Page 40 - BusinessWest 2023 40 Under Forty

Executive Director, Springfield Redevelopment Authority: Age
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manda Pham joined the Springfield Re- development Authority in 2010, at what would have to be called a watershed
moment — for the city, the SRA, and her own career.
Indeed, the long-waited project to redevelop and re-imagine Springfield’s Union Station, built in 1929 but dormant and mostly vacant since the early ’80s, was entering a critical new stage. The pieces — most of them, anyway — were falling in place, and construction was set to commence.
Over the next several years, the clock was essentially turned back at the historic station, and it was returned to not only its former glory, but its former role — as a transportation hub and center of activity for the city.
And Pham, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Western New England University and American International College, respectively, played a critical role
in this $94 million project, coordinating 13 federal, state, and local grants for the project, while also handling lease negotiations and creation of standard operating procedures.
“That was such a big part of my life at the SRA prior to my role as executive director,” said Pham, who has worked for the city
of Springfield for 16 years, starting in the School Department and then the Community
By the summer of 2017, Nick Pandolfi was at a crossroads in his life and career.
He had a day job — working for the state
as groundskeeper for the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam. But he had a side hustle, if you will, on nights and weekends,
doing hardscape installation work such as patios, retaining walls, sidewalks, and more.
He was developing a solid reputation with the latter, and it was starting to take up
more and more of his free time — to the point where, eventually, he had to
decide between one or the other. So he took the route of an
entrepreneur and made Pandolfi Landscape Construction his sole
focus — and his passion.
He started with a small crew, some
old equipment, and determination to make sure his life decision was the right one.
“We just started getting out there, working hard ... word of mouth traveled quickly,” Pandolfi recalled. “We found ourselves hiring more people very quickly and just growing from there.”
The company soon expanded its portfolio of work to a full range of backyard renovations, including firepits, outdoor kitchens, and plunge pools. And it was certainly helped by the pandemic,
which canceled vacations and gave people the
time, and inclination, to make investments in their homes and backyards.
“That whole outdoor living experience has really taken off,” he said, adding that, three years after the start of the pandemic, business continues to be robust, and these kinds of investments continue. “And seeing that look on people’s faces when a project is done, and making them happy at the end of the day — that’s very rewarding.”
When not working, Pandolfi is usually in his own backyard enjoying time with his family — his wife, Taryn, and children Brody, Luke, and Gwendolyn — and attending the many sporting events involving his children.
He’s also active in the community. He served for several years on the Planning Board in Agawam, and currently donates time, energy, and talent to New Day Church in Enfield, Conn., the West Springfield Police Club, and Shriners Children’s New England. He said giving back is important, and certainly did so when he learned that a local school’s playground toys had been vandalized. That same day, he ordered new equipment, then assembled and delivered it when it arrived.
He did that quietly, just as he’s grown his business into a thriving venture.
—George O’Brien
Amanda Pham
Development Department. “I got exposure to all the different levels of government; there was managing, tracking, and reporting — relationship building and connecting the dots. I got my first taste of Amtrak, MassDOT, and all those other agencies ... it was a great learning experience, and it was great to be part of it.”
The work on the Union Station project not only provided invaluable experience, but it afforded Pham the confidence that ultimately led Mayor Domenic Sarno to appoint her executive director of the SRA in 2021.
She is the first woman to serve in that role, and presides over the agency at a critical time for it and the city, with the SRA taking on a number of important projects, including the redevelopment of several properties directly across Main Street from MGM Springfield, part of the Court Square Urban Renewal Plan, which covers most of the downtown.
Speaking about that project, and the state of the city overall, Pham said, “I felt such great energy before COVID, but then the pandemic pulled everything back. I’m looking to see much more activation. We have so much culture and so much pride in our city; we just need some resources to get back to where we were before COVID.”
—George O’Brien
A40 2023
BusinessWest
Nick Pandolfi
Owner, Pandolfi Landscape Construction: Age 37