Marois Construction Builds on a Strong Foundation

By
Construction Special Coverage

Setting Their Sites

Marois Construction

Marois Construction recently converted this single-family farmhouse built around 1860 into a three-story, 30-unit housing complex (top).

 

Construction is a lot like the mail. Projects have to be delivered on time, regardless of the weather.

And to say it’s been a rainy year is an undertstatement.

“Weather is a common occurrence in the construction industry. And, depending on what we have going on at any particular time, we typically have to continue operations, as long as it’s not a total washout,” said Carl Mercieri, vice president of Marois Construction in South Hadley.

On one day of downpours in mid-September, he recalled, “our crews were in the field. They were tying rebar for footings for a project they were doing for the Chicopee Water Department. They braved the weather and set up some collapsible canopies.

“Our project schedules don’t take weather into consideration. So we’ve got to complete them,” Mercieri added. “And not only that, but the crews doing that job need to move on to another job. So we do the best we can with what we got to work with. And, you know, I’ve been doing this for over 40 years, and the weather is not changing here in New England.”

But plenty else has changed in construction over the past 50 years, and Marois Construction — founded by company President Joe Marois in 1972 — celebrated that half-century milestone last year. Those changes run the gamut from new technology to cutting-edge materials to modern priorities in the building world, especially around green, energy-efficient building.

Through all of it, Marois has steadily built a solid reputation, and its current workload reflects that.

“Backing up a year, 2022 was a stellar year, and in 2023, we got off to the same start,” Mercieri said “Every year is a little bit different, though. This year has been a bit quirky. We’ve had a lot on our books, but for one reason or another, we’ve had some projects that got delayed.

“And then, of course, summer is our busy season, with all the college and school work. So we were working six days a week. Typically, when September rolls around, we start to slow down, and things get back to normal,” he went on. “But when those projects that actually got started got delayed, they all came to life in September. So we’re not seeing any slowdown here, looking at the third quarter and toward the end of the year. So it looks like it’s going to be another really good year for us.”

 

Broad Range of Expertise

Marois performs both public and private work, both new construction and renovations, across a range of sectors, including commercial, industrial, and educational projects, Mercieri said.

“Right now we’re doing a branch bank … we’ve got a couple of schools that we’re doing, kitchen renovations in schools. We’re also building a police department for one of the local municipalities.”

Carl Mercieri

Carl Mercieri

“I’d say probably 70% of the guys in the workforce are closer to retirement age than not. So it’s extremely important that we get some of the younger people in.”

This diversity can be a positive in an uncertain economy.

“With all the ARPA money out there, there’s a lot of school work going in the public sector,” he added. “And we’re seeing a trend toward the private schools and charter schools. We’ve got one that we’re working on right now out in Stockbridge.”

In the post-pandemic world, contractors have been faced with a number of challenges all at once, from the impact of inflation to supply shortages. Mercieri said those trends are starting to subside, but not as quickly as most would like.

“We continue to see issues. There seems to be longer lead times on products,” he noted, citing doors and windows as examples. “A few years ago, before COVID, we could call in an order in the morning for hollow metal door frames and have them by in the afternoon. Now, we’re seeing a lead time of several weeks, which really impacts the schedule.

“For a while there, lumber was scarce, but lumber seems to have rebounded,” he added. “Prices have come down somewhat, but they really didn’t get back to where they were.”

And when supplies and equipment are difficult to procure or beset by delays, “it keeps the project going. You can’t close it out, even though it’s substantially complete. So one of the things that we deal with is that, going into a project, you can anticipate these delays, but you really can’t put a finger on how long the delays are going to be; it really depends on the manufacturer’s production line and what they’re doing.”

In one case this year, involving a generator, he was given a delivery date of April, and a week or two before it was supposed to ship, the date was pushed to June, then it was pushed again to August.

“We ended up getting it the first or second week of September,” he went on. “So you have no control over that, and it’s an unfortunate situation. And we don’t know where the problem lies; we don’t know if it’s a matter of materials on the manufacturer’s end or labor or a combination of both. But it has a pretty big impact on the construction industry, for sure.”

So has a persistent workforce shortage, one that has affected many industries lately. “It’s tough, but that’s been a trending issue over the years; I don’t think that’s anything new in this industry,” Mercieri said.

“Ninety percent of it is showing up every day; 10% is paying attention and learning.”

“So … we’ve adapted,” he went on. “We run our crews a bit leaner, meaning when we set up a job, rather than having a large crew over there, we’ll set up a smaller core crew at each job. And then, as a task comes up, we’ll move people around to the job and build up the crew, get them in, get them out, and then move them on to another job.”

The leadership team at Marois is certainly not alone in noting the need for more young talent in the pipeline.

“I go to these job sites, and I see our own crew, or I see our subcontractors, and … some of these guys I’ve known for 35 years,” he told BusinessWest. “I’d say probably 70% of the guys in the workforce are closer to retirement age than not. So it’s extremely important that we get some of the younger people in.”

He said the industry has been hurt over the past couple decades by a prevalent message that young people need to go to college to be successful. In fact, Massachusetts ranks among the top states in sending high-school graduates to college. At the same time, industrial-arts programs have been cut from public-school curricula, due to liability, budget cuts, or other factors, Mercieri noted.

But there is a pitch to be made, at a time when families are growing more concerned with crushing debt coming out of college, that careers in construction are attainable, with a clear path to growth, without much, if any, debt.

“Ninety percent of it is showing up every day; 10% is paying attention and learning,” he said, citing the example of someone who wants to specialize in carpentry but might not have the skills for a specific niche right off the bat. “There are multiple facets in carpentry. And you may be better at one or the other. Maybe you’re good at rough carpentry, and maybe you’re not as good at finished carpentry. But over time, you’re going to be very experienced — and you’ll probably be good at both.”

 

From the Ground Up

Mercieri knows what he’s talking about; he fell into construction at a young age, doing work for a friend’s father who owned a construction business.

“Basically, I was the young kid, and I got to carry all the tools for the tradespeople. I learned the electrical trade, plumbing, carpentry. I got my hands and feet wet being a helper. Then, over the years, it kind of grew on me, and the rest is history.”

He’s been in the field long enough to experience the transition from bid requests via phone calls and snail mail to digital platforms.

“And you think about the field now. Back then, there were no cell phones; there were no iPads. If something came up, a guy would run to a phone booth, or we’d set up landlines with a trailer, and they’d be calling the office. Now our guys in the field have iPads; as soon as we receive something here in the office, it goes right upstream, and they receive it out in the field.”

It’s just one of many changes Mercieri has seen over his decades in construction. And with one more year almost in the books, he’s feeling optimistic about 2024.

“We’ve got a fair amount on the books,” he told BusinessWest. “Some of the jobs that we’re doing now will run into 2024. The bidding market seems very strong. So we think we’re going to do pretty well.”

Businesses Are Learning That Effective DEI Efforts Require Cultural Change

By
Shannon Rudder
Special Coverage Work/Life Balance

More Than a Seminar

 

Shannon Rudder

Shannon Rudder says achieving real DEI in a company begins with creating a culture of authenticity and trust.

 

 

Shannon Rudder remembers her “bad boss.” And she never wanted to be one.

“What that bad boss did, what stuck out for me, was that everybody had to cater to how he led,” she said, adding that he believed that was how to maintain a bias-free workplace. Unfortunately, that philosophy can be incompatible with an equitable workplace.

“If I’m a single mom, maybe I can meet the deadlines, but I can’t do it in the same exact way as someone who doesn’t have kids, or has kids that are grown, right?” said Rudder, president and CEO of Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services in Springfield. “So in the most rudimentary sense, when you take the -isms and race and all that stuff out of it, that’s equity.”

And it’s a concept many businesses neglect when they talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, Rudder explained. They’re focused on a diverse workplace, but neglect to create the sort of culture where everyone is seen for their unique makeup and treated not equally, but equitably.

Colleen Holmes

Colleen Holmes

“We take a whole lot of pride and pleasure in working with folks as the individuals they are. That means that we look at the whole person and not one single aspect of their identity, and that’s what DEI is about.”

She cited a cartoon often used to express the point (see below). It pictures three boys trying to watch a ballgame from behind a fence. The first panel has each standing on a single box; though they’re being treated equally, the shortest boy still can’t see the game. The second panel, by moving those boxes around, demonstrates equity — now everyone can clearly see over the fence.

The barriers are different for each member of an organization, Rudder said, and so are the proverbial ‘boxes’ they might need to stand on to do their jobs effectively. (To take it a step further, the cartoon sometimes includes a third panel, labeled ‘liberation,’ with the fence removed completely.)

“The CEO of a nonprofit is not the same as a president or CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but conceptually, we can’t sit in our positions of power and think we know what everyone’s barriers are,” she added. “I’ve got to like actually talk to people to figure out what the barriers are. So it’s about the relationships.”

Interaction Institute for Social Change / Artist: Angus Maguire

It’s also about honest discussions about privilege and internalized biases and weaving equity into every corner of the organization — and that’s not something that can be achieved with a one-off professional-development seminar on DEI.

“You’ve got to get to the heart of why there are biases, why folks aren’t being productive working together,” Rudder said. “We’re all socialized very differently. So we need to create environments where folks feel comfortable and they trust each other. You don’t want somebody to feel tokenized; you want to be able to create that authenticity, that trust, so then you can begin to understand what the real barriers are.”

Colleen Holmes understands this concept. As president and CEO of Viability Inc. in Springfield, which provides vocational training, job placement, and other supports for individuals with disabilities, she’s worked with employer partners to help them understand how a workplace can benefit from workers from all backgrounds and all abilities.

“All the services we offer are around folks having the opportunity and support to be able to build their skills and attain things that are important and meaningful to them in their lives,” she told BusinessWest. “Everything we do is very specifically geared toward helping individuals find their pathway to thriving beyond whatever their limits are. And for individuals with disabilities, those limits are considerable.”

Trevor Brice

Trevor Brice

“Is this person better-qualified? Just give justification for the decision in case you’re challenged down the road.”

But they can be overcome — if an employer is committed to equity.

“We take a whole lot of pride and pleasure in working with folks as the individuals they are. That means that we look at the whole person and not one single aspect of their identity, and that’s what DEI is about,” Holmes explained. “The aspects of our identity are layered and complex, and that’s what makes us interesting people.”

The said the word ‘accommodation’ carries some baggage because people think it’s a one-way street — that the employer has to accommodate the employee, but isn’t going to benefit from that employee beyond checking a DEI box.

“In fact, when employers learn how to think differently in their approaches to getting business objectives met, they have more humanity in their company,” she said, adding that employers who understand this — who are willing to cultivate not only a diverse workforce, but an equitable, inclusive one — have a leg up.

 

Questions Around Diversity

The ‘diversity’ piece of DEI has been the source of much discussion lately, as employers have grappled with whether efforts to build a racially (and in other ways) diverse workplace will run afoul of federal law, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions this past June.

“They didn’t directly speak to private employers; it only applies to colleges and universities,” said Trevor Brice, an attorney with the Royal Law Firm in Springfield, adding, however, that there could be ripple effects. “I think the implications of the Harvard and North Carolina ruling go more to reverse-discrimination suits, people in majority groups suing over being given unfavorable treatment in relation to minority groups because of affirmative-action or DEI programs.”

To be clear, he added, hiring and firing employees based on their status in protective classes has never been allowed. “What’s almost inevitable is there are going to be challenges to employers based on these cases now.”

Dan Moriarty

Dan Moriarty

“We have a long way to go with it, but we’re trying to build something. We want to make meaningful progress — not just check a box, but make a difference.”

Mary Jo Kennedy, partner and chair of the Employment Law practice at Bulkley Richardson in Springfield, agreed that the SCOTUS ruling has no immediate impact on the legal standards that govern private employers’ DEI or affirmative-action programs, noting, like Brice, the existing prohibition against making employment decisions solely based on a person’s protected characteristics, like race or gender.

“But there is the potential that we may see more reverse-discrimination cases,” she added, before listing several steps employers can take to promote diversity within the bounds of the law:

• Avoid considering race as a basis for employment decisions or practices in a way that could be seen as granting race-based preferences;

• Review any DEI policies or programs for compliance with federal and state laws;

• Understand that it’s OK to prioritize diversity and inclusion but not OK to use race- or gender-based quotas;

• Broaden the use of the term ‘diversity,’ understanding that it’s more than just race and gender; and

• Review the company website and other public-facing documents and internal DEI materials for compliance with federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination.

Employers can also protect themselves against reverse-discrimination cases by carefully documenting the reasons behind every hiring and promotion decision. In other words, it makes sense to cast a wide net to promote a diverse applicant base, but make sure there’s a business case for each decision, and “document, document, document,” Brice said.

“Why are you making this decision? Is it solely due to race or other protected characteristics? Then it’s probably not going to stand up to a legal challenge. But high GPA, work history, things like that are fine. So, is this person better-qualified? Just give justification for the decision in case you’re challenged down the road.”

Employment-law firms already see plenty of wrongful-termination cases, he added, and there’s a feeling that the June SCOTUS decision will embolden more of them, even though that ruling applies only to higher education. “More needs to be seen. There hasn’t been a legal challenge yet, so there’s no guidance yet.”

 

Making Meaningful Progress

Monson Savings Bank President Dan Moriarty has been actively been involved in DEI strategy over the past year or so, not only at his own institution, but through his co-leadership of an executive council established by the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. to promote DEI efforts across member institutions.

“Every individual and every organization is on a different path along the way to being more diverse, equitable, and inclusive in their organization,” he said. “We have a DEI committee here at the bank, and we’re trying to adopt best practices from the Mass Bankers Association for advancing our DEI program.”

That process toward a level playing field begins with understanding the dynamics of DEI and the barriers and biases that hinder it, he noted, adding that he and two other MSB leaders recently attended a seminar at the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley. “That was phenomenal. Just the awareness and deep understanding was very impactful for me personally and professionally. We all have to do more.”

“Our corporate counterparts — and I get why they do it — focus on diversity because that’s a tangible way to demonstrate, ‘we’ve got X percentage of women, we’ve got X percentage that identify as able-bodied or people of color,’ all those identities. I get why diversity comes first. But for me, it’s really centered on equity.”

Adopting some best practices recommended by Mass Bankers, Monson Savings has created a DEI commitment statement, developed and implemented a DEI program that continues to evolve, provided DEI training to board members and employees, identified and monitored key performance metrics, and conducted periodic self-assessments of the program.

In addition, he said, the bank has reviewed numerous documents, including its strategic plan, along with communications, processes, and facilities, to ensure that potential barriers are identified and removed and that DEI expectations are reflected, while also conducting outreach and expanding the bank’s relationships with key community members and organizations.

“We have a long way to go with it, but we’re trying to build something. We want to make meaningful progress — not just check a box, but make a difference,” Moriarty said. “People want to do the right thing, but they have to educate themselves and really make a concerted effort to be able to make the change. It’s not just acknowledging we need more diversity, equity, and inclusion, but we also have to take actual steps to get us to a better place.”

Viability has seen its employer partners — more than 800 of them nationwide — find that better place.

“Some employers are looking to live a philosophy of the organization around diversity, equity, and inclusion because it’s the right thing to do,” Holmes said. “And there is data out there that shows that, if companies have accessible and welcoming environments for individuals with disabilities, consumers are more likely to shop there. And this is something businesses and employers have taken notice of.

“DEI is really a no-brainer,” she added. “But it does require a cultural change within an organization.”

 

The Rest of the Story

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

That’s one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most popular quotes; just about everyone has heard it. But far fewer, Rudder said, know the rest of the quote, the words King said directly after:

“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

“That’s the nutshell of how I approach the work,” she added. “Our corporate counterparts — and I get why they do it — focus on diversity because that’s a tangible way to demonstrate, ‘we’ve got X percentage of women, we’ve got X percentage that identify as able-bodied or people of color,’ all those identities. I get why diversity comes first. But for me, it’s really centered on equity.”

Rudder said she practices ‘culture humility,’ which is a commitment to constant self-evaluation by which people not only learn to understand other cultures, but also critically examine their own — and understand the privileges they enjoy.

“If we’re going to aim to be centered in equity, we have to first understand where our privilege is,” she said. “And that goes back to Dr. King’s quote; we are all mutually interconnected. It’s a journey — it’s not just, ‘let’s do this program, and let’s check the boxes.’ We’ve got to weave this into the very fabric of who we are as an organization, as a corporation.”

North Adams Builds on Growing Momentum

By
MCLA President James Birge
Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

MCLA President James Birge

MCLA President James Birge cuts the ribbon at the official launch of the school’s new nursing program.

 

Jennifer Macksey grew up North Adams, and she’s seen some profound changes in her 50 years — and from many perspectives.

As a young girl, she remembers Thursday nights downtown, which would be bustling as the thousands of employees at nearby Sprague Electric would be out spending their paychecks in the stores, like the one owned by her parents, and restaurants along Main Street and connecting corridors. She also remembers how the landscape changed dramatically, and the vibrancy downtown all but disappeared overnight, after Sprague closed its doors in 1985.

Later, while serving in several positions in City Hall, including chief financial officer and treasurer and collector, and also at the nearby Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and Southern Vermont College, and then as assistant superintendent of the Northern Berkshire Regional School District, she saw the city’s economy struggle as it also evolved, from one dominated by manufacturing to one centered on tourism and the arts, a shift exemplified, in dramatic fashion, by the transformation of the former Sprague Electric complex into MASS MoCA, the nation’s largest museum of contemporary art, which opened its doors in 1999.

Today, Macksey is mayor of the city, a post she has long coveted (more on that later), and is thus in a position to not only observe, but also shape the ongoing evolution of this city of nearly 13,000.

She reports progress on several fronts, from new stores downtown to signs of development at the long-vacant former TD Bank building on Main Street; from a cannabis-cultivation facility in the Hardman Industrial Park to a small but quite significant rise in population — part of a countywide phenomenon involving residents of large metro centers leaving for the Berkshires, where many of them are working remotely.

Jennifer Macksey

Jennifer Macksey

“We’ve brought a lot of new people into the community, but we’re also focused on getting businesses in here.”

“I’m amazed at the people who are buying property here in North Adams,” Macksey said. “We’re seeing a lot of people who are leaving larger cities and coming here to work remotely, and we’re seeing out-of-town investors buying up property, whether it be for long-term or short-term rental. So our population is starting to go up a bit.”

James Birge, long-time president of MCLA and another native of Berkshire County (he grew up in Lee), has also seen a number of signs of progress, both across the county and in North Adams. In addition to meeting its mission of providing a quality liberal-arts education and enabling students from low-income families to live “an elevated life,” as he calls it, MCLA is helping to fuel a changing Berkshires economy by providing qualified workers and also adding new programs to meet recognized need, such as its new nursing-degree program.

“While 40% of our students come from Berkshire County, 50% of our students who graduate stay in Berkshire County,” he said. “So we’re contributing to the brain gain of Berkshire County.”

The nursing program, initiated this fall, was launched in response to a request from Berkshire Health Systems to help meet an urgent need to put more nurses into the pipeline.

“We thought, ‘here is an opportunity where we can develop an academic program that would be in demand and be responsive to the needs of our community,” Birge said, adding that the program started with 20 students this fall and is expected to ultimately grow to 110-120 students. “This is the fundamental, historic purpose of public higher education — to respond to the needs of the community.”

For this, the latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at North Adams and the many developing stories there.

 

 

Taking the Lead

While growing up in North Adams, Macksey said, her parents always stressed the importance of both giving back and getting involved, qualities she has embraced her whole life.

This passion, coupled with a desire to lead change in a community she said was still struggling in many ways, prompted her to run for mayor in 2021 — and to seek re-election this fall.

“I always wanted to be mayor,” she told BusinessWest. “When I left City Hall, I knew that I would come back someday, but I always said I would come back to the corner office, and that’s what I did. I’m very interested in keeping North Adams moving forward.”

Her focus is broad and covers many issues, from education to public safety, but especially economic development, she said, adding that, like all communities in the Berkshires and beyond, the most pressing need is jobs.

“We’ve brought a lot of new people into the community, but we’re also focused on getting businesses in here, and that is really the charge of my next two years in office, to build out some economic-development plans and to sell North Adams more than it has been.

“North Adams is sold on its beauty and its natural resources, but there are a lot of other things to offer,” she went on. “I’m very focused on the buildings that we do have that are empty and our industrial park and exploring opportunities to bring in some light industry.”

The Hardman Industrial Park recently became home to the Temescal Wellness cannabis growing facility, in a facility that formerly housed Crane Stationery. The facility employs between 75 to 100 people and is thus an important source of new jobs and one of many investments that have taken place in North Adams.

Others include ongoing investment in the Porches Inn at MASS MoCA on River Street and also in the Hotel Downstreet on Main Street — facilities that are catering to the steady volumes of visitors to North Adams, which has increasingly become a destination in recent years — as well as redevelopment of the former Johnson School into much-needed housing.

North Adams at a Glance

Year Incorporated: 1878
Population: 12,961
Area: 20.6 square miles
County: Berkshire
Residential Tax Rate: $17.67
Commercial Tax Rate: $37.60
Median Household Income: $35,020
Family Household Income: $57,522
Type of government: Mayor; City Council
Largest Employers: BFAIR Inc.; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
* Latest information available

In the downtown, most of the storefronts are now occupied, Macksey said, and the former TD Bank facility has been acquired, and redevelopment plans are being blueprinted.

“Our downtown is pretty much full,” she noted. “There were many years when it was empty, and I really applaud the owners of those buildings for hanging in there.”

But there is considerable work to be done, she added. “We’ve got a lot of things going on, but we really need to provide more jobs for our workforce here. And we hope to develop some economic-development plans that will bring some people into the city.”

Creating jobs is a process, she noted, one that involves collaboration and partnerships with business, the education sector, and workforce-development agencies, as well as that notion of more aggressively selling the city and its many types of assets and generating new investments in the community.

“We need to create some jobs that provide some on-the-job training,” she said, citing Temescal Wellness as one example of such an employer. “We also need to be collaborating with places like MassHire and other groups to create opportunities where people can learn a trade as they work.

“And we also need to be aggressive in cultivating a community, even in our high school, of students who want to work here in North Adams, be it in a trade or in an administrative position,” Macksey went on. “But most importantly, we’re looking to work with businesses that are sensitive to hiring people here in North Adams.”

 

Class Act

Birge told BusinessWest that he thought MCLA might fall a little in the annual U.S. News & World Report ranking on the nation’s public liberal-arts colleges, a category that includes the service academies. But it didn’t.

Instead, it held its place at number 7 — this was the third year in a row it finished in that spot and the ninth year in a row it has cracked the top 10, out of roughly 500 institutions — a measure, he said, of not only the school’s commitment to excellence, but its ability to consistently deliver on its commitment to providing a quality liberal-arts education.

As proud as Birge might be of this ranking — and he is quite proud — he is even more satisfied with the school’s rankings on U.S. News & World Report’s listing of top performers when it comes to social mobility, a category the publication initiated in 2019. This is a measure of how well institutions graduate students who receive federal Pell grants, typically awarded to students whose families earn less than $50,000, though most Pell Grant money goes to families with income below $20,000.

In this category, MCLA ranked first in the state and second in the country.

“I like this ranking a little bit more, because we’re meeting our mission — we have a mission of access,” he explained. “We want students who may not be able to afford to go to other institutions to come here and get an outstanding education and then go off and have a life that they wouldn’t have if they didn’t come to us.

“I think that’s a more important measure; we’re the highest-ranked public institution in Massachusetts and the second-highest in the nation, and we’re really proud of that,” he went on, adding that one-third of the school’s students come from families earning less than $30,000 per year, and roughly 40% of them are first-generation college students.

“The average starting salary for an MCLA alum is $46,000,” he went on. “Hundreds of students are graduating and making an average salary of $46,000, and they’re coming from families that made less than $30,000. We’re breaking the cycle of poverty for hundreds of kids in four years — we think that’s a pretty noble mission for a public higher-education institution.”

Overall, MCLA is seeing a surge in enrollment due to a roughly 15% increase among first-year students (total enrollment is largely flat), and Birge attributes this to the value the school presents at a time when value has become an ever-more-important factor among students and their parents. Indeed, one can graduate from MCLA with a fraction of the debt they may assume if they were to attend a private liberal-arts college, he said.

While on the subject of value, Birge said a liberal-arts education still holds plenty of value in this job market and in general, despite growing rhetoric questioning the relative worth of a liberal-arts degree, and some colleges and universities — Simmons and Lasell are among the latest to do so — cutting liberal-arts majors, including history, modern languages, philosophy, and literature because of low enrollment.

“I think those institutions that are cutting liberal-arts programs are not being very visionary, and I think they’re cutting off their nose to spite their face,” he added “In our world today, even more than ever, we need people educated in the liberal-arts tradition. We need people who can understand different perspectives and look at things through different lenses.”

Especially in a changing Berkshire County, he noted.

“The economy has changed; it used to be an industrial economy, and now it’s more of a creative economy, across the county,” Birge said. “And I think that has breathed life back into a lot of our communities, including North Adams. It’s a vibrant moment in the history of Berkshire County, and we try to be as participatory in that as we can.”

Fredrika Ballard

By
Fredrika Ballard
Women of Impact 2023

President, Aero Design Aircraft Services and Fly Lugu Flight Training

She Inspires Her Students and Others Around Her to Soar Higher

 

“It’s like being in a time machine.”

That’s how Fredrika (Rika) Ballard described flying, a passion she has enjoyed pretty much her whole life and one she now inspires others to pursue.

While you can’t really go back or forward in time with an airplane, you can get somewhere fast — somewhere like Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket, she said, offering up just two examples.

She can get to the Vineyard in 30 minutes in her twin-engined Beechcraft Baron, while others, using standard means of transportation — a car and then the ferry — would probably need five, maybe six hours, depending on the traffic and which ferry they took.

“For me, flying means freedom — I’m as comfortable in the air as I am on the ground,” said Ballard, president and lead flight instructor at Aero Design Aircraft Services and Fly Lugu Flight Training in Westfield, who has flown everything from tiny ‘beginner’ planes to a corporate jet.

Lugu, by the way, is an industry term. Well, sort of. It’s what Ballard’s father used to say about the yoke, or control column, of the airplane.

“She is not an instructor who just teaches. She is a coach, a friend, a trusting companion that inspires and helps you flourish.”

“The plane goes where you look,” she said. “If you’re looking down or you’re looking at the ground, you’re subconsciously putting the yoke forward, and the plane starts going down. But when you look up, you subconsciously pull the yoke toward you, and the plane goes up. Look up, go up — that’s what Lugu means; you’re only going up from here.”

Those letters are part of a design for the company she was thinking and dreaming about, starting quite literally with a drawing on a napkin in early 2019 (more on that later), while not really believing that the dream was going to come true.

It has, and the reality has gone well beyond a flight school. Indeed, Ballard now owns a maintenance shop at Barnes Municipal Airport, where she employs four mechanics, and is involved with initiatives to build new hangars at the airport.

As for the flight school, it continues a strong pattern of growth and now boasts nine planes (with more on the way), 10 instructors, 130 students on average, and roughly 24 flights per day — if the weather is cooperating.

As a flier, flight instructor, and serial entrepreneur, Ballard has become much more to those around her. She’s an inspiration as well as a facilitator of sorts, helping others find the freedom of flying, especially women, who are still firmly in the minority when it comes to this pastime, but are, well, gaining ground.

Saba Shahid, one of Ballard’s students, explained things nicely as she nominated her to be a Woman of Impact.

“She is not an instructor who just teaches,” Shahid wrote. “She is a coach, a friend, a trusting companion that inspires and helps you flourish. Rika is someone I consider to be a role model that is standing up for women every day and inspiring us to know that the sky is not our limit.

“Being a female pilot is about shattering stereotypes and showing the world what women are all about,” she went on. “Rika does this each day for the women and men that go to her school.”

Such sentiments explain why Ballard is among the Women of Impact for 2023.

 

Plane Speaking

The walls of Ballard’s office at the terminal building at Barnes are ringed with photographs of her students beside or in the aircraft in which they stretched their wings — literally and figuratively. Each one tells a story, but collectively they tell a broader story about flying and those who are pursuing that sense of freedom she spoke of.

It’s mostly men in the pictures, but there are many women as well. Some are young, others a little older. A few are retired and looking for a new adventure. And then, there’s the 91-year-old man intent on earning his license.

“It was a bucket-list thing for him, and he’s taken six or seven lessons,” she said, adding that there is, overall, greater interest in pursuing a license these days. A shortage of airline pilots has something to do with it, but there are other reasons as well, including pursuit of that freedom and the ability to get to places like the Vineyard in 30 minutes, as well as pandemic-inspired efforts to draw lines on individuals’ to-do lists, including the dream of learning to fly.

The photos also help tell Ballard’s story, at least the chapter that started with the napkin she drew Lugu on. We’ll get back to that, but first we need to go back much further.

Ballard said she was introduced to flying by her father, a general aviation pilot and engineer by trade.

“I’ve been flying as long as I can remember,” she said, adding that she cut her teeth on an Aerona Champion, known as the ‘Champ,’ and then a Beechcraft Bonanza, both small, single-engine planes.

She soloed on her 16th birthday, at Barnes, and got her license at the earliest age she could — 17. Since then, flying has been a lifelong pursuit: a passion, and then a business. But always a passion.

She and her husband are avid hikers, and they will regularly fly to Mount Washington for an afternoon. She flies to Martha’s Vineyard once a week, on average, to visit family or friends. Sometimes, it will just be for lunch or dinner.

“I like to fly for food,” she said with a laugh, adding that most general-aviation airports like Barnes will have ‘courtesy cars’ to borrow and take into town for a meal or shopping. “It’s always fun to meet new people and see different parts of the country; flying gives you the freedom to do all that.”

It wasn’t until she retired in 2018 from her role as administrator at Facial Cosmetic & Maxillofacial Surgery and then earned her advanced licenses that she started to think about shaping her time machine into a business. With those credentials, she could become an instructor, and a friend offered her an opportunity, and a plane, to do so.

But the plane was poorly maintained, and the opportunity just wasn’t right.

“I just wasn’t feeling it,” she said, adding that, soon thereafter, she was at a bar with a friend, took the napkin in front of her, and doodled out a script ‘Fly Lugu,’ with planes (actually arrows on the first take) on some of the letters for effect.

“I had enough money to buy a starter plane, and my friend, a business person in the area, said, ‘why don’t you just buy a plane and start a school?’” she recalled. “And I said, ‘I don’t know, I’ve never thought about it.’”

 

The Wild Blu

So she started thinking about it, and with no flying school at Barnes at the time and, on her end, the requisite time, capital, enthusiasm, and drive, she decided to take the plunge — or, in this case, the climb, another industry term.

She started in August 2019 with a few students and one plane, a Cessna 172 named Blu — all her planes have names. She didn’t sign the lease for space in the terminal building until February 2020 — yes, a few weeks before the pandemic largely shut down Western Mass.

She persevered, as other businesses did, by getting creative and finding ways to carry on — with Zoom calls, remote lessons, meeting students who could solo on the runway ramp before their flights, and, later, resuming training flights with masks and other PPE.

And when the skies cleared (pandemic-wise), many of those who were home and thinking about items on their bucket list — and things they may have started but never finished — turned their attention to flying.

“When we could start to fly again, I was flying sunrise to sunset every day,” she recalled. “I had another instructor come on because I couldn’t handle it all alone; there was a lot of demand.

And while things have cooled off somewhat, business has remained brisk, with Ballard adding planes and instructors regularly over the past three years.

“When we could start to fly again, I was flying sunrise to sunset every day.”

Aas noted earlier, she has become a serial entrepreneur, acquiring the maintenance shop at Barnes, called AeroDesign, based in a hangar that dates in 1926 and the early days of the airport; becoming a partner in the construction of new hangars at the airport; and also partnering with the New England Air Museum to be its official flight school.

Beyond all these accomplishments and ambitious future plans, Ballard has made it a mission to encourage, and inspire, more women to take to the skies. And she is succeeding in that mission with Shahid and many others, including a former student who is now an instructor at Lugu.

“Rika has been an extraordinary leader empowering women to enter the field of aviation and be confident in their abilities,” Shahid wrote in her nomination. “She is breaking barriers and stereotypes each day to make it easier for women to succeed in this field.”

Blu and the other aircraft in what can now be called a fleet have become the vehicles with which others are experiencing the freedom of flying. For most, this will be at least a yearlong journey — longer if the weather is like it has been this year.

 

Soar Subject

As a flyer, flight instructor, and owner of a flight school, Ballard is certainly plugged into the weather. She has several weather apps on her phone and is always watching the sky for clues about what’s on the horizon.

“You almost become like an amateur meteorologist, because you’re always looking at the sky, and you get to know the patterns of the weather and what works and what doesn’t,” she said, adding that those who want a reliable forecast will turn to her.

At the moment, the forecast for her business is clear with a strong chance of continued growth. She’s an optimist who prefers to put her faith in what her father said about pulling the yoke — “you’re only going up from here.”

Her ability to breed confidence in others and set their sights higher, whether they’re flying in Blu and coping with the many other challenges of life, explains why Ballard is a Woman of Impact.

Carla Cosenzi

By
Carla Cosenzi
Women of Impact 2023

President, TommyCar Auto Group

She’s a Driving Force in Business and Efforts to Promote Gender Equity

Carla Cosenzi

 

By now, Carla Cosenzi says, the automobile-sales industry should be … well, more welcoming to women, more accepting of women, more … inviting to women.

But, in most respects, and she would certainly know about this, it isn’t.

Overall, this is still a man’s world, said Cosenzi, who notes that, when attending regional or national conferences or dealer meetings, she is the among the few women in the room, and the expectation is for her not to be the owner. Indeed, many of those who don’t know her believe she is the spokesperson for TommyCar Auto Group, or that she works for her father or her husband.

“I get that all the time … people think my husband is involved,” she told BusinessWest, adding that he isn’t, and never has been. (Her husband, Nick Zayac, owns a construction company.)

“It’s still really a difficult industry for a female, especially in this type of position or role,” she went on, adding that this extends to her own company — although certainly not for long after someone joins the team. “Many still don’t fully understand how involved I am in the business and how much I know and how much I have worked through all the different departments here, and how hands-on I am. And there’s always a different dynamic between a male and female in business, versus a male and a male.”

Cosenzi not only perseveres in this man’s world, she works hard to bring women into the business, mentor them, and inspire and empower them to advance. TommyCar Auto boasts many women in roles traditionally held by men — everything from mechanic to parts manager. Overall, roughly one-third of the company’s 150 employees are women, far exceeding what Cosenzi believes is the industry average.

“It’s still really a difficult industry for a female, especially in this type of position or role.”

“I’m obviously proud to have so many women working under the TommyCar umbrella,” she said, “but what I’m most proud of is that so many of those women are working in non-traditional roles, such as service advisor, service manager, technician, body-shop technician, or general sales manager; we have at least one woman in a manager or leadership role at every one of our dealerships.”

This strong desire to inspire, mentor, and empower women to succeed, in their lives and careers — a recurring theme among this year’s Women of Impact honorees — is just one of the reasons why Cosenzi is a member of the class of 2023.

Carla Cosenzi and her bother, Tom, present a check for more than $150,000

Carla Cosenzi and her bother, Tom, present a check for more than $150,000 — proceeds from the 2022 Tom Cosenzi Driving for the Cure Golf Tournament — to Dr. Patrick Wen of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Her success in business is another. She has greatly expanded the family enterprise started by her grandfather to now include Nissan, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Genesis, Volvo, a collision center, and a towing business. And she is constantly looking for opportunities to expand the portfolio.

She is also credited with creating and nurturing a culture of giving back, a continuation of a strong family tradition. Indeed, with Cosenzi taking the lead, the company is now involved with organizations and philanthropic programs ranging from Cooley Dickinson Hospital and Junior Achievement to Christina’s House and Safe Passage’s annual Hot Chocolate Run.

Then there’s the Tom Cosenzi Drive for the Cure Charity Golf Tournament. Named for Cosenzi’s father, and mentor, who lost his battle to brain cancer in 2009, the tournament has raised more than $1.4 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

This impressive résumé of business success, community involvement, philanthropy, and efforts to promote gender equity in the workplace — in the auto industry and well beyond — has earned Cosenzi many awards and accolades over the years, including a handful from BusinessWest. Judges have chosen her to be a 40 Under Forty honoree, an Alumni Achievement Award winner (given to the 40 Under Forty winner who has most impressively built upon their record of accomplishment), and a Difference Maker.

And now, she needs to make room for one more plaque — one that reads ‘Woman of Impact.’

 

To a Higher Gear

As she talked with BusinessWest at the Nissan store on Route 9 in Hadley, Cosenzi referenced upcoming renovations to the dealership, a project that has been several years in the making, with considerable back-and-forth between the company, the town, and the manufacturer, with firm plans now in place.

They call for redoing the façade, the service lounge, the showroom setup, and more, she said, adding that “we’re way overdue — for our employees, our customers, and the brand.”

Orchestrating this renovation project, as well as the building of a new home for Volvo Cars Pioneer Valley in Northampton, an endeavor still in the planning stage, are among the myriad matters Cosenzi is contending with at any given time.

At this particular moment, she was also attending to specific details of the 2023 edition of the golf tournament, HR matters, hiring (she said she’s “constantly interviewing” for high-level positions), the still-challenging used-car market … and making it home in time for dinner with the family.

“I’m obviously proud to have so many women working under the TommyCar umbrella, but what I’m most proud of is that so many of those women are working in non-traditional roles.”

Most of this was not in Cosenzi’s long-term plans when she was focusing on clinical psychology while earning degrees at Northeastern University and Columbia; while she took odd jobs at her father’s dealership growing up, she had no intention of making it her life’s work.

But her career path took what would have to be called some unexpected turns. Indeed, Cosenzi, as most know by now, started working at the family business after college, not thinking this would be anything but temporary. But she fell in love with the business and everything about it. She attended Dealer Academy (where, again, she was one of the few women enrolled), and immersed herself in every aspect of the business.

Christina’s House is one of many area nonprofits supported by Carla Cosenzi

Christina’s House is one of many area nonprofits
supported by Carla Cosenzi and the growing team at TommyCar Auto Group.

With her father’s illness and subsequent passing, in 2009, leadership of the company transitioned to Cosenzi and her brother, Tom.

In her role as president of the dealer group, Cosenzi is involved with all aspects of the business, as well its philanthropic initiatives and work within the community. And with each, the approach is decidedly hands-on, with a hard focus on “one-on-ones,” as she called them, and giving managers and employees at all levels the tools they need to succeed.

Meanwhile, she’s also focused on long-term strategic planning. The immediate goals are to complete plans to renovate the Nissan store and build a new Volvo dealership — and by that time, the Hyundai store will need renovating, and a separate home will be needed for Genesis — and then focus on adding to the portfolio.

“We’re not desperate to acquire more brands,” she said. “But if the right opportunity came up, we would take it; we’re not just looking to buy to grow our portfolio.”

 

A Road Less-traveled

Cosenzi joked that, unlike many dealership owners, general managers, and even salespeople, she doesn’t take many of the newer models for weeks or months at a time, as much as she would like to — especially some of the new Genesis offerings.

“I’d love to switch cars, but the problem is … I spend a lot of time in my car, between the dealerships and picking up my kids,” she explained, noting that she’s been driving a Volvo XC90 hybrid SUV for some time now. “If I get in a car that’s a new model, and someone wants to buy it, they have to track me down, get me out of it, and get it ready for the customer. So I try to make sure that if I’m taking a new model, I take it for the short term and don’t move into it.”

What she has moved into are leadership roles — in her own business, within the community, and in the broad fight for gender equality in the workplace. Focusing mostly on her own sector, Cosenzi, as noted earlier, has made it her mission to be a role model and mentor, and also bring more women into the auto sales and service industry and capitalize on opportunities they may have thought were restricted to men.

“If you’re good in business, if you’re a good leader, you’re always trying to better yourself, and you’re always trying to learn, and I’m always trying to learn from other people,” she explained. “So I try to be that same sort of resource that I look for, especially to the women who come into this business.

“I want to be a good mentor to anyone who comes into our company, but especially to women who want to be successful in our industry and just need someone to guide them and give them a path on how to do that,” she went on. “That’s really important to me.”

Equally important is that many of the women now employed at TommyCar are focused on careers in this industry, not jobs, she said, adding that her dealer group is ahead of the curve, if you will, in this realm.

“If you’re good in business, if you’re a good leader, you’re always trying to better yourself, and you’re always trying to learn, and I’m always trying to learn from other people.”

“I believe that, overall, you’re seeing more women getting into the industry, but not to the extent that you see here,” she continued. “We work really hard to attract women here and to support women’s success here; we make it a great place for women to work, and we’re a great support system for all the women working together.”

When asked what makes this or any other business a great place for women to work, Cosenzi said it comes to supporting them, mentoring them, providing opportunities to learn and grow (such as group attendance at Bay Path University’s Women’s Leadership Conference and similar programs), and, perhaps most importantly, recognizing them and their accomplishments.

“We do a lot to support women and to make them feel empowered here,” she said in conclusion. “And I think it’s immediately empowering when you work for a company that has a woman leader; I think it makes a huge difference because immediately, the perception of the company is different.”

 

The Ride Stuff

Getting back to her thoughts on the auto-sales business and how and why it’s still a man’s world, despite her best efforts, Cosenzi said there has been some progress — just not as much as she would have expected to see in 2023.

“It takes time, it takes conditioning, and it takes more women being involved,” she told BusinessWest. “The more women that we put in powerful roles in an industry, the more conditioned people get to seeing women in those roles.”

Suffice it to say she doing all she can — as an employer, as a role model, as a mentor, and as a leader within the community.

And that’s just one of the reasons why she’s added Woman of Impact to her list of awards and achievements. It’s a designation that drives home all she has done and continues to do — literally and figuratively.

Arlyana Dalce-Bowie

By
Arlyana Dalce-Bowie says the Mommy Moment workshops bring healing
Women of Impact 2023

CEO, Moms in Power

She Helps Women Break the Stigma of Postpartum Depression and Find Peace

Arlyana Dalce-Bowie

Arlyana Dalce-Bowie

Like many new moms, Arlyana Dalce-Bowie’s struggle with postpartum depression was twofold.

First, she fought to get to a place where she could be a caring, loving, and present mother. Then she had to rediscover herself.

The latter was, frankly, a lengthy process, but also a powerful one. And by not only working through the dark times, but sharing that experience with the world through an online community called Moms in Power, she’s making a real impact for women who might otherwise suffer in silence, or think something is wrong with them.

“This is something a lot of women go through, which is why I created Moms in Power,” she told BusinessWest. “Although we’re moms, people need to understand that we’re still women too. Not that motherhood is easy, but it was easier to nurture my baby and to love her and to make sure she’s protected — I just couldn’t do all that for myself. And Moms in Power literally speaks to the woman you’re becoming in motherhood.”

She was able to take six months away from her job at the Department of Children and Families, which allowed her to focus on her mental health — and navigate parenthood — while waiting a frustratingly long time during the pandemic to access therapy for her own healing (more on that later).

“That’s really where Moms in Power was birthed. It was me trying to do the work until I was able to get counseling. And then, of course, with the counselor, finding different ways that I can still navigate my postpartum.”

A licensed social worker and nutritional coach who now works for Springfield Public Schools as a City Connects coordinator, she’s in a much better place — largely because she’s grown through her own difficult experience while helping other women manage theirs.

“It is because of her resiliency, drive, and unselfish commitment to community that I strongly believe that Arlyana Dalce-Bowie is a Woman of Impact,” wrote Arlela Bethel, owner of the Movement LAB, who nominated her for the award. “When a woman is able to share her story with others in a meaningful way to begin to impart change, that is recognizable and commendable.”

Bethel added that “Arlyana’s passion for supporting the healing and recovery process of mothers who have or are dealing with postpartum depression diagnosis is a true testament to her ability to show vulnerability within her own personal struggle and, out of that struggle, create resourceful ways to help others. Moms In Power was born out of hardship and pain, but this amazing resource was designed to give other women the opportunity to feel empowered, to heal, restore, and to find purpose and strength within themselves not only as mothers, but as women.”

Rough Year

Dalce-Bowie’s pregnancy began at a difficult time for everyone, near the start of COVID-19; she gave birth in February 2021, when the pandemic was still raging.

“That was hard to navigate in and of itself. We didn’t know what was going on. And because I was a single parent, I couldn’t have my support system go to my prenatal appointments and things like that. Life was still very uncertain,” she recalled. “So I was kind of separated from my support system, and I was coming to terms with the fact that I was a single parent. And, of course, that just took a toll on my mental and emotional health.”

Even during her pregnancy, Dalce-Bowie was experiencing some depression and anxiety, so it was no surprise when she was diagnosed with postpartum depression six weeks after her daughter was born.

“When a woman is able to share her story with others in a meaningful way to begin to impart change, that is recognizable and commendable.”

“I didn’t see a therapist until she was almost 1; that’s how long the waitlist was. It took a really, really long time to get into counseling, to get the support that I actually needed.”

So, during that year, she started journaling because she felt she needed an outlet to process her emotions and experience some kind of release “so I wasn’t just in my head,” she explained, adding that “journaling has been something I’ve been doing since I was a kid, so I kind of reverted back to it.”

The prompts she has used in her own journaling and then with others, through Moms in Power, include “dismantling me,” which deals with the words women place on ourselves.

“When you have PPD or any other diagnosis, you kind of label yourself that way, saying that ‘I have this diagnosis, and that defines me,’” she said. “‘Dismantling me’ is an activity where we literally dismantle things that we feel about ourselves or that society has put on us or that our support systems have put on us.”

Another writing prompt is “a letter to myself,” she added. “I want you to write a letter, knowing what you know now, to your past self, encouraging yourself for the journey ahead. That’s probably my favorite one.

“Those two are probably our biggest prompts,” Dalce-Bowie noted. “They provoke a lot of tears. But it opens us up and gives us a place to come out of ourselves. I think a lot of us have our own guilt and our own shame, and we don’t like to talk about it openly.”

The writing prompts and the words and emotions that flow from them are intended to bring women to a place of understanding themselves — and realizing that what they’re going through isn’t shameful at all.

Arlyana Dalce-Bowie says the Mommy Moment workshops bring healing

Arlyana Dalce-Bowie says the Mommy Moment workshops bring healing because women are connecting over a shared struggle they may not have talked about.

“So many people have this idea that, when you have a mental-health diagnosis, it kind of disqualifies you from some things, or you’re not as great of a parent,” Dalce-Bowie said. “And I know, being a Black and Brown woman, we don’t seek therapy and counseling enough. It’s still kind of taboo in our culture.”

Before she started reaching out to others online, she found herself having to explain her needs to her family and others in her support system — in itself a necessary step in breaking the stigma of mental health.

“I said, ‘this is how I need support. I have a serious diagnosis.’ Because postpartum depression looks very different for many women, and for me, it was very severe. So I had to kind of coach them: ‘this is what I need, and how I need it, in order to get me into a better mental space.’”

The journal was a major part of getting to that better place, and so was aromatherapy, which she came upon while looking for other mental-health resources. “There are so many healing properties with candles; it creates a safe space, a calming space, and it just helps me cope in different ways.”

From there, Dalce-Bowie started sharing her story on her personal website — and found a like-minded community.

“There were so many women who were like, ‘we’re going through the same thing’ — especially those of us with pandemic babies, who didn’t have direct access to services right away,” she noted. “A lot of people were on the waitlist, so we just started reaching out to each other and having these group text messages and Facebook groups.”

On her social-media pages, she shared elements of her journey — “the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between” — and developed a business page for Moms in Power, on which she shares journaling prompts, sells aromatherapy products, and directs women to other resources.

“Journaling has been something I’ve been doing since I was a kid, so I kind of reverted back to it.”

Like the virtual Mommy Moment workshops, which came about because Dalce-Bowie and the moms she was connecting with needed a deeper, more personal outlet.

“We literally come together and have moments as moms. We talk about our postpartum depression; we talk about other diagnoses — because there are a few women that have been here with other diagnoses. We talk about married life and parenting, for those who are married. We talk about the single life and parenting and what that looks like for us.

“And there’s so much healing that comes from it because you’re relating to other women that may not have talked about it out loud, but we’re still going through the same struggle,” she continued. “The outreach part literally came from me sharing my personal journey and women saying, ‘we need more of this.’”

Strong Bonds

Dalce-Bowie said the moms she connects with tend to keep in touch even beyond the workshops, to check in with each other and see how they’re doing; she’ll often help members access therapists when needed.

The connections — and impact — she’s made have been heartening, she said.

“I can’t even put it into words. At the end of every workshop, we’re all so emotionally charged. I know my specific journey, but hearing other women reminds us all we’re not in this alone. So many times in this journey, you feel like you’re alone. So knowing that I’m helping to motivate them — in a way that I felt like I needed to be pushed and motivated at a certain point — is extremely gratifying.

“The fact that we get to come together and we don’t ever have to feel so isolated again is the best part for me,” she went on. “The stories that I hear literally bring me to tears because sometimes the journey feels extremely hopeless, so when you’re in a place where you realize, ‘I helped another woman realize their worth, and I helped another woman understand there is purpose after pain, and I see other women regaining their confidence and finding themselves again and starting their dreams again’ … there really are no words to describe that.”

Tears are not uncommon, she added. “We cry a lot because we’re reaching milestones together. It’s more than fulfilling. It’s really a blessing. It’s awesome to see.”

In a society that seems to demand that women must be great at everything, all the time — at being a mother, but a great woman too — Moms in Power helps redefine who they are as women in motherhood, Dalce-Bowie explained.

“I had to get over my trauma. I had to heal from a lot of things. I had to be present for my daughter. But once I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got the mom thing under control,’ it became, ‘let me start working on myself. Let me start working on my self-esteem again. Let me start working on my own dreams and goals.’ Because they were kind of pushed to the side to take care of my baby girl. So it was important to get back to a place where I’m confident in who I am as a woman.”

For not only succeeding in that journey, but helping other mothers achieve confidence and self-worth during what can be a crushingly lonely time, Dalce-Bowie is truly a Woman of Impact.

Sandra Doran

By
Sandy Doran, center, seen here with Bay Path students
Women of Impact 2023

President, Bay Path University

She Helps Empower Women for the ‘Long and Winding Road’

Sandra Doran

Sandra Doran

As she talked about the transition in her professional life — from being a lawyer to serving as an administrator in higher education — Sandra Doran summed it up simply and quite effectively by saying, “careers are not a straight line.”

“You don’t enter a profession or a job now and just do it for 50 years; it’s a long and winding road,” she went on, using her own story as just one example, before quickly noting that, for today’s college graduates, the road will be even more winding, and probably longer as well.

“I think that’s what our students are experiencing now — and our alums, frankly,” she went on. “Many of the people who are graduating from college today will have seven careers. So how are we, as educators, preparing them for this, giving them the skill sets, giving them the growth mindset that says, ‘I can do this, I can learn this, I’m prepared for this — I have the skill set to learn?’”

Preparing and empowering individuals, and especially women, to navigate this winding road and have the confidence and competence to take on, and succeed in, seven or more careers might be an effective job description for Doran, the sixth president of Bay Path University.

Or at least part of that job description. There are many elements to that document, obviously, and she has embodied all of them with a lengthy list of accomplishments during her career, and especially since coming to Bay Path.

At the Longmeadow campus, where she arrived just a few months after the pandemic did, she has brought about change and progress on several fronts, from health education, where she spearheaded a transformation of the school’s master’s in public health program, to cybersecurity — the school’s program is now ranked third nationally by Forbes magazine; from the creation of new programs, such as a master of science in nursing degree, to investments in infrastructure, including new science laboratories; from the establishment of a food pantry to combat food insecurity to a firm commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Meanwhile, she has been a strong supporter of, and advocate for, mentorship, forging a collaborative at Bay Path with the Mentor Collective, a platform that structures mentorships and connects students — those in traditional, on-campus programs as well as online students enrolled in the American Women’s College — with a vast network of alums who can serve as mentors.

She has also, over those three years, become heavily involved in the community, serving on the board of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, as chair of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council’s education subcommittee, and as a corporate ambassador at Glenmeadow, where she engages with and supports a life-plan community designed for older adults.

“Dr. Doran’s journey to the helm of Bay Path University is marked by a profound dedication to women’s education,” wrote Crystal Neuhauser, vice president of Institutional Advancement at Bay Path, as she nominated Doran for the Woman of Impact honor. “She is a tireless advocate for empowering women to emerge as catalysts for change.”

This advocacy, and this work to empower women, are among the many reasons why Doran can add another accomplishment to her long track record of success — being named a Woman of Impact for 2023.

Course of Action

When BusinessWest first talked with Doran, it was at a small table with a few chairs arranged around it (six feet apart) on the lawn behind Deepwood Hall, the main administration building on the Bay Path campus.

“Many of the people who are graduating from college today will have seven careers. So how are we, as educators, preparing them for this, giving them the skill sets, giving them the growth mindset that says, ‘I can do this, I can learn this, I’m prepared for this — I have the skill set to learn?’”

This was the only way to do an in-person interview in June 2020, the very height of COVID, and the scene was symbolic of the extreme challenge and duress that marked the start of her tenure at the university. It was symbolic of something else as well — her strong leadership during that time of turmoil.

Indeed, Doran was one of very few people on campus those days, with Zoom being the preferred method to meet and collaborate. And she made sure those she met with online saw her in her office, specifically in front of a painting on loan from the Springfield Museums, created by Rosa Ibarra, chosen to reflect her commitment to diversity.

Sandy Doran, center, seen here with Bay Path students

Sandy Doran, center, seen here with Bay Path students, faculty, and staff, has become a mentor to many young women.

“It was important for me to be in my office so people could see me,” she recalled, adding that she started staging, via Zoom, what she called “Conversations with the President,” so people — in the college community and beyond — would get the opportunity to know her and she could get to know them.

These are conversations she continues to this day, she went on, because they provide invaluable information and input on what those in the community are thinking about, what opportunities exist for the university and all those it serves, and much more — feedback that has directly shaped some of the leadership initiatives undertaken at the school.

It was, indeed, a long and winding road that Doran took to Bay Path, that interview at the table under the tree outside Deepwood Hall, and those online community conversations. It began, as noted earlier, in roles where Doran put to work the juris doctorate she earned at Syracuse University College of Law.

Going back further, she said she was perhaps destined for a career in both the law and education — what she called the “intersection of things I love.” Her great-grandfather founded a one-room schoolhouse in Colorado, her grandfather was the superintendent of a school system, and her mother was a music teacher.

She can find many common threads among the two professions.

“It was a very natural transition from being a lawyer to being an educator because being a lawyer, if you’re a good one, is a lot about educating clients.”

“Being a lawyer is a lot like being an educator,” she told BusinessWest. “Law is about helping clients understand what their options are and educating them about the law. So for me, it was a very natural transition from being a lawyer to being an educator because being a lawyer, if you’re a good one, is a lot about educating clients.”

After serving as vice president, general counsel, and secretary at Shaw’s Supermarkets Inc. and then as senior counsel at Holland & Knight LLP in Boston, then the fifth-largest law firm in the country, Doran’s transition to higher education began at Lesley University in Cambridge, where she served as chief of staff, vice president, and general counsel from 2004 to 2011.

It continued at the American College of Education in Indianapolis and then Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. and, most recently, Salem Academy and College in Winston-Salem, N.C., where she served as president before arriving at Bay Path to step into the rather large shoes of longtime president — and now fellow Woman of Impact — Carol Leary.

Leading by Example

Getting back to her thoughts on how a career is most definitely not a straight line, Doran said the primary focus of higher education, and one of the “foundational aspects” at Bay Path, is preparing students to learn — in every way possible.

“Whether it’s online, on the ground, from each other, from faculty and staff, from mentors, from alums — that is one of our core aspirations here,” she said, adding that this has been the primary thrust of her leadership efforts at the school.

Sandy Doran, left, with student speaker Diane Almonte Arias

Sandy Doran, left, with student speaker Diane Almonte Arias at Bay Path’s 2023 commencement ceremonies.

Put another way, she said the school works to “build confidence through competence,” and that both are attained in the classroom, as well as outside it, in all the ways students can learn.

And this brings her back to the broad subject of mentorship, which is a key component of a program at Bay Path called WELL (We Empower Learners and Leaders), as well as the school’s curriculum as a whole, and the heart of Doran’s philosophy about how people (and especially women) learn, lead, and prepare for that long, winding road.

“I have benefited from a tremendous number of mentors — not just family members, who are great mentors, but in every position and every role I’ve been in,” she went on. “I’ve had the benefit of working with great mentors, not just on how to be successful in terms of the work, but in how you build relationships and how you think about that network that’s going to be so important to being successful, because, as we all know, it’s not just what you do, it’s how you do it.

“And the data bears this out,” she continued. “Students who have mentors are more likely to be successful in the workplace, so students who have mentors in college are more likely to be successful in the workforce, particularly first-generation students who might not have that social capital and understand, the way more experienced people do, the real value of that network.”

Elaborating, she said mentorships have become a huge part of the landscape and the operating philosophy at Bay Path, with students enjoying mentoring relationships with alums, employers, faculty, and staff.

Many of these mentoring relationships, not to mention potential career opportunities, take root during internships, Doran noted, adding that these have become another huge point of emphasis at Bay Path.

“A great internship also includes a great mentoring experience,” she said. “And one of the things we know about internships is that, if a student has at least one internship during their undergraduate experience, they are more likely to secure a position, and a higher-paying position, than if they had not had that internship experience. So for us, it’s really fundamental to the education that we offer here.”

And while she still relies on others to mentor her — “there’s always someone who sees things through a different lens or different perspective” — she also mentors many of those around her, whether they are students, staff members, or other members of the community.

And when asked what her best piece of advice is to those who seek her counsel, she said simply, “to ask for advice.”

“That’s because we cannot know all the answers ourselves,” she told BusinessWest. “So getting multiple perpectives, whether it’s on life goals or even weekly goals … that’s important.”

 

Bottom Line

It’s also important to remember, as her own story makes clear, that careers are not a straight line. There are curves, and many of them.

Handling these curves requires not simply college degrees, although they’re essential in most cases, but the ability to learn, not just in the classroom, but from experiences and from fellow travelers along the journey.

This couldn’t be clearer to both Doran the lawyer and Doran the college president. Helping others understand, and then empowering them to make it happen, is what makes her a Woman of Impact.

Dr. Khama Ennis

By
Women of Impact 2023

Founder, Faces of Medicine and Intentional Health, LLC

She’s Determined to Boost Diversity in Healthcare — and Improve Outcomes

Dr. Khama Ennis

Dr. Khama Ennis loves the ER. She should, having been chief of Emergency Medicine at Cooley Dickinson Hospital for several years.

“I love the puzzle of it, and I love the immediacy of it,” she said. “The typical thing that comes to mind when people think about emergency medicine is adrenaline and chaos, but it’s never been that for me.”

Instead, “what I loved was the immediate connection, creating a safe space for somebody. You have to forge this immediate bond and ask really invasive, personal questions on what’s probably the worst day of their year, if not their life, and get them to share the things that are relevant so you get the information you need to get them the care they need. I really like that.”

But for most of her time there, Ennis was one of only two Black doctors in the hospital.

“There’s plenty of data that reflects the negative impact of inadequate diversity in teams,” she told BusinessWest. And in the latest chapter of her intriguing career, Ennis is doing something about that.

These days, she practices integrative medicine at a private office in Amherst called Intentional Health. But she also co-founded a nonprofit organization called Diversify Medicine in order to provide support for people from underrepresented backgrounds to gain access to careers in medicine.

She also founded Faces of Medicine, a narrative health-equity project centered on the journeys of Black female physicians — centered around a documentary series and a collection of mini-memoirs — with the goal of inspiring more women of color to enter the field of medicine and diversify the healthcare industry, with the idea that diversity in healthcare teams leads to a measurable and meaningful improvement in outcomes.

“Right now, black women are 2.8% of the physicians in the U.S., which is a little more than a third of what we represent in the population as a whole, so it’s clearly inadequate,” she said, noting that Black men, Latinx people, and Indigenous Americans face similar disparities. “Some groups are just underrepresented in these spaces, and outcomes suffer as a result.”

For her ongoing efforts, Ennis was honored this year by the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) with its Woman Physician Leadership Award, recognizing outstanding leadership and contributions to patients and the medical profession by a woman physician.

Ennis, the society noted, is viewed by her colleagues and the community as a leader in addressing structural racism in healthcare and social determinants of health. In addition to her work with Faces of Medicine, she penned several opinion pieces addressing race in medicine for the Washington Post and created a presentation for the Hampshire and Franklin County districts of the MMS that was selected by the Board of Registration in Medicine as one of three that meets the new licensure requirement for implicit bias education.

“I have continued to be impressed not just by how compassionate and professional a physician she is, but she’s also a tremendous role model for women physicians and for women of color,” said Dr. Kate Atkinson, a primary-care physician in Northampton and Amherst, when the award was presented. “Dr. Khama Ennis has been speaking out constructively and gently to educate and empower us all to do better.”

For that work, Ennis is not only a Woman of Impact, but someone whose impact on healthcare promises to bear fruit for decades to come.

 

Shifting Gears

Ennis was born in Jamaica; her family immigrated to the U.S. when she was a toddler, and she grew up in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

She graduated from Brown University with a focus in medical anthropology and earned her medical degree at NYU School of Medicine and her master of public health degree at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She practiced at Cooley Dickinson Hospital for a decade and a half, starting in 2006, and eventually rose to chief of Emergency Medicine from 2015 to 2020 and medical staff president from 2022 to 2022.

But as early as 2018, she was looking for a change, for a number of reasons.

“Right now, black women are 2.8% of the physicians in the U.S., which is a little more than a third of what we represent in the population as a whole, so it’s clearly inadequate.”

“What I had come to do was done: the department was stabilized, the wait times were down, and we’d had some real achievements,” she recalled. She had also gotten divorced and found the 24/7 on-call nature of an ER schedule to be incompatible with effective co-parenting.

So Ennis switched gears and went into integrative medicine, opening Intentional Health in downtown Amherst earlier in 2023.

“My training is more allopathic, traditional, conventional Western medicine. But I provide and have received acupuncture, therapeutic massage is incredibly important, physical therapy is important, chiropractic is important. There are different ways to bring all of these different players in to optimize people’s health.”

Even elements like nutrition education is critical to her work. “I like being able to suggest … ‘if you eat that instead of that, you’ll still be full, but your blood sugar will come down.’ If people have a bit more understanding, they can have more control over their own health,” she explained.

Dr. Lynnette Watkins

Dr. Lynnette Watkins, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Health Care, is one of the four physicians profiled in the first episode of the Faces of Medicine documentary series.

“I’m not a primary-care doctor, and I think what’s terrible about our overall healthcare system is that it doesn’t allow primary-care doctors to get to a lot of this,” she added. “It’s structural; they’re given 15 minutes to see a person, and it’s really hard to get into depth in 15 minutes with anybody.”

So, in addition to her acupuncture certification, “I have studied lifestyle medicine, which looks at nutrition and activity, sleep, restorative practices, community, all those things that play huge roles in individual and community health.”

At the same time, Ennis has been hard at work over the past two years on Faces of Medicine, a memoir and documentary project that will have its first public screening on Monday, Oct. 16 at Amherst Cinema, with the first episode telling the stories of four Black women who are making an impact on healthcare locally: Dr. Lynnette Watkins, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Health Care; Dr. Thea James, associate Chief Medical Officer and executive director of the Health Equity Accelerator at Boston Medical Center; Dr. Valerie Stone, director of Health Equity Initiatives in the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and Dr. Rose Cesar, a gastroenterologist at Baystate Franklin Medical Center.

“We’re also going to be telling the story of Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black woman to ever earn an MD in the U.S.; that happened in 1864,” Ennis noted.

She plans on interviewing at least 30 physicians for the series, and has conducted 16 interviews so far.

“I reached out to different Black female physicians across the country. Some of them I knew; a lot of them were a friend of a friend or some other connection,” she explained. “But the first episode is all Massachusetts stories. They will be telling their own stories, pulled together from the interviews they’ve done over the last year and a half.”

Faces of Medicine will also arrange virtual screenings for two days after the Oct. 16 event for anyone who can’t make the premiere.

Crafting a documentary, for someone whose training is in a much different realm, was a challenge, she said, but a gratifying one. Her team includes Seth Lepore, who handles day-to-day operations; and Executive Producer Jenahye Johnson of Brooklyn-based Homebase Studios, a production studio and crew-sourcing agency that touts “storytelling through community.”

“I needed a company, so I incorporated a company. And then you need fiscal sponsorships, so I got fiscal sponsorships,” Ennis said. “And then I started fundraising at the very end of 2021. Thus far, we’ve raised about $250,000, which is what’s funded all of the work so far.

Dr. Khama Ennis

Dr. Khama Ennis was also honored this year with the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Woman Physician Leadership Award.

“Ideally, this can go in a couple different directions from here. I either continue grassroots fundraising to get the rest of the episodes funded and completed, or an executive producer with means says, ‘I love this project, and I want to help steward it across the finish line.’ That would be amazing. Or PBS or a streaming service says, ‘this is something that we’d really love to engage with.’”

The initial plan is to complete four episodes that span the breadth of the country, numerous specialties in medicine, and myriad stories and paths. The series could be a template for other underrepresented groups, too, from Latinx and Indigenous Americans to LGBTQ individuals, she said. “The whole goal is to have young people see themselves reflected in these stories and see possibilities they can grab onto.”

 

Worth the Effort

Faces of Medicine dovetails nicely with Ennis’s work on Diversify Medicine.

“The goal that I have there is to create a short-term database. There are lots of organizations doing great work to try to bring people into this space, but if you don’t know exactly what to search for, you’re not going to find a program that could support you.”

The database is intended to help underrepresented populations find resources to help them access medical careers, and she also plans to create a virtual mentorship network to amplify the voices of professionals of color already working in the space.

“We have concrete data that support the importance of diversity on teams for improving health outcomes,” Ennis noted. For example, one study came out that looked at the infant mortality rate in Florida, which was two to three times higher for black infants than for white infants — and that disparity was cut in half when the pediatrician was black.

“The data that I’ve found most specifically speaks to physicians, but I think it’s true of every player in the healthcare team. Doctors are useless without nurses, and nurses are useless without techs. We all need each other in order to do this work, so I truly believe that every level needs to reflect the population we’re serving.”

Meanwhile, Faces of Medicine holds the promise of inspiring young women of color to pursue the dream of a medical career from an early age.

“There are experiences in elementary, middle, and high school where people can either be encouraged or discouraged,” she said. “Somebody can express an interest in medicine, and somebody else can say, ‘oh, that’s really hard, are you sure?’ Or somebody can say, ‘that’s great; let’s figure out what the next step would be.’”

The women being profiled in Faces of Medicine all figured out that next step, and are able to clearly communicate how and why.

“Say you’re a smart kid, but you just don’t think it’s possible because you’ve experienced homelessness. We can show them somebody who had some real struggles in their family growing up, but they got here,” Ennis said. “I’m not Pollyanna; I don’t want to tell anybody that it’s easy. But I do want people to get that it’s worth it.”

Dawn Forbes DiStefano

By
Dawn Forbes DiStefano
Women of Impact 2023

President and CEO, Square One

Inspired by Others, She Displays the Awesome Power of One Woman

Dawn Forbes DiStefano

Dawn Forbes DiStefano never had to be told about how a single woman could be a life-changing force for someone and an influential role model.

She could see for herself starting at a very young age, with her maternal grandmother, Phyllis Arnold Pilbin, who saw her role change in profound ways when her daughter, Forbes DiStefano’s mother, was killed by a drunk driver when she was just 26 years old and Dawn, her first child, was only 3.

“My grandmother somehow had the resiliency and spirit to lend a hand to a very grieving father; she left her day job to care for my sister and me so that my father could work during the day — while she was still raising four other children,” said Forbes DiStefano, adding that she started working nights selling Stanley Home Products. “She changed her life to care for the two of us. As a woman growing up with a woman who persevered through losing her daughter and had the strength to then change her career so she could raise her two young granddaughters to get through this — that had a profound impact on me.”

But there have been plenty of other examples of the power and influence of a single woman, she said, citing the remarkable individual her father would marry several years after that tragedy, Patty, who would adopt Forbes DiStefano and her sister Heather, who is also on this list of life changers, as well as two sisters who would come later, Kelly and Megan. And her aunts as well.

There would be impactful women at the YWCA, where she first went to work as a receptionist and would stay for nearly three decades.

“I’ve always been sort of an impatient, unsettled learner — I’m always looking for something else to learn, something else to do, a problem to solve. And I’ve always had women who responded with ‘go ahead and try it … we’ve got your back; we’ll pick you up if you fall.’”

Then there’s Joan Kagan-Levine, her predecessor as president and CEO of the Springfield-based early-education provider Square One. Like others, Kagan-Levine encouraged her to reach higher, take on risks, and maybe try to do something she might not have thought she could do.

“I’ve been surrounded by women who encouraged me to try things,” Forbes DiStefano said. “I’ve always been sort of an impatient, unsettled learner — I’m always looking for something else to learn, something else to do, a problem to solve. And I’ve always had women who responded with ‘go ahead and try it … we’ve got your back; we’ll pick you up if you fall.’”

With all those powerful leads to follow, she has, in essence, devoted her life to having the backs of others, especially women — being there to pick them up if they fall and being that single woman who becomes a force in someone’s life.

That’s been the case whether it’s the many women in her own family; the 130 or so women, by her count, now working for Square One; or others in the community.

Indeed, she keeps with her what she calls a “secret notebook,” one in which she jots down notes, mostly on women she’s helping through issues and problems in their lives, be it with buying a house or how to move forward in their career.

Dawn Forbes DiStefano says her grandmother, Phyllis Arnold Pilbin

Dawn Forbes DiStefano says her grandmother, Phyllis Arnold Pilbin, is one of many who have shown her the “power of a single woman.”

But being a mentor and influence in the lives of others only partially explains why she is part of this Women of Impact class of 2023. She is also a dynamic leader, guiding Square One through an important and challenging time in its history — and, yes, there have been many of those.

Today, she is leading a project to build the agency a new headquarters in Springfield’s South End, its home since 1883, while playing a key role in efforts to secure adequate funding for the agency and erase the discrepancy between what the state pays to childcare facilities in the 617 (and other area codes in and around Boston) and what it pays to those in the 413.

As a manager, Forbes DiStefano said she tries to lead by example and do whatever needs to be done, a philosophy captured in comments by Kris Allard, Square One’s vice president of Development & Communication, who first met Forbes DiStefano while they were serving on the Dress for Success board of directors and nominated her to be a Woman of Impact.

“Dawn does not lead from behind her desk,” Allard wrote. “She can often be found sitting on the floor reading stories with a group of preschoolers, chatting with a young mother enrolling in a family-service program, delivering diapers and groceries to families in need of assistance, and even preparing lunch for hundreds of children when the kitchen staff needs an extra pair of hands.”

All that, and much more, explains why she is certainly a Woman of Impact.

 

It’s All Relative

Forbes DiStefano said her mother, Patty, who is only 13 years older than she is, has often been able to inspire and motivate her words and actions.

She has many examples, but one that stands out is from the days not long after she graduated from UMass Amherst with a teaching degree and landed in a terrible job market for teachers. She was spending a lot of time at the family’s pool and enjoying her summer until Patty pulled her aside one day on the deck.

“She said, ‘Dawn, you’re the oldest of four girls, you’re a college graduate, and I need your sisters to see a college graduate working — let’s go work,’” she recalled, adding that the YWCA was hiring for an office it was opening in Northampton; she knew people at the agency, so she went to work there as a receptionist.

So began an intriguing, and very much ongoing, story of involvement with nonprofit agencies, service to the community, and being a woman and a leader who would certainly make all the women who have ever had her back quite proud.

As a receptionist at the YWCA, she was soon inspired by one of those women to start writing grants, become the agency’s grants manager, and make this work more than a job.

“I immediately fell head over heels in love with the notion that I could make a career out of helping people, and most especially helping women,” she said.

In 2007, she became the YWCA’s director of Resource Development, and would stay in that role until 2015, when she decided it was time for a change. She had lunch with Kagan-Levine, who convinced her to become Square One’s chief Finance and Grants officer. Forbes DiStefano would become executive vice president in 2019, and would prevail in the nationwide search for a successor to the retiring Kagan-Levine in January 2021.

As she talked about her current work and the challenges facing her and the agency, she was quick to note they are far less in scope than those Square One faced in the preceding decade — the tornado that destroyed its old headquarters building on Main Street, the natural-gas explosion that rendered one of its facilities unusable, and the tortuous first nine months of the pandemic, which … well, no explanation needed.

Dawn Forbes DiStefano

Dawn Forbes DiStefano is leading Square One through a time of challenge and opportunity, including the building of a new headquarters in Springfield’s South End.

Still, there is plenty on her plate, including the work to build a new facility downtown, a $12 million project now moving through the design and fundraising stages, and ongoing efforts to close the discrepancy between what the state is paying for childcare to facilities on either end of the state.

Indeed, she was a definitive voice in a Boston Globe article earlier this year that drew attention not only to the discrepancy between the reimbursement rates, but the need at agencies like Square One to raise money to cover the difference between what is received for a subsidy and the cost of providing care.

 

The Compounding Effect

At Square One, more than 90% of employees are women, and Forbes DiStefano has committed herself to having their backs and providing the encouragement and inspiration that others have provided to her — all while also being a mother; a strong supporter of agencies that support adult women, such as Dress for Success; and the CEO of a nonprofit.

While doing so, she drives home not just the power of a single woman, but the even more powerful force that emerges when women work together toward common goals and solving problems.

“Someone smarter than me — I think it was in a Forbes article — talked about the power of women and the compounding effect,” she told BusinessWest. “Women, on an individual basis, have power, but the collective impact that women have when they make the conscious effort to support each other in the most inclusive way — it is an exponential change to the world around us.

“When you invest in an individual woman, because the tentacles from the single woman are so vast, whether she’s serving as a sister, a mother, a grandmother, an aunt … if you support her, the exponential improvement and the compounding value of that investment can’t be compared to anything else,” she went on, adding that she is committed to making such investments, whether it’s with her daughters or with her employees. “Invest in a woman; it’s one of the best investments you can make.”

That’s because, she continued, when women struggle and they can’t access what they need, that same compounding effect occurs, but in a negative way. “Her children suffer, and the people around her suffer.”

Which brings us back to that aforementioned secret notebook.

“It’s filled with all the women in my life, so that I can remember who’s buying a home, who’s struggling to care for their aging parents … I can’t remember it all by heart, so I have to write it all down,” she said. “I try to touch one a day; that is always my goal. I either do a handwritten note or a text or a phone call to another woman to let her know I’m thinking about her. I try to connect with women once a day, and in a personal way.”

Getting back to her grandmother, Forbes DiStefano said simply, “she taught me the power of one woman.”

There have been many others who have provided similarly impactful lessons along the way. Together, these individuals inspired her to make providing similar support and inspiration what she calls the “cornerstone of her life.”

So today, as a mother, daughter, employer, mentor, fellow board member, and nonprofit leader, she is the one displaying the awesome power of one woman.

Not just a woman, but a Woman of Impact.

Amy Jamrog

By
Amy Jamrog
Women of Impact 2023

CEO, The Jamrog Group

She Impacts Her Community, Her Industry, and the Lives of Her Clients

Amy Jamrog

Amy Jamrog likes to say that she wasn’t raised in Holyoke — she was raised by Holyoke.

By that, she meant the community’s people, businesses, business owners, institutions, traditions, and more certainly influenced her and shaped who she is today — much like a family would.

As an example, she noted her first job, which she took at age 14, at a business called the Party Store, a part of the former Quirk Paper Co., located in the city’s Flats section and owned by Jon and Helene Florio. This was a learning experience on more levels than she could count.

“I worked there all through high school,” Jamrog said. “And I met so many Holyoke residents who wanted to shop locally and support local businesses, and I really came to understand the DNA of Holyoke. I also learned customer service, what it meant to be a part of a community, and the importance of giving back, which they [the Florios] did so much of.

“So many of the things I learned growing up were about community, giving back, volunteering … and all of it happened here,” she went on. “It stayed with me.”

Suffice it to say that Jamrog — who has long had a Holyoke address for the Jamrog Group, the financial-advisory firm she founded and now serves as CEO — has spent a lifetime applying the lessons she learned while at the Party Store, as a candystriper at Providence Hospital, later while working at the Holyoke Mall, and while compiling a record that would earn her the rank of valedictorian at Holyoke Catholic High School.

“So many of the things I learned growing up were about community, giving back, volunteering … and all of it happened here. It stayed with me.”

Indeed, when she started as a financial advisor, she was focused on making a difference for her clients and their families. And while that focus remains, she has broadened and deepened her impact, committing herself to making a difference within her community, meaning the 413, and within her industry, especially with women in the profession or thinking about getting in.

She does this in many ways — through service as a board member to organizations like the Girl Scouts and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts; as a mentor to countless young people in the industry, especially women, who face the same challenges as men and others that are unique to them; as an author, through two bestselling books, Life Savings Conversations and Confetti Moments: 52 Moments to Spark Conversation, Connect Deeply & Celebrate the Ordinary; and, most recently, though her election in June to the board of Finseca (Financial Security for All), a nonprofit organization advocating for the financial-security profession.

Amy Jamrog, seen here with her team at the Jamrog Group

Amy Jamrog, seen here with her team at the Jamrog Group, has helped many women enter the field and persevere through the difficult early years.

In 2020, she created a resource for financial advisors called Four Wings Consulting, with a dragonfly as its symbol. Four Wings was formed to help advisors cope with the many challenges they have been facing in recent years, from the pandemic and its many side effects to the wild swings in the stock market; from soaring interest rates to general uncertainty about the economy and what will happen next.

It’s just one of the ways in which Jamrog has become a true Woman of Impact.

 

Dollars and Sense

As she was cleaning out her office recently while preparing to relocate the Jamrog Group from its former home on Northampton Street in Holyoke, not far from where she grew up, to a small suite in the office tower at 330 Whitney Ave. in that same city, Jamrog came across a note she wrote to herself years ago, when the firm was in Northampton.

It took the form of a 10-year vision statement, something she updates every year, which included the goal to buy a building in Holyoke.

“I wanted to build an office that felt like an extension of home for people,” she recalled. “And I wrote in my 10-year vision that I wanted to own a building on Northampton Street, come back to my roots, be a taxpayer in the community that raised me, and build something permanent — which was the building I ultimately bought. And 10 years later, that actually happened.”

That note, and everything that has happened after she wrote it, speaks volumes about Jamrog and why she is a Woman of Impact — everything from her commitment to long-term planning and her ability to make plans reality to that strong attachment to the Holyoke community, to her understanding that ‘permanent’ is a relative term.

“For people who come into this business specifically wanting to make money, it can be very disappointing because it takes a long time, and you need grit and perseverance and a great work ethic to make it through the first five years. Most people don’t.”

Indeed, 10 years after she moved into the property on Northampton Street, the landscape had changed profoundly. Her team works remotely most days of the week now (everyone is in on Mondays), and clients see their advisors far more on Zoom than they do in the office. These are changes that negate the need for an office that feels like an extension of home.

The moral of this story, if it can be called that, is that planning is important, but revising the plan to meet a changing world is more important.

This is the basic advice Jamrog gives to her clients as a financial advisor, a profession she assumed after taking a somewhat winding career route.

After she graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont, she entered the healthcare field, working first for Baystate Health and then for Hospice of Pioneer Valley, as a community liaison between hospice and the physicians in our community.

“My job was to meet with physicians and explain to them what hospice was really about so they could refer their patients earlier in their terminal diagnoses so families could take full advantage of hospice services,” she explained. “It was interesting work; I was 22, 23 years old … I was young, but I learned how to communicate effectively with physicians. Then I was recruited to being a financial advisor; it was a very natural transition.”

As for that recruitment effort, it was undertaken by Andy Skroback, then 62, who became her first mentor in this difficult business. And it was during her first few years under Skroback’s tutelage that she realized the profound impact she could have, as a female advisor, on families.

But over the course of her career, she has broadened her scope when it comes to impact, a pattern that continues today.

Amy Jamrog’s book, Confetti Moments

Amy Jamrog’s book, Confetti Moments, has made its way onto several bestseller lists.

“That word ‘impact’ has always been important to me,” Jamrog said. “I began my financial-services career really wanting to impact families and my clients, many of whom were physicians. Today, our clients are corporate executives, small-business owners, and nonprofit endowments, where we manage their portfolios. That’s where the shift to having a bigger impact on my community really started to matter. The work we did with nonprofits helping nonprofits manage their endowments really got us grounded in how important philanthropy and our nonprofits really are.”

 

Risk and Reward

After successfully building her business — there are now nine team members — and becoming actively involved in the community on a number of levels, especially with nonprofits devoted to “women and children as leaders,” such as Girls Inc., Girls on the Run, and the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts — Jamrog added an additional point of emphasis: impacting her profession.

She does this in many ways and through many vehicles, including Four Wings Consulting. Her specific focus is women in the industry, she said, adding that she coaches more than 100 of them across the country.

“Making an impact on women in our business is very important to me,” she said. “The business itself is difficult, but to be female is really challenging. So if I can help shorten their trajectory and become successful sooner, and realize just how much impact and satisfaction this career can have — that’s some of my favorite work.”

Elaborating, she started by saying that financial-security work is much harder than it might look to those receiving such services. The hours are long, the work difficult, and the failure rate is quite high: close to 90%.

“For people who come into this business specifically wanting to make money, it can be very disappointing because it takes a long time, and you need grit and perseverance and a great work ethic to make it through the first five years. Most people don’t,” Jamrog said, adding that, while it’s certainly challenging for everyone, the attrition rate for women is even higher, for reasons she explained in detail.

“Without stereotyping too much, most of my male counterparts — their one job is to be a financial advisor,” she explained. “Most of my female counterparts … one of their jobs is to be a financial advisor; they also have spouse, mom, the prepper of the meals, the taker of kids to school, and all the other things that women tend to have on their plates.

“So I try to really help women figure out the integration of all of the responsibilities and goals that they have and how we manage all of them and be successful in each of them; that’s the ultimate challenge,” she went on. “I often hear women say, ‘if I’m successful as a financial advisor, I’m not being successful as a mom, and if I’m focused on being successful as a mom, I’m less successful as a financial advisor,’ and that, to me, is such a sad statement because it doesn’t have to be the case.”

Jamrog knows because she’s lived that life for 27 years. She says it’s a constant challenge to be successful in the multiple roles women accept, but it is “absolutely doable.” She has shown that one can successfully balance work at home, in the office, and in the community, and succeed in each realm.

And in another realm as well: as an author. Her second book, Confetti Moments: 52 Moments to Spark Conversation, Connect Deeply & Celebrate the Ordinary, a collection of Jamrog’s uplifting blog posts from the deepest months of the pandemic, sits on a number of bestseller lists, including the Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and USA Today. It has become popular with CEOs, team managers, and even families as a way to motivate, accent the positive, and even build teamwork.

 

The Next Chapter

Jamrog is essentially done with her third book, which she described as her college thesis. “The paper copy has been sitting on a shelf for 30 years, and I’m in the process of editing it.”

This is a coming-of-age novel about 12-year-old girls, she told BusinessWest, adding that readers from this area will find that it sounds quite familiar; it’s about growing up in a small town in Western Mass., as she did.

Then again, she didn’t just grow up in Holyoke, she was raised by that remarkable city, and everything she learned growing up there has helped shape her into a Woman of Impact.

Michelle Theroux

By
Michelle Theroux
Women of Impact 2023

CEO, Berkshire Hills Music Academy

She Helps Young Adults with Disabilities Build a Lifetime of Ability

Michelle Theroux

Growing up in South Hadley, Michelle Theroux would ride by the old Skinner family residence on Route 116, just north of Mount Holyoke College, and have no clue what it was.

Or what it would become.

“Wistariahurst in Holyoke was the family’s winter home, and this was their summer home,” she told BusinessWest. “And when the last living Skinner passed away, this property went to Mount Holyoke. But it never had an identity within the campus, so around 1998, they were looking to divest several of their properties.”

Among the interested buyers were the founders of Berkshire Hills Music Academy, which will celebrate a quarter-century next year as a unique, college-like program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are looking to expand their social, vocational, and music skills in a decidedly music-infused environment.

Theroux came on board in 2013, providing some needed stability. As in much-needed.

“I was the eighth executive director in our 13-year history when I was hired,” she said. “When I spoke with the recruiter, I said, ‘you have to give me the backstory. Am I walking onto the Titanic? What’s going on here?’”

The answer, she decided, was ‘founder syndrome’; the institution had some strong founding families who had competing visions, so there wasn’t one consistent direction, which burned out each director quickly. In fact, when Theroux reached just 20 months on the job, she became the school’s longest-tenured leader ever.

“I was able to get some traction with staff and make changes, as well as with the board. I said, ‘if we’re going to do what we need to do, here’s how we’re going to do it. And you’ve got to let me do my job. I can’t be second-guessed at every turn. We’re going to have to change.’”

 

It helped that her music background — she began studying tap, jazz, and ballet dance at age 5; added dance instruction when she was just 16; and later toured nationally in a jazz-based children’s show — gave her some “street cred” with the staff.

“I knew what it’s like to be on a gig; things like that allowed me to be a bit more successful than some of the predecessors.”

That success, a decade into Theroux’s tenure, is measurable. The student body was 32 when she arrived, and is past 75 now. “That’s capacity,” she said. “So for us to grow, we would be taking on a new building, most likely off-site and in the community somewhere.”

Which may happen at some point, because the school’s success extends far beyond numbers. It’s all about the total impact on these young adults’ lives.

Berkshire Hills boasts a day program and a residential program. “If they’re residential, they’re most likely living for the first two years in our dorm, and then they can live in the community after that,” she explained. “Our two-year program really focuses on shoring up their life skills — everything from cooking to money management, which includes going to the bank and then going shopping and making sure you have a list of what you need versus what you want.”

The entire program, in fact, is built around preparing students to live independently and successfully in the community.

“We have a whole course on social skills with friends, social skills in the workplace. We teach what language to use and what’s an appropriate hand gesture when you meet somebody: you shake their hand; you don’t give them a hug. Because a lot of times, it’s the soft skills that individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities may struggle with and could lead to potential conflict, say, in the workplace.”

“When I spoke with the recruiter, I said, ‘you have to give me the backstory. Am I walking onto the Titanic? What’s going on here?’”

Speaking of which, students also explore vocational skills and strengths. “We do a lot of volunteer opportunities in the community: at the local food pantries, the Dakin animal shelter, and a few other places, like Share Coffee, to see what their skill sets are, what their interests are. And then, as they go through our program, they match those skills with potential employment later on.”

But what really sets Berkshire Hills Music Academy aside is right there in the name.

“We are known for individuals who have an intellectual or developmental disability, who are highly musical,” Theroux explained. “We’re one of the very few places in the country where they can get lessons and programming, but we also act as their agent, their manager, their accompaniment, their arranger.”

Michelle Theroux

Michelle Theroux says Berkshire Hills Music Academy is at capacity and may need to grow into another building in the community.

In fact, students are provided with opportunities to perform locally, both individually and in a number of different ensembles in different musical genres, and in settings ranging from local schools to Fenway Park, where students have sung the national anthem.

In short, these young adults are living full lives, enjoying and perfecting their music skills, and preparing to live independently after their enrollment at Berkshire Hills. And Theroux’s steady leadership has plenty to do with their success.

 

The Power of Music

Some gigs can be especially impactful for audiences.

“We have about 15 nursing homes or assisted-living facilities in a rotation that our bands will cycle through each year, and those facilities love having them,” Theroux said. “One reason is our students are super warm and embracing and fun. They’re also very talented.

“And there’s a connection between the aging brain and music,” she added. “For example, somebody with dementia or Alzheimer’s will have lapses in their memory, but they’ll hear a song, and it will bring them right back, and they’ll remember all the words to it. If it’s their wedding song or their prom song, whatever it is, they have a memory that gets triggered by the music. So we are a fan favorite in the local nursing homes.”

The school even has a dance ensemble that’s starting to pick up gigs as well, sometimes accompanied by a Berkshire Hills musician or ensemble, sometimes on their own.

Speaking of gigs, the young musicians earn money for appearances, with just a small percentage deducted to cover the school’s staffing costs, Theroux said. “They know there’s value to their work. Like you and I value our paychecks, so do they. So, yes, these are paid gigs.”

“We’ve really looked at the individual, and instead of just focusing on areas where they need support, because there’s a deficit there, we’ve looked at where their strengths are, where their passions are, where their gifts are, and really build on that.”

And when audiences hear them play, sing, and dance, they understand the value, too.

“When they hear our music, people are like, ‘wait, what? They have a disability?’ Because when you hear the music, you hear good music. You don’t hear a disability.”

That’s why these students have performed at other schools, too, funded by anti-bullying grants, to drive home the message of ability, not disability, Theroux said. “The message is, ‘if I have autism and can sing like this, you might have autism, so guess what? You, too, have skills; you, too, have talent; you, too, have strength.’ Our bands go into some schools, and they’re like rock stars.”

Berkshire Hills students don’t have to be highly musical to enroll, she added. “But if you are, there is a music track for folks where that can be their vocation. We have a secondary tier; we have several bands that gig in the community at a high level.”

These successes — in music and in life — are reflected in words of gratitude from families over the years, Theroux said.

“It’s everything from a parent telling us, ‘I never thought my child would shave his own face’ to becoming highly musical and standing up and performing in front of 200 people, to getting their own apartment,” she noted. “Our goal is to figure out how to make somebody as autonomous and independent as possible. Whatever level of staff support is needed, we will provide, but the goal is really to push the areas where they don’t need support.”

Michelle Theroux says the school’s culture of inclusivity

Michelle Theroux says the school’s culture of inclusivity extends to the way the staff treats students, families, and each other.

And when the result is someone who can live on their own, do their own laundry, cook their own meals, hold down a job, handle their banking … and also have outlets to express their musical talent, well, that’s the heart of the Berkshire Hills mission.

“We’ve really looked at the individual, and instead of just focusing on areas where they need support, because there’s a deficit there, we’ve looked at where their strengths are, where their passions are, where their gifts are, and really build on that,” she added. After all, “we all have deficits; we all have things we’re working on and trying to improve.”

 

Sign Her Up

Away from her day job, Theroux is an example of the mantra that, if you need something done, ask a busy person.

Among the boards she’s sat on and organizations she’s served are Mercy Medical Center and Trinity Health Of New England, the South Hadley/Granby Chamber of Commerce, the town of South Hadley, the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, the Human Service Forum, and MicroTek, a Chicopee-based manufacturer that employs people with disabilities.

And she brought a wealth of nonprofit-management experience to Berkshire Hills when she came on board as executive director in 2013 (she took on the CEO role in 2021); those roles include executive director of Child & Family Service of Pioneer Valley, director of Special Projects at Clinical and Support Options, vice president of Clinical Services at the Center for Human Development, and director of Family Networks at the Key Program.

Even right out of graduate school, she found herself working in human services at the Gándara Center, running a behavioral-treatment residence for adolescent boys who had sexual reactive behaviors or fire-setting behaviors. “That’s an interesting population to cut your teeth on,” she said.

All this prepared her to lead Berkshire Hills, and lead she has; soon after arriving, she stabilized all facets of operations, created an operational budget surplus, doubled the operating budget over a two-year period, expanded contracts with the Department of Developmental Services, and exceeded the $3.3 million goal on a capital campaign. She also oversaw the construction of a new music building fully funded by that campaign.

“I’ve worked in several other human-service organizations, and this place has a very different flavor and feel when I walk in — not only the physical campus that we have, but the culture we try to promote around inclusivity, that’s strength-based and person-centered,” she said. “That extends to how we treat our colleagues and how we treat each other as staff. It’s one thing to be client-forward, but how do we make sure that’s all-encompassing in terms of who we are and what we do?”

For answering that question every day, and changing young lives for the better, Theroux is certainly a Woman of Impact.

Lisa Zarcone

By
Lisa Zarcone
Women of Impact 2023

Author, Speaker, and Child and Mental-health Advocate

By Sharing Her Story, She’s Turned Her Tragic Youth into an Impactful Life

 

Photo by Leah Martin Photography

Lisa Zarcone brought a book to her interview with BusinessWest, called The Unspoken Truth. It’s a memoir she wrote several years ago.

More importantly — and tragically — she also lived it. And it’s a rough read.

“The Unspoken Truth is my story, of the abuse I went through,” she said. “I was silent for years about it and never spoke of it, and it was so damaging to me. But as an adult, I was finally able to break free and share my story.”

“I tell anybody who reads my book, ‘be prepared.’ It’s a very raw, real look at what abuse is like through the eyes of a child,” she added. “When you read stories of other abuse survivors, they take the point of view of the adult looking back. But I took the child’s perspective, right in the moment. I wanted people to understand what the child really goes through.”

But Zarcone’s story since that childhood — in which she was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused for the better part of a decade — has been truly inspiring. It’s a story of coming to terms with a horrific past, of learning to trust others with that story, of surprising depths of empathy.

It’s a story of bravery and vulnerability. It’s the story of a Woman of Impact.

And it starts with her mother. In fact, Zarcone’s current advocacy work around mental health is rooted in her complicated relationship with her mother, who has struggled with mental illness her entire life.

“My mom never got the proper help and support that she needed,” said Zarcone. “And because of that, we both fell through the cracks. Again, the abuse was horrific. And it went on for years. It wasn’t like it just happened in a short period of time, and we were able to move forward from it. This went on for years.”

“I buried my past. I took it all and said, ‘I’m not going to speak of it, I’m not going to think of it.’ And I fought every single day of my life not to bring it up, not to focus on that pain. I was driven by that.”

When Zarcone was 6, her brother died of leukemia, and that’s when her mother’s world — and her own life — fell apart. “My mom never recovered. My dad said the day my brother died was the day she died, and on many levels, that’s the truth, because she couldn’t recover from it. And back then, in the ’70s, mental health was not talked about; it was frowned upon.”

As her mother deteriorated, “the stigma was horrendous. People treated my mother very poorly because she was sick. And nobody wanted to deal with her,” Zarcone recalled. “And because of that, I was left home alone with my mom. My dad buried himself in work and activities, and he was barely around.”

Her father eventually left, and her mother’s abuse, which started verbally, eventually became physical. Meanwhile, she started bringing unsafe people into their home.

“She loved to pick people up off the street, homeless people, hitchhikers — she’d bring them home and wanted it to be like a party at all times; she rode that roller coaster of the highs and lows and the mania.”

When she was only 12, a troubled older boy from the neighborhood claimed Zarcone as his girlfriend, and her mother encouraged the coercive, sexually abusive ‘relationship,’ which lasted a year and a half.

Lisa Zarcone

Lisa Zarcone says her book is raw, real, difficult … and a story she needed to tell. Photo by Leah Martin Photography

“Neighbors saw, family saw, the school saw, and nobody stepped in,” she said. “My mother did not hide her mental illness. We never knew what was going to happen next.”

At age 14 — after eight years of this hell — she was able to free herself from the abuse when her grandparents took her in. But there was alcoholism and general chaos in that home, and her mother remained a part of her life. Finally, she rebelled, in a purposeful, even positive sort of way.

“At age 15 or 16, I started thinking a little differently, and I wanted to figure out how to get out. So I engrossed myself in school, and I went from an F student to an A student because I decided I needed to do something to help myself. I worked three jobs while I was in high school. I did anything I could not to be home. And I did whatever I could to get out.”

Eventually, she did. “And I buried my past. I took it all and said, ‘I’m not going to speak of it, I’m not going to think of it.’ And I fought every single day of my life not to bring it up, not to focus on that pain. I was driven by that. I was driven to succeed. And I did.”

Since then, Zarcone has lived a life of purpose. She’s worked with disabled children and adults teaching life skills and writing, and served as a mentor to young women in a locked-down facility teaching journaling, poetry, and art therapy.

She has also done plenty of work advocating for suicide prevention and PTSD awareness, and she’s currently Massachusetts’ national ambassador for the National Assoc. of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, traveling all over to raise awareness and promote change in a system where too many children still fall through the cracks.

 

Moment of Truth

But she wouldn’t find full healing from her past, and the ability to help others overcome their own trauma, until she began talking about it — to the surprise of her loving, and completely blindsided, husband.

“Lisa has worked hard to overcome her past abuse and turned her pain into purpose,” John Zarcone said in nominating Lisa as a Woman of Impact. “I admire her immensely for stepping up and saving herself, our marriage, and family. We have raised three children together, and she is an incredible mother. It comes naturally for her, caring for others and making sure everyone is safe, loved, and thriving.”

That’s a remarkable quality, considering her youthful trauma — which she kept hidden away from John for more than a decade of marriage.

“After I had my third child, things changed,” she said. “I started having flashbacks and nightmares, and they were horrific. I was living in two worlds at once every single day, and I couldn’t do it anymore. So I went to therapy, and I finally shared what happened to me. At that point, I didn’t share absolutely everything. I couldn’t. But I was able to break the silence by saying I was sexually abused, and I started to work through those things.”

Then came the harder part — when she finally told her husband, too.

“He knew my mom had mental illness. He knew I went through a lot of things, but he didn’t know the depth of what happened to me, especially the sexual-abuse piece. And I blew his mind,” she said.

“I was able to find healing and forgiveness because I put myself in their shoes to understand the best I could.”

“He always knew that I was scarred. And he knew my mom was severely mentally ill; even as an adult, my mother was very damaging toward me. But when I shared my truth with him, he was blown away. Basically, he looked at me and said, ‘I don’t know who you are.’ That was so hurtful to me … but I got it. I knew why he was saying that.”

But they overcame it — Lisa’s unearthed trauma and John’s shock — and eventually grew stronger as a family.

“John is my biggest fan, and he’s been my biggest supporter through this whole process and writing this book,” she said, noting that it took six years to write, and no publisher wanted to touch a memoir by a first-time author telling this extremely raw story in an unusual way. So Zarcone self-published and learned how to market it on her own.

The transition from writer to speaker came naturally, she said, after an author talk in her hometown of West Haven, Conn. after the book was released. About 60 people showed up, and she was nervous, but afterward, it felt … right.

Lisa Zarcone has “turned her pain into purpose.”

Through much hard work, her husband says, Lisa Zarcone has “turned her pain into purpose.”
Photo by Leah Martin Photography

“My husband and my daughter were like, ‘well, I guess a public speaker is born.’ And from that point forward, that’s what I decided,” she said. “I really wanted to get the word out there, to talk about these subjects that nobody wants to talk about.”

As part of her work in the mental-health realm, she became an advocate for her mother, who passed away in 2014. This month, she is releasing her second book, which tells her mother’s life story.

“I started looking through my parents’ eyes, looking at their journey, why they acted the way they did, why things happened the way they did,” she said. “I was able to find healing and forgiveness because I put myself in their shoes to understand the best I could.”

Zarcone understands this level of empathy surprises people.

“It took a long time to get there. For years, I hated my mother. And I feel bad when I say that now, because I didn’t truly hate her, but in that timeframe, I hated what she did to me, allowing these bad people to come into my world and hurt me the way they did.

“But as I grew older, I learned what mental illness really was, and I did a lot of studying and talking to people and understanding what mental illness does to somebody. Every time she would get locked up or every time something else would happen, it was painful to watch, because I did have love and empathy for my mother.”

And as she healed, she was able to separate her abuser from the once-loving mother crushed by mental illness.

“I always feel like a sense of loss because I lost my mother to mental illness,” she went on. “And she lost out, too. She lost out on being a wonderful mother, a wonderful wife, a wonderful grandmother. Those are the things she aspired to be. Family was everything to her. But when she was sick, you wouldn’t even know who she was. It was just mind-blowing to watch.”

 

The Story Continues

“Embrace the journey.”

That’s one of Zarcone’s personal mantras, and it’s a moving one, considering where that journey has taken her.

But across 37 years of marriage, and especially since she finally opened up to her husband — and the world — about her past, she has found healing by finding her voice: as a writer, a speaker, a blogger, a talk-radio host, and a national spokesperson for survivors of child abuse. In 2021, she received an award from the Mass. Commission on the Status of Women, and The Unspoken Truth won the Hope Pyx Global International Book Award in the category of child abuse.

The road has been long, and healing didn’t come all at once. But it began by telling a very difficult story.

“The healing process comes in stages,” Zarcone said. “People will say, ‘once you share your story, it’s better.’ No, no … that’s when the work really begins. You have to take it piece by piece, and when it gets too heavy, you put it down.

“And then you pick it back up.”

Westfield State University to Cut Ribbon at Renovated Parenzo Hall

By
Daily News

WESTFIELD — Westfield State University will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated Parenzo Hall on Friday, Oct. 13 at 11 a.m. at the entrance to the building.

The more than $40 million project, a partnership with Westfield State University and the Massachusetts Division of Capital Assets Management and Maintenance, started its planning phase in 2018 and was completed earlier this month.

The newly designed, 90,000-square-foot building will host Dever Stage, the Center for Student Success and Engagement, the Department of Education, the Department of Political Science, and the new Collaboration and Maker Space.

Parenzo Hall will also be home to Westfield State’s new Research, Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurial (RIDE) Center, which will serve as a hub of innovation and workforce development in Western Mass., fulfilling the university’s stewarded agreement to engage students while partnering and collaborating with external stakeholders and community leaders.

RIDE will partner with MakerHealth, a division of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which will outfit RIDE with equipment and modules that support transdisciplinary innovation, design, and entrepreneurial practices. Westfield State University will be the first undergraduate institution in the nation to establish this partnership.

Guided tours of Parenzo Hall will take place after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Community Vigil for Israel to Be Held Today at Park Square in Pittsfield

By
Daily News

PITTSFIELD — The public is invited to join Jewish Federation of the Berkshires and its affiliates at Park Square in downtown Pittsfield for a “Community Vigil for Israel: Solidarity Through Prayer and Song” today, Oct. 11 at 5 p.m.

Community members and civic and faith leaders from across the region will express support for Israel in the aftermath of last weekend’s deadly terrorist attack on its citizens. Co-sponsors of this event with the federation are its affiliates, Berkshire Hills Hadassah, Berkshire Minyan, Chabad of the Berkshires, Congregation Ahavath Sholom, Congregation Beth Israel of the Berkshires, Hevreh of Southern Berkshire, Knesset Israel, and Temple Anshe Amunim.

Parking will be available in the nearby McKay Street lot and garages, as well as in the public parking lots opposite the Common on First Street.

Donations to provide trauma support and relief to victims can be made through the Jewish Federations of North America’s emergency campaign at jfeds.org/israelfund2023.

Marcus & Millichap Facilitates $2.85 Million Sale of Agawam Industrial Warehouse

By
Daily News

AGAWAM — Marcus & Millichap, a commercial real-estate brokerage firm specializing in investment sales, financing, research, and advisory services, announced the sale of 277 Silver St. in Agawam, an industrial warehouse, for $2,850,000.

“This building is situated in a premier Western Mass., location near the intersection of Interstate 91 and the Mass Pike,” said Harrison Klein, first vice president of Investments. “This sale is indicative of investors’ confidence in the strength of the industrial market during these uncertain times.”

Klein, an investment specialist in Marcus & Millichap’s Boston office, had the exclusive listing to market the property on behalf of the seller, a group of private investors. The buyer, an individual/personal trust, was procured by Tom Hovey and Eric Suffoletto of Atlantic Capital Partners.

At closing, the building was 100% occupied by two tenants, including Otis Elevator. The warehouse occupies a 3.4-acre parcel, offering a total of 37,650 square feet, featuring five loading docks and 40 parking spaces.

ERC5 to Host Second Annual Oktoberfest on Oct. 12 to Benefit Scholarship Fund

By
Daily News

LUDLOW — East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce (ERC5) will present a German-style buffet, as well as local craft beer, at ERC5 member Vanished Valley Brewing Co., located at 782 Center St., Ludlow.

This event will be held on Thursday, Oct. 12 from 5 to 8 p.m., and a portion of the proceeds will support the ERC5 Scholarship Fund, which delivers up to $10,000 annually in scholarships to high-school students in East Longmeadow, Hampden, Longmeadow, Ludlow, and Wilbraham.

“We’re always evaluating our marketing and events, looking for ways to provide increased value to our members,” ERC5 Executive Director Grace Barone said. “Vanished Valley expressed interested in collaborating with the chamber to host an event, and this one seemed like a no-brainer.”

Live music will be provided by Kiszmet. Chair massages will be provided by EXCEL Therapy & Conditioning. ERC5 members Freedom Credit Union and EBS are sponsoring this event to subsidize costs for all attendees. Members can attend for $20, and non-members can attend for $25. Click here to purchase tickets.

Celebrating the Women of Impact

By
Opinion

Editorial

 

In 2018, BusinessWest created a new recognition program, one to recognize the contributions of women. We did this … well, because we needed to.

Indeed, while we have other programs that certainly recognize women — 40 Under Forty, Difference Makers, and Healthcare Heroes — a separate program focused exclusively on women and the many contributions they are making to quality of life in this region was clearly necessary.

The reason is that so many of the stories we’ve told since 2018 might not have been told otherwise, and some women worthy of recognition might not have been duly recognized.

We could have called this program ‘Women in Business’ — other business publications have done just that. But we believed this was too limiting. We wanted to recognize all the many ways women can excel and make an impact. Thus, the name Women of Impact was chosen.

And the program has lived up to that title. This tradition of honoring women from across a wide spectrum of professions, pathways, and methods for making an impact continues with the class of 2023.

This class includes business leaders, nonprofit managers, a healthcare provider, an author and public speaker, and even a flight instructor — who is also a business owner.

The stories are all different, but there are many common threads. These women are leaders, they are inspiring, they are mentors to others, and they give back in many different ways.

And there is something else as well. These women all recognize what one of our honorees, Dawn Forbes DiStefano, called the “power of one woman,” especially when it comes to influencing the lives and careers of other women.

And they demonstrate that power, in myriad ways.

Indeed, our honorees have all made it a priority to help empower women and enable them to rise higher, quite literally when it comes to flight instructor and flight-school owner Rika Ballard; or by helping them get into the still-male-dominated auto industry, in the case of Carla Cosenzi; or help them enter (and then persevere in) the financial-advisor industry, in the case of Amy Jamrog; or help them overcome postpartum depression or the trauma of child abuse, as Arlyana Dalce-Bowie and Lisa Zarcone, respectively, are doing; or, in the case of Michelle Theroux, help young people with disabilities thrive in music and in life.

In many ways, our Women of Impact program has become a vehicle for displaying the awesome power of a single woman. Since 2018, our honorees, including those in the class of 2023, have demonstrated the power to lead, inspire, and generate positive change in the lives of not only women, but all those they impact.

It’s a striking, impressive class, and we’re excited to share their stories with you.

Adjusting to a New Reality

By
Opinion

Editorial

 

“I think that ship has sailed.”

That’s what JD Chesloff, CEO of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, said in response to a question from the Boston Globe recently about why companies, even those like Google, Meta, and Amazon, who have made headlines with stringent return-to-the-office policies, are not asking employees to come in five days a week.

He’s right: it has sailed. The hybrid work schedules that so many companies have adopted, not out of choice, but more because they don’t really have a choice, are now the new norm and, from all accounts, will be the norm for at least the foreseeable future.

Indeed, it appears to be time to stop asking when everyone is going to return to the office and realize that not everyone is going to return to the office. And for many reasons.

Most of them have to do with the current labor market and the fact companies remain far too desperate in their efforts to attract and retain talent to make demands on where people can work. In some cases, employees are simply more productive working at home. And in still other cases, companies have been able to dramatically reduce their square footage (and, therefore, their annual costs) by having some or most of their employees working remotely.

Add it all up, and what we’re seeing in the workplace now is what we’re going to be seeing, unless some of those factors above change dramatically in the near term, and we just don’t see that happening. In short, employees who have been given a taste of remote work, like what they’ve tasted, will not want to go back to the office five days a week. And if employers try to force them to, they’ll find a new employer that won’t. Meanwhile, business owners will continue to be reasonable and cost-conscious, traits that, at this moment, don’t lend themselves to forcing people back to the office.

So instead of asking when workers will return the office, employers, managers, property owners, and leasing agents alike need to adjust.

Employers and managers need to find new and creative new ways to build teamwork and employee engagement, such as by requiring all employees to be in certain days of the week and then maximizing that time together.

As for property owners, the adjustment is more difficult. They may have to find other uses for their square footage other than office, a real challenge at a time when retail is also in retreat and conversion to residential is expensive and, in some cases, not realistic.

But adjustment, on the part of all those concerned, is necessary, because Chesloff is right.

That ship has sailed.

Picture This

By
Open for Business
Picture This

Email ‘Picture This’ photos with a caption and contact information to [email protected]

 

Open for Business

On Sept. 27, Liberty Bank cut the ribbon to its new loan production office on the 22nd floor of One Monarch Place in downtown Springfield. During the event, the Liberty Bank Foundation granted donations totaling $20,000 to three area nonprofits: the Boys & Girls Club of West Springfield (pictured below), Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts, and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

 

Open for Business

Pictured, from left: Liberty Bank Market President Tony Liberopoulos and Senior Relationship Manager Jeff Sattler, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Liberty Bank President and CEO Dave Glidden, and Monarch Enterprises President Paul Picknelly.

 

Liberty Bank’s Springfield loan-production team.

Liberty Bank’s Springfield loan-production team.

 

The Boys & Girls Club of West Springfield check

The Boys & Girls Club of West Springfield check

 

 

 

Foliage and Fairytales

The 67th annual Northern Berkshire Fall Foliage Parade, presented by 1Berkshire and the city of North Adams, took place on Oct. 1. This year’s theme was “Once Upon a Time in North Berkshire,” a celebration of children’s books and fairytales. More than 90 participants took part in this annual event, and the parade was attended by thousands of spectators. Very Good Properties won the Harry S. Orr Award for best overall float for “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

The 67th annual Northern Berkshire Fall Foliage Parade

The 67th annual Northern Berkshire Fall Foliage Parade

 

 

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

North Brookfield Savings Bank is holding a food drive and fundraiser from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31 to help local families in need. For every item collected, the bank will contribute $1, for a total of up to $3,000, to help fund the pantries’ operations. The bank’s goal is to collect at least 3,500 items in total, but it will also contribute monetarily. Community members are encouraged to drop off non-perishable food items, paper goods, toiletries, or monetary donations at any of the bank’s branches in North Brookfield, East Brookfield, West Brookfield, Ware, Belchertown, or Three Rivers.

North Brookfield Savings Bank is holding a food drive and fundraiser from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31

North Brookfield Savings Bank is holding a food drive and fundraiser from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31

 

 

Marketing, Management, and Mascots

On Sep. 20, undergraduate students from the American International College marketing and sport and recreation management programs met Wally, Tessie, and other New England professional sports mascots at the Take the Lead Boston Career Summit held at Fenway Park. The students engaged and networked with leaders from the Patriots, Bruins, Red Sox, Celtics, and Revolution, gaining insight from these industry leaders on fostering equity and inclusivity within the world of sports.

Undergraduate students from the American International College

Undergraduate students from the American International College marketing and sport and recreation management programs at the Take the Lead Boston Career Summit held at Fenway Park

 

 

Stuff the Bus

Following weeks of sorting donated school supplies and working with volunteers to pack hundreds of colorful backpacks, delivery day finally arrived on Aug. 22 for the United Way of Pioneer Valley’s Stuff the Bus program. With the Peter Pan bus fully packed, United Way staff and volunteers climbed aboard and trekked through 10 school districts to drop off more than 600 backpacks for students experiencing homelessness. School supplies and monetary donations are accepted throughout throughout the year. More information can be found at uwpv.org, and donations can be made at uwpv.org/donate.

With the Peter Pan bus fully packed, United Way staff and volunteers climbed aboard and trekked through 10 school districts to drop off more than 600 backpacks for students experiencing homelessness

With the Peter Pan bus fully packed, United Way staff and volunteers climbed aboard and trekked through 10 school districts to drop off more than 600 backpacks for students experiencing homelessness

Agenda

By
Agenda

Difference Makers Nominations

Through Dec. 8: Do you know someone who is truly making a difference in the Western Mass. region? BusinessWest invites you to nominate an individual or group for its 16th annual Difference Makers program. Nominations for the class of 2024 must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8. Difference Makers was launched in 2009 as a way to recognize the contributions of agencies and individuals who are contributing to quality of life in this region. Past honorees have come from dozens of business and nonprofit sectors, proving there’s no limit to the ways people can impact their communities. Let us know who you think deserves to be recognized as a Difference Maker in our upcoming class by visiting businesswest.com/difference-makers-nomination-form to complete the nomination form. Honorees will be profiled in an upcoming issue of BusinessWest and celebrated at a gala in the spring.

 

Max on Monday

Oct. 16: Max Tavern at the Basketball Hall of Fame will host the fifth Max on Monday networking event from 4 to 6 p.m., offering attendees the opportunity to connect with other professionals while enjoying complimentary hors d’oeuvres. A cash bar will be available for beverages. At each event, Max on Monday will feature a selection of local businesses. In October, the sponsored businesses will include Borawski Insurance, New Valley Bank, Pascoe Workforce, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, and NRG Real Estate. Representatives from these businesses will be able to network with one another and share information about their organizations. In addition, each event features a local charity. On Oct. 16, the featured organization will be Men Wear Pink of Hartford and Springfield, an American Cancer Society initiative that raises awareness and funds to fight breast cancer. Max on Monday also showcases a local artist. To register to attend, RSVP to AnnMarie Harding at (413) 244-4055 or [email protected].

 

Western Massachusetts Developers Conference

Oct. 18: The Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) and Economic Development Partners (EDP) announced that the 2023 Western Massachusetts Developers Conference will take place at MGM Springfield. This regional conference will bring together an array of industry leaders, developers, real-estate professionals, site selectors, economic-development experts, and public officials hailing from Western Mass. and beyond. The event promises to shine a spotlight on the region’s numerous strengths and development prospects, elucidating why it stands out as an ideal destination for investment, business launches, and growth. The conference agenda is full of informative sessions offering attendees an opportunity to gain valuable insights and foster collaborative connections, including a CEO Panel featuring insights from top CEOs as they discuss how the region actively supports business growth, a Community Lightning Round that showcases the vitality of local communities in Western Mass. and their role in fostering economic development, and the Incentives in Action Workshop, a hands-on session that delves into the tangible benefits of various incentives available to businesses in the region. A key highlight of the conference is the Luncheon Keynote address, featuring Gov. Maura Healey and Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao. To register, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-western-mass-developers-conference-tickets-713868067607.

 

Healthcare Heroes

Oct. 26: BusinessWest and the Healthcare News will honor nine individuals as 2023 Healthcare Heroes at a celebration dinner at Marriott Springfield Downtown. The Healthcare Heroes class of 2023 was announced and profiled in the Sept. 18 issue of BusinessWest and at businesswest.com. They include Jody O’Brien of the Urology Group of Western New England (Lifetime Achievement), Cindy Senk of Movement for All (Community Health), Ashley LeBlanc of Mercy Medical Center (Emerging Leader), Ellen Ingraham-Shaw of Baystate Medical Center (Emerging Leader), Dr. Mark Kenton of Mercy Medical Center (Healthcare Administration), Kristina Hallett of Bay Path University (Health Education), Gabriel Mokwuah and Joel Brito of Holyoke Medical Center (Innovation in Healthcare), and Julie Lefer Quick of the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System (Healthcare Provider). Tickets cost $90 per person, and reserved tables of 10 are available. Current event sponsors include presenting sponsors Elms College and Baystate Health/Health New England, and partner sponsors Holyoke Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center/Trinity Health, and the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences at UMass Amherst. Congratulatory advertisements and additional event sponsorships are available. For more information, call (413) 781-8600 or visit businesswest.com/healthcareheroes.

 

Super 60

Nov. 9: Ashley Kohl, owner of Ohana School of Performing Arts and an entrepreneur with an inspiring story to tell, will be the keynote speaker at the Springfield Regional Chamber’s Super 60 lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. The Super 60, a program that traces its roots back to the late ’80s, when it was the Fabulous 50 before being expanded, is being revamped for 2023. In addition to the two traditional categories — Total Revenue and Revenue Growth — there will be three new categories recognizing nonprofits, startups, and giving back to the community. There will be 12 winners in each category. Tickets will be available for purchase at the chamber’s website, springfieldregionalchamber.com. For more information on Super 60, call (413) 787-1555.

 

Women of Impact

Dec. 7: BusinessWest will honor its sixth annual Women of Impact at Sheraton Springfield. Tickets cost $95 per person, and tables of 10 are available. To purchase tickets, visit businesswest.com/womenofimpact. The class of 2023, profiled this issue of BusinessWest and at businesswest.com, are: Fredrika Ballard, president, Aero Design Aircraft Services and Fly Lugu Flight Training; Carla Cosenzi, president, TommyCar Auto Group; Arlyana Dalce-Bowie, CEO, Moms in Power; Sandra Doran, president, Bay Path University; Dr. Khama Ennis, founder, Faces of Medicine and Intentional Health, LLC; Dawn Forbes DiStefano, president and CEO, Square One; Amy Jamrog, CEO, the Jamrog Group; Michelle Theroux, CEO, Berkshire Hills Music Academy; and Lisa Zarcone, author, speaker, and child and mental-health advocate. The event is sponsored by Country Bank and TommyCar Auto Group (presenting sponsors) and Comcast Business (partner sponsor).

People on the Move

By
People on the Move

Ryan Gagne

Cicely Hislop

Cicely Hislop

Andrew Fleming

Andrew Fleming

D.A. Sullivan & Sons Inc. (DAS) announced the arrival of Ryan Gagne, Cicely Hislop, and Andrew Fleming into its leadership group, marking a significant milestone in the 125-year-old construction company’s history. Gagne is valued for his innovative approaches and collaborative project management and will assume the role of vice president of Construction. His master’s degree in construction management and years of industry involvement will enrich the project experience offered by DAS. Hislop is currently pursuing her MBA at UMass Amherst. She is set to play a pivotal role in enhancing DAS’s operational efficiency and project execution as chief operating officer. Fleming will undertake the role of vice president of Pre-construction. His ability to foresee potential challenges and devise effective solutions is expected to ensure the smooth execution of projects from the initial stages.

•••••

Christopher Thuot

Christopher Thuot

Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) named Christopher Thuot vice president for Academic Affairs. Following a comprehensive national search, Thuot assumed the role on July 17. As the chief academic officer, he provides leadership for implementation of the college’s academic mission and priorities. He plays a key role in supporting the alignment of academic programs with the region’s employment needs while helping develop and sustain partnerships with transfer institutions, local schools, and government agencies. Thuot comes to STCC from Onondaga Community College (OCC) in Syracuse, N.Y., one of 30 community colleges in the State University of New York system. He served as assistant provost, providing academic leadership to eight schools, adult college programs, and the Office of Registration and Records. He helped lead development of all new degree programs, led a comprehensive program revitalization process, and served as OCC’s accreditation liaison officer. He served as project director on a number of grants. Thuot began his career at OCC as a full-time faculty member while serving as the Honors College chair, vice president of the Faculty Senate, and coordinator of General Education. He was first introduced to community colleges as a student at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, N.C. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina Asheville and a Ph.D. in political science at Northern Illinois University.

•••••

Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts (GSCWM) announced that the nonprofit organization’s long-time CEO, Pattie Hallberg, is stepping down at the end of 2023, after 16 years of service. The GSCWM board will oversee the process to choose Hallberg’s successor, and has engaged the search firm Find Good People to assist with the transition. “It has been my honor and a sincere privilege to lead Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts, an organization dedicated to the development of a girl’s personal leadership journey,” said Hallberg, who was named by BusinessWest to its Women of Impact class of 2020. “I am proud of the organization we are today and the impact we’ve made, working with thousands of fabulous girls and adults to further the Girl Scout mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.”

•••••

Peter Albero

Peter Albero

Peter Albero has been appointed chief financial officer and treasurer of Greenfield Savings Bank. He will be responsible for all aspects of financial operations of the bank, including internal and external financial reporting, investments, and asset and liability management. Albero joins the bank with more than 35 years in the financial industry. Most recently, he served as chief financial officer at Salisbury Bank & Trust. In addition, he has been a risk advisory consultant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, where he designed and implemented financial and risk data reconciliations for foreign banks. For more than 26 years, he worked at Morgan Stanley in a variety of senior roles in the Financial Controller group. He is also a licensed CPA in New York. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Manhattan College and an MBA in finance and international business from New York University.

•••••

Conor Carey

Conor Carey

Bacon Wilson, P.C. announced that attorney Conor Carey has joined the firm as an associate in the Litigation department. Carey earned his juris doctorate, cum laude, from the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis in 2018 and his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Westfield State University in 2015. Prior to joining Bacon Wilson, he spent a year as a judicial law clerk for Associate Justice Sabita Singh of the Massachusetts Appeals Court and also previously served as a research attorney to the justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court in Worcester. At Bacon Wilson, he will be assisting clients with their litigation needs in both civil and criminal law. He is a member of both the Hampden and Hampshire county bar associations and will be working primarily out of the firm’s Northampton office. He is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and Minnesota.

•••••

Soniha Nuzrat

Soniha Nuzrat

Dietz & Company Architects Inc. recently welcomed Soniha Nuzrat to the firm in the role of architectural associate, in which she will assist project teams throughout all phases of design. Nuzrat recently received her master of architecture degree from Miami University in Ohio, where she completed her thesis on evaluating cross-cultural courtyard housing for social well-being in Manhattan. As evidenced by her thesis, she has a particular interest and specializes in community-based design. This past spring, she received the AIA Medal for Academic Excellence, which is awarded annually to the top graduating students in National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredited degree programs. Prior to pursuing her master of architecture degree, Nuzrat earned her bachelor of architecture degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology. She also worked on a variety of projects for architecture firms in Bangladesh.

•••••

Country Bank announced that Brunilda Demiri has joined its Auditing Division as first vice president and director of Internal Audit. Before joining Country Bank, she worked as a lead auditor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. She has more than 14 years of experience in the industry and is currently a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Certified Fraud Examiners Community. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bentley University and is currently enrolled in Babson’s MBA program. Brunilda is also a certified fraud examiner.

•••••

Timothy Murphy

Timothy Murphy

Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. announced that one of its partners, Timothy Murphy, has been recognized once again by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America list for 2024. He is listed in three fields: employment law – management, labor law – management, and litigation – labor and employment. Focusing his practice on labor relations, union avoidance, collective bargaining and arbitration, employment litigation, and employment counseling, Murphy has been included in The Best Lawyers in America every year since 2013 and was Lawyer of the Year in 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2022. Murphy is very active within the local community, sitting on boards of directors for several area organizations, such as the Human Service Forum and Community Legal Aid. He also is a member of the World Affairs Council.

•••••

Michael Laga

Michael Laga

Freedom Credit Union recently welcomed Mortgage Loan Originator Michael Laga to its Loan Production Office at 115 Elm St. in Enfield, Conn. In this role, Laga works with homebuyers to assess their financial status and credit, recommend the best loan products, and guide members through the homebuying process. Laga graduated from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst and played professional baseball for 14 years on teams including the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants. Freedom’s Loan Production Office opened in Enfield in November 2022. It is dedicated exclusively to mortgage and business lending. John Santaniello, assistant vice president of Member Business Lending, also works from this office, helping businesses that are seeking loans, including term, Small Business Administration, commercial real estate, and commercial vehicle loans.

•••••

Girls Inc. of the Valley recently welcomed two new members to its board of directors. Trishna Mudumbi and Isani Castro will join the current board to support strategic planning to map out the future of the organization. Mudumbi is an accomplished engineering leader with nearly 20 years of industry experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Drexel University and a master’s degree in management from Stevens Institute of Technology. She is currently the chief engineer for Environmental and Airframe Control Systems products for the Boeing Defense Value Stream at Collins Aerospace. Throughout her career, she has focused on promoting women and underrepresented groups in STEM and beyond. Castro is an associate attorney at Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, P.C. in downtown Springfield, with a focus on business and corporate law. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Manhattan College, graduating with honors. She graduated from Roger Williams University School of Law in May 2022 with her juris doctor. In her role as associate attorney, she drafts various legal documents related to intricate business needs, provides legal counsel, and manages negotiations.

Company Notebook

By
Company Notebook

Liberty Bank Opens New Loan Production Office

SPRINGFIELD — Liberty Bank, headquartered in Middletown, Conn., cut the ribbon to its new loan production office (LPO) on the 22nd floor of One Monarch Place in downtown Springfield on Sept. 28. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno joined Liberty Bank President and CEO David Glidden, Western Mass. Market President Tony Liberopoulos, and Liberty Bank teammates, customers, and community stakeholders in officially opening the new office. The Western Mass. banking team originally opened an LPO at 94 Shaker Road in East Longmeadow in 2021. However, they wanted further penetration and exposure in the Western Mass. market, which precipitated the move to downtown Springfield. Among the amenities of the new Springfield LPO includes a reception area that leads to 15 offices, eight workstations, and hoteling workspace. The new office also includes a large conference room with additional team collaboration areas and a complete kitchen. Liberty’s ‘Be Community Kind’ brand and colors are displayed throughout the space. Underscoring its commitment to the Western Mass. community, the Liberty Bank Foundation granted donations totaling $20,000 to three area nonprofits at the ribbon cutting: Boys & Girls Club of West Springfield, Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts, and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. Liberty has also identified a strong demand to establish a branch to support customers’ needs and the bank’s continued growth in Western Mass. Therefore, Liberty will be opening a full-service banking branch at 94 Shaker Road in East Longmeadow later this fall.

 

Baystate Health Launches $70 Million Campaign

SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health announced a $70 million comprehensive fundraising effort. “Healthier Tomorrows: The Campaign for Baystate Health” is the largest fundraising goal in Baystate Health’s history and focuses on raising money for three critical areas: capital needs, program support, and endowment development. The $70 million goal aims to fund several initiatives, including a state-of-the-art surgical facility and a Center for Nursing Excellence at Baystate Medical Center, a renovated Family Medicine practice and teaching space at Baystate Franklin Medical Center, and support for the endowment, with the purpose of increasing fiscal resilience for the organization. Baystate Health’s last campaign concluded in 2012. The $23 million raised supported building the shell of the Hospital of the Future wing, including space for a new Emergency Department and the Davis Family Heart & Vascular Center. The new campaign will help complete much of the shell space as intended to accommodate new technology and meet the growing needs of the community.

 

Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. Recognized by Accounting Today

HOLYOKE — Each year, Accounting Today conducts a comprehensive assessment of the largest practices in tax and accounting across 10 major geographic regions in the U.S. Leveraging a wide range of benchmarking data, it meticulously evaluates firms’ growth strategies, service offerings, and specialized client niches. Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. earned distinction as a top-tier firm within the New England region. Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. is the largest independently owned and operated CPA firm in Western Mass. As a member of CPAmerica, one of the world’s largest networks of independent CPA and consulting firms, it offers a spectrum of services encompassing business strategy expertise, tax services, and accounting services. Its primary focus lies in serving closely held businesses and high-net-worth individuals, with notable concentrations in sectors such as healthcare, employee benefits, real estate, construction, manufacturing, and not-for-profit organizations.

 

Big E Sets Five Daily Attendance Records

WEST SPRINGFIELD — A total of 1,427,234 fairgoers attended the 2023 Big E in West Springfield, down from 2022’s tally of more than 1.6 million, due largely to several days of rain over the fair’s 17-day run. Still, when the weather did cooperate, five daily attendance records were set during the 2023 Big E: the first Tuesday, Sept. 19, 57,802; the second Friday, Sept. 22, 97,477; the second Wednesday, Sept. 27, 95,689; the second Thursday, Sept. 28, 108,962; and the third Sunday, Oct. 1, 170,471. The 2024 edition of the fair is scheduled for Sept. 13-29.

 

Elms College Surges Up Best Colleges Rankings

CHICOPEE — Elms College greatly improved its ranking on two listings in the U.S. News & World Report 2024 Best Colleges rankings and was listed as a Best Value School in the North Region for the first time. The college jumped 33 places to 60th on the list of Best Regional Universities (North) and rose 22 slots to 12th in the Top Performers on Social Mobility, Regional Universities (North) category. This list ranks schools for enrolling and graduating large proportions of students who have received federal Pell Grants. New this year, Elms College was ranked 33rd on the Best Value Schools, Regional Universities (North) list. This category examines a school’s academic quality and the cost of its programs. The higher the quality of programs and the lower the cost, the better the value a school provides.

 

Bay Path University Ranked as Safest Campus in Massachusetts

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University is the safest college in Massachusetts and the third-safest in America, according to a recent list compiled by niche.com, which reviewed 1,400 schools and ranked the safest campuses in America for 2024. The website’s 2024 Safest College Campuses ranking is based on key statistics and student reviews using U.S. Department of Education data. The site states that these top-ranked colleges offer a safe and healthy environment with little or no campus crime, drugs, or alcohol usage. Specific factors considered include campus crime rate, local crime grade, student surveys on safety, residence-hall date violence rate, residence-hall rape rate, alcohol-related arrests, and drug-related arrests.

 

U.S. News Ranks MCLA Seventh Among Public Liberal-arts Schools

NORTH ADAMS — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) has earned the #7 spot on the list of Top Public Liberal Arts Schools in the nation for a third year in a row. U.S. News and World Report also ranked MCLA first for Top Performer on Social Mobility in the state, second in the country, and 22nd for National Liberal Arts Colleges. MCLA has appeared on U.S. News’ list of Top Ten Public Colleges for nine consecutive years. The college has also been acknowledged in the publication’s list of National Liberal Arts Colleges for Social Mobility since the organization adopted this ranking in 2019. This list measures how well institutions graduate students who receive federal Pell Grants, typically awarded to students whose families make less than $50,000, though most Pell Grant money goes to families with income below $20,000. More than 42% of MCLA undergraduate students receive Pell Grants, and 51% are the first in their families to go to college. Overall, 93% of students receive some kind of financial aid.

 

Mayhew Steel Products Wins Manufacturing Leadership Award

TURNERS FALLS — Mayhew Tools in Turners Falls received an award for Outstanding Leadership Skills in the Manufacturing Industry at the eighth annual Manufacturing Awards Ceremony. This ceremony is part of the Massachusetts Manufacturing Mash-Up held in Polar Park in Worcester, hosted by the Massachusetts Legislative Manufacturing Caucus and other partners. State Sen. Jo Comerford and state Rep. Natalie Blais nominated Mayhew for this award. Mayhew Tools, the oldest punch and chisel manufacturer in the country, has expanded over 160-plus years without losing sight of its heritage. This includes keeping its headquarters in Western Mass., home to its corporate office and 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.

 

Country Bank Recognized for Charitable Giving

WARE — Country Bank announced that the Boston Business Journal has once again named it an honoree in its annual 2023 Corporate Citizenship Awards, recognizing the region’s top corporate charitable contributors. The magazine annually publishes this list to highlight companies that promote and prioritize giving back to their communities. During this year’s celebration on Sept. 7, 100 companies qualified for the distinction by reporting at least $100,000 in cash contributions to Massachusetts-based charities last year, as noted above. This year’s honorees include companies from such industry sectors as financial and professional services, healthcare, technology, retail, and professional sports. Country Bank, ranked 44th, employs 220 staff members within Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester counties, many of whom volunteer for various nonprofits throughout the year.

 

Hazen Paper Unveils 11th Cover for Basketball Hall of Fame Yearbook

HOLYOKE — Hazen Paper’s 11th enshrinement yearbook cover for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, created with Hazen HoloJet paper, projects an amplified refractive three-dimensional image of a basketball symbolizing the Hall of Fame dome. For 2023, this includes Fresnel Lens technology and a new holographic element called “Metal-Morphosis,” utilizing a new deep-groove system for sharper images and greater dimensionality. Appearing to move and change with the angle of light, the holographic treatment induces engagement and interaction with the book. Hazen originated the holography completely within its vertically integrated Holyoke facility. The custom holograms were created in Hazen’s holographic laser lab, then micro-embossed and transfer-metallized onto smooth, 12-point WestRock Tango C2S using Hazen’s environmentally friendly Envirofoil and HoloJet process. The holography is created with an optical structure that is imparted on the surface of the paper (underneath the printed graphics) with an ultra-thin polymer layer that is less than 2 microns in thickness. Envirofoil is a non-plastic paper that is as recyclable as paper.

Incorporations

By
Incorporations

The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties and are the latest available. They are listed by community.

BRIMFIELD

Szymura Lawn and Landscape Inc., 148 Warren Road, Brimfield, MA 01010. Jakub Szymura, same. Landscaping business.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Squire Farm Inc., 583 Somers Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Joshua Bailey, same. Christmas-tree farm.

LEE

Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Massachusetts 9 VFW District Inc., 715 Devon Road, Lee, MA 01238. Joseph Zustra, 90 Park St., Adams, MA 01220. Nonprofit organization established for fraternal, historical, charitable, and educational activities.

PITTSFIELD

Arix Bioscience Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Robert Lyne, 82 Nassau St., New York, NY 10038. Venture capitalist that invests money into medical research.

Life Enrichment Trust Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Rick Senft, 163 Thorn Hill Road, Warrendale, PA 15086. Special-needs trust services.

Tevel Aerobotics USA Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Yaniv Maor, same. Artificial intelligence.

SPRINGFIELD

Peacock Restaurant Inc., 338 Cooley St., Springfield, MA 01128. Mei Feng Pan, same. Restaurant.

Ricky’s Helping Hands for Veterans Inc., 925 South Branch Parkway, Springfield, MA 01118. Ricky Sweeney, same. Provides an avenue for veterans to get the help they are missing.

Rumspringa Books Inc., 39 Cedar St., Springfield, MA 01105. Brett Albert, same. Independent bookstore.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Dynamic Construction Corp., 24 East School St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Aleksey Bardakov, same. Construction services.

Iclean Service Professionals Inc., 92 Bosworth St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Irina Kovrizhnykh, same. Cleaning services.

Doing Business as Certificates

By
DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the month of September 2023.

AMHERST

Cobberton Soaps
82 Stagecoach Road
Jessica Pavliska

Maetown LLC
664 Main St.
Laura Pfeffer

Meadow View Apartments
44 Southpoint Dr.
Aaron Schik, Gavriel Dorfman

Treehouse Pediatric Dentistry
23 Pray St.
Northampton Pediatric Dentistry P.C.

WMS Marketing Services
208 Pine St., Unit 21
Eugene Howell Westling

PALMER

AAGGO Movers
2039 Bridge St.
Gerard Charette

Bucior Entertainment
3004 East St.
Andrew Bucior

The Canine Cuttery
1407 Main St.
Keri Smith

Homestead Cabinet Design
324 Old Warren Road
Raymond Glick, Susanna Glick

JM Home Improvement
60 St John St.
James Belden

Palmer Pro Bike Corp.
1438 North Main St.
Jeffrey Soja

Queen of Victory Home Improvement
381 Rondeau St.
William Smith

Smith Brothers Home Improvement
381 Rondeau St.
William Smith, Charles Smith

Soy Pretty
123 Belchertown St.
Lynetter Desmarais, Luz Barbosa

Tempco Fly Fishing
95 State St.
Matthew Tempco

Top Notch Abatement 21 Wilbraham St., Suite 208
Russel Orcutt

PITTSFIELD

Abtonfar Construction LLC
106 Edward Ave.
Vicente Nivelo

Always Checking
207 Cadwell Road
Gerald Calahan

Berkshire Veterinary Hospital
730 Crane Ave.
LPS Crane Ave LLC

DJ Builders
314 Cheshire Road
Daulton Young

Element Materials Technology Pittsfield
10 Downing Parkway
NTS Labs LLC

Mars Delivery Systems
22 Radcliffe Ave.
Joseph Maison

Pet Supplies Plus
555 Hubbard Ave.
PSP Stores LLC

Pittsfield Health Food Centre
407 North St.
Eric Baumert

Pittsfield Lighting Technologies
10 Downing Parkway
NTS Labs LLC

Shire Mountain Estates LLC
14 Evelyn Park
Matthew Pennell

Xtra Mart
420 Merrill Road
Drake Petroleum Co. Inc.

SOUTH HADLEY

All Air HVAC
52 Lincoln Ave.
Matthew Labrecque

Bay Olive Jewelry
15 San Souci Dr.
Citrus Sky Boutique LLC

Craft Skin
491 Granby Road
Jessica O’Brien

Cumberland Farms #6718
507 Newton St.
Cumberland Farms Inc.

Eliza Moser Fine Art
21 College St.
Eliza Moser

Falls Driving School
138 College St.
Robert Blaney

Ichiban Restaurant
2090 Memorial Dr.
Saizhu Inc.

South Hadley Animal Hospital
511 Newton St.
VCA Animal Hospitals

Treehouse Orthodontics
25 College St., Unit 2
NEOP LLC

WESTFIELD

131FS Snacko
175 Falcon Dr.
Benjamin Fischer, Kyle Engasser

B&S Services
107 Franklin St.
Zachary Blood

BG Child and Youth Counseling LLC
312 Valley View Dr.
Brittany Godden

Boxlux
19 Otis St.
Victor Brutsky

Dancer’s Image
77 Mill St.
Beth Drogan

The Den Barber Co.
3 Depo Square
Daniel Sanmiguel

Indian Motorcycle of Springfield
1120 Southampton Road
DNKB LLC

Kevin’s Bacon & BBQ
46 Main St.
Kevin Lafreniere

Mike Bernatchez Painting
30 Valley View Dr.
Mike Bernatchez

Sandra Waversak
32 Pinewood Lane
Sandra Waversak

Springvalley Power
188 Tannery Road
John La Due

Superior Renovations and Recreations
131 North Elm St.
Darek Marlow

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Air Ocean Parcel Service LLC
171 Doty Circle
Air Ocean Parcel Service LLC

Aquatique Pools
730 Union St.
Aquatique Pools

ATC Group Services LLC
73 William Franks Dr.
ATC Group Services LLC

Chopin Parcel Service Inc.
163 Doty Circle
Chopin Parcel Service Inc.

Elm Auto School Inc.
262 Elm St.
Elm Auto School Inc.

Gold Chopsticks Restaurant Corp.
12 Chestnut St.
Gold Chopsticks Restaurant Corp.

Handmade by Erynn
261 Morgan Road
Handmade by Erynn

Sunny’s Convenience
2260 Westfield St.
Jai Veer Corp.

Western Mass Compounding Center
138 Memorial Ave.
Western Mass Compounding Center

WILBRAHAM

Blush Beauty Boutique
2812 Boston Road
Jennifer Bacon

Common Grounds Café
2341 Boston Road
Kristine Barthelette

Faith Blanscet at Blush Beauty Boutique
2812 Boston Road
Faith Blanscet

Frank’s Plumbing and Heating
37 Lake Dr.
Francesco Siniscalchi

Houser Metro Realty
2341 Boston Road, Unit B308
Peter Houser

The Local Table N Tap
2039 Boston Road
Christopher Arillotta

Orchard Valley at Wilbraham
2387 Boston Road
KRE-BSL Husky

Pat Farrow Entertainment
45 East Longmeadow Road
Patrick Farrow

Stony Hill Farm LLC
899 Stony Hill Road
Alice Colman, Bruian Cunningham

Real Estate Transactions

By
Real Estate

The following real estate transactions (latest available) were compiled by Banker & Tradesman and are published as they were received. Only transactions exceeding $115,000 are listed. Buyer and seller fields contain only the first name listed on the deed.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

ASHFIELD

62 West Branch Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $545,000
Buyer: Travis Niles
Seller: Karl J. Koenigsbauer
Date: 09/14/23

BERNARDSTON

68 Hillcrest Dr.
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $323,000
Buyer: Margaret J. Dupre
Seller: William H. Bittner
Date: 09/08/23

32 Pine Grove Dr.
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jacob A. Bover
Seller: William M. Pachalis
Date: 09/05/23

CHARLEMONT

Burnt Hill Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Andrew Kurowski
Seller: David S. Gott
Date: 09/08/23
COLRAIN

74 Adamsville Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Amanda Gilbert
Seller: Kevin M. Gilbert
Date: 09/11/23

303 Main Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Anthony J. Archambault
Seller: Kent Int.
Date: 09/08/23

CONWAY

938 Roaring Brook Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $618,500
Buyer: Christiane A. Gannon
Seller: Ellen G. Tinen
Date: 09/08/23

3014 Shelburne Falls Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $289,000
Buyer: Colin Bargeron
Seller: Andrea E. Beaudoin
Date: 09/15/23

ERVING

109 North St.
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Vikram Budhraja
Seller: Lizzie A. Hoff
Date: 09/15/23

48 River Road
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Daniel M. Majewski
Seller: Zewski, John Francis (Estate)
Date: 09/07/23

Route 2
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Frank E. Prondecki Int.
Seller: John A. Prondecki
Date: 09/15/23

GREENFIELD

48 Burnham Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Rachel J. Davis
Seller: Russell C. Bontempi
Date: 09/08/23

3 Cooke St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $351,000
Buyer: Dianne M. Smith RET
Seller: Renfrew, Donald D. (Estate)
Date: 09/14/23

436 Country Club Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Brian J. Zamojski
Seller: Wyman Int.
Date: 09/11/23

3 Greenway Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $286,000
Buyer: Andy Pauker
Seller: Henry Regina Ann Estate
Date: 09/13/23

40 Newell Pond Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Ryan Felton
Seller: Alberta W. Allen LT
Date: 09/13/23

33 Riddell St., Lot 1
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Western Mass. Training Consortium
Seller: Baystate Franklin Medical
Date: 09/07/23

33 Riddell St., Lot 9
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Western Mass. Training Consortium
Seller: Baystate Franklin Medical
Date: 09/07/23

60 Riddell St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $353,500
Buyer: Tessa Menatian
Seller: Braden Chattman
Date: 09/13/23

231 South Shelburne Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Brace K. Rennels
Seller: Nordstrom Swenson Int.
Date: 09/15/23

73 Wisdom Way
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Shannon Schmalenberg
Seller: Craig Ryan
Date: 09/06/23

HEATH

Flagg Hill Road
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Andrew Kurowski
Seller: David S. Gott
Date: 09/08/23

MONTAGUE

35 East Taylor Hill Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $411,703
Buyer: Rachel Greenberg
Seller: William Kazmier
Date: 09/08/23

31 Grove St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Maureen St. Cyr
Seller: Mary A. Choleva
Date: 09/15/23

482 Turners Falls Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $555,000
Buyer: Shelah S. Bloom
Seller: Christine S. Pellerin
Date: 09/06/23

ORANGE

326 Holtshire Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Thomas R. Dunlap
Seller: Kimberly Scot
Date: 09/14/23

45 Kelton St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Kyle D. Kaczmarczyk
Seller: Shufelt, Brian B. (Estate)
Date: 09/15/23

37 Mechanic St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: White Birch Lore LLC
Seller: Cathleen Everbeck
Date: 09/05/23

524 South Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: RCF 2 Acquisition TR
Seller: Mark A. Olson
Date: 09/05/23

56 Tully Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Joshua Roe
Seller: Stuart M. Smith
Date: 09/05/23

SHUTESBURY

18 King Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Jennifer A. Hodgdon
Seller: Lisa Kaplan
Date: 09/15/23

3 Shore Dr.
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Keri Gino
Seller: Katie J. Eagan
Date: 09/07/23

WARWICK

20 Dusty Lane
Warwick, MA 01364
Amount: $292,000
Buyer: Michael Blanchard
Seller: Jane E. Devino
Date: 09/15/23

WENDELL

55 Plain Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Justin Fellows
Seller: Tarbox, Robert Van (Estate)
Date: 09/13/23

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

75 Alhambra Circle, North
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $337,500
Buyer: Angelique P. Arroyo
Seller: Plato O. Plomo Inc.
Date: 09/05/23

716 Cooper St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Colin Mclean
Seller: Lyudmila Serman
Date: 09/07/23

159-165 Elm St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $473,500
Buyer: Alisis Pena
Seller: Eric B. Charest
Date: 09/12/23

84 Forest Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $379,900
Buyer: Gwendolyn Moss
Seller: Alexandra M. Bonavita
Date: 09/05/23

42 Independence Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Prime Partners LLC
Seller: Paul G. Arpin
Date: 09/05/23

976 Main St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Vadzim Hrytskevich
Seller: Ivan Hrytskevich
Date: 09/15/23

13-15 Mark Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $620,000
Buyer: Heesun Kim
Seller: Hedge Hog Industries Corp.
Date: 09/15/23

359 Meadow St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Kevin Saez
Seller: Raymond O. Caplette
Date: 09/05/23

North West St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Aric Johnson
Seller: Gary E. Brown
Date: 09/08/23

414 South Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Matthew Patterson
Seller: Steven M. Desmond
Date: 09/15/23

387 Southwick St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Jessica L. Mitchell
Seller: Dawn L. Guerriero
Date: 09/14/23

1100 Springfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $493,000
Buyer: Joseph J. Davis
Seller: Robert R. Wilcox
Date: 09/06/23

391 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Kelsey Robare
Seller: Bruce A. Fields
Date: 09/08/23

BLANDFORD

Brookman Dr.
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $1,950,000
Buyer: Paul Beinstein
Seller: S. E. & Frances Bogaty
Date: 09/08/23

BRIMFIELD

50 Dix Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: TXP Ventures LLC
Seller: Peter McQueen
Date: 09/11/23

290 Little Alum Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Jason F. Czech
Seller: Richer, Susan (Estate)
Date: 09/08/23

138 Old Palmer Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Tyler R. Bradway
Seller: Walch, Yvonne M. (Estate)
Date: 09/14/23

CHICOPEE

79 Beaudry Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Sewcoomaree P. Tetor
Seller: Mai T. Tran
Date: 09/08/23

237 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Diego P. Cardoso
Seller: Mason Capital Ventures LLC
Date: 09/07/23

168 Cyran St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Steven O. Specht
Seller: Denise A. Faircloth
Date: 09/08/23

109 Edgewood Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $261,000
Buyer: Liam D. Burke
Seller: Hogan FT
Date: 09/15/23

183 Granby Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $273,000
Buyer: Kenneth Tan
Seller: Kobak, Barbara J. (Estate)
Date: 09/15/23

335 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $297,500
Buyer: Leon Moultrie
Seller: Czepiel, Robert E. (Estate)
Date: 09/11/23

37 Helen St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Reynaldo Sanabria
Seller: Veteran Stan LLC
Date: 09/06/23

27 Hillman St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Kristy Wong
Seller: Charles F. Rhodes
Date: 09/08/23

7 Kimball St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Pah Properties LLC
Seller: Fernando J. Lucio
Date: 09/15/23

350 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $5,750,000
Buyer: Mental Health Assn. Inc.
Seller: Mass. Mutual Life Insurance Co.
Date: 09/15/23

708 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $611,000
Buyer: Ag Brothers LLC
Seller: Roy & Shirley Fanti LLC
Date: 09/08/23

244 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $365,500
Buyer: Monica J. Marcil
Seller: Bebo, Paul R. (Estate)
Date: 09/15/23

9 Post Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: William Mantzios
Seller: Lisa Munoz
Date: 09/11/23

111 Reed St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Iesha Ramos
Seller: Felix A. Ramos
Date: 09/13/23

54 Royalton St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Samantha Gonzalez
Seller: Agnieszka I. Fortuna
Date: 09/15/23

141 Syrek St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Scott Family Properties LLC
Seller: Bessie A. Nicodemus
Date: 09/15/23

41 Woodcrest Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Jason R. Riether
Seller: Sisson, Phyllis D. (Estate)
Date: 09/15/23

EAST LONGMEADOW

181 Elm St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Christian Hope Ministries
Seller: St. Pauls Evangelical
Date: 09/15/23

42 Harkness Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $488,000
Buyer: KM Realty LLC
Seller: Harkness Realty LLC
Date: 09/15/23

43 Lee St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Rebecca A. Durand
Seller: Oshaughnessy, P. L. (Estate)
Date: 09/13/23

132 Millbrook Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $720,000
Buyer: Walter M. Caritj
Seller: Michael J. Molinari
Date: 09/15/23

23 Orchard Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $262,500
Buyer: David Chapdelaine
Seller: Edward J. Hoffman
Date: 09/06/23

12 Pleasant Place
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Leslie Messier
Seller: Nathan A. Bisson
Date: 09/07/23

HAMPDEN

4 Stony Hill Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Nathan Bisson
Seller: Donald L. Rovelli
Date: 09/07/23

 

HOLLAND

24 Collette Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $388,000
Buyer: Robert B. Santone
Seller: Rebecca Lemay
Date: 09/05/23

HOLYOKE

19 Charles St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Talal Mhanna
Seller: Robert Erazo
Date: 09/11/23

55 Dupuis Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Benjamin Beaver
Seller: Pah Properties LLC
Date: 09/05/23

1280 Dwight St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Cataldo Holyoke LLC
Seller: Dwight St. Acquisitions Inc.
Date: 09/06/23

32 Glen St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Nina Cole
Seller: Jennifer S. Robson
Date: 09/08/23

129 Hillside Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $318,500
Buyer: Henry M. Gallegos
Seller: Leo Campbell
Date: 09/13/23

98 Lyman St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Plata O. Plomo Inc.
Seller: Luz Aguilar
Date: 09/14/23

168 Morgan St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: David P. Moynahan
Seller: Sharon K. Heston
Date: 09/08/23

1727 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Community Care Resources Inc.
Seller: Behavioral Health Network
Date: 09/12/23

71 Norwood Ter.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $331,000
Buyer: Jeanne L. Brunner
Seller: O’Brien, Janet K. (Estate)
Date: 09/11/23

151 Pearl St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Gabriel L. Rivera
Seller: Timothy Jefferson
Date: 09/11/23

244 Sargeant St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $229,000
Buyer: Nathaniel Flachs
Seller: Roberto Santiago
Date: 09/06/23

143 Suffolk St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $129,900
Buyer: Woods Services Group Inc.
Seller: Patricia Pelletier
Date: 09/15/23

29 Taylor St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $321,000
Buyer: Julio A. Dominguez
Seller: Darlene Donahue
Date: 09/15/23

16 Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $303,000
Buyer: Valentina Kalkey
Seller: Laura E. Ramos
Date: 09/15/23

LONGMEADOW

21 Dunsany Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $399,000
Buyer: Kimberly W. Adegoke
Seller: Jeanette Fritz
Date: 09/15/23

40 Franklin Ter.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Paul M. Douala
Seller: Ashley M. Lyman
Date: 09/14/23

21 Homestead Blvd.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Cathleen M. Davitt
Seller: Dorothy TR
Date: 09/14/23

83 Redfern Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $476,000
Buyer: Aaron Zierenberg
Seller: Hoyer FT
Date: 09/08/23

85 Roseland Ter.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $351,000
Buyer: Kathleen M. Trant
Seller: Regina F. Cass
Date: 09/15/23

58 Shady Side Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $585,000
Buyer: Leonard G. Lyons
Seller: James J. Manoussoff
Date: 09/15/23

867 Shaker Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Aziz Ashirov
Seller: James F. Bortnick
Date: 09/13/23

112 Westmoreland Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $383,600
Buyer: Anne L. Walker
Seller: David L. Tivoli
Date: 09/08/23

387 Williams St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Patrick V. Johnstone
Seller: Jason Keck
Date: 09/15/23

LUDLOW

67 Americo St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Raymond J. Leblanc
Seller: James D. Deshaies
Date: 09/15/23

60 Blanchard Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Mint Realty Group LLC
Seller: Healthy Neighborhoods Group LLC
Date: 09/05/23

436 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Plata O. Plomo Inc
Seller: Charlene L. Krawiec
Date: 09/12/23

441 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Maria J. Waller
Seller: Rui R. Serrazina
Date: 09/15/23

530 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: John Habekost
Seller: WMass Residential LLC
Date: 09/12/23

56-58 Maple St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Isaiah Martinez
Seller: Ilidio G. Dias
Date: 09/15/23

73 Marion Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $326,000
Buyer: Ihar Cherykau
Seller: Papuga, Barbara Ann (Estate)
Date: 09/15/23

63 Oak St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Chantal Erhunse
Seller: P&R Investments LLC
Date: 09/08/23

Riverside Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Mills State Street LLC
Seller: Westmass Area Development Corp.
Date: 09/15/23

105 West St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $2,698,463
Buyer: 6 Obsidian Ml LLC
Seller: Cumberland Farms Inc.
Date: 09/07/23

769 West St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: Khosro Karamshahi
Seller: Dan Modirca
Date: 09/14/23

MONSON

33 Elm St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Trent A. Santos
Seller: Niqueal L. Brier
Date: 09/06/23

10 Heritage Lane
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $455,300
Buyer: Justin Haggerty
Seller: Samantha V. Fisk
Date: 09/14/23

70 High St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Faidherme Casseus
Seller: Daniel D. Gomez
Date: 09/05/23

 

73 Paradise Lake Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $622,000
Buyer: Kristyn Burrows
Seller: Claire A. Mawaka
Date: 09/07/23

118 Moulton Hill Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $323,000
Buyer: Jan-Michael Demaio
Seller: Salina G. Clink
Date: 09/13/23

11 Pease Ave.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Christine A. Hill
Seller: Baxter, Frederick J. (Estate)
Date: 09/08/23

81 Wales Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Nathan Barnes
Seller: Klisiewicz Funding TR
Date: 09/15/23

PALMER

1029 Baptist Hill Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $329,900
Buyer: Robert L. Miller
Seller: Valliere, Maureen M. (Estate)
Date: 09/08/23

123 Boston Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $496,000
Buyer: Ryan Mogadam
Seller: Joshua Howe
Date: 09/07/23

115 Burlingame Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $665,000
Buyer: Jason D. Borders
Seller: VDS Properties LLC
Date: 09/13/23

215 Burlingame Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Kyle Ebbeling
Seller: Nicholas J. Cafarelli
Date: 09/05/23

316 Burlingame Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Antonio D. Pereira
Seller: Robert J. Dugay
Date: 09/05/23

29 Charles St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $273,000
Buyer: Leah A. Heyes
Seller: Cole, Michelle L. (Estate)
Date: 09/05/23

11 Desimone Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Colton Murphy
Seller: Richard W. Bigelow
Date: 09/15/23

15 Dublin St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $242,500
Buyer: Elizabeth Yasuna
Seller: Amanda J. Demaio
Date: 09/13/23

1008 Ware St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Sarah L. Karowski
Seller: Charles A. Deyo
Date: 09/08/23

99 Woodland Heights
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Jason Guskey
Seller: Fumi Realty Inc.
Date: 09/05/23

RUSSELL

141 Blandford Stage Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $292,900
Buyer: Chelsea Merritt
Seller: Jacqueline L. Decker
Date: 09/14/23

321 Dickinson Hill Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $346,000
Buyer: David A. Savary
Seller: Joseph A. Mann
Date: 09/13/23

SPRINGFIELD

43 Arcadia Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $296,000
Buyer: Elias F. Maldonado
Seller: Kelly Baranski
Date: 09/15/23

39 Athol St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Eddie W. Perez
Seller: Beverly Bizon
Date: 09/08/23

131 Avery St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: Joejoe Properties LLC
Seller: Angela Gadson
Date: 09/05/23

55 Bridle Path Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Mary E. Alston
Seller: Jemmala Encarnacion
Date: 09/12/23

139 Cardinal St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $333,000
Buyer: Nafees Nadeem
Seller: Source Nine Development LLC
Date: 09/07/23

867-869 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: J&R Homes Corp.
Seller: Miguel Rodriguez
Date: 09/13/23

1640 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Karla Y. Mendez
Seller: Rosemary B. Rosado
Date: 09/11/23

75 Copeland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Alexandria Jones
Seller: Steven O. Chapman
Date: 09/05/23

14 Detroit St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Kristoffer R. Breault
Seller: William A. Julian
Date: 09/13/23

106-108 Dwight Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Megan Lapierre
Seller: Daniel A. Richton
Date: 09/07/23

939-943 East Columbus Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: A. Reyes Homes LLC
Seller: Wicked Deals LLC
Date: 09/08/23

190 Eddywood St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Quartz And Raffio LLC
Seller: Paul V. Allard
Date: 09/15/23

41-43 Edgemont St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Estela M. Rosado
Seller: Alfredo Garib
Date: 09/05/23

202 Fort Pleasant Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $172,500
Buyer: Visionary Homes LLC
Seller: Eric T. Hillmann
Date: 09/15/23

37-39 Fountain St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Nelly Reyes
Seller: Gary A. Daula
Date: 09/05/23

74 Francis St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: David Montanez
Seller: Diana Nunez
Date: 09/15/23

56 Fullerton St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Keith Mukire
Seller: Dora Agyei
Date: 09/05/23

313 Gilbert Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Babette Nana
Seller: Matthew R. Olschefski
Date: 09/08/23

22 Glencoe St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Nicole M. Larriu
Seller: Grace Lavalley
Date: 09/13/23

112 Glenoak Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $318,900
Buyer: Sean C. Kamenelis
Seller: Robert C. Richter
Date: 09/08/23

22 Grove St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Betsania A. Garcia
Seller: Luis R. Velazquez
Date: 09/07/23

138 Groveland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Nyles Irving
Seller: Orlando L. Morales
Date: 09/05/23

27 Home St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Dayrisol Morales
Seller: Kyara E. Linares
Date: 09/15/23

11-15 Howes St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $372,500
Buyer: Christopher Sattler
Seller: Alexander Crivelli
Date: 09/12/23

11 King St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Celia M. Robles-Lugo
Seller: Djuan Barklow
Date: 09/11/23

107 Laconia St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Magand Realty LLC
Seller: ESP Holdings LLC
Date: 09/07/23

31 Lavender Lane
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Land
Seller: Paul G. Couture
Date: 09/15/23

190 Longhill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $800,000
Buyer: Gabriel Gambill
Seller: Johnnie Asencio
Date: 09/14/23

56 Louis Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Alexandria Plante
Seller: Ryan B. McGuire
Date: 09/15/23

947 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Amount: $747,500
Buyer: Springfield Day Nursery Corp.
Seller: Davenport Square 1 LLC
Date: 09/15/23

22 Massreco St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Kenneth E. Lyon
Seller: Property Advantage Inc.
Date: 09/15/23

3-5 Mohegan Court
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $470,000
Buyer: Keishamaris Diaz-Lopez
Seller: Bukowski Construction LLC
Date: 09/05/23

175 Moss Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Marcus Johnson
Seller: Eric Johnson
Date: 09/08/23

77 Napier St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: 401 Liberty Street LLC
Seller: Napier Street Corp. Inc.
Date: 09/08/23

15 North Hood St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Velez
Seller: Lapointe, Maureen S. (Estate)
Date: 09/14/23

14 Norman St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $313,000
Buyer: Luis A. Cardona
Seller: Arpin, Raymond J. (Estate)
Date: 09/14/23

Norman St. (rear)
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $313,000
Buyer: Luis A. Cardona
Seller: Arpin, Raymond J. (Estate)
Date: 09/14/23

101 Phoenix Ter.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Luz Ramos
Seller: Yellowbrick Property LLC
Date: 09/15/23

75 Pine St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $357,000
Buyer: Mayelin Gonzales
Seller: Springfield Venrtures RT
Date: 09/05/23

90 Pinecrest Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $399,000
Buyer: Myngoc Ho
Seller: Simon Ndayiragije
Date: 09/05/23

20 Rosella St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Tatsiana Volks
Seller: Brad Rosenberg
Date: 09/14/23

180 Roy St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Carlos J. Perez
Seller: Kathryn L. Fitzgerald
Date: 09/15/23

24 Rupert St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $381,000
Buyer: Samuel Thimot
Seller: Angela M. Couture
Date: 09/12/23

95 Saint James Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Hoang Dang
Seller: Donald J. Carr
Date: 09/15/23

80-82 Silver St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Tania M. Collazo
Seller: ML Saleh Holdings Inc.
Date: 09/14/23

50 Slumber Lane
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Sandra Dipietro
Seller: Alan E. O’Dell
Date: 09/15/23

178 Slumber Lane
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Jeffrey A. Buzzelle
Seller: Victor Bortolussi
Date: 09/15/23

401 Stapleton Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Christopher Carnevale
Seller: Kathleen Bonavita
Date: 09/13/23

1464 State St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Bianca Buildings LLC
Seller: AJN Rentals LLC
Date: 09/05/23

65 Stuart St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $135,500
Buyer: East Coast Contracting LLC
Seller: Leroy G. Donaldson
Date: 09/14/23

Stuart St. (ES), Lot 14
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $135,500
Buyer: East Coast Contracting LLC
Seller: Leroy G. Donaldson
Date: 09/14/23

57-59 Suffolk St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $334,000
Buyer: Karla M. Arroyo
Seller: NRES LLC
Date: 09/05/23

80 Sunrise Ter.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Natalie Alicea
Seller: Gail L. Demers
Date: 09/06/23

72 Switzer Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Arthur Lamour
Seller: Hector M. Rodriguez
Date: 09/11/23

34 Wallace St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Joyce Ortiz
Seller: Aldo Properties LLC
Date: 09/15/23

28 Warrenton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Yan C. Corporan
Seller: Agnes B. Akoto
Date: 09/15/23

171 Warrenton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: William Bonavita
Seller: Nicole R. Lewis
Date: 09/06/23

24-26 Wayne St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Carmen L. Demercedes
Seller: Paul A. Williams
Date: 09/11/23

90 Welland Road
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Thomas R. Farrow
Seller: William N. Shipwash
Date: 09/15/23

186 William St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Springfield Day Nursery Corp.
Seller: Glanee Patel
Date: 09/15/23

190 William St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Springfield Day Nursery Corp.
Seller: Glanee Patel
Date: 09/15/23

35-37 Woodlawn St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $341,500
Buyer: Muhammad Abbasi
Seller: Candace A. Nichols
Date: 09/15/23

 

SOUTHWICK

181 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $296,500
Buyer: Sandu Rebenciuc
Seller: Residential Credit TR VII-B
Date: 09/07/23

25 Eagle St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Mary E. Goulette
Seller: Crystal Moccio
Date: 09/15/23

5 Gillette Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Maloney
Seller: Danielle B. Sullivan
Date: 09/12/23

194 Granville Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $519,000
Buyer: Christopher Balboni
Seller: Anthony Wheeler Construction LLC
Date: 09/12/23

10 Oak St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Victor Decaro
Seller: Jake Malkoon
Date: 09/06/23

19 South Loomis St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Christopher Moccio
Seller: Cowles, Alan G. (Estate)
Date: 09/15/23

3 Tammy Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Frances A. Laveck
Seller: James F. Hall
Date: 09/15/23

31 Woodland Ridge
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: Danielle B. Sullivan
Seller: Susana S. Lemieux
Date: 09/06/23

TOLLAND

806 Colebrook River Road
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Kevin D. Littlefield
Seller: Grondin, Allan R. (Estate)
Date: 09/06/23

147 Thicket Road
Tolland, MA 01034
Amount: $166,658
Buyer: MCLP Asset Co. Inc.
Seller: Richard J. Whelden
Date: 09/11/23

WESTFIELD

36 Cross St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Alaa Altush
Seller: Michael F. Smith
Date: 09/15/23

20 East Glen Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $215,500
Buyer: Lorraine Beston
Seller: Christopher Dupras
Date: 09/05/23

21 East Bartlett St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $800,000
Buyer: Jojo Investment LLC
Seller: NE Properties LLC
Date: 09/12/23

41 Highland Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $291,000
Buyer: Michael J. Manz
Seller: Talmadge, Elizabeth A. (Estate)
Date: 09/12/23

31 Holyoke Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Nikolas Neto
Seller: David M. Murphy
Date: 09/15/23

261 Honey Pot Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Jeanette Belashov
Seller: Donald C. Gauthier
Date: 09/05/23

152 Montgomery St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $291,000
Buyer: Nileshkumar Maskare
Seller: Jessica Mitchell
Date: 09/14/23

77 Old Stage Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $297,600
Buyer: Jeffrey W. Saalfrank
Seller: Dorothea A. Saalfrank
Date: 09/12/23

123 Prospect St., Ext.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Spencer J. Murphy
Seller: Ion Mata
Date: 09/08/23

16 Russell Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: NRES LLC
Seller: Allan Ouimet
Date: 09/14/23

1008 Russell Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Jonathan Huertas
Seller: Jeremy A. Black-Manazer
Date: 09/15/23

8 Sherwood Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Artem Omelnytskyi
Seller: Island RT
Date: 09/06/23

555 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: Chlastawas LLC
Seller: Lewinski, Alexander (Estate)
Date: 09/14/23

627 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $193,164
Buyer: Andrew D. Kurtz
Seller: Margaret A. Kurtz
Date: 09/06/23

15 Sunbriar Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $342,500
Buyer: Roselyn P. Garcia
Seller: Secretary Of Housing USA
Date: 09/08/23

155 Yeoman Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: Andrea L. Leclair
Seller: Damien Roberts
Date: 09/15/23

WILBRAHAM

48 Brainard Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Mark R. Hall
Seller: Paul A. Cacciola
Date: 09/07/23

699 Glendale Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $544,000
Buyer: Ian A. Carter
Seller: Brigid LLC
Date: 09/13/23

77 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: HRD Holdings LLC
Seller: Krishna N. Kumar
Date: 09/08/23

155 Soule Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Arkadiusz Dobronski
Seller: Margaret A. Denby
Date: 09/13/23

301 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $605,000
Buyer: David Deforest
Seller: Moltenbrey Builders LLC
Date: 09/14/23

WEST SPRINGFIELD

77 Albert St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Emily Florence
Seller: Matthew Bishop
Date: 09/15/23

38 Ames Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Jeanelle Santiago
Seller: Mihail Orlov
Date: 09/11/23

31 Christopher Ter.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Alex W. Wytas
Seller: Panza, Jeffrey (Estate)
Date: 09/15/23

419 Dewey St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $249,088
Buyer: Zaide Soufane
Seller: Ontour Properties Inc.
Date: 09/15/23

Galaska Dr., Lot 6
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Kenneth L. Maryea
Seller: David W. Maryniski
Date: 09/08/23

130 Greenleaf Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Annaka Paradis-Burnett
Seller: Christopher Savenko
Date: 09/12/23

 

Hyde Road, Lot 7
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Dans Construction Service Inc.
Seller: John G. Kudlic
Date: 09/15/23

80 Prince Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $317,500
Buyer: Erik Valdes
Seller: Ratna Basnet
Date: 09/08/23

43 Sheridan Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Wendy Z. Diaz
Seller: Donnarenee A. Cook RT
Date: 09/13/23

145 South Blvd.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Lissy L. Medina
Seller: Michael Hennessy
Date: 09/06/23

14 Vernon Place
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $318,000
Buyer: Zachary R. Culver
Seller: Gary M. Gorman
Date: 09/05/23

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

143 Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Brian M. Salem
Seller: Marlene A. Salem
Date: 09/08/23

10 Carriage Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Patricia Dickenson
Seller: East Pleasant St. Partners
Date: 09/08/23

60 Country Corners Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $875,000
Buyer: Kira Kmetz
Seller: Christopher M. Hoch
Date: 09/06/23

26 Hop Brook Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $650,000
Buyer: Timothy Shea
Seller: Robin Oakes
Date: 09/15/23

119 Lindenridge Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $1,014,862
Buyer: Joshua D. Sayko
Seller: Bercume Construction LLC
Date: 09/08/23

BELCHERTOWN

16 Brandywine Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Timothy D. Beaulieu
Seller: Goodrow, Eileen T. (Estate)
Date: 09/07/23

 

16 Clark St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Wesley M. Keene
Seller: Brandon M. Coy
Date: 09/08/23

16 Keith Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: David W. Kann
Seller: David A. Tetreault
Date: 09/12/23

102 Munsell St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $590,000
Buyer: Geoffrey A. Zielenski
Seller: M. & G. Land Development LLC
Date: 09/15/23

13 Sarah Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Pamela Weissman
Seller: Cheryl A. Shaw
Date: 09/06/23

17 Sunny Crest Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Marilyn Champagne
Seller: M&G Property Group LLC
Date: 09/11/23

CHESTERFIELD

818 Main Road
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $418,000
Buyer: Lauren J. Friel
Seller: Karen Militana
Date: 09/14/23

EASTHAMPTON

2 Dartmouth St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $560,000
Buyer: Equity Trust Co. Custodian
Seller: East Mountain Inc.
Date: 09/11/23

330 East St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $397,500
Buyer: Kristen Eklund
Seller: Jennifer MacGregor
Date: 09/15/23

165 Ferry St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Rowan Geistmann
Seller: Steven A. Hughes
Date: 09/08/23

4 Kania St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $449,900
Buyer: Win Zaw
Seller: Ganulin FT
Date: 09/08/23

Kirby St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $397,500
Buyer: Kristen Eklund
Seller: Jennifer MacGregor
Date: 09/15/23

380 Main St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Doris Ducharme
Seller: Gail A. Vishaway
Date: 09/08/23

150 Northampton St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $850,000
Buyer: Michibata LLC
Seller: F. K. & Frances E. Fedor FT
Date: 09/15/23

GOSHEN

46 Westshore Dr.
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Nicole Vankim
Seller: Linda Masek
Date: 09/12/23

GRANBY

156 Burnett St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Jennifer M. Marion
Seller: Stephen F. Marion
Date: 09/06/23

HADLEY

46 Huntington Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: Erica Verrillo
Seller: Jeremy Ober
Date: 09/12/23

North Branch Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: Christopher F. Baj
Seller: Mish Potato & Produce
Date: 09/12/23

HUNTINGTON

18 Blandford Hill Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Benjamin E. Vega
Seller: Andrew Seeberg
Date: 09/15/23

NORTHAMPTON

212 Acrebrook Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: S. Hoffmaster-Bachrach
Seller: Patricia A. Duffy
Date: 09/11/23

321 Bridge St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Healthy Neighborhoods Group LLC
Seller: Robert Zuraw
Date: 09/07/23

28 Columbus Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Plata O. Plomo Inc.
Seller: Schroder FT
Date: 09/08/23

21 Franklin St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,850,000
Buyer: Dowsett FT
Seller: Harvey Silberstein
Date: 09/06/23

79 King St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $2,600,000
Buyer: 79 King Street LLC
Seller: 79 King Street NT
Date: 09/15/23

115 Moser St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $747,000
Buyer: Alan M. Gates
Seller: Tapan V. Pujara
Date: 09/06/23

63 Olander Dr.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $782,000
Buyer: Donald L. Darnell
Seller: Gary Richardson
Date: 09/15/23

71 Pleasant St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Spring Capital LLC
Seller: Gary R. Champagne LT
Date: 09/08/23

24 Wilson Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Kathleen Regan
Seller: Elizabeth M. George
Date: 09/06/23

47 Winslow Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $294,000
Buyer: Jonathan Schluenz
Seller: Donna A. Akers
Date: 09/07/23

PLAINFIELD

31 West St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $304,500
Buyer: Sarah M. Fournier-Scanlon
Seller: R. T. & Rita D. Hughes IRT
Date: 09/12/23

SOUTH HADLEY

30 Alvord Place
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Ronald J. Pete
Seller: John P. Sullivan
Date: 09/13/23

38 Ridge Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $422,500
Buyer: Maureen Walsh
Seller: Jeffrey Doucette
Date: 09/12/23

39 School St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Luke D. Parsons
Seller: Lorraine R. Manley
Date: 09/08/23

Smith St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Scott Family Properties LLC
Seller: Bessie A. Nicodemus
Date: 09/15/23

21 Taylor St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Ernest D. Harris
Seller: Segundo E. Huanca-Huanca
Date: 09/15/23

SOUTHAMPTON

Gil Farm Road Lot 3
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Ivan Urgin
Seller: Gil Farm Road Estates Inc.
Date: 09/15/23

8 Gil Farm Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $795,000
Buyer: Reginald E. Greene
Seller: David A. Hardy Contractor
Date: 09/11/23

116 Middle Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $544,000
Buyer: Diane Kaemmer
Seller: Michael S. Cianciola
Date: 09/06/23

182 Pomeroy Meadow Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $332,500
Buyer: Geoffrey M. Parenteau
Seller: J. V. & Celia A. Garstka IRT
Date: 09/15/23

WARE

100 Church St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Miguel E. Ocasio
Seller: Muri, Marjorie A. (Estate)
Date: 09/08/23

30 Greenwich Plains Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $235,500
Buyer: Sawyer M. Blake
Seller: Rachel Heyn
Date: 09/11/23

208 Old Belchertown Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $307,000
Buyer: Roxanne Kasehagen
Seller: Gerald H. Clough
Date: 09/06/23

198 Osborne Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $234,000
Buyer: Paul E. Folta
Seller: Winners O. LLC
Date: 09/14/23

1-5 Vernon St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Ross Shong
Seller: Stephanie Rodriguez
Date: 09/15/23

50 Warebrook Village
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Tanya Cournoyer
Seller: Federal National Mortgage Assn.
Date: 09/14/23

13 Willow St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $248,000
Buyer: Steven J. Oster
Seller: Nu-Way Mobile Home Supplies
Date: 09/13/23

WILLIAMSBURG

2 Deer Haven Dr.
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $965,000
Buyer: Jennifer Chrisler
Seller: Jacob H. Schauer
Date: 09/07/23

109 Petticoat Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $687,500
Buyer: Pamela K. Hilliard
Seller: Sarah E. Christiansen
Date: 09/15/23

49 South Main St.
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $552,000
Buyer: Halie M. Rando
Seller: Leatrice T. Archbald
Date: 09/15/23

Building Permits

By
Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the month of September 2023.

CHICOPEE

Alden Edge LLC
510 McKinstry Ave.
$41,499 — Roofing

EASTHAMPTON

Julia Gawle
90-106 Union St.
$49,610 — Remodel store due to water damage, replace all electrical and heating, new drywall and flooring

Valley Programs Inc.
79 East St.
$27,500 — Roofing

HADLEY

Paul Benjamin
2 Bay Road
N/A — Replace five windows

BH Real Estate LLC
14 South Maple St.
N/A — HVAC-related sheet-metal work for new Ideal Storage

Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School
317 Russell St.
N/A — Install rock-climbing wall in gym

Russell Street Hospitality LLC
340 Russell St.
N/A — Verizon Wireless to install cellular equipment

W/S Hadley Properties II LLC
337 Russell St.
N/A — Roofing at Mountain Farms Mall

W/S Hadley Properties II LLC
351 Russell St., Suite 60
N/A — Roofing at Barnes & Noble

LEE

Sandra Siegel, Todd Siegel
880 East St.
$1,000 — Replace four double windows

PITTSFIELD

CIG5 LLC
549 Dalton St.
$15,000 — Roofing

Clock Tower Partners
75 South Church St.
$58,000 — Build out five tenant spaces on third floor

Eric Damasca
346 Wahcohah St.
$2,000 — Siding

Martin Group Real Estate LLC
101 Wahconah St.
$3,125 — Re-pipe wet chemical fire-suppression system to cover changed appliances

 

One Forty Lburg LLC
45 Downing Parkway
$7,560 — Install roof-mounted solar array

Ronald Ouimet
501 Wahconah St.
$8,600 — Roofing

Passardi Family Holding LLC
160 North St.
$8,740 — Relocate existing pendent heads on second flood based on new floor plan for SaVida Health

Plastics Realty Corp.
1 Plastics Ave.
$336,950 — Roofing

South Street Plaza LLC
163 South St.
$9,900 — Modify existing fire sprinkler system to accommodate new ceilings and partitions

Threshold 21E LLC
144 North St.
$14,000 — Sheetrock ceiling, tape, and prepare for paint

Two Thirty Nine West Street LLC
239 West St.
$25,000 — Roofing

SPRINGFIELD

1441 Main Street LLC
1441 Main St.
$210,000 — Install eight new windows on second floor

Baystate Medical Center Inc.
50 Wason Ave.
$74,500 — Alter interior for waiting room fire separation on second floor

Kim Gumlaw, Roy Gumlaw
512 St. James Ave.
$14,900 — Roofing

Toney Hawley
31 Lawnwood St.
$33,000 — Install six solar panels to roof of detached garage

Nalani Capital LLC
494 Belmont Ave.
$325,000 — Alter interior for new office spaces on ground level for Better Life Home Care, install new windows

Park Ave Holdings LLC
795 Worcester St.
$20,000 — Alterior/interior tenant office space for Orchard Commo ns

Pioneer Check Cashing Inc.
745 Carew St.
$87,012.33 — Repair exterior wall at Liberty Package Store damaged by car impact

Springfield Library and Museums Assoc.
63 Chestnut St.
$50,000 — Install 31 replacement windows

Tech Foundry Opens Applications for Spring Classes

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Tech Foundry, the regional leader in IT workforce development and training, has opened applications for its spring 2024 IT support classes, which will run from Feb. 12 through June 14, 2024.

Tech Foundry’s training includes 14 weeks of tech-focused classes supported by professional-development activities and individualized coaching and tutoring, followed by four weeks of internship experience and ongoing job-placement support. Tech Foundry’s graduates successfully launch careers in IT help-desk and technical-support roles, as well as network administration and digital-imaging and deployment positions, leading to living-wage jobs in the tech sector.

To apply, visit thetechfoundry.org/the-program/apply-now and complete the application by Dec. 31.

New England Public Media Welcomes Six New Staff Members

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — New England Public Media announced that six professionals recently joined the staff.

“What a joy it is to see our team grow,” said Matt Abramovitz, president of New England Public Media. “We’re lucky to welcome a group of such talented and energetic co-workers from across the region, ready to roll up their sleeves and serve all the people of Western Mass. It’s been inspiring to get to know each of them and see their commitment to our mission.”

Vanessa Lima is NEPM’s new senior business manager. She comes to NEPM from the city of Springfield’s Administration and Finance Division, where she was a deputy project director. Prior to that, she worked with the Springfield Police Department, Baystate Health, and Boston Public Schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst.

Cathy Zimmerman joins NEPM as accounts payable clerk. She has been an accountant for more than 20 years, serving nonprofit and for-profit organizations, including the United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region, Argotec in Greenfield, and the Sisters of Providence Health in Holyoke. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Elms College.

Maria Burke is stepping into the role of senior major gifts officer. An experienced fundraising strategist, she served as director of Development at Springfield Symphony Orchestra for several years. She is also the founder of the WillPower Foundation, a regional nonprofit serving individuals living with disabilities in Western Mass.

Nancy Dieterich is NEPM’s interim director of corporate sponsorship. She has more than 40 years of experience working in public and commercial media, including serving as managing director of Local Corporate Sponsorship at GBH and general manager of Boston’s WCRB. She attended the College of Liberal Arts at Pennsylvania State University at McKeesport.

Jonthany Rivera and Jill McNally join NEPM as multimedia account executives. Rivera is a recent graduate from Westfield State University with a degree in communications focusing on journalism. McNally joins NEPM after spending 30 years in the broadcast industry in various roles. Most recently, she worked for Saga Communications for WRSI/WHMP, Rock 102, and other radio stations in marketing and sales. Before that, she worked at Connecticut stations WTIC and WTRC as an account executive.

Free Legal-help Hotline Scheduled for Oct. 12

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Hampden County Bar Assoc. Legal Clinic, in conjunction with Western New England University School of Law, will hold a legal-help hotline on Thursday, Oct. 12 from 4 to 7 p.m.

Local, experienced attorneys will be available to provide legal advice on various topics, including divorce and family, bankruptcy, business, employment, landlord/tenant, and real estate. Individuals needing advice should call (413) 782-1659 to speak to a volunteer.

Difference Makers Nominations Due by Dec. 8

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Do you know someone who is truly making a difference in the Western Mass. region? BusinessWest invites you to nominate an individual or group for its 16th annual Difference Makers program. Nominations for the class of 2024 must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8.

Difference Makers was launched in 2009 as a way to recognize the contributions of agencies and individuals who are contributing to quality of life in this region. Past honorees have come from dozens of business and nonprofit sectors, proving there’s no limit to the ways people can impact their communities.

So, let us know who you think deserves to be recognized as a Difference Maker in our upcoming class by visiting businesswest.com/difference-makers-nomination-form to complete the nomination form. Honorees will be profiled in an upcoming issue of BusinessWest and celebrated at a gala in the spring.

BusinessTalk with Carl Mercieri, vice president of Marois Construction

By
Business Talk Podcast Special Coverage

We are excited to announce that BusinessWest has launched a new podcast series, BusinessTalk. Each episode will feature in-depth interviews and discussions with local industry leaders, providing thoughtful perspectives on the Western Massachuetts economy and the many business ventures that keep it running during these challenging times.

Go HERE to view all episodes

Episode 182: October 9, 2023

Joe Bednar Interviews Carl Mercieri, vice president of Marois Construction

Carl Mercieri

The 50th anniversary of any business is a notable milestone, and Marois Construction not only celebrated that achievement last year, but recorded one of its strongest years in memory. The firm’s work — in a variety of sectors, both public and private — continues steadily in 2023, despite ongoing industry challenges ranging from inflation to supply uncertainty; from workforce shortages to a lot of wet weather in Western Mass. On the next episode of BusinessTalk, Carl Mercieri, vice president of the South Hadley-based company, talks with BusinessWest Editor Joe Bednar about how Marois has navigated these challenges while continuing to make its mark on the region in its second half-century. It’s must listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest and sponsored by PeoplesBank.

Sponsored by:

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Kuhn Riddle Architects Receives AIA Award

By
Daily News

AMHERST — Kuhn Riddle Architects has been designated a 2023 Emerging Professionals Friendly Firm. The award is presented annually by the New England American Institute of Architects, and Kuhn Riddle has been awarded this title for the third year in a row.

The award is presented to architecture firms which demonstrate initiatives that promote the advancement of emerging architectural professionals. The firm must evaluate their policies from an emerging professional lens, show recognition of emerging professionals at their firm, and value the development of emerging professionals to sustain the future growth of their practice.

Application for the award must be completed cooperatively by an emerging professional and a firm principal. Kuhn Riddle currently has five emerging professionals who are going through the licensure process.

MCLA’s Education Department to Offer MTEL Preparation Workshops

By
Daily News

NORTH ADAMS — The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) Education Department will offer preparation workshops for those considering taking the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 28 and 29.

The workshops will be held in an online, synchronous format, with two sessions each day. The first session will be held from 9 a.m. to noon and will cover Communication and Literacy, and the second session, held from 1 to 4 p.m., will focus on Foundations of Reading.

Passing the MTEL is a requirement for teacher licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Each class will focus on a specific test and will be taught by instructors knowledgeable in both the content/skill area and the test. The workshops are open to the community. Register online at lnk.mcla.edu/mtel.

M.L. Schmitt Golf Tournament Raises $44,000 for Two Organizations

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — M.L. Schmitt Inc. hosted a charity golf tournament at Springfield Country Club on Oct. 2 in celebration of its 100th anniversary in business.

Eighty-eight golfers enjoyed an 18-hole scramble under sunny skies and concluded their evening with dinner and a brief presentation. Because of the generosity of its sponsors, M.L. Schmitt’s charity golf tournament raised $44,000. The proceeds were split evenly between the Greater Holyoke YMCA and Baystate Children’s Hospital, which each received a $22,000 donation.

“Being in business for 100 years is a big milestone,” said Peter Coppez, president of M.L. Schmitt. “We wanted our celebration to be an event to give back to our community. We were humbled by our generous sponsors and thrilled to make our donations.”

Jean Pierre Crevier, vice president of M.L. Schmitt, added that “one of the strengths of our company is the relationships that we have forged with both our vending partners and our customers. Without them, this event would not have been successful. We are forever grateful for the support.”

M.L. Schmitt has done work for both the Greater Holyoke YMCA and Baystate Children’s Hospital and wanted to give to both organizations.

“We are so grateful, and so appreciative you thought to donate to the Y,” said Kathy Viens, director of the Greater Holyoke YMCA. “As a not-for-profit, support from companies like this are needed for us to make our programs and activities affordable for all. A donation of this size is truly incredible.”

Mia Goreck, Special Programs & Events coordinator for Baystate Health Foundation, accepted the donation on behalf of Baystate Children’s Hospital. “Baystate Health and the children and families we serve at Baystate Children’s Hospital are thankful for your donation,” she said.

Healthcare Heroes Tickets Available This Week Only

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — On Thursday, Oct. 26, BusinessWest and the Healthcare News will honor nine individuals as 2023 Healthcare Heroes at a celebration dinner at Marriott Springfield Downtown.

The deadline for purchasing tickets is Friday, Oct. 13. Tickets cost $90 per person, and reserved tables of 10 are available. Visit businesswest.com/healthcareheroes to reserve a spot.

The Healthcare Heroes class of 2023 was announced and profiled in the Sept. 18 issue of BusinessWest and at businesswest.com. Honorees include Jody O’Brien of the Urology Group of Western New England (Lifetime Achievement), Cindy Senk of Movement for All (Community Health), Ashley LeBlanc of Mercy Medical Center (Emerging Leader), Ellen Ingraham-Shaw of Baystate Medical Center (Emerging Leader), Dr. Mark Kenton of Mercy Medical Center (Healthcare Administration), Kristina Hallett of Bay Path University (Health Education), Gabriel Mokwuah and Joel Brito of Holyoke Medical Center (Innovation in Healthcare), and Julie Lefer Quick of the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System (Healthcare Provider).

Event sponsors include presenting sponsors Elms College and Baystate Health/Health New England, and partner sponsors Holyoke Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center/Trinity Health, and the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation and the Institute for Applied Life Sciences at UMass Amherst.

The Mighty Oktoberfest Postponed to Nov. 3-4

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Due to heavy rain in the forecast this weekend, the Student Prince and the Fort Restaurant have postponed the Mighty Oktoberfest to Friday and Saturday, Nov. 3-4.

The Mighty Oktoberfest kicks off for two nights on Nov. 3 at 5:30 p.m. with the Berkshire Mountain Wanderers on stage and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno on site to tap the ceremonial keg. Oktoberfest food will include bratwurst, knockwurst, and burgers, with a full menu indoors that includes German fare such as sauerbraten, braised lamb, and pork shanks.

Other live music includes Trailer Trash at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by Saturday’s lineup of Berkshire Mountain Wanderers at 5 p.m., American Badass (Kid Rock tribute) at 6 p.m., Jagged Little Pam (Alanis Morissette tribute) at 7:15 p.m., and a Foo Fighters tribute at 8:30 p.m.

“There’s nothing like Oktoberfest to welcome the fall season, and we are proud to keep the tradition alive in 2023 with one of the most authentic Oktoberfest celebrations around,” said Peter Picknelly, co-owner of the Student Prince and the Fort. “Join us for non-stop live music, good times, food and drink, and a barrel of fun in downtown Springfield.”

Single-night and two-night passes are available at the gate and in advance by clicking here. Passes include one complimentary ‘haus beer’ from a list for those who are 21 or older.

Attorney Amelia Holstrom Named to Top Women of the Law

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Attorney Amelia Holstrom of Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. has been recognized as one of the 2023 Top Women of Law by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. The Top Women of the Law program celebrates the outstanding achievements of exceptional women in the legal profession. Each year, the publication and accompanying event — scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 1 — honors women who have demonstrated great accomplishments in their field.

“Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly has a long tradition of recognizing pioneers and role models in the legal field,” Holstrom said. “I am honored and humbled to be recognized among so many exceptional women in the legal profession.”

Holstrom has been with Skoler Abbott since 2012 and was named a partner in 2019. She defends employers in litigation involving claims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation, wage-and-hour violations, contract disputes, and other employment issues. She also advises clients with respect to compliance challenges, personnel policies, and day-to-day employment issues, and provides custom training programs and materials on a variety of important topics, including harassment, paid and unpaid leave, and ADA accommodations.

Holstrom is an active participant in the Greater Springfield community. She is chair of the Wilbraham Personnel Advisory Board and a member of the Wilbraham Commission on Disability, the boards of Clinical and Support Options Inc. and the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, the board development committee for Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts, and the personnel committee for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

Elms College to Host Mary Dooley Lecture on Oct. 18

By
Daily News

CHICOPEE — On Wednesday, Oct. 18, the Institute for Theology and Pastoral Studies at Elms College will host the fall 2023 Mary Dooley Lecture at 4 p.m. in the Alumnae Library Theater on the Elms College campus. This free lecture is open to the public.

The featured speaker at the Mary Dooley Lecture will be Katherine Schmidt, associate professor and chair of Theology and Religious Studies at Molloy University in Rockville Centre, N.Y. In her remarks, “Faith in a Digital Age,” she will speak on how faith has been transformed in current society and provide her thoughts on identifying faith in the digital culture.

Schmidt’s research focuses on the relationship of theology and culture, specifically digital culture and technology. She is the author of Virtual Communion: Theology of the Internet and the Catholic Sacramental Imagination.

This lecture is named after the late Sr. Mary Dooley ’44, who served as president of Elms College from 1979 to 1994. Prior to her presidency, she was a member of the Elms faculty and served as chair of the Language Department.

Country Bank Grants $25,000 to Revitalize Community Development Corp.

By
Daily News

WARE — Country Bank is a supporter of Revitalize Community Development Corp. (CDC) in Springfield, which performs critical repairs, modifications, and rehabilitation on the homes and nonprofit facilities of low-income families with children, elderly military veterans, and people with special needs.

“Revitalize CDC has supported so many families in our community by helping them to maintain safe and healthy homes. Meanwhile, they have spent decades themselves in need of a permanent home to be able to continue this important work and expand their offerings,” said Ben Leonard, senior vice president and Commercial Banking team leader at Country Bank and vice chair of the Revitalize CDC board. “Country Bank is honored to contribute $25,000 toward providing Revitalize CDC with this new home. We are confident that they will be able to broaden their impact exponentially with this building, along with increased storage capacity and the continued drive to do more for our neighbors in need.”

“All of us at Revitalize CDC could not express enough gratitude for Country Bank’s generosity,” said Colleen Shanley-Loveless, president and CEO of Revitalize CDC. “Your corporate partnership and support of our capital campaign to build a warehouse/distribution center will help us serve more families in need. Our appreciation is immeasurable for your trust in us and contribution to our mission.”

Greater Northampton Chamber Welcomes Claire Kelly

By
Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) announced the hiring of Claire Kelly as senior manager of Investor and Community Relations. She brings broad skills and deep experience in entrepreneurship, educational programming, and event management to the role. She also has a strong appreciation for the local community, having lived in the Pioneer Valley for the past 10 years.

“I am excited to introduce Claire to our local businesses, nonprofits, volunteers, and other supporters of the GNCC,” said Vince Jackson, the chamber’s executive director. “Her history as a successful small-business owner gives her a unique perspective that will serve our member-investors well as she partners with them to support a thriving economy and community.”

Before coming to the chamber, Kelly spent seven years as founder and director of Educational Experiences Abroad, a custom academic service provider that specialized in study-abroad programs, primarily in Cuba. An innovative self-starter, she successfully navigated the fast-changing regulatory environment in the U.S.-Cuba travel industry, and delivered educational experiences and programs for a diverse group of clients. Prior to that, she directed business-development activities and designed custom program at Amherst-based Spanish Studies Abroad. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Gettysburg College and a master’s degree in Spanish linguistics from Middlebury College.

About her new role, and her pivot away from the global education industry, Kelly said, “I want to bring my experience to bear on critical local missions. I especially look forward to applying my skills to support local businesses and the community I love.”