Page 87 - BusinessWest February 21, 2022

Pride Stores Sold to ArcLight Capital Partners
SPRINGFIELD — Eight months after announcing plans to sell the chain, Pride Stores CEO Bob Bolduc announced a sale to ArcLight Capital Partners. The 31 stores — with several more in development — will keep the Pride name, and the company’s cus- tomers and 525 employees will see little change in day-to-day operations, Bolduc told local news out- lets, which is one of the reasons ArcLight won out over several other interested parties. In 1976, Bolduc bought a self-serve gas station in Indian Orchard and gradually expanded his business over the years, creating the chain of stores known today as Pride. He also developed a reputation as an industry innova- tor by marrying the self-service station with another emerging phenomenon, the convenience store. Other innovations would follow; Pride would even- tually become the first chain in Western Mass. to put a Dunkin’ Donuts in the stores, and the first to incor- porate a Subway. But where the company has really made a name, in recent years, is with its own fresh- food production, supported by the Pride Kitchen, located at the company’s headquarters on Cottage Street in Springfield.
People
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incarceration, military service, and beyond. As rising or seasoned professionals, fellows share their knowl- edge, skills, and experiences with students who are exploring and pursuing careers in politics and public service. As current practitioners, fellows support stu- dents building practical skills that will supplement what they are learning through academic courses. Through one-time and ongoing engagement, fellows serve as resources and mentors to students. During their visits, IOP fellows will participate and lead both curricular and co-curricular programs.
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Holyoke Community Col- lege (HCC) recently welcomed Evelyn Rivera-Riffenburg as the college’s executive direc- tor of Human Resources. Rivera-Riffenburg has worked in human resources for more than 25 years. She started her career as a personnel assistant and most recently worked as
director of human resources for Chicopee Public Schools. Her previous employment featured posi- tions in human resources for the town of Amherst, Medtronic (formerly Covidien), Hot Mama’s Foods, C&S Wholesale Grocers, and Coca-Cola. She is also an adjunct professor at Bay Path University and Western New England University. Rivera-Riffenburg began
her undergraduate education at HCC before trans- ferring to Baker College, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in human resources management. She holds master’s degrees in communications and information management from Bay Path University and in organizational leadership from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a Society for Human Resources Management certified senior professional, an HCRI senior professional in human resources, and a certified K-12 Title IX coordinator.
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The New England Financial Marketing Assoc.
(NEFMA) welcomed Mary Cate Mannion, a digital PR analyst for Garvey Communication Associates Inc. and producer for New England Corporate Video, as the keynote presenter for its virtual Awards Show on Feb. 11. The event featured the winners of awards
TD Bank Center Sold to
New Real-estate Partnership
SPRINGFIELD — The 240,000-square-foot, class-A office complex located at 1441 Main St. in Spring- field, known as the TD Bank Center, has been sold. The property, located at the corner of Main Street and Harrison Avenue, was sold by an affiliate of TD Bank to a limited-liability company comprised of the principals of Colebrook Realty Services and a com- pany controlled by Jeb Balise, CEO of Balise Auto Group. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed. Originally known as Center Square, the property
was developed in the early 1980s by a subsidiary
of SIS Bank in a project led by Colebrook CEO
Jack Dill. Colebrook has managed and leased the building since its opening in January 1982. Most recently, Colebrook partners Mitch Bolotin and Kevin Morin have had responsibility for leasing and managing TD Bank Center. Balise and Colebrook have worked together for nearly two decades on Balise real-estate projects, represented by Bolotin.
Western New England University
Cited Among Top Online Programs
SPRINGFIELD — In newly released rankings by U.S. News & World Report, Western New England University (WNE) was again recognized among the 2022 Best Online Programs. Among online MBA Programs, WNE made significant gains, jumping 71 places and ranking 153rd (up from 224th in 2021); among Online Graduate Business Programs (Non- MBA), the university ranked 110th (up from 129th
Company Notebook
in 2021); and among Online Master’s in Engineer- ing Programs, it ranked 79th, up from 104th. The rankings place Western New England University in the top 10 in Massachusetts for accredited online MBA and graduate business programs and in the top three in Massachusetts for accredited master’s
Notebook
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his new role, he will manage product approvals for OMG Roofing’s product portfolio as well as assist the new-product development team in address- ing code and approval issues. In addition, he will work closely with OMG’s private-label cus- tomers and code and approval officials with product evalua-
tions, developing technical product specifications, as well as maintaining code approvals and keeping abreast of technical changes and advancements in the commercial roofing industry. Griswold started with OMG Roofing Products in 2013 in the manu- facturing area. Since then, he has held positions as a laboratory technician in the company’s New Product Development & Innovation department, and most recently in the Technical Services department as a technical support specialist. He is a member of the Single-Ply Roofing Industry and holds an associate degree in engineering from Springfield Technical Community College.
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Nourse Farms Inc. announced that founder and President Timothy Nourse has transitioned from overall leadership of Nourse Farms to chairman of the board of directors. He is leaving the day-to-day operational oversight in the hands of John Place, who has been promoted to CEO. Over the past 90 years, Nourse Farms has grown to be a leader in berry-plant propagation in North America and now produces more than 30 million strawberry plants in addition
to 6 million raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, cur- rant, gooseberry, elderberry, asparagus, rhubarb, and horseradish plants each year to customers around the world. Tim Nourse is recognized as a pioneer in tissue-culture propagation, having built the first lab at Nourse Farms over 40 years ago. Establishing this capability in the 1980s was a key to growth and inno- vation for customers around the world. Before joining Nourse Farms as chief operating officer in 2019, Place built his career in Pennsylvania at Keepsake Farm. He holds a degree in agriculture and animal science from the University of Delaware and is a highly accom- plished farmer and successful business executive.
MARY CATE MANNION
for the most creative, innova- tive, and successful campaigns across several different finan- cial-services categories. Man- nion’s presentation, “What’s Old Is New: How the Age-old Art of Storytelling Will Set Your Exist- ing Media Channels on Fire,” explained how brands can gen- measurable engagement while
COLIN GRISWOLD
erate meaningful and
shedding all that extra budget weight of meaningless and empty impressions. Included in her presentation were best-practice examples from HarborOne Bank, Mascoma Bank, Monson Savings Bank, Needham Bank, and PeoplesBank. Mannion has worked in the Holyoke-Springfield DMA as an anchor/reporter for ABC, CBS, and FOX News affiliates; in Bismarck, N.D. as an anchor/reporter for an NBC News affiliate; and in Portland, Maine as a reporter for an ABC News affiliate. She won a Broadcaster’s Award for her work and was nominated for two Midwest Emmy Awards. She is a graduate of Emerson College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. She is also currently a board member of the Willie Ross School for the Deaf and a member of Women in Film & Video New England.
EVELYN RIVERA-RIFFENBURG
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New England Public Media has named Deepa Krish-
na director of Finance and Accounting. Krishna will oversee the nonprofit media organization’s $10 mil- lion budget, working directly with internal depart- ments as well as community funders and grantors.
A licensed certified public accountant, Krishna joins NEPM from the Connecticut Airport Authority in Windsor Locks, where she served as the accounting manager for Bradley International Airport and five general aviation airports, overseeing annual budgets and managing federal and state grants for the non- profit organization. Prior to that, she was the finance manager for Bristol Hospital and Healthcare Group. She received her master’s degree in commerce and accounting from Madurai Kamaraj University, India, and her bachelor’s degree in commerce and account- ing from Mahatma Gandhi University, India.
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OMG Roofing Products promoted Colin Griswold
to the position of codes and approvals engineer. In