Page 80 - BusinessWest October 31, 2022
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The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the par- ties listed, or the court, for more information concern- ing the individual claims.
Court Dockets
HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Lakes National Emergency Physicians Inc. v. Health New England Inc. and Does 1 through 50 Allegation: Services, labor, and material contract; breach of implied contract; tortious interference with business relationships; unfair competition: $2,500,000
Mingdian Zhang v. Robert Sonsini and Lower Pio- neer Valley Educational Collaborative
Allegation: Negligence: $50,000+
Filed: 9/29/22
Raybern Foods LLC v. C&K Machine Co. Inc. Allegation: Goods sold and delivered, breach of con- tract, breach of express warranty, unjust enrichment: $581,709
Filed: 10/4/22
HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Insa Inc. v. Cultiva Systems LLC, Addison HVAC LLC, Hesnor Engineering Associates PLLC, Mueller Refrigeration Products Co., and Growroom Tech- nologies LLC
Allegation: Construction dispute, property damage, breach of contract, breach of express warranty, pro- fessional negligence/malpractice, breach of warranty of merchantability, product liability, unjust enrich- ment, breach of warranty of fitness for a particular
“Coming up through the ranks as a laborer doing physical manual labor and working up to being a superintendent, those types of stories really inspired me; I knew I could learn a lot from those people.”
As he looks to future growth, Hughes faces another national headwind — the challenge of hiring and retaining a workforce in a tight market for employers.
“Just like every other company around, we can always use more good people; it’s hard to find help,” he said. “If we have a plan to grow as a company and take on some of these challenging projects, we’re going to need more people to do that, especially as some of our highly talented, very experienced people start to retire. In terms of age demographics, there are more people going out than people coming in. So that’s a tide that’s working against us too.”
But he’s hopeful about the younger generation, noting that he attended an awards gala at Springfield Technical Community College earlier this month, and “we heard some stories about the students there and their willingness and excitement to get out into the
purpose Filed: 7/8/22
Joshua Feidstein v. Town of Amherst Allegation: Property damage: $5,100 Filed: 7/14/22
Craig Brown v. Leeds MA SNF LLC d/b/a Highview of Northampton
Allegation: Negligence resulting in personal injury, medical malpractice: $194,000
Filed: 7/14/22
Philips Enterprises Inc. v. Okabashi Brands Inc.
Allegation: Goods sold and delivered, breach of con- tract: $99,696.20
Filed: 8/3/22
Wayne Parker v. Robert Schapiro, MD Allegation: Medical malpractice: $100,000 Filed: 8/26/22
industry. I think there are a lot of good opportuni- ties for young people — at STCC, Bay Path, Westfield State, Putnam, even up at UMass there’s a building and construction technology program. That’s a lot of young people I hope are willing and excited to stick around Western Mass.”
Originally from Rhode Island, Hughes chose this region as well, as did his fiancee, an Ohio native whom he met playing dodgeball in Northampton seven years ago; they’ll marry in April.
“When I started working with DOC, I was able to find a home in Western Mass.,” he said. “I really enjoy this area of the country and hope to stay here for many years to come.”
He remembers first settling down here and those early days at O’Connell, when he was one of those young people excited to get started in construction.
“I really considered the older, more experienced people role models for me, listening to their stories. Coming up through the ranks as a laborer doing physical manual labor and working up to being a superintendent, those types of stories really inspired me; I knew I could learn a lot from those people. So while a lot of our more experienced people are on the way out the door, the more people we can bring in to learn from them before they’re gone, the better-posi- tioned Western will be for the future.” u
Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]
bring young people together, get them involved and keep them involved, keep them in this region, and, overall, more effectively harness the energy and tal- ents of those young people to make this a better place to live and work — and play and stay.
Fifteen years later, this is certainly something to celebrate — and there will eventually be a party. More impor- tantly, there will be more chapters writ- ten in this unfolding story — a success story on many different levels. u
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
 Filed: 9/29/22
Western
Continued from page 72
see that as a
  space that’s going to continue to grow. So, when I mention devel-
oping Western Mass., there’s a smart and climate- conscious way of doing that.”
Supply and Demand
While Hughes sees opportunities to grow the busi- ness at Western, he’s also dealing with the same infla- tion and supply-chain issues plaguing all other com- panies in this sector.
“The supply chain has been a challenge for us and for a lot of our competitors for sure,” he told Busi- nessWest. “Part of what we provide as a service is to understand the issues with the supply chain and try to react to them as best we can, or at least propose solutions to owners to work around those challenges. It’s nobody’s fault ... it’s just another thing that has come up in the industry, like everything Western has dealt with for the past 45 years or so — just another bump in the road. It too shall pass.”
The hope is that price pressures will ease sooner than later, of course. “I think there will be some level of plateau, especially with interest rates going up,
and hopefully the broader industry can find that bal- ance of prices that are acceptable for everyone so that owners and developers still want to do business, still want to proceed with their projects. And I think we’re on that path for sure.”
        YPS
Continued from page 10
get out and attend events again. Events like a membership drive at Paper City Bar and Grille in Holyoke,
staged in conjunction with the Adver- tising Club of Western Massachusetts, that drew more than 170 people, said Clark. “I think that event really showed that people want to get back out,” she noted, adding that Third Thursdays remain just part of the equation.
Indeed, YPS carries out its mission the same way it has since the begin- ning, by bringing people together and getting them involved. There is cama- raderie, learning — a series of Leader- ship Luncheons continues — and team building, through events such as an
annual ‘golf escape,’ as it’s called, and an adult field day — the modern-day dodgeball tournament — which is just what it sounds like, a series of team field events that test “speed, wits, and strength (minimal).”
“The winning team gets to choose a charity of their choice for a donation,” said Clark, adding that the event drew 20 teams in its first year and has grown consistently in recent years. Mean- while, the annual golf tournament con- tinues to thrive as well.
Moving forward, YPS will continue to survey its members and the com- munity at large to determine what they want and need from a young-profes- sionals group, said Hadley, adding that, through such research, the group can
continue to provide value to the many constituents it serves, including the region’s business community.
“We would love more data so we can go back to businesses and explain why this is valuable,” he told Business- West, adding that, since the beginning, providing value to those involved has been part of the mission.
Bottom Line
Over the past 15 years, YPS has helped spawn several business part- nerships, some new ventures among members, some personal relationships, and even a marriage or two.
Mostly, though, it has succeeded in doing what it was created to do:
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