Company Notebook

Meredith Corp. to Acquire WGGB
SPRINGFIELD — John Gormally, president of Gormally Broadcasting, LLC, as well as BusinessWest magazine, yesterday announced that he has signed an agreement to sell Springfield-based ABC 40/FOX 6 to Des Moines, Iowa-based Meredith Corp. The sale is subject to approval from the Federal Communications Commission and is expected to close later this summer or early fall. Gormally acquired ABC 40 in the fall of 2007 and soon began a series of significant investments in new facilities and equipment. Shortly thereafter, he launched Fox 6 Springfield, bringing a fourth TV station to the market. The sale is a reflection of a trend toward ongoing consolidation within the media industry, particularly in television. Meredith currently operates 14 local broadcast stations, including WFSB Channel 3 in Hartford and its low-power sister station, WSHM, in Springfield. Other Meredith stations are located in Georgia, Oregon, Missouri, South Carolina, North Carolina, Michigan, Arizona, Tennessee, and Nevada. Under Gormally’s ownership, ABC 40 earned numerous awards for news excellence, including News Station of the Year honors from the Associated Press in 2013 and 2014, competing against all Springfield and Providence, R.I. stations. WGGB continues to be the only commercial TV station broadcasting news in HD.

Baystate Health Announces Naming of Tolosky Center
SPRINGFIELD — To honor the leadership and achievements of President and CEO Mark Tolosky over his 22-year career, the Baystate Health board of trustees announced the naming of the Tolosky Center at 3300 Main St. in Springfield. The Tolosky Center, a regional destination for outpatient healthcare services, opened in 1998 and ignited the redevelopment of an underused former industrial area in Springfield’s North End. The area today comprises more than $200 million of Baystate Health investment and more than 455,000 square feet of space, including the Tolosky Center, the D’Amour Center for Cancer Care, the Baystate Children’s Specialty Center, the Baystate Breast and Wellness Center, and the Baystate Orthopedic Surgery Center, among other Baystate-owned and -occupied properties. Tolosky is transitioning out of his position as president and CEO on July 1, moving into a president emeritus role. He served Baystate Health and the community for 22 years, beginning in 1992 as executive vice president of Baystate Health and CEO of Baystate Medical Center. In 2004, while retaining leadership of Baystate Medical Center, he assumed the titles of president and CEO of Baystate Health. The naming of the Tolosky Center culminates a series of recognitions of Tolosky’s long tenure and contributions to Baystate Health and the community. In May, a program that has provided nearly $1 million in forgivable loans to help Baystate Health employees purchase homes was renamed the Mark R. Tolosky Baystate Neighbors Program. Also last month, the nurses of Baystate Medical Center recognized Tolosky with their Nursing Collaborative Award, a testament to his commitment to nurses, patients, and families. “During his tenure, Mark’s commitment has extended beyond the traditional definition of health,” said Victor Woolridge, chair of the Baystate Health board of trustees. “He made it a priority to forge community partnerships that improve lives, and as a result he has helped to strengthen the Western Mass. economy. He has been committed to the well-being of communities and the individuals and families within them.” Presiding over the naming ceremony for the Tolosky Center were James Sadowsky, vice chair of the Baystate Health board of trustees, and John Maybury, chair of the Baystate Health Foundation board of trustees. “My family and I consider ourselves very fortunate to be part of this amazing community,” said Tolosky. “We’ll look with tremendous pride and gratitude upon on our family name on this building, where so many patients receive the skilled and compassionate care that changes their lives for the better.” Under Tolosky, Baystate Health has developed a national reputation as a leader in healthcare quality, being named among America’s top 15 health systems and seeing its hospitals regularly included on prestigious lists of the top-performing medical facilities in the country. In the same period, Baystate Health has scaled up its charitable commitment to the communities it serves, providing hundreds of millions of dollars in community-benefit funding, and collaborating with a diverse range of partners to devise and implement new ways to improve community health each year. It also has substantially increased its economic impact, now employing 10,000 people and producing more than $2.6 billion in economic output annually, according to one recent study. Tolosky recently led Baystate Health through the largest building project in the history of the health system and region, the planning, design, and construction of the $300 million expansion of Baystate Medical Center. During tenuous economic times, he championed the need for these projects for patients, families, and the community. He also fostered unprecedented support from generous donors in the community, raising more than $23 million to make it possible. On July 1, Dr. Mark Keroack assumes duties as Baystate Health’s president and CEO.

Jewish Geriatric Launches Rebranding Campaign with New Name, Logo
LONGMEADOW — Jewish Geriatric Services Inc. (JGS) announced recently that it is launching a rebranding campaign featuring the new name Jewish Lifecare (JL), a redesigned logo and brand identity. “Two years ago, JGS celebrated its centennial. It was a time to look back at this organization’s venerable history of caring for our elders, but also an opportunity to envision the future,” said Martin Baicker, president and CEO of JL. “We challenged ourselves to develop a brand that would provide greater clarity of who we are and what we do.” In 2012, the JGS board of directors voted to move forward with the rebranding process, and a rebranding committee was formed, chaired by Susan Goldsmith, president of Marcus Printing in Holyoke. “We needed to shed limiting parts of our present brand, while differentiating ourselves from competitors,” said Goldsmith. “The name Jewish Lifecare was chosen because it encompasses so much more than just geriatrics. It provides the image of life in its entirety and the phases in which we live.” Retaining the word ‘Jewish’ in the name was important because it embodies the mission of the organization, which is rooted in the Jewish faith. The tagline, “Excellence for generations. Serving all faiths” highlights a 102-year history of excellence in the community and the broader audience of people of all faiths, she added. The icon combines the symbolism of an eternal flame and tree of life into one cohesive image. The dot on the top of the icon allows the symbol of a person to emerge, and ties in the human connection to the organization. Jewish Lifecare will phase in the new branding across all platforms and services over the next several months. “We’re introducing the world to the next evolution of an organization founded as the Daughters of Zion Home for the Aged,” said Baicker. “We have a long tradition of embracing culture change to better serve our residents, patients, and families, and we are excited to introduce the community to the next stage of this venerable organization.”
 
Country Bank Awards $80,000 in Scholarships
WARE — Country Bank recently awarded $80,000 in scholarships to 16 area high-school students at its annual Scholarship Dinner. The recipients, selected from the scholarship committees established at each location where a scholarship is awarded, each received $5,000 to help get them started in their college career and assist with the many expenses that go along with a higher education. At the event, staged this year at Teresa’s Restaurant & Alfonso Banquet Room in Ware, Paul Scully, president and CEO of Country Bank, had the opportunity to meet each of the recipients, their guests, and a representative from their high school. “It means so much to have the opportunity to meet the students and their parents when the scholarships are presented,” he said. “They have all worked very hard to get to this point, and I have no doubt that each of them will succeed in the next chapter of their lives.”

Country Bank Awards $12,000 to Carson Center 
WARE — Paul Scully, president and CEO of Country Bank, and Shelly Regin, first vice president and director of marketing at the bank, recently paid a surprise visit to the Baystate Mary Lane Community Benefits Advisory Committee (CBAC). Scully personally acknowledged the work of the CBAC and awarded the Carson Center two checks. The first, for $2,000, was a portion of the proceeds from Country Bank’s Community Series performances at the Center at Eagle Hill. The second check, for $10,000, was a direct gift from Country Bank to further the Carson Center’s provision of services for community members who are struggling with addiction. These funds were given to compliment the Yes to Life structured outpatient addiction program at the Carson Center, which was funded by Baystate Mary Lane Hospital’s determination-of-need (DON) funds last year. DON funding was made available for community health initiatives as part of the state Department of Public Health’s DON process related to capital expenditures for Baystate Medical Center’s new Emergency Department in Springfield. “We are so proud to support this important and worthwhile program, which will help so many of our community members” Regin said. “Country Bank recognizes this as an opportunity to assist the Carson Center and their Yes to Life Program, and in turn bring support to those who need it in our surrounding towns.”

MassMutual Donates $155,000 on Behalf of Financial Professionals
SPRINGFIELD — MassMutual has awarded $155,000 to eligible nonprofit organizations through its annual Community Service Awards (CSA) program. The awards are given on behalf of MassMutual financial professionals who demonstrate outstanding commitment to nonprofit organizations in their local community. New this year, MassMutual has increased its giving to include six $5,000 Silver awards in addition to its usual 10 $10,000 Gold awards and a top $25,000 Platinum award. “At MassMutual, we are proud of the significant impact our financial professionals have on their communities. What better way to encourage more of them to volunteer than to recognize those that are highly dedicated to helping others?” said Nick Fyntrilakis, vice president of Community Responsibility at MassMutual. “We are delighted to expand our program this year to honor more individuals who are making a positive difference in their communities across the country.” This year’s $25,000 Platinum Award winner is Darren Scrimpshire, a financial professional with MassMutual South Texas in San Antonio. Scrimpshire is being recognized for his work with San Antonio Fitness, Independent, & Recreational Environment (SAFIRE), a day activity center for young adults with intellectual disabilities that focuses on healthy lifestyles, continuing education, and pre-vocational skills. This year is MassMutual’s 18th year presenting Community Service Awards. Each award recognizes the many selfless hours of volunteer time and talent that MassMutual’s financial professionals put in during the year to improve their communities. MassMutual has contributed more than $1.4 million to charitable organizations across the country through its CSA program since its inception in 1996. The CSA program is just one of a variety of philanthropic programs sponsored by MassMutual in support of nonprofit organizations where its financial professionals live and work. Last year, in total, MassMutual provided nearly $8 million in philanthropic investments throughout the U.S., of which more than $900,000 supported organizations in honor of its financial professionals.

Steward Health Care, Doctors Express Announce Affiliation
SPRINGFIELD — Doctors Express has announced support for a growing trend of healthcare system partnerships with urgent-care facilities. Steward Health Care, the largest fully integrated community-care organization and community-hospital network in New England, recently announced a new clinical affiliation with AFC Doctors Express Urgent Care, the largest urgent-care provider in New England. This partnership is the first of its kind in Massachusetts and makes urgent-care centers available to Steward patients and others within the next year. Master franchisors Richard Crews and James Brennan of the local Doctors Express facilities — located in Springfield and West Springfield — commend the efforts to increase the quality and efficiency of patient care. Doctors Express has 11 locations in Massachusetts and plans to open 15 more locations in the next two years. Steward now has the largest integrated network of urgent-care providers in Massachusetts with 24 affiliated locations to be opened within the next year. Through this affiliation with Doctors Express, 45 family-practice, emergency-medicine, and internal-medicine physicians employed by Doctors Express will join the Steward Health Care Network. As part of this clinical affiliation, Doctors Express physicians will now have access to Steward’s patient portal to evaluate a patient’s clinical history prior to commencing treatment. Clinical notes from a Doctors Express visit will be communicated back to a patient’s primary-care physician or specialist for necessary follow-up. Steward patients will remain in-network while visiting a Doctors Express location. Urgent care includes some services offered by primary-care physicians, including treatment for acute illness, trauma (including minor surgical procedures), vaccinations, X-rays, medication dispensing, and more. Many patients might not take advantage of these services through primary-care practices because of inconvenient hours. “Our Doctors Express urgent-care practices are an advocate for better healthcare throughout our Western Mass. community,” said Brennan. “Not only do our physicians treat symptoms, but they also provide preventative care. We have moved urgent care far beyond the boundaries of traditional clinic care, and we look forward to more growth opportunities, from franchise development to partnerships with major healthcare systems.” Added Crews, “emergency rooms continue to be overcrowded with patients seeking non-emergency health-care. Partnerships with major healthcare providers alleviate the burden of crowded emergency rooms, and more importantly, these partnerships increase the quality of care by providing fast and efficient care during non-business hours.”

Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin Receives United Way’s Gold Award
SPRINGFIELD — Local law firm Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C., serving Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut, was recognized as a Gold award recipient from the United Way of Pioneer Valley during its 2014 annual celebration. Local businesses were recognized with Gold, Silver, or Bronze awards for extraordinary support during the 2013-14 campaign. Each year, the United Way of Pioneer Valley runs an annual campaign that provides funding for local nonprofit organizations and community initiatives. Donations finance health and human-service programs throughout the region. Awards were presented at the annual celebration, which was hosted recently at Chez Josef in Agawam. “We are proud to have the good fortune to be able to give back to a community that supports our success,” said partner Steve Schwartz, who has been with the firm since its inception 45 years ago. “We are equally proud of the other contributing businesses recognized at the United Way of Pioneer Valley annual event. We accomplish more working together.” The United Way of Pioneer Valley is the regional affiliate of United Way Worldwide, a leadership and support organization and network of nearly 1,800 community-based United Ways in 45 countries and territories. United Way envisions a world where all individuals and families achieve their full potential through education, income stability, and healthy lives. For 90 years, the United Way of Pioneer Valley has been working in partnership with individuals, businesses, and organizations that advance the common good throughout the Greater Springfield community, including the 25 cities in Hampden County, South Hadley, and Granby.