Page 9 - BusinessWest May 29, 2023

“We felt like there are issues unique to Hadley; the widening of Route 9 is a perfect example.”
The week of May 7 proved particularly disruptive, as town projects were scheduled on several side roads — the same side roads drivers were using to avoid the Route 9 construction.
“We called it the perfect nightmare,” Brennan said, adding that police got involved to encourage residents to sign up for daily notices about where construction was taking place. “I’m so proud of the Hadley Police Department for taking a proac- tive approach to send out alerts every morning to residents so they know what streets will be impacted.”
While it’s helpful when the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) issues weekly updates on Route 9 con- struction, Molly Keegan, Hadley Select Board member and co- owner of Curran and Keegan Financial, felt businesses in town needed more.
As an active member of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, Keegan felt Route 9 construction created several issues for Hadley businesses that did not affect chamber mem- bers in other towns. So she and Kishore Parmar, whose Pio- neer Valley Hotel Group owns two hotels in Hadley, formed the Hadley Business Council.
“We felt like there are issues unique to Hadley; the widen- ing of Route 9 is a perfect example,” Keegan said. “Not every- one on the Amherst Area Chamber is keenly affected by the construction in the way that Hadley businesses are.”
After reaching out to the DOT and Baltazar Contractors, the Ludlow-based construction company doing the roadwork, Keegan and Parmar met with town department heads. The purpose of all these meetings was to make everyone aware of the business council and to encourage better communication in all directions.
“We are trying to find ways to leverage the business council so we are all talking, rather than having it be a complaint department,” Keegan said. “Anyone can complain; we’re looking to leverage these relationships.”
Now that the entity has been established, there are already con- versations about how it may address future opportunities for Had- ley businesses. Claudia Pazmany, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber, has suggested the Hadley Business Council could
Kelly Tornow says cannabis companies like HadLeaf need to use every means to get the word out, as advertising is strictly regulated.
look at designing a map that would promote agricultural tour- ism. Stops along the way would be ice cream at Flayvors of Cook Farm, petting a cow at Mapleline Farm, and more. Keegan noted that farmers in Hadley are looking for ideas like this to promote agri-tourism.
Green Days
Located on Route 9, HadLeaf Cannabis is one business accus-
Hadley
Continued on page 11
>>
Fraud Protection
“Our Cash Management Solutions will help
ensure that your business banking processes
are efficient, effective and safe from fraud.”
- CYNTHIA WSZOLEK, Assistant Vice President, Cash Management [email protected] | 413.493.7549
• Check Positive Pay
• ACH Positive Pay
• Online Banking Tools
Secure access codes and tokens Customizable alerts
Definable user access levels Dual control settings
Real-time stop payments
Member FDIC/Member DIF bankatpeoples.com/fraud-protection
BusinessWest
<< COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
MAY 29, 2023 9