Page 43 - BusinessWest February 7, 2022

40 Under Forty Nominations
Through Feb. 11: BusinessWest is currently accept- ing nominations for the 40 Under Forty class of 2022. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Feb. 11. Launched in 2007, the program recognizes rising stars in the four counties of Western Mass. Nomi- nations, which should be as detailed and thorough as possible, should list an individual’s accomplish- ments within their profession as well as their work within the community. Nominations can be com- pleted online at businesswest.com/40-under-forty- nomination-form. Nominations will be weighed by
a panel of judges, and the selected individuals will be profiled in BusinessWest in April and honored at the 40 Under Forty Gala in late June. Sponsored by PeoplesBank. Other event sponsorship opportunities are available.
Supervisory Skills Certificate Series
Starting Feb. 3: The Human Service Forum (HSF), a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Massachusetts public-service leaders, will offer “Supervisory Skills Certificate Series,” an eight-week online training pro- gram for public-service professionals who are new
to supervising staff. The series, which will be offered virtually, will cover a wide range of supervisory com- petencies, from multicultural sensitivity to legal issues, cybersecurity, and more. The training is open to all HSF members as well as the general public. To register, visit www.humanserviceforum.org/event/ winter-2022-virtual-supervisory-skills-certificate- series/2022-02-03.
Heart & Vascular Health
Lecture Series
Feb. 6, 13, 20: Baystate Health will hold its free, vir- tual Heart & Vascular Health Lecture Series during the month of February beginning with a look at the “Heart and Soul of Heart Disease” on Sunday, Feb. 6. The Virtual Heart & Vascular Health Lecture Series, presented by the Baystate Heart & Vascular Program as part of American Heart Month, will focus on the latest advances in heart and vascular care. Baystate
Workforce
Continued from page 38
“We had already mastered the process and we knew where to get the raw materials to make them,” he said. “As long as we could get enough workers, we would run 24 hours a day to help fill the supply chain.”
By the first quarter of 2021, Graham said the sup- ply chain caught up, and suddenly there was a glut of N95 masks. Toner still makes the elastics, but orders have gone back down to pre-COVID levels.
Looking ahead to this year and beyond, Graham pointed to 3D printing as a promising area for his company. Toner makes the plastic filament common- ly used in desktop 3D printers.
“We entered the market when it first started back in 2012, and now we supply a number of the machine manufacturers with filament,” he said. “It’s been a good growth area for us.”
Part of Graham’s job is to look ahead to see who will be in the workforce to make the 3D filament and other Toner products in the future. For years, the industry knew about Baby Boomers reaching retire- ment age, but the pandemic caused many to leave the workforce sooner and in higher numbers than anyone anticipated — so the pool of available candi- dates seems to have shrunk.
“I think this labor situation will stay severe and be
cardiologist Dr. Adam Stern and Rabbi Ken Hahn of Baystate Spiritual Services will lead the first lecture, which begins at noon. Stern will discuss the latest research for prevention, including diet, exercise, stress reduction, blood pressure, and more. The conversation will continue with Hahn about the power of spirituality in healing and mindfulness to de-stress the heart. The free lectures will continue with “Today’s Open Heart Surgery” on Sunday, Feb. 13, presented by Baystate cardiac surgeon Dr. Daniel Engelman and nurse coordinator Cheryl Crisafi, who will discuss the use of technology to improve the patient experience surrounding open heart surgery. The series will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 20 with “Women and Heart Disease,” presented by Baystate cardiologist Dr. Sabeen Chaudry. She will discuss
the misconceptions about heart disease and heart- attack symptoms in women, the impact of stress, and the many ways for women to stay heart healthy. All lectures will begin at noon and be followed by
a question-and-answer session. Registration is required for each session by visiting baystatehealth. org/heart.
Color of Law Roundtable
Discussion Series
Feb. 7: Western New England University (WNE) School of Law will host attorney Justin Hurst as
part of the school’s Color of Law Roundtable Dis- cussion Series. Hurst will discuss his career path
at noon. Registration for this virtual event is at bit. ly/3fgN3ipColorofLaw. The event is free and open to the public. Hurst was born and raised in the city of Springfield. He is the son of attorneys Frederick Hurst and Marjorie Hurst, who are the founders and publishers of An African American Point of View newspaper. Attorney Hurst is a graduate of Spring- field public schools and received his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Virginia. Hurst began his service in the Springfield public school district as a secondary English teacher, and assumed the role of coordinator of Implementation for the Striving Readers Adolescent Literacy Initia- tive. Later, he was appointed director of Implemen-
with us for a while,” he added.
With many long-term employees approaching
retirement age, OMG is also paying close attention to who might be leaving and who can be trained to take over in key positions.
“So far, we have been able to fill some of the key roles we have wanted to,” Keiderling said. “However, we’re also expanding, so our need for labor will con- tinue to increase.”
Is more automation the answer to filling the
jobs left vacant by the tight labor market? Graham acknowledged the importance of continued automa- tion at his company while also noting its benefits are limited. Right now, when a particular task is automat- ed at Toner, the person who was on that machine will move to another line.
“This allows us to do get a little more done with the same number of people without any layoffs,” he said. “We have good people, and we want to keep them employed for as long as they want to work here; that’s important to us.”
Thus, while automation certainly helps, Gra- ham does not see it replacing large numbers of jobs. McGovern concurred on the limits of automation, saying, “when you’re in a conference room, automa- tion sounds like a great way to replace labor, but it’s not that simple.”
tation for the Striving Readers Adolescent Literacy Initiative. He received his juris doctor degree from Western New England College School of Law and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar Assoc. in 2004. He currently serves as manager for London Realty, LLC. In 2013, he was elected as a Springfield city councilor. In 2019 and 2020, he was unani- mously voted by his colleagues to serve as president of that body. The Color of Law series is designed to
Agenda
expose Western New England University law stu- dents to attorneys, professionals, and judges of color. The series provides students a chance to network with people of color from the legal community and learn about various career paths.
MOSSO Chamber Music Series
March 10, April 14, May 12: The Westfield Ath- enaeum will present a three-concert chamber music series beginning Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m., with Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MOSSO) providing the music. MOSSO violinist
Beth Welty is bringing her ensemble, the Aryaloka Quartet, to the Athenaeum to kick off the series.
Guy McLain, executive director of the Westfield Athenaeum, will offer a pre-performance talk at 6 p.m., which is free to ticket holders. Violinists Mark Latham and Beth Welty, violist Noralee Walker, and cellist Sandi-Jo Malmon will perform William Grant Still’s Lyric String Quartet, Charles Ives’ String Quar- tet #1 Op. 57 “From the Salvation Army: A Revival Service,” Beethoven’s String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59 #3; and an additional piece to be announced at the performance. Tickets for the concert cost $20 and must be purchased in advance at the Westfield Athenaeum during business hours, or online at www. westath.org. Audience members will be required to wear masks. Two additional concerts are planned for Thursday, April 14 and Thursday, May 12.
Thinking Differently
While the last two years have brought many changes, they have also pushed manufacturers to think differently about ways to run their businesses. While employee safety has always been a priority
at Mestek, Letendre said the pandemic spurred a shift in focus to keeping workers healthy and safe in new ways. On-the-job workers are kept at a safe dis- tance from each other, and everyone wears a mask, a requirement in Westfield.
Looking back on this new emphasis, he admitted, “we’ve gotten pretty good at keeping our employees healthy and safe.”
These times have also disrupted the normally rigid nature of the manufacturing environment. For instance, by eliminating the third shift and going to a four-day work week, Graham said, workers now have much more flexibility than in the past.
“It’s actually a good idea, and it makes sense for everyone,” he added. “We’ll probably make that move permanent.”
It’s just one more example of how the pandemic continues to alter the way manufacturers — and so many other industries — get the job done. u
BusinessWest
DEPARTMENTS
FEBRUARY 7, 2022 43