People on the Move

The Dowd Insurance Agencies announced the appointment of Chief Financial Officer Jon Lumbra. He will be responsible for directing the fiscal operations of the business and supervising the accounting department. In addition, he will assist in the planning, establishing, and maintaining of current systems and procedures. “We are pleased to welcome Jon to the team,” said David Griffin Sr., executive vice president and treasurer of the Dowd Insurance Agencies. “He is an excellent strategic and cultural fit whose breadth and depth of knowledge will help strengthen our brand and provide the best service to our customers and employees.” Lumbra brings nearly two decades of experience in financial services to the Dowd Insurance Agencies. His past experience includes working for Loomis Communities, the city of Holyoke, and Spectrum Analytical. He is a graduate of Southern Vermont College with a degree in criminal justice and minor in corporate espionage. He is currently working toward his MBA at the University of Southern New Hampshire. “The Dowd Insurance Agencies is one of the oldest insurance agencies in Massachusetts, and its headquarters remain in the city of Holyoke, where the business was started 118 years ago,” said John Dowd Jr., president and CEO of the Dowd Agencies. “Making positive contributions to the success of our community has always been important to us, which is why Jon is a great addition to our business. He has demonstrated these shared values by volunteering his time to support many organizations — many of which are based in Holyoke, Jon’s hometown.” Lumbra is president of the Knights of Columbus Council #90 board of directors, former executive board member of the Massachusetts Government Finance Officers Assoc., a member of the Holyoke Taxpayers Assoc., and a member of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Federal Advisory Committee. He is also immediate past chairman of the Holyoke Visiting Nurse Assoc. & Community Health Foundation, immediate past president of the Holyoke Rotary Club, and member of the Holyoke Medical Center board of directors.

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The Gray House announced the appointment of Teresa Spaziani as the new Executive Director of the organization. In 2009, while attending Western New England University, Spaziani began volunteering at Kids’ Club, an after-school program for children from low-income families run by the Gray House, and soon after became a staff counselor for the program. In January 2015, she joined the organization’s board of directors. “After arriving in Springfield for college, I immediately immersed myself in the community through volunteer work and was so impressed by the people and services of the Gray House,” she said. “It is a true community program in every sense. I’m proud to be a part of the organization and work alongside our dedicated staff and volunteers to further the mission of the Gray House.” Spaziani’s brings experience in nonprofit fund-raising as former community relations and outreach manager at the Children’s Study Home in Springfield. There, she also gained experience in licensing and compliance as quality assurance manager. Her most recent role was in the field of marketing at Market Mentors in West Springfield. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration in marketing/communications and advertising from Western New England University as well as a certificate in professional fund-raising from Boston University. She graduated from Leadership Pioneer Valley with the class of 2015. An open house will be held at the Gray House, 22 Sheldon St., Springfield on Wednesday, Aug. 24. Members of the community are invited to stop by from 8 to 9 a.m. and noon to 2 p.m. to meet the staff and learn more about the services offered, as well as volunteer opportunities.

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The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce (AACC) board of directors announced the appointment of Timothy O’Brien as Executive Director, effective Aug. 1. He will assume responsibility for representing the chamber’s diverse business interests in the community, directing the organization’s growth, and maintaining the chamber’s financial stability and commitment to providing value to its members. “Tim brings a wealth of experience and the needed energy and commitment to the Amherst area to serve all of our members,” said Julie Marcus, board president. The appointment had the unanimous support of the board’s executive committee. “I am honored to help lead the Amherst Area Chamber team and excited to continue my career in destination marketing as part of this outstanding organization,” O’Brien said. “I look forward to working with the board, staff, and AACC members in writing the next chapter of the chamber’s influential history.” O’Brien has been active in the Western Mass. destination-marketing industry since 1987. He has served as communications director with the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau as well as serving on that agency’s board of directors. He held top marketing and communications positions with Yankee Candle and Kringle Candle, as well as providing marketing services to the Yankee Candle founder Michael Kittredge and his family, charity, and business interests. O’Brien holds bachelor’s degree in resource economics from UMass Amherst.

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Tighe & Bond recently welcomed Director of Human Resources Margo Armstrong to lead its human-resources functions, as well as strengthen the firm’s staffing growth and employee programs. She brings with her more than 20 years of high-level leadership experience in HR consulting, performance management, succession planning, and employee programs. She will work primarily out of the firm’s Westfield office. “We are delighted to welcome Margo to the Tighe & Bond team at this significant juncture of our accelerated growth. She is an accomplished HR leader who will strengthen employee-related programs across our organization,” said David Pinsky, Tighe & Bond CEO and president. Armstrong has held a variety of senior human-resources and change-leadership roles in several prominent and high-performing businesses. This includes overseeing performance management, employee recognition, talent review, and succession planning; HR planning and analysis; and HR consulting. Known for possessing a strategic business focus and technical expertise, her knowledge base includes influencing and leading in complex and rapidly changing environments. Armstrong holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Alfred University and a master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of New Haven. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management.

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With the goal of accelerating growth in international markets, OMG Roofing Products has created market manager positions for both Asia and Europe and promoted two executives into these roles. Kingbill Zhao, Asia Market Manager, is based in China and will support the Greater Asian market. Lennard Spirig, Europe Market Manager, is based in Switzerland, servicing the European market. Both are responsible for all OMG sales and marketing activities in their regions, including developing products and services tailored to local market needs. Zhao joined OMG in 2009 as a roofing specialist and was promoted to China sales manager in 2011, where he was responsible for launching the OMG Roofing Products line in China. Since then, he has built a sales and customer-service organization in China to support the company’s rapidly growing business. Prior to joining OMG, he was the international department manager for the China Waterproofing Assoc., where he worked with other international counterparts like National Roofing Contractors Assoc. and the Germany Roofing Contractors Assoc. to market the China Roofing & Waterproofing Show internationally. In addition, he organized Chinese company visits to the U.S. and Europe, and worked with organizations like FM Global and FLL to introduce approvals and standards to China. Spirig joined OMG in 2014 as Europe product marketing manager, responsible for marketing OMG products throughout Europe. Since then, he has been a great resource for helping to expand OMG’s footprint in Europe by assisting system manufacturer partners and developing new distribution in various European countries. Prior to joining OMG, he spent 10 years as product manager for mechanical attachment with SFS Intec. Earlier, he had been an international key account manager based in Mexico. “OMG’s products are designed to enhance rooftop productivity and improve roof-system performance,” said Web Shaffer, vice president of Marketing. “Lennard and Kingbill will be highly focused on developing value-added products and services that meet local market needs in order to accelerate our growth in Europe and Asia respectively, and I look forward to continuing to work with these two outstanding individuals.”

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HZ Electric Supply (formerly Hampden Zimmerman Electric), a New England electrical distributor, announced the promotion of Chris Jablonski and Mark Melikian to Branch Managers. Jablonski (in the Northampton branch), and Melikian (Pittsfield) will manage the selling and warehousing of company products, as well as planning, administering, and controlling day-to-day operations. “Both Chris and Mark have been instrumental in the growth of business, and we are proud to recognize their contributions with these promotions,” said Regional President Mark Lauria. Jablonski graduated from UMass Dartmouth and John Cabot University in Rome, Italy. He earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing with a minor in international business. He is also a member of Enactus and the National Assoc. of Electrical Distributors. Upon completion of his degree, Jablonski worked for two years as marketing manager of Hampden Zimmerman before entering the USESI 18-month management-trainee program. Melikian is a graduate of Salve Regina University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English communications. After being employed in the real-estate and retail industries, he interned at HZ in the marketing department the summer after his junior year at Salve Regina. After graduation the following year, he completed the USESI 18-month management-trainee program.

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HUB International New England, a division of HUB International Limited, a global insurance-brokerage, risk-advisory, and employee-benefits firm, announced the hiring of two new employees in its East Longmeadow office. Monique Matz has joined as Commercial Lines Service Manager, and Jennifer Robinson as employee Benefits Account Manager. Matz joins HUB International with several years of underwriting and commercial-lines experience. At HUB International, her role is to provide service to medium to large commercial insurance accounts of moderate to high complexity. Acting as the primary liaison between the client and insurance carrier, she coordinates all facets of the clients’ needs from the initial setup procedures to audit processing to policy review. She handles day-to-day client requests while staying focused on meeting the needs of clients, carriers, and client executives. Robinson has been in the insurance industry for many years and has experience in the customer-service and data-management fields. As part of the employee benefits team, she will work to help employers maintain their employee-benefits packages, and acts as a guide and reference tool for their HR managers. She handles client inquiries and works closely in assisting the producers with new business and sales initiatives.