Page 18 - BusinessWest January 23, 2023

DIFFERENCE
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
Announcing the 2023 Difference Makers Honorees!
Coming in the February 20th issue of BusinessWest Congratulate this years honoree’s with an ad!
SpaceDeadline: February3,2023
Kate Campiti
[email protected] 413.781.8600 x106
Kathleen Plante
[email protected] 413.781.8600 x108
SAVE THE DATE
Difference Makers Event April 27, 2023 • The Log Cabin, Holyoke Ticket Sale Info to Follow
Sponsorship Opportunities Available!
Partner Sponsors
Celebrate Holyoke’s 150th Anniversary!
Holyoke has commenced a year-long celebration of its 150th anniversary, and
has a number of events planned. BusinessWest will mark the occasion with a commemorative section in the March 6 issue.
This keepsake section will include:
• Stories on the history of the city and its business community
• Interviews with current leaders about the city, its past, present, and future • Profiles of key businesses and institutions in the Paper City
• A timeline of important events and developments over the past 150 years • Pictures that help tell the story of Holyoke and its history
• Messages from the mayor and other key leaders
Contact us to reserve space or for more info on this special section!
Kathleen Plante 413.896.9485 [email protected]
Kate Campiti 413.781-8600 ext 108 [email protected]
Space Deadline: February 10, 2023
Policy of Partnership
Webber & Grinnell Insurance Maintains Its Local Focus
BY JOSEPH BEDNAR
[email protected]
Among other reasons, Bill Grinnell says Webber & Grinnell joined with the Alera Group because of its commitment to the agency’s local focus.
Bill Grinnell says last year’s move by Webber & Grinnell Insur- ance to become part of the national Alera Group hasn’t changed much about the agency’s business model or its rela-
tionships with clients. And that was the idea.
“We’re still managing the agency locally here in Northampton
and Holyoke,” said Grinnell, the agency’s longtime partner. “It’s still basically the same crew we had before, outside of some normal turnover.”
So why the move to Alera?
“I turned 60 last year, and we’re looking toward the future of per- petuating the agency and continuing to grow it, so we began looking for partners to help us perpetuate that moving forward,” he said. “We talked to 10 to 12 overall, and Alera, hands down, was the one group that really fit all our needs, and thus we became part of the Alera Group.
Partner Mike Welnicki, who specializes in employee benefits, explained why Alera stood out.
“Our area is a tight-knit business community, and we knew, if we joined a firm that wanted us to rebrand right away, to maybe move our offices or join up with other companies and really change the way that our model worked, we were going to lose that small- business feel in Western Massachusetts,” he said. “What Alera told us was, ‘we’re going to give you all the resources both regionally and nationally, but you’ve been successful for over 100 years; keep running your business the way you run it, and we want to be part of that.’ That’s really what made Alera stick out immediately.”
What has changed, Grinnell said, is the breadth of resources
“What Alera told us was, ‘we’re going to give you all the resources both regionally and nationally, but you’ve been successful for over 100 years; keep running your business the way you run it, and we want to be part of that.”
18 JANUARY 23, 2023 << BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES >> BusinessWest