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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

Jan & Lydia Wanat v. Sturdy Home Improvement Inc. and Adam Lucey
Allegation: Breach of contract for installation of windows on the plaintiffs’ home: $17,500+
Filed: 10/29/09

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT

Baron P. Spencer v. Heat Fab Inc.
Allegation: Negligent maintenance of property, causing personal injury: $296,585.44
Filed: 11/13/09

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

American Express Bank FSB v. Francis & Phil Beaulieu & Son Home Improvement Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract on credit card accounts: $49,417.60
Filed: 10/13/09

Bank of America v. the Hot Spot Corp.

Allegation: Breach of contract and monies owed on credit card account: $33,679.27
Filed: 9/01/09

Christopher Eldridge v. Salty Dog Saloon Inc.
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $98,754.17
Filed: 10/07/09

Independent Expert Panel, LLC v. Patient EDU, LLC
Allegation: Action for breach of a consulting agreement: $68,280
Filed: 10/15/09

Julius & Dimitra Kenney v. GFI Prospect Development, LLC
Allegation: Enforcement of a judgment entered in district court: $62,142.70
Filed: 10/16/09

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

James Chicoine v. Paradise City Tavern
Allegation: Overcrowding of facility and negligent property maintenance, causing personal injury: $67,261.14
Filed: 11/02/09

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

Cappaccio Home Improvement v. 33 Washington Street Apts.
Allegation: Non-payment of labor and materials for construction and repair work: $6,395
Filed: 11/04/09

SimplexGrinnell, LLC v. CAP Development Inc. and Trak Petroleum, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of goods and services rendered: $27,320
Filed: 10/20/09

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

East Coast Orthodontic Laboratory Inc. v. Bruce S. Fieldman, D.M.D., P.C.
Allegation: Non-payment of orthodontic products sold and delivered: $14,180.22
Filed: 10/26/09

Liberty Mutual v. A&T Taxi & Livery, LLC
Allegation: Unpaid balance on workers’ compensation insurance: $27,778.86
Filed: 10/27/09

Liberty Mutual v. Bog Cat Builders Inc.
Allegation: Unpaid balance on workers’ compensation insurance: $7,618.24
Filed 10/27/09

Liberty Mutual v. D. Curring Trucking Inc.
Allegation: Unpaid balance on workers’ compensation insurance: $6,041.28
Filed: 10/27/09

Liberty Mutual v. J.G. Plastering Inc
Allegation: Unpaid balance on workers’ compensation insurance: $10,925.07
Filed: 10/27/09

Liberty Mutual v. J.B. Silva Co.
Allegation: Unpaid balance on workers’ compensation insurance: $9,351.10
Filed: 10/27/09

Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. v. Omniglow, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of shipping charges: $4,422.12
Filed: 10/29/09

Plimpton & Hills Corp. v. Lessard Plumbing & Heating
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $19,986.53
Filed: 10/27/09

Volunteering Some Thoughts

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York Mayo
Sections Supplements
York Mayo Has Made Giving Back an Art and a Science
York Mayo

York Mayo encourages others to put their dreams down in writing — and then be willing to do the hard work necessary to reach them.

York Mayo says it was one of the more challenging speeches he’s given during what would have to be described as his second career.

The audience was comprised of roughly 50 12- to 18-year-old inner-city youths gathered at the Worthington Pond Farms in Connecuticut. “I don’t speak to that age group very often,” said Mayo, a former executive with what is now Lenox American Saw who now carries a business card announcing him as a ‘public speaker, advisor, mentor, and worthy grand pooh-bah.’ “I didn’t really know where or how to begin.”

So he started with a question; he asked those assembled to identify the individual who started his famous speech in 1962 with “I have a dream.”

“Everyone knew the answer, of course, and I then went on to ask them about their dreams,” said Mayo. “Later, when one of them guessed correctly that I was 68, I asked if someone my age could still have a dream. When they said ‘no,’ it set me off like a rocket.

“I told them I not only have a dream, but I have it written out — something I told them they have to do,” Mayo told BusinessWest, adding that what’s down on paper is for him to someday, and preferably soon, become a nationally known motivational speaker. He admits that he’s not doing very well in that pursuit, and for a number of reasons.

“They say you need a Web site to be a national motivational speaker, and I don’t have one. It also really helps to have written a book, and I haven’t done that yet, either, so that’s two strikes against me,” he said with a laugh, adding quickly that perhaps the biggest reason is that he’s been too busy being those other things written on his business card.

He’s a mentor to many individuals, ranging from John Majercak, director of ReStore Home Improvement, to Angel Rodriguez, a 16-year-old student at Roger L. Putnam Vocational High School in Springfield, who Mayo has convinced to put some goals down on paper — and then do the hard work necessary to meet them.

“When I first him a year ago, I watched him, and I said, ‘this kid could go either way. He’s a great talker, he’s a very personable guy, a very charming guy, and a very smart person; I could see that he’d be a good salesperson, or he could go the other way and be a great con man,” said Mayo. “I said I would be his mentor, but only under the condition that he changed a lot of the things he was doing and develop goals and a vision, which we would work on together.”

He did, and they have (more on that later).

Mayo is also doing a lot of advising these days, with much of his time devoted to the building of a new Putnam. He’s the president of something called the Roger L. Putnam Technical High School Fund, which was set up to close an estimated $4 million gap between what has been allocated for the new school (projected to cost $150 million) and what it will actually cost to build the facility.

In that capacity, he’s spending a lot of time talking to business owners and organizing tours of Putnam for them. The goal is to convince them to make an investment in the school, the city, the region — and also their own futures in the Pioneer Valley.

When Mayo does get the occasion to speak in public, he’s spending most of his time and energy convincing people in the business community to do all those things he’s been doing since he retired early from Lenox in 1999. Summing up the past decade, he said he’s been making himself available to serve others.

“There are so many needs that are not being met by volunteers, and the government just can’t do it all and shouldn’t do it all,” he explained. “We as citizens should be setting aside a certain amount of our time every day to volunteer and serve others.”

For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Mayo about the many ways he’s giving back, and why he believes others in business can, and should, do the same.

Talking the Talk

Mayo told BusinessWest that, while he is a mentor to many, he has several mentors himself. One of them is John Davis, the former president of American Saw & Mfg. and current president of the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation.

Among other things, says Mayo, Davis has helped him make what he called a somewhat difficult transition from the business world to working with and for nonprofits — and also having to deal with governmental bodies like school committees.

“For someone like me who comes from a great company like American Saw and from the business world, dealing with the Springfield education system is very frustrating,” he explained, noting quickly that, while not all businesses are run effectively, American Saw was. “And to go from that culture into the education world … there’s a huge gap.

“So I call John and spout off and say exactly what I feel,” he continued. “He calms me down and gives me some advice — he’s my mentor now, and I’m glad he is.”

Making this difficult transition has been part of semi-retired life for Mayo, who spent 30 years with American Saw, much of it handling international sales. He said goodbye to the corporate world in 1999, and almost immediately began making that aforementioned transition.

In 2000, he became volunteer executive director of the Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity, and served in that capacity for more than three years. In the summer of 2005, he served as interim president and CEO of Goodwill Industries, and a year later took on that same role with Girls Incorporated of Holyoke.

With ReStore, Mayo has worked primarily on a capital campaign that began nearly three years ago. The goal was $1 million, to be used primarily to help the organization move from its current 8,000-square-foot facility to a 32,000-square-foot building, and more than $950,000 has been raised to date.

Over the years, he’s volunteered time to a number of groups and causes, ranging from the Advisory Board of the Andrew M. Scibelli Enterprise Center to the ReStore capital campaign; from the Business as a Force for Social Change Program, led by Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe, to the Minnechaug Land Trust. He’s even found time for the Wilbraham Men’s Chorus. (Mayo frequently sings to his audiences when giving speeches, and is noted for his Elvis impersonation.)

Mayo said that his top priority at the moment — and the biggest consumer of his time — is the Putnam High School fund, an assignment he took on at the behest of John Davis, who charged him, in essence, with getting area business leaders involved not only with the funding and construction of the new facility, but also with what will go inside the walls of the new school.

“The way I describe it is bringing the business community into the school,” he explained, “so that it has an effect on the curriculum, the equipment, and the overall well-being of the school.”

Mayo is at Putnam almost every day, with much of his time spent organizing tours of the facility that have a number of motivations, ranging from educating the business community to providing Putnam students with opportunities to gain confidence and public-speaking skills by helping to lead the tours.

The overriding goal, however, is the get businesses involved with the school, and with the education system in Springfield in general, he continued, adding that this constituency can, and should, have enormous sway over the curriculum in each program. “We want business to have more of a say in this school.”

The Mentor Mentality

While his work at Putnam keeps him busy, Mayo still finds the time for many other endeavors, particularly the art of mentoring.

He says business leaders should not only be mentors, but they should have at least one individual, and preferably several, mentoring them. The ReStore’s Majercak and Suzanne Parker, director of Girls Inc., serve as both mentee and mentor, said Mayo, adding that he has learned a great deal from both executives.

“I’ve learned much more from them then they have from me, that’s for sure, and that fact helps explain why every leader should have a mentor — they’re just invaluable,” he said, adding that he’s been relying on mentors all throughout his second career.

“When I started at Habitat for Humanity, I had no idea about Springfield … I really didn’t know the difference between State Street and Main Street,” he said. “Why? Because I worked in East Longmeadow and lived in Wilbraham. I went to Logan, Bradley, or Kennedy; the only place I went to in Springfield was the Student Prince to entertain customers. I had no idea what was going on in Springfield or any of the politicians or how it all worked.

“Fortunately, I had a great mentor,” he continued, referring to Bill Mazeine, one of the founders of Bank of Western Mass., owner of a distribution company, and a strong supporter of Habitat. “Every week we would meet, have a beer, and he would take a napkin and give me my marching orders.”

Mayo became a mentor to Angel Rodriguez through his involvement with Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

As he mentioned, Rodriguez was at critical juncture when the two first discussed the matter of mentoring.

“I remember telling him that I thought he had great potential,” Mayo recalled, “but the potential to either go this way, which would not be good for you or for society, or this way, which would be very good for you and very good for society.”

The two sat down and wrote out some goals, said Mayo, who has his own copy. They included getting straight As the next year and earning a starting spot on the Putnam football team.

“He’s not a very big guy, so I thought maybe these goals were a little unrealistic,” said Mayo. “But while he didn’t play in the first game and didn’t play much in the second, I was there to see him go out with the starting offense for the third game. It was unbelievable; he had a goal, he put it in writing, and it came to fruition.”

When not advising or mentoring, Mayo is finding ways to get his message to business owners and managers — the one about how they need to get involved in the community as volunteers.

Often, the comments come back to the issue of time — how to find it, or make it, at a time when everyone is working harder and longer, and how to make the most of it.

“Business people … we generally do a lousy job of planning our time,” he explained. “Jim Davis [John’s father] was always talking about time, how it’s the precious commodity we have, and how we have to maximize the time we have in the day. Business people are filling up their calendars every day with business stuff, which is important, but we should learn to be in control of our time so we have the opportunity to serve our community.”

In Conclusion

Returning to the subject of his work with young Angel Rodriguez, Mayo again stressed the importance of putting goals and dreams down in writing, thus giving them more importance and permanence.

As for his own goal that’s down on paper? Well, maybe some day Mayo will become a nationally known motivational speaker. But for now, he’s too busy being a mentor, advisor, and grand pooh-bah. “My strategy is to take every single opportunity that I can to speak locally, and hope that leads to chances regionally and then nationally,” he explained. “So far, that strategy is not working at all; it’s mostly because I’m so busy volunteering that I’m not paying the attention to this that I need to.”

Besides, he still doesn’t have a Web site or a book with his name on the cover. He apparently doesn’t have time for those, either.

George O’Brien can be reached

at[email protected]

By
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

Capital One Bank v. Ace Industrial Cleaning Co.
Allegation: Monies owed for credit advanced: $2,466.21
Filed: 10/29/09

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT

Larry G. Cushing & Sons Inc. v. Atlantic Ground Source
Allegation: Non-payment of well drilling services rendered: $43,075.70
Filed: 10/30/09

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Gary Wing v. Westside Finishing Inc. and John Roth
Allegation: The defendant negligently unloaded a steel box, causing the box to strike the plaintiff: $363,167.02
Filed: 9/24/09

Karen L. Melikian, administratrix of the estate of Mary Ann Charter, v. Life Care Center of Wilbraham
Allegation: Wrongful death caused by a cerebrovascular accident, after the decedent was negligently dislodged from a wheelchair and struck her head: $350,000
Filed: 10/21/09

Prime Plywood & Panel Inc. v. Formica Corp.
Allegation: Price discrimination and unfair and deceptive trade practices: $600,000
Filed: 10/29/09

Velma Chase v. Wing Memorial Hospital Corp.
Allegation: Medical malpractice; patient described as being at high risk for fall was left unattended for an extended period of time, fell, and suffered personal injuries: $140,000
Filed: 10/22/09

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

DeForche Construction, N.V. v. Hampden Structural Systems d/b/a Private Garden Greenhouse Systems and Joseph Hickson
Allegation: Breach of contracts and failure to pay subcontractor for materials and services rendered: $1,109,702
Filed: 10/22/09

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT

Utica Mutual Insurance Co., subrogee of NEFCO Corp. v. Commercial Auto Service and Rafael de la Cruz
Allegation: Defendant’s customer negligently operated his motor vehicle, causing damage to building: $3,010.27
Filed: 10/14/09

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

First Bank – Mt. Pleasant v. Classical 5-Element Acupuncture and Margaret Gold, M.D.
Allegation: Non-payment of judgment: $13,907.13
Filed: 11/5/09

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

ABC Supply Co. Inc. v. BB Roofing
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $2,746.89
Filed: 10/21/09

Bank of America, N.A. v. Ribbery Sports Bar & Grill
Allegation: Non-payment of monies loaned: $18,642.42
Filed: 10/14/09

Comcast Spotlight Inc. v. Premier Club Enterprises Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of advertising services rendered: $1,947.02
Filed: 10/13/09

Johanna Rosario v. Springfield Area Transit Authority
Allegation: Pedestrian struck by PVTA bus, sustaining multiple injuries: $4,168.76
Filed: 10/20/09

Karen L. Myrade v. Ames Design Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of accounting services rendered: $5,983.70
Filed: 10/09/09

Lifting Gear Hire Corp. v. Global Demolition & Recycling, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of rental equipment provided: $25,220.99
Filed: 10/14/09

Whitney Building Products Inc. v. Tetreault Masonry Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $6,687.68
Filed: 10/19/09

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Leanne Barrett v. Century 21 A-1 Nolan Realty, LLC
Allegation: Breach of real-estate agreement and failure to return deposit: $5,000
Filed: 10/30/09

Recovery Mission

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Cover
Cover Story
Experts Predict a Slow, Steady
Cover

Cover

While there are concerns about a double dip and a largely jobless recovery, the general consensus among economy watchers is that the worst is over and better times are ahead. But ‘better’ is certainly a relative term, they say, and in this case it refers to what will likely be slow, steady growth, with the accent on slow, with the eventual pace to be impacted by the level of job recovery and, perhaps more importantly, by overall confidence among consumers and business owners alike.

Bob Nakosteen feels like most of those people watching the economy for signs of what’s to come. He says he’s pretty much convinced that the worst is behind us … but he’s not at all sure how much better things are going getting to get, or when.

After discussing all the major talking points — from the housing market to consumer and business confidence; from the employment scene to the latest, and improved, gross domestic product numbers and whether he believes them (he doesn’t) — Nakosteen, an Economics professor at UMass Amherst, finally drew an analogy between the current economy and an oil tanker.

“You can turn it around, but it’s not going to happen quickly or easily,” he said, projecting that recovery will indeed come in 2010, probably by the second or third quarter by his estimates, making this what he termed a “slow-motion process” in the Bay State.

Continuing his search for words, phrases, and images to describe his sentiments, he said this region and the state as a whole are due to experience what he called a “U-shaped” recovery, meaning a pronounced slide (already behind us, by most estimates), followed by a long, relatively flat stretch, which we’re in now, by most accounts, followed by a sharp tick upward.

Quick Quote

But when that ascension will begin is anyone’s guess, and other economy watchers found words similar to Nakosteen’s to describe what they see coming in the months and quarters ahead.

“I don’t see much happening that’s going to be terribly vibrant; I don’t see a robust recovery coming,” was how Richard Collins, president of West Springfield-based United Bank summed up his thoughts. “We have money to lend here, but we don’t see people knocking on our door demanding it because they’ve got more pressing things to do.”

Such passive activity is a clear sign that consumer and business confidence, while improving, according to some yardsticks, is still not where it needs to be for a quick, strong recovery, said Collins, who is certainly not alone in his use of the word ‘slow’ to describe his thoughts on the pace of this much-anticipated recovery.

Andre Meyer used it early and often as well. He’s the senior vice president for Communications and Research at the Associated Industries of Mass. (AIM) He said that while only a few quarters ago, all economic signs were pointing down, some, but not all, are now pointing up. He’s seeing it in AIM’s Business Confidence Index, which, at 44.9 for the November reading, is still below the 50 mark (indicating general positiveness about the economy), but it has gained a point or two seven of the past eight months and is now well above the low point of 33.3 recorded this past February.

He’s also seeing it with regards to employment, despite widespread projections for a jobless recovery (see related story, page 22). There hasn’t been a marked uptick in hiring, but there are some indications that matters have improved, said Meyer, citing a slight surge in hiring among in an area he called ‘professional business and scientific services.’

“That tends to be a real bellwether,” he explained, “because that’s money that companies are spending on outside vendors, and it’s often the kind of thing they’ll put off if they don’t absolutely need it; you don’t need an architect if you’re not going to build a building.”

Meyer says he’s also seeing hints of progress in such things as improving sales figures for some categories of retail, a slight bounce for the housing market, and rising export levels, and that together, the signs validate the heavy use of the words ‘slow’ and ‘steady’ with regard to a turnaround

“Barring some unforeseen setback, we’re looking at a year of recovery, but slow growth overall,” he told BusinessWest. “But things will accelerate as we get into the year.”

Just how much they’ll accelerate is the question on everyone’s minds as they prepare to turn the calendar. The consensus seems to be that there are too many related question marks — concerning everything from jobs to confidence to the housing market — to effectively answer that question.

The Hoard Way

Before looking ahead to 2010, Meyer chose to start with a glance back, to about a year ago, when the dark clouds had gathered and the conjecture focused on just how bad things were going to get.

“The last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 were just terrible,” said Meyer, stating the obvious. “Everyone was hunkered down, and companies weren’t even filling critical jobs if they became vacant; they just didn’t want to make any kind of commitment because there was a sense that almost anything could happen.

“In retrospect, 2009 hasn’t been the complete meltdown and disaster that a lot of people thought it would be,” he continued, adding that, regionally, what has occurred over the past 12 to 15 months is not in most ways unprecedented, and, in fact, not as bad as the last great recession, the one in the early ’90s, in terms of duration and the impact on the financial-services sector.

All that said, the region was hard-hit, especially with regard to employment — which came close to but didn’t actually hit double figures in Massachusetts — as well as construction, residential, and commercial real estate, and companies’ bottom lines, Meyer continued. But things were much worse in many other parts of the country.

And while there is come concern about what’s known as a double dip — a recession followed by a slight uptick and then another downturn — most experts believe that the worst is in the rear-view mirror and that the nation and the region are in recovery mode.

But how pronounced will the recovery be, and when will business owners see real improvement?

Nakosteen is not particularly optimistic because he doesn’t see the requisite fuel he says is needed for a pronounced recovery.

“This has been a recession that’s killed off a lot more small businesses than most other recessions have,” he explained. “Couple that with the stagflation we’re seeing, and I just don’t see anything that’s going to pull us out of this.”

There is still a great deal of stimulus money remaining to be spent, Nakosteen continued, noting that maybe 75% of the nearly $1 trillion package has yet to be allocated. But he has doubts about whether that money will have any real impact on the pace and overall level of recovery.

“The only sector that’s really spending is the government,” he said, “but all that’s really done is put a bottom on the recession.”

Real recovery is only going to come when individuals and business owners possess enough confidence to start spending again, Nakosteen explained, adding quickly that he hasn’t seen any solid evidence indicating that day is here, or even close.

“For the most part, people are keeping are keeping their wallets in their pocket and their credit cards in their wallet,” he explained, noting that both consumers and business owners are hording cash and paying down debt — trends that are generally positive, but not when businesses need sales and the national recovery needs that aforementioned fuel.

Interest-bearing

Collins has witnessed this cash-hoarding first-hand. Like most all bank presidents, he’s seen growth in deposits far surpass growth in the loan portfolio.

Part of the reason for this has been a tightening of credit, which has been industry-wide, he continued, but the far bigger factors have been confidence, or a lack thereof, and the fact that many people — and businesses — don’t have the wherewithal, even if they do have the confidence.

Indeed, looking across the board, Collins said his bank has near-historically low rates on mortgages (around 5%), attractive products for new and used cars, and solid commercial packages. But demand for such offerings simply isn’t there.

“There are people who are really just hanging on, and they’re going to continue to have to hang on for a while,” he explained. “It gets tough; if you’ve been laid off, you can continue to pay your mortgage for a while, but if you’re out of your job for a long time, it gets more difficult.”

Overall, those at the bank are cautiously optimistic about the year ahead, he continued, but all expectations have to be grounded in realism, and the reality, as he sees it, is limited growth potential with regard to the loan portfolio.

Allan Blair, president of the Economic Development Council of Western Mass., sounded similar notes about realistic expectations. He described 2009 as a quiet year in terms of both new-business attraction and growth of existing businesses, and a big year for hunkering down for businesses large and small.

“Most all of them have cut their costs; they’re hoarding cash and paying down their debt,” he explained. “Some have laid off as part of their cost-cutting, but most of the smaller ones have tried to hold onto their people because they’re expecting an uptick and their workers have unique skill sets that they’re trying to preserve. In general, this has been a year of people weathering the storm, and most have done that well.”

When asked when business owners will come out of the proverbial storm cellar, Blair said much depends upon the sector in question and the level of confidence reached by decision makers. In health care, he explained, there is widespread concern about the debate on national reform of that sector and the impact it will have (see related story, page 25). Meanwhile, in public higher education, there has been a collision between rising enrollment and budget-cutting on the state level (trends seen in most recessions), which might hamper growth of that important sector.

Springfield Technical Community College President Ira Rubenzahl said his school, like all other public institutions, was helped considerably by stimulus funding, which nearly offset state cutbacks. His concern is that the same level of federal help won’t be there for fiscal year 2011, for which STCC is facing what could be a 14% budget cut.

The school has responded to the budget adversity with some fee increases, a hiring freeze, and a number of steps to control costs, said Rubenzahl, adding that recessionary times, and especially this recession, present challenging times for public schools. On one hand, their services are in greater demand, among both those seeking to upgrade their skills and high-school graduates (and their parents) recognizing the value of starting at a community college, but on the other hand, it becomes more difficult to deliver those services.

“What we’re seeing is people recognizing that they need a college education to get a high-paying job these days,” he explained. “Our mission is more important today than before the recession. But we need adequate funding to deliver a quality product.”

Looking at other sectors, and the larger issue of business recruitment, Blair said the EDC has not abandoned those efforts, although 2009 has been a tough year in that regard. And he is seeing signs of what could be light at the tunnel.

“We’ve seen more interest among European companies in having a U.S. presence than ever before,” he explained. “Much of this has to do with the favorable exchange rate with the Euro, but a big part of it is a need to get into the big U.S. marketplace. These companies are looking for partnerships and manufacturers’ representatives.

“We’ve been busy responding to the interest expressed by European companies,” he continued. “We haven’t seen any making any final decisions yet, but there is a lot of interest and a lot of talking.”

Meanwhile, Blair said, over the last part of the third quarter, his agency has seen an uptick in searches by national site selectors, an indication that perhaps some of the nation’s larger companies are looking at expansion opportunities or relocation of distribution facilities.

“That’s been a fairly encouraging trend,” said Blair, adding that the EDC is watching the distribution sector closely because it is usually a good barometer when it comes to developments in their respective sectors, and also because there is a trend toward decentralization in that industry that may bode well for this region given its strong infrastructure.

Still Laboring

Overall, both Meyer and Nakosteen say the Bay State is trailing the nation by at least one-quarter when it comes to recovery.

In fact, a report in the latest issue of MassBenchmarks, the quarterly publication produced by the UMass Donahue Institute in cooperation with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, indicated that the state’s economy is estimated to have declined at a 1.1% annualized rate in the third quarter, a time when the national economy was, by many accounts, beginning to grow.

“The state entered the recession later than the U.S., and so appeared to be performing better than the U.S. through the spring of this year,” wrote Alan Clayton-Matthews, MassBenchmarks senior contributing editor and associate professor of Economics and Public Policy at Northeastern University. “However, recently released income and tax data suggest that the state’s economy continued to decline through the third quarter, and that recent economic performance may be weaker than that of the nation as a whole.”

When and to what degree the state catches up and experiences real recovery depends mostly on two factors — jobs and confidence, said Meyer.

Regarding the former, he said he expects to see some turnaround in 2010, at least in several sectors of the economy, and that, long-term, he expects the state will recover all or most of the jobs it lost to the recession, something that didn’t happen with the last downturn in 2001.

“There’s been some disagreement among economists about how quickly employment comes back,” he said. “Some people feel that employers actually let too many people go and will need to hire some back.

“In many industries, the jobs will come back, but they’ll come back slowly,” he continued. “It’s hard to hire the people you want, and it’s expensive to hire the people you want, and employers are going to be somewhat reluctant to hire people.”

Meyer sounded a cautionary note about falling too far behind the rest of the country.

“It’s very damaging to us here in this state when we lag seriously in the recoveries, as we have in the last two recessions,” he explained. “A big thing that happens is that people, particularly young, well-educated people, leave. If they think they can get a job somewhere else and not get one here, they’ll go to where the jobs are. But so far, the signs look pretty good on that.”

But many, including Blair, are somewhat less optimistic when it comes to jobs.

“Employers continue to be extremely cautious,” he said, “and from a broad economic-development point of view, the forecast of a jobless recovery in 2010 continues to be the predominant view. A lot of companies have invested in technology that reduces their reliance on labor, and so they’ll be productive as the economy’s demand increases without having to add workers.

“So it may be a a year from now before we see an uptick in job growth,” he continued, “which is obviously very important to our region.”

Sea Change

Returning to h
s comparison between the economy and an oil tanker, Nakosteen said that, for the most part, the change in course has begun.

But it will take some time to turn this ship around, he continued, adding that the so-called Great Recession touched every sector and nearly every business, and the specter of a jobless recession looms large.

It won’t be full-speed ahead any time soon, Nakosteen concluded, but the slow-motion process he described is at least underway.

George O’Brien can be reached

at[email protected]

By
Departments

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

AGAWAM

Mehar Inc., 308 Suffield St., Agawam, MA 01001. Rashad Rauf, 41 Royal St., Agawam, MA 01001.

AMHERST

Vita Nova Inc., 55 North Pleasant St., Amherst. MA 01002. Scott Hsu, 15 New Ludlow Road Apt 10, Chicopee, MA 01020. A corporation organized entirely for religious purposes, and with the goal of teaching, preaching, and spreading the gospel of Christ and ministering to the local and worldwide community in the name of Christ Jesus and through The Holy Spirit.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Bertelli Holdings Inc., 328 Parker St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Brent Bertelli, same. To purchase, operate, and control other companies.

Meadows Dental Group Inc., 100 Shaker Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Thomasz A. Chrzan, 89 Pendleton Lane, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Rendering professional dental services.

EASTHAMPTON

Art Bar Café Inc., 1 Northampton St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Alexei Levine, 81 Pine Grove, Amherst, MA 01040. Café bar.

FLORENCE

Liberty St. Global Enterprises Inc., 56 Liberty St., Florence, MA 01062. Gretchen J. Hendricks, same. eCommerce.

GRANBY

TLJ Realty Corp., 72 Pleasant St., Granby, MA 01033. William E. Johnson, 79 Amherst St., Granby, MA 01033. Retail management of own real estate.

  

HOLYOKE

M.J. Norton Security Inc., 25 Pinehurst Road, Holyoke, MA 01040. Robert Allen, Same. Security company.

Runway Corp Inc., 50 Holyoke St., D258, Holyoke, MA 01040. Kenneth Michael Dupuy, 12 Greenfield Ave., Waterbury, CT 06708. Retail clothing chain.

LUDLOW

S. Landscaping Inc., 37 Highland Ave., Ludlow, MA 01056. Vania M. Silva. Same. Landscaping, retaining walls.

SOUTHAMPTON

Truehart Inc., 23 College Highway, Southampton, MA 01073. Paul E. Truhart, same. Ownership, development, and management of commercial real estate.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Allied Drywall Inc., 900 Riverdale St., P.O. Box 146, West Springfield, MA 01089. Geraldine A. Pelc, 17 Forest Dr., South Hadley, MA 01075. Residential and non-residential construction including ceilings and walls.

WESTFIELD

Pioneer Valley Volleyball Academy Inc., 549 Russell Road Unit 11B, Westfield, MA 01085. George Robert Mulry, same. Organized and operated to offer competitive volleyball team play for all youth age groups and skill levels.

By
Departments

Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Hancock announced that Darcy Rogers has joined the resort’s conference sales team as Sales Manager. In her new position, Rogers will be responsible for soliciting new business, managing existing accounts, and working with other departments at the resort to offer high-quality conference and meeting services to clients. She works with clients in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, with a particular emphasis on the Albany area.

•••••

Fuss & O’Neill, an engineering firm with offices in Springfield and several other locations, announced the following changes in senior management:
• Jeffrey Heidtman has been elected CEO and Chairman of the Board, and is stepping down as President;
• Peter Grose, PE will be assuming the duties of President. He is a 30-year Fuss & O’Neill employee who has directed some of the firm’s largest design and construction services programs;
• Michael Curtis, PhD, PE has been promoted to the newly created position of Director of Strategic Initiatives; and
• James Parry, PE has been promoted to Director of Business Development and Marketing.

•••••

TSM Design in Springfield announced the following:
• Janet Bennet has joined the firm as an Account Executive. She will develop clients’ marketing communications strategies as well as manage day-to-day account activity; and
•Michael Sjostedt has joined the firm as a Copywriter. He will be responsible for generating copy for clients’ communications.

•••••

Andrea Comstock-Tague has joined the staff of United Bank as a Human Resources Officer. In her new position, she will be responsible for the daily management of the bank’s human-resources functions, with an emphasis on training and development.

•••••

J.M. O’Brien & Co., P.B., with offices in Springfield and Easthampton, announced the following:
• Ryan Sabin has joined the firm; and
• Natalya Zubenko has joined the firm.

•••••

Karen King of the Karen King Group, Re/Max Prestige Realty in Wilbraham, has been accepted into the Allen Hainge CyberStars group, an invitation-only group of 200 top real-estate agents from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the Bahamas. King is the only representative selected from Western Mass.

•••••

Elizabeth Howell has joined the All About Women Midwifery practice as a certified Nurse Midwife with the Baystate Ob-Gyn Group.

•••••

Anthony J. Worden recently joined Greenfield Co-operative Bank as Vice President for Commercial Lending.

•••••

Deborah Duncan, Senior Program Manager for the Day Treatment Program at Behavioral Health Network in Springfield, was recently awarded the Moe Armstrong Award for adult peer leadership for her contribution to strengthening the role of consumers in the mental-health and substance-abuse treatment systems by the Assoc. for Behavioral Healthcare.

•••••

Tighe & Bond of Westfield announced the following:
• Elizabeth G. Baldwin has been promoted to Project Manager. Her experience lies in water resources and wastewater projects;
• Marc J. Richards, a professional Engineer and licensed site professional specializing in environmental assessment and remediation projects, has been promoted; and
• Antonio J. daCruz, with more than 16 years of experience in civil and environmental engineering, has been promoted.

•••••

James Haughey of the Behavioral Health Network in Springfield has been recognized with the Innovation Practice Award by the Assoc. for Behavioral Healthcare.

•••••

The Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed seven new officers and members to its Board of Directors. They are:
• John Doleva, of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, to serve as Vice Chairman;
• Anthony Frasco of the Williams Distributing Corp.;
• Joanne Gadoury of the MassMutual Financial Group;
• Michael Jonnes of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra;
• Bruce Lessels of Zoar Outdoor;
• Anthony Maroulis of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce; and
• Remo Pizzichemi of the Hampton Inn in West Springfield.
Officers nominated to serve a two-year term include:
• Michael Hurwitz of the American Restaurant Corp., to serve as Vice Chairman; and
• Kathleen Anderson of the Holyoke Office of Planning and Development, to serve as Treasurer.
Continuing as officers with terms expiring in 2010 are:
• Greg Chiecko of the Eastern States Exposition to serve as Chairman; and
• Robert Schwarz of Peter Pan Bus Lines as Secretary.
Members of the board nominated to serve an additional two-year term include:
• Bill Hess of the Springfield Marriott;
• John Hesslein of CBS-3;
• Matt Hollander of the MassMutual Center;
• Shardool Parmar of the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group; and
• Rod Warnick of the Hospitality Tourism Management Department at UMass Amherst.
Other board members include:
• Joseph Carvalho of the Springfield Museums Assoc.;
• Carolyn Edwards of Prime Outlets;
• Debra Flynn of Eastside Grill;
• Robert Gilbert of Dowd Insurance;
• Stuart Hurwitz of Rein’s Deli;
• Harlan Kent of Yankee Candle Co.;
• Larry Litton of Six Flags New England;
• Bruce Nable of SER Expo Services;
• Christina Pappas of Open the Door Communications;
• William Rogolski of the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside;
• Peter Rosskothen of The Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House and The Delaney House; and
• Daniel Walsh of the Columbus Hotel Group.

•••••

SS&C SummerWind Performing Arts Center announced the appointment of insurance executive Michael D. Rabbett to chair its Development Committee. Rabbett is owner of Rabbett Insurance in Windsor, Conn., recipient of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce 2008 Business of the Year Award, and a member of the Professional Insurance Agents and Independent Insurance Agents of Connecticut.

•••••

Kate Putnam, president of Package Machinery Co. Inc. in West Springfield, has been named a Top Woman Entrepreneur for 2009 by Work Life Matters magazine. She will be honored at a breakfast on Dec. 14 at Club 101 in New York City. Package Machinery Co. is a manufacturer of wrapping machinery for consumer products. Putnam has been president since the company’s inception in 1996.

•••••

Bacon Wilson, P.C. of Springfield announced that the following lawyers were named “New England SuperLawyers” in the November issue of Boston magazine:
• Paul R. Salvage, Co-Chairman of the Insolvency Department;
• Gary L. Fialky, Chairman of the Corporate Department;
• Michael B. Katz, Co-Chairman of the Bankruptcy Department;
• Paul H. Rothschild, Chairman of the Litigation Department;
• Stephen N. Krevalin, Managing Partner;
• Hyman G. Darling, Chairman of the Estate Planning and Elder Law Departments;
• Francis R. Mirkin; and
• Stephen B. Monsein.
Also, in the same issue, the following Bacon Wilson lawyers were named “Rising Stars”:
• Justin H. Dion;
• Adam J. Basch;
• Todd C. Ratner;
• Mark A. Tanner; and
• Kevin V. Maltby.

Hire Ground?

By
Suzanne Bump
Sections Supplements
The Economy Is Improving, but Where Are the Jobs?
Suzanne Bump

Suzanne Bump says a recent, slight drop in unemployment in Massachusetts bodes well for the Bay State.

Just before President Obama hopped aboard Air Force One en route to China earlier this month, he announced a December ‘jobs summit’ to address a big question facing his administration — will this be a jobless recovery, as many experts are predicting?

And the focus of the summit will be on preventing, or minimizing, such an eventuality.

Nationally, unemployment has crept over the 10% mark, and there are signs that many companies that have made do with fewer employees in an effort to ride out the downturn are still cautious about hiring again. This has prompted questions, both regionally and nationally, about what kind of recovery can be expected if there is no real surge in employment — and if such a development could even be called a recovery.

Gerald Epstein, a professor at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at UMass Amherst, doesn’t believe that term applies to what he’s seeing.

“If you have an unemployment rate that is measuring 10.2%, that doesn’t take into consideration discouraged workers, or part-time workers who want to work full-time, because then it’s upwards of 17%, and for certain demographic categories, like young people, it’s over 20%,” he explained. “Statistics like that are not those of a recovery.”

Elaborating, he said the current surge on Wall Street, which has seen a more-than-50% climb since March, cannot be expected to continue unless or until there is substantial job growth.

“The stock markets can’t continue to go up if the underlying basis of the economy, people’s ability to work and spend and consume, isn’t supported,” he said. “Any growth will just be a bubble, and an unsustainable one at that.”

Here in the Bay State, the numbers look a little better, jobs-wise, at least according to the state Office of Labor and Workforce Development, which announced last month that unemployment had actually dropped from 9.3% to 8.9%. LAWD Secretary Suzanne Bump told BusinessWest that such news is not only encouraging — in that things are not getting any worse — but also heralds signs of the Commonwealth’s climb onward and upward.

However, she added that job loss is a significant concern for the Patrick administration, and that while the state has seen some growth in key sectors — health care, professional, scientific,and business services — there are still some residual effects from past recessions.

“Coming out of this recession, we will be regaining some jobs,” said Bump. “But it has taken us a long time to regain those past job losses. In fact, I’m not sure that we did regain all of the jobs that we lost during the last recession of 2001-02.”

For its Economic Outlook 2010, BusinessWest looks at the recession from the lens of employment, both regionally and nationally. Epstein and some his colleagues at PERI discuss the likelihood of a jobless recovery, but also about ways in which job growth can be stimulated.

Help Wanted

On the day the latest unemployment figures were released in the Bay State, Bump told BusinessWest that such numbers bode well for the state’s economic health.

“We are as surprised as anyone by the magnitude of the drop in unemployment,” she said. “It is evidence that this particular recession continues to defy economic predictions.”

The construction sector continues to be hard-hit, she noted, adding quickly that while this is bad news for the overall health of the state’s economy, that particular sector isn’t as dominant an economic force as it is in other states. However, key sectors that are “growth engines,” as she called them, for the Bay State’s economy are gaining stability.

“Looking at health care,” she offered as one example, “we’ve maybe missed one beat over the past year, and in general they have been in an upward trend. I think that, literally, there was one month that we saw a contraction in health care and social assistance.”

The sectors that are seeing growth in Massachusetts are those that require advanced skills or education, said Bump, adding that, consequently, the Patrick administration has ambitious goals for its education-reform agenda. Citing training that leads to credentials, certifications, and post-secondary degrees as key areas of necessary spending, she said that, “if we are going to grow our economy, that’s what we have to focus on. Job training is not just about putting someone through a simple computer class, or giving them advanced manufacturing training.”

But while Bump sees reason for optimism, Epstein and others at PERI sound far more somber notes, and on many aspects of the employment scene.

According to Jeannette Wicks-Lim, an assistant research professor at PERI and author of several books on wages and employment in the U.S., while many are understandably focused on the number of jobs lost and the potential for gains, it is also important to bracket that with the quality of existing employment nationwide.

“When you don’t have job growth, there is slack in the labor market, and jobs don’t get wage gains,” she explained. “It’s great that you do have a job, but if your pay is stagnating over time, then it becomes harder and harder to meet your budget’s needs.”

Meanwhile, Epstein, Wicks-Limm, and and Robert Pollin, co-director at PERI, say the forces, or tools, of recovery are simply not strong enough for them to express much optimism for at least the short term.

Two main tools the government has been employing to help shore up the nation’s stability are stimulus funding and low interest rates, which these days hover close to zero. However, some ask, if that low-interest money doesn’t get into the right hands, then what is the benefit?

“It’s not generating real loans to small businesses, to businesses that want to borrow to invest to hire new workers,” said Epstein. “A lot of the money that is available right now is going into speculation that’s driving up stock prices, or it’s going overseas and driving up the value of other currencies, but it’s not going into generating new jobs.”

Work in Progress

Pollin said that such untapped reserves could offer a very real possibility of an immediate boost to the nation’s business sector — those very entities who can and would contribute to increased job creation.

“There’s about $700 billion sitting in bank reserves that wasn’t there a year ago,” he explained. “Banks received all this bailout money, and now they’re sitting on it in cash; they’re not putting it out. There’s no reason to lower interest rates if the banks are just going to sit on that money.”

Incentivizing the distribution of such money into the economy wouldn’t cost taxpayers a single penny, he added, and loan guarantees would encourage lenders to loosen their grasp on the funds.

“The government needs to create ways for loan guarantees, with other kinds of benefits, for those banks to get the money out,” he said. “Yes, loan guarantees have gotten a bad reputation because of TARP, but at the same time, we have massive loan guarantees in the economy, about $300 billion per year in student loans, small-business loans, agricultural loans … we do have a reasonably effective system.

“The way you create jobs,” he continued, “is to spend money.”

Increased spending on jobs could very easily occur, all three professors agree, in sectors that would not migrate overseas. Echoing a sentiment often heard lately in this region, Wicks-Lim said that “we know we could invest our resources in a green economy, and a lot of jobs could be created by focusing our energies there.”

Pollin said a recent idea put forth by both former President Clinton and venture capitalist John Doerr has both great potential and a great name: Cash for Caulkers. Money could, and should, be invested in energy-saving building retrofits, from the highest echelons of the federal government on down to the simplest of home renovations. But, it is up to Washington, Pollin said, to lead the way.

“The Pentagon itself owns 55,000 buildings in the U.S.,” he said. “If the government just put out a procurement for those buildings, that would be an enormous stimulus, and it saves money down the line.”

Pollin said he has long been an advocate of ideas like Cash for Caulkers. “I’ve been in debates where the questions are, ‘is the return on investment 30%, 20%, 35%, 40%?’ Nobody questions that you get your money back in five years at the most. So, why aren’t we doing it?”

He explained that the market for such large-scale retrofitting is still immature, acknowledging that it is a financial outlay for homeowners at a time when their priorities are on money coming in, not going out.

“Someone once told me, we need to get to the point where we have a McDonald’s for retrofits,” Pollin said. “You call someone, and it’s easy. But the only way it’s going to happen fast is if the government begins this massive spending on retrofits. You hire the 2 million construction workers who have been laid off in the last two years, and that will mature the market and create momentum and publicity for the private market. This could be a major undergirding for a recovery for the next few years.”

Meanwhile, Epstein told BusinessWest that funds must be diverted directly to the states more effectively than has been the case. “Otherwise, we’re going to start seeing large numbers of teachers, firefighters, and other jobs like that joining the unemployment rates,” he said.

Pollin added that these jobs funded by the states are not only desirable, but non-exportable.

“Just think of this — reducing classroom sizes, hiring more teachers,” he said. “This has been a goal for 50 years, raising the quality of education. If the average size of classrooms was 25 students, what if we lowered it to 20? That would increase the number of teachers by 20%.”

The Job at Hand

These are all ideas that will come up during Obama’s jobs summit, said Epstein. But a comprehensive situation still needs to be addressed that will focus on employment and green initiatives, something other countries have already started doing.

“Unless we pursue a green agenda,” said Epstein, “when we start recovering, instead of manufacturing in these kinds of products and having the R&D here, we’re going to end up importing it from abroad. And that’s neither sustainable nor going to create jobs.”

Overall, Epstein and others said the recovery, in whatever shape it takes, doesn’t have to be jobless — and, for the long-term health and well-being of the country, steps have to be taken to ensure that it isn’t.

By
Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of November 2009.

AGAWAM

V&F Realty Partnership
443 Springfield St.
$3,000 — Install metal roof

CHICOPEE

Padgette St., LLC and S.M.A. Frank, LLC
150 Padgette St.
$655,000 — Tenant fit-out of 8,000 square feet

Padgette St., LLC and S.M.A. Frank, LLC
150 Padgette St.
$150,000 — Construct office and warehouse space

GREENFIELD

Great APT, LLC
24 Franklin St.
$171,000 — Replacement windows

Peter & Sandra Ruggeri
51 High St.
$5,000 — Exterior renovations

Michael Mendyk
136 Conway St.
$10,000 — Interior renovations

Western Mass Electric Company
215 Shelburne Road
$17,000 — Interior renovations

HADLEY

Bed Bath & Beyond
337-357 Russell St.
$974,000 — Interior renovation and new store front

Edens & Avant
454-460 Russell St.
$150,000 — Remodel interior spaces to include fitting rooms and customer service

HOLYOKE

City Cooperative Bank
1830 Northampton St.
$28,000 — Repair & paint damaged exterior

H.I.F., LLC
206 Maple St.
$3,169,000 — Renovation of the former fire station to a new bus station

PBHQ
330 Whitney Ave.
$453,000 — Construction of new IT department and mailroom

NORTHAMPTON

City of Northampton
42 Gothic St.
$86,000 — Installation of photovoltaic systems on roof

Bowles Enterprises, LLC
15 Fruit St.
$10,500 — Install siding and replacement windows

Dunkin Brands Inc.
132 King St.
$92,000 — Interior renovations

  

Kollmorgen Electro Optical
50 Prince St.
$16,000,000 — Construct new two-story commercial building

Messer Investments Inc.
39 Carlon Dr.
$165,000 — Create new medical offices

Meadowbrook Preservation Associates
491 Bridge Road
$16,000 — Sheetrock and insulate building

Pride Convenience Inc.
375 King St.
$44,000 — Interior renovations at Dunkin Donuts

St. John’s Episcopal Church
48 Elm St.
$22,500 — Renovate bathroom

SOUTH HADLEY

Mt. Holyoke College
27 Abbey Lane
$6,000 — Interior renovations

South Hadley Housing
69 Lathrop St.
$153,000 — New roof

SPRINGFIELD

America Lung Association
393 Maple St.
$6,000 — Interior renovations

Antonio Palazzesi
100 Verge St.
$30,000 — Interior renovations

United Baptist Church
649 State St.
$84,000 — New roof

Wachogue Community Church
136 Whittum Ave.
$42,000 — Re-roof

WESTFIELD

Lewis Gonet
110 Airport Road
$40,000 — Construction of a hangar

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Christy Real Estate
339 Bliss St.
$31,000 – Strip and re-roof

General Electric
1226 Union St.
$19,500 – Roof repair

By
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

Adams Direct Mail Services v. International Profit Associates
Allegation: Fraudulent practices on small business: $4,640
Filed: 10/22/09

Leader Home Center Inc. v. A.D. George Construction Co.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods and services rendered: $28,417.66
Filed: 10/21/09

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Holyoke Mall, LP v. Sadie’s, LLC
Allegation: Default under a written lease: $1,472,485.67
Filed: 10/2/09

Michelle Boutin v. Hess Corporation
Allegation: Employee discrimination: $25,000+
Filed: 9/17/09

Roman Radkovets v. Balise Motor Sales Co.
Allegation: Breach of employment contract and non-payment of commissions: $39,626.10
Filed: 10/6/09

Susan Cole v. Geriatric Authority of Holyoke
Allegation: Employee discrimination: $25,000+
Filed: 9/17/09

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Commerce Insurance Co., as subrogee of Paul M. Struthers v. Cernak Fuel Corp. and Richards Fuel Inc.
Allegation: Negligence causing damage: $392,011.34
Filed: 10/2/09

Leaklena Som v. Millitech Inc.
Allegation: Employment discrimination: $25,000+
Filed: 9/15/09

PMC Contracting v. CAP Development Inc. & Trak Petroleum, LLC
Allegation: Failure to pay under the terms of a construction agreement: $8,603.48
Filed: 9/29/09

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT

City of Holyoke v. Western Mass Blitzin Bears Inc.
Allegation: Failure to pay for use of Roberts Sports Complex: $2,190
Filed: 9/28/09

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

One Communications Corp. v. Atalasoft Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of services rendered: $7,843.23
Filed: 10/15/09

PALMER DISTRICT COURT

Elizabeth Matthieson & Robert Vandernoot v. Sequoia Properties, LLC
Allegation: Violation of purchase-and-sale agreement and refusal to return deposit: $24,450
Filed: 9/29/09

Yellowbook Sales & Distribution Company Inc. v. BSF Construction
Allegation: Non-payment of advertising services rendered: $11,353
Filed: 8/21/09

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Bank of America v. JGC Specials
Allegation: Non-payment of monies loaned: $25,886.93
Filed: 10/7/09

Francis Teta v. Bell-Carter Olive Co.
Allegation: Defective product, causing injury: $22,438
Filed: 10/8/09

Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. v. JCE Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of workers’ compensation policies: $16,793.19
Filed: 10/8/09

Regina Haines v. Northern Educational Services Inc.
Allegation: Negligent maintenance of property, causing injury: $19,383.47
Filed: 10/8/09

Rosanna Langlois v. Educlean
Allegation: Negligence in cleaning services, causing a slip and fall: $7,350
Filed: 10/2/09

By
Departments

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

EASTHAMPTON

Kaya Now Inc., 57 Ward Ave., Easthampton, MA 01027. Susan Zahorak, same. eCommerce.

HOLYOKE

Andrew Gagnon Construction Co. Inc., 236 Southampton Road, Holyoke, MA 01040. Andrew M. Gagnon, same. Remodeling contractor for residential and commercial buildings.

INDIAN ORCHARD

Strength N Honor Inc., 34 Ashwood St., Indian Orchard, MA 01151. Gerald S. Seaback, same. eCommerce activities.

LONGMEADOW

Dovetail Training Corporation, 53 Pendleton Lane, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Edward Borowsky, same. Corporate training.

Godin’s Garden Inc., 54 Nevins Ave., Longmeadow, MA 01106. William Godin, same. To operate a tree and plant nursery.

LHC Restaurant Corp. 923 Shaker Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Michael Chen, 80 Lynnwood Dr., Longmeadow, MA 01106. To own and operate food-service businesses

SOUTHAMPTON

Deniliva Inc., 10 David St., Southampton, MA 01073. Steven Kowalski, same. Tax- preparation service.

  

SOUTHWICK

Joanie’s Inc., 134 Point Grove Road, Southwick, MA 01077. Jennifer Nolasco, 52 Wendover Road, Suffield, CT 06078. Bar and restaurant.

SPRINGFIELD

Hampden VHP Repair Inc., 25 Virginia Street, Suite 1, Springfield, MA 01108. Vu H. Phan, 111 Brunswick St. Springfield, MA 01108. Repair sewing and appliance machinery.

Marinesi Inc., 16 Sachem Street, Springfield, MA 01108. Filippo Marinesi, Same. Restaurant/Bar.

Pioneer Data Service Corporation, 50 Washington Street, Springfield, MA 01108. Bao N. Tong, 21 Laurel Ave., Westfield, MA 01085 Program and repair computer networks and services.

We Are The People Inc., 1191 Tinkham Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Jamal Rob Chickakly, same. This is a charitable corporation that will be defending human and civil rights secured by law.

Contractual Liability Coverage

By
Sections Supplements
It’s Not the Whole Story When It Comes to Making Sure Parties Are Fully Covered

Construction contracts usually include many provisions aimed toward transferring legal liability from one party to another. In an agreement between a general contractor and a subcontractor, the sub assumes the general’s liability. The contract does this by inserting an indemnity agreement (also known as a hold-harmless agreement) into the contract’s terms.

The contract may also require the sub to have the general named as an additional insured on its general liability insurance policy. Though not all contracts do this, it is a mistake for either contractor to assume that the insurance company will provide the same protection to the general without an additional insured endorsement to the policy.

Liability Coverage

The standard Insurance Services Office Commercial General Liability Coverage Form specifically excludes coverage for liability the insured assumes in a contract. However, it adds coverage back if the contract is an ‘insured contract,’ as the policy defines the term. The policy’s definition includes hold-harmless agreements where the insured assumes another’s tort liability. That would appear to take care of the sub’s obligations under the contract, but it is not the whole story. The coverage may still contain a potentially large gap for the general.

It is important to keep in mind that, in any liability-insurance claim scenario, the parties fall into three categories: insurance company, insured, and claimant. A claim may involve multiple insureds, multiple claimants, or even multiple insurance companies, but all parties will fall into one of the three categories. If a party is not an insurance company and is not an insured by virtue of an additional insured endorsement, then it must be a claimant. Therefore, a general contractor in this situation becomes a claimant along with all other claimants seeking damages.

The Cost of Legal Defense

While the general contractor may receive the same recovery for damages that it might have received as an additional insured, it might not fare as well regarding the cost of its legal defense. The CGL policy pays for defense costs incurred by anyone who is an insured under the policy, and coverage for those costs is in addition to the policy limits. If the policy has a limit of $1 million per occurrence and an insured is found liable for $1 million and runs up $500,000 in defense costs, the policy pays for both in full. As a claimant, however, the general can recover defense costs only if the hold-harmless agreement with the sub requires the sub to indemnify it for defense costs.

Also, it is likely that coverage for those costs will not be in addition to the policy limits. The ISO CGL policy provides defense in addition to the limits for the general only if all of the following conditions are met:

  • The sub assumed the general’s liability in an insured contract;

  • The policy covers the loss;
  • The sub assumed the general’s defense costs in the contract;
  • There is no conflict of interest between the general and the sub;
  • Both parties ask the company to control and conduct the defense and both agree to the same counsel for defense; and
  • The general agrees in writing to cooperate with the insurance company in the settlement of the claim.

    • If any one of these conditions is not met, the company will pay the general’s defense costs only until the claim exhausts the insurance limits.

    Coverage for defense costs is one of the most important benefits of being named as an additional insured on another entity’s liability insurance. An entity that needs this coverage should require the other contractor to provide the additional insured endorsement. Relying on the contractor’s contractual liability coverage is a major financial gamble.

    David W. Griffin Sr. is senior vice president of the Dowd Agencies. He has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry. He holds his advisor’s license, as well as the professional designation certified insurance counselor; (413) 538-7444;[email protected]. The Dowd Agencies is a full-service agency providing commercial, personal, and employee benefits, with four offices in Western Mass.

    By
    Departments

    The following building permits were issued during the month of October 2009.

    AGAWAM

    Frank Ferrentino
    1676 Main St.
    $10,500 — Re-roof

    CHICOPEE

    Chicopee Savings Bank
    70 Center St.
    $59,000 — New roof

    Chicopee Savings Bank
    70 Center St.
    $90,000 — Construction of a new drive-up teller

    Dunkin Donuts
    820 Memorial Dr.
    $188,000 — Remodel interior and new roof

    GREENFIELD

    AR Sandri Inc.
    400 Chapman St.
    $20,000 — Pour a concrete pad to support a 27-foot-high silo

    Robert Cohn
    117 Main St.
    $5,500 — Installation of a new roof

    Segundo Spike, LLC
    3 Bank Row
    $27,500 — Renovation of structure

    Segundo Spike, LLC
    3 Bank Row
    $37,000 — Installation of a wet fire sprinkler system

    Town of Greenfield
    321 High St.
    $126,000 — Removal of existing roof and installation of new one

    HADLEY

    Home Depot, USA
    348 Russell St.
    $326,000 — Construction of a Taco Bell Restaurant

    Pyramid Mall of Hadley Newco, LLC
    367 Russell St.
    $5,000 — Construction of fitting rooms in retail establishment

    Rocco Falcone
    249 Russell St.
    $41,800 — Interior renovations

    HOLYOKE

    Carline J. McCarthy
    1593 Northampton St.
    $11,000 — Install new walls for second-floor tenant

    Carline J. McCarthy
    1593 Northampton St.
    $4,000 — Install door, deck, & stairs

    Holyoke Mall Company, L.P.
    50 Holyoke St.
    $110,000 — Remodel existing Teavana store

    Racing Oil, LLC
    330 Main St.
    $555,000 — Proposed filling station with car wash and retail building

    LUDLOW

    Ludlow Community T.V.
    500 Chapin St.
    $260,000 — Alterations

    		  

    NORTHAMPTON

    Coolidge Park Condos
    50 Union St.
    $204,000 — New roof

    Jagdish Singh
    57 Main St.
    $6,000 — Replacement windows

    James Mailloux
    55 Main St.
    $3,000 — Reconfigure first-floor office spaces

    Jeffrey Lipston
    108 Main St.
    $12,000 — Renovation of the second floor

    Hampshire Regional Young Men’s Christian Association
    286 Prospect St.
    $200,000 — Rebuild second-floor, fire-damaged women’s locker room

    Hampshire Regional Young Men’s Christian Association
    286 Prospect St.
    $100,000 — Rebuild second-floor, fire-damaged men’s locker room

    SOUTH HADLEY

    South Hadley Housing
    27 Abbey Lane
    $345,000 — New roof and siding

    SPRINGFIELD

    A.I.C.
    963 State St.
    $50,000 — New roof

    City of Springfield
    285 Tiffany St.
    $517,000 — Roof replacement

    Helmet Lederer
    1912 Wilbraham Road
    $28,000 — Repair wall damaged by auto

    Key Program Inc.
    576 State St.
    $9,500 — Staircase renovation

    Temple Beth EL
    979 Dickinson St.
    $17,500 — Re-roof

    WESTFIELD

    Neil Phillips
    45 Washington St.
    $85,000 — Commercial alteration

    WEST SPRINGFIELD

    Costco Wholesale
    119 Daggett Dr.
    $7,500 — Interior renovations to break room

    Fred Aaron
    1680 Riverdale St.
    $10,000 — Renovate retail furniture sales area

    By
    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

    Titan Roofing Inc. v. Berkshire Roofing and Siding Co.
    Allegation: Non-payment of services rendered: $9,600
    Filed: 9/29/09

    GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT

    Leader Home Center Inc. v. Marchefka & Associates, LLC
    Allegation: Non-payment of goods and services rendered: $5,672.95
    Filed: 10/21/09

    HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

    Smith & Wesson Corp. v. Law Enforcement Associates
    Allegation: Breach of agreement by failing to pay required royalty payments: $150,000
    Filed: 9/28/09

    T.D. Banknorth, N.A. v. KC Countertops Inc.
    Allegation: Default on promissory notes: $41,204.47
    Filed: 9/28/09

    T.D. Banknorth, N.A. v. T.B.’s Custom Woodworking Inc.
    Allegation: Default on promissory note: $162,347.73
    Filed: 9/27/09

    The Bank of Western Massachusetts v. Points East Lounge
    Allegation: Default of promissory note: $170,045.68
    Filed: 10/16/09

    HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

    Elizabeth Le, administratrix of the estate of Paul Le v. Isaac Bromberg, M.D. and Francis Ansa, M.D.
    Allegation: Failure to diagnose and treat medical condition, causing death: $25,000+
    Filed: 10/16/09

    Pun Family, LLC v. American Medical Products and George McKay
    Allegation: Breach of lease agreement and non-payment: $35,700
    Filed: 10/22/09

    Tetrault et al v. Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, et al
    Allegation: Operator of a bus negligently drove too close to a horse-drawn carriage, spooking the horses and causing injury: $116,000
    Filed: 10/19/09

    HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT

    Berkshire Westwood Graphics Inc. v. Henry N. Sawyer Company Inc.
    Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $20,761.41
    Filed: 9/8/09

    NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

    Plimpton & Hills Corp. v. Vadnais Builders of Springfield
    Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $5,189.77
    Filed: 9/29/09

    Scott Diskin v. Somatic Systems Institute Inc.
    Allegation: Breach of contract and non-payment of monies loaned: $9,050
    Filed: 9/25/09

    PALMER DISTRICT COURT

    Ford Motor Credit Co., LLC v. Springfield Limo & Airport Car
    Allegation: Breach of retail installment sales agreement: $8,214.67
    Filed: 9/25/09

    SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

    Bank of America v. Ortiz Professional Services
    Allegation: Non-payment of monies loaned: $5,596.29
    Filed: 9/30/09

    JL Construction Corp. v. W&I Construction Inc. and Tiny Bull, LLC
    Allegation: Non-payment of materials and labor provided: $42,076.66
    Filed: 9/30/09

    TD Banknorth, N.A. v. Wide Range Investment
    Allegation: Non-payment of promissory notes: $24,239.18
    Filed: 9/29/09

    United Rentals v. CEI Boston, LLC and Peter C. Banks
    Allegation: Non-payment of materials, equipment, and services provided on a construction project: $11,465
    Filed: 10/2/09

    By
    Departments

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

    AGAWAM

    Agawam Massage Therapy Inc., 1 South Bridge Dr., Agawam, MA 01001. Zhanshi Jin, 36-18 195th St. #1, Flushing, NY 11358. Professional massage therapy.

    CHICOPEE

    N. Riley Construction Inc., 77 Mass. Ave., Chicopee, MA 01013. Nicholas J. Riley, Same. Construction.

    Oak River Development Corp., 169 Grove St., Monson, MA 01057. Erik T. Kaiser, 15 Mechanic St., Monson, MA 01057. Real estate development.

    EASTHAMPTON

    H. King Rug & Home Inc., 36 Cottage St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Jared Quinn, 20 Zabek Dr., Easthampton, MA 01027. Sale of rugs and home accessories.

    KAYA NOW INC., 57 ? Ward Ave., Easthampton, MA 01027. Susan Zahorak, same. E-commerce.

    HOLYOKE

    The International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association Inc., 30 Morgan St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Elisa Cotroneo, 105 Luther Road, East Greenbush, N.Y. 12061. To promote somatic movement education and therapy and maintain a registry of professional practitioners.

    SOUTHWICK

    Joanie’s Inc., 134 Point Grove Road, Southwick, MA 01077. Jennifer Nolasco, 52 Wendover Road, Suffield, CT 06078. Bar and restaurant.

    		  

    SPRINGFIELD

    Fidelity Land Development Corporation, 1380 Main St. Suite 301, Springfield, MA 01103. Eithan Ezra Pava, 770 Dickinson St., Springfield, MA 01108. Land development.

    WESTFIELD

    Affordable Flooring Inc., 172 Meadow St., Westfield, MA 01085. David Minchuk, same. Floor covering.

    M & H Properties Inc., 11 Robinson Dr., Westfield, MA 01085. Michael Leblanc, Same. Real estate ownership and development.

    WEST SPRINGFIELD

    Bella Fortuna Inc., 28 Timber Brook Road, West Springfield, MA 01089. Richard
    Flak, same. E-commerce

    LA Contractor Supply Inc., 32 Wishing Well Way, West Springfield, MA 01089. Rose Rousseau, same. Sales of materials and supplies to the construction industry.

    WILBRAHAM

    Frankie B’s Inc., 1071 Glendale Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Laurie Bongiorni, same. Billiards and sports bar.

    By
    Departments

    The following building permits were issued during the month of October 2009.

    AGAWAM

    HP Hood, LLC
    233 Main St.
    $100,000 — Installation of a 25,000-gallon milk storage silo on existing pad

    HP Hood, LLC
    233 Main St
    $170,000 — Replacement of a 25,000-gallon milk storage silo with a 40,000-gallon milk storage silo on existing pad

    AMHERST

    Clark House Associates
    22 Lessey St.
    $38,000 — Addition of cell phone antenna on roof

    Hampshire College
    Women’s Center
    $8,000 — Construction of a handicap ramp

    Paul C. Jones
    23 Montague Road
    $89,500 — Relocate transaction counter and reconfigure sales floor area

    CHICOPEE

    Pioneer Valley Church of Christ
    85 Montcalm St.
    $2,500 — Interior renovations

    Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield
    7 Belcher St.
    $167,500 — Strip and re-roof

    EAST LONGMEADOW

    Faith Tabernacle Church
    15 Kibbe Road
    $37,000 — Interior renovations

    G-Laz Realty, LLC
    138 Denslow Road
    $118,000 — Office build-out

    GREENFIELD

    Hobo Enterprise, LLC
    8-16 Federal St.
    $16,000 — Renovate second floor for Yoga studio

    Rosenberg Property, LLC
    311 Wells St.
    $67,000 — Interior renovations

    Quality Realty Partners II, LLP
    55 Federal St.
    $6,000 — Interior renovations for two offices

    HOLYOKE

    New England Etching and Plating
    23 Spring St.
    $18,000 — Roof repair

    Peoples Savings Bank
    314 High St.
    $49,000 — Third-floor interior build out

    Sisters of St. Joseph
    34 Lower Westfield Road
    $5,575,000 — Construction of a new residential facility with 31 units

    LUDLOW

    Our Lady of Fatima Church
    450 Windsor St.
    $718,000 — Alterations

    NORTHAMPTON

    CFP Properties, LLC
    320 Riverside Dr.
    $49,000 — Renovate interior for Amedisys Home Health

    		  

    Cooley Dickinson Hospital Inc.
    30 Locust St.
    $1,295,000 — Renovate woodchip plant

    Hampshire Regional Young Men’s Christian Association
    286 Prospect St.
    $200,000 — Interior demolition from fire

    Nonotuck Mills LLC
    296 Nonotuck St.
    $95,000 — Renovate portion of first floor for DAX transportation office

    Pride Convenience Inc.
    375 King St.
    $10,000 — Replace acoustical ceiling

    Smith College Office of the Treasurer
    42 West St.
    $25,000 — Strip & shingle roof

    PALMER

    Pathfinder Regional
    240 Sykes St.
    $368,000 — Addition of horticulture classroom

    Town of Palmer
    1029 Central St.
    $615,000 — Renovations to Memorial Hall

    SOUTH HADLEY

    SH limited Partnership
    493 Newton St.
    $18,000 — Renovations

    SPRINGFIELD

    Atlas Property Management
    107 Kensington St.
    $12,000 — Exterior renovations

    City of Springfield
    474 Armory St.
    $216,000 — Remove old roof and install new

    Costa Dourountoudakis
    248 Dickinson St.
    $80,000 — Addition of new cooler for store

    Mercy Medical Center
    271 Carew St.
    $410,000 — Construction of an addition to install MRI machine

    Springfield Diocese
    37 Alderman St.
    $126,000 – Construction of addition and handicap lift

    WESTFIELD

    Domus Inc.
    180 Main St.
    $1,008,000 — New construction

    Ghanskyam N. Patel
    39 Southampton Road
    $7,000 — New roof

    Plumrose Realty Trust
    93 White St.
    $20,000 — Interior renovations

    WEST SPRINGFIELD

    George Martin
    57 Norman St.
    $250,000 — Construction of a 4,134-square-foot commercial building

    Breaking No New Ground

    By
    A.J. Crane says building opportunities still exist right now, but contractors must stay flexible.
    Sections Supplements
    Area Builders Face Dwindling Job Opportunities, Stiffer Competition
    A.J. Crane says building opportunities still exist right now, but contractors must stay flexible.

    A.J. Crane says building opportunities still exist right now, but contractors must stay flexible.

    When David Fontaine surveys the construction landscape in Western Mass., he doesn’t like the little that he sees.

    “Unfortunately, this is the slowest we’ve been in at least 30 years,” said Fontaine, president of Fontaine Brothers in Springfield. “And it’s not for a lack of effort; we just can’t seem to get the low bid.”

    Part of that is the intense competition that has arisen to procure a dwindling number of available projects as the recession lingers. “In the most recent project we bid for, there were 18 bids. It’s just something we’ve never encountered as long as we’ve been here.”

    Richard Aquadro, president of Aquadro & Cerruti in Northampton, has witnessed the same phenomenon.

    “It’s brutally competitive, a very tough environment,” he said. “Last year wasn’t bad, even though the economy wasn’t great then, either. We did more volume last year than we had the previous two years. We lucked out, hit some good jobs, and did a fair amount of volume. But 2009 has been tough.

    “There are fewer jobs in what I call my market,” Aquadro added, noting that he typically tackles projects between $5 million and $30 million. “I see the bigger players chasing them and, surprisingly, getting some of them. They generally have more overhead, but they’re taking the jobs for nothing.”

    It’s a common refrain these days, as builders across the Pioneer Valley struggle to keep their machines moving and income flowing — and no one has a clear idea of when opportunities will pick up again.

    One Job at a Time

    A.J. Crane, operations manager for A. Crane Construction in Chicopee, said his small firm is weathering the storm, thanks to an effective network of relationship marketing that relies on repeat business and word of mouth.

    “It reflects the time we’ve put in, not with just cold calls or advertising, but more personally reaching out to people. It’s tougher now. You’ve got to sharpen your pencil.”

    Indeed, Crane said nailing down commitments has become more difficult as customers increasingly realize that they’re in the driver’s seat.

    “We never had to quote much,” he said, but people know the way things are now, and they know that contractors are hurting.”

    Some builders, Crane said, are cutting corners by not carrying insurance, which makes it more difficult for those who do.

    “I think people realize the value of being covered,” he said. “Someone who doesn’t do that can fly under the radar. But we spend $2,000 a week on insurance, and there are still customers out there that appreciate that.”

    In these times, Crane said, it helps to be willing to take jobs of any size. The company is building a 5,200-square-foot home in Sturbridge and undertaking a $70,000 kitchen remodel in Ludlow, but is also taking on much smaller-scale work as opportunities arise.

    “We don’t limit ourselves,” he said. “We’re not above doing storm doors. And I think it hurts a lot of guys when they don’t want to take small jobs.”

    Flexibility has long been a plus in construction, to insulate builders from slowdowns in particular industries, said Aquadro, who has tackled major jobs ranging from hospitals and schools to parking garages and athletic fields, and everything in between. But diversity has its limits, he said.

    “What has happened in the industry is that some jobs are being handled differently,” Aquadro said, explaining that, “as opposed to the hard, competitive bids of the past, they’re now being handled through an RFP [request for proposal] process, where you submit qualifications, fees, things like that. And you have to have a certain number of jobs similar to the one they’re proposing to do. So as opposed to being diversified and being able to do a lot of different things, it’s almost becoming a specialized market.”

    Colleges have always pumped a steady stream of jobs to area builders; Fontaine recently began work on Western New England College’s new School of Pharmacy, for one, and noted that WNEC has always been willing to take advantage of a down market.

    On the other hand, outside of education, “it does seem like the private sector is pretty quiet,” he said. “The public sector is quiet, too, although bridges and roads seem a bit busier. Driving down the Mass Pike or the 91 corridor, there’s a lot of activity.”

    Uncertain Outlook

    Overall, however, the picture remains cloudy for area contractors. Some ongoing work for Aquadro & Cerruti at Amherst College was recently put on the back burner — not an uncommon story for builders during uncertain economic times.

    “In some respects, there’s not enough work on the ground for everyone,” Aquadro said. “Competition has always been keen in the Valley.”

    The difference now is that larger contractors are moving aggressively to pick up mid-range jobs, which has forced the company to adjust its strategy. “We’re forced to bid in smaller projects against smaller companies that have less overhead and may not have the labor-union agreements we have, which makes it even more difficult to bid.”

    “I see us just trying to get through 2010,” said Fontaine, who doesn’t foresee a huge upswing in businesses undertaking new construction projects for the time being. “There are a lot of studies out there, but it takes a good year before a study gets turned into work for a tradesperson.”

    In other words, there’s not much to build on right now.

    Joseph Bednar can be reached

    at[email protected]

    Lien and Mean

    By
    Sections Supplements
    Knowing the Rules Can Help Ensure That You Get Paid for Your Work

    While receiving payment for a project has always been a challenge, in today’s economic environment, it is getting even more difficult. In order for a contractor (whether a general contractor or a subcontractor) to ensure payment, he must move quickly to perfect his mechanic’s lien rights. Just like the old saying goes, if you snooze, you lose.

    Mechanics’ liens in Massachusetts are governed by M.G.L. c.254, which covers liens by contractors and subcontractors. Strict adherence to the statutory requirements is essential, and all too often, mechanics’ lien rights are lost to minor deviations.

    A contractor must record a notice of contract in the Registry of Deeds for the county in which the property is located in a timely fashion in order to assert his statutory right to a mechanic’s lien. The notice of contract must be recorded within a certain period of time, beginning any time after execution of the written contract and ending at the earliest of (1) within 60 days after filing a notice of substantial completion; (2) within 90 days after the filing of a notice of termination; or (3) within 90 days after the contractor last performed or furnished labor and/or materials to the property.

    The enforcement of the lien requires additional actions. First, a statement of account must be recorded in the Registry of Deeds. This must be filed the earliest of (1) 90 days after filing the Notice of Substantial Completion; (2) 120 days after the filing of the notice of termination; or (3) 120 days after the last day labor was performed or material was delivered to the site. For a contractor, it is the last day he performed services or delivered material. For a subcontractor, it is the last day he performed services or delivered material, or the last day the general contractor did the same.

    After recording the statement of account, a civil action must be filed in Superior Court (the county where the land lies) or District Court (the district where the land lies) within 90 days of filing the statement of account.

    Once the complaint is filed, there is a final step that must be taken to execute the lien. The contractor or subcontractor must record in the Registry of Deeds an attested copy of the complaint within 30 days of filing it.

    The theory of equity is not used in mechanic’s lien cases. The timelines stated in M.G.L. c. 254 are absolute and cannot be extended by the court, and there is no exemption for oversight or neglect.

    In order to establish a lien under as a general contractor or subcontractor, there must be a written contract. In the case of a contractor, the written contract must exist with the project owner. In the case of a subcontractor, a written contract must exist between the subcontractor and the general contractor. If there is no written contract, the lien is invalid. M.G.L. c.254 defines what constitutes a written contract as “any contract in writing enforceable under the laws of the Commonwealth.”

    One loophole allows a lien without a contract, but it is applicable only to a person who actually performs services, not one who supplies material. This type of lien usually arises on small, informal projects where there are no written contracts. A statement of account must be filed within 90 days of filing the lien, and that lien covers only up to 30 days of work performed prior to the recording of the statement of account.

    In Massachusetts, it is illegal for a project owner to require a contractor or subcontractor to execute a blanket lien waiver prior to performing their services. This means that a project owner cannot require a contractor or subcontractor to agree that they will not file a lien upon the property. However, they can require such a waiver at the time of payment.

    In short, M.G.L. c 254 can be a powerful tool in collecting payments. However, like any tool, it must be used by an experienced operator. Just like when you’re on the job site, a seemingly minor mistake can have catastrophic consequences. n

    Adam J. Basch, Esq. is an associate with Bacon Wilson, P.C. He is a member of the litigation department with expertise in the areas of construction litigation, personal injury, general litigation, and creditor representation; (413) 781-0560;[email protected]

    By
    Departments

    The following building permits were issued during the month of September 2009.

    AGAWAM

    Dunkin Donuts
    12 Springfield St.
    $50,000 — Interior cosmetic remodel

    Frank Pignatore’s Auto Service Center
    395 Main St.
    $10,000 — Exterior renovations

    AMHERST

    Alpha Tau Gamma Inc.
    118 Sunset Ave.
    $6,000 — Install new bathroom in existing space

    Cumberland Farms Inc.
    33 Belchertown Road
    $89,500 — Interior alterations

    Immanuel Lutheran Church
    867 North Pleasant St.
    $100,000 — Replace roof and skylights

    CHICOPEE

    Main Street Property Management, LLC
    340 McKinstry Ave.
    $9,500 — Create new tenant space

    Westover Metropolitan Airport
    227 Lonczak St.
    $86,500 — Alterations at Hanger II

    EAST LONGMEADOW

    American Legion
    3 Legion Court
    $1,000 — Alterations

    Aspen Dental
    434 North Main St.
    $25,000 — Alterations

    KSK Properties
    382 N. Main St.
    $329,000 — Alteration of office

    GREENFIELD

    Edgar W. Martin
    6 Arch St.
    $28,000 — Replacement of four HVAC units

    Franklin County Dial Self Inc.
    196 Federal St.
    $27,000 — Installation of an automatic fire sprinkler system

    Greenfield Health Camp, Inc.
    Leyden Road
    $2,500 — Installation of a fire alarm system

    HOLYOKE

    Holyoke Health Center
    230-234 Maple St.
    $30,000 — Alterations to pediatric unit, second floor

    Holyoke Mall Company, LP
    50 Holyoke St.
    $245,000 — Remodel existing Deichmann store

    Mitul Coporation
    671 Northampton St.
    $18,500 — Install new roof at hotel

    LUDLOW

    Big Y Trust
    433 Center St.
    $72,500 — Commercial alterations

    NORTHAMPTON

    Village at Hospital Hill II, LLC
    Village Hill Road
    $178,000 — Strip and re-shingle roof

    		  

    Equity Builders Realty Trust
    225 Nonotuck St.
    $440,000 — Construction of new multi-family housing

    Hampshire Regional Young Men’s Christian Association
    286 Prospect St.
    $2,500 — Construct two-hour fire partition for new electrical service room

    M & S Holdings Limited Partnership
    8 Easthampton Road
    $124,000 — Rebuild 1,996-square-foot building

    Maplewood Shops Inc.
    2 Conz St.
    $6,500 — Replace rear rotted stairs and front porch

    The Brush Works, LLC
    221 Pine St.
    $3,000 — Construct partition walls in studio

    PALMER

    Raymond Roy
    7 Third St.
    $450,000 — Addition to industrial building

    Town of Palmer
    3 Walnut St.
    $15,000 — Expansion of out building

    SOUTH HADLEY

    Beers & Story
    646 Newton St.
    $50,000 — Demolition & Repairs

    The Consortium
    79 Granby Road
    $16,000 — Remodel

    SPRINGFIELD

    Arch Properties, LLC
    144 White St.
    $18,500 — Remodel kitchens

    Beacon Communities, LLC
    401 North Branch Pkwy
    $60,800 — Fire damage repair at Colonial Estates

    Bharat Patel
    668 Liberty St.
    $100,000 — Interior renovations

    Mass Convention Center Authority
    1277 Main St.
    $25,000 — Façade repairs at seven locations

    Mercy Medical Center
    271 Carew St.
    $70,445 — Erection of partitions to create new offices

    WESTFIELD

    Larolo Realty
    100 Servicestar Way
    $26,000 — Re-roof

    Neil Phillips
    45 Washington St.
    $85,000 — Commercial alterations

    Westfield Athenaeum
    6 Elm St.
    $15,000 — Renovations

    WEST SPRINGFIELD

    Pearson Limited Partners
    61 Century Way
    $10,000 — Remodel existing bathrooms

    By
    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

    New Horizon Communication v. Suffield Oxygen Supply
    Allegation: Failure to pay for services rendered: $7,909.78
    Filed: 8/25/09

    Perry Auto Parts v. Kustom Performanz
    Allegation: Non- payment of goods received: $21,898
    Filed: 9/15/09

    GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT

    FM Kusmekus Inc. v. American Defenders of Pittsfield Inc.
    Allegation: Breach of contract and failure to pay for use of services: $7,898.79
    Filed: 8/27/09

    HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

    Cost Recovery Associates Inc. v. Catuogno Court Reporting and Sten-Tel Transcription Inc.
    Allegation: Breach of contract: $169,200
    Filed: 9/01/09

    Lindsay Wieland v. Baystate Medical Center
    Allegation: Negligent administration of an epidural injection: $22,000
    Filed: 8/28/09

    Nancy Drury v. Lowe’s Home Center Inc. and High Tech Laboratories Inc.
    Allegation: Product liability and negligence causing severe and disabling personal injuries: $1,200,000
    Filed: 8/28/09

    Peter Kantos v. Sunnyside Corporation
    Allegation: Oil spill clean up costs: $41,000
    Filed: 8/28/09

    HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

    Albert R. Santopietro v. Robert I. White, M.D. and Pioneer Valley Urology, P.C.
    Allegation: Metastasis of cancer due to negligent failure to diagnose: $226,701.29
    Filed: 9/2/09

    Morse & Erin Bradford v. D.D.P.S.R. Inc. & David Parker
    Allegation: Negligence in construction project: $200,000
    Filed: 8/27/09

    NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

    Carol Ryan v. Northampton Ford Inc.
    Allegation: Breach of Lemon Law and breach of warranty: $22,500
    Filed: 9/2/09

    Marmot Mountain v. Mass Outfitters Inc.
    Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $6,030.95
    Filed: 9/18/09

    PALMER DISTRICT COURT

    Howlett Lumber, LLC v. Pheasant Hills Estates, LLC and Donald Zucco
    Allegation: Breach of contract and statement on account for supply of materials to defendant in construction project: $20,624.81
    Filed: 9/4/09

    Killingly Building Products Inc. v. Lee Margadonna Plastering and Ann Marie & Charles T. Kuss
    Allegation: Non-payment of materials supplied: $5,194.72
    Filed: 8/21/09

    SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

    Affordable Property Services, LLC v. Boston Billiards Club Inc.
    Allegation: Non-payment of landscaping services rendered: $3,520
    Filed: 9/10/09

    Andree Michelle Petigny v. J.E. Robison Service Company Inc.
    Allegation: Breach of contract and unfair and deceptive trade practices: $9,000
    Filed: 9/11/09

    Gilbert & Sons Insulation Inc. v. The Auction House
    Allegation: Non-payment of services rendered: $3,400.85
    Filed: 9/11/09

    United Rentals v. JVO Corporation
    Allegation: Non-payment of materials, equipment, and services for a construction project: $20,612.98
    Filed: 9/08/09

    WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT

    Capital One Bank, N.A. v. The Clip Shop
    Allegation: Non-payment of goods and services charged on a credit card: $7,137.92
    Filed: 7/28/09

    Jennifer M. Cook Company v. A.J. Virgilio Construction Inc.
    Allegation: Breach of agreement and non-payment of land clearing services rendered: $13,903.31
    Filed: 8/6/09

    By
    Departments

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

    CHICOPEE

    D-N-D Construction Inc., 299 Columbia St., Chicopee, MA 01020. George E. Doup, same. Construction.

    HOLYOKE

    Rogers Fuel Inc, 181 West Franklin St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Roger Harfoush, 288 West Franklin St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Gas mini mart.

    LUDLOW

    NANAMARK TEK INC, 787 East St., Ludlow, MA 01056. Grace E. Queros, same. Asbestos abatement and removal.

    SOUTHAMPTON

    Passion For Snacks Vending Inc., 25 Noreen Dr. Southampton, MA 01073. Teresa L. Harwood, same. Vending services.

    TLC Trucking Inc., 10 Gunn Road, Southampton, MA 01073. Jonathan J. Levin, same. Providing trucking services to businesses and members of the general public.

    SPRINGFIELD

    1700 Main Street Inc., 1694 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103. Steven C. Stein, 359 Pease Road, East Longmeadow, MA. Theater-function facility-bar-restaurant.

    ARGO Express Inc, 419 Taylor St., Springfield, MA 01105. Vadim Romanchenko, 14 Leyfred Terrace, Springfield, MA 01108. To engage in the business of operating specialty and dedicated services of transporting foods, commercial goods, vehicles, general freight and other commodities

    		  

    Ava’s Construction Inc, 59 Fox Hill Road, Springfield, MA 01118. Linda Fieldhouse, same. Construction.

    Blessed Travel Plus Inc., 29 Rush St., Springfield, MA 01109. Diane G Johnson, Same. Transportation services.

    Capture The Moment Studios Inc., 1655 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103. Danny Rosa, 66 Norman St., Springfield, MA 01104. Photography services and sales.

    SOUTHWICK

    Campari’s Inc, 784 College Highway, Southwick, MA 01077. Tracy V. Mountain, 35 Woodland Way, Russell, MA 01071. Restaurant.

    WESTFIELD

    Compusultts Inc, 12 Winding Ridge Lane, Westfield, MA 01085. Norman Wroblewski, Same. Database consulting, maintenance and management.

    WEST SPRINGFIELD

    General Contracting Solutions Inc, 61 Forris St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Thomas E. Beaulieu, 50 Labelle St., West Springfield, MA 01089. General contracting and home improvements.

    Lynch Flooring Inc, 115 Frederick St.,West Springfield, MA 01089. Peter Lynch, same. Carpentry and floor installations.

    By
    Departments

    The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of September 2009.

    AGAWAM

    Beaver Camper Service
    721 Springfield St.
    Thomas L. Beaver

    Gurukrupa’s Subway, LLC
    840 Suffield St.
    Navin Patel

    Hair Spectrum
    303A Springfield St.
    Eloise Anderson

    Poggi Transport
    27 Howard St.
    Lee J. Poggi

    Smart Start Pre-School
    21 North Westfield St.
    Robin Jensen

    Stellato Brothers Inc.
    19 Losito Lane
    James Stellato

    AMHERST

    Amherst Nails
    9 East Pleasant St.
    Thu T. Hoang

    Citadel Studios
    161 Thatcher Way
    Thomas Quinn

    One Metaverse Engineering
    401 Main St.
    James Triplett

    Persona
    236 N. Pleasant St.
    Doreen St. John

    CHICOPEE

    Fiona’s Spa
    1888 Memorial Dr.
    Fenghua Yu

    HSF Cleaning
    20 Park St.
    Hugo Ferreira

    Just Windows
    36 Mercedes St.
    Robin Campbell

    Sport It Now
    74 Skeele St.
    Joel Rios

    EASTHAMPTON

    Bermudez Auto Repossession & Transport
    3 West St.
    Aneudi Bermudez

    EAST LONGMEADOW

    Ciao Bella Salon
    128 Shaker Road
    Deanna Hansen

    Vanle’s Hair & Nails
    613 North Main St.
    Mina Tran

    GREENFIELD

    MetLife Home Loans
    22 Mohawk Trail
    Clayton J. Herbert

    HADLEY

    Befit
    245 Russell St.
    Holly Leonard

    Readings by Margurite
    249 Russell St.
    Margurite Miller

    S & M Builders
    75 Lawrence Plain Road
    Carl Johnson

    HOLYOKE

    ABC Sales and Services
    621 S. Canal St.
    Rober J. Celi

    Button It
    540 County Road
    Terry A. Paquin

    CCO Investment Services Inc.
    28 Lincoln St.
    Xiomara Corral

    Massachusetts Academy of Ballet
    4 Open Square Way
    Charles Flachs

    Pet Pillows
    50 Holyoke St.
    Shashi Sharma

    Tic Toc Jewelry and Watch Repair
    50 Holyoke St.
    Diane Oliveras

    NORTHAMPTON

    Amedisys Home Health
    320 Riverside Dr.
    Celeste Peiffer

    Dolphin Daycare
    33 Hawley St.
    Elizabeth Cole

    Overlook @ Northampton
    222 River Road
    Pamela Jones

    		  

    National
    72 King St.
    Mary K. DeLassus

    Studio 112
    9A Bankroft Road
    Ethel Poindexter

    The Mirage Group
    16 Market St.
    Mirage Management Inc.

    Universal Kids
    33 Hawley St.
    Elizabeth Cole

    PALMER

    Fire Fighting Equipment
    2146 North Main St.
    Alan P. Fateux

    American Ecological Services
    124 River St.
    Kal Thiphavong

    Paramount Pizza
    1620 North Main St.
    Aydin Oflu

    The Retro
    3031 Main St.
    Damon Johnson

    SPRINGFIELD

    Jam Tock Restaurant
    17A Rutland St.
    Michael R. Marshall

    Mackenzie Landesign
    30 Carroll St.
    Joel Mackenzie

    Miracle
    187 Monrovia St.
    Miguel A. Cruz

    Pioneer Valley Yard Service
    332 Naismith St.
    Zachary Macutkiewicz

    Pure Freedom
    55 Meadow St.
    Daniel J. Kudla

    Solunas Communications
    101 Mulberry St.
    Patricia A. Truitt

    Springfield’s Finest Cuts
    427 State St.
    Angel Luis Castillo

    Stanpak Company
    19 Forbes Circle
    Mohammed Tanvir

    Sullivan’s Pool Service
    387 Main St.
    Brian Glenn Sullivan

    Technical Certification
    125 Paridon St.
    Wayne P. Liggan

    The Tag Sale Store
    157 Main St.
    Tracey B. Hines

    WESTFIELD

    Countryview Primitives
    71 Elm St.
    Tanya Rogalski

    Izzy’s Barber Shop
    243 Elm St.
    Isidro Acosta

    Party Patrol Rental
    869 North Road
    Daniel M. Gagnon

    Pignatare & Sagan, LLC
    6 Main St.
    Andrew J. Pignatare

    Westfield Computer
    24 Old Holyoke Road
    Michael Patton

    WEST SPRINGFIELD

    Bart Truck Equipment Company Inc.
    358 River St.
    Martin Tourtelotte

    Bay State Instrument Repair
    248 Elm St.
    Carl Ippolito

    C-Mac
    136 Riverdale St.
    Craig McCarthy

    Kia M. Brokos, L.M.T.
    425 Union St.
    Kia Marie Brokos

    Lubanski Construction Company
    57 Hill St.
    Brandon Lubanski

    Mamma Mia’s Pizzeria
    60 Park St.
    Maria Alfarone

    Pioneer Valley Hobbies Inc.
    54 Myron St.
    Dennis A. Gamelli

    By
    Departments

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

    AMHERST

    People’s Acupuncture Clinic Inc., 228 Triangle St., Amherst, MA 01002. Benjamin F. Feeley, 222 East St., Amherst, MA 01002. Acupuncture and other health issues.

    CHICOPEE

    Complete Restoration Solutions Inc., 165 Front St., 4th floor, Chicopee, MA 01013. Joseph M Gillette, 6 Shady Lane, West Simsbury, CT 06092. Fire restoration.

    D-N-D Construction Inc., 299 Columba St., Chicopee, MA 01020. George E. Doup, same. Construction.

    SMV Construction Inc., 148 Labelle Dr., Chicopee, MA 01020. Stephen M. Vitorino, Same. General contracting and residential home improvements.

    EAST LONGMEADOW

    New England Mezzanine Inc., 100 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. John Maybury, 215 Prospect St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Manufacturing and construction of office parts fabricated from steel or other material.

    GRANBY

    The Granby Firefighter’s Association Inc., 250 State St., Granby, MA 01033. Matthew Bail, 10 Summit Road, Belchertown, MA 01007. To provide entertainment.

    HOLYOKE

    A&B Tax and Bookkeeping Service Inc., 326 Appleton St., Suite 10, Holyoke, MA 01040. Armando Santiago, 80 West St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Tax and bookkeeping services.

    Applied Light Manufacturing Inc., 48 Commercial St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Kathleen M. Macy, same. Manufacturing laser job shop-equipment fabrication.

    NORTHAMPTON

    16 Main Street Inc., 16 Main St., Unit 2, Northampton, MA 01060. Thomas Chow, same. To own and lease rental property and manage real estate.

    		  

    Daley Clinical Research Consulting Inc., 34 Warburton Way, Northampton, MA 01060. Charles Daley, same. Consulting.

    SOUTH HADLEY

    Gestation Miracles Corporation, 62 McKinley Ave., Apt 1 RT, South Hadley, MA 01075. Kelly Marie Mojica-Pozo, Same. To provide financial assistance for in-Vitro Fertilization and certain necessary medications to couples, families, and individuals through the United States.

    SOUTHWICK

    Campari’s Inc., 784 College Highway, Southwick, MA 01077. Tracy V. Mountain, 35 Woodlawn Way, Russell, MA 01071. Restaurant.

    SPRINGFIELD

    El Probocon Restaurant Corporation, 152 Rifle St., Springfield, MA 01105. Maria Celeste Pacheco, 4 Langdong St., Springfield, MA 01104. Selling cooked food, specializing in fried chicken.

    Meche Beauty Salon & Spa Inc., 894 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103. Ana M. Cortes, 104 Melha Ave., Springfield, MA 01104. Beauty Salon.

    TNM Enterprises Inc., 1038 Wilbraham Road, Springfield, MA 01109. Mark Bajek, 118 Lincoln Park, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Retail sales of beer, wine, and spirits.

    WESTFIELD

    Bandjo Enterprises Inc., 571 Granville Road, Westfield, MA 01085. Brian D. Cook, Same. Personal fitness training.

    WILBRAHAM

    Gravel Partners Company, 2660 Boston Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Nancy Schechterle, 14 Rice Dr., Wilbraham MA 01095. Truck and equipment leasing.

    Beyond Recognition

    By
    Bob Greeley, left, and Zane Mirkin
    Sections Supplements
    60 Congress St. Gets a Facelift and a Clean Slate
    Bob Greeley, left, and Zane Mirkin

    Bob Greeley, left, and Zane Mirkin say the accessibility of 60 Congress St. should help fill the building, even in a down economy.

    While speculative building is certainly risky in this economy, Zane Mirkin and Jerry Gagliarducci thought they were on solid ground when they acquired 60 Congress St., aka the ‘Hooters Building.’ They’re off to a strong start with the signing of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission as lead tenant, and believe they can fill what’s left quickly due to the building’s great location and a facelift that is making its past use a distant memory.

    Bob Greeley calls it “changing the mass.”

    That’s a development industry term (sort of), he said, that is used to describe the process of dramatically altering a building’s appearance so that no one will know what it was before — or care.

    To say that the mass has been changed at 60 Congress St. in Springfield would be a real understatement, at least in light of some the anecdotes shared by Greeley, president of the R.J. Greeley Co., who helped orchestrate this highly visible project.

    60 Congress St. — before, during, and after.

    “I’ve had a lot of people ask me if this a new building,” he said of the structure, which was built nearly a century ago and has seen a number of uses, including, most recently, home to a certain chain restaurant noted for its provocatively dressed waitresses. “And one person said to me recently, ‘this was the Hooters building?’”

    That’s exactly the kind of comments Greeley and the two partners/developers in this endeavor, Zane Mirkin and Jerry Gagliarducci, had in mind when they demolished one section of the four-story structure, completely gutted what was left, built a small addition, and put on a new façade.

    Actually, the real goal was and is to remove the phrase ‘Hooters building’ from the local lexicon — and sooner rather than later.

    “We certainly don’t use that term anymore,” said Greeley, referring to those at his firm who call it simply, ‘60 Congress St.’ He believes that with time, and perhaps not much of it, that will become the name commonly used in Greater Springfield. And to help move matters along, the developers have affixed the numeral 60 (five feet high) to all four sides of the building.

    They can be seen by a great many people, said Mirkin, president of Associated Building Wreckers, who, while offering a tour of the facility along with Greeley, gestured with his hand while looking out huge windows facing south, west, and north. With that view, people can see cars traversing Routes 91 and 291, as well as Main Street and other major arteries. “This is a very visible, very accessible site.”

    It is this attractive location that inspired Mirkin and Gagliarducci to undertake what amounts to speculative development at the height of the worst recession in 70 years, and it prompted optimism from Greeley as he discussed the task of filling the remaining space.

    The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) has taken the first two floors, or roughly 60% of the 30,000 square feet available, and Greeley says there’s been a good deal of interest in floors three and four, which can accommodate one or several tenants each within their 6,000 square feet.

    “We’ve had some interest from the medical sector,” he said, noting that there are many medical offices within a few blocks of the building, as well as the close proximity of Baystate Medical Center and Mercy Medical Center. “But we’re seeing it from many other sectors as well; I’ve had a lot of calls.”

    New Lease on Life

    Recalling his Springfield history, Greeley told BusinessWest that 60 Congress St. was long home to the American Linen Supply company and was the only building in a three- or four-block area of the North End not to be razed during what became widely known as the ‘bulldozer era’ of urban renewal in the early and mid-1960s.

    “It managed to survive all that somehow,” he explained. “It was a solid building, in pretty good shape — so they let it stand.”

    More than four decades later, it’s still there, although no one would recognize it — which is exactly the point of the exercise undertaken by Mirkin and Gagliarducci, president of Gagliarducci Construction, with a little coaxing from Greeley.

    He has worked with those businessmen on several commercial real estate developments in Greater Springfield, and saw, in 60 Congress St., what he considered another excellent opportunity.

    Greeley told BusinessWest that he had been “chasing” the building for some time, meaning that he had been monitoring the situation — the building had been vacant for some time after Hooters and another restaurant on that site closed down — and watching for circumstances to come together for practical reuse.

    He approached Mirkin and Gagliaducci to discuss what he considered to be vast potential at the site, but said he really didn’t have to sell them on the idea.

    “Instead, it pretty much sold itself,” he continued, adding quickly that, despite some structural challenges and the softened economy, the property had what he called “all the right ingredients” for success, including visibility, accessibility, and abundant on-site parking.

    Together, these provided more than enough selling points for Mirkin and Gagliarducci, who prevailed at the second of two auctions on the property roughly a year ago.

    This would become latest in a string of real-estate endeavors for the two partners. They came together for a development of an office complex on Dwight Road at the Longmeadow/East Longmeadow line, and also on a property on Brookdale Drive in Springfield that became home to Branford Hall. They also worked together on a project involving a former Peter Pan bus-repair facility on Arnold Avenue in Springfield.

    What the two saw in 60 Congress St. was a chance to breathe some life into a North End landmark that had somehow fallen into dormancy, and they took what amounted to a considerable risk given the economy and a soft real-estate market that has flooded the region with vacancies and ‘for-lease’ signs.

    But they were helped tremendously by the plight of the PVPC. The agency had been located on the top floor of the municipal office building in West Springfield for more than 20 years, but was informed in 2007 that the city needed that space. It was only a few months after Mirkin and Gagliaducci purchased the building when talks commenced about the agency about moving to that address.

    By then, the partners had already engaged the architectural firm Caolo & Bieniek and Saloomey Construction Co. to design to execute this “changing of the mass” that Greeley described.

    A small portion of the original structure was demolished, and a new entrance element, featuring an elevator, stairwell, and common space, was added. A number of structural changes were made to bring the 99-year-old edifice up to modern building codes (earthquake-proofing it, for example), said Mirkin, and the property was essentially gutted to its four walls.

    The signing of the PVPC as the primary tenant provided a real sense of urgency and moved matters along very quickly, said Greeley, noting that the developers set and met an aggressive timetable to have the agency moved in by Sept. 1.

    As for the task of filling the remaining space, Greeley told BusinessWest that he had been reluctant to show prospective tenants a work in progress or architects’ renderings of what a renovated 60 Congress St. would look like. But now that the work is essentially completed, he’s making up for lost time.

    “I wanted to wait until it was finished,” he explained. “It’s hard to sell people on a drawing. Now that people can see what’s been done, it will be much easier to sell them on this address.”

    Success Stories

    As he walked across the fourth floor of 60 Congress St., admiring the views of downtown Springfield that it provides, Greeley conjectured that it wouldn’t be long before the top two floors of the building — which have gone virtually unused for two decades — would again be teeming with activity.

    And by then, the phrase ‘Hooters Building’ should be that much closer to being a term out of use.

    That’s what happens when a building’s mass is changed — not to mention its fortunes.

    George O’Brien can be reached at

    [email protected]

    Power House

    By
    John Mathews
    Sections Supplements
    New Central Heating Plant at UMass Sets the Standard for Energy Efficiency
    John Mathews

    John Mathews shows off UMass Amherst’s new, $133 million central heating plant.

    The new, $133 million central heating plant, or CHP, at UMass Amherst has been drawing plenty of attention — and winning its share of accolades from the industry trade publications — since opening last year. The reasons are simple: the new standards it is setting for efficiency and low emission levels, and the manner in which it builds a bridge of sorts between older technologies and the future of renewable energy.

    John Mathews nearly wore out the phrase ‘state of the art’ as he talked about the new central heating plant (CHP) at UMass Amherst.

    He used it to describe nearly every facet of the gleaming, $133 million facility, the building of which has been Mathews’ primary focus for more than a decade now.

    Indeed, while standing on the roof of the glass and steel structure, Mathews pointed out the aesthetic refinements of the building, from smokestacks sheathed with a metal mesh scrim to south-facing high-tech windows, to that soaring roofline echoing the neighboring Mullins Center.

    Mathews, assistant director of the Facilities Planning Division at UMass Amherst, has been the project manager for the $133 million CHP, and after 12 years, he’s happy not only to see the project finally finished, but to have it recognized as a standard-bearing example of the future for district energy facilities.

    Dedicated this past April, the CHP is the latest example of UMass leading the way in providing responsible answers to the energy needs of the 21st century. The technology utilized throughout the facility, from mechanical to architectural, has helped contribute to a 30% reduction of the school’s carbon footprint. Overall, the CHP has reduced the greenhouse gas emissions at UMass by approximately 75%.

    Mathews gave BusinessWest a tour of the facility recently, and described the innovations that have made this power house the latest word in efficient energy production.

    Steam of Consciousness

    The CHP replaces a power plant that was completed in 1910. Mathews joked that the campus technology had been a contemporary of Teddy Roosevelt as he stormed Cuba during the Spanish American War. The university was then in its heyday as an agricultural college.

    “That technology had been added onto in the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s,” he continued, “but you need the reliable and quality power today to function as a modern research facility, which in so many ways UMass has become.”

    Financed by the UMass Building Authority (UMBA), a separate state agency from the university, the facility was first blueprinted in the 1990s, when the school decided that the time had come to finally replace the old coal-fired power plant, which over time became close to the hub of the growing campus.

    The UMBA is responsible for all facets of university capital construction, from financing to design and construction. Upon completion, the buildings are then turned over to the campus physical plant operations. In the case of the CHP, the decision was made to use the same architectural firm, Cambridge Seven, that designed the Mullins Center.

    The 1,400-acre Amherst campus has more than 10 million square feet of space in more than 200 buildings. More than 25 miles of steam lines bring power to these buildings, and the CHP is at the core of it all.

    The primary energy needs for the university are steam and electricity. Steam is used throughout the year, for hot water, heating in the winter, but also used to run absorption chillers in warmer months. “As steam cools, it contracts by 1,000%,” Mathews explained. “That vacuum allows us to generate cold water that is then put into air conditioners.”

    The heart of the CHP is a 10 megawatt gas turbine powered by a jet engine. The process is called combined-cycle technology, and while the machinery looks high-tech, Mathews’ description makes it seem pretty simple.

    “We fire natural gas or oil into the jet engine, and that spins an electric turbine generator which makes electricity,” he said. “It has an air compressor, with rows of fan blades that compress the air to 450 pounds per square inch, where we inject gas into a combustion chamber. Gas expands as it combusts, and it spins the fan blades, spins the rotor, and makes electricity.

    “The heat from that process exhausts at 900 degrees Fahrenheit,” he continued, “and that exhausts into a heat recovery boiler. There’s an additional duct firing natural-gas burners like a backyard barbecue, but in an industrial size, 72 burners, and that fires the temperature in the boiler up to about 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.”

    Thus, the two demands for the campus, electricity and steam, are met. According to the CHP’s specs, the gas turbine produces 10 million watts of electricity at 13.8 kilovolts. An additional 4.5-megawatt steam turbine generator adds to the electrical output.

    While most people would think that a state-of-the-art and efficient district energy facility would incorporate some form of renewable fuel source such as solar, geothermal, or wind, Mathews explained that for the requirements of this power plant, fossil-fuel consumption is still the best possible way to meet the energy needs of the university community.

    “The CHP is an important bridge between the older technologies and the future of renewable energy technologies,” he said. “Solar is still very expensive per kilowatt hour, and so are fuel cells, which are 10 times the cost of energy from fossil fuels. Nuclear power is hard to site. Renewable energies just need more time to develop. In the meantime, we have these technologies available to us that will have a significant contribution in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

    So what the CHP does do incredibly well is use existing methods of fuel consumption and make them more efficient than ever before. Traditionally, a power plant utilizing steam turbines for the production of electricity captured about 35% of the available energy in their fuel, wasting the other 65% into the atmosphere and the environment as ash. The CHP uses over 80% of the available energy in the fuel.

    “Almost close to optimum use per pound of fuel is captured here,” Mathews continued. “Per pound of fuel, we are generating twice as much electricity as a traditional power plant, plus half the greenhouse gas emissions of a power plant. This facility was responsible for significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions for all state-owned facilities in the Commonwealth. This one facility. And there’s not a solar cell in the place.”

    He said that state agencies have wanted a power plant of this sort to be built for a long time. The Massachusetts DEPA, along with those of California and New York, has been pushing the industry to do better and be more efficient.

    “The permits they issued for this facility were stricter than those for the facility they did before ours,” Mathews said, “and the permits after this will be even stricter. They’re pushing the vendors to further develop their technology, to lower total emissions.

    “We are meeting the most stringent air-pollution-control standards in the country,” he continued. “There is no other facility of this kind, of this size, in the country that has such low emission limits as we have. So it has really challenged the manufacturers to meet those low limits. They are trying to use these technologies to make the higher limits around the country meet these limits.”

    But the emissions aren’t the only aspect of the CHP that make it a model for efficiency.

    Waste Not, Want Not

    In the past, steam traveling from the power plant to the campus was lost in the process, and not successfully recirculated back to the source. Mathews estimated that the older facility would get on average of 80% to 90% of the steam returned.

    To make up for that loss, additional water was pumped in from the Amherst town water supply. “We were using about 150,000 to 250,000 gallons per day of make-up water for steam,” he said.

    But in true fashion for a model of efficiency, the CHP uses so-called gray water, non-industrial wastewater, from the nearby Amherst town wastewater treatment plant. “We treat it through two different treatment processes, sterilizing it and also reducing the suspended materials and minerals,” he explained. “By doing so, we are diverting about 11% of its flow to the Connecticut River.

    “Recycling the water saves something in the neighborhood of 65 million gallons per year taken from the drinking water supply,” he continued.

    But it’s not just the state agencies that have recognized the CHP as a standard bearer for regional energy facilities.

    Combined Cycle Journal, the industry’s leading trade publication, gave the UMass facility one of its highest recognitions for 2008, the Pacesetter Plant Award. The International District Energy Assoc., a non-profit with goals of energy efficiency and environmental quality, gave UMass Amherst an award at the CHP’s opening for leading sustainable campus in America. Mathews said that he is currently seeking federal recognition, with an award from the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection for Combined Cycle Technology.

    But the CHP is just one example of the school taking the lead with regard to its own environmental impact.

    “As a campus, environmentally, we have just instituted about 40 energy-conservation measures,” said Mathews. “We replaced 12,000 light fixtures on campus, about 5,000 plumbing fixtures, modernized our chillers and air-conditioning equipment. We have effectively reduced our steam and electrical demand by over 20% during the design of this project” — such a reduction in demand, in fact, that the CHP was able to eliminate one of the large boilers from the facility’s array.

    The CHP may be the tip of the spear for central power plants, but for the school also. UMass will further its green commitment with two new buildings in the pipeline. As Mathews puts the finishing touches on this building, he mentioned a new police station just out to bid now which is designed to be a LEED gold structure, and a $144 million science building, with a LEED level to be determined.

    With the power plant designed to meet the school’s energy demands for the coming decades, Chancellor Robert Holub said, “this first-rate building advances UMass Amherst’s leadership in higher education with development of one of the nation’s most efficient and environmentally friendly energy facilities. It also will contribute significantly to meeting the governor’s goals for reducing the carbon footprint of state facilities.”

    Mathews said that he’s given tours of the CHP to organizations facing similar projects, and he’s happy to use the plant as a model of what could be. “This is a public facility, so we’re not here to make a profit,” he said. “But there are private-sector developers for district power plants throughout the world who are struggling to make this viable for them. Cities and towns and state agencies need to provide more incentive for the construction of these kinds of facilities.”

    While the university continues to be on the front line for alternative energy sources, its own needs are met for the coming decades by this example of efficient operation. UMass, in more ways than one, is proving again to be a powerhouse in efficient energy answers.

    By
    Departments

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

    Ablicki, Jonathan S.
    Ablicki, Jennifer L.
    PO Box 177
    Belchertown, MA 01007
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/10/09

    Algozer, Lorraine
    99 3rd St. #1
    Turners Falls, MA 01376
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/27/09

    Andrews, James J.
    Andrews, Debra S.
    42 Homestead Ave.
    Greenfield, MA 01301
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/01/09

    Arena, Luis A.
    Arena, Carmen L.
    75 Lyman St.
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Arnold, Gary B.
    Arnold, Linda D.
    a/k/a Lewis, Linda D.
    847 South West St.
    Feeding Hills, MA 01030
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/07/09

    Atayan, Svetlana
    a/k/a Mnatsakanyan, Svetlana
    67 Manor Court
    Springfield, MA 01118
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/05/09

    Auto Test World
    LaPorte, Judy M.
    LaPorte, John J.
    30 Westbrook Ave.
    Ware, MA 01082
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/10/09

    Axas, Theodore D.
    47 Oakwood Dr.
    Ludlow, MA 01056
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    Bailey, Lisa M.
    482 Leyden Road
    Greenfield, MA 01301
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Bauer, Robert B.
    11 Anderson Ave.
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Bergeron, Adam J.
    36 Charles St.
    Orange, MA 01364
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/01/09

    Bergeron, Jeremy D.
    32 Lewis St.
    Athol, MA 01331
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/13/09

    Bergeron, Kyle E.
    89 Union Road
    Wales, MA 01081
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    Berry Construction
    Berry Transportation
    Berry, David W.
    106 Coes Hill Road
    Southwick, MA 01077
    Chapter: 11
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Bird, Deborah A.
    323 East St., Apt. E
    Easthampton, MA 01027
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Blais, Eric C.
    Blais, Tracy L.
    340 Montcalm St.
    Chicopee, MA 01022
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Boothe, Barbara A.
    a/k/a Ruelle, Barbara A.
    297 Morgan Road
    West Springfield, MA 01089
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/30/09

    Bouchard, James A.
    Bouchard, Karla A.
    586 Roosevelt Ave.
    Springfield, MA 01118
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    Bourdeau, Gyslain M.
    Bourdeau, Sheila M.
    20 Sterling St.
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/04/09

    Bowers, James L.
    Bowers, Tammy A.
    a/k/a McDonald, Tammy A.
    79 Laurel St.
    Athol, MA 01331
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Boyd, Christopher Stephen
    Brown-Boyd, Roxanne
    831 South East St.
    Amherst, MA 01002
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Boyd, Tracie H.
    60 Allen Road
    Sturbridge, MA 01566
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/04/09

    Brown, Eric
    16 West Summit St.
    South Hadley, MA 01075
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/03/09

    Brozo, Nancy Jean
    154 Cutler Road
    Warren, MA 01083
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Bruno, Arianna Koren
    11 Katelyn Way
    Southampton, MA 01073
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/04/09

    Buah-Miezah, Lydia
    a/k/a Ampong, Lydia
    17 Berkshire Ave.
    Pittsfield, MA 01201
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/07/09

    Calderon, Celines
    115 Ranney St.
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/05/09

    Calkins, Jennifer L.
    a/k/a Platt, Jennifer L.
    146 Reynolds St.
    Ludlow, MA 01056
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Camilleri, Richard P.
    14 Upland Road
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Carlson, Paul
    Carlson, Doris L.
    137 Warren Road
    Brimfield, MA 01010
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/21/09

    Carmon, Paul M.
    Carmon, Michelle L.
    a/k/a Strauch, Michelle
    58 Euclid Ave.
    Pittsfield, MA 01201
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Carnahan-Gavin, Prudence A.
    182 Silver St.
    Greenfield, MA 01301
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Carrasquillo, Jr., Roberto
    8 Eddy St.
    Springfield, MA 01104
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 08/04/09

    Carrero, Seleida
    a/k/a Candelaria, Seleida
    70 Broadway St., Apt.
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/22/09

    Cassella, Albert J.
    172 Windsor St.
    West Springfield, MA 01089
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/30/09

    Castro, Luis A.
    Santiago, Ruth I.
    a/k/a Castro, Ruth I.
    18 Leyfred Ter.
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Cat, Buff Charlie
    Kowaleck, Elizabeth A.
    a/k/a Kowaleck, Becky A.
    42 Park Road
    Sunderland, MA 01375
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/14/09

    Cavanaugh, Dawn M.
    224 Mill St.
    Agawam, MA 01001
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/27/09

    Chandler, Ruth E.
    18 Duclos Dr.
    Feeding Hills, MA 01030
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    Charbonneau, Ruthann C.
    8 Ruel St.
    Adams, MA 01220
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Choinski, Stanley R.
    145 Little Alum Road
    Brimfield, MA 01010
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/30/09

    Clapp, Susan Emerson
    Clapp, Brian E.
    109 Pixley Road
    Great Barrington, MA 01245
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Clark, Walter L.
    179 Wells St.
    Greenfield, MA 01301
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/21/09

    CMiel, Jason Luke
    245 Greystone Ave.
    West Springfield, MA 01089
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Coburn, Kathleen
    102 Ohio Ave.
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/23/09

    Coffey, Ginger
    a/k/a Silva, Ginger
    31 Grove St.
    Wilbraham, MA 01095
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Comiskey, Michael P.
    43 Dickinson St.
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Connor, Lisa M.
    PO Box 118
    Feeding Hills, MA 01030
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    Courchesne, Alan M.
    8 Chudy St.
    Three Rivers, MA 01080
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/25/09

    Cox, Bernard
    PO Box 91211
    Springfield, MA 01139
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 08/04/09

    Creamer, Guillermo David
    1 Ladd Road
    Sturbridge, MA 01566
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/21/09

    Cuesta, Ricardo
    140 Union St., Apt. D64
    Westfield, MA 01085
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/11/09

    Cuevas, Eligio L.
    Cuevas, Aida
    9 Bradford Dr., Apt. B9
    Greenfield, MA 01301
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/10/09

    Cusson, Kathleen Ann
    a/k/a Parrott, Kathleen A.
    156 Old Amherst Road
    Sunderland, MA 01375
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/22/09

    Cusson, Paul Edward
    156 Old Amherst Road
    Sunderland, MA 01375
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/22/09

    Damato, Carlo P.
    826 East St., Unit #13
    Ludlow, MA 01056
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/30/09

    Davila, Nelson
    44 Governor St.
    Springfield, MA 01104
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Dawkins, Ann M.
    a/k/a Forrester, Ann M.
    23 Miller St.
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    DeFlumere, Gloria L.
    125 Silvin Road
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/27/09

    Dellagiustina, Sharon
    253 School St.
    Agawam, MA 01001
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    Dolinski, Steven
    Dolinski, Jane
    57 Garfield Ave.
    Easthampton, MA 01027
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/30/09

    Doney, Michael George
    Doney, Lisa Ellen
    109 Cottage St.
    Easthampton, MA 01027
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/29/09

    Doyle Trucking
    Doyle, Dennis Shawn
    Doyle, April Dawn
    a/k/a Houle, April D.
    1282 1/2 South Main St.
    Palmer, MA 01069
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Duprey, Matthew R.
    Duprey, Laura M.
    114 Brainard St.
    South Hadley, MA 01075
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Duquette, William G.
    91 Mulberry St.
    Springfield, MA 01105
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/04/09

    Dyer, Dana R.
    a/k/a Dyer, Dana Ross
    Dyer, Saramarie H.
    390 Montgomery Road
    Westfield, MA 01085
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/14/09

    Elfman, Jeremy J.
    833 Riceville Road
    Athol, MA 01331
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/18/09

    Ellis, Donald W.
    Ellis, Roxann
    2 Greystone Ave.
    Granby, MA 01033
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/18/09

    Elmer, Jennifer L.
    25 Westerly Circle
    Ludlow, MA 01056
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Emken, Jeffrey
    146 North Longyard Road
    Southwick, MA 01077
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Emken, Julie
    32 Denise Dr.
    Westfield, MA 01085
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Ercolino, Richard Joseph
    1139 Westfield St., Apt. 23
    West Springfield, MA 01089
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/04/09

    Fabbri, Julie Anne
    108 Washington Road
    Brimfield, MA 01010
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Fellows, Michael J.
    205 State St.
    Northampton, MA 01060
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Finch, Henrietta M.
    21 Bringham St.
    Springfield, MA 01105
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/17/09

    Gagne, Gerard L.
    Gagne, Linda L.
    36 Josephine St.
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/11/09

    Gamble-Eddington, Brandi
    42 Thompson St.
    Springfield, MA 01109
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/30/09

    Garbiel, Michael J.
    Garbiel, Brenda L.
    28 Newcomb Lane
    Greenfield, MA 01301
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/27/09

    Garcia, Heriberto
    760 Memorial Dr.
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Garcia, Tammie J.
    760 Memorial Dr.
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Gaudreault, Jeffrey M.
    Gaudreault, Lisa A.
    147 Central St.
    Athol, MA 01331
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Germain, Robert E.
    410 Meadow St.
    Agawam, MA 01001
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Gignac, Maryanne E.
    283 Whitney Ave.
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/07/09

    Godere, Tara M.
    15 Felix St.
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Goodreau, Beth Anne
    1391 Parker St.
    Springfield, MA 01129
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/22/09

    Goyette, Wallace A.
    Goyette, Loretta T.
    582 East Main St.
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Green, Shanard M.
    Cordeira, Carlie
    a/k/a Green, Carlie
    a/k/a Cordeira, Carlie A.
    342 Southwick Road #85
    Westfield, MA 01085
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/05/09

    Greene, James R.
    43-45 Ringgold St.
    Springfield, MA 01107
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    Grogan, Doreen Ann
    a/k/a Mallett, Doreen A.
    185 Call Road
    Colrain, MA 01340
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/17/09

    Hahn, Petrina E.
    c/o George R. Hahn
    34 Jefferson St.
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/11/09

    Hall, Nancy Norwood
    383 East River St.
    Orange, MA 01364
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Hamdan, Sonya Ree
    23 N. River Road
    Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Hanssen, Elizabeth S.
    9 Winter St.
    Easthampton, MA 01027
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Hart, Francis J.
    Hart, Cheryl L.
    936 South Athol Road
    Athol, MA 01331
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/18/09

    Hastings, Jon P.
    3 Mineral Springs Ave.
    Ludlow, MA 01056
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Hennessey, Michael W.
    140 Chestnut St., Apt. 602
    Springfield, MA 01103
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/04/09

    Hickling, Linda A.
    a/k/a Rosazza, Linda Anne
    321 Wolf Swamp Road
    Longmeadow, MA 01106
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/11/09

    Hodges, Donna J.
    a/k/a Martin, Donna J.
    61 South Westfield St., Apt. 30
    Feeding Hills, MA 01030
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Hoffman, Yael
    214 Woodlawn St.
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/17/09

    Houle, Sandra I.
    1439 Worcester St.
    Springfield, MA 01151
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/05/09

    Howard, Matthew A.
    Howard, Tammy J.
    3 Pine Meadow Dr.
    Southampton, MA 01073
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/05/09

    Hurley, David J.
    282 Beauchamp Ter.
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/22/09

    Ingersoll, Michael R.
    Ingersoll, Melissa L.
    229 B Amherst Road
    Belchertown, MA 01007
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Jackson, James R.
    Kuzmeski-Jackson, Joanne M
    PO Box 1463
    Belchertown, MA 01007-1463
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/03/09

    James, Kate Theresa
    2 Childs Cross Road
    Deerfield, MA 01342
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Jeff’s Lawn & Landscaping
    Bellefleur, Jeffrey A.
    Bellefleur, Donna A.
    340 Poplar St.
    Feeding Hills, MA 01030
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/27/09

    Jessie’s Roofing & Siding
    Vazquez, Efrain
    83 Prospect St.
    Springfield, MA 01107
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    JIT Manufacturing, Inc.
    Croteau, Paul Francis
    Croteau, Elizabeth G.
    517 Ideal Lane, Unit 306
    Ludlow, MA 01056
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Joubert, Richard H.
    110 Saffron Circle
    Springfield, MA 01129
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/23/09

    Juda, Thomas E.
    Juda, Mellissa R.
    1085 South Main St.
    Palmer, MA 01069
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Kacoyannakis, Kenneth J.
    Kacoyannakis, Susan A.
    292 Porter Road
    East Longmeadow, MA 01028
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/21/09

    Kampew Trucking
    Kampew, Jean-Claude
    4 Cypress Road
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Kampew, Albertine T.
    a/k/a Mwandjombi, Albertine T.
    4 Cypress Road
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Kassel, Elizabeth A.
    1450 North St., #404
    Pittsfield, MA 01201
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/24/09

    Keaton, Amy Theresa
    43 Juliette St.
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Kendall, Scott M.
    a/k/a Kittredge, Scott M.
    Kendall, Tiffanie V.
    195 Oakham Road
    Barre, MA 01005
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Kenney, John J.
    Kenney, Eleanor M.
    43 Plinn St., Apt. #2
    Pittsfield, MA 01201
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Kibler, Anthony John
    Kibler, Tammy Ann
    2358 Wilbraham Road
    Springfield, MA 01129
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    King, Sherrie A.
    573 Plumtree Road
    Springfield, MA 01118
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Kingsley, Shawn J.
    Kingsley, Tiffany A.
    1055 Fairview St.
    Lee, MA 01238
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    		  

    Kostanski, Brenda E.
    36 Fabyan St.
    West Springfield, MA 01089
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    Kristek, Stephen P.
    66 Lapa Farm Road
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/10/09

    Kustra Real Estate Trust
    Kustra, Walter E.
    Kustra, Cynthia L.
    121 Washburn Road
    Barre, MA 01005
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/15/09

    Landry, Bonnie
    16 Roy St.
    Ludlow, MA 01056
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Landry, Paul H.
    Landry, Wanda L.
    17 Sunrise Ter.
    Athol, MA 01331
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Langevin, Robert A.
    64 Shepard Road
    Sturbridge, MA 01566
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/05/09

    LaPlante, Roberta J.
    169 Bates Road
    Westfield, MA 01085
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/07/09

    Le, John B.
    88 Brunswick St.
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Levesque, Philip J.
    Bosques-Levesque, Nancy
    653 Roosevelt Ave.
    Springfield, MA 01118
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Lewis, Randy J.
    26 1/2 Crown St.
    Westfield, MA 01085
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/11/09

    MacKinnon, William Gordon
    MacKinnon, Maureen Margar
    t
    a/k/a Faust, Maureen M.
    46 Brittany Road
    Indian Orchard, MA 01151
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/22/09

    Maher, William M.
    73 Donna Ave.
    Pittsfield, MA 01201
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/14/09

    Mailloux, Robert J.
    645 Warren Wright St.
    Belchertown, MA 01007
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/22/09

    Maio, Ernesto Manuel
    Maio, Christine Marie
    Maid, Christine M.
    Burne, Christine
    9 Clover Ave.
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Marini, Heather E.
    87 West Akard St.
    Ludlow, MA 01056
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    Martinez, Jennifer A.
    105 West Main St.
    North Adams, MA 01247
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    McAuliffe, William T.
    18 Water Lane
    Easthampton, MA 01027
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/13/09

    McCorkindale, Jeffrey C.
    McCorkindale, Carrie L.
    18 Wareham St.
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    McCormack, Edward J.
    McCormack, Mary R.
    57 Old Farm Road
    Sturbridge, MA 01566
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    McCoy, Sarah L.
    a/k/a Kunda, Sarah L.
    6 David St.
    Southampton, MA 01073
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    McCullough, Lori A.
    a/k/a Webster, Lori A.
    42 Day St.
    Agawam, MA 01030
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/05/09

    McDonough, Paul E.
    McDonough, Karen A.
    208 E. Quincy St.
    North Adams, MA 01247
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    McNaughton, Howard D.
    McNaughton, JoAnn
    203 Roosevelt Ave.
    Springfield, MA 01118
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/10/09

    Mcneice, Joseph F.
    Mcneice, Jennifer B.
    a/k/a Mangano, Jennifer
    110 Columbia St.
    Adams, MA 01220
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/24/09

    Mello, Kimberly I.
    71 Lincoln Ave.
    South Hadley, MA 01075
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/13/09

    Mendel, Mark H.
    Mendel, Jennifer A.
    26 Reuter Ave.
    Pittsfield, MA 01201
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/29/09

    Mercier, Rachel M.
    PO Box 1125
    Warren, MA 01083
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/22/09

    Messer, Bart Douglas
    Messer, Laurie Marie
    341 Monson Turnpike Road
    Ware, MA 01082
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/13/09

    Mills, Joshua C.
    52 Lindsay Road
    Springfield, MA 01128
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Moreno, Denise L.
    a/k/a Jemenez, Denise
    181 South St.
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/29/09

    Moresi, Robin T.
    47 Forest Place, Apt. 4
    Pittsfield, MA 01201
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/17/09

    Murphy, Kevin W.
    Murphy, Patricia A.
    49 Field St.
    West Springfield, MA 01089
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/29/09

    Nee, Patrick J.
    Nee, Patricia L.
    26 Greensleaves Dr.
    Amherst, MA 01002
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/11/09

    Nicoletti, Nicholas T.
    Nicoletti, Kathleen S.
    a/k/a Coleman, Kathleen S.
    54 West. River St.
    Orange, MA 01364
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Nunes, Thomas J.
    54 Saint James Ave.
    Holyoke, MA 01040-2321
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/13/09

    Ocasio, Gilbert Michael
    Ocasio, Candy Lynn
    98 Turkey Hill Road
    Belchertown, MA 01007
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    O’Donnell, Peter K.
    O’Donnell, Nancy E.
    32 Chickering St.
    Pittsfield, MA 01201
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/23/09

    On the House Builders
    Van Iderstine, Bruce
    176 Hawk Hill Road
    Charlemont
    Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/23/09

    Opalenik, Daniel
    108 Camden St.
    S. Hadley, MA 01075
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    Pagan, Alba N.
    112 Marble St.
    Springfiled, MA 01105
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/06/09

    Palmer, Christofer A.
    Palmer, Cynthia M.
    a/k/a Palmer, Cindy M.
    a/k/a Marinello, Cynthia
    32 Birch St.
    Ludlow, MA 01056
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/10/09

    Pape, Kathleen H.
    74 Common St.
    Barre, MA 01005
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/11/09

    Parker, Jeremiah J.
    Parker, Debra E.
    20 Michigan Ave.
    Pittsfield, MA 01201
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/17/09

    Peirce, Herbert J.
    152 East Road
    Orange, MA 01364
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Pereira, Candace Ann
    a/k/a Driscoll, Candace Ann
    639 Fuller St.
    Ludlow, MA 01056
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/17/09

    Perez, Lena A.
    Perez, Hector L.
    12 Longwood Court
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Peterson, Kurt E.
    473 Wilder Hill Road
    Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/13/09

    Peterson, Kurt Ernest
    473 Wilder Hill Road
    Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Phommasith, Bounleung
    1448 State St.
    Springfield, MA 01109
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Pickard, Elizabeth
    59 Factory St.
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Placanico, Anthony J.
    131 Breckinridge St.
    Palmer, MA 01069
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/03/09

    Place, Ransom Y.
    94 Summer Dr.
    Southwick, MA 01057
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Powell, Russell M.
    Powell, Jennifer L.
    1954 Main St.
    Athol, MA 01331
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Preston, David
    1159 River Road
    Agawam, MA 01001
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Quick Tan
    Gubala, Mary M.
    311 Hillside Ave.
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Rachmaciej, Deborah J.
    a/k/a Hatt, Deborah Jean
    170 Rocky Hill Road
    Florence, MA 01062
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Raines, Patricia A.
    424 Michael Sears Road
    Belchertown, MA 01007
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Rapport, Pamela I.
    a/k/a Sutowski, Pamela I.
    10 Sumner Ave.
    Apt. 17
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/04/09

    Rarick, David F.
    Rarick, Grayce E.
    1 Mark Lane
    North Adams, MA 01247
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/24/09

    Raymond, James M.
    3 Cypress Road
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Reynolds, Courtney T.
    95 Creamery Road
    Great Barrington, MA 01230
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/29/09

    Richards, Donna M.
    21 Chantilly Ave.
    North Adams, MA 01247
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Riether, Cathy J.
    59 Mandaley Road
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Rivas, Herlyn Jessica
    a/k/a Simon, Herlyn Jessica
    35 Hadley Road, #205
    Sunderland, MA 01375
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/17/09

    Rizzo, Georgina
    6 Crestwood St.
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Robert, Danielle M.
    176 Hampden St.
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/29/09

    Roberts, Delmore A.
    31A Church St.
    Easthampton, MA 01027
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/23/09

    Robinson, Craig M.
    142 Oak Grove Ave.
    Springfield, MA 01109
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Rock, Michael J.
    34 Olmsted Dr.
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/05/09

    Rodriguez, Elier
    124 Westfield Road
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Rood, Thomas J.
    Rood, Diane L.
    41 West Silver St.
    Westfield, MA 01085
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/17/09

    Rosa, George J.
    805 East Guinea Road
    Williamsburg, MA 01096
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Roy, Brett G.
    299 Grattan St., #3
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Rupprecht, Delia
    92 Cummings Ave.
    Pittsfield, MA 01201
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Rutherford, Joseph W.
    Rutherford, Marylouise
    202 Gilbert Ave.
    Springfield, MA 01119
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Rydzak, John P.
    Rydzak, Linda L.
    13 Edward Dr.
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Sakowicz, Jeffrey M.
    Sakowicz, Angela M.
    350 River Bend St., Unit 8
    Athol, MA 01331
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/18/09

    Santos, Luz B.
    40 Summit St., Apt. 6
    Springfield, MA 01104
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Saulsberry, Leslie A.
    990 North Pleasant St.
    Amherst, MA 01002
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Shaughnessy, Patrick J.
    170 West King St.
    Holyoke, MA 01040
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/23/09

    Shephard, Paul James
    Shephard, Stephanie Marie
    31 Eldridge St.
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/24/09

    Sierra, Gladys
    112 Pembroke St.
    Springfield, MA 01104
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Skowera, Paul C.
    28 Riverside Ave.
    Agawam, MA 01001
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/10/09

    Smith, Diane K.
    155 Marble St., Apt 47
    Lee, MA 01238
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Sousse, Heidi Lynn
    a/k/a Kellogg, Heidi L.
    81 Conz St. #628
    Northampton, MA 01060
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Spence, Katherine M.
    22 Lessey St., Apt 102
    Amherst, MA 01002
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/22/09

    Spong, Elizabeth A.
    10 Trumbull Road
    Northampton, MA 01060
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Staton, Phoebe Cherrie
    100 Forest Hills Road
    Springfield, MA 01128
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 08/07/09

    Stephenson, Henry H.
    Stephenson, Kathleen A.
    a/k/a Davenport, Kathleen A.
    26 Westview Ter.
    Easthampton, MA 01027
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Stibolt, Kirsten J.
    36 Buena Vista Plaza
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/21/09

    Styckiewicz, Sheri L.B.
    955 McKinstry Ave.
    Chicopee, MA 01020
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/18/09

    Sunnyside Up Restaurant
    Nunes, Gerald E.
    Nunes, Karen A.
    179 Carver St.
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/05/09

    Swanner, James M.
    Swanner, April M.
    37 Apremont St.
    Adams, MA 01220
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Talbot, Vanessa D.
    549 Russell Road, Unit 11-C
    Westfield, MA 01085
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/29/09

    Thompson, Barry S.
    Thompson, Carolyn A.
    46 McClellan Farm Road
    Deerfield, MA 01342
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/21/09

    Thornton, Carol D.
    45 Washington St.
    Monson, MA 01057
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/21/09

    Toporowski, Kenneth Lee
    30 Old Holyoke Road
    Westfield, MA 01085
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/04/09

    Torres, Jose E.
    Vazquez, Mariel
    80 Harkness Ave.
    Springfield, MA 01118
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/22/09

    Torres, Rosa
    117 Sanderson St.
    Springfield, MA 01107
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Truong, Thuy
    88 Brunswick St.
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/31/09

    Vacirca, Joseph W.
    Vacirca, Marsha Y.
    29 Carlton St.
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/03/09

    Vega, Richard
    21 Cyman Dr.
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/29/09

    Vennert, Daniel D.
    316 South Main St.
    Monson, MA 01057
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/21/09

    Vera, Jose A.
    421 Nottingham St.
    Springfield, MA 01104
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/24/09

    Wadman, Carol L.
    510 South Barre Road, Apt. 1
    Barre, MA 01005
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/28/09

    Washburn, Trinity Marie
    Washburn, Shimon
    104 Dunphy Dr.
    Northampton, MA 01060
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/11/09

    Waters, Mary A.
    109 Oak Ave.
    Athol, MA 01331
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/30/09

    Watkins, Mark A.
    221 Cloverdale St.
    Pittsfield, MA 01201-8526
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/17/09

    Weaver, Minette C.
    245 Main St.
    PO Box 202
    Ashfield, MA 01330
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Wentworth, Dennis E.
    Wentworth, Kathleen N.
    7 Reed Hill Road
    Wales, MA 01081
    Chapter: 13
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Weselovs, Shannon Leigh
    7 Eddy St.
    Orange, MA 01364
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/23/09

    White, Bertha L.
    47 Alden St.
    Springfield, MA 01109
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/20/09

    Whittaker, Karen S.
    a/k/a Bergeron, Karen S.
    77 Overlook Dr.
    Florence, MA 01062
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/23/09

    Wilde Bonzek, Jeffrey
    Wilde Bonzek, Andreya
    16 Juckett Hil Dr.
    Belchertown, MA 01007
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/30/09

    Willhite, Gary
    Willhite, Candace
    440 Twichell St.
    Athol, MA 01331
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/16/09

    Wood, Eric S.
    Wood, Elizabeth L.
    a/k/a Popp, Elizabeth L.
    219 Saratoga Ave.
    Chicopee, MA 01013
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/29/09

    Woodward, Cynthia I.
    124 Washington Road
    Springfield, MA 01108
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 08/12/09

    Wright, Regina
    117D Ashley Ave.
    West Springfield, MA 01089
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/30/09

    Yacovone, Leia C.
    28 Orange St.
    Westfield, MA 01085
    Chapter: 7
    Filing Date: 07/24/09

    By
    Departments

    The following building permits were issued during the month of September 2009.

    AGAWAM

    Frank Ferrentino
    1676 Main St.
    $14,000 — Install 4-foot foundation under existing cement pad

    Riverbend Medical, LLC
    230 Main St.
    $32,000 — General renovations to expand IT/telephone and data room

    Town of Agawam
    760 Cooper St.
    $7,000 — Renovations to the high school

    AMHERST

    Jones Properties, LTD
    15A Pray St.
    $8,000 — Renovate interior of hair salon

    CHICOPEE

    AHH Inc.
    10 David St.
    $20,000 — Interior renovations

    Daniel O’Connell’s Sons Inc.
    275 Meadow St.
    $175,000 — Replace existing shed

    LTL, LLC
    14 Duncan St.
    $10,000 — Repair porch, exterior doors, and windows

    EAST LONGMEADOW

    Berg Family Trust
    130 Shaker Road
    $25,000 — Renovate office space

    Meadowbrook School
    607 Parker St.
    $61,000 — Install new alarm system

    GREENFIELD

    Fair Business, LLC
    74 Fairview St.
    $52,000 — New roof

    Franklin Medical Center
    164 High St.
    $13,000 — Installation of two-hour fire separation partition and ’90-minute’ doors

    Roman Catholic Church
    221 Federal St.
    $7,000 — Roof renovations

    Town Of Greenfield
    1 Lenox St.
    $4,500 — Remove and replace existing guard/hand rails at high school

    HOLYOKE

    Holyoke Machine Inc
    514-522 Main St.
    $21,000 — New roof and insulation

    O’C Ingleside LLC
    361 Whitney Ave.
    $719,000 — Construction of new laboratory for Baystate Health

    LUDLOW

    Big Y Trust
    433 Center St.
    $54,000 — Partitions

    		  

    NORTHAMPTON

    Crocker Building Company Inc.
    296 Nonotuck St.
    $30,000 — Install metal siding by loading dock

    John Scott
    52 Round Hill Road
    $35,000 — Interior renovations at Clarke School

    Sackrey Construction
    30 Crafts Ave.
    $114,000 — Construction of handicap ramp and bathrooms

    SPRINGFIELD

    Baystate Medical Center
    471 Chestnut St.
    $12,000 — Reline chimney

    Block Realty
    504 St. James Ave.
    $9,000 — New roof

    Diocese of Springfield
    155 Eddywood St.
    $240,000 — Minor classroom renovations and construction of new vestibule enclosure

    Falcon Management
    One Monarch Place
    $100,000 — 8th-floor build out

    Hampden County Physicians
    300 Stafford St.
    $259,000 — Interior renovation of 3,000 square feet of space for doctor’s office

    Holyname Parish
    37 Alderman St.
    $153,000 — Interior renovations

    Javal, Inc.
    1801 Page Blvd.
    $39,500 — New roof

    O’Connell Oil
    570 Sumner Ave.
    $41,000 — Remodel existing building

    Yellow Brick Property
    270-272 Center St.
    $30,000 — Repair front and side porches

    SOUTH HADLEY

    PVPA School
    15 Mulligan Dr.
    $57,000 — Renovations

    WESTFIELD

    Berkshire Bank
    31 Court St.
    $370,000 — Interior renovations

    WEST SPRINGFIELD

    SUK Realty Trust
    1144 Elm St.
    $18,000 — Re-roof apartment building

    By
    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

    Allied Fire Protection Inc. v. Delancey Clinton Associates, L.P.
    Allegation: Non-payment for services rendered: $5,900
    Filed: 8/10/09

    FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT

    The Yankee Candle Co. Inc. v. Changing Paradigms, LLC et al
    Allegation: Breach of agreements relating to electric fragrance diffuser products, conversion of property, and unfair and deceptive conduct: $200,000+
    Filed: 8/10/09

    GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT

    Country Oil Inc. v. River Maple Farm Inc.
    Allegation: Balance due on heating oil and service delivery: $5,685.75
    Filed: 8/12/09

    HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

    Dorene M. Vadnais v. Karen E. Kupner, M.D., Chanel G. Bouchereau, M.D., and Mercy Medical Center
    Allegation: Medical malpractice: $2,080,000
    Filed: 8/19/09

    Lutron Electronics v. Bottaro-Skolnick, LLC
    Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $29,927.05
    Filed: 8/7/09

    HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

    Ace Fire and Water Restoration Inc. v. Village at Hospital Hill, LLC and The Community Builders Inc.
    Allegation: Non-payment of restoration and repair services rendered: $36,820.37
    Filed: 8/18/09

    Kemper Insurance Cos. v. Five Colleges Inc.
    Allegation: Action for insurance premiums unpaid by defendant: $356,304.04
    Filed: 8/7/09

    Mark L. and Pamela Linnehan v. Caracas Construction Corp. and Luis P. Gomes
    Allegation: Police officer struck by excavator, while on duty, resulting in head trauma: $10,586.31
    Filed: 8/10/09

    NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

    TBF Financial LLC, assignee of GE Capital Corporate v. Somatic Systems Institute Inc.
    Allegation: Damages for lease of a business lease agreement: $8,149.47
    Filed: 7/22/09

    The Darcy Co. v. Northampton Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
    Allegation: Non-payment of refrigeration goods and services rendered: $4,844.87
    Filed: 7/27/09

    PALMER DISTRICT COURT

    Fetch Logistics Inc. v. Quaboag Transfer Inc.
    Allegation: Failure to pay freight charges for transportation of goods: $5,825
    Filed: 7/21/09

    SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

    Bradco Supply Co. v. Copperworks Inc. and Ronald McGowan
    Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $5,115.60
    Filed: 8/5/09

    Capital One Bank, N.A. v. Ty Lucia Plumbing and Heating, LLC
    Allegation: Monies owed for credit advanced: $5,020.22
    Filed: 7/28/09

    Carrier Sales & Distribution, LLC v. All Phases Mechanical and Yvette & Paul Tucci
    Allegation: Non-payment of freight services rendered: $15,564
    Filed: 8/13/09

    By
    Departments

    The following building permits were issued during the month of August 2009.

    AGAWAM

    Bob Wilcox
    1100 Springfield St.
    $246,000 — Renovate existing site for a new insurance office

    AMHERST

    Jones Property LTD Partnership
    553 Main St.
    $8,900 — Take off and replace roof

    Town of Amherst
    603 East Pleasant St.
    $18,900 — Relocate one overhead bay door at town hall

    CHICOPEE

    Waycon Inc.
    28 Ward St.
    $60,000 — Renovations

    GREENFIELD

    Edward Wierzbowski
    285-291 Main St.
    $59,500 — Installation of an automatic fire sprinkler system

    Franklin Medical Center
    164 High St.
    $11,000 — Installation of lead lined drywall and lead-lined door

    HADLEY

    48 Bay Road LLC
    48 Bay Road
    $15,000 — Replace siding

    220 Russell Street LLC
    220 Russell St.
    $4,700 — New roof

    Jennifer Snyder
    216 Russell St.
    $40,000 — Interior and exterior renovations

    LaComb Holdings
    189-191 Russell St.
    $10,500 — Tenant build-out for new curtain shop

    Leon Markowski
    226 Russell St.
    $73,000 — Convert part of building to show room, office and shop

    Peter Grandonico
    102 Russell St.
    $1,000 – Repair existing ramp

    Steve Volpe
    291 Russell St.
    $5,800 — New vinyl siding

    HOLYOKE

    City of Holyoke Schools
    596 South Bridge St.
    $7,000 — Fill in sunken areas with concrete

    Dennis Walsh
    195 High St.
    $10,000 — Repoint brick and repair cornice

    Holyoke Public Library
    335 Maple St.
    $25,000 — Install protection fence from falling limestone panels

    McDonald’s USA, LLC
    2194 Northampton St.
    $15,000 — Install new arches and fascias

    PBHQ Whitney Inc.
    330 Whitney Ave.
    $15,500 — Upgrade finishes and fixtures

    		  

    LUDLOW

    Town Of Wilbraham
    558 Miller St.
    $600,000 — New construction

    Walter S. Wood, LLC
    32 East St.
    $39,750 — New roofing system

    NORTHAMPTON

    College Church Inc.
    58 Pomeroy Ter.
    $6,000 — Rebuild existing 7-by-12 porch

    Lawrence & Mary Cadorette
    417 Westhampton Road
    $14,000 — Install vinyl siding

    Mauro & Claire Aniello
    96 Main St.
    $1,500 — Install three rear replacement windows

    Northampton Brewery
    11 Brewster Court
    $4,500 — Re roof

    William & Evelyn Mock
    108 Damon Road
    $7,000 — Install vinyl siding

    SOUTH HADLEY

    All Saints Church
    14 North Sycamore Knolls
    $10,000 — New windows and siding

    Mt. Holyoke College
    50 College St.
    $2,000 — Fire suppression

    SPRINGFIELD

    American International College
    963 State St.
    $202,000 — Create computer lab and offices

    Baystate Medical Center
    3300 Main St.
    $26,000 — Create two new exam rooms

    City of Homes Association
    908 Wilbraham Road
    $9,500 — New roof

    Salvation Army
    840 Boston Road
    $219,000 — Miscellaneous repairs

    Springfield Day Nursery
    947 Main St.
    $25,000 — New roof

    WESTFIELD

    Ron Schortmann
    170 Lockhouse Road
    $25,500 — Renovations

    Roots Youth Facility
    209 Root Ave.
    $331,000 — Commercial addition

    WEST SPRINGFIELD

    Century Park, LLC
    171 Park Ave.
    $12,650 — New roof

    By
    Departments

    The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of August 2009.

    AGAWAM

    A V Tech
    205 Barry St.
    Richard Weld

    Maid to Impress
    230 School St.
    Jamie Pavelcsyk

    Pheasant Hill Village Associate
    25 Pheasant Hill Dr.
    Earnest A. Gralia Jr.

    Parks Photoz
    118 Hendom Dr.
    Robert Parker

    Valenti Properties
    1138 Main St.
    Joseph Valenti

    AMHERST

    Amherst Computersmiths
    948 North Pleasant St.
    Andrew Berg

    Sherwood Trunks
    85 Mt. Holyoke Dr.
    Kaye Dougan

    Super Clean
    40 Palley Village Place
    Chunling Zhu

    CHICOPEE

    Advanced Seemless Gutter
    44 Blanche St.
    Konstontin Tkochenko

    Dishin’ it with Alexis
    397 Front St.
    Alexis Miller

    Extreme Excavating
    42 Oriole Dr.
    Eric Krusz

    Source Diamonds
    15 Carriage Road
    Christopher Plewa

    EASTHAMPTON

    David Adler Consulting
    18 Pepin Ave.
    David Adler

    EAST LONGMEADOW

    G & S Commercial Services
    81 Brynmawr Dr.
    Ari Delgado

    Marx Entertainment
    21 Amy Lane
    Mark Ashe

    GREENFIELD

    Budget Blinds of Amherst
    336 Log Plain Road
    David Senecal

    Designs by Monique
    227 Colrain Road
    Monique Richardson

    HADLEY

    Peter’s Nails
    458 Russell St.
    Dhuong Dinh

    Show Your Marbles
    105 East St.
    Melanie Poole

    Split Excavating Inc.
    8 Mill Valley Road
    Brenda Fydenkevez

    HOLYOKE

    Angela Gerhard Jewelry
    62 Main St.
    Angela Gerhard

    Cayey Social Club
    273 Main St.
    Angel L. Saez

    Megan’s Treasures
    50 Holyoke St.
    Nancy A. Oles

    The Right Touch
    1069 Main St.
    Ramon Ortiz

    Willie Wonka’s Candy Shoppe
    50 Holyoke St.
    Amid Alimuradov

    Wuglyees
    34F Maplecrest Circle
    Deborah Malloy

    NORTHAMPTON

    Common Threads
    4 Barrett Place
    Georgia Barwick

    Cooper Green Design
    102 Bridge Road
    Erin Nunes Cooper

    Dare to Dream
    33 Hawley St.
    Nadine Sterste

    Jane’s Cleaning Service
    32 Day Ave.
    M. Jane Rogers

    		  

    Mineral Hills Winery
    592 Sylvester Road
    Lawrence Goddard

    Sarah Did It
    24 Elizabeth St.
    Sarah Margaret Hougen

    Spectrum Painting
    151 Riverside Dr.
    Ramona Madzunovic

    PALMER

    April Eve Images
    4329 High St.
    April Eve Jasak

    Palmer Foundry
    22 Mount Dumplin Road
    Robert Logan

    Palmer Variety Country Store & Deli
    1365 Main St.
    James Carvalho

    The Turtle Road Tavern
    349 Wilbraham St.
    Karl M. Benware

    SPRINGFIELD

    Affordable Airport Car Service
    16 Malcolm Rd.
    Ervin Earl Carelock

    Amara’s Dressmaking & Alterations
    677 Newbury St.
    Paula D. Alrutz

    Ananda Hair Extensions
    26 Dearborn St.
    Manuel Reyes

    Bling Blings By Val Val
    148 Chalmers St.
    Valerie A.S. Munyon

    Café Divang
    405 Dickinson St.
    Tay Huynh

    Dexom Mobile Corp.
    390 Dickinson St.
    Hai V Le

    Discount Deli
    158 Island Pond Road
    Thomas Libiszewski

    Double A Construction Company
    60 Silver St.
    Anthony W. Albano

    GDH Property Management
    156 Brewster St.
    Gary Dwayne Hunter

    Gina’s Hair Salon
    111 Clearbrook Dr.
    Gina M. Grassetti

    Imani’s Candy Store
    423 State St.
    Melissa Garnett

    WESTFIELD

    Aging at Home
    57 Franklin St.
    Bethany Corbett

    Caldwell Banker Residential Broker
    48 court St.
    NRT New England, LLC

    Eagle’s Nest Roadside Grill
    600 Southampton Road
    Tina Ritchi

    Laurinda’s Bird Services
    136 Sunset Dr,
    Laurinda E. Pudlo

    Mokan Floors
    190 Pontoosic Road
    Eduard Mokan

    WEST SPRINGFIELD

    Baystate Family Chiropractic
    364 Main St.
    Filomena Larroca-Strobel

    Diamondhead Designs
    44 Allston Ave.
    John DeLuca

    Dot’s Hair Care
    975 Elm St.
    Dorothy Dougherty

    Estilo Isla Barbershop
    61 Century Way
    Jorge Perez

    New England Printers
    191 North Blvd.
    Pari Hoxha

    Practical Computer Solutions
    126 Jeffrey Lane
    Joanne Frank

    Steven’s Jewelers Inc.
    2068 Riverdale St.
    Joseph Stevens

    Thermotech Heating & Cooling
    40 Fairview Ave.
    Julian Mecher

    By
    Departments

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

    AGAWAM

    Felicita Food Service Inc., 71 Cooley St., Agawam, MA 01001. Oleg Fronchkevich, 71 Cooley St., Agawam, MA 01001. Mobile food service.

    CHICOPEE

    Edward J. Chapdelaine Inc., 356 Front St., Chicopee, MA 01013. Edward J. Chapdelaine, 120 Maximilian Dr., Chicopee, MA 01033. Surveying, civil engineering, developing site plans.

    IP portfolio administration Inc., 525 Suffield St., Agawam, MA 01001. Barbara Thibodeau, same. Providing custom software to regulate IP portfolio.

    INDIAN ORCHARD

    Esmanur Corp., 565 Main St., Indian Orchard, MA 01151. Ayse Karaarslan, 556 Grattan St., Apt. 1, Chicopee, MA 01020. Pizza Restaurant.

    NORTHAMPTON

    Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra Inc., 41 Valley St., Northampton, MA 01060. Peter Donald Blanchette, same. Exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes.

    SOUTH HADLEY

    R-Adapt Corporation, 65 Brigham Road, South Hadley, MA 01075. Robert Melanson, Same. Engineering.

    SPRINGFIELD

    E-Z Bagger Corporation, 106 State St., Springfield, MA 01103. Diane Saia, 502 Frank Smith Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Will exploit the patent applied for a transporter/barrel system.

    		  

    The International League of Muslim Women Inc., 28 Southern Road, Springfield, MA 01129. Doretha Guess, Same. Exclusively for charitable, educational, and social services.

    Irene E and George A Davis Foundation, 1 Monarch Place Suite 1450, Springfield, MA 01144. John H. Davis, Same. Private grant-making foundation.

    North End Towing and Auto Repair Inc., 1655 Main St., Suite 504, Springfield, MA 01103. Julio C Feliciano, same. Towing and auto repair.

    Secure Energy Auto Leasing Inc., 146 Chestnut St., Suite 400, Springfield, MA 01103. Kevin Mattson, 44 Letendre St., Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Motor vehicle leasing.

    The Life You Save May Be Mine, 650 Belmont Ave., Springfield, MA 01108. Matthew B. Harrison, same. Operates for charitable, educational, religious and/or scientific purposes.

    WEST SPRINGFIELD

    Fuel First Front Inc., 592 Birnie Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Sanjay Patel, same. Gas station and convenience store.

    WESTFIELD

    Eagle Construction Group Inc, 24 Sylvan Dr., Westfield, MA 01085. Sergio Bonavita, Springfield Street, Feeding Hills, MA 01030. Construction company.

    By
    Departments

    Attorney Franklin L. Baxley has joined the Springfield law firm Robinson Donovan, P.C. Baxley specializes in employment-law counseling and litigation.

    •••••

    The Forest Landowners Assoc. has announced the appointment of Cinda Jones as the new Massachusetts State Coordinator. As President of W. D. Cowls Inc., Jones oversees the timberland management, lumber manufacturing, and real-estate divisions of her family’s ninth-generation business in Amherst. State coordinators work with other volunteer leaders from their region to oversee membership and outreach efforts.

    •••••

    Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County has appointed Joel Morse to its newly created position of Director of Partnership Development. In his role, Morse will be responsible for driving strategic growth through cultivation, recruitment, stewardship, and support of corporations, colleges, and other organizations that can provide sustained volunteer resources.

    •••••

    The public accounting firm of Gomes, Dacruz & Tracy, P.C. of Ludlow has named Mark A. Germain, CPA as Manager.

    •••••

    Vanessa Van Stee, M.D., has joined Fred Mudawwar, M.D., and Jonathan Bayuk, M.D., of Hampden County Physician Associates, LLC, Westfield, in the practice of allergy and immunology. Van Stee specializes in the treatment of allergic diseases, asthma, and other diseases of the immune system.

    •••••

    Avon Products Inc. recently recognized Linda Shea for being a top Avon Leadership/Sales Representative during the President’s Recognition Program Celebration on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The annual event brings together the nation’s top-achieving Avon representatives who have distinguished themselves as top performers in sales or leadership.

    •••••

    Samuel J. Nutter has been named New England Business Development Director of the Conservation Services Group in Westborough. He is a native of Longmeadow. He will represent the company’s interests at regulatory proceedings, advisory council meetings, and other industry forums in the region. Nutter will also be responsible for monitoring state energy legislation.

    •••••

    Ashley L. Mickiewicz, a Project Manager at O’Reilly, Talbot and Okun Associates in Springfield, has become a licensed professional Engineer. She specializes in providing geotechnical services including the design of foundation systems, temporary earth-support systems, basements, retaining walls, pavements, vapor-intrusion-mitigation systems, and general earth work. Mickiewicz is also involved in the evaluation of seismic considerations on construction projects.

    •••••

    Juliet Locke of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin recently earned her professional Traffic Operations Engineer certification. She is a Transportation Engineer in the firm’s Springfield office. To earn the designation, engineers must demonstrate knowledge, skill, and ability in the specialized application of traffic operations engineering.

    •••••

    Quality Printing Company Inc. of Pittsfield announced the following winners in its 2010 “A Closer Look at the Berkshires” Photography and Art Contest:
    • Daniel Morgan was awarded the top prize for his image of the Hoosac Tunnel in Florida. Morgan also won the third prize for his image of Outlook Summit in Florida.
    • Ruth Pierce won second prize for her image of a Cheshire lake.
    • Runner-up winners included Anne Kotowicz, Nancy Choquette, Mick Garrold, David Stein, Jane McWhorter, Debbie Storie, and Jerry Christopher.

    •••••

    The Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross announced the following:
    • Brenda Brouillette has been promoted to Deputy Director of Chapter Services.
    • Mary Nathan has been named Director of Disaster.

    •••••

    Lisa K. Baltronis has been appointed a Mortgage Consultant at PeoplesBank.

    •••••

    Wing Memorial Hospital in Palmer announced the following:
    • Dr. Philip Cohen, a board-certified surgeon, now performs general, bariatric and minimally invasive surgeries using the laparoscopic technique.
    • Dr. A. Daniyal Siddiqui now provides oncology and hematology services to cancer patients.
    • Dr. Vijay Kasturi now performs oncology and hematology services to cancer patients.

    Breathing Room

    By
    G Brougham and D Albertson
    Features
    The Town’s Torrid Residential Expansion Slows, Providing Time to Think and Plan
    G Brougham and D Albertson

    G Brougham and D Albertson say that, with the slowdown in Belchertown residential development, attention can focus again on their towns next steps.

    Doug Albertson says he can finally take a breath.

    After close to two decades of rapid residential growth in Belchertown, the nation’s sagging economy slowed the pace of further expansion for one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the Commonwealth. And a break, while it brings hardship to several sectors — from homebuilders to home sellers — was probably needed.

    “I think that the building lull has given us a chance to catch up and regroup a little bit,” said Albertson, the town’s chief planner. “It’s always good to have a rest, especially after being frantically hurried over the last decade. It’s given us a chance to do some real planning.”

    A town with a rich history, Belchertown was first settled in 1731, and retains much the same boundaries where Jonathan Belcher first took deed in the early part of that century. The October town fair is one of the oldest of its kind continuously operated in the nation, and the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir, mostly within those borders, is one of the Bay State’s most documented municipal projects of the 20th century.

    These days, Belchertown is most noted for that once-enviable pace of robust residential development, what Town Administrator Gary Brougham calls the town’s “single largest industry.” But the community has been in the headlines for the past few years over the fate of the former Belchertown State School.

    While the town has been active in seeking ideas for the property, there have been some setbacks. It has contended with both a developer whose ideas were bigger than his checkbook, and a site with millions of dollars in overdue cleanup costs presenting more than a minor challenge for any potential development.

    But town leaders remain confident. The Belchertown Economic Development & Industrial Corp. is managing oversight of the state school property, and it is getting ready to propose some new findings to the Board of Selectmen this month. “That’s when the rubber really hits the road, ” said EDIC chair Bill Terry.

    In the latest in its ongoing series of community profiles, BusinessWest takes an indepth look at Belchertown — past, present, and (potential) future.

    Leaps and Bounds

    According to town records, Belchertown’s population grew, on average, 2% annually for its first 200 years. In 1970, the population was just under 6,000, and by 2000, there were close to 13,000 people in town. The U.S. Census estimates Belchertown’s population to be close to 16,000 people now, and projections range to 25,000 in the next 20 years. Between 1990 and 2000, the rate of growth was 22%, more than four times the regional average of 5%.

    Despite such an influx of new residents, Albertson said that what the community lacks is density.

    “We are 50 square miles — that’s one of the largest geographical towns in the state,” he said. “If you look at the core of the town, out of the town’s 15,000 people, Belchertown’s center has maybe half that. Everybody else is closer to Amherst, Ware, Palmer, and Ludlow.”

    What that translates to is a bit of a challenge for a homegrown business district. Belchertown’s center is an historic village green, but it lacks the presence of a commercial destination. Instead, business districts are pocketed in areas on Routes 9 and 202.

    “In terms of new growth, we’re always trying to attract new business,” said Albertson. “But one of the challenges we have here is zoning. We don’t have a lot of land that is zoned for business, and changing that can be difficult. Once a residential neighborhood is established, people don’t like the idea that business can show up in their neighborhood. Everybody wants new business in town, but they want it ‘over there.’ And there really isn’t any ‘there’ here.”

    Jim Phaneuf agrees. He’s the owner of Bell & Hudson Insurance, a business that can trace its roots back to the Civil War. For 23 years he has been located close to the downtown area, but doesn’t find the widely spread population to be a drawback.

    “It’s a rural economy, sure,” he said. “For the people who live here, though, my sense is that people want to do their business locally. They tend to make a strong effort.

    “One reason I think is that the business community does a great job of supporting local causes,” he continued. “If you look in our weekly paper, you see thank-you notes to the local businesses for supporting things at the high school, or local fund drives to donate money to cancer research. I don’t think that a week goes by where you don’t see a letter of some kind like that.”

    Brougham said the town’s business population might not be highly visible for the outside visitor, but it is there, and strong.

    “There’s a pretty equal mix of small mom-and-pop shops and larger businesses,” he said. “Two lumber companies, Northeast Treaters and Universal Forest Products, are both significant employers in town, and the construction sector, the way it is, hit them hard. But they are still in good shape.” Another manufacturer of construction materials, National Fiber, is also holding its ground.

    With the residential boom in Belchertown, that construction sector has been an important facet to the town’s economy. And when turmoil hit Wall Street, it also hit Belchertown’s Main Street.

    “The builders, tradesmen, landscapers, Realtors, bankers, lawyers, everyone has a stake in construction here,” said Brougham. But that pace has slowed significantly.

    “From more than 100 or more housing starts per year we were down to 13 last year and 12 as of Aug. 1 this year,” he said, adding that, with such a slowdown in activity, the time is perfect for people wanting to make a move.

    “There is still activity out there,” he said. “A new subdivision was recently approved, and there’s a multiple-year backlog of available property. Lots that had been selling for $160,000 could be had for much less today.”

    For Albertson, the focus on town development in the residential market isn’t a drawback at all. “We’ve been growing at a manageable pace, really, and financially we’re sound. That might be one of the advantages of having a primarily residential tax base. People complain about it all the time, but when businesses suffer, we aren’t stuck with a lot of empty properties.”

    Back to School

    The 70-plus acres of the former Belchertown State School have been a concern since Beacon Hill decommissioned the facility in 1992.

    Currently zoned for light industrial use, the property had a brief flicker of hope when a developer sought to bring a large-scale resort spa and wellness-related businesses to the site. The concept, though supported in principle, never got off the ground. Albertson credits the EDIC with solid vision, and said it has been great at “focusing on what can be done there.”

    “We got a grant under Mass State Law 43D,” he continued, “which states that a town can designate an area a priority development, and we received $100,000. Looking at the site, we’ve hired the engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill to do site and conceptual planning. There’s been a marketing firm, RKG Associates, to do a feasibility analysis to find out where the market is, and to get a realistic and sober view of what we have there.

    “So, instead of casting a line out and seeing where it blows,” he continued, “it’s a much better way of looking at our site objectively, and looking at what our assets and disadvantages are.”

    Cleanup at the site has proven to be a big, lingering disadvantage. Old buildings (some in terminal deterioration), asbestos, and old steam tunnels all have conspired to keep most developers at bay. While the town has succeeded in gaining approval for a $10 million bond specifically to address those conditions, the bond market hasn’t hasn’t been very inviting of late, and cleanup continues to wait. “But the law is there,” Albertson said, “so once the money has been raised we should get up to that amount.”

    Terry is one of those people who remains confident that, when it comes to effective reuse of the site, it’s a matter of when, not if, it will happen. Since 2000 he has been actively seeking answers for the property. While there is the main campus of just over 70 acres, other neighboring school parcels have been successfully developed. The new Hampshire County Courthouse and Sheriff’s Office, Easthampton Savings Bank, and TSC Tractor Supply Warehouse, all at the intersection of Routes 202 and 21, sit on one of those parcels.

    “Sure, we’ve only delivered some $78,000 dollars to the town in taxes, and we’ve only developed slightly under $20 million in private investment,” he said. “And we’ve only delivered around 150 full-time jobs. This doesn’t sound like much, but when you consider that there was nothing … it’s not too bad.”

    At the selectmen’s meeting scheduled in September, Terry said that there are two feasibility plans that will presented. While nothing could be made official at press time, he did say that “they are two solid approaches.”

    “One of them is, as we have done since 2002, one property at a time,” he explained. “The second concept that I know is to consider a mixed-use type of development. However, that would require some retail/commercial-type space, and you would have to identify who would take advantage of that. Where are those customers going to come from?”

    Terry has some thoughts for what he believes would be successful at the property. “We’ve been dancing around a bit with an assisted-living developer,” he said. “A project with 90 units … I absolutely believe that would be a slam dunk, because all those younger people moving into town have mom and dad to think of in the near future. Sooner or later, they’ll need assisted-living types of housing. There’s no reason, in my opinion, why that couldn’t be successful.”

    Albertson also looks ahead, rather than dwelling on the past pitfalls. “I think there’s a lot of potential, but I think it has to be done in a way that will grow with the community. Rather than something imposed on the town, something that just shows up and buries us … do it in a way that improves the community and adds to our employment base. I think it can be done right. It’s not going to happen in a year, but it’s already been 15, so we do want to do this right.

    “The New England Small Farm Institute is on the other side of the property,” he continued, “and we keep thinking about UMass, because an institutional connection seems to me like a perfect thing. We’ve got the UMass farms and orchards already in town, and it would not be much of a stretch at all if the university had a further presence here. It’s all about using the site, providing employment and activity in town without adding a lot of extra traffic.”

    Speaking personally, Phaneuf said that he’d just like to see more jobs created in the town. “We employ 14 people here (at Town Hall), and while that’s small, that’s a similar size for many businesses in town.

    “What I would like to see is a place to create jobs within the community so that people wouldn’t have to leave,” he continued, noting that 75% of the population currently travels out of town for work.

    Plan Be

    Devising ways to lower that number appreciably is just one of the things that town officials can do with that breathing room that comes with the lull in residential expansion.

    That lull won’t last forever, or even another year or two, as the economy begins to improve and developers again eye ways to develop more of this community’s wide, open spaces. Challenges like the fate of the Belchertown State School property remain, but, overall, the forecast remains bright for a community with the room — and the imagination — to keep on growing.

    Cases in Point

    By
    Sections Supplements
    Recent Discrimination Developments in Employment Law Provide Poignant Lessons

    Over the past year, there have been several decisions in Massachusetts employment law that may have an impact on how business owners and managers hire, terminate, or address an accommodation. And they offer some practical, and important, lessons.

    It is important to note that, while the facts outlined below may be very similar to circumstances regarding your employees, every employment-based decision is unique and must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

    The following two cases were decided by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC), the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They deal directly with issues of accommodation and religious discrimination.

    In Massachusetts Bay Trans. Auth. v. Massachusetts Commission against Discrimination, the court addressed the issue of whether an employee must engage in an interactive process with a prospective employee to determine a reasonable accommodation for religious beliefs. In this case, the complainant applied for work as a part-time bus driver with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Despite being qualified in all other aspects of the job, the MBTA refused to hire the complainant because he could not accept shifts that interfered with his religious observation of the Sabbath.

    When the MBTA refused to hire the employee, he filed a complaint with the Mass. Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) alleging discrimination based on religion. The employee demonstrated that he had a religious belief and that he was a piquant in his church. The MCAD found in favor of the employee because the MBTA failed to introduce any evidence it engaged in any effort to accommodate the employee, and that the MBTA was required, without exception, to engage in an interactive process with the employee.

    The MCAD’s ruling in favor of the employee was ultimately upheld by the SJC. However, the SJC stated that “there is no obligation to undertake an interactive process if an employer can conclusively demonstrate that all conceivable accommodations would impose an undue hardship on the course of its business.” The SJC stated that such a demonstration would be extremely difficult without interacting with the employee.

    The SJC also addressed the issue of undue hardship in accommodating a religious belief. In Brown v. F.L. Roberts, an employee worked for an oil/lube service/car-repair center. He was a devoted Rastafarian, and as part of his religious practice, he neither shaved nor cut his hair. His employer was aware of his religious beliefs. The employee’s job responsibilities included working in the bay under the car as well as in the facility greeting customers and performing various sales duties.

    Several years after the employee started working at the location, a new vice president of operations implemented a personal-appearance policy requiring that all employees remain clean-shaven with their hair trimmed. The employee informed the manager that he was unable to comply with the personal-appearance policy. In response, the manager told the employee that he would not be permitted to have any contact with customers and would work solely in the lower bays, away from the customers. The conditions in the lower bays were significantly worse than anywhere else.

    Based on these facts, the lawsuit began in the MCAD and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and then ultimately found its way to the SJC. The SJC was asked to address whether an employer can claim an undue-hardship defense when it is not engaged in an interactive process with the employee and whether granting an exception to a grooming policy would pose an undue hardship on the business. The SJC held that an employee’s initial request for an exemption to the grooming policy did not relieve the employer of its obligation to attempt to provide the employee a reasonable accommodation. The SJC also held that an exemption from the employer’s grooming policy could not constitute an undue hardship as a matter of law.

    The second-highest court in Massachusetts addressed an issue relating to race-based discrimination.

    In Thomas O’Connor Construction Inc. v. MCAD, the complainant was an employee of a subcontractor. The complainant filed a charge with the MCAD alleging that the job superintendent of the general contractor had discriminated against him and a coworker by using offensive and explicitly racist comments and epithets when referring to them.

    After the hearing, the MCAD found in favor of the complainant and ordered that the general contractor pay $50,000 in emotional distress damages and a civil penalty in the amount of $10,000, and was required to conduct annual training sessions for five years regarding race-based discrimination.

    The general contractor appealed on the premise that it was not liable to the complainant because the complainant was an employee of the subcontractor. The Court of Appeals held that the general contractor could be liable under Massachusetts law for the hostile work environment created by its job superintendent where it had notice of the allegations, corroborated some of the allegations, and failed to take corrective action.

    Employers should take caution because this case demonstrates that, when an employer is aware of a possible hostile work environment, it should take steps to investigate and otherwise remedy the situation.

    There were also cases in the Massachusetts Superior Court where the court addressed various issues relating to employment law including age and handicap discrimination.

    In Woldemariam v. Pilgrim Parking, the complainant was an assistant manager of a parking company. During the course of his employment he sustained a work-related injury and was subsequently laid off. The complainant alleged that when the employer terminated him after he sustained the work-related injury, he was discriminated against based on a handicap.

    Ultimately, the case found its way to the Massachusetts Superior Court. The court found in favor of the employer because the employee was unable to demonstrate that the suspected reasons for his layoff were in fact the cause. The employer had alleged that the employee was a poor worker and that his termination was an economic necessity. While the complainant was able to demonstrate a solid case for discrimination, the employer was able to demonstrate that there was a work-related reason for termination outside of the complainant’s injury.

    In Somers v. Converged Access Inc., the complainant alleged that he had been discriminated against based on age. The employee had been asked to be considered for two open positions within the company. When the employer filled the positions with other individuals, the complainant believed he had been passed over by the employer because of his age.

    The Superior Court ruled in favor of the employer because it maintained that it had selected other individuals based upon qualification and experience, and also because the complainant was unable to demonstrate that either hiring decision was the result of discrimination, and had failed to demonstrate he possessed the skills for the position.

    In Fischer v. Pres. & Fellows of Harvard College, the complainant alleged that she had been discriminated against based on age because she was terminated and replaced with a younger employee. The Superior Court was not persuaded by the plaintiff offering statistics that older employees were not hired as often as younger employees.

    In addition, the court was not persuaded by a few stray remarks regarding the complainant’s age, because those remarks did not create a sufficient basis for a discrimination claim. However, the court denied the employer’s motion to dismiss because it found that her successor had been given a higher rate of pay despite having less experience, and the number of complaints made by the plaintiff against her supervisor were potentially indicative of a vendetta.

    These cases clearly demonstrate that every employment decision made by an employer must be reviewed carefully. The facts and circumstances surrounding a hiring or firing must be made for reasons related to the business.

    Kevin V. Maltby, an associate with Bacon Wilson, P.C., is a former prosecutor for the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office with extensive jury trial and courtroom experience; (413) 781-0560; linkedin.com/in/kevinmaltby;

    baconwilson.com.

    OPINION

    By
    Opinion
    Casino Jobs Aren’t Enough

    Last year, House opposition stopped Gov. Patrick’s proposal to build three resort casinos in Massachusetts. With a worsening fiscal crisis and Speaker Robert DeLeo taking a more casino-friendly stance than his predecessor, the issue is sure to reemerge this fall.

    Proponents argue that casinos will add new tax revenue and much-needed jobs — a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce study estimates that three resort casinos would add between 10,000 and 11,500 temporary construction jobs and 17,000 to 21,000 permanent jobs. Opponents cite the societal costs associated with gambling.

    Our organizations haven’t taken a position on casinos. But we believe the much bigger issue is that, while the country added about 25 million jobs over the last two decades, the number of jobs in Massachusetts stayed the same.

    Flat job growth is not a strategy for long-term success. Skilled workers have made Massachusetts a leading destination for high-paying jobs. But focusing only on high-end employment is a recipe for disaster, creating a society of haves and have-nots. Broader job growth creates social mobility, encourages affordability, and enhances the region’s ability to attract the best talent.

    Creating a level playing field should be the foundation of an overall vision for long-term job growth. It begins with streamlining the process for starting a business. Massachusetts must be a destination that holds opportunity for new immigrants and other start-up entrepreneurs, not just the established and affluent. And while Massachusetts will never be inexpensive, costs matter, and there is much that can be done to reduce them.

    A 2006 study prepared by Global Insight for Pioneer Institute found that the cost of land was the source of the state’s high residential and commercial rents, wages, and overall cost of living. The problem often stems from rigid local zoning ordinances that discourage development. In the midst of a deep recession, it’s easy to lose sight of problems such as the supply of affordable commercial space not keeping up with demand. But over time, this has been a main driver of rising costs, making each new job more expensive to create.

    The cost of employer-provided health insurance continues to rise much faster than inflation. The Commonwealth’s 2006 health care reform law was a first step toward addressing the problem. It has successfully expanded access to health insurance, but a laser-like focus on cost containment will be necessary if it is ultimately to succeed.

    Massachusetts’ cost of electricity, one of the highest in the nation, is also hindering economic growth. With the state’s reliance on expensive fuels to generate power, escalating costs to replace an aging infrastructure, and the willingness to constantly add surcharges to customer bills to fund unproven renewable technologies and other costly experimental programs, further double-digit rate increases are certain.

    Massachusetts employers also pay more than $1.5 billion annually in unemployment insurance taxes — double the national average on a per-employee basis. The taxes support a system that offers the richest benefits in the country, and one in which it’s easier to qualify for benefits and recipients can collect for longer than in other states.

    With people hurting across the state, this isn’t the time to cut unemployment benefits. But a set of reforms proposed last year by Associated Industries of Massachusetts would have saved $366 million without slashing benefits.

    Today, businesses in seasonal industries like construction and tourism routinely lay off the same employees every year, using unemployment benefits as kind of a payroll subsidy. Some small-business owners take advantage of this loophole by laying themselves off and collecting for part of each year. Charging those companies much higher unemployment insurance tax rates would provide a disincentive for bad behavior and lighten the load for companies that aren’t abusing the system.

    Whether to build casinos in Massachusetts is an issue that merits spirited debate. But casinos alone aren’t nearly enough to make up for the Commonwealth’s failure to grow jobs. Regardless of how the casino debate turns out, state policymakers should spend far more time and effort on reforms that will spur substantial long-term job growth.

    Rick Lord is president and CEO of Associated Industries of Massachusetts. Jim Stergios is executive director of Pioneer Institute.

    Building Momentum for Green Leases

    By
    Sections Supplements
    They Make Good Sense for Landlords and Tenants Alike

    By now, most people are familiar with the term ‘going green’ and the concept of green building, but many people may not be familiar with green leasing.

    While there is, as yet, no working definition of the term, green leasing generally integrates concepts such as recycling, sustainable-development principles, energy and water conservation, alternative-energy usage, and hazardous materials (usually cleaning materials) use and disposal, with the standard leasing language involving operating expenses, rent structure, and tenant build-out costs.

    Most green leases include provisions for the reduction of energy usage through such simple measures as energy-efficient fixtures and equipment, turning off lights, motion sensors, and increased rent for ‘after-hours’ business operations. These leases also contain clauses requiring recycling programs, sustainable buildout materials, air-quality standards, and reduced water usage.

    Just as green leasing lacks a standard definition, there is also no single certification given to identify a lease as a ‘green’ lease. Instead, there are a number of different certifications that can be attained by builders, developers, and landlords seeking to label leases as green leases. For example, some seek certification pursuant to the Leadership in Environment and Energy Design (LEED) standards set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council, which awards points based on building specifications. In the case of existing buildings, LEED certification for commercial interiors (LEED-CI) is often sought. LEED-CI awards points (a) if the lease is for a term of 10 years or more; (b) if the leased space is located in a LEED-certified building; and (c) if the leased space is located in a building that contains certain green equipment, including but not limited to water- and energy-conservation fixtures.

    Another certification sought is Energy Star for commercial buildings, which is a government program administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Star’s goal is to reduce the use of energy through the use of energy-efficient practices and products. Energy Star also uses a points-based system that awards points on a scale of 1 to 100. Buildings that receive a score of 75 or more receive the Energy Star rating.

    So, it’s logical to conclude that green leasing equates to increased construction and operating costs. While there are without doubt costs associated with green leasing that are not found in traditional leases, if crafted properly, green leases can actually result in an overall increase in net operating income through the inclusion of requirements affecting the use of energy, regardless of prevailing energy prices.

    In the context of a net lease arrangement, this can be accomplished through the inclusion of green-building capital expenditures, repairs, and maintenance in the definition of common-area maintenance (CAM) and/or operating expenses. In a gross-lease context, this can be accomplished through the adoption of green rules and regulations that require all tenants to adopt green standards, thereby eliminating the possibility that tenants who have adopted green practices, and therefore incurred such associated costs, are paying a pro-rata share of energy expenses with tenants who have not adopted such practices, and are therefore responsible for a disproportionately large percentage of overall energy consumption.

    In addition, more and more companies and government entities are now demanding green lease space. For example, in 2007, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) was enacted, which set forth goals and standards for the reduction of energy use in federal buildings (including all buildings in which the federal government leases space), including the use of energy-efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs and a prohibition against federal agencies leasing space in buildings that do not earn an Energy Star label. As such, landlords who seek federal government tenants will be forced to attain Energy Star certification.

    Additionally, many companies have enacted sustainability statements that, in addition to other provisions, require that leases entered into by the company contain at least some green language. These mandates, along with a growing and continuing trend toward green building and green initiatives in general, are beginning to force landlords and tenants to rethink lease arrangements in order to meet the goals of both parties.

    While green leasing is a relatively new concept, the number of green buildings being built, and the number of companies and government agencies requiring green leases, continue to increase. As with most new concepts, those who lay the groundwork now for preparing and/or negotiating green leases will be well-positioned when this new concept becomes an accepted reality. This positioning requires both landlords and tenants to reconsider the approach the other takes when negotiating lease arrangements.

    Dennis G. Egan Jr. is an associate with

    the regional law firm Bacon Wilson,

    P.C., who specializes in business and

    corporate law; (413) 781-0560;[email protected]

    Still a Work In Progress

    By
    Mary Ellen Scott, left, and Christine Phillips
    Sections Supplements
    The Employment Picture Is Improving, but It Remains Fuzzy
    Mary Ellen Scott, left, and Christine Phillips

    Mary Ellen Scott, left, and Christine Phillips say business is picking up.

    The July unemployment numbers released by the U.S. Department of Labor were lower than expected. That’s the good news.

    However, the difference between the projected figure and the 9.4% unemployment statistic for that month was a tenth of a percent. That’s … not too bad for news these days.

    Across the nation in July, employers trimmed 247,000 jobs, in contrast to the staggering January losses of 741,000. On the day the unemployment numbers were released, President Obama said that “the worst may be behind us,” and that “we are pointed in the right direction.”

    The Bay State posted a seasonally adjusted 8.6% unemployment rate for the month of June, and while there were other Mass. communities that spiked into double digits, Hampden County edged below, at 9.8%.

    That’s still a large number, and it’s reflected in what Rexene Picard, executive director of FutureWorks in Springfield, one of 37 statewide career centers, observes every day. “The big thing that we’re seeing is increased traffic for job seekers. There’s a line out the door when we open. At the same time, we are seeing fewer job opportunities. Our job postings have gone down from this time last year about 38%. That’s a significant drop.”

    At United Personnel in Springfield, owner Mary Ellen Scott and Executive Vice President Christine Phillips took a positive look at the local job market. Talking about the manufacturing sector, historically one of the backbones of the local economy, Scott said that “our business has definitely been picking up over the last few months.”

    Joe Ascioti, owner of Reliable Temps Inc. in Agawam, feels less buoyant about the government’s predictions. While the latest statistics are better than feared, he said, “let’s face it, we aren’t creating a lot of new jobs yet. There’s still too much uncertainty out there right now.”

    In these days of economic turmoil, a reduction in bad news is good news, most would agree. Massachusetts has consistently been at the lower end of the nation’s unemployment rates, but in talking with area employment professionals, the big question is, when does the good news get good?

    Local Looks

    While the number of job-seekers and the dearth of jobs Picard sees everyday are both somewhat historic, she is confident in programs that are available for area workers.

    “Western Mass. is better in some ways than the Boston area because we don’t see the highs nor the lows that they do,” she said.

    Some new growth in the job market comes from familiar sources, she continued. “Health care is, and continues to be, the leading source of employment for this area and the state.

    “Our largest employer in the area is Baystate Medical Center,” she continued. “They are reaching out to us now, because we know that there is going to be a need to hire around 1,000 people a year for the next several years. Anybody that’s thinking about a new career, or switching gears, I encourage them to look at that field.”

    In the manufacturing and construction sectors, new claims for unemployment in Hampden County totaled more than 3,000, and Picard agreed that the bulk of her June numbers comprised those industries. But with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, one of the largest stimulus packages in history, funds have come through the pipeline to address those losses. Picard said she’s pleased to see substantial money going into both new training and retraining for the manufacturing base of the area.

    “But it’s difficult,” she continued, “because this money essentially is going to replacement jobs. Not a lot of new companies are moving to the area.”

    Manufacturing continues to be an important facet to the regional workforce, despite decades of offshore attrition. Picard said that the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County is involved with numerous initiatives to keep people in those positions.

    “The manufacturing industry constitutes 17% of the area workforce, and those generally are jobs that are well-paying positions,” she said. “The REB is doing a lot of work in the area with manufacturers, asking where the need is for new employees and what they can do to successfully build pipelines into those industries. It’s an aging workforce in many cases.”

    Phillips and Scott say there are signs of some light at the end of the tunnel for the manufacturing sector, and they’re seeing it in the growing number of positions they’re being hired to help fill.

    “I don’t think we were expecting manufacturing to be doing as well as we have seen already this year,” said Scott. Phillips agreed. “It has picked up, and it is definitely where we have seen the biggest trend change. We were not anticipating certain clients to have needs this year; our analysis was that we weren’t planning on having any orders.”

    The improving picture can be attributed in part to what appears to be greater consumer confidence, as reflected in some of the numbers being posted by retailers, said Phillips.

    “I think that if you look at certain other sectors, let’s say retail, their numbers began the year pretty low,” she said. “What they predicted for this quarter has been completely surpassed. There was a real concern about what kind of money would be spent. What retailers are seeing is that people are still spending. Thus, analysts look from this time last year to now, and their orders are far greater than they had anticipated.”

    Phillips and Scott agreed that the numbers these days are not as good as they would like them to be. While some clients are hiring more than they anticipated, many employers are, by and large, holding out for more assurance that the economy will strengthen.

    “Frankly,” said Phillips, “I’d be more nervous if we were making giant leaps in gains in the economy. It is more-steady gains that build people’s confidence. If it goes up in a sharp increase, people think that it could similarly go down in a sharp decline.”

    Ascioti told BusinessWest that he sees government forces sometimes playing a contradictory role with regard to the employment picture. Unemployment taxes can be punishing to small business, and that size employer is one that needs to be given more consideration, he maintained.

    “What I’m worried about right now,” he said, “is where are we going with all this? As the saying goes, Wall Street doesn’t like uncertainty; well, neither does small business. Unemployment costs for many businesses are going to go up 30%. For politicians in Boston to think that they can just raise the sales tax, raise the meals tax, raise this, mandate that, and that businesses are just going to sit there and say, ‘oh yeah, no problem. We’ll just raise our prices’ — well, it’s not an elastic environment. You can’t just do that.”

    In this area, he said, a lot of what he hears is that business is still off 25% to 30%. “We have a couple of clients that are doing better than normal,” he said. “Are they where they were a year and a half ago? No. Are they better than 80% of what their competition is doing? Yes. But can I pick one specific industry? Unfortunately, no.”

    Looking at the larger forces of federal and state regulation, Ascioti said, “what we need to do right now is bring our costs in line. I wish the government would understand that it’s small business that creates the jobs in America. If the climate isn’t positive for them, it’s going to be impossible to hire people.”

    Hire Ground

    The day after the newest unemployment figures were released, the New York Times reported that “employers are no longer in a panic, and the pressure they felt to get rid of workers in a hurry is diminishing.” That seems to be the sentiment in the Pioneer Valley, but the overall employment picture remains fuzzy because there are too many variables to make a clear assessment.

    One thing is fairly certain, however: until the economy gains both momentum and sustained stability enough for employers to take on more workers, the only real good news is that the bad news is getting better.

    By
    Departments

    The following building permits were issued during the month of July 2009.

    AGAWAM

    Frank Ferrentino
    1676 Main St.
    $14,000 — Install 4-foot foundation under existing cement pad

    Riverbend Medical, LLC
    230 Main St.
    $32,000 — General renovations to expand IT/telephone and data room

    Town of Agawam
    760 Cooper St.
    $7,000 — Renovations to the high school

    AMHERST

    Jones Properties, LTD
    15A Pray St.
    $8,000 — Renovate interior of hair salon

    CHICOPEE

    AHH, Inc.
    10 David St.
    $20,000 — Interior renovations

    Daniel O’Connell’s Sons Inc.
    275 Meadow St.
    $175,000 — Replace existing shed

    LTL, LLC
    14 Duncan St.
    $10,000 — Repair porch, exterior doors, and windows

    EAST LONGMEADOW

    Berg Family Trust
    130 Shaker Road
    $25,000 — Renovate office space

    Meadowbrook School
    607 Parker St.
    $61,000 — Install new alarm system

    GREENFIELD

    Fair Business, LLC
    74 Fairview St.
    $52,000 — New roof

    Franklin Medical Center
    164 High St.
    $13,000 — Installation of two-hour fire separation partition and ’90-minute’ doors

    Roman Catholic Church
    221 Federal St.
    $7,000 — Roof renovations

    Town Of Greenfield
    1 Lenox St.
    $4,500 — Remove and replace existing guard/hand rails at high school

    HOLYOKE

    Holyoke Machine Inc
    514-522 Main St.
    $21,000 — New roof and insulation

    O’C Ingleside LLC
    361 Whitney Ave.
    $719,000 — Construction of new laboratory for Baystate Health

    LUDLOW

    Big Y Trust
    433 Center St.
    $54,000 — Partitions

    		  

    NORTHAMPTON

    Crocker Building Company Inc.
    296 Nonotuck St.
    $30,000 — Install metal siding by loading dock

    John Scott
    52 Round Hill Road
    $35,000 — Interior renovations at Clarke School

    Sackrey Construction
    30 Crafts Ave.
    $114,000 — Construction of handicap ramp and bathrooms

    SPRINGFIELD

    Baystate Medical Center
    471 Chestnut St.
    $12,000 — Reline chimney

    Block Realty
    504 St. James Ave.
    $9,000 — New roof

    Diocese of Springfield
    155 Eddywood St.
    $240,000 — Minor classroom renovations and construction of new vestibule enclosure

    Falcon Management
    One Monarch Place
    $100,000 — 8th-floor build out

    Hampden County Physicians
    300 Stafford St.
    $259,000 — Interior renovation of 3,000 square feet of space for doctor’s office

    Holyname Parish
    37 Alderman St.
    $153,000 — Interior renovations

    Javal Inc.
    1801 Page Blvd.
    $39,500 — New roof

    O’Connell Oil
    570 Sumner Ave.
    $41,000 — Remodel existing building

    Yellow Brick Property
    270-272 Center St.
    $30,000 — Repair front and side porches

    SOUTH HADLEY

    PVPA School
    15 Mulligan Dr.
    $57,000 — Renovations

    WESTFIELD

    Berkshire Bank
    31 Court St.
    $370,000 — Interior renovations

    WEST SPRINGFIELD

    SUK Realty Trust
    1144 Elm St.
    $18,000 — Re-roof apartment building

    A Global Approach

    By
    Cover
    Cover Story
    Jeff Daigneau Creates a World of Possibilities at Lattitude
    Cover

    Cover

    Jeff Daigneau says he’s long desired to be a chef/owner, the coveted title that most all those who enter the restaurant business aspire to. After working at several area landmarks, including, most recently, Max’s Tavern, he decided that he didn’t just want to be in the kitchen — he wanted to be in his kitchen. The story of how he created Lattitude in West Springfield speaks to the myriad challenges — and sleepless nights — facing those who choose this road.

    Jeff Daigneau calls it the “itch.”

    And like many of those who start working in a restaurant, usually washing dishes, at a very young age, he got it — big time.

    Elaborating, he told BusinessWest that many of those who get exposed to the challenging but intriguing restaurant business early on get drawn into it and make plans to make it a career. From washing dishes, they move on to peeling potatoes, chopping onions, and assorted other duties. Those not intimidated by the long hours, hard work, and industry lifestyle often go to college to learn how to cook — Daigneau turned down a full scholarship at Johnson & Wales in Providence to attend a two-year program at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y., instead — and eventually go to work in someone’s kitchen.

    However, if one truly gets the itch, said Daigneau, he or she eventually wants their own kitchen, and if they go down that road, they get everything that comes with those bragging rights, from those long hours to credit card balances with lots of zeros to often-sleepless nights spent wondering how to make ends meet.

    Daigneau got all that and much more — including the enormous challenge of coping with the Big E, located directly across Memorial Avenue from his establishment (more on that later) — when he decided to open Lattitude more than 20 months ago. He has absolutely no regrets, though, and nothing even approaching a second thought about his high-risk entrepreneurial gambit.

    “That’s because it’s … really a lot of fun,” he said, shaking his head for emphasis. “I get to have fun every single day.”

    This fun comes in the form of creativity he can express in myriad ways as he plays out the role of chef/owner, or “true chef/owner,” as he puts it, explaining that some who put this title on their business card are chefs who own merely a small piece of the restaurant in question. Daigneau, former executive chef at Max’s Tavern in Springfield, owns Lattitude lock, stock, and salad forks, and he has those credit-card balances — once soaring above $150,000 but now down to $30,000 or so — to prove it.

    In that role, Daigneau is, in essence, carrying out the mission that prompted him to choose the name Lattitude, while giving the word an extra ‘t’ for some flair and to be a little different. “Latitudinal lines go around the world,” he explained. “I try to give people a little flavor of the world.”

    Elaborating, he says part of that aforementioned mission is to educate his patrons, and he does so by introducing menu items such as “true” San Francisco cioppino, a bouillabaisse-like dish, and keeping some prices on wine “stupidly reasonable” to give people a chance to sample various labels.

    Overall, his strategy is succeeding. Revenues are running well ahead of projections for where he thought the restaurant would be at this juncture, and the sluggish economy has, in his opinion, been a non-factor, a testament to the fact that he’s obviously doing something right.

    As for the Big E, well, it was a big part of a first year that Daigneau described as a real learning experience.

    “That first fair … it nearly put us out of business,” he explained, noting that the doors had been open only a few months before the start of the exposition’s 2008 run, and he simply didn’t know what to expect in terms of the challenge of luring customers to that stretch of Memorial Avenue for those 17 days in late September.

    This year, he says, he’ll be ready, with a game plan — he’ll pay for his customers’ parking, for example — as well as some aggressive marketing to remind people he’s open, and a refined attitude born from last year’s experiences.

    Meanwhile, for the other 49 1/2 weeks of the year — and fair time as well — the Big E represents opportunity, said Daigneau, one that he intends to fully maximize.

    “We do very well with a lot of the weekend shows,” he explained. “The Morgan Horse shows have been really good, but all of them have helped — the dog shows, a motorcycle show, even the gun and knife show; someone from Ohio came in for dinner and asked what kind of heat we pack around here.”

    In this issue, BusinessWest looks at Daigneau’s early success recipe, and how his story is typical, albeit with some different wrinkles, of those involving individuals who get that itch.

    Entrepreneurial Flavor

    Daigneau says he probably wouldn’t have his own kitchen — or at least not the one he currently patrols — were it not for a 57-page business plan he wrote for the restaurant that would become Lattitude.

    “It was a work in progress for about three years,” he said of the document he eventually handed to commercial lending officers at Berkshire Bank in early 2008. “It was rock solid, and full of true facts and figures.”

    Solid enough, apparently, to convince those at Berkshire to write the bank’s largest restaurant loan to date — $400,000 — after a few other institutions wouldn’t even talk to him. That wasn’t enough for Daigneau to get the doors open, actually; he had to start using his credit cards. But it came close, and it exemplified just how different, and compelling, the concept for Lattitude was and is.

    Daigneau probably first starting thinking about it when he was washing dishes at a small breakfast place located on the Congamond Lakes in Southwick. This is where the itch first developed. It progressed while Daigneau, an Agawam native, went to work at the Chez Josef banquet house, where he handled a number of duties over a stint that lasted through most of his high school years.

    “You start out washing dishes — everyone does — and you realize that what you’re doing is kind of cool,” he said of how his passion for the business developed and evolved. “Soon, you’re peeling potatoes and peeling carrots, and you get an itch — and that’s exactly what it is, an itch.

    “You initially look around and see what else is going on, and you see the guy at the grill and the woman doing the fries, and you say, ‘I’d like to be doing that,’” he continued. “And pretty soon, you end up there because someone doesn’t show up for work. Eventually, you’re working on the line. By my junior year in high school I had decided that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

    After attending CIA, Daigneau worked in a few restaurants, including Eastside Grill in Northampton and School Street Bistro in Westfield, before eventually landing at Max’s. He started as executive sous chef, was quickly promoted to executive chef, and, in 2007, was tabbed to lead the eatery’s catering division.

    Daigneau said he enjoyed the work, but kept returning to the notion of running his own establishment, a thought that first entered his head maybe five years ago and never actually left.

    “I wanted to be able to do what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it,” he told BusinessWest. “It’s not that I didn’t believe in everyone else’s way of doing things; owners were always giving me a lot of freedom, but I wanted more. I wanted to be the chef/owner, I wanted that level. I’ve had that goal since I was a kid.”

    He started scouting for suitable sites, and had trouble finding what he was looking for. He said that when he “stumbled” across space, actually three spaces, in a building on Memorial Avenue that comprised the old Caffeine’s restaurant and the former home to Kent Pecoy Construction, he knew he’d found a home.

    “I don’t know why, I just knew,” he explained. “I talked to the landlord and signed a lease immediately. I didn’t have any money, I didn’t have a liquor license, I didn’t have anything; I just said, ‘I’ll figure it all out later.’”

    And he did.

    Salad Days

    As he assessed his first 15 or so months in business, Daigneau said most things have gone according to that detailed plan he worked out for the lenders. But not everything, obviously.

    The restaurant has become popular with most demographic groups and draws patrons from across a wide geographic radius, he explained. But it has become, somewhat to his surprise, extremely popular with women, a fact he attributes to well-lit parking areas and entrances and a feeling of safety not attainable in many settings.

    And then, there’s the Big E.

    Daigneau said he was caught somewhat off guard last year by the fair, which can be a drain on Memorial Avenue businesses, as he soon learned. Most restaurants in the vicinity of the fairgrounds simply shut down for those 17 days (with most using their real estate to park cars), he explained, adding quickly that he didn’t have that option last year and, despite his strong start, doesn’t have it this year, either.

    He’ll be open, but with the understanding that Lattitude will become more of a bar than a restaurant those 17 days, and he’ll be pouring far more draught beer than specialty martinis. But he wants his regulars and potential first-timers to know he’ll be open for lunch and dinner.

    And despite the solid nature of his business plan and no shortage of confidence in his abilities and business instincts, Daigneau says there was plenty of apprehension in the weeks and months after he opened the doors to Lattitude. “I didn’t sleep much those first eight months,” he said.

    Overall, Daigneau says he believes he’s planned — and guessed — right when it came to his menu, basic approach (a heavy emphasis on local, fresh produce) and the general experience he provides.

    As for the cuisine, he calls it ‘Global American’ in another reference to latitude, and says he likes to mix things up, with new offerings regularly on both the lunch and dinner menus, with the former becoming increasingly popular of late with the business crowd. It features everything from a ‘house made mac & cheese’ to a grilled scallop salad to ‘Asian spiced grilled king salmon.’

    “I didn’t want to limit myself on anything,” said Daigneau, referring both to what’s on the menus and how offerings are prepared. “I change the menu almost every day — dishes come off, dishes go on. We change all kinds of things because we want to educate people, not intimidate them.”

    Most all of the items on the menus are prepared or accented with locally grown produce, said Daigneau, adding that he’s at Cecci Farms in Feeding Hills every day. “A case of tomatoes is $25 there, while I can get one from the wholesaler for $10, but I want the local,” he explained. “To have a true farm restaurant is a lot of fun.”

    There’s that word again. Daigneau used it repeatedly in the course of his talk with BusinessWest, and he used it with sincerity, while reiterating, repeatedly, that this business certainly isn’t all fun and games.

    Check, Please

    Daigneau said his father got married a few months ago. It was still another event for which he handled the cooking.

    He took the occasion to look through some old photographs and noticed that in practically every one taken over the past decade, he was in a chef’s outfit. Recalling the event prompted him to recite something he’s probably said hundreds of times in his career: “this isn’t a life,” he said of what it’s like being at the upper levels of the restaurant business. “It’s a lifestyle.”

    It comes to those who get the itch, he continued, adding that few ever regret scratching it, and he certainly doesn’t.

    After all, how many people get to have fun every single day?

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

    By
    Departments

    Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield
    www.myonlinechamber.com

    Sept. 2: ACCGS Breakfast, 7:15 to 9 a.m., hosted by the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House in Holyoke. The speaker will be Kevin Rhodes, conductor of the Springfield Symphony. The cost is $20 for members, $30 for non-members.

    Sept. 7: ACCGS After 5, 5 to 7 p.m., hosted by Café Lebanon in Springfield. The cost is $10 for members, $20 for non-members.

    Sept. 14: Ludlow Golf for Kids, hosted by Ludlow Country Club. Registration and lunch from noon to 1 p.m.; shotgun/four-person scramble at 1 p.m. The cost is $110 per person or $400 for a foursome. Sponsorships are available.

    Sept. 22: West of the River Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting, 7:30 to 9 a.m., hosted by Captain Charles Leonard House in Agawam.

    Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce
    www.amherstarea.com

    Sept. 3: UMass/Chamber Community Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m., hosted by the UMass Student Union Ballroom. The cost is $8 for members.

    Sept. 9: Chamber Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m., hosted by Courtyard by Marriott, sponsored by Back In Motion, Auto Express, and Summerline Floors. The guest speaker will be Tony Marx. The cost is $12 members and $15 for guests.

    Sept. 23: Chamber After Five, 5 to 7 p.m., hosted by the Emily Dickinson Museum, sponsored by Amherst Insurance Agency/The Nathan Agencies. The cost is $5 for members and $10 for guests.

    Chicopee Chamber of Commerce
    www.chicopeechamber.org

    Sept. 16: Salute Breakfast, 7:15 to 9 a.m., hosted by the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House. The cost is $18 for members and $25 for non-members. Register online at www.chicopeechamber.org

    Franklin County Chamber of Commerce
    www.franklincc.org

    Visit the chamber online to learn more about upcoming events.

    Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce
    www.easthamptonchamber.org

    Sept. 9: Networking by Night Business Card Exchange, 5 to 7 p.m., hosted by Apollo Grill, 116 Pleasant St., Eastworks, Easthampton. Sponsored by Clarke school for the Deaf. Event features door prizes, hors d’ouevres, and a cash bar. Tickets cost $5 for members and $15 for non-members.

    Sept. 18 and 19: Electronic Recycling Collection, hosted by Red Rock Shops, College Highway, Rte. 10, Southampton. Sponsored by Duseau Trucking LLC, Autumn Properties, and Greater Easthampton Chamber. Event allows people to responsibly dispose of their old computers, monitors, TVs, stereos, and small home and office appliances.

    Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce
    www.holycham.com

    Sept. 16: Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce Annual Outing, 5 to 7:30 p.m., hosted by Holyoke Country Club, Country Club Road, Holyoke. Featuring a chance to win $1,000. Tickets cost $25. Call the chamber at (413) 534-3376 for tickets or to become a sponsor, or visit www.holycham.com for more information.

    Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
    www.explorenorthampton.com

    Visit the chamber online to learn more about upcoming events.

    Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce
    www.qvcc.biz

    Visit the chamber online to learn more about upcoming events.

    South Hadley/Granby Chamber Of Commerce
    www.shchamber.com

    Sept. 22: Premier Beyond Business, 5 to 7 p.m., hosted by the Sycamores. The guest speaker will be Ken Williamson of the South Hadley Historical Society, who will speak on the Sycamores’ history and renovations. Sponsored by Premier members Berkshire Bank, Chicopee Savings Bank, Easthampton Savings Bank, Florence Savings Bank, Jubinville Insurance Group, PeoplesBank, and Private Financial Design. The cost is $10 at the door for chamber members. Reservations are necessary; RSVP at (413) 532-2480 by Sept. 18.

    Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce
    www.threeriverschamber.org

    Visit the chamber online to learn more about upcoming events.

    Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce
    www.westfieldbiz.org

    Sept. 9: WestNet Opening Networking Evening, 5 to 7 p.m., hosted and sponsored by Nora’s Restaurant, 106 Point Grove Road, Southwick (across from Louie B’s), celebrating its grand opening under new ownership. Attendees are encouraged to bring business cards. Tickets cost $10 for members and $15 for non-members. For reservations, call (413) 568-1618, E-mail marcia@westfieldbiz. org, or sign up at www.westfieldbiz.org.

    Sept. 19: 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, 5 p.m. to midnight, hosted by Tekoa Country Club, Route 20, 459 Russell Road, Westfield. Sponsored by Berkshire Bank. The theme for the evening is ’50s Diner. A Cruise Night will be set up in the parking lot. Bands include the Drifters and Corey and the Knightsmen. Tickets cost $35 through September 13, and $45 thereafter. For reservations, call (413) 568-1618, E-mail [email protected], or sign up at www.westfieldbiz.org.

    Sept. 23: Mini Trade Show, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., hosted by Westfield State College, Ely Campus Center, Main Lounge Area, 577 Western Ave., Westfield. The event aims to acquaint the college community, faculty, and students with local businesses and their goods. Call (413) 568-1618 with any questions, or E-mail [email protected].

    Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield
    www.springfieldyps.com

    Sept. 11: United Way’s 16th annual Day of Caring. Each year, more than 1,400 volunteers from 45 companies participate in the Day of Caring, which pairs volunteers with agency service providers to accomplish a variety of projects.YPS will be paired up with Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity and will be working on one of the homes currently under construction in Springfield.

    Sept. 17: Third Thursday, 5 to 7 p.m., hosted by Café Lebanon in Springfield. Relax after work and socialize with other area young professionals.

    By
    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

    Edward, Mary and Christopher Muenkel v. Greenwood Technologies, LLC
    Allegation: Malfunction of wood-burning furnace causing property damage and personal injury: $83,000
    Filed: 7/7/09

    Theresa Rice v. Deerfield Academy
    Allegation: Negligent property maintenance causing injury: $67,500
    Filed: 7/10/09

    HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

    Hallinan Capital Corporation v. Mountain Road Estates and John Hansen
    Allegation: Breach of promissory notes: $884,870.63
    Filed: 7/13/09

    Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame v. Wazoo Sports Inc.
    Allegation: Default of broadcasting rights agreement: $54,500
    Filed: 7/9/09

    Republic Ironworks Inc. v. Barr Inc. and Travelers Casualty & Surety Co. of America
    Allegation: Breach of contract and non-payment of labor, equipment, and materials provided: $42,426.00
    Filed: 7/9/09

    HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

    Frank C. Corriveau v. Gentiva Health Services
    Allegation: Employment discrimination: $850,883
    Filed: 7/15/09

    Town of Hatfield v. Mount Vernon Group Inc., Moriece & Gary Inc., and Aquadro & Cerruti Inc.
    Allegation: Breach of construction contract for the Dorothy M. Breor Elementary School: $100,000
    Filed: 7/15/09

    Tyron A. Patruno v. Town of Hadley
    Allegation: Breach of employment settlement agreement: $50,000
    Filed: 7/15/09

    HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT

    Leader Home Center Inc. v. A.R. Green & Son Inc. & Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament
    Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $45,266.17
    Filed: 7/3/09

    Cook Builders Supply Co. v. Berry Construction
    Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $3,305.13
    Filed: 7/16/09

    NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

    SWB Properties, LLC v. Equity Builders Realty, LLC
    Allegation: Breach of purchase-and-sale agreement: $8,750
    Filed: 7/13/09

    The Darcy Co. v. Northampton Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
    Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $4,844.87
    Filed: 7/27/09

    PALMER DISTRICT COURT

    IGM International Granite & Marble Corp. v. Blarney Stone
    Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $3,644.33
    Filed: 6/25/09

    SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

    Comcast Spotlight Inc. v. BMS Paper
    Allegation: Non-payment of advertising services provided: $9,896.73
    Filed: 7/1/09

    Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. v. Rebello Construction Inc.
    Allegation: Non-payment of workers’ compensation insurance: $7,307.43
    Filed: 7/8/09

    WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT

    Berkshire Bank v. Your Cleaning Services and Alena V. Mozolevskaya
    Allegation: Non-payment of balance due under credit agreement: $24,940.57
    Filed: 6/19/09