Home Articles posted by Joseph Bednar (Page 5)

John Delaney, Director Ride to Remember

By
Class of 2025

He Started a Bicycle Trek That Honors the Fallen and Impacts the Living

John Delaney remembers, in vivid detail, the day his colleague, Springfield Police Officer Kevin Ambrose, died.

It was June 4, 2012, and Delaney was having lunch with his wife when his phone started blowing up. Ambrose had been shot in the line of duty, responding to a domestic disturbance.

“I raced to Baystate Medical Center and went into the ER, and when they saw me coming in, they directed me right to the room where a team of doctors and nurses were working on him,” Delaney recalled. “When I got in the room, Kevin was lying there. And within 30 seconds to a minute, the doctor pronounced him dead. It was kind of tough to take.”

He also recalled listening to dispatch from the hospital parking lot, to all the 911 calls still pouring in. “The world didn’t stop, and the police officers couldn’t stop just because they just lost one of their own.”

Delaney was tasked with planning Ambrose’s funeral — attended by some 5,000 police officers — and a celebration of life afterward, but he and some colleagues wanted to do something more to commemorate their friend. The death later that summer of Westfield Police Officer Jose Torres, who was struck by a truck in the line of duty, got them thinking about a broader event to honor fallen officers. “My friends and I were bike riders, so we said, ‘why not do a bike ride in their honor?’”

They planned a route from Springfield to Boston and figured maybe 50 people would participate, but about 170 signed up, and the Boston Police Department helped out by closing off the route to cars from Boylston Street to the State House.

“I’m riding along guys that I’d worked with for years, state troopers, police officers from around Western Massachusetts, and they’re all crying, strong guys that really show no emotion while they’re working, but they showed emotion that day,” Delaney recalled.

The initial organizers — Delaney, Officers Mike Goggin and Eddie Vanzant, and Gary Kennedy, who owned Competitive Edge Ski & Bike — knew this should be a regular event, but what they didn’t know was that, 14 years later, Ride to Remember would grow into one of the biggest cycling events in Massachusetts, drawing more than 500 riders per year and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthy causes while honoring the memories of local fallen heroes from the ranks of police officers, firefighters, and corrections officers, as well as the families that must carry on after they’re gone.

“Every year, we ride for somebody to make sure that their family becomes part of the Ride to Remember family. And we let them know that we’re never going to forget. So every year we do the ride, we remember their names; we have signs with their pictures emblazoned on them along the route,” Delaney said. “We’re making sure that the average citizens that we protect and serve every day know that these cops gave their lives to protect them.”

 

Service in His Blood

Delaney understands the risk, sacrifice, and sometimes deep loss that come with public-service careers.

“I guess public service was in my blood. My grandfather died fighting a fire in Springfield. He was an acting deputy chief, but a captain in one of the station houses. He was always one of the first ones in, and he died fighting a fire. I never met him. That was way before I was born.

“And then my dad died when I was 10. He was in the Navy, also serving the public and the safety of citizens. So I guess that ran through my blood.”

“I’m riding along guys that I’d worked with for years, state troopers, police officers from around Western Massachusetts, and they’re all crying, strong guys that really show no emotion while they’re working, but they showed emotion that day.”

Delaney retired as a Springfield Police sergeant seven years ago — again, acutely aware that many officers don’t make it to retirement — and continues to teach at American International College. “I’m teaching young kids what it’s like to be a cop, hoping to mold them to become good police officers. And I continue on with this ride to make sure people don’t forget. That’s the only reason why I do it.”

He credits his wife, Gabriela, for being his “right hand,” not only helping with copious planning on logistics, supplies, and more, but grounding him when he becomes stressed.

“Every year I do this, I say to her a month before the ride, ‘this is the last year; I can’t do it anymore,’ because it’s stressful to feed everybody, hydrate everybody, transport people, make sure people are safe. We can’t publicize the route because I fear something might happen to the riders because there are a lot of crazy people out there. A lot goes into this ride, and I don’t sleep the night before the ride, but I pedal every mile, every year.”

Seven years into retirement from the Springfield Police Department, John Delaney has remained deeply involved in Ride to Remember.

Seven years into retirement from the Springfield Police Department, John Delaney has remained deeply involved in Ride to Remember.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

Ride to Remember is no longer a one-way trek to Boston, instead embarking on a different round-trip journey every year, always starting and ending in downtown Springfield. This year, it will head to Hartford and back, not for the first time; other years have employed routes that head to Worcester or wind around Western Mass.

“As we’re planning the route, we have to go to every jurisdiction that we hit along the way to get permits, to let them know we’re coming,” Delaney said. “It grew from 170 to 500. That’s a lot of people on a bicycle. If you see it in person, it just goes on forever. We have police officers on motorcycles, escorting the whole way, and we never have to stop. All the local jurisdictions help out. They’re all on board, and they meet us at each border.”

But the riders do stop for at least four rest and refreshment breaks, and everyone stays together; it’s not a competitive event, but a communal one.

“You don’t have to be a cop, fireman, or corrections officer to do the ride. Everybody can do the ride. Our oldest person that does the ride every year is 85 years old, and they start at 16, 17 years old,” he explained. Three Peter Pan buses follow along, and if anyone can’t keep up or finish a leg, they can put their bike on a truck and get on the bus, where volunteers offer hydration and massages; an ambulance also trails the pack for more serious concerns. Those on the buses can rejoin the ride at any stop.

“It’s more than just a ride. It’s a powerful tribute to the dedication and sacrifice of our local law-enforcement officers and first responders who put their lives on the line every day.”

“These are weekend warriors; they’re not like Tour de France professional bikers. We only go 13 miles an hour, which is a conversational pace. I highly encourage people to take part in this. People come up to me after every ride and say, ‘this is one of the best days of my life.’”

That’s because they’re pedaling for a reason, he added. “There’s camaraderie. You’re riding alongside people you don’t know, most of whom are first responders, and they develop friendships as they’re pedaling along. And if you get a flat tire, Competitive Edge changes it in 30 seconds, like it’s a NASCAR pit stop.”

 

Mutual Aid

Ride to Remember, which takes place on Sept. 6 this year, charges just $200 to participate. A winter indoor event has been added in recent years, which takes place this year on March 2 at Scantic Valley YMCA in Wilbraham and costs $45. But corporate sponsorships, including PeoplesBank, Country Bank, AFC Urgent Care, and Domino’s Pizza, among other partners, are critical.

Riders gather in downtown Springfield, as they do at the start of every Ride to Remember.

Riders gather in downtown Springfield, as they do at the start of every Ride to Remember.

Over the years, proceeds have supported many causes in the region, including Christina’s House, On-Site Academy, Square One, multiple police and firefighter memorials, several neighborhood playgrounds and soccer fields, and other community-based initiatives.

Shannon Mumblo, who founded Christina’s House and was honored by BusinessWest as a Woman of Impact in 2021, when she served as the nonprofit’s executive director, was one of three individuals who nominated Delaney as a Difference Maker this year.

“It’s more than just a ride,” she wrote. “It’s a powerful tribute to the dedication and sacrifice of our local law-enforcement officers and first responders who put their lives on the line every day.”

Those aren’t just words for Mumblo, who backs them up by organizing the ride’s 100-plus volunteers every year, Delaney said. “She gives them jobs, makes sure the rest stops are manned, helps collect the donated food … she’s a monster. She does everything, and with a smile on her face.”

With the support of people like that, as well as his dedicated wife and everyone else who contributes to the event’s success, it’s no wonder Delaney stressed, multiple times, that this Difference Makers honor isn’t his alone — not by a longshot.

And, again, the community impact is huge. Ride to Remember has supported Christina’s House — which takes in homeless mothers and their children and helps them return to independence — to the tune of about $250,000 over the years. Ambrose’s widow, Carla, chose that nonprofit as one of the ride’s supported causes because, Delaney said, Ambrose was a family man.

“I can remember when I was a younger cop, and we would come across women with kids sleeping in the bus station. We had no avenue … where do you take those people? It was definitely a void that needed to be filled in the community, and Christina’s House is filling it.”

As noted, other nonprofits have benefited from the ride as well. “We donate to a charity that helps police officers and counsels them through post-traumatic stress,” said Delaney. “If they witness a shooting or if they witness a baby dying, that weighs heavy on a cop’s shoulder. A lot of times, they have nowhere to turn, so we donate to that. I’m very proud of the charities that we donate to. All of them are based here in Western Massachusetts.”

He said the ride is deeply personal to each rider in their own way.

“A really good friend of mine, Sal Persico, was a police officer in Florida, and he came up here to live. I coached his daughters in soccer. He was my best friend; he was like my brother. He did every ride with me, but he died of a massive heart attack, taken way too early in life. I ride for him every year. His family is like my family.

“So every year, before the ride, I always give a little speech after a prayer, and I say, ‘the Ride to Remember means a lot to a lot of people. Everybody out here that’s riding, remember somebody that you’ve lost, that you’ve loved in life. It could be a father, uncle, grandmother, best friend, or the police officers. While you’re riding, remember that person. That’s what it’s about.”

Delaney still does plenty of riding on his own time. “My friends and I will go out and do 100 mikes a week. It’s just part of our nature.”

But even for those who can’t say the same, Ride to Remember is a very doable — and deeply meaningful — effort, one that truly makes a deep impact in the region. Just like the Difference Maker who helped start it because he wanted to keep some heroes’ memories alive.

Mychal Connolly

By
Class of 2025

CEO, Stand Out Truck

A Passionate Marketer and Mentor, He’s Helping to Raise Up Other Entrepreneurs

Mychal Connolly believes in entrepreneurship, but he also believes in learning and mentorship and absorbing the examples of success stories before him.

That’s why he’s fond of talking about the influences in his own life, like Yankee Candle founder Mike Kittredge, Vermont Teddy Bear founder John Sortino, Jelly Belly founder David Klein, and many others.

“I say this all the time: if you ever had the chance to speak to Mike Kittredge, you would know really quickly that it wasn’t about the candles when he sold for $500 million,” Connolly said. “You’ll know Mike Kittredge could have sold used chewing gum, and it would have been a $500 million used chewing-gum company. I loved that guy, man. And John Sortino’s the same way.”

But while he’s learned lessons about ideas, marketing, selling, and growing a business from those famous names, he’s also drawn inspiration from his adoptive father, Harry Connolly, who owned a pest-control business in their native Bahamas.

“I remember one night, the hotel that he was spraying forgot he was coming,” he said, and they left guard dogs roaming free — and Harry was badly hurt. “It was like a horror scene — there was blood everywhere. And you know, this man, the next night, was out spraying the homes he had lined up for that day. That made a serious impact on me.”

Connolly has gathered all these lessons — on hard work, dedication, innovation, and more — and applied them during an entrepreneurial career that actually began at age 9, when he would take some of the candy his grandmother brought back from trips to Florida and sell it to classmates in school.

But his first real business, launched in 2008, was Stinky Cakes, which offered practical gifts to new parents, most notably cakes shaped from diapers. As a result of his early success in business and marketing, he was asked to do some teaching, guest lecturing, and mentoring of young entrepreneurs by groups like Valley Venture Mentors and EforAll Holyoke.

One course was called the “100 Grand Plan,” which, as that name suggests, explains how to make one’s first $100,000. Among the keys to doing so, and one that is often overlooked, is marketing.

These efforts led to the creation of the Launch and Stand Out Agency, which is where Connolly learned about non-traditional advertising — including mobile, digital billboards, which became the basis of his current business, Stand Out Truck, which will celebrate five years in business on March 9.

That’s right. He started a very public-facing business on March 9, 2000.

“I never got to run my year-one business plan,” he recalled. “My year-one business plan was to completely figure out the owner-operator model. But on March 13, the world shut down.”

Which meant 2020, dominated by COVID, was a time of navigating challenges, pivoting, and putting into action all the lessons he had learned about business and marketing from the Kittredges and Sortinos of the world. He made sure he started out with enough capital to withstand some very soft months, and he found some creative avenues for his traveling billboard, like graduation messages for students whose ceremonies had been canceled.

Since that start, the company has steadily built a base of hundreds of clients, from local businesses to large, national brands, and even, in one case, President Biden, when he was pitching what would become the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. And Connolly is planning to expand as well, possibly with a third truck and a larger team.

“Mike Kittredge could have sold used chewing gum, and it would have been a $500 million used chewing-gum company. I loved that guy, man.”

Meanwhile, he continues to mentor young people, most notably his son, Mychal Connolly Jr., — known to most as Mikey — who has been busy building his own first enterprise, Realistic CEO.

In short, Connolly Sr. has not only been an example of entrepreneurship, he’s helping others follow that path as well, benefiting not only their own careers and families, but the region’s economy. That’s the impact of an unconventional, charismatic, inspiring Difference Maker.

 

Realistic Plans

It’s also, as noted, the impact of a father on his oldest son’s entrepreneurial dreams.

The two of them co-authored a motivational book titled I Am a CEO. Realistic CEO after a high-school teacher told Mikey during a class project that his goal of becoming a CEO was, well, unrealistic. The book, illustrated by local artist DeAndra Roy, aims to inspire people to chase their dreams, no matter the odds.

Mychal Connolly’s son, Mychal Connolly Jr. (left),

Mychal Connolly’s son, Mychal Connolly Jr. (left), has been influencing young people through his Realistic CEO enterprise.

Mikey also launched the Realistic CEO Podcast, a platform where he interviews successful business owners, CEOs, founders, presidents, executives, and community leaders. Coincidentally, two of his early guests were members of the Difference Makers class of 2025 — John Doleva and Dan Moriarty.

As he studies communication and journalism at Holyoke Community College — he made the dean’s list last semester while running his podcast and public-speaking business — Mikey is honing his skills in those fields through real-world experience, while teaching others what he learns about becoming a CEO.

“It’s definitely exciting,” he said. “A teacher who started following me on Instagram said she bought the book and she read to her class. Then she posted that one of her students already wants to start a nail-salon business. I thought it was kind of cool that, simply by reading my story, the teacher was able to see the vision of her student wanting to start her own nail salon.”

Connolly loves seeing his son work for his dreams — which currently involves a goal of distributing 500,000 copies of the book over the next five years and taking his inspirational message to young people on a much wider stage than Western Mass. — and knowing he can provide an example of successful entrepreneurship from his own life.

“When I think back to Stinky Cakes and all the things I wish I knew then, I’m able to tell him,” he said. “But I say to him, ‘dude, I can open doors for you, but I’m never walking through the door for you.’”

One recent initiative is a one-for-one program where anytime someone purchases a copy, Mikey donates one to a kid in a low- to moderate-income community or book desert.

“When I meet someone, I don’t see someone who is maxed out. When I’m talking to my clients, I’m not talking to them where they are today. I live in the future. So I’m sitting at the top of the mountain enjoying a coffee or tea with them at them being their best, at their peak. And that’s what I do for myself every day.”

“So his business model is that, after he does the 500,000 copies and makes an impact in so many communities, he’s going to be booked to speak all around the world on how to create an impact as a youth,” Connolly said. “And he really wants to make an impact. He wants to be an example. He wants young people — and older people — around the country to look at him and go, ‘man, you know what, you’re right, I can do this right now. And it doesn’t matter if someone says it’s unrealistic — I have a plan, and I can do this, just like the kid in the book.’”

Family support is important to Connolly, who often talks about the influence of his wife, Adrienne, in his life.

“A lot of people see the wins, and they go, ‘oh, man, Myke’s doing great.’ But in business, sometimes it’s days, weeks, months where everything’s going wrong. And in those times, she’s the glue. From Stinky Cakes to the agency to Stand Out Truck, when it’s going wrong, she’s the glue. She’s the reason I’m able to do a lot of what I do.”

That said, the successes are real.

“I’m very good at marketing, and we get some massive clients. To be able to serve them with my business, it’s a great thing,” he told BusinessWest. “I’ve built a pretty strong team of designers, writers, videographers, all these pieces that you need to run a successful marketing campaign.”

He stressed that his Launch and Stand Out Agency performs the necessary work in the background so his clients can shine up front.

“My son is one of my clients at the agency, and a big reason for so much of what he’s doing out there is because of the Launch and Stand Out Agency. He’s the rock star, and we quietly do the work behind the scenes from a marketing and advertising standpoint.”

Mychal Connolly has taken Stand Out Truck to clients both within and well outside this region.

Mychal Connolly has taken Stand Out Truck to clients both within and well outside this region.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

One thing his famous mentors — Kittredge, Sortino, and Klein — taught Connolly is that marketing is, at its heart, a simple thing. So he keeps it simple when delivering lessons through Marketing and Cupcakes, his long-time entrepreneurship networking and mentorship program.

“I love entrepreneurship, man. I believe in entrepreneurs. Like, I believe in people,” he said, before adding, “I believe in kind people. And, like I always tell people, in a world of 8 billion, you’d be hard-pressed to find 1 billion just straight evil people. I think the majority of people in the world are really good people. And I love serving people.”

 

King of His World

Connolly’s handle on social media is standouttruckking — a bold decision, which he humbly explained.

“Some people are like, ‘you call yourself a king?’ And I go, ‘listen, the king is the greatest servant amongst the community. The people choose their king. Just because you have nice clothes and nice jewelry, that don’t make you a king. The king is a servant — the biggest servant in the community. And I believe in serving.”

And promoting clients in any way he can, including telling their stories right on his website through essays and photos. He’s a believer in their success, and he understands their struggles.

“I’ve been climbing these steps for so long, and every time I get to next step, it plateaus, and I feel like I’m not good enough or I don’t know anything,” he said. “But it’s not in a negative, self-defeating way — it’s like, ‘no, no, no, now it’s time to level up.’

“I don’t see people as they are; I see people at max potential,” he added. “So when I meet someone, I don’t see someone who is maxed out. When I’m talking to my clients, I’m not talking to them where they are today. I live in the future. So I’m sitting at the top of the mountain enjoying a coffee or tea with them at them being their best, at their peak. And that’s what I do for myself every day. Even the days when I don’t want to do it.”

“I can be having the worst day ever, but I can’t live in that space,” Connolly added. “That’s a skill you develop because I think everybody deals with the negativity, bad days, and you could turn it into impostor syndrome and curl up in a ball, or you could say, ‘well, here’s an opportunity to level up.’ There’s real value in communicating that to people, because everyone needs that.”

Even a Difference Maker.

Sheryl Blancato

By
Sheryl Blancato
Class of 2025

CEO, Second Chance Animal Services

Her Growing Operation Saves Lives While Keeping Families and Pets Together

Twenty-six years ago, Sheryl Blancato opened an animal shelter. And quickly realized it wasn’t enough.

“The initial plan was, ‘hey, we’re going to help the animals.’ But I quickly realized that it’s a band-aid. There was a much bigger issue here, and I’m a root-cause person. And the root cause is, ‘why are these animals coming into the shelter?’ That’s why we started doing vaccine clinics, because the animals were dying of preventable diseases, and we also did spay and neuter to prevent overpopulation.

“I still remember the day I went to my husband and said, ‘you know what? We need to start having hospitals because too many animals are being surrendered for perfectly preventable, treatable things, and it’s overwhelming the shelters. And if they’re already in a loving home, why not keep them there?’”

That idea became the foundation of everything Second Chance Animal Services does: addressing the root causes of why families have to give up their pets, and then keeping those families and pets together.

“You can never build a shelter big enough to help every animal in need,” Blancato said. “But you can build things to keep them out in the community where they’re already in loving homes.”

Programs like Homebound to the Rescue. The idea behind that initiative is that many senior citizens can’t afford to provide basic medical care for their pets or don’t have transportation to bring them to a vet. So Second Chance visits low-income senior-housing areas to offer low-cost vaccinations, testing, and other care, so the animals stay healthy and, just as important, don’t have to be surrendered because they can’t be properly cared for.

Then there’s Project Keep Me, which provides temporary housing for the pets of domestic-violence survivors, enabling their owners to seek safe housing arrangements while ensuring the well-being of their animal companions, and later returning them to a more stable environment. Without such a program, people in crisis often have to choose between staying in a dangerous situation and losing their beloved pets.

“I saw some people surrendering because they were in domestic-violence situations,” Blancato recalled. “They had somewhere to go, but they didn’t want to leave their pet, and they couldn’t bring their pet in this situation until they could sort things out,” she said. “So we hold on to those pets for up to 90 days, so they can go to their sister’s house, where their dog doesn’t get along with her cat. We’ll hold the dog for you; you get to your sister’s, get safe, get the assistance you need to get somewhere else, and then take your dog back.”

Second Chance now offers a similar service to veterans who need to seek medical treatment outside their home for an extended period. “If they can’t bring the animal with them, they’re not seeking the treatment. So we’re doing the same thing: we’ll give you up to 90 days so you can go get the treatment you need, get on the right path, and get your animal back.”

In fact, many of the programs that have evolved from that initial small shelter in East Brookfield were developed with the same goal in mind: to not only help animals find homes, but keep as many as possible from being surrendered at all.

This focus has seen Second Chance expand its reach dramatically over the past 26 years. It now encompasses four hospitals (in North Brookfield, Springfield, Worcester, and Southbridge) and serves more than 56,000 animals a year — a number that grows steadily every year.

Blancato has occasionally run into people who take the attitude of, ‘if they can’t afford pets, they shouldn’t have pets.’

“So I present examples. ‘What about your grandmother? Your grandfather died, and that little puppy, or that little cat, is their whole life.’ Or, ‘think about the single mom. I was a single mom at one time with three kids. That dog was everything to me. God forbid I had a serious medical issue; I didn’t have the money for it. But that dog meant so much to me and my kids at that time.’ And they say, ‘all right, I get it.’”

“The average family has less than $500 in emergency money. So, if you’re raising kids, $8,000 is a lot of money. I couldn’t have done it when I was a single mom. There’s no way. I would have had to make a really heart-wrenching decision.”

With tens of thousands of animal-loving families also getting it — and getting the help they need but could not otherwise afford — Blancato has made a career of keeping pets in loving homes. That’s the work of a true Difference Maker.

 

Paws for Concern

Blancato has often told the story of a puppy named Buster that she — then a single mother of three — adopted during her 20s, following a tough stretch in which her husband left and she battled cancer. Because Buster liked to escape his yard, Blancato got to know East Brookfield’s animal-control officer, and they became friends — and he eventually offered her a job as an animal-control assistant. He retired not long after, and she took over his role.

She’d pick up a lot of strays that were never claimed, and she struggled to get them medical care and into homes, so she decided to start a shelter on a neighbor’s donated plot of land. By that time, she had adopted another dog, Dusty, who had been abused.

Project Good Dog matches behaviorally needy dogs with inmates in pre-release programs at local correctional institutions.

Project Good Dog matches behaviorally needy dogs with inmates in pre-release programs at local correctional institutions.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

So, while raising three children — and, by that time, two stepchildren — she took $400, raised whatever else she could, and built the adoption center that still sits on the property today.

The shelter was offering spay/neuter services and vaccines in the early years, but Blancato realized she could do more to keep pets and families together through expanded veterinary care. The first hospital was built in neighboring North Brookfield in 2010 and expanded to full-service care in 2013, and the other three hospitals followed, giving Second Chance a broad footprint across Central and Western Mass.

In addition to the hospitals and the programs mentioned earlier, Second Chance offers the Helping Hands outreach, which assists dozens of rescue sites, shelters, and municipal facilities by providing low-cost spay/neuter and vet care; Project Good Dog, which matches behaviorally needy dogs with inmates in pre-release programs at local correctional institutions, providing 24/7 care and training for the dogs while teaching handlers patience, compassion, and responsibility; a pet-food pantry; mobile adoption, education, and vet-care events; and much more.

The low-cost hospital care for families that need it can be the difference between keeping a pet and losing it. For example, the week before Blancato spoke with BusinessWest, a patient’s dog had swallowed a baby’s pacifier.

“That’s a $6,000 to $8,000 surgery in emergency. They didn’t have it. We were able to do it for $1,000. That’s life-changing for them,” she recalled. “The average family has less than $500 in emergency money. So, if you’re raising kids, $8,000 is a lot of money. I couldn’t have done it when I was a single mom. There’s no way. I would have had to make a really heart-wrenching decision.”

Other area veterinary hospitals have actually sent patients to Second Chance to avoid what Blancato called “economic euthanasia.” And the model of subsidizing care for low-income patients is catching on in other places, she added, though it’s not for the faint of heart.

“When someone says, ‘we want to start a hospital,’ I’m like, ‘OK, here’s the deal. It’s expensive, it’s hard, and you have to have a business mind because we work on a very tight budget.’”

That budget — about $10 million annually — comes in several forms: grants, individual donations, legacy gifts from people who pass away and leave money, as well as hospital co-payments and adoption fees. “We don’t get enough in the hospitals to sustain it all, so we need those donations.”

“What people don’t realize is the cost of medical equipment in veterinary medicine is equal to that in human medicine. It’s very expensive, and it doesn’t last forever. We also want to attract the best vets, the best techs, the best staff. And they need to get paid.”

And many clients do, indeed, pay full cost, which helps to subsidize those who need a hand.

Second Chance has gained national attention; it was one of just 12 organizations in the U.S. chosen by PetSmart Charities to be part of its inaugural Accelerator grant program. “The three-year, $1.1 million grant will go toward upgrades in our hospital, as well as helping expand the staff from 12 vets to 26 last year, while increasing total staffing by 20%,” Blancato said.

Sheryl Blancato spends time at each of Second Chance’s four hospitals every week.

Sheryl Blancato spends time at each of Second Chance’s four hospitals every week.
Photo by Bob Zemba, Simple Truth Imaging

“That’s huge. What people don’t realize is the cost of medical equipment in veterinary medicine is equal to that in human medicine. It’s very expensive, and it doesn’t last forever. We also want to attract the best vets, the best techs, the best staff. And they need to get paid. They have bills to pay, too. So it’s staff, it’s equipment, it’s overhead. We have to raise all that money.”

 

Team Effort

Blancato, like several other Difference Makers this year, was quick to deflect the idea of this award as an individual one.

“This is not about me. We have over 100 staff, we have hundreds of volunteers … it’s a massive thing now. And what I tell staff when they come on is, ‘this is not just a job. This is the one job that, at the end of every day, you can get in your car, take 30 seconds, and think about at least one impact you had that day. It could be on a person. Maybe you were able to save that pet.’”

Like the family who brought in an ailing, 17-year-old cat, ready to say goodbye to an animal they adored. But Second Chance ran a quality-of-life exam and found the cat had thyroid disease, which was very treatable with medication.

“To be prepared to say goodbye and then take the cat home, that’s life-changing for those people. We gave them another two, maybe three years,” she went on. “We have hundreds of those stories. I always tell the staff when they come on, ‘yes, you’re getting a paycheck’ — we take good care of our staff. But they also get to have that rewarding experience — every day, something is going to be life-changing.”

Meanwhile, Second Chance’s adoption center has a 99.9% live release rate, an incredibly high number for a no-kill shelter.

“It’s amazing. As animal control, I used to pick up litters of puppies running down the street, and I just wanted to keep puppies off the street,” Blancato recalled. “To watch it evolve, with all the innovation and the programs and how many people are impacted, you sit back and go, ‘wow.’

“I always tell people, you can’t say, ‘I’m just one person. I can’t make a difference,’ because that’s not true. Yes, you’re one person, and yes, you have your limitations, but if you have a vision that people can see, then others will join in. That’s how this has become what it is. It’s your vision, then it’s other people coming out of nowhere, and the next thing you know, you have a whole army behind you. And that’s really exciting.”

 

Golden Age of Cannabis

By
Senior living facilities like the Arbors have seen residents get together become educated about cannabis products.
Cannabis Features Special Coverage

Use Rising Among Older Adults Locally, Nationally

Senior living facilities like the Arbors have seen residents get together become educated about cannabis products.

Senior living facilities like the Arbors have seen residents get together become educated about cannabis products.

In the six-plus years since cannabis became legal for all adults in Massachusetts, all demographics have increasingly used the substance in its various forms. A 2024 study published by Statista reported that almost 30% of Massachusetts residents used cannabis in 2022, the fifth-highest rate of any of the 24 states where it is legal for recreational use.

But one group, while not among the highest-rate cannabis users, has been rapidly catching up, and that’s seniors.

“We talk about it with our residents,” said Karen Walters-Zucco, executive director of the Arbors Assisted Living in Amherst and Greenfield. “A lot of people are thinking about it for relaxation, for sleep, or just to feel good, mood adjustments. Some are using it to lower anxiety, and a lot of folks have been using it for pain relief, for arthritis in their hands and joints.”

That doesn’t surprise cannabis-industry veteran Meg Sanders, CEO of Canna Provisions, which has dispensaries in Holyoke and Lee.

“I can tell you that traditional medicine has failed them in lots and lots of ways,” she told BusinessWest. “They’ve done the surgeries, they’ve done the anti-inflammatories, they’ve done all of the cortisol shots. They’re trying everything that the medical profession throws at them. And in a lot of ways, it’s just not succeeding.

“The number-one thing we hear from seniors is the inability to get a full night’s sleep,” she added. “I would say that is probably the number-one reason why we see [older] people come through our doors. ‘Is there something that will help me calm down or something that will relax me or help me sleep through the night?’”

Another interesting factor in the trend toward older adults using cannabis is postmenopausal women, she added. “That is a fascinating demographic; they are going through aches and pains that they’ve never had before because of estrogen loss. So joints hurt, and muscles aren’t recovering as fast because their hormones are diminishing. So they’re turning to cannabis for relief of aching joints and different pains that they might have, as well as the sleep aspect.”

“A lot of people are thinking about it for relaxation, for sleep, or just to feel good, mood adjustments. Some are using it to lower anxiety, and a lot of folks have been using it for pain relief, for arthritis in their hands and joints.”

But they’re also turning on because, well, it’s enjoyable.

“We are finding in assisted-living communities that this has become a social aspect of their everyday life,” Sanders said. “So they’re having gummy parties and watching movies, they’re having tinctures in their drinks, or they’re buying seltzers or various things off the shelf, and they’re having fun little parties in their group.

“And I love that it’s becoming so social for them because, ultimately, isn’t that how cannabis got started? It’s all of us standing in a circle passing a joint, right? It makes us happy,” she went on. “They’re not passing joints, maybe, but they are passing gummies. I hope they’re having a lot of fun.”

 

Higher Numbers

National statistics bear out what Sanders and Walters-Zucco are seeing locally. According to the 2024 University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, about one in five people (21%) in the 50-plus age group said they used some form of cannabis — food, drink, flower, or another type — at least once in the last year, up from 12% in the 2021 poll. Meanwhile, 12% of respondents reported using cannabis at least once a month.

In 2015 and 2016, a time when cannabis was legal in very few places, about 3% of adults 65 and older were using it, according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

According to AARP, older adults are increasingly turning to cannabis to alleviate pain, help them sleep, improve mental health, or cope with other medical conditions.

Specifically, according to the poll data, adults 50 and older are turning to cannabis to relax (81%), get help with sleep (68%), enjoy the effects or feel good (64%), get help with pain relief (63%), get help for mental health or mood (53%), treat a medical condition (40%), make a social gathering more fun or connect with others (31%), celebrate (26%), or experiment (18%).

Still, the AARP notes that, while many older adults are turning to cannabis to help with health issues, 44% of people who use it regularly have not discussed that use with a healthcare provider, which health experts say they definitely should.

Meg Sanders

Meg Sanders

“We are finding in assisted-living communities that this has become a social aspect of their everyday life. So they’re having gummy parties and watching movies, they’re having tinctures in their drinks, or they’re buying seltzers or various things off the shelf, and they’re having fun little parties in their group.”

“Even if your doctor, nurse practitioner, or pharmacist doesn’t ask if you’re using cannabis products, it’s important to offer this information, no matter whether you’re using it to address a physical or mental-health concern or simply for pleasure,” Dr. Jeffrey Kullgren, a primary-care physician at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and director of the National Poll on Healthy Aging, said in a news release.

Walters-Zucco agrees.

“It has to be a coordinated effort with their primary-care physician,” she said. “They want to make sure that their PCP is aware and can effectively treat other conditions; they don’t want anything to be counteractive or interfering with other medications they’re taking.”

That said, she has spoken with doctors and communicated with residents on the topic, and she believes cannabis can be a way for older individuals to avoid the pitfalls of opioid use, which remains a massive problem in Massachusetts, among other health benefits.

“But, again, what we’re talking about with residents is, you have to have a conversation with your primary-care physician to make sure that, if you’re going to take certain dosages, it’s not going to counteract with other medications that you’re taking for, say, your liver or kidneys, and that your gut can process cannabis.”

The University of Michigan poll highlighted the types of cannabis products favored by older adults. Seventy-four percent reported consuming edibles and beverages, which, Sanders noted, offers a smoke-free alternative to those concerned about respiratory health. Meanwhile, 58% smoke the flower, 26% opt for vaping, and 19% use dabs, butane hash oil, or other concentrates.

She added that the rising trend of cannabis use among older adults presents an opportunity for dispensaries in a highly competitive market, and shops should educate their staff on the specific benefits and considerations of cannabis use for seniors, as well as curating senior-friendly products, creating gift bundles with seniors in mind, hosting educational events, and generally fostering a welcoming environment, which may include accessible facilities, comfortable seating areas, and staff training to engage respectfully with older adults.

“I have people that hug me on a regular basis, saying, ‘thank you, you’ve helped me finally sleep.’ That right there is a huge healing aspect. So I think that’s part of it.”

“Every single day, we see multi-generational shoppers come in together, and daughters are walking their mothers through, granddaughters are walking their grandparents through — ‘this is a really great thing, try this, I love this, you might love it,’” Sanders added, noting that family members are often influenced by the success and enjoyment experienced by trusted loved ones.

“I have people that hug me on a regular basis, saying, ‘thank you, you’ve helped me finally sleep.’ That right there is a huge healing aspect. So I think that’s part of it.”

 

Joint Efforts

Cannabis has taken hold across America, with those 24 states with legal recreational use joined by 14 more that have legalized for medical use. And that means more concern around using the substance safely.

In addition to possible contraindications from prescription drugs, medical professionals also caution about cannabis possibly affecting parts of the brain that are responsible for coordination and reaction time, according to the AARP, which cites a 2021 study in the journal Brain Sciences finding that older adults who used cannabis had a higher fall risk, worse balance, and slower gait speed than people who didn’t use cannabis.

The University of Michigan poll also found that 21% of older adults surveyed weren’t aware that many cannabis products available today are much stronger than they were decades ago, contributing to concerns about dose levels.

That’s why the Arbors has begun to take an educational role in residents’ cannabis use, even while acknowledging the potential benefits.

“They’re very interested in alternative medication and ways to treat diseases besides typical pharmaceuticals,” Walters-Zucco told BusinessWest. “So we ask them if they’re open to having a person come in and do a presentation about cannabis and answer any questions they may have.”

Many residents trying out cannabis have already used CBD products, she noted, but cannabis, which contains the psychoactive compound THC, is a much different animal. “We’re asking them to ask to talk to their primary-care physician before starting to take gummies, and dosages are definitely something they want to learn about.”

Walters-Zucco noted that, for some, it’s never too late to try something new.

“I talk to to residents, and one resident who’s 90 went to the pot shop for the first time — yes, she called it a pot shop. She said, ‘I can’t believe this.’ If it can help people with increased relaxation, better sleep, better pain relief, maybe elevate people’s moods, yes, absolutely — but it needs to be done safely and effectively with conversations with their primary-care physician.”

 

Enfield Is All Aboard the Development Train

By
Aaron Marcavitch
Community Spotlight

Community Spotlight

Aaron Marcavitch

Aaron Marcavitch says Enfield would benefit from a balance of different types of new housing.

 

In a region with plenty of dying, dead, or deteriorating shopping centers, Enfield Square stands out — just Target and a few smaller retailers occupying a largely empty structure where anchors such as Macy’s, JCPenney, and Sears once thrived.

But it’s also a property with an intriguing location, sitting between two very busy thoroughfares in Elm Street and Hazard Avenue, each dotted with retail, restaurants, and plenty of traffic.

And 2024 brought a ray of hope when the mall property — all but the Target — was purchased by Woodsonia Acquisitions, which has proposed a $250 million project that will feature retail and restaurant businesses, hundreds of residential units, and a small hotel.

Woodsonia also worked with the town on an application for a $20 million Connecticut Community Investment Funds program grant. After much back and forth with the state, an amended, $10 million version was recently resubmitted.

“It was narrowed down a little bit,” said Aaron Marcavitch, who has had a busy several months since coming on board as Enfield’s Economic & Community Development director last April. “It’s a $10 million request, basically for the demolition of the building and for the critical infrastructure elements of it — pipes in the ground and some of those types of things. We should hear by March whether or not that will happen. If it goes forward, that process will take six to nine months before you might see demolition.”

He said the town and developer share a vision for the property involving the mixed-use blend of housing, a hotel, and “some upscale strip elements” on the retail side, including an organic grocery store.

“It’s been said for 50 years now that Thompsonville is going to be revitalized, but I feel like some positive movement is happening. We’re actually putting those plans into action.”

“It’s likely that the developers are a little bit more housing-focused, so they’ll get that part done, and the rest will happen as they acquire potential retailers or restaurants or whatever,” Marcavitch went on. “If the project were to go sideways, there may be other ways for us to go with this. It is a really great location for retail.”

The housing element is especially intriguing at a time when most cities and towns in the region need more of it. At the same time, a 140-unit residential development is taking shape on North River Street, near the critically important train stop project taking shape in the Thompsonville neighborhood (more on all of that later).

“I think the balance that Enfield is looking for is in truly affordable housing — really low-income versus workforce housing,” Marcavitch said, citing a term often used in the social-services world: ALICE, which stands for asset-limited, income-constrained, employed. “It basically means that you’re well above the poverty line, but it’s still hard to make ends meet. And I think that’s the area of housing we’ve been hearing about, as well as some of the 55-plus and elderly types of housing.

Enfield Square has been in decline for many years

Enfield Square has been in decline for many years, but a planned mixed-use development there has city officials excited.

“We’re a predominantly single-family type of community, but we’ve got some really interesting projects,” he went on. “I mean, the 140 apartments on the river are being built essentially as one-bedroom majority because they’re looking for the commuting professional with no kids. That’s their target audience. With demographics changing, we kind of have to stay on our toes for what the community is looking for.”

 

Train Not in Vain

The entire rail-centric project in Thompsonville has certainly made waves — with real ripple effects when it comes to development.

Late in 2023, the Connecticut Department of Transportation attached hard dates to the $45 million project to build the train station. Those dates included the summer of 2024 for the final design to be completed, the winter of 2025 for the construction bid to be awarded, the spring of 2027 for accompanying rail and bridge work to be completed, and the fall of 2027 for completion of the station and platform.

That plan is largely on track (no pun intended), though there’s plenty of bid and permit work to be completed this year, Marcavitch said, and shovels may be in the ground by September.

“If you can encourage somebody to come here, that’s great, but I don’t want you just getting on a train and disappearing every day. At the end of the day, I want you to go to a dog park, I want you to go hike a trail, whatever it is, and stay in Enfield as much as possible.”

Enfield’s station is expected to be more than a metro stop, bringing people to Hartford to work; it will also be a larger hub for Amtrak for more distant destinations, while a planned spur off the Windsor Locks stop will bring people to and from Bradley International Airport. The project has also, as noted earlier, gained the attention of the development community.

The 140-unit project on North River Street is being developed by HGRE Ventures, a partnership between Avon-based Honeycomb Real Estate Partners and GRAVA Properties of West Hartford. HGRE plans a $100 million, two-phase project that would eventually bring more than 300 units to the riverfront section of Thompsonville, near the much larger Bigelow Commons apartment complex.

Enfield at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1683
Population: 42,141
Area: 34.2 square miles
County: Hartford
Residential Tax Rate: $32.23
Commercial Tax Rate: $32.23
Median Household Income: $67,402
Median Family Income: $77,554
Type of Government: Town Council, Town Manager
Largest Employers: Empower Retirement LLC, Town of Enfield, Advance Auto Parts Distribution Center, Eppendorf Manufacturing
* Latest information available

The HGRE property sits on the former Bigelow Carpet manufacturing plant, and the developers recently secured $4 million from the state brownfields program to remediate the property, Marcavitch said. “That actually used to be the power plant for Bigelow. At one point, they were burning garbage in there. There was oil being used, coal being used, so there’s a lot of stuff on the grounds that needs to be cleaned up.”

He noted that the project will include some publicly accessible waterfront walking space, and HGRE will also seek to acquire an additional parcel at Main and North River streets, currently owned by Eversource, for the project’s second phase.

“The intention from the developer is to be able to use that area where the Eversource property is to build a waterfront restaurant location,” he said. “You get off the train, you can get something to eat, you can go to your apartment, whatever it might be, and that trail then would continue to Main Street, at least. There’s also been a long-term vision to have some sort of a pier that goes out into the river. That’s part of my job — to see if we can find funding for that and find a way to do it.”

Meanwhile, the town has received $1 million in federal funding to be used for streetscaping, from the train station up Main Street. “That’s going to trees, sidewalks, lighting, parking, striping, and making the road a bit more narrow,” Marcavitch explained.

“We’ve also been having some conversations about parking issues,” he went on. “We’ve had conversations with a group that’s being formed, a nonprofit group that would function as a Main Street program. They’re still in development.”

Taken together, Thompsonville definitely has some buzz. “It’s been said for 50 years now that Thompsonville is going to be revitalized, but I feel like some positive movement is happening. We’re actually putting those plans into action.”

 

Further Down the Track

That action has brought a sense of momentum to town, Marcavitch said, even if not everyone is feeling it yet.

“I feel there is a sense in Enfield that people don’t believe it until they start to see it. And nobody is seeing that shovel in the ground. But there are some people who know it’s happening, and they want to get ahead of it — whether it’s small developers on Main Street wanting to do small projects or big developers doing 140 apartment units.”

That said, other areas of town have seen some progress, too — even in the industrial sector, still reeling from Lego’s departure.

“We’ve had some really good conversations with the logistics industry, and we’re hopeful to see some projects that might be coming out of that relatively soon,” Marcavitch said, adding that one property owner is working with Martin Brower, the primary trucking company for McDonald’s, on an expansion and redesign of the site’s truck-management space, while USA Hauling, which owns the former Lego building, is talking to some high-tech companies.

“I have heard sometimes that Enfield is difficult to work with from a development standpoint. I don’t think that’s true, but we hear that, so I’ve been trying to be much more accessible to be that point of contact for businesses,” he added. “I was on a phone call with a gentleman who’s looking to put a restaurant in: ‘OK, great, tell me what you need. Let me know whenever you run into a snag.’ We’re just trying to be more helpful and more open.”

It’s the same with the few existing mall tenants, he added. “They don’t know what’s going to happen. So we’ve had some good conversations with those tenants. There’s only so much the town can do, but if we can at least be a receptive ear, sometimes that’s helpful.”

Since taking his role last April, Marcavitch has tried to put the same energy into other types of properties, from open spaces to historical sites.

“If you can encourage somebody to come here, that’s great, but I don’t want you just getting on a train and disappearing every day. At the end of the day, I want you to go to a dog park, I want you to go hike a trail, whatever it is, and stay in Enfield as much as possible. So it’s a multi-pronged process to bring up our sites and attractions, bring up our parks, bring up our community amenities, and bring up our businesses, too.”

 

New Center on HCC Campus Caters to Adult Learners, Parents

By
Amy Woody
Education

Balancing School and Life

 

Amy Woody

Amy Woody stands in the new Marieb Adult Learner Success Center.

 

Amy Woody knows something about adult learners — students who enroll in college later in life than the typical 18-year-old high-school graduate — because she was one.

When she started at Holyoke Community College in her 20s, she had a 1-year-old son, so she also knows what it’s like to be a student and parent at the same time. So it’s been personally gratifying for her to see the development of a new support program for adult learners and student parents at HCC, which opened last month.

The Marieb Adult Learner Success Center and the Parent Learning Center are funded through a $1 million gift from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation, established by the late Elaine Marieb, an HCC alum and long-time member of its biology faculty who went on to become a bestselling author of anatomy and physiology textbooks.

“In her generosity and love of lifelong learning, she earmarked this money for the adult-learner and student-parent community,” said Anne Medina, HCC’s associate director of Enrollment and Recruitment. “She herself was an adult learner and understood the unique challenges adult learners face as older students. She firmly believed that they needed dedicated programs and spaces on campus to be successful in their studies.”

Woody agrees. As coordinator of the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center, she told BusinessWest that, as the college began to see an influx of adult learners coming in from MassReconnect — a state program launched in 2023 offering free community-college tuition to students over age 25 — one of the things it was missing was a space where students could be on campus with their children. The Parent Learning Center fills that need.

“She herself was an adult learner and understood the unique challenges adult learners face as older students. She firmly believed that they needed dedicated programs and spaces on campus to be successful in their studies.”

“We were finding they had gaps in their schedules, and they just wanted some place where they could go be with their kids and study,” Woody said. “So we realized this could be a valuable place for students to be on campus, include their children in a family-oriented space, and not feel as though they’re distracting others, or that their kids don’t have a place here. We really believe that education is a family affair, so we’re trying to create spaces and programming that bring the whole family in and not just the student.”

Meanwhile, the Marieb Adult Learner Success Center is for older students in general, not just parents, she added. It’s a more quiet space where students can study, have coffee and snacks in the kitchen, but also access academic advising and workshops to support both academic and life skills.

“It’s not just about turning your work in on time, but how do you manage that with your entire life, your kids and your family and your cooking and your cleaning and all of that fun stuff?” Woody said. “So we try to do programming that honors the adult learner as an entire person and not just a student.”

The Marieb Adult Learner Success Center is a small lounge and study area with adjoining staff offices, while the Parent Learning Center, just across the hall, is a much larger space that contains a desk with a secure play or napping area for small children, as well as a pack and play, changing station, large-screen TV, conference table, art easel, and learning corner with children’s books and toys.

grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 11.

HCC President George Timmons (third from left) helps celebrate the grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 11.

“The Parent Learning Center is a workspace where students can bring their laptops, sit and work on group projects, or just kick back and relax for a while, where they can have their kids with them and feel safe and welcome,” Medina said.

 

Evolving Effort

Before the Marieb Adult Learning Success Center, HCC housed a program in that space called New Directions for Adult Learners, as well as its Pathways program, which is a transfer program mostly focused on adult women learners.

“The New Directions program was relatively small — it was just one academic advisor who was really running that whole program,” Woody said. “Now we have three full-time staff members, and we’ve been able to scale up the program significantly. When the New Directions program ended, there were between 60 and 80 students, and now, in our first year, we have about 200 enrolled in this program.”

More students have expressed interest as well, she added. “so we were able to take a model that was working — offering this extra, holistic support to adult learners — but scale that up to a much bigger level so that we can serve more students.”

Woody feels that having such a resource could encourage adult students to enroll while helping them stay successful on their academic journey.

“That’s one of the big things — can we make it any easier for them? We recognize that they’re sacrificing a lot of time away from their families, so that’s one of the reasons why we wanted to give back with these spaces where the whole family can be involved.

“A big part of our program is recognizing that being an adult learner is just one aspect of their identity, and there are so many other things going on in their lives,” she added. “So offering programming in the evenings, or by Zoom, or just doing little things that make us more accessible to them in their busy lives, is really helpful. So is that holistic advising piece, having a person you can call up with whatever issue you’re having, and they can help you troubleshoot and walk you through it and just remind you that you belong here at HCC, no matter what’s going on.”

 

Generational Impact

The ceremonial check from Elaine Marieb still hangs in the center named after her, for two reasons, Woody said.

“First of all, her generosity is what made all of this possible, and I think that’s amazing. But also, she’s a wonderful example of an adult learner, somebody who came to HCC as an adult, pursuing a nursing career.”

She noted that about 70% of students in HCC’s nursing program would be classified as adult learners, so that demographic is helping to fill persistent shortages of talent in the field, which lends another layer of importance to efforts to support them on their academic journey.

“And I was an adult learner here at HCC,” said Woody, who used her associate degree there as a springboard to a bachelor’s degree at Westfield State University. Meanwhile, her son is now 18; he’ll graduate from high school this spring and just completed his first psychology class at HCC.

“So, when I say it’s a family thing, I really believe that,” she went on. “I think seeing me here was a big push for him to say, ‘I can do this.’ It’s made a big impact on how he approaches his education.”

 

LightHouse Holyoke Expands Its Space — and Its Innovative Vision

By
Executive Director Catherine Gobron
Education Special Coverage

Learning Process

Executive Director Catherine Gobron

Executive Director Catherine Gobron

July 18 to Sept. 3. That’s 47 days. Not quite seven weeks.

That’s how much time LightHouse Holyoke, a non-traditional middle and high school celebrating its 10th year in operation, had between its purchase of the Gateway City Arts property on Race Street and the start of classes for the 2024-25 year.

Executive Director Catherine Gobron called that whirlwind of activity “amazing” as she gave BusinessWest a tour of the facility during the recent holiday break and reflected on the past few months; the school’s impact on students, many of whom thrive there more than they would a traditional public school; and how the new location opens up more educational programs — and potential career paths — for these teens.

Take, for example, a production academy integrated into two existing performance spaces, a small theater and a larger concert venue that has hosted national touring acts through the years; together, they will allow for training and internship opportunities for young people to learn the many skills associated with the entertainment and event-production industry, from lighting and sound to artist management and beyond. Isaac Eddy, a 12-year veteran of the Blue Man Group, is developing the theater program.

“Our expenses have gone up quite a bit, and we’re still really figuring out how that’s all going to work. But we’ve got a vision to grow it, and I can see it.”

“Different aspects of the work appeal to different students — some kids are really lit up by how to use the lighting board, and other kids are interested in learning sound. Some of these young people, we predict, will go on to careers in the music industry or in the production industry,” Gobron explained, adding that LightHouse is also developing partnerships with the Fine Arts Center at UMass Amherst and a local theatrical stage union, “so hopefully we can feed young people into the union. which would be a win-win.”

Similarly, the complex’s café will reopen to the public, with integrated courses and internships in all aspects of running a café, leading to paid work and future career opportunities. The complex also hosts an 8,000-square-foot community maker space, complete with a woodshop and ceramic studio, hosting classes and workspaces both for LightHouse students and accessible to the wider community.

LightHouse bought the Gateway City Arts complex

LightHouse bought the Gateway City Arts complex on July 18 and started classes on Sept. 3 — a whirlwind of activity Catherine Gobron calls “amazing.”

Gobron is also excited that the just-opened kitchen space will serve both the café and student lunches, meaning the school no longer has to rely on one of the large, national lunch suppliers.

“It’s really exciting that we’re going to have a real lunch program, and we’re going to eat together in the dining room every day,” she said. “Many of our young people are not arriving with strong skills or awareness or resources around healthy food choices, and that can have dire consequences.”

So there’s plenty of excitement at LightHouse — which currently enrolls about 75 students and could double that with more buildout — but also a sense of challenge.

Through what Gobron has called “a steady stream of community-supported miracles,” the school raised $1.5 million toward purchasing and renovating the 40,000-square-foot property, and borrowed another $2.5 million in partnership with Greenfield Northampton Cooperative Bank and MassDevelopment. Collaborators on the project included HAI Architects, Houle Builders, and Sarah Reid at Small Victories Interior Design. A second capital campaign aims to raise another $1.5 million; that’s on top of an annual budget that relies partly on tuition, but with philanthropy covering about one-third of the total.

“A lot of times, if a young person isn’t thriving in school, we think that’s the young person’s fault: they have ADHD, they have whatever. We often don’t talk about it as a systemic problem. Here, we don’t try to blame the kid.”

But the school’s mission is important, Gobron said, which is why these efforts are not just challenging, but gratifying. “Our expenses have gone up quite a bit, and we’re still really figuring out how that’s all going to work. But we’ve got a vision to grow it, and I can see it.”

 

Impactful Journey

Gobron’s life experiences led her to a non-traditional path in the world of education, and eventually to the launch of LightHouse in 2015 along with then-business partner Josiah Litant.

“High school was terrible for me, and I ended up leaving during my senior year. I was a strong student academically, but it was a really negative space for me in other ways,” she recalled. She started her career in alternative education at a Montessori school and eventually made her way to North Star Self-Directed Learning for Teens in Sunderland, where she stayed for 12 years.

While program director there, she dreamed of opening a school in Holyoke focused on self-directed learning that would serve a more urban, diverse population. She and Litant, an education consultant who had worked at Hampshire College, found a home in the Sustainability Technology Entrepreneurship Art Media (STEAM) building on Race Street, which, like Gateway City Arts, was owned by Vitek Kruta and Lori Divine.

Catherine Gobron stands in the school’s dining area, where students will benefit from a just-launched in-house kitchen.

Catherine Gobron stands in the school’s dining area, where students will benefit from a just-launched in-house kitchen.

Gobron said the model isn’t as radical as it sounds, as college students typically craft their own degree track within certain parameters. “But we typically don’t recognize the value in that when it’s teenagers.”

Especially those, like herself, who don’t feel they fit into a traditional high-school structure.

“A lot of times, if a young person isn’t thriving in school, we think that’s the young person’s fault: they have ADHD, they have whatever. We often don’t talk about it as a systemic problem. Here, we don’t try to blame the kid,” she said, noting that LightHouse’s opening coincided with Holyoke Public Schools entering state receivership (which was lifted in 2024). “There were so many kids struggling, we couldn’t blame them anymore. The system had to ask, ‘OK, what are we doing?’ And there was a window of openness to other possibilities that might have otherwise seemed kind of crazy.”

LightHouse actually has partnerships with the public school systems in Holyoke and other communities, taking in a handful of students who are technically enrolled with the city, but do their learning at LightHouse.

“The students they’re sending us are typically disengaged,” Gobron said. “A lot of times, we hear from parents, ‘I used to have a curious and excited kid, and somewhere, that went away.’ And now we have this child who’s kind of shut down and disengaged, thinks that they hate learning, or have any number of challenges.”

“A lot of times, we hear from parents, ‘I used to have a curious and excited kid, and somewhere, that went away.’ And now we have this child who’s kind of shut down and disengaged, thinks that they hate learning, or have any number of challenges.”

Each student has an advisor that becomes their point person, she explained, both for the student and their family — with ‘family’ being an adaptable term. “Some students have two parents; some students have four parents; some students have a grandmother, a social worker, and a probation officer. And the advisor creates a team of support around the student.”

Students are encouraged to pursue their own interests — sometimes with immediate, real-world applications, as with the burgeoning event-production and culinary programs — but still need to achieve the same graduation requirements, in terms of credits and testing, as public-school students in Massachusetts.

“We believe that young people can and should be supported to be the leaders of their own lives,” the school’s website states. “We know that learning is most successful when it is actively chosen and personally meaningful. For us, the purpose of education is to collaborate with young people to cultivate the skills, confidence, and vision to co-create the future.”

 

Success Stories

Incoming students tend to fall into one of several categories, Gobron noted: young people with passions and interests who seek more time, support, and flexibility to pursue them; those who come from negative schooling experiences, may learn differently, or be anxious, depressed, bullied, ostracized, struggling academically, or managing other challenges; and teens somewhere in the middle, who are open to the possibility of being inspired, but aren’t there yet.

One senior student recently wrote an essay on her experiences, and how she always liked learning, but faced a combination of bullying in middle school and struggles at home.

The stage where many locals have enjoyed concerts over the years will now showcase a blend of student training and community events.

The stage where many locals have enjoyed concerts over the years will now showcase a blend of student training and community events.

“I went from being an honor-roll student to skipping classes and not learning a single thing,” she wrote. “I was so consumed by depression and anxiety that I felt suffocated. I understand that it was a tough time for everyone when COVID hit, and school became completely different, but I’d never done worse in my life in terms of grades. COVID was my excuse. I hid all the parts of me that I deemed weak behind my face mask. I was at an all-time low, and I accepted it.”

Until she found LightHouse — very near her home, actually — and began to reclaim her passion for learning.

“LightHouse was very supportive of me. I’d been used to being treated in a lot of ways. I knew when I was being brushed off, neglected, or taken advantage of, so this feeling was very odd.”

“LightHouse was very supportive of me. I’d been used to being treated in a lot of ways. I knew when I was being brushed off, neglected, or taken advantage of, so this feeling was very odd,” she wrote, later adding, “I’ve been doing all kinds of things, and I’ve honestly never been more motivated in my life. I went from declaring that I was going to drop out to applying for college. That’s what LightHouse has done for me. I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Kruta and Divine are also grateful they were able to sell the Gateway City Arts complex — long a hive of arts, learning, performance, and community connection — to an equally mission-driven entity, and one with which they were already familiar.

“We couldn’t be happier to have LightHouse move into the space that we spent 12 years creating,” Divine said last year. “Our mission was always to create a space for education, community, creativity, and inspiration. This was carried out in our classes, meetings, theater, food, music, and gatherings. LightHouse Holyoke shares so many of our values. When it was clear that Gateway City Arts had to close, our hope was to find a buyer that would continue our vision merged with their own. We applaud what LightHouse brings to the lives of its students and their families and friends. We created a space for learning and sharing — LightHouse will continue that.”

St. Germain Marks a Century of Evolution

By
Banking and Financial Services

Investing in the Future

 

To put 100 years in perspective, Tim Suffish considered his own time at St. Germain Investment Management.

“It’s crazy to think I’ve been with St. Germain now 20-plus years, so 100 is a lot in our industry. That predates Fidelity Investments and big firms like that. But 20 years here … time flies,” said Suffish, senior vice president and head of equities at the firm.

But St. Germain has seen plenty of evolution, not only since it opened in 1924, but in the two decades Suffish has been on board.

“If you go back 50 years, firms like St. Germain tended to be brokers, and it was very transactional,” he told BusinessWest. “And portfolios were very different back then. St. Germain initially had a focus on bank and insurance stocks, seeing that we were just up the road from Hartford, Connecticut, the insurance capital of the world. That transitioned to being investment managers, managing diversified portfolios for clients, blue-chip stocks based in the U.S., and that was the way we operated through the ’90s.

Tim Suffish

Tim Suffish

“If someone comes in to us at 60 years old and they’ve got a handful of years left until they’re retiring, it’s going to be a different conversation.”

“But then, starting around the turn of the century in 2000, we in the industry have moved more toward being wealth managers,” Suffish explained. “We call it total financial planning — your retirement assets or your brokerage assets or saving for some big event down the road, like your children’s college tuition or saving for a second home, or whatever it is. We get more involved in all aspects of that, both the planning that goes in beforehand, setting expectations for what the returns might be, and the timing to get to that goal.”

In putting the company’s longevity in historical perspective, St. Germain’s website notes it has survived 17 U.S. presidents, six U.S. wars, a global pandemic, and much more … “and yet, we’ve stuck to one maxim across those years: do what’s in the best interest for our clients.”

“We have advisors that are salaried employees. We don’t sell commissioned products,” Suffish explained. “Our advisors can go into the typical client meeting and give what we think is the right advice, and there’s no conflicts of interest where this thing over here is going to pay me more if I put them in it, versus something else. That’s something that differentiates us a little bit from some of the competition out there.”

 

Goals at Any Age

Suffish and the team at St. Germain — including President Mike Matty, who has served in that role for the past quarter-century — have stressed that financial planning and financial management are a process, whether an investor is 25 or 75.

For a new client, the first meeting starts with an exchange of information, as the client learns about the firm’s overall approach and generally conservative philosophy, and the team learns about the client’s financial life: assets, liabilities, income, and expenses.

All that is the starting point for developing a strategy, which considers how assets are managed and allocated, beneficiary designations and how they fit within an estate plan, and more. Once in place, the plan isn’t static, but is reviewed and adjusted as needed, as the markets, the economy, and the client’s own life circumstances change.

“On an annual basis, you’ll come in, and we’ll review the plan and assess whether we are on track to meet your goals,” Suffish said. “And the goals can be five, 10, 15, 20 years away. So at the start, let’s set a plan, let’s set an asset allocation, let’s figure out some stocks or ETFs [exchange-traded funds] or mutual funds that are going to be the right tools to get us to that goal. And then, on an annual basis, let’s review the plan, review the assets, review how things are doing, and see if we’re still on track to be where we want to be in 20 years.”

Mike Matty has been president of St. Germain for the past quarter-century.

Mike Matty has been president of St. Germain for the past quarter-century.

While clients of all ages and stages of life partner with St. Germain, Suffish noted, “we’re in the business of wealth management, and when you look at demographics in the U.S., the wealth tends to be in the 50-plus-year-olds, not the 20-year-olds, so our client base mirrors that. But everybody has different goals when they come to us.”

For example, a young person just starting out at work, opening up an IRA, might want to be very aggressive because he or she can tolerate the volatility that goes along with that strategy.

“But if someone comes in to us at 60 years old and they’ve got a handful of years left until they’re retiring, it’s going to be a different conversation,” Suffish said. “It’s about replacing the income that they’re getting from their current job and their current salary and building a portfolio around that — building it around income and conservative growth.”

In any case, risk tolerance is important to assess up front, he added, and it does tend to diminish as time goes on, and the client gets ever closer to needing investments, rather than salary, to pay the bills. That’s even more critical at a time when Americans are living longer than ever before, and someone may need to fund 30 post-retirement years, or more.

“If you’re retiring at a traditional, 65-year-old retirement age and we’re doing the planning out to age 95, we do have conversations with our clients about longevity and family history and your personal history and your health — that’s all part of it. But just to be conservative, planning out to age 90 or 95 is something that we all need to do.”

 

Expanding Footprint

Again, Suffish said, 100 years is something to be celebrated, and even the firm’s growth in just his 20 years there has been impressive. In those two decades, St. Germain has grown from around seven employees to 50, now operating out of four offices — in Springfield, Northampton, Lee, and Plymouth — along with a satellite office in Mississippi and plans to open another office in New Hampshire.

Meanwhile, assets under management have grown from around $600 million 20 years ago to more than $3 billion today.

That’s a lot of investments supporting a lot of goals and plans, and Matty, Suffish, and the rest of the team don’t take the responsibility lightly.

“We’ve been around a long time,” Suffish said, “and it’s because we try to do things right for our clients all the time. It does make a difference.”

Local Banks, Credit Unions Emphasize Corporate Responsibility

By
Banking and Financial Services Special Coverage

More Than Writing Checks

 

A community bank should be about, well, the community.

That’s the prevailing thought, anyway, among bank and credit-union leaders throughout the Western Mass. region when it comes to philanthropy, volunteerism, and other activities under the broad umbrella of corporate responsibility.

“It’s identifying the needs of the communities we serve. We’re very consistent with that mission,” said Matt Garrity, president and CEO of Florence Savings Bank, who was quick to name several areas of focus for the institution’s giving-back strategy, including affordable housing, food insecurity, financial literacy, education, substance abuse, health and human services, and community redevelopment. “These are issues that impact the lives of people in the communities we serve.”

To that end, Florence funded close to 400 requests in 2024, and it’s far from alone in meeting those needs.

“For mutual banks and community banks here in Western Massachusetts, giving back to the community really is a core value,” Garrity said. “And it’s local — the overwhelming majority of the giving we do is centered on supporting communities in Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin counties.”

UMassFive College Federal Credit Union focuses on the word ‘wellness’ a lot, said Craig Boivin, vice president of Marketing.

“That can mean different things. Obviously, financial wellness is the biggest thing. We’re a credit union, so we’re making sure we educate people on financial matters, with webinars and workshops on budgeting, understanding credit, and paying down debt. But another bucket of wellness has to do with basic necessities.”

That’s why UMassFive works with local survival centers, helping them meet needs and spreading the word to others, like through an annual coat and winter clothing drive that brought critical supplies to Amherst Survival Center, the Gray House in Springfield, and Net of Compassion in Worcester.

In fact, UMassFive partners with a host of area nonprofits on various giving and volunteering initiatives, including Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts (through participation in Will Bike 4 Food), and health-focused organizations like the UMass Cancer Center (through the UMass Cancer Walk).

Matt Garrity

Matt Garrity says Florence Savings Bank prioritizes community needs including affordable housing, food insecurity, financial literacy, education, health and human services, and community redevelopment.

Dan Moriarty, president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank, says his institution is dedicated to enriching lives in the cities and towns where it does business, and surrounding communities as well, helping organizations that serve a host of constituencies, from senior citizens to veterans to people in need of health services and basic needs.

“Obviously, a bank can’t solve all the area’s problems, but when we do things along with other good corporate citizens, we feel we make a difference in people’s lives,” he noted, noting that the bank has adopted “when we all give back, we all move forward” as its philanthropic tagline.

“We are a community bank, and we’ve been doing that for over 150 years now. As we continue to grow and expand our market footprint, we expect to help with more needs in the community.”

Matt Bannister, vice president of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility for PeoplesBank, has said many times that his bank’s guiding philosophy is to give a little to a lot of groups.

“Obviously, a bank can’t solve all the area’s problems, but when we do things along with other good corporate citizens, we feel we make a difference in people’s lives.”

“Some organizations will give a lot to a few groups. If a hospital is building a new cancer wing or an emergency room or something like that, those tend to be very large donations because they are very large projects. We take the opposite approach. We want to be in as many places as we possibly can.”

As a result, PeoplesBank gave away $1.6 million last year to 550 different nonprofits, Bannister noted. “You do the math, and it’s about $2,500 or $3,000 per grant, which doesn’t mean much to a large corporation that’s building a hospital … but it does mean a lot to a small nonprofit with a shoestring budget. So the ability to impact many organizations as possible is the route that we choose.”

 

Making the World Better

That said, corporate responsibility goes well beyond writing checks, Bannister explained.

“Corporate responsibility, to me, means standing for something that benefits the public at large. It’s a way to telegraph the values that a company has, and a consumer can use that information to make decisions. One of the factors when they’re purchasing a product or a service is, ‘who am I buying this from, and what do they do that makes the world a better place,’ as opposed to ‘what are they not doing, or what are they doing that makes the world a worse place?’”

So, that extends not only to philanthropy, but to what vendors and suppliers a bank partners with, and whether they share similar values.

“You might say a certain percentage of the vendors of a company should be minority-led organizations or women-led organizations. So it’s not only how you telegraph your values, but how you put them into action; are you, as a company, spending money to encourage what we think are beneficial programs for society?”

That approach extends to volunteerism as well — an area of community support that virtually every bank based in this region emphasizes.

Dan Moriarty (left, with Veronica Garcia, CEO of Latino Marketing Agency, and John Perez, project office manager at the Hispanic-American Institute

Dan Moriarty (left, with Veronica Garcia, CEO of Latino Marketing Agency, and John Perez, project office manager at the Hispanic-American Institute) enjoys taking many of these big-check photos each year with organizations that benefit from Monson Savings Bank’s giving.

“When employees of a company volunteer in the community, that’s another way the company adds value to the community,” Bannister said, which is why PeoplesBank — and the other institutions that spoke with BusinessWest — pays employees to take volunteer days.

“So United Way has Days of Caring, where teams [of volunteers] will come out, or Habitat for Humanity has a build, where teams will come out, and that’s good for team building. But the company is also saying, ‘you’re not going to do your job today; we’re going to pay you to do something out in the community.’”

That makes a statement about corporate values, which is why Monson Savings Bank recently codified it.

“We’re launching a community service day policy where we pay our full-time employees to donate eight hours of a day, or two half-days, to an organization or a nonprofit,” Moriarty said. “We’ve done that kind of unofficially; now it’s an official policy. We allow employees to donate their time during the work week, and we pay them to go out and support the community. It’s a great thing.”

Such activities also expose employees to the good work being done in the community, and they can be enjoyable, he added. “We’ve had fun helping Revitalize CDC on volunteer projects, or helping out organizations from the United Way to Martin Luther King Family Services to I Found Light Against All Odds, and many others.”

The bank also collects $5 donations from employees every Friday for the ability to wear jeans to work, and those donations are pooled and given to local organizations as well.

At Florence, “volunteerism is a big part of what we do. We encourage it highly in our organization, and we’ll continue to do that,” added Garrity, noting that employees have recently volunteered at organizations including Hampshire Regional YMCA, Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity, Square One, Caring Health Center, and many more.

At UMassFive, Boivin said, “the level of engagement of our employees is high — it’s the culture here to support others in the community, especially with fundraising that we do with Will Bike 4 Food and the Cancer Walk and Run. We raised over 25 grand combined for those two organizations this year.

“And a lot of that comes from grassroots stuff the employees are doing,” he added. “They’re selling baked goods, they’re creating artworks and selling them in the branches, they’re talking to their families and friends, and they’re donating themselves. We really support the causes we care about.”

UMassFive’s community support also extends to elevating local businesses, as it did when it partnered with UMass Athletics and UMass Sports Properties on a recent contest to recognize a small business that demonstrates service, innovation, and community involvement.

The winner, Sexton Roofing & Siding, received an ad package worth $10,000, allowing it to be featured on digital displays, radio reads, email blasts, and tabling opportunities during and surrounding the university’s sporting events. “That’s another way to practice corporate responsibility, by amplifying other businesses,” Boivin said.

 

Moving the Needle

And then, there are the votes.

Two local banks — Florence Savings Bank, through its Customers’ Choice program, and Monson Savings Bank, through its Community Giving Initiative — just finished another annual round of voting by customers and community members on what organizations they’d like the banks to support with donations.

“We began this back in 2010. We’re aware of a lot of different nonprofits that are doing a lot of good work, but not all of them,” Moriarty said, and since its inception, the program has grown significantly. “It’s exciting — now we have nonprofits say, ‘hey, Dan, when do we launch the CGI initiative, so we can get the information to voters?’ It’s been a great program for us, and we’ve met a lot of great organizations across the Pioneer Valley.”

Florence Bank’s program is in its 23rd year, and the most recent round of voting drew more than 7,000 ballots, Garrity noted. “We’ve even tried to provide, for the benefit of a lot of our nonprofit organizations, tips on how to get the message out to their supporters around Customers’ Choice. It’s really been something the community has embraced.”

Readers have probably noticed the word ‘community’ repeated often throughout this article — more than two dozen times, in fact. But there’s a good reason for that.

“The word ‘community’ can be overused, but it really does feel like we’re a community of people helping others in the community,” Boivin said. “Our whole mission is set up to help people. The biggest way we do that is in the financial world, but there are a lot of other pillars here.

“When you think about the budgets we have for marketing and outreach, they are not as big as some of the community banks in our area,” he went on. “And, yes, we write checks and donate money, but a lot of it, for us, comes down to volunteer efforts and fundraising and spreading the word about events organizations are having, or participating in those events when they have them.

“A lot of it is a boots-on-the-ground effort,” Boivin added. “We don’t just write checks; we show up. That’s an internal mantra of ours.”

Glenmeadow President, CEO Reflects on First Year in Senior Living

By
Glenmeadow President and CEO Kathy Martin
Healthcare News Special Coverage

Learning Experience

Glenmeadow President and CEO Kathy Martin

Glenmeadow President and CEO Kathy Martin

Kathy Martin had built an impressive career on higher education — first as a teacher, then as an administrator, most recently as assistant provost for Accreditation and Administration at UMass Amherst — when she saw an opportunity to make a sharp turn. And she took it.

“It was the right time for me to think about trying something else,” said Martin, who had been serving on the board of Glenmeadow, a senior-living community in Longmeadow, when the position of president and CEO opened up there in 2023. “Glenmeadow’s timeline for its presidential search coincided with my timeline for seeking a new opportunity because the provost I was working with at UMass got a new job, so she was leaving UMass anyway. So it was just an opportunity of timing.”

Her role on the board had been a great introduction to that venerable (as in 140-year-old) community, and to senior living in general.

“I was at a point professionally where I needed to make a decision about what I wanted to do. Did I want to continue to pursue a presidency in higher education, or did I want to try something else?” she told BusinessWest.

The shift — she’s been on the job 15 months now — has been dramatic in some ways, but rewarding as well.

“This is a new language for me in many ways, but I love learning new things. This was an opportunity for me to take on the challenge of learning and leading in a new sector. And there are more overlaps between higher ed and senior living than you might think,” Martin continued. “Some of the challenges and opportunities are the same, and leadership is leadership, but I have really enjoyed the pivot from working primarily with college students to working with seniors. It’s been a wonderful shift of perspective.”

“This is a new language for me in many ways, but I love learning new things. This was an opportunity for me to take on the challenge of learning and leading in a new sector. And there are more overlaps between higher ed and senior living than you might think.”

It has also been a process of learning about the day-to-day operations and everything the frontline staff and the leadership team do to keep a 24/7 operation working efficiently, she added.

“We think of it from our residents’ perspective first. What do they need? What are they interested in? What would make their Glenmeadow experience everything that they’ve always wanted it to be? And then there are all of the behind-the-scenes, operational decisions that we’re making; we’re looking at things like how reliant are we on paper processes, and can we move more things to the cloud, and how can we become more efficient in our operations?”

But most decisions come down to enhancing the resident experience, Martin said.

“Every decision that we make is based on what’s best for our residents and ensuring that we have enough programming, and the kind of programming that is meaningful for our residents,” she explained. “One of the things we’ve had a lot of conversation about in the last year is intellectual engagement, that it’s not just about playing mahjong, but it’s about having access to local speakers or a TED Talk or a guided discussion on a topic of interest. So we’re making sure we’re being responsive to what is interesting for the residents and engages their families as well in life at Glenmeadow.”

 

Long History

Glenmeadow traces its roots to 1884, when a group of civic leaders raised funds among themselves and other area families and purchased a house on Main Street in Springfield’s South End, establishing the Springfield Home for Aged Women. This residence opened in November 1886 and accommodated 16 women from the community without family or means.

Glenmeadow moved from Springfield to Longmeadow

Glenmeadow moved from Springfield to Longmeadow in 1993, right around the time the facility took its current name.

Fourteen years later, a new, larger home opened nearby, and in 1960, its name changed to Chestnut Knoll. In 1992, the facility began admitting men alongside the women.

In 1993, the organization purchased a 23-acre parcel in Longmeadow to build a new community that would provide both independent and assisted-living apartments with various common areas, and the name changed again, this time to Glenmeadow. In 2002, it unveiled Glenmeadow at Home, offering personal care, companionship, and home-care services to older adults living in their homes throughout Greater Springfield.

The home-care service is important for a couple of reasons, Martin said. “We recognize how important it is for seniors to stay at home as long as they possibly can. It can be very emotional to think about leaving your family home and making a move to a community like Glenmeadow, so we wanted to do everything we can to make it possible for seniors to stay at home a bit longer.”

In addition, she said, “home care is a nice gateway to Glenmeadow as a community. We do have residents who started as Glenmeadow at Home clients. We also have residents who use Glenmeadow at Home for some additional care. So it’s an important part of our business model, not only for what it provides our residents, but what we can give back to the local community to make home care more accessible.”

One crucial piece of the organization’s services is the concept of aging in community, she noted.

“One of the reasons that our residents thrive at Glenmeadow is because they’re with people who are having similar life experiences. We actively work to combat social isolation. And for those seniors who are staying at home and maybe increasingly infirm, it’s harder to maintain those social interactions. So a lot of our residents just enjoy being with people of the same age … it’s a social community as much as it is a residential one.”

“Home care is a nice gateway to Glenmeadow as a community. We do have residents who started as Glenmeadow at Home clients. We also have residents who use Glenmeadow at Home for some additional care. So it’s an important part of our business model.”

In 2024, Glenmeadow elevated the senior experience in a different way, by recognizing accomplished individuals over age 60 throughout the region in its first annual Age of Excellence awards program.

“That was really born out of a conversation among our board of directors about how we can have a hallmark event for Glenmeadow as a fundraiser,” Martin said. “We thought it was important to highlight the accomplishments and inspiration of those over 60.

“I think, too often, when you are approaching retirement, it feels like the end of something and that your best years are behind you,” she went on. “And we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight older adults that are doing amazing things. For some people, it’s a new career. For some people, it’s a new hobby. We wanted to be the ones to put a very appropriate spotlight on those individuals.”

The inaugural honorees, celebrated with a gala event in September, included Springfield Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers; Debbie Gardner of the Reminder; Jeffrey Greim of Jeff’s Granola; Ethel Griffin from Revitalize CDC; James Lagodich, who has been involved in local youth and adult sports; Maria Roy of the Indian Orchard Citizens Council; Patrick Sullivan, recently retired executive director of Springfield Parks; and Karen Tetreault of the Springfield Regional Chamber.

Kathy Martin (right) with the honorees at the inaugural Age of Excellence awards gala in September.

Kathy Martin (right) with the honorees at the inaugural Age of Excellence awards gala in September.

They were honored for a variety of reasons, from mentorship to volunteerism to leadership to simply inspiring change, and the selection process was challenging, Martin said, explaining that the public nominated individuals, and a small panel of local community leaders evaluated the nominations and made the selections.

“It’s been wonderful for us to hear people say, ‘oh, I wish we had done this 10 years ago,’ or ‘why hasn’t anybody had this idea before?’ And it was really inspirational, I think, for everybody who was involved in the selection process, but certainly everybody who went to the event in September. I think we all walked out of there with a little lift in our step from hearing what all of these honorees have accomplished.

“And there are dozens more like them, so we’re looking forward to the opportunity in 2025 to select the next class of Age of Excellence honorees,” she went on, noting that event will take place on Sept. 3.

 

Challenges and Opportunities

Senior living is a challenging field in many ways, Martin said, but right now, one of the biggest is the continued generational shift as the average age of Americans continues to rise.

“We have about 10,000 new Medicare subscribers every day with the Baby Boomers reaching retirement age. So, while we’re focused on how can we best serve the needs of our current residents, we’re also thinking about how to get ahead of what the Baby Boomer generation is going to be seeking in a community like Glenmeadow.”

To that end, the community is in the final stages of an $11 million renovation aimed to entice seniors interested in maintaining a wellness-focused lifestyle into retirement, she noted.

“Trying to forecast the needs of the next generation, I think, is certainly a challenge. And we’re a nonprofit, and maintaining a healthy revenue stream as a nonprofit is always a challenge. We focus on our occupancy, but we are grateful for the support that our residents and local members of the community and organizations make in supporting Glenmeadow financially so that we can continue to do what we do.”

Another industry challenge — one common to many industries these days — is recruiting and retaining a workforce, and on that front, Glenmeadow has been fortunate, Martin said.

“Through the pandemic and since then, our workforce has been relatively stable. We don’t have very many open positions,” she elaborated. “We focus a great deal on staff engagement, and I think that goes a long way toward that retention figure, but it’s also the interactions that our staff has with our residents.

“Every time I ask the staff what’s their favorite part about working here, they say the residents,” she went on. “And when I ask the residents what’s their favorite part about living here, they say the staff. So, it’s really a wonderful work environment for our staff, and we see that we’re all doing really good and important work, and it makes it much easier to come to work every day knowing about the positive impact that you have.”

Martin said that feeling extends to families, some of whom live far away, but many of whom live locally and stop by regularly for visits, meals, and events. “We love to see their interactions with our residents because it’s really their home. So we want our residents to treat it like their home and have their families here for holidays and other special occasions, or just to come watch a movie on a Thursday night.”

As for her own experience, Martin said she’s happy to have made this intriguing career shift — and she’s still learning.

“I love that it’s new every day,” she told BusinessWest. “There’s always something new that happens that I wouldn’t have anticipated. But I’ve loved getting to know the residents, their families, and our staff. It’s really the people that make a difference in this work, and getting to know the stories of the people who are here has been really inspiring and motivating and reinforcing of why this is such a great career path.”

AIC Announces Detailed Strategy to Guide Next Several Years

By
AIC interim President Nicolle Cestero
Education Special Coverage

It Starts with a Plan

AIC interim President Nicolle Cestero

AIC interim President Nicolle Cestero

Amid a shifting landscape for higher education, Nicolle Cestero says, colleges that are unwilling to change will be left behind.

That’s the idea behind a new, expansive organizational business plan at American International College, announced last month, that will guide the college over the next several years, said Cestero, AIC’s interim president.

Dubbed Pathway to Progress, the document presents an array of changes to AIC’s operational model, including revising the academic portfolio, expanding degree options, launching new enrollment strategies, and streamlining athletic programming, including cutting programs and moving the men’s hockey team from Division I to Division II in the NCAA.

“There have been many changes in higher education over the course of the past 20 years, and even over the course of the past three to five years. And if institutions aren’t changing and being nimble, then they are finding themselves merging or closing,” Cestero told BusinessWest in a wide-ranging interview regarding the plan.

“This institution, in the opinion of myself and others — senior management, faculty, staff, board of trustees — believe that we are really important to the students that we serve and to this community, and we want to make sure that AIC is here for the long term,” she added. “So we had to look at ourselves and say, ‘what we’re doing right now isn’t sustainable. So what do we need to do in order to make sure that AIC is here three, five, 10 years from now?’ That’s where Pathway to Progress comes in.”

“There have been many changes in higher education over the course of the past 20 years, and even over the course of the past three to five years. And if institutions aren’t changing and being nimble, then they are finding themselves merging or closing.”

Among the shifts in the higher-education landscape, according to the plan’s designers, are disruptions caused by the launch of a new federal financial-aid model, changes in demographics across the Northeast, and the nationwide conversation around the value of a college degree.

“We can’t continue to do the same things that we’ve always done and expect the same results,” Cestero added. “So we needed to say, ‘what are we good at? What’s making us money? What’s not?’ — and then make the tough decisions to say, ‘we’re going to cut here, and we’re going to grow here in order to maintain the institution.’”

To get to those decisions, AIC contracted with a consulting company for a market analysis, financial analysis, and program analysis for athletics and academics. Then Cestero and Michael Dodge, executive vice president for Academic Affairs, put together a steering committee, including representatives from various constituencies.

After months of work, “it got to the point where it was pretty clear the direction the institution should go, and then Michael and I made those final decisions, obviously with the support of the board of trustees — and the board had responsibility for making a few of those decisions, too,” she added. “Then we rolled it out.”

Michael Dodge

Michael Dodge says AIC leadership engaged with faculty in determining where to build on areas of strength.

For this issue’s focus on education, we break down the three main pillars of AIC’s new organizational plan and how its leaders feel the college will benefit from each.

 

Academic Changes

First of all, AIC, is changing its degree offerings, embarking on a multi-year plan to launch new programs based on industry demand and market research, while discontinuing some undergraduate and graduate programs as well. Faculty positions will not be affected.

Following the previously announced launch of seven new online degree completion programs, the college plans to expand the number of program offerings beginning in the fall of 2025.

“I think, being a small institution, we can maybe run faster than some bigger schools or state institutions might be able to.”

“We looked at what makes sense for us to expand on, as opposed to just adding a program. What are we good at?” Cestero said. “But at the same time, we’re sunsetting programs. We’re saying, ‘OK, if we’re going to do all of this, we don’t have the resources to do all of this as well. So, unfortunately, this is going to have to go away. Those are hard decisions to make … but you have to recognize that those things need to happen in order for these other things to grow.”

For students who wish to earn an undergraduate degree more quickly, AIC will also begin offering three-year, 120-credit options for a variety of undergraduate programs, which make use of less expensive summer sessions, to provide time and financial savings to students (see related story on page 29). It will also launch a comprehensive re-enrollment campaign to engage and recruit former students to return to AIC and complete their degrees.

Thinking about how to refocus the academic program didn’t start only with Pathway to Progress, Dodge told BusinessWest.

“We’ve spent the last three years figuring out where are those areas where we can be really good, where we have some skills,” he said. “In the last couple of years, we’ve built a fully online master’s in criminal justice program. We’re getting into the degree-completion space, where students who’ve earned an associate degree at one of the amazing community colleges in the Commonwealth can come to AIC and have a seamless transition and convert that right over into their bachelor’s degree.

“We’ve also really tried to engage the faculty and build in the things that they are good at and that we can lean into,” Dodge added, as well as spaces AIC had not previously competed in, like computer science and data analytics, where market demand for talent is high — while also continuing to strengthen core areas where the college already excels.

Pathway to Progress includes launching a re-enrollment campaign to engage and recruit former students to return to AIC and complete their degrees.

Pathway to Progress includes launching a re-enrollment campaign to engage and recruit former students to return to AIC and complete their degrees.

“We’re really good at the health sciences, education, criminal justice. We have a number of our students in our business programs, so we always want to continue to improve those. But then, we also want to think about what else is out there, what’s the next thing. And I think, being a small institution, we can maybe run faster than some bigger schools or state institutions might be able to.”

Cestero said everyone impacted by decisions on academic programs was informed personally before the plan was announced, and then a town-hall event was held on campus for all parties — students, faculty, employees, vendors, and partners — to discuss them further.

“Any student that is in an academic program that is going away, we are teaching out those programs,” she explained. “All we’re doing is not bringing new students in, and they will have the same faculty. The faculty aren’t going away, either.”

 

Impacts on Athletics and Faculty

The big news in AIC athletics is the return of men’s ice hockey to Division II after the 2024-25 season, following 27 years in Division I. In recent years, the team has recorded significant success, earning national rankings from 2018 to 2021 and winning the Atlantic Hockey America conference regular-season title in 2019.

According to a press release on the Plan for Progress, the decision was made to position the program alongside the majority of AIC’s varsity programs in Division II, and that “this transition will provide a more equitable distribution of resources among all athletic programs and will allow ice hockey’s legacy to continue within the AIC Athletics portfolio.” All scholarships for affected athletes will be honored.

“When put it in the perspective of ‘what does this institution need to do to stabilize itself?’ I think it becomes a simpler decision,” Cestero said. “If this is siphoning off money that is leading to the institution not being stable financially and you want the institution here, it makes the decision easier than just ‘should we take it from DI to DII?’ I think the harder part is that the students have found a place here, and they are happy here, and knowing that you’re disrupting it, that’s the really hard part.”

“Because there were so many changes coming forward, we felt as though, if we aren’t clear about what the whole plan is up front all at once, then you’ve got a culture of fear, and that’s not good for anybody.”

It’s also tough for athletes in AIC’s women’s tennis and wrestling programs, which are being ended “to better meet industry demand and provide additional resources to other varsity sports,” the release notes. Again, all scholarships for affected athletes will be honored, though some may choose to use their remaining eligibility elsewhere.

“A freshman wrestler may want to go somewhere else because they have so much eligibility left, whereas a junior tennis player, if they were to transfer, they could lose out on transfer credits and things of that nature,” Cestero said. “Plus, you have your home here, right? You’ve got your circle of friends, you’ve got your major, you’ve got your faculty, your mentors, etc.”

Meanwhile, the Plan for Progress impacts faculty as well. To support the ongoing growth of AIC’s academic portfolio, the college will expand faculty options by introducing multi-year contracts, including a new ‘professor of practice’ role alongside the existing tenure-track pathway and adjunct/part-time faculty roles.

A professor of practice is a faculty member who typically has a non-academic background, but is successful and knowledgeable in their field, enabling them to improve students’ knowledge by providing a practical perspective, along with the theoretical perspective provided by an academic professor.

“We’re bringing these real-world experiences into the classroom, but these individuals that are going to become these teachers don’t necessarily have a doctorate, nor do they necessarily want one,” Cestero said. “But we’re allowing them a pathway to be a professor in higher education without needing to have that terminal degree. And it benefits the students at the end of the day.”

In addition, most full-time faculty will shift to a 5/5 teaching load, meaning five courses per semester instead of four, to better meet academic demands. In return, some tasks will move to staff advisors.

“We still have work to do. I mean, this is only a piece of what we need to do from a long-term perspective, but these are the things that we need to do now in order to become stable and then be able to grow.”

“Right now they teach 4/4, but then they have these other responsibilities for scholarship and community service and registering students for classes and things of that nature,” she explained. “And we said, ‘OK, they’re spread in many different ways. What if we were to take this responsibility and shift it over here? That would give them more time to focus on the actual teaching.’”

 

A Transparent Process

AIC has been out front with its plan, publicly detailing its various elements, including in this article. Cestero said there are three reasons for that.

“The first is, I’ve heard for years and years that people in leadership aren’t transparent, and specifically at AIC, that’s been said a lot. Secondly, you have to get everybody on board when you’re trying to do something this major, and if you’re not very open and direct and clear about what that is, then you’re not going to be able to get everybody on board.

“Three, when you’re not transparent, you create a culture of fear. Because there were so many changes coming forward, we felt as though, if we aren’t clear about what the whole plan is up front all at once, then you’ve got a culture of fear, and that’s not good for anybody.”

As a small, private college, AIC has challenges that differ from public universities and private colleges with much larger endowments. Cestero noted. But in the current climate, all institutions likely need to be strategizing about how to adapt.

“We still have work to do. I mean, this is only a piece of what we need to do from a long-term perspective, but these are the things that we need to do now in order to become stable and then be able to grow.”

That said, “I think that AIC is a really special place, and I want us to be able to continue to serve these students,” she said. “I think the students that we have are so amazing, and that’s why it’s important that we’re doing all of this.”

Challenges Persist for the Business Community as 2025 Begins

By
George Timmons
Features Special Coverage

Reflecting on the Year That Was

 

George Timmons

George Timmons calls education “the great equalizer,” and MassEducate a very effective way to achieve that.

In many ways, 2024 didn’t provide much clarity regarding economic questions we posed a year ago in our annual year in review. Inflation and interest rates remain high (if not historically so), while remote work, a housing shortage, and some sector-specific challenges continue to make the news.

But there was some good news, too, and some encouraging progress on fronts ranging from rail development to educational access to some intriguing high-tech developments. As 2025 dawns, BusinessWest presents its year in review, noting some of the stories and issues that shaped our lives, and will, in many cases, continue to do so.

 

The High Cost of Everything…

The Federal Reserve has been on a mission over the past two years — to tame inflation without putting the country into recession. By and large, the latter part has been accomplished, but inflation remains a thorny challenge.

Consumer prices were up 2.7% for the 12 months that ended in November, but stubborn inflation in housing (up 0.3% for the month in November) and food (up 0.4%) continue to hit people where they notice it most, while the price of cars and energy also rose in November. Economists are also unsure how President-elect Trump’s promised tariffs will impact inflation.

Meanwhile, some economists expect some relief in interest rates, and a chance that the Fed may go as low as 4% in 2025.

Still, Bob Nakosteen, semi-retired professor of Economics at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, recently told BusinessWest that “the economic numbers don’t look bad at all. The labor market has weakened a little bit, but it’s not weak; it’s just not as strong as it had been. And most of the other indicators are strong, including GNP. It’s about where it had been, and in some ways, it’s above trendline.

“This is not breaking news,” he added, “but the economy has held up really well in spite of a lot of pressure, especially from a rapidly rising interest-rate environment. The consumer has really rolled with the punches.”

 

…Except Community College

MassReconnect, a program the state launched in 2023 to fully fund tuition, books, and supplies at community colleges for students over age 25, has, to hear college presidents tell it, been a game changer, significantly boosting enrollment and getting more students into a pipeline that will hopefully bring more new blood to the region’s workforce.

“The economic numbers don’t look bad at all. The labor market has weakened a little bit, but it’s not weak; it’s just not as strong as it had been. And most of the other indicators are strong, including GNP.”

This past summer, state lawmakers went further by implementing MassEducate, a $117.5 million annual investment that covers tuition and fees for all students, plus books and supplies for some. The program aims to support both economic opportunity for students and workforce development across a Massachusetts economy that has struggled, sector by sector, to recruit and retain talent in recent years.

Importantly, the program is a ‘last dollar’ investment, meaning students will still access federal funds, like Pell Grants, as well as state aid and scholarships, and MassEducate will pay the costs that remain, so it’s not funding anywhere near the full cost of a student’s education.

“I’m so passionate about this work of education,” Holyoke Community College President George Timmons said. “It is the great equalizer. Once you have an education and all the rights and privileges of that degree, you can earn a livable, sustainable wage, you can take care of yourself and your family, and you can literally change the trajectory of a family.”

 

Productivity in Pajamas?

A report last year by McKinsey Global Institute suggested that remote work risks wiping $800 billion from the value of office buildings in major cities worldwide by 2030 as the post-pandemic trend pushes up office vacancy rates and drives down rents.

Large employers are fighting back. In September, Amazon President and CEO Andy Jassy informed tens of thousands of workers that they will be back in the office five days a week come January. That was good news for commercial real-estate owners and developers, who hope other employers follow suit.

But while remote-work critics claim improved collaboration and communication, as well as the learning opportunities that come when everyone is together, outweigh any benefits that might come from remote work and hybrid schedules, the fact is that the hybrid movement, at least, seems entrenched for now — and also puts employers who nix all remote work at a competitive disadvantage when recruiting in an already-tough talent market.

But Evan Plotkin, president of Springfield-based NAI Plotkin, told BusinessWest that he sees a partially offsetting force in east-west rail, which has the potential to drive development in areas near the rail stops, and even prompt some businesses to realize they don’t have to be in Boston anymore. “It could be transformative; in Springfield, for example, it could drive development in the Union Station area and make that area much more attractive.”

 

Working on the Railroad

So, is east-west rail finally becoming a reality, connecting Springfield and Boston? Well, the money being put behind what’s known as the Compass Rail project is certainly real.

At the end of October, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal announced the latest $36.8 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant by the Federal Railroad Administration, following a $108 million CRISI grant — the third-largest in the nation — late last year. Since Union Station reopened in 2017, more than $200 million has been allocated toward east-west rail, both from federal grants and MassDOT funding.

The latest funding will support the Springfield track-reconfiguration project, which is designed to increase capacity to accommodate both freight and increased passenger rail service. The project will include building new crossovers and layover tracks, upgrading platforms around Springfield Union Station, and modernizing track and signal systems.

“With the substantial progress that has been made with west-east rail, the Commonwealth is well-positioned to pursue additional funding for years to come.”

Since the station’s reopening, Neal said, “the investments that have been made in passenger rail have been extraordinary,” adding that, “with the substantial progress that has been made with west-east rail, the Commonwealth is well-positioned to pursue additional funding for years to come.”

Meanwhile, MassDOT is conducting a study focused on the restart of passenger rail along the Route 2 corridor, a project whose public advocates include dozens of municipalities, regional planning agencies, and state legislators.

 

SOC It to Springfield

Speaking of Union Station, in September, it officially became home to the Richard E. Neal Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, one component of a multi-million-dollar series of investments, announced in 2022, to bolster cybersecurity resilience — and the related workforce — across the state.

These awards included a $1,086,476 grant to support the launch of CyberTrust Massachusetts, a nonprofit that works with business and academia statewide to grow the cybersecurity talent pipeline while promoting local security operations.

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal joins a host of local dignitaries

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal joins a host of local dignitaries in September to cut the ribbon on his namesake cybersecurity center.

The state also awarded $1,462,995 award to Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) and $1,200,000 to Bridgewater State University to establish a security operations center (SOC) and cyber range in each city. The Neal Center at Union Station, managed by STCC, also benefited from $500,000 in ARPA funding from the city of Springfield.

Springfield’s 6,000-square-foot center — a collaboration between STCC, the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, and CyberTrust Massachusetts — aims to be a hub for advancing cybersecurity awareness, education, and innovation while battling global security threats. Its cyber range is a simulated, hands-on training environment, and its SOC is envisioned as a support service for Massachusetts municipalities, as well as regional businesses, to detect cybersecurity events in real time and respond quickly.

 

Tackling the Housing Crisis

One of the dominant stories of 2024 was a continuing housing shortage that touches virtually every community.

With that in mind, over the summer, Gov. Maura Healey signed into law the Affordable Homes Act, which aims to support the production, preservation, and rehabilitation of more than 65,000 homes statewide over the next five years. It is the largest housing bond bill ever filed in Massachusetts, at more than triple the spending authorizations of the last housing bill passed in 2018.

The legislation authorizes $5.16 billion in spending over the next five years along with 49 policy initiatives to counter rising housing costs caused by high demand and limited supply. Key spending authorizations and policy changes include allowing accessory dwelling units, an unprecedented investment in modernizing the state’s public housing system, boosts to programs that support first-time homebuyers and homeownership, incentives to build more housing for low- to moderate-income residents, support for the conversion of vacant commercial space to housing, and support for sustainable and green housing initiatives.

“The Affordable Homes Act creates homes for every kind of household, at every stage of life, and unlocks the potential in our neighborhoods,” Healey said. “We are taking an unprecedented step forward in building a stronger Massachusetts where everyone can afford to live.”

 

High Risks for Cannabis Operators

According to a new report in the Boston Business Journal, cannabis businesses are surrendering licenses at an alarming rate in Massachusetts. Since September 2023, four retail licenses have been either surrendered, not renewed, or revoked, and so have 26 non-retail licenses, which include growers and manufacturers. In the five years before that, just five retail and 11 non-retail licenses were surrendered.

The green rush is clearly over; more than 700 cannabis businesses have opened or received licensing approval, and prices have fallen sharply amid stiffer competition — which makes running a business much more challenging.

Springfield Mayor Sarno recently cut the ribbon opening EMBR Springfield, a cannabis dispensary at 461 Boston Road.

Springfield Mayor Sarno recently cut the ribbon opening EMBR Springfield, a cannabis dispensary at 461 Boston Road.

So does a still-unresolved disconnect between state and federal law that has thrown a number of wrenches into cannabis businesses, which, among other hurdles, grapple with an onerous tax burden since they can’t write off many of the costs other businesses can. Federal laws also impact elements from transportation to banking. And while federal rescheduling of cannabis has bipartisan appeal, it’s uncertain whether the next Congress will have the appetite for it.

There may be some potential good news for dispensary owners: a newly established regulatory framework for operating ‘social consumption sites’ in Massachusetts, potentially allowing public use of the drug. The Cannabis Control Commission is currently receiving public comment on the draft and will take the issue up in the new year.

 

Data Center Clears Tax Hurdle

Two years ago, Westmass Area Development Corp. helped Servistar Realties secure approval from the Westfield Planning Board, as well as a major tax break from the City Council, for a large, high-tech data center near Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport that could attract some of the largest tech companies in the world. Servistar even negotiated a power-purchase agreement with Westfield Gas & Electric allowing it to access below-market electric rates.

“The challenges in healthcare over the past five years have shifted, but they have not let up. And they ultimately result in financial challenges that are stressing the ways in which we collectively provide access to care in our communities.”

One hurdle remained to move the $3 billion project — which will feature 10 buildings going up over two decades — off the ground, and that was a state sales-tax exemption commonly offered to data centers in other states. Last month, that exemption became a reality as part of a larger economic-development bill on Beacon Hill, and because of it, the Westfield project could start progressing soon.

Analysis from McKinsey & Co. shows demand for data-center capacity in the U.S. more than tripling by 2030, according to the Boston Globe. Meanwhile, the sales-tax exemption could save the future Westfield park owners up to $30 million per year. Construction could start early in 2026, with the first building completed 18 months later.

 

Diagnosing the Problem

In a recent interview with BusinessWest, Mercy Medical Center president Dr. Robert Roose used the word ‘relentless’ to describe the current headwinds in medicine, which include everything from spiraling costs and inflation to persistently inadequate reimbursements from payers; from continuing workforce challenges to access and capacity issues — not to mention the overriding issue of caring for a population that is older and sicker than what has been seen historically.

“The challenges in healthcare over the past five years have shifted, but they have not let up,” Roose said. “And they ultimately result in financial challenges that are stressing the ways in which we collectively provide access to care in our communities.”

Baystate Health, in a remarkable show of transparency, recently went public to detail its struggles — including $300 million in operating losses over the past few years — and its response, which includes the sale of its lab, the pending sale of Health New England, and, most recently, the elimination of 130 administrative positions.

Those steps are part of what Baystate’s new president and CEO, Peter Banko, called a “transformation plan, one that calls for making hard decisions, relieving cost pressures, some cuts, but also investments in the years to come and greater financial stability.”

Expect more hard decisions across the healthcare spectrum in the year to come.

 

Music Lives Again at the Iron Horse

Finally, a positive note — many notes, in fact.

When music venues began to reopen in the wake of the pandemic, the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton was not among them, and owner Eric Suher didn’t have immediate plans to unshutter the venerable Center Street storefront.

Chris Freeman says he wanted to “bring back the glory days” of the Iron Horse.

Chris Freeman says he wanted to “bring back the glory days” of the Iron Horse.

In stepped the Parlor Room Collective, a nonprofit that operates the nearby Parlor Room music space, which purchased the Iron Horse and set about raising $750,000 to renovate it, maintaining its intimate feel but improving facets like its famously inadequate green room and restrooms, while expanding into adjoining space for a dedicated bar and community events. The venue reopened on May 15 and has hosted a robust lineup of concerts ever since.

“We have witnessed the magic of our local music scene and its ability to fuel the engine of our economy, enhance the overall well-being of our community, and contribute to our cultural vitality,” said Chris Freeman, executive director of the Parlor Room Collective.

“I live here, and part of the reason Northampton has become a great food scene and a great downtown culture is the arts,” he also told BusinessWest. “I’ve made it my life’s mission to make sure that never goes away, and we can bring back the glory days of such a legendary venue.”

STCC, HCC Take Home Awards for Marketing

By
STCC’s Marketing and Communications team
Business Innovation

Team Efforts

STCC’s Marketing and Communications team

STCC’s Marketing and Communications team includes, from left, Jim Danko, Nicola Ludwig, and Eli Freund.

 

Two local community colleges took home awards at the District 1 Conference of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR), held Oct. 23-25 in Baltimore.

Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) won Medallion Awards in three categories: Microsite/Landing Page (bronze); Social Media Post or Story A (bronze); and TV/Video Paid Advertisement (single) (silver).

Meanwhile, Holyoke Community College (HCC) won the top two Medallion Awards in the category of Excellence in Writing – Short Form, for stories up to 800 words.

NCMPR, which supports marketing and public-relations professionals at community and technical colleges, holds the District Medallion Awards annually in the fall. These awards are regarded as a benchmark for excellence in communications and marketing in higher education.

 

STCC Wins for Design and Communication

Competing against colleges across the Northeast (District 1), STCC’s marketing team was recognized for design and communication. Peers from other districts in the U.S. judged the entries.

“I am proud of the talented STCC Marketing and Communications team for being recognized for their terrific work,” said Karen Walker, assistant vice president of Advancement, who oversees the Marketing and Communications team. “This achievement underscores the department’s excellence in promoting STCC’s mission, student success stories, and innovative programs, while also showcasing its impactful communication strategies.”

The STCC Marketing and Communications Department’s recent success at the NCMPR awards is a testament to its dedication to delivering high-quality, effective communication that resonates with students, families, and the community, said Eli Freund, director of Marketing and Communications at STCC.

“We are thrilled to receive these awards, which reflect the hard work and creativity of our team,” he added. “Our mission is to inspire and inform through the stories of our students and the impactful programs STCC offers, and it’s an honor to be recognized by our peers in higher-education marketing.”

The NCMPR District 1 awards affirm STCC’s role as a leader in community-college marketing and communication, showcasing the institution’s commitment to supporting student success and connecting with the community, he noted.

The team includes Freund, Assistant Director of Communications Jim Danko, and Digital and Social Media Manager Nicola Ludwig.

 

HCC Honored for Writing Excellence

HCC won the top two Medallion Awards in the category of Excellence in Writing – Short Form, for stories up to 800 words. Taking gold was “Name That Tune,” a short profile of HCC math major Tom Dulac ’23, now a student at Westfield State University. In 2023, Dulac won a national award for musical composition that he submitted under the pseudonym ‘Zac Dune.’

Taking silver was “Ready to Go,” a commencement profile about Tatiana McKnight ’23, who suffered from agoraphobia as a teenager. Encouraged by her grandmother, the Puerto Rican educator and author Sonia Nieto, McKnight enrolled at HCC, where she excelled, using her experience as a springboard for transfer to Mount Holyoke College.

HCC Media Relations Manager Chris Yurko and Multimedia Specialist Louis Burgos with the college’s gold and silver Medallion awards.

HCC Media Relations Manager Chris Yurko and Multimedia Specialist Louis Burgos with the college’s gold and silver Medallion awards.

Both stories were written by HCC Media Relations Manager Chris Yurko. “Name That Tune” was published in the Alumni Out & About section of the spring 2024 issue of HCC’s award-winning college magazine, the Connection, and “Ready to Go” in the Spotlight section of the HCC website in July 2023.

“It always feels good to be recognized by one’s colleagues, but it gives me even greater joy to be able to bring attention to the great work being done at the college and the remarkable achievements of our students,” said Yurko, who is also editor-in-chief of the Connection, which received a national Paragon award from NCMPR in 2023.

 

Recognized Across a Broad Territory

NCMPR represents marketing and public-relations professionals at community and technical colleges in the U.S. and beyond. The NCMPR Medallion Awards recognize outstanding achievement in design and communication in each of NCMPR’s seven districts.

STCC and HCC resides in District 1, which includes Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, the District of Columbia, the United Kingdom, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.

Skoler, Abbott & Presser Celebrates 60 Years in Employment Law

By
From left: John Gannon, Meaghan Murphy, Timothy Murphy, Tracy Belanger, Deanna Sears, Marylou Fabbo, Melissa Theriaque, and Amelia Holstrom.
Cover Story Special Coverage

Attorneys at Work

From left: John Gannon, Meaghan Murphy, Timothy Murphy, Tracy Belanger, Deanna Sears, Marylou Fabbo, Melissa Theriaque, and Amelia Holstrom.

From left: John Gannon, Meaghan Murphy, Timothy Murphy, Tracy Belanger, Deanna Sears, Marylou Fabbo, Melissa Theriaque, and Amelia Holstrom.

 

The website for Skoler, Abbott & Presser lists 23 distinct practice areas in the realm of employment and the workforce — everything from discrimination and harassment to handbooks and personnel policies; from employment litigation to labor relations; from immigration to workplace safety.

“It may look like it’s a very broad practice area, but it’s really not,” said John Gannon, one of the firm’s five partners. “I think it’s actually somewhat narrow, in that all we do is represent employers and businesses, and we represent them when they have issues related to their employees.”

Those issues fall into two buckets, he explained.

“There’s the labor side of things, if an employer has a union or is governed by a collective bargaining agreement; we have some folks in our office who specialize in that area. And for those employers that are non-union or not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, that’s general employment law, which is the other side of the house.”

John Gannon

John Gannon

“It may look like it’s a very broad practice area, but it’s really not. I think it’s actually somewhat narrow, in that all we do is represent employers and businesses, and we represent them when they have issues related to their employees.”

Elaborating, he noted that Skoler Abbott represents employers who are being sued by an employee or an administrative agency, like the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

“But we also provide a lot of day-to-day counseling on different issues. Like, ‘this employee requests an accommodation because they have a medical condition. What do we need to do? Do we need to give them time off? Do we need to give them a different type of computer software?’ Things like that. It’s broad in the sense that we represent everything in the employment context, but it’s really just employment law.”

That said, the legal landscape for workplaces has changed significantly over the past six decades, and as Skoler Abbott celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, four of its attorneys sat down with BusinessWest to talk about some of those changes.

“When I started out here, there was no such thing as a wage-hour claim. Now, that’s really a booming area for us, with the treble damages that Massachusetts affords to those claims,” said Marylou Fabbo, a partner who is coming up on 30 years with the firm. “There was also very little sexual harassment. There were no claims of disability discrimination. So it’s really evolved, and things have become more employee-friendly. There are more laws, and while many laws were on the books then, they weren’t really enforced.

“So, over the years that I’ve been here, employees have become much more knowledgeable about their rights, and employees’ attorneys are making sure that the employees’ rights are upheld,” she went on. “And we’re finding that a lot of our practice is now focused on preventive measures such as trainings to supervisors and management, more handbook reviews, things like that, whereas before, when I first started here, we were just defending cases, like breach of contract, very basic things. The issues we face have definitely gotten a lot more complex.”

Marylou Fabbo

Marylou Fabbo

“A lot of our practice is now focused on preventive measures such as trainings to supervisors and management, more handbook reviews, things like that, whereas before, when I first started here, we were just defending cases, like breach of contract, very basic things. The issues we face have definitely gotten a lot more complex.”

That has made the work more challenging, said Amelia Holstrom, another partner — and the ground is ever-shifting.

“I’ve been here since 2012, and when I first got here, there were very few leave laws. I mean, there was the federal Family and Medical Leave Act and a handful of others,” she noted. “But since 2015, we’ve added earned sick time and domestic-violence leave, and our parental leave act changed, and we have paid family and medical leave now.

“The majority of what I deal with, for phone calls from clients, is just walking them through: ‘I have an employee out, and I don’t know what to do next,’ or ‘is this job-protected time?’ and advising them on next steps and those statutes where it’s all job-protected leave. That’s been a challenge for employers, so I deal with that a lot.”

 

Brief Overview

Gannon and his fellow partners noted that aggrieved employees have more tools today, and more understanding of them. One, Gannon said, is a surge of fee-shifting provisions, through which a prevailing attorney can recover fees from the other side.

“That’s a big driver in some of these cases, particularly in wage-and-hour cases,” he noted. “The amount of unpaid wages may not be that much; it might be five or six thousand dollars. But the employee’s attorney knows, if they take the case all the way to trial, and they succeed, the attorney’s fees could be three, four, or five times that, maybe even more.”

Amelia Holstrom

Amelia Holstrom

“It has been personally gratifying building long-term relationships with clients over the years. I help them with their issues when they call, but I’ve also I’ve gotten to know them.”

The work environment has changed as well, Fabbo said.

“Back in the ’80s, when I was in high school, it was hard to even find a job. You’d go to the mall and walk around forever. So I think a lot of employees were afraid to assert their rights in fear of getting terminated or retaliated against because it wasn’t as easy as it is now to go find a new job.

“But I think, over the years, the work environment has changed,” she added. “There are a lot more opportunities for employees. And as John said, with the fee shifting, there are a lot of attorneys out there willing to represent them.”

Attorney Meaghan Murphy, who joined the firm in 2020, added that another evolution has occurred in the varying expectations different generations have in the workplace, particularly regarding what’s acceptable conduct and what employees are expected to deal with.

“Employees are more willing to assert their rights because there are no-retaliation provisions under most of the employment laws we deal with,” she explained. “So an employee who makes a complaint of sexual harassment, for example, cannot be retaliated against. There’s an added protection.

“But I also think, in the last 10 or 20 years, employees are coming of age expecting better behavior, more fairness, more equity in the workplace than generations before them, and that may be part of the reason why there’s an increase in claims against employers.”

Holstrom said the fact that everyone now has the internet in their pocket makes a difference as well, with employees able to quickly look up what the laws are.

Meaghan Murphy

Meaghan Murphy

“I don’t take personal offense that they have to call me and they’re not looking forward to that conversation. Sometimes they’re like, ‘no offense, but I hope I don’t have to call you again.’ I’m like, ‘none taken; that’s fine.’ I get it.”

“It isn’t always correct, depending on what they’re looking at, but it makes employees more likely to say, ‘oh, something happened.’ They’re a lot more knowledgeable than they were previously when they couldn’t look those things up outside of a book.”

Beyond that, Gannon added, “they’re not only going to look up on their phone what the law says, they’ll also probably be able to find something that says, ‘hey, this person got 10 million dollars as a result of this judgment.’ So the more information that’s out there, at a worker’s fingertips, the more they’re going to exercise their rights.”

Because of this new paradigm, Skoler Abbott’s work to be proactive with clients is more important than ever.

“We help employees craft their handbooks in a way that makes sure they’re fair to the employees, as well as including all the legal things they need to include in the handbook,” Fabbo noted. “We do a lot of training of supervisors and management, keeping them apprised of laws and best practices. We speak to a lot of employment groups, giving them updates on the law. We’ll speak to their members, and we’ll attend their breakfast briefings on a regular basis to hear what their issues are, too, which is good for us, so we know what issues employers are facing.”

Armed with that knowledge, she went on, “we’ll help employers draft policies, help them draft effective disciplinary action forms, let them know what they need to post, basically anything they need. And if they call us with a question — ‘someone’s intoxicated at work; what do we do?’ — we help them with that.”

While changing laws and a more empowered workforce certainly make things challenging, they have also created more awareness among employers of the need to do the right thing. And if litigation does develop, Gannon said, Skoler Abbott will work with clients to get cases resolved early, through mediation or just having conversations with the opposing side.

“They know that, when we go into court, we’ve done our homework. We’re not just showing up and making arguments just to make arguments.”

“The reality is, very few cases do end up going to trial, but some do. One of the things we tell our clients is, ‘you’re going to have disgruntled employees who are going to file claims. It just happens.’ A lot of businesses have to deal with these claims, and there are strategies that we work on with our clients, not only for avoiding litigation, but, if it does develop, how can we nip this in the bud early and reach a resolution that everybody’s happy with?”

 

Appealing Work

Over its 60 years of practice, Skoler Abbott has certainly had many notable wins in court, from a seminal case in the mid-’90s dealing with same-sex sexual harassment to the 2012 case that determined that indefinite leave of absence is not a reasonable accommodation for a disability.

The partners understand that many of their successful court cases aren’t exactly headline grabbers because they wind up with no big, million-dollar payout that catches the public’s attention. “A verdict for the defense means no money,” Murphy said. “So people don’t see them, but it’s a pretty big deal to us, and obviously to our clients.”

That’s gratifying, said Gannon, who has been with Skoler Abbott since 2011, but so is the day-to-day interactions with people. “Everybody has a job, and everybody has issues that come up at work. And I honestly do enjoy talking to clients about the everyday issues that come up.”

Meanwhile, he added, “we have a very collegial environment where I can go into Marylou’s office, or I can go into Amelia or Meaghan’s office, and say, ‘hey, have you ever had a case like this? Have you ever had an issue like this?’ And we talk about it and share our experiences and our opinions on things. I love working here, and I love what I do.”

Holstrom appreciates the personal interactions as well.

“It has been personally gratifying building long-term relationships with clients over the years. I help them with their issues when they call, but I’ve also I’ve gotten to know them. I know that they have kids, and I’ve heard about them growing up and going to college, and they also know about my kids. And I like working with them long-term and continuing to develop that relationship.”

Added Gannon, “there’s nothing more gratifying than when a client calls you up and says ‘thank you.’ Whether it’s because you defended them at trial successfully or because you helped them through a challenging situation with a particular problematic employee, we get it.”

Murphy said many dealings between employers and attorneys come at a stressful time, and they understand that.

“I don’t take personal offense that they have to call me and they’re not looking forward to that conversation,” she said. “Sometimes they’re like, ‘no offense, but I hope I don’t have to call you again.’ I’m like, ‘none taken; that’s fine.’ I get it.”

One thing the entire team prides itself on, Gannon said, is having a very good understanding of the law and then applying it to the benefit of clients.

“We’re not just telling them what the law is. We’re also giving them practical advice on what they need to do as a result of this law.”

The #MeToo movement of the late 2010s was one example of a shift in employer behavior. While the number of sexual-harassment claims didn’t spike in Massachusetts, the increased awareness of the issue in the public eye had employers acting proactively.

“Surprisingly, in Massachusetts, there’s no obligation to provide sexual-harassment training to your supervisors like there are in some other states,” Holstrom said. “But I did see a lot of clients, even through COVID, doing trainings for their supervisors on sexual harassment and what their obligations are to report it and take prompt steps to investigate and stop the conduct.”

Murphy agreed. “There’s more general awareness and less of an acceptance of certain workplace conduct than there used to be. And I think individual people are inclined to speak up in the moment more than they were before, maybe because there’s a sense that they’ll get more support than they used to.”

At the end of the day, Skoler Abbott represents employers, not workers, but understands that staying on the right side of the law is good for everyone — and certainly makes for less stressful, and more successful, workplaces.

“Agencies like the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and judges in the area respect us,” Gannon said. “They know that, when we go into court, we’ve done our homework. We’re not just showing up and making arguments just to make arguments. They know that we counsel our clients well, and we do good work.”

The World of Digital Marketing Continues to Evolve

By
Alfonso Santaniello says a marketing strategy begins with figuring out who the customers are and then taking the message to where they are.
Business Innovation Special Coverage

Delivering a Message

Alfonso Santaniello says a marketing strategy begins with figuring out who the customers are and then taking the message to where they are.

Alfonso Santaniello says a marketing strategy begins with figuring out who the customers are and then taking the message to where they are.

When Alfonso Santaniello launched the Creative Strategy Agency 15 years ago — into the teeth of the Great Recession, no less — digital marketing was a simpler world, though not always a more effective one.

By that, he means it was easier to navigate the fewer available online channels back then, but the myriad options for getting a message out today pose more opportunities to finely target a message.

“When I started consulting, I wanted to focus on digital, and at the time, it was really websites and emails, and Facebook had just become public to everyday users,” he said. “And Facebook didn’t have business pages at the time. There was no advertising. Their algorithm was pretty great because you would see the feed in chronological order, before the algorithm came in, before advertising came in.”

When the recession began to fade and company advertising budgets grew, the digital marketing landscape changed as well, Santaniello said, with Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter growing in scope alongside other options.

“People were starting to realize it wasn’t going anywhere, and it wasn’t just Facebook — more were popping up,” he said. At the same time, “that’s when Facebook started pivoting to business pages, creating advertising platforms for businesses to target. But then other things changed, where a post would reach only 10% of your audience.”

“Companies think they’re doing good. And it’s important that their consumers know what they’re doing. That can be product-oriented to some extent, and it can be community-oriented to some extent. But whatever it is, it’s got to be interesting to their audience.”

John Garvey, president of Garvey Communication Associates Inc. (GCAi), said the digital world has opened up countless opportunities for marketers.

“What we’re about, I think, is success and education. Companies think they’re doing good. And it’s important that their consumers know what they’re doing. That can be product-oriented to some extent, and it can be community-oriented to some extent. But whatever it is, it’s got to be interesting to their audience.”

A better word, he added, might be ‘relevant.’ “If it’s not important to me, I’ll move on,” he said. So, from a marketing perspective, the question becomes, “what’s important to the audience, and where is this audience? How am I going to reach this audience on various platforms? You have to chase audience to some degree.”

Dylan Pilon, who started Cloud 9 Marketing Group a decade ago, said Facebook and Instagram remain key channels for content creation and targeted advertising, but a number of clients also leverage LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, and YouTube channels, as well as email marketing and other tools.

“People would probably say that 2010 to 2012 was the heyday for Facebook; organic reach was really good back then. A message could go a lot farther without the need to put paid, targeted advertising behind it,” he explained.

“Since then, Facebook has sort of throttled down the organic reach because they realized that they were giving the milk away for free. Nobody was buying the advertising cow, right? So since then, it’s been more difficult to break through because there’s also a lot more content being created. There’s a lot of noise.

“So the goal is to create a piece of content that will stop somebody from scrolling and capture their attention with a nice hook and then keep their attention engaged so you can deliver your message,” Pilon added. “Now, the focus is more on finding a way to craft creative that can stop someone’s thumb from moving.

While the tools may evolve, John Garvey says marketing always comes back to what’s important to the audience.

While the tools may evolve, John Garvey says marketing always comes back to what’s important to the audience.

“It’s not a cookie-cutter approach,” he went on. “We don’t have packages; we don’t have tiers. Our entire service is a la carte. You come in, and we present you a menu: ‘here are the things that you could do. What are you interested in?’ We’ll give you feedback on what we think would be the most beneficial and the most impactful. And then we build you a customized plan tailored just for you.”

Again, there are more opportunities in digital marketing today, but also, as Pilon noted, more noise — meaning more challenges.

“I feel like it was easier then, where now it’s highlighting the brand in a way that will reach the right people, but in a way that they will engage, or they will consume,” Santaniello said. “And every demographic consumes different content in different ways. Some people like to read, some people want videos.

“So now, it’s multiple targets. You’re not just targeting Western Mass.; now, we’re targeting this specific age group in Western Mass., with this interest, and we can do all that now within Facebook or Instagram or any platform,” he explained. “So the targeting and the way we want to reach people now is much more accessible, where before, we were just throwing things out there and hoping that we reach our audience.”

 

Medium and Message

All three company owners BusinessWest spoke with said they work with clients in traditional media as well — print, radio, TV, etc. — but digital marketing offers a new way to take a message directly to the public. And sometimes, one campaign can encompass both traditional and new media.

For example, Garvey’s firm specializes in a unique style of video storytelling in its campaigns.

“The goal is to create a piece of content that will stop somebody from scrolling and capture their attention with a nice hook and then keep their attention engaged so you can deliver your message.”

“It starts with shooting a video,” he said. “We then take narrative from the video. In this case, that narrative has to be approved. So there’s a third party that has to say, ‘yeah, that all works.’ And we can take the narrative from the video and turn part of it into a printout. Or we can take that narrative from the video and turn it into audio and create a promoted radio campaign with that. And that video can be a digital campaign on LinkedIn or various platforms. We have a multiple array of channels that we can go through to get this information out.”

Pilon said Cloud 9 has strong in-house capability for graphic design and copywriting, while working with strategic partners on photography and videography. “So we are able to act in the capacity of a full-service agency, but you don’t have to pay full-service agency pricing.”

When working with clients — its main industry focuses are real estate, building trades, and food and beverage — Cloud 9 offers a robust digital toolbox but also works in traditional media.

“Sometimes we have clients that are interested in print or radio, direct mail, those types of things. We don’t discriminate. Everything might not work for everyone,” Pilon said. “So depending on who the client is and who they’re trying to get their message out to, traditional methods could very well be a fit for sure.”

Dylan Pilon says it’s critical to make sure the messaging being created is providing value to the audience.

Dylan Pilon says it’s critical to make sure the messaging being created is providing value to the audience.

Santaniello added that “I usually spend a lot of time building out a strategy — first, really figuring out who the customers are, and then going to where they are. We’re not in a day where you build it and they will come. It’s kind of build it, find out where are they are, and then get it in front of them.”

In other words, “you don’t need to be on Facebook if that’s not where your audience is,” he said. “It’s really focusing on who the audience is and going where they are. That’s where you engage. You can’t wait for people to come to you. You have to go to them.”

For many clients, he added, “we do a lot of content and story. So it ties into the website, then we connect it to social. It’s a more multi-channel approach, compared to, ‘let’s just create a post and throw it on social.’ For me, it’s more, ‘OK, with that post, what is the call to action? What do we want them to do? Do we want them just to engage with the post? Do we want them to click a link to go somewhere, and if so, where are they going? What’s on that page? What do we want them to do?’ It’s a much more thought-out, strategic process than just throwing this out on social media and seeing what happens.”

Santaniello said traditional media is important to some clients, especially in pockets of this region that don’t have high-speed internet, and while he thinks in terms of digital first, the goal is always the same: “how do you connect with people offline and bring them online? And when they’re online, how do you bring them to your storefront offline? It’s full-circle. It’s not just that you’re doing only traditional, or only digital — you should be doing both.”

 

Checking the Numbers

Whatever the medium, it’s critical to assess the analytics to determine who is engaging with a campaign, and in what ways.

“If you’re not evaluating at least on an annual basis — if not biannually or even quarterly — what you’re doing and where you’re doing it and how you’re doing it, you’re at a disadvantage,” Pilon said. “So it’s not only having a strategy, having a plan, having a budget, but being able to say, ‘here is the measurable impact; here’s what we’ve been able to accomplish in three months, six months, a year, what have you.’”

Garvey said he offers detailed tools to measure not only impressions, but engagement actions, and for good reason: “video views and link clicks are two different results.”

Elaborating, he added, “I like to talk about what’s important to that audience, what’s helpful to them, what’s relevant. And the outcome that’s going to measure whether or not it’s relevant is engagement. The tools and measurement aspects are all available to the client, so we can say, ‘here’s what’s working.’”

Pilon agreed. “One thing that’s very important is making sure that the messaging that you’re creating is going to provide value with the audience. A lot of people talk at their customers on the internet instead of talking to their customers on the internet. And digital marketing and social media has such a customer-service aspect to it.”

Santaniello agreed that businesses need to examine the data.

“For marketing be more successful than the way it used to be done, they have to look at the numbers — they have to know why people are coming to the website, where are they coming from, what posts are doing well. Going in and regularly looking at the data will tell you what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong.”

As for the next big thing in digital marketing? Santaniello had an easy answer.

“If you want to know what the next platform is, ask a high-school student. They’re going to know,” he said. “Then give it five years, and they’ll find a way to add advertising revenue to it and introduce it to businesses.”

Westmass Area Redevelopment Corp. Seeks Ways to Broaden Its Impact

By
Community Development & Planning Coordinator Sean O’Donnell (left) and President and CEO Jeff Daley.
Commercial Real Estate Special Coverage

Developing a Strategy

Community Development & Planning Coordinator Sean O’Donnell (left) and President and CEO Jeff Daley.

Community Development & Planning Coordinator Sean O’Donnell (left) and President and CEO Jeff Daley.

 

 

Since its inception in 1960, the role of Westmass Area Development Corp. has remained remarkably consistent in many ways.

Created by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a not-for-profit economic and real-estate development firm, its mission has long been to develop and manage properties and enhance and strengthen communities through investments that create jobs, housing, and sustainability. But the way Westmass is accomplishing those goals is evolving.

“Traditionally, we would build infrastructure, sell off individual lots, have the town adopt those as public ways, and then we would go on and do the next projects. We are the economic-development agency for Western Mass. to really advance job creation and increase the economic tax base for communities in the region,” said Sean O’Donnell, Community Development & Planning coordinator, noting that the firm’s work has helped facilitate more than 10,000 jobs in the region.

While Westmass has done some consulting work in the past, it has mostly focused on its own real-estate projects, he noted, from its business parks to Ludlow Mills, which has been its flagship project since 2012.

“But over time,” O’Donnell went on, “and with my background and with the team we have here, we increasingly see opportunity in Western Mass. where we can play a facilitator role and a consulting role.”

Specifically, he explained, Westmass can take on this role for brownfield developers and municipalities that are trying to come up with creative ways to publicly finance their infrastructure. “We can put together different financing tools to make some of these more challenging real-estate projects in Western Mass. pencil out, and build these public-private partnerships.”

“We see a lot of opportunity in underserved areas in Western Mass. that could be thinking about economic development — not necessarily in the traditional sense, but how that embeds within a community that might want to stay rural.”

One example is the Ferry Street Mills project in Easthampton, where Westmass is assisting on the pre-development side and seeking cleanup funding to facilitate some of the planned housing work there. Others include a current business-park feasibility study for the town of Northfield and work with the town of East Longmeadow on the former Carlin Combustion Technology site at 70 Maple St., coordinating with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and looking into funding resources.

“My interest and background is in planning, particularly rural economic development, and we see a lot of opportunity in underserved areas in Western Mass. that could be thinking about economic development — not necessarily in the traditional sense, but how that embeds within a community that might want to stay rural,” O’Donnell said. “In the case of Northfield, that’s a business park that aligns with a recreation-based economy, rural tourism, agritourism, that type of thing. We’re trying to find all these different niches in Western Massachusetts.

Sean O’Donnell presents at the Western Massachusetts Brownfields Roundtable hosted by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission on Sept. 17.

Sean O’Donnell presents at the Western Massachusetts Brownfields Roundtable hosted by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission on Sept. 17.

“We have a lot of experience as a nonprofit developer and are very much a community-based developer,” he went on, “but I think we can play, and we have been playing, a really strong intermediary role and facilitating role with private projects and communities, while also looking out to Boston to see what new programs and financing and funding sources might be available to pull into Western Mass.”

Jeff Daley, president and CEO of Westmass, told BusinessWest that another growth area for the company is helping with or taking on projects that most developers can’t handle on their own.

“A lot of projects don’t pencil out anyways, and if you throw in the mix of outdated, dilapidated buildings that have potential contamination, brownfields, whatever, they can’t pencil financially for any developer,” Daley said. “So not only do we take on projects ourselves, but we also partner with projects to get through.”

One example is the most recent housing units to open up at Ludlow Mills, in Mill 8, a joint venture with Winn Development that allowed Westmass to retain 48,000 square feet on the first floor for commercial use.

“We invested our own money, we invested our own time, and we invested other monies that we received through grants and/or other mechanisms of financing to offset some of the cost explosion during COVID. We’re technically a joint-venture partner with Winn in that project,” Daley explained.

“By partnering with others, we certainly can bring added value to the team to make sure these things actually do pencil out at the end of the day.”

“So we can do projects like that to help make projects pencil, because it’s very, very hard today. In the economy we’re in, plus the cost of doing business, it’s really hard to make a lot of projects work. So by partnering with others, we certainly can bring added value to the team to make sure these things actually do pencil out at the end of the day.”

 

Opportunity Knocks

O’Donnell said Westmass’s expanding work in development services can benefit all types of projects, from housing to recreation to downtown revitalization.

“We’re increasingly looking on the housing side, keeping a close eye on the housing bond bill that passed in Boston a couple months back, seeing what new programs might be coming down the pipeline, and maybe finding a project that was thinking more commercial — maybe there’s an opportunity for mixed use, to have a residential component, because that can tie in new funding sources that can make the overall project more feasible.”

O’Donnell sees the client roster continuing to include both municipalities and private developers.

“It’s sometimes municipalities that maybe have a private development that’s proposed in town, but they know they need to get public infrastructure to the site. So they’re thinking about things like district improvement financing or grant writing to make that more plausible or more affordable for the community,” he explained. “But on the developer side, with us as a nonprofit partner, we might be able to help tap into some grant-funding resources that a private, for-profit developer might not otherwise be able to.”

Westmass also took over leadership of Develop Springfield late last year; one current project on that front is McCaffery Interests’ work on the Clocktower Building in Springfield’s South End, which will include market-rate housing. “We’re working with them as consultants, helping them with their capital stack, figuring out where financing can come from,” Daley said.

The Ferry Street Mills project in Easthampton is an example of the brownfield and mill properties Westmass works on.

The Ferry Street Mills project in Easthampton is an example of the brownfield and mill properties Westmass works on.

And housing — specifically the need for more of it in most area cities and towns right now — poses significant opportunities for Westmass, O’Donnell added.

“Communities are trying to be proactive, but many communities might not have a full-time planner on staff or have the capacity to re-examine where they might want to expand public infrastructure to make a certain site or area of town viable for housing. They’re also looking at maybe recalibrating their zoning so they can allow for more mixed-use or multi-family in certain areas of the town. I think that’s where we can help, in partnership with other planning firms and the planning commissions as well.”

He noted that Westmass is uniquely situated to be a resource to municipalities and developers, especially in the case of brownfields sites, of which there are hundreds in Western Mass.

For example, in the case of the Ferry Street Mills project in Easthampton, “as a nonprofit, we’re doing a land lease of the property to have site control in order to go after cleanup dollars from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Even though the development following the cleanup will be led by the for-profit developer and the partners there, as a nonprofit, if we have site control during the EPA grant, we can receive those grant funds, clean up the site, and get it ready for projects.

“That’s a huge role that I think is increasingly needed in Western Mass.,” he added. “There’s more funding right now at the federal level, particularly for cleanup and brownfield mill redevelopment work. And I think that we can play a really great, active role with those types of projects around here.”

 

Community Support

O’Donnell took his current role at Westmass in 2020, the year after Daley took the reins at the company.

“I was Facilities manager over at Ludlow Mills, so I cut my teeth over there. And I was Leasing manager over there for a while,” said O’Donnell, who earned a master’s degree in regional planning from UMass Amherst and has worked at planning commissions at the municipal level. “But my interest is really in economic development and mill redevelopment.”

As for Ludlow Mills, progress continues apace at that complex, where the residential units at Mill 8 were recently completed and Westmass is finishing about $3 million worth of roads and sewer and water service to all the buildings on campus.

“All the electrical’s going in; instead of overhead wires, we put conduit underground, and every single building there will have their own meter, and it will all be underground,” Daley said, adding that Westmass is also partnering with the town through a MassWorks grant to have a $3.5 million road built. “Once that’s built and the town accepts it, then we’ll probably have about 40 acres to develop. So it’s moving; there’s a lot of stuff going on.”

Pre-development work continues on Mill 11, the largest building with about 400,000 square feet, which is awaiting some cooperative work with the National Park Service to remove a historical building on site. “But once we do that, we think it will probably generate about 220 apartments and probably 15 or 20 condominiums, and 60,000 to 100,000 square feet of commercial space,” Daley said. “That’s the big gorilla that we need to get done over there. It’s projected to be a quarter-billion-dollar project.”

Ludlow Mills is a project that clearly impacts an entire neighborhood and town, and O’Donnell sees further opportunities to make similar impacts around Western Mass. in the future.

“Ludlow is a unique case, but I don’t think it would be possible without the community support that started before even we bought it. Westmass started those conversations early, started to lay out what a plan might look like for the entire campus, and the town has been such an incredible partner all the way through,” he told BusinessWest. “And we’re seeing the same thing at Easthampton with the mill projects over there. You need that community buy-in and to have those conversations early to make these large-scale redevelopment projects successful. We want everybody paddling in the same direction, for sure.”

Among its other recent projects, Westmass has worked in a number of ways on the proposed data center in Westfield — from helping the developer through tax-financing programs to securing energy costs with Westfield Gas & Electric to working on state legislation for a personal property-tax exemption — and played a construction-management role for Baystate Health on its Mary Lane Hospital decommissioning, to name just a couple. Westmass was also recently selected also as a house doctor for MassDevelopment projects.

And it’s just getting started.

“We just want to continue expanding our impact,” O’Donnell said. “I think we’ve played a really strong role in these discrete projects, but I think we have an incredible team and the bandwidth to start thinking about potentially larger partnerships and projects throughout Western Mass.

“It’s going to be an evolutionary process on our part, and hopefully we keep bringing in enough work that we can hire some more staff and a team to keep growing this thing,” he added. “It’s incremental at this point, but we’re really trying to build those relationships and get those projects moving.”

Ace Precision Continues to Hone Its Craft

By
Plant Manager Sadiq Elias
Cover Story

Parts of the Whole

Plant Manager Sadiq Elias

Plant Manager Sadiq Elias

 

Sadiq Elias knows precision manufacturing is a challenging business.

“It’s long hours. It’s the type of industry where it’s not always a 9-to-5 job,” Elias, plant manager at Ace Precision Inc., told BusinessWest. “We’re making military components here, for the government. And we all know their demands; they don’t care if it’s Sunday, they don’t care if it’s Christmas, they don’t care if your kid was just born — their priority is getting their parts so they can move on with their projects. So that makes for long hours, long days, and that could be a turnoff for some people.”

But there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with this work, he added, that makes it a good fit for young people looking for a rewarding career that engages both their brain and their hands.

“The biggest thing that I’ve always enjoyed is knowing what you’re building,” Elias said. “We’ve made components in the past that are on the Hubble telescope. One of my customers told me at one point, ‘you know, every plane in the sky has a part that Ace Precision made.’ And it’s something you can tell other people — ‘we have parts on space shuttles and satellites, submarines and aircraft carriers, commercial airlines, F-35s.’ It’s cool to know that you can look at a submarine or go to an airshow and look at some planes and say, ‘oh yeah, we make parts that go on there.’ It’s a cool feeling.”

Ace Precision has been creating those feelings — and, more importantly, cutting-edge components — since Elias’s father launched the business in 1980.

“We’ve made components in the past that are on the Hubble telescope. One of my customers told me at one point, ‘you know, every plane in the sky has a part that Ace Precision made.’”

From that original location, in a 9,000-square-foot building on Suffield Street in Agawam, the business continued to grow and thrive, with some important milestones along the way, from achieving ISO900/AS9100 certification in 2013 to relocating to a new, much larger facility at nearby 17 Ace Precision Way in 2021.

“My father started the business with one machine and a lot of ambition. We’ve grown into a 20,000-square-foot facility here in Agawam with roughly 30 employees,” Elias said, noting that the company’s main manufacturing focus is in the aerospace and defense industries, both locally and with a footprint stretching from the South to the West Coast.

The company touts capabilities ranging from prototyping to production work. “We have a pretty good engineering team here. Sometimes we’ll have customers come to us with a design that hasn’t yet been built. And we’ll work hand-in-hand with them, taking those drawings and models and turning those into parts, and then further down the road into assemblies and testing those out for them. Eventually, that may turn into a production order for them.”

Ace Precision

Ace Precision moved into its current, 20,000-square-foot headquarters in 2021.

For example, “we do a lot with with Collins Aerospace, developing tools to help them in the field for maintenance purposes and aircraft repairs and overhauls and just routine maintenance,” Elias said. “Also, we do quite a bit with the Navy, where we’re doing launch and recovery systems on the aircraft carriers, as well as with a company that does a lot with commercial airlines, on the mechanical side of things, on the bodies of the planes. So many of those components are built right here at Ace Precision.”

 

Specialized Services

The Agawam facility houses computer numerical control (CNC) equipment, from lathe mills, grinding equipment, and saws to coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) to check parts. “It’s pretty high-end,” Elias said. “We try to keep up with the latest and greatest equipment that’s out there so we can stay competitive.”

And it is, indeed, a competitive field, he added. “There are a lot of firms in the area that do this type of work — not as many as there used to be, obviously, as manufacturing has gone downhill a little bit in the last 20 years.”

He explained that precision machining involves holding tight tolerances while working on specified materials, such as engine components for aircraft that have very little leeway for tolerance errors.

“So we need really well-trained talent in the shop that can operate the equipment that we do have on hand,” Elias said. “There are other shops out there that don’t necessarily work with precision manufacturing, which is not to say anything bad about them, but it’s just a higher class of workmanship here, I guess you could say.”

That’s why making the move to more than double the floor space was so huge, he noted.

“Moving into a larger facility allowed us to streamline production, creating a flow from in to out. And we’re all under one roof right now. Before, we were in a building that had several different roofs, and it wasn’t very streamlined. So now we’re in a very clean, new facility. It’s a great working environment. People enjoy coming to work to a clean atmosphere, and also it just helps communication within the company.”

Sadiq Elias, pictured with Andrea Sibilia

Sadiq Elias, pictured with Andrea Sibilia, vice president of Purchasing, says the current space lends itself to a more streamlined workflow and better communication.

At the same time, client needs are always changing as well. “We’ve been working with the same four major customers for many years. Their products have changed, and for the better. There have been design changes and models that have changed configurations completely. We try to use the latest software to help model these parts up and also equipment like 5-axis machining or 3D scanning on CMMs, trying to stay ahead of the curve with technology. That makes us attractive to customers as well as making our job here at Ace Precision easier, and at the end of the day, we become more profitable and prosperous.”

That customer loyalty from a few major, long-time clents has been a critical component the success of Ace Precision, Elias noted.

“There’s one motto that I stand by, and I’ve always stood by: don’t give your customers a reason to go elsewhere. That means give them a quality part, and give it to them when they expect it. Those are two big key factors in keeping your customers happy. If you give them an excuse to go elsewhere, then, obviously, they will find someone else to make their parts.

“There’s one motto that I stand by, and I’ve always stood by: don’t give your customers a reason to go elsewhere. That means give them a quality part, and give it to them when they expect it.”

“There are plenty of shops in the area or in the country, for that matter, that are capable of doing these types of things,” he went on. “So customer satisfaction is huge, and it’s a driving factor in keeping a long-term relationship with a company, so your customer can rely on you. They can pick up the phone or send an email and say, ‘we’re in a pinch; we need something right away.’ And when you get it to them, they’re happy, and you’re happy. They have that feeling of ease that they can rely on you to deliver their parts when they’re needed. That’s what it’s all about: customer satisfaction.”

 

 

From the Floor Up

Elias said he always had his eye on working at Ace Precision, even from childhood.

“I kind of grew up here as a kid, coming on weekends with my dad, and he taught me from the bottom up, from sweeping floors, taking out the trash, getting my driver’s license and making deliveries, running on the saw, just doing what I had to do. He groomed me into the man I am today, and basically I run the business now.”

And the plant continues to grow, he told BusinessWest.

“Obviously, everybody hit a big roadblock during COVID, which put a damper on production, but we were able to come out of that strong, if not stronger, due to the fact that our industry is versatile, and we don’t put all our eggs in one basket. So we were able to get through COVID with no problems, and we’ve definitely increased our capabilities and our profitability.”

That said, recruiting and retaining talent is a struggle these days across the manufacturing spectrum.

“You find that a certain age group of older talent may have retired, may have moved on to something different in their lives,” Elias noted, and they’re not necessarily being infilled at the same rate with younger talent. “There’s a little bit of a gap in age where there weren’t that many people out there that said, ‘oh, I want to get into manufacturing.’ Everyone wanted to be in IT or a desk job. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s hard to find that talent and the good help that you need.”

But Ace’s clients continue to demand parts and expertise, Elias was quick to add, and they always have new products in the works.

“So we hope that we’ll get a part of that, if not all of it. We’ve been growing, and we’ve been at a steady pace of growing for the last four years since COVID. It seems to keep going in that positive direction every year. So I just stay positive.”

KeyBank Foundation Grant Boosts Innovative Job Program at Springfield Rescue Mission

By
Springfield Rescue Mission CEO Kevin Ramsdell
Employment Special Coverage

A Hand Up, Not a Handout

Springfield Rescue Mission CEO Kevin Ramsdell

Springfield Rescue Mission CEO Kevin Ramsdell

Springfield Rescue Mission has long helped its homeless clients find jobs. Sabra Ramsdell was concerned about how often those jobs didn’t stick.

“What is the value in work? A lot of people don’t understand that the value in work is that it teaches you a discipline,” she told BusinessWest. “It’s not just a paycheck. It teaches you how to build self-esteem in yourself.”

And for whatever reason, motivation or otherwise, “we would find that guys would just hit a brick wall and quit. And we were scratching our heads going, ‘why? What’s going on?’ But we had no mechanism to call an employer and say, ‘well, what happened?’ And if you talk to the residents, you get one side. So I finally just said, ‘this isn’t going to work this way.’”

So Ramsdell, chief of staff at Springfield Rescue Mission (and the wife of CEO Kevin Ramsdell), started thinking about different models.

“The one entity that I’ve seen that does this over the long haul is the DDS,” she said, referring to the state Department of Developmental Services. “They have a mechanism that works between HR departments, companies, and employees. Many of these guys who are housed in group homes come to, say, Big Y through an agency. Well, we’re an agency, so how come we can’t develop a program that would ensure to companies that they would have a fallback to contact us if they were running into an issue? It’s really that simple.”

That’s how the mission’s Workforce Development Outreach program was born. And on Oct. 30, the program got a major boost of funding — and a vote of confidence, really — from KeyBank Foundation in the form of a two-year, $150,000 grant to create a liaison position that will work with employers to help the mission’s transitional residents secure jobs best suited for them, and then keep them and grow in their careers.

“This grant reflects our ongoing dedication to investing in local communities and helping individuals build brighter futures.”

“One of KeyBank’s philanthropic focus areas is workforce development and helping individuals achieve the skills, education, and capabilities they need to succeed in current and future employment opportunities,” said Matthew Hummel, KeyBank’s market president for Connecticut and Massachusetts. “This grant reflects our ongoing dedication to investing in local communities and helping individuals build brighter futures.”

Essentially, the Workforce Development Outreach program matches mission residents with potential employers, while providing training and support to the residents to become effective, retainable employees. The grant is a way to build and expand partnerships with local companies and, through the new liaison, coordinate efforts between employers, employees, and the mission’s case-management team.

the $150,000 grant to Springfield Rescue Mission

KeyBank’s Matthew Hummel, flanked by Sabra and Kevin Ramsdell and joined by local and state leaders, presents the $150,000 grant to Springfield Rescue Mission.

“We are incredibly grateful to KeyBank for the generous funding, which will greatly enhance our Workforce Development Outreach program,” Kevin Ramsdell said during the check-presentation ceremony. “This support will empower us to help more individuals in need gain valuable skills and opportunities to secure sustainable employment and self-sufficiency.”

 

Shared Mission

Hummel told the crowd gathered at the check presentation that KeyBank Foundation’s focus on helping people attain the skills and education needed to succeed in careers fits squarely with the mission’s work.

“The Workforce Development Outreach program is not just about job training, it’s about equipping people with the skills, the confidence, and the support they need to rebuild their lives. It’s about giving people hope, dignity, and the opportunity for a better future. That’s also a mission that we can stand behind,” he said. “With this grant, we’re helping them create a pathway to success, offering tools to allow individuals to secure meaningful employment, achieve financial independence, and ultimately contribute to the privacy of this community.

“Employers are going to have that support, too. They’ve got somebody else that they can talk to about what’s really going on. And we genuinely want these guys to realize their dream and become effective employees.”

“By partnering with not-for-profits and nonprofits like Springfield Rescue Mission,” Hummel added, “we can help individuals rise above their challenges and build a foundation for long-term success.”

It’s a message that also resonated with state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, who touted Springfield Rescue Mission’s status as the first shelter of its kind in the state of Massachusetts, and the fifth-oldest in the U.S.

“This is about our community. This is not about helping with a handout, it’s helping with a hand up. That’s what this program is about,” he said. “These opportunities are about not only sheltering, but about rehabilitation.”

City Councilman Melvin Edwards spoke to the Christian values that undergird the mission’s work.

“I know that the mission is biblical, and we’re supposed to feed those in need and house them,” he said. “I believe this program is about the fact that some of us are in a better position than others, but … our collective success is dependent on the people around us and whether they’re willing to reach out and give us a helping hand. So for those of you who are providing the services, thank you.

“For those who are receiving services, look in the mirror and recognize you do have value, you are loved, and people in the community do respect you,” Edwards added. “Sometimes we can’t control how people speak about us and look at us. But you should look at yourselves and realize you do have value.”

Sabra Ramsdell emphasized during her short address that the underserved population needs more than just simply a job. “Most of us could go get a job,” she noted. “The trick is to get a job doing something you love because, as my husband likes to say, you’ll never really work a day in your life if you love what you’re doing.

Matthew Hummel

Matthew Hummel says workforce development is one of KeyBank’s philanthropic focus areas.

“Secondly, you need real support from employers who understand that the population we’re dealing with … may not completely have all the skills necessary to perform the way we would like. So this program was born to bring about a relationship between employer, case management, and resident in an effective way that we hope solves problems and produces more active, robust employees.”

 

More Than a Job

Springfield Rescue Mission’s Taylor Street site hosts an emergency shelter accommodating 45 men nightly, offering meals, showers, and clothing, while its Rehabilitation Program supports transitions with healthcare, addiction services, and mental-health support. At the mission’s Mill Street location, the New Life Rehabilitation Program aids up to 60 men over six to 12 months through a holistic wellness track, including medical care, academic support, workforce development, and life-skills training. The mission also distributes 3.1 million pounds of food annually, benefiting hundreds through meals and community outreach.

After the check presentation, Sabra Ramsdell told BusinessWest that she wants to help people succeed in life by creating more of a mentoring partnership between employers and underserved populations.
“Employers are going to have that support, too. They’ve got somebody else that they can talk to about what’s really going on. And we genuinely want these guys to realize their dream and become effective employees.”

If the liaison to be hired with KeyBank Foundation’s grant funding is as effective as hoped, Ramsdell said she could see this program becoming a model that could be incorporated into other social services.

“I don’t have a social-service background. I was a banker for 20 years. I did mortgage work. So I know what I know — the pathway to becoming independent financially as a first-time homebuyer. But I don’t know this other piece, which is getting somebody from where these guys are to that point.”

To aid in that process of economic advancement, the mission also provides digital-literacy training to help residents gain the basic skills they need to work in many settings.

As for long-term goals, she noted, “you have to look at that whole person and say, ‘how old are you? What is your dream? What did you dream? What did you like doing when you were a kid? Tell me about your life, your family.’ You’ve got to analyze where they really are and then figure out where they need to go.”

The Workforce Development Outreach program is open to all the mission’s transitional-living clients, more than 100 at a time. So the impact could be significant, boosting local businesses in need of workers while providing not just jobs, but potentially career pathways beyond minimum wage.

“If it’s a difference between $15 an hour and $25 an hour or more,” Ramsdell said, “that gets them out of that cycle of poverty.”

MiraVista Finds Success with Substance-use Treatment by Reaching into the Community

By
Charles DiRosa and Lauren Temple say MiraVista has found success
Healthcare News Special Coverage

Meeting Them Where They Are

Charles DiRosa and Lauren Temple say MiraVista has found success

Charles DiRosa and Lauren Temple say MiraVista has found success going out and meeting addicts where they are, instead of waiting for them to walk through the doors.

 

Charles DiRosa knows all about the challenges of substance-use recovery. And looking back on 11 years of sobriety, he also knows how the treatment landscape has changed for the better.

“Being in recovery myself, I’m so proud to be a part of the resources we have here,” said DiRosa, a recovery support navigator at MiraVista Behavioral Health Center in Holyoke. “Looking back on it, 11 years ago, it wasn’t like this. It was a lot harder to get sober and to work a recovery.”

One example is same-day methadone dosing.

“In the past, you would have to make an appointment, maybe wait a couple of days to see the doctor, even a week, and then come in. For addicts, when they make that decision to get clean, usually we have to follow up with them pretty quickly because their mind is constantly changing.”

By accepting walk-ins, he noted, “our goal is, hopefully within an hour, we’ll get them in our system, get them an ID card, and get them dosed, all in the same day. We also offer transportation.”

But another key change at MiraVista has been an emphasis on reaching out into the community, rather than wait for people struggling with addiction to walk through the doors.

“By going to the individual instead of waiting for them to come to us, we’ve noticed a big increase in our numbers, and also our success rate,” DiRosa said. “It’s just providing our resources, letting them know that what we have to offer. If they’re already seeking our services, then we ask them to bring the word of mouth back to their loved ones or people they might know in the community.”

Kimberley Lee, MiraVista’s chief of Creative Strategy and Development, agreed that proactive outreach is making a difference.

DR. ROBBIE GOLDSTEIN

DR. ROBBIE GOLDSTEIN

“It is heartening to see this significant decrease in fatal overdoses — a direct result of the ongoing hard work in our communities to reach those struggling with substance-use disorder.”

“We’ve gone into parks, we’ve gone and hung out at McDonald’s on Appleton Street, in front of other well-known high-traffic areas. We’re just setting up a table, having a little snack, bottles of water, and using that as an opportunity to engage individuals,” she explained.

“What’s really heartwarming and really supports our work is that, when you’re in a park, and you make a connection with an individual, and you give them your card and the flyer, they may not be ready in that moment. But the next day, we see them in the front lobby. It’s very reassuring to know that type of connection has worked for that individual, and then to see them progress from when they first arrived to later on in their treatment — to see the change, the metamorphosis that takes place for these individuals.”

DiRosa called it “planting seeds.” And in his role, he can help people grow those seeds from a place of empathy and compassion.

He’s currently involved in a program called State Opioid Response, which provides extra funding to MiraVista’s outpatient methadone clinic to help those who need extra resouces to be successful throughout their recovery.

“What that might look like is, they would come to me and let me know they’re in need of — let’s say housing, or they lost their insurance, or maybe they need a new cell phone because theirs broke, or whatever the case may be. My role is to look out in the community, find those resources, bring it back to them, and bridge the gap. That way, they can continue to be successful in their recovery.

“Especially in early recovery, it’s very easy for them to get overwhelmed with all these steps or goals that they have in mind. A lot of times, they don’t have the guidance; they don’t have the support,” he added. “So we’re making sure that we’re supporting our clients, making sure we’re finding those resources out in the community for them.”

By reaching out and bridging these gaps, DiRosa said he’s helping to provide hope at a critical time.

“A lot of times, we meet individuals on the streets that might not have an ID, might not have insurance, and we tell them, ‘hey, we can still get you in and get you enrolled.’ So I’m not only providing resources in-house, but also bringing resources out to the streets, which has been pretty successful, in my opinion.”

 

Mixed Bag of Data

This outreach and support work is especially critical in MiraVista’s environs. While opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts decreased by 10% in 2023 — the largest single-year decline since 2009-10 — according to Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) data, Holyoke actually saw an increase.

Statewide, there were 2,125 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths in 2023 — 232 fewer than in 2022, when Massachusetts had a record 2,357 fatal opioid-related overdoses. As noted, the opioid-related overdose death rate decreased by 10% to 30.2 per 100,000 people compared to 33.5 in 2022.

Kimberley Lee

Kimberley Lee

“They’re approaching our clients and our patients with either their own personal experience or their own personal knowledge of the disease of addiction and how important it is for people who are starting their pathway to recovery to know that they’re not alone.”

“While we are encouraged by the overall decrease in overdose deaths, this report also is a reminder of the work that we still need to do to bring deaths down for all people and all areas of the state,” Gov. Maura Healey said when the report was released late in the spring. “Our administration remains committed to prioritizing prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts to address the overdose crisis that continues to claim too many lives and devastate too many families in Massachusetts.”

Preliminary data from the first three months of 2024 indicated a continued decline in opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts, showing 507 confirmed and estimated deaths, a 9% drop compared to estimates from the same time last year.

“It is heartening to see this significant decrease in fatal overdoses — a direct result of the ongoing hard work in our communities to reach those struggling with substance-use disorder,” said Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Department of Public Health commissioner. “To sustain these hard-won gains, we must focus even more deeply on the populations that have not yet seen such dramatic improvements. This means doubling outreach efforts in communities of color, particularly for Black residents, and people living in our most rural communities, who, as the data show, are most disproportionately impacted by overdose deaths.”

DiRosa posed one reason why overdose death rates are still high in Holyoke, while cities like Brockton, Lawrence, and Pittsfield saw declines, and it has to do with accessibility and cost.

“In a lot of the outreach that we do in the community, we’ve noticed the drop in the cost of the drugs. Back maybe five, seven years ago, where one bag of heroin would cost $10 or $15, it’s now going for $3 to $5. So it’s keeping people actively using these substances longer and not seeking treatment.”

When they do seek help, addicts have treatment options. MiraVista’s Intensive Outpatient Program is an enhanced level of care for individuals who need more intensive support for their recovery from addiction and want to remain in the community, while the Opioid Treatment Program (which includes the methadone dosing) offers a continuum of outpatient services, including individualized medication management, comprehensive addiction assessments, individual and group counseling, case management, referral support, harm-reduction education, and more.

“We’re bringing education into the community that we’re here, and we’re going to be able to care for the patients when they’re ready to come through our doors,” said Lauren Temple, director of Clinical Services, adding that prompt appointments are a big part of that. “We’re going to get you a same-day appointment as quick as we can. We don’t want you to wait.”

 

One Step at a Time

“Every overdose death is tragic, preventable, and unacceptable,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh said when the state’s report was issued earlier this year. “While we are proud and encouraged that fewer Massachusetts residents were lost to overdose last year, we know that inequities persist, and our work is not done. Our understanding of where gaps in treatment and services occur, and the people who we are not yet reaching, drives our work and helps focus our efforts.”

Those thoughts dovetail well with MiraVista’s efforts in Greater Holyoke.

“We try to stay with our clients moving forward. We check up on them on a regular basis,” DiRosa said. “Sometimes our clients might need that extra phone call; they might need extra support. We want them to take pride in their recovery, but also help them see that we do care.”

Like DiRosa, much of Miravista’s outpatient-services team have lived experience with these challenges, Lee added.

“So they’re approaching our clients and our patients with either their own personal experience or their own personal knowledge of the disease of addiction and how important it is for people who are starting their pathway to recovery to know that they’re not alone,” she added. “We are here to walk with them, whether it’s the first step they’re taking or the 100th step. There are people here who understand and who can appreciate the journey. They’re not alone.”

Corporate Holiday Parties Are Back on the Menu These Days

By
Holiday Party Planner Special Coverage

’Tis the Season

Mick Corduff has been in the restaurant business long enough to know what brings customers in.

In many cases, it’s a simple change in the weather.

“It kind of clicks into gear right now. I think most people’s grills are being put away, and the patio furniture has been brought in, so people are starting to go out a little bit more,” he said. “And now we’re gearing up for the holiday season.”

Ah, yes, holiday parties. As owner of two venerable Holyoke dining spots — the Log Cabin, with plenty of space for large company events, and the Delaney House, suitable for smaller gatherings — Corduff understands the draw of corporate get-togethers, and he’s hoping other strong signs from 2024 carry over into November and December.

“We’re coming off a really busy wedding season, and foliage season has been going really well. We just finished some Thanksgiving menus, finished up the Christmas to-go packages, and the reservations for holiday gatherings are starting to trickle in now.”

Corduff said companies who like their experience with the Log Cabin or Delaney House have learned to rebook early.

“There’s always a last-minute Sally, but then there’s the customer base that has the same Friday every year — the Friday before Christmas, or two weeks before, or the first Saturday in December. We’re actually seeing some holiday Christmas parties in November, a little earlier than usual, especially with the bigger ones. They really want to have it on a Friday night or a Saturday night, and the Saturday nights tend to be grabbed up really quick. So we have a few customers that are doing it in late November, mid-November, in and around Thanksgiving.

“We just finished some Thanksgiving menus, finished up the Christmas to-go packages, and the reservations for holiday gatherings are starting to trickle in now.”

“You can work with them on pricing when there isn’t such a high demand, so that’s always a good thing for them,” he added. “Or they might get the whole facility, rather than having to do smaller rooms because it fits what we have. Like I said, we’re really starting to pick up on Fridays and Saturdays right now.”

Holiday bookings seem comparable to where they were in 2023, he added, partly due to the loyalty factor.

Mick Corduff

Mick Corduff says many repeat customers for holiday parties like to book the same dates year after year.

“We have a loyal customer base that comes to us year over year. Some of the larger companies have come to us on the same dates,” he told BusinessWest. “It also really depends on how the holidays fall. Christmas falls in the middle of the week this year, so it’s a little different.”

Edison Yee, principal managing partner of the Bean Restaurant Group, which boasts more than a dozen establishments, ranging from quick service to fast casual to more upscale, said the holiday season is an exciting time of the year for the company.

“We began planning months ago; for most restaurants, it’s the busiest time of the year,” he said, noting that the Student Prince, on Fort Street in Springfield, and the Boathouse, on the Connecticut River in South Hadley, do most of the function-type business, and holiday bookings start coming in during the summer.

“Christmastime on Fort Street is very, very festive. It’s decorated — we have great new decorations this year — and we have the Fort carolers, which are always a smash hit. People come back, families come back, businesses come back year after year for the festivities. With the traditions of Fort Street, it’s a great time to be there.

“At the Boathouse, it’s usually the same — that’s a function house as well, with ample room,” Yee explained. “They both do great business over the holidays, and we have Christmas with Santa at both locations.”

In short, it’s a busy time, he said. “The other restaurants are busy as well, but they don’t do so much the big functions of 300, 400, or 500 people because they don’t have the room. They do have a lot of smaller functions throughout the holidays, though. Right after Black Friday, everything kicks off.”

 

Slow Climb Back

The pandemic four years ago crushed the holiday-party season, and 2021 started a slow climb back, but a national survey conducted toward the end of 2023 suggested that companies are clamoring once again to celebrate the holidays with their teams in-person.

According to survey results from global outplacement and business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., 64.4% of companies reported having in-person holiday parties in 2023, up from 57% who reported the same in 2022 and 27% who held in-person parties in 2021. It marked the highest percentage of companies holding in-person holiday parties since 75% of companies reported they held parties in 2019.

Local restaurant leaders like Corduff and Yee hope that trend continues, though only time will tell.

“We have quite a few that are post-holiday,” Corduff said. “It brightens up the winter. We see them probably until the end of January, even.”

Such a choice makes sense for businesses with a heavy end-of-year load, but it makes life easier on many fronts regardless of the company, he pointed out.

“If you do it early or you do it late, you have a little bit more flexibility. Sometimes the space can be more grandiose, and usually other vendors are more available — a DJ is not as busy in late January. So it’s not just us as a venue, but the availability of any vendor. A company can probably get a better deal and maybe do more for their customers or staff or whoever they’re trying to entertain.”

Edison Yee

Edison Yee

“Times are challenging now for restaurants. Food inflation and wage inflation and insurance costs have escalated. So it’s important to be on top of it.”

Yee said restaurant workers are among the groups who might want to get past the holidays to celebrate, adding that November and December are certainly much busier for parties across the Bean Group than January.

Corduff said the Log Cabin has found much success with large holiday parties that many small businesses attend, with a variety of price points.

“At the public holiday parties, you can have a hairdressing salon with a table of lawyers and a mechanic shop down the street, all intermingling and having a great time. It’s an economic way for businesses to take people out to a big Christmas party.

“You might have a small, more intimate event at the Delaney House, whether it’s 8, 10, 16, 20 people,” he went on. “Usually in that environment, it tends to be more about the dining experience, whereas, at some of the group holiday parties, we have the entertainment built in. Whether it’s comedy or a DJ and dancing, food and wine pairings, you have a wide variety of options there. We’re always trying to think outside the box to keep it fresh and stay creative and have a good time with it.”

One trend Corduff has noticed is that people are going out to eat, and planning events, a little earlier in the evening than before.

“I think it’s not just a Western Mass. thing, but a lot of restaurants are seeing 9 o’clock at night and the restaurant’s empty. Some of the restaurateurs that I talk to in Springfield say, ‘we used to have 9 o’clock reservations; we don’t anymore. You know, 8:30 is our last reservation these days.’ So either people are going to bed earlier, or who knows what it is, but the trend has shifted to an earlier dining slot.”

 

Back to Normal

As for the restaurant business is general, Yee said the gradual fade of the pandemic saw a rush of people tired of staying indoors.

“They wanted to go celebrate, and finally, they could do that. And now things have kind of leveled off for a more normal holiday.”

Corduff agreed. “COVID has still been around, unfortunately. But I think people are just getting on with their lives. If you’re sick, you stay in bed. Don’t go out. If you have the flu, you do the same exact thing.

“But I do think people are going out, having a good time; people aren’t as fearful as they were, and it’s showing in the numbers of people going out,” he added. “The group holiday parties were non-existent post-COVID. If a hairdressing salon was having a party, they probably had it at their shop. And we saw a lot of catering business post-COVID; we survived off those catering parties. So we still do it.”

Yee said he’s happy to see things returning to normalcy.

“We have restaurants throughout Western Mass. and Northern Connecticut, and overall, we’re up a small percentage, about 4%. I’m hearing mixed signals from different restaurateurs; some are up, some are down. For us, we like to say we have pockets or different regions that are stronger than others.”

For example, the Connecticut eateries have been fairly strong. “The quick service has been a little bit weaker overall. Our casual dining has been strong. Elevated dining is a little flat.”

That said, “times are challenging now for restaurants,” Yee said. “Food inflation and wage inflation and insurance costs have escalated. So it’s important to be on top of it. We think we’re in a good place.”

With a busy holiday season ahead to bring the cheer — and the business.

What’s Changing in Ludlow … and What Isn’t

By
Karen Randall
Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

Marc Strange

Marc Strange considers it “disappointing” that the majority of the town wasn’t ready for a charter change.

When Marc Strange came to Ludlow as town administrator in the spring of 2022, he saw an opportunity to take a leadership position in a bustling community and use his experience and skills — he was formerly director of Planning and Development for Agawam and selectman in Longmeadow — to effect change in this community.

One big proposed change is not happening, but there’s still plenty on his plate.

“When I applied for the job, the number-one priority was the change of government,” he said of a push to change the town’s charter and system of government — now a board of selectmen and representative town meeting — to one many felt was more befitting a community of roughly 21,000 residents, either a town manager and town council, a mayor and city council, or perhaps a hybrid model.

“That’s been a focus of mine, although I wasn’t involved in the creation of the charter,” he told BusinessWest of the effort by a charter-review committee that eventually settled on a town council/town manager model, which included the hiring of the Edward J. Collins Center for Public Management to guide the process and a series of public forums. “I took it upon myself to make sure we were pushing toward on that, putting in the request to fund a consultant and just keep that ball moving.”

But the ball stopped rolling at a town meeting earlier this month, when the charter and the government change was voted down, 41-29.

“That just means that we’re going to continue status quo, the way we’ve been operating,” Strange said. “It’s disappointing because the charter committee put together a good charter, but the town just wasn’t ready for the change. The town manager would have replaced the board of selectmen, and then a town council would have replaced town meeting as a legislative body. You’re just able to get things done quicker.

“All the surrounding towns have grown, and that has contributed to our growth. And the town of Ludlow has grown tremendously since we started.”

“We have about 21,000 people, and a $84 million budget. We’re really a small city. It certainly has a town feel to it, but in terms of the form of the government, the structure of the government, I personally think it would have been more efficient to make the change. But the town meeting didn’t see it that way.”

For many town-meeting participants, Strange said, it came down to a question of representation.

“There are a little more than 100 members, technically, but there there were 70 at this town meeting. You’re going from that many people and that many voices down to a seven-member town council. I think the overriding sentiment was, the more voices you have, the more democratic a process.”

Still, he added, “Easthampton is a city, Palmer is a city, Southbridge is a city. These are smaller towns, smaller than us, that have city forms of government.”

Strange had other goals when he was hired in 2022, including efforts to make the government more efficient, which has included balancing out staffing and combining the treasurer’s and collector’s offices, and development efforts downtown.

Karen Randall

Karen Randall says location is her business’s number-one asset.

“I grew up in the economic-development world, in municipal government, and that’s one of the reasons why I was so excited to join Ludlow,” he said. “There’s so much potential here.”

 

Location, Location, Location

Karen Randall has certainly seen plenty of change in Ludlow, most of it positive. In 1962, her father built the first store at Randall’s Farm, and in 1997, the building underwent a significant expansion, including a greenhouse and big produce department.

The business also added “a postage stamp of a kitchen,” she added, which would turn out to be entirely inadequate as the bakery, deli, and prepared-food operations took off as people’s lifestyles changed.

“Center Street, where the pike exit is, is pretty built out and super busy. There are a lot of businesses there. But the downtown area, I feel like we need to really focus on that, because residents’ quality of life will rise if we can create a more exciting downtown area.”

“The kind of customers we have are mostly local customers. They’re on their way home or on their way to work, and it’s very convenient for them to have home-cooked food — not cooked in their home, but cooked in our home. We prepare everything from scratch, for the most part. And that department just went way beyond our expectations. It’s almost 40% of everything we do now, which we never saw coming. The garden center is still a big part, and produce is still a huge part, but prepared food was a surprise.”

Guests also come for the homemade hard ice cream, as well as family activities that peak in the fall with pumpkin decorating, scarecrow making, and seasonal games. Randall said the farm draws regulars from a roughly 20-mile range, from communities like Longmeadow, Westfield, and Enfield, Conn. “Sometimes people make a weekend trip just for their groceries. We have a lot of specialty grocery; we do a lot of gluten-free and allergy-friendly food. We have a big following for that.”

The Ludlow Mills project

The Ludlow Mills project, with its mix of housing, businesses, and the restored, iconic clocktower, continues to progress each year.

But after talking about what Randall’s Farm offers, she was quick to explain what Ludlow itself offers — notably its location off Mass Pike exit 54 and near a number of growing residential communities. It also benefits from its own growth, with new residential developments in recent years (more on that later).

“We’re in a great location. Location, I would say, is our number-one asset,” Randall told BusinessWest. “Having the turnpike less than a mile away, people in the surrounding towns who are using the turnpike drive by us very often. Belchertown has grown, all the surrounding towns have grown, and that has contributed to our growth. And the town of Ludlow has grown tremendously since we started.

“It’s a great community to have a business in, with great people. The town gives us excellent young employees; we have a lot of people that start in high school, and hopefully they stay while they go to college and come back and work holidays or weekends or summers,” she went on. “Some of our young employees stay with us for six years or so until they graduate from college, and then we hate to lose them. They become nurses and engineers and go on to their careers, and they leave a big hole for us because they were excellent employees.”

Ludlow at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1774
Population: 21,002
Area: 28.2 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $18.09
Commercial Tax Rate: $18.09
Median Household Income: $53,244
Median Family Income: $67,797
Type of Government: Board of Selectmen, Representative Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Hampden County House of Correction; Encompass Rehabilitation Hospital; Massachusetts Air National Guard; Kleeberg Sheet Metal Inc.
*Latest information available

All that said, “the business is doing well,” Randall noted. “We continue to grow and change with the trends and what customers want and what other stores like us are doing. We try to stay in tune with what’s happening so we can deliver the best to our customers.”

 

Downtown Developments

The town has been focusing on its downtown area in recent years as well, not just at Ludlow Mills, but in the East Street corridor, where it has planned extensive infrastructure improvements to make the street more safe, pedestrian-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing, as well as expanding its District Improvement Financing (DIF) area, which had previously covered just the footprint of the mills, to East Street.

“Our East Street corridor is sort of our Main Street, and there are a lot of small businesses there that have a loyal following and are very popular,” Strange said. “So we created a DIF last year so, with any developments made in that district, instead of that additional tax revenue going into the general fund, we can keep it in the district for infrastructure improvements.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to improve the look and the feel, but also the infrastructure of East Street. We’re also going to be repaving the roads around down State Street, which is where the mills are, then around to East Street,” he added. “Center Street, where the pike exit is, is pretty built out and super busy. There are a lot of businesses there. But the downtown area, I feel like we need to really focus on that, because residents’ quality of life will rise if we can create a more exciting downtown area.”

One of the most recent business openings on East Street is BarBurrito, a new restaurant venture from Bill Collins, owner of Center Square Grill in East Longmeadow. “We were thrilled to see BarBurrito come in,” Strange said. “Bill Collins has established businesses that are popular, so to have him come invest his money into East Street, I was really excited to see that.

“There are a lot of small businesses on East Street that have a loyal following, but we do have some storefronts that tend to turn over,” Strange added. “So we’re really hoping to, again, raise the excitement level of the downtown area, beautify it, and have more businesses like BarBurrito come in and build out those storefronts.”

As for Ludlow Mills, that remains an ongoing process, one that began two decades ago and ramped up when Westmass Area Development Corp. acquired the property 13 years ago. The 95 residential units at Mill 8 should be complete next month, complimenting the 75 units in Mill 10 and a series of commercial developments across the complex’s footprint. Meanwhile, the clock tower in Mill 8 completed its renovation this year.

“Every single year there’s something. There’s always cranes and activity down there. It’s exciting, and I think it gets people excited about the future,” Strange said, noting that the new residential units are for age 55 and up, and there is a great need for that kind of housing locally.

“I can see a vibrant downtown in Ludlow,” he added. “We have a lot of beautiful residential areas, particularly in the mountains and certainly closer to downtown as well. The clocktower so iconic. I remember, before I started here, coming over the bridge to go to Randall’s and looking to the right and seeing the clock tower. It just made you feel like you had arrived someplace. Now we have corporate resources that are putting money into the area.

“I’m really excited about what the downtown could be,” Strange went on. “I feel like, if we can complete the downtown and update it, revitalize it, and make it exciting, it’s really going to make a difference for Ludlow. That’s my focus.”

Dr. Shirley Jackson Whitaker

By
Women of Impact 2024

Nephrologist, Artist, and Filmmaker

In More Than One Way, She Draws on History to Help People Heal

Staff photo

Staff photo

 

“When a patient walks into my room, they expect to have a seat and for me to talk with them about their history, about their journey. I take that information, and I use it to help them heal. I need to look at history. And sometimes patients come in and tell you horror stories, but I can’t discard it because I need it all to help that patient to live.”

Dr. Shirley Jackson Whitaker, a nephrologist by trade — that’s a kidney specialist — shares those thoughts toward the beginning of Ashes to Ashes, a documentary she produced in 2019. And they are apt when juxtaposed against the story she goes on to tell.

The film is actually two intertwined stories, both incredibly powerful. One is related by Winfred Rembert, an avid Star Wars fan and master leatherwork artist.

Clear-eyed but haunted, he relates a life-changing experience in 1967, when he drew the ire of law enforcement in Cuthbert, Ga. because of his work advocating for civil rights. They tossed him in a car trunk, and he emerged to see a noose hanging from a tree. They stripped him, hung him upside down, stabbed him, and made it clear they intended to castrate him, hang him, then burn his body. When one of the men suggested they stop, they moved on, and Rembert, bleeding and deeply traumatized, lived.

“In this country, no one really, genuinely talks about the people who were lynched.”

The other story in Ashes to Ashes concerns the 4,000 people lynched in the U.S. during the Jim Crow era, which, as Rembert painfully reminds us, didn’t end all that long ago. In 2017, Whitaker, a friend of Rembert’s who also grew up in Georgia, organized a funeral in Springfield to honor the many lynching victims who were never buried. As Whitaker explains in the film:

“Sometimes they would lynch people, then put them in the water with weights, so the family would never see them again. Sometimes they would take the bodies and cut them up and sell the pieces. Sometimes they would take the body after they lynched it and burn it up, so the families would not have anything. A lot of these people never got a funeral. It was often too dangerous for the families to retrieve those bodies. And sometimes, there were no bodies to retrieve. It’s not just black history — this is American history.”

At the funeral ceremony, participants read names of many of these unburied individuals, and members of a local theater group read monologues drawn from Whitaker’s historical research. The account of a father forced to choose to die along with his young son or watch the boy drown is especially wrenching.

Ashes to Ashes gained acclaim on the festival circuit and was a finalist for Academy Award consideration.

Ashes to Ashes gained acclaim on the festival circuit and was a finalist for Academy Award consideration.

“In this country, no one really, genuinely talks about the people who were lynched,” Whitaker says in the film. Which is why she produced it — to give those people a voice, get people talking about some too-recent history, and, by grappling with that reality, just maybe start the process of healing.

“I decided to have a funeral for the over 4,000 African-Americans who were lynched in the United States to close that chapter and move forward. America has to do the same thing to help heal this country. You’ll get some pushback from people: ‘why do you want to stir that up?’ But it hasn’t been stirred enough. People were saying, ‘ah, that’s so depressing.’ I say, well, if you think this depressing, try hanging from a tree.”

She then asks, “what can I do? I can’t bring them back, but I can give them a prayer.” For doing so much more, Whitaker is an uncommonly powerful Woman of Impact.

 

Pain and Promise

As she spoke with BusinessWest in her Amherst home about her multi-faceted life and career, virtually every wall in every room was covered with her paintings — some traditional in medium, some incorporating mixed media, including fabrics and, in a few cases, unprocessed cotton.

“Cotton has this fluffy appearance to it, but just take your hand and squeeze right there,” she said. “Just squeeze. You feel the seeds? Once Eli Whitney got the seeds out, they had more uses for cotton.”

And the slaves who picked it, as the cotton gin essentially rejuvenated the plantation slavery industry.

“The thing is, when you go to pick this, you’ve got to be careful because this is like knives,” she continued, pointing out the sharp wall surrounding the fluffy cotton. “You learn early how to avoid that.”

Rembert, who passed away in 2021, knew that well; he grew up picking cotton on a plantation, and he understood the dark history of the crop in the South.

Whitaker’s path was somewhat different; the seventh child of Eddie and Charlie Mae Jackson from Waycross, Ga., she attended Clark Atlanta University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree with honors and then earning a public health degree at Yale University School of Medicine and undergoing advanced medical training in internal medicine and nephrology at Emory University School of Medicine, where she was the only Black woman in her class.

After some years on the West Coast, she moved to the Pioneer Valley when her husband was hired at UMass Amherst as a professor of Mathematics. For a decade, she worked at Springfield Southwest Community Health Center, where, in addition to bettering and saving lives, she designed a children’s coloring book advising against drugs, created a community-health newsletter, and produced an imaginative ‘puppet opera’ for young people titled “Monsters Among Us.” In 2006, she went into private practice.

But nephrology wasn’t her only interest; to address her concerns about the academic standing of African-American children in Amherst schools, she established the Academic Initiative for Maximum Success, which resulted in a dramatic increase of Black students in AP math programs.

“In addition to caring for her patients’ health, Shirley brings joy and hope. Her contributions to her community through educational programs have provided many with opportunities that would not have been afforded without her initiatives.”

Whitaker has also continued to paint, authored two children’s books, and produced her award-winning documentary. These days, she continues to practice medicine two days a week at the Northampton VA Medical Center.

“When I look back and I think of all these things, and the ripple effect of it all, I’m pleased with that,” she told BusinessWest, adding that her honest, often hard assessments of patients made a long-term difference. “People to this day come up to me and say, ‘I remember what you said, and it changed my life. I changed my diet; I lost 40 pounds.’”

 

Stories Worth Sharing

Taylor Rees, director of Ashes to Ashes, will certainly never forget her. “Dr. Shirley is a neighbor of mine who lived on the same street as my family in Massachusetts when I was growing up,” he wrote. “In 2015, she asked for help documenting her memorial, and throughout the year, we worked together to also visit with and listen to the personal and lived experiences of Winfred, her friend. The film evolved over time into an homage to both Shirley and Winfred and their work using art to address racial injustices in America.”

Whitaker has also made a powerful impression on Anika Lopes, who nominated her as a Woman of Impact a year after Lopes, president of the Ancestral Bridges Foundation, earned the same honor from BusinessWest.

“Dr. Whitaker is a woman of impact with every step she takes, a tireless giver, sharing all she has with others,” Lopes wrote. “As a medical doctor, Shirley has and continues to dedicate herself to the wellness of others; she goes far beyond expectation and keeps going. In addition to caring for her patients’ health, Shirley brings joy and hope. Her contributions to her community through educational programs have provided many with opportunities that would not have been afforded without her initiatives.”

Lopes added that Whitaker believes we all have a collective responsibility to create a better future, “and she sure is walking her talk.”

She’s doing so at a time when too many people don’t truly comprehend the horrors of slavery or the more recent legacy of Jim Crow, or are actively trying to erase that history. But she’s also hopeful about the future, currently working on a screenplay called Blanket, noting that “a blanket of hate can never cover the resilience, remembrance, and hope.”

As for Rembert, he spent more than 50 years struggling with sleep issues, stemming partly from the trauma he experienced in 1967, as he describes in Ashes to Ashes.

“Even today, now, it’s dragging me down. I can’t rest. I can’t rest. I lie in my bed, and I can’t rest. I’m running for my life every night. Somebody’s after me, and I don’t know what to do.”

And later in the film:

“I don’t think I can be healed. I think I’ll go to the grave with what I got, holding me down and holding me back. Even though those things were done to me years ago, they’re still holding me back. Can I send the message? Can I change this? I can’t change this world. I know I’m not a big enough man to do that, but I can put a dent in it. But you just keep going, and going, and going, and going.”

Whitaker has kept going as well, maybe not changing the world, but impacting her corner of it in profound ways as a doctor, educator, artist, and filmmaker. And she empathizes with the pain of friends like Rembert and thousands of people she never knew, but wanted to memorialize through a unique funeral service and a story that will live on as people continue to watch it.

“I talked to him like two days before he died,” she said of Rembert, “and he said, ‘I just want to know what it’s like to go to sleep.’”

“We’re looking back in history so this patient can live,” Whitaker said during that 2017 memorial service in Springfield, referring not to a nephrology patient, but to a nation with deep, unhealed wounds. “We’re looking back in history so this patient can thrive. We’re looking back in history so this patient can become very strong. But this patient could only live and get stronger if we’re willing to look back. So tonight, we start.”

LaTonia Monroe Naylor

By
Women of Impact 2024

Chief Business Educator, Monroe Naylor Consulting, LLC; President and CEO, Parent Villages

She Has a Passion and Purpose for Helping Others Find Their Own

Photo by Focus Ashely Photos

Photo by Focus Ashely Photos

 

Mission-rich and Profit-powered.

That’s the title of the book LaTonia Monroe Naylor wrote, and its subtitle — A Guide to Transforming Your Passion Work into a Fully Funded Business — offers further clues to what’s inside.

And to how she helps businesses move purposefully to the next level, through her business, Monroe Naylor Consulting LLC, which seeks to help entrepreneurs build profitable, mission-driven businesses.

But that consultancy, and the book, are just two elements in what has become a life and career of helping others. It’s been a life of a Woman of Impact.

“When I came up with this, the idea was, how do you take your overwhelming passion and structure it in a way that you can be productive?” she explained.

“Most people don’t use the administrative part of their skillset, or they don’t have it, but that was a gift that I’ve always had,” Monroe Naylor told BusinessWest, noting that she was developing business acumen from a very early age, working at her uncle’s store.

While entrepreneurs typically bring the passion and purpose — that’s why they started the business, after all — they don’t necessarily know how to marry that with an understanding of how a successful business works. “Most people are not taught that because they don’t come from environments where people are teaching them that. So I want to teach people that; I want them to be successful.”

At the same time, “I want them to know that starting a business is not the only thing you should be focused on, so how do you sustain what you do and have harmony in your life?” she said, adding that people shouldn’t feel like they need to sacrifice time with their family for the sake of a job that keeps them separated 100 hours a week.

“That, to me, is mission-rich. How do you do the things that you love and embrace the things that you love, but still have enough stability that you can be comfortable and have a nice house?” she went on. “If you can’t have both, then you’re not going to be happy. And who wants to be miserable?”

Essentially, Monroe Naylor works with entrepreneurs, small-business owners, churches, and other organizations on culture, business sustainability, and other key elements of a thriving business. “I provide training on grants, management, strategy, funding, how to start your business, what you need, what kinds of people you need on your team. On the nonprofit side, how do you set up your board, who should be on your board, how do you ensure you stay compliant?

“Then, when I created the book, I literally thought about the last 20 years of my life. What were the biggest challenges and roadblocks that I ran into? And how do I simplify that for people in less than a three-hour read, so that they will actually read it?”

“How do you do the things that you love and embrace the things that you love, but still have enough stability that you can be comfortable and have a nice house? If you can’t have both, then you’re not going to be happy. And who wants to be miserable?”

Ayanna Crawford, president of AC Consulting and one of three individuals who nominated Monroe Naylor as a Woman of Impact, wrote that her story “serves as a testament to the power of resilience and unwavering dedication to making a difference. As a chief business educator, she inspires others to follow her lead and create lasting impact in their communities. She has reached the place she is today by focusing on others and making their needs a priority in light of her own.”

 

Back to School

Monroe Naylor has long had a heart for the community, which manifested in running for, and winning, a seat on the Springfield School Committee in 2017 — a decision also influenced by a desire to help her young son navigate the challenges of school and life.

“We ran a very grassroots, non-political campaign because we didn’t know any other way to do it,” she recalled. “We just wanted to help our kids. I feel like, if you do things for the right reason, the good will always come back to you. Even though a lot of bad may happen, I focus on the good.”

LaTonia Monroe Naylor says she wants people to be successful in business and happy in life.

LaTonia Monroe Naylor says she wants people to be successful in business and happy in life.

Her experience on the committee led indirectly to her establishment, in 2018, of Parent Villages, a multi-faced nonprofit that works to improve educational achievement while also offering assistance for victims of violence, resources for family engagement and parent advocacy, and more.

The educational focus came from a presentation she heard as a School Committee member, about how 7% of kids aren’t prepared for kindergarten.

“I said, ‘70 or 7?’ And she was like, ‘7.’ So I said, ‘so 93% of our kids aren’t prepared for kindergarten.’ She said, ‘yeah,’ and I was floored,” Monroe Naylor recalled. “How can they be successful if they’re not ready for kindergarten? They’re starting off on a bad foot.”

So Parent Villages was born, first through meetings in at places like community centers and libraries.

“At one meeting, about 85 people came, all kinds of stakeholders, to try to understand what it is that we need to focus on,” she said. “And we found there were these disconnects; people just didn’t know about resources or how to access those resources.

“We also learned very quickly that the people who showed up to the meetings were parents like us, who were already in the 7% — our kids were already prepared. So how do we reach the other 93%? That’s when we built the organization and started to get into the schools, started working with Baystate Health and other programs to develop a strategy.”

Now, Parent Villages focuses on youth in grades 6 to 12 and their parents and caregivers — what Monroe Naylor called a two-generation model, which offers educational programming and workshops, but also provides interim support services.

“So if somebody is going through a domestic situation and needs housing, we help them. Over 90% of our folks are dealing with trauma, dealing with some type of violence, and just need help and support. They don’t know how to wrap their minds around where they need to go. We help them to see the end and see the potential they already have and help them grasp hold of the fact that they have a village, and that’s going to help them through it.”

The topic of trauma is personal to Monroe Naylor due to an event during her teenage years that almost killed her.

“I was shot when I was 16, and that changed my whole life,” she told BusinessWest. “I already had trauma dealing with the fact that I grew up in the neighborhood that I did — that was trauma enough. But when I was 16, I found a way to escape my day-to-day through music. I loved music, I used to rap, I used to do poetry; that was my safe space.”

So she’d spent time at local studios, working on her music. One day, while walking out of one, she was struck by a stray bullet from a fight on the street. Recovering from that physically wasn’t as challenging as the emotional aspects.

“It wasn’t just [the shooting] that that haunted me; it was the fear and the trauma after — the fear of going into certain spaces, or the fear of somebody coming after you. Those are the things you live with for the rest of your life.”

Through therapy, self-care, and a commitment to her faith, among other factors, she’s navigated that trauma, but always understood she had a solid support system, while many people dealing with trauma don’t, and need a village to be successful. Hence, the ‘village’ aspect of Parent Villages.

“It was the fear and the trauma after — the fear of going into certain spaces, or the fear of somebody coming after you. Those are the things you live with for the rest of your life.”

“The last couple of years, we’ve helped well over 700 people, and we consistently have about 40 youth that we work with throughout the year, and we have about 80 families that we’re working with, doing case management, throughout the year,” she said. “We have a great staff and a diverse board, and we focus on the important things that matter. We make sure we get what they need.”

An earlier nonprofit Monroe Naylor established in 2006, called VITAL Center, advised several nonprofit startups, sole proprietorships, and small businesses. These days, she’s also an adjunct professor at Springfield College and Worcester State University and volunteers as a mentor to youth and young adults in her church and community, establishing initiatives such as computer learning centers, youth summer programs, and other projects.

 

Care Starts at Home

Monroe Naylor is no stranger to being recognized. A member of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty class of 2016, she was also named a Massachusetts Commonwealth Unsung Heroine in 2020, won the Commonwealth Black Excellence Award in 2021, and was named Community Builder by the Urban League of Springfield in 2022.

But Woman of Impact may be the broadest and most accurate way to sum up her life, which she says has been profoundly shaped by so many of the people in it, from her mother to her husband, Mah’dee Naylor Sr., a pastor who founded Dwelling Place Church in Springfield earlier this year, and their four kids — not to mention community giants like Dora Robinson, who was impactful in her life in her early years.

And make no mistake: Monroe Naylor aims to be impactful every day, whether on the business plans of a budding entrepreneur, the trauma of a victim of violence, or the well-being of anyone struggling to be all things to all people.

“A lot of women leaders are so heavily focused on everybody else that they forget to take care of themselves,” she said. “We talk about all the great things that happen, but we don’t talk about our own trauma that we have to deal with, our own internal struggles. How do you gather the inner courage and the inner fortitude that it takes to be a person of impact, and be able to do it on a continual basis? That’s something we don’t talk about enough.”

At the end of the day, she said, being there for other people requires self-care, so she can wake up the next day and continue to have that impact on the lives of others.

“The model that I live by is, whatever you do, make sure you can sleep at night. And if I can’t, I won’t do it. That’s how I hold fast to what I do and the decisions that I make.”

Megan McDonough

By
Women of Impact 2024

Executive Director, Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity

She Helps Families Achieve Life-changing Stability, One House at a Time

Photo by Focus Ashely Photos

Photo by Focus Ashely Photos

“Timing is everything.”

That’s how Megan McDonough described the circumstances that saw her arrive at Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity in 2013 and take the reins as executive director a year later.

And she’s grateful for that timing — and the experiences that led her to be successful in that role — because of what the organization’s work has meant to so many low-income families achieving home ownership for the first time.

That experience began with a master’s degree in regional planning at UMass Amherst, with a concentration in housing and social issues. “My concentration was part of an overall desire to make a difference in the community and realizing how important housing was in that journey,” she said.

After working at the Center for EcoTechnology (CET) in Northampton for seven years, she joined Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity in 2013 as an office manager and was quickly elevated to the post of Operations manager, working with volunteer build teams and overseeing applications for zoning, planning, and building permits. In 2014, she shepherded the first Women Build project for two net-zero-energy homes — the chapter’s first — in Easthampton.

“Her work has empowered many women and families of marginalized racial identities to achieve the first step in building generational wealth through affordable home ownership.”

Those efforts, among others, caught the attention of Habitat’s board of directors, and when the organization’s executive director stepped down in 2014, McDonough won the job over 30 other applicants.

“It was clear to me after a couple weeks as interim ED that Megan would make a great ED,” said Peter Jessop, then board president. “It was her attention to detail and her can-do attitude that most impressed me during my short tenure at the board helm.”

McDonough told BusinessWest she was confident in her ability to lead the affiliate. “I had previous management experience and a master’s degree in planning and housing, and the board decided I was the best fit to take that leadership role.”

A decade later, that decision has been proven correct many times over, and McDonough has carved out a … well, impactful place helping families achieve stability in life. That’s a word she used a few times during this interview, and for good reason.

Megan McDonough (center) with Charles Roberts and Aelan Tierney of Kuhn Riddle Architects & Designers, which has provided pro bono design services for Habitat for Humanity projects.

Megan McDonough (center) with Charles Roberts and Aelan Tierney of Kuhn Riddle Architects & Designers, which has provided pro bono design services for Habitat for Humanity projects.

“Stability is a word we use a lot because, when you’re a renter, you’re at the whim of your landlord; if they want to sell the building or the house, you’ve got to move,” she said. “Even if you’ve been a perfect tenant, you can still experience housing instability as a renter — whereas, when you own your own home, that gives you certainty to say, ‘OK, I’m putting down roots in this community.’”

She noted that Habitat International has done studies showing improved educational, health, and economic outcomes stemming from home ownership. “I’ve also heard anecdotal stories about our homeowners pursuing higher education or different job opportunities because they have that stability.”

Aelan Tierney, president of Kuhn Riddle Architects & Designers, nominated McDonough as a Woman of Impact, having worked with her during her time at CET, focusing on sustainable and energy-efficient building practices, and, more recently, having provided pro bono design services for sustainable Habitat building projects.

“Over these years, we have been witness to Megan’s unwavering passion and commitment to developing affordable, sustainable homes,” wrote Tierney, a Woman of Impact herself. “Her work has empowered many women and families of marginalized racial identities to achieve the first step in building generational wealth through affordable home ownership.”

“There’s this deep impact that happens with the family that’s selected and becomes a homeowner, but there are also hundreds of volunteers who are impacted as well, and I think that’s often underappreciated.”

Tierney noted that McDonough and her team have especially impacted the lives of single parents, many of whom never imagined home ownership would be achievable. In fact, of the 58 houses the nonprofit has completed, 60% are owned by female heads of household.

“Research reveals that Habitat homeowners go on to achieve higher levels of education, more advanced jobs, and better health outcomes than their non-homeowning peers,” Tierney added, “and as taxpaying members of their communities, they have more voice in and impact on their local towns and neighborhoods.”

Impact that ripples outward into the community and across generations — that’s Habitat for Humanity in a nutshell, and it’s also McDonough’s passion.

 

Building on a Vision

McDonough was quick to explain what Habitat does — or, more specifically, dispel some common misconceptions, like the notion that the homeowners are getting a free house.

“Habitat for Humanity builds homes for low-income families and then sells it to them with an affordable mortgage. And we do that to build strength, stability, and self-reliance for those future homebuyers,” she told BusinessWest. “We don’t give away homes for free. They do purchase them, but at a price that’s much more affordable than you could find in this area on your own.”

Habitat for Humanity projects bring together a raft of volunteers, both individuals and businesses.

Habitat for Humanity projects bring together a raft of volunteers, both individuals and businesses.

That’s an especially big deal these days, as home prices are soaring. Equally important is the work the homeowners put into the projects.

“That’s the other thing that’s special about Habitat for Humanity: the future homeowners help build their own houses. They put in sweat equity in the construction alongside community volunteers, who also help bring down the cost of building the homes by donating their time,” she explained.

“It’s empowering to know they helped build the house and that they can take care of it themselves,” she went on. “One of the side benefits of sweat equity is they actually learn a lot of construction skills and how to use power tools. They were there caulking and painting alongside the volunteers, so if something needs to be touched up later, they’ll know how to do it.”

A roster of local businesses, from builders and roofers to landscapers and solar-energy installers, offer discounted materials to Habitat and even send workers to help out on a job, McDonough noted, adding that the organization relies first and foremost on volunteer labor.

“There’s this deep impact that happens with the family that’s selected and becomes a homeowner, but there are also hundreds of volunteers who are impacted as well, and I think that’s often underappreciated,” she said. “There’s the college student who learns how to use a hammer for the first time, or the professional carpenter who gets to give back and feels the accomplishment of sharing their skills and knowledge. There’s a lot of social capital building and community building that happens when people work together for a common goal. It’s extremely gratifying.”

“We had almost 80 applications for our last house here in Northampton, so the need couldn’t be greater.”

One of the key evolutions in the organization’s work has been an emphasis on energy efficiency and green building.

“We work really hard on bringing down our costs, selling a home at an affordable price, but if we get someone in there and they can’t afford their utility bill, we sort of missed the mark,” she said. “We’re not building fancy McMansions. We’re building a box, but a nice box — a new one with good insulation and high-efficiency mechanical systems. And we have been getting those homes Energy Star-certified for a number of years, and have added some additional green-building certifications as well.”

That focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy is a way to impact the future, McDonough told BusinessWest. “It’s not cost-effective to build small, simple, energy-efficient homes. They’re just not getting built in the marketplace. So it’s also really unique that we build high-quality but simple homes. We have laminate countertops; these aren’t luxury granite countertops. But we also have extra insulation in the walls to make sure it’ll be a cozy house. We put in air-source heat pumps so it can be all electric and part of the decarbonization of the future.”

At the same time, during her 10 years as the affiliate’s executive director, McDonough has hired and mentored dozens of interns through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s internship program, and a significant number of these interns have gone on to careers in sustainable housing or related industries.

 

Generational Impact

The application process to be selected for a Habitat home is rigorous, McDonough said, and everyone who meets the criteria is placed into a lottery.

“They must have a minimum income so they can afford that mortgage, and they must good-enough credit so that they don’t have other creditors who are going to endanger their ability to pay their mortgage. And they have to have a low-enough income, under 60% of the median income, so that they have a housing need and couldn’t just go buy a house elsewhere.”

For many such individuals, without Habitat’s help, especially in the current market, home ownership would be simply unattainable.

“There’s a lot of talk right now about affordable opportunities for housing. That’s a huge story, and it can seem overwhelming, and the average person thinks, ‘well, that’s for someone else to deal with. That’s for the politicians or the developers,’” McDonough said.

“One of the things I value about Habitat for Humanity is that we know there’s this huge problem, and we know we have neighbors living in unsanitary, unsafe, or unaffordable housing, and we can’t necessarily solve that whole problem overnight,” she continued. “But can I show up tomorrow and do something to help this one family have a safe and stable place to call home. We take that huge problem and break it down into actionable steps. Someone’s got to go to the store and buy the paint, someone’s got to pick up the paintbrush and put it on the wall, someone’s got to raise a hammer. All these community volunteers come together to make it happen.”

As Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity celebrates its 35th anniversary, McDonough and her team have instituted the Framing the Future Legacy Society, which encourages donors to consider a legacy gift in their estate planning — another way the nonprofit is creating generational impact.

“Some of our volunteers have been here for 20-plus years,” she said, adding that there’s always a need for more. “And that longevity, that investment of time from the community, is what has built our ability to build good houses for these future homebuyers.

“I only see that growing in the future, so we can help as many families as we can,” she added. “We had almost 80 applications for our last house here in Northampton, so the need couldn’t be greater. My hope is that we can continue to navigate the complex systems, mortgages, construction, and fundraising, and increase our impact as we go forward.”

For leading these efforts to create safe, affordable housing and change lives throughout the Pioneer Valley, one build at a time, Megan McDonough is certainly a Woman of Impact.

Alison Berman

By
Women of Impact 2024

Council Director, Girls on the Run Western Massachusetts

She’s Helping Girls Become More Joyful, Healthy, and Confident

Photo by Focus Ashely Photos

As someone with almost 20 years of experience in the fields of psychology and social work, Alison Berman was no stranger to working with young people. And when she learned about a national organization called Girls on the Run, something clicked.

“I had always wanted to work with kids and families,” she said of her motivation to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Oberlin College and a master’s degree in social work from Smith College, after which she ran therapeutic preschools, worked in outpatient, inpatient, and day treatment; and did a lot of work in schools with trauma-sensitive programs.

Then she learned, through a friend of a friend, about Girls on the Run (GOTR), a physical activity-based, positive youth-development program that uses running games and dynamic discussions to teach life skills to girls in grades 3-8.

“There was no council here at that point. And it kind of fit into everything I was passionate about; I used to do a lot of group work, so the curriculum really spoke to me in the sense of the social-emotional life-skills piece, and integrating a physically active component. I guess I always wanted to do something bigger than just the individual impact I felt like I was making.”

Each Girls on the Run chapter conducts two 10-week seasons per year, in the fall and spring. Each session features a life-skills lesson drawn from a nationally distributed curriculum. Meanwhile, each team tackles a community-impact project to give back to their community. Both seasons each year end with a 5K celebration, with the spring event typically being the larger of the two.

The Western Mass. council of GOTR launched in 2015 with 90 girls on six teams. Now, the chapter boasts 80 different teams — more than 1,800 girls in all — and more than 300 volunteer coaches across Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. The national Girls on the Run organization was formed in 1996 and has since reached more than 2 million girls, with at least one council in every state; three call Massachusetts home.

The national curriculum gets updated regularly to meet the needs of where girls are right now, Berman told BusinessWest.

“A lot of stuff has evolved around diversity, equity, and inclusion, and in terms of mobility issues, disability, and then just streamlining the curriculum so that it’s easier for coaches also to deliver, but also making sure it’s meeting the needs of kids today,” she said. “We know there’s a mental-health crisis with kids, so they make sure the curriculum deals with issues that are very relevant to what’s going on.

“The overarching goal is to increase confidence and have kids realize that they can do things that they didn’t think were possible,” she added. “So, yes, that’s the 5K at the end, but to me, the overarching goals are, how can I be a better friend? How can I communicate more effectively? How can I stand up for myself and others?”

“The overarching goal is to increase confidence and have kids realize that they can do things that they didn’t think were possible.”

For helping girls answer those questions and become happier, healthier (in all ways), and more confident, Berman is certainly a Woman of Impact.

 

Running with a Purpose

Girls on the Run claims to make a stronger impact than organized sports and physical-education programs when it comes to teaching life skills such as managing emotions, resolving conflict, helping others, and making intentional decisions. There are separate curriculums for grades 3-5 and 6-8, so the lessons are age-appropriate. And the girls keep journals to track their personal goals and progress.

Girls on the Run Western Massachusetts has now served more than 10,000 young participants.

Girls on the Run Western Massachusetts has now served more than 10,000 young participants.

That sense of personal growth — Girls on the Run describes itself as developing joyful, healthy, and confident girls — is an attractive quality when so many negative factors are weighing on kids’ mental health these days, Berman said. Specifically, the pandemic exacerbated those issues in ways that have not yet totally resolved.

“We know girls are having hospital visits, suicide attempts, having increased numbers of depression and anxiety. And it doesn’t mean it’s not happening with boys as well, but with girls, it has dramatically shot up, whether it’s related to the pandemic or everything else going on in society.”

In addition, by age 9 or 10, confidence among girls tends to decline rapidly, Berman explained. “They tend to drop out of youth sports or organized sports in those years. So I do feel like this piece is really helping bolster kids’ confidence and giving them some skills they can take with them.”

“Schools don’t have time to do the social-emotional piece. So I feel like their kids are really getting it from this curriculum.”

The changes in girls are noticeable, she added, even to their teachers and coaches back at school.

“They talk about how, in the classroom, they see the kids doing these exact things, like standing up for other kids. They say kids who haven’t been speaking in the classroom, who have been essentially mute, go and do Girls on the Run and come out of their shell, and then are back in the classroom taking a bigger role and speaking.

“So we’re really seeing the transfer of those skills,” she went on. “It’s amazing because schools don’t have time to do the social-emotional piece. So I feel like their kids are really getting it from this curriculum.”

Lisa Queenin, Development & Outreach manager for GOTR Western Massachusetts, who nominated Berman as a Woman of Impact, said it’s hard to overstate the mental-health issues among young people right now.

“Over the past decade, mental-health concerns among youth have escalated, with a notable increase in anxiety, stress, feelings of fear, and isolation. This crisis disproportionately affects girls. At the same time, schools were having to cut back on physical education and social-emotional learning,” she wrote. “Girls on the Run works to negate mental-health risk factors among girls.”

And it doesn’t happen in a vacuum, she added, but is the result of purposeful, compassionate leadership.

“Alison has fostered relationships with school principals and staff, who are an integral part of making the program possible,” she went on. “She works closely with coaches to make sure they feel supported and appreciated — they are the backbone of the program. Girls on the Run inspires girls to build lives of purpose and to make a meaningful contribution to society. I can’t think of anyone more capable of modeling this than Alison.”

Alison Berman

Alison Berman says Girls on the Run is capturing girls at an age when they tend to lose confidence and drop out of organized sports.
Photo by Focus Ashely Photos

At the same time, the program budget has increased to $432,000, derived from a variety of funding sources. In 2023, GOTR Western Massachusetts served 1,800 girls and provided more than $130,000 in need-based scholarships, roughly 30% of its budget.

“Alison makes sure that no girl is turned away from the program based on financial need,” Queenin wrote. “Her enthusiasm and genuine compassion inspire others to get behind the program and invest in its success.”

It’s a program that has certainly caught on and steadily grown nationwide; data from a national spring 2024 end-of-season survey of coaches, participants, and families showed that 95% of girls reported feeling more confident, and 92% of girls said they learned things at GOTR to help deal with strong emotions.

 

Life Lessons

Teachers have definitely noticed, which may explain why they make up the vast majority of volunteers in the GOTR Western Mass. council.

“They’re doing this volunteering after they’ve spent a long day in the classroom, because, I think, they get to know the kids in a different way and have a different relationship, but also they see the impacts in their own classrooms,” Berman said. “And principals have told us that they see it reshaping the culture of their school as well. Parents are more involved, and attendance goes up with those kids.”

This aspect of the program — that rippling impact, as it were — delights Berman.

“When we started it, we never realized the impact it would have beyond the girls,” she said. “So when we see the impact on families and schools, I’m amazed by that. I see it as like this web that’s spread out around Western Mass., with the impact it’s had on the coaches and parents and schools.”

Communities are impacted as well; as noted earlier, a big piece of the curriculum is a project where each team does something to give back to their community.

“The Humane Society just gave us an award. We have girls giving to animal shelters or cleaning up their schools, planting gardens, writing notes to veterans. It’s up to the kids to decide, and part of that lesson is learning about compromise and figuring out what’s needed in their community. It’s seeing beyond themselves.”

Girls on the Run continues to see further opportunities as well, like a summer camp that essentially adds a third season to the annual programming. “It’s growing slowly, but we had about 40 girls this summer in camp. And they loved it,” Berman said. “Again, our coaches volunteer to come back and do that, which also shows how much they love the program.”

“Girls on the Run inspires girls to build lives of purpose and to make a meaningful contribution to society. I can’t think of anyone more capable of modeling this than Alison.”

Much of this success builds on early efforts by Berman to get the local council going, Queenin noted. “While the mission of Girls on the Run resonated deeply with Alison, starting a nonprofit organization from the ground up is no easy feat. Working for the first year without pay, Alison assembled a board of directors and drew on their expertise and connections to chart a course. She fundraised enough money from interested community members to attend training and secure the requisite license to create a council. She had to learn many new skills, from fundraising and budgeting to training and vetting volunteer coaches, all in real time.”

And now, GOTR Western Massachusetts has served more than 10,000 participants. With many alums now graduating from high school, the council started a scholarship program to support their further education. “That’s exciting, being able to help support kids to keep going,” Berman said. “And when we had teens apply for the scholarship program last year, they talked about the impact that it had on them.”

That impact has extended, in many cases, to continued athletic endeavors in high school and college, she noted. “Many of them talked about the impact of the values that they learned from Girls on the Run about helping others and giving back to their community.”

So it’s about much more than running, she said, but that end-of-season 5K is still inspiring.

“It brings tears to your eyes. It’s not timed; it’s not about who can run fast, and families show up with their entire extended family, sometimes wearing matching shirts, to support their kid. Parents who’ve never walked three miles are out there walking three miles, so it’s a ripple effect of getting families outside as well. That’s awesome.”

Cancer Connection Continues to Provide Crucial Support Services

By
Support groups in the ‘living room’ at Cancer Connection
Healthcare News

More Than a Safe Space

 

Chelsea Kline

Chelsea Kline says Cancer Connection is a needed ‘third space’ away from home and work for people facing a cancer diagnosis.

It began with a simple goal: to give people diagnosed with cancer — people facing perhaps the most difficult challenge of their life — someone to talk to.

Now, in its 25th year, Cancer Connection is so much more.

But thinking back to 2000, when founders Jackie Walker and Deb Orgera launched the Northampton-based nonprofit, “their vision was really to make a place for people to come and talk, if they had been diagnosed, or if they were a caregiver,” Executive Director Chelsea Kline said.

That service was called — and still is called — ‘befriending,’ she noted. “That actually evolved out of the Samaritans model, which is a hotline for people in crisis, people that are contemplating ending their lives. That’s where the initial inspiration came from — to have this hotline service for people who were newly diagnosed, who were scared, who were alone and needed some support.

“And now we’re building on our befriender training,” she added. “We’re going to be boosting that and bringing on more befrienders, which we’re really excited about.”

Meanwhile, Cancer Connection has evolved over the years to include support groups for different types of cancer and aspects of the cancer experience, from caregiving to self-care; integrative therapies like massage, acupuncture, reiki, and energy balancing to treat cancer symptoms, boost comfort, and relieve stress; and programs that nourish the body, mind, spirit, and creativity, like Qigong yoga, mindfulness in nature, knitting, music and movement, equine therapy, and more.

And, as noted, these services are available to caregivers in addition to those with a cancer diagnosis, Kline said.

“That’s one of the beautiful things about this organization — they thought about not only the person with the diagnosis, but also their support people. That’s important because there’s a tremendous amount of stress and pressure and worry — so many emotions that come along with being a caregiver for someone. And there are not many resources that are available to them outside of Cancer Connection.”

But it all starts with befriending — letting people know they have someone to talk to, either on the phone or in person.

“Cancer is a scary topic, and it’s not a topic that you can just bring up casually on the playground when you’re picking up your child, or after work, or wherever. So we are that third space for a lot of people.”

“This is a place where they can be understood and speak freely and not worry that someone doesn’t get it or someone doesn’t understand them,” Kline said. “That’s what this place is all about — we really do understand, and we are a place to find strength.”

 

Maintaining the Mission

All Cancer Connection services are free of charge, Kline told BusinessWest. “That has been the case from the get-go, and we have doggedly maintained that vision.”

The nonprofit is supported through donors, sponsors, and a series of fundraising events, from the annual Harvest Dinner — taking place this week, on Oct. 17 — and a Mother’s Day half-marathon coming up on its 15th year next May.

Support groups in the ‘living room’ at Cancer Connection

Support groups in the ‘living room’ at Cancer Connection draw both in-person and remote attendees.

Then there’s the Cancer Connection Thrift Shop on South Street in Northampton, open to the public Wednesday through Saturday. “We have an incredibly generous community — people bring handbags and jewelry and art and clothing and all kinds of amazing things. And then people will show up and purchase these beautiful things. So that’s a huge part of our funding.”

The shop has become more than a fundraising operation, though; it’s also, in many cases, an emotional support for donors.

“We had the managers of the thrift store go through our befriending training because, so often, we have people that are coming with donations that have a lot of emotional connections,” Kline said. “If someone passed away or they’re downsizing, whatever the case, there are a lot of emotions that come with these things, and people want to share their stories, or they have this object and want to take a moment to honor that item when they bring it in.

“I would say that what we offer is filling so many cracks in our community. And I shudder to think what would happen if we weren’t here to offer those things.”

“So our thrift-store managers are really skilled at having those conversations and just being present in some of those hard moments and having that deep compassion,” she added. “That’s really the main thread that flows through everything here at Cancer Connection — a deep and present compassion. It’s remarkable.”

She said part of her job is spreading the message about what happens at Cancer Connection and why it’s an important resource in the community, and the message has been received in myriad ways.

Sue Monahan (left), creator and director of the Mother’s Day Half Marathon, with Tara Brewster, host of Bed In for Cancer Connection.

Sue Monahan (left), creator and director of the Mother’s Day Half Marathon, with Tara Brewster, host of Bed In for Cancer Connection.

“I’ve noticed how many people in the community come up with creative ideas of supporting Cancer Connection. Like, we have a fifth-grade class at the Hartsbrook School that created and sold little crafts and other items for their school store, and they raised money for Cancer Connection. The whole class came and presented us with a check and toured the center.”

Meanwhile, an organization called Crippled Old Busted Bikers put on a comedy show to raise funds for Cancer Connection, a drag revue called Camilla’s Extravaganza has taken the nonprofit on as a fundraising beneficiary, and Bed In for Cancer Connection — launched by radio personality Monte Belmonte as Monte’s Camp Out for Cancer Connection, and how hosted by Greenfield Savings Bank’s Tara Brewster — has become a popular annual fundraiser.

Kline is deeply grateful for all that support.

“It’s almost impossible to put into words the impact this organization is having on so many individuals, even if they’re coming just for a support group, and they may not know anybody, and they find they’re able to sit with a group of people and now have friends and connections in the community that they didn’t have before, and they’re not feeling so lonely.”

“I think it would be an incredible hardship on the community if Cancer Connection didn’t exist,” she said. “Massages are expensive. Acupuncture is expensive. And having a place where you can unfurl and not have to watch what you say when you’re in pain, you’re scared, and you’re feeling alone … when we think about the dwindling numbers of church attendance, when belonging to a YMCA costs money, and many of our community centers don’t have as robust attendance as they used to, there are fewer places to share community.

“Cancer is a scary topic, and it’s not a topic that you can just bring up casually on the playground when you’re picking up your child, or after work, or wherever,” she added. “So we are that third space for a lot of people, and that’s really valuable to combat isolation, to build communities, to help people just alleviate the symptoms of their treatment and feel a sense of calm and relaxation and feel that they’re understood. There’s not many places that do what we do.”

Priscilla Touhey

Priscilla Touhey prepares to lead a container gardening workshop at Cancer Connection.

Those services even extend to the free wigs Cancer Connection offers, thanks to donations from Visage Salon in downtown salon. “They do a lot of things for people experiencing hair loss, and they donate a lot of beautiful, brand-new wigs to us, for which we’re so grateful,” Kline noted. “We get a lot of donated wigs from other places as well, but they’re one of our main conduits. And it goes such a long way for someone’s self-esteem and confidence if they need to go back to work, or just go to the market, to have a hairstyle that feels comfortable to them.

“So I would say that what we offer is filling so many cracks in our community,” she went on. “And I shudder to think what would happen if we weren’t here to offer those things.”

 

Personal Connection

Kline’s own connection with the organization dates back about 20 years, when her mother was a participant.

“I was her caregiver at the time, and I was also a single mom. I remember being so relieved that she had a place that she could talk freely and not worry about scaring me or stressing me out or overwhelming me; she could be in a community with other people who really understood.

“My mother, thank God, is still with us,” she added. “She now volunteers at Cancer Connection.”

Kline, who earned a bachelor’s degree in religion and biblical literature at Smith College and a master’s degree in theological studies at Harvard Divinity School, spent several years overseeing leadership and organizational studies at Bay Path University before operating Chelsea Sunday Coaching for four years, a consulting business that helped many nonprofits in transition. In between, she ran for Massachusetts State Senate in 2018, garnering 41% of the vote.

But her interest all along, she said, was in supporting people who are struggling, and alleviating suffering. She found the perfect outlet for both at Cancer Connection.

“We had someone come in for a massage the other day, and we have a little form that they fill out before the treatment and after the treatment,” she explained. “They rated their level of pain, and at the end of it, they felt so much calmer, so much more relaxed, and they felt like their pain had decreased. And that’s just one person. We have maybe six or seven appointments a day over here, just from massage alone.

“So it’s almost impossible to put into words the impact this organization is having on so many individuals, even if they’re coming just for a support group, and they may not know anybody, and they find they’re able to sit with a group of people and now have friends and connections in the community that they didn’t have before, and they’re not feeling so lonely.”

Kline’s only disappointment is not being able to help more people.

“We got a call from someone in Alaska recently, and they said, ‘oh, where’s the Cancer Connection near me?’ And we had to say, ‘sorry, I don’t think there is anything. But you can join us remotely.’

“It kills me that we can’t help everybody,” she went on. “But for what we are doing, I am so grateful to our founders and so grateful to the staff and the board that saw us through COVID, that kept us going. There are so many hands that have kept this organization viable and really stayed true to the mission, helping us offer all these good things. I feel very, very lucky that I get to be a tiny part of it. It’s an awesome place.”

Yvette Frisby Charts a Course for the Urban League of Springfield

By
Yvette Frisby
Cover Story

A Passion for Service

Yvette Frisby

Yvette Frisby

 

Yvette Frisby always wanted to live a life of both impact and service, and she traces some of that desire to her parents.

“I was raised in a house where my dad was a police officer for 30-something years, and my mom was a stay-at-home mom, so service was in us,” she recalled. “I grew up in a house that was about public service — giving back and making sure everybody was always OK within the community, on your street, and within your family.”

Sadly, no one is always OK. But in her 40 years with the Urban League of Springfield — and now as its president and CEO — she’s been, and continues to be, dedicated to helping as many individuals as possible access the resources and opportunities they need to achieve stability and success.

It’s a powerful — and gratifying — role, one Frisby doesn’t take for granted.

“When people say, ‘throughout those 40 years, did you know you wanted to be the president of the Urban League? What did you want to end up doing?’ … I didn’t know. I wanted to do whatever my soul led me to do, whatever felt right. And I believe that my steps are guided, so I am meant to be here in this time and place, right now. And it feels good.”

After longtime (as in 49 years) President and CEO Henry Thomas announced his retirement in the spring of 2023, Frisby was named to that role on an interim basis, and on Aug. 1 of this year, the board of directors concluded an extensive, national search by simply removing her interim tag.

“That’s a big component of what we’ve done over the years with our young people in the afterschool programs: leadership development, civic engagement, and also giving them the tools to make decisions to go on with their lives.”

The first woman to lead the organization in its 111-year history, Frisby was deemed the best choice to advance the organization’s mission of economic empowerment, equality, and social justice in the Greater Springfield area.

“Yvette is the ideal choice to lead the Urban League during this transformative and historical period,” said Maurice Powe, board president. “She is extremely knowledgeable about the organization on a local, regional, and national level. Yvette possesses a formidable executive viewpoint on the strategic direction the Urban League is moving in. During these challenging yet hopeful times, we are embracing a tremendous opportunity to impact the community and elevate the Urban League to the next level.”

The Urban League offers computer training

The Urban League offers computer training for seniors to help them build basic technology skills.

Starting in 1984, Frisby has held various positions, including office manager, executive assistant to the president’s office, Youth & Education director, and Camp Atwater administrator, and others. She stepped into a senior leadership role in 2003 and was eventually promoted to senior vice president of Operations & Administrative Services and then interim president and CEO, before being officially appointed to that role.

The Urban League’s programs, which have traditionally focused on education and youth development, health and wellness, economic and workforce development, and productive aging, have evolved over the years, Frisby said.

Currently, the organization’s main youth and education program is Project Ready Mentor, which focuses on college and career awareness and readiness for middle- and high-school students.

“Whether they’re going on to college or planning to go into a career, we give them the skills and the tools to make decisions around that — helping them with their academics and doing some civic-engagement activities with them so that they become familiar with Springfield and the surrounding area, know what the issues are, know what’s important for young people. That gives them a sense of belonging, which they hopefully keep to some degree and then give back to their communities.”

“Whether it’s seniors, whether it’s youth, whether it’s small businesses, by receiving the services of the Urban League, they become more engaged and involved in their communities and want to give back.”

Many people have generated such a legacy, she noted. In March, the organization will hold a celebration honoring four alumni of Urban League programs who have gone on to give back to their communities: Ashley Bogle, assistant general counsel and director of Legal Services at Health New England; LaMar Cook, deputy director of Gov. Maura Healey’s Western Mass. office; Anthony Moore, director of Membership Programs at the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts; and Kiyota Woods, dean of Student Initiatives, Academic Advising, and the Transfer Center at Springfield Technical Community College.

“They’re still continuing to give back in the work that they do,” Frisby said. “So that’s a big component of what we’ve done over the years with our young people in the afterschool programs: leadership development, civic engagement, and also giving them the tools to make good decisions.”

It’s that legacy of giving back — one she has helped shape in myriad ways for the past four decades — that she’s excited about as she charts a course for the coming years at the Urban League of Springfield.

 

Determinations of Need

As noted, the Urban League targets many programs at specific constituencies. Affiliates across the U.S. have created a ‘foster grandparents’ program that recruits older individuals to work with kids in schools and day-care systems. Locally, the Urban League has also offered computer training for seniors, to help them navigate the basic technological needs of life, from bill payment to using Zoom to virtually attend church or visit their grandkids.

Speaking of technology, the Digital Connectors program — a collaborative effort with the Urban League as one of its partners — is a movement that engages teens and young adults in leadership development, digital education, life-skills management, and community service to help them with educational advancement and workforce preparation.

Another program, launched about five years ago with the help of a significant MassMutual grant, is the Black Business Support Initiative, which has helped more than 30 entrepreneurs develop skills and access resources to turn an idea into a business or create a business plan to take an enterprise to the next level.

Camp Atwater continues to thrive 103 years after its establishment.

Camp Atwater continues to thrive 103 years after its establishment.

The impact of programs like that go well beyond the individuals and businesses served, Frisby noted. “These small businesses employ other people, plus they’re employing themselves. So it is growing the economy and contributing to the economy in a very impactful way.”

The Urban League also partners with other organizations on two job fairs at the Basketball Hall of Fame each year, partners with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts on food distribution at the Dunbar Community Center, maintains an employment-opportunity program with some of the region’s largest employers, offers scholarships to local students, and … well, much more.

Including, notably, Camp Atwater, the oldest African-American camp in the U.S., which has been serving families for 103 years; part of Frisby’s expansive role is serving as the camp’s executive director.

“It’s a legacy for many of them; the parents send their children, and their children, when they get old enough, send their children,” she said. “We have a cycle of young people that are coming through Camp Atwater. It’s still thriving.”

The national Urban League has established a few areas of focus in 2024, encouraging its 92 chapters to create programming around the themes of “defend democracy, demand diversity, and defeat poverty.”

On the former, she noted that the Urban League is taking part in an initiative to encourage voter registration and make sure people know where to vote and what options they have, including early and mail-in voting.

“Where can we be more strategic about coming together so that we’re not working individually in silos?”

“I even instill that in my children, who are 38 and 42: ‘did you vote? We fought for this, so make sure you’re getting out there to vote,’” she said. “We need to make sure everybody exercises that right. It’s important.”

The thread running through all these efforts, Frisby noted, is impact that ripples out over entire communities, often across generations.

“Whether it’s seniors, whether it’s youth, whether it’s small businesses, by receiving the services of the Urban League, they become more engaged and involved in their communities and want to give back. They see the Urban League as a resource, not only to them, but to the community as a whole.”

 

Generational Impact

Born and raised in Springfield — and having lived there all her life — Frisby has a deep connection to her community that drives her passion to raise others up. That’s why, after five years at her first job, at MassMutual, she came on board at the Urban League and has never looked back.

“Having worked within every department within the organization, understanding the needs of each person in each department, gives me a leg up in being able to provide people what they need, whether it’s professional development or whether it’s computers or the tools they need to get their jobs done,” she told BusinessWest.

She also went back to school along the way, earning a bachelor’s degree in human services and a master’s degree in organizational management and leadership from Springfield College, which led to another role: teaching at Bay Path University.

“It was in grad school that I realized what I was really passionate about — not just working in the community, but also the development of girls and women,” she explained. “I haven’t been able to teach since I became interim because it was time-consuming, but I’m hoping, once things kind of level out, I can get back into the classroom because I really got a lot of joy out of teaching.”

Asked by the board to offer a vision of her first 180 days as president and CEO, Frisby had a few ideas, including an internal assessment to determine what each department needs and where the gaps exist in best serving the community, a focus on board development and making sure the governing body is diverse and represents all aspects of the community, and determining where the Urban League of Springfield should be building more civic partnerships.

“Where can we be more strategic about coming together so that we’re not working individually in silos?” she asked. “That’s a community assessment of who’s doing what and how can we be better partners and collaborators.”

On a more personal note, Frisby understands her role as an example and inspiration to other aspiring women leaders. To make that point, she mentioned a required first-term class at Bay Path called “We Empower Learners and Leaders.”

“It’s really about women doing self-reflection on themselves as leaders and looking at themselves as leaders, even if they didn’t feel like that. And at the end of the course, they put together their leadership-development plans,” she explained. “I never called myself a teacher; I called myself a facilitator because I was facilitating a process within them, and to see that come to fruition, to see that kind of impact on women, was really an awesome experience.

And now, to be the first female president of the Urban League of Springfield?

“There’s a lot of responsibility that comes along with that. But at the same time, I look at it like this: when I was growing up, I saw what was in front of me,” Frisby went on, pointing again to her parents and their examples of service and helping others.

“Now little girls can see me in front of them. When I go into Springfield Public Schools and do read-alouds and they say, ‘what do you do?’ I can tell them. It’s amazing to have that kind of impact and see young people light up when you tell them that.”

Conference Brings Together Library, Lawyers for Civil Rights

By
Entrepreneurship

Tools to Grow

Roz Freeman recognizes and values the connection between civil rights and economic justice, which is why she’s gratified by the work being done by BizGrow, an arm of Massachusetts-based Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR).

LCR was born during the Civil Rights era, said Freeman, entrepreneurship manager for Lawyers for Civil Rights, noting that it sprung from the broader, national movement known as the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “We work through the law to fight for justice. We have a team of litigators who litigate civil rights in collaboration with law firms that are doing pro bono work to support these cases.”

LCR was created in 1968 (more on that later), but about 20 years ago, it established BizGrow, which provides free legal assistance, business support, and technical assistance to minority, immigrant, and women business owners, aiming to ensure they encounter fewer obstacles and more opportunities. Assistance can come in many areas, including starting a business, growing an enterprise, shifting ownership, managing transactional issues, or any other challenge small businesses are faced with.

Now, LCR has launched a new partnership with Springfield City Library aimed at transforming the support landscape for small-business owners and entrepreneurs in and around the city. The collaboration will kick off with the free BizGrow Conference on Thursday, Oct. 10 from noon to 4 p.m. at the library, located at 220 State St.

At the BizGrow Conference, modeled after a similar annual event in Boston, current and aspiring small-business owners will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with volunteer attorneys for free legal advice, connect with local and state organizations that provide essential resources and support to small businesses, and network with other local business owners. Dozens of business owners and entrepreneurs, pro bono attorneys, and providers of business technical assistance are expected to attend.

Roz Freeman

Roz Freeman

“We work through the law to fight for justice. We have a team of litigators who litigate civil rights in collaboration with law firms that are doing pro bono work to support these cases.”

“We are thrilled to deepen our connections to Springfield and offer this valuable event to the small-business community,” said Priya Lane, BizGrow director at Lawyers for Civil Rights. “Free legal support and business networking are crucial tools to help close the opportunity gap and fuel the small businesses that are the engines of our Commonwealth.”

 

Birth of a Notion

LCR traces its national roots back to June 1963, when President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy met with 250 leading American lawyers at the White House to discuss the role lawyers could and should play in the deepening civil-rights crisis.

The nation recently had been shaken by television and news accounts of police-led violence against peaceful demonstrations led by Martin Luther King Jr., and by the spectacle of U.S. Army intervention to enforce court orders requiring the University of Alabama to admit Black students against a defiant Gov. George Wallace.

The Kennedy brothers made an appeal to the lawyers to mobilize the voice and work of the legal profession to support the struggle for civil rights in the nation. Locally, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law of the Boston Bar Assoc. was formed in 1968. Funded with a grant from the Ford Foundation and contributions from major Boston law firms, it became the first of eight independent affiliates of the national Lawyers’ Committee. The only Lawyers’ Committee in the country affiliated with a major bar association, it rebranded as Lawyers for Civil Rights in 2018.

But before that, BizGrow developed from a recognition that social justice also means economic opportunity, and LCR had a role to play there as well.

Priya Lane

Priya Lane

“Free legal support and business networking are crucial tools to help close the opportunity gap and fuel the small businesses that are the engines of our Commonwealth.”

“After many years, we wanted to connect fighting for justice with economic justice and wealth creation for disadvantaged communities,” Freeman explained. “Lawyers for Civil Rights and BizGrow partner with law firms that provide pro bono opportunities to support small businesses. Businesses, in turn, get a free legal network to support them.”

Sheila Coon, owner of Hot Oven Cookies, which has locations in Sprngfield and Chicopee, speaks well of her experiences working with lawyers through LCR, and says others should reach out.

“The attorneys I’ve connected with through LCR and BizGrow have been invaluable to solving key issues for my small business,” she noted. “I am so excited that this amazing resource is coming to Springfield.”

Hot Oven is just one of roughly 1,600 different businesses Lawyers for Civil Rights has worked with in 2024 alone through workshops, free legal clinics, and its Boston conference, Freeman told BusinessWest.

And many one-on-one connections made at the conference between entrepreneurs and attorneys will be forged before the event itself, to ensure that each volunteer lawyer has the background needed to help a particular business owner.

“We match businesses with the right attorneys in the area; we talk ahead of time to make sure the questions are clear and they’re able to make most of the meeting with the attorney during the conference,” she explained. “Then, if they need long-term legal representation, we can make a match for free legal support. Any questions that don’t get answered within a 30-minute session during the conference, we can follow up with support.”

 

Support for the Journey

Of course, BizGrow’s presence in Springfield will extend well beyond one conference.

“We are reaching out to small-business owners to make sure they’re getting the wraparound supports that businesses need. So we offer workshops and legal clinics, too,” Freeman said. “But the reason for the in-person conference is we want to not only bring resources on the ground in Springfield, but also provide a networking opportunity for small businesses. That’s why we partnered with the library.

“Fifteen different small-business resource partners will be there. So entrepreneurs can come to the event and get the support they need and make connections with many of those business resources in the region,” she added. “We’re looking to support Western Mass. businesses in a way we haven’t before.”

The partnership with Lawyers for Civil Rights promises to be “a fantastic opportunity for Springfield’s small-business community,” said Elizabeth McKinstry, programming and training librarian for the 167-year-old Springfield City Library.

“We are thrilled to host the BizGrow Conference and bring such vital resources to our local entrepreneurs,” she added. “For many small-business owners, access to legal advice and business networks can be a game changer. We are hopeful this event will have a lasting impact on the growth of small businesses in our community.”

To register for the BizGrow Conference Springfield, visit bit.ly/BizGrowSpringfield2024.

Easthampton Chamber’s ignite Conference Aims to Help Businesses Succeed

By
Chamber of Greater Easthampton Executive Director Moe Belliveau
Entrepreneurship Special Coverage

Fired Up

Chamber of Greater Easthampton Executive Director Moe Belliveau

Chamber of Greater Easthampton Executive Director Moe Belliveau

 

Technology, marketing, and talent.

Those are three elements virtually all businesses must take into account if they want to grow and thrive in 2024. They’re also the main themes of this year’s ignite conference, a “professional learning opportunity” being hosted by the Chamber of Greater Easthampton on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton.

This year’s program, dubbed ignite:SPEED, aims to be a fun, fast-paced learning opportunity designed to empower leaders, business owners, professionals, entrepreneurs, employers, and employees with the knowledge and skills required to thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of work.

“In today’s business world, change is the only constant,” chamber Executive Director Moe Belliveau said. “To ensure success, all levels of employees must not only keep pace but anticipate and adapt, turning the momentum and speed of change into a catalyst for growth.”

Sean Hogan certainly sees value in such a conference. The president of Hogan Technology is one of the presenters in the technology category, kicking off the first cluster of presentations with an overview of safety in the dark web. Participants will learn how businesses can be protected from attacks such as webite hacking, security breaches, cyberattacks, ransomware, and phishing schemes.

“I’ll talk about what the dark web is, why it was created, what it’s used for, how to avoid it, and, once your information ends up on the dark web, what to do next,” Hogan told BusinessWest — a relevant concern, especially after the National Public Data breach, reported this summer, exposed some 2.9 billion personal records.

“In today’s business world, change is the only constant. To ensure success, all levels of employees must not only keep pace but anticipate and adapt, turning the momentum and speed of change into a catalyst for growth.”

A credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus should be the first step for anyone exposed, he said. “If you’re not buying something like a house or a car, nobody’s running credit on you, so just freeze them and then unfreeze them if you have to apply for credit somewhere, and then freeze it again.”

This year’s ignite conference is a one-day event following last November’s two-day affair at Abandoned Building, which focused on the latest trends and best practices in artificial intelligence and explored the intersection of AI and the human workforce.

More recently, the Chamber of Greater Easthampton and the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce partnered to bring an ignite conference to the latter’s backyard in North Grafton. That two-day conference took place in April and was aimed at professionals who want to improve their emotional intelligence and learn how to interact with co-workers, customers, or donors more effectively.

Clearly, there’s no shortage of key topics affecting businesses and entrepreneurs, which bodes well for the prospect of keeping future conferences … well, ignited.

 

Robust Roster

As noted, Hogan will give attendees a crash course in the dangers of the dark web and how to use monitoring tools and other resources to respond to breaches and stay safe.

“If there’s a breach out there, assume that somebody is working to get into more accounts, trying to open credit cards,” he said. “When it becomes identity theft, it’s serious. You can paralyze somebody. You can lock up their bank accounts and ruin their credit for a long time.”

Sean Hogan

Sean Hogan

“If there’s a breach out there, assume that somebody is working to get into more accounts, trying to open credit cards. When it becomes identity theft, it’s serious. You can paralyze somebody. You can lock up their bank accounts and ruin their credit for a long time.”

Following Hogan’s presentation, the technology cluster will continue with Michael Lareau, vice president of Solution Engineering for SourcePass, who will discuss AI governance in the workplace. A recent blog post by Marsh McLennan noted that, while the explosion in AI usage by businesses has driven innovation, efficiency, and profitability, it can also expose businesses to organizational, reputational, and regulatory risks. Lareau will explore how businesses can appropriately govern the use of AI oversight to address risks such as bias, privacy infringement, and misuse while fostering innovation and trust among customers and employees.

Pat Brough, head of Sales and Marketing for Finck & Perras Insurance Agency, will review cyber insurance. According to Cybercrime magazine, 60% of small businesses go out of business within six months of falling victim to a data breach or cyberattack. Cyber insurance covers a business’ liability for a data breach involving sensitive customer information, such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, health records, and more.

The second cluster of presentations will focus on the changing landscape of marketing. Jeff Uzzel of Uzzel Design Co. will focus on telling a ‘brand story,’ which entails communicating a mission, values, and purpose in a way that that creates an emotional connection between an organization and its customers. Uzzel will discuss how to successfully tell a brand story and how it can build an organization’s reputation, customer base, and bottom line.

“Building Networks for the Long Game” will be the focus of Bob Burch, owner of Bright Cloud Studio. He will explore how to understand and process what is changing with networking and relationship building, how people can nurture customer relationships, and how to curate marketing to keep pace with it all to build lasting, trusted relationships resulting in repeat, long-term customers.

Blair Winans, president of Rhyme Digital, will end the cluster with a focus on the ever-changing social media algorithms. Social-media platforms utilize algorithms to keep users engaged and ensure users are seeing relevant content. Winans will talk about the various platforms and their algorithms and how businesses can adapt their social-media content to maximize each algorithm to reach a wider audience, increase consumer engagement, and boost their brand.

The final cluster of the program will highlight change in the workplace. With a tight labor market, top talent is in high demand, and talent recruitment, assessment, and retention are critical success factors that can yield a competitive advantage. Allison Ebner, president of the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast, will discuss how businesses can adapt to the future of work, embrace generational diversity, better engage employees, and reskill and upskill to support retention.

Creating stability in the age of uncertainty and change will be the theme of Tricia Canavan, who will share insights gained as a former business owner, and now as CEO of Tech Foundry. She says technology has always been an industry in constant flux, but newer advances are creating a constantly changing work landscape and environment, causing employers to continuously adapt and upskill, and employees must learn to self-educate to keep pace.

“The fact that we could bring together dozens of partners at both the state and local levels, raising nearly $500,000 to bring this project to fruition, is a clear indication of the value WorkHub on Union will bring to our community and the local economy.”

Shannon Mumblo of Shannon Mumblo Consulting will close the cluster focusing on cultivating robust agility around change. She will help participants discover how to stay confident and resilient in times of uncertainty by embracing discomfort and cultivating a supportive network, and how to expand potential beyond a job description by thinking creatively and continuously adding new skills to one’s personal toolbox.

Registrations for ignite:SPEED cost $75 for chamber members ($110 for non-members) and include a casual dinner provided by Vegan Pizza Land. To register, visit easthamptonchamber.chambermaster.com/eventregistration/register/1690.

 

And That’s Not All

The ignite conference is just one development that has the Chamber of Greater Easthampton excited; another is last week’s ribbon cutting of the WorkHub on Union project, an ambitious co-workspace project providing resources for entrepreneurs and businesses in the Greater Easthampton region.

In addition to offering flexible workspaces, WorkHub on Union will provide access to mentorship programs, networking events, educational programming, and other support services from the chamber designed to accelerate the growth of startups and small business.

In 2020, the chamber partnered with the city of Easthampton to undertake an extensive analysis of the city’s economic climate relative to entrepreneurialism and innovation. This analysis revealed that businesses would choose to relocate or locate in Easthampton if a supportive entrepreneurial community could be better enhanced and marketed. The analysis also revealed there are more than 13,000 companies in the region that are less than one year old, many of which have no employees and operate from a kitchen table, and could benefit from a resource like WorkHub on Union.

“The fact that we could bring together dozens of partners at both the state and local levels, raising nearly $500,000 to bring this project to fruition, is a clear indication of the value WorkHub on Union will bring to our community and the local economy,” Belliveau said.

Property Owners Should Take Steps to Protect Assets from Weather Events

By
Insurance Special Coverage

Ready for the Storm

 

From water backups, ice dams, and snow runoffs in the basement to windstorms, fires, and floods that can cause much more damage, Beth Pearson has seen it all.

“We have a tremendous amount of experience with these events and have helped educate clients on snow and water-related coverages,” said Pearson, president of Pearson Wallace Insurance in Amherst and Pittsfield. “Then we get involved in the claim remediation and act as a liaison between the company, the carrier, and the client, and make sure it’s an easy process to expedite the claims payouts.”

That process may be a more common one in the coming years, while premium costs creep ever-higher, due to a combination of climate change and more severe weather events, inflation impacting labor and supply costs in the construction world, and insurance carriers basing their rates on what they expect to happen next.

“No area of the U.S. is immune to the impacts of climate risk,” Mark Friedlander, director of Corporate Communications at the Insurance Information Institute, told Bankrate recently. “Whether it’s hurricanes, wildfires, severe convective storms, tornadoes, floods, hailstorms, straight-line winds, or damage from heavy snow or ice accumulation, every county in every state is vulnerable to a multitude of risks.”

“The cost of a loss to a business or a home far outweigh the premium. So it’s important to understand what the replacement cost is. You might want a more expensive premium, but one that will respond to what you need if there’s a loss of business or personal assets.”

That said, the cost of prevention is much preferable to the cost of rebuilding, Friedlander added. “It’s essential that policyholders own their risk. This means they need to assess the risks they face where they live and determine what insurance coverage is essential to be financially protected from losses.”

Pearson agreed. “The premiums are becoming a more expensive budget item for both businesses and personal finances,” she told BusinessWest. “That’s unfortunate, but still, the cost of a loss to a business or a home far outweigh the premium. So it’s important to understand what the replacement cost is. You might want a more expensive premium, but one that will respond to what you need if there’s a loss of business or personal assets.”

That said, Pearson’s agency works with a large number of carriers. “One customer’s policy went from $3,000 to $12,000, and she wanted an alternative option. We found one that lowered it to the original $3,000 cost she was paying. There are options out there.”

Alex Bennett

Alex Bennett

“We come at this from an educational standpoint. It’s complicated, so we sit with every client, and we try to relate the information so they understand what a standard deductible is and how it applies in different claim scenarios.”

Alex Bennett, vice president of Business Development at Pearson Wallace, agreed. “Every carrier has different rates, and they set rates depending on a lot of different factors.”

One recent change due to climate trends has been a remapping of flood zones in Massachusetts and elsewhere, Bennett noted.

“That has changed a lot of the landscape of flood insurance, with the determination that water tables are rising and more floods are popping up,” he explained. “From an agency level, we try to let clients know that certain flood zones are changing, and floods are becoming more and more drastic in terms of actual water flow.”

They also explain that home-insurance policies don’t typically cover flood loss from groundwater, and that clients should consider that additional coverage, just as they would consider additional coverage from, say, earthquakes — which some policyholders do, even though such events aren’t common in the Northeast.

“They might come from the West Coast, where they experienced an earthquake, or a relative did,” Pearson said. “It’s not a standard coverage; it has to be endorsed in the policy. You don’t see a lot of East Coast activity, but it is available coverage if you want to add it.”

Wind damage is far more common, Bennett added, and wind deductibles can be different from other deductibles. In the case of named storms and other factors, the deductible is typically a percentage of the property’s value, which can catch policyholders off guard.

“We come at this from an educational standpoint,” he said. “It’s complicated, so we sit with every client, and we try to relate the information so they understand what a standard deductible is and how it applies in different claim scenarios.”

 

Ounce of Prevention

The other side of protecting property from weather damage — or at least mitigating the impact of that damage — is the broad realm of storm preparedness.

Lisa Eugin, manager of Marketing and Administration at Encharter Insurance in Amherst, recently prepared a checklist of considerations for businesses to protect their assets from severe weather. They include:

Develop a storm-preparedness plan. Identify the types of severe weather most likely to affect one’s area and evaluate how these weather events could impact business operations; compile a list of emergency contacts, including local emergency services, utilities, insurance companies, and key employees; designate evacuation routes and ensure all employees are familiar with them; and establish a reliable communication system to keep in touch with employees, suppliers, and customers during a storm.

“Do you have a proper replacement cost on your home or business? Five years ago, if you bought a home for $500,000, it might cost $400,000 to $500,000 to replace it. Today, it might be $1 million.”

Secure your physical assets. Regularly inspect buildings for vulnerabilities and repair any damage to roofs, windows, and doors to withstand severe weather; install protective measures like storm shutters, reinforced doors, and impact-resistant windows, as well as sandbags and flood barriers to prevent water intrusion; invest in a backup generator to keep critical systems running during power outages, and move valuable equipment and inventory to safer locations, while elevating sensitive items off the ground to protect them from flooding.

Safeguard your data. Perform regular backups of all essential data and storing copies in multiple locations, including off-site and cloud storage; and implement robust cybersecurity measures to protect against data breaches, which can become more common during chaotic situations.

Prepare your employees. Conduct regular training sessions and emergency drills so employees know what to do in the event of a storm; provide emergency kits for employees that include first-aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, water, and non-perishable food; and develop a remote work plan that allows employees to work from home if the business premises are unsafe or inaccessible.

Review your insurance coverage. Verify that the business insurance includes coverage for natural disasters relevant to the area, such as floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes; purchase business-interruption insurance to cover lost income if the business is forced to close temporarily due to storm damage; and make sure any policy covers damage to or loss of inventory and equipment.

Stay informed. This may include subscribing to weather alerts from reliable sources such as the National Weather Service (NWS) and local news channels, and utilizing resources from government agencies such as FEMA for the latest information and preparedness tips.

Conduct post-storm recovery. Conduct a thorough assessment of any damage to the property and assets, documenting the damage with photos and notes for insurance claims; implement a business-continuity plan to resume operations as quickly as possible; and provide support and resources to employees affected by the storm to help them recover and return to work.

“Even if you haven’t been in contact with the agent or carrier, first mitigate the losses,” Pearson added. “For instance, if a window is blown out, cover it up with plywood to prevent further damage.”

Bennett also emphasized basic preventive measures like winterizing one’s home, checking the roof and gutters, making sure the pipes are insulated, sealing doors and windows, checking the heating system, having a generator on hand, and preparing an emergency kit that includes essential food, medications, blankets, flashlights, and batteries.

“Something I talk about almost every single day is taking photos of your home — inside, outside, the garage, your possessions — maybe once a year,” he added. “If there was a total loss, if you were asked if you know everything you have in your home, most people would say no.”

Pearson also stressed the importance of business-interruption coverage, in case the business needs to be relocated or business income needs to be replicated during a shutdown.

“It’s really important for the clients to sit down with us to make sure there is coverage available and that it’s adequate enough,” she said, adding that both home and business owners need to understand the value of totally replacing a structure. “Do you have a proper replacement cost on your home or business? Five years ago, if you bought a home for $500,000, it might cost $400,000 to $500,000 to replace it. Today, it might be $1 million.”

 

Weather or Not

When a storm is on the horizon, Pearson Wallace often issues notifications to clients about the timing and expected severity, and the agency encourages property owners to carefully document damage after the event to ease claims processing.

“We work through the mitigation of claims and losses. We have conference calls with the carrier and advocate on the client’s behalf,” Pearson said. “A lot of agencies don’t offer that advocacy opportunity. But working with claims representatives is a tough go, particularly when you’ve had a loss and you’re focused on the loss. Having a claims-process advocate is important.”

And will continue to be important, Bennett added.

“Most carriers at this point are preparing their rates for the future based on continued extreme weather events. Whether it’s the West Coast, East Coast, Florida, regardless where you’re located, most carriers and most reinsurance companies are preparing for more extreme weather,” he told BusinessWest. “That’s a direct correlation to the change in weather patterns we’re seeing.”

Downtown Pittsfield Inc. Generates Positive Momentum

By
Berkshire County Special Coverage

Progress and Promise

 

Rebecca Brien was born and raised in Berkshire County and has lived in Pittsfield for the past 30 years, so she knows something about the ebbs and flows of the economy and how that impacts a city and its downtown.

“When an organization like General Electric or a major employer leaves, it does create this gap,” she said, which is why she’s thrilled that 20 new businesses have set up shop downtown over the past two years.

And why she’s equally excited to be managing director of Downtown Pittsfield Inc. (DPI), which has been advocating, convening, and promoting downtown businesses since its launch in 1983.

“We act as a chamber of commerce for downtown. It’s a membership-driven organization; members consist of the usual retailers, restaurants, and cultural and entertainment venues. Nonprofit organizations are welcome, and we work very closely with key property owners downtown as well,” Brien explained.

“We have a vision for as many businesses to join our membership as possible. We have really great diversity downtown, and we want to make sure we welcome as many people as possible and create more foot traffic and a bustling district. Our mission is to strengthen and promote membership through advocacy, collaboration, and celebration.”

The advocacy element means DPI acts as a representative for its members to the city of Pittsfield, speaking to what members want to see downtown. One example has been the parking situation.

“We’ll be announcing, in the next few weeks, meetings to talk about what other changes will best represent what we want the downtown to be — lanes for parking; sidewalks for events and dining; individuals who need more protection, such as bikers or people with motorized scooters — we’ll find what works best for what we want.”

“We worked very closely with membership and City Hall in terms of changing parking along the downtown to be a three-hour limit, which allows for more turnover in parking spaces right on the street,” Brien said. “That’s something that was brought to us by our members. We conducted a survey and brought it to City Hall, and changes have been made. It makes a great difference for retailers when there are open spaces available along North Street.”

DPI also brought a proposal to the city to look at angled parking downtown, but further discussions will be more comprehensive and encompass a fuller plan.

“It prompted the city to go a step further and work with a consultant and talk about many different types of configurations downtown, rather than making a quick decision and a quick paint job,” Brien noted. “We’ll be announcing, in the next few weeks, meetings to talk about what other changes will best represent what we want the downtown to be — lanes for parking; sidewalks for events and dining; individuals who need more protection, such as bikers or people with motorized scooters — we’ll find what works best for what we want.”

Meanwhile, DPI worked with the city on a collaboration called Downtown Blooms, which develops and improves gardens throughout the district. “This program is converting many gardens downtown from annual plantings to perennial beds, and actually saves money for the city.”

First Fridays at Five

First Fridays at Five have featured live music, art, dance, family fun, shopping, food, and entertainment throughout downtown Pittsfield.

But perhaps the most visible aspect of DPI’s work is downtown events, from First Fridays at Five — which spreads art, music, food, family fun, and more across the downtown every month — to First Friday Artwalks, which engage the public with artists and galleries, and Let It Shine!, which is a public art project that has installed almost 20 new murals downtown over the past two years, with funding from MassDevelopment and a host of other local entities. “Last year brought international artists, and we also work with local artists,” Brien said.

In short, DPI seeks to raise the profile of downtown Pittsfield in myriad ways, while supporting businesses both old and new in what she calls “the urban epicenter of Berkshire County.”

 

Raising All Boats

Downtown Pittsfield Inc. is a lean operation; Brien is the only full-time staffer, and she’s assisted by two part-timers, Marketing Coordinator Kimberly Gritman and Executive Administrator Arri Better.

“So we’re very lucky to have 25 board members and our downtown stakeholders that can help us in terms of programming activities and making connections,” Brien noted. “In terms of hands-on staff, we’re very small.”

The organization has worked with the Pittsfield Cultural Assoc., municipal departments, and other entities on events and programming, and, as noted, there’s quite a lot of both.

Brien came on board DPI two and a half years ago — an exciting time, in some ways.

Rebecca Brien

Rebecca Brien

“There’s a lot of work going on and a lot of partners to work with.”

“Coming out of the pandemic, there was a lot of funding,” she said, noting initiatives like the American Rescue Plan Act and a program of DPI and the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corp. (PERC) called Glow Up! whereby businesses and property owners are awarded grants up to $10,000 for signs, painting, lighting, and improvements to their entryways.

This past spring, the second round of grant recipients was announced, including Angelina’s Submarine Shop, Berkshire Pipe & Tabacco, Clark Vintage Lighting, Independent Mobility, Phoenix Theatres, Hotel on North, Otto’s Kitchen & Comfort, Pittsfield Health Food Store, Soda Chef, Thistle and Mirth, and the owners of the Brothership Building and the Dunham Block.

Recipients are selected using a grading system that ranks their responses on how COVID-19 impacted their business, the details of the projects to be funded by the grant, and on the impact the projects would make on their space.

Meanwhile, the Berkshire Black Economic Council introduced VIBE grants for new businesses last summer — the first four recipients were Guelce Collaborative Marketing, BB’s Hot Spot LLC, Dolce Rose Beauty Supply, and Brazzucas — while PERC and MassDevelopment funded Boost! North Street, which supports local businesses through competitive grants and professional consulting. The initial cohort includes ASTScuba/Aquatic Roots, Berkshire International Market, Clark Vintage Lighting, Dottie’s Coffee Lounge/Dorothy’s Estaminet, Empire Pizza, Espetinho Carioca, Methuselah Bar and Lounge, Otto’s Kitchen and Comfort, Placita Latina Restaurant and Market, Steven Valenti Clothing, Tito’s Mexican Bar and Grill, and Witch Slapped.

“It’s made for a wonderful period to come in. There’s a lot of work going on and a lot of partners to work with,” Brien said, adding that Chuck Leach, president of Lee Bank and the newest DPI board president, sees the potential as well. “He’s not a resident of Pittsfield, but he recognizes the importance of Pittsfield to the community, and Lee Bank has made major investments in building downtown and really bringing it to the next level.”

Berkshire Museum is a key cultural driver downtown, with activities and exhibits for the whole family.

Berkshire Museum is a key cultural driver downtown, with activities and exhibits for the whole family.

But Downtown Pittsfield Inc. also has its eye on issues like public safety and social services. “The thing about Pittsfield is, although we’re a tourist area, we’re also a major epicenter in terms of urban services,” she noted, which is why a healthy city isn’t just about arts, events and recreation, but good jobs and easily accessed supports for those who struggle with housing insecurity, food insecurity, and health and mental issues.

“The biggest thing now is how to maintain the momentum,” she went on. “It has to do with our community partners realizing where we are economically and where people are at, and make sure places like food pantries are well-staffed and well-supported.”

 

Creating a Framework

While helping the city move ahead in many ways, DPI also recently relocated its office to the heart of downtown, at 431 North St., former home of Jan Perry Realty, hosting a ribbon cutting and open house on Sept. 15. DPI is also managing the Framework co-working space at 437 North St., offering rentals of semi-private offices, a classroom, and a boardroom to DPI members and the public.

“We’re also able to offer classes on things like how to better market your own business and how to do collaborative marketing with other members. We have such great offerings, and we want to make sure people know about it,” Brien said, adding that Downtown Pittsfield Inc. also hosts quarterly meetings with Mayor Peter Marchetti.

All these collaborations and connections have generated positive vibes, which Brien appreciates, even though she knows there’s always work to do.

“I’ve had people stop me on the street regularly and tell me things are wonderful. We’ve had letters to the editor about how great things are looking. For our July 4th parade this year, our downtown had never looked better,” she said. “But we recognize there are things that every small town or large city are struggling with right now, and we recognize that changes are needed, even small increments at a time.

“But I really believe this upcoming year will be our best year ever,” she added, encouraging residents to not only check out the the improvements and events, but to talk them up, as a way to change the narrative around downtown and keep the momentum going. “That’s what I would recommend for every community at this time.”

Lucinda Canty

By
Healthcare Heroes

Community Health

Associate Professor of Nursing and Director of the Seedworks Health Equity Program, UMass Amherst

Her Focus on Health Equity Is Changing Outcomes for Women

 

Lucinda Canty

Lucinda Canty

It takes more than a sentence or two to describe what Lucinda Canty does — and then a lot longer to fully describe the impact of her work.

She’s an associate professor at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing at UMass Amherst, but also a nurse midwife.

“A lot of what I teach is around women’s health and reproductive health, but I also address social justice and health equity. So there’s quite a range of what I do,” she said. “I mentor undergraduate students and support them through my program, but I also have PhD students or DNP students that I mentor through their projects.”

She also founded Lucinda’s House, a maternal-health initiative that creates an environment where women of color feel safe, supported, and empowered. It provides comprehensive services, including individual consultations, health-education events, and access to community resources covering critical topics such as postpartum mood disorders, breastfeeding, perimenopause and menopause, pregnancy loss, reproductive health wellness, and HIV.

And as director of the Seedworks Health Equity in Nursing Program at the university, she is helping to mentor the next generation of healthcare providers.

According to Crystal Neuhauser, chief Development officer at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing and one of Canty’s nominators as a Healthcare Hero, “her dedication to her students is evident in her commitment to fostering an environment where future nurses and midwives are trained to understand and address health disparities.”

In short, Canty has found avenues to direct her work as a nurse and educator to achieve some very specific goals. It’s a career that has unfolded in intriguing ways since she chose a healthcare path over a culinary one at a young age.

“When I was in high school, I wanted to either be a chef or a nurse,” she recalled. “I was trying to decide, and a friend was like, ‘you know, you can always cook. Even nurses cook.’ And I wanted to help people; I love being able to provide care. So that’s how I started into nursing.”

In nursing school, she discovered a specific passion for maternal health and midwifery, and she worked in that field for about 14 years before having yet another epiphany moment, when a friend told her about a teaching opening for a clinical maternity professional at the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford.

“I was like, ‘oh, I could do that with my eyes closed.’ So I was going to do one semester and then go back to clinical practice. But I loved it so much. I loved working with the students. I loved how they discovered their confidence — them being terrified to even hold the baby, and then at the end, you see them giving a shot like it’s nothing, and see their interactions. I wanted to be part of that. And now, that one semester has turned into 15 years. And I still love it to this day.”

Others appreciate her as well. “Dr. Canty’s work as a scholar is transformative, especially in addressing maternal health disparities,” said Allison Vorderstrasse, dean and professor at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, another nominator. “She is a formidable advocate for maternal and child health in the Pioneer Valley. Her leadership extends beyond UMass Amherst as she engages with local healthcare providers and community organizations to promote health equity. Her efforts have brought much-needed attention to the disparities in maternal-health outcomes and have driven collaborative efforts to address these issues.”

That’s the broad impact of a Healthcare Hero.

 

Legacy of Learning

As a professor, Canty loves seeing the impact her own students have in the community — and appreciates how the teaching environment has changed.

“Things are different from when I was a student to seeing students now. When I was given a clinical site, I didn’t have a say in it; whatever site you got, you went to,” she recalled. “But now, when I hear people asking, ‘what do students want?’ or hear them advocating for themselves, I’m like ‘that’s what we need in nursing.’ I feel like I was kind of made to feel silent. I did what I had to do, and I appreciate it, but I see these new ways, and I love being part of that.

“And then, to see them in their careers, working, that’s really the most gratifying part. That’s awesome.”

“I loved working with the students. I loved how they discovered their confidence — them being terrified to even hold the baby, and then at the end, you see them giving a shot like it’s nothing, and see their interactions. I wanted to be part of that. And now, that one semester has turned into 15 years.”

But she also desired to delve into research, which included earning a doctorate 20 years after graduating with her master’s degree.

“I wanted to look at health disparities and reproductive health. I wanted to understand what causes disparities, especially among black women,” she told BusinessWest, noting that, for many populations, as socioeconomic status improves, so do health outcomes — but for Black women, that’s not always the case.

Among the findings of her research was the importance of making sure women have accurate health information, but another was the impact of having a relationship with a healthcare provider that goes beyond the basics.

And that gets into the importance of diversity in healthcare, of having doctors, nurses, and other professionals who understand cultural differences and can connect more effectively with patients — and develop a relationship built on trust, communication, and mutual understanding.

“I feel like there’s so much that we can learn from each other,” Canty said. “And I also feel, in nursing school, medical school, we don’t talk enough about culture and how that shows up in healthcare. So we need to have environments where we can have discussions about that.”

Lucinda Canty has created, in Lucinda’s House

Lucinda Canty has created, in Lucinda’s House, a program that powerfully helps women of color while giving hands-on training to tomorrow’s nurses.

Vorderstrasse agrees, calling Canty’s scholarly contributions “vast and impactful,” adding that she has “published extensively in esteemed journals, providing evidence-based insights that are shaping the future of maternal healthcare. Her research is not just academic, but is deeply rooted in community engagement, ensuring that her findings translate into practical applications that directly benefit the communities she serves.”

This research, in fact, influences the Seedworks Health Equity in Nursing Program, which began in 2022 as an effort to increase diversity in the nursing world.

“It’s recruiting students, but it’s also supporting them from their freshman year all the way up until they graduate. So it’s involved mentoring,” Canty explained, adding that it’s not just professors doing that; upperclassmen also mentor incoming students.

“Sometimes you’ll have programs that want to increase diversity, and the students come in, and they feel very isolated through that, or they don’t feel supported. So it’s really about changing that environment so they can see that they belong here and they belong in nursing. Our goal is to increase diversity, not just to say, ‘oh, look, we have a few people of color,’ but to say, ‘look, we have people who have something to offer to nursing.’ And as they’re going through, I want them to see what they have to offer.”

 

Heart of the Matter

A focus on community is at the heart of that model, Canty said, but when it comes to direct community impact, Lucinda’s House — where her nursing students get hands-on experience in community-based healthcare — has been a game changer for many women since it opened in 2022.

“When I finished my research, I started to see how many things could have been prevented just in the experience of care,” she recalled. “And I felt like I needed to do something.”

Lucinda’s House, according to the description Canty wrote for its website, is a collective space where women of color can discuss sensitive issues related to their health and bodies, while developing their own solutions. “We understand the challenges Black mothers face in the healthcare system and know that changes can occur when the members of the community come together to address issues that prevent Black women and other women of color from maintaining a level of wellness.”

“When I finished my research, I started to see how many things could have been prevented just in the experience of care. And I felt like I needed to do something.”

One of the standout programs at Lucinda’s House is its community baby showers, which provide pregnant women of color with essential resources and support. The showers have been held in underserved communities, ensuring that women receive the care and support they need, both during pregnancy and postpartum.

Canty’s innovative approaches also include the Perinatal Loss Program, which offers health education and support in a safe space for women to discuss their needs and receive the necessary support for healing, including support groups that use creative forms of expression to promote healing.

Lucinda’s House also hosts Community Conversations exploring Black women’s views on factors impacting hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. These storytelling events capture the experiences and beliefs of Black women to develop community health-education programs tailored to their needs.

“What I found, being in the community through my research, is that people just want to tell their stories,” Canty said. “They want someone to listen to them. They want you to understand what they went through, to be able to share and say, ‘this is what happened to me,’ and not be judged in that. At Lucinda’s House, you’re going to be receiving non-judgmental support. Just tell me what it is that you need so that you can better take care of yourself.

“I’m not going to tell you, you’re going to tell me,” she went on. “And from that, I also don’t say, ‘this is what you need to do.’ I give them the opportunity to get the information and let them make the decision. And if they have questions from that, they can let me know.”

Connecting with women, both culturally and emotionally, but also giving them autonomy in the healthcare system has been incredibly powerful, she added. And she’s not only working with first-time moms, but many who are in their second or third pregnancy but are dealing with trauma from a previous pregnancy.

“I don’t turn anyone down,” she said. “I provide support that helps someone’s mental health and well-being, but if they have trauma, I know a social worker, a psychologist, I know people that I can refer them to.

“And that’s the other piece — I have a network of support,” Canty went on. “I’m grateful for that because it’s overwhelming to try to do something and address an issue like maternal health all by myself, or diversity in nursing all by myself. To have people support that strengthens me and strengthens the work that I’m doing. This is not something that I’m just doing on my own.”

 

Bottom Line

Vorderstrasse recognizes the value of this body of work, not just for the students at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, but across the entire community.

“Her work is directly impacting the health and well-being of women in our community, and her influence is shaping the future of healthcare providers,” she wrote. “Dr. Canty’s unwavering dedication to improving maternal health outcomes, her innovative educational programs, and her relentless advocacy for health equity make her a true Healthcare Hero.”

Yet, Canty never set out to earn that title; she’s just following her passion and proving every day that choosing nursing over cooking was a great decision.

“I feel like things just fell into place, and I’m doing something that I love,” she told BusinessWest. “I have friends who have good positions, but sometimes they feel like they’re not 100% happy with what they’re doing. I can really say that I feel good about what I’m doing. Sometimes I feel like it’s a dream — but it’s real.”

Janet Williams

By
Healthcare Heroes

Healthcare Education

Professor of Biology, Elms College

She Has Impacted Generations of Young Healthcare Professionals

 

Janet Williams

Janet Williams

Janet Williams traces her interest in biology back to animal care — specifically, horses, which she had as a child.

“And when you have horses, you have to know how to take care of them,” she noted. “So I got involved with 4-H in New Jersey, and they have a big emphasis on horse care and knowing everything about the anatomy and physiology of the horse — knowing about their nutrition, knowing some basic veterinary care. I had a lot of background in that.”

It was something she kept with her when she first majored in journalism in college — and found she was bored. “So I decided to switch to biology. And that was hard because I didn’t have any science background. I did struggle for a while, but then I really liked it and decided to go to graduate school.”

She has one caveat regarding her love for biology, though.

“I would definitely say, ever since I was young, I am a squeamish biologist. I don’t get sick or anything; I just don’t like some things. I like things that don’t bleed, scream, or throw up. In my career, I’ve had to do things like teach anatomy and physiology where there’s a lot of dissections. I’ve had to work with a lot of live animals and do studies, which I’ve not particularly liked doing, through my degrees.

“But after I finished my PhD, I pretty much switched just to molecular work, where everything’s in a test tube and very tiny and there’s nothing that looks really biological,” she added. “It’s much more like chemistry.”

In graduate school, however, Williams did some intriguing work with chickens and the autoimmune disorders vitiligo and alopecia areata; the principal investigator on that project teamed up with a group from Harvard University that was doing work on both vitiligo and alopecia in humans.

“I did a lot of experiments to try to find out whether the tendency to lose pigment was something to do with the immune system or something to do with the genetics of the bird. It turns out that it was a cross between both of them,” she said. “That was fun.”

Other intriguing graduate-school projects followed, notably in the molecular realm, including cloning experiments and DNA-sequencing experiments, before she finished her PhD in zoology at UMass Amherst, where she also earned a Distinguished Teaching Award for the instruction that was part of her doctoral work.

After that, Williams did post-doctoral work with a company called New England Biolabs, where her work with enzymes earned three U.S. patents with the company. During almost a decade there, she got to work with Richard Roberts, who earned a Nobel Prize in the mid-1990s.

“It was quite an honor working there with him; he was a very interesting man,” she told BusinessWest. “I even have a publication with him, so that was really cool too. Then I got married, and New England Biolabs was about two and a half hours away, so I couldn’t stay there. But Elms College had a position open, so I came here and taught anatomy and physiology and genetics.”

That was 30 years ago, and she hasn’t looked back.

“It was really fun. I’ve always enjoyed teaching, and you don’t get to teach very much when you’re doing research,” she said. “So it was really fun to get back into the classroom again.”

More importantly, Williams has been able to implement new academic programs and generally influence students moving through the college’s well-regarded nursing and health-science majors, while also connecting them with area employers and boosting the region’s healthcare workforce.

“Janet is innovative, always reaching out to our local healthcare industries to see how Elms can better serve the community.”

“During her tenure at Elms College, Janet has embodied the health-sciences program at Elms,” said Julie Beck, dean of the School of Nursing. “She teaches biology, which extends itself to other health-related fields, such as pre-med, physician assistant, pre-PT/OT, and pre-chiropractic studies. Janet is innovative, always reaching out to our local healthcare industries to see how Elms can better serve the community.”

As a professor with impact — three decades worth — Williams certainly merits being chosen as this year’s Healthcare Hero in the category of Education.

 

Into the Real World

Williams approaches her role with a sense of gratitude for being able to shepherd and mentor students as others did for her during her college and early-career years.

“There’s a huge difference between my previous position as a research scientist and being in academia, being a faculty member, and teaching and mentoring students — it’s very, very different,” she said. “But at the end of every day, I feel great because some student has probably come up to me and said, ‘I never understood that, and today I understand it.’ Or they tell you something exciting; maybe they got a letter and have been accepted somewhere. It’s the greatest feeling, and you feel like every win for them is a win for you.

Janet Williams calls herself a “squeamish biologist”

Janet Williams calls herself a “squeamish biologist” who prefers molecular work over, say, dissections.

“But then, every time they are struggling, you’re struggling with that too — especially when you know that they’re a great person and they’d be a great doctor and you feel like they just need a chance, and you just hope somebody opens the door for them,” she went on. “But they find their way. Sometimes medical school might be the pie-in-the-sky goal, but some of them find they may need to think about something else — maybe dental school, or podiatry, or physician assistant … there are so many wonderful options out there. That’s the thing about this kind of path — there are many different ways they can go from it.”

Since most of her students are going into some branch of healthcare, she became the pre-med advisor as well.

“I had to show students the pathway of how you get from an undergrad program into an MD or DO program, or chiropractic, or pharmacy, or physician assistant, or dental school, or veterinary school,” she explained, adding that, around 2008, she started something called the post-baccalaureate pre-medical program.

“That’s kind of an odd program. It’s where students have already gotten a bachelor’s degree — they might have studied pre-med, or they might have studied something else. So they could either retake courses that they’ve already taken to get better grades and to understand it better, or maybe they majored in English and didn’t have any pre-med prerequisites, so they are taking those courses for the first time.”

That program has drawn students who graduated from places like Amherst College, Princeton University, and other schools where they didn’t study in the medical field, but wanted to expand their career options.

“Those students would do well in our classes, and then they would take the MCAT, do well, and go off to medical school. It was really exciting because, all of a sudden, we were bringing these students from all over the place — not just the Northeast, but California, Florida, Texas, Uganda, China, you name it. It was amazing.”

More recently, she launched master’s programs in biomedical sciences and biotechnology, which many students have taken on their way to medical, dental, veterinary, or physician assistant (PA) programs.

Many Elms students also receive clinical training at the region’s many hospitals and other institutions, and Williams has helped forge those connections over the years.

“A student really can’t get into medical school or dental school or PA or anything without having experience with patients,” she said. “It’s great because you get paid, but you’re also learning, which supports your career goals. We’ve had a lot of students do that; this area has been fantastic supporting our students in their progression.”

“It was really exciting because, all of a sudden, we were bringing these students from all over the place — not just the Northeast, but California, Florida, Texas, Uganda, China, you name it. It was amazing.”

More recently — in the past year, in fact — Elms also launched a phlebotomy class. “This is where students learn how to do blood draws. We’ve had a lot of interest from not only our students who want to be pre-meds, but also the nursing students, because the nursing students find that, if they have this skill, they’ll be a little bit more valuable and a little bit more marketable.”

An EKG certification course may be on the horizon as well. All these efforts, Williams noted, translates into strengthening the local healthcare workforce.

“Interestingly enough, some of our students that have come here all the way from California stay here. They don’t even want to go back. They like the Northeast.

“We’re also very fortunate that, in this local area, we have a lot of physician-assistant programs. We have Assumption, Springfield College, Westfield State, St. Joseph’s down in Hartford, and also Bay Path, which has accepted a lot of our students. That’s been really good, too, because there are so many local opportunities for students to get into PA programs. And then we’ve had a lot of students interested in medical school.”

 

Giving the Full Picture

One advantage to studying at Elms, Williams said, is access to ethics courses through Dr. Peter DePergola, whose many titles at the college center around bioethics, religious studies, and medical humanities, and who was honored as a Healthcare Hero himself in 2018.

“So many of our students take classes with him, and they learn so much from him. And that is such a critical aspect of really doing well in healthcare,” she said. “He just rolls out a scenario and puts you right into the difficulties of understanding the ethics and concerns of a situation, which is a great thing for students because it’s going to happen to them when they’re out there practicing medicine.”

But there are many, many other challenges in healthcare, and Williams doesn’t sugarcoat them.

“I’m the devil’s advocate. I try to paint the worst possible picture for the students so that they really understand what they’re getting into, because medicine isn’t easy,” she told BusinessWest. “We’re not just talking about the academic part of it; we’re talking about the other parts — working with people in healthcare is not easy. Veterinary is even probably harder because you’re not only working with people, but you’re working with people and their animals, so that’s that’s really a difficult field, and not everybody has insurance to cover the bad things that happen to their animals.

“So I’m trying to breathe a little reality into students so that they don’t just see medicine as what we see on TV,” she went on. “That’s also what’s nice about getting them out to volunteer or work in some of our local practices, because they’re really seeing it; they see the struggles they’ll face in healthcare and medicine.”

But Williams believes in the opportunity for the right person to make a difference in healthcare, whether it’s locally or far beyond Massachusetts. Beck, in nominating her, called her a “valued asset” at the college — and much more: a truly impactful Healthcare Hero.

“I do really love working with students every day,” Williams said. “When you get to work with students every day, they always bring something to you. The students have been really amazing.”

Dr. Laki Rousou

By
Healthcare Heroes

Innovation in Healthcare

Chief of Thoracic Surgery, Chief of Robotic Surgery, and Medical Director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program, Mercy Medical Center

With Screening and Technology, He’s Improving Outcomes and Saving Lives

 

Dr. Laki Rousou

Dr. Laki Rousou

Robotic surgery has been one of the most significant medical developments of the past couple decades, one with impacts that are … well, deeply human.

“It allows you to do major operations through small incisions and, at the same time, protect some vital structures more easily than you could even if you’re doing non-robotic minimally invasive surgery,” said Dr. Laki Rousou, who has performed more than 1,000 surgeries on the da Vinci surgical platform — and earned him recognition as a Healthcare Hero in the Innovation category.

Raised in Longmeadow, Rousou grew up with a deep appreciation for the medical field. As a child, he saw the impact his father, Dr. John Rousou, retired chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Baystate Medical Center, had on the lives of his patients. Meanwhile, his brother, Dr. Tony Rousou, is a cardiothoracic surgeon who specializes in cardiac surgery at Baystate.

At Mercy, Dr. Laki Rousou has carved out an intriguing, multi-faceted role as chief of Thoracic Surgery, chief of Robotic Surgery, and medical director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program (more on that later).

“My father was a physician in this area for years, so it was always in the back of my mind as something I would want to do,” he told BusinessWest. “Right after college, I didn’t immediately decide that’s what I wanted to do, but I eventually came to that conclusion and went to medical school.”

Rousou was drawn to the physiology of the heart and lungs, and wanted to find a way to marry that interest to some technical skill, which would turn out to be thoracic surgery.

“The main operation I do is taking out a lobe of the lung for a lung cancer,” he said. “Then there’s the esophagus, which is also in the chest, and diaphragm hernias. But robotics helped me along in my career in that I was able to expand some of the things that we could do minimally invasively.”

Two examples are a thyectomy, the removal of the thymus gland in the middle of the chest, and esophagectomy, in which he removes a good portion of the esophagus. “All that can be done robotically.”

Robotic surgery — by which a surgeon controls a camera and mechanical instruments inside the body from … well, outside it — brings many advantages for both patient and doctor, Rousou told BusinessWest.

“For cancer operations, it allows you to do a more comprehensive lymph-node dissection and gives you better visualization so that you can make sure that you’re taking out everything that you can take out and you’re doing that safely,” he explained.

“Even for non-cancer operations — let’s say a hernia of the diaphragm — there’s a fair amount of sewing that goes into that. In some of these open operations, when we’re deep in a cavity and we’re sewing with our hands and not robotically, it’s hard to see. You’re stretching your arm out, and the angles aren’t quite right, but with the robot, you can make the angles perfect, and you can see perfectly.”

From the physician’s standpoint, robotic surgery brings a different set of advantages.

“If you’re doing open surgery — or even doing non-robotic, minimally invasive surgery — you’re standing, and a lot of times reaching, and you’re not in an ergonomic position. When we’re doing these robotic operations, we’re sitting in a chair in a perfect ergonomic position,” he explained.

“So, just from that standpoint, you can lengthen your career. I know plenty of surgeons who, as they get toward the end of their career, their knees hurt, their backs hurt, and they stop because of that. Maybe this allows you to continue. You may still stop at the same time, but you can do it on your terms, and not because your knee hurts or your back hurts or things like that.”

While he’s become proficient at robotic surgery, Rousou admits he was a skeptic of the technology at first. Then he started to learn about the potential good it could do for patients by decreasing pain, more accurately dissecting lymph nodes, and other reasons.

“I went into it saying, ‘all right, I’m going to find out for myself.’ So I tried it. I did the trainings, and I started doing it. And told myself, ‘I’m not going to commit totally for a year.’”

“I see future benefits coming down the pike, just by being able to use AI and various technologies that can be linked with the robot to help others get better, to help myself get better, and to better evaluate outcomes.”

But after that year, he was seeing clear benefits, especially as he became more adept at it. “Once I saw that benefit, I committed wholeheartedly to it, and now, six or seven years after fully committing to it, I see future benefits coming down the pike, just by being able to use AI and various technologies that can be linked with the robot to help others get better, to help myself get better, and to better evaluate outcomes.”

 

Breathing Easier

Rousou also heads up Mercy’s Lung Cancer Screening Program, but he wasn’t enamored with the idea at first, when he was asked by hospital leadership to launch the initiative.

“I thought, ‘I’m a surgeon. Why am I going to start a program like that?’ But I thought about it and said, ‘all right, I’ll do it’ — because I think, with any screening program, if it’s not done in a particular way, it can cause harm. And I didn’t want that.”

Robotic surgery is essentially performed away from the body

Robotic surgery is essentially performed away from the body, with better precision than open surgery in many cases.

He was joined in that endeavor shortly thereafter by Ashley LeBlanc, who was honored as a Healthcare Hero in the category of Emerging Leader just last year. “Together, we grew this program that we started,” he said before explaining how it works.

“It’s not just a CT scan; it’s a visit with a patient that might be eligible for screening. They’re eligible for screening if they have a certain smoking history, a certain age — and if they’ve quit, it’s got to be within 15 years. But it starts with a visit and a discussion, and then, typically that day, they get a CT scan.”

Those results are reviewed, especially if there’s a high-risk result, by a group comprised of oncologists, pulmonologists, surgeons, radiologists, and pathologists to recommend next steps. If the result is not high-risk, the patient is advised to return for a scan the following year.

“The idea was to have those eligible get screened, but also get information back quickly because, if there’s a risk or a potential for cancer, you don’t want to sit on it. So, they get information back quickly, positive or not, and the care ends up being multi-disciplinary, with much, much better outcomes.”

That’s a big difference from the past, when CT scans for lung cancer were typically reactive, not preventive.

“Before screening, the lung cancers that we caught were caught incidentally,” Rousou said. “They got a CT scan because they had pneumonia. Or they got a CT scan because someone thought they had a blood clot in their lung. And then you see this mass. The vast majority of those were stage 3 or 4 lung cancers. Stage 3 is very difficult to treat; stage 4 is not curable.

“The idea behind screening is you flip the script on that. So now, in the screening population, the majority of the cancers that we find are stage 1 or 2, and are not as difficult to treat. We’ve had a lot of success with it.”

Those early screens are especially critical considering that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. (and in most other countries as well), and second only to heart disease in total deaths. In fact, Rousou said, lung cancer causes more deaths than the next four cancers combined in both men and women.

“I grew up here. I’ve got skin in the game here. And one of my goals from the outset, coming back here, was — at least in thoracic surgery and thoracic oncology — to make Western Mass. the equivalent, or better than, some of the major medical centers.”

“So that’s the perfect scenario for screening because, if you do have symptoms, it’s late. And lung cancer is an aggressive cancer,” he added. “You can get diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer, and then you might be gone in six months. That’s not the case, necessarily, with stage 1 or 2.”

Rousou is encouraged that earlier screening, combined with diagnostic advances, new treatment technologies, and pharmaceutical breakthroughs, are resulting in many lives saved. “This is a pretty exciting time, in my opinion.”

Dr. Laki Rousou (center) celebrates his 1,000th da Vinci procedure with Mercy’s Chief of Surgery Dr. Dan Morrison (left), and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Asha Dhamija.

Dr. Laki Rousou (center) celebrates his 1,000th da Vinci procedure with Mercy’s Chief of Surgery Dr. Dan Morrison (left), and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Asha Dhamija.

While outlining the innovations, robotic and otherwise, that Rousou has been putting into play at Mercy, Mary Orr, the hospital’s Media and Communications specialist, also took time to praise his human side in nominating him to be a Healthcare Hero.

“In addition to being a highly qualified, proficient thoracic surgeon, Dr. Rousou is deeply committed to his patients, always putting them at the center of everything he does,” she wrote. “He not only keeps current on the latest developments regarding technological advances and best practices in patient care so that his patients have the best chance of a positive outcome, his bedside manner is second to none. It’s not unusual to find him taking extra time to make sure his patients and their families fully understand the care plan or calling a patient after offce hours to answer their questions or allay their fears.”

 

Surgical Milestone

Having recently completed his 1,000th robotic thoracic surgery using da Vinci Xi, Rousou is among the nation’s most frequent users of the da Vinci surgical system for thoracic surgery, and he has also completed the most da Vinci thoracic surgeries in all of Trinity Health, the parent organization of Mercy Medical Center, which boasts 36,500 physicians and clinicians across 27 states.

The technology is highly adaptable; da Vinci Xi can be used across a spectrum of minimally invasive surgical procedures, including gynecologic, urologic, thoracic, cardiac, and general surgeries. Rousou was instrumental in championing efforts for Mercy to acquire the da Vinci Xi surgical system earlier this year.

“They had the older version of the robot when I got here; at least for thoracic surgery, it wasn’t being used a lot,” he explained. “So, once I made that commitment, that bolstered the program for robotics, and when the next version of the DaVinci robot came into play, I was involved in making that happen. Now we have two, and I was one of many who pushed for that second version of the robot.”

To hear him tell it, these are not only his patients, but his community — one where he has deep roots and personal connections. It explains why he returned to Springfield in 2014 after a decade of surgical roles at New York University Medical Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, and Concord Hospital in New Hampshire.

“I grew up here. I’ve got skin in the game here. And one of my goals from the outset, coming back here, was — at least in thoracic surgery and thoracic oncology — to make Western Mass. the equivalent, or better than, some of the major medical centers, like Boston, New York, Yale, those places.”

By doing so, he envisions people getting care at a smaller, more intimate health center and not having to travel to bigger cities — and having access here to the most recent innovations, including the most advanced robotic surgery possible.

“That’s been an overreaching goal, and still is, for us here — to make this top-of-the-line care in your backyard,” he said. “And we’re not done yet.”

Adam Quenneville Roofing and Siding Keeps Aiming Higher

By
Adam Quenneville stands in his warehouse
Home Improvement

Shingle Minded

Adam Quenneville stands in his warehouse

Adam Quenneville stands in his warehouse, which will expand soon when he moves office functions into a new building.

 

Adam Quenneville will soon open a new building next door to his South Hadley headquarters and move all the office functions there.

One benefit will be an expansion of warehouse space in the current building that currently stores about $500,000 worth of materials — basically, everything but the shingles that get delivered directly to project sites.

“When you see a roof, all you see is the shingles,” the president of Adam Quennville Roofing and Siding told BusinessWest. “There’s a whole layered system underneath the shingles. You have the edging, flashing, nails — all the stuff that is unseen, underneath the roof. The shingles are just the top coating. If you buy all this stuff in small pieces and they deliver it, it costs 30% more.

“Early on, the whole job got delivered, and we paid extra for all the small stuff,” he added. “They were delivering shingles with all this stuff.”

By stocking all that in-house, he said, customers are the ones who see those savings. “We’re buying in bulk to save money, and we pass on the savings to the customer. It’s a nice feeling to know we’ve kept our prices down because of that.”

Plenty of customers are benefiting from that efficiency; Quenneville typically completes four to six roof jobs every day, plus a couple of roof shampoo jobs, across a territory that encompasses all six New England states, the Albany region, and occasionally beyond. Part of the reason why is the ability for customers to get a quote without a visit.

“Now with the software we have online, if someone lives three, four hours away, we don’t have to visit them to price them out. We can use satellite imagery and give them a price.”

“Now with the software we have online, if someone lives three, four hours away, we don’t have to visit them to price them out,” he said. “We can use satellite imagery and give them a price, versus sending a guy there, who wastes a whole day to go there, look at it, measure it, give them a price, and come back. You can save people money by not having to do that.”

Residential and multi-family homes are still Quenneville’s bread and butter, though he does have a commercial division, with one crew that tackles flat roofs for businesses. And the company has even taken housing jobs on military bases as far-flung as North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and New Mexico. “That’s helped add some volume to the business,” he said.

So the business has certainly evolved in some ways over its 27 years. Another will be evident this month, when Quenneville sets up at the Big E for the first time ever.

“It’s more than 250 hours with four people there, promotional items, advertising around it. It’s a major undertaking,” he said, explaining that he’ll raffle off a free roof, a free siding job, a free roof shampoo, and a free Roof Maxx treatment. “Obviously, there will be thousands of people who don’t win, and we’ll re-market them with discounts to see if they want to buy a service from us.”

 

Down and Dirty

Roof Maxx is a low-pressure treatment derived from soybean oil that penetrates aged asphalt shingles and restores the flexibility necessary to facilitate daily expansion and contraction, Quenneville explained, noting that he’s been offering that service for 15 years.

“We spray it, and within a half-hour, it reaches into the asphalt, which is dry. If you think of asphalt on a road, you know that, when it goes down, it’s nice and pliable. Over the years, the sun gets it, and it cracks. It’s the same thing with shingles.”

Meanwhile, he’s been offering roof shampoos, a cleaning that removes algae and dark streaks from the roof, for 13 years. He said dirty roofs detract from curb appeal, reduce the ability to reflect sunlight — leading to super-heating the attic — and, increasingly, are being targeted by insurance companies, which see stains as a risk that can impact a roof’s integrity, and are instructing homeowners have them cleaned.

Both shampoo treatments and Roof Maxx aim to extend a roof’s life, which brings up the question, isn’t that cutting the legs out from Quenneville’s main business of installing roofs?

“We’re doing the right thing for the customer,” he said. “If it only needs a cleaning or a treatment, they can get five or 10 more years out of it. And it often fits the customer’s budget. A lot of people that don’t do these treatments and services will tell the customer, ‘I’m not going to clean your roof; you’ve got to replace it.’ And oftentimes, many roofs don’t need to be replaced. They can get five or 10 more years out of them.

“You can make a decision based on what kind of situation you’re in,” he went on. “You might be in a situation where you need five or 10 more years. Sometimes we deal with older customers, and they hear about a 30- or 50-year roof, and they say, ‘listen, I’m 85 years old. I don’t care about 50 more years.’ And we tell them we can get them five or 10, and they love it.”

That’s one way doing the right thing, as Quenneville calls it, can also be a competitive advantage.

“If someone else is trying to get them for 20 grand, we’re 25% of that cost to treat it. So we do a lot of those. It’s just doing the right thing for the customer and giving them options.”

Whether it’s a roof installation or a treatment (or siding, gutters, windows, or doors), the wide reach of Quenneville’s crews — typically within a five-hour drive — offers plenty of business opportunity, and homeowners aren’t charged extra for those miles. The company also charges the same rate for all customers, whether the project is sited in a wealthy town near Boston or a rural community where home values are much lower.

“Your price per square foot is the same,” he told BusinessWest. “And if you live in your home and we put a roof on it, we can guarantee it for the rest of your life.”

 

Slow and Steady

Since striking out on his own at age 25 after working in his father’s business, Quenneville, a BusinessWest 40 Under Forty honoree in 2009, has seen business steadily grow over the years, and now employs about 75 people between sales, service, office, and crews.

And while roofing is decidedly hard work — one of the three most dangerous jobs in the world, along with coal mining and deep-sea fishing, he noted — he has never had trouble finding workers to grow the company further, even today, at a time when businesses in many sectors are struggling to find help.

“I don’t like extremes; I like the nice, slow, steady growth,” he said. “I always say, we’re better today than we’ve ever been — we’re operating the best we’ve ever operated — but tomorrow, we’re going to get even better. We have meetings every week to talk about our processes and what we can do to make them better.

“At the end of the day, it’s just delivering the best customer experience we can, so that it’s done safely and seamlessly, giving them options to pay for it, and having a service team that’s there to back it up. It’s pretty simple.”

Managing Different Generations Can Be Challenging, but Rewarding

By
Allison Ebner
Business Management Special Coverage

Culture Clash

Allison Ebner

Allison Ebner says everyone — including the older cohort of workers — is benefiting from workplace changes being driven by Gen Z and younger Millennials.

 

‘Zoomers to Boomers.’

That’s how folks at the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast (EANE) refer to the four main generations that populate today’s workforce: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials (sometimes referred to as Gen Y), and Gen Z.

“We are at a point where, nationally, almost 50% of our workforce is Millennials and Gen Zs. And there are pluses to having all those different perspectives,” said Allison Ebner, EANE president. “You have the thought processes of the Baby Boomers and the X-ers who have all the knowledge, and they are transferring that knowledge to the Ys and the Zs, but the Ys and the Zs are bringing in new, creative ways to do things and tackle projects.”

It’s a diversity of experiences and perspectives from which savvy companies can benefit by considering their varied needs and expectations, said Cindy Ryan, head of Human Resources for MassMutual, one of the region’s largest employers.

“While you can’t make sweeping assumptions about any generation, it is safe to say that there are different drivers and motivators for employees across different age groups,” she told BusinessWest. “In our eyes, the best way to address these differences is creating a workforce where we place trust in our people to do their work thoroughly and do that work in an environment that best suits them.”

For MassMutual, she said, that includes offering a diverse range of benefits that support mental, physical, and financial health; providing flexible working dress codes and arrangements; and delivering opportunities for networking and internal connection. “We’re always seeking to increase the breadth and flexibility of what we offer, ensuring our benefits meet employees’ diverse needs at each stage of life.”

Ebner agreed that generational differences certainly become evident around employee benefits.

“We moved away from that cafeteria model of benefits where we had a bunch of different things, and you could sign up for whatever was important to you, to more standard benefits packages,” she noted. “But now, we’re kind of back to asking, ‘what are you looking for?’

“When we’re building our employee value proposition,” she went on, “what’s going to retain my staff? What’s going to help me attract and retain the best talent? And one area where there are some distinct differences generationally is employee benefits, for sure.”

“You have the thought processes of the Baby Boomers and the X-ers who have all the knowledge, and they are transferring that knowledge to the Ys and the Zs, but the Ys and the Zs are bringing in new, creative ways to do things and tackle projects.”

For instance, she said, Millennials and Zoomers express more needs around both mental health and financial education.

“There’s a lot of mistrust from the younger generations in the stock market and what’s going on economically today,” Ebner said of the latter. “They’ve lived through 9% inflation, they know that going to the grocery store is costing them a ton of money, they know they can’t buy a house right now with mortgage rates so high. So giving them a financial holistic wellness picture is important, and what a lot of them are looking for.”

At the same time, older workers can also benefit from that kind of perk, she added, in the same way that younger workers have driven the shift toward remote work and hybrid schedules that everyone now enjoys.

“It’s interesting to see some generational trends, and they’re not the same for everybody,” said Irene Costello, director of Operations at the Markens Group, an association-management firm in Springfield. “It’s forced us to become more flexible in our policies: remote work, time-off policies, reducing dress-code expectations. Earlier this year, we changed our time-off policy at the beginning of the year to adjust to the growing requests. A lot of organizations are doing it as well; some organizations are getting super flexible.”

It’s easier for a company like Markens, a small business where most staffers are under age 40, to make those changes, Costello added, but for larger companies with a more prominent cohort of Boomers and X-ers, it can be difficult to change the culture, alter policies around work-life balance, and … well, be flexible at all. “From the employer’s side, it’s challenging.”

For this issue’s focus on business management, BusinessWest delves into the different work styles and expectations of the four main generations in the workplace, how they influence each other, and why their differences can be positive.

 

Change Agents

It should be noted that two other generations are in play as well: the pre-Boomer Traditionalists, the youngest of whom are entering their 80s, and some of whom still work; and Gen Alpha, the oldest of whom are in high school and starting to seek summer jobs and internships.

Cindy Ryan

Cindy Ryan

“While you can’t make sweeping assumptions about any generation, it is safe to say that there are different drivers and motivators for employees across different age groups.”

That’s quite a broad spectrum of employees working together, often with dramatically different expectations and work styles. While broad stereotypes hardly fit everyone, Traditionalists and Boomers are known for appreciating structure, stability, and clear expectations, while Gen X and Millennials are more apt than their older counterparts to prioritize work-life balance, collaboration, efficiency, and, as noted, benefits that speak to personal wellness.

“With older generations, there’s some aversion to change, some difficulty adapting to new technologies and new processes overall,” Costello said, adding quickly that there’s plenty of crossover in what different workers want. “We have a very young staff. I’m 29 years old. But even though I’m younger, I love to see people coming into the office five days a week, to be visible.”

What many employers are dealing with now, in a post-COVID era where companies in many sectors are struggling to recruit and retain talent, is the fact that the growing cohort of younger workers has some leverage to stand up for their own needs and desires, Ryan said.

“As such, we can start to draw different conclusions as to what different generations want from their employers,” she added. “Younger generations, for example, often feel more drawn to work for a company that is committed to bettering their communities.”

As a result, she explained, MassMutual offers a volunteer time-off policy that allows employees to take paid volunteer days to support local initiatives they are passionate about. “In the grand scheme, offering benefits and perks that meet the needs of different generations are now major points of emphasis for employers who are looking to attract and retain talent.”

That’s true of other benefits as well, Ryan said, noting that MassMutual offers benefits that support mental, physical, and financial health; provide flexible working arrangements; and deliver opportunities for networking and internal connection, all priorities for younger workers, not to mention a bereavement-leave policy where employees can define who their loved ones are.

Irene Costello

Irene Costello says open communication in the workplace can create a healthier environment for workers of all ages.

“Holistically,” she added, “it’s about supporting all employees’ well-being in ways that are meaningful to them.”

And, as noted earlier, many changes driven by the youngest workers wind up benefiting everyone.

“The X-ers and the Boomers have learned that, ‘hey, we’re getting this better life-work balance because these younger generations have demanded it. And employers can’t throw down the 60-hour work week demands anymore,’” Ebner said. “So it’s a gift that has been given to them by these younger generations.”

At the same time, she added, the pendulum may be starting to swing back in some sectors — layoffs at large technology companies have been in the news recently, for example — which may reduce some of that employee leverage and change the power dynamic.

One interesting — and, to some, concerning — generational trend, Costello noted, is the reluctance of Zoomers and younger Millennials to engage in chambers of commerce and other business associations.

“Boomers, Gen X, and maybe older millennials are of the mindset where it’s the right thing to do. Someone goes and buys a membership to be part of the chamber of commerce, part of an industry association, paying dues to the industry as a whole,” she explained.

“Now, with the younger generations, folks are looking for a tangible takeaway. Is it a résumé builder? Is there something of value at this conference, some credentialing? Instead of just going to build community, what am I getting from this networking?”

That’s an unprecedented shift, Costello added.

“It’s getting harder and harder to keep growing association memberships because of that. And it’s causing everyone in associations to reconsider their offerings: ‘what do you want? What can we do to change the offerings to keep you as a member, as a part of this community?’”

Though it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons, she suspects people feel life is more hectic and stressful post-COVID, and don’t necessarily want to commit time to a two-hour board meeting at the end of the day.

“The younger generation is prioritizing work-life balance, mental health, and their personal lives over what they’re giving to the community, what they’re putting into work,” she told BusinessWest. “They’re protecting and advocating for themselves and their own interests rather than looking at it from a community perspective.”

 

Let’s Talk

When it comes to managing multiple generations, Ebner said, EANE has been asked to develop some unique trainings, like etiquette training, and how to come back to the office and dress properly. “You know, the yoga pants usually aren’t allowed in the office; flip-flops are a big no-no.

“And we’re getting asked to go back to the basics for some organizations — how to have a conversation with someone when you’re sitting in a room with them. We’re all very bold on the phone, by email, via Zoom. But we’re not in a room with someone watching body language. We need to relearn some of these skills, like how to have a respectful conversation. Being polite is something we’re kind of retraining people on.”

Speaking of communication, teaching the different generations how to talk to one another is critical as well — and can strengthen workplace culture.

“Different generations will naturally bring different perspectives to the table, which is especially important when building a workforce that reflects the markets and communities that we serve,” Ryan said. “This is why we’re always working to create an environment where all feel seen, heard, valued, and respected.”

One innovative initiative is MassMutual’s reverse mentoring program, where members of its Young Professionals Business Resource Group mentor senior executives, she added. It’s a concept that’s been discussed at EANE as well.

“We have some employers that are doing reverse mentoring,” Ebner said. “They’re pairing a Z with a Boomer or an X-er, and they’re having them work together on projects. So, instead of the Boomer mentoring just one way to the newer employee, who’s just coming into the work world, it’s kind of a collaborative back and forth, where the Z is also teaching the Boomer a few tricks. It’s very positive.”

That doesn’t diminish the importance of the traditional mentorship model, of course.

“I have somebody on my team who’s been there for 30 years in association management,” Costello said. “I’m her manager, but she comes into the office and teaches me something every day. I turn to her in confidence. I say, ‘I trust you. Obviously, you’ve done this for 30 years. You have a different perspective.’

“You want everyone on the team to question everyone else — to question everything, in a good way,” she added. “Does this make sense? Is there a better way to do this? Why are we doing this? Why are we still doing this?”

The alternative is a non-communicative culture than can quickly turn toxic, where everyone is putting up walls, Costello noted.

“When no one wants to hear somebody else’s perspective, that’s emotionally draining; no one enjoys it, and no one stands to benefit from it on either side. We have a really strong focus on our culture and that full-circle communication, giving and receiving feedback, no matter who we are, no matter what position we’re in or what project we’re working on.”

Ebner agreed that communication is crucial in effective business management.

“You need to pay attention to the differences, but also don’t think we’re so different that there aren’t some similarities. When employers are struggling, I always say, focus on the things that we have in common. Focus on building that respectful workplace culture where you’ve got one-on-one conversations happening between employee and manager.”

And make sure younger workers have a voice, she added, because at most companies, they’ll be the majority of the team soon, if they aren’t already. “That’s your strategic secret weapon right there: building cross-generational work teams, so they can collaborate and bring the best of all the different thought processes together.”

In other words, bridging the generation gap brings benefits across the board — from the company’s office culture to its bottom line.

Sexton Roofing & Siding Thrives Under New, ‘Extreme’ Ownership

By
Owner Sasha Wilde
Home Improvement Special Coverage

On the House

Owner Sasha Wilde

Owner Sasha Wilde

 

After almost 40 years operating the small roofing company that bears his name, Everett Sexton was looking to retire.

At the same time, Sasha and Tim Wilde, who had spent about a decade as project managers in the corporate world, were looking for a new, entrepreneurial challenge.

They found it in roofing, acquiring Sexton Roofing & Siding from its founder a little over a year ago.

“We did large-scale pharmaceutical construction projects, and we decided, after 10-plus years in that career, that we wanted to break out and do something on our own,” Sasha, now president of the company, explained. “A couple of friends of ours bought a business in 2022, and that’s when we learned about buying businesses. So I started doing all the research, doing analysis, reading books, listening to podcasts, just doing everything I could to get educated on the subject of buying businesses.”

The Wildes were living in New Hampshire at the time and wanted to stay in New England, and relocated to Western Mass. to buy Sexton, which is headquartered in West Hatfield.

“People will come to us for siding, windows, or they want to do their roof and their siding, or their roof and their gutters. So we like being able to be that one-stop shop for them so that they don’t have to go and deal with multiple contractors to try to get a project done.”

“Everett Sexton founded it in 1985 and just kind of slowly built his business over the years,” Sasha noted. “The amount of work that he did was very impressive. He had a really great work ethic. It was just work he did, and then, about 10 years ago, he started using subcontractors, so he was able to run one or two jobs a day for the whole roofing season.”

It was a model that appealed to her and Tim, who are among just four full-time employees — Tim is the sales manager and roofing and siding specialist, while they also employ a general manager and business manager — and the field work is subcontracted.

“She really did a lot of homework, and then used that to evaluate 50 or 60 businesses of all types,” Tim said. “She had a very elaborate spreadsheet to evaluate how much they make, what their staff looks like, all this different criteria. And by looking at so many in so many different sectors, she could see this was a good one. You have to see a lot to know what’s good and bad. She put in the time.”

A year later, they’re growing their presence in the region, and while the anxiety of going into business for oneself never completely goes away, it’s also been tempered by a steady flow of roofing jobs, as well as siding, windows, and doors.

“We were kind of buried with learning how to run it last year,” Sasha told BusinessWest. “So we spent a lot of our offseason really thinking about that, and trying to refine our core values, our mission.”

That mission, posted on the wall of their office, is simple: “to change the way people think about the roofing industry, one roof at a time. We lead with integrity, treat everyone like family, and strive to make a positive impact on our community. By taking extreme ownership of our roles, we lift our team members up and pave the way for a better future.”

When asked what extreme ownership means, she responded, “it really just means that we don’t make excuses for anything. We see something, and we solve the problem. We don’t wait for things to become a problem. This is a small business; there’s only four of us. So there’s no one else to do the thing. If we see a thing that needs to be done, we have to do it.”

 

Getting Up to Speed

Under new ownership, Sexton expanded quickly, Sasha said.

“When we got the business, he just did roofs — asphalt shingle and flat. We quickly ended up expanding into siding, windows, and doors because the salesman we had at the time really wanted to sell those things. And we said, ‘OK, let’s try it.’

“For the most part, we spend most of our marketing budget on roofing. That’s what we like focusing on,” she added. “But people will come to us for siding, windows, or they want to do their roof and their siding, or their roof and their gutters. So we like being able to be that one-stop shop for them so that they don’t have to go and deal with multiple contractors to try to get a project done.”

Like under Everett Sexton’s ownership, the company’s bread and butter is asphalt shingle roofing for residential and commercial clients, and it also offers EPDM rubber membranes for flat roofs.

Tim and Sasha Wilde

Tim and Sasha Wilde

“We have a couple different flat-roof options that we offer,” she said. “There’s a mineral-roll roofing, which is also an asphalt product that you can use on low-slope and flat roofs. And we’ve expanded our roofing services; our crew installs corrugated metal, and we have a relationship with a metal roof company, so we can do standing seam as well.”

In many ways, Sasha is satisfied with how the first year has gone. “I say that thoughtfully because I’m not sure what expectations I had going into this. Last year was just pretty wild, with us executing as fast as we could and learning. This year, it’s been a lot more thought and a lot of processes being put in place,” she noted, from bringing in customer relationship management software in the spring to hiring a general manager with 15 years of experience in the field.

“I have pretty ambitious plans to grow the business,” she added. “But, most importantly, I don’t want to lose touch with our mission and our core values. We’re also always looking to hire — we’re bringing on a new salesperson in a few weeks who will specialize in siding and windows and really help build out our services in that way. So we have ambitious plans to grow, but we want to stay local and family-owned and community-focused.”

“Our life is so different now. I mean, it’s been quite drastically changed from the corporate world to being your own boss. The difference between talking to a high-level pharma client versus a homeowner is just so much different, and this is more enjoyable.”

In doing so, she also wants to continue to invest in employees as one key to the company’s collective success and continuous improvement, through efforts like training programs, access to educational resources, and support for career-advancement initiatives.

Meanwhile, Sexton Roofing & Siding continues to obtain new certifications, recently becoming an IKO roofing craftsmen premier contractor, a certified Velux skylight installer, and WeatherBond certified.

 

Steady Slope

Sasha said it’s gratifying to work with many different types of customers.

“We work with real people solving real problems. It’s rewarding to see the transformation from what they had to what they have now,” she said, adding that another motivating factor for stepping into the world of entrepreneurship was to set an example for their two sons.

“When we bought the business, we just wanted to show our boys that there are many paths to choose in life, and you don’t necessarily have to go the W-2 route. You can do entrepreneurship. We just wanted to show them there are many paths, and to take risks and not be afraid of failure, because you learn so much in failure.”

Tim credits Sasha for easing some of the initial anxiety.

“When we finally decided on this business, I think some of the fear was taken away because she had done so much homework and seen how much potential there was,” he said, adding that, like any entrepreneurial venture, “it felt … not safe, but at least it wasn’t terrifying.”

Sasha agreed. “With my background in operations, I can understand, if we make this amount of money, I can see where it’s coming from, where it’s going to, and we’ll have this amount of money at the end. Now, does it always go to plan? Not so much, but I at least have a guiding force to push us through this. So I would say it was a calculated risk. And rewarding, challenging, and stressful.”

She also gave Tim plenty of credit for getting the business off the ground — literally and figuratively.

“When we started, he was running all of our projects. He was actually out there stripping roofs with our crew. He was doing the hard work, meeting the homeowners, getting educated on exactly what goes into every single project that we have. And now that we’ve brought on a GM, we’ve been able to move Tim over into sales. And he really knows what he’s talking about now. He’s a very, very good speaker.”

Tim, for his part, has enjoyed the career change. “Our life is so different now. I mean, it’s been quite drastically changed from the corporate world to being your own boss. The difference between talking to a high-level pharma client versus a homeowner is just so much different, and this is more enjoyable.

“I like talking to people,” he added. “I like meeting people every single day, helping them solve their problems.”

 

Holyoke Hummus Celebrates 10 Years with Wholesale Launch

By
Owners Dawn Cordeiro and John Grossman
Cover Story

More Than a Food Truck

Owners Dawn Cordeiro and John Grossman

Owners Dawn Cordeiro and John Grossman

 

John Grossman and Dawn Cordeiro know how to pivot.

Not long after launching a successful food-truck enterprise called Holyoke Hummus in 2014, they saw an opportunity to open a storefront on High Street in Holyoke, called the Holyoke Hummus Café.

“We had that for four years, and it was just amazing to be there on High Street while also doing the truck, but it was a lot of work keeping both of those going,” Grossman recalled. “And when the pandemic happened, the foot traffic on High Street got so small that we couldn’t keep the restaurant open. We didn’t know what was going to happen. It took a few months before food trucks were even allowed to start serving again.”

But while COVID effectively killed the café, the food-truck business — specializing in falafel and hummus — continued to thrive, with regular appearances, about 10 months a year, on area streets and at events and festivals.

“We’ve been trying to find something more productive for us during the winter. We’ve always done catering, but the wholesale project, getting hummus into the grocery stores, we knew was a year-round proposition.”

“The food truck was great for us during lockdown because restaurant lobbies weren’t open. So we pivoted back to the truck and had a couple of temporary kitchen situations after we closed the restaurant,” Grossman recalled. Then, two years ago, he and Cordeiro, his wife and business partner, set up shop in the shared commercial kitchen of Mycoterra Farm in Deerfield.

“A friend of mine saw on their Facebook feed that they were starting to rent their kitchen out,” he noted. “It seemed remote to me, especially coming from from Holyoke, but then I started to think about the geography, and so much of our work was north of there. So we’re just as close to, say, our Northampton work as we were in Holyoke. And when I came to visit the kitchen, I saw what a great fit it was. I’ve always been looking for something that could accommodate the food-truck production as well as wholesale production.”

Which leads us to the latest pivot — the launch, three months ago, of Holyoke Hummus’s wholesale distribution business.

“Since we started 10 years ago, people were like, ‘oh, where else can I buy your hummus?’ We never planned to have a restaurant, but that happened, and we took that opportunity,” Cordeiro recalled, adding that wholesale was something they had long discussed as well. “We got to 2024, and I was like, ‘we have to make this work this year. This needs to happen.’”

While the truck is typically active from late winter through the end of December, outdoor events definitely slow down in January and February, and the couple saw wholesale as something they could do year-round.

The Holyoke Hummus truck

The Holyoke Hummus truck is active about 10 months of the year, John Grossman said.

“During the pandemic, we stayed open through the winter, out of necessity. But we’ve been trying to find something more productive for us during the winter,” Grossman said. “We’ve always done catering, but the wholesale project, getting hummus into the grocery stores, we knew was a year-round proposition.”

After completing the process to get their wholesale license, they connected with a nonprofit food distributor based in Brattleboro, Vt. called Food Connects.

“We do not want to be in the business of driving around and trying to figure out how to distribute. They know how to do that. We know how to make hummus, and we know how to talk to people about it and get them interested and excited about it.”

 

They’ve Bean Entrepreneurial

Backing up a bit (well, 10 years), Grossman has often told the story of how Holyoke Hummus started, when he attended the Holyoke Brick Race, an annual stock-car event in the Paper City, in 2013. Organizers arranged for food vendors, but none showed up. That was his inspiration for opening Holyoke Hummus, buying the truck known as the Great Garbanzo, and setting up shop across the region.

“We do one flavor of hummus on the truck, and people love the hummus; people have been asking us where they can we get the hummus when the truck isn’t out.”

He and Cordeiro hope the wholesale business sees similar growth and success. They intend to expand gradually and purposefully, starting at locally owned stores like Provisions, Cornucopia, Oliver’s Farmstand, and Brattleboro Food Co-Op.

“Food Connects serves 250 stores — including places that are very far away that we would never even know about, in Vermont and New Hampshire. But hyper-local was where we really wanted to start,” Grossman said, adding that he isn’t looking to get into large chains like Big Y — for now, anyway.

“That’s certainly something that we would consider, and I know that they’re very good to local distributors and local producers,” he told BusinessWest. “But we really want to build this business on our own terms. I’ve seen so many food businesses our size that can’t wait to get into the bigger chains, and they figure out how to ramp up production, and they invest in infrastructure and production, and then that giant account goes away. So we feel really great about the organic growth and interest that we have.”

the wittily named “hummus-flavored hummus.”

The company began wholesaling to area stores with just one product: the wittily named “hummus-flavored hummus.”

Food Connects specializes in those independent retailers and food co-ops, he added. “They’re pointed right at the people who we feel like would be buying us anyway. So we’ll grow in the kind of places we want to grow, using the food-truck business to bootstrap our way into the wholesale hummus business. That’s been giving us the capital that we need, as well as the PR capital.”

Another way Holyoke Hummus is starting slowly is with the items it’s wholesaling — or, more accurately, item.

“We’re doing one flavor. We’re doing hummus-flavored hummus. That gets a good chuckle from people all the time, and it resonates,” Grossman said.

“There are a million flavors of hummus out there, and everybody’s got their favorite, and that’s wonderful,” he went on. “But what food trucks do is focus on one thing. And you want to go back to that truck because you want to have that falafel or that pulled pork. It struck us that we do one flavor of hummus on the truck, and people love the hummus; people have been asking us where they can we get the hummus when the truck isn’t out.”

“I want to make sure that the business model is sustainable and something we know we can grow confidently before we start with other products.”

He said the inspiration for calling the packaged product ‘hummus-flavored hummus’ came from an ad campaign for Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which, for a while, pitched ‘vodka-flavored vodka,’ striving for authenticity in a vodka market overrun by trendy flavors.

“It’s the same kind of concept, and I really like it,” he noted. “It’s also easy when I’m talking to new stores and they say, ‘OK, how many SKUs do you have?’ ‘I’ve got this one SKU.’ ‘Oh, I can fit that in.’”

But the wholesale products will broaden, Grossman was quick to add.

“The next thing up, that people are very excited about, are our pita chips: ‘when are you going to do the pita chips?’ That’s probably something that I would turn to a co-packer for and not try and develop my own capacity to produce on a wholesale scale,” he explained. “But I really want to do the hummus very carefully, and I want to make sure that the business model is sustainable and something we know we can grow confidently before we start with other products.”

In a typical week, Holyoke Hummus focuses on food production on Monday, packaging and distributor pickup happen on Tuesday, and the food-truck activity typically takes place Thursday through Sunday, at places ranging from food co-ops to concerts and parties.

On the week, they spoke with BusinessWest, Grossman and Cordeiro were getting ready for a brewfest at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, a 50th-anniversary party at Cummington Supply, concerts at Look Park in Northampton and Tree House Brewing Co. in Deerfield, and a food-truck roundup in Brattleboro. “That’s a pretty heavy week — usually it’s two or three truck events,” Grossman said.

Cordeiro said it’s gratifying to be ingrained in the Pioneer Valley community through the truck and, now, through stores. “It’s exciting that we’re part of people’s milestones. I’ll hear, ‘my mom has loved you for the past 10 years. We’d love to have you at her 70th birthday party.’”

a popular sight at local events that welcome food trucks.

Holyoke Hummus has become a popular sight at local events that welcome food trucks.

Meanwhile, at weekly events like farmers’ markets in Northampton, fans will take home hummus for their fridge, she added, so it’s gratifying to be able to tell them, “by the way, you can get it in the store.”

 

Falafel-y Promising

The truck fare from Holyoke Hummus has remained fairly consistent over the past decade and now includes a variety of falafel sandwiches and plates; hummus served with pita chips, a soft pita, or carrots; and sides ranging from fried brussels sprouts to french fries to stuffed grape leaves.

“It’s authentic,” Cordeiro said, of both the food and the relationships they’ve built over the years. “We’re a trusted part of the community, and that’s lovely. These people are part of our lives.”

Grossman agreed. “The nature of our business is breaking bread with people. That’s what being in community events is all about — it’s a very connecting thing of eating food with people and sharing food with people. We really love that.”

And while they grow the wholesale business, they also see expanding opportunity with the food truck, and a Western Mass. market that is far from saturated. “It’s kind of like asking, are there enough restaurants out there?” Grossman said.

“Partnerships are really what make food trucks happen,” he went on. “If you’re not in a fixed location, a retail location where people are making it a destination, you need to have an Abandoned Building Brewery say, ‘we’re going to do Food Truck Friday and bring 1,000 people together,’ and make partnerships that way. And the concert venues — Tree House is doing so many more shows now than they did before. So the cultural growth of food trucks, in partnership with more venues, is still definitely on the rise.”

Some of those partnerships are long-lasting; one of Holyoke Hummus’s earliest events was at Abandoned Building’s first anniversary, and it just had a presence at the Easthampton brewery’s 10th anniversary.

Relationships with local cities and towns are important, too, Cordeiro added. “Even the restaurant community understands that, ‘oh, right, food trucks aren’t going to take away from our business. How can we work together?’”

As it enters its second decade, the couple have recognized their growing stature as mentors to newcomers on the food-truck landscape.

“That’s been a really nice thing for us as well, talking to trucks coming on the scene over the last couple of years,” Grossman told BusinessWest. “When I was starting out, I know I was running around, hanging out at other trucks, asking them questions. There were some really great trucks that answered my questions and were helpful; they were sort of like the elder statespeople of food trucks in the Valley. They were scrappy and doing it when there were far less opportunities. To become that food truck that’s able to help and talk with other trucks as they get going, that’s been exciting.”

 

MassEducate Opens Up Free Community College to Everyone

By
Education Special Coverage

Access Granted

John Cook calls it “historic.”

And he’s not alone among the region’s community-college presidents in lauding the potential of MassEducate, a state-funded program that makes community college free for everyone who meets enrollment requirements and does not yet have a bachelor’s degree.

MassReconnect, which the state launched last summer to fully fund tuition, books, and supplies at community college for students over age 25, has already been a “game changer,” said Cook, president of Springfield Technical Community College, contributing to a 15% enrollment increase at STCC from the previous year.

“That’s an almost-unheard-of gain in higher education. And it’s hard not to attribute so much of that to the attention of adults on this idea of, ‘oh, I can come back; there’s a pathway for me.’ So it really did change our fortunes,” Cook noted. “We’ve seen about a 10-year decline in enrollments. With this major policy change, we were able to halt that and go in a different way.”

MassEducate, then, has the potential of building on MassReconnect significantly — and putting a college education within reach for everyone, regardless of economic status, Holyoke Community College (HCC) President George Timmons said.

“We’ve eliminated barriers and dealt with equity and access issues,” he told BusinessWest. “Regardless of your socioeconomic status, background, ethnicity, whoever you are, you can go from kindergarten to getting an associate degree as a right in the state of Massachusetts. That’s phenomenal. And it’s huge for the lowest socioeconomic members of society. While there still may be other barriers, finances will no longer be a barrier.”

George Timmons

George Timmons

“Regardless of your socioeconomic status, background, ethnicity, whoever you are, you can go from kindergarten to getting an associate degree as a right in the state of Massachusetts. That’s phenomenal.”

Michelle Schutt, president of Greenfield Community College, said GCC enrolled 256 MassReconnect students last year, which contributed to turning around an 11-year enrollment decline — a common story among community colleges over the past decade — with a 13% increase last fall. And MassEducate is expected to drive those numbers higher.

“It is so incredibly exciting,” she said when she spoke with BusinessWest on Aug. 7. “Applications are up 22% from last year on this date, acceptance is up 33%, and head count is up 11%. And last year, we got 300 students from August 10 to the first day of class, so those numbers should get even better. We couldn’t be more excited and appreciative of our elected officials who had the vision for this.”

MassEducate, a $117.5 million annual investment by the state, covers tuition and fees for all students, plus books and supplies for some. The program aims to support both economic opportunity for students and workforce development across a Massachusetts economy that has struggled, sector by sector, to recruit and retain talent in recent years.

Importantly, the program is a ‘last dollar’ investment, meaning students will still access federal funds, like Pell Grants, as well as state aid and scholarships, and MassEducate will pay the costs that remain, so it’s not funding anywhere near the full cost of a student’s education.

“It’s important to note that we didn’t leave any money on the table,” Timmons noted. “Basically, the state comes in and closes the deal for whatever gaps you may have.”

Schutt believes the program will have far-reaching impacts on students, families, and the economy.

Michelle Schutt

Michelle Schutt

“Now higher education can be attainable for more people, and that will change families for decades. I’m very passionate about the effects of education, particularly generationally. This will have such a huge impact on families, on the workforce, on social mobility.”

“It is surreal that K-12 education became free in the Commonwealth in the early 1800s, and here we are, almost 200 years later, finally giving higher education the support it needs,” she said. “Now higher education can be attainable for more people, and that will change families for decades. I’m very passionate about the effects of education, particularly generationally. This will have such a huge impact on families, on the workforce, on social mobility.”

 

Back to School

Schutt served on a MassEducate planning committee that met every other week throughout most of the 2023-24 academic year; the group, about 30 in all, included elected officials, business leaders, union representatives, administrators, financial-aid officers, faculty, and others.

“I’ll be honest — I’ve spent my entire life in higher education, but I never guessed this would be so complicated. People had all different perspectives on it, and that’s what these committees should be — we shouldn’t be all monolithic thinkers,” she said.

“Some people wanted to cap the total; other people wanted the students supported up to the total cost of attendance at a community college, which can be $20,000 a year. Others thought it should only be for students in particular majors — high-demand fields. Some thought if they already had an associate degree, they shouldn’t get another. All voices were brought to the table, and we had great conversations.”

Cook said the college presidents, through the Massachusetts Assoc. of Community Colleges, had a strong voice in the process.

“It was a great lift last year to help launch MassReconnect, and now, the universalness of MassEducate will further add to that. And we’re excited,” he said. “I’ve said before that MassReconnect was a game changer. But MassEducate is historic.”

While many graduating high-school seniors will still prefer to attend a four-year college right from the outset, time will tell how many will pivot to a debt-free first two years before entering the workforce with an associate degree or transferring to earn a bachelor’s degree.

“We have some very robust early-college pathways, and we work closely with a couple of different high schools to put credits in high-school students’ hands,” Cook added. “So it’s just natural to have them know there’s a no-cost avenue to continue on with STCC.”

The committee Schutt participated in discussed whether MassEducate should cover only tuition and fees, but the final bill that passed also included books and supplies for those who qualify based on family income.

John Cook

John Cook

“I’ve said before that MassReconnect was a game changer. But MassEducate is historic.”

“We talked a lot on the committee about the opportunity cost of education. Tuition and fees are not the only cost,” she explained. “Transportation, childcare, all the things that we face every single day, those don’t go away because you have free tuition. So that was the motivation behind helping with book costs.”

Schutt expects some prospective students will hear about MassEducate too late this summer to meet the requirements for the fall semester, and as a result, she feels enrollment increases won’t happen all at once.

“Students found out about this two weeks ago, they haven’t started the FAFSA process, and it’s challenging to get enrolled for the fall because of the steps they have to take to be eligible to enroll in this program. My gut says we’ll see a much more significant uptick in the spring, and then, next fall, we’re going to see the full effect.”

Timmons agreed. “Given the cyclical chain of events, we’ll probably see a greater impact in the spring and in subsequent years. You’ll see a significant bump as people know about it and have time to apply to FAFSA and MASFA again.”

Cook, like Timmons and Schutt, is gratified with the outcome of the bill, and grateful for the legislators who supported it.

“We saw some real champions out this way, and we saw a willingness by the House and the Senate to negotiate to this point,” he told BusinessWest, adding that, because of the success of MassReconnect, “we really had a way last year to build a line of sight toward this outcome. Many, many people saw the value and benefit, and that helped us arrive here today.”

 

Degrees of Progress

Timmons noted that community colleges in Massachusetts saw an 8% enrollment bump in 2023 following passage of MassReconnect — and 45% among the over-25 crowd. That was heartening in more ways than one; not only did colleges benefit, but the program was actively targeting the fact that some 750,000 Massachusetts adults have started a college degree but not finished it.

“That seemed like low-hanging fruit, and MassReconnect really bears evidence of that,” he said, before noting that MassEducate has, at its heart, the same goals of access and equity.

“I’m so passionate about this work of education. It is the great equalizer. Once you have an education and all the rights and privileges of that degree, you can earn a livable, sustainable wage, you can take care of yourself and your family, and you can literally change the trajectory of a family. You’re not only changing your own life, but the lives of your children and your grandchildren.

“That’s amazing,” he went on. “Think about the impact on people in Massachusetts who will be paying taxes, earning livable wages, and entering the middle class and beyond, who otherwise would not be able to do so. And from a workforce-development standpoint, employers are getting a much more educated and prepared workforce to do the work that is needed.”

Graduates can connect with those jobs in more than one way, Cook said, noting that some might not realize they can enter good careers at a sub-bachelor’s level, in fields ranging from STEM to healthcare, and now do it without debt.

“And we know that our baccalaureate partners will also be the recipients down the road when students transfer. We look forward to that. This is just so significant for Massachusetts,” he added. “The term I use is, community colleges can become an equity engine for higher education.”

At STCC, where more than half the population are students of color, many of whom are first-generation college students in their families, the idea that even more students, especially those from lower-income families, may be able to access and education and a career is exciting, Cook said. “MassConnect demonstrated that, when you can get people’s attention, you will get the outcomes that you want.”

“Think about the impact on people in Massachusetts who will be paying taxes, earning livable wages, and entering the middle class and beyond, who otherwise would not be able to do so.”

One challenge now, Timmons said, is to make sure new students at HCC have the resources they need to succeed.

“With an influx of students, we have to focus on success and completion and how to scale up our support services for students. We’ve dealt with equity and access. Now, how do we remove the barriers to get them across the finish line and right out into the workforce or transferring to a four-year institution? These are good problems to have. I’d rather have these problems than not have them. And over time, we’ll address them as we need to.

“There’s still time to enroll,” Timmons was quick to add. “All you have to do is approach your local community college, express interest, and as long as they meet the program requirements and follow the steps, anyone in Massachusetts can start a new path toward a better way of life, which is pretty exciting for me.”

Architects Say Project Diversity Is Key to Weathering Challenges

By
Aelan Tierney says Kuhn Riddle Architects has long been involved in numerous sectors
Architecture Special Coverage

Drawing on Experience

Aelan Tierney says Kuhn Riddle Architects has long been involved in numerous sectors

Aelan Tierney says Kuhn Riddle Architects has long been involved in numerous sectors so it can nimbly shift when the economy does.

When it comes to thriving in the world of architecture, diversity goes a long way.

“During the pandemic, we were working on a lot of large single-family homes,” said Aelan Tierney, president of Kuhn Riddle Architects in Amherst. “That market seems to have slowed down, but higher education is still probably about 50% of our work.”

At the same time, she said, commercial work has declined a bit in the last couple of years. “I’m not quite sure what it is between the economy or construction costs or interest rates, because they all feed into each other,” she noted. But at the same time, the firm has recently tackled numerous multi-family housing developments, both market-rate and affordable, as communities across Massachusetts continue to face an acute need for more of them.

In short, Kuhn Riddle, like many firms, adapts to what the market is offering, she added. “That has always been our strategy, to do a little bit of everything so that we can shift when the economy shifts.”

The situation is similar at Caolo & Bieniek Architects in Chicopee, where educational and municipal projects — schools, public safety, senior centers, libraries, and the like — continue to provide a healthy pipeline of projects, though Curtis Edgin, the firm’s president, doesn’t expect the flow to remain unchanged forever.

“I’m not quite sure what it is between the economy or construction costs or interest rates, because they all feed into each other.”

“That’s why we’re diversified, working in different sectors. Some of that government money, as a result of the pandemic, has begun to taper off a little bit. But they’re still spending it,” he noted. “We’ve also got some commercial projects — healthcare projects, offices, that type of thing — going on. But probably 70% to 75% of our work is public-sector work, whether it’s housing authorities or other projects.”

Kevin Rothschild-Shea, president of ArchitectureEL in East Longmeadow, said his firm continues to stay busy post-COVID, with a number of multi-family residential projects and a growing niche in municipal work, notably a series of projects in Holyoke.

Specifically, AEL has provided services for the city and its public schools as their on-call architect for the past two years, completing a roof and skylight replacement for the Department of Public Works, a roof and skylight replacement for the City Hall Annex, a roof replacement for the Holyoke Children’s Museum and Volleyball Hall of Fame, heating upgrades for the McMahon VRF, historical renovations on the City Council chambers located at City Hall, and HVAC system replacements in the city’s elementary schools. Most recently, it secured an on-call architect contract for the Holyoke Housing Authority.

Principals (from left) Bert Gardner, Curtis Edgin, and Jim Hanifan say Caolo & Bieniek Architects continues to stay busy in the post-pandemic years.

Principals (Principals (from left) Bert Gardner, Curtis Edgin, and Jim Hanifan say Caolo & Bieniek Architects continues to stay busy in the post-pandemic years.
continues to stay busy in the post-pandemic years.

“Diversity continues to be there for us,” Rothschild-Shea said, noting that his firm has significant experience in accessibility, historic preservation, educational, and commercial design, as well as both private and multi-family residential development. “It’s always been competitive, but we haven’t had any trouble with workflow. Word of mouth continues to be one of the strongest methods of obtaining new work on the commercial side. It’s evolving work, and we continue to respond to an ever-changing climate.”

 

Challenges Persist

What hasn’t changed — though they have eased in some ways — are the challenges architects have felt in recent years from supply-chain issues and higher costs.

“It’s a lot less, but there are some elements — like some particular electrical items — that are still causing delays on projects,” said Jim Hanifan, vice president at Caolo & Bieniek. “If we have a big project, a year-plus, everyone knows what materials have problems and get them ordered the second day of the job. The problem is the smaller ones that are only summer jobs; there’s not enough time. You have to pick the materials that you can get. You can’t wait on certain things, or you’ll never get the job done.”

“We’re educating the end user on how to operate systems. That’s something that’s changed in the last 10 years — as part of the design, we build in the training.”

And these are often critical items, he noted. “You can’t have a police station or a fire station without a generator. That’s the kind of thing you’ve got to plan around. Part of the job now is to make sure you can get the materials and get them on time and get them installed and certified, all within a certain time period.”

Another element regarding equipment is how much more complicated some of it is, particularly in the energy-efficiency realm, Hanifan said, and clients need to take into account both their budget and ease of use.

“If you’re going to spend more money on more efficient and better equipment, how long does it really take to pay for that back, and is it worth it? The other part is maintenance. We’ve had clients that want the most sophisticated, the top of the line of everything, but if you don’t have the staff or the crew to maintain it, it’s a headache; it never will operate or be as efficient as it’s supposed to be. So that’s a factor that should always be considered with those systems.”

Bert Gardner, also a vice president with Caolo & Bieniek, agreed.

“Sometimes it causes confusion. So the challenge is, how do you simplify that for the end user as much as possible, because a lot of places don’t have the staff to troubleshoot when things go wrong. We’re educating the end user on how to operate systems. That’s something that’s changed in the last 10 years — as part of the design, we build in the training. We talk to the owner about what the systems are going to be and who they’ve got available to be trained on the systems and how long are they going to need to train. We write it right into the specs for the lighting controls — plan for two days for you to get your staff up to speed on how the lights work in the building.”

This architect’s rendering from Kuhn Riddle shows a mixed-use project

This architect’s rendering from Kuhn Riddle shows a mixed-use project centered around the historic Hastings building in Amherst, which will include five stories of residential units, helping meet a need for more housing in town.

Tierney said current energy codes are moving the world in a positive direction with respect to reducing energy use and the carbon impact of buildings, but owners, architects, builders, and code officials are all having to learn very quickly how to meet these new code requirements. At Kuhn Riddle, that has led to a recent emphasis on passive-house design and certification, which focuses on dramatic energy-use reduction for space heating and cooling.

“We currently have one certified passive-house consultant and five others training to become passive-house designers,” she told BusinessWest. “We understand the detailing that’s required behind passive-house design and the process you have to get through to get passive-house-certified to meet the energy-code requirements. So that’s an expense that, as designers, we’re taking on in terms of getting our staff certified, but then there are layers of construction costs associated with that as well, and testing that needs to happen. It’s all good; it’s just expensive.”

It’s also one way Kuhn Riddle provides professional-development opportunities to its team, Tierney said.

“I think they appreciate having the opportunity to learn a new skill, and it’s obviously a benefit to us to have that expertise, to be able to say to developers, ‘yes, we have five people who are passive-house-certified consultants, and we can do your projects.’”

More broadly, she went on, “in becoming an architect, you have to go through education, training, and then take exams. We’ve been paying for the study software and materials, and then we also pay for people to take their exams. Anybody coming out of college is in debt from going to school, so that additional expense of having to pay for study materials and exams, we just want to take that pressure away. And as people get licensed, that’s a benefit to the firm.”

 

Opportunity Knocks

The firms we spoke with have all had success bringing in young talent, even though they acknowledged it’s not the easiest field.

“It’s hard work. There are more lucrative industries to get into, given the amount of work versus the salary,” Edgin said. “So what do we do to attract them? We give you a lot of opportunity, I’ll say that. You’re not pigeonholed into doing just one little task. Continuing education is important to help folks grow and reach their goals. We support that and encourage that.”

Angela Johnson

Angela Johnson

“Someone going into architecture doesn’t necessarily have to choose a certain role. You can be in all kinds of different places within the field.”

Angela Johnson, who went to school for architecture and is now the firm’s marketing assistant, agrees.

“I’ve been here almost three years now, and I’ve definitely learned a lot. Seeing different sides of how it all connects is really eye-opening,” she said. “Someone going into architecture doesn’t necessarily have to choose a certain role. You can be in all kinds of different places within the field. Whether you want to go into the sustainability side, or if you want to go into spec drawing or doing renderings or other things, it’s all about how you want to approach the field, and I think that’s unique to architecture. A lot of industries don’t have that much of a bandwidth.”

Rothschild-Shea said his firm has had success with entry-level interns and entry-level architects, adding that his team members appreciate the relationship aspects of the business. “I think we continue to be people-centric at our core; what we’re doing is designing buildings for people, and we certainly continue to focus on service and taking care of people.”

After all, Tierney said, this is a career in which professionals can bring a job from the drawing board to often very impressive fruition, and that’s a draw for many young people.

“That’s probably my favorite part of the job,” she told BusinessWest — “to draw something on a piece of paper, show it to a client who gets excited about it, and then see it literally come out of the ground and walk through the building with them and have them say, ‘this is exactly what I wanted.’”