Page 11 - BusinessWest September 15, 2021

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Carolyn Brennan says Hadley is moving forward with projects like a Fire Department substation, a library, and a senior center.
comply with mask mandates because their goal
Seeing the Light
Gray, who is also president of the board of directors for the Amherst Area Chamber of Com- merce, believes Hadley businesses have banded together and worked their way through the worst effects of the pandemic. Her evidence? The phone is ringing again, with people looking for opportunities.
“We have seen an increase in filling some of the open spaces we have at the mall and all along the Route 9 corridor,” Gray said. “That makes us confident that we’re beginning to see the other side of this.”
Still, as business continues to pick up, staff- ing remains a challenge. That’s why the Hamp- shire Mall is hosting a job fair on Sept. 22. In her chamber role as well as her role at the mall, Gray has heard from companies in the area who are struggling to find people to fill open positions.
“That’s when we recognized there is a need within the region and beyond that would support an event like this,” she said, adding that, while it’s well-known that restaurants and retail stores are having a tough time finding workers, companies of all kinds are also looking to fill management positions.
“We’ve been hearing the cry for help from a number of businesses the chamber works with,” she went on. “We’re inviting industries such as healthcare to be part of the job fair, as well as grocery stores.”
The late-September timing falls nearly three weeks after many extended unemployment
dents returning to class after last year, when area campuses began to look like ghost towns.
Claudia Pazmany, executive director for the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that, while students are important to the
“Hadley is where I want to be. Despite the challenges, I have a great staff who are supportive and helpful in any areas where I’m not yet completely familiar.”
area’s economy, they also bring energy to the region.
“It felt really normal to see students com- ing back to college,” she said, adding that some of the returning students had never set foot on campus. “This year’s sophomores spent their freshman year at home. So they’re seeing the campus for the first time; this is huge.”
For Pazmany, this in-between time with the pandemic brings mixed emotions.
“We’re excited and nervous at the same time,” she said. “Full parking lots and students mov- ing into dorms is wonderful, but we’re also con- cerned about variants of the COVID virus that want to stick around.”
That hasn’t stopped the chamber from
Hadley
Continued on page 14
is to keep their doors open and encourage people
benefits in Massachusetts ended on Sept. 4. The
timing also coincides with students returning
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to campus at area colleges. And everyone who spoke with BusinessWest was thrilled with stu-
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