Page 44 - BusinessWest August 31, 2020

PeoplesBank Grant Helps Fund WNEU Student Startup
SPRINGFIELD — PeoplesBank and the Center for Innova- tion and Entrepreneurship at the Western New England University (WNEU) College of Business are working together to help students expand their entrepreneurship educa-
tion beyond the classroom. The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at WNEU works to develop students’ entrepreneurial mindset. Through co-curricular efforts, such as Startup Weekend and the cross-disciplinary busi- ness/engineering “Product Development and Innovation” course, students are able to create ideas, products, and services that have market potential. PeoplesBank is taking this one step further by providing grant funding to advance qualifying startups that show promise and demonstrate suc- cess. Joseph Ferrera, a 2020 graduate of the Entrepreneur-
Company Notebook
ship program at Western New England University, is the first recipient of a PeoplesBank grant. He founded Double O Joe, a Ludlow-based videography startup, in his sophomore year and continued to advance the business model through his entrepreneurship courses at WNEU. He is currently serving several small businesses in the Greater Springfield area. The grant funded a more advanced drone and camera in order to continue to grow his customer base and video offerings.
STCC Launches Certificate in Social-media Strategy, Design
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will offer a new social-media strategy and design certificate this fall in the Department of Technical Arts and Design. The coursework is designed to prepare students for the planning and implementation of a promotional strategy using a variety of social-media platforms, including social networking, microblogging, photo sharing, and video shar- ing. In addition, students will take courses in graphic design, motion graphics, marketing, and advertising to blend social-media strategy and design, a combination that is very much in demand, said Professor Philip Ruderman, a faculty member in the Graphic Communications & Photography program at STCC. Ruderman called the program a vehicle
People
Continued from page 43
program prepares professionals to apply advanced skills to address the financial planning needs of indi- viduals, families, and small-business owners in a diverse environment. Having held licenses in mort- gage lending, property and casualty insurance, and real estate, Silipigno provides Renaissance clients with a wide breadth of experience and expertise.
In addition to fulfilling his role as COO, he works directly with the firm’s high-net-worth clients and foundations in the areas of investment management, cash-flow analysis, estate planning, charitable-giving strategies, and other complex financial-counseling domains.
•••••
The Westfield Starfires announced the addition of Jeremy Therrien to the staff as Game Operations and Promo- tions coordinator. Therrien, a Westfield native and senior at Springfield College, has served in that position since late in 2019 and has spent much of the 2020 season implementing
the organization’s COVID-19 readiness plan. For three
to help students promote their talents, showcase their work, and develop relationships that will grow their employer’s business, or their own. The new social-media tools course offered this fall will focus on the basic elements needed to create and maintain a successful social-media campaign, including social-media marketing basics, social-media mix, social marketing process, analysis, strategy development, program and communication design, and implementa- tion. This online course will put students on the path for self-promotion and promotion of businesses. The training enables them to build awareness within the marketplace and to target and engage online viewers and build a com- munity of followers. An online search for social-media jobs in the region will yield a number of results, including digital content creators, digital content producers, social-media designers, and social-media specialists. In addition, a num- ber of marketing positions requiring social-media skills
can also be found. Nine courses, or 27 credits, are required to complete the program, which could be completed in as few as two semesters. To learn more about the program, visit stcc.edu/explore/programs/smsd.coc. For questions, call Admissions at (413) 755-3333.
BHN’s Kamp for Kids Receives $10,000 Grant from Westfield Bank
WESTFIELD — Behavioral Health Network Inc. (BHN) announced it received a grant of $10,000 from Westfield Bank to benefit Kamp for Kids, the organization’s summer day camp for children and young adults with and without disabilities. Westfield Bank has been a longtime supporter
of BHN’s Kamp for Kids. Grants made to Kamp for Kids pro- vide camperships to youth with or without disabilities to ensure that all children, regardless of family income, are able to attend camp. Due to COVID-19, this summer Kamp for Kids is being held virtually in order to provide a safe camp experience for the campers and their families. The virtual camp is open to all who wish to participate and offered free of charge, and consists of recreational activities, nature time, and arts and crafts. To register and participate in virtual camp, visit www.bhninc.org/kamp-kids. The camp has cre- ated three themes for this year’s activities: “In My Backyard,” “Only in New England,” and “All Around the World.” Kamp for Kids has also continued its partnership with the West- field Cultural Council and Berkshire Hills Music Academy, a music-based program for people with disabilities in Frank- lin County, to offer musical programming for participants.
PVRR
Continued from page 16
PVRR and RDS being the only holdings in the portfolio.
“What that has allowed us to do is reinvest and recalibrate,” he explained. “We had a very large team throughout the years and a lot of focus on Florida, where we had 250 miles of track; we can now take that talent and focus on our operations here.
“My go-to line is that ‘even you don’t have rail siding, that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from railroad- ing,’” he continued, adding that he can back up those words with numbers, and he intends to use them to build the company’s portfolio of customers.
PVRR owns a 1930s-era passenger rail car that it calls the ‘dinner train.’ As that name suggests, it’s used for fundraising events, a customer- appreciation gathering, and even as
a means to transport Santa Claus to Holyoke Heritage State Park for annual festivities there.
It hasn’t been out of the yard much in the era of COVID-19, but U.S. Rep. Richard Neal recently used it as a back- drop for an event, said Levine, adding that the dinner train has become a highly visible part of this company for decades now.
But the bottom line — in virtually every respect — is that PVRR and RDS are about getting freight, not people, from one place to another.
It’s a moving story, and one that could well add a number of new chap- ters in the years to come as the compa- ny tries to get customers on the right track when it comes to freight — liter- ally and figuratively. u
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
consecutive years, Therrien has served as a student leader at the Hoophall Classic, an annual, Springfield- based tournament that features the top high-school basketball players and teams from around the coun- try. He is also a Game Operations supervisor for the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League.
•••••
PeoplesBank announced the appointment of Scott Ganhao as the manager of its new bank- ing center located at 450 Center St. in Ludlow. He has more than 13 years of financial services and banking experience. In his new position, Ganhao will aim to ensure the banking center meets and exceeds service and
sales goals, provides excellent customer service, oper- ates according to all bank policies and procedures, and serves as a leader within the community. Gan- hao earned a bachelor’s degree in business manage- ment from Western New England University. He is the president of the Our Lady of Fatima Preservation Society and a member of the board of directors of the
Wilbraham Rotary Memorial Foundation Inc. and the Lusitania Institute. He is a member of the Wilbraham- Hampden Rotary Club and has served as chairman of the Our Lady of Fatima finance committee, president of the Our Lady of Fatima Parish council committee, and director of the Our Lady of Fatima Festa commit- tee. He is fluent in spoken Portuguese.
•••••
Florence Bank promoted Jen- nifer Halpin to the position of Employee Relations officer in the Human Resources depart- ment at the main office in Florence. Halpin joined Flor- ence Bank in 2014. Prior to her recent promotion, she served as the Employee Relations manager. She holds a bach-
elor of business administration degree from UMass Amherst. During her tenure at the bank, she has been the recipient of the President’s Award, which is awarded to employees who demonstrate superior levels of performance, customer service, and overall contribution to the bank.
SCOTT GANHAO
JENNIFER HALPIN
JEREMY THERRIEN
44 AUGUST 31, 2020
DEPARTMENTS
BusinessWest