Page 11 - BusinessWest February 6, 2023

Chicopee
“To know you have a new group of young guys who are in the family who want to take over — and to see the ideas coming out of them and the energy that comes out of them — that’s amazing.”
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Vieau agreed. “I look at an engineering company [Universal For- est Products] as living-wage jobs, professional jobs, and obviously contributing to our tax base,” the mayor said. “So I’m excited about that. Those warehouses are providing jobs and obviously paying taxes, so it’s really helped us to provide wonderful services.”
But just like the industrial parks create jobs for the city of Chi- copee, so do the myriad small businesses that call the city home.
The past 18 months has been about “rebirth,” said Mim Zayas, chair of the board of the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce. “I’m always impressed with Chicopee; when you look at the city itself and the community, it continues to grow,” she said. “Chicopee
seems to continue to be a place where businesses want to be, which is great for us.”
Town officials told BusinessWest that many businesses, espe- cially those in the broad service and hospitality sectors, struggled during COVID, but the city was able to help many small businesses, whether financially or with other assistance, to help pivot and change the dynamic of their business. The Community Develop- ment office was able to help sustain some of the small businesses, and Vieau said the city is certainly benefiting from those efforts.
He acknowledged that bringing in large chain stores that want to be in high-volume locations such as Memorial Drive — an impor- tant component of the city’s economic-development strategy — cer- tainly impacts small, locally owned businesses. But promoting the small-business community and letting people know that they can get great service and great products from small-business owners is important as well.
“Some of them are specialty businesses that really need con- sumers to buy their goods and services, and without that, the chains are going to put them out of business,” he explained, stressing the need for area residents to support local businesses.
Anchors like the Munich Haus, the Red Fez, and GroundWorks Coffee help Chicopee keep consumers’ dollars in this region, and they support the local community.
Will McKinstry is an eighth-generation farmer in his family business.
Growing Ventures
Lee Pouliot, director of the city’s Planning and Development department, told BusinessWest that there is a strong small-business community in the city, with many of these ventures family owned and operated.
That list includes McKinstry Farm, which has been a Chicopee
Chicopee
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MAINTENANCE INCLUDED
FOR
2
YEARS!
PREOWNED VEHICLES PURCHASED FROM BALISE INCLUDE A 2-YEAR MAINTENANCE PLAN.
Start the year off with peace of mind! This February, we’re including a 2-year maintenance plan with most preowned vehicle purchases. That means we’ll cover every factory-recommended oil change, tire rotation, and multipoint inspection for the next 24 months or 24,000 miles so you can keep that cash for life’s other necessities.
24-mo./24,000-mi. (whichever occurs first) maintenance plan included with purchase of used vehicle from 1/1/2023–2/28/2023, commencing on agreement application date/mileage. Plan valid for oil changes up to 5 qts., tire rotations, and multi-point inspections at Balise dealerships for vehicle manufacturer’s normal usage scheduled intervals only. Severe/heavy duty schedules and additional maintenance items may be required or recommended and are not included. Customer will be responsible for additional charges that may apply to diesel, exotic, luxury, high-performance, customized, or specialty vehicles. Plan is not transferable to another vehicle or owner. Not valid for purchases made prior to 1/1/2023. Some exclusions may apply, see dealer service center or baliseauto.com for details.
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