Construction Archives - Page 38 of 53

Incorporations

By BusinessWest Staff March 15, 2011

Departments Incorporations

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

AGAWAM

Ludlow Tool Inc., 46 Moylan Lane, Agawam, MA 01001. Jason Lucas, 370 Fuller St., Ludlow, MA 01056. Machine tool business.

BELCHERTOWN

Swift River Preservation Association Inc., 507 Cold Springs Road, Belchertown, MA 01007. Dennis Morin, same. Non-profit organization formed to educate and promote public awareness of the removal of the Bondsville Dam by the Belchertown Land Trust.

CHICOPEE

Rusin Inc., 76 Cote St., Chicopee, MA 01020. John Rusin, same. General cleaning and maintenance services.

FEEDING HILLS

Thibault Construction Inc., 536 Franklin St., Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Jean-Claude Thibault, same. Constuction services.

HOLYOKE

Holyoke for All Inc., (Holyoke Para Todos Inc.) 106 Northeast St., Apt. 1A, Holyoke, MA 01040. Nelson Rafael Roman, same. Corporation established to educate, support and advocate for Lesbian and Gay rights.

Holyoke Solar Cooperative, 99 Suffolk St., Holyoke, MA 01040. James Lavelle, 54 Pleasant St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Purchase, acquire, distribute, sell, resell, supply and provide any energy or energy related services.

New Horizons Family Community Center Inc., 189 Pine St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Felicita Lopez, same. Community services.

INDIAN ORCHARD

The Screen Print Express Inc., 36 Oak St., Indian Orchard, MA 01151. Scott Peterson, same. Screen printing services.

LONGMEADOW
Guideway Inc., 32 Homecrest St., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Richard Golbert, 3170 South Ocean Blvd., Unit 504, North Palm Beach, FL 33480. Marketing and branding advertising services.

Jirah Fasteners Inc., 740 Maple St., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Timothy Gould, same. Sale of automotive aftermarket parts.

Longmeadow Girls Lacrosse Association Inc., 215 Ellington Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. James Fitzpatrick, same. Provides a girls lacrosse program that fosters an appreciation of the game of lacrosse among players with a positive athletic experience.

NORTH ADAMS

The Sushi House Corp., 45 Main St., North Adams, MA 01247. Meng Wu Wang, 41 Cobbleview Road, Williamstown, MA 01267. Restaurant

PALMER

Nu-WAY Mobile Home Supplies Inc., 1124 Thorndike St., Palmer, MA 01069. Robert Jones, same. Sales of good, supplies, parts, and merchandise necessary or incidental to the sale, lease, repair and service of mobile homes.

PITTSFIELD

MT Inc., 18 Charisma Dr., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Brian Arseneau, same. Restaurant.
Scalise Enterprises Inc., 2 Federico Dr., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Tonia Scalise, 40 Commonwealth Ave., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Life coaching.

SPRINGFIELD

Human Resource Crisis Center Inc., 44 Prospect St., Springfield, MA 01107. Charlene Naylor, 57 Wisteria St., Springfield, MA 01119. Nonprofit corporation to promote the relief of the poor, the distresses or the underprivileged.

JV Properties Inc., 120 Talbot Road, Springfield, MA 01119. Jose Velasquez, same. Real Estate.

Image Maker II, Beauty Salon Corp., 614 Carew St., Springfield, MA 01104. Rosa Belliard, same. Beauty Salon.

Laprise Inc., 1365 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103. Ronald Laprise, 6 Canterbury Lane, Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Chiropractic treatment and services.

McVan Home Care Service Inc., 603 Sumner Ave., Springfield, MA 01108. Huethen Livingston, 99 Windsor St., Enfield, CT 06082. Home Health Care Service.

WESTFIELD

Help of Angels Inc., 21 Prospect St., Westfield, MA 01085. Lisa Smith, same. Provides basic needs services and financial assistance to families when a family member has a serious illness and/or financial hardship.

Premier Web Management Systems Inc., 191 Western Circle, Westfield, MA 01085. Christopher Whalley, same. Web site design, sales, and maintenance.

Briefcase

By BusinessWest Staff March 15, 2011

Briefcase Departments

Average Starting Salary for Class of 2011 Up 3.5%
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — For the first time since 2008, a college class is beginning the year with an average starting salary offer that is on the rise, according to results of a new survey conducted by the National Assoc. of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The overall average salary offer to a class of 2011 bachelor’s-degree graduate is $50,034, up 3.5% over last year at this time, according to NACE’s Winter 2011 Salary Survey report. For the Class of 2011, this is the latest sign of improvement in the college job market. Employers responding to an earlier NACE study reported plans to increase their college hiring of the class of 2011 by 13.5% over the previous year, and monthly polls conducted by NACE show hiring remains in positive territory. While not all categories of majors posted increases to their average salary offers, the increases seen in the Winter 2011 Salary Survey report far outweigh the decreases. That’s a significant improvement over last year at this time. Currently, 67% of disciplines posting a change this year are showing an increase. Last year, the opposite was true, as 63% of disciplines indicating a change to staring salary offers were projecting them to be decreases. Among the disciplines in the Winter 2011 Salary Survey report, business majors fared the best; their average offer rose almost 2% to $48,089. Accounting majors saw their average salary offer rise 2.2% to $49,022, and the average offer to finance majors rose 1.9% to $50,535. Business administration/management graduates saw a slight decrease to their average starting salary offer, which fell 2.3% to $44,171. Meanwhile, the average offer to marketing majors dipped by 1.3% to $41,948. Among the technical disciplines, computer-science majors posted a small increase; their average salary offer rose almost 1% to $61,783. Salary offers to engineering graduates as a group remained nearly level — a 0.3% increase to $59,435 — but some of the individual majors fared far better. Electrical-engineering majors saw their average salary offer jump 4.4% to $61,690, while mechanical-engineering graduates also saw a healthy increase — 3.8% — for an average salary offer of $60,598. Conversely, chemical-engineering and civil-engineering majors saw their average salary offers fall. The average offer to chemical-engineering graduates dipped by 0.8% to $64,641. Meanwhile, civil-engineers fared worst among their engineering peers; their average offer dropped 7.1% to $48,885. Data is limited for liberal-arts majors, but, as a group, their average offer is up 9.5% to $35,633. This is in sharp contrast to last year, when they watched their average offer fall almost 11%. The Winter 2011 Salary Survey report is the first look at salaries for the Class of 2011. NACE will continue to monitor salary offers to the current class and will release its next salary report in April with the Spring 2011 Salary Survey.

Employers Needed for Youth Summer Jobs Campaign
SPRINGFIELD — The Regional Employment Board (REB) of Hampden County Inc., will host its fourth annual Employer Outreach Breakfast on March 25, 7:30 to 9 a.m., at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel, One Monarch Place. The event launches Youth Summer Jobs Campaign 2011, spearheaded by the REB, FutureWorks and CareerPoint one-stop career centers, and the YMCA of Greater Springfield. Last year 158 employers across Hampden County were involved in putting 1,100 youth to work, and organizers are hoping to broaden their base of employers this year. Businesses can get involved by hiring youth, donating money, or becoming a work site. Pre-registration is required for the free event that will outline how businesses can help a young person this summer. For more information, contact Kathryn Kirby at (413) 755-1359 or [email protected].

Agency Purchases Paramount Theater
SPRINGFIELD — The Paramount Theater, a historic Main Street property, has been purchased by the nonprofit New England Farm Workers Council. A check for $54,000 was recently delivered by Paramount co-owner Steven Stein to the city’s License Commission to pay off a delinquent tax bill, paving the way for the purchase of the building, according to Heriberto Flores, council president. Stein is co-owner with Michael Barrasso of Paramount Realty Investment LLC. With the sale now complete, both men will remain at Paramount for several months, ensuring a smooth transition, added Flores. Flores noted that the Paramount purchase was privately funded and did not involve public funding. Future development at the Paramount by the nonprofit agency includes touring stage productions and national musical acts, in addition to focusing more on local talent, added Flores.

February Jobs Growth Shows Some Strength
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report of a 192,000 February increase in payrolls shows employment has rebounded from a disappointing start to 2011, according to the Conference Board. The Conference Board is a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. While the increase in employment continues to lag the pickup in the broader economy, the Conference Board notes it is “encouraging” to see the job numbers moving in the right direction. It was also noted that, once officials account for the recovery from January’s weather effect, February’s gains hardly suggest an acceleration relative to the slow trend of about 100,000 jobs per month during the second half of 2010. The Conference Board concluded that, assuming an aggregate productivity trend, including government, of about 1.5%, the economy would need to grow well beyond 3% in order to double the trend to an average of 200,000 jobs over the next couple of months. With a shrinking government, a stagnant construction sector, and a small manufacturing base, only consumer spending can generate that kind of improvement in hiring, the Conference Board added.

Improved Job Prospects Trump Rising Prices
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Consumer confidence rose to its highest level in three years in February, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final index of consumer sentiment. Higher-income households were responsible for all of the February gain over the prior month. The Sentiment Index rose by 9.7% among households with incomes above $75,000, but fell by 1.4% among lower-income households. The difference was due to more-favorable job and income prospects among upper-income households. Also, news about recent economic developments was much more favorable than any time in the past six years. Greater job gains dominated the news, and consumers anticipated significant gains in employment during the year ahead. The favorable job news completely dominated rising concerns about higher food and fuel prices. The Sentiment Index was 77.5 in the February 2011 survey, up from 74.2 in January and last February’s 73.6. The February reading was the highest since 78.4 was recorded in January 2008. The February gains were concentrated in the Current Conditions Index, which rose to 86.9 from 81.8 in January and last February. The Expectations Index, a component of the Index of Leading Economic Indicators, rose to 71.6 in February from 69.3 in January and last February’s 68.4. The minimum monthly change required for significance at the 95% level in the Sentiment Index is 4.8 points; for the Current and Expectations Index, the minimum is 6.0 points.

Tax Cut Fails to Boost Economy In Early 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis recently released data on personal income and outlays for January, noting personal income increased 1.0%, exceeding private-sector expectations of a 0.4% rise. Wages and salaries, the largest component of income, rose 0.3%, perhaps hampered by more severe than usual weather in some parts of the country. Real consumer spending edged down 0.1% in January but has already risen 0.8% at an annual rate above its fourth-quarter average. U.S. Commerce Department Chief Economist Mark Doms noted that personal income surged in January, largely as a result of the Middle Class Tax Relief Act. Doms added that, by lowering employee contributions for Social Security, workers have more take-home pay. This increased spending capacity should boost the U.S. economy and employment in 2011, he added. In other news, the Commerce Department recently released the second estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) for the fourth quarter of 2010. Real GDP grew 2.8% at an annual rate, less than expectations and revised down from the 3.2% advance estimate. The downward revision reflects a wider trade deficit, reduced state and local government spending, and lower personal consumption. Doms noted that the U.S. economy is continuing to expand, with increased growth at the end of 2010 and further strengthening expected in early 2011. Doms added that steps taken by the Obama administration to create jobs and help U.S. businesses grow, including the Middle Class Tax Relief Act, should encourage continued economic expansion.

Court Dockets

By BusinessWest Staff March 15, 2011

Court Dockets Departments

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT
Wilfred Tisdell v. AGE Institute of MA Inc.
Allegation: Negligent maintenance of parking lot, causing trip and fall: $25,000+
Filed: 1/24/11

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT
Phyllis R. Perry, as executrix of the estate of Richard E. Perry v. John G. Savage Realty Corp. and James Fitzgibbons
Allegation: Failure to provide reasonable safety and negligence, causing wrongful death: $10,774.27
Filed: 1/19/11

Siliconezone, LLC v. Lamson & Goodnow, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $189,026.16
Filed: 2/8/11

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Raipher Pelligrino Associates, P.C. v. Roger A. Proulx Trust
Allegation: In an effort to avoid payment of legal services, the defendant fraudulently conveyed real estate into his trust: $55,761.50
Filed: 12/8/10

Scarfo Construction v. Shawn’s Lawns Inc., RIV Construction Group, and HD Westfield, MA Landlord, LLC
Allegation: Failure to pay under the terms of a construction agreement: $33,965.10
Filed: 12/8/10

Seaboard Drilling Inc. v. Environmental Associates Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of labor and materials on resurfacing test and environmental engineering services: $45,836.88
Filed: 1/6/11
Woronoco Hydro, LLC v. Woronoco Realty, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of electrical power supplied: $95,000
Filed: 12/15/10

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Bunker Hill Insurance Co., as subrogee of Amanda and Kathleen Wilson v. Richard’s Fuel & Heating Inc.
Allegation: Failure to make a timely delivery of heating oil, causing freeze-up of plumbing and heating systems: $51,823.23
Filed: 1/31/11

David Atwood, as administrator of the estate of Matthew Atwood v. Center for International Studies Inc.
Allegation: Negligence in supervision and care of study abroad student causing wrongful death: $2 million
Filed: 2/3/11

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT
Compound East, LLC v. Deerfield Woodworking
Allegation: Breach of agreement in which defendant agreed to leave premises in broom-clean condition and to remove all possessions: $4,832.71
Filed: 1/11/11

Wolfpac Technologies Inc. v. Neu Tradition Millwork Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for goods sold and delivered: $18,331.12
Filed: 1/10/11

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
Commonwealth of MA State Lottery Commission v. the Village General Store, Robert E. Jones, Stanley J. Ryes, and Judith M. Jones-Ryes
Allegation: Breach of written contract to forward commissions owed to the Commonwealth as lottery sales agents: $14,256.65
Filed: 1/13/11

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
John Deere Landscapes Inc. v. New England Landscapes & Irrigation and Paul D. Santucci
Allegation: Non-payment for goods sold and delivered: $4,711.97
Filed: 12/21/10

L & B Truck Services Inc. v. Autotech Repossession Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for truck repairs: $10,234.26
Filed: 12/21/10

United Rentals Inc. v. Do Val Remodeling Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $5,207.84
Filed: 12/20/10

United Rentals Inc. v. New England Electrical Contracting Corp.
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $4,942.14
Filed: 12/20/10

United Rentals Inc. v. North Eastern Operations Contracting Group, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $5,299.48
Filed: 12/20/10

United Rentals Inc. v. Prism Developers Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $5,462.29
Filed: 12/28/10

United Rentals Inc. v. RLB Contracting Company, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $5,114.17
Filed: 12/20/10

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Everett J. Prescott Inc. v. Shawn’s Lawns Inc. and Patricia M. Wendell
Allegation: Non-payment for labor and materials supplied on a project: $9,603.72
Filed: 1/20/11

Doing Business As Certificates

By BusinessWest Staff March 15, 2011

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of March 2011.

AGAWAM

Elite Systems
1075 Main St.
Jon-Paul Rodier

Family Bike of Agawam
270 Maple St.
Trevor Emond

Industrial Sandblasting
109 Ramah Circle
John Desrosiers

Mylocaline
301 Springfield St.
Usman Rashad

Noyes Accounting
65 Broz Ter.
Eric Noyes

WAN Associates
37 Dogwood Lane
Carol Nemes

CHICOPEE

Country Looks Designs Gift Baskets
68 Raylo St.
Lynne Robitaille

Life Path Solutions
381 Chicopee St.
Luzelessia Casanova

EASTHAMPTON

Captain Jack’s Roadside Shack
232 Northampton St.
Kevin Sahagian

Fleury’s Outdoor Power Equipment
126 Northampton St.
Stephen Fleury

Promark Graphics
10 O’Neill St.
Gregg Lambert

R & H Roofing Inc.
59 South St.
Henry Hopkins

EAST LONGMEADOW

Jennifer Guinipero @ JMG Salon
37 Maple St.
Jennifer Guinipero

Powerhouse Training LLC
80 Denslow Road
Jonathan Davis

GREENFIELD

Daily Nuggets
324 Wells St.
Robert Apteker

KDS Dance Supplies
49 Bank Row
Karen F. O’Hare

M.C.P. Development & Design
32 High St.
Peter Salryman

Spalding Affordable Custom Cleaning
256 Davis St.
William Spalding

HOLYOKE

7-Eleven
539 Pleasant St.
Mohinder Grewal

Cellarmaster Cases
1450 Northampton St.
Gordon Alexander

Custom Embroiderers
50 Holyoke St.
Clayton Chow

Sahara Gas & Snack LLC
582 South St.
Hatem Rajad

LUDLOW

Envision Wellness-Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine
77 Winsor St.
Cristina Carreira

Ludlow Public Market
46 Birch St.
Isidoro Fernandez

Voyik & Voyik LLC
409 West St.
Jennifer Voyik

NORTHAMPTON

Boomerang Booksellers
139 Federal St.
Mark Brumberg

Eco-Renovations
90 Conz St.
David Gandner

Nuevva
117 Conz St.
The Fleet Excellence Network

Swing Graphics
36 Marker St.
Gregory Perham, Jr.

The Valley Swiac School
46 Round Hill Road
Craig R. Collins

SOUTHWICK

Debby-Debby Fitness
208 College Highway
Deborah Seyller

J Nine Fashion
549 College Highway
Tnuy Pham

Specialty Metal Products
23 Eagle St.
Steven Pulaski

SPRINGFIELD

Jack Chen Chinese Restaurant
1193 Sumner Ave.
Jin Q. Chen

Moriarty Law Firm
34 Mulberry St.
Marshall Theodore

My Mangu Restaurant
130 Walnut St.
Jose A. Javier-Vargas

New England Business Association
66 Industry Ave.
Jeannine Pavlak

New Era Barber Shop
902 Carew St.
Juan Santana

NightsTV
1156 Dwight St.
Eric Maldonado

Osaka Japanese Hibachi
1380 Boston Road
Wai T. Cheng

Pafumi’s State Inspection
354 Main St.
Joseph M. Pafumi

Paul’s Barber Shop
1597 Main St.
Pablo R. Torres

Peter Pan Bus Line
1776 Main St.
Brian R. Stefano

Reilly Property Management
95 State St.
Kevin Reilly

Roache Properties
82 Fargo St.
Don Roache

S & P Design and Construction
73 Kipling St.
James Santamaria

Scott’s Guitar Exchange
107 Enfield St.
Scott M. Urzedowski

Selion Management Service
169 White St.
Joseph Wanyonyi

Skit Records
40 Dubois St.
Frank Morales

Springfield Falcons Hockey
45 Falcons Way
N. Bruce Landon

Starchild Salon
1085 State St.
Pauline Morris

Telejobforce
73 Mobilehome Way
Edith I. Savoy

Zheng’s Garden II LLC
415 Cooley St.
Michael Zheng

WESTFIELD

Cornerstone-Good Goth
77 Mill St.
Marianne DelDolori

Country Store
518 Southampton Road
Taskeen H. Butt

Ezra’s Mercantile
34 Elm St.
Lou Sirois

Flowers by Joanne
1358 East Mountain Road
Joanne Janik

Coache Construction
15 Lozier Ave.
Gene Coache

J.M.C.
18 King St.
James J. Merati

Novix
202 Union St.
Anatoliy Novik

Roman Landscaping and Property Management
13 Furrow St.
Eric Roman

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Affordable Property Services
52 Ravenwood Lane
Todd Freeman

Avis Rent-a-Car System Inc.
2161 Riverdale St.
Matteo J. Rettura

Eger Associates
12 Royce Circle
Michael Eger

Friendly Car Wash
668 Westfield St.
James D. Porter

Simple Pleasures of Mind
1111 Elm St.
Mary-Anne Diblasio

Total Women’s Health Care Inc.
46 Daggett Dr.
Aleli L. Villanueva

The Travel Group Inc.
1111 Elm St.
Michael S. Egan

Bankruptcies

By BusinessWest Staff March 1, 2011

Bankruptcies Departments

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

420 Main St. Group, Inc.
420 Main St., Bldg. 4
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/24/11

Archambeau, Gene A.
Archambeau, Denise H.
157 Lower Beverly Hills
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/30/11

Atwater, James D.
Atwater, Theresa R.
133 Lindbergh Blvd.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/27/11

Auger, Raymond R.
P.O.Box 431
Warren, MA 01083
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/28/11

Bailey, Daniel B.
66 Lake Dr.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/28/11

Banas, Patricia A.
66 Lake Dr.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/28/11

Banash, Gary M.
47 Vladish Ave.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/20/11

Belliveau, Jean M.
868 Southampton Road #42
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/11

Blatt, Cynthia A.
320 Miller St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/20/11

Boissonneault, Charles F.
Boissonneault, Sara E.
a/k/a Champagne, Sara E.
P.O.Box 172
Huntington, MA 01050
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/11

Borkosky, David A.
1 Springfield St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/30/11

Bourgeois, Lisa A.
Bourgeois, Wanda Bridget
145 Ventura St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/11

Boyle, Daniel P.
54 Claire Ave.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Broderick, Patrick W.
930 Main St.
Great Barrington, MA 01230
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/20/11

Brunelle, John R.
Brunelle, Ellen D.
10 Ridge Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

C.L. Moran Mechanical Construction
Moran, Curtiss Lee
94 1/2 Old Goshen Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/26/11

Carleton, Philip John
Carleton, Barbara Mary
11 Amherst St.
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/11

Clark, David S.
Clark, Hilary M.
20 Rockland Heights Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/26/11

Crosby, Russell G.
Crosby, Jette
P.O.Box 514
Oakham, MA 01068
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/28/11

Daniel, Patricia P.
64 Forest Park Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/21/11

Dollase, Catharine J.
25 Strong St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/27/11

Dukette, Eric
P.O.Box 0934
Westfield, MA 01086
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/30/11

Dulude, Joseph M.
70 Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Ewing, Barbara D.
18 Cornell St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Flanagan, Michael
Flanagan, Miranda
13 Dexter St., Apt. #2
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/11

Fontaine, Donna A.
1661 Westover Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/11

Gates, Howard W.
Gates, Joan I.
P.O.Box 167
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/30/11

Gingras, David M.
891 West Housatonic St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/18/11

Gold Star Canine
Ahearn, Shawn P.
217 Broadway St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Hartnett, Debra A.
a/k/a Garczynski, Debra A.
199 Meadow St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Hussey, Donald J.
Hussey, Sandra L.
300 East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/27/11

Kruzel, Joseph C.
Kruzel, Lottie T.
2 Margaret Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/11

Kulvicius, Olga Michelle
27 Sylvan Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/24/11

Lassiter, Leslie
15 Shaw St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/24/11

Laviolette, John Anthony
Laviolette, Theresa Ann
6 Melody Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/21/11

Legrand, Nicholas N.
17 Princeton St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/27/11

Lesperance, Thomas D.
5 Plainville Circle
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/27/11

Liltbear’s Trading Post
Maloney, Paul J.
Maloney, Susan E.
79 Devens St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/20/11

Lussier, Kendra Lynn
a/k/a Kies, Kendra L.
20 Lawson Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/11

Macksey, Randy J.
Macksey, Pamela M.
90 Liberty St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/27/11

Mailhott, Wendy A.
1 Dover Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/24/11

Marier, Raymond P.
678 Britton St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/24/11

Marini, Keith M.
87 West Akard St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/11

Martin, Bridgitt L.
125 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/11

McDonnell, Kimberly F.
58 Magnolia Ter.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/28/11

McGowan, John Robert
P.O. Box 591
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/20/11

McMordie, Cheryl A.
123 Honey Pot Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/19/11

Mendoza, Gloria I.
91 Oakwood Ter.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/17/11

Morin, Joseph A.
Morin, Lisa M.
60 Belmont Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/28/11

Nguyen, Nga T.
346 Dickinson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/17/11

Pelkey, Donald R.
Pelkey, Patricia A.
36 Woodland Road
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/18/11

Phillips, Claude C.
122 Gralia Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/24/11

Reed, Lawrence E.
22 Lakeside Dr.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Reynolds, Michael J.
74 Joseph Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Roberts, Gail M.
Roberts, Wayne L.
P.O.Box 184
Blandford, MA 01008-0184
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/30/11

Roberts, Julianne
25 Woodbridge Ter.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Rodriguez, Patricia
a/k/a Most, Patricia
450 Broadway St., #2
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Roman’s Automotive Inc.
534 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/11

Rosa, Luz S.
22 Barton St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/17/11

Saalfrank, Richard A.
Saalfrank, Louise T.
491 Bridge Road, Apt. #1001
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/11

Saez, Angel L.
12 Volpe Dr., Apt. 65
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/24/11

Salame, Valarie L.
79 Woodmont St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/17/11

Soucie, Todd A.
Soucie, Kimberly R.
232 Arlington St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Spinazola, William P.
235 Littleton Road #9
Chelmsford, MA 01824
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/11

Sullivan, Kimberly J.
116 West Orange Road
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/30/11

Team Page
Page by Page Assisting
Page, David M.
a/k/a Charbonneau, David M.
Page, Christy L.
a/k/a Fisher, Christy L.
83 East Myrtle St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/30/11

Tirozzi, Michael Joseph
Tirozzi, Debra Lynn
37 Melba St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/11

Toole, Thomas E.
70 Edendale St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 01/18/11

Tunnicliffe, Ruth
609 West St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/24/11

Vivenzio, Rachelle M.
a/k/a Persico, Rachelle
116 Sheri Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Weagle, Jay F.
P.O. Box 651
West Warren, MA 01092
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/27/11

Wheeler, Richard
Wheeler, Kathleen
53 White Oaks Dr.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Wolfram, David William
Lapinski, Mary H.
27 Hillside Road
South Deerfield, MA 01373
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/19/11

Youmans, Roberta Louise
11 Delmore St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/31/11

Zavala, Rene
Rivera, Carmen L.
a/k/a Rivera-Zavala, Carmen L.
12 Isabel St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/21/11

Zrakas, Denise J.
110 Cady St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 01/25/11

Doing Business as Certificates

By BusinessWest Staff March 1, 2011

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of February 2011.

AGAWAM

CES Logistics
335 Walnut St.
George Ammirato

Gonyeas Business Support
32 Wildflower Lane
Judith Gonyea

Hidden Treasures
143 Main St.
Laura Albano

Holly’s Consignment
1325 Springfield St.
Holly Kirby

Second Wind Yoga
327 Walnut St.
William Clark

TLC Transport LLC
91 Ramah Circle
Jo-Anne Candido

CHICOPEE

Great China Restaurant
690 Grattan St.
Li Q. Gao

LS Cleaning Services
954 Chicopee St.
Luciano C. Santos

EASTHAMPTON

Aaron’s Roll-Off Service
1 Loomis Way
Joel Keefe

All Things Relaxation
21 South St.
Jessica Berger

Skull Factory
12 Matthew Dr.
Eric Talbot

Three Posies
2 Franklin St.
Bronwen Hodgkinson

EAST LONGMEADOW

Landmark Realtors
60 North Main St.
Thomas Avezzie

Red Carpet Nails
424 North Main St.
Kwang Shin

Vanie’s Hair and Nails
613 North Main St.
Stephanie Le

GREENFIELD

D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches
68 Mohawk Trail
Land Corporation

Soucie Styles
94 Main St.
Amy Soucie

The Laundry
176 Federal St.
Alexander Fiorey

The Solar Express
120 Fox Hill Road
Alexander Fiorey

HOLYOKE

Diaz Auto Sales
829 Main St.
Jose R. Diaz

N.F. Creed Communications
2 Pheasant Dr.
Nancy F. Creed

Vin’s Car Wash
185 South St.
Paul J. Mazzariello

LUDLOW

All Day All Night Fitness
56 East St.
Carol J. Morello

Compass Professional Services
733 Chapen St.
Kathleen Duke

Warrior Nation Xtreme Fighters Alliance
885 East St.
Jess G. Camp

NORTHAMPTON

John Geryk Plumbing & Heating
20 Jackson St.
John T. Geryk

MIS Cleaning
377 Florence Road
Patricia Mizula

Northampton Cab
68 Bradford St.
Seemo Amzil

Paradise Food Group
139 Federal St.
Donna B. Lilborn

Rich Clothing For Men
22 Masonic St.
Nancy Donato

SOUTHWICK

Donna M. Houghton Licensed Massage Therapist
405 North Loomis St.
Donna M. Houghton

Hairsworks Salon
320 College Highway
Paula Zering

New England Academic Specialties
1 Cody Lane
Kristen Coccia

SPRINGFIELD

Ahisha’s Snow Removal
1303 Bay St.
Ahisha L. Fontanez

Anderson Home Improvement
777 St. James Ave.
Frederick C. Anderson

Appleby’s Neighborhood Grille
1349 Boston Road
Rebecca R. Tilden

Car-Venience
6 Lawton St.
Glen D. Porter

Clinton Nursery School
1590 Sumner Ave.
Karen L. Hachadourian

Conquest
351 Bridge St.
AT & T Corporation

Cumberland Farms
70 Parker St.
Cumberland Farms Inc.

CVS Pharmacy
1242 Parker St.
Isabel B. Amado

Doggy Dooz
1512 Allen St.
Paula L. Cox

Downtown Convenience
160 Worthington St.
Nafees Awan

Eternal Nail Salon Inc.
1195 Sumner Ave.
Nicole Chen

Fantastico Wraps and Salads
1500 Main St.
Nazario J. Settembre

Fresh Anointing Ministries
711 Dwight St.
Anthony Darryl

Healing Hands Ministries
158 Chestnut St.
Clive Ryan

Heavenly Essence
280 Oakland St.
Hamzah Latif

House of Tickets
340 Cooley St.
Bruce M. Cooper

Interior Motives Publishing
97 Lumae St.
Keith L. Walker

J. Methe Construction
34 Newport St.
Jeremy D. Methe

WESTFIELD

Gene Paulson Health & Happiness
31 Ridgeway St.
Eugene Paulson

GG’s Auto Repair Inc.
988 Southampton Road
John R. Gagnon

Greg Mastroianni Electrician
110 Joseph Ave.
Greg Mastroianni

Gulfstream
33 Elise St.
Gulfstream Aerospace

Household Handyman
130 Park Dr.
Edwin Pemberton

Leger’s Field Services
77 Valley View Dr.
Gary M. Leger

Lethe-Rasa Freelancing
12 Chestnut St.
Hunter Elliot

Ryan’s Package
31 Franklin St.
Edwin O. Anderson

Seasons for Gifting
19 Old Park Lane
Kathie Mazza

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Atwood Fire & Security
33 Sylvan St.
George Condon III

Coppa Law Group
1012 Memorial Ave.
Vittorio Coppa

Kevin T. Boyle Plumbing and Heating
19 Rochelle St.
Kevin T. Boyle

Long Radio
1102 Riverdale St.
W. T. Mitus Company Inc.

Lower Pioneer Valley Educational
174 Brush Hill Ave.
Anne S. McKenzie

Naatz Law Office
1012 Memorial Ave.
Carrie A. Naatz

New Image Décor N More.com
129 Apple Ridge Road
Linda M. Guiel

Shades of Jade
1138 Memorial Ave.
JB Studios Inc.

Company Notebook

By BusinessWest Staff March 1, 2011

Company Notebook Departments

Bank Employees Collect Items for Soldiers
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank conducted a company-wide care-package drive in mid-February through its employee-volunteer program to raise awareness of soldiers’ needs and show troops the support they have throughout Berkshire County, the Pioneer Valley, Eastern New York, and Southern Vermont. Bank officials partnered with local, service-connected organizations to distribute the care packages to soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Customers and the public were invited to participate in the care package drive by donating non-perishable foods, travel-sized toiletries, games, and certain clothing items. Peter Lafayette, Berkshire Bank Foundation’s executive director, noted in a statement that the bank was “very proud” to again sponsor the drive to benefit soldiers from the region. Organizations partnering on the project with the bank were the USO of the Pioneer Valley and Blue Star Mothers of the Capital District.

Springfield Partners for Community Action Relocates Offices
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Partners for Community Action’s main office at 619 State St. and its weatherization office at 284 Main St., Indian Orchard, were moved the week of Feb. 14. Staff moved into renovated office space on the second floor of 721 State St., which houses Springfield Partners New Beginnings Childcare Center on its first floor. The main office phone number, (413) 263-6500, and staff extensions will not change. Weatherization staff can also be reached at this number. Visitors to the second floor of 721 State St. should park in the lot behind the building, which can be accessed from Monroe Street. For more information, visit www.springfieldpartnersinc.com.

Big Y Plans Store in Connecticut
SPRINGFIELD — Big Y Foods Inc. recently announced plans to open a World Class Market in Meriden, Conn. The company’s proposed 55,000-square-foot supermarket will be located in the 125,000-square-foot Townline Square shopping center on North Colony Road at its intersection with South Broad Street. Big Y intends to renovate the location vacated by ShopRite when it relocated to Wallingford in 2010. The Meriden Big Y will employ between 150 and 175 people. In other news, a Big Y World Class Market is under construction in Lee, and one in Franklin is scheduled to start construction later this year. Big Y has also announced plans to develop a Big Y World Class Market in the Foxfield Plaza in Foxborough. Big Y operates markets in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Meriden market will represent Big Y’s investment of approximately $5 million into the community. In addition, the project will provide construction opportunities for local contractors during the renovation process. A late-spring opening is planned.

Authority Approves Baystate’s New ED Plan
SPRINGFIELD — The Massachusetts Public Health Council recently approved Baystate Medical Center’s request to meet urgent community needs by expediting construction of a new emergency department as part of Baystate’s Hospital of the Future project now underway. The council of the Mass. Department of Public Health considers and approves or denies determination-of-need applications for health care building projects such as Baystate’s. The new ED, 70,000 square feet, nearly doubles the number of treatment areas, including a separate pediatric triage and treatment area, an urgent care center, eight rooms specifically designed for behavioral-health services, and an adjacent space for diagnostic imaging such as X-ray scanning. The new ED is scheduled to open by early fall of 2012, just a few months after the March 2012 opening of the first phase of the building project. For more information, visit www.baystatehealth.org/hospitalofthefuture.

UMass Spending on Financial Aid Rises to $130.5M
BOSTON — Illustrating its commitment to affordability, the University of Massachusetts is directing $130.5 million of its own funds to student financial aid this year, according to a recent report to the UMass Board of Trustees Committee on Administration and Finance. During the past eight years, UMass spending on financial aid has risen from $35.6 million to $130.5 million, an increase of 267%. In a statement, UMass President Jack Wilson noted that “we understand that higher education is the path to a better life for students and is critical to our future as a Commonwealth, and therefore the University of Massachusetts is doing everything it can to maintain access and affordability.” According to the report, 25,681, or 61%, of the university’s 41,947 in-state undergraduate students are receiving some amount of need-based financial aid this year.

Kindred Hospital Has Deficiency-free Survey
SPRINGFIELD — Kindred Hospital officials recently announced that its survey for Park View Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, a specialty neurobehavioral unit, was deficiency-free. The center, located within the hospital, provides services to individuals with acquired brain injuries, neuropsychiatric disorders, and other neurological/behavioral disorders. Massachusetts conducts on-site inspections that determine whether its nursing homes meet the minimum Medicare and Medicaid quality and performance standards. During the nursing-home inspection, a team evaluates whether the facility is meeting residents’ needs. Marcia B. Zimmer, executive director of the center, noted in a statement that she was “proud of the team of caregivers.” Zimmer added, “it’s an honor to have a deficiency-free survey, and I would like to thank the staff for their hard work in providing the quality care our residents deserve and expect.”

Baystate Home Infusion Opens Branch at Hospital
WARE — Baystate Home Infusion & Respiratory Services (BHI&RS) recently opened a second store at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital. Located on the first floor of the hospital, the firm offers a wide selection of medical equipment and is staffed by trained advisors. “A great advantage to the retail showroom is that customers can view many different personal-care items and also try out a wide range of medical products such as canes, walkers, crutches, hospital beds, wheelchairs, rollators, and transport chairs,” said Gisele Livingstone, customer service coordinator, in a statement. With trained Sigvaris fitters on staff, the store also offers a wide range of medically approved Sigvaris compression stockings, socks, and hosiery. The firm accepts most major insurances, and staff can work directly with customers to obtain coverage for products and services that qualify.

Easthampton Savings to Open New Loan Center
EASTHAMPTON — William Hogan Jr., president and CEO of Easthampton Savings Bank, announced that the bank will submit building plans to the city of Easthampton to construct a 28,000-square-foot loan center with a banking office at the corner of Northampton and O’Neill streets in town. This facility, which will be called the Easthampton Savings Bank Loan Center, will house the entire lending team and operations departments, as well as provide banking services with a new branch office. Thanks to the recent zone change by the city, there will be a drive-up window and a drive-up ATM at this location. The bank’s current drive-up ATM will be temporarily relocated across the street during construction. “With our expansion into this facility, we will be adding 14 new jobs in the community as well as generating approximately $60,000 annually in new tax revenue to the city,” Hogan said. “We will be constructing this building as green as possible and are currently exploring the feasibility of solar power. We will also provide bike racks to encourage customers to visit the bank from the nearby bike path.” The bank hopes to break ground this summer and be open for business in the spring of 2012. The bank’s main office is located at 36 Main St. in Easthampton.

People On the Move

By BusinessWest Staff March 1, 2011

Departments People on the Move

Robert F. Borawski

Robert F. Borawski has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of Florence Savings Bank. Borawski is President of Borawski Insurance Co. in Northampton. He is a Certified Insurance Counselor and a Licensed Insurance Advisor. Borawski was elected a Corporator of Florence Savings Bank in 1981 and a Director in 1992.
•••••

Abby Mahoney

Abby Mahoney has been selected as Director of Career Services at American International College in Springfield. Mahoney will maintain the career library, Web site, database, and current job listings, as well as plan and conduct career days, job fairs and a majors fair. She will also design and deliver workshops, seminars, and fairs to assist students with job-search strategies such as interviewing, résumé writing, mock interviews, and other related supports. Mahoney will also contact, schedule, and arrange guest speakers from local businesses, the community, and alumni to present information about specific careers.
•••••
Roberta Hillenberg-Gang has been appointed Link Senior Project Coordinator for the Link to Libraries Inc.’s collaboration to offer read-aloud programs to area public elementary schools with Loomis Communities residents.
•••••

Pamela Simpson

Pamela Simpson has been promoted to Commercial Banking Officer at United Bank. Working from United’s Northampton branch, Simpson’s primary responsibility will be business development in the Hampshire County marketplace.
•••••

Denise Remillard

Denise Remillard has joined the Insurance Center of New England in Agawam as Manager of Human Resources.
•••••
Mark A. Germain has been appointed Vice President and Partner in charge of technology at Gomes, DaCruz & Tracy. He will have overall responsibility for the development, implementation, and support of internal technology-related design and procedures as well as providing clients with technology consulting. He will also be responsible for providing accounting and tax services, focusing on the construction and manufacturing industries.
•••••
van Schouwen Associates in Longmeadow announced the following:
• Shannon Filippelli has been promoted to Director of Strategic Communications; and
• Staasi Heropoulos has been hired as Manager of Strategic Communications.
•••••
Kate Reagan has been hired by PeoplesBank as a Mortgage Consultant.
•••••
Attorney Danielle P. Ferrucci has been named a Partner at the law firm of Shipman & Goodwin in Hartford, Conn. Ferrucci’s practice encompasses the areas of estate planning, estate settlement, and trust administration. She also represents individual and corporate fiduciaries and beneficiaries in contested matters in probate courts throughout Connecticut.
•••••
The Chicopee Chamber of Commerce announced the following:
• Richard Kos of Egan, Flanagan & Cohen, P.C., has been named Incoming Chair of the Board of Directors;
• Tina Kuselias of BusinessWest has been named to the Board of Directors;
• Cid Inacio of Chicopee Savings Bank has been named to the Board of Directors;
• Corey Briere of Complete IT Solutions has been named to the Board of Directors;
• Ben Garvey of Insurance Center of New England Inc. has been named to the Board of Directors; and
• Lt. Col. James G. Bishop of Westover Air Reserve Base has been named to the Board of Directors.
•••••
Gregory B. Chiecko, Sales Director at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, has been elected to the International Assoc. of Fairs and Expositions’ Board of Directors and will serve as Chair of Zone 1 of the organization, which includes the Northeast U.S. as well as New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island in Canada.
•••••
Attorney William Hart, specializing in estate planning with the law firm of Bulkley, Richardson & Gelinas, has been appointed to the Professional Advisors Board of the Mason-Wright Foundation. The foundation provides housing and daily-living services to the elderly, regardless of their ability to pay.

Court Dockets

By BusinessWest Staff March 1, 2011

Court Dockets Departments

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT
Brooke L. Langlais, ppa Victoria I. Morris v. Crickets Corner Learning Center Inc.
Allegation: While under the care of the defendant, the plaintiff was injured by a space heater left unattended: $5,500
Filed: 2/7/11
FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT
Rebecca Mae Higgins v. Hampden Custom Vision, Andrew Walkowiak, O.D., and John F. Warren, M.D.
Allegation: Negligence during the course of eye surgery causing permanent vision impairment: $25,000+
Filed: 1/6/11

Takisha Burton v. MA Dept. of State Police
Allegation: Negligence in the operation of a state police cruiser, causing injury: $57,608.61
Filed: 1/10/11
HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Commonwealth Packaging Corp. v. Daniel Fitzgerald and CCES, LLC
Allegation: Failure to perform work in timely manner: $51,702.58
Filed: 12/6/10

Edgar Guerra v. Farmland Foods Inc.
Allegation: Employee discrimination: $25,000+
Filed: 12/6/10

Jacquelynne M. Williams v. City of Holyoke, Robert Kane, and Michael J. Sullivan
Allegation: Claim against municipality for discrimination in the workplace: $248,000
Filed: 12/3/10

Shimizu Corp. v. Dow Roofing Systems Inc.
Allegation: Failure of a roof sold by the defendant: $1,000,000
Filed: 12/6/10

Thomas and Jean Despard v. Lumber Liquidators
Allegation: Breach of contract and warranties of sale: $80,000
Filed: 12/3/10

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Laurel Arel v. Wing Memorial Hospital and Andrew B. Chertoff, M.D.
Allegation: Failure to diagnose: $400,000
Filed: 1/28/11

Mitchell J. Fondakowski v. Bowditch, LLC
Allegation: Failure to pay wages: $25,000+
Filed: 1/18/11

Walter Warchut, executor of the estate of Sally Warchut v. M. Kubair Kareem, M.D. and Kimat Gul Khatak, M.D.
Allegation: Negligence in diagnosis, resulting in death: $25,000+
Filed: 1/14/11

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT
Daybreak Fast Freight Inc. v. New A.D.E. Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for transportation services: $4,068.42
Filed: 1/18/11

Margaret Alexander v. Kmart Corporation
Allegation: Negligence in property maintenance, causing slip and fall: $6,000
Filed: 1/18/11

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
Daily Hampshire Gazette Inc. v. Night Timez and William D. Bergren
Allegation: Non-payment of advertising services rendered: $11,174.86
Filed: 1/10/11

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Aydyn Clayton, a minor, ppa Nicole Clayton v. Eastfield Mall shopping center; Central Specialties, LTD; and Tubular Engineering & Supply Co.
Allegation: Negligence causing injury to minor. Two-year-old injured in a stroller offered for use by the Eastfield Mall: $27,810.54
Filed: 1/5/11

Bank of America, N.A. v. Compton Doors Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of a promissory note: $91,603.94
Filed: 12/16/10

Janet and Michael Young v. BSF Construction Inc.
Allegation: Breach of residential contract for services: $19,769.10
Filed: 1/5/11

The MVA Center for Rehabilitation Inc. v. The Premier Insurance Group
Allegation: Defendant was denied payment for reasonable and necessary medical bills and services rendered: $2,616.45
Filed: 12/13/10

United Rentals Inc. v. Tremont Caulking & Coating Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $6,416.59
Filed: 1/6/11

Williams Distributing Corp. v. DEA Entertainment, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment for goods sold and delivered: $4,212.76
Filed: 1/13/11

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Accurate Mechanical Corp. v. J. Calabrese Farms, LLC
Allegation: Breach of service contract for plumbing and gas pipe work: $10,000
Filed: 1/3/11

Simplicity Engineering, N.E. Inc. v. First Financial Brokerage Inc.
Allegation: Failure to return deposit and breach of contract: $24,353.78
Filed: 1/20/11

Doing Business As Certificates

By BusinessWest Staff February 15, 2011

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the months of January and February 2011.

AGAWAM

Elmwood Car & Van Controls
521 River Road
William A. Douglas

Garden Art
32 Church St.
Ken Guerin

Rosemarie’s Salon @ Sebastian’s
333 Walnut St.
Rosemarie Brandoli

Sandy’s K-9
84 Maple St.
Silke Lanski

Twice But Nice
525 Springfield St.
Nicholas Grimaldi

Wicked Leather
53 Fairview St.
Robert Alves

Wideorbit
67 Hunt St.
Diana Falvo

CHICOPEE

Bernie’s Service Station
105 Montgomery St.
Daniel Bernashe

Chicopee Jiffy Lube
2017 Memorial Dr.
Richard Smith

Daigle’s Truck Master Inc.
57 Fuller St.
Jeffrey Daigle

Nasa’s Auto Service LLC
817 Front St.
Michael Wayne Asselin

Lara’s Destiny Hair Salon
1512 Memorial Dr.
Lara Torrao

Power On
115 Beauregard Terrace
Rvi’shan Yo

GREENFIELD

Barlow Tree & Landscaping
77 Davis St.
Bryan Barlow

Daily Nuggets
324 Wells St.
Robert Apteker

Greenfield Corporate Center Café
101 Munson St.
Simon Guy

Sigda Flower Shop
284 High St.
Richard Sigda

Spalding Affordable Custom Cleaning
256 Davis St.
William Spalding

HOLYOKE

Jizay’s Global Tech
101 High St.
Marcos J. Alvarao

Klassic Eye Brow
50 Holyoke St.
Sukhpal Kaur

Law Office of Joseph E. Best, Esq.
328 High St.
Joseph E. Best

Ponce Store
254 Maple St.
Efrain Resto

T-Mobile
50 Holyoke St.
Harvey Woodford

LONGMEADOW

Gold Courier
35 Erskine Dr.
Stephen Goldstein

LUDLOW

Lara’s Destiny House Salon & Day Spa
293 State St.
Lara Torrao

Joseph Testori Electrical Contractor
71 New Crest St.
Joseph Testori

SOUTHWICK

Donna M. Houghton Licensed Massage Therapist
405 North Loomis St.
Donna M. Houghton

Hairsworks Salon
320 College Hwy.
Paula Zering

New England Academic Specialties
1 Cody Lane
Kristen A. Coccia

SPRINGFIELD

Garcia’s Painting
878 Liberty St.
Luis A. Garcia

Good Shepherd Realty
107 Blaine St.
Richard Fontaine

Imperial Bakery
345 Main St.
Maria Tirado

J. Methe Construction
34 Newport St.
Jeremy D. Methe

Jack Chen Chinese Restaurant
1193 Sumner Ave.
Jin Q. Chen

Pair A Dice Clean
19 Dewey St.
Elizabeth Y. Ruiz

Sullivan Service
14 Brighton St.
Brendan Patrick

Super Class Laundry
1771 Boston Road
Bhanu B. Tiwari

The Hook Up
72 Bancroft St.
Rafael J. Sierra

WESTFIELD

Cornerstone-Good Goth
77 Mill St.
Marianne Deidolori

Del Photocraft
46 Spruce St.
Michael C. DelMonte

Gary’s Auto Repair
11 Bartlett St.
Gary Francis

J.M.C.
18 King St.
James J. Merati

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Allston Antiques
820 Union St.
William P. Youngworth IV

Cal’s Wood-Fired Grill & Bar
1068 Riverdale St.
Calamari’s III Inc.

Capzice Creative Hair Salon
553 Main St.
Lilia Dzhenzherukha

Case Handyman and Remodeling
380 Union St.
New England Handyman Services

Charlie’s Diner
218 Union St.
Michael Alfano

Dan’s Domestic Auto Repair
23 Sumner St.
Daniel E. Chraplak

Samtronix
274 Westfield St.
Osama Jalal

The Healing Zone Therapeutic Mass
201 Westfield St.
Nanci J. Newton

Video Chat Shopping
104 Kings Highway
George Colon

Robert Perry

By BusinessWest Staff February 15, 2011

Class of 2011 Difference Makers

Retired Partner/Consultant, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.

Robert Perry

Robert Perry admits that he’s not much of a handyman.

So he makes no apologies for the fact that, over the course of more than a decade’s work with Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity, he’s probably spent three or four days “working,” at least by his estimation.

And while others would disagree with that math — they say Perry enjoys getting his hands dirty and is always ready, willing, and able to pitch in — they usually don’t quibble with his numbers, or his leadership, for that matter.

That’s because Perry’s contributions usually haven’t been with a hammer, shovel, or level, but rather with a telephone, gavel, and calculator. A quasi-retired CPA — ‘retired partner/consultant’ with Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. in Holyoke, to be more exact — Perry spent an unheard-of seven years as president of the organization’s board (“I wasn’t smart enough to find a replacement”) while also serving as treasurer.

He said that, instead of framing, tiling, or putting up sheetrock, his main contributions to Habitat’s mission have come in the form of leadership, organization, fund-raising, finding and cultivating sponsors, and keeping track of the financial details.

Those who have worked with him over the years would say that he and his wife (Bob and Bobbi to those who know them) have provided something else — hefty amounts of inspiration. A large dose of it came in late 2008 when, in conjunction with their 35th wedding anniversary, they donated and raised $35,000 each toward the construction of a Habitat home in Monson.

Perry said there was a was good deal of serendipity, or symmetry, to that project — it was the 35th house built by the Greater Springfield Habitat group, and it was dedicated on Valentine’s Day in 2010. And, overall, it was an appropriate way for he and his wife to give back and celebrate all they’ve been able to enjoy together. “We’ve had a lot of good things happen in our lives.”

Meanwhile, the overall experience with Habitat has been perhaps the best example of how, through more than 30 years of work within the community — here and elsewhere — he’s sought out opportunities where the results are visible and significant. It was this way with his work at Big Brothers Big Sisters in Framingham much earlier in his professional career, and also with his recent efforts mentoring students at Putnam Vocational-Technical High School in Springfield.

“The connection I made between being a big brother and being in Habitat is being able to see the results of your efforts every day,” he explained. “When I was working as a big brother with a kid, you could see his progress — you could see his self-esteem growing, you could see him learning things that you were imparting. In Habitat, when we raised some money or when we found a family, you could see the change immediately — you could see the cause and effect of your relationship.

“That’s the essence of Habitat for me,” he continued. “We all know we’re doing good when we donate to cancer or when we take part in the breast-cancer walk, or take part in Rotary, but it’s a little more difficult to connect the dots. And that’s one of the big benefits of work with Habitat; you truly get to see that every day.”

Recapping his professional career and work in the community, Perry said they’ve dovetailed nicely. He told BusinessWest that he was always drawn to accounting work, and, after graduating from Northeastern, he went to work for Alexander Grant in Boston. After a stint as a CFO for a textile manufacturer in the late ’70s, he went to Greenberg Rosenblatt in Worcester, and later, when that firm bought an accounting practice in Springfield, he was transferred here to run that operation. After a few years as a self-employed consultant, he went to work for Meyers Brothers, which merged with the Kalicka firm in 2003.

Today, Perry is what one colleague, also semi-retired, calls a “partner emeritus.” He says he spends about 500 hours a year as a consultant — 250 during the three crunch months of tax season, and the balance spread out over the remainder of the year. The rest of his time is devoted to a few passions, but especially golf and community service.

He and Bobbi are members at Wilbraham Country Club (he’s a 16 handicapper and she’s a 20), and they play together frequently. As for the community-service piece, it’s been a career-long constant, inspired in part by Bobbi’s work with deaf children and their families.

Perry spent several years as a member of the Exchange Club that serves Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, and Wilbraham, but found he wanted to be more on what he called the “front lines” of community work. He looked for ways to address this desire, and found one when friend York Mayo, then-volunteer president of Habitat for Humanity, recruited him to look at the group’s finances.

Little did he know that he would soon work his way up to president and spend seven years in that seat, helping the organization “get to the next level” organizationally, as he put it, while also building three or four houses a year.

As for the house he and Bobbi helped sponsor for their 35th anniversary, Perry said, “sometimes, things just come together in a natural sort of way. “This was the 35th house. We saw it coming, looked at it, saw an opportunity to give back, and worked with some church groups to make it happen.”

He’s been making things happen with other organizations as well, especially the Greater Springfield YMCA, which he’s served on the corporate and finance boards, as chair of the audit board, and as co-chair of the Scantic golf tournament. He also involved with Springfield School Volunteers, and is currently in his second year of mentoring students at Putnam.

“I have a sophomore student who’s on point,” he said. “He’s a little shy; I think he’s looking for some self-confidence, and he’s looking for someone outside his family to be a role model. It’s a mini-version of Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I find it very rewarding.”

Mayo, summing up Perry’s contributions to Habitat and other groups, had this to say: “Bob has compassion for others. He converts his beliefs into action through hard work and relentless dedication. When he makes the decision to support an organization, he is the first to roll up his sleeves and get involved. He is persistent and never gives up.

“He is a critical thinker, learns quickly, and is a great listener,” Mayo continued. “His contribution to Habitat for Humanity is immeasurable. But Habitat is not the only recipient of Bob’s many talents. A partial list includes ReStore Home Improvement, the Red Cross, the YMCA, the Roger L. Putnam Technical Fund, and the Millbrook Scholars Fund for homeless high-school students.”

As for what he considers a lack of handyman skills, “I think it’s funny that I would get involved in a volunteer construction organization,” Perry joked, adding quickly that he believes he’s more than made up for that deficiency with organizational and leadership abilities.

And no one would argue with that point.

— George O’Brien

Court Dockets

By BusinessWest Staff February 15, 2011

Court Dockets Departments

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Paul R. Gelinas v. Neu Tradition Millwork Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of consulting services rendered: $5,126.37
Filed: 1/5/11

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Rite-Now Container Co. v. International Paper Co.
Allegation: Breach of employee duty of loyalty, defamation, and loss of commercial business: $300,000
Filed: 11/30/10

Stock Building Supply, LLC v. Nu Truss Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $29,464.46
Filed: 11/26/10

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Kristen Brunton v. Playtex Products Inc., Toys R Us Inc., and Dr. William Sears
Allegation: Breach of implied warranty for a Playtex Pump and negligence in design, causing personal injury: $50,585
Filed: 1/10/11

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT
Clark & Falcetti Inc. v. Inglewood Development Corp.
Allegation: Non-payment of services rendered: $1,045.95
Filed: 11/15/10

Natalie Kennedy v. Holiday Inn
Allegation: Failure to maintain premises, causing fall: $4,933
Filed: 11/23/10

PALMER DISTRICT COURT
Gilbert & Sons Insulation v. Custom Design Builders
Allegation: Non-payment of insulation work completed: $7,754.66
Filed: 11/2/10

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Autozone Parts Inc. v. Midas
Allegation: Breach of contract and failure to repay Autozone Parts for items purchased: $10,367.34
Filed: 11/30/10

Bank of America v. C.J. Murphy Associates Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of monies owed: $63,186.64
Filed: 12/1/10

Colleen Moyston v. Motel 6
Allegation: Negligent maintenance of premises, causing slip and fall: $4,833.63
Filed: 12/3/10

Thurston Foods Inc. v. 1171 Main Street, LLC d/b/a McCaffrey’s Public House
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $5,239.19
Filed: 11/24/10

United Rentals v. New England Facility Management
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services provided on a construction project: $12,640.88
Filed: 12/2/10

A Date with Destiny

By BusinessWest Staff February 15, 2011

Difference Makers Features

Celebrate This Year’s Difference Makers on March 24

Kate Campiti, BusinessWest’s associate publisher and advertising director, says that, when the magazine created the Difference Makers recognition program more than two years ago, it did so knowing that there were many ways in which recipients could live up to that title.
And never has that been more evident than with the class of 2011, recently chosen by the magazine after receiving dozens of worthy nominations. Indeed, this year’s cast consists of:

• Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Tim Brennan, who has kept one eye on the present and the other on the future — sometimes decades into the future — as he goes about helping to create a better quality of life for area residents and enabling this region to effectively compete in an increasingly global economy. He has many legacies, including the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, a cleaner Connecticut River, several bike trails, and the Plan for Progress — with more on the horizon;

• The founder of Rays of Hope, Lucia (Lucy) Giuggio Carvalho. A breast-cancer survivor, she took inspiration, and some practical lessons in how to wage an effective event, from an AIDS walk in Boston led by, among others, her nephew, and created a walk that today draws more than 18,000 participants annually. In 17 years, Rays of Hope has raised more than $8 million for breast-cancer services and research, while also creating a strong show of unity in the ongoing fight against this killer;

• Don Kozera, president of Human Resources Unlimited, who, over the course of three decades of leadership, has enabled the organization to expand and evolve while remaining true to its original mission: helping individuals with mental and physical disabilities find employment and thus become productive members of society. Kozera has steered the agency though a number of fiscal and bureaucratic challenges while keeping it on course with its all-important goals;

• Robert Perry, a quasi-retired accountant who has, over the course of his career, devoted generous amounts of time, energy, imagination, and dedication to a number of nonprofit organizations, especially Habitat for Humanity. While lending his financial acumen and strong leadership and organizational skills to that agency as president and treasurer, he and his wife, Bobbi, also provided a large dose of inspiration when they committed to donating and raising $35,000 each toward the construction of a Habitat home, the building of which coincided with their 35th wedding anniversary; and

• Holyoke’s police chief, Anthony Scott, who says that his decade-long mission in that job — one that most would say he’s accomplished — has been to “increase the overhead” on criminals in that city, thus driving them out of business, or at least to another community. While doing so, he’s kept the heat on judges and probation officers to keep criminals in jail and off the streets.

“This year’s class of Difference Makers clearly show that there are, indeed, many ways to make a difference in our community,” said Campiti, noting that the award was created to highlight this fact and hopefully inspire others to find new and different ways to continue this legacy.
The class of 2011 will be honored at a gala slated for March 24 at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke, beginning with a networking hour starting at 5 p.m. The event will feature entertainment, butlered hors d’ouevres, lavish food stations, introductions of the Difference Makers, and remarks from the members of this year’s class.
Tickets are $50 per person, with tables of 10 available. For more information or to order tickets, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 10, or visit www.businesswest.com.

Bankruptcies

By BusinessWest Staff February 1, 2011

Bankruptcies Departments

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

487 St. James Ave., LLC
487 St. James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

A.H. Renaud Construction
Renaud, Adam H.
Renaud, Dizaree S.
a/k/a Kabaniec, Dizaree S.
18 Cherokee Dr.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Ahearn, Patricia B.
203 Wolfswamp Road
Springfield, MA 01106
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Asselin, Peter Gerald
Asselin, Patricia Elizabeth
65 Old Farm Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Avdoulos Builders
Avdoulos, Michael William
PO Box 302
Hampden, MA 01036
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/10

Baker, Rebecca J.
11 Rogers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Benoit, Raymond J.
Benoit, Linda D.
a/k/a Dastous, Linda Anne
22 Dubois St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/10

Bigelow, Keith M.
31-33 Chatham St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Bisson, Arthur
Bisson, Lori A.
5 Raymond Place
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/28/10

Bobilin Construction
Bobilin, Richard E.
Bobilin, Heather L.
220 Ward Hill Road
Phillipston, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/10

Boudreau, Elizabeth E.
7 Flynt Ave.
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Bouhafa, Mohamed Lamjed
61 St. James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/28/10

Brown, Timothy K.
16 Lawndale St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/10

Bruce, Stephanie
1039 Berkshire Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Brush, Edward G.
111 Temby St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Buttlieri, Joseph A
233 East New Lenox Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/17/10

Cannon, John F.
Post Office Box 299
Pittsfield, MA 01202
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/28/10

Canterbury, Joan M.
1136 Huntington Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Chacon, Gonzalo
Chacon, Gloria
268 Newton Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Clark, Kimberlee Ann
44 Chapel Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/10

Cochrane, Lauren D.
55 Hadley Village Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/20/10

Colbert, Scott D.
20 Deerfield St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/10

Colon, Michael
Colon, Anne E.
a/k/a Miranda, Anne E.
72D Edbert St.
Chicopee, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/10

Corliss, Ronald H.
Corliss, Sharon M.
70 Old Fuller Road Ext.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Crystal Creations
Naggar, Hubert
152 Bliss Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/10

Curtis, Thomas G.
P.O. Box 178
Pittsfield, MA 01202
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Cusson, Shannon
24 Holly St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Daponde, Jr., Douglas A.
136 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/17/10

DeAlmeida, Diana Charmaine
2 Oliver St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Del Pozzo, Susan Marie
a/k/a Cassessee, Susan M.
a/k/a Gassesse, Susan
87 Bessemer St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Dixon-Willoughby, Milene R.
15 West Hill Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Doe, Frank Rubin
93 Grochmal Ave., Lot 1
Springfield, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/20/10

Dunn, Christopher R.
Dunn, Jennifer L.
737 Northbranch Parkway
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Ellis, Michael Edward
Ellis, Lisa Ann
a/k/a Brown, Lisa Ann
283 Spikenard Circle
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Fountain, Harold C.
Fountain, Mildred M.
1260 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/28/10

Fraser, Genevieve C.
211 Dana Road
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/20/10

Gagliardi, Joseph F.
577 Suriner Road
Becket, MA 01223
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Gauthier, Laurie M.
16 Pioneer Way
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/20/10

Grant, Justine M.
16B Bridge Ct.
PO Box 528
Gilbertville, MA 01031
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Greenway, Richard
107 Aldrew Ter.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Gunnell, Wayne Howard
28 Metropolitan Court
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Hague, William G.
485 South St., Apt. 41
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/17/10

Hardaker, Christine L.
248 Nonotuck Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Hensley, James D.
18 A. Lynch Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Hogan, Alice F
155 Nonotuck St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Hulse, Theresa A.
181 Hanson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/23/10

Ihedigbo, Joy C.
2082 Page Blvd.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Jackman, Robert E.
801 Pochassic Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/10

James, Jimmie R.
James, Valerie M.
134 Catharine St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/28/10

Jenson Books
Wilson, Jenine M.
a/k/a Cafarella-Wilson, Jenine M.
155 Wells St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/28/10

Kari, John P.
695 Orange Road
P O Box 695
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/28/10

King, Bonnie L.
1089 Mohawk Trail
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Lachance, Jeanette I.
55 North Main St. #15
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/10

Lam, Andrew N.
243 Abbott St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Lauer, Annmarie
a/k/a Baillargeon, Annmarie
20 Nash St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/10

LeBlanc, Robert J.
28 Lenox Circle
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/10

Libiszewski, Thomas P.
5 Fayette St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/20/10

Luckham, Adrian Gerald
Durette-Luckham, Karola Elvira
68 Warregan St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Lyons, Kimberly A.
45 Kimberly Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/10

Malik, Usman H.
152 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Martin, Rita Jacqueline
1121 James St.
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Masse, Michael D.
6 Reeves St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/30/10

McLain, Forist
McLain, Kathleen Janet
172 Walker St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/10

Mellis, Cheryl E.
11 Colony Road
Springfield, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/17/10

Miranda, Kevin J.
77 Green Lane
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Moore, Elena M.
53 Lemuel Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/10

Moschetti, John F.
Moschetti, Jennifer S.
2 Channing Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Murphy, Linda A.
264 Fuller St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Nhong, Jadwiga
195 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Orszak, Ami May
26 Sargon St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/28/10

Ozner, Michael L.
PO Box 522
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Pena, Carlos
29 Verge St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/16/10

Piepul, John M.
47 Williams St.
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/10

Plante, Thomas James
Plante, Nancy Jean
a/k/a Charest, Nancy J.
a/k/a Kennedy, Nancy J.
PO Box 432
Becket, MA 01223
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Poole, Gina M.
a/k/a Bevilacqua, Gina M.
3 Rosedell Dr. Ext.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/10

Post, Christopher M.
Post, Deana A.
407 Tyler St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Pucko, Richard G.
Pucko, Sherry L.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/28/10

Riley, Jessica A.
196 Wilbraham Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/21/10

Romero, Tiburcio
PO Box 1421
Springfield, MA 01101
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/20/10

Ross-Hamilton, Cynthia J.
119 Bliss Hill Road
Royalston, MA 01368
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/28/10

Sabelli, Jeffrey Charles
20 Jenks St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Santiago, Juana M.
23 Draper St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 12/23/10

Schofield, Timothy J.
73 North Lake Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/10

Serrenho, Daniel P.
48 Tiderman Road
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/10

Skiffington, Lee Allen
Skiffington, Sarah Lynn
43 Harrison Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/29/10

Smith, Maria L.
P.O. Box 1515
Warren, MA 01083
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/10

Sullivan, Karen Elizabeth
a/k/a Nytch, Karen
6-A Elm Circle
South Deerfield, MA 01373
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Tong, Bao N.
21 Laurel Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Torra, Paul J.
61 Baystate Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Troy, James
Troy, Angela
a/k/a Soares, Angela M.
a/k/a Jollimore, Angela S.
219 Doreen St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Truninger, Diane E.
11 Williams St. #2
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/17/10

Urena, Henry A.
49 Palmer Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Vandoros, Angelo G.
Vandoros, Deborah L.
58 Apple Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/20/10

Verrocchi, Andrew T.
P.O.Box 602
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/23/10

Viel, Robert R.
23 Mitchell Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/22/10

Visneau, Cheryl
29 Pelham St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/19/10

Wallace, Ted
275 Chestnut St., #419
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/30/10

Watkins, Sandra I.
289 East Hadley Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/10

White, Kathryn Dee
168 Main St.
Haydenville, MA 01039
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/17/10

Wray, Craig R.
51 Church St., Apt. 3
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 12/16/10

Doing Business as Certificates

By BusinessWest Staff February 1, 2011

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of January 2011.

AGAWAM

Istanbul Mediterranean Grill
365 Walnut St.
Gani Dinc

Pizza House
846 Suffield St.
Erol Kumas

Ridgeway Plumbing & Heating
5 Ridgeway Dr.
Bruce Shelkey

Vintage Auto Pickers
23 Edgewood Lane
Donald A. Sorel Jr.

WAM III LLC Delivery Service
1178 Suffield St.
Walter Meissner

Window World of Western Mass.
351 Walnut St.
Robert Bushey Jr.

CHICOPEE

AJL Electric
95 St. Jacques Ave.
Alan J. Lubas

DMS Auto Body
393 Ludlow Road
Wesley D. Smith

Lombard Appraisals
246 Frontenac St.
Todd Lombard

New Asia Bakery & Grill
159 Grove St.
Youel C. Gato

Spruce Salon
920 Front St.
Kate Przybyl

Tony’s Auto Repair
341 Chicopee St.
Antonio Fronseca

GREENFIELD

Charmed Nails
41 Bank Row
Carrie Kuzmekus

Ken’s Jax Prep
40 School St.
Kenneth Lang

Ozzie’s Autobody
328 High St.
Tamas Mercher

SG Glassworks
34 Pierce St.
Susan Griswold

Star Dust RES Publishing
353 Conway St.
Robert E. Sweeney

HOLYOKE

Dairy Market
160-162 Lyman St.
Irfan Kashif

JMW Construction
6 Bray Park Dr.
James Wildman

Muse Custom Framing
220 South Water St.
Debra Luzny

Providence Prenatal Center of Holyoke
384 High St.
William Bithoney

Winners Internet Café
209 South St.
Jennifer Stambovsky

CNS Academy of Health Care Professionals
187 High St.
Marc Bealieu

LONGMEADOW

NCR Corporation
3095 Satellite Blvd.
Lyane Hight

LUDLOW

Domino’s Pizza
309 Center St.
John Gesualdi

Kleenrite Services
35 State St.
Rick Paixao

Marc’s Trucking LLC
810 Moore St.
Marc Toton

PALMER

Rebingham Inc.
166 Ware St.
Reginald Bingham

SOUTHWICK

Feed Warehouse
707 College Highway
Larry Bannish

Interstate Coach Builders
633 College Highway
Richard Battistoni

John Labelle Plumbing & Heating
17 Kimberly Dr.
John Labelle

Strain Family Equestrian Center
18 Vining Hill Road
William Strain

SPRINGFIELD

A & M Landscaping
18 Dubois St.
Edyta Halastra

A Brighter Future Childcare
83-85 Main St.
Michele T. Pepe

Art’s Gardens
27 Savoy Ave.
Arthur Martin

Bark & Park Mobile Grooming
44 West Crystal Brook Dr.
Angela M. Robinson

C & G Furniture Service
149 Bolton St.
Carlos Arce

Combo-Work
1500 Main St.
Neung Chummasorn

Cottage St. Motors LLC
807 Cottage St.
Vincenzo Botta

Felix Auto Sales
237 Dickinson St.
John DeCesare

Four Seasons Cyber LLC
296 Cooley St.
Jennifer D. Burritt

WESTFIELD

Ezra’s Mercantile
34 Elm St.
Lou Sirois

Flowers by Joanne
Aa1358 East Mountain Road
Joanne Janik

Roman Landscaping and Property Management
13 Furrow St.
Eric Roman

WEST SPRINGFIELD

DLP Hospitality
1080 Riverdale St.
Shailesh Patel

Gengras Motors Inc.
1712 Riverdale St.
Clayton Gengras

Kristen Walters Photography
138 Quarry Road
Kristen J. Walters

Memo’s Restaurant
1272 Memorial Ave.
Christine Pompi

Pat’s Auto Service
163 Norman St.
Richard D. Parenteau

R & D Inc.
1557 Riverdale St.
Dilip R. Rana

Royal Food Supplements
298 Elm St.
Nadezhda Koleznik

The Cleaning Elves
42 Chester St.
Roxanne S. Sjostrom

Welcome Inn
2041 Riverdale St.
Patel Pravinbhai

Briefcase

By BusinessWest Staff February 1, 2011

Briefcase Departments

West of the River Chambers Leaves ACCGS; Affiliates with MassCBI
EAST LONGMEADOW — The West of the River Chamber of Commerce (WRC) recently announced its newly developed management relationship with the Mass. Chamber of Business & Industry Inc. (MassCBI), of East Longmeadow, severing its ties with the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield (ACCGS) that go back 40 years. The WRC, which serves the cities of Agawam and West Springfield, will be managed by MassCBI under the leadership of Debra Boronski, whose organization will oversee all of its management needs. “The WRC is the primary advocate and resource for business in Agawam and West Springfield; we felt it was time to take a new direction in the management of our chamber in a way that best suits the needs of our members,” said Remo Pizzichemi, vice chair of the West of the River Chamber. “We will remain a local, independent chamber of commerce representing Agawam and West Springfield businesses and will continue to offer our members the local benefits they have always enjoyed as well as the lobbying and legislative expertise of Ms. Boronski.” The new management relationship with the Massachusetts chamber will extend current benefits by offering WRC members access to the MassCBI monthly Legislative Newsletter which provides up-to-date information on laws and regulations that impact their business. “I am pleased to welcome the West of the River Chamber and its 250 member businesses to MassCBI,” said Boronski, “and look forward to working with the WRC board, committees, and leaders of its member companies, many of whom I have a long history with.” In 2008, the West Springfield and Agawam chambers of commerce were combined to form the WRC. The chamber hosts a number of meetings and events each year, including FoodFest West, a golf tournament, educational seminars, networking events, and debates for candidates in Agawam and West Springfield, and has recently launched a manufacturing committee. ACCGS President Jeffrey Ciuffreda said member businesses that are part of the WRC will continue to be represented through ACCGS until their current membership expires, which is different for each member. “We welcome these businesses to renew their memberships with ACCGS to continue the high level of service they have come to expect from the chamber,” he noted. “ACCGS continues to believe in its original mission and philosophy — the business community is best served by a regional approach, speaking in one voice to government representatives, policy makers, other businesses, and business-related organizations. The ACCGS will continue to speak out with a singular voice on issues facing businesses throughout Greater Springfield. The action taken by the WRC Board of Directors will have no impact on the services, member benefits, educational programs, legislative advocacy, or networking opportunities provided by ACCGS to its member base. Despite the WRC board’s decision, it is business as usual for the ACCGS.”

Caret Named to Lead UMass System
BOSTON — The Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts recently unanimously elected Robert Caret president of the five-campus university system. Caret, the president of Towson University in Maryland, will succeed retiring UMass President Jack Wilson, who steps down on June 30. “After conducting an exhaustive search, we selected a president with the qualifications, the character, and the vision to lead our university system forward and to build upon the strengths of our world-class university system,” said James Karam, head of the search committee and acting chair of the UMass Board of Trustees, in a statement. “It is an honor to have been asked to lead this world-class and world-renowned university system,” said Caret in a statement. “The University of Massachusetts is one of the nation’s premier public research universities and provides a beacon of hope and opportunity for so many. I look forward to building upon its tradition of excellence in academics, research, and public service.” Caret, 63, has been the president of Towson University since 2003. He served as a faculty member, dean, executive vice president, and provost of Towson University for 21 years before leaving to assume the presidency of San Jose State University in 1995. Caret is credited with helping to reinvigorate the San Jose State University campus, and he championed a joint city/university effort to build the Martin Luther King Jr. Library there. As president of Towson University, Caret has created partnerships with regional business, nonprofit, and civic organizations in Maryland. He became a founding member of the Maryland Business Council in 2004 and serves as the honorary chairman of the Maryland Council on Education. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the CollegeBound Foundation, the Board of Governors for the Center Club, the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board, and the P-20 Leadership Council. He also serves on the Board of Directors for 1st Mariner Bancorp and on the Board of Advisors for Evergreen Capital LLC. He was inducted into the Baltimore County Chamber Business Hall of Fame in 2006 and was awarded the Towson University Hillel Gesher Award in 2010. Caret is a member of the University of Maryland Foundation Board of Directors. He recently served on the NCAA Presidential Task Force on the Future of Intercollegiate Athletics and is a member of its Presidential Advisory Group and Football Academic Working Group. He also has served on the American Flag Foundation Board of Directors, the Board of Directors of the American Council of Education (ACE), and the Board of Directors for the American Assoc. of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). He currently serves on the executive steering committee of the AASCU Millennium Leadership Initiative (MLI). Caret has authored many articles on chemistry, chemical education, and higher education for business and professional publications. He is the co-author of four textbooks in the fields of organic chemistry and allied health chemistry. The Maryland Chapter of the American Chemical Society recognized Caret’s achievements by honoring him with the George L. Braude Award in 2005. He is a native of Maine who received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of New Hampshire in 1974 and his bachelor of science degree in chemistry and mathematics from Suffolk University in 1969. Caret’s honorary degrees include a doctor of humane letters degree from San Jose State University (2004) and National Hispanic University (1997) and a doctor of science degree from Suffolk University (1996). Current UMass President Wilson is retiring from the presidency after eight years to return to teaching. He will become the distinguished professor of Higher Education, Emerging Technologies and Innovation at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

More State Residents
Lost Homes to
Foreclosure in 2010
BOSTON — The number of completed foreclosures in Massachusetts jumped almost 32% in 2010 to 12,233, up from 9,269 in 2009, but did not surpass the record 12,430 foreclosures recorded in 2008, according to the latest report from the Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. The number of foreclosure petitions, meanwhile, declined 14.3% to 23,933 last year from 27,928 in 2009. “It’s a big concern that more homeowners lost their homes to foreclosure in 2010 than in the prior year,” said Timothy Warren Jr., CEO of the Warren Group, in a statement. “One bright spot is that fewer people entered the foreclosure process compared to a year ago. This is despite a slumping economy and high unemployment. These statistics for petitions to foreclose are skewed by lenders who slowed their foreclosure processing in the last four months of the year. It’s important to remain cautious heading into 2011, and not assume we are out of the woods yet.” Foreclosure petitions — the first step in the foreclosure process in Massachusetts — dropped dramatically in December. A total of 733 starts were recorded, a 64.4% drop from 2,060 in December 2009. Petitions also dropped from November 2010, when there were 1,109 starts recorded. The number of foreclosure petitions exceeded 2,000 for eight months in 2010, falling below that level for the past three consecutive months. In December, there were 481 foreclosure deeds, a nearly 44% drop from 857 deeds recorded in December 2009. Foreclosure deeds represent completed foreclosures. Deeds bumped up in December from a month earlier; there were 418 recorded in November. Foreclosure deeds reached their highest point earlier in the year, peaking at 1,391 in March. Both foreclosure petitions and deeds dropped in the fourth quarter. A total of 2,969 foreclosure petitions were recorded in the fourth quarter of 2010, down almost 53% from the 6,293 petitions during the same period in 2009. Foreclosure deeds dropped to 1,456 in the fourth quarter, a 41.1% decline from 2,473 deeds in the fourth quarter of 2009. The fourth quarter marked the slowest activity for both petitions and deeds this year. Year-to date petitions were down in every county except Nantucket County. A total of 88 foreclosure petitions were recorded in 2010, up almost 9% from 81 in 2009. On the contrary, deeds also increased in every county in 2010, except Nantucket and Dukes counties. There were 12 completed foreclosures in Nantucket County in all of 2010, down from 25 in 2009. Dukes County saw no change in its foreclosure deeds in 2010 — there were 38 completed foreclosures in both 2009 and 2010. The Warren Group also tracked a large increase in auction announcements in 2010. A total of 29,227 auction announcements were tracked in 2010, a 50.6% increase from 19,441 in 2009. Auction announcements in December totaled 1,076, a 50% drop from 2,152 in November, and also declined 44.3% from 1,931 during the same month in 2009.

Director Sought for Leadership Pioneer Valley
SPRINGFIELD — Leadership Pioneer Valley (LPV), a new regional leadership initiative for the 69 communities and three counties (Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin) that comprise the Pioneer Valley, has launched its search for a program director. The director, who will be the first to hold this position, will oversee an array of LPV program activities, most importantly the recruitment of emerging, diverse leaders to strengthen the region by fostering a sense of community pride, responsibility, and dedication. Leadership Pioneer Valley is an advanced leadership-development program housed within the Pioneer Valley Regional Ventures Center Inc., the companion nonprofit of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. LPV was established last year to recruit, develop, and support succeeding generations of the region’s leaders through dynamic education and civic-engagement programs that foster the skills, collaboration, and commitment needed to build a healthy, vibrant, and culturally competent Pioneer Valley. The new program director will begin work with the aim of recruiting LPV’s first class for fall 2011 and continuing to direct its efforts. The job description for LPV program director is available at www.pvpc.org. Interested candidates must submit a cover letter, résumé, and three references via email by Feb. 1 to Search Committee Chair Ron Ancrum at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts; the address is [email protected].

Housing Market Remains ‘Very Volatile’
WASHINGTON — Permits for new homes jumped 16.7% in December compared with private-sector expectations of a 2.9% increase, according to the latest data on new residential construction in December from the Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau. Scheduled changes in building codes in January in California, New York, and Pennsylvania may have been responsible for much of the December increase, as builders sought to obtain permits ahead of the code change. Housing starts declined 4.3% compared with private-sector expectations that they would remain virtually unchanged. “Today’s data show that the housing market is still very volatile from month to month,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke in a statement. “This administration is keenly focused on expanding employment and economic growth, and as job creation progresses, the incomes of the American people will strengthen and help put the housing market back on track.”

Great Time to Build

By BusinessWest Staff February 1, 2011

Sections Supplements

Low Bids Create Budget-friendly Opportunities, but for How Long?

WNEC saw its Center of the Sciences and Pharmacy go up at a budget-friendly time for those who want to build.

It’s been the bane of builders for a long time now: with demand for commercial construction down and competition fierce, they’ve been forced to bid very low to have any chance at winning jobs. That has trimmed profit margins to a bare minimum, eased only by material and labor costs that have remained suppressed as well.
All that has created a landscape of opportunity for businesses willing to take the plunge and build during a time of economic stagnancy.
“It’s still an exceptionally good time to build, and it probably has been for a year, year and a half,” said David Fontaine, president of Fontaine Brothers in Springfield. “And that trend is continuing.”
Higher education is one industry that has embraced the advantages of building when prices are low, said Fontaine, whose firm counts colleges and universities among its niches. He recently finished a new math and science building at the Berkshire School in Sheffield; “the price on that was 25% below the budget just a few years ago.
“The private colleges seem to have picked up on this,” he continued. “Last year we just finished the pharmacy school at WNEC, which benefited immensely from that market, and a dormitory at the College of the Holy Cross; they put that out to bid a year ago and benefited tremendously.”
Fontaine said some boards of trustees are looking anxiously at their own squeezed budgets, yet rationalizing that saving 25% or more on needed capital projects is a smart move in the long term. And that’s true across all regions of the state.
“We’ve competed for six or seven decent-sized schools in Eastern Mass. in the past year, and they have all come in 15%, maybe 20% below projections,” he said.
The state has been another beneficiary, seeing its federal stimulus dollars stretch further than officials had anticipated. Early last year, according to a Boston Globe report, the winning bids on 48 transportation projects had collectively come in $59 million below the $226 million that state originally estimated the work would cost. The average was 22% below contract estimates.
“It is a good time to build, no matter what sector you’re in,” said Peter Wood, director of sales and marketing at Associated Builders in South Hadley. Contractors only hope more companies realize it, creating a larger pool of projects and gradually raising bids, before a rising tide of material costs makes their outlook even more dire.

Steeling for Change
Indeed, many materials costs are beginning to rise — a good sign for the industry in the long term, but one that could pinch already-stressed builders right now, as bid prices remain flat for the time being (see related story, page 26).
Specifically, November saw significant jumps in prices for diesel fuel and copper — two key resources in construction — while weak demand for construction forced them to hold down bid prices despite the cost increases, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.
These price jumps “could be the last straw for some hard-pressed contractors,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist, in his monthly report. “With unemployment in construction running at 18.8% — double the all-industry average — any more business failures will only add to the industry’s misery.”
Then in December, prices for materials used in construction jumped 0.9% (and 5.4% for all of 2010), while price indexes for finished buildings remained flat over both time periods. Construction costs also outstripped the producer price index for finished goods, which rose 0.6% in December and 4% in 2010.
Simonson noted that prices soared at double-digit rates over the year for four key construction materials. Diesel fuel prices climbed 2.3% in December and 28% in 2010; steel-mill product prices rose 0.5% and 12.5%, respectively; copper and brass mill shape prices were up 1.3% and 12%; and prices for aluminum mill shapes rose 12% over the year, despite a 0.2% dip in December.
“Structural steel is a big-time barometer of what’s going on, and it has started to creep up in the last month,” Fontaine said. “It’s an indicator that manufacturers and suppliers can only provide a product for so long at costs that don’t make any sense. It’s changing direction, and it has to; we’ve had two years of people just giving things away. And when steel starts to climb, a lot of things follow it.”
For contractors, there is worse news to come, said Simonson, noting that, since the latest data was compiled, suppliers have announced further price increases for copper, steel, and diesel fuel. “With contractors unable to pass along the increases in the price of finished buildings, many firms could be pushed out of business,” he said.
Even as material prices rise, weak demand for construction, combined with intense competition for work, is forcing contractors to hold the line on bid prices, Simonson observed. The producer price index for new office construction actually dropped 0.8% for the year. The index for new industrial buildings was up 0.4% in 2010; for new warehouses, it rose 0.4%; and for new schools, it was up 1.3% for the year.
Other items that contributed to the December climb in material costs included lumber and plywood, architectural coatings, paint, brick and structural clay tile, and gypsum products. Prices have remained fairly stable nationally for asphalt paving mixtures and blocks, concrete products, and insulation materials, according to the association.
“Contractors have been unable to recoup these costs in what they charge,” Simonson added. “Indexes for new office, school, warehouse, and industrial buildings were virtually unchanged … over 12 months. Prices charged by concrete, roofing, electrical, and plumbing contractors showed very small movements in either direction.”
Contractors are likely to be squeezed by rising material costs and flat prices for completed projects for the foreseeable future, Simonson predicted. He forecasted that contractors would experience periods of simultaneous price spikes in multiple materials in 2011 as the U.S. and foreign economies pick up speed.
“Unfortunately,” Simonson said, “demand for construction will be erratic for months to come, worsening the price pinch that has already devastated too many firms and their workers.”

Doing What’s Necessary
In the meantime, builders and subcontractors alike continue to bear the squeeze in order to keep working, and low winning bids remain the order of the day, continuing a period of opportunities for businesses willing to invest in additions and renovations.
“The subcontractors seem to be extremely hungry, as far as doing what’s necessary to keep surviving in this market,” Wood said. “Many are more than willing to travel outside their comfort zone — from Eastern Mass., Connecticut, and the Albany area, they’re coming to the Valley.
“Contractors in the private sector have the ability to pick and choose their subcontractors, but you still want to pick the most reliable as well as the most cost-effective ones,” he continued. “We do our best to see the local subcontractors working instead of just taking the lowest bid — and the locals are giving us competitive bids, so they’re not getting shut out of the marketplace.”
Yet, with costs on the rise, the squeeze continues. The question is, when will more companies take advantage?

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Doing Business in: Palmer

By BusinessWest Staff February 1, 2011

Features

This Quaboag Town Ponders Its High-stakes Future

Through hard work and tenacity, John Morrison has occupancy at the Palmer Technology Center at around 90%.

Susan Rutherford said that, when it comes to fostering new business ventures in Palmer, her office isn’t just rolling the dice.
The executive director for the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corp., she told BusinessWest how her office has been helping to nurture an entrepreneurial business climate for the region. And in many ways, what she has found in the 15 years of seeing business in Palmer grow is that this recession hit hard, but there are some success stories.
“Obviously the past few years have been as stressful here as elsewhere,” she said. “But then there are some sectors that are doing okay, and some that are actually doing quite well.”
The town might be making the most headlines these days for that contentious piece of property eyed as a potential home for a resort casino to be developed by Mohegan Sun. But while the fate of gambling is still undecided on Beacon Hill, Palmer is steadily gaining ground for business initiatives to capitalize on the assets that are already in place.

Where some see Palmer as off the beaten track, Lucy Carlson saw it as a place with untapped potential.

Five years after starting her advertising and marketing business just outside of the downtown area of Depot Village, Lucy Carlson said that Palmer presents a unique opportunity due to the very reason some cite as a business obstacle. Others might say that the town’s geographic location outside of the Route 91 corridor places Palmer off the beaten track, but she says otherwise.
“I saw that the Quaboag area in general was untouched and untapped,” she explained. “There are a lot of ad agencies in Greater Springfield, and then in Northampton. But this area didn’t seem to have that. There’s a lot of potential here, and especially Palmer as the largest town in this area.”
Up the street at the headquarters of the Quaboag Valley Chamber of Commerce, president Len Weake also said that the business climate mirrors that of most everywhere else in Western Mass., and Palmer has been affected by a recession that has cut through to commercial lending.
“In the past, when people were laid off, it pushed them into new ventures,” he said. “This time, we’re not seeing that — those people with entrepreneurial drive are having trouble getting the capital to start up.”
But, not wanting to focus on the negative aspects of the current economy, he quickly pointed out that thanks to the QVCDC, it’s not all doom and gloom within his region. And he pointed out the strong mill origins of the town as a link to Palmer’s full potential. The Garabedian family, owners of Thorndike Mills braided rugs, has been in business since 1925, and Weake cited them as an example of industry that continues to this day.
However, he also told BusinessWest of two properties that had seen the rug pulled from under them when the original owners of their buildings left the area. The Mapletree Industrial Plaza, just outside of downtown, and the Palmer Technology Center (formerly Tambrands), in Three Rivers, are prime examples of adaptive reuse, with both complexes boasting nearly-full occupancy.
“They aren’t retail locations,” he said to describe both properties, “but they have a strong commercial presence here in town.”
In this latest installment of ‘Doing Business In,’ BusinessWest talks to the principals at those industrial properties and finds out how they, and others, took a gamble on Palmer — and why it was a bet that paid off.

Home-field Advantage
Carlson said the business population in the Quaboag Valley is filled with, in her words, “hidden jewels.” As a full-service marketing and advertising agency, she said her office is primed to cater to those businesses, and that is what drew her to open shop in her location on South Main Street.
She acknowledged that one problem facing Palmer, in contrast to some of the other surrounding towns, citing Monson and Belchertown as two examples, is a lack of younger generations moving in — to work or live.
But residents have a strong sense of support for the hometown mom-and-pop shops, she went on to say. And with Palmer at the center of so many different, smaller communities, a good opportunity presents itself for anyone to hang out a shingle for new ventures. “There are so many opportunities for so many types of enterprises,” she explained, “and because we are just far enough from Springfield or Northampton, the local residents would be happy to support that business.”
Located in Ware, but serving Palmer and the other towns of the Quaboag Valley, the QVCDC is the place for local entrepreneurs to start when considering a new business. Stating the goals of her operation simply, Rutherford said, “we work with small businesses, including making loans to those who can’t get them from banks, and providing training, education, and consulting to businesses.”
The QVCDC’s stated mission is to “improve the quality of life in the Quaboag Valley by addressing the economic, environmental, and social needs of its residents while maintaining the integrity and character of each community in the region.”
When speaking of the new ventures that have come through her office in the 15 years of its existence, Rutherford said that this recession has proven more challenging for individuals than any downturn in the past.
“But a lot of it goes back to the ingenuity of the owners, and their adaptability, and ability to go with the flow,” she said. “And a lot has to do with good, tight management. The businesses that are having the most troubles are the ones that were lucky before — they were doing the right thing at the right time. The ones that are doing the best now are good planners, good users of resources.”
Citing some manufacturing concerns in town, she said success stories do exist. “There are imaginative people out there,” she added, “and they are developing interesting businesses. I’d say that it is individuals, more than an entire industry, who show the success of this region.”

Mill Power
An example of that definition of success, John Morrison and his industrial complex known as the Palmer Technology Center, could be exhibit A.
He is the owner of the buildings formerly housing Otis Mills, then Tambrands, maker of Tampax products, and even though he laughed when he said that, in some form or other, “these buildings have always made me money,” there was absolute truth in his statement.
His parents both worked at the plant when it was Tambrands, and as a youth, he had a job there also. He augmented his ‘day job’ with a plowing contract for the premises, and then a scrap-metal contract, and when the building was sold to Procter & Gamble in the 1980s, the new owners liquidated the offices and manufacturing facilities, but kept him on as ’round-the-clock security.
A brokerage firm was engaged to lease the facility, unsuccessfully, and as the site coordinator, Morrison became acquainted with some of the potential players. Eventually partnering with one of those individuals, Sid Kovitch from Boston (and, later, that man’s family after he passed away), Morrison took a gamble and purchased the four-building complex.
Originally there were no tenants on the property, but through hard work and determination, Morrison said that he has secured leases from 27 businesses. Presently, he puts the occupancy at just over 90%. And while he has been an unflagging point person for the property’s management, he credits the former owners for making this a top-notch, marketable facility.
P&G invested $20 million in the buildings in the late ’80s, which means that new tenants have the benefit of weather-tight construction, a T1 connection, and full fiber optics. Mustang Motorcycle Seats uses the original fabrication building, and today is Morrison’s largest tenant. But he also cites small operations, from musical-instrument teachers needing space, to Wing Memorial Hospital’s billing and visiting-nurse departments, who together occupy a full, 18,000-square-foot floor.
And his tenants can grow without leaving the property, he said. “We’ve had a lot of people who started out small, like Halpern Titanium. He came here with a table saw and a couple tools, and now has about 20 big machines. He started out cutting pieces of titanium and selling them, and he’s a full-blown machine shop now.”
But Morrison knows that if he doesn’t have the space for a prospective tenant, he can always refer them to another complex, Mapletree Industrial Park, for example, “so that the business and the jobs still stay here in Palmer.”
John Rottman is the senior property manager at Mapletree, and he shared the sentiment that keeping jobs in Palmer is important, especially when thinking of all the employment that was lost when the Colorado Fuel and Iron Steel Mill wire factory, whose mill his firm now owns, closed shop back in 1971.
“In its heyday, there were three shifts here running around the clock, with more than 1,000 workers; some old-timers here in town say that wire here went into the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge,” he said. “When the plant closed, there were still 700 people working here. It was quite a shock to the town.”
The current owners, Presidential Realty Corp., from White Plains, N.Y., bought the property in 1973. Rottman said there were a handful of small tenants for the next decade. He worked in the management office there for six months, in 1986, and at that time a concerted effort was made to lease out the rest of the property.
“We really pushed to make it a multi-tenant facility; we have 83 tenants, presently,” he said, adding that they come in a range of sizes. “Our biggest user is New England Wood Pallet, with more than 30,000 feet. But they are winding down now, due to transportation costs, and by summer, we’ll need to find another tenant for that spot.”
While that will mean another push to find tenants, Rottman said that, because his buildings have rail access, there is a whole subsidiary of rail marketing that exists to find properties like his. In his time, he has seen adaptively reused properties like Mapletree shift from light manufacturing to high-tech to, in some cases, warehouse space for other businesses off-site.
“But I hope that’s cyclical,” he said of warehousing. “I hope we get to the point where entrepreneurs can do some startups again, do some manufacturing and distribution. But it’s hard to find capital today to make that leap, and to take that chance.
“The last two years have been challenging,” he continued, “but we continue to rent space. It’s still chugging along. There are people with good ideas out there, though; hopefully, as soon as there’s money available, they will be able to make their business work.”
And that’s a sentiment that is echoed and supported across the town line at the QVCDC. Rutherford said that the challenge is not necessarily the funding, because that is what her office works to achieve, but to continue finding the right people to turn ideas into thriving businesses.
“That’s the goal,” she said, “to find those people who have a good work ethic who also have good entrepreneurial ability.”
And, rather than a bet with long odds, so far that has proven to be a sure thing.

Tools of the Trade

By BusinessWest Staff February 1, 2011

Sections Supplements

Builders Hone Strategic Initiatives for Weathering the Downturn

Kevin Perrier says builders are being forced to bid at distressingly low figures if they want to keep working.

The local construction sector realistically plans for a sluggish 2011 on the heels of one of the worst years in decades. While strategies have been in place to get their businesses through this economy, many wonder how many more knocks this already-troubled industry can take. Careful oversight and rigorous planning may be a new set of tools for builders in Western Mass. and across the nation, but the recession that has brought this industry to historic lows is a redefining moment for local contractors.

When asked to describe the current state of the construction sector, Five Star Construction owner Kevin Perrier said simply, “it stinks.”
Although he went on to assess the industry in more specific terms, Perrier’s two-word assessment of this state of affairs is something everyone agrees upon. The recession has taken its toll on many industries, but with so much of the construction sector dependent on better economic footings, 2010 wasn’t a year for a solid rebound. And while Wall Street and Main Street both are feeling some measure of progressive economic activity, that doesn’t yet translate to a rosy outlook for builders in 2011.
The latest reports from industry analysts at Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) don’t offer much in the way of better news than what contractors can see for themselves — that private construction slipped even further in the last months of 2010. The ABC’s chief economist, Anirban Basu, put a finer point on the bad news by compiling a list of no less than 10 “headwinds” he predicts will further impact the sector’s economy for the current year, including industry unemployment, increased commodities pricing, and the end of stimulus funds conspiring to bring about what he ominously called “phase two of the economic downturn.”
But while the outlook isn’t good, the builders who spoke to BusinessWest offered some hope that the techniques that have kept hammers ringing, even if the phones aren’t, will continue to be sound strategies to keep their businesses above water in 2011.
MaryBeth Bergeron, owner of Charista Construction in East Longmeadow, said that, having weathered other recessions, she has a good grip on imminent changes in the industry. “When this recession started, you intuitively knew business was slowing down and softening,” she said. “I’ve been in business 25 years, and after that much time, you recognize it.”
For some, 2010 meant a continuation of the operating strategy that they had begun using in 2009 — tightening the labor rolls to get lean and mean, and trimming as much as they could from the margins to be competitive while still keeping their trucks on site.

David Dietz says the current struggles of builders, and how they respond to them, are potentially career-defining experiences.

But many spoke of the necessity to move even further beyond those tactics. David Dietz, a principal with Dietz Construction in Easthampton, said that what his 50-year-old business is doing now not only keeps the business on solid footing through the recession, but has the potential to put the company in better shape on the other side of this economy.
“I remember my dad talking about recessions, and those experiences that defined him both as a businessperson and how he would work,” he said. “I think this is going to define our generation for quite a long time.”
The construction sector faces challenges that for many are unrivaled in their history. But, while their industry’s drums beat a tune of gloom, area builders say that, with some hard work, and no small amount of hope for better times ahead, construction can make it to the other side of the recession with a new set of tools.

Hammer Time
At Triple S Construction in Wilbra-ham, Tom Silva — one of those three S’s with his brother and father — said that his company opened shop in the midst of a recession in 1987. “We were just coming of age then,” he said. “It didn’t hit us as hard as this one.”
A residential remodeling and construction firm, Silva said that this facet of the industry has not recovered from the burst bubble of the recent past.
“Last year started out better than it ended,” he said. “I think homeowners were feeling a little bit better about the economy. But then things didn’t get better, in many people’s eyes. In November and December the phone stopped ringing. Right about now people are usually calling to get ready for springtime, to get estimates. But we’re not seeing that. I was at a homebuilders’ meeting last night, and I heard the same things.”
For third-generation Springfield builder John Vadnais, owner of the construction company that bears his name, the residential construction sector has basically turned away altogether from new building toward remodeling, making that already-competitive sector even tighter. He pronounced this era “a distressed state of affairs in an inflationary environment.”
Kitchen and bath rebuilds are the new norm, he added, as customers look for the most impact on the shortest price tag. People are still spending money, he said, “But there is a micromanagement to see the project thoroughly.
“This is one of the deepest recessions I’ve seen, or that I can remember as a kid,” he continued. “Today, it is so deep that people are having a hard time getting out of the negativity.”
Perrier echoed that sentiment, and added that, in order for him to stay competitive last year, margins became increasingly tighter.
“In 2010 it became apparent quickly that, if you wanted to be a player in getting projects, and to get a decent workload, you were going to be bidding at a much lower percentage,” he said.
The danger there, he continued, isn’t just in that one job, for that one builder. He called it the “snowball effect.”
“Because if you’re not low on the first job, the next time, you’re going to go a little lower, and then the person behind you goes a little lower,” he explained. “That trend continues, and by the end of last year you were seeing that in order to pick up jobs, your bid was incredibly competitive.
“It’s going to take a while to get away from that, also,” he added. “You’re not going to see people putting healthy margins on their bids for a while now. It slowly has to creep back up.”
Perrier said that his firm kept enough projects on the books to make sure that his employees were busy, and that trend will continue into this year. “Yes, it is good news that we have a good book of work,” he said, “but unfortunately we’re having to meet our budget by volume. And that’s tough on everyone. The staff is working twice as hard.”
Steve Killian, executive vice president for the Springfield branch office of construction management firm Barr & Barr, said 2010 was “not a pretty year.”
The firm handles multi-million-dollar construction for higher education, health care, and other industries with the pockets to finance $30 million projects. But budget shortfalls and low returns on stock portfolios caused many of those clients to back off or postpone significant capital improvements.
However, he tempered those dim reflections with a more positive outlook. “I believe that some of these capital projects are going to have to be built — either for life-cycle concerns of buildings, or for institutions to stay competitive,” he said. “They just have to pull the trigger.”
With pre-construction times in his echelon of the industry taking anywhere from three months to upwards of a year, he hopes that an uptick in business in the third quarter of 2010 bodes well for large projects in the months to come.
But even with the forecast of high-value and overdue projects, the construction sector faces some challenges from increased materials costs (see related story, page 30). And when construction management projects need to be estimated over a period of several months of volatile pricing, that can get tricky.
“Copper costs are rising,” said Killian, “and that will affect prices in the near future. Anything starting in the next three to six months will reflect the rise in that price.” With copper for electrical and plumbing needs — two services typically responsible for 30% to 40% of a project’s cost — that will significantly impact the price of building.
Labor rates have been flat for the construction sector, he said, adding, “normally, labor is the greater portion of costs, so it is a bit of an equalizer, but in this industry, people need to be able to hold their pricing for more than one year because of your bid. When you’ve tied into a project 18 to 24 months down the road, you pray that your suppliers hold to their numbers for that duration.”
In order to get this industry moving again, he said, a holistic approach to the economy is necessary and vital to plan on better times for construction. “The housing crisis still hurts us, significantly,” he said.
“There has to be more confidence there,” he continued. “And we need to see increased commercial lending for developers. Investors are looking far more critically at all projects to see if there will be a profit. And that’s something that has held them back. They’ve said they are hanging back, waiting for the promise of a good return. Private investment, people with that volume of money to lend, they just aren’t pulling the trigger.”

Planning Department
Killian said that there are no secret techniques, really, in how a firm like Barr & Barr gets through an economy like this. “A lot of it is keeping your overhead costs low,” he explained, “and watching the bottom line. The margins are tighter, so there’s no excess anywhere — from the office to the field.”
For some, though, the recession has led to internal reassessment of their core strengths. Bergeron said that, when she saw the economy taking a turn for the worst, she asked herself, “where do I want my company to be during those times?
“With some work,” she continued, “I knew we could position ourselves to be where business is best. And so, over the last couple of years, what we have been doing is government-funded work, meaning housing-allowance programs — like Springfield neighborhood housing services, West Springfield community development, and a number of other nonprofit developers of real estate.
“Sure, just as before, we hustle, and we really go after the work,” she continued. “We try to be where the business is. If you don’t have your eyes open as a business owner, you’re not prepared.”
There is a strong market for a builder to take advantage of the changing demographics of building projects, she added, saying, “I do think there is a lot of opportunity right now with Baby Boomers retiring. ADA compliance, ramps, grab bars, all of those things are important.”
Dietz sees this recession redefining his operation through a series of techniques to trim excess off his costs, but also as a means to streamline his operation for the future. He said that Dietz Construction owns its own gravel pit, a number of specialized pieces of machinery, and various other core investments, all to keep his bid low in a highly competitive marketplace.
“For companies that don’t have as big a foundation as we do,” he said, “I don’t see how they can be competitive.”
But rather than continued investment in the latest big-ticket construction equipment, Dietz said, “We have learned to subcontract things more cost-effectively than it might be to do it ourselves. For instance, maybe getting someone who specializes in setting curbs, getting them for the handful of days that we would need them, and not worry about a workforce trained for it. There are times when it is more beneficial to outsource.”
Such tactics not only help him get through the current economy, but are a way to increase profitability in the future.
For Perrier, that future he sees is now. He said he’s confident in his crew to have projects for the year ahead, but he isn’t one to sit back idly. “We made some changes in being more aggressive in finding work.
“Where a lot people are laying off, we hired a director of project management,” he said. “His sole job is to go out and network, market our company, and meet with architects to get our name out there. So far, that’s been working out very well.
“We took a gamble and tried to take advantage of the downturn,” he continued. “It’s a roll of the dice, but while everyone is quieting down, we said ‘let’s get out there, tell people who we are and what we can do.’”
In an unforgiving economy, and for an industry, he said, where one is always just a job away from being out of work, it’s more important than ever for builders to have the right tools for the job.

Environmentally Conscious — by Design

By BusinessWest Staff February 1, 2011

From left, Richard Klein, Peter Wells, and Mark Darnold

Sections Supplements

BDG Continues to Grow in a Competitive Landscape

From left, Richard Klein, Peter Wells, and Mark Darnold say doing a feasibility study of a tract of land before a project begins is cost-effective, as it gives developers valuable information about potential problems.

Northampton-based Berkshire Design Group has made its reputation — and grown its portfolio — helping clients navigate the many challenges involved with a building project, from permitting to making the best use of a parcel of land. Said one of its principals, “if a building looks good and is in character with its surroundings, instead of looking like it was forced on the land, it is usually more profitable.”

Many developers have a vision of what they want to build on a piece of property. But bringing that dream to reality, be it residential housing, a school, a park, retail space, or a bank, is a complex undertaking.
It all begins with the land and what it can accommodate. And that’s one of the reasons Berkshire Design Group, or BDG, as it’s known, stands out in a field of competitors. The group, which has an impressive and diverse portfolio of award-winning projects, was founded by landscape architects Peter Wells and Richard Klein. They have done many feasibility studies to insure that tracts are suitable for proposed projects.
It’s a step that some developers skip, which can prove costly in the end.
“We analyze sites to make sure they can accommodate what the developer wants to do on them, and isn’t always possible,” Wells said.
He explained that, if a bank is proposed for a site, the property should be evaluated for zoning and traffic requirements. If the client wants a drive-through, it triggers additional concerns, including where it will exit to the street. There are also requirements that must be met to accommodate the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition, wetlands and rare species as well as topographical constraints play a role in determining the cost and feasibility of a project.
“Our training is in landscape architecture, and we strive to protect the land while still allowing development to continue,” said Wells. “We work with the topography, not against it. For example, if a site has varied topography, the road that runs along it will be built to blend in with the landscape.”
The firm’s portfolio is filled with a number of diverse projects. “One of the things that makes us different is that we don’t specialize in any one type of development. We have done everything you can imagine, from master planning for schools and campuses to state parks, shopping centers, malls, and all types of housing developments,” said Klein. “It is unusual for a firm to have experience with so many different types of projects.”
Another benefit, which has helped make BDG the largest and most well-known firm of its type in Western Mass., is that it offers one-stop shopping. Its services include landscape architecture, civil engineering, surveying, zoning and permitting, bidding, and overseeing construction. One of the partners handles every project from start to finish.
The firm opened 27 years ago with Wells and Klein, but since then Mark Darnold and Mark Lindhult have joined them, adding to their ability to oversee large projects. And although the principals could have grown the venture by taking on more project managers, thus relinquishing direct control of some projects, Wells and Klein decided to maintain a hands-on approach and have kept that promise.
“It means that our clients get someone with more than 30 years of experience who is a professional and can see things that a younger staff person may not see,” Klein said.

Ground Level
BDG has been feted with a continual stream of awards over the years, including several for the Rocky Hill Cohousing project in Northampton.
“This was a very sustainable and green project with regards to the site development and stormwater management,” said Wells. “Plus, we created a tremendous amount of open space.”
The company’s most recent award came from AIA New York for two dormitories at Amherst College. “The buildings were done using sustainable practices with an eye toward the traditional classic architecture that is the hallmark of Amherst College,” said Klein. “The design was aesthetically pleasing and functionally exceptional in every facet of the building; we have always strived to be as green as possible even when green wasn’t in fashion.”
The firm cares deeply about its clients’ success, he continued, because the principals believe it reflects back on them. And that has a lot to do with how each building, as well as the overall property, looks when it is finished.
“We want to build projects that people like, will use, and that meet the goals for sustainability,” Klein said, adding that the company has completed many LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects. At present, BDG is engaged in a Living Building Challenge as it plans for the construction of an environment classroom at Smith College.
The concept of Living Building Challenges is based on making decisions by addressing environmental, social, and economic problems that can arise, such as habitat loss and the lack of community distinctiveness.
Wells said the principals’ concern for the land goes back to their identity.
“We use sustainable principles in all of our projects,” he explained. “We have evolved over the years, as we started out as landscape architects and added other disciplines. We look at land differently than other professionals, which allows us to guide our clients more holistically and efficiently; if a building looks good and is in character with its surroundings instead of looking like it was forced on the land, it is usually more profitable.”
Decades of experience gives BDG a decided advantage over its competitors. “We can look at and envision opportunities and constraints on a piece of property as well as the permitting hurdles,” Klein explained. “There may be traffic issues, poor soil, or a site may be too steep for various types of development.”
BDG recently conducted a study on a tract of land for a proposed school. “We found it had topographical constraints. It sloped too much to develop any playing fields. If they had used it for that purpose, their budget would have had to increase, and it could have become quite costly,” Klein said, as he sat in the company’s Northampton office in a room covered with mockup boards in all stages of completion. “Because of our depth of knowledge, we are able to inform clients quickly about additional costs during construction.”
Klein said the company’s A-to-Z approach is one of the keys to its success.
“We are able to take a blank piece of land and do a feasibility study on it to see what it can carry in terms of capacity,” he explained. “After that is determined, we do a preliminary design and get all of the permitting approved, then do the construction documents. We bid the project for developers, and we oversee the construction.” BDG can also illustrate a design proposal before ground is broken by employing computer-generated models and animation.

Step by Step
The permitting process is typically complex and takes many months to complete. “We know the regulations. We also have good working relationships with many board members in the surrounding cities and towns in the Commonwealth,” Wells said.
Right now, the company is in the process of developing several of the largest projects in Western Mass., including the $42 million master plan for Three County Fairgrounds in Northampton and the Colvest Group’s $25 million Chicopee Crossing, which is under construction and will include a hotel, retail shops, and restaurants.
Other projects include the new Easthampton High School and two housing developments in that community — an apartment complex with 50 units in an old mill building on Cottage Street, and Parsons Village, a 38-unit affordable-housing development on four and a half acres. Construction on the village is expected to begin in 2012.
BDG also conducted all of the site work and design for the housing at the former Northampton State Hospital, which includes townhouses, single-family, and multi-family rental units. In addition, BDG is on the team working to redevelop the Indian Motorcyle Apartments at Mason Square in Springfield.
“And we are in the permitting process for Northampton’s newest park, which will be built on 30 acres in Florence,” said Wells. Recent work also includes completion of the new $40 million pharmacy building at Western New England College.
Their company’s client list contains a substantial number of repeat customers who like the fact that they don’t have to hire a number of consultants to get the job done.
“Our process is cost-effective and streamlined so there is less chance of scheduling conflicts or mistakes,” Wells explained. “For instance, a developer could go to four firms who would have to coordinate to complete a project. But we can do it all under one roof. And because we are in Western Mass., our focus is here in the Pioneer Valley.
“We know the area, know the local contractors, and know the local bidding processes, as we do a lot of it and have strong relationships with general contractors,” he continued, adding that he and Klein visit their sites often, which insures that things move along smoothly.
Their expertise and reputation has allowed them to develop a broad customer base which reaches to distant shores, including Taiwan, Puerto Rico, New York, Los Angeles, and Atlantic City.
But their real focus is the Pioneer Valley, where they approach projects in a way that shows respect for the environment. And that respect for the land bodes well for the future — both for BDG and for its clients.

Building Permits

By BusinessWest Staff January 18, 2011

Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of January 2011.

AGAWAM

Coyote Realty
1340 Springfield St.
$425,000 — Construction of a new Wendy’s restaurant

Genesis Healthcare
55 Cooper St.
$290,000 — Upgrade of nurse’s station, patient, and dayrooms

Olympic Manufacturing Group
95 Bowles Road
$3,000 — Construct external deck

CHICOPEE

Salesmaster Associates Inc.
140 Padgette St.
$44,000 — Install 86.2 KW photovoltaic array

EAST LONGMEADOW

EL Village
34 Center Square
$25,000 — Tenant fit out

Roman Catholic Bishop
110 Maple St.
$15,000 — Replacement windows

HOLYOKE

Holyoke Gas & Electric
100 Gatehouse Road
$62,000 — Remove and replace roof

LONGMEADOW

American Legion
417 Longmeadow St.
$8,900 — Re-roof

Bay Path College
21 Hopkins Place
$18,500 — Construct wheelchair ramp

GPT Longmeadow
686 Bliss Road
$32,000 — New office space

Wolf Swamp Middle School
62 Wolf Swamp Road
$25,000 — Convert classrooms to offices

LUDLOW

Health South
14 Chestnut Place
$45,000 — New fire sprinkler system

John Goncalves & Sons
172 Munsing St.
$29,000 — New roof

SOUTH HADLEY

Coderre Development
192 Lathrop St.
$10,000 — Basement construction and finishes

E-Ink
7 Gaylord St.
$966,000 — Renovations

Mt. Holyoke College
50 College St.
$19,000 — Alterations

SPRINGFIELD

City of Springfield
474 Armory St.
$361,000 — Library renovations at Montessori school

WESTFIELD

Allen Street Realty
80 Main Line Dr.
$41,000 — Install new bathroom

Westfield Masonic Associates
72 Broad St.
$10,000 — Replace roof over front portico

Westfield Coatings Corp.
221 Union St.
$26,000 — Alterations

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Ashley Associates, LLC
95 Ashley St.
$25,000 — Fit out 2,684 square feet of office space

Salamon Realty Inc.
103 Myron St.
$40,000 — Remodel existing space to accommodate clinic

White Hut Inc.
280 Memorial Ave.
$5,000 — Interior renovations

Doing Business as Certificates

By BusinessWest Staff January 18, 2011

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of January 2011.

AGAWAM

AM Gutter Guys
23 Marlene Dr.
Andrey Mozolevskiy

Brother’s Painting
47 James Ave.
Erol Kumas

Hope Community Church AG
152 South Westfield St.
Eric Welch

Photographic Journals
360 North Westfield St.
Sean Fitzgerald

Thousand Cranes Studio
505 Springfield St.
Stanislas Coly

Uberfast Ski Service
73 Poplar St.
Michael Dechristopher

CHICOPEE

A+ Roofing & Home Improvement
26 Harding St.
Nathan Warren

Chicopee Street Auto Sales
363 Chicopee St.
Wayne L. Pare Sr.

Contemporary Conservatory Company
165 Front St.
Robert Langston

D.G.S. Auto Technologies
552 Chicopee St.
David Stearns

Euro Glass & Frame Automotive
164 Chicopee St.
Kenelma Rivera

Mike’s Clock Shop
118 Ann St.
Michael W. Harry

MOX
40 Haynes Cir.
Main Oxy/Chicopee LLC

GREENFIELD

S6 Glassworks
34 Pierce St.
Susan Griswold

Charmed Nails
41 Bank Row
Carrie Kuzmeskus

HOLYOKE

Autumn’s Bookkeeping
90 County Road
Lynn Schroder

Budget Inn
579 Northampton St.
Mita Patez

Elle Jewelry
50 Holyoke St.
Nolmar Hannoush

F & M Motor Sales
414 South St.
Michael Gruszka

Jadhai
254 Maple St.
Oneida G. Rivera

JGL Truck Sales
27 Jackson St.
Javier Gonzalez

JP’s Restaurant
200 Whiting Farms Road
Frances Lavelle

Mainstreet Shell Chow Hands
636 Main St.
Taha Kidwai

Majeya’s Avon
254 Maple St.
Ana D. Torres

Maria Gift Shop
252 Maple St.
Maria M. Rondon

Salazar Jewelry & Accessories
254 Maple St.
Pedro Salazar

Sam’s Quality Motors
170 Main St.
Samuel Rosa

PALMER

JP’s Auto Service
346 Wilbraham St.
Jean P. Carbonneau

Vic’s Organ Service
295 Burlingame St.
Victor Granger

SPRINGFIELD

American Red Cross
506 Cottage St.
Richard A. Lee

Arctic Rental and Leasing
1601 Page Blvd.
Carl A. Jasmin

Art’s Gardens
27 Savoy Ave.
Arthur Martin

BNI Business Endeavors
191 Chesnut St.
Alice Kempf

Colon’s Touch of Elegance
154 ½ Main St.
Lisandra Colon

Experience Wellness Center
80 Congress St.
Omar Faruk

Falls Fruit
1003 St. James Ave.
Masudur Rahman

Four Seasons Cyber LLC
296 Cooley St.
Jennifer D. Burritt

Garcia’s Painting
878 Liberty St.
Luis A. Garcia

Great Walls
1004 Berkshire Ave.
Jason A. Lemire

Happy and Sweet LLC
807 Worthington St.
Caterina Cardenuto

Housing Alternatives
175 State St.
Donna L. Beaumier

Laugh For No Reason
1127 Worthington St.
Trevor H. Smith

Nusean’s Old Fashion Cleaning
17 Woodside Terrace
Nusean Denise

P. J. R. Enterprise Inc.
1 Federal St.
Pablo J. Rios

Pearson Professional Center
1 Monarch Place
Debra Risch

WESTFIELD

Adnet
60 Arnold St.
Brian R. Hoose

Brills Auto Sales
388 Southampton Road
David Albert

Litl’Ant Productions
285 Birch Bluff Dr.
Michael A. Wertelet

NEVSKIY Construction
81 South Maple St.
Sergey Shcherbakov

Patmos Construction
216 Shaker Road
Stanislav I. Petrik

WEST SPRINGFIELD

AT&T Mobility
1018 Riverdale St.
New Cingular Wireless

Cool Runnings LLC Training Salon & Spa
311 Elm St.
Michael G. Price

Dirk Kidwell Electrician
100 Front St.
Dirk Kidwell

Exclusive Painting
79 Pierce St.
Ryan T. Roberts

Lucky Sevens Carpet
1752 Riverdale St.
Gabriel Khatchadouran

Pat’s Auto Sales Inc.
179 Bosworth St.
Philip Catanzarite

Agenda

By BusinessWest Staff January 18, 2011

Agenda Departments

Smart Growth Zoning
Jan. 24: Proposed locations for Chapter 40R Smart Growth districts will be presented to Ludlow residents at 6 p.m. at Ludlow Town Hall. Chapter 40R Smart Growth zoning districts encourage a higher concentration of housing and mixed-use developments in areas with existing infrastructure to create a range of housing options and spur community revitalization. Communities that adopt Smart Growth zoning districts are eligible to receive special state funds. The presentation will be facilitated by the town’s Smart Growth Zoning Advisory Committee and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

Clio Awards
Jan. 26: The Ad Club of Western Mass. will showcase the 2010 television/cinema winners from the 2010 Clio Awards, one of the most recognized international advertising, design, and communication competitions, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Rivers Memorial, Western New England College, Springfield. Reservations must be made by Jan. 19 by calling (413) 736-2582. The cost is $25 for Ad Club members, $35 for non-members, and $15 for students. For more information, visit www.adclubwm.org.

Visionaries Forum
Jan. 28: The University of Hartford’s Construction Institute will host its second annual Visionaries Forum, part of the A/E/C Issues series, “A Visionary Approach to Design and Construction,” from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell in Cromwell, Conn. Program registration, continental breakfast, and networking will begin at 7:45 a.m. For more information or to register, visit www.construction.org.

Rick’s Place Benefit
Feb. 5: The third annual Heart to Heart fund-raiser for Rick’s Place is planned from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Ludlow Country Club. Established in memory of Rick Thorpe, who died in Tower Two of the World Trade Center on 9/11, Rick’s Place was created to provide a supportive, secure environment where families can remember their loved ones and avoid the sense of isolation that a loss can produce. For ticket information, call Shelly Bathe Lenn at (413) 348-3120 or visit www.ricksplacema.org.

Business Open House
Feb. 9: The Scibelli Enterprise Center at the STCC Technology Park in Springfield will host an open house titled “Growing Successful Small Businesses” from noon to 1 p.m. The event is offered to explain how the Enterprise Center is the regional hub for entrepreneurship for Western Mass. Small-business owners and service providers are encouraged to attend the open house. For more information, call (413) 755-6109 or visit
www.springfieldincubator.com.

National College Fair
March 6-7: The Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield is the setting for the Springfield National College Fair, slated from 1 to 4 p.m. on March 6 and from 9 a.m. to noon on March 7. Sponsored by the National Assoc. for College Admission Counseling and hosted by the New England Association for College Admission Counseling, the event is free and open to the public. The fair allows students and parents to meet one-on-one with admission representatives from a wide range of national and international, public and private, two-year and four-year colleges and universities. Participants will learn about admission requirements, financial aid, course offerings, and campus environment, as well as other information pertinent to the college-selection process. Students can register at www.gotomyncf.com prior to attending the event to receive a printed bar-coded confirmation to use on-site at the fair as an electronic ID.

Summer Business Summit
June 27-28: The Resort and Conference Center of Hyannis will be the setting for the Summer Business Summit, hosted by the Mass. Chamber of Business and Industry of Boston. Nominations are being accepted for the Massachusetts Chamber, Business of the Year, and Employer of Choice awards. The two-day conference will feature educational speakers, presentations by lawmakers, VIP receptions, and more. For more information, visit www.masscbi.com.

Briefcase

By BusinessWest Staff January 18, 2011

Briefcase Departments

Denver Stepping Down as Chamber President
SPRINGFIELD — After 14 years as president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, Russell F. Denver recently announced he is leaving that post in the coming weeks to pursue other professional opportunities. Denver, an attorney, noted that he feels now is the opportune time to step down and bring in someone else with a fresh perspective. Citing his accomplishments, Denver noted in particular the Urban Land Institute’s work that has been done in the city. Before leaving his post, Denver plans to complete work on zoning revisions for the city, as well as the new “Make It Happen” marketing campaign for Springfield. Jeffrey S. Ciuffreda, vice president of government affairs for the Affiliated Chambers, will serve as interim president. Currently, the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce have approximately 1,200 members and an annual budget of $300,000. The Affiliated Chambers include the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the West of the River Chamber of Commerce, the East of the River Chamber of Commerce, and the Professional Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

Springfield Leadership Institute Registration Underway
SPRINGFIELD — Registration is underway for this year’s Springfield Leadership Institute (SLI), which represents a 37-plus-year collaboration between the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield and the Western New England College School of Business. Institute alumni represent many accomplished and distinguished leaders in business, education, government, and nonprofit communities. The 2011 Springfield Leadership Institute, which begins on Feb. 17, will challenge participants to think in new ways and to analyze their own strengths and organizational challenges within a dynamic economy. SLI is taught by Western New England College faculty, who will introduce participants to emerging leadership theory and best practices. A segment on ‘Leadership Presence’ is being added this year along with the institute’s continued emphasis on problem-solving at the executive level. Case studies have also been updated for the 2011 program. The program meets every Thursday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in the TD Bank Conference Center, 1441 Main St. Participants in SLI learn how to be more effective leaders and how to have the power to make an important difference both in the workplace and in the community. Contact Lynn Johnson at (413) 755-1310 or at [email protected] for more information.

2011 Woman of the Year Nominations Sought
SPRINGFIELD — The Professional Women’s Chamber of Commerce, a division of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, is seeking nominations for the 2011 Woman of the Year Award. The award has been presented annually since 1954 to a woman in the Western Mass. area who exemplifies outstanding leadership, professional accomplishment, and service to the community. The nominee’s achievements can be representative of a lifetime’s work or for more recent successes. Any woman in the Pioneer Valley is eligible for nomination, and a chamber affiliation is not required. To obtain a nomination form, visit www.professionalwomenschamber.com or e-mail committee chair Michelle Cayo at [email protected]. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 11.

Call for ADDY Award Submissions
SPRINGFIELD — The Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts (ACWM) welcomes submissions for its 2011 ADDY Awards from individuals and organizations throughout Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. The annual competition recognizes creative excellence in all media, including print, broadcast, interactive, out-of-home, and public-service advertising. The ADDY Awards competition is a three-tier (local, regional, and national) competition conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation (AAF). ACWM is the only AAF-member club in the New England district. A panel of advertising experts will select winners in Springfield on Feb. 11. All entries must be registered online. For information on submission guidelines and a direct link to commence the submission process, visit www.submitandrepresent.com. The deadline for mail submission is Jan. 31. In-person submissions will be accepted on Feb. 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Berkshire Bank community room, 1259 East Columbus Ave., Springfield. For more information, call the Ad Club at (413) 736-2582.

Unemployment Hits 20.7% in Construction Sector
WASHINGTON — Despite a slight drop in the nation’s unemployment rate, the construction industry ended 2010 with a jobless rate of 20.7%, according to the Jan. 7 report by the U.S. Labor Department. The construction industry lost 16,000 jobs last month and 93,000 jobs, or 1.6%, compared to December 2009. While the unemployment rate was up from 18.8% last November, it is down from 22.7% in December 2009. The average annual unemployment rate for the construction industry in 2010 was 20.6%, compared to 19.0% in 2009 and 10.6% in 2008. The non-residential building construction sector lost 400 jobs in December, but was up by 5,700 jobs, or 0.8%, from the same time one year ago — the first year-over-year growth since August 2008. Employment in that sector was 688,300 in December on a seasonally adjusted basis. Employment in heavy and civil engineering construction decreased for the second straight month, down 12,700 in December. However, employment in that sector was up by 18,100 jobs, or 2.3%, from December 2009. Specialty trade contractors gained 3,300 jobs last month, but the segment is down 79,000 jobs, or 2.2%, from the same time last year. The residential-building construction sector shed 5,900 jobs for the month and 37,000, or 6.2%, for the year. The nation gained 103,000 jobs in all industries in December, with the bulk of job growth in leisure and hospitality, up 47,000 jobs; education and health services, up 44,000 jobs; and trade, transportation, and utilities, up 31,000 jobs. Year-over-year, the nation has gained 1,124,000 jobs, or 0.9%. The nation’s unemployment rate dropped to 9.4% in December from 9.8% the previous month. “The nation’s construction industry should be glad to see 2010 in the rearview mirror, as the sector ended the year on a dismal note,” said Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu in a prepared statement. “It is noteworthy that heavy and civil engineering has lost jobs for two consecutive months, which may be a reflection of the steadily slowing impact of federal stimulus spending. For much of the past year, that segment had been adding jobs. The expectation is that the nation will continue to add jobs. However, the construction sector is poised to underperform in the year ahead due to a number of factors, including dwindling direct impact from stimulus spending and the ongoing malaise in commercial real estate. With a national unemployment rate now at 9.4% — the lowest rate since May 2009 — this is an indication that the labor market is improving reasonably quickly. However, this does not seem to be the case with the construction industry, as today’s numbers may be a reflection of numerous factors in the economy, including still-subdued confidence among business owners and decision-makers.”

Uptick in Car Sales Sends Optimistic Sign
DETROIT — U.S. automakers will take a victory lap at the Detroit auto show this month after a measurable recovery from years of losses, a shrinking of market share to Asian rivals, and the bankruptcy troubles of Chrysler and General Motors (GM), according to Edmunds.com. GM posted a $2 billion third-quarter profit and then launched a public stock offering in November, while Chrysler increased its market share in 2010 and will introduce two new models this month at the auto show. Also, Ford was able to regain the number-two spot in the U.S. market from Toyota in 2010 when it saw its share grow for the second consecutive year. Overall, U.S. auto sales rose 11% last year to 11.6 million vehicles. Sales forecasts predict sales of 12.5 to 13.5 million units in 2011, and Toyota hopes its prospects are good for big gains despite its recent recalls. “If [the Detroit Three] can make money at depression-level sales, it tells you something dramatic has changed,” said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich., in a prepared statement. “If we get back to 13, 14, 15 million units, this is going to be an astonishingly profitable business.” In the coming months, automakers are also expected to revamp their lineups with ‘green’ cars that will meet new emissions standards. Toyota will be expanding its Prius hybrid with the introduction of a new wagon, Tesla will be showing a luxury electric sedan, and GM launches its subcompact, the Chevy Sonic, as well as a compact Buick and the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt. However, “the risk to the marketplace is that consumers aren’t asking for these,” said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with IHS Automotive. Hybrid auto sales fell last year to 2.4% of the U.S. market from 2.8% in 2009, according to Autodata. The North American International Auto Show is open to the public Jan. 15-23.

Link to Libraries Receives Grant
EAST LONGMEADOW — The Service League of Springfield (Philanthropic Management–Bank of America) has made a $1,000 grant to Link to Libraries Inc. The organization will use the grant to offer Senior Connections, a Link to Libraries read-aloud program for children in the Holyoke and Springfield areas who are enrolled in preschool programs. The program is conducted in collaboration with Loomis Communities and Reeds Landing residents. The residents will team up with Link to Libraries educators and volunteers to offer preschool-age children reading programs locally during the spring and fall. Susan Jaye-Kaplan, co-founder of Link to Libraries, noted in a statement, “this collaboration is yet another partnership with local residents and agencies to enhance the reading skills of children of all ages and to make a connection with talented adults who reside in our community and want to remain active.” The Link to Libraries Senior Connection will be managed by Roberta Hillenberg-Gang of Longmeadow, who serves on the organization’s advisory committee. For more information, visit www.linktolibraries.org or call (413) 224-1031.

Company Notebook

By BusinessWest Staff January 18, 2011

Company Notebook Departments

Law Firm Named to ‘Top Tier’ List
SPRINGFIELD — Sullivan Hayes & Quinn was recently named a Top Tier Employment Management Firm by Best Lawyers and U.S. News and World Report. Managing partner Meghan Sullivan noted that the law firm was among 8,782 firms from across the country to be recognized. The local law firm specializes in employment-management issues, including labor relations, risk avoidance, workplace regulation, and employment litigation.

Appledore Engineering Joins Tighe & Bond
WESTFIELD — A New Hampshire civil-engineering firm has joined forces with Tighe & Bond, a engineering and environmental consulting service in the city. The move will enable Appledore Engineering to expand its service offerings and will also provide Tighe & Bond more opportunities for expansion into the New Hampshire and Maine markets. Appledore Engineering will remain at its Portsmouth location and do business as Appledore Engineering, a division of Tighe & Bond.

CHD, Cancer House of Hope Announce Merger
SPRINGFIELD — The Center for Human Development (CHD) and Cancer House of Hope recently announced a merger between the two nonprofit agencies. The CHD Board of Directors and Cancer House of Hope Board of Trustees both approved the merger late last year. It became effective Jan. 1. Cancer House of Hope operates two houses, one in Westfield and one in Springfield, that offer free support groups, workshops, and classes to adults with cancer and their family members and friends. Cancer House of Hope is now a program of CHD in its Community Resources division. Cancer House of Hope’s events, activities, and services will continue without interruption, and the agency’s two full-time and one part-time employee are now employees of CHD. Cheryl Gorski, executive director of Cancer House of Hope, noted in a statement that, “given the economy, it was getting more and more difficult to keep things running.” Gorski will continue to manage the program as its director. Gorski added that “merging with CHD will give us access to more resources for development, marketing, and support.” Founded in 1997, Cancer House of Hope has an annual operating budget of about $235,000, all of it coming from donations, grants, and fund-raising events, such as its upcoming, third annual Cheeseburger in Paradise Bar-B-Que at the Cedars in Springfield Feb. 19. Cancer House of Hope serves approximately 260 people a month at its two locations: 86 Court St., Westfield, and 946 Plumtree Road, Springfield. In addition to its three staff, Cancer House of Hope also contracts for services with 12 per-diem counselors and depends on about 50 volunteers, who help run the homes and activities. Gorski said she reached out to CHD President and CEO Jim Goodwin last August about the possibility of a merger. Gorski noted, “It made sense to help us get to the next level of what we can offer our members. I’m very enthusiastic about it. I think it’s a great thing for us.” Goodwin said that merging with a high-quality agency like Cancer House of Hope furthers CHD’s mission of offering community-oriented services in a way that helps protect people’s dignity. Goodwin noted that everyone knows someone who has been touched by cancer. He added that the programs and services Cancer House of Hope offers “are just too important to risk losing.” Those programs and services include yoga, Reiki, wig fittings, and bereavement-support groups, among many others. While the two homes are open to anyone regardless of residency and need, they mostly serve people who live in Hampden County and Northern Conn. For a list of Cancer House of Hope programs and services, visit www.cancerhouseofhope.org. Founded in 1972, CHD is a family of more than 40 programs that deliver a wide range of social services in communities throughout Western Mass. and Northwestern Conn. in areas such as mental health, youth mentoring, family stabilization, foster care, early intervention, elder care, occupational therapy, intellectual and physical disabilities, homelessness prevention, substance abuse, and juvenile justice. CHD’s main office is located at 332 Birnie Ave., Springfield. For a list and description of programs and services, visit www.chd.org.

United Bank Supports United Way Campaigns
WEST SPRINGFIELD — United Bank recently announced its annual United Way employee campaign generated more than $52,000 in contributions to United Way organizations located in the bank’s service area. The bank ran campaigns at all 22 branches located throughout Western and Central Mass. The 2010-11 employee campaign surpassed last year’s level of participation and giving to the United Ways of Pioneer Valley, Hampshire County, and Central Massachusetts. In addition, the United Bank Foundation contributed $36,000 to the campaign for a combined gift of $88,118.

MassMutual Explains Roth Retirement Plan Conversions
SPRINGFIELD — As part of its commitment to educate participants, plan sponsors, and advisers, MassMutual’s Retirement Services Division has published a white paper titled “Roth Retirement Plan Conversions — Questions and Answers.” The document answers the most common questions around converting 401(k), 403(b), and, starting this year, 457(b) governmental plans into Roth accounts. Effective last fall, the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 allows participants who are in a retirement plan that offers Roth accounts the ability to convert or roll over their non-Roth account balances into a Roth source under the same plan, provided the participant has a distributable event (i.e., termination of service or in-service withdrawal provision, excluding hardship). For more information, visit www.massmutual.com.

Agency Offers Mobile Marketing Services
AGAWAM — The Creative Strategy Agency has started offering mobile marketing services including mobile Web sites, short-message service, and tablet and mobile applications for businesses. Alfonso Santaniello, CEO and president, noted in a statement that he wanted to take the agency’s marketing services “to a new and innovative format.” Santaniello added that mobile applications have “grown significantly” in the past year, and that he expects that trend to “continue to grow in the years to come.” For more information, visit www.creativestrategyagency.com.

Big E Plans $2.2M
Equine Arena
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Wayne McCary, president and CEO of the Eastern States Exposition, recently announced that the organization will embark on a $2.2 million construction project to build a covered warm-up arena attached to its C-Barn, the main horse barn used by the ESE Horse Show conducted during the Big E as well as a number of year-round equine events. Exposition officials vowed to continue their commitment to agriculture and the horse show by further developing infrastructure to maintain ESE’s position as New England’s most-sought-after equine destination. McCary noted in a statement, “I am confident that this project will further solidify the exposition’s position as the premier horse show facility in the Northeast. Our commitment to agriculture and our horse show, which began here in 1916, is ongoing.” The Exposition is also home to 12 year-round horse shows as well as a major equine-related trade show, Equine Affaire, held each November. The new arena will match the height of the existing building, and the 66’ x 170’ clear span outdoor roof will be bordered by a four-foot brick perimeter wall with pre-cast concrete upright posts. The exterior of the structure will mirror the north wall of the existing barn, and its walls will consist of a permeable vinyl designed to protect riders and horses from the elements while providing air circulation and ventilation. Each end of the covered arena will feature 20-foot ornamental iron sliding gates. Riders will be cooled by 16’, low-speed, high-volume fans. New lighting will be installed, and the riding arena will have spray irrigation and underground drainage. An existing angled doorway will be enlarged to 12’ x 14’ so riders may enter and exit the ring on horseback, and the immediate exterior area will also be covered. The project is the result of an extensive study of ESE facilities, conducted in 2010 to assess the needs of existing tenants and look toward future year-round growth. The research included a major engineering study of the Coliseum by Populous of Knoxville, Tenn., and a marketing analysis by AECOM of Washington, D.C. The Exposition will assume financial responsibility of the project and will receive no funding from the state. In addition, its 2011 capital budget of more than $1.1 million will include the installation of a new roof and other major improvements to the Coliseum. F-Barn, an auxiliary barn with 100 horse stalls located in the southwest corner of the fairgrounds, will also receive a new, upgraded metal roof. McCary noted, “we are investing in our future to maintain our roots and stay viable in an ever-changing marketplace.” The design architects for the project are Charlie Smith and David Forkner of Populous, in Knoxville. Neffinger Architects, of West Springfield, will serve as the architect of record. This winter, contractors will be selected, and construction will begin at the end of March. The project will be completed in time for the 2011 Big E, planned for Sept. 16 through Oct. 2.

Court Dockets

By BusinessWest Staff January 18, 2011

Court Dockets Departments

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT
Paula Parsons, as executrix of the estate of Catherine Wellinger v. The Arbors at Greenfield
Allegation: Negligence and failure to provide adequate staffing and supervision, leading to wrongful death: $25,000+
Filed: 11/15/10

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Alton E. Gleason Co. v. Cardaropoli Realty
Allegation: Breach of contract: $49,150
Filed: 11/12/10

Baystate Contracting Services Inc. v. Weston Sampson CMR Inc.
Alle gation: Failure to pay under the terms of a construction agreement: $122,031.70
Filed: 11/11/10

Bradco Supply v. Multi-State Roofing Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $34,916.38
Filed: 11/3/10

Central Mutual Insurance v. All Hose Inc.
Allegation: Negligence causing fire damage to a property leased to defendant: $263,326.89
Filed: 11/5/10

Michelle Ruby v. Cyalume Technologies Inc.
Allegation: Unfair and deceptive business practices: $268,000
Filed: 11/9/10

Western Mass. Electric Co. v. Springfield Technology Corp.
Allegation: Non-payment of utility services rendered: $158,542.50
Filed: 11/3/10

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
EMAP Limited v. The October Co. d/b/a/ Chemetal
Allegation: Breach of contract and unjust enrichment: $18,251.95
Filed: 12/13/10

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Accutech Insulation & Contracting v. Springfield Group Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $16,677.46
Filed: 11/22/10

Performance Food Group v. Elita 7, LLC d/b/a/ Donna Kay Rest Home
Allegation: Non-payment of goods provided on credit account: $34,935.88
Filed: 11/23/10

Performance Food Group v. Samco and Jason J. Boucher
Allegation: Non-payment of goods provided on credit account: $47,220.82
Filed: 11/23/10

Performance Food Group v. Worcester Light d/b/a Anna Maria Rest Home
Allegation: Non-payment of goods provided on credit account: $35,072.77
Filed: 11/23/10

United Rentals v. Converted Organics Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $19,068.62
Filed: 11/19/10

United Rentals v. Maxton Technology Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of materials, equipment, and services provided on a construction project: $27,506.31
Filed: 11/22/10

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Pioneer Valley Winnelson Co. v. Statewide Mechanical Contracting Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $22,440.99
Filed: 12/8/10

Doing Business as Certificates

By BusinessWest Staff January 4, 2011

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of December 2010.

AGAWAM

Crash Dynamics Reconstruction
36 Hemlock Ridge
Christopher Sanchez

M&J Goncalves Inc.
1192 Suffield St.
Mike Goncalves

Mobile One Locksmith
94 Florida Dr.
Stephen A. Ouellette

Schlaffer Chiropractic
192 Shoemaker Lane
Joseph Schlaffer

Sunkissed Spray Tanning
206 Brookfield Lane
Kaila Chianciola

Vozik LLC
22 Winthrop St.
Tatyana Shut

CHICOPEE

AJL Electric
95 St. Jacques Ave.
Flan Lubas

Bernie’s Service Station
1057 Montgomery St.
Daniel Bernashe

Daigle’s Truck Master Inc.
54 Fuller Road
Jeff Daigle

DMS Autobody & Collision
393 New Ludlow Road
Wesley D. Smith

Freedom Cycles
562 Chicopee St.
Jeff Heath

Nana’s Auto Service LLC
817 Front St.
Michael W. Asselin

Power On
115 Beauregard Terrace
Ruishan Yu

Vitaliy’s Auto Sales Inc.
374 Chicopee St.
Dmitry S. Gornik

GREENFIELD

Manna House
205 Main St.
Dwight Zeager

Stardust RES Publishing
353 Conway St.
Robert Sweeney

HOLYOKE

Computer Repairs & Accessories
254 Maple St.
Wanda I. Rodriguez

Frances Cakes & More
254 Maple St.
Frances Roman

Kendra’s Jewelry Shop & More
254 Maple St.
Kendra I. Velez

La Favorita Mini Market
156 High St.
Juan M. Almonte

Lady’s Underground
254 Maple St.
Luis Diaz

Let’s Talk
252 Maple St.
L’Sandra Sepulveda

Mercy Home Care
1236 Main St.
Jason Lee

Music Factory Express
595 Northampton St.
Charles Daviau

Retrophanatic Consignment Thrift Shop
146 High St.
Lorenzo Cox

Twin Stop-Homestead Inc.
625 Homestead Ave.
Rajendra I. Swadia

PALMER

D & M Auto Repair
1422 Park St.
David A. Bren

Daisychain Equine Assistance
20 West Ware Road
Sheryl Jyringi

SPRINGFIELD

Project Nine Graphics
59 Mayflower Road
Kyle Anderson

Proto EDM
182 Pinevale St.
John G. Picard

Racing Mart Fuels
685 Sumner Ave.
Rizk Abiassaf

Redbrick Books
797 Page Blvd.
Marcia J. Fuller

Scavengers Art Gallery
83 Tulsa St.
Delilah Rosa

Sheekan Inc.
182 Florida St.
Abdullah S. Abdul

Spark Center
563 Main St.
Laura A. Geryk

Speak Easy Accent Modifications
29 Mattoon St.
Erica I. Walch

Springfield Conservatory
869 Sumner Ave.
Pattricia Surniak

T & M Varietys & Accessories
6 Johnson St.
Theophilus E. Waldon

Telejobs-Workforce
73 Mobile Home Way
Edith I. Savoy

Thomas Midway Barber Shop
1106 State St.
Thomas Allen

Virtue Salon of Excellence
538 Page Blvd.
Eutrina Lynette

Walnut Convenience Store
108-112 Walnut St.
Rouel C. Christie

Wheeler Gas & Convenience
321 Walnut St.
Mohammad Rasheed

WESTFIELD

Friends of the Westfield Animal Shelter
63 Knollwood Dr.
Sandra Tracy

Hooper’s Books
20 Ridgeview Ter.
Tamra Pace-Hersh

O’Neill’s Quality Construction
144 Little River Road
Michael O’Neill

Scentsy Independent Consultant
29 Morningside Dr.
Jessica Castro

Shining Star Daycare
49 Montgomery St.
Brenda LeBlanc

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Baron Auto Sales
195 River St.
Timothy Roberts

Buttercups Bistro Traveling Personal Chef
81 Hayes Ave.
April Cantell

China House
164 Elm St.
Yan F. Zhao

Honey Bee Farms
753 Union St.
Alla Pchelka

Nursefinders of Springfield, MA
181 Park Ave.
Angela Moore

Company Notebook

By BusinessWest Staff January 4, 2011

Company Notebook Departments

Berkshire Hills, Legacy Announce Merger
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. and Legacy Bancorp Inc. recently announced a definitive merger agreement under which Berkshire will acquire Legacy and its subsidiary, Legacy Banks, in a transaction valued at approximately $108 million. The merger of Legacy into Berkshire will create a combined institution with $4 billion in assets. This in-market merger will create efficiencies and market-share benefits for the combined banks, which both have branches in Western Mass. and Northeastern New York. Including Berkshire’s pending merger with Rome Bancorp, the combined bank will have more than 60 offices serving Berkshire County, the Pioneer Valley, New York, and Southern Vermont. Legacy has nearly $1 billion in assets and 19 branches, while Berkshire has nearly $3 billion in assets and will have 47 branches, including the Rome branches. Both banks are headquartered in Pittsfield and have histories stretching back more than 150 years serving the Berkshire County market. Michael P. Daly, Berkshire’s president and chief executive officer, noted in a statement, “this in-market combination will create a strong platform headquartered in Berkshire County for further growth of our Northeast regional franchise.”

Tighe & Bond Approved for Fisheries & Wildlife Projects
WESTFIELD — The Mass. Division of Fisheries & Wildlife recently prequalified Tighe & Bond to perform biological surveys, research, and testing at varied sites throughout the state. This approval allows the firm to participate in Fisheries & Wildlife bid opportunities in eight service categories that include: wetland delineation and soil surveys; engineering services; GIS and database projects; road and trail assessment and mapping; property boundary location and marking; natural community, restoration, natural-resource mapping, and management planning; plants and fungi; and reptiles and amphibians. The Division of Fisheries & Wildlife is part of the Mass. Department of Fish and Game, which awarded Tighe & Bond a master service agreement earlier in 2010 for ecological and river restoration through its Division of Ecological Restoration. Tighe & Bond was also recently prequalified for another two years to provide similar services to the Mass. Department of Transportation.

Bay Path Receives InternHero Award
LONGMEADOW — Annually, the Hartford-Springfield Economic Partnership (HSEP) recognizes students and colleges that promote HSEP’s InternHere.com program. This year, HSEP selected Bay Path College as the recipient of the 2010 College InternHero Award for its special support of InternHere and the large number of undergraduates who have benefited from the program. An initiative of HSEP, InternHere assists college students in finding internships. The Web site features more than 1,000 regional businesses and organizations that post internship opportunities. Students can search for internships and apply to opportunities online. Bay Path was recognized at HSEP’s 2010 State of the Region Conference on Dec. 9.

Berkshire Wind Completes $64.7M Financing
BOSTON — The Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corp. (BWPCC) recently issued $64,705,000 in tax-exempt revenue bonds to complete the financing for its Berkshire Wind Power Project, the largest wind project to date in Massachusetts. The 10-turbine, 15-megawatt project, located on Brodie Mountain in Hancock, is scheduled to begin operation in mid-February. All 10 turbines are fully erected, and remaining construction work involves completing electrical connections needed to deliver project electricity to the power grid. Proceeds from the 20-year bond issue will be used primarily to repay a $52.5 million, short-term loan taken by BWPCC to finance turbine purchases and preliminary construction activities. The bond issue, rated A by Fitch Ratings and A-minus by Standard & Poors, also will fund additional construction expenses, a debt-service reserve fund, and underwriting costs. The BWPCC is comprised of 14 state municipal utilities and the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co. (MMWEC), all nonprofit, public-power entities. Through contracts with BWPCC and MMWEC, the municipal utilities will receive their respective shares of project output and be responsible for their proportionate share of debt service on the bonds. Once it is operational, the project will nearly double the state’s current 18.5 megawatts in windpower resources, which include more than 20 comparatively small projects ranging in size from 100 kilowatts to the 3-megawatt project operated by the Princeton Municipal Light Department, according to the state Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs Web site. Wind speeds atop Brodie Mountain, one of the best inland wind sites in Massachusetts, average about 8 meters per second, making it a Class 6 wind resource on an American Wind Energy Assoc. scale of 1 to 7. The BWPCC project is expected to operate at a capacity factor of approximately 40% and produce more than 52,500 megawatt hours of electricity a year, enough to power approximately 6,000 homes.

Adam Quenneville Receives National Recognition
SOUTH HADLEY — Adam Quenneville Roofing, Siding & Windows has received national recognition in Compass magazine. The magazine delivers monthly columns from the foremost industry experts in the fields of training, marketing, motivation, and more. In addition, Compass highlights the most accomplished contractors in the country and, in the latest issue, featured the local firm as the cover story. Labeled as an “innovator” and “revolutionary roofer,” Quenneville was also recognized for being a green company. Quenneville noted in a statement that “we’ve recycled over 2 million pounds of roofing shingles. One of the company’s goals is to save the planet one roof at a time.” The firm is located at 160 Old Lyman Road.

Court Dockets

By BusinessWest Staff January 4, 2011

Court Dockets Departments

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT
F&M Landscaping v. Popeye Chicken & Biscuits
Allegation: Non-payment of snowplowing and sanding services rendered: $26,214.63
Filed: 12/6/10

GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. v. Neu Tradition Millwork Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of trucking and freight-transportation services rendered: $2,708.49
Filed: 11/19/10

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Bonnier Corp. v. Webcloseout.com, Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of advertising services: $32,554.52
Filed: 11/23/10

Duke Concrete Products v. Northeast Mesa, LLC & Guilio Burra and Campanelli Westfield, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of equipment provided and services rendered on construction project: $51,505.36
Filed: 11/22/10

Howard Remmich v. Medeiros/Williams Chevrolet Inc.
Allegation: Breach of warranty: $72,089
Filed: 11/14/10

Lisa Sotov v. Baystate Health Systems Inc., Aida Rivera, and Antonia Delgado
Allegation: Defendant disclosed confidential medical information, causing emotional distress: $25,000+
Filed: 11/19/10

Rafael Alicia v. Lorenver Po, M.D., et al
Allegation: Overdose of cholesterol medications, resulting in kidney failure: $44,317.92
Filed: 10/28/10

York International Corp. v. Statewide Mechanical Contracting Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered and services rendered: $100,564
Filed: 11/4/10

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Katie Davis and Christopher Wolcott, individually and as parents of Lucas Wolcott v. Edward J. Patton, M.D.
Allegation: Medical malpractice: $120,000
Filed: 11/29/10

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
TBF Financial, LLC v. Davtam Insurance Associates Inc.
Allegation: Breach of lease agreement: $4,711.97
Filed: 11/22/10

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Brenda Aulet and Javier Hernandez v. Drive USA 2 Inc.
Allegation: Breach of warranty: $17,373.72
Filed: 11/9/10

Joseph Simons Division of the Bell Pump Service Co. v. Lessard Plumbing & Heating Co.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $10,924.68
Filed: 11/17/10

Leahy Press Inc. v. Wholesale Printing Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $14,701.95
Filed: 11/8/10

Neuro-Psychology Associates of Western Mass v. Cigna Corp.
Allegation: Failure to pay medical claims: $8,882.30
Filed: 11/16/10

Performance Food Group v. Cuisine of Mark Connolly Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods provided on credit account: $9,635.53
Filed: 11/23/10

United Rentals v. Behrend Construction Co. Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of materials, equipment, and services rendered: $9,028.03
Filed: 11/9/10

40 under Forty Preview

By BusinessWest Staff January 4, 2011

Sections Supplements

Fifth Amendment

Nominations Sought for the Class of 2011

Since BusinessWest launched 40 Under Forty in 2007, it has recognized 160 young professionals who have made their mark across Western Mass. — not only for their career success, but their commitment to their communities. Now in year five, the 40 Under Forty program — which includes a must-read issue profiling the winners and an always-well-attended gala in the spring — has become one of the most anticipated events in the region’s business community, one that has nominees constantly setting the bar higher.

By JOSEPH BEDNAR

Jeff Fialky understands what it takes to succeed in business today.
An attorney with Bacon & Wilson, P.C., Fialky was chosen one of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty in 2008, in recognition of his career success and community involvement. He’s one of 160 young professionals throughout Western Mass. who have been honored in this way since the program’s inception in 2007.
But as president of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, he’s got a clearer perspective than most on the dedication it takes to succeed at a young age, because he sees it every day in fellow YPS members.
“In this economy, there are a lot of start-up entrepreneurs, a lot of young professionals working maybe twice as hard as they’d have to work in a better economy,” Fialky said. “It’s great that we can promote some of these individuals who have distinguished themselves from their peers.”
Now entering its fifth year with a call for nominations, BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty has captured the respect of the region’s business community and continues to demonstrate that Western Mass. is home to a creative, motivated, and successful group of young business leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators — people who are redefining what it means to build successful businesses and serve their communities with whatever spare time they have left over.
“Clearly, YPS and 40 Under Forty have walked a parallel path,” said Fialky, noting that both came into being around the same time. “In that time period, YPS participants — meaning both the membership and officers and directors — have looked at 40 Under Forty with extremely high regard, as a competitive process, a reward, and a distinction in the community that is heavily sought after.”
Kate Campiti, BusinessWest’s associate publisher, is gratified to hear that 40 Under Forty has reached that kind of status in the local business community.
“It makes me proud that it’s something that people aspire to, and it does put them on the map,” she said. “It’s something they can use as a résumé builder, as a symbol of excellence.”
As the nomination process opens for the class of 2011, BusinessWest expects another flood of nominees from a broad range of careers; the 160 previous honorees have emerged from law, education, retail, health care, social services, finance, and many, many other fields. In all cases, they have been successful in business and active in civic volunteerism, the latter being a critical consideration when judging applicants.
As in the past four installments of 40 Under Forty, this year’s winners — chosen by a panel of judges comprised of area business leaders and previous honorees — will be profiled in an upcoming issue of BusinessWest (always a must-read issue) and toasted at a gala reception in the spring.
Meghan Lynch, managing partner for Six-Point Creative Works and one of last year’s honorees, said she was impressed with the wide variety of industries and positions represented by the class of 2010.
In addition, “I was happy with the amount of community support at the event,” she said. “That was a fantastic networking event, and when I left I was proud to have been a part of it. I made quite a few contacts at the event, and the winners have been really good about reaching out to one another, making time to reconnect and get to know each other afterward. I was definitely impressed with a lot of other folks, and it was certainly a very good representation of the talent in the Valley.”
The nomination form can be found on page 35 of this issue. It will be reprinted in upcoming issues as well, and may also be printed from businesswest.com. The deadline for entry is Feb. 18.
Fialky says members of YPS take the nomination process seriously, as evidenced by the healthy number of society members chosen for recognition during the past four years. The same goes for Northampton Area Young Professionals, another group that’s typically well-represented in each class.
“I personally congratulate members of YPS who are 40 Under Forty honorees every year — I send out handwritten cards — and that number has increased exponentially over the past few years,” Fialky said. “It’s terrific that both the Young Professional Society and the 40 Under Forty have walked down these same paths.”
Campiti said the ever-increasing profile of the recognition program is cultivating a healthy sense of competition among area professionals.
“I think it’s making them more competitive with each other, and it is making the young up-and-comers think about their future and plan strategically how they will position themselves. That only makes the group stronger. To win, they really have to stand out.”
Fialky also embraces the competitive aspect of the event, saying that being chosen one of the 40 Under Forty is an honor worth striving for.
“The competition raises the bar for everyone,” he said. “Some folks have submitted nomination forms for a couple of years and haven’t been elected, and that only makes them think they need to work harder in the community and from a personal-branding standpoint. I think that’s great.”

Past 40 under Forty winners

Class of 2007
William Bither III, Atalasoft
Kimberlynn Cartelli, Fathers & Sons
Amy Caruso, MassMutual Financial Group
Denise Cogman, Springfield School Volunteers
Richard Corder, Cooley Dickinson Hospital
Katherine Pacella Costello, Egan, Flanagan & Cohen, P.C.
A. Rima Dael, Berkshire Bank Foundation of Pioneer Valley
Nino Del Padre, Del Padre Visual Productions
Antonio Dos Santos, Robinson Donovan, P.C.
Jake Giessman, Academy Hill School
Jillian Gould, Eastfield Mall
Michael Gove, Lyon & Fitzpatrick, LLP
Dena Hall, United Bank
James Harrington, Our Town Variety & Liquors
Christy Hedgpeth, Spalding Sports
Francis Hoey III, Tighe & Bond
Amy Jamrog, The Jamrog Group, Northwestern Mutual
Cinda Jones, Cowls Land & Lumber Co.
Paul Kozub, V-1 Vodka
Bob Lowry, Bueno y Sano
G.E. Patrick Leary, Moriarty & Primack, P.C.
Todd Lever, Noble Hospital
Audrey Manring, The Women’s Times
Daniel Morrill, Wolf & Company
Joseph Pacella, Egan, Flanagan & Cohen, P.C.
Arlene Rodriquez, Springfield Technical Community College
Craig Swimm, WMAS 94.7
Sarah Tanner, United Way of Pioneer Valley
Mark Tanner, Bacon Wilson, P.C.
Michelle Theroux, Child & Family Services of Pioneer Valley Inc.
Tad Tokarz, Western MA Sports Journal
Dan Touhey, Spalding Sports
Sarah Leete Tsitso, Fred Astaire Dance
Michael Vann, The Vann Group
Ryan Voiland, Red Fire Farm
Erica Walch, Speak Easy Accent Modification
Catherine West, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
Michael Zaskey, Zasco Productions, LLC
Edward Zemba, Robert Charles Photography
Carin Zinter, The Princeton Review

Class of 2008
Michelle Abdow, Market Mentors
Matthew Andrews, Best Buddies of Western Mass.
Rob Anthony, WMAS
Shane Bajnoci, Cowls Land & Lumber Co.
Steve Bandarra, Atlas TC
Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, Hampden County Physician Associates
Delcie Bean IV, Valley Computer Works
Brendan Ciecko, Ten Minute Media
Todd Cieplinski, Universal Mind Inc.
William Collins, Spoleto Restaurant Group
Michael Corduff, Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House
Amy Davis, New City Scenic & Display
Dave DelVecchio, Innovative Business Systems Inc.
Tyler Fairbank, EOS Ventures
Timothy Farrell, F.W. Farrell Insurance
Jeffrey Fialky, Bacon Wilson, P.C.
Dennis Francis, America’s Box Choice
Kelly Galanis, Westfield State College
Jennifer Glockner, Winstanley Associates
Andrea Hill-Cataldo, Johnson & Hill Staffing Services
Steven Huntley, Valley Opportunity Council
Alexander Jarrett, Pedal People Cooperative
Kevin Jourdain, City of Holyoke
Craig Kaylor, Hampden Bank / Hampden Bancorp Inc.
Stanley Kowalski III, FloDesign Inc.
Marco Liquori, NetLogix Inc.
Azell Murphy Cavaan, City of Springfield
Michael Presnal, The Federal Restaurant
Melissa Shea, Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn
Sheryl Shinn, Hampden Bank
Ja’Net Smith, Center for Human Development
Diana Sorrentini-Velez, Cooley, Shrair, P.C.
Meghan Sullivan, Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn
Michael Sweet, Doherty Wallace Pillsbury & Murphy
Heidi Thomson, Girls Inc.
Hector Toledo, Hampden Bank
William Trudeau Jr., Insurance Center of New England
David Vermette, MassMutual Financial Services
Lauren Way, Bay Path College
Paul Yacovone, Brain Powered Concepts

Class of 2009
Marco Alvan, Team Link Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Gina Barry, Bacon Wilson, P.C.
Maggie Bergin, The Art of Politics
Daniel Bessette, Get Set Marketing
Brandon Braxton, NewAlliance Bank
Dena Calvanese, Gray House
Edward Cassell, Park Square Realty
Karen Chadwell, Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury and Murphy, P.C.
Kate Ciriello, MassMutual Financial Group
Kamari Collins, Springfield Technical Community College
Mychal Connolly Sr., Stinky Cakes
Todd Demers, Family Wireless
Kate Glynn, A Child’s Garden and Impish
Andrew Jensen, Jx2 Productions, LLC
Kathy LeMay, Raising Change
Ned Leutz, Webber & Grinnell Insurance Agency
Scott MacKenzie, MacKenzie Vault Inc.
Tony Maroulis, Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce
Seth Mias, Seth Mias Catering
Marjory Moore, Chicopee Public Schools
Corey Murphy, First American Insurance Agency Inc.
Mark Hugo Nasjleti, Go Voice for Choice
Joshua Pendrick, Royal Touch Painting
Christopher Prouty, Studio99Creative
Adam Quenneville, Adam Quenneville Roofing
Michael Ravosa, Morgan Stanley
Kristi Reale, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
Amy Royal, Royal & Klimczuk, LLC
Michelle Sade, United Personnel
Scott Sadowsky, Williams Distributing Corp.
Gregory Schmidt, Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, P.C.
Gretchen Siegchrist, Media Shower Productions
Erik Skar, MassMutual Financial Services
Paul Stallman, Alias Solutions
Renee Stolar, J. Stolar Insurance Co.
Tara Tetreault, Jackson and Connor
Chris Thompson, Springfield Falcons Hockey Team
Karl Tur, Ink & Toner Solutions, LLC
Michael Weber, Minuteman Press
Brenda Wishart, Aspen Square Management

Class of 2010
Nancy Bazanchuk, Disability Resource Program,
, , Center for Human Development
Raymond Berry, United Way of Pioneer Valley
David Beturne, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County
Maegan Brooks, The Law Office of Maegan Brooks
Karen Buell, PeoplesBank
Shanna Burke, Nonotuck Resource Associates
Damon Cartelli, Fathers & Sons
Brady Chianciola, PeoplesBank
Natasha Clark, Springfield School Volunteers
Julie Cowan, TD Bank
Karen Curran, Thomson Financial Management Inc.
Adam Epstein, Dielectrics Inc.
Mary Fallon, Garvey Communication Associates
Daniel Finn, Pioneer Valley Local First
Owen Freeman-Daniels, Foley-Connelly Financial Partners and
, , Foley Insurance Group
Lorenzo Gaines, ACCESS Springfield Promise Program
Thomas Galanis, Westfield State College
Anthony Gleason II, Roger Sitterly & Son, Inc. and
, , Gleason Landscaping
Allen Harris, Berkshire Money Management Inc.
Meghan Hibner, Westfield Bank
Amanda Huston, Junior Achievement of Western Mass. Inc.
Kimberly Klimczuk, Royal, LLP
James Krupienski, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
David Kutcher, Confluent Forms, LLC
James Leahy, City of Holyoke and Alcon Laboratories
Kristin Leutz, Community Foundation of Western Mass.
Meghan Lynch, Six-Point Creative Works
Susan Mielnikowski, Cooley, Shrair, P.C.
Jill Monson, Adam Quenneville Roofing & Siding Inc.
, , and Inspired Marketing & Promotions
Kevin Perrier, Five Star Building Corp.
Lindsay Porter, Big Y Foods
Brandon Reed, Fitness Together
Boris Revsin, CampusLIVE Inc.
Aaron Vega, Vega Yoga & Movement Arts
Ian Vukovich, Florence Savings Bank
Thomas Walsh, City of Springfield
Sean Wandrei, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
Byron White, Pazzo Ristorante
Chester Wojcik, Design Construction Group
Peter Zurlino, Atlantico Designs and Springfield Public Schools

Joseph Bednar can be reached
at [email protected]

Top Entrepreneur for 2010

By BusinessWest Staff January 4, 2011

Cover Story Sections Top Entrepreneur

Fueling the Imagination: Pride Founder Bob Bolduc Stays Ahead of the Curve

Bob Bolduc, Top Entrepreneur for 2010

Bob Bolduc said the concept came to him early last fall as he was pondering ways to say thank you to his ‘friends,’ a word he would use interchangeably with ‘customers’ early and often.

For years, Pride has offered free coffee on Christmas, New Year’s, and Veterans Day (Bolduc was in the Army and has a deep appreciation for all those who have served their country), but he thought it was time to take things up a notch — or several, as the case may be.

“Free coffee for the month of December,” he said slowly, as if to add emphasis and convey the enormity of this executive decision.

“A lot of people here looked at me funny, and some thought I was out of my mind,” he admitted while explaining the promotion that would involve the chain’s 24 stores, scattered across Western Mass. “That’s because we’re in the coffee business; it’s one of the things we do best, and it’s quite profitable.

“I can’t say how much it has cost us, but it’s expensive, very expensive,” he continued. “It’s worth it, though; it’s been fun, and it’s certainly created a buzz. This is a big cup we’re giving away — 16 ounces — not some dinky thing.”

With 10 days left in December, Bolduc could easily do the math concerning his coffee giveaway, and he was already declaring it a good business decision. And he should know, as he’s made quite a number of them in an entrepreneurial career that now spans nearly 40 years.

“There have certainly been some that haven’t worked out well,” he conceded with a hearty laugh, one of many that would punctuate his candid interview with BusinessWest. “But many have gone right for us over the years.”

Indeed, starting with his decision to get into the wholesale tire business in the early ’70s — and then out of it when the radial changed the landscape of that business by adding tens of thousands of miles to a tire’s lifespan — Bolduc has penned a number of success stories. And he’s made several of what he called ‘firsts,’ listing everything from the first fire-suppression system at a self-serve gas station to the first in-house Dunkin’ Donuts in this market; from cash acceptors at the fuel pumps to the first ethanol sold in Western Mass.

This body of work, as well as the indication that there’s plenty more to come, has earned Bolduc BusinessWest’s Top Entrepreneur Award for 2010.

“Bob Bolduc exemplifies what entrepreneurship — and this award — are all about,” said BusinessWest publisher John Gormally. “His career, most notably his work with Pride, has been characterized by risk-taking, having the vision to see the future of his industry, and getting there first in many cases, and simply being innovative; in many ways, he’s redefined the convenience store.

“We created this award to honor people who have those qualities — vision, innovation, and risk-taking,” he continued, “and he’s a very worthy recipient.”

Russell Denver, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, agreed, and praised Bolduc for his career accomplishments, as well as his recent aggressive steps in the face of the worst downturn in nearly 80 years.

“Here is a man who didn’t sit back during the last two or three years of difficult economic times,” he noted. “He charged forward and has dramatically redone most of his properties and built new properties. And he ended up increasing his employment levels in our communities.

Pride’s ‘free coffee for the month of December’ promotion, prominently displayed on the store at the North End Bridge, is one of many risks Bob Bolduc has taken during his career.

“What he has done to the troubled property that used to be Valley’s Steakhouse, and after that Razzles, has put a whole new face on Springfield as one enters from West Springfield,” Denver continued, referring to the latest Pride store just east of the North End Bridge. “Where there was a vacant building, an eyesore, is now a thriving business that employs about 70 people; it’s a stunning turnaround.”

And like most projects Bolduc has taken on since he first went into business for himself, the North End initiative involved a good deal of risk that he considers part and parcel to being a successful entrepreneur.

“If you don’t take risks … if you just play it safe, you’ll limit what you can do,” he said. “There are lots of risks and gambles in business; it’s not for the faint-hearted, and it never really stops.”

Pedal to the Mettle

BusinessWest sat down with Bolduc near the end of the work day (at least for most other people at Pride), a time he chose because the preceding hours were packed with more pressing matters.

The 90-minute conversation was interrupted, briefly, perhaps a dozen times by employees stopping by Bolduc’s office on the way out the door with questions, answers, updates, and agendas for the following day. When asked about what appeared to be micromanagement, Bolduc smiled and said, “show me a successful entrepreneur who is not involved in every aspect of his business.”

He then proceeded to say he’s better than he used to be when it comes to delegating responsibilities, but that he still considers even the smallest of details paramount to his operation and thus worthy of his time and attention.

“Every decision you make is important when you’re talking about your business,” he continued. “There are no small matters.”

This penchant for micromanagement is one of many aspects of Bolduc’s personality that come across loud and clear after only a few minutes of discussing business and society in general and watching him operate. Others include a real passion for what he does — this is a man who went on for five minutes about the quality of the breakfast sandwiches in his store and how proud he is of them — and both concern for and commitment to the city of Springfield (where he grew up), but also the broader subjects of education and parental involvement.

“Springfield has a serious education problem, there’s no question about that — 60% of kids drop out of high school, that’s a problem, and 60% of the fourth-graders can’t read to fourth-grade level,” he said. “That’s why we’re big supporters of early-childhood education and the early years, because it’s been proven that, if we don’t get kids started on the right track, and early, they will never make it.

“We need to get more people involved, and we need to convince some parents — I said some, not all — to get more involved in their children’s education, and make them do their homework, see that they get to bed on time and have a good breakfast, and inspire them to learn. On a bigger note, the whole country needs to do that; we need longer school days and longer school years, and we need to raise our standards — a lot — if we’re going to compete in the global economy.”

In many ways, the Pride chain and its various causes — from books to pajamas to toys — reflect Bolduc and his priorities, and it’s been that way since the beginning, or when he started down the path to entrepreneurship, which is the road he knew he would eventually take even as a mechanical engineering student at Notre Dame.

“I knew I wanted to be in business for myself some day,” he said. “I thought I had it in me, and my father and grandfather were both entrepreneurs.”

Born in Indian Orchard, Bolduc attended local public and parochial schools. After graduating from Notre Dame he went on to Purdue, where he earned an M.B.A. — and he’s put both degrees to good use. “I always enjoyed the engineering part as well as the business part.”

After graduate school, but before enlisting in the Army and eventually serving in Vietnam, he worked as a quality engineer at American Bosch. Upon returning from Southeast Asia in 1970, he briefly went to work at his father’s gas station in Indian Orchard before buying him out, thus becoming the third generation of the family to run that business.

In addition to running the station, he became a tire and auto-parts wholesaler, specifically a distributor for BF Goodrich and Continental, and became proficient enough at it to be chosen to address a national sales convention of Goodrich retailers at age 30.

As good as he was at tire wholesaling, Bolduc saw the handwriting on the wall with the introduction of the radial — and also foresaw changes that would cut out two layers of ‘middle’ people in this business — and thus sold off the venture. He then moved into an emerging field on the business landscape, one that he would ultimately help shape locally: the self-service gas station.

Priming the Pump

He started with one, again in Indian Orchard, in 1976, and continued to expand over the next 34 years, and counting.

In the process, he would not merely create a chain, but continually break ground when it came to the concept of marrying the self-service station with another emerging phenomenon, the convenience store.

Part of this matrimony was taking what was then a small store that sold bread, cigarettes, and dairy items (many people called them ‘milk stores’) and thinking outside that small box, he explained.

“We were the first chain in Western Mass. to put a Dunkin’ Donuts in our stores,” he went on, “and, later, we were the first to put a Subway in our stores — and then everybody copied both.

“We already had our own little deli shops, but when I saw the Subway concept, I said, ‘let’s give this a try,’” he continued. “And as for coffee and donuts, we were already making our own coffee, and buying a full line of products from the [former] Liberty Bakery. I sold cakes, donuts, everything; you could come in here and order a wedding cake from us, and people did.”

As he expanded the line of products and services inside the stores, Bolduc also expanded geographically, moving beyond his Springfield roots across the Pioneer Valley. “We expanded as we saw opportunities arise,” he explained, adding that many of his locations have been enlarged and renovated over the years to keep pace with his vision of what his stores should be offering.

“We’ve built and rebuilt our stores to keep up with the times and keep up with the changes we’ve made as a company,” he said. “I’ve rebuilt some stores four times as we’ve evolved from a full-service gas station to a gas-only self-service, to small stores, to large stores, and, now, to super-large stores that are able to pump fuel into as many as 20 vehicles at a time — cars and trucks.”

Bolduc said that, when many people think of the Pride name, they associate it with gasoline. He understands this — well, sort of, because this is how and why many trips to his locations begin or end. But he becomes somewhat animated as he stresses that his chain is about so much more than that.

Bob Bolduc, center, with his senior management team

And to get his point across, he proceeded down the roster of what is now in the Pride inventory, for lack of a better term. This would be 24 stores; a commissary that makes baked goods, those aforementioned breakfast sandwiches, and a host of other items for those stores; 10 Subways, making Pride the largest franchisee in the region; six Dunkin’ Donuts locations (those spaces are leased out to the corporation); two truck stops; one package store; two beer-and-wine stores; a trucking company; a construction company; and a commercial fueling station for local fleets.

Today, in addition to Dunkin’ Donuts and Subway locations, the larger Pride stores are, in essence, full markets complete, in some cases, with shopping carts, and, in all locations, prices he says can compete with supermarkets.

Indeed, beyond the sheer volume of locations is what’s in the stores, Bolduc told BusinessWest, that should compel people to think of this as more than just a chain of gas stations.

“We’re in the milk business,” he said, again with a large dose of pride in accomplishment. “We’re a dairy store; we sell milk $1 or $1.50 less per gallon than the supermarkets. And it’s so fresh, because we’re turning it over every day.

“In some of the stores, we changed the name to Pride Market,” he continued, going on, in great detail, as always, about what his locations now offer. “We now have major food areas with all kinds of coffee, hot and iced, and our own brand of sandwiches, subs, and bakery items — fresh-baked cookies and muffins every day.”

This emphasis on price and variety is just one way Bolduc says he’s trying to take the perceptions about convenience stores — especially the one about how people have to trade this convenience for higher prices — and turn them on their ear.

“People from several generations wouldn’t think to buy in a convenience store because the price was too high,” he said. “You buy here, and you can save money.”

What’s in Store?

When asked if he and others at Pride spend much time studying consumers as they go about designing, stocking, and staffing Pride stores, Bolduc shrugged his shoulders slightly as if to indicate ‘not really.’

He said much of the success that he or anyone else enjoys in retail comes from instinctively anticipating what his customers or ‘friends’ want — like free coffee for the month of December — and then providing it in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

This thought process has taken him from simply putting Subway franchises in his stores to adding full delis and his own baked goods, as he described.

It also led him to the cash acceptors, which, it would seem to some, but not Bolduc, would work against the larger overall mission to get people into his stores.

“This saves someone the trouble of coming into the store and standing in a line to pay someone for the gas,” he said. “If someone was going to come in, they would come in anyway; this is a great convenience for people, and it’s worked out very well.”

And it also represents one of the many risks Pride and especially Bolduc have embarked on over the years. He said his goal has always been to make these risks calculated, and to manage the many gambles he’s taken, while also working to continually move his operation forward and to new heights.

And he says this is always a difficult task, no matter how much practice one has at it.

“In this business, you have to be a high-risk taker, and you need to have a very strong stomach at times,” he explained. “You don’t get to build a chain of our size with the real estate we have without taking some gambles and putting serious money on the table.

“And then, of course, you have to make it work,” he continued. “And the same goes for other decisions you make; when you’re an independent operation like ours, there’s no fallback — if you make a mistake, there’s no one to catch you.”

As an example of this risk-taking, Bolduc sited the North End location in Springfield, the biggest in the chain. It’s known to many long-time, or very-long-time, residents as the Valley’s Steakhouse site, even though that restaurant has been closed for decades. Bolduc expressed hope that it will someday be known as the ‘Pride site.’

He said he acquired the property a decade or so ago, sensing there would be an opportunity, but going on with the intent of being patient until he knew the time was right.

“I wanted to be sure I could build and operate the kind of facility the site deserved,” he explained. “So I took my time developing it.”

Eventually, two years ago, just as the Great Recession was getting started, he decided to move ahead. Why then, when most business owners were hunkering down?

“I just decided that it was the right time,” he said. “How did I know … I can’t tell you that.”

Today, Bolduc, along with a young leadership team (comprised mostly of women), is mulling the next gambles and the next steps in the evolutionary process for the chain and the genre. And while Bolduc did indeed use the word ‘I’ quite a bit in his talk with BusinessWest, he stressed repeatedly that what he’s accomplished in 34 years has been a team effort.

“I’ve hired a lot of great people along the way,” he said. “I owe it all to them and couldn’t have accomplished all this without them.”

And, often in concert with that team, he continues to get involved in the Greater Springfield community and especially the City of Homes, with support for everything from Springfield School Volunteers to Square One to the Springfield Falcons.

He said that, like many who grew up in the city and have watched it struggle in recent years, he’s eager for a turnaround and doesn’t believe it’s far off. And, like many, he said part of the problem is a lack of self-confidence and a preoccupation with all things negative.

“Yes, we have problems; all cities do,” he said. “We need to work on those problems, especially those involving our schools, but all we hear, unfortunately, is the negative.”

The Bottom Line

Bolduc was non-committal when asked if he would be repeating his free-coffee promotion through December later this year.

As with many other aspects of his business, he knows, or probably knows, the answer to the question, but isn’t exactly eager to share it.

What he does know, and can share, but in a very vague way, is that he is going to continue to develop ‘firsts,’ and strive to remain at the forefront of the ongoing evolution of the convenience store/self-service gas station.

He’s not sure how many times he’ll have to tear down and rebuild or find new, often-innovative ways to assemble sites and create locations. But he’s quite sure he’s not done taking risks — “because that’s what being an entrepreneur is all about.”

George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]

Company Notebook

By BusinessWest Staff December 21, 2010

Company Notebook Departments

International EC Acquires MacDuffie School
SPRINGFIELD — Representatives of the MacDuffie School recently announced the planned sale of all school operations, not including the school’s city real estate, to International EC LLC, the group that acquired the former St. Hyacinth seminary campus in Granby in June. International EC is establishing an independent school in Granby and will absorb MacDuffie’s curriculum, corporate identity, intellectual property, furnishings, computers and business equipment, and faculty as it establishes a school serving grades 6 through 12 beginning next fall. The school, currently in its 120th year of operation, will continue as a day and boarding school. Massachusetts attorney-general approval is needed since the sale involves a nonprofit entity, the MacDuffie School, being acquired by a privately held company. Michael A. Serafino, chairman of MacDuffie’s Board of Trustees, noted in a statement that the acquisition “represents an exciting new chapter in MacDuffie’s history, offering the student body a larger campus with enhanced classroom space, outstanding boarding facilities, state-of-the-art technology, and athletic fields in a college-preparatory environment with high academic standards.” Serafino added that, in the highly competitive academic marketplace for private middle and secondary schools, “this move represents a chance to expand and promote the MacDuffie mission in a way that our current location, with space and infrastructure limitations, would not allow.” The sale of assets does not include the campus on Ames Hill Drive, and a workgroup has been established to ensure that the campus is maintained and secured after the school’s operations move to Granby. Efforts to prepare the campus for sale have started, according to Serafino. International EC, LLC has three managing partners — Craig Brewer, who currently oversees a large private high-school program for international students in the U.S.; Wayne Brewer, who is currently the CEO of International Student Exchange, and Dal Swain, the owner and president of FLS, which has a network of ESL schools for foreign students.

More Than 3,700 Sack Hunger at Big Y
SPRINGFIELD — In a chain-wide effort to help the hungry within their local communities, all Big Ys have initiated this year’s Sack Hunger program. The program consists of a large, green, reusable grocery bag filled with staple non-perishable food items selected by the food banks. Customers purchase a pre-assembled bag for $10, and Big Y then distributes the bags to that region’s local food bank. In turn, the food banks distribute the filled sacks to area soup kitchens, food pantries, senior food programs, day-care centers, as well as many of their other member agencies. All of the donated sacks will be distributed within the supermarket’s marketing area, so every donation stays within the local community. The Sack Hunger Campaign began Nov. 8 and will run through the rest of this year. So far, almost 4,000 bags have been sold. All five food banks within Big Y’s marketing area will be participating in Sack Hunger. These food banks represent more than 2,100 member agencies throughout the region. They are the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Greater Boston Food Bank, the Worcester County Food Bank, Foodshare of Greater Hartford, and the Connecticut Food Bank. The sacks include the following non-perishable Big Y items: corn flakes, long-grain rice, elbow macaroni, kidney beans, peanut butter, cut green beans, sweet peas, whole kernel corn, chunk light tuna, and quick oats. Sacks are available at all Big Y Supermarkets and Fresh Acres. Big Y hopes to provide at least 5,000 bags to area food programs by the end of the program.

WMECo Starts Construction on Reliability Project
SPRINGFIELD — Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo) recently broke ground for the Greater Springfield Reliability Project, a $795 million transmission upgrade designed to strengthen the region’s power grid, meet mandatory reliability standards, and allow power to move more freely around the Greater Springfield and North-Central Conn. area. Construction on the project has started at the new Cadwell Switching Station in Springfield and at the existing Agawam Substation. Construction of the overhead transmission line in Massachusetts is expected to begin on existing rights of way in early 2011. The creation of approximately 1,000 jobs is anticipated at the peak of construction, while adding about $11 million in much-needed tax revenues to towns along the project route. The project includes work along 39 miles of an existing transmission right of way between Ludlow and Bloomfield, Conn. The 27-mile portion in Massachusetts includes new 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines, new and reconstructed 115-kV lines, two new switching stations, and several substation upgrades. In Connecticut, construction is expected to begin with a substation upgrade in Bloomfield in mid-2011, and construction of the overhead line is expected to begin in late 2011. The project is expected to be in service in 2013. For more information about the initiative, visit www.neewsprojects.com

LENOX Earns OSHA ‘Star’
EAST LONGMEADOW — LENOX has been recertified for an additional five years in the prestigious ‘Star’ Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) of the U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). LENOX has maintained this elite health-and-safety certification for more than 10 years. OSHA’s verification for the Star certification includes an application review and a rigorous on-site evaluation by a team of OSHA safety and health experts. In 1997, LENOX became the first cutting-tool company in the country to receive this honor. Since then, LENOX has earned recertification in 2000, 2005, and now in 2010. Sites that make the grade must submit annual self-evaluations and undergo periodic onsite re-evaluations to remain in the programs. The plant, which employs 720 workers, manufactures power-tool accessories and blades including band-saw blades, hack saws, hole saws, utility knives, and reciprocating saw blades. The VPP promotes effective worksite-based safety and health, according to Mike Avery, director of safety and security for LENOX.

Langone’s Florist Opens at Tower Square
SPRINGFIELD — Brent Bertelli, owner of Langone’s Florist, recently signed a lease to take the former Longmeadow Flowers space located on the street level of Tower Square. This new endeavor is the second Langone’s Florist operation. The original store, located at 838 Main St., has been family-owned and operated since 1967. Bertelli said he hopes to expand the business and offer more products and services to the downtown clientele through the new location. Langone’s Florist offers custom florals, tropical plants, silk arrangements, seasonal décor, and a diverse collection of gifts.

Fallon Supports
Hunger-relief Programs
WORCESTER — Fallon Community Health Plan recently distributed more than $170,000 to dozens of designated food pantries and hunger-relief programs throughout Massachusetts. The donations represent the total net proceeds from its annual fund-raising event in September. This year’s record-breaking result is due to the participation of 96 organizations that generously contributed to the effort. Organizations specifically recognized for their donations include Booz & Co., CVS Caremark, the Revere Group, Epstein Becker & Green, Fallon Clinic, Acton Medical Associates, Beacon Health Strategies, Income Research & Management, and Protector Group. Fallon will support the following regional hunger-relief programs: Alliance to Develop Power, Springfield; Amherst Survival Center; Berkshire Community Action Council, Pittsfield; Christian Pentecostal Church, Holyoke; Elder Services of Berkshire County Inc., Pittsfield; Gandara Mental Health Center, West Springfield; Jubilee Cupboard, Ware; Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry, Chicopee; Open Pantry Community Services Inc., Springfield; Providence Ministries for the Needy Inc., Holyoke; Western MA Labor Action, Pittsfield; and the Westfield Food Pantry. Founded in 1977, Fallon is a national, not-for-profit health-care-services organization.

Baystate Rug and Flooring Receives Honor
CHICOPEE — Baystate Rug and Flooring was recently awarded the honor of being Mohawk Industries’ North American Flooring Store of the Year. Mohawk Industries awarded the firm the prestigious award based on criteria including sales, growth, marketing techniques, product knowledge, community service, and best practices. Baystate Rug competed regionally, winning the title of Northeast Flooring Store of the Year, before winning the national championship for all of Canada and the U.S. Joseph Montemagni, president of Baystate Rug, noted that, in order to qualify, “Mohawk evaluated our store’s business practices, our employees’ training, their product knowledge, and reviewed our commitment and involvement in our community.” Baystate Rug is a family-owned flooring company that specializes in retail and commercial flooring, installation, and decorating services. A diversified product selection includes carpet, ceramics, hardwoods, resilient, laminate, green flooring products, area rugs, and window treatments.

Bradley’s Paradies Shops Receive Awards
WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — Bradley International Airport’s prime retailer, the Paradies Shops, was recently honored with several awards recognizing its top-performing managers and first-class associates at the company’s annual management seminar and vendor show in Georgia. The seminar celebrates the accomplishments of managers and both customer-facing and support-level associates who exemplify the company’s mission statement “to exceed the expectations of the customers and business partners we serve.” The Paradies Shops has operated at Bradley for almost 25 years, serves 78,000 customers per month, and runs six retail stores at the airport. Its team at Bradley, led by General Manager Deb Donahue, received numerous awards, including Best Customer Service, Best 401(k) Participation, and the coveted Public Relations Award. These honors are considered qualifying awards and are the basis for the revered awards that recognize the best of the best within the company. Taking home the top honors as one of four Executives of the Year was Judy Heit, a regional merchandise planner based at Bradley. Additionally, Patty Tucker, also of Bradley International, was selected as one of three Assistant Managers of the Year. The Paradies Shops, a family business established in 1960, operates more than 500 stores in more than 70 markets across the U.S. and Canada.

Covering the Basics

By BusinessWest Staff December 21, 2010

Sections Supplements

Do You Need Full-replacement Insurance on Your Building?

John E. Dowd Jr.

The owners of a new company found a building on the market for an affordable price, so they bought it. Built in the 1940s to manufacture aircraft for the war effort, the metal structure had a large open space. The company occupying this space was in the software-development business, and the building was much larger than it needed, but the price made it seem like a sensible move. However, the owners got a surprise from their insurance agent about property coverage.
Insurance companies base limits of insurance on the cost of replacing a building exactly as it was before the loss. The cost of reconstructing this old building was much higher than both its purchase price and that of other suitable properties. The company did not need that much insurance, and paying the higher premium for it would have been wasteful, so the owners asked the agent for alternatives. What if, they asked, we don’t rebuild our building as it was?
After a fire or some other catastrophe destroys a building, its owners may decide not to rebuild or replace with a similar structure for a number of reasons:
• As was the case with the software company, the current building’s design may be impractical. The company bought the building because of a good price, not because of its large open space. A software developer ordinarily does not need that much space; if it were to rebuild, it would almost certainly choose a smaller building with a different layout. Also, very old buildings often include materials that builders do not commonly use today, such as plaster and lathe. Reconstruction with these materials is expensive and often unnecessary for the continued operation of the business.
• The company may decide to consolidate the operations of two locations into one. The second location may have the capacity to absorb the first one’s operations, and management may feel that it will gain efficiencies by consolidating.
• Depending on the building’s age, it may not meet current building codes. The local government may require any new buildings to meet expensive new codes.
The standard business property-insurance policy states that the insurance company will pay ‘actual cash value’ — the cost of replacing the property minus an amount for depreciation. However, it offers the option of valuing a loss at replacement cost without deduction for depreciation. A business that chooses this option will need to purchase the amount of insurance equal to the cost of replacing the building “as is.”
The company will pay the difference between the actual cash value and the replacement cost only if the property owner actually rebuilds or replaces the property, and then only if he does so as soon as reasonably possible after the loss. The policy also provides a small amount of additional insurance (typically the lesser of 5% of the insurance on the building or $10,000) to cover the increased cost of construction resulting from changes in building codes.
Businesses like the software company, which do not need an exact replacement of their current buildings, should ask their agent about adding a ‘functional building valuation’ endorsement to their policies. It establishes a limit of insurance somewhere between actual cash value and full replacement cost, and allows the property owner to replace the building with one that fulfills the same function as the old one did, but at a lesser cost.
The discussion with the agent should also include increased ‘ordinance or law’ coverage to provide additional insurance for increased costs from new building codes. With the right attention to detail, a business can get the property insurance it needs without having to waste money on unnecessary coverage.

John E. Dowd Jr. is a fourth-generation principal of the Dowd Agencies, and one of three partners at the oldest insurance agency in Massachusetts with operations and management under continuous family ownership. The Dowd Agencies is a full-service agency providing commercial, personal, and employee benefits. It has four offices in Western Mass.; (413) 538-7444.

Signs of Improvement

By BusinessWest Staff December 21, 2010

Sections Supplements

For Many Locally, There Is Room for Cautious Optimism

Lym Tech Scientific will soon be moving into this building on Westover Road in Chicopee, an acquisition that is one of many positive signs for the local economy.

Kent Pecoy says he can always tell when a recession is coming to an end, not from a technical, economics-textbook definition, but from real-life experience. And he should know; he’s been through enough of them over a 30-year career.
He told BusinessWest that the evidence comes in the form of remarks and unspoken thoughts that come with conversations he has with prospective clients, specifically couples looking at major home-renovation projects or new-home-building initiatives.
“You sit with a couple, and whether it’s a remodeling job — a kitchen, family room, bedroom, whatever — or a new house, she’s saying, ‘we need to get this done,’ and he’s saying, ‘I’m not sure this is the right time to do it,’” said Pecoy, owner of Kent Pecoy & Sons Construction. “And she starts kicking him under the table, saying, ‘we can’t put this off any longer — the kids will be out of the house by the time we get this done.’”
While acknowledging that there is some stereotyping going on with this anecdote, Pecoy said it serves to make his point — that, during recessions, and especially this past one, couples will put off things as long as they can. The fact that the under-the-table kicking is prompting more husbands to say ‘yes’ to such projects means that many people really can’t wait any longer, but they also have the confidence to move ahead.
This is especially true with remodeling, he continued, adding that this segment of his business now accounts for far more than 50% of revenues, not the breakdown he’d like — he’d much prefer to build new, high-end homes — but he’s happy that at least one aspect of his operation is seeing an uptick, and that he’s getting more of his time-honored evidence that times are getting better.
Others involved in business and economic development say they don’t have such a tell-tale sign that a recession is winding down. For them, things are somewhat murkier. Indeed, there is still considerable uncertainty about if, when, and to what extent things will improve. There is, however, general agreement that 2010 was a real struggle, and the year ahead should yield some improvement, but this will be, by and large, a mostly jobless recovery.
“We predicted 2010 to be this kind of year; we were hoping it wouldn’t be, but we predicted it would be, in terms of land sales in our development corporations and general absorption of real estate,” said Allan Blair, president and CEO of the Economic Development Council of Western Mass. “We thought there would be a slowdown in layoffs in 2010 and there was, but we also thought the job growth would be slow, and it was. So as disappointing as all this was, it wasn’t a surprise to us.
“It looks as though the layoff situation has bottomed out, so that jobs appear to be stable, but there are a lot of unemployed people out there who are going to be struggling to find employment equal to what they left,” he continued. “They’re going to have a hard time — it’s going to be a real struggle for a lot of people, which is going to create a lot of problems for our communities and our citizens. The government is spending what it can to retrain and reposition people, but the business environment isn’t responding fast enough to absorb them.”
Russell Denver, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, said some sectors have performed better than others in 2010, and that uneven performance will likely continue in the year ahead as players in different industries respond — or don’t — to the conditions.
“It’s been a mixed bag … there is not general economic growth spread evenly among the business community. It entirely depends on what sector you’re in,” said Denver. “I’ve heard that temporary employment agencies are having a good year, and some advertising agencies are having a good year, and some architectural firms are enjoying better times.”
“Companies are becoming much more efficient, much more productive, and, interestingly, the companies that are hiring are having a difficult time finding the right person,” he continued. “People attribute this to the fact that, even a few years ago, people were willing to leave one company to go to another; now, many of the people are hunkering down, afraid to leave for another position, because the grass is not always greener on the other side, and if there’s a layoff, they may not get employed again very quickly.”

Hire Ground
Looking back on 2010, Blair said that, while it came off as predicted — rather unremarkable in terms of real growth — there were some positive developments.
At the top of that list would be the groundbreaking for the high-performance computing center, a project that has many question marks in terms of overall impact, especially with jobs, but enormous potential to spark other economic development.
“The Holyoke high-performance computing center is something that we’re looking forward to understanding, as far as the economic impact is concerned,” said Blair. “But the fact that this is happening, and with those particular players, is encouraging to say the least, and we’re optimistic that we have something to rally around in terms of that digital technology cluster, and can see what we have here.”
Movement with regard to identifying clusters and facilitating their growth was another of the bright spots in 2010, Blair continued, noting the hiring of the EDC’s first ‘manager of cluster development,’ Michael Wright (see related story, page 6).
Still another was some signs of movement on absorption of some of the vast amounts of commercial and industrial inventory now on the market, a situation that is no doubt contributing to the lack of new building in the EDC industrial parks and similar facilities across the region.
Bill Wright, president of Lym Tech Scientific, a manufacturer of cleanroom wipes, is responsible for some of that absorption. His company, which has been based in several smaller buildings at the Cabotville Industrial Park complex in Chicopee, recently acquired the 78,000-square-foot building at 2245 Westover Road that was most recently home to Engineered Polymers, and is slated to move in next month.
Wright said the move was necessitated by the need for more space and also better space — the multiple floors at Cabotville are not conducive to efficient operations — but also by confidence that the company would continue its recent growth pattern.
“I hope the economy stays on track,” said Wright. “It appears to be a jobless recovery, but we seem to have found some pockets of business that work OK for us. It’s tough to make predictions about the local economy and employment, though.”
Indeed, it is, said Jim Barrett, manager partner for the Holyoke-based accounting firm Meyers Brothers Kalicka, who hears from clients every day about the economy and how it is impacting business.
‘Cautious optimism’ was a phrase Barrett used repeatedly as he talked about 2011 and his clients’ prospects for stability, growth, and additional hiring.
“Some people are up this year, but most all business owners are thinking hard about whether they should bring back people,” he told BusinessWest. “They’re paying people overtime, things are looking up, but credit is still tight, and there are outside factors impacting specific industries, like health care reform and medical practices; there are a lot of question marks.
“With certain sectors, like manufacturers and retailers, things are looking better, but they’re not yet ready to commit a lot of capital to expansion, because they’re just not sure,” he continued, hitting on one of the variables that will certainly define progress in the year ahead: business confidence. “Some of them are, but most people are still very cautious about spending, and that includes hiring.”
Elaborating, he said many of the staffing agencies the firm represents are reporting growth in 2010, which is a good sign for the overall economy. This uptick means that, while companies might be reluctant to bring people on full-time, they are adding temporary help or paying overtime, which are big steps in the right direction (see related story, page 22).
“Some employers have people working overtime, which is always a good sign,” he said. “They’re paying OT and using temps, which is one step before actually hiring someone. Instead of hiring the staff in anticipation of the work coming, people are waiting for the work to come in, and then they’re hiring staff and they’re augmenting with temporary help or overtime.”

Watch Words
Denver said he’s also observed some improvement in various sectors. Like Barrett, he’s buoyed by the improved health of staffing agencies, but also sees rays of optimism in the growth of some marketing agencies and even architectural firms.
The former indicates that companies that have cut back on their marketing — one of the first areas to be trimmed when times are tough — are putting some dollars back in that area. As for the latter, it provides some glimmers of hope for the construction sector, one of the hardest-hit industries in the region.
Overall, Denver said 2010 was not a year of big, positive headlines in the business community, but of many important success stories. He listed the high-performance computing center, construction of Baystate Medical Center’s $251 million Hospital of the Future, more progress on the State Street corridor in Springfield and also in the South End and downtown, and the start of construction of the new data center in the old Technical High School on Elliot Street.
Many of the positive developments in 2010 were funded, or assisted, with federal stimulus money, said Denver, adding that as this pipeline dries up, which it is expected to do in the months ahead, there may be a negative impact on recovery and the rate of same.
“Government propping up the economy was the story of 2010,” he said. “And now those funds are running out. What happens without federal stimulus, or far less stimulus money, may well be the most significant story of 2011.”
Evan Plotkin knows what he would like the biggest story of the year ahead to be — more visible evidence of progress in Springfield’s central business district, a goal that has become somewhat of a passion for the president of NAI Plotkin.
While noting that the commercial real-estate market remains sluggish amid some signs of improvement, Plotkin said 2010 was a year in which downtown revitalization efforts took steps forward, through everything from the retenanting of the old federal building to the popular Art & Soles program that brought dozens of colorful, five-foot-high sneakers — and some additional vibrancy — to the downtown.
And 2011 may yield more positive developments with projects ranging from revitalization of long-dormant Union Station to ongoing efforts to bring more market-rate housing in locations such as Court Square, the Bowles Building, and others.
“I’m excited that developments like Union Station are getting to a point where people are developing those properties,” said Plotkin. “There’s been a lot of talk, and it’s been very frustrating for many years, but we’re at the end of the discussion phase, and I think we’re at the point where we’re ready to pull the trigger and get started on some of these projects.
“If we convert some of the buildings downtown into market-rate housing, and if we start to do some of these other cultural things that people have been talking about for some time,” he continued, “we’re going to start to see a whole new Springfield emerge.”

The Finish Line
If Pecoy is right, and the recession is not just technically over but really behind us, then more wives will be kicking their husbands under the table in the months ahead, urging them to move ahead with major renovation plans.
Area business owners and economic-development leaders will be looking for these and other signs — real and metaphorical — over the course of a year that seems destined to be defined by more uncertainty.
But it will be one that should, by most accounts, anyway, bring some much- anticipated improvement for a region that is still, in many ways, digging out from the Great Recession.

George O’Brien can be reached at
[email protected]

Economic Outlook 2011

By BusinessWest Staff December 21, 2010

Cover Story

Searching for Answers to an Uncertain Future

Cover Decemebr 20, 2010

While uncertainty is the one word most experts are using to frame their opinions about 2011, something approaching consensus is taking shape. It appears the region and nation are due for more slow, unremarkable growth, and probably insignificant gains in terms of employment. In other words, it looks like more of the same that we saw in 2010.

Andre Mayer had an intriguing way of summing up what happened with the economy in 2010, one that captured the sentiment of most observers.
“It’s been a year in which conditions have certainly improved … but in a rather disappointing way,” said Mayer, vice president of Communications and Research for the Associated Industries of Mass. (AIM). Indeed, after recording fairly significant growth in the first six months of the year, the economy stumbled, and then seemed to take at least one step backward for every step forward.
“In 2010, we had a pretty good first half in terms of working our way out of a recession,” Mayer continued. “The state economy improved, and business confidence increased, right up until June, and fairly steadily. But then, things began to deteriorate, and some of that has to do with the diminishing impact of stimulus actions on the part of the federal government. We had quite a disappointing third quarter, and while the fourth quarter has been a little better than the third, we’re well behind where we thought we’d be in terms of recovery.”
Karl Petrick, an assistant professor of Economics at Western New England College, agreed.

Karl Petrick says a “Mexican standoff” between consumers and business owners is one of the many issues limiting recovery from the Great Recession.

“The recovery’s been shaped like a U, a very long U,” he explained, referring specifically to the horizontal line. “There’s only been a little bit of an upward tick. It’s been really frustrating … we’ve just been bouncing along the bottom on this recovery, and that’s been nationwide, not just Western Mass. And every month there’s good news, the next month, there’s bad news. And the nationwide jobs report has done it again.”
That report — which showed that just 38,000 jobs were added for the month of November, after robust growth in October, and an unemployment rate of 9.8% — has many economists scratching their heads and shrugging their shoulders when they talk about 2011 and what can be expected regionally and nationally.
But while there is certainly a large amount of uncertainty, there is something approaching consensus when it comes to the outlook on the months and quarters ahead — growth that will be slow and generally unremarkable, with probably only slight improvement in the jobs situation.
This goes double for Western Mass., said Bob Nakosteen, professor of Economics at UMass Amherst, because this region lacks what he calls a “jobs-creating fuel source” like the technology and biosciences clusters in Central and, especially, Eastern Mass., which greatly outperformed the western counties in 2010.
“The problem, of course, is that we really haven’t replaced our declining manufacturing base with anything that has dynamism into the future,” he said, with ‘we’ referring to the Pioneer Valley as a whole, but especially its largest city. “Springfield has not reinvented itself; it has a lot of potential, but isn’t that the worst curse in life, to have a lot of potential?”
“We’re just in for a period of relative stagnation, if that’s the right word,” he continued. “There will be slow growth; I think this may start to improve, but it probably won’t happen before midyear. And it’s only when the national economy starts to improve that we’re going to feel some of the benefits in this part of the state. And there just isn’t enough of an economic engine here to have traction once the national economy starts to grow.”
But Mayer was much more positive in his outlook. “I think 2011 should be a year in which it becomes clear that the recovery is taking hold. We should see improvement from a very low rate of growth as the year goes on, and we’ll enter 2012 in much better posture than we’ll enter 2011.
“Unless we fall off completely,” he continued with a laugh, noting that there is just too much uncertainty — in this area code and countries like Ireland, Portugal, Greece, and others — to say with any degree of confidence what will happen.
For its Economic Outlook 2011, BusinessWest talks with several economists about the immediate future and what will shape it from a recovery standpoint. Overall, they said there are far more questions than hard answers.

Realistic State of Mind
Amid the prevailing disappointment over how 2010 played itself out, there were some bright spots that could prompt optimism if one were so inclined.
Mayer said the state’s performance, which exceeded the nation’s, was one such positive, in part because it showed some depth and diversity in the Commonwealth’s economy, although the good showing likely had more to do with the fact that the Bay State isn’t dominated by the industries hardest hit by the Great Recession, such as home building and automobile manufacturing.
“The fact that we’ve not only been able to keep pace, but actually outperform the nation so far in this slow and halting recovery is a good thing for us,” he explained, adding that, historically, the state has lagged behind the rest of the country when it comes to bouncing back.
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth’s performance helped it retain some talented young people who might otherwise have left for presumably greener pastures.
“We have not seen the kind of outflow of human capital, mostly young people with marketable skills, that we’ve seen after past recessions,” Mayer explained, “because they would leave to seek better job opportunities elsewhere in the country. Right now, there aren’t those kinds of opportunities.
“In fact, the kinds of places where they used to go, the areas with high population growth, like Arizona, Florida, and Nevada, are suffering very badly in this cycle,” he continued, “because those are places where real estate and home construction are very important parts of the economy, and those sectors have just been hammered.”
Overall, the Massachusetts economy — and individual businesses large and small — have “adjusted,” said Mayer, which, roughly translated, means they’ve become more efficient and able to do the same with fewer people, which is another positive from a competitiveness standpoint, but not from a job-growth perspective.
“On balance, companies have been able to adjust to more-difficult circumstances, to a slow-growth economy,” he told BusinessWest. “They’ve been able to keep afloat and in some cases do pretty well, but they’re doing this, in large part, at the expense of job creation; they’ve slimmed down their staffing, and they’re very reluctant to add on new people, so we haven’t seen a whole lot of job creation.”
And, surprisingly, one of the areas where there’s been recorded growth is manufacturing, noted Mayer, adding that this is probably the last sector most observers thought would expand. “Manufacturers can usually squeeze more productivity out of their existing staff, and they’ll usually do that before they add people, so this has been an odd pattern, but something else that bodes well for the state.”
Despite these positive developments, 2010 has been rather forgettable, said Mayer and other observers, and the sluggishness of the past few months, not to mention the November jobs report, makes it that much more difficult to gauge what the year ahead will be like.
“One month you get 172,000 jobs, and the next, 39,000 new jobs, one-fifth the number that was forecast,” said Petrick. “That just really shows how uncertain the recovery remains in terms of when it’s going to gain steam.
“Most forecasters were almost writing 2010 off, saying, ‘we’re going to see some improvement, but not a lot,’ and those people were right,” he continued. “But then, most people were forecasting that things would pick up in 2011; now, some of the more pessimistic forecasts are for 9.5% unemployment nationwide, and the optimistic ones are for 8%, which is significantly higher than it had been, and that doesn’t bode well for Western Mass.”
Petrick noted that perhaps the biggest stumbling block to economic progress, both regionally and nationally, is confidence, or lack thereof. This fear of what is still very much the unknown has both consumers and business owners frozen in their tracks and either unwilling or unable (or both) to step forward with any conviction.
“Consumers are uncertain — they’re holding back as much as they can,” he explained. “Businesses are uncertain, not because they’re worried about taxes, but because they’re worried about what’s happening with consumption. It’s a Mexican standoff between consumers and businesses, each one saying ‘you first.’ Consumers are saying ‘hire us and we’ll spend,’ and businesses are saying ‘spend and we’ll hire you.’”

Stimulating Conversation
Whether there is any relaxing of this standoff in 2011 depends largely on when and to what degree the national economy improves, said Petrick, adding that there are several factors that will play into this.
These include everything from the fate of the announced compromise tax plan to the impact of whatever stimulus funding is still to be spent, to the Federal Reserve’s attempts to actually spur inflation, or at least ward off the more dangerous deflation.
“They are trying to get a higher rate of inflation than we have now, because there are some things that might spring from this that are healthy,” said Nakosteen. “If businesses can get a bit more of a margin in the prices they charge, if low interest rates in the face of a little more inflation prompt investors to get more into the stock market, these are good things, and two outcomes the Fed is trying to get by doing this.
“The risk is that they’re in a little bit of uncharted territory,” he continued, “and it’s not real clear that those actions are actually going to prompt the economy to begin to recover. There are only so many things they can try, and they seem to have tried one of everything; no one really knows.”
Those four words apply to many of the questions concerning the regional and national economy, including the matter of federal stimulus efforts.
Indeed, while many believe the impact of stimulus programs is now mostly in the past tense, Petrick said there remains a substantial amount of stimulus funding that has been allocated for this region but not spent.
“This is construction money, by and large, and it will be helpful, because that’s the sector that’s been the hardest-hit,” he explained. “There still could be a positive effect in the next year from that money that’s been allocated for different projects but hasn’t been spent.”
Locally, progress for the short and long term may well depend on if and to what degree the region can advance the process of reinventing itself.
Petrick sees some signs of progress in the Valley’s ongoing efforts to build its ‘green’ sector.
“This is a region that could, with a lot of work, start to make a name for itself in terms of green technology,” he said. “We have some green shoots — individually, they’re not much, but collectively, this could be a positive thing that could prompt hiring across a number of skill levels.”
But Nakosteen says the region still has a lot of work to do with regard to the process of reinvention.
“We’ve had this long-term decline in our base,” he explained. “There’s nothing really stopping that, and there’s nothing arising to take its place. There’s nothing taking hold to get these gateway cities going, and Springfield is one of those gateway cities.”
The biggest concerns for the year ahead involve jobs and the likelihood that this state and region won’t be creating many.
“We’ve done all right in Massachusetts relative to the rest of the nation,” said Mayer. “October was a pretty good month, maybe the first we’ve had, and then the November report came out, and we went backwards. So it’s very hard to predict what will happen next year.”

U Guessed It
While the past few months have shown that seemingly anything can happen in 2011, economists are in general agreement that the nation and region will likely continue moving along what is the bottom of the U that several referenced when taking about the shape of the recovery.
There may be more movement back up, Petrick told BusinessWest, predicting what amounts to more of the same for at least the next few quarters.
In other words, when 2011 nears its end, you may be seeing and hearing economists say there was improvement, but in a rather disappointing way.

George O’Brien can be reached at
[email protected]

Editorial

By BusinessWest Staff December 7, 2010

Opinion

2010: A Year of Some Forward Progress

When all is said and done, 2010 will go down as a rather unremarkable year when it comes to business and economic development in Western Mass. Quite unremarkable might be more accurate.
Overall, there were few large-scale success stories, and as far as individual businesses were concerned, few if any will be calling this their proverbial ‘best year ever.’ As for headlines, besides the economy, which simply didn’t rebound here the way everyone was hoping and some were expecting, the next-biggest story was the groundbreaking for the high-performance computing center in Holyoke. This was really a 2009 story, and the groundbreaking was rather underwhelming and anti-climactic.
But while this past year lacked real drama, there were many stories from the pages of BusinessWest that seem to indicate some forward progress and give cause for optimism, if one is inclined to be optimistic.
Here are some positives to come away with:
• More signs of life in downtown Springfield. Maybe not as we’d like, but there are some. The lights are on in the old federal building, and the major landscaping work outside is nearly complete. The retenanting of the structure, a work in progress to be sure, will bring more foot traffic downtown and could help spur more retail development in a central business district that needs it.
Meanwhile, the Asylum building is coming down (not just yet, but soon, we hear) and the New England Farm Workers’ Council has acquired the historic Bowles Building, with designs on bringing market-rate housing and perhaps some retail to the long-vacant upper floors of the property known primarily as home to the Student Prince restaurant.
Other signs of progress: One Financial Plaza is turning more lights on, the State Street Corridor project added new chapters, work is underway on the new data center to take shape in the old Technical High School, and the ‘sneaker’ project, otherwise known as Art and Soles, spread some color downtown and gave people another reason to visit. And some did.
• More involvement from the state university. UMass Amherst Chancellor Robert Holub and his fedoras were seemingly everywhere this year, from the computing center festivities to an expansion of the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, to ceremonies marking construction of the new $156 million New Laboratory Sciences Building on the Amherst campus.
The multiple sightings of Holub and his hats mean that the university is doing what we know it has to do — become more of a force in this region. Initiatives such as those outlined above, as well as the university’s many other initiatives in Springfield, from the sneakers project to taking a lead role at the Andrew M. Scibelli Enterprise Center at the Technology Park at STCC, all bode well for the future.
• The continued health of the ‘eds and meds’ sector. These institutions have been hit hard by the recession, just like every other sector, but they continue to be the rock of the local economy. Area hospitals have weathered the economic storm and appear ready for a rebound, while the $250 million Hospital of the Future at Baystate Medical Center moves quickly toward an opening that will mean substantial job growth.
On the eds side, the renamed Westfield State University is playing a key role in revitalizing the downtown in that city, while Holyoke Community College is expanding its presence with the new learning center downtown. Meanwhile, other institutions, from Elms to Bay Path to AIC, continue to make an impact far outside their campuses.
There were many other positive stories in 2010, from the continued growth of the biosciences and clean-energy sectors to advancement of the Ludlow Mills project being undertaken by WestMass Development Corp. Together, they don’t make 2010 a year of big headlines or profound developments. But it was a year of some important forward progress.

City to City

By BusinessWest Staff December 7, 2010

Cover Story

Taking Lessons — and Inspiration — from North Carolina

Cover December 6, 2010

A group of 40 business and civic leaders from Greater Springfield were in two North Carolina municipalities — Winston-Salem and Greensboro — last week as part of the City to City program. As the name suggests, participants travel from one city to another, but they also take ideas and, hopefully, inspiration and determination back home. There were myriad thoughts expressed about what Springfield could learn from this excursion, but commentary centered around creating vibrancy downtown, focusing on steps to keep more young people in the 413 area code, crafting a more regional approach to economic development, and, perhaps most importantly, creating more positive energy in the City of Homes.

Allen Joines was explaining — sort of — just how it came to be that 40 business and civic leaders from Greater Springfield were having breakfast at the Marriott in his city, Winston-Salem, N.C., listening to him talk about economic development, downtown revitalization, and generating business diversity.
“The closer you get to the guillotine, the more you start to focus,” joked Joines, now in his ninth year as mayor of this city of 220,000, located about an hour from Charlotte.
‘Focus’ is a very general, perhaps overly simplistic way to describe what the leaders of Winston-Salem, or WS, as it’s called, did when, about 20 years ago, the bottom simply fell out of an economy based on tobacco, textiles, and furniture manufacturing, all industries on the decline. “We lost more than 10,000 jobs in about 18 months,” said Joines, who was then economic development director for the community. “In just a few years, RJ Reynolds [the tobacco giant headquartered in the city] went from 16,000 employees to under 3,000.”

Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines says his city has been quite resilient, bouncing back from a series of economic calamities.

In the face of this precipitous decline, the city took dramatic steps to diversify its economy, said Joines, adding that it had no choice but to do so. And it has rebounded on the strength of small businesses — there are only five companies or institutions in the city employing more than 1,000 people.
Today, the manufacturing sector that once accounted for 45% of the jobs in Greater Winston-Salem now provides roughly 14%. Dramatic gains have been made in health care (now the largest employer), the biosciences (much of it happening at the Piedmont Triad Research Park created in the heart of downtown), the broad field of design, logistics and distribution, and others. Meanwhile, the city is making major strides in its efforts to become a center for something called regenerative medicine, or the engineering of tissue and organs (more on that later).
Over the past few years, the city has successfully attracted FedEx, which has built a regional air hub at nearby Piedmont Triad International Airport; prevailed in an intense competition to land a $426 million Caterpillar assembly plant; built a new baseball stadium downtown (not without controversy); opened dozens of new restaurants in the central business district; lowered its high-school dropout rate, and earned status as one of the few cities across the nation to curb, and actually reverse, the so-called brain drain.
All this and more explains why those 40 leaders from Greater Springfield were in the Bethabara Room at the Marriott for the opening act of a program called City to City, where representatives of one (usually distressed) municipality visit another — to see, hear, ask questions, and, hopefully, take back some ideas and inspiration. Winston-Salem was chosen, said Ron Ancrum, president of the Community Foundation of Western New England and organizer of this junket, because it is like Springfield in many ways, including size, demographics, its status as a former manufacturing center, and recent challenges. Greensboro, a slightly smaller city 30 miles to the east, was chosen for the same reason.
A day after hearing about Winston-Salem’s progress, the Western Mass. contingent learned how Greensboro had waged a similar comeback in the face of deep losses in manufacturing jobs.
Reflecting on what they had absorbed in Winston-Salem on day two of the junket, participants had varying thoughts on what could be taken away.
Paul Robbins, president of the Wilbraham-based marketing and public-relations firm that bears his name, said the progress Winston-Salem has made in its downtown — with regard to everything from housing to new restaurants — and the resulting improvement in the retention of young people should prompt Springfield officials to redouble their efforts in that realm.
Meanwhile, Maryann Lombardi, director of Creative Economy for UMass Amherst, came away impressed not only with the large role the arts has played in economic development in Winston-Salem, but also how Wake Forest University, located within the city, has been part of virtually every initiative mentioned by leaders in that community and is a true “economic engine.”
Russ Denver, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, joked that he loved the city’s $11 commercial tax rate, less than one-third Springfield’s levy, and thought officials in the City of Homes might try such a number. Turning serious, he had high praise for the vision and creativity it took to put a 200-acre research park downtown.
Sally Fuller, project director for the Davis Foundation, was among many to observe that the overwhelmingly positive attitude and can-do philosophy in Winston-Salem stood in stark contrast to the negativism that she says prevails in Springfield and stifles progress.
Her remarks prompted many to nod in agreement, and Denver to summon a remark made by one of those carrying out the Urban Land Institute study on the city several years ago. “He said, ‘some people see the glass as half-full, others see it as half-empty; in Springfield, people believe they don’t even have a glass.’”
For this issue, BusinessWest recaps the City to City experience, focusing mostly on Winston-Salem, and on what participants want to take back from Tobacco Road. Their comments speak volumes about just how much work needs to be done in Springfield.

Changing the Landscape
Gayle Anderson says she’s like most chamber of commerce directors. She tracks what people say and write about her community, and takes great pride in placement on those ‘best of’ and ‘top 25’ lists that publications like to put together.
So she has a lot to be proud of these days, because WS is on many such compilations, including:
• ‘One of the Best Places to Live and Launch’ from 2008 in Fortune Small Business;
• The ‘Top 25 Places for Business and Careers’ as compiled by Forbes in 2009;
• The ‘Top 25 Locations for Biotech’ as assembled by Business Facilities magazine in 2009; and
• The ‘Top 7 Intelligent Communities in the World’ as compiled by the Intelligent Community Forum in 2008.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported earlier this year that WS is one of only 14 cities across the country with more college graduates moving in than moving out, and North Carolina was listed on the most recent ‘Top Destination States for People Relocating’ list put together by United Van Lines.
“We didn’t get all of those people, obviously, but we certainly got our share,” said Lombardi, who like Mayor Joines and others, said Winston-Salem has come a long way over the past 20 years, and even a decade ago, when West Fourth Street, on which the WS chamber is located, was, in her words, “dead as a doorknob.”
How the business district, and the city as a whole, has come back to life, is a compelling story, one that placed WS in a 23-page report authored by Federal Reserve Bank of Boston called “Lessons from Resurgent Cities,” and garnered the attention of Ancrum as he and others considered possible destinations for a City to City tour involving Springfield area leaders.

Ron Ancrum says the City to City tour was a learning expereince, but also a chance for participants to get to know one another so that they might better work together to implement what they've learned.

Ancrum, who came to the Community Foundation late last year, was familiar with City to City through his participation in a visit to Chicago by business and civic leaders in Boston. “That was a tremendous learning experience,” he told BusinessWest, adding that he wanted to create a similar tour for Springfield-area representatives as a way to provide an education in how other communities were getting things done, while also getting the Community Foundation more involved in economic-development matters.
Several destinations were considered for the City to City experience, Ancrum continued, noting that two in New England — Providence and New Haven — while meritorious, were rejected because the committee planning the program thought it would be difficult to get business leaders to commit to a three-day itinerary, which is the preferred length of such visits, in cities so close to home.
After considering Jersey City, N.J., a community in Michigan, and several others, the planning committee chose Winston-Salem and Greensboro because of both geography and their many similarities to Springfield. The tour would ultimately have four learning focal points: education, economic development, arts and culture, and public safety.
Ancrum said he and others had many goals in mind when they put the trip together. First among them was providing a learning laboratory of sorts, but there was also the desire to bring business and civic leaders together so that they may get to know one another, talk about their experiences, and then perhaps ultimately work together to help put some of the concepts they’d seen in North Carolina to work in Greater Springfield.
Participants visited a number of locations over the three days, including the research park; the WS chamber complex; the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, a renovated former Hanes underwear plant now home to galleries, meeting and event spaces, the Sawtooth School for Visual Art, and the Hanesbrands Theatre; the Goler Community Development Center in WS; Bennett College in Greensboro; the International Civil Rights Museum, also in Greensboro; and other stops.

Rolling with the Punches
As he recounted Winston-Salem’s near-miss with the guillotine, Joines said the city’s comeback — still very much a work in progress — has been marked by diligence and creativity, but even moreso by resiliency.
“When I look back on all that we went through, I think of that kid’s toy, the one where when you punched it, it would fall over, but then bounce back up again,” he explained during his opening remarks. “We took a lot of punches — and we still get punched today — but we’ve always bounced back up.”
Joines said he was a somewhat reluctant mayoral candidate, but was eventually compelled to run because he didn’t think city government was moving the city in the right direction. Running with the slogan ‘One City Pulling Together,’ Joines took nearly 80% of the vote in his first election.
Since assuming the corner office, Joines says he has focused economic-development activity on job creation in seven identified sectors:
• Financial services, in which the city already had a solid base, with Wachovia, recently acquired by Wells Fargo, headquartered there;
• Health care, a sector dominated by two large medical centers, including one at Wake Forest;
• Biomedical, an emerging sector that the mayor believes may yield more than 30,000 new jobs. This sector has been bolstered by the creation of the PTRP, which is anchored by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and now boasts more than 20 companies;
• ‘Design,’ a term that applies to the design of everything from clothing to furniture to medical devices, and has become a steady source of new jobs, said Joines;
• Advanced manufacturing;
• Logistics and distribution, a field bolstered by the arrival of FedEx, which has a history of attracting to its hubs companies that depend on overnight shipping, and the same is expected for Greater Winston-Salem; and
• Travel and tourism, which has historically been a reliable source of jobs.
Growth has come in fits and starts over the past 20 years or so, said Joines, noting that, after a great deal of activity in the mid- and late ’90s, things were slowed by the recession that followed 9/11. Meanwhile, the severe downturn of 2008 and 2009 also took a toll on several sectors, especially travel and tourism.
But there has been growth across those seven sectors, he said, adding that, despite measurable progress, city leaders were not satisfied. They studied 108 other communities, focusing mostly on 17 metropolitan areas that were growing twice as fast as WS.
“We wanted to determine if we were going at things the right way,” said Joines. “We looked at these cities to see what they were doing differently that we might do. We determined that what set them apart was a driver, or magnet, that was ruthless.
“And we set about creating our own driver,” he continued, adding that such an economic force would have to meet several criteria. “We had to ask ourselves, ‘is it feasible, is it unique, and is it impactful?
Eventually city leaders would answer ‘yes’ in each case to the field of regenerative medicine, which, says Joines, could eventually create perhaps 20,000 or 30,000 jobs.
The nucleus for this ‘driver’ is the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, led by Dr. Anthony Atala. The institute is an international leader in the engineering of multiple types of human tissue, allowing for the growth of replacement organs and transplanting them into patients.
“We’re galvanized around regenerative medicine,” said Joines, adding that the city now hosts all major conferences involving this field. “We believe that this is going to be a great source of growth and jobs for us.”

Young Ideas
To keep its many sources of jobs thriving, from a workforce perspective, WS officials realized that they had to do something to retain more young people and attract some from outside the region. “Jobs are the best way to do that,” said Anderson, adding quickly that the city has made major progress in creating well-paying jobs in exciting, potential-laden fields.
But there are other factors involved in attracting young people, she said, especially the need to create the kind of vibrancy that this constituency demands. With that in mind, city officials went to work downtown.
Some market-rate housing was created, and there are plans for more, Anderson continued. Meanwhile, an ambitious restaurant-loan program involving area banks and the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership was created to help boost the hospitality sector. Despite the volatility and high failure rate in the industry, only a few of the ventures that have received funding have folded, she told BusinessWest, and, at the moment, there are no restaurant-ready sites left downtown.
Beyond new restaurants and clubs, the city has scheduled a number of events downtown, said Jason Theil, president of the downtown partnership, noting that these happenings introduce the central business district to people and reinforce the notion that it is a good place to live, work, and play.
He said that any city looking to thrive must place a heavy emphasis on downtown development because it is the central business district that often defines a community.
“When you think about it, it’s a city’s skyline that you see in many pictures and postcards and marketing materials,” he explained. “The downtown is a reflection of how a community sees itself. Each one is different, each one is unique, each one gives a city its identity.”
To create still more vibrancy downtown, city officials, working with private developers, crafted plans for a baseball stadium. But halfway through construction, amid plans to double the size of the facility, the Great Recession hit and work ground to a halt, and Jones knew he had to get it started again.
“If we didn’t finish it, 60,000 people would be looking at failure, and we didn’t want that,” said the mayor, referring to the number of commuters who pass that site every day.
City officials eventually pumped more than $20 million in public funding into the project, drawing criticism from many quarters as they did so. But today, the public is supporting the park, filling it for most all the games played there to date, said Jones, adding that the ballpark struggle is a prime example of the resiliency he spoke of early and often.
That resilience has been one of the factors that have keyed Winston-Salem’s turnaround, said Bob Leak Jr., president of Winston-Salem Business Inc. (WSBI), an economic-development group focused on attracting and retaining businesses that he described as a “marketing agency.” When asked to list some of the others, he mentioned everything from that low commercial tax rate and comparatively low cost of living to an attractive workforce; from all the improvements made downtown that are attracting young people to the fact that North Carolina has the lowest percentage of union representation among its workforce in the country.
It is a package of benefits more than any single factor that has led to the city’s resurgence, Leak said, adding that financial incentives, in the form of tax breaks and other provisions, are, while important, just part of the equation.
“Right now, labor and facilities are the two most important factors,” he said, listing some others, such as energy costs, transportation, and schools. “Incentives are important, but not at the start, because if you don’t have the labor or the physical location or the other operating advantages, there’s not enough money you can throw at it for a long enough period to make it work.”
Meanwhile, a decidedly regional outlook on economic development has certainly helped as well, he said, adding that, while the WSBI is essentially selling WS, in many instances it first has to sell the Winston-Salem/Greensboro/High Point region, and its salability helps open doors.

Gaining Perspective
As she got up to leave at the conclusion of one of the sessions in Winston-Salem — this one involving the city’s Housing Authority and the Goler Community Center, both of which are involved in outside-the-box housing projects — Joan Kagan, executive director of Square One in Springfield, turned to BusinessWest and said, “this is a city of collaboration and creativity.”
Those were the two words heard most often amid discussion and reflection on the part of those in the Springfield contingent. Others included Joines’ favorite, ‘resilient,’ as well as ‘energetic’ and ‘imaginative.’
Overall, participants were impressed with the level of cooperation among the various players in the public and private sectors, including major corporations like RJ Reynolds and institutions like Wake Forest, and wondered out loud how to bottle it and bring it home.
While most in attendance considered many of the things WS has accomplished, such as the research park and landing Caterpillar, beyond Springfield’s reach, they said the real lessons from the city are to create a working plan, and then summon the wherewithal to carry it out.
“I think that’s the biggest thing I’ll take back from this,” said Ancrum. “I think we’ve seen the importance of having a plan and having everyone on the same page with that plan.”
For Robbins, the work done downtown, and its impact on overall vibrancy and the retention of young people, was perhaps the biggest takeaway. In recent years, he said, there’s been a ‘downtown versus the rest of the world’ mentality that needs to end.
“The neighborhoods don’t think we need a downtown, the suburbs don’t think we need a downtown,” he explained. “What we’ve seen here [in Winston-Salem] is that, to have a vibrant community, you must have a core center city that people want to go to. Cities are hot again, and the proof is right here.”
Bill Ward, executive director of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, came away impressed with the candor of Winston-Salem officials, who, he said, weren’t afraid to talk about failures, and there have been many, nor were they taken down by them.
“They never let failure get in the way, and we can learn from that,” he said, while also making note of the many times Joines and others made use of the phrase ‘collaborative leadership.’
“Those words have also been heard in Springfield,” he said, adding that, for the most part, people are talking about it, not doing it. “We have to drill down and figure out exactly what that means.”
For Fuller, the positive energy in WS is palpable, and something Springfield needs to create for itself.
“We have so many of the ingredients in place,” she said, referring to downtown specifically but also the city as a whole. “But what we seem to be lacking is the excitement. Here [in Winston-Salem] people feel they can make things happen. In Springfield, I think we’re down on ourselves; we spend too much time agonizing about what we can’t do.”

On the Cutting Edge
A decade ago, Joines said, Winston-Salem certainly wouldn’t have been a destination for any City to City tours. It had escaped the guillotine he mentioned metaphorically, but most of the major success stories were still to be written.
The fact that the city is now hosting groups like the one from Springfield in its Marriott should provide some additional inspiration to those who took this trip, he said. And, indeed, some of those who listened to the mayor expressed the optimism that someday, probably no time soon, the City of Homes may just be on the other side of the City to City equation.
To get there, though, it appears that the city will first have to find a glass, and then make sure people consider it at least half full.
In other words, and to sum up and paraphrase those who took this excursion, there must be more focus.

George O’Brien can be reached
at [email protected]

Doing Business as Certificates

By BusinessWest Staff December 7, 2010

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of November 2010.

AGAWAM

Boston Beautiques
525 Springfield St.
Pawel Muskus

Phipps Discount Liquors
1350 Springfield St.
Spero Phillips

S & N Detailing Services
226 Lancaster Dr.
Neil Donah

V. Mulka @ Shear Illusions
497 Springfield St.
Valerie Mulka

AMHERST

Art is Possibility
34 Main St.
Judith E. Sanders

Beach Club Training
65 University Dr.
Michael Serrichio

Classic Chevrolet LLC
40 Dickinson St.
Todd M. Volk

College Street Motors
260 College St.
John Stanley

CHICOPEE

ENGSafety.com
5 Hummingbird Dr.
Mark B. Bell

Smart Looks II
1245 Granby Road
Brenda-Lee Fortin

Ray’s State Inspection
817 Front St.
Ramez Y. Matta

EAST LONGMEADOW

4c Property Services
91 Pease Road
Carl H. Otto III

Artifacts
201 Shaker Road
Matthew Reed

Bach Towing
174 Shaker Road
Leonard Eremento III

Floating Lotus Jewelry
82 Gates Ave.
Janet Weinberg

Kendall’s Closet
165 Shaker Road
Melissa Schechterle

Maple Street Medical Group
281 Maple St.
Robert S. Howe

Meadow Place Dental
200 North Main St.
Lawrence Commisso

GREENFIELD

A & M Reclistote Services
20 Keegan Lane
Matthew Goglin

Artcycles Boutique
302 Main St.
Loretta Viecelli

Complete Automotive Service
14 French King Highway
Robert M. Vassar

Lundgren Honda of Greenfield
409 Federal St.
Forza Autogroup Inc.

HOLYOKE

Alex Auto Repair
555 South Canal St.
Alexis Gonzalez

Celean’s Beauty Supplies
50 Holyoke St.
Celestine Boateng

CT Bodymagic.com
50 Holyoke St.
Kathy Woodward

Hunter Logging & Tree Service
918 Main St.
Steve Hunter

Ivette’s Images
233 Maple St.
Petra I. Cappas

Pelletier Insulation
143 Suffolk St.
Donald W. Pelletier

R & L Wholesale Seafood
67 Brown Ave.
Ana M. Rodriguez

Riverside Auto & Cycle
85 North Bridge St.
Michael Richardson

Simplicity
1735 Northampton St.
Jacqueline Dominguez

LUDLOW

Butler Carpet Cleaning Company
23 Cady St.
Carl Meshear

The Luxy
200 Center St.
Lisa Tereso

NORTHAMPTON

Burke GMC
200 North King St.
Bryan J. Burke

Electronic Errands
131 High St.
Peter Brunette II

Frogpond Photography & Design
144 Acrebrook Dr.
Diane H. Bowyer

Grab-A-Cab
93 Main St.
Said Lmoalem

Mill River Co.
15 Willow St.
Mara Dupour

Pleasant Journey Used Cars
5 Fulton Ave.
John N. Davey

Ryan Imported Car Repair
3 Brewster St.
Joseph Ryan

PALMER

King Landscape Service
8 Green St.
Michael Larrow

Place Free Classifieds
2092 Main St.
Deborah M. Ciejka

Ray Kelley & Son
11 Water St.
Robert Kelley

Target Engineering & Target Health
111 Woodland Heights
Norman Leclair

Yankee Flea Market Inc.
1311 Park St.
Keith Walker

Yankee Fields
1164 Ware St.
Nancy Kerigan

SOUTHWICK

J&R Consulting
8 Pearl Brook Road
Janet Brodalski

Katie’s Marketing
160 Point Grove Road
Katie Hauff

Walt’s Garage
483 College Highway
Kathy Whalley

Westview Farms
72 Mort Vining Road
Arthur Pinell

SPRINGFIELD

J & D Reptiles
47 Savoy Ave.
Jeremy J. Turgeon

JMS Business Services
6 Macomber Ave.
James M. Skarbek

La Primera Iglesia Elahim
113 Orchard St.
Carmen Rodriguez

Little Workshop
4 Front St.
Paul Stasiak

Majestic Barber Shop
444 Chestnut St.
Jose A. Martinez

Manna-Hata
897 Carew St.
Carlos E. Garcia

Miguel’s Towing LLC
155 Rocus St.
Miguel Santiago

Nikki’s Grill
1655 Boston Road
Nicole Kent

P & P Services
11 Kimberly Ave.
Maria Alicea

Plus Designs
161 Hancock St.
Tanya Daniels

Ramos Accounting and Tax
405 Armory St.
Oscar Ramos

Rocky’s Lawn Care
73 Navajo Road
Rocky L. Kelly Sr.

Shamrock Tech Solutions
116 Denwall Dr.
Thomas P. Hayes

St. James Auto Body
503 St. James Ave.
Ta-Tanisha Ayala

The Chimera Menagerie
182 Main St.
Valentim A. Porfirio

The Sushi
60 Avocado St.
Jae H. Choi

WJH Construction
62 Spence St.
William J. Harnum

WGBH Educational Foundation
44 Hampden St.
James A. Gallerani

Wheelers Cars & Convenience
321 Walnut St.
Wajid Mahmood

Witconn Enterprises LLC
15 Monrovia St.
Richard F. Connery

Wunstarr Marketing
11 Pearl St.
Christopher Jefferson

WESTFIELD

Atkinson Enterprise
97 Reservoir Ave.
Denise Atkinson

MD Kane Construction
35 Day Avenue
Marcus D. Kane

U.S. Asia Alliance
350 Valley View Dr.
Richard Loftus

Wzorek Automotive
22 Little River Road
Carl Wzorek Jr.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Nursefinders of Springfield, MA
181 Park Ave.
Susan Salka

Pet Supplies
175 Memorial Ave.
PSP Stores LLC

Rita’s HairCare
8 Chestnut St.
Rita E. Liberopoulos

The Official Cuts Barber Shop
715 Main St.
Luis A. Marrero

Wireless Zone – ATI
7 Westfield St.
Kevin Sinclair

Company to Watch: Randall’s Farm and Greenhouse

By BusinessWest Staff December 7, 2010

Features

Karen Randall Reinvents the Family Farm

Karen Randall has been willing to adapt to what customers want, which is why her business is much more than a farm today.

Maintaining a viable family farm is a pursuit subject to many different variables, Mother Nature and changing markets among the top contenders. Maintaining a successful farm store is no different, said Karen Randall, and it presents all the complexities of running a business — in addition to agriculture.
But Randall has had good ideas on how to keep both the family farm and a farm market not only viable, but a growing enterprise that has been evolving over time. It’s a tradition that she has been fine-tuning for the past few decades, but she thanks her late father, Bill, for starting the trend.
As the second-generation owner of Randall’s Farm and Greenhouse on a rural stretch of Center Street in Ludlow, she told BusinessWest how her father was not only a good farmer, but a good businessman as well.
Starting out in the 1950s, the operation was originally an egg farm, and Bill would travel the Pioneer Valley delivering his goods. “On his travels,” said Karen, “he would bring home cider, apples, asparagus, things like that, to sell with the eggs.”
Spotting the opportunity to become what Randall called a “convenience store before there were such things,” her father built a small roadside stand where he sold a little of everything.
“Everything you’d possibly imagine,” she continued, “from batteries and fuses to other convenience items. And because of the perishable nature of the produce, we were open all the time, seven days a week all year ’round. I remember on Christmas morning my dad and Uncle John would go open the store for a few hours.”
It wasn’t always her plan to take over the family business, though. After graduating from college in the 1970s with a degree in Childhood Education, she said that a tough job market plowed the way for her to help out on the farm and in the farm market, located in what is now Elsie’s Creamery, named after her mother. She stayed on, became a key employee, and, when her father passed away in 1987 after a short illness, found herself running the operation with her mother.
Life on a farm is all about adaptation, said Randall, from those variables that one can’t control to the decisions that can make or break a business. It was in the mid-1990s when the time came to face another epoch in the history of the farm, and Randall had to decide what to do next.
“I had a milestone birthday,” Randall explained, “and I thought to myself, we have outgrown our building at the creamery. We had gotten out of the recession of the late ’80s and early ’90s. So the questions were, ‘do I take this to the next level — not create a new business, but modernize what I do have and expand certain departments, expand on different ideas? Or do I get out?’”
The answer, of course, was not the latter, but rather the beautiful structure that Randall built in the winter of 1996 to expand the farmstand into an expansive greenhouse and marketplace that also incorporates a kitchen and deli.
“There were other businesses in the eastern part of the state that had done similar things,” she said of her decision to take the farm to the next level. “It was the time for agricultural businesses to grow. There aren’t a lot of them, but there had been some successful expansions, in places like Lexington and Acton.”
Randall came up with a business plan and strategy, borrowed the capital necessary for such a venture, and hired Associated Builders to handle the design and construction to realize her business goals. The 20,000-square-foot structure houses both retail greenhouse space and a post-and-beam market, and gave the business breathing room for those expanded operations, but also some new ventures entirely.
Produce and plants had always been the basis of the retail operations, and the small kitchen she built for the bakery and deli reflected that. “I thought, we’ll make a few sandwiches, sell some deli items, some pies,” she remembered. “Never would I have expected it to become the number-one department in sales for the business.”
It’s a trend that Randall’s has adapted to, she said, to reflect the changing nature of shoppers’ preferences. “People’s lifestyles have changed so much,” she said, adding that “the bakery and deli department grows in sales every year.
“And it’s not just the prepared foods, either,” she continued. “I guess I grew up cutting my teeth in a different environment. We used to sell a lot of 50-pound bags of potatoes, half-bushels of apples, and cases of produce. Well, that’s a thing of the past. We sell a lot of single potatoes now. My dad, who has been dead for 20 years, could never have imagined that we’d be selling out of cut and peeled butternut squash. And green beans already snipped, ready to go in the microwave.”
The downturn in the economy hit the retail greenhouse, Randall said, citing the discretionary nature of such purchases as houseplants. But, keeping true to the adaptive nature of this business over the past few decades, the space today not only houses flowers and plants, but gives the staff a chance to showcase seasonal products and displays.
“And it’s a great place for people to take their deli items and enjoy them all year,” she said.
From spring flowers to the homemade ice cream at Elsie’s, to the popular maze through the cornfields in autumn, to the twinkling holiday trees up now, Randall’s has continued to be a full-year business, and a testament to the success of locally-grown produce — a key concept that’s remained from the old days.
“There are times in this business where you’re selling things that spoil in just a few days,” Randall said, reflecting on the past decade. “You say to yourself, I’d rather be selling cars or refrigerators. Well, I have to say that in the past few years, I take back all of those words, and I’m happy to be selling things that people love to eat.” n

— Dan Chase

A Documented Success

By BusinessWest Staff December 7, 2010

Sections Supplements

StenTel Keeps the Information Flowing

President Ray Catuogno

Ray Catuogno didn’t graduate high school with plans to become a court reporter. But when opportunity knocked, he ran with it, and eventually founded a company that employs about 700 people nationwide, providing transcription services for the medical, legal, law-enforcement, and insurance fields. His story is a case study in how embracing new technology, and being willing to change with the times, have continually opened doors for growth.

In the front lobby of StenTel in Springfield, several shelves are lined with decades-old typewriters, adding machines, and other outmoded devices.
One is a Dictaphone that used wax cylinders to make recordings; to erase a message and start over, the wax was simply heated and melted. Against another wall sits a Graphotype, a century-old machine that punched words onto paper from metal plates. One of the typewriters dates from the 19th century.
Among these devices, which Raymond Catuogno has collected over a lifetime in the transcription industry, is the first dictation machine he used to record court proceedings some 40 years ago. He would keypunch words onto reel-to-reel tapes, which a secretary would type onto paper. “How far we’ve come,” he said.
Indeed, Catuogno — who launched Catuogno Court Reporting in 1978 and later expanded the business to medical dictation and other fields under the name StenTel — is now president of a nationwide network of transcription services that employs the Internet and state-of-the-art communication tools to provide clients with same-day or next-day turnaround.
“We’ve grown to approximately 700 people working for the firm, across the United States,” he said. “Most of them work out of their homes, using the Internet, doing transcription for us.”
It’s a classic story of a business model that rode a wave of technological advances to grow market share. In this issue, BusinessWest examines how StenTel has continually staked out new ground on the cutting edge, and why this family business is well-positioned for the next wave of changes, particularly in health care.

Courting a Career
Catuogno’s life may have been completely different had he not taken a typing course as a teenager.
“After high school, I wanted to build skyscrapers and bridges around the world. But my father said, ‘geez, Ray, I don’t have the money to send you to college; what about joining the Navy on the GI Bill?’ I said, ‘sure, Pop, no problem, I can do that,’ and I joined the Navy.”
He ended up stationed in Key West, Fla., and because he had taken that high-school typing class, he was assigned an administrative role there. Later, his boss sent him to Newport, R.I., where he went through the Naval War College, learning about military law. After that, he returned to Florida, where he served as a court reporter for Navy court martials in Key West and similar Air Force proceedings at Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base in Miami.
“Back and forth along the Florida Keys for three and a half years … that was a really good duty,” he recalled with a smile.
After his military service, Catuogno brought his skills back home to Springfield, where he took a job as a court reporter at Hampden Superior Court, and also started picking up freelance work in courts across the region. In 1978, sensing a growing opportunity, he launched Catuogno Court Reporting, and eventually grew it to five offices, in Springfield, Boston, Worcester, Chelmsford, and Providence, R.I.
But that was only the beginning.
“Over the course of time, we ended up helping a gentleman out with medical transcription, and medical transcription was becoming a national type of business, so we started doing that, too,” Catuogno said. Transcription for insurance companies and police departments soon followed.
But medical transcription was a slower process back then, and required employees who were local.
“The way it used to be done was on tapes — cassette tapes, or even reel-to-reel tapes when we first began — and it’s changed along the way,” he said. “We went from tapes to phone dictation with 800 numbers, and then, of course, to the Internet.”
Catuogno’s son George joined the company in the mid-’80s and eventually took the reins of the medical-transcription side of the business.
“When we entered into medical transcription, we were transcribing cassette tapes for the first customers we picked up,” the younger Catuogno told BusinessWest. But even after the Internet, “we saw an opportunity to further develop that part of the business and do it well. We wanted to get the technology that would allow us to pick up and support customers anywhere in the United States, and wouldn’t be limited to the local region.
“When we went down that road,” he continued, “we saw what technology was available, and we saw an opportunity to develop our own technology.”
The breakthrough was the company’s development and patent of a system of combining audio and text in the same database, allowing doctors, police officers, or other clients to dictate information into the system and print out the transcript from the same location the next day. That technology allowed Sten-Tel to grow rapidly nationwide.
StenTel has since adopted speech-recognition technology and developed a product called Natural Language Processing, that codifies items such as problems, findings, allergies, procedures, lab tests, etc. That capability will streamline the construction of electronic medical records, which will soon be required of all medical practices in the U.S.
That federal mandate, George Catuogno said, will only make cutting-edge medical-transcription services more important, as doctors, by and large, are not going to want to keypunch their own records.
“That’s just not going to happen. In smaller markets, the low-volume guys may be willing to do that, or have their staff do some of that work,” he said, but he predicts most offices will rely on transcription professionals who can create those documents with speed, completeness, and efficiency. “In the end, time is money for these guys.”

New Opportunities
StenTel has built its client roster to more than 7,000, including some of the largest hospitals in the region, including Baystate Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center, Holyoke Medical Center, Wing Memorial Hospital, and UMass Medical Center, as well as Mass General and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
“Police, lawyers, doctors — they use handheld recording devices, and they download those through the Internet, and thousands of reports come here daily,” Ray Catuogno said. “Transcriptionists located across the country access those reports, transcribe them in their homes, and then send them back to our mainframes.”
From his start in a one-room office on State Street, Catuogno’s Springfield operation now occupies the entire sixth floor of Monarch Place downtown. And with additional space has come new avenues for business.
“Our five New England offices are set up for attorneys to use,” he said, gesturing around the large conference room where he spoke to BusinessWest. “Lawyers come in and do arbitrations or depositions here just about every day. It gives attorneys a neutral place to go, which works well for the legal profession.”
The offices are also equipped with videoconferencing equipment, so individuals, groups, or companies can connect to some 10,000 sites around the world. “We can connect to China, Russia, Japan, South America, Europe … almost anywhere in the world.”
Like the use of StenTel offices by attorneys, this was a service that grew organically, and made sense. “It’s expensive to fly, and time-consuming,” Catuogno said. “Here, talking to someone on the TV screen, within five minutes, it’s like they’re here in the room. It’s amazing how it works.”
When asked what he enjoys most about this work, Catuogno immediately cited the relationships he has built over 45 years in the profession — with attorneys and court personnel, insurance companies and medical practices, and the public, but especially with the people his growing business employs.
“One of the things I enjoy is seeing young people come into this business and start their lives — lots of them don’t even have an apartment or an automobile — and then begin to grow,” he said. “As their lives evolve, down the road, you see them get their car, get their apartment, eventually become engaged, get married, have children, and really launch their lives.
“I call them all my family, my working family,” Catuogno continued. “I feel close to all the people here, and I love to see their successes. That’s probably my favorite part of doing this work today.”
But it’s a family business in the literal sense, too, as three of Ray’s children work in the Springfield office full-time, and another daughter, a teacher, helps out during the summer.
“That’s the exciting part,” he said. “The family being here means the business will continue for years to come and, I’m sure, become a much larger and more exciting business with all the new technologies coming on line.”
Whether it’s giving credit to the people who helped grow StenTel into a major player in transcription or proudly displaying those typewriters and dictation machines from the last century or two, Catuogno hasn’t forgotten the past as he looks to what promises to be a bright future. n

Joseph Bednar can be reached
at [email protected]

Retired Partner/Consultant, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.

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