Page 26 - BusinessWest September 14 2020
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 REINTRODUCING THE 2020
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more appreciated in the era of COVID- 19 as people look for some normalcy and comfort in their lives.
“Especially in the beginning, the pandemic reinforced how important radio is to people at a time like this,” he noted. “It’s a medium that feels more personal and intimate than some others; maybe the commuting times have changed, but people are still going places in their car, so most of the time it’s just you and your radio in your
car together. When people needed a listening ear and a voice and some kind of sense of normalcy that might have been lost, they turned to radio in a different way.”
Meanwhile, he has used his show, his platform, to provide needed information and also try to help the businesses that have been impacted by the pandemic, especially restaurants.
working on personality assessments, coaching, and organizational development. He’s involved in several
 Belmonte
Continued from page 16
“It’s such a long walk that people have participated virtually over
the years — where they create
a fundraising team and set up a fundraising page — so at least there some institutional knowledge,” he explained, noting that specific details of this year’s march are coming together and will be announced soon. “But now, with everyone doing almost everything virtually, I think people will want to participate.”
And they certainly need to participate, he went on, because need has never been greater. That’s because the pandemic is leaving many in this area unemployed and in need of help — bringing the broad issue of food insecurity to the forefront as perhaps never before.
Bryck
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They come in various shapes and sizes and cross a variety of sectors,
but they share common issues and challenges. When we talked with
Bryck in February, he compared small businesses to snowflakes in that no two are alike, and summoned that famous opening line from Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
Bryck has addressed these issues and challenges in a manner that had members of the FBC describe him, alternately, as ‘communicator,’ ‘connector,’ ‘facilitator,’ and even ‘entertainer.’
One long-time member described his style and his approach this way: “He can take things that are very theoretical and make them realistic. It’s one thing to read a paper from a professor who deals in theory, but it that reality? Can that be applied to the
Cassanelli
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them — and meeting the needs of customers — has been daunting, to say the least.
“It was very challenging — it was hard to get these things from our suppliers,” she said of products that ranged from those paper goods to gloves, masks, and other PPE. “We had to reinvent the wheel and go out to different suppliers just to get these items. And we’re still struggling — we’re still reinventing the wheel.”
And then, there’s family, or life at home, a phrase that has certainly taken on new meaning during this pandemic.
Cassanelli, like many parents, and
Nightly newscasts show long lines of cars at designated locations to pick up donations of food. Many of those being interviewed say this is the first time they’ve ever needed such help and that they never imagined they would be in such a situation. It’s a scenario playing itself out in California, Florida, Texas — and the Pioneer Valley.
“Because of the pandemic, hunger has been in the forefront of people’s minds in a different way,” Belmonte told BusinessWest. “I’ve talked with some of the survival centers, and the need has definitely grown.”
Getting back to his day ... Belmonte said the pandemic has certainly impacted that as well — in ways beyond his song to signal what day it is.
Indeed, he noted that, in many ways, radio, and his work on the air, have more become more important and
everyday businessperson? Ira was able to translate those kinds of things.”
And he’s still doing all that, just in
“
different settings and with different audiences. With his radio show, he just passed a milestone — his 300th interview.
“It’s a nice exercise to meet and interview someone every week,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun and a tremendous learning experience.”
Meanwhile, he’s also working with Giombetti Associates as a senior advisor
especially many women, has been working at home and helping her children with school at home. In this case, the children were in eighth and 12th grade, respectively — big years, graduation years. Not a year one would want to spend confined at home.
“I’ve been battling for seven years,
so my daughters are used to adversity and things not going the way normal life goes,” she explained. “They’ve been dealing with a lot, and they actually
did really well because they know how to deal with adversity. But I’d have to say that when the final announcement came that they wouldn’t be going back to school and there was no graduation
“We offered to the restaurant community what amounted to public-service announcements,” he explained. “We said, ‘let us know what you’re doing, whether it’s takeout
or whatever,’ and we called it the ‘takeout menu.’ It let people know what different restaurants were doing at different times.”
Overall, Belmonte said some things are starting to feel a least a little more like normal. But the pandemic is still impacting lives in all kinds of ways — which is why he’s still helping people understand what day it is.
And also why he’s hoping his
next march will be among his most successful — even if supporters are not actually on the road with him. n
—George O’Brien
self-awareness and self-management. He’s also coordinating a roundtable
for area business owners. “We meet monthly and just explore people’s challenges and help each other think things through, and that also involves coaching,” he said, adding that he’s also involved with the family business center at Cornell University, participating in what he called a “speed-dating event involving mentors and mentees.”
“All this keeps me busy, but I’m only working about half as much as I used to,” he explained. “Which leaves me plenty of time of walk five to 10 miles a day, so I’ve lost 45 pounds.”
Overall, he’s still finding ways to educate — and also entertain, in some cases — while also making a mark on those he’s working with.
In short, he’s still very much making a difference in this region — and well
  He can take things that are very theoretical and make
them realistic. It’s one thing to read a paper from a professor who deals in theory, but it that reality? Can that be applied to the everyday busi”nessperson? Ira was able to translate those kinds of things.
projects, including one with a private school in Springfield that is undergoing a change in leadership.
“We’re restructuring and creating much more of an idea system within their leadership team,” he explained, adding that he’s working on another project involving a Connecticut grower of plants and trees that is seeking to make structural changes and increase
— that was probably the only time that tears flowed in my house.
“When I was first diagnosed with stage-4 cancer, the doctor set a goal for me and my older daughter Samantha
— that I would get to see her graduate and walk across the stage” she went on. “So it was a double whammy — but we moved on.”
Overall, Cassanelli’s ability to meet all these challenges head on helps explain why she’s a Difference Maker in this memorable year.
It’s a mindset summed up perfectly by something she said to BusinessWest back in February while discussing her diagnosis and her approach to life.
beyond it. n
—George O’Brien
  26 SEPTEMBER 14, 2020
BusinessWest
“Does it suck? Yeah, it totally sucks. But me crawling up in a ball and putting the sheets up over my head is not going to fix anything, so I might as well just get up and go,” she said. “I try
not to sweat the small stuff. I believe that every day is a gift, and I’m going
to make the best of that day, and I’m going to be positive, because if I’m positive, then everyone around me is going to be positive.”
COVID-19 — and all that has thrown at her — isn’t small stuff. But she doesn’t seem to be sweating it, either. n
—George O’Brien






























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