Page 29 - BusinessWest September 30, 2024

Craft and Community
Hired Hand Signs Wins Manufacturing Leadership Award
On Sept. 25, Hired Hand Signs of Turners Falls received an award for Outstanding Leadership Skills in the Manufacturing Industry at the ninth annual
Manufacturing Awards Ceremony, presented by the Massa- chusetts Legislative Manufacturing Caucus.
Over the last decade, Jess Marsh Wissemann has built her sign shop and her career from the ground up. Her unique, hand-painted signs can now be found adorning inde- pendent businesses in the Pioneer Valley and across New England.
This award is part of the Massachusetts Manufactur-
ing Mash-Up, and the ceremony, held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, was hosted by the Massachusetts Legislative Manufacturing Caucus and other key partners. State Sen. Jo Comerford and state Rep. Natalie Blais nominated Hired Hand Signs for this award.
Marsh Wissemann started painting signs when she couldn’t find anyone to create quality signage for her family’s farmstand. She has always been ambitious, so she picked up a paintbrush and did the work herself.
Working as a traditional sign painter, she is on a mission to bring artistry and craftsmanship back to the sign industry. She noted that vinyl and digitally printed signs, while cheap and efficient to produce, don’t have the longevity and inher- ent character of hand-crafted signs. And, unfortunately, they cannot be restored when they start to peel and fade — they are destined for landfills. Marsh Wissemann provides an alternative for businesses wishing to distinguish themselves with signage that is produced the traditional way, with time-
honored techniques and materials.
She also believes that streetscapes are defined by the
character of their signage, and that protecting and reviv-
ing historic signs and hand-crafting new signage with care and craftsmanship for brick-and-mortar businesses is vital to maintain a thriving community. Through her robust social-media presence and appearances on television, she documents her process and her adventures in sign saving and sign making, with the aim of preserving the legacy of hand-painted signage and inspiring people to care about the places they live.
“As a signmaker, I’m passionate about elevating our region’s streetscapes with beautiful storefronts. Having my work recognized with this manufacturing award was an incredible surprise,” said Marsh Wissemann, who also co- created Mike’s Maze at Warner Farm in Sunderland with her husband and farm owner, Mike Wisseman. “I’m honored and humbled. It is immensely gratifying to know that my effort is making a positive impact on my community.”
Comerford said she was pleased to recognize Marsh Wis- seman’s art and the value it brings to independent business- es across Western Mass. “Jess is an example to us all for her work to inspire people to invest deeply into the places they live. She is more than deserving of this Outstanding Leader- ship Skills in Manufacturing award.”
Blais added that the award “recognizes Jess as a vision- ary placemaker whose hand-painted signs are helping to define our downtowns.” BW
“As a signmaker,
I’m passionate
about elevating
our region’s streetscapes with beautiful storefronts. Having my work recognized with this manufacturing award was an incredible surprise.”
JESS MARSH WISSEMANN
PEOPLESBANK BUSINESS SUCCESS SERIES
“The Right Partner for Business.”
“I hear the same thing from patients daily - I need my hands. Our hands are our basic tools for everything from going to work every day to holding a grandchild,” explains Daniel J. Mastella, MD, of The Hand Center. “We are certified hand therapists and fellowship-trained doctors, but also a small business. PeopleBank supports our ability to grow and open additional locations, like our new office in Farmington. PeoplesBank is our partner. They’re the right partner for business.”
The Hand Center of Connecticut has a highly
“We are certified hand therapists and fellowship-trained doctors but also a small business. PeoplesBank is our partner. They’re the right
partner for business”
- Daniel J. Mastella, MD, The Hand Center
skilled and educated team of board-certified doctors, surgeons, and physician assistants who diagnose and treat conditions of the hands and upper extremities. Currently,
it has four convenient offices in Hartford, Glastonbury, Tolland, and Bloomfield, and with the help of PeoplesBank, it is opening a brand-new office in Farmington, Connecticut.
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mercial Banking at PeoplesBank. “With local, quick decision-making, we have provided them the financing they need to grow.”
Dr. Mastella feels that his PeoplesBank commercial banking team provides him with great local services but also important advice. “Help with business strategy critical to our success and our being able to help patients. The PeoplesBank team is interested in what
“We provide The Hand Center with efficient and user-friendly cash management services so they can focus on running the best orthopedic practice in New England. With local, quick decision-making, we have provided
them the financing they need to grow.”
- Daniel Bishop, First Vice President Commercial Banking, PeoplesBank [email protected]
“Whatever you want to do, you do with your hands,” Dr. Mastella continues. “They’re intri- cate. It’s challenging work because it is fine work in that everything we deal with is very small. However, the rewards for attention
to detail are great, so getting down to those finer points will make a difference to that patient’s life.”
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