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The Majestic Theater Has Staged a Showing of Perseverance

By George O'Brien November 24, 2025

Features Special Coverage

A Long-running Success Story

From left, Todd Kadis, Danny Eaton, Sue Dziura, and Terry LaCasse.

It’s been more than 30 years now, but Danny Eaton can still vividly remember the first time he saw what was left of the historic Majestic Theater on Elm Street in West Springfield.

There wasn’t much to look at, he recalled, adding that the back area of the old moviehouse, where Mickey Rooney once played Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Three Stooges had performed, had become a crumbling dumping ground of sorts.

A scene from Steel Magnolias, currently playing at the Majestic.

“There were carpet remnants, some broken office furniture, and all kinds of junk like that,” said Eaton, the actor, director, playwright, and entrepreneur who had been leading a group of like-minded individuals in the creation of a nonprofit professional theater company called the Theater Project, which was, at that time, looking for a permanent home.

A board member who taught business at Westfield State University arranged for two interns to work with the fledging troupe, and their primary assignment was to find a venue. They were steered to the old theater, built in 1928, by the town’s assessor. And after being let in by the owner of a delicatessen that occupied the front part of the theater, they could see what they had to work with.

That same board member thought he was crazy to do anything but look at the Majestic, but Eaton said simply, “I loved it … it spoke to me.”

Nearly three decades after the theater opened with a showing of The Buddy Holly Story, it’s still talking — to Eaton and to the tens of thousands of people who visit it every year.

“We’ve always seen new people, first-timers, coming to the theater, based upon the offerings.”

And the Majestic — not the building, necessarily, but the institution — has become part of the fabric of the region, said Eaton and others we spoke with.

“People have grown up with us,” he noted, referring to both the audiences for the shows, which span generations now, and some of the performers as well.

Like Ben Ashley, who played Buddy Holly in the The Buddy Holly Story and has reprised that role a few times, while performing in several other shows at the theater as well, including its upcoming Home for the Holidays. And Robbie Simpson, who grew up attending shows at the theater, then started performing in some, and has gone on to star on ABC’s General Hospital and Hulu’s The Path. He returns to West Springfield for shows at the Majestic, such as 2023’s The Glass Menagerie.

The historic Majestic Theater opened in 1928.

Like the plays shown at the theater, the Majestic has several plotlines and props, from the framed showbills that line the café area celebrating shows that include the well-known (Death of a Salesman, Hamlet, Miss Saigon, and Judgment at Nuremburg, for example), and the not-so-well-known (Golf: The Musical) to the annual fundraising car raffle, another institution — first prize this year is a 1962 Corvette convertible; the drawing is Dec. 31.

And then, there are the coffee mugs. Given each year to subscribers — who now total more than 4,000 — they’re printed with the names of the shows from each season.

Subscribers passionately collect them, said Sue Dziura, producing director for the Majestic, and look for them every year.

“They’ll tell us when they come in — ‘I have all my mugs,’” she said, adding that, in many ways, the mugs have become symbols of the Majestic’s two enduring traits — creativity and perseverance.

Indeed, between the shows, the mugs, the cars, a playbill supported by more than 100 local businesses, and more shows, the Majestic has become a long-running success story, one complete with its magic moments and stern challenges, like the pandemic, but also the rising expenses associated with professional theater, from paying the actors to insuring the property.

“Danny has programmed it so that there’s something for everyone, whether that’s genre-related — a comedy and a drama and sometimes a whodunit.”

For this issue, we look behind the curtain, if you will, at nearly 30 years of a class act — literally and figuratively.

Setting the Stage

When he spoke with BusinessWest as the 10th anniversary of the theater’s opening approached in 2006, Eaton recalled how, at that opening, a local journalist remarked that his dream had come true.

Eaton said he had to correct him to a degree and note that getting the doors open wasn’t the dream, or the hard part, or the end of the story. Keeping them open was, and is, the dream. And the hard part as well.

From left: Todd Kadis, Sue Dziura, Tery LaCasse, and Danny Eaton in a ‘mug’ shot.

And nothing has really changed in that regard over the past three decades, he said, adding that the overriding mission can be boiled down to those four words: keeping the doors open.

Actually, there’s much more to it than that, said Todd Kadis, the Majestic’s treasurer, who has also been here from the beginning.

Indeed, the overriding goals are to make theater accessible and affordable (tickets are under $40), he said, and also to draw people who might not otherwise attend theater.

“We’ve always seen new people, first-timers, coming to the theater, based upon the offerings,” he explained, adding that most of these first-timers will return, and many of them will become subscribers.

It all started, as noted, with The Buddy Holly Story, which returns every five years at the Majestic. Actually, our story really begins in 1992 with the creation of the Theater Project, which performed shows at the Church of the Good Shepherd, just down the street from its current home, to raise money to open the Majestic’s doors.

Or new doors, to be precise, because the current front entrance still led to the deli, so a new entrance had to be built in the back of the structure.

“We spent summers hammering nails and lugging concrete blocks,” Eaton recalled, adding that the team put in two and half years of sweat equity to get the theater ready for prime time. And that hard work essentially set the tone for all that has happened since.

“One of things we found with The Buddy Holly Story is that we could get people to come to the theater who had never been to the theater before and maybe had a notion that it was a highbrow thing that couldn’t be part of their lives.”

Over the years, the Majestic has added more framed playbills to the walls — to the point where there’s no remaining room; raffled off 29 vintage cars; transformed its café into a gathering spot, with patrons showing up an hour or more before a show starts for a quick meal and a beverage; maintained its core audience while attracting new patrons; and become one of the cornerstones for growth and new businesses in the Elm Street area.

Very little, if anything, has been easy, said those we spoke with, but the Majestic has persevered through hard work, imagination (in all its forms), and the ability to stay engaged with its audience.

All these traits were on display during the pandemic, when the lights went down, literally, on March 21, 2020, and didn’t go back on again until August 2021, when the Majestic picked up right where it left off.

Kadis said the institution was kept afloat by PPP and also a much-needed Shuttered Venues Operating Grant, a federal program that, as its name suggests, provided grants to shuttered venues ranging from theaters to aquariums to museums.

And while the theater was dark, those at the Majestic found ways to stay engaged with subscribers and the community at large through online programs such as “Behind the Curtain,” a series of interviews with actors and directors who had done shows at the Majestic, providing a backstage perspective.

Shows of Force

The Majestic now hosts between 250 and 300 shows each season, which begin in September, said Dziura, noting that the simple strategy is to “create as much art as possible.” Each season features five subscription shows as well as Home for the Holidays and a packed summer schedule that includes more than 100 performances, including a children’s theater.

In putting together that five-show slate, organizers strive for diversity and a solid mix of plays and at least one musical, a lineup crafted to appeal to both subscribers — who provide a rock-solid base for the theater company — and single-ticket sales.

“Danny has programmed it so that there’s something for everyone — a comedy and a drama and sometimes a whodunit,” she explained, adding that this year’s slate is no exception.

The season started with Once – The Musical, which tells the story of an Irish street musician and a Czech immigrant who form an unlikely bond over their shared love of music. Currently running is Steel Magnolias, a comedy set in a small Southern beauty salon. In January, The Hound of the Baskervilles, a parody of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic, will begin its six-week run, followed by a ‘two-hander,’ an two-person performance called Dear Jack, Dear Louise, described as heartfelt and comical play that unfolds through the letters exchanged between a young Army doctor and a nurse during World War II. The season concludes with Come From Away, an uplifting musical that tells the true story of 7,000 passengers who were stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland after the events of 9/11.

Each year’s schedule is crafted to provide variety, but also more opportunities to bring new people to the theater and bring back those who have already found it.

“Being a nonprofit theater in a small community in an area that is not particularly known as a cultural hub is a challenge,” Eaton said. “One of things we found with The Buddy Holly Story is that we could get people to come to the theater who had never been to the theater before and maybe had a notion that it was a highbrow thing that couldn’t be part of their lives.

“We changed their minds,” he went on, adding that this might be the unofficial mission statement for the Majestic. “I’ve always maintained that, if I can get 10 new people to come to theater for the first time in their lives, I’ll get seven of them to come back, and I’ll get five of them to become subscribers — and that’s held true in many respects.”

Looking ahead, the simple goal is to keep changing minds about theater, said Kadis, while also maintaining and growing the subscriber base and attracting audiences of all ages. He noted that the average age of attendees is roughly 65, and it has been this way for some time, meaning the theater group has managed to retain subscribers who joined years ago and add new, younger ones as the original subscribers move into their 70s and 80s.

Terry LaCasse, the Majestic’s managing director, agreed. “There’s a multi-generational appeal here,” he noted. “I remember my first week here … I was introduced to a parent, a grandparent, and a child at one of the shows. They were sitting in the back, and they said, ‘we’ve had these seats for years, and we’ve passed then down from generation to generation.’”

That story, and others like it, speak volumes about what the Majestic has become over the years in terms of a cultural institution and tradition.

“The Majestic is a true-to-form community anchor,” said LaCasse, speaking for all those at the table, adding that it promotes the arts, supports local businesses, and makes this region more of a destination.

And that’s why the show has gone on for nearly 30 years — and counting.

Partnerships Like Early College Make Higher Education More Accessible

By Joseph Bednar November 24, 2025

Education Special Coverage

Moving On Up

American International College Provost Michael Dodge

When Michael Dodge thinks about the 227 students from Duggan Academy in Springfield currently taking classes at American International College (AIC), he understands who benefits the most — and it’s not necessarily the academic high achievers who already have their eyes on college.

“We’re reaching the ones saying, ‘college isn’t for me,’ or ‘I’m not smart enough,’ or ‘no one in my family has gone to college.’ And we’re saying, ‘this program is for you.’ We’re helping students that might not have thought of college as an option — helping it become an option for them.”

Dodge, AIC’s provost, was describing the college’s relationship with Duggan, which began three years ago with high-schoolers taking classes for college credit, and has now become much more robust with AIC being designated as a Massachusetts Early College Program by the state’s joint Early College Committee.

AIC, in partnership with the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP), is one of 18 new Early College programs announced this year by the Healey-Driscoll administration, and the only private college west of Worcester to receive this designation.

“Those students are taking a total of 900 credits,” Dodge said. “Given our successful pass rates with Duggan, that’s bringing in a significant number of students who are picking up a lot of college coursework that they now have under their belts as they think about where they want to go after high school.”

Notably, the program is a ‘wall-to-wall’ model in which every Duggan student participates. Students have the opportunity to earn up to 60 college credits — at no cost — before graduating from high school. Courses focus on high-growth, high-wage fields including allied health, education, and criminal justice.

“We’re reaching the ones saying, ‘college isn’t for me,’ or ‘I’m not smart enough,’ or ‘no one in my family has gone to college.’ And we’re saying, ‘this program is for you.’”

“We wanted to focus on fields that are in demand and lead to well-paying jobs,” Dodge said. “This puts them on a path to pursue an associate degree either at AIC or a community college or another four-year institution.”

The model ramps up the college coursework as they advance, he explained. Freshman year orients them to the expectations of a college class, and what follows is coursework in general education classes that are easily transferable, regardless of institution.

“Those include things like English composition, analytical writing — things that can help them be better writers and critical thinkers, which sets them up for success when they get to their junior year and senior year,” Dodge noted.

In those final two years of high school, students are blending college-credit courses at Duggan with classes they actually take on the AIC campus, he explained. “We want you to come to AIC, but regardless of where you go, you’re setting up a strong foundation to help you be able to keep pace with the academic rigor that exists at a college.”

While Duggan students have already been earning AIC college credits, the new designation is designed to build on that success and help even more students access college by removing common barriers.

Key program features include personalized support, including small cohorts, academic coaching, and dedicated advisors for multilingual and exceptional learners; advising to promote college readiness; culturally responsive teaching and staffing to reflect and support the student population; and universal access, with 100% of Duggan students participating regardless of prior academic performance.

Tricia Canavan

“Tech Foundry’s senior team has been collaborating with various members of UMass leadership in a variety of ways over the last couple of years. Our partnership has evolved to include working with the IT staff on workforce priorities and employment opportunities.”

“All students deserve opportunities to succeed,” Dodge said. “Early College is about more than earning credits — it’s about building the skills, confidence, and support networks students need for college and life.”

Priming the Pump

Early College is just one way the state has been trying to draw more students into the college pipeline. The most notable ones, of course, have been MassReconnect, which made community college free for Massachusetts residents age 25 or older, and, more recently, MassEducate, which extended that tuition- and fee-free model to any resident, regardless of age, who has not yet earned a bachelor’s degree.

Beyond that, many of the state’s community colleges have forged articulation agreements with four-year institutions, under which students who satisfactorily complete an associate degree program are guaranteed admission into a bachelor’s degree program at the four-year school.

One of these partnerships, between Elms College and both Holyoke Community College (HCC) and Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), deepened recently by allowing students of those two community colleges to reside in residence halls at Elms.

STCC and HCC are commuter colleges and do not provide on-campus housing, so the agreement benefits STCC and HCC students who have housing needs, while creating the kind of familiarity with the Elms campus and culture that makes it more likely they’ll pursue a baccalaureate degree there.

“Elms College, for nearly 100 years, has prided itself on promoting educational opportunities to those who would otherwise not have access, and being a collaborative partner with our neighboring colleges. This agreement accomplishes these goals and expands our strong partnerships with HCC and STCC,” Elms President Harry Dumay said. “Our campus has always been a welcoming, inclusive community, where we work hard to ensure that everyone feels like they belong in the spirit of our founding mission. HCC and STCC students now get to discover that aspect of the Elms experience.”

Other regional partnerships target an older demographic — people who either never attended college or started but didn’t finish.

Elms College President Harry Dumay recently announced that the college expanded its articulation agreement with HCC and STCC to allow students at those colleges to live on the Elms campus.

One recently announced collaboration between UMass Amherst and the Tech Foundry — the Springfield-based workforce development nonprofit that trains local residents for IT careers — enables Tech Foundry staff and community members to complete their undergraduate degrees through the university’s flexible, customizable online program.

Specifically, Tech Foundry members can take classes, receive academic counseling, and map their educational pathway through UMass Amherst’s University Without Walls Department of Interdisciplinary Studies (UWW-IS).

Current UWW-IS admission requires 12 transferrable college credits and a 2.0 GPA for adults who did not previously attend UMass Amherst. As part of its program, however, UWW-IS offers credit for prior learning or life experience. Under the new agreement, students who are accepted into UWW-IS and have completed Tech Foundry’s 18-week immersive hybrid training program will receive 15 credits via special transcript, which is equivalent to a full semester courseload. The collaboration builds on earlier programs in which UMass Amherst IT provided internships for Tech Foundry trainees.

“Tech Foundry’s senior team has been collaborating with various members of UMass leadership in a variety of ways over the last couple of years. Our partnership has evolved to include working with the IT staff on workforce priorities and employment opportunities,” said Tricia Canavan, CEO of Tech Foundry, who called the new collaboration an important expansion of opportunity for Tech Foundry students.

“We’re really centering equity efforts. We don’t always want to polish just the shiniest of apples, but we’re making sure we’re reaching out to that student who may not have thought of college as an option — but help them do it in ways that make sense.”

UWW-IS Department Administrator Siobhan Henderson said the collaboration also enhances University Without Walls’ longtime relationship with Springfield residents. “We are committed to meeting learners where they are — professionally, academically, and geographically. This collaboration aligns with our UWW-IS mission that was founded more than 50 years ago: to open doors to adults who thought achieving a bachelor’s degree was unattainable.”

Opportunity Knocks

Gov. Maura Healey has called Early College programs a central element of her administration’s Reimagining High School initiative to prepare students for college or careers and expand access for those historically underrepresented in higher education — at a time when higher education is already facing demographic headwinds in the form of fewer high school graduates.

“Early college is an important and effective tool for making higher education more accessible and affordable for every Massachusetts student,” she said earlier this year. “These new partnerships give more young people the opportunity to earn college credit at no cost while still in high school, setting them on a path to success and helping to close opportunity gaps.”

Dodge sees such efforts as steps in the right direction, and considers the college campus immersion element an important part of the process.

“The intent, in senior year, is to have students be on our campus taking college-level courses, similar to the models for dual enrollment in the past,” he explained. “Students can take 12 to 15 credits over the course of senior year — typically four to five classes — develop some affiliation with the institution, and be able to take some independent coursework and things very specific to their planned major, so it’s not just, ‘oh, I come to campus for one class and then leave. Instead, they’re thinking about being on campus most of the day for Tuesday and Thursday, or Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”

He also appreciates the Healey administration’s focus on equity and helping close performance gaps.

“That’s one of the reasons why we applied for this designation with SEZP and the Department of Higher Education. We’re really centering equity efforts. We don’t always want to polish just the shiniest of apples, but we’re making sure we’re reaching out to that student who may not have thought of college as an option — but help them do it in ways that make sense. That’s why we start small, one or two courses freshman year, then building up intentionally and bringing them into the fold in college.

“We’re really thankful for the support from SEZP and the Department of Higher Education, and we value the partnership we have with Duggan and the Springfield Public Schools,” Dodge went on. “We think it’s a partnership that makes sense in this current environment, this academic cliff where fewer 18-year-olds are going to college. It seems like what the future of higher education needs to be.”

Ty Vinick Continues a Family Legacy at Moors & Cabot

By Joseph Bednar November 24, 2025

Special Coverage Wealth Management

Lessons Learned

Ty Vinick

Ty Vinick says his grandfather, the late Jim Vinick, had been “training me my whole life.”

That’s not surprising to anyone who knew Jim, the former managing director of investments at Moors & Cabot — and a 2013 BusinessWest Difference Maker — who passed away in June, and was known for his passion for financial literacy.

“When I was like 8 years old, he was teaching us stocks and bonds and everything else,” Ty recalled. “I came to work with him at the start of this year, and I was hoping to work with him longer — I mean, he’d been teaching me my whole life though.”

That wasn’t meant to be, however. “Three days before he passed, we were in the hospital, and he was asking to check on his portfolio. So he was working right up to the end. He went out with his boots on.”

Those are certainly massive boots to fill — Jim was one of the driving forces behind the establishment and evolution of the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, as well as a longtime, respected wealth manager and financial expert — but Ty is up for the challenge, recently taking over his grandfather’s book of clients and running the Springfield office of Moors & Cabot, a Boston-based financial planning firm with numerous locations across the U.S.

“He loved his job,” Ty recalled. “Outside of his family, he loved his job, and he loved the Basketball Hall of Fame. Anyone who ever met him heard all about both things. He had incredible relationships with people, and I feel really fortunate that I get to do the same thing he did.

“I had a lot of teaching experience, which I actually find helpful now because I spend a lot of time explaining different concepts to people in terms of investing, or different investment vehicles they might not know about.”

“I see a side of him that maybe even other people in our family don’t get to see, where I’m talking with people, and they say, ‘you know, he was like a father figure to me. He was there for me when my husband passed or when my parents passed, and I didn’t know what to do, and there was money, and I needed help handling it,’” he went on. “And then they’re like, ‘but he was also just there to talk about life and what I might need.’ So it’s good to see, not just coming from him, but from other people, the impact he had on them, where they say, ‘you know, when I really needed somebody, he was someone I could turn to.’ That’s pretty cool.”

And the younger Vinick finds it gratifying to help people in the same way.

“Life keeps on going for everybody, and different things come up, and people call me because they had someone pass or they’re planning for their kids,” he told BusinessWest. “Sometimes you’re helping them because it’s a good situation that you’re trying to manage, making things a little more secure, like parents paying for college. And sometimes you’re helping them because it’s a sad situation; if a partner dies or spouse dies or a parent dies, they’re in a really tough moment, but at least you’re there to make that tough moment a little more manageable and a little bit smoother to get through.”

Let’s Talk

Vinick’s title is financial professional, though, as noted earlier, it involves a lot of education, too. That makes sense, considering his career journey.

At Tufts University, he majored in economics and also studied pre-med, thinking he might want to be a doctor. But after that, he went to Spain for a year and worked as a teacher in a rural village of about 700 people; he had also done some tutoring in college.

“I had a lot of teaching experience, which I actually find helpful now because I spend a lot of time explaining different concepts to people in terms of investing, or different investment vehicles they might not know about. So, in a weird way, it actually ended up being very, very helpful.”

After returning to the States and working in a few doctors’ offices, he realized he had lost enthusiasm for the medical profession. So he worked in biotech for a time, then returned to his native Western Mass. and entered the family business. In retrospect, it was the logical choice.

Jim Vinick, pictured here in 2013, when BusinessWest named him a Difference Maker, was well-respected in the region for wealth management, financial literacy, and civic commitment, particularly with the Basketball Hall of Fame.

“I think I took a lot of it for granted growing up. We would sit with my parents and with my grandfather at the table, learning about investing and things like that, and now that I’m working in this role, a lot of times, I’m explaining things to people that I’ve been taught my entire life, and he was so good at teaching all that.”

It’s an ethos he brings to each client interaction today.

“I’m constantly talking to my clients, pretty much every month. So I get to really know them as people,” Vinick said. “A lot of the planning and understanding their finances is ongoing, rather than just sitting down and having it be a one-time conversation. It’s ongoing conversations, understanding where people are in life and meeting their shifting needs.”

Those clients, he said, range from young families all the way up through retirees working on estate planning matters, and they come to Moors & Cabot with a wide range of income levels and assets. Obviously, the investing strategies — and those conversations — are far from cookie-cutter.

“It definitely changes with retirees who might be looking more for income and living off of the savings that they have, versus younger people who might be looking to build something for the future, planning for a house or college,” Vinick said. “There are a lot of key factors that most people want to consider, so we just talk through those. You can always start with the big picture and then hone down as you go.”

As for clients closer to retirement, at a time when people are living longer than ever, it’s important to help them understand they might be looking at 25 years or more of post-work years — and how much money it will take to live the lives they want.

“Part of it is factoring in the fact that there’s going to be inflation in that path, and expenses might vary even during retirement. Health concerns can come up. Do you plan on traveling, and do you have certain goals or a certain lifestyle you want to maintain during retirement? Those costs can change as you go,” he explained. “So you want to consider that variability. You don’t want to get to retirement and then run out of money because that would be a tough position. So that’s part of the plan as well.

No matter what one’s age, Vinick said, it’s important to start crafting that life plan as soon as possible.

“The best time to start was yesterday, and the second best time to start is today. So even if you didn’t start yet, you can always get started now, and it’s better than not getting started at all. Better late than never, they say.”

“Some people can see volatility and say, ‘it’ll be fine. I know I’m not investing for tomorrow; I’m investing for 10 years.’ And for some people, there could be a 1% change in their account over the span of a month, and it will worry them.”

Another element of helping clients is guiding them through periods of uncertainty in the market, like during the roller-coaster ride this past spring when the market kept diving and rising amid constant tariff rumours, announcements, and rollbacks.

“Part of investing for different clients is meeting the level of risk that they’re willing to accept,” Vinick said. “Some people can see volatility and say, ‘it’ll be fine. I know I’m not investing for tomorrow; I’m investing for 10 years.’ And for some people, there could be a 1% change in their account over the span of a month, and it will worry them. It’s something to keep in mind for each client, how much risk they can accept or how much tolerance they have for it.

“And then part of it is explaining to them, ‘hey, something may have happened last month, but overall we’re doing OK,’ or ‘this is the vision for the long term, and this is what we’re looking to do,’ and keeping them on track rather than giving in to either overjubilance when things go really, really well, or panicking when things get a little rocky for a month here or there, whatever it might be.”

That’s easier to do with somebody who’s at an earlier stage of life and can take a longer view, but it’s also a matter of personality, he added. “Younger people can still panic, too. I think it just depends on the personality, the person, and the risk they can accept.”

Back to School

Vinick’s father, Michael, didn’t choose the financial services path, but rather forged a successful career in the HVAC trade; he’s president of Duct & Vent Cleaning of America in Springfield. But Ty’s transition into leadership at Moors & Cabot ensures a multi-generational family legacy there — serving clients that are often also multi-generational.

“My grandfather had clients that were parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and then, with his passing, I now have them as clients,” he said. “I’m the fifth generation of my family that’s in Springfield, and part of the business for me will also include being involved in the community that my family’s been involved in.”

And also education and communication. Vinick is already thinking about not only how he can become more involved with community organizations, as Jim was, but also how to continue his grandfather’s work on financial literacy, which included, many years ago, The Vinick Report, a local TV show on that topic.

“I love talking to people. I get to be on the phone all day with people, and you get to know them quite well,” he said. “You get to build these very meaningful relationships with people where you can kind of track them through their life. I think that’s the part that I enjoy doing.

“And I get to have a meaningful impact on their lives as well — I’m genuinely helping people reach milestones and achieve their financial goals,” he added. “You know, outside of their health, making sure they have a reasonable financial plan creates the foundation for everything else they want to do.”

Lee Strives to Be More Than a Gateway

By George O'Brien November 24, 2025

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

An architect’s rendering shows the various buildings and parcels to be developed at the Eagle Mill complex in Lee.

Jeff Cohen says he was “looking for something to do.”

That was how the long-time developer, lawyer, and one-time police officer casually described how he began what has become a 14-year journey (and counting) to redevelop the Eagle Mill in Lee, one of the oldest paper mills in the country.

It certainly hasn’t been an easy journey — “I have lot more gray hair now than when I started,” Cohen said — but the Eagle Mill canvas, if you will, is filling in, and there is more on the drawing board for this parcel bordering downtown.

Indeed, nearly 60 units of affordable housing are in the process of being leased, and should be occupied next spring. Meanwhile, roughly 150 more units are planned, as well as commercial space, in subsequent phases of the project, including a recently announced plan for 69 units of affordable housing on property across the street from the Eagle Mill.

As these different phases of the project unfold, the impact on Lee, its downtown, its business community, and different constituencies searching for affordable housing will only grow.

Alex Heddinger

“Our walkable downtown is lined with one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants, many family-owned for generations, and there’s a real sense of connection among the people who live and work here.”

“This is going to create a village at the north end of town,” Cohen explained. “As you drive from the Berkshires through Lee along Route 20, there will be a great-looking community, and there will be lots of people on the street. This is going to enable Lee to attract people who want to work in and around the town, it’s going to put more kids in the schools, and it’s going to enhance the businesses in town and probably create opportunities for new ones.”

Redevelopment of the Eagle Mill complex is one of many converging stories in this community of almost 6,000 people. Others include:

• A slight cooling of its housing market, which was one of the hottest in the state just a year or two ago. Town Manager Chris Brittain said the market has returned to something approximating pre-COVID days, before prices exploded amid the surge of remote work and strong interest in rural settings from which to do it;

• Ongoing efforts to encourage development of other mills in Lee, and there are many of them — the community was once home to two dozen mills making more paper than anywhere else in the country;

• Progress toward construction of a new and much-needed public safety complex — groundbreaking is slated for next month — as well as discussion of converting the historic fire station into a community space;

• Continued efforts to make this community, known as the ‘Gateway to the Berkshires,’ more of a place to stop, dine, shop, recreate, and more, rather than being a gateway to other, better-known destinations, including Lenox, Stockbridge, and Pittsfield; and

• Some new restaurants and other small businesses that are certainly helping in these efforts to make Lee more of a destination.

“Our walkable downtown is lined with one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants, many family-owned for generations, and there’s a real sense of connection among the people who live and work here,” said Alex Heddinger, a Lee native who became executive director of its Chamber of Commerce this past spring. “We also have one of the most diverse dining scenes in the area — Mexican, Indian, Peruvian, French, pizza, new American, pub fare, diner classics, and even a Burmese restaurant.

Brooke Healy

“When it comes to affordable housing, many people have preconceived notions about it, but it can really impact everyone — from families to young professionals just starting out in their career like I was.”

“Lee has a way of making visitors feel right at home,” she went on, adding that one of the goals moving forward is to make business owners feel at home as well.

For this latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at Lee and the many intriguing storylines converging there.

Milling About

Cohen told BusinessWest that he and his wife moved to the Berkshires in 2012, and soon thereafter, he became fascinated with the Eagle Mill and the prospects for developing it.

The property had been abandoned since 2008, he said, adding that the various buildings were in poor condition when he acquired them, but still historic. He contracted with an architect and started meeting with various groups in town to get a sense “for what could be attractive to the town and be profitable for me, and that’s how it started.

“I’m not the type of person who buys something and says, ‘here’s what I’m going to do,’ and then present that to whomever is going to approve it,” he explained. “My style is a little different; I try to work with people in the neighborhood, various town officials, and various interested community groups to get a sense for what’s going to pass muster.”

It took several years to identify the preferred use, he said, adding that various uses, including a 100-room hotel and a Faneuil Hall-type retail market, were considered. Overall, it’s been a long, difficult journey, made much more complicated by the pandemic, but pieces to a complicated puzzle are coming together, starting with phase 1 — 56 units of affordable housing in the two original mill buildings, the Union Mill and the Eagle Mill.

Phase 2 includes 44 new apartments at the eastern end of the site; phase 3 is another new building with 35 units of housing and 4,000 square feet of retail, with construction slated for 2028 if all goes as planned; phase 4 involves redevelopment of the historic machine shop building for commercial and retail use, including a restaurant; phase 5 will consist of five condominium townhouses on the Housatonic River; and phase 6 will be 69 more units of affordable housing on the corner of West Center and Canal streets.

Cohen described the sum of these parts as game-changing, and Lee Town Planner Brooke Healy agreed.

“These new units will provide a boost to our downtown business owners and stores,” she said. “You’ll have people walking up and down Main Street — the restaurants are going to get a boost, the stores are going to get a boost … and while some people will work in Lee, others will work in surrounding towns, meaning this will benefit not just Lee, but the Central and Southern Berkshires.

Healy speaks from experience when she said many workers in the Berkshires face lengthy commutes between their jobs and housing they can afford, and the Eagle Mill project will be a difference maker in this regard and make a huge dent in the demand for housing, especially the affordable variety.

“I took this job about a year ago, and it took me a few months to find housing that was less than an hour away; I’m very lucky to live close to downtown Lee,” she told BusinessWest. “When it comes to affordable housing, many people have preconceived notions about it, but it can really impact everyone — from families to young professionals just starting out in their career like I was.”

Meanwhile, there are several other mills that remain vacant or mostly vacant, Healy said, adding that the town is working on revamping zoning bylaws and other strategies for making these mills more “developer-friendly.”

Lee at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1777
Population: 5,788
Area: 27 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $11.25
Commercial Tax Rate: $11.25
Median Household Income: $41,556
Median Family Income: $49,630
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Lee Premium Outlets; Onyx Specialty Papers; the Landing at Laurel Lake; Oak n’ Spruce Resort in the Berkshires; Big Y
* Latest information available

The town recently collaborated with UConn students to create a site reuse assessment and master plan for three mills — Columbia Mill and Greylock Mill, both on Columbia Street; and Greenwood/Mountain Mill on Forest Street, which was recently sold by the town at auction.

“When a lot of the current bylaws were written, most of these mills were still functioning, and people didn’t really think about the next steps if these mills were to ever go out,” she explained. “Looking forward, we have some mills that are not being used, and there’s been some discussions with the owners of those properties to make sure they know the town has their interests in mind and will help in any way it can.”

Progress Report

Brittain told BusinessWest that Lee’s current fire station, a granite and marble structure built in 1912, was designed for horses, not 21st-century firetrucks.

Which means the town has had to special-order trucks to fit into the doors of this facility. And they just barely fit.

“The last one had five-eighths of an inch clearance on either side,” he said, adding that a few mirrors have been lost over the years.

Wider doors are just one of the myriad design elements to a new, 37,000-square-foot public safety complex, said Brittain, adding that the facility, with a projected price tag of roughly $32 million, will bring the Police, Fire, and Building departments under one roof on the site of the former Bull’s Eye Pub in downtown Lee. And, as noted, the town is in early-stage talks concerning what to do with the current fire station, also downtown.

These developments are just some of the emerging stories in the community’s eclectic downtown, which is just a few miles off Exit 10 of the turnpike, a unique asset that has certainly helped the town’s efforts to promote tourism, while also attracting other types of businesses, such as biotech and enterprises such as Sharp Sterile Manufacturing and Boyd Biomedical, both on Pleasant Street, just off the turnpike exit.

Getting back to the downtown, visitors pass through on their way to Tanglewood and other Lenox attractions, as well as Pittsfield, said all those we spoke with, adding that the goal is to get them to stop along the way — or, better still, make Lee the destination.

There’s a growing list of reasons for doing so, said Heddinger, adding that there is a good mix of restaurants, including some recent additions, such as the Station Gastropub, so named because it’s housed in a former train station.

“Downtown has restaurants, shops, several different kinds of businesses, a park where we stage events, and much more,” she said, adding that this central business district is more than a place to drive through on the way to somewhere else.

Brittain agreed. “We’re seeing a lot more people dining and staying here than we used to, and our hotel and restaurant taxes reflect that,” he said, adding that the growing number of restaurants, and the diversity of those offerings, is a big reason why. “More people are stopping and enjoying the downtown area on their way to Tanglewood or the Norman Rockwell Museum, or whatever.”

Meanwhile, the town is developing strategies for bringing more businesses to the community, such as the “Friend-Lee Approach to Business” marketing campaign, which Healy described as a work in progress, likely to be ready for the new year.

“We’re trying to break down the barriers for developers and residents interested in owning businesses,” she explained. “We want them to able to come in and have conversations face-to-face with various departments and understand what is needed to open a business.

“It can very overwhelming to try to open a new business,” she went on, adding that the campaign will likely ask the question ‘why Lee?’ and then focus on the town’s many attributes — from recreational facilities to that turnpike exit to proximity to other destination communities.

It’s all part of an effort to promote this Gateway to the Berkshires, but also make it much more than that.

Raspberries Records Taps into a Vinyl Revival

By George O'Brien November 12, 2025

Features

The Tables Are Turning

Bob Roccanti says vinyl is enjoying a resurgence among people of all ages.

As he was explaining why vinyl has been staging a dramatic comeback over the past decade, Bob Roccanti stopped, reached into a box, and pulled out a Stevie Wonder album, circa 1972.

“Look at this … you buy this, you’ve got some artwork,” he said as he showed the cover. “And there’s lyrics, inside you’ve got some more things …a lot of these record albums tell a story.

“It’s a lot warmer than this,” he went on, holding up his cell phone and opining that this is just one reason why some Baby Boomers are rebuilding the record collections that filled their dorm rooms in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s and also why their children and even grandchildren are embracing vinyl — although Taylor Swift is probably the biggest reason there.

All this also explains Raspberries Records, a long-held dream and entrepreneurial gambit (although he says it’s not much of a gamble) for Roccanti, a retired wireless industry executive.

“You can put a record store anywhere, and they will find you.”

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do — I’ve always been into music,” he said, adding that he opened his first location in Ludlow, where he lives and plays much of his golf, in 2022, and then expanded into a strip mall near the center of East Longmeadow roughly 18 months ago. Neither location is in a busy urban area, but they don’t have to be, he explained.

“You can put a record store anywhere, and they will find you,” he told BusinessWest, adding that ‘they’ means visitors from around the corner, halfway across the state, or even another state who arrive in person or go online to browse or find a specific item.

That list includes everything from a copy of the Beatles’ White Album — he generally has a dozen or more in the inventory that sell for $30 on average — to vintage band T-shirts; from blank album covers and frames to put them in to eight-tracks, tapes, and CDs; from 45s to vintage ’60s and ’70s stereo systems.

“We’re like the old Sears — we have good, better, and best, he said, pointing to a few stereos on the floor and on racks selling for between $500 and $1,000.

But the albums, new and vintage, are the big sellers. They cross all genres, and they’re being picked up people coming into stores or ordering them online, he said, adding that he ships out 10 to 12 a day on average.

“We get a lot of Baby Boomers in here, but we also get their children, and they think this is the coolest thing,” he said, adding that he believes this renewed interest in vinyl has legs and is not a fad.

For this issue, we talked with Roccanti about his venture, the record business, and the still-growing interest in vinyl.

Music to His Ears

As he talked with BusinessWest in the back room of the East Longmeadow store, Roccanti was surrounded by thousands of albums covering every genre and every letter of the alphabet.

Along the top row of shelves, many albums were separated by artist, with names written on tape along the bottom: Linda Ronstadt, J. Geils Band, Cat Stevens, Loggins & Messina, and the Beach Boys, among many others. For Boomers, these albums represent a trip in the ‘way back machine,’ while for the younger generations, it’s a new fascination and something more visual — and personal — than streaming music services.

One of the ’70s-era stereo systems for sale at Raspberries.

When asked where the 71,000 albums he has between the two stores came from, he said simply, “everywhere,” meaning everything from collections from other stores to area residents cleaning out attics and basements.

“A typical call would be, ‘we’ve got a bunch of records. We don’t use them anymore. They belong to my kids; I called the kids, and they said to just get rid of them. Before we take them up to the Goodwill or Salvation Army, we thought we’d give you a call.’”

And while people are still getting rid of their vinyl, others are buying it. When asked who, Roccanti said this runs the gamut as well.

“Collectors come in, other record stores come in and buy from us, people looking for something specific,” he said, adding that prices range from a few dollars to more than $2,000 for a rare funk album from the early ’90s.

“We’ve sold some old jazz albums for more than $1,000,” he said. “And then, you have some different albums that are unique in their own ways because they’re promo copies, or they printed very limited amounts of them, things like that.”

“We’ve sold some old jazz albums for more than $1,000. And then, you have some different albums that are unique in their own ways because they’re promo copies, or they printed very limited amounts of them, things like that.”

Roccanti anticipated all this when he conceptualized Raspberries. He said he started by visiting other record stores — and there are many of them, including maybe a dozen in the 413 by his count — and asking those behind the counter about the business and his prospects for success.

“Some of them would be very encouraging, and others were less so — many of them were retired, and they said they’d seen the industry change,” he recalled. “I saw opportunity, with Taylor Swift coming on board creating a huge amount of interest from young people — everything she came out with was on vinyl.

“All these people were buying record players that had never owned record players,” he went on, adding that demand remains high, and it’s from several different generations of music lovers.

Bob Roccanti, seen here with a copy of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, has amassed more than 71,000 records in his stores.

“We’ve got customers that are 12 years old and customers in their 80s,” he explained. “Some of them are just getting into vinyl, and some of them have been into vinyl their whole life. It’s unique in that sense because, when you’re planning your marketing and your strategy, you have to look at the big picture — who’s my target? Our target is anyone and everyone.”

Spin City

Roccanti said he started in Ludlow with a decent amount of inventory, and it didn’t take long to “fill the bins,” as he put it.

“As soon as we opened, from the first month, we were getting calls — the phone was ringing off the hook; ‘do you buy records? Do you buy records? Do you buy records?’” he recalled. “We were very fortunate because people were just getting rid of them.

“Sometimes, people just want to give them to us; other times, they want to sell them,” he went on. “One thing we generally do if someone just wants to give them away … if there’s value in them, I don’t let them leave without taking some money because I’m going to make money, and I want to be fair. If you found out one of those records you tried to give away was worth 100 bucks, you’d be pretty upset.”

Elaborating, Roccanti said there was obviously a learning curve involved with knowing just what an album is worth, and there have always been knowledgeable sources to rely on, as well as the internet.

“Everyone has a story about music.”

“I was fortunate that I had several record store owners that I became friends with,” he said. “I always had someone I could call and say, ‘hey, I’ve got a chance to buy this Beach Boys album.’ They’d say, ‘let me call you back, Bob,’ and when they did, they’d say, ‘grab it, Bob, it’s worth some money.’

“I’ve learned a lot, and the internet is fantastic — you can Google anything,” he went on. “And there are apps that are dedicated specifically to record stores and collectors.”

As for the business side of things, Roccanti said it has been steady, with solid numbers of customers visiting the stores or perusing items online.

A good start in Ludlow prompted thoughts of expansion, and the site in the strip mall in East Longmeadow, a former juice bar, fit the bill.

The nearby rotary — or infamous rotary, to be more precise — detracts a few, but it’s also a good reference point because everyone knows it, even if they don’t want to drive around it, he said.

Meanwhile, that aforementioned learning curve continues — with regard to what items are worth and what they can be sold for, and also what customers are seeking.

“They’re coming in with lists,” Roccanti explained, adding that the bulk of what is sold falls into the category of classic rock, but there is interest in many other genres as well.

“I’ve got a lot of customers my age who realize that this stuff is available again,” he said. “Now, they’re thinking, ‘I had these albums,’ and, little by little, they’re rebuilding their collections, whether it’s Springsteen, Bob Dylan…”

With that, he went back into the bin and pulled out a Traffic album from the early ’70s.

“People will come in, see this, and say, ‘I had this album,’ and then they’ll tell me a story — ‘I was dating this girl, and I loaned her this album, and I never got it back,’” he told BusinessWest. “Everyone has a story about music.”

And that’s why this entrepreneurial venture has taken off, and why Roccanti believes it has a solid future.

Check Fraud Is Surging

By Contributor November 12, 2025

Banking and Financial Services

Here’s How Businesses Can Protect Themselves

By Heather Arbour

In an era dominated by digital payments, it’s easy to assume that check fraud is a relic of the past. But the reality is far more alarming: check fraud is not only alive, but it’s thriving, and it’s evolving to span both physical and digital realms.

As someone who has spent more than two decades in banking compliance and fraud prevention, I have seen the damage firsthand. Check fraud isn’t just inconvenient — it can be devastating.

At Monson Savings Bank, we’ve helped business customers who faced losing tens of thousands of dollars in a single incident. And what’s most frustrating is that many of these losses are preventable with the right tools and awareness.

Heather Arbour

“Fraudsters aren’t just individuals — they’re organized networks. They use social media and encrypted messaging apps to share techniques and sell stolen check images. It’s a whole underground economy.”

The Mechanics of Check Fraud

Check fraud is no longer confined to forged signatures and stolen paper checks; it has evolved into a complex, tech-enabled threat. Criminals are using both traditional tactics and digital tools to exploit vulnerabilities in business payment systems.

Classic forms of check fraud include forged signatures, altered payee names, counterfeit checks, and check washing, where stolen checks are chemically altered and rewritten. These methods remain prevalent, especially when checks are sent through unsecured mail channels.

Fraudsters aren’t just individuals — they’re organized networks. They use social media and encrypted messaging apps to share techniques and sell stolen check images. It’s a whole underground economy.

Digital check fraud is also on the rise, and it’s often harder to detect. Fraudsters are increasingly using mobile banking apps to commit remote deposit capture fraud, depositing the same check multiple times across different platforms. Synthetic identity fraud is another growing concern, where criminals create fake personas using a mix of real and fabricated data to open accounts and deposit counterfeit checks. Business email compromise schemes are also becoming more common, with scammers impersonating vendors or executives to reroute legitimate payments.

In fact, we’re seeing just as many cases involving digital manipulation as we are with physical theft. Fraud is a risk whether it involves traditional paper checks or digital deposits. This evolving landscape demands that businesses stay informed and proactive. Understanding the full spectrum of fraud tactics is the first step toward building effective defenses.

Integrating Critical Lines of Fraud Defense and Loss Mitigation

Fraud detection solutions are crucial. There are few as effective and proactive as positive pay when it comes to protecting against check fraud. Whether fraudsters are targeting traditional paper checks or digital deposit channels, positive pay offers businesses a critical line of defense.

This service allows businesses to submit a list of issued checks to their bank. When a check is presented for payment, the bank compares it against the list. If there’s a mismatch in amount, check number, or payee, the transaction is flagged for review.

Positive pay is like having a second set of eyes on every check. It’s proactive, not reactive. You’re catching fraud before the money leaves your account and potentially saving yourself from major losses. We strongly encourage our business customers to implement positive pay at Monson Savings Bank.

“As fraudsters continue to innovate, businesses must stay vigilant. The rise of AI-generated synthetic identities and deepfakes means that fraud will only become harder to detect.”

Why Businesses Should Act Now

The urgency to adopt fraud mitigation tools has never been greater. According to industry data, check fraud attempts have increased by more than 40% in the past year, with small and mid-sized businesses being disproportionately affected.

Many business owners think, ‘it won’t happen to me’ — until it does. And by then, it’s often too late to recover the funds.

Beyond Technology: Building a Culture of Vigilance

While tools like positive pay are essential in the fight against check fraud, that technology alone isn’t enough. Businesses must adopt a multi-layered approach that includes strong internal controls, employee education, and daily operational vigilance.

Daily reconciliation of accounts is critical to catching anomalies early, before they escalate into major losses. Employees should be trained to recognize red flags, such as suspicious payment requests or unexpected changes in vendor information, and empowered to question anything that seems off.

Verifying vendor payment instructions through a secondary channel can prevent business email compromise scams, and secure mailing practices, like using locked mailboxes or dropping checks directly at the post office, can help reduce the risk of physical check theft.

Fraud prevention isn’t just about tools; it’s about culture. Everyone in the organization needs to be part of the defense. Train your staff to recognize red flags. Reconcile accounts daily. Limit who can issue checks and who can approve payments. Fraud prevention is a mindset.

Monson Savings Bank offers a comprehensive Business Security Center on its website. This resource hub provides curated information on fraud prevention strategies, scam recognition, cybersecurity best practices, and secure operations. Whether you’re a small business or a growing enterprise, the Business Security Center is designed to help you stay ahead of threats and build a resilient, fraud-resistant organization.

Looking Ahead

As fraudsters continue to innovate, businesses must stay vigilant. The rise of AI-generated synthetic identities and deepfakes means that fraud will only become harder to detect.

If fraudsters are evolving, then so must we. The bottom line is that the cost of prevention is always less than the cost of recovery. As a local community bank, we are happy to help our customers be successful, and that includes offering solutions to help them stay one step ahead and reduce risk of harmful financial loss.

Heather Arbour is vice president, BSA/Fraud officer and Compliance manager at Monson Savings Bank.

Greylock, Arbella Support Berkshire Grown’s Mobile Farmers Market

By BusinessWest Staff November 12, 2025

Banking and Financial Services

Boosting Access to Local Food

From left: Stephanie Bergman, director of Development, and Margaret Moulton, executive director, at Berkshire Grown; Lori Goodell Sr., vice president of Greylock Insurance Agency; and Jennifer Connor Shumsky, assistant vice president of Community Support and Engagement at Greylock Federal Credit Union.

The Berkshires is synonymous with farm-to-table culture, yet more than a third of Berkshire County experiences some level of food insecurity, and many farmers struggle to sustain their livelihood.

In service of caring for the Berkshire community, Greylock Insurance Agency, along with partners Arbella Insurance Foundation and Greylock Federal Credit Union, has awarded a combined grant of $4,500 to Berkshire Grown to help fund the Berkshire Mobile Farmers Market.

“Before you can think about insurance and other forms of financial health, you have to first meet your most vital needs, like feeding yourself and your family,” said Lori Goodell, senior vice president of Greylock Insurance Agency. “All of us at Greylock do our best to lead with heart. Supporting Berkshire Grown and this incredible program is part of our commitment to caring for our community. We are thrilled to continue partnering with Arbella to help fight food insecurity in the Berkshires.”

According to the Greater Boston Food Bank, food insecurity rates in the Berkshires is at 39%, with children experiencing even higher rates at 43% statewide. Rural regions, such as the Berkshires, have limited transportation, higher housing costs, and lower wages, which create obstacles to affording fresh food.

The Berkshire Mobile Farmers Market is one way Berkshire Grown helps feed people while supporting farmers. The Mobile Market uses funds from donations and grants to purchase fresh local food from more than 50 area farms. In collaboration with partner organizations, including Berkshire Bounty, the Mobile Market distributes seasonal produce, dairy, meats, and other goods, such as honey and bread, to low-income, underserved, and often rural communities of the Berkshires.

“Not only does the Mobile Market make accessible fresh, nutritious food, it also strives to create an inclusive, stigma-free shopping experience with a tiered payment system. Shoppers can choose a price that fits their budget.”

“Many areas, like the hill towns and Pittsfield’s inner city, lack nearby, walkable grocery stores or pantries,” said Katie Rubright, Berkshire Mobile Farmers Market manager. “Not only does the Mobile Market make accessible fresh, nutritious food, it also strives to create an inclusive, stigma-free shopping experience with a tiered payment system. Shoppers can choose a price that fits their budget.”

In addition to the tiered payment system, which allows customers to pay retail price, a 50% discount, or receive up to $50 worth of food for free, the Mobile Market accepts both Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Massachusetts Healthy Incentives Program. Over the course of 17 weeks from June through October, the Mobile Market stopped weekly at sites in Adams, Becket, Cheshire, Monterey, and Pittsfield.

A key component of Berkshire Grown’s mission is to assist farmers in growing the food the community needs; the Mobile Market pays full prices for all products, regardless of how much the consumer is able to pay.

“The program specifically benefits seniors, children, and historically underserved communities, particularly those in environmental justice neighborhoods,” Rubright said. “We have the highest percentage of people more than 80 years old in the state, and many of them face mobility challenges. Our goal is to make locally grown food more accessible to the people who need it most and, at the same time, support small and mid-sized farms by helping bring their products to a wider market.”

Margaret Moulton, executive director of Berkshire Grown, sees the relationship between the farms, Berkshire Grown, and the Mobile Market as an important way to bolster the health of the Berkshire economy.

“Local agriculture is vital to the Commonwealth’s food supply and economy, but too often, farmers earn less than it costs to grow our food — on average, just 95 cents for every dollar,” she explained. “Choosing to buy local strengthens farm businesses, expands access to fresh, healthy food, and helps preserve the farmland that defines our communities.”

State Issues Grants to Community Colleges for Career Education

By BusinessWest Staff November 12, 2025

Workforce Development

Training Ground

On Oct. 22, the Healey-Driscoll administration awarded approximately $1.5 million in Training Resources and Internships Network (TRAIN) grants to provide essential training opportunities to more than 500 unemployed and underemployed people across Massachusetts.

These grants will be administered through 13 of the state’s public community colleges and are designed to equip adult workers with the skills necessary to thrive in key industry sectors, ensuring that the workforce is prepared with the skills for the opportunities of today and tomorrow.

“Everywhere I go, I see the difference our investments in education are making — people earning degrees and credentials, launching new careers, increasing their earnings, and strengthening their communities,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “Free community college has opened doors for thousands of students, and these TRAIN grants will open even more by helping adult learners gain the STEM and workforce skills that power our economy. That’s what STEM Week is all about — learning that leads to opportunity.”

John Cook

“By connecting skill development with industry-recognized credentials, STCC and our sister community colleges showcase our contributions to the economic vitality in every corner of the Commonwealth.”

Indeed, the grants were announced during the recent Massachusetts STEM Week, which promotes interest in science, technology, engineering, and math careers.

“At a time when employers across the state are looking for skilled workers, we’re making sure Massachusetts residents can get the training they need to fill those roles and build great careers,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said. “During STEM Week, we’re celebrating how hands-on learning — from the classroom to the lab to the workplace — helps people of all ages discover new pathways in science, technology, engineering, and math. These TRAIN grants strengthen that pipeline by connecting adult learners to the high-demand STEM careers driving our state’s innovation economy.”

The TRAIN grant program focuses on supporting long-term unemployed, underemployed, and new entrant adult workers by providing them with targeted industry skills and workforce readiness training. This funding supports 13 implementation programs that offer comprehensive training programs, which include not only the development of key skills, but also wraparound support services to guide participants through their learning journey and into new careers.

“We know that education doesn’t stop at high school graduation — it’s a lifelong pathway,” Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said. “Through programs like TRAIN, we’re connecting learning to purpose and helping adult learners develop the skills that Massachusetts employers need most. Announcing these grants during STEM Week is a powerful reminder that in our Commonwealth, STEM truly starts now — for students, workers, and communities alike.”

Sen. Jo Comerford

“These TRAIN grants demonstrate that our Commonwealth understands community colleges are not just classrooms — they are engines for equity, opportunity, and economic growth.”

Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega added that “these TRAIN grants are an important part of the Healey-Driscoll administration’s successful efforts to bring post-secondary opportunities to more residents, building their careers and strengthening our communities. During STEM week, TRAIN grants also serve as an example of the crucial role our community colleges play in building a skilled workforce to fuel our STEM industries.”

Local Impact

The announcement was made at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), which was selected to receive a $150,000 grant to train certified nursing assistants.

“As the community college in Massachusetts with two middle names, we are honored to help highlight investments in STEM and workforce,” STCC President John Cook said. “At STCC, we know there is a lot of STEM in healthcare, and our $150,000 in grant funds … will expand access to careers in a vital sector. By connecting skill development with industry-recognized credentials, STCC and our sister community colleges showcase our contributions to the economic vitality in every corner of the Commonwealth.”

Other TRAIN grant awardees include:

• Berkshire Community College, $132,825 for commercial driver’s license training;

• Bunker Hill Community College, $150,000 for dental assisting, EKG, phlebotomy, and IT training;

• Bristol Community College, $87,289 for a cybersecurity certificate program;

• Cape Cod Community College, $107,209 for addiction recovery and medical interpreter training;

• Greenfield Community College, $102,309 for certified nursing assistant and phlebotomy training;

• Holyoke Community College, $123,235 for paraeducator training;

• Massasoit Community College, $75,730 for EKG technician and phlebotomy training;

• Middlesex Community College, $124,870 for advanced manufacturing, pharmacy technician, and phlebotomy training;

• Mount Wachusett Community College, $99,282 for paraeducator training;

• Northern Essex Community College, $147,258 for certified nursing assistant and pharmacy technician training;

• North Shore Community College, $92,895 for dental assisting and central sterilization training; and

• Quinsigamond Community College, $106,183 for personal care aide training.

“As federal support for education declines, Massachusetts is charging forward, investing deeply in our community colleges and the students they uplift,” said state Sen. Jo Comerford, vice chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “These TRAIN grants demonstrate that our Commonwealth understands community colleges are not just classrooms — they are engines for equity, opportunity, and economic growth.”

Added William Heineman, president of North Shore Community College and chair of the Community College Council of Presidents, “thank you to the Healey-Driscoll administration and members of the Legislature for prioritizing TRAIN grants. These funds help the community colleges to support the Commonwealth’s workforce and strengthen the career pipeline.”

Banks Eye Impact of Fed Rate Cuts, and Potential for More

By Joseph Bednar November 10, 2025

Banking and Financial Services Special Coverage

Lending Perspective

Matt Garrity says declining interest rates are typically good for the consumer and good for business.

The Federal Reserve’s decisions to lower its federal funds rate by a quarter-point in September, then another quarter-point in late October — landing at 3.75% — were good news to consumers and borrowers.

“A declining interest rate is good for the consumer and good for business; a business that’s borrowing on a regular basis for working capital can enjoy lower costs from that,” said Matt Garrity, president of Florence Bank. “A higher rate is more difficult for consumers.”

But the story is more complicated than that for banks themselves. The interest rate environment tends to be a mixed bag for financial institutions, impacting their core profitability, demand for loans, and the value of their balance sheets.

The primary mechanism for this calculation is net interest margin, the difference between the interest income banks earn on assets (loans and securities) and the interest expense they pay on liabilities (deposits and borrowed funds).

In a rising interest rate environment, banks’ profitability often increases, particularly in the short term. They can increase the interest rates they charge on new variable-rate loans more quickly than they raise the interest rates they pay on customer deposits, which widens the net interest margin. Meanwhile, yields on new loans and short-term securities increase, boosting overall interest income.

“When there’s a lot of volatile movement, like a couple of years ago, when the rates went up 400 basis points in a very short time, that causes a lot of problems because the market is moving too fast, and it’s hard for banks to rightsize, and it usually causes volatility on the lending side of things.”

At the same time, however, as borrowing becomes more expensive, consumers and businesses may be less willing to take out new loans for major purchases, which can slow loan growth.

Conversely, in a falling interest rate environment, bank profitability tends to be challenged, especially over the medium to long term. The rates banks earn on new and existing variable-rate assets fall faster than the rates they can cut on deposits, squeezing net interest margins.

“Banks are impacted in different ways when the Fed reduces interest rates. Most banks use the Federal Home Loan Bank, which borrows based on fed fund rates, so as the Fed reduces rates, those costs go down for banks,” Garrity said, while revenue falls for variable-rate loans.

Meanwhile, borrowers are more likely to refinance existing high-interest loans into new, lower-interest loans, which reduces the bank’s expected interest income on its existing portfolio.

However, lower interest rates make borrowing cheaper, which encourages consumer spending and business investment, increasing the volume of loans and potentially offsetting some of the margin pressure. “Certain investments make more sense with the lower rate,” Garrity said.

PeoplesBank President Brian Canina noted that, “when the Fed adjusts rates, it has a more immediate impact on deposit rates. On the loan side, it’s typically based off of a long-term rate. For example, a 30-year fixed rate more typically correlates with a 10-year treasury rate. There are some exceptions to that with credit cards and some home equity lines of credit; those are going to be more tied to the fed funds rate. But for the most part, when there’s a spread between the fed funds rate and the 10-year point of the treasury curve, that’s what drives profitability for the bank.”

Whether interest rates are high or low, Brian Canina says, what bankers are looking for is stability.

What banks don’t like, he said, is a situation in which short-term rates rise faster than long-term rates, causing a flattened or inverted yield curve, which is what happened when rates shot up in 2022. “Banks were challenged by these underwater rates, but over time things normalize, and profitability comes back.”

Essentially, Canina added, what bankers are really looking for is stability in the interest rate environment.

“When there’s a lot of volatile movement, like a couple of years ago, when the rates went up 400 basis points in a very short time, that causes a lot of problems because the market is moving too fast, and it’s hard for banks to rightsize, and it usually causes volatility on the lending side of things. Essentially, more of a stable environment in interest rate changes, whether that be increases or decreases, and maintaining a steepness in the yield curve is ideal for a banker.”

Home Sweet Home

Interestingly, mortgage rates rose in the wake of both Fed fund cuts, jumping from 6.13% to 6.33% in the hours around the Oct. 29 Fed meeting. The reason is that the bond market had already priced in a cut, and commentary from Fed Chair Jerome Powell tamped expectations for another rate cut in December.

In fact, typically, when a fed funds rate cut is anticipated, mortgage rates usually fall in the weeks leading up to the meeting, but don’t necessarily continue to decrease afterward. In 2024, mortgage rates fell sharply throughout August and early September as people expected the Fed to lower its rate at its September meeting, but they stopped decreasing significantly after the meeting, a trend repeated after two additional rate cuts later that year and, as noted, twice again in recent weeks.

Mortgage rates remain problematic for a number of reasons.

“Folks who are currently paying a lower interest rate don’t want to give that up for what could be a higher rate, which causes lower inventory — people are not putting their homes on the market, and that impacts affordability.”

“We’ve seen, across the country and in our region in the last few years, how it’s impacted folks and led to lower inventory on the market because folks who are currently paying a lower interest rate don’t want to give that up for what could be a higher rate, which causes lower inventory — people are not putting their homes on the market, and that impacts affordability,” Garrity explained.

Canina agreed. “What’s causing fewer homes to be available for purchase is that so many of them are tied to a sub-3% mortgage,” he said, a situation that took many years to develop.

Essentially, when interest rates cratered after the Great Recession (and fell again in the immediate wake of the pandemic), many homeowners refinanced to take advantage. And many of them who might otherwise looking for a new home don’t want to trade in that rate for something around 7%, so they’ve been sitting on their homes, reducing inventory in the market.

“I don’t know how long it’ll take before that changes, because so much of the banks’ books are now 3% on 30-year mortgages,” he explained, and the refi market has been non-existent.

“Once you get below 6% mortgages, you could start seeing an increase in residential lending refinancing, as people with 7% mortgages might want to refinance to, say, 5.5%,” he added — but that won’t be immediate. “Typically, you have a delay. No one wants to jump in immediately, and we don’t know what the inflection point will be to spur increased demand.”

“It’s been steady. I think, because of general uncertainty, you’ve got people sitting on the sidelines. I wouldn’t say it’s robust market, but it’s not a stalling market. There is activity going on; it’s just modest.”

Still Canina stressed that, “for new mortgages, the demand is not being driven by an interest rate; it’s being driven by the availability of homes in the market” — which causes prices to soar, creating another barrier for people to get into homeownership.

Broad View

Overall, banks are generally optimistic about the current environment, after struggling with profitability following those sharp rate increases in 2022 and 2023 and building back from that ever since.

“As we move through this environment, it’s been a very good year for us,” Garrity said. “We continue to grow customers, and we’re growing and expanding our footprint, opening a new branch in Holyoke early next year. It’s been a successful 2025 for us, and it’s looking to be a successful 2026 as well.”

On the lending side, Canina noted, “it’s been steady. I think, because of general uncertainty, you’ve got people sitting on the sidelines. I wouldn’t say it’s robust market, but it’s not a stalling market. There is activity going on; it’s just modest.”

He believes lending activity will respond to clearing skies, however, and lowering rates won’t hurt.

“The uncertainty is due to what’s happened and what’s going to continue to happen in the economy. People don’t want to make a commitment because they’re unsure where the Fed’s going to go, where the economic indicators are going, where the administration is going with tariffs. When that finally gets played out and there’s more stability, we’ll see what will happen. We could end up with lower rates in lending, but not an increase in economic growth because a lot of that could be potentially from refinancing.

“Anytime you have a very low interest rate environment — for example, coming out of the Great Recession or coming out of the pandemic, when interest rates were at all-time lows — you then have a period of significant increases in refinancing loans, and mortgage financing goes way off,” Canina elaborated. “Even on the commercial side, we will always have a lot of borrowers coming back to the table looking to see if they can refinance. If rates go up, it’s going to have an opposite effect.”

For now, interest rates seem to be on the decline — not to those post-pandemic levels, but lower than the past few years — which comes as good news for borrowers, and an optimistic yet still complicated picture for banks.

These Are Just a Couple Descriptors for an Evolving Job Market

By George O'Brien November 10, 2025

Special Coverage Workforce Development

‘Weird’ and ‘Confusing’

“Confusing.”

That’s the one word that Kevin Lynn, executive director of MassHire Springfield Career Center, chose when asked to describe the current jobs market and put into perspective what he’s seeing and hearing.

Elaborating, he referenced the center’s job fair at the Basketball Hall of Fame on Oct. 6, the latest of dozens of such events in recent years. In the weeks leading up the fair, organizers were worried about having a critical mass of companies seeking applicants — a nod to a slowing in overall hiring across the 413. But then, over the final few days of registration, there was a rush to sign up.

“We had 64 businesses — we literally did not have room for another company — and that was very surprising to us,” Lynn said.

Meanwhile, on the job seekers side of the equation, organizers were expecting what they’d seen in recent fairs — anywhere between 200 and 350 people — or maybe a few more. Instead, 617 turned out.

“That’s both good and concerning — that’s the busiest job expo we’ve had since before COVID,” he noted, adding that, while the numbers generate confusion on some levels, on another level, they make sense, because some sectors are hiring, but also still struggling to find talent with the requisite skills. Meanwhile, a variety of factors, from tariffs to turmoil in Washington, are leaving many people with jobs feeling less certain about the security of those jobs, and this helps explain the fair’s large turnout.

Allison Ebner

“They’re feeling like there’s enough uncertainty around … they’re hearing about layoffs with the larger companies and AI taking jobs — and there’s so much buzz about all that, the job market seems unstable.”

“I’ve talked to people who say they’re in businesses that are seeing a slowdown, and people are getting a little concerned,” said Lynn, listing manufacturing in that category, and adding that, overall, the pendulum has swung, and what was a buyers’ (job seekers’) market maybe as late as nine months ago has now shifted to employers, with an abundance of candidates for many positions and, overall, fewer job opportunities.

Allison Ebner, president of the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast, agreed, but noted that the higher levels of uncertainty and anxiety — in Washington, the job market, and everywhere else — are key contributors to the latest trend (and buzz term) in employment circles: ‘job hugging.’

“Folks are staying put; they’re giving their job a hug,” she explained. “They’re feeling like there’s enough uncertainty around … they’re hearing about layoffs with the larger companies and AI taking jobs — and there’s so much buzz about all that, the job market seems unstable.

“People are feeling a sense of volatility and continuous change, and when you feel like that, you look for some personal anchors, and for a lot of people, their job is their personal anchor,” she went on, adding that this is a fairly recent phenomenon dating back to last spring or early summer. “Everything in the world is changing, and they want to keep something consistent, and maybe it’s their job.”

But just because people are staying put in many cases that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily happy or that they aren’t looking, Ebner went on, adding that wages are stagnant after a period of upward movement in the years after COVID, and, in some cases, companies — especially smaller ones — are making do with fewer or the same number of employees, which often adds up to more work.

Overall, she had her own word for the current job market — ‘weird’ — meaning that there are many forces pushing and pulling at people and businesses (from tariffs to general uncertainty to AI) that are creating a confusing landscape.

Nicole Polite

“Companies are running a little bit leaner, so they may not have the capacity to train like they used to, so they need someone who already has the skill base to come in and hit the ground running a little faster than before.”

As for AI, it is impacting everything from job availability in some sectors — everything from hospitality to computer technology — to candidates being overlooked because they don’t have those skills.

“It’s definitely a skill set that they want to stay ahead of,” said Nicole Polite, CEO and founder of the East Longmeadow-based MH Group, adding that this is part of a larger trend she’s seeing toward skill-based hiring rather than focusing on whether someone has a requisite degree.

“The degree requirement isn’t as strong as it once was, and employers are really focusing on the skill base,” she told BusinessWest. “And the reasoning for that, in many cases, is the ability to train. Companies are running a little bit leaner, so they may not have the capacity to train like they used to, so they need someone who already has the skill base to come in and hit the ground running a little faster than before.”

Hire Powers

Lynn told BusinessWest that the job fair, as it played out, presented an accurate snapshot of what’s happening in the employment market — at least when it comes to the companies turning out to recruit and the makeup of that crowd of 617 people.

With the former, there were businesses across the spectrum, he said, but certain sectors were better-represented, including healthcare (although much of it is on the lower end, with CNAs and home health aides), area schools, and the broad realm of government, where there are jobs — with water and sewer operations and public works departments, among other realms — but fewer takers, especially among the younger generations.

“They don’t see any future in it,” he said, adding that many area cities and towns are struggling to fill such jobs.

As for the job seekers, or those simply exploring options, there was a good cross-section, said Lynn, noting that there were professionals, “people in suits — which we haven’t seen a lot of lately,” as well as a mix of young people, some mid-career types, and “significant amounts of gray hair.”

Kevin Lynn

“Part of the problem is that the people doing the hiring are much younger than the people looking for work, and they don’t have a clear understanding of the skill sets that the older worker brings.”

This diversity points to the across-the-board nature of a softening job market and the restlessness of those with jobs, but also the plight of older workers.

“There’s a lot of ageism that people have to deal with,” he explained. “And part of the problem is that the people doing the hiring are much younger than the people looking for work, and they don’t have a clear understanding of the skill sets that the older worker brings.

“One of the best things about older workers is they show up every day, and they’re very task-oriented — you can plug them in, and they’ll just go,” he went on, adding that this attribute is often overlooked amid perceptions that older workers struggle with technology. “There are all these assumptions being made that often don’t let the older worker get past the first cut, the résumé screening.”

As for those at the other end of the spectrum — recent college graduates and those wrapping up degrees — the overall job market remains solid, but some areas have slowed, said Cheryl Brooks, associate provost, Career and Professional Development at UMass Amherst, who put jobs in technology, life sciences, and, understandably, the federal government at the top of that list.

Tiffany Appleton, associate director of Employer Relations for the university’s Office of Career Development & Professional Connections, agreed, noting that jobs with the federal government are fewer in number than many other sectors, but they cross many degree programs at the school.

“It’s a bigger number that many people would think,” she told BusinessWest. “I know there were a number of people from the class of 2025 who had offers they had accepted for government jobs early in the spring of 2025, and by the time they graduated, those offers had been rescinded. They had to restart their job search, and many of them have been successful with finding jobs elsewhere.”

Brooks said it will be early next year before she has hard data on how the class of 2025 has fared, but anecdotally, she believes it has fared well, with those notable exceptions, and also with lingering questions about whether some international students will be able to obtain OPT (optional practical training, a temporary work authorization for F-1 student visa holders in the U.S. directly related to their field of study) or work visas.

As for this fall and the class of 2026 and beyond, she said turnout among employers at job fairs staged at the school, such as those for engineering, life sciences, and building and construction technology, is down slightly (8% to 10%, by her estimate) from previous years, but companies are turning out in good numbers, looking for both employees and interns.

Appleton concurred. “The vast majority of employers I’m talking to are still moving forward with their recruitment plans,” she noted. “They’re actively coming to campus, posting jobs, interviewing and extending offers to start after graduation.

“There’s only been a little bit of a decline, and if there’s a decline, it’s more like, instead of hiring 20 students into this entry-level job, they’ll hire 15 — and I haven’t seen much of that.”

The AI Factor

Overall, job seekers across the board are seeing fewer opportunities, at least in some sectors, as companies cope with uncertainty, tariffs and threats of tariffs, and other forces by being “more careful” in their hiring, Ebner said.

This phrase applies to both the numbers of people being hired and the skills they bring to the table, noted Polite, adding that, overall, companies are taking their time — because they have it, whereas they were far more under the gun a few years ago — and sharply focused on getting it right.

“They’re fine-tuning what they’re looking for,” she went on. “And since demand has changed in terms of the job seeker pool, they’re able to have more leverage and recruit in a different manner than they did post-pandemic.

“We saw post-pandemic that employers had positions they needed to fill immediately,” Polite continued. “This didn’t allow them the capacity to do some of the more intensive skill-set requirements that they’re doing now. So it’s definitely a different market in terms of what they’re looking for — and holding the line for.”

This is one of many forces contributing to job hugging, said Ebner, adding that this trend is both good and bad for employers.

“Even though people may not be jumping ship as quickly as they had been over the past few years, people are still unhappy where they are,” she noted. “They are looking, they’re out there, they’re seeing what’s out there, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that people are staying put and they’re more productive.

“It means they’re staying put, their job search is probably quieter, but they might be looking,” she went on. “Depending on their industry and whether they feel they might have more exposure to a layoff or job reduction — depending on whether they’re being impacted by tariffs or AI — they might be a little more motivated to search.”

As for AI, it is one of the more powerful forces impacting the job market and the plight of job seekers. In the broad realm of computer technology, for example, some jobs are being lost to AI, but others are being, created, Brooks said.

“It’s like a net-zero in terms of overall jobs, because it’s changing a bit,” she explained. “Some of the jobs are going away, but others are being created. It’s hard to parse out exactly what the numbers are, but we’re definitely seeing a decline this year, and who knows if that will level off this year.”

Ebner agreed. “Software development … that was the hottest gig in town 10 years ago, 15 years ago,” she said. “And now, AI is doing a lot of that work.”

Meanwhile, AI is having a growing impact on other sectors, including hospitality.

“Go visit the McDonald’s at Bradley Airport — there are no people,” Ebner said. “There are people making your food, but there are no people at the counter; it’s all kiosks. These are the pockets where we’re seeing technology replace people.

“But most industries are looking at how they can bring AI in, not to replace the people, but to use it to enhance the work that humans are doing,” she went on, adding that AI skills are increasingly becoming a determining factor is whether a candidate can land a specific job.

“The phrase you hear now is, ‘AI won’t replace all the people, but it will replace people who don’t have AI skills,’” Ebner explained, adding that this new reality crosses the broad employment spectrum.

Both Lynn and Ebner said their agencies offer training in AI and that, overall, there are an abundance of opportunities to gain these skills, and job seekers need to take full advantage of them.

Polite agreed. “I often talk to people during the interview process and ask them what training they’ve had in terms of AI and make sure they stay in front of it,” she noted, “because AI is here for the long haul, so we have to adjust to it.”

JGS Lifecare Puts Focus on Effective Memory Care

By Joseph Bednar November 10, 2025

Healthcare News Special Coverage

Empathy and Engagement

From left: Beth Cardillo, Mary-Anne Schelb, and Dalila Jones of JGS Lifecare.

While explaining the many ways in which JGS Lifecare folds memory care into all its services, Delila Jones noted that she’s a certified trainer in the Virtual Dementia Tour, a process that every employee on the campus goes through, no later than day two.

“We put our staff in the shoes of someone who has dementia. That’s done by providing external stimuli and an environment to replicate what would be confusion, anxiety, neuropathy, lack of dexterity in your fingers, visual limitations,” said Jones, Life Enrichment director at JGS.

“We do all those things as kind of a crash course into what it would feel like to be in the shoes of someone with dementia for a total of eight minutes — and that’s really all it takes. Eight minutes, and staff members cry. They come out changed because they’re getting an understanding, on a personal level, of what it feels like to be out of control. It allows us to reach the heart of what it’s like and then give them the compassion and empathy they wouldn’t receive if they didn’t go through the experience.”

Beth Cardillo, a long-time regional leader in the memory care field who now works part-time at JGS as a geriatric social worker in the Leavitt Family Jewish Home, a skilled nursing facility, has plenty of experience with the Virtual Dementia Tour, which simulates the physical and sensory challenges of dementia using special goggles, headphones, and gloves that distort vision, hearing, and touch. And she understands its impact.

“This is a truly unique experience. One of the takeaways we hear from everybody when we ask, ‘what did you get from this eight-minute experience?’ is ‘slow down, slow down your life, slow down the way you talk to people.’ It takes 90 seconds for somebody with Alzheimer’s to process what you say to them. Normally, we talk so fast and we’re so busy and really haven’t learned to slow it down. And it just makes a huge difference.”

Jones agreed. “I kind of measure the success of our training with how many people cry because I feel like you’ve got to touch the heart. You have to reach the heart in order to really get that point driven through — because, unfortunately, dementia breaks hearts. So in order for us to care properly, we have to kind of have a broken heart for them.

Beth Cardillo

“It takes 90 seconds for somebody with Alzheimer’s to process what you say to them. Normally, we talk so fast and we’re so busy and really haven’t learned to slow it down. And it just makes a huge difference.”

“And it’s truly effective,” she went on. “Just this week, we did our dementia training, and I had two or three CNA staff say, ‘we were CNAs for years, we know that we’re good staff, but I need to up my game. I didn’t realize that I can improve.’ And to have someone reach a point where they’re evaluating themselves and looking to improve because of this training, because they’re learning something new about what it’s like to have dementia, I think that’s a success.”

The Garden, a separate, secure neighborhood in the Ruth’s House assisted living facility on the Longmeadow campus, specifically caters to individuals with increased cognitive and physical limitations, including Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. But JGS has, over the years, incorporated specific memory-care training across its continuum of services, from Legacy Lifecare VNA & Hospice to Wernick Adult Day Health Care; from the Leavitt Family Jewish Home (where 80 of 200 beds are secure) to the Sosin Center for Rehabilitation.

That’s because the memory-care population is on the rise as Americans live longer than ever — and early-onset dementia in younger people is ticking up as well. So the model JGS has adopted, making sure all the points along its continuum of services can handle different levels of dementia, has become dominant in the world of senior living and care.

“I really work hard with families to help them understand that their loved one is in the right place, and that we are going to do everything for that experience to be as purposeful as possible,” Cardillo said.

“People just feel an incredible amount of guilt: ‘my mother took care of me, but I can’t take care of my mother at home anymore.’ But at some point, things change. ‘I promised my mother she would never go into a nursing home.’ Well, at some point those negotiations are off the table. You just can’t do it,” she added, explaining the transition so many families experience when choosing a residential memory care situation, whether assisted living or skilled nursing.

“The nursing home is more of a medical model. We’re more equipped to deal with medication changes and things like that more quickly,” she said. “And the training with the staff is called a habilitation model, where, unless it’s a safety issue, the resident is always right. We want to avoid conflict. We want to make it as engaging as possible.

“I really work hard with families to help them understand that their loved one is in the right place, and that we are going to do everything for that experience to be as purposeful as possible.”

“Do I care if someone thinks it’s Friday, and it’s Tuesday? No. Whatever he thinks, unless it’s safety, I don’t care. Make it Friday, make it Christmas, make it whatever. All good,” she went on. “And I think we work hard at promoting that. It’s all about relationships that we develop with our residents in the nursing home. They can read your mind. They know if you’re on your game that day or not. And it’s up to us to provide the best relationship we can with each person.”

Home and Garden

Then there’s Ruth’s House, the assisted living facility with its own dedicated memory neighborhood, the Garden, where employees are specifically trained to care for this population.

“When it comes to caring for those who have memory issues, we adapt to them, as opposed to someone who may not have those issues, and are able to communicate their needs properly and efficiently,” Jones said.

“When it comes to someone who’s living with dementia, we are the ones that have to adapt. We are the ones that have to become the detectives and be purposeful in everything that we do for them. We are more sensitive and gear everything toward how they may respond. We are more fluid. It’s more organic,” she went on.

“When we are facilitating programs, we’re also seeing how this person feels today. It’s very important that all of the staff are trained and educated to work with those living with various forms of dementia because it’s a whole different world. It’s a whole different way of communicating.”

In that setting, Jones said, the staff makes sure to provide a daily schedule of activities that engage the whole person — physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually — while also communicating with families who may be anxious about their loved one’s experience.

“The families are pivotal in the care of the seniors. So, we must maintain a very healthy relationship with the families.”

“We take the same approach we’d have toward all the seniors [at JGS Lifecare], which is compassionate care, understanding, empathy, making sure that their feelings are validated, and then working together as a team to accomplish a goal together collectively,” she explained. “That’s really important when it comes to families as well — because we are that bridge to connect the families to these seniors living with various forms of dementia. The families are pivotal in the care of the seniors. So, we must maintain a very healthy relationship with the families.”

Families — often with the help of the resident — also fill out what’s called a resident profile, a kind of life story including a social history, background, education, interests, hobbies, and more. “It allows us to have the information and the tools to have a personalized approach to care as they join us in living here,” Jones said. “With that information, if I know Mary was a teacher, then I can definitely tap into that, no matter what stage of dementia she’s in.”

Tapping into personal history is important across the campus, even outside the dementia neighborhood. One five-year resident of Ruth’s House, Johnny Scalia, affectionately known as “Johnny Rocket,” is a DJ with infectious energy who has shared his musical mixing skills with residents and families over at the Leavitt home. “I’m living my best life here,” he said. “The music keeps me going — and I love making people happy.”

Mary-Anne Schelb, regional director of Business Development at JGS, told BusinessWest that care at any of the JGS facilities is “really a matter of meeting people where they are.”

The Garden at Ruth’s House also features a sensory room, highlighted by a high-definition projector that shows soothing scenes on a wall — think ocean, nature, and the like.

“It’s so soothing and calming and inviting,” Jones said. “Just recently, for a resident who is on hospice and who has a hard time connecting in certain programs, we played a classical symphony through this projection. It was like you were there. And his caretaker was in tears, seeing how he was able to enjoy that moment with something that he passionately loved.”

Schelb added that the room is also used to de-escalate if somebody gets a little bit agitated or is sundowning. “It’s a very calm space that is utilized to decompress or kind of level them out. And it’s been very, very successful.”

Growing Need

About 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease, a number projected to rise to nearly 13 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Assoc., mainly due to the aging of America and the soaring over-65 population. That makes it critical for senior living communities to offer specific care to people with memory issues.

“However, I would like to point out the advent of new medications and infusions that are happening now,” said Cardillo, who serves on the executive leadership committee of the regional Alzheimer’s Assoc. chapter. “In the last five years, we have some medications that are actually looking at getting rid of the amyloid plaque in the brain, not just treating the symptoms. We have some new medications for people that are in the beginning stages, and it’s promising — I think it’s a springboard for better medications to come.”

What that means, she believes, is that “we are going to see the first survivor of Alzheimer’s in our lifetime.”

In the meantime, JGS Lifecare will continue to take care of those living with dementia locally.

“We genuinely want to take care of the person as a whole, and we’re providing various forms of engagement and opportunities to provide quality of life to our seniors,” Jones said, noting, as one example, a staff member who helps residents use an Oculus Quest headset to allow residents to access virtual reality experiences, “to walk through an ocean or get an experience on a different side of the world. And this is all thanks to the technology that we have today.

“So we’re growing; we’re expanding. We’re providing quality of life with just crayons and paper, if that’s something that they enjoy, or paint. But we’re also transforming for the current age, moving forward with technology, and I’m pretty proud of where we’re going.”

“And,” Cardillo was quick to add, “we’re not just treating our residents — we’re treating our families.”

East Longmeadow Is on the Road to Progress

By George O'Brien November 10, 2025

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

The infamous rotary in East Longmeadow, as seen in this Google Earth image, with its seven converging streets.

Tom Christensen says most East Longmeadow residents have learned to live with — and drive through — the infamous rotary in the center of town.

And some even take a small bit of pride in that it once owned a line in the Guinness Book of World Records for having seven converging streets, several of which carry heavy volumes of traffic, with no traffic lights, making it — unofficially, of course — the most dangerous intersection in the world. The rotary has been featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for the same reason.

“We seem to wear this Ripley’s Believe It or Not! as a badge of honor, but I believe that list is for things that shouldn’t exist in nature,” said Christensen, town manager since 2023 and, before that, deputy director of Public Works. “It’s one of the most inefficient intersections ever devised, and while, at some point, it wasn’t so cumbersome due to the number of cars — and it wasn’t even cars at the beginning — now, with the traffic we have … we need to do something.”

He’s not alone in this thinking, which helps explain why, as the town makes progress on several different fronts — from ongoing construction of a new high school to a new fiber optic network to an emerging blueprint for development in the town’s center — there is renewed interest in trying to fix this seemingly most difficult and stubborn of problems.

Indeed, the rotary has been studied, and studied, and studied some more, said Christensen, adding that there is building momentum for finally finding a practical, affordable solution.

“There’s a lot of logistics and a lot of money, but for the health of the community and the future of the community, we have to do something to make this intersection more efficient.”

It won’t come tomorrow, and will likely take 10 to 15 years, he said, but a fix involving a reduction in the number of streets converging on the rotary — maybe to four — is in the earliest of stages.

“We want to take a look at reimagining this intersection. Obviously, it handles all area traffic, not just East Longmeadow traffic, and we need to figure out how to make it more efficient,” he said. “We have this traffic problem that expands out from the hub, but it all starts in the center, where everything grinds to a halt at least a few times a day.”

As for those other projects mentioned above, most are much further along, especially the high school, which is on track to open for the start of school next September.

The new school and adjoining natatorium (which will be open to the public), with a combined price tag of nearly $200 million, will make one of the region’s more attractive communities to live and own a business even more so, said Tanzi Cannon-Eckerle, who owns two businesses in town, a law firm and a craft brewery.

She noted that a modern high school (the current structure opened in 1960) is one of the few missing pieces in a town that boasts a large industrial park, a strong and diverse business community, attractive neighborhoods, and land for new development.

“If you don’t have a fairly new high school, are you going to lose residents to the next town?” she asked rhetorically. “Maybe, maybe not, but it’s good to keep up with the latest technology; this new high school is a great asset for the community.”

Tom Christensen says that, while a fix for the rotary is 10 to 15 years away, more immediate progress is evident on many fronts in town.

Another missing piece, if you will, is a solution for the eyesore that is the long-dormant site of the former Package Machinery manufacturing plant and warehouse on Chestnut Street.

Developers who had proposed a 560,000-square-foot warehouse, a plan that met with considerable opposition from abutters and was ultimately rejected by the Planning Board, recently submitted new plans calling for four warehouses totaling roughly 450,000 square feet.

That plan is still before the Planning Board, said Christensen, adding that the area in question is considered part of the town’s industrial garden park zone — with that section of Chestnut Street being its northern border — and warehouses are therefore a permitted use.

For this latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at the many storylines that are, like the roads in the center of town, converging.

Round About

As he talked about the town’s rotary, Christensen acknowledged it’s a complicated engineering challenge and a problem that has defied a solution for several generations of residents.

Locals have gotten used to it, but are still put off by it, he said, adding that, for non-locals, it can be harrowing.

“I have people come to visit, and they come to my house, and their face is all white,” he said. “And they’re like … ‘you have to yield in that intersection?’ I tell them that conventional wisdom says they have the right of way, but not in our town.”

“It would be great to have that area cleared up in the form of a new development in any form, and get the property back on the tax rolls for the community. It’s hard to drive by that every day and see a derelict property of that size.”

The problem won’t fix itself, and it will only get worse as the town continues to grow and, hopefully, add more jobs, Christensen noted, adding that advances in intersection and rotary design could yield a solution.

“Many studies have been done over the years, and the design parameters were too excessive — we’d have to do some takings and knock down buildings,” he said, referring to the area around the current rotary and the size of a circle needed to accommodate seven streets. “Now, all over the region, they’re popping in rotaries and intersections that you didn’t think were feasible.

“There would be some combination of reconfiguring to a traditional circle, with only four roads coming into it,” he said of the likely fix. “The latest idea is to sort of dog-ear some of these streets into other streets before they got to the rotary by way of a stop sign; we have to figure out some way to get some of those entrances out of the circle to make it work.”

East Longmeadow at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1894
Population: 16,430
Area: 13.0 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $19.28
Commercial Tax Rate: $19.28
Median Household Income: $62,680
Median Family Income: $70,571
Type of Government: Town Council, Town Manager
Largest Employers: Lenox; Cartamundi; CareOne at Redstone; East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing Center
* Latest information available

As he noted, this will be a lengthy process, and a solution with a steep price tag — at least $10 million, by his estimate.

“It takes a long time to even come up with a schematic; it’s going to take a long time to design, and then to come with the funding for this or for us to get on a list with MassDOT is going to take some time,” he said. “There’s a lot of logistics and a lot of money, but for the health of the community and the future of the community, we have to do something to make this intersection more efficient.”

While that project plays itself out into the next decade, there is progress on other fronts, and potential progress (depending on one’s point of view) with others.

The latter is certainly true with 330 Chestnut St., an address where industrially zoned land and residential neighborhoods abut.

The public hearing process on the newest proposal, which has included questions on everything from traffic volume to noise and pollution to whether trucks can and should navigate nearby intersections, is continuing, said Christensen, adding that the area has been an eyesore for decades now.

“It was a great idea when the town decided to move all of its industry into that corner of town in the form of the industrial garden park, but naturally, there are places it abuts that are residential,” he said. “You have to work hard to make sure that the impact is not great on any of the surrounding areas.

“It would be great to have that area cleared up in the form of a new development in any form, and get the property back on the tax rolls for the community,” he went on. “It’s hard to drive by that every day and see a derelict property of that size.”

New School Thinking

Meanwhile, crews are keeping to an aggressive timetable for the new high school, he noted, adding that the project also includes not only the natatorium, but new athletic fields, tennis courts, and improvements to the football stadium area.

“There’s obvious excitement in the community for the new school — it’s a glorious campus,” said Christensen, who graduated from ELHS in 1997 and brings that perspective to the project. “It’s really exciting on so many levels, obviously for the school system, but also for the community to have this wonderful new space.”

And as that project moves forward, the town is also working toward creating a center town district and bylaws for development in that area.

A $22,000 grant from the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs will be used to hire a consultant to help with the planning of the district, said Christensen, adding that the Town Council has voted not to create the district under the state’s Chapter 40R regulations, which would make the town eligible for state funding, but also bind it to meet specific requirements for housing, including affordable housing.

“The community decided it didn’t want to be beholden to the state, so we have decided to create our own district with our own guidelines, free of any 40R requirements,” he noted. “Depending on how the final parameters of how our bylaw shake out, it could have the parameters of 40R; it just won’t be eligible for that reimbursement to the developer and/or town, because it won’t carry that designation.”

Elaborating, Christensen said that, with all industry moved to the southwest corner of town, several properties in the town center, including the former Carlin Combustion site on Maple Street, could be redeveloped for other uses, including housing. And the development community has interest in that area for that purpose.

The next step in the process is likely to be Planning Board public hearings on the district, he said, adding that he is expecting “robust conversations in a public setting” about what residents want to see regarding density, building heights, and other matters.

“We’re looking at a comprehensive study on not only what the town can handle, but what developers are willing to build,” he went on. “We want to find that happy medium so the bylaws are feasible for all.”

As that project plays out, the community is proceeding with plans to address the lack of broadband competition by building a town-owned fiber optic project with Whip City Fiber, the rapidly growing broadband arm of Westfield Gas & Electric.

“We have a design done, and we’re working with the utilities to get their make-ready costs so that we can formulate a plan on how to roll out this initiative, which we’re really excited about,” Christensen said. “Currently, the town is only served by Spectrum, and residents have long been calling for some competition in town.

“It’s a long process, and a lot of infrastructure has to be put in place,” he went on, adding that the project gives the town the ability to improve services to residents while also generating revenue, which can be put back into the community.

It’s a community that is business-friendly and does a good job of balancing business growth with quality of life for residents, said Cannon-Eckerle, whose craft brewery, Brew Practitioners, is celebrating 10 years.

“They do a really good job of asking questions and doing all the legwork up front,” she said of the Planning Board, Town Council, and other panels that consider plans from businesses. “But then, they take the time to take in the concerns of the residents; they do a very good job of listening to both sides. East Longmeadow does a good job of doing it by the book.”

Why Training, Investigations, and Fair Discipline Are Essential

By Contributor October 24, 2025

Law

Strengthening the Workplace

By Kayla Snider, Esq.

Coldplaygate, from this past July, serves as a stark reminder that, in an era where the internet, social media, and memes reign supreme, businesses face heightened accountability and more scrutiny than ever.

Unfortunately, you don’t often hear about businesses doing right by their employees. Instead, employers typically make the news when things go wrong and the consequences become significant. And in this day and age, that could mean becoming the next big meme sweeping across the internet.

Between changing laws, evolving social norms, and rising employee expectations, businesses are under constant pressure to get things right. While having written policies and procedures on hand are important, what is more important is how employers practically handle and implement their policies and procedures. Does your employee handbook sit on the shelf and collect dust year after year? Or are you taking a proactive approach to employee relations that truly reveals the integrity of your organization?

Kayla Snider

“Does your employee handbook sit on the shelf and collect dust year after year? Or are you taking a proactive approach to employee relations that truly reveals the integrity of your organization?”

It is important to ensure that you handle processes effectively through the entire employee life cycle. This involves adequate training, robust investigations, and fair, business-based reasons for employee discipline.

Do Not Treat Training Like a Checkbox

It’s tempting for businesses to treat employee training like a one-and-done requirement, especially when it comes to harassment prevention or workplace ethics. But this line of thinking is dangerous. Training is almost always the first line of defense in preventing workplace misconduct. Moreover, being able to present evidence of proactive training in the workplace can bolster an employer’s defense if a business faces litigation.

Training isn’t just about legal compliance; it’s also about the culture of your business. It’s your first and best chance to set expectations, prevent problems, and show employees you take their rights and responsibilities seriously.

Training should not be limited to avoiding harassment claims. In today’s diverse workplaces, training on unconscious bias, workplace civility, and professional ethics can strengthen team cohesion, reduce conflict, and demonstrate your commitment not only to following the law, but also to being culturally aware and inclusive. Good training should be regular, interactive, and tailored to your workforce. Don’t just focus on what’s illegal — help your people understand what’s respectful, ethical, and expected in your business.

Investigations: Not Just a Legal Duty, But a Trust-building Opportunity

When something goes wrong, whether it’s a harassment complaint, bullying, or a policy violation, how an organization responds says a lot. Massachusetts courts have consistently emphasized the need for prompt and impartial workplace investigations when allegations of misconduct arise. But prompt and fair investigations aren’t just about protecting the business; they’re about protecting the people who show up to work for you and support your business day in and day out.

Whether you use an internal HR professional or an outside investigator, the process must be fair, objective, and well-documented. Above all, employees need to know their concerns will be taken seriously. If you address employee concerns promptly and fairly, then it is more likely that employees will feel confident in your reporting system. This helps ensure that employees bring issues to your attention — rather than suffering in silence until they cannot take it anymore and quit, then file a hostile work environment lawsuit in court.

Fair Discipline: the Overlooked Cornerstone of Integrity

Let’s talk about discipline. Now, I am sure you are all familiar with the ‘big stuff’ (the formal write-ups or terminations), but what I want to focus on, and what I think really matters, is consistency. Is everyone being treated the same way? If two employees break the same rule and only one is disciplined, that’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Businesses should have a clear process for addressing misconduct and should give employees a chance to respond. This isn’t just best practice; it helps demonstrate that the business operates with integrity. Discipline should also be consistent, proportional, and grounded in clearly established policies. This means that anyone who is responsible for disciplining employees should know your policies.

If your business has a policy of progressive discipline, then you should follow that progressive process and, if you are going to skip steps, make sure that you have a good reason to do so that is well-documented.

This leads me to my next point: documentation is also key. Document, document, document. Strong documentation is important not only to create a record for the organization, but also for the employee because they may have questions that are harder to answer if you do not have a record of what happened and why.

Bottom Line: Get These Three Things Right

At its core, a strong workplace culture is one that aligns with legal compliance. Training, investigations, and discipline are the three pillars of a responsive and responsible employment environment. And while training, investigations, and discipline sound like dry HR topics, they’re anything but. These practices are where the law meets workplace culture, and they say more about your business than any mission statement ever could.

When employers commit to doing these things right — not just to avoid lawsuits, but because it’s the right thing to do — they create stronger, safer workplaces for everyone.

Kayla Snider is an associate attorney with Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., a Springfield-based law firm exclusively practicing labor and employment law for more than a half-century, focusing on litigation avoidance, employment litigation, and labor law and relations.

A Haunting Look at Unexpected Real Estate Problems

By Contributor October 24, 2025

Law

Ghosts, Goblins, and Disclosure Laws

By Ryan K. O’Hara, Esq.

It’s 9:53 p.m. on Oct. 31. You’ve just shut off the porch lights after an evening of greeting trick-or-treaters. You’d have expected they’d be a bit more excited about the full-sized candy bars you have sprung for, but most kids seemed nervous to approach and quick to leave. One even mentioned he couldn’t believe you’d bought the old Carpenter place. What was that about? No matter — a successful first Halloween in the new neighborhood.

Bone-tired, you slump onto the couch with a sigh. What a week! Closing on a house and moving mid-week with kids and a cat in tow: now, that’s scary. But now, with the costumed hordes dispersed and your own little monsters comatose from the sugar-high crash, there’s nothing between you and some quality time alone with a good movie (and, of course, the leftover candy).

Why can’t you relax, then? Sure, there’s that nagging feeling of being watched you’ve had since you moved in. That’s just adjusting to a new place, though. So what if a lamp or two has turned itself on and off? Old homes have funky wiring. Granted, the rattling chains and heavy footsteps you’ve heard the first few nights have been … interesting, but surely, it’s just the house settling.

Ryan K. O’Hara

“Massachusetts law generally allocates these risks to the buyer. The rule of ‘caveat emptor,’ or ‘buyer beware,’ remains the driving principle in determining liability between buyers and sellers for undisclosed property issues.”

Having rationally dispelled childish thoughts of ghosts and goblins, you settle in to press play — just as a ghoulish apparition manifests, its pallid flesh inches from your face, its abyssal mouth moaning nine terrifying words: “what, the sellers didn’t tell you about the tenants?”

So, who’s to pay the Ghostbusters’ bill? As unlikely as this haunting scenario may seem, the Massachusetts Legislature has, in fact, enacted a statute to dispel any specter of doubt as to a seller’s potential liability for an undisclosed haunting. Under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 93, Section 114, “the fact or suspicion that real property may be or is psychologically impacted shall not be deemed a material fact required to be disclosed in a real estate transaction.”

As used in the statute, ‘psychologically impacted’ includes any suspicion “that the real property has been the site of an alleged parapsychological or supernatural phenomenon.” The statute prohibits any “cause of action … against a seller or lessor of real property or a real estate broker or salesman … for failure to disclose to a buyer or tenant that the real property is or was psychologically impacted.”

Ghost of a Chance

Though Massachusetts property buyers might not often confront this exact issue, unwelcome surprises with newly purchased real estate are unfortunately common. Disappointed purchasers facing unexpected (and often costly) problems with their property frequently ask who is legally responsible to fix the issue.

Massachusetts law generally allocates these risks to the buyer. The rule of ‘caveat emptor,’ or ‘buyer beware,’ remains the driving principle in determining liability between buyers and sellers for undisclosed property issues. Massachusetts common law puts the burden on prospective buyers to ask questions, seek inspection, and generally conduct whatever due diligence they desire before proceeding to purchase a property.

Sellers do not have an affirmative duty to disclose known or potential issues with property before selling, except in limited instances required by statute or regulation (such as the presence of lead or a septic system). And generally, sellers have no obligation to fix issues with a property that come up after closing (with notable exceptions such as the implied warranty of habitability for new homes sold by builder-vendors).

Of course, this does not mean sellers have carte blanche in selling a property with known issues. If asked a question about their property and choosing to answer, sellers must answer honestly. If a seller makes a representation of a material fact regarding the property that a buyer reasonably relies on in choosing to purchase, and that representation is false, the seller may be liable for negligent or intentional misrepresentation.

For example, if a seller is aware of a flooding issue, is asked about whether there is a history of flooding, and falsely states there is none, they may be liable for damages incurred to remedy future flooding. Sellers also cannot conceal issues and prevent prospective buyers from discovering them without exposing themselves to potential liability for doing so. And for sellers who are selling in the conduct of their trade or business (or for agents representing sellers), different obligations and liabilities could arise under the Massachusetts consumer protection law, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A, if known issues are not disclosed.

Still, in the great majority of scenarios, the risk of undisclosed latent property issues lies with the buyer. Accordingly, it is incumbent on buyers to have appropriate caution in pursuing their purchases.

Buyers can take steps to minimize — but not eliminate — this risk. These include being clear on the inspections and due diligence to which they will be entitled, consulting with seasoned professionals (such as real estate agents, inspectors, and attorneys), ensuring material questions they have regarding the property are asked of sellers, and otherwise thoroughly investigating the property they are purchasing before entering binding agreements or proceeding to close.

Bottom Line

Every piece of real property is unique. So is every real estate transaction. If you are buying or selling real estate, or dealing with an issue post-closing, seek advice from trusted professionals to ensure your interests are protected. Otherwise, you may be in for a fright — no matter the time of year.

Attorney Ryan K. O’Hara is an associate in the Northampton Office of Bacon Wilson, P.C. He serves on the board of directors for the Hampden County Bar Assoc. and is a participating member of the Hampshire County Bar Assoc., and is licensed to practice law in the state of Massachusetts. The foregoing was presented for information purposes only, is not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Aaron Vega to Helm Western Massachusetts EDC as It Writes Its Next Chapter

By George O'Brien October 23, 2025

Features Special Coverage

Taking the Lead

Aaron Vega

As Aaron Vega was reading last spring’s announcement that Rick Sullivan would be leaving his post as president of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) at the end of this year, he was already thinking that his various skill sets and this high-profile job were a good match — and that this was his next logical career challenge.

“The path that I’m on in economic development and municipal work … there are only a few higher-level jobs in this area — if you want to stay in Western Mass. and care about Western Mass. — and this one of them,” he explained. “And they don’t come along very often, so I decided early on that I should throw my hat in the ring.”

And he wasn’t alone in that thinking.

“I saw Mayor [Joshua] Garcia not long after, and he said, ‘you’re applying for this job, right?’” recalled Vega, referring to Holyoke’s chief executive, beside whom he’s been working for the past several years as director of Planning and Economic Development for the city. “He knew that this was a good fit.”

“The EDC is a connector and a convener.”

Vega did go for it, and, eventually, several teams of interviewers agreed that there was indeed a good match between this job’s demands and Vega’s diverse résumé, which also includes everything from entrepreneurship — he was a freelance film editor and then a yoga studio owner — to two terms as a Holyoke city councilor and then four terms as a state representative.

Thus, he ultimately prevailed in a lengthy, national search, and will take the helm on Jan. 2. Before then, and even moreso after, he said he’ll doing a lot of listening — to EDC board members, mayors, business owners, property owners, developers, and area economic development leaders.

The plan is to take what he’s heard and use his vast experience to blueprint what will be the next chapter for the EDC, a membership-based organization formed roughly 30 years ago with a broad charge of making the 413 more competitive, taking a more regional approach to economic development, and creating a stronger voice for this area statewide.

While Vega will develop a more formal set of goals and priorities in the months and years to come, he told BusinessWest he has some initial thoughts.

“We have not done a good job of marketing Western Mass.”

They include everything from creating regular, industry-based roundtables — similar to the ones he staged in Holyoke and that many attendees, including Sullivan, thought should be regional in nature — to more aggressive efforts to tell the region’s story and market the 413.

Not with newspaper and television ads, necessarily, he said, although that might be part of the equation, but through a multi-dimensional strategy that includes having a stronger presence in regional and even national gatherings, such as the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, which he attended several times as a Holyoke official.

“The last one was in St. Louis, and the one before that was in Chicago,” he said, adding that communities across the country gather to hear strategies about addressing vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties. “You hear these presentations from Chicago, Detroit, big cities and small towns, on how to reactivate these spaces. I’ve been to these conferences on vacant buildings and transportation — there’s so much networking going on at these events, and we need to be out there.”

Aaron Vega (right), seen here with Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, says the region needs to do a better job of promoting itself and its many assets.

Meanwhile, he said another priority is to work with area cities and towns to create more of the shovel-ready land that developers are increasingly demanding.

Still another priority is to increase awareness within the local business community of what the EDC is, how it functions, and what role it can play, if any, with the many pressing issues in this region.

“The EDC is a connector and a convener,” he said, settling on those two words to describe the agency, adding that he wants to put even more emphasis on regional collaboration on issues such as housing and east-west rail.

Pulling on the Same Rope

As noted near the top, Vega spent several years doing freelance film editing work for creators that included Ken Burns and his eight-part series on the history of jazz.

One project Vega worked on was “Race to the Moon,” an American Experience episode that told the story of Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, in late 1968. He referenced it as he talked about his approach to his new job, problem solving in general, and one question during one of his final interviews (concerning policies relating to airports) that he didn’t have an answer to.

“Every single challenge they had putting together those Apollo missions … when they would encounter a new obstacle or challenge, they would bring in a person who could fix it — they kept expanding their team,” he explained. “If I don’t know how to do something, let’s bring in the person who does.

“If we do our job in Western Mass. of bringing in these companies that are coming out of UMass and elsewhere and they grow here and we create new housing opportunities … people are going to take the train to come out here to work.”

“If a group of people can come together and put us on the moon, a group of people in Western Mass. who are smart and have all these abilities can come together and figure out what we need to get done,” he went on, adding that this will be the organization’s mindset moving forward.

Overall, Vega has a broad, diverse background working in many different settings to call on as he approaches his next challenge.

Indeed, while editing films, he also opened his own small business, Vega Yoga & Movement Arts, operating it for more than 15 years. And in 2010 (the year he became one of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty honorees), the Holyoke native won an at-large seat on the Holyoke City Council, eventually serving two terms.

He then moved from City Hall to the State House, capturing the first of four two-year terms in 2013, before returning to Holyoke to become director of the Planning and Economic Development Office.

Vega told BusinessWest that, while each career stop provided invaluable experience that will help him with his latest career challenge, that is especially true of his time in Holyoke.

Indeed, over the past five years, he’s been part of several key initiatives, from the growth, and subsequent decline, of a cannabis cluster in the city to the emergence of new clean energy and food-tech companies, such as Sublime Systems and Clean Crop Technologies; from the designation of the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center as state’s hub for artificial intelligence and quantum computing to the years-long effort to convert the long-vacant Farr Alpaca complex into 88 units of mixed-income housing for adults 55 and over.

“I understand how these things happen — how do businesses locate? How do housing developments happen? How do you put together a $40 million financial stack to make 88 units of housing together?” he said, adding that his experience on the ground, and the relationships he’s forged — with those in the State House, regionally, and locally — will also be assets in his new role with the EDC.

Returning to those thoughts about the EDC being a connector and convener, Vega said issues such as the housing crisis and the 413’s declining population require a regional approach and a high level of collaboration among area cities and towns. And that’s one example of how the EDC might be able to help identify key issues for the region, set goals, and develop strategies to meet them.

“If we want to think about Western Mass. as a hub, we need a population goal for Western Mass. because this region is bleeding population, especially among younger people, ages 24 to 45,” he said. “If we say we have a population goal for the region — 20,000, 30,000, whatever the number is — over the next 10 to 15 years, then every municipality is going to have a role in that.

“Our small towns are going to have to bring on four to 10 units of housing, while our Holyokes and Westfields are going to have to bring on hundreds of units of housing,” he continued. “How do we work together to make sure we’re pulling on the same rope? A lot of people say, ‘pull in the same direction.’ I’m saying that we need to pull on the same rope together.”

Selling the Region

And while getting communities to pull on that same rope, the EDC should also be continuing to stress a regional approach to economic development, Vega said, while spearheading better efforts to promote the region and its assets.

“We have not done a good job of marketing Western Mass.” he said. “We should be talking about the health systems we have and the education systems we have, and the idea that you can live in a farmhouse if you want and be in downtown Springfield or downtown Holyoke in 20 minutes, even without public transportation. I think we should talk about the fact that Western Mass. believes in science, believes in education, believes in opportunities.

“Maybe that story isn’t being told, but we need to make sure that, if the EDC is out there telling the story, the chambers are telling the story, the mayors are telling the story — everyone is telling the same story,” he said, citing the example of Lowell, which he acknowledged is a city and not a region, where there was a solid, consistent message about the ‘Lowell plan.’ “The message in Lowell was so strong that the barbershops were talking about it, as well as the mayor.”

He noted that, under Sullivan, the EDC has done a solid job of creating a strong voice for the region on a statewide level and making sure Western Mass. is part of statewide initiatives, and these efforts must continue as part of those broader efforts to promote the area and prompt businesses to look this way when considering expansion or additional locations.

“When those Boston-based firms are looking for R&D or prototyping, they don’t need to look any further than Western Mass.,” he said. “If they need a second location or warehouse space or their manufacturing done, it’s way too costly to manufacture inside the 495 belt. These firms should be creating partnerships and doing that manufacturing out here; we have great manufacturers and companies that can help with research and development. These connections need to be made stronger.

“People in Boston don’t know what we make out here,” he continued. “So when they look for service or they look for something, they look at the West Virginias; they look out of state before they look in-state. We need to change that.”

Summing up the challenge — and opportunity — for the EDC and the region, as well as perhaps his own job description, to some extent, Vega returned to the subject of east-west rail and what would be the best-case scenario.

“A lot of people talk about east-west rail coming and how that will be a benefit for people in Western Mass. to get on the train and go to Boston or Worcester and go to work,” he said. “But if we do our job in Western Mass. of bringing in these companies that are coming out of UMass and elsewhere and they grow here and we create new housing opportunities … people are going to take the train to come out here to work.

“That’s a shift in mindset that needs to happen,” he went on, adding that this just one of his goals as he takes on his next career challenge.

Celebrating Local Standouts

By BusinessWest Staff October 23, 2025

Special Coverage Super 60

Super 60 Honorees Impact Region in Many Ways

Dozens of area companies will be honored by the Springfield Regional Chamber in its 36th annual Super 60 Awards Program.

This year, the chamber received more than 100 nominations in five categories, one of the largest pools in the program’s history, showcasing the strength and diversity of the local business community.

The 2025 Super 60 winners represent industries across Western Mass., including healthcare, education, finance, manufacturing, dining, and more. The program recognizes excellence in five core categories: Revenue, Growth, Start-Up, Give Back, and Non-Profit. Each category celebrates a distinct measure of success, from sustained financial performance and rapid expansion to community impact and innovation.

In addition, the chamber will present its first-ever Legacy Award, recognizing an organization with deep and lasting contributions to the region’s economic and community vitality. The inaugural honor will go to Balise Motor Sales Co., a family-owned business founded in 1919 when Paul Balise began repairing farm equipment and automobiles from his backyard garage in Hatfield.

What started as a small local operation grew into one of New England’s largest automotive retailers under the leadership of three generations of the Balise family. Now headquartered in Springfield, Balise employs more than 1,400 people across Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Cape Cod.

“Super 60 is about more than business success; it’s about recognizing the people and organizations whose work uplifts our community and creates opportunities for throughout our region,” said Diana Szynal, president and CEO of the Springfield Regional Chamber. “This year’s honorees exemplify the strength and resilience that define Western Massachusetts. I’m especially proud to introduce our new Legacy Award, honoring Balise Motor Sales Co. for more than a century of adaptability, growth, and community impact.”

The 2025 Super 60 Awards Luncheon will take place on Friday, Nov. 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. The event will feature Jessika Rozki, founder of Rozki Rides LLC, as the keynote speaker, and the WWLP Morning Team — Kaelee Collins, Julia O’Keefe, and Chris Bouzakis — as emcees.

Tickets for the event can be purchased online at springfieldregionalchamber.com/super60. The cost is $75 for members and $85 for non-members. Tables of 10 can also be reserved. The event attracts more than 500 business leaders each year.

2025
Revenue Winners

Baltazar Contractors Inc.
Braman Chemical Enterprises Inc.
Campora Construction Co. Inc.
The Dowd Agencies LLC
Edward F. Corcoran Plumbing & Heating Co. Inc.
Fontaine Brothers Inc.
Freedom Credit Union
Harry Grodsky & Co. Inc.
Keiter Corp.
L&C Prescription Inc.
Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.
Maybury Associates Inc.
Patriot Property Management Group
Saloomey Construction Inc.
Tighe & Bond Inc.

2025
Growth Winners

Baltazar Contractors Inc.
Braman Chemical Enterprises Inc.
Campora Construction Co. Inc.
The Dowd Agencies LLC
Edward F. Corcoran Plumbing & Heating Co. Inc.
Fontaine Brothers Inc.
Keiter Corp.
L&C Prescription Inc.
Ludlow Eye Associates, P.C.
Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.
Monty’s Motorsports LLC
Patriot Property Management Group
RE/MAX Connections
Saloomey Construction Inc.
Tighe & Bond Inc.

2025
Start-Up Winners

Caring Medical Staffing LLC
Gleason Realty Group
K. Ebner Creative
The Latest Kraez
Wash Works Laundry Services

2025
Give Back
Winners

413 Elite Professional Basketball Team
All States Materials Group
The Fontaine Community Foundation Inc.
Keiter Corp.
Lock and Key Realty
Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.
MGM Springfield
Monarch Fore Charities
Realistic CEO
Springfield Hockey LLC

2025
Non-Profit
Winners

Access Care Partners
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield
Clinical & Support Options
Cutchins Programs for Children and Families Inc.
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
Forest Park Zoological Society Inc.
Hampden County Career Center Inc.
Hampden County Sheriff’s Workforce Initiative
Mental Health Assoc. Inc.
Rachel’s Table of Western
Massachusetts Inc.
Second Chance Animal Services
Springfield Partners for Community
Action Inc.
Sunshine Village Inc.
Work Opportunity Center Inc.
YMCA of Greater Springfield

REVENUE

Baltazar Contractors Inc.
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 583-6160
www.baltazarcontractors.com
Paulo Baltazar, President
Baltazar Contractors is a heavy civil construction company with services in utility construction, roadway construction, site work and development, culvert and bridge construction, earth support and shoring, and trenchless technology. The company has remained family-owned over three decades in business.

Braman Chemical Enterprises Inc.
147 Almgren Dr., Agawam 01001
(413) 732-9009
www.braman.biz
Gerald Lazarus, President
Braman has been serving New England since 1890, using state-of-the-art pest-elimination procedures for commercial and residential customers, and offering humane removal of birds, bats, and other nuisances through its wildlife division. The company has offices in Agawam, Worcester, and Lee, as well as Hartford and New Haven, Conn.

Campora Construction Co. Inc.
43 Owens Way, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 610-1660
www.camporacc.com
Mario Campora, President
Campora Construction specializes in full-scale building construction and sidewalk, patio, and driveway installation for residential, commercial, and governmental projects. Services include custom home design and construction, complete home rebuilds from fire damage, home additions and sunroom installation, concrete demolition and infills, and commercial office fit-outs.

The Dowd Agencies LLC
14 Bobala Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 538-7444
www.dowd.com
John Dowd Jr., President
Founded in 1898, the Dowd Agencies is the oldest insurance agency under continuous family ownership, and one of the most long-standing, experienced insurance agencies in Massachusetts. Its staff includes fully licensed and certified insurance and financial services agents and brokers in Holyoke, Hadley, Southampton, Indian Orchard, and Ludlow.

Edward F. Corcoran Plumbing & Heating Co. Inc.
5 Rose Place, Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 732-1462
www.efcorcoran.com
Brian Toomey, President
E.F. Corcoran Plumbing & Heating is a full-service plumbing and HVAC contractor, offering 24-hour plumbing services, HVAC installation, gas piping, boilers, heat recovery, and more. It serves the commercial, industrial, medical, and institutional industries and has performed work for Baystate Noble Hospital, Springfield College, UMass, Mercy Medical Center, and Stop & Shop.

Fontaine Brothers Inc.
510 Cottage St., Springfield, Massachusetts 01104
(413) 781-2020
www.fontainebros.com
David Fontaine Jr., CEO
Family-owned and operated for 91 years, Fontaine Bros. offers services such as general contracting, with a focus on K-12 schools, higher education, commercial properties, historical renovations, and municipal work, as well as construction management. As one of New England’s original green builders, it has expertise in building sustainably and responsibly for all kinds of projects.

Freedom Credit Union
1976 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 739-6961
www.freedom.coop
Glenn Welch, President and CEO
Freedom Credit Union is a credit union that offers banking and loan services to businesses, the cannabis industry, and individuals. It also offers insurance plans for individuals and an investment-services division. The institution celebrated its centennial in 2022 and regularly involves customers and the community in philanthropic outreach.

Harry Grodsky & Co. Inc.
33 Shaws Lane, Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 785-1947
www.grodsky.com
Dave Streeter, President
Harry Grodsky & Co. delivers design; construction; service, repairs, and maintenance; energy solutions; and more, offering a full range of customized services and project delivery methods including traditional bid, design build, design assist, and integrated project delivery. It also maintains a workplace culture of community involvement, with employees actively and financially involved in a wide range of area nonprofits.

Keiter Corp.
1 Interstate Drive, West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 586-8600
www.keiter.com
Scott Keiter, President
Keiter Corp. is a construction-services company working with clients on residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects of all sizes. The firm is divided into four divisions: Keiter Builders (commercial and institutional construction), Keiter Homes (residential construction), Hatfield Construction (excavation, site work, and structural concrete), and Keiter Properties (real estate and rental).

L&C Prescriptions Inc.
155 Brookdale Dr., Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 781-2996
www.medibubble.com
Dr. Kara James, President
L&C Prescription, the parent company for Louis & Clark Pharmacy, provides medication solutions to individuals, healthcare providers, and assisted-living, independent-living, and memory-care communities, and offers online prescription refills, MediBubble pre-packaged pills, blister packs to manage daily medications, vial synchronization, consultations with registered pharmacists, and a delivery service.

Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.
1025 Main St., Holyoke
(413) 536-1900
www.marcotteford.com
Mike Marcotte, President
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department, including a mobile service operation that comes to customers for basic maintenance and recall servicing. Marcotte has achieved Ford’s President’s Award multiple occasions over the past decade. It also operates the Marcotte Commercial Truck Center.

Maybury Associates Inc.
90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow
(888) 629-2879
www.maybury.com
William Maybury, President
A one-source provider of quality industrial products and services to manufacturing, distribution, and warehousing customers, Maybury Associates designs, supplies, and services a wide variety of handling equipment throughout New England and provides customers in a wide range of industries with solutions to move, lift, and store their parts and products.

Patriot Property Management Group
268 Cold Spring Ave., Suite B, West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 707-4434
www.patriotpmg.com
Marc Murphy, President
Patriot Property Management Group is a real estate company that assists clients in the Western Mass. region with a variety of services, including buying, selling, rental assistance, property management, and more. President Marc Murphy also helms Lock and Key Realty, which is honored in this year’s Super 60 in the Give Back category.

Saloomey Construction Inc.
62B School St., Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 269-4360
www.saloomey-construction.com
Michael O’Brien, President
For more than 40 years, Saloomey Construction has built a strong reputation in both new construction and renovation work, including commercial and residential development, historic renovations, medical facilities, marijuana growing facilities, schools, student housing, senior housing, churches, and much more. The firm has also been part of many design-build projects that help clients achieve a highly customized result.

Tighe & Bond Inc.
53 Southampton Road, Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 562-1600
www.tighebond.com
Robert Belitz, President and CEO
Tighe & Bond offers engineering, design, planning, and environmental-consulting services, with focuses in building, transportation, water and wastewater engineering, coastal and waterfront solutions, environmental consulting, GIS and asset management, landscape architecture and urban design, civil engineering, and site planning.

GROWTH

Baltazar Contractors Inc.
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 583-6160
www.baltazarcontractors.com
Paulo Baltazar, President
Baltazar Contractors is a heavy civil construction company with services in utility construction, roadway construction, site work and development, culvert and bridge construction, earth support and shoring, and trenchless technology. The company has remained family-owned over three decades in business.

Braman Chemical Enterprises Inc.
147 Almgren Dr., Agawam 01001
(413) 732-9009
www.braman.biz
Gerald Lazarus, President
Braman has been serving New England since 1890, using state-of-the-art pest-elimination procedures for commercial and residential customers, and offering humane removal of birds, bats, and other nuisances through its wildlife division. The company has offices in Agawam, Worcester, and Lee, as well as Hartford and New Haven, Conn.

Campora Construction Co. Inc.
43 Owens Way, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 610-1660
www.camporacc.com
Mario Campora, President
Campora Construction specializes in full-scale building construction and sidewalk, patio, and driveway installation for residential, commercial, and governmental projects. Services include custom home design and construction, complete home rebuilds from fire damage, home additions and sunroom installation, concrete demolition and infills, and commercial office fit-outs.

The Dowd Agencies LLC
14 Bobala Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 538-7444
www.dowd.com
John Dowd Jr., President
Founded in 1898, the Dowd Agencies is the oldest insurance agency under continuous family ownership, and one of the most long-standing, experienced insurance agencies in Massachusetts. Its staff includes fully licensed and certified insurance and financial services agents and brokers in Holyoke, Hadley, Southampton, Indian Orchard, and Ludlow.

Edward F. Corcoran Plumbing & Heating Co. Inc.
5 Rose Place, Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 732-1462
www.efcorcoran.com
Brian Toomey, President
E.F. Corcoran Plumbing & Heating is a full-service plumbing and HVAC contractor, offering 24-hour plumbing services, HVAC installation, gas piping, boilers, heat recovery, and more. It serves the commercial, industrial, medical, and institutional industries and has performed work for Baystate Noble Hospital, Springfield College, UMass, Mercy Medical Center, and Stop & Shop.

Fontaine Brothers Inc.
510 Cottage St., Springfield, Massachusetts 01104
(413) 781-2020
www.fontainebros.com
David Fontaine Jr., CEO
Family-owned and operated for 91 years, Fontaine Bros. offers services such as general contracting, with a focus on K-12 schools, higher education, commercial properties, historical renovations, and municipal work, as well as construction management. As one of New England’s original green builders, it has expertise in building sustainably and responsibly for all kinds of projects.

Keiter Corp.
1 Interstate Drive, West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 586-8600
www.keiter.com
Scott Keiter, President
Keiter is a construction-services company working with clients on residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects of all sizes. The firm is divided into four divisions: Keiter Builders (commercial and institutional construction), Keiter Homes (residential construction), Hatfield Construction (excavation, site work, and structural concrete), and Keiter Properties (real estate and rental).

L&C Prescriptions Inc.
155 Brookdale Dr., Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 781-2996
www.medibubble.com
Dr. Kara James, President
L&C Prescription, the parent company for Louis & Clark Pharmacy, provides medication solutions to individuals, healthcare providers, and assisted-living, independent-living, and memory-care communities, and offers online prescription refills, MediBubble pre-packaged pills, blister packs to manage daily medications, vial synchronization, consultations with registered pharmacists, and a delivery service.

Ludlow Eye Associates, P.C.
200 Center St., Suite 1, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 583-3600
Katarzyna Babinski, Owner
Ludlow Eye Associates provides comprehensive eye examinations, medical eye care, and contact lens fittings and examinations. Its optical staff is available to assist with new eyewear purchases, contact lens purchases, as well as eyewear adjustments and repairs.

Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.
1025 Main St., Holyoke
(413) 536-1900
www.marcotteford.com
Mike Marcotte, President
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department, including a mobile service operation that comes to customers for basic maintenance and recall servicing. Marcotte has achieved Ford’s President’s Award multiple occasions over the past decade. It also operates the Marcotte Commercial Truck Center.

Monty’s Motorsport LLC
1 Arch Road, Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 642-8199
www.montysmotorsports.com
Monty Geer, Owner
Monty’s Motorsport is a parts, sales, service, and gear store for motorsport vehicles, such as four-wheelers, dirt bikes, motorcycles, electric bikes, street bikes, and more. It offers new and used vehicles, with financing options available, as well as services such as winterization, battery inspections, accessory installations, chain adjustments, oil and filter changes, and full engine rebuilds.

Patriot Property Management Group
268 Cold Spring Ave., Suite B, West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 707-4434
www.patriotpmg.com
Marc Murphy, President
Patriot Property Management Group is a real estate company that assists clients in the Western Mass. region with a variety of services, including buying, selling, rental assistance, property management, and more. President Marc Murphy also helms Lock and Key Realty, which is honored in this year’s Super 60 in the Give Back category.

RE/MAX Connections
85 Post Office Park, Wilbraham, MA 01095
(800) 755-7595
www.remax.com/real-estate-offices/remax-connections-wilbraham-ma/100428112
Peter Ruffini and Dawn Ruffini, Brokers/Owners
RE/MAX Connections is a full-service real-estate brokerage servicing Massachusetts and Connecticut, with referral partners worldwide. Its services encompass buying, selling, and renting properties.

Saloomey Construction Inc.
62B School St., Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 269-4360
www.saloomey-construction.com
Michael O’Brien, President
For more than 40 years, Saloomey Construction has built a strong reputation in both new construction and renovation work, including commercial and residential development, historic renovations, medical facilities, marijuana growing facilities, schools, student housing, senior housing, churches, and much more. The firm has also been part of many design-build projects that help clients achieve a highly customized result.

Tighe & Bond Inc.
53 Southampton Road, Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 562-1600
www.tighebond.com
Robert Belitz, President and CEO
Tighe & Bond offers engineering, design, planning, and environmental-consulting services, with focuses in building, transportation, water and wastewater engineering, coastal and waterfront solutions, environmental consulting, GIS and asset management, landscape architecture and urban design, civil engineering, and site planning.

START-UP

Caring Medical Staffing LLC
235 Chestnut St., Unit B01, Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 435-0226
www.caringmedicalstaffing.com
Diana Preston, CEO
Caring Medical Staffing provides highly skilled nursing professionals across diverse healthcare settings, offering flexible, 24/7 staffing solutions tailored to meet each client organization’s short-term and long-term needs. Its team includes RNs (ADN, BSN, MSN), LPNs, CNAs, and HHAs. The business also offers CPR, first aid, and basic life support certification classes on a regular basis to healthcare providers and community members.

Gleason Realty Group
5 Industrial Parkway, Easthampton, MA 01027
(413) 250-7937
Anthony Gleason, President
Anthony Gleason says of his growing company, “we believe that property management is about more than just buildings — it’s about people, community, and creating spaces where businesses can thrive. We are proud to serve our local community with a thoughtful, hands-on approach to property management.”

K. Ebner Creative
www.kebnercreative.com
Kayla Ebner, Owner
K. Ebner Creative is a growing photography and videography business with a wide range of clients, business and corporate photography — everything from restaurants and food to sports and fitness; from drone footage and video business cards to events of all kinds, including weddings. Ebner works locally but is also available for destination and travel work, and offers a range of packages to meet the needs of each client.

The Latest Kraez
469 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow, MA 01106
(413) 384-2962
www.thelatestkraez.com
Rachael Kraez, Owner
Founded in 2020, the Latest Kraez is a woman-owned business serving Longmeadow and the surrounding areas. Owner and baker Rachael Kraez has an associate degree in baking & pastry arts as well as a bachelor’s degree in food and beverage entrepreneurship from Johnson & Wales University, and all her cakes and pastries are baked fresh with the best ingredients. She also services special events.

Wash Works Laundry Services
169 Hancock St., Springfield, MA 01109
(413) 889-3855
www.washworksma.com
Wash Works Laundromat is a family-owned business with multiple locations to better serve its customers. Services include self-serve wash and dry; drop-off wash, dry, and fold; pickup and delivery; commercial laundry services; and dry cleaning. Military and senior discounts are available.

GIVE BACK

413 Elite Professional Basketball Team
393 Belmont Ave., Unit 80347, Springfield, MA 01108
www.413elite.com
Charles Evans, Owner
The 413 Elite is a member of the American Basketball Assoc., whose goal is to provide quality, entertaining, and affordable professional basketball in a friendly, safe environment. Established in 2021, the 413 Elite is a part of the Northeast Division, alongside teams in Boston, Providence, New York, Long Island, New Jersey, and Canada.

All States Materials Group
11 Interstate Dr., Suite 301, West Springfield, MA 01089
(800) 343-9620
www.asmg.com
Jean Azoury, President
All States Materials Group provides a diverse range of products and solutions for the liquid asphalt, paving, and road construction industries. Its construction material supply capabilities include liquid asphalt, asphalt emulsion, specialty additives, construction aggregates, hot-mix asphalt, and ready-mix concrete. The company also provides a broad range of pavement maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation treatment options.

The Fontaine Community Foundation Inc.
510 Cottage St., Springfield, Massachusetts 01104
(413) 781-2020
www.fontainebros.com/fontaine-community-foundation
Elizabeth Wambui, Director
An arm of Fontaine Brothers Inc., thr Fontaine Community Foundation develops partnerships with organizations focused on building stronger communities in New England. Its mission is to leverage resources to help solve problems and contribute to the common good. Key priority areas include children and youth, education, health, community support, and developmental expressions.

Keiter Corp.
1 Interstate Drive, West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 586-8600
www.keiter.com
Scott Keiter, President
Keiter Corp. is a construction-services company working with clients on residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects of all sizes. The firm is divided into four divisions: Keiter Builders (commercial and institutional construction), Keiter Homes (residential construction), Hatfield Construction (excavation, site work, and structural concrete), and Keiter Properties (real estate and rental).

Lock and Key Realty
268 Cold Spring Ave., Suite B, West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 282-8080
www.lockandkeyma.com
Marc Murphy, President
Lock and Key Realty is a real estate brokerage launched in 2019, which has since grown to 60 agents and recorded $230 million in sales last year, with a portfolio of commercial and residential properties, including apartment complexes, commercial offices, and industrial sites. The firm gives back to the community through an annual golf tournament that raises money for Habitat for Humanity and the Hartsprings Foundation.

Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.
1025 Main St., Holyoke
(413) 536-1900
www.marcotteford.com
Mike Marcotte, President
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department, including a mobile service operation that comes to customers for basic maintenance and recall servicing. Marcotte has achieved Ford’s President’s Award multiple occasions over the past decade. It also operates the Marcotte Commercial Truck Center.

MGM Springfield
One MGM Way, Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 273-5000
www.mgmspringfield.mgmresorts.com
Chris Kelley, President and COO
MGM Springfield recently celebrated five years of operation in downtown Springfield, offering a host of slot machines and table games, numerous restaurants, a hotel, and entertainment at Symphony Hall, Roar! Comedy Club, ARIA Ballroom, the MassMutual Center, and an outdoor plaza.

Monarch Fore Charities
One Monarch Place, 25th Floor, Springfield, MA 01144
(413) 746-4100
www.monarch-place.com
Paul Picknelly, President
Monarch Fore Charities is the philanthropic and charity-supporting arm of Monarch Enterprises, a leading commercial real-estate developer and hotel operator.

Realistic CEO
www.realisticceo.com
Mychal Connolly Jr., CEO
Realistic CEO aims to inspire and empower individuals, especially youth, to believe in their dreams and pursue them with unwavering determination. Through a book, podcast, vlog, speaking engagements, and more, Connolly aims to demystify the path to leadership and success, providing practical guidance, real-life examples, and motivational content to equip future leaders with the confidence, skills, and mindset needed to achieve their goals and make a positive impact on the world.

Springfield Hockey LLC
1 Monarch Place, Springfield, MA 02110
(413) 746-4100
www.springfieldthunderbirds.com
Nathan Costa, President
Springfield Hockey LLC, better known as the Springfield Thunderbirds, is the local affiliate of the St. Louis Blues and and the American Hockey League’s 2021-22 Eastern Conference champion. Playing its home games at the MassMutual Center since its inception in 2016, the team gives back to the community in multiple ways, like the Thunderbirds Foundation, Stick to Reading school programs, Hometown Salute, Frontline Fridays, and more.

NON-PROFIT

Access Care Partners
4 Valley Mill Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 538-9020
www.wmeldercare.org
Roseann Martoccia, Executive Director
This agency’s mission is to preserve the dignity, independence, and quality of life of elders and disabled persons desiring to remain within their own community. It offers services for elders, their families and caregivers, and people with disabilities. Programs and services include supportive housing, home care, options counseling, adult family care, nutrition programs, elder mental health, family caregiver support, and health-insurance counseling.

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield
28 West Silver St., Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 562-2301
www.bgcwestfield.org
Bo Sullivan, CEO
The Boys & Girls Club aims to inspire and enable young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. Its programs for ages 2 to 18 are designed to support youth in achieving three priority outcomes: academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles.

Clinical & Support Options
8 Atwood Dr., Suite 301, Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 773-1314
www.csoinc.org
Karin Jeffers, President and CEO
CSO’s mission is to provide responsive and effective interventions and services to support individual adults, children, and families in their quest for stability, growth, and a positive quality of life. Services include crisis and emergency services; outpatient mental health; family-support programs; community-based programs; and shelter, housing, and homelessness efforts.

Cutchins Programs for Children and Families Inc.
78 Pomeroy Terrace, Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 584-1310
www.cutchins.org
Tina Champagne, CEO
Established in 1979, Cutchins aims to give children and families access to compassionate and transformative mental healthcare. Its mission is to help children and families transform significant emotional distress into increased resilience, hope, and quality of life, to support the healing and learning process with innovation and integrity, and to serve as a model for best and promising practices.

The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
25 Carew St., Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 247-9738
www.foodbankwma.org
Andrew Morehouse, Executive Director
The Food Bank works to end hunger in Western Mass. by providing nutritious food, strengthening the region’s food-assistance network, and developing solutions to the causes of hunger. The Food Bank receives food from a number of different sources, including state and federal government, local farms, food businesses, and community organizations, and distributes it to member food pantries, shelters, and meal sites, as well as directly to families.

Forest Park Zoological Society Inc.
293 Sumner Ave., Springfield, MA 01108
(413) 733-2251
www.forestparkzoo.org
Sarah Tsitso, Executive Director
The Forest Park Zoological Society governs the Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center, a non-profit organization that serves as home to more than 225 native and non-native animal residents. The zoo works with wildlife rehabilitators across the U.S. to provide care to animals that have been deemed non-releasable to the wild due to injury, illness, permanent disability, habituation to humans, or other factors, and offers a variety of educational programming for children and adults.

Hampden County Career Center Inc.
850 High St., Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 532-4900
www.careerpointma.com
David Gadaire, President and CEO
Since 1996, Hampden County Career Center Inc., now doing business as MassHire Holyoke Career Center, has been serving the workforce and economic-development needs of individual job seekers, social-service agencies, and the business community throughout Hampden County and beyond, offering a seamless service-delivery system for job seeking, career training, and employer services.

Hampden County Sheriff’s Workforce Initiative
627 Randall Road, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 858-0000
www.hcsoma.org/workforce-initiative
Nicholas Cocchi, Hampden County Sheriff
The Hampden County Sheriff’s Workforce Initiative is an innovative program designed to empower justice-involved individuals, disenfranchised job seekers, and those experiencing homelessness by providing immediate, daily employment with same-day pay. Launched by Sheriff Nick Cocchi in 2022, the initiative aims to promote personal growth, self-sufficiency, and social inclusion, ultimately leading to full-time employment and community reintegration.

Mental Health Assoc. Inc.
350 Memorial Dr., Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 734-5376
www.mhainc.org
Cheryl Fasano, President and CEO
Mental Health Assoc. helps people with a wide variety of mental health issues to live their best life by providing access to therapies for emotional health and wellness; services for substance use recovery, developmental disabilities, and acquired brain injury; services for housing and residential programming; and more.

Rachel’s Table of Western Massachusetts Inc.
1600 Dickinson St., Springfield, MA 01108
(413) 733-0084
www.feedwma.org
Jodi Falk, Executive Director
The mission of Rachel’s Table of Western Massachusetts is to alleviate hunger and reduce the waste of food resources in Western Mass. The organization takes a holistic and collaborative approach toward food security by supporting an inter-generational volunteer effort to feed and nourish local communities.

Second Chance Animal Services
67 Mulberry St., Springfield, MA 01105
(413) 739-2343
www.secondchanceanimalservices.org
Sheryl Blancato, CEO
Second Chance Animal Services is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that operates community veterinary hospitals in Springfield, North Brookfield, Southbridge, and Worcester; subsidized rates are provided to underserved communities. Every year, Second Chance helps tens of thousands of pets through full-service veterinary care, spay/neuter services, adoption services, community and educational outreach programs, training, and a pet-food pantry.

Springfield Partners for Community Action Inc.
721 State St., Springfield, MA 01109
(413) 263-6500
www.springfieldpartnersinc.com
Paul Bailey, Executive Director
Springfield Partners for Community Action’s mission is to utilize and provide resources that assist people in need to obtain economic stability, ultimately creating a better way of life. It does so through home and energy services, income-tax assistance services, money-management services, transportation services, veterans’ services, and youth and family services.

Sunshine Village Inc.
75 Litwin Lane, Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 592-6142
www.sunshine.us
Gina Kos, President and CEO
Sunshine Village serves more than 400 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders through a variety of innovative day supports. Programmatic sites are located at the agency’s main campus in Chicopee, as well as in Agawam and Three Rivers. The agency’s commercial cleaning company, Westover Maintenance Systems, employs an integrated workforce, while Sunshine Village supports individuals in their own jobs and within group settings at local businesses.

Work Opportunity Center Inc.
94 North Elm St., Suite 104, Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 786-8830
www.wocinc.org
Mary Akers, Executive Director
Established in 1969, Work Opportunity Center is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Westfield, with various sites throughout Western Mass. WOC provides training, employment opportunities, and community-based day services to individuals with physical and/or developmental disabilities.

YMCA of Greater Springfield
1500 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 739-6951
www.springfiedly.org
Dexter Johnson, President and CEO
The YMCA’s mission is to serve human needs in Greater Springfield by providing programs that promote lifelong personal growth and the balanced development of spirit, mind, and body for all. Its areas of focus include youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility, and it accomplishes this through learning centers, school-age programs, childcare, summer programs and camps, and the Y-AIM social intervention program for teenagers.

A Conversation on Workplace Speech

By Contributor October 23, 2025

Law Special Coverage

After the Kirk Fallout, What the Law Protects — and What It Does Not

By Michael Lewis, Esq

After Charlie Kirk’s killing, workers across many sectors posted remarks that mocked or celebrated his death. Employers responded within hours. Some fired workers for policy violations; others suspended them pending review. Perhaps most notably, ABC temporarily pre-empted Jimmy Kimmel Live! after affiliates refused to carry the show and a federal regulator publicly criticized Kimmel’s on-air comments. Events moved quickly, and confusion spread just as fast.

The First Amendment restrains government. It does not create a job right to speak without workplace consequences. Private employers retain broad discretion, and public employers face a different constitutional test. Knowing where actual protection begins and ends will help you act quickly and lawfully.

What Counts as Protected Speech?

• Concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Act. Employees who speak with, or on behalf of, co-workers about pay, scheduling, staffing, safety, or other working conditions engage in ‘concerted’ activity. That protection covers many social media discussions directed to co-workers or seeking to start group action. It does not cover personal gripes, threats, disclosure of trade secrets, or harassing content.

• Anti-retaliation ‘opposition’ rights. Federal and state EEO laws protect employees who oppose or report discrimination in good faith, even if they are ultimately proven wrong on the facts. Crude insults and slurs fall outside that protection; specific, work-focused complaints usually fall inside it.

• State off-duty and political-activity laws. Some states protect lawful off-duty conduct or political activity outside work. New York protects many lawful off-duty political and recreational activities. California limits employer control of political activity. Colorado protects broad lawful off-duty conduct, subject to narrow exceptions. Connecticut’s statute extends free speech protections to private employees on matters of public concern, balanced against legitimate business interests. Multi-state employers should map these rules before disciplining off-duty posts.

Michael Lewis

“The First Amendment restrains government. It does not create a job right to speak without workplace consequences. Private employers retain broad discretion, and public employers face a different constitutional test.”

• Public sector balancing. Government employers must apply the Pickering/Garcetti framework. Speech by a public employee as a citizen on a matter of public concern can receive protection unless it impairs efficiency or disrupts operations, while speech made as part of job duties receives no constitutional protection.

What Does Not Count as Protected Speech?

• Policy-violating speech. Private employers may discipline speech that breaches social media, civility, confidentiality, or brand guidelines, so long as the rule and its enforcement do not infringe concerted activity rights or a state protection.

• Harassment and threats. Speech that targets protected classes or creates a hostile environment falls outside any protection and often requires prompt action.

• Disclosure of confidential or proprietary information. Revealing non-public business information, client data, or trade secrets invites discipline and potential legal remedies.

• Speech that predicts or causes disruption. Even in the public sector, officials may discipline speech that reasonably threatens operations, safety, or public trust after applying the required balancing test.

How the Rules Apply to Current Events

• Kirk-related terminations. Employers dismissed or suspended workers who posted content perceived as celebrating violence or taunting the victim. In private workplaces, the analysis turned on clear policy language, the connection to the employer’s brand, and whether the post involved co-workers or working conditions. Where a post targeted protected classes, anti-harassment duties reinforced the decision. Where a post was unrelated to working conditions and did not fall under state protection, at-will principles typically allowed discipline. Public employers had to apply the constitutional balancing test and document expected disruption before acting.

• The Kimmel pre-emption. ABC removed the show from its schedule after affiliates announced they would not air it and after public criticism from a federal regulator. While the network reversed course and reinstated Kimmel a week later, two practical lessons remain. First, business partners can force rapid action; affiliate refusals and advertiser pressure often shorten timelines and narrow options. Second, overt regulatory attention raises stakes for content decisions in media and adjacent industries. Employers should plan in advance for partner pushback and regulatory scrutiny, with ready playbooks and internal sign-offs.

• Other instructive precedents. Google’s termination of an engineer over a workplace memo survived a federal labor challenge because the content did not qualify as protected concerted activity and risked discriminatory impact. ESPN suspended an anchor for tweets that violated its social media rules, a reminder that brand and business relationships can justify discipline even when speech occurs off the clock. Franklin Templeton prevailed against a wrongful termination suit after firing an employee whose viral conduct damaged trust and reputation. Each example turns on the same themes: a clear policy, a documented business rationale, evenhanded enforcement, and — where required — a constitutional or statutory analysis.

A Clean Decision Path for Employers

When a post or clip surfaces, move in sequence and record the answers.

• Concerted or not? Does the speech seek to involve co-workers about working conditions or present a group complaint to management? If yes, treat it as potentially protected and consult counsel before acting.

• Harassment or threats? Does the content target protected classes, include slurs, or threaten harm? If yes, act under anti-harassment and safety policies.

• Public or private employer? If public, apply the citizen speech and disruption balancing; if private, proceed to the next step.

• State protections. Do any off-duty or political activity statutes apply? If yes, analyze the statute’s scope and exceptions.

• Contracts and past practice. Do CBA provisions, employment agreements, morals clauses, or progressive discipline rules constrain options, and have you enforced similar cases consistently?

• Confidentiality and brand risk. Did the content reveal non-public information or predict reputational harm with customers, partners, or regulators? If yes, incorporate that rationale into your file.

• Proportional response. Choose counseling, suspension, or termination based on the conduct, the role, and the risk, and issue a neutral, policy-based communication.

Policy and Training Steps That Work

Rewrite social media, civility, and confidentiality policies with concrete workplace examples. Cross-reference complaint channels and anti-retaliation language. Add explicit savings clauses for NLRA rights and any state-law protections. Train managers to escalate issues to HR and legal, and to avoid engaging in online arguments. Maintain a short internal script and an external statement template for high-profile events. Consistency across viewpoints reduces legal risk and public blowback.

Takeaway

Citizens hold broad speech rights against the state; employees do not gain broad job rights for speech in private workplaces. Your safest course is clear policy, measured triage, and disciplined, neutral enforcement, with special care for concerted activity, anti-harassment duties, state protections, and — if you are a public employer — the constitutional balancing test. When leaders understand what the law actually protects, they act faster and with less risk.

Michael Lewis is an attorney at the Royal Law Firm who helps employers resolve workplace challenges. He counsels and defends businesses across Massachusetts and Connecticut, handling matters involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour claims, restrictive covenants, and breach of contract. His practice includes litigation in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies.

Ludlow Features Some Developing Stories

By Joseph Bednar October 23, 2025

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

Marc Strange calls new and growing businesses “the economic engine that supports our budget.”

It’s called Get Lost in Ludlow.

That’s the theme of a campaign — being promoted in many ways, including a website and streetlight banners — in this town of just over 21,000 residents, encouraging locals and visitors alike to explore the amenities of Ludlow, from local produce, baked goods, and craft beer to scenic outdoor spaces; from historical landmarks to Lusitano Stadium, home of the Western Mass Pioneers soccer team.

“We’re trying to let people know what Ludlow has to offer,” Town Administrator Marc Strange said of the grant-funded campaign, noting that each banner is also visibly sponsored by a local business, “which adds a little bit of placemaking to the area.”

With his deep background in economic development — he came to Ludlow Town Hall in the spring of 2022 following stints as director of Planning and Development in Agawam and selectman in Longmeadow — Strange has been focused on ways to boost business in town and especially draw new business.

One focus over the past few years has been development and infrastructure improvements around the ongoing Ludlow Mills project and along the nearby East Street corridor, as well as expanding the town’s District Improvement Financing area, which had previously covered just the footprint of the mills, to East Street.

“The plaza that I eventually purchased, as you’re crossing over the bridge, it’s just to your right. And it began to look a little outdated and not really well kept up. Businesses started leaving, and I started noticing that.”

“We have some really iconic businesses, but on East Street, we just need to make it welcoming for new businesses,” Strange said, noting, as one example, the arrival in 2024 of BarBurrito, a new eatery from Bill Collins of Center Square Grill fame in East Longmeadow. “We feel like, if we can redo the infrastructure and make it more aesthetically attractive for new businesses, people will come in from out of town.”

As for the ongoing work by Westmass Area Development Corp. and WinnDevelopment on Ludlow Mills — which has added 170 housing units to its mixed-use complex over the past couple of years — “one of the aspects that really attracted me to Ludlow, coming from an economic development background, was seeing the potential of the mills and everything that we can create in the downtown area,” Strange said. “That continues to be our future, and where my mind goes when we talk about economic development.”

Marco Vieira, in front of the new Grit 24 Fitness, says his plaza on East Street can be a key cog in building economic momentum in that area of town.

Some of the destination spots in town, such as Randall’s Farm, Vanished Valley Brewing, and Sole Syndicate Brewing (formerly Iron Duke) — have been complimented by new businesses, like Tandem Bagel, which opened near Ludlow Mills last year.

“They’re doing well, and that adds a little bit more to the mills and to Riverside Drive,” Strange said, also noting success stories like the business park on Moody Street that’s typically fully occupied.

“So we have a lot going on. But certainly, any time we think about economic development, it always starts with the mills. It’s our future. It’s our economic engine that supports our budget.”

That’s a budget that’s constrained by Proposition 2½, which restricts how much a town can tax property. “Between the limitations of Prop 2.5 and limited state aid, you really need new growth. It’s really the buttress of our budget.”

“Our parks in town don’t have the best reputation, and I think that’s deserved. We really haven’t invested too much in our parks in terms of new equipment, the turf, the grass.”

Marco Vieira is one developer who sees potential in the area around the mills. That’s why he purchased the plaza on East Street near the Route 21 bridge connecting Ludlow to Springfield, which includes 39,000 square feet of commercial space and nine separate businesses.

“This side of town has struggled over the last decade. It used to be thriving back when the mills were open. Once they shut down, it started to look a little abandoned,” Vieira told BusinessWest. “The plaza that I eventually purchased, as you’re crossing over the bridge, it’s just to your right. And it began to look a little outdated and not really well kept up. Businesses started leaving, and I started noticing that.

“But then when Mill 8 and Mill 10 were built [at Ludlow Mills], they came out beautiful. And this side of town began to look like it was starting to wake up again — they rebuilt this whole riverwalk over here, too. So when that all came to life, it just so happened that the plaza came up for sale, and I jumped on the opportunity to purchase it with a couple of my partners.”

Tandem Bagel on Riverside Drive has been one of Ludlow’s recent success stories.

Anchored by a Walgreens and featuring an array of smaller businesses, the plaza used to be home to a gym, so Vieira’s largest improvement at the site was the design and construction of Grit 24 Fitness, a 24-hour gym that also offers personal training, which opened last year. Vieira said he wanted the atmosphere to evoke a gym that might be found in Miami or New York City in its elements of design, lighting, sound, and equipment.

“We’re trying to create something where we can bring the community together and gather — and it’s also going to help out the businesses in that plaza,” he explained. “East Street has about 20,000 vehicles passing through daily. So it’s not a dead zone. There’s a lot of potential there.”

Walk in the Park

The city is also planning infrastructure improvements downtown, including repaving, traffic calming elements, and new sidewalks.

“There’s also a new Select Board member who got elected in March, Anthony Alves, and he’s really prioritized the parks,” Strange said. “Our parks in town don’t have the best reputation, and I think that’s deserved. We really haven’t invested too much in our parks in terms of new equipment, the turf, the grass.

“So with Anthony’s leadership and the board’s support, we’re looking at improving Whitney Park and Veteran’s Park, and then Memorial Park. We really just need new equipment, to give them some attention. Those projects are going to be coming down the pike.”

Whitney Park, which is where the town’s summer camp has been held, includes a baseball field and a football field, he noted. “Years ago, it was very heavily used, but it’s not as attractive as it really needs to be, and the equipment is old; it’s not ADA-accessible. We’ve already gotten quotes for replacing all the equipment, so it can be a more exciting place for kids to go. Hopefully, when we replace the equipment, that’ll drive more traffic. We’re also looking at potentially redoing the tennis courts into something; we’re not quite sure what that’s going to look like yet.”

Meanwhile, “Vet’s Park is where the elementary school used to be, and right now it’s basically just open space, green space. There’s a soccer field there now, and a baseball field, but we’re working with Tighe & Bond on a redesign to put in a full, 11-on-11 soccer field and a 50-yard practice football field because the high school teams don’t really have any place to practice. And we’ll be redoing the softball field that’s over there, but also putting in pickleball and then some awesome playground equipment for the kids.”

In other municipal business, Strange noted that a recent town meeting approved the creation of a Finance Department and the hiring of Ludlow’s first Finance director, likely early next year. The same town meeting also allowed the town to create a capital stabilization fund and a Parks and Recreation stabilization fund.

Ludlow at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1774
Population: 21,002
Area: 28.2 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $17.35
Commercial Tax Rate: $17.35
Median Household Income: $53,244
Median Family Income: $67,797
Type of Government: Board of Selectmen, Representative Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Hampden County House of Correction; Encompass Rehabilitation Hospital; Massachusetts Air National Guard; Kleeberg Sheet Metal Inc.
*Latest information available

“That will allow us more transparency and more more predictability in terms of how we’re spending our money on capital projects in general, but also how we’re spending capital money in the parks. That’s important to us,” Strange said.

The town meeting also approved a noise bylaw, he added. “Throughout the year, we’ve gotten noise complaints about early trash pickups, noise from construction, noise from the pike, noise from some music venues. They were building up, so we felt like we had to do something. There was a lot of discussion on that, and it was a very close vote, but I think it’s necessary to give our Police Department more authority to enforce things.”

It Takes a Village

Vieira has always loved building.

“Creation was my big thing, even growing up. My parents didn’t have much money, so if I wanted a toy or something, I’d figure out a way to make it, build it — out of cardboard or paper mache, whatever. I just always loved to build.”

That passion carried over into adulthood, and in 2008, he opened his own building and remodeling company, Vieira Building & Home Improvement, in Ludlow.

“It eventually turned into a lot of additions and new construction, and I slowly got into commercial,” he told BusinessWest, noting that his purchase of the plaza and opening of Grit 24 is just the latest blending of his passions for building, creating, and his town.

“One year, my wife and I went to Florida, and what stood out the most was the gyms in Miami. You could walk in there, and you didn’t want to leave. So we ended up hiring a gym designer out of Miami.”

He said he takes pride in being just one piece of the puzzle downtown.

“In order to bring life back into a section of town, you can’t just depend on one person. You need to depend on the town leadership, the business owners, real estate owners, whether it’s just giving something a makeover or a facelift or opening up a small business — everyone needs to chip in. You can’t depend on WinnDevelopment or Westmass to improve the whole area.”

Strange agrees. “With respect to our downtown area, I feel like that’s the location with the most promise. And economic development is everything. You want an exciting space that people are going to go.”

That’s the idea behind the Get Lost in Ludlow campaign — to let people know there’s plenty to do, and stick around for.

“If you live in another town and you always come to Randall’s to do some pumpkin picking and stuff like that, but you don’t really know what else is in Ludlow, you can go to getlostinludlow.com, and there’s a calendar of events and a listing of businesses with pictures and links to the websites, so you can see what’s going on,” Strange added.

Vieira, for one, is grateful for that sense of connectivity. “It all goes back to everyone helping, helping pitching in and shining a light on the community, on this whole area.”

Rick Sullivan Reflects on Legacy of Economic Progress

By George O'Brien October 10, 2025

Rick Sullivan says the Westfield data-center project

Features

Exit Interview

By George O’Brien and Joseph Bednar

[email protected]; [email protected]

Throughout his lengthy career in public service and, most recently, within the business community, Rick Sullivan said his broad goal has always been to leave things better than he found them.

That was the case when he was mayor of Westfield for a dozen years, and also when he left that post to work for Gov. Deval Patrick in the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and then as chief of staff in the governor’s office.

And he had the same goal when he left Boston to return to the 413 and succeed Allan Blair as president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) in 2014. And he believes he’s succeeded in that mission.

Indeed, Sullivan, who will step down from that role at the end of this year, said he believes the EDC is in a better place today, with more members, more programs, and what most would say is a broader approach to its mission, one focused less on filling industrial park space (although that remains an important goal) and more on developing new business sectors, tackling workforce issues, making the region more competitive in the ongoing quest for employers and jobs, and, perhaps most importantly, growing the agency’s influence with statewide leaders and policy makers.

Elaborating, he said one of the goals he and the EDC’s membership set was for the agency to become a louder, stronger, more definitive voice for this region and its business community — and it has become that.

“The membership, at the time, was really looking for the EDC to become the lead organization in Western Massachusetts with regard to issues of business and business development and the economy — with the state, with the business leaders (mostly in Boston), with the policy centers, and the regulators,” he explained. “Because it was really felt — and I do think it’s true, and having spent some time in Boston, I really know it to be true — that when the regulators and the policy makers sit around the table down in Boston and make the rules and the policy and the laws, they don’t have a Western Mass. perspective … they don’t have a perspective of what happens on the ground in Western Massachusetts and how that’s going to impact things.

Rick Sullivan

“If the economy is doing better and people have more disposable income, then they’re buying more groceries or they’re going to the Big E … whatever they will spend their money on. And that’s going to help all of the companies that sit around my table.”

“So the membership was really looking to be the place, the clearinghouse, if you will, the go-to place, where governors, lieutenant governors, cabinet secretaries, those regulators would come and have those conversations,” he went on. “And I think we’ve been highly successful in that.”

Beyond progress on this important front, Sullivan said the EDC has made strides in other areas as well, especially when it comes to what he calls “catalyzing” new business sectors putting down roots here and that he hopes will be headquartered here, another goal for his board when he arrived.

That list includes quantum manufacturing, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and the broad realm of food science, sectors that are already making their mark here and should only grow in size and impact in the years and decades to come.

“These are sectors that are going be more important tomorrow and 10 years down the road than they even are today,” he said of these evolving industries. “AI is booming, and quantum is booming, and the issues of food science and food scarcity, water delivery systems and water scarcity … those problems are only going to grow and be more important in 10 years.

“And again, that’s kind of who we are in Western Mass.,” he went on. “So I think I’m actually leaving a couple of really exciting opportunities behind for the next CEO and, quite honestly, for the EDC moving forward.”

For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Sullivan about his tenure with the EDC, the progress that’s been made on several fronts, and the work still to be done.

Progress Report

When asked why he was stepping down now, Sullivan summoned some thinking he attributed to former NFL head coach Bill Parcells.

“He said you shouldn’t coach a team more than 10 years — and I think there’s some truth to that,” Sullivan noted. “You get to a point where you’ve done some of the same things that you’ve done for a long period of time, and it’s just time for the organization to change it up. So I think, for the organization and myself, it was just a really good time to have this happen.”

Looking back on his 11-year tenure, he said it’s been an interesting and challenging time for the region and the EDC, one marked by a global pandemic that changed everything, but especially where and how people work; the emergence of a new generation of leadership at many businesses across the region; shifting, but nearly constant, workforce challenges; ongoing efforts to create more jobs; work to leverage the region’s assets, especially its precision manufacturing sector, but also its cadre of colleges and universities; and a broad effort to lift the region’s economy and the prospects of its residents.

That last one is the underlying mission of the EDC, he noted, one that is not totally understood by some in the region’s business community.

“I think we need to do a better job as an EDC and as a region, not only celebrating but really marketing the advantages that we have here and the high quality of higher education that we have.”

“The simplest way to look at it is that our membership is really committed to growing the economy of Western Massachusetts,” Sullivan explained. “Growing the vitality economically, growing jobs, growing the ability for all residents of Western Massachusetts to enter the workplace and have a better quality of life — it’s pretty simple, and it’s a little bit of the ‘rising tide raises all boats’ theory.

“If the economy is doing better and people have more disposable income, then they’re buying more groceries or they’re going to the Big E … whatever they will spend their money on,” he went on. “And that’s going to help all of the companies that sit around my table.”

As for that table, it’s much larger now than it was 11 years ago, at least in terms of the number of people sitting at it, he went on, adding that membership has nearly doubled since he started, growing from 50 to roughly 90, and it has become more diverse as well, meaning companies of all sizes and across nearly all sectors.

More voices, and more diverse voices, make the EDC even more representative of the region and its business community, said Sullivan, adding that the strength and overall impact of the organization lie not in its president and CEO, but in its membership.

And growth of this membership, comprised of the leaders of area businesses and nonprofits, is among the most significant accomplishments recorded during his tenure.

Others include the maturation, if you will, of those emerging sectors listed earlier, sectors that were already here and now offer strong potential for continued growth.

Quantum computing is certainly on that list, he said, adding that the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center has been designated by the Healey administration as the state’s hub for artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and $16 million in state and private investments have been made toward building a new quantum computer there.

“And I think it’s a significant investment … I think you will see the state come in with additional resources to really move this forward,” Sullivan said. “Part of the argument has been that the state did a great job investing in biotech and clean energy and IT. And that was great, and they’ve been wonderful for the state economy, but those benefits really didn’t come back out here toward Western Massachusetts. So this investment in quantum really identifies strengths that we already have here.”

Another of these strengths is the broad food science sector.

“This relates back to everything from agriculture to water delivery and water filtration and water scarcity issues but also can go as far as alternative proteins and innovation and entrepreneurship within the space of food science,” Sullivan explained. “And little did we know that probably the leading institute in the country, and one of the international leaders, is UMass Amherst; they do great work out there already. And then, when you combine that with companies that are already here, like Big Y or Friendly’s or Hood, and then smaller companies and some new ones starting something, like Clean Crop out of Holyoke, those are all under that food science umbrella.”

Looking Ahead

As he talked about the work still to be done in the region and the challenges facing the 413, Sullivan said there are many items in both categories.

As for challenges, he put workforce and housing at the top of the list, while noting that they’re obviously related.

Indeed, one of the state’s weaknesses, from a competitiveness standpoint, is the sky-high cost of housing across most of the state. And while conditions are better in many Western Mass. cities and towns, there are several where potential workers are simply priced out, creating hardships for employers and shrinking the size of the populations, and workforces, in area communities.

“In terms of population growth, I think this is a good opportunity, in terms of a moment in time, to be able to have a growth strategy,” he said. “The state, under Governor Healey, is making significant investments in housing, and I really encourage every single city and town to take advantage of the incentives that are out there for development across the housing spectrum.

“From the higher end to market rate to workforce housing, it needs to be everything,” he went on. “Because right now, many parts of the region have no growth — in some cases, even declining growth. If it wasn’t for immigration, there would probably be no growth. Having no growth means that it makes it harder to fill those jobs. It’s harder to make that case as to why somebody should move here.

“I know there’s an old saying — and I don’t think it was Bill Parcells who said it this time — that if you’re not growing, you’re dying,” he went on. “And I think the growth strategy needs to be in every single community, and now is the time to be able to do that because, if you create a housing stock, people will move in.”

More housing, and more affordable options, are key now, he said, because people have more options when it comes to where and how they work, creating some real opportunities for this region.

“They can go, and they can live in a less costly community,” Sullivan said. “And when you stack things up in terms of energy costs and taxes and food costs and transportation costs, Western Massachusetts can make a very compelling case as to why we’re a very good place to live. Our quality of life is excellent. Going back to our commitment to recreation and outdoor activities and the environment, those are all things that are important when people are deciding where they can live, and today they have more choices than ever.”

Another challenge for the region moving forward is to more effectively leverage its considerable assets, especially higher ed.

“One of the other things that I think we can do a better job at is recognizing that we’re fortunate here in Western Massachusetts to have a really strong higher ed sector,” he noted, from UMass Amherst and the community colleges to a host of nationally regarded private colleges and universities.

“I don’t think we’ve done a good enough job leveraging that sector, because when companies look to come here, the first question they ask is ‘can I find the workforce?’” he went on. “When they’re looking for that talent, that talent is sitting in the classrooms of our higher ed institutions. So I think we need to do a better job as an EDC and as a region, not only celebrating but really marketing the advantages that we have here and the high quality of higher education that we have.”

When asked if he had any words of his advice for his successor, due to be named later this month, Sullivan said simply, “stay close to the membership.”

“The quality of individuals that sit around that table, the companies they represent, really are the companies that drive success here in Western Massachusetts,” he continued. “And while the CEO of the EDC is important because he or she will be the implementer, it’s really the agenda of the membership. They’re all really smart, and they’re all really committed to this region, and they want to see the best for the region. And not in a parochial sense — they’d really like to see everybody doing better; they would like to see the economy grow.”

If Sullivan’s successor does that, as he did, he or she will be in a position to ultimately follow his lead and leave the organization — and the region’s business landscape — in a better place.

Golf Sector Strives for Solid, Sustainable Growth

By George O'Brien October 10, 2025

Sports & Leisure

Round Numbers

Mike Fontaine says the Ledges had a record year revenue-wise for fiscal 2025, and is on pace for another solid year.

Mike Fontaine acknowledged that most golf courses count rounds, and would prefer to use that number as a yardstick for success in a given month or season.

“But I’m the weird guy … we don’t count rounds — we count money, we count revenue,” said Fontaine, general manager of the Ledges Golf Club in South Hadley, a municipal course built at the height of the Tiger Woods-fueled golf craze in the late ’90s, and one that struggled to make ends meet for much of its existence.

But since International Golf Maintenance (IGM) was contracted to provide complete management services for the course in 2019, it has turned things around, and there is much more revenue to count, said Fontaine, adding that rounds are up as well.

“Financially, we’re doing very well — since IGM has taken over, we’ve been able to cover operational expenses,” he went on. “And we’ve actually been able to take some of the revenue we’ve made and put it back into the course: a new pump station, lots of tree work, cart path paving … we’ve come a long way.”

The turnaround story at the Ledges is one of many indicators that the golf business has improved considerably since before the pandemic, and, in many respects, because of the pandemic.

Indeed, while COVID shut down courses very early in that spring of 2020, they were soon reopened, and golf became one of the few things people could to socialize and get some exercise. Thus, many who had left the game for any of several reasons — especially the cost and time it takes to play 18 — came back, and many newcomers discovered it as well.

Nothing has been terribly easy, and the weather can still turn a potentially good year into a bad one, but golf is on much firmer ground than it was several years ago, as Atillio Cardaropoli can attest.

He’s the owner of Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow, which has made a turnaround of its own several years after being rumored to be headed toward redevelopment into a large housing subdivision. Still, the private course, like many in that category, was struggling a decade or so ago to maintain full membership, or something close to it.

“Financially, we’re doing very well — since IGM has taken over, we’ve been able to cover operational expenses. And we’ve actually been able to take some of the revenue we’ve made and put it back into the course: a new pump station, lots of tree work, cart path paving … we’ve come a long way.”

Now there’s a waiting list — which is good, because there is always attrition each year — and considerable interest in getting on it, said Cardaropoli, adding that there are several reasons for this, everything from improved condition of the course to new amenities, including, yes, pickleball, a common addition at many clubs.

“We’ve added six courts, and it’s really taken off,” he said, adding that while many golfing members partake in that sport as well, the club has a membership just for pickleball players — $500 a year.

“We’re doing very well … our course is in fabulous condition, probably the best condition it’s been in in years,” he went on, adding that the course has a new superintendent. “The greens are fabulous.”

Still, as noted earlier, there is nothing remotely easy about this business, and courses are having to work harder to enjoy the success being seen the industry.

Attillio Cardaropoli, owner of Twin Hills Country Club, says the golf industry has maintained the momentum it garnered during the pandemic.

Melissa Aitken, CEO of the Country Club of Pittsfield, said the club has been impacted by competition, the economy, and some changing demographics in Pittsfield and the Berkshires, meaning more residents with dual residency — in Western Mass. and someplace warm, usually Florida or Arizona.

Elaborating, she said the club has struggled to make up the losses from attrition the past few years, and so it has started “thinking outside the box,” as she put it.

Initiatives have included a traditional membership drive that brought in some new members, but also a fall incentive program (15% of the dues down, and the fall season is free) and the waving of initiation fees, as well as an open house for perspective new members — nine holes of golf, pickleball, tennis, and lunch at the lake.

“People see the value of services, and they keep coming back.”

“We had 25 prospective new members come out; it was an awesome day,” she said, adding that the club fared well through COVID and the years just following, but has hit what she called a “post-COVID slump.”

The club has amenities that enable it to stand out among the half dozen or so courses within a 30-mile stretch, and it will continue to promote those assets.

For this issue and its focus on food and lifestyle, BusinessWest takes a look at how the golf business continues to take full advantage of the boost it was given and parlay it into solid, sustainable growth.

Driving Business

As for the weather, it’s always a factor with this business.

In the spring, course owners and managers were talking about getting off to another early start, with many clubs open by St. Patrick’s Day. Then the talk focused on many Saturdays (if not entire weekends) were lost to rain in late April and May. It was eight or 10 in a row, as most recall.

Then the talk shifted to how great the weather was through most of the summer (July was hot and humid) and into the fall, putting most courses on track for another very solid year.

Melissa Aitkin says the Country Club of Pittsfield has been creative in efforts to grow membership, including the waiving of initiation fees for those signing up this fall.

“August and September were outstanding — it’s been a fantastic summer,” said Fontaine, adding that weather helps with everything from walk-up play to keeping tournaments on schedule.

The dry conditions contributed to the club’s best year to date, he went on, adding that, for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, the club had garnered more than $1.7 million in income.

“That’s more than this golf course ever made, and we know we had a record-breaking August,” he said, adding that September, which wasn’t done when he spoke with BusinessWest, was on track for something similar until two days of heavy rain near the end of the month.

Fontaine attributes this success to several factors, including course condition, value to the customer (an all-important factor in a region still saturated with courses), a full slate of outings, a reliable source of play, and facilities that tend to keep golfers on site for a beer and lunch or dinner after the round.

“People see the value of services, and they keep coming back,” he said, noting that the biggest factor with the bottom line is the surge in the number of people playing.

Cardaropoli agreed, noting that one challenge — and opportunity — for courses is to bring more players into the pipeline and also keep those who have found the game in recent years engaged and in a position to stick with it for years and decades to come.

“People are staying with it, but it’s a very difficult game,” he told BusinessWest. “We have a great instructor, and she’s doing a tremendous job of getting more women involved in the game. A lot of them are picking it up because she’s doing a fabulous job of teaching and giving lessons, and people are enjoying the game more.”

Getting people into the game and keeping them engaged is, of course, just one of the challenges, noted Aitken, noting that, for many clubs, including the Country Club of Pittsfield, the economy, rising costs, and competition are also on that list.

And for the Pittsfield club, there is the additional challenge of balancing the wants and needs of year-round residents with those with dual residency, especially when it comes to the price tag of membership.

“We have an interesting demographic at our club … we have a 50-50 split between dual residents and locals,” she explained, adding that the club currently has about 430 golfing members and would like to get to 500, if not higher. “So there’s a fine line you have to walk with the dues — you put them up too much, even though the dual residents will afford it, the locals may not be able to.

“We struggle with not outpricing ourselves,” Aitken went on, adding that yearly increases are necessary to keep up the rising cost of everything from labor to fertilizer.

The waving of initiation fees has been a major factor in attracting new members, she noted, adding that this is often the deciding factor in whether an individual or family, especially those living here year-round, will make the investment.

Value is another factor, she said, adding that it comes in many forms, from the restaurant to the condition of the course, which has been transformed following the removal of hundreds of trees, a pattern being followed by many courses today.

“I can’t describe the vistas that have been opened up,” she said. “I’ve been here for 19 years, and to see this transformation in such a short period … I’m in awe of what’s been done.”

Bottom Line

While the views at the Pittsfield course are now different and in many ways spectacular, the broad view from within the golf sector is equally impressive.

It’s a view toward continued — and sustainable — growth for a business where there are always ups and downs — and now, fewer of the latter.

Enhanced Detection Benefits May Help Close Gaps in Care

By Contributor October 10, 2025

Health Care Healthcare News

A New Cancer Strategy

By Dr. Ana Stankovic

A new report from America’s Health Rankings found that 8.7% of adults in Massachusetts have previously been diagnosed with cancer, and the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 34,503 cancer cases were reported in Massachusetts in 2022.

Costs related to this disease are expected to continue to rise. In fact, one in three people in the U.S. are affected by cancer, and about 2 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year.

The five-year survival rate for colorectal cancer when caught in its early stages is more than 90%, for example. At the most advanced stages, the five-year survival rate for this type of cancer is 13%, and treatment may result in long-term side effects.

“Designing a health benefits strategy for your workforce that includes enhanced coverage for cancer detection services and support for whole-person health can help employees and their families identify conditions early.”

A cancer diagnosis can impact people’s lives in many ways. Early cancer detection can play a key role in helping to improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs.

Designing a health benefits strategy for your workforce that includes enhanced coverage for cancer detection services and support for whole-person health can help employees and their families identify conditions early.

The number of breast and colorectal cancer diagnoses in particular has been steadily rising since the mid-2000s. These cancers are also increasingly diagnosed at younger ages. Since the mid-2000s, the number of women with breast cancer diagnoses has also been steadily rising. In fact, breast cancer is now the most common type of cancer in the U.S.

By comparison, colon cancer diagnoses have increased in people aged 18-50 by 15% since 2004. In the same age group, colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women.

The annual cost of cancer care in the U.S. is expected to rise to $246 billion by 2030, a 34% increase since 2015. According to a recent report from the American Cancer Society, 80% of employers rate cancer as the top driver of their healthcare costs.

What Can Employers Do?

For employers, cancer can increase direct healthcare spending and also lead to indirect costs related to productivity and employee absenteeism. In fact, 39% of individuals with cancer and survivors say they missed more than three months of work due to their illness. Employees who become caregivers may also face challenges balancing work and caregiving.

Employers can support whole-person health for their workforces by offering cancer support services, encouraging clinically appropriate cancer screenings and detection services, and promoting healthier lifestyles.

As with many other health benefits, education may help improve understanding and usage of cancer detection services and help employees make the most of their health benefits.

In the U.S. at least 18% of cancers are related to excess body weight, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, and poor nutrition, according to the American Cancer Society. Wellness programs may help encourage healthier lifestyle habits such as eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol, and regular exercise, which may help lower the risk of certain cancers and other diseases.

Meanwhile, around 11% of screening mammograms result in additional diagnostic imaging, and 50% of colonoscopies detect polyps and result in more frequent follow-up screenings. Offering enhanced cancer detection benefits that go beyond standard preventive care may help lower healthcare costs for employees and may help improve health outcomes for employees by supporting early diagnosis.

While we may not be able to prevent all cancers, helping employees access preventive and diagnostic services and encouraging a healthier lifestyle may help drive better outcomes and lower costs.

Dr. Ana Stankovic is chief medical officer at UnitedHealthcare of New England.

Assessment Reveals Youth Substance Use Trends in Berkshires

By BusinessWest Staff October 10, 2025

Health Care Healthcare News

Mixed Signals

The South Berkshire Community Health Coalition (SBCHC), a program of Railroad Street Youth Project, has released findings from the 2025 Prevention Needs Assessment (PNA) Survey, providing a timely snapshot of youth substance use and behavioral health in South Berkshire County.

The biennial survey — administered to public school students in grades 8, 10, and 12 — serves as a tool in measuring the community’s effectiveness in supporting youth well-being and preventing substance use. This year’s results reveal a concerning upward trend in alcohol and cannabis use among youth, reversing nearly a decade of progress.

“These numbers are somewhat of a mixed bag,” said Laura Rodriguez, director of SBCHC. “We’re definitely seeing the longer-term effects of the pandemic — particularly how substance use became more normalized in homes. And that’s where the solution starts: with us. We need parents, families, and trusted adults to step into leadership roles in shifting norms and expectations. This isn’t something young people can navigate on their own.”

“We’re definitely seeing the longer-term effects of the pandemic — particularly how substance use became more normalized in homes. And that’s where the solution starts: with us. We need parents, families, and trusted adults to step into leadership roles in shifting norms and expectations. This isn’t something young people can navigate on their own.”

Among the key findings from the 2025 PNA, alcohol use is rebounding. After declining for several years, alcohol use among South County youth began to rise in 2021 and is now the most commonly used substance. Among students who were in grade 8 in 2021, 30-day alcohol use rose by 87% by the time they reached 10th grade in 2023. For 10th-graders in 2021, rates increased by 84% by the time they reached 12th grade in 2023.

The parental role in alcohol abuse may be shifting as well; 25% of all surveyed students that reported using alcohol in the previous year got it from home with parental permission.

Meanwhile, from 2021 to 2025, 30-day cannabis use almost doubled across all surveyed grades. This surge is strongly linked to increasingly permissive attitudes among parents and shifting social norms around cannabis, highlighting the crucial role adults play in shaping youth behavior.

Similar to the alcohol findings, 13% of all surveyed students that reported using cannabis in the previous year got it from home with parental permission.

There were some positive trends in tobacco use. Encouragingly, e-cigarette use among 12th-graders dropped from 29% to 13% from 2021 to 2025, and cigarette use fell from 7.3% to 3.7%. Meanwhile, after a peak in 2021, reported depressive symptoms among youth declined in both 2023 and 2025, which SBCHC attributes to more robust school-based mental health supports and youth-centered prevention efforts.

Community-driven Solutions

The SBCHC works with youth, schools, parents, and regional organizations to design and implement coordinated prevention strategies rooted in local data and lived experience. Efforts are focused on reducing risk factors — such as youth isolation and low perception of harm — and building up protective factors like strong peer networks, accurate information, and consistent adult engagement.

Current strategies include Youth Education for Action, a youth-led approach that includes the Peer Health Educator Program and Restorative Prevention Fellowship, providing students in both Southern Berkshire and Berkshire Hills regional school districts with tools to lead prevention efforts in their schools.

Parents and caregivers are also being equipped with tools to shift community norms. SBCHC’s Kitchen Table Talks peer model creates space for candid conversations and encourages adult community members to challenge permissive attitudes toward youth substance use.

The SBCHC recently offered a free Kitchen Table Talks facilitator training on Sept. 10 at Great Barrington Family Resource Center, and on Saturday, Oct. 18, it will offer an Invitation to Change training from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Berkshire South Regional Community Center. These evidence-based workshops are designed to help parents and caregivers respond constructively to a young person’s substance use, reduce conflict, and foster positive change.

“Our strength is in collaboration,” Rodriguez said. “Parents, educators, neighbors — every caring adult in this community has a role to play in prevention. This is not just a school issue or a family issue — it’s a community-wide call to action.”

Railroad Street Youth Project is dedicated to empowering young people in Berkshire County by providing them with the tools, support, and opportunities they need to lead healthy, fulfilling lives. RSYP’s programs focus on youth development, education, workforce training, and substance use prevention.

Red Fire Farm Begins Building New Barn Following Blaze

By BusinessWest Staff October 10, 2025

Architecture

Community Appeal

Ryan Voiland says Red Fire Farm cannot remain financially sustainable without a new barn and farm store.

Red Fire Farm, a cornerstone of local organic farming and sustainable food production in Western Mass. and across the state, announced last month that construction has begun on its new barn and that a GoFundMe has been launched to raise funds and galvanize community support.

After the loss of its historic 100-year-old barn to a fire in February 2024, Red Fired Farm was left without the space to sell or distribute food to thousands of customers. Over the past 19 months, generous donations and help from local supporters have allowed Red Fire Farm to stay open and maintain its farm store in a temporary location, ensuring continued access to fresh produce for customers.

Last month, the farm announced the construction of a new barn on the farm’s existing property at 34 Carver St. in Granby, MA, situated on 25 acres of farmland. The farm has hired a general contractor, secured plan approvals, and poured the foundation for the new building. However, the total cost of construction is estimated to be $1.2 million. With funding from a state grant, the small amount of insurance, and the farm’s own investment, there remains a shortfall of more than $400,00 due to increased building costs. The farm hopes to raise $200,000 of that total via donations as, without this new barn and farm store, Red Fire Farm cannot remain financially sustainable.

“We are launching a community barn raiser to help us make this barn a reality,” farm co-owner Ryan Voiland said. “It will be the heartbeat for the future of the farm, enabling the farm to continue serving the community and feeding thousands of people throughout the state.”

“We are launching a community barn raiser to help us make this barn a reality. It will be the heartbeat for the future of the farm, enabling the farm to continue serving the community and feeding thousands of people throughout the state.”

Just over $58,000 had been raised at press time. Gifts of all sizes are welcomed. Supporters of the campaign can donate at www.gofundme.com/f/help-build-the-barn-the-new-heart-of-red-fire-farm.

“Despite the immense financial challenges, we are committed to building the barn because we know that this farm is vital to our community,” co-owner Sarah Voiland said. “We are a living example of what it takes to feed people locally and regionally, and we continue to farm against the odds of climate change and a broken food system that benefits large, corporate farms thousands of miles away. Our mission is to provide the most nutritious food to everyone, regardless of income, while supporting over 80 local jobs.”

Red Fire Farm is the second-largest CSA (community-supported agriculture) farm in Western Mass. and among the 10 largest CSA farms in the state. Through CSA pickups, farmers markets and the Granby store, food relief, and local wholesale, the farm serves more than 7,000 people with fresh produce weekly in locations from Western Mass. to Worcester to the Boston area.

The Voilands say the farm avoids harmful chemicals and genetically engineered seeds, instead prioritizing soil health and long-term environmental sustainability. Each year, the farm donates tens of thousands of pounds of produce to food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens.

“Thanks to Red Fire Farm I have fed my family healthy, local food, as have my neighbors and friends throughout the state,” said Andrea Wong, a CSA farm share member. “I am excited that we have a chance to be part of this barn building to create the future for the farm and our own food supply.”

Local Burger Has Continued Growth on the Menu

By Joseph Bednar October 9, 2025

Cover Story Restaurants

On a Roll

Co-owner Jeff Igneri

Aromance can spark a lot of things. For restaurant patrons in Western Mass., it sparked a successful burger chain that continues to grow.

Jeff Igneri, who earned degrees in hotel restaurant management and hospitality administration at Johnson & Wales University, was looking to open a restaurant in the Providence, R.I. area, or maybe Worcester, but he happened to be dating a woman — now his wife, April — who was enrolled in a master’s degree program at Smith College.

“I came and visited her once, and as we were walking down the streets of Northampton, I saw an open location and said, ‘let’s check that out.’ I called the landlord, and things worked out.”

It took some work and a $65,000 investment to renovate the Main Street space, but Igneri and three family business partners — his father, Joe, and brothers, Chris and Steve — opened Local Burger in 2008, and found it to be an immediate success, despite some initial naysayers.

“We always wanted to do burgers, but as we were renovating the place, people came by and said, ‘burgers won’t work here; it’s a vegetarian town,’” Igneri recalled. “But when we opened up, it was just go, go, go — thankfully.”

Local Burger does offer more than one meatless burger, along with a wide variety of other burgers and sandwiches — not only beef, but chicken, pastrami, hot dogs, and more — as well as chicken tenders, donut-sized onion rings, and a wide array of starters. Some of its most famous fare was developed during those early days.

“Obviously the food has to be good, and the service, too, but it feels fun when you’re here. It feels like a carefree break from the chaos. You can come in here, be who you are, eat what you want to eat, and just chill out.”

“We created the Cap’n Crunch chicken tender right away. We played around with cornflakes and said, ‘huh, cereal sounds good on chicken. Let’s try something different. Cap’n Crunch, why not?’”

What has almost certainly raised the profile of a restaurant chain that launched in Northampton is Local Burger’s emphasis on buying ingredients from local farms, from beef to produce. Early on, Chicoine Farm in Easthampton supplied most of the beef, but these days, Igneri sources meat from several local farms, including Porter Family Farm in Ashfield, Holly Berry Farm in Chesterfield, and Mayval Farm in Easthampton.

Meanwhile, all the chain’s potatoes come from Szawlowski Potato Farms in Hatfield, the ice cream comes from Maple Valley Creamery in Hadley, and other farms supply a variety of produce.

“I had lived in New York, Providence, Eastern Massachusetts,” Igneri told BusinessWest. “So coming out here, seeing all the farms with all the local meats, local produce, it was not typical for me. I wasn’t used to it.

“So we just talked to a bunch of different farmers and asked what they had, what meats they had, what produce they had, and that’s how it all started — just going to different farmers and checking to see what they had for us,” he added, noting that he wasn’t initially thinking of partnering with farms when he first thought about opening a restaurant. “It wasn’t even on my radar until I came out here and saw everything that’s available. There was so much out here.”

Tabitha Saalfrank says it’s critical to keep loyal, reliable employees happy in an industry where workers can be hard to find.

Today, Local Burger has grown to four locations — the Keene, Vt. restaurant opened 13 years ago, a spot in Haydenville opened nine years ago, and Igneri and his father (his brothers are no longer partners) moved into the former Riff’s Joint space at Eastworks in Easthampton last year. In addition, they also maintain a food truck and a catering operation.

And throughout all of it, buying and serving local ingredients comes first.

“At first, there weren’t as many restaurants doing that,” he said. “So ‘Local Burger’ has two meanings. One is using as much local products as possible, and one is being the local burger joint. It wasn’t necessarily using local produce at first — it was just supposed to be the local burger place. But it worked out with the other meaning.”

Moving On Up

Tabitha Saalfrank has been with Local Burger for eight years and has moved from working in the food truck and catering aspects of the business to managing the Easthampton location. So she has interacted with customers in many different ways, and said that, besides the food, what keeps customers coming back are the people and the experience.

“People will recognize me. I’ll be wearing a plain black sweatshirt at the gas station, and someone’s like, ‘oh, it’s the Local Burger girl.’ So, not to be cliché or corny, but it feels like family,” she said. “We have a customer that’s been coming here since she was pregnant with her first kid, and she’s now pregnant with her second kid, and I’m watching that baby grow up because they come here so often.

“I think it’s the vibe that we’re able to give off as well, just the experience and the environment. Obviously the food has to be good, and the service, too, but it feels fun when you’re here. It feels like a carefree break from the chaos. You can come in here, be who you are, eat what you want to eat, and just chill out.”

“People perceive burgers to be a low-cost item because you can go to McDonald’s for X amount of dollars and buy something that’s not a great product. But beef is one of the highest-priced proteins out there.”

Igneri said he’s made a point of promoting from within — the manager of the Keene location, Mike Collins, joined Local Burger as a dishwasher in 2012, and many employees have been in the organization for most of its history — but giving managers an ownership stake as well.

“Mike is a great story,” he added. “He came in, started washing dishes, went on to be a cook, and now he’s running it, and he has part ownership there. I think that’s why we keep our employees so long. We try to get people involved and keep them happy and give them a piece of the action. I just wanted to do something to make them feel like they’ve earned it.”

Saalfrank, for one, is excited to work for a company that allows room for growth.

“I had been working for a while, and Jeff was like, ‘what can I do for you? If we were to buy Riff’s, would you want step up and take over?’ And I was like, ‘sure,’” she said. “He’s actively looking around and considering the staff when opening a location — like, ‘OK, who’s up next?’”

Igneri said he has always kept a community focus with Local Burger, supporting events like Bikes Fight Cancer and Magic for Maddie (a pediatric cancer fundraiser), as well as local schools and nonprofits, like Tapestry Health, Cutchins Programs for Children & Families, and Cancer Connection.

The former Riff’s Joint space in Eastworks has turned out to be an ideal site for the fourth Local Burger location.

“We have this core of people who have been here for so many years that just represent us in such a great way. We’re lucky to have them,” Igneri said. “The community supports us, and we support them.”

Serving Up Challenges

While Local Burger is clearly a success story, the restaurant business is fraught with challenges, Igneri said, from rising ingredient prices — and the resulting balancing act in pricing between making a profit and keeping customers happy — to maintaining a loyal, reliable workforce.

“That’s a challenge in Haydenville because it’s seasonal — we’re six months out of the year. Trying to hire people for six months is difficult for us. Luckily, we can take the staff in Haydenville and put them in the other locations when workforce needs arise there,” he explained. “So we don’t let them go — we try to keep them as long as possible.”

Saalfrank said it’s critical to hang onto the best talent because it can be hard to find.

“Finding people who want to work is my biggest challenge lately. I get so many applications, but the people with the work ethic who are determined to actually get the job done, I feel like that’s rare. It’s a job, yes, and I don’t expect more from them than their job, but it sometimes seems like they don’t want to be here at all. So when I find the ones that do, I hang onto them.

“We take care of our staff, too,” she went on. “If you have an idea or you think something’s not working, we’re going to listen, and we’re going to try to make it so that everybody’s happy. To find people who still don’t want to be here after that, it’s just like, ‘OK, well, maybe this just isn’t it for you.’ But I’ve noticed there is a work ethic issue, especially in the younger generation.”

As for the challenge of rising prices, “there’s a perception with burgers,” Igneri said. “People perceive burgers to be a low-cost item because you can go to McDonald’s for X amount of dollars and buy something that’s not a great product. But beef is one of the highest-priced proteins out there; it fluctuates from $5 to $6 a pound. And you can’t adjust your prices on a daily basis, even though a lot of the prices fluctuate weekly. So you just have to shop around different providers and do the best you can. It’s a constant battle with prices.”

That said, Igneri is gratified by the business he has built.

“On a busy night, you look around, you see people eating, having a good time, and it makes it all worth it. You see families laughing, having a birthday party here. We rent out our bar area for rehearsal dinners. So to pull Local Burger into those big moments in your life — it’s not a small thing finding where you want to have your birthday party or your rehearsal dinner. So it means a lot.”

Speaking of the bar area in Easthampton, Saalfrank said the team recently launched Thursday night bingo games there, and they have been a big hit.

“Our Thursday night will sometimes be busier than our Friday because of the people that are here for bingo,” she said. “It’s a new, fun thing that I feel proud to have been able to get started. It’s a good vibe.”

Igneri reiterated toward the end of his conversation with BusinessWest that the three things that make Local Burger stand out are food quality, the staff, and community connections.

“We’re lucky to be in the west of Massachusetts, where people support local businesses — local farms, local restaurants … it’s important to people,” he said. “I sometimes ask, ‘how did this happen?’ I remember opening the restaurant in Northampton saying, ‘what am I doing? I’m in way over my head. Why am I doing this?’”

Seventeen years — and a lot of happy customers — later, he understands why.

Employing People with Disabilities Can Be a True Win-win

By Joseph Bednar October 9, 2025

Features Special Coverage

Hire Calling

Emily Benoit (left) and Erika Lamere say the Lincoln Street Stop & Shop in Holyoke has strived to cultivate an inclusive workplace.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. But for Lhea Destromp, it’s a year-round effort.

“This isn’t just seasonal. It’s about carving out intentional opportunities and making our workspaces more inclusive. And that’s a slow and thoughtful process,” said Destromp, an employment counselor in Regional Employment Services for the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS).

That said, the increased awareness in October does present an opportunity to create more dialogue around the value that workers with disabilities add to the workforce, the importance of inclusive employment policies, and barriers to employment that people with disabilities may face.

“When I’m talking to employers, I’m talking to them in terms of value and what they’re looking for, so I need to be able to convince them that an individual, or a whole group of people, are reliable and not a risk — because, at the end of the day, business people are thinking about risk. So it’s about putting the facts in front of people so that they can make informed decisions. And a lot of people don’t realize that individuals with disabilities tend to have the greatest longevity in their careers.”

As an example, she connected BusinessWest with the Stop & Shop store on Lincoln Street in Holyoke, where a man with a developmental disability named Michael has been bagging and retrieving carriages — and occasionally other tasks — for the past 35 years.

“Michael has been like a brother to me,” said Erika Lamere, an administrator at the store who has roughly the same tenure at the store. “We grew here together. And he feels like this place is his home because he’s been here so long.”

Emily Benoit, a department head who works closely with Michael, said there are rough days when he’ll get a little overwhelmed.

“Whenever something’s bugging him, like if he had a bad interaction with a customer, he’s able to talk to us and explain what happened and what he’s feeling, and we can kind of direct him — ‘OK, that’s all right, this happens, it’s normal.’ And talking about it helps him and brings him down a level so he’s not overwhelmed.”

That said, Michael’s time at Stop & Shop is marked by mostly good days, and the same goes for Chris, another employee with a developmental disability who mainly bags groceries. They’re popular with customers and — importantly — extremely reliable, Benoit said, something Destromp says is true for many of the clients she works with and helps connect with jobs.

Lhea Destromp

“It’s about putting the facts in front of people so that they can make informed decisions. And a lot of people don’t realize that individuals with disabilities tend to have the greatest longevity in their careers.”

“Why should these people not be included?” Lamere asked. “We’ve had supervisors come through the building that say, ‘what do they do?’ Well, they can do anything anyone else can do if they’re just taught how to do it.

“That’s one thing I love about this place — in all my years here, we have always made sure that everyone is included, no matter what it is: a disability, your race, your sexual preference, I don’t care,” she went on. “Everyone is a person and deserves to work if they want to. And yes, they may not be able to perform all tasks, but that doesn’t mean places shouldn’t hire them. And once they get comfortable, you’d be very surprised with the other things they are willing to do and end up doing.”

And doing well, Destromp added.

“Not only do many of these folks work in their positions for a long time, they’re very reliable, they very seldom call out, and individuals with disabilities have the lowest of workers’ compensation claims. So when we think about how an employer defines risk within the context of an employee, we’re checking all the boxes here.”

Meaningful Connections

Destromp, as noted, helps people with developmental disabilities secure meaningful work, and she does this from both sides.

“I work with job coaches on job development with individuals who are looking to get jobs. Typically they have a number of obstacles and barriers that have led to a pattern of instability that has made it so they can’t retain work. So I help create goals and strategies to work with these folks so that they can resolve these issues,” she explained.

“At the same time, on the other end, I’m working with employers and helping to prepare them so that they can embark on this journey. For some of them, it’s an easy job, and it’s just about placement. For others, we’re really carving in — helping them identify roles for people and supports.”

In many ways, she said, her department acts as a training program to determine where the barriers are and what someone needs to overcome them and secure employment.

“It really depends on the individual, almost how you think about physical therapy. If somebody has an issue with their leg versus an issue with their back or their core, they’re going to have a whole different regimen to support them and strengthen what they need. So, for us, it’s really about targeting those areas,” she explained. “We’re working to assess where the deficits are, and then we can identify strategies to support them.”

She’s also busy with engaging different constituencies around the issue of inclusive workplaces and what that means to both job seekers and employers.

“I’m doing more around community engagement and around finding places where folks can be establishing and deepening their skill sets and then connecting them more meaningfully to opportunities in the community, and then also working more closely with employers and helping them figure out ways to establish value and take that leap of faith.”

Jason Randall

“When they find an employer like ours and get into an environment where they feel accepted and wanted, their loyalty is increased, and their length of service with us is higher than others.”

As one motivation, she directs them to tax incentives for hiring disabled workers. The federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit reimburses 40% of up to $6,000 in wages to any employer that hires disabled individuals certified by a state workforce agency. Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Disability Employment Tax Credit provides up to $5,000 or 30% of the wages paid to each qualified employee with a disability in the first taxable year of employment, whichever is less, decreasing to $2,000 or 30% of the wages paid, whichever is less, in subsequent years.

Those are attractive incentives, Destromp said, but they’re not the whole picture — more important is tapping into an employee pool that, as she noted, tends to be longer-tenured and more reliable than workers in general, at a time when businesses of all kinds are struggling with maintaining a workforce.

“It’s smart business, and the data doesn’t lie,” said Jason Randall, executive director of Human Resources at MGM Springfield, another employer that has embraced inclusivity in hiring.

“These employees do have a longer tenure with us. And in return, they find loyalty in a company that is taking a chance on them because other doors get closed on them through various interview processes or companies that don’t want to engage,” he noted. “When they find an employer like ours and get into an environment where they feel accepted and wanted, their loyalty is increased, and their length of service with us is higher than others.”

Randall explained that MGM has partnered with a number of organizations, not only DDS, but also the Western Mass Employment Collaborative, Viability, and ServiceNet — that support individuals with disabilities who are looking for work.

“We have great relationships with these organizations, meet with them frequently, and are very candid up front about the environment that we provide as a workplace as they’re trying to match their constituents to employment,” he noted. “We know that this environment may not be for everybody. Certainly, working front of house with guests isn’t for everybody, and working back of house, without guest contact, isn’t for everybody. So being candid and having dialogue up front helps create an expectation that these agencies can place or help their candidates apply for appropriate positions.”

The partnership doesn’t stop after hiring, onboarding, and training, Randall added, as the casino complex provides employee accommodations when needed, and works with the aforementioned agencies to determine those needs. “We’ve worked with employees who have a variety of disabilities, and some you can notice by sight, and some you don’t know what’s going on in their life, but they do have a disability.”

Destromp noted that employers she works with are never asked to hinder their productivity with a hire that’s not the right fit.

“If you’re accommodating an employee in a way that is impacting the flow of your environment, then that’s not a reasonable expectation, and you, as an employer, are not expected to meet that expectation,” she said. “But, while that will be a difficult conversation, some difficult conversations yield high rewards — you may say to that person, ‘this is not the right role for you. Let’s examine the other things that are going on in our place of business and needs that we have that you may be able to fill.’”

Continuing the Conversation

To mark not only the 80th year of National Disability Employment Awareness Month and 35 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the DDS will present a panel discussion on disability inclusion practices in collaboration with the Springfield Regional Chamber, New England Business Associates, Springfield College, and the ADA National Network.

The event, to be held on Monday, Oct. 27 from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Springfield College Learning Common, will bring together leading employers to share innovative strategies for building inclusive workplaces — including how companies have successfully carved out roles tailored to employees’ strengths and support needs, creating true win-win outcomes. Panelist topics will include ADA recommendations, universal supports, expanding one’s labor pool and cultivating an inclusive culture, and addressing difficult disability-related questions. Email Tina Macy [email protected] with questions and to register.

“I think that individuals with disabilities have long been an overlooked and undervalued and marginalized group of people,” Destromp said. “I think that’s such a shame because these are people who are so eager to prove their worth, to prove their value, and who deserve just the same as anybody — that opportunity to be able to feel the value and the worth that comes along with contributing to your community.”

She said she was excited to meet Michael at the supermarket in Holyoke. “Everybody’s eyes lit up when they saw Mike — he was like the mayor of Stop & Shop.”

That’s gratifying for Lamere, who appreciates what her employees with disabilities have contributed to the store.

“Michael comes in every day, he stays his whole shift, he is reliable. And Chris is the same way. He was hospitalized recently, but he came right back to work. They’re both very reliable. We’re lucky to have them.”

At the same time, an inclusive workplace helps all employees understand differences, and that’s valuable in itself, she added.

“It gets you to open up and see they are people too, and they’re very capable of doing the things we do if they’re just given a shot. [Employees] learn very good lessons — that if you have the right people showing them and the right people giving them the courage or whatever they need, they end up doing it.”

That said, “some customers can be pretty rough,” Lamere went on. “With Michael, he sometimes will struggle with that because his feelings get hurt easily or he feels like he did something wrong. We’ve had customers call him stupid before. And the second I hear that, I’m flying downstairs, because nobody’s doing that. We try to make sure they feel protected.”

Randall said an inclusive workplace, like MGM Springfield, benefits everyone, including the company as a whole.

“Whether it’s a member of the LGBT community, veterans groups, women in the workplace … having an environment that accepts, promotes, and encourages everyone helps from a retention perspective,” he explained. “When employees feel proud about the workforce they are a part of and the company they work for, they become your recruiters. They’re going to tell their friends or family members the experience that they’ve had, and that brings us more candidates coming in the door.”

Destromp agreed. “I think it’s about shining that light and helping local employers see that value and understanding the many unique characteristics and qualities that individuals with disabilities bring to the table as a whole — and that’s even before we take a step closer and get to know each individual better and unpack their unique qualities.”

North Adams Continues to Redefine Itself

By George O'Brien October 9, 2025

James Birge says MCLA owes its high ranking among liberal arts colleges to many factors, but especially its strong track record with helping students succeed.

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

James Birge says MCLA owes its high ranking among liberal arts colleges to many factors, but especially its strong track record with helping students succeed.

Marya Kozik says North Adams is much like its larger neighbor to the south, Pittsfield, in that it is working very hard not to live in the past.

This is a past dominated by massive mills, led by Sprague Electric, that employed thousands; a thriving downtown fueled by payday at those mills; and a population that was significantly larger and much younger, said Kozik, director of Community Development and someone who grew up in the city.

“We’re trying to look forward to new opportunities, whether it be the creative economy or food science and entrepreneurship,” she said, adding that the focus is squarely on the present and the future, and continuing the process of redefining the community known as Steeple City because of the many church spires that dominate the skyline.

Elaborating, she the city is working to build its creative economy, headlined by MASS MoCA, located in the Sprague Electric complex, but including a growing number of art galleries and related businesses, while also trying to attract the many kinds of businesses that will bring young people here — and keep them here.

“The creative economy is taking off,” Kozik said. “We have a lot of artists coming into the community; we have small-scale manufacturing of artistic products and home goods that use the skills of artists who are here and, hopefully, the skills of other people who had left jobs that required that kind of manufacturing skill. There are opportunities coming back, and it’s nice to see new people coming in to the community.”

These efforts comprise many of the storylines now converging in North Adams, a community of roughly 13,000 people. Others include:

• Continued progress at the mill revival initiative known as Greylock Works. The former cotton-spinning mill has been converted into a thriving campus that includes a restaurant, a co-working community, a craft distillery, the Berkshire Cider Project, and event spaces that include the Weave Shed and Engine House, as well as 50 loft condos;

• The reopening last year of North Adams Regional Hospital. Now part of Berkshire Medical Center, the facility, closed after financial problems, was honored with a MassEcon Impact Award earlier this year;

• Progress, in the form of a $17.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program, toward creation of the Adventure to Ashuwillticook trail, a 9.3-mile stretch of shared-use pathway connecting the existing Ashuwillticook Rail Trail to the Williamstown Mohican Path by way of downtown North Adams and the rotary at the MASS MoCA campus;

• The North Adams Steeplecats, a team in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (which also includes the Holyoke Blue Sox), which continues to draw fans to Joe Wolfe Field, playing an important role in economic development within the community; and

• Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), one of the city’s largest employers. The school recently maintained its ranking of sixth among the nation’s public liberal arts colleges — marking 11 consecutive years in the top 10.

“This consistency in rankings reflects our core mission — providing an affordable, transformative liberal arts education that empowers students,” MCLA President James Birge said, adding that the school continues to evolve and add new programs and majors — from nursing to ‘music, industry, and production,’ to meet the needs of students and the business community.

Progress Report

As she talked about North Adams, what’s been achieved, and the work still be done, Kozik said the city’s evolution from a mill town to a city with an arts- and hospitality-based economy is still very much a work in progress.

MASS MoCA has been a part of this story, she said, noting that, while the facility — the most spacious modern art museum in the world, known for its large-scale installations — has not spurred the kind of economic development that had been hoped, it has become a valuable asset for the city and perhaps the most important piece of an economy now based mostly on tourism, hospitality, and arts-related businesses.

“Do we bring people here when we don’t have all the elements to support them? And how do we create the elements to support them, like restaurants and shopping venues, when we don’t actually have the people to support them?”

Pieces are coming into place, she said, but North Adams, like most all cities trying to attract young people, is facing what she called a ‘chicken-or-the-egg’ scenario.

“Do we bring people here when we don’t have all the elements to support them? And how do we create the elements to support them, like restaurants and shopping venues, when we don’t actually have the people to support them?” she asked rhetorically, adding that the city is essentially working on both sides of the equation simultaneously.

There have been several intriguing additions to the landscape in recent years, businesses created to meet needs and create vibrancy, Kozik noted, citing, as one example, Steeple City Social, a community-oriented bakery, café, and cocktail bar on Eagle Street, launched by a recent transplant to the city, Andrew Fitch.

“He saw a need for what they call a ‘third space,’” she said, meaning a place that’s not home and not the office. “He opened a space that’s a bakery in the morning and a café in the evening; it’s a place to gather, and people have been very supportive.

“Spaces like this build community,” she went on, adding that there have been other additions that fit this description, including several art galleries, many with ancillary products and services, such as tea, that make them more financially viable.

Still, there are considerable challenges to revitalizing the downtown, Kozik said, citing the loss of vitality that came with the loss of all those mill jobs as well as the aftereffects of ’60s-era urban renewal, which essentially left one side of Main Street intact and the other side demolished in favor of a parking lot and mini-mall, plagued by a high vacancy rate in recent years, that has gone by various names, including Steeple City Plaza, the Parkade, and the ‘L-shaped mall.’

“We have one side with beautiful old buildings, and the other side, across a four-lane road, which is unheard of in small cities, two vacant lots,” she explained. “We’re looking to restore the vibrancy of downtown in the storefronts, working with developers who are interested in restoring the top floors into apartments, but we also have these huge vacant lots.”

Meanwhile, outside the downtown, the city is seeing several signs of progress, including adaptive reuse of former mills.

North Adams at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1878
Population: 12,961
Area: 20.6 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $16.71
Commercial Tax Rate: $35.22
Median Household Income: $35,020
Family Household Income: $57,522
Type of government: Mayor; City Council
Largest Employers: BFAIR Inc.; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts; North Adams Regional Hospital
* Latest information available

Indeed, Greylock Works has become one of the better success stories in North Adams. The initiative, led by architects and entrepreneurs Karla Rothstein and Sal Perry, who acquired the mill in 2015, has several intriguing elements, the latest being loft condos that will provide another housing option in the community.

Meanwhile, another former mill, the Norad Mill in the Braytonville section of the city, has been repurposed into office space and home for a diverse mix of tenants, including a yarn manufacturer, a dog biscuit baker, a coffee shop, and a candy company.

Overall, the city’s goal is to create more jobs — it will likely never replace all those lost when the mills closed — with a diverse mix of smaller businesses in those mills, and across the downtown.

School of Thought

Creating a workforce to support such businesses is one of the overriding goals at MCLA, formerly North Adams State College, which continues to thrive in its category because of its commitment to liberal arts, even as some colleges and universities have been cutting back on programs in that realm.

“There’s an initiative among institutions today to eliminate academic programs or majors that don’t really generate positive revenue streams, that don’t contribute to the overall revenue of the institution; that hasn’t been my approach here,” Birge said. “Because we’re a liberal arts institution, it’s important to have a broad base of academic programs and majors for students to develop critical-thinking skills.

“For example, we offer philosophy and modern language majors that don’t generate lots of tuition revenue for us, but they’re essential to a liberal arts education. We’ve leaned into those things, like history — we think that’s an important element in a liberal arts education,” he went on. “And because of the facility we have, students who major in those departments do very well.”

Elaborating, he said the school is far more likely to add new programs with potentially strong revenue streams so that it can maintain programs like those he just listed, rather than make cuts.

One example of this is the radiological technology program added just a few years ago, but one that has already become one of the most popular majors, along with health sciences and more traditional offerings such as business, education, and psychology.

“Because of the population of students we have — 50% are first-generation college students, and 50% come from families earning less than $38,000 a year — there are some challenges in terms of what they understand college to be and how they can be here, coming from an economically challenged background.”

As it offers such programs, MCLA has put a hard focus on helping its students, many of them the first generation in their families to attend college, succeed with their goals, whatever they may be.

And these efforts take many forms, from various mentoring programs to the school’s Essential Needs Center, which addresses hardships outside the classroom that can become obstacles to student achievement and overall well-being. The space, run by students, offers food, essential items, housing and transportation assistance, seasonal clothes, SNAP applications, and more.

“Because of the population of students we have — 50% are first-generation college students, and 50% come from families earning less than $38,000 a year — there are some challenges in terms of what they understand college to be and how they can be here, coming from an economically challenged background,” Birge explained. “So, as a result of that, we really try to help students through programs that don’t just advise students, but mentor them so that they can be successful with their academic goals.

“And we don’t necessarily define that in a limited fashion as graduation, but also, how do you achieve a certain grade point average? How do you make sure you succeed in a course that’s going to help predetermine what your major will be? How do you make sure that your academic success is meeting the standards in order to be a student leader in athletics, student government, or in the residence halls?” he went on. “A few years ago, we implemented this success coaching model, in addition to our academic advising, to guide students throughout their time here, not just as they’re coming in, but all along the way.”

Workaholism Is Surprisingly Common — and Harmful

By Contributor October 9, 2025

Healthcare News Special Coverage

The Overlooked Addiction

By Christopher Soderberg and Justin Szwajkowski

Addiction has become a prevalent topic in today’s society, dominating headlines and impacting communities globally. The destructive effects of many of the most common and prevalent addictions are becoming better documented and have led to more open discussions with the younger generation in an effort to deter them from falling victim to their binds.

While the most destructive of these addictions often come to mind when the idea is brought up, many do not consider that the same chemical pathways and environmental factors can be responsible for other forms of addictions.

In recent years, a new form of addiction has risen in frequency: work addiction, sometimes called workaholism. This addiction is defined as a compulsive need to work incessantly, even when it causes harm to one’s physical or mental health. In the relentless pursuit of professional success, it often progresses to the point of burnout, a term that has become quite common in today’s society.

Acknowledging the detrimental effects of burnout on one’s professional performance is the first step towards embracing work-life balance, a strategy that ultimately revitalizes productivity and enhances long-term career success.

The Value of Work

In many ways, work is one of the biggest defining characteristics of a human being. What you do for work becomes a large part of who you are, how you see the world, how you live, and what you talk about. Work ethic and personal success have become common status symbols within the community and between peers.

For these reasons, it is easy to see how unhealthy working habits can soon become routine and normalized within one’s own life. While working hard is certainly important, finding a healthy balance between professional success and personal well-being is essential for long-term fulfillment and sustained progress.

In 1989, sociologist Ray Oldenburg shared his ideas on these topics in his book, The Great Good Place, and coined the idea of a ‘third place’ for individuals to help drive this balance. When taking a step back and reflecting on one’s life, an individual’s first two places are obvious — the first place being one’s home, while the second is their workplace.

Christopher Soderberg

Justin Szwajkowski

“Setting boundaries, taking breaks throughout the day, prioritizing your well-being, and the scariest for many — taking vacation time — are all ways you can recharge your mental and physical health.”

These places are where a substantial chunk of one’s life are centered, and in the modern working environment, these places can even become blurred, with the adoption of hybrid work models becoming more common. To effectively manage the stress of these two places, it’s essential to have a third place — a dedicated space outside of these two environments where you can go and relax, recharge, and detach from the ordinary for a moment.

In many cases, the third place can be anywhere or anything you want it to be — the golf course, the gym, the library, even an open field. To truly serve its purpose, your third place should be a space where you can pursue your passions, establish new hobbies, and build meaningful connections. Finding this third place and incorporating it into your schedule will not only help you counteract the effects of workaholism and burnout, but it will help you become a more effective and well-rounded boss or colleague by increasing your overall mental well-being.

When one begins to take the essential steps in addressing their work-life balance, or tendency toward workaholism, they not only restore their own well-being, but also enhance their professional and personal relationships, ultimately leading to increased production and happiness.

On the other hand, when individuals experience burnout from this behavioral addiction, they often begin to experience irritableness, exhaustion, and decreased motivation, which directly impacts the quality and quantity of their work. Most people can probably think about their friends, colleagues, or family and pinpoint an individual who has dropped nearly everything else and worked themselves into the ground in the chase for success.

Luckily, as noted previously, there are steps one can take to both achieve this success and improve quality of life. Setting boundaries, taking breaks throughout the day, prioritizing your well-being, and the scariest for many — taking vacation time — are all ways you can recharge your mental and physical health. These simple remedies lead to renewed focus, increased creativity, and a stronger sense of purpose, ultimately resulting in a significant boost in performance.

It is important to emphasize that the idea of being able to remove yourself from your work is not to say you should not work hard. It is still possible to be the first person into the office, the last to leave, and even put in overtime while still leaving dedicated time for things you enjoy. Short-term compromises can and will sometimes be necessary — issues will pop up, and some weeks may leave less room to visit your third place than others.

Success is a direct result of this kind of hard work and dedication, but that does not mean it has to come at the sacrifice of yourself and those around you. The career ladder is a marathon and not a sprint, and long-term balance offers benefits that outweigh a metaphorical short-term sprint that results in burnout.

Bottom Line

In summary, you can still build a successful career while maintaining a balance in life that keeps you energized and well-rounded. Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and Square, blocks at least one day off a week to go hiking, per a CNBC interview in 2019. Warren Buffet famously took time out of his days to take ukulele lessons and play regularly, as he admitted to Yahoo during an interview in 2023.

These figures achieved incredible levels of career success, and likely worked harder than most for sustained periods of time. However, they still found hobbies and pursued passions to keep them recharged and balanced in life.

Similar to other addictions, drawing boundaries and making changes to eliminate compulsive or learned behaviors can be challenging. In the long run, however, creating a life of balance will be beneficial not only in life outside the office, but also in career success.

Christopher Soderberg is a supervisor, and Justin Szwajkowski is an associate, at the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.

Area Architects Face Challenges, but Remain Busy

By George O'Brien October 9, 2025

Architecture Special Coverage

Weathering Some Uncertainty

A rendering of a project in downtown Pittsfield, one of many housing initiatives in the Dietz & Company portfolio.

A rendering of a public safety facility in Taunton designed by Caolo & Bieniek.

Lee Morrissette was probably looking for some wood to knock on.

In the architecture industry, he explained, there is chatter about things slowing down and work becoming more difficult to attain, and for several reasons. But at the same time, Morrisette, a principal with Springfield-based Dietz & Company Architects, has a different take.

“The architecture industry has been saying that things have been softening for quite a while — billings are down, and new job starts are down, but we’re just not seeing that,” he said, noting that the firm — which recently opened an office in Cambridge, where Morrissette leads a team of four — has a considerable amount of work on the books.

Especially strong is work within the broad housing sector, he added, noting that the critical need for housing of all kinds, but especially the affordable variety, is a statewide problem that is keeping the firm busy.

“We’ve maintained a consistent stream of work,” he said, noting that housing and housing-related projects — from a new community center and administrative office for the Fitchburg Housing Authority to an intriguing 48-unit housing project in downtown Pittsfield, to redevelopment of a demolished shopping plaza in Manchester, Conn. into 232 units of market-rate housing — are dominating the portfolio.

Others we spoke with agreed, at least to some extent, but noted that there are some signs of slowdown and a variety of forces — from rising prices of materials and labor to tariffs to a slower-than-expected pace of decline in interest rates — contributing to a good amount of uncertainty, which is never a good thing within the broad building trades sector.

Still, area firms seem to be maneuvering through this uncertainty, mostly through the diversity of their portfolios, the housing crisis, and the fact that many projects are moving forward in some form, though maybe a little later than planned in some cases.

“While some people have hit pause on projects, there’s more of what I’ll call re-evaluation,” said Curtis Edgin, a principal with Chicopee-based Caolo & Bieniek Architects. “People are saying, ‘is this what we really want to do, or do we want to explore a plan B opportunity?’ We’ve seen a little bit of that, and we’ve been fortunate that there’s always been a plan B.

“The architecture industry has been saying that things have been softening for quite a while — billings are down, and new job starts are down, but we’re just not seeing that.”

“We’ve had another good year, and we have good work in the boards for next year,” he continued, adding, again, that diversity of projects — public, private, large, small, long term and shorter term — has been a real asset for the firm.

Kevin Rothschild, principal with East Longmeadow-based Architecture Environment Life (AEL), agreed, but noted there are some forces that will make 2026 somewhat more challenging. These include the end of several pandemic-related programs to fuel the economy, cutbacks to some public sector programs, and other factors.

“Things are a little harder, a little slower,” he told BusinessWest. “We’re seeing the tail end of funding programs like ARPA and ESSER [Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief] as well as municipal or federal grants that were out there for schools and cities and Green Communities,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of those programs reach their conclusion. The work that we’re exposed to on those projects has had a good run, and we’re seeing a lot of that closing out.”

For this issue and its focus on architecture, we talked to several area firms about what this bellwether sector is seeing, hearing, and experiencing, and what they’re expecting in the months to come.

Drawing Conclusions

Morrissette said it was the housing crunch and ongoing efforts to address it that prompted the Dietz firm to expand with its Cambridge office, a small space in the Cambridge Innovation Center, a co-working facility — a step taken after lessons learned from the pandemic about remote work, virtual meetings, and the ability for teams to work effectively even if they’re not all in the same office at the same time.

“We were finding that the housing authorities, particularly the Cambridge Housing Authority and others that we working with … we had enough work with them, and they kept saying, ‘if you had an office here in the Boston area, it would be a lot easier to work on a continuing basis,’” he recalled. “You don’t have to hear that too many times before taking some action.”

And it is housing that continues to broaden the book of business, he said, adding that the firm is involved with several intriguing projects, including the redevelopment of the corner of Linden and Center streets in Pittsfield’s Downtown Arts District. The initiative calls for 48 units of affordable apartment housing through Low-Income Housing Tax Credits — a 30-unit apartment building and two six-unit townhouses designed for passive house certification, the firm’s first such project.

“While some people have hit pause on projects, there’s more of what I’ll call re-evaluation. People are saying, ‘is this what we really want to do, or do we want to explore a plan B opportunity?’ We’ve seen a little bit of that, and we’ve been fortunate that there’s always been a plan B.”

Dietz is also working on an ambitious project in Manchester, Conn. on the site of a razed shopping center. In addition to the 232 units of market-rate apartment housing, plans call for a clubhouse with a fitness center, outdoor pool, and space for community events, as well as a multi-use recreation trail extension, said Morrissette, adding that the project appeared stalled last fall amid uncertainty and higher interest rates, but quickly got back on track.

“We had done some schematics and design-development drawings, and they said, ‘you know what … hold on, we’ll finish out the space, and we’ll see what happens, and if interest rates start to come down, we’ll contact you,’” he recalled. “It didn’t take much of an interest rate drop before they said, ‘OK, it’s looking good enough; we’re moving in the right direction,’ and they re-engaged and got it going again.”

Meanwhile, the firm, with the help of that Cambridge office, has been able to secure work with several housing authorities, including the one in Fitchburg, in the center of the state, where it is designing a new community center and administrative offices.

A rendering of an ambitious housing project in a demolished strip mall in Manchester, Conn. being designed by Dietz & Company.

“We’ve been successful with quite a fair amount of housing authority work, which has been rooting us nicely in this Cambridge office; it’s been good,” Morrissette said, adding that the firm has work in other realms as well, including municipal — the renovated former Chicopee Library, for example — as well as hospitality, education, and office projects.

Growth — by Design

Diverse portfolios are also the key to success for the other firms we spoke with.

Indeed, Caolo & Bieniek has been involved with everything from renovations to the clubhouses at Springfield’s two municipal golf courses, Franconia and Veterans, to the new Barry Elementary School in Chicopee; from work at public colleges, including UMass Amherst and Westfield State University, and the municipal library in Richmond to several public-safety projects. That list also includes early-stage work on what will be one of several proposals for a replacement for the troubled Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse in downtown Springfield.

“Our work varies from very long-term projects, like the Barry Elementary School, to the short-term, ‘the roof is leaking; we need to do something’ projects,” Edgin explained. “And that’s what has kept our lights on through the years; we don’t only depend on public sector money. We do some private work, and we have some good private clients as well. And through the years, they appreciate what we we’ve done for them, and they keep coming back, and that’s how we’ve been fortunate.”

The firm has developed a strong niche in the design of public safety facilities, he went on, adding that it has several in various stages of progress in Lenox, Taunton, and Princeton. And, like most firms, it is garnering work in the broad housing sector.

Edgin said his take on the short term, meaning the next several quarters, is one of cautious optimism as the public and private sectors cope with all those challenges listed above and face decisions about whether to proceed with projects, and how.

Curtis Edgin

“We don’t only depend on public sector money. We do some private work, and we have some good private clients as well.”

As he noted, there is usually a plan B.

Rothschild agreed and said his firm still has considerable work on its plate and in the pipeline, but noted that the winding down of several COVID-related programs will certainly be felt within the industry.

He said his firm secured several ESSER-funded, HVAC-related projects to improve ventilation in schools, especially in Holyoke — work that is coming to an end.

Meanwhile, AEL has also garnered some work — lighting, ceiling, insulation, and other initiatives — via the state’s Green Communities program, which provides grants and technical assistance to municipalities to reduce their energy consumption and costs through energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

“That seems to be ongoing,” he said. “But with national trends in support of different policies, obviously there are question marks moving forward.

“Meanwhile, the national trends and the pulse of federal cuts, the changes the federal policy, tariffs, labor, immigration … we’re seeing direct impacts from all that,” he went on. “We’re seeing the availability of labor slowing, we’re seeing the cost of work going up, we’re seeing the availability of materials challenged — even if it’s uncertainty concerning what might be coming, it has an impact.”

Rothschild mentioned a HUD-funded project involving a local housing authority the firm was involved with to get his points across.

“I think we were 90% through the drawings, and that was stopped because the funding was not secure. I think ultimately it was cut, and that project was put on the shelf,” he said. “We’re seeing the impact of what’s happening on the federal level on the private market and the public side as well.”

On the positive side, there is the strong potential for new work through state law now permitting property owners to build one accessory dwelling unit in an area zoned for single-family homes, he said, adding that area communities are adapting the bylaw, and some are seeing requests for permits to build.

Meanwhile, AEL is still seeing a good amount of work on both sides of the ledger, and some pockets of the economy, including the commercial market, show the confidence needed to move forward with projects.

“Everything from people trying to open a dance studio to a carpet business looking to expand to trucking and warehouse facilities — there’s a diversity of work out there,” he said. “It’s still there, it’s just hard. Financing is a challenge, contracting is a challenge — everything seems to take a little longer, and it’s a little harder to get through the pipeline.”

UMass Amherst Will Intensify Focus on Economic Development

By George O'Brien September 26, 2025

Features

Doubling Down

UMass Amherst has always been an economic engine for the region, and officials there want it to be even more of a force.

Tony Maroulis says UMass Amherst has always been focused on regional economic development, and it has always been an economic engine within the 413 and often well beyond, from its own large workforce to providing interns for area businesses, to concepts that are taken from its labs to the marketplace.

But now, the flagship campus of the state university is … well, let’s call it sharpening and broadening that focus, said Maroulis, executive director of Community and Strategic Initiatives for the university.

“It’s an emphasis on economic development that we perhaps haven’t put on it in the past,” he explained, referencing an announcement by UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes at the university’s annual Community Breakfast late last month — specifically, the launch of an initiative to leverage the full breadth of the university’s expertise, talent, innovation, and partnerships to spur job creation, entrepreneurship, and community revitalization, as well as workforce and small business development locally, regionally, and across the state.

“As the state’s flagship public university, UMass Amherst has a responsibility to serve as a catalyst for economic development at the local, regional, and statewide levels,” Reyes said at the breakfast. “Embracing this responsibility creates important opportunities for programming, analysis, and collaboration that can foster more inclusive, resilient, and innovation-driven growth across the Commonwealth.”

When asked about the initiative’s goals, how they will be addressed, and how success will be measured, Maroulis started by saying virtually everything the university does has an economic development component.

“Whether it’s our sporting events, which have an economic impact on the community, to the construction on our campus, to the graduates we place in the workforce — all of that is economic development,” he said. “What the chancellor is interested in us doing at this particular time is being a more active participant in the economic development efforts of our local communities, our region, and also the state.

Javier Reyes

“As the state’s flagship public university, UMass Amherst has a responsibility to serve as a catalyst for economic development at the local, regional, and statewide levels.”

“This means being a more visible player in these conversations that happen in all three places,” Maroulis went on, “and contributing with our expertise and with the faculty and staff, researchers, and students that we have here in that economic development discussion.”

Elaborating, he said Reyes has essentially challenged the campus community to “wake up thinking about economic development, how we impact those three spheres — local, regional, and state — and how we can increase that impact.”

Ambitious Goals

Overall, the announced initiative, to be guided by an executive committee consisting of senior campus leadership, will have several principal goals, including:

• Collaborating with communities to address challenges and opportunities around housing, healthcare, transportation, and services to overall infrastructure;

• Advising university leadership on strategies, partnerships, and investments that expand economic development impact with local, regional, and statewide focus;

• Identifying opportunities for university collaboration with industry, government, nonprofits, and community organizations.

• Providing input on and supporting the growth of university initiatives encouraging workforce development, entrepreneurship, innovation, and applied and translational research;

• Offering recommendations on policies, programs, and practices that promote resilient, innovative, and inclusive economic growth;

• Driving investment to the region and across the Commonwealth;

• Supporting strategic initiatives critical to the Commonwealth’s future;

• Creating talent pipelines for study, internships, and employment for the region and the state; and

• Cultivating research capacity with economic development priorities.

Assessing this list, Maroulis said there are many things the university is already doing within these various realms.

Examples include the recent announcement that the university will partner with Baystate Health to create SHINE: Strengthening Healthcare Innovation through Nursing and Engineering. Funded with a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the initiative will establish the nation’s first graduate training program designed to combine nursing’s hands-on patient care with engineering’s technical knowledge.

Tony Maroulis

“Our workforce development career pathways work … we do that locally, regionally, and statewide. We want to create deeper engagement with industry so there’s more opportunity for students to have pathways to jobs post-graduation and to have access to internships.”

The goal moving forward will be to simply ramp up such efforts. This will be the case with issues as disparate as workforce development and the state’s housing crisis.

“Our workforce development career pathways work … we do that locally, regionally, and statewide,” Maroulis said. “We want to create deeper engagement with industry so there’s more opportunity for students to have pathways to jobs post-graduation and to have access to internships. These are things the chancellor would like to see us do even better than we do it now.”

As for the housing crisis, the those involved with the initiative will look at how the university can better work with municipalities on land use reform and infrastructure development to develop critically needed new housing.

That housing would benefit the university, its staff, and students, but also the region’s business community by giving their workforce access to more housing — specifically more affordable housing.

Other issues to be addressed include transportation and childcare, he went on, adding that there are barriers to opportunities for university students and area residents alike.

“These are the kinds of issues that we will be engaged in, both as a thought partner and sometimes as a thought leader, and as an advocate with other organizations and agencies in the region that are working on these kinds of issues.”

Collective Engagement

One key to the initiative’s success will be its council, made up of officials from across the university, including representatives of the Isenberg School of Management, the Berthiaume Center, the Mount Ida campus, Government Relations, the Donahue Institute, the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences.

The council will work with a leadership team — Maroulis; Sundar Krishnamurty, vice provost for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Creativity; and Carl Rust, assistant vice chancellor for Corporate Engagement — to recommend priorities and track progress.

This will be an ongoing initiative, meaning it’s not necessarily a five-year or 10-year plan, said Maroulis, but one that will seek some “quick wins,” as he called them, but also focus on the long term.

When asked how success will be measured, he said there will be several metrics and yardsticks, everything from growth of the current $2.9 billion in direct and indirect impact on the state’s economy to increases in local purchasing, to the number of startups created at the university and the jobs that result.

“The chancellor believes that we have a responsibility to serve as a catalyst for economic development,” he went on while summing up the initiative, adding that the university has always been that.

The mission moving forward is to take it to a new, more impactful level.

Bill Collins Reflects on a Satisfying Culinary Journey

By Joseph Bednar September 26, 2025

Where Are They Now?

Where are they now?

Seventeen years after being honored among the 40 Under Forty, Bill Collins says he hasn’t lost any of the enjoyment he gets from seeing people enjoy good food — and each other.

When BusinessWest caught up with Bill Collins this month at his East Longmeadow restaurant, Center Square Grill, he was about to head over to the Big E. It’s a relationship that started in 2014 when the director of the fair’s agricultural programs asked him to stop by.

“She said, ‘hey, I’ve got a group of 4-Hers, and I’ve got some lamb. Any chance you’d come in and cook a recipe?’ So I did that. And 11 years later, I’ve surpassed 96,000 samples of recipes that I’ve cooked there and given away. Every day of the fair from 11 to 1:30-2, I go in, get on a microphone, and cook a dish, and all the dishes I prepare are from local farms around New England.

“It has become a little bit of a passion for me,” Collins went on. “It’s a cool experience to be able to take somebody who might not understand the economics of where the money goes in the community if you buy local, versus at the big box store, and the differences in the meat. To be able to talk about that stuff is pretty cool.”

The same year he started demonstrating recipes at the Big E, Collins opened Center Square Grill, which was a success out of the gate and has remained so, albeit not without some challenges, from the difficult pandemic years to the current inflationary landscape that has made everything more expensive, to a sprinkler system that malfunctioned last year and shut the place down for a few months — followed by a fight with the insurance company.

“We paid all of our front of the house and back of the house employees for eight weeks while we were shut. And I paid the employees in the front the average of their tips as well, because we felt there was some gray area in the way our policy was written, and we felt that we could get paid back for that,” Collins said.

“When I talked to my wife, I said, ‘listen, we’re going to do this, and I’m scared because it’s a lot of money.’ But if we didn’t, the employee market was so competitive at that point. And everybody was so well-trained that if we didn’t do that, you know, it wouldn’t have been two months we were closed — it would be more like six by the time we hired, retrained, and everything.”

So Collins cashed in a retirement policy to pay his staff in full, and when the insurance company initially refused to cover the tip pay, he stood firm and made it clear he’d fight that decision — and eventually was reimbursed for all of it.

“What was the alternative? Center Square Grill goes away for six months, right? Nobody wins there,” he recalled.

When Collins was named to BusinessWest’s second-ever 40 Under Forty class in 2008, he was 28 years old, working as director of Operations in the Spoleto Restaurant Group, overseeing six dining locations owned by noted restaurateur Claudio Guerra.

“You know, it’s funny — when I met Claudio, I was 19 years old, and I didn’t have two nickels to rub together, but I always envisioned being in business for myself. I was always a hustler,” Collins recalled.

“I don’t believe I actually deserved to win that award in 2008,” he added. “I think now I do; we’ve accomplished a lot. But I don’t know that I was fit to be in that group of people at that point, but I’m still appreciative — it was an awesome honor.

“But at that point, I was definitely thinking about being on my own. And when I did go on my own, I probably wasn’t economically in the right position to give it a shot, but when is the right time, you know? You eventually have to go for it. And it had been in the back of my head since I was a kid.”

The original vision for Center Square Grill was a creative American eatery with multiple culinary influences, where people would want to visit more than once a week.

“We didn’t want to be too specific. Everybody in town already had their favorite Italian place, they already had their favorite Chinese place. What I felt was lacking was a quality, slightly upscale version of a tavern — a place where you can get a burger and a beer or come in for a date night for steak and oysters.”

“We didn’t want to be too specific. Everybody in town already had their favorite Italian place, they already had their favorite Chinese place. What I felt was lacking was a quality, slightly upscale version of a tavern — a place where you can get a burger and a beer or come in for a date night for steak and oysters.”

These days, Collins employs around 90 people at his businesses, most of them at Center Square. He also owns a percentage of Barburrito in Ludlow, and is a partner in Hawks Landing, a farm in East Longmeadow that the owners plan to use for everything from pumpkins, apples, and a corn maze in the fall to an activity space for community events — while producing farm-fresh produce for their various other businesses, which include One Way Brewing in Longmeadow. He also recently launched a food, travel, and lifestyle TV show on WWLP called The Food Explorer.

Meanwhile, “my wife and I know that the restaurant business is tumultuous. So we decided to live on a fixed income from the restaurant, and anything extra that we earn, we’ve developed into a real estate company. We have about 20 doors in this area for rentals, and a lot of our employees actually live in them. And we continue to be on the hunt for quality properties to add in the portfolio. That, I think, might eventually be bigger than my other businesses.”

Bill Collins said Center Square Grill was an immediate success, but has had its share of challenges, from the pandemic to last year’s sprinkler malfunction.

Like he was mentored under Guerra and others in his younger years, he takes pride in seeing his own employees spread their wings, like Andrew Brow, who started working with Collins at age 16 and eventually struck out on his own with a series of area restaurants (and 40 Under Forty honors himself in 2023).

“It’s been a cool journey,” Collins said. “I always say it’s one part luck, it’s one part hard work and smarts, and it’s one part being in the right position and knowing the right people.”

As for what he enjoys most about coming to work each day, Collins may have put it best during a visit last year to the BusinessWest podcast, BusinessTalk.

“It’s the people,” he told us. “When I sit back in the corner of a restaurant that I’ve built and I see people enjoying themselves and having this little bit of escapism going on — whether they got a babysitter and they’re having a date night or they’re celebrating a birthday or an anniversary — and the whole vibe is good, the music’s spot on, the lights are right, the food is good, and I just see two people so happy together, enjoying their night … that’s what does it for me. I love giving people that small escape, even if it’s just for an hour.”

Region Woos Events with Affordability, Accessibility, Attractions

By George O'Brien September 26, 2025

Co-hosted by David Fontaine Jr. and Sarah Fontaine, along with Chris and Deb Connelly, the event raised funds to directly support ongoing research and initiatives to find a cure for T1D.

Tourism & Hospitality

Meeting Expectations

It’s called the Assoc. of Rural and Small Libraries, or the ARSL.

As that name suggests, its mission is to “build strong communities through advocacy, professional development, and elevating the impact of rural and small libraries.”

Its members were in Albuquerque last week for the group’s annual conference. But a year ago, they were in Springfield, some 1,400 of them.

This is a national association that takes that annual conference to every corner of the country, said Alicia Szenda, vice president of Sales for the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, now doing business as Explore Western Mass, adding that it will likely be several years before it returns to the Northeast and maybe several more before it comes back to the City of Homes.

But there’s a decent chance it will — because the group liked what it saw, everything from a library with some architectural significance to an attraction that can’t be found in New Mexico or anywhere else.

“They couldn’t have been more thrilled with the fact that Dr. Seuss was from Springfield and there’s a Seuss museum here,” said Szenda, adding that ARSL typifies the type of group this region is trying to attract, and its reasons for coming here point to why the past fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) was a good one for the 413 when it came to both hosting meetings and conventions, and, even more importantly, putting events on the books for the next several years.

Alicia Szenda

“They couldn’t have been more thrilled with the fact that Dr. Seuss was from Springfield and there’s a Seuss museum here.”

Indeed, just five years after COVID devastated the conventions sector, it has made a nearly full recovery, said Mary Kay Wydra, longtime president of Explore Western Mass, adding that, by and large, meetings and conventions have returned to in-person affairs.

And this region is more than holding its own in the increasingly competitive climate for gatherings large and small, with the main competition for those eyeing the Northeast coming from Hartford, Conn. and Providence, R.I., but also Boston for some shows, as well as Worcester, Lowell, Manchester, N.H., and other cities. For national groups, there is obviously much more competition, said Wydra, adding that this region bumps up often against such cities as Des Moines, Iowa and Harrisburg, Pa.

As it has for years now, the region continues to try to sell event planners on what Szenda and Wydra call the ‘3 A’s’ — affordability, accessibility, and attractions.

Affordability comes in many forms, but especially a $169 hotel room rate, on average, for groups, which is far less than Boston and competitive with those other cities listed above. Accessibility refers to the region’s proximity to several major highways (for groups that will drive to their meetings), but also a location that makes it convenient for residents of all six New England states and New York. As for attractions, the Seuss Museum and MGM Springfield now give the region more selling points in addition to the Basketball Hall of Fame, Six Flags, and other destinations.

For this issue and its focus on travel and tourism, we talked with Szenda and Wydra about the region’s ongoing efforts to attract meetings and conventions and the dollars they bring to several different sectors of the local economy.

Staying Power

The state’s Democrats staged their annual convention in Springfield earlier this month.

Most business was conducted over a Saturday, but still, more than 300 hotel rooms were booked for the gathering, said Wydra, adding that the Democrats meet in different Bay State cities on a rotating basis.

Such return business — and this region sees a good amount of it — is one of the keys to long-term success in this business, she said, adding that another is getting in front of groups and making a pitch for the 413.

Mary Kay Wydra

“When we saw it, we said, ‘we know we can do an amazing job of hosting this event,’ and we started working then and there to push the Commonwealth to come west.”

And the team at Explore Western Mass has been making more of these pitches, which is indicative of the aggressive nature of its pursuit of convention business, but also stronger interest in this region and those 3 A’s.

“In fiscal ’25, we had more site visits than we did the year before,” Szenda said. “And those are so important to us because we find that, once meeting planners and event right holders come to the area and see what we have to offer and meet the teams everywhere, we have a really good conversion rate.”

In fact, she noted, 75% of those groups who came to this region for a site visit wound up booking their event here.

“That’s a great number,” she said, adding that it can be attributed to several factors, from the region’s affordable character to the strong customer service provided by the team at Explore Western Mass, to the fact that the Convention Center Carpark was nearing completion and is now open, making downtown Springfield much easier to navigate.

“Opening the parking garage is huge,” she said, adding that the carpark and the new space next to it called the Landing gives the city and this region another strong selling point.

Szenda was pushing these points at the recent Destination East trade show in Providence, attended by groups looking to meet in the eastern part of the country.

“We had planners from Florida up to Maine, all the way up the coast,” she explained. “I’ve already had several conversations since I left Providence with some meeting planners and have received some opportunities for business specific to Western Mass.”

And there is already a solid number of meetings and conventions on the books for the next few months and years, a mix of new and repeat business that includes the New England Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine, the Massachusetts Health Officers Assoc., Yankee Security’s annual trade show (coming in October), the New England Grooming Show (a dog grooming competition coming back for a third year in Springfield), the Steubenville East Youth Conference, New England Regional Volleyball (slated for next February), a variety of regional dance and cheer events, the Ironman triathlon, and more.

Putting more events in the pipeline, the goal of every city and region, often comes down to making a strong case, and then, when an event comes here, helping to make sure things run smoothly, said Wydra, adding that communication is key, as is working with groups on issues such as the closed parking garage.

Both ends of the equation were on display with a gathering of the Governors Conference on Travel and Tourism, an event that was resurrected by the Healey administration after not being held for several years.

The first conference was staged in Boston, said Wydra, and while attending that gathering, those at Explore Western Mass became determined to bring it here — and they did.

“When we saw it, we said, ‘we know we can do an amazing job of hosting this event,’ and we started working then and there to push the Commonwealth to come west,” she told BusinessWest. “Alicia put together a great response to their request for proposals, and we did a lot of hospitality. We wanted to showcase to the Office and Travel and Tourism and all the people in our industry how we service visitors. The amenities we offer when a pet groomer comes or the rural librarians come, we did for the guests of the governor’s conference.

“And we got high marks on the survey after the conference for all those extra steps,” she went on, adding that these good scores are common and help explain why the region often stands out in the crowded field for meetings and conventions, and why there is so much repeat business. “We’re competing with other destinations all the time, so the little stuff really matters.”

Drawing Conclusions

As noted earlier, the rural librarians may not return to Springfield and the Seuss Museum for several years, given the many areas of the country it will visit for its annual conference.

But they liked what they saw, and they gave the 413 high marks for its hospitality. This is all a region can hope to do as it brings groups in for their gatherings — make a solid impression that will bring them back.

This formula has helped Western Mass. make a full recovery from the pandemic when it comes to meetings and conventions — and create some real optimism for the years to come.

New Guide Helps Construction Professionals Protect Soil Health

By Contributor September 26, 2025

Construction

From the Ground Up

Regenerative Design Group, a landscape architecture firm based in Greenfield, recently announced that the Massachusetts Healthy Soils Guide for Site Design and Construction is now live at masshealthysoils.org.

Developed by the Regenerative Design Group and its collaborators, with support from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, this online guide provides practical, site-specific strategies for protecting and enhancing soil health, as well as increasing carbon sequestration, throughout all phases of land development.

Soil health is vital to climate resilience, food security, and ecosystem function, but it’s often overlooked in conventional construction practices, both residential and commercial, said Rachel Lindsay, senior designer at Regenerative Design Group.

“Landscapes are the only element of the built environment that have the potential to provide ongoing carbon sequestration after the completion of a project,” she explained. “This guide provides clear, actionable guidance on how typical activities such as excavation or soil stockpiling can be adjusted to better protect and maximize the amount of soil organic carbon retained throughout the construction process.”

The Massachusetts Healthy Soils Action Plan (HSAP), the state’s first-in-the-nation framework for protecting and restoring soil function across all land uses, identifies soil organic carbon (SOC) as the cornerstone of healthy soil functions. The living carbon component of soil increases drought resilience, mitigates flooding, filters sediments and pollutants, and supports vigorous plant and tree growth.

Rachel Lindsay

“Preserving and enhancing healthy soils during the construction process may have the greatest positive impact on the long-term health of the soil and soil organic carbon accumulation over the life of the project.”

“Preserving and enhancing healthy soils during the construction process may have the greatest positive impact on the long-term health of the soil and soil organic carbon accumulation over the life of the project,” Lindsay said.

Every time soil is disturbed, SOC is transformed into carbon dioxide and lost back into the air. The building sector is the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts, accounting for 35%.

The difference developers and construction professionals can make is significant: there is roughly twice the amount of land in turf and ornamental landscapes in Massachusetts as there is in agricultural land. Small shifts in design and management practices — such as planting 25% of open lawn with trees, and increasing organic matter content in the top eight inches of lawns to a minimum of 3% — could sequester an additional 180,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, the same as taking over 38,000 gas-powered passenger vehicles off the road.

The Healthy Soils Guide for Site Design and Construction offers tools and strategies for implementing ‘soil-smart’ practices that improve healthy soil outcomes before, during, and after construction projects. The website also features access to the full HSAP, a curated resource library, events, and industry engagement and adaptation efforts. More than 360,000 additional acres of soil in Massachusetts may be impacted by development over the next 35 years, a critical period that could impact the trajectory of net carbon emissions in the state.

“This guide is designed to meet professionals where they are, whether they’re managing a construction site, developing soil specifications, or planning a resilient landscape,” Lindsay said. “It’s about making soil health easier to understand and implement across real-world projects.”

The guide is the result of a multi-firm collaboration led by Regenerative Design Group, Linnean Solutions, BSC Group, and Sasaki, with industry support from A.D. Makepeace, Read Custom Soils, and others. Funding was made possible through a $99,900 Healthy Soils Challenge Grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Regenerative Design Group is a worker-owned ecological design practice. Since 2009, it has advanced resilient communities and landscapes through regenerative design, planning, and nature-based solutions.

Legislation Creates Unequal Tax Treatment for Gambling Losses

By Contributor September 26, 2025

Accounting and Tax Planning

Out of Luck

By Adam Hoffer, Garrett Watson,
and Jacob Macumber-Rosin

In a surprising tax code alteration that has frustrated Americans who enjoy gambling, a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) limits gambling losses that can be used to offset gambling winnings to 90% of their value. This provision, which previously allowed for 100% deductibility of losses against winnings, introduces a steep tax penalty for professional gamblers and certain casual bettors.

The OBBBA provision limiting the deduction of gambling losses might cause individuals to owe taxes on imaginary income, incentivizing gamblers succeeding on thin margins to exit the U.S. or participate in illicit markets.

While the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that the deduction limit would generate $1.1 billion in tax revenue over eight years, behavioral responses and tax avoidance could quickly reverse that effect. If only a fraction of professional gamers take their bets outside of legal U.S. markets, the effect will be a net loss to tax collections and an increase in illegal activity.

“The OBBBA provision limiting the deduction of gambling losses might cause individuals to owe taxes on imaginary income, incentivizing gamblers succeeding on thin margins to exit the U.S. or participate in illicit markets.”

Consider Daniel Negreanu, perhaps the most famous poker player in the world. Thanks to his vlog and public tracking of poker payouts, we can estimate his tax burden under various tax designs. He successfully nets profitable payouts from his poker playing most years, though he notably lost $2.2 million in 2023.

In the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Negreanu won (cashed) $1,478,240. His buy-ins for the 2025 WSOP totaled $1,297,143, for net winnings of $181,097. Under pre-OBBBA policy, he would pay income tax on that $181,097, and, assuming his income is taxed at 37% (the highest income tax bracket), his income tax liability would be $67,006, resulting in take-home pay of $114,091.

When his post-OBBBA losses are limited to 90%, however, his tax liability jumps to $115,000, and his take-home pay is cut nearly in half to $66,097.

The new limit for loss deductions in the OBBBA would result in any gambler who breaks even now taking a net loss after paying taxes on money they never made. For example, the tax liability for a player who breaks even on $1 million of wagers would increase from $0 to $37,000. A player who nets $50,000 in winnings from $1 million in wagers — a profitable gambling season — would end up owing $55,500 in taxes to the IRS, resulting in negative take-home pay and an effective tax rate of more than 100%. This would create a unique precedent of taxing unrealized income.

Standard accounting practices allow for full deductibility of most business expenses, but it is worth noting that some limitations apply to things like meals and entertainment expenses and excessive corporate officer compensation. These limitations are fundamentally different from the proposed 90% wagering loss limitation, though. Traditional deductibility limits are largely designed to discourage abusive corporate behavior among large companies. In contrast, the new wagering loss cap primarily affects individual taxpayers who are engaged in a legal, heavily regulated activity.

Broad Impact

The impact of the new loss deduction limitation will likely be felt by individuals beyond Las Vegas. Seven states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island) have legalized online gambling, while popular land-based commercial or tribal casinos can be found in nearly every state, including Massachusetts. State tax revenues from online gaming, nearly $3 billion in 2024, will also be affected if gamblers change behavior.

Unpacking why this change was made may help explain why legislation to reverse this provision has bipartisan support, including some members of Congress who voted in support of the broader OBBBA.

In the Senate, the Byrd Rule requires that all measures in a reconciliation bill have a significant budgetary impact. In the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), Congress amended Sec. 165 of the Internal Revenue Code so that professional gamblers could no longer deduct non-wagering business expenses (e.g., hotel rooms, meals, and transportation) from their gambling winnings. This change aligned the tax treatment of professional gamblers with that of casual gamblers.

With that TCJA provision scheduled to expire in 2026, Senate tax writers were forced to make an adjustment to Sec. 165 in the 2025 reconciliation bill to generate a sufficient budgetary impact. Lowering the deductibility threshold to 90% satisfied the Byrd Rule. The original House-passed reconciliation bill, which did not have to comply with the Byrd Rule, did not include this provision.

If the change to gambling deductibility was primarily procedurally driven — and easy to overlook in legislation as substantial as the OBBBA — a reversal of this provision could make for better fiscal policy. In the House, lawmakers are co-sponsoring the bipartisan Fair Accounting for Income Realized from Betting Earnings Taxation (FAIR BET) Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Dina Titus and co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler. U.S. Rep. Andy Barr separately introduced the Winnings and Gains Expense Restoration (WAGER) Act.

In the other chamber, U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez-Masto, Ted Cruz, and Jacky Rosen introduced the Facilitating Useful Loss Limitations to Help Our Unique Service Economy (FULL HOUSE) Act.

When Congress back in session and Americans eagerly placing bets on their favorite football teams, congressional efforts to restore full gambling deductions will likely be an early priority. And rightfully so: full deductibility of gambling losses is a sound tax policy that would make the treatment of gambling winnings and expenses more neutral.

Western Mass. Offers Plenty of Autumn Fun

By Joseph Bednar September 25, 2025

Special Coverage Tourism & Hospitality

Cool Happenings

Western Mass. is known for its wide range of tourist destinations and attractions, but the fun doesn’t have to end once the weather cools down. In fact, thanks to the perennial popularity of Halloween with families, October is one of the most lively months on the calendar for fun in the 413. Here are eight ways to enjoy the season.

The Great Halloween Drive-Thru

1911 Poquonock Ave., Windsor, CT

thegreathalloweendrivethru.com

The Great Halloween Drive-Thru is a unique family- and kid-friendly attraction, conveniently located next to Brown’s Harvest Farm in Windsor, Conn., just 15 minutes from Hartford and 25 minutes from Springfield. Visitors stay in their vehicles for a 45-minute journey through a farm full of spooky holograms, projections, and special effects. The Great Halloween Drive-Thru is not scary. There are no live actors and no jump scares, making this an ideal attraction for families with children. Spooky fun without the scare, the attraction draws visitors from all over Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. The Great Halloween Drive-Thru is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in October from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., with the last ticket sold at 9 p.m. Admission is $30 per carload.

Hancock Shaker Village

1843 West Housatonic St., Pittsfield, MA

hancockshakervillage.org

With 20 historic buildings and a working farm and garden, Hancock Shaker Village is open April through December for self-guided tours, demonstrations, talks, and programs. Admission is $8 to $20, with children under 12 free. On Oct. 17, 18, 23, 25, and 30, the village offers the Haunted Hancock Tour at 7 p.m. ($30 additional cost). Guests can walk the dark halls of the Brick Dwelling and hear about all the haunted stories of this old building. For the younger set, Haunted Hancock for Kids (Oct. 18 and 25, 5 p.m.) is a tour of Shaker ghosts and mystery especially designed for kids ages 8-12 (and at least one adult companion). The 45-minute walking tour ($10-$15) includes a spooky walk through the Village and a visit to the Brick Dwelling. Finally, included in the Hancock admission is the Halloween Pumpkin Extravaganza at the Village on Oct. 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests are invited to wear a costume, trick or treat through the Village, meet Valerian the Garden Witch, and decorate a pumpkin.

A family enjoys pumpkin picking at McCray’s Farm.

McCray’s Farm

55 Alvord St., South Hadley, MA

mccrays-farm.com

McCray’s always gets its terror on in the fall, and this year’s Fear on the Farm spectacle includes the Monster Mash Haunted Hayride, Massacre Manor, and the Diagnostic, Operations, Nexus Genetic Research Facility (DONGRF). The farm is open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in October. The ticket box office opens at 6:30 p.m., and the haunted attractions open at 7 p.m. General admission is $30, and the fast pass option (to skip to the front of the line) costs $55, available online only. McCray’s also offers pumpkin hayrides every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ride to the pumpkin patch costs $5, and the pumpkins range in price depending on size.

Mike’s Maze at Warner Farm

23 South Main St., Sunderland, MA

mikesmaze.com

Visitors to Mike’s Maze, now celebrating its 25th year as one of the country’s most recognized corn mazes, will encounter activities, games, and amusements to entertain the entire family. Every year, the farm concocts a new maze, along with themed games that will challenge guests to solve puzzles and problems and guide their exploration through the corn. Outside the maze, the attractions include a horse-drawn wagon ride, potato cannons, pumpkin picking, and lunch at the Corn Café. Young kids will enjoy a playground featuring a giant double drain-tube slide, a jump pad, a tractor tire jungle gym, and giant games. Older kids and adults can race around the track in pedal carts at Dave’s Derby. And folks love to check out the view of the maze from the perspective of a giant walk-in camera obscura. General admission ranges from $10 to $14 and is free for kids 4 and under. The site is open through Nov. 2, Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays, and Columbus Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home

2 Plunkett St., Lenox, MA

edithwharton.org

The Mount is a turn-of-the-century home, designed and built by Edith Wharton in 1902. Today, this historic landmark is a cultural center with a robust year-round calendar of events. On the Ghost Tour of the Mount (selected Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in October; see edithwharton.org/visit/ghost-tours for a full schedule and reservations), guides lead guests through the darkened halls of the Mount, sharing tales of the many eerie encounters that have been reported there for years. Ghost Tours last approximately two hours and include a half-mile walk — rain or shine — between buildings on the Mount’s campus. This tour contains adult content that is not appropriate for young audiences, and children under 12 will not be admitted. Fortunately, families may also choose a Ghost Tour for Kids on Oct. 3, 24, or 30.

One of the performers lurking in a scare zone at Six Flags New England.

Six Flags New England

1623 Main St., Agawam, MA

sixflags.com/newengland

On weekends and select days through Nov. 9, the annual Fright Fest promises plenty of thrills and scares on weekends and select days through Nov. 2. Fright Fest features more than 20 attractions, including five haunted mazes: Nightmares, Terror Tales, Slasher Circus 3D, Midnight Mansion, and Camp Killamore. Guests will also encounter seven immersive scare zones located throughout the park, where creatures lurk in the fog and sinister performers emerge from the shadows. Each zone delivers its own brand of fear, from a toxic wasteland to a city overrun by demons, and even a carnival of sinister clowns. Live shows include Midnight Uprising, The Awakening, Mort’s Used Coffins, and Love at First Fright. Park admission is $39, and entry into the five haunted mazes is an additional $24.

Sonny’s Place

349 Main St., Somers, CT

sonnysplace.com

Halloween at Sonny’s takes place throughout October. In addition to more than a dozen year-round attractions, Sonny’s offers a pair of seasonal highlights. Haunted Mini Golf costs $18 per person and features terrifying themes and live scare actors roaming the course from sundown to 10 p.m. every Friday and Saturday through Nov. 1. In addition, the Trick-or-Treat Trail is a chance for kids to trick-or-treat at Sonny’s. Kids can purchase a bag and punch card ($6) and visit highlighted attractions to collect a prize or candy at each one. The trail is open Friday through Sunday during operating hours.

An illustration used in the “Witch Panic!” exhibit at the Springfield Museums.

Springfield Museums

21 Edwards St., Springfield, MA

springfieldmuseums.org

Through Nov. 2, the Wood Museum of Springfield History is showcasing an exhibit called “Witch Panic! Massachusetts Before Salem.” Forty years before the infamous trials in Salem, fear gripped the small settlement of Springfield. Neighbors whispered about Mary and Hugh Parsons as rumors simmered for years, exploding into hysteria that eventually consumed the town. “Witch Panic!” dives into the daily lives of the couple, examining the circumstances that led to their 1651 accusation and arrest for witchcraft. Guests can learn about the folklore surrounding witches, like their association with broomsticks, black cats, and cauldrons; design their own ghoulish familiar, a small creature believed to help witches; and review the evidence of the Parsons’ witchcraft as a member of the jury and determine their innocence or guilt. Admission to all five Springfield Museums ranges from $13 to $25, with children under 3 free.

Wistariahurst Museum

238 Cabot St., Holyoke, MA

wistariahurst.org

The 19th-century mansion and gardens at Wistariahurst comprise a cultural center that engages with the community and hosts exhibitions, performances, and private events throughout the year. October offers two seasonally appropriate events. Cemetery Tours at Forestdale Cemetery will take place on Oct. 11. Guests will discover all there is to know about living and dying in Holyoke from narratives of the people who now find solace in these hallowed grounds. Four tours kick off between 3 and 4 p.m., and the cost is $15. Then, on Oct. 15, the Darkened Hallways Tour (5:30 p.m., also $15) is a chance to get to know Wistariahurst Museum after dark as guests are led through its halls by candlelight.

Area Contractors Report Steady Pipeline of Projects

By Joseph Bednar September 25, 2025

Construction Special Coverage

Looking Up

A finished project from Sexton Roofing & Siding.

The construction industry remains one marked by both challenge and opportunity — and that goes for businesses that have been around for just a few years, or many decades.

In the former group is Sasha Wilde, who bought Sexton Roofing & Siding two years ago and has continued to grow the Hatfield-based business with a mix of residential roofing projects — the company’s bread and butter — and other services, including siding, windows, and exterior doors.

“We’re still doing all of that, making sure we can provide clients with a seamless experience. There’s a huge amount of opportunity,” she told BusinessWest.

“Last year was pretty down across the industry,” Wilde noted. “There was a hangover from COVID. So many people had accelerated home improvement projects during COVID, and last year, it seemed like everyone took a breath. And with the political climate uncertain, they didn’t want to spend as much money. This year, we’ve definitely seen people’s willingness to pull the trigger on projects. That’s been really helpful for us.”

“So many people had accelerated home improvement projects during COVID, and last year, it seemed like everyone took a breath. And with the political climate uncertain, they didn’t want to spend as much money. This year, we’ve definitely seen people’s willingness to pull the trigger on projects.”

In the more venerable category is Mowry & Schmidt in Greenfield, which has been in business for the past 78 years and is also extremely busy.

“I don’t see anything slowing down in the near future, which is a good thing,” co-owner Bob Provost said. “We’re usually trying to finish up some of the big spring, summer, and fall projects before the winter, but we’re just rolling right through. I don’t see a slowdown.”

The firm takes on a robust mix of new construction and renovation work, typically about 60% to 70% on the commercial side, with the rest residential, he explained, a diversity that buffers the company against industry trends.

Mowry & Schmidt is building a new ice hockey arena at Northfield Mount Hermon School.

“The last couple years, we’ve seen a steady flow of new home construction and higher-end kitchens and bath renovations, but the commercial volume is still a little higher. If the economy seems to affect one type of building and not the other, we’ve been able to adapt and make that transformation back and forth. It’s definitely key to staying busy, no doubt.”

Two of Mowry & Schmidt’s more interesting current projects are the construction of an ice hockey arena at Northfield Mount Hermon School and the renovation of the historic Leavitt-Hovey House — the former home of Greenfield Public Library — into a location for Greenfield Savings Bank.

“That’s a historical building, so there are a lot of facets there,” Provost said. “You get ready to go in a direction, then hold up, wait a little bit to get clarifications from the historical society, wait for approval, continue on. But it’s going well. It’s a nice property to work on.”

Clearly, despite challenges ranging from supply costs to workforce needs, contractors in Western Mass. are finding plenty of opportunities to grow their business.

Growth Opportunities

One of those is Keiter, a 17-year-old firm based in West Springfield that recently announced it is expanding into Berkshire County with a physical presence in that region, specifically the Clock Tower Business Center at 75 Church St. in Pittsfield. This marks the company’s second expansion in two years.

The move made sense, CEO Scott Keiter said, with past clients in the Berkshires including Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Bousquet Sport, Premium Waters, Berkshire Medical Center, the town of Lenox, Saint Patrick and Raphael Church, as well as several residential clients.

“Since we started doing a more regimented and strategic interview process, we’ve been able to find better people. We’ve weeded out the folks that look good on paper but are maybe not so aligned with the way we think.”

“For several years, we’ve had the opportunity to work with incredible clients and professionals throughout the Berkshires, and it felt like the right time to officially set roots,” he noted. “We’re proud to continue to grow in a region where we’ve already begun to build strong partnerships.”

Wilde said trying to grow her company is complicated by a tight potential worker pool, a persistent problem across the construction field.

“The home improvement business has been great, but not without its challenges, since we are trying to grow and scale this business. Scaling sometimes comes with its own set of challenges, one of them being just finding great people to add to the team,” she said, adding that she’s dealt with some “hiccups” in that area, but still saw her staff expand to nine this year, in addition to the subcontracting teams.

“I tried hard to get referrals from people we know, and we listed on the major sites like ZipRecruiter and Indeed. But it really comes down to the interview process,” Wilde told BusinessWest, adding that the way she handles that process has changed in positive ways.

Sasha Wilde (right) has grown her team to nine at Sexton Roofing & Siding — and wants to grow it further.

“The first interview anyone does with the team, I wind up talking about our company’s mission and core values, and whether they’re a cultural fit with us,” she explained. “Since we started doing a more regimented and strategic interview process, we’ve been able to find better people. We’ve weeded out the folks that look good on paper but are maybe not so aligned with the way we think.”

And finding talent that will stick is important in an industry where retirements continue to outpace young, incoming talent, she noted. “When I think about fellow business owners in construction, their people are approaching retirement age, and from what I can tell, there’s a shortage of actual people to do the work.”

Provost said Mowry & Schmidt typically employs between 13 and 15 people in the field and three or four more in the office.

“We’re pretty fortunate. We’ve got our employees that have been with us for quite some time. But it does create some challenges looking down the road. When we have to bring in new people, the new hires just aren’t there. I still have to rely on subcontractors, and you want them to be a good extension of what you’re offering in-house; you want to make sure that the subcontractors you bring in are equally good as our employees. There’s a definite shortage of construction trade workers out there.”

To that end, Provost has been involved with Franklin County Technical School to cultivate young talent and interest them in construction careers.

“We’ve brought in some work co-op kids. It’s a way to start them at a young age and keep them going. But it’s rough. Kids come out of school, and they’re not sure what they want to do.”

The other major challenges of the past few years, supply costs and availability, have settled down to an extent, Provost added, although tariffs have thrown in a new wrinkle.

“Supply of materials has gotten better,” he said. “Windows and doors and cabinets have caught up, but it can be challenging depending on certain materials.”

One new challenge is private equity firms moving into roofing, Wilde said.

“In prior years, they were focused on other trades, but they are now honing on roofing. We’ve had a couple of new competitors this year backed by private equity, and we’re trying to stay relevant and outmaneuver them in this market. But they have an unlimited marketing spend — I can’t spend that kind of money.”

One key is focusing on the local angle — not just being based in Western Mass. and doing projects here, but being involved in the community, she said.

“That’s how I think we’ll maintain our competitive edge over those companies. Western Mass. wants to take care of Western Mass. and support people who are here. We are your neighbors.”

Spreading the Word

Another key to growth is improving internal processes and communication with clients, so everything turns out the way the client expects with no surprises, Wilde noted.

“We’ve had a lot of learning around what documents to create to make sure that the jobs are communicated very clearly, to translate what’s in the homeowner’s head to what they’re building, and making sure that happens. We’ve done a lot of improving in this area.”

The team also tries to communicate with customers’ neighbors about work on their street, which is another chance to make connections; meanwhile, Sexton gives a discount on projects when the client keeps its yard sign up for four months — another way to raise the company’s visibility in an increasingly competitive market.

Provost said he takes pride in having a good base of repeat customers, which is essential to landing opportunities and responding to demand.

“We’re fortunate to be going strong here. We’re facing some uncertainties, but there’s a lot of work out there,” he said. “People are being more selective in the process of who’s going to do the work for them. Customers are more savvy these days, and they’re looking to make sure that the people that are working for them are qualified.”

Key Considerations for S Corporations in Year-end Payroll Reporting

By Contributor September 25, 2025

Accounting and Tax Planning Special Coverage

Fringe Benefits

By Lauren Foley, MSA

As Dec. 31 approaches, an important consideration for employers is proper payroll reporting. W-2s must be sent to employees by Jan. 31, resulting in a very short window in which to ensure that final payroll is correct for tax reporting. In addition to compensation, employers must be sure that benefits are properly reported, including fringe benefits.

Fringe benefits are considered compensation and included in employee wages, unless they qualify for exclusion (i.e., are nontaxable and omitted from employee wages). However, if the recipient is a ‘2% shareholder’ (i.e., an owner and employee) of an S corporation, fringe benefits that otherwise qualify for exclusion are included in wages.

What Are Fringe Benefits?

A fringe benefit is a form of pay, including cash, amounts paid on behalf of an employee (e.g., health and life insurance, retirement and health accounts), or in-kind (e.g., property, meals, company cars), in addition to stated pay for the performance of services.

The Internal Revenue Code provides that fringe benefits are taxable, excluded, or partially taxable, depending on the type of benefit. If a fringe benefit is excluded or partially taxable, it must be ‘qualified,’ i.e. meet strict requirements to qualify for this preferential tax treatment. Even if excluded or partially taxable by employees, employers may deduct the cost of fringe benefits.

Lauren Foley

“The Internal Revenue Code provides that fringe benefits are taxable, excluded, or partially taxable, depending on the type of benefit. If a fringe benefit is excluded or partially taxable, it must be ‘qualified,’ i.e. meet strict requirements to qualify for this preferential tax treatment.”

What Are S Corporations?

Qualifying corporations that make S elections under the Internal Revenue Code are not separately taxed, as regular (C) corporations are. S corp status allows corporations to avoid double taxation by passing income, losses, and deductions to its shareholders, who report these items directly on their tax returns. Often, S corp shareholders are also employees.

Fringe Benefits and S Corp 2% Shareholder Employees

Due to the overlap between owner and employee status, special rules apply to S corp shareholder employee fringe benefit taxation and reporting. These rules apply to shareholders owning 2% or more of S corp stock (2% shareholders). Even if excludable by regular employees, 2% shareholder benefits are generally taxable and must be reported on the shareholder’s W-2. The following benefits are treated differently for 2% shareholders:

• Health insurance premiums are taxable and included on 2% shareholder employee W-2s. Regular employees’ W-2 wage does not include the employer paid portion of their health insurance.

• Retirement plan contributions are subject to self-employed contribution rules for 2% shareholder employees. These rules allow contribution of 25% of net earnings from self-employment. Retirement plan contributions for regular employees are non-taxable if they are within limits.

• Dependent care assistance from an employer is tax-free up to $5,000 for regular employees, while all dependent care benefits are taxable to 2% shareholder employees.

• Group term life insurance is entirely taxable to 2% shareholder employees, while life insurance is tax-free up to $50,000 coverage for employees.

• Health savings accounts are tax-free to regular employees but taxable to 2% shareholder employees.

• Unlike regular employees, 2% shareholder employees cannot participate in flexible spending accounts.

In addition, family members of 2% shareholders (e.g., spouse, children, parents) are also treated as 2% shareholders for fringe benefit purposes. That means any benefits they receive must follow the same tax and reporting rules as the ones given to the actual shareholder.

“Many S corporations are unaware of these rules and may face IRS adjustment if fringe benefits are not properly reported. If fringe benefits are omitted from W-2 reporting, the IRS may disallow related deductions, resulting in increased taxable income and potential penalties.”

Compliance and Planning

Many S corporations are unaware of these rules and may face IRS adjustment if fringe benefits are not properly reported. If fringe benefits are omitted from W-2 reporting, the IRS may disallow related deductions, resulting in increased taxable income and potential penalties.

If you are an S corp, planning to start an S corp, or a 2% shareholder employee, it’s important to review all the shareholders’ ownership percentages to determine the correct tax treatment of shareholder employee fringe benefits. The S corp should decide which benefits to offer and clearly communicate this information to its payroll provider, especially regarding shareholder benefits. Be sure to consult your CPA or refer to the IRS website for fringe benefit guidance.

Lauren Foley, is a senior associate at the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. This material is generic in nature. Before relying on the material in any important matter, users should note date of publication and carefully evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness, and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances.

Wilbraham Looks to Build on Recent Momentum

By George O'Brien September 25, 2025

Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

Developers are planning to transform the former Lakeside Inn into a boutique hotel and restaurant.

Christal Russo acknowledged that Wilbraham hasn’t historically enjoyed a reputation for being ‘open for business,’ as communities like to say.

And that’s understandable given its rural nature and status as one of the more desirable of Springfield’s bedroom communities.

But it has always welcomed businesses that enhance the quality of life there and meet the needs of its residents, said Russo, the recently named chair of the town’s resuscitated Economic Development Committee. And now, it is even more so, she noted, adding that the community has many strong selling points, ranging from a single tax rate to some developable parcels along busy Boston Road, to a recent vote to squelch a proposed meals tax.

And there’s two developments to either side of the town — new development on the site of the former Eastfield Mall and a planned rail station in nearby Palmer as part of planned east-west rail — that can be added to that list.

Meanwhile, the town has seen some real momentum when it comes to new business in recent years, from a Delaney’s restaurant and Domino’s Pizza to a new development in the center of town featuring a pizza restaurant, brewery, and several apartments, to the recent announcement by developers of plans to transform the former Lakeside Inn (which was home to several other restaurants in recent years and is now used as office space for a transportation company) into a boutique hotel that will include a high-end restaurant (more on this later).

“And we want to keep that momentum going,” said Russo, a project manager at MassMutual, adding that the Economic Development Committee, resurrected a few years ago, is committed to promoting the town’s assets and growing its business community.

“What we want to do as a committee is let the public know is that Wilbraham is open for business and we support our businesses,” she said, adding that the community is poised for additional growth. “We’re looking to better understand what we can do and what our businesses need so we can support them.”

Jim Rooney, chair of the town’s Planning Board, agreed, noting that the single tax rate and other measures taken recently — or not taken, in the case of the meals tax — should help efforts to sell the town to business owners.

“We have a few open storefronts and some land available for additional development. We’d love to be able to fill those spaces and bring some businesses here to develop some of our open parcels.”

As for redevelopment of the Eastfield Mall, a project called Springfield Crossing, a planned mix of retail, service businesses, and, eventually, housing, should create more traffic on Boston Road, which will not only benefit existing businesses there and elsewhere in town, but inspire more business owners and entrepreneurs to give Wilbraham a hard look, Rooney said.

“We would definitely think that, with the increased traffic, someone will be driving down and thinking, ‘this would be a great place for my business.’”

For this latest installment in its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at Wilbraham and the many forms of momentum being seen in the community.

Delivering Results

Paul Robbins remembers driving past the site of Post Office Park on Boston Road while it was under construction a quarter-century or so ago. “I was thinking to myself, ‘who’s going to want to move in there?’”

Well … he did.

Indeed, not long after the facility opened, Robbins, a principal with the marketing firm Paul Robbins Associates, left his offices in downtown Springfield after 20 years there and relocated to the park. It was a move of convenience, he told BusinessWest, adding that he had moved his family to Wilbraham a few years earlier, and it just made sense to put his business there as well, especially since there was a new business park in town. (He recently relocated his business to the Brewer-Young mansion in Longmeadow.)

Getting back to his original commentary and skepticism about the park, it was grounded in the notion that Wilbraham was somewhat of a remote outpost, business-wise, hard to get to from Springfield — and many other parts of the 413.

And it still is.

But Wilbraham and, more specifically, the Boston Road corridor have become home to a growing number of businesses across several sectors, including hospitality, retail, and the broad realm of health and wellness, bringing people from several nearby communities into town.

A redeveloped Eastfield Mall is expected to boost existing businesses in Wilbraham and perhaps inspire more entrepreneurs to want to call it home.

Indeed, the park has made the community more of a destination, as it now hosts a post office (hence the name), the Scantic Valley YMCA, Monson Savings Bank corporate offices, a few medical offices, a hair salon, a shredding company, and other ventures. Looking at what’s happened, Robbins said the park has helped the community shed that ‘outpost’ label, and there have been many new developments along that stretch since.

And there’s land at the site for additional development, said Russo, adding that new businesses along that corridor, and the prospects for more, are one of the main forms of momentum in the community.

Perhaps the biggest are the announced plans for redeveloping the former Lakeside Inn. Built on Nine Mile Pond in the 1940s as an inn and restaurant, it was always a popular destination, drawing diners and guests from neighboring communities and well beyond.

Wilbraham at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1763
Population: 14,613
Area: 22.4 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $17.88
Commercial Tax Rate: $17.88
Median Household Income: $65,014
Median Family Income: $73,825
Type of government: Board of Selectmen, Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Baystate Wing Wilbraham Medical Center; Friendly Ice Cream Corp.; Big Y; Home Depot; Wilbraham & Monson Academy
*Latest information available

The hope is that the planned boutique hotel and restaurant — conceived by unrelated business owners Joe Sullivan and John Sullivan, owners of several ventures in the area, including Nathan Bill’s Bar & Restaurant and Boulevard Tavern and Grill in Springfield and East Village Tavern in East Longmeadow — will do the same.

“This is a really exciting development for the community,” Russo said. “It’s going to bring new life to a true landmark.”

Rooney agreed. “We’re extremely excited to see this come back as a restaurant — they’re looking to have lakeside dining — and a boutique hotel, small rooms to support activities like when parents come in for events at Wilbraham Monson Academy,” he said. “We’re really looking forward to this happening; it will be a great addition to the landscape.”

Plans call for a restaurant on the main floor, with eight guest rooms on the second floor and another six on the basement level. If all goes as planned, both components of the business should be completed by the fall of 2026.

You Can Get Here from There

Overall, Wilbraham, its officials, and its town meeting voters have taken several steps that are making the community more business-friendly, said Rooney, listing everything from that vote to reject a meals tax, which will provide a boost for the town’s growing roster of restaurants, to a measure allowing used car sales (something not allowed in town previously) as an accessory to an existing business.

The latter is a nod to changes in that business, Rooney noted, adding that most of the business involving the sale of used cars is done online, reducing the need for large lots full of cars.

“This measure will allow that kind of business to flourish in Wilbraham,” he noted, adding that it is indicative of efforts to facilitate business growth in the community.

And while such growth will largely be limited to the Boston Road corridor and the center of town, as it has been historically, there is room for more, said those we spoke with.

“We have a few open storefronts and some land available for additional development,” Russo explained. “We’d love to be able to fill those spaces and bring some businesses here to develop some of our open parcels.

There is already ample motivation for doing so, said Russo and Rooney, but those twin developments mentioned earlier — the reimagined Eastfield Mall, known as Springfield Crossing (just a few hundred yards from the Wilbraham line), and the planned rail stop in Palmer — might provide additional incentives.

Construction is well underway at Springfield Crossing, a 360,000-square-foot strip mall that will include Target, BJ’s, Hobby Lobby, PetSmart, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, and other regional and national retailers. It expected to make that corner of Springfield a more popular destination, as it was decades ago when the mall was thriving, said Rooney, bringing traffic from all directions, including east, through Wilbraham.

As for the rail stop, it is expected to make the eastern portion of the 413 more accessible, and more attractive, to potential residents — and also to business owners looking to create ventures to support those residents.

These are just some of the reasons why Wilbraham is enjoying some momentum, and why leaders there believe it can generate more in the years to come.

The Insurance Advantage for Small Businesses

By Contributor September 12, 2025

Insurance

From Risk to Reward

By Sam Hanmer

Every business, regardless of size, faces risk. For small companies, these risks can feel magnified. A broken piece of equipment, a slip-and-fall accident in a store, or a data breach could disrupt operations and potentially end the business altogether. Small businesses often lack the capital to weather such storms, unlike larger organizations that may absorb losses.

“Some business owners view insurance purely as an expense. However, it should be seen as a strategic investment. The premiums paid buy peace of mind, allowing entrepreneurs to focu s on growth.”

Insurance serves as a safety net. It allows owners to transfer some of the financial burden of unexpected events to a third party — the insurer. By doing so, entrepreneurs can focus more on running and growing their operations rather than constantly worrying about what-if scenarios.

Financial Protection and Business Continuity

At its core, insurance provides financial protection. A small business may spend years building up its reputation and customer base, but one uninsured disaster can wipe everything away.

Consider a restaurant that suffers a kitchen fire. Without insurance, the owner would need to cover the cost of repairs, replace equipment, and potentially pay employees during the downtime — all out of pocket. With proper coverage, those expenses can be absorbed by an insurance policy, helping the business recover quickly and reducing the likelihood of permanent closure.

Business continuity is another critical consideration. Certain types of insurance, such as business interruption coverage, ensure that income is replaced when the business cannot operate. This income can be the difference between reopening after a setback and shutting down for good.

Legal Compliance and Risk Management

Beyond financial protection, insurance is often a matter of legal compliance. Many states require small businesses with employees to carry workers’ compensation insurance. This coverage pays for medical bills and lost wages if an employee is injured on the job. Similarly, businesses that own vehicles are typically required to carry commercial auto insurance.

Even when insurance isn’t mandated by law, contracts may require it. For instance, landlords frequently require tenants to have liability coverage before signing a lease. Likewise, many clients and vendors may refuse to work with a business without professional liability insurance. Having proper coverage keeps the business compliant and opens doors to opportunities that would otherwise be closed.

Building Credibility and Customer Trust

Insurance also plays a role in building credibility. When customers know a business is insured, they feel more confident about doing business with it. For example, a contractor with liability and bonding coverage signals reliability and professionalism compared to one without.

Clients want reassurance that they won’t be left bearing the cost if something goes wrong. Insurance helps instill that trust. For small businesses trying to establish themselves in competitive markets, credibility can be as important as marketing or pricing strategies.

Attracting and Retaining Employees

Employees are the backbone of any business, and attracting top talent can be challenging for small businesses competing with larger firms. Offering insurance benefits — such as health, disability, or life coverage — can make a significant difference.

Workers often view insurance as part of their overall compensation package. By providing it, small businesses comply with legal requirements in some cases and demonstrate that they value employee well-being. This can improve morale, reduce turnover, and foster loyalty, boosting productivity and lowering the cost of recruiting and training new staff.

Types of Insurance Small Businesses Should Consider

Not all insurance is created equal, and every business has unique needs depending on its industry, location, and size. However, several core policies are widely recommended for small businesses:

• General liability insurance covers bodily injury, property damage, and advertising injury claims. It’s the foundation of protection for most small businesses.

• Property insurance protects buildings, equipment, and inventory against risks like fire, theft, or natural disasters.

• Business interruption insurance provides income replacement if operations are halted due to a covered event, ensuring business continuity.

• Workers’ compensation is required in most states if a business has employees. It covers medical costs and lost wages for workplace injuries.

• Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance, covers claims of negligence, mistakes, or failure to deliver promised services.

• Commercial auto insurance protects vehicles used for business purposes against accidents, theft, and liability claims.

• Cyber liability insurance, increasingly important in the digital age, covers costs related to data breaches, hacking, or cyber fraud.

• Health and employee benefits insurance attracts and retains employees while supporting overall workforce wellness.

Each policy addresses specific risks, and many insurers offer bundled packages tailored for small businesses.

Insurance as a Strategic Investment

Some business owners view insurance purely as an expense. However, it should be seen as a strategic investment. The premiums paid buy peace of mind, allowing entrepreneurs to focus on growth. Moreover, the right coverage can help secure financing. Banks and investors are more willing to back a business with sound risk management through proper insurance.

In this sense, insurance isn’t just about protection; it’s also about enabling growth. Reducing uncertainty encourages owners to take calculated risks, whether expanding into a new market, investing in new equipment, or hiring additional staff.

Emerging Risks for Small Businesses

The business landscape is constantly evolving, and new risks are emerging continually. Cybersecurity threats, supply chain disruptions, and climate-related events like floods and wildfires are now top concerns. Small businesses, which often lack robust contingency plans, are especially vulnerable.

Insurance products have adapted to these realities, offering specialized cyber threat or natural disaster policies. Staying ahead of these risks by maintaining up-to-date coverage ensures small businesses remain resilient in an unpredictable world.

The Cost of Being Uninsured

Finally, it’s worth emphasizing the cost of being uninsured. While skipping coverage may save money in the short term, the long-term consequences can be devastating. An uninsured lawsuit, for instance, can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars — sums that most small businesses cannot afford.

Even a single uncovered incident could trigger bankruptcy or force a business to close its doors. By contrast, insurance spreads risk and makes potential losses manageable. The relatively small premium paid today can prevent financial ruin tomorrow.

Insurance as a Foundation for Success

Insurance is not merely a regulatory requirement or a financial tool — it is a foundation for success in the small business environment. It protects against unforeseen losses, fosters credibility, supports employees, and creates growth opportunities.

For small business owners who have invested their time, energy, and personal resources into their ventures, insurance ensures that their hard work is not undone by a single accident or crisis. In short, it’s an essential part of building a business and a sustainable future.

Sam Hanmer is principal of Rush Insurance Group.

MassHire Merger Streamlines Services for Employers, Job Seekers

By Joseph Bednar September 11, 2025

Features Special Coverage

Making It Work

Executive Directors Sarah Wilson (left) and Maura Geary

To explain why the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center and the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board merged their operations in July, Maura Geary first explained how the MassHire network is set up.

“There are 16 workforce areas in the state of Massachusetts, and every area has one workforce board and at least one career center,” she noted. “And the career center has two customer bases. One is job seekers; one is employers. We work with employers to find out what jobs they have, how we can help them find the talent they need, and we work with job seekers to find out what barriers they may have to employment in the jobs that exist in our region, and how can we help them overcome the barriers so that they’re prepared with the skills they need to enter the workforce.”

Meanwhile, the Workforce Board is more of a “30,000-foot view,” Sarah Wilson said. “We’re looking at regional trends, labor market information for the region. We’re convening employers. We’re bringing all this information to the Career Center, which does more on-the-ground work.”

Until July 1, Geary headed up the Career Center, while Wilson helmed the Workforce Board. But today, they’re co-executive directors of the first MassHire operation in the state to merge their operations into one, simply called MassHire Franklin Hampshire.

“Having the labor market information and understanding what trends are happening, we ask, ‘what are the challenges that exist in our region? Where are there opportunities? How can we bring in more resources to support the workforce that we have or the economy that we have?’” Geary told BusinessWest. “This merger really helps us align even more closely with the big picture of the region and the strategies that exist.”

When the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center and the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board announced the merger, they characterized it as a strategic unification and a significant milestone in the region’s efforts to deliver more coordinated, efficient, and impactful workforce development services across Franklin County, Hampshire County, and the North Quabbin region.

“They basically have paid internships at local businesses, where the grant pays for the wages of the participants. Employers get that labor, and they also have the opportunity to expose their businesses and their career pathways to the next generation of the workforce.”

The newly merged organization aims to streamline operations and enhance services for job seekers, employers, training providers, and community partners by combining the strategic oversight and policy leadership of the Workforce Board with the direct services and employer engagement expertise of the Career Center.

The merged organization will continue to operate offices in Greenfield and Northampton; its headquarters are still in the Greenfield Corporate Center, where the two halves formerly had separate space on the same hallway but now operate out of shared space.

“We were sort of set up for this in some ways because we were already co-located; the Workforce Board used to be just across the hall,” Wilson said. “And we shared resources — besides the space, we also shared HR and IT. And we’d been working hand in hand for many years.

“But this really solidifies it, and it brings together disparate teams and disparate strategies,” she went on. “I had my own thing on the Workforce Board, and Maura had her own thing in the Career Center. We would collaborate, but it wasn’t as structured as it is now. The communication between teams is now streamlined, so we can really streamline the work. This makes it much more efficient.”

The two MassHire Franklin Hampshire divisions were both located in separate offices at Greenfield Corporate Center, and now share space — and operations — as a single entity there.

Allison van der Velden, chair of the MassHire Franklin Hampshire board of directors, agreed.

“The merger is a natural next step in the evolution of our work,” she said when the merger was announced in June. “It strengthens our ability to deliver results and ensures that public workforce dollars are used efficiently, effectively, and equitably.”

Early Exposure

Another example of how the merger makes sense has to do with its young adult programs, Geary said.

“There’s separate funding for three different young adult programs, major funding that we oversee. Some of that funding was directed to the Workforce Board, and some of it was available to the Career Center. But now that we’re under one roof, we have completely merged all three of those programs into one unified program.

“When they existed between the Workforce Board and other providers and the Career Center, we were not maximizing those funds,” she went on. “So there’s a lot of opportunity to integrate programs on the ground, and we weren’t able to do that before because of the artificial silos that were in place.”

Mass Hire Franklin Hampshire’s state-funded YouthWorks programs are, in fact, among its most robust offerings; the organization receives about $530,000 in funding over both a summer cycle and a year-round cycle, and serves youth from ages 14 to 25.

“For the youngest participants, we’re going into the schools during the year and setting up after-school programs or different ways to engage them so they are learning about what career pathways are available. So the earliest contact is really about career awareness,” Geary explained. Meanwhile, the second tier serves 16- to 18-year-olds with paid work experiences.

“It’s the future of workforce development — it makes us more streamlined, more efficient. I think it’s better for the customer as well, whether that’s an employer or a job seeker.”

“They basically have paid internships at local businesses, where the grant pays for the wages of the participants. Employers get that labor, and they also have the opportunity to expose their businesses and their career pathways to the next generation of the workforce.”

Young people can also access a curriculum that delivers work readiness skills, financial literacy, and other competencies needed to enter the workforce.

“And with our oldest participants in YouthWorks, we actually are paying for them to enter into training programs and get their first job,” Geary went on, giving as one example a partnership with Greenfield Community College (GCC) to help young people earn clean energy HVAC certifications.

Meanwhile, from a Workforce Board perspective, MassHire convenes employers to learn about the different needs of the region, Wilson said. “But we can also think of training opportunities, grant opportunities, how we can bring funding into the region to help support some of those needs. It’s not just connecting to the workforce, but determining how we can go about that.”

One strategy is through on-the-job (OTJ) training and registered apprenticeships.

“Both of those get money to the employer, and they are also paid training opportunities. With OJTs, we can reimburse the employer up to 50%. And we’ve been doing that for manufacturing over the past year.

“We’re starting to get into registered apprenticeships, but there’s a tax credit that could be applied to that,” Wilson added. “It really helps with retention for the employer because they’re investing in that employee. There’s a structured training program and wage boosts that are built into that. There’s mentorship. So we see a lot of positives other than just the tax incentive.”

Much of MassHire Franklin Hampshire’s funding targets workforce training in its priority industries of education, healthcare, and manufacturing, Geary explained, while helping job and career seekers find a path that works for them.

“One of the models that we’re moving toward is recognizing that most people, when they’re looking for a job, can’t afford to go to training. It’s a paid training, and that’s amazing, but most people can’t take 12 or 16 or more weeks in a free training without having an income. So we’ve been promoting, with our employers, models where people are getting paid while they’re in the training. That’s something we’re excited about.”

Ready to Learn

Geary noted that, when MassHire surveys employers about what they’re looking for, they often say they can give people the technical training needed to do this job, but too often, prospective employees are coming in without professional skills or soft skills — what she and her team more commonly call ‘work readiness skills.’

“So we have a workshop team here developing content that is specific to different trainings. We’ll go into a training program and deliver the work readiness workshops and make sure that we’re preparing people across multiple industries to just be ready to be good employees.”

Speaking of training, MassHire Franklin Hampshire also has a strong relationship with GCC.

“We’re really lucky that GCC is a community college that is really interested in being innovative and responsive to the employers in our region,” Geary said, adding that the college has expanded and invested in its workforce training programs on campus over the past few years.

“If you look at their website, you’ll see they have really comprehensive career pathway programs that match our priority industries and engage employers and students. So we partner with them all the time. When they have a new grant-funded training program, we help them recruit students. We help provide the work readiness.”

MassHire is also expanding its business services team that works directly with employers, she added. “We want to make sure that, when GCC has any training program ending, we have employers who are in that industry lined up to receive them. So we’re doing more events early on, helping people prepare for the employers that are going to come to a job fair that are specific to that training cohort.”

Besides key sectors like education, healthcare, and manufacturing, MassHire Franklin Hampshire also keys in on industries that are particularly relevant to its region, including clean energy, outdoor recreation, and agriculture.

“We are seeing, nationwide, a decrease in the agricultural industry. But in Massachusetts, we’re seeing a slight increase. And Franklin Hampshire holds about 20% of the state’s agricultural industry right here,” Geary said. “So we’re really looking at what we can be doing with small and mid-sized farms. It’s a lot of small businesses, so we want to have an industry sector partnership where we do some of the legwork and say, ‘what do you need? Let us help you design some strategies that will meet your workforce needs.’

In the realm of clean industry, she noted that GCC has partnered with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, which funds clean energy grants and workforce training, among other things.

“They’re really developing a comprehensive career pathway and training program, and we’re working on engaging young adults, but also the adult population, to get trained in that industry as we’re seeing more and more employers start to pop up in our region.”

It’s a region that has unique challenges in that it has the largest geography of any of the 16 workforce areas, but with relatively few residents.

“We’re serving 50 cities and towns in Franklin, Hampshire, and the North Quabbin, and a lot of it is rural. So we have fewer funds than other workforce areas that have larger populations. And some of the challenges of the rural communities that impact the workforce are the same challenges as everywhere else, like transportation and childcare, but they have a little different flavor up here,” Geary explained.

“So those are really difficult barriers to overcome when we have people trying to get to jobs over this 1,400-square-mile region, and there’s not really any transportation infrastructure to speak of.”

One-stop Shop

The majority of MassHire’s funding comes through the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which brings up another current challenge: the general uncertainty organizations of all kinds are feeling about federal funding.

“That’s very much up in the air. We don’t really know what’s going to happen,” Wilson said. “So coming together gives us a little more stability to be able to weather that. But it’s also setting us up for the future, no matter what. It’s the future of workforce development — it makes us more streamlined, more efficient. I think it’s better for the customer as well, whether that’s an employer or a job seeker.”

Geary said that speaks to something she hears all the time from clients on both sides.

“Once they’re engaged with our services, they all inevitably say, ‘oh my gosh, I had no idea I could get so much help by working with you. I didn’t know you existed.’ We hear that all the time, so streamlining our messaging helps with that, too. We don’t have to get into that confusing conversation — ‘you’re going to work with them over here for that, and then you’re going to come to us for this over here.’”

Instead, she said, “we can eliminate that point of confusion and just say, ‘come to MassHire Franklin Hampshire, and we’re going to help you solve your workforce needs.’”

Navigating the Insurance Landscape

By Contributor September 11, 2025

Insurance Special Coverage

Industry Sees Stabilizing Markets, but Ongoing Challenges

By John Dowd

Over the past several years, the insurance industry has faced tremendous pressure. Inflation, supply chain issues, and natural disasters have all contributed to higher reinsurance costs for carriers, which in turn led to higher premiums for individuals and businesses alike. Many policyholders have experienced year after year of increases, often without fully understanding why.

As we move through the second half of 2025, there are signs of relief. While certain industries continue to experience higher-than-average costs, in most sectors, hard market conditions are beginning to subside. Insurance companies are now pricing new business more aggressively, which creates opportunities for savings, if insureds know how and where to look.

That said, not every line of coverage is easing. Homeowners insurance remains volatile, and social inflation is reshaping how individuals and businesses must think about liability protection. Understanding these trends is key to navigating today’s insurance environment.

The Market Is Softening

The good news for most policyholders is that many insurance markets are stabilizing. For several years, the combination of high inflation, costly rebuilding expenses, and catastrophic weather events forced insurers to raise rates significantly. Now, as conditions improve, competition among carriers is returning.

“In many sectors, premiums are finally easing, creating opportunities for insureds to save money. Yet challenges persist, especially for homeowners in high-risk regions and for those facing the ripple effects of social inflation.”

This shift has led to more aggressive pricing for new business. For consumers and business owners, it means there are real opportunities to lower premiums, especially if you are proactive about comparing options rather than automatically renewing your current policy.

Homeowners Insurance Remains a Concern

The one major exception to this trend is homeowners insurance. Rates continue to climb, particularly in areas vulnerable to severe weather or wildfire. Some insurers have even chosen to stop writing new policies in high-risk regions altogether.

Several factors keep homeowners insurance challenging:

• Natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, and convective storms are both more frequent and more severe, leading to higher claims costs.

• Construction costs remain elevated, with materials and skilled labor continuing to drive up the price of rebuilding.

• Catastrophic events, like the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year, are tempering what might otherwise be a broader reduction in property premiums.

For homeowners in higher-risk areas, this reality underscores the importance of shopping carefully, exploring mitigation measures like home hardening or installing smart sensors, and considering higher deductibles to balance affordability with adequate protection.

The Rising Impact of Social Inflation

While inflation in materials and labor has eased somewhat, social inflation remains a growing challenge. This refers to the increasing cost of claims due to larger jury awards, more aggressive litigation, and the legal environment in Massachusetts that favors claimants against insurance companies.

One result is the rise of so-called nuclear verdicts, extremely large jury awards that far exceed traditional expectations. For insureds, this trend has important implications. The $1 million liability limit built into many standard policies is no longer as protective as it once was. Individuals and businesses should re-evaluate their underlying liability coverage and consider umbrella policies that extend protection beyond standard limits.

For business owners, management liability coverage has become increasingly important as well. Social inflation has heightened the potential exposure for directors, officers, and executives, making it critical to identify and eliminate potential coverage gaps.

How Consumers Can Save

Despite ongoing volatility in certain sectors, there are practical steps consumers can take to find better rates and strengthen their protection:

• Compare quotes. Carriers are pricing aggressively for new business, so shopping around, especially at renewal time, can uncover meaningful savings.

• Bundle policies. Combining auto and home coverage under one insurer often unlocks significant discounts.

• Adjust deductibles. A higher deductible reduces your premium, but only if you can comfortably manage the increased out-of-pocket cost in the event of a claim.

• Leverage technology. Usage-based auto insurance programs reward safe driving, while smart home devices, such as water leak sensors or fire detectors, can qualify homeowners for discounts.

A Balancing Act

The insurance market is cyclical, and after several difficult years, signs of stabilization are emerging. In many sectors, premiums are finally easing, creating opportunities for insureds to save money. Yet challenges persist, especially for homeowners in high-risk regions and for those facing the ripple effects of social inflation.

The best path forward is a proactive one: review your coverage carefully, shop the market, consider higher limits where liability risks are growing, and embrace risk management practices and technology that can both reduce claims and make you more attractive to insurers.

By taking these steps, both individuals and businesses can strike a healthier balance between protection and affordability in 2025 and beyond.

John Dowd is president and CEO of the Dowd Insurance Agencies.

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