Page 6 - BusinessWest August 4, 2021

The
BusinessWest
6 AUGUST 4, 2021
FEATURE
Road Ahead
A Roundtable Discussion About the Forces That Will Shape What’s
to Come
In late May, after 15 months of living through a global pandemic,
the state entered into a phrase the governor called “a new normal.” A few months later, most
businesspeople would say this ‘normal’ isn’t everything they expected or wanted. Indeed, while business has picked
up in many sectors, from hospitality to healthcare, there are myriad challenges facing the business community, from what can only be called a workforce crisis to shortages of goods
and rising prices; from a new and very potent strain of the coronavirus to issues with when and how to bring employees back to the office. To get a sense of where things are and, especially, where we may be headed, BusinessWest convened a panel of area business leaders — Deborah Bitsoli, president of Mercy Medical Center; Harry Dumay, president of Elms College;
Patrick Leary, a partner with MP CPAs; Elizabeth Paquette, president of Rock Valley Tool in Easthampton; Tom Senecal,
president and CEO of PeoplesBank; and Edison Yee, a principal of the Bean Restaurant Group. Their answers to
a series of questions on the economy and the forces shaping it are certainly eye-opening.
By George O’Brien