Page 53 - BusinessWest April 18, 2022

The Marketplace Opens Great Barrington Location
GREAT BARRINGTON — The Marketplace, known
for its menu of specialty foods, celebrated the grand opening of the Marketplace Specialty Food Shop, its newest location at 265 Stockbridge Road in Great Barrington, earlier this month. Led by chefs David Renner, Kevin Schmitz, Douglas Luf, and Christopher Brooks, the Marketplace offers a variety of choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including a large section of prepared foods such as entrees, sides, soups, and chili. With a fully staffed pastry department, the Mar- ketplace offers cookies, brownies, pies, custards, and cake as well as special-day custom cakes. The special- ty shop also features artisan cheese. The full menu, specialty food offerings, catering options, and cafes can be found at marketplacekitchen.com. The 265 Stockbridge Road location is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Berkshire Bank Aids Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine
BOSTON — Berkshire Bank announced several actions it will take with its employees and custom- ers in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. As a first step, the Berkshire Bank Founda- tion will make a $50,000 contribution to the Ukrai- nian Federation of America, one of the oldest Ukrai- nian organizations in the U.S., which is working to deliver humanitarian and medical aid. In addition, Berkshire’s donation will be leveraged in collabora- tion with Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island on 401Gives Day, a statewide day of giving in Rhode Island on April 1. The bank selected 401Gives Day because it is a time-sensitive campaign that pro- vides Berkshire the opportunity to make a greater impact by inviting the public and business commu- nity to match the bank’s contribution. In addition to its significant financial contribution, Berkshire Bank has implemented several actions to harness its entire business to support those impacted by the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Efforts include matched employ- ee contributions, a supply drive and employee volun- teering, and customer support, refunding outgoing wire-transfer fees to individuals sending money to family and nonprofit organizations in Ukraine.
Sourcepass Adds Suite3 to Its Portfolio of Companies
EASTHAMPTON — Sourcepass announced it has added Easthampton-based Suite3 to its portfolio of IT companies focused on serving small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs). The deal is Sourcepass’ second acquisition in 30 days and will not only boost the company’s solutions targeting the financial-services industry, but also grow the company’s reach in the Northeast, expanding its footprint into 43 states. Suite3 provides managed network, cloud migration and management, cybersecurity, and IT support services to more than 6,000 managed customer end- points. Its clients span more than eight industries, withastrongfocusonfinancialservices.Aspartof the transition, Suite3’s current employees will join the Sourcepass team. They will also receive institu- tional training and growth opportunities. In addition, the core Suite3 leadership team will remain, with new roles to help Sourcepass with its growth into the financial-services industry and culture of customer engagement. Current Suite3 clients will also see ben- efits from the new agreement. Sourcepass will extend its interactive web portal to enable 24/7, on-demand, omni-channel support to Suite3 customers, and they will have access to Sourcepass’ broad portfolio of technology solutions.
Pare Corp. Opens Holyoke Office
HOLYOKE — Pare Corp., a multi-disciplinary civil, structural, geotechnical, transportation, and envi- ronmental engineering firm, announced it is grow- ing with the opening of its third office. Strategically located in Holyoke to serve the greater Pioneer Valley and the central and western areas of Massachusetts and Connecticut, Pare’s office is in the Whitney Place Business Center, which provides easy access to the Mass Pike and Interstate 91, as well as accessibility to biking and local bus routes. From this location, Pare will be able to quickly respond to the many grow-
ing needs of clients and communities throughout the area. Pare will provide a full range of engineering and consulting services from the Holyoke office. The firm is currently working on a variety of public- and private-sector projects, including the Belchertown State School Carriage Grove redevelopment, the Singing Bridge redevelopment project in Chicopee, traffic-light signalization and roadway improvements for Brightwood/Lincoln School in Springfield, and traffic-engineering design for Fort River Elementary School in Amherst. The office will also allow Pare
to expand several growing practice areas, including its water and wastewater engineering, highway and bridge engineering, bike paths and recreational ball- fields, and geotechnical and dam services.
MassDevelopment Bond Helps Gándara Buy New Corporate Offices
SPRINGFIELD — MassDevelopment has issued a $4.3 million tax-exempt bond on behalf of Gándara Men- tal Health Center Inc., which used the proceeds to buy and renovate a 13,200-square-foot office building at 933 East Columbus Ave. in Springfield. The orga- nization will relocate its corporate offices from West Springfield into the new, larger building, where it can meet increased demand for its innovative, culturally competent behavioral-health, prevention, and edu- cation services that promote the well-being of His- panic, African-American, and other culturally diverse populations. Gándara’s services include outpatient mental-health and substance-abuse treatment for underserved communities, as well as residential and preventative services for children, adults, and families throughout Massachusetts. The organization recently began renovations and expects to move into the facil- ity by late spring 2022. Westfield Bank purchased the bond, which will also be used to refinance previously issued debt.
Colebrook Brokers Sales of Sites
in Northampton Industrial Park
NORTHAMPTON — Colebrook Realty Services Inc. announced it has brokered the sale of 168 and 178 Industrial Dr. in Northampton. The firm announced the sale of approximately 58,443 square feet of class-A industrial/flex space in the Northampton Industrial Park, along with a 12,000-square-foot R&D building and a 2.10-acre adjoining land site. Kissell Inc. and PVCWestInc.soldthepropertiestoGMSRealtyLLP. The properties, which represent a significant portion of the park’s available industrial space, are highly stra- tegic assets located along Interstate 91, with the Mass Pike interchange just 15 minutes south. The properties have been fully leased to strong local manufacturing and service companies for many years. Mitch Bolotin and Ben Bolotin of Colebrook represented the seller of the property and sourced the buyer. Inquiries about the sale of 168 Industrial Dr. and 178 Industrial Dr. may be directed to Bolotin at mjbolotin@colebrookre- alty.com or (413) 781-0066.
Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan & Blakesley Wins Victory for Worker’s Rights
SPRINGFIELD — On March 25, the Department of Industrial Accidents Reviewing Board issued a major ruling concerning worker safety. In the underlying case, Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan & Blakesley (PSRB) attor- neys Thomas Downey and Ronald Kidd claimed their client suffered severe, disabling injuries as a result of the employer’s serious and willful misconduct. After
a hearing, the judge awarded the injured employee double compensation under Section 28 of the Work- ers’ Compensation Act on account of the employer’s misconduct. Section 28 claims are rare and often unsuccessful because of the requirement to prove a willful act or failure. The Reviewing Board affirmed the judge’s double-compensation award. “This was a case in which an employee, in the normal performance
of their duties, was badly injured by a machine he
was cleaning. The action stems from the fact that the owner of the business did not inform the worker about an emergency shut-off switch which was in place to prevent this exact sort of accident,” Downey said. “The willful disregard for safety by the owner allowed us to recover double compensation for our client. This is an uncommon occurrence and shows the strength of our case, the disregard for worker’s safety, and the ability of our team to work on behalf our injured client.”
Company Notebook
Balise Supports Square One’s Campaign for Healthy Kids
SPRINGFIELD — Balise Auto, a longtime Square
One supporter, recently raised $4,000 to support the nonprofit agency’s Campaign for Healthy Kids. The funds were raised through Balise’s “Tires to Inspire” initiative, through which donations were made to Square One when customers purchased a set of new tires. “Square One does so much to set local children and their families up for success,” said Alex Balise, director of Marketing for Balise Auto. “Education and community development are at the core of our chari- table giving philosophy, so we couldn’t be happier to highlight their amazing programs and continue to support Square One in their mission.” Square One’s Campaign for Healthy Kids is a multi-year fund- development initiative focused on the agency’s com- mitment to providing healthy meals, physical fitness, social-emotional well-being, and a healthy learning environment.
Agenda
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sheLEADS Conference
May 20: The Greater Easthampton Chamber of Com- merce will host sheLEADS, a woman’s conference aimed at building a bold, brave community of women in the 413 with an eye on professional development and beyond. The day begins at the Boylston Room
in Easthampton at noon and ends with networking
at Abandoned Building Brewery. In between, attend- ees can look forward to “Activating Your Leadership Strengths,” facilitated by Colleen DelVecchio of Col- leen DelVecchio Consultants; “The Language of Lead- ership,” a panel discussion featuring Pia Kumar, chief strategy officer at Universal Plastics, Lynnette Watkins, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Health Care, and Waleska Lugo-DeJesus, CEO of Inclusive Strate- gies; and “Be Great Where Your Feet Are,” featuring keynote speaker Robyn Glaser Sr., vice president, Busi- ness Affairs for the Kraft Group. For tickets and details, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org.
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