A Liquor License Lesson
By Joshua M. Goldstein, Esq.
Operating a restaurant, bar, event hall, or other business that utilizes a liquor license is hard enough without accidentally tripping over a clause in your lease that turns into a legal disaster. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s recent decision in Nicosia, et al. v. Burn LLC, et al. (2025) is a good reminder that, when it comes to liquor licenses, contract terms still matter, and creative financing can come with some very sobering consequences.
How This All Started
This case arose out of a fairly common commercial setup and straightforward set of facts. N&M Trust VII (Nicosia) leased a commercial property in downtown Boston to Burn, LLC (Burn). As part of the lease agreement, Nicosia sold its liquor license associated with the property to Burn for the sum of one dollar. The lease terms included an ‘anti-pledge’ provision, which prohibited Burn from pledging the liquor license as collateral for a loan, and provided that any pledge in violation of such provision constituted a default under the lease. In addition, at the end of the lease term, Burn was required to transfer the liquor license back to Nicosia for one dollar.
Joshua M. Goldstein
“Pledging a liquor license as collateral may seem like an easy solution when money is tight, but if doing so violates your lease terms, it can lead to lease termination, an awkward conversation with your landlord, and very expensive consequences.”
Before the lease term expired or otherwise terminated, Burn pledged the liquor license to its principal, Brian Lesser, as collateral for a loan to Burn in the amount of $445,000. When Nicosia discovered this, it declared Burn in default of the lease, terminated the lease, and demanded the return of the license.
Nicosia initiated the lawsuit, and Burn challenged its claims, arguing that the lease’s anti-pledge provision is unenforceable as it violated public policy and Massachusetts General Laws c. 138 § 23, the statute which governs and expressly permits the pledge of liquor licenses.
The Court’s Holding
The court disagreed with Burn’s argument and upheld the anti-pledge provision as enforceable. The court reasoned that the clause did not violate public policy concerns as financing agreements among commercial sophisticated parties do not generally raise public policy concerns.
Further, the court distinguished this case from its decision in Beacon Hill Civic Assoc. v. Ristorante Toscano Inc. (1996), where it found that a private agreement not to apply for a liquor license was unenforceable because it thwarted public participation. In the case of Nicosia, et al. v. Burn LLC, et al., the anti-pledge provision does not interfere with public participation but rather is only a limitation on the licensee’s ability to use the liquor license as collateral to secure financing. No loopholes. No judicial sympathy for “but we needed financing.”
Why This Matters to Business Owners
Liquor licenses are often viewed as valuable assets, and they can be to a business. However, Nicosia makes it clear that their value can be tightly controlled by contract. Here are the key takeaways:
• A Liquor License is Not Always ‘Your’ Asset. Even if a license is technically in your business’s name, contractual restrictions can dramatically limit what you can do with it. If your lease says “no pledging,” that means no pledging no matter whether the lender is a bank, a private investor, or your own business partner.
• Courts Will Enforce Anti-pledge Provisions. This decision confirms that Massachusetts courts will uphold contractual limits on liquor licenses so long as they don’t limit a prospective licensee’s ability to participate in the licensing process or conflict with statute. Public policy is not a magic eraser for inconvenient lease terms.
• Financing Shortcuts Can Trigger Long-term Pain. Pledging a liquor license as collateral may seem like an easy solution when money is tight, but if doing so violates your lease terms, it can lead to lease termination, an awkward conversation with your landlord, and very expensive consequences.
Practical Advice for Local Restaurant and Bar Owners
If you currently operate, or plan to operate, a business that utilizes a liquor license, this case offers some practical lessons:
• Read the Entire Lease (Yes, Even That Section). Anti-pledge clauses are easy to overlook, especially when they’re buried in lengthy lease sections or among boilerplate provisions. But as this case shows, it is very important to read the entire lease, whether you have an existing lease or are considering entering into a new lease. Further, it is important to review the lease to ensure that any anti-pledge provisions apply to real property or personal property other than a liquor license.
• Coordinate Legal Advice Before Financing. Before pledging any business asset as collateral, make sure it doesn’t conflict with your lease or other applicable agreements. A quick legal review can be a lot less costly than litigating or defending a default of a lease.
• Assume Enforcement, Not Flexibility. Courts generally assume that sophisticated parties mean what they sign and expect to be bound by the same. It is very important not to rely on hoping a judge will ‘balance the equities’ later.
Final Pour
Nicosia is not flashy, but it’s important. For local business owners, the lesson is straightforward: treat your lease like required reading, and don’t assume that creative financing will survive creative lawyering on the other side.
If you’re ever tempted to pledge a liquor license as collateral without reviewing your lease first, just remember: the hangover from that decision can far outlast the term of the loan.
Attorney Joshua M. Goldstein is an associate with Bacon Wilson, P.C. whose practice areas include banking and finance and business and corporate law, with additional specialties including liquor licensing and other licensing matters. He is administered to practice law in the state of Massachusetts and is an active member of the Hampden County Bar Assoc.
Community Spotlight
An architect’s rendering of the planned Longmeadow Middle School. Construction is slated to start in the fall of 2026.
Marty O’Shea says officials in Longmeadow have been discussing what to do with the town’s two middle schools — Williams and Glenbrook — for nearly 20 years now.
The former was opened in 1959 and the latter in 1968, he noted, adding that, beyond their advancing years, the schools were designed to serve a different model of education than the district currently requires.
Charting a course for the school properties and securing funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has been a long journey with many twists and turns, said O’Shea, Longmeadow’s school superintendent, adding that, 18 years after the town first submitted both schools to the MSBA for consideration for renovation or replacement, construction is slated to begin in the fall of 2026 on a new, $151 million facility that will replace both schools.
It will be called Longmeadow Middle School, and it will provide the community not only with a state-of-the-art facility — to be built on the Williams Middle School campus — but a unique development opportunity on the Glenbrook site.
“Our education plan calls for more space that will give kids the opportunities to be involved with project-based learning and give us more opportunities to expand science, technology, and engineering opportunities for kids,” O’Shea explained, adding that the design also prioritizes supporting special education students and the arts, both the performing and fine arts.
“Our education plan calls for more space that will give kids the opportunities to be involved with project-based learning and give us more opportunities to expand science, technology, and engineering opportunities for kids.”
As for the Glenbook site, “we’ll start looking at what to do there soon, so that we don’t wait until the property is vacant to begin that process. We won’t start any construction or final plans, but we will start the community discussion,” said Town Manager Lyn Simmons, adding that the 20-acre campus could have several potential uses, including housing in a community where there are few, if any, available building lots.
Resolution of the middle school question and conjecture about the future of the Glenbrook site are just two of the many converging stories in this residential community of almost 16,000 people. Others include:
• A pending Planning Board vote in early December on a proposal to redevelop the site of a closed Church of Christ, Scientist on Williams Street, abutting the Longmeadow Shops. Plans call for demolishing the church and constructing three buildings to house retail tenants, a bank with a drive-thru, and a coffee shop with a drive-thru — a complex that would, in many ways, serve as an extension of the shops;
An architect’s rendering of a proposed new retail facility, to be built on the site of a closed church on Williams Street.
• Work to design improvements to the busy intersection at Williams Street, Redfern Drive, and Frank Smith Road, a project inspired by the project on the church property and made possible by a $287,000 MassWorks grant;
• Ongoing work to decide the best uses for three other town landmarks — the Community House, formerly home to some town offices and now used primarily as a polling place; Town Hall, mostly vacant since town offices were moved to the former Greenwood Park Elementary School off Maple Street; and ‘Old Town Hall’ on Longmeadow Street, vacant for many years. Simmons said a task force will be appointed to consider options for each site and determine the best course of action;
• Early-stage work to replace aging water and sewer lines (60% of which are more than 100 years old), beginning with a water line replacement project, approved at town meeting last month, that will begin with Western Drive. These initiatives have been accompanied by 40% increases in water and sewer rates, which were comparatively low and are still lower than many in the region, Simmons noted;
• A growing stable of eateries — a sushi restaurant and one specializing in Indian cuisine are two of the latest additions — that has made the town a dining destination; and
• Continued growth of a small but eclectic business community, one that is based mostly in retail and hospitality.
That list includes Twin Hills Country Club, which has enjoyed a very strong year, both on the course and with its event business, said Laura Chipouras, club manager.
She told BusinessWest that, in addition to tournaments, weddings, and showers, the club has seen a surge in business-related gatherings, everything from annual retreats to sales strategy sessions.
“We’re seeing lots of retreats, and I think that’s probably due to people returning to the office after COVID and feeling that they need to get together,” she explained, adding that, overall, business has brisk — well ahead of last year’s pace — and the bookings for 2026 have been solid.
For this latest installment in its Community Spotlight series, we take an in-depth look at Longmeadow, and some landmark decisions being made there — literally and figuratively.
School of Thought
Reflecting on the middle school project, O’Shea — who has been superintendent for nine years now — noted that, while discussions on the two facilities began nearly two decades ago, the town had other priorities to address, such as a new high school, senior center, and DPW facility.
With those resolved, the middle school discussions resumed, with consolidation emerging as the best option over time, as capital needs grew and enrollment in each of the schools fell to roughly 300 in recent years.
That puts them on the smaller end for middle schools, he said, adding that other communities and districts of similar size, such as neighboring East Longmeadow and the Hampden-Wilbraham School District, which he served as an administrator, have one middle school.
“We did a citizens’ survey just to find out what people wanted to see happen there, and those results were interesting. There was a lot of attachment to Community House, a moderate attachment to Town Hall, and very little attachment to Old Town Hall.”
And there are several advantages to be gained through consolidation, he noted, both on the educational side and the operations side.
“On the educational side, in a single setting, I think we’ll be able to assign staff in ways that are more efficient and also better for us educationally,” he explained. “Right now, we have staff that are, in many cases, stretched across two buildings, such as in the areas of music and oral language, library, and special education.
“We think that having all our educators under one roof will put us in a better position to serve students,” he went on, “and we’ll be able to expand programming.”
Meanwhile, the town should see substantial savings from staffing and operating one larger school rather than two older structures that are now well beyond their expected useful life and in many ways inefficient, he went on, noting that the new, 134,735-square-foot facility will be fossil fuel-free, rely on a ground-source heat exchange system for heating and cooling, and be net-zero ready, meaning it will produce as much energy as it consumes.
“You’re maintaining one campus instead of two, you’re maintaining and repairing one campus instead of two, food service — you’re running a single operation instead of two,” he explained. “On the operations side, there are some opportunities where we could see come savings.”
O’Shea and other administrators and staff have visited several communities that have constructed middle schools recently, including several built by Springfield-based Fontaine Bros., recently chosen as the general contractor for the Longmeadow project, and they’ll visit more as the design process continues and the focus shifts to furniture, fixtures, flooring, lighting, and materials used.
Longmeadow at a glance
Year Incorporated: 1783
Population: 15,853
Area: 9.7 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $21.12
Commercial Tax Rate: $21.12
Median Household Income: $109,586
Median Family Income: $115,578
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting; Town Manager; Select Board
Largest Employers: Bay Path University; JGS Lifecare; Glenmeadow
* Latest information available
While that project moves forward, the attention of many town residents is also fixed on the church redevelopment initiative.
Simmons noted that the review process has been slowed by the need to conduct a traffic study and undertake it while school is in session. There have been several Planning Board hearings on the matter, with questions on everything from traffic to storm drainage, she said, adding that a decision is expected soon — perhaps early this month.
The project and the increase in traffic it is likely to produce will necessitate work on the traffic corridor in the area near the site, where several roads converge, said Simmons, adding that, when designs for improvements are finalized, the town will apply for a MassWorks grant round to fund construction.
Past Is Prologue
While the middle school and church redevelopment projects move forward, another initiative enters its next phase.
This would be the ongoing work to determine the best possible uses for three unused or underutilized municipal facilities — the Community House, built in 1920; Town Hall, dating from 1939; and Old Town Hall, originally a one-room schoolhouse, built in 1855.
As noted earlier, a task force will be created to consider various options and perhaps suggest an action plan, said Simmons, noting that property condition reports on the three historic structures, submitted by the Springfield-based engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill in September, have unveiled lengthy lists of work needed at all three.
At the Community House, for example, the report concluded that several million dollars in repairs and upgrades are needed — everything from repointing brick to prevent further deterioration and water intrusion to an elevator for access to the second floor, to regrading and repaving the parking area to improve drainage.
There are similar lists for the other properties, she said, adding that, when summing up public sentiment on the landmarks, there are varying degrees of appetite for investment and eventual redevelopment.
“We did a citizens’ survey just to find out what people wanted to see happen there, and those results were interesting,” she told BusinessWest. “There was a lot of attachment to Community House, a moderate attachment to Town Hall, and very little attachment to Old Town Hall.”
Some possible uses were floated in that survey, she went on, adding that there was little sentiment for housing in any of the structures, with most residents preferring an arts and cultural center, a restaurant or café, or recreational programs at all three, with moderate enthusiasm for other uses, ranging from retail to co-working space to a museum.
Ultimately, much will depend on the development community, she said, adding that applications for the task force are being sought, and it is hoped that the panel can wrap up its work in a year.
As for the business community, it continues to grow, especially within the retail and hospitality sectors, said Simmons, adding that the town’s location — it’s convenient to East Longmeadow, Springfield, and Northern Conn. — has made it a retail and dining destination.
That same location has benefited the event business at Twin Hills, said Chipouras, adding that the club has several different event rooms, including a ballroom that can host up to 400, and they’re being booked for a wide range of functions — including BusinessWest’s eighth annual Women of Impact gala on Dec. 9. As noted earlier, business is up across the board, but she is especially encouraged by a rise in corporate outings.
On the day Chipouras talked with BusinessWest, for example, two of the smaller banquet rooms were being used for corporate retreats, which certainly took a back seat during COVID, and there have been several days like that over the course of the past year.
“Later this week, we have an accounting firm coming in to do a class on new tax laws, and we have a bank that’s doing a very large retreat, a learning session,” she noted. “They start early in the morning, and at the end of the day, they do cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.”
Meanwhile, there has also been a surge in proms, weddings, and holiday parties, another tradition that took a hit during the pandemic and the years that followed.
“I’m seeing them come back,” said Chipouras, adding that, while the club sees a large amount of repeat business with clients, it has added new clients to the portfolio as well.
In short, she sees positive momentum — and in this mostly residential town with a small but growing business community, she’s not the only one.
Gauging the Ripple Effects
When he came to Holyoke Medical Center as its new president and CEO in 2013, Spiros Hatiras considered it the proverbial best-kept secret.
By most all accounts, it isn’t that any longer.
“It took us a decade or so, but we’re no longer a secret,” he said, meaning that healthcare professionals have found the facility and helped make it a workplace of choice, and area residents have as well, making it their hospital of choice. “We’re in a growth mentality.”
This emergence, if you will, and lost status as a best-kept secret, has helped HMC grow in several ways over the past several years — and remain in a growth mode, even as several colliding forces have created an ultra-challenging environment for all hospitals, one that is projected to be much more daunting in 2026.
Spiros Hatiras
“It took us a decade or so, but we’re no longer a secret. We’re in a growth mentality.”
Indeed, HMC’s strong performance stands as an outlier in a year that saw continued cutbacks and layoffs within the four-hospital Baystate Health system, including, most recently, an offer of buyouts to some 1,300 employees to cut costs; apparent ongoing discussions that could result in a merger of Baystate Health and Mercy Medical Center; and, most recently, Mercy’s announcement that it is temporarily suspending maternity and newborn services at its Family Life Center, effective Dec. 8, due to what the administration there calls “significant provider and nurse staffing constraints.”
These headlines have mixed with those concerning the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law last summer, which is expected to have a significant negative effect, financially and operationally, on hospitals, primarily through more than $1 trillion in federal healthcare spending cuts.
Overall, the law is projected to increase the number of uninsured individuals, leading to a surge in uncompensated care costs for providers and a growing number of individuals putting off preventive care, as they did during COVID, with detrimental results that are still being felt. Meanwhile, reimbursement for the care provided to those who are insured, especially by Medicaid and Medicare, is expected to decrease and fall even further behind the continually rising cost of providing that care.
Dr. Robert Roose, president of Community Hospitals for Trinity Health Of New England, put things in perspective and talked at length about ripple effects from these cuts.
“The federal changes are going to directly impact people who get coverage through Medicaid and/or any state-based health insurance exchanges, and that impact is going to be profound for those people and their families,” he explained. “The ripple effects will be felt by all of us … the health systems and the communities we serve will feel the effects in other ways. There could be reductions in access and services, longer wait times, and potential impacts in delivering care.”
Kevin Whitney, who became president and chief operating officer of Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, a member of Mass General Brigham, last March, agreed.
“We’re concerned about the rising cost of care, especially since COVID,” said Whitney, a registered paramedic and registered nurse who was serving as vice president of Community Operations for the Mass General Brigham Community Division, as well as interim vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer for CDH, when he was chosen to be its next president and COO. “We always cite a chart showing costs rising at a much higher rate than what we’re receiving for reimbursement, and reimbursement is flat if not decreasing, especially with Medicaid within the Big Beautiful Bill.”
Elaborating, he said that, for a variety of reasons, including the aging of the population, hospitals of all sizes are seeing the percentage of patients covered by commercial payers decrease, with a corresponding rise in those covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
Dr. Robert Roose
“The ripple effects will be felt by all of us … the health systems and the communities we serve will feel the effects in other ways. There could be reductions in access and services, longer wait times, and potential impacts in delivering care.”
“What we get reimbursed by public payers really doesn’t cover the cost of delivering care,” he went on. “And traditionally, organizations have relied on commercial payers to help offset those losses and enable us to reinvest in our organization and our people.”
Quantifying the matter, he said the OBBA’s total projected impact on Mass General Brigham, when fully phased in, will be between $120 million to $300 million, with $100 million to $200 million from work requirements, and another $20 million to $100 million from Affordable Care Act cuts.
Those are big numbers, and they are expected to generate a strong ripple effect that will impact hospitals in many different ways, said those we spoke with.
For this issue, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at the many challenges facing hospitals today — and the forecast for the year ahead.
Numbers Game
Hatiras told BusinessWest that, while many hospitals struggled in 2025, HMC did not.
“It’s been a great year for us. We’ve grown our business, revenue is strong, we’ve done well with our workforce — it’s going to be a very strong year for us,” he told BusinessWest, noting that HMC’s fiscal year ended in September, and he didn’t have hard numbers yet.
Breaking down the year and the hospital’s performance, he said there were several factors that went into it, including redesign of the state’s waiver system — which he credited to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and MassHealth officials — which directed more federal money to providers across the Commonwealth.
“Everyone benefited from this, some hospitals more than others,” he said, adding that HMC’s strong fiscal 2025 was also attributable to growth in primary care and outpatient services, with an expansion of the hospital’s overall footprint with new locations, as well as staff retention and the accompanying reduction in the high costs of turnover.
“If you’re struggling with staffing and temporary staffing, that’s a big hit,” Hatiras noted. “We had less of an issue with that than perhaps others did, and that’s just one of the many factors that contributed to a solid 2025.”
Maybe the biggest factor is that lost status as a best-kept secret, he went on, adding that, while area residents are finding the facility, so too are healthcare professionals.
“We see a lot of people from other surrounding facilities, knocking on our door and saying, ‘do you have any openings? We heard it’s a great place to work,’” he said, adding that, years ago, it was rare to see professionals come to HMC from competing hospitals.
Kevin Whitney
“We have to be as proactive as we can to prepare for and manage the impacts of the Big Beautiful Bill, in particular.”
“Now, it happens on a routine basis,” Hatiras said. “And it’s because of our culture; we’ve built a great culture, and people are taking note.”
Overall, while 2025 was a year of coping with challenges at area hospitals, it was also a time to move forward with several new initiatives in the broad realms of patient care and patient experience, said Whitney, listing, at CDH, everything from new, state-of-the-art MRI imaging services as its Amherst location, which opened last month, to expansion of the Emergency Department, to the resumption of no-cost shuttle service, which takes patients from CDH to Mass General Brigham destination hospitals — Mass General, Brigham & Women’s, and Mass Eye and Ear.
The eight-passenger shuttle departs promptly from the hospital’s Atwood location at 6:30 a.m., leaves the Boston hospitals at 3 p.m., and returns to Northampton around 5 p.m., Whitney noted, adding that this popular service is one of many efforts to improve convenience and overall quality of care.
As for the emergency room expansion, it includes a full imaging suite, which brings benefits for patients and staff alike.
“There’s a new CT machine that’s immediately available to our ED patients, and it’s a great support for our team because it’s right there in the department, as well as ultrasound and diagnostic imaging. So it’s a full imaging suite right there in the department, which makes it more accessible but also more efficient for patients and the team,” he explained. “Before, every patient who needed a CT scan, for example, needed to be transported, with an ED staffer, to the imaging department, which is quite a distance away.”
Such initiatives will help position CDH to better handle what could be additional headwinds in the ED, said Whitney, who, like others we spoke with, said hospitals must do what they can to prepare for what is to come and become more resilient in the wake of those forces.
“We have to be as proactive as we can to prepare for and manage the impacts of the Big Beautiful Bill, in particular. It’s about continuing to be the best of the best in quality, safety, and experience,” he said, citing the overriding goal at CDH, “and also making sure that we’re creating the best environment in which to practice, deliver care, and work and staff appropriately. The more we can retain folks, it will create more of a sense of community, but it will also help us reduce the expenses of turnover, for example.”
Looking Ahead
Roose agreed, returning to the subject of potential — even probable — ripple effects from the federal cuts, and their widespread impact.
“The emergency room is one example,” he said. “When people don’t have coverage, like Medicaid or a similar insurance product, they often can’t go to their primary care provider, so they turn to the emergency room for routine care, which can result in more crowding in emergency departments, delays, and staffing challenges that impact others.
“So that can have a ripple effect in other areas, including even cost, including the cost for those with private insurance because the system isn’t as efficient and now needs to provide care for many people who don’t have coverage,” he went on. “And that can have a ripple effect that can influence operations and staffing and finances.”
It might be several months into 2026 before the full impact of the federal legislation — many pieces of which won’t take effect in April — and those ripple effects are known, but they could be substantial, he continued, adding that it is incumbent upon health systems to prepare as best they can for what is to come.
“The impact is not insignificant, and it’s something we’re actively planning around,” Roose said. “And we won’t know the true impact until it fully plays itself out — it will be well into 2026 until we fully understand the impact.”
Meanwhile, there are many different kinds of headwinds facing hospitals and health systems, some obvious to the public and some less so, said Hatiras, citing, as one example, the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program, which is certainly impacting his hospital — and, from what’s he’s heard anecdotally, others as well.
“We’re pretty good at spotting icebergs. We’re not like the Titanic; we have people out front looking at icebergs, and we’ve spotted a few in the time that I’ve been here, and this is the next big iceberg coming down — for hospitals and other large employers as well,” he warned, adding that the system has, in his view, become abused.
In the case of hospitals, it leaves them forced to fill staffing voids, often with little notice, and, in the case of nurses and other professionals, with usually expensive options.
“Prior to the PFML being enacted, on average, we had about 20,000 to 25,000 hours of leave that people would take in a year, and that was a little less than 1% of our total work hours,” he said. “Last year, we approached 500,000 hours, a 20-fold increase, amounting to 13% of our total work hours, or the equivalent of more than 230 FTEs.
“Try to wrap your brain around that number … this is out of control,” Hatiras went on, adding that this is not an HMC problem, but an industry problem, one that now has the attention of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Assoc., which is surveying hospitals to gather information.
Elaborating, he said that, in addition to the leave being used for long-term health matters, it is being used intermittently, maybe a few days a week, for problems such as stress.
“That leaves us in the lurch,” he explained, adding that, with some positions, such as nursing, it leaves the hospital few options other than overtime or agency personnel, which increases costs significantly.
Whether it’s the many expected ripple effects from the OBBBA or growing detrimental repercussions from PFML, 2026 seems certain to be a year of intrigue and challenge for area hospitals — and the full impact of these forces and other headwinds may not be known for several months.
Regional Philanthropic Opportunities
Leaders of nonprofits across Western Mass. have grappled with a more challenging fiscal climate in the past year — and the need to become more ambitious, creative, and expansive in their fundraising efforts as federal funding shrinks. For the past 15 years, BusinessWest has published its annual Giving Guide to shine a spotlight on local nonprofits, detailing specific community needs and showing you not only how to support them, but exactly what your money and time can accomplish.
The profiles of area nonprofit organizations on the following pages — many of them sponsored by businesses that believe in their missions — are just a sampling of the region’s thousands of such organizations. These profiles are intended to educate readers about what these groups are doing to improve quality of life for the people living and working in the 413, but also to inspire them to provide the critical support (which comes in many different forms, from donating to volunteering to advocating) that they and so many others so desperately need.
View the 2025 Giving Guide PDF Flipbook HERE
Amherst Survival Center
Behavioral Health Network Inc.
Berkshire Family & Individual Resources
Community Foundation Of Western Massachusetts
Food Bank Of Western Massachusetts
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Triad Program
Friends Of Franklin County Regional Dog Shelter
Glenmeadow
HCS Head Start Inc.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services
Rachel’s Table Of Western Massachusetts
RFK Community Alliance
Tom Cosenzi Driving For The Cure Charity Golf Tournament
Women’s Fund Of Western Massachusetts
YWCA Of Western Massachusetts
Presented by:
From AI to the Courthouse Search, the Landscape Is Changing
By George O’Brien and Joseph Bednar
It is December, time to look ahead to what might happen in the new year, but also look back, at what has been an eventful year, to say the least.
For example, Springfield has become engrossed in the search for a site for a new courthouse, the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council has named a new director, AI is changing the landscape in all kinds of ways, and remote work is becoming more entrenched in the workplace. Then there’s the constantly changing story of tariffs, federal budget cuts that are challenging nonprofits, and an ongoing housing crisis.
As we said, it’s been an eventful year. Here’s a look back at some of the biggest stories of 2025:
A Softening of the Job Market
“Job hugging.”
That was one of the workforce trends to unfold in 2025, a year that saw the pendulum swing from this being an employees’ market to one favoring employers. The phrase refers to people hanging onto their jobs longer amid concerns that the grass isn’t any greener elsewhere, amid forces ranging from AI to severe cutbacks within the federal government.
“People are feeling a sense of volatility and continuous change, and when you feel like that, you look for some personal anchors, and for a lot of people, their job is their personal anchor,” Allison Ebner, president of the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast, told BusinessWest recently, adding that this is a fairly recent phenomenon dating back to last spring or early summer. “Everything in the world is changing, and they want to keep something consistent, and maybe it’s their job.”
But while people may be hugging their job, they’re still looking around, as evidenced by the strong turnout at the recent job fair staged by the MassHire Springfield Career Center. The turnout was strong on both the job seeker and employer sides of the coin, indicating that, while some sectors are seeing a slowdown, many others, especially healthcare, are still struggling to find qualified help.
Seeking New Sources of Funding
This issue of BusinessWest includes the annual Giving Guide, encouraging readers to support local nonprofits. And it couldn’t come at a better time, at the tail end of a year in which federal funding for nonprofits of all types was significantly slashed.
That has caused frustration, but also a new determination among nonprofit leaders to be more creative and collaborative in meeting the many needs of the community.
“People are reaching out, and not just with appeals for direct funding,” Denise Hurst, vice president of Community Impact and Partnerships with the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, told us in May. “They’re asking about opportunities to partner with one another, share ideas, and collaborate in real time to navigate these difficult times.”
Meanwhile, a coalition of local nonprofits working in farming, conservation, food security, health, and environmental justice has come together under the name Resilient Valley to respond to federal funding cuts that have slashed organizational budgets by 25% to 40% or more.
“We realized we were all telling the same story,” said Billy Spitzer, executive director of the Hitchcock Center for the Environment. “Our budgets had been gutted overnight, and the ripple effects were only beginning. We decided we couldn’t face this crisis in isolation. We needed to find strength in each other.”
The Impact of Tariffs
President Trump ran on the promise of new, sweeping tariffs, and he has certainly followed through, announcing ‘Liberation Day’ on April 2, followed by months of trade talks, new deals, deadlines made, deadlines extended, and seemingly never-ending speculation about the impact of tariffs on prices, individual businesses, and entire sectors.
Dave Fontaine, CEO of Fontaine Bros. Inc., told BusinessWest earlier this year that tariffs will certainly impact project costs because tariffs on products, such as steel or copper, are applied not when they are ordered, but when they enter the country.
“I think it’s vitally important to bring this area back — it raises the quality of living for those living downtown, and it provides places for people to go and eat.”
“I would equate it to walking into a store … the sales tax is 6.25%, and then, while you’re purchasing the item, the sales tax gets doubled or tripled,” he explained. “That’s going to impact at the register.”
Uncertainty around tariff decisions also triggered fluctuations in the stock market this past spring — and plenty of client phone calls to investment firms. But Jeffrey Liguori, executive vice president of Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc., was one of several experts who told us it’s wise to take a longer view.
“The data is 100% in your favor. Nothing ever goes straight up. We’ve lived through most of these crises — the housing crisis, the tech bubble, the Great Recession,” he said. “All of those, time and again, have been incredible buying opportunities. It’s almost like, if there’s no pain, there’s no gain.”
The Search for a New Courthouse
The search for a replacement for the troubled Roderick C. Ireland courthouse in Springield entered an intriguing new phase when the state’s Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) decided to let a private developer build and manage the facility and have the state lease it.
An RFP was issued mid-year, and 11 proposals were received involving a wide range of properties, from the park created by the demolition of the former Steiger’s department store to the Republican building; from the current courthouse site itself to the home of the former Mardi Gras strip club.
DCAMM is now weighing those proposals and is expected to have a decision in the first or second quarter of next year, making for a long and agonizing wait to see how the city’s landscape will be changed.
Progress in the Entertainment District
Many of the windows in the storefronts are still boarded up or covered by brown paper, but behind all this, there is some progress in Springfield’s entertainment district.
Noted attorney and developer Raipher Pellegrino, with support from the city in the form of a $2 million grant, is filling in a canvas along a city block of buildings on Worthington Street.
He envisions five restaurants in all, most with doors opening out onto Worthington Street and outdoor dining, in addition to a club and other businesses that will support each other and bring people and energy back to that corridor.
“I think it’s vitally important to bring this area back — it raises the quality of living for those living downtown, and it provides places for people to go and eat,” he told BusinessWest in June, adding that the project is a work in progress. “That was my desire with this, and it’s a much more difficult project than I think anyone envisioned, but I think we’re starting to see it evolve, and we’re seeing a lot of momentum.”
A Work of Arts
Another intriguing story in 2025 was the opening of the Hope Center for the Arts in downtown Springfield. Created in the former CityStage space, the center is the culmination of a long-held dream of Bob Bolduc, former owner of Pride Stations and Stores and founder of the Hope for Youth and Families Foundation.
The center, which opened its doors during the summer, and created at a cost of more than $14 million, is designed as flexible learning, rehearsal, and performance space that will advance the mission of the foundation and several partner organizations focused on the arts and helping youth and families in Springfield thrive.
Bolduc said the facility is designed to educate young people, immerse them in the arts, and perhaps inspire careers in that realm.
“The arts are not just entertaining and cultural, which we need in this city; they’re also inspiring,” he told BusinessWest. “Imagine a kid who gets turned on to dance or vocals or an instrument and then goes to a good school on a scholarship … we’ve changed their life.”
AI Has Become a Force
Wherever artificial intelligence takes us, we’ll look back at 2025 as the year it firmly established itself as a force to be reckoned with. Businesses in sectors ranging from law to accounting to healthcare are finding new ways to utilize AI to create new efficiencies and, in some cases, trim their workforce expense.
Meanwhile, for those in the workforce, as well as those looking to enter it, the ability to use AI has rapidly become a skill they must have.
Indeed, Ebner told us, “the phrase you hear now is, ‘AI won’t replace all the people, but it will replace people who don’t have AI skills.’”
Nicole Polite, CEO and founder of the East Longmeadow-based MH Group, agreed, telling BusinessWest that employers are becoming more skills-focused in their hiring.
“I often talk to people during the interview process and ask them what training they’ve had in terms of AI and make sure they stay in front of it,” she noted, “because AI is here for the long haul, so we have to adjust to it.”
Remote Work Is Here to Stay
Also seemingly here for good is remote work, as 2025 saw remote and hybrid models becoming more entrenched, regionally and nationally, even as some major employers were scaling back on the practice, if not cutting it out.
Indeed, while business leaders such as J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon enforced return-to-office policies, requiring most employees to work in person five days a week — arguing “you can’t learn working from your basement” — most businesses locally have preferred to stay with hybrid schedules as a way to retain valued talent — and attract new talent.
And while the practice seems to work for most businesses and their employees, it is definitely having an impact on businesses in central business districts in cities regionally and across the country — as well as the commercial real estate owners who rely on them, not to mention the restaurants and retailers who count on people working nearby and stopping in.
The Housing Crisis Continues
An ongoing story in 2025 was the housing crisis that has enveloped the county and this region. As BusinessWest continued its Community Spotlight series, leaders in cities and towns across the 413 spoke of the need for more housing of all kinds, especially the affordable variety.
Housing is needed for many reasons, they said, from helping seniors stay in their hometowns as the cost of homes skyrockets to enabling those in the workforce to afford to live in or close to the communities where they work, a problem that is especially acute in the Berkshires, where home prices have soared.
And while new housing projects are underway or planned in several area communities, from Pittsfield and Lee to Springfield and Chicopee, in many cases, the new units will only scratch the surface when it comes to what is needed.
A New Effort to Spark Entrepreneurship
They’re calling it VVM 2.0, and that’s a poignant name.
VVM is an acronym for Valley Venture Mentors, the nonprofit started to inspire entrepreneurship and provide fledging businesses with the mentorship and technical support needed to get to the next stage. The agency thrived for several years, but essentially didn’t survive the pandemic and other challenges to its existence.
Paul Silva, one of VVM’s founders, with support from the Davis Foundation and the MassMutual Foundation, recently launched a new initiative called Innovate413 that is designed to spark new tech-based startups in the region.
When asked how it would work, Silva said the initiative will provide startups with what he called “an unfair advantage,” in the form of access to potential customers, meaning large, regional employers that will talk about problems facing them and all those in their industries, and access to the latest artificial intelligence and product development techniques.
“When you’re in Silicon Valley or in Boston, you have access to that stuff, but the vast majority of the country doesn’t,” he told BusinessWest.
Aaron Vega Chosen to Lead the EDC
Rick Sullivan, president of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC), announced his retirement early in the year, and soon thereafter, a nationwide search for a successor commenced.
It ended this fall with the announcement that Aaron Vega, director of the Office of Planning and Economic Development in Holyoke, would assume that high-profile position in January. Vega brings a diverse résumé to his new job. Indeed, he worked for many years as a freelance film editor and also owned his own yoga studio before becoming a city councilor in Holyoke and then a state representative.
Vega told BusinessWest that his first order of business is to conduct a lengthy listening tour. Longer-term, he wants to build on progress made with developing new business sectors, such as food science, clean energy, and cybersecurity, while also being more aggressive with efforts to promote the region and tell its story.
Hub of Progress
Speaking of the EDC, it recently celebrated a major milestone for the innovation economy, with Western Mass. being designated as both a Quantum Technology TechHub and a Food Science TechHub through the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. In addition to the two designations, funding in the form of $1 million to advance a feasibility and design study of a quantum supply chain accelerator (QSCA) was awarded to Springfield Technical Community College.
“Western Massachusetts is the only region in the Commonwealth to receive two TechHub designations, which is a testament to the strength of our innovation ecosystem and the collaboration that defines it.”
The QSCA will build on the foundation established in Holyoke at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center and the state’s first quantum computing complex launched with QuEra Computing Inc. The accelerator, which will be the first regional facility of its kind to drive commercialization, support startups, and strengthen advanced manufacturing supply chains across the Pioneer Valley, will be located at the Springfield Technology Park.
“Western Massachusetts is the only region in the Commonwealth to receive two TechHub designations, which is a testament to the strength of our innovation ecosystem and the collaboration that defines it,” said Rick Sullivan, outgoing president and CEO of the EDC. “These designations, and the $1 million dollar investment in the quantum supply chain accelerator, represent years of hard work and vision from our regional partners.”
A New Chapter for the Monson Developmental Center
Housing is one of the many potential new uses for the Monson Developmental Center, which is an intriguing new addition to the large portfolio of Westmass Area Development Corp.
Indeed, in July, the Commonwealth officially transferred the sprawling campus to Westmass, touting the transaction as part of ongoing efforts to utilize existing properties to build more housing in the state.
And with that transfer, Westmass, in partnership with DCAMM, will commence work to create what will be known as the Village at Sawmill Brook, named for the brook that runs through the property, which closed in the ’90s. This village will take shape over the next 10 to 20 years, said Westmass President and CEO Jeff Daley, adding that this is a large and difficult undertaking for the agency, but one laden with potential.
“It’s an imposing site, and there’s a ton of work that has to be done,” he told BusinessWest. “And there’s a lot of money that has to be invested just to make the site developable again.”
Something to Sink Your Teeth Into
BusinessWest continued a 30-year tradition by honoring its Top Entrepreneur in 2025, with the award going to John and Chris DeVoie, founders of the Hot Table chain of panini restaurants.
Launched in 2007, the chain has grown to 13 locations and well beyond its roots at the Brightwood Plaza — to several communities in the 413 and also Central Mass. and into Connecticut.
The past few years have been extremely busy, with the opening of five new restaurants — in Westfield, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Franklin, as well as Manchester, Conn., a time that has been followed by a period of absorbing such rapid and profound growth. Further expansion is possible, but the high costs of building has prompted the partners to hit pause while they continue to search for new opportunities.
“We always want to be nimble — the market changes quickly; that’s one of the things COVID taught us,” Chris said. “We always have our eyes open and our ears to the ground, watch what’s happening in other cities and with trends, and not chase every shiny object, especially when it comes to the menu — do what you do, and do it well.”
The following building permits were issued during the month of November 2025.
CHICOPEE
4 Perkins LLC
165 Front St.
$11,000 — Replace broken antenna
Basser Kaufman Mass 310 LLC
678 Memorial Dr.
$9,550 — Repair canopy column
SN Property and Management LLC
366 Chicopee St.
$2,500 — Remove old kitchen hood and repair walls
Tiger Athletic Club of Chicopee
14 Montgomery St.
$9,000 — Insulate attic floor and skylight
Valley Opportunity Council
912 Chicopee St.
$5,300 — Replace stair treads and stair risers, repair deck skirting, and repair soffit under eaves
EASTHAMPTON
Eastworks LLP
116 Pleasant St.
$3,500 — Construct interior partition wall with door
H.M. Schaefer Enterprises
51 Ferry St.
$192,645 — Roofing
HADLEY
Alinas Real Estate LLC
96 Russell St.
N/A — Repair ramp and deck landing
ARN Real Estate LLC
333 Venture Way
N/A — Install one new wall sign and change two existing signs
LEE
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses
945 Pleasant St.
$1,800 — Install new parking lot light and concrete base
LENOX
MHH Lenox 445 Holdings LLC
25 Mollie Way
$240,104 — Remove and replace all tubs and showers
United Church of Christ
169 Main St.
$88,000 — Excavate for small concrete landing and resurface existing stairs with new marble treads
NORTHAMPTON
24-26 Orchard LLC
24 Orchard St.
$36,000 — Renovate kitchen
244-280 King Street LLC
280 King St.
$265,000 — Roofing
293 Northampton Realty LLC
293 King St.
$704,880 — Install roof-mounted solar system
DDM Properties LLC
14 Market St.
$12,775 — Insulation and weatherization
Florence Bank
176 King St., Unit A
$130,000 — Renovate bank lobby, create new staff bathroom
Northampton Cooperative Bank
6 Main St.
$67,500 — Install roof-mounted solar system
Scher Mass LLC
10 Michelman Ave.
$27,842 — Install roof-mounted solar system
Richard Webber, William Grinnell
8 North King St.
$9,400 — Illuminated pylon sign for Alera Group
Richard Webber, William Grinnell
8 North King St.
$2,500 — Post and panel for Alera Group
Smith College
96 State St.
$15,100 — Roofing
Stuart Fleitman LLC
342 Pleasant St.
$2,800 — Illuminated wall sign for the Gold Standard
Stuart Fleitman LLC
342 Pleasant St.
$2,400 — Illuminated wall sign for the Gold Standard
Stuart Fleitman LLC
342 Pleasant St.
$250 — Non-illuminated wall sign for the Gold Standard
Valley CDC
737 Bridge Road
$5,000 — Non-illuminated ground sign for Prospect Place
PITTSFIELD
Barrington State Co. Inc.
36 Linden St.
$5,000 — Fix fire doors
Berkshire Regional Transit Authority
1 Columbus Ave.
$257,121 — Replace two gas-fired rooftop units
Centro Bradley Berkshire Crossing LLC
555 Hubbard Ave.
$15,000 — Install awning with lettering above front door
Centro Bradley Berkshire Crossing LLC
555 Hubbard Ave.
$15,000 — Install awning with lettering above side door
City of Pittsfield
942 Williams St.
$9,500 — Roofing
Fourteen Fifty East Street LLC
1450 East St.
$16,168 — Replace gas-fired rooftop unit
Wojtkowski Bros. Inc.
502 East St.
$65,000 — Roofing
With new episodes airing every other Monday, BusinessTalk features in-depth interviews and discussions with local industry leaders who offer thoughtful perspectives on the Western Massachusetts economy and the many business ventures that keep it running. BusinessTalk is sponsored and presented by Greenfield Cooperative Bank.
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Episode 247: November 24, 2025
Joe Bednar talks with Jillian Morgan, Director of Development, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
Every single month, through its roughly 200 partners, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts helps about 125,000 people in the 413 access more than 1 million meals. Among the roles of Director of Development Jillian Morgan and her team are to execute fundraising activities, boost engagement through volunteering, and develop strategies to raise awareness about this nonprofit’s critical mission — one that has been challenged this year by everything from federal funding cuts to the recent SNAP disruption. For this episode of BusinessTalk, Jillian sits down with BusinessWest Editor Joe Bednar to talk about all of that, plus the 16th annual March for the Food Bank, which engages a sea of participants in a four-county effort to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s must listening — and certainly food for thought — so tune into BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest over both audio and video platforms, and sponsored by Greenfield Cooperative Bank.
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Taking the Lead
Aaron Vega
As Aaron Vega was reading last spring’s announcement that Rick Sullivan would be leaving his post as president of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) at the end of this year, he was already thinking that his various skill sets and this high-profile job were a good match — and that this was his next logical career challenge.
“The path that I’m on in economic development and municipal work … there are only a few higher-level jobs in this area — if you want to stay in Western Mass. and care about Western Mass. — and this one of them,” he explained. “And they don’t come along very often, so I decided early on that I should throw my hat in the ring.”
And he wasn’t alone in that thinking.
“I saw Mayor [Joshua] Garcia not long after, and he said, ‘you’re applying for this job, right?’” recalled Vega, referring to Holyoke’s chief executive, beside whom he’s been working for the past several years as director of Planning and Economic Development for the city. “He knew that this was a good fit.”
“The EDC is a connector and a convener.”
Vega did go for it, and, eventually, several teams of interviewers agreed that there was indeed a good match between this job’s demands and Vega’s diverse résumé, which also includes everything from entrepreneurship — he was a freelance film editor and then a yoga studio owner — to two terms as a Holyoke city councilor and then four terms as a state representative.
Thus, he ultimately prevailed in a lengthy, national search, and will take the helm on Jan. 2. Before then, and even moreso after, he said he’ll doing a lot of listening — to EDC board members, mayors, business owners, property owners, developers, and area economic development leaders.
The plan is to take what he’s heard and use his vast experience to blueprint what will be the next chapter for the EDC, a membership-based organization formed roughly 30 years ago with a broad charge of making the 413 more competitive, taking a more regional approach to economic development, and creating a stronger voice for this area statewide.
While Vega will develop a more formal set of goals and priorities in the months and years to come, he told BusinessWest he has some initial thoughts.
“We have not done a good job of marketing Western Mass.”
They include everything from creating regular, industry-based roundtables — similar to the ones he staged in Holyoke and that many attendees, including Sullivan, thought should be regional in nature — to more aggressive efforts to tell the region’s story and market the 413.
Not with newspaper and television ads, necessarily, he said, although that might be part of the equation, but through a multi-dimensional strategy that includes having a stronger presence in regional and even national gatherings, such as the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, which he attended several times as a Holyoke official.
“The last one was in St. Louis, and the one before that was in Chicago,” he said, adding that communities across the country gather to hear strategies about addressing vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties. “You hear these presentations from Chicago, Detroit, big cities and small towns, on how to reactivate these spaces. I’ve been to these conferences on vacant buildings and transportation — there’s so much networking going on at these events, and we need to be out there.”
Aaron Vega (right), seen here with Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia, says the region needs to do a better job of promoting itself and its many assets.
Meanwhile, he said another priority is to work with area cities and towns to create more of the shovel-ready land that developers are increasingly demanding.
Still another priority is to increase awareness within the local business community of what the EDC is, how it functions, and what role it can play, if any, with the many pressing issues in this region.
“The EDC is a connector and a convener,” he said, settling on those two words to describe the agency, adding that he wants to put even more emphasis on regional collaboration on issues such as housing and east-west rail.
Pulling on the Same Rope
As noted near the top, Vega spent several years doing freelance film editing work for creators that included Ken Burns and his eight-part series on the history of jazz.
One project Vega worked on was “Race to the Moon,” an American Experience episode that told the story of Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, in late 1968. He referenced it as he talked about his approach to his new job, problem solving in general, and one question during one of his final interviews (concerning policies relating to airports) that he didn’t have an answer to.
“Every single challenge they had putting together those Apollo missions … when they would encounter a new obstacle or challenge, they would bring in a person who could fix it — they kept expanding their team,” he explained. “If I don’t know how to do something, let’s bring in the person who does.
“If we do our job in Western Mass. of bringing in these companies that are coming out of UMass and elsewhere and they grow here and we create new housing opportunities … people are going to take the train to come out here to work.”
“If a group of people can come together and put us on the moon, a group of people in Western Mass. who are smart and have all these abilities can come together and figure out what we need to get done,” he went on, adding that this will be the organization’s mindset moving forward.
Overall, Vega has a broad, diverse background working in many different settings to call on as he approaches his next challenge.
Indeed, while editing films, he also opened his own small business, Vega Yoga & Movement Arts, operating it for more than 15 years. And in 2010 (the year he became one of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty honorees), the Holyoke native won an at-large seat on the Holyoke City Council, eventually serving two terms.
He then moved from City Hall to the State House, capturing the first of four two-year terms in 2013, before returning to Holyoke to become director of the Planning and Economic Development Office.
Vega told BusinessWest that, while each career stop provided invaluable experience that will help him with his latest career challenge, that is especially true of his time in Holyoke.
Indeed, over the past five years, he’s been part of several key initiatives, from the growth, and subsequent decline, of a cannabis cluster in the city to the emergence of new clean energy and food-tech companies, such as Sublime Systems and Clean Crop Technologies; from the designation of the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center as state’s hub for artificial intelligence and quantum computing to the years-long effort to convert the long-vacant Farr Alpaca complex into 88 units of mixed-income housing for adults 55 and over.
“I understand how these things happen — how do businesses locate? How do housing developments happen? How do you put together a $40 million financial stack to make 88 units of housing together?” he said, adding that his experience on the ground, and the relationships he’s forged — with those in the State House, regionally, and locally — will also be assets in his new role with the EDC.
Returning to those thoughts about the EDC being a connector and convener, Vega said issues such as the housing crisis and the 413’s declining population require a regional approach and a high level of collaboration among area cities and towns. And that’s one example of how the EDC might be able to help identify key issues for the region, set goals, and develop strategies to meet them.
“If we want to think about Western Mass. as a hub, we need a population goal for Western Mass. because this region is bleeding population, especially among younger people, ages 24 to 45,” he said. “If we say we have a population goal for the region — 20,000, 30,000, whatever the number is — over the next 10 to 15 years, then every municipality is going to have a role in that.
“Our small towns are going to have to bring on four to 10 units of housing, while our Holyokes and Westfields are going to have to bring on hundreds of units of housing,” he continued. “How do we work together to make sure we’re pulling on the same rope? A lot of people say, ‘pull in the same direction.’ I’m saying that we need to pull on the same rope together.”
Selling the Region
And while getting communities to pull on that same rope, the EDC should also be continuing to stress a regional approach to economic development, Vega said, while spearheading better efforts to promote the region and its assets.
“We have not done a good job of marketing Western Mass.” he said. “We should be talking about the health systems we have and the education systems we have, and the idea that you can live in a farmhouse if you want and be in downtown Springfield or downtown Holyoke in 20 minutes, even without public transportation. I think we should talk about the fact that Western Mass. believes in science, believes in education, believes in opportunities.
“Maybe that story isn’t being told, but we need to make sure that, if the EDC is out there telling the story, the chambers are telling the story, the mayors are telling the story — everyone is telling the same story,” he said, citing the example of Lowell, which he acknowledged is a city and not a region, where there was a solid, consistent message about the ‘Lowell plan.’ “The message in Lowell was so strong that the barbershops were talking about it, as well as the mayor.”
He noted that, under Sullivan, the EDC has done a solid job of creating a strong voice for the region on a statewide level and making sure Western Mass. is part of statewide initiatives, and these efforts must continue as part of those broader efforts to promote the area and prompt businesses to look this way when considering expansion or additional locations.
“When those Boston-based firms are looking for R&D or prototyping, they don’t need to look any further than Western Mass.,” he said. “If they need a second location or warehouse space or their manufacturing done, it’s way too costly to manufacture inside the 495 belt. These firms should be creating partnerships and doing that manufacturing out here; we have great manufacturers and companies that can help with research and development. These connections need to be made stronger.
“People in Boston don’t know what we make out here,” he continued. “So when they look for service or they look for something, they look at the West Virginias; they look out of state before they look in-state. We need to change that.”
Summing up the challenge — and opportunity — for the EDC and the region, as well as perhaps his own job description, to some extent, Vega returned to the subject of east-west rail and what would be the best-case scenario.
“A lot of people talk about east-west rail coming and how that will be a benefit for people in Western Mass. to get on the train and go to Boston or Worcester and go to work,” he said. “But if we do our job in Western Mass. of bringing in these companies that are coming out of UMass and elsewhere and they grow here and we create new housing opportunities … people are going to take the train to come out here to work.
“That’s a shift in mindset that needs to happen,” he went on, adding that this just one of his goals as he takes on his next career challenge.
Editorial
Aaron Vega, director of Planning & Economic Development in Holyoke, will assume the reins at the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) in January. And he takes the helm at a very intriguing time for the region.
Indeed, many of the traditional pillars of this region’s economy, especially healthcare and higher education, are struggling and shedding jobs rather than adding them. Manufacturing is more than holding its own, but still coping with workforce issues — specifically the retirement of Baby Boomers and difficulty with replacing them. Other sectors are shrinking as a wave of mergers and acquisitions continues unabated.
Meanwhile, emerging sectors are trying to … emerge. This list includes food science, quantum computing, and green energy, with several of the businesses at the forefront of these efforts located in Holyoke.
All of this — as well as the EDC’s broad mission itself — ties back nicely to something Dave Fontaine Jr., president of the construction firm Fontaine Brothers Inc., said of this region at the recent Developers Conference in downtown Springfield.
He said of the 413, and he’s not alone in these sentiments, “it’s a great place to live … if you can make a living.”
And that’s essentially where we’re at right now in this region — trying to enable those who might want to live here for all the reasons we know about, especially quality of life, to make a living.
And while that is not Vega’s official job description, it might as well be. The EDC is charged with leading and coordinating efforts to stimulate the region’s economy, including efforts that don’t fall in traditional categories of economic development, like workforce development, entrepreneurship, and even marketing.
We’ve followed Vega’s career for nearly 20 years now, since he was a freelance film editor, yoga studio owner, and Holyoke city councilor, a package that earned him a spot in BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty class of 2010. He would later go on to serve four terms as a state representative before returning to Holyoke City Hall as director of Planning & Economic Development.
He brings to his new post connections in Boston and across the region, but also a track record for getting things done, especially with complicated projects and bringing companies to this region to get started — and, hopefully, put down deep roots.
We believe he is the right person to lead the EDC at this critical juncture and continue the work of the agency and its outgoing president, Rick Sullivan, to make this region not only a great place to live, but one where people can make a living.
Exit Interview
By George O’Brien and Joseph Bednar
[email protected]; [email protected]
Throughout his lengthy career in public service and, most recently, within the business community, Rick Sullivan said his broad goal has always been to leave things better than he found them.
That was the case when he was mayor of Westfield for a dozen years, and also when he left that post to work for Gov. Deval Patrick in the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and then as chief of staff in the governor’s office.
And he had the same goal when he left Boston to return to the 413 and succeed Allan Blair as president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) in 2014. And he believes he’s succeeded in that mission.
Indeed, Sullivan, who will step down from that role at the end of this year, said he believes the EDC is in a better place today, with more members, more programs, and what most would say is a broader approach to its mission, one focused less on filling industrial park space (although that remains an important goal) and more on developing new business sectors, tackling workforce issues, making the region more competitive in the ongoing quest for employers and jobs, and, perhaps most importantly, growing the agency’s influence with statewide leaders and policy makers.
Elaborating, he said one of the goals he and the EDC’s membership set was for the agency to become a louder, stronger, more definitive voice for this region and its business community — and it has become that.
“The membership, at the time, was really looking for the EDC to become the lead organization in Western Massachusetts with regard to issues of business and business development and the economy — with the state, with the business leaders (mostly in Boston), with the policy centers, and the regulators,” he explained. “Because it was really felt — and I do think it’s true, and having spent some time in Boston, I really know it to be true — that when the regulators and the policy makers sit around the table down in Boston and make the rules and the policy and the laws, they don’t have a Western Mass. perspective … they don’t have a perspective of what happens on the ground in Western Massachusetts and how that’s going to impact things.
Rick Sullivan
“If the economy is doing better and people have more disposable income, then they’re buying more groceries or they’re going to the Big E … whatever they will spend their money on. And that’s going to help all of the companies that sit around my table.”
“So the membership was really looking to be the place, the clearinghouse, if you will, the go-to place, where governors, lieutenant governors, cabinet secretaries, those regulators would come and have those conversations,” he went on. “And I think we’ve been highly successful in that.”
Beyond progress on this important front, Sullivan said the EDC has made strides in other areas as well, especially when it comes to what he calls “catalyzing” new business sectors putting down roots here and that he hopes will be headquartered here, another goal for his board when he arrived.
That list includes quantum manufacturing, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and the broad realm of food science, sectors that are already making their mark here and should only grow in size and impact in the years and decades to come.
“These are sectors that are going be more important tomorrow and 10 years down the road than they even are today,” he said of these evolving industries. “AI is booming, and quantum is booming, and the issues of food science and food scarcity, water delivery systems and water scarcity … those problems are only going to grow and be more important in 10 years.
“And again, that’s kind of who we are in Western Mass.,” he went on. “So I think I’m actually leaving a couple of really exciting opportunities behind for the next CEO and, quite honestly, for the EDC moving forward.”
For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Sullivan about his tenure with the EDC, the progress that’s been made on several fronts, and the work still to be done.
Progress Report
When asked why he was stepping down now, Sullivan summoned some thinking he attributed to former NFL head coach Bill Parcells.
“He said you shouldn’t coach a team more than 10 years — and I think there’s some truth to that,” Sullivan noted. “You get to a point where you’ve done some of the same things that you’ve done for a long period of time, and it’s just time for the organization to change it up. So I think, for the organization and myself, it was just a really good time to have this happen.”
Looking back on his 11-year tenure, he said it’s been an interesting and challenging time for the region and the EDC, one marked by a global pandemic that changed everything, but especially where and how people work; the emergence of a new generation of leadership at many businesses across the region; shifting, but nearly constant, workforce challenges; ongoing efforts to create more jobs; work to leverage the region’s assets, especially its precision manufacturing sector, but also its cadre of colleges and universities; and a broad effort to lift the region’s economy and the prospects of its residents.
That last one is the underlying mission of the EDC, he noted, one that is not totally understood by some in the region’s business community.
“I think we need to do a better job as an EDC and as a region, not only celebrating but really marketing the advantages that we have here and the high quality of higher education that we have.”
“The simplest way to look at it is that our membership is really committed to growing the economy of Western Massachusetts,” Sullivan explained. “Growing the vitality economically, growing jobs, growing the ability for all residents of Western Massachusetts to enter the workplace and have a better quality of life — it’s pretty simple, and it’s a little bit of the ‘rising tide raises all boats’ theory.
“If the economy is doing better and people have more disposable income, then they’re buying more groceries or they’re going to the Big E … whatever they will spend their money on,” he went on. “And that’s going to help all of the companies that sit around my table.”
As for that table, it’s much larger now than it was 11 years ago, at least in terms of the number of people sitting at it, he went on, adding that membership has nearly doubled since he started, growing from 50 to roughly 90, and it has become more diverse as well, meaning companies of all sizes and across nearly all sectors.
More voices, and more diverse voices, make the EDC even more representative of the region and its business community, said Sullivan, adding that the strength and overall impact of the organization lie not in its president and CEO, but in its membership.
And growth of this membership, comprised of the leaders of area businesses and nonprofits, is among the most significant accomplishments recorded during his tenure.
Others include the maturation, if you will, of those emerging sectors listed earlier, sectors that were already here and now offer strong potential for continued growth.
Quantum computing is certainly on that list, he said, adding that the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center has been designated by the Healey administration as the state’s hub for artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and $16 million in state and private investments have been made toward building a new quantum computer there.
“And I think it’s a significant investment … I think you will see the state come in with additional resources to really move this forward,” Sullivan said. “Part of the argument has been that the state did a great job investing in biotech and clean energy and IT. And that was great, and they’ve been wonderful for the state economy, but those benefits really didn’t come back out here toward Western Massachusetts. So this investment in quantum really identifies strengths that we already have here.”
Another of these strengths is the broad food science sector.
“This relates back to everything from agriculture to water delivery and water filtration and water scarcity issues but also can go as far as alternative proteins and innovation and entrepreneurship within the space of food science,” Sullivan explained. “And little did we know that probably the leading institute in the country, and one of the international leaders, is UMass Amherst; they do great work out there already. And then, when you combine that with companies that are already here, like Big Y or Friendly’s or Hood, and then smaller companies and some new ones starting something, like Clean Crop out of Holyoke, those are all under that food science umbrella.”
Looking Ahead
As he talked about the work still to be done in the region and the challenges facing the 413, Sullivan said there are many items in both categories.
As for challenges, he put workforce and housing at the top of the list, while noting that they’re obviously related.
Indeed, one of the state’s weaknesses, from a competitiveness standpoint, is the sky-high cost of housing across most of the state. And while conditions are better in many Western Mass. cities and towns, there are several where potential workers are simply priced out, creating hardships for employers and shrinking the size of the populations, and workforces, in area communities.
“In terms of population growth, I think this is a good opportunity, in terms of a moment in time, to be able to have a growth strategy,” he said. “The state, under Governor Healey, is making significant investments in housing, and I really encourage every single city and town to take advantage of the incentives that are out there for development across the housing spectrum.
“From the higher end to market rate to workforce housing, it needs to be everything,” he went on. “Because right now, many parts of the region have no growth — in some cases, even declining growth. If it wasn’t for immigration, there would probably be no growth. Having no growth means that it makes it harder to fill those jobs. It’s harder to make that case as to why somebody should move here.
“I know there’s an old saying — and I don’t think it was Bill Parcells who said it this time — that if you’re not growing, you’re dying,” he went on. “And I think the growth strategy needs to be in every single community, and now is the time to be able to do that because, if you create a housing stock, people will move in.”
More housing, and more affordable options, are key now, he said, because people have more options when it comes to where and how they work, creating some real opportunities for this region.
“They can go, and they can live in a less costly community,” Sullivan said. “And when you stack things up in terms of energy costs and taxes and food costs and transportation costs, Western Massachusetts can make a very compelling case as to why we’re a very good place to live. Our quality of life is excellent. Going back to our commitment to recreation and outdoor activities and the environment, those are all things that are important when people are deciding where they can live, and today they have more choices than ever.”
Another challenge for the region moving forward is to more effectively leverage its considerable assets, especially higher ed.
“One of the other things that I think we can do a better job at is recognizing that we’re fortunate here in Western Massachusetts to have a really strong higher ed sector,” he noted, from UMass Amherst and the community colleges to a host of nationally regarded private colleges and universities.
“I don’t think we’ve done a good enough job leveraging that sector, because when companies look to come here, the first question they ask is ‘can I find the workforce?’” he went on. “When they’re looking for that talent, that talent is sitting in the classrooms of our higher ed institutions. So I think we need to do a better job as an EDC and as a region, not only celebrating but really marketing the advantages that we have here and the high quality of higher education that we have.”
When asked if he had any words of his advice for his successor, due to be named later this month, Sullivan said simply, “stay close to the membership.”
“The quality of individuals that sit around that table, the companies they represent, really are the companies that drive success here in Western Massachusetts,” he continued. “And while the CEO of the EDC is important because he or she will be the implementer, it’s really the agenda of the membership. They’re all really smart, and they’re all really committed to this region, and they want to see the best for the region. And not in a parochial sense — they’d really like to see everybody doing better; they would like to see the economy grow.”
If Sullivan’s successor does that, as he did, he or she will be in a position to ultimately follow his lead and leave the organization — and the region’s business landscape — in a better place.
We are excited to announce that BusinessWest has launched a new podcast series, BusinessTalk. Each episode will feature in-depth interviews and discussions with local industry leaders, providing thoughtful perspectives on the Western Massachuetts economy and the many business ventures that keep it running during these challenging times.
Go HERE to view all episodes
Episode 243: September 29, 2025
Joe Bednar talks with Rick Sullivan, President and CEO, Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council
Rick Sullivan’s 11-year tenure leading the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council has been one of both challenge — the region has dealt with everything from shifting economic tides to a pandemic — and opportunity; indeed, during that time, the EDC has grown, programming has expanded, and membership has doubled. On the next episode of BusinessTalk, Rick talks with BusinessWest Editor Joe Bednar about all that and more, including his advice for the next president and CEO; the organization’s continuing importance in growing the business landscape in the 413; and what he values most from his time serving this region as a mayor, in the governor’s office, and with the EDC. It’s must listening, so tune into BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest.
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Toward Better Quality of Life
AIC students experiment with the Spill-Not, an assistive technology tool that allows users to carry drinks without spilling.
The American International College (AIC) Division of Occupational Therapy recently partnered with United Cerebral Palsy of Western Massachusetts (UCP) to expand access to assistive technology (AT) for individuals with disabilities. This collaboration has established a new satellite location for UCP’s Assistive Technology Regional Center at AIC, located at 1067 State St. in Springfield.
Previously, individuals in the Springfield area seeking AT services had to travel to Pittsfield, Worcester, or Boston. Now, through this partnership with the college, UCP can better serve the Pioneer Valley by offering local access to assistive devices that enhance daily living, mobility, vision, hearing, and workplace or home modifications.
Similar to a library loan system, individuals can borrow AT equipment at no cost on a short-term basis. The process is simple: browse available devices at MassAbility, visit the AIC lab for a demonstration, and borrow the device for personal use. If a requested device is unavailable, UCP will work to acquire it.
Following the July 2023 lightning-strike fire that devastated AIC’s Health Sciences labs, UCP donated adaptive equipment to support the master of occupational therapy (MSOT) program. These tools — including feeding assistance devices, low-vision aids, and mobility training equipment — are now housed in AIC’s reconstructed MSOT lab, where they train students and assist community members.
“I’ve dreamed of offering this service to the community. It aligns with AIC’s mission of education and outreach.”
Dr. Jennifer Nordstrom, director of AIC’s Center for Accessibility Services and Academic Accommodations (CASAA) and assistant professor of Occupational Therapy, provides assistive technology training to community members during designated hours. When not in public use, the equipment serves as an instructional resource for MSOT students. Through this collaboration, AIC can also offer assistive technology support to CASAA students as needed.
“I’ve dreamed of offering this service to the community,” Nordstrom said. “It aligns with AIC’s mission of education and outreach.”
For AIC’s MSOT students, access to innovative AT enhances their clinical training and practical experience.
To further enrich student learning, Nordstrom developed a dedicated Assistive Technology course at AIC, covering the Assistive Technology Act in Massachusetts, assistive technology and disability, assistive technology levels, how to choose the correct assistive technology, and assistive technology and occupational therapy
“Assistive Technology is always a favorite course,” she said. “With this equipment, our students are better prepared for fieldwork and pro bono clinics, staying up to date with advancements in the field.”
Shelby Cortis, senior director of Assistive Technology for UCP of Western Massachusetts, sees great value in this collaboration. “When I was in OT school, we didn’t have opportunities to train on these devices. Now, AIC students have hands-on access, giving them a strong foundation for their careers.”
During a recent visit to AIC, Cortis and Iris Long, UCP Assistive Technology regional director, demonstrated various types of AT devices to students, including electronic aids for daily living, speech-generating devices, computer access equipment, vision and hearing aids, and recreational aids.
Highlights included Spill-Not, a simple tool that allows users to carry drinks without spilling; a robotic feeding arm, a high-tech plate with a robotic spoon for individuals with limited mobility; and a wheelchair pressure pad, a sensor system that measures pressure points, helping prevent pressure sores and optimizing comfort for wheelchair users.
This interactive experience allowed students to interact with the latest advancements in assistive technology, enhancing both their academic learning and practical skills.
AIC occupational therapy students explore assistive technology devices as part of their training.
The next phase of this partnership will focus on public outreach, inviting other institutions to AIC for AT training and demonstrations.
For students like Trent Davenport, a first-year MSOT student, exposure to this technology is inspiring.
“It makes me excited to enter the field,” he said. “I plan to work with geriatric patients, helping them maintain independence through instrumental activities of daily living. Seeing the range of devices available today makes me even more excited about the future of assistive technology.”
Through this collaboration, AIC and UCP are strengthening student education and community support, ensuring that individuals in the Springfield area have greater access to life-changing assistive technology.
The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.
Adams, Charles
5 Morin Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 13
Date: 02/19/2025
Albee, Harold E.
Albee, Kathleen
a/k/a Whitson Kathleen
a/k/a Sterling Kathleen
35 Ranney St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Date: 02/25/2025
Boland, Bruce W.
90 Goodhue Ave., Fl. 2
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/28/2025
Branch, Quashawn Anthony
Branch, Priscilla Maria
38 Maebeth St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/28/2025
Bryant, Jamie Lynn
c/o Red Roof Plus
9 Greenfield Road
South Deerfield, MA 01373
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/19/2025
Burbeck, Judith A.
2 Broadway Court, Apt. 1
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/28/2025
Caez, Ivonne M.
a/k/a Figuero, Ivonne Hernandez
215 Fort Pleasant Ave., Apt. E9
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/14/2025
Colby, Justin Raymond
21 Flynt Ave., Apt. A
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/25/2025
Cross, Lisa Ann
999 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/18/2025
D&D All Things Lawn Care & Snow Blowing
Dufresne, Derek P.
671 Bay Road, Apt. 2
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/28/2025
Figuereo Diaz, Gustavo
1576 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/27/2025
Giard, Paul A.
P.O. Box 172
Colrain, MA 01340
Chapter: 13
Date: 02/26/2025
Gomez, Victoria L.
a/k/a Cintron, Victoria L.
95 Marten St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Date: 02/27/2025
Gronostalski, Theodore
Todd, Dorothy A.
499 Laurel St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 13
Date: 02/22/2025
Kogan, Brittany A.
49 Revilla Ter.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Date: 02/27/2025
LaFleche, Wayne Alan
LaFleche, Linda Ann
22 Woodlawn St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/26/2025
Leclair, Patrick A.
65 Backman Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/28/2025
Lively, Pamela J.
143 Log Plain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301-0000
Chapter: 13
Date: 02/18/2025
Mann, Eugene Gary
45 Willow St., Apt. 235
Springfield, MA 01103-0000
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/26/2025
McCarthy, Richard Carl
McCarthy, Susan Ann
31 Mill St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/18/2025
Medlock, Thomas F.
Medlock, Donna E.
20 Ash Lane
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/22/2025
Mulero, William Cotto
70 Nassau Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/14/2025
Mulford, Ward T.
271 Chauncey Walker St., Lot 566
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/14/2025
O’Rourke, Joanne M.
119 Clayton Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/19/2025
Perry, Del Linda
a/k/a Granger, Del Linda
519 East River St., Lot 92
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/20/2025
Rivera, Janet
a/k/a Aracena, Janet
714 Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028-1427
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/22/2025
Rosemond, Joel D.
36 Stratford Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Date: 02/14/2025
Saltmarsh, Alex Nathan
41 Glendale Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/24/2025
Southard, Samuel E.
30 Gaston St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/19/2025
Therrien, Margaret Susan
21 Woodbridge St., Apt 104
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Date: 02/24/2025
Five Years After COVID
Though COVID-19 had been in the news since late 2019, this week marks the fifth anniversary of what most consider the real start of the pandemic: when Massachusetts leaders shut down most businesses for what many hoped would be only a few weeks.
Everyone remembers what happened next: weeks stretched into months, the economic impacts reverberated for years, businesses adapted and pivoted, and some did not survive. But most did, and many came out stronger (or at least wiser) on the other end.
We asked the leaders of some of those businesses for their recollections about the difficult days of 2020, how they navigated the challenges, and what has changed because of the pandemic — in some cases, for good.
Jeff Fialky, Shareholder, Bacon Wilson
Jeff Fialky
During the early winter of 2019, the management of Bacon Wilson had been following the news regarding what was then loosely described as a virus that was spreading around Asia and later into Western Europe. By early to mid-February 2020, it was becoming increasingly clear that we were all engaged in a global health crisis, and by March, the daily updates had reached the critical mass, resulting in en masse event cancellations and business closures.
Bacon Wilson, like many local businesses, held a number of internal meetings on how to approach the impending business closures. Ultimately, our office shut down in-person activities in mid-March 2020 and provided services remotely to the extent possible.
I recall that, at the time of the shutdown, I was running a large case load of business, real-estate, and financing transactions, nearly all of which were immediately put on hold or terminated by the party participants. I vividly recall the fears that I had those first few weeks, with stories running in the media harkening back to the 1918 Spanish flu, and the resultant financial and economic implications. I think many of us were testing out internal fears of a worst-case scenario during those initial days while we were experiencing a business climate that was unprecedented during our lifetime.
Following the first month or so, business continued remotely to the extent possible, and conference calls started to become calls on the then mostly unknown service called Zoom, which ultimately became a defining technology for the COVID era, which continues to the present. The practice of law is not known, perhaps, for technological innovation or being a leading indicator of change, but permitting face-to-face communication with clients via remote technology was a game changer for many industries, which the legal community adopted immediately.
Over the first six months or so of the COVID era, and with the introduction of masks, hand sanitizers, and other protective health measures, slowly the Bacon Wilson offices restaffed with in-person work (subject to public health orders). There are many now-humorous anecdotes of closings in our parking lot with papers exchanged through partially opened car windows, of papers slid through small holes in plexiglass separators in conference rooms, and all sorts of unique and creative ways of protecting (to the best knowledge at the time, which evolved daily) and providing comfort to understandably concerned clients.
Despite the continuing health concerns that may have been experienced, the business community and climate flourished. Of the transactions in my workload that had fallen apart during the March shutdown, nearly all had come back, and that time would signal the start to a flurry of business activity that would persist through COVID and following. The pandemic years were some of the highest-volume years our firm had ever experienced.
Initially, one can point to lower interest rates, which continued to prompt commercial and residential real-estate transactions, as well as the continued and increased interest by private-equity firms in business mergers and acquisitions. Then, following the CARES Act, and with the influx of federal funds pouring into the market by virtue of the Paycheck Protection Program, the momentum increased precipitously and continued well into 2023.
Notwithstanding the vigor of the economic climate, Bacon Wilson nonetheless experienced the same challenges as other employers with increased employment and operating expenses during the height of the COVID era. Staffing shortages were magnified by increased and accelerated retirements and transitions.
Many of those COVID-era challenges have stabilized in the past couple of years. The attrition in staffing that we had experienced during the height of the pandemic has waned substantially, and operating expenses have also steadied. The changes and leveraging of technology have remained, highlighted by in-person meetings and consultations now taking place via Zoom or Teams, technologies widely adopted and appreciated by our clients for their convenience.
While higher interest rates have had a cooling effect on the market, we are thrilled that the firm has continued to see clients continue to experience economic growth and ride the tailwinds inspired by the success of the economy during the COVID era. We have never been busier, success that we attribute to the loyalty of our clients and the dedication of our staff and attorneys.
Sally Rider, Founding Partner and Managing Director, Rider Productions, LLC
Sally Rider
In the early days of COVID, we at Rider Productions were extremely positive and hopeful that business would be back to normal in a relatively short time. But after much research and discussions with industry experts and legal minds, we realized our company would be canceling all our 2020 (and going into 2021) conferences, events, music festivals, and a nice book of travel business around the world.
The first step was to maintain the health and safety of our employees and have ongoing, open dialogue of the days at present and the days ahead. It was then time to delve into the programs and funding support available to small to medium-sized businesses in the entertainment and travel industry. That process was inundating, ultimately manageable, and somewhat financially rewarding. Still, the entertainment industry was hit hard.
So, how to adapt in a new world? We immediately got on the outdoor pods scenario and invested in short-range FM radio transmitters. The public at large was reluctant to embrace this new initiative, but soon became so anxious to be out, be seen, and see others that it became a ‘thing’ for a while. We focused on outdoor festivals in hopes for approvals from the state and the will of the people to deliver when the time was right. Our company ended up being one of the first producers in the area to hold a large-scale event — a four-day camping and music festival. We were diligent, attendees were diligent, and all was well.
The corporate arena was much more stringent in holding in-person events. Companies saw that Zoom worked well for their employees, so, ‘hmmm, maybe we can hold events remotely as well?’ Again, this was certainly a ‘thing’ for a while, but we ultimately want to be together to celebrate our goals and successes and be part of the community that we love to live in. Now, corporate events are back to pre-pandemic numbers, and we’re seeing them increasing as well.
The travel side of our company completely stopped during COVID. We had grown a nice book of business that we worked hard to obtain, and it just stopped. We canceled all our clients’ trips. It hurt. We now know that travel is back and booming, and folks are traveling personally and certainly corporately. We now see ourselves checking and adhering to new travel guidelines, which are continually changing and must be watched.
Changing, growing, and adapting to the environment around us has always been in play with Rider Productions. COVID certainly affirmed that you must do your very best, surround yourself with the best people you can find, and take the risks.
We truly are heartfelt for the pain, suffering, and losses that were experienced by us all during COVID; it was a difficult time. I don’t believe we’ll forget it anytime soon, and people are clearly appreciative to be out and about in the world.
Kay Simpson, President and CEO, Springfield Museums
Kay Simpson
On March 13, 2020, we announced that the Springfield Museums would be closed from March 14 to April 3 to slow and stem the spread of COVID. What started out as a two-week closure stretched into months as the pandemic intensified into a global public-health emergency. It wasn’t until July 13 when the Museums cautiously opened back up to the public in alignment with then-Gov. Charlie Baker’s Phase 3 of the reopening of Massachusetts.
Prior to the reopening, staff installed plexiglass barriers in our Welcome Center, established sanitation areas in all public areas, and created directional pathways through the Museums to limit visitors being in physical contact with one another. From the onset of our closing, management and trustees were united in their commitment to keep staff employed through remote work that fostered the development of virtual programs, classes, and tours that were available on the Museums’ website.
As soon as we were able, staff came back to work in our buildings so we would be ready for visitors to return safely. Our commitment to keep staff employed during the shutdown enabled us to reopen as soon as possible, a decision that has had a profound impact on our recovery from the pandemic. Visitor studies show that institutions that laid off employees and were closed for longer periods of time have experienced a slower rebound in visitation.
The pandemic has changed the Museums in undeniable ways. Many staff now have hybrid work schedules, sanitation stations are in place throughout the facilities, and a variety of our programs can be accessed through our website. The shutdown compelled us to rethink the way we do business, experiment with new online approaches, and navigate our way into a post-pandemic world. Above all, we learned the importance of innovative thinking, deepening our relationships with our communities, and embracing change as the key to our future sustainability.
Jim White, President and Partner, Go Graphix
Jim White
For 20 years, we’ve kept our heads down, grinding forward — learning, growing, and focusing only on excellence and worrying about what we can control. Then came the pandemic … and all bets were off. The fear was real, both personally and professionally. Around St. Patty’s Day of 2020, business came to a grinding halt.
The Go Graphix team? Rock stars. But keeping it together wasn’t easy. Between legitimate absences, borderline excuses, and some opportunistic sick days (or weeks!), stress levels were through the roof. All we knew was that we had to keep our team intact and safe — without a playbook. So we masked, distanced, sanitized, and even misted chlorine cleansers nightly after everyone had gone home. It was insane.
Just to keep our printers running (and our sanity intact), we churned out free “Frontline Hero” lawn signs. The hum of the machines was oddly soothing. Then, out of nowhere, Baystate Health called, asking, “can you make temporary plexi protective barriers?” Hell yeah, we could! Next came orders for social-distancing decals. That’s when we realized we were essential, and no one was shutting Go Graphix down without a fight.
We jumped on early orders for acrylic panels before the rush (good call, as our costs nearly quadrupled in no time). Supply-chain chaos made getting hardware a nightmare, but we powered through, outfitting Baystate, countless restaurants and businesses, and more than 80 colleges and universities.
The pandemic tested us, stressed us, and nearly drove us crazy. But Go Graphix has emerged stronger, savvier, and more resilient than ever.
Ben Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer, Balise Auto Group
Ben Sullivan
When COVID changed everything, we remained focused on three things:
• Doing the right thing for our customers. We never charged our MSRP for vehicles (which was unfortunately rampant across the country due to inventory shortages), and we reworked our operations to meet our customers where they felt most comfortable — offering home delivery and service pickup and drop off — and doing whatever it took to take care of our customers.
• Doing the right thing for the community by supporting first responders. We couldn’t give them a hug, but we could wash their car for free and offer 50% off all service work so healthcare providers could get safely to their critical jobs. It total, Balise gave away more than $1 million in services to first responders.
• Doing the right thing for our associates. We wanted to take as much uncertainty out of their lives as we could. Coming to work was voluntary, and we guaranteed their pay, covered 100% of their health insurance, and offered flexible work schedules.
Doing the right thing has always been core to how we do business. COVID just reinforced that delivering on that promise is what matters most.
Ray Berry, Owner, White Lion Brewing Co.
Ray Berry
Two months into construction, like a light switch, everything shuttered, construction came to a halt, and uncertainty set in. To compound the situation, we knew our construction budget and operational projections were no longer reliable. We lost a full year of revenue and a lot of momentum, but our team grinded it out, and 13 months after our projected opening date, we finally opened our doors.
Our trade has changed dramatically since then. In the last two years alone, 17 Massachusetts breweries closed, several have merged, and many more are entertaining exit strategies. There is a lot of data to suggest why, but in my opinion, much of the shift accelerated with the arrival of COVID, and some breweries could not rebound.
To sustain, White Lion had to pivot from a destination brewery to a much more robust attraction incorporating more entertaining options to create a deeper experience. The days of being a conventional brewery where customers grab a pint and move on to visit the next brewery are no longer the norm — it is an exception.
Some of our changes include incorporating lunch six days a week, onboarding food-delivery services, offering live entertainment several times a month, and hosting community and business events all year long. These are important pieces for sustainability, and our team takes pride in adding these extra layers for our consumer base.
Lynn Gray, General Manager, Holyoke Mall
Lynn Gray
During the COVID pandemic, Holyoke Mall, like many businesses, faced unprecedented challenges. With temporary closures, health and safety restrictions, and phased reopenings, we quickly had to adapt.
Many of our tenants pivoted toward and expanded their BOPIS (buy online, pay in store) and curbside pickup options. This shifted from a nice-to-have feature to an essential option that customers still expect businesses to offer today. Restaurant takeout and delivery options became a necessity to survive, and five years later, many of our food-court tenants and restaurants that had never previously offered delivery services are still using DoorDash and GrubHub platforms today.
The increased use and shift toward online shopping during the pandemic forced retailers to offer new and exciting ways to enhance the customer experience. They are introducing more experiential components within their brick-and-mortar locations and enhanced their omnichannel presence to make products more interesting and accessible. This shift is still prevalent five years later.
As retailers consolidated storefronts, our leadership focused efforts on more experiential offerings, which we had started prior to 2020, bringing in more entertainment and lifestyle venues (Planet Fitness, Round1, Altitude Trampoline Park, etc.). Customers longed for reuniting with friends and families outside their homes after having been restricted for so long and needed outlets to reconnect and socialize.
Holyoke Mall has experienced a renewed energy as we are seeing pre-pandemic-level foot traffic. This is a major indicator we are giving the customers what they are looking for in terms of offering a diverse mix of tenants including not only core retail, but also unique dining, entertainment, and lifestyle options.
Nathan Yee, Director of Hospitality, Bean Restaurant Group
Nathan Yee
The early days of COVID were filled with uncertainty. They were long and exhausting, but they ultimately pushed us to learn how to do more with fewer people and resources. We re-engineered our systems and processes to mitigate the effects of rising food and labor costs.
The restaurant business has always required adaptability — this was true before COVID and remains true today. Failure wasn’t an option; we embraced every challenge as an opportunity to stay true to our values in an unprecedented time.
One lasting impact of COVID is that we now operate with smaller menus. We’ve honed in on what we do best, eliminating the extras. In hindsight, while COVID presented immense challenges, it ultimately made us better restaurant operators — both today and for the future.
Greg Desrosiers, Vice President and Co-owner, Hadley Printing
Greg Desrosiers
Looking back on COVID seems like it was yesterday. It is hard to believe it has been five years since the start of the pandemic. I guess it feels like yesterday because the hangover of COVID is quite present in our society.
With the onset of COVID, there were more orders being canceled than placed. Everything ground to a halt within days. It was a concerning period to navigate in business, and no one knew the duration or outcome. The positive part of COVID was the strong resurgence of business in 2022, as the economy returned to normal and demand was high across the board, which eventually led to supply-chain issues and inflation.
It was the year and a half period in between that became the largest challenge we have ever encountered during our time in business. Like most businesses, we were able to participate in the Paycheck Protection Program and used it exactly how it was intended, to keep our staff employed and paid. We were operating on 50% of our normal work volume and supplementing the rest with equipment and building maintenance.
One of the most obvious after-effects of COVID that directly affects our daily operations today is inflation. We have seen a tremendous increase in our raw materials, a loss of suppliers that have either closed or have been acquired due to industry consolidation, and an increase in wages of our employees who are in need of more money to live on. Inflation is something I see at best slowing down but most certainly not reversing itself. We had no choice to pass along some of these costs in our prices, but we cannot pass along all of it, so we had to be innovative and find creative ways to do more with less.
To combat the rise in operating costs, we have diligently crossed-trained almost every employee to be able to assist in multiple ways, so if we are slow in one department, we can move that employee to another department that is busier.
In addition to cross-training our workforce, we have also made investments in more technologically advanced equipment. We recently invested in a second digital printing press that allows us to produce short-run orders more efficiently. This new upgrade also allows us to print envelopes digitally, where in the past, we printed envelopes via traditional offset printing. This new investment can also run a larger sheet size, allowing a wider array of economical service offerings to our clients.
Our new digital press is more automated than a traditional offset press, so it can be run with fewer touches by our employees. That allows us to produce products more efficiently and more economically through automation.
While the future continues to remain unsteady, we are readily prepared for it.
Rudy D’Agostino, Partner, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
Rudy D’Agostino
It is incredible to look back five years ago and see the shift COVID-19 caused worldwide. Almost overnight, drastic changes occurred as businesses were forced into shutdown, only emergency personnel were allowed to travel the roads, and supply resources were depleted. COVID’s challenges caused businesses to pivot, making adaptations to the ‘new norm’ almost overnight.
Businesses were affected drastically in 2020, and many organizations continue to function with several changes that they were forced to incorporate five years ago during the pandemic. For example, remote work became the norm for many companies, and today it continues, although it has been changing to a hybrid model. This remote working environment required a significant investment in computer technology and related internet security.
Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. (MBK) was deemed an essential business during the pandemic and, thus, didn’t have to shut down, but we shifted employees to a remote hybrid schedule to limit the number of staff in office. In 2025, MBK still offers the opportunity for our team to work a hybrid schedule. The use of software such as Teams or Zoom is used for communication and assists in creating the balance of flexibility and promoting a healthier work-life dynamic.
In 2020, we had virtual monthly staff meetings and even hosted a creative facemask contest, which highlighted how the firm can maintain morale and camaraderie, even when part of the team was physically apart. Putting a positive spin on the pandemic helped individuals power through a time of uncertainty.
Michele Anstett, President, Director, and Owner, Visiting Angels West Springfield
Michele Anstett
There are certain historical events that are so momentous, a person will always recall where they were when the event happened. The unwelcome arrival of COVID in Western Mass. was one of those events for me. I will never forget the day when Gov. Baker issued a stay-at-home advisory and ordered all non-essential businesses to close. We were working on packing up the office, getting ready for our move to a new location. After hearing the order, I decided to close the office.
Visiting Angels is a senior home-care business, and we are an essential business. However, the admin staff could work from home. The focus of the business abruptly changed from advancement to survival. Every day, the focus was on protecting clients and caregivers. I felt that I had become a commander leading the troops to fight a battle while also protecting civilians. Many clients canceled our services because their loved ones could take on the caregiving role. We went from 70 clients to 19 clients in two weeks. I thought to myself, “I don’t know if we can survive this.” But we did.
We tackled the early challenges such as staying informed, learning how to slow the spread, obtaining essential safety supplies, setting up protocols, the daily health check-in of caregivers, assigning a risk-factors watch list, and so many more. There were endless webinars and Zoom meetings that we needed to attend. The information about COVID kept mutating just like the virus itself. The information online was a great tool for so many aspects of our business, especially for hiring and interviewing. We still use many of these methods even after five years.
The biggest challenge was obtaining personal protective equipment. We asked for donations of handmade masks. I supplied a family in Westfield with six yards of fabric. This military family of five utilized the mandated home time to serve the needs of healthcare workers. My aunt, a seamstress in Chicopee, also created masks from donated sterile surgical fabric. A fabulous woman from the Majestic Theater would sew and donate about 10 masks at a time. We also received face shields from a family in the Berkshires.
We kept our morale up by participating in local community events. People had helped us to stay safe; now it was our turn to curb elder isolation and support other essential workers. We did drive-by-parade birthday celebrations, provided nostalgic snacks at senior center drive-thru events, participated in safety awareness campaigns, and (my favorite) provided sponsorship of chair yoga in East Longmeadow with instructor Sheila Magalhaes of Heartsong Yoga, a program we continue to sponsor even now.
It’s amazing to think that it has been five years since the arrival of COVID in Western Mass. I believe the events increased resilience today when a problem arises for people and businesses. Now, I always ask myself, “how can I make this happen?” and try to think outside the box.
Elizabeth Barnes, Chief Operating Officer, NAI Plotkin
Elizabeth Barnes
I have experienced firsthand how the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally transformed property management. In March 2020, building operations and maintenance procedures were forced into a rapid evolution. While the immediate crisis has passed, many changes have become permanent fixtures in the industry.
The pandemic accelerated digital transformation in property management. While many firms such as ours were already rolling out online portals to our homeowners and tenants, many property managers were not as prepared. Online portals now handle everything from maintenance requests to amenity scheduling and document management. These technological solutions have proven to increase efficiency and reduce operational costs, making their continued use a business imperative.
Enhanced cleaning protocols and improved HVAC systems have become standard features rather than luxury additions. Many buildings now maintain hospital-grade air-quality standards and implement sophisticated air-quality monitoring equipment.
The economic impact changed how property managers approach financial planning. Many properties now maintain enhanced emergency funds and reserves to ensure operational continuity during unexpected challenges. Insurance has become more complex due to rising construction and repair costs, prompting our property managers to seek comprehensive coverage while implementing risk-mitigation strategies.
Property managers have developed more sophisticated communication systems and stronger relationships with occupants. Digital platforms have become central to operations, enabling real-time updates on building operations and immediate response to maintenance requests. These platforms integrate announcements, document sharing, and community forums, creating stronger connections between our property managers and residents.
The industry continues to evolve, with increasing integration of artificial intelligence and automation in building management. Properties now compete to offer comprehensive health-focused amenities, while buildings are designed and operated with a focus on resilience against future crises. Space usage has become more flexible and adaptable, responding to changing occupant needs and market conditions.
The COVID pandemic has created new standards and expectations in property management. Success requires managers to remain adaptable, technologically savvy, and focused on occupant well-being while maintaining operational efficiency. Those who embrace these changes and continue to innovate will be better-positioned to meet evolving needs while maintaining their competitive advantage in a transformed market.
Reflecting on the Year That Was
George Timmons calls education “the great equalizer,” and MassEducate a very effective way to achieve that.
In many ways, 2024 didn’t provide much clarity regarding economic questions we posed a year ago in our annual year in review. Inflation and interest rates remain high (if not historically so), while remote work, a housing shortage, and some sector-specific challenges continue to make the news.
But there was some good news, too, and some encouraging progress on fronts ranging from rail development to educational access to some intriguing high-tech developments. As 2025 dawns, BusinessWest presents its year in review, noting some of the stories and issues that shaped our lives, and will, in many cases, continue to do so.
The High Cost of Everything…
The Federal Reserve has been on a mission over the past two years — to tame inflation without putting the country into recession. By and large, the latter part has been accomplished, but inflation remains a thorny challenge.
Consumer prices were up 2.7% for the 12 months that ended in November, but stubborn inflation in housing (up 0.3% for the month in November) and food (up 0.4%) continue to hit people where they notice it most, while the price of cars and energy also rose in November. Economists are also unsure how President-elect Trump’s promised tariffs will impact inflation.
Meanwhile, some economists expect some relief in interest rates, and a chance that the Fed may go as low as 4% in 2025.
Still, Bob Nakosteen, semi-retired professor of Economics at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, recently told BusinessWest that “the economic numbers don’t look bad at all. The labor market has weakened a little bit, but it’s not weak; it’s just not as strong as it had been. And most of the other indicators are strong, including GNP. It’s about where it had been, and in some ways, it’s above trendline.
“This is not breaking news,” he added, “but the economy has held up really well in spite of a lot of pressure, especially from a rapidly rising interest-rate environment. The consumer has really rolled with the punches.”
…Except Community College
MassReconnect, a program the state launched in 2023 to fully fund tuition, books, and supplies at community colleges for students over age 25, has, to hear college presidents tell it, been a game changer, significantly boosting enrollment and getting more students into a pipeline that will hopefully bring more new blood to the region’s workforce.
“The economic numbers don’t look bad at all. The labor market has weakened a little bit, but it’s not weak; it’s just not as strong as it had been. And most of the other indicators are strong, including GNP.”
This past summer, state lawmakers went further by implementing MassEducate, a $117.5 million annual investment that covers tuition and fees for all students, plus books and supplies for some. The program aims to support both economic opportunity for students and workforce development across a Massachusetts economy that has struggled, sector by sector, to recruit and retain talent in recent years.
Importantly, the program is a ‘last dollar’ investment, meaning students will still access federal funds, like Pell Grants, as well as state aid and scholarships, and MassEducate will pay the costs that remain, so it’s not funding anywhere near the full cost of a student’s education.
“I’m so passionate about this work of education,” Holyoke Community College President George Timmons said. “It is the great equalizer. Once you have an education and all the rights and privileges of that degree, you can earn a livable, sustainable wage, you can take care of yourself and your family, and you can literally change the trajectory of a family.”
Productivity in Pajamas?
A report last year by McKinsey Global Institute suggested that remote work risks wiping $800 billion from the value of office buildings in major cities worldwide by 2030 as the post-pandemic trend pushes up office vacancy rates and drives down rents.
Large employers are fighting back. In September, Amazon President and CEO Andy Jassy informed tens of thousands of workers that they will be back in the office five days a week come January. That was good news for commercial real-estate owners and developers, who hope other employers follow suit.
But while remote-work critics claim improved collaboration and communication, as well as the learning opportunities that come when everyone is together, outweigh any benefits that might come from remote work and hybrid schedules, the fact is that the hybrid movement, at least, seems entrenched for now — and also puts employers who nix all remote work at a competitive disadvantage when recruiting in an already-tough talent market.
But Evan Plotkin, president of Springfield-based NAI Plotkin, told BusinessWest that he sees a partially offsetting force in east-west rail, which has the potential to drive development in areas near the rail stops, and even prompt some businesses to realize they don’t have to be in Boston anymore. “It could be transformative; in Springfield, for example, it could drive development in the Union Station area and make that area much more attractive.”
Working on the Railroad
So, is east-west rail finally becoming a reality, connecting Springfield and Boston? Well, the money being put behind what’s known as the Compass Rail project is certainly real.
At the end of October, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal announced the latest $36.8 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant by the Federal Railroad Administration, following a $108 million CRISI grant — the third-largest in the nation — late last year. Since Union Station reopened in 2017, more than $200 million has been allocated toward east-west rail, both from federal grants and MassDOT funding.
The latest funding will support the Springfield track-reconfiguration project, which is designed to increase capacity to accommodate both freight and increased passenger rail service. The project will include building new crossovers and layover tracks, upgrading platforms around Springfield Union Station, and modernizing track and signal systems.
“With the substantial progress that has been made with west-east rail, the Commonwealth is well-positioned to pursue additional funding for years to come.”
Since the station’s reopening, Neal said, “the investments that have been made in passenger rail have been extraordinary,” adding that, “with the substantial progress that has been made with west-east rail, the Commonwealth is well-positioned to pursue additional funding for years to come.”
Meanwhile, MassDOT is conducting a study focused on the restart of passenger rail along the Route 2 corridor, a project whose public advocates include dozens of municipalities, regional planning agencies, and state legislators.
SOC It to Springfield
Speaking of Union Station, in September, it officially became home to the Richard E. Neal Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, one component of a multi-million-dollar series of investments, announced in 2022, to bolster cybersecurity resilience — and the related workforce — across the state.
These awards included a $1,086,476 grant to support the launch of CyberTrust Massachusetts, a nonprofit that works with business and academia statewide to grow the cybersecurity talent pipeline while promoting local security operations.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal joins a host of local dignitaries in September to cut the ribbon on his namesake cybersecurity center.
The state also awarded $1,462,995 award to Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) and $1,200,000 to Bridgewater State University to establish a security operations center (SOC) and cyber range in each city. The Neal Center at Union Station, managed by STCC, also benefited from $500,000 in ARPA funding from the city of Springfield.
Springfield’s 6,000-square-foot center — a collaboration between STCC, the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, and CyberTrust Massachusetts — aims to be a hub for advancing cybersecurity awareness, education, and innovation while battling global security threats. Its cyber range is a simulated, hands-on training environment, and its SOC is envisioned as a support service for Massachusetts municipalities, as well as regional businesses, to detect cybersecurity events in real time and respond quickly.
Tackling the Housing Crisis
One of the dominant stories of 2024 was a continuing housing shortage that touches virtually every community.
With that in mind, over the summer, Gov. Maura Healey signed into law the Affordable Homes Act, which aims to support the production, preservation, and rehabilitation of more than 65,000 homes statewide over the next five years. It is the largest housing bond bill ever filed in Massachusetts, at more than triple the spending authorizations of the last housing bill passed in 2018.
The legislation authorizes $5.16 billion in spending over the next five years along with 49 policy initiatives to counter rising housing costs caused by high demand and limited supply. Key spending authorizations and policy changes include allowing accessory dwelling units, an unprecedented investment in modernizing the state’s public housing system, boosts to programs that support first-time homebuyers and homeownership, incentives to build more housing for low- to moderate-income residents, support for the conversion of vacant commercial space to housing, and support for sustainable and green housing initiatives.
“The Affordable Homes Act creates homes for every kind of household, at every stage of life, and unlocks the potential in our neighborhoods,” Healey said. “We are taking an unprecedented step forward in building a stronger Massachusetts where everyone can afford to live.”
High Risks for Cannabis Operators
According to a new report in the Boston Business Journal, cannabis businesses are surrendering licenses at an alarming rate in Massachusetts. Since September 2023, four retail licenses have been either surrendered, not renewed, or revoked, and so have 26 non-retail licenses, which include growers and manufacturers. In the five years before that, just five retail and 11 non-retail licenses were surrendered.
The green rush is clearly over; more than 700 cannabis businesses have opened or received licensing approval, and prices have fallen sharply amid stiffer competition — which makes running a business much more challenging.
Springfield Mayor Sarno recently cut the ribbon opening EMBR Springfield, a cannabis dispensary at 461 Boston Road.
So does a still-unresolved disconnect between state and federal law that has thrown a number of wrenches into cannabis businesses, which, among other hurdles, grapple with an onerous tax burden since they can’t write off many of the costs other businesses can. Federal laws also impact elements from transportation to banking. And while federal rescheduling of cannabis has bipartisan appeal, it’s uncertain whether the next Congress will have the appetite for it.
There may be some potential good news for dispensary owners: a newly established regulatory framework for operating ‘social consumption sites’ in Massachusetts, potentially allowing public use of the drug. The Cannabis Control Commission is currently receiving public comment on the draft and will take the issue up in the new year.
Data Center Clears Tax Hurdle
Two years ago, Westmass Area Development Corp. helped Servistar Realties secure approval from the Westfield Planning Board, as well as a major tax break from the City Council, for a large, high-tech data center near Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport that could attract some of the largest tech companies in the world. Servistar even negotiated a power-purchase agreement with Westfield Gas & Electric allowing it to access below-market electric rates.
“The challenges in healthcare over the past five years have shifted, but they have not let up. And they ultimately result in financial challenges that are stressing the ways in which we collectively provide access to care in our communities.”
One hurdle remained to move the $3 billion project — which will feature 10 buildings going up over two decades — off the ground, and that was a state sales-tax exemption commonly offered to data centers in other states. Last month, that exemption became a reality as part of a larger economic-development bill on Beacon Hill, and because of it, the Westfield project could start progressing soon.
Analysis from McKinsey & Co. shows demand for data-center capacity in the U.S. more than tripling by 2030, according to the Boston Globe. Meanwhile, the sales-tax exemption could save the future Westfield park owners up to $30 million per year. Construction could start early in 2026, with the first building completed 18 months later.
Diagnosing the Problem
In a recent interview with BusinessWest, Mercy Medical Center president Dr. Robert Roose used the word ‘relentless’ to describe the current headwinds in medicine, which include everything from spiraling costs and inflation to persistently inadequate reimbursements from payers; from continuing workforce challenges to access and capacity issues — not to mention the overriding issue of caring for a population that is older and sicker than what has been seen historically.
“The challenges in healthcare over the past five years have shifted, but they have not let up,” Roose said. “And they ultimately result in financial challenges that are stressing the ways in which we collectively provide access to care in our communities.”
Baystate Health, in a remarkable show of transparency, recently went public to detail its struggles — including $300 million in operating losses over the past few years — and its response, which includes the sale of its lab, the pending sale of Health New England, and, most recently, the elimination of 130 administrative positions.
Those steps are part of what Baystate’s new president and CEO, Peter Banko, called a “transformation plan, one that calls for making hard decisions, relieving cost pressures, some cuts, but also investments in the years to come and greater financial stability.”
Expect more hard decisions across the healthcare spectrum in the year to come.
Music Lives Again at the Iron Horse
Finally, a positive note — many notes, in fact.
When music venues began to reopen in the wake of the pandemic, the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton was not among them, and owner Eric Suher didn’t have immediate plans to unshutter the venerable Center Street storefront.
Chris Freeman says he wanted to “bring back the glory days” of the Iron Horse.
In stepped the Parlor Room Collective, a nonprofit that operates the nearby Parlor Room music space, which purchased the Iron Horse and set about raising $750,000 to renovate it, maintaining its intimate feel but improving facets like its famously inadequate green room and restrooms, while expanding into adjoining space for a dedicated bar and community events. The venue reopened on May 15 and has hosted a robust lineup of concerts ever since.
“We have witnessed the magic of our local music scene and its ability to fuel the engine of our economy, enhance the overall well-being of our community, and contribute to our cultural vitality,” said Chris Freeman, executive director of the Parlor Room Collective.
“I live here, and part of the reason Northampton has become a great food scene and a great downtown culture is the arts,” he also told BusinessWest. “I’ve made it my life’s mission to make sure that never goes away, and we can bring back the glory days of such a legendary venue.”
Lifetime Achievement
Past President, NAMI Western Massachusetts
Her Work on Behalf of the Mentally Ill Became a Lifelong Mission
Bernice Drumheller
When Bernice Drumheller’s son, Mark, was in grade school, she noticed he was having some issues.
“He showed symptoms of some kind of illness early in life,” she recalled. “I noticed some peculiarities; he was my youngest son of four, and I didn’t see any of those signs in my other three children, so I knew that there was something going on with my youngest son.”
That something was mental illness, she said, noting that, as early as age 4, Mark seemed to be depressed and didn’t talk much.
Drumheller’s concern led her to become a school aide so she could keep an eye on him — and also on how the school was “going to deal with his situation.”
You might say that was the very beginning of what would become deep involvement in efforts to help those with mental illness and their families — work that would move beyond Mark’s school and into several different settings, as we’ll see.
“When Mark became a teenager, at 14 and 15, that’s when real problems started to develop,” she went on, noting that he was skipping school, having trouble making his grades, and resisting calls to attend a resource center because he was embarrassed to do so.
Fast-forwarding a little, she said Mark did graduate from high school, but his problems mounted, and his illness took new turns. He would eventually be hospitalized and later sent to Brattleboro Retreat in Vermont. It was there that Drumheller met a social worker who introduced her to an organization called NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and that’s where our story begins an exciting new chapter.
Indeed, she would receive some help from the organization, which now boasts 600 local affiliates — and then spend the next 30 years helping it provide assistance to others.
“I noticed some peculiarities; he was my youngest son of four, and I didn’t see any of those signs in my other three children, so I knew that there was something going on with my youngest son.”
She started as a Family-to-Family Education teacher, with that program’s name effectively explaining what it is — individuals in families experiencing mental illness educating others going through the same things (much more on this program later).
But over the years, she would go on to serve on NAMI’s board and as the president of its Western Mass. chapter, now headquartered in Holyoke, for 12 years. For more than three decades, she has been a tireless advocate for those with mental illness and their families — a commitment that has made her a Healthcare Hero in the Lifetime Achievement category.
This award — one of many Drumheller has received over the years, including another lifetime achievement award from NAMI Massachusetts — speaks to the passion she has brought to her work — and the fact that she’s never considered it work.
Bernice Drumheller, right, volunteers at a walkathon to benefit NAMI along with Ruth Stein, who, with her husband, Harold, founded the local chapter.
Instead, it’s a fulfillment of a commitment she made a long time ago to Mark and countless others like him to be their advocate, their champion, and to speak and work on their behalf.
“I swore, when I got involved in this, that it would be a mission for my life,” she told BusinessWest, adding that this mission doesn’t actually get accomplished; the work is ongoing, and it takes many forms.
Over the years, she has testified at the State House as part of an effort to have the Department of Mental Health budget increased to ensure that beds are still available in hospitals and proper care is provided to those receiving services.
She has spoken at National Gun Violence Awareness Day, specifically addressing the public’s misperception that those with a mental-health diagnosis are responsible for gun violence; her message is that they are far more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators of violence.
She appeared with then-Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe to promote the “CEOs Against Stigma” campaign as part of what has become an ongoing fight to battle stigma surrounding those with mental illness, and she has shared her story in crisis-intervention trainings for first responders to mental-health emergencies so they would have a better understanding of these crises.
“Most of her time has been spent giving countless hours serving an organization she believes in and is dedicated to, promoting mental health and well-being throughout the community,” said Tamari Cole, the current president of NAMI Western Massachusetts, who nominated Drumheller for the Healthcare Heroes award, noting that she continues to be a force in this realm.
And at NAMI, she continues to serve on the board and also as a family support-group facilitator, while also raising money for the agency and volunteering several hours monthly.
Her tireless work has served to inspire others, while it is also giving a louder voice to those battling illness, as well as their loved ones.
All this makes her more than worthy of the title Healthcare Hero.
Someone Who ‘Gets It’
Drumheller said her son Mark’s story is typical of many of those with mental illness. And her efforts to understand that illness and help him are typical as well.
In short, families need support, direction, and someone who can relate and understand what they are going through. Someone who, for can lack of a better phrase, can speak that language.
“COVID caused a lot of isolation, and that leads to depression. We’re social beings, and we couldn’t really socialize like we did, and this led to a lot of problems. And now, we have to fix this; we have to fix all these kids who are suffering from anxiety.”
And for many, Drumheller has been, and still is, that someone. But her work has gone much further, as noted earlier, into the realm of advocacy and education — at the local, state, regional, and national levels.
As for Mark, his case exemplifies how the road is hard, but it can take people to a good place, like the one he’s in now — his own apartment where he lives independently.
But, as noted, the road has been a hard one.
After graduating from high school, he struggled, usually without success, to hold onto a job, Drumheller recalled, adding that symptoms of schizophrenia continued to mount.
“When I would send him into a store, he would say, ‘someone’s following me’ — he was paranoid,” she recalled. “He was acting very strangely.”
To understand his illness and help him, she continued to seek the services of a family therapist, who informed her that Mark needed to be hospitalized because he was having a mental breakdown.
“He was sent to Brattleboro Retreat and ran away from there — he was quite a problem there,” she said. “He would hear things, and he would see things that aren’t there. He would think that the radio was talking to him, and the TV was talking to him; he would hear voices.
“He was on a lot of medication, and he got to a point where he couldn’t move,” she went on. “He would lie down, he wouldn’t talk, he wouldn’t move, he wouldn’t do anything.”
Mark would eventually come out of this catatonic state and get better, she recalled, adding that it was about this time that a social worker introduced her to NAMI.
“As soon as I got him home, I called our NAMI affiliate here, and they helped me a lot,” she said. “They were very supportive, and that’s when I got involved.”
That’s an understatement. She joined the organization’s board and soon became a family-to-family teacher.
“We teach families how to cope with people who are living with mental illness,” said Drumheller, who was named by NAMI Massachusetts as a charter member of its Family-to-Family Hall of Fame, adding this is a simple job description, but the work is often difficult, made easier by shared emotions and experiences.
“These families form camaraderie,” she explained. “Someone called me the other day and said, ‘Bernice, I love to talk to you because you understand. Even my immediate family members … they just don’t get it. But you get it.’
“Unless you’re dealing directly with someone who is mentally ill, people just don’t get it,” she went on. “They don’t understand mental illness, and there is such a stigma; I wanted to fight against stigma, I wanted to help educate families of people with mental illness, and I wanted to advocate for people with mental illness.”
She has, and she still does.
Giving Voice
Drumheller recalls being reluctant to take on the role of president of NAMI back in 2007, when she was first asked. There was a lot to the position, and she was working full-time in insurance.
But she eventually acquiesced and would then stay 12 years in that role, the longest tenure of any president. She said she was helped by a strong board and her years of experience as a family-to family teacher, which provided her real insight into the problems being experienced by families — problems she could articulate to constituencies ranging from elected officials who set budgets to the many agencies in this region and beyond that serve the mentally ill and their families.
But it was her drive to fulfill her mission that drove her as she helped carry out NAMI’s broad mission, focused on advocacy, raising awareness about mental illness, education, listening, and leading.
During her tenure, she did a lot of speaking to many different groups, from first responders to student nurses; from senior citizens (about seasonal affective disorder, among other things) to elected leaders in Boston.
“Every year, we had an advocacy day at the state level, and I would go and talk with members of the Legislature about mental illness and the bills that were pending,” she explained. “And I spoke at schools about the importance of trying to spot symptoms in children.”
She also spoke at Smith & Wesson about gun violence and how those with mental illness are far more likely to be the victims of shootings than the perpetrators of gun violence.
And while she doesn’t speak as much as she used to, she continues to volunteer, raise money for NAMI, serve as a family support-group facilitator, and, in general, stress that this work is ongoing.
Indeed, while progress has been made on some fronts, many needs are not being met.
“Even today, there’s still problems with families getting the help they need to cope, and also for the person with the illness,” she explained. “It’s very, very difficult to get resources for them; there are not enough clinicians, and the ones we have don’t get paid enough.”
Meanwhile, the pandemic has exacerbated what already was a mental-health crisis in this country.
“COVID caused a lot of isolation, and that leads to depression,” she said. “We’re social beings, and we couldn’t really socialize like we did, and this led to a lot of problems. And now, we have to fix this; we have to fix all these kids who are suffering from anxiety.”
As for her own son, Drumheller said Mark is doing well these days.
He’s not able to work, because he has a hard time focusing, she noted, but he lives independently, loves music, and takes part in several programs aimed at helping him contribute to the community.
His story is not unique except that it helped to inspire what his mother called a mission, one that she would carry out for the rest of her life.
Not only has she done that, she has inspired others to join her in that mission, while also making continuous strides in combating stigma and improving quality of life for those with mental illness and their families.
In short, Mark helped give the region a Healthcare Hero. And everyone should be thankful.
Community Spotlight
Shakespeare & Company’s 33-acre campus in Lenox is open to the public for picnics and exploration of its grounds.
Becky Piccolo says the Olde Heritage Tavern is the ‘Cheers’ of Lenox.
It’s a place where … well, most everyone knows your name. Indeed, while it’s a popular hangout for locals, those in town for a concert at Tanglewood, a play at Shakespeare & Company, or a massage at one of the spas might well stop in for a burger and a brew as well.
“It’s a gathering place for all the locals,” she said of the tavern, which has been called both a second home for area residents and a home away from home. “It’s really a big family and a big part of the community; it’s way more than just a bar.”
Piccolo and her sister, Rachel, have been managing the tavern for more than 20 years now, but through a series of transactions and changes in ownership, including a time when the U.S. government took possession (we’ll get into all that later), they can now call the establishment theirs.
“The Airbnb phenomenon has certainly impacted us, as it has almost every community in the States and overseas as well. A lot of the modest homes have been purchased by owner/investors that have crowded out the younger families and empty-nest households perhaps looking to downsize to more modest homes.”
And when asked what might change with this latest change in ownership, Piccolo was proud to say, “nothing, really — we’re just going to keep doing what we’ve always done.”
This is certainly good news for the town and its business community, and this change of ownership at the tavern is just one of many developing stories in this community of 5,000 people that is perhaps the tourist mecca in a region built largely on tourism.
Other stories include, on the municipal side, movement toward a new public-safety facility and new wastewater treatment plant, and, perhaps most importantly, steps forward in the development of two new housing projects, which will, according to Select Board member Marybeth Mitts, make a meaningful dent in what has become a serious shortage of affordable housing.
That’s a problem common to communities of all sizes and across Western Mass., said Mitts, adding that it is perhaps even more acute in Lenox because of its wealth of tourism and wellness facilities and an accompanying trend that has seen many properties in — or close to — the ‘affordable’ category converted to Airbnbs.
“The Airbnb phenomenon has certainly impacted us, as it has almost every community in the States and overseas as well,” she noted. “A lot of the modest homes have been purchased by owner/investors that have crowded out the younger families and empty-nest households perhaps looking to downsize to more modest homes.”
Lenox at a glance
Year Incorporated: 1767
Population: 5,095
Area: 21.7 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $9.07
Commercial Tax Rate: $12.85
Median Household Income: $85,581
Median Family Income: $111,413
Type of Government: Select Board, Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Canyon Ranch, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Kimball Farms
* Latest information available
This development, and the overall lack of affordable housing, has many side effects and has made it even more difficult for the town’s rich stock of restaurants and tourist attractions to find enough help, said Mitts, adding that many restaurants are able to open maybe five days a week instead or six or seven because of staffing issues.
“It has impacted the ability of our village shops and eateries to have the summer staffs that they’ve enjoyed the past several decades,” Mitts explained. “Kids grow up, and they start busing in the restaurants and working in the local retail establishments in the summertime to help with seasonal employment needs. And now, those kids are becoming fewer and far between, and it’s harder for those restaurants to be open seven days a week in the summer because they just don’t have the staff.”
The two new housing projects — a 65-unit, mixed-income development that should break ground in the next 90 days, and a 68-unit project in the earlier stages of development — should bring some relief, but more new housing is needed.
Meanwhile, on the business side, Lenox continues the process of making a full recovery from COVID. The pandemic obviously hit this community hard, and in the years immediately after the height of COVID, when people could go back out and do things, many took their time getting back into that rhythm.
But Piccolo said the town is primed for a big year in 2024.
“Lenox has been hopping; last year was a great year, and Tanglewood’s lineup for this year looks even better,” she said. “I think this summer is going to be a record-breaking summer.”
Jaclyn Stevenson, director of Marketing & Communications for Shakespeare & Company, was similarly optimistic.
A member of the Lenox Cultural District, she said the community’s many attractions are working together — perhaps more than ever before — to promote the sum of all that’s going on (the busy season started Memorial Day weekend, builds through the summer, and peaks in August) and generate some intrigue.
“The cultural organizations in Lenox, including some of the retail spaces, have been working together more than they have in previous years,” she said, citing as reasons everything from the pandemic to turnover, both in Town Hall and in those retail spaces. “That spirit of collaboration is starting to come back.”
For this, the latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest turns its lens on Lenox, a community that continues to build on its long legacy of being a true destination community.
At Home with the Idea
Mitts isn’t from Lenox — she was born in Hartford, Conn. and subsequently lived in many different places, from Washington, D.C. to Detroit to Manchester, Conn., and then back to West Hartford — but came to this picturesque community just south of Pittsfield in 2001 and has raised a family here.
While doing so, she’s made a point of getting involved. Indeed, in addition to serving on the Select Board, she’s been involved with the Cultural Council and was, until recently, chair of the Affordable Housing Trust, and is currently running for state representative as an independent.
Marybeth Mitts
“We have a pretty robust rooms and meals tax here in town that keeps us very well-situated so that we can maintain a consistently conservative tax rate.”
She said the town’s business community is top-heavy with tourism and wellness institutions, including anchors such as Canyon Ranch; the Miraval Berkshires Resort & Spa (formerly Cranwell Resort); the Mount (Edith Wharton’s home); Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra; the Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary; Shakespeare & Company; and many others.
“We have a pretty robust rooms and meals tax here in town that keeps us very well-situated so that we can maintain a consistently conservative tax rate,” Mitts noted. “We’re able to stick to the Proposition 2½ restrictions, and we’ve never had to go for an override; we’re not anywhere near our tax limit.”
This strong fiscal balance sheet will be a real asset as the town faces some needed infrastructure projects, she said, starting with a new, $25 million public-safety facility she described as “hugely necessary.”
“That’s because our Police Department is located in the basement of our town hall, and our fire trucks constantly have to be modified to fit our inadequate and tiny fire station,” she said, adding that a new facility that will bring both departments together will be built at the corner of Housatonic Street and Route 7, a somewhat central location outside the village center.
Also planned is a new wastewater-treatment plant, she said, adding that this project, with a projected $40 million price tag, is due to commence over the next 12 to 18 months.
Another huge issue for the community is housing, Mitts said, adding that there was already a shortage before the Airbnb crush made things considerably worse.
Indeed, she said many modestly priced smaller homes and also several multi-family homes have been converted into Airbnbs.
“Some of the two- and four-unit homes that had either smaller families in them or people who want to stay in town but don’t have large families anymore have been converted to Airbnbs,” she said. “I know specifically of the case of a fourplex that was purchased; there were two small families and two individuals who were living in apartments in this fourplex, and they were essentially evicted so that this person could rehab it and turn it four Airbnbs and charge $3,000 a month for those units.
“One of those individuals was someone who worked in the arts in town and was able to affordably live in town and maintain their livelihood,” she went on. “But now, the need to pay an additional amount of rent and try to find an affordable rental unit … it’s become difficult to impossible, and other people who were essentially evicted and had children in the school district were now looking for places to live so their children could stay in the school district, and I believe one of them wound up living with their mother in another town because they couldn’t find a place to live.”
There are many similar stories, Mitts said, adding that the planned new housing developments — that 65-unit project, to be called Brushwood Farms, and the 68-unit complex currently working its way through the funding and approval processes — may enable more young families to come to Lenox and more empty nesters to stay.
“If that project gets approved, we’ll be adding 133 units to our affordable rental housing stock,” she said, adding that eight of the Brushwood Farms units will be for families, with three bedrooms, in addition to 28 two-bedroom units and the rest with one bedroom.
Bar None
Tracing her long history at the Olde Heritage Tavern, Becky Piccolo said she has managed it for several different owners.
That includes John McNinch, who acquired it in 2000 and later sold it to FTX digital bitcoin magnate Ryan Salame, who would eventually enter guilty pleas on two criminal counts — making an estimated $24 million in unlawful political contributions and conspiring to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business.
As fallout from those charges, the U.S. Marshals Service took possession of the 12 Housatonic St. property, as well as some other properties Salame owned in Lenox, and Piccolo essentially managed the tavern for the federal government while it arranged an auction.
“We’re operating normally; it’s business as usual, the staff is happy, so it’s ‘keep on trucking’ here,” she told the Berkshire Eagle the day after the U.S. Marshals Service took possession.
And those same sentiments apply today, after Annie Selke, serial entrepreneur and founder of the Annie Selke Companies, prevailed at that aforementioned auction in April and in turn sold the tavern to the Piccolo sisters.
Indeed, when asked what it felt like to own the landmark instead of managing it for someone else, including the government, Piccolo said, “I run it the same. It’s just kind of like who I am; I’ve been here for so long.
“It’s a huge part of my life, and it continues,” she went on. “It’s like nothing changes; it’s like I never skipped a beat.”
Elaborating on what she said earlier, Piccolo said she is planning just a few small changes, but is largely invoking the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ philosophy, and in most all respects, the tavern isn’t broken.
Instead, it has grown from being purely a place for locals — a dive bar, by many accounts — to a destination for those coming to Lenox to take in its many attractions.
That list includes Shakespeare & Company, which has an intriguing season planned for 2024. It includes a few traditional Shakespeare plays — The Comedy of Errors and The Winter’s Tale (in this case, an ‘enhanced reading.’ But it also features other offerings, including a world premiere of The Islanders, starting July 25; a regional premiere of Flight of the Monarch, described as a “darkly comic play that explores how siblings’ lives are intertwined”; the world premiere of Three Tall Persian Women, a “comedic and touching play about generational differences, grief, control, and learning to let go, but more than anything it’s a love story to immigrant mothers”; and Shake It Up: A Shakespeare Cabaret.
That eclectic lineup is part of what should be another summer and early fall of building more momentum in Lenox, said Stevenson, who returned to that notion of collaboration among the tourism institutions at this pivotal time for the community.
“We do a lot of art walks, art weeks, and music; Lenox loves music. These are things that happen year-round and are held at different locations, different venues, year to year,” she said, adding that Shakespeare & Company recently staged a Community Day (an open house of sorts with events that also showcased area nonprofits), and other venues have staged similar gatherings.
Collectively, they build not only awareness, but a sense of community, hence the name, said Stevenson, adding that the cultural district works to call attention to all different kinds of artists, promote diversity in the arts, and, in general, celebrate and promote the community’s rich inventory of restaurants and things to do.
Hot Times Ahead
Summertime is a great time to get away, but in Western Mass., it’s also a great time to stick around and enjoy the many events on the calendar. Whether you’re craving fair food or craft beer, live music or arts and crafts, historical experiences or small-town pride, or sports ranging from baseball and 3-on-3 basketball to motocross and boat racing, the region boasts plenty of ways to celebrate the summer months. Admittedly, the following 20 events only scratch the surface, so we encourage you to get out and explore everything else that makes summer in Western Mass. a memorable time.
Valley Blue Sox
Valley Blue Sox
MacKenzie Stadium, 500 Beech St., Holyoke
valleybluesox.pointstreaksites.com/view/valleybluesox
Admission: $7; 12 games, $59; season tickets, $99
Now through July 30: Western Mass. residents don’t have to trek to Boston to catch quality baseball. The Valley Blue Sox, two-time champions of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, play the home half of their 44-game schedule close to home at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke. Frequent promotional events like postgame fireworks and giveaways help make every game a fun, affordable event for the whole family.
Westfield Starfires
Bullens Field, 181 Notre Dame St., Westfield
Admission: $10; 20 games, $99; season tickets, $140
Now through Aug. 4: Still can’t get enough baseball? Celebrating their sixth season of action, the Starfires, a member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England, play a slightly longer schedule (56 games) than the Blue Sox. The team plays at Bullens Field in a city with a rich baseball history, and peppers its games with plenty of local flavor and fan experiences.
Juneteenth Jubilee
Juneteenth Jubilee
Downtown Springfield
facebook.com/juneteenthspfldma2023
Admission: Free
June 14-15: Juneteenth is a federal holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the U.S. two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Juneteenth in Springfield will celebrate this holiday with two days of activities, including a flag raising at the Black Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Mason Square and an adult block party at Level 5 restaurant on June 14, and a family fun day featuring music, kids’ activities, youth and business award presentationsl, complimentary food from Black-owned restaurants, and more.
Worthy Craft Beer Showcase
201 Worthington St., Springfield
Admission: $50
June 15: Smith’s Billiards and Theodores’ Booze, Blues & BBQ, both in the city’s entertainment district, will host more than two dozen breweries at an event that also features live music and plenty of food. The event will also feature a home-brew contest; Loophole Brewing will make the winner’s beer and serve it at next year’s Brew Fest. Designated drivers pay reduced admission of $10.
Green River Festival
One College Dr., Greenfield
Admission: One-day passes, $79.99 to $89.99; two-day passes, $145; weekend passes, $99.99 for teens, $199.99 for adults
June 21-23: For one weekend every summer, Franklin County Fairgrounds hosts a high-energy celebration of music; local food, beer, and wine; handmade crafts; and games and activities for families and children — all topped off with hot-air-balloon launches and a Saturday-evening ‘balloon glow.’ The music is continuous on three stages, with 48 bands slated to perform, headlined by Cake on Friday, Fleet Foxes on Saturday, and Gregory Alan Isakov on Sunday.
Hooplandia
Eastern States Exposition and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Admission: Free for spectators
June 21-23: For the second straight year, Hooplandia, the Northeast’s biggest 3-on-3 basketball tournament, will be hosted by Eastern States Exposition (ESE) and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The event takes place on the ESE grounds, with youth championship games held at the Hall of Fame. Seventy-five basketball courts will be set up to accommodate more than 650 games played by approximately 2,100 participants of all ages. Divisions have been created to provide an all-inclusive environment for players of all ages and playing abilities, including young girls, boys, women, men, high-school-level, college-level, OGs, veterans, and more.
Municipal Fireworks
Admission: Free
June and July: Western Mass. communities will host numerous fireworks events around the Fourth of July this year. Sites include Look Memorial Park, Northampton, June 22; Holyoke Community College, June 28; Westfield Middle School, June 29; UMass Amherst McGuirk Stadium, July 2; Smith Middle School, South Hadley, July 3; Franklin County Fairgrounds, Greenfield, July 4; Six Flags New England, Agawam, July 4-6; Riverfront Park, Springfield, July 4; and Beacon Field, Greenfield, July 6.
Southwick AMA Pro Motocross National
The Wick 338, 46 Powder Mill Road, Southwick
Admission: $35-$435
June 29: The Southwick National at the Wick 338 is round 5 of the 2024 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Gates open at 7 a.m., and ticket prices span a wide range of viewing opportunities, from general admission to a ‘preferred viewing island’ in the center of the track to multiple VIP locations offering spectacular views, tented seating, a live monitor feed, lunch, and private adult-beverage bars and facilities.
Monson Summerfest
Main Street, Monson
Admission: Free
July 4: In 1979, a group of parishioners from the town’s Methodist church wanted to start an Independence Day celebration focused on family and community, The first Summerfest featured food, games, and fun activities. With the addition of a parade, along with booths, bands, rides, and activities, the event has evolved into an attraction drawing more than 10,000 people every year. This year’s parade steps off at 10 a.m. on Main Street, followed by activities, music, and a beer garden later in the day.
Berkshires Arts Festival
380 State Road, Great Barrington
Admission: $14; weekend pass, $16; students, $7; under 10, free
July 5-7: Ski Butternut plays host to the Berkshires Arts Festival, a regional tradition for more than two decades. Thousands of art lovers and collectors are expected to stop by to check out and purchase the creations of 200 jury-selected artists and designers from across the country, in both outdoor and air-conditioned indoor exhibition spaces. The family-friendly event also features demonstrations, food, and live music.
Brimfield Outdoor Antiques Show
Route 20, Brimfield
www.brimfieldantiquefleamarket.com
Admission: Free
July 9-14, Sept. 3-8: After expanding steadily through the decades, the Brimfield Antique Show now encompasses six miles of Route 20 and has become a nationally known destination for people to value antiques, collectibles, and flea-market finds. Some 6,000 dealers and close to 1 million total visitors show up at the three annual, week-long events; the first was in May.
Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival
Stearns Square, Springfield
Admission: Free
July 12-13: The annual Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival descends upon Stearns Square and surrounding streets this summer, offering a festive atmosphere featuring locally and internationally acclaimed musical artists. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend. The musical lineup will be announced soon on the website.
Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival
300 North Main St., Florence
Admission: $5-$28; under 6, free
July 20: Held at Look Memorial Park, this 29th annual festival celebrating all things Scottish features bagpipes, heavy athletics, Celtic dance, drumming, vendors, historical demonstrations, musical guests, children’s events, and much more. Guests can also attend a whiskey-tasting master class ($30) where they can sample and learn the differences and complexities of single-malt scotch whiskey, as well as learning the history of the spirit and how it is made.
Springfield Dragon Boat Festival
121 West St., Springfield, MA
Admission: Free for spectators
July 20: The seventh annual Springfield Dragon Boat Festival returns to North Riverfront Park. Hosted by the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club, this family-friendly festival features the exciting sport of dragon-boat racing and will include music, performances, food, vendors, kids’ activities, and more. The festival is an ideal event for businesses and organizations looking for a team-building opportunity, and provides financial support for the Riverfront Club.
Brew at the Zoo
The Zoo in Forest Park, Springfield
Admission: $55-$75; designated drivers, $25-$35
Aug. 3: Brew at The Zoo is a fundraiser at the Zoo in Forest Park, featuring unlimited craft-beer samples from more than 15 local breweries, a home-brew competition, live music, food trucks, games, and, of course, animal interactions. The fundraiser supports the general operating costs of the more than 225 animals that call the zoo home, many of which have been deemed non-releasable by a wildlife rehabilitator for reasons relating to injury, illness, permanent disability, habituation to humans, and other factors.
Agricultural Fairs
Admission: Varies; check websites
August and September: As regional fairs go, the Big E (thebige.com), slated for Sept 13-29, is still the region’s main draw, and there’s something for everyone, whether it’s the copious fair food, livestock shows, Avenue of States houses, parades, local vendors and crafters, or live music. But the Big E isn’t the only agricultural fair on the block. The Middlefield Fair (middlefieldfair.org) kicks off the fair season on Aug. 9-11, followed by the Westfield Fair (thewestfieldfair.com) on Aug. 16-18, the Cummington Fair (cummingtonfair.com) on Aug. 22-25; the Three County Fair in Northampton (3countyfair.com) on Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, the Franklin County Fair in Greenfield (fcas.com) on Sept. 5-8, and the Belchertown Fair (belchertownfair.com) on Sept. 20-22, to name some of the larger gatherings.
Glendi
22 St. George Road, Springfield
Admission: Free
Sept. 6-8: Every year, St. George Cathedral offers thousands of visitors the best in traditional Greek foods, pastries, music, dancing, and old-fashioned Greek hospitality. In addition, the festival offers activities for children, tours of the historic St. George Cathedral and Byzantine Chapel, vendors from across the East Coast, icon workshops, movies in the Glendi Theatre, cooking demonstrations, and more.
Mattoon Arts Festival
Mattoon Street, Springfield
Admission: Free
Sept. 7-8: Now celebrating its 51st year, the Mattoon Arts Festival is the longest-running arts festival in the Pioneer Valley, featuring about 100 exhibitors, including artists that work in ceramics, fibers, glass, jewelry, painting and printmaking, photography, wood, metal, and mixed media. Food vendors and strolling musicians help to make the event a true late-summer destination.
FreshGrass Festival
1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams
Admission: Three-day pass, $64-$169
Sept. 20-22: The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is known for its musical events, and the FreshGrass festival is among the highlights, showcasing dozens of bluegrass artists and bands on four stages over three days. This year, the lineup includes Shakey Graves, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, the Devil Makes Three, Drive-By Truckers, Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda, Antonio Sanchez Trio, Steel Pulse, and more.
Old Deerfield Craft Fair
8 Memorial St., Deerfield
Admission: See website
Sep. 21-22: This award-winning show that closes out the summer tourism season has been recognized for its traditional crafts and fine-arts categories and offers a great variety of items, from furniture to pottery. And while in town, check out all of Historic Deerfield, featuring restored, 18th-century museum houses with period furnishings, demonstrations of Colonial-era trades, and a collection of Early American crafts, ceramics, furniture, textiles, and metalwork.
Email ‘Picture This’ photos with a caption and contact information to [email protected]
Centennial Celebration
In honor of turning 100, Berkshire United Way invited the community to its centennial celebration on April 10 at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. The featured speaker was Frances Jones-Sneed (pictured at left), professor emeritus of History and Political Science at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The celebration included celebratory messages from Pittsfield Mayor Peter Marchetti, U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, and United Way Worldwide CEO Angela Williams.
Frances Jones-Sneed professor emeritus of History and Political Science at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Pictured at right: Berkshire United Way team members (from left) Gretchen Weber, Emily Daunis, Pam Knisley, Tom Bernard, Karrie Buratto, Chloe Rychcik, Brenda Petell, Katherine von Haefen, and Gretchen Fairfield.
Honoring a Legacy
On May 17, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno dedicated a street in honor of John H. Murphy, the late founder of Eastern General Contractors Inc., at the corner of Berkshire Avenue and Eastland Street, a short distance from the location where Murphy housed his business for more than 50 years. This tribute recognizes Murphy’s significant impact on Springfield’s construction landscape, with numerous landmark projects attributed to his company.
Pictured, from left: Murphy’s grandson Trey Cavaan, wife Lucille Murphy, son-in-law Desmond Cavaan, and daughters Azell Cavaan and Wonderlyn Murphy.
Breaking Ground
Caolo & Bieniek Architects recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new public-safety complex in Lenox, attended by town officials, key stakeholders, and residents. With an overall budget of $25 million, this complex will house the Lenox Police, Fire, and EMS headquarters. The single-story, 21,000-square-foot facility provides much-needed space for each department’s operational needs and allows for future growth, all within a new facility designed with the architectural character of the town of Lenox.
Caolo & Bieniek Architects recently held a groundbreaking ceremony
Tom Stewart
Tom Stewart, director of Athletics and Student Engagement at Holyoke Community College (HCC), is the recipient of the 2024 George E. Killian Award of Excellence, the highest award bestowed each year by the National Junior College Athletic Assoc. (NCJAA). The award is given to those who demonstrate the ideals of volunteerism, achievement, service, leadership, and excellence. At HCC, Stewart oversees nine intercollegiate sports programs and manages the David Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation. He serves on the NJCAA board of regents as the representative for Region 21. He chairs the NJCAA Division III men’s golf committee and the NJCAA Division III women’s golf committee while also serving on the NJCAA track and field committee. During his career, HCC has hosted nine NJCAA cross country championships and a track and field championship. In 2016, he was elected second vice president for the association’s men’s division. In that role, he oversaw the complete budgetary activity of the association. He has previously served as the co-chair of the finance and budget committee. Representing 550 schools, the NJCAA is the largest athletic association for two-year colleges in the U.S. Stewart is the first recipient of the George E. Killian Award from any college in New England since it was first presented in 2006. Stewart started his career in higher education at Westfield State, where he worked for seven years as Student Activities administrator and director of intramurals and coached cross country. He was hired at HCC in 1996 as Student Activities director and became assistant athletic director in 1999 and athletic director in 2007. He now also supervises the Student Engagement department at HCC, which includes Student Activities and the Student Senate. In October, Stewart was inducted into the Westfield State University Athletics Hall of Fame. As an undergraduate there, he was a four-year member of the cross country and track and field teams. An all-conference runner in 1985 and 1987 in cross country, he won the Westfield State Invitational and was an all-New England runner in steeplechase his sophomore year. Westfield State’s cross country and track teams won conference titles all four years he was on the team.
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Tony Worden
Greenfield Cooperative Bank announced that President and CEO Tony Worden has been elected as a director of the Cooperative Banks Employee Retirement Assoc. (CBERA), a specialized organization dedicated to overseeing the retirement benefits of employees at member banks in Massachusetts. Established in 1946, the Cooperative Banks Employee Retirement Assoc. was formed to administer the pension programs for the employees of the Massachusetts cooperative bank industry. Today, CBERA serves not only cooperative banks, but all financial institutions. Worden brings a wealth of knowledge in the financial-services industry to the CBERA board. He has nearly 30 years of banking experience and has served as president of Greenfield Cooperative Bank since 2021.
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Diana Szynal, president of the Springfield Regional Chamber, was honored with induction as an honorary member into the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma AACSB Honor Society on April 25. The induction ceremony was hosted by the College of Business Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter at Western New England University (WNE). Beta Gamma Sigma is the international honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a student can receive in an AACSB-accredited business program. Szynal’s honorary induction acknowledges her professional achievements, leadership, and commitment to advancing business education. According to Sharianne Walker, dean of the WNE College of Business, Szynal was selected as an honorary inductee not only because of her rich business experience, but because she has played a pivotal role in fostering economic growth, advocating for local businesses, and supporting entrepreneurship in the Springfield region.
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John Fazzio
Pilot Precision Products, a leader in standard and custom broaching tool manufacturing, announced the elevation of John Fazzio to vice president and chief operating officer. Fazzio, who had served as the company’s chief financial officer for the past four years, earned the promotion by leading Pilot’s implementation of EPICOR Kinetic enterprise resource planning and adding smart inventory software to improve inventory management by providing closed-loop scheduling. The implementation allows for real-time order adjustments and the scheduling of more precise delivery times. Those technological advancements have also enabled the company to ensure that standard products are always available for immediate delivery, reducing lead times and improving customer service. Before joining Pilot, Fazzio held executive positions at Intermountain Electronics in Price, Utah. He earned a master’s degree in accounting from Southern Utah University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business management from Utah State University.
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Ashik Mubarak
Caolo & Bieniek Architects announced the promotion of Ashik Mubarak to an architectural staff position. This promotion comes as Ashik recently graduated from UMass with a master of architecture degree, marking a significant milestone in his career journey. He was also recipient of the second-place honor in the Metal Building Manufacturers Assoc. Student Design Competition, which sought to foster innovation in sustainable design for a marine nature center in Gloucester.
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Greenfield Cooperative Bank announced that Chelsea Depault, vice president of Commercial and Municipal Lending, has been named the recipient of the prestigious Emerging Leader Award from the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. This award recognizes outstanding individuals in the Massachusetts banking industry who demonstrate exceptional leadership potential and a commitment to serving their communities. During the PPP rollout, Depault played a pivotal role in ensuring the bank could effectively serve clients. Her quick thinking and willingness to go the extra mile, including working evenings and weekends, helped secure vital funding for many local businesses. Committed to continuous learning, she completed the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking program and earned a Wharton leadership certificate. Additionally, she actively seeks out professional-development opportunities through courses offered by the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. and the Center for Financial Training. Depault’s impact extends beyond the bank. She also volunteers with the VITA program, serves on committees, and holds treasurer positions with local organizations, as well as dedicating her time to youth sports programs.
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Siobhan Tripp
Tony Worden, president and CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank, announced that Marketing Director Siobhan Tripp has successfully completed the American Bankers Assoc. (ABA) Bank Marketing School. This intensive program, which was held April 10-19 in Atlanta, is designed to equip banking professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to develop and execute effective marketing strategies in today’s dynamic financial landscape. The program emphasizes practical application through a collaborative marketing planning case study, allowing participants to grapple with real-world scenarios and refine their marketing problem-solving abilities.
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The Greenfield Community College (GCC) nursing faculty has named Lauren Bell the third Jean Simmons Nursing Faculty Chair. Bell was chosen for her dedication to the GCC nursing program and her students. The Jean Simmons endowed chair was established in 2013 with a $1 million gift from anonymous donors. It was the first endowed faculty position at a community college in Massachusetts. Since joining the GCC nursing faculty in 2012, Bell has guided faculty through curriculum and program assessments and outcomes, a critical part of state and national accreditation processes, and she has helped her colleagues incorporate the newest style of NCLEX questions in order to better prepare students for their licensing exams. She has also served on several college committees, including student activities and professional development. She co-teaches the second-year medical-surgical courses and has led the graduating class in organizing their pinning ceremony. Bell earned her bachelor’s degree at Elmira College and her master of science degree at the University of New Hampshire. In addition to her work with GCC, she is a nurse at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in the Progressive Care unit.
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Lirianna Powers
Monson Savings Bank (MSB) recently announced the hiring of Lirianna Powers as assistant branch manager of the Ware Branch located at 136 West Main St. She will assist the branch’s manager and oversee the operation of branch functions. She aims to provide the bank’s customers with superior customer service and help them find the financial products that best suit their unique needs. Powers comes to Monson Savings Bank with eight years of experience in banking and finance. She previously worked at Florence Bank as a teller operations manager and customer service representative. In this role, she oversaw and managed her branch’s teller line, educated team members, and provided customer service while serving as a positive role model.
•••••
Former Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer was among those honored by the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA) at its annual Home for Good fundraiser and award ceremony on May 16 at WBUR CitySpace in Boston. Tyer, along with Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch and Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan, received the prestigious Canon Brian S. Kelley Public Service Award from MHSA, which recognizes individuals who are steadfast in their commitment to ending homelessness. Inaugurated as the mayor of Pittsfield for a second four-year term in January 2020, Tyer holds the distinction of being the first mayor in Pittsfield’s history to be elected to a four-year term. This past January, Tyer stepped down from office and now serves as executive director of Workforce Development and Community Education at Berkshire Community College. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, Tyer assembled the city of Pittsfield’s COVID-19 Task Force. For more than a year, a team comprised of city and school officials, law enforcement, first responders, leadership from the Sheriff’s Office, Berkshire Medical Center, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency worked to ensure that the Pittsfield community had what it needed to remain safe during this unprecedented public-health crisis.
•••••
Bulkley Richardson recently welcomed three law students to its 2024 summer associate program, which introduces law students to the inner workings of a law firm, where they will receive mentorship from lawyers ranging from firm leaders and retired judges to junior associates, gaining exposure to real-life legal matters. Johanna Huyhn is currently attending Western New England University School of Law, where she received the Best Oral Advocate Award and is a member of the National Moot Court team. She earned a bachelor’s degree cum laude in social thought and political economy from UMass Amherst. Tim Kwarcinski, a current student at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, was a University Honors Scholar at New York University, where he majored in politics. He has experience as a mental-health counselor at Holyoke Medical Center, worked at the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office in Northampton, and was a legal intern for Judge Mary Beth Ogulewicz. Cameron Reis, currently attending Western New England University School of Law, is an Oliver Wendall Holmes Scholar and member of the Law Review staff, set to step into the role of editor next academic year. He majored in criminal justice, magna cum laude, at Pace University.
Quartetto Mosso Concert
June 13: The Springfield Chamber Players will return to the Longmeadow Adult Center with a free performance by Quartetto Mosso at 6 p.m. The performance, held rain or shine, will feature violinists Ronald Gorevic and Beth Welty, violist Delores Thayer, and cellist Yoonhee Ko. Quartetto Mosso is a new Springfield Chamber Players ensemble, which made its premiere in the Berkshires last winter, before presenting a showcase performance in Springfield. The quartet will become the Springfield Chamber Players’ outreach and education performers. The Longmeadow program will include two works by African-American composers, William Grant Still and Florence Price; “Lullaby” by George Gershwin; Antonin Dvořák’s “American Quartet”; and Henry Mancini’s film music for Charade. Tickets are free, but advance reservations are required by calling (413) 565-4150, option 1. In case of rain, only a limited number of people can be accommodated indoors.
40 Under Forty Gala
June 20: BusinessWest will celebrate the 18th annual 40 Under Forty at the MassMutual Center in Springfield with fine food, music, networking, and the presentation of the class of 2024, profiled in the April 29 issue of BusinessWest and at businesswest.com. The 40 Under Forty sponsors include presenting sponsor PeoplesBank and partner sponsors the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, Live Nation, Mercedes-Benz of Springfield, and Mercy Medical Center/Trinity Health. The event will also feature the announcement of the 10th annual Alumni Achievement Award, presented by Health New England. Tickets cost $125 per person and are available at businesswest.com/40-under-forty/40underforty.
Hooplandia
June 21-23: Registration is now open for Hooplandia, the second annual 3×3 basketball tournament and festival, at www.hooplandia.com. The three-day event includes levels of play for all ages and divisions. Hooplandia launched in 2023. Taking place in the heart of Greater Springfield, the birthplace of basketball, the event is hosted by Eastern States Exposition (ESE) in West Springfield and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. Most games will be played on the ESE grounds, with special games held at the Hall of Fame. Seventy-five basketball courts will be set up to accommodate more than 650 games played by approximately 2,100 participants of all ages. Divisions of play have been created to provide an all-inclusive environment for players of all ages and playing abilities. The diverse divisions include young girls, boys, women, men, high-school-level, college-level, OGs, veterans, and more. Players are invited to build teams of four, create their own unique team name and uniforms, and register at www.hooplandia.com.
Dulye Leadership Experience Virtual Leadership Program
June 26: Dulye Leadership Experience will present a Cultur Chat titled “The Shift You Need to Make When You Become a Leader.” This free virtual program begins at noon. Prominent LinkedIn leadership voice Evan Hickok will provide tips for avoiding the biggest barriers that cause 60% of new managers to fail within the first 24 months in their role. This one-hour session is ideal for current managers and professionals seeking a future management role. Hickok has leveraged his interest in building high-performing teams into a weekly newsletter, “Lighthouse Leadership,” and content creation on LinkedIn. He has held leadership roles in engineering and manufacturing at General Electric and General Dynamics, and has designed complex systems for the U.S. Navy and served as a program manager for multi-million-dollar projects with demanding customers. Throughout his two-decade experience in major corporations, he has conducted extensive research on the differences between successful and struggling teams. He created an onboarding process for a Fortune 100 company that accelerated the productivity of more than 500 new hires by accelerating their connections. Culture Chat is a career-focused program that fosters conversations and connections with professionals from different industries and companies. The interactive program format features a mini-workshop with the expert followed by small group discussions. Reserve a virtual seat here by visiting www.eventbrite.com/e/dle-culture-chat-the-shift-you-need-to-make-when-you-become-a-leader-registration-907236798687?aff=oddtdtcreator. There is no fee to attend, thanks to the sustained sponsorship of the Dulye & Co. consulting firm.
Yidstock
July 11-14: Tickets are now on sale for Yidstock: the Festival of New Yiddish Music. Now in its 12th year, Yidstock brings the best in klezmer and new Yiddish music to the stage at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst. Highlights this year will include the Klezmatics, Frank London, Eleanor Reissa, Judy Bressler, Daniel Kahn, and many more. Concert passes are available and include admission to all concerts and the two dance workshops. Individual tickets are also available for purchase for those who can only attend for part of the weekend. This year, livestream concert passes will allow friends from afar to experience Yidstock from the comfort of their homes. These passes only include access to the seven concerts; they do not include access to talks, workshops, or the film screening. Visit yiddishbookcenter.org/yidstock for more information and to purchase tickets.
Party for a Purpose
Sept. 19: With the goal of making sure Square One’s children have a new, state-of-the-art, outdoor learning and playspace, Friends on a Mission will host its annual Party for a Purpose to raise funds for the playground project at Square One’s Tommie Johnson Child & Family Center in Springfield. Now in its second year, Friends on a Mission started with a trio of friends — Bob Perry, Walter Tomala, and the late Jenn Schimmel — who set out to spend time together while giving back to the community. Their inaugural event held last fall raised more than $38,000 for Make-A-Wish of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. With early sponsorship support from PeoplesBank and Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C., this year’s Party for a Purpose, featuring cocktails, food, and festivities, will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Delaney House in Holyoke. Interested sponsors should contact Perry at (413) 530-3787. For tickets, visit www.startatsquareone.org.
Gagne Wealth Management Group Announces Expansion
GREENFIELD — Gagne Wealth Management Group is expanding its footprint with the addition of two financial advisors, three employees, and an expansion that will double its office location at 238 Main St. in Greenfield. The advising firm, which offers comprehensive estate and income planning, retirement solutions, and investment services, has served Franklin County since 2006. The acquisition will expand the reach of Gagne Wealth Management, an affiliate of Northwestern Mutual, and comes after Forbes magazine named Gagne Wealth Management to its Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list for the third consecutive year. Dave Bonomi, Tad Malek, Sam Smith, Jenn Hoffman, and Lane Simmons have joined the team, nearly doubling its size. Gagne said the expansion will not only allow the firm to continue to grow in supporting its clients, but also provide significant local revenue to continue its support of local commerce and nonprofits.
Springfield Rotary Partners with Dress for Success on Program to Empower Women
SPRINGFIELD — This year, the Springfield Rotary Club, in partnership with Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, recently launched an initiative aimed at empowering women entering the workforce with essential financial skills and strategies. Spearheaded by Flavia McCaughey, vice president of the FR Investment Group and a Springfield Rotarian, the program addressed the unique challenges faced by these women. Under McCaughey’s guidance, participating women underwent an education program designed to equip them with financial literacy and long-term planning tools. Following the sessions, they had the option to consult with a financial advisor of their choice and apply for a Rotary grant to kickstart their financial journey. Four women received grants of $300 each. Many of the program’s attendees were single parents, for whom this initiative represented a crucial stepping stone toward securing their financial future. Funding for this program was made possible through the support of a district Rotary grant. The initiative culminated in a panel discussion held at White Lion Brewing in Springfield, centered on fostering support networks and promoting financial empowerment. Looking ahead, both the Springfield Rotary and Dress for Success look to expand upon this initiative in the coming year, further extending its reach and impact within the community.
Eversource Launches 2024 Main Streets Program
SPRINGFIELD — As part of its ongoing commitment to helping customers across the Commonwealth take control of their own energy use with optimized solutions, Eversource announced it will bring its successful Main Streets program to more than 40 Massachusetts communities in 2024. Through Main Streets, sponsors of Mass Save, including Eversource, partner with municipalities to connect small-business owners with approved contractors that offer no-cost energy assessments to discuss upgrades that lower energy use and reduce costs. Evolving from a small, Eversource-only initiative, Main Streets has continued to grow over the years, with more than half of all planned events in communities across the Commonwealth in 2024 in collaboration with other sponsors of Mass Save, including several events outside the Eversource service territory organized solely by other sponsors. Through Main Streets, customers have saved on average nearly 13 million kWh per year — equivalent to the greenhouse-gas emissions saved from recycling over 3,000 tons of waste — as well as more than 100,000 therms of natural-gas savings annually. This year, Eversource will continue building on that success through close collaboration with local community partners, multilingual marketing efforts, and language support at in-person events.
Thunderbirds Raise $40,000 for Rays of Hope
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Thunderbirds announced a donation of $40,000 to Rays of Hope thanks to proceeds from the live jersey auction during the T-Birds’ seventh annual Pink in the Rink game on March 9. Thunderbirds President Nathan Costa and Vice President of Sales & Strategy Todd McDonald presented a check to Rays of Hope earlier this spring inside the MassMutual Center. This year’s Pink in the Rink game, as has become tradition, set new records for total funds generated, and fans at the MassMutual Center came out in full force with a seventh straight Pink in the Rink sellout crowd of 6,793. Established in T-Birds’ inaugural season in 2016-17, Pink in the Rink celebrates the commencement of Rays of Hope fundraising efforts each March to shine a light on breast-cancer awareness outside the traditional October awareness month. Every year, the fundraising efforts culminate in the annual Rays of Hope Walk & Run Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer in October in Springfield. Since the establishment of this staple night, the Thunderbirds have generated more than $140,000 for the Rays of Hope Foundation, all of which stays local in Western Mass. in pursuit of a cure. Since its inception in 1994, Rays of Hope has raised more than $17.2 million to support women and men living in Western Mass. touched by breast cancer. Funds also support vital research at the Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research. This year’s Rays of Hope Walk & Run Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer will be held on Sunday, Oct. 27.
Hampden County Chambers Unite to Support Food Bank
CHICOPEE — The East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, West of the River Chamber of Commerce, Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce, Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, and Springfield Regional Chamber all came together on March 27 to support the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. The event, which took place at the new Food Bank headquarters in Chicopee, was an evening of networking showcasing the new building to the community while giving area chamber members the opportunity to meet for a good cause. The event raised $10,863 and 1,400 pounds of food, which will provide more than 30,000 meals to local people in need. Event sponsors included Baystate Health, Country Bank, KNF&T, the Latino Economic Development Center, PeoplesBank, Westfield Gas & Electric, Andrews Associates, Comcast, Commercial Distributing, the Employers Assoc. of New England, the Markens Group, Polish National Credit Union, Blaze Express, the Center for EcoTechnology, Development Associates, Florence Bank, Greenfield Cooperative Bank, Holiday Inn Ludlow, Holyoke Gas & Electric, MassHire Holyoke, and Park Square Realty.
Girls Inc. of the Valley Receives $80,000 for STRIVE Program
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced $480,000 in grant funding to six community-based organizations for the Successful Teens: Relationship, Identity, and Values Education (STRIVE) program. STRIVE is a DPH initiative that teaches youth (ages 10-15) personal responsibility, leadership skills, and healthy decision making, while preventing future youth risk behaviors. One of the grant recipients is based in Western Mass.: Girls Inc. of the Valley in Holyoke. The others are the Boys and Girls Club of South Boston, Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, the Edinburg Center in Bedford, Girls Inc. of Lynn, and Lowell Community Health Center. Each of the six organizations will receive $80,000 to increase youth connections to caring and trusted adults in their communities; increase protective factors for youth, such as school and community engagement; increase internal and external developmental assets, such as caring and honesty, positive peer influence, and community support; decrease risky youth behavior in later teenage years; and increase educational and economic opportunities through greater connection to community resources, increased school connectedness, and positive internal and external developmental assets. The STRIVE program aims to reach kids early in adolescence to promote healthy choices and maximize life opportunities, instilling the skills needed to thrive in high school and beyond. Grantees are expected to focus on one of three priority populations: youth who identify as Black or Hispanic; LGBTQ+ youth, or youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
Rachel’s Table Receives $30,000 from Antonacci Family Foundation
SPRINGFIELD — Rachel’s Table of Western Massachusetts announced a $30,000 donation from the Antonacci Family Foundation to support the organization’s refrigerated van delivery program. Both organizations celebrated the announcement with an event in Springfield to unveil the addition of the foundation’s name to the van. Since the inception of the refrigerated van in October 2022, more than 1.1 million pounds of healthy food has been distributed to agencies and individuals across Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties by Rachel’s Table. The van has enabled Rachel’s Table to deliver perishable and nutrient-dense items like meat, milk, and cheese more frequently and more equitably in greater quantities across its service area. This donation will help further expand its reach by providing funding to support staffing, maintenance, and fuel for the van. Each month, the refrigerated van delivers more than $100,000 worth of nutritious meat. The van helped double Rachel’s Table’s distribution of primarily meat, dairy, and produce. In 2023 alone, the organization gleaned and donated 71% more farm-fresh produce to more than 90 recipient partners and agencies, adding 19 more food donors and seven more agencies throughout three Western Mass. counties. Fifty percent of those agencies are not served by other food-access programs.
The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties and are the latest available. They are listed by community.
CHICOPEE
Alex Ortiz Foundation Corp., 42 Florence St., Chicopee, MA 01013. Jean Vance, same. Foundation established to uplift the lives of underprivileged children by providing them with the opportunity to engage in organized youth sports that they otherwise could not because of financial limitations.
Beth’s Real Estate Inc., 34 Deane St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Beth Hernandez, same. Real estate.
DALTON
Krafty Khaos Life Inc., 33 John St., Dalton, MA 01226. Kiley Delisle, same. Craft and gift items.
EASTHAMPTON
Luthier’s Guitar Shop Inc., 108 Cottage St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Steven Baer, same. Buys, sells, trades, and repairs all types of fretted stringed instruments and related gear, and also offers lessons and workshops.
FLORENCE
Pioneer Valley Shadowcasting Arts Inc., 14 Nonotuck St., Florence, MA 01062. Sylvia Peterson, 46 Saint Jacques Ave., Chicopee, MA 01020. Promotes, preserves, and facilitates shadowcasting as an art form and promotes engagement in and appreciation of the performing arts more generally.
HOLYOKE
The Black Horse Trust Inc., 134 Madison Ave., Holyoke, MA 01040. Timothy Deshaies,
661 West Cherry St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Nonprofit organization established to support and assist the Therapeutic Equestrian Center Inc. in its charitable mission by providing supplemental funding for programs and services.
MONTAGUE
Dodge Lawncare and Landscaping Inc., 248 Turners Falls Road, Montague, MA 01351. Todd Dodge, same. Lawncare and landscaping services.
NORTH ADAMS
J.S. Bopp Real Estate Corp., 1575 Mass Ave., North Adams, MA 01247. Jasper Bopp, same. Real-estate holding company.
PITTSFIELD
Fiv Realty Co., 82 Wendell Avenue, Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Nazar Kalayji, same. Real-estate brokerage.
NYB Ventures Group Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Kenneth Simmons, same. Trucking logistics.
Upstreet Comeback Group Inc., 45 South Merriam St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Erica Shrader, same. Re-engages and restores communities through social engagement, including fostering community connections and revitalizing public spaces.
SOUTH HADLEY
SW Transportation Inc., 88 Granby Road, South Hadley, MA 01075. Francesco Albano, same. Transportation of commercial vehicles.
SPRINGFIELD
College Streets Defense Fund Inc., 1030 Worthington St., Springfield, MA 01109. Charlie Holmes, 59 Carew Ter., Springfield, MA 01104. To promote the interests of the college-streets section of the the McKnight district of Springfield, particularly with regard to its equitable participation in historic-preservation programs.
Xlannes Logistics Inc., 1690 Boston Road, #1129, Springfield, MA 01129. Thiago Sousa, same. Logistics, transportation, cargo van, and general freight.
WEST SPRINGFIELD
PVP Transport Inc., 116 Prospect Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Vitaliy Reznichenko, same. Transportation services.
H2H Vets Inc., 129 Lancaster Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Michele Freeman, same. Equine therapeutic activities for veterans.
WILLIAMSTOWN
213 Ventures Corp., 100 Spring St., Williamstown, MA 01267. Jamal Stockton, 395 Oblong Road, Williamstown, MA 01267. Cafe and bakery shop.
Museum of Tibetan Art & Culture USA Inc., 15 Candlewood Dr., Williamstown, MA 01267. Tashi Norbu, 11708 Sage Blvd., Alachua, FL 32615. Charitable organization created to allow more extensive collaboration and sponsorship of the cultural, artistic, and religious international connections of the Tibetan diaspora.
The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the month of May 2024.
PITTSFIELD
American Auto Detailing
36 Division St.
Thomas Johnson
America Runs on Duncanson
46 Parker St.
James Duncanson
Chinadoll Exclusive Designs
21 Pleasant St.
Falana Grandson
CSARCH
75 North St.
Collins & Scoville Architecture Engineering Construction Management, P.C.
Customer Care Direct
82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100
Gold Key Warranty LLC
The Glow Lounge
5 Cheshire Road
Alyssa Lapointe
Kaykurls
5 Cheshire Road
Kiana Medina
The Kingdom of Christ
32 King St.
Stacia Wright
Law Office of Robert D. Sullivan Jr., Esq.
1 West St.
Robert Sullivan Jr.
Mavis Discount Tire #66
868 Dalton Ave.
David Sorbaro
Phil Webster Design
49 Jason St.
Phillip Webster
Polished by Paula
157 Maple Grove Dr.
Paula Mlynarski
Ribco Supply
537 Dalton Ave.
R.I. Baker Co. Inc.
ServiceNet’s Prospect Meadow Farm Berkshires
717 Crane Ave.
Allison LaClair
Stunning by Amma
5 Cheshire Road
Amba Blaisdell Kirkpatrick
T&N Creations
5 Cheshire Road
Terena Adams
Upside 413
1 Fenn St.
Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority
Walgreens #17226
501 North St.
Walgreens Eastern Co. Inc.
Walgreens #17637
180 Elm St., Suite J
Walgreens Eastern Co. Inc.
Walgreens #18122
37 Cheshire Road
Walgreens Eastern Co. Inc.
SOUTH HADLEY
Porcupine Design & Productions
366 Granby Road
Tamara Thompson
SNG786 Transportation LLC
510 New Ludlow Road
SNG786 Transportation LLC
South Paw Animal Care
79 Lyman St.
NVA Westover Veterinary Management Inc.
Tan & Shears Hair Salon
439 Granby Road
Kim Marino
WESTFIELD
Agilinno Software
53 Michael Dr.
Mark Valcourt
ATI Physical Therapy of Western Massachusetts
65 Springfield Road, Suite 6
Performance Rehabilitation of Western Massachusetts
Deacon Machine Works
126 Miller St.
Matthew Deacon
Elegance Tile
1670 East Mountain Road
Fiodor Artin
Luxe Lawns and Landscaping
133 Old County Road
Robert Waleter III
Power TKD
1251 East Mountain Road
Jin Kwon
Wandering Waffles
24 Beverly St.
Isel Shalypin
Westfield Dental
75 Court St.
Jane Martone
The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.
Baiardi, Dean F.
107 Cedar St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Date: 05/02/2023
Barden, Scott Alan
167 South Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Date: 05/02/2023
Biathrow, Cheryl A.
78 Bridle Path Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Date: 05/02/2023
Canavan, Vincent M.
Corbett, Shannon M.
210 Meadow St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Date: 04/28/2023
Faircloth, Jennifer B.
a/k/a Faircloth, Jennifer A.
56 Old Feeding Hills Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/27/2023
Gomez, Arlette I.
97 Tyler St., Apt. 2
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Date: 05/04/2023
Hernandez, Rebecca
475 Dale St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Date: 05/04/2023
Larange, Linda J.
711 South Barre Road
Barre, MA 01005
Chapter: 13
Date: 04/28/2023
Lopez, Luis M.
77 Alexander St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/27/2023
McNamee Jr., William T.
2230 Old Turnpike Road
Oakham, MA 01068
Chapter: 13
Date: 05/01/2023
Mello, Fabiolav S.
166 Podunk Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 13
Date: 04/27/2023
Poirier, Gail H.
2085 Memorial Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/28/2023
Ransom, Michelle Marie
a/k/a O’Brien, Michelle Marie
PO Box 48
Otis, MA 01253
Chapter: 13
Date: 05/02/2023
Rivera, Yumillie
13 Victoria Park
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/28/2023
Rosado, Hector R.
90 Hillside Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/27/2023
Rose, Keith E.
664 Mt. Hermon Station Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Chapter: 7
Date: 05/03/2023
Samson, Maureen A.
20 Dorrance St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Date: 05/02/2023
Smith, Douglas W.
Viggiano-Smith, Barbara A.
29 Pineywood Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Date: 05/02/2023
Speth, Brooke A.
15 Huron St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Date: 05/05/2023
Taylor, Carl A.
34 Sumner Ave., Apt. 412
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Date: 05/04/2023
Warren, Jamual Lamar
46 Longfellow Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Date: 05/04/2023
Welch, Thomas F.
P.O. Box 1597
Warren, MA 01083
Chapter: 7
Date: 04/28/2023
Wilk, Michael L.
49 Colonial Circle, Unit C
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Date: 05/04/2023
The following real estate transactions (latest available) were compiled by Banker & Tradesman and are published as they were received. Only transactions exceeding $115,000 are listed. Buyer and seller fields contain only the first name listed on the deed.
FRANKLIN COUNTY
ASHFIELD
John Ford Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $875,000
Buyer: Trinity Estate Alliance LLC
Seller: Gale A. Bulissa
Date: 04/30/24
171 Tatro Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Nathaniel Law
Seller: Robert W. Bassett
Date: 05/06/24
BERNARDSTON
186 Bald Mountain Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Zain Naveed
Seller: Jessica L. Norman
Date: 05/07/24
COLRAIN
360 North Green River Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Alix P. Carey
Seller: Steven H. St.Clair
Date: 05/10/24
DEERFIELD
797 River Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Momaney
Seller: Brian Zamojski
Date: 04/30/24
117 Sandgully Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Deborah Rivera
Seller: Pasiecnik, Janes M., (Estate)
Date: 04/29/24
GILL
26 French King Hwy.
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Ariana Walker
Seller: Paul W. Waldron
Date: 05/03/24
20 Walnut Hill Road
Gill, MA 01376
Amount: $261,745
Buyer: Pennymac Loan Services LLC
Seller: Andrew Paige
Date: 05/10/24
GREENFIELD
636 Bernardston Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $570,000
Buyer: Zachary J. Domes
Seller: Ellen M. Berson
Date: 04/30/24
50 East Cleveland St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Marilyn Gonzalez
Seller: Ivan Urgin
Date: 05/01/24
100 Fairview St., E
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $319,000
Buyer: Arthur Morgan
Seller: Pioneer Valley Redevelopment LLC
Date: 04/30/24
12 Stanley St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Amber M. Ortiz
Seller: Sean Connors
Date: 05/09/24
83 Wisdom Way
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Christopher Storozuk
Seller: Craig Ryan
Date: 05/07/24
HEATH
103 Avery Brook Road
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Jodi Walsh
Seller: Richardo H. Emery
Date: 05/07/24
LEYDEN
209 South County Road
Leyden, MA 01301
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: James L. Muka
Seller: Michael G. Muka
Date: 05/07/24
MONROE
85 North Road
Monroe, MA 01350
Amount: $204,500
Buyer: Craig Burton
Seller: Louronne Hartley
Date: 05/10/24
MONTAGUE
8 Grant St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: John Fox
Seller: Troy Santerre
Date: 05/09/24
2 Kingsley Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Denise A. Milkey
Seller: Donna L. Dusell
Date: 05/10/24
66 Main St.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $579,000
Buyer: Dustin Spear
Seller: Cedric A. Pilard
Date: 05/01/24
89 Mormon Hollow Road
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Brian E. Foley
Seller: James F. Demers
Date: 04/30/24
477 Randall Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Kenneth R. Hubbard
Seller: Stephen J. Kosuda
Date: 05/09/24
443 Turners Falls Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Pasha Realty LLC
Seller: Juan C. Guzman
Date: 05/08/24
43 X St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Julia Morse
Seller: Saville Int.
Date: 04/30/24
ORANGE
45 Oaklawn Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Francisco J. Gonzalez
Seller: Michael L. Rivard
Date: 05/03/24
71 Packard Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Eric Jack
Seller: Kelley, Marlys E. (Estate)
Date: 05/07/24
14-18 Pleasant St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: David A. Boyd
Seller: Steven Hickey
Date: 05/01/24
314 South Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: William A. Mitchell
Seller: Andres D. Ramirez
Date: 04/30/24
310 Walnut Hill Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Jordan W. Russell
Seller: Benjamin D. Kraner
Date: 05/08/24
SHELBURNE
66 Little Mohawk Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Matthew E. Hinkell
Seller: Marcella T. Hinkell
Date: 05/03/24
Patten Road (off)
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Allan Smith
Seller: Hitor LLC
Date: 04/29/24
416 South Shelburne Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $270,500
Buyer: Jacob A. Manners
Seller: Laura L. Manners
Date: 05/01/24
SUNDERLAND
232 North Silver Lane
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $462,500
Buyer: Jonathan M. Atkins
Seller: Ronald Page
Date: 05/03/24
125 Plumtree Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Brody Wood
Seller: Joseph P. O’Connor
Date: 05/03/24
258 Plumtree Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $188,750
Buyer: Timothy E. Mimitz
Seller: Lsrmf Mh Master Participation TR
Date: 05/09/24
WHATELY
34 Grey Oak Lane
Whately, MA 01373
Amount: $625,008
Buyer: Peter C. Uden RET
Seller: Nehring, Donna M., (Estate)
Date: 05/08/24
HAMPDEN COUNTY
AGAWAM
27 Adams St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Joshua J. Fraser
Seller: Fraser, James D., (Estate)
Date: 04/29/24
28 Carmel Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Michael A. Osowiecki
Seller: Douglas C. Johnson
Date: 04/30/24
37 Edgewater Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $341,000
Buyer: Dennis M. Lynch
Seller: Cheryl A. Barnhart
Date: 05/07/24
132 Nicole Ter.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $615,000
Buyer: Thomas Sharpe
Seller: Hillside Development Corp.
Date: 05/10/24
93 Northwood St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $438,500
Buyer: Patrick R. Inglesby
Seller: Moccio, Willliam, (Estate)
Date: 05/10/24
15 Patriot Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $527,000
Buyer: Gary W. Chirgwin
Seller: Michael J. Oleksak
Date: 04/30/24
48 Roberta Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Samuel J. Bonk
Seller: William F. Martin
Date: 05/10/24
1059 Shoemaker Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Michael A. Gruska
Seller: Albro, Frances G., (Estate)
Date: 05/10/24
764 Springfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Nova Buildings LLC
Seller: 740 & 764 Springfield St. LLC
Date: 05/10/24
Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Andri Tverdokhlib
Seller: Jhnec TR
Date: 04/30/24
305 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Mass Veterinary Services LLC
Seller: Vet Properties LLC
Date: 04/30/24
45 Zacks Way
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $700,000
Buyer: Unfolding Beauty TT
Seller: Robert E. King
Date: 04/29/24
CHESTER
11 Maple St.
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Denise Draper
Seller: Steven D. Savoy
Date: 05/09/24
CHICOPEE
190 Asselin St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Katelyn Kirby
Seller: Nathan Howell
Date: 04/30/24
125 Chateaugay St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Pah Properties LLC
Seller: Ruth E. Turcotte
Date: 04/30/24
168-1/2 East Meadow St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Kane Scrap Iron & Metal
Seller: Dutilly, David P., (Estate)
Date: 05/07/24
107 Edward St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Robert Rojowski
Seller: Jonathan S. Dean
Date: 04/30/24
71 Frink St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Eliezer Sanabria
Seller: Kristen D. Thrasher
Date: 05/09/24
2 Gardner Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: David Olczuk
Seller: Grajko, Barbara, (Estate)
Date: 04/30/24
106 Garland St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Jose Lopez
Seller: Bernash Realty LLC
Date: 04/30/24
43 Lariviere Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Shannon M. Moineau
Seller: Annemarie Begley-Gibson
Date: 04/30/24
1329 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $1,200,000
Buyer: Sevv Realty LLC
Seller: DSLP Memorial Drive LLC
Date: 05/01/24
34 Montclair St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: Zhi Q. Tan
Seller: Surprenant, Donna M., (Estate)
Date: 05/06/24
1284 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $192,178
Buyer: Stefan Pater
Seller: Keith A. Langevin
Date: 05/08/24
753 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Willard A. McKinstry
Seller: Nicole M. McKinstry
Date: 05/07/24
24 Pendleton Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Antonio D. Pitts
Seller: Skyspec LLC
Date: 04/30/24
196 Pondview Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Robert Cabana
Seller: Kathleen Higgins
Date: 05/09/24
11 Reed Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Xiumei Ye
Seller: Yekaterina A. Alekseyeva
Date: 05/03/24
20 Sanford St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $278,000
Buyer: Sha-Taisja L. Jones
Seller: Richard R. Benoit
Date: 05/03/24
115 Saratoga Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $244,000
Buyer: Stacey M. Elliot
Seller: Azusa RT
Date: 05/09/24
11 Trafton St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Ayaba Ezin
Seller: Melissa M. Leary
Date: 05/09/24
27 Walter St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Michael J. Goncalves
Seller: Gary R. Bernashe
Date: 04/30/24
50 Wheatland Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Jjj17 LLC
Seller: Florence C. Jacksen
Date: 04/30/24
EAST LONGMEADOW
33 Avery St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $356,000
Buyer: Michael P. Hearing
Seller: Agnieszka Kloskowska
Date: 04/30/24
197 Chestnut St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Lindsey M. Cole
Seller: Jahjan LLC
Date: 05/10/24
126 Gates Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Timothy D. Gillette
Seller: Trevor C. Kirk
Date: 04/29/24
139 Glynn Farms Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $926,000
Buyer: Martinson Antwi-Boasiako
Seller: Giuliano Basile
Date: 04/29/24
30 Orchard Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Erica L. Moulton
Seller: Elaine A. Songini RET
Date: 04/30/24
118 Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $408,000
Buyer: Austin Shea
Seller: Jessica M. Valadares
Date: 04/30/24
309 Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $288,921
Buyer: RCF2 Acquisition TR
Seller: Lynndia Roncarati
Date: 05/07/24
2 Pine St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $301,000
Buyer: Kristen M. Smith
Seller: Michael A. Taylor
Date: 04/29/24
622 Prospect St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Ebak Projects LLC
Seller: Doris H. Alleman
Date: 04/29/24
173 Shaker Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $1,100,000
Buyer: Shaker KM LLC
Seller: Wamhkm LLC
Date: 05/10/24
40 Shaker Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Jas Group LLC
Seller: Jet Real Estate LLC
Date: 05/08/24
540 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $1,150,000
Buyer: Maloni Family Farms LLC
Seller: Cynthia J. Normandin
Date: 05/06/24
896 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Quercus Properties LLC
Seller: National Property Services LLC
Date: 05/07/24
GRANVILLE
11 North Lane
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Lauren Lane
Seller: John W. Corrigan
Date: 04/30/24
231 Silver St.
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Joel Meissner
Seller: Eric D. Lane
Date: 04/30/24
HAMPDEN
34 Bayberry Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $409,900
Buyer: Anthony Decesare
Seller: Joshua D. Binney
Date: 04/29/24
173 Bennett Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Monica T. Medina
Seller: Christina Murphy
Date: 05/10/24
21 Martin Farms Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $418,000
Buyer: Patrick E. Raymond
Seller: John & Sara Donaruma FT
Date: 05/02/24
HOLLAND
155 Mashapaug Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Raymond Labonte
Seller: John L. Simonson
Date: 05/06/24
HOLYOKE
23 Dillon Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Patricia Gilligan
Seller: Gilligan, Elaine P., (Estate)
Date: 04/30/24
65-67 Elmwood Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $669,648
Buyer: Pah Properties LLC
Seller: Alfred I. Haberman
Date: 05/06/24
69-71 Elmwood Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $669,648
Buyer: Pah Properties LLC
Seller: Alfred I. Haberman
Date: 05/06/24
11 Hemlock Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: John P. Hanley
Seller: Aaron D. Thayer
Date: 04/30/24
39 Moss Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Kassandra M. Jean-Marie
Seller: Sarah E. St.Pierre
Date: 05/03/24
1697-1699 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Andrea Ciano
Seller: 3 Lions LLC
Date: 05/08/24
84 Oxford Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: McKenzie Brothera Realty LLC
Seller: Cascade Funding Mortgage Thb10
Date: 05/06/24
268 South St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $669,648
Buyer: Pah Properties LLC
Seller: Alfred I. Haberman
Date: 05/06/24
649 South Summer St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: Onkar Properties LLC
Seller: Grace James Realty LLC
Date: 04/29/24
104 Saint James Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Alan M. Vieu
Seller: David E. O’Brien RET
Date: 05/01/24
70 Southampton Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Servicenet Inc.
Seller: Roman Catholic Bishop
Date: 05/06/24
56 Taylor St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Erik Williams
Seller: Stephanie Saad
Date: 05/01/24
78 Vermont St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Gaelin M. Ryan
Seller: Real Jacques
Date: 05/03/24
58 Waldo St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $336,000
Buyer: Emma J. Welford
Seller: Venetia M. Guerrasio
Date: 05/07/24
267 West Franklin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Luis A. Colon
Seller: Hilda Roque
Date: 05/09/24
25 West Glen St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $669,648
Buyer: Pah Properties LLC
Seller: Alfred I. Haberman
Date: 05/06/24
53 Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Caitlyn Waddell
Seller: Karen M. Croteau
Date: 05/01/24
LONGMEADOW
36 Avondale Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $416,000
Buyer: Ryan Parker
Seller: Todd Westhaver
Date: 05/07/24
95 Dunsany Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $585,000
Buyer: Ma Dunsany LLC
Seller: Brian J. Danahey
Date: 05/02/24
19 Elizabeth Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $693,000
Buyer: Stephanie M. Gomes-Ganhao
Seller: B. J. Anzalotti-Colby Irt
Date: 05/03/24
69 Greenacre Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Stephanie K. Dimichele
Seller: Russell & Lee Faneleli LT
Date: 05/02/24
55 Knollwood Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $432,000
Buyer: Kerry Brown
Seller: Sandra M. Dibona
Date: 04/30/24
44 Lawnwood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Ryan W. Gendron
Seller: Thomas Jagodowski
Date: 05/01/24
1195 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $413,750
Buyer: Timothy R. Cejka
Seller: Alfred J. Albano
Date: 05/02/24
338 Maple Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Rachel A. Harrington
Seller: Sara Sarno
Date: 04/30/24
73 Oak Hollow Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $463,000
Buyer: Michael J. Ravesi
Seller: David E. Howland
Date: 05/09/24
41 Shaker Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Caitlin B. Thunfors
Seller: Plata O. Plomo Inc.
Date: 05/02/24
193 Wolf Swamp Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $399,000
Buyer: Michael Templeton
Seller: Ann M. Oliveri
Date: 05/10/24
33 Woolworth St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Thi P. Tran
Seller: Min H. Cho
Date: 05/03/24
LUDLOW
21-23 Birch St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Frederico Vicente
Seller: Cristiano, Clementina, (Estate)
Date: 05/08/24
1224-1226 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Nanas Nest LLC
Seller: Emilio E. Santos
Date: 05/07/24
28 Deer Hill Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Erika L. Pouliot
Seller: Jillian Bowyer
Date: 05/02/24
188 Fuller St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $1,500,000
Buyer: Greenstead Grove LP
Seller: Fuller Future LLC
Date: 05/09/24
17 Lakeview Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Vernon Peabody
Seller: Cory Batista
Date: 05/03/24
155 Lakeview Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Dianilda Rosario-Horne
Seller: Ana M. Santos
Date: 05/06/24
51 Mero St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $311,000
Buyer: Harris E. Williams
Seller: Jeremy Ladue
Date: 05/07/24
18 Southwood Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Christopher Mason
Seller: Open Meadow FT
Date: 05/10/24
17 Warren St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $287,000
Buyer: Samantha Simmons
Seller: Richard C. Powalka
Date: 05/07/24
MONSON
378 Boston Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Daniel S. Marti
Seller: T & Son Property LLC
Date: 05/02/24
19 Lakeshore Dr.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $630,000
Buyer: Ann M. Botelho
Seller: Susan B. Cohen
Date: 05/10/24
221 Main St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Monson Madness LLC
Seller: Stephen Salerno
Date: 05/08/24
16 Thayer Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Justin Walsh
Seller: Clifford, Anita D., (Estate)
Date: 05/10/24
2 Upper Palmer Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $645,000
Buyer: Zachary Martel
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 05/10/24
1 Waid Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $403,500
Buyer: Thomas J. Jagodowski
Seller: Norman Waterhouse
Date: 05/01/24
PALMER
2136 Baptist Hill Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $468,000
Buyer: Jane Belleville
Seller: Deborah S. Kelder
Date: 05/08/24
9 Crawford St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Laura L. Lacrosse
Seller: Vision Investment Rental Properties LLC
Date: 05/10/24
1045 Circle Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $358,000
Buyer: Casey Daviau
Seller: Thomas Griffiths
Date: 04/30/24
43 French Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Wilbraham Builders Inc.
Seller: Denise Monette
Date: 05/10/24
68 Jim Ash Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Erica M. Nason
Seller: Jacob P. Stokowski
Date: 04/30/24
2070 Palmer Road
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Tavernier Investments LLC
Seller: Michael A. Langone
Date: 05/03/24
1063-1065 Park St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: 1063 Park Street LLC
Seller: Stephen T. Masley
Date: 05/01/24
1422 Park St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $338,400
Buyer: Nathan W. Jensen
Seller: David A. Bren
Date: 04/30/24
160 Peterson Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $273,500
Buyer: Lance R. Lenzner
Seller: Russell N. Bergeron
Date: 05/10/24
1041 Pine St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Asley M. Rodriguez
Seller: Veteran Stan LLC
Date: 04/30/24
13 South High St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Stephen G. Fellers
Seller: David E. Granger
Date: 05/03/24
SPRINGFIELD
12-18 Acme Place
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
22-28 Acme Place
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
25-31 Acme Place
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
35-41 Acme Place
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
37-39 Ames St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $189,189
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
69-71 Ames St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $189,189
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
51-55 Baldwin St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
66 Barrison St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Robert H. Flenke
Seller: Robert G. Flenke
Date: 05/03/24
827-829 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Kevin Thai
Seller: Kalpana Gurung
Date: 05/08/24
76 Biltmore St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Chenevert Properties LLC
Seller: Daniel J. Ravish
Date: 05/01/24
739 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $4,722,707
Buyer: Bar CW Springfield LLC
Seller: Store Master Funding Xii
Date: 05/03/24
879 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Noorzad Realty LLC
Seller: Boston Road Assocs. LLC
Date: 05/02/24
175 Breckwood Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: James Gibbs
Seller: Elfrieda E. Gibbs
Date: 05/10/24
34 Brunswick St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Jenny Diaz
Seller: De Leon Holdings LLC
Date: 05/02/24
10-16 Cameron St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
11-17 Cameron St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
11-17 Cameron St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
23-29 Cameron St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
24-30 Cameron St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
89 Carroll St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Yahaira Alonso-Santiago
Seller: Sybel Gonzalez
Date: 05/01/24
169 Carver St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Rees
Seller: SH Properties LLC
Date: 05/09/24
124 Catharine St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $238,000
Buyer: Wilson M. Tamay
Seller: James C. Voltz
Date: 04/30/24
275 Chestnut St., Lot 1
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: 275 Chestnut LLC
Seller: Ymca Of Greater Springfield
Date: 05/02/24
72 Clement St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Sarah Whitlock
Seller: MAA Property LLC
Date: 04/30/24
70-72 Corona St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Peter Muiruri
Seller: Andre Cortez
Date: 05/08/24
18 Crane St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Alex Cruz
Seller: Michael J. Perez
Date: 05/07/24
66 Crystal Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Rony R. Mazariegos
Seller: Keys Upgrade LLC
Date: 05/02/24
66-68 Dearborn St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Handyflippers Inc.
Seller: Wicked Deals LLC
Date: 05/07/24
31-37 Decker Place
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
276 Dickinson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $302,500
Buyer: Joel P. Tirado
Seller: Real Estate Investments Northeast LLC
Date: 05/03/24
29 East Alvord St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Thomas Sliwa
Seller: Harriet Rossi
Date: 05/03/24
103 Emerson St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $312,500
Buyer: Alice Martinez-Balseca
Seller: Edward L. Giza
Date: 04/29/24
51 Emerson St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $336,000
Buyer: Coral Vega
Seller: Aleyssa Centeno
Date: 05/03/24
52-58 Farragut St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
67-69 Farragut St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $189,189
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
7-9 Farragut St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $189,189
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
103 Federal St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $2,215,000
Buyer: 99 Federal Street LLC
Seller: HP Rum LLC
Date: 04/30/24
27-29 Fernwold St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $189,189
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
28-30 Fernwold St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $189,189
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
42-44 Fernwold St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $189,189
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
58-60 Fernwold St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $189,190
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
122 Garnet St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: Zaid Jalil
Seller: William T. Mulrooney
Date: 05/03/24
55 Glenoak Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Christopher S. Heaney
Seller: Joshua L. Messer
Date: 04/29/24
116 Glenwood St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Brenda Villanueva
Seller: Debra M. Thornton
Date: 05/10/24
60 Grand St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $294,900
Buyer: Deolinda Andrade
Seller: Ibrahim M. Aljashaam
Date: 04/30/24
410 Grayson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Cottages By Lorraine LLC
Seller: Larry G. Croteau
Date: 05/06/24
19 Greene Place
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Joejoe Properties LLC
Seller: Naji K. Naji
Date: 04/29/24
37 Groveland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Dreamwake Homes Inc.
Seller: Hoa T. Lam
Date: 05/03/24
25 Hall St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Jose M. Garcia-Pinos
Seller: Hedge Hog Industries Corp.
Date: 05/10/24
260-262 Hancock St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Soriano Market LLC
Seller: Amalfy Reyes
Date: 05/03/24
123 Harkness Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $333,000
Buyer: Trevor C. Kirk
Seller: Kadisha Velasquez
Date: 05/09/24
269 Harkness Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Amber Sutherland
Seller: Jjj17 LLC
Date: 05/10/24
94 Holly St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Jalen Merced
Seller: Lori Arpin
Date: 05/01/24
67 Hollywood St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: CT Assets 2 LLC
Seller: Kelli L. Phillps
Date: 05/02/24
64-66 Home St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Ana D. Deleon
Seller: Michael Ribeiro
Date: 05/10/24
55-57 Horace St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Finly Turnier
Seller: Alfredo Vega
Date: 05/01/24
24 Kathleen St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Marco A. Negron-Marrero
Seller: Kerriann D. Baugh
Date: 05/01/24
152 Kensington Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $885,000
Buyer: Emtay Inc.
Seller: Spring Park Properties Inc.
Date: 05/07/24
73 Kensington Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $885,000
Buyer: Emtay Inc.
Seller: Spring Park Properties Inc.
Date: 05/07/24
37 Kenway Dr.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: GR Remodel LLC
Seller: Patricia Norman-Simpson
Date: 05/06/24
29-31 Ledyard St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Carlos Ruiz
Seller: Pontiac LLC
Date: 04/30/24
111 Magnolia Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: No Limits Assets LLC
Seller: Sinebur FT
Date: 05/06/24
1645 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Main & Taylor LLC
Seller: New England Farm Workers Council
Date: 05/03/24
54 Malcolm Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $143,617
Buyer: Alexandria K. Johnson
Seller: John B. Mason
Date: 05/03/24
91-93 Malden St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Luis E. Zambrano
Seller: Jessica L. Chiba
Date: 05/02/24
58 Maryland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: NRES LLC
Seller: Li Jin
Date: 05/08/24
94 Massachusetts Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Gary M. Troncoso
Seller: D. & M. Realty & Investments LLC
Date: 05/01/24
88-90 Melha Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Wilson Rosario
Seller: Sean Curran
Date: 05/10/24
93 Melville St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: Samuel Pantojas
Seller: John M. Martin
Date: 05/10/24
127 Millbrook Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Louisa Morris
Seller: Joejoe Properties LLC
Date: 05/03/24
27 Mortimer St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Edward C. Kennedy
Seller: Bates, Peggy Bowling, (Estate)
Date: 04/30/24
382 North Brook Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Naples Home Buyers TR
Seller: Patricia Y. Cheeks
Date: 05/08/24
21 Oak Grove Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Dorca Marquez
Seller: Beverley A. Cunningham
Date: 04/30/24
249 Oak Grove Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Jacob Montalvo
Seller: Genevieve Construction Development Group
Date: 04/29/24
283 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $885,000
Buyer: Emtay Inc.
Seller: Spring Park Properties Inc.
Date: 05/07/24
290 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $582,500
Buyer: Winners O. LLC
Seller: Spring Park Properties Inc.
Date: 05/07/24
291 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $885,000
Buyer: Emtay Inc.
Seller: Spring Park Properties Inc.
Date: 05/07/24
294 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $582,500
Buyer: Winners O. LLC
Seller: Spring Park Properties Inc.
Date: 05/07/24
298 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $582,500
Buyer: Winners O. LLC
Seller: Spring Park Properties Inc.
Date: 05/07/24
299 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $885,000
Buyer: Emtay Inc.
Seller: Spring Park Properties Inc.
Date: 05/07/24
258-260 Orange St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Rawam Ebrahim
Seller: Meg Realty LLC
Date: 04/30/24
267 Orange St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $582,500
Buyer: Winners O. LLC
Seller: Spring Park Properties Inc.
Date: 05/07/24
273 Orange St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $885,000
Buyer: Emtay Inc.
Seller: Spring Park Properties Inc.
Date: 05/07/24
52 Osgood St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $367,000
Buyer: Dierkins Anthony
Seller: Gabriel Martinez
Date: 05/10/24
453 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $180,400
Buyer: Tawnya Kopec
Seller: Enos, Thomas Arthur, (Estate)
Date: 04/29/24
63 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Javier M. Tascon
Seller: RCF 2 Acquisition TR
Date: 05/08/24
278 Pheland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Sean R. Agustynowicz
Seller: James Fiore
Date: 05/02/24
164 Phoenix Ter.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Jessica L. Burgwinkel
Seller: David Delgado
Date: 05/07/24
71-73 Price St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Yarangelis S. Aguilera
Seller: Xaver Sierra
Date: 04/30/24
30-32 Putnam Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $189,189
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
80-86 Putnam Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Cristina M. Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
88-94 Putnam Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
97-103 Putnam Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $378,378
Buyer: FCWM Enterprises LLC
Seller: Chris Goncalves
Date: 05/06/24
127-129 Ranney St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $273,000
Buyer: Marlon P. Fernandez
Seller: Spring Forth Properties LLC
Date: 05/03/24
32 Ridgewood Plce
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $1,500,000
Buyer: 26 Ridgewood LLC
Seller: Cutchins Programs
Date: 04/29/24
26 Ridgewood Ter.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $1,500,000
Buyer: 26 Ridgewood LLC
Seller: Cutchins Programs
Date: 04/29/24
195 Riverton Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Joaquina Rival
Seller: Thomas W. Sacco
Date: 05/01/24
266 Rosewell St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Mildred V. Velez Vega
Seller: Nashalie L. Delgado
Date: 04/29/24
37 Ruthven St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Angel Leon
Seller: Michelle R. Pelletier RET
Date: 05/07/24
60 Saint Lawrence Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Brightwood Properties LLC
Seller: Murphy, William F., (Estate)
Date: 05/10/24
151 Slumber Lane
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $539,900
Buyer: Hari P. Khanal
Seller: Global Homes Properties LLC
Date: 05/08/24
68 South Branch Pkwy.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $444,000
Buyer: Michael P. McCool
Seller: Nancy Winterhalter
Date: 04/29/24
19 Schuyler St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Anne M. Leutsch
Seller: Napolitano Roofing
Date: 04/30/24
75 Shamrock St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Maria F. Alban
Seller: Kristen B. Kenyon
Date: 04/30/24
142-144 Suffolk St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Malia Homebuyers LLC
Seller: Charles G. Schiff
Date: 05/09/24
333 Surrey Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $294,000
Buyer: Steven Rose
Seller: Hari Khanal
Date: 05/08/24
20 Taber St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Justin P. McKennon
Seller: June M. McKennon
Date: 05/07/24
80 Temby St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Maria M. Diaz-Gonzalez
Seller: Jesus M. Lebron
Date: 05/08/24
754 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $289,000
Buyer: Felicia Copeland
Seller: Antonio F. Basile
Date: 04/29/24
4-6 Wolcott St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Jose A. Rosario
Seller: Jose A. Pena
Date: 05/01/24
30-32 Woodside Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $369,900
Buyer: Jaqueline S. DaSilva
Seller: Edwin Mendez
Date: 04/29/24
1403 Worcester St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Marcus Navarro
Seller: Truman 2016 SC6 Title
Date: 05/07/24
29 Yale St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $185,177
Buyer: Cascade Funding Mortgage TR
Seller: Leon Yates
Date: 05/07/24
SOUTHWICK
47 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $825,000
Buyer: O’Neil Smith
Seller: Daniel Kozlov
Date: 05/10/24
9 Overlook Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $1,150,000
Buyer: Jeffrey J. Webster
Seller: Peter J. Pappas
Date: 04/30/24
5 Pine Knoll
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $492,000
Buyer: James R. Vollinger
Seller: Susan Paul
Date: 05/01/24
7 Pine Knoll
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: P. A. & Joanne F. Rocca LT
Seller: Scott J. Citro
Date: 05/01/24
20 Silvergrass Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Wendy S. Abraham 2022 TR
Seller: Hamelin Framing Inc.
Date: 04/30/24
TOLLAND
115 Covell Road
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Peter Scrivener
Seller: William N. Magni
Date: 05/09/24
WEST SPRINGFIELD
4 Althea St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $342,500
Buyer: Merigian Real Estate LLC
Seller: 1844 Riverdale LLC
Date: 05/08/24
430 Amostown Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Paul J. Herbert
Seller: Thomas J. Stark
Date: 05/08/24
485 Birnie Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Ag Brothers LLC
Seller: Bruce A. Stone
Date: 04/30/24
66 Clarence St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Vasim Shaikh
Seller: Tommy Seidell
Date: 05/03/24
45 Fairview Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $377,000
Buyer: Carlos O. Nazario
Seller: Benjamin Lopez-Rivera
Date: 05/10/24
417 Massachusetts Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $349,000
Buyer: Alexander T. Purdue
Seller: Michael R. Whelihan
Date: 05/09/24
42 Massasoit Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Mohanad M. Jumaah
Seller: Gabriel Quaglia
Date: 04/30/24
754 Morgan Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Adrian Girard
Seller: Patrick R. Inglesby
Date: 05/10/24
63 Nelson St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Courtney Cummings
Seller: Cindy S. Delgatto
Date: 05/08/24
774 Prospect Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Jonathan S. Ramirez
Seller: Ddmns Realty LLC
Date: 05/10/24
1838 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $342,500
Buyer: Merigian Real Estate LLC
Seller: 1844 Riverdale LLC
Date: 05/08/24
102 Southworth St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Manuel E. Garcia
Seller: David W. Dearden
Date: 05/09/24
147 Squassick Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Sautam Saha
Seller: Stephen G. Wilson
Date: 04/30/24
WESTFIELD
80 Broadway
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Jay R. Johnson
Seller: Sherlaw, Karen Sonja, (Estate)
Date: 05/09/24
28 Cleveland Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Claire Meiralcott
Seller: Alexander T. Liptak
Date: 05/08/24
11 Clinton Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $131,000
Buyer: Fitzgerald Home Solutions LLC
Seller: Howard, George S., (Estate)
Date: 05/10/24
3 Crawford Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Mohamed A. Fazal-Mohamed
Seller: Caroline E. McCoubrey
Date: 05/07/24
61 Dartmouth St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: Benjamin Grainger
Seller: Parsons, Darlene A., (Estate)
Date: 05/08/24
1251 East Mountain Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Power Global Inc.
Seller: Richard J. Morini LT
Date: 04/30/24
106 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $356,500
Buyer: Matthew Lambert
Seller: Kevin Beattie
Date: 05/10/24
32 Harvest Moon Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $734,000
Buyer: Sally Annasiry
Seller: Darren F. Lecrenski
Date: 04/30/24
23 Lady Slipper Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Melro Assocs. Inc.
Seller: Laura Santaniello
Date: 05/08/24
173 Llewellyn Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Jan Saj
Seller: Lynn D. Roncalli
Date: 05/10/24
209 Lockhouse Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $800,000
Buyer: DM United Realty LLC
Seller: Morais Enterprises LLC
Date: 04/29/24
589 Montgomery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Daniel Cioch
Seller: Trudy M. Weaver
Date: 05/02/24
50 North Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $416,200
Buyer: Samuel F. Provo
Seller: William M. Beattie
Date: 05/01/24
123 Old Farm Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Michael A. Raiford
Seller: Michael Seklecki
Date: 04/30/24
56 Pine St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Malia Homebuyers LLC
Seller: Scott A. Demusis
Date: 05/10/24
15 Raymond Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: James Pratt
Seller: Roy E. Frye
Date: 04/30/24
141 Western Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Matthew Lein
Seller: Sokolowski, William F., (Estate)
Date: 04/30/24
12 Woronoco Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Yelizaveta Belyakova
Seller: Thackeray FT
Date: 05/02/24
22 Woronoco Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Sky Blue Properties LLC
Seller: Frank Doshna
Date: 04/30/24
WILBRAHAM
38 Blacksmith Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $473,000
Buyer: George D. Leastman
Seller: Borys Bakum
Date: 05/03/24
57 Brainard Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Antonio Sebastiao
Seller: Thomas S. Sophinos
Date: 04/29/24
3 Jewell Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Alexa Burke
Seller: Osullivan, Cynthia E., (Estate)
Date: 05/09/24
11 Laurel Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $875,000
Buyer: Catalina O. Albornoz
Seller: Mary E. Scott
Date: 04/30/24
51 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $263,000
Buyer: Yeshiva D. Davis
Seller: W. M. Kavanagh Furniture Co.
Date: 05/02/24
131 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $341,000
Buyer: Joshua M. Seals
Seller: Randy J. Galarneau
Date: 05/06/24
1 Old Orchard Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Michael Carney
Seller: Tenerowicz, Stanley F., (Estate)
Date: 05/08/24
1 Stonegate Circle
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Cornelius W. Phillips
Seller: Usha M. Rao
Date: 05/10/24
1072 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Medeiros
Seller: M. W. RT
Date: 05/10/24
7 Sunrise Glen, Lot 7
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $521,800
Buyer: Dominic F. Ragucci
Seller: 2301 Boston Road LLC
Date: 05/03/24
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY
AMHERST
979 Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $515,000
Buyer: Eric W. Bowen
Seller: Randolph T. Lisle
Date: 05/07/24
35 Canton Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $789,000
Buyer: Galina Melman
Seller: Grant-Hansen Families RET
Date: 04/30/24
8 Cranberry Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Minsuk Cha
Seller: Keely Hartley
Date: 04/30/24
435 Henry St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $570,000
Buyer: Sheila Carel
Seller: Alexander I. Marquardt
Date: 05/03/24
41 Leverett Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $439,900
Buyer: Susan E. Morgan
Seller: SNJ Properties LLC
Date: 05/06/24
1 Poets Corner Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $588,000
Buyer: John Feffer
Seller: Honeyulyne Stavropulos
Date: 05/01/24
BELCHERTOWN
39 East Walnut St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $545,000
Buyer: Severin Travis
Seller: John P. Kennedy
Date: 05/10/24
29 Eugene Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Bandith Vorasane
Seller: Kathryn A. Kelley
Date: 05/01/24
126 Kennedy Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $432,150
Buyer: Matthew G. Mueller
Seller: Michael A. Palazzo
Date: 04/30/24
7 Old Pelham Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Jing Yang
Seller: Jason M. Carter
Date: 04/30/24
22 Raymond Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Alexander Scalfano
Seller: Tyrone Stinson
Date: 05/03/24
154 South St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $495,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Barbadoro
Seller: Craig M. Schoen
Date: 05/06/24
45 West St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: William D. Ingram
Seller: John P. Budz
Date: 04/30/24
EASTHAMPTON
26-28 Federal St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Michael D. Ginsberg
Seller: Kmak LLC
Date: 05/02/24
40-1/2 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Pettie Four LLC
Seller: 413 LLC
Date: 05/01/24
4 Liberty St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Lennox & Bennett LLC
Seller: A-Z Storage & Properties LLC
Date: 05/02/24
3 Morin Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $358,000
Buyer: Mary K. Coleman
Seller: Helen M. Davis
Date: 05/10/24
11 Plaza Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Laura Carr
Seller: Alexander N. Buendo
Date: 05/02/24
GRANBY
7 Bittersweet Lane
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $697,316
Buyer: Olivier F. Doisneau
Seller: Frank J. Szela
Date: 05/02/24
HADLEY
15 Morning Star Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $552,000
Buyer: Robert L. Bailey
Seller: Alan Vleu
Date: 05/01/24
76 North Maple St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $432,500
Buyer: Newell CT LLC
Seller: Shane R. Conklin
Date: 05/02/24
229 River Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: Norwottuck Rentals LLC
Seller: Shane Conklin
Date: 05/02/24
231 River Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: Norwottuck Rentals LLC
Seller: Shane Conklin
Date: 05/02/24
171 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Prager
Seller: Daniel J. Albert
Date: 04/30/24
HATFIELD
138 Chestnut St.
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Lauren Gottschalk
Seller: Motyka, Jane M., (Estate)
Date: 05/02/24
102 Elm St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Thomas K. Hicks
Seller: Todd D. Sikorski
Date: 05/08/24
HUNTINGTON
118 Norwich Lake
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Randolph J. Merritt
Seller: Henry Wielgosz
Date: 05/02/24
141 Norwich Lake
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Todd B. Marion
Seller: Joseph A. Gigantelli LT
Date: 05/10/24
7 Rockybrook Dr.
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $324,900
Buyer: Allison Brown
Seller: Cornerstone Homebuying LLC
Date: 05/03/24
78 Searle Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Charle Properties LLC
Seller: Siren Song Realty NT
Date: 05/10/24
NORTHAMPTON
1237 Burts Pit Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Ismael Alvarado
Seller: Carmen L. Montes
Date: 05/02/24
130 Coles Meadow Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $571,650
Buyer: Holly A. Moran
Seller: Bruce M. Weinraub RET
Date: 05/02/24
35 Hatfield St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Adam R. Nelson
Seller: Mohamed R. Abdulazeez
Date: 05/10/24
208 Haydenville Road
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $329,900
Buyer: Paul E. Tracy
Seller: Ursia, Katheen M., (Estate)
Date: 05/08/24
PLAINFIELD
168 Grant St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $875,000
Buyer: Trinity Estate Alliance LLC
Seller: Gale A. Bulissa
Date: 04/30/24
SOUTH HADLEY
14 Grant St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: Robert J. Schroeter
Seller: Mary L. Lesperance
Date: 04/30/24
3 Paul St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: David Levreault
Seller: Edwad O’Grady
Date: 05/10/24
410 River Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Danielle Rossoni
Seller: Karen S. Sutherland
Date: 04/29/24
11 San Souci Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: April G. Whalen
Seller: Michael C. Bean
Date: 05/02/24
WARE
95-97 North St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Darin Witt
Seller: Citadel Projects LLC
Date: 05/03/24
68 Old Gilbertville Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $1,025,000
Buyer: 68 Old Gilbertville TR
Seller: Paul M. Opalinski
Date: 05/10/24
19 Vigeant St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $599,000
Buyer: Furtuna LLC
Seller: Darrell J. Kleya
Date: 05/07/24
58 West Main St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Maicon D. Decarvalho
Seller: Brookmaple LLC
Date: 05/10/24
WESTHAMPTON
Hathaway Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Jennifer M. Milikowsky
Seller: Francis B. Rauch LT
Date: 04/29/24
47 Southampton Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Amy J. Florek
Seller: Spencer 2007 RET
Date: 05/03/24
WILLIAMSBURG
123 Petticoat Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: David K. Schorr
Seller: Steven R. Roszko
Date: 05/06/24
The following building permits were issued during the month of May 2024.
CHICOPEE
A3 Sheridan LLC
1040 Sheridan St.
$62,750 — Frame and finish room for dry-ice machines
Buckley Property Investments
30 Buckley Blvd.
$15,000 — Construct fire-separation wall
Chicopee Falls Lodge 1849
244 Fuller Road
$75,000 — Replace what is being demolished, rebuild entry to bar area
Fruit Life Inc.
398 Front St.
$525,000 — Install footings for steel framing with exterior stairway to second-floor steel deck with perimeter guardrail at outer edge of deck
EASTHAMPTON
Susan Manning
9-19 Grant St.
$41,450 — Roofing
Kevin Netto, Jovita Netto
49-51 Pleasant St.
$13,000 — Roofing
Christopher Thompson
6-12 Irving St.
$14,000 — Roofing
HADLEY
Floranine LLC
285 Russell St.
N/A — Replace pylon sign
Pride LP
25 Russell St.
N/A — Construct non-load-bearing partition wall
SPRINGFIELD
500 Armory Street LLC
500 Armory St.
$17,000 — Roofing
1441 Main Street LLC
1441 Main St.
$101,000 — Alter interior to expand existing tenant office space on second floor for Department of Early Education and Care
Astro Logistics LLC
126 Memorial Dr.
$27,219 — Office renovation, including new walls and doors
Behavioral Health Network Inc.
401 Liberty St.
$2,189.50 — Install two awnings
Behavioral Health Network Inc.
35 Warwick St.
$2,189.50 — Install two awnings
Charlou Realty LLC
1252 Main St.
$40,000 — Roofing
Elona Capital LLC
282 Main St.
$21,000 — Roofing
Raymond Fontaine, Industry Avenue Holdings LLC
66 Industry Ave.
$114,995 — Roofing
Serena Harris
355 Maple St.
$18,273.60 — Install solar panels on roof of detached garage
Maxine Illingsworth
101 Mooreland St.
$48,500 — Siding and roofing on detached garage
Lumpkin & Markarian Holdings LLC
459 Dwight St.
$8,400 — Dig holes for sonotubes for rear patio of All American Sports Bar
OSJ of Springfield LLC
1686 Boston Road
$374,373 — Roofing
PeoplesBank
1051 St. James Ave.
$60,000 — Remove ATMs, replace with ITMs, infill existing teller window with masonry
Springfield Jewish Community Center
1160 Dickinson St.
$1,200,000 — Phase 2 alteration for interior fit-out and additional repairs to men’s locker room
St. George Orthodox Greek Church
2320 Main St.
$762,460 — Install scaffolding around church tower for planned exploration of future restoration
St. John the Divine Armenian Apostolic Church
2425 Wilbraham Road
$9,260 — Insulate attic
T5 MA RE LLC
1267 Boston Road
$1,000,000 — Erect vehicle maintenance building for Take 5 Oil Change
Seed Money
Rick Sullivan says the new report calls for admittedly significant financial investments — but that other regions have met such challenges with positive results.
The surprise was food science.
At least, that industry’s prominent place on a recent report outlining economic potential in Western Mass. was a mild surprise to some, Rick Sullivan said, but maybe it shouldn’t have been.
The report in question — commissioned and funded by the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) and produced by MassINC and Cambridge Econometrics — is called “Accelerating Inclusive Growth in the Pioneer Valley: A Prospectus for Transformative Investment.”
At its heart, it determines that the Pioneer Valley has considerable strength in certain industries and technologies poised to grow with the transition to a low-carbon future, specifically detailing competitive advantages — and, hence, major economic opportunity — in the realms of food science, advanced materials, and clean energy.
Sullivan, EDC president and CEO, noted that Big Y Executive Chairman Charlie D’Amour, who sat on the project’s advisory group, knows his way around matters of food science, food security, and food-delivery systems. “And I think he didn’t even have any idea about how deep the work being done at UMass was and their leadership position in this field, and how we could tie it all in together. I mean, UMass has the number-one food-science program in the country. Who knew?”
When the report was released last month, D’Amour noted that Western Mass. should capitalize on disruptive changes in the food industry. “From biotechnologies under development at UMass to innovative efforts to support local food entrepreneurs, the Pioneer Valley is situated to generate broadly shared wealth, positioning itself as a leading producer of sustainable food products.”
The report makes a broad case for transformative investment, pointing out data showing that:
• The Pioneer Valley retains manufacturing strength, but lacks growing industry clusters;
• The Valley is underperforming relative to its potential to conduct research and development and commercialize new technology;
• GDP per capita in the Pioneer Valley is half that of Greater Boston and below the metro-area average for the U.S., heightening the need for new, high-growth clusters;
• Inflation-adjusted median household income in the Pioneer Valley grew by less than 5% over the past decade, compared to nearly 9% nationally and 12% for Massachusetts statewide; and
• High concentrations of poverty undermine the potential of the region’s future workforce.
The report also details success stories of transformative investment to the east and west, with high returns on investment: the Albany, N.Y. nanotech cluster, which drew on hundreds of millions in state funding and tax incentives; and the Worcester health research and biomanufacturing cluster, which is similar to the Albany model but achieved over a longer time period and with more modest state investment.
Javier Reyes
“As the Commonwealth’s land-grant university, our researchers make new discoveries and develop technologies that support local industry and prepare the workforce required for the Commonwealth to flourish in the decades ahead.”
“The Pioneer Valley certainly has the preconditions to compete globally in knowledge industries — it is home to the University of Massachusetts flagship campus at Amherst, along with 10 four-year colleges and three community colleges. Together, these institutions develop an enormous amount of talent, as well as a significant volume of basic and applied research,” the report notes, also highlighting the region’s abundant outdoor recreation opportunities, strong healthcare and hospital systems, an international airport, advanced manufacturers, and a rich food ecosystem, from farmers and specialty food producers to larger-scale food manufacturing.
Hence, the region is ripe for dramatic investment and growth in general, and in the three sectors the report focuses on — food science, advanced materials, and clean energy — specifically.
“With these indisputable economic assets, it is striking how little proactive economic-development investment the region has seen in the past several decades,” it continues. “Blinded by Boston’s enormous output, it is difficult for many to appreciate the true potential of the Pioneer Valley.”
UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes agrees. “UMass Amherst is committed to working closely with our partners in Western Massachusetts to play a central role in fostering economic development and growth for the benefit of our region,” he said. “As the Commonwealth’s land-grant university, our researchers make new discoveries and develop technologies that support local industry and prepare the workforce required for the Commonwealth to flourish in the decades ahead.”
But, as we will see, investment means money — lots of it.
Not a Small Ask
Specifically, the report calls for establishing what it calls a Fund for the Pioneer Valley — a dedicated pool of resources for transformative investment in advanced industries that positions the region for growth while supporting the state’s overall economic-development strategy as it relates to the clean-energy transition.
Charlie D’Amour
“From biotechnologies under development at UMass to innovative efforts to support local food entrepreneurs, the Pioneer Valley is situated to generate broadly shared wealth, positioning itself as a leading producer of sustainable food products.”
Based on similar efforts, the report calls for committing at least $50 million per year in state resources to targeted economic investments in the Pioneer Valley over a 10-year period: $400 million for a strategic portfolio of innovation investments, $90 million for site development, and $10 million for economic-development implementation capacity.
To help ensure that the fund makes worthy investments and that it fully leverages the state’s capital, the report continues, each allocation should leverage additional federal and private investment at a ratio of at least one-to-one, resulting in at least $1 billion in total investment in the Pioneer Valley economy over the next 10 years.
“I’ll be the first one to sit here and say that’s a big number,” Sullivan told BusinessWest, but the results of similar efforts in places like New York and Georgia have borne fruit, and investments in IT, life sciences, and even offshore wind in the eastern part of the Commonwealth haven’t generated much spillover for the Pioneer Valley economy — meaning this region needs its own targeted strategy.
“Is there a component where we will seek state investment? Yes. Will it involve federal investment? We hope so. But at the end of the day, if it’s going to truly be successful, there has to be the private investment on the other side,” Sullivan added, pointing to the example of Clean Crop Technologies, which BusinessWest profiled in its March 18 issue, and which hopes to revolutionize food safety and production in the green-tech sector.
“Other companies are, if not outright investing in Clean Crop, they’re working with or contracting with them. Those are dollars that are coming into the region from well outside the region, and from companies that have typically not played in this region,” Sullivan explained.
“So for this to be successful for the long term, there absolutely has to also be that private investment. This cannot just be a government initiative. It can start as a government initiative, but it clearly must have private investment.”
While the federal government has been discussing ways to transition to a low-carbon future — and, in so doing, spur new forms of economic activity in metropolitan areas across the U.S. — Gov. Maura Healey has called for the development of a clean-energy corridor across all of Massachusetts, and the investments suggested in the report could dovetail with that effort.
Jay Ash
“This research illuminates promising opportunities unique to the Pioneer Valley as we develop low-carbon technologies. We must work together to help the region tap these opportunities to generate strong and equitable growth.”
“This research illuminates promising opportunities unique to the Pioneer Valley as we develop low-carbon technologies,” said Jay Ash, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership. “We must work together to help the region tap these opportunities to generate strong and equitable growth.”
In the clean-energy realm, the report notes that the Valley has been a regional leader in clean energy, with ISO New England headquartered in Holyoke, extensive hydroelectric power (Holyoke Gas & Electric and FirstLight), early adoption of solar generation (conversion of the Mount Tom coal-fired power plant), and an effort to promote equitable business ownership and workforce training in the sector in partnership with the Emerald Cities Collaborative.
“Despite these advances, the region has struggled to define its economic role in the clean-energy transition,” it adds. “A robust strategy is critical because the clean-energy transition is the largest market opportunity by several orders of magnitude. Efforts to decarbonize the economy are drawing $2.8 trillion in investment globally each year, and estimates suggest spending must increase to $4.5 trillion annually to reach net zero by 2050. The Healey-Driscoll state economic-development plan seeks to position the entire Commonwealth to complete for this investment.”
Clean tech is a broad umbrella, Sullivan said, and includes the region’s broad research involving water — security, delivery systems, purification, and more — much of it from UMass, but also from a host of small companies.
“There’s a real opportunity to grow that. We’re looking at sectors that are only going to be more important in five and 10 years, not less,” he added. “The issues around water — water purity, water scarcity, water delivery — those aren’t going to go away. And they’re international problems. So that market is always going to be there. It’s an area that will grow.
“It’s the same thing with food,” he went on. “With climate change and global warming, the issue of how we raise, grow, deliver, and manufacture food isn’t going away. These are transformative in the sense that they’re sectors that are not totally built out — and they fit into the fabric of who we are as a community. They are environmentally based for the most part, particularly food science and clean tech. And they’re not going to go away.”
Drawing on Strengths
The report, which also drew financial support from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, the Davis Foundation, MassDevelopment, and the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, is available online at www.westernmassedc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/white-paper-FINAL.pdf, and includes exponentially more detail than this article can convey, including specific ventures (along with specific dollar figures) by which the sectors of food science, advanced-materials, and clean energy may be cultivated.
The vision is to create clusters that become nationally recognized, drawing more companies and more investment, and make Western Mass. a dynamic and attractive place to launch businesses of all kinds, raising all boats, so to speak.
That was the goal of the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), established in 1990. That nonprofit, public-private partnership was created to help industry, research universities, and state government agencies collaborate to build a technology-driven economy fueled by advanced research.
The state of Georgia provides the alliance with about $23 million annually to support its operations, from recruiting top research talent to building state-of-the-art labs. GRA also provides seed funding, legal assistance, and other services to support the researchers as they work to move their discoveries to the marketplace.
The result? Since its founding, GRA estimates it has produced a return on investment approaching $12 billion.
“We didn’t invent that model. That’s what’s happened in biotech, and that’s what’s happened in Upstate New York and in Georgia,” Sullivan said. “We’re looking to be the catalyst to get this thing to move, to show that it can work. Somebody has to tell the story of why this makes sense for Western Mass., and that’s an important part of this report. That, and we had to pick sectors that made sense.”
Ben Forman, MassINC research director and co-author of the study, is eager to see the state act with urgency.
“We have overlooked the Pioneer Valley for decades, jeopardizing its economic base,” he said. “It’s time to recognize and build on the region’s considerable economic assets.”
We are excited to announce that BusinessWest has launched a new podcast series, BusinessTalk. Each episode will feature in-depth interviews and discussions with local industry leaders, providing thoughtful perspectives on the Western Massachuetts economy and the many business ventures that keep it running during these challenging times.
Go HERE to view all episodes
Episode 203: March 4, 2024
Joe Bednar talks with Curio and Frank Nataloni, owners of Kitchens by Curio
Fifty years ago, Curio Nataloni was laid off from a construction job and started doing solo kitchen projects. Ten years after he launched that business, his brother, Frank, joined him full-time, and just this past month, Kitchens by Curio celebrated 50 years in business. On the next episode of BusinessTalk, Curio and Frank talk with BusinessWest Editor Joe Bednar about surviving and thriving through various economic shifts and the many changes in home renovation over the years, from high-tech advances to the way people shop to evolving tastes in kitchen and bath styles — and also about Curio’s son, Michael, who plans to eventually be the company’s second-generation leader. It’s must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest and sponsored by PeoplesBank.
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Up Close and Personal
Andrew Crane says the Home Show is both a helpful experience for homeowners and a fun day out with family or friends.
Andrew Crane said the annual Home & Garden Show staged by the Home Builders and Remodelers Assoc. of Western Massachusetts (HBRAWM) began as a way to get contractors out in front of people who needed projects done.
These days, with the prevalence of the internet, consumers can do a lot of their research and shopping online, and they do.
But here’s the thing — the annual show, now in its 69th year, still draws a crowd.
“There are a lot of people that still want to meet their contractor, look that person in the eye, maybe see what their trucks or equipment look like, talk about specific projects, and see pictures. That’s how I like to shop,” said Crane, HBRAWM’s executive director. “The Home Show is for people that want to see and talk to contractors, as well as other people. If I’m buying windows and I get a chance to touch that window and slide it up and down or left and right, I feel better about that product. And that’s what the Home Show offers.”
This year’s edition runs March 21-24, in and around multiple buildings at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield. Crane says he expects about 15,000 visitors over those four days.
“If I’m looking to build a home … I’d like to find a guy that’s built several homes, or dozens, or hundreds, educating me about the process,” he continued. “It’s probably the single biggest investment you’ll make in your entire life. If you buy a car, it lasts you five years, six years, maybe 10 years. If you buy a house, it’s supposed to last you 50 years, 60 years, 80 years. So it’s kind of a big decision.”
“You get a chance to touch them and feel them without traveling to 20 different spots and other lumberyards all over Western Massachusetts; you might be able to do it all in the same building.”
Meanwhile, homeowners looking to renovate — and that number spiked during the stay-at-home months of the pandemic, and remodelers still report a high volume of projects today — will find plenty of vendors of windows and doors; flooring, countertops, and tile; appliances and furnishings; and much more.
“You get a chance to touch them and feel them without traveling to 20 different spots and other lumberyards all over Western Massachusetts; you might be able to do it all in the same building,” Crane explained. “We might be able to show you several of the products — different roofing, different siding, that type of thing.”
Plenty of Reasons
The annual event sees all types of attendees who visit for a variety of reasons, Crane noted. Attendees typically fall into one of several categories:
• People planning to buy or build a new home, who may visit with builders, real-estate agents, financial institutions, and sellers of component products;
• People planning to remodel or renovate, who may want to check in with all of the above, plus vendors of the aforementioned windows and doors, appliances, home furnishings, and more;
• Yard and garden enthusiasts, who tend to be interested in lawn and landscaping services; wall, walk, and edging components and materials; and trees, shrubs, flowers, and seeds;
• Renters, who have no plans to own a house, but may be interested in space-conservation and space-utilization products, as well as home furnishings;
• Impulse buyers, who flock to vendors of home décor, arts and crafts, cooking and baking products, jewelry, and personal goods; and
• Lifestyle-conscious individuals, who like to check out trendy, high-tech, or time-saving products, as well as home furnishings and products focused on self-improvement, fitness, and health.
The latter categories inject some fun into the Home & Garden Show, Crane said. “We hear it every year: ‘where’s the beer-nut guy?’ or ‘where’s the pickle guy?’ Those type of things are what make a show entertaining. We call ourselves the Home Builders and Remodelers Association, but everybody likes to look at the radio remote-control helicopter that flies around.”
Even with the more serious home-related purchases, everyone wants some variety, he added.
“You don’t want to look at 500 sheds, but it’s really nice to have a dozen there to look at, with different types of shapes and colors. It’s really nice to see windows, but you don’t want to look at 300 windows. As you travel through the aisles, you’ll see different fences, you’ll see different roofing, different siding, and then you’ll bump into the pickle guy, or you’ll bump into the beer-nut guy, or the person selling knives and pans. These are all part of the entertainment.”
Speaking of entertainment, Crane said he’s often considered the show a social event, or at least part of one.
“Before I was involved with the Home Show, I used to go because I would see my neighbors and friends. We would plan to meet at the Home Show at 6:00, walk the Home Show for a couple hours and see dozens of our friends, and then we would plan a dinner date, go somewhere with our wives and have a nice meal somewhere.”
He also noted that the show is an inexpensive outing, and just about everyone who checks it out will find something useful, whether they’re looking for it or not. “In some cases, people will pick up a card and might not even call that vendor or contractor until a year later, when they remember that they ran into them.”
For vendors, the show can fill up an entire year’s worth of projects, Crane said, so people need to manage their expectations and plan ahead. “If you’re looking for a roof, you might have to wait until August to get it. And after the Home Show, you might not even get it this year if that’s the person you want to use.”
Meanwhile, “other people are just there to make sure that the general public knows they’re around if they ever can be of service. You know, pass out the business card, and it goes on the refrigerator, and if you ever need this or that, you take the card off the refrigerator and call that person.”
The Right Stuff
The Home Builders and Remodelers Assoc. is almost 100 years old and continues to represent contractors so they can understand state and national regulations, as well as keeping the general public informed of what services are available in the region.
“All the businesses that run a good business — meaning they plan, they advertise, they keep the right insurances, and they keep their licenses intact — are doing fine because they have a responsibility to their employees and to their livelihood,” Crane said of today’s business climate. “So when they attend education and learn how to write or rewrite contracts as laws change, that protects the public, and it protects them.”
At the same time, “when a person is shady in any business, they don’t put themselves out in front of the public. They kind of skirt the system, so to speak. So the people you’re going to meet at the Home Show are putting themselves out in front of everyone for the world to see, so people know they’re in business, they’re legit, and you can count on them being educated,” he went on. “So you’re not just hoping for the best. You’re ahead of the curve with your selection process.”
Donna Haghighat
Donna Haghighat, CEO of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, has announced her plans to retire, effective June 30. Under Haghighat’s leadership, beginning in 2017, the Women’s Fund developed innovative programs, sought out effective partnerships, increased grantmaking, grew its corporate and individual donations, and focused on racial equity and trust-based philanthropy. She was also integral in the launch of the Young Women’s Initiative for girls and young women of color in Springfield and the Greater Springfield Women’s Economic Security Hub. Haghighat has facilitated the monthly meetings of the Women Heads of Nonprofits group in Western Mass., which the Women’s Fund hosts, and has served on the state’s Community Reinvestment Fund Advisory Board and the advisory board of the Center for Social Justice at Western New England School of Law. She was appointed by Gov. Maura Healey to the Massachusetts Cultural Council this year and is a board member for WAM Theatre in the Berkshires.
•••••
Timothy Craw
Professional Drywall Construction Inc. (PDC) announced that Timothy Craw has joined the company as vice president of Business Development and Labor Relations. With 45 years of construction experience in nearly every industry segment, Craw will be responsible for expanding the company’s footprint in all areas of the Atlantic states. Most recently, Craw was a union business agent and building trades president. In his various positions over the years, he has developed and maintained relationships with union and non-union contracts for business development and market expansion, recruited and represented union journeyman and apprentice carpenters in collective-bargaining negotiations, mediated contract conflicts, and monitored federal and state public construction projects during the planning, design, and bidding processes. Craw received the Carpenters Union Local 108 Steward of the Year Award in 2001 and the BCBCTC Edward M. Kennedy Award in 2016. He is a member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans and the Assoc. for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. A graduate of the U.S. Army Engineer School, he served six years as a sergeant in the U.S. Army.
•••••
Andre Motulski
Florence Bank has promoted Andre Motulski to the role of vice president/controller. Motulski joined the bank’s team as assistant vice president/controller in September 2019. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Central Connecticut State University and is a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.-commissioned risk-management examiner. In his new role, which he assumed in December, he is responsible for managing financial records, ensuring regulatory compliance, and assessing risks associated with lending and investment activities. Motulski is involved in the community, serving on the finance committee for Hampshire Regional YMCA in Northampton.
•••••
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western Massachusetts (BBBSWM) announced that Chris Thompson has been selected as the nonprofit’s chief growth officer. In this role, Thompson will be responsible for strengthening the newly merged agency’s relationship with the communities of Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampden Counties. Thompson was honored with the BusinessWest 40 Under Forty award in 2009 and is active in the local community. He currently sits on the board of Arrha Credit Union and is a former commissioner for the Western Massachusetts Sports Commission and West Springfield’s Parks and Recreation Commission. As co-founder and owner of the Westfield Starfires of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, Thompson brings a wealth of experience to his new role in the areas of advocacy, community outreach, business development, and external relations. He will lead BBBSWM’s growth efforts in Berkshire and Franklin counties. Previously, Thompson served on the BBBS of Hampden County board of directors between 2014 and 2021. He brings with him more than 20 years of experience developing marketing partnerships and generating revenue for iconic Western Mass. brands, such as the Springfield Falcons hockey team, where he developed a comprehensive corporate partnership program, and where he led the launch of the Springfield Thunderbirds hockey club, serving as senior vice president of Sales & Strategy.
•••••
Jeff Little
Governors America Corp. (GAC) welcomed Jeff Little as its new director of Product Management. As director of Product Management, Little’s responsibilities include aligning product strategy with business goals; driving product discovery, market research, and competitor research; driving innovation and new product development initiatives; communicating product vision and strategy to stakeholders; and monitoring and maintaining product health. Little received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Mississippi State University. He has garnered 27 years of experience in the industry, most recently as director of Product Management at Enovation Controls.
•••••
MassMutual announced the appointment of Cindy Ryan to head of Human Resources. Ryan, who has more than two decades of HR leadership experience, will oversee and advance MassMutual’s people strategy, aligned with the company’s purpose, priorities, and aspirations. In this role, Ryan assumes oversight of MassMutual’s HR organization, which includes talent acquisition and management; total rewards; HR operations; employee relations; learning and development; and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She will be responsible for continuing to evolve the company’s flexible, inclusive culture, supporting the holistic well-being and growth of MassMutual’s employees and attracting and retaining a talented, diverse workforce. Ryan joins MassMutual after spending nearly 25 years in various leadership roles of growing responsibility at Cigna, where she most recently served as the company’s chief Human Resources officer (CHRO). In this role, she led Cigna’s worldwide enterprise talent strategy and pandemic response, built its award-winning DEI approach, and enriched its engaged culture. Prior to her CHRO role, she served as senior vice president of HR for Cigna’s U.S. business lines, where she was responsible for talent-management strategies, employee engagement, and leadership effectiveness for the company’s health, life, and disability services lines as well as serving as the company’s chief talent officer, overseeing recruiting, learning, leadership development, and employee relations worldwide.
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Laurel Carpenter
Laurel Carpenter, associate professor of Environmental Science at Holyoke Community College (HCC), has been awarded a national fellowship focusing on STEM education at community colleges. The fellowship, from the Community College Presidents’ Initiative in STEM (CCPI-STEM), is intended for community-college faculty and administrators pursuing graduate degrees and conducting research related to STEM education and workforce development. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. Carpenter is part of a cohort of just seven CCPI-STEM fellows for 2024-25 and the only one from a college in the Northeast. Fellows are selected from a national pool of applicants, who are evaluated based on their education, STEM experience, leadership potential, community engagement, and research. A 2012 graduate of HCC, Carpenter is a wildlife biologist, chair of the HCC Environmental Studies department, co-coordinator of the HCC STEM Scholars program, and a graduate student at UMass Amherst, where she is pursuing a doctorate in education. CCPI-STEM fellows receive a $5,000 honorarium each year for two years to support their graduate studies. They also participate in professional-development activities and are paired with a professional mentor.
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Ute DeFarlo
Ute DeFarlo has been appointed director of Development by Shakespeare & Company, a nonprofit theater performance, education, and actor-training organization based in the Berkshires. In her position, DeFarlo is responsible for supporting Shakespeare & Company’s mission and vision through the development of new and expanded income streams, cultivation of the company’s donors and board of trustees, and various engagements with constituents in the Berkshire County community. Most recently, she served as director of Development for the Mount, Edith Wharton’s home, in Lenox and as Development officer at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge. Her appointment marks her return to Shakespeare & Company’s Development team, which she first joined in 2004, serving as director from 2009 to 2015. DeFarlo holds a master’s degree in English and Russian language interpretation from the University of Mainz, Germany, and attended Georgetown University on a one-year Fulbright scholarship.
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O’Dell Women’s Center, Springfield’s first nonprofit women’s center, appointed Margaret Tantillo as its executive director. In her previous position as executive director of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, Tantillo directed five distinct programs designed specifically for low-income women that resulted in hundreds of women finding gainful employment. These programs included workforce development, mentorship programming, and trainings in financial literacy, digital literacy, and dressing for the workplace. Toward the end of her tenure, she relocated Dress for Success Western Massachusetts to 45 Lyman St. as the anchor institution of the O’Dell Women’s Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that offers low- and no-cost residency spaces to nonprofits that support its mission. Tantillo started her career working for the Girl Scouts. During her 13-year career with that organization, she rose through the ranks, started the first Girl Scout Advocacy Day at the Capitol in Hartford, Conn., and served in a senior leadership position, transitioning five independent nonprofits into one statewide organization with more than 65,000 members. Tantillo’s volunteer leadership roles in Springfield include serving on the core economic mobility hub of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts and the coordinating committee of the Alliance for Digital Equity, and as a member of the core partners of Springfield WORKS. She earned her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and her master’s degree from Springfield College.
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Geoff Rice
Market Mentors, LLC recently welcomed Geoff Rice to its team as a senior Content Marketing specialist. In this role, he applies his two decades of marketing, communications, and creative experience to every challenge, from brand launches to engaging content for websites, social media, and campaigns of all sizes. Prior to joining Market Mentors, Rice focused his talents on the health and beauty industries, and he now extends his expertise to clients from a diverse range of businesses, including manufacturing, energy, insurance, and others. He is a graduate of Colgate University with a degree in English literature.
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Berkshire Money Management congratulates Nate Tomkiewicz on becoming a certified financial planner (CFP) professional. He is also a licensed financial advisor and chartered retirement planning counselor. Tomkiewicz specializes in retirement planning and maximizing employee benefits for people who have worked hard for their money and want to pass it on to children or charity. He is skilled at identifying opportunities within 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans. With this knowledge, he helps nurses, doctors, and other professionals in the Berkshires find opportunities they didn’t know they had. With his new CFP certification, Tomkiewicz is looks forward to tackling a broader set of challenges for his clients, including helping them reduce their tax liabilities, secure their estate for the next generation, and plan a fulfilling retirement.
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Christopher Rivers
Phillips Insurance Agency Inc. is celebrating the 20th work anniversary of Christopher Rivers, CRIS, senior vice president. Since joining Phillips in 2004, Rivers has been instrumental in growth that has made Phillips Insurance one of the largest writers of insurance and bonds for contractors in the Northeast. Rivers was recognized in January by Sentry Insurance for his 2023 production and flown to Maui to be an honorary observer at the Sentry Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course at Kapalua, where he walked ‘inside the ropes’ with Jordan Speith, Scottie Scheffler, and Victor Hovland. Rivers has coached basketball, soccer, and baseball in Belchertown throughout the years. He and his family are strong supporters of St. Jude Hospital.
Introducing This Year’s Class
For 16 years now, BusinessWest has been recognizing and celebrating the work of individuals, groups, businesses, and institutions through its Difference Makers program, with one goal in mind: to show the many ways one can, in fact, make a difference within their community.
The stories of the class of 2024, like the 15 cohorts before it, are all different, but the common thread is the passion and commitment exhibited by each honoree to improve quality of life for those in this region and make it a better place to live, work, and conduct business.
The stories are inspiring in many different ways, whether it’s Matt Bannister’s deep commitment to area nonprofits or Shannon Rudder’s lifelong pursuit of equity and access for all; whether it’s the work of Fred and Mary Kay Kadushin and the staff of Rock 102 to fight hunger or the ways Delcie Bean and Scott Keiter use their business success to impact others; whether it’s Linda Dunlavy’s hard work on tough regional issues or the significant impact of Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Springfield Chamber Players on the economic and cultural health of Western Mass.
We invite you to read these stories below. All of the 2024 Difference Makers have made an impact — real, tangible, often life-changing impact — in this region that we call home.
You can also help us celebrate the honorees in person on Thursday, April 10 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Tickets cost $95 each, with reserved tables of 10-12 available. For more event details and to reserve tickets, go HERE
Thank you to our sponsors — Burkhart, Pizzanelli, P.C., Keiter, Mercy Medical Center/Trinity Health, the Royal Law Firm, and TommyCar Auto Group — for making this program possible.
Please Join Us for the 2024 Difference Makers Celebration!
Wednesday, April 10 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $95 and can be purchased HERE
Thank you to our partner sponsors: Burkhart Pizzanelli, P.C., Keiter, Mercy Medical Center/Trinity Health, the Royal Law Firm, TommyCar Auto Group, and our supporting sponsors: Springfield Thunderbirds and Westfield bank.
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A Hunger to Do More
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts Dramatically Grows Its Operations
Executive Director Andrew Morehouse
It’s long been a tenet among nonprofits — successful ones, anyway — that they need to think entrepreneurally in order to thrive and grow. To think, in other words, like successful for-profit businesses do, in terms of resource allocation, financial planning, workforce management, and day-to-day operations.
And no nonprofit has been more entrepreneurial — and more ambitious — over the past few years than the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, whose $30 million project to build a new, larger headquarters in Chicopee culminated not only in last month’s grand-opening ceremony, but in the dramatic expansion of its capacity to perform work it was already doing on a massive scale.
The project — and the accompanying campaign that raised about $15 million of that cost from private donors and $15 million from state and federal governments — started just before the pandemic and continued through those challenging years, making the successful conclusion especially gratifying to Executive Director Andrew Morehouse and his team, and earning the Food Bank recognition from BusinessWest as its Top Entrepreneur for 2023.
“The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts’ new, state-of-the-art facility will allow their dedicated team to provide greater access to healthy, nutritious foods to thousands more of our neighbors in need and expand service routes to partners throughout the area.”
“We have to be innovative. We have to be able to adapt to circumstances,” he said. “We have a strategic plan, and every year, we have specific objectives — and all that can go out the window if something happens, like a pandemic, and then we have to pivot.”
That applies to any entity — for-profit or nonprofit — of this size, Morehouse added, noting that the Food Bank has a $9 million annual operating budget, and the value of the food that comes through is about $18 million, so this is essentially a $27 million operation, with a staff of 67, and plans to hire another 14 by the end of 2024.
Andrew Morehouse addresses guests at the Food Bank’s grand-opening ceremony last month.
“We acknowledge that it’s the dedication and talent of our staff that’s the source of our success,” he told BusinessWest. “That’s our ethos as a business — that we can succeed in our mission when we acknowledge and invest in our staff and the hard work that they’re doing.”
The new food-distribution center, located at 25 Carew St. in Chicopee, is twice the size of its previous Hatfield location, with an additional 18,000 square feet in the warehouse alone. Floor-to-ceiling warehouse racks and expanded refrigeration and freezer sections enhance efficiencies and enable the Food Bank to store and quickly distribute more healthy food than ever before to 175 member food pantries, meal sites, and emergency shelters across all four counties of Western Mass.
The new site also features a dedicated community space with a working kitchen for cooking and nutrition classes and other educational events. Other efficiencies include electric charging stations, an expanded member pick-up area, and plenty of parking for staff and volunteers. In 2024, the Food Bank will add a solar array on the roof and a canopy over part of its parking, along with backup battery storage that will fully support all electricity needs of the building.
“That will make it a greener building, so there are efficiencies to be gained,” Morehouse said. “We expect that building to be near-carbon-neutral and generate most of the electricity that we need.”
The investment in the relocation project and its capital campaign is already bringing palpable returns. In just the first three months since moving in, the Food Bank has already provided 25% more healthy food than the same period last year — the equivalent of more than a half-million meals. In all, the Food Bank provides a little more than 1 million pounds of food every month, or the equivalent of 850,000 meals.
“The more we thought about moving to Hampden County, the more we realized that was what we needed to do.”
“The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts’ new, state-of-the-art facility will allow their dedicated team to provide greater access to healthy, nutritious foods to thousands more of our neighbors in need and expand service routes to partners throughout the area,” U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern said at the grand opening. “I’m proud of the Food Bank’s 40 years of history serving our community and their continued leadership on the national stage in our movement to end hunger now.”
An Overstuffed Facility
The Food Bank, which traces its history back to 1981, expanded its facility in Hatfield just before the Great Recession, and then maxed it out as food-insecurity needs exploded during the ensuing years of difficult economic conditions.
“We had no available space, and we continued to see heightened demand, and that left no space at all for continued growth,” Morehouse said, noting that the Food Bank has grown its operations by about 6% annually between 2006 and last year.
The new Chicopee headquarters doubles the size of the former Hatfield site.
“We knew around 2016 that it was unsustainable, that we would need a larger space in order to continue to accommodate more food and to address increasing food insecurity whenever there was another adverse impact on the economy, whether it be a recession or … who would have known?”
Who, indeed. When COVID struck, the Food Bank had already been scoping out properties — and considering numerous options, such as a two-location model that was rejected because of its expense. But soon after, in 2020, the nonprofit found its ideal spot in Chicopee, launched the capital campaign in 2021, and started building in 2022.
The site had a couple of advantages, one being its proximity to two interstate highways, another being the county’s population and demographic makeup, Morehouse explained.
“The more we thought about moving to Hampden County, the more we realized that was what we needed to do — not only because of the proximity to the largest concentration of people who are faced with insecurity, but also because, quite frankly, it would enable us to strengthen our relationships with communities of color, which, unfortunately, face food insecurity disproportionately relative to the rest of society.”
As for the campaign, it drew the support of 246 individuals, businesses, and foundations — but there was some anxiety early on, especially since it was launching during a challenging economic time, year two of the pandemic.
“If we don’t acknowledge that the problem exists and we don’t, as a society, want to do something about it, we’re not going to make any progress.”
Morehouse credited the early, significant support by Big Y and MassMutual in “grounding” the campaign and lending confidence that it could succeed. After that, the entire banking community stepped in, as did and a host of other businesses, foundations, and individuals, including major contributions from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation and C&S Wholesale Grocers.
“Before we had launched the campaign, there was a lot of internal discussion and planning, and I just had the faith that we could accomplish it and that the community would rally behind us, and they did,” he said. “Our board felt the same way, so we went public after we secured some of those large commitments. So we had something to start with, and then we were able to inspire and persuade the rest of the community to jump on board, and they did.”
One factor, he noted, was that the pandemic focused more attention nationally on the issue of food insecurity across the country — attention that was needed even before COVID, but was definitely in the public eye now.
Andrew Morehouse (center) with Big Y President and CEO Charlie D’Amour (left) and Dennis Duquette, MassMutual Foundation president, when they announced large pledges to the Food Bank’s capital campaign in 2021.
“If we don’t acknowledge that the problem exists and we don’t, as a society, want to do something about it, we’re not going to make any progress,” he said. “So it was gratifying that the community rallied behind our campaign to help us to be successful. And now we have this facility, this community resource, that can make even greater impact in addressing food insecurity, but also to serve as a place for convening, for learning, for collaborating, for taking action.”
The ‘action’ part of that goal is clearly the most important.
“If we’re ever going to end hunger, we need to raise awareness, and that happens through education and dialogue, but also through the power of public policy and the changes that we can make to public policy and investments in people, families, and communities to ensure that everyone can lead a healthy and productive life,” Morehouse said.
“That means addressing not only the food assistance that people need today, but the underlying causes of hunger,” he went on. “Do people have access to affordable housing, childcare, transportation, education, jobs that pay a meaningful wage to support families? All of those are things we need to be looking at as a society.”
After 19 years in charge of the Food Bank, it’s a lesson that has grown clearer every year. “I’ve been in the nonprofit world for over 30 years,” he said, “and I’ve always enjoyed building things, building capacity, because that’s how, ultimately, I think you create social change and economic change for the better, for families and communities.”
In and Out
The Food Bank’s reach is impressive, serving as a clearinghouse of emergency food for the region, most distributed to local food pantries, meal sites, and shelters.
Much of the food the organization collects is purchased, using state and federal funds, from wholesalers, local supermarkets, and dozens of local farms; farmers also donate more than a half-million pounds of food each year.
“We then turn that food around — we store it here and distribute it through a vast network of about 175 food pantries, meal sites, and shelters across all four counties of Western Massachusetts,” Morehouse explained. “That’s how about 85% of the food that we receive flows through, ultimately to individuals in need of food assistance.”
In addition, the Food Bank operates a mobile food bank for direct-to-household distribution at 26 sites once or twice a month, plus a brown-bag program for elders that boasts 52 partners, mainly senior centers. The nonprofit also receives reimbursements to provide some individuals with supermarket gift cards, in addition to referring them to food-pantry meal sites.
And because food insecurity is often entangled with other economic and social needs, “we do refer individuals to some other nonprofit partners who can provide them with affordable-housing assistance, transportation, childcare, job training, things of that sort,” Morehouse added, noting that the Food Bank uses the 413Cares system to coordinate referrals with partners. “We’re all trying to figure it out and find a way to help people lead healthy, productive lives.”
Some of the Food Bank’s top supporters recognize the importance of those efforts.
“Our goal, our mission, is to feed families,” outgoing Big Y President and CEO Charlie D’Amour (see story on page 4) said when announcing financial support for the Food Bank early in the campaign. “We have people in our communities that are really struggling to get food on their table. The role of food banks serving local neighborhoods has never been more important.”
Country Bank President Paul Scully felt the same when announcing a large donation in 2021. “With everything we’re hearing these days about the shortage of food and the high expense of food … the need is real out there,” he said. “As a community partner, we care deeply about the sustainability of our communities and the people who live in them.”
What they were acknowledging was a nonprofit that has been entrepreneurial in its efforts to tackle a widening problem.
“We’re very much like a for-profit business to the extent that we have overhead, we have trucks, we have inventory, and we have staff,” Morehouse said, noting that the Food Bank doesn’t have customers, exactly, but it does have key stakeholders, from the households facing insecurity to the meal sites and shelters that receive 85% of those distributions, to the federal and state agencies that pay for the food. “We have an obligation to those agencies to ensure that we’re delivering on our agreement with them.”
In addition, the Food Bank maintains contracts with the Department of Transitional Assistance to provide SNAP assistance and with MassHealth to provide food assistance to individuals who have chronic illnesses and are referred from hospitals and community health centers.
While the Great Recession and the COVID pandemic marked times of spiking need, that need never goes away, although it does fluctuate, Morehouse said.
“Inflation is coming down, and that might help … but folks are still struggling,” he added. “And, you know, we’re here to help them, give them a hand up.”
And at a higher level than ever before, thanks to an ambitious goal, some very entrepreneurial thinking, and a lot of community support.
We are excited to announce that BusinessWest has launched a new podcast series, BusinessTalk. Each episode will feature in-depth interviews and discussions with local industry leaders, providing thoughtful perspectives on the Western Massachuetts economy and the many business ventures that keep it running during these challenging times.
Go HERE to view all episodes
Episode 196: January 15, 2024
Joe Bednar Talks with president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, Rick Sullivan
These are unusual economic times for businesses, with some healthy indicators but also hurdles like persistent inflation, high interest rates, and workforce challenges. As president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, Rick Sullivan recognizes those issues but also sees plenty of potential for the region to attract new business, grow promising industries, and continue to build on its strengths in education, innovation, and collaboration. On the next episode of BusinessTalk, Rick talks to BusinessWest Editor Joe Bednar about the current economic tides, what’s happening in the development community, and why there’s plenty of optimism out there, even amid the uncertainty. It’s must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest and sponsored by PeoplesBank.
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Community Spotlight
Chris Johnson will be returning to the mayor’s office in January 24 years after serving as the city’s first mayor.
Chris Johnson was elected Agawam’s first mayor back in November 1989.
He then served five two-year terms before returning to his real-estate law practice in 2000. In the years that followed, he stayed active and involved in the community where he was born and raised, serving several terms on the City Council, where he likely would have stayed had Mayor William Sapelli, former superintendent of schools in this city that calls itself a town, declined the opportunity to seek another term.
With that decision, and with several key issues facing this community — especially movement toward renovating or, preferably (in the view of most involved) replacing its high school — Johnson sought a return to the corner office. And last month, voters gave him a hard-earned victory over his challenger, fellow City Councilor Cecelia Calabrese.
“They say that once it’s in your blood, it’s hard to get it out,” Johnson said. “I care deeply about the community I grew up in and raised my family in, and we have a few significant issues that we’re facing over the next year or two. And I wanted to make sure they got a fair shake.”
Indeed, Johnson told BusinessWest that, as he returns to City Hall, there are several matters that will have his full attention — everything from a pressing need to create more housing in several categories to bringing roughly 25 years of work to create recreational facilities at the former Tuckahoe Turf Farm in Feeding Hills to a sucessful conclusion, to efforts to redevelop the former Games and Lanes property on Walnut Street Extension.
“I work closely with the mayors, as well as the state senators and representatives, to be sure that we’re providing a platform for the small businesses in Agawam, and be that middle person to ensure that the businesses are able to have their voices heard.”
But it is the high school that will be priority one, he said, adding that, after a few failed attempts to gain traction from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), the community is moving closer to getting into the pipeline for state funding for a new school, and city residents will likely have the opportunity to vote on the matter as early as next spring.
In his view, building a new high school, even one with a projected $230 million price tag, will be more practical and cost-effective than trying to again renovate and add onto the current structure, built in the mid-’50s.
Meanwhile, a new high school will certainly help the community effectively compete with neighboring cities and towns for young professionals and businesses alike.
“It’s been 50 years since we’ve built a school,” he said, referencing the middle school, built in 1973. “We’ve gone a long time without making a major investment. I’ve been in the real-estate world since I left the mayor’s office 24 years ago; I’m a real-estate attorney, and I have lots of friends who are Realtors and brokers, and they all say that, when it comes to new families moving into the area, one of the first things they want to know is what the school system is like.”
Robin Wozniak stands in front of the new Starbucks set to open in Agawam.
Robin Wozniak, president of the West of the River Chamber of Commerce, who serves on the committee studying options for the high school, agreed. “It’s imperative that we keep up with technology and provide facilities that are state-of-the-art,” she said. “We have to remain competitive with our neighbors.”
Beyond the high-school project are other pressing issues in town, as well as signs of progress, she said, noting, among them, the highly anticipated opening of a Starbucks in a lot at the corner of Main and Suffield streets, being developed by the Colvest Group. The store is in the final stages of construction, she said, and it will be an important addition to that section of town just over the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge from West Springfield.
With the acquistion by Colvest of a small parcel on the edge of the neighboring Town Hall parking lot, there is room for additional development on the site, Wozniak said, noting that an urgent-care clinic and a fast-food restaurant have been among the rumored possibilities.
Meanwhile, she’s looking forward to working with Johnson to bolster the chamber’s role as a liaison between City Hall and the business community, making sure the wants and needs of the former are understood by the latter.
“We’re trying to identify some parcels for some creative housing concepts to try to see if we can get some more affordable-housing opportunities, if not subsidized affordable-housing opportunities.”
“I work closely with the mayors, as well as the state senators and representatives, to be sure that we’re providing a platform for the small businesses in Agawam, and be that middle person to ensure that the businesses are able to have their voices heard,” she said.
For this installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest turns the lens on Agawam, a community looking to transfer some unresolved issues to the proverbial done pile in the months and years to come.
Room for Improvement
As he talked about the current high school, a facility he attended in the ’70s and knows from many different vantage points, Johnson compared it to a “beautiful ’55 Chevy that we kept in really good condition.”
In other words, it still purrs, and it’s still somewhat easy on the eyes. But it is simply not suited for these times.
“It’s going to need significant work over the next five to 15 years, and no matter how much work you do to it, it’s not cost-effective to turn it into a new, modern vehicle,” he said, adding that the relatively good condition of the current high school actually hurt the town to some extent because the MSBA put other communities with more pressing needs ahead of Agawam in the competition for school-building funds.
But even the state has come around to the notion that the building needs to be replaced, said Johnson, adding that the MSBA board of directors recently voted to move the project to what’s known as schematic design.
The state would likely pick up $100 million of the total price tag, leaving the community to come up with the rest, he said, noting that a debt-exclusion override — something the town has never before sought from the voters — would likely be needed. And Johnson, like other elected officials, is leaning strongly toward putting the matter on the ballot.
But while the high school is the predominent issue facing the community, there are others, he noted, citing the ongoing work to convert the former HUB Insurance building on Suffield Street into a new police station, as well as continued progress on work to convert the former Tuckahoe Turf Farm, nearly 300 acres the town has owned for more than 20 years, into passive recreation.
“The other need is at the other end of the spectrum, the young people who have grown up in Agawam; they’re young adults out in the work world trying to find housing opportunities so they can stay in Agawam.”
This includes hiking paths, picnic areas, and other facilities, he said, noting that, roughly a year ago, town leaders approved the borrowing of nearly $4 million to build a road, repair the dam and culverts on the property, and create a parking lot.
That work continues, said Johnson, adding that funding has also been received from the state, as well as from Tennessee Gas, which directed funds it has earmarked for conversation projects to work on the dam and pond on the property.
What the initiative needs is a name, he noted, as it has always been referred to simply as the ‘former Tuckahoe site,’ and the town reconizes the need for something new and fresh. “We’re working on it,” he added.
Likewise, this community, like most in the region, is working to address an ongoing housing shortage.
“We’re trying to identify some parcels for some creative housing concepts to try to see if we can get some more affordable-housing opportunities, if not subsidized affordable-housing opportunities,” he explained.
Agawam at a Glance
Year Incorporated: 1855
Population: 28,692
Area: 24.2 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $14.54
Commercial Tax Rate: $27.54
Median Household Income: $49,390
Family Household Income: $59,088
Type of government: Mayor; City Council
Largest Employers: OMG Inc., Agawam Public Schools, Six Flags New England
* Latest information available
“We have two glaring needs, and they’re not easy to address, unfortunately. One is seniors who have raised families in Agawam; they’re living in single-family houses, and they want that downsizing opportunity,” he went on, noting that there is one over-55 condomimum project wrapping up, but the units come with price tags above what many can afford. “The other need is at the other end of the spectrum, the young people who have grown up in Agawam; they’re young adults out in the work world trying to find housing opportunities so they can stay in Agawam.”
As for the former Games and Lanes property, long an eyesore and an environmental nightmare, and then a vacant lot used only for parking at Big E time, Johnson said at least one developer has expressed interest.
The broader Walnut Street Extension corridor was rezoned to allow mixed use, he noted, adding that the preferred reuse of the Games and Lanes property would be development that entailed retail and office space on the ground floor and residential units on the floors above.
Bottom Line
Much has happened in this town since Johnson last occupied the corner office at the start of this century.
But some issues, including the high school, housing, and the Tuckahoe Turf Farm, were talked about the first time he patrolled Town Hall.
He ran again to bring resolution to those issues and “give them a fair shake,” as he put it, and as he prepares to return to office, there is an expectation of real progress on these and many other fronts.
‘A Significant Step Forward’
Brianna Wales-Thaxton doesn’t see diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in a vacuum. In fact, she likes to take a long view.
“We’re able to be a part of this work because of centuries of advocacy and justice seeking,” specifically from the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) community, she told BusinessWest. “All of us who are trying to work toward racial equity are building off of that work.
“We’re also at different places in that work, every single one of us, and until we’ve dismantled racism, everyone has a need to advance racial equity in their workplaces. It’s not just the right thing to do, but it’s what people are asking for in their workplaces in this generation.”
That’s why Wales-Thaxton, vice president for people and culture at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, is excited about Equity in the 413, an inaugural summit that aims to advance equity in workplaces across Western Mass.
The day-long event, to take place on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at the Sheraton Springfield, is being presented by an impressive alliance of regional organizations. In addition to the Community Foundation, they include Behavioral Health Network, Health New England, Hilltown Community Health Center, the Human Service Forum, the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, the Springfield DHHS Office of Health and Racial Equity, the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, and the Women of Color Health Equity Collective.
“This event marks a significant step forward in the ongoing journey toward an equitable future,” said Megan Burke, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “We are thrilled to be part of this transformative summit. It not only underscores our commitment to fostering actionable change, but also represents a pivotal moment in Western Mass.’s collective journey toward a more equitable region in which we can all thrive.”
Organizers will bring together dozens of industry leaders and hundreds of professionals across multiple sectors. Attendees can expect to gain insight as presenters from an array of businesses and organizations delve into lessons learned from their own implementations of racial-equity policies and practices. Sessions will offer opportunities for dialogue, relationship building, self-care exercises, and providing tools and resources to assist business leaders in implementing racial-equity practices in their workplaces.
Gaining specific tools and strategies is key to “demystifying” equity work, Wales-Thaxton said, adding that, while many argue that there’s a bottom-line benefit for companies that prioritize DEI, that shouldn’t be the main rationale. “There’s also a societal need for every single one of us, as individuals and as part of institutions and organizations, to advance racial equity because there’s a real crisis in our social conscience.”
The event’s organizers agree.
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion are an integral part of BHN’s mission and philosophy, and we have learned so much in our efforts to operationalize social-justice values in our workplace,” said Steve Winn, president and CEO of Behavioral Health Network. “We look forward to coming together with other organizations to share learnings and take meaningful, collective action advancing racial equity across Western Massachusetts.”
Jessica Collins, executive director of the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, added that the nonprofit looks forward to the opportunity for mutual learning and is “eager to share insights from our own journey to advance racial equity within our organization and the region, including learnings from our collaboration with the Women of Color Health Equity Collective and other regional organizations to center racial equity to reduce tobacco use.”
An expanding list of session presenters includes Willful Change LLC, the National Conference for Community and Justice, Caring Health Center, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Arise for Social Justice, CORE XP Business Solutions, HUB International, Franklin County Community Development Corp., and Estoy Aqui LLC, to name a few.
Wales-Thaxton told BusinessWest the event connects back to the Community Foundation’s own strategic priorities.
“One is to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at institutions and organizations, starting with our own. We’ve been doing a lot of that work in a really important way internally. This is an opportunity for us to share what we’ve learned with other employees and create a space for employers to begin to explore — or explore further — how to advance equity in their organizations.”
At the same time, “what else can we learn to advance this work internally through grants and making philanthropic efforts?” she added. “It ties up a lot of our strategic priorities and creates a space for us to have an intentional effort around racial equity.”
Tickets to Equity in the 413 — as well as the day’s agenda and a full rundown of presenters — are available at bit.ly/equity413.
—Joseph Bednar
The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the month of September 2023.
AMHERST
Cobberton Soaps
82 Stagecoach Road
Jessica Pavliska
Maetown LLC
664 Main St.
Laura Pfeffer
Meadow View Apartments
44 Southpoint Dr.
Aaron Schik, Gavriel Dorfman
Treehouse Pediatric Dentistry
23 Pray St.
Northampton Pediatric Dentistry P.C.
WMS Marketing Services
208 Pine St., Unit 21
Eugene Howell Westling
PALMER
AAGGO Movers
2039 Bridge St.
Gerard Charette
Bucior Entertainment
3004 East St.
Andrew Bucior
The Canine Cuttery
1407 Main St.
Keri Smith
Homestead Cabinet Design
324 Old Warren Road
Raymond Glick, Susanna Glick
JM Home Improvement
60 St John St.
James Belden
Palmer Pro Bike Corp.
1438 North Main St.
Jeffrey Soja
Queen of Victory Home Improvement
381 Rondeau St.
William Smith
Smith Brothers Home Improvement
381 Rondeau St.
William Smith, Charles Smith
Soy Pretty
123 Belchertown St.
Lynetter Desmarais, Luz Barbosa
Tempco Fly Fishing
95 State St.
Matthew Tempco
Top Notch Abatement 21 Wilbraham St., Suite 208
Russel Orcutt
PITTSFIELD
Abtonfar Construction LLC
106 Edward Ave.
Vicente Nivelo
Always Checking
207 Cadwell Road
Gerald Calahan
Berkshire Veterinary Hospital
730 Crane Ave.
LPS Crane Ave LLC
DJ Builders
314 Cheshire Road
Daulton Young
Element Materials Technology Pittsfield
10 Downing Parkway
NTS Labs LLC
Mars Delivery Systems
22 Radcliffe Ave.
Joseph Maison
Pet Supplies Plus
555 Hubbard Ave.
PSP Stores LLC
Pittsfield Health Food Centre
407 North St.
Eric Baumert
Pittsfield Lighting Technologies
10 Downing Parkway
NTS Labs LLC
Shire Mountain Estates LLC
14 Evelyn Park
Matthew Pennell
Xtra Mart
420 Merrill Road
Drake Petroleum Co. Inc.
SOUTH HADLEY
All Air HVAC
52 Lincoln Ave.
Matthew Labrecque
Bay Olive Jewelry
15 San Souci Dr.
Citrus Sky Boutique LLC
Craft Skin
491 Granby Road
Jessica O’Brien
Cumberland Farms #6718
507 Newton St.
Cumberland Farms Inc.
Eliza Moser Fine Art
21 College St.
Eliza Moser
Falls Driving School
138 College St.
Robert Blaney
Ichiban Restaurant
2090 Memorial Dr.
Saizhu Inc.
South Hadley Animal Hospital
511 Newton St.
VCA Animal Hospitals
Treehouse Orthodontics
25 College St., Unit 2
NEOP LLC
WESTFIELD
131FS Snacko
175 Falcon Dr.
Benjamin Fischer, Kyle Engasser
B&S Services
107 Franklin St.
Zachary Blood
BG Child and Youth Counseling LLC
312 Valley View Dr.
Brittany Godden
Boxlux
19 Otis St.
Victor Brutsky
Dancer’s Image
77 Mill St.
Beth Drogan
The Den Barber Co.
3 Depo Square
Daniel Sanmiguel
Indian Motorcycle of Springfield
1120 Southampton Road
DNKB LLC
Kevin’s Bacon & BBQ
46 Main St.
Kevin Lafreniere
Mike Bernatchez Painting
30 Valley View Dr.
Mike Bernatchez
Sandra Waversak
32 Pinewood Lane
Sandra Waversak
Springvalley Power
188 Tannery Road
John La Due
Superior Renovations and Recreations
131 North Elm St.
Darek Marlow
WEST SPRINGFIELD
Air Ocean Parcel Service LLC
171 Doty Circle
Air Ocean Parcel Service LLC
Aquatique Pools
730 Union St.
Aquatique Pools
ATC Group Services LLC
73 William Franks Dr.
ATC Group Services LLC
Chopin Parcel Service Inc.
163 Doty Circle
Chopin Parcel Service Inc.
Elm Auto School Inc.
262 Elm St.
Elm Auto School Inc.
Gold Chopsticks Restaurant Corp.
12 Chestnut St.
Gold Chopsticks Restaurant Corp.
Handmade by Erynn
261 Morgan Road
Handmade by Erynn
Sunny’s Convenience
2260 Westfield St.
Jai Veer Corp.
Western Mass Compounding Center
138 Memorial Ave.
Western Mass Compounding Center
WILBRAHAM
Blush Beauty Boutique
2812 Boston Road
Jennifer Bacon
Common Grounds Café
2341 Boston Road
Kristine Barthelette
Faith Blanscet at Blush Beauty Boutique
2812 Boston Road
Faith Blanscet
Frank’s Plumbing and Heating
37 Lake Dr.
Francesco Siniscalchi
Houser Metro Realty
2341 Boston Road, Unit B308
Peter Houser
The Local Table N Tap
2039 Boston Road
Christopher Arillotta
Orchard Valley at Wilbraham
2387 Boston Road
KRE-BSL Husky
Pat Farrow Entertainment
45 East Longmeadow Road
Patrick Farrow
Stony Hill Farm LLC
899 Stony Hill Road
Alice Colman, Bruian Cunningham
Things Are CLICing
Jennifer Connelly shows off the wall in the wall that is the symbolic start of work to create JA’s new Career, Leadership & Innovation Center.
It was officially called a groundbreaking, but Jennifer Connelly says it was more of a “wallbreaking.”
Indeed, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, representatives of the many sponsors involved with the project, and other VIPs took turns swinging a large sledgehammer at a wall just off the entrance to the Tower Square offices of Junior Achievement (JA) of Western Massachusetts.
The hole they left behind is still there more than a month later, a poignant symbol of the work — at least the physical construction work — soon to commence on what is being called the Career, Leadership & Innovation Center, or CLIC, a facility that will focus on those first three words with a number of intriguing programs.
Indeed, the center will help students identify career options and make smart decisions regarding post-secondary education; expand their thinking and skill development, thus better preparing them to be future leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators; and provide them with the skills and knowledge that will allow them to make informed and effective decisions with their financial resources.
“For the past 10 to 15 years, the board has talked about having a center where people could come and learn about careers.”
JA is creating the center in collaboration with MassHire Hampden County, the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, other agencies, and several area employers, said Connelly, and is designed to address a gap when it comes to educating young people about careers and the paths to them.
“We found that there’s a piece missing in the pipeline when it comes to inspiring young people to have careers here in the region,” said Connelly, adding that the center will enable students to learn about and then explore options in fields they may not have been thinking about. In that respect, it will help open doors for young people while also helping to put workers in the pipeline for businesses across every sector of the economy, from healthcare to manufacturing.
In a way, this is a groundbreaking (there’s that word again) new initiative for JA of Western Massachusetts, said Connelly, and in another way … it isn’t. Indeed, while the CLIC is new, it’s also a throwback of sorts to what JA was decades ago — a place where young people could come to learn about business, actually make and then sell products, and gain financial literacy.
An architect’s rendering of the new Career, Leadership & Innovation Center.
“This is what JA used to be — and that’s what I like best about the center; this will be a place that students can come to,” she said, adding that, while JA of Western Massachusetts has been going into area schools for decades now, it hasn’t had a site that young people can come to since the ’80s.
Work on the CLIC is set to commence in the coming weeks, and the facility is scheduled to open in mid-September. Over the first nine months or so of operations, more than 750 junior-high and high-school students (up to 25 at a time) are expected to visit the center, spend the better part of a day there, and gain new insight into careers, how to attain them, and much more.
The project has drawn a number of supporters, including the city of Springfield, Beveridge Family Foundation, Balise Auto Group, M&T Bank, Country Bank, PeoplesBank, TD Bank, and Savage Arms, who have helped meet the $400,000 cost of the project.
A capital campaign will be staged over the next several months to raise the balance of what’s needed for the initiative, Connelly said, adding that the agency is hoping to gain the support of more area businesses, and is scheduling site visits for those interested in learning more about its mission and how it will be carried out.
Learning While Doing
Connelly told BusinessWest that the CLIC was conceptualized in the fall of 2021 amid what she considered an obvious need for a facility that would not merely take JA back to its roots in many respects, but also help to better prepare young people for life, careers, and the many challenges involving both.
And the need has been there for some time, she went on.
“For the past 10 to 15 years, the board has talked about having a center where people could come and learn about careers,” she said, adding that the idea came off the drawing board and into reality with the help of those aforementioned sponsors and a desire for JA to play a pivotal role in helping to solve the workforce needs of employers while also putting young people on a path to not just jobs, but careers.
Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno takes a swing at the wall that will be coming down to make way for the new center.
As plans for the CLIC began to materialize, she said, a search commenced for a space. Many options were considered, but eventually those at JA concluded they had everything they needed — space-wise, at least — in its suite of offices on the mezzanine level at Tower Square.
The 3,045-square-foot facility will be reconfigured and furnished for the new center, she noted, adding that the CLIC will include a number of components, including:
• A learning lab that will provide student groups with what Connelly called a “starting point for their career exploration journey.” It will also be a space to promote JA’s financial-literacy curriculum;
• A collaboration hub, which will provide groups with a space for interactive work, problem solving, and critical and creative thinking. The space will include modular seating, whiteboards, breakout laptops and tablets, and a leadership library; and
• A manufacturing lab, a makerspace that will provide young adults with the tools and programs to explore and accelerate a career in the manufacturing industry. The CLIC steering committee is currently working with local manufacturers to determine the best resources for the space, Connelly said, adding that equipment may eventually include 3D printers, a flow forge, a Cricut suite, hand tools, soldering kits, and STEM kits.
Overall, the CLIC will provide experiential learning opportunities for middle- and high-school students, said Connelly, adding that, by engaging students in hands-on experiences and reflection, “they are better able to connect theories and knowledge learned in the classroom to real work situations.”
And such connections are needed at a time when many young people need exposure to careers and the paths to them, she noted, adding that, for middle-school students, visits to the CLIC may help them with the all-important decision of deciding which high school to attend.
As she talked about a visit to the CLIC, Connelly said it will be preceded by completion of JA Inspire Virtual, a career-exploration program designed to highlight careers and educational opportunities in the region. At the center, students will participate in a seminar led by guest speakers from local businesses, and then rotate through the modular-based learning experiences at the learning lab, collaboration zone, and manufacturing space — followed by a working lunch with financial-literacy activities.
The center will also be open after school for students interested in pursuing entrepreneurial interests by operating their own student company. And in the evening, the center will be available to community organizations and local employers as a hub for learning and collaboration.
Bottom Line
Turning back the clock maybe 50 years or so, Connelly noted that what is now JA of Western Massachusetts was an agency, but also a place where young people from schools across the area could come and, through its ‘company’ program, form a business, make a product, and sell it.
Through the CLIC, JA will be able to provide that kind of experience again, she said, adding that, while the center is a blast from the past in some respects, it is really all about the future — as in the future of thousands of area young people and the area businesses that will, hopefully, employ them.
— George O’Brien
