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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.

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

Book Distributors Inc. d/b/a Koen Book Distributors Inc. v.
Bookline Booksellers Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $8,450.94
Date Filed: Jan. 3

Advogue Carpet Gallery Inc.
d/b/a National Carpet Center v. Kenneth Lynds d/b/a A-2-Z Home Improvements
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $4,691.29
Date Filed: Jan. 6

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

United Rentals (North America) Inc.
v. Adams Enterprises
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $4,999.15
Date Filed: Jan. 3

United Rentals (North America) Inc. v. J.C. Stevens Co. Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $14,691.00
Date Filed: Jan. 3

United Rentals (North America) Inc. v.
Daniel J. Dunn d/b/a Bay View Development
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $10,056.92
Date Filed: Jan. 3

United Rentals (North America) Inc. v.
Beacon Site Development Corp. and Philip J. Montalto
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $19,733.52
Date Filed: Jan. 3

Conversent Communications of MA Inc. v.
F.L Roberts & Co. Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for services: $17,018.87
Date Filed: Jan. 9

Construction Service, a division of Dauphna’s & Sons Inc. v.
Ames Design Inc. a/k/a Ames Design, Leslie Clement a/k/a Leslie A. Clement a/k/a Leslie McCarthy
Allegation: Breach of contract — Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $3,201.00
Date Filed: Jan. 11

Building Blocks

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Features
The Construction Institute at the University of Hartford is technically a networking group for those in the building trades — and also businesses with facilities management issues and concerns. But its directors say its mission goes well beyond the pressing of flesh and, as the name suggests, focuses on education.

Bob Gonyeau draws a clear distinction between education and intelligence.
“Education is learning how to do something,” he told BusinessWest. “Intelligence is learning about things that you need to know about, getting the information you need to do your business better.”

Both processes are at the heart of the mission of the 31-year-old Construction Institute, which Gonyeau serves as assistant executive director. Based at the University of Hartford, but now serving a membership base that stretches from New York City to Boston, the institute was created to serve businesses in what is known as the ‘built environment.’

This means general contractors, architects, and engineering firms, obviously, said Gonyeau, but it also includes companies — like MassMutual, Baystate Health, area colleges, and other businesses — that have vast operational facilities and need to know how to manage them efficiently and cost-effectively.

And, in a broad sense, it includes virtually any business that will be impacted by skyrocketing energy prices this winter and wants to develop strategies to minimize those costs.

“It appears that these higher energy costs will be here for a while — they’re becoming a fact of life,” he said. “In that environment, it just makes sense to build smart and find ways to conserve energy and control your costs; we want to help people understand how to do that.”

This is what Gonyeau means by intelligence, and he says the institute provides it through a number of formal and informal gatherings — meetings of the minds, as he called them, involving people from across the broad spectrum of the built environment.

Such programs include the ‘North-Central Conn. & Western Mass. Construction Forecast,’ set for Jan. 26 at the Basketball Hall of Fame. Titled Bridging the Borders … There’s Work for Everyone!, the program will explore the challenges and opportunities for design and construction in North Central Connecticut and Western Mass., or the I-91 corridor, as it’s called, said Gonyeau, noting that it is one of many regional forecasts staged by the institute to inform members and potential members of opportunities within both the public and private sectors and to provide a sense of what the future holds for the construction sector.

The forecasts are just some of the institute’s many attempts at outreach, said Gonyeau, noting that the most significant of such efforts is the upcoming, two-day ConstruCT 2006, the 9th Annual New England Construction & Facilities Management Conference & Exhibition. Set for March 21st and 22nd at the recently opened Connecticut Convention Center, the event will feature a number of educational sessions to, as organizers put it, “improve the process of construction.”

Such process-improvement efforts are at the very heart of the institute’s mission, said Gonyeau, adding that beyond its basic goal of bringing a diverse set of professionals together to discuss common issues and concerns, the institute wants to help enable those in this sector to do what they do better.

“When that happens, everyone benefits,” he said, noting that ConstruCT 2006 and the annual construction forecasts represent just some of the many ways the Construction Institute moves beyond the realm of the traditional networking group.

Another example is its extensive educational component, which includes continuing education programs in the form of half-day workshops offered by the University of Hartford. Workshops are conducted on a wide range of subjects, from construction management to building codes and regulations.

Designed to fill educational gaps within the industry, the workshops help individuals earn certificates and advance within the industry. It’s all part of the institute’s global efforts to inform, enlighten, and develop business leaders.

In two words, Gonyeau told BusinessWest, the institute is all about building relationships.

Solid Foundation

A look at the agenda for ConstruCT 2006 reveals both some of the issues facing the ‘built community’ and the overall mission of the institute.
Individual educational sessions are slated in such topics as:

  • Energy management, conservation, and sustainable design;
  • Emergency preparedness, safety, and critical response;
  • Design and construction issues in higher education, municipalities, and public schools;
  • Marketing, business development, and customer satisfaction;
  • Successful negotiations, construction claims, and dispute resolution; and
  • “How to Succeed in the Connecticut DPW Design and Construction Process.”

The last of those items is a nod to one of the institute’s original charges said Gonyeau — helping firms across the construction sector understand the rules of the road in the Nutmeg State and successfully attain business there. The others? Well, they speak to the seemingly constant change that defines the built environment, and how the institute has continuously evolved in response.

“The industry is constantly changing, and we want to help people keep pace,” he explained. “You can’t be stagnant in this business — if you do, you’ll be left behind.”

The institute was created in the mid-’70s, said Gonyeau, in response to an emerging need for a forum, in which people in businesses across the construction industry could share experiences and knowledge, stimulate growth within the industry, and, in many ways, create opportunities through relationship-building.

This is the essence of any networking group, he said, adding that the mission has grown and evolved over the years, and the institute, while still Connecticut-based and, in many ways, Connecticut-focused, has broadened its geographical reach.

The institute was created at a time of turmoil and challenge for the Connecticut construction community, said Gonyeau, noting that in the mid-’70s, the industry was fragmented and many projects became bogged down by logistical problems and tangled lines of communication. The institute, a non-profit, non-partisan professional organization and one of the few organizations of its kind in the country, was seen as a mechanism for streamlining and strengthening what was then an industry in disarray.

Within a few years of the institute’s creation, there was a deadly collapse of a section of highway bridge in Southern Connecticut and the nearly tragic collapse of the Hartford Civic Center’s roof, said Gonyeau, noting that these events and others helped inspire the many educational components of the institute.

“Those events helped give the institute a sense of purpose — and some credibility,” he explained. “They provided a sense of urgency within the industry to focus attention on issues and improving communication.”

In other words, the institute helped create a dialogue among professionals within the construction community that simply didn’t exist before. Today, that dialogue continues, shaped by emerging trends, economic conditions, and factors that impact builders and end-users alike.

Things like energy costs.

“They touch everyone who owns a building or is thinking about building one,” said Gonyeau, noting that the institute recently staged a seminar, in conjunction with Northeast Utilities, on soaring energy costs and what can be done about them.

“We addressed it from a design standpoint, a construction standpoint, and an operational standpoint,” he explained, “and discussed what people can do, from materials for building, sensible design, and sustainable building.

“When you make a capital investment in a property you intend on keeping, the life-cycle costing is very important,” he continued. “You need to address matters such as where your windows face, how well the building is insulated, how your connections are made in the construction process so you don’t have a lot of air loss; these are all issues to be considered.”

Shedding light on such issues is part of the institute’s broad efforts to educate and disseminate information, said Gonyeau, noting that the educational component continues to grow. Indeed, several hundred students enroll each year in the workshops, administered by the University of Hartford’s Office of Continuing & Professional Education.

Workshop subjects are designed to address specific industry needs, he explained, and involve a hands-on, learn-by-doing style of training. The list of offerings includes subjects that are broad — “Environmental Health and Safety for Facility Managers” is one example — and also quite specific — “Construction on Contaminated Land: How to Prepare and How to Respond.”

Concrete Examples

And while the institute strives to widen the scope of its educational and informational initiatives, it is also working to broaden its audience.

The institute now boasts roughly 375 members, which represent every facet of the built environment. More than two-thirds of those members are from Connecticut, said Gonyeau, but the number of those from out-of-state has grown steadily in recent years.

A number of firms based in Western Mass. or with regional offices there have joined, including Holyoke-based Daniel O’Connell’s Sons Inc., the Mount Vernon Group, a Chicopee-based architectural firm, Tighe & Bond, an environmental engineering firm with headquarters in Westfield, and B-G Mechanical Contractors, also in Chicopee.

Efforts to recruit more companies in this region continue on both a formal and informal basis, said Gonyeau, noting that the institute stages a number of programs over the course of the year during which attendees can learn about the many benefits it offers.

New members have been recruited from New York and Rhode Island, he said, but the natural direction for expansion is north, to the Pioneer Valley. This initiative parallels other efforts, such as the creation of the Hartford-Springfield Economic Partner-ship, to bridge the border between the states — or effectively erase it.

The economic partnership is a now five-year-old effort designed to market the region from Amherst to Storrs, Conn. as one economic region. By combining the demographics of the two major cities and the region between them, organizers believe they can create more economic development opportunities for businesses and residents in both states.

Gonyeau added that the institute takes has adopted a similar philosophy, noting that development in Connecticut could yield opportunities for construction-related businesses in Massachusetts, and vice versa.

“There will always be some measure of territoriality,” he explained, noting that construction and architecture firms in some cities and regions aren’t enamored with the thought of companies from other area codes taking work that could go to them. “But, as the name of our forecast suggests, we really believe there is enough work for everyone.”

Attendees at the Jan. 26 North-Central Conn. & Western Mass. Construction Forecast can find out about some of that work, said Gonyeau, adding that they will hear about opportunities on both sides of the border.

Indeed, among the speakers will be Oz Griebel, president & CEO of the MetroHartford Alliance, and Sandra Johnson, vice president of Business Development for the alliance. They will address current revitalization efforts in Hartford, including the broad Andrien’s Landing initiative on the riverfront.

Meanwhile, Peter Pappas, an East Longmeadow-based real estate developer, one of two partners who have forwarded a $9 million proposal to renovate and expand the old Basketball of Fame Hall building into an integrated sports, fitness, and entertainment complex, is scheduled to talk about that specific project and also the broad subject of riverfront development in Springfield.

Also on the agenda is Westfield Community Development Director James Boardman, who will detail a series of public (a new bridge over the Westfield River, for example) and private construction projects slated in that community.

The institute stages a number of regional forecasts each year, said Gonyeau, all designed to keep members and potential members informed about what’s happening, and also foster the relationship-building efforts that make the group successful.

Hard Hat Area

As he talked about the construction sector, Gonyeau said that large projects, and even smaller initiatives, are marvels of coordination and communication.

Fast Facts

Agency:The Construction Institute

Address:University of Hartford, 312 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford, Conn. 06117

Phone:(860) 768-4459

Web Site:www.construction.org

Bringing a project to successful completion requires organization and a step-by-step approach to getting the job done, he explained. “It can be very complex … one hand has to know what the other is doing.”

Bringing together elements of the built environment can be equally complicated, he continued, but such efforts are vital to moving that sector forward and creating opportunities for companies and individuals.

The Construction Institute is succeeding in that mission because it has created a solid foundation and continues to build on it.

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

Designs on Continued Growth

By
Sections Supplements
Curt Edgin gestured toward a photo of the old chapel at UMass-Amherst.
It’s one of many framed pictures that cover nearly every inch of wall space at the offices of Caolo & Bieniek and effectively tell of the story of this half-century-old architecture firm.

Indeed, the photos display the full range of the company’s work — from design of modern classroom buildings at Springfield Technical Community College, to libraries both new and renovated; from a large number of police, fire, and public safety complexes designed for communities across New England, to the old chapel, which illustrates some of the more unique work this firm does — duties that might seem to fall outside the realm of what some might expect from an architecture firm.

The oldest building on the UMass campus and perhaps the university’s most recognizable landmark, the stone chapel was earmarked in the mid-’90s for what university administrators thought would be minor repairs, what amounted to caulking work. Caolo & Bieniek, which was commissioned to assess the structure and design restoration efforts, quickly determined that the chapel was in far worse condition than previously believed.

“Essentially, the building was being held up by the forces of gravity,” Edgin, the company’s president, explained. “The lime mortar was gone — it was essentially sand between the stones. Any good tremor would have brought that building down.

“It ended up that the building was taken down to its base and reconstructed,” he continued, adding that individual stones had to carefully removed and numbered in order to reconstruct the building as it was originally built.

The old chapel work, which earned the firm accolades from the Mass. Historical Commission, is an example of how Caolo & Bieniek works imaginatively to meet client needs and address concerns — blending form and function, to borrow terms from the industry.

Such customer-focused efforts have enabled the company to survive the economic ups and downs that have a dramatic and often immediate impact on construction-related businesses — and provide a deep sense of optimism for the next 50 years in business.

BusinessWest looks this issue at Caolo & Bieniek’s rich history, the solid reputation it has built, and its prospects for the future.

Step by Step

As they talked with BusinessWest about their company and its recent milestone anniversry, Edgin and fellow principals Ken Jodrie and James Hannifan would use the photos on the walls to punctuate their remarks.

When talking about the public sector and the importance of cost-effective, low-maintenance building materials and design, Jodrie pointed to a sequence of shots of three classroom buildings built at STCC during the 1980s.

“These are durable materials, designed to last,” he explained, referring to the brick structures designed to blend in with the historical Springfield Armory complex that surrounds them. “That’s what the owner wants, something that can be easily maintained. That’s why they typically use masonry in buildings like this — because masonry is a product that once it’s installed the owner can ignore it for a long period of time; he won’t have to do anything to it for 50 years.”

Meanwhile, as they talked about diversity and specialties the company has developed over the years, the three pointed to public safety facilities built locally (Chicopee and Easthampton are just a few) and well beyond the 413 area code — Ashburnham, Mass., for example.

“Public safety is one of the areas we’ve moved into and developed quite a reputation for quality,” said Edgin, pointing to photos of complexes designed for Northampton, Lowell, and other cities and towns. “This is a highly specialized field, one where we’re achieved a good deal of success.”

As the walls attest, the company’s portfolio is extensive, and the process of building it began in 1955, when Vito Caolo (now deceased) and Victor Bieniek (retired since 2001) set up shop in a small office on Pearl Street in Springfield. As the company grew, it moved first to bigger quarters in the old Gilbarco complex in West Springfield and, later, to still-larger space on Cottage Street in Springfield.

Eventually, after the addition of several employees and the emergence of the next generation of ownership, the company moved once again, this time into the former Falls Provision market on East Street in Chicopee, which was renovated into a suite of offices.

As Bieniek was nearing retirement, he took steps to expand the staff and put succession plans in place, said Edgin, adding that he joined the firm in 1987 after working for architecture firms locally, and also in New Jersey and Kentucky. Meanwhile, Hannifan became part of the new leadership team in 1993, and Jodrie joined in 1995.

Over the years, the company has built its reputation largely in the public sector, with dozens of schools, libraries (including the new facility in Chicopee), police and fire stations, the Holyoke Soldiers Home, and even a parking garage or two in the portfolio — and on the walls. In addition to the buildings at STCC, for example, Caolo & Bieniek has designed new buildings and renovations at Westfield State College, Holyoke Community College, UMass, and a host of other schools.

But the public sector is easily impacted by swings in the economy and the flow of tax revenue to Boston and Washington, said Hannifan, citing, for example, the current stagnation (and growing backlog) of public school building projects — work is expected to start flowing again in 2007. This phenomenon necessitates diversity, he told BusinessWest, adding that the firm has handled work across a number of business sectors — from retail (including preliminary designs for a new Starbucks on East Columbus Avenue in Springfield) to physician offices.

And while new building projects comprise a good amount of the firm’s workload, renovations, restorations, and modernizations — at sites ranging from the old chapel at UMass to the central library in Springfield — have kept the company (and area frame shops) busy.

Edgin noted that schools built a century ago, or even 30 years ago — were not designed to accommodate today’s communications technology.

“Quite often the infrastructure and the electrical capacity isn’t there,” he explained. “As recent as the ’60s, there was one plug in the front of the classroom, for the overhead projector, and one in the back; now you need electrical supply everywhere, because everyone has a laptop.”

The qualities that have enabled Caolo & Bieniek to survive a half-century in the often-turbulent construction field, are the same ones that will propel it forward, said Edgin. Elaborating, he listed diversity as an obvious factor, but also, and perhaps more importantly, the firm’s ability to generate repeat business from satisfied customers.

Quality of work has much to do with this, but there is also the “comfort level,” as he described it, that the firm works to create.

“At many of the larger firms in Boston, New York, and elsewhere, you have people whose job it is to sell — and that’s what they do, sell,” he explained. “And after they’re done selling, those people probably won’t be involved with the project again.

“Here, it’s different,” he continued. “The three principals are involved in every project … we’re accessible, and we’re involved every step of the way. That’s the way we do things, and it has helped us generate a good deal of repeat business.”

Room to Grow

If a picture is really worth 1,000 words, then visitors to the offices of Caolo & Bieniek should allocate considerable time for ‘reading.’

The photos relate a 50-year success story, one with many chapters still to be written. The company that takes a highly personalized approach to doing business has no plans to deviate from that pattern.

If there’s an immediate challenge, it might be the need for more wall space.

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

By
Departments

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

CHICOPEE

Beautiful Escape Massage Therapy and Tanning Inc.,
690 Grattan St., Chicopee 01020.
Anne M. Marin, 59 Carew Terrace,
Springfield 01101. Massage, therapy and tanning salon.

Glen A. Ladd Accounting & Tax Service Inc.,
169 Grove St., Chicopee 01020.
Glen A. Ladd, 9 Horseshoe Lane,
Wilbraham 01095. Accounting and tax service.

Ideal Kitchens Home Improvement Inc.,
838 Grattan St., Chicopee 01020.
Steve L. Wenninger, 31 Eastwood Circle,
Ludlow 01056. To engage in the installation, r
e-facing, construction of cabinetry and countertops, etc.

Leclerc Brothers Inc.,
45 Worthington St., Chicopee 01020.
Paul L. Leclerc, same.
Construction — home improvement.

EAST LONGMEADOW

MJR & Sons Inc.,
3 Town View Circle, East Longmeadow 01028.
Michael Raschilla, same.
To assist non-profit organizations with fundraising.

FLORENCE

Arete Computer Consulting Inc.,
37 Drewson Dr., Florence 01062.
George Burton Scheurer, same.
Computer sales and service.

GRC Contracting Inc.,
24 Bayberry Lane, Florence 01062.
Gary R. Campbell, same.
Construction business.

Shai Inc.,
94-96 Maple St., Florence 01062.
Rekha H. Patel, 22 Chestnut St.,
Easthampton 01027.
To carry on a general “convenience store”.

Sireci Psychometric Services Inc.,
43 Whittier St., Florence 01062.
Stephen G., Sireci, same.
Psychometric and statistical consultation.

GRANBY

Jimmo Contracting Inc.,
37 Crescent St., Granby 01033.
Brian K. Jimmo, same.
Construction — home improvement.

GRANVILLE

Noble & Cooley Center for Historic Preservation Corp.,
42 Water St., Granville 01034. Matthew Jones, 156 Granville Road,
Granville 01034. (Nonprofit)
To preserve the history of manufacturing, rural crafts, and agricultural pursuits in the Granville area, etc.

HOLYOKE

Gilburg Leadership Institute Inc.,
110 Lincoln St., Holyoke.
Alan Gilburg, same.
Leadership training.

Mapmcg Enterprises Inc.,
489 Whitney Ave., Holyoke 01040.
Mark A. Preston, 96 Washington Ave.,
Northampton 01060. Residential cleaning services.

Mark Shar Consulting Inc.,
44 Parker St., Floor 2, Holyoke 01040.
Mark J. Shar, same.
Customized tutoring, advice for computers/software.

Martinelli, Martini & Gallagher Realtors Inc.,
1763 Northampton St., Holyoke 01040.
Francesco Martini, 42 Willow Creek Ave.,
Suffield, CT 06078. Paul R. Gallagher,
36 Charon Terr., South Hadley 01075.
To operate a real estate sales business.

Ortiz Group Inc.,
274 Rock Valley Road, Holyoke 01040.
Raymong L. Ortiz, same.
To operate a restaurant business.

PB Partners Inc.,
314 High St., Holyoke 02040.
Joseph D. Lobello, same.
To deal in stocks, bonds and other securities on its own behalf and not as a broker.

School Services Diagnostic Center Inc.,
1913 Northampton St., Holyoke 01040.
John A. Foley Jr., 1308 Northampton St.,
Holyoke 01040. To provide consulting and treatment
services for all aspects of special education, learning and development.

DP Polymers Inc.,
127 Green Hill Road, Longmeadow 01106.
Paul N. Dikan, same.
The purchase, sale, and processing of plastics.

New England Centers for Academic Success Inc.,
44 South Brook Road, East Longmeadow 01028.
John F. Schuster, same.
Supplemental educational services.

Ottani Landscape Design Inc.,
200 West Road, Longmeadow 01106.
Daphne Ottani, same. Landscape design.

Sondrini Corp.,
103 Williamsburg Dr., Longmeadow 01106.
Todd J. Sondrini, same.
Financial services.

MONSON

Monson Financial Services Corp.,
146 Main St., Monson 01057.
Roland G. Desrochers, same.
A bank holding company.

Monson Interim Subsidiary Bank,
146 Main St., Monson 01057.
Roland G. Desrochers, same.
To transact the business of a savings bank.

NORTHHAMPTON

Pioneer Valley Internal Medicine,
P.C., 45 Washington Ave., Northampton 01060.
Susan J. Mosler, same.
Practice of medicine.

SOUTH. HADLEY

A & H Real Estate Co. Inc.,
27 Lyman Terrace, So. Hadley 01075.
Kyle D. Steinbock, same.
Real estate sales.

Bergen Construction Inc.,
187 East St., Suite 2, South Hadley 01075.
Taffzal Miah, same.
Construction.

Neumann Industrial Inc.,
3 Ashfield Ave., South Hadley 01075.
Gus E. Neumann, same.
Welding.

RP Trading Corp.,
187 East St., Suite 1, So. Hadley.
Rajinder Pal Singh, same.
Wholesale.

Walton Excavating Inc.,
10 Plainville Circle, South Hadley 01075.
Wayne E. Walton, same.
Excavation and construction.

SOUTHAMPTON

NorCor Autowash Inc.,
22 Pequot Road, Southampton 01073.
Richard Lemelin, same.
To operate a car wash.

SPRINGFIELD

Bacon Strip Film Corp.,
35 Kimberly Ave., Springfield 01108.
Christopher James Bailey, same.
Independent/big screen films.

City Opticians,
P.C., 1624 Main St., Springfield 01103.
Kenneth M. Duda, 701 Center St., Ludlow 01056.
The practice of optometry.

Dan Wyman Books Inc.,
47 Dartmouth St., Springfield 01109.
Daniel D. Wyman, same.
Sale, purchase, appraisal of new and used books.

Danny Boy Realty Corp.,
807 Cottage St., Springfield 01104.
Francis Santaniello, 19 Eleanor Road, Springfield 01108.
Realty estate investment.

Line-X of Western Massachusetts Inc.,
480 St. James Ave., Springfield 01109.
Adam D. Shramek, same.
Installlng bed liners in pick up trucks.

O’Hare & Gentile Associates Inc.,
346 Springfield St., Agawam 01001.
Nancy J. G. O’Hare, same.
Handyman and cleaning household services.

Ron’s Oil Burner Service Inc.,
254 Slater Ave., Springfield 01119.
Ronald J. McClements, same.
Oil burner sales and service.

Secret Identities Inc.,
40 Wide Oak Road, Springfield 01128.
James Joseph Martin, II, 49 Kenwood Park, Springfield 01108.
Comic book shop.

WESTFIELD

Creative Machining & Molding Corp.,
54 Mainline Dr., Westfield 01086. Christopher C.
Araujo, 230 Pleasant St., Dalton 01226.
To provide metal machining and injection molding manufacturing services.

Kitchens Direct Inc.,
67 Cardinal Lane, Westfield 01085.
Richard A. Metivier, same.
To market, install and remodel kitchen cabinetry, etc.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Kelly Bouchard, D.M.D.,
P.C., 103 Van Deene Ave., West Springfield 01089.
Kelly Bouchard, 19 Reservoir St., Holden 01520.
To engage in the practice of dentistry.

True Precision Industries Inc.,
17 Allston Ave., West Springfield 01089.
Richard J. Champigny, 219 Pitcher St., Montgomery 01105.
To manufacture parts for aerospace, optical, medical industries.

Stepping to the Plate in Holyoke

By
Uncategorized
Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan has the right idea.

When it comes to economic development, he keeps an open mind — a very open mind. And he isn’t what you would call discriminating. While other area officials talk of wooing high-tech companies and white-collar salaries, Sullivan keeps his focus simple: jobs.

As he told BusinessWest in a recent interview, Sullivan considers service and entry-level jobs to be the backbone of every community’s economy, and he hasn’t been shy about going after jobs like that or keeping them within his community. In fact, he has been quite aggressive in that assignment — “fighting back,” as he put it, against other cities and regions of the country.

This aggressive nature has helped trigger what amounts to an economic revival in Holyoke. The industrial city that had struggled in recent years has seen a slew of recent developments across a wide spectrum of business sectors. The projects range from the creation of the Holyoke Health Center in the city’s downtown to a building boom in the Ingleside section, capped by the construction of a new hotel that is set to open its doors only a few hundred yards from the Holyoke Mall.

And while the present tense is intriguing enough, the future looks inviting with continued progress in talks for a $120 million development that would blend minor league baseball — a Double-A franchise currently located in Erie, Pa. — with other components including retail, offices, and a mix of housing.

The surge in development and the promise of more results from a number of factors. First and foremost, the city has an inventory of developable land that most communities would envy. It also has a location, just off I-91 and 391 and near the Turnpike, which make it attractive to retail, distribution, hospitality, and manufacturing-related businesses. And the city also boasts hundreds of thousands of square feet of old mill space, some of it going at very low rates, that provide a perfect environment in which small businesses can get a start and emerging businesses can attain the space to grow.

But perhaps the most important ingredient in this recipe has been a decidedly pro-business attitude, a ‘get-it-done — somehow’ approach that has brought many new employers to the Paper City and given most existing ventures an opportunity to stay.
Contrast this with some other area communities – and one can definitely put Springfield in this category – where obstacles are put in the way of progress, not cleared from the path. If bureaucracy and politics have been the watchwords in Springfield, cooperation has been the mantra in Holyoke.

As we’ve talked with business owners who have moved to Holyoke or were in the process of doing so, we’ve heard what seems like one voice talking about surprisingly strong levels of support and the willingness to go the extra mile and beyond.

We hear such talk elsewhere, certainly, but in Holyoke, the voices seem strongest.
And what they talk about most is teamwork.

It often starts in the mayor’s office, they say, and but it also involves the City Council, other boards and commissions, the Holyoke Office of Economic and Industrial Development, and, usually, the municipally owned utility.

Indeed, the Holyoke Gas & Electric has, through a series of initiatives, from a fiber optic network available throughout the city to a variety of low-cost energy alternatives, from steam to hydroelectric power, become an effective tool in ongoing economic development efforts.

The results can be seen everywhere — from new businesses like the Homewood Suites hotel to mill-restoration projects like the dramatic Open Square project, which has succeeded in giving a wide array of businesses a downtown Holyoke mailing address. The Holyoke Health Center, an ambitious venture that has brought hundreds of jobs to a one-stagnant section of downtown, is another prime example.

The new developments have succeeded in broadening the city’s tax base, giving the city the kind of fiscal stability that is only a vague memory in Springfield.

Holyoke still has a ways to go, to be sure. But the city appears well on its way to full recovery, if not renaissance. Whether the baseball project and its related components will become a reality remains to be seen, but Holyoke seems destined for a bright future because its leaders have already stepped up to the plate.

The Wall of Fame

By
Uncategorized
Two Springfield natives recently received word that their development proposal for the former Basketball Hall of Fame site — the Old Hall — had been accepted. Now, with visions of riverfront revitalization, an integrated sports, fitness, and entertainment complex, and a new dawn for the city they call home, the childhood friends are off and running.

Historically, scaling the wall of a building in downtown Springfield has been frowned upon.

Until now. Two developers are hoping to make just such a daredevil feat a common occurrence in the city, at the former Basketball Hall of Fame, where their proposal for the building was recently approved.

Slated to carry the name River’s Landing by the beginning of next year, the building now simply referred to as ‘the Old Hall’ on West Columbus Avenue will soon serve as a combination health and fitness center, restaurant, café, and medical offices … and home to a three-story climbing wall already dubbed ‘K2,’ after the 28,250-foot peak in the Himalayas.

The multi-faceted project is the brainchild of Peter Pappas and Mike Spagnoli, two Springfield natives with already lengthy résumés.

Pappas is an East Longmeadow-based real estate developer and importer/exporter, and Spagnoli, a chiropractor, owns a number of medical offices scattered across the country, including several in California where he now resides. The pair has pledged $9 million to transform the Old Hall into a one-stop shop for sports, fitness, health, and entertainment – a concept they say will complement the existing attractions along the West Columbus strip: the new Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the Hilton Garden Inn, and three popular eateries – Max’s Tavern, Coldstone Creamery, and Pizzeria Uno (a fourth, Pazzo, formerly known as Carmela’s, will move into a vacant space at the new hall later this year).

“This site is tremendous because of its accessibility, visibility, and the opportunity for cross-promotion,” said Pappas. “We absolutely believe that our proposal is the best use for this site, and are committed to making the dream a reality.”

In short, Pappas said, “We’re good to go.”

Pacing Themselves

He and Spagnoli entered the ring early when the Springfield Riverfront Development Corp. (SRDC) issued a request for proposals for the Old Hall over a year ago. Since then, they’ve competed against other proposals for the site, including one for a public market, but have spent the bulk of their time refining the many facets of their own plan and how to best integrate them under one roof.

“An idea can be a great one, but it has to make business sense as well,” Pappas said.

And the two believe that their planned state-of-the-art fitness facility complete with medical and wellness offices, proposed bar and grill, and the climbing wall that will link the two, does just that.

Capitalizing on the riverfront itself is also a long-term goal for the pair, who hope to spur more frequent, safer use of the bike trail that runs along the river behind the site, starting with an inaugural mini-marathon when River’s Landing opens.

“Making a connection with the river is big, no one has really done it,” Pappas noted, adding that a boat landing might even be in the cards further down the road. “Inside, the space is going to be bright and open, but the best part will be the view – huge windows overlooking the riverfront.”

Spagnoli added that, when their venture is completed, the pair might have invested far more than the $9 million currently earmarked – he estimated the figure could rise to $13 million. But he said they are more focused on the sustained success of the project than the initial investment.

“We’re looking at employing 100 people, maybe more,” he said. “And we’re talking about good, specialized jobs in sports, health care, and management. It’s all about building a better tax base … and just having some activity in the building is going to be huge.”

The Tenant Race

Indeed, the basketball-orange building with its massive red panels depicting players making jump shots has been vacant for about three years now, and a large part of the River’s Landing project is going to be “bringing the building into the 21st century,” as Pappas puts it.

As architectural renderings depict, the building will include one new addition – a sloped-roof entryway leading into the lobby that will house K2 – as well as a new color scheme using blue hues that will match those used by the Hall of Fame, but lacking the Hall’s trademark orange. Those panels that now adorn the front of the building will be converted into signage for the attractions inside.

Pappas and Spagnoli have engaged the services of the architectural firm of Kuhn-Riddle in Amherst to design the new complex, while Solemi Construction is expected to handle the renovation and reconfiguration of the building.

As for the tenants, a number of options are on the table, and the two partners say their goal is to create the most effective mix of businesses and attractions.

“We want to create something that Springfield has never seen, because we believe that’s what is necessary,” said Spagnoli. “The city needs a spark and excitement, and the best tenants will bring that as well as the stability to thrive for years.”

The fitness center, which will encompass the largest area within the building, is expected to accommodate as many as 10,000 members and include a pool, basketball court, cardio or spinning room, weight training room, a Pilates or yoga studio, locker rooms, and a racquetball court, regardless of the chosen vendor.

L.A. Fitness, Healthtrax, and the Springfield YMCA-based Valley Athletic Club have all expressed interest in the site, Pappas said.

In addition, the proposed restaurant is planned to be sports-themed and family-oriented, and several national chains have also shown interest, including Buffalo Wild Wings and the Cheesecake Factory and rocker Alice Cooper’s ‘rock and jock’ restaurant, Alice Cooper’stown.

The climbing wall lobby will also include a café for coffee or smoothies (but no beer, Pappas joked – beer and climbing walls just don’t mix) while integrated health and wellness offices, from medical suites to massage therapy studios, will fill the remaining spaces.

“What we’re looking for is a place people can go to do something besides just eat and drink,” Pappas said, to which Spagnoli added that inquiries from possible tenants have already been brisk across the board, hailing from both national and regional entities.

“The point is there are a lot of interested people,” he said. “We’ve actually been pretty blown away by the response and the variety of the offers.”

Regardless of which businesses finally end up in River’s Landing, the partners agreed that one major deciding factor in the tenant make-up will be a willingness to work together to market the site as well as the city.

“Springfield has been under-marketed for years,” Pappas said. “And it’s no secret that the city has had some bad, bad PR lately. We want to show the nation all the good that is here, and really start to give the city its due. Marketing and positioning are both going to be strong aspects of this project, for the building as well as the riverfront and the city.”

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

As they walked the perimeter of the building they now oversee, Pappas and Spagnoli, who have known each other since grade school, resembled childhood friends more than they did business partners about to take on a massive project in their hometown.

They frequently elbowed each other and conspiratorially whispered things like ‘It’s gonna be huge, just you wait!”

And neither man is shy about identifying themselves as hometown boys. In fact, they frequently bring up their reasons for returning home to invest – Spagnoli in particular, who will now be flying across the country every few weeks – citing the businesses their fathers started in Springfield, their Springfield educations, and their existing ties to the community.

And as soon at the K2 climbing wall is erected, Pappas and Spagnoli will undoubtedly be the first to climb to the top, with a crowd below rooting them on.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

By
Departments

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

 AMHERST
Esperanza International Inc.,
203 Rolling Ridge Road,
Amherst 01002. David S.
Poritz, same. (Nonprofit) To
carry out projects on
environmentally impacted
zones to aid indigent
inhabitants, etc.

BELCHERTOWN
Accurate Automotive Service
Inc., 644 Federal St.,
Belchertown 01007. Steven A.
Miss, same. Gasoline sales and automotive service.

Belchertown Family Center Inc.
, 720 Franklin St.,
Belchertown 01007. Kara L.
Drake, 10 Howe St.,
Belchertown 01007. (Nonprofit)
To provide the community with early childhood enrichment through learning
activities, support and teaching good parenting skills, etc.

CHICOPEE
Chicopee Center Chiropractic
Inc., 18 West St., Chicopee
01013, Steven Edward
Przezdziecki, 199 Ventura St.,
Ludlow 01056. To provide
chiropractic services, etc.
SAS Cable Inc., 195 Meadow
St., Chicopee 01013. Alex Sedyakin, same. Installation of cable.

FEEDING HILLS
Panda Garden Chinese
Restaurant Inc., 1340
Springfield St., #5, Feeding
Hills 01030. Qiu Ping Wang, same. Restaurant.

HOLYOKE
Yash & Aashi Inc., 615
Homestead Ave., Holyoke
01040. Sanjay Patel, same.
Sale of telecommunications services and equipment, rental of video/DVD equipment, etc.

LUDLOW
Autocraft Interiors Co. Inc.,
200 State St., Gate 3, Ludlow
01056. Anthony M. Zalucki,
395 Miller St., Ludlow 01056. Manufacturing.

NORTHAMPTON
Irokomaple Orthopedic
Surgeons Foundation USA
Inc., 351 Pleasant St., No. 7,
Northampton 01060. Bernard
Retti, MD, same. (Nonprofit)
To increase the access of Nigerian citizens to orthopedic services through the efforts of volunteer surgeons, etc.

SOUTH HADLEY
New England Playwrights
Project Inc., 44 Spring St.,
South Hadley 01075. Hillary
Rathburn, 27A Hooker Ave.,
Northampton 01060. (Nonprofit)
To produce readings of new
plays and musicals; workshop
and stage new plays; provide educational wing for young playwrights, composers, etc.

SPRINGFIELD
Allied Testing Laboratories
Inc., 115 St. George St.,
Springfield 01104. Richard
Bellucci, 236 Westerly Circle,
Ludlow 01056. Construction testing and engineering services.

Cotanak Inc.,
1383 Liberty St.,
Springfield 01104. Neset
Karaaslan, 57 Cedar St., Ludlow
01036. Restaurant business.

Rukmini S. Kenia, M.D., P.C.,
65 Springfield 01085. Rukmini
S. Kenia, same. To render
professional medical services.

WESTFIELD
H.F.P., Fire Protection
Services Inc., 32 Char Dr.,
Westfield 01085. John F. Viola,
same. To design, install, service
life safety fire protection systems including the Fire Warning and Security Systems installation, etc.

H.F.P., Fire Sprinkler Inc.,
32 Char Dr., Westfield 01085.
John F. Viola, same. To deal in
life safety fire protection
systems including the Fire
Warning and Security Ststems installation, etc.

K’s Restaurant Inc.,
318 East Main St., Westfield 01085. Rui
Zhi Wang, same. Restaurant.
Uganda Rural Fund USA
Inc., 6 Union St., Westfield
01085. Michael C. Lillpopp,
same. (Nonprofit) To provide charitable assistance to impoverished adults and
children in the rural districts of Uganda, etc.

WEST SPRINGFIELD
Victor D. Govoni, P.C., 131
Elm St., West Springfield
01089. Victor D. Govoni, same.
To engage in the practice of law.

By
Departments

Dr. William P. Ferris, Western New England College Professor of Management, has been appointed Associate Editor of the Journal of Management Education. Ferris is an expert in teambuilding, leadership, and management education. In addition to his appointment as an associate editor, Ferris was recently named the Editorial Board Member of the Year for the Academy of Management and Learning, the educational journal of the national Academy of Management.

•••••

The Spirit of Springfield announced that Lawrence Goldberg, President and General Manager for Springfield Rock Radio Group, has accepted the position as Chairman, and Arlene Putnam, General Manager, Eastfield Mall, Springfield, will serve as Vice Chair. Board members also include Treasurer, Kristina Houghton, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, PC; Clerk, Attorney Charles Casartello, Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan & Blakesley, PC, and Directors, Romola Rigali, The Republican; Douglas McKell, Connecticut Surgical Group, and Daniel M. Glanville, Director of Government and Community Affairs for Comcast.

•••••

PeoplesBank in Holyoke announced the following:

• Brady D. Chianciola has been appointed Branch Officer of the Chicopee office;
Brady D. Chianciola
  

• Kristen Pueschel has been appointed a Loan Officer in the Consumer Loan Division;
Kristen Pueschel
  

• Colleen A. Brown has been appointed a Loan Officer in the Residential Lending Division, and

Colleen A. Brown
  

• Katherine A. St. Mary has been appointed Assistant Vice President in the Residential Lending Division.
Katherine A. St. Mary
 

•••••

Arthur M. Haselkorn, a commercial loan officer for Berkshire Bank, recently relocated to the 31 Court St., Westfield branch office.

•••••

Attorneys John G. Bagley and Dennis R. Anti of Morrison Mahoney LLP of Springfield have been voted Massachusetts Super Lawyers by their peers. The award is presented annually by Law and Politics magazine.
John G. Bagley
  

Both Bagley and Anti are partners of the firm and work in the Springfield office.

Dennis R. Anti
  

•••••

Terri Fox has been named Vice President of Retail Banking for Monson Savings Bank. Fox will assume the position held by Norma St. John who is retiring after 22 years of service.
Terri Fox
  

•••••

Beth Larrow has been named Executive Administrative Assistant at the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce in Pittsfield.

•••••

Denise M. Beaulieu has been named Marketing Manager for the Loomis Village in South Hadley. Loomis Village is a part of the Loomis Communities.

•••••

Christopher C. Desmarais, Senior Vice President of Gamco Asset Management Co., has been appointed to the Dolan Advisory Council for Fairfield University’s Charles F. Dolan School of Business.

•••••

Rich Mathews has been named Vice President of Marketing for Lenox in East Longmeadow.

•••••

Katherine K. Coolidge, a Law Librarian at Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas in Springfield, will serve on the Board of Directors of Wing Memorial Hospital and Medical Centers in Palmer.

•••••

Trinidad Andino has been named a Mortgage Loan Officer at TD Banknorth Mortgage Group in Springfield.

•••••

Julie Makris has joined Carlson GMAC Real Estate as a Sales Agent in the Longmeadow office.

•••••

Suzanne Smith has been named Director of Health Services of Tapestry Health in Florence. She will direct the agency’s 11 family planning and community health services offices.

•••••

Gretchen O’Neil has joined the Belchertown office of ERA Laplante Real Estate as a Sales Associate.

•••••

Former Springfield Mayor Theodore DiMauro has joined the Springfield-based law firm Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan & Blakesley.

•••••

Bacon & Wilson, PC of Springfield announced the following:
• Attorney Hyman G. Darling, Partner, has been named a Super Lawyer in the November issue of Boston magazine. Also, Attorney Darling recently attended a national conference on Special Needs Trusts at Stetson University.

Other Bacon & Wilson attorneys named Super Lawyers were:
• Paul Salvage, co-chairman of the Insolvency Department;
• Gary Fialky, chairman of the Corporate Department;
• Michael Katz, co-chairman of the Bankruptcy Department;
• Paul Rothschild, chairman of the Litigation Department;
• Stephen Krevalin, the firm’s Managing Partner, and
• Francis Mirkin, whose practice includes commercial and residential real estate.

•••••

Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP in Springfield announced that Francis D. Dibble, Jr., Commercial Litigation, has been inducted as a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

•••••

North Brookfield Savings Bank announced the following:
• Roberta Boucher has been appointed Main Office Branch Manager, and
• Tammy Gour Gustafson has been promoted to Assistant Branch Manager.

•••••

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in West Springfield announced the following:
• Jessica Jo Allan has been named a Senior Planner, and
• Gail E. Bobin has been named a Social Services Planner.

•••••

Andrew E. Markowski was named Counsel at Elizabeth Gara & Associates, a lobbying firm based in Hartford, Conn. He will focus on energy law and legislation as well as consumer protection issues.

•••••

Kent Pecoy Construction announced the following:
• Kevin Wiler has been promoted to Senior Foreman. In his new position, he will oversee junior foremen and crews, do scheduling, ordering, and product layout, as well as focus on customer relations and employee evaluations;
• Scott Poulin has been promoted to Project Manager. He will be responsible for managing each new custom home-build.

By
Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of December 2005.

 

AMHERST

Amherst Commer. Assoc. LTD
PARTN.
370 Northampton Road, Bldg. 5
$5500 — Construct assessable ramp

Amherst Shopping Center Association
181 University Dr.
$17,000 — Modify existing
sprinkler system

D.M.P Trust
64 Montague Road
$7,000 — Separate one of
three bays in existing garage
to insulate for winter use

Eric Perkins
408 Northampton Road
$7,166 — Install new windows
Village Auto Service
24 Montague Road
$10,000 — Install new roof

NORTHAMPTON

Cooley Dickinson Hospital Inc.
30 Locust St.
$6,500 — Remove plumbing
fixtures, construct wall to
create two offices

Joe-Mae Realty Associates
147 Main St.
$3,675 — Rebuild parapit wall
between buildings

Smith College
West Street
$60,000 — Replace roof —
physical plant building

SPRINGFIELD

Baystate Medical Center
759 Chestnut St.
$300,000 — Sleep-study
observation room

Beth El Temple
979 Dickinson St.
$150,000 — Interior alterations

Jon Goff
125 Carando Dr.
$45,000 — Addition for shipping

Mercy Medical Center
271 Carew St.
$132,700 — Renovate office space

Price Cutter Inc.
2633 Main St.
$5,400 — Alterations

St. Johns Church
69 Hancock St.
$129,000 — Air
conditioning, lighting,
general construction

WEST SPRINGFIELD

F.L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
916 Riverdale St.
$5,000 — Alter for reoccupancy

Mike Kravitz
30 Capital Dr.
$22,000 — Renovate office space

Pioneer Spine & Sport
1275 Elm St.
$11,500 — New Entrance

WESTFIELD

Brooks Pharmacy
7 East Silver St.
$5,500 — Ramps

Mark Greenbers
587 East Main St.
$50,000 — Interior renovations

Westfield Women’s Club
16 Court St.
$19,000 — Replace columns

In Construction, A Firm Footing

By
Sections Supplements
All land is not created equal. And yet, people are quick to talk about price per acre or price per square foot of land as if direct comparison is valid. To be sure, identical Peter Wood calls it the “end of the pent-up demand.”

That’s how he described a series of building projects that made 2005 a record year for South Hadley-based Associated Builders, which he serves as director of marketing.

As Wood explained to BusinessWest, following 9/11 there was a prolonged period of indecision for many business owners.

Uncertain about which direction the economy would take, these individuals back-burnered many new-building and expansion projects. When the economic picture came more clearly into focus, many of those ventures started to move forward, he continued, adding that it took some time to get through the pile.

He figures that point came sometime late this year.

And with that pent-up demand gone, there are some questions about what lies ahead for the construction sector, which is traditionally a good barometer of the overall economy.

Wood told BusinessWest that Associated has several projects currently in progress and more on the docket for the start of the spring building season – but most are smaller in size and scale than some of the company’s recent assignments. There is enough volume, however, for him to project that ’06 might eventually wind up as good as this year.

“For many years, I was cautiously optimistic about the prospects for this sector,” he said. “I haven’t had to use the word cautious lately, and don’t think I need it now.”

Still, there are question marks. Tom Zabel, who recently acquired The O’Leary Company in Southampton, which specializes in fabricated metal buildings, said there are several factors that could impact the construction sector in the year ahead, starting with interest rates.

They continue to rise, he explained, which could prompt some business owners to think twice about building or expanding – or … the trend might prompt some to strike now, before the rates go much higher.

“The bottom line is that money is still relatively cheap,” he said, noting that while rates are rising they are still near record lows. “I think you’ll see some move now out of concern that rates will only go higher down the road.”

Joe Marois, president of Chicopeebased Marois Construction agreed, but said interest rates could be one of many factors to sow uncertainty among business owners, which often translates into delaying new-building, expansion, or renovation projects.

“Most of the things we’re doing now are deferred maintenance projects and other things that need to be done,” he explained. “I don’t see as many people looking at new building; if they don’t have to spend the money right now, they’re waiting to see what happens with the economy.

“I suppose that’s what people do every year,” he continued, “But it just seems that people are being more cautious right now.” Beyond this heightened level of caution, there are other immediate challenges for builders – specifically emerging supply problems involving buildable land and qualified construction workers.

Indeed, both Wood and Marois said that over the past few years, and especially over the past several months, it has become increasingly difficult to find good help at nearly all levels – from laborers to tradesman such as carpenters and drywallers.

Wood said he doesn’t have a firm grip on the reasons for the shortage, although he suspects that many individuals who might have sought out construction work in the past are now looking elsewhere, even though the field provides ample opportunities with decent wages.

“I’m not really sure why it’s happening, I just know it is, and it’s happening across the industry,” he told BusinessWest. “It’s puzzling in a way, because there are good jobs out there and fewer people to take them.”

Marois speculated that many of the summer workers that area contractors have relied on – college students on break – are now finding summer jobs in other fields, including technology and health care.

“This is something everyone is dealing with,” he said. “There are simply fewer good people out there.”

As for the land supply, Wood said several of the area’s municipal and private industrial parks are at or near capacity, and there have been few additions to the inventory.

“Land is becoming an issue,” he said, adding that the dwindling supply is one reason why. Associated is working on smaller projects this year. “Business owners like to have options, and they don’t have as many now as they once did.”

By
Departments

Florence Savings Bank Reports Continued Strong Growth
FLORENCE — Florence Savings Bank recently reported third-quarter results that indicate a continuation of the bank’s strong growth trend, according to President John F. Heaps Jr. The bank’s total assets at the end of September stood at $865.8 million, an increase of $70.2 million, or 8.8% from the corresponding period last year. Growth in the bank’s loan portfolio was the primary source of the asset growth, with total loans up $66.4 million or 15% from the prior year. The loan growth was spread across the portfolio as residential real estate loans ended the quarter at $348.7 million, up $40.5 million or 13.1% from the prior year. Equity loans increased $17.1 million or 38.5% from September 2004 levels, and commercial loans grew $12.6 million or 15.6% over the same period. Deposit growth was also strong as total deposits ended the quarter at $619.6 million, up $26.0 million or 4.4% from September 2004 levels.

Federal Funding Will Benefit STCC Commuter Student Transportation
SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal recently secured federal funds to
support Springfield Technical Community College’s effort to resolve student transportation challenges. The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) will receive the funding and will provide additional bus service to the campus. The transportation and parking project will help make the college more accessible throughout the region. Congressman Neal secured the funds through the FY ’06
Transportation Appropriations bill.

AIC Receives Foundation Grant
SPRINGFIELD — American International College recently received a $138,400 grant from the Davis Educational Foundation of Falmouth, Maine that will be used to establish a division of Institutional Research to assist with strategic planning. The grant will improve data assessment on campus which will enable better institutional, operational, programmatic, curriculum and enrollment planning and management, according to John T. Short, Jr., vice president for Development and Alumni Relations. AIC officials applied for the grant in September and received approval following a site visit by trustees in October and
review of the application.

TD Banknorth Provides Springfield Museums with Grant
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Museums recently received a $10,000 grant from TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation for the museums’ Weekend Family Fun series of educational programs. Weekend Family
Fun programs highlight holidays, special exhibitions, cultural traditions
and topics with family appeal. Each program includes a performance, art
demonstrations, science activities and hands-on craft workshops. TD Banknorth,
through its charitable giving arm, the TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation, supports programs and organizations which have proven records of arts and cultural enrichment programs.

UMass Film Library Honored in Berlin
AMHERST — The DEFA Film Library at UMass Amherst was recently awarded a 5,000-euro Program Prize at the Kino Babylon: Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The
award recognizes the library for “Rebels With A Cause: The Cinema of East
Germany,” a retrospective of 22 films presented in October at the Museum of
Modern Art in New York. The library was selected for the program prize by the DEFA Foundation in Berlin to acknowledge the archive’s efforts to extend the boundaries of scholarly work on DEFA films and postunification German cinema and developing an international network of filmmakers and film scholars. Starting in January, the Rebels With A Cause will tour the United States and Germany, including exhibitions at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. In collaboration with partners in this country and Germany, the DEFA Film Library has worked for more than 10 years
to make the cinema of East Germany available and known in the United States and Canada. The film library is directed by Barton Byg, professor of Germanic languages and literatures at UMass Amherst.

Employee Benefits Firm Expands Operations
NORTHAMPTON — American Benefits Group recently reached a mile-
C O M P A N Y N O T E B O O K www.BusinessWest.com 6 1 D E C E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 5stone by acquiring its 100th employer client for its flexible spending administrative services, and by opening an Eastern Massachusetts office in Topsfield. The firm has been based in Northampton since 1987, and specializes in employee benefits consulting. Longtime clients include Amherst
College, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College and Florence Savings Bank, and its current national employer clients include Ferrari and Mazerati of
North America, Apogen Technologies, Jupiter Medical Center and Healthtrax
International. Robert L. Cummings, the firm’s founder and CEO, said that the
administration business is adding an average of one new employer client each week, having growth the business 100% in the past year alone. Cummings added that he expects the company to double its client base again in 2006. Flexible spending accounts allow employees to pay for unreimbursed medical, dental and vision expenses, as well as work related child care expenses, with pre-tax dollars.

Japanese Manufacturer Set to Acquire Local Plant
AGAWAM — Marubeni Citizen- Cincom of Japan is expected to purchase Brookdale Associates in early 2006. Brookdale owners Jim and Patricia Sasanecki started the company in Springfield 15 years ago. The company services, sells, and makes accessories for machine tool equipment. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed. As part of the deal, Jim Sasanecki will serve as vice president of Engineering when the business transaction is complete. Marubeni Citizen- Cincom is a joint venture between Citizen Machinery Co. Ltd. and Marubeni Corp. The firm will continue operations in Agawam with the same staff.

Easthampton Savings Assets Continue to Grow
EASTHAMPTON — Easthampton Savings Bank saw its assets grow by $8 million during the third quarter, an increase of $28 million over the previous 12 months. The bank ended its third quarter with assets of $656 million. William S. Hogan Jr., president, said the bank’s loan portfolio showed robust growth during the third quarter. Also, the bank’s total loan portfolio grew by $7.7 million or 6%, to stand at $482 million. Lastly, deposits grew by $13.1 million or 3%, over the year, to $511 million. In other bank news, an automated teller machine was recently installed at the intersection of Routes 10 and 202 in Westfield, the bank’s first location in Hampden County.

Edible Arrangements Receives Award
WILBRAHAM — Pam and Greg Clark of Edible Arrangements recently received
the 2005 Best New Boston Road Business award by the Boston Road Business
Association. The award is given to the business with the most votes cast by customers. Arrangements include fresh cut fruit in the form of floral bouquets that can be accented by gourmet chocolate-dipped strawberries or Granny Smith apples, a Mylar balloon, a jar of gourmet fudge, a Blue Mountain greeting card or a Russ teddy bear.

Smith & Wesson Debuts M&P Pistol
SPRINGFIELD — Smith & Wesson has launched a new part-plastic gun, the M&P Pistol, it hopes will win back some of the law enforcement market it haslost over the ears to competitor Glock. The M&P Pistol was designed specifically for law enforcement personnel, however, it will also be available for retail sale. The list price of the pistol is $695. The new gun will also supplement Smith & Wesson’s model 1911 and SW99. In addition, the company also resells some pistols manufactured by Walther of Germany.

HCC Receives $100,000 Grant From MassMutual
HOLYOKE — The MassMutual Financial Group recently approved a $100,000 grant for Holyoke Community College’s The Gift of Opportunity campaign to support the college’s efforts to provide necessary resources for Springfield students to attain a quality education. The grant allows the college to support the capital needs of its Center for Academic and Program Support, where tutoring and mentoring services take place, and the adjacent library information instruction lab where students learn vital research skills. The campaign seeks to raise $4 million over the next five years and is the largest endeavor in the college’s history.
For more information on the campaign,
contact Joe April at (413) 552-2746; [email protected]

New Plant Ready to Recycle
WARE — It was a six-year struggle but Richard C. O’Riley persevered and the
town now has a state-of-the-art demolition materials recycling facility and 25 new jobs. ABC&D Recycling, Inc., a 21,000-squarefoot facility on Route 9, will soon be processing asphalt, brick, concrete and demolition materials, according to O’Riley. Central to the operation are an 80-ton grinder and a 60-ton shredder, which will digest construction materials. O’Riley anticipates recycling up to 80% of the materials that are sent for processing. Customers will include construction companies, contractors, private customers and hauling firms.

By
Departments

PeoplesBank announced the following:

• Joyce A. O’Connor has been appointed Assistant Vice President and Manager of the Bank’s new Westfield office, opening in early 2006.
Joyce A. O’Connor  

•••••

• Halena Ramos has been named a Mortgage Consultant. She will develop residential mortgage business in Chicopee, Ludlow, Monson, Palmer, and Springfield.
Halena Ramos

•••••

Attorney Brian Ladouceur Jr. of Nicolai Law Group P.C. in Springfield, was recently sworn into the Massachusetts Bar. He was previously admitted to the Connecticut Bar.

•••••

Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. of Pittsfield announced the following:
• Thomas C. Crowley, an Albany-area banker, has been named President-New York Region for a separate business unit in downtown Albany, N.Y., and

• Joseph P. Richardson, an Albany commercial banker, has been named Director of Business Development-New York Region for the Albany, N.Y. office.

•••••

UMass Amherst announced the following:
• William J. Gerace, professor of physics and director of the Scientific Reasoning Research Institute at the university, has been awarded a Fulbright grant to South Africa, where he will work with educators to improve physical science instruction. During his six-month term at the University of Fort Hare, Gerace and Professor Yaliwe Jiya of the faculty of Education will collaborate on a research study to define the needs and barriers faced by rural in-service teachers, and deliver workshops and visit rural schools to help address these needs. Other UMass faculty members awarded Fulbright grants this year are Joyce Avrech Berkman, history; Eduardo H. Cattani, mathematics and statistics, and Robert L. Wick, plant, soil and insect sciences.
• Faculty member Lynne Baker, Philosophy, has been named a Distinguished Professor, and • Faculty member Vincent Rotello has been named to the Charles A. Goessmann Chair in Chemistry. The designations recognize Baker and Rotello for outstanding academic distinction.

•••••

Patricia Hurteau has joined Century 21 Pioneer Valley Associates in Northampton as a Sales Person.

•••••

Berkshire Bank of Pittsfield announced the following:
• Susan L. Bettis has been appointed Mortgage Administration Officer;
• Susan Bianchi-Smith has been appointed Mortgage Originator in the Great Barrington office;
• Sally A. Angers has been appointed Security Officer;
• Michael T. Macy has been appointed Assistant Treasurer, and
• Patricia N. Sinclair has been appointed Credit Officer in the Commercial Department.

•••••

Michael Poggi, a Registered Representative with Morgan Stanley in Springfield, has earned membership in the Leadership Council of PLANCO, a subsidiary of Hartford Life Inc., and a wholesaler of investment and insurance products for The Hartford.

•••••

Betty Ann Learned, Assistant Vice President for Administration and Finance at Springfield Technical Community College, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Educational and Institutional Cooperative Services Inc., a North American higher education purchasing organization.

•••••

G. Patrick Leary has been admitted as a shareholder of Moriarty & Primack P.C., and was recently elected Vice President and Director. Leary is the partner in charge of the firm’s audit division. The firm has offices in Holyoke and Springfield.

•••••

David L. Rainey of Longmeadow recently authored Product Innovation: Leading Change Through Integrated Product Development, published by Cambridge University Press. Rainey is Chairperson and Associate Professor in the Hartford department of the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Betty Ann Learned

•••••

Anna Nagurney of the Isenberg School of Management at the UMass Amherst is the leader of a team that has translated a 1968 paper on the Braess paradox that states within some types of transportation networks, the addition of a new road may not improve travel time, and instead may make the area worse off. The original article that was published in German appeared in the November issue of the journal Transportation Science.

•••••

Wolf & Company P.C., with offices in Springfield and Boston, announced the

• Carol E. Tully, CPA, JD, AEP, has been elected President of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils for 2006. She will lead an organization of professional estate planners comprised of 175 affiliated estate planning councils;
• Ruth A. Atchison has been promoted to Tax Supervisor;
• Michael J. Farrell, CPA, has been promoted to Audit Supervisor;
• Derek M. Graves, CPA, has been promoted to Audit Supervisor;
• Erica Hague-Antos, CISA, has been promoted to IT Supervisor, and
• Brian S. Westerlind, CPA, has been promoted to Audit Supervisor.
Carol E.Tully

•••••

The law firm Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP in Springfield announced
the following:
• Attorney Sandy Dibble has been inducted as one of 500 American Fellows in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, as well as being named for the second year in a row as one of the top 100 lawyers in Massachusetts. She has also been recognized for being listed in Best Lawyers for 10 years or more;
• Peter Roth, Family Law, has been listed in the 2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. He has also been recognized for being listed in Best Lawyers for 10 years or more, has been named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer in Boston magazine and a “Top 100 Massachusetts Super Lawyer” for 2005;
• Ronald P. Weiss, Corporate and Tax
Law, has been listed in the 2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. He has also been recognized for being listed in Best Lawyers for 10 years or more and has recently been named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer in Boston magazine. The following lawyers were listed in the 2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® and also named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer in Boston magazine;
• Michael H. Burke, Personal Injury
Litigation;
• Francis D. Dibble, Jr., Commercial
Litigation;
• Daniel J. Finnegan, Construction Law;
• Robert A. Gelinas, Personal Injury
Litigation;
• Christopher B. Myhrum,
Environmental Law; and
• David A. Parke, Corporate Law;
The following lawyers were named
Massachusetts Super Lawyers in Boston magazine;
• Peter H. Barry, Schools and Education;
• James C. Duda, Intellectual Property
Law;
• Felicity Hardee, Real Estate Law;
• Mary J. Kennedy, Labor and
Employment Law;
• Kevin C. Maynard, Business Litigation;
• Kelly A. McCarthy, Health Care Law;
• Donn A. Randall, Banking;
• Ellen M. Randle, Family Law.

Proceed with Caution on the Riverfront

By
Opinion
Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan was asked to gauge the still very preliminary plans for development of Springfield’s riverfront. He was cautious in his response, which is understandable given how little is actually known about the plans and the people behind them.

But he told BusinessWest that, at the very least, it’s good to have some actual competition — and from the private sector, no less — for sites such as the old Basketball Hall of Fame. And we couldn’t agree more.

Nearly everything that has been developed in Springfield over the past several years — including the new Hall, the MassMutual Center, and the new federal courthouse now under construction, have been built with mostly public dollars. What Springfield needs is private investment, and it’s finally starting to see the potential for some on its long underutilized riverfront.

At the moment, there are at least two proposals still under consideration for the old Hall of Fame. One is for a sports and fitness center, and the other for a mixed use concept that includes a public market and restaurant.

Meanwhile, two partners who are now part of the public market complex, and who together formed the Connecticut River Development Corp., are gauging the feasibility of locating a hotel on the Riverfront Park site just south of the Memorial Bridge.

These are positive developments for Springfield, but we urge caution as the city mulls its options for the riverfront. This is an important piece of the economic development puzzle in Springfield and everyone is anxious for something to happen. But we think it’s far more important for things to be done right than for them to be done quickly.

Take the proposed hotel, for example. CRDC’s principals say the hotel-building entity they’re working with fell in love with the Riverfront Park site and wants to develop there.

That’s fine, but there are a number of logistical hurdles to be cleared before a hotel can even be considered; the biggest of which would be the railroad tracks that sit between the site and West Columbus Avenue.

And even if that access problem can be solved, does the city want to put another hotel on the riverfront when all indications are that downtown, specifically the area near the recently opened MassMutual Center, would make far more sense?

As for the public market concept, we’ve said before that it looks good on paper, but we’re not convinced that it can draw the high volume of traffic needed to make such a venture viable. The Springfield Riverfront Development Corp. (SRDC), the real estate arm of the Hall of Fame, has been weighing the public market concept for more than a year now, carefully considering whether or not it will work.

We encourage more of this due diligence because the old Hall of Fame is an asset that shouldn’t be developed (or torn down, as is now likely) merely for the sake of development.

The same is true of the old York Street Jail, which has sat idle for many years now, making the imaginative ‘Jail for Sale’ sign on its east wing a seemingly permanent part of the downtown Springfield landscape.

Like the old Hall, the jail seems destined for the wrecker’s ball, because its quirky design does not lend itself to easy redevelopment.

Razing the structure should open the door to a number of opportunities, but the city must carefully weigh what the next use will be.

Indeed, if Springfield’s riverfront is to become the destination everyone hopes it will be, it must draw people from across Columbus Avenue — and across the region. Ideally, locations like Springfield’s riverfront work best when people can work, play, eat, shop, and live there — and we believe this is the multi-faceted course the city should pursue.

Above all, patience must dictate the overall development process. People in Springfield talk about how long the old Hall of Fame has been vacant — three years — and they express frustration. Then they consider how long the jail has been rotting (more than a decade) and they really get frustrated.

But the task at hand is not to merely develop the riverfront, but to develop it properly. Thus, the city must proceed with caution.?

Current Events

By
Springfield Technical Community College
Sections Supplements
What’s Next for Springfield’s Riverfront?
Springfield Technical Community College

Evan Dobelle, left, seen here with Springfield Technical Community College President Ira Rubenzahl, says “eds and meds” are the future of the New England economy.

While the process of selecting a developer for the old Basketball Hall of Fame continues, a development team has forwarded what it calls a “bridge-to-bridge” plan for the riverfront that includes several challenged properties, including the old Hall, the long-idle York Street Jail, and the underutilized Riverfront Park site. Just what will develop, however, and when, are still very big questions.

Tim Mulcahey says it all started with idle talk about building a facility for a CYO basketball program on a parcel near the former York Street jail.

That is how the ball started rolling toward formulation of an ambitious, still-evolving venture for Springfield’s riverfront. For now, it’s being called the “bridge-to-bridge” plan, said Mulcahey, a Longmeadow real estate developer, who has partnered with Dennis Serna, a Connecticut-based developer, and created an entity called the Connecticut Riverfront Development Corp.

The CRDC is currently looking at several pieces of property along a roughly mile-and-a-half long stretch between the South End and Memorial Bridges. These include the long-vacant prison, the former Basketball Hall of Fame, and a little-used recreational area called Riverfront Park.

The proposed CYO basketball facility was long ago put on the shelf, said Mulcahey, the long-time director of that youth program. But he, Serna, and some other players have moved on to bigger and hopefully better ventures.

They have joined forces with the Springfield Business Development Corp. (SBDC) in a proposal for the old Basketball Hall of Fame site that combines several elements, including a public market, a restaurant and some retail. That plan is one of two considered finalists for re-use of the old Hall, which has been closed and unused for three years.

Meanwhile, the CRDC is in the exploratory stage of a project to locate a hotel on the Riverfront Park site. The partners have signed a letter of intent with the city that gives them, in essence, an exclusive window of opportunity for that parcel.

They’ll have roughly the next three months to finalize plans for what Mulcahey describes as a “destination hotel.” Should a concrete proposal come forward, the city would then have 45 days to look it over and decide whether it earns a thumbs-up.

As for the old jail, Serna said several possible uses have been considered, and more are being formulated. For now, though, the jail is at least third on the to-do list for the real estate between the two bridges.

“We started with the jail, and will probably still do something with that site,” he explained, “but as it worked out, the focus went north of the jail, because opportunities presented themselves there first.”

Both Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan and David Panagore, deputy executive director of the Springfield Finance Control Board, welcomed the CRDC’s initial plans for the riverfront, but cautioned that they have been ‘ and will continue to be ‘ closely scrutinized to ensure that they are both feasible and compatible with other economic development initiatives.

“We’re not going to hand over development rates on a speculative basis,” said Panagore, who is now leading the city’s economic development efforts. “We’re not going to give someone those rights for two years and say, ‘go come up with a plan.’ We’ll hand over development rights when there are viable projects.”

Ryan concurred, but said the level of interest in various riverfront parcels, especially the old Hall site, is cause for optimism. “It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen actual competition for development of that area,” he said. “Lately, most all of the development has come from the public sector; this a welcome turn-about.”

Mulcaheny and Serna acknowledged that they are not big players when it comes to real state development. Their goals ‘ much easier to enunciate than their plans ‘ are merely to develop (or redevelop, as the case may be) an untapped asset in the riverfront, and give a beleagured city a boost.

“We want to do something that will hope move Springfield forward,” said Mulcahey. “We’re part of this community, we’re involved in it, and we want to see it prosper.”

BusinessWest looks this issue at how this unique partnership plans to go about that assignment.

Money in the Bank

As they talked about CRDC’s preliminary plans for the riverfront, Serna and Mulcahey were long on optimism but short on specifics, especially with regard to potential pricetags.

“The riverfront should be a crown jewel, it should be a real destination,” said Mulcahey, noting quickly that details of many components of the bridge-to-bridge project cannot be revealed due to various confidentiality agreements ‘ and also because some of the plans are still quite vague.

What is known is that CRDC is moving forward on at least two of the three (or more) phases of its broad riverfront development initiative. More will certainly be known by the end of this year or early next, said Mulcahey, noting that a developer should be chosen by then for the old Hall, and he and Serna will know if they can clear the many hurdles standing in the way of the hotel project (more on that later).

As for how the bridge-to-bridge concept ‘ and its first phase, the hotel ‘ came together, said Serna, it was a case of getting some unique perspective on the riverfront; in other words, a look from someone who doesn’t see it every day.

“They walked that entire length of riverfront, from the jail to the bridge, and simply fell in love with that park site,” he explained, referring to a hotel-building entity he chose not to name.“They said, ‘this is where we’d like to be.’”

Getting them there will be the mission for some unlikely partners who have some experience in construction and real estate development, but certainly nothing on the scale of Springfield’s riverfront.

Mulcahey’s resume includes a variety of work in property development. He worked for Ohio-based Dairy Mart as a project supervisor and manager, and helped select and develop many sites in the Northeast and Midwest. Later, he worked as a project manager for a New York-based businessman, Andrew Stone, who developed a number of office buildings, industrial parks, and other ventures in Connecticut. From there, Mulcahey developed a project in Boston called First Atheneum Street, a large office project, before joining a Hartford-based real estate development firm.

Serna, meanwhile, also has a background in commercial real estate development. He started in Stamford, Conn., and later relocated to Manhattan, where he worked on several projects, before joining Starwood Capital Group. Based in Greenwich, Conn., SCG is a multi-faceted real estate group that specializes in hotels, among other things.

While the two partners would not identify the hotel-building entity they are currently working with, they have been linked in some published reports with Atlantabased Nylo LLC, a company launching a chain of small hotels with loft-style rooms.

Mulcahey would say only that what is being considered for the riverfront site is a new concept, especially in this market, and would be classified as a destination hotel.

While the Riverfront Park location offers sweeping views of the river and the historic Memorial Bridge, it is challenged in many ways. For starters, it is separated from West Columbus Avenue by a wide set of railroad tracks, used primarily by Amtrak for commuter runs.

This logistical concern has limited use of the park, said Ryan, noting that while the property is used as a park, it is not designated as ‘park land,’ an important distinction because the latter would pose a much larger obstacle to development. Creating access to the proposed hotel ‘ either over or under the railroad tracks ‘ will be one of the main questions to be answered during CRDC’s 135-day window for devising plans for the site, said Serna, noting that the partners have become convinced that there is a need for additional hotel rooms in the city.

A market demand study for Springfield, conducted by the Boston-based Pinnacle Advisory Group, revealed as much. It said that a growing inventory of tourist attractions and completion of the MassMutual Center should increase demand to the point where greater supply is necessary.

However, the report’s authors concluded that downtown, rather than the riverfront, would be the better location for such a hotel.

“Although both areas are viable options for new hotel development, the benefits of a downtown hotel outweigh the riverfront,” the report stated. “Furthermore, a downtown location would provide more benefit to the MassMutual Center, which is strategically important to future growth in Springfield.”

Mulcahey acknowledged the report’s findings, but told BusinessWest that the Riverfront Park hotel, as currently conceptualized, could become an effective link between downtown and the riverfront and accentuate current efforts to enhance the State Street corridor. “It could become a great asset for Springfield.”

Going Through Hoops

As could a new development on the old Basketball Hall of Fame site, which became the “second race,” as Mulcahey called it, that the CRDC found itself in.

Indeed, as they were conceptualizing the hotel project, the two partners also became involved in the ongoing effort to develop the old Hall, a project being overseen by the Springfield Riverfront Development Corp. (SRDC), the real estate arm of the Hall of Fame.

The SRDC has spent the past year or so hearing and weighing proposals on the old Hall. Among them is a plan conceptualized by the Springfield Business Development Corp. that centers around a public market, similar in many ways to the Portland (Me.)Public Market, which opened in 1998 and has had a strong impact on that region’s economy.

Other proposals have included a fitness and sports complex, proposed by East Longmeadow developer Peter Pappas and a restaurant/retail mix forwarded by CRDC. That latter proposal has now been merged with the public market concept, said Mulcahey, noting that it and the Pappas complex are under what is considered final review by the SRDC.

“We took the public market project and we enhanced it,” said Mulcahey, adding that as it sits now (and few details were revealed) the plan calls for demolishing the old Hall and constructing a new building that would house the market, a restaurant, and several retail components in a facility to be built through a mix of public and private funds.

SBDC Director Michael Graney would say only that the development of the old Hall is a “process,” one that is ongoing, and with no firm timetable, although he expects a developer will be named soon.

Regardless of who that is, the CRDC will press ahead with other components of its ‘bridge-to-bridge’ proposal, said Mulcahey, noting that there are other parcels, including the jail, to be considered.

Like others, he said the jail site offers promise, but its design limits what can be done with it. “That’s a challenging building, but there are opportunities for things to happen there.”

Panagore agreed, and said there is a strong possibility that all or major portions of the building will have to be razed if development is going to occur on that site. When asked if the city, and specifically the Economic Development Department would prefer one developer for the riverfront or a group of different teams, Panagore said the most important element is the quality of the proposals, not who is making them.

“We’re looking for viable projects, that’s the bottom line,” he said. “We’ve seen enough master plans on the riverfront, we don’t need to see any more. What we need are sound, doable projects that make sense for the city.”

Channeling Resources

Whether the CRDC’s concepts fall into that category remains to be seen.

For now, the partners have a window in which to work on phase one of their initiative, while also focusing on other parcels to the south.

If their ‘bridge-to-bridge’ vision can be realized, then the days of talking about the riverfront’s great potential will finally be in the past.

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

By
Departments

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

AGAWAM

The Travel Group Inc., 375
Walnut St., Agawam 01001.
Michael S. Egan, same. Travel agency and travel group tour service.

BONDSVILLE

Pure Water Solutions Inc.,
3161 Main St., Bondsville
01009. Ricky Lamprey, 124
Chestnut St., Southbridge 01550. Residential, commercial, and industrial water testing and treatment services.

EASTHAMPTON

Off The Map Inc.,
112 Cottage St., Easthampton
01027. Gabriel Ripley, 114A
Hawley St., Northampton 01060. To design and apply all types of tattoos including unique custom tattoos.

HAMPDEN

Central Enterprises Inc.,
180 East Longmeadow Road,
Hampden 01036. Mark Reisner, same. Internet marketing.

LONGMEADOW

Vikam Associates Inc.,
46 Whitmun Road, Longmeadow
01106. Catherine A. Fountain, same. Construction consulting and project management.

NORTHAMPTON

When Children Save The Day Inc.,
210 Elm St., Northampton 01060. Jennifer Jacobson, same. (Nonprofit) To engage, educate and inspire children through experiential learning, storytelling, creative community service, etc.

SOUTH HADLEY

C.S.A. Restaurant Inc.,
2090 Memorial Dr., South Hadley
01075. Sue Huang, 48 Edison
Ct., Chicopee 01020.
Restaurant.

SOUTHAMPTON

Charles J. Hubbard Inc.,
9 Glendale Woods Dr.,
Southampton 01073. Charles
J. Hubba Road, 241 King St.,
Suite 118, Northampton
01060. Consulting and yoga
studio.

SPRINGFIELD

Albert Jolicoeur & Sons Inc.,
794 Bay St., Springfield 01119.
Michael Lolicoeur, 1 Crest St.,
Wilbraham 01095. General contracting and masonry services.


C F Inc.,
815 State St., Rear,
Springfield 01109. Robert L.
Jones, 51 Westwood Dr., East Longmeadow 01028. Motor
vehicle towing and storage.

E A & T Entertainment Arts & Technologies Corp.,
195 Worthington St., Springfield
01107. Wildredo Ortiz, 17
Roosevelt Ave., Holyoke 01040. Musical producer and agent for the production and sale of musical creations, etc.

Freedom Credit Union,
1976 Main St., Springfield 01103.
Barry F. Crosby, 52 Nathaniel
Way, Belchertown 01007. State
chartered credit union offering
savings accounts, NOW accounts, etc.

Scibelli and Associates
Consulting Inc., Scibelli
Enterprise Center, One Federal
St., Springfield 01105. Andrew
M. Scibelli, 101 Mulberry St.,
Springfield 01105. Consulting.

Synthetic Stucco Systems Inc.,
110 Lorimer St., Springfield
01151. Joseph E. Babin, same. Installation and application of stucco wall systems.

Vec-Tec Inc.,
9-11 Rimmon
Ave., Springfield 01107. Joseph
Francis Vecchiarelli, 197
Springfield St., Springfield 01107. Restaurant and bar.

WILBRAHAM

Celtegrity Corp.,
3 Hemlock Circle, Wilbraham 01095.
Christopher C. Hill, sae. Wireless consulting integration & software development.

Riverbend Steak and Ale Inc.,
2701 Boston Road,
Wilbraham
01095. Edmund
T. Ward Jr., 58
Holland Ave., Westfield 01085. Restaurant business.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

MRI Network- SCHC Inc.,
30 Capital Dr.,
West Springfield
01089. Robert J.
Francoeur. same. Sales consultant.

By
Departments

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

AGAWAM

Heather A. Pellerin Inc., 26E
Castle Hill Road, Agawam
01001. Heather A. Pellerin,
same. Providing court room and stenographer services.

AMHERST

AK Technologies Inc., 36
Hitching Post, Amherst 01002.
Andrey Kvasyuk, same.
Computer technology services.

Legal Problem Solving P.C.,
67 No. Pleasant St., Amherst
01002. Michael J. Mascic,
same. The practice of law.

Sunwood Builders Inc., 84
Potwine Lane, Amherst 01002.
Shaul Perry, same.
Construction, repairing and renovating
commercial and residential structures.

BELCHERTOWN

Sun Struck Tanning Salon
Inc., 39 Federal St.,
Belchertown 01007. Lisa C.
Murphy, 80 North Main St.,
#1, Belchertown 01007.
Tanning salon.

CHICOPEE

Eurobex USA Inc., 285
McKinstry Ave., Chicopee
01013. Maurizio Ciocca, 4175
St. Catherine St., West, Apt.
505, Montreal, Quebec,
Canada H3Z 3C9.

Robert G. Agnoli,
1391 Main
St., Springfield 01103,
registered agent. (Foreign
corp; DE) Warehousing and
distribution of electrical boxes.

J P Fitness Inc.,
29 White
Birch Plaza, Chicopee 01020.
Aaron Patterson, 187
Venntura St., Ludlow 01056.
Ladies fitness center with
circuit training, etc.

JSLC Corp.,
232 Fletcher Cir.,
Chicopee 01020. Joseph
Martin, same. To operate UPS
stores.

S. G. Contractors Corp.,
419 Mont Calm St., #404,
Chicopee 01020. Gurdayal
Singh, same. Construction.

HOLYOKE

Dhaliwal 2 Inc.
, 1532 – 1534
Dwight St., Holyoke 01040.
Rattan Singh, same. Sale of
pizza, sandwiches, pasta, and
soft drinks.

Kay/Bravo Pest Management
Services Inc., 225 High St.,
#501, Holyoke 01040. Larry
Villalobos, same. Inspection,
control and extermination of
wood destroying insects, pests,
etc.

Mendoza Inc.,
One Main St.,
Holyoke 01040. Robert
Mendoza, 36 Pleasant St.,
Westfield 01085.
Transportation of individuals
and families by chauffered
vehicles.

HOLLAND

Northeast Concepts Inc., 16
Lakeridge Dr., Holland 02521.
Chad E. Brigham, same. Real estate development and
construction.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Court Street Management, L.L.C.,
200 North Main St.,
Suite 204, East Longmeadow
01028. Ernest A. Gralia, III, 24
Ridgewood Road, East
Longmeadow 01028. To deal in
real estate.

LONGMEADOW

IQ Design Group Inc.,
56 Severn St., Longmeadow 01106.
Eve K. Kinne, same. To own
and operate an interior design
business and deal in related
products and services.

Meridian Street Management
Co. Inc., 200 North Main St.,
Suite 204, East Longmeadow
01028. Ernest A. Gralia, III, 24
Ridgewood Road, East
Longmeadow 01028. Real estate
development.

LUDLOW

Advance Way
Inc., 146
Laconia St.,
Ludlow 01056. Masanori
Kofune, same. International business consulting.

NORTHAMPTON

Collective Initiatives Inc.,
43 Center St.,
Northampton
01060. Wilton
Earle Hall, III, 3
Edwards Square, Northampton 01060.
(Nonprofit) To promote collective based social education and action initiatives outside the cultural and political mainstream, etc.

SPRINGFIELD

Exile Entertainment
Corp., 935 Main
St., Springfield
01103. Paul V.
Ramesh, same.
To own, lease and operate restaurants, taverns, clubs, etc.

Family Group
Inc., 52
Thornton St.,
Springfield
01104. Michael
L. Burton, same.
To own and operate an automobile repair business.

GL Rising Inc.,
155 Chestnut St., Suite 315,
Springfield 01103.
Gerald F. Rising, 77 Garfield
St., Springfield 01108. To operate a cleaning business.

K. C. Temp Service Inc.,
Wilbraham Road, Springfield
01109. Kim Lam, same.
Temporary employment agency.

New World Real Estate Inc.,
2460 Main St., Springfield
01107. Pedro M. Gonzalez, 216
Springfield St., Springfield
01107. To deal in real estate.

WKB Carpentry Inc.,
44 SavoyAve., Springfield 01104.
William K. Butler Jr., same.
Carpentry service.

WILBRAHAM
Dejavous Hair and Nail Salon
Inc., 1038 Boston Road,
Wilbraham 01095. Lisa A.
Wilson, 85 Glenwood St.,
Ludlow 01056. To carry on the
business of cosmetology.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Cap & Hitch of New England
Inc., 2001 Riverdale Road,
West Springfield 01089. Shane
M. Duffy, 158 Fountain St.,
Springfield 01108. To install
and sell truck caps, hitches, and accessories.

Ethnic Foods Inc.,
233 Christopher Terrace, West
Springfield 01089. Maria A. Pitaridis, same. Restaurant specializing in Greek food.

US Telecom Group Inc.

354 Lancaster Ave., West
Springfield 01089. Joey Sutton,
same. Telecommunications.

By
Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of October 2005.

AGAWAM

Kudlic Brothers
491B Springfield St.
John Kudlic

Perez Handyman Service
1013 Main St.
Margarita Perez

Union Mart
308 Suffield St.
Anjum Khawaja

AMHERST

Bosom Buddies
40 Spaulding St.
Dawn Kennedy

Jonathon Abbott, Esq.
30 Boltwood Walk
Jonathon Abbot

Unit Rental Inc.
408 Northampton Road
Gale French

CHICOPEE

Chick’s Lawn Care
19 Willette St.
Richard Cecchetti Jr.

New Dragon House
480 Burnett Road
Zhie Gao

EAST LONGMEADOW

J.T. Construction
36 Dartmouth St.
John Turowsky

HOLYOKE

America Buses & Trucks
56 Jackson St.
Medin Dominguez

Cuba Supermarket
439 High St.
Siloana Colon

J.O. Auto Repair
75 Clemente St.
Arturo Sanchez

LONGMEADOW

J. Jill LLC
712 Bliss Road
Kerry Brunette

NORTHAMPTON

Evolution, Renovation & Building
32 Elizabeth St.
Jonas LaPointe

The Gutterman
132 Crosspath Road
Robert Messier Sr.

SOUTH HADLEY

Common Cuts
470 Newton St.
Deborah Blaney

SPRINGFIELD

Alan Epstein Photography & Digital
50 Ingersoll Grove
Alan Epstein

Bryan’s Roofing
39 Gardens Dr.
Bryan Trombley

Design Plus
1140 Main St.
Yevgenig Norkin

The Firm
490 Main St. William McCarthy

Latin Mark
1655 Main St.
Rene Romaro

NLB Appraisal Services
36 Sunapee St.
Chris Bertelli

R & B Auto
380 Bay St.
Richard Ricketts

Stunin Records
1655 Main St.
Virgen Lopes

Wilson’s Leather
1655 Boston Road
Wilson’s Leather of MA Inc.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Brothers Covers
239 Western Ave.
Kenneth LaBelle

Convenience Mart
7 Chester St.
Muhammad Sabir

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

The Kung Fu Academy 1
869 Memorial Ave.
Mark Ostrander

WESTFIELD

Be Well Massage
30 Court St.
Shan Marie Jackson

Kitchen Resources
18 Sabrina Brook Lane
Stephanie Hoey

V.P.I. Construction
251 Valley View Dr.
Peter Nedeoglo

By
Departments

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

AMHERST

Youth Action International Inc., 58 Tracy Circle, Amherst 01002. Cherrine Smith, 40 Abbey Road, Newark, DE 19702. Jackie Pateguana, 58 Tracy Circle, Amherst 01002. (Nonprofit) To develop programs to alleviate the suffering of children affected by war and by living under difficult circumstances, etc.

BONDSVILLE

Source Two Inc., 7 Third St., Bondsville 01009. Michael W. Shields Jr., 11 Shelby Lane, East Longmeadow 010128. Custom design engineering and manufacturing of automation equipment.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Care Biopharma Inc., 146 Tanglewood Dr., East Longmeadow 01028. Penelope Johnson, same. To provide staffing, clinical research and consulting services to entities in the biopharmaceutical industry.

GRANBY

Seasonal Bids Inc., 417 East State St., Granby 01033. Bruce A. Peltier, same. To broker the bidding, management and implementation of landscaping jobs between landscapers and property management.

HADLEY

Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club Inc., 277 Bay Road, Hadley 01035. Donna Utakis, 71 Blue Hills Road, Amherst 01002. (Nonprofit) To foster amateur sports competition including promoting road racing and/or running related events, etc.

NORTHAMPTON

Accents ‘N Art Inc., 351 Pleasant St., Ste. B321, Northampton 01060. Elizabeth A. Monaghan, 24 Mutter St., Easthampton 01027. Manufacturing home accents and artwork.

Easthampton Trading Company Inc., 222 North King St., Northampton 01060. Thomas R. Broadhurst, 476 East St., Easthampton 01027. Broker/dealer of automobiles.

SPRINGFIELD

Crystal Brook Landscape Construction Inc., 52 Hardy St., Springfield 01129. Justin Haggerty, same. To provide landscape design, construction, etc.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Spruce Facilities Management Inc., 43 Witch Path #1, W. Springfield 01089. Katherine M. Zimmerman, same. Janitorial service.

Powerful Arguments

By
Sections Supplements
Cape Wind Could Provide Momentum for Clean Energy Source
There is as much wind power potential (900,000 megawatts) off our coasts as the current capacity of all power plants in the United States combined, according to a new report entitled, “A Framework for Offshore Wind Energy Development in the United States” (Framework), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and General Electric.

The Framework finds the greatest wind power potential offshore the highly-populated urban coastal areas of the northeast and it recognizes the roles of Cape Wind and the Long Island offshore wind project in creating the momentum to develop offshore wind power in the United States.

Some points from the report:

• “…the United States is getting started with two serious project proposals located off the coasts of Massachusetts and New York. Sustaining and building on this momentum will require leadership and the collective action of all interested parties…”
• “Most of the total potential offshore wind resources exist relatively close to major urban load centers, where high energy costs prevail and where opportunities for wind development on land are limited. This is especially true in the densely populated Northeast, where nearly one-fifth of that national populations lives on less than 2% of the total land area…”
• “Offshore wind energy is also an attractive option for the Northeast because slightly more than half the country’s offshore wind potential is located off the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts, where water depths generally deepen gradually with distance from shore. This attribute allows for the initial development of offshore wind in relatively shallow waters followed by a transition to deeper waters further for shore as the technology is advanced.”

Jim Gordon, the President of Cape Wind, was pleased to see the Framework’s recognition of the role that offshore wind can play in addressing key national priorities, “The Framework recognizes that offshore wind can meet a significant share of the energy requirements of the Northeast while helping to diversify our energy sources, protect public health and the environment, create jobs, help stabilize energy prices and make us more energy independent,” he said. “Cape Wind will help to catalyze America’s use of offshore wind to become a major supply of energy for the Northeast.”

The Framework study notes the beneficial role offshore wind can play in supplying needed electricity to New England:

“In January, 2004, New England came dangerously close to experiencing a blackout during a severe cold spell as a result of limited natural gas supplies being diverted away from electricity generating plants to meet demands for home heating. Those in charge of managing New England’s electric grid are uncertain how the region will continue to meet peak demand for electricity beyond the year 2006. Offshore wind is the Northeast’s only local renewable energy source with the potential to address the anticipated unmet demand.”

A prior Department of Energy White Paper titled, Natural Gas in the New England Region: Implications for Offshore Wind Generation and Fuel Diversity, noted that, “During the January 14-16, 2004 period of natural gas shortage, the Cape Wind project, if it had been fully constructed and was online, would have made a significant contribution to the power supply and reliability of the regional grid.”

The Framework study also cites the need for offshore wind in the Northeast for energy diversification and energy price stability:

“Conventional energy prices are expected to climb. Energy supply and price volatility are significant risks as well, if recent experience with oil, gas, and coal is any indication. The Northeast is particularly vulnerable because the region has virtually no indigenous supply of natural gas and oil, which are responsible for a large fraction of the region’s base electric load and the majority of its peaking capability. As the Northeast seeks indigenous alternatives to oil and natural gas, offshore wind is the most or a large fraction of the region’s base electric load and the majority of its peaking capability. As the Northeast seeks indigenous alternatives to oil and natural gas, offshore wind is the most promising option.

“Besides its demonstrated cost competitiveness on-shore, wind is an attractive energy option because it is a clean, indigenous, and non-depletable resource, with long-term environmental and public health benefits,” the report continues. “Once a wind plant is built, the cost of energy is known and not affected by fuel market price volatility. This, along with its economic benefits in terms of employment through manufacturing, construction and operational support, makes wind an attractive technology with which to diversify the nation’s power portfolio and help relieve the pressure on natural gas prices.”

What’s more, the Framework study highlights how offshore wind energy development can improve ocean health:

“Earth’s oceans and atmosphere are both in peril. As recent studies document, our oceans face a greater array of problems than ever before in history. In particular, unprecedented concentrations of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other emissions resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels threaten to alter the composition of the atmosphere and undermine the integrity of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. An aggressive push for renewable energy production will start us down a path to reducing these environmental and public health threats.”

The Framework study comes on the heels of the passage of the Energy Bill that has important impacts on the development of offshore wind in the United States. In passing the Energy Bill, the Congress and the President conferred to the Minerals Management Service of the Department of Interior the authority to lease submerged federal lands for commercial offshore wind development. The Congress and the President also included in the Energy Bill a policy objective for the Department of the Interior to approve 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy projects on public lands over the next ten years.

“A Framework for Offshore Wind Energy Development in the United States” is available on the Internet at:http://www.mtpc.org/renewableenergy/press/pr_9_30_05_wind.htm

Cape Wind’s proposal to build America’s first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal would provide three-quarters of the electricity used on Cape Cod and the Islands from clean, renewable energy – reducing this region’s need to import oil, coal and gas. Cape Wind will create new jobs, lower electric costs, contribute to a healthier environment, increase energy independence and establish Massachusetts as a leader in offshore wind power.

Mark Rodgers is the Communications Director for the Cape Wind Project, the first offshore wind park to be built in the United States. It will be built on Horseshoe Shoal, five miles off the Cape Cod shore in Massachusetts. Cape Wind has offices in Yarmouthport and Boston.

The Next Step

By
Sections Supplements
RFQ Issued for Ambitious Project at Former Belchertown State School
Plans to convert the sprawling former Belchertown State School complex into a health and wellness center entered a new phase late last month, with the issuance of an RFQ, or request for statements of interest and qualifications, for the closely watched economic development initiative.

The RFQ, issued Sept. 27 by the Belchertown Economic Development and Industrial Corp. (BEDIC) and the Maryland-based Hunter Interests Inc., was distributed to approximately 400 prospective development companies across the country. It was issued to gauge interest within the development community for a project that will convert the long-abandoned property into a tourist attraction and jobs center.

While the specifics of the project will be shaped by the response from developers, plans for the site currently center around the Cold Spring Resort Hotel and Spa that would be built on a portion of a 100-acre section of the 400-acre Belchertown State School site. The hotel and spa would have a health and wellness theme and, hopefully, serve to unite many development elements of the overall project.

Some of these elements would involve new construction, while some might involve renovation of some of the 24 buildings that make up the complex, which, at its peak served more than 1,000 developmentally disabled children and adults.

The RFQ is the first step in a two-phase developer-solicitation process, said Ernest Bleinberger, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Hunter Interests, a real estate economics and financial consulting firm. The RFQ responses will be due Nov. 8, he explained, adding that the next step will be the issuance of a more-detailed request for proposals, or RFP, a step expected to occur in mid-November.

“This is basically a mixed-use project with a combination of hotel, office, retail, and other unique elements resulting from both an adaptive reuse approach and new construction on portions of the 100+ acres that are part of the master plan and development Strategy adopted by the BEDIC in August,” said Bleinberger. “The objective is to attract a development team that has both the capability to take on the overall project, which includes historic preservation and other challenges, as well as the all-important hotel development and operating piece.

“Tourism and other elements of market support are strong, not only for the hotel and spa, but for many uses that will serve the local and sub-regional population,” he continued. “We have had many verbal expressions of interest from small businesses and health professionals wishing to have a presence within this campus environment that is being created. There will be many amenities for locals, as well as for visitors from outside the area.”

During the month of October, Hunter and the BEDIC will be talking with prospective developers, coordinating site visits, providing additional background information as requested, and otherwise working to ensure a strong response to the RFQ, said Bleinberger. “In a project such as this, we would hope for perhaps a dozen qualified development companies to step forward. From there it’s a horse race to see which one is most competitive and the best fit for Belchertown.”

The health and wellness complex is the latest proposal forwarded for the complex, which closed in the early 1990s. Earlier concepts included a prison and a mix of retail and housing components.

The RFQ and future RFP will soon be available on www.Belchertown.org, the official Web site for the town of Belchertown.

Windows of Opportunity

By
Steve ·Dusty· Hoyt
Features
Businesses Pitch in to Help Habitat for Humanity
Steve ·Dusty· Hoyt

Steve ·Dusty· Hoyt, left, and Steve Gelling,say the upcoming Habitat project takes the involvement of the business community to a higher level.

Steve ‘Dusty’ Hoyt says his company endured a good deal of hardship over the years on the way to its current robust health.

A distributor of Marvin windows and doors, Enfield-based A.W. Hastings was hard hit by the long recession of the early ’90s and its profound impact on the housing market. It also weathered other economic ups and downs, shifts in product lines, assimilation into the Greater Springfield market, and mounting competition.

“A lot of people stood by us and helped us through those tough times,” said Hoyt, listing banks, long-time customers, suppliers, and devoted employees as those who enabled the company to endure and recently reach a rare milestone — 150 years in business. (Actually, it’s 158, as determined by some recent research).

Being on the receiving end of such generosity has helped spark a strong sense of giving back throughout the company, Hoyt told BusinessWest. He cited creation of the program TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More), which has involved employees in a number of community activities, as the greatest manifestation of that spirit.

Until recently.
Indeed, while searching for a meaningful way to celebrate the 150th birthday, Hoyt and his brother, Jonathan, Hastings’ treasurer, wondered if the company could take its participation with the Greater Springfield chapter of Habitat for Humanity to a higher level.

Hastings had frequently made at-cost contributions of windows and doors for Habitat homes, and several employees had volunteered to install such products, said Dusty Hoyt. “I was thinking about the various talents of the different people we have within our company — from architectural drawing ability to hands-on skills, and it struck me, ‘why can’t we build one of these houses all by ourselves?’”

He put that question to his employees early this year, and the response was overwhelming, thus providing one of the pieces to what will be a landmark Habitat project, scheduled to commence later this month.

Stephen R. Gelling, executive director of the Greater Springfield chapter of Habitat, said this will mark the first time that private companies will provide the land, labor, and materials for a home. A parcel at the corner of Bartlett and Carew Streets in Springfield, across from the entrance to Mercy Medical Center, has been donated for the project by Thomas Henshon, owner of West Springfield-based Pearson Systems, said Gelling, adding that Hastings employees will provide the bulk of the labor for the project and also purchase the materials — families in line for future Habitat homes will also contribute sweat equity. “We’ve had other companies sponsor homes in the past,” said Gelling, using that word to describe the act of covering the cost of materials and specialized labor not handled by volunteers. “But they (A.W. Hastings) want to utilize their specific skills and go in and make this a total hands-on effort. For our chapter, this is something totally unique.”

And also something he hopes will prove inspirational to other businesses in the area. “This build project will provide a family with a home,” he said, “but it will also create a lot of excitement within this company and a tremendous sense of accomplishment; we’d love to see other businesses experience those same things.”

BusinessWest looks this issue at how this most recent Habitat project came together, and also at how the local business community continually steps up its contributions to the organization that makes the dream of home ownership a reality.

Hammering Home the Point

Hoyt and Gelling both told BusinessWest they weren’t sure what to expect for a response when they scheduled an after-hours meeting at A.W. Hastings this past spring to formally present the company’s Habitat plans and gauge response.
“I was expecting maybe a handful of people,” said Gelling. “Instead, the room was full of people who wanted to know what they could do; there was a lot of energy in that room.”

The home to be built at the corner of Carew and Bartlett Streets, one of three to be started by the local chapter by the end of this year, represents a new, higher level of involvement for the business community in Habitat, said Gelling. He noted that individual companies and groups have made contributions ranging from full sponsorship to donations of materials to volunteering in the construction of many of the 22 homes the local chapter has built in the past five years.

Members of the business community have taken part in the chapter’s ‘women-build’ initiative, he said, referring to one home built, as the name, suggests, entirely by women. They have also taken part in some of the so-called “blitz build” projects in which homes are put in 10 days, and in various ways for more-traditional projects, which take six to nine months.

Meanwhile, the latest Habitat project is also the most ambitious act of ‘giving back’ for A.W. Hastings employees, said Hoyt, noting that it melds community activism with the company’s experience in home-building.

“This made sense for us on a number of levels,” he explained. “First, we’re affiliated with the home-building business as a window distributor, and we also recognize how important a home is to a family and understand the inspiration that can ensue when someone has a vision like that to look at.”

As Hoyt mentioned, the company’s ‘giving-back’ philosophy stems in part from the generosity extended in its direction throughout its history, and particularly over the past 30 years. In 1976, the company, founded in Boston, lost its primary window supplier, and, as a result, about 40% of its business. It found a new supplier in Marvin, but needed strategies to replace the lost volume.

One of those strategies was to expand territorially, a decision that brought Hoyt, grandson of Ivan Hoyt, a manager who purchased the company from the Hastings family in 1945, out to Springfield to cultivate a new market.

Over the next few decades, the company consolidated both its operations (into its current facility in Enfield) and its product lines — focusing on Marvin and its windows and doors — while also weathering several downturns in the economy.

“What brought us out here was a crisis — we were really on the ropes,” he said. “We’ve been through a few of those on my watch — hopefully not because of my watch — and there are a lot of people who helped us along the way.”

Today, the company, like most in the home-building and renovations sectors is enjoying profound growth at a time of extensive new building and remodeling in many regions, including the Pioneer Valley and Northern Connecticut.

“The past decade has been our longest period of sustained growth,” he said, adding that while the tough times are becoming an increasingly distant memory, they haven’t been forgotten.

“We know what it’s like to need help,” he explained. “And I think it’s because of where we are now and the experiences we’ve been through over all those years that we feel that since we’ve achieved some element of success that we have an inherent responsibility to give back to our community.”

This mindset helped drive the creation of TEAM, said Hoyt, noting that the program solicits small weekly donations from employees as well as time and energy for various charitable efforts, ranging from the “adoption” of a local Enfield elementary school to staging a bike race to benefit an employee’s with mitochondrial disease.
And it also created a great deal of enthusiasm for the Habitat project.

Indeed, as he talked about the enormous task ahead for A.W. Hastings — building the 1,200-square-foot, six-room home, raising the money to pay for the materials, and organizing every aspect of both initiatives — Hoyt said he expects each of his 140 employees to “touch” the undertaking in some way.

“One of my goals is to get everyone involved in this — be it with fund-raising or banging nails,” he said. “There’s certainly plenty of work to do.”

The level of organization needed for the project can be seen in a flow chart that delineates the various aspects of the initiative and those who will lead them. Hoyt is acting as project leader, and has three teams reporting to him — one focusing on processes and volunteer-coordination, another on marketing and finance, including fund-raising, and a third, much larger group dedicated to the broad construction effort.

Within the construction team are more than 20 leaders of specific tasks, from excavation to gutters, permits and inspections to landscaping, interior trim to the front porch.

The Habitat project has captured the imagination of the company’s employees, said Hoyt, adding that many have enthusiastically found ways to trim time and cost from the initiative by soliciting donations of materials and expertise.

“We had someone step up and say ‘my cousin does excavation, and he says he’ll do the excavation work for this and only charge us for the asphalt,’” said Hoyt. “We have an electrician who said he’d do that work for no charge; we’re seeing people come forward and do things like that. It’s exciting.”

Foundation Work

Reflecting on the creation of TEAM and this latest manifestation of its purpose, Hoyt said A.W. Hastings has created a culture grounded in the philosophy that, by working together, its employees and managers can do more than make their company successful.

“We can make an impact in our community,” he explained, adding that the “Hastings home,” as its being called, will hopefully inspire other businesses to be part of Habitat’s efforts and encourage more families to pursue their dreams of home ownership.

In that sense, the company is opening doors of opportunity — literally and figuratively. v

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

Eminent Domain

By
Sections Supplements
Ruling Blurs the Line Between Public Use and Private Economic Development
In June of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, granted cities and towns the right to take private property to promote private economic development projects even though the Constitution prohibits the government from taking private property except for a ‘public use.’

The ruling, derived from Kelo v. New London, a land-use law case argued before the court on Feb. 22, 2005, ended a bitter, intently watched confrontation between homeowners and the City of New London, Conn. The case arose from New London’s use of eminent domain to condemn privately owned real property so that it could be used for economic development.

A private entity acting as the city’s legally appointed agent, the New London Development Corporation (NLDC), created a development plan that included the construction of a resort hotel and conference center, a new state park, 80-100 new residences, and various research, office, and retail space. In 2000, the city of New London approved the plan and authorized the corporation to acquire the land in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood.

The owners of approximately 100 of the subject lots agreed to sell to the corporation at a negotiated price. However, 15 owners did not agree, and the city ordered the development corporation to condemn the 15 holdout owners’ lots.

The last clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, known as the Taking Clause, states “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” The owners sued the city in Connecticut courts, arguing that the city had misused its eminent domain power, therefore violating the public use requirement of the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

However, the Supreme Court disagreed. The court, led by Justice John Paul Stevens who wrote the opinion, concluded that the government can legitimately use eminent domain if it believes it will “provide appreciable benefits to the community, including but by no means limited to new jobs and increased tax revenue.” Furthermore, the court reiterated its policy of deference to local municipalities in determining what public needs left the use of the takings power. As such, the NLDC’s conclusion that the 90-acre redevelopment area was sufficiently distressed to left a program of economic rejuvenation was entitled to deference by the court. Moreover, Justice Stephens cited cases in which the court has interpreted ‘public use’ to include not only such traditional projects as bridges and highways but also slum clearance and land redistribution.

Justice Stevens’s opinion provoked a sharply written dissent from Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who wrote that the decision will “wash out” any distinction between public and private uses of property, leaving homeowners vulnerable to the whims of unelected planning agencies. Furthermore, Justice O’Connor contended that the “specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent the State from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.”

The decision also elicited strong opinions from those in academia. For example, Richard Epstein, Professor of Law, University of Chicago, wrote that “[t]he ‘public use’ test is so broad that no major government initiative fails to meet it, for every large-scale project could be justified in the name of ‘economic development’ even if the plan is a dead loser from the moment of conception.”

The backlash against the Supreme Court ruling has bolstered landowners and politicians to fight the seizures. According to a lawyer at the Institute for Justice, “It is finally dawning on homeowners and small businesses that ‘this could happen to me.’” A Quinnipiac University poll shows just how much the eminent-domain issue resonates. By an 11-to-1 margin, those surveyed said they opposed the taking of private property for private uses, even if it is for the public economic good.

Justice Stephens declared in his opinion that states may use their own constitutions and laws to limit eminent domain powers. In the six weeks after the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Kelo v. New London case, bills have been introduced in Congress and in more than half of the state legislatures that would restrict, to varying degrees, the use of eminent domain for private development.

In Massachusetts, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers led by State Rep. Bradley Jones, (R-North Reading), has filed a petition, a bill, and a proposed state constitutional amendment designed to limit the power of cities and towns to take private property by eminent domain. The bill would bar cities and towns from seizing private property solely for economic development except in cases where the property is “a substandard, decadent, or blighted open area” under state law.

Massachusetts has a history of unpopular and economically flawed takings. Two
famous examples are the eradication of four townships nearly a century ago to
construct the Quabbin reservoir in central Massachusetts, and the bulldozing of
Boston’s West End in the 1960s in the name of urban renewal. Both are now routinely lamented.

Local leaders and agencies such as the Boston Redevelopment Authority, who
fear that restricting the power of eminent domain will hamper their efforts to rejuvenate rundown neighborhoods by providing new jobs and increasing tax revenues, will likely provide strong resistance to the proposed bill.

These leaders and agencies will argue that the current legislative standards are sufficient and in recent years Massachusetts courts have held local officials to a relatively high standard of what constitutes the public good. They will cite a 2000 Superior Court decision barring Springfield from taking private land to build a minor league ballpark as an example of the impartiality and effectiveness of the current legislation.

In conclusion, courts have long struggled to determine what is a constitutionally permissible justification for taking property. Some argue that the Kelo decision is a landmark decision greatly expanding the government’s power to take private property
while others view the decision as not much of a change, as it has long been recognized that the government has broad powers to order the sale of property.

However, it can be definitively stated that businesses that hope to benefit from
an eminent domain taking can expect organized resistance and negative publicity
despite the intentions of the proponent.

Todd C. Ratner is a real estate and business attorney with the law firm of Bacon & Wilson, P.C., who specializes in business, transactional, commercial and
residential real estate law; (413) 781-0560;[email protected].

By
Departments

St. Germain Opens Hartford Office

HARTFORD — St. Germain Investment Management, with offices in Springfield at 1500 Main St., has opened a new office in downtown Hartford. Company president, Paul Valickus, CFA, said a steady increase from Connecticut investors requesting more of St. Germain’s financial management services has prompted the firm to open the new facility at 100 Pearl St. in Hartford.

MicroTest Laboratories To Expand

AGAWAM — MassDevelopment recently announced an $800,000 Emerging Technology Fund loan and a $370,000 mortgage insurance guaranty to MicroTest Laboratories Inc. and MicroTest Properties, LLC for expansion plans. The company, which provides laboratory and environmental testing services to the medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries, will use the funds to expand its manufacturing and new virology laboratory facility, upgrade utilities, and purchase equipment to accommodate its growth into the biopharmaceutical product testing and manufacturing business. MicroTest employs 89 and expects to create an additional 49 jobs when the expansion efforts are completed. Administered by MassDevelopment, the state’s $25 million Emerging Technology Fund provides loans and guarantees for facilities and specialized equipment for technology-based companies.

Rocky’s Ace Expands to Norwood

SPRINGFIELD — A new Rocky’s Ace Hardware Store will open in Norwood in November. The new store is part of Rocky’s Ace Hardware’s and Ace Hardware Corp.’s progressive strategy to spark growth and expand customer service by opening additional stores in New England. Since 1999, Rocky’s Ace has grown from eight stores in Western Massachusetts, to 26 stores across New England.

VPT Consulting Opens Springfield Office

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Vincent P. Traina Jr., founder and principal of VPT Consulting, has announced the company’s expansion with new offices at 1441 Main St., TD/Banknorth Center, in downtown Springfield. VPT Consulting offers a full range of marketing, advertising and business development services.

PIP Printing Receives Industry Awards

SOUTH HADLEY — PIP Printing and Document Services recently received a “Top 25” award for sales performance during the PIP Annual Convention in Tampa, Fla. This is the fifth time that owners Dorene and Wendell Pennell and John Bledsoe have received the annual award. Also, PIP Printing has received a “Franchise of the Year” Award by the International Franchise Association. The annual award is given as a symbol of recognition for the brightest and best leaders in franchising.

Berkshire Bank Opens N.Y. Branch

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc., the holding company for Berkshire Bank, recently announced the opening of a full-service branch in Shoppers World Plaza in Clifton Park, N.Y. This is the bank’s second branch opened this year in the Albany region and its third in New York.

UMass Amherst Construction Projects Exceed $40M

AMHERST — As students returned to UMass Amherst this month, the campus is sporting some $40 million in new construction projects and improvements. Ongoing projects include the deck replacement at the DuBois Library, which began last year. The $6.35 million state-funded effort involves the installation of a new, waterproof membrane and concrete deck over an underground section of the library. Also taking shape is a $3.1 million athletic track facility, located near the softball and soccer fields at the north end of Stadium Drive. The new Llewellyn Derby Track, which is expected to be ready by the end of September, replaces an outmoded facility on the site of a planned central heating plant for the campus. Several health and safety projects were also completed or are continuing. These include new fire alarm systems in Goessmann Laboratory, Morrill Science Center, Fernald Hall and Goodell at a cost of approximately $3 million. Construction efforts also include security cameras, health and fire safety-related projects, roof replacements and work in residence halls.

Monson Savings Bank Opts For New Structure

MONSON — Monson Savings Bank is in the process of converting to a two-tiered mutual holding company structure that will create Monson Financial Services Mutual Holding Co. and Monson Financial Services Corp. The Monson Financial Services Corp. would be a stock bank owning Monson Savings Bank. The bank has three branches in Hampden, Monson and Wilbraham, with total assets of $177 million.

By
Departments

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

AMHERST

North Amherst Community Farm Inc., 36 Harris St., Amherst 01002. Deborah Evans, 58 E. Leverett Rd., Amherst 01002. (Nonprofit) To provide services regarding organic farming methods, productive use of land, etc.

Margarita’s Food Inc., 28 Amity St., #5, Amherst 01002. Lius Manuel Medina Vaillard, 65 Amherst Road, Leverett 01054. To operate a full service restaurant.

CHESTER

PLS Inc., 128 Prospect St., Chester 01011. Joy L. Salvini, same. Land surveying.

CHICOPEE

Garg Trading Inc., 419 Montcalm St., Apt. #404, Chicopee 01020. Meena K. Garg, same. Trading of general merchandise.

TNT Asphalt Repair Inc., 221 Prospect St., Chicopee 01013. Milton Theriault, same. Asphalt repair.

FEEDING HILLS

Gorilla Marketing Inc., 547 Springfield St., Feeding Hills 01030. Gerald F. Smith Jr., same. To operate a cocktail lounge.

HOLYOKE

Stefanie’s Foundation Inc., 3 St. James Ave., Holyoke 01040. Pamela J. Murnock Lukomski, same. (Nonprofit) To provide financial assistance to families with a child suffering from cancer, etc.

NORTH HATFIELD

The Hatfield Pub Inc., 312 West St., North Hatfield 01066. Roger A. Grenier, same. To operate one or more bars, taverns, cabarets, restaurants, etc.

NORTHAMPTON

Northampton Cell Phone Store Inc., 98 Pleasant St., Northampton 01060. Jonathan L. Waxman, 19 Jyra Lane, North Easton 02356. To sell cellular phones and accessories.

Soo Ra Restaurant Inc., 1 Roundhouse Place, Northampton 01060. Hyun Kyu Lee, 162 Hadley Road, Sunderland 01375. To operate a restaurant.

SPRINGFIELD

Advantage Auto Service Inc., 93-97 Wilbraham Road, Springfield 01109. Shamone Cox, same. Automobile repair services.

Game Hunter Inc., 511 Belmont Ave., Springfield 01108. Vien Nguyen, 49 E. Gooseberry Road, West Springfield 01089. To deal in electronic media, game systems, CD, music and game equipment and media.

Hemocure Inc., 1462 Plumtree Road, Springfield 01119. Alexander L. Zheleznyakov, same. To manufacture and sell medical equipment.

HOPE for Habitat Inc., One Monarch Place, Suite 1900, Springfield 01144. Stephen D. Hoyt, 49 Drury Lane, Longmeadow 01106. (Nonprofit) To assist and carry out the purposes of Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity.

Ideal Financial Holdings Inc., 933 Main St., Springfield 01005. Marjorie Feinberg, same. To own the common stock of Ideal Financial Services.

JimBob Aviation Charter Services Inc., 1102 Riverdale St., West Springfield 01089. James E. Balise Jr., 87 Blueberry Hill Road, Longmeadow 01106. Airplane charter service.

The Center After School Program Inc., 82 Bay Meadow Road, Springfield 01109. Althea Haines, same. To provide a place for after school children to be assisted in homework, partake in educational and group activities, etc.

The Dory Lounge Inc., 487 St. James Ave., Springfield 01109. Maureen Catherine Perry, 115 Wilmont St., Springfield 01108. To deal in restaurants, inns, taverns, catering, etc.

Triple G Cable Inc., 112 Washington Road, Springfield 01108. Gerson R. Souza, same. Cable installations.

Valley Photo Center Inc., 1500 Main St., Springfield 01103. David Moviouganes, 474 Alden St;, Ludlow 01056. (Nonprofit) To operate a gallery to educate the public about the art of photography, provide classes, etc.

Zonin’s Meats Inc., 18 Winthrop St., Springfield 01103. Aurelio Daniele, 57 Longivew Dr., Suffield, CT 06078. Alfonsina Liquori, 18 Winthrop St., Springfield 01103, registered agent. To manufacture and sell foods products including meats.

WESTFIELD

Gauntlet Games Inc., 304 Sackett Road, Westfield 01085. John Michaliszyn, same. Distribution and marketing.

Hawken Management Inc., 3 Cross St., Westfield 01085. John D. West, 19 1/2 Avery St., Westfield 01085. To deal in real estate, etc.

Pinnacle Piping Inc., 40 Susan Dr., Westfield 01085. Dan Rohan, same. To provide plumbing/piping services.

Brickyard Commons Inc., 385 Root Road, Westfield 01085. Jeffery Morin, same. Real estate ownership and management.

WESTHAMPTON

G.R. Marketing Inc., 120 Chesterfield Road, Westhampton 01027. Gerard J. Ronan, same. To provide marketing, sales and development of construction and home improvement products.

WILBRAHAM

RL Lafley Construction Inc.,
3 Drumlin Circle, Wilbraham 01095. Richard L. Lafley Jr., same. Real estate development.

Scantic Valley Pool and Spa Inc., 1 Hilltop Dr., Wilbraham 01095. Thomas E. Wilson, same. Residential pool installation.

SK3 Engineering Inc., 840 Ridge Road, Wilbraham 01095. Stanley Kowalski, III, same. Engineering and product development.

The Natural Rights and Laws Compact Inc., 47 Glenn Dr., Wilbraham 01095. Richard J. Howell, same. (Nonprofit) To promote and further the mores established by God through the first settlers in 1620 to our independence in 1776, etc.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Carol’s Concession Corp., 60 Chilson Road, West Springfield 01089. Carol Delevo, 9 Tanglewood Dr., West Springfield 01089. To provide food and beverage to the general public.

Universal Trucking Service Inc., 182 Doty Circle, West Springfield 01089. Jan Chrzan, 89 Pendleton Lane, Longmeadow 01106. Truck delivery service.

The Broad Impact of Fuel Price Hikes

By
Opinion
You feel it at the gas pump every day – the cost of fuel continues to rise. These increases impact the price of many products, including other fuels — and electricity, which impacts every business, large and small.

Understanding why the price of electricity fluctuates — and is currently rising — doesn’t ease the pain, but it will give business owners some important perspective, and perhaps an appreciation of how the energy business has changed over the past several years.

With the utility industry deregulated and electricity now being purchased in the competitive market as any other commodity, customers are more exposed to market volatility. As with other commodities, various factors can impact the price consumers will pay for electricity supply. Global impacts, such as the war in Iraq, the death of Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd, or threats of terrorism, will impact the market. Weather also plays a large role in pricing – clearly evident in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Here in New England, fuel is the biggest driver of electricity pricing. Much of New England’s generating plants are powered by oil or natural gas. As these fuel prices rise and the cost to generate electricity increases, the cost for that electricity supply will also increase.

To illustrate the impact all these factors have on pricing: on August 15, electricity supply on the market was priced at 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). The following day saw a slight dip in supply price – 9.7 cents per kWh. Two weeks later, the day Hurricane Katrina hit, the market price started out in the morning at 10.8 cents per kWh. By the day’s end, the price had increased to 11.1 cents per kWh.

Unfortunately, these factors not only play a role in pricing, but can impact the financial success, competitiveness, and economic development of our business community. Western Mass. Electric Co. (WMECO) customers who are not on competitive supply will see an impact by this market volatility in the fourth quarter pricing. Beginning Oct. 1, medium/large commercial and industrial customers (rate classes G-2, T-4, T-2, I-1, I-3, PR and Contracts) will see a fixed rate of 9.715 cents per kWh, up from a third quarter price of $7.625.

There are options to battler these rising prices, starting with conservation. WMECO can provide businesses with experience and expertise to reduce their energy usage, lower costs, and improve productivity and overall competitiveness. Through these conservation programs, the utility can also offer a variety of incentives for the installation of cost-effective, energy saving measures – in some cases, with no investment on the business’s part. From lighting upgrades to new construction, WMECO encourages its customers to contact us for more information about these programs (800-835 2707) or on the Web at www.wmeco.com and click on “How to Save Energy.”

Businesses also have option of choosing a supplier. WMECO encourages you to educate yourself on choosing a supplier, then contact the licensed suppliers in Massachusetts and evaluate the rates they are able to offer you.

As prices vary with each customer, it is often difficult to predict whether or a specific business will be able to obtain a lower price. However, suppliers may be able to offer a longer-term contract which can help companies better manage their budget and operating costs. Information to help choose a supplier and negotiate a contract as well as a list of licensed suppliers is available on the WMECO Web site, as well as through through the Department of Telecommunications and Energywww.mass.gov/dte) and the Division of Energy Resources;www.mass.gov/thepower.
While WMECO — or any utility — cannot control nor predict what occurs in the competitive market, it does make every effort to mitigate the price volatility. The utility conducts several competitive bid processes throughout the year to secure the lowest possible price available on the market at the time of bid, and it purchases blocks of supply at various times throughout the year to minimize the price impact.

The utility has also committed to keeping its distribution rates stable through 2006. For more information on WMECO rates, visit the “Basic Service Pricing” section ofwww. wmeco.com.

Rodney O. Powell is president and chief operating officer of Western Mass. Electric Co.; (413) 787-9293.

Building an Entrepreneurial Infrastructure

By
Opinion
Minor League Baseball.

A decade or so ago, this simple phrase stirred nostalgia and hope among area residents. That was a time when several parties were working hard to bring baseball back to Springfield after a three-decade hiatus following the departure of the Springfield Giants, who once drew crowds to Pynchon Park.

These days, however, talk of minor league baseball stirs more cynicism and doubt than it does hope. That’s because Springfield badly botched its baseball project, leaving many with a bad taste in their mouths.

Indeed, former Springfield Mayor Michael Albano and his administration tried to force baseball down the throats of the city’s residents in an effort that never brought the city a team but did bring it some humiliation — and some costs it certainly didn’t need when one considers the community’s current fiscal plight.

We revisit this sad bit of local history, because minor league baseball, or the promise of it, is back in the news — this time in Holyoke.

An Ohio-based corporation, Mandalay Entertainment, which already owns five minor league teams, is considering moving one of them, currently located in Erie, Pa., to Holyoke and a site near the Holyoke Mall. The $110 million project has a number of facets beyond baseball, including office/retail space development, a hotel, a stadium, and even housing.

There are a number of pieces to this puzzle that have to fall in place for it to become reality — including everything from parcel assembly to infrastructure improvements to gaining league approval for moving one of its franchises.

As Holyoke moves into this process, we suggest that it try to learn from Springfield’s mistakes and not repeat them.

What were those mistakes?

Essentially, Springfield tried to force its project, in the name of economic development. The theory pushed forward was that minor league baseball would bring people to Springfield and its downtown, benefiting clubs, restaurants, and perhaps other tourist attractions and even retail. A stadium construction project would bring some temporary employment, backers said, while the facility would bring many seasonal and a few year-round jobs.

The Albano administration ventured forth without a clear mandate — or any mandate — from voters or business owners, and also without a workable site for a stadium. Still, the city pressed on, looking to squeeze a stadium onto a site in and around the North Gate Plaza in the city’s North End.

The exercise turned out to be a poster child for bad eminent domain proceedings — the city took several parcels and relocated some businesses for a stadium it never built — and left Springfield’s baseball plans in the dust, with little enthusiasm for revival.

Ultimately, Springfield’s endeavor failed because the city got ahead of itself and, as we said, it tried to force the issue.

Holyoke is in a somewhat different situation, but it can still learn from Springfield. The first lesson is to make sure the support is in place before moving forward, and to build alliances that will help see the project from drawing board to reality, rather than try to maneuver around people, as Springfield did.

The second lesson is to approach the project with the right attitude. There are plenty of studies out there that suggest that minor league baseball — and professional sports in general — does not provide the jobs or stir the related economic development that proponents say it does.

There are exceptions, obviously. Anyone who has ventured to the Fenway section of Boston and paid $50 to park for a Red Sox game knows that a sports team can bring opportunities to a city and individual entrepreneurs.

But in Holyoke, we’re talking about a relocation of the Erie SeaWolves. This franchise, which would play between 60 and 70 home games a year, is not going to change the economic fortunes of the city of Holyoke.

But it could be part of a larger economic development opportunity for the city — and it could also become another of a growing list of attractions that are luring visitors and conventioneers to the Pioneer Valley.

By playing it smart, as sports teams try to do, Holyoke might connect on this latest pitch for minor league baseball, and hit a home run for the region in the process.

By
Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of June & July 2005.

AMHERST

Amherst College Trustees
Converse Hall
$3,200 — Interior renovations to create additional office space

Amherst College Trustees
Merrill Science Building
$73,400 — Partial re-roof

Amherst College Trustees
Moore Dormitory
$317,500 — Install sprinkler system

David B. Brown
320 North Pleasant St.
$137,500 — Convert existing residential and commercial building into two-family dwelling after fire damage

Gillen-Gray Development Corp.
409 Main St.
$2,500 — Construct partition wall

Peter Grandinico
41 Boltwood Walk
$8,000 — Alter to combination food market and caf»

Slobody Development Corp.
101 University Dr. A2
$83,640 — Build out portion of first floor for office space

Slobody Development Corp.
101 University Dr. B5 — Build out portion of 2nd floor for
office space

Stavros Foundation Inc.
210 Old Farm Road
$310,000 — Renovate and repair for office/ storage use

Theta Chi
496 North Pleasant St.
$125,000 — Renovations

Trustees of Hampshire College
Merrill House Bldg. C
$78,000 — Install sprinkler system

Trustees of Hampshire College
Greenwich House 2
$25,913 — Extend roof overhang

Trustees of Hampshire College
Greenwich House 3
$25,913 — Extend roof overhang

CHICOPEE

C.L.T. Realty
945 & 947 Chicopee St.
$395,500 — Build package store

City of Chicopee
617 Montgomery St.
$74,801,000 — Build Chicopee Comp High School

Larry Katz
307 Grattan St.
$144,000 — Build mezzanine with offices at Arnold’s Meats

Service Net
64 Rivers Ave.
$10,000 — Construct room

EAST LONGMEADOW

Health Trax
45 Crane Ave.
$194,560 — Create office space

HOLYOKE

PBHQ Whitney Inc.
330 Whitney Ave.
$30,000 — Renovate offices

NORTHAMPTON

Big Y Foods Inc.
162 North King St.
$750,000 — Renovate exterior facade

City of Northampton
140 Pine St.
$11,000 — Partition walls to divide Room B9

City of Northampton
125 Locust St.
$219,690 — Replace barn roof

City of Northampton
212 Main St.
$9,550 —Construct 2 partition walls and doors – 2nd floor school department

Kollmorgan Corporation
347 King St.
$148,000 — Install elevator shaft

Kollmorgan Corporation
347 King St.
$25,000 — Install display area in reception area

Maplewood Shops Inc.
2 Conz St.
$6,000 — Replace hood system for cooking school

Northampton Co-operative Bank
8 Main St.
$49,000 — Build three conference rooms and kitchen

Northampton Realty LLC
293 King St.
$6,000 — Erect illuminated ground sign, Lia Honda

Northampton Realty LLC
293 King St.
$2,600 — Erect illuminated
wall sign – Honda

Philip Dowling and Bruce Tolda
881 North King St.
$4,500 — Relocate store to
rear storage area

Village Hospital Hill LLC
Earle Street
$4,845 — Repair bus stop

SPRINGFIELD

Baystate Medical
759 Chestnut St.
$267,000 — Renovate auditorium

Boston Medical Center
354 Bernie Ave.
$126,000 — Interior build-out

JC Penney
1655 Boston Road
$250,000 — Interior and exterior renovations

Mass Mutual
1500 Main St.
$155,000 — Alterations and expansion of Suite 2504

Mass Mutual
1295 State St.
$758,923 — Construction of corporate aircraft hanger

Mass Mutual
1500 Main St.
$27,500 — Interior renovations

Mass Mutual
1500 Main St.
$146,000 — New office space, Suite 1500

Morris Roofing
142 Hancock St.
$35,000 — Addition to existing office

PVTA
2908 Main St.
$67,400 — Interior renovations

Walmart
1105 Boston Road
$31,000 — Construct Subway shop

WESTFIELD

Brian Allen TRM
Reservoir Road
$15,000 — Cingular Wireless antenna

Gut Reaction

By
American Bosch manufacturing complex
Sections Supplements
A New Plan of Action for The Bosch
American Bosch manufacturing complex

American Bosch manufacturing complex

Months ago, an ownership team was conducting a series of formal and informal studies designed to gauge whether all or some of the sprawling former American Bosch manufacturing complex could be salvaged for future development. All debate was ended by a Dec. 16 blaze that effectively gutted the landmark. Now, as demolition commences, talk is of what might develop at the nine-acre parcel at the Springfield-Chicopee line.

TJim Sullivan was heading back to Holyoke from a meeting in Boston last Dec. 16 when his cell phone rang.

Usually, Sullivan, treasurer of the O’Connell Development Group, can talk and drive at the same time. But after only a few seconds of conversation he decided he’d better pull over.

The Bosch, he was told, was on fire.

That’s the name people have used for decades when referring to the former American Bosch manufacturing complex on Main Street at the Springfield-Chicopee line. O’Connell was, and is, part of an investment group known as MSBB, LLC that owned the sprawling, vacant — and uninsured — buildings, and had been exploring a wide variety of development options for the property.

It was an admittedly long-term project that was about to become exponentially more complicated and expensive.

"It was a quick trip back from Boston," Sullivan told BusinessWest, adding that, when he arrived at the scene around 6 p.m., the buildings were fully engulfed.

"I stayed until around midnight — I didn’t really know what else to do," he said, adding that he found himself joined on that frigid night by several former employees of the German-based company, which manufactured radios and other products at the Western Mass. facility. "People had tears in their eyes Ö many of them were very emotional; they had many fond memories of the years they spent there."

Sullivan didn’t cry that night, but no could have blamed him if he did. The fire, which raged throughout the night, effectively gutted the imposing structure, rendering it unfit for any type of development. And, contrary to popular opinion, the blaze, while it has in some ways accelerated the process of developing that nine acres of real estate, has not facilitated it.

"People have come up to me and said, ’I guess this makes your job much easier,’" said Francesca Maltese, development manager at O’Connell who is also involved in the Bosch project. "In fact, the fire makes everything harder, starting with demolition, and it means we’re spending money, and lots of it, when we’re not taking any in."

Started earlier this summer, the complex demolition process is expected to take at least the next six months. When the parcel is cleaned, the task of developing it will be easier than it is now, said Maltese, noting that it is difficult for many would-be investors to adequately evaluate the site when it is still dominated by a burned out hulk.

Still, ’easier’ is a relative term. While both Sullivan and Maltese say a number of potential uses are being explored, from health care to housing, manufacturing to retail, it is difficult to gauge how much interest there will be in the property.

Sullivan said the so-called Wason section of Springfield has repositioned itself in recent years, from a manufacturing center to a home for health care facilities ranging from physicians’ offices to Baystate Health System’s D’Amour Cancer Center. Whether that trend will continue at the Bosch site isn’t known, he said, adding that, for now, the focus is on preparing the property for development.

BusinessWest looks this issue at how the December fire has changed the equation for The Bosch and what the strategy will be for developing what must be considered a prime piece of real estate.

History Lessons

Maltese told BusinessWest that during one tour of the main four-story manufacturing/administration building at the Bosch complex, she came across some old plans for the structure.

"I decided I better take them before the mice ate them," she said, displaying one drawing, still in good condition, dated 1910. It shows three ornamental medallions, featuring the corporate symbol for the Bosch company, that would grace the exterior of the building.

Those medallions will be carefully extracted during the demolition process and shipped to Bosch headquarters in Stuttgart, she said, leaving this region with only memories of the plant — and there are many of those.

Bob Forrant, a former machinist and business agent for the union at American Bosch in the ’70s and ’80s, and now an unofficial historian of the plant, told BusinessWest that, at its height during World War II, the company employed perhaps as many as 20,000 people. "They ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

One of many machining and manufacturing facilities that helped give Springfield its reputation — and its nickname (the City of Homes) — the Bosch was a coveted workplace. "That was the best place to work in the Connecticut River Valley," said Forrant. "They took good care of their people Ö everyone wanted a job there."

Opened just before World War I, the plant was taken over and essentially operated by the U.S. government during that conflict, said Forrant, noting that American leaders considered any German-controlled plant a security risk. After the war, the government gave the plant back to the Germans, who operated it until the second world war, when the government again took it over. After that conflict ended, officials put the plant out to bid, and it was purchased by a group of U.S. investors and became American Bosch.

The Springfield plant was expanded in the early 1940s with the addition of a one-story manufacturing facility. Eventually, the complex grew to more than 500,000 square feet. Over the years, workers produced a wide range of products, including motors for car seats and windshield wipers, and, in its later years, fuel-injection systems for trucks and the M 1 Abrams tank.

American Bosch was purchased by United Technologies Corp. in the mid ’70s. UTC closed the facility in 1986 after years of gradual downsizing, part of a larger movement of manufacturing operations from New England to warmer, less costly areas of the country. The property had several owners and a few uses (most of them warehouse-oriented) over the next several years, said Forrant.

The complex was eventually acquired by a small development group, headed by John Bonavita, creator of Springfield’s Tavern Restaurant, among other projects, that was known as Crossbow, LLC. The O’Connell Group, which has developed a number of buildings and parcels in the region, including the Crossroads business park in Holyoke’s Ingleside area, became partners in the Bosch venture in the spring of 2003.

"We looked at it as a long-term development play," said Sullivan. "Actually, a very long-term development play."

In the months after becoming part of the ownership team, O’Connell explored a number of options for the Bosch property, said Sullivan, adding that the talks included consideration of both rehabbing the buildings on the site and demolition of those facilities and subsequent redevelopment.

"We looked at everything, from soup to nuts," he told BusinessWest. "We explored medical uses, retail, residential development, every option we could think of."

And while no official determination was actually made on whether to rehab or demolish the buildings, he said, the general feeling was that the one-story manufacturing building could not be reused, and that the four-story structure could, with great imagination and determination, be retrofitted.

But the fire last December brought a swift end to any and all debate.

Out of the Ashes

Suspected to be a case of arson, the intense fire leveled the one-story section of the complex, and caused irreparable damage to the main building. In the days following the blaze, many former employees of the Bosch, Forrant among them, drove by the site to survey the damage and reflect. Local historians said the city had lost an important piece of its industrial heritage.

For MSBB, LLC, the fire dramatically altered the course, timeline, and financial dynamics of the already-challenging development venture.

For starters, the blaze and the damage caused by it will greatly increase the cost of demolition, said Sullivan, who declined to give a specific figure but said it will easily exceed seven figures. Razing the structures will be a more risky proposition, he said, because the buildings are less stable than they were before the fire, making the work more time-consuming, and thus raising the price tag.

The high cost of demolition is one of the many factors that make the fire much more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to developing the property, said Maltese, adding that the fire has ultimately robbed the ownership team of flexibility with regard to the cost and timetable of the project, something that many not in this business do not understand.

"The common perception is that the fire solved a problem for us," she said. "It didn’t. In fact, it created more problems for us."

When asked if MSBB can ultimately recover the costs of razing the Bosch property and make this venture profitable, Sullivan offered a conditional ’yes.’ He said much depends on the market, the level of interest in the site, and the intended future use of the property.

Over the past several years, the Wason section has been the site of a wide range of health care and biotech developments. Only a few blocks from Baystate Medical Center, the area is now home to the Biomedical Research Institute, which Baystate has created in conjunction with UMass Amherst. That stretch of Main Street is the site of many health care-related ventures. Baystate has several facilities in that neighborhood, including its cancer center, Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Center, Baystate Rehabilitation Center, and others.

Meanwhile, Atlantic Capital Investors has rehabbed several old manufacturing buildings in the area for health care and related uses. Partners Ben Surner and Mark Benoit have converted a former factory at 3500 Main St. into the new home for the Pioneer Valley Chapter of American Cross and other tenants, while also combining rehab of the former Wason Trolley building with new construction to create a complex that hosts Baystate Reference Laboratories, Novacare Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy, The Hand Center of Western Mass., and other health care businesses.

Surner and Benoit are also moving forward with plans to create the Brightwood Medical Arts & Conference Center in a large manufacturing building that actually abuts the Bosch complex.

"So health care is certainly one possibility for the Bosch property," said Sullivan, adding quickly that there are many options, including retail, residential development, and others.

MSBB is not actively marketing the property at this time, said Maltese, adding quickly there are discussions going on at a number of levels. She told BusinessWest that talk, and marketing efforts, will escalate as the demolition process continues and developers can properly evaluate the real estate.

Forward Thinking

As they talked about the Bosch property and its potential for development, both Sullivan and Maltese struggled with which tense to use with regard to the buildings on the site.

Both the present and past work, said Sullivan, noting that while the landmarks are still there, from a literal standpoint, from a development perspective they are gone, and have been since the night of the fire.

For the most part, though, those at MSBB are focused on the future. What will transpire at that the Bosch site remains to be seen, but there is cautious optimism that a productive new use can be found, one that might ease some of the many loses incurred on that night last December.

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

Conventional Thinking

By
Uncategorized

The MassMutual Center is nearing the end of a prolonged construction period and preparing to open its doors for business. The next five years will be focused on polishing and cultivating the center’s business model, and only time will tell how successful Springfield’s newest – and largest – attraction will be.

Jim Rooney, executive director of the Mass. Convention Center Authority (MCCA), says that convention centers are much like restaurants ‚ people often let someone else try out the menu first, and wait to hear the review.

"Does that mean disaster could occur? Yes," he confirmed. "It happens. Just like in a restaurant, one bad review could spread like wildfire."

So as the MassMutual Center readies to begin its first year in business, the MCCA, which oversees its operations, the city of Springfield, and other local entities are focused on doing everything possible to make sure the center’s opening is a raging success.

Sept. 30 will mark the official end of the center’s construction phase, as the faÁade of the Springfield Civic Center gradually gives way to a brand-new, expanded convention center. The changes have created a buzz in the city, anticipation has only grown, and hopes that the building will lead Springfield into a period of growth and prosperity have been firmly pinned on its new white walls.

However, the convention center’s long-term contributions to Springfield remain a matter of speculation. As Rooney’s restaurant comparison suggests, the end of construction merely ushers in the start of another set of important building years, during which the overall health of the region will be as important as the level of traffic flowing in and out of the center’s spacious new entryway.

Rooney said it will be at least five years before the center reaches a level of stability necessary to accurately gauge its success.

"First and foremost, we need to create a balance of strong bookings, strong management, and great publicity. If we don’t start in balance, we won’t finish in balance," he said. "So the next five years are our growth years, focused on letting people know we’re on the map."

That process, Rooney explained, will include creating a buzz about the center both regionally and nationally, achieving an exemplary level of quality service, and ensuring that the performance of the center’s management team and staff remains nationally competitive.

"That’s the first year," he said, noting that several firms have bid for the right to manage operations at the center, and one should be chosen by August. After that work is done, the center will move into an aggressive market-penetration phase with a specific business goal in mind: booking events for 65% of the year: 237 out of 365 days.

Bookings have been brisk for the center, which features several meeting and function rooms, banquet halls, a 40,000-square- foot exhibition hall, and the civic center’s original arena, refurbished with new seats, concession stands, and other amenities. The early reservations suggest that the convention center is indeed moving in a positive direction.

But Rooney cautioned against placing too much emphasis on the center’s ability to kick-start a turn-around in Springfield. He said that, for a city in a fiscal crisis, especially one steeped in controversy and with issues ranging from public corruption to the safety of its streets, there is no silver bullet.

"In and of itself, this convention center is not an economic revitalization plan," he said. "It’s a major contribution, no doubt about it, but there are other things involved in terms of righting this ship. The destination is sold as much as the building is sold."

And there are other concerns, among them the state of the convention industry itself (a recent report indicates that the sector is declining) and the impact of escalating competition from facilities in other area cities, including Hartford’s new Connecticut Convention Center.

There are also questions about the MassMutual Center’s impact on existing banquet and meeting facilities in the area, and whether the center will bring new business to the region or merely take a large share of the existing market.

But Rooney and others closely involved with the project are optimistic that the new convention center will be able to compete on a national level and bring new convention dollars to the area. They’ve taken the risks and the realities into account, and the MCCA, along with the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (GSCVB) and other local organizations have developed a plan that starts with promoting the region and new center as a package, and capitalizes on the building’s size, design, location, accessibility, and the innate desire of many to see the facility ‚ and the city ‚ succeed.

"It takes a lot more than one building to bring a city back to life," Rooney said. "It takes a strong cooperative, strategic effort, and that’s what we have in mind here."

Making Concessions

The MassMutual center project was spawned, like many other projects across the country, by the boom enjoyed by the convention industry in the late ’90s. The health of the industry nationwide initially spurred Massachusetts and other states to evaluate their current convention facilities and make financial commitments for improvement.

Rooney said those commitments represent an economic strategy to cultivate convention business in the state, treating it as a primary economic driver.

"All over the country, people were trying to get into this game and get a piece of the pie," he said. "That included deciding what should happen in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield. Funding was made available in all three cases, and a substantial statewide strategic commitment was made to the convention industry."

But Springfield’s convention center project represents more than merely one part of the Commonwealth’s convention industry initiative; the city’s civic center, built in the early ’70s, was in dire need of a facelift even before the state took control of it. Rooney explained that at the same time state leaders made the decision to build new convention facilities, the Springfield Civic Center was falling on its hardest times.

"The civic center was in a serious state of disrepair," he said. "It was controlled by the city at that time, and the city was unable to keep up with what needed to be done."

So, in what Rooney termed a "friendly transaction," management of the property was transferred to the state.

He explained that $52 million was originally earmarked for the Springfield leg of the statewide convention facilities project, but that initially, the MCCA had envisioned a building that required about $80 to $90 million. The Legislature did appropriate more money, bringing the amount up to $66 million, but the convention center still needed to be re-evaluated to fit the budget.

"We set about managing our appetite for improvements and making some engineering tradeoffs ‚ essentially, we down-sized," said Rooney, adding that soon after those adjustments were made, a partnership was formed with MassMutual, which bought the naming rights for the center for $5 million.

"Ultimately, everything came together in 2002," he said. "MassMutual’s purchase of the naming rights brought the project’s budget up to $71 million, and we could work within that number, so the program was in balance."

He added that the downsizing of the MCCA’s initial plans for the center actually helped to underscore how its size could be an asset.

"Architecturally and functionally we are at the right scale for this marketplace," said Rooney. "For the kinds of regional and local events we should be competing for, it’s the right size ‚ we have the advantage of 40,000 square feet of exhibit space without the disadvantage buildings sometimes have when they’re too big. People know what size facility they want when they’re booking events, and they know what types of events fit well."

Meeting Expectations

Mary Kay Wydra, president of the GSCVB, which is working under the auspices of the MCCA to market and sell the convention center, agreed that capitalizing on the center’s existing strengths is a key component of its business plan. But perhaps more important is promoting the entire region as a destination, not merely the location of a brand-new convention center.

"Different groups look for different types of locations," she said. "We’re perfect for a lot of different organizations, and we market directly to them. We’ve bumped up against Hartford a couple of times, but in general they’re looking for larger groups."

She added that an ideal booking is one that necessitates what she called "city-wides" ‚ the need for 500 to 800 hotel rooms or more per night, which requires that multiple hotels are involved and means in theory that a greater impact on area restaurants, stores, and attractions, would be created.

About a dozen events, including five of those citywides, have been booked for the center to date, beginning shortly after opening day, in November, and extending into 2008. These early bookings will account for 23,050 anticipated attendees, 14,000 new overnight hotel stays, and a projected direct spending impact of $3.8 million over the next three years. Wydra said several other bookings are currently pending, adding that the she’s confident the early interest is indicative of the level of success the building will have in years to come.

But that confidence hasn’t negated the need for creative marketing and promotion of the center in the increasingly competitive convention industry. Half of the events currently booked, for instance, were the result of a burgeoning program within the GSCVB called Pioneer Valley Pride, which asks local residents, businesses, and organizations to use their connections with regional and national groups to draw business to the MassMutual Center ‚ essentially, bringing new business home.

"As members of regional or national organizations, local residents can have a positive impact on the economic well-being of the region," said Wydra, adding that Pioneer Valley Pride is just one way that the GSCVB is working to promote the region and its new facility as a package. "A lot of bureaus have similar programs, and they are a great asset if you can make it happen. Since people have been watching this building as it goes up downtown, it’s definitely in the forefront of their minds. I think that’s going to help our program succeed."

Wydra agreed with Rooney that packaging the building along with the region is essential to the process of marketing and selling both, noting that the GSCVB sales staff members actually focus more on the region than the convention center itself when soliciting new convention business. A new logo and marketing plan have recently been put in place for the Pioneer Valley, for instance, and have become some of the primary selling tools for the convention center.

"The pitch is 80% the region and 20% the building at this point," she said. "We highlight easy access to the building, but also other attractions, first class accommodations, and plenty to do."

Russell Denver, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, said the chamber is also working to increase the visibility of the convention center by collaborating with other area chambers to get the word out and to create a cohesive ring of support around the center.

"We’ve coordinated with other chambers to make sure the building and the events within are well publicized," said Denver, adding that, in addition to the chambers’ involvement, every mayor in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties recently signed a letter promising cooperation and collaboration with the convention center, the MCCA, and the GSCVB. He said the action calls attention to the importance of the facility to the Western Mass. community.

"The impact of the building during construction is something that a lot of people overlook," he said. "It has been very positive ‚ a lot of people have been employed by this project, and the local confidence is already there.

"What the long-term impact will be, time will tell," he continued. "But there is a definite spin-off phenomenon expected. What it comes down to is that $71 million has been pumped into Springfield, and that’s outstanding."

Still, Denver, like Rooney, tempered his positive outlook with the knowledge that only after several years will the region know whether the convention center has become a player in the industry, and a boon for Western Mass.

"I have no lofty expectations," he said. "If you create goals and they’re not met, expectations get dampened pretty quickly. The center is just one more tool in the tool box for us."

A Study in Black and White

Rooney said the propensity toward guarded optimism is actually an appropriate response to the approaching start of the MassMutual Center era.

While he and others are hopeful that the center will bring much-needed dollars into Springfield and surrounding communities, the worst-case scenario has been considered: that tough competition will prove to be too high a hurdle, and the center will languish in a tepid sea of bookings, fighting for business not with other convention centers in the country, but instead with other local venues.

"This industry is very competitive," he said. "Any business we get will come at the expense of somebody else, somewhere."

But Rooney was quick to note that stiff competition, though real, is no reason to bow out of the game entirely. He acknowledged that the convention industry of the ’90s, which remained a strong growth sector well into 1999, has slowed in recent years. But he explained the change as proof of an industry that is maturing, not declining.

"Conventions were driven largely by the technology industry," he said. "It has slowed recently, and I’ll admit that demand leveled off. But that’s just American Economics 101; industries mature. This is an $80 billion industry ‚ a big industry. A lot of money is still being spent."

Rooney’s characterization of the convention industry came in response to a controversial study released in January by the Brookings Institution, a research and analysis organization in Washington, D.C. that focuses on economics and metropolitan policy, which questioned the validity of convention centers as economic drivers.

The report, Space Available: The Realities of Convention Centers as Economic Development Strategy, authored by Heywood Sanders, proposed that while convention business has long been an attractive option for struggling cities hoping to rejuvenate their streets with a steady stream of visitors spending money in hotels, restaurants, and stores, some trends in the industry suggest that the strategy is one that could backfire.

"The overall marketplace is declining in a manner that suggests that a recovery or turnaround is unlikely to yield much increased business for any given community, contrary to repeated ind
stry projections," Sanders wrote, citing advances in communications technology as one reason for decline. "Nonetheless, localities, sometimes with state assistance, have continued a type of arms race with competing cities to host these events, investing massive amounts of capital in new convention center construction and expansion of existing facilities."

Indeed, the MassMutual Center project fits such a description; it is one of 44 new or expanded convention centers currently in construction across the country. Meanwhile, it functions under the direction of the state, and will open for business shortly after nearby Hartford opens the doors of its new convention center, which dwarfs Springfield’s facility.

But Rooney was skeptical of some of the study’s findings.

"Sanders has taken some statistics and tried to create an impression of an industry that is dying," he said. "But there is one way to measure his success as devil’s advocate: there isn’t one convention center in America he’s been able to close yet.

"It’s foolish to suggest that because competition is fierce that we all take our bat and ball and go home," he continued. "Springfield can compete as much as anyone. It will be the execution of well-laid plans that will create new demand."

But in an increasingly competitive field, how real is the potential for in-fighting among the convention center and existing facilities in the area?

It’s a very real fear, said Rooney, and one that has been addressed.

"Our desire is for Greater Springfield to compete and to compete aggressively," Rooney explained. "Jockeying for position locally is a real possibility, but the convention center can’t do that and be competitive ‚ none of the venues in the area can, and it’s not our objective. What we do want is to add value to the region, and in five years, watch all of our boats rise. It comes back to managing Springfield as a destination ‚ it’s going to take a great deal of cooperative effort."

He added that as various meeting facilities compete for business, they also continuously hone their strengths and focus on the niches they best cater to, and that should stave off any major struggles for clients between the center and surrounding facilities such as the Basketball Hall of Fame, Eastern States Exposition Grounds, the Mullins Center in Amherst, and banquet facilities such as the Log Cabin in Holyoke.

Wayne McGarry, president of the Eastern States Exposition, shared Rooney’s positive outlook.

"We lost the Affiliated Chamber’s Market Show to the convention center already, but I certainly understand why," he said, citing the Chamber’s support of Springfield’s newest venture. "The long-term impact of the center remains to be seen, but as far as we are concerned, I’m sure we’ll remain competitive."

McGarry added that overall competition may be minimal because the two venues have different roles and serve different audiences.

"Their focus is conventions, ours is really trade shows because we have wide-open spaces and staging areas," he said. "That’s not to say that there may not be an event some day that we both want. But overall I don’t see us being too competitive with each other. One would have to be optimistic that the new facility will spark interest in the region overall ‚ anything that proves to be good for the overall economy is good for everybody."

And while no specific partnerships have been formalized between the convention center and other facilities in the area, McGarry didn’t rule that out.

"Who’s to say that at some point there might not be an opportunity we could enter into jointly?" he mused. "It’s not out of the realm of possibility."

Wydra agreed that partnerships are an area that could be examined in the future.

"A lot of people like to have their conventions and meetings all in the same place, but hold a dinner or a cocktail party off-site," she said. "Already, the Hall of Fame is generating a lot of interest for things like that. Dual interest is another way that promoting the entire region to add to the strength of the convention center comes into play."

Fear vs. Fortune

Wydra concluded that the GSCVB, MCCA, and others will continue to address and often allay others’ fears regarding the center’s future role in the region. But she said they don’t toss that sentiment around in their own circles.

"Fear doesn’t enter our vocabulary," she said. "Excitement does. This is a first-class property that we have to offer here."

One that they hope will receive a five-star review very soon.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

By
Departments

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

AGAWAM

P & P Construction Inc., 468 Springfield St., Agawam 01030. Paul Campagna, same. Veteran owned and operated construction corporation.

AMHERST

USCHA Inc., 6 University Dr., Suite 206-148, Amherst 01002. Mark Dennehy, 15 College View Heights, South Hadley 01075. College hockey development camp and tournament.

CHICOPEE

Jenne Group Inc., 16 Yale St., Chicopee 01020. Daniel R. Myers, same. To provide real estate services.

EAST LONGMEADOW

E T Simones Inc., 18 Lombard Ave., East Longmeadow 01028. Eric T. Smith, same. To own and operate restaurants.

GRANBY

Granby Golf Center Inc., 172 West State St., Granby 01033. Patrick T. Wright, 14 East St., Easthampton 01013. Golf range, miniature golf, etc.

Northeast General Contractors Inc., 40 Batchelor St., Granby. Patricia O’Flaherty, same. To deal in real estate.

Pleasant Brook Farm & Feed Inc., 84 Pleasant St., Granby. Roger D. Ilnicky, same. Sale of feed grain and related products.

HAMPDEN

KAC Sales of New England Inc., 62 Pondview Dr., Hampden 01036. Kathleen A. Charest, same. To sell police equipment.

HATFIELD

New England Watershed Publications Inc., 8 Elm St., Hatfield 01038. Russell Powell, same. To deal in books, magazines, newspapers, etc.

HOLYOKE

Friends of the Massachusetts Memorial Cemetery at Agawam, Inc., 18 Center St., Holyoke 02040. Delfo Barabani, 98 Irene St., Chicopee 01013. (Nonprofit) To raise funds to build the memorial pathwalk, etc., for said cemetery.

LONGMEADOW

Maritime Smarts Inc., 141 Lawnwood Ave., Longmeadow 01106. Stephen Larivee, same. Maritime education.

LUDLOW

Cady Street Meat Market Inc., 2 Cady St., Ludlow 01056. Jose M. Matias, 38 Dinis Ave., Ludlow 01056. Butcher shop/grocery store.

KLR Transportation Inc., 53 Evergreen Circle, Ludlow 01056. Lisa A. Kalesnik, same. Trucking and transportation.

SOUTHAMPTON

All About Flowers Inc., 10 Susan Dr., Southampton 01073. Jill M. Malo, same. Retail and wholesale sale of flowers.

Aquarius Plumbing & Heating Inc., 14 David St., Southampton 01073. Daniel J. Bishop, Sr., 18 Hathaway Road, Westhampton 01027. Plumbing and heating.

SOUTHWICK

Con-Ash Development Corp., 141 Feeding Hills Road, Southwick 01077. Gerald A. Mongeau, same. To deal in real estate.

SPRINGFIELD

Murnell Inc., 237 Memorial Dr., Springfield 01101. Thomas Englert, 409 Montcalm St., Chicopee 01020. To manufacture and deal in cleaning products.

New Hope Community Health Clinic Inc., 915 Plumtree Road, Springfield 01119. Bev Premo, 555 Parker St., East Longmeadow 01095. (Nonprofit) To provide charitable, medical and educational services to those in need in Springfield, etc.

Northern Rail Services Inc., 25 Knollwood St., Springfield 01104. Jessica R. Mastromatteo, same. To repair railroad tracks.

Ohuhu Development Union Inc., 17 Lancaster St., Springfield 01118. Emmanuel Okonkwo, same. (Nonprofit) Classes for Igpo language, mathematics and sciences; economic development, health services, etc.

Springfield Fuel Inc., 100 Congress St., Springfield 01104. Mohamad H. Jabak, 6 Oak Meadow Lane, Methuen 01844. Gas station.

Springfield Tax Corp., 725 Sumner Ave., Springfield 01108. Jonathan Fein, same. Tax services.

WESTHAMPTON

Bright Spot Therapy Dogs Inc., 282 North Road, Westhampton 01027. Cynthia J. Hinckley, same. (Foreign corp; CT) To design and implement Therapy Dog Programs for needy persons including those in nursing homes, hospitals, etc.

WILBRAHAM

RSM Services Inc., 8 East Colonial Road, Wilbraham 01095. John William Collins, III, same. Sales agency.

By
Departments

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

AGAWAM

Mechanical Plastics Corp., 65 Moylan Lane, Agawam 01001. John M. Murphy, same. Plastics parts manufacturer.

MFK Enterprises Inc., 6 Sycamore Terrace, Agawam 01001. Max F. Kozynoski, same. Embalming and related services to funeral homes.

AMHERST

Amherst Rotary Good Works Fund Inc., 90 Gatehouse Road, Amherst 01002. Leslie Smith, 538 Market Hill Road, Amherst 01002. (Nonprofit) To solicit charitable donations to distribute to worthwhile community causes.

Education Without Borders Inc., Pratt Dormitory, Amherst College, Amherst 01002. Paige Fern, 202 South Dormitory, Amherst College, Amherst 01002. (Nonprofit). To advance education and literacy, improve the lives of children in developing countries.

One Northampton Street Enterprises Inc., 7 Pomeroy Lane, Amherst 01002. Valerie Hood, 28 Farmington Road, Amherst 01002. Purchase and management of a business.

BELCHERTOWN

Shelton Brothers Inc., 205 Ware Road, Belchertown 01007. Daniel Wesley Shelton, 5 Pointview Road, Ware 01082. Marketing.

BRIMFIELD

RAD Insurance Holdings Inc.,73 Dunhamtown Palmer Road, Brimfield 01010. Maria N. Thomson, same. (Foreign corp; DE) Insurance agency holding company.

CHICOPEE

Chester Village Market Inc., 29 Albert St., Chicopee 01020. David H. Befford, same. To operate a convenience store.

Dmitriy’s New England Construction Inc., 108 Meadow St., Chicopee 01013. Dmitriy Salagornik, 15 New Ludlow Road, Apt. 27, Chicopee 01013. New construction and remodeling.

J.P. Precision Machine Co. Inc., 165 Front St., Chicopee 01028. Zbigniew Szwedo, 69 Crestwood St., Chicopee 01020. Machine manufacturing and design.

Sturbridge Inn Inc., 357 Burnett Road, Chicopee 01020. Kamlesh Patel, 738 Main St., South Portland, ME 04106. Dinesh Patel, 357 Burnett Road, Chicopee 01020, treasurer. To operate and manage real estate.

Swamishri Corp., 1782 Westover Road, Chicopee 01020. Kamlesh C. Patel, 11 Trotters Walk., West Springfield 01089. Convenience store.

W1KK Wireless Association Inc., One Broadcast Center, Chicopee 01013. Robert P. McCormick, 116 Swan Ave., Ludlow 01056. (Nonprofit) To maintain amateur radio facilities for emergency communications and public service, etc.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Criterium Events Inc., 64 Brynmawr Dr., East Longmeadow 01028. Peppino Maruca, 44 Harkness Ave., East Longmeadow 01028. To engage in the management and services of marketing events.

Powday Management Inc., 444A North Main St., East Longmeadow 01028. Gregory Z. Szyluk, II, 117 Oakwood Dr., Longmeadow 01106. To deal in real estate.

Quilts & Treasures Inc., 325 Elm St., East Longmeadow 01028. Mrs. Valerie V. Morton, same. Retail sales of sewing and craft materials.

FLORENCE

45 Pine Street Associates Inc., 45 Pine St., Florence 01062. Virginia H. Hoener, same. To own and manage real estate, etc.

Kids Rule Playhouse Inc., 320 Riverside Dr., Florence 01602. Miadelia M. Marcus, same. Themed parties and supplies.

Tibetan Association of Western Massachusetts Inc.,
10 Matthew Dr., Florence 01062. Tashi Dolma, same. (Nonprofit) To preserve the rich cultural heritage of Tibet, practice the guidelines from the Tibetan government in exile headed by His Holiness The Dala Lama, etc.

GRANVILLE

Moore Money Inc., 191 Reagan Road, Granville 01034. Maryadele G. Moore, same. Lease of real estate.

River Hollow Golf Inc., 191 Reagan Road, Granville 01034. Scott A. Moore, same. To operate a golf driving range and miniature golf course.


HADLEY

Steel Structures Detailing Inc., 245 Russell St., Hadley 01035. Henry Lederman, 190 West Pomeroy Lane, Amherst 01002. Steel detailing.

HOLYOKE

J.T.’s Bakery and Caf» Inc., 514 Westfield Road, Holyoke 01040. John C. Taylor, 333 Nottingham St., Springfield 01104. Retail bakery and related sales.

Little Mountain Animal Hospital Inc.,
435 Northampton St., Holyoke 01040. Mark S. Restey, same. To operate a veterinary business.


HOLYOKE

Massachusetts Oncology Services, P.C., 5 Hospital Dr., Holyoke 01040. Daniel E. Dosoretz, M.D., 13221 Ponderosa Way, Fort Myers, FL. 33907; Corporate Service Co., 84 State St., Boston, registered agent. To provide professional radiation therapy services.

Bradford Builders Inc., 9 Harlo Clark Road, Huntington 01050. Bradford J. Moreau, same. Construction of buildings, etc.


INDIAN ORCHARD

DMG Promotions Inc., 250 Verge St., Suite 6 & 7, Indian Orchard 011151. Carmine Costantino, same. Distribution of gifts and novelties.

LUDLOW

Environmental Technologies Inc., 545 West St., Suite C, Ludlow 01056. Ewa Lupa, 2 Blossom Lane, Belchertown 01007. General construction including lead abatement and mold remediation and treatment.

MONSON

Norcross Restaurant Inc., The, 125 Main St., Monson 01057. Rita C. Belanger, 11 Advance St., Bondsville 01009. Restaurant, cafe and catering.

Prospect Lawncare Inc., 55 Reimers Road, Monson 01057. Christopher N. Russell, same. Lawncare and carpentry.

NORTHAMPTON

Extremes Inc., 73 Barrett St., #3103, Northampton 01060. Gulshan K. Arora, same. Software development and consulting, retail business.

McLain Fitness Inc.,141 Damon Road, Unit E, Northampton 01060. Laura McLain, 5 Lyman St., Easthampton 01027. Fitness center.

Pinecrest Acres Realty Corp., 35 Holyoke St., Northampton 01060. John Edwards, same. To develop and sell residential property at North Main St., Petersham, MA.

The Sandinista Barista Inc., 400 South St., Northampton 01060. Timothy J. Carey, same. To construct and operate one or more restaurants and food service establishments.

PALMER

S.M.G. Camp Inc.,
140 Breckenridge St., Palmer 01069. Edward P.
Gadarowski, R.D. #1, Box 232, 106 Kenyon Hill Road, Cambridge, NY 12816. William Mullen, 140 Breckenridge St., Palmer 01069, secretary. (Nonprofit) To maintain a free camping facilities for Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts — in memory of Stephen M. Gadaroswki and his love of scouting and camping.

SOUTH HADLEY

Dry Brook Development Inc., 14 Alvord St., South Hadley 01075. L. Philip Lizotte Jr., 390 Hadley St., South Hadley 01075. Real estate development.

KES Realty Corp., 33 Fairview St., South Hadley 01075. Patrick J. Spring, same. To deal in real estate.

SPRINGFIELD

Cobalt Financial Inc., 155 Maple St., Suite 402, Springfield 01105.
William B. Foster, same. (Foreign corp; DE) To deal in real estate
transactions.

Evinshir Inc., 827 State St., Springfield 01109. Evins C. Brantley, 91 Dunmoreland St., Springfield 01109. To deal in restaurants, inns, taverns, cafes, etc.

Filco Vending Inc.,1111 Sumner Ave., Springfield 01118. Philip A.
Frogameni Jr., same. Sale and lease of vending machines.

Jerry’s Lawn Sprinklers Inc., 307 Gillette Ave., Springfield 01118.
Gerald E. Dansereau, same. To install and maintain lawn sprinklers, etc.

JP&B Concepts Inc., 1334 Liberty St., Springfield 01104. John P. Gent, 26 Ivan St., Springfield 01104. To operate restaurants.

Mass Bottle & Can Redemption Inc., 23 Morgan St., Springfield 01107. Dany Nguyen, 230 Senator St., Springfield 01129. Bottle and can redemption center.

Upper Hill Resident Council Inc., The, 215 Norfolk St., Springfield 01109. Adrienne C. Osborn, same. (Nonprofit) To enhance the quality of life in the Upper Hill community of Springfield.

WESTFIELD

A & G Transport Co., 241 E. Main St., Suite 253, Westfield 01085. Andrey Krasun, 126 Union St., A 8-15, Westfield 01085. Transportation.

All In One Shop Inc., 1144 Southampton Road, Westfield 01085. George Mathew Changathara, same. Convenience store sales.

Mass Consulting Services Inc., 6 Clinton Ave., Westfield 01085. John Turner, same. Geotechnical testing, consulting and construction monitoring.

WILBRAHAM

Neighborhood Deli Inc., 2341 Boston Road, Wilbraham 01095. Ilyas Yanbul, 59 Cedar St., Ludlow 01056. Restaurant business.

Quinn’s Fine Jewelry Inc., 2040 Boston Road, Wilbraham 01095. Brian Alexander Quinn, 12 Kelly Lane, Hampden 01036. Retail jewelry store.

By
Departments

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

AGAWAM

Trimboard Inc., 25 Century St., Agawam 01001. David W. Townsend, 227 Farmington Road, Longmeadow 01106. Manufacturing.

AMHERST

Art and Music Games Inc., 70 Columbia Dr., Amherst 01002. Roman Yakub, same. Publisher of art and music software.

Umoja Too Performing Arts Company Inc., 560B Riverglade Dr., Amherst 01002. Tashina Bowman, same. (Nonprofit) To expose children to the performing arts, West African Dance and Drum, Japanese Song, South African Dance and Song, etc.

CHESTERFIELD

Golden Sunset Farm Inc., 103 Bryant St., Chesterfield 01012. Gary W. Wickland, 191 South St., Chesterfield 01012. Dairy farm operation.

CHICOPEE

Economy Transmission Repair Inc., 959 Meadow St., Chicopee 01013. A. Timothy Tetrault, same. Automotive repair services.

Ginka Construction Company Inc., 71 Lambert Ter., Chicopee 01020. Jeanne E. Fleming-Armata, same. General construction.

Iglesia Cristiana Casa De Bios Inc., 454 Grattan St., Chicopee 01020. Miguel A. Jusino, 28 Simard Dr., Chicopee 01013. (Nonprofit) To function as a church, etc.

Min Royal Inc., 1503 Memorial Dr., Chicopee 01020. Shan Min Li, 63 Voss Ave., Chicopee, president, treasurer and secretary. Restaurant (Chinese buffet).

EASTHAMPTON

DiGrigoli Easthampton Inc., 66 Northampton St., Easthampton 01027. Paul DiGrigoli, 6 Westernview Road, Holyoke 01027. Beauty salon and spa services.

EAST LONGMEADOW

G & A Import Auto Repair Inc., 41 Fisher Ave., East Longmeadow 01028. Giovanni Gioiella, 40 Highland Ave., E. Longmeadow 01028. To repair imported automobiles.

GRANBY

Granby Educators’ Association Inc., 393 East State St., Granby 01033. Nancy Karmelek, 17 Sherwood Dr., Belchertown 01007. (Nonprofit) To improve the quality of education for all, advance the socioeconomic well-being of educators, etc.

HAMPDEN

Pamerica Inc., 487 Glendale Road, Hampden 01036. Erica Dwyer, same. The practice of law.

HOLLAND

Holland Elementary Parent Teacher Organization Inc., 28 Sturbridge Rd., Holland 01521. Scarlett Ferrar, same. (Nonprofit) To raise funds to help meet the financial and educational needs of our small school.

HOLYOKE

Healing Waters Family Church Inc., 98 Suffolk St., Holyoke 01010. Mark Thomas, 100 Beacon Ave., Holyoke 01040. (Nonprofit) To operate as a church for the propagation of the Christian faith, etc.

Soxology Inc., 10 Hospital Dr., Suite 306, Holyoke 01040. John J.
Swierzewski, D.P.M., same. To deal in items relative to baseball, history of baseball, online and in print, video and other media.

Worlds Famous Hot Dogs Inc., 1597 Northampton St., Holyoke 01040. Kevin J. Chateauneuf, same. To carry on a restaurant business.

LONGMEADOW

East Longmeadow Grille Inc., 153 Elm St., Longmeadow 01028. Laura L. Lacrosse, same. Diner/restaurant.

LUDLOW

Keloo Inc., 245 East St., Apt. A, Ludlow 01056. Sezgin Turan, same. Food service/restaurant.

NORTH HATFIELD

Dermal Direction Inc., 166 Depot Road, North Hatfield 01066. Marian Ruth Curran, same. Wound care consulting and education.

NORTHAMPTON

J&S Trading Inc., 776 North King St., Northampton 01060. Tariq Javaid, 380D Hatfield St., Northampton 01060. Gasoline and all convenience store items.

PALMER

A Clear Vue Auto Glass Inc., 1219 Thorndike St., Palmer 01069. Kevin C. Samble, 66 Hillside Manor Ave., Vernon, CT 06066. Charles T. Samble, 2 Blacksmith Road, Wilbraham 01095, treasurer. To deal in automobile glass.

SPRINGFIELD

Atlantic Cascade Corp., 1272 Morgan Road, Springfield 01089. Claudia H. Mick, 234 Timpany Blvd., Gardner 01440. Business consulting services.

Blue Planet Enterprises Inc., 904 State St., Springfield 01109. Minerva Willis, 18 Stanhope Rd., Springfield 01109. To deal in clothes, telephones/cell phones, lottery sales and retail management.

Torres Insurance Agency Inc., 2652 Main St., Springfield 01107. Daniel Torres, 20 Lafayette St., Springfield 01109. An insurance brokerage business.

THREE RIVERS

New Future Development Corporation II, 2 Springfield St., Three Rivers 01080. John W. Morrison, 166 Peterson Road, Palmer 01069. General contracting, build homes, sell real estate.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

bdfhklt Inc., 233 Western Ave., West Springfield 01089. Eric J. Wapner, same. Commercial printing.

Center for the Traditional Family Inc., 183 Ashley St., W. Springfield 01089. Dean C. Vogel, Sr., same. (Nonprofit) To provide information regarding the value of the traditional family and marriage for raising children, etc.

MacKenzies Furniture Inc., 1680 Riverdale St., West Springfield 01089. Barbara Spear, 285 Christopher Ter., West Springfield 01089. Retail.

WILBRAHAM

Worldwide Freight Service, Inc., 4 Highridge Road, Wilbraham 01095. Richard Francis Faille, same. Transportation brokerage of freight.

By
Departments

The following incorporations in Hampden and Hampshire counties were filed between mid-February and mid-March, the latest available. They are listed by community.

AGAWAM

John G. Molta Real Estate Inc., 117 Park Ave., Ste. 152, Agawam 01001. John G. Molta, 21 Blairs Hill Road, Agawam 01001. To deal in real estate.

AMHERST

BBTech Corp., 181 Pondview Dr., Amherst 01002. Susan E. Corkill, same. Advanced software research, development, consulting and training services.

BELCHERTOWN

Sweet Music International Inc., 708 Federal St., Belchertown 01007. Adam Sweet, same. Import/export of music-related supplies, instruments, equipment and services.

CHICOPEE

Lance Berneche Construction Inc., 48 Fletcher Circle, Chicopee 01020. Lance N. Berneche, same. Construction, carpentry, electrical, roofing, etc.

Izzy’s Garage & Shop Inc., 564 Chicopee St., Chicopee 01020. Isaiah A. Salloom, 40 Cleveland St., Holyoke 01040. To deal in real estate, operate automotive service/repair shops.

Vendor Associates Inc., 20 Pendleton Ave., Chicopee 01020. Richard A. Burns, same. Vendor cooperative association.

EASTHAMPTON

Webster Hook Inc., 11 Ashley Circle, Easthampton 01027. Daniel J. Webster, same. To operate a restaurant, delicatessen, lunch and dining room.

EAST LONGMEADOW

WLC Consultants Inc., 296 North Main St., East Longmeadow 01028. James E. Walsh, 374 Pinehurst Dr., East Longmeadow 01028. To provide consulting on real estate permitting and related construction.

HOLYOKE

Advanced Orthopedic Products Inc., 92 Allyn St., Holyoke 01040. Stuart G. Lempke, same. Retail sales of orthopedic devices and products.

Springfield Pallets Inc., 25 Pinehurst Road, Holyoke 01040. Mary Jo Allen, same. Pallets sales and recycling business.

LONGMEADOW

Smily Inc., 641 Converse St., Longmeadow 01106. Satish Kumar, same. To deal in real estate.

Zephyr Imports Inc., 18 Homestead Blvd., Longmeadow 01006. Tahir Malick Sheikh, same. To import and sell rugs and various art objects.

LUDLOW

C. Lemek & Son’s Construction Inc., 49 Wood Dr., Ludlow. Christopher J. Lemek, same. Excavating, grading, landfill and earth moving operations, etc.

Direct Auto Promotions Inc., 90 Southwood Dr., Ludlow 01056. David J. DiCienzo, same. To deal in automobiles, power boats, bicycles, etc.

RUSSELL

DAS Alarm Systems Inc., 1029 Blandford Road, Russell 01071. Sharon M. Schenna, same. To deal in fire alarm and fire suppression systems, security and closed circuit television monitoring, etc.

SOUTH HADLEY

Danni and Me Boutique Inc., 15 College St., South Hadley 01075. Rita Choi-Boyer, 15 San Souci St., South Hadley 01075. Retail clothing sales.

SOUTHAMPTON

CHI Associates Inc., 8 Golden Circle, Southampton 01073. Craig Issod, same. Business consulting.

SOUTHWICK

Andy Terzian Home Improvements Inc., 5 Great Brook Dr., Southwick 01077. M. Andre Terzian, 5 Great Brook Dr., Southwick 01077. Home improvements.

SPRINGFIELD

DML Business Services Inc., 250 Albany St., Springfield 01105. Denise LaBelle, 164 Windsor St., West Springfield 01089. Financial and accounting activities.

International Food Market Inc., 921 Belmont Ave., Springfield 01108. Toqur Kurbanov, 60 Manor Ct., Springfield 01108. Retail sales.

Lokapala Organization Inc., The, 1296 Summer Ave., Springfield 01118. John Curtis Mertzlufft, same. (Nonprofit) To provide sustainable solutions for communities to create growth, etc.

Peskin, Courchesne & Associates, P.C., 101 State Road, Suite 301,
Springfield 01103. Judd L. Peskin, same. The general practice of law.

Sul-Lab Inc., 315 Cottage St., Springfield 01109. Linda Labranche, 36 Braywood Cir., Springfield 01009. Bar and restaurant.

Weiner Law Firm, P.C., 95 State St., Ste. 918, Springfield 01103. Gary M. Weiner, 259 Deepwoods Dr., Longmeadow 01106. To practice the profession of law.

WESTFIELD

B & K Landscaping Inc., 61 Woodcliff Dr., Westfield 01085. Brad Kreikamp, same. Landscaping services.

Center of Endless Possibilities Inc., 8 Pleasant St., B, Westfield 01085. Warren J. Savage, same. (Nonprofit) Spiritual consulting/coaching.

Gagnon DiPietro Inc., 635 Southwick Road, Westfield 01085. Gary J. DiPietro, 23 Maple St., Chester 01011. Restaurant.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

American Environmental Inc., 380 Westfield St., W. Springfield 01089. Jose Julio Bermejo, same. To engage in environmental contracting.

Triggering Change

By
Cover Story
MichaelGolden Wants to Build Brand Equity at Smith & Wesson
’Michael Golden says that when it comes to name recognition, the Smith & Wesson brand is as powerful as Coca Cola or Harley Davidson. But awareness doesn’t necessarily translate into sales, said the company’s new CEO, who wants to take this brand, what he called a ìtremendous assetî and manage it more effectively and profitably.

When asked what brought him to Springfield and the corner office of the historic, but recently troubled, Smith & Wesson company, Michael Golden answered quickly and succinctly.

"It’s the brand," he explained, pausing for a moment — as if to indicate that this might be all needed to say — before elaborating. "It’s one of the most famous brands in the country; it’s a powerful brand, one that I wanted to manage."

Golden, who arrived at Smith & Wesson in early December, knows all about famous brands. He’s helped develop and sell several of them during a 25-year career in business. He started at Proctor and Gamble as a unit sales manager, before moving on to Black & Decker, where he launched the Dewalt Accessory line, and, later Stanley Works and the Kohler Company, makers of kitchen and bathroom fixtures and accessories.

At each of those stops, he helped grow market share by leveraging, or managing, a highly recognizable brand name, and properly positioning it. And he wants to do the same at Smith & Wesson, a company that has battled back in some ways from years of declining sales in the wake of lawsuits against the gun industry and the company’s widely criticized settlement with the federal government, but has historically struggled to take full advantage of its famous name.

Golden, the subject of this month’s BusinessWest CEO Profile, is the publicly held company’s fourth president in the past six years, and the latest to take on the assignment of translating brand recognition into sales and profits. He is addressing that task with a broad strategic plan that includes everything from NASCAR sponsorship to heightened lobbying efforts in Washington and elsewhere designed to help Smith & Wesson capitalize on many post-9/11 global developments, as well as a broad emphasis on security and public safety.

The company’s name now sits on the hood of the # 30 car, driven on NASCAR’s Busch Series by Scott Riggs. It’s there to gain the attention of the sport’s huge fan base, which features demographics that mirror the target audience for the gun industry.

"We think this is going to be a great fit for us," Golden said. "This is an effective way to reach to reach out to a large, very brand-loyal audience."

As be builds visibility for the brand, Golden will also focus on sales, which have been improving — third-quarter numbers were up 12% over the same period a year ago — and will be driven by the company’s ability to penetrate new markets and build better, stronger relationships in existing markets.

Golden has already made several trips to Washington, where he has lobbied decision-makers to consider Smith & Wesson products when arming the 1.8 million servicemen and women across the globe. He has made similar pitches to law enforcement agencies across the country.

And while the Smith & Wesson name is well-known, he explained, it does have its limitations, noting that recent attempts to many sell items with the company’s name — from watches to police bicycles — have had only limited success.

Moving forward, the company will focus its attention on four key areas — safety, security, protection, and sport, he said. "And they provide us with plenty of room to grow."

Golden added that he approaches his latest brand-building assignment with equal doses of confidence and realism. The former is a byproduct of his past success with other top-tier brands, while the latter comes out of recognition that the gun industry is a highly competitive environment, where history and nostalgia only go so far.

Under the Gun

As he talked with BusinessWest about his goals for Smith & Wesson and how he hopes to achieve them, Golden said he wants to borrow from experiences earlier in his career.

At Black & Decker, for example, he was charged with "creating excitement," as he put it, for the company’s new brand of power tools and accessories, Dewalt. At Stanley, meanwhile, he said, he "learned how to manage a company."

And at Kohler, he said he gained experience in "protecting" a brand by taking cost out of the company and properly positioning the cabinet businesses he directed.

Golden actually had two stints at Kohler. The first came in 1996, when he served as vice president of sales, customer service, and distribution of its North American Plumbing Division. There, he grew sales from consistent, low-single-digit increases to double-digit jumps for two consecutive years. He also restructured the sales team, as well as customer service operations, moving from 14 independent sites to one centralized location.

That assignment followed a 15-year stint at Maryland-based Black & Decker, where he started as vice president of the so-called "Home Depot Division," and eventually rose to VP of the Canadian Power Tools Division and then VP of sales and marketing of the North American Accessory Division. During that last stop, he was responsible for sales, product development, and marketing programs for the Dewalt Accessory line, which included drill bits, saw blades, and related products.

In 1998, Golden went to work for Stanley Works, the hardware and tool maker in New Britain, Conn. There, he served as president of its Industrial and Construction Sales division. Specifically, he was responsible for a sales and organizational development of four business units, Stanley Hand Tools, Bostitch Fastening Products, Stanley Hardware, and Petro Mechanics Tools.

During his second stint at Kohler, he served as president of the cabinetry sector, where he was responsible for two separate businesses with combined revenues of $200 million.

Golden said he wasn’t necessarily looking for work — he was doing consulting work for a private equity firm — when he was approached by a recruiter about the Smith & Wesson position. "I wasn’t a shooter, and I admit to not knowing much about the gun industry," he said. "But I was intrigued by the brand, and I’ve learned a lot about leveraging brands."

Since joining the company, he has been actively engaged in learning about the gun business — he’s even fired a few of Smith & Wesson’s products at its shooting facility — and going about the task of more effectively leveraging the brand.

He’s also trying to take a company that has seen some recent turmoil — especially in the CEO’s chair and the Board of Directors— and provide a measure of stability.

Golden succeeds Roy Cuny, who left Smith & Wesson last fall to join Charlotte, N.C.-based stun-gun maker Stinger Systems (Cuny subsequently left that company late last March, citing a difference of opinion with the CEO). Cuny’s stint lasted less than two years, and came after the departure of Robert Scott, the former head of sales and marketing for Smith & Wesson, who assumed the corner office when the Arizona-based company Saf-T-Hammer, which he joined in 1999, completed a fire sale purchase of Smith & Wesson from British giant Thompkins PLC in 2001.

It was Scott who led the company through the public relations — and sales — fallout that accompanied the company’s March 2000 agreement with the federal government that effectively removed from Smith & Wesson from many of the law suits against the gun industry in exchange for several concessions.

Golden acknowledges the rocky recent past, but says his focus is clearly on the future and doing more with a brand he says has been "undermarketed."

"Historically, the company hasn’t done all that it can with its brand," he explained. "I want to change that."

Lock and Load

Discussing his new brand, Golden said that when it comes to name recognition, there are few peers.

Coca Cola, Harley Davidson, and Ford come to mind, he said, adding quickly that those companies, like Smith & Wesson, know that awareness doesn’t always translate into sales.

"Awareness and perception are two different things," he explained. "We don’t want people to simply know about our products, we want them to feel good about our products.

"People hear our name and they know we make guns Ö it doesn’t matter whether you like guns or not, you hear our name and you know what we do," he continued. "That’s something to build on; we have to take that awareness and drive sales."

The methods for achieving that broad goal will be outlined in a new three-year strategic plan that will be rolled out later this month. Golden touched on some of the highlights for BusinessWest.

The plan includes a number of broad and specific strategies for marketing, sales, new product development, and eliminating cost from operations, he said, noting that with many initiatives, the clock started running on Dec. 6, the day he took over.

On the sales side of the ledger, Golden said, the company will target several audiences, especially the three that offer the most growth potential — law enforcement, the federal government, and foreign governments. Smith & Wesson has lost market share in each area over the past several years, and will be aggressive in its efforts to get it back.

"We don’t do a lot of business with the federal government at the moment," he explained. "We want to get more, obviously, and as we lobby for contracts, we’re going to stress both the quality of our products and the fact that doing business us will keep jobs in this country."

Indeed, many government agencies and police departments have given contracts to foreign gunmakers, including Beretta, Glock, and Sig Arms, he said, adding that to get these former clients back, the company must stress more than the ’Made in the USA’ label. "We have to show them that we can compete with anyone," he said, "and I believe we can."

The broad sales strategy involves not only new and existing markets, said Golden, but also core products and new items that fall into those categories he outlined earlier — safety, security, protection, and sport. This list includes everything from handcuffs to safety goggles to hunting knives. It also includes includes development of less-lethal products such as mace and stun guns.

As for marketing, the company wants to reach out to the many different types of customers it has — the constituency groups include end-users, dealers, and distributors — with messages that speak about both specific products (several new pistols are selling well), and tradition.

The NASCAR Busch Series car sponsorship will play a lead role in that mission, he said, noting that the sport’s enormous fan base is young, largely conservative, and outdoor-sports oriented. Golden noted that it may be hard to eventually quantify the results of the car sponsorship — much depends on how well the team does and how much air time Riggs’ Chevrolet gets on TV — but he believes it will prove a sound investment.

"We’re excited about this," he said. "We’re going to get some good exposure that should drive additional sales for us."

Hire Caliber Sales

As he discussed Smith & Wesson and his plans for it, Golden used the word legacy to describe both the company’s workforce and the products it makes.

"Many of our employees are following their fathers and the grandfathers in working for Smith & Wesson, and when you walk through the plant and talk with people, they take pride when they tell you how long they’ve been here," said Golden, adding that, likewise, generations of the same family have put their trust in the company’s products.

His role as CEO is to build on that legacy through greater, more effective leveraging of the brand.

"The question for us is, ’how do we take this incredible asset and use it to grow our company?’" he said.

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

Tour de Force

By
Features
’Mary Kay Wydra calls herself the Valley’s biggest cheerleader. That’s an oversimplification of her duties as President of the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, but still, the title fits. And while she works to sell the region to travelers, she’s also recruiting residents to root for the home team.

H For Mary Kay Wydra, the Pioneer Valley is home. But it is also her workplace, her passion — and her product.

She’s been selling that product for more than 15 years as part of the team at the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (GSCVB), which she now directs.

Wydra has dubbed herself the definitive cheerleader for Western Mass., though that may be an oversimplification of her day-to-day duties. Responsible for promoting the Pioneer Valley as a year-round destination for everyone from large-scale corporate groups seeking convention and meeting spots to tour groups in search of new sites to visit, not to mention the casual day-tripper, Wydra and her staff must constantly find new ways to market the region as fun, exciting, historic, educational, accessible, and affordable, all on a shoe-string budget.

There are many challenges that come with that assignment, some that are relative to the broad tourism industry, such as seasonal slowdowns and intense competition for tourism and convention dollars.

Others, though, are hurdles specific to Greater Springfield. For starters, there’s the perception that the region is primarily an ëideal pit stop’ for refueling, grabbing a quick bite, and moving on. There’s also the perception that the Valley is too far away (from anywhere) and has little to offer.

Those elements, coupled with the present need to triumph over negative headlines regarding crime, poverty, and fiscal duress, would complicate any cheerleader’s job. To overcome those obstacles, Wydra and her staff are composing a multi-faceted strategy for not only selling the region, but building momentum within it.

BusinessWest looks this month at the components in that strategy, which includes recruiting new players and inspiring the home team.

The Laws of Attraction

Wydra, a Westfield native, has worn many hats at the bureau. She started there in 1988 as a secretary after graduating from Springfield College with a degree in business and a minor in psychology. She later left to pursue a job in public affairs with Big Y.

Soon, though, Wydra came to the realization that tourism was her calling.

"I really missed my industry," she said. So, after 15 months away from the convention and visitors bureau, she returned, this time to stay, rising up the ranks to assume her current position in January, 2001.

The date is notable — just eight months later, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 brought the nation to a standstill and the travel industry into a prolonged tailspin. Tourist destinations of all kinds suffered, she said, but major metropolitan areas were especially hard hit.

"People were fearful of traveling to large cities for a long time," she said. "Because of that, more people took notice of our major attractions, and they began to realize that we were a varied, interesting, and accessible place to visit."

So in some ways, 9/11 actually created opportunities for the Pioneer Valley, she said, a situation augmented by the addition of several new attractions; the fact that hotel occupancy rates in the Pioneer Valley have exceeded the state-wide numbers for the past several years are proof of that.

Wydra said steady, improving tourism numbers are the result of a set of marketing and community-based initiatives, designed specifically to keep the Pioneer Valley on the map.

Her approach takes into account both those people unfamiliar with the region and those who live and work here, and is heavily weighted toward positive public relations — an important facet of the bureau’s operations and a key component to putting Greater Springfield’s best face forward.

It’s also one of Wydra’s professional strengths. She handled much of the bureau’s marketing efforts prior to accepting the president’s post, and displays many successful print campaigns of years past in her Main Street, Springfield office.

The current campaign uses materials that showcase the Pioneer Valley to outsiders, including businesses and organizations that may want to hold conventions and meetings in the area, tour groups, and individual travelers, all with a family feel and all underscoring the expansive nature of the region, Wydra explained.

Of course, there is a strong emphasis on major attractions — Six Flags in Agawam, Springfield’s new Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Yankee Candle flagship store in South Deerfield among them. The rise in leisure travelers that began in 2002 can also be attributed to the simultaneous addition of four new attractions — the new Hall, the Dr. Seuss Memorial Sculpture Garden at Springfield Quadrangle, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, and the Superman — Ride of Steel roller coaster at Six Flags.

"We really pushed the fact that we had four new attractions being added all at the same time, " she said, "and that helped us get the word out about the Pioneer Valley in general."

It also added to the progress being made in the cross-promotion of events and attractions within the three counties that make up the Pioneer Valley, one of the aspects of her job that Wydra finds most gratifying.

Weekend Warriors

"The great progress we’re seeing among people identifying themselves as part of the entire region and not a specific county or town is wonderful," she told BusinessWest. "We are united by a highway and a river, and can offer so many different types of experiences. You can start a trip in a city and experience the urban flavor of the region. Then, you can go a little further west and visit some of the more funky, artsy places like Northampton; go a little further still and you’re in the heart of a beautiful, bucolic area … I think people realize the value of that."

Another phenomenon Wydra has noticed is the evolution of the region’s tourism sector, from what was largely an afterthought in an area dominated by manufacturing, to one of the fastest growing segments of the area’s economy.

She said the tourism industry has created a number of jobs locally, and has spawned the creation or expansion of hospitality management programs at UMass, American International College, and Holyoke Community College.

"Years ago, people found travel and tourism information in the leisure section of the daily newspaper," she said. "That is no longer true. Now, the things we are doing are on the front of the business section. We need to continue to cultivate that to benefit the Valley."

At the same time, area residents need to take a measure of ownership in the region’s tourism sector by becoming part of cheerleading squad, Wydra added. This includes providing recommendations, directions, or travel advice to visitors, while encouraging families and groups exploring convention sites to consider the Pioneer Valley.

In short, Wydra wants to create a greater sense of pride in the region.

She’s doing so through several initiatives, including the Pioneer Valley Pride program, which in part will enlist local individuals to promote Greater Springfield as a possible convention location for regional or national associations they may belong to. Meanwhile, the GSCVB continues to promote the decade-old Howdy Awards, given to residents who work in the hospitality industry annually, to recognize exemplary service.

"These individuals are often overlooked, but they are the people who are giving directions, checking people into hotels, and serving their food," she said.

This year, to augment the program, she has added a wrinkle to the Howdy tradition — ëHowdy U’ — that will take shape in June. The program, designed to give those in the hospitality business a crash course in Pioneer Valley tourism, was developed in part to create career ladder opportunities for people in the service industry, as well as to decrease the high turnover levels that are common to hospitality and tourism-related jobs nationwide.

The two-day course, to be held at Western New England College, will first provide its students with information regarding broad skills such as dealing with angry customers, and later, region-specific information.

"We want people to be knowledgeable about the region — to know about attractions like our museums, live theater, and symphony, and how to direct people to them," she said.

The second day, Howdy U participants will be loaded onto a bus and shuttled around the Pioneer Valley on a guided tour of both visible and hidden gems, in order to develop a working knowledge of their proximity to one another.

"That will allow them to tell people how close different attractions are to one another and help them suggest possible itineraries," she explained.

Howdy U graduates will also be able to illustrate the variety of attractions that exists in the region, which Wydra sees as one of its best assets.

"It’s a big selling point," she said, pointing out that in addition to specific attractions such as the Yankee Candle flagship store or seasonal events like Bright Nights and the Big E, the bureau frequently promotes ëhub and spoke trips’ that allow tourists to stay overnight in one location, but branch out on any number of day trips in surrounding towns and cities.

"We like to point out that there are so many attractions within minutes of each other, that it’s very easy to pick a hotel or a bed and breakfast in one city or town, but experience the entire Valley in a matter of days," she explained. "Overall, we try to pitch the Pioneer Valley as a package. All of these partnerships enhance the work we do, and help us expose what the Valley has to offer."

In addition, Wydra is focusing on attracting new populations to the area, including an increased number of bus tour groups and student travelers, of both high school and college age. The bureau also continues to market heavily to potential convention customers, and is poised to capitalize on the opening of the new MassMutual Convention Center, being built on the Springfield Civic Center site, slated to open in September of this year.

Its very construction is adding to the Pioneer Valley Pride Program, Wydra noted. "People are watching it go up and they’re starting to get excited about what it means for Springfield."

With or without major projects like the new convention center aiding the marketing efforts of the bureau, though, it always maintains a strong concentration on its three major customers — meeting planners, tour operators, and leisure visitors — and has stepped up its collaborative efforts with business partners across the Valley, including some unconventional partners such as area hospitals and banks. The partnerships reflect both the unique and close-knit nature of the region, Wydra said, as well as the growing importance of tourism initiatives to the region’s fiscal picture.

"There needs to be a concerted effort to bring commerce into the region," she said. "It’s important to everyone, and as more people are exposed to what the Valley has to offer, more people will ultimately take advantage of all of our services."

A-list Possibilities

With so many different variables to monitor, Wydra said measuring success has become a detailed process. The occupancy rates at area hotels are constantly monitored, as are the number of bus tours arriving in the Valley and what types of people are aboard. Attendance at major events and attractions is also compared to the previous year’s, down to the last child to pass through the Big E gates, or the last car to exit the Bright Nights tour.

All that data is proof of what Greater Springfield’s improving allure to travelers, Wydra said, thanks to home team hustle.

"The Pioneer Valley has become a destination due to a lot of hard work by a lot of people. My job is to be enthusiastic for the region — which in and of itself is not hard, because I believe in it, I love it, and it is home to me."

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

By
Departments

The following incorporations were recorded in Hampden and Hampshire counties between late January and mid-February, the latest available. They are listed by community.

AGAWAM

MiG Xpress Inc., 661 River Road, Agawam 01001. Sergey Agibalov, same. Trucking service.

AMHERST

Katherine J. Atkinson, M.D., P.C., 29D Cottage St., Amherst. Katherine J. Atkinson, M.D., 24 Trillium Way, Amherst 01002. To render professional medical services including family practice services.

CHICOPEE

MVL Co. Inc., 44 Old James St., Chicopee 01020. Thomas P. Mauer, 243 Pearl St., South Hadley 01075. Lawn, tree and shrub care, etc.

Pachi Paradice Inc., 42 Buckley Blvd., Chicopee 01020. Guy J. Robillard, 77 Meadow St., Chicopee 01013. Internet sale of casino supplies.

EAST LONGMEADOW

HNM Corp., 668 North Main St., East Longmeadow 01028. Mustafa Ali, 28 Memery Lane, Longmeadow 01106. Retail sale of grocery and convenience items.

Pepper Belle Tourette Syndrome Awareness Program Inc., 26 Forbes Hill Road, East Longmeadow 01028. William J. Perrero, same. (Nonprofit) To promote awareness of Tourette Syndrome among the general public, etc.

FLORENCE

Sunrise Amanecer Inc., 21 Summer Ave., Florence 01062. Veronica Navarrete-Vivero, 21 Sumner Ave., Florence 01062. (Nonprofit) To provide education and health services to underserved racial and cultural minorities in the Hampden and Hampshire county area.

HUNTINGTON

Lansing Spatech Inc., 10 Pond Brook Road, Huntington 01050. David L. Lansing, same. To repair, replace and service hot tubs and spas.

LUDLOW

Airsports Paintball Inc., 6 White St., Ludlow 01056. Gregory DeMone, 39 Sawmill Road, Ludlow 01056. Recreational activities, mountain board, and paintball supplies and sales.

NORTHAMPTON

Fringe Studio for Hair Inc., 56 Main St., Suite 202, Northampton 01060. Bruce Klein, 575 Bridge Road, Unit 11-1, Florence 01062. Hair salon.

PALMER

Palmer Softball Inc., 1701 Park St., Palmer 01069. Charles Smith, same. (Nonprofit) To play adult sports, including softball, volleyball, and horseshoes.

SOUTHAMPTON

Sheldon Construction Inc., 60 Crooked Ledge Road, Southampton, 01073. William A. Sheldon Jr., same. General contracting.

SOUTHWICK

Molt’s Liquors Inc., 345 North Loomis St., Southwick 01077. Joseph F. Molta, same. To own and operate a package store.

SPRINGFIELD

Avid Ironworks Inc., 2 Mattoon St., Springfield 01105. Joseph A. Visconti Jr., 33 Day St. South, W. Granby, CT 06090. Kenneth J. Gogel Esq., 2 Mattoon St., Springfield 01105, registered agent. Steel fabrication and welding.

Dandia Inc., 127 Mulberry St., Springfield 01105. Daniel Sullivan, 200 Birch Road, Longmeadow 01106. To deal in real estate.

Forest Remodeling Inc., 20 Greenleaf St., Springfield 01108. Edward J. Forest, 122 Hampden Road, Somers, CT, 06071. James Eklanian, 20 Greenleaf St., Springfield 01108, registered agent. Remodeling of residential structures.

JSMR Inc., 19 Arcadia Blvd., Springfield 01118. Michael A. Remillard, same. Restaurant.

RAL Inc., 42B Bancroft St., Springfield 01107. Robert A. Lopez, same. To own and operate a package store.

Veterans in Packaging Inc., 48 Zephyr Lane, Springfield 01128. Edward J. Peplinski, same. To deal in packaging and packaging supplies.

WESTFIELD

ACI Investigative Group West Inc., 7 Sally St., Westfield 01085. Shawn Carey, same. Investigative services for fraudulent insurance claims, etc.

J & P Landscaping Inc., 4 Rachel Terrace, Westfield 01085. Peter R. Plourde, same. A landscaping and property maintenance service business.

Maharaj Inc., 21 Hillcrest Circle, Westfield 01085. Bintula Patel, same, president, treasurer and secretary. Retail liquor store.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Professional Property Services, Inc., 31 Russell St., West Springfield 01089. Patricia Jean Harrison, same. Trade contracting and home improvement.

WILBRAHAM

Julien J. Drapeau Home Improvement Inc., 6 Surrey Lane, Wilbraham 01095. Julien J. Drapeau, same. Every type of home improvement.

New England Playaz Inc., Law Office of Frank W. Bloom, 85 Post Office Pk., Wilbraham 01095. Francis Bloom, same. (Nonprofit) To expose and promote high school basketball players seeking college or prep school academic and/or athletic scholarships, etc.

Destination: Memorial Drive

By
Chicopee construction
Sections Supplements
Surge in New Development Shows Changing Attitudes About Chicopee
Chicopee construction

Chicopee construction

The notation on the latest construction -activities report for the city of Chicopee says it all.

Next to a listing for a planned, 2,000-square-foot Starbucks cafÈ to be built near the PeoplesBank ATM on Memorial Drive it says, No Longer a Rumor.

While the actual facility hasn’t been built — no groundbreaking has even been scheduled — Starbucks’ latest Western Mass. site appears to be fact, says City Planner Kate Brown, and this says something about Chicopee and Memorial Drive.

"There’s an interesting juxtaposition there," Brown told BusinessWest. "You have Wal-Mart on one side of the street, and a $5 cup of coffee on the other side. I’m not really sure what that says, but I think it means that Chicopee and Memorial Drive have what a lot of national retailers are looking for.

"I think it means that people are now looking past the income statistics," she continued, noting that, until now, most national chains have looked past Chicopee, presumably because its demographics were not attractive enough. "People are getting past the numbers and seeing the opportunities that exist here."

Bill McCabe agrees.

He’s a project manager with CBL & Associates Properties Inc., a Tennessee-based, publicly held real estate investment trust (REIT) with more than 70 million square feet of retail property in its portfolio. The company spent more than three years in tough negotiations to wrest a large portion of the former Fairfield Mall property from the Pennsylvania-based REIT Preit-Rubin Inc., and finally prevailed early last year.

CBL is now constructing what is being called the first phase of new retail development in the old mall site. Four national chains — Staples, Marshall’s, Sleepy’s, and iParty — will occupy a 75,000-square-foot facility, while additional retail is being planned.

"This really fit in our portfolio … the location is fantastic — the turnpike exit is right there — and Memorial Drive gets a significant volume of traffic," said McCabe, who noted that the presence of Wal-Mart and Home Depot have prompted many other retailers to give Chicopee a hard look.

Mayor Richard Goyette calls it a "domino effect."

He said that as more national retailers come to Memorial Drive, the traffic count on the street goes higher, which, in turn, prompts more retail, and a continuation of that cycle. The phenomenon can be seen not only in new ventures, but the expansion and renovation of existing businesses, he said.

"I see a lot of momentum on Memorial Drive … there’s a lot happening, and that only draws more interest in that area," he said. "It’s exciting to watch things unfold."

And as development continues on Memorial Drive, attention is also being paid to infrastructure, said Goyette, noting that work is being done to ease access into the new retail complex at the former mall site and to accommodate the increased traffic on roads leading to the area.

We expect to be drawing people from a much wider area than we have," said Goyette, who told BusinessWest that city officials want to make Memorial Drive a destination, not a place people want to avoid.

What’s in Store?

A further look at Chicopee’s latest construction activities report, which includes projects in all phases — conceptual, planned, permitted, under construction, and completed — and also lists development opportunites, reveals the extent of activity on this street framed by the turnpike and Westover Air Force Base.

In addition to the four big boxes under construction at the former mall site, which was demolished in 2002, an Applebee’s restaurant is planned for the north side of that complex, near the Wal-Mart entrance drive. Meanwhile, CBL is moving ahead with phase 2 of its plans for the former mall property, with several more retailers planned for another 70,000 square feet of space.

And then, there’s the Starbucks, which is planned for a site just off the turnpike exit, in the so-called BJ’s plaza, a development that also includes Big Y and sits adjacent to a Stop & Shop, a recently opened Hampton Inn, a Bank of America branch, and the aformentioned ATM.

There are a number of other projects in the planning stages, and several developments that have been completed, including:

• A planned 8,500-square-foot expansion project at Curry Honda;

• Preliminary plans for Bob Pion Pontiac to expand into the former Admiral DW’s restaurant next door;

• Ongoing faÁade improvements at the Price Rite plaza, including paving and a new roof;

• Planned relocation of the Ocean State Job Lot at the front of the Fairfield Mall site to the site of the former Ames store in a plaza further north on Memorial Drive;

• Construction of a new Auto Zone at the site of the former Ponderosa restaurant;

• Rehabilitation of a former bank branch building into the new home of the Freedom Credit Union;

• Demolition of the Pizza Hut restaurant near the front of the former mall and construction of a Ninety Nine restaurant; and

• Construction of "The Arbors Kids" day care and summer sports adjacent to an existing assisting living facility.

The list goes on, said Brown, noting the sum of the development projects and their diversity show that Chicopee, and specifically Memorial Drive, is becoming an increasingly popular site for retailers of all kinds.

Why? The need for some national chains like Home Depot and Wal-Mart to penetrate and then saturate new geographic areas certainly has something to do with it, she said. But location, location, location, — the credo of the commercial real estate realm — is also a big factor, as are changing attitudes about the city itself.

For decades, the national chains seemingly ignored Chicopee, said Brown, opting instead for the Holyoke Mall area, Boston Road in Springfield, Riverdale Road in West Springfield, Route 20 in Westfield, or Route 9 in Hadley.

What few retailers the city could attract were mostly discount shops like Bradlee’s, Ames, and Caldor’s, which all fell victim to Wal-Mart and other national giants. The situation was so bad that Brown, when asked if the arrival of Wal-Mart had an adverse effect on existing retailers, said, "there was hardly anyone left to be devastated."

Thinking Outside the (Big) Box

That scene is changing, with the arrival of Home Depot and Wal-Mart, the current construction of the four additional big boxes, and the promise of more development up and down the street, said Brown, who told BusinessWest that the surge in development on Memorial Drive began in the late ’90s, and was greatly accelerated by the ultimate demise of the Fairfield Mall.

Opened in 1974, the mall enjoyed some early success with a mix of discount anchors and several local businesses in its main concourse. Eventually, however, it couldn’t compete with larger area malls, especially nearby Holyoke, and as the discount stores failed and traffic to the mall steadily decreased, its fate was sealed.

The de-malling of the site — a term used by development professionals to describe the process of retrofitting a parcel for development — started in late 2000, and was slowed by a sluggish economy and a complicated ownership situation. At the time, the property was held by three concerns, all with different agendas and priorities.

The property still has three owners, but they appear to be on the same page. Home Depot owns its parcel, formerly the site of the Caldor’s store, New York-based Vornado Realty Trust holds the parcel on which the Wal-Mart was built, and CBL owns the former mall concourse area and most of the parking lot.

It was the arrival of Home Depot, which began construction in 2001 and opened in August of 2002, that got the ball rolling, said McCabe, adding that the start of construction on the 139,000-square-foot Wal-Mart provided additional momentum — and vast potential.

It was a combination of location and potential that attracted CBL, which primarily owns regional malls that are the dominant retail facility in middle-market acres.

The 22-acre portion of the former Fairfield Mall site is one of many acquisitions CBL has made in the past year. Others include the 1.2 million-square-foot Mall del Norte in Laredo, Texas, the 991,000-square-foot Northpark Mall in Joplin, Mo., and the 1.1 million-square-foot Monroeville Mall just outside Pittsburgh.

The Chicopee purchase is much smaller in scale, said McCabe, who works in the company’s Boston office, but it is an important addition to the portfolio. And he believes the company’s track record with many national retailers, coupled with the site’s location and other amenities, bode well for the future.

"We wouldn’t have gone into this if we didn’t have the retailers on board," he explained. "One of the nice things about being a national company is that we have very good relationships with a number of different retailers. If we didn’t think this made sense for them, we wouldn’t have gone forward with this property.

"We feel comfortable with the location," he continued, "and with Chicopee."

McCabe couldn’t reveal to BusinessWest the names of retailers who are close to inking deals to come to the former mall site, but he said several contracts are pending for storefronts that will be between 1,600 and 12,000 square feet.

He expects a mix of local and national stores, and said Home Depot and especially Wal-Mart are companies that attract other retailers.

"We have a number of Wal-Marts in other shopping centers we own, and they’re fantastic for business," he explained. "A lot of other retailers see the traffic that Wal-Mart generates and they want to be a part of that."

With Wal-Mart and the mix of other retailers to occupy the site, the former mall complex will be drawing shoppers from at least a 10-mile radius and perhaps more, said McCabe, noting that there are several projects planned to accommodate the higher traffic volume.

Additional turning lanes will be created at the former mall site to allow easy access, said Goyette. Meanwhile, the city will undertake a project to widen Fuller Road, which connects Memorial Drive with Route 291, and another to facilitate movement on Sheradon Street, which runs behind the former mall complex.

Progress — Down the Road

Returning to the subject of demographics and income statistics, Brown said, "if we had Longmeadow’s numbers, this resurgence on Memorial Drive would have happened a long time ago."

The fact that it’s happening now is evidence that attitudes about the statistics are changing — and that perhaps the most important stat is that there is now a Wal-Mart at 545 Memorial Dr.

While the reasons for the burst of activity on the street can be debated, what can’t be is the notion that the area is now a real destination.

As with the planned Starbucks cafÈ, the emergence of Memorial Drive is no longer a rumor.

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

Doing Business as Certificates

By
Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of February 2005.

AGAWAM

Almerchants Jewelry
3248 Springfield St.
Arthur Lisee

Citizens Investment Services
1282 Springfield St.
CCO Investment Services Corp.

Dave’s Soda and Pet City Inc.
11 Ramah Circle
David Ratner

Gingras Plumbing & Heating Inc.
51 Liquori Dr.
Chad Gingras

I Candi Promotions
170 Mallard Circle
Melissa Marola

Mitem Corporation
335 Walnut St. Ext. #205
Larry White

Nova Care Rehabilitation
60 North Westfield St.
Start Inc.

Quality Transcript Services
215 Valley Brook Road
Gayle Lombardini

Western New England Hardscapes
471 Southwick St.
Derek Lajeunesse

AMHERST

Anzovin Studio Inc.
534 Main St.
Steve Anzovia

Celling Knowledge
15 McClellan St.
Michael Wand

El Sal Latino
221 Pondview Dr.
Manuel Ramos

Protonix
433 West St.
Trent Poole

Technical Design Services
59 Country Corners Road
Trent Poole

CHICOPEE

Clean Care Services
269 Hampden St.
Gilberto Deassis

Done Right Home Improvements
527 Broadway St.
Frank Cinino

Khadzhybey Construction
75 West St.
Sergey Shovgan

EAST LONGMEADOW

Always Perfect Flooring
94 Colony Dr.
Steven Silansky

East Longmeadow Realty LLC
63 Lenox Circle
William Gilligan

4 Ever Travel
371 Pease Road
Marlene Fransciosa

HOLYOKE

B & T Printing Co.
74 Lawler St.
Cherie Hager

It’s All Good
422 High St.
Mark LaRose

Leveille Studio of Fine Art
10 Open Square Way
Paul Leveille

LONGMEADOW

Today’s Window
478 Frank Smith Road
Edward Comini

ARLI
621 Maple Road
Vadim Romanov

NORTHAMPTON

Citizens Investment Services
228 King St.
CCO Investment Services Corp.

Northampton Auto Detailing
105 Damon Road
Kevin Ovitt

Remillard Sedan Service
160 Grove St.
Francis Remillard

SOUTH HADLEY

Mannaz
25 River Road
Janet Boland

Swift River Outfitters
175 Pine Grove Dr.
Scott Beaudoin

SPRINGFIELD

Alley Package Store
390 Allen St.
Richard Moriarty

B.R.D.J.
56 Marshall St.
Marion Weston

Bernai Properties
32 Belmont Ave.
Adalberto Bernai

Boston Road Bar & Grill
339 Boston Road
The Country Inn Inc.

Colan Chiropractic
1745 Main St.
Migiel Colan

Devine Design by Michelle & Co.
60 Boston Road
Michelle Martin

Idle Venture Services
340 Cooley St.
Ida Kelly

JST Automotive Center
1103-1107 State St.
Raj Singh, Maria Singh

Marek Dybacki Electrician
60 Marmon St.
Marek Dybacki

Neighborhood Foods
1500 Main St.
Peter & Young Chai

Ortiz Cleaning Service
70 Harrison Ave.
Michael Ortiz

Perez Auto Repair
161 Magazine St.
Luis Perez

Quick Pic Convenience
1343 Carew St.
Paul McCabe

Rehab Professionals
83B Mills Pond
Daniel Soto

Roots Vibration Production
57 Oakwood Ave.
Anthony Champbell

St. James Variety
328 St. James Ave.
Parra Afaela

Sapphire Construction & Remodeling
770 Carew St.
Candido Osorio

State Line Snacks
54 Hampden St.
Thomas Fortier

T & G Trucking
35 Upland St.
Gary Lindsay

This-n-That
20 Rupert St.
Clyde McMellen

WEST SPRINGFIELD

A-1 Superior Homes
70 Hill St.
Alexander Dzhuga

Alterations Unlimited West
197 Union St.
Trindade Agostinho

Bella Napoli
185 Elm Ave.
GCG Corporation

Cinema Pizza
46 Morgan Road
Business & Chemical LLC

Crown Furniture
1651 Riverdale St.
Donald Pottern

Dennis J Powers, Atty. at Law
56 Verdugo St.
Dennis Powers

Donovan Car Care Center
1702 Memorial Ave.
Joseph Spano

Fagunoles Cleaning Services
117 Ashley Ave.
Ludimiria Reyes

Frederick F. Bodzioch Jr.
30 Robinson Road
Frederick Bodzioch

Gilbert’s Handyman Service
65 Paulson Dr.
Norman Gilbert

The Heart to Heart Healing Connection
283 Elm St.
Michelle McCarthy

Love My Jojos-1
179 Daggett Dr.
Joanne Contrino Guilbault

LJ Macken Electronics
356 Memorial Ave.
Luke Macken

Lyon Consignment Furniture Inc.
1771 Riverdale St.
Mark Lyon

McGurn’s Concrete Inc.
248 Elm St.
Mark McGurn

The Neat Freaks Cleaning Service
91 Oakland St.
Marie Parrelli

New England Retina Consultants
171 Interstate Dr.
Bradley Foster

Ranji Signs Inc.
1313 Riverdale St.
Ranji Cheema

REM Landscaping
191 Miami St.
Robert Mattson Jr.

Rossen & Sons
37 Squassick Road
Ronald Rossen

Three Central St. LLC
3 Central St.
Carl Welker

The Wealth Technology Group
201 Park Ave.
Gary Thomas

WESTFIELD

Children’s Learning World
1029 North Road
Cheryl Thivierge

Get A Grip
125 Union St.
Anthony Paroline

Rick’s Appliances
264 Elm St.
Richard O’Brien Jr.

TLC Flooring Services
90 Franklin St.
Brian Hoskin

Xpress Pizza
236 Elm St.
Syed Arhar, Muhammad Afzal

Incorporations

By
Departments

INCORPORATIONS The following incorporations were recorded in Hampden and Hampshire counties between late January and mid-February, the latest available. They are listed by community.

AGAWAM

Heritage Sales Inc., 90 Industrial Lane, Agawam 01001. George L. Vershon Jr., 36 Hampden Lane, Agawam 01001. To deal in stones and metal monuments and markers, head stones, etc.

River Road Corp., 395 River Road, Agawam 01001. Michael D. B’Shara, 1215 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow 01106. To deal in real estate.

AMHERST

Political Economy Research Fund Inc., 418 North Pleasant St., Gordon Hall, University of Massachusetts, c/o Robert Pollin, Amherst 01002. Robert Pollin, 138 East Pleasant St., Amherst 01002. (Nonprofit) To provide grants and gifts to colleges, universities and/or secondary schools to promote research in the field of political economy.

CHICOPEE

Fitness Associates Inc., 1329 Memorial Dr., Chicopee 01020. Colleen Rondeau, 60 Michael Dr., South Hadley 01075. Management corporation for fitness facilities.

Nick’s Affordable Home Remodeling Inc., 539 Springfield St., Chicopee 01013. Nikolay Dipon, same. Commercial and residential construction and remodeling.

Trumpets Inc., 450 Memorial Dr., Chicopee 01020. May Cun, 384 Stonyhill Road, Wilbraham 01095. To own and operate a restaurant, cafe, nightclub, pool hall, etc.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Foy Inc., 200 Shaker Road, East Longmeadow 01028. James W. Aleks, 216 Pinehurst Dr., East Longmeadow 01028. To deal in beauty products, supplies, etc., used by beauty product stores.

Ryan Mortgage Group Inc., 280 North Main St., East Longmeadow 01028. Timothy P. Ryan, 136 Wenonah Road, Longmeadow 01106. Mortgage lending and brokerage.

HADLEY

RxATC Inc., 49 Lawrence Plain Road, Hadley 01035. James A. Owens, same. To provide 24-hour remote pharmacy consultant services to hospitals and medical facilities.

HOLYOKE

Holyoke Sports Legacy Inc., 25 Magnolia Ave., Holyoke 01040. John A. Collamore, same. (Nonprofit) To preserve the history of sports in Holyoke, assist Holyoke youth sports.

LONGMEADOW

Connectiuct Valley Weathersby Guild Inc., 362 Converse St., Longmeadow 01106. Michael F. Batchelor, president and treasurer; Kelleen M. Batchelor, same, secretary. To assist the moving industry in resolving claims for damages.

Go Fit Inc., 45 Woodside Dr., Longmeadow 01106. Susan Jaye-Kaplan, same. (Nonprofit) To provide health and fitness programs to economically underprivileged and underserved women and youth in inner city and rural settings, etc.

LUDLOW

Alexander’s The Great Restaurant Inc., 200 Center St., Unit 7, Ludlow 01056. Ferat Kolenovic, 33 Jackie Dr., Ludlow 01056. Restaurant.

NORTHAMPTON

Flying Dog Studios Inc., 320 Riverside Dr., Northampton 01060. Anna Pertzoff, 131 Chestnut St., Florence 01062. To operate an art center.

The Northampton Pottery, Ltd., 102 Main St., Northampton 01060. Megan Hart, 192 Academy Hill Road, Conway 01341. Pottery school and gallery.

PALMER

Friends of the Palmer Senior Center Inc., 1029 Central St., Palmer 01069. Ervin Smith, 1009 Pleasant St., Palmer 01069. (Nonprofit) To promote the best interests of the Palmer Council on Aging, etc.

SOUTHWICK

Augusti Brothers Pizzeria Inc., 1 North Pond Road, Southwick 01077. Michael Augusti, same. To operate an Italian restaurant and pizzeria.

Target Restoration Inc., 141 Feeding Hills Road, Southwick 01077. Gerald A. Mongeau, same. Fire and flood restoration.

SPRINGFIELD

Comprehensive Environmental Technologies Corp., 99 Chapin Terrace, Springfield 01107. Richard A. Britt, 22 Rachel St., Springfield 01129. Manufacturer’s representative in remediation of mold, service and distribution of products.

Disabled American Veteran Enterprises Inc., 48 Zephyr Lane, Springfield 01128. John K. Crotty, 13 Kimberly Dr., South Hadley 01075. To deal in packaging and packaging supplies.

Glory Home Care Inc., 191 Westford Circle, Springfield 01109. Skylar L. Dotson, same. Home care services.

Ministerio Rescatando al Perdido Inc., 64 Grosvenor St., Apt. 2L, Springfield 01107. Jose Luis Torres, same. (Nonprofit) To help the needy.

Springfield Direct Marketing Inc., 1 Federal St., Bldg 101R, Springfield 01105. Frederick J. Steinman, same. Direct mail advertising.

Veterans Managed Inventories Inc., 48 Zephyr Lane, Springfield 01128. Thomas B. Knowling, 1120 Bigelow Common, Enfield CT 06082. John K. Cross, 13 Kimberly Dr., South Hadley 01075. Third party inventory management service on a contract basis.

WESTFIELD

Aakash&Hinu Inc., 50 Russell Road, Westfield 01085. Artibahen R. Patel, 5514 Park Stone Ct., Sugar Land, TX 77479. Sanjay Patel, 55 Russell Road, Westfield 01085, registered agent. Convenience store.

Huge Leasing Co., 1294 East Mountain Road, Westfield 01085. Michael P. Dupuis, same. Leasing motor vehicles.

LPI Inc., 798 Airport Industrial Park Road, Westfield 01085. Raymond E. Carillon, 4 Griswold Circle, Granby 01033. Machine shop.

Panda House Inc., 589 East Main St., Westfield 01085. Cuiying Lin, 140 Union St., #D-73, Westfield 01085. Restaurant.

WILBRAHAM

Jones Educational Services Inc., 487 Stony Hill Road, Wilbraham 01095. Elizabeth A. Jones, same. To promote tutoring services to the general public, etc.

National Debt Solutions Inc., 2377 Boston Road, Suite 203, Wilbraham 01095. Jason L. Campbell, 511 Main St., Hampden 01036. To act on behalf of debtors to negotiate or settle with creditors all types of debts.

Valley Restoration Services Inc., 6 Parkwood Dr., Wilbraham 01095. Florence Marshall Kibbe, same. Adjustment, estimation, repair, etc., of property damage or loss.

By
Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of January 2005.

AGAWAM

Chemex New England
54 Ramah Circle North
Anita Hoyle

Country Boutique
150 Country Road
Florence Pelletier

Crystal Ice and Fuel
343 Main St.
Albert Grimaldi

D & G Suffriti Construction Co.
228 Adams St.
Gary Suffriti

Gemini Therapeutic Massage
664 Main St.
Donna Chartier

Gorgo’s Kitchen
858 Suffield St.
Alex Attman

Greenright Design
9 Alfred Court
John Hollywood

The Hair Salon at Quail Run
50 Cardinal Dr.
Karen Mitchell

Lido Graphics
46 Sequoia Dr.
John Rioni

M & M l Inks
541 Springfield St.
Maureen Abdullah

Mark’s Auto Detail Service
9 Alfred Circle
Mark Kuralt

McCarthy’s Liquors
430 Main St.
John McCarthy

Michael’s
324A Springfield St.
Vananh Huynh

Quality Life Systems
20 Logan Place
Brian Knowles

Red Coach Transportation of Western MA
449R Silver St.
Linda Polep

Sapphire Art & Photo
107 Franklin St.
Peter Karanysh

Sasha Speaks Seminars
210 Beekman Dr.
John Zebryk

Segway of Western MA
396 Main St.
Walter Meissner Jr.

Steve’s Home Improvement
77 Walnut St.
Stephen Kiforishin

Vannah Hair & Nail Techniques
324A Springfield St.
Vananh Huynh

AMHERST

After Five Silver Jewelry & Accessories
6 University Dr.
Teeom Williams

Amherst Computersmith
19 Justice Dr.
Andrew Berg

Casimir Kocot
79 South Pleasant St.
Terri Kocot

Gladius
134 East Hadley Road
Justin Viens, Jeffrey Costigan

Jane Taylor Jewelry
382 Middle St.
Jane Taylor, Jeffrey Fischer

Jones Properties LP
15A Pray St.
Gerald Jones

Love Myself Toys
15 Jeffrey Lane
Tiffany Johnson

Painting Unlimited Co.
18 Hunters Hill Circle
Alvaro Ramos-Jaco

Red Barn Music
409 Main St.
Kevin Collins

Whirlwind Fine Garden Design
29 Hartman Road
Christopher Baxter

CHICOPEE

AJ Chimney Services
161 Grattan St.
Adelph Andormenis

DeMatos Enterprise
9 Boisvert St.
Lee DeMatos

8 Wire Mall
17 Goodhue St.
Richard Sliski

Hair of the Dog
279 Montgomery St.
Paula Dane

HRS Trading
25 Highland Ave.
John Bellenoit

No Bones About It
62 White St.
Mary Apicella

No Heat Call Tommy
213 Bemis Ave.
Thomas Fregean

Robert Bernash Electrician
38 Ducharme St.
Robert Bernash

Royal Cigars
115 Front St.
Shahzao Ahmad

EAST LONGMEADOW

Crystal Nails Salon
613 North Main St.
Linh Ai Lam

Hampden Capital Funding
240 Parkerview St.
Ronald Fuller

Holistic Health Center
280 North Main St.
Alice Shabunon

James Scanlon Insurance
280 North Main St.
James Scanlon

Salon Karma
511 North Main St.
Jennifer Picard

HOLYOKE

Aurylius the Salon
74 Cabot St.
Margot Lugo

Desert Moon
50 Holyoke St.
Koang Yam

Downtown Delight
285 High St.
Carolann Stewart

Elegant Affairs
233 Easthampton Road
Margaret Boxold

Holyoke Sporting Goods
1584 Dwight St.
Elizabeth Frey

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service
515 High St.
Yogesh Patel

Phantom Security Service
15 Main St.
Samuel LaFleche

Project Works
64 Bemis St.
Deborah Long

Silvana Net
324 Homestead Ave.
Silvana Gravini

Specialized Security Service
15 Main St.
Samuel LaFleche

3B’s Variety
2014 Northampton St.
Randy Goldberg

Tuty Mini Mart & Restaurant
368 High St.
Margaro Crespo

LONGMEADOW

Bri McCarroll
136 Dwight Road
Bri McCarroll

Creative Edge
7 Edgewood Ave.
Cynthia Bixby

Edward Joseph Bauchiero
80 East Greenwich Road
Edward Bauchiero

Firehouse Entertainment
156 Barrington Road
Dean Godfrey

Mortgage Giver
1650 Longmeadow St.
Daniel Edwards

Today’s Window Fashion
468 Frank Smith Road
Edward Comini

NORTHAMPTON

Bacon & Wilson P.C./Morse & Sacks
31 Trumbell Road
Bacon & Wilson P.C.

Claytopia
157 Main St.
Jennifer Wiseman

Curran & Berger
53 Gothic St.
Joseph Curran

KC Consulting
130 Cardinal St.
Kimberly Cook

Mindful Touch Bodyworks
13 Old South St.
Tammy Pease

Seeds of Transformation
25 Main St.
Susan Lellamo

Snook & Mohan Insurance Agency
149 Jackson St.
Owen and Lisa Snook Mohan

Youth Development Consultant: Guidance/College Counselor
241 King St.
Michelle Letendre

 

Zuzzy’s
186 Main St.
Joseph Jeresaty

SOUTH HADLEY

Home Facelifters
249 Brainard St.
Philip Stefanelli

SPRINGFIELD

A Cut Above the Rest
186 State St.
Nelson Davila

A Cut Above the Rest II
2662A Main St.
Nelson Davila

All Service
25 Groton St.
Michael Allegrezze

Al’s Used Cars
17 Newhouse St.
Alfred Hicks

Austin Auto Sales
15 Austin St.
George’s Auto Body Inc.

Beautiful Nails
1130 State St.
Ut Van Vo

Cleaning Galore
75 Narragansett St.
Brian Kenney

DA-V Delivery
39 Montrose St.
Andrae Davey

Double Door
60R Congress St.
John Smith

El Behio Rest 809 Liberty St.
Miguel Martinsen

El Mayimbe Barber Shop
28 Fort Pleasant St.
Milagros Guerra

Fabricated Computers
20 Marquette St.
Jesse Rushlow

Family Floor Sanding
73 Appleton St.
Shawn Schipper

Fancy Nails
1655 Boston Road
Mai Du

Harry Van Wart Painting
160 Cambridge St.
Harry Van Wart III

Home Image
57 Leyfred Ter.
Nathen Bloors

Jeh Pro & Co.
92 Ramblewood Dr.
Olusela Urhiafe

Kimmy’s Quality Cleaning
29 Bowden St.
Kimmy Brown

The Lions Den
312 Locust St.
Genaro Sarno

New York Pizza
161 Boston Road
Nazar LLC

Official Lifestylez Clothing 68 Federal St.
Keola Perry

Office Enterprise
23 Castlegate Dr.
Anna Jordan

Phones-n-Such
121 Hartford Ter.
William Clow

Quality Disc
1127 Main St.
One Sound Place Inc.

Seafood Market
260 Hancock St.
Jorge Severino

Springfield Nails
682 Belmont Ave.
Omari Doctor

Sunny Day Communications
68 Merideth St.
Kenneth Smith

Torres Insurance Agency
2652 Main St.
David Torres

Total Property Maintenance
88 Butternut St.
Daniel O’Brien

Ultimate Anime
26 Mounton St.
Amber Frazier

Vintage International
91 Ramblewood Dr.
Olusela Urhiafe

W.T.C. Williams Training Center
29 Howard St.
J.S. Williams

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Ace Beauty Systems
1053 Westfield St.
Beauty Systems Group Inc.

Advantage Staffing Associates Inc.
131 Elm St.
Patricia Connors

Affordable Decks-Beautiful Decks
29 Clara St.
Jerome McCarthy Jr.

Alkhabi Custom Installations
954 Westfield St.
Mohammed Alkhabi

Angelo Bertelli’s Liquor Mart Inc.
726A Main St.
Harold Passerini

Army Barracks
1053D Riverdale St.
Stephen Lopilato

Convenient Cards LLC
8 Sean Louis Circle
Jack Clemente

Dean Auto Sales
6 River St.
CEDT Corporation Inc.

Duquette Electric Co.
395 Morgan Road
James Dusquette

E-Zee Mart
662 Kings Hwy.
Fawad Khawaja

E-Zee Mart
83 River St.
Arshad Iman

First Choice Brokerage Corp.
117 Park Ave.
Michael Martin

Greenough Paper Co. Inc.
54 Heywood Ave.
Greenough Packaging and Maintenance Supplies Inc.

Gokul LLC
2260 Westfield St.
Sunil Patel

K & M Auto Sales
697 Union St.
Kyle Shoemaker

The Kid’s Place Inc.
915 Memorial Ave.
Scott Petersen
Martin Insurance & Financial Service
117 Park Ave.
Michael Martin

Mike’s Heavy Hauling
770 Prospect Ave.
Michael Vazquez

Pak Grocery
470 Main St.
Muhammad Sultan

PAKD
23 Longfellow Dr.
Ashlee Picard

Professional Acoustics
2119 Riverdale St.
Professional Drywall Corp.

SSK Construction
43 Day St.
Sergey Petlyakov, Sergey Karnaukh

S.S.R. Construction
84 Maple Ter.
Peter Slivka

Summerwood Construction
34 Cass Ave.
Scott Harvey

Totally Floored
36 Second St.
Justin David

Trane
132 Myron St.
Jack Borgschult

United Sureties Fugitive Task Force
44 Exposition Ter.
Angus Rushlow

US Construction
26 Irving St.
Maksym Shalypin

WESTFIELD

A.G.E. Electric
77 Mill St.
Alexander Bielunis

Accounting Associates
92 Little River Road
Antonio Castro

Construction Unlimited
241 Main St.
Andrew Clough Sr.

The Hairport
148 Elm St.
Susan Austin

Hartley Brothers Landscaping
542 Montgomery Road
Daniel Hartley

LABA Dry Cleaners
51 Southwick Road
Aleksandr and Tammy Bolchunas

Magic Tan Western MA & Vermont
280 Russellville Road
Barbara and Stacie Phetteplace

Mohan Home Improvement
45 Parker Ave.
Aleksandr Monan, Ivan Mohan

Opportunity Knocks
74 King St.
Julianne Krutka

Republic Iron Work Inc.
84 Christopher Road
Gary Visconti

Western Parish Orchards
1780 Granville Road
Paul Tarnauskas