Page 53 - BusinessWest March 20, 2023

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE>>
MELVIN OLIVO
UMassFive College Fed-
eral Credit Union recently announced two management- team promotions: Assistant Vice President of Information Tech- nology Melvin Olivo and Infor- mation Technology Manager Theo Streeter. Olivo’s career
at UMassFive began in 2020 as the Information Technology manager. In his new position, he will be responsible for the strategic, day-to-day oversight of Information Technology, ensuring efficient, secure, and service-oriented performance of the department. Streeter’s
career at UMassFive began in 2014 as a Member Service specialist in the King Street, Northampton branch before moving on to various levels of Enter- prise Support technician. He was most recently promoted to senior Enterprise Support technician
in 2018 before accepting the role of IT manager. In his new position, he will be overseeing the Enter- prise Support technical team, administering network infrastructure and software platforms, as well as hardware procurement.
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Camfour Inc. — a growing national wholesaler of firearms, ammunition, and accessories for the shooting-sports indus- try, with distribution centers in Westfield and Pflugerville, Texas. — announced the promotion of Brandon Roper to the position of president. In this new capac-
ity, Roper will report to CEO Malcolm Getz and the ownership group. He will be responsible for lead- ing the continued growth of the Camfour brand and team. Roper has been effecting change since first joining Camfour as vice president of Sales and Marketing. During that time, he is credited with a variety of accomplishments, including the complete rebrand of Camfour, sales execution during the market slowdown of 2022, the growth of the com- pany’s sales team, and preparation of a three-year strategic plan.
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D.A. Sullivan & Sons Inc. (DAS), a general-contracting and construction-management firm serving the public and private sectors since 1897, is proud to announce three recent hires to the organization: Shreyas Ova- lekar as estimator, Terri Lindsey as office administrator/HR, and Krista Benoit as project manag- er/engineer. Ovalekar joins DAS from Vantage Builders, where
he was also an estimator. With more than seven years of expe- rience, he brings vast knowledge and unique perspective to the DAS team. He earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from Western New England Univer- sity. Before joining DAS, Lindsey was an office manager at Burke Chevrolet. She comes to DAS with experience and enthusiasm to contribute to an efficient, inclusive, and developing work-
force. Benoit comes to DAS from Dietz & Company Architects Inc. Her diverse experience includes a wide range of projects on the architectural side of project design and delivery, and her expertise will be an asset to the DAS team.
••••• Unemployment Tax Control Associates Inc.
(UTCA), a national unemployment-insurance service provider based in West Springfield with an office
in Boston, announced that Principal Evan Murphy has been appointed to Connecticut’s Employment Security Advisory Board. The eight-member board advises state administrators on matters pertaining to the policy and administration of the Employment Security Division. A UTCA employee for more than 10 years, Murphy oversees analysis, implementation, and client-success efforts to reduce the cost and complexity of employer unemployment-insurance programs. He facilitates educational seminars
for customers, industry associations, and various employer groups across the country. He has been instrumental in helping businesses of all sizes and scopes effectively understand and control their unemployment cost and compliance. Murphy was appointed by Connecticut state Rep. Jason Rojas, the majority leader of the House of Representatives.
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Berkshire Money Manage- ment (BMM) announced that Scott Little, financial advisor and vice president at the firm, has earned the behavioral finan- cial advisor (BFA) designation. Behavioral financial advisors combine financial knowledge with psychology and neurosci-
ence to increase their ability to coach clients in making rational, values-based decisions. Behavioral finance acknowledges that, while numbers are rational, people are not, which can make carrying out financial plans challenging for client and advisor alike. The BFA program was developed by Think 2 Perform to teach advisors to recognize their clients’ emotions and help them stick with their plans, even when those emotions run high. To earn the cer- tification, advisors must complete two multi-part courses on behavioral finance, pass an online proc- tored exam, and complete 20 hours of continuing education to renew their status every two years. Little has been helping BMM clients build secure retirements for more than 20 years. He is a licensed financial advisor, a certified elder planning special- ist, and now a behavioral financial advisor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics from MCLA.
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At its annual S.T.A.R. Awards & Safety Banquet on Feb. 28 Peter Pan Bus Lines honored 11 of its 1 million-, 2 million-, 3 million-, and 4 million-mile motor-coach operators. The brightest star was Everette Anderson, who has been a Peter Pan motor-coach driver for 53 years, since May
1970. Anderson is the second motor-coach opera- tor in the history of this country to be inducted into the National Safety Hall of Fame for driving 4 mil- lion miles without any accidents. The first inductee was Peter Pan motor-coach operator Ed Hope in 2017. Four million miles is the equivalent of 40 trips around the earth. Other Peter Pan motor-coach operators honored at the S.T.A.R. Awards included Thomas Reckner and Paul Boie for for 3 million
miles; Phillandor Knight, Dave Kollisch, Wayne Soloman, and Anthony Wilson for 2 million miles; and Syed Bukhari, Edward Caouette, Frederick Perry, and Horace Wright for 1 million miles.
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The Massachusetts State Lottery and the Boston
Celtics recently honored Kashawn Sanders of Springfield as a Hero Among Us. Sanders uses the power of mentoring to help shape the future of today’s youth. Along with co-founder Tyrone Wil- liams, Sanders established the Follow My Steps Foundation Inc., a nonprofit that provides men- toring programs, financial resources, and career
and skill development to youth living in under- resourced communities throughout the Common- wealth. Through community service and a growing number of local events, Sanders is helping empower his students to give back to their own communities. In less than three years, his organization has devot- ed countless mentorship hours to more than 1,000 students, inspiring each of them to see and reach their full potential. For his commitment to uplifting youth vulnerable communities through mentorship, and in honor of Bill Russell’s legacy in the mentoring movement, Sanders was honored as a Hero Among Us on Feb. 12, when the Boston Celtics played the Memphis Grizzlies.
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Henry Thomas, who presided over the Urban League of Springfield for almost a half- century, announced his retire- ment last week. “I have had the privilege to spend my entire career supporting the Spring- field community and creating countless spaces where our
community can thrive, grow, and achieve excel- lence,” he wrote in a letter announcing his deci- sion. “My dream has always been to serve, and I
am so honored to have spent my life’s work with
a civil-rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, equality, and social justice.” Thomas was named one of BusinessWest’s Difference Mak- ers for 2023, and will be honored at a gala on April 27. He joined the Urban League in 1971 as youth coordinator. In 1974, at age 25, he became the nation’s youngest leader of a national Urban League affiliate. One of his key areas of focus throughout his career has been education, and not just through Urban League programs; he also served for 13 years on the UMass Amherst board of trustees — includ- ing two and a half years as board chair — and was
a co-founder of New Leadership Charter School. Under his watch, Urban League initiatives have included include education and youth-development initiatives, as well as programs for economic and workforce development, health and wellness, and seniors. Also in the vein of education and workforce development, Thomas established Step Up Spring- field, a teacher-development program in Spring- field; is funding (along with his wife, Dee, a former teacher and principal herself) a $50,000 scholarship for Black youth from Springfield; and tackled a two- year assignment with the National Urban League as its vice president for Youth Development, with a pri- mary focus of youth development within inner-city communities. Another one of Thomas’ successes was bringing Camp Atwater in North Brookfield — the oldest overnight camp for Black youth in the U.S. — back to life in 1980 after a period of dor- mancy. The camp celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2021.
THEO STREETER
SCOTT LITTLE
HENRY THOMAS
BRANDON ROPER
SHREYAS OVALEKAR
EVERETTE ANDERSON
TERRI LINDSEY
KRISTA BENOIT
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