Page 46 - BusinessWest July 11, 2022

Picture This Continued
Sign of the Times
American International College president Hubert Benitez and Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal sign an articulation agreement formally establishing a close academic relationship between the two-year college and the four-year institution. The accord between AIC and HCC aligns academic programs that enhance the seamless transition of HCC graduates and qualified candidates from HCC, and promotes a smooth, successful transfer to AIC.
Szynal
Continued from page 6
an organization like the chamber, which can make its voice heard in Boston and Washington can be benefi- cial to businesses of all sizes.
Speaking of more normal, Szynal said the cham- ber will be turning back the clock to 2019 with regard to its events and many of its programs. On the events side of the ledger, the agency has started to stage in- person gatherings again — the annual meeting at the Springfield Sheraton drew more than 250 guests — and one of its largest annual get-togethers is back on the docket for the fall.
This is the program known as Super 60, a compila- tion of the region’s most successful companies based on performance in two categories — Total Revenue and Revenue Growth. One of the chamber’s most important revenue generators, Super 60 was put on ice in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic, and Szynal believes the lengthy pause will generate some interest in the popular program, slated for Oct. 28 at the MassMutual Center.
The same could be said for the chamber’s annual
Outlook lunch, the region’s largest gathering of area business leaders. It has been staged remotely the past two years, and Szynal is looking forward to that tradi- tion, and many other annual gatherings, returning to an in-person format.
“Outlook, the Beacon Hill and Washington sum- mits, the Government Reception, the Mayors Forum ... it’s so important to get back to doing those again because they provide information and offer oppor- tunities for businesses to be together,” she explained. “I’m looking forward to being back full steam.”
While planning those events, she has many other items on her to-do list, starting with those meetings with area civic, business, and economic development leaders.
And there will also be work to create a new strate- gic plan for the institution.
“The last one was done three years ago, so it would be time to do another one anyway,” she noted. “But with everything that’s happened in the last two and a half years, it’s a really good time to evaluate the
mission of the chamber and how we’re meeting that mission.”
The Bottom Line
From a personal perspective, Szynal said she chooses to look at the next stop on her career path as an opportunity and not necessarily as a challenge.
It will be an opportunity to continue the kind of work she has been doing for the past several years in several different capacities.
“I really love connecting with people, learning about their business, and learning about their busi- ness needs,” she explained. “I love that aspect of
any job, that’s why I loved working with Peter Kocot, because I did so much constituent work; this is what I’m looking forward to.
“There is a lot of opportunity here,” she went on. “I have a lot on my to-do list, but I can’t wait to dive in.” u
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
46 JULY 11, 2022
PICTURE THIS
BusinessWest