staged in conjunction with the local VFW post. First responders from across the area, including the Ludlow, Wilbraham, and Hampden police and fire departments, the Massachusetts State Police, the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office, veterans, and others participate, said Sokolowski, adding that the event has grown in size since it was initiated eight years ago.

Meanwhile, in the planning stages is another event to recognize several of the area’s nonprofits, perhaps five a year, across different realms, with the twin goals of educating people about their missions and how they are carried out, while also raising money for these groups.

“For every dollar we spend, we should fundraise the same dollar amount back,” he said, adding that organizers are looking at higher-end bingo and raffles as options for fundraising. “It’s a way for the nonprofits to just show up and not have to worry about planning the event or fundraising.”

Meanwhile, the event should provide another creative way for PV Financial employees to volunteer, he said, adding that the company is always looking for fun ways to get employees involved in the community.

It’s just another example of how PV Financial focuses on that third leg of the triangle — one of the keys to this company being truly successful, and one that makes Sokolowski, who sets the tone for all of this, a true Difference Maker.

Julie Quink

By George O'Brien February 16, 2026

Class of 2026

Managing Principal, Burkhart Pizzanelli, P.C.

She’s a Role Model, Tone Setter … and Great Listener

Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

Julie Quink says it’s easy for accountants to get involved in community.

Indeed, she said, there’s no shortage of small nonprofits who need CPAs on their boards to help handle the books, and over the years, she’s done some of that, as almost everyone in the profession has.

And she encourages all members of the team at Burkhart Pizzanelli, P.C., the firm she serves as managing principal, to get involved as well — and, when possible, to go much further than crunching numbers for nonprofits and regional institutions, although that’s important, too. And here, she sets the tone.

She’s affiliated with several professional groups, such as the Massachusetts Society of CPAs and the Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examiners; sits on some boards — those at Baystate Health, Greater Springfield Senior Services, Monson Savings Bank, and Square One, among others — and serves as treasurer for the Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce, I Found Light Against All Odds, and the Estate Planning Council of Hampden County.

“One of the things that Square One does is allow us, when the coats come in, to help the kids choose their coat, and some of our team members take part. It’s a completely amazing event for us, and over the years, it has helped the team share my commitment to that organization because we can see that the little work we do for this fundraising really has an impact on these kids.”

But she does, indeed, go further, such as with Square One’s Operation Warm, a program that provides winter coats for kids; she has made the firm the sponsor of that initiative and inspired team members and clients alike to support those efforts.

“One of the things that Square One does is allow us, when the coats come in, to help the kids choose their coat, and some of our team members take part,” she noted. “It’s a completely amazing event for us, and over the years, it has helped the team share my commitment to that organization because we can see that the little work we do for this fundraising really has an impact on these kids.”

Julie Quink with Burkhart Pizzanelli co-owner Deborah Penzias.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

With that, she tells the story of a now-retired staff member at Burkhart Pizzanelli who had a sign outside his office that read ‘Grumpy Old Man.’

“He was self-proclaimed,” Quink said. “He went one year when the team met with the kids to hand out coats, and he was on his knees with these little people, and he had the biggest smile on his face. And I just thought, ‘if there was nothing else worth it in this whole entire thing, just seeing the look on his face and the joy that doing what he was doing brought … that’s what it’s really about for me.’”

Quink’s success with creating such moments is one of many reasons why she will be among those honored as Difference Makers in 2026. Others include the way she serves as a mentor and role model to those on her staff, creating an atmosphere that is more like a family than a business.

“Julie believes that we live and work in a community, and everyone has a very important role to play,” said Rebecca Connolly, director of the Auditing Department, who nominated Quink for this award. “She takes her role as a business owner and as a role model — not only for her staff, but her family and clients — seriously.

“At work, we joke that we don’t think Julie sleeps because she is so busy with helping small business owners with their businesses, helping them to grow their businesses, navigating tough financial times, while coming out on the other side feeling more supported and in better financial position,” Connolly added, noting that she does all this while serving on several boards, supporting the initiatives of several nonprofits, and serving as adjunct faculty in the MBA accounting program at Elms College.

Quink says she enjoys all aspects of this balancing act and finds the time for all of it, even during tax season — which isn’t really a season anymore, she noted, saying, “it never ends.”

“I can tell you personally that I take away much more than I give when it comes to organizations I belong to and work with, as a board member or even as a volunteer,” she told BusinessWest. “It makes everything worthwhile when you see the impact that you have on someone else’s life.”

Julie Quink spends a moment with a Square One student as winter coats are distributed as part of Operation Warm.

Overall, Quink excels at listening, responding, and being there for people — in all aspects of her life and every corner of the community.

It All Adds Up

Quink told BusinessWest that, while in high school, she developed an affinity for numbers and accounting.

“My accounting professor recognized that I had a talent in that area — I wasn’t even focused on it, really — and urged me to explore it,” she recalled. “It was interesting to me, and I understood it; I’m not a scientist, and I could never be a medical professional — I don’t have the stomach for that sort of thing — so accounting was it.”

She considered UMass Amherst and Elms College, and chose the much smaller, much more intimate setting, and never regretted that decision, becoming the first in her family to graduate from college.

“I’m a firm believer that you end up where you’re supposed to be,” she said, adding that she enjoyed the small class sizes there. “In hindsight, had I gone to a large institution, I probably would have gotten lost in the system. It was a benefit to me, and that’s one of the reasons I teach at Elms.”

She started in the field as senior accountant at what was then KPMG Peat Marwick in Springfield and later worked for 17 years at J.M. O’Brien & Co., P.C. in Springfield as director of Audits and Business Issues.

She came to West Springfield-based Burkhart Pizzanelli, now celebrating its 40th anniversary, in 2011 as part of a succession plan, serving first as senior manager of Audit/Consulting before becoming a principal in 2013 and then managing principal in 2015. She’s now spent 35 years in the profession and has seen a good amount of change, especially when it comes to culture.

“When I came on, you were expected to work long hours, you were expected to travel … it was just something you knew was part of the job; it was expected of you, and you did it,” she explained. “Now, it’s a lot different in terms of culture; we’re really focused on our team members here, their wellness, their well-being, their career trajectory. It’s really come a long way.

“Quality of life is really important to the younger generations, understandably, and the meaningfulness of what they do is important,” she went on. “We’ve had to adapt to all that.”

Elaborating, she said Burkhart Pizzanelli was at what she called the “front end of that curve,” which is one of the things that attracted her to the firm. And as managing principal, she is determined to stay ahead of that curve.

“What’s really important for us is balance,” she told BusinessWest, noting that there is now a staff of 25. “I think we, as a leadership group here, are really in tune with what’s impacting our team, and we can make changes and adapt workloads quickly if we see that someone’s overwhelmed.”

Beyond balance, she and others on the leadership team are focused on mentoring and being positive role models for younger staff members.

“All the leaders here have a strong desire to make sure our team is happy, growing in their positions, exposed to new opportunities … so we all take mentoring very seriously,” she said. “If I were to look at where I spend my time during the day, I’d say maybe an hour or two a day is spent in conversation about ‘how can we do this better? Where are we at? And how can I be a resource for you?’ We want to be hearing what’s going on, and we want to be adapting where we need to make change, and that takes a lot of listening. So I like to think I spend a lot of time listening.

From left: Julie Quink with team members Sarah Lapolice, Rebecca Connolly, and Deborah Penzias.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

“If I want people to come to me as a leader with a problem, an issue, something I can solve, my advice … I must be authentic, and they need to feel like they’re being heard,” she went on. “I’m really focused on what’s important to them because, if it’s important for them, then it becomes important for me.”

Warm Thoughts

This ability to listen and act on what she’s hearing is one of the many reasons why Connolly considers Quink, the tone-setter for the company, a Difference Maker.

“She really believes in family — she remembers everything about you,” she said. “No matter if it’s April 15 and a client needs her or something has happened to a staff member health-wise, her first response is, ‘do what you need to do; we’ll cover you.’ That’s what we do — we’re a team, and we support one another.”

Indeed, Connolly said, if there is one word that perhaps best sums up Quink and all aspects of her life, it would be ‘supportive.’ That’s true when it comes to the team at work, clients, her students at Elms, and the community.

“I can tell you personally that I take away much more than I give when it comes to organizations I belong to and work with, as a board member or even as a volunteer. It makes everything worthwhile when you see the impact that you have on someone else’s life.”

With that last realm, she stressed that she gets involved with agencies and causes that she’s passionate about, and she encourages others at the firm to take that same approach. “I tell them, ‘don’t just volunteer and not feel like you’re getting meaning out of your volunteering.’”

This sentiment explains why she became involved with healthcare organizations such as Baystate Health — which is going through a challenging time, as all hospitals and healthcare systems are — as well as Greater Springfield Senior Services and Square One.

“I’m on the board of Greater Springfield Senior Services because of the really great work they do with seniors in the catchment area and folks that really need the services we can provide and connect them to,” she said, explaining that she has chaired this board for several years now. “Especially as our population ages, we want people to be able to age at home if they like.”

Julie Quink, left, and other Burkhart Pizzanelli team members take part in a program run by the Parish Cupboard, which provides meals and groceries to individuals and families in need.

She was also drawn to I Found Light Against All Odds, an organization that helps secure housing for homeless young women — efforts that made it a Difference Maker in 2022.

“The need exists, probably more than we recognize or are aware of,” Quink said. “Homelessness is a real issue among young women, and that’s what drew me to that organization; we’re actively working toward increasing programming and creating more supports for women in that age group and in those insecure situations. Our goal is to get them off the streets or out of the situation that is harmful for them.”

With Square One, she was approached by now-retired president and CEO Joan Kagan to join the board, and almost immediately started looking for ways to get involved on a deeper level.

She recalled a conversation with Kris Allard, the agency’s vice president of Development and Communication, about the coats program.

“They had someone who worked with them prior who was backing out of the coat campaign, and she approached us about sponsoring that effort,” Quink noted. “We sat across this conference room table, and both had tears in our eyes as we talked about the conditions these kids are dealing with.

“I said, ‘sure, we’ll do what we can — we’ll be a sponsor,’” she went on, adding that it soon became a firm-wide initiative, with fundraising and then and distributing the coats.

The fundraising goal this year was $5,000, she said, noting that more than $10,000 was raised, enough to buy more than 400 coats.

“Over the years, the campaign has evolved to where our clients have gotten involved, and they remind us to send them information on the coat campaign because they want to donate,” she continued. “It’s really become important to us, but also our clients.”

And it’s just one example of how Quink and members of the firm get involved beyond handling the books for nonprofits. And another example of why this role model is also a Difference Maker.

Darby O’Brien

By George O'Brien February 16, 2026

Class of 2026

Owner, Darby O’Brien Advertising

This Unconventional ‘Mad Man’ Has Always Been Ready for a Fight

Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

They call it the Fishing Buddies Lodge.

It’s a very informal meeting space within the suite of offices for Darby O’Brien Advertising in South Hadley, and, obviously, it is decorated to look like a fishing cabin.

It is crammed, as in crammed, with collectibles and wall art that start to tell the story of the founder of this company. There are bobbleheads, baseball gloves, New York Yankees and Mickey Mantle merch (he’s a long-time fan of the team and grew up, as many his age did, idolizing #7), a scale model of the Bluesmobile, various photos of JFK, countless mugs, hats, and, on the wall, a framed, autographed photo of Ken Osmond, famous for playing the insincere flatterer and provocateur Eddie Haskell on the classic sitcom Leave It to Beaver.

“I was a fan of Eddie’s — he was the king of mischief,” said O’Brien, the Holyoke native who shares that trait with Haskell, one of many that make him a unique character, in every sense, and contribute to his being named a Difference Maker.

Others include creativity — his ads certainly stand out as different and, generally speaking, effective — as well as genuineness, sincerity, and a passion for getting involved, often with underdog groups and causes.

“On the way out, Jeremy grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘will you fight for us? Because we can’t fight.’ I said, ‘yeah, I’ll fight to the finish, because this is wrong.’”

With that last one, there is a long list, everything from efforts to reopen Holyoke’s reservoirs to fishing and bring back his childhood baseball team, the Elmwood Jets, to lobbying against the quarrying of a local ski area with his ‘Mount Tom, I Don’t Dig It’ campaign; from early efforts to thwart casino gambling in Springfield to a campaign protesting the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council’s (EDC) decision to hire a Tennessee-based firm to rebrand the region for tourism efforts, rather than use local marketing talent.

And then, there was the Phoebe Prince case.

Prince was a student at South Hadley High School when she took her own life after persistent bullying. O’Brien is credited by many with taking the case to a regional, national, and even international stage, attention that eventually led to charges against several students and the passing of anti-bullying legislation at the state level called ‘Phoebe’s Law.’

Soon after the matter starting getting press, O’Brien remembers getting a call from Prince’s parents, Jeremy and Anne, asking if they could meet with him.

“On the way out, Jeremy grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘will you fight for us? Because we can’t fight,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘yeah, I’ll fight to the finish, because this is wrong.’

“No one was standing up,” he went on, adding that he pressed the matter, despite repeated warnings that it would be bad for his business and, eventually, several death threats.

But as with other cases in which he’s gotten involved, he’s ignored such warnings and plowed ahead. Indeed, while he likes to say he’s gotten involved in most of the issues listed above “by accident,” those who know him well say otherwise.

“He literally does not back down from a fight or a wrong,” said John Garvey, a friend and fellow marketing firm owner. “And he encourages other people to not back down when they see a wrong.”

This is certainly the case with a weekly blog of sorts that he started at the height of the pandemic as a way to keep people connected, informed, and even entertained, and also to generate dialogue on the issues of the day.

While some offerings are whimsical, such as taste testings (fruitcake and Twinkies, for example) involving his grandson, Flynn, others are poignant and thought-provoking, such as a recent tribute to his brother David (known to most as ‘Moon’) who died last month, a remembrance of one of the students shot at Kent State in May 1970, who died recently, and sharp criticism of Newton officials for making a man take down an ice rink he created in his front yard during COVID because he lacked a special permit.

“Imagine doing that to kids during this COVID-19 winter?” O’Brien asked rhetorically. “Jackasses. Look the other way and let the kids have good, clean fun, will ya?”

Such sentiments, and the williness to express them, help explain why he’s a true Difference Maker.

Getting the Message

O’Brien said he took note of all the things marketing experts said not to do as he was starting his business — such as not getting involved with retail or political campaigns — but, by and large, he ignored them.

Indeed, among his first clients were the men’s clothing store A.O. White and Holyoke mayoral hopeful Marty Dunn, who was waging an underdog (there’s that word again) campaign to unseat long-time incumbent Ernie Proulx.

“He was a sure-shot loser because Ernie Proulx had been mayor for 12 years, he won every ward, every precinct, and had a reputation for demolishing Irish candidates,” O’Brien recalled, adding that he drew inspiration from boxer Sugar Ray Leonard’s ‘stick-and-move’ tactics to defeat Marvin Hagler and ran a successful campaign that he called “a real strong statement about being creative.”

Suffice it to say that O’Brien has been doing things his way — not the way the experts advise — since he started his company — and, actually, long before that.

Like when he was in high school — actually, several of them, as it took him six years and several institutions to earn a diploma. He said he joked to his frustrated father, a vice president with the construction firm Daniel O’Connell’s Sons, “dad, the longer I’m in school, the smarter I get.”

He added that “I hadn’t really thought about advertising, although I was kind of a promoter as a kid.” But he was eventually “discovered” by the owner of the local firm Bewick Advertising.

“He called me, hired me, and put me in charge of new business, which I knew nothing about,” O’Brien recalled, noting that he eventually started his own agency in 1980, taking with him many of his clients from Bewick and focusing on the goal of getting more of the larger businesses in the region to use local marketing talent.

Over the course of roughly 45 years in business, O’Brien has made his mark in many different ways, starting with his approach to marketing — which is to almost dare clients, and potential clients, to look beyond what would be considered safe — something he laments that very few are willing to do now.

His ads can certainly be defined as different and creative, to the extent that the phrase ‘Darby ad’ has entered the lexicon, a reference to something bold — and at times controversial — that stands out.

One of the many marketing initiatives that could be described with the phrase ‘Darby ad.’

Like the billboard featuring a Hot Table panini and the headline ‘Bite Me.’ Or the billboard for lawyer Raipher Pellegrino with the words, ‘The Iceman Sueth.’ Decades ago, there was a newspaper ad for the Springfield Civic Center promoting a tennis match at the then-Springfield Civic Center between Springfield native Tim Mayotte and Czechoslovakian Ivan Lendl. The headline read, ‘On February 9, BayBank Invites Tim Mayotte Back to Springfield to Bounce a Czech.’

As O’Brien tells the story, Lendl called the event organizers saying that was backing out of the match due to the ad, which he considered offensive, then started laughing, saying he was just kidding.

Then there’s the ad O’Brien put together for a group opposing casino gambling in Springfield. Featuring a picture of a masked man pointing a gun at the reader, it took the headline, ‘If You Build It, They Will Come.’

“You hire Darby because you want ideas,” Garvey said. “You don’t hire Darby to run your ideas by him. And for God’s sake, don’t fight him on the creative — because that is holy ground.”

Peter Rosskothen, the serial entrepreneur who has been a client of O’Brien’s for more than 30 years and worked with him on campaigns for the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, the Delaney House restaurant, and his current venture, Delaney’s Market, agreed — sort of.

In fact, he has fought him on creative content on a few occasions, but most of the time, he’s been talked into ads that were, well … different.

“He likes to push the envelope, and he makes a difference with his uniqueness,” Rothkossen said. “He’s very bold, and he tells me as a client that I’m being too conservative. I like that — I like the fact that the material tends to be different and stands out.”

Taking a Stance

While his marketing and advertising impact has been noteworthy, so too has O’Brien’s work within the community, much of which has involved young people, Holyoke, or some combination of the two.

Such as his efforts to reopen the Paper City’s reservoirs to fishing, a campaign that featured a group he created called the Fishing Buddies, and some escapades involving O’Brien and Peter Jourdain in Blues Brothers-like outfits. He said this effort started by accident when he and an acquantaince, who fished the reservoirs when they were young, tried to relive old memories several decades later and were chased off by police.

The Fishing Buddies Lodge at Darby O’Brien Advertising is crammed with collectibles that speak to O’Brien’s interests — and passions.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

“There’s no reason why inner-city kids can’t fish out here,” he said, adding that, while the fight was ultimately unsuccessful, despite widespread support — the reservoirs remain closed to fishing — he had some fun and gave people something to think about. And that could be described as his MO.

It was the same with the EDC’s decision to hire a Tennessee firm to rebrand the region. After the ad campaign was created, O’Brien famously challenged then-EDC President Allan Blair to a winner-take-all ping-pong game in an ad that appeared in BusinessWest.

“I told him that if he beat me, I’d shut up and he could put me on his board, and that if I beat him, he’d give the work to the local talent,” said O’Brien, adding that, while Blair never responded, he got his point across, and had some more fun.

With the Phoebe Prince case, though, his involvement was taken to new and far more serious levels.

Encouraged by his father, who thought South Hadley officials were trying to sweep the matter under the rug, O’Brien reached out to Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen and went on the record for a piece titled “The Untouchable Mean Girls,” which was essentially the first news story to suggest that bullying was the root cause of Prince’s suicide.

“All hell broke loose,” recalled O’Brien, adding that national and global media were soon all over the story. Soon thereafter, he met with Prince’s parents and committed to do whatever he could to generate more press and hold those responsible accountable. And in the months and even years to follow, he was the subject of threats to his business, health, and life.

Rosskothen said he’s one of many who have, over the years, advised O’Brien that it might not be good for his business to get involved — with the Prince case, but also many of the other issues he’s become entangled with.

“A conversation like that with Darby is a pretty normal conversation because he pushes hard,” Rosskothen said. “As a friend, I sometimes tell him that; he listens, but that doesn’t mean that he follows the advice.”

O’Brien continues to push for what he considers right in his weekly blog, which he calls “Keep Up Your Dukes,” something he said repeatedly to a close friend during his recent cancer fight.

He acknowledged that the more common phrase is ‘put up your dukes,’ a nod to someone that you’re ready to fight and that they should bring it on. His take is different — meant to say that one should always be ready to fight when necessary.

He’s always been that way, and that’s what makes him a Difference Maker.

Theory Skate Shop Owners Grab Some Air

By George O'Brien February 2, 2026

Cover Story

Top Entrepreneurs 2025

Frank Langone (left) and Dan Dziuban at Theory’s Holyoke Mall location.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

A Thrill Ride

For Dan Dziuban, running a business is a lot like skateboarding and snowboarding.

“When you fall down, you’ve got to get right back up,” he said, offering one of many analogies between these activities, all of which feature twists and turns, trial and error, aches and pains (of either the figurative or literal variety), a fast pace, and an always-changing landscape.

Watch more from this year’s Top Entrepreneurs:

Success in all these realms also requires persistence and some luck, said Frank Langone, Dziuban’s partner in the venture known as Theory Skate Shop, which is coming up on 30 years of growth, evolution, thrills, spills, no less than 18 moves within the Holyoke Mall, and rewards on many different levels.

“It’s been a real roller-coaster ride,” Langone said. “There have been a lot of ups and downs, but mostly, it’s been a lot of fun.”

More ups than downs, to be sure, for Theory, which also sells apparel, including its own brand of clothing, and a wide range of accessories, and now operates two locations, with the other in Northampton, and has a strong online presence as well.

But it’s not just the retail aspect of this venture that has earned Dziuban and Langone BusinessWest’s coveted Top Entrepreneur honor, first awarded 30 years ago. There is also the manner in which they have promoted these sports, and especially skateboarding, bringing the sport more into the mainstream and greatly upgrading facilities locally.

Indeed, they have worked with several area communities to design and build skateboard parks — the latest such initiative is in Westfield — and there have also been summer camps, an indoor skateboard park they operated in Springfield for 14 years called Junction, videos, skating events, and more to bring people into the sport — and sometimes, through their influence, into the professional ranks.

“We’ve had three local guys come up and become professional skateboarders, and one become a professional snowboarder who’s left a huge mark on the sport; he grew up riding at Blandford, shopping here, and working for us,” said Dziuban, adding that helping people get into these sports and then watching some excel at the highest level is among the greatest rewards from all their hard work.

Another is seeing and hearing from young people who attended their skateboard camps and frequented the indoor skateboard park and have not forgotten those experiences.

“You’ll be in a restaurant, and someone will tap you on the shoulder … you don’t recognize him because it’s 20 years later and he was just a kid then, but he’ll tell you how much the skate park impacted his life, kept him out of trouble, kept him busy,” Dziuban said. “You could be in Rhode Island and that would happen, and it would happen all the time. And that’s very rewarding.”

“You’ll be in a restaurant, and someone will tap you on the shoulder … you don’t recognize him because it’s 20 years later and he was just a kid then, but he’ll tell you how much the skate park impacted his life, kept him out of trouble, kept him busy.”

Our story begins in the mid-’80s, with both Dziuban and Langone becoming part of what could be called the rise of skateboarding, fueled by highly visible professionals, especially Tony Hawk, who pioneered vertical skateboarding and would go on to become a successful entrepreneur — with his own skateboard company, Birdhouse — and philanthropic, helping to build skateboard parks around the world.

Dziuban and Langone have essentially followed this pattern within the 413 and a little beyond. They started with a small store on Main Street in West Springfield in 1998, and would go to set up headquarters, if you will, in the mall. They would diversify — into snowboarding, as that sport became more popular, and also into footwear and a wide array of clothing, including Theory branded items, while also getting involved in the community, especially with building skateboard parks and operating skate camps. They would add several other locations over the years, most of which did work out long-term.

Dan Dziuban describes the company’s journey as a roller-coaster ride.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

Which brings us back to Langone’s reference to a roller-coaster ride, which this has been — a fun, rewarding thrill ride that has become a story not only of entrepreneurship, but of giving back; not just doing business in a community, but becoming a positive force within that community.

For this issue, we talked with Dziuban and Langone about the ride, about grabbing some air, as they say in the skateboarding world, and about the possible next chapters in an intriguing story.

Ramping Up

As he talked with BusinessWest in the Holyoke Mall just before it opened for the day earlier this month, Dziuban referenced the new Dick’s House of Sport soon to open in the old Sears footprint, just a few doors down from Theory’s current location.

The new Dick’s will be massive — and interactive — with batting cages, rock-climbing walls, a turf field, and much more, in addition to its vast inventories of sporting goods. Dziuban was asked if he worried about what would seem to be intimidating new competition.

Frank Langone says being an entrepreneur is much like mastering a skateboard or snowboard — there’s lots of trial and error.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

“The younger me would definitely be worried about what this might mean for us,” he said. “This older me? I can see how this will be good for the mall and bring more people here — and possibly to our store. I’d prefer to focus on the positive aspects of this.”

Those comments show a maturity that comes with nearly three decades of experience in retail; time in the trenches that has included countless learning experiences on many levels; coping with new challenges like COVID and, more recently, tariffs; and, as noted earlier, some falling and getting back up again.

Before doing it in business, both Dziuban and Langone were doing it on skateboards on the streets of Springfield.

“Someone in the neighborhood got a board … you tried it, and then you wanted one,” Dziuban recalled, adding that this pattern was being repeated countless times across the region and the country.

“A friend of mine and I … we bought our boards together and started from there,” Langone said. “We met new people, and then Dan and I met eventually down the line.”

In addition to some passion for the emerging sport of skateboarding, Langone, who left for California for a year in the mid-’90s before returning to Western Mass., and Dziuban also shared some entrepreneurial blood, if you will. Langone’s father owned a flower shop in Springfield’s South End, and Frank worked there growing up. Meanwhile, Dziuban’s father operated a cleaning service.

So they knew what they were getting into — sort of — when they opened their first store on Main Street in West Springfield, looking to tap into the growing popularity of the sport.

“I just had an idea — I thought starting a shop would be a cool thing to do, and Dan agreed. We pooled our money together and got started,” said Langone, who also worked for a time at the Board Room, one of the region’s first skateboard shops, in Northampton.

“When you’re 23 or 24 years old … at that age, you pretty much think you can do anything.”

Neither one quit what would be considered their day job as they set up shop — Langone was still working at the flower shop, and Dziuban was still stocking shelves in the frozen food aisle at the Food Mart on Allen and Cooley streets in Springfield — and they couldn’t afford to pay themselves for a while, either.

But they were laying a foundation for a business — and a brand.

Indeed, the name originated with a class in criminal theory that Dziuban was taking at Westfield State University, and the logo, an ornate ‘T,’ which has stood the test of time, was created by his roommate, a graphic design major.

Soon after they opened and established a firm footing, they started laying another foundation, this one for work in the community, specifically with West Springfield to create its first skate park within the city’s Cooks Park.

“We had built a lot of ramps for ourselves over the years, so we knew what to do, and we played a pivotal role in getting that park built,” said Dziuban, adding that they did so thinking the facility would be for the community, but also inspire more people to take up the sport.

The partners would soon get involved in more parks in communities such as Belchertown, Amherst, Monson, and Sturbridge, he went on, joking that, before long, the business had what could be called a construction division, often converting little-used tennis courts into skate parks.

Summer skate camps, like the one seen here, are among the many ways Theory and its founders get involved in the community and give back.

Meanwhile, the two partners started conducting summer skate camps — they still participate in city-run camps in Agawam and Westfield — that bring more people into the sport and forge some relationships that have lasted for decades.

And in 2000, they started created their first skateboard video, called “Thesis,” featuring local skateboarders on the Theory team. It was designed to promote both the sport and the company, and it would be the first of many.

“It was the first of its kind for this area,” Dziuban said. “We premiered it at CityStage — there more than 400 people there; it sold out. That video was on VHS, we sold 1,600 copies — it was very well-received, and that was the tipping point for us doing eight more of those videos, and business boomed after that.”

On a Roll

Looking back on the early years, the partners acknowledged that, while there was some of that fear that comes with opening any kind of business, there was also a certain confidence that comes from youth — and perhaps from being able to master difficult skateboarding maneuvers.

“When you’re 23 or 24 years old … at that age, you pretty much think you can do anything,” Langone said.

Dziuban agreed, adding, “in all honesty, we didn’t have much time to think. We opened the store, then we built that skateboard park in West Springfield, and every year we were doing a new skateboard park or a new store or trying something new. There was no time to relax and little time to think.”

Soon after getting started, the partners would add snowboard equipment to the mix, as many skate shops have, bringing needed diversity to a business focused on a sport that more or less shuts down for the winter months. The sports are similar in many respects, and many who skateboard also snowboard.

They eventually set up a holiday pop-up store at the Holyoke Mall in 2006, an experience that would lead them to become year-long tenants there, although not with enough confidence to sign anything approaching a long-term lease.

Which explains the 18 moves within that facility, said Dziuban, humorously noting that he knows every inch of the mall because he’s operated in every corner of it.

“Sometimes, there were two moves in the same year,” he recalled. “It was every six months for a few years.”

The moves within the mall — in addition to four moves in West Springfield earlier in the life of the company — reflect the newness and trial-and-error aspect of this specific niche within retail, the partners noted.

And with the successes have come some setbacks. Indeed, Dziuban and Langone have opened shops or acquired existing facilities in various locations, including Amherst and Northern Connecticut, that have not worked out. There was also Junction, the indoor skate park that, though it eventually closed, was a huge part of the business and its efforts to introduce people to skateboarding.

“We were out there all the time, skating with everyone, teaching skate camp, working there — we were becoming friends with our customers. It was amazing,” Dziuban said.

“We were throwing a lot of darts, and we were younger and more eager to try things,” said Langone, adding that, collectively, these were learning experiences that have made Theory a stronger company and the partners wiser entrepreneurs.

Today, there are the two locations — in addition to two large booths at the Big E they’ve had for 20 years now — as well as the summer camps and events at the skate parks.

“We do ‘come skate with us’ events on Wednesday nights; we have a DJ, sometimes we have food, we have prizes for best trick,” Dziuban noted. “We have go-skate events, which are all-day events; we do a Halloween event … we do a bunch. We’re out there interacting with the skateboard community and doing everything we can to keep it fun.”

Such efforts are more difficult on the snowboarding side of the equation — the company used to run bus trips to area ski resorts — but the partners do what they can to build enthusiasm for that sport as well.

Meanwhile, Theory has diversified into brands, and products, that are not skate- or snowboard-related, especially at the mall location, which boasts everything from outdoor clothing (Patagonia and the North Face) to Yeti coolers and accessories, to a wide range of shoes and even sunglasses and backpacks. As for the Theory brand itself, it can be found on everything from T-shirts and hoodies to jeans and baggy shorts.

“The good thing is the skateboard culture itself is popular,” Dziuban said. “The clothing brands, the shoes … you don’t necessarily have to skate to want to buy those products.”

Overall, business has been good, but there is a fickleness to sporting goods in general and some specific sports, like skateboarding and snowboarding. Indeed, Langone and Dziuban referenced how the snows of last December, a stark departure from the past several years, to be sure, helped fuel sales of snowboards during the holiday season — and also how the recent years with little snow before January didn’t drive such sales.

“If you can’t see snow in your backyard, you’re not even thinking about snowboarding,” Langone said. “And with skateboarding, one day it’s really cool, and everyone wants a skateboard for Christmas, and then, five years later, every kid wants a soccer ball, and skateboarding is not cool.”

Dziuban agreed. “The thing about skateboarding and snowboarding is they’re both so volatile,” he explained. “The weather affects snowboarding, and skateboarding comes in and goes out of popularity. So we don’t have much time to think about what the business plan should be. The business plan is pretty much sent to us by the customer.”

Making the Jump

Right now, the plan calls for continuous efforts to listen to those customers and respond accordingly, growing the internet sales side of the business, and continuing to get involved with efforts that simultaneously promote the sport and bring new facilities to area communities.

The latest initiative is in Westfield, where the partners, along with Jeff Burke, a Theory team rider who came up through its skate camp, have helped design, coordinate, and raise money for a $1.6 million skate park facility in Amelia Park.

It’s the latest example of how these entrepreneurs have always been more then retailers. They’ve also been promoters — of skateboarding and snowboarding, to be sure, but also safe, healthy communities.

Previous Top Entrepreneurs

• 2024: John and Chris DeVoie, owners of Hot Table

• 2023: The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts

• 2022: Benson Hyde and Bruce McAmis, co-owners of Provisions

• 2021: Dinesh Patel and Vid Mitta, owners of Tower Square in Springfield

• 2020: Golden Years Homecare Services

• 2019: Cinda Jones, president of
W.D. Cowls Inc.

• 2018: Antonacci Family, owners of USA Hauling, GreatHorse, and Sonny’s Place

• 2017: Owners and managers of the Springfield Thunderbirds

• 2016: Paul Kozub, founder and president of V-One Vodka

• 2015: The D’Amour Family, founders of Big Y

• 2014: Delcie Bean, president of
Paragus Strategic IT

• 2013: Tim Van Epps, president and
CEO of Sandri LLC

• 2012: Rick Crews and Jim Brennan, franchisees of Doctors Express

• 2011: Heriberto Flores, director of the New England Farm Workers’ Council and Partners for Community

• 2010: Bob Bolduc, founder and CEO of Pride

• 2009: Holyoke Gas & Electric

• 2008: Arlene Kelly and Kim Sanborn, founders of Human Resource Solutions and Convergent Solutions Inc.

• 2007: John Maybury, president of Maybury Material Handling

• 2006: Rocco, Jim, and Jayson Falcone, principals of Rocky’s Hardware Stores and Falcone Retail Properties

• 2005: James (Jeb) Balise, president of Balise Motor Sales

• 2004: Craig Melin, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital

• 2003: Tony Dolphin, president of Springboard Technologies

• 2002: Timm Tobin, president of
Tobin Systems Inc.

• 2001: Dan Kelley, president of
Equal Access Partners

• 2000: Jim Ross, Doug Brown, and Richard DiGeronimo, principals of Concourse Communications

• 1999: Andrew Scibelli, president
of Springfield Technical
Community College

• 1998: Eric Suher, president of E.S. Sports

• 1997: Peter Rosskothen and Larry Perreault, co-owners of the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House

• 1996: David Epstein, president and co-founder of JavaNet and the JavaNet Café

Coming Off Strong Year, Contractors Eye More of the Same in 2026

By George O'Brien February 2, 2026

Construction Special Coverage

Building Momentum

Dave Fontaine inside the new East Longmeadow High School, now under construction.

Bill Laplante says it wasn’t that long ago when a whole-house renovation with a price tag of $400,000, $500,000, or more was extremely rare.

Now, it’s commonplace,” said Laplante, owner of East Longmeadow-based Laplante Construction, which specializes in high-end homes, remodeling, and some light commercial work. “People are staying where they are and just putting the money into the house.”

Still, somewhat high interest rates have something to do with this surge in large-scale remodeling, he said, adding that many people bought their current homes at roughly 3% and are now looking at something just north of 6% (and it’s been higher the past few years) if they want to buy something new. So, in many respects, it makes sense to invest in the current home and stay in it, he went on.

This thinking helps explain why 2025 was one of the best the company has recorded, said Laplante, and also why 2026 is lining up to be another very solid year. “It was probably the largest-volume year in our history. We had a very, very, very good year — we had a lot of projects.”

“There were a lot of questions early last year regarding interest rates and whether they would go down or go up. I think people are feeling a little more comfortable with what they’re seeing recently.”

Bob Provost, co-owner of Greenfield-based general contractor Mowry & Schmidt, agreed, noting that 2025 was a good year for the company, with a diverse mix of projects, including the new hockey rink at Northfield Mount Hermon School and renovation of the former Greenfield Public Library into part of what could now be called the Greenfield Savings Bank campus in the heart of the city’s downtown.

“This past year was a very good for us, and it’s looking very promising for 2026 as well for both commercial work as well as residential,” he told BusinessWest. “There were a lot of questions early last year regarding interest rates and whether they would go down or go up. I think people are feeling a little more comfortable with what they’re seeing recently, and mortgage rates are lower than they have been. All this bodes well for builders.”

Mark Sullivan, president of Northampton-based D.A. Sullivan & Sons, which specializes in commercial and institutional work, agreed. He said the firm handled a lot of work for colleges during the summer break — he calls them ‘summer slams’ — as well as municipal projects in Chicopee and other communities, and has a good amount of similar work on the books for 2026.

There are some issues and headwinds confronting builders — finding enough help remains difficult, scheduling becomes more of a challenge as the volume of work increases, and Dave Fontaine Jr., president of Fontaine Brothers Construction in Springfield, noted that a slowdown in private sector work in the eastern part of the state is creating more competition for public projects, such as a new middle school in East Bridgewater that the firm bid on.

Bill Laplante says a good number of whole house renovations contributed to a record year for his company.
Staff Photo

“Because the firms that generally focus on private work in Eastern Mass. are slow, we’re seeing a lot more competition for work throughout the rest of the state,” he explained. “We just interviewed for the project in East Bridgewater; generally, there would be anywhere between three and four other firms competing, but on that project, I think there were a total of nine firms that submitted bids.”

Still, for the most part, these are good times for construction firms, which are taking full advantage of somewhat greater stability on the national and global fronts (as of mid-January, anyway) and accompanying confidence among business owners and residents alike to move forward with projects.

“We just interviewed for the project in East Bridgewater; generally, there would be anywhere between three and four other firms competing, but on that project, I think there were a total of nine firms that submitted bids.”

Meanwhile, there is a solid amount of public work taking place and on the drawing board, which is good news for firms that specialize in that kind of work, including Fontaine.

Indeed, the firm is moving toward the conclusion of one major school project locally (East Longmeadow High School), in the middle stages of another (Agawam High School), and getting ready to start a third (the new Longmeadow Middle School). And there are projects in other corners of the state as well.

And if all goes well, the company will have to balance all that with construction of a new courthouse in Springfield, one that will likely have a price tag approaching or exceeding $500 million — Fontaine is one of the lead players in a proposal (one of 11 now being considered by the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance) to build a 15-story courthouse roughly across State Street from the current facility.

When asked if the firm could handle all that, Fontaine laughed and said, “I hope that’s a question we have to answer; we’ll manage somehow.”

Renovation of the former Greenfield Public Library into part of the Greenfield Savings Bank campus is one of many projects in the Mowry & Schmidt portfolio.

Right now, most construction firms are managing quite well, and while all those we spoke with cautioned that the scene (globally and nationally) could change quickly, the outlook for 2026 is generally positive.

Going Up

Laplante told BusinessWest that, while there was a solid mix of work in 2025, with residential and light commercial contributing to that solid bottom-line performance, it was the high-end renovations that stood out and gave the year some definition.

As he noted, there were more of them, and they signify a trend that likely has some staying power until interest rates come down significantly.

And when he talks about whole house renovations, he means whole house.

“They want a new kitchen, they want new appliances, they want all the bathrooms done over, they want to change out the windows, the siding … everything,” he said, adding that, depending on the size of the house — and most of these are quite large — the final price tag can exceed $400,000, $500,000, or even $600,000.

This new home in Longmeadow is one of many built by Laplante Construction in 2025.

As noted, Laplante’s firm did several of those in 2025, most in Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, and Wilbraham. In addition to these renovations, the firm built roughly a dozen high-end new homes — in Western Mass. and also on the Cape, where the company opened a satellite office a few years ago to better serve customers looking to build there or renovate existing homes.

There were also several commercial projects of various sizes and in different stages of completion, including a dental office in East Longmeadow, a warehouse building for Revitalize CDC in Springfield, and another warehouse for GoGraphix in East Longmeadow.

Commercial work comprises just 20% of the firm’s book of business, but it’s an important part of the portfolio, he noted, adding that the company has more from that sector on the books for 2026, including a 24,000-square-foot memory care facility expected to break ground in the spring.

Meanwhile, there is a steady diet of more residential work, especially those high-end renovations, slated for 2026, said Laplante, adding quickly that, as the volume of such work increases, getting on the schedule becomes more of a challenge.

“We have a dozen new home starts, the memory care facility, and more renovation work in the pipeline, to the point where we’re having to push out when it comes to scheduling them,” he explained. “One of the tough things is that we can’t start a major renovation in a month now … we’re having to space them out and schedule them well ahead of time and make sure we get everything ordered and ready to go.

“Overall, we have work on the books for 2026 that should make it as good if not better than 2025,” he went on. “We have a lot in the pipeline.”

Sullivan echoed those sentiments. He said 2025 was a solid year, joking that the firm took on maybe a few more summer slams than it should have, but it fit them all in.

“You can’t start until the students are out, and you have to finish before they get back,” he said, adding that firm handled work at Smith, Mount Holyoke, UMass Amherst, and other schools. “Everything gets squeezed in the middle, so you’re behind before you start, so those are always anxious projects, but they’re interesting.”

In addition, the firm had several anchor projects, as he called them, including renovation of the former public library in Chicopee into meeting space and ongoing renovations to City Hall there (see related story, page 13), as well as a library addition in Fitchburg, work at the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, projects at UMass Amherst, and other initiatives.

He said colleges and municipalities have the resources and confidence to move ahead with projects after a few sluggish years following COVID.

And for 2026, the company already has a good amount of work on the books.

“We entered the year with probably 60% of our targeted year, which is where we want to be, and we have a few potential projects queued up,” he said. “They haven’t been finalized, but they’re trending in that direction, and if they happen, we’ll be over our annual volume goal.”

Firm Foundation

Provost offered similar sentiments, noting that, while the outlook is mostly positive, things can change quickly — and profoundly — and this is why diversity is so important for builders, including his firm.

“Being in this area, being in Western Mass., and especially Franklin County, for us, there’s always been a need to stay diverse,” he noted. “You never know where the market’s leaning, so we stay busy in both residential and commercial.”

The latter comprises 65% to 70% of the portfolio, he went on, adding that recent projects in that realm include the ice hockey arena at Northfield Mount Hermon, a $12 million undertaking that will be ready for the 2026-27 season, as well as the historic renovation of the former Greenfield Public Library, a project nearing its completion.

On the residential side, Mowry & Schmidt handles both new construction and renovation, with many extensive projects in that latter category.

“We do a lot of bathroom, kitchen, and addition remodels; we’ve got one going now that involves a sunroom addition, new mudroom entry, and full kitchen addition — basically a whole house renovation,” Provost said, echoing Laplantewhen he noted that more people are staying put and investing in their current home rather than trying to find another one, especially as prices increase and interest rates remain somewhat high.

And there is plenty potentially coming onto the books in 2026, he continued, adding that the firm is bidding on a number of projects — with many customers leaning toward the design-build model, with one firm handling both under a single contract.

By and large, there is confidence within the private sector, on both the commercial and residential sides of the ledger, to move ahead with projects.

“There was a stretch over the past six to eight months where people were a little uneasy,” Laplante said. “But I think they’re starting to relax and say, ‘the world isn’t such a bad place,’ and move forward and don’t worry about everything.”

Fontaine agreed, but said there is still a good amount of volatility to contend with, and the broad construction sector is especially vulnerable to such forces. “I think we’re seeing a market slowdown in the private sector, particularly in Eastern Mass.”

This slowdown began more than a year ago, by most accounts, he went on, adding that it has been fueled by still-high interest rates and uncertainly about if, when, and by how much they will fall, but also by tariffs and price increases on certain products.

Still, Fontaine is busy, with those school projects, in this market and elsewhere; other public sector work, such as an extensive renovation and expansion of Jones Library in Amherst (a project delayed by cost escalation and redesigns) and a public safety complex in Easton; as well as private sector work such as the $70 million initiative to expand and modernize Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington.

The firm generally handles a dozen or so projects at a time, he said, adding that it’s always working to keep a steady flow of work in the pipeline and balance out the projects that are being wrapped up with new initiatives.

And that’s the case with projects like East Longmeadow winding down (it will be ready for the new school year), and others, like Fairview Hospital and Jones Library, just getting started. And bidding never stops for new projects, such as the new middle school in East Bridgewater, Fontaine said, adding that it can be — and often is — several years between when a project first comes on the radar and when a shovel is put in the ground.

The firm is awaiting word on that project, as well as the courthouse — no word on when that verdict will be handed down — while also keeping a vigilant eye out for new opportunities.

By most accounts, there will be a good supply of them in the near future as confidence builds — and individuals, businesses, and municipalities look to build.

Chicopee Anticipates Movement on Stalled Projects

By George O'Brien February 2, 2026

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

The vacant Cabotville Industrial Park poses a huge challenge for Chicopee officials.
Staff Photo

John Vieau says he remembers the event vividly.

It was the fall of 2019. Vieau, a Chicopee city councilor at the time, was running for mayor, and he and many others were on hand for an event, a showcase of sorts, at the Silverbrook Mills Building, formerly Cabotville Industrial Park. Its owners had created two demonstration apartment units, and the event was essentially a party in anticipation of the 600 more to follow.

“We were all excited. I remember those beautiful demos — one-bedroom and an efficiency unit — high ceilings, beautiful views, granite counters, washer-dryer stacks. They were talking about renting the efficiencies for under $1,000 a month,” said Vieau, who would go on to win the election. “I realized the impact that would have on our renaissance that we were trying to create downtown; it would create foot traffic and bring residents who would be interested in goods and services downtown.”

To say things haven’t gone according to that script would be a huge understatement.

Indeed, the pandemic hit soon thereafter, and the plans for the huge, 700,000-square-foot mill, where those two demo units remain, have gone unfulfilled. The ensuing years have been marked by frustration, inaction, repeated scalingcback of plans, a court-ordered eviction of remaining commercial tenants in 2022 due to the property being deemed unsafe, the city being forced to step in pay for needed security measures, and more frustration and inaction, with the current owner “going dark,” the mayor said.

The matter reached a tipping point of sorts recently, when the city began the long, arduous process of taking the property for non-payment of taxes — something it really doesn’t want to do.

Instead, it would prefer to see the property redeemed — either by the current owner, 4 Perkins LLC, a subsidiary of Silverbrook Properties, or another entity — out of tax foreclosure, and then sold to a developer with experience with large mill conversions, said City Planner Lee Pouliot, adding that this remains a possibility, and it represents the best-case scenario at this point.

“We were all excited. I remember those beautiful demos — one-bedroom and an efficiency unit — high ceilings, beautiful views, granite counters, washer-dryer stacks. They were talking about renting the efficiencies for under $1,000 a month.”

“It has to be an entity that has knowledge of doing a conversion from the ground up and has a reputation particularly with public funders — because there will need to be public investment in this to make it happen,” said Pouliot, noting that the price tag for redeveloping the property could exceed $200 million. “Every public program that we could make it eligible for is in place; we just need the right partner now and a developer who can pursue them.”

Historic Chicopee City Hall is undergoing an ongoing, $30 million renovation.
Staff Photo

While the Cabotville mill remains a source of frustration, especially as the region and state are in the midst of a housing crisis, there are plenty of positive developments in the second-largest city in Western Mass. These include:

• The start of work to convert one of the remaining parcels within the former Facemate complex into 105 units of workforce housing, with two more phases of that project to come — redevelopment of a brick warehouse and an indoor sports complex;

• The selection of a preferred developer for the redevelopment of the four remaining buildings in the Uniroyal complex, bringing light to the end of a tunnel the city has been in for nearly 45 years as it sought reuse of the property;

• Ongoing work to renovate City Hall, a complex undertaking that involves revamping spaces while city government operates, a game of musical chairs that has reached its second phase;

• The recent opening of the Hub, community space created from redevelopment of the city’s former public library, next door to City Hall;

• Advancement of plans to build replace Berry Elementary School with a new, $124 million facility to be built on the grounds of Szetela Early Childhood Center;

• Plans to move the School Department out of temporary facilities (its former home was closed due to poor air quality) and into the Westfield Bank Loan Center, formerly Williamson’s clothing store, in the heart of downtown, bringing about 80 employees, and more vibrancy, to that area;

• Renovations to Szot Park and Sara Jane Sherman Park;

• A chamber of commerce that is enjoying growth in membership, new initiatives, and the return of its popular tabletop expo (more on that later); and

• Plans to hire the city’s first Economic Development director in several years. The mayor said he has been handling most of those responsibilities in the interim, but the City Council voted to fund that office again.

For this latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest looks at the many converging storylines in Chicopee and the many forms of progress in the community.

Milling About

As they talked about the Cabotville complex, both Vieau and Pouliot stressed that they don’t want this to become “another Uniroyal.”

By that, they meant property the city was forced to take for tax title and then essentially find someone to develop it — a long, difficult, and expensive process that has been playing out for many years now.

Instead, as noted earlier, the city would much prefer that 4 Perkins secure another buyer, one that can take the stalled project forward. And this is where much of the frustration comes in, said the mayor, adding that such a prospective buyer came forward a few months ago.

“He went through the permitting process, but it all came apart at the end; he said his agreement with the owner didn’t work out. He was frustrated and upset,” Vieau said. “In the meantime, entities have been calling and saying they’re interested; it’s a wonderful shell and has so much potential, and it’s really a key to the success of our downtown.

Indeed, several hundred units in that complex would bring people and vibrancy to the downtown area, bolstering existing businesses and probably inspiring new ones, he went on, adding that this is what the city was anticipating at that party back in the fall of 2019.

Chicopee at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1848
Population: 55,560
Area: 23.9 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $15.24
Commercial Tax Rate: $32.60
Median Household Income: $35,672
Median Family Income: $44,136
Type of Government: Mayor; City Council
Largest Employers: Westover Air Reserve Base; J. Polep Distribution Services; Callaway Golf Ball Operations; Dielectrics; MicroTek
* Latest information available

That anticipation has been replaced by large question marks, and time is becoming increasingly a factor as the property sits idle.

“Structurally, the building is in fine shape for being vacant,” Pouliot said. “The concern that we have, and it was similar with Uniroyal, is that the longer buildings sit vacant, the more and faster they deteriorate. So, while it is in good shape, it’s the right time to get a developer experienced with mill conversions to pursue it.”

And the mayor is hopeful that the recent publicity about the city beginning the lengthy process of taking the property will bring more potential buyers to the table or spur the current owner to take some action. Recouping lost years of taxes, liens, and the money the city has spent on security, sprinkler system repairs, and other work is a priority, he noted, but the bigger priority is transforming that dormant property into a catalyst for vibrancy and more redevelopment downtown.

While that process enters its next phase, one clouded by uncertainty, the four-decade-long saga at Uniroyal is entering another phase as well.

Indeed, a preferred developer, Wisconsin-based J. Jeffers & Co., has been chosen and it is in very early-stage work to reimagine the four remaining buildings in the complex — the office building, a small retail building, and two large production facilities.

The company has a deep portfolio of mill conversions and related projects, including conversion of the Milwaukee Grain Exchange into event space and conversion of the former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel building into 141 market-rate apartments, and Pouliot said it is looking at a $300 million investment in the Uniroyal buildings, redeveloping them into roughly 600 residential units (a mix of market-rate and workforce) and some commercial space.

The city was recently awarded a $450,000 MassWorks grant to look into infrastructure improvements in the Chicopee Falls area to support such a project, Pouliot said, adding that, when needed work is identified, the city will apply for additional grants from MassWorks to pay for them. Meanwhile, J. Jeffers will put its financial stack together from an array of sources, and conversion work will take place over the next several years.

Opportunities Knock

While the city continues work on those fronts, it can celebrate the completion of another project that took years to conceive and bring to fruition — conversion of the former library into the Hub.

The ceremonial ribbon was cut last fall, and the space started hosting programs in November. These include a series of business development courses, led by Samalid Hogan, CEO of Greylock Management Consulting, as well as several one-offs, said Pouliot, adding that the city will soon launch a webpage on the facility highlighting its use policies, with the goal of filling out the spring schedule.

The library project is part of a larger effort to renovate, modernize, and reactivate historic city properties, including City Hall, built in 1871, which sits next door.

The work there is ongoing, with the recent completion of what Pouliot calls “phase 2, sequence 1,” which involved renovation of the City Clerk, Facilities, and Registrar of Voters spaces. Next will come sequence 2, the Human Resources and Retirement Office spaces, due to be completed later this month.

“I like to say that we’re retrofitting and maxing out every square foot of this building, and being a mayor in a building that’s been under construction since I took office — it’s been a challenge,” said Vieau, who talked with BusinessWest in a temporary office carved out of a portion of what had been City Council chambers. He will move to a new office on the third floor (near the Law Department and the renovated auditorium, which now hosts council meetings) later this year, although he joked that he likes his current space and would prefer to just stay there.

The mayor’s historic office is now a conference room, with its waiting space now part of a larger office for the city clerk.

There will be more shuffling to come in a project that will be completed in 2028 — because the work is being undertaken as city government continues its work — and a total cost of nearly $30 million.

While change comes to City Hall, the old library, and hopefully (eventually) Cabotville, it is also coming to the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce, said Melissa Breor, its executive director, noting that the agency is adapting to the changing wants and needs of its members.

For example, the traditional chamber breakfast has been replaced on the schedule with monthly coffee hours at member businesses. These gatherings take less time to plan and execute, she explained, and they provide additional opportunities for members to network and showcase their businesses.

“We’ve adjusted the style of event to suit the schedules of our members,” she said, adding that the chamber runs at least two events a month — a coffee hour, an after-hours function, or one of its signature events — to give members opportunities to network.

Meanwhile, the chamber is turning back the clock in some respects and bringing back a tabletop business expo, slated for April at the Castle of Knights.

A slimmed-down version of the program staged years ago, which included several different chambers, hasn’t been undertaken since before the pandemic, but this edition will feature Chicopee chamber members (and non-members), said Breor, adding that it’s being brought back at their request.

“Our current members have been asking for something like this,” she said, adding that it’s been so long since a tabletop event has been staged that newer businesses may not be familiar with the format. Thus, the chamber will be doing some Zoom orientation meetings to help participants make the most of their opportunities there.

Commonwealth Packaging Brings More Clients into the Fold

By George O'Brien February 2, 2026

Construction Special Coverage

Thinking Outside the Box

Elizabeth Gosselin Kouflie didn’t plan on taking over the family business, but she eventually found a passion for it.

Elizabeth Gosselin Kouflie says she can’t pinpoint the time when she first came to realize the COVID pandemic was likely to be the best thing to ever happen to Commonwealth Packaging.

But she started to get that sense when customers and potential customers didn’t even bother asking for a price on a job — which, in this business, is saying something.

“Normally, it’s ‘I’d like a quote on this many.’ Then, it was ‘how fast can you get me this; I don’t care what it costs.’ That’s when we knew this was going to be a real opportunity,” said Kouflie, adding that, as the world shut down and people couldn’t get the products they wanted, everything had to be shipped. And that added up to a banner year for Commonwealth, the company started by Kouflie’s father, Joe, in 1982, which she was now managing.

Indeed, in a business where margins are as thin as the cardboard sheets in the warehouse and customers can be lured away by competitors offering to do things for a few pennies less per item, Commonwealth recorded more than 20% growth year over year in 2020, said Kouflie, adding that the plant was busier than it had ever been.

“COVID opened my eyes to what we can produce out of this one-shift factory, and that’s what I want to get back to,” said Kouflie, who officially took ownership of the business in 2019 and has been bringing much-needed change to a company where there had been little of it in the three and half decades prior.

That includes a thorough renovation of the plant on Sheridan Street in Chicopee, its first in decades, as well as new machinery, the addition of a design team, better use of IT — and now AI — as well as a stronger push, with the addition of a sales rep, into Rhode Island.

It also includes marketing, something the company had never really done before, previously relying almost entirely on word of mouth and its reputation for quality and customer service in a business where there is so much emphasis on price.

Commonwealth has started to reach out to customers and potential customers with materials highlighting everything from Kouflie’s ties to Rhode Island (she graduated from Providence College and wears a PC sweatshirt in one marketing piece) to Commonwealth’s status as woman-owned, to the fact that its packages “go out first class” — literally.

Indeed, the shipping and safety supervisor’s name is David First Class.

“His last name is Class, and his middle name is First,” said Kouflie, adding that the marketing efforts, which began roughly a year ago, are starting to pay off.

“A lot of people are talking about Commonwealth right now — people are calling me up that never called before,” she noted, adding that the marketing piece targeting Rhode Island businesses is an example of efforts that have helped grow sales.

“I spent a couple of years just keeping the ship afloat and doing everything so I wouldn’t mess it up, because I was terrified of messing it up, and then I finally got comfortable a few years ago and made this my business. And we’ve changed quite a lot since then.”

“It’s working … we’re getting a lot of business,” she said. “People in Rhode Island love to do business with Rhode Islanders; it’s definitely getting some traction.”

These marketing efforts comprise one of many ways Kouflie is putting her stamp on the company (more on this later), while also maintaining its traditional focus on quality, service, and a ‘customer is king’ philosophy.

For this issue and focus on construction and manufacturing, BusinessWest talked at length with Kouflie about Commonwealth and how this is not her father’s packaging company — or your father’s packaging company — anymore.

A Cut Above

As she was earning her degree in business management at Providence College, Kouflie wasn’t sure what she was going to do with it. And eventually running the family business was not a thought that really crossed her mind.

Indeed, while she remembers getting rides on the forklift at the plant’s first location across from the Big E in West Springfield when she was young, and then holding a succession of summer jobs at the company during high school and college, she never intended to make Commonwealth a career.

All that changed in 2003, when, a year after graduating, she returned home to help her father care for her mother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. There was an opening for a bookkeeper at Commonwealth; she took that job thinking it would be a temporary assignment, but soon settled in at the family business.

“It was kind of trial by fire — help out wherever you can,” she recalled. “I started doing all the HR stuff, started learning how to spec build, started taking orders … in a family business, that’s typically how it goes — you do whatever needs to be done, help out with the IT, build a web page, whatever.”

Tracing the history of the company, Kouflie said her father worked for Mount Tom Box in West Springfield, gradually moving up in the ranks. When management wouldn’t make him a partner, he bought his own box company, Loreno Packaging in West Springfield.

“He used to tell me that he’d run the boxes in the morning, take customers out to lunch, get the orders, and come back in the morning and run the boxes,” said Kouflie, adding that the business continued to grow over the years, but always kept that customer-focused flavor.

Never big into titles — she says they don’t mean much in a family business — Kouflie held many in the years after joining the business, including Human Resource manager, her role when she was named to BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty class of 2011, when she was just 30.

In 2013, her father took a step back from the business to spend more time at home and be a caregiver, while also battling cancer himself. And Kouflie continued to take on more responsibilities.

“He stopped coming to the office every day … he gave me some freedom to show what I could do — as long as I did whatever he said,” she noted with a laugh. “I’d have to send him my monthly statements showing him what I did, and he would let me know all the things I could be doing better; that’s how we operated for six years.”

She officially took the helm when her father passed away in 2019, and, after a few years of essentially maintaining the status quo — while also coping with the challenges and huge opportunities presented by the pandemic — started putting her own mark on the business.

“Before, I was running the company the way my dad wanted me to — the same way we’d always done everything; it was just follow the dotted line and do what we’ve always done,” she told BusinessWest. “When he passed away, I spent a couple of years just keeping the ship afloat and doing everything so I wouldn’t mess it up, because I was terrified of messing it up, and then I finally got comfortable a few years ago and made this my business. And we’ve changed quite a lot since then.”

The Complete Package

When asked to elaborate, she said the business model has changed, with an emphasis on being more competitive on price, while also maintaining its traditional emphasis on quality and service.

Other changes have included the addition of a design staff with a full-time designer, putting in a CAD table, marketing, renovating the entire building, adding new machinery, updating computer hardware and software, and exploring the use of AI to streamline quoting and other processes.

These steps and others are positioning the company for growth in a highly competitive industry, one often described with the single word ‘cutthroat’ and dominated historically by “price, price, price, price, price,” Kouflie said.

But increasingly, quality is becoming more a factor for many customers, she went on, citing the example of a prominent regional brewer — for years one of the company’s larger customers (Commonwealth makes its beer trays), but one that left when a customer offered a lower price.

“They dumped me, and six or seven months later, they called and I asked if I could come and sit down,” she recalled. “With their new supplier, the glue wasn’t holding on the trays when they put the beer in; the trays are coming in, the bottles are dropping in, the boxes are blowing open, and the beer is going all over the floor. They lost so much product — the pennies they saved on the boxes, they lost in product.”

It’s a story that’s been repeated countless times over the years, she said, adding that, moving forward, the company is looking to retain existing customers and add new ones by more aggressively telling its story and stressing its many qualities and selling points.

These include everything from Kouflie’s Rhode Island ties to the recently garnered ‘woman-owned business’ status.

“It’s part of a multi-pronged effort,” she said of the latter. “I think it catches people’s eyes — there are not a lot of woman-owned box makers.”

Part of the storytelling will be a focus on people — from David First Class to Customer Service Manager Kim Weagraff, highlighted in a different marketing piece.

“We want to show the end users, the buyers, who we are — our people — and the fact that we’re a young group,” Kouflie said. “A lot of our customers feel like we’re their best friends, and a lot of customers think they can just call us up and we’ll take care of them, and we will. But we want our customers to think they’re our only customer, and that we’re sitting here waiting for them to call, and we’re going to take care of them.

“These kinds of things are helping them feel connected to Commonwealth,” she went on. “I like to say that we’re not your dad’s box factory anymore. Lots of box factories are run by older gentlemen who are set in their ways; we’re trying to show our buyers who we are.”

Whether Commonwealth can return to that frenetic pace achieved during the height of the pandemic remains to be seen, but Kouflie is pushing the envelope — or, in this case, pushing the two-piece folder box — to achieve continued growth.

E-book, Cartoons Create Intriguing Dialogue About Aging

By George O'Brien January 20, 2026

Features

Drawing Conclusions

Ira Bryck says he’s somewhat fascinated by the subject of aging, and he’s found he’s not alone.

Ira Bryck doesn’t recall either of his parents actually saying it, but when he was young, he was definitely given the impression that naps were a waste of time.

“I grew up with two industrious parents — I was not allowed to nap growing up,” he recalled, adding that, while his sisters still refrain from the practice, he now enjoys it and looks forward to the next one.

Which makes him a lot like most … let’s call them people of a certain age. And commonality is one of the many themes he tries to touch on with a new endeavor called Aging Humans: A Complete Breakdown — a play on words if ever there was one.

This is not a business, and it’s not exactly a hobby. Let’s call it the latest endeavor for Bryck, best known as the long-time director of the former Family Business Center at UMass Amherst. During more than two decades in that role, he assisted countless small businesses owned and operated by generations of the same family with the many unique challenges that come with such a management structure — and he was recognized by BusinessWest as a Difference Maker in 2020 for such efforts.

He’s still doing some business consulting and is creating some roundtables to assist fledgling businesses and fill a gap in the entrepreneurial ecosystem (a little more on this later), but much of his non-napping time is spent on Aging Humans: A Complete Breakdown, efforts that might best be described as creating an interactive dialogue through an e-book (irabryck.com/completebreakdown) on the subject of aging, complete with cartoons that he creates through AI “because I draw horribly.”

Indeed, Bryck calls his e-book Collective Wisdom from Real Elders, comprised of comments to questions such as ‘what surprises you most about being the age you are?’ ‘What have you learned from failure, misfortune, and unmet expectations?’ ‘How has your social life changed as you’ve aged?’ ‘How are you deciding and managing work and retirement?’ ‘Do you enjoy being alone? Do you get lonely?’ And even ‘how have your sleep habits changed over time, including napping?’

“I get some good feedback; some people think every one is genius, and others say, ‘I don’t get most of your cartoons.’ Most of my cartoons require some thought, and a lot of times they’re not ‘ha ha’ funny, but they are reflective.”

The responses, often humorous and from people feeling older at many different ages, certainly make for interesting reading. Here’s a sample:

• “When I look in the mirror, I see an old lady, but I still have the wonder and mentality of an 8-year-old.”

• “I thought I was 37 years old for 37 years.”

• “I don’t bounce anymore.”

• “When I wake up now, the only thing that’s stiff is my joints.”

• “When I put on my underwear now, I notice that I stand close to my bed in case I fall over while balancing on one leg.”

• “Closed captioning is my friend.”

• “My hearing aids amplify only what I don’t to hear.”

• “I do not put up with narcissists anymore. What a relief.”

• “Solitude is good; loneliness is not.”

When asked what inspired this project, Bryck, 72, said he’s intrigued by the many aspects of aging, but also research and writing on the subject, such as Erik Erikson’s theory that there are eight stages of psychosocial development, from infancy to adulthood.

“He was the first person to map human psychology through old age,” Bryck said. “And he basically said that, if you were successful in life, you would eventually come to the eighth stage at old age, where it’s ‘are you in a stage of integrity or despair?’ I just always imagined that, as a depressed person of the ’60s, I would end up as a despairing old man, and I was determined to not let that happen. And I’m interested in how people are aging.”

As for the cartoons, Bryck said he’s always enjoyed cartooning, even if he can’t draw, and the images spark more dialogue — about aging, and sometimes about whether they’re funny or not.

“I get some good feedback; some people think every one is genius, and others say, ‘I don’t get most of your cartoons,’” said Bryck, who added that’s he’s developed the requisite thick skin for such commentary. “Most of my cartoons require some thought, and a lot of times they’re not ‘ha ha’ funny, but they are reflective.”

Age-old Problems

Like many people of his age, and any other age, for that matter, Bryck has mixed feelings about AI, right down to how much energy is consumed to create it. But when it comes to his cartoons, he can rationalize.

“I felt like I was someone who suddenly had a prosthetic device that allows them to do something they couldn’t do before,” he explained, adding that, by giving AI some specific prompts, he can use it to create images that aging humans can relate to and talk about, such as the one featuring four unhappy looking, balding, graying men with seemingly nothing to say, under the caption, “when your breakfast club votes to curb discussion about health issues.”

“Your challenges are a lot less challenging if you realize how normal they are. Other people live with them, and other people survive them.”

This is one of Bryck’s favorites — he’s now created dozens of cartoons, many inspired by actual experiences or those of others he knows — and it puts a face (or, in this, four faces) on the issues and attitudes of aging humans.

This is what he had in mind when he launched the e-book, which continues to attract new readers and intriguing responses to the questions posed.

And it’s part of the evolving next chapter in Bryck’s career, which started with him working at his family’s clothing business and evolved into his role running the Family Business Center and even writing plays about the many issues facing ventures run by several generations of the same family.

Bryck still does some business consulting, coaching, and facilitating, and all three of these skill sets will be used for roundtables he’s creating for small but established businesses. Called Onward + Upward, the initiative will create what he calls “an advisory board of trusted peers” that will enable participants to work on their businesses together.

As that project comes together, Bryck will continue to generate dialogue about aging, an popular activity as the Baby Boom generation, of which he is a part, reaches its 70s, and with its older members touching 80.

He said the collective comments speak to the many issues and challenges people are facing and are ultimately offered, like many of his efforts over the years, to help people confront them together.

“The 21 questions are really good prompts, and I think a lot of people like to talk about aging,” he noted. “I just had breakfast with someone for two hours, and we talked about what is our stage of life, what are we doing with ourselves, and are we feeling productive?”

And with that, we turn to more thought-provoking comments to the questions posed in the e-book:

• “I didn’t laugh much until I was in my 60s. Now, I laugh all the time.”

• “I have become more direct and clear about boundaries and comfort. I have shifted from being more conscious of pleasing others at times to pleasing myself, within reason.”

• “I don’t imagine ever stopping work; there are so many projects around that I can play with. Maybe I’ll stop remunerative work at some point, but playing with projects … I don’t see that ending while my heart is still beating.”

• “Don’t wait too long to retire — no one knows what the future holds.”

• “Make the absolute most of whatever time you have left. Keep growing and trying new things. Count yourself lucky you got this far.”

There were originally 20 questions, Bryck said, but a friend in Amherst added one of his own: “do you feel responsible and/or guilty that you are leaving such a troubled world to the next generation, or is it their problem now?”

That query has drawn its own share of responses, such as: “I didn’t start the fire, but I probably could have a ton more to extinguish it,’’ and “not in the least bit. I am not convinced the world is all that troubled and different from previous generations. Does anyone remember the ’70s? The ’60s? WWII, etc., etc.?”

Beyond the Numbers

Such insight and running commentary is what Bryck was hoping to generate when he started the e-book, the latest endeavor from a business leader who has no intention to retire and intends to continue growing and trying new things.

“I think it’s all revealing, and it’s normalizing,” he said of the sum of what he’s collected so far. “And that was something I bring from the Family Business Center — the idea that your challenges are a lot less challenging if you realize how normal they are. Other people live with them, and other people survive them.”

And most of them, including Bryck, enjoy a good nap.

Auto Industry Faces Dramatic Shifts Heading into 2026

By George O'Brien January 20, 2026

Features

Driving Forces

Carla Cosenzi says the auto industry should see a less tumultuous year in 2026, but there will be challenges.

‘Turbulent.’

Of all the single words that could be used to describe what kind of year 2025 was for the auto industry and individual dealers, Peter Wirth believes that one works best.

And it might even be an understatement.

Indeed, a sector that was working itself back to normalcy after COVID, chip shortages, a lack of inventory, scarce supplies of used cars, and inflation was hit with tariffs as well as a seismic shift in priority when it comes to electric vehicles.

This added up to some interesting times — that’s another adjective used heavily to describe the year that was — as well as a roller-coaster year for sales that ended up mostly flat or a few percentage points higher than 2024.

“It wasn’t a bad year; it was just a lot of ups and downs and changes — with tariffs being the obvious one, but there was also the huge change in course as far as electric vehicle adoption, which had a huge impact on manufacturers, but also on us,” said Wirth, owner of Mercedes-Benz of Springfield, referencing the expiration of federal tax credits for new and used vehicles after Sept. 30 and an abrupt U-turn on mandates concerning the percentages of new car sales that had to be EVs.

Carla Cosenzi, president of TommyCar Auto Group, which boasts four stores selling Nissan, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Genesis, agreed. She said 2025 was a solid year, one that started strong as consumers sought to beat tariffs and ended somewhat sluggishly.

“We started to really see it around October,” she said, adding that manufacturers, perhaps anticipating a slowdown due to factors ranging from tariffs to still-high interest rates, ramped up the incentives to engage consumers, who stand to benefit from higher inventories.

“Overall, it was a really good year for us,” she said, adding that Hyundai and Nissan both posted solid numbers and finished strong, making up for some slower months in the middle.

As 2026 rolls on, the pendulum is shifting even more toward normalcy and perhaps less volatility, although no one can project too far ahead in this business, said Ben Sullivan, chief operating officer for Balise Motor Sales, which owns 26 dealerships across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Indeed, the focus is shifting back to hybrids and gasoline-powered cars, and manufacturers are providing plenty of incentives to buy and lease them, including 0% financing in some cases, he said, adding that he projects 2026 will be a good year for auto buyers and, thus, a better one for dealers.

“From a consumer point of view, I’d say 2026 will be a very positive year,” Sullivan said. “And from the dealer perspective, we’re actually pretty bullish on where this is going to go. Affordability is such a key part of consumer behavior, and the fact that availability and the incentives are going to be there for the consumers prompts us to believe we’ll be growing by 5% to 7% this year.”

Wirth agreed, noting that Mercedes has rolled out aggressive sales programs for January.

“Mercedes is putting their money where their mouth is as far as being on a growth trajectory,” he explained. “They sold 303,000 units last year, and they want to sell 325,000 to 330,000 this year; that’s a 10% increase, and it’s one of the reasons we’re incredibly optimistic for this year.”

“It wasn’t a bad year; it was just a lot of ups and downs and changes — with tariffs being the obvious one, but there was also the huge change in course as far as electric vehicle adoption, which had a huge impact on manufacturers, but also on us.”

For this issue, BusinessWest talked with area dealers about the turbulence of 2025 and the prospects for more normalcy, probably the most since COVID, in 2026.

Shifting Gears

As he talked with BusinessWest about the year that was and the years ahead, Wirth said he sympathizes with car manufacturers, who have had to cope with many different, and often dramatic, changes to the landscape in recent years, especially with tariffs and changing policy on EVs.

“I don’t envy my colleagues in corporate because it’s really hard to deliver on three fronts at the same time — electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and combustion-engine cars, which is what’s happening right now,” he said. “This significant change in policy — and no one knows how it’s going to change in three years again — makes it really difficult for the manufacturers.”

Sullivan agreed. “For manufacturers, it takes three to five years to develop a vehicle program, and they were all assuming that, at some point, we’d have to be 100% electric, and they put a bunch of their development money down that stream,” he explained. “And now, the federal government is saying that this is no longer what they need to do. So all the manufacturers are trying to adjust and adapt just in the EV market — and that was just one of two large challenges that hit us last year.”

Ben Sullivan says that, with less urgency to sell EVs, automakers are providing incentives for other models on the lots.

The other factor was tariffs, which hit some makers harder than others, he said, noting, as others did, that these factors are prompting hard decisions, many of which will take years to materialize, about where cars will be made — and what cars will be made.

For dealers and consumers, these issues changed some buying patterns and, in many ways, altered the sales calendar.

Indeed, when tariffs were first announced last March, there was a surge in sales as consumers looked to beat the tariffs, said Wirth and others we spoke with, making March and April better than they normally are and some of the subsequent, normally heavier months lighter.

“When you look at the first half of the year, it shook out the way we expected; it was just more volatile,” he said, summoning another word to describe 2025. “You had a higher high than you were projecting, and then a lower low.”

This was just one of the many intriguing aspects of this past year, said those we spoke with, noting that what is being called a retrenchment on EVs was certainly another. Indeed, sales spiked in the run-up to the end of the $7,500 federal government purchase incentive on Sept. 30, resulting in a record for the third quarter of 2025 (about 12% of the U.S. market), before falling off in the months that followed.

Cosenzi said EVs are still selling, in part due to incentives offered by the state, but they were off by roughly 10% in 2025 over the year prior — better than many other dealers are reporting because the TommyCar dealerships are in Hadley and Northampton, which she described as a great market for EVs — and this pattern is expected to continue into 2026.

The focus is now shifting to hybrids and gasoline-powered cars, with an even greater emphasis on SUVs, said Sullivan, adding that, due to the tariffs and shifts on EVs, makers are doing some model trimming because some offerings are no longer popular, cost-effective, or both.

Drive Time

Looking down the road and toward the year ahead, those we spoke with expressed optimism about the big picture and the manner in which car makers are incentivizing consumers to buy and lease.

As Wirth noted earlier, Mercedes has set ambitious goals for 2026 and is backing them up with programs and incentives that are similar to those intended to drive sales at year end.

“Our January programs are essentially as good as our outgoing December programs were, which is something I’ve never seen before with them,” he noted. “They’re really trying to hit the ground running and maintain and ultimately increase their market share in the luxury market.

“They were all assuming that, at some point, we’d have to be 100% electric, and they put a bunch of their development money down that stream. And now, the federal government is saying that this is no longer what they need to do.”

“And while it’s still very early,” continued Wirth, who spoke with BusinessWest in the first week of January, “they seem to be starting on the right foot.”

Cosenzi and Sullivan agreed, noting that conditions are right for a solid 2026, meaning dealers have inventory (especially for what’s in demand, meaning hybrids and SUVs); they have incentives, including attractive lease deals and financing rates for purchases; and are stocking more used cars, although they’re still in somewhat short supply.

“We’re putting a lot of focus on used vehicles heading into 2026, especially those under that $30,000 price range,” said Cosenzi, adding that TommyCar has created a buying center to maximize opportunities in a still-challenging market and build an inventory.

“We’re really working to have the right-priced pre-owned vehicles that can go through the stringent certified process to give the consumers the confidence they’re looking for,” she explained, adding that there is strong demand for such vehicles, especially SUVs, in the Five College area.

Sullivan said the stars are aligning as the industry moves into 2026. “Interest rates are starting to trend down, and availability of cars is getting better, unlike during COVID,” he noted, adding that the attractive incentives that were being offered to incentivize EVs, back when the pressure was on to sell those models, have been shifted to gas and hybrid models.

“Now that the manufacturers are not under that regulation anymore, you will see in 2026 some better incentives coming back, like attractive lease payments, low APR, and customer cash, because the manufacturers can afford to do that,” he explained. “So I think that will be a very big positive for consumers as we roll into 2026; their affordability matrix will be a lot better than it was in 2024 or even 2025.”

Meanwhile, Sullivan sees some general improvement in used car availability as new car inventories have improved and consumers can replace aging vehicles and enter into new leases rather than buying cars coming off lease, and this is another source of optimism heading into 2026.

As for EVs, dealers still have them, and they’re still selling them, but the pendulum has swung, with those who have been on the fence about such vehicles now more incentivized to stay on the gas or plug-in hybrid side, the latter of which provides some attractive middle ground for those looking to reduce their carbon footprint.

These are just a few of the issues that will shape 2026, a year that will still be interesting, but probably — that’s probably — less turbulent for dealers and consumers.

Monson Complex Presents Challenges, Opportunities

By George O'Brien January 19, 2026

Commercial Real Estate Cover Story Special Coverage

Vision Quest

Jeff Daley at one of the ‘T-bones’ on the MDC campus.

Jeff Daley stopped his pickup truck at a building known affectionately as one of the ‘T-bones,’ or ‘dog bones,’ because that’s what they’re shaped like.

It wasn’t the structure he wanted to comment on, necessarily — one of dozens of nondescript, red-brick buildings on the Monson Developmental Center (MDC) campus, this one a residential hall — but rather the view from it, of downtown Palmer and the mountains framing it.

“You don’t get many views better than that,” said Daley, president and CEO of Westmass Area Development Corp., which now owns a significant portion of the campus and is charged with redeveloping it, adding that he envisions this section at the high point of the sprawling complex to be ideal for estate lots of maybe five to 10 acres.

“Maybe a dozen or so could go right here,” he said, referring to an area with several T-bones, which, like almost all of the more than 40 buildings on the campus, are in an advanced state of decay and will be demolished.

“No matter how good you are, I really don’t think you can develop a vision of what this is going to be until these buildings are out of the way and we have a more permanent solution.”

And while he can imagine a large home with a bay window looking out on that view of the surrounding countryside, Daley said that it probably won’t be until all the buildings are down that Westmass and the developers it will likely partner with in this ambitious undertaking can fully understand what they have to work with — and what uses might emerge for this intriguing property.

“No matter how good you are, I really don’t think you can develop a vision of what this is going to be until these buildings are out of the way and we have a more permanent solution,” he noted. “But maybe by this fall we can start talking to developers, have them out, and see what they think.”

As he offered BusinessWest a tour of the rolling campus, Daley drove and talked about what might come next and the many hurdles to be cleared during what will likely be a 10- to 20-year project to transform the landscape into what will be known as the Village at Sawmill Brook and fill in a canvas that few residents of the 413 have seen.

Most of the buildings at the MDC are in an advanced state of decay and must be demolished.

As he did so, he used the word ‘challenging’ repeatedly, in reference to everything from demolition of the buildings, which are loaded with asbestos in the walls, floors, ceilings, and slate roofs, to finding new uses for the property — built on the side of a mountain — that will mesh with Monson’s decidedly rural character and slow, as in very slow, pace of residential growth and new building.

“When you only have 8,000 residents, you can’t plunk down something that won’t fit the community, and that’s something we’re sensitive to when we’re looking at this type of development,” he said. It’s all going to be market-driven; whatever the market dictates and zoning — that’s what we’ll manage.”

For this issue and its focus on commercial real estate, BusinessWest visited the MDC campus to get the lay of the land, if you will, and talk with Daley about the next, and quite intriguing, addition to the Westmass portfolio.

Peaking Their Interest

Daley said the buildings on the campus have deteriorated quickly since the center shut down officially more than a dozen years ago.

And it’s mostly the elements that have been responsible for the highly visible damage to many of the structures, he noted, adding that there has been little vandalism on the closely patrolled campus and few people willing to ignore the myriad ‘no trespassing’ signs posted on every building, save for the occasional ghost hunters.

“When you only have 8,000 residents, you can’t plunk down something that won’t fit the community, and that’s something we’re sensitive to when we’re looking at this type of development.”

“They come in with their infrared cameras and sound machines,” said Daley, adding that they’ve come out more in the summer months, and there’s no word if they’ve found anything.

Given the history of the MDC, there just might be a few ghosts to be found there.

An aerial view of the MDC campus shows the rolling topography.

Established nearly a decade before the start of the Civil War, it was first a state almshouse for the poor and eventually evolved into a primary school for poor children and then the Massachusetts House for Epileptics in 1895, and later the Monson State Hospital, housing people with epilepsy and developmental disabilities. The campus grew significantly in the early 20th century — with the complex expanding to more than 70 buildings across 600 acres and the population peaking at about 1,700 residents in 1968 — but faced declining populations with deinstitutionalization.

Redevelopment of the 108-acre main campus will be similar in many respects to reuse initiatives at Northampton State Hospital and the Belchertown State School, also large campuses once owned and operated by the state, said Daley, but each initiative has its own personality, with MDC’s still to be determined, obviously.

While Northampton State Hospital became a mostly residential development — more than 400 homes geared to all income levels have been built at Village Hill — along with a large manufacturing facility, the Belchertown State School property, now known as Carriage Grove, is becoming more of a mixed-use property, with plans for everything from housing to a community center in the old administration building.

The MDC will likely be more like the latter, said Daley, adding that the pattern of reuse will ultimately be shaped by the town and the development community. He said Westmass plans to advance a zoning bylaw to a town meeting vote this spring; the proposed zoning would create a mixed-use district to support long-term development of the property.

“There are a lot of folks around Monson and Palmer who raised families in big farmhouses, and now they’re getting to the point where they don’t need the big farmhouse anymore. But there’s limited housing available to move into; whether it’s a single person or an aging couple, there’s really no housing for them.”

Housing of several different types may emerge as options, he said, listing everything from three- and four-story apartment buildings to multi-family homes to cottages and those aforementioned estate lots. Other permitted uses could include small-scale commercial and office facilities, light industrial, and civic uses compatible with the neighborhood character.

The first step in the redevelopment process is clearing the site and demolition of all but a few of the 42 buildings on the main campus, 18 of which (the larger brick structures) will be mitigated by Westmass, with the state responsible for the rest.

“Unfortunately, the buildings are not savable,” said Daley, adding that preliminary cleaning and demolition work — on buildings as well as several underground and above-ground tunnels to convey steam — is expected to commence within the next few months. Bids are currently being sought, with the goal of clearing the site by the fall of 2027.

Demolition work is expected to cost roughly $16 million, and after this phase is done, there is considerable infrastructure work to be undertaken — everything from new roads and utilities to a new, wider bridge over Sawmill Brook, which runs through the middle of the property, to work to repair and upgrade the water tower on the campus (there is no pumping station that can supply water to the higher portions of the campus).

As these pieces fall into place, development efforts can move to the next stages.

Demolition of dozens of buildings at the MDC is slated to start later this year and be completed in 2027.

“Our goal is to be done with the cleaning and demolition by 2027, and between now and then, we’re going to be working on getting a full design of where the infrastructure — water, sewer, power — will go,” Daley explained. “Then, we can do a road development study and figure out where roads will go and to what part of the development. And at that time, hopefully, some of the easier development pieces can be developed or sold to generate revenues to offset the investment we’re going to have to make on the capital side on the infrastructure.”

Grounds for Optimism

While most of the buildings on the campus will come down, a few can be reused, said Daley, who pointed to a structure known, coincidentally, as the Daley Building, a recreation center with a theater on its upper floor as well as a basketball court and a decaying bowling alley.

“Our hope is that we can provide this as a community center for Monson and Palmer,” he explained. “It’s a great hall, and there’s a big gymnasium; we’re not sure how it will all work out, but we’re hoping to keep it for that purpose.”

Meanwhile, Brookside Hall, another residential facility, could be salvaged and converted into senior or veteran housing.

“We’d like to do a veterans housing project — there’s definitely a need for one in this area — but projects like that take four or five years to develop,” he noted, adding that, overall, there is a need for many different kinds of housing, especially affordable options for an aging population.

Indeed, the Commonwealth officially conveyed the property to Westmass as part of larger efforts to utilize properties under its control to address an ongoing housing crisis that is impacting every corner of the state.

“There are a lot of folks around Monson and Palmer who raised families in big farmhouses, and now they’re getting to the point where they don’t need the big farmhouse anymore,” he said. “But there’s limited housing available to move into; whether it’s a single person or an aging couple, there’s really no housing for them.”

Whatever comes of the site from a development standpoint, it will have to mesh with the town’s rural character and not dramatically change the dynamic in a community that hasn’t seen much, if any, residential growth in recent years.

“I think they’ve built something like 12 houses in the last 20 years,” said Daley, who didn’t know the exact figure but did know it wasn’t a big number.

And that statistic represents just one of the many challenges involved with a project that will unfold over the next decade or two and change the landscape of that area — literally and figuratively.

Group Looks to Turn Back Clock at Wilbraham’s Lakeside

By George O'Brien January 19, 2026

Features Special Coverage

Landmark Decision

From left: Joe Sullivan, Jordan Healy, Marc Murphy, Mike Rogers, and John Sullivan.

Joe Sullivan says he and business partner John Sullivan (no relation) were “looking to hedge our bets and diversify.”

It was the height of the pandemic; the restaurant they co-owned, Nathan Bill’s, was forced to close; and, like most all business owners navigating those difficult and unprecedented times, they didn’t know what was to come next.

“We were looking for real estate purchases and maybe another business opportunity,” said Joe Sullivan, adding that the two would buy a package store and then the plaza in which Nathan Bill’s was located, among other transactions. “And as we were doing all that, someone mentioned this spot to us and said it would be good for a restaurant.

“We already had three restaurants and said, ‘we don’t really want another restaurant, but it looks interesting,’” he went on. “We did our due diligence and realized that we could do something different and really special here.”

That was the genesis of one of the more intriguing development initiatives in the region — work to turn back the clock on the Wilbraham landmark known as the Lakeside.

Once a popular inn and restaurant, the property on Nine Mile Pond, most recently home to a transportation company, had fallen into disuse. John and Joe Sullivan have become partners with the principals at West Springfield-based Lock and Key Realty in an ambitious effort to revive the property and create a 15-room boutique hotel and restaurant, with outdoor dining and lake access.

“We already had three restaurants and said, ‘we don’t really want another restaurant, but it looks interesting.’ We did our due diligence and realized that we could do something different and really special here.”

The project has certainly captured the attention — and affection — of Wilbraham officials (members of the Planning Board are said to have cheered when the project was proposed), as well as the legions of fans of the Lakeside restaurant, often involving several generations of families.

“The community support has been overwhelming — social media has been huge, and we’ve gotten letters from people praising what we’re doing,” John Sullivan said. “Every time I’m out working on the yard, I’ve got people in kayaks thanking us and congratulating us.”

An early ad for the Lakeside Inn.

Such sentiments were repeated among the five main principals in this venture, who spoke with BusinessWest at the Lakeside recently. Collectively, they talked about how, while this is a solid real estate investment, the endeavor also blends history, tradition, and community, and these attributes bring ample amounts of pride and enthusiasm for what is being undertaken.

“It’s a property the community truly cares about, and with the right vision and redevelopment strategy, it has the ability to become a destination that drives economic activity and sustained local value,” said Jordan Healy, a partner at Lock and Key Realty. “For us, it’s more than a single project—it’s a chance to help reshape a landmark in a way that benefits the region for decades.”

Mike Rogers, another principal with Lock and Key Realty, agreed. “It seems that everyone who comes in has some family that had some experiences here, whether it was recently or decades ago,” he said. “So the appeal of renovating this property and trying to maintain some of that historic charm, like with the gazebo, while also modernizing it, is a huge draw for us and the community, and it’s really something that’s driving excitement in this project.”

As for the business aspects of this venture, the principals say that, while construction has not officially begun, they’re already hearing from people looking to book rooms — from couples planning to get married at the nearby GreatHorse country club to officials and participants involved with the Brimfield antique shows staged three times each year.

Meanwhile, the redevelopment of the former Eastfield Mall into a retail destination promises to bring more traffic to the Route 20 corridor and to businesses like the new Lakeside, said John Sullivan, adding that the new shopping center, coupled with the Lakeside project, is likely to spur new activity along that throughfare and activate currently idle real estate.

“There will be a ripple effect where there will be more investment opportunities and redevelopment along Boston Road,” he said, adding that there are several vacant or underutilized properties that could be reimagined.

For this issue, BusinessWest talked with the principals involved with the Lakeside project about the many aspects of this endeavor, from its history to the way it might well become a catalyst for more development on Boston Road.

On the Waterfront

For Joe Sullivan, the Lakeside project evokes a different time — for both Wilbraham and his family.

Indeed, his grandfather, Barton Sullivan, owned and operated the Auto Inn, an automobile-era lodging establishment, farther north on Route 20 and on the opposite side of Nine Mile Pond from where the Lakeside sits.

“It’s a property the community truly cares about, and with the right vision and redevelopment strategy, it has the ability to become a destination that drives economic activity and sustained local value.”

There were several establishments of that type on or near Route 20, he said, adding that, during the stagecoach era, there was one every 10 or 15 miles.

As for the Lakeside, it opened its doors in the early 1940s and quickly became a popular destination, with a restaurant, a club with bands, a banquet hall, and a few rooms for rent.

“There’s a lot of history here,” Sullivan said, noting an intriguing bit involving the name of the establishment and the body of water it fronts.

“This is called the Lakeside Inn, but this is Nine Mile Pond,” he said, noting that this name connotes how far the pond is from the center of Springfield. “At some point in the ’50s or ’60s, they changed the name of the body of water to Lake Machonish; the Lakeside owners just decided to do that because they wanted to advertise it as a lake. It didn’t catch on.

“We may try that again,” he said with a laugh, noting that it was partly out of a desire to turn back the clock, while making more business history on Boston Road, that prompted him to take a hard look at the Lakeside property. A serial entrepreneur, he and John Sullivan had become involved with several hospitality ventures, including Nathan Bill’s on Boston Road in Springfield, East Village Tavern in East Longmeadow, the Boulevard Bar on Page Boulevard in Springfield, and others.

The Auto Inn, owned and operated by Joe Sullivan’s grandfather, provided some inspiration for the Lakeside project.

As noted earlier, redevelopment of the property represented not merely a real estate investment, but a unique opportunity to revive what many would consider a landmark.

“Through talking to the architect and talking to the town, we figured out there was an opportunity to build a small boutique hotel and still have a restaurant on the first floor,” Joe Sullivan said. “Everything fit into place and worked out to look like a really successful plan.”

That plan was further solidified by the emergence of a partnership between John Sullivan, Joe Sullivan, and the principals of Lock and Key Realty — Healy, Rogers, and Marc Murphy — who, collectively and individually, have become involved with several business and real estate ventures in the 413, including Shaker Bowl in East Longmeadow and All American Masonry in Indian Orchard, as well as the redevelopment of several fire stations and other properties.

Healy said those at Lock and Key are always looking for real estate opportunities, and the Lakeside made sense on many levels.

“There’s so much history behind it … it just felt like a project where we could reutilize, revitalize, and restore something, make it pretty again — and it’s right in line with what we do,” he noted. “If we can bring some redevelopment back to Wilbraham, it’s a home run for everyone.”

Elaborating, he said there is considerable synergy between the two partnership entities, with Joe and John Sullivan bringing experience in hospitality, and Lock and Key thriving in the redevelopment realm.

Murphy agreed. “Partnering with the Sullivan Group was a natural fit. They have deep experience in hospitality, creating successful restaurant and bar concepts that consistently serve the community at a high level. Together, we blend hospitality vision with market insight to ensure the Lakeside project becomes both a vibrant destination and a strong, long-term asset for the region.”

Joe and John Sullivan officially acquired the Lakeside last August, but talks about the property and the creation of a plan for its redevelopment had been ongoing for a few years prior, Joe said.

“The timing is right because the community is ready for this property to be brought back to life.”

“I wanted to make sure the town approved of what we wanted to do before we bought the property,” he explained, adding that the partners obtained a special permit to create an inn there.

Shore Thing

As for the reimagining of the property, the partners said this will be a major undertaking, with projections for the overall cost to approach or exceed $3 million.

Indeed, while the work falls into the categories of renovation and restoration, it will be much more like new construction, said Joe, adding that, while the property still has good bones, it is no longer suited for either a restaurant or an inn.

“It’s going to be a major construction project — raising the roof, literally,” he told BusinessWest. “The major appeal is that this is waterfront property — they don’t make any more of that. It’s a beautiful spot; even the gazebo needs a little fixing up, but it adds to that picturesque appeal.”

Work is expected to start within the next few months, said John Sullivan, adding that the goal is be finished in perhaps a year to 18 months. The partners are planning a 15-room hotel and a 100-seat restaurant (to be managed by a third party), and they’re already seeing great anticipation for both.

Indeed, John said that, between parents of students at nearby Wilbraham & Monson Academy, wedding parties at GreatHorse, and visitors to the Brimfield shows, there will be strong demand for the inn’s rooms.

“A family from Scotland has asked to rent out the whole place for two weeks for a wedding, and the organizers of the Brimfield fair wanted it block it off for a whole month,” he told BusinessWest, adding that there have been many inquiries about both the inn and restaurant.

And the surge in traffic from the new retail center taking shape a few down the road at the former Eastfield Mall is expected to bring more people to the property, said the partners, noting that, given all they’ve seen and heard, from the Planning Board and kayakers alike, this certainly seems like a sound business investment.

But it has always been more than that, they stressed, noting the attachment the community has to this property and the memories it has created for generations of area residents.

“It’s a good investment opportunity, but it’s a community-focused project as well,” Healy said. “And for a lot of us, that brings a level of excitement that we normally wouldn’t have. You can build 20 houses, and you never get any notoriety from those 20 houses; you do a project like this, and the community gets excited.”

Rogers agreed. “The Lakeside project represents a turning point. It shows what’s possible when investment, vision, and community pride come together,” he said. “Projects like this attract new interest, encourage surrounding revitalization, and help establish the region as a place where people want to live, invest, and build.

“The timing is right because the community is ready for this property to be brought back to life, and market conditions support redevelopment that adds both lifestyle and economic value,” he went on, adding, as others did, that this project will being rewards — for the partners involved and the community as a whole — on many levels.

Agawam Rides Growing Wave of Momentum

By George O'Brien January 6, 2026

Community Spotlight

Steven (left) and Adam Rovithis in the Pit at Next Level Cowork Space.

They call it ‘the Pit.’

This an open area with several work stations, and it’s built “for momentum, not necessarily quiet,” said Adam Rovithis, adding that it is one of many realms within Next Level Cowork Space, a new venture he and his brother, Steven, launched last spring in Agawam’s industrial park.

There’s also the (Quiet) Cove, another open space, and mostly a no-phone-call zone; the Launch Pad, a conference room ideal for everything from small business meetings to real estate closings; the Lounge, event space featuring everything from a full kitchen to a foosball table (one local family recently rented it out for Thanksgiving); several small (95 to 350 square feet) offices; and some larger tenants, including a marketing firm and a kitchen design outfit.

It all comes together nicely at the region’s latest co-working concept, one the brothers Rovithis said is off to a solid start thanks to what they tout as attractive pricing — $250 a month for one of those private offices and $99 a month for an open desk, for example — a convenient location just a few minutes off Route 57, and an atmosphere they describe as “a community.”

“There’s no corporate feel here … we want it to be more of a community, more like family, than anything else,” Steven said, adding that, while the partners may eventually consider expanding and taking the concept to other markets, for now they’re fully focused on making the Agawam facility a success.

Next Level Cowork is one of many converging stories in Agawam. Others include:

• A small-scale lithium-ion battery storage facility, proposed by Long Road Energy in response to an RFP from the state, and planned for 404 Silver St., formerly home to Lucia Lumber. The proposal has drawn widespread opposition from residents, who cite everything from safety concerns to environmental impact and property values, but Mayor Christopher Johnson said the city is working with the developers to implement strict safety ordinances;

• Ongoing construction of a new Agawam High School. The $226 million project is being undertaken in phases, with current work focusing on the community wing of the school;

• A new police station, which opened recently in the former HUB Insurance building on Suffield Street. The $14 million facility, a price tag that includes acquisition of the building, was put beyond schedule by delays in procuring electric switch gear and a backup generator, said the mayor, but the ceremonial ribbon was cut early last month; and

• Several other new businesses, including a new Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, which is taking over the former American Freight space in the Southgate Shopping Plaza, Convenient MD Urgent Care & Walk-in Clinic on Suffield Street, a new Baystate Ob/Gyn facility on Silver Street, and Fancy Bagels, also in the Southgate Shopping Plaza.

“There’s a lot happening — it’s an exciting time in Agawam,” said Robin Wozniak, president of the West of the River Chamber of Commerce, which includes Agawam. “We’re seeing a lot of momentum in the community.”

As for the battery storage facility, the Silver Street proposal was not among the four chosen recently in the first round of projects — sites in Everett, Somerset, Chelsea, and Tyngsborough, which together will create 1,300 megawatts of battery storage, were selected — but there will be subsequent rounds, Johnson said.

“It’s a benign facility — it’s not what you see when you Google ‘battery storage facility,’ like in New York and California, where they had the fires. That’s not what they build today.”

He noted that such facilities are needed and are going to be placed … somewhere. With the proper safeguards in place, Agawam could and should be one of those places, he said, adding that a facility will bring some jobs, but it would also become the second-highest taxpayer in the city behind Six Flags.

“It’s a benign facility — it’s not what you see when you Google ‘battery storage facility,’ like in New York and California, where they had the fires,” he told BusinessWest. “That’s not what they build today.”

For this latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes a look at the many converging storylines in Agawam, and the many forms of progress in this city of almost 29,000.

Watt’s Happening?

The proposed battery-storage facility is a comparatively small project — 250 megawatts, according to Johnson. By way of comparison, the proposal for Everett, on the site of 22 old oil storage tankers, would procure more than 700 megawatts of battery storage.

Overall, the state plans to lock in 5,000 megawatts by 2030, said Johnson, adding that Agawam’s proposal will likely be resubmitted for subsequent rounds of projects.

Unlike the Everett proposal, Agawam’s site borders a residential neighborhood — the Agawam Industrial Park is on the other side of Silver Street, Johnson acknowledged, adding that there are safeguards in place for such facilities.

The Lounge at Next Level Cowork Space.

“For lack of a better way to describe it, these facilities are broken down into containerized units on the property,” he explained. “There will be a number of units on the property, each one containing batteries; they’re monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year — every cell of every battery is monitored for performance.”

Overall, he said such a facility would be a safe, quiet, mostly unnoticed addition to the tax base, and a welcome addition given the cost of infrastructure and capital projects in the city — especially the new high school.

A pet project of Johnson’s and the primary reason he returned to the corner office in January 2024, 24 years after he first served in that capacity (he later served on the City Council), the new high school is an ambitious undertaking, which, as noted earlier, is being undertaken in stages.

“There will be a number of units on the property, each one containing batteries; they’re monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year — every cell of every battery is monitored for performance.”

The first stage is what Johnson calls the ‘community wing’ portion of the building, now under construction. It includes the gymnasiums, auditorium, cafeteria, locker rooms, media center, office space, and other facilities, he explained, adding that this phase is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year or the beginning of 2027.

Phase 2 is the academic wing, construction of which will entail demolition of a portion of the existing high school, said Johnson, adding that the community wing will be temporarily connected to the academic wings of the current high school to ensure there is no disruption to any programming during ongoing construction.

Phase 3, scheduled to be completed in June 2028, involves demolition of the existing building and completion of athletic fields. This phase will be completed by the end of 2028, said the mayor, adding that the undertaking is on time and, more importantly, on budget.

Agawam officials cut the ribbon on the city’s new police station early last month.

As for the new police station, it replaces a nearly 40-year-old facility (a renovated elementary school) on Springfield Street that was cramped not long after it opened, the mayor noted.

“This station has more room — there’s built-in additional capacity, and it’s laid out to better accommodate workflow,” he explained, adding that renovation of the old insurance property came with a price tag that is roughly half of what new construction would have been.

Work in Progress

When asked about the name affixed to their new venture, Steven and Adam Rovithis both pointed to the sign on the wall in the conference room reading “Welcome to the Next Level.”

It was placed there to help motivate those working at the real estate company they formed (Rovithis Realty, later rebranded ROVI Homes) and moved into the former laboratory facility on Herbert P. Almgren Drive in the Agawam Regional Industrial Park, on the site of the former Bowles Airport.

Agawam at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1855
Population: 28,692
Area: 24.2 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $14.10
Commercial Tax Rate: $26.67
Median Household Income: $49,390
Family Household Income: $59,088
Type of government: Mayor, City Council
Largest Employers: OMG Inc., Agawam Public Schools, Six Flags New England
* Latest information available

“One of the marketing people said, ‘why don’t we just call it Next Level?’” Steven recalled, noting that the name helps indicate that this is co-work space with some different, innovative twists.

The property was acquired by the two brothers — who come from a family of entrepreneurs; their uncle, Manny, owned the appliance chain that bore his name, and their father, Steve, helped him get that venture off the ground — to house the real estate business, but other tenants as well. These included an attorney’s office and the kitchen design company, said Adam, adding that, with the real estate employees working remotely during and after COVID, there was more space available to lease out, and co-working space became an increasingly attractive option.

Indeed, while the co-working movement has had its ups and downs — some ventures have thrived, while others, most notably the large-scale Venture X facility in Holyoke, have not — the brothers thought their community concept would work and forged ahead.

In putting together their venture, they borrowed from other co-work facilities and office spaces and tweaked concepts, said Steven, noting that they had seen variations of the Pit and the Lounge in other settings.

They currently boast several tenants making use of the different kinds of spaces available, especially the private offices and the Pit. Clients have ranged from permanent tenants to professionals who have made use of the space and its amenities after dropping off teenagers at nearby Six Flags and before picking them up again.

Current tenants include an IT professional, a software development company, two financial services professionals, a healthcare consultant, a hazardous waste consultant, and others, said Steven, adding that the community aspect of the venture is punctuated by regular networking events among tenants on the third Thursday of every month.

“We get all of our business owners together, have some food and drink, talk a little bit of business, and do some networking,” he said. “We have a few deals come together in the lounge — two different businesses saying ‘hey, I can help you.’”

As noted earlier, the partners believe this is a concept that can work in other markets, and expansion is certainly an option down the road.

“I think we can do more, but right now, we’re still so new at this that we want to make sure that we nail this location,” Steven said. “If this works, we can definitely do more. I think co-work is picking up again, and this concept, 99 bucks a month to get out of your house … that’s appealing to many people.”

Economic Outlook 2026

By George O'Brien January 5, 2026

Cover Story Economic Outlook

Watch to see more from Brian Canina:

Clouding the Issue

The Forecast Calls for … More Uncertainty

It’s called the ‘quits rate.’

As that name suggests, it represents the number of employees who voluntarily quit their jobs as a percentage of total employment.

When times are good for workers, the quits rate is understandably higher. When times are not so good, or when there are high levels of anxiety and uncertainty about the economy and the jobs market — and that would describe the current climate — the rate starts to come down.

“Over the past few months, quits have dropped precipitously,” said Bob Nakosteen, a semi-retired Economics professor at UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management, reflecting on a jobs market increasingly described with the words ‘stuck’ and ‘stagnant.’ “People are hanging onto their jobs for dear life, which tells me that they’re not getting offers to entice them to quit, and they don’t feel that they can take the risk to leave their job and look for another one, because they’re just not out there.”

This sentiment is reflected in the latest jobs report: the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a few weeks back that the U.S. economy lost 105,000 jobs in October and added 64,000 jobs in November, with the unemployment rate rising to a four-year high of 4.6% that month.

The falling quits rate and the jobless numbers are just two of the many ways economists and business leaders are trying to quantify and qualify the current economic scene, often described as ‘confusing,’ although quantifying is more difficult with fewer hard numbers to work with — in general, and even more so because of the recent government shutdown.

Another measure is the Associated Industries of Massachusetts’ (AIM) Business Confidence Index, or BCI. Scored on a 100-point scale, with 50 indicating neutrality, the monthly BCI soared to 57.7 when President Trump was elected in November 2024, but quickly fell to 41.5 (a COVID-like level) in April when Trump’s tariff plan was announced, and has continued to hover below 50 since, AIM President Brooke Thomson said.

She told BusinessWest that, overall, the business community doesn’t like uncertainty, and the prospect for more in 2026, reflected in the BCI numbers, poses questions about what kind of year it will be.

Between the quits rate, the BCI, and other measures, the emerging picture is one of continued uncertainty, even about the near term, let alone several quarters out, given ambiguity about matters from tariffs, interest rates, the jobs market, and the AI investment boom (and whether that bubble is about to burst) to inflation and affordability crunch.

There is some optimism following the most recent quarter-point interest rate drop early last month, but there will need to be more of those, and likely more substantial cuts, in the year ahead for a deep impact to result, said those we spoke with.

Bob Nakosteen

“People are hanging onto their jobs for dear life, which tells me that they’re not getting offers to entice them to quit, and they don’t feel that they can take the risk to leave their job and look for another one, because they’re just not out there.”

“With the recent Fed rate cuts, we’re expecting things to probably pick up, modestly, because there is still some potential uncertainty, economically,” said Brian Canina, president and chief operating officer of Holyoke-based PeoplesBank. “If the Fed continues to lower rates, and the lowering of the rates on the short end of the interest rate curve impacts the long-term interest rate, and those come down, we may see some increased lending and some potential refinancing.”

Overall, said Nakosteen, there is a mixed economic picture for 2026, with expectations for slower growth and perhaps — that’s perhaps — a mild, short recession.

But it’s very difficult to project without hard data, with so much uncertainty clouding whatever picture the data presents, and amid a variety of mixed signals, such as GDP rising a robust 4.3% in the third quarter at the same time as bourbon maker Jim Beam announced it would be shuttering one of its distilleries in Kentucky, in part due to tariffs and slumping demand.“

The data are not painting a clear picture at all. Unemployment is going up — kind of gently, but it’s going up. Inflation is rising — kind of gently, but it’s still rising,” he said, adding that the country may be heading for what economists call ‘stagflation,’ a somewhat rare economic condition characterized by high inflation, stagnant economic growth, and high unemployment occurring simultaneously.

Ups and Downs

As he talked about 2025 and what kind of year it was for the region, Aaron Vega spoke from two different, but in many ways similar, perspectives — first as outgoing director of Planning & Economic Development in Holyoke and the incoming president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council.

Brian Canina

“With the recent Fed rate cuts, we’re expecting things to probably pick up, modestly, because there is still some potential uncertainty, economically.”

“It’s like two steps forward, two steps back, one step to the side,” he said, noting that this was true in Holyoke, but also the region. While new businesses were added, including Pickleball Kingdom at the Holyoke Mall, and new initiatives launched, there were setbacks, such as recent layoffs at Yankee Candle and Sublime System’s decision to pause its project to build a plant in Holyoke following the loss of a U.S. Department of Energy grant.

Elaborating, Vega said the region’s economy was buffeted by some strong headwinds, most of which were beyond its control. These included tariffs, policy changes, inflation, ongoing changes in the retail realm, and even the price of energy.

“We all know that Massachusetts is a bit of an expensive state in which to do business. So how do we entice businesses to come to Massachusetts, and then, how do we get them to come to Western Massachusetts when we’re still developing our hubs and developing our initiatives?” he asked, adding that these same headwinds will prevail in 2026.

This up-and-down nature of the economy was reflected in the BCI numbers for 2025, said Thomson, noting that the index would rise a few points one month, drop a point or two, then rise again, and then fall again; it was up two points to 48.5 in November, for example. This wavering is a symptom of uncertainty and policies that foster it, she said, adding that the sluggish performance in 2025 — some economists say the country is teetering on recession if not officially in it — was different from such cycles in the past.

“Most recessions, or downturns, occurred because of some sort of situation in the financial markets, some sort of causation that deeply hit our financial markets,” she explained. “This was different; it’s almost self-inflicted through policy. There’s nothing inherently wrong in the financial sector.

Aaron Vega

“It’s like two steps forward, two steps back, one step to the side.”

“There’s still money out there to lend to businesses, there’s opportunities for businesses, but there is feeling on behalf of business leaders that they don’t know what to expect … ‘I don’t know what my bottom line is going to be, I don’t know what my costs are going to be, so I’m not going to take out that loan, I’m not going to do that expansion project, I’m not going to give out big bonuses or hire more people because I don’t know what’s around the corner.’”

This was the picture throughout 2025, and this sentiment is expected to continue into at least early 2026, Thomson said, adding, again, that business owners like consistently and reliability, and these are two commodities missing at the federal policy level, and there has been a resulting trickle-down to states, with some, like Massachusetts, getting hit harder than others.

Indeed, several sectors in the Bay State were deeply impacted by federal policy changes, including healthcare (see related story on page 25), education, and especially manufacturing, due to tariff policies, she noted.

“I’ve been throughout the state this year visiting manufacturers, and even the ones that are managing to do all right are doing it because they’re being really, really creative, despite this,” she added. “And they would never say they’re thriving; they’re saying, ‘we’re being creative, and we’re managing it.’ But I have more stories with people saying, ‘this is killing me — I’m barely making it,’ and there have been two or three small business that have actually closed their doors.”

Fear of the Unknown

Carol Campbell, president of Chicopee Industrial Contractors (CIC), spoke for many business owners when she said 2025 was “an interesting year,” marked by those headwinds Vega mentioned, and especially tariffs.

CIC works with manufacturers, handling rigging, machinery moving, machine installation, and other services, and many of those machines are made overseas, said Campbell, adding that the tariffs placed on them — or the threat of tariffs, as well as general uncertainty about what might come next — prompted some hesitation and project delays.

Brooke Thomson

“Most recessions, or downturns, occurred because of some sort of situation in the financial markets, some sort of causation that deeply hit our financial markets. This was different; it’s almost self-inflicted through policy. There’s nothing inherently wrong in the financial sector.”

“What we found was just a fear of the unknown,” she explained, adding that, by March, even Fortune 500 companies were hitting pause on some projects.

Things improved as the year went on, and, overall, 2025 was a solid year, she said, adding quickly that there is optimism about 2026, but also some lingering fear of the unknown.

As they look ahead, those we spoke with said several factors will determine the trajectory of the economy, especially the AI investment boom and whether that bubble will burst, inflation, consumer spending, business confidence (especially when it comes to hiring), and, of course, interest rates.

“A lot of it will hinge on what happens with interest rates,” said Canina, adding that the size and frequency of cuts will ultimately determine the impact on the economy.

“A 25-basis-point change is not necessarily going to have a significant impact,” he explained. “But when you see the Fed make consecutive rate cuts, and if they were to drop a full percentage point in a six- to 12-month period of time, I think by the 12-month point you’ll start to see some pickup, and then, it will continue to grow from there.”

Elaborating, he said many businesses remained on the sidelines in 2025 when it came to large investments and expansion initiatives, due mostly to uncertainty about the economy and where things were headed, and partly to interest rates still well above those enjoyed just a few years ago, post-COVID. He’s optimistic that some will get back in the game in the months to come.

Jeff Sullivan, president and CEO of Springfield-based New Valley Bank, agreed.

“The mortgage rates and the longer-term rates, we don’t see them coming down quite as much,” he said. “It’s nothing that’s going to change consumer behavior — we don’t see a refinance boom.

Carol Campbell

“What we found was just a fear of the unknown.”

“Meanwhile, the idea of borrowing money at 6% or 6.5% doesn’t seem to be unpalatable,” he added, opining that current rates are not stifling activity. “It’s not stopping deals from happening. Would they rather borrow at 5%? Absolutely they would, but where we are now is tolerable. When the rates peaked nine or 10 months ago and it was hard to get under 7%, that was starting to chill the market, but now we’re back down to 6% or 6.5%, and that’s not stopping anyone.”

Overall, Sullivan is more upbeat about 2026 than some others we spoke with. He said 2025 was a solid year for the bank, in deposit growth and otherwise, while he also noted cautious optimism among many commercial customers.

“The overall mood is generally positive,” he said. “The people who are more nervous are the people who do business with the general public, especially with the middle-class, working-class general public. The firms that are business-to-business sales … I think the optimism is there. The firms that are dependent upon lower- and middle-income consumers being their customers … I’m more worried.

“It’s the K-shaped recovery,” he went on. “The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer; we definitely see that sentiment among our customer base.”

Meanwhile, he expects the recent wave of mergers and acquisitions to continue, as businesses search for all-important scale and private equity firms continue their hunt for opportunities across seemingly all sectors of the economy.

“These private equity companies have a belief that they’re going to be so successful, they’re paying top dollar to acquire local companies and roll them up into a much larger platform,” he said, adding that the trend extends across the board, even to HVAC contractors, alarm companies, and sprinkler companies. “We hear from customers every quarter that are taking buyout offers; they’re saying, ‘I can’t say no to this. It’s so much money; it’s more than I thought I’d ever get. I wasn’t ready to sell, but I can’t say no.’”

Baystate Leader Sees Momentum Even as Seas Get Choppier

By George O'Brien January 5, 2026

Healthcare News Special Coverage

Turning the Battleship

Peter Banko says that, despite a mountain of challenges, the Baystate Health system has achieved needed momentum.

Peter Banko was asked if he was frustrated.

He would certainly have good reason to be.

After all, Banko, president and CEO of Baystate Health, had spent the past 17 months or so trying to right the ship at the system — “turning around a battleship in a bathtub,” as he would later tell the audience at a forum on the state of the healthcare sector in the region — and had made a good amount of progress through difficult and unpopular decisions that included layoffs, cutbacks in many departments, and, most recently, buyouts for many employees, resulting in a profitable fiscal 2025.

But by his estimation, provisions within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (or OB3, as he calls it), signed into law last July, will cost Baystate Health $146 million a year through its specific provisions and their aftereffects, and essentially wipe out all that’s been accomplished and bring the system back to where he started in terms of the size of the hole to dig out of.

“Those reductions wipe out our positive cash flow in one fell swoop,” said Banko, noting that the system exceeded budget expectations for fiscal 2025 and recorded a 3.6% EBIDA (earnings before interest, depreciation, and amortization). “We exceeded our budget expectations by about $50 million; it was the first time we exceeded our budget in six years. But whatever progress we made this year gets eliminated by the One Big Beautiful Bill; we’re down to zero again, and we start from scratch.”

“We’ve got a lot of great work going on behind the scenes that isn’t glamorous and won’t make headlines, but it’s the right work. I feel more optimistic than I’ve felt in a long time.”

So … while frustration would certainly be understandable, and the picture for 2026 is bleak by most accounts (more on that later), he prefers to be upbeat — to a degree.

“That’s because I believe we’ve created some momentum,” he said. “I’m happy with the momentum we’ve created. We’ve got a lot of great work going on behind the scenes that isn’t glamorous and won’t make headlines, but it’s the right work. I feel more optimistic than I’ve felt in a long time.

“I feel like we have the team and the committed board and committed team members that are willing to do the tough work and make the difficult decisions for it to be successful,” he went on, adding that there are certainly more difficult decisions to be made, and more consolidation likely in the healthcare industry — and 2026 is shaping up to be an ultra-challenging transition year for hospitals.

But, overall, he believes the ship has been turned and is positioned to navigate the turbulent seas that are forecasted.

For this issue and its focus on healthcare, we talked at length with Banko about the progress that’s been made, how much of that progress stands to be undone by the OB3, and what happens next as he continues the turn-around assignment he assumed in the fall of 2024.

Time of Transition

Banko said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will result in $1 trillion in cuts nationally and represents “the largest rollback to federal support for healthcare in our lifetimes.”

Most of the impact to the Baystate system will not kick in until October, a month before the midterm elections, he went on, adding that online estimators project that the overall impact to Baystate will be more than $140 million. Broken down, these cuts involve everything from sharp increases to the number of uninsured individuals from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to a decrease in funding from Medicaid (MassHealth), to a loss of funds from the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

The impact to the system — and all providers — will be profound, he said.

Valley Springs Behavioral Health Hospital, one of Baystate Health’s most significant recent projects, opened in Holyoke in 2023.

“A lot of people won’t have insurance, so they won’t have access to coverage or financing,” he explained. “They’re going to delay care, and they’re increasingly have to use the ED when things are really serious, so we’re going to have more overcrowding. It would be shortsighted to say that this will most significantly impact the poor and vulnerable in our community; if you have commercial insurance, you can expect double-digit increases in your premiums the next five years because commercial insurance makes up the difference for Medicare and Medicaid.

“If you’re an employer in this state or anywhere in the United States, you’re going to be paying more for your insurance to cover the gaps here,” he went on, adding that, for systems like Baystate, the impact will be felt in the ER, certainly, but in other realms as well.

When asked to make projections on what will happen across the system and its four hospitals — Baystate Medical Center, Baystate Noble Hospital, Baystate Wing Hospital, and Baystate Franklin Medical Center — Banko said it’s too early to do so, with the specific impacts not likely to be known until the provisions of the bill take effect.

And that won’t be until almost a year from now, he went on, adding that, in most respects, 2026 will be what he called a “transition year.”

“It will be like preparing for a snowstorm,” he told BusinessWest before extending the metaphor further. “Everyone is going to be buying milk and bread and snow shovels; there’s going to be a lot of preparation and action in anticipation of next year.”

When asked how a system prepares for the storm that’s coming, he said the system will continue to make additions and adjustments in the ER in anticipation of more people using that front door instead of primary care.

“We’re aggressively recruiting nurses and physicians for the ER, and we’re working on improving our throughput in the hospital, which impacts the ER,” he explained. “We’re working on improving access and throughput, which will help.”

Overall, he said the system itself will manage, but he’s concerned about the human toll for the cutbacks and their impact on the overall health of the community.

“It will be like preparing for a snowstorm. Everyone is going to be buying milk and bread and snow shovels; there’s going to be a lot of preparation and action in anticipation of next year.”

“Let’s consider this from the humanistic end — someone who had coverage now doesn’t,” he said. “They may be in the middle of cancer treatment; they may be in the middle of a pregnancy. A few months from now, they get diagnosed with a condition, and they delay care, or they’re feeling symptoms, and they know they can’t afford care. From a community standpoint, we’re worried about the impact to the most vulnerable people in our community.

“How do we look our community in the face and say, ‘15% to 25% of you no longer have coverage,’” he went on. “This state has worked so hard, going back to Governor [Mitt] Romney, to provide care for as many people as possible — it’s hard to say all because some people fall through the cracks — and now, it’s all being dismantled.”

Bottom Line

And it’s unlikely there will be much, if any, help coming from Washington, Banko opined, noting that, for now, both sides consider what’s happening to be a “political win,” which makes action before the midterms unlikely in his view.

“Behind the scenes, I think everyone knows what the right things to do are,” he went on. “But OB3 has become a political football, so the folks left holding the bag are our governor and our Legislature — they’re going to have to fill a huge budget gap, $4 billion to $5 billion, and I don’t envy them having to try to figure that out. And our healthcare systems are left holding the bag because it impacts us most severely. Who gets lost in this are the people losing coverage — I’m not sure they have a voice at the moment.”

As for the Baystate system itself, Banko said that, when it comes to the progress made in 2025, budget-wise, roughly half is attributable to cost cutting, with the other half coming from revenue growth.

“We saw decent growth in our business last year, above what our expectations were,” he noted, adding that this growth came in ER volume, surgical volume, inpatient volume, and other realms. “More than half our financial improvement was solid revenue growth.”

Looking ahead to 2026, he’s projecting revenue growth of 2% to 3%, with expenses growing 6%.

“And in any business, that’s not a recipe for success,” he went on, adding that the system has identified core growth areas, including overall access to care.

“We lose a lot of our patients to Boston because they can’t get in here. So if we can grow revenue by 6% to 8% and trim some of our costs, that will allow us to stay in the game,” he explained, adding that there will be more cost cutting in the year ahead — at Baystate and most other providers.

There will also be some less profitable services cut back or eliminated by many providers, he said, as well as continued consolidation within the industry as systems look for all-important scale in the wake of the rising costs of doing business.

“We’re talking to a lot of organizations, and with each one, I have a confidentiality agreement that I can’t violate,” he said, withholding comment on rumored talks between Baystate and Mercy Medical Center. “So, I would just say this … everyone is talking to everyone right now. There isn’t a week that goes by that I’m not having a discussion with a competitor, someone in an adjacent market, someone in a non-adjacent market.

“Everyone is viewing the changes from OB3 as transformational, so everyone is trying to figure out the same thing,” he went on. “We’re all talking to one another about, ‘hey, how do we manage this?’ Or ‘can we manage this better together?’”

There is some evidence that scale has not worked out in healthcare, at least as much as it has in other industries, he continued, adding quickly that he believes scale does bring advantages; systems just need to seize those advantages.

“Our overhead costs are about 12.9%,” Banko explained. “Without more scale, we can bring that down to 10%, but best-practice health systems are below 8%, and there’s no way we can get below 8% without more scale.”

In the meantime, and as he mentioned earlier, he senses real momentum across the system, progress in many ways overshadowed by large headlines about layoffs and buyout programs.

“What gets published in the media is just the financial stuff,” he told BusinessWest. “So when we do a layoff or cut costs somewhere, that gets all the media attention, and it gets all the attention inside the organization. But I would say that 80% of the work is non-financial, and we’re making real progress.”

Staying Current with Eversource’s Mike Vedovelli

By George O'Brien December 23, 2025

Where Are They Now?

Mike Vedovelli seen today at Eversource

Mike Vedovelli as a member of the 40 Under Forty class of 2011

Mike Vedovelli says it’s as if he had written the job description for himself.

Indeed, Eversource had posted for a Community Relations specialist, and the job description it sent out indicated it was looking for someone who knew the region — as in the four counties of Western Mass. — and also “knew the economic development side of things,” said Vedovelli, who had all this covered through previous career stops.

These included nearly a decade in Westfield’s Community Development office, several more running the Western Mass. office of the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD), and then a few years as director of Community Development in Chicopee.

He thought that experience qualified him to join the giant utility in the community relations role, and those doing the hiring agreed, thus beginning an intriguing chapter in the career of this 2011 40 Under Forty honoree. And he’s written a few more since joining Eversource, rising in the ranks, first as manager of Community Relations for Massachusetts (overseeing the team of specialists, each serving their own region), and currently as director of Community Relations and Economic Development in Massachusetts.

Based at the utility’s facility on Cadwell Drive in Springfield, but frequently on the road to communities in every corner of the state, Vedovelli now oversees a team of 14, “which rises to 140 during storm events,” he said, adding that one of his many responsibilities is to work with those on his teams to coordinate response to severe weather in the more than 70 communities served by the utility.

“Each city and town has a designated liaison,” he explained, adding that, from an incident-command structure in Boston, he oversees these liaisons as they work with their respective communities on preparation for, and response to, severe weather.

Community Focus

We’ll get back to the weather and how Vedovelli and Eversource prepares for it. But first, a look back.

Vedovelli, who grew up in Indian Orchard and stayed in the region, first started working in government and economic development when he became an accountant and Grants Compliance coordinator in the Westfield Community Development office, overseeing HUD initiatives and especially the Community Development Block Grant program.

He worked in Westfield for more than 10 years before becoming a regional director for the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, with the region essentially being everything west of Worcester — 101 cities and towns, a number that has stuck with him.

While getting to know those cities and towns in the 413 and their business communities, he helped several companies, including Titeflex and Smith & Wesson (which would eventually relocate its headquarters and significant operations to Tennessee starting in 2021), stay in the region, expand, and create more jobs.

“I made a point of getting to know all four counties as well as I could — knowing not just the businesses, but the fabric of the communities — and making connections.”

“I was representing the governor and the administration, and you had to be aware of what was occurring on many different levels, not just in business development opportunities,” he said of his work at MOBD and now it would provide him with invaluable experience for career stops to come. “I made a point of getting to know all four counties as well as I could — knowing not just the businesses, but the fabric of the communities — and making connections.”

It was rewarding work that came to an abrupt end with the change of gubernatorial administrations in January 2015. A few months later, one of those connections he’d made paid off when he got a call from then-Chicopee Mayor Michael Kos to see if he would be interested in becoming the city’s next director of Community Development.

Vedovelli was, and spent the next few years on projects ranging from redevelopment of the former Uniroyal plant to the opening of a Mercedes-Benz dealership on Burnett Road.

But then, he read the job description that seemed written for him.

Over the past nine years, he has added several new responsibilities, but maintains that the work still comes down to making connections and building relationships, something he’s been doing his whole career, while “handling all things Eversource, on the gas, electric, and transmission sides.

“Every day is different — that’s the 24/7 nature of the business,” he said of his work and what he likes most about it, adding that his job description is varied and includes everything from educating public officials, communities, and other key partners on Eversource’s projects to conducting outreach for the siting of major projects and strategic initiatives.

Power Play

In recent years, a growing focus has been on meeting the state’s decarbonization goals and the many investments needed to make that happen.

“We’re working very closely with our load forecasting team to analyze areas as we move toward decarbonization, and the loads that will put forth on the system,” he explained. “New infrastructure will be needed, and placing infrastructure is always a challenge, while also upgrading the existing system to make it as safe and reliable as we can.

“People are relying on power more and more — not just for their home and business, but for electric vehicles and everything else that requires power,” he went on. “It’s a needed resource.”

Then there’s the weather, which has always been a very big part of this job, he said, adding that the utility contracts with several weather services and partners with the University of Connecticut, which creates the UConn Outage Prediction Model, which is fed with high-resolution weather data to forecast a storm’s impact on the electric grid.

The model takes into account everything from snowfall amounts to wind speeds to the amount of foliage in trees (a huge factor in the devastating impact from the pre-Halloween storm in 2011) to project the level of power outages, he went on.

“With the information that we get from the weather service and the information we get from the prediction models, the incident commander can make decisions on enacting an emergency response plan,” Vedovelli explained. “Everyone in the company has a storm role.”

And while the community liaisons have many responsibilities, he said, the biggest is communicating with officials in that city or town so that they can make informed decisions.

“If they know when a road is going to be open, if they know when power is going to be restored, they can make decisions for their community,” he told BusinessWest, adding that this is especially true during weather events that stretch over several days.

Preparation is always the key, he said, adding that Eversource is prepping for hurricane season from June to early November, and there are regular training programs to help ensure that those at the utility are prepared for whatever might happen and have the necessary resources in place. Such was the case with three tornadoes that touched down on Cape Cod in July 2019, an unexpected weather event, he noted.

“If you think about the Cape and how many people are there in July … now mix in a tornado,” he said. “That tornado came through on a Tuesday, and everything was buttoned up and cleaned up by Thursday. That shows you the power of being prepared.”

Helping the utility and communities across the state be prepared for such calamities is now a big part of Vedovelli’s job description. No, he didn’t write it himself, but his past experiences have enabled him to carry it out and make a surge — yes, that’s an industry term — in his career.

Common Capital Helps Entrepreneurs Realize the Dream

By George O'Brien December 22, 2025

Cover Story

Getting a Leg Up

Alysia Bryant, founder of Carefree Cakery

It was the height of the pandemic, and Alysia Bryant had reached an inflection point.

She was managing a Sherwin Williams store, and increasingly asking herself …. ‘why?’

“I was considered an essential worker, but it didn’t feel like the work I was doing actually mattered at all; I was selling paint,” she told BusinessWest. “I thought, ‘if I’m going to be giving this much of myself to anything, it may as well be something that matters to me at my core,’ and that’s what pushed me all the way out of working my comfortable corporate job and doing something for myself.”

That ‘something else’ was baking, something she started doing back in high school when she would bake box mix brownies and sell them out of her backpack. She put this passion aside, thinking she should be “doing something really important with my life,” and started thinking about becoming a doctor.

But that wasn’t the right fit for her, so she looked at perhaps baking with a purpose, as she called it, and opening a free-trade bakery to make sure the farmers providing her with chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and other goods were paid a living wage for their work, a concept that would grow in scope — while she was selling paint — to include being allergy-friendly.

It was a noble concept, but one she quickly understood would only become reality if she got a little help — on the financing side and otherwise.

“I thought, ‘if I’m going to be giving this much of myself to anything, it may as well be something that matters to me at my core,’ and that’s what pushed me all the way out of working my comfortable corporate job and doing something for myself.”

That help came from Common Capital, the Springfield-based agency that offers small business loans of any size up to $300,000 to individuals in the four counties of Western Mass. — capital that can be used for everything from a business startup to working capital, inventory, supplies, and equipment.

Bryant, who said she didn’t even consider traditional bank financing because she had nothing for collateral and wouldn’t be a good candidate, used a loan of just over $100,000 from Common Capital to launch Carefree Cakery in the Mill District in North Amherst, selling cakes and a wide range of other products that have drawn a strong following. But she was quick to note that, beyond the money, the agency has provided support in areas ranging from accounting to marketing that she considers critical to her ongoing success.

Such multi-faceted assistance from Common Capital, founded in 1990, has helped launch and accelerate some of the region’s better-known success stories in recent decades — including the Hot Table chain of panini restaurants, which started in Springfield and now stretches across the state and into Connecticut; Youth on the Move, the Indian Orchard-based transportation company specializing in shuttling young people, which has grown exponentially over the past decade; White Lion Brewing Co., which now has two locations and has expanded its reach across the state; and Rozki Rides, another youth-focused transportation company based in Agawam.

More recently, the client list has grown to include a widely diverse mix of new ventures, from a growing list of behavioral health-related ventures to Elliott Fire, a Holyoke-based company that repairs, inspects, and maintains fire sprinkler systems, to Higher Expectations, a sports training facility on Cadwell Drive in Springfield.

These stories and countless others are all different, but there is generally a shared sentiment that, if it weren’t for Common Capital, the venture likely would not have moved off the ground — and certainly not as quickly.

“White Lion was not a bankable entity. We were a startup; it was a concept,” founder Ray Berry recalled, noting that he became involved with the agency 12 years ago. “I like to say that, if Common Capital wasn’t around, and if it didn’t have the capacity to seed White Lion, I’m not sure where this brand would be right now.”

And while assisting countless entrepreneurs with realizing and then rewriting their business plans, Common Capital is updating its own.

It calls for continually growing a portfolio of loans that has essentially doubled over the past seven years, from $5 million to $9 million, with plans to reach $15 million, said Raymond Lanza-Well, the agency’s president, adding that this threshold will move the organization closer to self-sustainability.

Overall, the agency has been in a strong growth pattern of its own, he went on, building on the foundation laid by Common Capital founder Chris Sikes and aggressively expanding the portfolio through a philosophy of assuming more risk, especially through more smaller loans of less than $50,000, adding new programming, and strengthening partnerships with several constituencies.

Raymond Lanza-Well says Common Capital is in a growth mode, having doubled the size of its loan portfolio from $5 million to more than $9 million over the past seven years.

These include agencies within the region’s and state’s entrepreneurship ecosystem — from EforAll to the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center; from the Sphere Northampton to the LGBTQ Chamber in Easthampton — as well as the region’s banks and credit unions, which will often refer business loan applicants they have to turn down to the agency.

For this issue, we take an in-depth look at Common Capital, several of the businesses in the growing client portfolio, and what’s ahead for all of them.

Getting Down to Business

Chris Elliott had been working for sprinkler installation and service companies for more than 30 years when he reached the point most entrepreneurs reach — the one where they decide that it’s time to work for themselves rather than someone else.

“I like to say that, if Common Capital wasn’t around, and if it didn’t have the capacity to seed White Lion, I’m not sure where this brand would be right now.”

And while he had the drive to strike out on his own, again, like many entrepreneurs, he lacked the capital — and the ability to attain it from traditional sources.

“We simply weren’t bankable,” said Elliott, referring to himself and his wife and business partner, Cristie, adding that the dream was more or less put on ice until, like hundreds of other aspiring entrepreneurs, he was referred to Common Capital.

The Elliotts used their $150,000 loan to set up shop in a building on Main Street in Holyoke. But beyond that, taking advantage of services that go well beyond capital, such as training initiatives in accounting, booking, and website development, they’ve been able to grow the business from humble beginnings — Cristie’s Rav 4 was detailed with the company logo, and it served as the primary operating vehicle for several years — adding several government contracts and large clients such as Tower Square in Springfield and General Dynamics.

The Elliotts’ story — and Bryant’s, and Berry’s — are fairly typical of those who ‘find’ Common Capital, said Roberto Nieves, who left the banking industry to become the agency’s director of Outreach and Communications. He told BusinessWest that this region has always had a deep well of entrepreneurial energy, but the pandemic inspired more people, like Bryant, to pursue dreams and go into business for themselves.

Cristie and Chris Elliott, owners of Elliott Fire, another success story accelerated by Common Capital.

“Many of the essential workers were working longer hours, working double shifts, doing all of these things that were necessary for us to move forward during the pandemic,” he recalled. “And they got to a point, post-COVID, where they said, ‘if I’m going to work this hard, I’m going to do it for me and not for you.’”

This phenomenon was reflected in many ways, from registered nurses starting home health agencies to a surge in new behavioral health agencies to new businesses of all kinds, Nieves said, adding that many of these ventures are being launched by women and people of color, many of whom are living in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods.

All this is reflected in Common Capital’s portfolio of clients, he noted, adding that 80% of borrowers are now women, a rise from 42% in 2020, and many of these are women of color, inspired — and helped along — by the growing number of accelerator programs in the area.

Lanza-Well agreed. He succeeded Sikes as the agency’s president in 2018 after working first in banking and then for a succession of community loan funds, including, most recently, the Vermont Community Loan Fund.

That agency is roughly the same age as Common Capital, but about twice the size when it comes to the loan portfolio, even though it serves a smaller population.

“That told me, without doing anything particularly scientific or complicated, that there was a lot of untapped opportunity for Common Capital to grow,” he told BusinessWest, adding that he and his team of eight have been focused on seizing that opportunity.

Specifically, the agency has been thinking differently about its lending, said Lanza-Well, adding that he has tapped his vast experience in community development lending to expand the portfolio.

“The lending business is a business of risk management,” he explained. “We all take risks as lenders, and I think I helped us look a little bit differently at the risks.”

Elaborating, he said that, for loans up to $50,000 — a fast-growing segment of the portfolio — collateral is not a material consideration.

“We pull credit reports, we look at credit behavior, we spend a lot of time talking to our applicants about their credit behavior, but we don’t use the score itself because the score is based on an algorithm, and the algorithm has all sorts of biases built into it, and we’re dealing with folks who live outside algorithms.”

“We absolutely require every applicant, every borrower, to pledge whatever collateral is available to support their loan,” he explained. “But for most of our loans that are less than $50,000, there’s hardly enough collateral to cover the loan. That would scare the heck out of a bank, but it’s what we do every day.”

Banks are generally not interested in loans of less than $50,000 in most circumstances, he went on, adding that the Small Business Administration’s microloan program, which provides capital for loans up to $50,000, has been a critical factor in the agency’s strong growth pattern. In fact, Common Capital is the largest SBA microlender in the state, as well as the largest non-bank guaranteed lender with the SBA in the state, despite serving a region that has only 17% of the population.

Other goals include broadening its network of relationships with both banks and agencies within the entrepreneurship ecosystem to put more potential borrowers in the pipeline, Lanza-Well said, adding that the average loan amount is currently about $65,000, a number that helps spread risk throughout the portfolio.

Meanwhile, still another growth factor is a philosophy of “lending to people, not paper,” he noted.

Roberto Nieves says a pandemic-fueled surge in entrepreneurship has been led by women and people of color, and this is reflected in Common Capital’s loan portfolio.

“Unlike a bank, unlike a credit card company, unlike most conventional lenders, we don’t use credit scores. We pull credit reports, we look at credit behavior, we spend a lot of time talking to our applicants about their credit behavior, but we don’t use the score itself because the score is based on an algorithm, and the algorithm has all sorts of biases built into it, and we’re dealing with folks who live outside algorithms.”

It’s Not a Piece of Cake

Bryant said she started off being conservative with her staffing and spending, knowing that many new businesses fail in the first few years due to poor cash flow.

“But I completely underestimated how much the community would be excited about this,” she noted. “We sold out within our first two hours the first day we were open, and that continued for the first two weeks.

“We were exhausted — it was me and one other person,” she went on, adding that she would eventually bring on more help and now has a staff of six. “We’re growing and doing well.”

But despite this success, there are stern challenges to sustainability, she went on.

“I went for a business model that really increases my base prices for many items; our ingredients are just more expensive because they pay the people who make them,” Bryant explained, adding that chocolate prices have doubled since last year. “If this can just work, that will be enough for me. I want this shop to thrive; I want it to be a cornerstone of the community.”

Like others we spoke with, Bryant said the support from Common Capital has gone well beyond the loan — and is ongoing.

“It’s not just, ‘here’s the money,’ and you’re gone,” she explained. “There’s ongoing coaching; I have access to people who have experience running a business, so I can just talk to them, but they can also pair you up with people who can help you with other elements, such as marketing and bookkeeping.”

Indeed, Common Capital’s Business Resource Center provides a wide range of services, from one-on-one business navigation to credit counseling to a series of training webinars.

These offerings include recent programs, undertaken in partnership with the Center for Women & Enterprise, with titles such as “Navigating Change: Embracing Uncertainty” and “Finding Calm in the Holiday Chaos.”

“Even with a business degree and some experience, the ongoing help from Common Capital has been invaluable,” said Bryant, adding that she never feels alone as she continues on the journey of entrepreneurship.

Spreading the word about such impact and growing Common Capital’s own brand is one ongoing mission and yet another factor in the agency’s growth pattern, said Nieves, who noted that relationships, and being visible, are keys to success in these efforts.

“I’m a member of 10 chambers of commerce, and, between Raymond and I, we’re represented on every single economic development committee of significance through all four Western Mass. counties,” he explained, adding that, most recently, there’s been a strong push in the Berkshires, an area that had been perhaps underrepresented in the agency’s portfolio, with better numbers over the past several years.

Such outreach has enabled more people to gain access to capital, programs that help their ventures remain sustainable, and opportunities to ride the roller coaster that is entrepreneurship.

“It’s been a heck of a ride — I don’t get days off at all,” Bryant said. “But it’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done, by far.”

And a dream, like so many others, made possible by Common Capital.

South Hadley Says It’s Open for Business

By George O'Brien December 22, 2025

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

Sean Fitzgerald says SHELD’s fiber business, Fiberspring, continues to expand beyond its South Hadley roots.

Lisa Wong says she was following a trend of sorts. But this was also a no-brainer.

She was referring to her move to follow up four terms as mayor of Fitchburg, in Central Mass., with a new assignment as town manager of South Hadley.

Her immediate predecessor in that role, Mike Sullivan, did essentially the same thing, moving from the corner office in Holyoke, so there’s precedent for taking that career path. As for Wong, who has also been town manager in Winchester, she has many deep connections to South Hadley, including family — and her marriage certificate.

So when Sullivan, whom she knew from when they were both mayors, talked up the job, she threw her hat in the ring and was eventually chosen, coming aboard nearly four years ago.

When asked to compare and contrast the mayor and town manager roles, Wong said that, other than dealing with the press less frequently, the jobs are very similar, and involve managing for today and planning for tomorrow, in equal parts.

In South Hadley, that means everything from ongoing work to reimagine a section of Main Street to early-stage work to build a new elementary school; from a new housing project, called the Clover, to a town meeting vote to approve six additional liquor licenses (there are 19 at present), a nod to a growing restaurant and hospitality sector.

Now under construction near the Rocky’s plaza on Route 116, the Clover project, being undertaken by Way Finders, will include 60 units of mixed-income housing, said Wong, adding that this will help close the gap in the town’s housing needs, but more work is needed.

“We’re looking at places like the Falls and the Route 202 and 33 corridor as additional places for our businesses to grow, but also to bring in new businesses, especially small businesses, to create more vibrancy.”

“We have a bigger dent to make,” she said, adding that the town recently created an affordable housing trust, tasked with creating more housing options.

These are some of the many intriguing storylines in South Hadley. Others include continued growth of the South Hadley Electric Light Department’s (SHELD) fiber internet business, called Fiberspring, which has now expanded beyond the town, as well as plans for a new, $25 million headquarters building for the utility.

SHELD is now an internet provider in the towns of Leverett and Shutesbury, both in nearby Franklin County, and recently won a contract to provide fiber for customers in Longmeadow.

“We won a unanimous vote from the Select Board in Longmeadow, and we’ve done their engineering and design, so that’s pretty exciting,” SHELD General Manager Sean Fitzgerald told BusinessWest. “We’ve delivered to them a full, town-wide design engineering package, and in the spring, we’ll believe they’ll take a vote to finance either a partial launch or an entire town launch of fiber; they have a huge appetite for this.”

As for the new headquarters facility, SHELD has chosen a site across from the Big Y on Willimansett Street for a construction of a facility will replace a more than 100-year-old structure and provide the utility with room to grow, especially on the fiber side, and an opportunity to move out of a flood zone.

There’s also the community’s large and diverse business community, which includes those that have been around for decades — like Carey’s Flowers and Chap de Laine’s Interiors, and relative newcomers such as a Delaney’s Market.

Located in a small church salvaged by one of the towns flooded to create the Quabbin Reservoir, the South Hadley Delaney’s Market also includes the kitchen that makes the grab-and-go offerings now available at five locations across the region — South Hadley, Longmeadow, Westfield, Wilbraham, and the latest addition in West Springfield, with plans to expand in Holyoke.

Founder Peter Rosskothen, a serial entrepreneur who revitalized the Log Cabin banquet facility in Holyoke, said the Delaney’s Market concept, launched a decade ago with the Longmeadow store, is catching on, with the chain amassing a growing roster of steady, repeat customers.

“We’re feeling the economy a little bit this year, but it’s a very steady concept, with loyal, regular customers,” he said. “So I feel good about the concept.”

As for Chap de Laine’s, the landmark business, opened in 1957, is preparing to mark 50 years in business, said second-generation owner Lisanne Chapdelaine, who took the helm in 1997. It has celebrated more milestones since, she noted, by being faithful to the mission set in place by her father, while also becoming a one-stop shop, handling everything from residential and commercial furnishings to flooring coverings to window treatments.

Peter Rosskothen says his chain of Delaney’s Markets continues to grow, evolve, and draw repeat customers.

“We’re still in all the categories we have been historically,” she said. “And our design services go beyond our product offerings, providing the end users with paint and wallpaper. It’s all part of being a one-stop shop.”

Current Events

Wong said she considers South Hadley to be a destination community, complete with restaurants and shops (at Village Commons, for example), parks, the arts, recreation facilities, and Mount Holyoke College.

Among her many goals is to promote these various assets and draw more visitors, while also providing quality services to those who call the community home.

“I’m led by my love of the town,” she said, adding that there are several developing stories, including some infrastructure projects, topped by a major reconstruction of what’s known as the Falls Quarter, the historic South Hadley Falls neighborhood, which sits along the Connecticut River.

“There will be a major reconstruction of Main Street from the Chicopee line to the library,” said Wong, adding that plans call for creation of multi-purpose trails, beautification efforts, and other initiatives. “It will really revitalize that area.”

As she explained, “we’re looking at places like the Falls and the Route 202 and 33 corridor as additional places for our businesses to grow, but also to bring in new businesses, especially small businesses, to create more vibrancy. We have a lot of rezoning of quarters to create a more walkable neighborhood feel that can also accommodate quality commercial spaces.

South Hadley at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1775
Population: 18,150
Area: 18.4 square miles
County: Hampshire
Residential and commercial tax rate: $15.41 (Fire District 1); $15.74 (Fire District 2)
Median Household Income: $46,678
Median Family Income: $58,693
Type of government: Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Mount Holyoke College; Loomis Communities; Big Y
* Latest information available

“We’re opening ourselves up for business,” she went on. “We want people to thrive here, but we also want to create new opportunities to be part of our vibrancy.”

Meanwhile, the town is looking to replace Mosier School, currently grades 2-4, and expand it to grades 1-5.

“This would be a major undertaking and a major asset for the community,” Wong said, adding that the town is looking at design options and anticipates building by 2030 or 2031.

While South Hadley is progressing on many fronts, so too is SHELD. Indeed, Fitzgerald told BusinessWest that the fiber project in town has mostly exceeded expectations, with the utility now boasting a 53% market share.

“And it’s still growing — we’re approaching 3,000 customers in South Hadley alone,” he noted. “People are jumping on the fiber every day. We’re adding nine to 12 customers every week — it’s the best case that we could have hoped for.”

Looking ahead to the Longmeadow project, Fitzgerald said it will be handled in much the same way that South Hadley (which is similar in size) was, meaning it will be phased in through creation of fiber service areas (FSAs), or fiberhoods, as SHELD likes to call them.

“Each fiberhood has 250 to 300 customers, so if we start out with three or four of those, you’re looking at close to 1,000 customers,” he said, adding that Longmeadow will eventually have about 6,000 customers. “You build the town out in sections.”

And the expectations are similar in South Hadley, he went on, adding that projections call for at least a 50% market share and likely much higher, as the need for reliable internet service continues to grow.

“Co-ax cable doesn’t have the capability of the fiber, and also, the industry has changed; people watch their television differently now,” he explained. “Those factors will drive us probably over 60% to 70% over the next three years.”

Meanwhile, SHELD continues to explore further expansion opportunities, such as in Southampton, where the town has made a proposal, and Hadley, one of several communities “kicking the tires,” said Fitzgerald, adding that further expansion, which could include going into neighboring states, will be challenged by the number of private equity companies getting into the fiber business, such as Gateway Fiber and GoNetSpeed.

“They’re coming in and slapping fiber up,” he added. “And if you have too many competitors on the pole, it waters down your ability to be successful.”

As for the new headquarters building, SHELD hopes to be in construction of that facility by the second quarter of 2026, Fitzgerald noted, adding that, to pay for it, the utility will likely impose a 2.5-cent rate increase on the electric side (roughly $200 per year for the average customer), a cost that will likely be reduced as revenues grow on the fiber side.

Food for Thought

Rosskothen told BusinessWest that, beyond convenience, the main thrust at Delaney’s Market is on ‘fresh.’

Made in South Hadley with local ingredients, the meals are brought to the four other locations daily to ensure freshness, he explained, adding that the concept has caught on with many different constituencies.

“Most of those who use it are young people, busy people, seniors … it’s a wide variety of customers that come regularly,” he said, adding that these groups are attracted by a combination of convenience, quality, and variety. “Hopefully, they come once a week, and many of our customers come at least two and half times a month.”

They have a wide variety of options to consider, from chicken francaise to shepherd’s pie; blackened salmon to stuffed peppers; chicken pot pie to lobster pie (Tuesday only).

“At this time of year, the comfort foods seem to do really well — the pot pies, the chicken parm, the shepherd’s pie,” he noted, adding that the stores to very well around the holidays, both for those entertaining and those too busy to cook.

In the new year, the company will add calorie-smart offerings that will coincide with those New Year’s resolutions to eat smarter and healthier, said Rosskothen, adding that, while the concept was launched a decade ago, it has been continually tweaked to generate new customers — and more repeat customers.

In many ways, that has been the same blueprint at Chap de Laine’s.

Indeed, the landmark store, first located in South Hadley Falls and then moved to its current location on College Street in 1970, has been welcoming different generations of the same family, said Chapdelaine, adding that the store has adapted to changing times while remaining true to its roots.

For example, people can do research on the internet, she explained — which, if used properly, can be a useful tool and a vehicle for bringing people to the store.

Most of the products sold in the store are made in the U.S., which reduces the broad impact from tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, she noted, adding quickly that even products made in the country will likely have components made overseas that are subject to tariffs.

“We have one or two small brands that are subject to tariffs,” she explained. “We have two big lines for which we’re paying 20% more, overnight, and that’s a biggie.”

But Chap de Laine’s has successfully navigated plenty of change as it approaches 50 years, in a town where change — and, hopefully, business momentum — promise to be constant as well.

Longmeadow Has Landmark Decisions to Make

By George O'Brien December 9, 2025

Community Spotlight

An architect’s rendering of the planned Longmeadow Middle School. Construction is slated to start in the fall of 2026.

Marty O’Shea says officials in Longmeadow have been discussing what to do with the town’s two middle schools — Williams and Glenbrook — for nearly 20 years now.

The former was opened in 1959 and the latter in 1968, he noted, adding that, beyond their advancing years, the schools were designed to serve a different model of education than the district currently requires.

Charting a course for the school properties and securing funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has been a long journey with many twists and turns, said O’Shea, Longmeadow’s school superintendent, adding that, 18 years after the town first submitted both schools to the MSBA for consideration for renovation or replacement, construction is slated to begin in the fall of 2026 on a new, $151 million facility that will replace both schools.

It will be called Longmeadow Middle School, and it will provide the community not only with a state-of-the-art facility — to be built on the Williams Middle School campus — but a unique development opportunity on the Glenbrook site.

“Our education plan calls for more space that will give kids the opportunities to be involved with project-based learning and give us more opportunities to expand science, technology, and engineering opportunities for kids,” O’Shea explained, adding that the design also prioritizes supporting special education students and the arts, both the performing and fine arts.

“Our education plan calls for more space that will give kids the opportunities to be involved with project-based learning and give us more opportunities to expand science, technology, and engineering opportunities for kids.”

As for the Glenbook site, “we’ll start looking at what to do there soon, so that we don’t wait until the property is vacant to begin that process. We won’t start any construction or final plans, but we will start the community discussion,” said Town Manager Lyn Simmons, adding that the 20-acre campus could have several potential uses, including housing in a community where there are few, if any, available building lots.

Resolution of the middle school question and conjecture about the future of the Glenbrook site are just two of the many converging stories in this residential community of almost 16,000 people. Others include:

• A pending Planning Board vote in early December on a proposal to redevelop the site of a closed Church of Christ, Scientist on Williams Street, abutting the Longmeadow Shops. Plans call for demolishing the church and constructing three buildings to house retail tenants, a bank with a drive-thru, and a coffee shop with a drive-thru — a complex that would, in many ways, serve as an extension of the shops;

An architect’s rendering of a proposed new retail facility, to be built on the site of a closed church on Williams Street.

• Work to design improvements to the busy intersection at Williams Street, Redfern Drive, and Frank Smith Road, a project inspired by the project on the church property and made possible by a $287,000 MassWorks grant;

• Ongoing work to decide the best uses for three other town landmarks — the Community House, formerly home to some town offices and now used primarily as a polling place; Town Hall, mostly vacant since town offices were moved to the former Greenwood Park Elementary School off Maple Street; and ‘Old Town Hall’ on Longmeadow Street, vacant for many years. Simmons said a task force will be appointed to consider options for each site and determine the best course of action;

• Early-stage work to replace aging water and sewer lines (60% of which are more than 100 years old), beginning with a water line replacement project, approved at town meeting last month, that will begin with Western Drive. These initiatives have been accompanied by 40% increases in water and sewer rates, which were comparatively low and are still lower than many in the region, Simmons noted;

• A growing stable of eateries — a sushi restaurant and one specializing in Indian cuisine are two of the latest additions — that has made the town a dining destination; and

• Continued growth of a small but eclectic business community, one that is based mostly in retail and hospitality.

That list includes Twin Hills Country Club, which has enjoyed a very strong year, both on the course and with its event business, said Laura Chipouras, club manager.

She told BusinessWest that, in addition to tournaments, weddings, and showers, the club has seen a surge in business-related gatherings, everything from annual retreats to sales strategy sessions.

“We’re seeing lots of retreats, and I think that’s probably due to people returning to the office after COVID and feeling that they need to get together,” she explained, adding that, overall, business has brisk — well ahead of last year’s pace — and the bookings for 2026 have been solid.

For this latest installment in its Community Spotlight series, we take an in-depth look at Longmeadow, and some landmark decisions being made there — literally and figuratively.

School of Thought

Reflecting on the middle school project, O’Shea — who has been superintendent for nine years now — noted that, while discussions on the two facilities began nearly two decades ago, the town had other priorities to address, such as a new high school, senior center, and DPW facility.

With those resolved, the middle school discussions resumed, with consolidation emerging as the best option over time, as capital needs grew and enrollment in each of the schools fell to roughly 300 in recent years.

That puts them on the smaller end for middle schools, he said, adding that other communities and districts of similar size, such as neighboring East Longmeadow and the Hampden-Wilbraham School District, which he served as an administrator, have one middle school.

“We did a citizens’ survey just to find out what people wanted to see happen there, and those results were interesting. There was a lot of attachment to Community House, a moderate attachment to Town Hall, and very little attachment to Old Town Hall.”

And there are several advantages to be gained through consolidation, he noted, both on the educational side and the operations side.

“On the educational side, in a single setting, I think we’ll be able to assign staff in ways that are more efficient and also better for us educationally,” he explained. “Right now, we have staff that are, in many cases, stretched across two buildings, such as in the areas of music and oral language, library, and special education.

“We think that having all our educators under one roof will put us in a better position to serve students,” he went on, “and we’ll be able to expand programming.”

Meanwhile, the town should see substantial savings from staffing and operating one larger school rather than two older structures that are now well beyond their expected useful life and in many ways inefficient, he went on, noting that the new, 134,735-square-foot facility will be fossil fuel-free, rely on a ground-source heat exchange system for heating and cooling, and be net-zero ready, meaning it will produce as much energy as it consumes.

“You’re maintaining one campus instead of two, you’re maintaining and repairing one campus instead of two, food service — you’re running a single operation instead of two,” he explained. “On the operations side, there are some opportunities where we could see come savings.”

O’Shea and other administrators and staff have visited several communities that have constructed middle schools recently, including several built by Springfield-based Fontaine Bros., recently chosen as the general contractor for the Longmeadow project, and they’ll visit more as the design process continues and the focus shifts to furniture, fixtures, flooring, lighting, and materials used.

Longmeadow at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1783
Population: 15,853
Area: 9.7 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $21.12
Commercial Tax Rate: $21.12
Median Household Income: $109,586
Median Family Income: $115,578
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting; Town Manager; Select Board
Largest Employers: Bay Path University; JGS Lifecare; Glenmeadow
* Latest information available

While that project moves forward, the attention of many town residents is also fixed on the church redevelopment initiative.

Simmons noted that the review process has been slowed by the need to conduct a traffic study and undertake it while school is in session. There have been several Planning Board hearings on the matter, with questions on everything from traffic to storm drainage, she said, adding that a decision is expected soon — perhaps early this month.

The project and the increase in traffic it is likely to produce will necessitate work on the traffic corridor in the area near the site, where several roads converge, said Simmons, adding that, when designs for improvements are finalized, the town will apply for a MassWorks grant round to fund construction.

Past Is Prologue

While the middle school and church redevelopment projects move forward, another initiative enters its next phase.

This would be the ongoing work to determine the best possible uses for three unused or underutilized municipal facilities — the Community House, built in 1920; Town Hall, dating from 1939; and Old Town Hall, originally a one-room schoolhouse, built in 1855.

As noted earlier, a task force will be created to consider various options and perhaps suggest an action plan, said Simmons, noting that property condition reports on the three historic structures, submitted by the Springfield-based engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill in September, have unveiled lengthy lists of work needed at all three.

At the Community House, for example, the report concluded that several million dollars in repairs and upgrades are needed — everything from repointing brick to prevent further deterioration and water intrusion to an elevator for access to the second floor, to regrading and repaving the parking area to improve drainage.

There are similar lists for the other properties, she said, adding that, when summing up public sentiment on the landmarks, there are varying degrees of appetite for investment and eventual redevelopment.

“We did a citizens’ survey just to find out what people wanted to see happen there, and those results were interesting,” she told BusinessWest. “There was a lot of attachment to Community House, a moderate attachment to Town Hall, and very little attachment to Old Town Hall.”

Some possible uses were floated in that survey, she went on, adding that there was little sentiment for housing in any of the structures, with most residents preferring an arts and cultural center, a restaurant or café, or recreational programs at all three, with moderate enthusiasm for other uses, ranging from retail to co-working space to a museum.

Ultimately, much will depend on the development community, she said, adding that applications for the task force are being sought, and it is hoped that the panel can wrap up its work in a year.

As for the business community, it continues to grow, especially within the retail and hospitality sectors, said Simmons, adding that the town’s location — it’s convenient to East Longmeadow, Springfield, and Northern Conn. — has made it a retail and dining destination.

That same location has benefited the event business at Twin Hills, said Chipouras, adding that the club has several different event rooms, including a ballroom that can host up to 400, and they’re being booked for a wide range of functions — including BusinessWest’s eighth annual Women of Impact gala on Dec. 9. As noted earlier, business is up across the board, but she is especially encouraged by a rise in corporate outings.

On the day Chipouras talked with BusinessWest, for example, two of the smaller banquet rooms were being used for corporate retreats, which certainly took a back seat during COVID, and there have been several days like that over the course of the past year.

“Later this week, we have an accounting firm coming in to do a class on new tax laws, and we have a bank that’s doing a very large retreat, a learning session,” she noted. “They start early in the morning, and at the end of the day, they do cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.”

Meanwhile, there has also been a surge in proms, weddings, and holiday parties, another tradition that took a hit during the pandemic and the years that followed.

“I’m seeing them come back,” said Chipouras, adding that, while the club sees a large amount of repeat business with clients, it has added new clients to the portfolio as well.

In short, she sees positive momentum — and in this mostly residential town with a small but growing business community, she’s not the only one.

Hospital Administrators Say 2026 Will Pose Stern Challenges

By George O'Brien December 9, 2025

Healthcare News

Gauging the Ripple Effects

When he came to Holyoke Medical Center as its new president and CEO in 2013, Spiros Hatiras considered it the proverbial best-kept secret.

By most all accounts, it isn’t that any longer.

“It took us a decade or so, but we’re no longer a secret,” he said, meaning that healthcare professionals have found the facility and helped make it a workplace of choice, and area residents have as well, making it their hospital of choice. “We’re in a growth mentality.”

This emergence, if you will, and lost status as a best-kept secret, has helped HMC grow in several ways over the past several years — and remain in a growth mode, even as several colliding forces have created an ultra-challenging environment for all hospitals, one that is projected to be much more daunting in 2026.

Spiros Hatiras

“It took us a decade or so, but we’re no longer a secret. We’re in a growth mentality.”

Indeed, HMC’s strong performance stands as an outlier in a year that saw continued cutbacks and layoffs within the four-hospital Baystate Health system, including, most recently, an offer of buyouts to some 1,300 employees to cut costs; apparent ongoing discussions that could result in a merger of Baystate Health and Mercy Medical Center; and, most recently, Mercy’s announcement that it is temporarily suspending maternity and newborn services at its Family Life Center, effective Dec. 8, due to what the administration there calls “significant provider and nurse staffing constraints.”

These headlines have mixed with those concerning the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law last summer, which is expected to have a significant negative effect, financially and operationally, on hospitals, primarily through more than $1 trillion in federal healthcare spending cuts.

Overall, the law is projected to increase the number of uninsured individuals, leading to a surge in uncompensated care costs for providers and a growing number of individuals putting off preventive care, as they did during COVID, with detrimental results that are still being felt. Meanwhile, reimbursement for the care provided to those who are insured, especially by Medicaid and Medicare, is expected to decrease and fall even further behind the continually rising cost of providing that care.

Dr. Robert Roose, president of Community Hospitals for Trinity Health Of New England, put things in perspective and talked at length about ripple effects from these cuts.

“The federal changes are going to directly impact people who get coverage through Medicaid and/or any state-based health insurance exchanges, and that impact is going to be profound for those people and their families,” he explained. “The ripple effects will be felt by all of us … the health systems and the communities we serve will feel the effects in other ways. There could be reductions in access and services, longer wait times, and potential impacts in delivering care.”

Kevin Whitney, who became president and chief operating officer of Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, a member of Mass General Brigham, last March, agreed.

“We’re concerned about the rising cost of care, especially since COVID,” said Whitney, a registered paramedic and registered nurse who was serving as vice president of Community Operations for the Mass General Brigham Community Division, as well as interim vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer for CDH, when he was chosen to be its next president and COO. “We always cite a chart showing costs rising at a much higher rate than what we’re receiving for reimbursement, and reimbursement is flat if not decreasing, especially with Medicaid within the Big Beautiful Bill.”

Elaborating, he said that, for a variety of reasons, including the aging of the population, hospitals of all sizes are seeing the percentage of patients covered by commercial payers decrease, with a corresponding rise in those covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

Dr. Robert Roose

“The ripple effects will be felt by all of us … the health systems and the communities we serve will feel the effects in other ways. There could be reductions in access and services, longer wait times, and potential impacts in delivering care.”

“What we get reimbursed by public payers really doesn’t cover the cost of delivering care,” he went on. “And traditionally, organizations have relied on commercial payers to help offset those losses and enable us to reinvest in our organization and our people.”

Quantifying the matter, he said the OBBA’s total projected impact on Mass General Brigham, when fully phased in, will be between $120 million to $300 million, with $100 million to $200 million from work requirements, and another $20 million to $100 million from Affordable Care Act cuts.

Those are big numbers, and they are expected to generate a strong ripple effect that will impact hospitals in many different ways, said those we spoke with.

For this issue, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at the many challenges facing hospitals today — and the forecast for the year ahead.

Numbers Game

Hatiras told BusinessWest that, while many hospitals struggled in 2025, HMC did not.

“It’s been a great year for us. We’ve grown our business, revenue is strong, we’ve done well with our workforce — it’s going to be a very strong year for us,” he told BusinessWest, noting that HMC’s fiscal year ended in September, and he didn’t have hard numbers yet.

Breaking down the year and the hospital’s performance, he said there were several factors that went into it, including redesign of the state’s waiver system — which he credited to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and MassHealth officials — which directed more federal money to providers across the Commonwealth.

“Everyone benefited from this, some hospitals more than others,” he said, adding that HMC’s strong fiscal 2025 was also attributable to growth in primary care and outpatient services, with an expansion of the hospital’s overall footprint with new locations, as well as staff retention and the accompanying reduction in the high costs of turnover.

“If you’re struggling with staffing and temporary staffing, that’s a big hit,” Hatiras noted. “We had less of an issue with that than perhaps others did, and that’s just one of the many factors that contributed to a solid 2025.”

Maybe the biggest factor is that lost status as a best-kept secret, he went on, adding that, while area residents are finding the facility, so too are healthcare professionals.

“We see a lot of people from other surrounding facilities, knocking on our door and saying, ‘do you have any openings? We heard it’s a great place to work,’” he said, adding that, years ago, it was rare to see professionals come to HMC from competing hospitals.

Kevin Whitney

“We have to be as proactive as we can to prepare for and manage the impacts of the Big Beautiful Bill, in particular.”

“Now, it happens on a routine basis,” Hatiras said. “And it’s because of our culture; we’ve built a great culture, and people are taking note.”

Overall, while 2025 was a year of coping with challenges at area hospitals, it was also a time to move forward with several new initiatives in the broad realms of patient care and patient experience, said Whitney, listing, at CDH, everything from new, state-of-the-art MRI imaging services as its Amherst location, which opened last month, to expansion of the Emergency Department, to the resumption of no-cost shuttle service, which takes patients from CDH to Mass General Brigham destination hospitals — Mass General, Brigham & Women’s, and Mass Eye and Ear.

The eight-passenger shuttle departs promptly from the hospital’s Atwood location at 6:30 a.m., leaves the Boston hospitals at 3 p.m., and returns to Northampton around 5 p.m., Whitney noted, adding that this popular service is one of many efforts to improve convenience and overall quality of care.

As for the emergency room expansion, it includes a full imaging suite, which brings benefits for patients and staff alike.

“There’s a new CT machine that’s immediately available to our ED patients, and it’s a great support for our team because it’s right there in the department, as well as ultrasound and diagnostic imaging. So it’s a full imaging suite right there in the department, which makes it more accessible but also more efficient for patients and the team,” he explained. “Before, every patient who needed a CT scan, for example, needed to be transported, with an ED staffer, to the imaging department, which is quite a distance away.”

Such initiatives will help position CDH to better handle what could be additional headwinds in the ED, said Whitney, who, like others we spoke with, said hospitals must do what they can to prepare for what is to come and become more resilient in the wake of those forces.

“We have to be as proactive as we can to prepare for and manage the impacts of the Big Beautiful Bill, in particular. It’s about continuing to be the best of the best in quality, safety, and experience,” he said, citing the overriding goal at CDH, “and also making sure that we’re creating the best environment in which to practice, deliver care, and work and staff appropriately. The more we can retain folks, it will create more of a sense of community, but it will also help us reduce the expenses of turnover, for example.”

Looking Ahead

Roose agreed, returning to the subject of potential — even probable — ripple effects from the federal cuts, and their widespread impact.

“The emergency room is one example,” he said. “When people don’t have coverage, like Medicaid or a similar insurance product, they often can’t go to their primary care provider, so they turn to the emergency room for routine care, which can result in more crowding in emergency departments, delays, and staffing challenges that impact others.

“So that can have a ripple effect in other areas, including even cost, including the cost for those with private insurance because the system isn’t as efficient and now needs to provide care for many people who don’t have coverage,” he went on. “And that can have a ripple effect that can influence operations and staffing and finances.”

It might be several months into 2026 before the full impact of the federal legislation — many pieces of which won’t take effect in April — and those ripple effects are known, but they could be substantial, he continued, adding that it is incumbent upon health systems to prepare as best they can for what is to come.

“The impact is not insignificant, and it’s something we’re actively planning around,” Roose said. “And we won’t know the true impact until it fully plays itself out — it will be well into 2026 until we fully understand the impact.”

Meanwhile, there are many different kinds of headwinds facing hospitals and health systems, some obvious to the public and some less so, said Hatiras, citing, as one example, the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program, which is certainly impacting his hospital — and, from what’s he’s heard anecdotally, others as well.

“We’re pretty good at spotting icebergs. We’re not like the Titanic; we have people out front looking at icebergs, and we’ve spotted a few in the time that I’ve been here, and this is the next big iceberg coming down — for hospitals and other large employers as well,” he warned, adding that the system has, in his view, become abused.

In the case of hospitals, it leaves them forced to fill staffing voids, often with little notice, and, in the case of nurses and other professionals, with usually expensive options.

“Prior to the PFML being enacted, on average, we had about 20,000 to 25,000 hours of leave that people would take in a year, and that was a little less than 1% of our total work hours,” he said. “Last year, we approached 500,000 hours, a 20-fold increase, amounting to 13% of our total work hours, or the equivalent of more than 230 FTEs.

“Try to wrap your brain around that number … this is out of control,” Hatiras went on, adding that this is not an HMC problem, but an industry problem, one that now has the attention of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Assoc., which is surveying hospitals to gather information.

Elaborating, he said that, in addition to the leave being used for long-term health matters, it is being used intermittently, maybe a few days a week, for problems such as stress.

“That leaves us in the lurch,” he explained, adding that, with some positions, such as nursing, it leaves the hospital few options other than overtime or agency personnel, which increases costs significantly.

Whether it’s the many expected ripple effects from the OBBBA or growing detrimental repercussions from PFML, 2026 seems certain to be a year of intrigue and challenge for area hospitals — and the full impact of these forces and other headwinds may not be known for several months.

Veterans’ Home Takes Shape in Holyoke

By George O'Brien December 8, 2025

Cover Story Healthcare News

View to the Future

The new Veterans’ Home at Holyoke is slated to welcome its first residents next September.

An architect’s rendering of the new facility shows its compelling design and ornate gardens.

The new Veterans’ Home at Holyoke won’t be welcoming its first residents for another nine months or so, but the gleaming, $500 million structure on a hill overlooking the Paper City has already captured the imagination of the region.

Highly visible to motorists on I-91 and to residents of Holyoke as well, the nine-story, Y-shaped building — a design one of those on the construction team said was inspired by the tricorn hats worn by Revolutionary War soldiers — serves as both a reminder of the tragedy that occurred during the early days of COVID at the structure it will replace, as well as a symbol of the state’s commitment to modernize the facility in the wake of that calamity.

Michael Lazo, executive director of the home, was a member of the National Guard unit that was dispatched to what was then called the Soldiers’ Home in late March 2020 amid a deepening crisis that would eventually take the lives of 76 residents in one of the nation’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks in a long-term care facility.

“I remember first walking in and not knowing what the heck we were walking into,” he recalled, noting that he arrived at the site on March 30, three days after the facility’s leadership made the fateful decision to combine two locked dementia units into a single undersized unit, precipitating the rapid spread of COVID. “Everything looked completely normal; you wouldn’t think anything was going on.”

Lazo would later be offered a full-time COO position at the home and eventually would be named interim director by the board of trustees and then the state. Today, he oversees all operations at the home while also preparing for the opening of the new facility, which will be called the Veterans’ Home, rather than the Soldiers’ Home, in deference to the veterans who served in other branches of the military.

“I think it just came down to money; other priorities probably stepped in and took precedence, so some of the funding this building should have received went elsewhere.”

“Especially the Marines — they’ve never liked Soldiers’ Home,” he joked, adding that he’s also finding time these days to offer tours of the building in progress — to staff, a few elected officials (more of those are scheduled to go through in the days and weeks to come), and a few media members.

BusinessWest was afforded such a tour late last month. As noted, the facility is several months from welcoming its first residents, and only a few floors are even approaching completion. But even at this early stage, it’s apparent that the complex itself is a work of art — one that will integrate the building with the surrounding landscape — and the structure will be state-of-the-art.

Indeed, building systems, designed to LEED Gold certification, include geothermal heating and cooling and facilities that are net-zero energy ready, a high-efficiency exterior envelope with triple-glazed windows, and natural ventilation. The foundation and outdoor retaining wall are made up of Goshen stone. Amenities include a great room, chapel, memory care floor, 40-person adult day health program, dental suite, salon, hobby room, four gardens, and a central kitchen.

Michael Lazo says the new Veterans’ Home at Holyoke emphasizes the privacy and dignity of residents.

Overall, said Lazo, the facility, complete with its curved brick walls, takes the form of three shells that overlap to define three inpatient neighborhoods, each of which benefits from light and views. A typical resident floor will be comprised of three ‘houses’ with 12 beds per house, nursing support, and community spaces, including dining, living, and den. A large garden anchors the complex, and in between wings are smaller, dedicated gardens.

For this issue, BusinessWest takes an early look at what will be one of the biggest stories of 2026, the long-awaited opening of the Veterans’ Home and the start of a new era of service to those who have served their country.

Learning Curves

Lazo said he wasn’t around, so he can only speculate and reflect on what he’s been told over the years.

But he believes that, in the years preceding the COVID tragedy, the state “simply forgot about” the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke.

One of his predecessors in the director’s role resigned over what amounted to indifference on the state’s part concerning the facility, he said, adding that, in the decades preceding the COVID tragedy, there was little investment in the facility, and little oversight as well — and it showed, especially in the broad realm of preventive maintenance, or the lack thereof.

“I think it just came down to money; other priorities probably stepped in and took precedence, so some of the funding this building should have received went elsewhere,” he said, adding, again, that he was just speculating.

The tragic events in the early days of COVID and the investigations that followed certainly put the facility front of mind, triggering significant reforms to the state’s oversight of its veterans’ homes, he said, adding that what emerged were plans for a new long-term care facility that would serve more veterans and provide them with state-of-the-art amenities.

An architect’s rendering of the new Veterans’ Home at Holyoke.

There was some talk of expanding and modernizing the current facility, he noted, but building new emerged as the more practical option. And while another site may have been considered, the state became committed to keeping the facility at its prominent hilltop location, a popular decision, but one that has presented challenges to the builders of the new facility as they squeezed it onto the site — and will present more to those that will tear down the current home.

Indeed, when finished, one corner of the new home will be just 10 feet from the current facility, which will eventually be used for parking and a garden area.

The new facility will house 234 residents, almost double the current population of 128. There will be 212 single-occupancy bedrooms and 11 double-occupancy bedrooms in those three neighborhoods mentioned earlier: North House, East House, and West House.

These neighborhoods, which will house veterans of several different conflicts (including World War II) and peacetime periods as well, represent substantial improvements over current facilities, said Lazo, especially in the realms of privacy and dignity of residents — each unit has a private bath and showers, while the current facility features common baths — as well as activities and things to do.

“Each veteran has a good-sized room, and there’s plenty of activity space, both on the first floor as well as in each individual unit.”

“The space for veterans is great,” Lazo said. “Each veteran has a good-sized room, and there’s plenty of activity space, both on the first floor as well as in each individual unit. Each floor will have a different activity; we’ll have an exercise bike or some small weights on one floor and arts supplies on the next floor, so veterans will be able to move about the building to do whatever activity they’re interested in at that time.”

And then, there will be the so-called great room, which will host large gatherings such as holiday activities and Super Bowl watch parties, he said, noting that it will be equipped with a 90-inch television.

Tour de Force

As BusinessWest toured the second floor of the new facility and a 30-unit memory care unit under construction there, we were directed to one of the 12- by 16-foot resident rooms, complete with a large window, spacious bath and shower area, space where a 55-inch television will go, built-in storage and shelving units, a desk, and other accommodations.

As the tour continued, Tim Senecal, general supervisor with Commodore Walsh Holyoke, a joint venture comprised of Commodore Builders LLC and Walsh Brothers Inc., referenced common den areas with huge windows and sweeping views of the surrounding area, the facility’s chapel, administrative space, and the location that will become the great room.

A rendering of the planned great room.

“The higher you go, the better the views get, obviously,” said Senecal, who talked as he walked — about everything from those views to the many challenges involved with construction, from excavating for the foundation to the brickwork, made more difficult by the curved nature of the structure, to the Goshen stone retaining wall.

Some of the building’s design elements were borrowed from the new Veterans’ Home at Chelsea, a smaller facility (154 beds) that opened last year, said Lazo, adding that the overall design is distinct, with input from the staff at the current home.

As noted earlier, the first residents will not move into the new home until next September; the first group of 24 will be moved from the fourth floor of the current facility to the third floor of the new one. After that, if all goes well, veterans will move in roughly 20 at a time, with the memory care residents being the last to move. Lazo said his goal is to have all residents moved by February 2027.

That 16-month period will be the most challenging for the staff members at the facility because they will be managing two facilities at the same time, he added, noting that final project completion, including the demolition of the current home, is slated for mid-2028.

As he talked about that teardown and the logistical challenges it will present, Lazo joked that it’s likely that several staff members wouldn’t mind helping with that effort and send the tired, tragedy-scarred property into history.

But that will also be a sad time, he said, noting that several generations from the same families, including his own, lived and died in that home.

The new home, born in many ways from that tragedy of nearly six years ago, will no doubt create its own memories and its own history.

But right now, it’s creating excitement for the next chapter in the story of this fabled property — and with good reason.

The Year in Review

By George O'Brien December 8, 2025

Features Special Coverage

From AI to the Courthouse Search, the Landscape Is Changing

By George O’Brien and Joseph Bednar

It is December, time to look ahead to what might happen in the new year, but also look back, at what has been an eventful year, to say the least.

For example, Springfield has become engrossed in the search for a site for a new courthouse, the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council has named a new director, AI is changing the landscape in all kinds of ways, and remote work is becoming more entrenched in the workplace. Then there’s the constantly changing story of tariffs, federal budget cuts that are challenging nonprofits, and an ongoing housing crisis.

As we said, it’s been an eventful year. Here’s a look back at some of the biggest stories of 2025:

A Softening of the Job Market

“Job hugging.”

That was one of the workforce trends to unfold in 2025, a year that saw the pendulum swing from this being an employees’ market to one favoring employers. The phrase refers to people hanging onto their jobs longer amid concerns that the grass isn’t any greener elsewhere, amid forces ranging from AI to severe cutbacks within the federal government.

“People are feeling a sense of volatility and continuous change, and when you feel like that, you look for some personal anchors, and for a lot of people, their job is their personal anchor,” Allison Ebner, president of the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast, told BusinessWest recently, adding that this is a fairly recent phenomenon dating back to last spring or early summer. “Everything in the world is changing, and they want to keep something consistent, and maybe it’s their job.”

But while people may be hugging their job, they’re still looking around, as evidenced by the strong turnout at the recent job fair staged by the MassHire Springfield Career Center. The turnout was strong on both the job seeker and employer sides of the coin, indicating that, while some sectors are seeing a slowdown, many others, especially healthcare, are still struggling to find qualified help.

Seeking New Sources of Funding

This issue of BusinessWest includes the annual Giving Guide, encouraging readers to support local nonprofits. And it couldn’t come at a better time, at the tail end of a year in which federal funding for nonprofits of all types was significantly slashed.

That has caused frustration, but also a new determination among nonprofit leaders to be more creative and collaborative in meeting the many needs of the community.

“People are reaching out, and not just with appeals for direct funding,” Denise Hurst, vice president of Community Impact and Partnerships with the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, told us in May. “They’re asking about opportunities to partner with one another, share ideas, and collaborate in real time to navigate these difficult times.”

Meanwhile, a coalition of local nonprofits working in farming, conservation, food security, health, and environmental justice has come together under the name Resilient Valley to respond to federal funding cuts that have slashed organizational budgets by 25% to 40% or more.

“We realized we were all telling the same story,” said Billy Spitzer, executive director of the Hitchcock Center for the Environment. “Our budgets had been gutted overnight, and the ripple effects were only beginning. We decided we couldn’t face this crisis in isolation. We needed to find strength in each other.”

The Impact of Tariffs

President Trump ran on the promise of new, sweeping tariffs, and he has certainly followed through, announcing ‘Liberation Day’ on April 2, followed by months of trade talks, new deals, deadlines made, deadlines extended, and seemingly never-ending speculation about the impact of tariffs on prices, individual businesses, and entire sectors.

Dave Fontaine, CEO of Fontaine Bros. Inc., told BusinessWest earlier this year that tariffs will certainly impact project costs because tariffs on products, such as steel or copper, are applied not when they are ordered, but when they enter the country.

“I think it’s vitally important to bring this area back — it raises the quality of living for those living downtown, and it provides places for people to go and eat.”

“I would equate it to walking into a store … the sales tax is 6.25%, and then, while you’re purchasing the item, the sales tax gets doubled or tripled,” he explained. “That’s going to impact at the register.”

Uncertainty around tariff decisions also triggered fluctuations in the stock market this past spring — and plenty of client phone calls to investment firms. But Jeffrey Liguori, executive vice president of Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc., was one of several experts who told us it’s wise to take a longer view.

“The data is 100% in your favor. Nothing ever goes straight up. We’ve lived through most of these crises — the housing crisis, the tech bubble, the Great Recession,” he said. “All of those, time and again, have been incredible buying opportunities. It’s almost like, if there’s no pain, there’s no gain.”

The Search for a New Courthouse

The search for a replacement for the troubled Roderick C. Ireland courthouse in Springield entered an intriguing new phase when the state’s Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) decided to let a private developer build and manage the facility and have the state lease it.

An RFP was issued mid-year, and 11 proposals were received involving a wide range of properties, from the park created by the demolition of the former Steiger’s department store to the Republican building; from the current courthouse site itself to the home of the former Mardi Gras strip club.

DCAMM is now weighing those proposals and is expected to have a decision in the first or second quarter of next year, making for a long and agonizing wait to see how the city’s landscape will be changed.

Progress in the Entertainment District

Many of the windows in the storefronts are still boarded up or covered by brown paper, but behind all this, there is some progress in Springfield’s entertainment district.

Noted attorney and developer Raipher Pellegrino, with support from the city in the form of a $2 million grant, is filling in a canvas along a city block of buildings on Worthington Street.

He envisions five restaurants in all, most with doors opening out onto Worthington Street and outdoor dining, in addition to a club and other businesses that will support each other and bring people and energy back to that corridor.

“I think it’s vitally important to bring this area back — it raises the quality of living for those living downtown, and it provides places for people to go and eat,” he told BusinessWest in June, adding that the project is a work in progress. “That was my desire with this, and it’s a much more difficult project than I think anyone envisioned, but I think we’re starting to see it evolve, and we’re seeing a lot of momentum.”

A Work of Arts

Another intriguing story in 2025 was the opening of the Hope Center for the Arts in downtown Springfield. Created in the former CityStage space, the center is the culmination of a long-held dream of Bob Bolduc, former owner of Pride Stations and Stores and founder of the Hope for Youth and Families Foundation.

The center, which opened its doors during the summer, and created at a cost of more than $14 million, is designed as flexible learning, rehearsal, and performance space that will advance the mission of the foundation and several partner organizations focused on the arts and helping youth and families in Springfield thrive.

Bolduc said the facility is designed to educate young people, immerse them in the arts, and perhaps inspire careers in that realm.

“The arts are not just entertaining and cultural, which we need in this city; they’re also inspiring,” he told BusinessWest. “Imagine a kid who gets turned on to dance or vocals or an instrument and then goes to a good school on a scholarship … we’ve changed their life.”

AI Has Become a Force

Wherever artificial intelligence takes us, we’ll look back at 2025 as the year it firmly established itself as a force to be reckoned with. Businesses in sectors ranging from law to accounting to healthcare are finding new ways to utilize AI to create new efficiencies and, in some cases, trim their workforce expense.

Meanwhile, for those in the workforce, as well as those looking to enter it, the ability to use AI has rapidly become a skill they must have.

Indeed, Ebner told us, “the phrase you hear now is, ‘AI won’t replace all the people, but it will replace people who don’t have AI skills.’”

Nicole Polite, CEO and founder of the East Longmeadow-based MH Group, agreed, telling BusinessWest that employers are becoming more skills-focused in their hiring.

“I often talk to people during the interview process and ask them what training they’ve had in terms of AI and make sure they stay in front of it,” she noted, “because AI is here for the long haul, so we have to adjust to it.”

Remote Work Is Here to Stay

Also seemingly here for good is remote work, as 2025 saw remote and hybrid models becoming more entrenched, regionally and nationally, even as some major employers were scaling back on the practice, if not cutting it out.

Indeed, while business leaders such as J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon enforced return-to-office policies, requiring most employees to work in person five days a week — arguing “you can’t learn working from your basement” — most businesses locally have preferred to stay with hybrid schedules as a way to retain valued talent — and attract new talent.

And while the practice seems to work for most businesses and their employees, it is definitely having an impact on businesses in central business districts in cities regionally and across the country — as well as the commercial real estate owners who rely on them, not to mention the restaurants and retailers who count on people working nearby and stopping in.

The Housing Crisis Continues

An ongoing story in 2025 was the housing crisis that has enveloped the county and this region. As BusinessWest continued its Community Spotlight series, leaders in cities and towns across the 413 spoke of the need for more housing of all kinds, especially the affordable variety.

Housing is needed for many reasons, they said, from helping seniors stay in their hometowns as the cost of homes skyrockets to enabling those in the workforce to afford to live in or close to the communities where they work, a problem that is especially acute in the Berkshires, where home prices have soared.

And while new housing projects are underway or planned in several area communities, from Pittsfield and Lee to Springfield and Chicopee, in many cases, the new units will only scratch the surface when it comes to what is needed.

A New Effort to Spark Entrepreneurship

They’re calling it VVM 2.0, and that’s a poignant name.

VVM is an acronym for Valley Venture Mentors, the nonprofit started to inspire entrepreneurship and provide fledging businesses with the mentorship and technical support needed to get to the next stage. The agency thrived for several years, but essentially didn’t survive the pandemic and other challenges to its existence.

Paul Silva, one of VVM’s founders, with support from the Davis Foundation and the MassMutual Foundation, recently launched a new initiative called Innovate413 that is designed to spark new tech-based startups in the region.

When asked how it would work, Silva said the initiative will provide startups with what he called “an unfair advantage,” in the form of access to potential customers, meaning large, regional employers that will talk about problems facing them and all those in their industries, and access to the latest artificial intelligence and product development techniques.

“When you’re in Silicon Valley or in Boston, you have access to that stuff, but the vast majority of the country doesn’t,” he told BusinessWest.

Aaron Vega Chosen to Lead the EDC

Rick Sullivan, president of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC), announced his retirement early in the year, and soon thereafter, a nationwide search for a successor commenced.

It ended this fall with the announcement that Aaron Vega, director of the Office of Planning and Economic Development in Holyoke, would assume that high-profile position in January. Vega brings a diverse résumé to his new job. Indeed, he worked for many years as a freelance film editor and also owned his own yoga studio before becoming a city councilor in Holyoke and then a state representative.

Vega told BusinessWest that his first order of business is to conduct a lengthy listening tour. Longer-term, he wants to build on progress made with developing new business sectors, such as food science, clean energy, and cybersecurity, while also being more aggressive with efforts to promote the region and tell its story.

Hub of Progress

Speaking of the EDC, it recently celebrated a major milestone for the innovation economy, with Western Mass. being designated as both a Quantum Technology TechHub and a Food Science TechHub through the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. In addition to the two designations, funding in the form of $1 million to advance a feasibility and design study of a quantum supply chain accelerator (QSCA) was awarded to Springfield Technical Community College.

“Western Massachusetts is the only region in the Commonwealth to receive two TechHub designations, which is a testament to the strength of our innovation ecosystem and the collaboration that defines it.”

The QSCA will build on the foundation established in Holyoke at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center and the state’s first quantum computing complex launched with QuEra Computing Inc. The accelerator, which will be the first regional facility of its kind to drive commercialization, support startups, and strengthen advanced manufacturing supply chains across the Pioneer Valley, will be located at the Springfield Technology Park.

“Western Massachusetts is the only region in the Commonwealth to receive two TechHub designations, which is a testament to the strength of our innovation ecosystem and the collaboration that defines it,” said Rick Sullivan, outgoing president and CEO of the EDC. “These designations, and the $1 million dollar investment in the quantum supply chain accelerator, represent years of hard work and vision from our regional partners.”

A New Chapter for the Monson Developmental Center

Housing is one of the many potential new uses for the Monson Developmental Center, which is an intriguing new addition to the large portfolio of Westmass Area Development Corp.

Indeed, in July, the Commonwealth officially transferred the sprawling campus to Westmass, touting the transaction as part of ongoing efforts to utilize existing properties to build more housing in the state.

And with that transfer, Westmass, in partnership with DCAMM, will commence work to create what will be known as the Village at Sawmill Brook, named for the brook that runs through the property, which closed in the ’90s. This village will take shape over the next 10 to 20 years, said Westmass President and CEO Jeff Daley, adding that this is a large and difficult undertaking for the agency, but one laden with potential.

“It’s an imposing site, and there’s a ton of work that has to be done,” he told BusinessWest. “And there’s a lot of money that has to be invested just to make the site developable again.”

Something to Sink Your Teeth Into

BusinessWest continued a 30-year tradition by honoring its Top Entrepreneur in 2025, with the award going to John and Chris DeVoie, founders of the Hot Table chain of panini restaurants.

Launched in 2007, the chain has grown to 13 locations and well beyond its roots at the Brightwood Plaza — to several communities in the 413 and also Central Mass. and into Connecticut.

The past few years have been extremely busy, with the opening of five new restaurants — in Westfield, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Franklin, as well as Manchester, Conn., a time that has been followed by a period of absorbing such rapid and profound growth. Further expansion is possible, but the high costs of building has prompted the partners to hit pause while they continue to search for new opportunities.

“We always want to be nimble — the market changes quickly; that’s one of the things COVID taught us,” Chris said. “We always have our eyes open and our ears to the ground, watch what’s happening in other cities and with trends, and not chase every shiny object, especially when it comes to the menu — do what you do, and do it well.”

The New Courthouse Will Change the Landscape — Somehow

By George O'Brien November 24, 2025

Cover Story

Where Will It Go?

Chuck Irving says he’s surprised that none of the other groups that responded to the state’s request for proposals to build a new Springfield Regional Justice Center submitted plans that focused on the current courthouse site.

“We see an opportunity to not abandon the current courthouse location, but embrace it and make it even better,” said Irving, a principal with the Davenport Companies, who is partnering with Thomas O’Brien, CEO of HYM Investment Group, on two proposals for a new courthouse, one involving redevelopment of the current site off State Street. “We want that site to be the tentpole that it is in terms of holding up the economy of downtown.”

That’s his opinion.

And everyone, it seems, has their own opinion on this project, which has captured the attention of the development community, the business community, the legal community, and the city as a whole — to an extent that has impressed Adam Baacke, commissioner of the State Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), which issued the RFP and will decide — probably in Q1 of next year — which of the 11 proposals received will be the winner.

“We do a lot of projects, both construction and leasing, and the vast majority of them don’t garner the level of interest and, dare I say, excitement that this is generating in Springfield.”

“We do a lot of projects, both construction and leasing, and the vast majority of them don’t garner the level of interest and, dare I say, excitement that this is generating in Springfield,” he said. “We’re happy to be involved with something that the community sees as such a significant project for its city.”

Efforts to build a replacement for the troubled Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse reached an intriguing phase last month, when DCAMM released the list of 11 proposals submitted by a wide range of local and regional developers (see box).

The submissions cover an eclectic mix of properties, ranging from the park created when the Steiger’s department store on Main Street was razed nearly 30 years ago to the building that houses the Republican and its giant printing presses; from the site of a factory where Absorbine Jr. was made to a now-vacant property that was home to a strip club.

An architect’s rendering of the proposal submitted for the property at 55 State St.

Meanwhile, the list of developers includes a notable who’s who when it comes to major projects in Springfield and the Commonwealth, from Davenport and HYM to the brothers Picknelly (Paul and Peter, each heading their own proposal); from Greatland Realty Partners, which recently prevailed in a similar competition to build the state’s new crime lab in Marlborough, to the team of Jeb Balise, president of Balise Motor Sales, and Tom Dennis, president of the Dennis Group, which both have downtown Springfield development projects in their portfolios.

These groups were drawn in by a unique opportunity whereby DCAMM has decided to use a private developer to identify a site, permit, and build the new justice center and then lease it back to the Commonwealth. The terms are quite attractive — a 40-year lease, a rarity in commercial real estate — with an obviously high-credit tenant, and these conditions certainly contributed to what Baacke considers a robust response.

“We’re very happy with the quantity of responses, and I think it’s a clear reflection of how attractive this opportunity is in the development community,” he noted, adding that the RFP has attracted a solid mix of local and regional developers. “This is a very substantial requirement from the largest commercial tenant in Massachusetts that also happens to be one of the strongest credit tenants available in the marketplace, and this is a time when the commercial real estate market is not as strong as it has been at other times.”

Adam Baacke

“This is a very substantial requirement from the largest commercial tenant in Massachusetts that also happens to be one of the strongest credit tenants available in the marketplace, and this is a time when the commercial real estate market is not as strong as it has been at other times.”

Overall, this method creates opportunities for the city (in tax revenue from what will be a privately owned facility, as opposed to state owned) and both the state and the chosen developer, said Baacke, adding that it enables the justice center to be built more quickly and perhaps more cheaply, although cost is not the overriding reason for going this route, which was also chosen for the crime lab.

“The biggest benefit for the state, especially in this instance, is the speed with which we can deliver the project,” he explained. “The process that the private sector undertakes for construction procurement is more efficient — time-efficient and probably cost-efficient as well — than the process the Commonwealth is required to undertake for a public building.

“That results in some benefit in how quickly we can deliver the project,” he went on. “But the really big factor in this case is that this is a pretty sizable project, and fitting it into an already-oversubscribed capital plan would push the project further out than would otherwise be necessary.”

The current courthouse at 50 State St. is considered obsolete in many respects.

As for what will go into the decision-making process, Baacke said several factors will be considered, from cost to accessibility to “having a positive economic impact on the city.” And given all that, there was a requirement within the RFP that the courthouse be built in the center of the city, a broad area that covers all 11 proposals, from Maple Street to the south to a parcel on the riverfront to the north.

For this issue’s focus on commercial real estate, BusinessWest examines the many aspects of the courthouse project, from the process to the players to the factors that will go into the decision.

Court of Opinion

Baacke noted that, while the ‘sick’ nature of the current courthouse has added a degree of urgency to the matter, the 46-year-old facility is in many ways obsolete, from operating efficiency to design.

“That building reflects old thinking around everything from security to how the building welcomes the public and celebrates the importance of justice,” he said, adding that, with recently constructed courthouses, such as the one in Lowell and those under design in Quincy, Framingham, and Lynn (all to be built by the state), there is a “different feel to the buildings and a very different organization, particularly around circulation and security, and it’s just not possible to retrofit that building, which was designed for a very different philosophy around judicial architecture.”

“We believe we’re ready to move as fast or faster than anyone. We’ve got a fully formed team that has built basically the last several courthouses to the state’s specifications and satisfactions, so there will be no learning curve for anyone involved. And we have a site that is basically shovel-ready.”

As noted, the state’s quest to replace the structure has attracted a broad range of development teams, many of which have helped reshape the landscape in Springfield in recent years.

In addition to Davenport, which has been involved in several projects in Springfield, including the recent conversion of the Willys-Overland building on Chestnut Street into market-rate housing, redevelopment of the former RMV building in Springfield, and the new Square One facility, teams submitting proposals include the owners of Tower Square, Vid Mitta and Dinesh Patel, who successfully retenanted the downtown landmark, bringing in the Greater Springfield YMCA, White Lion Brewing, and others.

The new courthouse in Lowell is one of several opened recently or in the design/construction phase.

The two partners have submitted three different proposals, one involving 1550 Main St., the office building adjacent to Tower Square that they acquired in 2023; another involving the park across the street, created when Steiger’s closed and was torn down; and a third entailing the site of the former YMCA building on Chestnut Street, most of which has been demolished, with the remaining portion used for affordable housing.

As for Greatland, company President Kevin Sheehan said the company’s portfolio is dominated by projects in the eastern part of the state, including the crime lab, and the Springfield courthouse represents a growth opportunity in a different market.

Sheehan didn’t want to discuss the Springfield project in any detail other than to say the company looked at several sites and ultimately concluded that the Republican building represented the best option for the city and the trial court.

Other developers also chose to refrain from comment on their projects, opting, as one put it, to “let the DCAMM process play out.”

The Balise/Dennis partnership, for example, issued a simple statement on their proposal, which involves a city block between Dwight, Taylor, and Chestnut streets that includes the former home of W.F. Young, maker of Absorbine Jr.

“We see this project as an opportunity to transform downtown Springfield in a way that connects the metro center’s various neighborhoods and increases community pride,” it reads. “By tying Union Station more closely to the rest of downtown, we can bring new energy and life to the area while revitalizing the surrounding neighborhood. Just as important, our proposal prioritizes the health, safety, and well-being of everyone who works and visits the new courthouse, giving Springfield the modern facility it deserves.”

Building Momentum

But other developers were more open about their proposals and willing to tout their attributes.

Irving said both Davenport/HYM proposals have merits. The second, for the building that once housed the Mardi Gras strip club, is just a block from Union Station, he noted, adding that a courthouse on that location could provide a substantial boost to that section of the downtown.

But the group’s other school of thought was that moving the courthouse from its current location would be devastating for the city’s downtown, so it submitted two plans.

Kevin Sheehan

“I definitely wouldn’t say there’s no risk, but I think that, with a high-credit, long-term lease, you’ve solved a lot of the risk in real estate development. It’s a smart strategy for the state to get what it wants, a nice new facility, and not take the risk on construction overruns and instead push that to the developer.”

“We said, let’s give the state its choice,” he noted. “But the best thing we’re offering to DCAMM is the depth of our development experience. Between a massive company like HYM, which has done work for DCAMM around the state, and Davenport, which has vast experience in Springfield, I think we bring a team that can deliver, and I think that’s the biggest issue for this project — who can deliver. The state needs this to be done on budget and on time, and we can do that.”

Meanwhile, Paul Picknelly gushed about the proposal submitted by Monarch Enterprises for the property he owns at 55 State St. — and the team behind it.

That team includes Finegold Alexander, a women-owned architecture firm that has designed several courthouses, including the one in Lowell, as well as the one under design in Framingham; Springfield-based Fontaine Construction, which has a deep portfolio of projects in the city, including the MassMutual Center and the Court Square apartment complex, a block from the current courthouse; Dimeo Construction, which built the courthouse in Lowell and is currently building the one in Framingham (Fontaine and Dimeo recently collaborated to build the new Doherty Memorial High School in Worcester); and Westmass Area Development Corp., chosen to see oversee redevelopment of the existing courthouse site.

Picknelly and David Fontaine Jr., president of Fontaine Construction, talked about what they consider to be a strong case for their proposal, including everything from design (it bears a strong likeness to the Lowell courthouse, also built vertically) to how quickly their concept could move from demolition to construction, to its location across the street from the current courthouse — proximity, they say, that brings everything from familiarity to better odds for successful redevelopment of the existing courthouse when it is demolished.

“We believe we’re ready to move as fast or faster than anyone,” Fontaine said. “We’ve got a fully formed team that has built basically the last several courthouses to the state’s specifications and satisfactions, so there will be no learning curve for anyone involved. And we have a site that is basically shovel-ready.”

Even parking, a consideration for all proposals and a problem for some, won’t be an issue for the 55 State St. site, said Picknelly, who referred to his recent call for jury duty at the Springfield courthouse to get his point across.

“It instructs me to park in the I-91 South lot,” he said, referring to the facility under the highway, adding that these instructions won’t change if the courthouse is built at 55 State St.

New Lease on Life

The Springfield Regional Justice Center will be the largest undertaking by the state when it comes to using a private developer to build a facility and then leasing it. But this method has been used with many facilities, including smaller courthouses, such as the one in Westfield.

“The state has about 7.5 million square feet under lease across the Commonwealth, including dozens of properties on behalf of the Trial Court,” Baacke explained, adding that what makes the Springfield project unique is its scope and the length of the lease.

Approved by the state’s Asset Management Board, which authorizes leases longer than 10 years, the 40-year commitment was considered necessary for this project to work.

“During the process of working with the Asset Management Board for the authorization for this project, we really tapped into expertise of the development community members of that board for their recommendations about what length of term would enable developers to not only be interested, but obtain financing on terms that could be most favorable, ultimately, to the Commonwealth in what they would pass through in terms of the lease cost.”

In those respects, this project is most similar to the new State Police crime lab in Marlborough, a 200,000-square-foot, $300 million project that comes with a 20-year lease; construction is due to start in early 2026.

Sheehan said there are many similarities between the crime lab project and the courthouse initiative. He described the former as an effective process, one with advantages for both the state and the chosen developer — and even for the host community.

“In terms of working together with a private developer and the state and the local community … that has resulted in a pretty successful outcome,” he told BusinessWest, referring to the crime lab. “It can be a great partnership; it allows us to do what we do, and by publishing a long-term lease, the state can use its credit to support the construction of this facility without putting all the cost up front and without committing its resources to the design and construction and procurement process, which I think we can a little more efficiently than the state government.”

Irving agreed. “The state provided an opportunity to have a 40-year lease, and in my lifetime, I’ve never seen Massachusetts offer a 40-year lease, which is pretty much the equivalent of a bond,” he explained. “So, this is really well done because it makes this easily financeable, and it makes that financial modeling much easier, and that’s why you have 11 proposals on the table; it’s an amazing opportunity.”

And while there are certainly fewer risks for developers with a project of this nature rather than building a spec office building or renovating a tenanted office facility (where leases typically run five to 10 years) given recent trends with remote work, there are still risks, even with the state as a tenant and a 40-year lease.

“In the development world, there are three basic risks — the leasing risk, the financing risk, and the construction risk,” Sheehan noted. “If it’s a pre-leased facility, you’ve solved the first one, and if you’re using the state’s credit, you’ve somewhat solved the second one, but there’s still fluctuations in interest rates that certainly impact cost, so that’s a risk. And then, there are the construction risks — cost escalation, trade tariffs, labor rates, and general execution risk from construction of the building.

“So I definitely wouldn’t say there’s no risk, but I think that, with a high-credit, long-term lease, you’ve solved a lot of the risk in real estate development,” he went on. “It’s a smart strategy for the state to get what it wants, a nice new facility, and not take the risk on construction overruns and instead push that to the developer.”

Heavy Wait

Getting back to the factors that will ultimately decide which proposal is chosen, Baacke said there will be several, from the proposed lease terms to accessibility; from meeting the state’s decarbonization and climate goals to a project’s ability to positively impact the city economically.

“We do want this project to be a benefit to the city of Springfield,” he told BusinessWest. “As a former gateway city planner myself, I know this is the kind of facility that can be influential in attracting people to an area. It can have a positive impact, and it can also have, if it’s placed in the wrong location, a negative impact on areas that benefit from the location of the current facility.

“The biggest factors in selecting the best proposal are going to be about how the proposal aligns with the needs of the Trial Court,” he explained. “And that’s a little bit about siting, but more about the design of the facility and how well it meets the program and is consistent with their expectations for a hall of justice.”

And then, there’s the cost.

“This is not going to be a decision that is made on which project is cheapest, but which project delivers the best value to the Commonwealth,” Baacke continued. “The project that has the strongest alignment with the needs of the Trial Court, at the best price available to the Commonwealth, is what we’re ultimately going to be looking for.”

Which proposal best does all that will be decided over the next several months.

Now comes what may the hardest part of this process — waiting for a decision.

The Majestic Theater Has Staged a Showing of Perseverance

By George O'Brien November 24, 2025

Features Special Coverage

A Long-running Success Story

From left, Todd Kadis, Danny Eaton, Sue Dziura, and Terry LaCasse.

It’s been more than 30 years now, but Danny Eaton can still vividly remember the first time he saw what was left of the historic Majestic Theater on Elm Street in West Springfield.

There wasn’t much to look at, he recalled, adding that the back area of the old moviehouse, where Mickey Rooney once played Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Three Stooges had performed, had become a crumbling dumping ground of sorts.

A scene from Steel Magnolias, currently playing at the Majestic.

“There were carpet remnants, some broken office furniture, and all kinds of junk like that,” said Eaton, the actor, director, playwright, and entrepreneur who had been leading a group of like-minded individuals in the creation of a nonprofit professional theater company called the Theater Project, which was, at that time, looking for a permanent home.

A board member who taught business at Westfield State University arranged for two interns to work with the fledging troupe, and their primary assignment was to find a venue. They were steered to the old theater, built in 1928, by the town’s assessor. And after being let in by the owner of a delicatessen that occupied the front part of the theater, they could see what they had to work with.

That same board member thought he was crazy to do anything but look at the Majestic, but Eaton said simply, “I loved it … it spoke to me.”

Nearly three decades after the theater opened with a showing of The Buddy Holly Story, it’s still talking — to Eaton and to the tens of thousands of people who visit it every year.

“We’ve always seen new people, first-timers, coming to the theater, based upon the offerings.”

And the Majestic — not the building, necessarily, but the institution — has become part of the fabric of the region, said Eaton and others we spoke with.

“People have grown up with us,” he noted, referring to both the audiences for the shows, which span generations now, and some of the performers as well.

Like Ben Ashley, who played Buddy Holly in the The Buddy Holly Story and has reprised that role a few times, while performing in several other shows at the theater as well, including its upcoming Home for the Holidays. And Robbie Simpson, who grew up attending shows at the theater, then started performing in some, and has gone on to star on ABC’s General Hospital and Hulu’s The Path. He returns to West Springfield for shows at the Majestic, such as 2023’s The Glass Menagerie.

The historic Majestic Theater opened in 1928.

Like the plays shown at the theater, the Majestic has several plotlines and props, from the framed showbills that line the café area celebrating shows that include the well-known (Death of a Salesman, Hamlet, Miss Saigon, and Judgment at Nuremburg, for example), and the not-so-well-known (Golf: The Musical) to the annual fundraising car raffle, another institution — first prize this year is a 1962 Corvette convertible; the drawing is Dec. 31.

And then, there are the coffee mugs. Given each year to subscribers — who now total more than 4,000 — they’re printed with the names of the shows from each season.

Subscribers passionately collect them, said Sue Dziura, producing director for the Majestic, and look for them every year.

“They’ll tell us when they come in — ‘I have all my mugs,’” she said, adding that, in many ways, the mugs have become symbols of the Majestic’s two enduring traits — creativity and perseverance.

Indeed, between the shows, the mugs, the cars, a playbill supported by more than 100 local businesses, and more shows, the Majestic has become a long-running success story, one complete with its magic moments and stern challenges, like the pandemic, but also the rising expenses associated with professional theater, from paying the actors to insuring the property.

“Danny has programmed it so that there’s something for everyone, whether that’s genre-related — a comedy and a drama and sometimes a whodunit.”

For this issue, we look behind the curtain, if you will, at nearly 30 years of a class act — literally and figuratively.

Setting the Stage

When he spoke with BusinessWest as the 10th anniversary of the theater’s opening approached in 2006, Eaton recalled how, at that opening, a local journalist remarked that his dream had come true.

Eaton said he had to correct him to a degree and note that getting the doors open wasn’t the dream, or the hard part, or the end of the story. Keeping them open was, and is, the dream. And the hard part as well.

From left: Todd Kadis, Sue Dziura, Tery LaCasse, and Danny Eaton in a ‘mug’ shot.

And nothing has really changed in that regard over the past three decades, he said, adding that the overriding mission can be boiled down to those four words: keeping the doors open.

Actually, there’s much more to it than that, said Todd Kadis, the Majestic’s treasurer, who has also been here from the beginning.

Indeed, the overriding goals are to make theater accessible and affordable (tickets are under $40), he said, and also to draw people who might not otherwise attend theater.

“We’ve always seen new people, first-timers, coming to the theater, based upon the offerings,” he explained, adding that most of these first-timers will return, and many of them will become subscribers.

It all started, as noted, with The Buddy Holly Story, which returns every five years at the Majestic. Actually, our story really begins in 1992 with the creation of the Theater Project, which performed shows at the Church of the Good Shepherd, just down the street from its current home, to raise money to open the Majestic’s doors.

Or new doors, to be precise, because the current front entrance still led to the deli, so a new entrance had to be built in the back of the structure.

“We spent summers hammering nails and lugging concrete blocks,” Eaton recalled, adding that the team put in two and half years of sweat equity to get the theater ready for prime time. And that hard work essentially set the tone for all that has happened since.

“One of things we found with The Buddy Holly Story is that we could get people to come to the theater who had never been to the theater before and maybe had a notion that it was a highbrow thing that couldn’t be part of their lives.”

Over the years, the Majestic has added more framed playbills to the walls — to the point where there’s no remaining room; raffled off 29 vintage cars; transformed its café into a gathering spot, with patrons showing up an hour or more before a show starts for a quick meal and a beverage; maintained its core audience while attracting new patrons; and become one of the cornerstones for growth and new businesses in the Elm Street area.

Very little, if anything, has been easy, said those we spoke with, but the Majestic has persevered through hard work, imagination (in all its forms), and the ability to stay engaged with its audience.

All these traits were on display during the pandemic, when the lights went down, literally, on March 21, 2020, and didn’t go back on again until August 2021, when the Majestic picked up right where it left off.

Kadis said the institution was kept afloat by PPP and also a much-needed Shuttered Venues Operating Grant, a federal program that, as its name suggests, provided grants to shuttered venues ranging from theaters to aquariums to museums.

And while the theater was dark, those at the Majestic found ways to stay engaged with subscribers and the community at large through online programs such as “Behind the Curtain,” a series of interviews with actors and directors who had done shows at the Majestic, providing a backstage perspective.

Shows of Force

The Majestic now hosts between 250 and 300 shows each season, which begin in September, said Dziura, noting that the simple strategy is to “create as much art as possible.” Each season features five subscription shows as well as Home for the Holidays and a packed summer schedule that includes more than 100 performances, including a children’s theater.

In putting together that five-show slate, organizers strive for diversity and a solid mix of plays and at least one musical, a lineup crafted to appeal to both subscribers — who provide a rock-solid base for the theater company — and single-ticket sales.

“Danny has programmed it so that there’s something for everyone — a comedy and a drama and sometimes a whodunit,” she explained, adding that this year’s slate is no exception.

The season started with Once – The Musical, which tells the story of an Irish street musician and a Czech immigrant who form an unlikely bond over their shared love of music. Currently running is Steel Magnolias, a comedy set in a small Southern beauty salon. In January, The Hound of the Baskervilles, a parody of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic, will begin its six-week run, followed by a ‘two-hander,’ an two-person performance called Dear Jack, Dear Louise, described as heartfelt and comical play that unfolds through the letters exchanged between a young Army doctor and a nurse during World War II. The season concludes with Come From Away, an uplifting musical that tells the true story of 7,000 passengers who were stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland after the events of 9/11.

Each year’s schedule is crafted to provide variety, but also more opportunities to bring new people to the theater and bring back those who have already found it.

“Being a nonprofit theater in a small community in an area that is not particularly known as a cultural hub is a challenge,” Eaton said. “One of things we found with The Buddy Holly Story is that we could get people to come to the theater who had never been to the theater before and maybe had a notion that it was a highbrow thing that couldn’t be part of their lives.

“We changed their minds,” he went on, adding that this might be the unofficial mission statement for the Majestic. “I’ve always maintained that, if I can get 10 new people to come to theater for the first time in their lives, I’ll get seven of them to come back, and I’ll get five of them to become subscribers — and that’s held true in many respects.”

Looking ahead, the simple goal is to keep changing minds about theater, said Kadis, while also maintaining and growing the subscriber base and attracting audiences of all ages. He noted that the average age of attendees is roughly 65, and it has been this way for some time, meaning the theater group has managed to retain subscribers who joined years ago and add new, younger ones as the original subscribers move into their 70s and 80s.

Terry LaCasse, the Majestic’s managing director, agreed. “There’s a multi-generational appeal here,” he noted. “I remember my first week here … I was introduced to a parent, a grandparent, and a child at one of the shows. They were sitting in the back, and they said, ‘we’ve had these seats for years, and we’ve passed then down from generation to generation.’”

That story, and others like it, speak volumes about what the Majestic has become over the years in terms of a cultural institution and tradition.

“The Majestic is a true-to-form community anchor,” said LaCasse, speaking for all those at the table, adding that it promotes the arts, supports local businesses, and makes this region more of a destination.

And that’s why the show has gone on for nearly 30 years — and counting.

Lee Strives to Be More Than a Gateway

By George O'Brien November 24, 2025

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

An architect’s rendering shows the various buildings and parcels to be developed at the Eagle Mill complex in Lee.

Jeff Cohen says he was “looking for something to do.”

That was how the long-time developer, lawyer, and one-time police officer casually described how he began what has become a 14-year journey (and counting) to redevelop the Eagle Mill in Lee, one of the oldest paper mills in the country.

It certainly hasn’t been an easy journey — “I have lot more gray hair now than when I started,” Cohen said — but the Eagle Mill canvas, if you will, is filling in, and there is more on the drawing board for this parcel bordering downtown.

Indeed, nearly 60 units of affordable housing are in the process of being leased, and should be occupied next spring. Meanwhile, roughly 150 more units are planned, as well as commercial space, in subsequent phases of the project, including a recently announced plan for 69 units of affordable housing on property across the street from the Eagle Mill.

As these different phases of the project unfold, the impact on Lee, its downtown, its business community, and different constituencies searching for affordable housing will only grow.

Alex Heddinger

“Our walkable downtown is lined with one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants, many family-owned for generations, and there’s a real sense of connection among the people who live and work here.”

“This is going to create a village at the north end of town,” Cohen explained. “As you drive from the Berkshires through Lee along Route 20, there will be a great-looking community, and there will be lots of people on the street. This is going to enable Lee to attract people who want to work in and around the town, it’s going to put more kids in the schools, and it’s going to enhance the businesses in town and probably create opportunities for new ones.”

Redevelopment of the Eagle Mill complex is one of many converging stories in this community of almost 6,000 people. Others include:

• A slight cooling of its housing market, which was one of the hottest in the state just a year or two ago. Town Manager Chris Brittain said the market has returned to something approximating pre-COVID days, before prices exploded amid the surge of remote work and strong interest in rural settings from which to do it;

• Ongoing efforts to encourage development of other mills in Lee, and there are many of them — the community was once home to two dozen mills making more paper than anywhere else in the country;

• Progress toward construction of a new and much-needed public safety complex — groundbreaking is slated for next month — as well as discussion of converting the historic fire station into a community space;

• Continued efforts to make this community, known as the ‘Gateway to the Berkshires,’ more of a place to stop, dine, shop, recreate, and more, rather than being a gateway to other, better-known destinations, including Lenox, Stockbridge, and Pittsfield; and

• Some new restaurants and other small businesses that are certainly helping in these efforts to make Lee more of a destination.

“Our walkable downtown is lined with one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants, many family-owned for generations, and there’s a real sense of connection among the people who live and work here,” said Alex Heddinger, a Lee native who became executive director of its Chamber of Commerce this past spring. “We also have one of the most diverse dining scenes in the area — Mexican, Indian, Peruvian, French, pizza, new American, pub fare, diner classics, and even a Burmese restaurant.

Brooke Healy

“When it comes to affordable housing, many people have preconceived notions about it, but it can really impact everyone — from families to young professionals just starting out in their career like I was.”

“Lee has a way of making visitors feel right at home,” she went on, adding that one of the goals moving forward is to make business owners feel at home as well.

For this latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at Lee and the many intriguing storylines converging there.

Milling About

Cohen told BusinessWest that he and his wife moved to the Berkshires in 2012, and soon thereafter, he became fascinated with the Eagle Mill and the prospects for developing it.

The property had been abandoned since 2008, he said, adding that the various buildings were in poor condition when he acquired them, but still historic. He contracted with an architect and started meeting with various groups in town to get a sense “for what could be attractive to the town and be profitable for me, and that’s how it started.

“I’m not the type of person who buys something and says, ‘here’s what I’m going to do,’ and then present that to whomever is going to approve it,” he explained. “My style is a little different; I try to work with people in the neighborhood, various town officials, and various interested community groups to get a sense for what’s going to pass muster.”

It took several years to identify the preferred use, he said, adding that various uses, including a 100-room hotel and a Faneuil Hall-type retail market, were considered. Overall, it’s been a long, difficult journey, made much more complicated by the pandemic, but pieces to a complicated puzzle are coming together, starting with phase 1 — 56 units of affordable housing in the two original mill buildings, the Union Mill and the Eagle Mill.

Phase 2 includes 44 new apartments at the eastern end of the site; phase 3 is another new building with 35 units of housing and 4,000 square feet of retail, with construction slated for 2028 if all goes as planned; phase 4 involves redevelopment of the historic machine shop building for commercial and retail use, including a restaurant; phase 5 will consist of five condominium townhouses on the Housatonic River; and phase 6 will be 69 more units of affordable housing on the corner of West Center and Canal streets.

Cohen described the sum of these parts as game-changing, and Lee Town Planner Brooke Healy agreed.

“These new units will provide a boost to our downtown business owners and stores,” she said. “You’ll have people walking up and down Main Street — the restaurants are going to get a boost, the stores are going to get a boost … and while some people will work in Lee, others will work in surrounding towns, meaning this will benefit not just Lee, but the Central and Southern Berkshires.

Healy speaks from experience when she said many workers in the Berkshires face lengthy commutes between their jobs and housing they can afford, and the Eagle Mill project will be a difference maker in this regard and make a huge dent in the demand for housing, especially the affordable variety.

“I took this job about a year ago, and it took me a few months to find housing that was less than an hour away; I’m very lucky to live close to downtown Lee,” she told BusinessWest. “When it comes to affordable housing, many people have preconceived notions about it, but it can really impact everyone — from families to young professionals just starting out in their career like I was.”

Meanwhile, there are several other mills that remain vacant or mostly vacant, Healy said, adding that the town is working on revamping zoning bylaws and other strategies for making these mills more “developer-friendly.”

Lee at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1777
Population: 5,788
Area: 27 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $11.25
Commercial Tax Rate: $11.25
Median Household Income: $41,556
Median Family Income: $49,630
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Lee Premium Outlets; Onyx Specialty Papers; the Landing at Laurel Lake; Oak n’ Spruce Resort in the Berkshires; Big Y
* Latest information available

The town recently collaborated with UConn students to create a site reuse assessment and master plan for three mills — Columbia Mill and Greylock Mill, both on Columbia Street; and Greenwood/Mountain Mill on Forest Street, which was recently sold by the town at auction.

“When a lot of the current bylaws were written, most of these mills were still functioning, and people didn’t really think about the next steps if these mills were to ever go out,” she explained. “Looking forward, we have some mills that are not being used, and there’s been some discussions with the owners of those properties to make sure they know the town has their interests in mind and will help in any way it can.”

Progress Report

Brittain told BusinessWest that Lee’s current fire station, a granite and marble structure built in 1912, was designed for horses, not 21st-century firetrucks.

Which means the town has had to special-order trucks to fit into the doors of this facility. And they just barely fit.

“The last one had five-eighths of an inch clearance on either side,” he said, adding that a few mirrors have been lost over the years.

Wider doors are just one of the myriad design elements to a new, 37,000-square-foot public safety complex, said Brittain, adding that the facility, with a projected price tag of roughly $32 million, will bring the Police, Fire, and Building departments under one roof on the site of the former Bull’s Eye Pub in downtown Lee. And, as noted, the town is in early-stage talks concerning what to do with the current fire station, also downtown.

These developments are just some of the emerging stories in the community’s eclectic downtown, which is just a few miles off Exit 10 of the turnpike, a unique asset that has certainly helped the town’s efforts to promote tourism, while also attracting other types of businesses, such as biotech and enterprises such as Sharp Sterile Manufacturing and Boyd Biomedical, both on Pleasant Street, just off the turnpike exit.

Getting back to the downtown, visitors pass through on their way to Tanglewood and other Lenox attractions, as well as Pittsfield, said all those we spoke with, adding that the goal is to get them to stop along the way — or, better still, make Lee the destination.

There’s a growing list of reasons for doing so, said Heddinger, adding that there is a good mix of restaurants, including some recent additions, such as the Station Gastropub, so named because it’s housed in a former train station.

“Downtown has restaurants, shops, several different kinds of businesses, a park where we stage events, and much more,” she said, adding that this central business district is more than a place to drive through on the way to somewhere else.

Brittain agreed. “We’re seeing a lot more people dining and staying here than we used to, and our hotel and restaurant taxes reflect that,” he said, adding that the growing number of restaurants, and the diversity of those offerings, is a big reason why. “More people are stopping and enjoying the downtown area on their way to Tanglewood or the Norman Rockwell Museum, or whatever.”

Meanwhile, the town is developing strategies for bringing more businesses to the community, such as the “Friend-Lee Approach to Business” marketing campaign, which Healy described as a work in progress, likely to be ready for the new year.

“We’re trying to break down the barriers for developers and residents interested in owning businesses,” she explained. “We want them to able to come in and have conversations face-to-face with various departments and understand what is needed to open a business.

“It can very overwhelming to try to open a new business,” she went on, adding that the campaign will likely ask the question ‘why Lee?’ and then focus on the town’s many attributes — from recreational facilities to that turnpike exit to proximity to other destination communities.

It’s all part of an effort to promote this Gateway to the Berkshires, but also make it much more than that.

Raspberries Records Taps into a Vinyl Revival

By George O'Brien November 12, 2025

Features

The Tables Are Turning

Bob Roccanti says vinyl is enjoying a resurgence among people of all ages.

As he was explaining why vinyl has been staging a dramatic comeback over the past decade, Bob Roccanti stopped, reached into a box, and pulled out a Stevie Wonder album, circa 1972.

“Look at this … you buy this, you’ve got some artwork,” he said as he showed the cover. “And there’s lyrics, inside you’ve got some more things …a lot of these record albums tell a story.

“It’s a lot warmer than this,” he went on, holding up his cell phone and opining that this is just one reason why some Baby Boomers are rebuilding the record collections that filled their dorm rooms in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s and also why their children and even grandchildren are embracing vinyl — although Taylor Swift is probably the biggest reason there.

All this also explains Raspberries Records, a long-held dream and entrepreneurial gambit (although he says it’s not much of a gamble) for Roccanti, a retired wireless industry executive.

“You can put a record store anywhere, and they will find you.”

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do — I’ve always been into music,” he said, adding that he opened his first location in Ludlow, where he lives and plays much of his golf, in 2022, and then expanded into a strip mall near the center of East Longmeadow roughly 18 months ago. Neither location is in a busy urban area, but they don’t have to be, he explained.

“You can put a record store anywhere, and they will find you,” he told BusinessWest, adding that ‘they’ means visitors from around the corner, halfway across the state, or even another state who arrive in person or go online to browse or find a specific item.

That list includes everything from a copy of the Beatles’ White Album — he generally has a dozen or more in the inventory that sell for $30 on average — to vintage band T-shirts; from blank album covers and frames to put them in to eight-tracks, tapes, and CDs; from 45s to vintage ’60s and ’70s stereo systems.

“We’re like the old Sears — we have good, better, and best, he said, pointing to a few stereos on the floor and on racks selling for between $500 and $1,000.

But the albums, new and vintage, are the big sellers. They cross all genres, and they’re being picked up people coming into stores or ordering them online, he said, adding that he ships out 10 to 12 a day on average.

“We get a lot of Baby Boomers in here, but we also get their children, and they think this is the coolest thing,” he said, adding that he believes this renewed interest in vinyl has legs and is not a fad.

For this issue, we talked with Roccanti about his venture, the record business, and the still-growing interest in vinyl.

Music to His Ears

As he talked with BusinessWest in the back room of the East Longmeadow store, Roccanti was surrounded by thousands of albums covering every genre and every letter of the alphabet.

Along the top row of shelves, many albums were separated by artist, with names written on tape along the bottom: Linda Ronstadt, J. Geils Band, Cat Stevens, Loggins & Messina, and the Beach Boys, among many others. For Boomers, these albums represent a trip in the ‘way back machine,’ while for the younger generations, it’s a new fascination and something more visual — and personal — than streaming music services.

One of the ’70s-era stereo systems for sale at Raspberries.

When asked where the 71,000 albums he has between the two stores came from, he said simply, “everywhere,” meaning everything from collections from other stores to area residents cleaning out attics and basements.

“A typical call would be, ‘we’ve got a bunch of records. We don’t use them anymore. They belong to my kids; I called the kids, and they said to just get rid of them. Before we take them up to the Goodwill or Salvation Army, we thought we’d give you a call.’”

And while people are still getting rid of their vinyl, others are buying it. When asked who, Roccanti said this runs the gamut as well.

“Collectors come in, other record stores come in and buy from us, people looking for something specific,” he said, adding that prices range from a few dollars to more than $2,000 for a rare funk album from the early ’90s.

“We’ve sold some old jazz albums for more than $1,000,” he said. “And then, you have some different albums that are unique in their own ways because they’re promo copies, or they printed very limited amounts of them, things like that.”

“We’ve sold some old jazz albums for more than $1,000. And then, you have some different albums that are unique in their own ways because they’re promo copies, or they printed very limited amounts of them, things like that.”

Roccanti anticipated all this when he conceptualized Raspberries. He said he started by visiting other record stores — and there are many of them, including maybe a dozen in the 413 by his count — and asking those behind the counter about the business and his prospects for success.

“Some of them would be very encouraging, and others were less so — many of them were retired, and they said they’d seen the industry change,” he recalled. “I saw opportunity, with Taylor Swift coming on board creating a huge amount of interest from young people — everything she came out with was on vinyl.

“All these people were buying record players that had never owned record players,” he went on, adding that demand remains high, and it’s from several different generations of music lovers.

Bob Roccanti, seen here with a copy of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, has amassed more than 71,000 records in his stores.

“We’ve got customers that are 12 years old and customers in their 80s,” he explained. “Some of them are just getting into vinyl, and some of them have been into vinyl their whole life. It’s unique in that sense because, when you’re planning your marketing and your strategy, you have to look at the big picture — who’s my target? Our target is anyone and everyone.”

Spin City

Roccanti said he started in Ludlow with a decent amount of inventory, and it didn’t take long to “fill the bins,” as he put it.

“As soon as we opened, from the first month, we were getting calls — the phone was ringing off the hook; ‘do you buy records? Do you buy records? Do you buy records?’” he recalled. “We were very fortunate because people were just getting rid of them.

“Sometimes, people just want to give them to us; other times, they want to sell them,” he went on. “One thing we generally do if someone just wants to give them away … if there’s value in them, I don’t let them leave without taking some money because I’m going to make money, and I want to be fair. If you found out one of those records you tried to give away was worth 100 bucks, you’d be pretty upset.”

Elaborating, Roccanti said there was obviously a learning curve involved with knowing just what an album is worth, and there have always been knowledgeable sources to rely on, as well as the internet.

“Everyone has a story about music.”

“I was fortunate that I had several record store owners that I became friends with,” he said. “I always had someone I could call and say, ‘hey, I’ve got a chance to buy this Beach Boys album.’ They’d say, ‘let me call you back, Bob,’ and when they did, they’d say, ‘grab it, Bob, it’s worth some money.’

“I’ve learned a lot, and the internet is fantastic — you can Google anything,” he went on. “And there are apps that are dedicated specifically to record stores and collectors.”

As for the business side of things, Roccanti said it has been steady, with solid numbers of customers visiting the stores or perusing items online.

A good start in Ludlow prompted thoughts of expansion, and the site in the strip mall in East Longmeadow, a former juice bar, fit the bill.

The nearby rotary — or infamous rotary, to be more precise — detracts a few, but it’s also a good reference point because everyone knows it, even if they don’t want to drive around it, he said.

Meanwhile, that aforementioned learning curve continues — with regard to what items are worth and what they can be sold for, and also what customers are seeking.

“They’re coming in with lists,” Roccanti explained, adding that the bulk of what is sold falls into the category of classic rock, but there is interest in many other genres as well.

“I’ve got a lot of customers my age who realize that this stuff is available again,” he said. “Now, they’re thinking, ‘I had these albums,’ and, little by little, they’re rebuilding their collections, whether it’s Springsteen, Bob Dylan…”

With that, he went back into the bin and pulled out a Traffic album from the early ’70s.

“People will come in, see this, and say, ‘I had this album,’ and then they’ll tell me a story — ‘I was dating this girl, and I loaned her this album, and I never got it back,’” he told BusinessWest. “Everyone has a story about music.”

And that’s why this entrepreneurial venture has taken off, and why Roccanti believes it has a solid future.

Michael Treash Takes Helm at Health New England

By George O'Brien November 10, 2025

Cover Story

A Time to Re-energize

Michael Treash

“This is complicated, but it’s not that complex.”

That’s how Michael Treash chose to describe the challenges he faces as he takes the helm at Health New England, and there are many of them, including those common to all health plans — everything from the rising cost of healthcare to the poor image of this industry to integrating technology (and paying for it).

But his most immediate challenge involves re-energizing a company that was due to be sold by its parent, Baystate Health, before that sale was terminated, and creating a growth plan for the short and long terms. And here’s where it’s not that complex, he told BusinessWest.

“We’re going to have to focus on growth and on opportunities,” he said, noting that the vast majority of these lie within Medicare and with small-business groups. “We can focus on a handful of things, most of them quality-driven, where we can change the narrative and change the game.”

Elaborating, he said doing this comes down to listening, responding, and providing value to members, and Treash firmly believes that provider-based health plans, like Health New England, are uniquely positioned to create needed trust and generate value for members.

“The beauty of provider-based health plans, the integrated system, is that we can work with our clinical partners to craft messages,” he went on. “Let’s be honest — when you list what industries you trust the most, rarely do you see health insurers on this list; we’re just above tobacco companies, usually. People trust their physician and their pharmacist more than they trust us. We can craft a really meaningful message, and that is our opportunity; that’s how we transfer power to the consumer.”

Treash most recently served as chief operating officer and senior vice president at Health Alliance Plan in Detroit, and his previous leadership roles include vice president of Enterprise Operations at Priority Health in Grand Rapids, Mich., interim CEO of Missouri Health Care Cooperative, COO of the Outsource Group, and executive vice president and COO at Mercy Health Plans in Chesterfield, Mo.

“You can actually work with physicians and nurses and people who are on the front lines, and not many people who work with insurers can say that. That’s what attracts me. It’s a unique space — I can stay close to the customer; I can stay close to the clinician. That’s how you innovate; that’s how you influence the customer experience. I wouldn’t give up this space for anything.”

Treash’s appointment comes just a few months after that planned sale of Health New England to Point32Health was effectively terminated. When asked if the company lost momentum, in all its various forms — from workforce morale to making needed investments in technology — during the lengthy sale process, and how much, Treash didn’t answer that question directly, opting instead to focus on what will happen next, and also what happened at Health Alliance Plan.

“I got there right after an acquisition didn’t go through. The organization needed an energy boost, and it needed to get re-engaged with its parent, similar to where we’re at,” he explained. “Eight years later, we were an organization where people wanted to come to work for us, we were making money while the rest of the insurers in the state were losing money, and we were growing.

“We can do it here,” he went on, adding that he intends to draw on his vast experience with provider-based plans to generate growth, as he did at Priority Health, which is in many ways similar to Health New England and served a region comparable to this one.

“It was owned by a large provider system, it’s a mid-sized city, the competitive landscape is pretty darned similar,” he explained. “When I was there, we had incredible growth; we went from 700,000 members to 1.1 million, and we did that by focusing on Medicare, we focused on quality, we focused on the customer experience.”

The plan will be to do the same at Health New England, where there will be a hard focus on Medicare and certain segments within it amid the ongoing open enrollment period.

“Age 65 — that is our sweet spot because they’re new to Medicare and they’re making decisions,” he said, while explaining one example of broad and emerging strategies to grow membership, currently at about 164,000. “We have to get in front of them and illustrate that we can offer a different experience.”

“There’s an adage in this industry … if you just do the basics well, you can really get ahead,” he went on. “I believe that, but things are changing; I don’t think doing the basics well is good enough anymore — we really have to use our data assets and use our collective insights into the patient experience, and we need to morph that into something which is tangible.”

“When I say, ‘this is where we’re going to head,’ so far, what I’ve heard is, ‘that’s great; how fast can we go?’”

For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Treash about his plans for re-energizing the company and achieving the kind of growth he’s generated elsewhere.

Making Connections

Treash said he has spent almost his entire career with provider-based health plans and described this as a “unique space,” one he enjoys working within.

“You can actually work with physicians and nurses and people who are on the front lines, and not many people who work with insurers can say that,” he explained. “That’s what attracts me. It’s a unique space — I can stay close to the customer; I can stay close to the clinician. That’s how you innovate; that’s how you influence the customer experience. I wouldn’t give up this space for anything.

“The provider space itself … we’re constantly in marriage counseling between the two of us; when we’re aligned, it is remarkable what we can accomplish,” he went on. “I’ve been with provider-based health plans in competitive markets such as Detroit and St. Louis, and I’ve also been in smaller cities and rural areas in Texas and West Michigan. It’s different challenges; in competitive markets, like Boston, it’s a challenge — you have competitive health systems; you have competitive health plans. It’s very different in a market like this, where you have a unique opportunity to connect with the community, and part of our challenge here is that we are — and we can be more of — a driver of the local economy.”

Treash arrived in Springfield in mid-October and immediately commenced what he called a comprehensive listening tour, one that will continue for some time and involve a number of constituencies, including local officials, business leaders, those in the healthcare community, and, especially, his own employees, who have been through a challenging time for the company and the industry.

“They’ve been through the ringer, and right now, they want direction,” he explained. “I’m getting good responses, though. When I say, ‘this is where we’re going to head,’ so far, what I’ve heard is, ‘that’s great; how fast can we go?’”

As noted earlier, he didn’t want to talk about the sale that was terminated and what was lost during that process. “If I had a time machine, I’d go back and try to change that narrative, but I can’t do that right now — the only thing I can speak to is where we go from here.

“Right now, we’ve got to get energized, and where we can get energized is by focusing on Medicare, because we have opportunities there to change the experience of Medicare. We have opportunity to grow; we have opportunity to recapture revenue which is leaving Western Mass. — these are things I can change.”

“And right now, we’ve got to get energized, and where we can get energized is by focusing on Medicare, because we have opportunities there to change the experience of Medicare. We have opportunity to grow; we have opportunity to recapture revenue which is leaving Western Mass. — these are things I can change.”

Assessing the current landscape for providers, Treash acknowledged the obvious — “in this business, scale is our enemy.”

“We have to do the same things that United does, Aetna does, Cigna does, Blue Cross of Massachusetts does, but we don’t have 5 million members to spread those fixed costs across,” he explained, adding that, despite this size disadvantage, the company can compete by making full and effective use of technology and data.

“We’re at an inflection point in this industry right now,” he said. “The game is about data and insights, using your combined data assets to drive insights, and that’s not very capital-intensive; that’s about training your leaders and asking your leaders, mid-career, to shift and enter the gray area.

“Most of my folks, if you ask them — and if you go to any insurer and ask the people who have fancy titles — ‘on your résumé, do you have anything about how you use data to grow the business, improve the business, and improve the customer experience?’ you will not see a single hand go up.

“Then, if you ask them, ‘do you think you need to add that to your résumé to advance your career in the next decade?’ every hand would go up; they get it,” he continued. “That is the equalizer for us. We’ll use our data assets to create a new way to compete through customer experience.”

Healthy Discussions

As he talked about where he wants to take the company, Treash related a recent experience at Austin Airport and Southwest Airlines.

“There was this big digital board, and they’ve got, ‘Gate A13 — Better Hurry Up.’ ‘Gate A14 — You Have Time for a Cup of Coffee.’ ‘Gate A15 — You Can Grab Breakfast.’ I thought, ‘that’s great because that’s what I really wanted to know.’ They thought ahead to what the consumer was thinking.

“That’s our opportunity,” he went on. “Our opportunity is to see craziness and the things that go off the rails before you do and get in front of it. And if something does go off the rails, acknowledge it; I don’t want to make you have to call me.”

Such thinking will help drive the growth strategy for Health New England, the blueprint for which will emerge in the months to come, he said, emphasizing that the opportunities are in Medicare and small-employer groups.

With the latter, he acknowledged that small businesses are certainly the mainstay of the regional economy, and thus there is obvious potential for growth.

But there is also considerable competition for that segment of the market, he said, adding that he faces a learning curve when it comes to this specific market and its needs, as well as the broker community that plays a vital role in this process.

With Medicare, the basic strategy calls for segmenting the market and responding to the needs of the various segments, he explained.

“That creates real opportunities when we engage with providers because now we look at Medicare differently,” Treash noted. “As an insurer, we need to have a mix — we need to have folks out there who are going to supplement the folks who are sick, and you need to have those people who have a lot going on in their lives healthcare-wise, because we’re a nonprofit organization, and we have a fiduciary responsibility to serve everyone; you have to balance it out.”

As an example of these segments, he mentioned younger seniors new to Medicare.

“It takes us a couple of years to get them engaged and get them to the point where we have a meaningful, engaged relationship,” he noted. “If we lose them in that first two years, we’ve lost a lot of effort. We have to get people to year two, which means engaging them on a personal level, reminding them why they enrolled in Health New England and getting their physician partners involved and doing outreach.

“If we get them to year two, they become more comfortable with us because it’s a very price-sensitive market, and price elasticity is sky-high,” he continued. “Once we get them to year two, we’ve done our job engaging them in a meaningful manner, the price elasticity goes down, and we’ve created that stickiness.”

Meanwhile, within all segments, the company must work hard to understand how to meet and communicate with them, Treash told BusinessWest.

“How you connect with someone who’s going through cancer is very different from how you connect with someone dealing with pulmonary disease and learning how to live with that on an ongoing basis,” he said. “We have to figure out how we message those individuals and where we message them. We don’t want to see providers texting people with a cancer diagnosis, but there are certain things you want to hear from your provider on your time.

“The folks aging into Medicare right now are digital junkies,” he went on. “If you are not present with them both on an individual basis — taking their phone calls and being willing to have one-on-ones with them — and if you’re not willing to meet them on their iPad, you’re falling down.”

Rather than fall down, Treash wants Health New England to move up, grow membership, become an employer of choice, and broaden its overall impact in the community.

And as he said, the path to get there is complicated, but not that complex.

These Are Just a Couple Descriptors for an Evolving Job Market

By George O'Brien November 10, 2025

Special Coverage Workforce Development

‘Weird’ and ‘Confusing’

“Confusing.”

That’s the one word that Kevin Lynn, executive director of MassHire Springfield Career Center, chose when asked to describe the current jobs market and put into perspective what he’s seeing and hearing.

Elaborating, he referenced the center’s job fair at the Basketball Hall of Fame on Oct. 6, the latest of dozens of such events in recent years. In the weeks leading up the fair, organizers were worried about having a critical mass of companies seeking applicants — a nod to a slowing in overall hiring across the 413. But then, over the final few days of registration, there was a rush to sign up.

“We had 64 businesses — we literally did not have room for another company — and that was very surprising to us,” Lynn said.

Meanwhile, on the job seekers side of the equation, organizers were expecting what they’d seen in recent fairs — anywhere between 200 and 350 people — or maybe a few more. Instead, 617 turned out.

“That’s both good and concerning — that’s the busiest job expo we’ve had since before COVID,” he noted, adding that, while the numbers generate confusion on some levels, on another level, they make sense, because some sectors are hiring, but also still struggling to find talent with the requisite skills. Meanwhile, a variety of factors, from tariffs to turmoil in Washington, are leaving many people with jobs feeling less certain about the security of those jobs, and this helps explain the fair’s large turnout.

Allison Ebner

“They’re feeling like there’s enough uncertainty around … they’re hearing about layoffs with the larger companies and AI taking jobs — and there’s so much buzz about all that, the job market seems unstable.”

“I’ve talked to people who say they’re in businesses that are seeing a slowdown, and people are getting a little concerned,” said Lynn, listing manufacturing in that category, and adding that, overall, the pendulum has swung, and what was a buyers’ (job seekers’) market maybe as late as nine months ago has now shifted to employers, with an abundance of candidates for many positions and, overall, fewer job opportunities.

Allison Ebner, president of the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast, agreed, but noted that the higher levels of uncertainty and anxiety — in Washington, the job market, and everywhere else — are key contributors to the latest trend (and buzz term) in employment circles: ‘job hugging.’

“Folks are staying put; they’re giving their job a hug,” she explained. “They’re feeling like there’s enough uncertainty around … they’re hearing about layoffs with the larger companies and AI taking jobs — and there’s so much buzz about all that, the job market seems unstable.

“People are feeling a sense of volatility and continuous change, and when you feel like that, you look for some personal anchors, and for a lot of people, their job is their personal anchor,” she went on, adding that this is a fairly recent phenomenon dating back to last spring or early summer. “Everything in the world is changing, and they want to keep something consistent, and maybe it’s their job.”

But just because people are staying put in many cases that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily happy or that they aren’t looking, Ebner went on, adding that wages are stagnant after a period of upward movement in the years after COVID, and, in some cases, companies — especially smaller ones — are making do with fewer or the same number of employees, which often adds up to more work.

Overall, she had her own word for the current job market — ‘weird’ — meaning that there are many forces pushing and pulling at people and businesses (from tariffs to general uncertainty to AI) that are creating a confusing landscape.

Nicole Polite

“Companies are running a little bit leaner, so they may not have the capacity to train like they used to, so they need someone who already has the skill base to come in and hit the ground running a little faster than before.”

As for AI, it is impacting everything from job availability in some sectors — everything from hospitality to computer technology — to candidates being overlooked because they don’t have those skills.

“It’s definitely a skill set that they want to stay ahead of,” said Nicole Polite, CEO and founder of the East Longmeadow-based MH Group, adding that this is part of a larger trend she’s seeing toward skill-based hiring rather than focusing on whether someone has a requisite degree.

“The degree requirement isn’t as strong as it once was, and employers are really focusing on the skill base,” she told BusinessWest. “And the reasoning for that, in many cases, is the ability to train. Companies are running a little bit leaner, so they may not have the capacity to train like they used to, so they need someone who already has the skill base to come in and hit the ground running a little faster than before.”

Hire Powers

Lynn told BusinessWest that the job fair, as it played out, presented an accurate snapshot of what’s happening in the employment market — at least when it comes to the companies turning out to recruit and the makeup of that crowd of 617 people.

With the former, there were businesses across the spectrum, he said, but certain sectors were better-represented, including healthcare (although much of it is on the lower end, with CNAs and home health aides), area schools, and the broad realm of government, where there are jobs — with water and sewer operations and public works departments, among other realms — but fewer takers, especially among the younger generations.

“They don’t see any future in it,” he said, adding that many area cities and towns are struggling to fill such jobs.

As for the job seekers, or those simply exploring options, there was a good cross-section, said Lynn, noting that there were professionals, “people in suits — which we haven’t seen a lot of lately,” as well as a mix of young people, some mid-career types, and “significant amounts of gray hair.”

Kevin Lynn

“Part of the problem is that the people doing the hiring are much younger than the people looking for work, and they don’t have a clear understanding of the skill sets that the older worker brings.”

This diversity points to the across-the-board nature of a softening job market and the restlessness of those with jobs, but also the plight of older workers.

“There’s a lot of ageism that people have to deal with,” he explained. “And part of the problem is that the people doing the hiring are much younger than the people looking for work, and they don’t have a clear understanding of the skill sets that the older worker brings.

“One of the best things about older workers is they show up every day, and they’re very task-oriented — you can plug them in, and they’ll just go,” he went on, adding that this attribute is often overlooked amid perceptions that older workers struggle with technology. “There are all these assumptions being made that often don’t let the older worker get past the first cut, the résumé screening.”

As for those at the other end of the spectrum — recent college graduates and those wrapping up degrees — the overall job market remains solid, but some areas have slowed, said Cheryl Brooks, associate provost, Career and Professional Development at UMass Amherst, who put jobs in technology, life sciences, and, understandably, the federal government at the top of that list.

Tiffany Appleton, associate director of Employer Relations for the university’s Office of Career Development & Professional Connections, agreed, noting that jobs with the federal government are fewer in number than many other sectors, but they cross many degree programs at the school.

“It’s a bigger number that many people would think,” she told BusinessWest. “I know there were a number of people from the class of 2025 who had offers they had accepted for government jobs early in the spring of 2025, and by the time they graduated, those offers had been rescinded. They had to restart their job search, and many of them have been successful with finding jobs elsewhere.”

Brooks said it will be early next year before she has hard data on how the class of 2025 has fared, but anecdotally, she believes it has fared well, with those notable exceptions, and also with lingering questions about whether some international students will be able to obtain OPT (optional practical training, a temporary work authorization for F-1 student visa holders in the U.S. directly related to their field of study) or work visas.

As for this fall and the class of 2026 and beyond, she said turnout among employers at job fairs staged at the school, such as those for engineering, life sciences, and building and construction technology, is down slightly (8% to 10%, by her estimate) from previous years, but companies are turning out in good numbers, looking for both employees and interns.

Appleton concurred. “The vast majority of employers I’m talking to are still moving forward with their recruitment plans,” she noted. “They’re actively coming to campus, posting jobs, interviewing and extending offers to start after graduation.

“There’s only been a little bit of a decline, and if there’s a decline, it’s more like, instead of hiring 20 students into this entry-level job, they’ll hire 15 — and I haven’t seen much of that.”

The AI Factor

Overall, job seekers across the board are seeing fewer opportunities, at least in some sectors, as companies cope with uncertainty, tariffs and threats of tariffs, and other forces by being “more careful” in their hiring, Ebner said.

This phrase applies to both the numbers of people being hired and the skills they bring to the table, noted Polite, adding that, overall, companies are taking their time — because they have it, whereas they were far more under the gun a few years ago — and sharply focused on getting it right.

“They’re fine-tuning what they’re looking for,” she went on. “And since demand has changed in terms of the job seeker pool, they’re able to have more leverage and recruit in a different manner than they did post-pandemic.

“We saw post-pandemic that employers had positions they needed to fill immediately,” Polite continued. “This didn’t allow them the capacity to do some of the more intensive skill-set requirements that they’re doing now. So it’s definitely a different market in terms of what they’re looking for — and holding the line for.”

This is one of many forces contributing to job hugging, said Ebner, adding that this trend is both good and bad for employers.

“Even though people may not be jumping ship as quickly as they had been over the past few years, people are still unhappy where they are,” she noted. “They are looking, they’re out there, they’re seeing what’s out there, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that people are staying put and they’re more productive.

“It means they’re staying put, their job search is probably quieter, but they might be looking,” she went on. “Depending on their industry and whether they feel they might have more exposure to a layoff or job reduction — depending on whether they’re being impacted by tariffs or AI — they might be a little more motivated to search.”

As for AI, it is one of the more powerful forces impacting the job market and the plight of job seekers. In the broad realm of computer technology, for example, some jobs are being lost to AI, but others are being, created, Brooks said.

“It’s like a net-zero in terms of overall jobs, because it’s changing a bit,” she explained. “Some of the jobs are going away, but others are being created. It’s hard to parse out exactly what the numbers are, but we’re definitely seeing a decline this year, and who knows if that will level off this year.”

Ebner agreed. “Software development … that was the hottest gig in town 10 years ago, 15 years ago,” she said. “And now, AI is doing a lot of that work.”

Meanwhile, AI is having a growing impact on other sectors, including hospitality.

“Go visit the McDonald’s at Bradley Airport — there are no people,” Ebner said. “There are people making your food, but there are no people at the counter; it’s all kiosks. These are the pockets where we’re seeing technology replace people.

“But most industries are looking at how they can bring AI in, not to replace the people, but to use it to enhance the work that humans are doing,” she went on, adding that AI skills are increasingly becoming a determining factor is whether a candidate can land a specific job.

“The phrase you hear now is, ‘AI won’t replace all the people, but it will replace people who don’t have AI skills,’” Ebner explained, adding that this new reality crosses the broad employment spectrum.

Both Lynn and Ebner said their agencies offer training in AI and that, overall, there are an abundance of opportunities to gain these skills, and job seekers need to take full advantage of them.

Polite agreed. “I often talk to people during the interview process and ask them what training they’ve had in terms of AI and make sure they stay in front of it,” she noted, “because AI is here for the long haul, so we have to adjust to it.”

East Longmeadow Is on the Road to Progress

By George O'Brien November 10, 2025

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

The infamous rotary in East Longmeadow, as seen in this Google Earth image, with its seven converging streets.

Tom Christensen says most East Longmeadow residents have learned to live with — and drive through — the infamous rotary in the center of town.

And some even take a small bit of pride in that it once owned a line in the Guinness Book of World Records for having seven converging streets, several of which carry heavy volumes of traffic, with no traffic lights, making it — unofficially, of course — the most dangerous intersection in the world. The rotary has been featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for the same reason.

“We seem to wear this Ripley’s Believe It or Not! as a badge of honor, but I believe that list is for things that shouldn’t exist in nature,” said Christensen, town manager since 2023 and, before that, deputy director of Public Works. “It’s one of the most inefficient intersections ever devised, and while, at some point, it wasn’t so cumbersome due to the number of cars — and it wasn’t even cars at the beginning — now, with the traffic we have … we need to do something.”

He’s not alone in this thinking, which helps explain why, as the town makes progress on several different fronts — from ongoing construction of a new high school to a new fiber optic network to an emerging blueprint for development in the town’s center — there is renewed interest in trying to fix this seemingly most difficult and stubborn of problems.

Indeed, the rotary has been studied, and studied, and studied some more, said Christensen, adding that there is building momentum for finally finding a practical, affordable solution.

“There’s a lot of logistics and a lot of money, but for the health of the community and the future of the community, we have to do something to make this intersection more efficient.”

It won’t come tomorrow, and will likely take 10 to 15 years, he said, but a fix involving a reduction in the number of streets converging on the rotary — maybe to four — is in the earliest of stages.

“We want to take a look at reimagining this intersection. Obviously, it handles all area traffic, not just East Longmeadow traffic, and we need to figure out how to make it more efficient,” he said. “We have this traffic problem that expands out from the hub, but it all starts in the center, where everything grinds to a halt at least a few times a day.”

As for those other projects mentioned above, most are much further along, especially the high school, which is on track to open for the start of school next September.

The new school and adjoining natatorium (which will be open to the public), with a combined price tag of nearly $200 million, will make one of the region’s more attractive communities to live and own a business even more so, said Tanzi Cannon-Eckerle, who owns two businesses in town, a law firm and a craft brewery.

She noted that a modern high school (the current structure opened in 1960) is one of the few missing pieces in a town that boasts a large industrial park, a strong and diverse business community, attractive neighborhoods, and land for new development.

“If you don’t have a fairly new high school, are you going to lose residents to the next town?” she asked rhetorically. “Maybe, maybe not, but it’s good to keep up with the latest technology; this new high school is a great asset for the community.”

Tom Christensen says that, while a fix for the rotary is 10 to 15 years away, more immediate progress is evident on many fronts in town.

Another missing piece, if you will, is a solution for the eyesore that is the long-dormant site of the former Package Machinery manufacturing plant and warehouse on Chestnut Street.

Developers who had proposed a 560,000-square-foot warehouse, a plan that met with considerable opposition from abutters and was ultimately rejected by the Planning Board, recently submitted new plans calling for four warehouses totaling roughly 450,000 square feet.

That plan is still before the Planning Board, said Christensen, adding that the area in question is considered part of the town’s industrial garden park zone — with that section of Chestnut Street being its northern border — and warehouses are therefore a permitted use.

For this latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at the many storylines that are, like the roads in the center of town, converging.

Round About

As he talked about the town’s rotary, Christensen acknowledged it’s a complicated engineering challenge and a problem that has defied a solution for several generations of residents.

Locals have gotten used to it, but are still put off by it, he said, adding that, for non-locals, it can be harrowing.

“I have people come to visit, and they come to my house, and their face is all white,” he said. “And they’re like … ‘you have to yield in that intersection?’ I tell them that conventional wisdom says they have the right of way, but not in our town.”

“It would be great to have that area cleared up in the form of a new development in any form, and get the property back on the tax rolls for the community. It’s hard to drive by that every day and see a derelict property of that size.”

The problem won’t fix itself, and it will only get worse as the town continues to grow and, hopefully, add more jobs, Christensen noted, adding that advances in intersection and rotary design could yield a solution.

“Many studies have been done over the years, and the design parameters were too excessive — we’d have to do some takings and knock down buildings,” he said, referring to the area around the current rotary and the size of a circle needed to accommodate seven streets. “Now, all over the region, they’re popping in rotaries and intersections that you didn’t think were feasible.

“There would be some combination of reconfiguring to a traditional circle, with only four roads coming into it,” he said of the likely fix. “The latest idea is to sort of dog-ear some of these streets into other streets before they got to the rotary by way of a stop sign; we have to figure out some way to get some of those entrances out of the circle to make it work.”

East Longmeadow at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1894
Population: 16,430
Area: 13.0 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $19.28
Commercial Tax Rate: $19.28
Median Household Income: $62,680
Median Family Income: $70,571
Type of Government: Town Council, Town Manager
Largest Employers: Lenox; Cartamundi; CareOne at Redstone; East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing Center
* Latest information available

As he noted, this will be a lengthy process, and a solution with a steep price tag — at least $10 million, by his estimate.

“It takes a long time to even come up with a schematic; it’s going to take a long time to design, and then to come with the funding for this or for us to get on a list with MassDOT is going to take some time,” he said. “There’s a lot of logistics and a lot of money, but for the health of the community and the future of the community, we have to do something to make this intersection more efficient.”

While that project plays itself out into the next decade, there is progress on other fronts, and potential progress (depending on one’s point of view) with others.

The latter is certainly true with 330 Chestnut St., an address where industrially zoned land and residential neighborhoods abut.

The public hearing process on the newest proposal, which has included questions on everything from traffic volume to noise and pollution to whether trucks can and should navigate nearby intersections, is continuing, said Christensen, adding that the area has been an eyesore for decades now.

“It was a great idea when the town decided to move all of its industry into that corner of town in the form of the industrial garden park, but naturally, there are places it abuts that are residential,” he said. “You have to work hard to make sure that the impact is not great on any of the surrounding areas.

“It would be great to have that area cleared up in the form of a new development in any form, and get the property back on the tax rolls for the community,” he went on. “It’s hard to drive by that every day and see a derelict property of that size.”

New School Thinking

Meanwhile, crews are keeping to an aggressive timetable for the new high school, he noted, adding that the project also includes not only the natatorium, but new athletic fields, tennis courts, and improvements to the football stadium area.

“There’s obvious excitement in the community for the new school — it’s a glorious campus,” said Christensen, who graduated from ELHS in 1997 and brings that perspective to the project. “It’s really exciting on so many levels, obviously for the school system, but also for the community to have this wonderful new space.”

And as that project moves forward, the town is also working toward creating a center town district and bylaws for development in that area.

A $22,000 grant from the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs will be used to hire a consultant to help with the planning of the district, said Christensen, adding that the Town Council has voted not to create the district under the state’s Chapter 40R regulations, which would make the town eligible for state funding, but also bind it to meet specific requirements for housing, including affordable housing.

“The community decided it didn’t want to be beholden to the state, so we have decided to create our own district with our own guidelines, free of any 40R requirements,” he noted. “Depending on how the final parameters of how our bylaw shake out, it could have the parameters of 40R; it just won’t be eligible for that reimbursement to the developer and/or town, because it won’t carry that designation.”

Elaborating, Christensen said that, with all industry moved to the southwest corner of town, several properties in the town center, including the former Carlin Combustion site on Maple Street, could be redeveloped for other uses, including housing. And the development community has interest in that area for that purpose.

The next step in the process is likely to be Planning Board public hearings on the district, he said, adding that he is expecting “robust conversations in a public setting” about what residents want to see regarding density, building heights, and other matters.

“We’re looking at a comprehensive study on not only what the town can handle, but what developers are willing to build,” he went on. “We want to find that happy medium so the bylaws are feasible for all.”

As that project plays out, the community is proceeding with plans to address the lack of broadband competition by building a town-owned fiber optic project with Whip City Fiber, the rapidly growing broadband arm of Westfield Gas & Electric.

“We have a design done, and we’re working with the utilities to get their make-ready costs so that we can formulate a plan on how to roll out this initiative, which we’re really excited about,” Christensen said. “Currently, the town is only served by Spectrum, and residents have long been calling for some competition in town.

“It’s a long process, and a lot of infrastructure has to be put in place,” he went on, adding that the project gives the town the ability to improve services to residents while also generating revenue, which can be put back into the community.

It’s a community that is business-friendly and does a good job of balancing business growth with quality of life for residents, said Cannon-Eckerle, whose craft brewery, Brew Practitioners, is celebrating 10 years.

“They do a really good job of asking questions and doing all the legwork up front,” she said of the Planning Board, Town Council, and other panels that consider plans from businesses. “But then, they take the time to take in the concerns of the residents; they do a very good job of listening to both sides. East Longmeadow does a good job of doing it by the book.”

Aaron Vega to Helm Western Massachusetts EDC as It Writes Its Next Chapter

By George O'Brien October 23, 2025

Features Special Coverage

Taking the Lead

Aaron Vega

As Aaron Vega was reading last spring’s announcement that Rick Sullivan would be leaving his post as president of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) at the end of this year, he was already thinking that his various skill sets and this high-profile job were a good match — and that this was his next logical career challenge.

“The path that I’m on in economic development and municipal work … there are only a few higher-level jobs in this area — if you want to stay in Western Mass. and care about Western Mass. — and this one of them,” he explained. “And they don’t come along very often, so I decided early on that I should throw my hat in the ring.”

And he wasn’t alone in that thinking.

“I saw Mayor [Joshua] Garcia not long after, and he said, ‘you’re applying for this job, right?’” recalled Vega, referring to Holyoke’s chief executive, beside whom he’s been working for the past several years as director of Planning and Economic Development for the city. “He knew that this was a good fit.”

“The EDC is a connector and a convener.”

Vega did go for it, and, eventually, several teams of interviewers agreed that there was indeed a good match between this job’s demands and Vega’s diverse résumé, which also includes everything from entrepreneurship — he was a freelance film editor and then a yoga studio owner — to two terms as a Holyoke city councilor and then four terms as a state representative.

Thus, he ultimately prevailed in a lengthy, national search, and will take the helm on Jan. 2. Before then, and even moreso after, he said he’ll doing a lot of listening — to EDC board members, mayors, business owners, property owners, developers, and area economic development leaders.

The plan is to take what he’s heard and use his vast experience to blueprint what will be the next chapter for the EDC, a membership-based organization formed roughly 30 years ago with a broad charge of making the 413 more competitive, taking a more regional approach to economic development, and creating a stronger voice for this area statewide.

While Vega will develop a more formal set of goals and priorities in the months and years to come, he told BusinessWest he has some initial thoughts.

“We have not done a good job of marketing Western Mass.”

They include everything from creating regular, industry-based roundtables — similar to the ones he staged in Holyoke and that many attendees, including Sullivan, thought should be regional in nature — to more aggressive efforts to tell the region’s story and market the 413.

Not with newspaper and television ads, necessarily, he said, although that might be part of the equation, but through a multi-dimensional strategy that includes having a stronger presence in regional and even national gatherings, such as the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, which he attended several times as a Holyoke official.

“The last one was in St. Louis, and the one before that was in Chicago,” he said, adding that communities across the country gather to hear strategies about addressing vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties. “You hear these presentations from Chicago, Detroit, big cities and small towns, on how to reactivate these spaces. I’ve been to these conferences on vacant buildings and transportation — there’s so much networking going on at these events, and we need to be out there.”

Aaron Vega (right), seen here with Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, says the region needs to do a better job of promoting itself and its many assets.

Meanwhile, he said another priority is to work with area cities and towns to create more of the shovel-ready land that developers are increasingly demanding.

Still another priority is to increase awareness within the local business community of what the EDC is, how it functions, and what role it can play, if any, with the many pressing issues in this region.

“The EDC is a connector and a convener,” he said, settling on those two words to describe the agency, adding that he wants to put even more emphasis on regional collaboration on issues such as housing and east-west rail.

Pulling on the Same Rope

As noted near the top, Vega spent several years doing freelance film editing work for creators that included Ken Burns and his eight-part series on the history of jazz.

One project Vega worked on was “Race to the Moon,” an American Experience episode that told the story of Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, in late 1968. He referenced it as he talked about his approach to his new job, problem solving in general, and one question during one of his final interviews (concerning policies relating to airports) that he didn’t have an answer to.

“Every single challenge they had putting together those Apollo missions … when they would encounter a new obstacle or challenge, they would bring in a person who could fix it — they kept expanding their team,” he explained. “If I don’t know how to do something, let’s bring in the person who does.

“If we do our job in Western Mass. of bringing in these companies that are coming out of UMass and elsewhere and they grow here and we create new housing opportunities … people are going to take the train to come out here to work.”

“If a group of people can come together and put us on the moon, a group of people in Western Mass. who are smart and have all these abilities can come together and figure out what we need to get done,” he went on, adding that this will be the organization’s mindset moving forward.

Overall, Vega has a broad, diverse background working in many different settings to call on as he approaches his next challenge.

Indeed, while editing films, he also opened his own small business, Vega Yoga & Movement Arts, operating it for more than 15 years. And in 2010 (the year he became one of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty honorees), the Holyoke native won an at-large seat on the Holyoke City Council, eventually serving two terms.

He then moved from City Hall to the State House, capturing the first of four two-year terms in 2013, before returning to Holyoke to become director of the Planning and Economic Development Office.

Vega told BusinessWest that, while each career stop provided invaluable experience that will help him with his latest career challenge, that is especially true of his time in Holyoke.

Indeed, over the past five years, he’s been part of several key initiatives, from the growth, and subsequent decline, of a cannabis cluster in the city to the emergence of new clean energy and food-tech companies, such as Sublime Systems and Clean Crop Technologies; from the designation of the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center as state’s hub for artificial intelligence and quantum computing to the years-long effort to convert the long-vacant Farr Alpaca complex into 88 units of mixed-income housing for adults 55 and over.

“I understand how these things happen — how do businesses locate? How do housing developments happen? How do you put together a $40 million financial stack to make 88 units of housing together?” he said, adding that his experience on the ground, and the relationships he’s forged — with those in the State House, regionally, and locally — will also be assets in his new role with the EDC.

Returning to those thoughts about the EDC being a connector and convener, Vega said issues such as the housing crisis and the 413’s declining population require a regional approach and a high level of collaboration among area cities and towns. And that’s one example of how the EDC might be able to help identify key issues for the region, set goals, and develop strategies to meet them.

“If we want to think about Western Mass. as a hub, we need a population goal for Western Mass. because this region is bleeding population, especially among younger people, ages 24 to 45,” he said. “If we say we have a population goal for the region — 20,000, 30,000, whatever the number is — over the next 10 to 15 years, then every municipality is going to have a role in that.

“Our small towns are going to have to bring on four to 10 units of housing, while our Holyokes and Westfields are going to have to bring on hundreds of units of housing,” he continued. “How do we work together to make sure we’re pulling on the same rope? A lot of people say, ‘pull in the same direction.’ I’m saying that we need to pull on the same rope together.”

Selling the Region

And while getting communities to pull on that same rope, the EDC should also be continuing to stress a regional approach to economic development, Vega said, while spearheading better efforts to promote the region and its assets.

“We have not done a good job of marketing Western Mass.” he said. “We should be talking about the health systems we have and the education systems we have, and the idea that you can live in a farmhouse if you want and be in downtown Springfield or downtown Holyoke in 20 minutes, even without public transportation. I think we should talk about the fact that Western Mass. believes in science, believes in education, believes in opportunities.

“Maybe that story isn’t being told, but we need to make sure that, if the EDC is out there telling the story, the chambers are telling the story, the mayors are telling the story — everyone is telling the same story,” he said, citing the example of Lowell, which he acknowledged is a city and not a region, where there was a solid, consistent message about the ‘Lowell plan.’ “The message in Lowell was so strong that the barbershops were talking about it, as well as the mayor.”

He noted that, under Sullivan, the EDC has done a solid job of creating a strong voice for the region on a statewide level and making sure Western Mass. is part of statewide initiatives, and these efforts must continue as part of those broader efforts to promote the area and prompt businesses to look this way when considering expansion or additional locations.

“When those Boston-based firms are looking for R&D or prototyping, they don’t need to look any further than Western Mass.,” he said. “If they need a second location or warehouse space or their manufacturing done, it’s way too costly to manufacture inside the 495 belt. These firms should be creating partnerships and doing that manufacturing out here; we have great manufacturers and companies that can help with research and development. These connections need to be made stronger.

“People in Boston don’t know what we make out here,” he continued. “So when they look for service or they look for something, they look at the West Virginias; they look out of state before they look in-state. We need to change that.”

Summing up the challenge — and opportunity — for the EDC and the region, as well as perhaps his own job description, to some extent, Vega returned to the subject of east-west rail and what would be the best-case scenario.

“A lot of people talk about east-west rail coming and how that will be a benefit for people in Western Mass. to get on the train and go to Boston or Worcester and go to work,” he said. “But if we do our job in Western Mass. of bringing in these companies that are coming out of UMass and elsewhere and they grow here and we create new housing opportunities … people are going to take the train to come out here to work.

“That’s a shift in mindset that needs to happen,” he went on, adding that this just one of his goals as he takes on his next career challenge.

Sarah Rose Stack

By George O'Brien October 23, 2025

Women of Impact 2025

Lecturer of Public Relations, UMass Amherst

Grounded in the Arts, She’s Had Many Accomplishments of Note

Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

Sarah Rose Stack counts several mentors and influencers in her life — from her sister, Theresa, to her husband, Ryan, who has supported her in everything she’s done, to the accountants at the firm she would work for. But she always starts those discussions by referencing two music teachers — one in middle school and the other in high school.

Both inspired a passion for the arts that lives on today and influences virtually every aspect of her life (more on this later), but they did more than that. In short, they helped convince her that her challenging life — being raised by a single mother at or just below the poverty line, and at times homeless — shouldn’t limit her ambitions.

“They started to make me realize that I could be capable of something beyond just surviving,” Stack recalled, adding that they became surrogate parents in some ways, providing her with everything from quiet space in which to study and escape that home life to invaluable lessons on how teachers need to support their students in any way they can — lessons she applies today as a lecturer of Public Relations at UMass Amherst.

“That’s why there’s food here, there’s drinks here … I have a very, very, very open-door policy,” she said while talking with BusinessWest in her office at the Integrated Learning Center. “I have a student who’s not in any of my classes anymore, but she asked me to help her pick an outfit for an interview and do practice questions … that means a lot to me when students reach out to me like that, and I always try to be there for them.”

Stack has taken a circuitous route to her current position, putting aside music and the arts (at least as a profession) after coming up one credit shy of what she needed to graduate from UMass Amherst with a music degree as she tried to balance school and life, and thus being unable to speak at commencement, as she was chosen to do — although she would go back and do it later when she earned that degree.

This otherwise dark moment ultimately helped shape her in a positive way by taking her down a different career path — working first as an executive for the billion-dollar e-commerce company SHOP.COM, then for the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka (MBK) and, eventually, UMass.

Today, Stack balances life at home with work (including the Stack Group, the consulting firm she co-owns with Ryan), the arts (on many different levels), and involvement in the community, squeezing every hour out of every day — except Sunday, which is reserved for family.

Indeed, while providing guidance and support to her younger son, Ethan, with college applications and her older son, Jordan, as he pursues a legal studies degree at UMass Amherst, she teaches three courses at the university (four next semester) while also managing several interns.

“They started to make me realize that I could be capable of something beyond just surviving.”

Meanwhile, she’s teaching dance one night a week; choregraphing a production of Sweeney Todd at the Little Theatre of Manchester (Conn.) set for November; preparing to star in a theatrical performance she couldn’t name just yet, opting only for ‘razzle dazzle’; and laying the groundwork for the return of a program she created called Build a Prom, which provides prom dresses, suits, and accessories to those in need. And that’s just a partial list.

She’s also a consultant to MBK on marketing matters and serves as a role model and mentor to students, young professionals, and artists of all kinds. Katrina Arona, her successor at MBK, is one of them.

Sarah Rose Stack (pictured with her husband, Ryan) says she strives to be the kind of game-changing teacher she had while studying music in her youth.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

“She plants the seeds with me, and I sprout from there,” Arona said, adding that advice has come on specific marketing initiatives as well as broad realms of working with people and solving problems. “She’s like that good player on a soccer team that enables everyone around her to play better.”

Sound Advice

When Stack says she couldn’t take anything for granted growing up in New Jersey, she means it.

And that includes having a place to live.

“I probably moved more times before I was in high school than most people do in a lifetime,” she recalled. “I Iived in a hotel for a little while, and in a church for a little while, with family, with friends.”

She said her mother worked three jobs to support her three children and, understandably, wasn’t around much.

Which brings her back to her music teachers. One of them, ‘Mr. Lorreti,’ got her started in music and gave her a euphonium, a close cousin of the trombone and tuba, which she would go on to play in several bands and focus on in her college major. Then, in high school, there was a teacher known to all as ‘Mrs. G,’ who helped her manage those difficult years.

“I consider myself an accomplished artist in music and dance, and I got a lot of my fundamentals from my music teachers with regard to technique,” she explained. “But they were there for everything. I remember being so stressed about getting homework done … the house was crazy, and I was allowed to go to the music room and work on things during off periods; she [Mrs. G] would never tell me to leave. I could go there for a quiet moment and work on an English paper.

“Those arts teachers … they give you so much than the lessons,” she went on. “My mother was a single mom raising three kids and working three jobs, so we rarely got to see her. She worked so hard, and she did her best. But it’s interesting how these arts teachers were like second and third parents.”

Stack had a few music scholarship offers, including one to Rutgers, but chose to pay to attend UMass Amherst for its strong faculty and institutions like its marching band, which she never did play in because she was involved in so much else.

She took on school in aggressive fashion, accruing far more credits per semester than the norm, while also meeting Ryan, also a music major. She became pregnant her junior year, took a year off to be with her son, Jordan, and then returned to school to finish, but, as noted earlier, came up one credit shy due to some challenges with balancing life and school.

“Things were different then — people weren’t so accommodating with non-traditional situations,” she explained. “One of my required classes started at 8 a.m., but childcare didn’t open until 8:30. That was problematic. Two times a week, I would drop Jordan off at 8:30, park in the football lot, and sprint to this class 40 minutes late.”

“They really showed me how to set boundaries for myself. They told me that if I don’t take care of my whole person, I’m not going to be a good employee. That was such a shift for me, and it stuck with me.”

She passed the class but, as noted, couldn’t take the final, in-person exam, and thus couldn’t speak at commencement and had to put aside her dream of playing euphonium with the ‘The President’s Own’ United States Marine Band.

“I took some time off, and that was when I just thought … ‘I hate music, I hate everything,’ and I started working for SHOP.COM,” she said, noting that she started in sales and worked her way up to director of Business Integration.

It was a job that took her around the world, and she enjoyed most aspects of it, but as her children grew older, she desired something more grounded. So she took the job at MBK as director of Marketing and Recruiting, thinking it would be the “the most boring job I ever had.”

But it wasn’t. It was another learning experience on many levels, and one where she would gain more confidence and life skills.

Sarah Rose Stack (in the pink cap) leads one of the many dance classes she teaches weekly.

“They really showed me how to set boundaries for myself,” she noted. “They told me that if I don’t take care of my whole person, I’m not going to be a good employee. That was such a shift for me, and it stuck with me.”

The Next Stage

Always seeking new challenges professionally, Stack found one in the School of Journalism at UMass Amherst. There she teaches “Writing for PR,” “Research & Analytics,” “Social Media for PR,” and other courses while also trying the follow the lead set by the teachers who were so impactful in her life.

While her career has taken her to the corporate world and then academia, the arts remain a huge part of her life — performing, choreographing, teaching, mentoring, inspiring, and also playing in a few orchestras, including one featured in a recent performance of Shrek.

As noted, she teaches dance — everything from ballet and pointe to ‘Broadway jazz’ — one day a week at Nutmeg’s Dance & Theatre Co. in Southwick, where she’s taught for 20 years.

She also choreographs shows for several area groups, including the Little Theatre of Manchester, the Opera House Players, Renbrook Prep School, High Wire Acts, Seat of Our Pants Productions, and the Massachusetts Academy of Ballet. Specific performances include A Chorus Line, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Grease, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid, and many others.

While work and the arts are separate worlds for Stack, they interconnect in many ways, especially with the way in which her training in the arts has made her better in her more recent career roles.

“All of my music and dance training played a huge role in all of my marketing and design choices,” she explained. “When you think about video design or storytelling, writing, or any of that stuff, the cadence of things … where there’s space, where things speed up, where things are longer than they need to be — all of that is very musical to me.

“When I write something, I’ll always read it out loud and say, ‘does this sing? Does it sound monotonous, or does it sing? Are there good pauses? Does it flow nicely?’” she went on. “It’s the same with video design when it comes to how things move, physical space, tempo … all those things play a huge role in how things are visually processed; I do think there are a lot of transferable skills.

“If I were to do a doctorate, this is exactly what my dissertation would be on,” she continued. “Dance and music as a universal language as it relates to behavior change.”

Pausing for a moment, Stack seemed to take that ‘if’ out of the equation, making it sound far more like ‘when,’ as in maybe a few years from now, when there might be a little more time.

That will be the latest challenge for someone who has never shied away from one, and, in fact, always looks for the next one.

That’s just one of the myriad traits that has enabled her to excel on many different stages — both figuratively and literally — and take a bow in December as a Woman of Impact.

Amanda Sanderson

By George O'Brien October 23, 2025

Women of Impact 2025

Executive Director, Resilience Center of Franklin County

She Combines Innovation with Compassion, Authenticity

Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

Amanda Sanderson says she owes a lot of who she is, what she does, and what drives her personally and professionally to her family, especially her mother.

“She’s a survivor of sexual and domestic violence,” Sanderson explained. “And each time she was in a situation that was unsafe, and her children’s safety was threatened, she had to find this store of extreme resilience to leave, support her children, rebuild her life, and make sure we were all safe.”

Elaborating, Sanderson said she grew up in a blended family with siblings and stepsiblings who had different needs, and she watched as her parents fought for their rights and the various forms of support they needed.

Such experiences — and the desire to help others find within them that same level of resilience her mother and stepfather exhibited — have taken Sanderson to career stops at nonprofits in Birmingham, Ala., Boston, and now Greenfield, where she serves as executive director of the Resilience Center of Franklin County (RCFC), formerly known as the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT).

That’s a mouthful, and a name that needed to be changed, she said, to reflect that the organization serves survivors of all gender identities and sexual orientation and puts an emphasis on resilience.

And rebranding has been just one of many items on a large to-do list since she arrived nearly two and a half years ago.

Indeed, she has guided the agency — funded through the Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance — through might be called a period of renewal and transformation, handing internal challenges, enhancing its physical space, and expanding client services (including access to food, emergency assistance funds, and a welcoming visitation center), while also overseeing record-breaking fundraising and increased grant support.

Lainie DeCoursy, a board member with the RCFC who nominated Sanderson to be a Woman of Impact, described her as a “visionary nonprofit leader,” convener, collaborator, and a clear, strong voice when it comes to raising awareness about domestic and sexual violence.

“Amanda has been a key driver of regional coalitions of more than 40 nonprofits, amplifying the collective voice for health and human services across Franklin County and North Quabbin,” she wrote. “She is a strong advocate for the role of community-based organizations in fostering resilience, often emphasizing the ripple effect of nonprofit work — that thriving individuals and families are the foundation of strong communities.

“She combines bold innovation with compassion and authenticity,” DeCoursy went on, crediting Sanderson with providing strong leadership at a time of funding challenges and policy shifts and expanding holistic services to survivors and families by growing access to a basic needs and food pantry, introducing client transportation through a new agency van (helping meet a critical void in the county), and launching several innovative support groups. “A champion of equity, sustainability, and survivor-centered care, she has made services more holistic and more accessible, while engaging hundreds of community supporters.”

“A champion of equity, sustainability, and survivor-centered care, she has made services more holistic and more accessible, while engaging hundreds of community supporters.”

While Sanderson said much has been accomplished over the past few years, she’s looking ahead to the next challenges, both short-term — managing through serious threats to funding at the state and national levels — and long-term, including the need for different types of housing to effectively serve those in transition.

Amanda Sanderson has expanded access to a basic needs and food pantry, as well as other holistic services, at a challenging time for nonprofits.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

“I think of it as a three-phase problem — we need emergency short-term housing for people who need two, three, four days for the plan that they have to come to fruition; we need transitional housing, which is one to two years, for people who have left the situation they were in and now need a place where they can rebuild; and we need long-term permanent housing options,” she explained, adding that solutions will not come easily and will require collaboration among the region’s nonprofits.

This drive to keep looking ahead at the next challenges and finding needed solutions helps explain why she is a Woman of Impact.

Lessons from a Tiny Town

When Sanderson says she grew up in a small town in Northern Vermont, she puts extra emphasis on small.

“The town I grew up in was technically a town only because it had a post office,” she explained. “There were no schools, no general stores … we had to go down the mountain to get to the next town, which had a general store, but no gas station; it was 25 or 30 minutes to the nearest gas station, so you had to plan accordingly.

“And it’s still like that, although we now have a stoplight for the first time; we went from a four-way stop sign to a stoplight in 2019,” she went on, adding that, while such small towns have unique challenges, they share problems with communities of all sizes, and it was this knowledge, coupled with what she saw and experienced growing up, that inspired the career path she chose.

“All of those things that I witnessed or experienced instilled a lot of compassion — and a belief that, with the right support, people can accomplish the things they want to accomplish,” she noted. “And I think nonprofits are the glue, a bridge between what the government should be doing for people and what people want and need.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in arts, peace, and justice studies at St. Michael’s College in Vermont, she left the Northeast for Birmingham, serving as a AmeriCorps state volunteer for Impact America, working as a middle school debate coach, providing free vision screenings to children enrolled in daycare across 20 Alabama counties, and serving in the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program as a tax preparer and volunteer tax site manager in Selma and Montgomery.

“Through my studies, it became clear that the best way to learn about the world was to see a little bit of it,” she said. “And Birmingham is an excellent place to go if you’re curious about different parts of the country. And what I learned is that the problems are similar pretty much everywhere, and people are the same pretty much everywhere.”

“Everything we do has to be grounded in serving the survivors of sexual and domestic violence, building awareness in the community, and strengthening the quality of the culture here so people can do trauma work and be OK.”

Sanderson would spend four years in the Deep South, eventually serving as program manager for Impact America’s SpeakFirst program, supervising 17 middle and high school debate coaches while directly coaching 24 high school debaters and also expanding college readiness efforts through innovative programming and support initiatives.

In 2018, she joined City Year Inc., a Boston-based nonprofit focused on helping young people stay on track academically and graduate from high school ready for college. There, she managed and coached teams of six to eight AmeriCorps members who work with Greater Boston high school students.

While earning a master’s degree in higher education administration at Boston College, she served as a graduate resident director and also served as a sexual assault network advocate at the Boston College Women’s Center, working on call for its confidential hotline supporting survivors of sexual assault.

After earning that degree, she saw an opening for the co-executive director’s position at NELCWIT and decided this should be her next challenge. The job opportunity was part of it, and being just a few miles from Vermont and her family was another part.

She applied, got the job, and moved to Greenfield the same day she graduated, and was at work the following day.

Almost immediately, there were challenges that needed to be addressed internally, while also focusing on the mission and creating ways to better carry it out.

Indeed, the person hired to be the other co-executive director did not work out, she noted, and within a few weeks of being hired, Sanderson was named acting executive director, while soon also serving as acting program manager as well.

Amanda Sanderson, center, with Joan Featherman, left, one of the founders of the Resilience Center of Franklin County, and Pam Brown, a long-time director, as the agency recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.

“In the first few months, I was just working on understanding what the staff needs were and understanding what our community relations were, where our priorities lay, and what we were doing to serve survivors,” she explained. “After I got that information, I really started to understand where our areas of improvement were.

“I was lucky enough to have someone on the staff I thought would be an incredible program director,” she went on. “I encouraged her to apply, and I started building a team of people that has the same priorities as I do.”

Building Resilience

When asked about those priorities, she said it comes down to meeting needs within the community, helping survivors tap that reservoir of resilience she believes is in everyone, and supporting staff members, most of whom are survivors of abuse themselves, in every way possible.

“Everything we do has to be grounded in serving the survivors of sexual and domestic violence, building awareness in the community, and strengthening the quality of the culture here so people can do trauma work and be OK,” she explained. “There was a lot of turnover when I started because people were getting burned out from hearing really difficult things and not having the support they needed.”

Elaborating, she said the agency became more thoughtful about pay, time off, and “making sure, if you come to do this work, that we’re being as supportive a workplace as we possibly can be.”

While doing that, Sanderson has been working to strengthen coalitions and collaborative efforts, knowing that, in rural areas, persistent problems cannot be solved by one agency.

In Franklin County, there are many such problems, including transportation, (or a lack thereof), substance abuse, a shortage of jobs and career opportunities, and, in many cases, a lack of understanding of the problems unique to rural areas on the part of many of the judges who come to serve in the county (most are from the Boston area) and even the state police that provide much of the public safety.

“The size of the communities can create more support for people, but it also makes it harder to fly under the radar and operate with anonymity,” she explained, adding that those who file restraining orders are far more likely to run into their abuser in a town with one grocery store than in a big city. “There are safety concerns that people do not consider if they’re not from a rural area.”

And then, there’s the housing issue.

“We need housing options that suit the area, and I’m looking into how nonprofits can work together to create supportive housing to answer some of that need and demand,” Sanderson told BusinessWest. “I’m not seeing any traditional solutions that meet our pipeline issue, and although there’s some backlash against housing-first policies, we’ve seen a lot of success once someone is rooted to a place — they have a place where they can give an address so they can get a job and enroll their children in school; DCF won’t be involved if they have a home. Those are just some of the aspects to the whole healing process.”

She noted that her mother recently earned a bachelor’s degree through Southern New Hampshire University.

“It’s something she always wanted to do,” Sanderson told BusinessWest, adding that her mother was one of the few in her own family to graduate from high school. “She wants to work with homeless youth because she was, at one time, a homeless youth.”

This new chapter in that story adds more emphasis to Sanderson’s comments earlier about how, if given the right support, people can accomplish what they need to accomplish.

It also helps explain why, when Sanderson thinks about the path she didn’t choose — a career in business, probably in a large urban center like Boston — she doesn’t think about it for long.

She’s quite content with the path she did choose, and what she’s done on that path — become a Woman of Impact.

Rania Kfuri

By George O'Brien October 23, 2025

Women of Impact 2025

Vice President for Philanthropy, Sales, and Marketing, Glenmeadow

She Brings Energy, Positivity to Everything She Does

Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

When asked about her basic approach to life and work — and, later, about her best advice to young people, and especially women — Rania Kfuri said that, in both cases, it comes down to the same two-word phrase: show up.

By that, she meant being ambitious, giving back, supporting others, effectively balancing work and life in a way that would yield success at both, and always reaching higher.

She also meant following a tradition of community involvement set by several generations of her family — on both sides, and especially the women, something we’ll hear more about in a bit.

And she also meant literally showing up, as she does, at gatherings of all kinds, including BusinessWest’s events. Indeed, Kfuri, a proud former introvert, spoke early and often about the power of networking and connectivity, and how, because of that, she counts many of BusinessWest’s Women of Impact, including several from this year’s class, as friends.

She’s joining their ranks … well, because she does show up, and always has, whether while working for the mayor of Chicago; or as an entrepreneur who developed a unique travel bag for young parents; or while working at Smith College, which she served in several roles; or as a Philanthropy officer for Baystate Health; or as a board member for nonprofits that include the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, Stanley Park, Revitalize CDC, and Girls on the Run.

Or in her current role as vice president of Philanthropy, Sales, and Marketing at the Glenmeadow senior living in facility in Longmeadow.

That’s a broad title with many responsibilities that are all connected and represent some of her passions, especially philanthropy, she explained.

“There’s such an intersectionality between these three areas — I wish more organizations would see it that way,” said Kfuri, a first-generation Lebanese-American whose parents came to this country when her father, a physician, did his residency here, and stayed as war continued to rage in Lebanon. “Collaboration and communication are so important for an organization, and all three of these areas are very closely related.

“Sales, marketing, and philanthropy should all be communicating together, using the same streamlined language, and communicating the same mission,” she went on, adding that it’s her job to make sure they do.

But it’s not so much what she does within that broad job title that makes her a Woman of Impact, but how she does it — and what else she does.

“Her energy and positivity are contagious and help us all to see the benefits of collaboration and connectivity,” wrote Kathy Martin, president and CEO of Glenmeadow as she nominated Kfuri for this award. “She puts community first and is a quiet but impactful leader. From her service to a great many organizations and causes, she is often the nexus of an impressive web of overlapping relationships that, taken as a whole, move Western Mass. forward.”

“She puts community first and is a quiet but impactful leader.”

Dawn Creighton, a community outreach officer with Liberty Bank, who also nominated Kfuri, agreed, calling her an inspiration on many fronts.

“She is a beacon of positivity no matter what is happening in the world,” Creighton wrote. “I admire her tremendous balance of work and family life. Rania embodies engaging her girls in all she does so they understand what being a good steward to the community looks like. She is a walking judgment-free zone and will help anyone without explanation, requiring just a smile of gratitude. I love her passion for family, life, and our community.”

She’s far from alone in that sentiment, and this helps explain why Kfuri has been named a Woman of Impact.

Root Causes

Kfuri says she can thank family members for many of the traits she exhibits today.

Indeed, she said it was her brother, Kerim, a successful entrepreneur, who helped her overcome shyness and eventually become a dynamic networker and collaborator.

Rania Kfuri, right, counts Revitalize CDC as one of the many area agencies and causes to which she has donated time and talent.

“This is an acquired skill; I was not like this naturally … I was almost afraid of people when I was younger,” she recalled. “And my brother, who’s an extrovert, said, ‘you’re never going to have any fun, you’ve never going to get anything done if you don’t just go talk to people.’ He made me fearless to be social.”

Meanwhile, she said her parents and other members of her extended family going back several generations have served as effective role models when it comes to everything from giving back and helping others to being entrepreneurial.

“My parents’ home became a community hub for people who were also immigrating to the United States from Lebanon,” she explained. “And the nature of my parents being that way is because of the families they were raised by in Lebanon.

“He really instilled in my mom, who instilled it in me, the importance of being present in your community — being a doer.”

“My great-grandmother on my mother’s side was the head of the women’s group of the Greek Orthodox Church in Beirut,” Kfuri went on. “She was a very strong woman, a community-oriented woman who helped a lot of women who were widowed with employment opportunities and things of that nature. And that is how she identified my grandfather, my mom’s dad, who was also a family medicine physician, to be a great partner for my grandmother — because he also really believed in being a participant in community.

“He really instilled in my mom, who instilled it in me, the importance of being present in your community — being a doer,” she continued. “That’s in the fabric of my family, and the same goes for my father’s side, where my grandmother, in her earlier years in Lebanon … if you didn’t have a table to sit at and have dinner at, you were welcome at her table.”

These qualities, which she is now passing down to her children, helped shaped Kfuri as she grew up in Baltimore, and she eventually graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. with a political science degree and dreams of working in the State Department overseas.

Rania Kfuri continues a long tradition among several generations of her extended family when it comes to getting involved and giving back.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

She entered law school at Marquette University in Milwaukee, but didn’t enjoy that experience and returned to American University to earn a master’s degree in ethics, peace, and global affairs and forge new dreams of returning to Lebanon and doing peace building.

All that changed when she met her husband, then doing his residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, not through a dating website, as she recalled, but a ‘finding your roots in Lebanon’ website.

But that’s another story. Fast-forwarding this one, Rania and her husband eventually came to Western Mass. as he joined Baystate Health (he’s now chief of Gastroenterology there), and she starting writing new chapters in an intriguing career.

One of the first involved entrepreneurship, developing travel bags for parents with young children under the name Free Like Birdie, with Birdie being a nickname for her older daughter. The bags were a huge success — they were sold through Kohl’s, diapers.com, Amazon, and other outlets — but she eventually reached a critical crossroads.

“My younger daughter was about to start preschool five days a week, and my company was in a place where I was talking to QVC, and it either needed to grow, meaning I needed to build out a team, or it should close,” she recalled. “I decided that it had been a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it, but it was the right time to close.”

She then took a part-time position as an administrative assistant at the Solidago Foundation in Northampton and later worked at Smith College, first as assistant director of the Annual Fund and then as assistant director of International Alumni Relations.

She enjoyed her time at Smith, but was drawn to healthcare — many family members work in that broad realm — and took a job as a Philanthropy officer with Baystate Health in 2022.

“I wanted to help support the healthcare system because my dad used to teach public health at Johns Hopkins, and I know that regions can become healthcare deserts, and I don’t want that to happen to Western Mass.,” she said. “I’m always a cheerleader for Baystate.”

Connecting the Dots

Kfuri joined Glenmeadow a year ago, taking on a role that makes each day different and presents myriad opportunities to do what she perhaps does best — promoting and building community in all its forms.

“Community grows here, and in many different ways,” she explained, listing everything from the relationships between residents and staff to community gatherings (she calls them cocktail parties), to regular ‘town hall gatherings’ where residents can ask Martin questions and get answers.

Community also refers to connecting residents to the larger community, she went on, be it through trips to area attractions and institutions — there was one recently to the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne — to programs with partners such as the Community Music School and Square One. “We’re always looking to create spaces of joy,” she explained.

Reflecting on her approach to life and work, Kfuri summoned a phrase she attributes to an English teacher at the McDonogh School in Maryland: ‘you should care, you should dare, and you should share.’

“She would say that all the time,” Kfuri said. “And it re-emphasized that you shouldn’t be waiting for someone else to do the thing; you should be doing the thing. And that’s such an important part of whom I am as a person. Between my family and school, the culture was, ‘you have to show up.’

She continues to do so, and thus, there are many parts to who Kfuri is, starting with a strong work ethic and drive to succeed, a collaborative approach to her work, and a willingness to get involved in the community.

“In her work at Glenmeadow, she champions a person-centered approach to the functions she oversees and has transformed our organization by the outcomes and approaches to her work,” Martin wrote. “It’s about more than filling apartments; it’s about welcoming new members of our community in ways that honor the lives they’ve lived already and creating pathways for them to continue to thrive. She has made us better on every level.”

In the community, meanwhile, Kfuri has become involved with a wide range of groups and causes, from Revitalize CDC to Girls on the Run to the city of Westfield, where she served on a master plan committee.

But beyond that, she serves as a convener and a motivator, always seeking to broaden and strengthen the core of women leaders in the region. She hosts an annual dinner at her home, inviting those women leaders to gather and discuss ways to be empowered — and utilize that power to better the region.

“I don’t think that calling yourself an ambitious woman is a bad thing — ambition is not a dirty word,” she told BusinessWest. “I do, though, also believe that, as women, we need to support other women, and I would love to see more women genuinely support other women.”

With those efforts, as with other aspects of her life, it all comes back to where she started this conversation — with showing up … and being a Woman of Impact.

Tracy Friedenberg

By George O'Brien October 23, 2025

Women of Impact 2025

Executive Director, Bacon Wilson, P.C.

She’s Made a Career of Giving Others the Tools to Succeed

Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

Tracy Friedenberg recalls working for a tech consulting company in Holyoke (the ill-fated Data Profit) not long after graduating from UMass Amherst in the mid-’90s, and quickly discovering what she wasn’t doing — and ultimately needed to do — for a living.

She started as a receptionist and very quickly moved to office manager and then executive assistant, and over the course of that rapid advancement, she made a critical discovery.

“I realized in those moments that I really loved business,” said Friedenberg, who had designs (pun intended) on the fashion industry and being a buyer for a major retailer while in college. “But what I loved more was being on the operations side and making sure that, behind the scenes, everything ran smoothly.

“I knew very early on that sales wasn’t necessarily my thing — I wasn’t that person who was going to go out and get the clients,” she went on. “But I wanted to make sure that the organization and the people in the organization had what they needed to be successful, so the people who were practicing whatever they were practicing could do what they needed to do. And that has carried with me through my entire career.”

Indeed, it has, through a series of jobs at MassMutual, a lengthy stint at the Hartford-based law firm Day Pitney, and, since 2023, for the Springfield-based law firm Bacon Wilson.

There, she serves as executive director, a title that comes with a broad range of responsibilities — everything from day-to-day HR duties to working with other firm leaders on long-term matters, from the impact of AI on the legal profession to where the new courthouse in Springfield might go, and what they will mean operationally — and we’ll get into some of that later.

“I knew very early on that sales wasn’t necessarily my thing — I wasn’t that person who was going to go out and get the clients. But I wanted to make sure that the organization and the people in the organization had what they needed to be successful, so the people who were practicing whatever they were practicing could do what they needed to do. And that has carried with me through my entire career.”

But at Bacon Wilson, and her many other career stops, it’s not the lines on her job description that have made her a Woman of Impact, but how she has carried them out, often going what most would consider above and beyond, while also getting involved in the community at the same time.

Tracy Friedenberg has been described as a selfless, compassionate leader, one who drives organizational success but also champions the growth and well-being of those around her.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

“Tracy is the kind of leader who not only drives an organization forward, but also ensures that every individual within it feels seen, valued, and cared for,” said Alayna Anderson, marketing coordinator for Bacon Wilson, who nominated her for this award. “She exemplifies compassion, strength, and service in everything she does. Her heart is always in the right place — committed to making a difference for the people and community she serves.”

Reflecting on what drives her, what she’s been able to accomplish, how she’s been influenced by mentors, and how she now mentors others, Friedenberg credits her parents, Bruce, who passed away last year, and Cecilia, as well as the Springfield school system, for giving her what she’s needed to be successful.

The schools instilled in her a thirst for learning and spawned a passion for everything from business to the Spanish language, with which she can still hold her own, she explained, while her parents, both hard workers, gave her inspiration, a solid foundation, and critical lessons, especially about the need to be accountable for everything one does with and during her life.

“My parents were and are a big part of whom I am,” she told BusinessWest. “They were hard workers. They weren’t necessary knocking it out of the park from a corporate standpoint, but I always learned the value of hard work from them, doing it for yourself, and treating people the way you want to be treated.

“I learned so much from them, and especially my mom,” she went on, echoing what has become a common theme among this year’s honorees. “She made a career out of customer service — she worked for 35 years at Springfield College in the food service department. Watching my mom work and watching her get joy out of serving people and helping them … really resonated with me. She took so much pride in everything she did. It didn’t matter if she was making a coffee or cleaning a counter or counting a cash drawer; having that pride in what she did and doing it well always resonated with me.”

Learning Experiences

Turning back the clock 30 years to her time at Data Profit, one of many tech companies that rose and fell in the ’90s or early 2000s, Friedenberg said it was a learning experience on many levels.

“I was the executive assistant to the number two and number three individuals in charge, and I was privy to a lot of information,” she recalled. “They had filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and then it ended up being Chapter 7, and there were a lot of things going on. I would be in these difficult meetings with the leadership team; they were sitting there, and they literally had names on whiteboards, and they had to figure out who was going to be let go.

“It was at this age of 24 and 25 that I started to recognize some of the things that I knew I didn’t want to do or some of the ways I didn’t want to lead or manage,” she explained, adding that she has been shaped by every career stop and, long before that, her time in the Springfield schools and then UMass Amherst.

Tracing her career steps, Friedenberg said she moved from Data Profit to MassMutual, where she worked for nearly seven years, assuming titles ranging from College Relations manager to director of Corporate Human Resources.

“People are people, and, yes, we have work to do, and people have to be responsible and accountable for that, but we all are human, too. You can’t have people working for you and forget that they’re human beings.”

While at MassMutual, she was influenced by several managers and mentors, including one she served as an executive assistant who surprised her with a question she wasn’t really expecting.

“I had been there a few weeks … he came in one day and said, ‘where are you going to go in the company — what area do we need to move you to?’” she recalled. “I was a taken aback by that at first and said, ‘did I do something wrong?’ He said, ‘no, you have the ability to do more than this role requires, and I hired you for the company, not just this role.’

“Throughout your life, you have things that people say to you that stick with you,” she went on. “And that was one of them; that has resonated with me throughout my career. When I’ve been in a position to hire, I take a look at individuals not just for the role I’m trying to fill, which is important, but for their potential in general.”

In 2007, she began a 14-year stint with Day Pitney, a large firm with 13 offices and more than 600 employees. There, she held a variety of titles and had myriad responsibilities while gaining experience in some new realms, including work helping to manage some acquisitions and facility moves, and managing the IT Department.

Overall, she sharpened her skills when it became to being the person behind the scenes giving those around her the tools they needed to succeed.

After 15 years with the firm, she started to get “a little bored,” she said, and took on a new challenge, becoming chief of staff for Odin, a remote role that she wasn’t in long before she realized it wasn’t the right space for her.

Tracy Friedenberg says she’s long been inspired by the strong work ethic demonstrated by her parents.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

Ultimately, her position was eliminated, and this led to what she called the “summer of Tracy,” what she described as a period of reflection, taking her time deciding what she wanted to do next, and getting even more engaged in the community — with her daughter’s school as president of its PTO and as president of the Dress for Success Western Massachusetts board.

“I knew I wanted to be in this community again,” she explained. “I was born and raised in Springfield — I’ve lived here my whole life, and I still live here — and working in Hartford all those years, I realized how disconnected I felt from my community.”

Work in Progress

And it was in her role as president of Dress for Success, and specifically while leading efforts to secure a new home for the nonprofit after it was evicted from the closing Eastfield Mall, that Friedenberg ultimately started down the path to her latest career stop.

As she tells the story, she needed an attorney to review the lease for the new space on Lyman Street, couldn’t touch base with the attorney the agency had been working with, and wound up calling former Central High School classmate Dan McKellick, a shareholder with Bacon Wilson, to see if he could help. He did, and while doing so, he mentioned that the firm was looking for a new executive director.

“In her nearly two years at Bacon Wilson, Tracy has transformed our organization into the best version of itself.”

She applied, after realizing how much she missed the law firm environment, was hired, and is now, in essence, focusing on the present and future of this firm while applying lessons learned at the various stops in her career.

Perhaps the biggest of these lessons involve communication, managing change — because it is seemingly constant — and always remembering the human element of the workplace.

“People are people, and, yes, we have work to do, and people have to be responsible and accountable for that, but we all are human, too,” she told BusinessWest. “You can’t have people working for you and forget that they’re human beings.”

A story shared by Anderson in her nomination brings home this sentiment.

“I experienced the sudden and tragic loss of my partner — a loss that shook me and my community,” she wrote. “Tracy stepped beyond the role of executive director and became a source of unconditional support. She cooked meals, helped care for my home and my dog, covered my work responsibilities, managed our marketing and communications, and, most importantly, gave me the space and time to grieve.

“In her nearly two years at Bacon Wilson, Tracy has transformed our organization into the best version of itself,” Anderson went on. “She has fostered a culture of inclusivity, diversity, and warmth, reshaping the way our firm is perceived both internally and within the community. Her leadership has not only elevated our operations, but has changed the narrative of what it means to belong at Bacon Wilson.”

Jeff Fialky, the firm’s managing partner, echoed those thoughts.

“Tracy has been instrumental in continuing to shape our firm’s culture and success,” he said. “She leads with empathy, strength, and brilliance, ensuring that every challenge becomes an opportunity for those around her to grow and flourish. Her influence extends well beyond our walls — she uplifts those around her.”

When asked about her work and how it might generate such comments, Friedenberg said it comes down to keeping one eye on today, the other on tomorrow, and, most importantly, being a good listener as she manages a firm, but also a workforce that spans several generations.

“One thing that I feel so grateful for is that lots of people come and talk with me throughout the day,” she said. “They’ll come to me to talk about a concern they might have — maybe it’s with a client, or maybe it’s just something with their own personal situation in their employment or something in their personal life. Or they’ll bounce an idea off me or bring ideas to me. I feel so honored that they let me into their circle of trust.”

Not everyone gets into that circle of trust. It’s reserved for those who not only listen, but respond proactively and compassionately to what they hear.

It’s reserved, in this case, for a Woman of Impact.

Rick Sullivan Reflects on Legacy of Economic Progress

By George O'Brien October 10, 2025

Rick Sullivan says the Westfield data-center project

Features

Exit Interview

By George O’Brien and Joseph Bednar

[email protected]; [email protected]

Throughout his lengthy career in public service and, most recently, within the business community, Rick Sullivan said his broad goal has always been to leave things better than he found them.

That was the case when he was mayor of Westfield for a dozen years, and also when he left that post to work for Gov. Deval Patrick in the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and then as chief of staff in the governor’s office.

And he had the same goal when he left Boston to return to the 413 and succeed Allan Blair as president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) in 2014. And he believes he’s succeeded in that mission.

Indeed, Sullivan, who will step down from that role at the end of this year, said he believes the EDC is in a better place today, with more members, more programs, and what most would say is a broader approach to its mission, one focused less on filling industrial park space (although that remains an important goal) and more on developing new business sectors, tackling workforce issues, making the region more competitive in the ongoing quest for employers and jobs, and, perhaps most importantly, growing the agency’s influence with statewide leaders and policy makers.

Elaborating, he said one of the goals he and the EDC’s membership set was for the agency to become a louder, stronger, more definitive voice for this region and its business community — and it has become that.

“The membership, at the time, was really looking for the EDC to become the lead organization in Western Massachusetts with regard to issues of business and business development and the economy — with the state, with the business leaders (mostly in Boston), with the policy centers, and the regulators,” he explained. “Because it was really felt — and I do think it’s true, and having spent some time in Boston, I really know it to be true — that when the regulators and the policy makers sit around the table down in Boston and make the rules and the policy and the laws, they don’t have a Western Mass. perspective … they don’t have a perspective of what happens on the ground in Western Massachusetts and how that’s going to impact things.

Rick Sullivan

“If the economy is doing better and people have more disposable income, then they’re buying more groceries or they’re going to the Big E … whatever they will spend their money on. And that’s going to help all of the companies that sit around my table.”

“So the membership was really looking to be the place, the clearinghouse, if you will, the go-to place, where governors, lieutenant governors, cabinet secretaries, those regulators would come and have those conversations,” he went on. “And I think we’ve been highly successful in that.”

Beyond progress on this important front, Sullivan said the EDC has made strides in other areas as well, especially when it comes to what he calls “catalyzing” new business sectors putting down roots here and that he hopes will be headquartered here, another goal for his board when he arrived.

That list includes quantum manufacturing, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and the broad realm of food science, sectors that are already making their mark here and should only grow in size and impact in the years and decades to come.

“These are sectors that are going be more important tomorrow and 10 years down the road than they even are today,” he said of these evolving industries. “AI is booming, and quantum is booming, and the issues of food science and food scarcity, water delivery systems and water scarcity … those problems are only going to grow and be more important in 10 years.

“And again, that’s kind of who we are in Western Mass.,” he went on. “So I think I’m actually leaving a couple of really exciting opportunities behind for the next CEO and, quite honestly, for the EDC moving forward.”

For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Sullivan about his tenure with the EDC, the progress that’s been made on several fronts, and the work still to be done.

Progress Report

When asked why he was stepping down now, Sullivan summoned some thinking he attributed to former NFL head coach Bill Parcells.

“He said you shouldn’t coach a team more than 10 years — and I think there’s some truth to that,” Sullivan noted. “You get to a point where you’ve done some of the same things that you’ve done for a long period of time, and it’s just time for the organization to change it up. So I think, for the organization and myself, it was just a really good time to have this happen.”

Looking back on his 11-year tenure, he said it’s been an interesting and challenging time for the region and the EDC, one marked by a global pandemic that changed everything, but especially where and how people work; the emergence of a new generation of leadership at many businesses across the region; shifting, but nearly constant, workforce challenges; ongoing efforts to create more jobs; work to leverage the region’s assets, especially its precision manufacturing sector, but also its cadre of colleges and universities; and a broad effort to lift the region’s economy and the prospects of its residents.

That last one is the underlying mission of the EDC, he noted, one that is not totally understood by some in the region’s business community.

“I think we need to do a better job as an EDC and as a region, not only celebrating but really marketing the advantages that we have here and the high quality of higher education that we have.”

“The simplest way to look at it is that our membership is really committed to growing the economy of Western Massachusetts,” Sullivan explained. “Growing the vitality economically, growing jobs, growing the ability for all residents of Western Massachusetts to enter the workplace and have a better quality of life — it’s pretty simple, and it’s a little bit of the ‘rising tide raises all boats’ theory.

“If the economy is doing better and people have more disposable income, then they’re buying more groceries or they’re going to the Big E … whatever they will spend their money on,” he went on. “And that’s going to help all of the companies that sit around my table.”

As for that table, it’s much larger now than it was 11 years ago, at least in terms of the number of people sitting at it, he went on, adding that membership has nearly doubled since he started, growing from 50 to roughly 90, and it has become more diverse as well, meaning companies of all sizes and across nearly all sectors.

More voices, and more diverse voices, make the EDC even more representative of the region and its business community, said Sullivan, adding that the strength and overall impact of the organization lie not in its president and CEO, but in its membership.

And growth of this membership, comprised of the leaders of area businesses and nonprofits, is among the most significant accomplishments recorded during his tenure.

Others include the maturation, if you will, of those emerging sectors listed earlier, sectors that were already here and now offer strong potential for continued growth.

Quantum computing is certainly on that list, he said, adding that the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center has been designated by the Healey administration as the state’s hub for artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and $16 million in state and private investments have been made toward building a new quantum computer there.

“And I think it’s a significant investment … I think you will see the state come in with additional resources to really move this forward,” Sullivan said. “Part of the argument has been that the state did a great job investing in biotech and clean energy and IT. And that was great, and they’ve been wonderful for the state economy, but those benefits really didn’t come back out here toward Western Massachusetts. So this investment in quantum really identifies strengths that we already have here.”

Another of these strengths is the broad food science sector.

“This relates back to everything from agriculture to water delivery and water filtration and water scarcity issues but also can go as far as alternative proteins and innovation and entrepreneurship within the space of food science,” Sullivan explained. “And little did we know that probably the leading institute in the country, and one of the international leaders, is UMass Amherst; they do great work out there already. And then, when you combine that with companies that are already here, like Big Y or Friendly’s or Hood, and then smaller companies and some new ones starting something, like Clean Crop out of Holyoke, those are all under that food science umbrella.”

Looking Ahead

As he talked about the work still to be done in the region and the challenges facing the 413, Sullivan said there are many items in both categories.

As for challenges, he put workforce and housing at the top of the list, while noting that they’re obviously related.

Indeed, one of the state’s weaknesses, from a competitiveness standpoint, is the sky-high cost of housing across most of the state. And while conditions are better in many Western Mass. cities and towns, there are several where potential workers are simply priced out, creating hardships for employers and shrinking the size of the populations, and workforces, in area communities.

“In terms of population growth, I think this is a good opportunity, in terms of a moment in time, to be able to have a growth strategy,” he said. “The state, under Governor Healey, is making significant investments in housing, and I really encourage every single city and town to take advantage of the incentives that are out there for development across the housing spectrum.

“From the higher end to market rate to workforce housing, it needs to be everything,” he went on. “Because right now, many parts of the region have no growth — in some cases, even declining growth. If it wasn’t for immigration, there would probably be no growth. Having no growth means that it makes it harder to fill those jobs. It’s harder to make that case as to why somebody should move here.

“I know there’s an old saying — and I don’t think it was Bill Parcells who said it this time — that if you’re not growing, you’re dying,” he went on. “And I think the growth strategy needs to be in every single community, and now is the time to be able to do that because, if you create a housing stock, people will move in.”

More housing, and more affordable options, are key now, he said, because people have more options when it comes to where and how they work, creating some real opportunities for this region.

“They can go, and they can live in a less costly community,” Sullivan said. “And when you stack things up in terms of energy costs and taxes and food costs and transportation costs, Western Massachusetts can make a very compelling case as to why we’re a very good place to live. Our quality of life is excellent. Going back to our commitment to recreation and outdoor activities and the environment, those are all things that are important when people are deciding where they can live, and today they have more choices than ever.”

Another challenge for the region moving forward is to more effectively leverage its considerable assets, especially higher ed.

“One of the other things that I think we can do a better job at is recognizing that we’re fortunate here in Western Massachusetts to have a really strong higher ed sector,” he noted, from UMass Amherst and the community colleges to a host of nationally regarded private colleges and universities.

“I don’t think we’ve done a good enough job leveraging that sector, because when companies look to come here, the first question they ask is ‘can I find the workforce?’” he went on. “When they’re looking for that talent, that talent is sitting in the classrooms of our higher ed institutions. So I think we need to do a better job as an EDC and as a region, not only celebrating but really marketing the advantages that we have here and the high quality of higher education that we have.”

When asked if he had any words of his advice for his successor, due to be named later this month, Sullivan said simply, “stay close to the membership.”

“The quality of individuals that sit around that table, the companies they represent, really are the companies that drive success here in Western Massachusetts,” he continued. “And while the CEO of the EDC is important because he or she will be the implementer, it’s really the agenda of the membership. They’re all really smart, and they’re all really committed to this region, and they want to see the best for the region. And not in a parochial sense — they’d really like to see everybody doing better; they would like to see the economy grow.”

If Sullivan’s successor does that, as he did, he or she will be in a position to ultimately follow his lead and leave the organization — and the region’s business landscape — in a better place.

Golf Sector Strives for Solid, Sustainable Growth

By George O'Brien October 10, 2025

Sports & Leisure

Round Numbers

Mike Fontaine says the Ledges had a record year revenue-wise for fiscal 2025, and is on pace for another solid year.

Mike Fontaine acknowledged that most golf courses count rounds, and would prefer to use that number as a yardstick for success in a given month or season.

“But I’m the weird guy … we don’t count rounds — we count money, we count revenue,” said Fontaine, general manager of the Ledges Golf Club in South Hadley, a municipal course built at the height of the Tiger Woods-fueled golf craze in the late ’90s, and one that struggled to make ends meet for much of its existence.

But since International Golf Maintenance (IGM) was contracted to provide complete management services for the course in 2019, it has turned things around, and there is much more revenue to count, said Fontaine, adding that rounds are up as well.

“Financially, we’re doing very well — since IGM has taken over, we’ve been able to cover operational expenses,” he went on. “And we’ve actually been able to take some of the revenue we’ve made and put it back into the course: a new pump station, lots of tree work, cart path paving … we’ve come a long way.”

The turnaround story at the Ledges is one of many indicators that the golf business has improved considerably since before the pandemic, and, in many respects, because of the pandemic.

Indeed, while COVID shut down courses very early in that spring of 2020, they were soon reopened, and golf became one of the few things people could to socialize and get some exercise. Thus, many who had left the game for any of several reasons — especially the cost and time it takes to play 18 — came back, and many newcomers discovered it as well.

Nothing has been terribly easy, and the weather can still turn a potentially good year into a bad one, but golf is on much firmer ground than it was several years ago, as Atillio Cardaropoli can attest.

He’s the owner of Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow, which has made a turnaround of its own several years after being rumored to be headed toward redevelopment into a large housing subdivision. Still, the private course, like many in that category, was struggling a decade or so ago to maintain full membership, or something close to it.

“Financially, we’re doing very well — since IGM has taken over, we’ve been able to cover operational expenses. And we’ve actually been able to take some of the revenue we’ve made and put it back into the course: a new pump station, lots of tree work, cart path paving … we’ve come a long way.”

Now there’s a waiting list — which is good, because there is always attrition each year — and considerable interest in getting on it, said Cardaropoli, adding that there are several reasons for this, everything from improved condition of the course to new amenities, including, yes, pickleball, a common addition at many clubs.

“We’ve added six courts, and it’s really taken off,” he said, adding that while many golfing members partake in that sport as well, the club has a membership just for pickleball players — $500 a year.

“We’re doing very well … our course is in fabulous condition, probably the best condition it’s been in in years,” he went on, adding that the course has a new superintendent. “The greens are fabulous.”

Still, as noted earlier, there is nothing remotely easy about this business, and courses are having to work harder to enjoy the success being seen the industry.

Attillio Cardaropoli, owner of Twin Hills Country Club, says the golf industry has maintained the momentum it garnered during the pandemic.

Melissa Aitken, CEO of the Country Club of Pittsfield, said the club has been impacted by competition, the economy, and some changing demographics in Pittsfield and the Berkshires, meaning more residents with dual residency — in Western Mass. and someplace warm, usually Florida or Arizona.

Elaborating, she said the club has struggled to make up the losses from attrition the past few years, and so it has started “thinking outside the box,” as she put it.

Initiatives have included a traditional membership drive that brought in some new members, but also a fall incentive program (15% of the dues down, and the fall season is free) and the waving of initiation fees, as well as an open house for perspective new members — nine holes of golf, pickleball, tennis, and lunch at the lake.

“People see the value of services, and they keep coming back.”

“We had 25 prospective new members come out; it was an awesome day,” she said, adding that the club fared well through COVID and the years just following, but has hit what she called a “post-COVID slump.”

The club has amenities that enable it to stand out among the half dozen or so courses within a 30-mile stretch, and it will continue to promote those assets.

For this issue and its focus on food and lifestyle, BusinessWest takes a look at how the golf business continues to take full advantage of the boost it was given and parlay it into solid, sustainable growth.

Driving Business

As for the weather, it’s always a factor with this business.

In the spring, course owners and managers were talking about getting off to another early start, with many clubs open by St. Patrick’s Day. Then the talk focused on many Saturdays (if not entire weekends) were lost to rain in late April and May. It was eight or 10 in a row, as most recall.

Then the talk shifted to how great the weather was through most of the summer (July was hot and humid) and into the fall, putting most courses on track for another very solid year.

Melissa Aitkin says the Country Club of Pittsfield has been creative in efforts to grow membership, including the waiving of initiation fees for those signing up this fall.

“August and September were outstanding — it’s been a fantastic summer,” said Fontaine, adding that weather helps with everything from walk-up play to keeping tournaments on schedule.

The dry conditions contributed to the club’s best year to date, he went on, adding that, for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, the club had garnered more than $1.7 million in income.

“That’s more than this golf course ever made, and we know we had a record-breaking August,” he said, adding that September, which wasn’t done when he spoke with BusinessWest, was on track for something similar until two days of heavy rain near the end of the month.

Fontaine attributes this success to several factors, including course condition, value to the customer (an all-important factor in a region still saturated with courses), a full slate of outings, a reliable source of play, and facilities that tend to keep golfers on site for a beer and lunch or dinner after the round.

“People see the value of services, and they keep coming back,” he said, noting that the biggest factor with the bottom line is the surge in the number of people playing.

Cardaropoli agreed, noting that one challenge — and opportunity — for courses is to bring more players into the pipeline and also keep those who have found the game in recent years engaged and in a position to stick with it for years and decades to come.

“People are staying with it, but it’s a very difficult game,” he told BusinessWest. “We have a great instructor, and she’s doing a tremendous job of getting more women involved in the game. A lot of them are picking it up because she’s doing a fabulous job of teaching and giving lessons, and people are enjoying the game more.”

Getting people into the game and keeping them engaged is, of course, just one of the challenges, noted Aitken, noting that, for many clubs, including the Country Club of Pittsfield, the economy, rising costs, and competition are also on that list.

And for the Pittsfield club, there is the additional challenge of balancing the wants and needs of year-round residents with those with dual residency, especially when it comes to the price tag of membership.

“We have an interesting demographic at our club … we have a 50-50 split between dual residents and locals,” she explained, adding that the club currently has about 430 golfing members and would like to get to 500, if not higher. “So there’s a fine line you have to walk with the dues — you put them up too much, even though the dual residents will afford it, the locals may not be able to.

“We struggle with not outpricing ourselves,” Aitken went on, adding that yearly increases are necessary to keep up the rising cost of everything from labor to fertilizer.

The waving of initiation fees has been a major factor in attracting new members, she noted, adding that this is often the deciding factor in whether an individual or family, especially those living here year-round, will make the investment.

Value is another factor, she said, adding that it comes in many forms, from the restaurant to the condition of the course, which has been transformed following the removal of hundreds of trees, a pattern being followed by many courses today.

“I can’t describe the vistas that have been opened up,” she said. “I’ve been here for 19 years, and to see this transformation in such a short period … I’m in awe of what’s been done.”

Bottom Line

While the views at the Pittsfield course are now different and in many ways spectacular, the broad view from within the golf sector is equally impressive.

It’s a view toward continued — and sustainable — growth for a business where there are always ups and downs — and now, fewer of the latter.

North Adams Continues to Redefine Itself

By George O'Brien October 9, 2025

James Birge says MCLA owes its high ranking among liberal arts colleges to many factors, but especially its strong track record with helping students succeed.

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

James Birge says MCLA owes its high ranking among liberal arts colleges to many factors, but especially its strong track record with helping students succeed.

Marya Kozik says North Adams is much like its larger neighbor to the south, Pittsfield, in that it is working very hard not to live in the past.

This is a past dominated by massive mills, led by Sprague Electric, that employed thousands; a thriving downtown fueled by payday at those mills; and a population that was significantly larger and much younger, said Kozik, director of Community Development and someone who grew up in the city.

“We’re trying to look forward to new opportunities, whether it be the creative economy or food science and entrepreneurship,” she said, adding that the focus is squarely on the present and the future, and continuing the process of redefining the community known as Steeple City because of the many church spires that dominate the skyline.

Elaborating, she the city is working to build its creative economy, headlined by MASS MoCA, located in the Sprague Electric complex, but including a growing number of art galleries and related businesses, while also trying to attract the many kinds of businesses that will bring young people here — and keep them here.

“The creative economy is taking off,” Kozik said. “We have a lot of artists coming into the community; we have small-scale manufacturing of artistic products and home goods that use the skills of artists who are here and, hopefully, the skills of other people who had left jobs that required that kind of manufacturing skill. There are opportunities coming back, and it’s nice to see new people coming in to the community.”

These efforts comprise many of the storylines now converging in North Adams, a community of roughly 13,000 people. Others include:

• Continued progress at the mill revival initiative known as Greylock Works. The former cotton-spinning mill has been converted into a thriving campus that includes a restaurant, a co-working community, a craft distillery, the Berkshire Cider Project, and event spaces that include the Weave Shed and Engine House, as well as 50 loft condos;

• The reopening last year of North Adams Regional Hospital. Now part of Berkshire Medical Center, the facility, closed after financial problems, was honored with a MassEcon Impact Award earlier this year;

• Progress, in the form of a $17.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program, toward creation of the Adventure to Ashuwillticook trail, a 9.3-mile stretch of shared-use pathway connecting the existing Ashuwillticook Rail Trail to the Williamstown Mohican Path by way of downtown North Adams and the rotary at the MASS MoCA campus;

• The North Adams Steeplecats, a team in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (which also includes the Holyoke Blue Sox), which continues to draw fans to Joe Wolfe Field, playing an important role in economic development within the community; and

• Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), one of the city’s largest employers. The school recently maintained its ranking of sixth among the nation’s public liberal arts colleges — marking 11 consecutive years in the top 10.

“This consistency in rankings reflects our core mission — providing an affordable, transformative liberal arts education that empowers students,” MCLA President James Birge said, adding that the school continues to evolve and add new programs and majors — from nursing to ‘music, industry, and production,’ to meet the needs of students and the business community.

Progress Report

As she talked about North Adams, what’s been achieved, and the work still be done, Kozik said the city’s evolution from a mill town to a city with an arts- and hospitality-based economy is still very much a work in progress.

MASS MoCA has been a part of this story, she said, noting that, while the facility — the most spacious modern art museum in the world, known for its large-scale installations — has not spurred the kind of economic development that had been hoped, it has become a valuable asset for the city and perhaps the most important piece of an economy now based mostly on tourism, hospitality, and arts-related businesses.

“Do we bring people here when we don’t have all the elements to support them? And how do we create the elements to support them, like restaurants and shopping venues, when we don’t actually have the people to support them?”

Pieces are coming into place, she said, but North Adams, like most all cities trying to attract young people, is facing what she called a ‘chicken-or-the-egg’ scenario.

“Do we bring people here when we don’t have all the elements to support them? And how do we create the elements to support them, like restaurants and shopping venues, when we don’t actually have the people to support them?” she asked rhetorically, adding that the city is essentially working on both sides of the equation simultaneously.

There have been several intriguing additions to the landscape in recent years, businesses created to meet needs and create vibrancy, Kozik noted, citing, as one example, Steeple City Social, a community-oriented bakery, café, and cocktail bar on Eagle Street, launched by a recent transplant to the city, Andrew Fitch.

“He saw a need for what they call a ‘third space,’” she said, meaning a place that’s not home and not the office. “He opened a space that’s a bakery in the morning and a café in the evening; it’s a place to gather, and people have been very supportive.

“Spaces like this build community,” she went on, adding that there have been other additions that fit this description, including several art galleries, many with ancillary products and services, such as tea, that make them more financially viable.

Still, there are considerable challenges to revitalizing the downtown, Kozik said, citing the loss of vitality that came with the loss of all those mill jobs as well as the aftereffects of ’60s-era urban renewal, which essentially left one side of Main Street intact and the other side demolished in favor of a parking lot and mini-mall, plagued by a high vacancy rate in recent years, that has gone by various names, including Steeple City Plaza, the Parkade, and the ‘L-shaped mall.’

“We have one side with beautiful old buildings, and the other side, across a four-lane road, which is unheard of in small cities, two vacant lots,” she explained. “We’re looking to restore the vibrancy of downtown in the storefronts, working with developers who are interested in restoring the top floors into apartments, but we also have these huge vacant lots.”

Meanwhile, outside the downtown, the city is seeing several signs of progress, including adaptive reuse of former mills.

North Adams at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1878
Population: 12,961
Area: 20.6 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $16.71
Commercial Tax Rate: $35.22
Median Household Income: $35,020
Family Household Income: $57,522
Type of government: Mayor; City Council
Largest Employers: BFAIR Inc.; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts; North Adams Regional Hospital
* Latest information available

Indeed, Greylock Works has become one of the better success stories in North Adams. The initiative, led by architects and entrepreneurs Karla Rothstein and Sal Perry, who acquired the mill in 2015, has several intriguing elements, the latest being loft condos that will provide another housing option in the community.

Meanwhile, another former mill, the Norad Mill in the Braytonville section of the city, has been repurposed into office space and home for a diverse mix of tenants, including a yarn manufacturer, a dog biscuit baker, a coffee shop, and a candy company.

Overall, the city’s goal is to create more jobs — it will likely never replace all those lost when the mills closed — with a diverse mix of smaller businesses in those mills, and across the downtown.

School of Thought

Creating a workforce to support such businesses is one of the overriding goals at MCLA, formerly North Adams State College, which continues to thrive in its category because of its commitment to liberal arts, even as some colleges and universities have been cutting back on programs in that realm.

“There’s an initiative among institutions today to eliminate academic programs or majors that don’t really generate positive revenue streams, that don’t contribute to the overall revenue of the institution; that hasn’t been my approach here,” Birge said. “Because we’re a liberal arts institution, it’s important to have a broad base of academic programs and majors for students to develop critical-thinking skills.

“For example, we offer philosophy and modern language majors that don’t generate lots of tuition revenue for us, but they’re essential to a liberal arts education. We’ve leaned into those things, like history — we think that’s an important element in a liberal arts education,” he went on. “And because of the facility we have, students who major in those departments do very well.”

Elaborating, he said the school is far more likely to add new programs with potentially strong revenue streams so that it can maintain programs like those he just listed, rather than make cuts.

One example of this is the radiological technology program added just a few years ago, but one that has already become one of the most popular majors, along with health sciences and more traditional offerings such as business, education, and psychology.

“Because of the population of students we have — 50% are first-generation college students, and 50% come from families earning less than $38,000 a year — there are some challenges in terms of what they understand college to be and how they can be here, coming from an economically challenged background.”

As it offers such programs, MCLA has put a hard focus on helping its students, many of them the first generation in their families to attend college, succeed with their goals, whatever they may be.

And these efforts take many forms, from various mentoring programs to the school’s Essential Needs Center, which addresses hardships outside the classroom that can become obstacles to student achievement and overall well-being. The space, run by students, offers food, essential items, housing and transportation assistance, seasonal clothes, SNAP applications, and more.

“Because of the population of students we have — 50% are first-generation college students, and 50% come from families earning less than $38,000 a year — there are some challenges in terms of what they understand college to be and how they can be here, coming from an economically challenged background,” Birge explained. “So, as a result of that, we really try to help students through programs that don’t just advise students, but mentor them so that they can be successful with their academic goals.

“And we don’t necessarily define that in a limited fashion as graduation, but also, how do you achieve a certain grade point average? How do you make sure you succeed in a course that’s going to help predetermine what your major will be? How do you make sure that your academic success is meeting the standards in order to be a student leader in athletics, student government, or in the residence halls?” he went on. “A few years ago, we implemented this success coaching model, in addition to our academic advising, to guide students throughout their time here, not just as they’re coming in, but all along the way.”

Area Architects Face Challenges, but Remain Busy

By George O'Brien October 9, 2025

Architecture Special Coverage

Weathering Some Uncertainty

A rendering of a project in downtown Pittsfield, one of many housing initiatives in the Dietz & Company portfolio.

A rendering of a public safety facility in Taunton designed by Caolo & Bieniek.

Lee Morrissette was probably looking for some wood to knock on.

In the architecture industry, he explained, there is chatter about things slowing down and work becoming more difficult to attain, and for several reasons. But at the same time, Morrisette, a principal with Springfield-based Dietz & Company Architects, has a different take.

“The architecture industry has been saying that things have been softening for quite a while — billings are down, and new job starts are down, but we’re just not seeing that,” he said, noting that the firm — which recently opened an office in Cambridge, where Morrissette leads a team of four — has a considerable amount of work on the books.

Especially strong is work within the broad housing sector, he added, noting that the critical need for housing of all kinds, but especially the affordable variety, is a statewide problem that is keeping the firm busy.

“We’ve maintained a consistent stream of work,” he said, noting that housing and housing-related projects — from a new community center and administrative office for the Fitchburg Housing Authority to an intriguing 48-unit housing project in downtown Pittsfield, to redevelopment of a demolished shopping plaza in Manchester, Conn. into 232 units of market-rate housing — are dominating the portfolio.

Others we spoke with agreed, at least to some extent, but noted that there are some signs of slowdown and a variety of forces — from rising prices of materials and labor to tariffs to a slower-than-expected pace of decline in interest rates — contributing to a good amount of uncertainty, which is never a good thing within the broad building trades sector.

Still, area firms seem to be maneuvering through this uncertainty, mostly through the diversity of their portfolios, the housing crisis, and the fact that many projects are moving forward in some form, though maybe a little later than planned in some cases.

“While some people have hit pause on projects, there’s more of what I’ll call re-evaluation,” said Curtis Edgin, a principal with Chicopee-based Caolo & Bieniek Architects. “People are saying, ‘is this what we really want to do, or do we want to explore a plan B opportunity?’ We’ve seen a little bit of that, and we’ve been fortunate that there’s always been a plan B.

“The architecture industry has been saying that things have been softening for quite a while — billings are down, and new job starts are down, but we’re just not seeing that.”

“We’ve had another good year, and we have good work in the boards for next year,” he continued, adding, again, that diversity of projects — public, private, large, small, long term and shorter term — has been a real asset for the firm.

Kevin Rothschild, principal with East Longmeadow-based Architecture Environment Life (AEL), agreed, but noted there are some forces that will make 2026 somewhat more challenging. These include the end of several pandemic-related programs to fuel the economy, cutbacks to some public sector programs, and other factors.

“Things are a little harder, a little slower,” he told BusinessWest. “We’re seeing the tail end of funding programs like ARPA and ESSER [Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief] as well as municipal or federal grants that were out there for schools and cities and Green Communities,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of those programs reach their conclusion. The work that we’re exposed to on those projects has had a good run, and we’re seeing a lot of that closing out.”

For this issue and its focus on architecture, we talked to several area firms about what this bellwether sector is seeing, hearing, and experiencing, and what they’re expecting in the months to come.

Drawing Conclusions

Morrissette said it was the housing crunch and ongoing efforts to address it that prompted the Dietz firm to expand with its Cambridge office, a small space in the Cambridge Innovation Center, a co-working facility — a step taken after lessons learned from the pandemic about remote work, virtual meetings, and the ability for teams to work effectively even if they’re not all in the same office at the same time.

“We were finding that the housing authorities, particularly the Cambridge Housing Authority and others that we working with … we had enough work with them, and they kept saying, ‘if you had an office here in the Boston area, it would be a lot easier to work on a continuing basis,’” he recalled. “You don’t have to hear that too many times before taking some action.”

And it is housing that continues to broaden the book of business, he said, adding that the firm is involved with several intriguing projects, including the redevelopment of the corner of Linden and Center streets in Pittsfield’s Downtown Arts District. The initiative calls for 48 units of affordable apartment housing through Low-Income Housing Tax Credits — a 30-unit apartment building and two six-unit townhouses designed for passive house certification, the firm’s first such project.

“While some people have hit pause on projects, there’s more of what I’ll call re-evaluation. People are saying, ‘is this what we really want to do, or do we want to explore a plan B opportunity?’ We’ve seen a little bit of that, and we’ve been fortunate that there’s always been a plan B.”

Dietz is also working on an ambitious project in Manchester, Conn. on the site of a razed shopping center. In addition to the 232 units of market-rate apartment housing, plans call for a clubhouse with a fitness center, outdoor pool, and space for community events, as well as a multi-use recreation trail extension, said Morrissette, adding that the project appeared stalled last fall amid uncertainty and higher interest rates, but quickly got back on track.

“We had done some schematics and design-development drawings, and they said, ‘you know what … hold on, we’ll finish out the space, and we’ll see what happens, and if interest rates start to come down, we’ll contact you,’” he recalled. “It didn’t take much of an interest rate drop before they said, ‘OK, it’s looking good enough; we’re moving in the right direction,’ and they re-engaged and got it going again.”

Meanwhile, the firm, with the help of that Cambridge office, has been able to secure work with several housing authorities, including the one in Fitchburg, in the center of the state, where it is designing a new community center and administrative offices.

A rendering of an ambitious housing project in a demolished strip mall in Manchester, Conn. being designed by Dietz & Company.

“We’ve been successful with quite a fair amount of housing authority work, which has been rooting us nicely in this Cambridge office; it’s been good,” Morrissette said, adding that the firm has work in other realms as well, including municipal — the renovated former Chicopee Library, for example — as well as hospitality, education, and office projects.

Growth — by Design

Diverse portfolios are also the key to success for the other firms we spoke with.

Indeed, Caolo & Bieniek has been involved with everything from renovations to the clubhouses at Springfield’s two municipal golf courses, Franconia and Veterans, to the new Barry Elementary School in Chicopee; from work at public colleges, including UMass Amherst and Westfield State University, and the municipal library in Richmond to several public-safety projects. That list also includes early-stage work on what will be one of several proposals for a replacement for the troubled Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse in downtown Springfield.

“Our work varies from very long-term projects, like the Barry Elementary School, to the short-term, ‘the roof is leaking; we need to do something’ projects,” Edgin explained. “And that’s what has kept our lights on through the years; we don’t only depend on public sector money. We do some private work, and we have some good private clients as well. And through the years, they appreciate what we we’ve done for them, and they keep coming back, and that’s how we’ve been fortunate.”

The firm has developed a strong niche in the design of public safety facilities, he went on, adding that it has several in various stages of progress in Lenox, Taunton, and Princeton. And, like most firms, it is garnering work in the broad housing sector.

Edgin said his take on the short term, meaning the next several quarters, is one of cautious optimism as the public and private sectors cope with all those challenges listed above and face decisions about whether to proceed with projects, and how.

Curtis Edgin

“We don’t only depend on public sector money. We do some private work, and we have some good private clients as well.”

As he noted, there is usually a plan B.

Rothschild agreed and said his firm still has considerable work on its plate and in the pipeline, but noted that the winding down of several COVID-related programs will certainly be felt within the industry.

He said his firm secured several ESSER-funded, HVAC-related projects to improve ventilation in schools, especially in Holyoke — work that is coming to an end.

Meanwhile, AEL has also garnered some work — lighting, ceiling, insulation, and other initiatives — via the state’s Green Communities program, which provides grants and technical assistance to municipalities to reduce their energy consumption and costs through energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

“That seems to be ongoing,” he said. “But with national trends in support of different policies, obviously there are question marks moving forward.

“Meanwhile, the national trends and the pulse of federal cuts, the changes the federal policy, tariffs, labor, immigration … we’re seeing direct impacts from all that,” he went on. “We’re seeing the availability of labor slowing, we’re seeing the cost of work going up, we’re seeing the availability of materials challenged — even if it’s uncertainty concerning what might be coming, it has an impact.”

Rothschild mentioned a HUD-funded project involving a local housing authority the firm was involved with to get his points across.

“I think we were 90% through the drawings, and that was stopped because the funding was not secure. I think ultimately it was cut, and that project was put on the shelf,” he said. “We’re seeing the impact of what’s happening on the federal level on the private market and the public side as well.”

On the positive side, there is the strong potential for new work through state law now permitting property owners to build one accessory dwelling unit in an area zoned for single-family homes, he said, adding that area communities are adapting the bylaw, and some are seeing requests for permits to build.

Meanwhile, AEL is still seeing a good amount of work on both sides of the ledger, and some pockets of the economy, including the commercial market, show the confidence needed to move forward with projects.

“Everything from people trying to open a dance studio to a carpet business looking to expand to trucking and warehouse facilities — there’s a diversity of work out there,” he said. “It’s still there, it’s just hard. Financing is a challenge, contracting is a challenge — everything seems to take a little longer, and it’s a little harder to get through the pipeline.”

UMass Amherst Will Intensify Focus on Economic Development

By George O'Brien September 26, 2025

Features

Doubling Down

UMass Amherst has always been an economic engine for the region, and officials there want it to be even more of a force.

Tony Maroulis says UMass Amherst has always been focused on regional economic development, and it has always been an economic engine within the 413 and often well beyond, from its own large workforce to providing interns for area businesses, to concepts that are taken from its labs to the marketplace.

But now, the flagship campus of the state university is … well, let’s call it sharpening and broadening that focus, said Maroulis, executive director of Community and Strategic Initiatives for the university.

“It’s an emphasis on economic development that we perhaps haven’t put on it in the past,” he explained, referencing an announcement by UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes at the university’s annual Community Breakfast late last month — specifically, the launch of an initiative to leverage the full breadth of the university’s expertise, talent, innovation, and partnerships to spur job creation, entrepreneurship, and community revitalization, as well as workforce and small business development locally, regionally, and across the state.

“As the state’s flagship public university, UMass Amherst has a responsibility to serve as a catalyst for economic development at the local, regional, and statewide levels,” Reyes said at the breakfast. “Embracing this responsibility creates important opportunities for programming, analysis, and collaboration that can foster more inclusive, resilient, and innovation-driven growth across the Commonwealth.”

When asked about the initiative’s goals, how they will be addressed, and how success will be measured, Maroulis started by saying virtually everything the university does has an economic development component.

“Whether it’s our sporting events, which have an economic impact on the community, to the construction on our campus, to the graduates we place in the workforce — all of that is economic development,” he said. “What the chancellor is interested in us doing at this particular time is being a more active participant in the economic development efforts of our local communities, our region, and also the state.

Javier Reyes

“As the state’s flagship public university, UMass Amherst has a responsibility to serve as a catalyst for economic development at the local, regional, and statewide levels.”

“This means being a more visible player in these conversations that happen in all three places,” Maroulis went on, “and contributing with our expertise and with the faculty and staff, researchers, and students that we have here in that economic development discussion.”

Elaborating, he said Reyes has essentially challenged the campus community to “wake up thinking about economic development, how we impact those three spheres — local, regional, and state — and how we can increase that impact.”

Ambitious Goals

Overall, the announced initiative, to be guided by an executive committee consisting of senior campus leadership, will have several principal goals, including:

• Collaborating with communities to address challenges and opportunities around housing, healthcare, transportation, and services to overall infrastructure;

• Advising university leadership on strategies, partnerships, and investments that expand economic development impact with local, regional, and statewide focus;

• Identifying opportunities for university collaboration with industry, government, nonprofits, and community organizations.

• Providing input on and supporting the growth of university initiatives encouraging workforce development, entrepreneurship, innovation, and applied and translational research;

• Offering recommendations on policies, programs, and practices that promote resilient, innovative, and inclusive economic growth;

• Driving investment to the region and across the Commonwealth;

• Supporting strategic initiatives critical to the Commonwealth’s future;

• Creating talent pipelines for study, internships, and employment for the region and the state; and

• Cultivating research capacity with economic development priorities.

Assessing this list, Maroulis said there are many things the university is already doing within these various realms.

Examples include the recent announcement that the university will partner with Baystate Health to create SHINE: Strengthening Healthcare Innovation through Nursing and Engineering. Funded with a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the initiative will establish the nation’s first graduate training program designed to combine nursing’s hands-on patient care with engineering’s technical knowledge.

Tony Maroulis

“Our workforce development career pathways work … we do that locally, regionally, and statewide. We want to create deeper engagement with industry so there’s more opportunity for students to have pathways to jobs post-graduation and to have access to internships.”

The goal moving forward will be to simply ramp up such efforts. This will be the case with issues as disparate as workforce development and the state’s housing crisis.

“Our workforce development career pathways work … we do that locally, regionally, and statewide,” Maroulis said. “We want to create deeper engagement with industry so there’s more opportunity for students to have pathways to jobs post-graduation and to have access to internships. These are things the chancellor would like to see us do even better than we do it now.”

As for the housing crisis, the those involved with the initiative will look at how the university can better work with municipalities on land use reform and infrastructure development to develop critically needed new housing.

That housing would benefit the university, its staff, and students, but also the region’s business community by giving their workforce access to more housing — specifically more affordable housing.

Other issues to be addressed include transportation and childcare, he went on, adding that there are barriers to opportunities for university students and area residents alike.

“These are the kinds of issues that we will be engaged in, both as a thought partner and sometimes as a thought leader, and as an advocate with other organizations and agencies in the region that are working on these kinds of issues.”

Collective Engagement

One key to the initiative’s success will be its council, made up of officials from across the university, including representatives of the Isenberg School of Management, the Berthiaume Center, the Mount Ida campus, Government Relations, the Donahue Institute, the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences.

The council will work with a leadership team — Maroulis; Sundar Krishnamurty, vice provost for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Creativity; and Carl Rust, assistant vice chancellor for Corporate Engagement — to recommend priorities and track progress.

This will be an ongoing initiative, meaning it’s not necessarily a five-year or 10-year plan, said Maroulis, but one that will seek some “quick wins,” as he called them, but also focus on the long term.

When asked how success will be measured, he said there will be several metrics and yardsticks, everything from growth of the current $2.9 billion in direct and indirect impact on the state’s economy to increases in local purchasing, to the number of startups created at the university and the jobs that result.

“The chancellor believes that we have a responsibility to serve as a catalyst for economic development,” he went on while summing up the initiative, adding that the university has always been that.

The mission moving forward is to take it to a new, more impactful level.