Page 14 - BusinessWest February 7, 2022

The Suspense Is Building
The 2022 Difference Makers Will Be Announced Later This Month
When asked about BusinessWest’s Difference Makers recognition pro- gram and why the law firm that bears her name has sponsored the initia- tive since it was launched in 2009, Amy Royal started with a simple, but poignant, response.
“I’m from here,” she said, putting accent on the second word, although
she could have put it on the third as well.
By emphasizing ‘from,’ she empha- sized that she doesn’t just live here
now. She grew up here (Longmeadow, to be more specific), later attended Smith College, and left the region to attend law school. She then came back,
despite the certainty that she was limit- ing her career options by doing so.
She came back, she said, because she is invested in this region, and attached to it. And for that reason, she is drawn to the dozens of stories that have been told since Difference Makers was launched — stories that, as a spon- sor of the program, she has helped make it possible to tell.
“I grew up here, and to know that people are so committed to our com- munities here in Western Massachu- setts, and are working so hard every day to make it a better place to live and work and not expecting anything in return — they’re just doing it because it means something and because they want to live in a better community — that’s why I wanted to stay here,” she said, adding that this is also the reason why her firm has attached itself to the Difference Makers.
And it’s why it will also sponsor the 13th edition of the program, which will begin with the announcement of the class of 2022 in the Feb. 16 edition of BusinessWest.
The writers and editors of the maga- zine have chosen the honorees, a solid mix of individuals and organizations that, together, continue the tradition started when Bill Ward, the now-retired director of the agency now known as MassHire Springfield, was introduced to a full house at the Log Cabin in Holyoke.
The class of 2022 will be similarly introduced at an event scheduled for March 24 at the Log Cabin. Details on that event will be revealed in the com- ing weeks, said George O’Brien, editor and associate publisher of Business- West, adding that this year’s class will continue a proud tradition of service to the community and, as the name of the program suggests, are making a differ- ence in the 413, and in many different ways.
“That’s the best thing about the program,” he said. “There are common denominators, obviously, but each story is different; each honoree is mak- ing a difference in their own way.”
Carla Cosenzi, president of Tom- myCar Auto Group, a Difference Maker herself in 2019, agreed.
“Difference Makers is so important to the community because it recog- nizes those who have been dedicated to making this region a better place,” she said. “There’s no event like this, one that really pays attention to the people who are making a difference and inspiring others. I leave inspired every time.”
The members of the class of 2022 will join this distinguished list of previ- ous honorees:
DIFFERENCE
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
Announcing the 2022
Difference Makers Honorees!
Find out who’s made the list in the upcoming February 21 issue of BusinessWest.
Congratulate these honorees with a congrats ad! Space Deadline: Feb. 4
Kate Campiti [email protected] 413.781.8600 x106
Kathleen Plante
[email protected]
413.781.8600 x108
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14 FEBRUARY 7, 2022
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