Page 42 - BusinessWest August 19, 2024

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Elms College Receives $567,000 from Two Grants
CHICOPEE — Elms College recently received two grants totaling more than $567,000 to grow and strengthen the college’s online learning academic programs and continue the work of the Center for Equity in Urban Education (CEUE). The Davis Educa- tional Foundation awarded Elms College $317,627 for its Strengthening Online Learning and Engage- ment (SOLE) initiative. This three-year grant will enable Elms to increase its online learning capabil- ity throughout the curriculum and also expand the transfer pipeline. The Davis Educational Foundation was established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis
after the former’s retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets Inc. In addition, Elms also received $250,000 from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation to continue its support of the college’s CEUE, which was founded five years ago to diversify the pipeline of well-prepared, culturally responsive K-12 teachers throughout Western Mass. By offer- ing undergraduate and graduate degree programs that lead to teaching licensure, the CEUE addresses the educational inequities and obstacles for under- represented populations to enter the teaching profession.
Two Berkshire County Agencies Partner with Wheeler & Taylor
GREAT BARRINGTON — Deep Associates Insurance Agency of North Adams and Thompson & Linscott Insurance Agency of Adams each recently entered a partnership with Wheeler & Taylor Insurance, the oldest independent insurance agency in Berkshire County. The two long-established insurance agen- cies joined Wheeler & Taylor of Great Barrington to broaden their insurance offerings locally, region- ally, and nationally. Both firms retain their name, staff, location, and management. Deep Associates is located at 34 Ashland St., North Adams. Thomp- son & Linscott Insurance Agency is at 32 Park St., Adams. Mirick Insurance Agency of Shelburne Falls and Albert B. Allen Insurance Agency of Green- field also each recently entered a partnership with Wheeler & Taylor.
Keiter Donates $25,000 for Annual Gift-card Promotion
FLORENCE — To reaffirm its commitment to com- munity, Keiter recently announced a $25,000 donation to the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for its annual Keiter Card promotion. This initiative, now in its fourth consecutive year, seeks to inject more than $50,000 into the local economy. Through this promotion, Keiter’s contri- bution enables consumers to receive $50 in spend- ing power with the purchase of a $25 Northampton Gift Card. Keiter Cards will be available while sup- plies last. They can be purchased only at the cham- ber office at 99 Pleasant St., Northampton, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The promotion is applicable only to $25 Northampton Gift Card purchases with a limit of one card per customer, per transaction. The Northampton Gift Card is accepted at more than 115 local businesses, spanning restau- rants, shops, services, and spas.
Longmeadow Veterinary Clinic Opens to Families Seeking Care
LONGMEADOW — The old saying ‘the dog days of 42 AUGUST 19, 2024
summer’ has taken on new meaning in Longmead- ow. Caroline Joos, Kristin Lappetito, and Angela DuBois officially opened the doors of Longmeadow Veterinary Clinic, the town’s only veterinary clinic, on Aug. 5 at 916 Shaker Road. Joos grew up in Rochester, N.Y., where she started working at a vet clinic at 15 as a kennel attendant. She worked as
a veterinary technician throughout high school,
as well as in college and veterinary school at Cor- nell University. Joos and Lappetito met at Cornell, where they both graduated from veterinary school in 2009. Joos then worked in New Jersey, Pitts- burgh, and in the Springfield area before purchasing Feeding Hills Veterinary Clinic in 2020. Joos met DuBois when she moved to the area; the two have been business partners since 2022. After graduating from Cornell, Lappetito began working on horses in California, then moved to Pennsylvania to focus on veterinary care for rural mixed animals. In 2012, she moved to Massachusetts and has been working in a small animal emergency room ever since, focusing on sick pets and ultrasound. DuBois has been in the veterinary field for 23 years, earning her certified veterinary practice manager certificate in 2019. She started as a kennel technician and worked her way up through the years, giving her valuable experience all aspects of veterinary clinic management.
Tech Foundry Marks 10 Years, Launches Innovation Fund
SPRINGFIELD — State and local leaders consistently recognize the growing need for innovation in, and strategic growth of, workforce-development pro- grams to connect more Massachusetts residents to living-wage jobs while driving economic growth in the Commonwealth. This opportunity has spurred regional workforce-development program Tech Foundry to launch an Innovation Fund as the orga- nization celebrates its 10th anniversary. With a
goal of raising $250,000 to serve more people and employers, Tech Foundry will utilize this fund to fuel expansion of programs and curriculum in partner- ship with organizations throughout Massachusetts. To catalyze this effort, a group of donors has pro- vided funds for a $100,000, dollar-to-dollar match- ing campaign through the end of the calendar year. Currently, Tech Foundry provides hands-on techni- cal training, work experience, coaching, and leader- ship development so its graduates can successfully access information-technology careers. The orga- nization also recently launched its first Tech Hub, a free service providing bilingual digital-literacy class- es, tech support, and device distribution throughout Western Mass., serving more than 300 people per month.
Happier Valley Comedy Awarded $115,000 Grant
HADLEY — Happier Valley Comedy, the only improv comedy theater in Western Mass., was recently awarded a $115,000 capital grant from the Mass Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilities Fund to take its theater expansion plans from dream to reality. The matching grant gets this local arts nonprofit one step closer to building a new performance space with expanded and raised audience seating, a larger stage with an improv-friendly set, new theatrical lighting, and a fully accessible stage to welcome every performer and student. The final, construc- tion-ready drawings have been inked by Thomas Douglas Architects of Northampton, which is are
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working closely with Braidman and the team at Integrity Development & Construction of Amherst. To unlock the full matching grant, Happier Valley Comedy must raise another $57,000 by the end of 2024 in hopes of beginning construction in January.
Asnuntuck Selected for Metallica Scholars Initiative
ENFIELD, Conn. — Connecticut State Community College Asnuntuck announced its selection as the first community college in Connecticut and one of 18 nationwide recipients this year to join the presti- gious Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI). This honor comes as part of the largest expansion of the initia- tive to date, supported by a $75,000 grant aimed
at enhancing the Asnuntuck student experience and career readiness within its advanced manu- facturing programs. Through the grant, Asnuntuck will be able to award $30,000 in scholarships to
30 students in the program’s summer advanced manufacturing cohort. Manufacturing students will also receive OSHA 10 training and certification and have access to new robotics simulation software. The campus will also use the funds to supply weld- ing students with their own equipment, which they can take with them to use in future employment. Launched in 2019 by All Within My Hands (AWMH) in partnership with the American Assoc. of Com- munity Colleges, MSI began with 10 colleges and primarily manufacturing programs. It now offers diverse workforce opportunities for students inter- ested in gaining the skills and training necessary to find meaningful and well-paying careers. Additional curricula will include construction, healthcare, and engineering, contributing to more than 25 fields of study offered within the initiative. To date, AWMH has invested more than $10.5 million in the Ameri- can workforce, reaffirming a commitment to career and technical education at the local level.
PeoplesBank Wins 2024
Top Workplaces Industry Award
HOLYOKE — PeoplesBank announced it is a 2024 Top Workplaces Industry winner, determined by Energage, a national employment organization. The Top Workplaces program has a 17-year history of surveying and celebrating people-first organiza- tions nationally and across 60 regional markets, with more than 27 million employees interviewed across 70,000 organizations. Top Workplaces Indus- try awards celebrate organizations that have built people-first workplace cultures within their sector. The award marks them as an employer of choice for those seeking employment in the industry. Top Workplaces awards are based on feedback from a research-backed employee-engagement survey. Details about how PeoplesBank builds its work- place culture are available at topworkplaces.com/ company/peoplesbank.
LEDC Supports Hispanic Heritage Domino Tournament
CHICOPEE — The Latino Economic Development Corp. (LEDC) announced a donation of $1,000 to the Chicopee Police Department’s C3 Unit for its second annual Hispanic Heritage Domino Tourna-
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