Page 9 - BusinessWest September 30, 2024

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
Wilbraham Balances Growth, Small-town Feel
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
Like many young people who grow up in Western Mass., Mike Trombley left this region to start his professional career and then returned because of
the quality of life it affords.
His story, and his career, have not been like most
others, though.
Indeed, Trombley, who excelled on the baseball
diamond at Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, would go on to play to play at Duke and be drafted by the Minnesota Twins.
Mostly a relief pitcher — with a career record of 37-47 and a high of 24 saves in 1995 — he played for the Twins, Orioles, and, briefly, the Dodgers until 2002. Living in Florida with his wife, Barbara, and three children after his playing days were over, he dabbled in real estate and managed to survive rela- tively unscathed when the market collapsed.
By 2009, the Trombleys decided that Florida wasn’t really for them, so they relocated to Wilbra- ham to live and essentially become the succession plan for Mike’s father, Ray Trombley, who founded the financial-services firm Trombley Associates in 1965.
The Wilbraham Mike returned to was and is very much like the one he left, meaning it has maintained its small-town charm and rural character — there are more than 20 farms within the community.
But there have been some significant changes, including the mailing address for the Trombley firm
“This is the quintessential New England town; any time anyone would go
down Main Street and see Wilbraham
& Monson Academy and the Village Store ... it’s just a picturesque postcard driving through town.”
— Post Office Park on Route 20, a business park that includes the Scantic Valley YMCA, a post office (hence the name), and dozens of businesses — as well as many new businesses along that thorough- fare. There have also been some changes on Main Street and just off it, including the town’s new senior center, which was a dozen years in the making, and a new mixed-use development that includes several apartments, a brewery, a restaurant, and a wine-and- cheese shop.
This combination of small-time charm and an
Wilbraham
Continued on page 11
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BusinessWest << COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 9
Wilbraham
at a glance
Year Incorporated: 1763
Population: 14,613
Area: 22.4 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $18.50
Commercial Tax Rate: $18.50
Median Household Income: $65,014
Median Family Income: $73,825
Type of government: Board of Selectmen, Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Baystate Wing Wilbraham Medical Center; Friendly Ice Cream Corp.; Big Y; Home Depot; Wilbraham & Monson Academy
*Latest information available