Page 66 - BusinessWest February 20, 2023

Grahams
“ WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO
CAPTURE EVERY OPPORTUNITY.
JOSEPH SEARLES Co-Owner International Container Company Holyoke
“
The owners of International Container Company in Holyoke credit their rapid growth to bringing technology to the waste management and compacting industries, and for their relationship with Country Bank. The bank’s knowledge of the cyclicality of their industry and flexible commercial lending solutions keeps the manufacturing company’s wheels turning all the time.
COUNTRYBANK.COM
>>
Continued from page 36
you are patient and put in the work.’” Steve said he and Jean have
helped script many similar stories at Toner Plastics, where they provide employees more than a job and a paycheck. Often, there are other forms of support and other types of doors they’ve helped to open.
“We have a program that allows employees to borrow money for any reason without divulging why, and they set the payment schedule,”
he noted. “The money is loaned interest-free; in the more than
30 years of business, I can’t recall anyone not paying the money back. We encourage employees to invest their money not just in a 401(k) but in the stock market in a conservative manner, and show them the value of compounding. Most of the people who work for us on the factory floor have been able to buy a home and send their kids to college if they so choose. It is wonderful to see.”
Added Jean, “to me, it’s like a family here. Everyone works very hard, and we appreciate everything they do. And we love to see them progress in their lives.”
As noted earlier, the Grahams don’t like to talk about themselves. They would rather let their actions and deeds do the talking for them. When prodded, Jean noted that they are motivated, primarily, to help children and families and “do the best we can.”
Most would say this is a classic understatement.
Continued from page 40
Pinning Him Down
While he doesn’t like talking about himself, Steve Graham really enjoys discussing wrestling and all that it can do to help shape the lives of young people.
In short, he said, it teaches them about much more than maneuvers like the single-leg takedown and
the front quarter nelson. Indeed, it also provides important lessons in perseverance, teamwork (even though they’re on the mat themselves), and, yes, humility.
“Wrestling is special because you know that the person in the mirror is the only one responsible for success or failure,” he told BusinessWest. “It is special because, no matter how tough you think you are in street clothes, someone is going to beat you on the mat. And getting beat physically and mentally on the mat is very beneficial; it makes you humble, teaches you respect, and makes you tougher mentally.”
Speaking of special, that’s a word you would need to describe the Grahams, although they probably wouldn’t use it themselves. They put their time, their talents, their resources, and their experience to work helping others and building a stronger, better community.
And that certainly makes them Difference Makers. BW
we need to be dynamic; the name Children’s Study Home ... while it has history and it had great intentions years and years ago, today it seems quite antiquated.”
By whatever name the agency is called, it will carry on as it has for the past 157 years, said Pappas, adding that there has always been a simple philosophy guiding it: “there’s no such thing as a bad kid — just kids who are brought up in tough circumstances.”
This organization now known as Helix Human Services exists to help change the equation so they are no longer in those circumstances, he went on, and it has been able to do that for several generations of young people.
And this clearly explains why this agency belongs in the category of Difference Makers. BW
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Helix
process involving representatives of the board and the staff.
“Certainly, the agency’s work is known and appreciated by our referral and funding sources, our donors, board members, and sponsors,” Pappas said. “But we recognized there was work to be done to make sure our story and our brand reflects who we are today.”
Elaborating, he said none of the three words in the name — ‘children,’ ‘study,’ and ‘home’ — really work anymore, at least when it comes to shedding light on the agency’ broad mission.
Yes, they work to some extent, he said, noting, for example, that there is still a heavy focus on serving children, but something new and different was needed to get the message across.
“The goal isn’t to erase history, but to build upon it,” he went on. “I think
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