BusinessWest

Future of Leadership in the Valley
2017-05-31 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | MA
Leadership Pioneer Valley invites you to join us to engage in a dynamic discussion about the future of workplace leadership in the Pioneer Valley.
Leaders from MassMutual, AAA Pioneer Valley, Paragus Strategic I.T. and the YMCA will share opportunities in their own organizations, including how increasing diversity and inclusion can drive business results.
We’ll have a raffle, light snacks and a cash bar. The event is free to attend — donations to the LPV Scholarship Fund will be accepted!
All pre-event RSVPs will receive some initial complementary raffle tickets, so secure your spot now!
Speakers:
Delcie Bean, CEO, Paragus Strategic IT
Lorie Valle-Yañez, Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer, MassMutual Financial Group
David Yelle- AAA Pioneer Valley

Innovative Strategies to Double Your Profits
2017-06-01 08:00 - 17:00
Are you looking to solve these problems in your business?
– Your strategy isn’t right for you or not delivering results
– Your team doesn’t execute well
– Your leaders don’t anticipate or solve issues
– Your team isn’t engaged or bought into your vision
– Your culture literally blocks your progress
– You are STUCK handling day-to-day demands
We have been conducting research and know exactly what business leaders like you say your biggest issues are, and precisely what you need to do so you can enjoy sustainable profit growth year-over-year.
During the 1-day workshop, we will reveal the results of our research and what actions you can take to quickly put your company on a trajectory to double your profits!

Relay for Life Ludlow
2017-06-03 11:00 - 23:00
Relay for Life Event

Northampton Garden Tour
2017-06-10 10:00 - 15:00
Forbes Library sponsors annual self-guided tour of gardens in the Northampton/Florence area. Saturday, June 10, 10am-3pm, rain or shine. Tickets $15 in advance at Forbes Library, Bay State Perennial Farm, Cooper’s Corner, Hadley Garden Center, North Country Landscapes and Garden Center, State Street Fruit Store. $20 day of the tour at Forbes Library. 413-587-1017, www.forbeslibrary.org.

Eleventh Annual 40 Under Forty Gala
2017-06-22 17:30 - 20:30
40 Under Forty is a celebration of 40 young business and civic leaders in Western Mass. The 40 Under Forty Gala is a lavish cocktail party featuring butlered hors d’oeuvres, food stations and entertainment. The event will begin with a cocktail hour, open food stations and networking. This will be followed by an exciting awards presentation and conclude with deserts and more networking. Join 500+ professionals, business, civic, and non-profit leaders as we toast the region’s rising stars on Thursday June 22. Also, the third Continued Excellence Award honoree will be announced.

Eleventh Annual 40 Under Forty
2017-06-22 17:30 - 21:00
40 Under Forty is a celebration of 40 young business and civic leaders in Western Mass. The 40 Under Forty Gala is a lavish cocktail party featuring butlered hors d’oeuvres, food stations and entertainment. The event will begin with a cocktail hour, open food stations and networking. This will be followed by an exciting awards presentation and conclude with deserts and more networking. Join 500+ professionals, business, civic, and non-profit leaders as we toast the region’s rising stars on Thursday June 22. Also, the third Continued Excellence Award honoree will be announced.
Tickets on sale: Date TBD

Global Leadership Summit
2017-07-10 09:30 - 2017-07-11 17:30
Bethlehem Church is one of over 550 locations hosting this annual Global Leadership Summit. This 2 day, world class leadership equipping event will be a live simulcast from Willow Creek campus near Chicago.
Faculty / presenters include, Sheryl Sandburg, COO, Facebook; Laszlo Bock, Senior Advisor, Google and Best-selling author, Angela Duckworth, Professor, University of Penn, Andy Stanley, Leadership Author; Communicator; Pastor and Founder of North Point Ministries and many more.
The summit is a great tool to leverage. Surveys of prior attendees show compelling outcomes for leaders and those desiring to have influence. Outcomes include increase job satisfaction, improved team performance, and clarifying individual and team priorities and vision.
Price is $209 and discounts are available for groups.

9th Annual Kids Safety Expo
2017-07-15 09:00 - 23:00
The 9th Annual Kids Safety Expo will be held at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield on Saturday, July 15, 2017 from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is entertaining and educational for families and includes FREE activities such as fire safety, k-9 demonstration, clowns, giveaways and resources for lost or missing children such as fingerprinting and dental impressions. For more information, visit KidsSafetyExpo.com.

Art Stop(s)
2017-08-02 16:30 - 18:00
The Springfield Central Cultural District is putting on a pop-up gallery walk, Art Stop(s). Art will be hung in unexpected spaces throughout the District, all with their own receptions simultaneously! Street food, performance art, and music will entertain you between the galleries. Each reception will host the artist, their work (of all different styles), light snack and drink.

Storytelling Strategies to Engage and Influence
2017-08-24 09:00 - 16:00
Even the greatest content needs a powerful delivery method to reach its target
audience. This interactive workshop will introduce participants to the value and
power of storytelling as an influence tool. It will help participants learn how to
become unforgettable by using time-tested storytelling strategies.
Attendees will learn how to organize their facts and figures within a new narrative
structure, making their information more emotionally engaging and memorable.
They will also learn strategies for delivering their presentations like a professional
storyteller.
This learning experience is highly effective for team building, recruitment, on-boarding,
sales, internal and external communication, leadership training, and
employee engagement.

Cultivating Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
2017-09-14 09:00 - 2017-09-15 16:00
2 Day Corporate Learning program with Michelle Maldonado
In our dynamic and technology-driven world, today’s new and emerging leaders not only want to succeed within their organizations, but also want to positively impact their communities and the bottom line. The desire and need to be adaptive and resilient leaders who create work environments that are innovative, collaborative and sustainably high-performing is not a nice-to-have, but a must-have to thrive in the modern workplace.
In this highly interactive workshop, learn practical tips, tools and applications that help you develop and integrate the five Emotional Intelligence competencies to enable more adept navigation of the workplace, to lead and manage yourself and your team and create meaningful value for your organization and stakeholder communities.

September 14:9 a.m.-5 p.m.
September 15: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County's 50th Anniversary Gala
2017-09-22 00:00 - 23:59
Time: TBD

AIM Salutes Massachusetts Employers
2017-09-28 16:30 - 18:30
AIM honors TechSpring at Baystate Health, OMG Inc., and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts for their unique contributions to economic opportunity in the commonwealth. Celebrate these companies at a business-casual evening of cocktails, networking, and presentation of the 2017 AIM Next Century and AIM Sustainability Awards. The event is free to attend. Registration is required.

Inaugural Healthcare Heroes
2017-10-19 17:30 - 20:30
Join BusinessWest & Healthcare News as we honor the 2017 Healthcare Heroes with a celebration of those whose contributions are making a significant impact and reaching extraordinary new heights in the health and wellness community. They’re making real contributions to the quality of life in our communities, and it’s time we recognize their efforts!
Introducing the Healthcare Heroes
Lifetime Achievement
Sister Mary Caritas, SP
Patient/Resident/Client Care Provider
Dr. Michael Willers
Owner, Children’s Heart Center of Western Massachusetts
Emerging Leader
Erin Daley, RN, BSN
Manager, Emergency Department at Mercy Medical Center
Health/Wellness Administrator
Holly Chaffee, RN, BSN, MSN
President & CEO, Porchlight/VNA Home Care
Community Health
Molly Senn-McNally
Continuity Clinic Director, Baystate Pediatric Residency Program
Innovation in Health/Wellness
Dr. Andrew Doben
Director, Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Baystate Medical Center
Innovation in Health/Wellness
Genevieve Chandler
Associate Professor of Nursing at UMass Amherst
Collaboration in Healthcare
The Healthy Hill Initiative

Navigating the Business Lifecycle, Season-By-Season
2017-10-24 16:00 - 18:30
Fall is primetime for business owners and advisors to plan for the upcoming year, which is why XPX New England has assembled a panel of top-notch experts to help you make 2018 your best year ever, including:• A discussion of the Massachusetts region’s economic outlook for 2018 delivered by Rick Lord, President and CEO of Associated Industries Massachusetts (AIM)
• Guidance on timing for getting started with the exit planning process from Laura Kevghas, past XPX New England President and President of Seed to Harvest LLC
• The wealth planning “Must-Dos” every business owner needs to know before an exit from Trammel Martin, Account Vice President at UBS Private Wealth Management
Moderated by Laura Kevghas, Seed to Harvest LLC, and hosted by XPX New England Bronze sponsor Sullivan & Worcester LLP, this event is sure to fill up fast! Seating is limited, so register today!
What: Navigating the Business Lifecycle, Season-By-Season
When: Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Where: Sullivan & Worcester LLP
1 Post Office Square
Boston, MA
Time: 4:00pm to 6:30pm
XPX Members: Free
NPEPC Members: $75
Non-Members: $95
Meet The Experts
Rick Lord
President and CEO
Associated Industries of Massachusetts
Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) is a community of more than 4,500 Massachusetts employers working together to create public policy that supports economic opportunity and job growth. AIM works on issues that affect every employer in Massachusetts, from multinational financial services firms to small manufacturing companies, from innovative software startups to the corner grocery store.
Laura Kevghas
President
Seed to Harvest LLC
Laura’s career in M&A has spanned both sides of the negotiating table, with 20 years working as an M&A advisor for business owners who are selling their company, and 10 years in the middle of her career traveling around the world buying businesses as the leader of corporate development for a private equity-owned B2B media company. Her experience as both a buyer and a seller has given Laura a unique understanding of how buyers approach acquisitions and how best to position her sell-side clients to be attractive acquisition candidates.
Trammel Martin
Account Vice President
UBS Private Wealth Management – The Sanders Martin Group
Building on its history of over 150 years, UBS is committed to bringing its global resources to bear on the portfolios of high net worth individuals to help them pursue their wealth management goals. Today, as the world’s largest wealth manager, UBS is strongly positioned to help clients address the realities of the global economy and their sophisticated needs.

Zombies on Ice 2: Ice Wars
2017-10-24 19:00
AIC Hockey team battles against Bentley University. Free admission for those that dress as their favorite zombie. Event will feature prizes and free t-shirts. Tickets available at massmutualcenter.com

AIM Salutes Massachusetts Employers - Berkshires
2017-10-26 16:30 - 18:30
AIM honors the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, The Annie Selke Companies, and Interprint, Inc for their unique contributions to economic opportunity in the commonwealth. Celebrate these companies at our business-casual evening of cocktails, networking, and presentation of the 2017 AIM Next Century and AIM Sustainability Awards. The event is free to attend. Registration is required. https://goo.gl/8VPc3p

Ananda Khalsa Jewelry Trunk Show
2017-10-27 10:00 - 19:00
Inspired by nature, refined by hand. See the extended collection of local favorite Ananda Khalsa. Meet the artist and delight in the jeweler’s hand painted jewelry and handcrafted gemstone treasures. Enter to win a pair of gemstone earrings from the artist during the event!

Alex Sepkus Jewelry Trunk Show
2017-11-03 10:00 - 2017-11-04 07:00
The extended collection of renowned jeweler Alex Sepkus is back! Indulge yourself in his distinctive, award-winning wearable pieces. Select from earrings, necklaces, rings, bridal and more at this two-day event.

Can You Afford to Sell Your Business?
2017-11-13 16:00 - 18:00
“Can I afford to sell my business?” It’s the question every business owner asks in the beginning stages of the exit planning process. It’s a simple question, but as anyone in the business knows, there’s hardly a simple answer.
To help owners and advisors learn how to answer this “million-dollar question,” XPX New England will host a panel discussion on November 13 at McLane Middleton P.A. in Woburn, featuring some of Boston’s best business minds including:
• Warren J. Rutherford (Moderator) – President, The Executive Suite
• Jeffrey P. Hart – Partner, Tarlow Breed Hart & Rodgers P.C.
• Dave Poulin, CIMA, CPWA – SVP Wealth Management, The Bay Colony Group at Morgan Stanley
• Greg Rush – Partner, Dunn Rush & Co. LLC
Attendees will learn what owners and advisors need to know about the risks, obstacles, and challenges to a successful sale, what owners need from the sale, and why beginning with the end in mind is so important to maximizing business value.
Hosted by XPX New England Silver Sponsor McLane Middleton P.A., this event is your opportunity to meet likeminded professionals ready to help you navigate the business lifecycle and make 2018 your best year ever!
Seating is limited, so register today at https://exitplanningexchange.com/event-2674555.
What: Can You Afford to Sell Your Business?
When: Monday, November 13, 2017, 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Where: McLane Middleton P.A.
300 TradeCenter
Suite 7000
Woburn, MA 01801
Registration: https://exitplanningexchange.com/event-2674555/Registration
XPX Members: Free (Registration required)
NPEPC Members: $75
Non-Members: $95

AIC Hockey - LGBTQ Inclusion Night
2017-12-01 19:05 - 21:05
It is 2017 and society stull struggles to respect everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation. Join AIC in standing up & spreading respect at the AIC Men’s Ice Hockey game against Bentley.

21st Holiday Tour of Homes Event
2017-12-03 09:30 - 16:00
On Saturday, December 2nd from 9:30am to 4:00pm, the Boys and Girls Club of West Springfield will be holding their 21st Holiday Tour of Homes event. This fun, seasonal event helps to raise funds to support valuable programs, opening doors to brighter futures for youth and families throughout our community and beyond.
This year, there will be several wonderful homes on the tour all decorated in holiday style for tour-goers to enjoy. New this year, the Club is thrilled to collaborate with both the Storrowton Village Museum & the CHD Cancer House of Hope, whose homes will also be on this year’s tour.
Tickets for the event are just $20 each and can be purchased in advance in West Springfield at Durocher Florist, Flowers by Webster, Partners at the Cup, West Springfield Federal Credit Union and Sorrento Pizza; in Agawam at Cooper’s and Floral Concepts by Tom, and in Feeding Hills at Partners Restaurant. Tickets will also be available at the Pilgrim Candle Company in Westfield and we will have their candles available for sale at each of the homes on December 2nd. Tickets can also be purchased at each of the homes on Saturday, December 2nd ONLY!
During the tour, be sure to drop by the Springfield Country Club between 11am – 2pm for a buffet lunch, which includes soup, salad, a couple of Main Course options to choose from, as well as assorted desserts with tea and coffee. The cost of the lunch is $15 per person and includes tax and gratuity.
For More Information please call the Club at 413-736-1831 or visit the Club’s website at www.wsbgclub.org or visit our facebook event page at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2018241955075410/
We hope to see you on the Tour. Happy Holidays!!

Black Issues Summit
2018-02-16 13:00 - 16:15
For Black History Month, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Elms College will host its inaugural Black Issues Summit from 1 to 4:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, in the Alumnae Library Theater. The summit will bring national scholars specializing in a range of subjects to Elms for important dialogue with the college’s students, faculty, and staff, as well as the general public, about issues affecting the Black community. The event will feature a dynamic keynote address in addition to discussions, panels, and a conference debriefing session.
The event will feature the following speakers: Christopher Doucot, founder of the Hartford Catholic Worker, adjunct faculty at University of Hartford and Central Connecticut State University, and author of the new book, No Innocent Bystanders; Joseph Cooper, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, who will discuss Collective Uplift, a movement he founded at the university to provide resources and workshops encouraging holistic development for minority student-athletes; Joliet, Ill., councilwoman Bettye Gavin, executive director of the Forest Park Community Center, founder of Quality of Life Task Force, and executive director of the National Hook-Up of Black Women Inc., who will speak about empowering Black women; and Algerian Hart, Ph.D., associate program coordinator of sport management at Western Illinois University, who will present a talk on inclusivity on higher-ed campuses.
It is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. Visit www.elms.edu/summit for more information and to register.

Future Tense: Inaugural Event: An Unprecedented Technology Disruption.
2018-02-22 08:00 - 09:30
Future Tense: Inaugural Event: An Unprecedented Technology Disruption.Inaugural Event: An Unprecedented Technology Disruption.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
8 a.m.-9:30 a.m.
Cost: $25 donation to Tech Foundry
Presenter: Delcie David Bean IV: Paragus IT, Chief Executive Officer
What’s Next in the Pioneer Valley Business World
Big changes are up ahead, and they are coming unexpectedly faster than anything exponentially faster than anything experienced in the history of the world. We’re talking 4 times bigger than the internet in a shorter time frame – with an impact that will be larger than any other cultural or business innovation of the last 100 years.
Join us for an exclusive roundtable breakfast event series open to CEOs and business owners in the region. Space is limited.

Reading by Writer Ben Hersey
2018-02-26 13:25 - 14:25
The Blue House Visiting Writers Series at College of Our Lady of the Elms will host a reading by writer Ben Hersey at 1:25 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, in the Borgia Gallery. An author reception will be held in conjunction with this reading, which is free and open to the public.
Hersey is a writer and performance artist who has performed a wide range of collaborative and solo work over the past 15 years. His solo work often melds crafted monologue and formal storytelling with live composition, vocal improvisation, and chance operations. His experimental work draws from a wide variety of sources including contemporary poetry, noise, New England colonial history, genealogy, and found texts.
Hersey’s first novel, The Autograph of Steve Industry, was published in 2016 by Magic Helicopter Press. The story, both hilarious and tender, presents a new vision of contemporary working-class New England.
The Chuckwagon nonfiction published Hersey’s chapbook This Is What We’re Up Against — a collection of monologues culled from messages his mom’s boyfriend left on her answering machine — in 2008.
Hersey teaches writing and composition at Holyoke Community College and lives in Easthampton, MA, with his wife and son. He has an MFA from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder, CO.

How the Tax Act will impact Business Owners
2018-02-27 16:00 - 18:30
The biggest tax overhaul in more than two decades has officially hit the books, and businesses are scrambling to figure out what this means for their bottom line, workforce and more.
On February 27, XPX New England will take you beyond the headlines surrounding the Tax Act for How the Tax Act will impact Business Owners with Boston-based tax and M&A expert, Richard Weiner of Alexander Aronson Finning CPAs. Richard will cover how the Tax Act directly impacts the future success of your business, considerations for exit planning, key questions you should be asking, and what adjustments you need to make in managing your organization.
Hosted by XPX New England Silver sponsor McLane Middleton P.A., this event is your opportunity to meet likeminded professionals in Greater Boston. Whether you are an advisor or business owner, join us to hear more of what you can expect in the future with the new tax act and how to plan your exit strategy accordingly.
Refreshments and light appetizers to be served. Business owners and advisors are encouraged to attend. Seating is limited, so register today at https://exitplanningexchange.com/event-2674576.

Supported Decision-Making: Eliminating the Need for Guardianship
2018-03-06 09:00 - 12:00
Join Center for Public Representation and Nonotuck Resource Associates to learn more about the Supported Decision Making model, hear the results of their first-in-the-nation pilot program to move adults supported by DDS from a model of guardianship to supported decision making, and discuss the future of this practice. Providers with clients supported by DDS and DMH welcome.

An Evening with Gerard Doherty, Advisor to the Kennedys
2018-03-15 17:30 - 19:30
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, College of Our Lady of the Elms will host an evening with Gerard F. Doherty, author of They Were My Friends – Jack, Bob & Ted: My Life in and out of Politics, at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15, in Elms College Veritas Auditorium. This event, one of a series of events around the region during the week of St. Patrick’s Day, is free and open to the public.
Doherty, an attorney, was a trusted political adviser to President Kennedy, Sen. Robert Kennedy, Sen. Edward Kennedy, President Johnson, and President Carter. They Were My Friends offers a rare, firsthand account of the behind-the-scenes work that led to some of the most influential moments of the Kennedy brothers’ political lives — and how the son of a Boston firefighter became the only man with a seat at the table with all three Kennedy brothers. The book takes the reader through the history of Massachusetts politics and the golden age of the Kennedy political dynasty.
For more information about this event, contact Barbara Mulcahy at 413-265-2448.

Reading by Writer Khadija Queen
2018-03-22 16:15 - 17:15
The Blue House Visiting Writers Series at College of Our Lady of the Elms will host a reading by writer Khadija Queen at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, March 22, in the Borgia Gallery. An author reception will be held in conjunction with this reading, which is free and open to the public.
Queen is the author of five books, most recently I’m So Fine: A List of Famous Men & What I Had On. Her poetry and prose have appeared in Fence, Tin House, Gulf Goast, Memoir, DIAGRAM, Buzzfeed, and widely elsewhere. In 2015, her verse play Non-Sequitur won the Leslie Scalapino Award for Innovative Women’s Performance Writing and was produced off-Broadway for a 10-day run. Queen teaches in the Mile-High MFA program at Regis University, and is the visiting scholar in creative writing at University of Colorado at Boulder. She is also raising a teenager.
Queen has been named a finalist for the 2015 National Poetry Series for I’m So Fine: A List of Famous Men & What I Had On; winner of the 2014 Leslie Scalapino Award for Innovative Women Performance Writers; winner of the Noemi book award for poetry 2010 (Black Peculiar, also a finalist for the Gatewood Prize at Switchback Books); and a Cave Canem fellow in 2007, 2008, and 2011.

Difference Makers
2018-03-22 17:00 - 20:30
Honorees Announced in the Jan. 22, 2018 issue of BusinessWest
Join us as we honor the 2018 Difference Makers with a celebration of their contributions to the community we call Western Massachusetts. Through their hard work to improve the quality of life of everyone in this region, these individuals are motivating others to understand that they too, can make a difference. Come get inspired!

TICKETS ON SALE JANUARY 2018!
