Michael Sweet Joins Bulkley Richardson

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Bulkley Richardson announced that Mike Sweet has joined the firm as a partner in the Business and Finance department.

Sweet started his career at a Wall Street-based law firm and has been practicing in Springfield for the past 25 years. His practice focuses on representing businesses and the people that own and manage those businesses through all stages of their business cycle, as well as in their personal lives.

“This is an exciting development for the firm and furthers our goals for continued growth and talent acquisition,” said Dan Finnegan, managing partner. “Mike has established longtime relationships with his clients and continues to achieve successful results for them. He has earned the reputation of a great lawyer, and we feel honored to have him on our team.”

EforAll/EparaTodos Holyoke Looking for Volunteers

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Daily News

HOLYOKE — EforAll/EparaTodos Holyoke is actively seeking both English- and Spanish-speaking volunteers to participate as mentors in the winter 2022 business accelerator program.

Accelerator mentors come from a variety of backgrounds and use their business and leadership experience to guide new entrepreneurs through the process of turning their idea into a growing business. Mentors work in teams of three and are matched with an entrepreneur based on schedule availability and the desire to work together. The team meets as a group to help reaffirm topics and themes raised during classes, while also strategizing with the entrepreneur on how to reach their specific goals during the program.

This is a high-touch, year-long commitment. Mentor teams have weekly 90-minute virtual meetings for three months and then meet once a month for the following nine months. Spanish speakers are especially needed. Anyone looking for an interactive and meaningful volunteer opportunity and interested in learning more about EforAll should e-mail [email protected].

Western Mass Job Trail Hiring Events Looking to Jumpstart Careers

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau (GSCVB), the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC), and MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board have partnered to produce a regional in-person job fair called the Western Mass Job Trail. On consecutive Wednesdays, Sept. 8 and 15, dozens of participating businesses will host hiring events at their locations in an effort to help fill the hundreds of jobs available in the region.

Job seekers will be directed to participating businesses where they can walk in, fill out an application, get an interview, and maybe even a job on the spot. Available positions are posted at explorewesternmass.com and www.westernmassedc.com. Participating businesses will place balloons and signage at their hiring locations until their jobs are filled.

“So many of our tourism partners have asked us to help spread the word about individual hiring events that we decided to implement a more regional approach to our industry’s critical employee shortage,” GSCVB President Mary Kay Wydra said. “As a popular New England visitor destination, our members need to be fully staffed to accommodate and properly serve locals and visitors alike.”

Rick Sullivan, CEO and president of the EDC, added that “the Western Mass Job Trail is an innovative way to engage our residents who are looking for employment, while simultaneously supporting our corporate businesses in the region. We look forward to the positive outcome this initiative will have on workforce development.”

Businesses can still get involved in the Western Mass Job Trail by contacting the GSCVB ([email protected]) or the EDC ([email protected]).

Attorney Vanessa Smith Appointed to HCC Board of Trustees

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Vanessa Smith, senior vice president and chief legal officer for Baystate Health, has been appointed to the Holyoke Community College (HCC) board of trustees by Gov. Charlie Baker. The term will run until March 1, 2025.

“I am passionate about education and its ability to empower, inspire, break down barriers, and create pathways to opportunity,” Smith said. “I am honored to begin my service as trustee during Holyoke Community College’s celebration of its 75th anniversary, and I look forward to helping shape its bright future.”

Smith has worked for Baystate Health since 2016 as associate general counsel, vice president, chief general counsel, and now senior vice president and chief legal officer. Prior to that, she was a partner in the law firm Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP in Springfield. She has also worked as an assistant attorney general in the New York Attorney General’s Office in Syracuse and as a court attorney for the New York State Court of Appeals. She holds a law degree from Syracuse University College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in French from Wells College.

“We are excited to welcome Vanessa Smith to the HCC board of trustees,” HCC President Christina Royal said. “Her background and experience at one of the region’s largest employers will benefit HCC as we continue to adapt to serve the needs of our students and community in the years to come.”

Smith attended her first HCC board meeting on Aug. 24 over Zoom, where she was introduced by board chair Robert Gilbert.

“The HCC board of trustees is very pleased to welcome Attorney Smith to the college as its newest trustee,” Gilbert said. “Trustee Smith, a Holyoke resident, compliments the already diverse skill sets of our board. We look forward to her participation as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the college.”

Gift of $50 Million from Robert and Donna Manning Is Largest in UMass History

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Daily News

BOSTON — The University of Massachusetts announced it will receive a cash gift of $50 million from Robert and Donna Manning. The gift, the largest of any kind in the university’s history, is aimed at increasing access and opportunity across the five-campus university system.

The first distribution of the $50 million will be $15 million to endow the UMass Boston Nursing program, which will become the Robert and Donna Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The funds will be focused on supporting student diversity and ensuring that the new cohort of nursing professionals are champions of equitable patient care.

Donna Manning’s 35-year career as an oncology nurse at Boston Medical Center inspired the decision to focus the gift on nursing at UMass Boston. Known for her dedication to patients, Manning donated her salary to the hospital each year.

“For the majority of my career in Boston, I was struck by the fact that most of the nurses looked like me while most of the patients didn’t,” she said. “UMass Boston plays a critical role in supporting diversity in Boston, and I have seen firsthand how diversity in the nursing workforce can improve patient care and address health inequities. We look forward to actively working with the college on these important goals.”

The College of Nursing and Health Sciences is the fastest-growing college at UMass Boston and offers the only four-year public programs in Nursing and Exercise and Health Sciences in the Greater Boston area. The undergraduate and graduate population of approximately 2,100 students in the college is 19% black, 12% Latinx, and 11% Asian-American Pacific Islander.

“This transformational gift from Rob and Donna comes at the right time and the right place and for a beautiful cause: to foster a culture of healing and health equity in Boston and beyond. It will enable UMass Boston to take the education of the next generation of nurses nobly serving as caregivers to the next level of excellence and engagement,” UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco said. “Amidst a pandemic, rampant medical disinformation, nursing shortages, and the heroism of healthcare workers, we at UMass Boston are more committed than ever to cultivating extraordinary nursing talent. The Mannings’ historic gift will be put to use to nurture the next generation of health and wellness scientific expertise, but also the humane heart, the empathy and cultural awareness that define caregiving in its truest sense.”

In the coming months, the Mannings plan to announce distributions from the overall gift to improve access and opportunity on the other UMass campuses in Amherst, Dartmouth, Lowell, and Worcester.

“Donna and I are at a point in our lives where we want to make a real difference, and this was the best way to do that because we know what UMass does for students. It transforms lives,” said Robert Manning, who is chairman of MFS Investment Management and the long-time chair of the UMass board of trustees. “We firmly believe that UMass is the most important asset in the Commonwealth, and that the greatest thing we can do to support the Commonwealth is to support the UMass campuses and UMass students.”

The $50 million gift from the Mannings is a transformational moment for the UMass system, and would represent the largest-ever commitment received by the university even if it were not an upfront cash gift.

“The significance of this gift cannot be overstated,” UMass President Marty Meehan said. “Rob and Donna are two of our own. As first-generation college graduates, they experienced the transformational impact UMass has on students’ lives. Rob and Donna have always led by example in their philanthropy, and this remarkable gift is a call to action to the philanthropic community. It says that UMass is a good investment and an opportunity to have direct and immediate impact on the future of the Commonwealth. On behalf of the five campuses, we thank the Mannings for their incredible generosity and commitment to students.”

The Mannings were already among UMass’ greatest supporters, having committed more than $11 million to UMass Lowell, where the Manning School of Business bears their name. On the Lowell campus, they have endowed several faculty chairs, sponsored a nursing simulation lab, and established the Robert and Donna Manning Endowed Scholarship Fund. The Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching is awarded to faculty on all five UMass campuses for high-impact teaching.

MCLA Welcomes Three New Vice Presidents

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Daily News

NORTH ADAMS — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) recently welcomed three new vice presidents to its executive team: Joseph DaSilva, vice president of Administration and Finance; Richard Glejzer, vice president of Academic Affairs; and Jeannette Smith, vice president of Student Affairs.

The three new vice presidents were hired after an intensive search process that included multiple interviews and open meetings for campus community members, including students, faculty, and staff.

“I’m excited to have three highly experienced vice presidents join our campus community at this pivotal moment in higher education,” MCLA President James Birge said. “They’re already offering new perspective and thinking about ways to continue to carry out our mission of providing an affordable, high-quality education to our students.”

DaSilva has worked in public higher education for more than 28 years, the last 21 at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC). During his tenure as vice president of Administration and chief financial officer, he provided executive-level vision, leadership, planning, and direction, and managed all aspects of fiscal operations, facilities management, Campus Police, Information Technology, Student Financial Services, and Human Resources/Employee Benefits and Operations Center.

Glejzer was most recently the interim dean of Graduate Studies at Muhlenberg College, and previously served as provost and dean of Faculty at Marlboro College for 10 years. Prior to joining Marlboro, he served as professor and chair of English at North Central College and as chair of the college’s academic programs and policy committee. Among his other institutional duties, he served on the college’s steering committee and the dean’s academic advisory committee. He was a faculty liaison to the board of trustees. Earlier in his career at North Central, Glejzer revised the composition program as the director of Writing.

Smith is a scholar-practitioner with 16 years of work experience in higher education, having worked most recently as the associate dean of Student Affairs and Engagement at Evergreen State College. She was previously employed at Truckee Meadows Community College, the University of Nevada Reno, and Elmhurst College. Her practice areas of experience include student unions, residence life and dining, academic advising, financial aid, shared governance, and student employment. Her scholarship areas of interests include policy, equity, financial aid, and student development.

UMassFive Introduces Sam Einzig as Investment Advisor Assistant

By
Daily News

HADLEY — UMassFive College Federal Credit Union recently introduced Sam Einzig as the newest member of UMassFive’s Retirement Planning and Investments team available through CUSO Financial Services, L.P. He supports the credit union’s team of CFS financial advisors by scheduling appointments, sending appointment reminders, and helping with advisor administrative duties and service work. As an advisor assistant, he is also now the primary contact for current and prospective clients looking to work with the credit union’s trio of financial advisors.

Einzig has worked at UMassFive as a member service specialist since September 2018, prior to taking on his latest role with the Retirement Planning and Investments team. He is licensed as a producer of life insurance and accident and health or sickness insurance in Massachusetts, and is currently pursuing his FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities licenses. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where course studies in music business and taxation in the music industry kindled his interest in the financial world, as well as helping people.

Richard Swift Settles In as CEO at Health New England

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Cover Story

A Different Kind of Gig

For roughly two decades, Richard Swift hop scotched the country on a series of interim assignments during which he shared his considerable expertise with several different health plans. As fruitful as this niche has been for Swift, he has traded his ‘interim’ tag for something permanent at Health New England — the role of president and CEO — and at a very unique and challenging time, for him and the company.

Richard Swift says he applied for the position of interim chief financial officer at Health New England with the expectation that this assignment would be like all the other longer-term interim gigs that had dominated his résumé for the previous few decades.

To say that things haven’t turned out as he originally thought would be a huge understatement.

For starters, while he interviewed for the position at Health New England’s offices in Monarch Place in downtown Springfield and had the opportunity to meet many of those in the finance team before starting, once he was awarded the job, he wouldn’t set foot in those offices for close to six months, and only then for short, very infrequent stops.

His arrival coincided almost exactly with that of COVID, which would put him in a working environment unlike anything he was used to.

“I’m told I was the first person they remotely onboarded,” he said, adding that several days before his scheduled start date the company had begun “experimenting” with employees working remotely, experiments that went very well. “They said, ‘I guess we’ll just send you a laptop.’ They sent me a computer, the IT folks hooked me up … the first time I came into the office was in August.”

While that was a huge adjustment for him, there was an even bigger one to come later.

Indeed, he would soon lose the word ‘interim’ from his business card — only he never actually had any in the CFO role, to the best of his recollection — not only from that title, but from the one he would be given roughly a year ago — president and CEO, succeeding Marion McGowan, who would become executive vice president and chief operating officer at Baystate Health, which owns Health New England.

After roughly 20 years of taking on year-long assignments as president of Medwise Partners and flying home every weekend from wherever he was stationed to his home in Arizona, he was planting roots; he even bought one of the Classical High Condominiums. When asked why, and why at Health New England, he said, “this was the right opportunity at the right place at the right time.”

It’s certainly been a whirlwind 18 months for Swift, whose tenure has, indeed, been dominated by the pandemic in every way imaginable, from its impact on Health New England and all health plans, to how and where the 380 employees at the company get work done, to the company’s work within the community and how it has changed in some ways but not in any of the ones that matter.

In a wide-ranging interview from his office at Monarch — he’s been there for several months now, usually without much company — Swift talked about all of the above. And in so doing, he provided some keen insight into what it’s been like to manage during a period unlike anything that a business manager has seen before.

“One size is not going to fit all. And for the 360 of our 380 employees who have been remote for the past year and a half, it’s been an almost seamless process. So given the fact that it’s been successful, it makes it hard to say ‘you have to come back, because it hasn’t been successful and that’s the only way to make it work.’”

“We need to be sensitive to our diverse workforce and their diverse and different needs,” he said, while summing up the challenge of leading at this time. “As a leader, I need to be sensitive to these varying needs, and I need to make sure the organization is sensitive to them. One of the things this experience has taught me is the need to be adaptable — both personally, for myself, and the organization and everyone within it — and accessible.”

As for the pandemic and health plans like Health New England, he said COVID and the changes resulting from it have brought challenges in many shapes and sizes, including to the bottom line. Indeed, while 2020 saw insurers facing far fewer claims than would be considered normal, and most eventually issuing rebates to members, 2021 has seen a surge in claims, with many health plans posting losses in the second quarter.

Swift said Health New England posted losses in that quarter as well (specific numbers were not available), but it has been able to avoid layoffs and cutbacks while actually increasing its involvement in the community, financially and otherwise (more on that later).

As for where and how people work, Swift said the pandemic gave him a first-hand look at how effective employees can be when working from their home office or dining-room table.

And he is using that experience as he goes about setting policy for the company. Above all else, he said he’s learned that managers must be practical and flexible in such matters.

“One size is not going to fit all,” he noted. “And for the 360 of our 380 employees who have been remote for the past year and a half, it’s been an almost seamless process. So given the fact that it’s been successful, it makes it hard to say ‘you have to come back, because it hasn’t been successful and that’s the only way to make it work.’”

 

Assignment Desk

As he talked about his lengthy tenure as a consultant to a number of different health plans and life as an ‘interim,’ Swift said he thoroughly enjoyed what he considered a ‘niche,’ and a successful one at that.

“For me, it was fun to parachute in somewhere and learn new people, new things, and new places; I liked to travel — it was fun to go back and forth,” he told BusinessWest, adding that his various gigs took him to all corners of the country and for assignments — usually as CFO but also CEO and COO — that varied with the health plan in question.

“Sometimes they were eight months long, sometimes they were for a couple of years,” he explained. “In some cases, people left suddenly; in other cases, it wasn’t suddenly, but they realized that they didn’t necessarily have the successor they thought they had, or they knew they didn’t have one and were going into a search process.

“Sometimes they were successful, strong health plans that just needed some expertise, and some of them were turn-arounds,” he went on. “What I brought to the table was that experience of running that business.”

Health New England was looking to tap into that experience early in 2020 when its CFO announced his retirement and a search for a successor had commenced. As noted earlier, Health New England was going to be another one of those interim assignments.

“When I looked at what was going on here, and at the opportunities that Baystate has with Health New England and that Health New England has with Baystate, I realized that there is so much that we can do together in the Western Massachusetts market.”

But things didn’t go according to script, starting with day one — or actually, even before day one.

Indeed, Swift was scheduled to start in April of 2020. COVID, as we all know, made its arrival in the 413 in mid-March, abruptly changing the landscape for the company and its new CFO (he quickly lost the interim tag), who wouldn’t have to get on a plane to take on his latest assignment.

He recalls that leadership at the company was going to use March 13, 2020, a Friday, as an experiment to see how effectively people worked remotely. That experiment went so well, and COVID invaded so suddenly, that workers never came back. In his case, he never arrived.

“I remember that conversation about ‘we’ll just send you a computer and you’ll work remotely,’ and how stunned I was at the time,” he recalled. “Because in 20 years of interim work, I pretty much got on a plane every week and flew out to my client. I was in my office in whatever city it was, on site. So the notion of doing all this remotely … it took me a while to wrap my head around it.”

While making these adjustments, Swift would soon have to make some others as well.

Indeed, in June, as McGowan was assuming some duties at Baystate while still serving as president and CEO at Health New England, Swift picked up some additional responsibilities for the company. And in October of last year, as McGowan moved to Baystate full time, he was asked to become CEO — again, without the ‘interim’ before the title.

When asked what he saw in Health New England that made him accept a permanent position — he had declined a few offers of that type in the past — he said it was a combination of things, including the team that was in place at Health New England and the opportunities he saw to partner with Baystate in meaningful ways.

“When I looked at what was going on here, and at the opportunities that Baystate has with Health New England and that Health New England has with Baystate, I realized that there is so much that we can do together in the Western Massachusetts market,” he said. “And I was really excited by those possibilities.”

 

By the Numbers

Looking back on his first 18 months with the company — and ahead to what might come next — Swift said this has obviously been a different and very challenging time for Health New England, and all health plans.

And the pandemic is just one reason why, albeit a big reason. At first, it contributed to a steep decline in claims because people were not visiting the doctor or seeking help even if they needed it. And then, it prompted a huge surge as people went back to the doctor and the emergency room, often with conditions made more serious by not seeking care through most of 2020. Meanwhile, treating COVID itself has often required lengthy and very expensive hospital stays.

“We’re certainly seeing more members having more claims and more services, and more-costly services than we did in 2019,” he said, adding that all this certainly contributed to the company’s second-quarter losses.

Richard Swift

Richard Swift

“COVID has brought a tremendous level of uncertainty. So all of us who put plans and benefits and rates in place for 2021 did that in the summer of 2020 in the middle of COVID, trying to understand what that would look like, and we’re doing it now for 2022, and we don’t know what next month is going to look like, let alone six months from now.”

But mostly, the pandemic has created uncertainty and even greater difficulty forecasting into the future, which creates problems for health plans, Swift noted.

“We set rates well in advance based on what we think our costs are going to be, and we don’t really have a chance to revisit those until the next year,” he explained. “And we obviously don’t know what the services are going to be or what new technologies are going to emerge.”

Elaborating, he said that telehealth technology certainly came of age during COVID, and Health New England, like many health plans, had previously created a telehealth benefit for members.

“In all of 2019, we had something like 850 or 900 total claims for telehealth visits; over the past year, it has averaged almost 30,000 per month,” he noted, citing this as just one example of how quickly and profoundly the landscape can change and health plans can be impacted by those changes.

Vaccines are another example, he said, adding that health plans couldn’t anticipate a two-dose vaccine when they set rates for 2021 last year, and they couldn’t have anticipated a booster, or third shot, as they set rates for next year.

“COVID has brought a tremendous level of uncertainty,” Swift went on. “So all of us who put plans and benefits and rates in place for 2021 did that in the summer of 2020 in the middle of COVID, trying to understand what that would look like, and we’re doing it now for 2022, and we don’t know what next month is going to look like, let alone six months from now.”

As noted earlier, the surge in claims and other factors have generated losses for some health plans in recent quarters and prompted layoffs and cutbacks as well.

Health New England has been able to avoid such cuts, he said, adding that, in the meantime, it has been able to maintain and, in many ways, increase its financial support to the community and its business community, something Swift takes great pride in.
“Even with everything going on with COVID, we’ve continued, and increased, the community support in terms of activities, foundations, grants, and actually providing PPE and hand sanitizer to people who didn’t have the wherewithal and the ability to get it themselves,” he said. “A lot of companies have turned inward, and many of them have laid people off; we made a conscious decision not to lay people off if we could at all avoid it, and fortunately, we have been able to avoid that.”

Elaborating, he said the company adjusted some of its sponsorship activity to accommodate what it would call “COVID mini grants,” roughly $300,000 worth of them that were awarded to community organizations that needed support to address their COVID-related needs.

In addition, the company created Where Health Matters grants, multi-year grants totaling $50,000 to $150,000 awarded to organizations to help offset the effects of COVID on their operations.

 

Giving the Forecast

Moving forward, Swift said the company would continue its pattern of flexibility and responsiveness to changing conditions as a fall shrouded by uncertainty approaches.

As he talked with BusinessWest, he noted that he was one of very few employees in the building that day, and things would probably remain that way for the foreseeable future. Employees were slated to return, in a hybrid format, by this time, he went on, but there is now more of a wait-and-see approach than a definitive schedule.

Meanwhile, Health New England has joined a growing number of businesses, especially in the broad healthcare realm, that have made vaccination a requirement for employment, a step taken in the interest of maintaining the safety of employees and customers alike.

“One of the things we’ve said concerning our coming back to the office is that we don’t know what we don’t know,” he said. “The only thing we know for sure is that things are going to change.”

And with those sentiments, he summed up both the short term and what could be called the post-pandemic world — whenever that arrives. When it does, said Swift, noting that, in some respects, it is already here, it won’t look like the pre-pandemic world.

And that goes for everything from how and where employees work to how people will access healthcare.

With regard to the latter, telehealth will almost certainly continue to increase in popularity, he said, adding that while the numbers have fluctuated as the pandemic has waned and surged, the technology has gained a broad level of acceptance.

“I do think you’ll see a lot more movement to leverage the technology that’s out there and technology that’s being developed for care without having to traditionally go back and see your doctor in the office on their schedule,” he explained.

As for the office setting and what it will look like, Swift said things simply won’t go back to the way they were in 2019. Companies have learned that employees can work effectively in remote settings, and thus it only makes good business sense to allow them to continue doing so, either in a fully remote fashion or in a hybrid format now being tried by many area businesses of all sizes.

“We have some departments that, by and large, were partially remote before and will be partially, or maybe completely remote in the future,” he explained. “The work they’re doing is such that it’s fine remotely, and they’ll stay that way.

“We have not come out with any edicts that people have to be here on ‘x’ amount of days,” he went on. “Because we know that one size does not fit all and there are certain departments and functions that have very different needs than others; we came to the conclusion that an edict was as arbitrary as pre-COVID, Monday through Friday, 8 to 5, in some respects.”

And there’s a competitive aspect to creating flexibility with working conditions, he said, adding that Health New England can now hire talented individuals from outside the 413 and even outside the state because they have the ability to work remotely.

As for business strategy and long-term planning, Swift said COVID has certainly made such exercises more difficult. But companies still have to plan, he noted, adding that there must be layers of flexibility built into such plans.

“I think that COVID requires us to plan even further ahead, but be more nimble with those plans,” he explained. “Our original date for returning to the office was Sept. 1; with what’s happened over the past several weeks, we’ve pushed that back. But in the spring, we threw out that date of Sept. 1 as the one we were targeting, again with the caveat that everything is subject to change.”

 

Bottom Line

Swift told BusinessWest that, a few weeks back, his sister called him asking for recommendations on restaurants in Detroit, which she would soon be visiting.

He was able to help her, because that was one of the places he parachuted into while doing his consulting work.

That life has ended, at least temporarily, with a permanent assignment, one that is a far cry from what he thought he was originally signing up for back in March of 2020.

He was, by most accounts, the first Health New England employee to be onboarded remotely, but he certainly wasn’t the last. His first 18 months have been a learning experience on myriad levels, and in all ways it is still ongoing.

 

George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]

Reintroducing the 2021 40 Under Forty

By
Class of 2021 Special Coverage

In early May, BusinessWest, in keeping with a spring tradition, introduced its 40 Under Forty class of 2021.
Another tradition is to stage the gala to celebrate that class in late June. This year, due to COVID-19 and pending changes to the restrictions regarding large events, the gala was moved to Sept. 23. As that sold-out event nears, we thought it appropriate to reintroduce this stellar class of young leaders in the community.
They were the top scorers from a strong field of more than 200 unique nominations — a near-record number that made for a stern challenge for a panel of five judges.
As for the class of 2021, the honorees — 26 women and 14 men — hail from a host of different industries, from law to engineering; from education to healthcare; from energy to media, just to name a few. But there are, as always, some common denominators, including excellence within one’s profession, a commitment to giving back to the community, dedication to family and work/life balance, and a focus on what else they do in each of those realms.View this year’s 40 Under Forty digital flipbook here!

The class of 2021 will be celebrated on Thursday, Sept. 23 at the annual 40 Under Forty Gala at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. That gala will also feature the announcement of the winner of the seventh annual Alumni Achievement Award, a recognition program that salutes the 40 Under Forty honoree who has most impressively added to their accomplishments in the workplace and within the community, as chosen by a panel of judges.

40 Under Forty Class of 2021

Nicholas Amanti
Amy Ashford
Chris Bakker
Samantha Bilal
Ashley Bogle
Dr. Jessica Bossie
Lauren Figy Cadigan
Carly Camossi
Jes Charette-Fallon
Julissa Colón

Jessye Deane
Xiomara Albán DeLobato
Lindsey Gamble
Kiyota Garcia
Brendon Holland
Christopher Howland
Matthew Kushi
Kelly Lamas
Pema Latshang
Vonetta Lightfoot

Crystal Maldonado
Laura Mangini
Kevin Mattson
Joel McAuliffe
Chad Moir
Sarah Murphy
Matthew Nash
Lauren Ostberg
Kishore Parmar
Anne-Alise Pietruska

Joseph Popielarczyk
Claudia Quintero
Michael Regan
Yadilette Rivera-Colón
Victoria Ann Rodriguez
Elizabeth Sauer
Deepika Bains Shukla
Christopher Thibault
John Thomasian
Erin Zwisler

Presenting Sponsor

PeoplesBank_line

Sponsors

Alumni Achievement Award

When BusinessWest launched its 40 Under Forty program in 2007, it did so to identify rising stars across our region – individuals who were excelling in business and through involvement within the community –and celebrate their accomplishments. In 2015, BusinessWest announced a new award, one that builds on the foundation upon which 40 Under Forty was created. It’s called the Alumni Achievement Award (formerly the Continued Excellence Award). as the name suggests, will be presented to the 40 Under Forty honoree who, in the eyes of an independent panel of judges, has most impressively continued and built upon their track record of accomplishment.

This year’s nominations are CLOSED. Nominate next year’s Alumni Achievement Award recipient HERE.

2021 Alumni Achievement Award Presenting Sponsor

How Your Money Myths Limit Your Financial Success

By Contributor
Special Coverage Wealth Management

Dollars and Sense

 

There are many myths concerning money, with many of them transcending generations of people in the same family. The truth is that many of these myths — including the one about how money will make you happy and solve all your problems — are false. Worse, these myths tend to limit one’s thinking and limit their financial success.

By Charlie Epstein

 

Most people do not realize they have myths about their money.

And even more people don’t take the time to analyze where these myths come from and why people hold them to be true.

I have worked with thousands of people over the past 41 years as a financial advisor. In the process, I have identified 15 myths people have about their money, which limit their financial and personal success.

A myth is defined as “an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify something.” The biggest myth we have about money is that “it will make me happy and solve all my problems.”

Do you think money makes you happy?

Are you sure? Want to bet?

Did you know that 90% of all lottery winners go bankrupt within three to five years of winning the lottery? I’m talking millionaires. And the majority have stated they wish they never won the money. They’re miserable, depressed, and suicidal. How can this be?

“I am convinced that your money myths limit your thinking and impact how you approach your life and your finances.”

This happens because the most important thing in their life has been to get money, and now that they have it, they have no idea what to do with it. They often go on a massive shopping spree and buy all sorts of material items that don’t bring any lasting joy or fulfillment. And, more importantly, they stop working or doing anything productive to give their life purpose, meaning, and real value. What they fail to do is stop and ask themselves, “beyond money, what makes me happy?”

I am convinced that your money myths limit your thinking and impact how you approach your life and your finances. The three biggest financial myths most people have are:

1. My home mortgage needs to be paid off when I retire so I don’t have a payment;

2. I’ll be in a lower tax bracket when I retire; and

3. My home is an investment.

My father believed all three of these myths. When he retired, he and my mother moved to Florida to build the house of their dreams, on the golf course of his dreams. He was going to pay cash for that house — $500,000. He was 68 at the time. I said, “Dad, I want you to take out a mortgage instead.”

My dad was shocked. “A mortgage! For how long?”

I said, “for 30 years.”

“Thirty years!” my Dad bellowed. “I’ll be dead before it’s paid off!”

“So what do you care?” I smiled. “You’ll be dead!”

To which my father asked, “what will your mother do?”

I said, “she doesn’t play golf, and she doesn’t play mahjong, so if you die before her, I will sell that house and move her back north!”

I convinced my Dad to put $100,000 down and finance the other $400,000 with a 30-year mortgage at 5%. This was 1992. Bill Clinton had come into the White House and raised the marginal tax rate from 36% to 39.6%. There went money myth #2 — the belief he would be in a lower tax bracket when he retired (a belief I am sure many of you reading this article share).

That didn’t happen. The good news was, he could write off and deduct 40% of his mortgage payments in the first 15 years because it was all mostly interest. My dad was now ‘leveraging’ other people’s money (OPM) by using the bank’s money to take out a mortgage, and Uncle Sam’s money (USM) by deducting 40% of his mortgage payments.

The net cost for my dad to borrow the bank’s money was 3% (5% x 40% = 2%, which he could deduct, so his net cost to borrow that money was 3%). I said to my parents, “If I can’t make you net more than 3% on your $400,000, fire me as your financial advisor.” We averaged 7% to 8% on their money for the next 13 years of his life.

When my dad passed away, I sold my mother’s home in Florida, at a $100,000 loss. This was 2005, and the real-estate market in Florida was overbuilt, and no one wanted to be on a golf course. So much for the third money myth about your home being an investment. I than moved my mother back north and built her a home in an over-55 community. She was 79 at the time, and she said to me, with a twinkle in her eye, “son, do I get to take out a mortgage?” My mother is now 94, and she still has a mortgage — at 2.5%.

What does my mother care about? She only cares that she has enough money to pay for everything she desires to do. What do I care about? That I’m not tying up her money in a ‘dead asset’ — her home. She can’t eat it or drink it, and it doesn’t generate any income for her. And it is not an investment. I know I can make more than 2.5% on her money by using OPM to generate her even more income.

The key to being financially successful with your money is to understand how to maximize OPM and USM to make money on ‘the spread.’ The spread is the difference between what it costs to use other people’s money and what you can make investing your money somewhere else.

Let me add one big caveat to this discussion. If, psychologically, you must have your mortgage paid off so you can sleep at night … then pay it off. I always say psychology trumps economics. Just remember, you may feel good having it paid off, but economically, you won’t make as much of a return on your money and your assets.

 

Charlie Epstein is an author, entertainer, advisor, entrepreneur, and principal with Epstein Financial. He also presents a podcast, Yield of Dreams; yieldofdreams.live; (413) 478-8580.

PeoplesBank Expands Its Branch Presence into Hartford County

By
Banking and Financial Services Special Coverage

Open for Business

Romika Odedra says the branch’s layout emphasizes the customer experience.

Holyoke-based PeoplesBank recently expanded its presence in Connecticut with a branch in West Hartford. The new location is projected to help the bank grow its already considerable portfolio of consumer and commercial business from south of the border, especially in an ongoing climate of mergers and acquisitions.

 

When PeoplesBank opened its newest branch in West Hartford on August 30, it wasn’t exactly its first foray into Connecticut’s capital region. Far from it.

“This is a retail opening in West Hartford, but half of our commercial business is in Connecticut already — actually, about 60%,” said Matt Bannister, the bank’s senior vice president of Marketing & Corporate Responsibility.

“Some is up in the Granby-Windsor-Suffield area,” he went on, alluding to PeoplesBank’s first three Connecticut locations, in East Granby, Suffield, and West Suffield. “Some is down here in the Hartford region, and it actually goes all the way down to the shore. We’re kind of catching up with this retail storefront because the commercial customers want a presence here. They’ve been saying to us, ‘come down to Connecticut.’ And West Hartford just makes sense; it’s a great community, and a good place to be.”

Aleda De Maria, executive vice president of Consumer Banking and Operations, said a growing commercial presence in Hartford County cried out for a full-service physical branch.

“The banking centers are there for when they need a little more contact, when they have a little more complexity, or they just want to expand their relationship. We need to make sure we have everything.”

“We absolutely need it. The majority of our new accounts are still opened at brick-and-mortar locations. For more complex conversations, customers want to talk to a person, and they want to have that live interaction. There still is a need for that face-to-face contact.

“I think what the industry is trying to do with the self-service channels — with online, with mobile, with video bankers — is give people the ability to do the quick, day-to-day transactions when they want to, without having to park and go in and talk to somebody, and get it done quickly,” she went on. “The banking centers are there for when they need a little more contact, when they have a little more complexity, or they just want to expand their relationship. We need to make sure we have everything.”

Michael Oleksak, executive vice president and chief lending and credit officer, said all those Connecticut dollars in the bank’s commercial portfolio have not come mainly from the Granby-Suffield area, but predated those physical locations.

Matt Bannister with one of the West Hartford branch’s two interactive video teller machines.

Matt Bannister with one of the West Hartford branch’s two interactive video teller machines.

“We have a significant amount of business in the Greater Hartford area, specifically in the Farmington, Glastonbury, West Hartford communities and downtown Hartford, but we also go as far as New Haven and Greenwich. So our tentacles are fairly long when it comes to our Connecticut presence.

“Most of that is in commercial real estate, which tends to be more transactional,” he went on. “We are able to do a lot of full-service banking for these commercial real-estate customers because of our cash-management expertise and the different products we have, but without a branch presence, it’s really difficult to do business banking.”

The branch presence in West Hartford allows the team to do more commercial and industrial (C&I) lending, and complements a recent expansion of the bank’s C&I team with former TD Bank veterans, Oleksak noted.

“We have a very strong following now, and I think by having a physical presence there, we’ll become a more visible part of the community,” he went on. “We do support our current borrowers, including with a lot of their philanthropic initiatives, but it’s kind of behind the scenes because we don’t have a presence there. But with a physical presence, and with the disruption in the market with the M&T acquisition of People’s United, it will really open the door for us to be a bigger part of the community.”

De Maria agreed. “We’ve already created such a solid foundation with our name and then with the physical presence from the acquisition we did in Suffield in 2018,” she told BusinessWest. “And now, with our West Hartford presence, I think we have a solid opportunity to bring the service we provide for our commercial customers to our retail-customer world, and really marry those two sides together and make an impact.”

 

Making Contact

Many visitors to the new branch will first notice the interactive video tellers, one in the entry and one in the drive-thru lanes, bringing the bank’s total number of such machines to 22 at 17 locations. Users can call up a live teller in Holyoke who manages four or five machines at once.

“That way, we can be open seven days a week and have extended hours and not have to have people physically in the branch. And the video banker can do almost any transaction,” Bannister said, noting that Peoples is the only bank in the Hartford to offer the service. “Part of our technology story is good, consumer-facing technology.”

Romika Odedra, vice president and regional manager, said customers appreciate face time with a live person rather than interacting with a machine and the more limited options available at an ATM. And Bannister added that, with the pandemic still raging, many customers appreciate being able to conduct complex transactions in a contactless way.

“We are able to do a lot of full-service banking for these commercial real-estate customers because of our cash-management expertise and the different products we have, but without a branch presence, it’s really difficult to do business banking.”

“Video tellers are something we’re proud to bring to the market,” De Maria said. “It brings seven-day-a-week banking to West Hartford and our surrounding areas.”

Once inside the branch, customers will see pods instead of traditional customer lines — a model Peoples and other banks have been implementing for years. Customers can stand beside the teller and even see what he or she is looking at on the computer screen, if necessary. “In the beginning, people were like, ‘where do I go?’” Odedra said. “But it’s so easy — it’s warm, it’s welcoming, it’s not ‘there’s the line.’ It’s nice to have that one-on-one experience.”

The branch also employs a ‘universal banker’ model, Bannister said. “Any bank employee you see out here can do all the transactions. You can go to a teller pod or pop into an office if it’s more convenient or you just want privacy to have a conversation.” In other, more specialized offices down the hallway from the main area, he added, the bank will offer a mortgage expert, a wealth adviser, and other ancillary services.

And in front, at the main entrance, is a high table, couch, and coffee bar. “We’re trying to say to people, ‘come on in and hang out; get to know us a little bit,” Bannister said. “The thought is, we want to have sort of an open storefront.”

That’s partly to reflect the neighborhood the branch is in, with restaurants and small shops lining the streets and the shopping and dining mecca Blue Back Square just down the road.

“This area really is hopping with foot traffic,” he said. “And if you’re a bank with a retail storefront, you want foot traffic.”

Those who drive to PeoplesBank will appreciate the free parking lot the bank shares with the town’s Post Office.

“I used to work at a different bank, and that was the biggest issue we had, the parking,” Odedra said. “I’m so glad we have the parking we have. We don’t have to rush the customer out; we have time to have that one-on-one with them and invite them to have a cup of coffee.”

Bannister said West Hartford has been an enthusiastic town to work with, from its Chamber of Commerce to local economic-development leaders.

“Right from the start, when we were saying we wanted to come down, they were like, ‘how can we help?’ We’re in a lot of communities, and some of them are very welcoming, and some are maybe not so much. This one has been great to work with.”

 

Opportunity Knocks

The branch is fully staffed as well, with a mix of on-site and hybrid workers, reflecting the current makeup of the entire PeoplesBank organization. Some are West Hartford natives who know the market, Bannisher said, while some were attracted by working near all the nearby restaurants and other neighborhood amenities.

Aleda De Maria

Even in an age of mobile banking, Aleda De Maria says, people still want face-to-face interaction at branches for many services.

There’s room to expand in Hartford County, he added, with plans to open at least two more branches in the next couple of years.

“We’re coming in with a message of ‘we’re here, and we’re here to stay, and we can do everything the big banks do, but with a local feel and local decisions,’” De Maria said. “And I think that’s what’s missing in banking in general nowadays — being able to bank how you want to bank but also at a community bank where you don’t have to worry about who’s going to buy them.”

That presence means civic involvement and philanthropy as well, Bannister said, noting that PeoplesBank plans to give close to $60,000 in the first month alone to local organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Hands on Hartford (which assists with food pantries and the homeless population), the United Way, Foodshare, and even two West Hartford community events the bank will sponsor this fall and next summer.

“Right from the start, when we were saying we wanted to come down, they were like, ‘how can we help?’ We’re in a lot of communities, and some of them are very welcoming, and some are maybe not so much. This one has been great to work with.”

“We feel like we’re leading with the values we want to be known by in the community, which are innovation, technology, customer service, and the community support.”

De Maria agreed with Bannister than broadening the bank’s footprint in Connecticut is a must. “We will continue to actively look for physical locations, primarily in Hartford County,” she said. “We’re not opposed to outside Hartford County should it make sense, but in Hartford County, we feel we have an opportunity for our brand to really make an impact in the community.”

And that means expanded business, including commercial lending, Oleksak said. “I think there’s tremendous opportunity in this market for us, given our size and the experience of our lending staff. We’re very diverse, and between small business, large commercial real-estate loans, and now C&I expertise, I think we bring a lot to the table. It’s a great opportunity for us.”

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Southwick Emphasizes Balance for the Community

By Contributor
The west side of the Greens of Southwick
Community Spotlight Special Coverage

Community Spotlight

By Mark Morris

Russell Fox (left) and Karl Stinehart say Southwick benefits from its recreational amenities

Russell Fox (left) and Karl Stinehart say Southwick benefits from its recreational amenities, but needs commercial and industrial development as well.

When they talk about managing their town into the future, officials in Southwick emphasize the word “balance.”

In order for the town to remain a desirable place to live, said Karl Stinehart, chief administrative officer, there needs to be a combination of housing and recreation areas as well as commercial and industrial development.

“We like to point out that Southwick is a recreational community,” he noted. “We also want to make sure our zoning allows for commercial and industrial developments because the taxes they contribute will keep our town an affordable place to live.”

Russell Fox, vice chair of the Southwick Select Board, reinforced the recreational community description by pointing to the Congamond Lakes, which make up nearly 500 acres of recreational space in town. “Also, the Southwick Rail Trail has become a gem in our community, running 6.5 miles through town.”

Another big recreation activity happens at the Wick 338, the popular motocross track that hosted a national event in July and drew more than 30,000 people to Southwick.

In recent years, living at the lakes has become more desirable, and, as a result, prices for houses and lots are skyrocketing. As lake property increases in value, it also drives up the tax bill for residents there.

“I’m concerned about the retirees who have lived on the lake for years who may now have trouble staying in their homes because of the tax increases,” Fox said. “If we can attract more business to Southwick, we can help offset that tax burden.”

One company, Carvana, proposed to build a 200,000-square-foot facility off Route 10 and 202 in Southwick. Carvana is a website that allows consumers to buy used cars completely online and have them delivered to their home. The $100 million facility would have stored, repaired, and cleaned cars for delivery across the Northeast. Carvana projected the Southwick site would have employed 400 people and paid $900,000 each year in property taxes to the town.

The project was initially approved by the town’s Planning Board and Select Board, but hit a snag when a local group called Save Southwick strongly opposed the facility. In a series of public meetings, the group cited concerns about safety, traffic, and burdens on the town’s infrastructure. As the project became more controversial, Carvana withdrew its proposal this summer.

To kill the project that late in the process was frustrating for some, but Fox looks at the Carvana situation as a learning experience for everyone involved.

“It became clear from a vocal group that if a project is too big, they won’t support it,” Fox said. “Even those opposed to Carvana learned how government works, so if that encourages more civic engagement, then we’re all for it.”

Stinehart said the town is currently developing a new master plan that includes a process to allow earlier citizen input on zoning decisions to avoid episodes like Carvana in the future.

“The idea is to have these discussions sooner rather than later when we are considering a project,” he explained. “This also gives citizens an opportunity to learn more about the laws and the process of getting things done.”

 

Responding to a Crisis

When the pandemic struck last year, Southwick was still able to keep the town’s services running.

“All our departments in town continued to provide services and got us through the height of the pandemic by being flexible and adaptive,” Stinehart said.

The Town Hall building where many municipal functions are located remained open for most of the pandemic. Like towns everywhere, Southwick relied on remote online platforms like Zoom for meetings when necessary.

In March 2020, Southwick was one of the first communities to hold a town meeting outside. Because Southwick has an open-meeting form of government, Fox explained, a town meeting was held in the Southwick High School parking lot.

The west side of the Greens of Southwick

The west side of the Greens of Southwick is almost full, while homes on the east side have yet to be constructed.

“It was a special meeting with one agenda item, the decision to treat the lakes with alum,” he noted. Alum — or aluminum sulfate — is commonly used to keep algae blooms down and improve water quality. “The timing was important because we had to treat the lakes by the first week of April, otherwise the alum would not be effective.”

In 2020, Stinehart noted, it was especially important to make the lakes usable. “People couldn’t wait to get outside and do something recreational, so we made sure the lakes were ready for the summer.”

Southwick at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1770
Population: 9,502
Area: 31.7 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: $17.59
Commercial Tax Rate: $17.59
Median Household Income: $52,296
Family Household Income: $64,456
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting; Select Board
Largest Employers: Big Y; Whalley Computer Associates; Southwick Regional School District
*Latest information available

People also spent more time in their yards, which benefited Southwick farmers. Fox said area farms sold more plants for flower beds than ever before in 2020. “Most plants sold out early because people were stuck at home and wanted to get outside to do things in their yard.”

The pandemic also delayed the full celebration of Southwick’s 250th anniversary from happening in 2020. After a kickoff event on New Year’s Eve in 2019 that brought out hundreds of residents and featured fireworks, an outdoor event in February 2020 followed, featuring ice sculptures. Then the pandemic kicked in and put further events on hold.

On Nov. 7, the actual 250th anniversary of the town’s founding, officials in Southwick arranged a call with officials in Southwick, England. That was followed by a parade that traveled through all the neighborhoods in town.

“It was a rolling parade that was well-received because people could go out their door or to the end of their street to see it,” Stinehart said. “The people in town really appreciated it.”

The 250th celebration still has one event remaining, a full parade for people to attend on Oct. 16 with fireworks later that evening at Whalley Park. Fox called the October events a “belated birthday celebration.”

Both Stinehart and Fox have been impressed with the interest in the anniversary, as more than 50 residents joined the organizing committee for the 250th celebration.

“We had a good mix of people on the committee, some who had just moved to town and others who have lived here their entire lives,” Fox said.

Stinehart quickly added, “no other committee in town has that kind of turnout.”

As the town gradually makes its way out of the pandemic, Stinehart mentioned a regional grant program undertaken with the town of Agawam to provide microlending for small businesses.

The town treated the Congamond Lakes in the spring of 2020

The town treated the Congamond Lakes in the spring of 2020 to improve water quality for people clamoring to enjoy the outdoors during the pandemic.

“We are encouraging small businesses that need help to apply for these grants,” he said, adding that Agawam is the lead community on the grant.

Looking forward, Stinehart hopes to use funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to address water and sewer projects in Southwick. Fox spoke in particular about a water-pressure situation town leaders are hoping to address with the ARPA funds. He said projects like this sound like mundane details but can have real and lasting impacts on the town.

“If we address the water-pressure problem, it improves our fire-protection ability and ultimately affects homeowners’ insurance rates for residents,” Fox added.

 

Places to Call Home

The town has more new homes in the works, most notably the Greens of Southwick, where new, homes are being custom-built on each side of College Highway on the property of the former Southwick Country Club. The west side of the Greens development is nearly full, while construction on the east side has not yet begun.

Stinehart said he would like to leverage ARPA funding to increase broadband infrastructure in Southwick. In a separate effort, the town has met with Westfield Gas + Electric’s Whip City Fiber division to explore the feasibility of fiber-optic internet service for Southwick.

To address future energy savings for the town, Southwick has applied for a Massachusetts Green Community designation which would make it eligible for grant funding on a number of energy-efficient projects.

The tax rate for Southwick is scheduled to be released in the fall, and Stinehart said the goal is for a single uniform rate that will be competitive with other communities “because that’s good for business.”

Despite the issues around Carvana, Fox added, Southwick has welcomed plenty of new businesses and has seen expansion for some already there.

“By letting everyone know Southwick is open for business, we can keep this beautiful place where people want to live,” he said. “It’s all about that balance.”

Is Early Retirement for You?

By Contributor
Wealth Management

How the Pandemic is Reshaping This Decision for Americans

By Jean M. Deliso, CFP

 

After a year of Zoom calls, a deadly virus, inflated real-estate values, and a crazy stock-market surge, many Americans, mostly Baby Boomers, who can afford to retire are taking the plunge.

This pandemic caused mayhem for everyone. It drove the healthcare industry almost to collapse, families lost loved ones prematurely, parents became teachers, and many businesses did not survive. But amid all the gloom and doom was a silver lining for many. The government became efficient with quick economic actions, families re-evaluated the benefits of family time, pollution got a brief time out, and businesses became more electronically efficient, to name a few.

Through all the challenges, people took time to re-evaluate their priorities in life. Many are choosing to rethink their future and what is important to them going forward. In fact, about 2.7 million Americans 55 or older are contemplating retirement years earlier than they had imagined because of the pandemic, according to a Bloomberg report. Between increasing retirement-account values, those lucky enough to have pensions, an increase in home values, and government funds that have been put back into the economy, retirement is happening sooner than expected for many.

Jean M. Deliso

Jean M. Deliso

“Whatever your circumstance, achieving your retirement objectives will not happen automatically. The earlier you start planning, the better off your chances are of enjoying a happy, fulfilling, and long retirement.”

As a certified financial advisor, I have met with many individuals contemplating retirement who have decided “enough is enough — life is too short.” Some reasons include a scare with cancer five years ago that made my client reconsider his commitment to climbing the corporate ladder, or “I’m just not happy doing what I’ve been doing for years; it’s no longer fun.” Potential retirees have either saved enough or have decided to spend less in their retirement years.

In contrast, many Americans who were pushed out of their jobs by the economic slide of the pandemic had to take an early retirement against their wishes. This has resulted in them receiving lower Social Security benefits and pension amounts. Twenty-two percent say the pandemic has forced them to spend their emergency savings, 10% have reduced their retirement-plan contributions, and 12% have withdrawn money from their retirement accounts, according to a survey by the National Institute for Retirement Security.

Unfortunately, both scenarios have resulted in increased stress to Americans in the workforce regarding retirement. None of us know our date of death, which makes retirement planning tricky for most.

Too many Americans rely solely on Social Security. This pandemic proved that those benefits do work; checks were consistently received by Americans as the pandemic raged around them. This experience shows that the Social Security system works. Also, checks were sent to those who couldn’t find jobs.

Whatever your circumstance, achieving your retirement objectives will not happen automatically. The earlier you start planning, the better off your chances are of enjoying a happy, fulfilling, and long retirement. Here are a few steps to consider for a successful retirement:

1. Determine your cost of retirement. This includes your monthly living expenses, your age to retire, and your life expectancy.

2. Apply your income sources. Review what you will have available to you, such as Social Security, pensions, immediate annuity payments.

3. Withdraw from your portfolio assets. Take withdrawals against your portfolio assets to make up any difference needed. These assets may include brokerage accounts, money-market accounts, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, IRAs, and annuities. (Withdrawals may be subject to regular income tax and, if made prior to age 59½, may be subject to a 10% IRS penalty. In addition, surrender charges may apply.)

4. If necessary, consider changes. If, after steps 1-3, you are falling short on your plan, consider changes such as saving more, redefining your retirement age, or considering part-time employment during retirement.

5. Consider a professional. This can help you clarify your goals and objectives in retirement.

 

Jean M Deliso, CFP is a financial adviser offering investment-advisory services through Eagle Strategies LLC, a registered investment adviser.

Expertise Is Under Attack

By Contributor
Wealth Management

And When It Comes to Investing, That’s Not a Good Thing

By Jeff Liguori

 

Malcolm Gladwell, prolific non-fiction writer, journalist, and podcaster, has written extensively about mastering a subject. In his book Outliers, Gladwell builds upon the idea that it takes a person 10,000 hours to become a master, or expert, at something.

The premise was originally put forth nearly 50 years ago by two academics, Herbert Simon and William Chase, and published in the American Scientist specifically to address how one becomes an expert chess player. Gladwell elaborated on the idea by saying that an innate ability, or even exceptional intelligence, on a particular subject was not enough to excel or master that subject. In an article he wrote for the New Yorker in 2013, he stated “nobody walks into an operating room, straight out of a surgical rotation, and does world-class neurosurgery. And second — and more crucially for the theme of Outliers — the amount of practice necessary for exceptional performance is so extensive that people who end up on top need help.”

Today it seems that expertise is under attack. Whether it is climate science, economics, or healthcare. There are no hurdles to gathering information, factual or not, which has emboldened many to opine on, and in some instances act on, areas for which they are not equipped. Being informed and questioning authority is not a bad thing. But acting as an expert has the potential for serious long-term damage.

Let’s break down the 10,000 hours concept. A young woman decides on majoring in accounting her junior year in college. She has four semesters until graduation, where most of her classes are related to her major. Let’s assume that is a total of 100 hours of study. She graduates, gets a job in a major accounting firm where she likely works 50 hours per week. At night she studies for her CPA exam. After three years, between college study, work, and prepping for the CPA, she has logged approximately 3,200 hours of work in a single subject: accounting.

And it is likely in a specific area, either audit or tax work. At 25 years of age, she is about one third of the way toward the 10,000-hour rule. This is precisely why a business or individual, with complex accounting issues, would not hire a young person with that level of experience. The analogy could be made for doctors, lawyers, or diesel mechanics as well.

In the investment field, the information needed to manage one’s money is widely available. I’m not aware of a network that dedicates 24 hours to the practice of medicine. But turn on CNBC and it is a non-stop barrage of stock quotes and ideas, complete with bright colors, loud voices, and blinking lights. It thrives on our culture of excitement and reality TV.

Almost anyone with a decent Internet connection can invest his or her hard-earned funds. And early success reaffirms the dangerous bias that ‘I’m a talented investor.’ Until one morning, inevitably, that “hot stock” that had appreciated 78% is down 50% before the market even opens because the drug the company produced killed people in the FDA trial, or the company missed earnings by a wide margin, or the CEO was a fraud. Much of which could’ve been fleshed out by skilled analysis and a disciplined approach to investing to avoid such scenarios.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the do-it-yourself trend. However, the intersection of social media, and the assault of information from a variety of sources (some questionable), has empowered many to shun traditional expertise that has been built upon years of study. Logging on to WebMD to diagnose your poison ivy or watching a YouTube video on installing a garbage disposal, or even learning about a public company’s business on Yahoo! Finance is smart. Reputable sources with solid information. But these are part-time tasks, which don’t carry significant consequences if done incorrectly. They are suited for the curious individual with a penchant to learn.

But for more complex matters, requiring a longer success horizon — say preserving your retirement funds to support your lifestyle once your earning years are over — it is best to leave that to a full time, educated, disciplined professional. They’re called experts.

 

Jeff Liguori is the co-founder and chief Investment officer of Napatree Capital, an investment boutique with offices in Longmeadow as well as Providence and Westerly, R.I.; (401) 437-4730.

Deposits Are Soaring, but Banks Struggle to Put Them to Work

By Contributor
John Howland calls the recent flood of deposits an “unprecedented” situation.
Banking and Financial Services

Developments of Interest

By Mark Morris

John Howland calls the recent flood of deposits an “unprecedented” situation.

John Howland calls the recent flood of deposits an “unprecedented” situation.

John Howland admits that the word ‘unprecedented’ is overused these days. But for him and others in the banking business, it seems like the right word to describe all that’s going on.

Howland, president and CEO of Greenfield Savings Bank, was talking specifically about the record amounts of deposits flooding into banks — and what’s happening with those deposits, or not happening, as the case may be.

In the early months of the pandemic, from January to June of 2020, banks in the U.S. saw a surge of nearly $2 trillion in deposits. At that time, most people were staying close to home and had reduced their spending to necessities.

As a local example, PeoplesBank reported deposit increases of 33% since last April, or nearly $700 million in additional deposits.

More deposits arrived as businesses applied for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and consumers received stimulus checks from the government. During normal times, money gets deposited but does not stay in an account for long. These days, however, deposits are staying and growing to an extent Howland and his counterparts in Western Mass. have never seen before.

And while record deposits would seem like a good thing, all that cash is sitting still, for the most part, and the key to any bank generating revenue and earning profits is loaning its deposits out to borrowers.

“I never thought I would say there are too many deposits and not enough people to lend the money to,” said Tony Worden, president and chief operating officer of Greenfield Cooperative Bank. “The point of our business is to get deposits … so this goes against everything we were taught.”

In normal times, banks take in deposits and lend that money out to businesses and individuals. Balancing the number of loans to deposits helps determine what interest rates will be paid to savers and charged to borrowers. Banks profit on the difference between the two.

“I never thought I would say there are too many deposits and not enough people to lend the money to. The point of our business is to get deposits … so this goes against everything we were taught.”

But these are certainly not normal times. These days, banks have record deposits and diminished loan demand — for several reasons, which we’ll get into later — which translates to lower interest rates for savers and borrowers, as well as lower profits for banks.

Howland pointed out that the lower interest rates are great news for people looking for a business loan or a mortgage.

“The residential and commercial rates are down to levels that were inconceivable 10 years ago,” he said, adding that, moving forward, banks will be competing much harder to entice people to borrow money than deposit it.

 

By All Accounts

There are many theories as to why deposits have soared at area banks — and why those deposits are going largely untouched.

Dan Moriarty, president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank, suggested that once people tightened their spending during the pandemic, they may have changed their overall spending patterns, which is in many ways good for consumers, but not for the overall economy.

“It’s good for consumers to increase their savings and their capacity to have money, but it also slows down the economy,” Moriarty told BusinessWest. “We believe there is still some pent-up rebound spending by both consumers and businesses that we will be seeing.”

Howland agreed, noting that there are a number of reasons contributing to the surge in deposits, with one of them bring what he called a “flight to quality.”

“With all the uncertainty in the world, people understand that putting their money into a bank where their deposits are insured by the FDIC is one of the safest moves you can make,” he said, adding that, despite the consistently upward movement of the stock markets, many consumers are seeking a safe harbor in which to park their money.

Tony Worden says he never expected there to be too many deposits and not enough people to lend to.

Tony Worden says he never expected there to be too many deposits and not enough people to lend to.

As for the business of converting those deposits into loans — and revenue — many of those same factors are holding some consumers back from borrowing, said those we spoke with, although many have pressed ahead with purchases of new cars, new homes, and vacation homes.

Meanwhile, a number of businesses, still struggling to fully recover from the pandemic, are being cautious about moving ahead with expansions or new ventures. And for those that have the confidence to move forward, the current workforce crisis is keeping them from doing so.

Indeed, Worden said the current labor market is affecting activity in commercial lending. “We have businesses that can’t take on all the jobs they want because they don’t have enough staff to get them done.”

Moriarty agreed, but spoke optimistically about the prospects for improvement when people return to the workforce in large numbers. “Once our businesses can hire the staff they need and expand their products and services, they may look to the banks to borrow and grow.”

The surge in deposits and frustrating inability to put much of them to work has been one of many stories to unfold during what has been a challenging — and very different — year for area banks.

They all played a key role in helping businesses apply for PPP loans when they became available last spring. During two rounds of PPP loan offerings, Moriarty said, Monson Savings processed 565 loans totaling nearly $50 million.

In the early days of the pandemic, qualifications for PPP loans included every small business that was affected by COVID-19. Tom Senecal, president and CEO of PeoplesBank, said many applied because they didn’t know if they were going to be impacted.

“It’s good for consumers to increase their savings and their capacity to have money, but it also slows down the economy. We believe there is still some pent-up rebound spending by both consumers and businesses that we will be seeing.”

“There were many businesses that thought they were going to be hit hard but really weren’t,” he noted, giving an example of construction companies that were closed early in the pandemic but were then designated as essential and allowed to reopen.

Worden added that many companies that received PPP loans in the first round didn’t touch the money until it became clear their loan would be forgiven by the government. Once they figured out how to get loan forgiveness, they didn’t sit on the next round.

“We’ve had around 96% of our first- and second-round PPP loans forgiven with no denials,” he said. “The only ones who haven’t been forgiven have all started the process.”

All the bankers who spoke with BusinessWest said they were grateful to process PPP loans for area businesses. Worden said the urgency to get the first-round applications done required an “all hands on deck” approach that brought in many outside the loan department. His story reflects similar efforts from the other banks.

Dan Moriarty

Dan Moriarty says the pandemic changed people’s spending patterns, which may not be good for the overall economy.

Another dominant story during the pandemic was the real-estate boom, driven in part by record-low interest rates. Moriarty said activity on the buying and selling side has been brisk for some time. “We’ve seen a lot of activity where people are moving into a new house or buying a second home, whether it’s for vacation or an investment.”

The low interest rates have also brought a significant increase in people looking to refinance their mortgage.

“While it’s smart for people to refinance their current debt to get a lower rate, it doesn’t necessarily create new funds for the bank,” Worden said.

In early 2020, Monson Savings opened a new branch in East Longmeadow to increase its access to more companies and consumers. Moriarty admitted he had some anxiety about the timing.

“We made the decision back when no one predicted the pandemic would last so long,” he said, noting that, after a soft opening in August 2020, the branch has performed far above its forecasted numbers. “We’ve seen deposits increase 40% to 50% from when we opened.”

 

Bottom Line

All the bankers we talked with agreed the next three to six months will give everyone a better idea of where the economy, COVID, and the prospects for area banks are headed.

“I think we need to focus on getting through these next few months, and let’s get through the Delta variant,” Worden said. “We all have short-range goals, but we’re also keeping our eye on the long range.”

And that long-range forecast will hopefully call for taking that surge in deposits and putting it to work in ways that will bolster the local economy.

An Update on Compliance and Reporting for Provider Relief Funds

By Contributor
Banking and Financial Services

Know the Rules

By James T. Krupienski, CPA

 

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early parts of 2020, the concern of business survival was the number-one thought of countless businesses, with each industry having its own struggles. The medical industry was not without its own real concerns at that time, particularly given its role in the pandemic fight. People would continue to get sick, require treatment, and see their physicians, but how could it be done safely?

Recognizing the financial crisis that was about to overtake this industry, along with how detrimental it was for the industry to remain open and accessible to patients, the federal government took dramatic steps. In addition to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, for which medical practices were eligible, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act also allocated funds directly to the medical industry through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the newly created Provider Relief Fund (PRF).

James T. Krupienski

James T. Krupienski

“While the COVID-19 relief provisions, as part of the CARES Act, provided a lifeline for many medical, dental, and other healthcare-related practices during the pandemic, that support was not without certain compliance requirements and reporting.”

The first round of funding, which was completely unexpected to many, occurred in early April 2020, when $30 billion was deposited directly into the accounts of eligible practices. Throughout 2020, additional funds were later rolled out in phases 2 and 3, as well as through targeted distributions to specific industries, such as rural providers and skilled-nursing facilities. Of importance is that, for all practices receiving these funds, there are several rules to be followed.

While the COVID-19 relief provisions, as part of the CARES Act, provided a lifeline for many medical, dental, and other healthcare-related practices during the pandemic, that support was not without certain compliance requirements and reporting, which we will dive into within this article.

 

Attestations

First, within 90 days of receipt of the funds, each provider was required to attest to certain terms of use. For those electing to return the funds, it was required to be done within 14 days of this attestation. Attestations were required for receipt of funds in all phases and were to be completed through use of a portal with the HHS (www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/for-providers/index.html#how-to-attest).

 

Reporting

As part of the attestation process, any provider receiving more than $10,000 in payments through the PRF would be required to report on use of the funds. While the specifics on the exact reporting took months to be finalized and continued to be reworked by the HHS, the general guidelines were known. Barring no future changes, PRF dollars are to be applied in the order of:

1. Certain qualifying expenses that can be directly attributable to coronavirus; and

2. Lost revenues.

Of greatest importance is the understanding that the use of these funds must be kept separate and distinct from the use of other coronavirus-relief aid. For example, if you report on the use of a personnel or payroll related expense, it cannot also be tied to dollars used in applying for PPP loan forgiveness. Essentially, a practice cannot ‘double-dip.’

Initially, reporting was set to begin back in the summer of 2020, which was then pushed to the fall of 2020 and then again to Jan. 15, 2021. However, because of updated legislation and a change in administration, reporting had been delayed even further. In late June 2021, the reporting requirements were finalized, and the reporting portal is now open to many, depending on when funds were received (see chart).

For all recipients of the fund, it is important to continue to monitor this process so that a reporting deadline is not missed. To stay on top of this process, the HHS has been updating its site (www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/reporting-auditing/index.html) with current regulations.

 

Audit Requirement

One stipulation, not known to many, is that a government single audit is required if the combined federal funds (PRF and other federal assistance) received were more than $750,000. Note that PPP funding does not count towards this total.

A single audit would be required of an organization that has $750,000 or more in federal awards. While typically, federal funding is awarded to not-for-profits and governmental organizations, the HHS PRF has opened many organizations, including for-profit medical practices, to these compliance requirements. If a practice has received combined federal awards though the Provider Relief Fund in excess of $750,000, a single audit will be required.

While the majority of relief programs under the CARES Act (such as the Paycheck Protection Program) are subject to reporting requirements, the PRF has its own distinct rules to navigate. If your healthcare practice took advantage of the PRF in any amount, it is highly encouraged that you speak with an advisor as soon as possible to fully understand the compliance requirements. Navigating federal compliance can be intimidating and confusing, especially if this is your first time doing so. Speaking with an advisor can demystify this process and help ensure that you understand the regulations.

 

James T. Krupienski, CPA, MSA, is a partner in the Healthcare Services niche for Holyoke-based Meyers Brothers Kalicka, certified public accountants and business strategists; (413) 536-8510; www.mbkcpa.com

The Challenges Keep Multiplying

By
Opinion

Editorial

 

Way back in mid-March of 2020, as the state was shutting down due to COVID-19, we wrote about the great resiliency of this region’s business community and how it would be sternly tested because this was the greatest challenge anyone in business had ever faced.

Little did we know then just how stern this test was going to be and how long it would last. But 18 months later, not only do the challenges remain, but they have in many ways multiplied. Thus, a time that many thought would be normal — meaning what we knew in the fall of 2019, or at least something approximating it — is nothing like we imagined.

Indeed, this was expected by many to be a time when most of the hard decisions would be behind us. Decisions about whether to lay off or furlough people. Decisions about whether to forge ahead with programs and events that would bring people together in large numbers. Even decisions about whether to stay in business — or certain kinds of business.

As summer comes to a close and a fall shrouded by question marks looms, we’re facing some of those decisions again (or still) — and some new ones as well.

Some businesses may be forced to look again at mask mandates or at requiring proof of vaccination before one can enter an establishment or even a college campus. Others have already made vaccination a requirement for employment, and many others are contemplating whether to go this same route.

These are hard decisions that often put employers at odds with their customers and employees at a time when they simply don’t need to be alienating either constituency.

All of this makes it clear that the fight against this pandemic is far — as in far — from over.

Indeed, just as those who went home in March 2020 thinking it would be for just a few weeks soon learned how wrong those projections were, we’re all now forced to recalibrate, again, just how long we’ll be battling this pandemic and how heavy the fight will get.

What is clear is that the victory celebrations, if we can call them that, from just before Memorial Day, when the governor removed all remaining restrictions on businesses, were certainly premature.

Meanwhile, there are new challenges, from shortages of needed goods and raw materials to escalating prices and hard choices about if and how to pass them on to customers who are finally coming back in large numbers. Then, there’s a workforce crisis that has impacted almost every business sector and forced several types of businesses to reduce hours of operation, curtail services, or both.

There is hope that, with the end this month of the federal bonus being paid to those receiving unemployment benefits, things will improve on this front. But those hopes are countered by the reality that this problem is deep-rooted, and it may be some time before there is real relief.

And there are still more hard choices about whether, when, and how to bring workers back to the office, decisions now made even more difficult by the Delta variant and the great uncertainty about what this fall will be like.

Going back to what we wrote in March 2020 … this region’s business community is, indeed, resilient. And it needs to be. Because, contrary to what we were all hoping, it isn’t any easier being in business now than it was then. And in many ways, it’s even harder.

 

Editorial 2

By
Opinion

A Step in the Right Direction

Late last month, Gov. Charlie Baker, heeding a call from a number of business groups that have steadily pushed for unemployment-insurance (UI) relief, proposed using $1 billion in state surplus money to help ease the burden facing the state’s business community from the widespread layoffs that occurred during the pandemic.

The governor filed a supplemental budget proposal with the Legislature that would set aside the $1 billion for unemployment rate relief as part of a broader $1.6 billion plan to spend the bulk of what remains of a massive, $5 billion state budget surplus from the fiscal year that ended on June 30.

If approved, the measure certainly won’t cover what is expected to be a $5 billion shortfall in the state’s UI fund — a shortfall that the Baker administration and the Legislature decided to address with an assessment that businesses will pay over the next 20 years or more — but it will help reduce the burden on the state’s businesses, and it represents a minor breakthrough of sorts when it comes to this administration and the business community.

Baker’s proposal shows that at least some people are paying more than lip service to the plight of the state’s businesses, which have often been overlooked when it comes to the long list of victims of this pandemic. Despite large amounts of local, state, and federal assistance in many different forms, from grants to loans, businesses in many sectors are still struggling in the wake of the pandemic.

This spring and summer have bought some relief to those in many sectors, including hospitality and tourism, but the road back to normal, pre-pandemic levels of revenue and profit is paved with uncertainty, especially as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to gain strength.

Businesses are, by and large, and to one degree or another, regaining their footing. But this improved stability, if it can even be called that, is threatened by many different forces — including the huge bill that has come due from so many of the state’s residents being forced into unemployment by the pandemic.

As we’ve said before, the state’s businesses didn’t cause the pandemic, and they should not have to bear the brunt of paying the enormous unemployment-insurance burden now facing the Commonwealth — not when the state has roughly $5 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds at its disposal and the huge surplus from FY 2021, resulting from a flood of federal aid and better-than-expected tax revenue.

In announcing his proposal regarding unemployment insurance, Baker said “this UI piece would send a big, positive message to employers and employees that we’re looking to try to help them with what is going to be one of the biggest expenses … because of the pandemic.”

He’s right, but it’s more than a message — it’s a solid step, and hopefully a solid first step — toward addressing the unemployment-insurance deficit.

The Legislature will have a lot on its plate when it gets back in session after Labor Day. We hope the governor’s UI proposal gets the proper consideration and eventually becomes part of the plan to spend down the rescue-plan monies and the deficit.

Things are better for the business community, but many challenges remain, and this proposal is a big step in the right direction.

 

Picture This

By
Picture This

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

 

 

Margarita Madness


Margarita Madness 2021, the Amherst Area Chamber’s signature networking event, returned this year, outdoors, under the pavilion at the Young Men’s Club of Hadley made possible by presenting sponsor Steve Lewis Subaru and supported by more than 40 participants and sponsors for 20 margarita tastings. Funds were raised for CHD’s Not Bread Alone as well as the chamber’s work throughout the year to create, maintain and promote a vital, thriving business climate in the Amherst Area. Back row, from left, John Page, Membership & Marketing manager of the Amherst Area Chamber; Marissa Faldasz from The Hangar & Pub of Amherst, first prize winner of 2021 Margarita Madness with its Habanero Pineapple Ginger Margarita; Steve Lewis, CEO of Steve Lewis Subaru, presenting sponsor of Margarita Madness; Claudia Pazmany, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber; and Samantha Heraty from the Hangar & Pub of Amherst; Lower row, left to right, Alex DeLiefde from the Hangar & Pub of Amherst; Youssef Fadel, of New England Promotional Marketing and founding chair of the Annual Margarita Madness 2021 Committee; and Chrystal Thompson, from the Hangar & Pub of Amherst.

 

 

To Honor America


Karen Nogueira, director of Client Relations for PV Financial Group, recently sang the national anthem at Fenway Park to open up a Red Sox game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Nogueira has been with PV Financial Group since 2006.

 

 

 

Hefty Deposit


Monson Savings Bank (MSB) announced it will donate $100,000 to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts to support people who struggle with food insecurity. MSB was a major charitable donor to the Food Bank’s capital campaign, which aims to raise $22 million for the new Chicopee facility that will serve as its future headquarters, set to open in 2023. Pictured, from left: Erica Flores, president of the Food Bank’s board of directors; Andrew Morehouse, executive director of the Food Bank; and Dan Moriarty, Monson Savings Bank president and CEO.

 

 

Agenda

By
Agenda

Venture X Grand Opening

Sept. 9: Venture X, a membership-based workspace community, will celebrate the opening of its newest location in Holyoke. The 16,000-square-foot co-working space is located at 98 Lower Westfield Road. Venture X Holyoke invites the community to stop by from 4 to 7 p.m. to tour the business center and connect with other professionals. Venture X Holyoke provides flexible workspace solutions, IT security, and amenities. The space was built out during the pandemic, so special attention was given to the installation of a high-tech air filtration system, touchless bathrooms, and keyless door-entry systems. The facility features 65 private offices ranging from one-person spaces up to 10-person offices with dedicated desks and shared desks. The location also offers a community space, where members may mingle and network in the lounge area or around the coffee bar café. Members will have access to high-tech conference rooms, mailboxes, a copy center, a shredding service, and other business-related amenities. The facility offers ample free parking. Venture X is a brand of the United Franchise Group.

 

RVCC Golf Tournament

Sept. 10: River Valley Counseling Center (RVCC), a multi-faceted mental-health agency, will hold its sixth annual golf tournament fundraiser at East Mountain Country Club in Westfield. The event is presented by Action Ambulance Service Inc. Funds raised will support the programs RVCC provides to children and teens in the community, in schools, and through local partnerships. The cost per golfer is $100 and includes greens fees, a golf cart, a gift bag, lunch, and dinner. Golfers will also be able to participate in course contests and a raffle. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. with a 10:30 a.m. shotgun start. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Visit rvccinc.org/golf for more information and to register or sponsor online.

 

HCC Foundation Golf Classic

Sept. 13: Registration is open for the Holyoke Community College (HCC) Foundation’s annual fundraising golf tournament at Springfield Country Club in West Springfield. Last year’s golf tournament, the 33rd, was cancelled due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s tournament will recognize the 75th anniversary of Holyoke Community College. Proceeds will go toward student scholarships managed by the HCC Foundation, the college’s nonprofit fundraising arm. The golf outing begins with an 11 a.m. buffet lunch followed by a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. After golf, participants can enjoy cocktails on the clubhouse porch, followed by a dinner and celebration recognizing the 75th anniversary of Holyoke Community College. Participants can arrange their own foursomes or sign up as singles. The $185 individual fee includes greens fees, golf cart, lunch, dinner, and refreshments on the course. The cost is $740 per foursome. To register or sponsor the golf tournament, visit www.hcc.edu/golf.

 

‘Managing Healthcare Costs in Retirement’

Sept. 14: American Eagle Investment Services invites the public to explore their options for healthcare in retirement during a free virtual seminar from 6 to 7 p.m. Understanding healthcare costs is essential to retirement planning. While medical advances allow people to enjoy longer life expectancies, the challenge is how to pay for the rising costs of one’s physical well-being. Attendees of this free seminar will learn about the financial options of healthcare at age 65 and beyond. “Managing Healthcare Costs in Retirement” will feature an industry expert from Prudential Insurance, who will discuss and take questions on financial options related to healthcare for those age 65 and older. Discussion topics will include Medicare (Part A, B, C, and D), Medigap, long-term care, and health savings accounts. American Eagle Financial Credit Union members and non-members who are looking ahead to retirement, already retired, or helping a loved one with their retirement planning are encouraged to attend. Registration is open at americaneagle.org/seminar.

 

MHA Wellness Classic Golf Tournament

Sept. 17: MHA will hold its Wellness Classic golf benefit at Wilbraham Country Club for what will be the 23th year. “This year by far is the most successful golf tournament in MHA’s history. We raised over $100,000, and Real Living Realty Professionals as the title sponsor is a very real part of that,” said Kimberley Lee, MHA’s vice president of Resource Development and Branding. “As a first-time corporate donor, Real Living Realty Professionals did not make just one donation, but two significant expressions of their belief in the value of MHA’s work. Community support like this greatly enhances MHA’s ability to directly serve the individuals in our care, helping them to achieve their individuals goals.” For more details and to register, visit www.mhainc.org/wellness-classic.

 

Community Shred Day

Sept. 18: Freedom Credit Union will once again to offer the opportunity for Western Mass. residents to securely purge unwanted paperwork. In cooperation with PROSHRED Springfield, Freedom is offering a free community shred day at two of its branches in Springfield and West Springfield. The event is slated for 9 to 10 a.m. at 296 Cooley St. in Springfield, and 11 a.m. to noon at 58 Union St. in West Springfield. The public is invited to bring old bills, bank statements, tax returns, and other sensitive documents for free, quick, and secure on-site shredding. Members and non-members alike may bring up to five file boxes or paper bags (per vehicle) to the events. Masks are not required for those who are vaccinated.

 

YMCA of Greater Springfield Golf Tournament

Sept. 21: The YMCA of Greater Springfield announced it will hold a golf tournament at the Longmeadow Country Club. The funds raised will support youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility through access to the YMCA. In addition to a round of golf, golfers will enjoy a grilled lunch at 11 a.m. and a dinner following the tournament. To learn more about registration and sponsorship opportunities, e-mail Donna Sittard, Development director at the YMCA, at [email protected], call (413) 739-6951, ext. 3110, or visit www.springfieldy.org.

 

40 Under Forty Gala

Sept. 23: BusinessWest’s 15th annual 40 Under Forty gala will take place at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. The class of 2021 was introduced to the region in the magazine’s May 12 issue, and the profiles may be read online at BusinessWest.com. Tickets cost $80 per person. An extremely limited number of tickets are still available. To reserve a spot, call (413) 781-8600, or e-mail [email protected].

 

Leadership Training Program

Sept. 28-30: Giombetti Associates, a leadership institute providing behaviorally based talent-development and acquisition services, will host the second of three three-day leadership training programs for 2021 at the Delaney House in Holyoke. This intensive course covers the power of Performance Dynamics and how it can help participants know themselves better; different leadership styles and what makes them effective or ineffective; the importance of being vulnerable and transparent; how to build interpersonal relationships; what effective onboarding is and how it will help participants’ organizations and employees; how to be an efficient communicator; the best way to deliver developmental feedback; building teamwork and the value of team building; and trust, integrity, and more. Prior to training, each participant goes through Performance Dynamics, an assessment that consists of three personality inventories designed to identify 17 different traits that drive personality and behavior. Then, in an interactive, one-on-one feedback session, the participant develops a newfound self-awareness of their behavioral strengths, learns how to manage their personality more effectively, and gains an understanding of how their personality impacts others. Throughout the three-day training, the participant is encouraged to constantly refer to and link their personality to the leadership issue being discussed. All the subject matter is wrapped around individual personality and how it affects behavior in different situations, yielding a unique experience of self-exploration. To learn more about the three-day leadership program, which has an additional session scheduled in November, visit giombettiassoc.com/three-day-leadership-training-program. Registration is now open for both sessions.

 

HCC Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series

Sept. 29, Oct. 27, Nov. 24: Holyoke Community College (HCC) will continue its monthly Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series this fall. During each session, participants will join prominent women leaders for discussions on relevant topics and ideas to help their leadership development. They will also have the opportunity to form a supportive network to help navigate their own careers. The fall dates and topics are:

• Sept. 29: “Do Something Every Day that Scares You” with Pattie Hallberg, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts;

• Oct. 27: “Just Go for It,” with Helen Gomez Andrews, co-founder and CEO of the High End; and

• Nov. 24: “Journey to and from Exit Zero,” with Sharale Mathis, vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at HCC.

The cost of each session is $25, with the exception of the three-part Vision Board class with Turner, which costs $99. The cost for the full, six-session series is $120. Cost, however, will not be a barrier to participation. If pricing is an issue, contact Michele Cabral, HCC’s executive director of Business, Corporate and Professional Development, at [email protected]. Space is limited, and advance registration is required. To register, visit hcc.edu/womens-leadership.

 

People on the Move

By
People on the Move
Christopher Caouette

Christopher Caouette

Greenfield Cooperative Bank announced that Christopher Caouette has joined the bank as the new senior vice president – credit officer. He will be based in the main office at 62 Federal St. in Greenfield. “We are thrilled to add someone with Chris’s experience and reputation to the team,” said Tony Worden, president and chief operating officer. “I believe he will be an excellent addition to Greenfield Cooperative Bank.” Having spent the majority of his career in the Pioneer Valley, Caouette arrives with more than 30 years of banking experience, most recently as vice president, credit officer at another area bank. He holds an MBA in finance from UMass Amherst and attended the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. BankExec program – School for Financial Studies, where he finished second among 10 competing bank groups.

•••••

The Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts’ trustees of the Order of William Pynchon announced their selection of two local residents, Helen Caulton-Harris and Victor Rojas, as recipients of this year’s Pynchon medal. Caulton-Harris has served for decades as a tireless advocate for low-income residents, underserved neighborhoods, and communities of color. As director of the city of Springfield’s Health and Human Services division, she led the charge in making COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites widely available to all city residents. Rojas serves as director of technology for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke and a role model for the city’s most vulnerable young people, connecting them with life-changing academic opportunities. During the pandemic, he worked to connect underserved students to internet access and led the effort to deliver thousands of meals and snacks to students who would otherwise receive them at school. Due to a postponed event in 2020, the Advertising Club announced its upcoming event will be a combined celebration for Pynchon recipients from 2020 and 2021. Last year’s recipients, Janine Fondon and Elizabeth Wills-O’Gilvie, will also receive their medals at the upcoming ceremony. The presentation of the Pynchon Medal and celebration will take place on Thursday, Oct. 7 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Event details and ticket information can be found at adclubwm.org or by calling (413) 342-0533.

•••••

 

Ryan McEleney

Ryan McEleney

American Eagle Financial Credit Union (AEFCU) announced the appointment of Ryan McEleney as senior vice president, chief people officer. As CPO, McEleney will lead the advancement of talent-management and human-capital-development strategies, as well as cultivate workforce plans and programs that align with the organization’s overall business objectives. He will serve as a member of the company’s executive leadership team, reporting directly to the president and CEO. American Eagle’s current president and CEO, Dean Marchessault, announced earlier this year that he will retire at the end of 2021, at which time the credit union’s current Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer Howard Brady will assume the role of president and CEO. McEleney brings nearly 20 years of human-resources and training experience to American Eagle, most recently serving as senior vice president, director of HR Analytics & Technology at Webster Bank. He previously held positions in the areas of incentive compensation, HR strategy, and talent and culture programs. He has been a featured speaker at HR Leaders, the HR Leadership Summit, Innovate Work, Future of Work, and HR for Financial Services, to name a few, and has also been a guest lecturer at Southern Connecticut State University. McEleney is a senior certified professional from the Society of Human Resources Management. He earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies from the University of Connecticut and graduated from the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning in 2015. He has a Six Sigma green belt from Central Connecticut State University in addition to both his leadership certification and his culture certification from the Disney Institute. He also has an advanced facilitation certificate from the Langevin Institute. He currently serves as director and co-chair of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee for the Governor’s Prevention Partnership (GPP). He also co-founded, and now serves as a director of, Walk with Us, an organization supporting families impacted by brain cancer.

•••••

Francine Berman, renowned data scientist, researcher, and co-founder of the Research Data Alliance, will join UMass Amherst’s College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) faculty this fall as a research professor and Stuart Rice Honorary Chair. She will work across the UMass campus to build and lead a new initiative in public-interest technology. A leading researcher in the field of data science, Berman has focused her past work on the societal, ethical, and environmental impacts of information technology. Most recently, she has been working to ensure that the internet of things develops in ways that are beneficial for human society and the ecosystem, topics she explored as a 2019-20 Katherine Hampson Bessell Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She currently serves as the Edward P. Hamilton Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. At UMass Amherst, Berman will lead a new initiative focusing on public-interest technology. The initiative will blend teaching and research with hands-on practice and provide students, alumni, and the community with tools to reap the benefits and minimize the risks of the technological world we live in. This initiative will span the university’s Amherst and Mount Ida campuses, leveraging the Newton location for outreach and student experiential learning. Berman’s academic expertise has translated to an extensive career in public service. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she was appointed to the National Council on the Humanities in 2015. In recognition of her service-focused work, she was selected by the National Academy of Public Administration for inclusion in its 2020 class of Academy Fellows. In 2012, she co-founded the Research Data Alliance (RDA), a community-driven international organization that builds global infrastructure to enable data sharing and data-driven research. Since its launch in 2012, RDA has attracted nearly 12,000 members from more than 130 countries and has built data infrastructure in use by groups and projects all over the world. Berman has also served in academic leadership roles, including as vice president for Research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center, and director of the National Science Foundation’s Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure, a consortium of 41 research groups, institutions, and university partners with the mission of developing national infrastructure to support data-intensive and computationally intensive applications. Berman is a fellow of the Assoc. of Computing Machinery, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science. Before joining RPI, she taught at Purdue University as an assistant professor and at the University of California San Diego as a professor. She earned her master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Washington.

•••••

 

Timothy Murphy

Timothy Murphy

Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. announced that one of its partners, attorney Timothy Murphy, was recognized by his peers as a 2022 Lawyer of the Year in Springfield for his work in Labor Law – Management. Only a single lawyer in each practice area in each community is honored with this award. In addition, Murphy is recognized in Best Lawyers in America 2022 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, 2019, and 2020. In 2017, he was named “Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout” by the Girls Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. He also sits on boards of directors for several area organizations, such as the Human Service Forum and Community Legal Aid, and is a member of the World Affairs Council.

•••••

Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin announced that seven of its attorneys were listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2022, and two were also named a Lawyer of the Year. They include Shareholder Michele Feinstein, recognized in the fields of litigation – trusts and estates, elder law, and trusts and estates; Shareholder Gary Fentin, banking and finance law and commercial transactions/Uniform Commercial Code law; Shareholder Carol Cioe Klyman, elder law and trusts and estates (she was also named a Lawyer of the Year in the field of trusts and estates); Managing Partner Timothy Mulhern, corporate law and tax law; Shareholder Steven Schwartz, bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships), closely held companies and family business law, as well as corporate law (he was also named a Lawyer of the Year in the field of business organizations); Shareholder James Sheils, commercial transactions/Uniform Commercial Code law; and Shareholder Steven Weiss, bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law. Best Lawyers listings are published in dozens of countries around the world. The 2022 edition includes more than 67,000 attorneys in 148 practice areas, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and inclusion in this year’s publication is based on more than 9.4 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.

•••••

Bulkley Richardson announced that 13 lawyers from the firm were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2022. These lawyers were recognized in 20 unique areas of practice. They include Peter Barry, recognized in the fields of construction law and healthcare law; Michael Burke, medical malpractice law – defendants and personal-injury litigation – defendants; Mark Cress, banking and finance law, bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, and corporate law; Francis Dibble Jr., bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, criminal defense – white-collar, litigation – labor and employment, and litigation – securities; Daniel Finnegan, administrative/regulatory law and litigation – construction; Scott Foster, business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships); Kevin Maynard, commercial litigation, litigation – banking and finance, and litigation – construction; David Parke, corporate law and mergers and acquisitions; Melinda Phelps, medical-malpractice law – defendants and personal-injury litigation – defendants; Jeffrey Poindexter, commercial litigation; John Pucci, bet-the-company litigation, criminal defense – general practice, and criminal defense – white-collar; Elizabeth Sillin, nonprofit/charities law and trusts and estates; and Ronald Weiss, corporate law, mergers-and-acquisitions law, and tax law.

•••••

Mark Fuller, who has served as interim chancellor of UMass Dartmouth since January, was named permanent chancellor. He has served in the interim capacity since January, following nine years as dean of the UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management, which rose to national prominence under his leadership, and three years as UMass Amherst vice chancellor for Advancement. Fuller spent 12 years in the UMass system prior to being named interim chancellor in January, including nine transformative years at Isenberg, which is now ranked as the number-one public undergraduate business program in the Northeast by U.S. News & World Report. Isenberg’s online MBA program rose to the top ranking in the nation, and third in the world, according to the Financial Times. With an alumni base of 60,000 (similar to that of UMass Dartmouth), the annual giving to the Isenberg School increased from $2 million to $10 million on Fuller’s watch. As vice chancellor for Advancement for three years, he was a key player in redesigning UMass Amherst’s Advancement activities and building greater coordination between alumni communications, engagement, and fundraising. Prior to joining the UMass system, Fuller was a professor and department chair at Washington State University for nine years and began his career in academia with eight years at Baylor University. His research interests are especially relevant to today’s world, including technology-supported learning, distance education, and teamwork in technology-mediated environments. His teaching interests include executive education, leadership, information-systems strategy, e-commerce, change management, and project management.

Company Notebook

By
Company Notebook

Basketball Hall of Fame Taps White Lion for Enshrinement Release

SPRINGFIELD — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and White Lion Brewing Co. announced the two will collaborate and release a special ale with a commemorative collector’s label designed to capture the imagery of the Hall of Fame’s annual enshrinement program. The collector’s label melds the Hall of Fame’s iconic dome with the city of Springfield skyline into White Lion’s award-winning brand. “White Lion is extremely honored to partner with the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame for an annual release affectionately dubbed Enshrinement Legend Series, which pays homage to the birthplace of basketball, the Basketball Hall of Fame, and class honorees,” said Ray Berry, White Lion president. “The city of Springfield is the home of this global sport, and we are excited to play a role in the annual enshrinement-ceremony experience.” The Basketball Hall of Fame will present the class of 2021 Saturday, Sept. 11 at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.

Keiter Corp. Donates $10,000 for Northampton Gift-card Promotion

FLORENCE — Keiter Corp. has donated $10,000 to the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for a promotion that will allow consumers to purchase a $25 Northampton gift card and receive $50 in actual spending power. This investment by Keiter, aimed at helping to continue to boost the local economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be supplemented by a $2,500 contribution from the chamber’s Community Revitalization Fund, allowing for 250 of the double-valued, $25 Northampton gift cards to be sold. Billed as a “Kickstart the Community with a Keiter Card” campaign, the promotion launched on Aug. 12, with the cards sold exclusively at the chamber offices at 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Based in Florence, Keiter has provided general-contracting and construction-management services in the Valley since 2010 for its commercial and residential projects. Scott Keiter is a member of the chamber’s board of directors and its finance committee, so he is personally aware of the financial hit that local merchants took during the pandemic. Knowing the gift-card program has been successful, he thought an investment focused on it would be a win-win-win for his business, the chamber, and shoppers around the region who have also been hard-hit. The Northampton Gift Card is currently accepted at 65 restaurants, shops, and other establishments.

Asnuntuck, Enfield Partner on Early-childhood Initiative

ENFIELD, Conn. — The town of Enfield’s Family Resource Center, a division of the Enfield Department of Social Services, partnered with Asnuntuck Community College’s Early Childhood Education program last month on a creative collaborative program. The two partners provided an educational experience at the Enfield Public Schools’ Stowe Early Learning Center to preschool-aged children who are entering preschool and kindergarten in the fall, and who have had a limited preschool experience due to the pandemic. The summer program was three weeks long, with three classes of 16 children each going to kindergarten and two classes of 10 children each going to preschool. Funding for the program came from the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, and it was partially staffed by teaching assistants who are Asnuntuck students or recent graduates.

Businesses Pull Together to Help YMCA’s Camp Weber

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The YMCA of Greater Springfield reached out to several local business for their help with upgrades at its Camp Weber in West Springfield this past year. Over the course of a few months this spring, various projects were completed to upgrade Camp Weber, including paving, new roofs, painting, landscaping, consulting, new equipment, and more. The YMCA was also fortunate to receive donations and grant awards to help with other expenses on the project. In addition, some community friends came together and helped raise enough money to send nearly 300 kids to one-week sessions of camp. Among those who helped the YMCA make improvements at Camp Weber are Adam Quennville Roofing & Siding, anonymous donors, the Agnes M. Lindsay Trust, Big E Trust – Town of West Springfield, Construction Dynamics, Eastman Chemical Co., Excel Dryer, Graybar Electric Supply, Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, Kelly Building Group, Kittredge Foodservice Equipment & Supply, Noonan Energy, Nora Roberts Foundation, Ondrick Materials & Recycling, Szlachetka Dubay, P.C., West Springfield Rotary Club, and West Springfield Rotary District 7890.

WNEU School of Law Co-Hosts Workshop to Support Asian-American Women

SPRINGFIELD — More than 100 current and aspiring law professors participated in the inaugural Workshop for Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Women in the Legal Academy on Aug. 5-6. The event included workshops focused on professional development, scholarship, wellness, and Asian-American history. The AAPI workshop was co-hosted by Sudha Setty, dean and professor of Law at Western New England University (WNEU) School of Law, along with Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, associate dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar; clinical professor of Law; and director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Penn State Law in University Park. In addition to providing inspiration, the workshop offered tangible support to individuals from populations that are historically underrepresented in the legal field. Given the workshop’s success in its inaugural year, Wadhia said organizers hope it will be an annual event hosted by a rotating group of law schools across the country. Institutional support, she added, is key to making progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion within the legal academy.

Dam Upgrades, Repairs to Begin at Springfield Armory Site

SPRINGFIELD — The city of Springfield recently announced it is beginning the $3.6 million project to repair and upgrade the Watershops Pond Dam at the historic former Springfield Armory manufacturing site. GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc., a multi-disciplinary firm providing ecological, geotechnical, environmental, water, and construction-management services, designed and provided permitting support for this major infrastructure project. Watershops Pond, which is created by the dam, is surrounded by several historic industrial buildings that were part of the Springfield Armory, the first federal armory and the primary manufacturing center for U.S. military firearms from 1794 until its closing in 1968. Gardner Construction & Industrial Services Inc. of Chicopee was awarded the general contract to construct the improvements at this high-hazard-potential dam. One of the key elements of the dam-improvement project includes replacing the 65-year-old crest gate. The three-foot-tall, 105-foot-long, flap-like structure can be lowered in advance of major storms and hurricanes to release water and reduce the level of the pond to mitigate potential flooding and protect the safety of the dam and downstream areas.
Several other measures will be implemented to bring the dam in compliance with Massachusetts dam-safety regulations and improve access to the gate-control house for city of Springfield personnel. The project is being funded through a $17 million grant the city was awarded in 2017 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s National Disaster Resilience Program. In advance of construction, GZA has facilitated and overseen a controlled draw-down of the 200-acre pond for inspection of the dam and pre-construction activities.

Home City Development Secures Permit for Affordable-housing Development in Pelham

PELHAM — Home City Development Inc., a Springfield-based affordable-housing developer, has received a comprehensive permit from the Pelham Zoning Board of Appeals for the construction of 34 mixed-income rental units. On Aug. 10, the Zoning Board approved the comprehensive permit for the property to be known as Amethyst Brook Apartments. This is the first affordable-housing development approved in the town of Pelham and the first time the Zoning Board of Appeals has awarded this type of permit. Two new buildings will be constructed at 20-22 Amherst Road; 22 Amherst Road will be designed to ‘passive house’ standards, which includes energy-efficiency specifications that drastically reduce the building’s ecological footprint. Notable additions to the site construction include a stormwater-management system and electric-vehicle charging stations. Next, Home City Development will finalize project financing, and construction is expected to be completed within 12 to 14 months after the start date, to be announced. The design team is led by Architecture Environment Life of East Longmeadow. Berkshire Design Group of Northampton will conduct civil engineering and landscape design.

SERVPRO of Hampshire County Celebrates 25 Years in Community

BELCHERTOWN — SERVPRO of Hampshire County, a cleanup and restoration company, is recognizing its 25th anniversary in the local business community. The company will celebrate its milestone with an open house on Thursday, Sept. 16 at its offices at 50 Depot St. in Belchertown. Fall has been in business since Aug. 16, 1996. SERVPRO clients include insurance companies seeking restoration services, as well as commercial and residential property owners who require routine cleaning services. With more than 50 years of experience, the SERVPRO system’s time-tested techniques and proprietary cleaning products have earned its franchises a spot as a leader in the restoration and cleaning industry. SERVPRO of Hampshire County is capable of cleaning and restoring a fire-, mold-, or water-damaged building and its contents, including wall, ceiling, and floor surfaces; furniture; fabric; fixtures; and more. Many franchisees also offer cleaning and restoration of special items, such as HVAC duct systems; building exteriors; electronic equipment, including computers; and documents that have sustained water damage.

New Community Center, Housing Coming to Carriage Grove

BELCHERTOWN — MassDevelopment and the Belchertown Economic Development and Industrial Corp. (BEDIC) announced the selection of Brisa Ventures, LLC to develop a 12-acre parcel of land at Carriage Grove into a new mixed-income residential community featuring approximately 100 units of housing. Brisa Ventures will also preserve and redevelop the existing former Belchertown State School administration building into a community center, museum, cultural space, meeting space, and either a restaurant, brewery, or distillery. Construction of the development is projected to begin by the end of 2022 and is expected to be complete within 18 to 24 months. The sale of this BEDIC-owned parcel and building to Brisa Ventures will represent the first phase of a multi-phased, mixed-use project under negotiation with the company intended to include additional commercial, residential, and community-oriented investments. The new rental housing units will be designed as a mix of two- and three-story apartment- and townhome-style residences and built to ultra-low energy-use standards; they are planned to use solar energy to meet net-zero energy use. The development will also include extensive common green areas with play areas, community gathering spaces, and pathways that connect the housing units to each other and to the neighboring trail network.

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.

AMHERST

Dickinson Meadow Homeowners Association Inc., 982 East Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002. Ray Kinoshita Mann, same address. Homeowners’ association.

Humans for the Opposition of Pollution and Emissions Inc., 65 Schoolhouse Road., Amherst, MA 01002. Cielo Sharkus, 44 Gifford Dr., Worcester, MA 01006. Environmental restoration, pollutant remediation and water resource protection.

BELCHERTOWN

Better Together Dog Rescue Inc., 466 Warren Wright Road., Belchertown, MA 01007. Jenny Franz, same address. Community-based dog shelter to support animals and their people.

CHICOPEE

Christopher Andrews Foundation Inc., 49 Highland Ave., Apt. 1R., Chicopee, MA 01013. Robert E. Bolden, same address. Youth community outreach.

Ragland Basketball Academy, Inc., 49 Highland Ave., Apt. 1R., Chicopee, MA 01013. Robert E. Bolden, same address. Youth basketball academy.

EASTHAMPTON

Spice Early Intervention Corporation., 33 Glendale St., Easthampton, MA 01027. Joyce Onafowokan, same address. Early identification and treatment of disabilities.

GREENFIELD

The Veritas Collective Corporation., 75 Pray Dr., Greenfield, MA 01301. Christian Moscoffian, same address. Religious and spiritual development, non-profit charity promoting sustainability and permaculture.

HOLYOKE

Tides for Reproductive Freedom Inc., 114 Allyn St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Feyla McNamara, same address. Financial assistance and public education on reproductive health matters.

Massachusetts Women in Cannabis Inc., 1669 Northampton St., c/o Ferrier, Holyoke, MA 01040. Tiffany Madru, 108 Van Buren Ave., West Hartford, CT 06107. Education and Mentoring.

 

PITTSFIELD

Gymnastics Medicine: Education and Research Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Ste. 100., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Elspeth Hart, same address. Education and research.

Messina Group, Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Michael Parks, 8755 West Higgins Road., Suite 250., Chicago, IL 60631. Staffing.

SPRINGFIELD

The Afro Renaissance Arts Society Inc., 157 Jamiaica St., Springfield, MA 01119. Darryl Moss, same address. Preservation of Afro-American culture and arts.

The Springfield Puerto Rican Parade Inc., 183 Dartmouth Terrace, Springfield, MA 01109. Victoria Ann Rodriguez, 71 Laurel St., Springfield, MA 01107. Celebrating Puerto Rican culture and community outreach.

The Wings Foundation Inc., 35 Willow St., Apt. 101., Springfield, MA 01103. Gregory Todd, same address. Supporting family and youth initiatives and promoting healthy youth development.

ADG Mason Square Inc., 605 State St., Springfield, MA 01105. Garry A. Porter Sr., 5 Carlisle St., Springfield, MA 01109. Promotes mental health services in the community.

WESTFIELD

White Rhino Society, Inc., 48 East Silver St., Suite 6., Westfield, MA 01085. Matt Charles, same address. Mental health and addiction support.

Doing Business as Certificates

By
DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the month of August 2021. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

HOLYOKE

A Company
158 Suffolk St.
Shawn Marsh

Bitcoin Depot
625 Homestead Ave.
Lux Vending, LLC

Classic Custom Muffler
54 Commercial St.
Anatoliy Purshaga

Fruity Bubble
50 Holyoke St.
Kelvin Zheng

Kennedy Foods Inc.
333 High St.
Yasser Hussain

Laura J. Ferguson Consulting, LLC
71 Jefferson St.
Laura Ferguson

Signature Engraving Systems
120 Whiting Farms Road
Chris Parent

Specialty Loose Leaf
120 Whiting Farms Road
Chris Parent

Torrid #5512
50 Holyoke St.
Torrid, LLC

Valley Etching, Engraving and Design
120 Whiting Farms Road
Chris Parent

LONGMEADOW

Bay Equity, LLC
734 Longmeadow St., Suite 309
Brett McGovern, Casey McGovern

Cole Dobosz Photography
159 Burbank Road
Cole Dobosz

Hair Studio One
20 Cross St.
Elizabeth Fernandes

Sol Klei
91 Longfellow Dr.
Jacqueline Mackechnie

NORTHAMPTON

Aviva Psychology Services
78 Main St., Suite 301
Alessandra Urbano, Allison Karthaus

Burke Chevrolet
200 North King St.
Bryan Burke

The Creative Guybrarian
74 Lyman Road
William Wagler

Dance Spree
545 Riverside Dr.
Linda Tumbarello

Hero Barber & Mercantile
98 Pleasant St.
Norman White, Christopher Wolf

Solis Coaching
53 Warburton Way
Ivan Queiroz

UC Cleaning
80 Damon Road
Silvian Brasil

Western Mass Educational Advocacy Services
85 Vernon St.
Alison Greene

SPRINGFIELD

3inity Group, LLC
31 Montmorenci St.
Berthel Johnson

413 CarRentalz
15 Wing St.
Tyler Henderson

7Seventeen Media
276 Bridge St.
7Seventeen Media

ABT Corp.
1704 Boston Road
Dinh Thai

Adeola
115 Florence St.
Joan Cole

Airfig Productions
102 Mill St.
Jose Figueora

Anny Extensions
351 Beacon Circle
Anny Segura

AP Powerwash and More
275 Centre St.
Angel Perez

A Cut Above the Rest Inc.
186 State St.
Nelson Davila

Eddington Elite Concrete
317 Peekskill Ave.
Jerry Eddington Jr.

El Escondite del Sabor
192 Pine St.
Jared Cotto Velazquez

Farmer’s Market at the X
200-220 Trafton Road
Dale Zlotnick

Fedex Office #2348
1382 Main St.
Stacy Jean

Foxy’s Gift Baskets
107 Orange St.
Edwin Pagan Jr.

Fu’s Chinchorreo
10 Loring St.
Elizabeth Luvevas

Full Nation Music
494 Central St.
Jose Garcia

G.L. Provost Construction
120 Webber St.
Gary Provost

Geo Nail Studio
551 Roosevelt Ave.
Christian Torres

Liquid Dreams
44 Prospect St.
Charlene Naylor

Los Primos Cleaning Service
11 Lorraine St.
Rafael Garcia

Mann Mann’s, LLC
64 Wilmont St.
Eliyah Yuhmu Kenyatta

Marilunna Banquet Hall
143 Main St.
Marilu Medina Cirillo

Micaela’s Creations
71 Holly St.
Micaela’s Creations

Mike’s Dog Grooming
5 St. Lawrence St.
Michael Salazar

Moe’s Mobile Care Sales
32 Byron St.
Maurice Spencer

Mr. Tint
1267 Boston Road
Muhammad Noorzad

Sui Generis Beauty, LLC
73 Woodrow St.
Chanell Changasie

Sunshine Cleaning & All Season Lawn Care
16 Dunmoreland St.
Latoya Smith

Tio Vic’s Landscaping
24 Mystic St.
Veronica Ortiz

WESTFIELD

413 Doors & Home Service
57 Woodcliff Dr.
Ty Besaw

Aurora Technologies
132 Ridgeview Ter.
Alex Botyan

Cargo Landscaping
66 South Broad St.
CKRG Landscaping Inc.

Daily Jenlee
391 Prospect St. Ext.
Jenny Nguyen

K & M Landscaping
292 Lockhouse Road
Matthew Coach

La Lenz Photography
66 South Broad St.
La Lenz Photography

Shears to You
36 Breighly Way
Patricia Barnes

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Express Brows & Beauty Style
520 Main St.
Mohamed Nagooradumai

Hair by Aidan
33 Westfield St.
Aidan Benoit

Integrative Health & Wellness Center
1111 Elm St.
Kathleen Marie

Kia M. Brokos, LMT
425 Union St.
Kia Brokos

Lattitude Restaurant
1338 Memorial Ave.
Jeffrey Daigneau

Steven’s Jewelers Inc.
1501 Elm St.
Eric Stevens

TC’s DJ & Karaoke Service
53 Druids Lane
Anthony Cortis

White Hut
280 Memorial Ave.
Edison Yee

Willie Wheels Auto Polishing
194 Baldwin St.
William Bayton

Bankruptcies

By
Bankruptcies

The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.

Brown, Malo L.
888 State St., Apt. 44
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Date: 08/10/2021

Bushey, Christy M.
76 1/2 Maple St.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/03/2021

Carrano, Francesco A.
Forte, Pasqualina
15 Dale St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/05/2021

Drohan, Margo A.
85 Pixley Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230-8512
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/09/2021

Eckstein, Theresa
a/k/a Sanbula, Theresa
34 Eloise St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/03/2021

Fusco, Nicholas
245 Cheshire Road, #33
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/05/2021

Grandchamp, Kathleen
Global, Monat
28 Adams St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Date: 07/31/2021

Greeley Scamby, Mairi J.
10 Lincoln Road
Ashland, MA 01721
Chapter: 13
Date: 08/13/2021

Hardy, Joshua L.
46 Gold St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/03/2021

Hornsby, Mario
69 State Street Ter.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Date: 08/09/2021

Jennie’s Farm
Stevens, Timothy M.
Stevens, Tammy M.
190 Prospect Hill Road
Phillipston, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/13/2021

Kazalis, Michael G.
Kazalis, Inna
200 Lambert Ter., Unit 22
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Date: 07/30/2021

Kuruca, Sefa
Hebert-Kuruca, Angela M.
11 Brookfield St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/03/2021

McCarthy, John M.
McCarthy, Catherine M.
PO Box 72
Cheshire, MA 01225
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/11/2021

Mentzen, Eric
Mentzen, Cheryl F.
163 Crane Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/07/2021

Montemagni, Gina Maria
130 Lawndale St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/04/2021

Opalenik, Diane R.
5 Bach Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 13
Date: 08/05/2021

Petrucelli, Andrew
17 Beveridge Blvd.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Date: 07/31/2021

Prendergast, Daniel J.
Prendergast, Megan E.
a/k/a Bergman, Megan E.
21 Sonia St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/05/2021

Shea, Jeffrey S.
Shea, Melissa D.
474 East State St.
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/04/2021

Shea, Kelsey D.
474 East State St.
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/03/2021

Sullivan, Jeffrey M.
164 Druid Hill Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 13
Date: 08/02/2021

Vautrin, Elyse A.
a/k/a Rivers, Elyse A.
39 Belvidere Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/09/2021

Williams, Lula L.
52 Savoy Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Date: 07/30/2021

Wordbound Media, LLC
Mayer, John Jakob
833 Colrain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Date: 08/11/2021

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

BERNARDSTON

32 Turners Falls Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Amy C. Shattuck
Seller: Virginia M. Waterman
Date: 07/30/21

BUCKLAND

38 Williams St.
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Todd A. Boutwell
Seller: Boutwell, Cecelia B., (Estate)
Date: 07/28/21

3 Union St.
Buckland, MA 01370
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Jonathan Magee
Seller: Richard Purtle
Date: 08/05/21

CHARLEMONT

1205 Route 2 East
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: William C. Brunner
Seller: Peter J. Daly
Date: 07/30/21

COLRAIN

229 Thompson Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Steven G. Danowitz
Seller: Ruth B. McDowell
Date: 07/26/21

CONWAY

1497 Main Poland Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Erin Phillips
Seller: Detra C. Sarris
Date: 07/30/21

28 Main St.
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Mikayla A. Reine
Seller: Jeffery A. Greenwood
Date: 07/26/21

DEERFIELD

20 Elm St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Philip K. Peake
Seller: Robert Stockwell
Date: 08/04/21

236 North Main St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $223,075
Buyer: Hsien F. Chang
Seller: Jayne L. Stetson
Date: 07/30/21

82 Whately Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $337,000
Buyer: Samuel A. Urkiel
Seller: Zukowski, Henry J., (Estate)
Date: 08/06/21

GREENFIELD

6-8 Beech St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Colleen A. Champ
Seller: Moon Morgan
Date: 08/06/21

633 Bernardston Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $251,100
Buyer: FHLM
Seller: Janet G. Peers
Date: 08/03/21

255 Chapman St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $267,050
Buyer: Harriet F. Peterson
Seller: Thatcher RET
Date: 07/30/21

260 Chapman St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jon S. Nelson
Seller: Norbert A. Belliveau
Date: 08/04/21

26 Eliza Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Jenifer M. Ollis
Seller: Min L. Lu
Date: 07/30/21

16 Grinnell St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Michael C. Pfitzer
Seller: Rodolfo Florencio
Date: 07/30/21

21-23 Harrison Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $298,000
Buyer: David E. Bruffee
Seller: Donald F. Weld
Date: 07/30/21

180 Laurel St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Greenerside Holdings LLC
Seller: Town Of Greenfield
Date: 07/27/21

36 Linden Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Nicholas Hathaway
Seller: Jeremy R. Mailloux
Date: 07/30/21

99 Log Plain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $489,442
Buyer: Jason A. Constantine
Seller: Robert P. Lafleur
Date: 07/27/21

17 Mackin Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $422,001
Buyer: Jeremy Lessard
Seller: Roland P. Currier
Date: 07/30/21

38 Overland Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $327,500
Buyer: Mark A. Collins
Seller: Leeanne P. Hadsel
Date: 07/30/21

20 Prentice Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $118,200
Buyer: Ruby Realty LLC
Seller: Jessie L. Graham
Date: 08/05/21

18 Solon St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Claudia Black
Seller: James Frost
Date: 07/30/21

28 Vernon St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Mladen Baudrand
Seller: Paul D. Viens
Date: 07/30/21

3 Vernon St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $272,500
Buyer: Terrance H. Kennedy
Seller: Lindsey M. Doolen
Date: 07/30/21

37-39 Walnut St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Valeriu Vizitiu
Seller: Pavel Tutunzhiu
Date: 07/27/21

HEATH

44 Long Hill Road
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $372,000
Buyer: Gale E. Hubley
Seller: Maureen Barclay
Date: 08/04/21

62 Papoose Lake Dr.
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $262,500
Buyer: Todd C. Gross
Seller: John H. Traynor
Date: 07/26/21

66 Papoose Lake Dr.
Heath, MA 01346
Amount: $262,500
Buyer: Todd C. Gross
Seller: John H. Traynor
Date: 07/26/21

LEVERETT

335 Long Plain Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Tod R. Loebel
Seller: Lorraine Re
Date: 08/04/21

Route 63
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Matthew W. Corcoran
Seller: Sondra K. Corcoran
Date: 07/28/21

LEYDEN

266 Alexander Road
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $312,000
Buyer: Katelyn McVety
Seller: Daniel P. Viens
Date: 07/30/21

135 George Lamb Road
Leyden, MA 01337
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Jared Garfield
Seller: Ricki Newman-Benzie
Date: 08/03/21

Wilson Road
Leyden, MA 01301
Amount: $349,000
Buyer: Peter Siegel
Seller: John F. Tinker
Date: 07/30/21

MONTAGUE

25 Central St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Natan M. Cohen
Seller: Michael E. John
Date: 07/29/21

11 Coolidge Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $273,000
Buyer: Jesse Sevoian
Seller: Christopher J. Bailey
Date: 08/06/21

390 Millers Falls Road
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Daniel R. White
Seller: Viencek III, Maryon F., (Estate)
Date: 08/04/21

8 Unity St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Robert W. Wasielewski
Seller: Steven P. Levin
Date: 07/30/21

NEW SALEM

2 Old County Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Nicholas A. Irving
Seller: Amanda K. Piper
Date: 07/28/21

NORTHFIELD

39 Highland Ave.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Sarah R. Kerns
Seller: Van Brothers Co. LLC
Date: 08/06/21

181 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: David Kelly
Seller: Lesley A. Safer TR
Date: 07/30/21

76 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Jody P. James
Seller: Megan A. Barnes
Date: 07/26/21

ORANGE

18-20 East Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Waipong Woo
Seller: Blaise Berthiaume
Date: 08/02/21

20 Fieldstone Dr.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Kevin W. Colo
Seller: James L. Basford
Date: 08/06/21

245 Hayden St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Jay M. Guilmette
Seller: Gerald C. Stone
Date: 07/28/21

179 Holtshire Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Divina Dias-Prata
Seller: Gerald Stone
Date: 08/04/21

46-48 Kelton St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $215,400
Buyer: Jefferson J. Lett
Seller: Philip J. Harris
Date: 08/06/21

11 Perry Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $432,511
Buyer: Robert Fichtel
Seller: Saverio F. Kaczmarczyk
Date: 07/27/21

9 Rogers Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: David C. Simpson
Seller: Kimberly J. Valliere
Date: 07/30/21

416 South Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Deborah A. Ericson
Seller: Thavath Sayarath
Date: 07/27/21

41 Stone Valley Road East
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Nathaniel Herzig
Seller: Gregory M. Leblanc
Date: 08/06/21

30 Terrace St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Kyle Kilhart
Seller: Nancy M. Holston
Date: 07/30/21

18 West River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Jameson P. Reardon
Seller: Gregory S. Bryant
Date: 07/30/21

SHUTESBURY

64 Cushman Road
Shutesbury, MA 01002
Amount: $615,000
Buyer: Nathan J. Heard
Seller: Gail M. Carroll RET
Date: 07/30/21

481-483 Montague Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Chiheng Lee
Seller: Andrew J. Baird
Date: 07/27/21

176 West Pelham Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Jeremy R. Mailloux
Seller: Lisa D. Sanders
Date: 07/30/21

527 West Pelham Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Leah C. Jack
Seller: Skyway Properties LLC
Date: 07/30/21

WHATELY

199 River Road
Whately, MA 01373
Amount: $440,900
Buyer: Kurt M. Brazeau
Seller: Donald L. Webster
Date: 07/28/21

Route 10
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Sovereign Builders Inc.
Seller: Sharyn A. Holich
Date: 08/04/21

Route 5
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Sovereign Builders Inc.
Seller: Sharyn A. Holich
Date: 08/04/21

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

29 Briarcliff Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Bridget A. Dionne
Seller: Thomas M. Roberts
Date: 08/04/21

104 Broz Ter.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Daniel C. Eutiquio
Seller: Walter C. Kos
Date: 08/06/21

35 Candlewood Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $519,000
Buyer: Mert E. Basarir
Seller: Marshia G. Regnier
Date: 08/02/21

70 Carr Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Douglas Vye
Seller: Mark E. Cole
Date: 08/02/21

71 Columbia Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Madeline A. Joyal
Seller: Calabrese Construction LLC
Date: 07/30/21

70 Independence Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Cindy Houle
Seller: Lawrence A. Mayo
Date: 07/30/21

37 Maynard St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $237,500
Buyer: Tammy L. Martin
Seller: Richard A. Sisk
Date: 08/06/21

73 Meadow St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Rebecca A. Leithoff
Seller: Cindy A. Houle
Date: 08/06/21

56 North West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Luis Lizardi
Seller: Brandon M. Tessier
Date: 08/02/21

22 Oriole Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Cara Raschilla
Seller: Raymond A. Nadeau
Date: 07/26/21

76 Pheasant Run Circle
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $332,000
Buyer: Eric Rooney
Seller: Joseph A. Bergeron
Date: 08/05/21

71 Riverview Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Eric Seibert
Seller: William P. O’Hare
Date: 07/30/21

618-620 Springfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $238,000
Buyer: Nicholas Blais
Seller: Nancy A. Baker
Date: 08/06/21

BRIMFIELD

20 Agard Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: Brian Sheridan
Seller: Linda A. Vecchione
Date: 07/28/21

226 East Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: John D. Dalton
Seller: Donna S. Shalvoy
Date: 07/28/21

153 Haynes Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $216,500
Buyer: Jewel Real Estate Inc.
Seller: Margery J. Wilburn
Date: 08/05/21

23 Prospect Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Jerome J. Ryan
Seller: Heather E. Larson
Date: 07/29/21

68 Saint Clair Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Kirsten M. Desjardins
Seller: George S. Demos
Date: 07/30/21

44 Warren Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Emily J. Eshleman
Seller: Brian D. Delnegro
Date: 08/06/21

CHESTER

5 School St.
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $177,000
Buyer: Mary M. Judson
Seller: Robert C. Mazeika
Date: 07/30/21

CHICOPEE

32 Bemis St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $208,625
Buyer: Tito Demond-Lewis
Seller: Michael A. Judkins
Date: 08/06/21

47 Bourbeau St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Samuel C. Bernash
Seller: Tougas, Phyllis M., (Estate)
Date: 07/29/21

23 Chapin St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: College Of Our Lady
Seller: Judith M. Corridan-Danek
Date: 07/30/21

22 Cherryvale St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $241,000
Buyer: David J. Cote
Seller: Cecelia A. Velasquez
Date: 07/30/21

6 Connecticut Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Janery M. Negron
Seller: Jo A. Hastings-Bineault
Date: 08/03/21

167 Crestwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Bethany T. Sullivan
Seller: Eleanor T. Appleton
Date: 08/05/21

244 East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Victor Alonso
Seller: Keith Rattell
Date: 08/06/21

22 East Street Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Rosemary Soto
Seller: Igor Revniuk
Date: 07/30/21

18 Fanwood Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Stephen Badura
Seller: Wesley Gumlaw
Date: 08/05/21

210 Grattan St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Edwin E. Cabrera
Seller: Tammi J. Adair
Date: 07/29/21

73 Hilton St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Maryangelie Jimenez
Seller: Stephen J. Badura
Date: 08/05/21

71 Kaveney St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Rafael Nouel
Seller: Dominic A. Iannuzzi
Date: 07/28/21

79 Madison St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: 79-81 Madison St. Realty LLC
Seller: Christopher Petropoulos
Date: 07/30/21

35 Marten St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $262,500
Buyer: Marissa Swentinckus
Seller: Nancy S. McKay
Date: 07/28/21

30 Mary St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Amanda J. Weinberg
Seller: Michael Parnell
Date: 08/05/21

68 Nonotuck Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Alex Franco
Seller: Amanda Bonci
Date: 08/02/21

235 Nonotuck Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Kate M. Kuzmeskus
Seller: Sherri M. Duffy-Denaut
Date: 07/30/21

62 Ohio Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Patricia Robicheau
Seller: Nancy F. Papalardo
Date: 07/28/21

820 Pendleton Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: Luz E. Sanchez
Seller: Mathieu A. Toczek
Date: 08/06/21

7 Ralph Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Luz E. Marcano
Seller: Sodi Inc.
Date: 08/02/21

221 Rolf Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Madaline Colon
Seller: David E. Macneil
Date: 07/30/21

46 Saint Jacques Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Sylvia Conant-Peterson
Seller: Carole J. Hubbard
Date: 07/30/21

75 Springfield St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Becken Realty LLC
Seller: Leclerc Holdings LLC
Date: 08/06/21

79 Springfield St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Becken Realty LLC
Seller: Leclerc Holdings LLC
Date: 08/06/21

28 Woodcrest Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Robert A. Boucher
Seller: Robert A. Boucher
Date: 07/27/21

68 Yvette St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Sandra Y. Torres
Seller: Linda M. Pulaski
Date: 07/30/21

EAST LONGMEADOW

167 Fernwood Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Justin Fernandes
Seller: Jean A. Towle
Date: 08/06/21

22 Granby St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: Timothy A. Bates
Seller: Jeffrey A. Deliefde
Date: 08/02/21

346 Kibbe Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Karisa M. Calderon
Seller: John Bacevicius
Date: 07/26/21

9 Linden Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $399,700
Buyer: Nicholas Lanci
Seller: Mei N. Li
Date: 08/06/21

5 Mereline Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $248,000
Buyer: Robert Hunter
Seller: Tia M. Lawrence
Date: 07/27/21

149 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Alicia N. Chakrabarti
Seller: Gail B. Gwozdz
Date: 08/02/21

538 Prospect St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Brian M. Lech
Seller: Johannes G. Devries
Date: 07/29/21

566 Prospect St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $1,250,000
Buyer: Kingdom Home LT
Seller: Tyde R. Richards
Date: 08/04/21

53 Ridge Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: Kathrina Hardy
Seller: Joseph A. Ford
Date: 08/06/21

73 Rural Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Corey J. Robinson
Seller: Michael G. Robie
Date: 07/29/21

54 Schuyler Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $372,000
Buyer: Ilsa Y. Cintron-Madera
Seller: Ronald A. Griffith
Date: 08/04/21

95 Shaker Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $725,000
Buyer: 21 Shillingford RT
Seller: 95 Shaker LLC
Date: 07/27/21

184 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Cameron M. Champigny
Seller: Baxter, Donna L., (Estate)
Date: 08/03/21

33 Taylor St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Fabian Gusovsky
Seller: Allan B. Sonoda
Date: 08/06/21

256 Westwood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Joshua Montes-Rodriguez
Seller: Marie L. Chaban
Date: 08/06/21

GRANVILLE

597 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Keith Curbow
Seller: James R. Shimp-Jylkka
Date: 07/30/21

50 McCarthy Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $153,660
Buyer: William Dolan
Seller: US Bank
Date: 07/30/21

HAMPDEN

153 Chapin Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Robert M. Dennis
Seller: William D. Dubois
Date: 08/04/21

417 Chapin Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Joshua R. Sterling
Seller: Matthew Chapin-Sterling
Date: 07/27/21

39 Kelly Lane
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Daryl M. Johnson
Seller: Alexander M. Lagunowich
Date: 07/28/21

14 Meadow Brook Lane
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Caitlyn J. Bates
Seller: Christopher W. Bates
Date: 07/29/21

159 North Monson Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $402,000
Buyer: James K. Bor-Woo
Seller: Felicia A. Leclerc
Date: 07/26/21

60 Old Orchard Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Christina N. Brodeur
Seller: Skowron, Richard F., (Estate)
Date: 08/05/21

HOLLAND

3 Old County Way
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Hannah R. Guertin
Seller: Elizabeth A. Sigaty
Date: 08/03/21

171 Sturbridge Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $376,500
Buyer: Frederick Gehring
Seller: Leah M. Palmer
Date: 08/02/21

179 Sturbridge Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Leah M. Palmer
Seller: Rachel E. Palmer
Date: 08/05/21

HOLYOKE

14 Alderman St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Stephen F. Field
Seller: Ovila J. Gadbois
Date: 08/04/21

21-23 Brown Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Johnny Calderon
Seller: Erika N. Reyes
Date: 08/06/21

9 Charles St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: KNC Home Renovations LLC
Seller: Finn, Martin J. Jr., (Estate)
Date: 08/06/21

26 Concord Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Dency C. Sargent
Seller: Aldenis Garcia
Date: 07/30/21

17 Highland Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $194,755
Buyer: Abraxas RT
Seller: Krista J. Alberti
Date: 07/29/21

41 North Summer St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Manuel E. Rivera
Seller: Juan Pedrosa
Date: 08/03/21

1635 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $800,000
Buyer: DIB Realty LLC
Seller: Robert J. Orsucci
Date: 08/02/21

1-3 Orchard St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $258,800
Buyer: Christopher N. Jarrett
Seller: Brian D. Moynihan
Date: 07/28/21

216 Pine St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Ricky Jones
Seller: Yellowbrick Property LLC
Date: 07/27/21

71 Pine St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Jayne Marshall
Seller: Shanice Brown
Date: 07/30/21

417-419 South Elm St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $313,000
Buyer: Vincent M. Ortiz
Seller: Domingos Verissimo
Date: 08/02/21

LONGMEADOW

73 Allen Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Jennifer L. Atkin
Seller: John Perenick
Date: 08/05/21

77 Fairhill Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Christopher McKillop
Seller: Brian J. Grayboff
Date: 08/03/21

335 Inverness Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $705,000
Buyer: Thomas F. Donnelly
Seller: Jared R. Tivnan
Date: 07/30/21

52 Laurel Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Edward M. Sluis
Seller: 52 Laurel Lane LLC
Date: 07/30/21

196 Laurel St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: John T. Wittbold
Seller: Terfera, Raymond O., (Estate)
Date: 07/29/21

68 Massachusetts Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Delores J. Thayer
Seller: Daniel T. Beauregard
Date: 07/30/21

88 Meadowlark Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $332,100
Buyer: Mathieu A. Toczek
Seller: Gary B. Mantolesky
Date: 08/06/21

50 Oak Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Quercus Properties LLC
Seller: Joel A. Pava
Date: 08/02/21

123 Wild Grove Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $635,000
Buyer: Tracie L. Dagostino
Seller: Romona S. Dromgold
Date: 07/30/21

43 Wildwood Glen
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Harrison J. Liebman
Seller: Tammy R. Rex
Date: 07/29/21

LUDLOW

31 Acorn Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Emily Dewolf
Seller: Ryan C. O’Neil
Date: 08/04/21

16 Brimfield St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Israel Rivera
Seller: Peter A. Gaudreau
Date: 07/29/21

592 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $412,500
Buyer: P&B Properties LLC
Seller: CJM Properties Inc.
Date: 07/29/21

826 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Goncalves
Seller: Christopher E. Moore
Date: 07/30/21

351 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Timothy J. Goodchild
Seller: Jack C. Mendes
Date: 08/02/21

354 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $339,500
Buyer: Hoyt Forbes
Seller: Jeffrey A. Lambert
Date: 08/06/21

35 Funston Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Michelle M. Liaszenik
Seller: Michael Mole
Date: 08/05/21

84 Grimard St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $263,000
Buyer: Marie Finnerty
Seller: Jane E. Costa
Date: 07/29/21

31 Harlan St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $311,000
Buyer: Kathleen M. Nevins
Seller: Marsha Cote
Date: 08/05/21

Keefe St. #24
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: West Street Village LLC
Seller: Bonnie L. Kennedy
Date: 07/26/21

24 Lehigh St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Nicholas T. Moutinho
Seller: Betty B. Moutinho
Date: 08/05/21

64 Oak Knoll Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Shauna Leblanc
Seller: Robert C. Table
Date: 07/26/21

55 Ray St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Colin F. Cook
Seller: Antonio A. Sosa
Date: 07/30/21

156 Swan Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $288,500
Buyer: Justine P. Anderson
Seller: Daniel S. Honorio
Date: 07/27/21

59 Tower Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $272,500
Buyer: Home Rehabit LLC
Seller: Ann L. Irvine
Date: 08/06/21

390 West St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Jackson Cali LLC
Seller: David G. Belanger
Date: 07/27/21

West St. #24
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: West Street Village LLC
Seller: Bonnie L. Kennedy
Date: 07/26/21

391 Westerly Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Michael A. Buoniconti
Seller: Michael A. Buoniconti
Date: 07/26/21

MONSON

225 Bumstead Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $614,000
Buyer: Pamela J. Ellis
Seller: Arlo K. Skowyra
Date: 07/26/21

78 Butler Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Vincent Nuzzolilli
Seller: Nicholas Turnberg
Date: 07/27/21

19 Harrison Ave.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Aaron K. Rittlinger
Seller: Peter C. Beaupre
Date: 07/30/21

57 Lakeshore Dr.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $343,500
Buyer: Lyndsay M. Vickers
Seller: Charles L. Secrease
Date: 08/06/21

125 Lower Hampden Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $546,000
Buyer: Anthony Patalano
Seller: Douglas Delisle
Date: 07/29/21

33 Thompson St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $238,000
Buyer: Phillip Arnold
Seller: Keith D. Beaulieu
Date: 08/02/21

PALMER

5-7 Beech St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Timothy Romeo
Seller: Whitney Kusy
Date: 08/02/21

28 Beech St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Katherine H. Balcom
Seller: William D. Harris
Date: 07/29/21

11 Christine St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $131,200
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Randall E. Paxton
Date: 08/03/21

1 Juniper Dr.
Palmer, MA 01095
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Jaroslaw Lebida
Seller: Leszek Lebida
Date: 08/02/21

2004-2008 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Sawkat Wally
Seller: OM 3 Rivers LLC
Date: 07/29/21

2358 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Jacqueline Rygiel
Seller: Fumi Realty Inc.
Date: 07/30/21

3117-3119 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $293,500
Buyer: Jazmin Rubet
Seller: Marek Dybacki
Date: 08/06/21

3165-3171 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: John Sullivan
Seller: Constance M. Kos
Date: 08/02/21

3001 Maple St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: John Sullivan
Seller: Constance M. Kos
Date: 08/02/21

1 Meadow Lane
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Paul O. Garcia
Seller: Scott L. Poulin
Date: 07/29/21

1469 North Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: 1469 North Main Street RT
Seller: Karnavati Express Inc.
Date: 08/05/21

1500 North Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Joao A. Dias
Seller: 413 RSCS2 LLC
Date: 08/06/21

6 Norbell St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Samantha K. Cardin
Seller: Charles W. Smith
Date: 08/02/21

RUSSELL

21 Main St.
Russell, MA 01008
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: David Serotkin
Seller: FHLM
Date: 07/28/21

78 Patriots Path
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $289,000
Buyer: Yehor Kovaliuk
Seller: Tia M. Doherty
Date: 08/04/21

SOUTHWICK

109 Bungalow St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Tara Gorenc
Seller: Martin Gorenc
Date: 08/02/21

139 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $530,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Collins
Seller: Wesley D. Kupchunos
Date: 08/03/21

14 Davis Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Michael F. Sullivan
Seller: Peter M. Coppa
Date: 08/06/21

32 Davis Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $331,000
Buyer: Michael Monti
Seller: David A. Wall
Date: 08/02/21

27 Eagle St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $737,000
Buyer: John Haftmann
Seller: Brian B. Beger
Date: 07/27/21

102 Sheep Pasture Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Joseph B. Axenroth
Seller: Mary K. Reagan
Date: 07/30/21

35 South Longyard Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Brooke L. Matranga
Seller: Jesse Rizzo
Date: 08/05/21

233 South Loomis St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: 233 South Loomis LLC
Seller: Sodom Mountain Campground Inc.
Date: 08/02/21

98 Vining Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $612,500
Buyer: Tyler Hutchison
Seller: Charles P. Lippert
Date: 07/30/21

15 White St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $655,000
Buyer: Mark Merrow
Seller: Tracey L. Davis
Date: 07/27/21

SPRINGFIELD

124 Abbe Ave.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Jennifer Cordero
Seller: Samuel Vazquez
Date: 08/05/21

73 Acushnet Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Denis Ryzhikov
Seller: FP Realty LLC
Date: 08/04/21

132 Alderman St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $298,000
Buyer: Guy Meyitang
Seller: Sapana Sinchury
Date: 08/06/21

1644 Allen St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Kenneth S. Constanza
Seller: C. P. Bulathsinghala
Date: 07/27/21

140 Ambrose St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Andrew Robinson
Seller: Jennifer Y. Perlera
Date: 07/29/21

114 Arnold Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Derrick E. Murphy
Seller: Janet Curbelo
Date: 07/30/21

47-49 Ashley St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Nicholas A. Webley
Seller: Edwin Ortiz-Gonzalez
Date: 08/06/21

38 Barrington Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Biji G. Joseph
Seller: Marlo McCants
Date: 08/06/21

189 Bay St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: JJJ17 LLC
Seller: Diane Jubrey
Date: 07/29/21

41-43 Beaudry St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Om Sai Property Investment LLC
Seller: Carlos M. Alves
Date: 08/05/21

177 Belvidere St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Ghasaq Al-Kowami
Seller: Anthony S. Wright
Date: 07/28/21

1340 Berkshire Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Jonathan Gomez
Seller: Deanna M. Autry
Date: 08/03/21

62-64 Bither St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Christopher P. Ferreira
Seller: Caleb J. Gomez
Date: 08/06/21

133 Brandon Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Jesus Alicea
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 08/06/21

135 Breckwood Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Jose R. Llanos
Seller: Jalissa I. Masarone
Date: 07/30/21

73 Bridle Path Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Katherine A. Carman
Seller: Pamela L. Hill
Date: 07/30/21

97 Bristol St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Duane Victory
Seller: Karl S. Exantus
Date: 08/06/21

124 Buckingham St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: JJJ17 LLC
Seller: Diane Jubrey
Date: 07/29/21

1542-1548 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Fahad LLC
Seller: Wahid Uddin
Date: 08/05/21

158 Chapin Ter.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Fallah Razzak
Seller: Richard Negrin
Date: 08/03/21

37 Cherrelyn St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Manal Alluhaibi
Seller: Bassam Mawla
Date: 08/02/21

24 Chilson St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Quadnesa N. Kelly
Seller: Kimberly A. Kirkland
Date: 07/27/21

40 Church St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $176,500
Buyer: Joannie Suarez
Seller: Jose Suarez
Date: 07/30/21

297 Commonwealth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Damaris Resto-Colon
Seller: Roman Zdorovets
Date: 07/29/21

272 Connecticut Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Damaris L. Morales
Seller: Celany Z. Valdez
Date: 07/28/21

59 Corona St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $232,000
Buyer: Angelica Colon
Seller: Meghann L. Whittemore
Date: 07/28/21

39 Crow Lane
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Dawn E. Taylor
Seller: Brian J. Sears
Date: 07/30/21

134 Devens St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Catalino Maldonado
Seller: Manuel D. Silva
Date: 08/04/21

558 Dickinson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $211,000
Buyer: Deirdre Alton
Seller: Daniel Lozada
Date: 08/04/21

251 Dorset St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Vanessa Portalatin
Seller: Robert J. Schroeter
Date: 07/30/21

313-315 Dorset St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $182,500
Buyer: Michael P. Rodgers
Seller: Verba S. Fanolis
Date: 08/06/21

Dwight St. (WS)
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $620,000
Buyer: 401 Liberty Street LLC
Seller: D&K Realty Inc.
Date: 07/27/21

223 East St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Xavier D. Machuca
Seller: Diana Rios-Sheldon
Date: 07/29/21

70-72 East Alvord St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Edgar O. Nieves
Seller: Alpha Homes LLC
Date: 08/02/21

49 Eastern Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Moises R. Velasquez-Perez
Seller: Eliezer Soto
Date: 07/30/21

340-342 Eastern Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Amanda Torres
Seller: Rafael A. Reyes
Date: 08/06/21

9-11 Ellsworth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Holly L. Fredericks
Seller: MPower Capital LLC
Date: 08/02/21

37 Endicott St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Amy Bedore
Seller: Turgeon, Roland H. Jr., (Estate)
Date: 07/27/21

47 Felicia St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Hedge Hog Industries Corp
Seller: Chmura, Jane V., (Estate)
Date: 07/27/21

396-398 Fernbank Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Michael Huang
Seller: Michael R. Heaton
Date: 07/30/21

59-61 Forest Park Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Emtay Inc.
Seller: Wilmington Svgs Fund Soc
Date: 07/29/21

139 Fox Hill Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Aubri N. Bailly
Seller: Grundstrom, Dena L., (Estate)
Date: 07/26/21

306 Gilbert Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Mickelia A. Pearson
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 07/30/21

519 Gifford St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $371,000
Buyer: Andre M. Walker
Seller: Minh Lam
Date: 08/05/21

185 Hancock St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Kimberly Dupuis
Seller: Dannys Solis
Date: 07/30/21

16 Harkness Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: George C. Carter
Seller: Katie E. Byrne
Date: 08/02/21

30 Herbert Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Rebecca Lesnett
Seller: RAW Land Ltd
Date: 07/26/21

59 Hillside Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $221,000
Buyer: Uriel Burgos
Seller: Deanne D. Duclos
Date: 07/29/21

33 Hunt St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $149,000
Buyer: Y&M Home Solutions LLC
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 08/03/21

87 Ingersoll Grove
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Stephen Cyr
Seller: Paul A. Nuckols
Date: 07/30/21

38-40 Jenness St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Robert A. Arnett
Seller: John F. Kearns
Date: 07/28/21

90 Jenness St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Tamara Barbee
Seller: Micheline A. Martin
Date: 08/05/21

20-24 Kelly Place
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Nilsa Laboy
Seller: Fernando J. DosSantos
Date: 07/30/21

214 King St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $116,000
Buyer: Darwin Gomez
Seller: 11 RRE LLC
Date: 07/29/21

36-38 Lakeside St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Richard M. Johnson
Seller: Riccardo R. Carroll
Date: 08/06/21

62 Laurel St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Stephane Figueroa-Vidal
Seller: Daisy Rivera
Date: 07/29/21

135 Lloyd Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Mercedes I. Pineiro
Seller: Norma A. Dywer
Date: 07/30/21

25 Lloyd Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Blythewood Property Management LLC
Seller: Harris Properties LLC
Date: 07/30/21

40 Mallowhill Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Amarilis Torres
Seller: Alison Fernandes
Date: 07/28/21

84-86 Manhattan St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: John E. Torres-Astacio
Seller: John D. Caldwell
Date: 07/28/21

128 Marion St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Springfield Ventures RT
Seller: Martyn Berliner
Date: 08/02/21

70 Martone Place
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Saint James Place Property
Seller: WBGLA Of Westfield MA LLC
Date: 07/26/21

27 Mattoon St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $244,000
Buyer: Eric D. Boccio
Seller: Robert S. McCarroll
Date: 07/30/21

39 Montmorenci St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jacqueline Rios
Seller: Daniel E. Grandon
Date: 07/30/21

365 Newbury St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Salgari Ramirez
Seller: Chad Lynch
Date: 07/30/21

507-509 Newbury St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Nathaniel J. Jones
Seller: Blythewood Property Management LLC
Date: 07/30/21

66 Northway Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Veteran Stan LLC
Seller: Allen B. Hayden
Date: 07/27/21

143-145 Oak Grove Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $307,000
Buyer: Jony Hidalgo
Seller: Round 2 LLC
Date: 08/06/21

152 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Dominga Dominguez-Diaz
Seller: Jerry A. Gonzalez
Date: 08/03/21

3 Oakwood Ter.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Norman J. Major
Seller: Eich Estates Inc.
Date: 07/27/21

322-324 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Carlos E. Martinez
Seller: William Delgado
Date: 07/29/21

31 Palmer Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Randolph Wills
Seller: Tatcepsy 1 LLC
Date: 07/29/21

110 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $228,000
Buyer: Watson James
Seller: Francisco Alarcon
Date: 07/26/21

41 Parkside St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Anthony Flores
Seller: Gail Catjakis
Date: 07/28/21

53 Parkside St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Anastasia M. Clements
Seller: Jessica Cordero
Date: 07/27/21

23 Parkwood St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $143,000
Buyer: Round 2 LLC
Seller: John Tran LLC
Date: 07/28/21

115 Pasadena St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Lamont Clemons
Seller: Rene A. Bernier
Date: 08/06/21

144 Pasco Road
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Alex N. Wright
Seller: McNally, John M., (Estate)
Date: 08/05/21

72 Pheland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Marco Scibeli
Seller: Albert R. Breton
Date: 08/06/21

67 Plumtree Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Thomas St.Amand
Seller: Charles L. Binsbacher
Date: 07/27/21

30 Prince St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Cristalee Velazquez
Seller: Jose Goncalves
Date: 07/30/21

51 Quincy St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Sridhar Tipirneni
Seller: Denise Rivera
Date: 07/29/21

61 Ramblewood Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Delilah M. Figueroa
Seller: Mary C. McBride
Date: 07/29/21

16 Riverview St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Luis Ibarra
Seller: Alan R. Towne
Date: 07/26/21

31 Rockland St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Bobbie Jo Murray
Seller: Patrick J. McCarthy
Date: 07/30/21

89 Roosevelt Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $273,000
Buyer: Kyle J. Ahearn
Seller: Daniel W. Shannon
Date: 08/02/21

620 Roosevelt Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $145,010
Buyer: Veteran Stan LLC
Seller: Shirely Lu
Date: 08/05/21

837 Saint James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Jorge L. Pagan
Seller: Courtney J. Axenroth
Date: 07/30/21

233 Savoy Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Alexander Munera-Garcia
Seller: Kimberley Strother
Date: 07/30/21

35 Shefford St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: A. Brickhouse-Fitzemeyer
Seller: Andreas Aigner
Date: 08/04/21

78 Sherbrooke St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Llajaira Maldonado
Seller: Tascon Homes LLC
Date: 08/02/21

170 Springfield St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Matthew Martinez
Seller: Jose E. Martinez
Date: 08/04/21

43 Sullivan St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $388,000
Buyer: 43 Sullivan Street Inc.
Seller: Hann Realty Berkshire LLC
Date: 07/29/21

407 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: James Schmidt
Seller: Karl A. Haywood
Date: 08/05/21

52 Sunrise Ter.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: David G. Boucher
Seller: Wiers Ralph N., (Estate)
Date: 07/30/21

289 Tremont St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Joejoe Properties LLC
Seller: Elliott F. Rainville
Date: 07/30/21

39 Venture Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Daine D. Hamilton
Seller: Richard Dionne
Date: 07/26/21

32 Wellfleet Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: Jessica E. Majkowski
Seller: Stephen R. Perry
Date: 08/02/21

80 Wellington St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Rohan Heron
Seller: Jennifer Carter
Date: 07/26/21

28 West Alvord St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Rodman Capital Group LLC
Seller: Dawn E. Taylor
Date: 07/30/21

38 Westford Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: David D. Mixon
Seller: Joshua M. Glicksman
Date: 08/02/21

83 Wilton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Cindy M. Corchado
Seller: Victor M. Aguirre
Date: 07/30/21

27 Woodcliff St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $221,000
Buyer: Adam Curtis
Seller: Jenna L. Hayden
Date: 08/04/21

19 Woodrow St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Alexander Perez
Seller: Parker Point Property LLC
Date: 08/02/21

1166 Worthington St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: S. W. Proctor TR
Seller: Deirdre Alton
Date: 07/30/21

557 Worthington St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Rose Entertainment LLC
Seller: Damascus Holdings LLC
Date: 07/27/21

WALES

10 Woodland Heights
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Margaret Powers
Seller: Ronald W. Gresty
Date: 07/30/21

WEST SPRINGFIELD

91 Amherst St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Ryan N. Tellier
Seller: Tomasz Kisiel
Date: 07/28/21

36 Bliss St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Marc Mamoun-Dulaimy
Seller: Debra Whiting
Date: 08/03/21

25 Chestnut St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Katharina Neumann
Seller: Richard A. Silvano
Date: 08/02/21

73 Elmdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Choubert St.Florant
Seller: Kenneth A. Whiting
Date: 08/04/21

182 Ely Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Deborah A. O’Neill
Seller: Jeremy M. Rankin
Date: 07/30/21

17 George St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Mahmoud Jnaed
Seller: Alexander Frazier
Date: 07/26/21

45 Heritage Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Kathryn Gelonese
Seller: Kathleen A. Weiss
Date: 08/05/21

42 Houston Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Larkspur LLC
Seller: Armstrong, Samuel D., (Estate)
Date: 08/02/21

193 Laurel Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Bhim K. Bhattarai
Seller: Robert S. Lawless
Date: 07/27/21

155 Loomis Ridge
West Springfield, MA 01085
Amount: $630,000
Buyer: Phillip E. Parker
Seller: Scott W. Hodges
Date: 07/29/21

1393 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Jonathan M. Minney
Seller: Roman Lavrov
Date: 08/06/21

29 Robinson Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $287,500
Buyer: Nancy H. Weld
Seller: Nico Paolucci
Date: 08/02/21

WESTFIELD

35 Carpenter St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Nicholas A. Ventura
Seller: Douglas J. Fuller
Date: 08/02/21

28 Colony Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Robert L. Gramolini
Seller: Kristen Cimini
Date: 07/29/21

51 Court St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Ryan M. Johnson
Seller: Christopher R. Judson
Date: 07/27/21

102 Court St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: Timothy A. Delhagen
Seller: Concetta Lane
Date: 07/30/21

26 Crescent Ridge Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Nicholas J. Mears
Seller: Paul R. Swenson
Date: 07/30/21

41 Dickens Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Amber R. Plante
Seller: Tonya L. Plante
Date: 08/03/21

 

70 Forest Glen Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $349,900
Buyer: Evan C. Marshall
Seller: Tracey L. Tristany
Date: 07/30/21

982 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01089
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Michael Navarro
Seller: Jeffrey J. Daly
Date: 07/27/21

14 Harrison Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Robinson Miranda
Seller: Raymond J. Wright
Date: 07/30/21

99 Holyoke Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Margaret Ferraro
Seller: Roberta J. Belanger
Date: 08/03/21

182 Joseph Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Doug Fuller
Seller: Noret, Eleanor A., (Estate)
Date: 07/27/21

11 King Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Phillip M. Gildersleeve
Seller: Double D. Investments LLC
Date: 08/06/21

25 Leonard Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: TM Properties Inc.
Seller: Michael D. Jones
Date: 07/29/21

35 Llewellyn Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Michelle R. Leblanc
Seller: Susan S. Emery
Date: 07/29/21

452 Loomis St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Steven MacMaster-Jones
Seller: David C. Colton
Date: 07/27/21

666 Montgomery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Ryan Karolides
Seller: Douglas L. Puza
Date: 08/05/21

52 Ridge Trail Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Michael J. Falcetti
Seller: Jeffrey A. Neece
Date: 08/06/21

11 Saint Dennis St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Karina Pratt
Seller: Eric J. Dewey
Date: 07/26/21

55 Salvator Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Joseph F. Pescitelli
Seller: Larry T. Lenston
Date: 07/30/21

159 Sunset Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $348,000
Buyer: Lori Assad
Seller: Robert Pitts
Date: 08/04/21

31 William St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Eugeniu Corja
Seller: Phillip H. Sousa
Date: 07/30/21

19 Zephyr Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Michael Parnell
Seller: Mitchell S. Chambers
Date: 08/05/21

WILBRAHAM

238 3 Rivers Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $287,000
Buyer: Francis A. Hall
Seller: Michael R. Peckham
Date: 07/26/21

3 Burt Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Karly Cordova
Seller: Nicole Gray
Date: 08/04/21

33 Delmor Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $258,800
Buyer: Matthew Enzor
Seller: Anthony L. Renzulli
Date: 07/28/21

436 Dipping Hole Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $307,500
Buyer: Hilary P. Diebold TR
Seller: Jason S. Balut
Date: 07/28/21

21 Grassy Meadow Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $524,900
Buyer: Mathew F. Nelson
Seller: John F. McBride
Date: 07/30/21

4 Highland Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Emily E. Casella
Seller: Ryan, Joseph J., (Estate)
Date: 07/27/21

3 Horseshoe Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Ryan Dufour
Seller: ZF 2021 1 LLC
Date: 08/04/21

8 Karen Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Corey A. Diaz
Seller: Elisa M. Baird-O’Brien
Date: 08/06/21

3 Kensington Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $605,000
Buyer: Krzysztof Checiek
Seller: Dennis P. Lopata
Date: 07/30/21

9 Laurel Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $560,000
Buyer: Marc J. Reidy
Seller: Janice F. Kozub
Date: 07/27/21

26 Merrill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Lisandra Figueroa
Seller: Jessika Arcouette
Date: 08/06/21

12 Oaks Farm Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $424,900
Buyer: Alexandria L. Biela
Seller: AC Homebuilding LLC
Date: 08/06/21

9 Porter Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: Cleide C. DosSantos
Seller: William E. Manseau
Date: 07/28/21

16 Primrose Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Shannon Gumlaw
Seller: Felipe O. Goncalves
Date: 08/05/21

29-31 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Hazel Zebian
Seller: Michael J. Pluta
Date: 08/06/21

776 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $311,000
Buyer: Joshua J. Szumski
Seller: Megan E. Danio
Date: 07/30/21

799 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Tyler S. Anderson
Seller: John Lewis
Date: 08/06/21

44 Weston St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Campagnari Construction LLC
Seller: Carla M. Verducci
Date: 08/02/21

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

10 Allen St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $480,000
Buyer: John W. Kinchla
Seller: 10 Allen Street LLC
Date: 07/27/21

38 Fearing St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: Jennifer E. Larsen
Seller: David A. Ettelman
Date: 07/30/21

31 Foxglove Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $620,000
Buyer: Pavel Machala
Seller: John E. Ritter
Date: 07/30/21

15 Grove St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Historie Reno & Rental Property
Seller: Green Tree Family LP
Date: 07/29/21

738 Main St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $456,000
Buyer: Historie Reno&Rental Prop
Seller: Green Tree Family LP
Date: 07/29/21

44 Potwine Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $293,000
Buyer: Jaime T. Knox
Seller: Lynne Chase
Date: 08/06/21

85 South East St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Jessica Jay
Seller: 85 South East St. LLC
Date: 08/06/21

BELCHERTOWN

171 Boardman St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Kelsey Basak
Seller: Property Group Inc.
Date: 08/03/21

9 Brenda Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $351,000
Buyer: Peter VanBuren
Seller: John E. Hawley
Date: 08/02/21

881 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Esteban Sanabria
Seller: Henry J. Walas
Date: 07/28/21

107 Howard St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Joshua M. Smith
Seller: Lynn M. Hurst
Date: 07/27/21

32 Howard St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: David Melanson
Seller: Rothwell, Renee C., (Estate)
Date: 07/29/21

30 Metacomet St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Michael Dailing
Seller: David T. Hindman
Date: 07/30/21

122 Old Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Nikolas Goulas
Seller: MTGLQ Investors LP
Date: 07/28/21

170 Old Enfield Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $354,300
Buyer: Anna E. Jacke
Seller: Janet M. Jourdain
Date: 08/03/21

2 Rainbow Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $403,200
Buyer: Robert E. Williams
Seller: Michael A. Fuller
Date: 07/30/21

16 Shea Ave.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $655,000
Buyer: Brian Hurst
Seller: Jared Moriarty
Date: 07/27/21

31 Summit St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Scott Bonafini
Seller: Maureen A. Moynihan
Date: 07/28/21

73 Turkey Hill Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $278,000
Buyer: Christopher M. Gordon
Seller: Morgan H. Lavalle
Date: 08/02/21

205 Ware Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $238,350
Buyer: Linh Tran
Seller: Daniel W. Shelton
Date: 07/30/21

632 Warren Wright Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Tyler A. Miller
Seller: Michael Burstein
Date: 08/04/21

CHESTERFIELD

109 East St.
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $354,500
Buyer: Ronald P. Altimari
Seller: Alex L. Kassell
Date: 08/06/21

371 Ireland St.
Chesterfield, MA 01084
Amount: $1,200,000
Buyer: Conan R. Deady
Seller: Spencer L. Timm
Date: 08/02/21

105 South St.
Chesterfield, MA 01012
Amount: $569,000
Buyer: Jon T. Garcia
Seller: David A. Hewes
Date: 08/02/21

CUMMINGTON

323 Berkshire Trail
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Frederick Whitin
Seller: Mary J. Sullivan
Date: 07/28/21

EASTHAMPTON

62 Campbell Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Lusmari Roman-Martinez
Seller: Michael J. Falcetti
Date: 08/06/21

22 Drury Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $376,500
Buyer: Gershon Rosen
Seller: Carl S. Growhoski
Date: 08/06/21

13 Florence Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $313,000
Buyer: Lyann A. Sanchez
Seller: Diane L. Gorenstien
Date: 07/29/21

145 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $192,500
Buyer: Blythewood Property Management LLC
Seller: Plata O. Plomo Inc.
Date: 08/02/21

12 Maxine Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: John Piskor
Seller: Alaina Carpenter
Date: 07/30/21

185 Park St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: James A. Mills
Seller: Mills, Jean K., (Estate)
Date: 08/06/21

33 Treehouse Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $467,500
Buyer: Richard Connell
Seller: Phebe B. Sessions
Date: 08/03/21

GRANBY

131 Burnett St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Daniel P. O’Neil
Seller: Timothy R. Mikkola
Date: 07/30/21

23 Carver St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: James Roy
Seller: Alan Shaw
Date: 08/03/21

160 Carver St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $690,000
Buyer: Jared R. Moriarty
Seller: James Edwards-Banas
Date: 07/27/21

162 Carver St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $690,000
Buyer: Jared R. Moriarty
Seller: James Edwards-Banas
Date: 07/27/21

29 Easton St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $483,316
Buyer: Alexander L. Miller
Seller: Chocorua Investments LLC
Date: 07/29/21

284 East State St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $329,000
Buyer: Frank Santos
Seller: MBL Management LLC
Date: 08/02/21

12 Greenmeadow Lane
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $353,000
Buyer: Tenzin Jamyang
Seller: Refined Design Homes Inc.
Date: 08/02/21

149 Harris St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Robert M. Jurkowski
Seller: Heather R. Labonte
Date: 08/06/21

80 Pleasant St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $259,900
Buyer: Jorge L. Perez
Seller: Fabio Alves-Cardoso
Date: 08/03/21

144 School St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Bennett O. Fields
Seller: Lisa A. Courchesne
Date: 08/02/21

555-A State St.
Granby, MA 01007
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: John J. Murray
Seller: Ronald H. Archambault
Date: 07/27/21

HADLEY

14 Arrowhead Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $447,500
Buyer: Cheryl J. Noble
Seller: Robert J. Tessier
Date: 07/30/21

230 River Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $279,000
Buyer: John T. Boisvert
Seller: Green Tree Family LP
Date: 07/30/21

HATFIELD

155 Pantry Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $850,000
Buyer: Robert M. McKittrick
Seller: Barry Moser
Date: 08/02/21

NORTHAMPTON

25 Baker Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $749,900
Buyer: Kathryn Kothe
Seller: Nu Way Homes Inc.
Date: 08/02/21

48 Blackberry Lane
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $565,000
Buyer: Jessica M. Westermann
Seller: J. Riley Caldwell-O’Keefe
Date: 07/30/21

63 Bradford St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Heather F. Diaz
Seller: Chris Figge
Date: 08/06/21

212 Damon Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Teddy Pacheco
Seller: Olufemi Aina
Date: 08/02/21

25 Diamond Court
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Chadbourne Gillette
Seller: Nadine L. Salem
Date: 07/26/21

47 Golden Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $520,000
Buyer: Matthew W. Litalien
Seller: Steven D. Goodwin
Date: 07/30/21

43 Ice Pond Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $685,000
Buyer: Steven Archibald
Seller: Samantha A. McVay
Date: 08/06/21

5 Kingsley Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Amy C. Haedt
Seller: Avital Nathman
Date: 08/02/21

30 Ladyslipper Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Arthur B. Moser
Seller: Meehan FT
Date: 08/03/21

12 Munroe St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $564,000
Buyer: Lauren E. Bullis
Seller: J. F. & Kathleen B. O’Neil FT
Date: 08/02/21

480 North King St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Kenneth F. Courge
Seller: Jeri K. Casca
Date: 07/29/21

117 Olander Dr. #21
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $517,465
Buyer: Marc Gurvitch
Seller: Sunwood Development Corp.
Date: 07/30/21

7 Rust Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $422,500
Buyer: Janet L. Kelly
Seller: Ecovisual LLC
Date: 08/06/21

44 Sheffield Lane
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $705,700
Buyer: J. Riley Caldwell-O’Keefe
Seller: David P. Wicinas
Date: 07/30/21

67 Water St.
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Rondina Acquisitions Corp.
Seller: Anna M. Dolan
Date: 08/02/21

46 Woodbine Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $471,000
Buyer: Scott D. Edmands
Seller: Munska FT
Date: 08/02/21

PELHAM

312 Amherst Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Julianna R. Stevens
Seller: Kristen L. Rhodes
Date: 08/04/21

8-B Harkness Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Alan E. Smetzer
Seller: Jeremy A. Spool
Date: 07/30/21

PLAINFIELD

116 South Central St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Ronald M. Benedict
Seller: Nicole L. Meehan
Date: 08/02/21

SOUTH HADLEY

97 Bardwell St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Stephen J. Wyzga
Seller: Nicholas Vaselacopoulos
Date: 08/02/21

9 Brook St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $299,500
Buyer: Thomas L. Giampietro
Seller: Kevin P. Whalen
Date: 07/28/21

101 College St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: PSJS LLC
Seller: 101 College LLC
Date: 08/06/21

15 Fulton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $236,900
Buyer: David Laliberte
Seller: PCI Construction Inc.
Date: 08/04/21

6 Industrial Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $900,000
Buyer: 6 Industrial Drive LLC
Seller: Adrian G. MaGrath TT
Date: 08/03/21

5 Linden Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $348,000
Buyer: James Woolley
Seller: Elissa K. Dingman
Date: 08/06/21

10 Lloyd St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Athena M. Fleury
Seller: Janice F. Beaulieu
Date: 08/02/21

131 Lyman St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $303,000
Buyer: John Roberts
Seller: Kimberly A. Davine
Date: 07/27/21

208 Mosier St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $471,000
Buyer: Suzanne E. Corwin
Seller: Simon J. Neame
Date: 07/30/21

7 Overlook Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Dina M. Bevivino
Seller: Samuel I. McArthur
Date: 08/03/21

96 Pittroff Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Kaittlyn Gilliam
Seller: Patrick Grafton-Cardwell
Date: 07/30/21

42 Stanton Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Anne R. Browning
Seller: Natasha Z. Matos
Date: 08/06/21

11 Virginia Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Margaret Scecina
Seller: Gary P. Johnson
Date: 07/26/21

52 Westbrook Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Tessa Miller
Seller: Thorton, Ronald M., (Estate)
Date: 07/27/21

65 Westbrook Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Joseph D. Whalen
Seller: Gary E. Werbiskis
Date: 08/03/21

SOUTHAMPTON

120 Brickyard Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $314,000
Buyer: Peter J. Mularski
Seller: Miguel A. Gonzalez
Date: 07/29/21

27 Gilbert Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $569,500
Buyer: Lisa M. Bartlett
Seller: Pawel Misniakiewicz
Date: 08/06/21

2 Glendale Woods Dr.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $440,000
Buyer: Alexandra F. Mooney
Seller: James L. Ulm
Date: 07/29/21

WARE

69 Babcock Tavern Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: David Miner
Seller: Harold R. Swift
Date: 08/06/21

4 Coldbrook Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Adam M. Leecock
Seller: Scott C. Romani
Date: 07/28/21

276 Old Gilbertville Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Yu M. Li
Seller: Frederick C. Disley
Date: 07/27/21

344 Palmer Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Andrew Lombard
Seller: Flak Brook Farm TR
Date: 07/30/21

76 South St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Vicente E. Acevedo
Seller: Ross K. Kiely
Date: 07/29/21

17 Willow St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Sadie R. Turner
Seller: Paul G. Deslongchamp
Date: 08/06/21

WILLIAMSBURG

59 Chesterfield Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $364,000
Buyer: Eli Ahrensdorf
Seller: Matthew D. Zacks
Date: 07/29/21

5 Pondview Dr.
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Shea
Seller: Jason T. Novak
Date: 07/28/21

WORTHINGTON

Ireland St.
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $1,200,000
Buyer: Conan R. Deady
Seller: Spencer L. Timm
Date: 08/02/21

302 Old Post Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $635,000
Buyer: Pamela W. Wicinas
Seller: E. Douglas Karmer
Date: 07/30/21

Building Permits

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Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the month of July 2021. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

CHICOPEE

EJL Realty, LLC
1625 Memorial Dr.
$40,800 — Roofing

J & E Real Estate, LLC
1973 Memorial Dr.
$15,500 — Roofing

Archie Moe
1260 Memorial Dr.
$9,985 — Roofing

RT Commercials, LLC
185 Grove St.
$70,000 — Add addition for storage and entrance

Timdee Rainey Investments, LLC
788 Sheridan St.
$41,000 — Roofing

GREENFIELD

Greenfield Glass Co.
52 River St.
$26,000 — Roofing

Kostanski Funeral Home
220 Federal St.
$11,000 — Replace rotting pipe columns with concrete piers and pressure-treated posts that support existing front porch

Rise Above Bakery
282 Main St.
$15,000 — Install type-2 hood system and fan

Stoneleigh-Burnham School
574 Bernardston Road
$9,000 — Install NFPA 13-compliant sprinkler system for gym expansion

Washington Street Head Start
86 Washington St.
$49,521.89 — Replace 45 windows

HADLEY

E&A/I&G Campus Plaza, LP
454 Russell St.
Electrical equipment for vehicle-charging equipment

Gordon Smith
100 Mill Valley Road
Add walk-in cooler to new addition

Town of Hadley
21 River Dr.
Construct classroom dividers at Hadley Elementary School

LENOX

Lenox Housing Authority
6 Main St.
$20,000 — Tenant buildout to construct non-load-bearing partition dividing single office into two offices with vestibule from Main Street entrance

NORTHAMPTON

Matt & Nick, LLC
199 Pine St.
$17,600 — Roofing

Brian McLaughlin
388 King St.
$17,000 — Move sign due to roadwork at D’Angelo’s

Pella Products Inc.
129 Water St.
$6,400 — Install five replacement windows

ServiceNet Inc.
30 Straw Ave.
$7,600 — Roofing

Smith College
22 Elm St.
$9,000 — Modify alcove for millwork

Smith College
3 Green St.
$25,000 — Install ramp at Hubbard House

PALMER

Iberia Foods
21A Wilbraham St.
$1,151,875 — Roof coating

NE Recreation & Health, LLC
1235 Thorndike St.
$21,780 — Demolish two-story building

Sam Paixao
2052 Main St.
$1,500 — Reface existing sign

PITTSFIELD

AM Management, LLC
253 East St.
$15,000 — Install new fire-alarm system

Claudia Coplan
262 Appleton Ave.
$16,000 — Rebuild two multi-flue brick chimneys

CTB Inc.
323 Dalton Ave.
$13,809 — Replace RTU on single-story building

El Gato Grande, LP
455 Dalton Ave.
$26,950 — Modify overhead fire-sprinkler system and install new in-rack sprinklers to accommodate storage of plastics at the new Big Lots store

Hibrid, LLC
1315 East St.
$5,000 — Deconstruct and remove steel building

Carol Keeler
56 Churchill Crest
$2,550 — Window replacement

Pat Mickle
489 Dalton Ave.
$30,000 — Roofing and siding

 

Premium Waters Inc.
22 Central Berkshire Blvd.
$713,634 — Construct tanker-truck loadout facility

Three Seventy Six Tyler Street, LLC
558 East St.
$2,200 — Drop ceiling in main area

WDM Properties, LLC
28 First St.
$10,890 — Install new fire-warning system

WJK Realty, LLC
850 Crane Ave.
$140,136 — Interior framing and finishes

SPRINGFIELD

3 Chestnut, LLC
122 Chestnut St.
$12,700 — Remove and replace steel beam on fourth level of Chestnut Parking Garage

A1 Sumner Plaza, LLC
876 Sumner Ave.
$2,000 — Demolish and reframe walls for bathroom and office in salon

Walter Kroll
109 Mill St.
$30,000 — Add insulation to attic of the Offices at Mill Park

MGM Springfield Redevelopment, LLC
12 MGM Way
$5,000 — Install new railings in two locations along perimeter walkway of casino floor

Northgate Center, LLC
1985 Main St.
$65,000 — Remodel interior of former H&R Block into physical-therapy office for Boston Orthopedics

David Ratner
105 Avocado St.
$2,000 — Install fire-alarm system at Johnson Supply

Rising, LLC
133 Maple St.
$9,200 — Roofing

Haq Zahoor Ul
3111 Main St.
$420,300 — Alter interior of convenience store for KFC tenant space with drive-up window

Country Bank Announces Promotions

By
Daily News

WARE — Country Bank announced several recent staff promotions.

Julie Yi has been promoted to senior vice president, controller and Operations. She has extensive experience in finance and operations and serves on Country Bank’s senior management team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and is a certified public accountant.

Justin Calheno has been promoted to assistant vice president, Retail Lending. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Westfield State University and is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies. He serves as a board member for the Ludlow Boys and Girls Club.

Lisa Saletnik has been promoted to assistant vice president, Business Systems. She holds an associate degree in health science from Bay Path University and is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies.

Mackenna Hogan has been promoted to Commercial Banking Administration officer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from UMass Amherst.

Antonio Palano has been promoted to assistant vice president, Retail Lending. He holds an associate degree in business administration from Springfield Technical Community College.

Newly appointed officers include Sam Pursey, Erin Skoczylas, Ashley Swett, and Sarah Yurkunas.

Pursey has been promoted to Relationship Management officer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from UMass Amherst.

Skoczylas has been promoted to assistant controller. Erin holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western New England University, an associate degree in business administration from Springfield Technical Community College, and is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies.

Swett has been promoted to Customer Care Center officer. She is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies.

Yurkunas has been promoted to Relationship Management officer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Bay Path University, a certificate from the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. in Fundamentals of Credit Analysis: Intro to Commercial Lending, and is currently enrolled in the New England School for Financial Studies.

“I am thrilled to congratulate Julie, Justin, Tony, Lisa, Mackenna, Sam, Erin, Ashley, and Sarah on their promotions and all of the accomplishments that got them here; they are a key part of our success,” said Miriam Siegel, first senior vice president of Human Resources. “We’re pleased to provide the opportunities for our people to develop not only within their roles today, but into new opportunities tomorrow. These team members embody our corporate values of iSTEP – integrity, service, teamwork, excellence, and prosperity.”

United Way of Pioneer Valley Opens Volunteer Signups for Day of Caring 2021

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The United Way of Pioneer Valley announced it has officially opened volunteer signups for Day of Caring 2021, which takes place on Friday, Sept. 24. Volunteers may sign up at uwpv.org/doc21-events.

“There is a greater need than ever for kindness, good deeds, and building our sense of community this year,” said Paul Mina, president and CEO of the United Way of Pioneer Valley. “I implore anyone with free time on or around Day of Caring 2021 to sign up and do good with us. Help our nonprofits, who have struggled greatly through the COVID-19 pandemic, and you will start your last weekend of September with the best night’s sleep you can find — knowing you’ve done a good thing when it was needed most.”

Greg Williams, council program director for the Boy Scouts of America Western Massachusetts Council, added that “the United Way Day of Caring volunteers love coming to our 1,300 acres in the woods while providing essential work hours that allow us to better deliver the promise of scouting to thousands of youth throughout Western Massachusetts.”

Learn more about the United Way Day of Caring at uwpv.org/day-of-caring, or donate at uwpv.org/donate.

Whalley Computer Associates Announces Partnership with Cynet

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Daily News

SOUTHWICK — Whalley Computer Associates has joined forces with cyberattack defender Cynet to offer customers an enhanced layer of protection with an autonomous breach platform.

The joint venture between the two IT solution providers offers customers another cybersecurity option to keep data safe with state-of-the-art prevention and detection.

“WCA has a very diverse set of customers of all sizes and from a variety of industries,” said Paul Whalley, WCA vice president. “We are pleased to add Cynet to our security portfolio. We believe it is a great solution that has the features large companies expect with a small to mid-size company price.”

Rovi Barnea, head of Channel for North America, echoed Whalley’s sentiment and said the partnership also allows WCA to make the most up-to-date, comprehensive protection available at a reasonable cost for even the smallest security teams.

“This is a great partnership to help security teams that are already stretched thin,” he said. “For organizations outside the Fortune 500, the ability to consolidate multiple security tools into a single pane of glass means they can gain greater visibility into their environments and offer better protection without straining their budgets or teams.”

Cynet pioneered the autonomous breach-protection platform and offers cybersecurity to organizational security teams already stretched thin by the resources demanded to integrate and employ disparate solutions across frequently complex and wide-ranging security needs.

The Cynet 360 platform secures organizations of every size, deploying and integrating across thousands of endpoints in hours, and providing all the fundamental capabilities of NGAV, EDR, UEBA, Network Analytics, and Deception solutions, plus backing through its frontline CyOps, a team made up of SOC experts available 24/7.

Paragus IT Named to Channel Futures Annual MSP 501 List

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Daily News

HADLEY — The Channel Futures annual MSP 501 list is a definitive ranking of the most influential and fastest-growing managed service providers (MSPs) around the world. This year, Paragus IT ranked seventh in Massachusetts and 15th in New England, making it one of the top-ranked MSPs in Western and Central Mass.

Channel Futures is a media and events platform serving companies in the information and communication technologies channel industry with insights, analysis, information, and in-person events. Its annual 501 list serves as a critical benchmarking tool and speaks to the rapidly evolving IT-channel ecosystem and its diversity of business models.

“As an employee-owned company, it’s always an honor for everyone’s hard work to be recognized, especially during the difficult times many businesses have been facing over the past year and a half,” said Delcie Bean, CEO of Paragus IT. “It’s a testament to the dedication of all of our partners, and this is a victory we all share.”

Virtual Seminar on Sept. 15 to Address Importance of Automation

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Delcie Bean says business owners have always had good reason to consider automation and what it can do for their employees — and their bottom lines.

But today, they have more reason than ever, he told BusinessWest, adding that technology and urgency combine to make this a time for business owners and managers to stop talking about automation and commence doing it.

“The labor market is so terrible right now that many organizations, in addition to trying to hire and figure that out, are also just having to figure out how to be leaner and how to be more efficient,” said Bean, CEO of Hadley-based Paragus Strategic IT. “So as you look at the state of the economy and the state of the job market, you have to ask: ‘how can I do more with less?’”

These sentiments comprise the main thrust of a virtual seminar to be presented by Bean, in conjunction with BusinessWest and Comcast Business, on Wednesdsay, Sept. 15 at 11 a.m. To sign up for the event, visit businesswest.com/businesswest-virtual-webinar.

The program is titled “Automation: the Time Is Now,” and subtitled “How Automation Can Streamline Your Business and Offset the Labor Shortage,” and those words effectively and succinctly describe the material to be covered.

Indeed, the 60-minute presentation will focus on the benefits of automation and the ways it can be utilized to save businesses time, trouble, and expense, said Bean, adding quickly that many business owners and managers are not fully aware of the many ways automation can benefit them.

“In the small-business space, it’s usually the most boring, unattractive tasks you can think of,” he said. “But it’s the things that have to get done behind the scenes that you never really pay much attention to but take up a fair amount of time and energy.”

As examples, he listed everything from the many steps involved in onboarding a new employee or client to the information that has to be gathered when someone signs up for something on a website and then moved to another system, to the steps involved in the approval process when employees want to request a new computer.

All of this should be automated, Bean said, and with emerging technology, specifically the Microsoft 365 platform, it can be, to the point where these tasks and functions now take a fraction of the time they once did.

But technology is just part of the reason why now is the time to automate, he added, noting that the ongoing labor shortage has given more urgency to such matters.

“Rather than sacrificing quality or increasing stress and risking burnout, which can lead to even more turnover, businesses need to ask how they can leverage technology to help them solve some of this problem,” he said. “Reacting to the current situation, there’s never been a better time, both from the availability of the technology and the demand and the urgency of the situation, to look for ways to automate things.”

Overall, the virtual presentation is designed to educate and empower business owners to first identify those tasks and processes that can be automated and then take the steps to go about doing it, said Bean, adding that the program is targeted for businesses with 15 to 250 employees, which encompasses most of the companies in Western Mass.

“There is not an industry that isn’t applicable,” he concluded.

Bacon Wilson Announces Brian Rucki, Amanda Carpe as New Associates

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Bacon Wilson announced that Brian Rucki and Amanda Carpe have joined the firm as associate attorneys. Rucki is a member of the real-estate team, and Carpe has joined the probate and estate-planning department.

Bacon Wilson’s managing partner, Kenneth Albano, welcomed the new associates, noting that “both Attorney Rucki and Attorney Carpe have significant prior experience that makes them especially valuable additions to the firm, and means they are ready to hit the ground running. Brian and Amanda are already hard at work serving clients and getting to know their colleagues. We are very happy to have them as part of Bacon Wilson’s team of excellent lawyers.”

Prior to joining Bacon Wilson, Rucki spent five years practicing law in Westfield, where he worked on all aspects of real-estate transactions including purchases, sales, refinances, and title work, as well as estate-planning matters. Previously, he also served as a clerk in the solicitor’s office for the town of Agawam, where his work focused on municipal law. He attended Western New England University School of Law, earning his juris doctor laude in 2016. He earned a bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst in 2013.

Carpe comes to Bacon Wilson with five years of experience in estate planning, estate administration, guardianship, conservatorship, and residential real estate. She previously practiced in Ludlow and Worcester. In addition to her work in estates and probate, she clerked for the Hampden County Juvenile Court and interned with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, where her work focused on juvenile and child-welfare law. She earned her juris doctor in 2016 from Western New England University School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University in 2013.

The Zoo in Forest Park to Host Fourth Annual Brew at the Zoo Fundraiser

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — The Zoo in Forest Park will host its fourth annual Brew at the Zoo, presented by PDC Inc., on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 1 to 5 p.m.

Beer enthusiasts will enjoy a day at the zoo complete with unlimited beer samples from local craft breweries, a home-brew competition, food trucks, live music, games, and animal interactions.

“This event is always a fan favorite, so we are thrilled to bring it back,” said Sarah Tsitso, executive director at the Zoo in Forest Park. “We are grateful to the sponsors, brewers, and guests who make Brew at the Zoo so special. All the money we raise through this event goes directly to support the 250 animals that call the zoo their home, 365 days a year.”

The event, which was canceled last year due to the pandemic, offers three ticket types: VIP, general admission, and designated driver. Attendees with a VIP ticket will enjoy an extra hour of sampling beginning at noon, the opportunity to participate in up-close animal encounters, and grain to feed the animals. This event is 21+.

The zoo will be closed to the public on Sept. 25. Advance tickets are required, and IDs will be checked at the door. For a list of participating breweries and to purchase tickets, visit www.forestparkzoo.org/brew. Limited tickets are available.

Bulkley Richardson’s Michael Burke, Mark Cress Named Lawyer of the Year

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Bulkley Richardson partners Michael Burke and Mark Cress were named 2022 Lawyer of the Year in their respective practice areas by Best Lawyers in partnership with U.S. News Media Group.

Burke was recognized for his work in personal-injury litigation, and Cress was recognized for his work in corporate law. Burke and Cress have been named by Best Lawyers since 2001 and 2003, respectively.

Lawyer of the Year rankings are awarded to one lawyer per practice area in each region, making it a distinguished accolade. Honorees receive this award based on their extremely high overall peer feedback within specific practice areas and metropolitan regions.

BusinessTalk with Dr. Robert Roose

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Business Talk Podcast Special Coverage

We are excited to announce that BusinessWest, in partnership with Living Local, 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.

Episode 77: August 30, 2021

George O’Brien has a lively discussion with Dr. Robert Roose, chief medical officer for Mercy Medical Center

Dr. Robert Roose

On the next installment of BusinessTalk, BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien has a lively discussion with Dr. Robert Roose, chief medical officer for Mercy Medical Center. The two discuss the changing scene with COVID-19, the emergence of the Delta variant, the outlook for the fall — and beyond, and the many factors that will determine the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is must listening, so join us on BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by BusinessWest in partnership with Living Local.

 

Sponsored by:

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Lynnette Watkins, MD, MBA, Named President and CEO at CDH

By
Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — Lynnette Watkins, MD, MBA, an ophthalmologist and widely respected health care administrator and leader, has been named president and chief executive officer at Cooley Dickinson Health Care.

Currently the group chief medical officer for the Baptist Health System/Tenet Healthcare — Texas Group, she will begin her new role at Cooley Dickinson Sept. 27.

Following a national search, Watkins was selected to lead the Northampton hospital based on her extensive healthcare leadership experience and her many accomplishments in performance improvement, quality, safety, provider relations, and financial management. Since joining Baptist Health System/Tenet Healthcare in 2017, she has been a member of the team that has provided executive oversight for the multi-hospital system that stretches across the state, with more than 3,600 beds and $3.45 billion in patient revenue. She also has significant leadership experience in community hospital settings.

In addition, Watkins has ties to Massachusetts and the Mass General Brigham system, having completed her residency at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, where she began her clinical career in ophthalmology and oculoplastic surgery and served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School.

“Dr. Watkins brings to us a breadth of skills, leadership experience, perspective and vision that will help Cooley Dickinson continue to thrive as a destination of choice for health care in the Pioneer Valley,” said Fraser Beede, chair of the Cooley Dickinson Health Care Board of Trustees. “She not only has been an extraordinary leader within the organizations she has served but also has been a trusted voice and active participant in the communities where she has worked. Dr. Watkins will be instrumental in guiding our future strategic direction as a strong and vibrant organization and key contributor to the success of Mass General Brigham.”

Before joining the Baptist Health System, Watkins held the position of chief medical officer and chief operating officer at Paris Regional Medical Center in Paris, Texas. She has also served as chief medical officer in Tenet’s Abrazo Community Health Network in Arizona. Her career as a healthcare executive began in Mishawaka, Ind., where she was vice president and chief medical officer for the Saint Joseph Health System/Trinity Health.

“It is truly an honor and privilege to have been chosen to serve the patients and community of the Pioneer Valley,” said Watkins. “Cooley Dickinson Health Care is a unique and valuable institution that has a proven track record of excellence in care close to home. As part of Mass General Brigham, Cooley Dickinson can leverage the strengths of this top academic medical system to continue its tradition of excellence and expand the level and complexity of services it offers to the community.”

Watkins earned her undergraduate and her medical degrees at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and completed her internship in internal medicine at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City before coming to Boston in 1995 as a resident in ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear. After residency, she completed a fellowship in oculoplastic surgery at the University of Iowa, then returned to Mass Eye and Ear, where from 1999 to 2004 she directed the Emergency Ophthalmology Service/Walk-in Clinic and was an attending physician in the Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Service.

Active in the community, Watkins has been a board member of the San Antonio Chapter of the American Heart Association and has been involved as a mentor in the AHA’s STEM program. She served as a participant in the San Antonio Mayor’s Business Roundtable. Her awards and honors include Dean’s Community Service Award, Harvard Medical School; Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (Medicine); Beta Sigma Gamma Honor Society (Business); Female Healthcare Executive of the Year-Bexar County (Texas) Medical Society Women in Medicine; Notable African American San Antonians; Becker’s Hospital Review of African American Leaders in Healthcare; and San Antonio Business Journal C-Suite Awardee.

Watkins and her husband, Ed Sackett, a Presbyterian minister and photojournalist, are the parents of three adult daughters. A second-generation ophthalmologist, Watkins’ father Garey L.C. Watkins, MD, is one of the first African American practicing ophthalmologists in St. Louis.

Rachel’s Table, Food Bank Join Forces to Fight Hunger

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Rachel’s Table, (RT), the food rescue and redistribution program of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts (FBWM), are joining forces to fight hunger.

Rachel’s Table, with its 200 volunteer drivers, will transport the food directly from designated grocery stores to the FBWM agencies, filling the gap where agencies lacked transportation or when its volunteers were needed elsewhere.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts to help deliver food to agencies, especially for those who need our transportation,” said Jodi Falk, director of Rachel’s Table. “Transporting healthy food to people instead of it going into landfill is what we have been doing for almost 30 years and being able to use our operations to better serve our neighbors in the Pioneer Valley is a win for everyone. It is the epitome of partnership to fill gaps and support each other’s good work.”

Rachel’s Table’s partnership with The Food Bank began pre-pandemic in Westfield, and has become revitalized during the past several months. Together, RT and The Food Bank are serving seven agencies, with 13 RT volunteer drivers that rescue nutritious food from eight donors in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties. Starting slowly but deliberately, more than 15,000 lbs. of healthy meat, produce and dairy have been delivered since the program began, and there is more to come.

“Our teams (RT and FBWM) met together, it was clear that our services were complementary, and working together, we would positively impact the communities we serve.” said Shirley DelRio, director of Food Operations at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

Currently using volunteer cars, the RT- Food Bank Partnership drivers are servsafe-trained and use freezer blankets and infrared thermometers to ensure food deliveries remain safe. RT was the recipient of a $7,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts that helped purchase 100 blankets and thermometers for this task.

People interested in driving for Rachel’s Table, or who know of food from a local restaurant, bakery or grocery store that is going to waste, please contact Rachel’s Table at www.rachelstablepv.org.

Mask Mandate Considered for the Big E

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Daily News

 

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The West Springfield Board of Health is considering a mask mandate for the upcoming Big E to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

At a special meeting staged Wednesday, Dr. Heather Sankey, the board’s chair, said she feared the 17-day fair, slated to begin Sept. 17, could become a super-spreader event.

The Board of Health is planning a public hearing before the start of the fair to consider a mask mandate, and could vote to require masks indoors and at large outdoor events.

The Big E drew more than 1.6 million visitors in 2019. Big E officials are encouraging those who are not fully vaccinated to wear a face covering while on the fairgrounds.

Today Is the Last Day to Nominate a Woman of Impact

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — For three years, BusinessWest, has been celebrating outstanding women from all industries, from Helen Caulton-Harris, who is committed to a healthier community and social equity, to Carol Campbell, leading her manufacturing company to continued growth and success, to Denise Jordan, who has been a leading public servant in Springfield.

You certainly know some women who are actively leading and making a difference for their companies and their communities, and acting as role models and mentors for our region’s future leaders. Nominate them today for BusinessWest’s prestigious Women of Impact Award.

Nominations are due by end-of-day today, August 27. For nominating guidelines and to submit a nomination, click here. Event sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, call (413) 781-8600.

Nominees who score the highest in the eyes and minds of a panel of independent judges will be honored at a luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 9.

‘Women of Impact’ was chosen as the name for the program because, while nominees can be from the world of business, they can also be from other realms, such as the nonprofit community, healthcare, public service, law enforcement, education, social work, the mentorship community, or a combination of these — any inspirational women on any level.