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

Allen, Thomas H.
21 Gerald St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/30/06

Ayala, Lynn
12 Lovell St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/13/06

Barkyoumb, Jonathan P.
78 Liswell Dr.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/29/06

Bouchard, Gary
23A Prospect Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/14/06

Chmura, Gerald W.
65 Russell St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/30/06

DeCaro, Adele M.
831 South Branch Parkway
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/14/06

DuPuis, Maria L.
48 Bamforth Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/10/06

Edwards, Asheley R.
218 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/06

Edwards, Robbie J.
P.O. Box 9473
North Amherst, MA 01059
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/06

Fox, Debra A.
41 Lamb St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/07/06

Garcia-Wells, Jessica
20 Penrose St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/06/06

Glerum, Daniel Michael
P.O. Box 144
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/03/06

Goodhind, Deborah L.
16 Wilbraham St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/06

Grode-Chmura, Donna L.
65 Russell St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/30/06

Harrington, Lisa L
Harrington, Richard W
288 East Main St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/05/06

Holland, Anthony J.
78 Bloomfield St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/07/06

Jacques, Kimberly Sue
54 Lancaster St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/14/06

Kelly, Jason
Kelly, Katherine M.
28 Crest Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/02/06

Kirwan, Dean P.
267 Ridge Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/07/06

Kreuzer, Andrew S.
47 Warren St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/06/06

Ladner, Gary J.
13 Laurana Lane
Hadley, MA 01035
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/10/06

Lane, Mark S.
19 Greenleaf Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/06/06

Larzazs, Jill A.
26 Warebrook Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/10/06

  

Lavallee, Michael A
185 Louis Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/12/06

Lavenski, Adam
31 Camp Road
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/30/06

Leach, Steven A.
Leach, Bonnie L.
670 North Main St.
Lanesboro, MA 01237
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/30/06

Liberty, Kathleen A.
55 Highland St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/05/06

Marley, Robert J.
402 Newell St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/06

McDonough, Jillian D
92 Lenox Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/11/06

Miller, Anne M.
335 Summer St.
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/10/06

Moreau, Lisa M.
105 North St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/03/06

Mortori, John F.
1308 Worcester St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/05/06

Petrowicz, Daniel J.
Petrowicz, Deborah A.
34 Moore St.
Erving, MA 01344
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/07/06

Poplawski, Kathryn Marie
32 Irene St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/06/06

Reynolds, Jennifer A.
P.O. Box 64
Whately, MA 01093
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/06

Rocco, Laura Ann
89 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/04/06

Rubin, Bonnie Marie
45 Sherman Hill Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/10/06

Ryder, Ronald
8 Silva St.
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/14/06

Smith, Linda M.
15 Arch St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/03/06

Stevens, Kai G.
68 Warregan St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/06

Stutts, Anthony W.
Stutts, Rhonda
53 Talmadge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 07/13/06

Torre, Jorge L
137 Cobb St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/06

Torres, Noemi
137 Cobb St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/12/06

Vo, Tuan Nguyen
379 S. Branch Parkway
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 07/10/06

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Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of July 2006.

AMHERST

Amherst College Trustees
227 South Pleasant St.
$3,500 — Divide existing bedroom into 2 bedrooms

Amherst College Trustees
Hamilton House
$4,511,834 — Dorm renovations

Amherst College Trustees
Converse Hall
$5,000 — Reset existing stair treads

Amherst Housing Authority
36-38 Tamarack Dr.
$180,000 — Set and complete modular duplex

Amherst Presidential Village, LLC.
950 North Pleasant St. (1-14 Washington House)
$12,001 — Replace shingles

Trustees of Hampshire College
205 West Bay Road
$75,000 — Replace roof, smoke detectors and alarms

Norwottuck Fish & Game Association
1348 West St.
$40,000.00 — Install wireless antennae

CHICOPEE

Mt. View landscaping
67 Old St. James St.
$135,000 — Building addition

EAST LONGMEADOW

Starbuck’s
66 Center Square
$142,000 — Interior renovations (new building)

HOLYOKE

Holyoke Mall, L.P.
50 Holyoke St.
$126,700 — Renovate Clinton Exchange

  

Sisters of St. Joseph
34 Lower Westfield Road
$8,000 — Convert corridor into changing room

Northampton

Clarke School for the Deaf
46 Round Hill Road (Gawith Hall)
$250 — Selective interior demolition

Kollmorgen Corporation
347 King St.
$330 — Reinforce steel columns

SPRINGFIELD

Big Y Supermarkets
1360 Carew St.
$304,000 — Frontal addition

Fountaine Prop.
66D Industry Ave.
$23,000 — Interior renovations to warehouse

Linden Shopping Center
459 Main St.
$46,500 — Interior renovations

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Botega Cocina
46 Morgan Road
$5,000 — Replace hood system

Verdi Club
58 Chapin St.
$8,200 — Kitchen exhaust hood

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Departments

PeoplesBank Expansion Planned

HOLYOKE — Within the next two years, PeoplesBank plans to open six new branches between Northampton, Wilbraham, Springfield, and West Springfield. Depending on land acquisition or lease costs, PeoplesBank expects to spend between $2 million and $2.5 million per branch. PeoplesBank recently opened a branch in Westfield and will open two branches this month, one at The Village Commons in South Hadley and the other in the Sixteen Acres section of Springfield. In other news, the bank recently reported that assets have increased by $200 million, or 18%, and loans increased by 25% to $950 million. Also, bank deposits rose by 22% to $863 million over the last 12 months that ended June 30. PeoplesBank has 14 offices in Amherst, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Hadley, Holyoke, Longmeadow and South Hadley.

MassMutual Creates Structured Settlement Annuity Concept

SPRINGFIELD — Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company recently introduced MassMutual ® Structure Plus, a new concept using a structured settlement annuity that is designed to provide a more comprehensive solution for the life-care needs of catastrophically injured persons. The structure helps satisfy both the certain and uncertain needs of the injured party by providing access to trust services offered by the MassMutual Trust Company, FSB. With MassMutual ® Structure Plus, claimants place their settlement proceeds into a MassMutual structured settlement, which provides – for the convenience of the claimant – a lump sum payment which also funds a trust account for which the MassMutual Trust Company will serve as trustee. The advantage is that it works with the structured settlement annuity, and the structured settlement annuity is all that has to be funded by the initial settlement. A portion of the settlement proceeds will be directed from the structured settlement annuity to the MassMutual Trust Company, FSB, as trustee of a trust established by the injured party.

MassMutual Center Receives Positive Rating

SPRINGFIELD — The Pollstar Online listing recently ranked the MassMutual Center as one of the 100 most popular arenas in the world during the first half of 2006. The center was ranked 81st on its list of 100 facilities, according to total ticket sales. From January through June, the center held eight events, not including convention center programs and Falcons hockey games, and brought in more than $1 million with 60,276 tickets sold. Top-selling events included concerts by Motley Crue, Martina McBride and Larry the Cable Guy, as well as Disney on Ice and the Harlem Globetrotters. For September, country music star Alan Jackson is scheduled to perform and several children’s shows are planned.

Easthampton Savings Continues Strong Growth

EASTHAMPTON— Easthampton Savings Bank continued to experience steady growth during the second quarter of 2006, with total assets increasing $35.2 million from a year ago, an 8.8% increase over the last quarter. Total assets now stand at $647 million. In addition, the loan portfolio totaled $511 million at the end of June, an increase of $8.4 million, or 7%, for the quarter and $36.7 million or 8% for the year. Also, the bank experienced a deposit gain of $20.8 million from a year ago, representing a 4% increase since the end of June last year. In other news, the bank is now entering the permit phase of a new office in Westfield which is expected to open in approximately 15 months.

Roofing Contractor Receives Quality Award

SPRINGFIELD — Morris Roofing & Sheet Metal Corp. is a recipient of the 2006 Partner in Quality Award from Firestone Building Products Company. The award distinguishes the firm for its dedication to installing quality roofing systems and recognizes contractors who installed a minimum of four warranted Firestone roofs in each of the past five years, maintained at least 1 million square feet of Firestone roofs under warranty, and achieved an annual Quality Incidence Rating of 2.0 or less.

ValleyStone May Close Wal-Mart Site

SPRINGFIELD — Due to lower-than-expected traffic and earnings, the ValleyStone Credit Union may close its branch office in the Chicopee Wal-Mart since it will be forced to relocate its site when the company expands into a super center. Currently, the credit union is located just inside the entrance, however, with Wal-Mart’s expected super center expansion plans, ValleyStone will be forced into a new spot that will be less visible and have less square footage. ValleyStone officials acknowledged they had incurred considerable expense to build the current branch and would once again have to incur more costs to build the new branch. Wal-Mart has offered a small contribution to help offset the costs, according to ValleyStone officials.

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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.

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
Sofco Inc. v. Northampton Nursing Home
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $3,011.72
Date Filed: July 20

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Quality Building Products Inc. v. American Home Construction Services Inc. a/k/a N.E. Fine Homebuilding Inc. a/k/a N.E. Fine Homes
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $19,900.69
Date Filed: July 10

Masco Contractors Servies East Inc. d/b/a Quality Building Products v. Brain Rourke d/b/a Rourke Builders
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $4,300.92
Date Filed: July 11

Marker Volkl USA Inc. d/b/a Marker USA v. Ski d/b/a Ski Haus and Melissa Houston
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $4,232.96
Date Filed: July 11

Dynasty International Models & Talent Agency Inc. v. Atwater Studios Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for services: $3,120
Date Filed: July 11

Transit information Products & Division of Webb & Associates Inc. v. W.S. Sign Design Corp.
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $9,814.41
Date Filed: July 17

Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. v. Tufts Transportation, LLC
Allegation: Failure to pay workman’s compensation insurance policy: $9,327
Date Filed: July 18

Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. v. Summit Homes Inc.
Allegation: Failure to pay workman’s compensation insurance policy: $5,560
Date Filed: July 18

Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. v. Hamel Contracting Inc.
Allegation: Failure to pay workman’s compensation insurance policy: $5,819
Date Filed: July 18

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Land Air Express of N.E. LTD. v. Billings Transportation Group Inc.
Allegation: Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $67,302.98
Date Filed: July 21

By
Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of July 2006.

AGAWAM

Coaching by Carrie
1325 Springfield St.
Carrie Egerton

God’s Way Ministries
760 main Sr.
Myron Callender II

Gordon Carpet Cleaning
22 Kensington St.
Daniel Gordon

Jeffrey S. Brown
62 Suffield St.
Jeffrey S. Brown

The Main Street Grill
369 Main St.
Richard Cayer

Neighborhood Cleaners
313 Springfield St.
Yuri Murzin

Shamin Service Center
332 Suffield St.
Muhammad Chaudlry

AMHERST

ML Creative
135 Red Gate Lane
Mathew Lebowite

Stay-Put Amherst
63 Pokeberry Ridge
Sara Wolff

CHICOPEE

Fantasy Wedding Planning
21 Dale St.
Danielle Proulx

Michael Maynard Investigative Services
41 Ames Ave.
Michael Maynard

East Longmeadow

DJ Rocco Productions
47 Harkness Ave.
Rocco Mesiti

Reaction Films
48 Glynn Farms Dr.
Joseph Nadeau

Strawberries
4106 North Main St.
Record Town, Inc.

HADLEY

Joyous Sunrise Enterprises
8 Sunrise Dr.
William Mastroianni

HOLYOKE

Botanica & Gift Shop
247 Main St.
Rene Raffo

Dominos Pizza
1534 Dwight St.
Paul Amaral

Merenciana Market
773 Dwight St.
Pablo Guerro

Quality Cars for Less
120 Suffolk St.
Ronald Gardner

LONGMEADOW

White Billing & Transcription
371 Maple Road
Joanne White

NORTHAMPTON

Amber Ava
80 Damon Road
Kim Matlans

Craftwork
131 Florence Road
Roger Latuner

MKM & Co.
208 Fairview Village
Linda Farmer, Kim Matland

N.E. Center for Esthetics Education
58/76 Pleasant St.
Chameleons School of Esthetics, Inc.

  

Richard Moodie
49 Gleason Road
Richard Moodie

SOUTH HADLEY

Riverside Café
30 Bridge St.
Peter Malapanis

SPRINGFIELD

Brian’s Heating & Air Conditioning
91 Woodrow St.
Brian Mawyer

Everythings a Go
168 Wilbraham Ave.
Marcus Blantov

GS Cleaning Services
153 Woodside Terrace
Lowrey Kelley

LD’s Unlimited Home Improvement
217 Hanson Dr.
Lee Dutil

Master Cuts
1655 Boston, Road
Regis Corp.

Mobile Wash
106 Tyler St.
Kevin Anthony

MW Home Improvement
28 Moulton St.
Bruno Massa

P & M Home Improvement
103 Forest Hills Rd.
Pavel & Millie Kobzar

Seasonal Specialties
50 Sparrow Dr.
Andrew Powers

Spic N Span Cleaning Co.
59 Redlans St.
Alfa Gutievrez

Transformers Barber Shop
276 Oakland St.
Carlos Clinton

Virtuoso
272 Worthington St.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Auto Accidents Claims
19 Winona Dr.
Daniel G. Baldyga

The Cigar Room, LLC
865 Memorial Ave.
Karin T. Tranghese

Consumer Auto Repair
75 West School St.
Miguel A. Garcia

Famous Footwear
935 Riverdale St.
Brown Group Corporation

Fine Designs Mass
163 Circle Dr.
Irina Podolyanchuk

Rexel CLS
338 memorial Ave.
Summers Group Corporation

Supercuts
935 Riverdale St.
VP industries, LLC

Top Quality Cleaning Services
1163 Elm St.
Edilton Diogo

WESTFIELD

Elegant Tailoring Shop
59 Elm St.
Larisa Ouchinnikova

Klassee K-9 Kennel Inc.
319 Loomis St.
Janice Jorczak

Samradain Mgt.
236 North Road
Terence McGovern

By
Departments

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

AGAWAM

Derek Pelley Memorial Fund Inc.,
404 Silver St., Agawam 01001.
Deborah A. Pelley, same. (Nonprofit)
To raise funds to support treatment and educational programs for drug addicts, etc.

AMHERST

YJ Pho Inc.,
41 Boltwood Walk, Amherst 01002.
Yong Je Sung, 11 North Pleasant St., Amherst 01002.
To cook, serve Pho Noodle Restaurant.

Younger USA Science & Technology Corp.,
7 Dayton Lane, Amherst 01002. Yue Xu, same.
To sell and export scientific equipment to measure changes in living cells, provide related consulting services, etc.

BELCHERTOWN

Commonground Enterprises Inc.,
6 Shaw St., Belchertown 01007. Daniel J. Shafer, same.
Adapted children’s books and educational consultation.

The Foundation for Justice and Charity Inc.
222 Green Ave., Belchertown 01007. K.Y. Buckley-Brawner, same. (Nonprofit) To spread the concepts of Catholic Social Teachings.

CHICOPEE

Daughter For A Day Inc.,
47 Lauzier Terrace, Chicopee 01020.
Rebecca Kingston, same.
To provide household services to mothers, families and the elderly.

Engineered Polymers Industries Inc.,
2255 Westover Road, Chicopee 01022.
James O. Dwyer, 367 Wallingford Road,
Cheshire, CT 06410. Corporation Service Co.,
84 State St., Boston 02109, registered agent.
Compounding and dealing in plastic raw materials, chemicals, etc.

Odeh Corp.,
398 Front St., Chicopee 01013. Ziad A.
Odeh, same.
To own and operate one or more food markets or supermarkets.

EASTHAMPTON

Carl’s Pizza Inc.,
19 Morin Dr., Easthampton 01027.
Anthony Favata, 5 Alice St.,
Westfield 01085. Pizza and deli.

Madhaus Physical Theater Inc.,
10 Gaston St., Easthampton 01027.
Mark Allan Davis, same. (Nonprofit)
The production and promotion of dance and theater works, etc.

New England Metal Processing Inc.,
6 Industrial Parkway, Easthampton 01027.
Michael W. Hogan, 157 Main St., Hatfield 01038.
Metal processing.

The Good Dog Spot Inc.,
5 Lincoln St., Easthampton 01027.
Elizabeth B. Powers, same.
Dog daycare and grooming.

GRANBY

Green Ambulance Simulator Inc.,
52 Ferry Hill Road, Granby 01033.
Ralph J. Genella, same. Medical training.

Superior Oxygen Systems Inc.,
360 Batchelor St., Granby 01033.
Daryl Wallace Dumala, same.
Distributor of medical equipment paper work only.

HADLEY

Budget Equipment Rentals Inc.,
195 Russell St., Hadley 01035.
Herbert J. Michelson, 18 Grand Oak, Hadley 01035.
Equipment rentals.

HOLYOKE

A.F.W Wholesalers Inc.,
642 South Summer St., Holyoke 01040.
Adolfo C. Bruno, 953 South Westfield St.,
Feeding Hills 01030. The purchase and sale of wholesale consumer goods.

Applied QED Solutions Inc.,
64 Nonotuck St., Holyoke 01040.
Joseph C. Ledoux, 21 Fred Jackson Road,
Southwick 01077. To develop and market software.

Friends of H.R.A. Inc.,
13 Lakeridge Dr., Holland 01521.
Mrs. Christine McCooe, same. (Nonprofit)
To raise funds for the maintenance and preservation of Hamilton Reservoir in Holland, etc.

LONGMEADOW

Hobe Heights Inc.,
73 Inverness Lane, Longmeadow 01106. |
Charles Kittredge, same. Real estate acquisition and management.

LUDLOW

Micro-Tech Inc.,
52 Emma Way, Ludlow 01056.
Richard J. Hoey, same.
Purchase/sales/repairs of appliances including microwave ovens.

Pioneer Education Manager Inc.,
44 Sewall St., Ludlow 01056.
Gary Camp, 100 South Dr., Suite 215,
East Haven, CT 06512. Corporation Service Co.,
84 State St., Boston 02109, registered agent.
(Foreign corp: DE) To act as general manager of Pioneer Education. LLC.

Zen Peacemaker Circles Inc.,
241 Crescent St., Northampton 01060.
Marguerite Gregory, same. (Nonprofit)
To promote the principles and practices of the Zen Peacemaker Circles Inc., etc.

  

MONSON

Scent King Outdoors Inc.,
175 Main St., Monson. Justin Pelissier,
16B Ayers Road, Monson 01057.
To market and manufacture outdoor accessories.

NORTHAMPTON

Ariston International Inc.,
73 Barrett St., #5147, Northampton 01060.
Jaeyoung Lee, same. Education service.

Growles Enterprises Inc.,
12 Henry St., Northampton 01060.
Adrian Grace, same. Photography and pottery making.

Northampton Dermatology Associates,
P.C., 76 Columbus Ave., Northampton 01060.
Bruce M. Goldstein, same. To engage in the practice of medicine.

PG Group Inc.,
143 King St., Northampton 01060.
Pedro Ramalho, 886 Poole St., Ludlow 01056.
An auto repair shop.

SOUTH HADLEY

Chios Village Inc., 16 Main St., South Hadley 01075. Maria G. Kaitis, 143 Sesame Dr., Chicopee 01020. Commercial store.

SPRINGFIELD

Del Caribe Enterprises Inc., 135 Avocado St., Springfield 01107. Marta M. Rojas, 36 Pleasant St., Southbridge 01550. Wholesale foods and products.

The Epiphany Development Corp. 145 State St., Springfield 01103. Timothy Paul Baymon, 57 Thompson St., Springfield 01109. (Nonprofit) To pursue economic development initiatives to lift the burden of the poor in New England, etc.

Forest Park Commons Inc., 1398 Plumtree Road, Springfield 01119. John Yazel, same. Real estate development.

Gaudino Inc., 99 Union St., Springfield 01105. Charles Pasquale Gaudino, 15 Cataumet Lane, West Springfield 01089. Data outsourcing/processing.

JAM Roc Inc., 61 Keith St., Springfield 01108. Denroy A. Morgan, Jr., same. To promote, record and provide management representation for local musical groups, etc.

GlobalVentures Inc., 56 Narragansett St., Springfield 01104. Ms. Huriya Bakr, same. Sale of heavy equipment.

JABP Realty Corp., 454 Boston Road, Springfield 01109. Patrick K. Gregorius, same. To deal in real estate.

Renaissance Automotive Services Inc., 921 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield 01109. Joseph Lyas, same. Automotive services.

Rock Steady Construction Inc., 77 Green Lane, Springfield 01107. Kevin Miranda, same. Drywalling, ceiling, framing and carpentry.

Segunda Iglesia el Escudo de La Fe, 98 Fort Pleasant Ave., Springfield 01108. Luz M. Figueroa, 22 Spruceland Road, Enfield, CT 06082. Marlls A. Jiminez, 116 Larkspur St., Springfield 01108, officer/vocal. To promote the teachings of the Gospel of God, establishing places of worship, radio ministries, etc.

Stillstanding Inc., 306 Pasco Road, Springfield 01151. George Zantouliadis, 11 K St., Turners Falls 01736. Diner/restaurant.

Wilbraham Builders Inc., 48 Seymour Ave., Springfield 01109. Roger Trombly, same. To deal in real estate.

WARE

The Pioneer Valley Breastfeeding Task Force Inc., 9 Belmont St., Ware 01082. Ruth Stevens, MA, IBCLC, same. Support breastfeeding families in the community, promote breastfeeding, etc.

WESTFIELD

Lords Way Inc., 11 Princeton St., Westfield 01085. Ralph E. Thresher, same. (Nonprofit) To provide food donations, clothing, chores around the house and yard to persons in need of assistance.

NPN Foods Inc., 433 East Main St., Westfield 01085. Nikolaos P. Soillis, 187 Boutin St., Chicopee 01020. Restaurant fast food service.

P. J. Healy Company Inc., 9 Belden Dr., Westfield 01085. Patrick J. Healy, Sr., same. Cleaning business.

Waterwood Corp., 549 Russell Road, #4A, Westfield 01085. Jack Chak-Ki Fu, same. Manufacturer of pasta and other food products.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Balise HY Inc., 122 Doty Circle, West Springfield 01089. James E. Balise, Jr., 950 Prospect Ave., West Springfield 01089. To deal in automobiles, sales, new and used, repairs, service, etc.

Balise PBG Inc., 122 Doty Circle, West Springfield 01089. James E. Balise, Jr., 950 Prospect Ave., West Springfield 01089. To deal in automobiles, sales, new and used, repairs, service, etc.

Capital Liquors Inc., 125 Capital Dr., West Springfield 01089. Barry Tabb, 195 Maynard Road, Wilbraham 01095. Bar.

Physician Care West, PC, 274 Westfield St., West Springfield 01089. Reda H. Ishak, M.D., same. To engage in the practice of medicine.

Red Hot Business Solutions Inc., 372 Park St., Suite 2, West Springfield 01089. Mark Patel, same. Information technology consulting services to businesses.

By
Departments

MassMutual announced the following:
• Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Elaine A. Sarsynski has been named head of MassMutual International. She will have overall management responsibility for MassMutual International, a group of MassMutual subsidiaries that offer life insurance, health and accident insurance, annuity and pension products and asset management products, through a network of 15,000 full- and part-time representatives in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Luxembourg and Chile. She will also retain her responsibilities as Chief Administrative Officer at MassMutual, a role in which she has oversight of several corporate functions, including Corporate Services, Corporate Human Resources, Corporate Communications and Community Relations. She is also responsible for MassMutual’s Strategy Implementation Office, which oversees and facilitates the company’s overall strategy.
• Elroy Chan, who had been serving as head of MassMutual International, will continue in his role as Managing Director and CEO of MassMutual Asia Ltd. In addition, he will also serve as special advisor to MassMutual President and CEO Stuart H. Reese on a wide range of strategic business issues in Asia.
• While Sarsynski will now be responsible for international insurance operations, MassMutual Chief Investment Officer Roger Crandall will continue to oversee MassMutual’s investment subsidiaries abroad, including Baring Asset Management Limited and Babson Capital Europe Limited in London.


Ted J. Dickinson

Ted J. Dickinson of Dickinson Financial Consulting, Inc./Money Concepts FPC has received the 2005 Planner of the Year Award for the Western Mass. region. The award is presented by Money Concepts International, based in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and is in recognition of outstanding customer relations and leadership within the financial planning industry. Dickinson has won the award two years straight and has also won the President of the Year honor three of the past five years.

•••••

Gregory Rolland has joined Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. of Holyoke and Greenfield as an Associate in the Holyoke office.

•••••

Dr. Julie Siciliano has been named Dean of the School of Business at Western New England College in Springfield. Siciliano joined the WNEC faculty in 1984, most recently serving as a Professor of Management. Dean Siciliano succeeds Dr. Stanley Kowalski, Jr., who stepped down recently after 27 years as Dean.

•••••


Glenda K. DeBarge

Health New England of Springfield announced the following:
• Joanne N. Shaw has been named Claims Manager;
• Kim N. Kenney-Rockwal has been named Manager of Workforce Development;
• Glenda K. DeBarge has been hired as an Account Executive;

 


Matthew J. Hastings

• Matthew J. Hastings has been hired as an Account Executive;
• Eric P. Harlow has been promoted to Sales Manager, and

 

 


Jim M. Buker

• Jim M. Buker has been promoted to Account Executive.

•••••

 

 

 

Jennylyn Fontaine and Melissa Voutour have been named Sales Managers for the MassMutual Center’s 64,000-square-foot convention center. Fontaine and Voutour will be responsible for overseeing all of the facility’s sales, including solicitation for new business for trade shows, corporate meetings, public exhibitions, weddings, and special events. Their responsibilities will also include working closely with the staff of the Springfield Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

•••••

Keller Williams Realty in Longmeadow announced the following:
• William R. Resnick has joined the South Hadley/Northampton Market Center. He will specialize in residential real estate;
• Carl E. Sittard has joined the South Hadley/Northampton Market Center. He will specialize in residential real estate;
• Elizabeth A. Villani has joined the South Hadley/Northampton Market Center;
• Frances M. Hill has joined the Longmeadow Market Center. She will specialize in residential sales;
• Michele M. Caldwell has joined the South Hadley/Northampton Market Center. She will specialize in all areas of real estate;
• Sarah A. Hadley has joined the Agawam Market Center. She will specialize in residential sales, and
• Sophia J. Harvey has joined the Longmeadow Market Center. She will specialize in residential sales.

•••••

  

Denise Dukette has joined Sovereign Bank as Vice President and Relationship Manager in its commercial lending group.

•••••

Michele L. Billingsley has joined Better Life Whole Foods in Springfield as a Corporate Executive Assistant. She will focus on organic produce, meat, wines and beers.

•••••

Momentum Group has named Carlo Centeno as Vice President of Marketing.

•••••

Deborah A. Nadle has been named Branch Manager for the Holyoke Credit Union.

•••••

Park Square Realty in Westfield announced the following:
• Maureen L. Staccato has joined the firm as a Sales Associate. She will work in the Feeding Hills office.
• Leslie J. Lambert has joined the firm as a Sales Associate.

•••••

Richard E. Gore III has joined Lee Audio ‘N Security Inc., as an Engineer, responsible for sales and service of the company’s engineered systems throughout Western Mass. and eastern New York. He is the son of Lee Audio President Richard E. Gore II and grandson of company founders Richard E. Gore Sr. and Barbara Gore.

•••••

Diane McClellan, Chief Financial Officer of Hampden County Physician Associates LLC, has become a Fellow in the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

•••••

Carlos Rios has joined Applied Mortgage Services Corp. as a Loan Officer in the West Springfield office.

•••••

van Schouwen Associates LLC announced the following:
• Daniel W. Horlitz has been promoted to Art Director, and
• Rebecca J. Leutert has been promoted to Technology Director.

•••••

Harry Monti has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Benefit Management Services in the group benefits division at The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.

•••••

Barbara Haswell, RN, COHN, MBA, has received the Medique Leadership Award from the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc.

•••••

The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield announced the following election of officers:
• Chairman David M. Hobert, Sovereign Bank New England;
• Vice Chairman Arlene Putnam, Eastfield Mall;
• President Russell F. Denver, Springfield Chamber of Commerce;
• Treasurer Barbara Jean DeLoria, United Bank;
• Budget Director Malcolm Getz, Belt Technologies;
• Clerk David J. Martel, Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, and
• Past Chairman Richard Ayers, Mount Tom Box Co.

•••••

Douglas K. Engebretson has been elected First Vice President of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

OPINION

By
Opinion
Getting Moving on Health Care

People say nothing is happening in Washington on health care. They say the only thing that has happened is that the crisis has gotten worse. They’re right.

But while Washington waits, Wall Street has acted. Too many big businesses are deciding that to compete and win in the global economy, many jobs no longer will come with healthcare.

While companies such as General Motors struggle under enormous health care obligations, companies such as Wal-Mart are opting out of employers’ traditional health care responsibilities. Wal-Mart currently insures fewer than half of its employees — that’s 800,000 workers left outside the system, some turning to Medicaid just to get health care at all. It’s not right, but it shouldn’t be a surprise. Good corporate citizens are coping with a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace. GM pays $1,500 in health care costs on every vehicle it manufactures. Toyota pays only $200.

We’re stuck with a 20th century health care system that just doesn’t work for a 21st century economy.

The traditional employer-based health care system can no longer meet all our needs. Costs are too high, and businesses overseas are operating on a whole different playing field.

health care for a family of four now costs more than a minimum-wage worker earns in a year. Certainly, things have gotten worse. Under this administration’s watch, the number of uninsured Americans has grown by 6 million and premiums are up a whopping 73%.

This affects all of us. It matters if the kid down the block isn’t immunized. It matters to your tax burden when simple, treatable illnesses turn into expensive emergency room visits — often the only option for those without insurance. And it matters if we care about our moral obligation to others.

We need to cut health care costs. And we need a health care system that ensures quality, affordable health care for every American man, woman, and child.

We need big ideas and bold solutions, not more of timid Washington tinkering around the edges. If Americans can discover cures for the most devastating illnesses, we can surely find a way to make sure that all Americans benefit from those cures.

Right now the most expensive 0.4% of insurance claims account for 20% of all health care costs. We need to lower costs to businesses with a new federal reinsurance plan for catastrophic care — those with the most serious, and expensive, illnesses. Reinsurance is a simple concept: It’s insurance for insurers; a way for health plans to manage their risks and lower your costs.

Second, no child in America should lack health insurance. Leaving 11 million American children uninsured is wrong and, from the administration that brought us “No Child Left Behind,” it is breathtakingly hypocritical.

Most single moms raising two kids on $36,000 a year don’t qualify for any help. My Kids First plan would change that, covering all children up to three times the poverty level.

Finally, it is untenable for 35 million adults to go without insurance. We need to use every weapon in our arsenal until everyone is covered, including making the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program affordable and accessible for everyone in America with targeted tax credits for small businesses, middle-class families, and people between jobs. Members of Congress give themselves great health care and give taxpayers the bill — if it’s good enough for senators and congressmen, it should be good enough for every American who wants to choose it.

Doctors follow the motto “First do no harm.” So should Washington. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel on healthcare; we need to take what’s already working for those of us who are lucky and make it work for the millions of Americans being passed by. And we need to improve quality and lower costs for those with coverage today.

Americans have a choice. If Congress won’t fix healthcare, then Americans will fix Congress.

US Senator John F. Kerry is a Democrat from Massachusetts.

By
Departments

Philanthropy — to the Max

Max’s Tavern in Springfield recently staged the Max’s Classic golf tournament, an event, now in its third year, that raised more than $150,000 for Baystate Children’s Hospital. Staged over two courses, The Ranch in Southwick and Crestview Country Club in Agawam, the tournament drew hundreds of golfers, with teams from many of the area’s largest businesses.


The Max’s team; from left, featured Mark Conley, Rich Rosenthal, owner of the Max’s Restaurant Group, Ed Hoberman, and Marshall Ruben.


The Barr & Barr Construction team; from left, Peter Garvey, Donald Barr, Sean Gouvin, and Steve Killian.


The Lenox/American Saw team; from left, Craig Vogel, Jim Welch, Don Quinn, and Jim Karalekas.



The Williams Distributing team (two foursomes); from left, Al Colonna, Jace Sadowsky, Dave Madsen, Scott Sadowsky, Anthony Frasco, Jerry Shanahan, Stu Smith, and Rob Benoit.

An Important Victory for the Area’s Biomedical Sector

By
Opinion

At first blush, the numbers don’t seem too impressive, at least when compared to the $1.1 billion Bristol Meyers Squibb manufacturing facility recently announced for the Fort Devens site, and the hundreds of jobs it will generate.

This is a $4.9 million grant to study therapies for treating Type 1 diabetes, and the gain of possibly six to 10 jobs over the next few years for the company that won the federal contract, Worcester-based Biomedical Research Models Inc. But the news that broke early this month could have far greater implications for the company — and for the region and its still-fledgling biomedical research and manufacturing sector.

Taking the long-term and decidedly optimistic view, area business and economic development leaders believe the diabetes research grant could provide a significant boost to the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute in Springfield, where Biomedical Research Models is a tenant, and to broad efforts to grow this sector in Western Mass.

And we concur.

In the case of both the company and the region, it’s a chance (another chance) to show what they can do, and that’s all both parties can ask for in what has become a highly competitive contest for research dollars and jobs that involves many regions of the U.S. and, increasingly, foreign countries, especially China.

For years now, the Pioneer Valley, which got off to a slow start in the biomed race at the expense of Worcester, Cambridge, and other Massachusetts communities, has been struggling to merely get noticed with regard to that sector, despite its oft-cited cost-of-doing-business advantages and ample land on which to develop. The Biomedical Research Models contract offers a chance to get that vital task accomplished.

Meanwhile, the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, a joint venture involving Baystate Health and UMass Amherst, has been working over its first three years to spark growth of biomed jobs in the area, and has needed a highly visible opportunity to showcase its facilities and partnership-building capabilities. This contract should help with that mission as well.

Biomedical Research Models President Dennis Guberski, a native of Chicopee, is calling the federal grant a victory for small businesses trying to make it in an increasingly crowded field. His company has developed special lines of rodents used to study several types of diseases, including diabetes. The National Institutes of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, which has stepped up the fight against diabetes amid growing incidences of that disorder nationwide, has awarded Guberski’s company a contract to perform testing on several new compounds that could treat Type 1 diabetes.

The bid for the contract was submitted in association with the life sciences institute, and would not have been awarded without that alliance, said Guberski, noting both physical amenities at the center in the form of research facilities and the strong partnership between the university and the region’s largest health care provider.

Securing the federal grant should help officials at the institute in their ongoing awareness campaign to explain that the facility is not simply a mailing address for biomed companies, but a facilitating venture that blends science, health care, and economic development.

Taking the broad view, the federal contract could provide success stories on a number of levels. First, and most importantly, it could help advance the fight against a disease that is growing at alarming rates in this country. Second, it could help what must now be described as a regional company enhance its reputation within the life sciences research community. And it could, with time, give some real credibility to the Pioneer Valley’s efforts to promote itself as a center for biomedical research and manufacturing.

Thus, this is a small, but very important victory for the region and the life sciences institute, and something this area can definitely build upon as its seeks to add jobs and economic diversity.

By
Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of July 2006.

AGAWAM

Classic Cuts
225 Silver St.
Peter Cecchi

Entomology of New England
22 Southwick St.
Kelly Scagliarine

Goodies
300 Springfield St.
Mark Cornelius

HA Cleaning
143 River Road
Haydee Ashiuchi

Main Kitchen
760 Springfield St.
Bun Chan

The Pilates Studio
1325 Springfield St.
Michelle Pirroni

Xtreme Paintball
369 Main St.
Joseph O’Malley

AMHERST

Hair By Harlow
220 North Pleasant St.
Sandra Tetrault, Margaret
Hogan, Lora Gross, Kendra
Kaczenski

M & M Links
28 Amity St.
Ronnie and Maureen
Abdullah

Systems & Solutions for
Chaos Control
66 Berkshire Terrace
Leslie Arriola

CHICOPEE

CD Cleaning Services
38 Casino Ave.
Francesca Ferreira

M & B Enterprises
28 Beaumont Ave.
Ronald Brennan

Midmount Express
1981 Memorial Dr.
Desmond Pesima

EAST LONGMEADOW

Allan Jarvis General
Contractor
16 Senator Dr.
Allan Jarvis

123 Medical Billing
Medicare
32 Somers Road
Barbara Couglen

HADLEY

Hit & Bliss Records
64 North Maple St.
Douglas Van Kempen

HOLYOKE

Artistic Dance Conservatory
134 Chestnut St.
Jennifer Dubilo

Create New Habits
7 Lynn Ann Dr.
Jessica Cote

International Laser Systems
362 Race St.
Edward Sordillo

Players Barber Shop
149 Chestnut St.
Basilio Castro

Nathan’s Floors
18 Pearl St.
Nathan Holesovsky

LONGMEADOW

Heron Pond Health and
Wellness
175 Dwight Road, Suite 203A
Deborah Hoadley MD

NORTHAMPTON

Accounting Technology
Solutions
644 Park Hill Road
Sara Gross

Chambers Advisory Group
243 King St.
Robert Chambers, James Levey

Green Environmental Consulting
296 Sylvester Road
Adam Lesko

Modern Myths LLC
34 Bridge St.
James Crocker, Shannon White

  

Polaris Gifts
16C North Maple St.
Susan North, Dolores Dibrindisi

Sportshoe Center
24 North King St.
Marc Brunelle

SOUTH HADLEY

Bodies in Motion
200 Old Lyman Road
Mary Thompson, Kelly Dawson

SPRINGFIELD

Access Solutions for Life
87 Harvard St.
Alafia Thompson

C.L. Landscaping
124 Revere St.
Edwin Castellanos

Friendly Barbershop
1985 Main St.
John D’Pellegrino

Ink-FX
904 Carew St.
William Greenway

Little Angel
130 Suffolk St.
Elba Santiago

Maan Group
49 Kamuda St.
Muhayyodin Ghulam

Matthieu Metal Works
175 Garland St.
Wilfred Mathieu

Nucci’s Pizzeria
699 Sumner Ave.
Mark Babineau

Presto Digital Transfer
680Dickinson St.
Chris Miller

Souljourn Music Group
37 West Alvord St.
Stephen Yager

Thorpeestate
55 Dwight St.
Frank Thorpe

Unity Records
106 Edendale St.
Dion Byrd

Xtremex America Business Service Co.
45 Claremont St.
Traleck Dickson

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Arum Associates
291 Forest Glen
Douglas Guyett

Back Office
1161 Westfield St.
Amanda Huston

Compass Investments & 1031 Exchange
1111 Elm St.
Todd Thibodeau

Doggy Doody Disposal
165 Ohio Ave.
Theresa Selvoski

Fathers & Sons Inc.
434 Memorial Ave.
Damon Cartelli

Foxy Nails
589 Westfield St.
Lien Quach

Supercuts
935 Riverdale St.
VP Industries LLC

Today Mortgage Services
201 Elm St.
Today Financial Services

WESTFIELD

Deer Run Homes
709 Russell St.
David Wroblewski

Henry Rivera II
508 Southwick Road
Henry Rivera II

Pure Water Innovations LLC
66 Barbara St.
William Lamirande Jr.

Zuber’s Ice Cream & Deli
98 Southwick Road
Michael Zuber

By
Departments

Farewell Party.

A farewell party was held last month at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House for Springfield Technical Community College Vice President Gail Carberry, who recently became president of Quinsigamond Community College. At left (from left) Brian Corridan, emcee of the event, and chair of the STCC Assistance Corporation Brian Corridan; Carberry; Dorothy J Pryor, retired STCC Trustee and Professor Emerita; and Andrew Scibelli, president emeritus of STCC

Above, from left, Carberry, Rowdy the Ram, STCC’s mascot, Brendan Coomey, Carberry’s grandson, and Ira Rubenzahl, president of STCC.

Cutting Edge

Above, Grand opening ceremonies were staged last month for the new, 47,000-square-foot Balise Toyota Scion dealership on Riverdale Street in West Springfield. Dozens of customers, friends, and business associates turned out to tour the state-of-the-art facility and see a unique presentation.

Balise President Jeb Balise was presented with a samurai sword, a traditional symbol from Toyota, by Tim Morrison, general manager of Toyota Corp.

By
Departments

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

Alban, Oswaldo A.
215 Jasper St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/28/06

Alexander, Nadine Ann
P.O. Box 327
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/26/06

Allard, Todd M.
269 Osborne Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/29/06

Anderson, Kevin T.
26 Market St., Apt. 2H
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/06

Calabrese, Louis A.
16 Harris Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/22/06

Cardoza, Audra R.
38 Sheridan St., Apt. 2R
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/20/06

Carroll, Bonnie M.
11 Maple Ave.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/06

Cyr, Donn Cyr, Tina M.
49 York St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/23/06

Dudley, Christopher J.
41 Circuit Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/06

Ekhorotomwen, Sonny
11 Ormand St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/20/06

Ellis, Margorie Anne
359-C East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/21/06

Finney, Mable
117 Almira Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/27/06

Gagner, Thomas F.
37 Spruce St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/27/06

Gallerani, Shirleen Lynn
61 Starling Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/21/06

Howell, Hallam B.
Howell, Elizabeth A.
42 Stephanie Circle
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/06

Jopson, Gary Bernard
767 Main St., Apt 307
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/21/06

Kim, Phai
47 Plain St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/20/06

La Flam, Ronald Francis
La Flam, Laura Gail
4 Culdaff St., Apt A
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/21/06

Ledoux, Daryl
Ledoux, Lisa M.
78 Hall St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/26/06

  

Maxner, Albert B.
Maxner, Phyllis M.
375 Kinne Brook Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/06

Merdy, Pamela D.
43 Maryland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/23/06

Michon, Gerald J
Michon, Christine E
1760 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/20/06

O’Connor, Thomas P.
O’Connor, Kristen E.
1102 Worcester St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/28/06

Ozkilic, Ismet
170 East Hadley Road, Apt. 40
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/16/06

Paradis, Kerri Y.
22 Eloise St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/21/06

Peczka, Frances L.
165 East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/06

Prest, Julijana
14 Locust St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/16/06

Reece, Philip I
32 Flynt Ave.
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/26/06

Roman, Heather L.
53 Fairfield Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/27/06

Skaza, Peter J.; Skaza, Rita P.
31Cherry St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/26/06

Smith-Soule, Kimberly D.
115 Birchland Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/28/06

Soule, Daniel L.
115 Birchland Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/28/06

Stuart, Julia M.
35 Willow St., Apt. 20
Springfield, MA 01103
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/28/06

Tennyson, Daniel L.
45 D Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/20/06

Thibeau, Stephen D.
P.O. Box 90084
Springfield, MA 01139
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/21/06

Torres, Aurelio
40 Washington Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 06/22/06

Velazquez, Julio
51 Lester St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 06/26/06

Springfield Needs a Regional Rally Cry

By
Opinion

Participation – that’s what Springfield’s Economic Development Director Dave Panagore says is needed in the city among private business owners, and we agree.

It’s true that some Springfield businesses have stepped up to the plate to pinch-hit for the City of Homes. Some, perhaps even facing financial constraints of their own, have offered services, such as pro bono legal work, Web site development, or marketing assistance. Others have contributed monetarily; Tim Andrews, who owns Tyre Trak Automotive Center on Chestnut Street, is proving that not all donations need to be of the six-figure variety, by giving the city $10 for each $30 oil change gift certificate he sells (complete with a jar of candy).

And in terms of larger gestures, the news that Springfield-based Baystate Health has made a five-year pledge to the city – beginning with $500,000 and increasing 2.5% each year – is notable in its size, but also in its rarity. For the most part, Springfield businesses have remained spectators as the city struggles, and even more scarce are the businesses outside of Springfield that have offered a helping hand to the region’s largest city in these last few unsteady years.

Again and again, we hear of the many benefits of marketing this region as a whole. Thousands of dollars were spent to create a marketing campaign that promotes the Pioneer Valley as one destination, and in every Visitors Center and Chamber of Commerce across Western Mass., we see four-color brochures touting the many hidden gems of the area, beginning with Dr. Seuss and Gee Bee planes and extending in all directions, toward the land of scented candles and the (booming) Berkshires.

What we aren’t seeing is the major employers of the region investing in its flagship city. Few are mulling development opportunities for satellite locations, and fewer still are offering creative solutions to Springfield’s monetary woes. There are no lines drawn separating Springfield or its problems from the rest of Western Mass., except those created by the disenchanted and disenfranchised, and they must be erased.

It’s not that we simply have to move forward with an ‘all for one, one for all’ perspective, although we do. Rather, it’s important to face the facts: the city is in trouble, finances are in shambles, crime rates are still uncomfortably high, and ‘brain drain’ remains a constant, troubling issue. Springfield cannot survive as an island, and furthermore the problems of the city, economic and otherwise, are already beginning to spread across the region, and that’s not going to stop without some strong, proactive measures. With the talents of management and staff from some of the region’s key economic players – as well as some of its smaller businesses, fueled by entrepreneurial grit and innovation – perhaps some real inroads can be made.

As Mayor Ryan has said, the city needs help, and the source of that help can’t be relegated to the powers-that-be on the city, state, and federal levels alone. It also can’t be limited to Springfield’s largest employers; as much as MassMutual has contributed over the years, we can’t rely on one company forever.

The assistance can be big, or small; it can be offered in trade, as a partnership, or in dollars. But it needs to be offered. Springfield has hit some foul balls in recent years, but the city is one player on a long roster. It’s time for the region’s employers to get in the game, understanding that the team is only as strong as its weakest link.

By
Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of July 2006.

AMHERST

Amherst Cinema Center
28 Amity St.
$705.995 — Construct three
Cinema’s — Phase II of project

Amherst College Trustees
Porter House
$2,654,098 — Dorm
renovations

Amherst College Trustees
Newport House
$16,875 — Interior
renovations

Amherst Housing Authority
40-42 Tamarack Dr.
$210,000 — Set and complete
modular duplex

Amherst-Presidential Village
LLC
950 North Pleasant St.
$12,001 — Replace roof on
Adams House

Amherst-Presidential Village
950 North Pleasant St.
$12,001 — Replace roof on
Jefferson House

Paul C. Jones
17B Montague Road
$2,000 — Remove and replace
collection hood and fan

CHICOPEE

Calloway Golf Co.
425 Meadow St.
$84,835 — Erect building

HOLYOKE

Colvest/Holyoke LLC
447 South St.
$220,000 — Construct auto
parts store

Petroleum Engineering
545 Pleasant St.
$35,000 — Interior and
exterior repairs

  

NORTHAMPTON

Charles and Susette Lyons
126 Main St.
$100,000 — Create 5 separate
units

Seven Bravo Two LLC
152 Cross Path Road
$192,000 — Construct twounit
storage hanger

SPRINGFIELD

Baystate Medical Center
759 Chestnut St.
$57,000 — Convert room to
computer room

Delancey Clinton
Association
711 Dwight St.
$18,500 — Renovate twelfth
floor

Hampton Farm
105 Avocado St.
$85,000 — Interior
renovations

Springfield College
263 Alden St.
$40,000 — Renovate offices

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Balise Motor Sales
Cook Playground
$60,000 — Build skate park

Costco Warehouse
119 Daggett Dr.
$246,473 — Interior
refrigeration repairs

WESTFIELD

Colvest/Westfield LLC
208 Elm St.
$761,000 — Build CVS

By
Departments

Chicopee Savings Begins Life as Publicly Traded Company

CHICOPEE — Chicopee Savings Bank made its debut on the Nasdaq Global Market on July 19, and got off to a solid start as a publicly traded company — 1.4 million shares were traded. The stock opened at $14.25 and hit a high of $15.29 during the day. The bank sold 6.8 million shares in its subscription offering, and proceeds from that offering came in at $68.9 million, with net proceeds of $67.1 million. Bank President William Wagner said the institution, with nearly $400 million in assets, will proceed with its plan to build one new branch a year for the next four years. The bank currently has seven branches in Chicopee, West Springfield, and Ludlow.

United Financial Reports Solid Second-quarter Results

WEST SPRINGFIELD — United Financial Bancorp Inc., the holding company for United Bank, reported net income of $1.3 million for the second quarter of 2006, or $0.08 per diluted share, compared to $1.6 million for the same period in 2005. The company earned $2.6 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, compared to $3 million for the 2005 period. The 2006 results were largely affected by growth in average earning assets, net interest-margin contraction, and an incrtease in on-interest expenses. The company also announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.05 per share payable on August 22 to shareholders of record as of August 6. Total assets increased $55.3 million, or 6.1%, to $961.8 million on June 30, up from $906.5 million at Dec. 31, 2005. Total loans grew $59.4 million, or 9.3%, to $695.2 million. Loan growth was solid in all categories, including residential (4%), commercial mortgages (8.8%), construction (41.8%), commercial (8.2%), and home equity (16.3%).

Whalley Computer Ranks 276th on VARBusiness Top 500

SOUTHWICK — Whalley Computer Associates (WCA) was recently ranked by VARBusiness Magazine as the 276th largest computer reseller in North America. The ranking places WCA in the top one-third of 1% of the more than 120,000 VARs throughout North America, according to Paul Whalley, vice president, WCA. Whalley added that the company reported $73,400,000 in revenues in 2005, which represents an increase of 9.25% from the previous year. In other company news, WCA has received the IBM Chairman’s Award for Customer Service, which recognizes the company’s outstanding customer service during the past five years.

New England Financial Moves to East Longmeadow

EAST LONGMEADOW — In a strategic move by managing partners James Marlor and Christopher Gent, New England Financial (NEF) recently moved to 200 North Main St., Suite 17. Serving local individuals and small business owners, NEF has offices across Western Mass., as well as in Connecticut and Rhode Island. NEF, a Metlife company, made the move to allow easier access for clients to walk in after the rollout of their new investment and mortgage services through MetBank.

Winstanley Associates Teams Up with Spalding to Design New NBA Game Ball

LENOX — The National Basketball Assoc. and Spalding have announced the adoption of a new official NBA game ball. The new ball, a result of years of research and development, was designed by Winstanley Associates in Lenox, in cooperation with Spalding’s R&D group. Featuring Cross Traxxion™ technology, the ball delivers enhanced grip, feel and consistency, and features an interlocking two-panel design with a patented Cross Traxxion™ microfiber composite material that provides moisture management throughout the course of a game. Beginning with the 2006-07 season, the game ball will be the only basketball used during all NBA games, practices and events. The ball will also be available for sale on Oct. 31 at major sporting goods outlets as well as the NBA Store and NBAStore.com.

Smith & Wesson Move to Nasdaq

SPRINGFIELD — Seeking a larger exchange to do business, the Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. recently moved to the Nasdaq’s new Global Select Market from the American Stock Exchange. The company’s stock ticker changed from SWB to SWHC. Company officials hope the move to the Nasdaq will provide more visibility to the financial world, as well as greater recognition to the company and increased liquidity to shareholders.

ReStore Announces Home Improvement Workshops

SPRINGFIELD — ReStore Home Improvement Center has announced a new workshop series beginning this month, which will run throughout the year. “We are offering educational, economical, and eco-friendly workshops to teach do-it-yourself home repairs with an emphasis on used and surplus materials,” said John Grossman, ReStore Manager. August Workshops Include Tile Installation on Saturday, August 5, 2006, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Community Economy in The City, a presentation by Kristin Brennan and Daniel Staub, as heard on NPR, on Saturday, August 19, 2006, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All ReStore workshops are free and open to the public. Please call Mary Wiseman, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator at 413-788-6900 to reserve a seat.

Ianello Legal Associates Expands

SPRINGFIELD — Richard Ianello, principal of Ianello Legal Associates, recently announced the opening of a second satellite office at 48 Elm St., Suite 5, in Westfield. Ianello operates the main office out of 55 State St., Suite 201 in Springfield, with a satellite office at 10 Center St., Suite 200, in Chicopee. The firm represents clients in the areas of personal injury and criminal defense. Attorney Ianello’s associate is Attorney Mark Brittain, who has extensive experience from his previous work with the Clerk Magistrate’s office in the Springfield District Court.

STCC Offers Pharmacy Tech Program

SPRINGFIELD — The Center for Business and Technology at Springfield Technical Community College will offer a Professional Pharmacy Technician Program beginning this fall. The 75-hour program is designed to teach students the fundamentals of being a pharmacy technician, as well as how to effectively assist in pharmaceutical preparations and complete daily required tasks in any pharmacy environment. For more information, call (413) 755-4502 or (413) 755-4225.

Princeton Rejoins MMWEC Membership

LUDLOW — The Princeton Municipal Light Department is returning to membership in the Mass. Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC), bringing to 26 the number of state municipal utilities that are members of the MMWEC organization. Princeton, which serves approximately 1,800 customers with a peak load of about 4.5 megawatts in Central Mass. voted to rejoin the MMWEC membership in May. MMWEC is a nonprofit, public corporation and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that provides a wide range of power supply, financial and other services to the state’s consumer-owned, municipal electric utilities.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp Declares Dividend

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.14 per share, payable on Aug. 24, to the stockholders of record at the close of business on Aug. 10. Berkshire Hills Bancorp is the holding company for Berkshire Bank.

Springfield College, STCC Sign Admission Agreement

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) students may be admitted jointly into bachelor’s degree programs at Springfield College (SC), thanks to a recent admission agreement between the institutions. The plan encourages transfer between the two colleges in certain programs for students who meet the qualifications. The agreement includes significant financial incentives, as high as $10,000 per year, for STCC students accepted into certain SC programs, who maintain a specified grade point average and who have exhibited special leadership skills.

MassMutual Web Site Focuses on Women’s Financial Needs

SPRINGFIELD — MassMutual Financial Group recently unveiled a new addition to its Web site that focuses on the financial needs of women, enabling them to educate and empower themselves to help build a more secure financial future. The new section, available at www.massmutual.com/women, contains a wide range of financial content of interest to women, including articles that outline the important elements of a sound financial strategy, financial calculators, and a calendar of events that are of interest to professional women.

By
Departments

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

Benoit, Randall K.
227 Franklin St., Apt. 8B
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/15/06

Benson, Thomas J.
29 Bates St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/14/06

Carroll, Sheilah
64 Myrtle St., #209
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/11/06

Daniels, Judith
P.O. BOX 242
Bondsville, MA 01009
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/15/06

Harvey, Winston
62 Endecott St.
Springfoeld, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/15/06

Levardi, Kurt A.
199 Fort HIll Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/12/06

Parizo, David
Parizo, Robin
24 Zabek Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/12/06

  

Parker, William R.
Parker, Barbara A.
60 Oaklawn Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/11/06

Read, Martha L.
199 Fort Hill Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/12/06

Robillard, Lori Ann
40 Sunset St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/15/06

Salamon, Victoria A.
132 North St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/11/06

Samataro, Paul F.
16 Burt Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/15/06

By
Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of June 2006.

AMHERST

Amherst College Trustees
146 Mill Lane
$15,000 — Exterior renovations

Amherst College Trustees
211 South Pleasant St.
$23,000 — Replace windows

Amherst College Trustees
Davenport Squash Courts
$55,000 — Re-roof

Amherst College Trustees
Smith House
$52,400 — Re-roof

Amherst College Trustees
Alumni Gymnasium
$92,500 — Re-roof

Amherst Shopping Center
229 University Dr.
$440,000 — Construct new
Dunkin Donuts building

Elysium LLC
100 University Dr.
$25,000 — Select demo of
interior partitions, replace ceiling

Pioneer Valley Pizza
20 Belchertown Road
$6,000 — Install new grease
hood and suppression system

Town of Amherst
603 East Pleasant St.
$10,800 — Relocate bay door

Trustees of Hampshire
College
Prescott House 72-80
$133,750 — Repair exterior
envelope and damaged walls

CHICOPEE

Wu Mei Fong
32 Center St.
$20,000 — Install exhaust duct

HOLYOKE

Holyoke Mall Co. LP
50 Holyoke St.
$80,000 — Remodel Lids

Holyoke Revolver Club
West Cherry Street Ext.
$15,000 — Build storage
addition

Nuestras Raices Inc.
24 Jones Ferry Road
$20,000 — Install open-air
tree house and stage

Salvation Army
271 Appleton St.
$39,000 — Re-roof

St. Peters Lutheran Church
34 Jarvis Ave.
$16,585 — Re-roof

NORTHAMPTON

Barry and Annette Goldberg
135 King St.
$41,000 — Construct
partitions, bathrooms and
ceiling in retail area

The Coca Cola Company
45 Industrial Dr.
$5,100,000 — Construct addition

Cooley Dickinson Hospital
30 Locust St.
$28,562 — Create new office area

Pathways Association
600 Florence Road
$33,494 — Install solar
electrical system

Seven Bravo Two LLC
152 Cross Path Road
$192,000 — Construct twounit
storage hanger

Smith College
College Lane
$21,500 — Re-roof

Smith College
Bedford Terrace
$3,000,000 — Convert dorm
rooms to suites

  

Smith College
Bedford Terrace
$424,000 — Albright House –
Replace slate roof

Trustees of Smith College
184 Earle St.
$22,800 — Re-roof

214 State St. LTD
Partnership
218 State St.
$30,000 — Convert storage
space to offices

Smith College
23 Round Hill Road
$22,300 — Re-roof

SPRINGFIELD

Dr. Annie Watson
1069 St. James Ave.
$60,000 — Renovations

Exxon Mobil Corp.
1830 Wilbraham Road
$12,500 — Interior
renovations

First Missionary Church
1001 Worthington St.
$4,000 — Renovate kitchen

Forest Park Zoological Society
Trafton Road Zoo
$8,000 — Outback exhibit/
observation deck

J.C. Penny Outlet Store
1655 Boston Road
$8,000 — Create hallway

N.E. Farm Workers
1666 Main St.
$25,000 — Interior
renovations

Paul Ramish
272 Worthington St.
$35,000 — Construct new bar

Springfield College
263 Alden St.
$70,000 — Interior build-out

Western New England College
D’Amour Library
$3,000 — Enlarge server room

Western New England
College
Emerson Hall
$16,000 — Create classroom
and 4 offices

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Friendly Real Estate & Trust
46 Morgan Road
$7,500 — Interior renovation
of restaurant

West Springfield Fire
Department
1305 Memorial Ave.
$7,000 — Install hood and
vent system

Westfield Bank
2620 Westfield St.
$30,000 — Erect ATM

WESTFIELD

Berkshire Bank
31 Court St.
$5,000 — Remodel

Heritage SPE LLC
East Main Street
$113,650 — Renovations

Savage Arms
100 Springfield St.
$82,000 — Re-roof

Smails LLC
45 Washington St.
$7,500 — Renovations

Thomas Cusack
94 Main St.
$10,000 — Repairs

By
Departments

Firm Earns National Award

GREENFIELD — Crocker Communications Inc. has been honored with the 2006 ATSI Award of Excellence, presented annually by the Association of TeleServices International (ATSI), a trade association for providers of telecommunications and call center services. If a company scored 80% or better in all categories of call-handling skills such as courtesy, response time, accuracy and overall service to their clients, they were presented with the Award of Excellence. Crocker has received the Award of Excellence seven times in the past 10 years. In addition, this is the second time the company received the Bronze Award for two consecutive years of excellent service.

Berkshire Bank Opens Mortgage Center

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank recently established a mortgage center for the Springfield/Pioneer Valley region at 41 Court St., Westfield. The office will conduct all mortgage origination services in the market area. The center’s staff includes three mortgage originators, David M. Clark, Jodi A. Colter and Matthew T. Manganelli. In other banking news, Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. has opened a full-service branch at 20 Mall in Guilderland, N.Y.

Bank Opens Northampton Branch

WEST SPRINGFIELD — United Financial Bancorp Inc. recently opened a branch in Northampton at 180 Main St. Patricia Covalli serves as personal banking officer, and is assisted by a team of experienced banking professionals. Residential mortgage and commercial lending personnel are also available at the branch. In addition, the bank will serve the financial service needs of its clients through its Financial Services Group which also has an office in Northampton, located at 14 Main St. United Financial Bancorp is the parent corporation of United Bank.

STCU Credit Union Opens Westfield Branch

SPRINGFIELD — STCU Credit Union has expanded to Westfield with a branch location at 453 East Main St. in the Westfield Shops. The office features five teller positions including one for handicapped individuals, a night depository, ATM facilities, a conference room, loan service office, and member reception area. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. STCU Credit Union first opened its doors in Springfield in 1929 and is based at 145 Industry Ave., Springfield.

Business Teams Up With ‘Habitat’ to Benefit Families

SPRINGFIELD — W.F. Young Inc. employees recently teamed up with Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity® and donated a full day’s work helping restore a house on Cambridge Street. The company shut down operations on May 25 to allow all company employees to participate in the voluntary endeavor. In addition to the team donation of labor, the company is also a corporate donor to the local Habitat for Humanity organization.

CDH Receives Kresge Foundation Opportunity, Challenge Grant

NORTHAMPTON — The Kresge Foundation of Troy, Mich., recently announced it awarded Cooley Dickinson Hospital with a Capital Challenge Grant of $900,000. The grant will support the hospital’s Caring for the Future campaign for the new patient building and Kittredge Surgery Center, and the grant will be awarded in September 2007 if CDH succeeds in raising $4 million. The grant has been made on a challenge basis, according to Diane Dukette, CDH’s executive director of development. She explained that the Kresge Foundation has challenged the hospital to meet its campaign goal of $10.8 million by Sept. 30, 2007. Dukette added that CDH is being challenged to raise an additional $4 million to secure the $900,000 challenge grant. The Kresge announcement represents an opportunity for community members to show their support of the CDH campaign, according to Dukette. “Every gift, regardless of the amount, will help bring us closer to the $900,000 grant,” she said. To date, $7.1 million has been raised in support of the CDH campaign.

Students Benefit from STCC, City Partnerships

SPRINGFIELD — A new collaboration between the Community Music School of Springfield and Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will bring new options in music courses this fall. “Hip-Hop Culture” and “History of Jazz” are the first course offerings, and discussion of private music lessons for college credit is also in the works. A second partnership, with teachers from the Springfield Public Schools, will allow STCC to add Chinese language courses to its offerings starting this fall.

Chamber Has New Web Site

NORTHAMPTON — The Northamp-ton Chamber of Commerce launched its new Web site with a new address, www.explorenorthampton.com, in June. The updated site features a section for Chamber members, as well as sections for visitors and the community. In addition, the Web site now offers a calendar that will generate a ‘Coming Soon in the Northampton Area’ listing that will be automatically updated daily.

Holyoke Mall Lands The Sports Authority

HOLYOKE — The Sports Authority will open a 46,000-square-foot store in early 2007 in the space that was once occupied by Kahunaville. A.C. Moore is also expected to move into the former Kids ‘R Us space on the lower level of the mall to accommodate the space needed by The Sports Authority. Approximately 30 to 40 people will be employed at the new store. In other mall news, two recently opened stores are Bakers Fashion Footwear Boutique and Sadie’s, a photography studio.

Two Law Practices Merge

SPRINGFIELD — Raipher Pellegrino PC, based in Springfield, recently announced a merger with Denner Associates, a Boston-based firm that specializes in murder defendants in Boston and out of state. The firm is now Denner Pellegrino LLP and will serve the Hartford and Berkshire areas. Denner Associates has offices in Boston, Providence and New York. Raipher Pellegrino, a former Springfield city councilor, said the merger will help cut costs and also put together a powerful group of lawyers.

Westfield Financial Looks Toward 100% Public Ownership

WESTFIELD — Westfield Bank’s board of directors recently voted to complete a second step conversion to 100% public ownership of its stock by the end of the year. The stock price and when it will be sold will be determined at a later date. When the bank went public in 2001, the company sold 4.9 million shares at a $100-a-share subscription price, which raised approximately $48.1 million after costs. At press time, company officials said there are no specific plans for using the money that will be garnered during the stock offering.

Lia Group to Build New Toyota Dealership in Northampton

NORTHAMPTON — The Lia Auto Group has announced it will break ground soon for a new Toyota dealership on King Street, just down the road from its Honda dealership that opened in 2005. To make room for the Toyota store expansion, Lia recently closed its Chrysler Jeep dealership. In addition, the Albany-based group closed its Lincoln Mercury franchise in May. Company officials expect the new Toyota facility to cost approximately $4 million.

Elms College, Diocese Creating Academic Programs

CHICOPEE — A series of academic programs for lay leaders and ministers in the Springfield Diocese will soon be offered through a collaborative effort with Elms College. Areas of study will be designed for Catechetical leaders, adult and youth ministers, pastoral and music ministers, and parish administrators. Certificate courses will cost $120 per course and a diocesan subsidy will be available to participants. Certificate and master’s programs will be offered.

Choice One, CTC Finalize Merger, Complete Acquisition of Conversent

Choice One Communications, CTC Communications, and Conversent Communications recently announced the completion of their previously announced combination. The merged organization will be called “One Communications” as of July 24 and will serve businesses in 16 states within the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwest regions. With revenues of more than $800 million, One Communications is the largest privately-held competitive local exchange carrier in the United States. “This transaction transforms three telecommunications companies that were strong in their own right into a single broadband IP-based telecommunications powerhouse,” said Thomas J. Casey, CEO of One Communications. “We will offer a unique combination of advanced telecommunications solutions and exceptional customer service. Businesses throughout our target markets will benefit from a new competitor that is large enough to make substantial investments in enhanced services while being nimble and focused enough to serve every customer with exceptional support provided by accessible and friendly experts.” The One Communications network spans from Maine to West Virginia and the eastern seaboard to Wisconsin. The company will maintain substantial operations centers in Rochester, N.Y., Waltham, Mass., Marlborough, Mass., and Charleston, WV. In addition, One Communications will maintain dozens of regional offices in local business communities to serve small and medium sized business customers. Financing for the transaction includes a $75 million additional equity investment by both Columbia Ventures Corporation (the sole shareholder of CTC Communications), and Choice One shareholders (backstopped by Camulos Capital LP and Värde Investment Partners LP), and a $590 million credit facility arranged by Goldman Sachs Credit Partners LP. The credit facility includes $30 million in revolving credit, a $435 million first lien term loan, and a $125 million second lien term loan. Proceeds from the debt and equity offerings enabled the company to refinance existing debt, purchase 100% of the outstanding shares of Conversent and fund transaction and merger integration costs and provide additional working capital.

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.

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
American Express Centurion Bank v. Milton Gooding a/k/a d/b/a Milton P. Gooding
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $$3,945.95
Date Filed: June 1

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Hale Trailer Brake & Wheel Inc. v. Cipolla Transport Co. LLC
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for rental services: $4,038.53
Date Filed: June 7

USA Hauling & Recycling Inc. v. Spruce Hill Property Service Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for services: $20,332.56
Date Filed: June 8

Granite State Insurance Co. v. Jackson Fernandes d/b/a Excel Construction and Renato DaSilva d/b/a Excel Construction
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay workmen’s comp insurance: $26,654.86
Date Filed: June 9

Lambert Plumbing & Heating Inc. v. Lussier Industries Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods and services: $11,753.57
Date Filed: June 13

Select Energy Inc. v. Orlando Alban, Jr. d/b/a Mason Food Mart
Allegation: Suit on judgment: $7,804.60
Date Filed: June 14

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Select Portfolio Servicing Inc. v. Sears Roebuck & Co., Irene Trench, Charles Morrissey
Allegation: Interpleaded action to deposit with court net surplus from prior foreclosure action: $20,403.70
Date Filed: June 27

By
Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of June 2006.

AGAWAM

Always Perfect Floors
917 Suffield St.
Victor Lysenko

Brendan Kilrain, General
Contractor
65 Spruce Circle Brendan Kilrain

Conte Construction
14 Tom St.
John Conte

N & S Express
33 Norman Terrace #2
Nelson Mukasa

On The Way
308 Suffield St.
Akhtar Mian

T.L. Smith Associates
814 Southwest St.
Tiffany Smith

AMHERST

Amherst Grocery Store
319 Main St.
Mohamed Nagood Advmai

Blue Sky Contemporary
Crafts
1 East Pleasant St.
Chris and Susan Raker

Efrain Eisen — Rabbinic
Consultant
180 Aubinwood St.
Efrain Eisen

Interventions
441 West St.
Shirley DeShields

Pet Behavior Consulting
72 Mechanic St.
Elise Gouge

Valley Opticare
31 Hall Dr.
Joel Feinman

CHICOPEE

Auto Kraft
49 Monteville St.
Daniel Herbert

Coyer & Co.
57 Canal St.
Daniel and Nichole Coyer

Golden Blossom
208 Exchange St.
Adelina Claudino

LS Cleaning Services
14 Park St.
Luciano Santos

Nowak’s Auto Center
980 East Main St.
Edward Nowak

Pelletier Funding
41 Montauk Road
Michael Pelletier

3,000 Words
97 Grape St.
Charles Taormina

HOLYOKE

Discount Auto Glass
155 Old Lyman Road
Al Lafleur

Economy Inn
671 Northampton St.
Ajay Patel

Emmanuel Christian Book
& Retail Store
321 High St.
Santiago Torres

Icing
50 Holyoke St.
Claire’s Boutiques Inc.

Liquid Sun
2020 Northampton St.
Thomas W. Spencer III

Manny’s Pizza
510 Westfield Road
Evangelos Fantakis

Mereciana Market
773 Dwight St.
Kesha Padilla

Ortiz Used Tires
640 South Bridge St.
Francisco Ortiz

  

Princess Gift Shop
449-451 High St.
Wilfredo Rodriguez

Reyes Auto Sales
10 Robert Dr.
Oscar Reyes

Roche Home Improvement
231 Cabot St.
Domingo Roche

LONGMEADOW

Dual State Appraisal
579 Laurel St.
Christopher Ascioti

French Style Nails Salon
797 Williams St.
Thanh Hieu Tran

J20 Realty LLC
1730 Longmeadow St.
James O’Connell

Jorgensen Design
128 Warren Ter.
Margie Jorgensen

Reliable Lawn and Grounds
1054 Frank Smith Road
Ryan Morgan

Scott Grosnick and Assocs.
80 Ridge Road
Scott Grosnick

NORTHAMPTON

Dances with Dogs Daycare Inc.
557 Easthampton Road
Debra Wysocki

Domino’s Pizza
241 King St.
Scott Akers

Grassroots Connection
50 Straw Ave.
Richard Puchalsky

Karen Kulakowski, RD, LDN
40 Main St.
Karen Kulakowski

Luis Electric
1131 Florence Road
Luis Eliza

Pear Tree Press Music
Productions
21 Franklin St.
Ronald Perera

Purdon’s Home Services
112 Beacon St.
Benjamin Oliver Purden

Valley Opticare
70 Main St.
Joel Feinman

Web-Tatics
48 Rockland Heights
Janel Jorda

SOUTH HADLEY

AMI Systems
13 Roosevelt Ave.
Gary Rivers

Bhasin Trading Post
34 School St.
Jouinder Sharma

Castle Cleaners
4 Cordes Court
Cynthia O’Donnell

Cold River Stone
25 Doane Ter.
Jashua Murphy

D & H Painting
1 Lansing Ave.
Daniel Haber

Dark Pilgrimage
46 Pynchon Road
James Kosiba, Jo’seth

Broussard Doorlight Publications
4 Central Ave.
Daniel Brown

Jeff’s Quality Roofing
14 Joffre Ave.
Jeff Chateauneuf

LK Investments
145 Pittroff Ave.
Louise Kidder

By
Departments

Branching Out

STCU Credit Union recently cut the ribbon on its new branch in Westfield. Doing the honors are, from left, directors Robert Mulcahey, Sidney Snegg, Rosmarie Mazza-Moriarty (with her son, Jake), Kenneth Ketchum, Chairman Ronald Joyal, STCU President and CEO Gary Fishlock, and directors Awilda Chaban-Colon, Erin O’Leary, and Norman Halls.

Grade Expectations

Rotary Scholarship Chair Foy Miller (left), presents the Longmeadow Rotary Scholarship award to the 2006 winner, Amanda Marsh, a senior at Longmeadow High School. (picture by Kevin Lonergan)

Grand Opening

Staff at Keystone Woods celebrate the grand opening of Grayson House, an assisted living facility. Back row: Deanna Lawrence, executive director; Angie Thornton, assistant director of Marketing; Leslie Pallante, assistant Health & Wellness leader. Front row: Beth Cardillo, director of Marketing; Brad Wood, vice president of Operations; Christine Denault, Business Operations leader.

Cutting the Ribbon

Westbank celebrates the grand opening of its new Southwick branch office on June 10.

A Fresh Approach to Business Retention

By
Opinion

It’s the non-glamorous side of economic development.

We’re talking about the process of business retention, which doesn’t get the attention — or the headlines — reserved for bringing new companies and jobs to a region. But it is just as important, and perhaps more so, to the Pioneer Valley’s economic health and well-being as recruitment.

That’s because, as we’ve said many times, this is not a region that has historically done well with attracting companies, especially larger employers, and, given current trends in energy prices and other costs of doing business in the Northeast, there is little to suggest that this pattern will change.

Thus, the best hope for real economic development is retention of current jobs, expansion of existing companies, and new-business development. And thus we’re encouraged by the creation of a new business-retention strategy, or program, called HomeField Advantage.

Launched by the Economic Devel-opment Council of Western Mass. earlier this year, HomeField is a proactive, team-based approach to retention that, as analysts like to say of sports teams at the start of a season, certainly looks good on paper.

What the program strives to do is help companies that are experiencing issues or problems — or anticipating them down the road — with identifying and implementing solutions. History has shown that several companies have had to leave the region or shut down altogether because they were unable to cope with issues ranging from workforce recruitment to fuel prices, or were too slow to seek help in addressing them. And when such a company leaves, some elected official will inevitably say, ‘why wasn’t more done to prevent this from happening?’

HomeField was created to provide the more.

In a nutshell, it works to link businesses with resources that will help them to not only stay in this area code, but also expand, improve product quality, and, in general become more competitive. To accomplish all this, the program creates teams of economic development administrators, legislators, and business leaders that work with the company to create long-term solutions.

Using a state-of-the-art business-retention software program called the Synchronist Business Information System, HomeField administrators hope to more easily identify companies with the best growth potential, and also predict businesses at risk. And by using databases created by Synchronist, the EDC will look at help not only individual companies, but also business clusters, as it did with the region’s base of precision manufacturers.

One company that has found HomeField is East Longmeadow-based Lenox American Saw, which is facing a number of competitiveness issues and clearly understands that it needs help in addressing them. The company has identified several wants and needs, including workforce training funds, strategies to reduce energy costs that have risen by 40% over the past year, and possible designation of East Longmeadow as an Economic Target Area, a designation needed for tax-increment financing.

Bill Burke, the company’s president, said Lenox America Saw has no desire or intention to leave the Pioneer Valley. But he also understands that staying in East Longmeadow will not be easy, and that doing so brings several competitive disadvantages.

To overcome them, he must create competitive advantages elsewhere, and he and others believe HomeField can help in the process of generating them.
As we said, HomeField Advantage looks good on paper.

However, business-retention efforts, like sporting events, are not staged on paper on paper. They’re played — and victories are forged — in the trenches, and through teamwork.

That’s why this is the non-glamorous side of economic development, the side the doesn’t get the banner headlines and the visits from the governor.

But is very important work that now takes a fresh, new approach that holds enormous potential for area employers and the communities that host them.

It is our hope that businesses will take full advantage of this new opportunity and, in so doing, help the region become a stronger and more diverse economic region.

Is Commuter Rail the Answer?

By
Opinion

Here we can go again.

It seems like every five or seven years, the talk about commuter rail and high-speed rail starts to heat up again. It usually subsides, however, due to a lack of funding, a lack of momentum on Beacon Hill, or both.

But it always comes back again — this time in the form of a proposed route between Springfield and New Haven and preliminary talk of a route between Springfield, Worcester, and points east — and we’re not really sure why.

We understand the general theory — that if you can connect cities like these with a modern, fairly high-speed form of rail transportation, then people can live in one of those cities and work in the other, creating some employment opportunities. But the last time we checked, these cities were already connected, and rather effectively, by bus, specifically Springfield-based Peter Pan, which runs several routes to New Haven and Worcester a day. And relatively few people take them.

That’s because the bus is for poor people, or so goes the argument, which continues with the presumption that if there was a publicly subsidized commuter rail line, offering rates a few dollars cheaper than the bus, then people would rush to take it. Quite frankly, we don’t see it.

What we see instead are people clinging to an old, romantic notion of rail travel. Years ago, before the interstate highway system was built and jet travel made the country exponentially smaller, rail is how anyone got anywhere. A generation ago, people commuted to and from work by rail, often traveling dozens of miles in the process.

Commuter rail proponents, and there are many of them, say it could happen again. They say individuals who want to work in Boston and New York could do so — and while living in the Pioneer Valley. They also say that a commuter rail system will ease congestion on the region’s highways, improving commerce and creating other opportunities for growth. And commuter rail has, in fact, worked in other parts of the Northeast and other regions of the country.

But we see it as an expensive gamble, one with promise, to be sure, but also considerable risk. Indeed, high-speed rail may actually hinder economic development efforts in Western Mass., by taking talent and jobs out of the region.

Before this region, the Baystate as a whole, and Connecticut dive into commuter rail with both feet, it might be best to study the matter first. ‘Study’ is often a dirty word in government and economic development circles because it’s often meant as a way to stall things or put them on the backburner for a while and hope their proponents go away or find something else to promote.

In this case, however, study is necessary, because there is no real evidence that commuter rail will stimulate economic development, as proponents claim, only speculation, and lots of it. The Springfield-to-New Haven line presents little risk, at least in the form of financial burden, for the Commonwealth, which at this point is only being asked to pick up 10% of the $300 million cost, so it might serve as a litmus test of the concept.

But the region is far from ready to take on its commitment to the project — the Union Station renovation project seems dead in the water and there currently isn’t an infrastructure in place to handle a large-scale rail service in the city — and it has other priorities.

Proponents of commuter rail argue that this economic region, which includes Northern Connecticut, needs to be imaginative in its transportation planning if it is to see economic growth . Being imaginative is fine, but the region also needs to be practical and not create redundancies in a transportation infrastructure that has not been identified as a problem.

In short, more homework is needed before we can state with any degree of confidence that commuter rail can or should be part of the solution for this region.-

OPINION

By
Opinion
A Modern Touch for the Pension System

It’s time to take a hard look at how to modernize and streamline Massachusetts’s archaic pension system.

There are 106 state and local public employee pension systems. Each has overhead, inefficiencies, loopholes, and, in some cases, mounting deferred expense.
The state pension system has $13 billion in unfunded liability that acts like an anchor on the budget and mortgages the state’s future. Next year, taxpayers are set to pay more than $1 billion just to chip away at the pension debt. Those annual payments will rise to $2.3 billion by 2023.

In addition, cities, towns, and counties waste almost $200 million a year running their own systems, much of that going toward making up for poor returns on investment. A study by the Pioneer Institute found that just 5.7% of local pension systems match the state fund’s investment returns.

Local pension systems are also weighed down with separate investment managers, accountants, and additional duplicative overhead. Maintaining that local control over pension systems comes at a large cost. Taxpayers will pay another $3 billion over 20 years just to make up for poor investment performance in local systems over the last decade.

The pension system is also easily gamed by insiders who know how to work the system to maximize their payout. At the same time, the system discourages bright, idealistic young people from spending a few years in public service before moving on in their education or career, by denying short-term employees any pension benefit.

What can be done to fix this mess? Most companies have started offering their employees a 401(k) option. Recognizing that modernization, other states have followed the lead of the private sector, and Massachusetts should be next.

If we institute changes that bring us more in line with the successes of the private sector, we can stop the $13 billion in unfunded pension liability from growing larger, and immediately deliver nearly $200 million in annual savings while maximizing returns for retirees.

The Healey-Hillman pension reform plan would apply to all new public employees in Massachusetts, except police officers and firefighters, who often retire at an early age and spend their days in hazardous working conditions. It would fold 106 taxpayer-funded state, county, municipal, and authority systems into one, eliminating abuses, duplication, and unnecessary local overhead costs, and give municipalities the benefit of the state pension fund’s strong performance.

Employees could choose to invest the money themselves, continue to have the Commonwealth invest it for them, or opt for guaranteed annual interest equal to the 10-year Treasury bond, currently around 5 percent.

Employees could take their retirement benefits with them when they leave, creating an incentive for young people to spend a few years in public service.

Our proposal will save some money immediately and have significant long-term financial benefits. The system would save more than $100 million over the next decade. Once all state employees are covered by the plan, taxpayers will save $140 million each year.

Municipalities would save about $200 million a year immediately, and could use the savings to return money to taxpayers in the form of property tax relief, or to boost local services. Most important, once all employees are in the new system, taxpayers in Massachusetts will not have to worry about unfunded pension liability dragging down the budget and the economy again.

Our pension reform will transform a broken system into one that is fair to employees, less burdensome to taxpayers, and helps to modernize an out-of-date Massachusetts bureaucracy that is weighing the state down and making it less competitive.

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey is the Republican candidate for governor.

By
Departments

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

Carabetta, Janet A.
17 Alice St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/08/06

Carlson, Cindy Ann
1233 South St.
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/08/06

Clark, Jonathan C
26 Lewis Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/05/06

Cruz, Maria
41 Lester Street – 1st Fl
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/05/06

DuFur, Beverly A.
53 Chickering St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/10/06

Durant, Valerie Ann
132-A South Chesterfield
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/06

Fernandez, Agnes
5C Fletcher St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/05/06

Fernandez, Pedro J
5C Fletcher St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/05/06

Forgues, Amber
26 Lewis Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/05/06

Harrington, Lynne
214 Winchester Rd.
Northfield, MA 01360
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/04/06

Harford, S. Rian
P.O. Box 645
Lanesboro, MA 01237
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/03/06

Lakota, Stanley J.
59 River Road
PO Box 8
Whatley, MA 01093
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/05/06

 

 

Laughran, William R.
712 Main St.
2nd Floor, Apartment E
Dalton, MA 01226
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/10/06

Levine, Jessica
14 Broad St.
Apt. #5
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/10/06

Lis, Angela M.
4 North St.
Three Rivers, MA 01080
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/04/06

Lowell, Lisa
87 Pleasant St
West Warren, MA 01092
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/09/06

Mani, George
6 Isabella St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/05/06

Mani, Susan
6 Isabella St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/05/06

Pennock, Dorothy M.
1063 Burnett Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/05/06

Rivera, Angel Cruz
92 Adams St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/05/06

Skiba, Maureen T.
38 Chestnut Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/05/06

Smith, Charles W.
6 Norbell St.
Three Rivers, MA 01080
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/03/06

Thomas, Leesa
2 Standish Court #2D
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/08/06

Wojciechowski, Lonnie M.
53 Lawn St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/03/06

 

By
Departments

Steady Job Market Anticipated for Springfield Area

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield-area employers expect to hire at a respectable pace during the third quarter of 2006, according to a new Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. From July to September, 32% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 21% expect to reduce their payrolls, according to Manpower spokesperson Cathy Paige from the Springfield office. Another 22% expect to maintain their current staff levels and 25% are not certain of their hiring plans, added Paige. For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in non-durable goods manufacturing, finance, insurance and real estate, education, services, and public administration. Employers in construction, durable goods manufacturing, and transportation/public utilities plan to reduce staffing levels, while those in wholesale/retail trade voice mixed hiring intentions. According to the national seasonally adjusted results of the survey, U.S. employers still won’t budge on hiring plans for the third quarter of 2006. Of the 16,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 31% expect to add to their payrolls during the third quarter, while 6% expect to reduce staff levels. Fifty-seven percent expect no change in the hiring pace, while 6% are undecided about their July-September hiring plans.

Westfield State President Resigns

WESTFIELD — Vicky L. Carwein, the first woman president at Westfield State College (WSC), recently announced her resignation to accept the chancellor position at Washington State University. Carwein said that the opportunity was too good to pass up since her husband also has a new position in the same area. Carwein will continue to serve as president at WSC through the summer and will assume her new position in the fall. The college’s Board of Trustees will soon embark on a national search for a successor to Carwein.

Hayden Tapped For Kittredge Center Post

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) President William F. Messner has recommended the appointment of Jeffrey P. Hayden to vice president for business and community services and executive director of the Kittredge Center. Hayden’s nomination must be formally approved by the college’s Board of Trustees, which next meets on June 27. If approved, Hayden will begin the position in early July. Hayden has worked in the Office of Economic and Industrial Development for Holyoke for 12 years, and most recently as its director. Hayden was one of 38 candidates for the position, which was left vacant last summer when long-time HCC administrator Paul Raverta assumed the interim presidency of Berkshire Community College. Named after Yankee Candle founder and HCC alum Michael Kittredge, the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development houses the college’s academic and community focused business services. The $18 million complex is home to the WISER (World Institute for Economic Research) Center, as well as the Center for Business and Professional Development.

Springfield Has Pros, Cons to Economic Profile

SPRINGFIELD — Twelve cities recently participated in a study by the Northeastern University Center for Urban and Regional Policy, with Springfield ranking in the middle of the pack. Springfield has been the only city to publicly release its information about the comparison, according to Donald Walsh, a senior fellow at Northeastern University, who also supervised the survey project. The participating cities answered 194 questions relating to the economic profile and municipal infrastructure, and then a survey of 4,000 site selectors, industrial and commercial real estate brokers, and developers ranked the importance of various measures of community performance. Springfield scored well on several issues ranging from modest traffic and the proximity of higher education to relatively low rental rates. Areas that ranked poorly in Springfield included limited parking near development sites, crime rates that are higher than average, and scores on standardized tests of students are lower than average. Mayor Charles Ryan noted that the city has been diligently working to improve results in several of the key areas cited in the survey. Other cities that participated in the survey were Attleboro, Brockton, Chelsea, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Pittsfield, New Bedford, Revere, and Worcester. The cities were chosen because they elected to pay the costs of participating, according to Walsh. The survey was co-sponsored by the National Assoc. of Industrial and Office Properties, the Mass. Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, and electric utility NSTAR.

By
Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of May 2006.
     

AGAWAM

Amherst Commercial LTD
Partnership
352 Northampton Road, Bldg. 1
$27,000 — Replace existing
shingles, install drip edge, ice
and water shield

Amherst Commercial LTD
Partnership
378 Northampton Road, #4
$14,000 — Replace existing
vinyl siding

Amherst Housing Authority
36 Tamarack Dr. 36 -38
$20,000 — Foundation for
new duplex

J. David Marley
100 University Dr.
$249,250 — Convert/alter 314
of first-floor to medical offices
for Cooley Dickinson PHO

Martin Wells
867 East Pleasant St.
$15,000 — Convert singlefamily
home to workshop

Slobody Development Corp.
101 University Dr. A4 –
UMass Outreach
$537,559 — Interior build-out

Trustees of Hampshire
College
Franklin Patterson
$35,600 — Convert storage
space into two offices

CHICOPEE

Eugene Warguleski
41 Springfield St.
$700,000 — Alterations to
Rivoli Theatre Nightclub

Top Flight Golf Co.
425 Meadow St.
$9,880 — Pour foundation

HOLYOKE

Open Square Properties
4 Open Square Way
$28,500 — Interior alterations

  

NORTHAMPTON

Ahamed Bashir
213 Main St.
$4,500 — Replace ceiling and
construct counters for carpet
business

Coolidge Northampton LLC
225 King St.
$10,000 — Construct
partition walls

518 Pleasant Street LLC
518 Pleasant St.
$3,000 — Construct partition
walls, add door

Northampton Co-operative
Bank
8 Main St.
$2,450 — Erect ground signs

Pug Realty LLC
557 Easthampton Road
$31,550 — Remove three non
-bearing walls and construct
two half walls

Smith College
College Lane
$2,281,721 — Renovate first
& second floor College Hall

Smith College
126 West St.
$30,000 — Construct 8 x 20
steel drop box

SPRINGFIELD

Bank of Western MA
1391 Main St.
$33,893 — Add office space

Baystate Medical
3300 Main St.
$269,200 — Replace MRI
machine

Eastfield Mall
1655 Boston Road
$516,000 — Interior
renovations for new store

WESTFIELD

Robert Williams
8 Turnpike Road
$289,000 — Addition

By
Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of June 2006.
     

AGAWAM

Champagne & Rinaldi
Electrical
41 Jade Lane
Lawrence Rinaldi

Cinron
1815 Main St.
Ronald Boudreau

Coyote Landscaping
144 Coyote Circle
Kevin Rowe

Design-a-Scape
706 Main St.
Christopher Romano

Joanne Szymanski at
Rosemarie’s Salon
351 Main St.
Joan Szmanski

On The Way
308 Suffield St.
Amandeep Singh

Pleasant Valley Lawn Care
1327 Main St.
Todd Beddow

Win Restaurant
846 Suffield St.
Shi Jong Zhang

WRB Auto Sales
170 Coyote Circle
Dominic Candido

AMHERST

Amherst Family Practice PC
29C Cottage St.
Anne Weaver

Elwood’s Cleaning Service
1039 North Pleasant St.
Elwood Shular

Footage Films
171 Gray St.
Benjamin Nathan

HCM Enterprises
170 East Hadley Road
Hughia Magnus

Pat Mount Real Estate
71 Mt. Holyoke Dr.
Patricia Mount

Trainer’s Spectrum
98 Spring St.
Alexander Hiam

CHICOPEE

Camelot Paintball
610 Lombard Road
Chad Faraham

Country Scentsabilities
31 Christopher St.
Amy Bedore

Full Spectrum Ascension
514 Lafleur Dr.
Michael Golmane

Internet Resource Solutions
29 Elliot St.
Kevin Pirnie

Salon Temps
40 Montcalm St.
Kirsten Ritter

Yaniri’s Perfume
41 Norman St.
Ines Bisono

EAST LONGMEADOW

D & D Enterprises
27 Bunker Circle
David Preste

MAK Construction
124 Kibbe Road
Kricor Melkian

The Nail Lounge
217 Shaker Road
Jennifer Mancuso

Quality Building Products
100 Shaker Road
Builders Services Group Inc.

Shapes A Salon
219 Shaker Road
Tracey Meara

HADLEY

Edible Arrangements
41 Russell St.
Louise & Robert Beaucnemin

HOLYOKE

B & M Fashions
22J Maplecrest Circle
Bradley and Monika Jordan

Homewood Suites
370 Whitney Ave.
Holyoke Lodging Associates

Mill Vallley Hall
26B Hadley Mills Road
Mike Rigali

Your Place Caf}
254 Maple St.
Gregory Schwartz

NORTHAMPTON

Chen’s Northeast Inc.
18 Main St.
Tong Fang Chen, Wei Yun
Chen, Kung Huan Chen

Dust Dancer
42 Fruit St.
Patricia Trant

The Firefly Salon
122 Main St.
Kay Gregory

Joel Russell Associates
25 Kensington Ave.
Joel Russell

Peri’s Line
46 Crosby St.
Oded Peri

Route 9 Design & Build
104 North Elm St.
John Landry

Soul Touch Massage Therapy
16 Center St.
Leigh Newton

   SPRINGFIELD

Big Nick’s Cleaning Service
95 Quincy St.
Albert Caudle

C & M Decorative Concrete
27 Palm St.
Donald Hyland

Dinner, Dancing, Dates
48 Bryant St.
Felicia Manthe

Dynasty Restaurant
5 Locust St.
Rong Jin LLC

The Final Touch Barber
821 State St.
Clarence Smith III

Ghost Music Records
837 State St.
Michael Jones

Hollywood Video
1365 Liberty St.
Mark Moreland

How U Want It Cleaning
120 Sylvan St.
Sandra Lowe

Jay’s Construction & Remodeling
1532 Bay St.
Jasen Mindt

Motto Express
300 Locust St.
Victor Jimenez

Process Management
Associates
91 Mulberry St.
James Duquette

R & R Auto Repair
337 Walnut St.
Roman Rivera

Retamar’s Home
Improvement
39 Commonwealth Ave.
Angel Retamar

Robichaud Home
Improvement
61 St. James Ave.
Richard Robichaud

SPI Distribution
300 Albany St.
Michael Rogers

T & C Auto Service
1304 Dwight St.
Francisco Rodriguez

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Affordable Solutions Online
12 Royce Court
Dwayne Henderson

Bob’s Court
2071 Riverdale St.
Badui Chidiac

Boston Billiard Club
855 Riverdale St.
Kurt Mathias

C & N Carpentry Services
59 Woodmont St.
Jon Yarsley

Direct Power Sports
409 Main St.
Gilbert Perez

Elite Floor Covering
104 Kings Hwy.
Reynaldo Mendez

Five Star Roofing and Home
Remodeling
39 Maple St.
Anatoly Kukharchuk

Greenwood Electric A10926
1649 Westfield St.
James Greenwood

K & M Auto Sales
697 Union St.
Kyle Shoemaker

Liquori’s Pizza & Restaurant
Inc.
659 Westfield St.
Antonio Liquori

Mingle’s
1547 Riverdale St.
CDR Inc.

Needle and Scissors
29 Worthen St.
Marina Dragun

Segway Central Massachusetts LLC
33 Sylvan St.
George Condon

Siciliano Salon
2260Westfield St.
Michael and Brenda Siciliano

Stevens Jewelers Inc.
2068 Riverdale St.
Joseph Stevens

Valerie Franz @ Mind, Body
& Skin
117 River St.
Valerie Franz

West Side Roofing
166 Memorial Ave.
Juan Hernandez

WESTFIELD

The Auction House
1029 North Road
Mark LaValley

Dan Allie Designs
38 Union St.
Dan Allie

Home D}cor
1012 Russell Road
Kendra Kearing

Westfield Furniture
Clearinghouse
130 Park Dr.
Edwin Pembertan

By
Departments

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

AMHERST

Kiln Works Inc.,
460 West
St., Suite 1, Amherst 01002.
James A. Jemison, 33
Kellogg Ave., Apt. 69,
Amherst 01002. (Nonprofit)
To promote the arts,
especially ceramic arts
through educational space
and a co-operative
atmosphere to learn and
pursue creative ideas.

BELCHERTOWN

The Belvedere Restaurant
and Cafe Inc.,
9 North Main
St., Belchertown 01007.
Dennis A. Graham, 4 Jon
Dr., Belchertown 01007. To
operate a restaurant and cafe.

CHICOPEE

Chicopee Festofall Inc.,
89
Bell St., Chicopee 01013.
Robert Liswell, same.
(Nonprofit) To promote the
civic well-being for all
citizens and business in the
greater Chicopee area.

Kung Fu Academy Inc.,
551
East St., Chicopee 01020.
Mark A. Ostrander, 360
Osborne Ter., Springfield
01104. Operation of a martial
arts school.

Polish Legion of American
Veteran USA Western MA
Post 193 Inc.,
6 Roosevelt Ave., Chicopee 01013.
Edward J. Kaplita, 615 West
Main St., Plainfield 01070.
(Nonprofit) To preserve the
true spirit of fraternity and
patriotism arising from the
sacrifices in the wars and
conflicts of the USA, etc.

Steve Beshara Inc.,
42 Robin Ridge Road, Chicopee 01022.
Steve Beshara, same. Copy
shop, printing and related
activities.

Westfield Auto and Truck
Center Inc.,
31 Cecile Dr., Chicopee 01020. Nicolas K.
Korny, same. Repair,
servicing, maintenance and
inspection of autos and trucks.

EASTHAMPTON

Bacis Properties Inc.,
67
Division St., Easthampton
01027. Thomas M. Bacis,
same. Home construction and
land development.

Summit Ridge Builders
Inc.,
110 Union St., Easthampton 01027.
Matthew B. Gawle, 36 Holly
Circle, Easthampton 01027.
Construction of homes and
land development.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Holistic Retreat Inc.,
280 North Main St., Suite 7, East
Longmeadow 01028. Alice
Shabunin, 168 Mountainview
Road, East Longmeadow
01028. Holistic health care.

NLB Appraisal Services Inc.,
2 Athens St., East Longmeadow 01028.
Christopher Bertelli, same.
Real estate appraisals.

GOSHEN

Goshen General Store Inc.,
31 Main St., Goshen 01032.Judi Christine Morin, same.
Retail sales of groceries and
general merchandise.

HADLEY

South Middle Street Inc.,
31 Campus Plaza Road, Hadley
01035. Douglas A. Kohl, 59
Summer St., Northampton
01060. Real estate
development.

South Middle Street Inc.,
31 Campus Plaza Road, Hadley
01035. Douglas A. Kohl, 59
Summer St., Northampton
01060. Real estate development.

HAMPDEN

GTech Manufacturing Inc.,
95D Commercial Dr., Hampden
01036. Gary L. Lombardo,
same. General machine shop.

  

HOLYOKE

Fragrance Source
International Inc.,
88 Winter St., Holyoke 01040.
David L. Peskin, 25 Warwick St.,
Longmeadow 01106. To
manufacture, market and sell
perfumed plastic beads, etc.

Maki of Japan Holyoke Inc.,
50 Holyoke St., Ste. #CS1,
Holyoke 01040. Bi Qiu Wu,
507 Bryant Place, Riverdale,
NJ 07675. Bi Qiu Wu, 50
Holyoke St., Ste. #CS1, Holyoke,
registered agent. To own and
operate a restaurant business.

LUDLOW

CS Landscaping Design and
Construction Inc.,
14 Salli Circle, Ludlow 01056. Lee H.
Corbert, same. Landscaping
and design.

NORTHAMPTON

Turnkey Imaging Consultants Inc.,
161 Crescent St., Northampton
01060. William Orr,
Consulting to and equipping
the photo imaging trade.

PALMER

Doyle’s At Forest Lake Inc.,
702 River St., Palmer 01069.
William J. Doyle, 23
Fieldstone Dr., Palmer 01069.
Operation of restaurant/bar.

Doyle’s Realty Holdings Inc.,
702 River St., Palmer 01069.
William J. Doyle, 23
Fieldstone Dr., Palmer 01069.
To deal in real estate.

Sweet Dreams Anesthesia
Corp., 119 Boston Road,
Palmer 01069. Tammy
Rackliffe, same. To provide
nurse aesthesis services to
various hospitals.

PELHAM

Gary Hyman Consulting Inc.,
49A Gulf Road, Pelham
01002. Gary Hyman,
same.Consulting.

SOUTH HADLEY

Stadium Renovation
Initiative Inc.,
153 Newton St., South Hadley 01075. Mark
Dubois, 4 Scott Hollow Dr.,
South Hadley 01085. (Nonprofit)
To renovate, construct, operate
various public recreational
facilities and public works
within South Hadley, etc.

C.S.O.R.K. Inc.,
27-81 Crooked
Ledge Road, Southampton
01073. Constanza S. Ontaneda,
same. Importing of finished
goods for sale in the US.

SPRINGFIELD

Debra’s Beauty Solutions Inc.,
64 Boston Road, Springfield 01109. Debra L.
Watson, same. Retail sale of
beauty supplies.

Greenleaf Pest Management Inc.,
177 Shawmut St., Springfield 01108. Enoi
Chonmany, same. Pest
management and control.

Manjlee Inc.,
1624 Main St., Springfield 01103. Young Kil
Lee, 10 Chestnut St., Apt.
#3408, Springfield 01103. To
operate a jewelry sale and
repair shop(s), etc.

Wak Services Inc.,
125 Liberty St., Suite 406, Springfield 01103. Kiyoko Ogoke, 116
Hunters Green Circle,
Agawam 01001. Management
of health care practices and offices.

WESTFIELD

Marvon Construction &
Development Inc.,
396 Prospect St. Ext., Westfield
01085. Lori Ann Kurtz, same.
Construction and real estate
development.

By
Departments

Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. of Holyoke and Greenfield announced the following:
• Donna Nichols has joined the firm as a Receptionist in the Holyoke office;
• Hanna Ramanenka has begun a 10-week internship at the firm;
• Timothy Garstka has begun a 10-week internship at the firm, and
• Chaim Muller-Ravett has begun a 10-week internship at the firm.

•••••

Richard D. Wilson Jr. has been appointed National Sales Manager for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual). He will have management responsibilities for the external team that wholesales life insurance product and sales concepts to the MassMutual career agency sales force.

•••••

The Springfield Falcons announced the following:
• Garrett Nolan has been promoted to Manager of Ticket Operations;
• Jason Gonet has been named Manager of Game Night Operations & Promotions/Sales Associate;
• Mike Mitchell has joined the team as a Sales Associate;
• Kyle Bousquet has joined the team as a Sales Associate, and
• Brent Bousquet has joined the team as a Sales Associate.

•••••

UMass Amherst announced the following:
• Engineer Jonathan Rothstein has garnered $300,000 over three years for his research in finding ways to modify the surface of an object to reduce drag. The Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award will support his investigations of drag and how to reduce it;
• Lila Gierasch, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, has been appointed a Distinguished Professor. Gierasch was recommended for the honor by Chancellor John V. Lombardi and Charlena Seymour, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, who called her a “world-renowned leader” in the study of protein and peptide structure and folding, and the interaction between proteins and biological membranes, and
• Brian Conz, a graduate student in geosciences, has been awarded a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship from the U.S. Department of Education for political ecology fieldwork in Guatemala. Conz will carry out six months of fieldwork on indigenous people, conservation, and protected areas in Guatemala starting in July.

•••••

Mary Beth Wood has joined Park Square Realty of Westfield as a Sales Associate in its Feeding Hills office.

•••••

Sam Everett has been promoted to Vice President of RDW Group Inc. He will supervise RDW’s Worcester office.

•••••

Eric Person has joined Johnson Health Network in Stafford Springs, Conn., as Vice President of Johnson Development Fund Inc.

•••••

Carlson GMAC announced the following:
• Carole Sterritt has joined the firm as a Salesperson in the Longmeadow Shops;
• Linda Ferrero has joined the firm as a Salesperson in the Longmeadow Shops;
• Brian Spears has joined the firm as a Salesperson in the Wilbraham office;
• Michael Guardione has joined the firm as a Salesperson in the Wilbraham office, and
• Nathan Czub has joined the firm as a Salesperson in the Holyoke office.

•••••

  

John W. Therrien has been named Manager of Plant Operations at Holyoke Medical Center.

•••••

Greenfield Community College has appointed Anna Berry its Coordinator of Disability Services.

•••••

Maryann Aubuchon, Salon Manager at JC Penney in the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside, was among almost 100 Penney salon managers who were named Personal Best Award winners.

•••••

Nancy Harper, RN, BSN, RHP, has been promoted to Regional Director of Resident and Family Services for Benchmark Assisted Living, based in Wellesley.

•••••

New officers of the Pioneer Valley chapter of Business Network International are:
• Corrine Chartland of Charter Home Mortgage, serving as president;
• Steve Lang of Curry Copy, serving as vice president, and
• Eric Lubarsky of E & G Automotive, serving as treasurer.

•••••

Rocky’s Ace Hardware of Springfield announced the following:
• Lynn Kelly has joined the company as Director of Human Resources, and
• Laraine Johnson has joined the company as Vice President of Store Operations.

•••••

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, based in West Springfield, announced the following regional leadership and service awards at its recent annual meeting:
• Judith S. Eiseman received a regional recognition award for being a long-standing member of the PVPC’s Executive Committee. She is also a PVPC Commissioner representing the town of Pelham;
• Stanley E. Kowalski, Jr. received a regional recognition award for his service as a Plan for Progress Trustee. Kowalski is retiring as Dean of the School of Business at Western New England College, Springfield;
• Delania Barbee, a High School of Commerce graduate, received the Linda L. Petrella Springfield Summer Youth Internship Award, and
• Kinshasa Fowkles, a High School of Commerce graduate, received the Linda L. Petrella Springfield Summer Youth Internship Award.
Both teens will serve internships at PVPC this summer before starting college in the fall.

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.

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
Sharifs’ Inc. d/b/a Copycat Print Shop v. Ct. Business Systems LLC d/b/a Bloom’s
Allegation: Breach of servicing equipment contract: $25,000
Date Filed: May 15

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Rugg Lumber Co. Inc. et al v. J.F. Kennedy Corporation et al
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $37,760.05
Date Filed: May 22

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT
Holyoke Mall Co. LP v. Grand Wireless Inc. d/b/a Grand Wireless
Allegation: Breach of contract — Violation of lease: $418,455.74
Date Filed: May 3

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Bowtie Inc. d/b/a Fancy Publications v. Fleming Industries Inc. d/b/a Pet-Medic
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for advertising services: $2,550
Date Filed: May 2

Quality Machine Solutions Inc. v. Topsfield Tool & Engineering Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for services: $17,000
Date Filed: May 2

Construction Service, a division of Dauphinas & Sons Inc. v. J.F. Kenney Corporation
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $9,343.01
Date Filed: May 8

WMECO v. Seawave Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for services: $4,075.39
Date Filed: May 12

Stephen Jaldonski, Architects v. Pearson Systems
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for services: $15,700
Date Filed: May 17

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Haro Bicycle Corp. v. David Axler d/b/a Axler’s Cicycle Corner Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $5,572
Date Filed: April 11

Doing Business As Certificates

By
DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of May 2006.

AGAWAM

B & L Construction and Design
115 South West St.
Robert Tareau

Chirgwin Computer & Accounting
19 Cedar Knoll Dr.
Audrey Chirgwin

Commercial Grounds Maintenance Inc.
26 Perry Lane
Stephen Amato

Corner Deli & Variety II
644 Main St.
Dinker Dasai

The Daily Grind
360 North Westfield St.
Paul Bshara

Goulet Real Estate
18 Blacksmith Road
Ronald Goulet

NBS Construction
664 Main St.
Paul Chartier

Tami Lemke At Rosemarie’s Salon
351 Main St.
Tami Lemke

AMHERST

Adair Construction
89 Potwine Lane
Robert Adair

Amy J. Rubin, DVM
390 Potwine Circle

Amy J. Rubin Essentials
28 Amity St.
John Urshel

Hart Graphics
241 Northampton Road
Rita Hart

Left-Click
59A Boltwood Walk
Kelly Albrecht

Pioneer Valley Pizza
20 Belchertown Road
Brian Covel

Welcome to the Zoo
388 North Pleasant St.
Etan Efrati

CHICOPEE

Allen Blanchard
11 Whitman St.
Allen Blanchard

Chuck’s Auto Service
58-68-78 West St.
Charles Swider

Europa Salon & Volpe Nails
1400 Memorial Dr.
Kristine Quiterio

Insta-Comp
671 James St.
Robert Gaudrault

Royal Coach Sales LLC
658 Fuller Road
John Garcia

Sophisticated Cuts
375 Chicopee St.
Caridad Cruz

EAST LONGMEADOW

Baystate Medical Practice
294 North Main St.
Baystate Affiliated Practice
Organization Inc.

K.O. Building & Remodeling
6 Lois St.
James Kelly

Meadows Medical Associates
294 North Main St.
Baystate Affiliated Practice
Organization Inc.

Pattie @ Shapes
219 Shaker Road
Patricia Morin

HADLEY

Alligator Brook Farm
42 Lawrence Plain Road
James Gnatek

Norm’s Auto
11 Railroad St.
Norm Wilber

HOLYOKE

Applied Light
48 Commercial St.
Kathleen Sciabarrasi

Cuba Supermarket
439 High St.
Nuevo Cuba Supermercado
LLC

Jerry’s Auto
901 Main St.
Gerard Duval

Sam’s Food Store
515 High St.
Syed Mohsin Raza

NORTHAMPTON

Buenos Aires Leather Co.
7 Ladyslipper Lane
Brett Stein

Display Design & Management
50 Harrison Ave.
E. John Harlow

Expert Resume Services
12 Crosby St.
Christine Palmieri

Hygeniks
74 Bridge St.
Todd Marchefka

Kristy’s Nails
137-C1 Damon Road
Hoang Mui Nhuc

Primed to Sell
93 High St.
Bernice Andres

SPRINGFIELD

Brenda & Lelly’s Hair Salon
196 Chestnut St.
Justo Rodrieguez

C & C Wholesale Group
121 Goodwin St.
Christopher Mingolla Jr.

Davidson Home Improvement
190 Newton Road
Todd Davidson

Douglas-Allen Inc.
1500 Main St.
Robert Stevens

Express Repair
18 Berkshire Ave.
Marilyn Arce

Franco Hood & Ducts
17 Sumner Ave.
Andrea Franco

Glossy Design
69 Lucerne Road
Latina Duncanson

J.L. Beauregard Properties
92 Lloyd Ave.
James Beauregard

Latina & Co.
876 Sumner Ave.
Elsie Collazo

Over the Rainbow Daycare
24 Harmon Ave.
Patricia Blomquist

Prospect Variety
51 Prospect St.
Clarissa Cepeda

Redbox Automated Retail
1277 Liberty St.
Coinstar Inc.

Ritchie Handyman Service
230 El Paso St.
Ritchie Nebar

7-11
425 Springfield St.
Geoffrey Wilson

Super Class Laundry
1171 Boston Road
Kenny Nguyen

2:30 AM Paperart Designs
34 Front St.
Donna Beck

W.A. Belanger Home
Decorating &
Organization 238 Maple St.
Wendy Belanger

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Absolute Home Improvement
346 Main St.
Raymond Strobel

At One Massage Therapy
1036 Elm St.
Tina Giachello

Bob’s Discount Furniture
135 Memorial Ave.
Robert Kaufman

Breaker’s
1272 Memorial Ave.
LMR Inc.

Castillian Hair Cutters
664 Union St.
Tito Perez

D’Orazio Guitars
54 Christopher Ter.
David Schmidt

Ewect
506 Main St.
Anatoliy Sergeychik

GN General Contractor
24 West School St.
Genady Nemchinsky

Joe’s Garage
2 Elizabeth St.
Stacey Lee Bingle

Lincare Inc.
53 Capital Dr.
Lincare Inc.

Maximum Pawn Co.
1142 Memorial Ave.
Maximino Salvador

Mr. Safety
54 Christopher Ter.
David Schmidt

Pizza King
1130 Memorial Ave.
Maria Hernandez

Sergie Gut Professional Painting
1151 Elm St.
Sergey Gut

Steve’s Sports
94 Front St.
Steve Bordeaux

United Bank Foundation
95 Elm St.
United Charitable Inc.

V3 Construction
101 River St.
Vadim Borodiaev

WESTFIELD

Alumasoft Web Development
132 Valley View Dr.
Natalie St. Jean

Baystate Indoor BMX
459 Russell Road
Todd Bard

Hayrake Farm
1150 East Mountain Road
Christine Buffum

Westfield Auto & Truck Center
86 Summit St.
Nicholas Korny

Crime Is Killing Springfield

By
Opinion

Tim Brennan was talking about the bike path that winds its way along the east bank of the Connecticut River. But he might as well have been talking about the city of Springfield as a whole.

Brennan, director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, which coordinated construction of the 3.7-mile Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway, told the local press recently that the path is considered underutilized — roughly 150 users on weekdays and just over half that number on weekends — because of doubts about safety.

And there will certainly be more of those now following the stabbing death of one the path’s few users earlier this month, the city’s sixth homicide of the year, which is slightly below the record pace (18 for the year) set in 2005.

Like the bike path, many of Springfield’s neighborhoods, institutions, and, yes, businesses, are being hurt (or underutilized) because of crime and, equally important, the perception of it. The city has other issues, to be sure, including its fiscal woes and overall image problem, but crime has taken center stage.

It is a factor impacting everything from where people live, work, shop, eat, and go to college, to whether they use the bike path along the river. And in many ways, it is stifling economic development in the area, because, as much as anything else, Springfield is now synonymous with crime.

Some local officials would like to blame the press and its ‘if it bleeds, it leads’ operating strategy for this phenomenon, but when a city this size has five shootings in one night, as was recorded early in May, the problem is not the press.

Rather, it’s the apparent inability to gain any sense of momentum in the fight against crime. Some officials would have you believe there is some, and use easily pliable statistics to back up those claims. But the real measure of progress is public opinion (and traffic counts on the bikeway), and at the moment the public remains skeptical — and, in many ways, afraid.

Recently named Police Commissioner Edward Flynn has taken the fight to the neighborhoods and the city’s housing projects. He is imploring residents to get involved and be part of the solution, not part of the problem by protecting criminals. He’s been very visible — one can see him on the streets and hear him on the radio — and he’s made the word ‘snitch’ part of the local lexicon.

We can only hope that increased patrols and the appointment of area commanders to oversee neighborhood coverage will succeed not only in bringing the crime rate down, but in making people feel better about Springfield in the same way that many residents of Holyoke feel better about their community.

Overall, we believe the city needs additional resources, and that Gov. Mitt Romney should make a stronger commitment to keeping the streets safe in the state’s third-largest city.

When the bike path was put on the drawing board more than a decade ago, it was envisioned as a way to make the city’s riverfront vibrant and more relevant. It was viewed as a way to bring people back into the city for recreation, to create images like those we’ve seen of people walking, running, biking, and roller-blading in Washington, D.C., Cambridge, San Diego, and other cities.

Very little of that has happened, and safety is the reason. And so many other things aren’t happening in Springfield for the very same reason.

The bike path is not just the scene of a fatal stabbing; it’s a symbol of what could be, and isn’t, in Springfield, largely because of public safety concerns. Maybe it can serve as additional motivation in the effort to make this the City of Homes, not the City of Crime, once again.-

By
Departments

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

AGAWAM

Champagne & Rinaldi Electrical Contractors Inc.,
41 Jade Lane,
Agawam 01001. Lawrence
W. Rinaldi, same. Electrical
contracting and installation
including alarm systems.

BELCHERTOWN

Blaze Enterprises Inc.,
26 Plaza Ave., Belchertown
01007. Jonah J. Fialkoff,
same. Consulting, advising,
and conferring in the field
of entertainment, etc.

CHICOPEE

Chicopee Chix Inc.,
44 Parenteau Court, Chicopee
01020. David Pise, same.
(Nonprofit) To make
available amateur softball to
young women and girls, etc.

Dynamic Embroidery and Silk Screening Inc.,
23 Jackson St., Chicopee
01020. June E. Langevin,
same. Embroidering and
silk screen for clothing, wall
hangings, uniforms, etc.

TM Design Solutions Inc.,
1 Springfield St., Suite 5D,
Chicopee 01014. Brian C.
Taylor, 239 McCarthy Ave.,
Chicopee 01020.
Mechanical, engineering,
product design.

Wilson’s Paving & Construction Inc.,
604 Montgomery St., Chicopee
01020. Chester F. Wilson,
Jr., same. Commercial and
residential asphalt paving
and construction.

EASTHAMPTON

CitySpace Inc.,
Eastworks
Bldg., 116 Pleasant St.,
Easthampton 01027.
William L. Bundy, 248
South Central St., Plainfield
01070. (Nonprofit) To
develop space committed to
the performing and visual
arts in Franklin,
Hampshire, and Hampden
counties, specifically the old
Town Hall of the city of
Easthampton, etc.

New City Processing Inc.,
2 Mechanic St., Suite C-6,
Easthampton 01027. Wayne
F. Demers, Sr., 8 Blumer
Road, Southampton 01073.
Processing and brokering
mortgages, disbursing loans,
etc.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Katcon Inc.,
26 Deer Park
Dr., East Longmeadow
01028. James M. Quinn, 30
Kenneth Lunden Dr., East
Longmeadow 01028. To deal
in real estate.

Pioneer Valley Independent Health P.C.,
110 Millbrook Dr., E.
Longmeadow 01028. John
E. Murphy, same. To
practice medicine as a
professional corporation.

Young Presidents’ Organization, Berkshire Chapter Inc.,
302 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow
01028. Tyler F. Young, 192
North Road, Hampden
01036. (Nonprofit) To
promote the exchange of
ideas, experiences and
practices pertaining to
business management, etc.

INDIAN ORCHARD

Eddie Painting Inc.,
9 Lawe St., Indian Orchard
01151. Edmund Serafin,
same. Painting services.

Lilli Event Planners Inc.,
33 Fairhaven Dr., Indian
Orchard 01151. Tonya L.
Foggs, same. Planning and
consulting services for
weddings, parties, etc.

LONGMEADOW

Han’s Character for Kids and Adult Smart Programs Inc.,
96 Redfern Dr., Longmeadow 01106. Keun
Soo Han, same. To promote
and develop the public’s
interest in martial arts, etc.

NORTHAMPTON

The Organization for Voter Integrated Democracy Inc.,
49 Market St., Northampton
01060. David McCormic,
same. (Nonprofit) To
promote a more inclusive
Democracy and foster
greater cooperation between
citizens and their elected
officials, etc.

PELHAM

Annwn Foundation Inc.,
29 Buffam Road, Pelham
01002. Neil Anders, same.
(Nonprofit) To educate the
public regarding sustainable
affordable housing, etc.

SOUTH HADLEY

DeoArtur Holdings Inc.,
311 Brainerd St., South
Hadley 01020. Deoclecio J.
Artur, same. Sales,
marketing consultant and
exporting goods.

SOUTHAMPTON

Carolin Ltd., 57 Crooked
Ledge Road, Southampton
01073. Douglas M. Jaciow,
same. Package store.

Yiannis Distributing Co.,
162 College Highway,
Southampton 01073. Ioannis
J. Mirisis, 146 College
Highway, Southampton
01073. Beer and wine
distribution.

SOUTHWICK

Competitive Plumbing Inc.,
17 Babb Road, Southwick
01077. Illia M. Olbrys, same.
Plumbing and heating
services.

SPRINGFIELD

Commonwealth United Mortgage Savings & Loan Investment Corp USA Inc.,
107 College St., Springfield
01109. Teddy Guy, same.
Mortgages.

Karen Real Estate
Investments Inc., 671
Belmont Ave., Springfield
01108. Mihran Arakelian,
same. To deal in real estate.

Lessard Plumbing & Heating Inc.,
12 Arcadia Blvd., Springfield 01118.
Timothy P. Lessard, same.
Plumbing and plumbing
contracting.

WESTFIELD

Whip City Realty Ltd., 97
Woodmont St., Westfield
01085. Maurice H. Valois,
Jr., same. Real estate.

WEST HATFIELD

Vision Machining Inc., 9
West St., West Hatfield
01088. Ross Poudrier, 96
Mountain Road, North
Hatfield 01066. Machining.

OPINION

By
Opinion
The Real Energy Crisis

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Turn the page of any paper or turn on any news show and you’ll likely hear about the global energy crisis and soaring gas prices. But the real energy crisis is not taking place in the oil fields of Texas and Iraq or the gas stations of New York and California, but rather inside the people and the companies that contribute to our global economy.

In a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive Inc. less than 15% say they feel strongly energized by their work and only 20% feel very passionate about their jobs. While part of this crisis can be attributed to management (37% of managers are indifferent to their company’s fate) a big part of the problem can be associated with worker burnout; 42% are coping with burnout while 33% believe they have reached a dead end in their jobs, and 21% are eager to change their jobs.

The cost of fatigue, burnout, and a lack of engagement to corporate America is staggering. The Gallup organization estimates the cost to be $250 billion to $300 billon dollars, while workplace fatigue alone costs American businesses at least $77 billion per year, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

There’s no doubt that today’s employees as a whole are under-engaged, overtired, and overstressed. If you’re not convinced just try to eavesdrop on water cooler conversations. You won’t hear anything because they are not there. They’re hovering around the coffee pot or in line at the corner coffee shop. People are clearly searching for their energy, but unfortunately they are finding it in double lattes, diet sodas energy drinks, and other quick fixes that do not last.

After all, there are more Starbucks then ever but America’s workforce is more tired and less engaged than ever.

The fact is that enhanced energy, success, and performance cannot be found in a bottle or cup of espresso and we cannot replace sleep with a double latte. Just as the world must find alternative sources of energy to oil, it’s clear that Corporate America must look to alternative sources of energy besides coffee to power its workforce.

Instead of energy drainers, American businesses must focus on becoming power generators. Considering that only 31% (strongly or moderately) believe that their employer inspires the best in them, one of the most significant actions business leaders can take is to implement programs and business practices that develop positive, high performing engaged employees and teams that are fueled by purpose and enthusiasm.

Ironically, one of the great role models of this business philosophy and practice is Howard Schultz and Starbucks. From the very beginning Schultz realized and trained his managers that they weren’t in the coffee business serving people but rather in the people business serving coffee. He explained his vision that he wanted to build a company that valued, invested in, and respected its employees. One of the ways Schultz did this was by offering comprehensive health insurance to employees that work more than 20 hours a week.

Now, Starbucks spends more on health insurance then it does coffee beans. Schultz also hosts frequent town hall meetings with management and employees and he personally visits 30-40 locations a week to share his passion, enthusiasm, and purpose with his employees. They receive his positive energy and in turn they share this positive energy with their customers.

Judging from Starbucks growth and sales it is certainly a successful formula. But Starbucks isn’t alone. Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence explains that a company with positive employees and a positive culture will outperform their negative counterparts every time. Also, consider that if you would invest in the top 100 best companies to work for, you would significantly outperform the market average. Positive work environments clearly produce positive results.

Thus, the answer to the real energy crisis is not a cup of Joe but the attitude, enthusiasm and energy of the Joe that is employed by your company. If you develop, engage and energize him you’ll be one step ahead of the competition.-

Jon Gordon is s a professional speaker, consultant, and energy and performance coach.

By
Departments

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

Atkins, Pansy H.
259 Sabin St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/21/06

Bander, Mark Alan
48 Taylor Hill Road
Montague, MA 01351
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/21/06

Barona, Jorge S.
178 Bolton St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/26/06

Baxter, Edward Joseph
Baxter, Mabel Margaret
22 K St.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/06

Bennett, Seth
66 Norris St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/20/06

Block, Stephen J.
35 Bessemer St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/06

Brooks, James Edward
Brooks, Brenda Lee
22 Clesson Brook Road
Buckland, MA 01338
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/06

Campbell, James H.
243 Bridge St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/25/06

Caraballo, Francisco
Caraballo, Felicia
7 Ellis St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/21/06

Chrisanthopoulos, Kevin
P.O. Box 334
Greenfield, MA 01302
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/25/06

Davis, Shariece
18 Carver St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/20/06

Denette, Leonard A.
Denette, Barbara A.
134 Balboa Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/25/06

Denning, Joan E
15 Inward Commons
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/19/06

Dion, Jaimee M.
40 Hitchcock St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/19/06

Fennimore, Jeffrey J.
37 Eddy St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/23/06

Galus, Betty A
106 Peekskill Ave.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/06

Goodick, Edward J.
P.O. Box 107
South Barre, MA 01074
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/24/06

Haley, Christopher E.
Haley, Janet A.
16 Demond Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/02/06

Jillson, Michael D
1063 S. Main St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/29/06

Keitt, Dale A.
63 Arthur St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/28/06

Liswell, Ann Marie K.
89 Bell St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/06

Locklear, Shirley J.
99 Lawrence St., Apt. 6
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/24/06

Malley, Douglas Alan
2 Amherst Ave.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/06

Martinez, Juan M.
P.O. Box 4161
Springfield, MA 01101
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/02/06

Mayrand, Ronald Edward
Mayrand, Veronica Ann
22 Quincy St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/06

Santana, Crucito
Santana, Janet Crespo
182 West Franklin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/06

Shabunin, Vladimir
Shabunin, Alice
168 Mountainview Road,
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/28/06

Shear, Edward Collin
116 Lancaster Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/25/06

Sherman, Ronald E.
Sherman, Susan A.
1 Comanche Dr.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/06

Singer, Becky Lee
11 Hillside Village
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/28/06

Sinopoli, John G.
154 McIntosh Dr.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/24/06

Sinopoli, Nina M.
154 McIntosh Dr.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/24/06

Stegall, Michelle Renee
261 East St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/21/06

Thomas, Beverley N.
4 Daytona St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/20/06

Waring, Cindy Darlene
81 Florida St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/24/06

Woods, Tommy
Woods, Blanny
36 Oak Grove Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/24/06

By
Departments

Springfield Colleges Launches Expansion Project

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College recently conducted groundbreaking ceremonies for its major renovation and expansion of Schoo Hall into a state-of-the-art science teaching facility. The cutting edge interior design of the new facility follows guidelines of the National Science Foundation’s Project Kaleidoscope, which showed that effective undergraduate programs foster hands-on investigative learning. The building is designed to facilitate interaction among students and faculty, laboratory experience, and student research. Faculty members will also conduct research, often involving students, in the building. The $5 million science center is scheduled for completion in early 2007, and will house programs in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science. During demolition and construction, the college has relocated classrooms, laboratories, and faculty offices to other areas of the campus. The Schoo Hall renovation is the first campus building project funded through the current $40 million campaign, ‘Leadership for the 21st Century.’ In addition to renovating Schoo Hall, the college plans to construct a new campus union, field house, and wellness center. The campaign will also support additions and improvements to academic programs and a range of current and future needs.

Nicolai Law Group Provides TeleCounsel Benefit to Incubator Firms

SPRINGFIELD — The incubator companies in the Andrew M. Scibelli Enterprise Center at Springfield Technical Community College can now access the TeleCounsel library offered by Nicolai Law Group, P.C. The free service gives the 10 companies access to a password-protected section of Nicolai Law Group’s Web site at www.niclawgrp.com. Companies can then use the firm’s searchable database of more than 500 legal articles and publications. Nicolai Law Group, P.C. officials said that offering this service is part of its ongoing commitment to help businesses grow through access to an extensive and trusted legal resource.

WNEC Receives Merit Awards

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England College (WNEC) was recently honored with a Gold Award for its new undergraduate marketing brochure, titled It’s Your Time, at the 2006 Creative Merit Awards presented by the Ad Club of Western Mass. Contributors to the award-winning project were Debbie Chappell, creative director; Carlos E. Durkin, senior graphic designer, and Mary Mazzaferro, director of copywriting services. All are members of WNEC’s Division of Marketing and External Affairs. Other contributors were photographers Paul Schnaittacher and Pat O’Connor, and printer, Andrews Connecticut. The Creative Merit Awards also featured a student category, and Bill Rinaldi, a recent WNEC graduate, received a Silver Award for his video on the local GoFIT Foundation. His instructor, Brenda Garton, served as adviser and on-air talent for the video.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp Among Globe’s ‘Top 100’

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. was recently ranked by the Boston Globe as one of the 100 top performing Massachusetts-based public companies for the fifth year in a row. The company is one of eight financial services companies in the state and one of four companies in Western Mass. that were selected for the honor. In addition, the company received the highest ranking in Western Mass. and is the only public company selected from Berkshire County. For 2005, the company was ranked 92nd out of 224 Massachusetts-based companies whose stock is publicly traded, based on a composite score ranking of annual growth, annual profit-margin growth, and return on equity.

Shriners Hospital for Children Launches New Campaign

SPRINGFIELD — Shriners Hospital for Children has recruited Stevens Design Studio of Westfield to help establish a new brand image and then implement its comprehensive awareness campaign. The goal of the campaign is to increase recognition of the specialty medical services provided by the hospital. Children are treated at no cost through the Shrine Endowment Fund, the Shriners fraternity, and the generosity of the general public. The campaign first launched with print advertising. Currently, the campaign can be seen throughout the terminals at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn. In addition, new billboards can be seen along Route 291 in Springfield. The campaign will continue to roll out over the coming year and will include print advertising, newspaper inserts, and airport duratrans throughout New England.

By
Departments

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

Adams, Eboni N.
241 Jackson St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/10/06

Albano, Mariarosaria
42 Maryland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter:
Filing Date: 04/14/06

Ambridge, Nelson L.
28 East Silver St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/10/06

Avery, Robert E Avery, Melissa M
2261 Westfield St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/13/06

Berthiaume, Jaime Lee
124 Shearer St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/08/06

Brooks, Heather R.
322 Columbus Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/10/06

Brown, Patricia R.
52 Garden St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/07/06

Cheeks, Timothy Christopher
134 Groton St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/10/06

Daly, Robin M.
85 West Housatonic St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/13/06

Doughty, Abby M.
475 Riceville Road
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/07/06

Hazen, Bruce F. Hazen, Nancy M.
87 Coolidge St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/07/06

Lawton, Elwyn T. Lawton, Laurie E.
15 Oaklawn Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/06/06

Loughman, John J.
33 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/10/06

Murphy, Heather J.
61 Pine Tree Ter.
South Barre, MA 01074
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/07/06

Ocasio, Siomara
102 Putnam Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/06/06

Poirier, Cynthia J.
181 Morton St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/10/06

Robins, Marion F.
293 High St.
Dalton, MA 01226
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/11/06

Rodriguez, Hector Manuel Rodriguez, Lisa Ivelinda
3 Litchfield St., #1
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/12/06

Salzarulo, Scott M.
200 West Housatonic St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/11/06

OPINION

By
Opinion
Higher Education Must Remain ‘Affordable’

Community colleges across the country promise access to higher education at an affordable price. These two-year institutions are low in cost and high in value. They are academically supportive, offer flexible class schedules, and respond quickly to the needs of the surrounding community and its employers.

However, the first part of that promise – affordability – is endangered in Massachusetts.

A recent study by MassINC (the Mass. Institute for a New Commonwealth) reveals that the state’s enviable array of private four-year colleges are rapidly rising in price – with tuition now accounting for 33% of a family’s income, as opposed to 25% in 1992-93. Our four-year public colleges are reflecting a similar increase — from 18% to 21% of a family’s income.

As Massachusetts residents turn to community colleges, the traditionally most affordable sector of higher education, where more than half of our residents begin their college careers, they discover that these costs are also rising. For these students, who are often the first in their families to attend college, and generally hold down a part-time or even full-time job, any increase in fees can mean the difference between going to college and going without.

Community colleges are still an unbeatable value, frequently charging only one-tenth the cost of private colleges. Community colleges are the entry to rewarding careers and a low-cost foundation toward a bachelor’s degree.

At this crucial time for the Massachusetts economy — when large numbers of taxpayers are moving out of state for perceived better opportunities and when our innovation economy and current industry are dependent on educated employees — the governor and our Legislature must follow through on the plan to adequately support public higher education.

Our public higher education institutions, once described as state-supported, have for the past decade been more accurately described as state-assisted. Massachusetts, as a high-income state, has the ability to do more for public higher education, but actually ranks 49th in the country in per-capita support for its public institutions.

As a result of the significant decline in support, our annual state appropriation barely covers the cost of employee payroll. This leaves the colleges to find their own operating funds. One result is that maintenance is generally deferred – leaving power plants, buildings, and equipment to continue to deteriorate. And last year, our energy costs rose by a combined total of nearly $1 million at STCC, HCC, and GCC.

Our colleges have become more nimble and creative in pursuing grants and private funding. Capital and major gift campaigns, once the province of private institutions, are increasingly common at state institutions. And as a last resort, colleges have been forced to raise their fees, supplementing inadequate state aid by increasing direct costs to the group that can least afford them – our students. This trend must be reversed.

Our state legislators worked diligently this year to create a seven-year plan to fill the identified funding gap in our public institutions. A joint task force studied the needs for our state and drew up a comprehensive plan which, as the Public Higher Education bill, was passed by the House and moved to the Senate. We urge the Senate to meet the challenge of passing Bill 2380, to carry out this plan and adequately fund the institutions that represent the future success of our young people and our commonwealth.

“Higher education is the gateway to the American dream,” says Ian Bowles, president and CEO of MassINC. “But its cost is accelerating much faster than income … as a region that is struggling with a high cost of living and the out-migration of young families, we should make this challenge a priority.”-

Robert Pura is president of Greenfield Community College, and chairman of the Massachusetts Community Colleges Presidents’ Council; William Messner is president of Holyoke Community College; Ira H. Rubenzahl is president of Springfield Technical Community College