Restaurants Archives - Page 14 of 15

High-steaks Venture

By BusinessWest Staff October 16, 2006

Sections Supplements

Delaney House Has Continued Growth on the Menu

Peter Rosskothen says the introduction of Kobe Beef has provided another reason for people to discover a ‘modernized’ Delaney House.

Peter Rosskothen wouldn’t dare use the word ‘easy’ to describe life for himself and other restaurant/banquet facility owners during holiday season. He knows better.

“It’s never easy for anyone in this business,” said Rosskothen, co-owner of both the Delaney House and Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House in Holyoke, with a soft shake of the head. “It’s just too competitive in this market.”

But easier is a term that would probably work, he said, noting that families and businesses have a good reason to go out and treat themselves during the holidays. The basic questions remaining are essentially when? and where?

For the other 46 or so weeks of the year, facilities must often provide the reason, he continued, adding that there are many elements that go into successfully meeting that assignment. Service is one of them, while consistency, an important ingredient in any business but especially with food and events, is certainly another.

But sometimes, people need a little more reason. Which explains why the Delaney House opened the Mick, an Irish pub of sorts named after Delaney House co-owner and chef Michael Corduff, which offers a more relaxed atmosphere. It also explains why the restaurant stages cruiser nights featuring vintage cars on Tuesdays during the summer; packages manicures, massages, and martinis in one Monday night promotion; and recently introduced to the Valley something called Kobe beef.

Considered the finest in the world, it’s from Japanese Wagyu cattle. The cows are given daily massages and regular sake rubdowns, and they’re treated to beer, which stimulates their appetite. For these reasons and more, the meat is tender, flavorful — and expensive; a filet is usually well over $100 in New York, but the Delaney House, the only eatery in the area with Kobe on the menu, will serve one for $59.

That’s still steep for this market, and the Delaney House is almost daring people to try the beef with an ad campaign that focuses on the price and intimates that consumers can’t afford it. ‘You can pay the mortgage next month,’ states one print ad, while another beckons the curious with ‘your daughter’s teeth aren’t that crooked.’

Thus far, the reverse psychology, if one can call it that, is working.

“We added it in August, and we thought we’d get maybe one or two orders a week if we were lucky,” Rosskothen explained. “One week recently we had about 40; one regular customer has come in three times over the past month, and he’s had it every time; it’s really surprised the heck out of me.”

Beyond the cars, shoulder massages, and the beer-fed cows, however, Rosskothen said he has another reason why people should travel down old Route 5 to the Delaney House; they don’t really know it, and should.

“They remember what it used to be like,” he said of the days when it was under the ownership of George Page, and, later, a succession of banks before it eventually closed in late 2003 for a short period. “They think they know us, but they don’t.”

Rare Opportunity

Rosskothen said the introduction of Kobe beef to the menu is a move that runs counter, in some ways, to the broad branding strategy for the Delaney House since Rosskothen, Corduff, and Larry Pereault acquired it in late 2003.

Indeed, the eatery has long been fighting the perception in the marketplace that it’s expensive, or too expensive, he explained. Many marketing initiatives have focused on the conveying the message that the restaurant’s prices are comparable to others in the marketplace, and that it is not as stuffy, or formal, as many believe.

Still, Rosskothen believed the menu lacked what he called a signature, and he thinks he now has one in a Kobe-led lineup of steaks that punctuates a menu with items ranging from Teriyaki Halibut to Cape Cod Chicken.

But what’s on the menu is only part of the equation, said Rosskothen, who described the first 2 and a half years of his Delaney House ownership as a period of ongoing transition, one where he and his partners have gone about trying to change some misperceptions about the restaurant while also making several needed changes in areas where perception was reality.

In short, it’s been a process of modernizing the restaurant, for lack of a better term, with regard to look, feel, and overall experience.

“I think that what we’ve done is taken a restaurant that was very successful but needed to be updated to be up to par with what our customers expect today,” he said, referring to everything from a more-relaxed atmosphere, menu choices, and how food is prepared. “We took a very traditional restaurant and made it made more modern; it was successful then, but the same concepts that worked years ago, wouldn’t work now.”

But ‘modern’ does not mean ‘trendy,’ he continued, noting that the restaurant has been built for the long haul, and to serve a broad range of constituencies and tastes.

Backing up a little, to the fall of 2003, Rosskothen said he and his partners saw in the Delaney House an effective complement to the Log Cabin, one that wouldn’t compete with the highly successful banquet house that made its debut in 1996.

The theory was that the Delaney House, with a dozen meeting/dining rooms of various sizes and a hotel (Country Inn & Suites) next door, would be an attractive venue for many of the smaller events, including weddings, anniversaries, and business functions, that the Log Cabin couldn’t book because there wasn’t room in the hall or on the calendar.

That theory has been proven valid, said Rosskothen, but nothing has been easy (there’s that word again) since the new ownership took over.

First, many of the rooms required extensive and expensive makeovers, he said, adding that the partners’ investment in renovations was much more than anticipated when the property was acquired. Then, there was the matter of changing perceptions about the Delaney House or, in some cases, just conveying the message that the landmark was still open for business.

Flanking Manuever

After a slow first year (actually, the last nine months of 2004), the restaurant recorded a strong 2005, with roughly 15% growth, which is good for the restaurant business, said Rosskothen, adding that the venue is on pace for an even better year in’06.

That would be a significant accomplishment, he continued, noting an overall decline in the industry, especially at the local level, a trend that is reflective of the highly competitive nature of the market, a growing consensus that the region is oversaturated with restaurants, and an overall softening of the hospitality and entertainment market.

“This is a marketplace that’s not growing, and yet the number of choices continues to grow,” he said, adding that, with few exceptions, most restaurants have seen business fall off by 20% to 30% over the past few years.

To thrive in this environment, he said, all eateries, but especially those considered destination venues — the Delaney House, situated between the Northampton and Springfield markets, would definitely fit that description — must reflect current trends in dining while providing more of those reasons for people to leave the house, and not just on weekends.

The two assignments have some overlap, said Rosskothen, noting that the Mick was created out of the old bar/waiting area of the restaurant to provide a more casual (and lower-priced) dining experience — menu items range from Pilgrim Turkey Dinner to fish and chips to Guinness Beef Stew — but also some entertainment options.

Irish bands perform regularly at the Mick, said Rosskothen, who said the performances extend or complement the actual dining experience, providing more reasons to drive to Holyoke.

This was the reasoning behind the cruiser nights, he continued, adding that the events drew several dozen vintage cars — and probably some diners who might otherwise have stayed home on Tuesday night — to the restaurant’s parking lot.

Several other new programs have been introduced, as well, he said, listing a Monday night promotion conducted in conjunction with the Northampton-based day spa Brooks & Butterfield. For $20, patrons can get a manicure, massage, and a martini or glass of wine. The Mick has several promotions on a weekly basis, including a prime rib special that prompted an hour-long wait for seats one recent Wednesday night.

As for that broad modernization process, Rosskothen said a relaxed dress code is just part of a bigger picture. The broad goal is making dining a more personalized, more enjoyable experience.

“It’s about casual dress — not suits and ties, unless that’s what you want,” he said. “But it’s also the idea that you can pick the salad that you want, and that you can order and have foods the way you want them, rather than being told how you want them. It’s about Irish bands, not classical musicians.

“We want to make dining an experience,” he continued, “not a boring event.”

End Cut

Rosskothen, who is in the Delaney House nearly every day, said it’s a rare night when someone doesn’t approach him to relay that he or she hasn’t been in the restaurant for some time — and regrets that it’s been a while.

“I see it all the time, and it’s very gratifying to hear those things,” he said, noting that getting them back in is just the first step. “You want them to keep coming back, and do that you have to make that good first impression; you have to give them a good reason to drive a few extra minutes and come here.”

And that’s why this business isn’t easy, he continued, no matter the time of year.

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

Glowing Example

By BusinessWest Staff October 2, 2006

Features

Yankee Candle’s Programs, Philosophy Earn It the Work/Life Balance Award

Lori Kerwood, left, and Laura McCormick, say Yankee Candle’s many programs and perks help in the process of attracting and retaining employees.

When Yankee Candle Co. stages job fairs, it conducts those well-attended events in its Employee Health and Fitness Center.

The facilty’s size, 10,000 square feet, makes it appropriate, said Laura McCormick, head of Corporate Communications and Employee Services for the South Deerfield-based company. But there is another motivating factor.

“We want to demonstrate our commitment to employees, even as they are applying for jobs,” she explained, adding that the wellness center, which opened in the late ’80s and is stocked with a wide array of cardiovascular and weight-training equipment, is one of myriad facilities, programs, and operating philosophies that define the company’s dedication to helping employees balance life and work.

The list of services and benefits is long, and includes everything from a day-care-service locator to a comprehensive disease-management program; a dry-cleaning service to discounts at area retailers; an employee assistance program to breast-feeding accommodations. This collection of perks and programs helps create an attractive work environment, said Lori Kerwood, benefits manager for the company, one that enables the candle manufacturer and retailer to attract and retain quality workers.

But beyond the impressive retention statistics (70% is the most recent number, meaning that more than two-thirds of the workforce has been there five years or more) the company’s various programs help employees live healthier, more balanced lives, said Kerwood. And this ultimately makes them better employees.
Said McCormick, “Yankee Candle’s work/life philosophy has always been to provide practices, policies, and programs that actively support efforts to make our employees successful at home and at work. That’s what we strive for.”

Yankee Candle’s many initiatives in this realm have earned it the Work/Life Balance Award, co-sponsored by BusinessWest and Springfield Day Nursery. Now in its fifth year, the award was created to recognize companies’ efforts to help employees balance work and life outside it — and also promote awareness of the subject and how proactive employers are addressing it.

“Yankee Candle is one of many companies that understood long ago that employers must do more than issue paychecks each week,” said BusinessWest publisher John Gormally. “They have to recognize that their workers are their best assets and that they have lives outside their office, cubicle, or work station.

“Helping their employees manage their health, their time, even their finances isn’t merely something that’s good to do,” he continued. “It’s smart business, and it helps strengthen our communities.”

Kerwood agreed, and said one of the challenges for Yankee Candle, or any company focused on work/life balance issues, is to remain on the cutting edge of programs and services for employees.

“That’s something which is on many people’s job descriptions,” she explained. “Part of being able to offer a great benefits package is to stay on top of trends and new products and offer our employees the very best.”

This issue, BusinessWest takes a detailed look at how Yankee Candle goes about that important, ongoing assignment.

Shedding Light on the Subject

McCormick told BusinessWest that, when advertising job openings at the company, Yankee Candle gets quite descriptive when it lists employee benefits and programs. The goal is to secure a large, qualified pool of applicants for the position in question, and the full menu of perks certainly helps with that mission.

But the benefits do much more than guarantee a large number of resumes, she continued. They help make the 1,500 or so employees at the South Deerfield complex and 5,000 around the world feel happy — and appreciated. And these sentiments no doubt play a role in the company’s explosive growth rate and continued expansion across the country.

Employee benefits, like scented candles themselves come in several flavors at this company, but there is a premium placed on overall health and fitness, said Kerwood. There are many programs that would be described as typical — health and dental plans, disability insurance, reimbursement for fitness club membership for satellite workers, and even discounts on flu shots — but several that go well beyond that word.

They are part of a broad effort on the company’s part to make all of its employees what she called “better health care consumers.”

Elaborating, Kerwood said Yankee Candle goes to great lengths to make sure that employees don’t merely have health coverage, but that they fully understand their plan and can use it wisely and cost-effectively.

“We know that a healthy employee is sometimes just not enough,” she explained. “A smart health care consumer can help control some of the health care costs at Yankee Candle.”

Steps to improve health care IQ include online education programs, on-site programs with area providers, and training initiatives on the part of insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield on how to make smart decisions on health care consumerism.

“Health care is expensive, for all of us,” said Kerwood. “If you have a child who has a health emergency in the middle of the night, the first impulse for most people is to go to the emergency room. But if people can instead use a nurse line available 24/7, they can save themselves the $100 emergency room co-pay.”

Communication plays a vital role in this process, Kerwood continued, adding that the company uses newsletters and other vehicles to get the word out. “We can offer all the services we want, but if we don’t communicate them to people, they won’t be taken advantage of.”

Another part of the broad focus on health and fitness is a commitment to employee safety and injury prevention in the workplace, said McCormick, adding that programs include stretch breaks to reduce repetitive motion problems and an injury-management initiative designed to identify and respond to injuries before they lead to lost work time.

As for the employee fitness center, it would rival any gym in the area and is open 24/7, thus serving all shifts, said McCormick, adding that the company sees its responsibility as going well beyond staffing and equipping the center. Indeed, the primary mission/challenge is to incentivise employees to use it. Meanwhile, for those who aren’t comfortable in a gym, the company wants to encourage exercise at home.

This is accomplished through a number of programs, she explained, noting that while the company certainly supports and encourages those who work out every day, they are equally, if not more, focused on those who might do so once or twice a week or month. And the first priority is to get them to increase that frequency.

“We tailor our programs to allow employees to create their own goals,” she explained. “Maybe for someone to walk once a week in their neighborhood with their grandchild is a big step for them; we want them to set their goals, and if they reach them, we’ll reward them through prize drawings.”

The broad mission is simply to encourage people to exercise more than they have in the past, said Kerwood, adding that those who increase the number of regular visits to the fitness center are recognized on a board at that facility. “We don’t just want to recognize people who find the time to work out every day; we want to encourage those who are taking the first step.”

Dollars and Scents

Beyond health and fitness initiatives, the company has a number of other programs designed to provide convenience and cost savings, said McCormick. In the former category are such things as a dry cleaning drop-off and pick-up service — a very popular perk — and a new item rolled out this year called the “total pay card.”

Issued in place of a paper check, the concept takes direct deposit a step further, she explained, noting that money is deposited onto what amounts to a debit card that employees can use in virtually any location that takes credit or debit cards.

As for cost savings, the company uses its large workforce numbers to create discount programs on everything from auto and home insurance to meals at area restaurants.

“Financially, we help our employees in a number of ways; we work with area and national retailers to secure discounts for our employees,” said McCormick, noting that many such programs are reciprocal in nature, with the company offering retailers discounts on its products.

National chains include BJ’s Costco, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and others, she said, adding that the company has worked with Staples in the past. Meanwhile, a local discount booklet offers deals at a number of Western Mass.-based shops and eateries.

Still another group of benefits falls under the category of personal and professional development, said Kerwood, noting that the company has a number of programs — designed to help employees (especially women) advance their careers and take more active roles in the community.

The company recently created the Yankee Candle Women’s Network, she continued, adding that the program, still in its embryonic stage, is a multi-faceted endeavor involving community outreach, mentoring, and a peer group that will meet quarterly.

The community outreach component involves support of such programs as Dress for Success, which provides clothes for women in need trying to enter or re-enter the job market, said McCormick. “We want to look for ways in which Yankee Candle women can affect and better the community.”

Meanwhile, the mentoring program is designed for women looking to take the next step in their careers, she said, while the peer group will be focused more on social development. “The group will get together, bounce around some ideas, and just have fun,” she told BusinessWest.

When asked to quantify the overall benefit Yankee Candle yields from its largesse with benefits and employee programs, Kerwood said numbers, be they from lowered health insurance rates to savings that result from low turnover, are hard to come by. But it is much easier to qualify the results.

Indeed, repeated surveys have revealed that employees are generally happy with their benefits packages and that Yankee Candle would be considered an employer of choice.

Illuminating Discussion

On top of all the other benefits offered at Yankee Candle, there is an attractive (50%) employee discount on the scented candles and myriad other items the company produces, one that is often extended to friends and family members, said McCormick.

This perk is particularly popular during the holidays, she said, adding that, in the larger scheme of things, the discount is not as important to employee retention or contentment as the health insurance package or the fitness center.

But it is part of the package, and the sum of the various parts is a factor in the company’s success — and its standing as a glowing example of an effective work/life balancing act.

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

Thursday Riders

By BusinessWest Staff September 4, 2006

Sections Supplements

CityBlock Concerts are Revving Springfield’s Economic Engine

Bikers are outlaws.
That’s a little piece of American myth that persists in some circles. But if catering to a motorcycle crowd is wrong, there are dozens of business owners and city planners in downtown Springfield who don’t want to be right.

Seven years ago, the Springfield Business Improvement District (BID) launched its first summer concert series downtown, luring visitors to the city’s streets with the promise of free, family-friendly entertainment every Thursday night. The event caught on, thanks to a strong roster of national acts – among them, Delbert McClinton, Pete Best, Sophie B. Hawkins, Cracker, and others – and cooperation between the BID and many downtown restaurants and clubs. But the real change began about five years ago, when a few motorcycles roared into the event to take advantage of warm summer air and easy parking in Springfield’s club quarter. Soon, word began to spread that downtown Springfield was ‘bike-friendly.’

The phenomenon progressed gradually, as more bikes arrived each Thursday throughout the summer, creating long rows on the streets of the city’s club quarter. This year, the Stearns Square CityBlock Summer Concert Series is seeing its busiest and most successful season yet, though the event’s proper title is foreign to many of its regulars.

Now, they just refer to Thursday nights in downtown Springfield as Bike Night.

Doctors, Lawyers, and Indian Chiefs

A visit to downtown Springfield on Bike Night reveals thousands of motorcycles, some customized with everything from flashing lights to fiberglass spoilers, lining the two main arteries of the city’s entertainment district, Bridge and Worthington streets, as well as many side streets and privately owned parking lots. The CityBlock concerts staged in the center of the club quarter at Stearns Square are still the main draw, but Bob Turin, executive director of the Springfield BID, admits that Thursdays are starting to take on a two-wheeled life of their own.

“Some people still have that outlaw image of the biker stuck in their heads,” said Turin, “but what we see are thousands of people who have enough disposable income to afford a $20,000 toy. They might not have summer homes in the south of France, but they’re certainly not criminals.”

Rather, for the most part they’re an older crowd, between 30 and 50 years old, most with little interest in starting trouble. They also arrive early to stroll the streets, and stay late for dinner or drinks. And they keep coming, week after week, with their wallets in hand.

Dan Poirier, manager of the Salty Dog Saloon on Bridge Street, said the bar already bolsters its business by regularly promoting live bands, ‘flair’ bartenders, and mechanical bull rides, among other perks. But for 10 Thursdays out of the summer, he said, every other night’s sales are routinely blown out of the water.

“Thursday nights in the summer mark the strongest sales nights for the entire year,” he said. “It’s so busy we bring in extra staff on Thursdays. But what always gets me is that it’s the night of the week with the fewest problems. Bikers don’t want to start fights and get rowdy … none of them want anything to happen to their bikes.”

Poirier added that he sees firsthand every week the economic impact of Bike Night in Springfield. While it’s hard to quantify exactly how much money is rolling into the city each week, the visible proof of activity downtown is unmistakable. Worthington and Bridge Streets are now blocked off to cars on Thursday nights, the BID provides outdoor beer and wine stations in the square, and Springfield police work additional details around the concerts’ perimeter.

Similarly, the Salty Dog provides a safe, private parking area for bikers, and often, Poirier said those riders are coming in from as far as Boston, Buffalo, and New York City and staying overnight at one of the downtown hotels. Some notable names in the motorcycle world have also taken notice, among them Dave Perewitz, featured on the Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-off, who motors in regularly to take in the sights and will soon present the Salty Dog with a one-of-a-kind creation.

“I would venture to say it’s not thousands of dollars coming into Springfield every week,” Poirier mused. “It’s in the millions.”

Crowds and Chrome

Turin said the concerts typically attract between 3,000 and 6,000 people, and with the BID’s primary objective creating a better image for a cash-strapped city, those numbers are his biggest concern.

“We gauge by buzz, not budget,” he said, “and essentially we’re getting 10 weeks of positive press out of these events.”

The BID, funded by yearly assessments to property owners in the district, sinks $75,000 a year into the CityBlock concerts, of which about half is offset by funding from grants and sponsorships. Turin said the concerts only represent about 5% of the BID’s overall program budget; funds are also allocated to city improvement projects ranging from a $50,000 pledge for surveillance cameras to hanging flower baskets on the city’s lampposts.

But with plenty of good works in place, Turin, who began the CityBlock concerts a year after taking his post, recalls a time when Springfield lacked confidence in the idea, which has been successful in other cities including New York and Boston.

“It’s funny to think back now to the time when people thought having these concerts on Thursdays instead of weekends was a mistake,” he said. “My feeling was that if bars and restaurants weren’t doing well on Friday and Saturday nights on their own, they had bigger problems. So, we created a new Friday night.”

Keith Weppler, owner and manager of Theodore’s, a popular blues bar and restaurant on Worthington Street that serves as a CityBlock sponsor, can attest to that. Band members sometimes end the free concert at Stearns Square only to jump on stage at Theodore’s Thursday night open mic, and plenty of patrons are there to cheer them on.

“We’re doing extremely well,” he said, adding that he typically sees a 100% to 200% increase on Thursdays in the summer, over any other night. “We saw an increase in traffic immediately when the concerts started, but this is by far the best year yet.”

Weppler said Theodore’s serves for the most part as an in-kind sponsor of the CityBlock concerts, providing a meal, green room space, and other hospitality services for the acts. The services total $5,000 each year in value, he said, a relatively small price when compared to the return.

“This has become such an event unto itself that people aren’t coming downtown for any one attraction anymore,” he said, adding that most, if not all, club owners on Worthington Street are very much in favor of the concerts and the surrounding activity, if for no other reason than because they help the bottom line.

“For a long time, we didn’t have anything going on in the summer months; CityStage doesn’t put on shows, the symphony is taking time off, and we would feel that hit,” he said. “Now, we’re much more able to keep our staff working year-round, and that’s huge.”

Weppler also noted that the motorcycle crowd is an easy one to please.

“We serve the ribs and pour the beers, and they’re happy,” he said. “And that’s fine with us.”

And now, the BID is responding to the bike presence at the CityBlock shows too, which this year again welcomed a number of national acts including The Yardbirds, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, and Roomful of Blues, among others.

While Turin said he doesn’t want to promote CityBlock Thursdays merely as ‘bike nights’ – plenty of people still drive in on four wheels, he said, and the BID hopes to maintain a strong family feel for all of its events – some small changes have been made to marketing materials, such as the addition of a logo created this year by marketing and public relations director Taryn Markham that couples a guitar with a motorcycle.

Born to Ride

“This has become three events in one,” said Turin. “It’s a music event that draws fans from all over the region, it’s a family event that offers something free for all ages, and now the bikes are the last piece.”

But they’re a piece he has some affinity for. Turin will retire this year, and with thousands of bikes revving their engines in his wake, he’s going out with a roar.

“Motorcycles and bikers – they’re American icons,” he said. “And they’re forging a road that is changing Springfield’s image.”

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

The Main Ingredients

By BusinessWest Staff August 21, 2006

Cover Story

Drive, Imagination Help Answer Catering Challenges

Mocktails for teenage guests. Organic meat stations. Chilean ingredients prepared in Lebanese fashion. Such catering requests are fast becoming the norm, not the exception, and caterers and event planners in Western Mass. are responding accordingly. Handling new and ever-more-demanding client needs is challenging, but those in this industry say it stirs their creative juices, while fueling their entrepreneurial fires.

Caterer Michael Sakey was reminded recently of just how much his industry has changed when a client made this request for her event:

“I want everything flat.”

“Flat?” Sakey said, still questioning the directive long after the event had passed. “I didn’t know what she meant, but she didn’t give me much more than that … just flat.”

Sakey, general manager of Spoleto Catering in Northampton, filled the request successfully by providing large platters for hors d’oeuvres, set side by side instead of tiered. He placed large pieces of slate in the centers of tables, scattered rosebuds in place of floral arrangements, and used stemless glassware for wine and champagne. The client loved it, he said, but the job was not without some anxiety.

“That’s a great example of what caterers face today,” he said. “We’ve seen a huge step back from all things traditional, and people are getting much more creative, if not eccentric. But they also have different expectations in terms of our level of service and expertise.”

Sakey said the new, more rugged demands on caterers are a relatively recent phenomenon – one that comes with its share of challenges, but also with a few perks.

“It’s funny how things change so quickly, because it wasn’t like this five years ago,” he noted, explaining that until recently, most clients played it safe, requesting foods or themes they’d enjoyed elsewhere. “Now, people want us to create an atmosphere that their guests have never experienced before, so more and more problems fall to the caterer. But at the same time, we’re having a ball with it, because this market is ready for creativity.”

Causing a Stir

A number of factors seem to be spurring this new trend in the catering business, among them a proliferation of food and event-planning television shows, magazines, and books that are introducing more-sophisticated themes to a larger audience and blurring the line between creative food preparation and full-on event management.

Kristen Rowell, event manager for the Garden House at Look Park in Northampton, said the only constant she’s seeing in terms of recent catering requests at her facility is a steady stream of clients with big ideas. Each request, however, is vastly different from the one before it.

“People want their events to be personalized,” she said, “to reflect who they are. Because of that, we’re seeing a lot of themed events – but those range from Hawaiian luaus to refined cocktail parties with signature martinis.”

Rowell said specific age groups are also influencing event-planning trends – the younger, 20-something set, for instance, tends to cut costs with a do-it-yourself approach – creating their own music mixes via computer programs, for instance, or having a friend with a good eye – and a great digital camera – take photos. But those money-saving tactics are aiding the catering boom, she explained, rather than taking away business.

“I’ve had a huge influx of events where the clients virtually put every cent they have into the food,”she said.

Similarly, Baby Boomers are also putting some new demands on caterers, looking for sophisticated, unique themes for their parties, although Rowell said this set, many of them celebrating a new found freedom of both time and money as children grow up and move out, are less likely to skimp on the other aspects of a party. Instead, she said, they’re going all out, requesting full-service cooking stations where guests can sample the food, but also learn how to cook it; they’re asking for specific cuisine such as Russian or Brazilian, or for fusion dishes, such as Mediterranean food with a Latin flair.

In short, Rowell said everyone is asking for parties that are absolutely fabulous.

“Clients know what they want and how to get it,” said Rowell, “but when it comes to the food and the presentation, they would still rather have a professional handling it, and that’s at all ages.

“I never expected to cater a prom, but we did recently, for the Pioneer Valley School of Performing Arts,” she continued. “They said, ‘we know you think we’re just kids, but this is what we want.’ And they had a laundry list of requests, which we answered.”

Meat of the Matter

The trend of specific, personalized service has not eluded the corporate set, Sakey added. Rather, corporate events represent some of the most uniquely catered events of late. When Fathers and Sons of West Springfield, for instance, held a launch party for the new Porsche Cayman S, Sakey was called upon to provide food that mirrored the car – European, but with bit of a hot, spicy touch. ‘Caymantinis’ were also concocted at the bar.

“But at the same time,” Sakey said, “corporate events are based around convenience for the client, and that means often, I never even meet my client face-to-face until the day of the event. Sometimes, all I get is a four-line E-mail and an AmEx number. But there’s always an expectation that the food will be of a certain quality. Essentially, they’re paying for me to take on that responsibility.”

Tabitha Mahoney, event manager for the MassMutual Center in Springfield, echoed his comments regarding an increasingly in-the-know public, and the effect that’s having on the catering sector.

“Customers are increasingly savvy,” she said. “They’re creative and well-versed in what is available, and they’re not afraid to ask for new things. More and more, we’re being asked to execute some very unique spreads, and it seems as though this is happening everywhere.”

Indeed, these trends are being seen not only across the region, but across the country as well. Diane Welland, a registered dietitian with the U.S. Food Service, listed several ‘hot trends’ in catering that have emerged in the last decade. Among them unusual starches (farro, quinoa, risotto, black rice, couscous), fusion buffets, homestyle desserts, and soufflés – once seen as passé, she said. Each illustrate the diversity of requests as people strive to create a ‘dining experience’ for their guests.

“In an effort to appease clients, menus have gotten bigger, better, and more sophisticated than ever before,” she said. “Variety and excitement are buzzwords in the industry and creative chef-manned stations and buffets specifically tailored for each event are the norm rather than the exception.

“To attract and keep customers, caterers must not only follow the latest ‘in’ foods in restaurants,” added Welland. “they must also create their own trends.”

Sakey agreed, noting that as demand increases, his job becomes more complex as well. Caterers are also being charged with other tasks that once fell far out of their realm, such as designing banquet space, or not only creating menus, but devising recipes as well.

“One major shift in this industry is that caterers are being asked much more often to be event planners as well,” Sakey said. “Once, I worried only about the food; now I’m worrying about tent rentals, lighting, and disc jockeys. I’ve even been asked to help coordinate wedding processions.”

And along with developing confidence about food choices, clients are also getting more comfortable with non-traditional event spaces as well. Sakey harkened back to an event he catered recently at a venue that began as an empty barn.

“The request was to create a beautiful New York-style cocktail lounge … but in a barn,” he explained, noting that instead of visiting gourmet food-sellers in search of ingredients, on this particular occasion Sakey spent more time at Home Depot than anywhere else. “I have a background in theater that literally saved me. We did some extensive lighting treatments, used contemporary tables and set the stage for the event, and it was beautiful, but it shows how much the media influences people. I know the clients saw something like this on T.V., thought it was great, and decided to execute it.”

Food for Thought

Sakey still marvels at the turn his industry has taken, but repeated that with these new, varied requests has come a new day for caterers and event planners that allows them to flex their creative muscle.

“Everything is breaking away from tradition,” he said. “Maybe it’s a reflection of what the world is like in general right now – people are becoming more worldly, and they’re trying their best to enjoy themselves in new ways.”

And sometimes, that means creating a world that is flat.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

The Big Chill

By BusinessWest Staff August 7, 2006

Sections Supplements

Suit Filed by Friendly’s Founder Offers Food for Thought on Corporate

A Hampden County Superior Court judge recently denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Friendly’s co-founder S. Prestley Blake, which alleges misappropriation of corporate assets on the part of the company’s chairman, Donald Smith, and dereliction of duty on the part of the board of directors, who are now defendants in the suit. While the case could result in a recovery of some money by the company — with the emphasis on could — its bigger implications may eventually lie in the debate it stirs concerning boards, their responsibilities, and accountability.

“A modern day Don Quixote.”

That’s how Friendly Ice Cream Corp. General Counsel, Gregory Pastore, described S. Prestley Blake, who co-founded the company in 1935. The comment, included in a front-page Wall Street Journal article that appeared earlier this summer, was in reference to a suit filed by the 90-year-old Blake alleging self-dealing and other offenses on the part of Friendly’s Chairman Donald Smith, and general dereliction of duty on the part of board members in the matter of investigating those allegations.

The tilting at windmills reference struck a nerve with Blake’s attorney, James C. Donnelly, a partner with the Worcester-based firm Mirick, O’Connell, in this unusual and now quite public lawsuit. Rather than Quixotic, he describes Blake’s pursuit of restitution that could total tens of millions of dollars stemming from alleged misappropriation of corporate assets as responsible, and the board’s response to Blake’s various allegations as irresponsible.

That opinion would seem to have won a measure of validation when Hampden County Superior Court Judge John Agostini recently denied a motion filed by a committee of Friendly board members to dismiss the suit. In doing so, he chastised the board for what he called “lockstep loyalty” to Smith — whose investor group, TRC (The Restaurant Group), acquired Friendly in 1988 — and general ignorance of the company’s activities.

Referring to one long-time board member, Burt Manning, Agostini wrote, “his sworn statements … depict a director who is largely oblivious to his obligations as a director, as well as the nature of the challenged transactions at the crux of this case.”

Agostino had equally harsh language for board member Michael Daly, former CEO of Baystate Health. “Daly remained oblivious and failed to apprise himself of reasonable available, material facts regarding the transactions in question,” the judge wrote. “The record fails to show that Daly exercised meaningful oversight in any of these various capacities, for most of which he received compensation.”

Those comments — and the eventual course of this so-called shareholder derivative action — should be of interest to anyone who sits on a board or who asks individuals to serve on one, said Donnelly, adding that Agostini’s ruling effectively calls upon directors (especially those in question) to meet a higher standard of independence and involvement in company matters.

Meanwhile, Blake’s suit presents an intriguing test case for a state law passed in 2004 regarding dismissal of shareholder derivative actions. Chapter 156D of Mass. General Laws states that a corporation moving to dismiss such a suit shall make a written filing with the court complete with facts to show:

that a majority of the board of directors was independent at the time of the determination by the independent directors; and
that the independent directors made the determination in good faith after conducting a reasonable inquiry upon which their conclusions are based.

Upon reading the lines in Agostini’s ruling — and between them — it seems clear he believes the two-member special litigation committee formed to review the suit and gauge its worthiness, comprised of Daly and new director Perry Odak, was not independent and its inquiry was not reasonable.

Therefore, the case will go forward, said Donnelly, adding that with the judge’s ruling, Friendly’s must provide more documentation on a number of expenses paid by the company, including partial costs of a corporate jet. That burden was shared with another chain owned by TRC called Perkins Family Restaurants. It is Blake’s contention that, with regard to the jet and other expenses, including food for both chains purchased from another of TRC’s divisions, Friendly was effectively subsidizing Perkins, and thus enriching Smith, who owned a much larger stake in Perkins than he did in Friendly.

That’s a charge that Smith and Friendly have vigorously denied in court and in the press (Pastore did not return calls to BusinessWest).

This alleged subsidizing of Perkins and TRC has cost Wilbraham-based Friendly millions of dollars at a time when it has been struggling financially, said Donnelly, adding that Blake’s suit was filed to get that money back. And both he and his client believe the eventual gain by the company will exceed the large legal bills ($2 million and climbing) it will accrue while the case runs its course.

This issue, BusinessWest looks at the suit filed by Blake and what it could mean for Friendly’s, its shareholders, and all those who serve on corporate boards.

Here’s the Scoop …

Donnelly told BusinessWest that Blake first approached him with concerns about Friendly’s and how it was being managed in early 2002.

Specifics of that meeting are confidential, he said, but the general message was that the famously frugal Blake had some questions about how much Friendly’s was paying for a corporate jet — and for Smith’s services, which Smith admitted were part-time.

That admission came in a private meeting between Blake and Smith several months earlier at the former’s home in Florida. Blake sought the meeting to discuss the plane and other issues, including Smith’s work load and compensation, and it represented a small part of the ongoing questioning and criticism of the company’s leadership lodged by the man who, with his brother Curtis, started the company with $547 borrowed from their parents.

The two ran the chain for nearly 45 years — making it a regional fixture in the process — before selling it to Hershey Food Corporation in 1979 for $164 million.

In 1988, TRC acquired the company and took it public in 1997. Blake bought a small number of shares at the IPO, but when the stock price plummeted to $2 in 2000, he bought $2 million worth, making him a principal stockholder with roughly 12% of the company.

And it was at this point that he started looking more deeply into the company’s finances and expenditures, and finding many things that he didn’t like, said Donnelly, adding that that Blake’s suit essentially has two components — the allegations of misappropriation of assets and the board’s inadequate (in Blake’s mind and also Agostini’s) response to those allegations.

It all started with the leased Learjet, said Donnelly, adding that Blake thought that expense unjustifiable for a company suffering losses and a depressed stock price. “It just didn’t seem appropriate,” he said. “Friendly’s didn’t really have any use for it, and jets are expensive.”

After doing some digging, Blake concluded that Friendly was paying more than its share — $3 million was its total bill — for limited use of the plane, and that the jet was primarily devoted to Smith’s personal use. Blake, through Donnelly, asked the board repeatedly to investigate the matter of the jet, Smith’s part-time status and $500,000 salary, and other matters. And when it did investigate, the board found nothing amiss, prompting Blake to file suit in Hampden County Superior Court.

That action motivated a second investigation by a board committee and a subsequent report that found that between 1988 and 2002, Friendly’s paid for 65 hours of flights on the jet that were either for Perkins business or Smith’s personal use; Smith eventually wrote Friendly a check for $65,323, and the problem was attributed to faulty bookkeeping.

No Sugar-coating It

But Blake didn’t stop with the plane.

He also called into question Friendly’s share of the expenses for an office Smith had in Illinois — again alleging that the company was footing too much of the bill for something it didn’t use or need — and also red-flagged food purchases for both Friendly’s and Perkins from another TRC division called Foxtail Foods.

After doing some digging, said Donnelly, Blake concluded that the joint-vendor arrangement that was created favored Perkins — at the expense of Friendly; an expert witness hired by Blake said food costs, relative to to revenue, were higher at Friendly, meaning that that it was not getting as good a deal as Perkins and was, in effect, subsidizing that company.

Blake eventually lodged other allegations, including a charge of favoritism to two of Smith’s sons, who operate Friendly franchises in Pennsylvania, in the form of a $112,500 fee refund, the largest the company has reportedly ever given to a franchise developer.

Collectively, the cases of alleged improper spending and favoritism could add up to millions of dollars in restitution, said Donnelly, and thus are well worth the company’s time and trouble to recover — an opinion not shared, apparently, by company executives or board members.

In fact, when asked about the potential financial gain for the company from the suit when weighed against the cost of the legal action, Donnelly said board members should be joining Blake in his action, not seeking to have the matter dismissed in court.

The fact that the board opted for that course of action — and have now been named as defendants in the case — means that the Blake suit may potentially make it a landmark action for corporate America, said Donnelly.

He told BusinessWest that the case is one of the most significant to date with regard to Chapter 156D, and now that board members are defendants, Blake’s action could break new ground when it comes to defining boards’ responsibilities and liabilities.

“This case is right in the mainstream of some of the important corporate cases that are taking place right now,” he said. “The fact of the matter is that these directors essentially ignored their responsibilities … they didn’t feel like they had to pay any attention to this.

“They felt comfortable just blindly supporting management and not asking the hard questions,” he continued. “And as far as I’m concerned, the danger to the Massachusetts economy and the national economy would be if directors can take the attitude that they just don’t care and still not be accountable.”

Donnelly said the case is already sparking debate regionally and nationally about boards, their responsibilities, relative independence — and how high the bar should be set. In denying the special litigation committee’s (SLC) request for dismissal, Agostini hints strongly that it should be set higher.

In determining that Daly was not to be considered independent, thus meaning the SLC itself was therefore not independent, the judge used Daly’s own words from his deposition to frame his point.

“When asked what precautions were taken in this case to make sure that the jet transactions were consistent with the market, Daly replied, ‘I don’t know. If you have confidence in your management — and I am not just speaking of Mr. Smith, I’m talking about the entire senior team — there is is no reason to question that the arrangements made were not in the best interest of the company, and I have such confidence in the management of this organization,” wrote Agostini, who noted in his ruling that Daly continued to have such confidence when he was functioning as an audit committee member investigating Blake’s charges.

“Daly’s belief that that there was no reason to question the propriety of the aircraft-cost-sharing arrangement,” he wrote, “even when tasked with investigating it … established that he was not able to evaluate Blake’s claims impartially, at least between 2002 and 2004, when he gave his testimony.”

Overall, Agnostini concluded that because Daly was “substantially and personally involved in the conduct challenged by Blake, he may face personal liability for breach of fiduciary duty as alleged in the proposed complaint.”

With that as a backdrop, the Blake case should merit considerable attention from board members and executives who nominate individuals for board posts, said Donnelly, who was reluctant to speculate on how the case may play itself out. The next stage is another round of discovery, he said, which may well determine future action.

Frozen Assets

What Donnelly does know, or believe, is that Blake shouldn’t be viewed as Don Quixote.

Rather, he should be seen as a champion of stockholders’ rights, he said, who is fighting a battle that should be waged.

“He’s a great man,” said Donnelly. “We need more like him.”

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

The Virtual Visit

By BusinessWest Staff July 10, 2006

Sections Supplements

Northampton Chamber Launches New Web Site

The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce has a new home, virtually speaking.

Earlier this month, the chamber launched its new Web site, explorenorthampton.com. Suzanne Beck, executive director of the Northampton chamber, said the new site has been in the planning stages for some time, and brings several benefits to the chamber, its members, and the community.

“We’ve been talking about redeveloping the site for two or three years,” said Beck, “because we have been aware for some time how important a tool the Internet is in terms of travel and tourism.”

But because the site is self-funded by the Chamber, Beck said it took some time to raise the necessary capital.

“Last year was when we started getting specific with our plans,” Beck added. “We knew from the beginning that we wanted a major emphasis to be placed on promoting our members and their services, but we needed to start thinking about how we were going to highlight those businesses.”

Some of the features incorporated into the site to do just that include an itinerary function, which, similar to the ‘shopping cart’ aspect many retail sites use to assist shoppers with making purchases, will allow visitors to add exhibits, restaurants, shops, or other points of interest to a list, then view or print out the list in preparation for a trip.

In addition, a revamped online directory has been created, which allows businesses and organizations to update their listing online as needed, ensuring the most current information is viewed by visitors.

Beck explained that the Chamber’s online directory was already averaging about 7,500 hits a month, and the new format will make the service even more relevant for those seeking information about Northampton. Chamber members (membership stands at about 750 members) can also take advantage of on-line registration for events, display company press releases, and utilize exclusive ad space on the site – two ad spaces on every page of the site reserved for use by Chamber members only

“Thousands of referrals stem from the Web,” she said, “and the primary purpose of the site will be to maximize that for our businesses.”

The site will also include a calendar that any community organization can contribute to, by filling out a simple form and posting upcoming events and fundraisers.

Beck said the calendar will also be updated daily.

“This feature is as valuable to people who live here as it is for tourists,” she said. “Plus, any area business can publicize its events on this calendar for free, by submitting the information from any page on the site by clicking on ‘Submit to Calendar.’

As that gets used more, it will have more value,” said Beck, “and the overall site will have more value. It will make events and exhibits more available to people, both visitors and those living in the area.”

Beck explained that the site was developed through the efforts of several local firms and individuals. Three chamber committees spearheaded the process — the membership and tourism committees and an ad hoc Web site committee — and Dot Inc. Solutions of Hadley served as the site developer, while Novak Advertising of Northampton created the site’s page design.

Several area photographers were also tapped to provide art for the site, including members of the Pioneer Valley Photographers Assoc.

“The photographers were very generous with their work,” said Beck, noting that the site features original photographs taken by local photographers on nearly every page, rather than stock photos.

The site has been added to the chamber’s repertoire of services aimed at chamber membership development, tourism in Northampton, and economic development of the region. Some primary objectives of the overall chamber campaigns include promotion of the area as a destination; the development of new travel and tourism markets, and of new infrastructures to support tourism; expansion of the commercial base in Northampton; and the development of the town’s economic development priorities in terms of regional initiatives.

Belchertown Project Captures the Imagination

By BusinessWest Staff May 29, 2006

Opinion

We’ll admit, we had doubts — many of them.

A resort spa? In Belchertown? At the old state school site?

The concept sounded intriguing, but also somewhat far-fetched, given the geography — Belchertown isn’t easy to get to from anywhere — and also the town’s struggles to find a workable game plan for the school grounds, which have been decaying since the facility closed in 1992. People were talking about everything from a jail to a national music center. But it was all talk.

Roughly two years after the resort spa idea was first put on the table, however plans are coming together for what is to be the largest private development in Western or Central Mass. — ever, with a pricetag that could approach $150 million. A purchase–and–sale agreement on the property was inked last week, another important milestone in the development of the 400-acre site by a Chicago-based outfit called Bridgeland Development, LLC.

The company was formed by Paul McDermott, who has extensive experience working on large-scale developments of this type. His resume includes work on the redevelopment of the Glenview Naval Air Station in Illinois, a $1 billion project; another base-closure redevelopment at the Orlando Naval Training Center; and ongoing development of a 1,200-acre site on the grounds of closed a textile mill complex in Rock Hill, S.C.

McDermott will call on all of those experiences as he develops a vision for the Belchertown State School property, which is a blank canvas that he is starting to color in.

Watching the project take shape will likely be an exciting spectator sport in the Pioneer Valley, although many will do much more than sit and watch. Indeed, the project appears to have captured the imagination of residents and business owners across the region, and if that energy is channeled into the venture, what is now being called the Quabbin Resort Development could be a real spark for this area.

And as we’ve said many times, the region needs one. There hasn’t been much in the way of economic development in the area over the past decade or so, and relatively few new jobs have been added. Instead, many businesses — and people — have left.

Regional economic development leaders are working with their counterparts in Connecticut to market the stretch between Hartford and Amherst as one economic market, known as the Knowledge Corridor. The two states hope to take advantage of the many colleges and universities in the ‘corridor’ and their graduates to lure companies across several sectors. Thus far, it hasn’t happened, and people are still talking about ‘potential’ and the future.

That’s why the Belchertown project is so intriguing — and important; it’s happening.

Plans are still preliminary, but the Quabbin Resort Development could include a destination resort spa with related, wellness-oriented businesses and attractions. The planned mix — again, a work in progress — could include everything from a hotel to an equestrian center; restaurants to hiking trails; senior housing to a micro brewery.

But could it really happen? In Belchertown?

McDermott certainly things so, and his resume and track record show that he can, indeed, take massive, highly complex projects from the drawing board to reality. He believes he can put the pieces together, as evidenced by his company’s financial commitment to the venture.

McDermott told BusinessWest recently that these large-scale development projects succeed through the creation of momentum. It starts with a few key players getting involved, he explained, and soon, as the picture comes together, other parties want to become part of something exciting. It happened in Illinois, at ‘The Glen’ development, and it is happening in Eastern Mass. with the ongoing redevelopment of Fort Devens.

The Quabbin Resort Development has a very long way to go. It will take years, perhaps a decade or more for the vision to completely shape. And who knows what the market will deem economically viable for that site.

But the project has already succeeding in capturing the region’s imagination, and prompting people to think about what can happen in the Pioneer Valley — not what can’t, or probably won’t, happen.

We could use some more of that around here.-

Making Progress

By BusinessWest Staff May 29, 2006

Sections Supplements

Franklin County’s Manufacturing Scene Remains Healthy and Diverse

Kathie Williams makes delectable treats at her family’s business,

Betsy Peck knows a little about heritage, running a business with her husband, Stephen, that has been in their family for 150 years.

“Our original product was a wood hay rake,” said Betsy, CFO of Rugg Manufacturing in Greenfield. She noted with pride that Rugg still makes similar rakes, along with a wide variety of other tools, such as snow shovels with patented ‘back-saver’ handles – a concept that has been imitated by other shovel makers, but which actually originated at Rugg.

“We’re always looking for new ideas – good, solid ideas, not something flash-in-the-pan that will fade away,” she said. “Something that will help people do a job.”
As a company with a long heritage and largely unchanged product line, Rugg represents just one small piece of a healthy manufacturing scene in Franklin County – one that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.

Yes, attrition has harried this rural section of Massachusetts as it has everywhere else; there are certainly fewer manufacturers in business today in Greenfield, Deerfield, and surrounding towns than there were a decade ago. But the companies that remain are not only wildly diverse – producing everything from snow shovels and fishing rods to paper and candy – but they have found ways to overcome the challenges facing domestic manufacturers in the 21st century, and even continue to grow despite those obstacles.

“Survival forces you to make certain decisions, and a lot of people don’t survive,” said Kurt Zanner, president and COO of Lamson Goodnow, a Shelburne Falls-based maker of cutlery and kitchen implements. “Too many companies have tried to do things the same old way. They were afraid to take risks, so they didn’t survive.”

This issue, BusinessWest takes a look at a few Franklin County manufacturers that have stood the test of time – in several cases, more than a century – and have continued to be successful through foresight, creativity, and a willingness to change when necessary.

Cutting Edge

Lamson Goodnow has been making knives for the past 170 years, and for most of that time, the company’s main clientele was restaurants, hotels, and other food service providers. But corporate consolidation has eroded that customer base, and Zanner has long known that change was necessary.

“We’re basically a toolmaker, and we’ve always made tools for food services – and that’s still a big part of our business,” he said. “But about 20 years ago, we got more into making kitchen tools for consumers – knives, spatulas, any kind of kitchen instrument you would use to cook with – and now that’s the biggest part of our business.”

Until Zanner joined the company seven years ago, Lamson Goodnow manufactured all its cutlery and kitchen tools under the Lamson Sharp brand. But he has overseen an aggressive expansion in the product lines unprecedented in the company’s long history.

Specifically, Lamson Goodnow has added four other lines to its portfolio during the past six years: it acquired the Tree Spirit line of wood products and the Grind portfolio of stainless steel items, mostly pepper mills. Meanwhile, it created two other lines from within: the HotSpot collection of silicon tools and the TimberGrass line of bamboo items. Significantly, the company no longer manufactures all its products, but instead imports roughly two-thirds of them for distribution.

“When I came here, this was an old company doing a nice mix of business with one brand,” Zanner told BusinessWest. “Since then, we’ve greatly expanded our product assortment, and our customer base has grown as well.”

That’s just smart business, he said, in a manufacturing landscape that has become more challenging, even for long-established companies.

“It has become harder to expand as a U.S. manufacturer in a highly competitive category of business,” Zanner said. “Retailers – our customers – have become fewer and fewer because they’re consolidating, and more products are being imported, so it’s tougher to compete purely as a manufacturer.”

In addition, Zanner said, cutlery is a very specific product line that doesn’t lend itself to much gross-margin improvement; because of competition, Lamson Goodnow couldn’t raise prices. “So we had to find other ways to make money,” he said, which led not only to the development of new lines, but to the launch of two retail locations: a factory outlet store in Shelburne Falls four years ago and a comprehensive kitchen store in downtown Northampton, which just opened in May.

“As the oldest knife maker in the United States – and one of the only ones – we’re a dinosaur in many ways,” he added. “But we’ve figured out that the way to survive is to expand into other products, so we can gain additional customers and sell additional products to the customers we already have. In doing so, we’ve even expanded our labor force: we have fewer in manufacturing, but more overall.”

Sweet Success

Manufacturing of a different sort has created success in Deerfield for Kathie Williams and her parents, Barbara and Gordie Woodward. But they, too, have seen the value in adding a retail component.

The family became the third owners of Richardson’s Candy Kitchen 22 years ago, and since that time, they have seen some very positive shifts in the business landscape along Routes 5 and 10, where the company is located.

“When my parents first bought this business, summertime business was non-existent,” Williams said. “Since Yankee Candle took off, though, our summers are pretty vibrant.”

In fact, the tourist boom in the area – which encompasses businesses as varied as Magic Wings butterfly conservatory, Dr. Spooky’s Animal Museum, and the traditional collection of antique dealers – has pushed Richardson’s to change the way it does business. For example, the candy maker has bolstered its status as a tourist destination by creating space for visitors to watch candy being made. Launching ice cream sales this summer will further strengthen the on-site retail business.

“We get plenty of families in the summer – we’ll see them later in the day after they’ve visited other places,” Williams said. “We’ve seen pretty steady growth over the years, and when we added on two years ago, it gave us more space for customers to move around. People will even call us to ask if candy is being made.”

For some manufacturers, changing with the times means completely reassessing their traditional business model. For example, Erving Paper Mills has thrived in Erving for just over 100 years, making a name for itself with a wide variety of paper products, such as the printed napkins that have long been one of the company’s calling cards.

Paper production has always been a cyclical business, but as the past decade has ushered in both dramatic spikes in the cost of raw materials and tougher environmental regulations – not to mention stiffer competition against cheaper foreign goods – the company has been forced to become a leaner operation, now focusing almost exclusively on producing large paper rolls that are shipped to other manufacturers to create specific products.

According to president and CEO Morris Housen, the move will allow the company to invest aggressively in its paper mill – rebuilding aging infrastructure, upgrading equipment, and enhancing its recycling capabilities – in order to be better positioned for the next generation.

“In downsizing, we’ve been able to focus on the manufacturing of rolls of paper,” said general manager Thomas Newton, who conceded that even long-established companies must stay flexible if they want to survive. “And that’s getting more and more difficult all the time.”

Raking It In

Meanwhile, Rugg Manufacturing – which produces wood and metal products ranging from vegetable crates to roofing brackets – has also learned to adapt to foreign competition, importing many of its materials from overseas, including bamboo rakes and hardwood rake and shovel handles.

In addition, many of the small operations that purchased Rugg’s goods have been bought out and consolidated, so the company has had to adapt to dealing with larger chains, such as True Value, as well as redouble its efforts to market its products to local independent dealers.

“It’s challenging to deal with bigger customers,” Peck said, but she conceded that market changes force all manufacturers to adapt in some way. “So many businesses have moved out of the area or closed altogether. But we love what we do and want to stick it out here.”

“We’ve had to become more creative,” Zanner, of Lamson Goodnow, agreed. “Retailers want to deal with fewer and fewer vendors, so we’ve tried to become a one-stop shop and sell more products as we’ve looked for new customers.” As a result, the company is three times the size it was seven years ago.

“In American manufacturing, I really believe that the last guy standing in any product category will survive,” he added. “We’re pretty close to being the last guy standing.”

As one of many manufacturers still standing in Franklin County, it’s just one more example of modern creativity molded into a heritage of success.

Surprises on Every Plate

By BusinessWest Staff May 15, 2006

Uncategorized

At the Federal in Agawam, the restaurant’s patrons don’t have to decide on one dessert. Instead, they can opt for 20.

The “tier of tiny treats,” a sampler of 20 different original creations arranged on a two-tier tray, sells for $17.50, which covers not only the freshly made items, but the sheer cheekiness of the arrangement.

“Those are little cakes, cups of gelato, cookies, crème brulees, soufflés – all shrunken down,” said Ralph Santaniello, co-owner of the Federal along with his brother-in-law and head chef, Michael Presnal. “We have a berry cobbler served in a little cast-iron skillet. That’s the eye appeal. The tier isn’t an easy dessert to make, but people like it. After the first one goes out in the dining room, they just start selling.”

That kind of playfulness in food creation is an extension of Presnal and Santaniello themselves, two young, down-to-earth chefs who want to give patrons a classy dining experience, but not a stuffy one.

“We’re elegant, but not pretentious,” Santaniello said. “We want you to enjoy yourself while you’re here.”

That mission has been largely successful, as the Federal – housed in the Cooper Street building that had been known as the Federal Hill Club for much of the previous century – has enjoyed steady growth since its May 2002 opening, attracting a mix of business diners, families, and people who enjoy a little creativity along with their meals.

“Our customers are extremely loyal,” Santaniello said. “They tend to be people who like food and like to go out to dinner. They’re not rich, but they’re into food and wine. They generally have friends along the same lines, they tell their friends, and it escalates from there.”

Santaniello and Presnal are writing a new story at an old Agawam location – one with a decidedly tasty future.

New Beginning

The Federal Hill Club shut its doors in the early 1990s after more than 50 years in business, and throughout the next decade, the site was occupied by a series of casual Italian restaurants, none of which made a lasting name. But Presnal and Santaniello had a different vision when they took over ownership in 2002.

“We meant it to harken back to the Federal Hill Club, and anyone who remembers it knows it used to be a high-end, very elegant restaurant,” Santaniello said. “We wanted to be associated with that.”

Santaniello cut his teeth in the restaurant business at the age of 9, working in his parents’ Italian restaurant, Amedeo’s in Holyoke, and later getting his feet wet at upscale restaurants in Boston and Martha’s Vineyard.

Meanwhile, Presnal studied at the New England Culinary Institute and gained experience at a number of fine-dining establishments on the Vineyard. In fact, Boston magazine named him one of the top four chefs on the island during his stint as executive chef of Savoir Faire.

Both of them wanted to return to the Springfield area and open an upscale restaurant. When they walked into the 250-year-old house the Federal Hill Club once called home, they were convinced.

“We just fell in love with the building,” Santaniello said. “We knew this was a destination place – the kind of restaurant you don’t just happen to drive by and have dinner.” It was the perfect location, they felt, to do the sort of upscale cooking they had done on Martha’s Vineyard, only “more cutting-edge, more contemporary,” he said. And, as it turns out, more creative.

“This is what we love to do,” Santaniello said. “We don’t have a lot of time off, but when we do, we go out to eat. I love food, I love wine – it’s a passion for us. And what we do here is different. We like to change things, go against the norm, try to bring something new to the market instead of the same old thing.”

That attitude is exemplified by the playfulness of the menu. Take for example, Presnal’s “foie gras a la mode” appetizer, which accompanies a seared slab of fois gras with caramelized pineapple and vanilla gelato. Or a pasta dish of penne paired with truffled cheese and brioche crumbs – which gets the decidedly casual title of “truffled mac and cheese.”

“Everything is original,” Santaniello said. “It’s not just a Caesar salad or French onion soup, but Mike’s take on those things. All the dishes are Mike’s creations. And having fois gras on the menu, or quail, or chanterelle mushrooms – those aren’t ingredients people are used to having around here.”

He was quick to add that the menu has to be grounded with some standards. “You have to have some basics, the staples that people want, but we also try to bring something different to the table as far as the ingredients we use.”

Santaniello said the Federal also sets itself apart in that everything is made in-house.

“Everyone says they do that, but we actually bake our own bread, make our own pastas, and have a full-time pastry chef to make our own desserts,” he said. “These are things you find in restaurants in big cities, but we’re trying to bring that here.”

Freshness is key, he added, which is another good reason – beside Presnal’s creativity – that the menu changes every five to six weeks.

“We’re always doing something different, and our menu is seasonal because food is seasonal,” Santaniello said. “You can’t use peas in the wintertime because the peas wouldn’t be fresh, and we want fresh items. It’s not easy to stick with that, but it’s what we try to do here.”

Something Different

The freshness and creativity of the menu, in fact, is why Santaniello bristles at the suggestion that The Federal’s menu is pricey – even though it lines up with other upscale restaurants in the region.

“To me, it’s overpriced when you go somewhere and pay $12 for a hamburger you can get anywhere else or make at home,” he said. “We’re actually a value for what we give the customer.”

Those customers, Santaniello said, run the gamut from a business crowd to special-occasion diners to “foodies” who appreciate something different, either for a quick bite or a relaxing dinner. Some show up looking for dessert only. In any case, he said, the goal is to surprise customers with the food and keep them coming back with the service.

“When some people hear ‘fine dining,’ they think ‘jacket and tie required,’ but that’s not us,” Santaniello said. “As far as food and service go, everything we give you is top-shelf and high-quality, but we don’t feel you have to enjoy that in a stuffy way.”

The combination of service and fun can be seen in various touches, from the risotto ball every patron is served upon being seated to the free hors d’oeuvres on spoons and forks served in the bar for two hours every Thursday and Friday.

“It’s delicious and classy, but also kind of whimsical,” Santaniello said, noting options like the antipasto fork, which provides the meat, cheese, and roasted red peppers of an antipasto in one bite.

And at the end of each visit, diners are given a box of treats to take home. “The idea is, when they have their coffee at home, they’ll pull out the cookies and think of us,” he said. “Little things like that set us apart.”

Serving the Public

Santaniello and Presnal know that, no matter how good the food is, service can make or break a dining experience, and it’s something they stress to a remarkably loyal wait staff, four of whom have worked at the Federal since the day it opened – a rarity in the restaurant business.

“Anybody can cook at home,” Santaniello said. “Why do you go out for dinner? Food is part of it, but you also want to be served. You’ve had a long day, and everybody’s been asking you for something, and now you want to sit down and be taken care of. We strive for that.”

It helps that he and Presnal are on-site, hands-on owners, so customers can take any concerns straight to the top. But so far, he said, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Word of mouth has been great since we opened. It definitely hasn’t been easy, but I’m glad we slowly grew to where we are now, because it allowed us to hone the restaurant as we went along.”

In the end, it all comes back to the dining experience. “Formal, fine dining doesn’t mean you can’t have fun,” Santaniello said.

And that goes for the chefs as well as the customers.

Meal Tickets

By BusinessWest Staff May 15, 2006

Uncategorized

The culinary field is booming, and local culinary arts students are heading into an industry with an unprecedented number and variety of career opportunities. While some still eye the restaurant kitchen, others are eagerly exploring options to cook for resort spas, assisted living communities, and even sports teams.

The lunch menu at Branford Hall Career Institute in Springfield last week was an extensive one.

Chicken Francaise was the main course, but spinach and Caesar salads were also available, in addition to stuffed Portobello mushrooms, Spanish rice, and two desserts: cheesecake and peanut butter pie.

Prepared by Branford Hall’s culinary arts students, the meal was indicative of the many skills these students must master before moving on in their careers, everything from pan-searing to puffed pastry.

But it was also a study of the fast-paced and fast-changing nature of the culinary field. The Spanish rice was made with healthy alternative ingredients, in order to respond to a strong health and wellness trend across the nation. The mushrooms were an answer to a demanding public’s need for gourmet-style food served quickly, and the clean-up of the entire production was a blur of activity, as students tried to wash down countertops and mixing bowls in time for their next class – Spa Cuisine.

Maggie Gifford, chair of the Culinary Arts program at Branford Hall, said several factors are contributing to the most diverse, and also the most demanding, set of culinary career opportunities the field has seen in years.

“There is a major trend toward cooking for healthy lifestyles,” she said, “and that is opening up many types of new jobs for people. But the public is also more in the know than ever before; they know what they want and they want it fast, and culinary students have to be that much more prepared.”

Gifford explained that, in addition to moving directly into posts in restaurants, catering outfits, or bakeries, today many graduates are choosing to follow some very different career paths.

Salad Days

The restaurant industry still forms a strong backbone for the culinary sector, but the hospitality and tourism industries are becoming an equally strong arenas. Many graduates are blending degrees in culinary arts with business and management degrees in order to enter the hospitality field at a management or executive chef level, or to open their own hospitality-based businesses.

The track can open some intriguing opportunities for culinary graduates across the globe, as fine cuisine becomes a greater draw for tourists at many resorts, hotels, and bed and breakfasts.

Joshua Stevens, a native of Ponce, Puerto Rico currently studying culinary arts at Branford Hall, has his sights set on returning to his home and working in one of the island’s many fine resorts, with the goal of rising to the level of executive chef.

“There, hotels are a much bigger industry than restaurants, and there are better jobs for people like me,” he said. “Wherever there is a beach, there is a hotel, and people to be served.”

Stevens added that international tourism hot spots like those in the Caribbean also allow chefs to work with a number of different types of cuisine and to stay abreast of current trends.

“To get a job in one of the big resorts, you have to know international cuisine,” he explained. “Everything from Asian to Mexican to exotic, tropical foods. The hotels will hire the people with the skills.”

That’s where the role of higher education in the culinary arts plays a large role, Stevens said. In programs such as those locally at Branford Hall and the culinary arts program at Holyoke Community College, students learn the fundamentals to create a knowledge base, which in turn allows them to branch out into any number of specialties.

Gonzalo Chacon, a native of Peru living in Springfield and studying culinary arts at HCC, said he has worked in restaurant environments for many years and has learned a great deal through experience. But his education is what he thinks will move him forward into the next level of his career.

“The culinary profession has become sort of glamorous and celebrated as the field grows,” he noted. “That means many people are entering the field, thinking it will be fun and easy. That’s not the case, and through a formal program like this, people learn that very quickly, and those who truly have a passion for it are the ones who stay and move on.”

Upon completion of the program at HCC this spring, Chacon plans to earn a bachelor’s in business administration, to hone his skills and techniques and keep a close eye on the trends within the industry, in order to follow one of those new career avenues that are creating new opportunities for chefs and other culinary professionals.

Power Lunch

Indeed, there are many paths to be taken in the current market. In addition to more traditional restaurant- and hotel-based careers, many other industries are beginning to incorporate fine cuisine as a major part of their corporate make-up.

Elder care and assisted living facilities, for instance, are one of the fastest growing areas for culinary job placement. Many such facilities are following the trend toward a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle for residents, and are reorganizing their services to create more-comprehensive, home-like environments. Part of that shift includes abandoning cafeteria-style dining commons for more intimate dining rooms and room service, both with extensive menus.

Culinary graduates are also increasingly finding unique jobs within both day and overnight spas and other health and wellness-based businesses, many of which are expanding to include complete menus and meal plans for clients, in addition to spa services.

And in the corporate sector, large companies across the nation are investing in upscale dining facilities for their employees, using the investment as an added benefit and incentive to garner and retain exemplary staff.

Ken Beauchemin of Westfield, a culinary arts student at HCC who will complete the program this month and move on to higher education at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, has his sights set on capitalizing on that corporate market, eventually as an independent contractor. His ultimate goal is to enter the sports arena, one of the fastest growing markets for professional chefs, and to cook for a professional team – maybe even the Boston Red Sox.

“Major corporations everywhere are investing in a higher class of dining for their employees,” said Beauchemin, “and sports teams and media franchises such as ESPN are some of the front-runners in the move toward cuisine as part of employee benefit packages. They’re offering an incentive to work hard, and that’s opening up a lot of unique opportunities for people in culinary fields.”

Beauchemin added that securing a culinary job outside of a restaurant environment isn’t looked at as second best, either. Rather, corporate posts within sports and media franchises, technology companies, and colleges and universities, to name a few, as well as executive chef positions for smaller groups of people – a company’s management team, for instance – allow culinary professionals to develop personalized menus, spend more time on individual dishes, and strengthen their skills.

Corporate jobs also allow for a new set of entrepreneurial opportunities during a time when opening a restaurant is increasingly difficult, due to competition from chain restaurants offering high-quality meals quickly, at low prices.

“I hope to use fundamental skills and my own talent to thrive in an environment that is changing very quickly,” said Beauchemin. “The old style of cooking is starting to come to a close, and so is the old style of doing business. That’s the world that this class of culinary students is going to be entering.”

Maricarmen Alberti of Springfield, a student at Branford Hall who will soon enter her externship – essentially, an apprenticeship in a culinary environment – said she is still leaning toward opening her own family-style restaurant in the future as an ultimate goal. But she, too, recognizes the many options she’ll have upon graduation.
“Spa cuisine is definitely a business opportunity,” she offered as an example. “I’ve heard of massage therapists and chefs joining forces to open their own businesses. Opening a restaurant with good, hearty food for people is still what I hope to do, but there are a lot of great careers out there.”

Similarly, Jillian Rosenberg of Amherst, a culinary arts student planning to continue her education at the New England Culinary Institute in Burlington, Vt., added that the wide variety of jobs opening across many industries is also making it easier for culinary students to practice their specialties. Rosenberg will be studying pastry at NECI, and said she feels more secure about the choice given the current climate of the culinary sector.

“There are many opportunities to use a specialty now,” she said, “There is a lot of information about food and cuisine out there now, on television and in magazines, and people are more aware of different types of cooking.”

This trend is also creating a larger faction of people experimenting with fine cuisine in their own homes, but she said that’s a positive side-effect of a healthy industry, not a sign of waning business.

“The more people see,” she explained, “the more they want to learn, and the more they want to try at home. But that’s not nearly enough to make a dent in this industry.”

Pressure Cooking

Despite the many windows of opportunity opening for culinary professionals, the field is not without its challenges. In addition to being more discriminating than ever in all types of environments including restaurants and hotels, diners are also more concerned than ever before with convenience and speed as well as quality of their cuisine.

“Not everyone has a lot of money or time, but everyone wants good food at a good price, and they want to be able to get in and get out quickly,” said Alberti. “That makes it hard to balance the cooking side of things with the business side.”

Gifford added that, as Rosenberg observed, the average diner today is more knowledgeable than ever before in terms of ingredients and preparation, and also more fickle when it comes to variety.

“So across all sectors, people’s expectations are that much higher,” she said. “Today’s culinary students are entering their careers at a great time, but their skills are more important than ever.”

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Eateries A-Z

By BusinessWest Staff May 15, 2006

Sections Supplements

A listing of the area’s top restaurants

Restaurants

Eateries A-Z

A listing of the area’s top restaurants

Click here

By BusinessWest Staff April 17, 2006

Departments

PVTA Administrator’s Contract Won’t Be Renewed

SPRINGFIELD — The advisory board of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority recently declined to renew the contract of Gary Shepard, suspended administrator of the PVTA. Shepard will continue to receive his $114,000 annual salary until June 2007, when his contract expires. Under the 2001 agreement, the board has to give at least one year’s notice to Shepard if it chooses not to renew the contract. Shepard has been on paid leave since Feb. 23, following a raid by federal agents of the PVTA’s Main Street offices. A grand jury investigation is ongoing into possible bid-rigging. The PVTA provides van and bus service to 24 communities throughout Western Mass.

Mass. Hospitals’ Operating Costs Below National Average

BURLINGTON — Dispelling the myth that Massachusetts hospital care is the most expensive in the nation, a new report by Ingenix Health Intelligence/Center for Healthcare Industry Performance Studies shows that most hospitals across the state are operating at costs significantly below national medians. Also, hospitals in the Commonwealth are treating patients with more complex conditions, according to the ‘patient case mix index,’ which, at 1.2337 is much higher than the national median of 1.0800. The report also reveals that, relative to national averages, Massachusetts hospitals tend to be more efficient, with lower inpatient costs and higher inpatient occupancies. The study compares FY 2004 Massachusetts median hospital financial and operating indicators with national medians and incorporates data from the Almanac of Hospital Financial and Operating Indicators. The Mass. Hospital Association provided operating indicator data for 67 hospitals. The report illustrates that median Massachusetts hospital costs are significantly lower than national averages, with Massachusetts median cost per discharge at $5,406 and the national median cost per discharge at $6,459. On the other hand, the report illustrates concern that the state’s acute care hospitals are falling behind the nation with regard to capital maintenance and investment. The report also shows that Massachusetts hospitals are far less profitable than is the norm for the nation’s hospitals, but there’s been an improvement in total margin for the Massachusetts hospitals. The median rose from .3% in 2002 to 1.9% in 2004, while the national median rose from 2.6% in 2002 to 3.3% in 2004.

New Pioneer Valley Tourism Guide Available

SPRINGFIELD — The Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau’s 2006-2007 Guide to Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley is now available. The guide will be distributed at hotels, attractions, and restaurants, as well as key highway information centers, the downtown Springfield brochure rack network, and the William C. Sullivan Visitor Information Center. The guide is also available by calling (413) 755-1351 or E-mail at [email protected].

Mass. Hotels Anticipate Strong Comeback

SPRINGFIELD — During a recent two-day Governor’s Conference on Travel & Tourism at the Sheraton Springfield, an optimistic spin on the lodging industry was delivered by Mark V. Lomanno, president of Smith Travel Research. Lomanno noted that while the state’s growth is lagging behind the rest of the country, he sees the promise of catching up in the next six months to a year. Lomanno also said that, despite modest growth in the inventory of hotel rooms across the state, the average daily room rate grew by 4.2% to $121.37, and total room revenue grew by 5.3%, to $1.9 billion. Parts of Hampden, Hampshire and southern Berkshire counties averaged 56.4% last year in occupancy rates, compared with the national average of 63.4%. In northwestern Massachusetts, the average occupancy rate was 48.2%.

Unemployment Rate Increases to 6%

SPRINGFIELD— Despite an increase in the number of jobs posted in the region, the unemployment rate for Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties was 6% in February, according to the state Division of Unemployment Assistance. The seasonally adjusted statewide rate for February was 5.0%. Sectors that have seen an increase in jobs during the past year include natural resources, mining and construction, financial activities, and professional and business services. Educational and health services have also seen an upswing in hiring over the past 12 months. Sectors losing jobs during the past year include transportation, utilities, leisure and hospitality, and government. February unemployment rates in local cities and towns include Chicopee, 6.8%; Greenfield, 5.5%; Holyoke, 7.9%; Northampton, 4.0%; Palmer, 7.0%; Springfield, 8.1%; Ware, 6.3%, and Westfield, 5.5%.

CFOs Concerned about Rising Insurance, Health Care Costs

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Employee health care expenses top the list of worries for financial executives today, according to a new survey conducted by Robert Half Management Resources. Nearly half (49%) of chief financial officers (CFOs) polled recently cited the rising cost of insurance and health care as one of their three most pressing concerns. When asked how they are addressing it, more than half (53%) of respondents said they are cutting spending in other areas of the company.

Retail Trail

By BusinessWest Staff April 17, 2006

Uncategorized

What’s in Store?
Additional Retail Proposed for Holyoke’s Ingleside Section

Jeff Hayden says there is an unofficial policy in Holyoke not to locate retail centers on the west side of I-91 in the Ingleside area of the city.

The four-lane boundary line, spelled out on city zoning maps, essentially divides two zones — one called IG (Industrial-General) and the other IP (Industrial Park). The former, defining much of the property east of the highway, is quite broad, allowing nearly every type of commercial venture, including the Holyoke Mall. The latter, however, limits development to industrial ventures, offices, or, with a special permit, a hotel, said Hayden, director of the Holyoke Office of Economic and Industrial Development, who cited traffic concerns and a desire to maintain the residential nature of that area as the reasons why.

Thus, a zone change will be needed if the Holyoke-based O’Connell Development Group is to move forward with preliminary plans to transform the site of the former Atlas Copco air compressor manufacturing facility into a specialty retail center. Specifically, the company is exploring creation of a facility similar to Holyoke Crossing, home of Barnes & Noble, Circuit City, and several other stores, only a few blocks away on the other side of the interstate.

O’Connell developed the Holyoke Crossing project, and Andy Crystal, the company’s vice president, believes a similar retail center will likely represent the best re-use of the 29-acre Atlas Copco property.

“We think that would be the best alternative for that site,” he said, adding quickly that what a zone change will provide is options for redevelopment — and O’Connell intends to explore all of them.

That’s good, because additional retail in that corridor may be a tough sell.

There is already considerable traffic moving on and off I-91 and other roads in that area, with the Holyoke Mall and Holyoke Crossing being common destinations. Adding more retail to the mix would exacerbate that situation, some argue.

But Crystal told BusinessWest that a retail center could actually generate less traffic than a manufacturing operation — and certainly less truck traffic. Meanwhile, a venture similar to Holyoke Crossing would generate roughly $650,000 in annual tax revenues, about four times the amount yielded from Atlas Copco, and a retail center would generate more than 100 full- and part-time jobs.

“And these would be ‘new’ jobs to the region,” said Francesca Maltese, development manager for O’Connell, noting that manufacturing positions generated at the site would likely be relocated to that address from other area communities.

There are many, similar arguments that will be made in what could become a compelling debate in Holyoke. BusinessWest looks this issue at what’s at stake for the Atlas Copco property — and the Ingleside section as a whole.

Space Exploration

As he talked with BusinessWest about the parcel at 161 Lower Westfield Road, Crystal gestured toward the large, nearly empty parking lot of the plant, and then well beyond it, to the corners of Ingleside.

“We understand this area, and we have a big stake in it,” he said, with the we being O’Connell, which, in addition to Holyoke Crossing, has also developed the Crossroads Business Park off Bobala Road. “As a local company, we recognized the importance of what happens on this corner, and that’s why we wanted to be the ones to redevelop this site.”

Such desire eventually led O’Connell to form 161 Lower Westfield Road, LLC, the venture that acquired the property last summer for $4 million, and is now actively engaged in finding a new use for it.

Once agricultural land, the property, adjacent to Tannery Brook, had been home to Atlas Copco since the mid ’60s. The company, which expanded its operations several times over the years, relocated its manufacturing operations to South Carolina in 2004, and moved administrative and sales employees to Westfield last year.
It is the site’s location, only a few hundred yards from interchanges off I-91 and only a few blocks from the mall and Holyoke Crossing, that intrigued O’Connell, said Maltese. She told BusinessWest that a specialty retail center – also known within the retail community as a lifestyle center – on the site could make the Ingleside area a larger, even more vibrant shopping destination.

Elaborating, she said there are many national chains of retail stores and restaurants that would be attracted to such a location. And a mix could be generated, she believes, that would not compete with the mall or Holyoke Crossing, but instead complement and benefit them.

“A specialty retail center would give people from a wide area more reasons to come to Holyoke,” she explained, noting that the mall attracts shoppers from several New England states and New York. “And that would benefit the city and the region as well.”

Both the merits and potential problems to be generated by such a retail hub will be debated over the next several weeks, said Hayden, who told BusinessWest that there are many issues to be weighed. These include traffic, job creation, tax revenue, and, overall, crafting a re-use plan that works for both Ingleside and the community as a whole.

He acknowledged that traffic concerns will be at the center of debate (which will ensue at a public hearing later this month), but they should be just part of the discussion.

He said city officials have been working diligently in recent years to diversity the city’s job base, and the future of the Atlas Copco property will play a role in such efforts. Holyoke has been hurt by the closing or relocation of several large manufacturers in recent years, including Atlas Copco, Ampad, Kodak Polychrome, and others, he explained, adding that while many new jobs in manufacturing have been created, more diversity is desired.

“Our economy is much different now than it was 20 years ago,” he said. “Back then, people would say of Holyoke, ‘if it loses any of those manufacturers, it’s in big trouble. That’s not the case anymore because we have been able to diversity our jobs base.

“We have a strong base in health care, in retail, in other types of commercial services, and even in government,” he continued. “We have to continue moving in the direction of greater diversity.”

Maltese said O’Connell has looked at a number of options for the Atlas Copco property and concluded that specialty retail makes the most sense for that site — and the community itself.

She told BusinessWest that large manufacturing operations such as the Atlas Copco plant are not being drawn to the Pioneer Valley; instead, they are leaving it. Holyoke’s manufacturing base remains strong, she said, but it is now dominated by smaller shops, many of them now located in the paper and textile mills that gave the city its heritage.

The Atlas Copco site — specifically, the roughly 15 acres that can be developed — could, theoretically, be subdivided into smaller parcels for manufacturing or office use, she said. However, there is already a sizable inventory of existing facilities and land designated for such uses.
This includes the Crossroads business park, which currently houses a 22,000-square-foot office building for American Honda Financial Corp. and another parcel currently under contract.

“We can accommodate these smaller manufacturers at Crossroads and other locations,” she said. “We could, and we should, put this site (Atlas Copco) to a different use.”

The End Zone

Like Crystal, Hayden said the requested zone change, if approved, will provide O’Connell, and Holyoke, with greater flexibility as it creates a re-use plan for the Atlas Copco site.

Whether retail emerges as that best option remains to be seen, he said, but such a venture would help the city further diversify its economy while also gaining additional tax revenue and jobs.

“This property is an asset for the city,” he continued. “And any redevelopment plan should focus on making the best use of that asset.”

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

Building Block

By BusinessWest Staff March 20, 2006

Uncategorized

Last fall, as the MassMutual Center was getting set to open its doors, there were more than a few skeptics who doubted whether the $70 million facility would succeed in drawing events to Springfield and bringing people downtown.

Today, such doubters remain, but they’re considerably harder to find.

Granted, it’s only been a few months, and the success of such a massive public project is measured over a long period of time, but there are many signs that the facility is doing what it was designed to do — breathe some much needed life into downtown.

Two successful concerts, Martina McBride and Motley Crue, drew large crowds, and downtown parking lots have been jammed most weekends with mini vans and SUVs, the vehicles of necessity for audiences drawn to shows ranging from Dora the Explorer to pro wrestling; monster trucks to Disney on Ice.

This early success and the promise for much more — the March schedule was packed with events including auto and flower shows and college basketball championships — should give city officials and Financial Control Board members pause to consider creation of a broad strategy that will seize on the momentum being created by MassMutual Center.

It is clear that one doesn’t exist, because the facility has been left largely on an island, with very little to support it or to ‘extend the stay’ of visitors, as those in the travel and tourism business like to say. Indeed, while there are a few restaurants and attractions close by, there is little to keep those mini vans and SUVs from getting back on the highway after the shows end.

Extending the stay will take a coordinated effort, one that will require steps ranging from a beefed up police presence to finding some way to bring the long-stalled plans for a boutique hotel in Court Square to reality. And there will be a number of challenges, ranging from economics to the deteriorating condition of the Court Square building.

But right now, the MassMutual Center is a vital component of the overall economic development strategy in Springfield, and thus city and state officials must be aggressive in pursuit of ways to extend the building’s influence beyond its four walls and downtown parking concessions.

Put another way, they need to facilitate what should be — if the MassMutual Center continues on its current path — an intriguing exercise in the laws of supply and demand. How? For starters, they could explore options to incentivise national restaurant chains, especially those that cater to families, to look at and eventually invest in downtown Springfield. Meanwhile, they should engage downtown property owners in discussions on ways to bring in new businesses, ones that will complement the MassMutual Center.

City officials and the Control Board must also continue their work — there has been noted progress — to make the downtown cleaner, brighter, and safer.

And there must be a concerted effort to somehow rescue plans for a hotel at the Court Street property or find some other use for the century-old building. At present, the city is moving to foreclose on the property, burdened with more than $1 million in back taxes and a dispute over them between the city and the Picknelly family, which purchased the historic property several years ago.

Control Board officials say they are restricted in what they do in terms of forgiving back taxes and interest, and remain hopeful that there will be interest within the development community for such a venture. We are not as optimistic, and believe that a way should have been found to allow the Picknelly family to move ahead in its endeavor.

Foreclosure will likely serve to only delay this project further, not move it forward.

The MassMutual Center is not going to turn Springfield into Orlando. The city’s downtown isn’t likely to become a real destination any time soon. But the early success of the new facility provides a measure of optimism, a sense that it can bring greater prosperity to that area — if some encouragement is provided.

The city and state invested more than $70 million in the MassMutual. Now it needs to invest some time and energy to make sure it doesn’t remain an island.

State of Affairs

By BusinessWest Staff March 20, 2006

Uncategorized

Paul McDermott remembers the first time he saw the site of the former Belchertown State School.

That was late last fall, several months after Ernest Bleinberger, senior vice president and COO for Maryland-based Hunter Interests first invited him to take a look. Hunter is the firm hired by the Belchertown Economic Development and Industrial Corp. (BEDIC) to conduct a feasibility study of plans to convert the site into a resort hotel and wellness complex and generate some interest for the project in the development community.

Bleinberger had worked with McDermott, now president of a Chicago-based venture called Bridgeland Development LLC, on a few mixed use development projects, and thought the BSS campus and the potential to transform it into something unique would intrigue him.

He was right.
“It took some prodding, but I finally got there,” said McDermott, who had been working on several large-scale development projects and thus struggled to find some time in his schedule. “And when I did, I fell in love with the site and the community, and decided that this was something I really wanted to go after.”

By that, he meant the unique concept that has been proposed for a portion of the 400-acre site — a destination resort spa with related, wellness-oriented businesses and attractions. The planned mix would include several of the elements from other projects McDermott has worked on, including hotels, wellness centers, sports facilities, equestrian centers, restaurants, and others, but not all in the same package.

“I’ve never done a project quite like this one, and that’s what intrigues me,” said McDermott, whose firm was chosen earlier this month to be the master developer for the BSS project, known colloquially as the Cold Springs Resort Hotel and Spa Complex. Bridgeland will spend the next three months taking the conceptual plans for the concept and shaping them into a working model based on market realities.

A memorandum of understanding could be inked by the end of the month, said McDermott, adding that, while the project’s final price tag will be determined by the components included in it, the cost will likely be between $70 million and $100 million (with 80% or more being private money), making it one of the largest development efforts the region has seen in recent years.

BusinessWest looks this issue at the next steps in the process of making it reality.

Mind over Matter

As he talked with BusinessWest via cell phone, McDermott was being guided by his car’s onboard navigation system to a massive, 1,200-acre development in Rock Hill, S.C., just south of Charlotte.

There, Bridgeland and its parent company, Cincinnati-based Pollution Risk Services Inc. (PRS), are finalizing plans for the Greens at Rock Hill Project — one of the largest development projects currently underway in the country — at the long-shuttered Celanese Fibers Company complex. Plans call for roughly 300 acres to be devoted to warehouse and light manufacturing, another 300 acres of retail, a satellite medical campus with a 100,000-square-foot wellness center, and more than 1,000 residential units.

Rock Hill is one of many environmentally challenged sites that PRS has placed in its portfolio over the years. The company specializes in remediation of such sites — more than 3,000 of them since the company was formed 21 years ago — and, in recent years, has added a development component to its roster of services.

The desire to expand the development aspect of the business led PRS President Mark Mather to partner with McDermott and create Bridgeland in early February. The company is already engaged in managing four urban mixed-use development projects, including Rock Hill, and is consulting on an equestrian center project in San Antonio, a 50-acre retail and hotel development project in Bridgeview, Ill., and a 100-acre mixed-use project in Costa Rica that will include more than 100 residential units, retail, commercial, and an equestrian center.

Bridgeland is the latest stop in McDermott’s 28-year career in the management of complex projects that cross several realms, including commercial, industrial, hospitality, residential, sports, entertainment, and others.

While serving as a project executive for International Facilities Group, LLC (IFG) and, prior to that, as senior vice president at Mesirow Stein Real Estate and manager of project management services for Hanscom Inc., McDermott worked on several large-scale projects. They include ‘The Glen,’ a $1 billion redevelopment of the closed Glenview Naval Air Station in Illinois; another base-closure redevelopment at the Orlando Naval Training Center; a $70 million project to build a new stadium for the Chicago Fire professional soccer team; and the $150 million Orlando Performing Arts & Education Center.

McDermott told BusinessWest that he will borrow from those experiences and many others as he works to bring the BSS concept from the drawing board to reality.

The Cold Springs Resort Hotel and Spa Complex is the vision that has emerged for the state school property, which has been the subject of considerable speculation since the state-run residential facility for the mentally retarded closed its doors in 1992. Several possible uses have been forwarded in the years since — from a jail to a retail center, to a national music center — but none have materialized.

The spa concept was eventually brought to the table by town resident Elizabeth Tarras, who once worked in marketing for Springfield’s Business Improvement District. She began researching the subject and concluded there was a market for a moderately priced resort spa in the center of the state, and that such a venture could be complemented with other health- and wellness-related businesses and activities to create a viable destination.

Hunter Interests, which has undertaken feasibility studies, market studies, financing plans, marketing strategies, and other initiatives for a wide range of development projects, including the one in Rock Hill, was hired in early 2005 to conduct such pre-development work for the BSS site.

This included the coordination of a request for proposals (RFP) for the site, which eventually drew responses from 23 “interested parties,” including Bridgeland.

McDermott said the Belchertown site is not considered to be environmentally challenged — although there are some issues, such as asbestos removal — but it does fit the profile of the type of mixed-use project that he and PRS specialize in.

The next three months or so will be devoted to putting a mix together and creating a working plan for the site. Elements to the Cold Spring project could everything from senior housing to a micro-brewery; a medical office building to cross-country skiing.

“We have 90 days to pull together a development team, which means we’ll select a hotel developer and operator, a wellness center operating company, restaurateurs, and a planning team with architects, engineers, and master planners,” he explained. “We’re looking at developing a museum, some sports facilities, an equestrian center, some retail … we’re going to come up with the package we think will work.

“We want to confirm that this is economically viable,” he continued, “or, to put it another way, confirm what it will take to make it economically viable in terms of amendments to the original plan.”

The assembled team will also assess which of the buildings on the campus can be renovated for new use and which will be razed, said McDermott, noting that while the overall site is historic, individual buildings on it are not.

“There are well over 20 existing buildings on the site in various states of disrepair, and one of our next tasks is to do an assessment,” he explained. “Essentially, we’ll have to do a cost/benefit analysis on each building regarding the cost to remediate, renovate, and their specific usability.

“Overall, there are a lot of questions we need to answer — for example, do we want a boutique hotel or a main-brand hotel; a 50,000-square-foot wellness center or a 100,000-square-foot wellness center,” he said. “Hopefully, we can answer them over the next 90 days.”

Building Suspense

If all goes well, permitting and site plan work and remediation of buildings within the complex could be completed over the next 18 months, said McDermott, adding that the hotel could be open within 2 1/2 years.

For now, though, the focus is on shaping the broad vision for the property into a workable plan.

“This is an awesome site with enormous potential,” he said. “I think we can do something special here.”

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

Ghost with the Most

By BusinessWest Staff March 6, 2006

Uncategorized

A typical day for Frank Campiti includes greeting visitors to his new business, balancing the books, updating order sheets, and feeding a room full of hungry bats.

The bats — all females, he greets them with a tray of apples and oranges and a jovial “hello, girls!” — comprise just one duty Campiti has taken on in the last few months, concurrent with the grand opening of what could very well be the strangest business Western Mass. has seen in many years — Dr. Spooky’s Animal Museum in South Deerfield.

But that’s not to say that strange can’t equal successful. A long road led to what is now a popular tourist attraction, created following months of research and weeks of careful construction.

Dr. Spooky’s — essentially, a haunted castle that is home to a number of live animal exhibits and caves of dinosaur displays — started with a vague idea and a goal to capitalize on the growing tourism industry in Western Mass. But it has grown to become a unique, and indescribable, attraction — one you have to see to believe. And in the tourism industry, that’s gold.

Campiti said it was a long-held dream of his to open a tourism-based business in Western Mass. What that venture would be, he wasn’t sure, but he had a few ideas.
A veteran of the construction industry, Campiti has specialized in the past in the design and construction of themed restaurants, bars, and attractions such as haunted houses. Some of the ideas he had for a tourist attraction harkened back to his days designing large props for businesses such as Chicopee’s Hu Ke Lau restaurant, and he hoped that something creative, fun, and larger than life would serve as an effective backdrop for an educational attraction geared toward school-age children.

“I always knew I wanted to open a tourist attraction,” he said. “I knew it would be an opportunity to put together a great concept that was educational and fun.”

He admitted he also loves animals and Halloween — and both provide impetus for a business that blends the science of animal studies with the scare-value of a haunted castle. But from a business standpoint, Campiti also saw the value in creating a new attraction in a region that has turned much of its focus to tourism in recent years.

“Tourist attractions are a non-consumable product,” he explained. “There’s very little turnover in resources. I’ve been involved in the restaurant and bar business, and in that industry, every $10 you touch turns into $1.50, if you’re lucky. This is the total opposite. We built it, and the people are coming.”

Out of the Mouths of Babes

The process of securing a plot of land for what would eventually morph into Dr. Spooky’s began in the spring of 2004. Campiti eventually chose to lease a site adjacent to and owned by the New England Candle Company on Greenfield Road in South Deerfield, a throughway already booming with several successful tourist attractions and businesses, including the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Yankee Candle Company.

Still, the business plan was nebulous, and Campiti, along with his wife, Kathleen, turned to what they viewed as their core audience to seal the deal.

“I had some ideas as to what I wanted to do,” he said, “but the real plans started to form after we surveyed students in the Springfield school system, and asked them what they would want to see.”

The students surveyed were in grades 2 through 8, and were given a brief set of questions meant to gauge where the most interest would fall within a cross-section of children in many age groups.

Students were given the choice, for example, of three potential themes for an attraction that would also include a strong educational focus, such as an archeological dig site, a mad scientists’ laboratory, or a haunted castle (the choice was clear). They were also asked what types of exhibits they’d like to see within the setting of their choosing, and the overwhelming response — Campiti said about 87% — was live animals, as well as some exhibits pertaining to prehistoric animals and dinosaurs.

Thus, the concept for Dr. Spooky’s was born — a haunted castle, complete with a graveyard, a creepy backyard (that doubles as a snack bar) and a series of sprawling caves that lead to dinosaur exhibits.

Campiti has been involved with all aspects of the business, from brainstorming a theme to actually executing the design inside. He said he and Kathleen traveled across the country visiting museums, tourist attractions, and other sites, in search of inspiration, but has yet to find an attraction that is similar to Dr. Spooky’s. That posed a challenge when it came time to begin design and construction work in the building’s interior — with such a unique business model, blueprints went out the window early on.

“That was the hardest thing, not having a set plan for exactly what the inside was going to be,” he said. “How could we? We were talking about something that just didn’t exist.”

Campiti said he and fellow construction and design workers literally walked through the building over and over again, deciding what could be placed where. He said he knew there were some design aspects he wanted at Dr. Spooky’s, such as a lot of overhangs, tunnels, and walk-throughs, that would take away from the cavernous feeling of the building.

With that in mind, corners was filled with sprawling trees, a statue perched on a throne took up residence in the lobby, and two giants clasping hands were constructed to create an entryway.

Construction was completed in November of 2005. Campiti added that Dr. Spooky’s operates on the land with the benefit of what he termed “a very long-term lease,” and with great cooperation from owner Henry Komosa and from area businesses and municipal entities.

“There’s a definite acceptance of new business in South Deerfield,” he said. “People want to see new businesses take off, and they’re fair and helpful. The town told us what we needed to do, and helped us to do it.”

The true test of the business came not long after Dr. Spooky’s opened its castle doors. Area schools closed for Christmas vacation, and Campiti said that without any marketing efforts, the business saw its first boom, and word-of-mouth began to spread. Last month, during February vacation, Dr. Spooky’s matched the success seen in December — and went on to triple its revenues.

Of Mice and Men

Campiti said word-of-mouth works in the case of Dr. Spooky’s because people try to explain what it is they’ve seen to friends and family, and end up merely saying “you just have to go there.”

He admits that even for him, Dr. Spooky’s is impossible to adequately describe. Indeed, there’s a lot going on behind the towering castle façade of the building. But the educational exhibits of live animals and of dinosaur replicas, the haunted castle theme, even Dr. Spooky himself — he’s a character who gives three lessons throughout the course of a visit, from a screen in the center of the building called the Magic Mirror — are tied together by one common bond: sheer and utter creepiness.
Upon entering Dr. Spooky’s, guests are greeted by a towering skeleton, who points the way to the ticket counter. Staff members assure visitors that the hoots and hollers they hear are merely the live animals in the exhibits, and all of those are friendly. Visitors then begin the journey down a winding path that walks them through a series of animal exhibits, all separated by animal groups — from the simplest invertebrate, to mammals of all sizes. It’s this aspect of Dr. Spooky’s, Campiti said, which has been most attractive to school groups; the exhibits follow lines similar to a middle-school biology curriculum.

But the animals aren’t your run of the mill lions, tigers, and bears. Instead, guests learn about various species by studying creatures such as poison dart frogs and African pygmy mice.

After a visit with Dr. Spooky, the journey continues through a series of caves that feature replicas of dinosaur teeth and claws. A massive quetzalcoatlus – which means flying dragon – looms overhead, and the visit ends in a large, military style-tent, where nervous visitors enter and stand, perplexed for just a minute — until they start at the sound of a T-Rex roar ‘outside’ and jump as the ground beneath them begins to shake.

Campiti said the entire attraction was designed to incorporate a lot of educational information under one roof, but in a setting that would resemble more an incredible field trip than a lesson in school.

“A lot of places that have exhibits with a lot of information are kind of boring,” he said. “Others are fun but aren’t educational. I wanted to do both – an educational experience, but in another world.”

Bats in the Belfry

That’s a world that now includes a varied set of responsibilities for Campiti, including answering questions about the many animals at Dr. Spooky’s as well as feeding them regularly. During that school vacation week last month, he often found himself performing both tasks at the same time, as he prepared dishes of food for the bats and answered a visitor’s question about a nearby dwarf possum.

It’s busy times like those that help convince Campiti that the utterly unique business he’s created at Dr. Spooky’s has some teeth — maybe even fangs.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Building Excitement

By BusinessWest Staff February 20, 2006

Uncategorized

Chuck Swider is a Chicopee native who has seen the city go through many ups and downs.

He’s hoping to give the community a shot in the arm with a new development project, slated to begin this spring, that could bring some new jobs to the city while bolstering efforts to spark improvement of Chicopee Center.

Construction is slated to begin on a two-story, 12,000-square-foot commercial building by April or May, on the corner of West and Center streets, adjacent to the route 391 on- and off-ramps. A specific end-use for the building has yet to be determined, but Swider is focused on exploring options in health care, and is now working to recruit tenants in a variety of medical fields, ranging from primary care to physical therapy offices, and everything in between.

Swider began acquiring the property – the site is actually eight separate parcels that have been combined into one – about six years ago. Now, the slightly sloping hill includes a farmhouse and a small, rickety barn that will be leveled, but also a billboard advertising for tenants in the proposed building.

Swider has received approval on site plans for the new building from both the city and the state (Center Street is a state-owned roadway), and is now in the process of securing the necessary building permits, with the goal of beginning construction in a matter of weeks.

He hopes to complete construction on the building by fall of this year, and secure occupants by spring, 2007.

“There have already been some inquiries,” Swider said, “and we have the support of the mayor (Michael Bissonnette) in this. I don’t foresee any major problems at this point. The mayor’s office understands the importance of developing Chicopee center to the entire city, and has made it a top priority.”

Preliminary plans for the building include the incorporation of medical offices as well as retail space, and plans have also been mulled for a possible café-style restaurant on the premises.

Health and Wealth

Swider said he’s most interested in securing tenants in the health care sector in order to capitalize on what he considers the region’s strongest business sector.

“This location is phenomenal, because it serves as one of the primary gateways to the city,” said Swider, who lives, works, and owns property in Chicopee, in addition to currently serving his second term on the Board of Aldermen. “There is an ongoing effort to continue to update the center of Chicopee and to blend new buildings and businesses with the old. Reaching out to the larger medical community in Chicopee, Springfield, Holyoke, and West Springfield is a great place to start. It’s my hope that we can reach out to that community and even become an outreach post for a larger organization.”

That idea has already drawn some interest; last year, plans were drafted for a new suite of offices operating under the auspices of Holyoke Medical Center, which mulled using 6,000 square feet on the second floor at the property. HMC later chose a different location on Front Street in Chicopee, which included more square footage. Swider said that, while his own project was not chosen by HMC, he was not entirely disappointed by the end result.

“They chose to stay in Chicopee in a location that ultimately worked better for what they want to do,” he said, “and that’s still great for the city.”

But he added that the plan itself was indicative of exactly the type of use he’d like to see on the West and Center street corner. With the top floor occupied by medical offices, the ground floor would be open for any use, including the proposed café, a plan that Swider said he still hopes will materialize.

“We would have a built-in lunch crowd from the staff upstairs,” he said, “and I also think the center could absolutely support more specialty eateries. Chicopee center needs more diversity in general, and new restaurants might help to achieve that.”

Healthy Alternatives

Swider noted that while he is targeting health care related businesses, he won’t rule out other potential uses for the building.

“We went into this with the hope that the majority of our tenants would represent the medical field,” he said. “But we will absolutely consider anyone who is interested in relocating to our city.”

The law field, for instance, is one that might be tapped as construction moves forward, Swider said.

“A law office at this location would have easy access to several courts,” he explained, listing facilities in Springfield, West Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee. “That would be attractive to several tenants, and it remains very much a possibility.”

That pliability is part of Swider’s larger effort to be part of an overall revitalization of the city, he said, adding that he hopes the development will be a part of Bissonnette’s ‘Bosch to the Bridge’ development focus.

The mayor has pledged that economic development outside of the Memorial Drive strip will represent a major portion of his work during the first year in office. That plan includes a long-range endeavor to spur development in abandoned mills including the American Bosch plant, and through the corridor that connects the Bosch to the former Uniroyal property adjacent to the throughway once known as ‘the singing bridge.’

Promoting Wellness

“The mayor would like to see some of the business now strong in Springfield’s North End, and that includes the medical businesses, extend further across the Chicopee line,” Swider explained, adding that some Chicopee business owners and residents are beginning to refer to that expansion as ‘the New North End.’ “A big part of that initiative is going to be adding a diverse set of businesses to Chicopee center.”

Swider added that he supports the mayor’s focus on bringing development to Chicopee, as well.

“He is dead-set on positive development projects, and that will only help building developments like my own,” he said. “It’s imperative that the city is on board with these types of projects, because it only helps to underscore one major fact: Chicopee is alive.”

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Nothing But Net

By BusinessWest Staff February 6, 2006

Features

For years, Springfield, the birthplace of basketball, was also home to the finals of the NCAA Men’s Division II Basketball Championship. After a 12-year hiatus, the city has been awarded the Elite Eight for the next two years. Event organizers intend to use that time to make a solid case for establishing Springfield as a permanent home.

Of late, when the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc. (NCAA) awards the Division II Men’s Basketball Championship to a city, it’s a one-year proposition.

That’s the way it’s been since the start of the decade, with stops in such places as Lakeland, Fla., Evansville, Ind., Bakersfield, Calif., and, last year, Grand Forks … North Dakota.

But when a group of Springfield businesspeople and basketball enthusiasts made a bid to bring the tournament back to Springfield for what would the 50th anniversary of the Division II championship in 2006, they asked the NCAA for two years — and they got them.

But that wasn’t the real goal.

Indeed, their mission was and is to make The City of Homes a permanent home for what has come to be known as the Elite Eight. This is a nearly week-long series of games that climaxes a 64-team tournament staged over two weeks each March, with the championship game broadcast live on CBS.

The request for two years, says Don Senecal, vice president of Finance and Operations for the Basketball Hall of Fame, was a bid to give Springfield a chance to show what it can do.

“This will be our opportunity to show that Springfield, Basketball City, is the place where the Elite Eight should be,” he told BusinessWest, “and we’re going to do our best to convince them.”

Already, organizers have commitments from 22 area businesses, amounting to more than $100,000 that will be used to stage the event and purchase tickets, some of which will go to area young people as part of broad basketball-oriented educational program called MVP’s of Character. Senecal said the immediate goal is to build on that base of support and thus show the NCAA that Springfield’s desire to host the event is a region-wide phenomenon.

Springfield was home for the tournament’s final games throughout the ’80s and early ’90s, Senecal explained, and drew decent crowds. But with a desire to spread the wealth, and perhaps give the tournament a boost, the NCAA took the show on the road — specifically to Louisville, Ky. There it stayed for six years before moving on to Bakersfield, Evansville, and other locales.

But Bob Burke and others in Springfield believe the Elite Eight belongs here.

Burke, athletic director at American International College, a Division II school that has acted as official host for the tournament in the past, and will do so again in ’06 and ’07, called Springfield the “natural home” for the championship.

“This is the birthplace of the sport,” he explained. “And we have everything the NCAA needs — a great facility, a number of hotels, and some great educational opportunities for the athletes playing in the tournament.”

Burke said this is a different Springfield than the one that last hosted the event in 1994, one with a refurbished arena that is part of a new, $55 million convention center, and a new Basketball Hall of Fame, one with a number of facilities and exhibits that didn’t exist in the old Hall.

“We have a lot to offer here,” he explained. “This will be a great opportunity for Springfield, the NCAA, and the athletes themselves.”

Sal D’Amato agreed.

Chairman of this year’s tournament and executive vice president of the TD Banknorth Insurance Group, he said the Elite Eight is about much more than basketball.

He told BusinessWest that there are economic benefits for Springfield and the region — for starters, the event is expected to consume 1,000 hotel nights — but there are other dividends, as well. The event will provide a chance to showcase the city and its gleaming new MassMutual Center, for example, and in the process show the NCAA and other groups it is a fitting site for conventions, meetings, and other sporting events.

Meanwhile, the games and the accompanying festivities could provide a needed psychological boost for the city at a time of extreme fiscal duress and headlines about possible bankruptcy or receivership.

“Springfield has had some difficult times, to be sure, but it’s starting to climb back,” D’Amato said. “The Elite Eight can be a big part of that comeback.”

BusinessWest looks this issue at how Springfield intends to make the most of its two-year window, and soon make the city and the name Elite Eight synonymous.

Bouncing Back

The colleges are not exactly household names.

Kennesaw State. Fort Hays State. Virginia Union. North Carolina Central. Kentucky Wesleyan. Metro State. These are some of the recent Men’s Division II champions, and most people would be hard pressed to find some of them on a map.

But while the schools may be small and somewhat obscure, the basketball they play is still top caliber, said Mark Morris, vice chairman of this year’s event and director of public relations for Health New England.

Tracing the history of the event, Morris said it all started in 1957 in Evansville (with Evansville College as the host school) and remained there for 20 tournaments, five of which were won by the hosts.

When Evansville became a Division I school, the tournament had to move, and Springfield earned its first opportunity to host the event in 1977. The event moved to another Springfield, the one in Missouri, for the next two years, before it returned to the Pioneer Valley for a 15-year run.

It was during that time, that area residents became familiar with such schools as Central Missouri State, Florida Southern, St. Augustine’s, Alaska-Anchorage, and Mount St, Mary’s. Attendance for the final games was fairly steady through those years — championship game turnout ran from a high of

6,894 in 1987 to a low of 3,555 in 1980 — and often reflected the proximity of the teams to the region and the number of fans they brought with them, Morris explained.

But by 1994, the NCAA wanted to take the event to other sites, said Morris, noting that this is the policy with Division I basketball finals, the hugely popular Final Four, and other tournaments. Louisville played host for six years, drawing attendance numbers similar to Springfield’s. But turnout has declined in the past few years, with only 2,378 coming out for the championship game in 2002 in Evansville, 1,600 for the 2004 game in Bakersfield, and about 1,500 for last year’s tilt in North Dakota.

“Grand Forks had a great facility, a wonderful place to watch a basketball game,” said Morris. “But they didn’t get the turnout; there were some logistical challenges — only one airline actually flies into the city.”

But even before the tip-off in Grand Forks, Springfield was making its case to bring the tournament back to Springfield, said Senecal, noting that as it did so, it had commitments from 22 area businesses and organizations that helped sell the NCAA on the city and the region.

Net Results

As he talked about Springfield’s two-year window of opportunity to impress the NCAA and make the Elite Eight a fixture in the city, D’Amato said organizers have to do more than fill seats — although that is an important consideration.

Indeed, there must be a broad base of support that includes business and civic leaders and area residents. Building that base is a process that started more than a year ago, he told BusinessWest, adding that it started with a commitment on the part of officials at the Hall of Fame and others to bring the championship back to Springfield.

To make that happen, the city needed to make a bid to the NCAA, and to do that it needed a solid case.

There are many elements to that case, said Senecal, including accessibilty — getting teams and fans to the game — and also facilities and accommodations. Beyond those essentials, however, he added, the city needed a solid core of supporters.

Springfield had one in the form of an organizing committee for the championship comprised of those 22 businesses and groups, also known as ‘Community shareholders.’

They include the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, TD Banknorth, the Hall of Fame, Chicopee Savings Bank, Comcast, the Economic Development Council of Western Mass., Freedom Credit Union, the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Burea, Health New England, Houser Auto Group, and Verizon. Also, MassMutual, the Northeast-10 Conference (which includes AIC), Peoplesbank, The Republican, Sheraton Springfield, Six Flags New England, Spalding, the MassMutual Center, Springfield Marriott, the Tip Off Committee, and Western Mass. Electric.

“Having that base of supporters really convinced the NCAA that Springfield could do this, that we could put on a great championship,” said D’Amato, adding quickly that organizers are seeking additional sponsorships from area businesses. “That’s what sold them.”

Now that Springfield has the Elite Eight for this year and next, said Senecal, the assignment is to put on tournaments that will give the NCAA reason to keep the event here. He said the facilities such as the MassMutual Center, the new Hall of Fame, the downtown hotels, and the proximity to Bradley International Airport will all help in that regard.

But another key ingredient in the equation is making the Elite Eight more than a series of seven basketball games, he said, and instead a community event.

This was the motivation behind such initiatives as MVP’s of Character, which is expected to include nearly 1,000 area students. They will hear several speakers, including Bob Amastas, founder and director of Students Against Drunk Driving, and former Olympic gold medalist and motivational speaker Tim Daggett.

“There is an important philanthropic component to this,” said D’Amato. “We’re going to have 1,000 kids at the MassMutual Center to watch some basketball, but also listening and learning.”

Senecal told BusinessWest that there are no hard estimates on the overall economic impact of the championship on the city and region. Beyond the 1,000 hotel nights, however, the event is expected to be a boon for area restaurants, clubs, the Hall of Fame, and other hospitality related businesses.
But there will other benefits, he contin

ued, including the opportunity to showcase the city before a fairly large and diverse audience (the final game will be broadcast nationally) that includes the NCAA, which stages hundreds of championships and events each year.

“This will be a chance for us to show we a great city this is,” said D’Amato. “And if we do a good job hosting this event — and I’m very confident that we will — there may be opportunities for us to host other NCAA events down the road.”

In the meantime, the event should provide a psychological boost, the size of which is still to be determined.

“There will be a sense of pride to come with staging this event and making it successful,” said Senecal. “

Fast Facts

What:The NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship — the Elite Eight.
When: March 22-25
Where: Springfield, Mass., the MassMutual Center
Contact: For tickets, information, or sponsorship details, call (413) 231-5515.

Courting History

The tournament committee has chosen the marketing slogan The National Championship Happens Here for the upcoming Elite Eight.

The plan, however, is to be able to use the branding tool for a long time.
Armed with a solid game plan and a team of business leaders supporting the effort, organizers believe they have a winning proposition.

They’ll have two years to make their case.

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

Go Dutch!

By BusinessWest Staff February 6, 2006

Features

Museums 10 picked a unique subject for its first endeavor as a formal organization – Dutch culture. More notable than the topic from which the museums and several other groups and businesses will derive inspiration, however, is the increasingly expansive nature of the Go Dutch! program, which is spanning the region and attempting to break down invisible barriers between the counties of the Pioneer Valley.

Unpack your tulip vase and dust off your wooden shoes … it’s time to Go Dutch.

In less than a month, a multi-organization, cultural exhibit will kick off in the Pioneer Valley, offering art, music, literature, floral, and other programs to the public, all centered on the theme of Dutch culture and both the modern life and historical relevance of The Netherlands.

What makes this project different from other cultural exhibits, however, is that it involves several non-profit organizations and for-profit businesses, serves as the first major program spearheaded by a new partnership between 10 Hampshire and Franklin county museums, and will run for several months, drawing in visitors from both the local area and surrounding cities and states.

And it is expected to break through the ‘Tofu Curtain.’

That’s what some people call the invisible line that separates Hampden from Hampshire and Franklin counties, and often stalls cultural partnerships between them. A joke referring to Hampshire and Franklin counties’ reputation as the more liberal and artsy portion of the Pioneer Valley, and to Hampden County’s more industrial identity, the Tofu Curtain gives some levity to a very real issue in the Pioneer Valley — the disconnect between many cities and towns in terms of the cultural tourism initiatives of the region.

Nora Maroulis, director of Development and Marketing for the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and a member of the marketing team of Museums 10, a cultural partnership launched last year, said the primary goal of the organization’s first major project, Go Dutch!, will be to promote the cultural gems of the Pioneer Valley as a whole, not separated by town lines.

“This project is completely unprecedented,” she said. “Chambers of commerce in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties are all sitting at the same table, along with the GSCVB (Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau), several organizations, and businesses across the region. And we’re all talking about one thing: tourism.”

The Power of 10

Museums 10 was officially launched last year, following many years of successful partnerships on a less formal level among the museums’ directors.

The organization now consists of seven college museums, all located on the ‘Five College’ campuses in Amherst, Northampton, and South Hadley: The University Gallery at UMass, Amherst; the Mead Art Museum, Emily Dickinson Museum and Homestead, and Museum of Natural History at Amherst College; the Hampshire College Art Gallery; the Smith College Museum of Art, and the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum.

Two independent Amherst museums – the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and the National Yiddish Book Center – and Historic Deerfield complete the group, and a suite of materials promoting the museums as one set of attractions was also created last year.

Maroulis explained that the marketing professionals of each museum were asked by the museums’ directors to begin meeting on a regular basis, as the directors had with some success.

“You put a group of marketing directors in the same room, and it’s inevitable that some major brainstorming is going to happen,” she said.

The first byproduct of such brainstorming is Go Dutch!, a region-wide exhibition of Dutch art and culture that will be anchored by a traveling art exhibit slated to appear at the Eric Carle Museum from March through July, titled Dutch Treats: Contemporary Illustration from the Netherlands. The other museums in the organization will also hold exhibits, performances, and other events in keeping with the same Dutch theme.

However, as Maroulis was quick to note, not only Museums 10 galleries will be participating in Go Dutch! – museums, businesses, and other venues across the Pioneer Valley have pledged their support and participation, creating a partnership that is a first in the area.

In addition to Museums 10, more than 25 businesses and organizations across the valley are slated to offer some type of exhibit or event in keeping with the Go Dutch! theme, including the Springfield Museums, Chandler’s Tavern and Yankee Candle in South Deerfield, the Springfield Armory, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the UMass School of Architecture and Regional Planning, the Log Cabin, the Paradise City Arts Festival, and several others.

Rediscover the Spring and Summer

Maroulis said the number of participants continues to grow as the start date for Go Dutch! nears, and added that in addition to the growing numbers of participants across the valley, other aspects of the project are expected to factor into its overall success, including the ever-important issue of economics.

“We didn’t want the museums to create new programs for Go Dutch!, because creating programs costs money,” she explained. “Instead, we asked them to look inward at their existing collections for art work or potential performances and events that would fit the theme of Dutch culture or the Netherlands.”

To that end, several museums, including the Mead Art Museum and the Springfield Museums, will showcase paintings or sculpture by some of the Dutch masters, including Rembrandt and Vermeer, and the botanical gardens of Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges, for example, will use their existing stores to create Dutch-inspired flower and plant shows. But all of the planned programs are unique in their subject matter, and include a wide-range of topics, for instance:

From March to May, the Emily Dickinson Museum will allow visitors to explore unexpected connections between the Dickinsons and cultural influences of the Low Countries, and throughout the spring, the museum grounds will be peppered with tulips and other bulb-grown flowers;
Showcasing tulips and other spring flowers on a grander scale will be the Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden Spring Flower Show, dubbed On the Dutch Waterways, from March 4 to 19;
The Smith College bulb show, also opening March 4;
The Arcadia Players, a baroque ensemble based in Northampton, will perform a Dutch Baroque organ music program at First Church in Amherst on March 4;
From March to June, the Smith College Museum of Art will exhibit Dutch prints and drawings from its collection. The selected prints represent the art of 17th century Holland, often called the Golden Age of Dutch art;
Similarly, the Springfield Museums at the Quadrangle will also exhibit prints and drawings from the Golden Age during the same time;
A Family Day is planned for March 11, offering a preview of Go Dutch! From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at no cost, on the Mount Holyoke College campus. Families are invited to enjoy a variety of activities, including a scavenger hunt focusing on the museum’s collection of Dutch art;
From March 31 to May 19, the University Gallery of UMass Amherst will exhibit of works by contemporary Dutch artist Avery Preesman, whose abstract paintings and wall reliefs are gaining notoriety;
Beginning April 1 and running until late December, Historic Deerfield will offer At Home in Holland: Dutch Decorative arts from the Historic Deerfield collection to all visitors. Colonial-era objects created in or inspired by Holland will be on display at the Flynt Center of Early New England Life;
The Yiddish Book Center, which already stages several programs a year to promote Yiddish culture and literature, has scheduled 10 individual programs throughout the spring and summer as well as two art exhibitions as part of Go Dutch!, which will include a concert titled Music from the Time of Anne Frank on April 23, and on view in the Gerson Gallery, a series of etchings created by illustrator Joseph Goldyne, depicting scenes inspired by the diary of Anne Frank; and
From May 5 to 7, the Mass. International Festival of the Arts (MIFA) will stage a theater production of Van Gogh’s Ear, a new musical theater work based on the painter’s letters, at the Rooke Theater, Mount Holyoke College.

A Blooming Economy?

Some funding for the various programs as well as advertising for the Go Dutch! project was made possible by a matching grant from the Mass. Cultural Council (MCC), which provided $50,000 to Museums 10 that the organization must match with cash or in-kind contributions.

As the program continues to grow across the region, said Maroulis, Museums 10 is focused on recruiting more for-profit businesses to serve as partners or sponsors with the museums and other cultural outfits comprised in Go Dutch!, in order to ensure those matching grant funds are secured and also to underscore the importance of cultural tourism to the Pioneer Valley’s overall economic health.

“We’ve already seen programs like this succeed in other areas,” she said, noting as an example a recent county-wide endeavor in the Berkshires, titled the Vienna Project. “In that case, businesses and restaurants were very involved, and we want to mirror that involvement here.”

Christine Noh, marketing manager for the Eric Carle Museum, added that not only would the involvement of more for-profit businesses benefit Go Dutch!, but the program can also provide some unique marketing opportunities for those businesses.
“This is a groundbreaking project, and some savvy business owners, particularly in the small business sector, have been quick to jump on board,” she said. “Go Dutch! is going to get a lot of play up and down the I-91 corridor, but also outside the area in key markets like Boston and New York.”

Noh explained that, in addition, a lengthy booklet is being published by Museums 10 that features all partnering organizations and businesses, as well as a ‘passport’ program that allows visitors to Go Dutch! exhibits to receive stamps that make them eligible for an all-expense paid trip to the Netherlands. There are advertising opportunities within the booklet, which will be distributed throughout the Pioneer Valley and outside of the area as a visitor’s guide.

“We’re trying to remind people that live here of what is so great about the valley, and of everything we have to offer culturally,” said Noh, “but we’re also working to bring new tourism in. Several small business owners have been very responsive to that goal, and the hotels are joining us quickly, too. We have a core group of people who understand the value of cultural tourism that is very strong.”

Still, Noh and Maroulis agreed that to give Go Dutch! that final push, greater involvement from some of the area’s larger companies is necessary.

“Businesses need to understand that the cultural and academic organizations of the area bring in more than 500,000 visitors to the area a year,” said Noh. “That’s a lot of people who will come back, or better yet, stay, if they like what they see.”

Maroulis added that Museums 10 is sensitive to the financial obligations of for-profit organizations, but added that in terms of Go Dutch!, the positive marketing opportunities could outweigh economic factors and also give many businesses a boost.

Home Improvements

“We would like very much to see some of the larger employers in the area become corporate sponsors,” she said. “With the support we’ve received from the GSCVB and from the MCC, we have been able to be very successful very quickly with branding ourselves as a permanent fixture in the area, and Go Dutch! is sort of the big event that is heralding the arrival of Museums 10.

“We’re not going anywhere … and we want to work with major businesses to increase the visitorship to their stores or increase awareness of their services, as much as we want to promote ourselves,” she continued. “It all helps us work toward the same goal – benefiting and promoting the place we call home.”

A home she hopes will soon include more open doors and windows of opportunity, unfettered by curtains of any kind.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

On the Right Track

By BusinessWest Staff February 6, 2006

Uncategorized

On a sunny day, the Norwottuck Rail Trail seems to be paved with gold.

Actually, it’s recycled glass embedded in the pavement – a design aspect of the trail that makes the bike path unique.

But it’s also a metaphor that the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), business owners, and the residents of the towns through which the trail runs – Hadley, Amherst, Belchertown, and Northampton – hope will ring true in the coming years.

The Norwottuck Rail Trail opened in 1993, after the tract of land where the first phase of the path was constructed was purchased by the state from the Boston and Maine Railroad Corporation in 1985. It was given its name at the suggestion of the Hadley Historical Commission, to reflect the Native American heritage of the area, and represents one of the first trails in Massachusetts. Others in the state, including the popular Cape Cod Rail Trail, have been up and running for more than two decades.

According to Danny O’Brien, a rail trail coordinator, the DCR partnered with Mass Highway to finalize a design for the trail, which originally ran from Damon Road in Northampton to Station Avenue in Amherst – an eight-mile course.

“But once they’re constructed, these trails always extend,” O’Brien said. “They generally become very popular within the towns and cities they run though, and then everyone wants them to run into their town.”

Staying the Course

The first extension of the Norwottuck Trail was another mile into Belchertown in the mid 1990s; O’Brien added that a second extension is now planned to bring the trail into downtown Northampton, a move that would not only create a connection between the busy towns of Amherst and Northampton, but is also expected to alleviate parking issues at the start of the trail and spur further business development along the trail.

He also expects the Norwottuck Trail to mirror the success of older trails, attracting businesses to plots along the route and creating a steady stream of both local and long distance tourism in the spring and summer months.

“There were a couple of businesses that were built right away along the route, and they’re doing quite well,” he said. “I expect that trend will continue … a study of the Cape Cod Rail Trail returned some interesting findings in terms of business development around rail trails, and that is a good indicator of where some of the newer trails could be headed.”

In fact, a survey completed among 38 businesses along the Cape Cod Rail Trail by the DCR revealed some noteworthy statistics, which O’Brien said will be measured along other rail trails across the state and also used as proof of the success of such facilities as economic drivers. Some of the DCR’s findings included:

24% of business owners reporting that the trail played a part in opening and/or acquiring their business;
82% reporting that the trail does not hinder their business operations;
60% reporting expansions to their businesses, due in part to rail trail traffic;
75% reporting that the rail trail’s proximity to their business could make selling the business easier in the future, and
53% reporting that revenues from trail users constituted more than 10% of their overall annual revenues.

O’Brien added that rail trails also attract small businesses, or those that cater to tourism or outdoor recreation, a key focal point for area planners and developers as they work to spur new economic growth in the region.

Restaurants, convenience stores, and outdoor activity-based businesses – there are nine bike shops along the Cape Cod Rail Trail alone – are some of the more likely candidates for rail trail placement.

In Hadley, Pete’s Drive-in is probably the most apt example of a business that owes some of its profitability to rail trail visitors, as well as some of its local notoriety.

Patrick Serio, owner of Pete’s Drive-in (he named the restaurant after his youngest son) opened in 1991, unaware that the bike path project was in the works.

Formerly Twintetti’s, opened by Herrell’s Ice Cream founder Steve Herrell and later operated by two local teachers, the drive-in has been energized by Serio, who made the switch to restaurateur after a long career in the grocery business – his family founded Serio’s Market in Northampton.

He said he planned to depend on street traffic on Route 9, where the restaurant is located, and was surprised to benefit from trail business instantly, once it opened to the public.

“We didn’t even have a connector from the path to the restaurant,” he said. “Bicyclists were crossing a drainage ditch to get to us.”

Serio said he soon asked the state for permission to create a small path connecting the trail to the restaurant, and a partnership of sorts was born – permission was granted, and business at Pete’s Drive-in, at the time just a small burger stand, began to boom.

“I think the state wanted to do what they had to, to see the path succeed, and the connector was an instant hit for me,” he explained. “It also did a lot in terms of exposure for the trail.”

Serio said early on, he began offering bike and in-line skating demos in tandem with area bike shops at the trail accessible entrance to his restaurant, bringing more traffic to his business and to the shops he partnered with. And today, Pete’s is seen as the ‘mecca’ of the bike path – a tourist destination for cyclists as well as a pit stop for a burger or a hot dog.

Across New England, Pete’s has begun to glean some positive press, having been featured on NECN’s Phantom Gourmet for an entire summer, and soon seeing the benefits of the show’s glowing review of two of Pete’s signature dishes – the Big Bopper Deluxe burger and Dragon Fries – topped with chili and cheese.

“The spring is the busiest season, and in the summer there’s some competition with the beaches or places like Six flags, but then it cycles back in the fall,” he said. “When the bike path opened, my business improved by 50%. I’d say now, 25% to 30% of my business is still bike path business.”

And that boost played a large part in a recent expansion and remodel of Pete’s, Serio explained. Open year-round, he wanted to increase indoor seating and the restaurant’s visibility from Route 9, so in 2001 he completed a major overhaul that turned the burger stand into a full-scale, ’50s-inspired eatery. He maintained outdoor seating for bicyclists, and allows in-line skaters to zoom into the restaurant to place orders – small examples of the homage he continues to pay to the rail trail that gave his restaurant an undeniable push toward greater success.

“It’s important for us to be user-friendly from both the street and the bike path,” he said.

The Gold Standard

O’Brien agreed that Pete’s is the best example of the Norwottuck Rail Trail providing an economic boost in the Hadley and Amherst area.

“Pete’s is doing very well, and it’s the best example of a successful business model on a rail trail,” he said, adding that with continued improvements to the trail – the recycled glass component has posed a few problems, but they are being worked out – and additional extensions, that success should begin to spread.

And the path is paved with great intentions.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

At a Crossroads

By BusinessWest Staff January 23, 2006

Uncategorized

An historic neighborhood named for three streets that intersect to create a busy commercial district has seen highlights and lowlights over the past 50 years, but one organization is poised to shed new light on the X, through collaborative, arts-centered initiatives.

Springfield residents: try giving someone from out of town directions to Forest Park without using the term ‘the X.’

It’s not easy.
The historic landmark, which typically refers to the intersection of Sumner Ave., Dickinson, and Belmont streets and the surrounding area, has long been a center of commercial activity in Springfield and something of a source of pride for locals. We know why it has its distinctive name. We know to look both ways – twice – when driving through.

But there is a group of people who want the X to mean much more.

The X Main Street Corp., named as such due to its involvement in the federal ‘Main Street’ program for commercial district improvement and consisting of residents, business owners, and civic leaders, want the X to live up to its hip name, and are working to create a new hot spot in Western Mass.

The X, specifically, is a commercial district within the Forest Park neighborhood of Springfield, which some call a city within a city, due to its rich history, diverse ethnic and economic make-up, and its distinction as home to 25,000 of Springfield’s residents. But in the past, it has been known more for its flavor than its demographics.

Lyn Nolan, executive director of the X Main Street Corp., remembers a time when the area was bustling with shoppers, and the shops and restaurants were as unique as they were prosperous.

“Blake’s department store was a hub of activity,” she said, harkening back to her first year as a Springfield resident in 1980. “And there were specialty clothing stores, fantastic restaurants, a movie house where the Walgreens is now … it was definitely a ‘Northampton kind of place.’”

Even today, she continued, the X includes some of the city’s brightest gems – distinctive restaurants, unique clothiers, and a smattering of successful niche businesses.

It’s also home to a number of popular seasonal events, including the Farmer’s Market at the X, now entering its ninth year, and the annual Boar’s Head Festival, a medieval fair of sorts held at Trinity United Methodist Church. And year-round, several community organizations based at the X and within Forest Park work toward a number of goals, all aimed at bettering the neighborhood.

In addition to the non-profit X Main Street Corp., the Forest Park Partnership and Forest Park Civic Association are also active, as are neighborhood councils such as the La Broad and Avalon councils, centered on quality of life and crime-reduction issues, and the for-profit Concerned Citizens for Springfield, which focuses much of its time in the Forest Park neighborhood.

Still, the spark that once defined a crossroads has dimmed somewhat, now lacking many of those one-of-a-kind storefronts and the neighborly feel that Nolan remembers.

“There was some flight in terms of residents,” she said, “and malls happened. That had a huge impact on the commercial success of many small businesses that once thrived here.”

The X Main Street Corp. has been focused on re-lighting the fire at the X for the past decade. But one overriding theme has emerged within all of the X Main Street Corp.’s initiatives for 2006, which its members hope will help fan the flames: the creation and promotion of a cohesive arts and entertainment-based culture at the X – one that starts internally with X Main Street’s own efforts, and extends to other groups, residents, and, most importantly, other businesses.

They’ve Made a FoPa

The overall mission of the corporation, Nolan said, is to spearhead ongoing development projects within the X commercial district, and to promote those improvements in partnership with other community organizations and businesses in the Forest Park area.

“There is a lot of overlap between the different groups,” she said. “Some people work with all of them. We work with each other, not against.”

The renewed focus on arts and culture is one she also hopes will resonate within those other organizations, as one answer to many issues ranging from decreasing home ownership to lagging interest in commercial real estate.

Although Nolan said the commercial landscape at the X has seen some improvement in the past few years, and is showing signs of a continued climb, the business make-up has changed somewhat since its heyday.

“Economic development in the X commercial district is stable,” Nolan said. “We’re at a 92% capacity in the area. But, for example, we have four dollar stores. We definitely need some diversification.”

Essentially, the X Main Street Corp. hopes to cultivate a climate at the X that will ripple throughout its parent neighborhood of Forest Park. There’s business sense to it, Nolan said – the arts have been proven in other communities, including neighboring Northampton and Amherst, to serve as effective economic drivers – but there are also some intriguing marketing opportunities to be had.

Brian Hale, vice president of the X Main Street Corp. Board of Directors and Chair of the Bing Arts Center Committee (more on that later), said working toward a stronger arts and entertainment scene at the X could start with creating a buzz – a move that, among other things, is more economical than most.

“The X is the hub of Forest Park,” he said. “Or, as we’d like to start calling it, FoPa.”
Borrowed from similar nicknames such as New York’s Soho (‘south of Houston street’) neighborhood, or, more regionally, Noho, the abbreviation often given to Northampton, ‘FoPa’ is a small, simple way to start branding the neighborhood as well as its cultural attributes.

And the play on words isn’t an accident.

“A booming arts community in Springfield? Some might call the suggestion a faux pas,” Hale joked. “If there’s one thing we’ve learned as Springfield residents, it’s that you have to have a sense of humor.”

It’s important to note, though, that the X Main Street Corp. doesn’t just brainstorm catchy nicknames for the neighborhood. Rather, the organization is actively involved with a number of real estate improvement ventures, serves as an advocacy group for zoning, legislative, and public safety policies, and is one of the X’s primary grant-writing entities, forever in search of funds to keep various projects and business ventures going. The corporation is partially funded by a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant, but gleans much of its funding from local, state, and national grants and loans.

The organization also works with the city to enforce some code regulations at the X, which is designated an overlay district (a zoning change X Main Street kick-started), and as such, requires businesses to meet or exceed certain aesthetic requirements.
Signage must meet a certain quality threshold, for instance – backlit plastic signs are prohibited as are unframed, aluminum placards.

That aspect of the corporation’s duties can both help and hinder its relationship with X merchants, Nolan said. It allows for greater contact with businesses, but can also turn X Main Street into the “sign police.”

“We don’t want all the businesses to look the same,” she said, “but we want to achieve a certain level of quality, a certain look. The main goal of X Main Street is to increase arts and culture in the X commercial district, and the look of the businesses is one part of that. It’s what will make the most sense in terms of diversifying the area and bringing in more great businesses as well as visitors.”

Bought-A-Bing

As another part of that focus, the corporation soon hopes to make its new headquarters the historic Bing Theatre, which it purchased in 2003. The property, now known as the Bing Arts Center, has been vacant for years but is seeing some new activity: the X Main Street Corporation and the Bing Arts Center Committee, a group of concerned citizens and business owners committed to arts, culture, and entertainment endeavors in Springfield, are in the process of renovating the building to create a combination art gallery, community center, and, eventually, a movie theater and performance venue.

Hale said re-opening the cinema itself represents the last step in a long process, but he hopes to see the other components of the arts center fall into place within the next two years.

“The Bing represents exactly what we want to see more of at the X, in Forest Park, and across the city, and that is investing in the arts and culture as a primary economic driver,” he said, adding that he sees arts, culture, and entertainment investments as the logical choice in a city that is still struggling in most other sectors and is in dire need of some good news.

“Frankly, I think it’s the city’s only choice. Historically, Springfield has been a manufacturing center, but that’s long gone,” he told BusinessWest. “We need to face that, and work to get people into this city to spend their money, plain and simple. How do we do that? By having some cool things going on.”

The Bing actually sits on the periphery of the X, but Nolan agreed with Hale that it represents the heart and soul of the organization’s work.

“Creating an arts center at the Bing is a perfect example of how the arts can serve as a way to engage the entire community,” she said. “We want to see things going on constantly in that building, creating a buzz and at the same time opening up the arts to a whole new audience.”

Hale added that it’s important to sell that point, especially to X merchants, many of whom are struggling to make their ventures work.

“The arts might be one of the only economic drivers in which we can say you can put a little in, and gain a lot,” he said. “At the Bing Arts Center we’ll be able to hold art shows and performances, after school programs, fundraisers, sell artwork … the possibilities are endless. Merchants can do much of the same on many levels, and we want to work with them to increase their own profits for the overall good of the area.”

Blue Moon Coffee Roasters, Hale offered as an example, has already seen some success with just such an initiative. Located across the street from the Bing, the coffee, bean, and gift shop expanded its retail component recently to include an art glass gallery, and in December, owner Dan Higgins reported that sales of the artwork represented 30% of his total receipts.

“We need to reach a certain critical mass before people are going to notice this,” said Hale, “but we can start by marketing ourselves as an arts-oriented neighborhood, and a big part of the neighborhood is the businesses at the X.”

Turnip Turn-out

But it’s not just the Bing that’s getting attention from X Main Street, and the other organizations at the X and in Forest Park. The annual Farmers’ Market at the X, a Forest Park staple for nearly a decade, will be expanding its scope in 2006, welcoming artisans to the ranks of fresh produce, meat, whole foods, plant, and flower businesses, in order to add a new dimension to the event as well as a venue for artists and craftspeople.

“We want to work closely with artisans to give them a unique venue to show their work, but we’re also trying to move with the times,” Nolan explained, adding that the event is also moving from its spot near the Goodwill Shoppes to the Trinity church parking lot, visible from Sumner Ave. “Farmers’ markets in general are starting to suffer in New England – in the past, they were held specifically for farmers.”

But with a changing landscape must come a change in the event, she said.

“Adding arts and crafts to the market will add to the overall arts and culture thrust in the X commercial district, and give the market a shot in the arm.”

It’s also another way to capitalize on an already well-known event at the X for the benefit of local businesses.

Belle Rita Novak, manager of the Farmers’ Market at the X and a member of the Forest Park Civic Association and the X Main Street Corp. Board of Directors, said she has already seen the positive effect the market can have on surrounding merchants.

“Many patrons shop at the X while they are in the area for the market,” she said. “Throughout the country, farmers’ markets in urban areas are economic engines for the businesses nearby.”

Novak added that increased cooperation with X business owners would likely create a positive ripple effect in the district.

“I think that we have a strong X Main Street board now, but we need more input from the business and property owners at the X,” she said. “After all, if the X improves, it benefits everyone, including residents in the neighborhood.

“The X looks much better than it did 10 years ago,” she continued, “but if it doesn’t continue to improve I fear that it could backslide very easily. We are in this together, merchants, property owners, and residents. If we want a nice, clean business district then we all have to do our part.”

New Direction Home

Hale agreed with Novak that continued partnerships are the keys to spurring further arts-related initiatives, as well as projects aimed at the overall health of the commercial district.

“In order to revitalize any commercial district, there needs to be a certain camaraderie,” he said. “We can’t just start walking into stores and asking for money. We need to sell them on the arts and culture premise, and show them how it can benefit their businesses … and in turn, their businesses will benefit the entire area.”

And the members of the X Main Street Corp. will be keeping an ear close to the ground, listening for the sound of success – someone asking for directions to FoPa.
It’s easy to find – just start at the X.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Peaking Interest

By BusinessWest Staff December 12, 2005

Sections Supplements

The Berkshire Region Builds on its Economic Strength – Tourism

Berkshire County has historically recorded the best tourism statistics in Western Mass., and recent years have been no exception. To capitalize on that strength for the greater good of the region, the Berkshires are taking tourism efforts a step further, maintaining a knack for welcoming affluent, urban visitors, but paying more attention to young up-and-comers, families, and perhaps most importantly, the people in the neighborhood.

Bill Wilson, president and CEO of the Berkshire County Tourism and Visitors Bureau, says theres something in the air in the region that sparks creativity, peace, and tranquility.

Things move a little slower here, he said. Except reservations. Those are made at breakneck speed.

In terms of visitation, Berkshire County has recorded its best numbers this year since 2001 and several businesses and attractions across the region are also reporting positive year-end numbers. Tanglewood, for instance, the concert venue in Lenox that Wilson has dubbed the granddaddy of them all, welcomed about 400,000 visitors this past season and projects another strong season next year.

The Williamsville Inn in West Stockbridge, voted Best of the Berkshires by Boston Magazine after only three years under the current ownership, logged its best season in terms of revenue in its entire 54- year run.

Even one of the regions more unassuming attractions, Pittsfields Berkshire Museum, was pleased to announce that its recent reptile exhibit welcomed a record number of visitors to its halls about 40,000. Its current fairy-tale inspired Christmas tree exhibit is on its way to similar success.

As Wilson explained, tourism has always been strong in the Berkshires. But its showing some considerable momentum of late, and thats enabling the region to take a hard look at its marketing and branding initiatives, and to add some new numbers to its tourism repertoire.

Tourism is increasingly important to the Berkshire economy, said Wilson, a 20- year veteran to his post. Our economic development council has recently identified it as one the fastest areas of growth for the region; last year we logged $263 million spent by visitors, and thats not counting international visitors or day-trippers. If we factor everything in, I think we are looking at a figure of around a half-billion.

And while many tourism-centered regions took a hit after 9/11, the blow to the Berkshires was less severe than most, he added. That was due in part to consistently strong drive-in business, which balanced a decline in long-distance travel. A regionwide branding initiative that began in 1997 and took a two-pronged approach to luring guests from urban areas also deserved some credit.

Using the tag line nature sets the stage and culture steals the show, the Berkshire Tourism Bureau became the first in the state to successfully brand an entire region and note the effect thereof.

Theres also that peaceful vibe the Berkshires possesses, too, that Wilson said cant go unmentioned.

We had what people were looking for, he said of the tourism climate shortly after 9/11. We felt some effects of the attacks, but not as much as many, and the market held steady for us. Now, were coming back strong.

Tour of Duty

Wilson told BusinessWest that roughly one-fifth (12,000) of the Berkshire regions 60,000-person workforce is employed by businesses that are either directly related to tourism hotels, inns, attractions, etc. or indirectly related, such as shops and restaurants that would not survive without the heavy traffic the summer months and fall foliage weeks bring, or that brought by the winter skiing crowd. Whats more, those visitors come ready to spend.

Our typical visitors come from household with incomes of $100,000 or more, are typically urban, and affluent, said Wilson, adding that Berkshire County has long served as a weekend get-away for the wellto- do who hail from New York, Boston and its North Shore, and New Jersey, as well a vacation spot for the rich and/or famous. He continued that the trend is showing no signs of slowing.

But that doesnt mean he and others involved in the tourism industry and in Berkshire County, thats practically everyone plan to rest on their laurels and enjoythe brisk business. Rather, Wilson said theregion is making a concerted effort to takeadvantage of existing strengths by usingthem as a platform to expand into new territories,targeting new groups of potentialvisitors, promoting up-and-coming areasand attractions in the Berkshires, andcatering to the growing number of yearroundresidents, as well.

Tourism is one of our top industries here in the Berkshires, but were excited because we havent even reached our potential, said Wilson. Now, were trying to expand our market to appeal to new audiences were reaching out to younger people and beefing up our marketing of recreation and outdoor adventure options.

Were also targeting families, he noted. We want to create a group of kids that will grow up in the Berkshires.

That new tactic has been put in place to further diversify the types of visitors to the area, Wilson said, but he admitted that serving as a draw to affluent, out-of-state, and often international populations is a luxury the Berkshires as a whole should never ignore.

We want to give those kids great experiences in the Berkshires, he said, but when they grow up and have their own turbo-charged Saabs, we also want them to come back.

A Family Affair

Families and younger visitors are constituencies that several businesses and attractions are poised to welcome, especially in areas of the Berkshires that are breaking new ground in the cultural and artistic arena.

Kandy Wendt, co-owner of the Williamsville Inn with her husband, executive chef Erhard Wendt, has watched her business grow and flourish since taking the helm at the inn three years ago, thanks to the incorporation of several new ventures. Weve found two niches, she said.

One is our cooking school, which no one else in the area offers. The other is our family- friendly concept. As many as 80% of the other inns in the area dont accept guests with babies or young children, but we have found ways to welcome those guests that work very well.

Wendt added that catering to families also helps Berkshire businesses strengthen their year-round presence among the permanent population, not just boost their numbers during peak tourism seasons. It has created a word-of-mouth effect that the inn is one of few that will welcome families of all sizes, and that in turn has spread the word about the Williamsville Inn culinary school which offers classes to individuals at all levels of expertise in the kitchen, under the direction of Erhard Wendt. And that, further, has called greater attention to the inns German-inspired restaurant, which is open year-round by reservation only.

Now, the inn is introducing classes in Nia, a hybrid of yoga and dance, to continue that trend of constantly refreshing the business.

The whole concept has really worked for us, said Wendt. Our diversity makes people who live here feel welcome, and attracts new visitors too.

That, she said, is important because those busy seasons are consistently strong its the off-seasons that need the greatest attention.

In the summer, everyone is busy, she said. If youre not, something is really, really wrong. But the banks still need their payments throughout the year, not just during the busiest months. We need the locals to keep going through the winter, and stay where we want to be in terms of business.

And business is very good, she noted.Before we had call-forwarding to our cell phones, if we stepped out for two hours we missed 13 calls.

The Accidental Tourist

Sherrill Ingalls, director of marketing and public relations for the Berkshire Museum, agreed that attracting families and continuing to regard the regions nontourist population as a valuable resource for tourism-related business is the key to sparking some new life into Berkshire Countys already robust tourism industry.

She said that currently, about 60% of the museums visitors are families, many of whom are year-round residents. Greater attention to bringing in more families during strong tourism months, she said, would undoubtedly have a positive impact on the museums bottom-line.

Were perfectly poised to take advantage of that, she said. The museum itself is very family-friendly, and lately were on a roll in terms of successful activities and exhibitions geared toward that market.

Regardless of the strength of the region, museums nationwide face a common set of challenges, ranging from finding new ways to bring people in to see permanent exhibits, defining which rotating exhibits will have the greatest impact, and most importantly, operating on increasingly lean budgets.

But Ingalls added that Berkshire Museum isnt the only attraction in Pittsfield that is on board with the tourism bureaus new initiatives. As a city often seen as the blue collar blip on Berkshire tourisms radar screen, new cultural endeavors including the formal creation of the Downtown Arts District by Mayor James Ruberto, are in keeping with the regions push to promote its many cultural assets to a wider audience.

Pittsfield is currently home to more than 50 working artist studios and several restaurants and shops, for example, as well as five of the Berkshires most prominent cultural attractions; in addition to the Berkshire Museum, there is the soon-to-be restored Colonial Theatre, the Berkshire Music School, the Berkshire Atheneaum, the Berkshire Opera Company, and the City of Pittsfields Lichtenstein Center for the Arts.

All are receiving a shot in the arm from both the citys renewed focus on the arts and the regions push to include Pittsfield in its new marketing campaigns.

We have a great amount of family-oriented activities here, and the new attention is really beneficial for us, said Ingalls.

Often, people visit and they do Williamstown, or they do South County. A lot of times, Pittsfield gets lost in their travels, but there is a lot happening now and that is slowly bringing people in.

Winning the Race

And even in a positive climate, thats something Wilson said he and his office have recognized as integral to maintaining that Berkshire pull keeping the draw fresh, while still cultivating its traditional attributes.

There is no other place like this in the world, he said. We have world-class venues in a country environment. We have quality and quantity, so naturally we want to open that experience up to as many people as possible.

Im confident that the influx of people to our area is only going to become even more substantial, he concluded.

Slowly, but surely. Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Bay Path Expands Entrepreneurial Lecture Series into a Summit

By BusinessWest Staff October 31, 2005

Sections Supplements

Brenda Wishart says Bay Path·s expanded Entrepereneurship and Innovative Thinking program will broaden the school’s audience.

Brenda Wishart says the E-mail responses started coming in only a few hours after the invitations to Bay Path Colleges Innovative Thinking & Entrepreneurship Summit went out.

She soon became intrigued not only with the quantity of RSVPs, but the diversity as well.

“We started hearing from students and professors here, as well as from several area organizations,” said Wishart, director of the Entrepreneurship Program at Bay Path. “But we also heard back from a number of area small business owners, and this was something new.”

And it was also one of the primary motivations behind Bay Paths initiative to
expand its Innovative Thinking and Entrepreneurship lecture series, launched
two years ago, into what organizers are now calling a “summit.”

The free, evening program, set for Nov. 14, will feature a number of speakers and panel discussions designed to help those thinking about starting a business to take the first step — and those already doing business to take the next step, said Wishart.

The summit is just one of many entrepreneurship- related ventures that will be funded by a $143,000, three-year Coleman Foundation grant received this past summer.Other programs to be supported by the grant include everything from a cooperative education initiative to a summer program in entrepreneurship for area high school girls.

Wishart said the Nov. 14 summit will be a combination information exchange, networking opportunity, and business resource program, and it was conceived as part of a broad effort on the part of Bay Path administrators to broaden the schools focus on entrepreneurship and innovation.

Wishart borrowed from both of those words to create a term — entrevation — that she uses to describe a course she teaches within Bay Paths business program each spring. But that same characterization can be applied to the summit, she said, which was created, much like the class, to help inspire potential entrepreneurs — but also to assist those who have already chosen that
path, individuals who started with an idea and a rough idea of where they wanted to go with it.

People like Nadja Piatka.
The summits keynote speaker, Piatka was an unemployed, single mother who took a passion and talent for baking — and a $100 investment — and founded a venture called Three Blondes and Brownie. That venture grew and eventually took the name Najda Foods Inc., a multi-million venture that supplies what are known as ‘healthy muffins to McDonalds Restaurants of Canada and ‘healthy brownies to Subway restaurants throughout Canada and 27 U.S. states.

“Her story offers some inspiration and some important lessons for everyone,” said Wishart.

BusinessWest looks this issue at the Bay Path summit, and also at the schools wider efforts to foster entrepreneurial thinking in the Valley.

Peaking Their Interest

The titles given to the various breakout sessions scheduled at the summit speak to the events mission: Accessing Capital to Finance New and Growth Ventures;Integrating Branding and a Customer-centric Sales Culture; Launch — Theres Help at Every Step of the Way; and Attracting and Retaining Stellar Employees.

The sessions address the many challenges facing small business owners today, said Wishart, including the need to seek help when its appropriate and knowing where to go to get it.

Providing a forum where such questions can be asked and answered was one of the many goals set by Bay Path administrators as they set about the task of expanding their focus on entrepreneurship and innovative thinking and community involvement in that realm.

The college created its entrepreneurship program in 2001 to provide broad, experiential learning opportunities for students aspiring to become entrepreneurs and innovators.

Early components of the program included curriculum, in the form of three courses related to entrepreneurship; Innovations in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Wisharts Entrevation, and also an Innovators Roundtable, comprised of area CEOs and business owners. They provide advice and expertise regarding the skills required of students interested in starting their own business or in entering the job market.

In 2003, with the help of an elevator grant from the Coleman Foundation, the
school launched its lecture series with an address from now former MassMutual
Chairman and CEO Robert OConnell. The program continued last year with an inspiration address from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and will continue on Nov. 15 with an address from Yankee Candle President and CEO Craig Rydin.

The lecture series attracted a number of students and faculty at Bay Path, said
Wishart, as well as area economic development leaders, business executives, and representatives of area business-development agencies ranging from local chambers of commerce to the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network.

The school wanted to broaden the audience to include area small business owners, and conceived a program around their many needs and challenges. The end product is the inaugural summit, she said, adding that college plans to continue the event for at least the next three years.

Other programs to be funded by the Coleman Foundation grant include:

• A cooperative education program, in which students will be placed in area small businesses, where they will gain hands-on experience in an environment that will allow them to fully explore what is required to be an entrepreneur;

• Expanded business partnerships beyond the summit, including an expansion
of the Innivators Roundtable;

• Student development and networking, a program that would provide additional opportunities outside the classroom for students to develop their interest in business ownership; and

• A summer program in entrepreneurship for high school girls that would act as a bridge between area youth entrepreneurship programs and the initiatives at Bay Path.

Summit attendees will have the opportunity to attend two of four scheduled breakout sessions, said Wishart, adding that each offers information and insight that people can take back to their businesses the next morning.

‘Accessing Capital to Finance New and Growth Ventures addresses one of the most challenging — and intimidating — aspects of putting an idea or business in motion, said Wishart. The session will provide navigational
advice from Maria Goncalves, senior vice president of TD Banknorth; Richard
Steele, managing member of Longmeadow Capital, a venture capital firm; Marjorie Feldman, owner and president of Als Beverage Company, a soft drink concentrate distributor; and Daniel Roulier, founder and president of Roulier Associates, a real estate development company.

Lori Klimach, senior vice president of the Wholesale Division at Yankee Candle, will lead the discussion titled ‘Integrating Branding and a Customer-centric Sales Culture. The program will focus on the critical mission of establishing a brand identity at both an organization and a product/service level.

Donna Mullen Good, CEO of the Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE) will lead the session titled ‘Theres Help at Every Step of the Way. Her non-profit company has helped more than 10,000 entrepreneurs (of both genders) start and grow their businesses, and provides education, training, technical assistance, legal advice, and access to debt and equity capital at each stage of business development.

Team-building will be the focus of discussion at the fourth of the break-out sessions, ‘Attracting and Retaining Stellar Employees. It will feature Marc Criscitelli, vice president of Employee Benefits for the insurance agency Field, Eddy & Bulkley, John Mayhbury, owner and president of Maybury Material
Handling, and Dave Rattner, owner and president of Daves Soda and Pet Food City.

Together, they will address subjects to include motivational tips, special incentives, and competitive benefits that are cost-effective and rewarding to employees and employers alike.

View from the Top

Wishart is expecting at least 200 attendees for the summit, and perhaps as many as 350 — she was still amassing RSVPs at press time.

While she doesnt know the final tally, she does know the event will further the
schools mission to expand its entrepreneurship and innovative thinking programs, and thus help create and grow more of the small businesses that drive the local economy.

To register for the summit, or for more information, call (413) 565-1229, or visitwww.baypath.eduand select ‘entrepreneurship summit.

Banquet Facilities

By BusinessWest Staff October 17, 2005

Uncategorized

Facility	Capacity	Contact Person	Services
The MassMutual Center1277 Main St.,Springfield, MA 01103 (413) 271-3221; Fax: (413) 787-6645	2,237 (ballrooms A,B,&C; five mtg. rooms with 1,367 cap.)	Tabitha Mahoney	Largest function space in Western Mass., overlooking Court Square; weddings, banquets, meetings; floor to ceiling windows; arena; Boston Culinary Group caterers providing on-site catering for all occasions – common fare to exquisite dining. Web site:www.massmutualcenter.com
Chez Josef 176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam, MA 01001 (413) 786-0257; Fax: (413) 786-0316	1,800	Jean Allen	Full service; for weddings, books entertainment, photographer, videographer, cake, invitations, limo, bridal shops, flowers, coordinating, and complementary consulting; for business meetings, can locate hotels with shuttle service; overnight accommodations; senior entertainment; holiday parties; bus-tour shows and luncheons; free parking; premier off-premise catering; grand ballroom; open to the public Mothers Day, New Years Eve. Web site:www.chezjosef.com
The Log Cabin 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke, MA 01040 (413) 535-5077; Fax: (413) 535-1096	1,000	Barbara Griffin	Wedding or bridal showers; anniversary or engagement parties; bar/bat mitzvahs; business meetings; banquets or holiday parties. Planning, full service, cuisine; accommodations for 50 to 1,000 guests. Web site:www.thelogcabin.com
Sheraton Springfield Hotel One Monarch Place, Springfield, MA 01103 (413) 263-2009; Fax: (413) 732-7560	1,000 Grand Ballroom 500	Steve Keegan	Weddings: flowers, Rolls Royce; for business, audio-visual equipment, rear screen projection, lighting, sound, computer presentations, teleconferencing; 18 rooms, three for meetings; high-speed Internet; holiday parties. Web site:www.sheraton-springfield.com
The Delaney House Country Club Road, Holyoke, MA 01040 (413) 532-1800; Fax: (413) 533-7137	800	Lynn Brunelle	Custom menus and accommodations for large receptions, corporate events, or banquets for up to 260 guests; intimate dinner parties for 10 or more. Two garden terraces for outdoor settings. Groups up to 14 can choose from an international fusion restaurant menu. Web site:www.delaney-house.com
The Oaks 1070 Suffield St., Agawam, MA 01001 (413) 786-5500 or (800) 333-6257 Fax: 786-6966	750	Thomas Sophinos	Full-service banquet facility; three wedding packages to choose from; four gazebos; guaranteed prices, will work within clients budget; accommodating trade shows, business meetings, company holiday parties, business tours for dinner shows, and much more; we do not charge 18% house or service charge.Web site:www.theoaksinc.com
Yankee Pedlar Inn 1866 Northampton St., Holyoke, MA 01040 (413) 532-9494; Fax: (413) 536-8877	750 250 for weddings	Kimberlee Clayton-McGrath	Full-service facility; four wedding packages to choose from; ceremony sites, bridal suites, and overnight accommodations; award-winning chef; seven unique rooms for meetings, anniversaries, and other events. Web site:www.yankeepedlar.com
Castle of Knights 1599 Memorial Drive, Chicopee, MA 01020 (413) 532-2000; Fax: (413) 552-3923	700	Scott Samuelson	Catering and conference facility for business functions and social events. Web site:www.castleofknights.com
Best Western Sovereign Hotel and Conference Center 1080 Riverdale St. West Springfield, MA 01089 (413) 781-8750; Fax: (413) 731-5999	In the ballroom: 700 theater-style, 500 banquet-style; smaller rooms seat 10 to 24	Mariann Zenitz	The facility hosts a wide range of functions, including meetings and conferences, social events, fundraisers, award banquets, conventions, reunions, and weddings.Web site:www.sovereignhotelcs.com
Basketball Hall of Fame West Columbus Ave., Springfield, MA 01105 (413) 781-6500; Fax: (413) 781-1939	600 sit-down 1,300 for socials	Joe Hevey	Full-service facility capable of hosting a wide array of events. Facilities include Center Court, which can hold 600 for a sit-down dinner; Maxs Tavern; the MassMutual Room, a board room for business meetings; a 200-seat theater; a McDonalds for childrens parties; exhibit gallery for banquet functions. Web site:www.hoophall.com
Marriott Hotel 1500 Main St., Springfield, MA 01115 (413) 781-7111; Fax: (413) 731-6939	500	Linda Mensher	A wide range of services: weddings, business functions, meetings, reunions, conventions; 11 different rooms. Web site:www.marriott.com
Oak Ridge Golf Club 850 South Westfield St., Agawam, MA 01001 (413) 786-5886; Fax: (413) 821-0060	450 for banquets 300 for weddings	Jennifer Dandurand	Books only one wedding per day; outdoor photo opportunities; gazebo; provides golf outing packages with dinner for business groups. Web site:www.oakridgegc.com
Holiday Inn Holidome & Conf. Center 245 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke, MA 01040 (413) 534-3311; Fax: (413) 533-8443	425 for banquets 1,000 for socials	Tracie Tarbox	Full-service facility; wedding and conference packages; audio-visual equipment; high-speed Internet access. Web site:www.hiholyoke.com
Clarion Hotel and Conference Center 1 Atwood Dr., Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 586-3903; Fax: (413) 586-1723	400	Melissa Vontour	Eight rooms to accommodate smaller meetings and functions; wedding planning services; audio-visual equipment; company parties; graduation parties; outdoorpavilion; indoor/outdoor pool. Web site:www.hampshirehospitality.com
Chateau Provost 85 Montcalm St., Chicopee, MA 01020 (413) 532-2100; Fax: (413) 536-8371	350	Janice Mahoney	Audio-visual facilities for business seminars; can book entertainment, invitations, cakes, flowers for weddings; individualizes service for specific needs; baby grand piano. Web site:www.chateauprovost.com
The Elmcrest Country Club 105 Somerville Road, E. Longmeadow, MA 01028 (413) 525-2186; Fax: (413) 789-4087	350	Pamela Vadnais	Weddings, showers, dinner dances; family-owned; banquet room can be split into two smaller rooms for smaller functions rooms with dining facilities. Web site:www.elmcrest.cc
The Knights of Columbus Banquet Hall 460 Granby Road, Chicopee, MA 01020 (413) 598-8621	350	Alexis Birney	Corporate events, weddings, banquets, showers, funeral collations, light buffet, dinner, breakfasts. Web site:www.KofC69.com
Crestview Country Club 280 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam, MA 01001 (413) 786-2593; Fax: (413) 789-4087	300	Ernest LaRocca Jr.	Beautiful outdoor panoramic photo opportunities; outdoor ceremonies; only one event per day; professional culinary and service staff; business meetingrooms with dining facilities. Web site:www.crestviewcc.org
The Ludlow Country Club Tony Lema Drive, Ludlow, MA 01056 (413) 583-8666; Fax: (413) 596-9972	300	Linda Ghini	Weddings, banquets, special occasions, and other functions.; outside caterers welcome Web site:www.ludlowcountryclub.com
Park Inn 450 Memorial Drive, Chicopee, MA 01020 (413) 739-7311; Fax: (413) 594-5005	300	Carol DeGray	Catering; full meeting setup; audio-visual, classroom or theater style; can accommodate different rooms for meetings and meals; high-speed Internet.
The Hampden Country Club 128 Wilbraham Road, Hampden, MA 01036 413) 566-3136; Fax: (413) 566-5304	300	Paula Dubord	Panoramic views; breakfast, lunch, and dinner; wedding packages; create-your-own menu option; two bars; dance floor. Web site:www.hampdencountryclub.com
Maxs Catering at the Basketball Hall of Fame West Columbus Ave., Springfield, MA 01105 (413) 746-6299; Fax: (413) 746-5559	280 500 for socials	Rachel Bombard	Full-service banquet facilities, corporate and private; will customize events to fit specific needs; exclusive caterer to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Web site:www.maxrestaurantgroup.com
School Street Bistro & Columbia Meeting House 29 School St., Westfield, MA 01085 (413) 562-8700; Fax: (413) 562-8704	250 (400 for socials)	Doreen Vadnais	The restaurants Columbia Meeting House handles a wide variety of events, including corporate functions, weddings, baby and bridal showers, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, and anniversaries; also hosts performances. Web site:www.schoolstreetbistro.com
Union Station 125 A Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 586-5366; Fax: (413) 586-5359	225	Stephen Godet	Full-service facility; wedding packages and planning; bridal suite; provides ancillary services and can custom-design menu. Available for meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Located in century-old railroad station. Web site:www.unionstationrestaurant.com
Carriage House at the Barney Estate 200 Trafton Road, Springfield, MA 01108 (413) 787-7733; Fax: (413) 787-6770	200	Paula Lynch	Victorian elegance for weddings, showers, receptions, business meetings, and corporate gatherings. Historic carriage house in Forest Park includes outdoor terrace, gazebo, and tent seating for 200; indoor facilities include Pecousic Villa Banquet Room and meeting rooms for business needs. Web site:www.barneycarriagehouse.com
Hotel Northampton 36 King St., Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 587-8108; Fax: (413) 585-0210	200 (300 for socials)	Erinn Fitzgerald	Full-service facility, wedding packages; can handle all details including invitations and limo booking. Audio-visual equipment for business meetings; wireless Internet; Newly-renovated Grand Ballroom, two additional ballrooms, two boardrooms, two restaurants. Web site:www.hotelnorthampton.com
The Baymont Inn and Suite Road, Chicopee, MA 01013 (413) 592-9101	150	Lisa Nai	Business meetings, conferences, social functions, restaurant and lounge, 357 Burnett conference rooms
The Federal 135 Cooper St., Agawam, MA 01001 (413) 789-1267	125	Christina Presnal Coffey	Banquet, off-premise catering, spoon hors doeuvres, private parties, business meetings. Web site:www.thefederalrestaurant.com

By BusinessWest Staff September 19, 2005

Departments

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

AGAWAM

Oakridge Golf Club
850 South Westfield St.
$50,000 — Install wireless equipment

AMHERST

Amherst College Trustees
62 Snell St.
$68,000 — Remove and
replace shingles

Jeffrey Eisman
650 Main St.
$20,250 — Renovate business office and reception area of dentist office

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

EAST LONGMEADOW

St. Lukes Church
400 Prospect St.
$600,000 — New classrooms

HOLYOKE

Light of Restoration Ministries
98 Suffolk St.
$40,500 — Offices, handicap bathroom

NORTHAMPTON

Cooley Dickinson Hospital Inc.
30 Locust St.
$2,000,000 — Construct four-story surgical/bed expansion

Hampshire Council of Governments
Gothic St.
$4,164 — Erect ground sign

Treasure Towns LLC
24 North Maple St.
$10,000 — Construct two accessible bathrooms and mechanical room

SPRINGFIELD

Baystate Visiting Nurses
50 Maple St.
$42,000 — Exterior stairs

MRI Center of New England
3500 Main St.
$4,600 — Enlarge reception area

Picknelly Family
1414 Main St.
$64,250 — Create studio for CBS 3

Springfield College
263 Colby St.
$131,500 — Install handicap bathroom
$400,000 — Create parking area

WEST SPRINGFIELD

PR Restaurants LLC
935 Riverdale St.
$300,000 — Renovate retail space into restaurant-

By BusinessWest Staff September 19, 2005

Departments

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

AGAWAM

Birch Hill LLC
72 Birch Hill Road
Maurice Casey

Fdubbs Video Games and More
525 Springfield St. #11
Frank Bond Jr.

In-N-Out Auto & Trucks
91 Ramah Circle
Mark Walker

Longo Carpet Cleaning
80 Ramah Circle
Christopher Longo

M & M Links and Business Services
541 Springfield St.
Maureen Abdullah

Quick Pic
1 River Road
Ali Khan

Viola House Cleaning Service
420 Main St.
Wuoletta Ramanowska

Zen-Ergenic
75 Joanne Circle
Frederic Brodeur III

AMHERST

Ambrosia’s Emporium
178A North Pleasant St.
Leanne Moulton

Dare to Thrive
129 Gray St.
Virginia Lewis

Footprints to Success
170 East Hadley Road
Hughia Magnue

Kamins of Amherst
55 South Pleasant St.
Patrick Kamins II

Red Cab
38 Justice Dr.
Houshany Ansarifar

Zoo Mass Books.com
180 Clark Hill Road
James Highsmith

CHICOPEE

Candon’s Art
157 Old Lyman Road
Kevin Candon

Gamestop and Movies Too
649 Memorial Dr.
David Carlson

J & K Properties
20 Parker St.
Jesus Delgado

Robare’s Variety
32 Center St.
Theresa Robare

Skye Mountain Realty Inc.
406 Britton St.
Patricia Gajda

EAST LONGMEADOW

Encore
60 Shaker Road
Kelly Lavillette

Terri’s Barber Styling Shop
641 North Main St.
Theresa Fitzgerald

Thomas Behan
31 Brook St.
Thomas Behan

HADLEY

Howard Johnson
401 Russell St.
Robert Shumway

Reiki Room
245 Russell St.
Nancy Johnson

HOLYOKE

Botanica San Lasaro
1375 Dwight St.
Elmis Coilado

Elmwood Fish & Chips
37 Myrtle St.
Eusaquio Rivera

Marie’s Market
149 Suffolk St.
Geraldo Rodriguez

Roham’s News Room
648 High St.
Rajendra Pandit

Wing Chun Kung Fu Council
349 High St.
Juan Fernandez

LONGMEADOW

Maritime Smarts Inc.
141 Lawnwood Ave.
Stephen and Patricia Larivee

NORTHAMPTON

Club Bus
735 Westhampton Road
Ryan Hammel, Aaron Fradkin

Faith Sullivan, M.Div.
199 Main St.
Faith Sullivan

Helping Hands
18 Perkins Ave.
Marcus Yarde

The Jamescyn Collection
61 Gothic St.
Cynthia James

Morintouch Chair Massage
11 Overlook Dr.
Christopher Morin

Unite
1022 Main St.
Thuan Luu

SOUTH HADLEY

Benny’s Produce Delivery Service
12 Ingram St.
Binyam Avnalem

SPRINGFIELD

Able Maintenance Co.
73 Naragansett St.
John Muise

Atlas Flooring
8 Vandise Circle
Pauline Edwards

Cafe Di Vang
605 Dickinson St.
Anh Bui

Corona Enterprise
45 Willow St.
Ronal Corona

E.N.M. and Associates
663 State St.
Edmund Candelaria

5 Star Video Games
599 Page Blvd.
Shaun Kelly

Ghazala Magazine
112 Price St.
Tahirah Wadud

KDH Assoc.
104 Buckingham St.
Kelvin Hines

Main St. Bottle & Can Return
611 Main St.
Duc Truong

Nobody’s Kitchen & Bath
1257 Boston Road
Nobody’s Kitchen & Bath LP

Pinacle Power Washing
9 Ramah St.
Jamie Connell

Silver Construction
88 Biltmore St.
Gleb Leiderman

Stefano’s Style
66 Glenwood St.
Stephen Crenshaw

Two Brother’s Restaurant
67 Liberty St.
Manuel Sandova

Walnut’s Bottle & Can Redemption
136 Walnut St.
Maxwell Phan

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Baystate Family Chiropractic
346 Main St.
Filomenar Larroca-Strobel

Comfort Inn and Suites
106 Capital Dr.
Nataver Inc.

Delicious Kitchen
715 Main St.
Radames Garcia

Edible Arrangements
1702 Riverdale St.
Lisa Beachemin

JVD Tek
67 Irving St.
Viet Do

Mamma Mia’s Pizzeria & Ristorante
60 Park St.
Farone Inc.

Panera Bread
935 Riverdale St.
PR Restaurants LLC

Pioneer Valley Hobbies Inc.
54 Myron St.
Dennis Gamelli

Rose Day Spa
524 Main St.
Van Le Rowen

Stevens Jewelers Inc.
2068 Riverdale St.
Eric Stevens

Upscale Nails
84 Westfield St.
Minh Nguyen

Westside Market
204 Baldwin St.
Zahoor Ul-Haq

WESTFIELD

Annatana
92 Beveridge Blvd.
Louliia Kroutii

Carpentry Services
140 Wyben St.
Kerry Plourde

Center City Service & Muffler
709 Russell St.
Frank Scigulinsky

Getty Gas Station
41 Franklin St.
Syed Bukhart

J.C.K. Construction
25 Darby Dr.
John Kent

The Krafty Shack
37 Berkshire Dr.
Merritt Gayle

N.E. Home Improvement Service
37 Crown St.
Dustin Taudal

Northeastern Auto Coach
321 Munger Hill Road
Sewall Sachs

By BusinessWest Staff September 19, 2005

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.

A Passion for the Job · and the Community

By BusinessWest Staff September 19, 2005

Sections Supplements

Rick Sullivan Takes the Long View as Westfield’s CEO

Westfield Mayor Richard Sullivan, with a dozen years at the helm and a seventh two-year term set to start in January, is among the longest-serving municipal CEOs in the Commonwealth. He told BusinessWest that he owes his longevity — and his track record for success — to a deep commitment to the job and the community in which he grew up.

When Rick Sullivan first ran for mayor of Westfield in 1993, he never dreamed he would be at the job for six terms — with a seventh set to start in January (he’s running unopposed this November).

“I remember the discussions we had back then,” he said, referring to talks with his wife, Lisa, and other family members. “The plan was to run, and if we were lucky enough to win that race, to look at a second term and then that would be it, because you can’t really change much in two years.”

No, but you can in a dozen, and Sullivan has a lengthy list of accomplished goals to mark his tenure at City Hall, starting with his desire to improve the school system that he and Lisa believed had declined from the days when they shared classes at Westfield High School.

In a wide-ranging Q&A session, Sullivan, now the dean of mayors in the Pioneer Valley and one of the longest-serving chief executives in the state, talks about his passion for the city he grew up in, his accomplishments, and the work still left to do.
In the course of doing so, he weighs in on everything from the qualities that make an effective mayor — “you have to know how to really listen, and not just take up a chair in the room” — to Gov. Mitt Romney’s policies and practices — “he has no respect for the operation of municipal government and what local officials and public servants do in order to provide services that impact people’s lives on a daily basis.

BusinessWest: You said you had no intention of serving for mayor as long as you have. What keeps you in what many people would consider a difficult, often thankless job?

Sullivan: “I could have embarked on some things that were certainly more lucrative financially, but it’s really very satisfying to be in service to a community and look back and say, ‘we made a difference.’ And we is everyone who works here (City Hall) and also my family, who made a lot of sacrifices over the years.

“Let’s just say that I have a passion for the this community, and also for the practice of government.”

BusinessWest: How long do you want to keep doing this?

Sullivan: “We take it two years at a time; that’s how we’ve always approached it. Two years from now we’ll assess where we are professionally and personally.”

BusinessWest: What makes someone an effective chief executive in a city like Westfield, or any community?

Sullivan: “You have to be visible, and you need to be able to listen well. And you must have a lot of patience.

“Being visible is a crucial element. I don’t have things going on every night, but most nights — and many weekends — there’s some event I need to be at, and I try to be at as many as possible. Why? Because it’s important when a church has its annual festival, and it’s important when a classroom of students wants to learn about civics first-hand. Local government is the most personal form of government there is.”

“I could have embarked on some things that were certainly more lucrative financially, but it’s really very satisfying to be in service to a community and look back and say, ‘we made a difference.’ And we is everyone who works here and also my family, who made a lot of sacrifices over the years.

BusinessWest: How do you approach the job of being the city’s chief executive? In other words, describe your management style?

Sullivan: “The most important thing is to be honest people; don’t tell them that you can get something done tomorrow when you know you can’t; I’d rather give someone all the information they need, even if it’s something they don’t want to hear.

“One of the first people I talked with after I got elected was Carol Mazza (publisher of the city’s daily newspaper). She said that the hardest thing I was going to face — and I think her exact words were that she was worried about whether I could do it or not — was the fact that I was going to have to say ‘no’ a lot more than I could ‘yes.’
“I think about that a lot, because she was right; even though this is a $100-plus million corporation known as the city of Westfield, and that’s a lot of money, it’s not enough to do everything you want to do or that everyone wants to see done; you have to live with having to say ‘no,’ and understand that it’s part of the job.”

BusinessWest: Let’s shift gears and talk about the challenges facing Westfield and all communities. The state’s budget situation is improving, but cities still seem to be struggling fiscally. What are the primary challenges?

“I think our basic mission has been to achieve economic diversity, and this goes back to what I was saying earlier about funding basic services. No community should be dependent on one big employer or even one industry group.

Sullivan: “The biggest one, plain and simple, is providing basic services when you’re limited to the regressive property tax. So I think there has to be recognition at the state level that there must be another way to fund these programs, because you can’t keep going back and having the cost of property taxes and other services at the local level become so expensive that people can’t afford to live here

“Take schools for example; the cost of education is always a concern. Everyone wants better MCAS scores, better achievement, and more accountability through the school system in terms of how they are spending each dollar and getting the absolute best product that we can. But you also need to have the ability to pay for those things. That is going to be an ongoing problem for communities now.”

BusinessWest: Do you see the state — and specifically the Romney administration — responding to this situation in the way that you and other mayors would like?

Sullivan: “No.
“I don’t think there’s an appreciation for what cities are towns are facing. He (Romney) keeps talking about how he hasn’t raised taxes. In fact, what he’s done is shift all the burden back to the local communities. And in those communities, the biggest share of that has to be picked up by property taxes, and it often falls on the backs of people on fixed income, those who work two jobs, and others who are struggling to make ends meet.

“There’s a real disconnect between his policies and how they’re impacting people in our cities and towns.”

BusinessWest: How is Westfield, and the region as a whole, impacted by the many challenges facing Springfield, the capital, if you will, of Western Mass.?

Sullivan: “We see and feel it a number of ways. For example, we see it with teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other municipal servants who are leaving Springfield and trying to come over here. They see this as a much more stable environment. In some ways, that’s good, because it allows communities like Westfield to hire the best and the brightest. But this will be a real hardship on Springfield, and it will be a long time before that city recovers, because it will also be a long time before people there believe that’s a stable community.

“As for the importance of a healthy Springfield, of course that’s important to the entire region. But I’ve always been a firm believer that, while we need a healthy Springfield, we also need a healthy Holyoke, a healthy Easthampton, and a healthy Westfield; we’re in a regional economy; there are no walls around any of those communities.

BusinessWest: Let’s talk about that regional economy for a minute. Regionalism is the main goal of the Economic Development Corporation. Is this approach working?

Sullivan: “It is. Even before the formation of the EDC, area mayors were getting together on a fairly regular basis; there was Chris Johnson in Agawam, Rich Kos in Chicopee, Mike Albano in Springfield … we were working toward taking a more regional approach then, looking at the bigger picture and not thinking parochially.”

BusinessWest: There were some turf wars in the ’90s, like the competition between Westfield and Northampton for a Coca Cola bottling facility. That was a fight, if you can call it that, which Westfield lost; were there lessons learned from it?

Sullivan: “That episode went a long way toward changing some attitudes; we learned that pitting one community against another like that is not healthy for the region. I can’t tell you that we weren’t disappointed that Coke didn’t come here, because we were. But that whole thing showed us that we shouldn’t be doing things at the expense of Northampton, and vice versa.

“We will always try to be competitive when someone is looking to move into the area, but we can’t let companies leverage one community against another. What I learned from the Coke saga was that I don’t want my competitor to be Holyoke, Chicopee, Northampton, or Springfield; when Mike Sullivan in Holyoke has a chance to bring in a new business, that’s good for us and for the whole region — we need a healthy Holyoke.”

BusinessWest: Can you describe your administration’s main economic development strategy for Westfield?

Sullivan: “I think our basic mission has been to achieve economic diversity, and this goes back to what I was saying earlier about funding basic services. No community should be dependent on one big employer or even one industry group. Who would have thought that GE would leave Pittsfield or that Digital would be gone from Westfield? And recently, we’ve seen many large businesses leave the Palmer area and move south. If you’re relying on one employer or one sector, your local economy is put in jeopardy.

“So we’ve spent a lot of time and energy here working on achieving that diversity. We still have a backbone of strong manufacturers — our tool and die base is the unnoticed foundation of that sector, but we have other kinds of manufacturers as well — and we have a commercial base and a retail sector we’re trying to expand. You need to watch that mix all the time.

“If you look at Westfield’s 10 biggest taxpayers and employers, they’re all either new in the past 10 years or have done some significant expansion in that time. And when you have discussions with rating agencies on Wall Street in terms of what your bond rating is, these are the things they look at; they look to see if you’re economy is diversified and they ask how your 10 or 20 largest employers are doing. And there is a direct correlation between those things and the rating you receive.

BusinessWest: Downtown remains perhaps the one area that has escaped the progress seen across the rest of the city. What does the future hold for that area?

Sullivan: “I’ve said for years that the only thing that doesn’t reflect our economic healthiness is downtown, but I firmly believe that will change in the years ahead. We’ve already seeen some significant improvement with several new restaurants and clubs, and there will be more.

“We have a $50 million public works project set to start (a second bridge over the Westfield River in the downtown area) and a $20 million hotel project that’s moving forward; these developments will produce some dramatic changes in our downtown.”

BusinessWest: Beyond the many aspects of downtown revitalization, are there are any other major goals for the future?

Sullivan: “Only to simply continue what we’ve been doing — listening to people
and trying to make this a better community.

“I remember what my dad said after we won that first election for mayor and came to
see the office for the first time; he said, ‘don’t forget where you came from.’ I wasn’t born here, but in my mind, I came from Westfield, and I have never forgotten that.” ?

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

Building an Entrepreneurial Infrastructure

By BusinessWest Staff August 19, 2005

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. Thats 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 citys residents in an effort that never brought the city a team but did bring it some humiliation and some costs it certainly didnt need when one considers the communitys 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 Springfields 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 citys 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 Springfields baseball plans in the dust, with little enthusiasm for revival.

Ultimately, Springfields 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, were 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.

Hip Hops

By BusinessWest Staff August 1, 2005

Cover Story

Berkshire Brewery Drafts A Success Strategy

Cover 8/1/05

Berkshire Brewing Company Inc. has been growing by hops and bounds since its inception in 1992. Growth has been so quick and profound that principals Chris Lalli and Gary Bogoff now find themselves at a crossroads. Do they want to remain a local brewer or take that next big step?

Hops, like those climbing the brick walls of Berkshire Brewing Company (BBC) in South Deerfield, are plants essential to creating a great beer. They typically survive for decades, plant deep roots where they grow and grow rapidly.

The life of a hop vine as a metaphor for their own business isnt lost on BBC founders Chris Lalli and Gary Bogoff, who grin up at their own decorative hop plants and shake their heads at how fast they spring up the side of the building. Then they turn to look at a recent expansion of their brewery, and do the same.

BBC just completed its third expansion since opening its offices and brewery two years after the business began in 1994. The company also has a satellite warehouse operating in West Boylston, Mass., and is planning a third location in Enfield, Conn., to meet the sales and distribution demand that is steadily expanding its reach across the Northeast.

As Bogoff puts it, the company is currently in a situation where the "tails wagging the dog." Sales are healthy, growth has been steady, and local and national respect for BBCs products 14 beers, nine of which are produced year-round has created a momentum so brisk that Bogoff and Lalli have to hustle to keep pace.

Any CEO will tell you that a pressing need for expansion based on growth, rather than in an effort to foster it, is a good problem to have. But the principals of BBC agree, however, that the companys success has now brought them to a critical crossroads, and they must now decide which way to turn.

"We always wanted to be a local brewery, and we have worked very hard to establish ourselves," said Bogoff. "Now that we have, the big questions is: Whats the next step?"

Never before, he explained, have he and Lalli been in a position to choose how big BBC gets. Now, they must decide whether to graduate from local brewery and become a regional brewer, which would necessitate shipping to states outside of the companys current service area and piercing the national market essentially, becoming a different kind of business.

"Before, it was a simpler world," Bogoff said, harkening back to the early days, when the duo brewed their first few barrels together in a basement in Springfield. "There was always plenty of room for us to grow. Now, it comes down to a choice. Whatever we do, we want to stay profitable and efficient. But microbrew means small business, and we dont want to forget that, which is easy to do when you start doing battle in the national marketplace."

Indeed, the national market is not so distant a destination for BBC as it once was. Of the 1,500 microbreweries and pubs brewing their own beer across the country, BBC rates 67th in terms of production volume. Herein lies the quandary that Lalli and Bogoff find themselves mulling more and more often, though, in terms of how large the companys scope should become: in spite of that stellar rating on the national scale, 99% of the companys beer is sold within a 60-mile radius of the South Deerfield brewery.

"What weve done is based very much on customer service, quality, freshness, and catering to the local market," Lalli said. "Were very cautious about expanding; were respected in this marketplace, and we have established our niche. So, is bigger necessarily better?"

A Stout Following

Still, Lalli and Bogoff concede that the consumer-driven success of their products is an ongoing trend that cannot be ignored. The various strategies they employed to get their company going and to maintain good sales are now what is pushing the co-founders to entertain options for growth and change, starting with a simple business plan and some Yankee ingenuity.

Already, BBC beers can be found on tap or in the coolers of liquor stores across Western Mass. and, increasingly, across the state, as well as in parts of Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island, making them some of the most prominent microbrews in the Northeast. But the partners are quick to point out that microbrews dont just go head to head with each other to win space behind the bar; they also have to face the behemoths of the beer world Budweiser is the first name on their tongues that spend 60% of their revenue on national marketing.

"When we started, we definitely began at the bottom of the learning curve," Bogoff explained. "We were going to do draft business only, forging relationships with local bars, with no marketing budget whatsoever. We didnt realize how competitive the beer industry actually is. We met with a lot of closed doors."

Lalli and Bogoff were forced into bottling just to make ends meet, and in the process, they stumbled upon a few marketing ploys, reminiscent of the success of Ben & Jerrys ice cream, that helped create a brand and a hook for the small company.

For example, they put themselves on the labels of their beers, smiling out from 22 oz. bottles with frothy mugs and toothy grins, and coined a number of pithy phrases that now accompany every case and keg they ship, including "Things are looking up!" and the companys mission statement, "Its all about the beer."

But in order to compete in what is quite literally a saturated market with sparse marketing dollars, the brewers decided to continue to focus on offering good service and great products, though with a twist: they made a conscious effort to brew an American ale, a light-bodied drink with mass appeal, that might even impress the Bud drinkers who represent 50% of the market.

The tactic worked that American ale, BBCs Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale, was a hit, and eventually spurred the results that the owners had been looking for. Whereas most breweries glean the bulk of their profits from bottling, Lalli explained, BBC is now doing a majority draft business, about 65%.

"Steel Rail is also about 65% of our business," he said, noting that BBC continues to pay attention to the market, offering popular styles of beers such as India pale ales, seasonal brews, or flavor-infused ales. "And our market is the most unique youll see anywhere. It crosses all social lines; our fans are new drinkers and theyre old agers, and our beers are in the finest restaurants, and in VFWs."

Local Watering Hole?

Lalli and Bogoff also attribute BBCs success to its constant attention to its identity as a locally owned, locally loyal entity. Lalli said it translates into good business to create a following not only through a great product, but a great reputation for partnering with other local businesses and organizations in an effort to support the regional economy. Norse Farms in Whately, for instance, provides the raspberries for BBCs Raspberry Strong Ale. Deans Beans in Orange provides the coffee beans for the Coffeehouse Porter, and 10% of the sales of Shabadoo Black and Tan Ale, named after a friend who passed away, go to help the Western Mass. Food Bank.

"We would be nothing without support," Bogoff said, "so its important, but it also makes a whole lot of sense, to give back and keep collaborating with other people."

Other such partnerships have been forged with Franklin County and, specifically, the town of South Deerfield, which played a key role in getting BBC off the ground at its flagship location, a former cigar manufacturing plant on Railroad Street.

The two partners said they were turned away by several communities in the area, and were getting frustrated in their search for a home when South Deerfield "embraced them," as they put it. And that support has remained strong through several expansions of the brewery.

The brewery first included a seven-barrel system and a handful of employees brewing and bottling by hand around the clock. BBC now uses a 20-barrel semi-automated system and employs 24 people, all of whom are dwarfed by the brewerys massive fermenters, grain silos, conditioning tanks, and other contraptions.

"It used to be brutal, back-breaking work," Lalli said. "Now the new system takes a lot of that grunt work out; weve been able to create a comfortable workflow. Without the expansions that we have been allowed to take on, I dont think our growth would have been nearly as good as it has been."

And over the past decade, the company has yet to see a year that hasnt produced a healthy increase in sales over the previous year, usually between 8% and 12%. Last year, BBCs production topped 10,000 barrels for the first time, and that was in the midst of a somewhat disruptive expansion project, Lalli explained.

He and Bogoff expect to sell at least another 1,000 barrels above and beyond that figure this year. That strong history of growth has brought BBC to where it stands today: firmly rooted in Franklin County, but able to enjoy notoriety as one of the most well-known, profitable, and more importantly oft-enjoyed microbrews in New England.

Ales Well that Ends Well

The question is, with so many people regularly enjoying a pint or more of BBC brew in their own backyard, how many more people do Lalli and Bogoff want to add to their fan base?

"Were going to keep doing what weve done," Bogoff offered. "Were going to keep putting products out there that were proud of, meeting the demand, and providing the best service we can. Were customer driven, and the demand is there, so well definitely keep an eye on what is coming down the road. But were happy just to be on someones top five list of beers when they sit down at the bar. Its all about the beer."

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

By BusinessWest Staff June 27, 2005

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.

Conventional Thinking

By BusinessWest Staff June 27, 2005

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]

Art and Soul

By BusinessWest Staff June 13, 2005

Uncategorized

A mill town once driven by the steady hum of factory work is now creating a different kind of buzz in Western Mass.; Easthampton is being seen as the region’s most promising community for artists of all types, and it’s the artists themselves, and the support of the city, that are making that happen.

Eric Snyder, president of the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Com-merce, said the best thing about the city’s recent turnaround is that it is tangible.

"Anyone who drives through can see what’s happening here," said Snyder, adding that the proof can be as large as a former mill now bustling with activity — everything from diners eating lunch at the Apollo Grill to people renewing their driver’s licenses at the local RMV office — or as small as an artful clay pot, a set of hand-crafted wind chimes, or a child practicing her violin on the front lawn.

The arts, in all forms, have become the primary economic driver pushing the city of Easthampton forward in recent years, transforming the former mill town into a haven for arts, entertainment, and culture, and revitalizing the city’s overall economic picture in the process.

"There has been a lot of talk about a renaissance in Easthampton," Snyder said. "The arts and crafts community definitely plays a big part in that. There are more people coming into the town because of the arts, and the artists are really marketing themselves, and that’s good for them and for the town."

Although many artists have resided in Easthampton for years, only recently have formal partnerships been forged between groups of artists, and, perhaps more notably, between those artists and city government, the Chamber, and other businesses.

Most artists work out of studio space located in one of three former mill buildings Eastworks, the Paragon building, and One Cottage Street once the hub of Easthampton’s economy and now becoming so again, though in a much different way.

Now, the buildings house potters, painters, jewelers, sculptors, and many other artists working in all types of media. They arrived to take advantage of large studio space, a convenient location, and attractive lease rates, and have since created a creative community unto themselves.

In addition, other businesses are also capitalizing on those low rents as well as the climate created by those artists, especially in the past year. Among them are restaurants like the Apollo Grill in the Eastworks building and Tucson and Savannah’s at One Cottage Street, niche businesses like Valley Women’s Martial Arts Inc. and In Touch Massage Therapy, and a Registry of Motor Vehicles branch office. Those businesses are not only benefiting from the location, but adding to the artists’ visibility, too; that has in turn provided for greater recognition of Easthampton in Western Mass., which is beginning to regard the city as the region’s next great cultural mecca.

"The word is getting out," said Lynn Latimer, an artist who works in fused glass out of the Cottage Street building. "We have a very large community of people who are enormously talented, but it’s recently that we feel a more solid sense of our arts community and the ways it benefits the whole city."

Canvassing the Area

One way the word is getting out is through the marketing efforts of Arts Easthampton, a collaborative organization of artists. The group began informally with a handful of artists in the One Cottage Street mill building, but has since expanded, especially in the last four years following the addition of the ’Arts Easthampton’ name and logo. The collective now includes artists working in the Eastworks and Paragon buildings, individual artists, businesses, and galleries and schools, such as the Guild Studio School, and the Pioneer Arts Center of Easthampton. The city’s own arts council is also very involved.

"It has only been in the last four years that we have all really started getting together," said Evelyn Snyder, owner of Kaleidoscope Pottery in the One Cottage Street building. Snyder explained that Arts Easthampton has gradually grown over the years. Two annual sales are still held now accommodating thousands of visitors to all three mill buildings and a smattering of individual studios, businesses, restaurants, and other venues but Arts Easthampton is becoming much more of a brand than a catchy name for an art show.

"We adhere to a mission statement and to strong rules of governance," said Justin Brown, an artist in the Eastworks building. "We make a real effort to meet and get groundwork laid down about five months before any event, and then we meet as needed until the date of the show. It’s only getting busier for us now."

Brown added that Arts Easthampton also created a common ground for a varied group of artists some production artists, completing large orders of their craft for customers, and others creating smaller quantities or single originals of work for sale. Brown is just such an artist, filling his studio with elaborate, personalized wall-hangings and sculptures. Snyder, although her work is no less unique, produces thousands of handmade plates, bowls, platters, and other items in her pottery studio. She agreed with Brown that Arts Easthampton created a bridge between all types of artists with different work, but common goals for success.

"It only made sense to pull all of the pieces together," Snyder said. "There was already some momentum that we could capitalize on; we had thousands of names on our mailing list, but now that has doubled, and we notice that there are definitely more people aware of and coming to our shows."

The visual arts aren’t the only artistic component of the city, however. Elizabeth Caine, president of the board for Pioneer Valley Summer Theater, located in Easthampton, said she too has noticed audiences increasing steadily over the theater’s three years in existence.

"What’s nice about Easthampton is that it is a city that’s actively looking for economic growth," said Caine. "We get great support, and in turn, our companies support the local economy by shopping, dining, and so on. In the long run, the relationship will make a huge difference in the community because of that mutual support."

And in response to that mounting success, the city has taken a broad interest in cultivating Easthampton’s arts community as an economic tool. It has secured grants for artistic programming and the improvement thereof, and fostering communication and further development of citywide initiatives either spotlighting or merely including the arts community, which includes a wide range of visual artists, musicians, writers, actors, and others working in cultural fields, often in conjunction with Arts Easthampton.

Ellen Koteen, grants coordinator for the city, explained that the first such grant was the John and Abigail Adams Grant, awarded to Easthampton by the Mass. Cultural Council in the amount of $12,500, which, as a condition of the grant, required the city to produce matching funds.

"We wanted to establish a formal arts and economic agenda, and the John and Abigail Adams grant was the first activity with that in mind," Koteen said, noting that the funds will be used to establish a new Web site for Arts Easthampton and to create a brochure and directory of the arts scene in the city.

She added that the matching component of the grant did more than add to the amount of funds available to the cultivation of arts programming — it also underscored the increasing faith the community has in its arts sector.

"The funds came through in February, requiring us to immediately search for funds for that one-to-one match," said Koteen. "We asked businesses to commit money and, in a short period of time, local companies kicked in almost $12,000. It demonstrated to the artists that the city recognizes their contribution, and there is a commitment to work with them."

Eric Snyder added that the arts also create a unique economic driver for the city, which he thinks Easthampton is ready to embrace. As most arts-based businesses are small, even consisting of just one or two people, there are dozens of independent businesses peppered across Easthampton, and that creates a different economic climate than a manufacturing plant or large retailer that could set up shop in the city and offer jobs to 100 or 200 people at once.

He noted that the city, once dominated by manufacturing, still has a few mainstays in the manufacturing sector among them Tubed Products, National Nonwovens, The October Company, and Stevens Urethane, which together employ about 1,200 people. The Williston Northampton School and Easthampton Public Schools round out the city’s major employers, adding another 500 employees to the tally. Viably, expansion of the manufacturing sector could benefit the town economically, and the city could have easily chosen to focus on that aspect if its financial picture, given its rich history.

But Snyder said the arts community has already proven in the last three to four years that its impact is just as important to Easthampton’s revitalization as any one employer could be.

"The chamber is open to this type of economic development," he said. "It is slower than the economic impact that could be generated by a large company, but the arts community has made our city much more rounded.

"It’s all about quality of life," he added. "Now, we still have our small town flavor, but we are also developing a metropolitan feel that is encouraging."

Artistic Integrity

The city has also planned ’visioning sessions,’ one in September of last year and the second just this month, designed to provide a platform for the city’s artists, government, business leaders, and other concerned citizens, specifically on the topic of cultivating and expanding artistic endeavors in Easthampton.

"It also studies the specific impact of the arts on the town," said Koteen, adding that part of that commitment the city has made includes hearing and addressing the concerns of the city’s artists.

"We have signed on to address the needs they have identified and how to best capitalize on and enhance their role in the city’s development," she said.

The need that is of the greatest concern to Easthampton’s artists is that of retaining affordable studio space. It’s a trait of many artists of all kinds that they will move to a community where affordable space can accommodate their work, contribute to diverse, healthy commerce in the area, and eventually be priced out of the studios for which they helped create a demand.

"The artists talk all the time of moving into affordable space, revitalizing the community, and getting priced out and moving on to a new, developing community," said Koteen, theorizing that Easthampton’s rapid improvement due to the art-based businesses is calling added attention to the nomadic nature of many full-time artisans, musicians, actors, and others working in cultural fields. "We have three old mills filled with artists. So far, the space is still affordable, and yet it takes years for a community to address such an issue, and then to implement whatever changes they see fit, so it’s definitely a concern."

Evelyn Snyder agreed. "It is a worry," she said. "But there is still more opportunity here for artists than in Northampton, which doesn’t have very many big, empty buildings, and that’s what brought us here, in addition to the low rent."

What is driving the Easthampton arts scene forward now is not just affordable workspace, though, she said; it’s the partnerships that have evolved between the artists in the community and local businesses, city government, and residents at large that are creating a sort of staying power, which is also unique within the world of art and artisans.

"All of us are excited about educating the public on the fact that you can make money as an artist," said Snyder, "and it’s nice to be in a strong group situation. It helps us to see the trends within the art world and to capitalize on good times and get through bad times."

Latimer added that getting a lot of different artists together on a project of this magnitude is no easy feat.

"It’s a bit like herding cats," she joked. "But this revitalization has come out of a lot of people pulling together in a grassroots sort of movement, and we’re seeing positive results that keep us going. The added notoriety of Easthampton as a thriving arts community is ultimately helping our businesses, and the added attention is making the city happy overall."

Brown said as the arts scene grows in the city, another challenge is how to best capitalize on the increased traffic, and the partnerships with the city’s government are helping to guide that process as well.

"The city has some great ideas and they’re getting more involved," he said. "They know why Easthampton is getting busier; now to keep it that way they’re helping us with the how."

Creating a Masterpiece

The annual Open Studio Sale held earlier this month by Arts Easthampton marked the city’s busiest weekend of the year, rivaled only by the Holiday Sale held in December. Throughout Saturday and Sunday, artists were busy wrapping pieces, businesses held sidewalk sales to capitalize on the traffic, and there was a bit of a wait for a table at the Apollo Grill. But Latimer said the signs of a community rising from the ashes are not best gauged on a busy weekend, but rather on the quieter days, when even then there is a marked change in the city.

"There’s definitely more life out there on the streets," she said.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

By BusinessWest Staff May 30, 2005

Departments

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

AMHERST

New Paradise Inc., 87 Main St., Amherst 01002. Tarlochan Singh, 279 Amherst Road, 37B, Sunderland 01373. To operate a restaurant.

BELCHERTOWN

Fabbo Enterprises Inc., 11 Martin Circle, Belchertown 01007. Frederick P. Fabbo, same. Retail/wholesale garden center and landscaping.

CHICOPEE

KOA Inc., 574 Chicopee St., Chicopee 01013. Richard S. Buffum, 48 Holy Family Road, No. 220, Holyoke 01040. Food service.

LBI Trucking Inc., 1081 Montgomery St., Chicopee 01013. Peter Burkovsky, same. Trucking.

Susan A. Birkner, CPA, P.C., 21 Old Chicopee St., Chicopee 01013. Susan A. Birkner, 1181 Amostown Road, West Springfield 01089. Professional accounting services.

EASTHAMPTON

Optical Communication Interconnect Inc., 193 Northampton St., Easthampton 01027. Ray Desanti, 29 Valley Forge Circle, West Boylston 01583. To manufacture and deal in fiber optic components and systems, etc.

HOLYOKE

Auction N Sold Inc., 395 Maple St., Holyoke 01040. Jonathan G. Giannone, 734 Franklin Ave., Garden City, NY 11530; Jonathan Giannone, 395 Maple St., Holyoke 01040, registered agent. Auction sales via E-bay

Cold River Realty Corp., 330 Whitney Ave., Suite 400, Holyoke 01040. Yves Demers, 9455 108th Ave., Vero Beach, FL 32967. Edward Mrozinski, 138 Slate Road, Chicopee 01020, treasurer. To deal in real estate.

New England Radiation Therapy Management Services Inc., 5 Hospital Dr., Hoyloke 01040. Dr. Michael Karin, same. To provide management services in connection with the provision of radiation therapy services.

LUDLOW

Castle Homes Inc., 202 Woodland Circle, Ludlow 01056. Alan J. Coulombe, same. To remodel and build homes.

NORTHAMPTON

BGHP Inc., 150 Main St., Northampton 01060. Philip Hueber, same. Retail sales.

Pioneer Heating and Cooling Inc., 23 Hooker Ave., P.O. Box 531, Northampton 01061. Timothy F. Gochinski, same. To install and repair heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration, etc.

Sabin Starlock Security Inc., 16 Crafts Ave., Northampton 01060. Scott Phaneuf, same. To install and repair locks, security devices, safes, etc.

The Taxi Inc., 1 Roundhouse Plaza, Suite 5, Northampton 01060. Chester L. Krusiewski, same. Taxi service.

PALMER

Andcole Inc., 1037 Thorndike St., Palmer 01069. William P. Michaud, 10 Pheasant Lane, Charlton 01507. To own and operate a restaurant.

SPRINGFIELD

1060 Wilbraham Road Corp., 1060 Wilbraham Road, Springfield 01109. Thomas Dineen, 2 Buckley Road, Wilbraham 01095. To operate a pub/tavern/cafe.

51-59 Taylor Street Inc., 57 Taylor St., Springfield 01103. James
Santinelli, 582 Pinewood Dr., Longmeadow 01106. To deal in real estate.

ACARI Inc., 1795 Main St., Springfield 01103. Kevin Coughlin, same. To manage ACAEI Cranial & Facial imaging LLC.

H.P.G. Enterprises, Ltd., 1 Monarch, Springfield 01144. Ed Borowsky, same. (Foreign corp; DE) To conduct theme and promotional sales in the retail industry.

M G Mortgage Inc., 135 State St., Springfield 01103. Michael S. Amaral, same. Mortgage origination.

Mama’s Retirement Inc., 234 Chestnut St., Springfield 01103. Lynn Marie Merkel, 1115 Page Blvd., Springfield 01104. To own and operate one or more bars, traverns, cabarets, restaurants, etc

Scorpion Enterprises Inc., 91 Fresno St., Springfield 01104. Gregory S. Moran, same. Delivery of packages service.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Kuras Gardens Inc., 961 Morgan Road, West Springfield 01089. Richard M. Kuras, Jr., same. Producer and manufacturer of agricultural products.

WESTFIELD

Country Club Grille Inc., 129 Glenwood Dr., Westfield 01085. Thomas J. Dirico, same. Restaurant.

Hope For Limpopo Inc., 351 West Road, Westfield 01085. Vaughn Churchill, 116 Pleasant St., Easthampton 01027. (Nonprofit) To support educational opportunities, training, services, etc., for the Limpopo Province of South Africa, etc.

North East Sand and Stone Inc., 162 Union St., Westfield 01085. John W. Johnson, same. To deal in sand, stone, and gravel.

SFCC Inc., 866 Shaker Road, Westfield 01085. Daniel P. Kotowitz, 66 Zephyr Dr., Westfield 01085. To own and operate a golf course, golf shop, etc.

WILBRAHAM

Cantalini Holdings Inc., 3 Belli Dr., Wilbraham 01095. Christopher
Cantalini, same. To deal in real estate.

WHG Inc., 3 Seneca St., Wilbraham 01095. William H. Goodnow Jr., same. To own and operate a tavern or salon.

Destination: Amherst

By BusinessWest Staff May 2, 2005

Sections Supplements

Recent Tourism Initiatives Beckon

Amherst

In the summer months, the streets of Amherst are bustling. And in the fall, spring, and winter, the foot traffic isn’t too shabby, either.

In recent years, this college town has stepped-up its tourism efforts in order to attract a broader range of people from all over the world. Those initiatives have been capitalizing on the town’s strong hospitality infrastructure, which includes several restaurants, unique businesses, and historical and cultural attractions, not to mention the constant draw of the Five Colleges, three of which are located in Amherst UMass, Amherst College, and Hampshire College for prospective students, current students, and their families.

And according to some of the people who keep their fingers on the pulse of Amherst’s tourism industry, the town’s new lease on leisure is working.

John Coull, president of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, said many smaller communities struggle with how, when, and to what extent to market their tourist attractions in order to create the best outcomes and address the appropriate audiences.

Larger or more well known communities can use one major attraction Cooperstown, N.Y., and the Baseball Hall of Fame are an apt example as the base for more expansive tourism initiatives. And Amherst’s reputation as a college town could be viewed as a similar advantage over regions without such a draw.

But as the chamber moved to increase its focus on tourism within Amherst, the search for one main selling point soon ended. Rather, the idea of selling a collection of attractions that would act in collaboration with one another came up again and again between local businesses, other towns, museums, and of course, the local colleges and universities.

"Amherst has a number of small but important attractions," said Coull. "Right now, we are learning how to best group them to create a certain magnetism and attract more visitors. Collaboration is the key to it all."

Strength in Numbers

Coull explained that Amherst’s issues regarding tourism are somewhat unique. For many years, the town has had little trouble attracting visitors; the college community alone beckons thousands of people each year to tour the three institutions, visit current students, or attend commencement ceremonies.

The problem was, he said, that after people arrived in Western Mass., Amherst didn’t do enough to show them everything it, and the entirety of the region, had to offer.

"Parents were coming here for visits and had no idea what else was here to see," he said. "As a town, we really don’t have to find people and say ’hey, why don’t you come here?’ What we do have to do is say ’hey, while you’re here, why don’t you take a look around? Here’s what there is to see.’"

Over the past three years, Coull said the Amherst chamber has worked toward cultivating stronger relationships with area businesses and organizations, as well as Five Colleges Inc., in order to best market Amherst as a destination for many different types of individuals, from students to professionals to retirees. Those relationships, he said, are beginning to yield coveted results: catering to an already strong faction of college-related visitors, but also reminding travelers and day-trippers alike that ’college town’ often equates to ’cultural mecca.’

Several groups have contributed to the development of collaborations in tourism efforts, Coull added, among them PDA (Promoting Amherst Downtown), an affiliate of the chamber comprised of several downtown business owners, that has created a Web site and brochure, while also developing a sample walking tour of downtown Amherst. UMass has also stepped forward; it invited the chamber to become a partner in its ’First Week’ activities, developed to acclimate new students to the area.

Further, the town’s fledgling series of juried art shows has played a key role. ArtShow Amherst, entering its second year this month, has been expanded to include five dates in Amherst and six in Pittsfield, allowing for cross-promotion within the two towns.

There is also Museums 10. This is a recently formed partnership consisting of seven college museums, all located on Five College campuses in Amherst and at nearby Smith College in Northampton and Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, as well as two independent Amherst museums the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and the National Yiddish Book Center and Historic Deerfield. The group has completed a suite of materials promoting the museums as one cohesive group of attractions.

Carol Angus, director of information and publications for Five Colleges Inc., said Museums 10 was created out of a mutual understanding among the directors and staff of the various museums, as well as Five Colleges at large, that marketing the museums as a whole rather than separately would effectively increase their visibility.

"We’re learning a lot of lessons about the value of collaboration," she said, noting that one such effort has been ongoing with the Amherst chamber. "These college museums have really come of age over the past 10 to 20 years, and while they continue to serve the overall missions of their respective institutions, they are also very valuable collections, and worthy of public view. And the Eric Carle Museum and the Yiddish Book Center are attracting international visitors joining with them shows us how much potential we have."

Angus said often, the very nature of a museum located on a college campus discourages public visitation, and joining forces with independent museums has helped to define Amherst as a prime destination for cultural tourism.

"We realized that this collaboration was an opportunity to do something for our museums, but also to bring tourists into the area," she said, noting that similar partnerships between area museums and organizations have had success in the neighboring Berkshires. "It becomes a benefit for us as well as the community to market the fact that we have something here for everyone art, history, books Ö we are able to appeal to a wide range of audiences."

Efforts to marketing Amherst’s attractions as one package have also included some of the most successful projects the chamber has taken on recently, Coull said.

Just last year, the chamber produced its first professionally designed and printed brochure, listing the many sights to see within the Amherst area. The brochure details all of the area’s historic sites, art museums and galleries, family attractions, entertainment options, educational resources, shopping destinations, parks, nature trails, restaurants, accommodations, and maps, but bundles them all as smaller parts of one destination, not unlike more notable towns and cities that lean heavily on tourism dollars, like Orlando, Fla., and Hershey, Penn.

"The numbers of those brochures significantly diminished very quickly around town," said Coull. "People were happy to see them."

Crowding the Streets

In coming years, Coull and Angus agreed, plans to continue forging relationships with businesses and organizations across Western Mass., and to continue to promote Amherst as a diverse destination for cultural and historical tourism, as well as an eclectic vacation destination for international travelers, will intensify.

"I see Amherst as a mini-city that offers a great combination," said Angus. "We have wonderful places to eat and to stay, we offer an amazing cultural and aesthetic experience, and we have the safety and variety that attracts people to visit and to stay a while. It’s something for everyone."

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

By BusinessWest Staff June 1, 2004

Departments

The following building permits were issued during the month of April 2004.

AGAWAM

Bondi’s
188 M St.
$25,000 — Prefab building

Perry Lane Park
108 Perry Lane
$5,000 — Repair bridge

AMHERST

Amherst Associates Inc.
370 Northampton Road, Bldg. 5
$24,848 — Replace 120 windows

Amherst College Trustees
Heating Plant – Old
$25,000 — Remove existing roofing, install new

Cooley Dickinson Hospital Inc.
170 University Dr.
$34,285 — Re-roof

Pauline Lannon
1151 West St.
$15,000 — Convert portion of existing storage area into ice cream shop and sales area

PPG Nominee Trust 1
17 Kellogg Ave.
$11,500 — Change two existing restaurants into one, alterations

Warren Hall
252 West St.
$12,000 — Re-roof

CHICOPEE

WalMart Stores Inc.
545 Memorial Dr.
$7,708,000 — Build store

EAST LONGMEADOW

Big Y Foods
433 North Main St.
$165,000 — Renovate interior

HOLYOKE

OC Ingleside LLC
360 Whitney Ave.
$518,000 — Rebuild interior walls

SPRINGFIELD

Family Dollar Stores
1070 St. James Ave.
$37,500 — Interior renovations

Gregory Bonneau
33 Amity Ct.
$30,000 — Install spray booth

MEG LLC
1350 Main St.
$130,500 — Interior renovations and electric

Mohammad Sohail
471 Carew St.
$200,000 — Convert service bays and store

Pioneer Valley Discount Liquor
28 Verge St.
$7,000 — Interior renovations

St. Anthony’s
1579 Island Pond Road
$18,000 — Remodel prayer room

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Pearson Daggett Development Co.
45 Daggett St.
$200,000 — Build out 2,400 square feet to accommodate dentist’s office

WESTFIELD

City of Westfield — Headstart
390 Southampton Road
$10,000 — Addition

Plum Assignment

By BusinessWest Staff May 1, 2004

Sections Supplements

Indian Orchard, or The Orchard, as residents call it, was once a thriving mill town. In recent years, however, the former Indian settlement and home to groves of plum trees (hence the name) has deteriorated and, in many ways, lost some of its identity. A recently unveiled master plan for the Springfield neighborhood creates a blueprint for bringing new life to the area and creating what is being called a "21st-century mill town." Optimism abounds, but the challenges facing residents, planners, and business owners are considerable.

01151. Thats the zip code for Indian Orchard, Mass., and a number that people in this blue collar neighborhood of Springfield are quite proud of.

ëThe Orchard, as they call it, is the only neighborhood in the city with its own postmark, and residents will usually correct parties that put ëSpringfield on items sent to them. "Its an immensely proud community," said Katie Stebbins, the citys senior planner, who long ago learned the proper way to address mail to people in this section by the Chicopee River. "The residents are proud of their history, their diversity, and their uniqueness."

This pride explains why more than 200 people turned out for an unveiling of a new master plan for the community, an important document that has created an outline for what Stebbins and others call a "21st-century mill town." That phrase was chosen to convey the need to blend the past with the future, she said, noting that the community is at a crossroads of sorts.

Its stock of residential and commercial properties is aging, and before more of them are lost to parking lots, the neighborhood wants to make a concerted effort toward becoming a destination, she explained. The plan for achieving that end is multi-faceted, and calls for connecting Main Street with the currently underutilized riverfront; making facade improvements to a number of the century-old buildings in the downtown area; attracting new small businesses, especially restaurants and other entertainment venues; and finding a new life for an old industrial complex that essentially bisects the neighborhood.

Fred Andrews, executive director of the Indian Orchard Main Street Partnership, believes all that is doable, although he acknowledges that putting goals down on paper and making them happen are two completely different things, especially at a time when the level of public funds for such endeavors is dwindling and no one can really be sure of the appetite for private investment.

But, like Stebbins, Andrews sees progress and senses both the requisite optimism and energy needed to achieve more over time. He points to several facade improvements that have already taken place downtown as movement in the right direction. And he notes a considerable uptick in the number of calls from people exploring possible investments in the neighborhood.

"There is some vibrancy downtown," he said. "Weve had some faÁade improvements and also the hoped-for result people in neighboring buildings seeing that progress and deciding to become part of the movement."

Charles Brush, owner of the massive Indian Orchard Mills, a home to more than 100 small businesses and artists, and a member of the panel that pushed through the master plan, sees both the vast potential in The Orchard and the challenges facing the community. Mostly, he sees enthusiasm.

"People were lined up out the door the night we unveiled the plan; people came to see what was happening," he said. "Now, we need to tap that energy and move forward. We can turn Indian Orchard into a destination we have all the components in place."

Beyond the predictable rush of optimism that accompanied the release of the plan, however, lies the obvious question: what now?

Stebbins says she isnt sure, and told BusinessWest that much depends on the residents and business owners who turned out to see the plan unveiled. She equated creation of the master plan to sketching an outline in a coloring book it can be colored in any number of ways.

"What happens next is not a passive approach waiting and hoping for something to happen but a very active approach," she explained. "We want to be open to every opportunity that comes our way, pursuing it with the neighborhood and seeing where it leads. You treat everything as a possibility until its not.

"Its like a patchwork quilt," she continued. "You keep piecing things together, and eventually you have something."

Fruits of Their Labor

The name Indian Orchard is derived from the areas past life as both an Indian settlement and, later, a home to groves of plum trees.

In an attempt to reflect that past, street signs, building facades, Andrews business card, and even the back cover of the master plans executive summary have incorporated the color purple. And soon, new plum trees may be growing in the downtown and elsewhere in the community. Andrews said planners have done some research, and believe theyve found a hearty variety of tree that can stand up to the climate and congestion of a Northeast urban center.

But planners also want to breathe new economic life into a community that has most often been described as ëtired in recent years. Indeed, the vibrancy that existed years ago has been lost due to a number of factors, including the exodus of the textile makers and many other manufacturers, the emergence of Boston Road as a major retail center, which sucked life from Main Street, and the flight of many working class residents into the regions suburbs.

The vision for a retooled community one that will be called ëThe Village of Indian Orchard, a neighborhood of Springfield is that of a destination, said Stebbins, an area rich with shops, restaurants, artists, antiques, bike paths, walking trails, and other features that would attract people from across the region and perhaps well beyond it.

She calls it the "strolling effect."

Many communities have an area in which people can stroll, she said, noting that this activity blends recreation with window-shopping, actual shopping, and dining. Northampton is this areas best strolling center, she noted. Springfield doesnt have such an area at present downtown comes close, but it lacks the requisite variety of shops, she said and The Orchard could someday fill that role.

To make The Orchard a destination, a place to stroll, however, many things have to happen, said Stebbins, especially the link between Main Street and the riverfront. She told BusinessWest that the communitys downtown is in many ways unremarkable and similar to countless others in this area and across the country, for that matter. The scenic Chicopee River does give the neighborhood a chance to do some things that other cities and towns cant, however.

"If we cant get the river opened up and established as a destination point with the downtown, then Main Street is going to have a much longer road to travel."

One stated goal for planners is to create a riverfront park that would stretch from a parcel near the tip of Main Street to the Indian Orchard Mills, and construct bike trails and walking paths along that strip. Much of that property is owned by Consolidated Edison it was sold to that corporation by Western Mass. Electric Co. as part of a divestiture of assets forced by restructuring of the energy industry and some talks have taken place between the city and that company, said Stebbins.

Brush, whose mills have become home to a number of noted artists, believes those galleries could become a key component in making The Orchard a destination, especially if his mills can be more effectively linked to Main Street stores and restaurants and a cluster of antique outlets.

"We have 43 artists here now, and our open studios bring hundreds of people down to the mills," he said. "We need more events and attractions like that; we need to create more reasons to bring people to Indian Orchard."

Planting Seeds

While offering a quick tour of the downtown area, Andrews stopped at one of a collection of new bus stop benches. The colorful, tile-covered benches were created by artists at the Indian Orchard Mills, he explained, and are one of the many small initiatives in that area creating some enthusiasm in the community.

There are other, similar examples of progress, he said, pointing out comprehensive facade improvement projects at Indian Orchard Glass and Orchard Variety, which sit on opposite sides of Main Street. There have been other faÁade initiatives, and more are being planned, he said, adding that they give the downtown a cleaner, more modern look, one that will hopefully spur additional investments in that area.

Andrews said The Orchard is perhaps Springfields most culturally diverse neighborhood, with a mix of Portuguese, Polish, Hispanic, and Armenian residents, among other groups. He envisions a number of ethnic restaurants and cultural attractions in the downtown. He says there are entertainment opportunities as well, including a new life for the old Grand Theater and perhaps a much larger home for the cramped Titanic Museum.

"Theres a lot that can happen, and a number of very positive things have already happened," he said. "I think its a matter of getting things moving and having people want to become part of something special."

Stebbins agreed, and said that while there are several vacant storefronts downtown, this should be viewed more as an opportunity than a concern. "In many ways, its like a blank canvas."

She cited Red Rocket Records on Main Street, a business that draws music enthusiasts, especially heavy metal fans, from far and wide, as the type of destination attraction that The Orchard needs in much greater numbers, and she believes it can happen.

"Why not? People will find Indian Orchard to come to Red Rocket Records," she said. "If these people can find it, then other people can if we give them a reason."

She told BusinessWest that much of her optimism stems from the amount of interest being expressed in The Orchard, from both existing business owners and some from outside the region expressing interest in living or doing business in the neighborhood.

"Every day, I get a call from someone about Indian Orchard, either someone already in The Orchard who wants to figure out how to make it better, or someone outside The Orchard who wants to find out more about it and thats either businesses or potential homeowners," she said. "Some of the calls are from existing business owners, some who say that theyve been thinking about sprucing up their site, but didnt because they didnt think anything was happening. Now that they see things going on in the building next door, they want to do something themselves."

But is there funding available for such projects?

Stebbins paused when asked that question, and admitted that theres never as much money as planners and entrepreneurs want or need. But she said that some money remains from a $160,000 facade improvement grant, and there are some pockets of money to tap into.

The bus stop benches were the result of a grant, she said, noting that planners will have to be diligent and imaginative in their pursuit of resources. "Were going to turn over every rock."

Building Momentum

While exploring links between Main Street and the riverfront and trying to expand the cultural offering downtown, planners will also address a number of other issues. Some, like the benches, trees, and street signs, are smaller in scope and designed to build visibility, enhance the communitys image it is still viewed as many as a high-crime, low-income area and improve traffic flow.

Meanwhile, there is the matter of the former Chapman Valve/Crane site, a 52-acre strip of land that has plagued the neighborhood for decades.

Old renderings of the Indian Orchard neighborhood show a small downtown area dwarfed by the massive Chapman Valve complex, where workers, mostly immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Poland, and other European countries, made valves for various industries.

The site expanded and evolved over the years the Navy built a foundry there in the 1940s, and the complex was actually a satellite site for the Manhattan Project and the neighborhood grew up around it. Homes now crowd a site that is largely abandoned and overgrown.

Residential development is planed for a portion of the parcel, said Stebbins, and some construction has already begun, but the fate of the building that housed the Navy foundry is still to be determined, and there are environmental hurdles to be cleared before anything can be done on the site.

In fact, it was Stebbins work on the Chapman Valve site she is the citys brownfields coordinator that got the ball moving toward creation of a master plan for the neighborhood. "We said to ourselves, ëwhat are we going to do with this beast?" she said.

"We worked with the neighborhood to figure out what would be a good use for the site, and eventually, the focus shifted to the whole neighborhood."

It will likely be several years before the fate of the industrial site can be resolved and a new life for that property found, said Stebbins, adding that the long view must be taken on many elements contained in the master plan.

It could be 10 to 15 years or more before many of the visions are realized, she said, noting quickly that areas like Northampton and Alexandria, Va., both great strolling areas, took years to reach their potential.

She doesnt know how The Orchards mostly blank canvas will be colored in, but she is very confident that the neighborhoods master plan wont gather dust on a shelf, like so many before it in a number of area communities.

"Its the enthusiasm of the residents that will keep this from getting dusty," Stebbins said, holding the document aloft. "People are very proud of this community, and they want to see something happen with it."

Branching Out

Stebbins, 33, told BusinessWest that many people her age look at The Orchard and see the ëdestination potential that she does. For many older residents, however, there is more skepticism. "For many of the older people who grew up here, its a lot harder to see what this neighborhood can be."

For the concepts outlined in the master plan to become reality, planners must get all those in the community on the same page, literally and figuratively, and begin to create some momentum for moving forward.

Progress will come a piece at a time, said Stebbins just like that patchwork quilt.

George OBrien can be reached at [email protected]

Forward Thinking

By BusinessWest Staff April 1, 2004

Opinion

Richard Goyette was sworn into office as Chicopee mayor in January after surviving a close (350-vote) race with former mayor Joseph Chessey. He assumes the corner office at a time when Chicopee remains in an expansion mode, with a new high school nearing completion, a new city library set to open, and Wal-Mart planning to come to Memorial Drive. These are all projects set in motion during the administration of Richard Kos, who is credited with taking Chicopee, the regions second-largest city, out of the doldrums and putting it on the road to sound fiscal health and economic vitality. Goyette, who served on the Board of Aldermen during the Kos years, says his predecessor built a solid foundation. Now, he wants to build a house on top of it. BusinessWest talked with the new mayor about his goals for the city, his strategies for reaching them, and his thoughts on everything from Wal-Mart to a planned womens prison.

BusinessWest:Before we get into a deep discussion about business, economic development, and your vision for Chicopee, tell us why you wanted this job, and at this time in your life and career.

Goyette:"This is something Ive always had an interest in. I told my wife this, and when Mayor Kos announced that he was not going to run, she and I sat down and had a long talk about it. I didnt want to look back 20 years from now and say, wouldve, couldve, shouldve. Being mayor is something I always wanted to do, and this was my opportunity."

BusinessWest:Youre following Kos, a man who is credited with having not only vision, but the ability to make that vision reality. Is he a hard act to follow?

Goyette:"He is. He did a wonderful job for the city. He built a wonderful foundation not only with the citys finances but with a number of projects across the city and now Im hoping to build a house on top of that foundation."

BusinessWest:What did you do in the private sector, and do you believe any of those experiences will help you handle the duties of being mayor?

Goyette:"I was sales manager at the Springfield Sheraton for a few years, and before that I was in the aerospace industry; I was in charge of manufacturing at a company called Fountain Plating in West Springfield. After Sept. 11, things in the aerospace industry took a real nosedive, so I took a career change. And I really think my job as a sales manager will help me here. When youre in the hospitality industry, customer service is important you have to deal with people on a one-to-one basis. Its very similar when youre mayor; Im basically the salesman for the city.

BusinessWest:How else would you define your responsibilities in this position? Give us your job description.

Goyette:"The mayor is the chief executive officer, so obviously, you have to make a number of financial decisions. Beyond that, though, the mayor sets the agenda and tries to move forward with a vision for the city and what it should be. Ive lived in Chicopee most of my life Im the fourth generation of my family living in the same house in Aldenville and I have a vested interest in this city. I want businesses to locate here, I want to see investment in my community, and Im the point person for that."

BusinessWest:Speaking of moving agendas forward, what are your priorities when it comes to economic development in Chicopee?

Goyette:"Like every community in the area, we want to attract companies that are going to bring good-paying jobs. Weve had some good success stories in the past few years Channel 22, Williams Distributing, MassMutuals conference center, and some businesses in the Westover industrial parks. We want to build on that. We have an attractive location, and we have some places for companies to go. There are some lots left in the Westover parks, and we have the Chicopee River Technology Park, as well.

"In addition to attracting new, larger companies, we want to take in some smaller companies and give them the space to get to that next stage. There is room in Cabotville for this type of development. I know Springfield has been successful with very small businesses in the STCC incubator; were looking at trying to market Cabotville and some of our other old mills as the place to take the next step when a company outgrows its space in a smaller facility, we want it to think about Chicopee."

BusinessWest:Wal-Mart is coming to town in the former Fairfield Mall complex. What does this mean for Chicopee and for Memorial Drive?

Goyette:"I think this is going to work out very well for this city. One of the biggest complaints that I hear from people is that they live in the second-largest city in the region, but they have to go to Holyoke or Springfield to do their shopping. There are no major stores here. Wal-Mart is just going to be the start. There is room at the site for six small boxes, and I think youll see a lot of interest on the part of major retailers our first national chain, the Ninety Nine, is going into the spot in front of the old mall.

"This development is also going to bring more people into Chicopee; its going to be a huge boost for the businesses currently there. Because of its location just off the Turnpike, its very accessible, and people will be coming to Memorial Drive who havent come that way in the past. I think this will develop the same way Riverdale Road did first you had Home Depot, and then Costco, and it took off. Now, you have Chilis, an Outback, and a lot of other restaurants. Were expecting similar things.

BusinessWest:Is that good or bad? Can Memorial Drive handle the kind of development thats being talked about? Are there fears that you could have traffic problems similar to those seen on Riverdale Road?

Goyette:"I think its good. People want to spend their dollars in their own community. As far as the traffic goes, I think we have a better arrangement than Riverdale Road theres better access and better traffic flow. Once Wal-Mart is in place and those box stores fill up, things are really going to take off; it will be great for our tax base and great for our residents, and it will provide jobs.

BusinessWest:Chicopee is an industrial city that has many large employers. But is fast running out of developable land. What does this mean, and how can the city continue to attract jobs with this apparent handicap?

Goyette:"As our land gets filled up, were going to look at redevelopment of existing buildings and underutilized parcels. One site were looking at for the long term is the former Uniroyal complex and the adjacent Facemate property (see related story, page 22). There are some environmental concerns, but down the road, this will become space that we can utilize."

BusinessWest:Plans to build a womens prison at the site of the former canine control center are now on hold due to the states budget problems. Most people dont think of a prison as economic development, but you and your predecessor both believe this is an opportunity for Chicopee. Why?

Goyette:"It does represent economic development its going to bring jobs, probably 100 or more, into the city. And that project brings a number of infrastructure improvements with it. There are plans for a major reconstruction of Center Street from the Springfield line to downtown. That project is on a separate track from the jail, but, realistically, it wont happen until the jail does."

BusinessWest:Is there a new timetable for the jail?

Goyette:"Not that Im aware of. The state is currently conducting a needs assessment of its correctional facilities, and doesnt want to spend money on projects like this if it doesnt have to. Obviously, were hoping this project gets back on track."

BusinessWest:Unlike many cities and town in this region, and especially Springfield, Chicopee is in good fiscal health. How did it get that way, and how will you keep the city on that course?

Goyette:"Four or five years ago, the mayor and the Board of Aldermen worked on a lot of things, and while many communities were just handing out things and creating new jobs like Springfield adding 100 new police officers we were tightening our belts and looking at the situation and saying, the good times arent going to last forever we need to save for a rainy day and put some money away.

"When I took office as an alderman, the stabilization fund had $5,000 in it. Now, its got $10.5 million. Obviously, we worked very hard to do that, and now that times are tougher, we may not be able to save a lot of money. We may have to continue to scale back, but at least we have that cushion."

BusinessWest:What else do you have on your to-do list?

Goyette:"One of the projects in front of us is redevelopment of the old (current) Chicopee High School. When we move into the new one this fall, were going to have a very large, vacant building on our hands. Were looking at combining some city departments in there, or perhaps a senior center, or even moving the school administration offices in there. Theres a lot of consolidation that can take place, and a lot of options for us to look at.

"Ultimately, I think were looking at mixed uses for that building, and there are a lot of things we have to take a look at. Thats why the city is paying to have a facilities study done of all city buildings, including the schools, City Hall, any municipal building. Once we get that back, then we can determine what our options and priorities are, and decide where and how to spend money on these buildings. To this point, weve never had something like this; weve traditionally waited until something is broken and then found the money to fix it."

BusinessWest:Youre wrapping up those proverbial first 100 days in office. What has the experience been like? Is being mayor about what you expected when you decided to run for the seat?

Goyette:"It was a real advantage to me to be on the Board of Aldermen for six years, two years as president. I had a chance to work with a lot of the department heads and cope with the issues the city was confronted with; I was part of the process, and as a result I had a pretty good handle on things.

"That said, theres a lot to do, and much of it is things that people dont see or fully appreciate. People dont see the nights, the weekends, and the events youre expected to attend the Boy Scouts, the banquets, the church services … theres so much, and people expect to see the mayor there; its part of the job, and an important part.

BusinessWest:How long do you think you want to do this?

Goyette:"I just got here, so its really hard to say how long I might want to keep this job. I hope its a while. I very much enjoy the job, but it puts some constraints on how much time I can spend with my wife and family I have two children and five stepchildren. Weve tried to make this experience fun for the kids. During the campaign, they would come out and hold signs … it was a learning experience for them in how government works; its one thing to go in the classroom and talk about how people get elected, but its another thing to be part of the process."

BusinessWest:One more question: Youre one of the very few Republican mayors in this state. Is that going to help you or the city in any way?

Goyette:"The governor and I are on a first-name basis, but Im not sure being a Republican is going to be a big help. But at the moment, it doesnt hurt, either."

Landmark Decisions

By BusinessWest Staff February 1, 2004

Opinion

John Bonavita, restaurateur and developer, says he enjoys the challenge of rehabbing old, historic structures. He spent two years and $1 million to convert an old fire station in Springfields South End into the Tavern restaurant. His latest undertaking is the 90-year-old former Post Office building in Westfield, an attractive but challenged site that is now home to his second Tavern.

John Bonavita says he first fell in love with the old Post Office building in Westfield in 1997. Thats when his Tavern Inn restaurant on Columbus Avenue in Springfield was in the process of being taken by eminent domain to make way for the new Basketball Hall of Fame and related riverfront developments, and he was looking for a new home for that venture.

He liked the historical and architectural aspects of the 90-year-old building more on that later and he really liked its location in the center of the city, as well as the growth potential of the Westfield market.

"I like old buildings," said Bonavita, with a classic bit of understatement. "And I really like bringing them back to life. I enjoy blending the past with the present, and with this building I saw nothing but great potential."

But he couldnt make the parking or lack thereof work, and so he turned his attention elsewhere, specifically the long-vacant fire station on Mill Street in Springfields South End, which became home to the Tavern in 2000 after a year-long, $1 million renovation effort.

Bonavita didnt forget about Westfields old Post Office, however, and after concluding that he wanted to build a second Tavern, his thoughts returned to the building on Broad and Main streets.

And this time, he made the parking work.

Indeed, Bonavita struck a deal with the city in late 2002 to lease him 37 spaces in a parking lot across the street from the structure and adjacent to the citys green. Fourteen months and more than $1 million in renovations later, the Tavern-Westfield is nearly ready to open.

The facility housed a reception prior to Mayor Richard K. Sullivans inaugural ball in mid-January and is slated to open its doors later this month. When it does, it will become part of a growing arts and entertainment district in Westfield and a revitalization of its downtown.

It will also usher in a new era for the Post Office building, one of the citys more enduring landmarks, which has been the site of several mostly unsuccessful ventures since the Post Office moved out in 1980, and has been vacant for the past several years.

Meanwhile, it will be an important entrepreneurial stepping stone for Bonavita, who now has a restaurant group, if you will, and is currently putting together a management team to run the enterprise. When asked if there might be a third or fourth Tavern, he said, "I never thought there would be a second when I see an opportunity develop, I move on it."

Stamp of Approval

As he offered BusinessWest a tour of his Westfield Tavern, Bonavita, speaking over the constant roar of an electrical sander trying to bring new life to an old hardwood floor, pointed to teller windows with signs above them reading money orders and registry.

"Back at the turn of the century, people did a lot more of their banking work at the Post Office," he explained, adding that he has kept the windows in their original state to provide part of the atmosphere for the restaurant.

Bonavita has learned quite a bit about old post offices (and this one in particular) in the past 15 months. He said renovating the landmark has been an extreme challenge, but he enjoys such assignments. "There are a lot of easier sites I could have chosen, believe me," he acknowledged. "But none of them had this location or this kind of history."

Bonavita first gravitated to the restaurant business 25 years ago, while working in the familys used car dealership in Springfield. "I bought and sold cars for 11 years," he said, adding that when auto sales, and the economy in general, suffered in the late 70s, he looked for a new business opportunity.

He opened Pub 91 in Springfields South End, and later opened the Tavern Inn on West Columbus Avenue, which thrived for nearly 15 years thanks to a loyal clientele.

But Bonavita was sent looking for a new home when the city took the property and several others to make way for the Hall of Fame project. And while Bonavita desired a location in Springfields South End, from which he drew many of his customers, his search took him to Agawam, West Springfield, Enfield, Conn., and Westfield, where the old Post Office was his first preference.

At the time, the site was vacant, but the subject of much speculation because it was adjacent to the former H.B. Smith boiler complex, which was soon to be demolished to make for a Stop & Shop. Andrew Crystal, vice president of OConnell Development in Holyoke, which had acquired both the H.B. Smith complex and the Post Office site, told BusinessWest that there was a great deal of interest in the latter, especially from national restaurant chains.

"They all saw what John (Bonavita) saw," said Crystal, "an incredible structure with a lot of potential. But there wasnt any parking, and there was no real way to acquire any." Bonavita had a purchase-and-sale agreement on the Post Office, but could not resolve the parking issue.

So he reset his sights on the South End of Springfield, and the block at the top of Mill Street, which consisted of a vacant fire station and an adjoining manufacturing facility in rather poor condition that housed a company which made motorcycle chains.

"The city really wanted something to happen with that block … the fire station had been vacant for nearly 30 years, and the building next door was in disrepair," said Bonavita, who told BusinessWest that he acquired the fire station from the city for a dollar and relocated the manufacturer into a building he purchased in East Springfield.

He then spent the next year rehabbing the station, built in 1894, which at that time was in horrendous condition.

"There was no heating and no plumbing," he recalled. "About 600 square feet of roof decking was completely rotted and missing, which rotted about 1,000 square feet of the second floor decking; so we had a skylight in the building pigeons were roaming free and flying in and out."

Bonavita eventually invested more than $1 million in the building, which is now home to four offices as well as the restaurant. He acknowledged that most developers would have passed on the adventure, but he enjoys a good challenge.

Food for Thought

And he found another one in Westfields old Post Office, which he acquired from OConnell in 2002 for $300,000.

He said the building lends itself well to a tavern/restaurant with its high ceilings and numerous rooms, but it needed a good deal of work to meet all of todays codes and accessibility standards.

For example, one work area at the former Post Office behind those teller windows Bonavita pointed out had to be gutted to make way for a new entrance that was handicapped-accessible.

Working with the Chicopee-based architectural firm Caolo & Bienek Associates, Bonavita says he has kept as much of the original post office intact as possible, including the marble and hardwood floors, as well as the mahogany front entrance (now an emergency exit).

"Theyve really helped me tame this old building," he said of the architects, noting that the bar area maintains the arches and curved windows of the original lobby area of the post office. "We took some things and moved them or used them for different things; what we disassembled, we reassembled in other places."

The Tavern-Westfield will have a main dining room that will sit about 80, as well as a private dining room the old postmasters office that will seat another dozen. Meanwhile, as with the fire station in Springfield, Bonavita will create some office space to lease out. He said hes already had inquiries from an engineering firm and a financial services company.

The old Post Office was adapted for several different uses after its closure. In the early 80s, it housed a variety of small shops in an indoor-mall format. Later, a restaurant was opened in the basement area. It enjoyed initial success, but closed only a few years after opening.

In the late 80s and early 90s, the site became an antiques center, with dozens of individual vendors leasing pockets of space. The lack of parking eventually doomed that venture as well, and the building sat vacant for a number of years.

With the parking problem solved, Bonavita expects his new venture to become one of the cornerstones figuratively speaking of Westfields emerging entertainment district. Several restaurants have opened in the past few years, and Bonavita expects that in time (and not much time), the citys depth of offerings will draw people from across the region, as Northampton currently does.

"I think Westfield can make something happen," he said. "Springfield has made its entertainment district work, and it can happen here, too."

Pushing the Envelope

As he showed BusinessWest the view from the balcony above the main lobby, Bonavita reiterated why he took on the many challenges posed by the old Post Office. "This building makes a statement," he said.

The same might be said of Bonavitas developments, which have enabled two communities to take underutilized properties and put them back on the tax rolls and into productive use.

"I get a lot of satisfaction from doing this," he said. "Its a labor of love."

George OBrien can be reached at [email protected]

Incorporations

By BusinessWest Staff January 1, 2004

Departments

AMHERST

Chabad Lubavitch of Northampton Inc., 30 North Hadley Road, Amherst 01002. Yosef Moya, 9 Dart St., New London, CT 06360. Chaim Adelman, 105 Rockhill Road, Hadley 01035, clerk. (Nonprofit) To operate religious institutions promoting Jewish religious doctrine and observance.

New Wave Surgical Corp., 571 Main St., Amherst 01002. Alexander Gomez-Castro, same. To manufacture, distribute, and sell disposable surgical supplies.

Proteus Action League, 264 North Pleasant St., Amherst 01002. Donna Edwards, 8004 Glenlake, Fort Washington, MD 20744. Margaret Gage, 208 Montague Road, Amherst 01002, secretary. (Foreign corp; DC) Promoting public policies that strengthen democracy, environmental protection, and human rights primarily through grantmaking.

S & H Hoop Inc., 27 Summerfield Road, Amherst 01002. Stephan T. Lappas, same. (Foreign corp; PA) Basketball instructional camp.

BELCHERTOWN

Belchertown-Granby Eagles Youth Football Organization Inc., 86 Shaw St., Belchertown 01007. Thomas E. Brown III, same. (Nonprofit) To promote the training and equipping of young people for football and football games in Belchertown and Granby, etc.

CHICOPEE

Interstate Custom Kitchen & Bath Inc., 558 Chicopee St., Chicopee 01013. James A. Yiznitsky, 18 Crow Hill Road, Monson 01057. To deal in kitchen and bath interiors, etc.

Jordyn Management Inc., 1981 Memorial Dr., Suite 213, Chicopee 01020. William J. Jolivet Jr., 37 Gamache Dr., Ludlow 01056. To deal in real estate.

Sunco Trading Corp., 149 Plainfield St., Chicopee 01013. Pauline Po Lin Chung, 95 Nutmeg Lane, #208, East Hartford, CT 06118. Pauline Po Lin, 149 Plainfield St., Chicopee 01013, resident agent. Wholesale frozen seafood.

EAST LONGMEADOW

P & H Properties Inc., 61 Baymor Dr., East Longmeadow 01028. Charles D. Parsons, same. Real estate investment and property management.

Paula’s Realty Inc., 40 Linden Ave., East Longmeadow 01028. Richard C. Hanks, same. To purchase buildings for rehab, resale, or as rental property.

FLORENCE

Campus Greens Inc., 320 Riverside Dr., Florence 01062. Kirsten Powers, D141 Brackenbridge, 303 East 21st St., Austin, TX 78705. Brian Sandberg, 73 Old South St., Apt. D, Northampton 01060, resident agent. (Nonprofit) To promote social welfare by engaging college students in civic participation, public forums, etc.

GRANBY

BWP Electric Inc., 127 Morgan St., Granby 01033. Bruce W. Pelletier, same. Electricians, electrical contractors, etc.

HADLEY

Hyun Jin Enterprise Corp., 115 Russell St., Hadley 01035. Jin Bae Hong, 50 Meadow St., Amherst 01002. To provide singing practice and lessons, focused on personal service and entertainment.

HATFIELD

Holy Smokes Ltd., 9 Church Ave., Hatfield 01038. Seth Crawford, 44 Center St., Montague 01351. To own and operate food-service and beverage- dispensing establishments including restaurants, bars, and package stores.

LONGMEADOW

Aseltine & Associates Inc., 1001 Williams St., Longmeadow 01106. Robert H. Aseltine Jr., same. To render statistical consulting and health-related studies.

Caren & Co. Inc., 682 Bliss Road, Longmeadow 01106. Caren DeMarche, 46 Mohawk Dr., Longmeadow 01106. Retail sale of women’s apparel and accessories.

National Pacesetters Inc., 10 Bliss Road, Longmeadow 01106. John R. Rothweiler, same. (Foreign corp; DE) To organize dance competitions and related activities.

SMJ Roofing Company Inc., 61 Prynne Ridge Road, Long-meadow 01106. Arthur Grodd, same. Commercial and residential roofing products, services, etc.

Healthstar Pharmacy Inc., 194 Colony Road, Longmeadow 01106. Larry W. Browne, same. To operate a pharmacy.

LUDLOW

Andrew P. Alves Scholarship Fund Inc., 33 Haswell Circle, Ludlow 01056. Izilda Alves, same. (Nonprofit) To set up a scholarship fund in memory of their son Andrew to benefit Ludlow High School.

MONSON

Confraternity United Hands Center Inc., 24 Waid Road, Monson 01057. Elda Martinez, same. (Nonprofit) To help the underserved population gain access to health and self-sufficiency services, etc.

NORTHAMPTON

Aastha Inc., 103 Dunphy Dr., Northampton 01060. Chandresh Patel, same. To conduct a convenience store/package store business.

SOUTH HADLEY

AAJ Inc., 30 Bridge St., South Hadley 01075. Diane Fusco, 120 Firglade Ave., Springfield 01108. To own and operate one or more taverns, restaurants, cafes, etc.

SOUTHWICK

Woodland Elementary School PTO Inc., 80 Powdermill Road, Southwick 01077. Daniela Labodycz, 21 Pine Knoll, Southwick 01077. (Nonprofit) To promote student welfare and strengthen the bond between home, school, and community.

SPRINGFIELD

Belmont Avenue Realty Corp., 355 Belmont Ave., Springfield 01108. Nick Vrettos, same. To deal in real estate.

HeleSant Inc., 87 Taylor St., Springfield 01103. Helen Santaniello, 582 Pinewood Dr., Longmeadow 01106. To own and operate one or more bars, taverns, restaurants, etc.

NanoTechnologies — America Inc., 125 Paridon St., Suite 103, Springfield 01118. Kenneth M. Piel, 53 Eton St., Springfield 01118. To market and sell microscope and related accessories.

Northstar Recycling Group Inc., 89 Guion St., Springfield 01104. Seth Goodman, 47 Academy Dr., Longmeadow 01106. To own and operate all forms of materials and brokerage business, etc.

Recovery Zone Inc., 235 Mill St., Springfield 01108. Keith G. Burger, 1449 John Fitch Blvd., South Windsor, CT 06074. Keith Burger, 235 Mill St., Springfield 01008, resident agent. Auto repossession and auto lock repairs.

Stephen Allen Jewelers Inc., 1360 Allen St., Springfield 01118. Stephen Lewis, 8 Isabelle Dr., Somers, CT 06071. Daniel J. O’Connell, 1500 Main St., Suite 2308, Springfield 01115, resident agent. To sell and service jewelry products and accessories.

VG & PM Inc., 690 Main St., Springfield 01103. Peter Matos, 20 Wyndwood Road, Farming-ton, CT 06032. Virginia Golemba, 76 Cooley Dr., Longmeadow 01106, treasurer. Full restaurant and banquet hall services, etc.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Advanced New England Finish Corp., 35 Ohio Ave., West Springfield 01089. Wade Baker, 1B Laurel Park, Northampton 01060. Residential, industrial, commercial coatings, finishes, etc.

Arnold’s Auto Body Service Inc., 400 Main St., West Springfield 01089. William A. Bushey, 184 Millbrook Dr., East Longmeadow 01028. To service and repair automobiles.

Education, Chess and Community Inc., 478 Rogers Ave., West Springfield 01089. Steven Confrancesco, same. (Nonprofit) To facilitate the development of education, chess, and cultural exchange, etc.

R. J. Wise Inc., 1362 Westfield St., West Springfield 01089. John Wise, 21 Barney St., Agawam 01001. Retail sales.

Robbie’s Only the Best Inc., 84 Worthy Ave., West Springfield 01089. Roberta M. DeMarco, same. To deal in gift baskets for holidays, etc.

Two Sons Inc., 1634 Memorial Ave., West Springfield 01089. Thomas J. Mathes, 161 Silver Lake Dr., Agawam 01001. Motor vehicle washing, maintenance, and cleaning.

WESTFIELD

JET SAC Inc., 65 Western Ave., Westfield 01085. Howard J. Eberwein Jr., same. To train individuals working with disabled children, adolescents, and adults.

WILBRAHAM

Technology Integration Services Group Inc., 10 Springfield St., Wilbraham 01095. Patrick D. Burke Jr., 35 Brookside Dr., Wilbraham 01095. To provide goods and services related to the integration of technology systems, etc.

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