Page 19 - BusinessWest January 20, 2021

Previous Top Entrepreneurs
• 2019: Cinda Jones, president of W.D. Cowls Inc.
• 2018: Antonacci Family, owners of USA Hauling, GreatHorse, and Sonny’s Place
• 2017: Owners and managers of the Springfield Thunderbirds
• 2016: Paul Kozub, founder and president of V-One Vodka
• 2015: The D’Amour Family, found- ers of Big Y
• 2014: Delcie Bean, president of Paragus Strategic IT
• 2013: Tim Van Epps, president and CEO of Sandri LLC
• 2012: Rick Crews and Jim Brennan, franchisees of Doctors Express
• 2011: Heriberto Flores, direc-
tor of the New England Farm Workers’ Council and Partners for Community
• 2010: Bob Bolduc, founder and CEO of Pride
• 2009: Holyoke Gas & Electric
• 2008: Arlene Kelly and Kim Sanborn, founders of Human Resource Solutions and Convergent Solutions Inc.
• 2007: John Maybury, president of Maybury Material Handling
• 2006: Rocco, Jim, and Jayson Falcone, principals of Rocky’s Hardware Stores and Falcone Retail Properties
• 2005: James (Jeb) Balise, president of Balise Motor Sales
• 2004: Craig Melin, then-president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital
• 2003: Tony Dolphin, president of Springboard Technologies
• 2002: Timm Tobin, then-president of Tobin Systems Inc.
• 2001: Dan Kelley, then-president of Equal Access Partners
• 2000: Jim Ross, Doug Brown, and Richard DiGeronimo, then-princi- pals of Concourse Communications
• 1999: Andrew Scibelli, then- president of Springfield Technical Community College
• 1998: Eric Suher, president of E.S. Sports
• 1997: Peter Rosskothen and Larry Perreault, then-co-owners of the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House
• 1996: David Epstein, president and co-founder of JavaNet and the JavaNet Café
it was weeks after opening before the phone really started ringing — but it picked up quickly.
Flahive-Dickson, a long-time healthcare consultant and educator focus- ing on healthcare management, joined the company in 2019 to essen- tially take the home-care component to the next stage — or stages. These include expansion within this market and also into other regions, start-
ing with Central Mass. She said her role has evolved over time and now includes elements of operations, development, and strategic planning.
Her comments about why she joined the venture speak volumes about the ambitious mindset that prevails and the entrepreneurial nature of the company.
“I saw a wonderful vision and a throwback to the way care was pro- vided,” she explained. “My dad was a physician in the Springfield area, and his care was real and positive and forward-thinking care, and I felt that same feeling when I first came here.”
Showing Their Metal
While the home-care operation has become a regional success story, to be sure, there have been some growing pains, and the pandemic certainly created a number of challenges.
As for the growing pains, they involve everything from finding adequate numbers of caregivers — a challenge for every player in this business — to breaking into established markets with large numbers of competitors, like Worcester and Boston, and, to a lesser extent, Northern Connecticut.
Finding adequate numbers of caregivers has been a constant challenge, said all those we spoke with, but an array of factors, from what had been historically low unemployment rates to the pandemic-induced anxiety about going into others’ homes, to the company’s torrid pace of growth, has only exacerbated the problem.
And the company has responded in what can only be called an entre- preneurial way, with creation of its own education program and a collab- orative initiative with the city of Springfield to help train young, homeless individuals and bring them into this profession.
Meanwhile, the pandemic has created more hurdles, said Ruiz, list- ing everything from those initial
fears about bringing people into
the home — he estimates that Continued on page 45
Entrepreneur
We’re here for local businesses.
W
lb
We
e’
r
’
d.
re
eh
he
er
re
et
to
o
h
h
e
e
l
lp
pl
l
o
o
c
c
a
a
l
b
u
us
si
in
n
e
es
ss
s
e
es
s
k
ke
ee
ep
pt
th
h
e
ei
ir
r
d
d
o
oo
Tomorrow is already on its way, and our job is to set you up for success. As a local bank, we know what it takes to run a business around here. We offffer personalized guidance and a suite of business products, from free checking and online and mobile banking, to cash management services and lending. We’re committed to helping your business grow and prosper. Contact us today at [email protected] for more information on Paycheck Protection Program loans.
Learn more at bankESB.com or call 855.527.4111
o
r
rs
so
op
p
e
en
n
a
an
n
d
dt
th
h
e
ei
ir
r
e
e
m
mp
p
l
l
o
oy
y
e
e
e
e
s
sp
p
a
a
i
i
d
.
Member FDIC | Member DIF
BusinessWest TOP ENTREPRENEUR 2020 JANUARY 20, 2021 19