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

Adkins, Carnedius
Adkins, Freda F.
4 Cranberry Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/20/09

Arnold, Jennifer L.
1010 Dunhamtown-Brimfield
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/27/09

Barrett, Robert P.
Barrett, Michelle L.
a/k/a Hannah, Michelle Laurie
30 Cooper St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/26/09

Bisaillon, Michelle Anne
9 Keefe Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/16/09

Carrasquillo, Hector L.
95 Sumner Ave., Unit 3
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/19/09

Cauley, William J.
334 Jarvis St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Champagne, Walter T.
126 Clement St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/19/09

Chatterton, Kelli-Ann
236 Chapman St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Chechile, Frances M.
a/k/a Chechile, Francesca M.
280 Nassau Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/27/09

Coulombe, Kathleen Dorothy
116 Church St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/09

Damiano, Frank P.
118 Mashapaug Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Davis, Christopher
10 Sumner Ave., Apt. 28
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/09

Dejesus, Erasmo
79 Leete St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/20/09

Dimitroff, Franklin S.
Dimitroff, Marie-Claude R.
241 Shoemaker Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/16/09

Dodge, Samantha Gene
244 Elm St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/22/09

Doubleday, Lizbeth T.
PO Box 177
Deerfield, MA 01342
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Dugas, Michael P.
Dugas, Sylvie E.
14 South Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/20/09

Duquette, Elzear F.
65 Eden Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Fiorda, Barbara A.
33 Morse St., #1
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Fischer, Charles E.
156 Mohawk Forest Blvd.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/17/09

Fournier, Curtis M.
28 Alfred Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Gauthier, Scott D.
40 Reed Hill Road
Wales, MA 01081-9764
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/26/09

Gonyer, Bernard James
Gonyer, Linda Marie
8 Clark Ave.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Gore, Carl J.
Gore, Kyra M.
176 Pinedale Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Groves, Alexander J.
Groves, Lorraine P.
30 Maple St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/09

Haas, Randolph W.
7 Clinton Ave., Apt. 4R
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Her, Chong H.
Her, Shoua K.
a/k/a Khang, Shoua
PO Box 204
South Barre, MA 01074
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/22/09

Hurrye, Frank
17 Baywood St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/19/09

Kennon, Ronald E.
88 Brooks Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/22/09

Lacombe, Michael Anthony
62 Thyme Lane
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/20/09

  

LaMagdelaine, Richard James
LaMagdelaine, Dawn Marie
216 Elm St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/09

Landis, Theodore C.
27 Smithfield Court
Springfield, MA 01108-3129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/22/09

Lloyd, Christine M.
18 Palmer Road, #7
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/09

Mackie, Shaun D.
206 Appleton Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/26/09

Maguire, Fred L.
104 Old Hickory Road
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/09

Mainville, Paul R.
PO Box 654
West Warren, MA 01092
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/24/09

Malouin, Dorothy B.
5 Powers Mill Road
Phillipston, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Mattieu, Camilla Claudia
Botta, Roberto Geremia
32 Green St.
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/20/09

McGinley, Scott J.
Lauterbach, Rebecca S.
42 Eton Street
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

McMahon, Guy Joseph
McMahon, Donna Lee
42 Grove St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/19/09

Mitchell, Morgan G.
Mitchell, Kathleen A.
a/k/a Parkinson, Kathleen A.
34 Bayberry Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/27/09

Montori, Lisa A.
13 Dana St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/22/09

Morales, Iris M.
574 Plainfield St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/19/09

Murphy, Betty A.
235 Beech St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/26/09

O’Connell, Tamara L.
85 Carlton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/27/09

Oliveras, Angel
Oliveras, Liliana
718 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/16/09

O’Neill, Wendy J.
a/k/a Petell, Wendy J.
128 High St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/16/09

Pond, Daniel W.
Pond, Teresa M.
1393 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/19/09

Presnal, Thaddeus Joseph
340 Grove St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/16/09

Randall, Toby E.
Randall, Rebecca J.
a/k/a Brown, Rebecca
6 Hastings St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/09

Raymond, Scott M.
314 Fredette St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/26/09

Rivera, Cynthia
163 Farnum Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Rivera, Deborah
43 Woodcliff St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/19/09

Robinson, Deborah S.
P.O. Box 369
Leeds, MA 01053
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/09

Servis, Tiffany M.
a/k/a Blakesley, Tiffany M.
24 South West St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/26/09

Shafer, Pamela M.
6 Shaw Road
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/24/09

Shirley’s Childcare
Griffith, Shirley Marie
6 Roosevelt Ter.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/23/09

Silvia, James F.
Silvia, Cheryl A.
245 Dorset Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/19/09

Vanuni, Kristine
149 Chantilly Ave.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/26/09

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Departments

Bright Nights Launches 15th Season

SPRINGFIELD — The recent launch of the 15th season of Bright Nights at Forest Park included details of a new display, “Winter Garden,” a new logo, and a master plan to provide maintenance and improvements to the park. Wanting to make a major impact on the 2009 season, the “Winter Garden” display will extend the holiday lighting experience by a quarter-mile. The icy blue and white lights will transport visitors to a garden with frost-covered urns, snowflake towers, a fountain, deer, snowflakes, and a carousel. While many pieces are new, some were donated by Tower Square. To ensure the longevity of Bright Nights at Forest Park, the Spirit of Springfield and the Springfield Department of Parks, Buildings & Recreation Management have prepared a comprehensive document, inventorying all 390 display pieces and planning for the constant renewal of the displays and the park. The five-year plan, 2009-2013, is expected to exceed $3 million, with support from the private and public sectors. Looking back at 2008, Bright Nights at Forest Park officials said the holiday season was a success. Vehicular traffic, both cars and buses, increased; there were 1,081 more cars than in 2007 and 19 more buses. Survey results show that, while in the area, visitors also frequented the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside, Yankee Candle, Friendly’s, Pizzeria Uno, and the Springfield Museums. The impact statement also takes into consideration the $283,000 paid to the City of Springfield (police, fire, and public works) for the season. For more information on Bright Nights at Forest Park, visit www.brightnights.org.

MassMutual Settles Battle With Ousted CEO

SPRINGFIELD — The legal battle between the MassMutual Financial Group and its former chief executive officer, Robert J. O’Connell, has ended, with both parties keeping specifics of the settlement under wraps. O’Connell had been fired by MassMutual’s board of directors in June 2005 for reasons including improperly flying on company aircraft, misusing trading accounts, interfering in the discipline of his son and son-in-law, both of who were employees of the company, as well as other infractions. Since the firing occurred, an arbitration panel ruled in favor of O’Connell in the fall of 2006, and in January 2007, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Allan van Gestel found no evidence of any problems with the arbitration panel’s hearings. In addition, the state Appeals Court dismissed MassMutual’s appeal of van Gestel’s ruling in favor of O’Connell. Last November, both MassMutual and O’Connell agreed to voluntarily dismiss the case, and the Appeals Court accepted that decision.

Survey: Economic Confidence Drops in Bay State

SPRINGFIELD — More than one-third of state residents believe the national economy will get worse over the next 12 months, and one-fifth believe their own financial situation also will worsen, according to the latest survey from the Western New England College Polling Institute. The telephone poll of 569 adults, conducted Feb. 2-11, also found that eight in 10 were very or somewhat confident that President Obama will make the right decisions about the economy. Nearly 70% approved of the job that Obama is doing as president, while only 11% disapproved, and 21% said they did not know or did not offer an opinion. The poll, which has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4%, found that 39% of residents believe the national economy will get worse over the next 12 months. That’s a 13-point increase since November, the last time the Polling Institute asked the question in a statewide survey. Nearly one-third (32%) said they expect the economy to get better, down seven points from November. Pessimism was highest among those ages 50 to 64, with 47% predicting the economy will deteriorate further. Young adults ages 18 to 29 were the most optimistic, with 50% saying they expect the economy to get better in the next 12 months. Complete results of the poll are available at www.wnec.edu/news.

Federal Reserve Predicts Economy to Shrink

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve has revisited its earlier predictions and now projects that the economy will shrink and unemployment will continue to rise in 2009. Under the new projections, the Fed expects the unemployment rate to rise to between 8.5% and 8.8% this year. The old forecasts, issued last November, predicted the jobless rate would rise to between 7.1% and 7.6%. Fed officials also predict the economy will contract in 2009 between 0.5% and 1.3%. The November forecast said the economy could shrink by 0.2%.

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Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of February 2009.

AGAWAM

Zymroz Landscape Construction, LLC
793 Silver St.
$150,000 — Construction of a storage building for a landscape company

AMHERST

Amherst College Trustees
Scott House
$740,000 — Conversion of an existing residence into new office space

PPG Nominee Trust I
25 North Pleasant St.
$2,500 — Replace siding

CHICOPEE

Montgomery Granby Partners, LLC
447 Montgomery St.
$764,000 — Construction of United Bank

GREENFIELD

Argotec Inc.
53 Silvio O. Conte Dr.
$169,000 — Installation of a structural steel mezzanine

Home Depot USA Inc.
278 Mohawk Trail
$71,000 — To reorganize the interior appliances, furniture, and walls


RGW Realty Trust
370 Deerfield St.
$1,200 — Interior renovations

HADLEY

Sandon Pearson
173 Russell St.
$35,000 — Build-out of interior space for Hillside Pizza

Sandon Pearson
173 Russell St.
$96,000 — Build out of three commercial spaces

HOLYOKE

Executive Trust
850 High St.
$83,000 — Interior renovations

Mechanical Properties, LLC
539-540 Canal St.
$17,000 — Office alterations

LUDLOW

Primavera Restaurant
257 East St.
$19,000 — Interior alterations

  

NORTHAMPTON

Cornerstone Chapel of Assembly of God
572 Bridge St.
$32,000 — New roof

Lathrop Community LLC
680 Bridge St.
$236,300 — New siding on buildings 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16

Pride Convenience, Inc.
375 King St.
$1,000 — Non-structural interior renovations

SOUTH HADLEY

Mt. Holyoke College
240 Ferry St.
$20,000 — New deck

SOUTHWICK

Westfield Savings Bank
456 College Highway
$4,125 — New ATM

SPRINGFIELD

Arnold St. Repairs, LLC
99 Arnold St.
$3,000 — Repair of water damaged non-bearing walls

BSC Realty
395-405 Dwight St.
$126,000 — Expansion of kitchen and seating at 350 Grill

Joli Hair Salon
1655 Boston Road
$36,000 — Interior renovations

Leigh Realty of Florida
633-635 Liberty St.
$133,000 — Renovations for Dollar Store

Mass Mutual
1500 Main St.
$95,000 — Alterations to Suite 601

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Goodless Electric
100 Memorial Ave.
$10,000 — Repair damage caused by motor vehicle

RME Enterprise
640 Riverdale St.
$687,000 — Renovate 4,891 square feet of commercial space for restaurant

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Departments

Tighe & Bond Wins Engineering Award

WESTFIELD — The American Council of Engineering Companies of Connecticut recently presented Tighe & Bond and the Aquarion Water Co. of Connecticut with an Engineering Excellence Grand Award for the Palmer Dam rehabilitation/Dean’s Mill Water Treatment Plant improvements project. Tighe & Bond provided engineering and construction-phase services for the $18.5 million project, which was constructed by Daniel O’Connell’s Sons of Holyoke. When Aquarion Water Co. acquired its Mystic System in 2002, the firm inherited a state Department of Environmental Protection consent order requiring repair of the Palmer Dam. Corrective measures were mandated because the dam’s spillway could not safely pass the volume of water projected in the event of flood conditions. Aquarion retained Tighe & Bond to engineer the Palmer Dam repairs because they proposed a cost-effective and innovative approach to solving the problem. The Palmer Dam impounds 88 million gallons of water in a reservoir which serves as one of two supply sources for a population of more than 10,000. The most significant result of completing the rehabilitation of the Palmer Dam last May is enhanced public safety, according to Tighe & Bond officials. They noted that the integrity of the dam is no longer in question.

Staffing Firm Opens at Northgate

SPRINGFIELD — Monroe Staffing Services, a Connecticut-based employment agency, will open its first Massachusetts office at Northgate Professional Center, 1985 Main St., by March 1, according to Northgate owner Andrew M. Cohen. He noted that Monroe Staffing will occupy a 1,400-square-foot suite, comprising the one remaining vacancy in the three-story office building. Monroe, a 40-year-old firm with nine Connecticut locations, provides staffing services in the areas of finance and accounting, information technology, clerical and office, light industry, and environmental work.

Pocket Wireless Opens in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — Pocket Wireless recently celebrated its grand opening at 599 Page Blvd. Local dignitaries including Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and business representatives were on hand for the festivities, which included a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Pocket Wireless offers a flat monthly rate for its unlimited wireless service, according to company officials. Pocket Wireless officials note that an estimated 200 retail locations are expected to open by the end of the first quarter of 2009. The company’s regional headquarters is located in Bloomfield, Conn.

Security Provider Receives Top 125 Award

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Securitas Security Services USA Inc. has been recognized for its outstanding training and development solutions and received the coveted “Top 125” Award from Training magazine. Judging is based on several criteria, including corporate universities, evaluation procedures, and internal best practices. The company provides specialized industry training, flash-based E-learning courses, scholarship programs, tuition reimbursement, recognition programs, and courses available through the Securitas Online Academy. For more information, visit www.securitasinc.com.

Hampden Bank Opens Branch

LONGMEADOW — Hampden Bank opened its latest branch at 916 Shaker Road on Feb. 17. The festivities included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with bank officials and local dignitaries. Thomas R. Burton, president and chief executive officer, noted in remarks that the bank opened the Shaker Road office to serve the existing customers and new customers in Longmeadow and Connecticut. For more information on the bank’s services, visit www.hampdenbank.com.

Company Raises $3,000 for United Way

WEST HATFIELD — Danco Modern/Danish Inspirations raised more than $3,000 during its Give Local promotion during the holiday season to benefit the United Way of Hampshire County. The retailer’s customers received extra savings on furniture purchases when they made a donation to the United Way, according to Peter Knapp, owner. Knapp noted that many of the customers participating in the fund-raiser were first-time donors, and Florence Savings Bank matched those contributions as part of a community effort to help the United Way.

Chicopee Savings Opens Ware Branch

WARE — William J. Wagner, president and CEO of Chicopee Savings Bank, announced the opening of the bank’s seventh branch at Gibbs Crossing, 350 Palmer Road, on Feb. 17. A host of bank representatives as well as town officials attended the event. Chicopee Savings also has locations in Chicopee, South Hadley, Ludlow, and West Springfield.

Dress Barn Assists Dress for Success Program

WESTFIELD — During mid-February, Dress Barn stores across the country sponsored a Dress for Success S.O.S. — Send One Suit — promotion to collect clothing from customers and donate them to underprivileged women in the local community. All donated suits were given to women seeking career development support. During the past seven years, more than 200,000 suits and separates have been donated by consumers to Dress Barn stores, which in turn have supported 60 Dress for Success affiliates throughout the United States. For more information on the Dress for Success program, visit www.dressforsuccess.org.

OPINION

By
Opinion
The Value of Teaching 21st-century Skills

Think strategically. Use technology wisely. Work collaboratively. Communicate effectively. And recognize how the world around you connects to everything you do.

Employees are expected to be steeped in these and other skills their first day on the job. In today’s weak economy, the resumes of those who don’t speak the language of the 21st century are quickly passed over.

That is why the debate over the value of teaching students so-called ‘21st-century skills’ is baffling. These skills include problem solving, financial and business literacy, global awareness, and innovation. A vocal minority disregard them as ‘soft skills,’ but others recognize them for what they truly are: the number-one job requirements for anyone interested in success after high school.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Task Force on 21st Century Skills recently released a set of recommendations of ways these skills can be integrated into the K-12 curriculum in Massachusetts. Since then, a debate has ensued between those who see the benefits of fully integrating these skills in schools and those who misinterpret this effort as a first step toward dismantling education reform.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The Commonwealth has long been seen as a leader in education reform, and our curriculum and performance standards are widely hailed as among the strongest in the country. Massachusetts has worked hard to earn its position as the top-performing state in the nation on measures like the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and in December it ranked among the top performers around the world on the Trends in Math and Science Study exam.

The simple fact is that a focus on standards and academics is no longer sufficient, as evidenced by persistent, troubling achievement gaps.

Our role now as policy makers, educators, business leaders, and parents is to provide students with the best of both worlds: a strong and challenging academic curriculum, and a full infusion of the 21st-century skills students will need to succeed outside of high school. Denying students the right to learn what we recognize is required by today’s employers goes against our goal of providing all students with all the tools they will need to succeed after high school, regardless of race, ethnicity, or ZIP code.

There is no shortage of research on this topic, and plenty of naysayers who dismiss these skills as ‘soft.’ But even Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews, a critic of the 21st-century skills movement, was forced to rethink his position after reading a recent report by the Education Sector. The turning point for him was a simple phrase: The best learning happens “when students learn basic content and processes . . . at the same time that they learn how to think and solve problems.”

This is not about teaching either academics or skills; this is about blending the two and teaching one using the other. Some teachers will need additional training to get there, the frameworks will need to be enhanced, and the vision of a ‘typical’ classroom will need to be rethought. Taking these and other necessary steps will move us in the direction the global economy demands and help provide students with the education they will need to compete with their international peers.

We cannot stand still. I am pleased to hear input on the specific recommendations as the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education begins its evaluation of the Task Force report and works with Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester to develop an implementation plan for the items deemed most important, but we cannot be paralyzed by an unreasonable fear that altering our course will curtail progress.

This is hard work, and it must be done in a careful, thoughtful way, but it must be done.-

Maura Banta chairs the Mass. Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and is the eastern regional manager for corporate affairs for the IBM Corp.

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Departments

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

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT

Dennis Wilson v. C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc.
Allegation: Employee negligence causing injury: $6,821.15
Filed: 12/19/08

Pignatare & Sagan LLC v. Cardinal Complete Door Distributor, LLC
Allegation: Breach of contract and unpaid balance due: $4,305
Filed: 1/28/09

GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Marker, LTD v. Trails Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $8,784.65
Filed: 2/05/09

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Louise Lucky v. New England Door Closure and TD Banknorth, N.A.
Allegation: Products liability and negligence causing personal injury: $19,797.31
Filed: 2/06/09

Martin Morales v. General Films Inc. and American Conveyor Corp.
Allegation: Products liability and negligence causing personal injury: $164,566.29+
Filed: 1/29/09

Town Fair Tire Centers Inc. v. Brake King Automotive Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $40,251.36
Filed: 2/05/09

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Diversified Financial Services v. Berkshire Blacktop
Allegation: Breach of contract and non-payment of promissory note: $25,824.48
Filed: 1/22/09

R & R Window Contractors Inc. v. Bacon Construction Company and Continental Casualty Co.
Allegation: Non-payment of labor and materials for aluminum window work on Bridgewater Raynham Regional High School: $173,419.61
Filed: 1/15/09

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

Janet & Richard Phaneuf v. Greg Toczko, Designer
Allegation: Breach of contract and negligence in home repairs: $34,000
Filed: 1/23/09

PALMER DISTRICT COURT

Capital One Bank v. Infostructure Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of credit card account: $7,346.04
Filed: 1/15/09

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

masslive.com v. Money-Wise Solutions, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of balance for services rendered: $5,750
Filed: 1/09/09

Stroheim & Romann Inc. v. Mary Donnellan Strout Interiors Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $2,404.28
Filed: 1/06/09

United Rentals Inc. v. Total Pro Boston Inc. and Dana McIntyre
Allegation: Non-payment of materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $41,841.42
Filed: 1/08/09

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT

B & M Electric v. Angy’s Food Products Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of labor and materials: $7,457.00
Filed: 1/30/09

Building a Workforce — One Parking Lot Visit at a Time

By
Opinion

Ed Leyden acknowledged that it’s tough not knowing if his hard, time-consuming work will pay off until seven, eight, or maybe 10 years down the road. But what he does know is that he has to keep doing it.

Leyden, president of Ben Franklin Design & Manufacturing in Agawam, was referring to the tours he gives to young people — some in high school, but many even younger — designed to impress upon them the good health of the precision-machining sector in Western Mass. and the many attractive career opportunities it offers.

These tours take a few hours, and, while they’re not exactly heavy lifting, they can be difficult because the subject matter is rather intense, and sometimes it’s difficult to make a connection with the eighth-graders wearing the borrowed safety glasses. That’s why Leyden always takes an extra few minutes to show visitors the cars, trucks, and SUVs that his employees drive. It’s often easier to make an impression that way than with 30 minutes of talk on computer-assisted design.

What Leyden adopts is what amounts to a ‘whatever it takes’ approach when it comes to sparking an interest in his sector, and he’s certainly not alone. Shop owners who are busy trying to attract business and make deadlines for current customer orders are still making time for these tours — given to groups as small as a handful of youngsters — because they know they must if they are going to have a sufficient supply of workers for next year, a decade from now, and two decades from now.

The ‘whatever it takes’ mindset prevails not only among precision manufacturers in this region, but in other sectors as well, such as health care and, to a lesser extent, ‘green’ businesses, environmental science, and the biosciences — and we’re glad this attitude prevails.

That’s because, as we’ve said many times, the region’s economy is, and will always be, only as strong as its workforce, and when it comes to economic development, this is priority one, plain and simple.

Addressing the problem requires diligence, teamwork, and imagination, in equal doses, and we’ve seen some great examples of these qualities come together. One of the latest is a program called Career Explorations — Robotics/Precision Manufacturing, one component of which was Leyden’s latest tour. The initiative is designed to introduce, or reintroduce, young people and, when possible, their parents to the precision-machining sector and, in the process, eliminate some lingering misperceptions about the industry.

In addition to tours of plants like Ben Franklin, students, in this case members of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Springfield, visit area community colleges and Putnam High School in Springfield to see how one goes about getting on the path to such a career. There is also a series of classes in robotics designed to stir the imagination and provide lessons in teamwork.

The program involves a number of partners, from the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County to Springfield Technical Community College; from the Black Men of Greater Springfield to the National Tooling and Machining Assoc. They all understand the importance of helping young people and their parents make smart decisions about career paths and thus which high school to attend.

Such partnerships, and there are many of them, as we said, hold vast potential to reduce dropout rates and poverty rates, while also helping to ensure that the region, individual sectors of the economy, and specific businesses have the qualified employees they’ll need to keep their ventures going.

The programs have different names and varied missions, but there is a common denominator — that ‘whatever it takes’ attitude that drives Leyden, other shop owners, hospital presidents, and college administrators.

Not all of these people wind up giving tours of the parking lot, but they’re all doing essentially the same thing — making those vital connections.

They are the key to a stronger workforce, and that’s why these groups and individuals must continually look for new and effective ways to make them.-

By
Departments

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

BELCHERTOWN

Click Technology Partners Inc., 261 Barrett St., Belchertown, MA 01007. Thomas F. Woelfel, same. Business and computer consulting.

Vanessa Lee Kotowski Scholarship Foundation, 20 Terry Lane, Belchertown, MA 01007. Frederick Kotowski, 18C Highland Village, Ware. MA 01082. Charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes.

CHICOPEE

BKZ Inc., 38 Nye St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Richard Reidy, 18 Maplecrest Dr., Belchertown, MA 01007. To provide glass replacement for all auto, residential, and commercial uses.

West Side Transportation Inc., 269 East Main St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Vitality Volkov, same. To engage in the operating specialty and dedicated services of transporting passengers via minivan, limousine, and other passenger vehicles on a for-hire basis.

HOLYOKE

Media Action Center Inc., 80 Race St., Holyoke MA 01040. Andrew Gregory Laties, same. Charitable and educational purposes to support human rights while fighting poverty and environmental destruction worldwide.

  

Salsarengue Inc., 192 High St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Jose O. Bou MR, 261 Florence Road, Florence, MA 01062. Sales of clothing and accessories.

SPRINGFIELD

BIO Cleaner Springfield Corp., 803 Main St., Springfield, MA 01105. Eun Kyung Han, same. Laundromat and cleaner.

Domingo Inc., 326 St. James Ave., Springfield, MA 01109. Reino Mueses MR, 53 Haskins St., Springfield, MA 01109. Restaurant and real estate business.

Richmond Acquisition Corp., 1500 Main St., Springfield, MA 01115. Daniel Yamin, 25 Westover Road, Troy, N.Y. 12180. Public communication service.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Palmetto Construction Management Services Inc., 1080 Riverdale St., West Springfield, MA 01089. J.W. Hall, same. Construction management.

By
Departments

Boston Wine Festival

Thru April 3: Hosted by the Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf, the Boston Wine Festival offers more than 50 wine and food pairing events. The schedule of events includes a variety of evening receptions, wine seminars, dinners and themed Sunday brunches. For details on the festival, visit www.bostonwinefesival.net.

Managing Customer Satisfaction

Feb. 24: The New England Performance Excellence Initiative will present “Managing Customer Satisfaction Performance” from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Scibelli Enterprise Center, 1 Federal St., Springfield. The lunchtime workshop will acquaint participants with Enterprise Performance Management, a unifying management approach that drives one’s business to the next level. In addition, the workshop will provide focus and context to all customer-satisfaction initiatives across one’s organization. The event is co-sponsored by the Springfield Business Incubator at Springfield Technical Community College. Participants will also be able to take the Performance Self Analysis Scorecard free of cost and find out the score in less than five minutes. A registration fee of $5 includes a bag lunch. To register, call (413) 737-6712.

Women and Retirement

Feb. 26: Shelly Colville, a registered representative of the National Planning Corp., will present a lecture titled “Women and Retirement: Are You Saving Wisely?” as part of the Kaleidoscope lecture series at Bay Path College in Longmeadow. Colville will lead women and men of all ages in an Oppenheimer Funds workshop to guide them to a better understanding of planning for the future. The free event is open to the public and will be conducted in Breck Suite in Wright Hall. For more information, call (413) 565-1066 or visit www.baypath.edu.

Ann Hood Lecture

March 5: Bestselling, New England-based author Ann Hood will present a free lecture at 7 p.m. in Empsall Hall at Bay Path College in Longmeadow as part of its Kaleidoscope series. Winner of the Best American Spiritual Writing Award, her last two novels (Comfort and The Knitting Circle) have received wide acclaim. For more information, call (413) 565-1066 or visit www.baypath.edu.

Innovative Voices

March 10: The MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield will be the setting for a capacity-building conference, co-presented by the Women’s Fund of Western Mass. and Bay Path College. Titled “Innovative Voices: Crafting a New Agenda for Leadership,” the daylong conference will feature guest speakers Sara Laschever and comedienne René Hicks. Workshop topics offered throughout the day will include: “New Faces in Leadership I: Generations & Cultures,” “New Faces in Leadership II: Strategies for Change,” “Wikis, Twitter, and Blogs – Oh My!,” “Learning to Ask: Negotiation Basics,” “The Art of Politics: Navigating the Political Waters,” and “Making Yourself Memorable: Personal Branding from the First Handshake.” Workshops will also include “Expanding Our Capacity: Energizing Our Spirit,” “Balancing Mission and Money: How Nonprofits Can Do Both,” and “Finding Your Voice and Changing the World: Passion, Emotion, and Leadership.” Registration is $70 for the first organizational attendee, and $60 for each additional organizational attendee. The deadline to register is March 2, with early bird registration closing on Feb. 13. For more information, visit www.womensfund.net.

Casino Royale Fundraiser

March 14: For persons who enjoy gambling for a great cause, consider CityStage’s annual fundraiser, Casino Royale, at the Sheraton Hotel in Springfield. Highlights of the affair include hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, live entertainment, prizes, a live auction, a 50/50 raffle, and a mystery raffle. Single tickets are $100, which includes $400 in gaming money. There are also special rates for groups of 10 or more, as well as VIP tickets for $150 each. Casino Royale begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (413) 788-7646. Pit Boss sponsors are Berkshire Bank, Hampden Bank, MassMutual Financial Group, Mercy Medical Center, and United Bank.

Rock ‘n’ Roll & Management Styles

April 15: “Everything I Learned About Management, I Learned From Rock ‘n’ Roll” will be presented by James M. Wilson, III, Ph.D., assistant professor of Business at Bay Path College; and Gregory Jones, director of Cannes Associates Production Management. Wilson and Jones have been conducting research for three years on the production of live rock ‘n’ roll concerts featuring Metallica, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, among others, with a focus on how event management contributes to organizational theory. The free lecture at 7 p.m. will take place in the Breck Suite in Wright Hall at Bay Path College in Longmeadow. The event is part of the Kaleidoscope lecture series. For more information, call (413) 565-1066 or visit www.baypath.edu.

Women’s Professional Development

April 30: Bay Path College in Longmeadow will host the 14th annual Women’s Professional Development Conference from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. For more information, call (413) 565-1293 or visit www.baypath.edu.

By
Departments

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

Adams, Timothy W.
12 Farren Ave.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Allen, Derwood W.
Allen, Donna L.
203 Granby Road,Apt. #37
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/05/09

Arnold, Michael R.
1063 South Main St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/02/09

Baker, Stanley S.
1502 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Barnes, Bradley S.
Barnes, Ambert M.
a/k/a St. Amour, Amber
837 Partridgeville Road C
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/12/09

Bertrand, Lynn S.
101 Peachstone Glen
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/13/09

Bessette, Andrea F.
32 Lavender Lane
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/07/09

Bosak, Kevin J.
Bosak, Angela L.
a/k/a Gingras, Angela L.
39 Starling Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/15/09

Breault, James
31 Kendall St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/08/09

Bunn, Gerald E.
33 Bradford Dr., Apt. 3
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/13/09

Burns, Jason Albert
Burns, Erica Rae
a/k/a Johnson, Erica
8 Hall Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/15/09

Cadieux, Joanne J.
P. O. Box 123
West Springfield, MA 01090
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Chalue, Ronald F.
Chalue, Nancy A.
6 Miles Morgan Court
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/09/09

Crickenberger, James Edward
Crickenberger, Donna Marie
a/k/a Laprade, Donna Marie
14 Matthew Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/06/09

Diaz Rivera, Maribel
129 Champlain St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/06/09

Doucette, Brenda Lori
337 Montcalm St., Apt 1
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/09/09

El Karim, Felipe
15 Main St.
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/06/09

Ferrindino, Gerald V.
Ferrindino, Carrie D.
72 Waid Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/12/09

Forgette, Thomas R.
Forgette, Ursula
32 Cottonwood Lane
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/13/09

Gagliardi, Sharon A.
14 Roanoke St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Galarneau, Shawn
93 South Maple St.
Westfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/09/09

Garcia, Geraldo
56 White Birch Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/15/09

Gaughan, David M.
Gaughan, Sheree L.
76 Roosevelt Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085-1056
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/15/09

Guiel, James
82 Jamrog Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/08/09

Hartwell, Brian E.
96 Monson Road
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/05/09

Hashem, Mohamad N.
Hashem, Marcia A.
40 McGregory Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/12/09

Holmes, Donna L.
6 Bridge St.
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/09/09

Hoyt, Scott
110 Frontenac St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/12/09

Katralis, David N.
Patria, Leslie A.
126 Fish St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Kenefick, Rolande M.
483 Dickinson St
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/09/09

Klein, Brendan R.
P.O. Box 527
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/02/09

Kumor, Tracy Lee
151 Slater Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/15/09

Lander, Jennifer S.
a/k/a Phair, Jennifer
a/k/a Pafenbach, Jennifer
P.O. Box 848
Pittsfield, MA 01202
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/07/09

  

Lavallee, Sherry L.
244 Church St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/14/09

LaViolette, Carol A.
81 Andersen Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/12/09

Lepoer, Sithra C.
6 Belanger St.
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/04/09

Marvici, Anthony
89 Kensington St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/03/09

McLain, Thomas I.
McLain, Linda M.
31 Alquat St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/06/09

Metras, Lester R.
57 Harwich St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/12/09

Meyers, Edward R.
307 Chestnut St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/12/09

Miller, Michael Joseph
Paradis-Miller, Kimberly C.
265 Prospect St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Mitchkoski, Linda Ann
23 Potyrala Cross Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/06/09

Muhammad, Alamin
Muhammad, Fadilah
158 Victoria Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Murray, Kim M.
a/k/a Pappaceno, Kim
a/k/a Campbell, Kim
10 Crescent Hill
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/08/09

Noble Freighlines, LLC
McCoy, Scott Wallace
McCoy, Krina S.
44 Verde Dr.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/15/09

Norris, Brian A.
Rule, Catherine
a/k/a Rule-Norris, Catherine
PO Box 23
Leeds, MA 01053
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/13/09

Nyanjui, Damaris
183 Middle St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/15/09

O’Neill, Michael W.
204 Silver St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/09/09

Parenteau, Lorie M.
a/k/a Hamel, Lorie M.
70 Riley Switch Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Pasini, Amy K.
104 Belvidere St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/07/09

Pchelka, Vladislav A.
Pchelka, Zhanna
4 Eagle Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Penn, Jennyffer E.
30 Myrtle St., Apt. D2
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/07/09

Perry-Cooney, Anna Mae
316 Hadley St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Praise and Glory Church
Praise and Glory Ministry
339 State St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 11
Filing Date: 01/13/09

Price, Ludlow A.
Price, Gail E.
46 Delaware Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/03/09

Quinlan, James D.
Quinlan, Lozia A.
1760 Westover Road
Trailer 29
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/08/09

Russo, Chester W.
Russo, Caroline E.
83 McArthur St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Slater, Henry Clive
161 Pelham Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/06/09

Tierney, Joanne M.
19 State St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Walbridge, Jason A.
311 Wilbraham Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/14/09

Wallace, Ronald
Wallace, Linda M.
256 Boston Road
Spingfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/12/09

Walter, Christina A.
81 Bairdcrest Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/09/09

Whitley, David W.
5 Berkshire Circle
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/09/09

Wright, Aretha M.
25 Shawmut St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/05/09

Wright, Christopher J.
Wright, Teri L.
7 Quinn Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/02/09

By
Departments

Car Sales Tumble in January

NEW YORK — Rental car companies pulling back on purchases was the latest problem plaguing the auto industry in January, with sales plunging 38%. The auto-sales drop last month was the worst since 1982. Auto executives attribute the decline in fleet sales to a decline in demand for travel and rental cars. Ford inventories were 420,000 vehicles at the end of January, which is 156,000 vehicles lower than a year ago.  During the past 12 months, Ford’s inventories were reduced by 27% — consistent with the company’s sales decline (22%) during this same period. Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury sales totaled 90,596 in January, down 39% versus a year ago. Retail sales to individual customers were down 27%. Fleet sales were down 65% including a 90% decline in sales to daily rental customers. Ford and industry sales in January were consistent with Ford planning assumptions. Ford expects new, recent, and future fiscal and monetary actions to help improve conditions in the second half of the year. Driven by an 80% reduction in fleet sales, General Motors dealers in the U.S. delivered 129,227 vehicles in January, down 49% compared with a year ago. Retail sales were off 38%, but retail market share held steady compared with December. GM’s retail share performance was assisted by reduced-rate APR financing capacity through GMAC and a GM loyalty cash offer. GM January total car sales of 43,943 were off 58%, and total truck sales of 85,284 were down 42% compared with a year ago. GM has announced reductions in first quarter production to adjust inventories for marketplace demand. For Toyota, January sales of 117,287 vehicles represented a decrease of 34.4% from last January, on a daily-selling-rate basis. The Toyota Division posted January sales of 102,565 units, a decrease of 34.9% from last January. The Lexus Division reported January sales of 14,722 units, a decrease of 30.3% from a year ago. The sales results were all worse than Edmunds.com, a sales tracker, had predicted. For the year, Edmunds.com expects a 30% decline in year-over-year sales for the auto industry.

Easthampton Plant Sheds Jobs

EASTHAMPTON — Berry Plastics officials have been mum about the exact number of workers it recently laid off, but estimates range from 100 to 150, according to Thomas W. Brown, chairman of the city’s Economic Development Commis-sion. Berry Plastics is the largest employer in the city, and Brown estimates the layoff represented nearly 30% of its workforce. The factory on O’Neil Street makes tubes for the cosmetic and food industries. Current production figures were unavailable at press time. Brown noted that the company had been shedding jobs for years, both as Berry Plastics and under previous owners. Berry Plastics is owned by an investment firm based in New York City, and has announced an $80 million expansion plan for its Evansville, Ill., plant that could translate into 150 new jobs. The expansion project will allow the company to make plastic cups and similar products. On a related note, since Berry officials did not lay off more than 33% of its active work force, they were not required to give 60 days notice to employees and to local, state, and federal governments under the Worker Readjustment and Training Act. U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., is among the federal lawmakers who are working to change the law which would call for 90 days notice and require notification for any layoff of more than 100 and any layoff of 50 to 99 if it equals a third of the work force. Town officials and regional business leaders are currently working together in the hopes of securing a tax-incentive program or workforce-training grant that will assist Berry in keeping the remainder of the jobs in Easthampton.

Friendly Axes 13

WILBRAHAM — Thirteen office workers from Friendly Ice Cream Corp. headquarters were recently laid off. Company officials noted that field staff and restaurant workers were not affected by the layoffs. Since 1935, when the first Friendly’s Ice Cream shop in Springfield was opened, the company has grown to 505 corporate owned and franchised restaurants.

UMass Forms Task Force on Reorganization

AMHERST — A task force of department chairs and faculty has been formed by UMass Chancellor Robert C. Holub to advise the administration on a proposed academic reorganization that calls for eliminating four colleges and creating two new ones. In an all-campus E-mail sent Feb. 3, Holub said the Task Force on Reorganization (TFR) will include representatives from the colleges of Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Resources and the Environment, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The panel is being led by Jane Fountain, professor of Political Science and Public Policy. Holub is asking the task force to examine the idea of creating a new College of Arts and Sciences, a model that was suggested at the general faculty meeting on Jan. 29. The panel will deliberate on the proposed actions and respond to the chancellor by March 6. Under the chancellor’s proposal, the colleges of Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Resources and the Environment, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Social and Behavioral Sciences would be reconstituted into two new units, which Holub is referring to as the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences and the College of Natural Sciences. Holub is also proposing that Resource Economics shift to the Isenberg School of Management and that the School of Nursing retain its autonomy and have an associate dean or an executive director from among its current faculty, but that it be administered through a renamed College of Public Health and Health Sciences. On the financial side, Holub said various models project potential savings of $1.3 million to $1.5 million per year. The chancellor added he does not want to cause undue panic among individuals working in the current colleges about their jobs. “As you may know, I have promised the unions on campus that I will not announce any layoffs until the campus has more information on fees and federal money, both of which will be essential in determining how we move forward this year and next year,” he said.

January Job Losses Worst in 34 Years

NEW YORK — Both the number of unemployed people (11.6 million) and the unemployment rate (7.6%) rose in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed people has increased by 4.1 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by 2.7 percentage points. The unemployment rate continued to trend upward in January for adult men (7.6%), adult women (6.2%), whites (6.9%), blacks (12.6%), and Hispanics (9.7%). The jobless rate for teenagers was unchanged at 20.8%. The unemployment rate for Asians was 6.2% in January, not seasonally adjusted. Among the unemployed, the number of job losers and people who completed temporary jobs increased to 7 million in January. This measure has grown by 3.2 million during the last 12 months. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little-changed at 2.6 million in January. Over the past 12 months, the number of long-term unemployed was up by 1.3 million. The number of people unemployed less than five weeks rose to 3.7 million in January. The number of people who worked part-time for economic reasons was essentially unchanged in January at 7.8 million; however, this measure was up by 3.1 million over the past 12 months.

Judd Wire Cuts Staff

MONTAGUE — Less than a year after its celebration of 20- and 55-year anniversaries with employees, Judd Wire Inc. laid off 15 of its 275 workers in early February. In a company statement, Judd Wire noted that the layoffs were due to declining demand for cars and trucks. The company manufactures wire for Ford F-150 trucks, Hondas, Hyundais, and products including iPods. In addition, Judd Wire makes wire for B-2 bombers and other aircraft. In 2008, Judd Wire celebrated its 55th anniversary of Thomas Judd founding the firm in Turners Falls, as well as the 20th anniversary of Judd becoming a member of its parent company, Sumitomo Electric Industries. In addition to the 15 workers, Judd Wire had previously terminated its temporary employees.

By
Departments

The following building permits were issued during the months of January and February 2009.

CHICOPEE

Charter Communications
354 Sheridan St.
$9,400 — Install new shingles

CVS
235 Center St.
$1,203,900 — Construction of a new pharmacy

Dimeo Properties
70 Broadway
$140,000 — Structural repairs from fire

G.K.R.R. Associates
305 Broadway
$8,400 — Strip and re-roof

Lorraines’s Soup Kitchen
170 Pendexter Ave.
$175,000 — Construction of soup kitchen and pantry

EASTHAMPTON

Lisa L. Fusco
95 Main St.
$90,000 — Renovate first floor and basement in food establishment

GREENFIELD

Greenfield Corporate Center LLC
143 Munson Road
$850,000 — Interior fit up for office use

HOLYOKE

Holyoke Mall Company, LP
50 Holyoke St.
$259,000 — Remodel existing Foot Locker store

Holyoke Mall Company, LP
50 Holyoke St.
$137,000 — Remodel existing Kid’s Foot Locker store

LUDLOW

Don Cameron
148 Carmelinas Circle Bldg. #1
$90,000 — New construction

Don Cameron
148 Carmelinas Circle Bldg. #2
$90,000 — New construction

NORTHAMPTON

Ann Marie Moggio
238 Bridge St.
$5,000 — Replace with rubber roof

  

Colwell-Lafleur, LLC
191 Main St.
$27,000 — Non-structural interior renovations

Gordon Thorne
126 Main St.
$33,000 — Install solar electric system

Northampton Brewery
11 Brewster St.
$80,000 — Dormer renovation

Northampton Brewery
11 Brewster St.
$80,000 — HVAC and roof insulation

PowerTenInTwo, LLC
21 Conz St.
$34,000 — Install solar array system

Thornes Marketplace LLC
150 Main St.
$80,000 — Replace roof

SOUTH HADLEY

Intellicoat
28 Gaylord St.
$300,000 — Interior renovations

SPRINGFIELD

Five College Radio WFCR
15-19 Hampden St.
$204,000 — Interior renovations of existing space for new office and radio station

Gulmohur Corporation
550 Sumner Ave.
$10,000 — Repair damage to front entry caused by car

Sarmento J Paixao
496 Bridge St.
$4,500 — Repair weather related damage

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Aldo Bertera FLP
499 Riverdale St.
$375,000 — 3,480-square-foot renovation to existing auto dealership

Tenant Engineering Design Associates
11 Central St.
$16,000 — Tenant fit out includes painting, carpeting, and electrical

By
Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the months of January and February 2009.

AGAWAM

Juelies Fashion
1325 Springfield St.
Han D Hoang

J & H Headquarters Grill
485 Springfield St.
Joseph Herring

Northeast Real Estate Investments
417 Springfield St.
Scott Monson

Pandolfi Landscape Construction
31 Maple St.
Nocholas Pandolfi

AMHERST

Amherst Nails
9 East Pleasant St.
Xuan H. To

Jones Property & Limited Partnership
15A Pray St.
Gerald L. Jones

Reflexology for Health
180 Mechanic St.
Edward Kalen

CHICOPEE

Certified Homecare
333 Front St.
Jeffrey Tunstall

Pelikon
10 Center St.
Keith Smith

EASTHAMPTON

Evolv Fine Art Printing
116 Pleasant St.
Robert Caswell

P. J. Home Improvements, Etc.
27 West St.
Stanley Fondakowski, III

EAST LONGMEADOW

Perfect in Print
212 Vineland Ave.
Mary Indomenico

Pizza Shoppe
134 Shaker Road
Ralph and Anthony Giuggui

Suprena Oil
47 Avery St.
John & Rosemarie Czupryna

GREENFIELD

Greenfield Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine
164 High St.
Baystate Affiliated Practice, LLC

Hair It Is
42 Franklin St.
Wendi Jenene Rose

Yellow Hawks Journey
2A Bradford Dr.
Christopher Williams

HOLYOKE

Capri Pizza & Restaurant
18-20 Cabot St.
Fiore Santaniello

Classic Custom Muffler
54 Commercial St.
Anatoliy Purshaga

Dwight Market
910 Dwight St.
Oliver Quirde

Mama’s Pizza & Restaurant
420 High St.
Mohammid Tahir

Rainmaker Consulting
231 Madison Ave.
Laurie Herrick

NORTHAMPTON

Back Alley Artist
30 North Maple St.
Peita R. King

Florence I.T.
86 Florence Road
Matt Lampiagi

Just Up the Road Shin Care & Waxing
150 Main St.
Diana M. Cerutti

PALMER

McDonald’s Restaurant
1184 Thorndike St.
Roger & Pamela Facey

Paula’s Housekeeping & Home Making Service
60 Randall St.
Paula Ann Perry

Stephen’s Tree Service
1022 Chestnut St.
Shane Stephens

SOUTH HADLEY

Hadley Mart
2098 Memorial Ave.
Ashfa Shafiq

Jocy’s LLC
60 Bridge St.
John Brower

The 4th Dimension
8 Spring Meadows
Kenneth R. Schubert II

Yardhouse Food & Spirits
3 Hadley St.
Scott Marshall

SOUTHWICK

Infinity Builders
204 Hillside St.
Jeffrey Dargi

  

NE Bass Anglers
329 Garden St.
Willard Penny

SPRINGFIELD

Lucky Nails, LLC
415 Cooley St.
Chau K. Tu

M & C Remodeling
80 Chapin Terrace
Mark R. La Rose

Magee Remodeling Group
496 Bridge St.
Magee Construction

Optical Expressions LLC
1514 Allen St.
Shelia Gibbs

Phones-N-Such
121 Hartford Terrace
William Randall Clow

Pine Street Market
194 Pine St.
Jose Angel Saez-Natal

Princess Nails
1385 Liberty St.
Tram Thi Nguyen

Refrixcentro
1129 State St.
George Carrasquillo

Robert Montgomery Photography
284 Nassau Dr.
Robert Montgomery

Super Brush, LLC
800 Worcester St.
Cathy Marie Desorcy

The City Church
60 Sherman St.
Anthony C.L. Wirth

The Handy Helper
12 Arcadia Blvd.
LHS Enterprises LLC

The Service
25 Mattoon St.
Jason Cardona

The Traveling Toolbox
107 Carver St.
Alan G. Jarvis

Voicebox
1160 Main St.
Jamie Kalagher

WESTFIELD

American Nails
78 Elm St.
Thai H. Truong

A Time To Grow
6 Mainline Dr.
Cheryl Ouelette

BD Enterprises
1128 Western Ave.
James Waversak

DB Services
32 Linda Dr.
Donald Burrage

LHQ Danceforce
1029 North Road
Lynn Hadden-Quinn

Kosinski Farm
336 Russellville Road
Gene Kosinski

Real China
116 Elm St.
Shou Qi Liang

The Basement Guy LLC
31 Harvest Moon Lane
David Metcalf

Watchdog Consulting Services LLC
12 Blueberry Ridge
Brendan Wilson

Yola’s Caring Touch Massage
32 Main St.
Jolanta Abramczyk

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Boiler Emission Research
900 Riverdale St.
Kevin W. Gielser

Fran Johnson Inc.
21 Myron St.
Cindy Johnson

Gilbert & Handyman Service
65 Paulson Dr.
Norman S. Gilbert

Human Services Training Consultant
425 Union St.
Barbara Pummell

Memorial Pizza
1140 Memorial Ave.
Mohammed Alkhabi

Pension & Benefits Associates Inc.
131 Wayside Ave.
Mark F. Shea

Pioneer Valley Chimney Sweeps
362 Amostown Road
Thomas J. Cowell

Viper’s Nest Ink
1446 Riverdale St.
Stephen Sepke

Yarrows Construction
55 Prospect Ave.
Kevin Yarrows

By
Departments

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

AGAWAM

JEH Inc., 485B Springfield St. Agawam, MA 01001. Joseph E. Herring Jr., same. Bar and grill.

AMHERST

Optegen Incorporated, 433 West St., Suite 8B, Amherst, MA 01002. Jeannie E. Williams, same. Technology development.

Stakeholders Capital Inc., 216 Lincoln Ave., Amherst, MA 01002. Andrew Bellak, same. Investment Advisory activities.

Travel Financial LTD., 56 Hop Brook Road, Amherst, MA 01002. Elizabeth Travel, same. Consultant.

CHICOPEE

Gritty Entertainment Inc., 22 John St., Chicopee, MA 01013 Andre Johnson, same. To teach and develop individuals skills on producing professional records.

John B. Duncan Construction Inc., 20 Mount Carmel Ave. Chicopee, MA 01013. John Duncan, same. To educate consumers about construction trade and techniques.

HOLYOKE

RDM Freight Consultants Inc., 323 Sargeant St., Holyoke, MA 01040 David V. Mathes, same. Freight consulting.

LEE

Arcus Inc., 75 Orchard St., Lee, MA 01238 John N.S. Philp, same. To design software and to sell, service, fabricate, produce, manufacture, repair, alter, design, engineer, or refine products and components of all kinds, with material of all kinds.

  

LONGMEADOW

Cote Personal Training Inc., 66 Dwight Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Nathan Cote, same. Personal fitness training.

SPRINGFIELD

Caban Orthodontics, P.C., 1797 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103. Michael D. Caban, 19 Oak Hollow Dr., Longmeadow, MA 01106. To engage in the practice of
Orthondontics/dentistry and such ancillary services.

Dennis 2008 Inc., 1391 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103 Thomas P. Dennis, Jr., same. Providing construction service and related engineering.

SOUTHWICK

McGarrity Inc., 6 North Pond Road, Southwick, MA 01077. Mark M. Garrity, same. To operate an ATM franchise and deal with the purchase and sale of real estate.

SOUTHAMPTON

Pease Plumbing & Heating Inc., 62 Brickyard Road Ext., Southampton, MA 01073. Daniel Jason Pease, same. Installation and repair of plumbing and heating.

WILBRAHAM

Practical Design Inc., 18 Westwood Dr. Wilbraham, MA 01095 Thomas F. Langevin, same.To engage in the business of tool and drafting services, machine design and controls, robot integration, tooling and fixturing of automated machines, and provide consulting services regarding the same.

By
Departments

PeoplesBank in Holyoke announced the following:
• Lynne A. Gino has been promoted to Vice President, Compliance and Security. Gino previously served as Assistant Vice President, Compliance and Security for PeoplesBank, and has more than 29 years of banking experience;
• Nadine M. Maggi has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Consumer Lending. Maggi currently serves as a Loan Service Manager for PeoplesBank and has more than 15 years of banking experience;
• Brian J. Smith has been promoted to Vice President, Loan Review. Smith previously served as the Assistant Vice President, Loan Review for PeoplesBank, and has more than 30 years of banking experience, and
• Lauren E. Tabin has been promoted to Assistant Vice President. Tabin currently serves as Branch Officer of the Elmwood office in Holyoke, and has more than 10 years of banking experience.

•••••

Michael Paysnick has been named Executive Director at the Springfield Jewish Community Center. Before his appointment, Paysnick served as Assistant Executive Director for 20 years at the center.

•••••

Ronald I. Gross, MD, FACS, has joined the Department of Surgery at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. He will serve as Chief of the newly formed Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. He will also see patients who are candidates for surgery as a member of Baystate Surgical Associates. Gross earned his medical degree at New York University School of Medicine and completed his general surgical residency and cardiovascular research fellowship at New York University/Bellevue Medical Center, where he also served as chief resident.

•••••

Cinda Jones has been named 2009 President of the Massachusetts Forest Landowners Assoc. based in Leverett. Jones is President of the ninth-generation, North Amherst-based Cowls Land and Lumber Co.

•••••

William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance, LLC in Longmeadow announced the following individuals have joined the agency as Realtors and will work out of the sales office at the Shops at 36 Center Square, East Longmeadow: Roberta Orenstein, Linda Fiore, Bill Fiore, Marthe Beauchamp, Moira Murphy, Anita Taylor, Christine Swanson, Tim Tufts, and Ken Corbett.

•••••

MassMutual’s Retirement Services Division in Springfield has appointed Tom Cremona to Vice President of Client Relationship Management.

•••••

Olivia S. Moson has been promoted to Contact Center Supervisor in the Direct Banking Department at TD Banknorth in Springfield. She is responsible for providing quality feedback to team agents concerning aspects of their overall work performance, and coaching, inspiring and motivating individuals to deliver a positive banking experience to telephone banking customers.

•••••

Gary Miville, branch manager of the Springfield office of Securitas Security Services, USA Inc., has been named Assistant Regional Vice President of ASIS International, the largest organization for security professionals, with more than 36,000 members worldwide. Miville, who served as chair of the Western Mass. ASIS chapter for two years, will now cover that chapter as well as the one in Connecticut.

•••••

The Polish National Credit Union announced the following:
• Carol A. Desrosiers has been named Branch Manager of the new full-service branch on College Highway in Southampton;
• Heather Huot has been named Assistant Manager of the Southampton branch, and
• Sarah Harrington has been named Head Teller at the Southampton branch.

•••••

Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C. of Springfield and Northampton announced the following lawyers have been selected for inclusion to the New England and Massachusetts Super Lawyers for 2008: Stephen A. Shatz, Steven J. Schwartz, Gary S. Fentin, Timothy P. Mulhern, Ann I. Weber, Steven Weiss, and Carol Cioe Klyman. Weber has also been recognized by Boston magazine as one of the top 50 women lawyers in Massachusetts.

•••••

Karen C. King of the Karen King Group in Wilbraham recently represented the United States in Toronto at a Remax Real Estate conference on the state of the global real-estate market. King spoke to 3,000 agents regarding the U.S. market over the past two years. King is the top Remax agent in the Pioneer Valley and among the top 5% nationwide.

By
Departments

Outlook 2009

The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield sponsored its annual Outlook event at Chez Josef in Agawam on Feb. 9. Left: Keynote speaker U.S. Rep. Jim Tanner (D-Tenn.) cautioned of the dangers of a soaring national debt, yet issued his support for the $800 billion federal stimulus bill. Top right: Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said strong education and public safety are at least as critical to healthy communities as economic development. Bottom right: Among the hundreds of attendees were Sue Mastroianni (left) a principal with Fitzgerald & Mastroianni, and Mary DeLiso of ABC 40.

Black History Month

Honorees at the Black History Month opening event at Springfield Technical Community College on Feb. 4 included, from left, Massachusetts Electoral College delegation President Ray Jordan Jr.; Jordan’s wife, Donna; Ron Copes, chairman of the STCC Board of Trustees; and Myra Smith, STCC’s Vice President for Human Resources and Multicultural Affairs.

OPINION

By
Opinion
Infrastructure Needs a Bill of Its Own

President Obama is the first urbanite in the White House since Teddy Roosevelt. He certainly knows the vital role that cities play in America. Yet despite the Chicagoan on Pennsylvania Avenue, infrastructure spending in the House stimulus bill follows a business-as-usual pattern that discriminates against density.

The only way to break that pattern is to take non-repair-related infrastructure spending out of the stimulus, and craft a separate bill that looks beyond the current recession. Major infrastructure projects, especially in cities, cannot be done quickly.

Per-capita transportation spending in the House stimulus package, including transit, is more than 50% higher in the 10 least-dense states than in the 10 densest states, including Massachusetts. Yet America’s highways and rails already make it easy to move goods and people across America’s open spaces. The hard slog is getting across dense downtowns.

Other elements in the stimulus package also favor farm over city. The subsidies for broadband infrastructure are unnecessary in already-connected cities. Access to the latest technologies is, after all, one reason for cities’ economic success. The $6 billion for weatherizing homes will surely do more for rural America than for apartment dwellers. There is urban spending in the bill, but money spent rehabilitating public housing is not the transformative investment that will make cities more productive.

Infrastructure is the skeleton on which the economy hangs. In the 19th century, America built a great transportation network of rails and canals that enabled the wealth of the land to make its way east. America’s 19th-century cities — Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh — were nodes on that network that grew along with it.

In the 20th century, Americans built a highway system that decentralized urban areas. The resulting exodus from cities to suburbs reminds us that infrastructure can have far-reaching consequences.

A visionary infrastructure strategy cannot fit into a stimulus package. For stimulus, speed is vital. The Big Dig took 21 years. Working in cities is particularly slow because it takes time to tunnel, and because community opposition holds up urban mega-projects. A need for speed will always create an anti-urban bias.

America needs both a stimulus package and new infrastructure, but combining the two in one bill is a mistake. Congress should eliminate any pretense that the stimulus plan is addressing long-run infrastructure needs, and leave in only those infrastructure expenditures, like rehabilitating decaying roads and bridges, that require minimal planning, public approval, and time to implement.

A separate infrastructure bill would take cost-benefit analysis seriously, and direct spending to the projects with the highest returns. This means breaking the infrastructure spending status quo. As the Office of Management and Budget’s expectmore.gov Web site notes, highway infrastructure “funding is not based on need or performance and has been heavily earmarked.” To reduce boondoggle projects, localities, particularly wealthier ones, should provide a significant share of the funding. Requiring locales to pony up their own cash helps ensure that new projects are really valued.

The role of cities is vital. According to County Business Patterns, 56% of America’s wages are earned in the 22 mega-metropolitan areas with more than 2 million people each. A serious infrastructure bill would aid metropolitan areas, but ask for sacrifice in return for subsidy.

The cities that stand at the center of the economy need new infrastructure, but that can’t be built in two years. To ensure an infrastructure plan that does not shortchange metropolitan America, major infrastructure needs to come out of the stimulus package and get a bill of its own.-

Edward L. Glaeser, a professor of Economics at Harvard University, is director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston. This article first appeared in the Boston Globe.

By
Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of January 2009.

AGAWAM

Azon Cigars Inc.
378 Walnut St.
Michael Beaudry

JFBH Holding Company
54 Colonial Ave.
James Hansmann

Paris Nails
336 North Westfield St.
Tuget Thi Vo

V & R Photography Designs
55 Rosie Lane
Vanessa Rossini

AMHERST

Moriarty Woodworking
145 Glendale Road
Mark Moriarty

Oak Pond Associates
15 Lady Slipper Circle
Toivo Tammerk

Sankofa Home for Children
121 Pondview Dr.
Fanny B. Efua-Dontoh

CHICOPEE

Design & Machine Services
31 Broad St.
Craig A. Goebel

Genoa Pizzeria
159 Grove St.
Daejoon Cho

EASTHAMPTON

Sharon Kimble Realty
8 Button Road
Sharon Kimble

Tiznit Valley Cab
5 Arlington St.
Mohamed Keffas

EAST LONGMEADOW

Body Works Unlimited Inc.
347 Elm St.
Antonio J. Bordoni

DLT Educational Consulting
65 Westernview Circle
Whitney Hebert

GREENFIELD

Affordable Cleaning
12 Vernon St.
Lisa Ann Vega

China Gourmet
78 Mohawk Trail
Hsien F. Chang

Chong’s Alterations & Tailoring
10 Federal St.
Chang Yu

HOLYOKE

Beauty Supply & Variety
362 High St.
Justina Torres

Desert Moon
50 Holyoke St.
Koang Yam

Hernandez Furniture
433 High St.
Miguel Hernandez

Holyoke Sporting Goods
1584 Dwight St.
Elizabeth A. Frey

Messier Funeral Home
1944 Northampton St.
Frank Forastiere

Tony’s Auto Sales
800 High St.
Anthony Trabal

NORTHAMPTON

Napa Auto Parts
348 King St.
Adam Tebaldi

New Light Solutions
104 Main St.
Reed Schimmelfing

Pioneer Valley Nutritional Therapy
94 King St.
Craig Fear

The Valley Bowl
51 Olive St.
Adam Corriveau

PALMER

Dave’s Auto & General Repair
346 Wilbraham Road
David J. Karpinski

Diamond Junction Bowling Lanes Inc.
1446 Main St.
Charles Hood III

DPN Investigative Background & Security Services
2023 East St.
Daniel P. Narreau

SOUTH HADLEY

Advanced Global Realty
498 Hadley St.
Edward Alford

Hampshire Food & Beverage, LLC
322 Newton St.
Nicholas Yee

Jen’s Haircare
491 Granby Road
Jennifer Moser

  

White Wing Service
568 Newton St.
Frank J. Strzempko

SOUTHWICK

Hairworks Salon
320 College Highway
Chantal Nadeau

SPRINGFIELD

Aqui Me Quedo Restaurant
13-15 Locust St.
Santo M. Diaz

C & M Cleaning
340 Cooley St.
Charade Cardova

Denmor Security LLC
1 Monarch Place
Martha L. Mahoney

Field Engineering Service
1260 Bay St.
Garry Roy Dumas

Fresh Cutz Barber Shop
494 Central St.
Ricardo Diaz

Gifts From Prison
181 Hampshire St.
Jo-Ann Theresa Miller

Gould’s Building and Remodeling
235 Birchland Ave.
Mark S. Gould

Harry Vanwart Painting
160 Cambria St.
Harry M. Van Wart

Ho Mei Chinese Restaurant
852 Main St.
Ya Rong Zheng

Infinite Interpretations
17 N. Chatman St.
Melanie Jana Daly

J & J Home Improvement
338 Oak St.
Juan A. Burgos

Junk Stop
402 King St.
Leslye Marshall

KMJ Transportation
101 Mulberry St.
Kayshawn T. Jacobs

Long Construction
18 Baywood St.
Joe C. Long Sr.

WESTFIELD

Affordable Technologies
24 Green Pine Lane
Sharon Menard

Angela’s Aesthetics
41 Court St.
Angela Centracchio

Belco Construction Co. Inc
385 Southampton Road
Jeanne Marie Dr.

Billy C’s Jerky, LLC
236 Elm St.
William Chaoush

Franklin Auto Body
11 Dwight St
Paul Mancino

Hedges Electrical Services
216 Notre Dame St.
Chad Hedges

Lombardi Associates
63 Kittredge Dr.
Kenneth P. Lombardi Sr.

MC Snow Plowing
542 West Road
Michael Gogol

Second Company
92 Little River Road
Patricia A. Castro

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Advantage Staffing Associates Inc.
131 Elm St.
Patricia A. Connors

Professional Acoustics
2119 Riverdale St.
Professional Drywall Corporation

Rental Remarketing Inc.
74 Baldwin St.
Michael M. Gentile

Sonny’s Convenience
2260 Westfield St.
Sunil R. Patel

Sorcinelli Real Estate
29 Sikes Ave.
Antonio Sorcinelli

Technical Tool Supply
5 Barnard St.
Pioneer Supply Co. Inc.

The Kid’s Place, Inc.
915 Memorial Ave.
Scott L. Petersen

Thrifty Car Rental
74 Baldwin St.
Michael Gentile

Westside Auto Sales
194 Baldwin St.
Anthony Lafromboise

By
Departments

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

BELCHERTOWN

Belchertown Unit 239 Inc. Chauncey D. Walker American Legion Auxillary, 66 State St., Belchertown, MA 01007. Elizabeth E. Whidden, 400 Stebbins St., Belchertown MA 01007. Aid for Veterans, children and community.

EASTHAMPTON

GMTBP Inc., 71 Main St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Walter Pacheco, same. Restauraunt ownership and management.

GRANVILLE

Devine Construction Inc., 20 Hartland Hollow Road, Granville, MA 01034. Forrest Devine, same. Real estate.

SOUTH HADLEY

Griffin Online Solutions Inc., 333 Granby Road, South Hadley, MA 01075. Rita Griffin, same. E-Commerce.

SOUTHAMPTON

First Trans. + Repairs Inc., 4 Geryk Court, Southampton, MA 01073. Robert Demagistris, same. Transportation.

  

SPRINGFIELD

D.I.V.A.S. Ministries, 1155 Liberty St. Springfield, MA 01104, Leslie S. Smith, same.
To assist and empower women from incarceration and/or substance abuse centers to transition back into their families, housing and gainful employment.

 

First Aid Inc., 1 Crescent Hill, Springfield, MA 01105 David Allan Mech, same. Raise funds to help troops and their families in times of need.

Gifted Threads Inc., 2047 Wilbraham Road, Springfield, MA 01129. Matthew Hood, same. A clothing company.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

39 Neptune Avenue Corporation, 39 Neptune Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Sean
Mansfield, same. Food service — bar and restaurant.

CMP Inventory Management Company Inc., 136 Wayside Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089 James Pollard, same. Management company.

Goffer Construction Inc., 16 Healy St., West Springfield MA 01089. Aleksandr Salagornik Sr., same. Bar and grill.

By
Departments

Attorney Richard T. O’Connor has joined Bacon Wilson P.C. in Springfield. O’Connor is a member of the Health Care Department and will focus on matters involving medical groups, regulatory compliance, and managed-care agreements.

•••••

Douglas J. De Leo has been elected to the Board of Trustees at the Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton. De Leo and his family participate in the Parent-Infant Program at Clarke’s Family Center, and recently hosted a reception in Westfield to introduce the community to Clarke’s outreach efforts. De Leo is the founder of NWS Corp., providing business and academic telecommunications networks to corporations, college campuses, and military complexes across the United States.

•••••

Marilyn Ghedini has joined Masslive.com in Springfield as an Account Executive specializing in real estate. Ghedini has 28 years of real estate experience, and served as president of the Greater Springfield Assoc. of Realtors in 2002.

•••••

Morgan Stanley in Springfield announced the following:
• Michael D. Ravosa has been promoted to Associate Vice President, Financial Advisor, in the firm’s Global Wealth Management Group office, and
• John S. Bonatakis has been promoted to Associate Vice President, Financial Advisor, in the firm’s Global Wealth Management Group office.

•••••

MassMutual’s Retirement Services Division in Springfield announced the following:
• Karen Buoniconti has joined MassMutual’s TPA service organization, supporting the western region;
• Jim Keating has been named Relationship Manager for MassMutual’s TPA service organization, serving the northeast region, and
• Eric Sarrazin has joined MassMutual’s TPA service organization.
The new TPA relationship managers are focused on assisting advisors with plan reviews, investment-change processing, product and service education, and other valuable support for TPA-serviced plans on MassMutual’s platform.

•••••

Country Bank of Ware has named Denise D. Hawk as First Vice President and Director of Retail Lending. She has more than 20 years of experience in the lending industry and will manage the origination functions of the bank’s residential and consumer loans, and direct the lending team’s efforts.

•••••

lia sophia in Chicopee announced the following:
• Tammy Biller has received top honors for the Excellent Beginnings Program for outstanding sales accomplishments and professionalism;
• Brittany Burtness has received top honors for the Excellent Beginnings Program for outstanding sales accomplishments and professionalism, and
• Lynn Lafrennie has received top honors for the Excellent Beginnings Program for outstanding sales accomplishments and professionalism.

•••••

Sean Wandrei, CPA for Meyers Brothers Kalicka of Holyoke, has been named a member of the Board of Directors of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield. He will serve a two-year term as Treasurer. Wandrei has more than 12 years of experience in public accounting with a focus on taxation.

•••••

Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas of Springfield announced the following:
• Jenelle C. Dodds has been named a Partner;
• Vanessa L. Smith has been named a Partner;
• Daniel M. Rothschild has been named Counsel, and
• Eric D. Beal has been named an Associate.

•••••

Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. announced the following:
• Ralph F. Abbott, Managing Partner, has been named a Super Lawyer by Boston magazine. Abbott’s practice is in the area of labor relations, helping companies manage union negotiations, collective bargaining agreements, and labor arbitrations, as well as working with companies that want to remain union-free.
• Jay M. Presser, Partner, has been named a Super Lawyer by Boston magazine. Presser heads the Litigation Department, which focuses on preventing and defending employment-related litigation, including employment discrimination and wage-and-hour matters as well as other legal matters brought by employees against their employers.
• John H. Glenn, Partner, has been named a Super Lawyer by Boston magazine. Glenn’s practice is predominantly in labor relations, helping companies manage union negotiations, collective bargaining agreements, and labor arbitrations, as well as working with companies that want to remain union-free.
• Marylou V. Fabbo, Partner, has been named a Super Lawyer by Boston magazine. Fabbo’s practice concentrates in employment-related matters, defending lawsuits in state and federal court and before administrative agencies, such as the Mass. Commission Against Discrimination. Fabbo also assists employers with preventative measures that avoid such litigation, including handbook and policy review and development, performance management, and disciplinary issues.
• Susan Fentin, Partner, has been named a Super Lawyer by Boston magazine. Fentin’s practice concentrates in employment-related matters, defending lawsuits in state or federal court and before administrative agencies, as well as assisting employers with preventative measures that avoid such litigation.
The firm, which practices exclusively labor and employment law and represents only management, has offices in Springfield, Worcester, and Meriden, Conn.

•••••

Tastefully Simple Inc. in Agawam announced the following:
• Kelly Jendza has joined the firm as an independent Consultant;
• Kristin Gagnon has joined the firm as an independent Consultant;
• Jennifer Denault has joined the firm as an independent Consultant;
• Amber Fazio has joined the firm as an independent Consultant;
• Judy Koralik has joined the firm as an independent Consultant;
• Andrea Hartin has joined the firm as an independent Consultant;
• Kathryn Callahan has joined the firm as an independent Consultant, and
• Erin Burke has joined the firm as an independent Consultant.
As consultants, the women offer the company’s gourmet foods and beverages to guests at home taste-testing pa

By
Departments

Selecting a Tax Preparer
By Kristina Drzal Houghton, CPA, MST

1. If you will be paying someone to do your return, choose the tax preparer wisely. You are legally responsible for what is on your tax return even if it is prepared by someone else.

2. Obtain an estimate of what the service fee will be before your return is prepared. Avoid preparers who base their fee on a percentage of the amount of your refund or who claim they can obtain larger refunds than other preparers.
3. Only use a tax professional that signs your return and provides you with a copy for your records.
4. Avoid preparers who ask you to sign a blank tax form.

5. Choose a preparer who will be around to answer questions after the return has been filed.

6. Ask questions. Do you know anyone who used this tax professional? Were they satisfied with the service they received?
7. Check to see if the preparer has any questionable history with the Better Business Bureau, the state’s board of accountancy for CPAs, or the state’s bar association for attorneys.
8. Determine if the preparer’s credentials meet your needs. Does your state have licensing requirements for paid preparers? Is he or she an enrolled agent, certified public accountant, or attorney? If so, the preparer can represent taxpayers before the IRS on all matters including audits, collections, and appeals.
9. Before you sign a return, review it. Ask questions of the preparer if you do not understand something.

10. A reputable preparer will request to see your records and receipts and should ask you multiple questions to determine your total income and qualifications for expenses, deductions, and other items. By doing so, you will know they have your best interest in mind.

Kristina Drzal Houghton, CPA, MST is the partner-in-charge of Taxation at Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C., with specialties in taxation planning for individuals, closely held corporations, partnerships, multi-state entities, and tax-exempt organizations; (413) 536-8510.

By
Departments

Boston Wine Festival

Through April 3: Hosted by the Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf, the Boston Wine Festival offers more than 50 wine and food pairing events. The schedule of events includes a variety of evening receptions, wine seminars, dinners, and themed Sunday brunches. For details on the festival, visit www.bostonwinefesival.net.

ACCGS Breakfast Club

February 4: Stephen Sanzone, vice president, GRC Solutions, Crafty Systems Inc., will be the guest speaker for the 7:15 a.m. Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield’s Breakfast Club at the Sheraton Springfield Hotel at One Monarch Place in Springfield. Sanzone’s lecture topic is “Identity Theft and Its Impact on Business.” James Morton, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Springfield, will serve as chief greeter. Businesses scheduled to be saluted include Fran Johnson’s Golf & Tennis for its new location, Health New England for achieving the highest rating in customer service, and Nuvo Bank as a new bank. HAP Inc., is the nonprofit salute, celebrating its 35th anniversary. Tickets are $20 for ACCGS members and $25 for nonmembers, and reservations must be made in writing and in advance. Reservations may be made through Diane Swanson, events manager, Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield Inc., 1441 Main St., Suite 136, Springfield, MA 01103-1449, or via E-mail to [email protected] or at the ACCGS Web site, www.myonlinechamber.com.

The Aging Brain

Feb. 5: A lecture titled “The Aging Brain: The Agile Mind” will be presented by Posit Science of San Francisco, Calif., as part of the Kaleidoscope lecture series at Bay Path College in Longmeadow. The lecture, beginning at 7 p.m., includes a post-discussion demonstration of a ‘brain exercise’ to learn how to make the aging brain more agile. The free event is open to the public and will be conducted in Breck Suite in Wright Hall. For more information, call (413) 565-1066 or visit www.baypath.edu.

Rick’s Place Benefit

Feb. 7: “Heart to Heart,” the first fund-raising event to benefit Rick’s Place Inc., is planned from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Kids’ Village at 35 Post Office Park in Wilbraham. Rick’s Place Inc. provides support groups for children ages 5 to 18, including a suicide survivor group, support groups for parents, and community outreach. Established in memory of Rick Thorpe, who died in the World Trade Center in 2001, Rick’s Place Inc. was created to provide a supportive, secure environment where families can remember their loved ones and avoid the sense of isolation that loss can produce. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $40 per person and include appetizers, spirits, and chocolate. Door-prize tickets are $50 each. For more information about tickets, donations, or becoming a sponsor, contact Shelly Bathe Lenn at (413) 348-3120, or visit www.ricksplacema.org.

Biological Illustration

Feb. 9: Biological and medical illustration is back in vogue as electronic graphic information is critical to the health and science fields. Colleen Champ, BS, CLSp, a local scientific artist and owner of Concise Image Studios and MicroscopicClassics.com, will share her current portfolio and discuss her international award-winning art, at 7 p.m. in Breck Suite in Wright Hall at Bay Path College in Longmeadow. The free lecture is open to the public and is part of the college’s Kaleidoscope lecture series. For more information, call (413) 565-1066 or visit www.baypath.edu.

Women and Retirement

Feb. 26: Shelly Colville, a registered representative of the National Planning Corp., will present a lecture titled “Women and Retirement: Are You Saving Wisely?” as part of the Kaleidoscope lecture series at Bay Path College in Longmeadow. Colville will lead women and men of all ages in an Oppenheimer Funds workshop to guide them to a better understanding of planning for the future. The free event is open to the public and will be conducted in Breck Suite in Wright Hall. For more information, call (413) 565-1066 or visit www.baypath.edu.

Innovative Voices Conference

March 10: The MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield will be the setting for a capacity-building conference, co-presented by the Women’s Fund of Western Mass. and Bay Path College. Titled “Innovative Voices: Crafting a New Agenda for Leadership,” the daylong conference will feature guest speakers Sara Laschever and comedienne René Hicks. Workshop topics offered throughout the day will include: “New Faces in Leadership I: Generations & Cultures,” “New Faces in Leadership II: Strategies for Change,” “Wikis, Twitter and Blogs — Oh My!,” “Learning to Ask: Negotiation Basics,” “The Art of Politics: Navigating the Political Waters,” and “Making Yourself Memorable: Personal Branding from the First Handshake.” Workshops will also include “Expanding Our Capacity: Energizing Our Spirit,” “Balancing Mission and Money: How Nonprofits Can Do Both,” and “Finding Your Voice and Changing the World: Passion, Emotion and Leadership.” Registration is $70 for the first organizational attendee, and $60 for each additional organizational attendee. The deadline to register is March 2, with early-bird registration closing on Feb. 13. For more information, visit www.womensfund.net.

Rock ‘n’ Roll & Management Styles

April 15: “Everything I Learned About Management, I Learned From Rock ‘n’ Roll” will be presented by James M. Wilson III, Ph.D., assistant professor of Business at Bay Path College; and Gregory Jones, director of Cannes Associates Production Management. Wilson and Jones have been conducting research for three years on the production of live concerts featuring Metallica, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Dylan, and Willie Nelson, among others, with a focus on how event management contributes to organizational theory. The free lecture at 7 p.m. will take place in Breck Suite in Wright Hall at Bay Path College in Longmeadow. The event is part of the Kaleidoscope lecture series. For more information, call (413) 565-1066 or visit www.baypath.edu.

Women’s Professional Development Conference

April 30: Bay Path College in Longmeadow will host the 14th annual Women’s Professional Development Conference from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. For more information, call (413) 565-1293 or visit www.baypath.edu.

A Stimulus Plan: It’s All About Job Creation

By
Opinion

The business news is pretty bleak these days, and on a number of fronts.

There have been scary headlines concerning the restaurant sector, hotels, retail, the auto industry … and just last week came the stunning news that Brandeis University, facing a huge hit to its endowment and calamitous losses from the Madoff scandal, is actually selling the collection in its art museum for more than $300 million.

But the most disturbing news concerns jobs.

Analysts called Jan. 26 “Bloody Monday,” because more than 70,000 jobs were lost on that day alone. Another 11,000 cuts were announced the following Tuesday. Locally, the jobless rate in the Greater Springfield area climbed to 7.2% for the month of December, up a full percentage point from November.

Job losses are critical because when people are out of work — or fear that they soon will be — they become more cautious and conservative in their spending. This leads to reductions in production in factories, the closing of restaurants and hotels, and shrinkage among some major retail chains.

This leads to more layoffs, which puts more people out of work and prompts even more to fear that they may face a similar fate, which leads to reductions in production in factories … you get the idea.

All this underscores why the stimulus plan being discussed on Capitol Hill must create jobs right now, this quarter.

However, some early details about what’s in the plan show that only a small percentage of the money in the package will be spent this year

Specifically, of the $30 billion the House bill allots for highway projects, for example, less than $4 billion would be spent before 2011. And of the $18.5 billion earmarked for renewable energy, less than $3 billion would actually be spent within two years.

While there are widespread questions about the relative worth of any stimulus package of this type, one has to doubt whether one with such delayed action will help stem the tide of job losses — and resulting negative impact on virtually every sector of the economy.

Instead, proceeding with such a package would amount to simply throwing money at the problem, which every analyst has warned against — especially when one considers the sky-high levels of debt the nation is absorbing — and President Obama insists is not the case.

It’s not too late to retool this plan and forestall more of the announcements like the one Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick made recently. He unveiled a $1.1 billion round of emergency budgets — including large reductions in local aid — that will lead to reductions in service, tough times at public colleges and universities at a time when applications to those institutions are soaring, and, most importantly, thousands of layoffs.

As we wrote recently, giving Patrick a check for $2 billion today will do a lot more good than putting $2 billion into a troubled bank that will likely keep it in the vault, or targeting $2 billion for a ‘green’ energy development that won’t put anyone to work for two years, when the recession will presumably be over.

At a time when colleges are selling their art collections to raise cash, drastic steps must be taken to restore confidence, keep people working, and put people laid off on Bloody Monday back to work.

Time is of the essence when it comes to a stimulus package, but it’s more important to get it right than to get it done fast.

By
Departments

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

Alban, Orly A.
2118 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Allis, Earle Charles
Allis, Shirley May
777 Pine Meadow Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Blair Sarlan, Marla S.
18 Letendre Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Book Your Life Publishing
Hayes, Thomas Patrick
Hayes, Kelli Ann
428 Michael Sears Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/19/08

Bouchard, Gloria J.
6 Ross St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Bourdon, Marion C.
223 Greystone Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Bradeen, Carol A.
434 Crescent St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/08

Briggs, Gerard H.
51 Brookfield Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/30/08

Britt, Karen M.
22 Rachel St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Cheney, Dorine A.
a/k/a Perez, Dorine A.
a/k/a Cheney-Toole, Dorine
a/k/a King, Dorine
81 South Maple St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/08

Cheney, Jonathan A.
P.O. Box 185
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/08

Chouinard, Darlene D.
a/k/a Seigiel, Darlene D.
P.O. Box 253
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Cigal, Kimberly J.
a/k/a Walsh, Kimberly J.
480 Pochassic Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Cody, Dorothy M.
61 Harvey St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Cohen, Amy L.
167 Hopkins Place
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/08

Cruz, Edith B.
35 Dwight Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Cruz, Victor
Cruz, Daisy E.
36 Jimmy Court
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/08

Dawson, Christopher Michael
670 McKinstry Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/17/08

Delvental, Ceil E.
86 Cheney St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/24/08

Dulude, Maureen D.
a/k/a Flanagan, Maureen D.
6 Meadowood Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Edge, Emma M.
45 Dunmoreland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Edwards, Debora
6 Cycle St., Apt. D
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/08

Edwards, Felicia M.
44 Carnavon Circle
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/22/08

Foster, Matthew Edward
3 Charron St.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Gaudette, Steven P.
Gaudette, Carrie A.
a/k/a Gramarossa, Carrie Ann
1521 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/08

Gomez, Joel
Gomez, Iveth A.
29 Kendall St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/24/08

Hackett, Kevin W.
P.O. Box 64
Goshen, MA 01032
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Henley, Lloyd
22 Salem Place
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Hubbard, Jeffrey A.
138 Crane Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Hughes, Cheryl A.
a/k/a Menendez, Cheryl Ann
43 Prospect St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Hunter, Melinda Ann
182 Northampton St., A
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Illingsworth, Megan Lee
a/k/a LaFountain, Megan Lee
411 Westhampton Road
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/29/08

J&S Cleaning Service
Yelinek, Sheryl Anne
Yelinek, James Jeffrey
27 Rising St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Johnston, Jean M.
290 East St., Apt. 7
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/17/08

Kelley, Cynthia E.
470 North Farms Road
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Kenyon, Bruce D.
82 Grover St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/08

Kirchner, Dominic N.
Kirchner, Sarah J.
15 Princeton St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Kuruca, Ali Ihsan
821 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Lausier, Mark A.
Lausier, Catherine A.
21 Fairfield St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/17/08

Le, Binh H.L.
Nguyen, Vanessa
15 Dow St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/08		  

LeBlanc, David L.
LeBlanc, Karen L.
111 Brickyard Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/08

Liebenow, Charles A.
3 Jones Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/08

Lueb, Adam P.
29 Lester St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Lyons, Barbara L.
106 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095-1036
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/08

Martinez, Blanca E.
1060 Liberty St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/08

Martino, John
Martino, Colleen
a/k/a Adams, Colleen C.
22 Abbey St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Mitchell, Jill A.
32 Fairfield St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/08

Molloy, Stephen L.
Molloy, Michele P.
a/k/a Bilquez, Michele P.
69 College St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Moore, Jeanne E.
887 Homestead Ave
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Murphy, Scott T.
28 Joseph Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Nicely, Danny L.
Nicely, Catherine M.
64 Agnes St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Parker, Breon L.
546 Tinkham Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Pelletier, Wayne John
16 Ridge Hill Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/30/08

Petell, Paul P.
Petell, Allegra E.
a/k/a Hayes, Allegra
24 Viviani St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Peterson, Gary Allen
948 Dwight St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/17/08

Pirrone, Michael F.
57 Mellinger Lane
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/08

Provost, Tara Ann
154 Canon Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Rae, Albert H.
99 Farnum Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Reilly, Sean T.
101 Granby St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/17/08

Rivera, Elizabeth
453 Tokeneke Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/31/08

Rivera, Francisco Daniel
163 Groveland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/08

Rood, Sean C.
34 Bates Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/08

Rossetti, Louis A.
1491 Westfield St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/24/08

Rubin, Bruce G.
Rubin, Susan M.
45 Sherman Hill Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Ryan, Beth A.
243 Nonotuck Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/08

Sahler, Martin
Sahler, Talia B.
145 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/08

Scott, Brian Elvin
82 King St., Apt. 2
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Shannon, Charlene M.
18 Villa Lane
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/16/08

Shcherbachuk, Vera Ivanovna
152 Nonotuck St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Singer, Gary L.
65 Greylock Ave.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/08

Slakteris, John Janis
198 North Main Road
Post Office Box 547
Otis, MA 01253
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Slattery, Margaret J.
121 Maybrook Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/08

Stack, Branden James
10 Colorado Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/18/08

Stoeckard, Michael James
Stoeckard, Virginia Frances
1390 Memorial Ave., Apt. D
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/17/08

Sullivan, David
Sullivan, Luz Eneida
69 Redlands St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Vallieres, Gerard A.
Vallieres, Dianne L.
4 North Hoosac St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/24/08

Wadsworth, Earl John
Wadsworth, Elle
69 Belmont Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/08

Walker, William S.
Walker, Antonette P.
118 Everett Road
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/08

Weber, Christopher W.
Weber, Teresa R.
172 Newhouse St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/08

OPINION

By
Opinion
Go Green, but Be Smart About It

Economists say we are facing a long recession. The Patrick administration offers a response: investing in the ‘Green Economy’ — primarily energy efficiency, renewable energy, and grants to encourage green companies to grow here — as good for the environment and the economy. And they’re right — if we do it correctly. However, in our exuberance to do the right thing, there is the potential to spend money needlessly, and residents may not get all the benefits they should expect.

Let’s start with the basics. The proposed investments are not funded by taxes but rather through surcharges and tariffs collected on customers of utilities — totaling about $175 million in 2009. This money supports utility-operated energy-efficiency programs and grant programs at quasi-government organizations such as the Mass. Technology Collaborative to build renewable power installations and provide seed money to green industries.

In addition, the Green Communities Act would allow utilities to invest ratepayer money to subsidize more renewable-power projects, with the financial risk and higher costs borne entirely by the ratepayer. This is all on top of an existing law that subsidizes renewable power to the tune of $125 million per year, and the approximately $75 million allocated to energy efficiency from recent auctions of carbon allowances as part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

All this adds up to billions of dollars over the next few years alone, a huge wealth transfer from electricity users (many of whom are struggling in the economic downturn) to favored industries and programs. As a result, the administration and the Legislature have a heightened obligation to make sure the programs are cost-effective, transparent, and coordinated, and to monitor the overall program costs.

At present, that is not the case. Since responsibility for these programs spans different agencies and arises from separate legislation, regulation, and administrative actions, it is not clear that anyone except perhaps the attorney general, as ratepayer advocate, is adding up the combined impact of all these programs on ratepayers’ bills or gauging the economic impact of raising electricity rates on one sector of the economy to give incentives to other sectors. While some of the charges that fund these programs are separately identified on ratepayers’ bills, others are not, making them invisible to consumers.

That is not only unfair, but unwise. Without more coordination and cost control, and a hard look at their cost-benefit, these investments will be a patchwork of government and non-government programs operating in their own silos, resulting in redundancy and wasted money.

The fact that something raises costs or does not have an immediate payback, of course, does not mean we shouldn’t do it. Manageable higher prices today are an appropriate trade-off to free ourselves of fossil fuels, for environmental, social, and security reasons, as well as for the potential economic boost of more jobs.

But we must be smart. An economic crisis like this should open the door to innovative thinking and bold actions. The desire for expediency should not absolve the administration from spending the money efficiently and providing information in a transparent and accessible way. At a minimum, this means all the programs should be separately itemized on ratepayers’ bills. Also, the Legislature should maintain vigilant oversight of these programs.

Massachusetts can be the leader it wants to be and turn economic anxiety into economic advantage by committing to build or upgrade our ‘green infrastructure.’ Energy efficiency, distributed generation, wind farms, solar installations, new natural-gas-fired power plants, mass-transit projects, ‘smart’ electric meters, and plug-in stations for electric cars should all be in the mix.

But let’s do something that works, not something that just sounds good. The current crisis will be the catalyst for positive environmental and economic changes only if we resist the urge to spend unwisely.-

Robert Rio is senior vice president of Government Affairs at Associated Industries of Mass. Roger Borghesani is chairman of the Energy Consortium.

By
Departments

State Foreclosures Soar 62% in 2008

BOSTON — Foreclosure activity in Massachusetts surged 62.4% in 2008 compared to 2007 and was nearly four times the level seen in 2006, according to the Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. A total of 12,430 foreclosure deeds were recorded last year, up from 7,653 in 2007 and 3,130 in 2006. In December, there were 936 foreclosure deeds, a 5.4% increase from November’s 888 deeds and a 37% increase from the 683 deeds in December 2007. December marked the fourth consecutive month in 2008 that foreclosure deeds fell under 1,000. The bulk of the foreclosures — nearly 60% — occurred from March through August, when more than 1,000 foreclosure deeds were recorded each month. In Hampden County, there were 1,040 completed mortgage foreclosures, up 41.7% compared with the 734 foreclosures noted in 2007. Foreclosure petitions, the first step in the foreclosure process, ended the year below the level reported in 2007. Lenders filed 21,804 foreclosure petitions in 2008, down 26.3% from 2007, when there were 29,572 foreclosure petitions. The dropoff is linked to a law that went into effect last year that requires lenders wanting to initiate a foreclosure to give delinquent borrowers 90 days to pay off mortgage-loan defaults. The Warren Group also tracked 19,270 auction announcements in 2008, a 32.5% increase from 14,546 in 2007, and 189.4% higher than the 6,659 auction announcements reported in 2006. Auction announcements in December climbed 6.3% to 1,206 from 1,134 in November and 11.6% from 1,081 during the same month a year earlier.

Ad Club Seeks ADDY Award Entries

SPRINGFIELD — The Advertising Club of Western Mass. (ACWM) is now seeking entries for the 2009 ADDY Awards. The annual competition recognizes creative excellence in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties in all media, including print, broadcast, interactive, out-of-home, and public-service advertising. The competition is a three-tier national contest conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation. Entry in the ACWM ADDY competition is the first step toward winning a national/international ADDY. A panel of advertising experts will select winners in Springfield on Feb. 19. To be eligible for consideration for an ADDY, all work must have first appeared in the media between Jan. 1 and December 31, 2008. All ACWM ADDY entries must be registered online, submitted in person, and paid in full by 5 p.m. on Feb. 12 to Insurance Center of New England, 246 Park St., West Springfield. For mandatory online registration, rules, categories, and entry information, visit www.adclubwm.org. All ADDY award winners will be recognized at the 2009 ADDY Awards Red Carpet Gala on March 12 at CityStage in Springfield.

Yankee Candle Restructuring, Closing Stores

SOUTH DEERFIELD — The Yankee Candle Co. recently announced a restructuring plan that will result in the termination of approximately 330 employees, as well as the closing of its 28 Illuminations stores and the discontinuation of the related Illuminations consumer-direct business. The company acquired the Illuminations business, which was primarily located on the West Coast, in 2006. Chairman and CEO Craig W. Rydin noted in a release that decisions like these affect employees “are very difficult ones.” He added that company officials believe that the actions being taken, while difficult, are in the best interests of the company, its employees, and equity holders.

Connecticut River Byway Grant Awarded

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) has been awarded a National Scenic Byways grant of $976,000 for work to protect scenic lands along the Connecticut River Scenic Farm Byway in Hadley and South Hadley. The grant, which was provided by the Federal Highway Administration, was the only National Scenic Bylaws grant awarded in Massachusetts and the fifth-largest grant in the U.S., out of 221 grants awarded. The total project funding will be $1,220,000, including matching funds provided by communities, state agencies, and land trusts. The project was supported by the Hadley and South Hadley boards of selectmen and conservation commissions, Congressman John Olver, and the Porter Phelps Huntington Foundation. The Connecticut River Scenic Farm Byway follows Route 47 from South Hadley center through Hadley, and continues north through Franklin County and into Vermont and New Hampshire, traversing a historic pastoral landscape with views of the Connecticut River. The grant funds will be used to work with landowners who volunteer to protect important scenic land parcels along the byway through selling agricultural preservation restrictions or conservation restrictions. PVPC has also applied, with the support of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and the towns of Hadley, South Hadley, Sunderland, Montague, Northfield, and Erving, to have the scenic farm byway designated as a National Scenic Byway. The designation would extend to state Routes 47 and 63, which are already designated as state scenic byways. The national designation would improve opportunities for grants to protect the byway, but would not impose any new regulations along the byway.

State Officials Off on January Tax-collection Projections

BOSTON — Through Jan. 15, month-to-date tax collections totaled $857 million, down $248 million from the same period in January 2008, with the full-month January benchmark projecting a decrease of $434 million from January 2008, according to the state Department of Revenue. The month-to-date decline through Jan. 15 was primarily attributed to the drop in income-tax estimated payments, which were down $253 million from the same period in January 2008, most likely caused by a decline in tax-year 2008 capital-gains taxes. A decline in capital-gains taxes was reflected in the revised January 2009 benchmark, which projects a $308 million drop in income-tax estimated payments for the full month. Historically, most of the change in January estimated payments has occurred in the first half of the month, as the department processes payments mailed by Dec. 31. Month-to-date withholding taxes through Jan. 15, 2009 totaled $438 million, down $9 million from the same period a year ago, compared to the revised benchmark estimate that projects a withholding decline of $104 million for the full month. Department officials note that Jan. 15 was too early in the month to make any judgments regarding January sales-tax collections, which are due on Jan. 20 of each month and reflect December sales. For the full month of January 2009, sales-tax collections are projected to decline by $27 million from January 2008 due to expected weakness in holiday-season sales as well as one fewer deposit day this month. January is not a significant month for corporate and business taxes, as there are no estimated payments with final tax returns due for most corporations, according to department officials.

By
Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of January 2009.

CHICOPEE

Callaway Golf Ball Operations
425 Meadow St.
$31,000 — Room addition

Chicopee Rest Home
12 Dallaire St.
$27,000 — Roof repair

Padgette Street LLC
140 Padgette St.
$95,000 — Tenant fit-up for office spaces and warehouse area

Service Net
724 McKinstry Ave.
$10,000 — Roof repair

Tabernacle Baptist Church
603 New Ludlow Road
$6,200 — New roof

Valley West School
269 Moore St.
$6,000 — Construct greenhouse

EASTHAMPTON

Autumn Properties, LLC
247-251 Northampton St.
$5,200 — Repair wall and replace siding

Midura & Szostak Dental Offices
5 Campus Lane
$15,300 — Renovate office building

GREENFIELD

A. R. Sandri Inc.
400 Chapman St.
$15,000 — Remove existing shingles from fascia and replace with asphalt

New England Learning Center
479 Main St.
$11,900 — Re-roof

HOLYOKE

701 Kelly Way, LLC
707 Kelly Way
$1,460,000 — Build a 13,214-square-foot pre-engineered metal building

Laundro Max – 556 High Street, LLC
556 High St.
$20,000 — Build foundation only for new retail building

LUDLOW

John Chaves
80 Sroka Lane
$10,000 — Alterations

United Development Group LLD
562 Holyoke St.
$80,000 — Alterations

  

NORTHAMPTON

Central Chambers Realty Trust
16 Center St.
$10,000 — Remove two non-bearing walls and install suspended ceiling

Cooley Dickinson Hospital
30 Locust St.
$36,000 — Interior renovations

Cooley Dickinson Hospital
30 Locust St.
$6,500 — Strip and shingle roof

Lathrop Community Inc.
680 Bridge St.
$237,000 — Reside buildings 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, and16

Mananto Holdings LLP
36 King St.
$6,000 — Erect roof structure

Marianne Dunn
39 Carlon Dr.
$11,000 — Construct six office/room spaces

Smith College
123 Elm St.
$225,000 — Install air conditioning system and replace windows in ground-floor offices

Smith College
17 Prospect St.
$184,000 — Lamont House dining room renovations

SPRINGFIELD

Baystate Medical Center
759 Chestnut St.
$50,000 — Renovate office space

Beacon Company LTD Partnership
401 North Branch Pkwy.
$60,000 — Interior and exterior fire restoration

Northgate LLC
1985 Main St.
$70,000 — Interior commercial remodel

WESTFIELD

KJK Wireless
15 Washington St.
$25,000 — Antenna addition

WEST SPRINGFIELD

DDRM Riverdale Shops, LLC
935 Riverdale St.
$110,000 — Fit out 3,667 square feet of space as dental office

John Richard
54-56 Bridge St.
$128,000 — Restoration of building after fire

By
Departments

Horizon Solutions Breaks Ground in Holyoke

HOLYOKE — Horizon Solutions, an electrical/industrial distribution company, recently broke ground for a Northeast regional office at 701 Kelly Way in Holyoke, in the Crossroads Business Park. Formal groundbreaking ceremonies were staged on Jan. 30. The Southampton-based O’Leary Group acquired the property from the O’Connell Development Group, and will build a 12,814-square-foot office and training facility for Horizon Solutions. The newest tenant in Crossroads was formed in 2000 through the merger of Holmes Distributors of Portland, Maine, Oakes Electric of Holyoke, and RERO Distribution Group of Rochester, N.Y. Approximately 25 employees will work at the Holyoke location. The development is the first project within the city’s Chapter 43D Priority Development Site that was designated by the state Legislature a year ago. Chapter 43D guarantees an applicant a decision on permitting reviews within 180 days. The city completed all approvals within 69 days for the project.

College Consulting Firm Launched in State

FEEDING HILLS — Researching and applying to colleges is one of the biggest challenges of a student’s life, and a new business aims to make that process run smoothly. College CoPilot Inc. will offer students and their families a consulting and project-management resource to assist in the areas of test registration, major selection, college choice, application completion, scholarship searching, and campus tours. The same services can also be extended to those finishing community-college programs or students seeking to transfer to a new college. For more information, call (413) 237-3654 or visit www.mycollegecopilot.com. President Cori Rolland notes that spring SAT deadline registration is just around the corner, and colleges need to be chosen to receive the scores. Rolland added that now is the time for high-school juniors to start planning for college.

STCC Receives $1.6M from Labor Department

SPRINGFIELD — Efforts to expand the pool of potential health care employees in Western Mass. will get a boost from a recent federal grant. Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) has received a $1.65 million grant to create a partnership among Western Mass. colleges, medical institutions, community-based organizations, and economic development agencies, with a goal of increasing the number of potential health care workers in the region. The $1,655,957 award was announced recently by the U.S. Department of Labor, as part of the President’s Community-Based Job Training Grants program. STCC was the only Mass. institution selected in this round of the highly-competitive grants program. “If the Western Mass. economy is going to grow, we will need a well trained workforce. This important grant will provide community colleges and community-based institutions with the resources they need to train and educate local workers. I believe this federal assistance will help our region compete in the new global economy,” said Congressman Richard E. Neal. Michael Foss, dean of Health and Patient Simulation at STCC, said, “This is an unprecedented collaboration, and while the primary impact will be in Western Mass., we feel certain this will become a model for the nation.”

The 16 partners in the Community-Based Job Training Grant project are Baystate Health, Berkshire Community College, Berkshire Health System, Berkshire County Regional Employment Board, Franklin/Hampshire County Regional Employment Board, Greenfield Community College, Health Careers Opportunities Project, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke Medical Center, Mason Square Veterans Outreach Center, Mass. AHEC Network (Area Health Education Center), Mercy Medical Center, Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, STCC, Springfield Public Schools, and The World Is Our Classroom. As part of the three-year grant project:

  • Two educational programs will be offered at all four community colleges; one is a half-day, intense medical encounter for high school students; the other is a semester-long Introduction to Patient Skills course, which will promote understanding of what it’s like to work inhealth care.
  • The Springfield Public Schools and the Regional Employment Boards will assist in recruiting students for these experiences.
  • The three partner community colleges will receive approximately $200,000 each to expand their capacity to deliver the patient care experience.
  • One full-time counselor will be hired at each of the colleges They will provide targeted, individual counseling to guide the students into academic programs and careers, as well as follow-up assistance.
  • Counselors from each of the college and hospital partner sites will receive academic advising training from the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA.) High school guidance counselors will also have an opportunity to attend a medical encounter.
  • Funding will also be used to revamp the healthprograms.org Web site that gives information and contacts for health programs at all four Western Mass. community colleges.

By
Departments

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

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT

April May v. Country Wide Home Loans
Allegation: Fraudulent foreclosure of home: $395,000
Filed: 12/30/08

Orica USA Inc. v. Pioneer Supply Corp.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $119,914.46
Filed: 12/18/08

GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Turtle Fur Company v. Tucker Sports, Inc. d/b/a Trail’s Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $3,843.99
Filed: 12/24/08

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Andrew Morrisette v. Dynamic Duck & Door, et al
Allegation: Negligence, breach of implied warranty, and product liability: $386,000
Filed: 12/15/08

Environmental Compliance Services Inc. v. Pete’s Sales & Services Inc. and PJB Realty, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of environmental services rendered: $164,796.87
Filed: 1/06/09

Instar Services Group, L.P. v. Pinocchio’s, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of cleaning emergency and restoration services: $29,882.11
Filed: 12/31/08

Isabel S. Hannant v. Agawam Family Physicians & Frank J. Stirlacci, M.D.
Allegation: Medical malpractice: $750,000+
Filed: 1/09/09

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Michael & Patricia Stoddard v. Izzy’s Garage & Shop Inc. and Isaiah Salloom
Allegation: Motor vehicle/pedestrian collision causing injury: $50,000+
Filed: 1/06/09

R & R Window Contractors Inc. v. Bacon Construction Co. and Continental Casualty Co.
Allegation: Non-payment of labor and materials for aluminum window work: $173,419.61
Filed: 1/14/09

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

Nikon Inc v. Ware Gun Shop
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $10,037.39
Filed: 12/22/08

Northeast Hardscapes v. Northampton Nursing Home
Allegation: Non-payment of services rendered including labor and materials: $10,253
Filed: 12/17/08

PALMER DISTRICT COURT

Amanda Beaumier v. Service Connection
Allegation: Wrongful termination and defamation: $14,580
Filed: 12/12/08

East Street Baking Company v. Tebo’s Mini Market
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $3,364.07
Filed: 1/20/09

Northern Land Clearing, Inc. v. MRJ Enterprises Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of disposal, excavation, and land-clearing services: $13,502.10
Filed: 12/04/08

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Autopart International Inc. v. Brake King
Allegation: Breach of credit application and non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $3,556.75
Filed: 11/10/08

Baystate Gas Company v. P. Gioioso & Sons Inc.
Allegation: Damages for violations of Dig Safe Law: $5,140
Filed: 11/21/08

Highland Laundry Co. v. Bill’s Restaurant
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $3,259.82
Filed: 11/21/08

Jonathan Goldsmith, Chap. 7 Trustee of Affiliated Plumbing Corp. v. Callahan, Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of materials sold and services rendered: $188,450.18
Filed: 11/06/08

Sunset International Trade, LLC v. Mr. B’s f/d/b/a Nite-N-Day
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $23,377.91
Filed: 11/10/08

United Rentals Inc. v. All-Pro Masonry Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of materials, goods, and services provided for a construction project: $7,988.95
Filed: 11/06/08

By
Departments

Hiring a Home Contractor

This is the second installment in a new feature called, simply, ’10 Points.’ As the name suggests, it provides 10 quick but important points about a given subject relevant to consumers or business professionals. If you would like to contribute to ’10 Points,’ please submit your idea to [email protected].

By ADAM BASCH

1. Just as an employer checks the references of someone seeking employment, a homeowner should check the references of a contractor. Ask to see some of the homes he has worked on in the past, and speak to the owners.

2. Check the contractor’s name at the registry of deeds. See if other customers have had to file suit against the contractor.
3. Make sure that the contractor is registered with the Common-wealth. A registration can be checked at www.state.ma.us.
4. Do not pull your own building permits. The contractor should pull all permits. If a homeowner pulls the permits, they will be disqualified from making a claim to the Guarantee Fund.

5. Avoid paying before services are complete. While most contactors will ask for a deposit, any future payments should closely follow the amount of work actually being done.

6. Make sure all terms of the agreement are reduced to a contract signed by both parties. If, during construction, additions or subtractions are made to the scope of the project, sign change orders.
7. If the contractor you are hiring has employed subcontractors on your project, make sure you obtain mechanic’s lien waivers from all subcontractors prior to making payment to your contractor.
8. Talk to the city or town building inspector. If the contractor has done poor work before, the building inspector may be aware of it.
9. Request a copy of the contractor’s workers’ compensation policy to insure all people working on your property are covered by workers’ compensation.

10. If expensive materials must be ordered, have the contactor order them, but send payments directly to the manufacturer.

Adam J. Basch, Esq. is an associate with Bacon Wilson, P.C. He is a member of the litigation department with expertise in the areas of construction litigation, personal injury, general litigation, and creditor representation; (413) 781-0560; [email protected].

By
Departments

Tabletop Business Expo

Jan. 21: The Women’s Partnership, a division of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield Inc., is still accepting reservations for its annual Tabletop Business Expo, slated from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel on Riverdale Street, West Springfield. Now in its 11th year, the expo offers an affordable opportunity to network and to showcase one’s business to hundreds of professionals. Highlights of the affair include interactive exhibits and a presentation by personal chef Bill Collins. Reservations are required and may be made by calling Diane Swanson at the ACCGS office, 1441 Main St., Springfield, (413) 787-1555, or via E-mail to [email protected].  Booth reservations include one lunch ticket at a cost of $75; lunch/event tickets are $25.

Chamber Nite

January 21: The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will host Chamber Nite at the Greylock Federal Credit Union, 150 West St., Pittsfield, from 5 to 7 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres will be served during the networking event, which includes an update on the Berkshire United Way campaign. In addition, a name from all those who donated to the United Way campaign will be drawn and will win their choice of a 2009 Nissan Sentra or $10,000 in cash, donated by Johnson Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Nissan and Greylock Federal Credit Union. Chamber Nite events are open to Berkshire Chamber members and their employees. For more information, call (413) 499-4000, ext. 26.

State of the State

Jan. 22: Mass. Lt. Gov. Tim Murray will visit Whalley Computer Associates in Southwick to participate in a seminar for mayors, town leaders, and school superintendents, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Paul Whalley, vice president of Whalley Computer Associates, will follow Murray’s presentation with a discussion titled “Saving Jobs and Money by Reducing IT Costs.” The presentation is intended to empower mayors, town business managers, and school superintendents to intelligently reduce their IT expenses while improving the end users’ experience. City, town, and school executives are encouraged to invite their IT directors to the meeting. Seating is limited for the breakfast and tour of Whalley Computer Associates. To register, contact Justin Newman prior to Jan. 16 at (413) 569-4245. Persons unable to attend the meeting but who would like more information on ways to significantly reduce IT costs may contact Mark Duarte at (413) 569-4231.

Jimmy Fund Benefit

Jan. 23: More than 30 of the area’s finest restaurants and caterers will present “Around the World with Chefs for Jimmy” from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Chez Josef in Agawam. The 19th annual Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute fund-raiser will feature culinary delights, as well as a silent auction. Door-prize drawings are also planned. Tickets are $75 and are available in advance only. For more information, call the regional Jimmy Fund office in West Springfield at (413) 546-6938, or visit www.jimmyfund.org/chefs-for-jimmy .  The Jimmy Fund supports the fight against cancer at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

WorldQuest Competition

Jan. 24: The World Affairs Council of Western Mass. will host its fourth annual Academic WorldQuest competition at Western New England College in Springfield, beginning at 2 p.m. Academic WorldQuest is an international affairs quiz featuring 10 rounds of 10 questions on a variety of topics, including current events, globalization, transnational crime, alternative fuels, and population in developing countries. The event is open to student teams representing Springfield public high schools. The public is welcome to attend the free affair. For more information, call the World Affairs Council office at (413) 733-0110.

CLIO Awards

Jan. 28: The Ad Club of Western Mass. will showcase the 2008 CLIO Awards for television from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Rivers Memorial at Western New England College in Springfield. The CLIO Awards honor creative excellence and innovation in the advertising, design, and interactive industries. Tickets are $25 for Ad Club members, $35 for future members, and $15 for students. Registration is necessary by Jan. 23 and may be made by visiting www.adclubwm.org  or by calling (413) 736-CLUB.

The Aging Brain

Feb. 5: A lecture titled “The Aging Brain: The Agile Mind” will be presented by Posit Science of San Francisco, Calif., as part of the Kaleidoscope lecture series at Bay Path College in Longmeadow. The lecture, beginning at 7 p.m., includes a post-discussion demonstration of a brain exercise to learn how to make the aging brain more agile. The free event is open to the public and will be conducted in Breck Suite in Wright Hall. For more information, call (413) 565-1066 or visit www.baypath.edu .

Outlook 2009

Feb. 9:  U.S. Congressman John Tanner will provide the keynote address at the Affiliated Chambers’ annual Outlook program to be staged at Chez Josef in Agawam, beginning at 11:45 a.m. The Outlook program, made possible through the sponsorship of presenting sponsor Health New England; platinum sponsors Eastern States Exposition, MassMutual Financial Group, PeoplesBank, Western Massachusetts Electric Co., and sound sponsor Zasco Productions, LLC, offers business professionals a first-hand opportunity to gain regional, state, and federal perspectives on legislative issues, politics, and economies. Tanner has represented Tennessee’s 8th District for the past 20 years and is a cofounder of a growing alliance of moderate-to-conservative Democrats known as the Blue Dog Coalition. Founded in 1995, the Blue Dog Coalition was so named because its members felt they had been “squeezed from the left and the right until they turned blue in the face.” Tanner is a leader in the fight for fiscal responsibility, supports pro-growth economic policies, and is in the forefront in the fight to eliminate the federal debt. U.S. Congressman Richard E. Neal will introduce Tanner during the Outlook program. Massachusetts Senate President Therese Murray has been invited to present the state outlook, and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno will provide the regional outlook. Outlook 2009 will begin with an invitation-only social hour at 11:15 a.m., and the program will begin at 11:45 a.m. Tickets are $45 per ticket for members of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield and $65 per ticket for non-members. Tables of 10 and 12 are available. Reservations must be made in writing and in advance. Sign up online at www.myonlinechamber.com, or mail, E-mail, or fax to Diane Swanson, Events Manager, 1441 Main St., Suite 133, Springfield, MA 01103-1449. E-mail: [email protected] ; fax: (413) 755-1322. Reservation deadline is Feb. 6.

Winter Weekend

Feb. 14-16: Hancock Shaker Village in Hancock will stage its annual Winter Weekend, which will feature ice harvesting at the Shaker Reservoir, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and nature walks. Visitors will also have an opportunity to participate in craft projects, cooking demonstrations, and tours of historic Shaker buildings. The ice-harvesting demonstrations will be led by Dennis Picard, who appeared last year in Absolure Zero, The Conquest of Cold, a PBS Nova program. For more information, call (800) 817-1137, or visit www.hancockshakervillage.org .

Women and Retirement

Feb. 26: Shelly Colville, a registered representative of the National Planning Corporation, will present a lecture titled “Women and Retirement: Are You Saving Wisely?” as part of the Kaleidoscope lecture series at Bay Path College in Longmeadow. Colville will lead women and men of all ages in an Oppenheimer Funds workshop to guide them to a better understanding of planning for the future. The free event is open to the public and will be conducted in Breck Suite in Wright Hall. For more information, call (413) 565-1066 or visit www.baypath.edu .

By
Departments

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

Barkett, Paul F.
12 Church St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/09/08

Beamon, Tracy L.
37 Border St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/04/08

Beckwith, Clyde E.
Beckwith, Beverly R.
453 Brattleboro Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Bell, Matthew L.
Sweet, Chelsea C.
19 Willard Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/28/08

Bennett, Tracey E.
139 Mayfair Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/01/08

Bonilla, Osiris L.
143 Kimberly Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/01/08

Brancazzu, John A.
68 Dexter St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/10/08

Brown, Jody Frank
Brown, Terry Lynn
a/k/a Weibel, Terry Lynn
55 Stebbins St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Bump, Margaret J.
PO Box 1383
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/05/08

Burgess, Stephanie N.
81 Slater Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/15/08

Candy’s Pub Inc.
489 Granby Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 11
Filing Date: 12/01/08

Carraturo, Anthony J.
40 St. Kolbe Dr., Unit C
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/05/08

Cencia, Ryan C.
56 Vinal Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/09/08

Cwiok, Sandra J.
1115 Overlook Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Daigle, Scott N.
Daigle, Dawn M.
800 Old Petersham Road
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 11/28/08

Daryl’s Place
Alston, Daryl T.
Alston, Kim Angela
a/k/a Rogers, Kim Angela
212 Acrebrook Dr.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/01/08

Dean, Jason A.
98 Dartmouth St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/02/08

Dillon, John M.
309 Deerfield St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/08/08

Ducharme, Henry L.
93 Grochmal Ave., Lot 6
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/11/08

Duval, John M.
Duval, Yvette M.
1449 County Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/07/08

Espada, Myriam S.
70 Walnut St. #304
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/10/08

Favreau, Mark R.
Favreau, Sandra L.
74 Bacon St., Apt. #1
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/28/08

Fugiel, Carol Ann
269 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/10/08

Gerald, Juliette M.
12 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/02/08

Goodrich, Stuart B.
Goodrich, Dawn L.
121 West Road
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/15/08

Gresham, Barbara J.
139 Colton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/09/08

Harris, Louise A.
68 Theroux Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/10/08

Healy, Carla J.
a/k/a Barrett, Carla J.
P.O. Box 73
Worthington, MA 01098
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/05/08

Horrigan, John T.
Horrigan, Anna B.
11 Dale St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/12/08

Hughes, Chris A.
PO Box 172
North Hatfield, MA 01066
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/11/08

Hughes, Deborah A.
P.O. Box 1465
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/11/08

Juzba, Robert
40C Valley View
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Juzba, Thomas J.
110 Gardens Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/11/08

Kuhn, Kelly A.
135 East Allen Ridge Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/11/08

Kum, Roger Olston
128 Benton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/11/08

Labato, Daniel Louis
63 East St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Labonte, Denise M.
534 South St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/11/08

Labosco, Carol A.
P.O. Box 284
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/10/08

Leang, Va
Son, Tha
64 Bonner St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/05/08

Long, Sue A.
P.O. Box 543
West Stockbridge, MA 01266
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/09/08

  

Love, Alita M.
9 Pelham St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/05/08

Lozada, Juan D.
Lozada, Diana M.
1460 Page Boulevard
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/02/08

Martinez, Luz A.
33 Superior Ave.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/08

Mathes, Rick J.
323 Sargeant St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/08

Mazza, Dominic L.
Mazza, Marie E.
70 Garden St., Apt D
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/29/08

Modern Design Solutions
Kislyuk, Mark N.
P.O. Box 865
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Monette, Phillip J.
Monette, Jacqueline A.
a/k/a Wanczyk, Jacqueline A.
480 Hazard Ave.
Enfield, CT 06082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/10/08

Moorehouse, Sandra L.
45 Spring St. #210
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/08/08

Moriarty, Erin E.
a/k/a Manning, Erin E.
11 Conifer Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/04/08

Moriarty, Devin M.
6 West Creek Court
Lafayette, CA 94549
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/04/08

Morse, Todd R.
29 Hopkins Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/12/08

Negron, Francisco J.
Negron, Maricely
13 1/2 Washington Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/10/08

O’Connor, Craig
O’Connor, Kimberly
113 Harkness Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/12/08

Olszta, Anne Marie
69 Lathrop St. #5B
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/10/08

Parker, Holly M.
78 Southwick St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Prats, David
Prats, Barbara E.
65 Northwest Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Reardon, Michael James
42 Colony Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/01/08

Rines, Jonathan
93 Crochmal Ave.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/08/08

Rivera, Milton Luis
33 Parkin St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Robbins, Greg A.
61 East Palmer Park Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Robinson, Donald C.
Robinson, Marianne B.
286 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/01/08

Rodriguez, Juan A.
46 West School St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/02/08

Rodriguez, Maria
70 Harrison Ave., Apt.301
Springfield, MA 01103
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Rodriguez, Rufino
53 Empire St., Apt. F
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/30/08

Rolandini, Jacob P.
65 Riviera Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/12/08

Rooney, Darlene E.
Rooney, Shawn P.
519 East River St.
Lot 127
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/28/08

Sandoval, Shawn L.
76 Hall St. Apt 2A
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/03/08

Santaniello, Joanna
1083 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/11/08

Schneider, Susan E.
11 Enterprise St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/09/08

Scyocurka, Gregory S.
113 Ely Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/08/08

Stackhouse, Stacy L.
223 West St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/08/08

Stoddard, Kathleen L.
19 Wilder Ter.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/11/08

Tallman, Maria E.
49 Poinsetta St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/05/08

Talora, Carol A.
105 Laurel St., Apt.4A
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/08/08

Trzpit, Richard A.
Trzpit, Diane M.
5 Grove St
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/29/08

Weiner, Evan J.
Weiner, Virginia M.
5 Sherwood Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/10/08

Winters, Marianne
56 Harvard St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/12/08

Woodard, James M.
Woodard, Lisa M.
342 Southwick Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/15/08

X-Pressions
Corriveau, Donald R.
2626 Old Westfield Rd
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/08/08

By
Departments

WFCR Opens Springfield Broadcast Center

AMHERST — The first new studio space in nearly 50 years for 88.5FM WFCR and 640AM WNNZ – NPR News and Music for Western New England, officially opened for business on Jan. 14 in downtown Springfield. Comprising a state-of-the-art production facility, broadcast studio, and news bureau, the WFCR/WNNZ Springfield Broadcast Center has been built within the broadcast complex of WGBY Channel 57. The new center will enable the station to produce a broader range of content and report more fully on Hampden County and Northern Conn. The move is also representative of the commitment that UMass Amherst, WFCR’s license holder, has for the Springfield area under the new Greater Springfield-UMass Amherst Partnership, according to general manager Martin Miller. The studio will be staffed full-time by two WFCR reporters and student interns from across the five-college consortium and colleges in the Greater Springfield area. WFCR’s plans also include a bilingual reporter who will cover issues in all of the emerging communities of Western Mass. and Connecticut, added Miller. WFCR’s main headquarters will remain in Hampshire House on the UMass Amherst campus, which is also being rehabilitated as part of the station’s $4.2 million capital campaign.

Dog Combating Bedbugs

SPRINGFIELD — “Bingo,” a NESDECA-certified search dog, is helping one local company combat bedbugs. American Pest Solutions Inc. has entered into a partnership with New England Canine Detectives for the use of a bedbug-detecting dog — Bingo — in its effort to combat the region’s growing bedbug infestation. Bingo is a beagle specifically trained to locate bedbugs, according to American Pest Solutions President Bob Russell. By using Bingo to quickly and efficiently locate bedbug infestations in homes and businesses, pesticides do not need to be used, added Russell. Russell noted that the region is experiencing what he calls a “bedbug epidemic,” and that using a dog like Bingo to find them quickly is “unbeatable.” For more information, call (413) 784-0044. American Pest Solutions Inc. is located on Williams Street.

Moriarty & Primack, P.C. Employees Give Back to Community

SPRINGFIELD — Each holiday season, employees of Moriarty & Primack, P.C. seek new ways to give back to the community, and last month was no exception. In addition to a donated Disney-themed tree for the Boys and Girls Club’s Festival of Trees, employees also organized dress-down days to benefit nonprofits and local charities. In November, employees’ dress-down funds provided breakfast at Thanksgiving for 300 people at the Friends of the Homeless. In December, employees contributed $540, and the company matched with an additional $540, to purchase toys for the Holyoke-Chicopee-Springfield Head Start’s All I Want For Christmas campaign. Additionally, employees donated $575 to the Toy for Joy Fund.

JCC Opens Fitness Store

SPRINGFIELD — As area residents gear up to get fit in the new year, the Springfield Jewish Community Center (JCC) can help with its new “jcc FIT stuff” store. Fitness performance clothing, nutrition bars, boxing gloves, squash balls, yoga equipment, swimming gear, and other fitness-related items are offered for men, women, and youth to aid athletes both young and mature. All food items offered are kosher and were chosen by Kathy Roberts, RD, LDN, nutritionist and JCC member, with a focus on low-fat content, low-sodium content, and low sugar without artificial sugars or additives. Proceeds raised from store purchases benefit JCC youth athletic programs and scholarships for recreational and sports programs. For more information, call (413) 739-4715.

Nursing Center Has New Mission

WESTFIELD — Westfield Harborside Healthcare Rehabilitation and Nursing Center has undergone a transformation with a new name and mission statement. Now known as Westfield Care and Rehabilitation Center, the skilled nursing facility also recently unveiled its new mission statement — “Caring Is the Key in Life.” The corresponding new logo, a sun resting in the palm of a hand, symbolizes the act of caring by providing support to those who receive its services with a sense of warmth. The center’s new name was determined by a team of local managers with input from employees. Administrator George Mercier noted that the new external identity mirrors what the organization represents — a daily commitment to providing quality health care services to everyone entrusted to their care. The new logo replaces the center’s former logo which depicted a white sailboat on a blue background. Westfield Care and Rehabilitation Center is operated by the SunBridge Healthcare Corp., based in Irvine, Calif.

By
Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of January 2009.

AGAWAM

Charter’s General Carpentry
305 Springfield St.
Donald Chartier

Crystal Ice & Fuel
343 Main St.
Michael Grimaldi

S & S Plumbing & Heating
764 North West St.
Steven B. Lopes Jr.

AMHERST

Amherst Market Inc.
259 Triangle St.
Naresh Patel

College Pizza
150 Fearing St.
Hasan Cakmak

CHICOPEE

Around The Clock Repair
1057 Montgomery St.
Lynn A. Fontaine

DG Heating & Cooling
230 Clarendon Ave.
Daniel J. Gregory

L & C Advertising
63 Main St.
Lori A. Jerusik

Olde Time Service
2041 Memorial Dr.
Brian Kennedy

TruGreen / Chem Lawn
2160 Westover Road
TruGreen Limited Partnership

X Posse Productions
35 Bell St.
Eugene & Danielle McGahee

EAST LONGMEADOW

Child Empowerment Educational Consulting
17 Rural Lane
Gloria Sue Wald

College Tuition Landscaping
15 Anthony Dr.
Michael & Jennifer Morrisino

Elmcrest Country Club — 19th Hole Lounge
105 Somersville Road
John E. Haberern

Family Bike Inc.
217 L Shaker Road
Raymond Plouffe

Island Tanning — Century Fitness Inc.
491 North Main St.
Todd Witwer

Plouffe Realty Inc.
217 L Shaker Road
Raymond Plouffe

GREENFIELD

Kesco Services
62 Federal St.
Charles E. Kestyn

HADLEY

Center For Holistic Health
8 River Dr.
Richard Martin

HOLYOKE

AAP Alcon Auto Parts
775 High St.
Carlos A. Martinez

Aroma Therapy
50 Holyoke St.
Adam Vang

Butterfly Express
50 Holyoke St.
Richard Lau

King Mart
494 Westfield Road
Swadia & Patel LLC

Luna Bella Home Décor
50 Holyoke St.
Mary Welch

LONGMEADOW

Image Style Consultants
70 Green Willow Dr.
Hilary Suher

Northend Medical Associates, LLC
84 Lawrence Dr.
Florence Odutola

TDC Consulting
80 Longview Dr.
John Patrick Connolly

Western Massachusetts Learning Centers
281 Deepwoods Dr.
Robert Clarke

LUDLOW

Ludlow Massage Center
326 West Ave.
Debra Lewenzuk

NORTHAMPTON

AutoPart International Inc.
137 King St.
Brian Vautrin

Curran & Berger
74 Masonic St.
Joseph P. Curran

Logic Trail
448 Bridge Road
Alexander Simon

Sohofile
575 Bridge Road
Steve Duncan

  

PALMER

P & H Heating
177 Emery St.
Michael R. Hermanson

Vinny’s Firehouse Pizza
1112 Park St.
Vincenzo Manzi

SOUTH HADLEY

Child Adventures
93 Pine Grove Dr.
Geraldine Moriarti

Creating Comfort Outlet
2086 Memorial Dr.
Joshua Barina

Mychildren Mybride
20 Lamb St.
Leah Urbano

Pellerin Construction
84 Hadley St.
James Pellerin

Home Facelifters
244 Brainerd St.
Philip E. Stefanelli

SOUTHWICK

Qualifying Times Ministry
Linda Hawley
7 Sterrett Dr.

SPRINGFIELD

Aranea Pest Management
11 Watling Road
John Daniel Roncalli

Big Shots
126 Merida St.
Nathan Eugene

Bully U Entertainment
20 Ogden St.
John Nichels

Cali Nail Care
2460 Main St.
Kelly Huang

Compliance Security Co.
35 Windemere St.
Calvin V. Branch

Creative Theater Concepts
1700 Main St.
Steven Stein

Curl Up & Dye Hair Salon
439D Main St.
Jadwiga Moskal

D & A Constable Service
1396 Parker St.
Kelly Ann Doyle

DCP Judgment Recovery Service
77 Clifton Ave.
Diane Lowe

Evelyn’s Learning Center
23 Hamburg St.
Evelyn J. Bermudez

Fresh Kids
1291 Boston Road
Kerri Lyn Cofer

Good News Photography
5 Garvey Dr.
Harold P. Dixson

Huntington Learning Center
352 Cooley St.
Deborah Y. Alli

J & B Woodcrafters
15 West Laramee Green
James E. Brown

J.A. Trucking
164 Sherman St.
Felix Alberto Arias

WESTFIELD

Angela’s Aesthetics
41 Court St.
Angela Centracchio

Belco Construction Co. Inc.
385 Southampton Road
John J. Beltrandi

Hedges Electrical Services
216 Notre Dame St.
Chad Hedges

MG Snow Plowing
542 West Road
Michael Gogol

WEST SPRINGFIELD

K and M Auto Sales
697 Union St.
Kyle Paul Shoemaker

Mario Couture
1410 Morgan Road
Mario B. Couture

Preferred Painting
218 Union St.
Anthony M. Alfano

Sanditz Travel
1053 Riverdale St.
Henry Richard Wrotniak

Spherion Staffing
68 Westfield St.
Stix Inc. Corp.

Todd M. Banaitis Electric
46 Lotus Ave.
Todd M. Banaitis

By
Departments

Ringing in 2009

The Young Professionals Society kicked off 2009 in style with its inaugural New Year’s Ball, an event that drew more than 200 people to the Sheraton in downtown Springfield. Clockwise, from right, YPS Co-vice President Jeffrey Fialky and his wife, Emily, enjoy the festivities; Co-vice president Trevis Wray toots his own horn; toasting the new year are, from left, Tina D’agostino, Sandra Bessette, current President Alyssa Carvalho, and Andrew Schmidt; an ice sculpture boasts the society’s working slogan.

Communications Conference

On Jan. 8, Western New England College and the Valley Press Club staged their annual Communications Conference, a day-long program of talks and panel discussions centered on the issues of effective communication and developing working relationships with the press. Above, from left, George O’Brien, editor of BusinessWest; Kathy Tobin, anchor for WGGB40 and FOX6; and Wayne Phaneuf, executive editor of the Republican, take questions from the audience during a “Meet the Gatekeepers” panel discussion. At right, Mark McCandlish, organizational development manager with Baystate Health, leads a workshop on “Delivering on Your Service Promise.”

In Praise of the Difference Makers

By
Opinion

BusinessWest launched a new recognition program late last year. It’s called Difference Makers, and as we said in our initial announcement, while that name says it all in some ways, in other ways it really doesn’t.

That’s because the phrase ‘making a difference’ is somewhat overused and has lost some of its meaning and its punch. With this new program, BusinessWest wants to bring some attention and acclaim to those who really are making an impact in the community we call Western Mass., and are inspiring others to do the same.

When we unveil the first round of winners in early February, you’ll see what we mean.

But let’s back up a minute.

BusinessWest already had a few recognition programs with its name on them. One is the Top Entrepreneur award, given since 1996 to individuals who exemplify the proud tradition of entrepreneurship in this region, a tradition shaped by people like Milton Bradley, George Davis, Everett Barney, and Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson, and carried on by recent winners such as Jeb Balise, the Falcone family (founders and operators of Rocky’s Hardware), and the recipients for 2008, Arlene Kelly and Kim Sanborn, who have created two businesses that have changed the face of health care business operations.

We also created 40 Under Forty. Well, actually, we started our own version of what has become a national trend among business publications — to recognize up-and-coming talent in a given market.

Both programs have become huge successes, and play key roles in helping this publication relate the accomplishments of some very talented people. But something was missing.

Not all people are true entrepreneurs (although most in business are at least entrepreneurial), and, alas, certainly not everyone doing important things and making lasting contributions is under 40. So we created another program that can, and will in many cases, recognize those who don’t fall into one or either category.

These can be individuals who are making great strides in business and thus perhaps changing the fortunes of a company, a business sector, a community, or a region. They can be individuals who are making an impact in the community through donations of money, time, energy, and inspiration to nonprofits and those served by them. They can be leaders who are at the forefront of change and improvement in the quality of life for people who live, work, and play in this region.

The timing of this program is important. While we didn’t exactly plan it this way, Difference Makers becomes a counterbalance to the successive waves of negative news about the economy, the stock market, job losses, and the incredible toll all this is taking on individuals and communities. There are still good things happening in the region, and some of that news is being buried in the avalanche of negative press.

But BusinessWest is not a ‘good-news journal.’ That’s not our purpose, and it never will be. Instead, our mission is to simply hold up a mirror to the region and especially its business community and effectively reflect that image — good, bad, ugly, or promising.

Difference Makers is part of all this mirror-holding work that we do.

It was created to reflect the work of people (some of which goes largely unnoticed or underappreciated) that contributes to progress in this region and makes Western Mass. special.

The stories vary, of course, but they all start with unique people who, well, want to make a difference — and are doing so.

So who are the first Difference Makers? For that, you’ll have to wait two weeks. We need to build up some suspense.-

By
Departments

Soup Kitchen Donation

Chicopee Savings Bank participated in a check presentation from the Mass. Bankers Assoc. (MBA) Charitable Foundation to Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen on Center Street in Chicopee. From left are William Wagner, Chicopee Savings Bank president and CEO; Lorraine Houle, director of Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen; Michael Williams, a member of the Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen board of directors, chairman of its fund-raising committee, and vice president of the Chicopee Savings Financial Services Center; Berdie Thompson, charitable gifts coordinator for Chicopee Savings; Dan Forte, president and CEO of the MBA; and Jerry Roy, president of the Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen board of directors.

Scholarship Winner

Springfield Technical Community College Energy Systems Technology student Jamie Tomas receives a $2,000 scholarship from W.W. Grainger, a supplier of facilities-maintenance products serving business and institutions in Canada, China, Mexico, and the U.S. Tomas, of Indian Orchard, is one of only 35 students in the U.S. to receive the award this year. From left are Michael Siciliano, Energy Systems Technology professor at STCC; John Duffy, branch manager, Industrial Supply Division at Grainger; Tomas; Robert Bujak, department chair, Energy Systems Technology at STCC; and Bill Piccolo, district branch service manager for Grainger.

OPINION

By
Opinion
Catalyzing the Clean-energy Economy

A key issue facing the nation, and one that must be addressed by Steven Chu, President-elect Obama’s pick for secretary of Energy, is how best to transform the nation’s energy infrastructure, catalyze the clean-energy economy, and reach Obama’s goal of creating 2.5 million green jobs.

While there are aspects of energy transformation that demand central involvement by the federal government, the country’s tremendous record of innovation is based on the power of individuals in the private sector to identify problems, envision solutions, and pursue their dreams as entrepreneurs — often starting in their garages. This is precisely what fueled the explosion of computers and information technology, and it can drive the development of a new generation of clean-energy technology as well.

In order to make this happen, Chu should direct a far greater percentage of the department’s budget and resources outward — sparking more clean-energy research in our universities and research centers, accelerating new venture creation, and helping to scale proven technologies.

A powerful template for action can be found in New England’s recent surge as a clean-energy cluster. Massachusetts and the region have seen the number of clean-energy companies grow exponentially since 2006; this can and should be repeated elsewhere. Here are a small number of programs that could help create powerful clean-energy clusters around the country:

  • Clean-energy seed grant program. Using the Bay State’s Green Jobs Act as a model, the department should aid other states in developing a clean-energy seed grant program — offering grants to researchers and teams whose technology suggests commercial viability. The goal should be to engage the private sector (investors, entrepreneurs, university technologists) and provide a team of business-oriented coaches who can guide each grant recipient toward private funding and commercialization.
  • National lab technology transfer. To increase the flow of technology out of our national labs and into the marketplace, the department should reestablish a network of regional offices within all sizable clean-energy innovation centers that do not have a lab in proximity, such as Boston, Austin, and Portland. Each office would be tasked with connecting entrepreneurs, investors, and companies with researchers and emerging technologies at national labs, and be measured on the number of technology transfer deals completed.
  • Clean-energy boot camp. The department should offer funding for a series of regional clean-energy boot camps that put entrepreneurial executives through an intensive, energy-focused, executive education program — and speed the transition of critical talent into the clean-energy sector. The goal: offer executives a working knowledge of energy technologies, a basic understanding of energy markets and macro trends, and a network of contacts in the clean-energy field.
  • Clean-energy pilot plant development. The department should expand its loan guarantee program for helping clean-energy companies fund pilot plants. Such guarantees should be made through commercial banks (which would take on some risk for non-repayment) and should cover no more than 75% of the required capital — private investors would provide the rest. In this fashion, the risk profile of any loan would be lessened by the due diligence of both private investors and the banking institution.

    • Chu will be busy. There is a dizzying array of decisions to be made with regard to energy efficiency, renewables, and helping Congress formulate the market signals required to more quickly steer our society away from traditional, fossil-based energy.

    But most important, the new secretary must drive the department at the speed of business, utilizing public/private partnerships to catalyze private-sector action, if we are to achieve energy independence and a thriving clean-energy economy.-

    Nick d’Arbeloff is executive director of the New England Clean Energy Council. Hemant Taneja is a managing director at General Catalyst Partners, and the council’s co-chairman.

    There Were Some Bright Spots in 2008

    By
    Opinion

    A Boston Globe sports columnist was writing recently from Seattle. He was trying to describe just how bad things are for the sports teams and their fans there, and he summoned this phrase: “reading the sports page here is like reading the business page everywhere else.”

    Ouch.

    That says a lot about how last place has become the mailing address for most teams in that city — but also about how painful it was, and is, to turn to the business section. It has been replete lately with stories about layoffs, failing banks, climbing mortgage-foreclosure rates, stocks tumbling hundreds of points on a regular basis, businesses closing, car dealers posting wretched numbers, and retailers having lousy months, quarters, shopping seasons (take your pick, they all work).

    Locally, residents were treated to all of the above, with specific examples ranging from the collapse of Skybus and the closing of its operation at Westover to the loss of SunEthanol (now Qteros) to the Worcester area, the closing of several car dealerships, and even Springfield’s ranking among the fastest-dying cities in the U.S.

    It wasn’t all bad. It just seemed that way.

    Amid the gloom and doom there were some bright spots, and in an attempt to maybe get 2009 off to a decent start, BusinessWest thought it would recount five of those positive stories. In no particular order:

    • A blueprint on workforce development. Toward the end of 2007, regional economic-development leaders initiated a program to improve the quality and quantity of the region’s workforce for the long term. Called Building a Better Workforce — Closing the Skills Gap on the Road to Economic Resurgence, the endeavor took its first major steps forward in ’08 with programs to put workers in the pipeline for the health care and precision-manufacturing sectors, and also increasing access to preschool. Perhaps more important, the first steps will get a number of businesses and institutions actively engaged in an issue of vital importance to the region’s future
    • The emergence of YPS. That’s the acronym for a group called the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, which, while only a few years old, seems to possess enormous potential to not only keep more young people in this region, but also help prepare them to be leaders — in business and the community.
    • New life for an old mill. Westmass Area Development Corp. announced plans to acquire the old Ludlow Manufacturing Associates complex in the center of that community. This is a 20- to 30-year proposition that looks to transform the nearly 1 million square feet of mill space and 79 acres of adjacent undeveloped land into a business and industrial center. At a time when the inventory of traditional greenfields is shrinking, the Ludlow development is an imaginative attempt to give companies more opportunities to move to and grow within the Pioneer Valley.
    • The start of a ‘green’ wave. Yes, the region will lose Qteros, one of the best emerging ‘green’ stories in Western Mass., but there are some other signs of potential growth in the realm of ‘green jobs.’ In Wilbraham, a company called FloDesign is making progress on a prototype that may revolutionalize the design of wind turbines. Meanwhile, in Greenfield, there are the makings of a ‘green’ cluster. And everywhere, there is a commitment to creating jobs in what looks like a sector with enormous promise. Stay tuned.
    • Liberty Mutual brings hundreds of jobs to Springfield. With what seems like a big assist from Gov. Patrick, Liberty Mutual announced that it would locate a call center in the Technology Park at STCC. Cynics will say that these are just call center jobs and that the company would have done the city more good if it had located downtown. The bottom line is that these are new jobs, and decent jobs, coming in a year when there weren’t many gains in that department. Meanwhile, a big part of this good story is the fact that Springfield triumphed over many other job-hungry cities in what became known as Project Evergreen.

      • There were other somewhat uplifting stories from 2008 that, while they didn’t obscure all the bad news, generated some hope for 2009 and well beyond. Let’s see if the region can build on this in the year ahead.

      By
      Departments

      Editor’s Note:

      For this issue, BusinessWest begins a new feature called, simply, ‘10 Points.’ As the name suggests, it provides 10 quick but important points about a given subject. Over the coming months, writers contributing to this space will touch on matters ranging from non-compete agreements to wills; from choosing a general contractor to writing a business plan. For this issue, the subject is blogging. If you would like to contribute to ‘10 Points,’ please submit your idea to [email protected]

      By Christine Pilch

      1. Blogging requires a serious time commitment. You must post at least once per week, every week. In other words, a neglected blog is worse than none at all.

      2. One of the fastest ways to get your blog noticed is by posting comments on other relevant blogs, with a link back to yours.
      3. The blogosphere is a community, so you should expect to be engaged by others.
      4. Two of the most popular blogging platforms are Google’s free Blogger and SixApart’s paid TypePad. You do get what you pay for in this instance.

      5. Popular blogs are often written in the first person. This is an opportunity to allow your readers, clients, and prospects to get to know you as a person.

      6. Your blog can drive traffic to your Web site and vice-versa.
      7. Search engines love blogs because the content is constantly fresh.
      8. Blogs without pictures are boring, so you should have access to photos and possess basic photo-editing skills.
      9. You must be a good writer. Although the tone may be casual, spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors will keep you from being taken seriously.
      10. In the blogosphere, it is perfectly acceptable to republish another blogger’s work as long as you credit them. No permission is required, but it’s nice to make a request just the same.
      Christine Pilch is a partner with Grow My Company and a social-media networking strategist. She collaborates with professional service firms to get results through innovative positioning strategies: (413) 537-2474; growmyco.com; “Miracle Growth for Your Company.”