Page 10 - BusinessWest April 27, 2026

EDITORIAL >>
Twenty Years of Celebrating Excellence
An even 800.
That’s how many people are now members of ‘the club.’
That would the 40 Under Forty club, which Business-
West launched back in the spring of 2007. It is comprised of ris-
ing stars in this region, people who are making a difference in
their business, nonprofit, school, or seat in government — and
also in the community.
This is the 20th class of honorees to be chosen by indepen-
dent panels of judges. Members of the class of 2026 are officially
in the club, but they will get their plaques at the annual gala on
June 11 at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.
Like the 19 classes that came before, this one is diverse in
every respect, but especially with regard to what earned indi-
vidual honorees a spot among the 40. For some, it’s professional
accomplishments. For others, it’s primarily their work within the
community. For most, it’s a combination of both, as the stories
that begin on page A6 clearly relate.
Here are some snapshots that convey the depth of this class
and the many ways its members stand out.
• Inspired by his father, a commercial banker who passed away
in 2012 after battling ALS, Paul Accorsi Jr. has followed in his
footsteps, not merely as an assistant vice president and business
banking lender for PeoplesBank, but as a leader in the commu-
nity, getting involved with groups and causes ranging from the
Springfield Kiwanis Club to the South End Community Center to
a wide range of charitable road races.
• Alexandra Balise ultimately decided to join the family busi-
ness — a growing collection of auto dealerships and related ven-
tures that bears her family’s name — but while she has made her
mark there, now as director of Corporate Strategy, she has been
a force in the community as well, especially with the early child-
hood education provider Square One, but also Benjamin Swan
School, Link to Libraries, the Zoo in Forest Park, and other
instititions and causes.
• Alicia Brown is an English teacher at Springfield’s John J.
Duggan Academy who created ‘the Royals,’ an after-school pro-
gram to empower young women through mentorship, leadership
development, and life skills education — “helping them build
healthy coping mechanisms to navigate life,” as she put it.
• Shannon O’Connell turned a lifelong heart for animals into
a long-running stint as facility manager at the Good Dog Spot in
Chicopee — but, more impressively, a role as foster mom to more
than 250 animals (and counting) over the years, creating a calm,
nurturing environment where they can safely grow, heal, and
learn to trust.
• Almost two decades ago, Aimee Salmon launched Positively
Africana by Aimee, a thriving retail, online, and fitness enterprise
that works directly with women entrepreneurs and artists across
Africa, creating economic opportunties for them while bringing
authentic African gifts and experiences to Western Mass.
• Brandon Towle is the manager of Rolling Meadows Country
Club in Ellington, Conn. And while he excels in that role, he’s an
honoree for the manner in which he has gained the confidence
and courage to move past a severe stutter and, even more impor-
tantly, create Camp Words Unspoken in Pittsfield, where young
people are provided with the tools to do the same.
• Yeselie Tulloch, this year’s top scorer among the five inde-
pendent judges, co-founded the Academic Leadership Assoc., a
nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youth through
school-based mentoring, literacy support, social-emotional devel-
opment, and self-advocacy programming. “It’s so important to me
to work with children and just be that adult that some kids might
not have,” she said.
That last quote speaks to another thread that runs throughout
this year’s 40 Under Forty class: impact. Real impact that goes
well beyond personal success. We’re once again honored to share
their stories with you in the 20th edition of BusinessWest’s 40
Under Forty. Here’s to 20 more years, and so many more stories
waiting to be told. BW
EDITORIAL >>
A Heartbreaking Reality on Many Levels
The news that came out of Hampshire College on April 14 —
that the nearly 60-year-old, unconventional liberal arts insti-
tution will be closing — was hardly a surprise.
The news came maybe a little sooner than many expected, but
the handwriting has been on the wall for some time now. Indeed,
this quirky school had fought a brave fight to keep the doors open
over the past decade or so, but in the end, it simply could not
overcome a powerful mix of forces, everything from a sharp drop
in enrollment to an inability to refinance its bond debt to a wan-
ing unrestricted endowment.
“Despite this herculean effort, the financial pressures on the
college’s operations have become increasingly complex, com-
pounded by shifting external factors,” according to a public letter
released by the board and college President Jennifer Chrisler,
noting that attempts were made to increase enrollment, refinance
existing debt, and realize new revenue via the sale of a portion of
land.
“We have long known that addressing these issues is essential
to establishing a stable financial foundation, supporting long-
term operations, and meeting regulatory requirements,” the let-
ter noted. “We are faced with the clear, heartbreaking reality that
progress on each of these three key factors has fallen far short of
what we had hoped.”
Another reality is that, while Hampshire’s situation was dire
and certainly magnified by the fact that it became increasingly
difficult to attract students to a college with a seriously uncertain
future, many private colleges are struggling and may soon face
hard choices themselves.
Indeed, a new forecast by the Huron Consulting Group proj-
ects that nearly one-quarter of the nation’s 1,700 private, non-
profit four-year colleges and universities are at risk of closing or
having to merge within the next 10 years.
To survive, these schools must find ways to increase enroll-
ment at a time when the number of high school graduates con-
tinues to fall, and convince enough families of the value of a four-
year college degree.
If current trends continue, this will become an increasingly tall
order, and the higher education landscape in this region and this
country could change considerably.
That, too, is a heartbreaking reality. BW
10 << OPINION >>
APRIL 27, 2026
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