See the 2022 40 Under Forty Digital Issue Here

Interim Regional Manager, Families First; Holyoke City Councilor: Age 37

Holyoke City Councilor Israel Rivera’s pursuit of a master’s degree in public administration from Westfield State University might not sound out of the ordinary, until he tells his backstory.

At age 19, Rivera was incarcerated for five years for drug-related charges. Upon his release, he gravitated to positive places in the community that he’d known since childhood. To get back on his feet, he sought out the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club and the Holyoke Housing Authority.

“I went back to my old roots with the intent on giving back to my community,” he explained.

After earning an associate degree from Holyoke Community College and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UMass Amherst, Rivera held positions in community engagement and workforce development, before Families First recruited him as interim regional manager. There, he oversees two programs that build stronger families by encouraging parents to connect and network with each other.

“As parents grow their network, they gain confidence,” he said. “If one person is having a problem, another parent will share what has worked for them with a similar problem. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Rivera is proud to be part of this effort to build stronger families in Western Mass. “As a father of three, these programs strengthen my knowledge as a parent and a community organizer.”

In 2021, Rivera was elected to Holyoke’s City Council and now chairs its public safety committee. “When I took office, I did not think the other councilors would appreciate my background,” he said. “But many have been supportive and want to hear my perspective.”

He hopes his life example will start to change societal attitudes about people who made mistakes in their youth but have matured into adults who are positive citizens. “If we allow formerly incarcerated people to be in society, we have to gradually allow them to fully take part in society.”

For example, after a person is incarcerated, they often face legal discrimination when trying to improve their lives, he noted. “I have friends who would like to apply for a liquor license to open a restaurant or apply for a lottery license to open a bodega, but they can’t because of their past.”

Rivera said he shares his own experience to educate and inspire others about what’s possible. “When I was incarcerated, I dreamed about where I am today. So when someone asks how I’m doing, I say, ‘I’m living the dream.’”

—Mark Morris

Chelsea Russell

By George O'Brien April 27, 2023

Manager/CPA, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.; Age 29

Chelsea Russell “There’s never a dull moment.”

That’s not a phrase anyone not in accounting and auditing would probably use to describe that profession. But Chelsea Russell, who has chosen that field, means it when she says it.

“There’s a lot of variety, a lot of excitement — you can do the grind of the work, but you can also go out and meet people in the community and other business owners,” Russell said as she talked about the sum (that’s an industry term) of everything that goes into her career, especially the networking and relationship building, in addition to the number crunching.

Russell was trending toward business management while at Westfield State University, became inspired by one of her accounting professors to focus her career in that direction, and became further inspired by a talk delivered by Jim Krupienski, now a partner at Meyers Brothers Kalicka, on “a day in the life of an accountant.”

She pursued an internship at MBK, one that led — as these opportunities so often do — to a job at the firm. She currently serves as a manager in the Audit and Assurance Department, where she handles large audits in the not-for-profit, commercial, and employment-benefit-plan arenas.

She has become an emerging leader at the firm, serving as co-leader of the Not-for-profit Division, a member of the mission and vision committee, an internal trainer for the Audit and Assurance Department, a member of the Business Development team, and a mentor to audit and accounting associates.

But maybe her most noteworthy contribution at the firm, one she’s passionate about, is her work to develop its Community Outreach program, through which she has established monthly charitable opportunities for the firm to participate in. She has coordinated drives, awareness campaigns, and service for a wide range of organizations in Western Mass., including Square One, Dakin Humane Society, Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity, the Opera House Players, Friends of the Homeless, Rachel’s Table, and many others.

“It’s become a staple of who we are,” she said of the program. “I always wanted something to make my work more meaningful. I love what I do, and I love my clients … but there was more that we could do with the resources that we have. We’re in Western Mass., and there’s so much need in the community.”

When not working or coordinating support for nonprofits, Russell is engaging in outdoor activities — camping, hiking, kayaking, fishing, and more — with her husband, Tyler, and 8-month-old lab, Copper.

—George O’Brien

Kyle Snow

By Joseph Bednar April 27, 2023

President, Snow & Sons Landscaping: Age 38

By his teen years, Kyle Snow was working hard at landscaping and snow removal — when weekends and summer breaks from school allowed him to. Even before that, at a very young age, he was busy working around the Greenfield shop of his family’s business.

Back then, he was already thinking about an eventual full-time role in the family business, but maybe not envisioning quite how dramatically he would grow the firm as its third-generation president.

Indeed, since graduating from UMass Amherst, where he studied business and landscaping studies, and working his way up the leadership ranks of Snow & Sons, he has led the company to exponential growth — to more than 110 team members, in fact, serving more than 2,000 customers across Franklin and Hampshire counties, as well as southern Vermont and New Hampshire, with landscaping, hardscaping, maintenance, fertilization, irrigation, gardening, and winter snow removal, and earning major contracts with the likes of Mount Snow, Yankee Candle, and many others.

In fact, the firm has become so busy that it has been shifting away from one-time services to full maintenance contracts. He’s gratified by that evolution, but emphatically credits his team for his success.

“They really work hard; they provide good service and a really good experience,” Snow said, adding that he’s proud to see his employees grow and develop in their roles. “We have a strong culture and people who do an awesome job providing services to all the customers — not just quality of landscaping, honestly, but the interactions they have with the customer base. We get the most compliments from customers about our people.”

In addition to his leadership of the landscaping enterprise, Snow has built an impressive real-estate portfolio, purchasing multi-unit residential properties across Franklin County over the past decade. Also, in 2022, he branched out and founded Sugarloaf Gardens, opening an expansive nursery located at the foot of Mount Sugarloaf in Sunderland, specializing in trees, shrubs, and perennials.

Meanwhile, under his leadership, Snow and Sons has expanded its philanthropic efforts, benefiting more than 25 Franklin- and Hampshire-county nonprofits over the past three years. On his own time, Snow also coaches basketball at Deerfield Elementary School, and the company maintains a town garden in its Greenfield hometown, planting annual flowers in three different locations.

“We try to be really involved with different efforts,” he said. “It’s important for us to be a part of the community.”

—Joseph Bednar

Ciara Speller

By George O'Brien April 27, 2023

Evening Anchor, WWLP-22 News: Age 30

Ciara Speller says she’s always been a storyteller.

At first, and for many years, she told stories through dance, something’s she’s still passionate about today.

“Through the arts, I was always able to tell a story,” she said, but along the way, she found there were other ways to communicate stories — through poetry, the student newspaper in high school, and other vehicles.

“I was moved to see that my words could touch other people and bring their stories to light,” she said, adding that this passion for telling stories, coupled with a long-held interest in watching the news, often with her grandmother, put her on path to broadcast journalism and, eventually, WWLP-22 News, where she currently serves as evening anchor.

She started as a reporter in 2017, arriving in Springfield soon before the story of serial killer Stewart Weldon broke, a case that brought national media to the area and provided Speller with both exposure and learning experiences on many levels.

She joined the anchor desk less than a year later, and there were other big stories to follow — COVID-19, the tragedy at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Jan. 6, and many others. But it’s the day-to-day work of keeping area residents informed that Speller likes most about her work.

She told BusinessWest that she always pictured herself on the anchor desk, noting that there are many responsibilities there beyond reading the news, including writing, editing, deploying crews, proofreading, answering calls, making beat calls to police and fire departments, and, in general, setting the tone for that night’s broadcasts.

“I want to make sure that I’m delivering stories that are important to our community … I don’t want to let my community down,” she said. “They welcome me into their homes at night, and I always want to give it my best.

“I want to be like a conversation,” she went on. “I want it to come off as just having a chat — what’s going on — with my friends.”

Speller’s ultimate goal is to sit behind the anchor desk in a much larger market, but while she’s working in Greater Springfield, she has committed herself to getting involved in the community and making a difference there.

Indeed, she currently serves on the board of directors for Girls Inc. of the Valley, is a corporator for Monson Savings Bank, and has volunteered with the nonprofit I Found Light Against All Odds, which assists at-risk youths and their families through numerous charitable events.

—George O’Brien

Andrea St. Louis

By George O'Brien April 27, 2023

Owner, The Tatted Professionals; Director, Jill Ker Conway Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, Smith College: Age 36

Andrea St. Louis has a number of titles and many different … let’s call them jobs, although some of them are more like passions.

She was just named director of the Jill Ker Conway Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center at Smith College. She is also the owner of a business called the Tatted Professionals, through which she takes many different titles — executive coach, writer, business coach, educator, and public speaker.

She’s also the author of the book 40 Days Lighter: A Devotional Journey for Women Determined to Live Free, an adjunct professor, book-club host, and TEDxSpringfield speech coach and emcee. She’s also an ordained minister at the All Nations Church in Springfield, as well as a youth leader and board member at the church. She has also been a board member for the Children’s Chorus of Springfield and a mentor with the Pass the Torch for Women Foundation. She’s also a mother of two.

That’s a lot of ‘alsos.’

But we need them to accurately convey all that St. Louis does professionally and in her community.

In her role at Smith, which recently expanded from entrepreneur in residence to director, she has developed and taught courses on entrepreneurship and facilitated workshops on entrepreneurship, innovation, ideation, effective pitching, and more.

And through her business, the Tatted Professionals, she is an executive coach, writer, business consultant, educator, and speaker who is committed to helping women leaders own their gifts and effectively tell their story.

She is a frequent speaker, having given a talk at the recent Women in Business Summit in Springfield, and also at the Women Business Owners Alliance Social Media Bootcamp, the On the Move Forum for Women Intergenerational Panel, and the 2021 Wellness for the Culture Saturday Wellness Workshop.

St. Louis said there is general theme or tone to her talks.

“I’m often talking about authenticity, what it means to show up authentically, and professionalism,” she explained, adding that these talking points refer back to the name she has given her business. “For me, tattoos are a symbol of how we bring ourselves to wherever we’re going. Tattoos are permanent; I know some people get them removed, but to me they are a permanent reminder to bring all of myself to the work that I do.”

She said she also helps clients, mostly women of color, tell their stories, step out of their comfort zone, and work through challenges. She’s speaking from personal experience, having done all that herself, and that’s why her voice, and her message, resonates.

—George O’Brien

Brian Sullivan

Vice President, Northeast IT Systems Inc.: Age 35

Brian Sullivan You might say Northeast IT Systems was on a roll right from the start.

“I met my business partner while we were both in a bowling league,” said Brian Sullivan, the company’s co-founder, with Joel Mollison, and vice president. “We had a shared vision of what Northeast IT could be, and we opened the company in 2012.”

With a computer information systems degree from Holyoke Community College, Sullivan knew he had to convince people he was up to the challenge of making his business a success.

“My mom and dad have a hard work ethic, and that rubbed off on me,” he said, adding that he’s also benefited from a number of mentors through the years.

The company handles business-to-business technology needs, from simple help-desk requests to large projects, such as installing servers and network equipment. Sullivan sees Northeast as a partner for its customers.

“We will even assist companies in developing IT budgets to help them get the most out of their technology,” he said. “We treat every customer network and IT budget like it’s our own.”

He is most proud of partnering with the nonprofit technology training center Tech Foundry to bring interns to Northeast so they can experience what it’s like to work in the field. “It’s a great program to be part of because there was nothing before it that is geared to what we do.”

Sullivan and his colleagues put a priority on mentoring younger team members. “Whether they stay with us long term or not, it’s satisfying to see our team members grow personally and professionally,” he said.

He credits his wife, Shawna, for always supporting his “crazy” ideas. Last year, she suggested a community event to benefit people suffering from Crohn’s disease after she had successfully been treated for it. Sullivan pitched in and applied his experience organizing golf tournaments and other events. The result was the first running of the Movement 5K, raising more than $6,000 for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.

Whether in his professional or personal life, Sullivan always tries to live up to the principles of treating others how he’d want to be treated, valuing communication, and delivering on promises. That philosophy seems to be paying off in the reputation of a firm that aims to … well, bowl clients over.

“Integrity is my number-one priority,” he said. “I’m a handshake guy, so your word is everything.”

—Mark Morris

Erica Swallow

Realtor, Turnberg & Swallow Team, Coldwell Banker Realty: Age 36

Erica Swallow’s résumé confuses people because she has worked in journalism, high-tech, and, currently, real estate.

“I have a broad range of interests, but the string that connects them all is feeling rooted to what I’m working on,” she said.

In 2019, she decided to put down roots in Western Mass. because of the high cost of housing in the Boston area. As a remote worker for a Boston-area tech company, Swallow researched houses within a 90-minute driving distance from work and fell in love with Springfield’s Forest Park district.

“I was blown away by the historic homes and having the 735-acre Forest Park next door,” she said.

When her company pulled all its remote workers back to headquarters, Swallow chose to stay in Springfield. After helping her mom sell the family home in Arkansas, then buy one for her in West Virginia, Swallow knew she had her next career.

“I’ve always known real estate was a powerful way for families to build equity and generational wealth,” she said. “I thought if I could help other families, this is where I want to be.”

Though she launched her real-estate career in 2020, her sales production last year led to inclusion in the Coldwell Banker International Diamond Society, placing her among the top 10% of Coldwell Banker agents worldwide.

As president of the Springfield Preservation Trust, Swallow is excited about taking part in her first large-scale building-rehab project at 7-9 Stockbridge St., the third-oldest building in the city’s downtown.

“When I came here, I wanted to build off the history that Springfield has, and this is exactly the kind of project I was hoping for,” she said. Once complete, the trust office will occupy the ground floor and lease the upper floors.

Swallow appreciates how much her life has changed from the days of growing up in poverty, and shared that her personal mantra is a quote by 13th-century poet Rumi, who encouraged people to “live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.”

“When you live from a place of empowerment, anything is possible,” she said.

Swallow used to think that making meaningful change in the world could only happen at the national level, but has since had a change of heart.

“I’ve learned that change gets made when you get involved locally,” she said. “I’ve made more change in my life in Western Mass. than I feel I’ve made in my whole career, and I’m still writing this part.”

—Mark Morris

Ashley Tresoline

Owner, Bella Foodie: Age 39

Ashley Tresoline

Personal chef and food educator Ashley Tresoline lives her company’s motto: “healthy starts from the inside out.”

“The idea is to help people live their best lives by using food to be healthy,” she said. “We also teach kids and adults how to make healthy food taste good.”

Tresoline grew up eating a normal, healthy diet influenced by her Italian grandparents. Then, about 10 years ago, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). “That turned my life upside down,” she recalled.

As she became more ill, Tresoline learned to focus on her diet and what foods can help with MS as well as other conditions. She became educated about the combinations of grains and vegetables that can lessen digestive issues and how it even matters what types of spices we put in our food.

“I studied all this and learned how to use my diet to help me be healthy every day, so when things are bad for me, my body is already in a state of being healthy,” she said.

Using her degree in business management and marketing from Springfield College, Tresoline started Bella Foodie to share her knowledge with others.

“I help my clients live their best lives,” she said. “That can range from supporting them through a health problem or working with someone who wants to be healthier and make their body function at the highest level possible.”

She also brings her message of good health into the community through the Boys and Girls Club of West Springfield and Girls Inc. of the Valley. “I love teaching cooking classes to these kids, because they become so engaged.”

During the pandemic, when in-person sessions weren’t possible, Tresoline hosted classes and connected with clients over Zoom, which helped extend her reach. That reach went worldwide with Food for Life, a show she developed for e360tv, an online streaming network.

“The show is about all things health and wellness,” she explained. “Our guests range from local to international people who share their expertise on a wide range of topics that affect health, food, and everything in between.”

To emphasize the importance of what we eat, Tresoline discussed the example of the seemingly healthy person who suddenly dies.

“We’ve all heard the story of someone who was really active in sports who died of a heart attack,” she said. “Chances are they had a terrible diet. No matter how good you look on the outside, you still need to be healthy on the inside.”

—Mark Morris

Saluting the Region’s Rising Stars

By Editorial April 27, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Inspiring.

There are many adjectives one can use to describe the members of the 40 Under Forty class of 2023 and their many — and varied — accomplishments. But ‘inspiring’ probably works best, and for a reason.

This was one of the main motivations for BusinessWest to start this recognition program in 2007. The goal was not to simply identify 40 rising stars each spring, but to inspire others by telling their stories, which are all different, but similar in that they chronicle success in the honorees’ chosen fields, but also strong involvement in the community.

These stories are impressive, but it is our hope, and our expectation, that they will inspire others to want to follow suit.

Let’s look at a few of these stories so you can see what we mean:

There’s Ashley LeBlanc, who told BusinessWest that it seems strange to be happy when someone is diagnosed with lung cancer. But she is, in some ways, because that diagnosis, especially if it comes early, can be one that saves a life. And helping to save and prolong life has become a kind of unofficial job description for her as nurse practice manager of Thoracic Surgery and nursing director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at Mercy Medical Center in Springfield.

There’s Dave Fontaine Jr., who has not only taken his family’s business, the construction firm Fontaine Bros. Inc., to new and much higher levels in terms of sales, staff, and even a ranking as one of the Boston Globe’s “Top Places to Work.” He has also become a serial entrepreneur of note as president of F2 Ventures, and taken his company and his family to a new level of involvement in the community. Indeed, collectively, they support everything from Link to Libraries to the Forest Park Zoo to the Sr. Mary Caritas Cancer Center.

There’s also Chelsea Russell, manager and CPA at Meyers Brothers Kalicka. She has quickly become a leader and mentor at the company, and has also developed its Community Outreach program, which coordinates drives, awareness campaigns, and services for organizations that include Square One, the United Way of Pioneer Valley, Christina’s House, Rachel’s Table, and many others.

There’s Andrew Brow, the restaurateur who has grown his portfolio to three eateries in Western Mass. — HighBrow Woodfired Kitchen and Bar, the Kitchen by HighBrow at White Lion Brewing Co., and Jackalope Restaurant — while also becoming quite active in the community, serving on boards at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School and Holyoke Community College, and using his talents in the kitchen to support a number of area nonprofits.

Then there’s Delmarina Lopez, who started a career in law and still uses her legal talents to help small business owners as a consultant. But she wanted to do something more meaningful with her time and energy, so she ran for, and won, a seat on Chicopee’s City Council as its Ward 3 representative.

There are 35 more stories like this, starting on page A8. Each is one is different, inspiring, and uplifting.

This is what we had in mind 16 years ago when we took an idea — to shine a bright light on the young talent in this region — and made it reality.

Like the 680 stories we’ve told, including the 40 this year, this program, and the way it has inspired others, is something worth celebrating.

Deadline Extended for 40 Under Forty Nominations

By BusinessWest Staff February 17, 2023

SPRINGFIELD — BusinessWest is currently accepting nominations for the 40 Under Forty class of 2023. The deadline for nominations has been extended to Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Launched in 2007, the program recognizes rising stars in the four counties of Western Mass. Nominations, which should be as detailed and thorough as possible, should list an individual’s accomplishments within their profession as well as their work within the community.

Nominations can be completed online at businesswest.com/40-under-forty-nomination-form. Nominations will be weighed by a panel of judges, and the selected individuals will be announced and profiled in the May 1 issue of BusinessWest and honored at the 40 Under Forty Gala on June 15. Event sponsorship opportunities are available.

Time Is Running Out to Nominate Someone for 40 Under Forty

By BusinessWest Staff February 15, 2023

SPRINGFIELD — BusinessWest is currently accepting nominations for the 40 Under Forty class of 2023. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Feb. 17.

40 Under Forty Nominations Due on Feb. 17

By BusinessWest Staff February 8, 2023

Class of 2022 Event Galleries Special Coverage

SPRINGFIELD — BusinessWest is currently accepting nominations for the 40 Under Forty class of 2023. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Feb. 17.

Scenes from the 2022 40 Under Forty Event

By BusinessWest Staff June 18, 2022

The Class of 2022

More than 600 people turned out at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House on June 16 to celebrate BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2022. The class, chosen by a panel of five judges, was the 16th class of rising stars celebrated by BusinessWest. The evening also featured the announcement of the Alumni Achievement Award winner for 2022 — Anthony Gleason II, president and co-founder of the Gleason-Johndrow Companies, a member of the class of 2010. The loud, boisterous crowd enjoyed networking, fine food, entertainment, and an opportunity to celebrate the latest young leaders to join one of the region’s more exclusive clubs. The photos on the following pages help convey the energy from a special evening. The event was sponsored by presenting sponsor PeoplesBank, with supporting sponsors Comcast Business, Live Nation, Mercedes Benz of Springfield, The Mill District, UMass Isenberg School of Management, and Stand Out Truck. The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield was an event partner. The Alumni Achievement Award was again sponsored by Health New England.

See the 2022 40 Under Forty Digital Issue Here

[Show thumbnails]

To order prints go to Leah Martin Photography

2022 Presenting Sponsor

2022 Supporting Sponsors

2022 Presenting Sponsor Alumni Achievement Award

Partner

2022 Sponsor Videos

PeoplesBank

Health New England

Comcast Business

Live Nation

Mercedes-Benz Springfield

The Mill District

Stand Out Truck

UMass Isenberg

40 Under Forty Gala Set for Tonight

By BusinessWest Staff June 16, 2022

Alumni Achievement Award Cover Story

HOLYOKE — BusinessWest will celebrate its 40 Under Forty Class of 2022 tonight at its annual gala at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House. The event will also feature the announcement of the Alumni Achievement Award winner for 2022.

The sold-out event begins with a VIP hour at 4 p.m. for invited guests, honorees, and sponsors only. The doors for general admission open at 5:30, and the program begins at 6:30.

Attendees are encouraged to carpool. In addition to parking at the Log Cabin, there will be parking at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 34 Jarvis Ave., with shuttle service — complete with beer and wine — to the Log Cabin. The shuttle service ends at 11 p.m.

For those who cannot attend in person, the event will be livestreamed. To watch, visit: https://businesswest.com/40-under-forty/40underforty/

The event is sponsored by presenting sponsor PeoplesBank, with supporting sponsors Comcast Business, Live Nation, Mercedes Benz of Springfield, The Mill District, UMass Isenberg School of Management, and Stand Out Truck. The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield is an event partner. The Alumni Achievement Award is sponsored by Health New England.

2022 Alumni Achievement Award

By BusinessWest Staff June 9, 2022

2022 Finalists Are Inspirational Leaders within the Community

In 2015, BusinessWest introduced a new award, an extension of its 40 Under Forty program. It’s called the Alumni Achievement Award, and as that name suggests, it recognizes previous honorees who continue to build on their resumes of outstanding achievement in their chosen field and in service to the community. Recently, a panel of three judges identified the three finalists for the 2022 award — Amanda Garcia, Anthony Gleason II, and Amy Royal. The winner for this year will be unveiled by Alumni Achievement Award presenting sponsor Health New England at the 40 Under Forty Gala on June 16 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. As the profiles that begin on page 7 reveal, these three finalists embody the spirit of this award. Their stories convey true leadership and are, in a word, inspiring.

Amanda Garcia

Associate Professor of Accounting and Finances, Director of the MBA Program, Elms College

Anthony Gleason II

President and Co-founder of the Gleason Johndrow

Amy Royal

Founder/CEO, the Royal Law Firm

Building on Records of Accomplishment

By Editorial June 8, 2022

Opinion

Editorial

In 2015, BusinessWest decided to add a new layer of intrigue to its popular 40 Under Forty Program.

The new wrinkle involved a separate award that would be presented to the 40 Under Forty honoree who, in the minds of a panel of independent judges, had most impressively built on their resume of both excellence in their chosen field and work within the community. We call it the Alumni Achievement Award, or AAA for short.

And over the years, this award has become one of the most coveted that we present each year because of what it represents — specifically a deep and ongoing commitment to this region.

Indeed, it has become a symbol of excellence, but actually much more than that. It has become a symbol of caring about this region we call home and a passion for making it a better place to live, work, and operate a business.

Which brings us to this year’s three finalists for the AAA award, all of whom exemplify the reasons we created it in the first place. Only one will take home the award at the 40 Under Forty gala on June 16, but all of them are very worthy:

• Amanda Garcia was vice president of Operations for Junior Achievement when she became a 40 Under Forty honoree in 2010. At that time, she had recently launched her own accounting firm. In the ensuing years she has moved into higher education, as a professor of accounting and finance at Elms College. At Elms, she has helped launched and build the MBA program and create new initiatives such as a program in Entrepreneurship.

Meanwhile, she has grown her business — it now boasts three employees — and remained committed to JA and other nonprofits in the region. She has also become a mentor and coach to many entrepreneurs and young people looking for guidance on college and life in general;

• Anthony Gleason II was also part of the 40 Under Forty Class of 2010. Back then, he was 24, but already a successful businessperson, especially with his own venture, Gleason Johndrow Landscaping. In the ensuing years, he has grown that venture into one of the largest snow-removal companies in the country, while also building an impressive commercial real estate portfolio.

In the community, Gleason and his company have become strong supporters of the Spirit of Springfield and its many initiatives, especially its annual pancake breakfast and Bright Nights, but it also supports many other nonprofits and specific fund-raising efforts;

• Amy Royal became a 40 Under Forty honoree one year earlier than her co-finalists. Since 2009, she has grown her law firm and diversified its roster of services, adding national and international clients ranging from Google to Macy’s to Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Meanwhile, in the community, she continues to lend her time and talents to a number of nonprofits, from the Center for Human Development to the Springfield Ballers.

Overall, these three finalists are shining examples of why BusinessWest created the Alumni Achievement Award and why this honor has become so coveted. There are now more than 600 women and men with 40 Under Forty plaques in their offices; these finalists represent the best of the best.

Invitation-only 40 Under Forty Meet-and-Greet Event Slated for Friday

By BusinessWest Staff May 19, 2022

Mercedes Benz of Springfield will host a meet-and-greet event Friday for members of BusinessWest’s Forty Under Class of 2022 — as well as the alumni of the 15 previous classes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el0wDEuYbWU

The festivities, which will include food and beverages provided by Log Rolling Catering, begin at 5 p.m. with a networking hour for members of the Class of 2022, which was introduced in BusinessWest’s May 2 edition: https://businesswest.com/issues/may-2-2022/#p=1.

Members of the previous classes of honorees are invited to join at 6 p.m.

The initial networking hour will provide members of this year’s class with an opportunity to meet one another before they share the stage at the annual 40 Under Forty Gala on June 16 at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. The second hour will provide attendees with a chance to get caught up and meet more members of one of the region’s more exclusive clubs.

RSVP is required:  https://forms.gle/BEEZnThYiFEjKDYJ9

Melanie Wilk

Director of Food Service, Chicopee Public Schools; Age 39

It’s called the ‘Curbside Cafeteria.’ That’s the name now attached to an intriguing concept cooked up by Melanie Wilk and her team at Chicopee Public Schools.

Wilk is the Food Service director at CPS, and she’s constantly looking for new and impactful ways to improve the nutrition and overall health of not only students but all those in this community. Which brings us to the Curbside Cafeteria.

“A lot of families in Chicopee don’t have transportation to get to meal sites — we saw a big need,” said Wilk, who, with her team, was able to purchase a food truck with a Food Security Infrastructure Grant awarded by the state. Starting this summer, it will provide mobile meals to students on their way to school, during after-school activities, or at parks during the summer months — free of charge.

This intersection of nutrition and community is where Wilk’s passion lies. The Chicopee native wasn’t always interested in nutrition, but that changed after relocating to the Big Apple.

“I moved to New York for seven years, and I think that’s where my interest in nutrition kind of sparked,” she explained. “It was a little bit more trendy in New York to know about healthy foods.”

After returning home, Wilk pursued a degree in nutrition at UMass Amherst, although she never dreamed she would end up working for a public school system.

“Nobody intends to end up in food service,” she admitted, but while doing her food-service rotation at Chicopee Public Schools, she realized it was much different than she thought.

“We have a very large farm-to-school program, so we partner with several local farms and distributors in the area to do fresh fruits and veggies,” she recalled. “And that was so interesting to me and so different … that they were trying to provide such fresh and local foods on kids’ trays.”

Shortly after Wilk graduated, she stepped into her what became her dream job. About one year later, the pandemic struck. She mobilized her staff to use a safe drive-up method of serving meals; from March 2020 through June 2021, she and her team served more than 1.5 million free meals to Chicopee families.

Just three years since starting with CPS, Wilk couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else. She is working hard to ensure that hers is not just a food-service program, but a community program with a mission of combating food insecurity and helping children create healthy relationships with food.

— Elizabeth Sears

Reynolds Whalen

Director of Sales Operations, Webber & Grinnell Insurance; Age 35

In college, Reynolds Whalen said, his dual passions were acting and travel. So, in 2011, he founded a company, called Performing Arts Abroad, that offered international experiences to travelers in music, dance, theater, and film.

He focused especially on collaborating with marginalized communities around the world, using the arts for education, development, and social change, growing the Northampton-based company to more than 160 participants in 2019.

And then the pandemic struck.

“It started as an arts-for-social-change program in Kenya, a country I’ve been involved with for many years,” Whalen recalled. “It grew quickly, and we had a lot of success, but COVID just wiped everything out; performing arts and travel both stopped in their tracks.”

His next role, at Webber & Grinnell Insurance, might not seem like an obvious progression, but he was intrigued by being able to tackle a culture-building role at the agency, while creating a more data-driven model and empowering the team to do their best work as efficiently as possible.

Outside of work, Whalen is active in the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew in Greenfield, serving on the governing board, directing the youth group, and founding a digital ministry during the pandemic; he also serves on the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts. In addition, he’s a member of Eggtooth Productions in Greenfield and is a teaching artist for public-school program that uses an immersive theater framework to boost literacy for first- and second-graders.

His heart for the international community still gets a workout, too, serving as board clerk and a member of the finance committee at the International Language Institute in Northampton. He also supports several Afghan refugee families through a Circle of Care group, doing things like taking them to their local survival centers to get registered, showing them how to navigate the bus system, and helping them enroll in free English classes.

“My passion for a long time has been creating understanding amongst people of different cultures and ways of living in the world; the most important thing for our country at this moment in time is access to information about other people and other cultures, and understanding the value that immigrants bring to our community,” Whalen said. “Our community is made stronger by people who are visitors or settling here from other places. Those aspects of the community are particularly important to me.”

— Joseph Bednar

Stephanie Welch

Community Development Director, Town of West Springfield; Age 25

Stephanie Welch has her own working definition of the phrase that now appears on her business card (or one of them, anyway): community development.

“To me, it means removing equity barriers for those around you,” she told BusinessWest, adding that she goes about this assignment in a number of ways through her role with the town of West Springfield, everything from help administering a down-payment assistance program to those looking to buy a home to work assisting the local food pantry in securing a much-needed new home.

And this same basic goal also defines her work outside of her day job as a consultant and as a controller for a local manufacturer.

“Everyone I work with is tied to the same goal,” she said. “All the organizations, from West Springfield to the private companies I work with — they’re trying to remove equity barriers for people.”

Prior to the pandemic, Welch was working as a project manager for a large consulting firm that specialized in work with small- to medium-sized businesses when she decided she wanted to make a career shift. She saw the position of community developer in West Springfield as a natural fit and a logical move.
“A lot of it is administering grant funding, but it’s also basic accounting and budgeting and doing strategic planning,” she explained. “And I thought, ‘I can do this.’” City officials thought the same thing, and she started just after the pandemic hit.

Since arriving, she’s been involved in the multi-phase renovation of the West Springfield Boys & Girls Club, which she calls her “pride and joy,” as well as a number of paving projects, job-training initiatives for non-English-speaking residents (there are many in this community), and that aforementioned down-payment assistance project, administered in conjunction with Way Finders, which is helping many city residents become homeowners.

“Many people will say, ‘I can afford the mortgage, but I can just never get caught up to make the down payment,” she explained, adding that the program provides $5,000 to those who quality to get them over that hump.

That’s just one example of barrier removal, she said, reiterating that her work outside of Town Hall usually takes a similar course. Indeed, she serves as controller to the Coating House, a manufacturer working to bring more women into that industry.

Outside of her many kinds of work, Welch skis, hikes, and hangs out with her rescue dog, Whiskey.

— George O’Brien

Sarah Rose Stack

Marketing & Recruiting Manager, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.; Age 38

Choreography is the art of planning and arranging movements, as in a ballet or musical, so they come together in a cohesive and powerful way.

Sarah Rose Stack handles choreography in what would be considered the traditional sense — leading recent productions for the Opera House Players in Enfield and Little Theater of Manchester that include Shrek, Something Rotten, Legally Blonde: the Musical, and her latest, In the Heights.

But her multi-faceted work as marketing manager for the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, her day job, would also be considered choreography. There, she handles the firm’s marketing, digital presence, community outreach, public relations, business development, and communications, and brings all that together in many powerful ways that are yielding results on several different levels.

These include everything from a new, responsive website that has spawned a more than 200% increase in active users to a social-media strategy that has generated a nearly 900% increase in impressions and a 530% increase in engagements, to new diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. She also co-leads and champions the firm’s community-outreach program, coordinating drives, awareness campaigns, and service for a wide range of organizations.

Looking at the many sides of her life, Stack said they complement one another and ultimately make her better at each one.

“My formal training in music and dance has made me really good at my job in communications because music and dance is the ultimate expression of feeling,” she said. “And I really believe my career landed where it is because of that training … it’s the weird secret sauce in my background.”

Perhaps the most difficult assignment for Stack when it comes to choreography is her own schedule. Indeed, the retired professional dancer for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse currently teaches multiple styles of dance at Nutmegs Dance and Theatre Company (while also managing the studio’s website). She’s also a seasonal choreographer for the Opera House Players; marketing co-chair for the Massachusetts Society of CPAs; contributing writer for publications ranging from BusinessWest to UFO Magazine; frequent public speaker on topics ranging from business development to marketing; active volunteer for several nonprofits, including Boston Children’s Hospital and the Boston Cannons Foundation; and devoted mother of two boys.

On top of all that, she’s pursuing a master’s degree in communications online at Johns Hopkins University.

Asked where she finds the time, she said she makes it, because all of those aspects of her life are important to her and contribute to who she is.

— George O’Brien

Roger St. Onge

By BusinessWest Staff May 3, 2022

Founder, MOVE Athletics; Age 32

Roger St. Onge is no stranger to physical challenges. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, he served two deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While in the Marines, he developed a passion for helping others with their fitness.

“I was helping the Marines that weren’t passing their physical-fitness test or meeting the height and weight standard to be able to pass those standards and meet the requirements,” he explained, adding that this passion stayed with him after his service was over.

Indeed, while working toward his doctoral degree in physical therapy at American International College, he taught fitness classes in Springfield and competed in both CrossFit at the regional level and Olympic weightlifting.

It was during this time that St. Onge noticed there were many athletes and active adults who were having athletic aches and pains, or getting injuries that were preventing them from exercising — and they weren’t getting any help.

So he made it his mission to get them that help.

“I felt like it was my responsibility to figure out a way to provide that service to the community because there was nowhere for people to get that help,” he said, adding that this mindset compelled him to pursue his doctorate. What he realized was that the standard route of physical therapy wasn’t necessarily the best route.

“Most of the care given in the insurance-driven world is not designed to help people get better,” he said. “It’s designed to help overworked, burnt-out, underpaid therapists manage their time.”

St. Onge founded MOVE Athletics as an out-of-network practice that would operate in a manner best for the client.

“We have a whole mini-gym in here so we can do literally anything that anybody needs to do to get back to fitness and an active lifestyle without being limited by insurance,” he said.

Outside of work, he lives an active lifestyle and loves spending time with his two children.

“We’re either going on hikes or paddleboarding, or in the winter we’ll go snowboarding,” he said. “I’ll shoot hoops in the driveway with my son or take the dog for a 20-minute walk with my daughter … just being outside with the kids and enjoying nature.”

It is clear that, whether inside or outside of work, St. Onge is passionate about playing an active role in his community.

— Elizabeth Sears

Veronice Santana

Assistant District Attorney, Northwestern District Attorney’s Office; Age 34

Veronice Santana keeps a busy schedule.

As an assistant district attorney in the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, she’s handling a full load of cases. She’s also an adjunct professor at both Bay Path University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, and Western New England University School of Law, where she earned her juris doctor. She’s also active in the community, as we’ll see.

But she makes sure to reserve time to mentor those involved with Girls Inc. of the Valley and provide support to high-school girls preparing for college, especially those thinking about careers in law. This mentoring takes many forms and includes simply being a role model and showing them that no career, including the path she took, is beyond their reach if they work hard.

“I’m one of very few women of color in my profession, and so one of the things I enjoy doing is being a representative of the legal field and showing young women, young people of color, that this is something they can also achieve,” she said. “You can’t be what you can’t see.”

What those girls see when Santana is in the room is a rising star in the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, one who was the first in her family to attend college, and someone who was firm of the belief that she would become a defense attorney until her last semester in law school, when a judge told her she could become more of a change agent, and impact more lives, as a prosecutor, especially in the Northwestern DA’s office.

She has come to believe those words, and in her role as assistant DA, she stresses that not all crimes need to be prosecuted and not all offenders need to be incarcerated.

“There are a lot of reasons why people commit crimes,” she told BusinessWest. Sometimes, they just need substance-abuse or mental-health treatment. I very quickly learned that this office is focused on alternatives to incarceration, restorative justice, rehabilitation, and treatment. And this is what I believe in.”

As noted, Santana, who recently rescued a dog which is now the “light of her life,” is active in the community. In addition to her work with Girls Inc., she’s a member of Zonta International and also serves as a member of Bay Path University’s paralegal advisory committee and as a board member of the WNE Law Alumni Assoc. She’s also on the Puerto Rican Parade committee.

— George O’Brien

Dr. Edna Rodriguez

Director of Behavioral Health, Trinity Health Of New England; Age 36

Dr. Edna Rodriguez says there are few, if any, silver linings attached to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when it comes to healthcare and those who provide it.

But if there is one, she believes it is the way the pandemic has brought much-needed attention to the broad subject of behavioral health, attention that may bring some positive results in the years and decades to come.

“The past 24 months have shone a bright spotlight on a problem that was already there,” she explained. “We already had issues with access to care; we already had issues with people contemplating whether to seek behavioral-health services because of stigma and fears of how the system can play out for them.

“COVID has given a different level of importance to behavioral health,” she went on. “I’m hearing more senators, more legislators talking about behavioral health and budgeting for behavioral health … in a way, this crisis has humanized behavioral health.”

Rodriguez should know. She’s spent her professional career working in behavioral health, starting at the Gandara Center in 2013, after earning her doctorate in clinical psychology in Puerto Rico. There, she worked with the Latinx population in Springfield’s North End. She joined the staff of the former Providence Hospital (then an affiliate of Mercy Medical Center) in 2016, and was named to several leadership positions, serving as clinical supervisor of the Clinical Stabilization Unit, director of Clinical Programming and Social Work, and director of the Clinical Assessment Center and Ambulatory programs. She was named to her current position, in which she also directs Brightside for Families and Children, in 2021.

In that position, she oversees collaborations with Behavioral Health Network for crisis management in Mercy’s Emergency Department, manages psychiatric and addiction consultation teams, and ensures that resources are utilized effectively to treat patients and help them transfer to appropriate levels of care.

She also manages grants received by Mercy to help improve and expand access to care for those struggling with a substance-abuse disorder, and also oversees the overall operations of Brightside for Families and Children, an outpatient service offering counseling and family-support programs.

Rodriguez, a mother of two, is also active in the community, serving as a member of the Western Mass. Area Board for the Department of Mental Health; as a parent member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for East Longmeadow Public Schools; and as a leadership member of the Hampden County Addiction Taskforce.

— George O’Brien

Justin Roberts

Vice President of Marketing, Country Bank; Age 32

For Justin Roberts, being vice president of Marketing at Country Bank is all about giving back to the community.

“It all goes back to my interest that I’ve always had in giving back and making sure that individuals and organizations continue to succeed, especially the ones that have important missions that support the communities and the individuals that live in them and that need help,” he told BusinessWest.

Roberts’ desire to support individuals who need help was the driving force behind Suit Up Springfield, a nonprofit he founded eight years ago that provides professional attire in the form of suits, shirts, and ties to individuals graduating from high school or college, and individuals being released from incarceration who need assistance with their professional development. The program has provided attire to thousands of young men in the Greater Springfield area.

Additionally, Roberts has developed a partnership with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, providing professional attire to all inmates in the post-incarceration program. He’s even an honorary Hampden County deputy sheriff.

Beyond Suit Up Springfield, Roberts’ role at Country Bank has allowed him to be active with countless organizations.

“We do so much good and give back so much time, talent, and treasure to the community, which has always really been such an important part of my mission, my personal mission statement,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate to both personally and professionally give back in so many ways, whether it’s sitting and serving on some boards or volunteering for some organizations like Habitat for Humanity or Square One, or my board involvement at AIC, where I did my undergrad and MBA work. It just all ties back to the opportunities that I have to continue to give back and support the communities and the individuals that make them up.”

Currently, Roberts is vice president of the Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity board. He’s been involved with building 10 homes in the past five years for families in need of good, affordable housing in Western Mass. He was instrumental in raising more than $150,000 to build Tommy’s House, a house built in memory of Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, who died as a result of an act of domestic terrorism at the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Tennessee in 2015.

Outside of his work and volunteering, Roberts loves to spend time with his family, his partner, Heather, and their two daughters, Maxie and Charlie. He loves playing golf, cooking, and eating good food.

— Elizabeth Sears

Nicholas Riley

Owner, N. Riley Construction; Age 39

Nick Riley knows construction changes lives — both those of his clients, when they step into a new home or undergo a dramatic renovation, and in his own life, in which a bet on himself paid off at a young age.

Age 24, to be exact. Riley had been working as a laborer for another construction business for a couple of years, and decided he loved the work, and how the results of his labor made people happy.

“I decided I was going to start my own business,” he recalled. “So I got into small remodeling, and gradually got into homebuilding pretty quickly.”

That was 2007, an interesting time to strike out on his own, with the global financial crisis and the Great Recession just around the corner. Riley credits his participation in an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition build in Springfield in 2011 with bringing attention to N. Riley Construction and taking the firm to the next level.

“That definitely helped me,” he said. “Since then, we’ve been at it non-stop, growing by leaps and bounds every year. We’re doing 10-plus houses a year, large commercial buildings … I’ve got a good group of guys working for me, and that helps.”

It’s tough for contractors to keep and grow their crews these days, but Riley has been addressing that issue at the source, by cultivating the next generation of workers through an initiative called Student Builders.

“I’m the president, and I work with a couple other local people on that board,” he said. “What we do is purchase property in Chicopee — usually either dilapidated homes that need to be ripped down or pieces of land that need to be developed — and we set it up so kids in vocational programs, like carpentry, electrical, or landscaping, can build an entry-level house. It’s good, hands-on experience, and they can see if that’s something they want to do. It’s a good way to reach out to kids and get them into the workforce.”

The hope is that many will find the career as gratifying as he does.

“I love transforming people’s houses, working with customers and creating something for them that they’re excited about, that they’ll cherish for years,” Riley said. “It’s a very satisfying job. When I drive down the street and look around and say, ‘yeah, we did that house,’ or ‘we did that project,’ it’s nice. We take a lot of pride in our work.”

— Joseph Bednar

Walter Rice

Business & Community Liaison, Work-based Learning Coordinator, Westover Job Corps; Age: 34

Students at Westover Job Corps (WJC) receive technical training to pursue successful careers. Thanks to the efforts of staff members like Walter Rice, the students also learn how to have a successful life.

In his role with WJC, Rice builds relationships with employers in the community to create internship opportunities for students, so when they graduate with industry-certified training in welding, plumbing, electrical, and other skills, they have a path to employment.

That represents only part of the training, as Rice works with students to learn interviewing and interpersonal skills.

“We make sure students work on what they need to succeed on the job and to make sure they are empowered with independent living skills to maximize their personal lives,” he noted.

While sometimes called “soft skills,” he contends interpersonal skills are life skills that help a person represent their brand, and when combined with technical skills, the result is a truly successful person.

Rice is involved in about a dozen different community efforts in Western Mass. to make life better for young people. One notable recognition came from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Excellence in Community Outreach and Prevention.

“We had a speaker series called ‘You Can Be Who You Want to Be,’ where WJC graduates shared stories of how they were able to succeed in their careers and encouraged young people they could do the same,” he noted.

Rice lives by a philosophy of always doing his best and living in the moment.

“The most defining moment we can have is right now,” he said. “No matter what is going on, I have to give 100% of myself and try to make a difference right now.”

At the same time, he can see the bigger picture.

“All of us who work in the community have many people standing behind us and many who came before us,” he said. “Because of the work we’ve done collectively, our community is stronger.”

Proud of all his accomplishments at WJC, Rice recently joined the United Way in a similar role as a liaison for business and community organizations.

“I enjoy working in Western Mass. because we can really have an impact and help others,” he said. “It’s just an honor to serve our community.”

— Mark Morris

Hannah Rechtschaffen

Director of Placemaking, W.D. Cowls Inc.; Age 39

Not everyone knows what placemaking is. But, to hear Hannah Rechtschaffen talk about it, maybe everyone should.

“Placemaking, to me, is really looking at the arts and culture and history and current residents of a place and really paying attention to how that place is developing and changing,” she explained. “Because all places are changing in some way.”

At W.D. Cowls Inc., specifically at the Mill District in North Amherst, a burgeoning center for living, shopping, dining, and lifestyle experiences, Rechtschaffen plans and executes events, convenes stakeholders in better leveraging the neighborhood’s assets, oversees the direction of the complex’s Local Art Gallery, guides internal team building and company growth, and interfaces with potential commercial tenants and developers.

“We want to create a great place to live and work and visit, by constantly paying attention to what’s here and what could be here and what we want here, and then stewarding that.”

The art gallery has been a particular passion; Rechtschaffen says the arts have been a lifelong passion, and her focus on economic development and how an ecosystem develops came after that.

“But I think the arts are very underrepresented; people don’t always imagine the extent to which the arts can be included,” she noted. On the other hand, “when we look at economic development, the arts are always at the core because artists are in the world to see things clearly and bring awareness and a voice to people, groups, or ideas that are not being seen.”

As a board member of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, she sits on multiple committees, including government affairs, marketing, the equity and inclusion task force (which she helped launch in 2021), and the first responders’ annual picnic. In Greenfield, where she lives, she chairs the town’s Sustainable Greenfield Implementation Committee, which is focused on tracking the use and communication of the town’s master plan.

“I live in Greenfield, and everything I get to effect in Amherst, I want that to happen in Greenfield as well,” she said. “It’s hard for me not to join in; I can’t expect other people to do it.”

Whatever her role, Rechtschaffen added that “my work is much more focused on equity and inclusivity than it used to be. That’s been a real gift of this time of COVID, a silver lining, as it were — I feel like I’ve always paid attention, but I’m putting more effort into paying attention to who a place is for and how a community is for everyone.”

— Joseph Bednar

Aundrea Paulk

Director of Marketing & Communications, Caring Health Center; Age 38

Aundrea Paulk likes to cut through the noise and deliver messages that resonate with her community. She is a natural born creator who loves the idea of trying to create new and exciting experiences for other people.

“What made me get into marketing was the fact that you were able to do these kinds of things in that field, whether it was for nonprofit, for-profit, in any kind of sector,” she explained. “If you’re in the marketing field, you’re able to be creative, but you’re also able to create experiences.”

As director of Marketing & Communications at Caring Health Center, a healthcare facility serving residents of the Greater Springfield area, Paulk is responsible for leading its marketing, digital-strategy, and brand-management efforts. She also handles analytics, communications, and public relations.

One aspect of the job she particularly loves is special events. “We create so many opportunities to connect with the community; it’s my joy,” she said.

During the pandemic, Paulk was a driving force behind the center’s multi-faceted campaign to inform and educate the public.

“I was involved with the communication strategies, such as creating various culturally and linguistically tailored videos for our community in several languages to first help them understand what COVID is, but secondly to make sure that they know how to stay safe during these times,” she explained. “I had them translated so that they were more easily digestible and that one could relate with the information that was there.”

Outside of her position at Caring Health Center, Paulk has her own company, Soiree Mi. It’s a local event-planning and design business that offers creative and personalized services for both private and corporate clients.

Paulk is committed to giving back to the community by organizing female-empowerment events while simultaneously raising awareness for causes that support women and families in Springfield. Soiree Mi’s events have raised money for such causes as Square One, the Endometriosis Foundation of America, and the YWCA of Western Massachusetts.

Paulk’s civic contributions don’t stop with Soiree Mi. She is currently a board member for the Springfield Boys and Girls Club and has also volunteered her marketing services for Strategic Alliances at Bay Path University’s annual Women’s Leadership Conference.

Outside of her many roles in the community, Paulk loves spending time with her family. She’s also a fan of art — she enjoys visiting museums and even does some painting herself.

— Elizabeth Sears

John Pappas

Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley; Age 36

When John Pappas helps clients put together financial plans, he starts by asking what is important to them. Their answer is often family, a sentiment shared by Pappas himself.

As a third-generation financial advisor in the Pappas Group at Morgan Stanley, Pappas also values family. His main priority involves continuing the legacies of his grandfather — who started the practice — and, more recently, his father.

“It’s not often you have three generations in the same line of work,” he said. “It’s important for me to build on the great reputation my grandfather and father have established.”

Pappas finds the most satisfaction helping families organize their finances and form a plan that works for them and the generations that follow. This approach has made him a top producer in the Springfield Morgan Stanley office and has brought national recognition.

Forbes magazine included him on its most recent list of America’s Top Next-Gen Advisors. While he appreciates the honor, he credits it to the people around him.

“This is not a one-man show,” he said. “I received the honor thanks to a whole team of people dedicated to continuous improvement.”

Early in his career while working in Boston, Pappas became a Big Brother to a young man and saw for himself that positive mentoring works.

“There are no bad kids, just kids brought up in tough circumstances,” he said. “Positive mentoring can change someone’s life. Again, it’s about family and taking care of the next generation.”

Now treasurer and board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County, Pappas has continued his connection with the organization. “I like the idea of helping children find a path to success because it makes them and their family proud.”

This fall, he will be the next board president for the Children’s Study Home, following a proud family tradition. Both grandmothers have served on the board, with his grandmother on his mother’s side a past president. His father is also a past president.

“This is another third-generation opportunity afforded me because many years ago, my family recognized the important work Children’s Study Home does in our community,” he said.

In short, Pappas lives by the credo to always help others.

“If you can lend a hand to help someone achieve their goals, then you should do it. That’s how I live and what I would like to be known for.”

— Mark Morris

Jazlinda Navarro

Owner, Cellf Juices; Age 30

Jazlinda Navarro wants to help everyone squeeze the most out of life — figuratively but also quite literally. She’s the owner of Cellf Juices, Springfield’s first cold-press juice bar, which has become a manifestation of her entrepreneurial spirit — and passion for health and nutrition.

Navarro had aspirations of getting into a pharmacy program, but that changed after a month-long trip to Honduras. While there, she learned of the benefits of fasting, proper nutrition, and juice. Once she returned home, she began juicing for herself.

“I started juicing, and then one of my friends asked me about it — next thing you know, I’m juicing for my friend and then her friend … it became a chain thing,” she explained.

Navarro started selling her juices at a local salon. They became such a hit that she became inspired to help more people with fasting and nutrition.

“I knew I wanted to make something in Springfield,” said Navarro, a UMass Amherst graduate who signed a lease for space in a building on Bay Street, but couldn’t open her doors because of the pandemic.

She admits that this was a scary time, but she decided to utilize all she knew to keep her business dreams alive. As a result, she started offering outdoor spinning classes to bring in income. Her perseverance paid off, and she was able to renovate the space on Bay Street and officially open Dec. 12, 2021. She has since expanded her offerings with a variety of smoothies. Free smoothie tastings quickly lured customers to the store, and business took off from there.

“Our second month was really like a boom from out of nowhere,” she said. “We hit really good sales.”

Cellf Juices also recently began a recycling program. It teamed up with Urban Garden Composting to recycle juice pulp into compost. The business donates all the compost to local gardens and farms. Having a degree in horticulture and biology, Navarro knows the benefits of using compost in gardens. Cellf Juices also uses recyclable bottles and offers discounts to clients who return juice bottles.

Navarro’s goal has always been to help people take control of their health and their lives by making healthier choices. She encourages everyone to stop by and give her smoothies and juices a try. The most popular offering is the Brook Smoothie, a peanut-butter-based smoothie. And if you stop by, you’ll likely see Navarro with her goldendoodle, Bomar.

— Elizabeth Sears

Preeti Nakrani

Medicaid Program Manager, Health New England; Age 29

Preeti Nakrani described it as a classic case of being in the right place at the right time. That would be an understatement.

She was talking about her internship at Baystate Health while she was working toward her master’s degree in Public Health at UMass Amherst. At the time, Baystate was getting ready to roll out its BeHealthy Partnership ACO (accountable-care organization), and as an intern, Nakrani was heavily involved with many aspects of that initiative.

So much so that the health system hired her as program manager for the ACO upon graduation. She provided daily management and support of the program, including establishing programmatic goals, care management for inpatient and outpatient workflows, tracking performance, and generating reports.

“I don’t think a lot of people get lucky enough to manage this type of an innovative model right out of grad school,” she said. “I see it as a blessing.”

Today, she handles many of those same responsibilities in a different setting and with a different title — as Medicaid Program manager for Health New England, an affiliate of Baystate Health.

Providing a quick job description, she said, “I’m essentially trying to help patients get the right care at the right time and try to help them use appropriate care settings and support them through whatever social, medical, and behavioral-health concerns they may have. The intention is that this [ACO] model will help people through a population-health approach and control some costs in our Medicaid line of business.”

Nakrani, who earned her bachelor’s degree in health policy analysis from Brandeis University, said she always wanted to work in healthcare — and especially in the public-health realm, where, as she put it, she could look at healthcare not from an individual perspective, but from a population perspective, and help underserved individuals. And she has essentially made this her career.

It’s a career marked by thoughtful and innovative approaches to the task of bringing down the cost of healthcare by focusing on improving the overall health of the region. And it’s a career that’s really just getting started.

Within the community, Nakrani is involved with a number of initiatives that are in line with her passion for healthcare and public health. She has been a facilitator of the ACO Patient and Family Advisory Council, a facilitator of Baystate Community Faculty meetings, an advisor for Baystate’s PURCH (Population-based Urban and Rural Community Health) program, and a volunteer for Baystate Health’s ‘poverty simulations.’

— George O’Brien

Tessa Murphy-Romboletti

Executive Director, EforAll Holyoke/EparaTodos; Holyoke City Councilor; Age 32

Tessa Murphy-Romboletti says she was just 8 years old when she had her first experience with effecting change in Holyoke.
Telling the story, she said she had a real affection for Friendly’s ice-cream treats. To get to the Friendly’s, she had to cross busy Route 5, which wasn’t a problem until a certain traffic light stopped working as it should.

Missing her ice cream compelled her to ask her grandfather what could be done to get the light fixed, and upon being told that she should call the mayor’s office … she did just that. And her phone call promoted some action.

And it did more than that. Much more. It empowered her, and, in many ways, it put her on a path to occupying an at-large seat on her hometown’s City Council; she won election last fall.

“From that traffic-light experience, I was like, ‘what else can I fix?’” she recalled, adding that she quickly moved on to the vacant field across from her house. When a candidate for City Council knocked on the door, she informed him that she would like to see it turned into a park. It took a while, but that’s just what that space became.

“I always had a deep love for local government, and I’ve always cared about improving my neighborhood,” said Murphy-Romboletti, adding that this passion eventually led to taking an internship with then-mayor Mike Sullivan while she was in college, which led to a job in the mayor’s office and, later, another job with the Planning and Economic Development department.

Her love of Holyoke and desire to build its business community took a different path when, in 2016, she became director of SPARK, a nonprofit that was part of the region’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, and merged it into EforAll, now a national organization.

In just over five years, she’s helped more than 50 businesses launch and expanded EforAll Holyoke with a program in Spanish, EparaTodos. Her work to build EforAll earned the organization recognition as one of BusinessWest’s Difference Makers in 2021.

But her passion for Holyoke runs even deeper. Indeed, for many years now, she has been a member of the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, and has served as chair of MassHire Holyoke.

Two dozen years after getting that traffic light working, she’s still looking for things to fix, and for ways to make her city a better place to live, work, and operate a business.

— George O’Brien

Nick Moynihan

President, Quality Fleet Service Inc.; Age: 37

Nick Moynihan believes success comes to those who aren’t afraid of hard work.

Since childhood, Moynihan had an interest and an ability to fix mechanical things. At age 20, while working as a fleet mechanic, he bought a business that was about to close. Included in the sale were two trucks — only one worked — and a list of a dozen customers. When he reached out to the customers, all but two doubted this young man could handle their business.

“It was always my plan to go out on my own,” he said. “When the opportunity came at age 20, I thought, ‘even if I fail, I can recoup the lost years.’”

Mobile service for industrial fleets is a niche business, and servicing heavy equipment in the field presents its own set of challenges. That’s why Moynihan put in the work seven days a week at all hours to establish and grow his business.

“I had two choices: either get it done, or my customers would find someone else who would,” he said.

The hard work is paying off. Moynihan is president of Quality Fleet Service (QFS) and oversees two dozen mobile crews to repair heavy-duty trucks and industrial equipment for customers all over New England.

While mobile service is the main part of the business, Moynihan opened a state-of-the-art repair facility in 2016 that employs more than 50 people.

“Visitors to QFS always remark how busy the service bays are,” he said. “That actually represents about one-tenth of what we’re working on at job sites all over New England.”

The crews are so spread out that he plans to open service facilities in Central Conn. and Eastern Mass.

Mechanics at QFS receive certified training to repair any piece of equipment from the major manufacturers. This designation brings in business from area dealers who insist on service that meets the manufacturer’s standards.

QFS has partnered with Smith Vocational High School to teach students workplace skills, and one student is a part-time welder with the company.

“This is our way of introducing the next generation to the business,” Moynihan said.

He also serves on the board for Clinical & Support Options in Northampton because of its emphasis on holistic services to people throughout Western Mass.

Moynihan strongly believes in leading by example and that no one is above any job, including him.

“We have a successful company because we do the work,” he said.

— Mark Morris

Kelly McGiverin

Senior Account Executive, Integrated Digital Specialist, WWLP-22News; Age 35

Kelly McGiverin’s involvement in Western Mass. can be traced back to the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round — and she has certainly grabbed the brass ring.

She worked at the merry-go-round through high school and while getting her bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing at Elms College. During her senior year of college, she took an internship at WWLP-22News, which was the jumping-off point into her marketing career.

Indeed, McGiverin soon joined the marketing and public-relations firm Market Mentors, where she gained considerable experience in marketing, advertising, and the digital industry, including backend digital-platform development.

“I decided to take a leap into a marketing agency; I went over to Market Mentors, and that is where I really fell in love with the area,” she said. “I was able to meet so many different clients, attend a lot of different networking events, expand beyond the digital to learn all about the TV, the print, the radio, the billboards — helping clients run events and really do everything I love, and getting involved in so many different local businesses.”

Now, McGiverin is back at WWLP-22News working her “dream job” as senior account executive. She coordinates media buys for digital and TV campaigns, among other duties.

Outside of her business accomplishments, she is dedicated when it comes to community service in the city of Holyoke. After years of consideration, she followed in her grandfather’s footsteps and joined the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Committee in 2015. She has played a critical role ever since — she organized and chairs the Battle of the Bars, a top fundraising event, and acts as a liaison between the parade and WWLP-22News.

“The passion behind that comes from the history of my Irish heritage and my family growing up watching the parade,” she said. “My grandfather sitting outside of our house on a stool talking to everyone, my Nana baking corned beef every parade morning … just everything about it is, again, where that passion drives from sitting on the parade committee.”

Her civic leadership doesn’t stop there. She recently returned to the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round by joining its operations committee, volunteering her time to work with committee members to work on their social-media presence. Additionally, she is a board member of the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club as well as secretary for its executive committee.

It’s clear to see that McGiverin is a true leader — in all areas of her life.

— Elizabeth Sears

Jackie Martucci

Owner, Events by Jackie M; Venue & Events Manager, Montague Retreat Center; Age 39

Jackie Martucci is a self-proclaimed ‘Jackie of all trades.’

She started her event-planning business from the ground up, leaning on her background in management, hospitality, customer service, and sales. She jokingly admits that when she started her business, she really had no idea of what she was getting herself into.

“I wanted to start my own business but didn’t actually have the credentials to do that … I didn’t have a breadth of experience in the event world,” she said. “I really got into it because I was interested, but also I just put my nose down and worked.”

One thing that helped with Martucci’s progress was never turning down an opportunity to learn. She always seized the opportunity to go to every conference and learning seminar she could.

After more than 11 years in the business, Martucci’s interests have shifted from late nights as a wedding planner to working with nonprofits.

“I’ve been slowly evolving over the past couple of years because I really, really enjoy working with nonprofit groups and organizations on their fundraisers and bettering their businesses,” she explained. “I don’t want my tombstone to say ‘she was a great event planner’; I want it to say something more meaningful.”

These days Martucci is working with Square One, one of her favorite organizations to collaborate with, on its Kentucky Derby fundraiser. She’s also working on a fundraiser for the Cutchins Program in Northampton and is involved with Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, Reading Success by 4th Grade, and Christina’s House.

She’s also active in the community. Martucci is presently the president-elect on the executive board for the Junior League of Greater Springfield. She has been involved with JLGS for the past five years and previously served as the vice president of Communications.

Outside of work, Martucci loves to go to the beach, travel, or sit down and read a book. But nothing beats spending time with her family. She lives up to her title of ‘Jackie of all trades,’ but the common thread is her desire to give back to the community.

“I just want to do as much good as I can for as many amazing organizations as I can,” she said. “If that means that I’m doing work through volunteer shifts or helping them produce a fabulous fundraiser and expose them a little bit more, I’m so happy to do any of that.”

— Elizabeth Sears

Christopher Martin

By Columnist May 3, 2022

Realtor and Team Leader, Hamre Martin Team, Rovi Homes New England; Age 35

While on active duty at Fort Campbell, a military base in Kentucky, Christopher Martin was a private assigned to a barracks with a roommate he didn’t know. More than a decade later, that roommate is now Martin’s business partner. Not only that, but he was the one who convinced Martin they needed to get out of the barracks.

“He told me ‘hey, we can’t stay in these barracks — they’re from the 1950s.’ There was black mold and a bunch of stuff. It was not an ideal situation to be living in,” Martin explained, adding that he ended up buying a house through a first-time homebuyer’s program, as did his roommate.

“We started buying investment properties, and it kind of snowballed from there,” Martin explained. “When I got out from active duty and went into the Reserves and came back to Massachusetts, it was just a natural fit to continue that process.”

Martin oversees and trains a nine-member team that provides residential and commercial real-estate services in Massachusetts and Connecticut. After each real-estate closing, a donation to a charity of the client’s choosing is sent to local organizations, such as Shriners Hospitals for Children and Square One.

Martin is also president of Suit Up Springfield, recently moved to a new location.. The nonprofit provides professional attire to those who need it, particularly targeting young men in Springfield who otherwise wouldn’t have access to business clothing, and it partners with other organizations to provide mentoring services and give individuals opportunities to attend career fairs. It also teaches basic but useful skills, such as how to tie a tie.

On top of that, the organization works with correctional facilities, veterans’ organizations, schools, colleges, and the general public to further their outreach and access. Since its inception in 2015, Suit Up Springfield has provided attire to thousands in the area.

Beyond his many roles in the community, Martin is a huge fan of the arts and loves live music. Recently, he discovered a new artistic passion.

“The current unit I’m in is in Brooklyn, N.Y., so I have to go to my reserve on weekends there … there was a ballet going on, and I went for the first time,” he said. “That was something that I was never exposed to, and that’s actually one of my favorite things to do now, to go a couple of times a year to the ballet.”

— Elizabeth Sears

Alaina Macaulay

Executive Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst; Age 29

When asked why there are now so many colleges, municipalities, and businesses that employ administrators focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Alaina Macaulay gave a quick but direct answer.

“To be quite honest, many of the ways in which society operates are designed to promote some and exclude others,” she explained. “We need these positions so that we have advocacy for people, but then we’re also dismantling systems that have been oppressive and have kept people out.”

And among area DEI professionals, Macaulay has become a true leader. Formerly the director of DEI at Elms College, she has served for three years now as executive director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, and is the first person to hold that title.

A graduate of Western Illinois University, where she earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees while playing on the volleyball team, Macaulay said each day is different, which is what she likes most about her work. But overall, she works with the Admissions team on encouraging ways to attract and connect with students from all backgrounds “so they see Isenberg is a destination that they want to be a part of and that they feel they can belong in.”

For students already enrolled, she works on programming and creating curriculum that centers the experiences of students that have historically come from the most marginalized backgrounds.

“I advise student groups; work with students, faculty, and staff closely on DEI initiatives; and I also help with training to make sure we’re all operating from an inclusive and equitable practice,” she explained.

Since arriving at Isenberg, Macaulay has many accomplishments and new initiatives to her credit, including:

• Creating and chairing Isenberg’s diversity, equity, and inclusion committee;

• Launching Isenberg’s first Diversity and Inclusion Education Week;

• Creation of Isenberg’s “Many Minds” workshop series dedicated to discussions on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; and

• Building and maintaining relationships with K-12 organizations to create a pipeline of students from the most marginalized backgrounds.

In addition to her work at Isenberg, Macaulay is also very involved in the community. She serves on the board of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield and the Chester Theater. She’s also an active volunteer with Sisters of St. Joseph, specifically serving on its peace and justice committee, which is committed to centering racial justice and equity in the congregation.

— George O’Brien

Michael Lynch

Chief Financial Officer, Holyoke Soldiers’ Home; Age 31

Michael Lynch’s accounting and finance career has long focused on roles with a community benefit.

Like when he joined the city of Springfield in 2014, working in Disaster Recovery and Compliance, a new unit created after the June 2011 tornado to fund new housing projects, demolish blighted properties, and improve the city in other ways.

Four years later, Lynch transitioned to the state level, serving as fiscal director for the Western Region of the Department of Youth Services. When the governor declared a state of emergency early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Lynch immediately began working with his colleagues to procure appropriate PPE to protect DYS youth and personnel on a daily basis.

A little over a year ago, Lynch saw another opportunity he couldn’t pass up — as chief financial officer at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, which was still recovering from a mismanaged COVID outbreak early in the pandemic that saw dozens of veterans die.

“When this opportunity became available, I had to jump at it,” he said, noting that he was aware of what had happened there, but behind the headlines, he also knew changes were being made, and he wanted to be part of the team that could turn the facility around.

“This is a very special place because of the people we serve, but also because of the employees I’ve been lucky to work with,” he added. “The people here have such a deep level of care for the work they do; they are so committed to helping veterans day in and day out.”

Lynch, an adjunct professor of Accounting at Holyoke Community College, is committed to his community in other ways as well, namely through two charity golf tournaments he organizes each year that have, to date, raised more than $25,000 for local organizations like Rays of Hope, Miracle League of Western Massachusetts, Autism Speaks New England, Autism Connections, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Special Olympics Massachusetts, and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts’ COVID-19 Response Fund.

“I started these golf tournaments as a way to make sure families can come together to do something positive for local charities,” he said. “I love doing this; I love event planning. My dream is to add a banquet dinner afterward and a much larger raffle, which will ultimately raise more funds. It’s so exciting to me. I want to continue to do everything I can to help people and bring people together.”

— Joseph Bednar

Joseph Kelley