Contribution Clothing Announces Holiday Gift Guide to Support Nonprofits

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Daily News

LUDLOW — Kelly Partridge, Founder of Contribution Clothing LLC, launched the mission-driven online boutique, www.contributionclothing.com, in June 2019. The boutique, which retails new women’s apparel and accessories, provides quarterly monetary donations to Western Mass. nonprofit organizations that share a vision of empowering women and girls. The woman-led boutique is currently working to gift 15% of its net profits to Dress for Success Western Massachusetts.

This holiday season, Contribution Clothing is promoting Gifts That Give Back, a holiday gift-guide collection featuring select items each week leading up to Christmas. The collection will include pre-sale items not typically available at the boutique, with price points of $50 and under to keep holiday shopping affordable.

“With the pandemic still among us, this will allow me as a small-business owner to provide my customers with a wider variety of items to gift to their loved ones this holiday season,” Partridge said. “Each week, the holiday collection will provide different gift options with hopes of making holiday shopping easier while also spreading awareness around female empowerment and the importance of supporting small business.”

Since the launch of the website, Contribution Clothing has provided monetary donations to a variety of organizations, such as Empty Arms Bereavement Support, Ovations a Cure for Ovarian Cancer, Shriners, Girls Inc. of the Valley, Girls on the Run, Christina’s House, the Care Center, Bay Path University, and Safe Passage. The ambitious clothing line hasn’t stopped there, also supporting many community-based events and fundraisers, such as the Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage, the Women Empowered calendars for Girls Inc. and Girls on the Run, and the Unify Against Bullying Fashion show, and Partridge even created her own volunteer event in support of Christina’s House this past quarter.

Gaming Revenue Dips at Massachusetts’ Three Casinos in October

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Daily News

BOSTON — Revenues at Massachusetts’ three casinos dipped slightly as coronavirus cases climb and the state faces more restrictions ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Gross gaming revenues at the state’s casinos totaled about $69 million in October, down about $1 million from September, according to the state’s Gaming Commission.

MGM Springfield generated about $17.5 million in total revenues in October, while Encore Boston Harbor reported about $40 million, and Plainridge Park reported roughly $10 million. The revenues generated nearly $20 million in tax collections for the state.

Monthly revenue numbers at each of the facilities have remained relatively unchanged since they reopened this summer following the statewide economic shutdown imposed at the start of the pandemic, but the totals are down from what the facilities were generating prior to the pandemic. For example, in January, the three casinos generated about $80 million in gross gambling revenues, delivering nearly $22 million in state tax revenue.

Big E Announces Limited Sale of Lifetime Passes in ‘Golden Ticket’ Promotion

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Daily News

WEST SPRINGFIELD — In what might be the biggest promotion in the 104-year history of the Big E, the fair is selling ‘Golden Ticket’ lifetime passes to the annual event for just 100 customers.

The tickets will be sold on the fair’s website, www.thebige.com, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. until the 100 tickets are gone. Each $1,000 ticket will offer lifetime admission to the Big E for its holder and an accompanying guest, along with free parking and a host of annual surprises and benefits.

“The Golden Ticket offers a lifetime of wonder for its lucky purchasers and their guests, offering years and years of the fair as a VIP forever,” said Eugene Cassidy, president and CEO of the Eastern States Exposition. “This is the time of year we typically put one fair to bed and begin the long, exciting road to the next one. With the unfortunate derailment in 2020, we are fully committed to making the 2021 edition our greatest yet. The Golden Ticket is the ideal promotion to get under way with style and sizzle.”

Purchased tickets will be delivered to recipients in time for the holiday gift-giving season.

The Big E has already begun to announce plans for 2021, including a headlining concert with country superstar Brad Paisley.

Silverscape Designs in Downtown Northampton Going Out of Business

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Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — Silverscape Designs announced Monday it will be going out of business, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported. A going-out-of-business sale at the store begins Tuesday, Nov. 24.

In May 2019, Silverscape Designs put the 8,000-square-foot building up for sale for $2 million. Silverscape Designs owner Wally Perlman told the Gazette at the time that his family intended to keep the business going. But the 77-year-old owner has now decided to close the high-quality jewelry business with his retirement. Perlman took over the business after the passing of his late brother, Dennis Perlman, a jeweler and the company’s founder, who died in 2000.

Ruth’s House Lunch and Learn Series to Present ‘Protecting Your Elders’ on Nov. 18

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Daily News

LONGMEADOW — The monthly virtual Lunch and Learn series at Ruth’s House Assisted Living Residence announced that on Wednesday, Nov. 18, Michele Feinstein, an elder-law attorney with Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, will talk about how to protect one’s elders, including how to safeguard their wishes in the event of incapacity.

Feinstein brings more than 30 years of experience in elder law and will address the planning that should be undertaken and the resources available to help safeguard a parent’s choices and wishes.

“Protecting Your Elders: What Tools Do You Need in Your Toolbox?” will begin at noon and will be followed by a question-and-answer session, a raffle, and a virtual tour. RSVP to Christina Tuohey at (413) 567-6212 or [email protected]. A confirmation and Zoom invite will be e-mailed to registrants prior to the meeting.

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Launches Grant Program

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Daily News

SHEFFIELD — Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation announced a new grant program to support community-building efforts that can bridge differences and drive positive change at the local level. “Bridging Divides, Healing Communities” will support activities by organizations and groups that are embedded in their communities and bring together residents to build and strengthen relationships, especially among people who may hold different views or come from different backgrounds.

“The social fabric everywhere is being stressed, and long-term consequences in our region are possible if we do not work together,” said Peter Taylor, president of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. “This new grant program aims to create opportunities for productive discourse and engagement to bridge differences, build trust, and promote reconciliation.”

Berkshire Taconic will award grants between $500 and $2,500 to support small-scale, community-based actions such as virtual forums, service projects, and artistic and cultural activities. Applicants should consider how their projects will create new or strengthen existing relationships among people of different backgrounds, experiences, or beliefs; forge connections around a shared experience through which participants can explore different points of view; and bring residents together to pursue a common goal. Compliance with state guidelines will be required for any in-person activities. Berkshire Bank is providing funding support for these grants.

Eligible applicants include nonprofits, schools, municipalities and local government, and faith-based organizations (for non-religious activities) located in Berkshire County in Massachusetts, Columbia County and Northeast Dutchess County in New York, and Northwest Litchfield County in Connecticut. Community groups may also apply through a fiscal sponsorship with an eligible organization.

The first deadline for applications is Tuesday, Dec. 1. To apply, visit www.berkshiretaconic.org/healing.

‘Together HCC’ Campaign Earns National Recognition

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HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) has been named a finalist for a national Bellwether Award in recognition of its “Together HCC” fundraising and social-media campaign.

HCC was one of 10 U.S. colleges selected as a finalist by the Bellwether College Consortium in its Workforce Development category, which identifies strategic alliances that promote community and economic development. Bellwether finalists represent leading community colleges whose programs and practices are considered outstanding and innovative.

The college launched “Together HCC: A Campaign for Caring” at the end of March in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign sought to raise money for students facing economic hardships and collect stories to motivate and inspire them during a period of extreme disruption.

“We realized pretty quickly that our students needed extra financial help and support to get through this stressful and challenging time,” said Amanda Sbriscia, HCC’s vice president of Institutional Advancement, whose office spearheaded the campaign. “Community colleges serve some of the most vulnerable populations, and COVID-19 has amplified existing inequities in society and highlighted critical needs the ‘Together HCC’ campaign was created to help address. It’s very satisfying and encouraging to see the campaign celebrated as a national model.”

The Bellwether College Consortium is a group charged with addressing the critical issues facing community colleges. The consortium honors community colleges with awards in three categories: instructional programs and services; planning, governance, and finance; and workforce development. The Bellwether Awards are widely regarded as one of the nation’s most competitive and prestigious recognitions for community colleges. HCC was the only community college in Massachusetts selected as a 2021 Bellwether finalist.

“The Bellwether College Consortium prides itself on identifying and celebrating replicable, scalable, and results-based programs and models and disseminating these highly lauded examples of institutional success to peer institutions,” said Rose Martinez, director of the Bellwether College Consortium.

After COVID-19 broke, HCC saw a dramatic rise in the number of applications to its Student Emergency Fund. In three months, the “Together HCC” campaign raised about $40,000 from nearly 200 private donors for the emergency fund, which also received a lift of $75,000 in COVID-19 relief funds from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Since March, the HCC Foundation has distributed almost $90,000 from the emergency fund to 130 students.

For another key component of the campaign, HCC solicited uplifting anecdotes and images from alumni, faculty, staff, students, family members, and friends that were shared on HCC’s social-media channels using the hashtag #TogetherHCC.

“Together HCC wasn’t just about providing financial support,” Sbriscia said. “It was also about providing moral support and reminding students and other members of the college community that we are all in this together.”

Finalists for Bellwether Awards are invited to join the consortium and take part in consortium workshops, events, and other activities. Award finalists will undergo a rigorous second and final round of review before the winners are announced at the virtual 2021 Community College Futures Assembly in January.

Elms College Announces Virtual Open Houses for Graduate Programs

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Daily News

CHICOPEE — The Elms College Graduate Admission Office will hold virtual open houses on the following dates: Tuesday, Dec. 1 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. — information on graduate programs in education (MED/MAT); and Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 from 6 to 7 p.m. — information session about all Elms College graduate programs.

These sessions will allow prospective students to meet with program directors, alumni, and graduate admission counselors. Elms College has 30 graduate, post-graduate, and certificate programs offered in a variety of models, including hybrid, online, and on campus.

Register for a session at www.elms.edu/graduate-studies/visit. If you cannot attend the open house and are interested in information or applying, e-mail [email protected], call (413) 265-2456, or visit www.elms.edu/grad.

STCC’s Online Winter Session Starts Dec. 23

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SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will offer a four-week online winter session in December, an affordable opportunity for college students whether they’re enrolled at STCC or another school.

The session runs Wednesday, Dec. 23 through Tuesday, Jan. 19. Registration for current students opens Nov. 18. Registration for new students begins Nov. 23.

STCC offers the most affordable online classes in Springfield. Most winter classes are designed for easy transfer to both public and private campuses, saving students hundreds of dollars per course. Some winter classes also save students money with free textbooks.

“Winter-session classes are the perfect opportunity for college students to earn college credit at a reduced cost during the traditional winter-break period,” STCC Dean of Academic Initiatives Matthew Gravel said. “The majority of classes available during winter session can be used as electives at both community colleges and four-year colleges and universities. Our winter classes are taught by faculty who are experts in their fields, and who have years of experience in delivering online instruction.”

The short duration of these classes will result in an intensive, fast-paced learning experience. Motivation, steady participation, and persistence will be key to students’ success in these classes, Gravel added.

To help ensure their success during the winter session, STCC allows students to register for no more than nine credits in winter. Courses include art, biology, college research, computer applications, English, first-year experience, history, management, mathematics, medical assisting, medical lab tech, music, philosophy, psychology, and sociology.

Blackboard orientation sessions to prepare students for online classes will be offered prior to the start of the winter semester.

Registration for winter session ends Dec. 23 and is available online at www.stcc.edu/winter or by calling the Registrar’s Office at (413) 755-4321.

BusinessTalk with with Tony Cignoli

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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 39: Nov. 16, 2020

George O’Brien talks with Tony Cignoli, president of the A.L. Cignoli Company

BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien talks with Tony Cignoli, president of the A.L. Cignoli Company, a political consulting firm. The two discuss what happened at the national election earlier this month — and what didn’t happen. They also discuss what the country, and specifically the business community, might expect from a Biden administration and how the president-elect and his team might address the pandemic and the significant damage it has already done to the economy.  It’s must listening, so join us on BusinessTalk.

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UMassFive Donates $13,552 to Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in 2020

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Daily News

HADLEY — UMassFive College Federal Credit Union announced it has provided more than $13,500 in donations to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts during 2020. These donations have been facilitated through community giving campaigns in partnership with staff and members of the credit union.

Early this year, UMassFive supported the Food Bank by donating $1,000 to help offset the increase in demand presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The credit union also sponsored and participated in the Food Bank’s annual Will Bike 4 Food event. A team of 11 UMassFive employees raised money and rode bikes as part of the event, which took place virtually, resulting in donations of $3,422.

In the interest of supporting the community, UMassFive also encouraged participation from those who bank at the credit union. A campaign called “Share Your Story” allowed members to choose a local organization to receive a $25 donation from UMassFive on their behalf. A total of $5,000 in donations was split between five local organizations, of which $1,300 was donated to the Food Bank. Members were also encouraged to redeem their earned Buzz Points — a debit-card spending reward program — as charitable donations, which has contributed the equivalent of $2,830 in donations to the Food Bank this year.

UMassFive’s latest endeavor was a “Spend and Give” campaign, which involved a collaboration with its members and credit-card servicer PSCU. During the month of July, 1% of every purchase made on an eligible member’s UMassFive credit card was donated to the Food Bank. Based on member purchases, the credit union met its goal of raising $2,500 and unlocked a matching grant from PSCU, resulting in a $5,000 overall donation to the Food Bank. This donation brought UMassFive’s total contribution to the organization so far in 2020 to $13,552.

“UMassFive has been a dedicated supporter of the Food Bank over the years and has stepped up their support over this challenging year,” said Food Bank Corporate Relations Officer Jillian Morgan. “UMassFive’s contributions through their various campaigns have raised enough funds to provide over 50,000 meals to neighbors in need. We are grateful for their continued commitment to ending hunger.”

This November, UMassFive will be encouraging its members to support Monte’s (Masked) March put on by WRSI/the River. Members will be able to donate their Buzz Points to the Food Bank as part of this effort.

MCLA Center for Teaching and Learning to Present Virtual Event on Nov. 23

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NORTH ADAMS — The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) Center for Teaching and Learning will present a virtual event with Robin DeRosa, co-director of the Plymouth State University (PSU) Open Learning and Teaching Collaborative, on Monday, Nov. 23 from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. With a talk titled “Zooming Humans: A Framework for Teaching During Times of Crisis,” DeRosa will discuss how educators can respond to the challenges of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This event, geared toward faculty, staff, and the MCLA community, is also open to the public, and local educators are encouraged to attend. For more information and to register, click here.

DeRosa is a national leader in open pedagogy and an advocate for public infrastructures and institutions for higher education. She was a professor in the English Department at Plymouth State University for 15 years before becoming the director of the Interdisciplinary Studies program, a position she held for four years. As the new director of the Open Learning and Teaching Collaborative, she works with students, faculty, staff, and administrative colleagues on exploring learner-driven architectures for projects, courses, partnerships, and programs at PSU.

COVID-19 has pushed students, faculty, and institutions into new learning patterns. These patterns are at various times exciting, exhausting, and exasperating. As we struggle to navigate unfamiliar online environments and the fallout of maintaining educational continuity during a global pandemic, we may find ourselves adrift in a sea of technology tools and a sense that our core mission as educators and learners is lost in the chaos of just making it through each week. In this presentation, DeRosa will present a framework for organizing educational responses to crises like coronavirus, and help faculty and staff find a practice-based rudder to guide the development of assignments, courses, and institutional structures. Ultimately, she will suggest that how we respond to the challenges that COVID-19 presents can set us on a path for an educational future that is more adaptable, connected, and equitable — and more humane — for learners.

HCC Cannabis Education Center Announces Industry Roundtable, Spring Training Programs

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HOLYOKE — The Cannabis Education Center at Holyoke Community College (HCC) will hold an online cannabis-industry roundtable for employers on Friday, Nov. 20 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. over Zoom.

Featured presenters will include representatives from Elevate Northeast, HCC’s community and workforce training partner, and officials from other Massachusetts-based cannabis businesses and organizations. They include Cara Burnham-Crabb, director of Education, Elevate Northeast; TaShonda Vincent Lee, director of Community Outreach, Elevate Northeast; Beth Waterfall, executive director, Elevate Northeast; Gene Ray, vice president of Laboratory Operations, Garden Remedies; Tim Shaw, chief operating officer, MariMed; and Marion McNabb, CEO and co-founder, Cannabis Community Care and Research Network.

Discussion will focus on workforce challenges, business outlook, and training needs of cannabis employers as well as the services, supports, and programs offered by the Cannabis Education Center. Breakout rooms will concentrate on specific industry areas, including cultivation, culinary, medical, retail, and processing.

To register for the roundtable, visit hcc.edu/cannatable-11-20.

The Cannabis Education Center has also announced its spring training programs for people who want to work in the cannabis industry. The center will offer an intensive, two-day Cannabis Core Training program over Zoom on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24, 2021. Students who complete the core training can then register for spring 2021 classes in one of four cannabis industry career tracks: Cultivation Assistant (Feb. 6-21), Extraction Technician (Feb. 27 to March 14), Culinary Assistant (April 3-18), and Patient Services Associate (May 1-16).

The cost of the two-day core training session is $595. Each career-track program is $799. To register for the January Cannabis Core Training class, visit hcc.edu/cannabis-core.

Country Bank Supports Behavioral Health Network with $10,000 Donation

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WARE — Country Bank recently donated $10,000 to Behavioral Health Network (BHN) to assist with the Under 5 Thrive program and the Kid Stop Child Center based in Ware. BHN serves nearly 50,000 people annually in 40 locations throughout Western Mass. in areas including mental health, children’s services, and addiction and recovery.

“Thank you so much for this important contribution to our children’s services in Ware. This will go a long way toward helping local families with resources and assistance to keep their children safe and healthy in the coming year,” said Susan West, senior vice president of BHN.

Over the past eight years, Country Bank has donated a total of $315,000 to support the work BHN offers to the region.

“The pandemic has certainly placed a strain on our local communities; child care has been one area that has been hugely impacted and has left families trying to balance childcare needs with work schedules,” said Shelley Regin, senior vice president, Marketing at Country Bank and advisory board member at BHN. “It has not been easy for anyone throughout the last several months, and we are so grateful to have these places right here in our community to help support local families. The essential programs that BHN provides aligns perfectly with Country Bank’s mission to help improve the livelihood of those in our communities.”

Women of Impact to Be Saluted on Dec. 10

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SPRINGFIELD — BusinessWest will honor its third annual class of Women of Impact on Thursday, Dec. 10 at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel.

This year’s class, like those in 2018 and 2019, demonstrates the sheer diversity of the ways women leaders in our region are making an impact on the worlds of business, nonprofits, health, and the community, even — and perhaps especially — during this particularly challenging year. Profiled in the Nov. 9 issue of BusinessWest, they are:

• Tania Barber, president and CEO of Caring Health Center, who has led by example, with a servant’s heart, in both her healthcare career and in her ministry;

• Carol Campbell, president of Chicopee Industrial Contractors, who is using her influence to help other women find — and use — their voice;

• Helen Caulton-Harris, Health and Human Services commissioner for the city of Springfield, whose vision of a healthier community includes social equity;

• Pattie Hallberg, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Central & Western Massachusetts, who continues to be both a role model and advocate for women and girls;

• Andrea Harrington, Berkshire County district attorney, who set out to transform her region’s criminal-justice system and has done so, in myriad ways;

• Toni Hendrix, director of Human Services at Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing, who has transformed organizations through empathy-based leadership;

• Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College, whose leadership has been tested and sharpened by the challenges wrought by a pandemic; and

• Sue Stubbs, president and CEO of ServiceNet, who has grown her agency dramatically by recognizing needs and welcoming innovative ideas to meet them.

The event is sponsored by Country Bank, Health New England, and TommyCar Auto Group (presenting sponsors), Comcast Business (supporting sponsor), and WWLP 22 News/CW Springfield (media sponsor). Tickets cost $90 per person. To reserve a spot, call (413) 781-8600, ext. 100; e-mail [email protected]; or visit businesswest.com.

Big E Named to ‘Best of the Best’ Listing by American Bus Assoc.

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Daily News

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Big E, North America’s fifth-largest fair, has been named to the “Best of the Best” listing for 2020 by the American Bus Assoc. The listing includes events and attractions from throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“Best of the Best” honors outstanding travel-industry members who go above and beyond for the group-tour industry. Categories include Adventure, Culture, Entertainment, Festivals & Events, Food & Beverage, Lodging, and Shopping.

The Big E, which has also been named a “Top 100 Event” and an “Internationally Known Event” by the ABA in recent years, is featured in the Festival & Events category. Bright Nights at Forest Park was also named in this category.

“We are honored to be named among the ‘Best of the Best’ by the American Bus Association,” said Gene Cassidy, president and CEO of the Eastern States Exposition. “We have had a long relationship with the ABA and annually host 800 or more motor coaches at the Big E. Because our bus business is so important, we constructed the Gate 1 Transportation Center to serve guests who depend on buses to visit the fair. And we can’t wait to welcome people back.”

Plans are underway for the 2021 Big E, scheduled for Sept. 17 to Oct. 3. A concert by country superstar Brad Paisley was announced last month. For more information, visit www.thebige.com.

Monson Savings Opens East Longmeadow Branch

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Daily News

EAST LONGMEADOW — In June, Monson Savings Bank announced its plan to open a full‐service branch located at 61 North Main St. in East Longmeadow. While opening a new location during the height of the COVID‐19 pandemic may seem like an uncommon move, the bank’s leaders felt it was important to serve the East Longmeadow community.

“Where we are seeing other banks pulling back and closing locations, like in East Longmeadow, we see it as an opportunity to expand, to fill a need for personal and business banking in a community,” said Steve Lowell, CEO of Monson Savings Bank, which recently opened the East Longmeadow location. “As a mutually chartered bank, we were incorporated to serve the community. So, when new opportunities become available that allow us to serve our customers even better, no matter what the challenges, we always make them a priority.”

The newly renovated East Longmeadow branch features an open-concept lobby layout, a team of knowledgeable and friendly banking professionals, two drive‐up lanes, a 24‐hour drive‐up ATM, and a coin machine. It also has offices specifically for mortgage lending, investment, and business-banking specialists who will be available to customers on site or by appointment.

“While we love seeing our customers when they visit our branch lobbies, we also understand that some may not be comfortable in the current environment,” Lowell said. “We are also serving customers through drive-up, by appointment, and with cutting-edge digital banking options.”

Added Aimee Kohn, branch manager, “the team here at the East Longmeadow branch is very excited, and we look forward to providing residents and business owners with banking solutions to make their lives better. We have a lot of customers living in East Longmeadow already, and we are very eager to welcome them to the branch, as we know they are happy about our new office here.”

Wellness, Fitness, and Women’s Leadership Highlighted at STCC Events

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will host a wellness and fitness retreat and an event featuring women leaders on Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 18 and 19, at 12:15 p.m. The free virtual online Zoom events are open to the community as well as STCC students, faculty, and staff.

Lidya Rivera-Early, director of Community Engagement at STCC, said the wellness and fitness retreat on Nov. 18 will be an opportunity to learn tips for improving mental and physical health.

“It can be difficult to keep your spirits up during the ‘new normal’ we are living through, when many people are working from home and not seeing friends,” she said. “Anxiety levels tend to increase. We want to help people find ways to feel better physically and mentally. The retreat will offer an opportunity to engage in mind and body workouts and engage in a conversation about self-care.”

Rivera-Early invited Latoya Bosworth, a life coach and writer, and Karla Medina, a master trainer, fitness entrepreneur, and business owner, to speak and present at the retreat.

The next day, on Nov. 19, STCC will host the second part in the “We the Women” series, which highlights women leaders in the community.

“The three women participating all have a connection to STCC,” Rivera-Early said. “They all work at STCC in different capacities and come from different backgrounds, but they bring the same passion for creating opportunities for our students.”

The event will feature a talk by Kiyota Garcia, interim assistant dean of Student Initiatives at STCC, and Darcey Kemp, assistant vice president of Student Affairs at STCC. The third speaker, Lakisha Coppedge, works as student liaison in the Early Childhood Education Department at STCC.

To register for the wellness and fitness retreat, visit stcc.io/wellness. To register for the “We the Women” event, visit stcc.io/wethewomen2020.

Monson Savings Bank Welcomes Kandra Tranghese as VP, Chief Financial Officer

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Daily News

MONSON — Monson Savings Bank announced the recent hiring of Kandra Tranghese as vice president and chief financial officer.

“We are so pleased to welcome Kandy to the Monson Savings Bank team,” President Dan Moriarty said. “With Kandy’s education and comprehensive years of experience within the banking industry, including the auditing of financial institutions, we know that she will be integral in the continued success and growth of the bank.”

In her role as vice president and chief financial officer, Tranghese will be responsible for planning, directing, and controlling the bank’s financial plans, policies, and accounting practices.

Tranghese most recently served for 23 years as senior audit manager for Wolf & Co., P.C., a regional CPA firm providing financial accounting and audit services. In this role, she was responsible for managing a team of professionals and providing audit and other assurance services to financial institutions.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Fairfield University and is a licensed certified public accountant (CPA), as well as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants.

An active participant in the community, Tranghese currently serves as treasurer for the Wilbraham Hampden Academic Trust and previously was president of the Children’s Study Home. She looks forward to participating with Monson Savings Bank on future community-outreach initiatives.

“I am very happy to join Monson Savings Bank,” she said. “As an auditor for over 20 years, observing financial institutions and how they work, it is exciting to be a part of the team involved in making the behind-the-scenes decisions — decisions that ensure Monson Savings Bank continues to be a staple in the local communities.”

Two V-One Vodkas Receive Top Honors at Warsaw Spirits Competition

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Daily News

HADLEY — Valley Vodka Inc. announced that its V-One Original and its new V-One Peppermint were honored with two of the highest awards, the Double Gold medal, at the Warsaw Spirits Competition this month.

Now in its third year, the number of entries and producers in the Warsaw Spirits Competition was record-breaking, with hundreds of alcoholic beverages from more than 25 countries in this year’s tasting. Because of COVID-19, all alcohols were blind-tasted over a 45-day period.

“V-One Vodka has won numerous awards over the last 15 years, but to be rated Double Gold at such a prestigious tasting in the birthplace of vodka is mind-blowing. Poland has an over 700-year history with vodka production. It is like creating a champagne and winning best sparkling wine in France,” said Paul Kozub, owner and founder of V-One Vodka. “I started V-One with $6,000 and a dream of creating the world’s most drinkable vodka; winning this award is beyond my wildest expectations.”

At age 27, Kozub started crafting vodka in the basement of his Hadley home to honor his recently deceased Polish grandfather and entrepreneurial father. Two years later, he took his recipe to Poland, where it has been crafted since 2005. In the summer of 2019, Valley Vodka Inc. completed a multi-million-dollar purchase and 12,000-square-foot expansion of the company’s own distillery in Kamień, Poland, about two hours southeast of the capital of Warsaw and just a few miles from the birthplace of vodka.

Girls Inc. of the Valley Receives Donation from Junior League of Greater Springfield

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Daily News

HOLYOKE — Girls Inc. of the Valley received a donation of 90 backpacks for their elementary-school girls from the Junior League of Greater Springfield (JLGS).

Girls Inc. of the Valley aims to inspire all girls to see themselves as leaders with the skills and capabilities to improve and influence their local communities. This donation from JLGS, a nonprofit organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, allows both organizations to accomplish their missions.

The Junior League of Greater Springfield is committed to the promotion of literacy and serving women and children in the community. With the backpack-donation project, its volunteers recognized an urgent need for the girls of the Pioneer Valley and jumped into service, Assistant Treasurer Jaime Margolis said. “It has never been more important to us to help lift and support young women in our community. We hope to continue to build on the relationship between Girls Inc. of the Valley and Junior League of Greater Springfield for a long time to come.”

JLGS aims to improve the lives of children and families in the community by collaborating with other organizations to assist families in need and to promote literacy and education. This directly aligns with the mission of Girls Inc. of the Valley, helping both parties accomplish their goals.

STCC’s ‘Heart of a Father’ Virtual Event to Examine Relationships

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Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will host a virtual event that explores gender stereotypes and healthy relationships on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. Titled “The Heart of a Father,” the Zoom event is free and open to the public. Register and find more information at stcc.io/heart.

Thursday’s event is the second in a three-part series created this fall to engage men in important conversations that impact communities of color as well as provide a space to connect male students with leaders in the community, said Vonetta Lightfoot, Multicultural Affairs operation manager at STCC.

Lightfoot and Cynthia Breunig, Violence Prevention coordinator at STCC, created the series. Thursday’s event will feature a moderated discussion with each panelist followed by a dialogue with the audience.

Some of the panelists in the series include M. Quentin Williams, author, educator, international speaker, former FBI agent, former federal prosecutor, and former NFL and NBA executive; and Kevin Powell, author, activist, writer, and entrepreneur.

The final event in the series, “Black and Blue: A Dialogue on Police Violence and Men of Color,” is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m.

Employer Confidence Remains Flat During October

By
Daily News

BOSTON — Massachusetts employers remained pessimistic during October amid conflicting signals from the economy and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index lost four-tenths of a point to 46.2 last month, up from a low of 38.4 in April but still 14.7 points lower than a year ago. The report was compiled prior to the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Overall business confidence was dampened by darkening views of both the state and national economies. The confidence reading for the Massachusetts economy has tumbled 24.9 points during the past 12 months.

The report comes a week after MassBenchmarks reported that the Massachusetts economy grew at a record 37.7% clip during the third quarter, regaining some of the ground it lost when the Commonwealth imposed a broad lockdown during the early months of the pandemic. But the specter of lockdowns also reappeared in October as the U.S. hit a daily global record with 100,000 new COVID-19 cases.

“Massachusetts companies in many sectors have continued to generate products and services through the ups and downs of the pandemic. But they realize that surging caseloads and the expiration of federal stimulus will slow the economy again as we move into the fourth quarter,” said Raymond Torto, professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and chair of the AIM Board of Economic Advisors (BEA).

One participant in the confidence survey noted that “there is a big divide between growth industries and industries such as travel and tourism, which continue to suffer.”

The AIM Index, based on a survey of more than 140 Massachusetts employers, has appeared monthly since July 1991. It is calculated on a 100-point scale, with 50 as neutral; a reading above 50 is positive, while below 50 is negative.

The constituent indicators that make up the Index were mixed during October. Employer confidence in their own companies rose slightly to 49.3, nearly 10 points lower than in October 2019. The Massachusetts Index assessing business conditions within the Commonwealth lost 1.2 points to 42.9, while the U.S. Index measuring conditions nationally declined 2.4 points to 40.2.

The Current Index, which assesses overall business conditions at the time of the survey, was essentially flat at 44.0. The Future Index, measuring expectations for six months out, fell 1.8 points to 48.4.

The Employment Index increased 0.9 points to 49.5, just short of optimistic territory. Despite the COVID-driven economic downturn, many employers continue to report challenges with hiring skilled workers.

Small companies (46.6) were slightly more bullish than medium-sized companies (46.2) and large companies (45.8). Non-manufacturers (47.0) were more bullish than manufacturing companies (45.5).

Barry Bluestone, retired professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, noted that the economy continues to be whipsawed by seemingly contradictory trends.

“More than 60,000 renter households in Massachusetts currently face the prospect of eviction, while, at the same time, the average price of a single-family home in Massachusetts surged 19.5% during September,” Bluestone said. “It mirrors what we see in the overall economy, where there is a clear disparity by industry in the consequences of the economic downturn.”

AIM President and CEO John Regan, also a BEA member, said the ability of Massachusetts to moderate the spread of COVID without repeating the devastating spring lockdown is essential to maintaining positive economic momentum.

“Hundreds of thousands of our friends and neighbors remain out of work, staring at bleak prospects during what is shaping up to be a long winter,” he noted, adding that the employers who make up AIM’s reopening task force, many of whom have operated as essential businesses throughout the pandemic, “continue to work closely with the Baker administration to ensure that the Commonwealth is able to balance public health and safety with economic survival.”

Bacon Wilson Welcomes Joshua Woods as New Associate

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Bacon Wilson announced that attorney Joshua Woods has joined the firm. Woods is an associate and a member of the firm’s business and commercial law team, and is licensed in both Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Prior to joining Bacon Wilson, Woods practiced law in Hartford, Conn. and also in the Boston area, where he handled a wide variety of business matters including all aspects of corporate formation, franchising, joint ventures, leasing, and business and commercial litigation. He attended Western New England University School of Law, earning his juris doctor in 2017, and earned a BBA from Hofstra University in 2013. He will practice primarily from Bacon Wilson’s office in Springfield, working with clients throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut.

SkinCatering Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Expansion to New Location

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — SkinCatering, LLC, an all-natural skin-care brand, announced its 10th anniversary on Nov. 10. After catering to the health and well-being of busy clients for the past decade, the company is expanding to a new location in Tower Square and offering a VIP contest.

SkinCatering, a local, women-owned business, produces its own line of clean beauty skin care, in addition to offering a variety of high-end spa services. It uses high-quality ingredients to provide effective, cruelty-free treatments and products without the use of harmful chemicals. Everything is formulated and manufactured by the SkinCatering team to monitor every ingredient, catering to those with sensitive skin or allergies, and products are offered for retail, boutique wholesale, and private label.

Leanne Sedlak founded SkinCatering in 2010, offering mobile relaxation to busy professionals in their homes. In 2012, licensed aesthetician Kim Brunton-Auger joined the company and has played a significant role in the growth of the business, now serving as vice president of skin-care development.

They opened a space in Tower Square in downtown Springfield in November 2013 and have grown the business significantly over the years. Now in need of a larger space, they are expanding to include a salon and nail services and will be hosting a VIP grand-opening event at the end of the year. Ten winners of SkinCatering’s VIP contest will be awarded tickets to SkinCatering’s exclusive VIP grand opening of the new location inside Tower Square, on the same floor as the new White Lion Brewery & Taproom. ​Click here to enter the contest.

“We have been working on this project for almost two years, so to see it finally realized and ready to open is a great feeling of accomplishment, especially in the middle of a pandemic,” Sedlak said.

Contest winners will tour the spa, receive a goodie bag filled with SkinCatering products and discounts, and enjoy champagne, refreshments, a charcuterie board, and petit fours.

“We are so happy to be committed to my hometown — Springfield, Massachusetts — for the next 10 years,” Brunton-Auger said. “We can’t wait to gift our loyal clients and VIPs and introduce them to our new space.”

STCC Announces Virtual Open House on Dec. 8

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) will hold a virtual open house on Tuesday, Dec. 8 from 4 to 4:45 p.m., allowing anyone interested in becoming a student to meet with representatives from the college’s degree and certificate programs and departments.

To register for the Zoom virtual event, visit stcc.edu/apply/open-house.

The online event, which is free and open to the public, is an opportunity for prospective students to learn more about what the college has to offer, including the most affordable associate-degree and certificate programs in Springfield, transfer opportunities, academic advising, financial aid, online learning, and disability services.

Dean of Admissions Louisa Davis-Freeman said people can drop in for a short time or stay online for the full hour.

“We were pleased with how our first virtual open house went this fall at STCC,” she said. “It’s easy to register in advance and then log in to Zoom and join us. It’s a convenient way to get information. If you can’t make it to the Open House, but are still interested in applying for classes, visit stcc.edu/apply or give us a call at (413) 755-3333. We will be happy to answer your questions and help you apply.”

Food Bank Responds to Rising Need Fueled by the Pandemic

By
Andrew Morehouse stands in the warehouse at the Food Bank’s complex in Hatfield.
Coronavirus Features Special Coverage

Tightening the Safety Net

 

Andrew Morehouse stands in the warehouse at the Food Bank’s complex in Hatfield.

Andrew Morehouse stands in the warehouse at the Food Bank’s complex in Hatfield.

As Andrew Morehouse conducted his tour of the facilities at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the sights and sounds helped tell the story that is emerging at this agency — and within this region — at a critical time.

The first thing to notice was the copious amounts of food of all kinds — from sweet potatoes in huge bins to hundreds of cases of canned tuna — now stored at the complex in Hatfield and in other locations as well, destined for local meal sites and food pantries. Indeed, the Food Bank is “over capacity,” as Morehouse, its executive director, put it, because of the soaring numbers of people who are now facing food insecurity in the wake of the pandemic, and the way government agencies, businesses, and individuals have responded to those numbers.

This capacity issue was clearly in evidence, with pallets of food stacked not only on the shelves and the floor space of the warehouse, but in the hallways leading to it as well.

“The warehouse is jam-packed; we’re storing food off site, and we’re moving it faster,” he explained. “We’ve brought on additional staff, we’ve purchased another van, we’re about to purchase another truck so we can move food as quickly as possible. The pandemic has put us over the top in a big way, so we’re looking at options for expansion.”

As for the sounds … well, the Food Bank was mostly quiet at the hour of this visit — late morning, approaching noon — but the few workers on the floor were talking about what they witnessed in the parking lot of Central High School in Springfield, where a drive-thru food-distribution site, supported in part by the Food Bank, has been established. The staffers were talking about long lines of vehicles, and how this has become a constant, or a new norm, with this initiative.

“The warehouse is jam-packed; we’re storing food off site, and we’re moving it faster. We’ve brought on additional staff, we’ve purchased another van, we’re about to purchase another truck so we can move food as quickly as possible. The pandemic has put us over the top in a big way, so we’re looking at options for expansion.”

Meanwhile, fewer people are working at the Hatfield facility, with many more working remotely because of the pandemic, and a host of safety protocols in place to keep those who do come in — and the public in general — safe.

In many ways, the Food Bank — and the hundreds of sites it serves — has become one of the enduring symbols of this pandemic locally. Indeed, just as the bread lines of the mid-1930s became an indelible image that came to represent the Great Depression, the long lines of motorists picking up food — it can no longer be distributed indoors — have come to symbolize this pandemic.

And as fall continues and winter approaches, need is only expected to grow, said Morehouse, who cited projections from Feeding America showing that, by year’s end, an estimated one in six residents in Western Mass. (perhaps 127,000 people) will be experiencing food insecurity, as opposed to one in 10 before the pandemic began, and one in four children. That would be a 40% increase in the number of people overall, and a more than 60% increase in the number of children.

In many ways, such numbers help tell this story. During the fiscal year that just ended Sept. 30, the Food Bank distributed 14.8 million pounds, or the equivalent of 12 million meals — a 23% increase over the previous year, compared to an average 6% increase year over year. Meanwhile, over the past seven months, the increase has been roughly 30% (from 7.3 million pounds to 9.5 million), much higher than the annual increase, obviously, because of the direct impact of the pandemic, and the highest seven-month spike in the agency’s 38-year history.

Behind the numbers, though, is the inspiring story of how the region and its business community have responded to the crisis, said Morehouse, adding that this response was quick and profound, and it is ongoing.

Sweet potatoes from local farms

Sweet potatoes from local farms are among the many items jamming the shelves and floor space at the Food Bank, which is over capacity due to spiking need.

The biggest question concerns what comes next, and it’s one that’s hard to answer, he noted, adding that many factors will go into determining where these numbers go in the weeks and months to come.

For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Morehouse about the mounting problem of food insecurity in the wake of the pandemic and how his agency has responded. Overall, he said this response “is how the safety net is supposed to work.”

Elaborating, he noted that the Food Bank has been able to meet soaring need because federal and state agencies have stepped up and put more food into the system, but also because the region has stepped up as well.

 

Food for Thought

As he talked about what has transpired since March, when the pandemic arrived in Western Mass., Morehouse said it’s been a period of adjustment — for area residents, for his agency, and even for area farms.

For many, the pandemic left them unemployed or in a position where they were earning less — although generous unemployment benefits certainly helped large numbers of people impacted by the downturn in the economy. But those unemployment benefits also had the unintended consequence of leaving individuals ineligible for SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) benefits, creating a different kind of problem.

For the Food Bank, the first several weeks of the pandemic were chaotic, he said, as the agency mounted a response to what was happening — but had to do so in the middle of a health crisis.

“There was a lot of uncertainty about how to protect oneself from COVID-19, and suddenly, so many people lost their jobs or were furloughed,” he explained. “There was an outpouring of concern, of wanting to help, from people who don’t know that an emergency food network exists. So we were fielding calls from community groups from all across Western Massachusetts, saying, ‘we want to bring food to the Food Bank,’ or ‘how can we support you?’

“And it took a while for us to connect people to the pantries and meal sites in their communities as a way to support households that were at risk of hunger, because that’s who we work with,” he went on. “We don’t receive individuals who are in need of food assistance at our warehouse, and we don’t deliver food to households; we work through the existing network of about 165 independent pantries and meal sites, plus our own distribution programs to 51 senior centers every month, and on our mobile food bank, which has 26 distribution sites across all four counties on a biweekly or monthly basis.”

When asked how the Food Bank responded to that 30% spike over the past seven months, Morehouse replied with a quick “it wasn’t easy,” before elaborating.

Pallets of food destined for area meal sites and pantries

Pallets of food destined for area meal sites and pantries spills out into the hallways at the Food Bank, clear evidence of soaring need in the region.

“It took us a while to catch up, I’ll be honest,” he told BusinessWest, noting that there were a number of challenges to overcome, starting with disruption to what he called the “supply chain,” meaning donations of food to the agency from individuals and also, and especially, area supermarkets.

“There was a run on those supermarkets, so it was a significant hit,” he recalled, adding that roughly half the food distributed by the agency comes from the private food industry in the form of dry goods, produce, and close to 1 million pounds of meats frozen on the sell-by date.

Beyond this disruption to the supply chain, the Food Bank was impacted by shortages of staff and a loss of many of its distribution sites; several of them closed, including all brown-bag sites for elders and many mobile locations.

Slowly, over time, those sites reopened, while also changing how food was distributed, he noted, adding that as, the spring progressed, the Food Bank adapted to what became a new normal, both in terms of how it operated and with the numbers of people now facing food insecurity.

Indeed, over the period from March to August, the latest information available, the average number of individuals served each month grew to 107,000, Morehouse said, adding that 20,000 of those, or 19%, are people who have never come to a pantry or meal site.

And that percentage of new visitors was much higher, perhaps 40%, in the early weeks of the pandemic, when the layoffs and furloughs started climbing, and before those generous unemployment benefits kicked in. The numbers then leveled off for a time, but they started climbing again, he went on, adding that, when the new six-month numbers come out, the total people being served should far surpass that 107,000 figure.

 

Numbers to Chew On

Behind the numbers is the story of how this rising demand has been met with the help of a number of contributing sources — that safety net Morehouse described earlier.

These include the federal government, state agencies, area businesses, and philanthropic efforts like Jeff Bezos’ $100 million gift to Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund.

“The federal government has stepped up — we’ve received considerably more federal food,” he explained, referring specifically to CARES Act appropriations that enable such agencies to buy more food. “And there was an outpouring of support from individuals, businesses, and regional and state foundations, as well as from Feeding America, the national network of food banks.”

The agency has also received more than $400,000, with another $123,000 coming, from the Massachusetts COVID Relief Fund, he went on, adding that a number of individual businesses, including Big Y and the Antonocci Family Foundation, have made sizable donations as well.

Part of the federal government’s response has come in the form of Farmers to Families Food Boxes, a new program through which the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is partnering with national, regional, and local distributors, whose workforces have been significantly impacted by the closure of restaurants, hotels, and other food-service businesses, to purchase up to $4.5 billion in fresh produce, dairy, and meat products from American producers of all sizes.

Mapleline Farm in Hadley is one of several local farms in the region that have adjusted with the pandemic, now supplying the Food Bank with milk in family-sized packaging.

This program supplies boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and meat products, which distributors package into family-sized boxes, then transport them to food banks, community and faith-based organizations, and other nonprofits serving Americans in need.

The program has benefited several area farms, said Morehouse, noting that those supplying the boxes are purchasing products from many area farmers who were severely impacted by their inability to sell to restaurants, colleges, and universities closed by the pandemic.

“It took a while for some of these farms to adapt, but many of them have,” he said, citing, as one example, Mapleline Farm in Hadley, a dairy farm whose name and logo were on countless boxes of quart containers of milk in the Food Bank’s warehouse.

As for the future, Morehouse said the contributions that have poured in from individuals and businesses have left the organization in a solid position financially for this current fiscal year, one in which overall need is expected to continue growing, while the economy is projected to continue struggling.

Meanwhile, question marks remain about the ongoing level of support from state and federal governments, as well as from individual contributors, he said, citing the potential for donor fatigue as the pandemic wears on.

“The state is operating on a month-to-month budget, so we’re not even sure if we’re going to be level-funded for a program that we’ve come to rely on for 30% of our food since 1992,” he told BusinessWest. “And the federal government has not passed another stimulus package, so we’re anticipating a decline in federal support.

“We have a jigsaw puzzle of public and private emergency food resources that rely of federal and state funding and private charitable support,” he went on. “We rely on all those sources of support to get the food we need and the resources we need to keep operations afloat.”

One of the important pieces of that puzzle is Monte’s March, the fundraising walk from Springfield to Greenfield that was launched by radio personality Monte Belmonte to benefit the Food Bank. Belmonte has seen the ranks of people joining him on his late-November trek grow steadily over the years, as well as the amount raised for the agency, but that first trend won’t continue this year, as the pandemic is forcing organizers to encourage individuals to support the march remotely — although the top-performing teams when it comes to generating donations will be able to march.

But, given the urgent need for support, they are hoping the second trend will continue. The goal for this year has been raised from the $333,000 mark set last year — each dollar donated buys three meals, so the goal was to fund 1 million meals — to $365,000, or $1,000 a day, or 4,000 meals a day (one dollar now buys four meals, due to greater efficiency).

 

Hard to Digest

Looking at the projections from Feeding America for the next several months, the ones predicting that one in six area residents will be food-insecure, Morehouse had his doubts initially about whether things would really get that bad here.

But now, he’s thinking they may be realistic — painfully realistic, to be more precise — especially when one ponders the unanswerable questions concerning when the pandemic will subside and to what degree the federal government will keep on printing money.

One thing Morehouse does know is that the Food Bank will continue to pivot and respond proactively to the ongoing crisis — right down to finding more warehouse space.

 

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

Western Mass. Offers Plenty of Gift-giving Options

By
Holiday Gift Guide Special Coverage

Shopping Local

Do you have Amazon fatigue, or just want to support some great local shops? Thankfully, Western Mass. provides myriad gift-giving options this holiday season, all of which support the region’s business owners during an especially difficult year. On the following pages are just a few suggestions. COVID-19 has altered the experience at many businesses, so check the websites for hours, operations, and how to purchase and enjoy their products and experiences. Gift cards are available from most. Happy holidays!

 

The Artisan Gallery

162 Main St., Northampton

(413) 586-1942; www.theartisangallery.com

After 36 years in business, the Artisan Gallery is closing in January, but should have plenty of eclectic items in stock before the holidays. Its collection includes handmade ceramics, creative clothing, a fun children’s section, unique accessories, and jewelry, and features artists who reside and work in the Pioneer Valley and the hills that surround it.

Black Birch Vineyard

155 Glendale Road, Southampton

(413) 527-0164; blackbirchvineyard.com

One of several wineries in Western Mass. that offer vineyard tours, Black Birch — whose owners call the vineyard “a family that moves wine and the nuanced process of creating it” — provides a number of gift-giving opportunities, from wine-tasting events to enrollment in a wine club that includes 12 seasonal bottles throughout the year at a 15% discount.

 

Catamount Mountain Resort

78 Catamount Road, Hillsdale, N.Y.

(518) 325-3200; www.catamountski.com

Catamount offers some of the most varied ski terrain in Southern New England. Family-oriented, close to both Great Barrington and the Hudson Valley, Catamount is oriented towards all skier types, and has expanded its menu of year-round offerings with the 2019 addition of the Catamount Zip Tour, featuring the longest zipline in the U.S. at 5,523 feet.

 

Cooper’s Gifts

161 Main St., Agawam

(413) 786-7760; coopersgifts.com

Cooper’s is not just a store — it’s a destination,” shopkeeper Kate Gourde has said, calling her facility a shopper’s oasis featuring trendy clothing, window fashions, distinctive home furnishings, and exquisite gifts. “We are serious about style, yet you will find this shop unpredictable, quirky, and alluring. We want to be something exciting and new every time you visit.”

 

Front Porch Charcuterie

29 Evergreen Road, Vernon, Conn.

(860) 916-1658; www.frontporchcharcuterie.com

Front Porch gathers cheeses, produce, and honey from local farms, farmers’ markets and shops to provide customers with fresh local specialties, including charcuterie boards, trays, and boxes of different sizes for myriad occasions. “I hope we take what we have learned from this pandemic and make family and friends our priority,” its owner, Michele Martinez, says. “I am here to help you make your gatherings special.”

 

Granny’s Baking Table

309 Bridge St., Springfield

(413) 333-4828; www.grannysbakingtable.com

Proprietors Sonya Yelder and Todd Crosset say their mission is to create a space and products that harken to simpler times, when baking was from scratch and the table was for gathering and conversation. The bakery combines two baking traditions: American South and Northen European, with a singular commitment to authentic small-batch baking.

 

Hope & Olive

44 Hope St., Greenfield

(413) 774-3150; hopeandolive.com

Hope & Olive’s owners, siblings Jim and Maggie Zaccara and Evelyn Wulfkuhle, call their establishment an “everyday-special restaurant” that sources much of its menu with nearby farm products. “We serve inspired cocktails, have an eclectic by-the-glass wine menu, and 12 great beers on tap. We invite you to come and have lunch, brunch, dinner, or maybe just drinks, snacks, or a housemade dessert.”

 

Michael Szwed Jewelers

807 Williams St., Longmeadow

(413) 567-7977; michaelszwedjewelers.com

As a master IJO (Independent Jewelers Organization) jeweler, Michael Szwed Jewelers keeps up with the latest fashions and trends in fine jewelry and every other aspect of the industry, including innovative technologies. As a result, the owner notes, “we are able to offer the finest diamonds in the world at the best value.” The website features a searchable catalog.

 

Jackson & Connor

150 Main St., Northampton

(413) 586-4636; www.jacksonandconnor.com

This small, unique menswear specialty shop offers a selection of eye-catching goods, from stylish suits to cozy sweatpants, ties, T-shirts, socks, vests, sport coats, accessories, shoes, hats, jewelry, care products, colognes, and more. The store also provides full tailoring services, and frequently tracks down hard-to-find items for customers through special and custom orders.

 

Odyssey Bookshop

9 College St, South Hadley

(413) 534-7307; odysseybks.com

Over its 57-year history, Odyssey Bookshop has earned a reputation as an eclectic spot to look for books, and also also features a full-service website for ordering. In addition, according to its website, “we strive to provide a hospitable and nurturing environment to encourage the healthy exchange of ideas by hosting numerous readings, book groups, panel presentations, and online discussions.”

 

Off the Beam Woodworking

www.offthebeamwoodworking.com

Local artist (and full-time nurse) Sheri Lee handcrafts unique woodworking pieces, including cheese and serving boards, picture frames, cribbage boards, knife racks, and lanterns from domestic and exotic woods — and all proceeds are donated to a number of nonprofit organizations on Cape Cod that work to preserve, educate, and foster conservation.

 

Pioneer Valley Food Tours

www.pioneervalleyfoodtours.com

This enterprise creates walking food tours that explore local flavors from Northampton and around the region. It also creates gift boxes sourced from the unique natural resources of the region’s fields and farms, as well as Pioneer Valley picnic baskets of selections ready to bring on an outdoor adventure. Choose a pre-set tour itinerary, or create a custom tour to suit your tastes.

 

Pioneer Valley Indoor Karting

10 West St., West Hatfield

(413) 446-7845; pioneervalleykarting.com

The 1,000-foot track at Pioneer Valley Indoor Karting is capable of racing up to eight karts at once, with the fastest on-track speeds in Massachusetts, featuring a combination of straightaways designed for speed and sweeping corners for technical driving that will challenge everyone from beginners to experts. The track is equipped with a state-of-the-art timing system to record the individual lap times of each kart.

 

Renew.Calm

160 Baldwin St., West Springfield

(413) 737-6223; renewcalm.com

For the past two decades, Renew.Calm has offered an array of both medically based and luxurious spa treatments, with services including skin care, therapeutic massage, nail care, body treatments, yoga, hair removal, makeup, and lashes. The 4,000-square-foot facility also hosts educational events, fitness classes, and more. Multi-treatment packages make great gifts.

 

Ski Butternut

380 State Road, Great Barrington

(413) 528-2000; www.skibutternut.com

Skiing and snowboarding definitely make those New England winters more tolerable. This family-oriented ski area in Great Barrington provides 110 acres of skiing spread across 22 trails. If you are shopping for someone who loves the outdoors, a gift certificate to Ski Butternut may open the doors to a new passion. If they’re already hooked on skiing, a lift ticket may be most appreciated.

 

SkinCatering

1500 Main St., Suite 220, Springfield

(413) 282-8772; skincatering.com

SkinCatering offers a release from the hectic holidays — and, let’s be honest, from the stress of 2020 in general — so an extra-special, very personal gift may be just what the doctor ordered. Pamper someone special with a massage, facial treatment, spa and sauna package, or any number of other options. Membership packages are available at several different levels.

 

Tea Guys

110 Christian Lane, Whately

(413) 303-0137; www.teaguys.com

It all begins with hand-blended tea recipes, crafted in small batches daily in the humble tea factory built out of an old train station in Whately. This local success story offers loose tea, 100% plant-based tea bags, matcha (both pure and flavored, mixed in house), tea concentrates, and now sparkling teas — more than 100 tea varieties in all.

 

The Toy Box

201 North Pleasant St., Amherst

(413) 256-8697; www.facebook.com/thetoyboxamherst

The Toy Box is “the family fun store of Amherst,” encouraging kids and adults to play and explore. “Parents are being required to stay home and work and be parents at the same time,” owner Liz Rosenberg recently said about doing business during a pandemic. “That’s a challenge beyond all challenges. To be able to assist with that … that’s my job. I’m lucky to be in a position where I can bring some joy.”

 

WEBS

75 Service Center Road, Northampton

(800) 367-9327; yarn.com

A second-generation, family-owned business, WEBS, has been a destination for knitters, weavers, and spinners for more than 40 years. This Western Mass. mainstay with a national reach is known as America’s Yarn Store for a reason, with a 21,000-square-foot retail store, a robust online presence, as well as comprehensive classes and events for all skill levels.

 

Westfield Homeless Cat Project

1124 East Mountain Road, Westfield

(413) 568-6964; www.facebook.com/westfieldhomelesscatprojectadoptions

The Foundation for TJO Animals

66 Industry Ave., Suite 3, Springfield, MA 01104

(413) 306-5161; www.tjofoundation.org

 

Instead of buying someone a gift, why not make a donation in their name to an animal-welfare nonprofit? The Westfield Homeless Cat Project is a no-kill cat rescue completely staffed by volunteers. It does not discriminate against age or illness provided that vet care is manageable. Meanwhile, the Foundation for TJO Animals provides financial assistance and veterinary care for the animals at the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center, which serves the cities of Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee.

Even Amid a Pandemic, Healthcare Continues to Evolve

By
Coronavirus Health Care Special Coverage

Forward Thinking

A rundown of the big issues facing healthcare 20 years ago would, in some ways, be similar to the same list today, encompassing persistent challenges like hospital finances, staffing shortages in certain specialties, strategies to tackle substance abuse, and diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Yet, the solutions to those issues have certainly evolved. For example, hospitals have seen a dramatic shift to accountable care, a model in which disparate providers work together and are paid for patient outcomes, not how many procedures they order up. And patients are increasingly active participants in their own care, as are senior-living residents and their families.

Technology has exploded as well over the past two decades, from robotic and minimally invasive surgery to increasingly targeted cancer treatments and rapid advances in prosthetics — not to mention the IT revolution, and the shift to electronic health records, patient portals, and, of course, everyone’s favorite pandemic-driven technology, telemedicine, which, most doctors agree, will continue to play a key role post-COVID-19.

Education has expanded as well. Stroke survival rates are higher these days, partly because people better understand the signs, and so are cancer survival rates, with the public more aware of the importance of screening. In fact, one huge story over the past 20 years has been the rise of preventive wellness and patient education — and keeping people out of the hospital as much as possible.

So, yes, many decades-old concerns of patients remain key concerns in 2020 (along with that whole pandemic thing that has dominated this unusual year). But the way we tackle those issues — with new ideas, new technology, and new facilities — is dramatically different.

To better paint that picture, we asked area health leaders what the next 20 years might hold in the areas of hospital administration, behavioral health, cancer care, and health education. On the following pages are their intriguing perspectives.

What’s Next for Hospitals

What’s Next in Behavioral Health

What’s Next in Cancer Care

What’s Next in Health Education

Writer’s Novels Will Chronicle Generations of Service in the Marines

By
Tom Hebert says his second novel is almost fully researched and one-quarter written
Features Special Coverage

A ‘Family Business’

Tom Hebert says his novels are a way of paying back the Marine Corps for all it has given him.

Tom Hebert says his novels are a way of paying back the Marine Corps for all it has given him.

The story sounds like some of the fiction that Tom Hebert now devotes much of his non-working time to writing.

But it’s not.

Flashing back to when he was in high school, Hebert said he and his father, William, were having a talk about what he might do with his life, career-wise. The elder Hebert had just used his last match to light a cigarette, and after doing so, he noticed the ad on the back of the matchbook: ‘Become a CPA.’

“He handed me the matchbook cover, and I said, ‘OK, I’ll look into it,’ said Hebert, who would earn a degree in accounting at American International College. Eventually, he would join what was then one of the ‘Big 8’ accounting firms, Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery, and subsequently work in a number of other settings in Connecticut and Massachusetts, including Cambridge Credit Counseling, which he currently serves as chief financial officer.

“Discipline and leadership … that’s what I took away from the Marines. It shows in the respect I have for people, including the people who work for me — treating them well, treating them with respect.”

But while the saga of how he wound up in financial services is intriguing and makes for good reading, Herbert’s story is largely about what else he’s done with his life, starting with his time in the Marine Corps, which included a stint in Vietnam in 1970, as that conflict was beginning to wind down in many ways (much more on that later).

More recently, a second career has emerged: writing fiction, specifically about Marines. His first book, The Remains of the Corps, Volume I: Ivy & the Crossing, which he authored under the pseudonym Will Remain (with Remain being an anagram of Marine), came out early this year.

Covering the period from 1899 to 1917, several months before the U.S. entered World War I, it tells the story of Kenneth Remain (Will’s grandfather, who was born in Worcester and educated at Harvard), and the love triangle he enters along with Harvard classmate Lawrence Blakeslee and the “beautiful KatyKay Mulcahy.” The reader is also introduced to the 57 enlisted men of the fictional Fourth Platoon of the 87th Company of the true-to-life Third Battalion of the Sixth Marine Regiment.

“These gentlemen would have used a very large vocabulary, and I had to develop my vocabulary tremendously to have it fit for these two gentlemen .”

“When Kenneth takes KatyKay away from Lawrence, it creates problems between the two families that last for decades,” Hebert said, describing the plotline for the first book and those that will follow. “There’s this interaction between the two families that will last right up ’til the Vietnam War.”

The book is selling fairly well, but Hebert admits to not yet reaching the ‘break-even’ point that all self-publishers aspire to. Originally in hardcover, there’s now a paperback version of Remains of the Corps, as well as an e-book, and an audiobook will soon follow.

A second book is in progress, one that will take the story into the battlefields of France in World War I, with subsequent volumes covering the 1920s and ’30s. Eventually, his fictional characters will fight in World War II, which his father did, having taken part in the epic battle on Iwo Jima.

His father’s service — and his own — helped inspire the books, said Hebert, who told BusinessWest his writing is a way to give back to the Marine Corps, which he said gave him so much.

When asked what, specifically, he said the Corps gave him discipline, something he’s called on in all facets of his intriguing life, as well as some moments he won’t forget.

“Discipline and leadership … that’s what I took away from the Marines,” he explained. “It shows in the respect I have for people, including the people who work for me — treating them well, treating them with respect.”

Thus, Hebert’s saga represents the perfect Veteran’s Day story for this business publication: it’s a tale of military service and a family’s devotion to the Marine Corps, but also one about business — the one Hebert joined with some help from that matchbook cover, as well as the one he’s in now — and the challenging world of publishing.

 

The Write Stuff

“That’s the final straw!” Kenneth Remain said angrily, as he sat down heavily at a table in Jimmy’s Lunch. The melting snow on the brim of his boater and the shoulders of his benny testified to the fact that a sockdologer of a storm had clobbered Boston, an affront to the spring solstice of two days hence; though waning, the storm had not breathed its last.

Those are the first lines of The Remains of the Corps, Volume I: Ivy & the Crossing, and they provide not only a glimpse of Hebert’s mostly self-taught writing style, but also the immense amount of research that goes into writing a book set more than a century ago.

Tom Hebert says his second novel is almost fully researched and one-quarter written

Tom Hebert says his second novel is almost fully researched and one-quarter written. He plans six volumes in all to tell the story of the Remains.

Indeed, before he could pen a story set in 1917, Hebert said he needed to know the vocabulary of 1917 — specifically the vocabulary used by people attending Harvard, hence words like ‘boater,’ a type of straw hat; ‘benny,’ a greatcoat; and ‘sockdologer,’ a synonym for any word connoting ‘whopper’ or ‘defining.’

“People talked much more formally back then — they used the king’s English,” he explained. “These gentlemen would have used a very large vocabulary, and I had to develop my vocabulary tremendously to have it fit for these two gentlemen.

“Any time my wife and I were out at bookstores and flea markets, I would pick up books on vocabulary, idioms, and more,” he went on. “And as part of my training, I went through those books and selected words, phrases, thoughts, and philosophies, and I would say, ‘I could use this in one of my books.’”

Several years of research and work learning how to write fiction went into The Remains of the Corps, Volume 1, said Herbert, noting, again, that his decision to dive into what he expects will become a six-book set was inspired by the service of his own family and a firm desire to give something back to the Corps.

With that, we’ll do what fiction writers often do: we’ll flash back — first to 1945, when William Hebert was ending his lengthy tour of duty with the Marines. He enlisted just after Pearl Harbor and served throughout the war — and even after it ended, as part of the peacekeeping force in Japan. Upon returning home, he built a house in Chicopee and went to work as a pressman for Springfield Newspapers, retiring at age 62.

“I work partly because I enjoy working — I thoroughly enjoy my position here. But also because it enables me to fund the things that I want to do in life — one of which is writing.”

Hebert said his father, like many who fought in World War II, didn’t talk much about his service. “But he was always singing the Marine Corps hymn when I was a boy,” Tom recalled, adding that, while his father never pushed him to join the service or that specific branch, he found himself signing up.

That was in May 1968, just a few months after the Tet Offensive, when the Vietnam War was in some ways at its height. Hebert had just earned that accounting degree at AIC, and attended Office Training School for 10 weeks, and then another five months at a specialty school for officers.

His military occupational specialty was to be a tank officer, so he then went to Camp Pendleton in California for two months. Around that same time, he got married and was told he could spend another 18 months in California.

Tom Hebert began his service in Vietnam a few months after the Tet Offensive

Tom Hebert began his service in Vietnam a few months after the Tet Offensive in 1968, when the conflict was at its height.

But there was a quick change in plans, as he and several other tank officers were told there was an urgent need for their services in Vietnam.

“When we arrived at First Marine Division and met with the personnel officer, he said, ‘I don’t know why they sent you all here — I have three times as many tank officers as I need,’” he recalled. “That’s typical of the military, and my father had warned me about the bureaucratic aspects of being in the service.”

With his background in accounting, Hebert was eventually sent to the Central Service Agency, essentially a supply position — and wasn’t too happy with that assignment.

“After being there a short time, I went to the personnel officer and said, ‘I can’t do this — my father was in the Marines, he served at Iwo Jima … this is not why I joined,” he recalled. “He kicked me out of his office and said, ‘you’ll go where you’re told.’”

So he spent a year in Da Nang as — in the language of that time — an REMF, which stands for rear echelon mother… well, you can fill in the rest. Or, as they also said, ‘in the rear with the gear.’

Still, that time gave him a deep appreciation of the Corps and some valuable life lessons about leadership and teamwork.

When he came back home, he had a case of what was and still is known as ‘survivor guilt,’ which prompted him to publish a Vietnam War newsletter and also sell books through what was known as the Vietnam Book Store, a mostly mail-order operation.

 

Turning the Page

Longing to do more, Hebert eventually settled on the idea of writing about fictional Marines, but with art imitating life in many ways, especially when it comes to the Marine Corps being a generational phenomenon, or what Hebert calls a “family business.” It was that way for his family, and for the one he’s writing about as well, in stories told by the youngest generation.

That would be Will Remain, whose background is similar to Hebert’s, but with some important differences. Remain graduated from Harvard, not AIC, and upon graduation enlisted in the Marines and attended Officer Candidates School and Basic School in Quantico, Va. Instead of serving in the rear with the gear, he fought at Khe Sanh in 1967 and the Battle of Hue City during the Tet Offensive of 1968.

Hebert said he was inspired in many ways by the war novel Once an Eagle, written by Anton Meyer. A New York Times bestseller, it has been a favorite of American military men and women since it was penned in 1968, he noted.

“That book just fascinated me,” he told BusinessWest. “It was about the Army, and it covered several decades of one officer’s time. That book really inspired me to write.” Indeed, Hebert’s first forays into writing were non-fiction works about Meyer and his books.

He then embarked on the first installment of his novel, which wound up taking him a decade or so to write and prepare for publication. It includes dozens of illustrations by Tara Kaz that help bring the individual stories to life.

As for those stories, or the elements of his novels, he said the process of weaving them together is very much like that of putting together a jigsaw puzzle — which happens to be another of his hobbies; he said he’s put together more than 75 of them, with his favorite (unsurprisingly) being an image of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington.

“I have tons and tons of research material, and it’s all in pieces,” he went on, adding that, as he read books on history and vocabulary, for example, he would tear out the pages and keep them for future reference. “I take all those pieces — and we’re talking about an incredible amount of information — and put it together in a book.”

His second book is 95% researched and about 25% written, he said, adding that this segment details the battles in France during World War I. Book three, meanwhile, covers the period between the wars, and book four will likely take place on a fictional island in the Pacific during World War II.

Hebert writes when he’s not working, which means nights and weekends, and at age 73, he intends to keep on working — for several reasons.

“I work partly because I enjoy working — I thoroughly enjoy my position here,” he explained. “But also because it enables me to fund the things that I want to do in life — one of which is writing.”

As noted, his first book is off to a decent start, with about 300 copies sold and a far less expensive paperback now available. He’s optimistic, and excited, about the audiobook version, which will be read by noted narrator Grover Gardner, who, coincidentally (or not), has also read Once an Eagle.

“My hope, with the audiobook being read by someone so well-known, is that this will bring some attention to it and sell more books in print — that’s my goal, anyway,” he said, adding that this is far more an enjoyable hobby than a money-making enterprise. “I work to write.”

 

The Last Word

Hebert’s life has taken a number of twists and turns since his father glanced down at that matchbook cover and eventually handed it to him.

As noted at the top, some of it, including that episode, does sound like fiction, which is appropriate, said Hebert, because life really does imitate art in many ways.

His art certainly does. It’s a collection of tales about people. But it’s also about a business — a family business.

That’s what the Marine Corps became for him — and for those in the Remain family — and it’s a success story on a number of levels.

 

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

Northampton’s Downtown Faces New Reality

By
Amy Cahillane says the DNA’s advocacy work has surpassed its events programming this year
Community Spotlight

Community Spotlight

Amy Cahillane says the DNA’s advocacy work has surpassed its events programming this year

Amy Cahillane says the DNA’s advocacy work has surpassed its events programming this year — because advocacy is needed, and events are few.

For the past four years, Amy Cahillane has led the Downtown Northampton Assoc. (DNA) in its many efforts to boost vibrancy in the city’s center.

The DNA typically handles such things as city plantings and holiday lights, and sponsors events that bring visitors to downtown, like Summer Stroll and Holiday Stroll, Arts Night Out, and sidewalk sales.

Note that word ‘typically.’ Because this hasn’t been a typical year.

“The pandemic changed it completely,” said Cahillane, the DNA’s executive director. “We usually focus heavily on events — it’s sort of our centerpiece. In light of COVID, I’d say 98% of our events were unable to happen. Arts Night Out is a monthly gathering where we invite lots of people into a small space to share food and drinks. That was one of our first COVID casualties — there’s no way to do that safely.”

But the DNA’s second major role is advocacy, making sure the downtown community has a voice at City Hall and that people feel their voice is heard, through public meetings and community forums on issues that impact businesses. That function was magnified in this unusual year.

“As everything changed, we were forced to change our focus because our small-business community is in desperate need of help, as is every other downtown in this area,” she told BusinessWest. “Even had our events not been canceled, it became clear pretty quickly we’d have to change our focus to advocacy at both the state and local levels, just to keep businesses afloat.”

Much of that advocacy came in the form of pushing for state and local aid, while other efforts were narrowly targeted, like making sure downtown parking was altered so restaurants could expand outdoor seating — “anything we could think of that could help them carry on through this trying to time, until we see some light at the end of the tunnel.”

And the city’s leaders have been responsive, Cahillane said, from a round of direct emergency grants to the business community to making the changes needed to bolster restaurants.

“They stepped up right away to work with our organization and downtown restaurants to make it possible to have outdoor seating, and make it last as long as possible. They got that up and running pretty quickly, and the License Commission was very fast turning around approvals for those who wanted to serve liquor outside.”

Debra Flynn, who owns Eastside Grill, was among the first downtown restaurateurs to pivot to curbside takeout and delivery once eateries were forced to shut down in early spring. “We had no idea how to do it,” she said, adding that it was important to buy the right containers to keep food warm and make sure meals were presented with care, even in the boxes.

“I can’t complain right now; we’ve had such wonderful support from our community,” she said, noting that she was able to set about 30 seats outside and eventually bring patrons back inside as well. “But I’m nervous going forward.”

“It’s definitely remained slower than the pre-COVID days, but each month, we have been seeing a smaller margin in the percentage we were down from last year. That’s helped me stay optimistic.”

That’s because the weather is getting colder, and while regulars are comfortable with the safety protocols being taken inside, she worries that folks who haven’t visited recently might not want to do so during flu season. And while the governor’s new mandate that businesses need to close by 9:30 p.m. doesn’t affect Eastside, it does impact the operations of other downtown restaurants. “They’re very nervous and upset about this whole thing,” she noted.

 

Shifting Winds

Alana Traub, who owns Honey & Wine, a clothing shop in Thornes Marketplace, has had a worrisome time this year, too.

“Everything changed for my business with the pandemic, when all businesses closed for quite a while,” she told BusinessWest. “When it finally did reopen in June, it was extremely slow going; I think people were really nervous to go out, and maybe they didn’t even know if we were open or not.

“Since then, it’s definitely remained slower than the pre-COVID days, but each month, we have been seeing a smaller margin in the percentage we were down from last year. That’s helped me stay optimistic.”

If there’s a downtown that’s well-positioned to rebound after the pandemic, Cahillane said, it’s Northampton.

“Even among my circle of friends, we are dying to go back out to restaurants, go bar hopping,” she said. “I think these businesses downtown are doing everything they can to hang on.”

Perhaps the economic shakeup — and some business closures that have followed in its wake — will present opportunities for some new faces to enter the downtown scene, she added. “A pandemic seems an odd time to start a business, but we’ve seen several open up; we might see a new round of creative, exciting businesses downtown.”

Lindsay Pope made the jump over the summer, purchasing Yoga Sanctuary, also at Thornes, from former owner Sara Rose Page on Aug. 1. A former member at the studio, Pope said she decided to become a business owner in this uncertain time because she feared Page may not have found another buyer.

“I feel like this time is incredibly liberating,” Pope said. “What do I have to lose? The alternate was that we could have lost this space, and instead, we’re going to give it another shot.”

With the times in mind, she launched not only reinvigorated studio programming in September, but also new online programming and an online video-library platform. “We’re going to try to evolve to meet the needs of the times and the next generation. That’s what we’re all being called to do right now in the chaos that’s happening.”

Cahillane said many other businesses have pivoted as well — although she admitted she’s a little sick of that word.

“Restaurants that never did curbside were nervous to try it, but our community showed up and started ordering curbside. Stores that never did local deliveries wondered if people would take advantage of it, but they did. People definitely have been incredibly supportive of downtown — the question is whether that’s enough.”

 

Holding Pattern

Before the pandemic struck, the DNA — which cites beautification among its top goals, along with programming and advocacy — was coming off a couple of years that saw a series of major projects on the Pleasant Street corridor, from a $2.9 million infrastructure upgrade to make the street safer and more navigable for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians to the completion of the roundabout at Pleasant and Conz streets and a number of residential and mixed-use developments along the thoroughfare.

To say 2020 has been a different sort of year is an understatement, although traffic has returned to some degree in recent months, and many businesses, including those in the retail marijuana trade, continue to do well. But anxiety lingers for many.

“I think everyone is concerned,” Cahillane said. “There is certainly more traffic than there was in March, April, or May, for sure. But winter is coming. It’s easy right now to park your car and walk outside, or enjoy some coffee on the sidewalk, when it’s sunny and pretty and the leaves are changing.

“But I think the first sign of snowfall will change that picture pretty dramatically,” she went on. “Are people going to be comfortable shopping indoors in the winter? I don’t know. Or sit inside a restaurant in the winter? I don’t know. And because so much is unknown about COVID, are people going to be extra anxious during flu season, when they don’t know if the person next to them has a cold or something more? There are so many unknowns. People are definitely concerned.”

Yet, Traub senses optimism from other business owners in Thornes and downtown in general, not because the pandemic is close to ending, but because Northampton is a strong enough business community to fully rebound once it does.

“That’s the general consensus,” she said. “I think everyone is also being realistic because no one knows what’s ahead. This is so unprecedented.”

Still, she moved her five-year-old business here from Franklin County for a reason. “I would call this the shopping destination in Western Mass. It’s definitely been a lot of fun, and I’ve been happy with my move to Northampton.”

And waiting for a time when the city is truly on the move again.

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Editorial

By
Opinion

A Chain Reaction of Impact

Back in 2007, BusinessWest launched its 40 Under Forty recognition program to celebrate the achievements of the region’s rising stars. A couple years later, it created Difference Makers, which recognizes individuals who are, well, making a difference in their communities. The Healthcare Heroes awards followed three years ago, recognizing high achievers in that important sector.

Clearly, we love identifying and writing about people and organizations that deserve the attention; we’re as inspired writing those stories as you (hopefully) are when you read them.

Plenty of women have been honored by all three programs — in many years, in fact, women comprise a majority of winners. So why did we launch the Women of Impact program in 2018? Is it really necessary?

In a word, yes. First of all, while there are many women of achievement in this region — and have been for a long time — not enough of them have received the recognition they are due.

But another reason, one that has become more clear over the first three cohorts of Women of Impact, is that this program spotlights ways in which honorees not only shine on their own, but help other women do the same.

In this year’s class alone, you can read about Carol Campbell, president of Chicopee Industrial Contractors, who has not only personally mentored many women over the years, but cultivated a management team entirely made up of women — in an industry still dominated by men.

And Pattie Hallberg, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Central & Western Massachusetts, who has devoted her professional life to understanding the issues and challenges facing women and girls, and finding proactive ways to address them.

And Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College, who understands how critical an affordable college education is to women, including low-income women, women of color, and working mothers, many of whom have been thrown for a loop by the pandemic and recession, and rely on HCC’s support to stay on their degree path.

The stories go on, in many cases echoing the honorees’ desire not only to succeed in life, but to make sure women following behind them have the tools they need to do the same and, in turn, inspire the next generation.

This is not the easiest time for women in the workforce. In fact, in September, about 617,000 women stopped working — about eight women for every man who dropped out, in fact — partly due to competing demands from home, especially young kids who need support with remote learning.

Even during more, well, normal times, BusinessWest has long told the stories of not only women who are helping their peers navigate challenges, but organizations like the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, Girls Inc. of the Valley, and so many more who’ve made it their mission to help women succeed, now and in the future.

In short, women in this region are making an impact every day. We’re honored to be able to tell some of their stories.

 

Opinion

By Contributor
Opinion

How to Handle Unemployment Fraud

By Chris Geehern

State officials and Massachusetts employers continue to deal with a surge of fraudulent unemployment-insurance claims generated as part of a national scheme using stolen personal information to attempt to access jobless benefits.

Criminal enterprises with access to stolen personal information from prior national data breaches have been taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic by attempting to file large numbers of unemployment-benefit claims through the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) system.

DUA revealed in July that 58,000 fraudulent claims had been detected, preventing the loss of $158 million. At the time, the Department of Labor said it was working with the state and federal law enforcement to investigate the fraud and hired a private accounting firm to perform a forensic audit. Now, fake unemployment claims are on the rise once again as scammers appear to be targeting public employees.

Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) has also continued to receive reports from member companies about fraudulent unemployment claims. Companies report in some cases that employees have been unaware that a fraudulent claim has been filed in their names and are thus unable to bring the scam to the attention of their employers.

Employees and employers should work together to address the scam by reviewing a set of online identity-fraud tools developed by DUA. Meanwhile, state officials are providing guidance to employers on how each of the following situations where there is a questionable claim should be handled.

If an employer has received a ‘Confirmation of Employment’ letter, complete the form online. If the person still works for you, select ‘still employed part-time,’ even if the person is a full-time employee. If the person never worked for you, select ‘The claimant did not work for me during the time period stated.” The employer should encourage the employee to file a fraud report and follow the guidance at www.mass.gov/info-details/report-unemployment-benefits-fraud.

If an employer has received a ‘Lack of Work’ letter for an employee who either has never worked for the company or is employed by the company without any break in service for the past year, follow the same instructions as for a ‘Confirmation of Employment’ letter.

If the employer or employee is responding to a ‘Fact Finding Letter,’ complete the form as provided. Employers should inform employees who had a claim filed without their permission to visit the website noted above to report the fraudulent claim and find information and advice on other things they should do to protect their identity.

If an employer has received a ‘Monetary Determination’ with which they disagree, encourage the employee to file a fraud report and follow the guidance at the website.

If an employer is protesting a claim a result of a ‘Benefit Charge Statement’ they are in disagreement with, protests can only be filed online and not by any other mechanisms. On the online form, enter a comment saying ‘fraudulent claim’ and then provide information why you believe the claim was fraudulent (for example, the claimant still works for our company, and when we spoke to the claimant, they said they never filed a claim).

In a case where both the employer and the employee acknowledge the claim was not filed by the employee, the employer should fill in the protest form using their UI Online account, and the employee should file a fraud report and follow the guidance at the website noted above.

 

Chris Geehern is executive vice president of Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

 

Carol Campbell

By
Women of Impact 2020

President, Chicopee Industrial Contractors

She Leads by Example and Shows Women How to Use Their Voice

Carol Campbell

Carol Campbell

Carol Campbell says she’s been heavily involved in the community for as long as she’s been a business owner — nearly 30 years now.

And she’s long believed it’s the responsibility of anyone in business to lend their time, energy, and talents to efforts and agencies focused on improving quality of life in a given region or specific community. She has backed up this belief with involvement in groups ranging from Rotary International to WestMass Development Corp. to Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

But Campbell, owner and president of Chicopee Industrial Contractors (CIC), a firm that specializes in rigging, millwrighting, machine and plant relocation, and structural steel installation, acknowledged that the nature of her giving back has changed somewhat over the past several years — and specifically since her first grandchild, Julia, was born.

“I held that child up and said, ‘you can be anything you want — a ballerina or the CEO of a rigging company,’” she recalled. “And when the words came out of my mouth, at that exact moment, I thought that I needed to be doing things a little differently — I need to be concentrating on what women and girls can do, today, tomorrow, and in the future.”

So, while Campbell is still active with WestMass, AIM, and other business organizations, over the past several years she has become more involved with groups whose missions involve the growth and development of women and girls — agencies ranging from the Women’s Fund to Dress for Success to Girls Inc.

“I held that child up and said, ‘you can be anything you want — a ballerina or the CEO of a rigging company.’ And when the words came out of my mouth, at that exact moment, I thought that I needed to be doing things a little differently — I need to be concentrating on what women and girls can do, today, tomorrow, and in the future.”

Meanwhile, she has also become a role model and mentor for many women, although she’s far more comfortable with the latter role than the former, as we’ll see. And at her own business — one that was and, in many ways, still is dominated by men — she has made it her mission to change that equation.

In fact, with the recent promotion of Deborah Dart, one of those Campbell has mentored, officially and unofficially, to operations manager, she now has a management team made up entirely of women.

“That was a goal I had, and it’s a goal I’ve achieved,” she said with discernable pride. “This company was all men at the start — we probably had women as file clerks — and now, the entire leadership team is women.”

Speaking of Dart, she nominated Campbell to be a Woman of Impact, and we’ll let her words drive home why she is now a member of the class of 2020.

“Carol’s success at CIC has paved the road and broken down barriers for other women in the industry,” she wrote. “She is now not the only woman in the board room or at the table. Her success at CIC has not come easy, but it has allowed her to pay it forward. Carol is known for sharing her thoughts and opinions, and she has used her voice to help her company, her community, and her friends.”

Indeed she has, and this notion of using one’s voice is something that Campbell stresses often when mentoring others, a sentiment passed down by her mother, and now passed on by her.

It’s just one of reasons why she lives up the name of this BusinessWest recognition program — she continues to have an impact — a deep impact — here in Western Mass.

 

Showing Her Metal

By now, most people know the story of how Campbell came to enter that male-dominated world of rigging and machine relocation. She was working as director of Marketing and Development for the UMass Fine Arts Center in the early ’90s, but looking for an entrepreneurial challenge.

Three area rigging plants had been shut down in the wake of the recession of the early ’90s, and Campbell started CIC as a way to rescue many of those workers, including her now-ex-husband.

Over the past 27 years, she has steered the company through a number of economic ups and downs — the Great Recession hit this company later than most, but very hard — including this latest downturn brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For example, when things got slow earlier this year, as manufacturing and other sectors were put in a wait-and-see mode by the pandemic, Campbell used a Paycheck Protection Act loan to keep her people employed, and used the time for training and professional development.

“We didn’t have enough projects to keep everyone working, so we decided to do training,” she recalled. “We did in-house and online training — on our hard skills, our soft skills, and technical skills — and we did that through March, April, and May.”

Those training sessions speak to Campbell’s approach to business and management, one that is employee-focused and perhaps best explained with more commentary from Deb Dart:

“Carol’s core values would not allow her to lead without respect and equality for all, and using the principles of W. Edward Demming and Stephen Covey, she worked to create a paradigm shift in the industry, or at least at CIC, to create a work environment that is more linear, but, most important, a workplace without fear.”

Still, her leadership, entrepreneurial daring, and management philosophies are only some of the reasons why Campbell is being honored as a Woman of Impact. As noted earlier, she has, throughout her career, been very active within the community and, more specifically, with groups and agencies ranging from the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce and that’s city’s Rotary Club; from AIM and WestMass to Health New England, which she continues to serve as a board member.

The management team at Chicopee Industrial Contractors is now all women: from left, Anne Golden, director of Finance; Carol Campbell, president and CEO; Liz Sauer, project manager; and Deb Dart, director of Operations.

The management team at Chicopee Industrial Contractors is now all women: from left, Anne Golden, director of Finance; Carol Campbell, president and CEO; Liz Sauer, project manager; and Deb Dart, director of Operations.

More recently, she has devoted much of her time and energy to groups involved with women and children, and also to some women she is mentoring, with the accent on the present tense. It’s a role she has grown into and is now comfortable with because of what she can share.

“I like the fact that’s it’s an exchange — it’s not teaching,” she told BusinessWest. “It’s working to help individuals determine what their goals are, and then helping them find a path to accomplishing those goals. I’m not an executive coach, by any means, but if they’re on a path that’s similar to mine, which is to be a leader within an organization, I’ve dealt with something similar to what they’re going through.

“For me, it’s an opportunity to show them they’re not alone in this and that it’s not smooth sailing,” she went on. “We’ve all had ups and downs in business, and I’ve seen a number of them myself. The goal is to learn from each other.”

And while successes in business are important, one thing she’s learned — and also tells those she mentors — is that people can learn more from their mistakes, and usually do.

“Some of my worst management experiences have been my biggest assets for learning about who I want to be and how I want to lead,” she explained, adding that this is one of the insights she shares with mentees she’s matched with the WIT (Women Innovators and Trailblazers) program and other initiatives.

As for that phrase ‘role model,’ she is, as noted, less comfortable with it.

Carol Campbell has balanced work in her adopted field with mentoring efforts and contributions of time and energy to many area nonprofits.

Carol Campbell has balanced work in her adopted field with mentoring efforts and contributions of time and energy to many area nonprofits.

“I don’t think I would call myself a role model — when a reference is made, even about my leadership, I’m pretty humble about it, because I’ve always just done what I feel is right,” she explained. “I’ve always thought that, if I could help anyone in any way, I would do it — I always want to give someone a hand up.”

 

Doing the Heavy Work

There’s a pillow on a bookshelf in Campbell’s office with an embroidered message that says simply: “Behind Every Successful Women is … Herself.”

She is living proof of that, obviously, and that’s one of the reasons she’s a Woman of Impact. The other, perhaps even bigger reason is the hard work she’s put into convincing others of that. Her management team is a perfect example of this, but she believes it’s just one.

She intends to keep using her voice to create many more of them.

 

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

 

People on the Move

By
People on the Move

Attorney Meaghan Murphy recently joined Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., a labor and employment law firm serving employers in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Murphy has more than six years of experience in general litigation and labor and employment law. She will advise clients regarding all employment-related matters, including, but not limited to, compliance with state, federal, and local laws, and discipline of employees. She will also create workplace policies for clients and represent them in various forums, including at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, government agencies, and in state and federal court. Murphy is a graduate of Amherst College and received her law degree from Western New England University School of Law. She was named to the Super Lawyers Rising Star list in 2018 and 2019. She has also been an active volunteer with Hampden County Big Brothers Big Sisters since 2018.

•••••

Peter DePergola II

Peter DePergola II

Elms College announced the appointment of Peter DePergola II, associate professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, as executive director of the newly created St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture (CERC). DePergola is also associate professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and the director of the Bioethics and Medical Humanities program at Elms. CERC was launched on Oct. 13 to increase engagement and discourse on the most pressing and complex questions related to ethics, religion, and culture in today’s society, and to lead the regional community in thoughtful, engaging dialogue. A $1 million naming gift from an anonymous donor and two six-figure contributions from Carolyn Jacobs, and B. John (Jack) and Colette Dill and family helped the college establish the center. In addition to his appointment as CERC executive director, DePergola has been named the Shaughness Family Chair for the Study of the Humanities, which is the college’s only endowed chair. The Shaughness Family Chair was funded in 1994 by the late L. Stella Shaughness, and the endowment income is to be used to promote academic excellence by supporting teaching, publishing, and/or research in the humanities. At Baystate Health, DePergola serves as chief ethics officer, senior director of Clinical Ethics, chief of the Ethics Consultation Service, and chair of the ethics advisory committee. He also holds secondary academic and research appointments at UMass Medical School, Sacred Heart University, the American Academy of Neurology, and TEDMED. A professional member of several international academic societies and associations, DePergola earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religious studies at Elms College, his MTS in ethics at Boston College, and his Ph.D. in healthcare ethics at Duquesne University. He completed his residency in neuroethics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, his fellowship in neuropsychiatric ethics at Tufts University School of Medicine, and his advanced training in neurothanatological ethics at Harvard Medical School.

•••••

Nikki Burnett

Nikki Burnett

Nikki Burnett, executive director of Educare Springfield, the nation’s 24th Educare early-education center, has been appointed to a number of national Educare-related boards, including the Educare Learning Network (ELN) collaborative fundraising advisory board, which finds opportunities for greater financial sustainability of the ELN through enhanced fundraising programming. Burnett, the first executive director of Educare Springfield, has also joined the Red Nose Day advisory board, which provides guidance over the grant from Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day Fund on behalf of the ELN. Burnett has also joined the Educare Policy Work Group, which guides and supports the collective network’s engagement in early-childhood policy and advocacy, and the Educare Learning Network steering committee, which informs the direction of the annual meeting. Locally, Burnett has also joined a number of local serving boards, including the board of trustees of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, as well as the boards of Holyoke Community College Foundation and Dress for Success. Burnett earned her undergraduate degree in leadership and organizational science from Bay Path University. She will be completing her master’s degree in leadership and negotiation from Bay Path in 2020. Before joining Educare, she served as regional vice president of Multicultural Initiatives for the American Heart Assoc., where she worked throughout the New England region to build capacity and support revenue generation around community health and education initiatives. She has more than a decade of leadership experience and, prior to her position with the American Heart Assoc., worked at Baystate Health as education coordinator of Cardiopulmonary Services. At Baystate, she managed three cardiology fellowship programs. Burnett also has been actively involved in other community organizations in Springfield and in the region, having served on the board of the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, the Baystate Health community benefits advisory board, and Live Well Springfield, an organization that promotes a culture of health in Springfield.

•••••

For the second time in the award’s history, the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts’ trustees of the Order of William Pynchon have Pynchon Medal recipients amidst a global pandemic. Slated to receive the Advertising Club’s Pynchon Medal at an October 2021 event are two local residents. Elizabeth Wills-O’Gilvie is a longtime community activist for good nutrition and healthy eating, and a tireless advocate for Gardening the Community and the Springfield Food Policy Council, to name just a few initiatives she supports. Janine Fondon serves as co-founder of Unity First, a distributor of diversity-related e-news, chair of the undergraduate Communications department at Bay Path University, and a writer, communicator, and professor focused on amplifying the diverse voices throughout the Pioneer Valley and around the U.S. through inclusion and equity initiatives. This year’s recipients were chosen from a pool of nominations for the award received earlier this year by the Advertising Club. All nominees are researched by the trustees, who then deliberate before selecting final recipients. All Pynchon medalists are chosen by unanimous decision of the Pynchon trustees, who are the current and five past presidents of the Advertising Club. Pynchon trustees for 2020 are Jillian Gould, Teresa Utt, David Cecchi, Mary Shea, Scott Whitney, and current Advertising Club President Brenda McGiverin. The official presentation of the Pynchon Medal and celebration will take place in the fall of 2021 in concert with the following year’s recipients. When confirmed, event details and ticket information will be available at adclubwm.org or by calling (413) 342-0533.

•••••

Jean Deliso

Jean Deliso

Jean Deliso, CFP has been named a member of the 2020 Chairman’s Council of New York Life. Members of the Chairman’s Council rank in the top 3% of New York Life’s sales force of more than 12,000 licensed agents in sales achievement. She has accomplished this level of achievement for nine consecutive years. Deliso has been a New York Life agent since 1995 and is associated with New York Life’s Connecticut Valley General Office in Windsor, Conn. She is a member of the Nautilus Group, an exclusive, advanced planning resource for estate-conservation and business-continuation strategies. She is president and owner of Deliso Financial and Insurance Services, a firm focusing on comprehensive financial strategies that help position clients for a solid financial future. She has worked in the financial field for more than 30 years, her first seven in public accounting and the balance working in the financial-services industry. Deliso has developed an expertise assisting business owners and individuals protecting and securing their and their family’s future. Her extensive experience has led to a focus in certain fields, such as cash and risk management, investment, retirement, and estate planning. She is fully committed to educating individuals regarding their finances and frequently conducts workshops advocating financial empowerment. She currently serves on and has held chairman of the board positions at Baystate Health Foundation and the Community Music School of Springfield. She is also a former board member of the YMCA of Greater Springfield and Pioneer Valley Refrigerated Warehouse, a former trustee of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, and a former member of the Bay Path University advisory board.

•••••

MassDevelopment announced that, after three years as president and CEO, Lauren Liss will step down from this position at the end of the calendar year. Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, who serves as chairman of the board of directors of MassDevelopment, will lead the search for the next head of the state’s finance and development agency. Before taking the reins at MassDevelopment in 2017, Liss held leadership positions in both the private and public sectors, including commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and a partner in a Boston law firm. In fiscal year 2020, MassDevelopment financed or managed 341 projects, generating investment of more than $2.69 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 10,871 jobs and build or preserve 1,787 housing units. As president and CEO, Liss expanded its work in gateway cities through an array of finance programs and real-estate services, such as the Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) and Commonwealth Places program, and oversaw tremendous growth at Devens, MassDevelpment’s iconic mixed-use redevelopment of the former Fort Devens. This year, under Liss’ leadership and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, MassDevelopment pivoted programs and tools to support small businesses in some of the state’s hardest-hit communities and aid in economic recovery. These efforts helped to stabilize businesses in TDI districts and created crowdfunding opportunities for community partners to prepare public spaces and commercial districts to safely serve residents and visitors. MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth.

Company Notebook

By
Company Notebook

UMass Donahue Institute Receives $32.5 Million from Head Start

HADLEY — The UMass Donahue Institute has been awarded a new five-year, $6.5 million per year cooperative agreement to direct the Head Start National Center on Program Management and Fiscal Operations (NCPMFO), a role it has filled for the past five years under an earlier award. Under the new cooperative agreement, the institute will continue to work in collaboration with its partners: Family Health International 360, Zero to Three, and the UCLA Anderson School of Management. NCPMFO will continue to disseminate clear, consistent guidance, materials, and trainings on Office of Head Start priorities for the development and implementation of sound management systems and strong internal controls in Head Start programs across the country. NCPMFO’s work addresses topics such as risk management, governance, data collection and analysis, budgeting, management of multiple funding sources, and leadership, including the annual Head Start Management Fellows Program conducted at UCLA. NCPMFO’s work reaches approximately 1,700 grantees of Early Head Start and Head Start programs located in all states, including those programs serving American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and migrant and seasonal workers. NCPMFO is one of four national center cooperative agreements recently awarded. The others address early childhood development, teaching, and learning; early childhood health; behavioral health and safety; and parent, family, and community engagement.

 

Thunderbirds Foundation Donates $15,000 to Rays of Hope

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Thunderbirds President Nathan Costa presented a check for $15,000 to the Baystate Health Foundation for Rays of Hope from proceeds raised by the sale of specialty pink jerseys worn at the 2020 Pink in the Rink night in March. Each year since the team’s inception, the Thunderbirds have held a Pink in the Rink night to benefit Rays of Hope, complete with participation by breast-cancer survivors, pink ice, and pink specialty jerseys. The event has sold out each of the past four seasons, and has become a signature event in the area to raise awareness. This past season’s event took place on March 7, and was again sold out, with a capacity crowd of 6,793. The Thunderbirds Foundation has contributed more than $80,000 to the Baystate Health Foundation and the Rays of Hope through the proceeds of specialty jersey auctions from the annual Pink in the Rink night.

 

Davis Family Establishes New Scholarship Fund in Honor of Mary Walachy

SPRINGFIELD — The Davis family has established the Joseph F. and Helen C. McGovern Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts in honor of the Irene E. & George A Davis Foundation’s recently retired Executive Director Mary Walachy. Walachy retired in June after serving 23 years as executive director of the family foundation, and the fund is named after Walachy’s parents, both strong advocates for education. Walachy’s father, Joseph McGovern, was an entrepreneur who owned and operated Notion Thread, a manufacturing company in West Springfield. Walachy’s mother, Helen, also worked with her husband at the company. The scholarship fund will provide resources for successful applicants studying education or social work. It will be awarded through the Community Foundation’s scholarship program, which awards approximately 1,000 scholarships to 800 students annually. The program considers academic merit and financial need in its applicant reviews. Walachy earned a master’s degree in social work and, prior to joining the Davis Foundation, served as CEO of the Mental Health Assoc. Walachy was hired in 1997 as the first executive director of the foundation. Under her leadership, the foundation created several signature programs, including Cherish Every Child, the nationally-recognized Reading Success by 4th Grade initiative, and the Funder Collaborative for Reading Success, as well as the establishment of Springfield Business Leaders for Education and the launch of Educare Springfield.

 

Berkshire Theatre Group Awarded $1 Million Gift

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Theatre Group and Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire announced a generous gift of just over $1 million from the family of the late Mary Anne Gross in honor of her lifetime love of both theatre and the Berkshires. This award also recognizes the tireless efforts of Berkshire Theatre Group in producing the first live Actors’ Equity-approved musical in the U.S. this past summer, following the shutdown of live performing arts due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. The Gross family will also award just over $1 million to Pittsfield’s Barrington Stage Company. The Gross family gift will support payroll and basic operating costs for the next six months in order to ensure there are no furloughs or layoffs while the theater continues to raise funds in support of future artistic programming. A portion of the gift is structured as a matching grant to leverage additional donations for 2021. In July, Berkshire Theatre Group’s musical, Godspell, the first musical in the U.S. approved by the Actors’ Equity Assoc. (AEA) during the COVID-19 pandemic, opened a five-week run under a tent outside of the Colonial Theatre. Due to popular demand and critical acclaim, the run was extended for two weeks. The musical ran from Aug. 6 to Sept. 20. Berkshire Theatre Group has just been approved once again by AEA and will present Truman Capote’s Holiday Memories outdoors at its Stockbridge campus from Nov. 20 to Dec. 20.

 

Home City Development Wins Funding for Elias Brookings Apartments

SPRINGFIELD — Home City Development Inc. (HCDI), a Springfield-based affordable-housing development organization, was awarded resources from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to adapt and rehabilitate the former Elias Brookings School into 42 affordable rental housing units, to be known as Elias Brookings Apartments. The award includes $1 million in low-income housing tax credits (to generate more than $9 million in equity), $4.4 million of soft debt, and project-based rental vouchers. Other funds for the project include state and federal historic tax credits, city of Springfield HOME and Community Preservation Act funds, and construction and permanent loans. MassHousing will provide the permanent first mortgage loan and a subordinate workforce-housing loan. HCDI plans to begin construction in early 2021 and complete the work in 12 months. The project will serve a range of incomes, including extremely low-income households, low-income households, and workforce housing. Select apartments are reserved for clients of the Department of Mental Health, people with disabilities, and homeless households. HCDI will offer a variety of supportive services to all residents. The property will be managed by Housing Management Resources, an organization with extensive experience managing comparable properties. Built as the Elias Brookings School in 1925, the building was severely damaged in the June 2011 tornado and was closed. This redevelopment aims to contribute significantly to the revitalization of the of the Maple Hill, Six Corners, and Old Hill neighborhoods, which were heavily impacted by the tornado. HCDI is working with Davis Square Architects, development consultant Gerry Joseph, Allegrone Construction, Klein-Hornig LLP, and Shatz, Schwartz, and Fentin, P.C., as well as many other partners on this project.

 

Mercedes-Benz of Springfield Wins Community Service Award

CHICOPEE — The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce announced that Mercedes-Benz of Springfield was chosen as its Community Service Award recipient. This award honors a business, nonprofit, or individual which has benefited the lives of the Amherst-area community through their work and outreach. The Driven by Community platform officially launched in March, although it has been implemented at the dealership since the doors opened three years ago. Since then, Mercedes-Benz of Springfield has partnered with more than 250 local organizations, raised more than $20,000 when COVID-19 impacted local businesses, and hosted numerous fundraising and charity events at the dealership — most recently, a drive-in movie night with proceeds donated to the Urban League of Springfield to support its mission. The virtual A+ Awards Show will be livestreamed from Hadley Farms Meeting House on Thursday, Nov. 12.

 

Wellfleet Partners with binx health to Keep College Students Safe

SPRINGFIELD — Wellfleet Insurance has teamed up with binx health to offer college clients access to easy at-home/in-dorm sample collection for COVID-19 testing using binx’s enterprise solutions for population health screening. The ‘binx boxes’ are showing up in dorm rooms of thousands of students on Wellfleet’s college client campuses, offering school officials a quick, easy way to test a campus population, with oversight and test ordering by on-site university clinicians. The model amplifies the power and reach of university administration in their efforts to test, track, and trace the COVID-19 infection status among students, faculty, staff, and vendors. Students ‘activate’ binx boxes online, complete sample collection in their dorms or at home, then drop off completed kits at centralized locations for lab processing. Results are rapid, often under 24 hours from sample receipt. Wellfleet, one of the nation’s leading student health-insurance carriers, worked with binx on behalf of client colleges and universities to deliver a first-of-its-kind platform that makes population testing a reality for the nation’s college campuses. The testing platform offers a unique, modular approach enabling tailored rollout and customized deployment based on university population needs. Serving as a ‘digital hub,’ binx enables seamless linking of patients to university administration via clinician ordering tools, global logistics, at-home/in-dorm sample collection, viral trend analysis and reporting, rapid lab testing, contact tracing, and live customer service and support, all offered at an affordable, per-test fee by university. In addition to introducing clients to tailored COVID-19 testing solutions, Wellfleet has also adapted policies to help members, including helping to ensure student members aren’t saddled with out-of-pocket costs related to COVID-19, and enhanced coverage for telemedicine visits.

 

Bradley Recognized by Condé Nast Traveler Readers as Eighth-best U.S. Airport

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) announced that Condé Nast Traveler released the results of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards, with Bradley International Airport recognized as the eighth-best airport in the U.S. The awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry. Bradley International Airport was recognized as a top-10 airport for the fourth consecutive year. “This award is a tremendous honor during a challenging year for the travel industry, and we are proud to once again be recognized among our nation’s best airports,” said Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority. “We thank the travel community for their continued vote of confidence in Bradley International Airport and for underscoring the value of traveling through a smaller airport. Now more than ever, Bradley Airport stands out by always offering a clean, safe, and convenient travel experience.”

 

MCLA Adopts Test-blind Policy Through Fall 2022

NORTH ADAMS — In support of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and in recognition of the public health crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the MCLA Office of Admission will be waiving the SAT/ACT testing requirement for students who apply for fall 2021 and fall 2022. MCLA will also pilot a test-blind/test-free policy for fall 2021 applicants. National and institutional data point to high-school work being indicative of student success in college and a more equitable means of assessment than standardized-test scores. For many years, research studies have found that wealthy students have significant advantages through the college-application process. A 2013 study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Southern California, for example, found that the difference in SAT scores between high- and low-income students was twice as large among black students compared to white students. MCLA’s application is free, and students are considered for merit-based scholarships at the same time as they submit their application. MCLA has an early-action deadline of Dec. 1. Those who apply must submit their official high-school transcript, including first-quarter senior grades and any transcripts for college-level courses taken, as well as a personal statement/essay. To find out more, visit mcla.edu/apply.

 

AIC Hosts Mural Honoring Mason Square Resident

SPRINGFIELD — American International College (AIC) recently honored a Springfield individual known to residents in Mason Square as Preacherman with a mural on the college’s maintenance building located at the corner of State and Reed streets. Born Randolph Lester, he was a well-known community member who was given the Preacherman moniker as he was often seen walking around the Mason Square area carrying a Bible. Collaborating on the construction of the mural was Britt Ruhe, the founder of Fresh Paint Springfield, a creative initiative in 2019 that invited artists to paint building walls downtown. Ruhe is the director of Commonwealth Murals and manages the Community Muralist Institute, featuring individual mural installations that meaningfully engage and uplift communities. AIC alumnus Andrew Cade, president of the Springfield Cultural Council and senior vice president of the Urban League of Springfield, supported the project with a grant from the Springfield Cultural Council and other resources to assist with the mural. The artist, Greta McLain, has has extensive mural-making experience and created the “Home, Here” mural on the Chestnut Towers parking garage on Dwight Street.

 

Summerlin Floors Awarded Woman-owned Business Certificate

AMHERST — Summerlin Floors has been awarded the official woman-owned business certificate from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the largest certifier of women-owned businesses in the U.S. and a leading advocate for women business owners and entrepreneurs. Summerlin Floors has been busy during the COVID-19 pandemic, completing the certification process and reaching its goal of achieving the woman-owned business certificate, along with announcing a new scholarship that will be awarded to a woman of color. To achieve WBENC certification, woman-owned businesses complete a formal documentation and site-visit process administered by one of WBENC’s 14 regional partner organizations. The WBENC certification gives woman-owned businesses the ability to compete for real-time business opportunities provided by WBENC corporate members and government agencies. To give back to the community and future generations, the company launched a new scholarship last month, awarding a $2,500 scholarship to a woman of color pursuing a degree in business at Greenfield Community College (GCC). For more information and to apply for this scholarship, contact the GCC Admissions Office at www.gcc.mass.edu/admissions or (413) 775-1801.

 

Excel Dryer Supports Square One’s Adopt-a-Classroom Initiative

SPRINGFIELD — For the fourth consecutive year, Excel Dryer has committed an annual gift of $5,000 to support Square One’s Adopt-a-Classroom initiative. The gift comes at a critical time as Square One recently expanded its early-education program to include full-day remote learning support for children in kindergarten through grade 5, in addition to its traditional preschool classrooms and family childcare offerings. The funds will be used to offset expenses associated with classroom supplies, meals, and professional development. Square One’s Adopt-a-Classroom program is part of the agency’s Campaign for Healthy Kids, a multi-year fund-development initiative focused on the agency’s commitment to providing healthy meals, physical fitness, social-emotional well-being, and a healthy learning environment. Square One currently provides early-learning services to more than 500 infants, toddlers, and school-age children each day, and family support services to 1,500 families each year, as they work to overcome the significant challenges in their lives.

 

Incorporations

By
Incorporations

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

BRIMFIELD

Infinite Granite Inc., 116 Little Alum Road, Brimfield, MA 01010. Cody Langlitz, same. Granite construction.

CHICOPEE

Save Our Youth, Inc., 6 Ralph Circle, Chicopee, MA 01020. Luiz Nevarez, same. Said organization is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposed, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under 50 1(C)(3) of the internal revenue code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code. Specific purpose is to provide assistance and resources to inner city/underprivileged youth, so they have a safe after-school program and better opportunities for the future.

YAAD Food Bar and Grill Inc., 66 Cabot St., Chicopee, MA 01013. Orlando Roberts, 199 Fargo St. Springfield, MA 01119. Restaurant and bar business.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Visit Madhesh Nepal, Inc., 7 High Meadow Circle, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Pramod Sarraf, same. Travel and business promotion.

GRANBY

Mandolin New England, Inc., 117 Amherst St., Granby, MA 01033. Adam Sweet, same. We are a musical organization that puts on free concerts for the needy throughout New England, but specifically in Western Massachusetts and Rhode Island where our principals are based.

GILL

Renaissance Repair Inc., 390 Main Road, Gill, MA 01354. Douglas A. Edson, same. Maintenance/repair of commercial vehicles and equip.

HOLYOKE

Crossover Corporation, 522 Maple St. Holyoke, MA 01040. Elisandro Cuevas, same. Holding company.

LONGMEADOW

Nubeco, Corp., 82 Canterbury Lane, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Brian Newburn, same. Restoration.

Trusted Caregivers Inc., 123 Dwight Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Tonia Giggs, 931 North St. Suffield, CT 06078. Home care.

NORTHAMPTON

Organization of Biological Field Stations, 5 Chapin Dr., Northampton, MA 01063. Christopher N. Lorentz, Ohio River Biology Field Station 8309 Mary Ingles High California, KY 41007. The purposes of Organization of Biological Field Stations Inc. include the following: to facilitate the highest quality environment for scientists, students, teachers and the public to pursue research and education, and to enhance biological and environmental understanding.

PALMER

Lowmat, Inc., 3012 Thorndike St., Palmer, MA 01069. Gary Buelow, same. Develop and operate software app.

San Mac Medical Inc., 1199 South Main St., Palmer, MA 01069. Mark Borsari, 2 Sutton Place East Granby, CT 06026. Manufacturing of medical supplies.

PITTSFIELD

Kanoa, Inc., 11 Westview Circle, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Cristina Oncken Cook Dubin, same. Consulting services.

SPRINGFIELD

Ekmalian Tools Inc., 355 Trafton Road, Springfield, MA 01108. James G. Ekmalian Jr., same. Retail sale of tools and equipment.

Ken G Transport Inc., 37 Tiffany St. Springfield, MA 01108. Edith Nunez, same. Transport.

WESTFIELD

McCabe and Son Home Improvement Inc., 15 May St., Westfield, MA 01085. Samantha Galvin, same. Home remodeling.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Blackhorse Transportation Inc., 425 Union St., Room 16 West Springfield, MA 01089. Ruvim Rakhubenko, 41 Irving St. West Springfield, MA 01089. Trucking.

Doing Business As Certificates

By
DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the month of October 2020. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

DEERFIELD

Fiddlehead Farm
717 Greenfield Road
Danielle Marie

Green Insurance
55 North Main St.
Rick Green

Penelope Tarasuk, Ph.D. Psychoanalyst
8 Mountain Road
Penelope Tarasuk

HADLEY

Five College Farms
319 River Dr.
Ted Crooker

Sweet Meadow Farm
319 River Dr.
Ted Crooker

Trans World Food Market
50 Russell St.
David Tran

LONGMEADOW

Arch Promotions
60 Tecumseh Dr.
Donna Fein

Jane E. Crosby, Attorney at Law
734 Longmeadow St., Suite 301
Jane Crosby

Longmeadow High School Class of 2020
36 Brittany Road
Eleni Kollias

A Mold Man, LLC
785 Williams St., #175
Michael Guardione

Platinum Consulting
52 Laurel Lane
Philip Frogameni

SOUTHWICK

Kim Hartman House Cleaning
26 Fernwood Road
Kim Hartman

Thompson Transportation
719 College Highway
Shane Thompson

WESTFIELD

A.R. Deliveries
49 Klondike Ave.
Anatolie Reznicenco

Complete Lawn & Landscape
273 Prospect St. Ext.
Kyle Patrick

Fox Eye Photography
1925 East Mountain Road
Jessica Beaupre

GTK Sales
26 Lady Slipper Circle
Telman Galustov

Javo Publication
125 Ridgecrest Dr.
Jeff Vanoudenhove

Maura Bonavita Skin Care
154 Wild Flower Circle
Maura Bonavita

Sabai Jai Market
32 Jessie Lane
Jeffrey Rusin

Westfield Big Y Express #122
330 East Main St.
Big Y Express

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Business Solutions Inc.
64 Bacon Ave.
Taveon Crump

Cardinal Classics NE/AR
33 Heywood Ave.
Fran Cardinal

The Crest Room
706 Westfield St.
Kenneth Maryea

Dixon Orthodontics
232 Park St.
Jeffrey Dixon

Elegant Décor and Rental
189 Dewey St.
Anna Aseyeva

JX Hair
33 Westfield St.
Julia Mailloux

Keltic Fire
70 Windsor St.
John Crean

Kidwell Electric
100 Front St.
Dirk Kidwell

Krizvnu
257 River St.
Krizia Valentino

Schandorf Enterprise
12 Royce Court
Donald Schandorf

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes
47 Roanoke Ave.
Daniel Clark

Bankruptcies

By
Bankruptcies

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

Baez, Marilyn
14 Pembroke Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/06/2020

Baez, Martha
62 Waverly St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/06/2020

Chapin, David S
Chapin, Hillary K.
a/k/a King, Hillary
P.O. Box 264
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/13/2020

Cheney, Anthony W.
46 Ludlow Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/09/2020

Cipolla, Charles Anthony
93 Pine Grove St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/08/2020

Citlak, Ahmet
81 Bluebird Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/08/2020

Cusson, Jody L.
100 North St.
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/30/2020

Drihmi, Abdel Jalil
170 Mayflower Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/08/2020

Fernet, Shirley Ann
PO Box 965
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/07/2020

Henry-Smith, Hyacinth C.
62 Olmsted Dr.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/30/2020

Johnson, Christine G.
a/k/a Labonte, Christine
5 Converse St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/30/2020

Kibodya, Issihaka A.
50 Middlesex St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/08/2020

LeFebvre, Robert S.
43 Laurel St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/08/2020

Mancini, Gina A.
2 Still Brook Lane
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/07/2020

Marshall, Michael C.
84 Byers St., Apt. 101
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/08/2020

McPherson, Bruce A.
135 Polaski Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/01/2020

Pringle, Joyce A.
67 Edgewood St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/08/2020

Rickett, Amy Leigh
163 Stafford Hollow Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Date: 09/30/2020

Rivas, Jose
62 Craig Dr., Apt 2A
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/07/2020

Scibelli, Jordan P.
48 Rutledge Ave., 3rd Fl.
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/01/2020

Tarquini, Adam M.
52 Castle St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/13/2020

Torres, Carlos M.
382 Allen Park Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/05/2020

Trapanese III, Francis P.
40 Stetson Dr.
Greenfield, MA 01301-9726
Chapter: 7
Date: 10/05/2020

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

222 Brattleboro Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $260,555
Buyer: Steven A. Barscz
Seller: Don J. Powell
Date: 10/09/20

120 Northfield Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $192,800
Buyer: Jack E. Wilder
Seller: Eugene A. Dwight
Date: 10/08/20

BUCKLAND

26 Conway St.
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Brian Koshinsky
Seller: Conway Street Realty LLC
Date: 10/09/20

CHARLEMONT

55 Burrington Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: Alexandra N. Kamyk
Seller: Martha R. Roman
Date: 10/14/20

COLRAIN

13 Church St.
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Andrew Lincoln
Seller: Deerfield Avenue Realty Inc.
Date: 10/16/20

135 East Colrain Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Zoe Lindstom-Ruhf
Seller: Chris P. Trewhella
Date: 10/09/20

GILL

179 Main Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Timothy P. Meyer
Seller: Gary E. Parzych
Date: 10/09/20

GREENFIELD

1357 Bernardston Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Alysandra Zagame
Seller: Fernand A. Zagame
Date: 10/15/20

37 Brookside Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Louisa J. Edwards
Seller: Patrick J. Merrigan
Date: 10/13/20

216 Green River Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Patrick J. Merrigan
Seller: Carole A. Lemay
Date: 10/13/20

36 Leyden Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Adom C. Balcom
Seller: Jaimye S. Ingraham
Date: 10/07/20

130 Leyden Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Samuel D. Howe
Seller: Matthew Brown
Date: 10/15/20

114 Lovers Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Jo-Ann A. Helbig
Seller: Alfred W. Myslicki
Date: 10/16/20

33 Newell Pond Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Devon Lucier
Seller: Glen A. Stratton
Date: 10/07/20

6-8 Park Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $288,500
Buyer: Brady P. McCloud
Seller: Mihail Iavorschi
Date: 10/07/20

119 Shelburne Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Shawn S. Fitzherbert
Seller: Matthew McCarthy
Date: 10/15/20

9 Sunset Square
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Robert Murray
Seller: Alexander V. Siano
Date: 10/14/20

107 Verde Dr.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Alexander V. Siano
Seller: Greenfield KMW LLC
Date: 10/14/20

LEYDEN

60 Glen Road
Leyden, MA 01301
Amount: $429,000
Buyer: Joshua Ziter
Seller: John W. Helbig
Date: 10/16/20

MONTAGUE

74 Dry Hill Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Tegin L. Teich
Seller: Bryna R. Ziobro
Date: 10/08/20

90 Turners Falls Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $306,000
Buyer: Alan P. Meyer
Seller: Layne V. Floyd
Date: 10/16/20

71 Turnpike Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Amie M. Keddy
Seller: Abdias Garcia
Date: 10/09/20

NORTHFIELD

177 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $327,500
Buyer: Jill Price-Marshall
Seller: Amy K. Hildenbrand
Date: 10/09/20

ORANGE

681 East Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Jorge L. Nieves
Seller: Orange Properties LLC
Date: 10/16/20

340 Holtshire Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: Lisa A. Korpiewski
Seller: Normand R. Poirier
Date: 10/14/20

225 Walnut Hill Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Nancy J. Cody
Seller: Patrick J. Cody
Date: 10/09/20

171 West River St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Garcia
Seller: Aaron J. Thibeault
Date: 10/09/20

123 Winter St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: Derek P. Dirienzo
Seller: Wetherby, Carol A., (Estate)
Date: 10/15/20

SHUTESBURY

15 Hawks View Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $649,000
Buyer: Elena M. Vazey
Seller: Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin
Date: 10/16/20

SUNDERLAND

180 Hadley Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $342,500
Buyer: Todd E. Fruth
Seller: Kevin B. Kohler
Date: 10/09/20

491 Hadley Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $437,500
Buyer: Michael A. Case
Seller: Timothy F. Markowski
Date: 10/13/20

369 Montague Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Thomas Adair
Seller: Boulden, Gilbert A., (Estate)
Date: 10/15/20

248 South Silver Lane
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Daniel Salls
Seller: James J. Toth
Date: 10/08/20

WARWICK

40 Dusty Lane
Warwick, MA 01364
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Stephen A. Martin
Seller: Mary J. Fay
Date: 10/16/20

 

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

201 Adams St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $293,000
Buyer: Adam Vanbuskirk
Seller: Nicholas R. Jerard
Date: 10/07/20

82 Albert St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Michael G. Piccin
Seller: Michael E. Piccin
Date: 10/09/20

471 Barry St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Denis E. Doroshenko
Seller: Marilyn Foley
Date: 10/16/20

33 Dartmouth St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $219,900
Buyer: Ardian Ademi
Seller: Thomas K. Dickinson
Date: 10/09/20

19 Highland Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Thong Nguyen
Seller: Guerrin, Susan G., (Estate)
Date: 10/16/20

50 Kensington St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: John P. Elias
Seller: Sara E. Chaffee
Date: 10/06/20

54 Kensington St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Cennet M. Kilic
Seller: William R. Lyne
Date: 10/09/20

274 Meadow St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Thomas E. Cascio
Seller: Blackak, Lucille H., (Estate)
Date: 10/07/20

472 Meadow St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Shorty Billups
Seller: Sergey Abramov
Date: 10/14/20

90 North Alhambra Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Brenda L. Parent
Seller: Michael J. Wood
Date: 10/05/20

62 Northwood St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $317,500
Buyer: Timothy A. Potito
Seller: Alex Vilkhovoy
Date: 10/05/20

27 Pheasant Run Court
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Nicholas E. Clark
Seller: Richard S. Jackson
Date: 10/08/20

150 Pineview Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Richard C. Messenger
Seller: Peter T. Lepper
Date: 10/13/20

74 Ramah Circle South
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: CHG Realty LLC
Seller: Chlastawa LLC
Date: 10/15/20

South Bridge Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $1,200,000
Buyer: JPGCO LLC
Seller: Garra LLC
Date: 10/14/20

102 White Fox Road
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Thomas Dickinson
Seller: Bryan Cote
Date: 10/09/20

BRIMFIELD

3 Shaw Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $705,000
Buyer: Glenn S. Welch
Seller: James M. Hurley
Date: 10/08/20

CHICOPEE

186 Arcade St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Damaris Carmona
Seller: Luz A. Eichstaedt
Date: 10/16/20

6 Barbara St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Mariana Acosta
Seller: Douglas P. Allard
Date: 10/09/20

32 Boutin St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Michael P. Michon
Seller: Juan F. Monsalve
Date: 10/08/20

66 Bray St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $282,500
Buyer: Tara M. Muhlhausen
Seller: John W. Walz
Date: 10/15/20

115 Broadway St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Gary Lopuk
Seller: Thomas R. Nowak
Date: 10/05/20

75 Catherine St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $368,000
Buyer: Hector F. Torres-Alvarado
Seller: Ganna Boyko
Date: 10/14/20

93 Clairmont Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Aaron Beaulieu
Seller: Brianna L. Kring
Date: 10/16/20

24 Cyran St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Roland G. Provost
Seller: Clayton, Sandra J., (Estate)
Date: 10/14/20

322 Dale St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Daniel Burgos
Seller: MA Home Buyers LLC
Date: 10/07/20

105 Fairview Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Lymari Albelo
Seller: Sisters Of Saint Joseph
Date: 10/07/20

11 Hearthstone Ter.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Ryan F. Nelson
Seller: Robert D. Yergeau 2018 RET
Date: 10/09/20

36 Irene St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Colleen A. Larochelle
Seller: Anthony J. Zepko
Date: 10/06/20

49 Irene St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Kassandra M. Pedraza
Seller: Richard Ethier
Date: 10/15/20

160 Jacob St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Suzanne Valcheva
Seller: Stephen G. Young
Date: 10/09/20

15 Leonard St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Ryan J. Manning
Seller: Ashley M. Gallagher
Date: 10/07/20

29 Linden St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Michael C. Sugrue
Seller: James Despres
Date: 10/07/20

115 Ludlow Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $340,600
Buyer: Angela M. Perez
Seller: Premier Home Builders Inc.
Date: 10/13/20

56 Marble Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Caitlyn A. McGibbon
Seller: Seamus P. Cullen
Date: 10/09/20

23 Marten St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Milton C. Bird
Seller: Jerod R. Laflamme
Date: 10/13/20

68 Mary St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: MDDO LLC
Seller: Margaret M. Twarowski
Date: 10/07/20

72 Mary St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: MDDO LLC
Seller: Margaret M. Twarowski
Date: 10/07/20

29 Narragansett Blvd.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Charles F. Bisson
Seller: Nubile, Rosalia, (Estate)
Date: 10/09/20

45 Narragansett Blvd.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $237,000
Buyer: Jacob Colon
Seller: Westside Housing Inc.
Date: 10/05/20

49 Prospect St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: MDDO LLC
Seller: Margaret M. Twarowski
Date: 10/07/20

147 School St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Zahraa Abdullah
Seller: Joel I. Roach
Date: 10/16/20

36 Schorr St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Angel Rivera
Seller: Dennis J. Stoltz
Date: 10/13/20

73 Stedman St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $185,500
Buyer: Spencer Lockhart
Seller: Jean G. Ouimette
Date: 10/09/20

97 Szetela Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Brian H. Jones
Seller: Matthew G. Costa
Date: 10/05/20

185 Szetela Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $286,500
Buyer: Matthew A. Jayko
Seller: Brian H. Jones
Date: 10/05/20

71 Wilson Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Travis A. Brooks
Seller: Madeline Cornwell
Date: 10/07/20

34 Windsor St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Theodore Chagnon
Seller: Joseph C. Nowak
Date: 10/15/20

EAST LONGMEADOW

170 Canterbury Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $504,900
Buyer: Robert T. Whiteley
Seller: David M. Fugler
Date: 10/16/20

41 Helen Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: David Chapdelaine
Seller: Clifford P. Ahern
Date: 10/07/20

230 Kibbe Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $314,000
Buyer: Denise M. Moore
Seller: Brian McClelland
Date: 10/05/20

58 Mapleshade Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $257,000
Buyer: Alicia A. Laterreur
Seller: Deborah A. Elgers
Date: 10/13/20

159 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Megan E. Popp
Seller: Salvatore Napolitano
Date: 10/06/20

140 Patterson Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $372,000
Buyer: Jeremy J. Kele
Seller: Heather R. Magnus
Date: 10/09/20

94 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Patriot Living LLC
Seller: O’Neill, Thomas N., (Estate)
Date: 10/08/20

18 Redstone Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $279,000
Buyer: Jose A. Santiago
Seller: Osvaldo Almodovar
Date: 10/05/20

109 Vineland Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $333,000
Buyer: Przemyslaw P. Szura
Seller: Anthony M. Neffinger
Date: 10/08/20

203 Westwood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $339,900
Buyer: Cheng-Hao Shih
Seller: Martin J. Manning
Date: 10/13/20

320 Westwood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Hajar R. Aldouri
Seller: Edward J. Buckley
Date: 10/15/20

GRANVILLE

521 South Lane
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Justin Monfette
Seller: Donald F. Canfield
Date: 10/05/20

HAMPDEN

521-525 Main St.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Norman Charest
Seller: Raymond C. Bartolucci
Date: 10/07/20

40-A Oak Knoll Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $271,000
Buyer: Robert W. Feliton
Seller: Bruce J. Strange
Date: 10/08/20

25 Potash Hill Lane
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Deon Smith
Seller: Ana M. Dagostino
Date: 10/15/20

92 Raymond Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: KC 290 Main Street LLC
Seller: Fortier, Robert B., (Estate)
Date: 10/08/20

67 Stony Hill Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Katherine L. Eliza
Seller: Nicholas Torretti
Date: 10/09/20

HOLLAND

227 Brimfield Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Shaina C. Kolakowski
Seller: John P. Galarneau
Date: 10/09/20

HOLYOKE

18 Bray Park Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: James M. Hogan
Seller: Mark R. Collins
Date: 10/15/20

14 Francis Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Israel Blanco
Seller: Luis E. Roldan
Date: 10/14/20

1155 Hampden St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: George Oquendo
Seller: Amer F. Ahmed
Date: 10/08/20

16 Hitchcock St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $223,900
Buyer: Joshua Jimenez
Seller: Brian J. Lepine
Date: 10/16/20

877 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $242,400
Buyer: Robert Fisette
Seller: Fisette Realty Corp.
Date: 10/16/20

10 Laurel St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Arelis Diaz
Seller: Fernando Aponte
Date: 10/14/20

227 Michigan Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Herbert
Seller: Eric H. & Frances R. Dugroo TR
Date: 10/16/20

111 Mosher St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $3,000,000
Buyer: EGH W. LLC
Seller: Sonoco Products Co.
Date: 10/16/20

70 Pinehurst Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $287,500
Buyer: Nadia Tafreshi
Seller: Sydney A. Plum
Date: 10/07/20

58 Waldo St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Jonathan Mills
Seller: Jessica L. Appleby
Date: 10/13/20

187 Walnut St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Reina L. Cruz
Seller: Federico A. Taveras
Date: 10/09/20

661 West Cherry St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Timothy R. Deshaies
Seller: Bellamy H. Schmidt
Date: 10/14/20

348 West Franklin St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Martin J. Contant
Date: 10/15/20

LONGMEADOW

103 Birchwood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Jeremy Desjardins-Smith
Seller: Therese Tjimis
Date: 10/09/20

198 Burbank Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Noreen Greenman
Seller: Thomas R. Aylesbury
Date: 10/16/20

141 Cedar Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $316,000
Buyer: Angelina K. Rinaldi
Seller: Frank A. Amato
Date: 10/15/20

90 Colony Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $467,000
Buyer: Jonathan A. Goldman
Seller: Mark R. Wojcik
Date: 10/15/20

117 Crescent Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Stanislav Rukhman
Seller: Heidi D. Davis
Date: 10/05/20

49 Drury Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Rose A. Hill
Seller: Stephen D. Hoyt
Date: 10/14/20

176 Dunn Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $580,000
Buyer: Kately Smithling-Kopcsay
Seller: Joanne Hetherington
Date: 10/09/20

28 Edgemont St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Linda B. Edelson-Slocum
Seller: Andrew D. Appleby
Date: 10/16/20

69 Edgewood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $424,900
Buyer: Vera M. Denyko
Seller: Paul Huijing
Date: 10/06/20

178 Edgewood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $299,500
Buyer: David S. Hutchins
Seller: Lisa Dailey
Date: 10/05/20

29 Elmwood Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Sophie Stevenson
Seller: Lori A. Snyder
Date: 10/08/20

17 Glenwood Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Nola Management LLC
Seller: Stephen G. Haramut
Date: 10/05/20

12 Hillcrest Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: Joseph R. Dion
Seller: Brian R. Curran
Date: 10/05/20

671 Maple Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $263,000
Buyer: Kevin J. Quinn
Seller: Debra A. Judson
Date: 10/16/20

568 Pinewood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $505,000
Buyer: Oswald J. Obando
Seller: Helen E. Santaniello
Date: 10/09/20

41 Shaker Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Nathan A. Nadeau
Seller: Diane B. Nadeau
Date: 10/15/20

LUDLOW

209 Autumn Ridge Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $498,000
Buyer: Derek Chandonnet
Seller: Hemlock Ridge LLC
Date: 10/14/20

49 Crest St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Trevor J. Lewicki
Seller: Craig J. McKay
Date: 10/15/20

299 Fuller St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Joseph M. Scurti
Seller: Source 9 Development LLC
Date: 10/05/20

186 Highland Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Dominic L. Seguro
Seller: Domingos A. Seguro
Date: 10/05/20

6 Miller St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $1,002,186
Buyer: Hopkinton LNG Corp.
Seller: Bay State Gas Co.
Date: 10/16/20

27 Stanley St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Ryan D. Boucher
Seller: Roger W. Boucher
Date: 10/16/20

24 Voltage Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Fallon M. St.Aubin
Seller: Philip M. Harrington
Date: 10/09/20

MONSON

13 Green St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Luke Paull
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 10/16/20

4 Hampden Court
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Timothy West
Seller: Bruce D. Murphy
Date: 10/15/20

156 Hovey Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $479,000
Buyer: James Talbot
Seller: Gary A. Wandmacher
Date: 10/09/20

MONTGOMERY

332 Main Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Taylor Derrig
Seller: Denis G. Senecal
Date: 10/08/20

PALMER

2055 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Juan Larronde
Seller: Daniel H. Roy
Date: 10/14/20

1010 Park St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $615,000
Buyer: VPR Cap Partners 2 LLC
Seller: Bank Of America
Date: 10/15/20

SPRINGFIELD

14 Adams St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Shkeya Brittle
Seller: Amaan Realty LLC
Date: 10/09/20

Adams St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Greg Gardener
Seller: Amat Victoria Curam LLC
Date: 10/07/20

78 Agnes St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: Kircys E. Canela-Santos
Seller: Darlene A. Tait
Date: 10/09/20

49 Albemarle St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Tyrah R. Browne
Seller: Value Properties LLC
Date: 10/16/20

173 Albemarle St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Johanne Theodat
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 10/06/20

69-71 Alden St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Charlie Vargas
Seller: R. M. Blerman LLC
Date: 10/06/20

54 Aldrew Ter.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $133,400
Buyer: Short4u RT
Seller: Roundpoint Mortgage Servicing
Date: 10/13/20

30 Armory St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Jose R. Vargas-Gonzalez
Seller: Luz P. Rios-Garcia
Date: 10/14/20

33 Ashley St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Belgica Cordero
Seller: Carlos M. Alicea
Date: 10/16/20

122 Barrington Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Marvin M. Sinzore
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 10/16/20

156 Barrington Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Dwayne Early
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 10/06/20

11-13 Baywood St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: Francheska M. Melendez
Seller: Olmsted Realty LLC
Date: 10/09/20

43 Berard Circle
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Pedro Montanez-Charriez
Seller: IB Investments
Date: 10/07/20

24 Bissell St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $222,500
Buyer: Bretta Construction LLC
Seller: Dwayne Early
Date: 10/06/20

114 Briggs St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: John B. Borrero
Seller: Diana R. Bannon
Date: 10/16/20

25 Burke St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Veronica M. Reyes
Seller: Ruby Realty LLC
Date: 10/14/20

125 Cambridge St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $222,000
Buyer: Shaundell Diaz
Seller: Alycar Investments LLC
Date: 10/15/20

31 Canterbury Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Venia Noel
Seller: Michelle L. Somerville
Date: 10/15/20

399 Central St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Chantal Louis
Seller: Danichia J. Vega
Date: 10/05/20

64 Chilson St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Isiz V. Rivas
Seller: Michael L. O’Connor
Date: 10/14/20

40 Connecticut Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: John P. Sullivan RET
Seller: Mary A. Dean
Date: 10/15/20

40 Cooper St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Gina Mickiewicz
Seller: Daniel J. Fenton
Date: 10/06/20

56 Copeland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: Jennifer Goodyear
Seller: Paige N. Derry
Date: 10/09/20

19 Craig St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Stacia C. Bryant
Seller: Brian W. Vaudrin
Date: 10/07/20

34 Croyden St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Gabriela Aviles-Sanchez
Seller: Marisol Guevara
Date: 10/14/20

24 Delaware Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Ramon Burgos
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 10/09/20

296 Dickinson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Omar Abeed
Seller: US Bank
Date: 10/05/20

28 Drury St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $234,900
Buyer: Christopher Kochanek
Seller: Yvonne Grondin
Date: 10/09/20

80 East St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Dana Mitchell-Peterson
Seller: Rose A. Hill
Date: 10/14/20

176 Eddy St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Keysha Burgos
Seller: Elizabeth Lopez
Date: 10/09/20

100 Edgemont St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $166,000
Buyer: Alfonso Jimenez-Jimenez
Seller: Dorothy Smith
Date: 10/09/20

133 Ellsworth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $172,500
Buyer: Charlotte E. Hines
Seller: Jamianne Turner
Date: 10/16/20

7 Fordham St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Yesseni Irizarry-Morales
Seller: Michael E. Rogers
Date: 10/09/20

17 Frontenac St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Orlando A. Lopez
Seller: Property Keys LLC
Date: 10/09/20

19 Fullerton St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Helen J. Pino
Seller: Anthony Bourget
Date: 10/13/20

75 Garland St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Nicholas Stahovish
Seller: Michael Tranghese
Date: 10/14/20

25 George St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Xiaomao B. Wang
Seller: KPD Properties LLC
Date: 10/15/20

526 Gifford St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $191,000
Buyer: Juan Caraballo
Seller: Kelnate Realty LLC
Date: 10/14/20

210 Gresham St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Treyvontae R. Goodman
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 10/16/20

33 Greenwich St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Wytas Properties LLC
Seller: Peter E. Sares
Date: 10/09/20

132 Grover St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Sullane LLC
Seller: Carol M. Tamkovich
Date: 10/15/20

123 Hadley St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Tesia M. Pollock
Seller: Megliola, Elizabeth A., (Estate)
Date: 10/15/20

38 Hatch St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Reyes M. Vazquez
Seller: Deena A. Polom
Date: 10/14/20

14 Irvington St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Abdikadir S. Mohamed
Seller: Mashawn Jones
Date: 10/15/20

92 Jardine St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: G. M. Paneto-Almodovar
Seller: CIG 4 LLC
Date: 10/09/20

79 Jeffrey Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Ricky E. Bowens
Seller: Laurence A. Trupe
Date: 10/15/20

61 Johnson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Anthony F. Almodovar
Seller: Jaime J. Melendez
Date: 10/08/20

89 Juniper Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: A. R. Dones-Schipper
Seller: Brital 1987 LLC
Date: 10/16/20

69 Keddy St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Preciouse Oise
Seller: Cornelius Brouder
Date: 10/14/20

20 Labelle Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Anthony Girard
Seller: John F. Long
Date: 10/14/20

33 Littleton St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Erica Pagan
Seller: Jonathan Ortiz
Date: 10/09/20

283 Longhill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Johnnie Asencio
Seller: Michael A. Gulish
Date: 10/09/20

146 Lumae St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Amaralyss L. Negron
Seller: Equity Trust Co.
Date: 10/05/20

145-151 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $730,000
Buyer: Lachenauer LLC
Seller: BP LLC
Date: 10/09/20

31 Manchester Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Maria C. Salmeron
Seller: Filomena M. Vivenzio
Date: 10/09/20

128 Newfield Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $171,500
Buyer: Amanda C. Mills
Seller: Janisette Silveira
Date: 10/15/20

38-40 Oak St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $730,000
Buyer: Lachenauer LLC
Seller: BP LLC
Date: 10/09/20

60 Old Brook Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Jaimarie G. Ely
Seller: Kelly A. Partridge
Date: 10/14/20

72 Old Farm Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $201,000
Buyer: Ter.esa A. Wesley
Seller: Randy D. Degray
Date: 10/07/20

115 Packard Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $292,000
Buyer: Michael Tranghese
Seller: Robert J. Gossman
Date: 10/14/20

66 Palo Alto Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Carmen Rivera
Seller: John E. Balesky
Date: 10/13/20

104-106 Pasadena St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $149,200
Buyer: AAD LLC
Seller: K&S Holdings LLC
Date: 10/08/20

120 Patricia Circle
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Joseph T. Cardaropoli
Seller: Rehab Home Buyers LLC
Date: 10/07/20

343 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Timothy Riordan
Seller: Clifford P. Jensen
Date: 10/09/20

173 Powell Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Michael A. Bartolo
Seller: Ute A. Schmidt
Date: 10/06/20

104 Rollins St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Lisa A. Kirby
Seller: Ryan F. Nelson
Date: 10/09/20

735 Saint James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Andrew A. Lopriore
Seller: John H. Fortune
Date: 10/16/20

53 Silver St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Erykya Rivera
Seller: Juan Santana
Date: 10/13/20

100 South Branch Pkwy.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Guidewire Inc.
Seller: Sheila A. Gilligan
Date: 10/09/20

138 Spear Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Jose A. Muniz
Seller: Andy W. Pacheco
Date: 10/16/20

27 Stocker St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Anne F. Brady
Seller: Charlene Bermudez
Date: 10/16/20

999 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $249,000
Buyer: Dia L. Green
Seller: Joseph Sullivan
Date: 10/05/20

33 Surrey Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $202,000
Buyer: Gloria Jimenez
Seller: Springhouse Properties LLC
Date: 10/08/20

146 Talmadge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $183,500
Buyer: Jennifer R. Small
Seller: Eunice W. Wegge
Date: 10/07/20

438 Tinkham Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Cornerstone Homebuying LLC
Seller: Woodworth, David A., (Estate)
Date: 10/16/20

35 Trillium St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Jessica J. Jenkins
Seller: Tamara Cruz
Date: 10/16/20

52 Undine Circle
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Natalie Dunn
Seller: Michele Giles-Romero
Date: 10/06/20

52 Walsh St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $192,500
Buyer: Tia A. Brown
Seller: Brown, Evelyn, (Estate)
Date: 10/13/20

65 Washburn St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Alex X. Pirela
Seller: Franklin Housey
Date: 10/15/20

15 Welcome Place
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $229,900
Buyer: Michelle Melendez
Seller: Valley Castle Holding LLC
Date: 10/06/20

Wexford St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $146,000
Buyer: William Raleigh
Seller: Ulrick, Linda I., (Estate)
Date: 10/15/20

108 Wilber St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $135,200
Buyer: Kiomarie Santiago
Seller: Patrick L. Plourde
Date: 10/06/20

26 Winding Lane
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $177,500
Buyer: Justin Preman
Seller: Mark A. Kornacki
Date: 10/16/20

18 Yamaska Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Katherine Carrasquillo
Seller: Kirk Weingarten
Date: 10/08/20

SOUTHWICK

14 Bungalow St.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Stephen M. Gelgut
Seller: Douglas W. Bradshaw
Date: 10/06/20

325 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $335,500
Buyer: Christin E. Gingras
Seller: Daniel Warriner
Date: 10/07/20

473 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Jacob D. Parker
Seller: Norman H. Storey
Date: 10/16/20

140 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Christopher Lapan
Seller: Susan R. Laroche
Date: 10/08/20

162 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Christian Prosper
Seller: Tomas Kielasinski
Date: 10/14/20

155 Fred Jackson Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Albert J. Rusilowicz
Seller: Michele V. Urban
Date: 10/09/20

24 Knollwood Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $181,000
Buyer: Anthony Gaudino
Seller: Russell J. Mercier
Date: 10/09/20

Overlook Lane #34
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Todd Richards
Seller: Joseph F. Baltronis
Date: 10/15/20

WALES

41 Stafford Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Alan J. Towle
Seller: Serge P. Arel
Date: 10/06/20

37 Union Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Brian K. Potter
Seller: William J. Matchett
Date: 10/07/20

7 Woodland Heights
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Bonnie Kerness
Seller: Cornerstone Homebuying LLC
Date: 10/13/20

WEST SPRINGFIELD

65 Althea St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Susan Vecchio
Seller: Joyce T. Manchino
Date: 10/13/20

70 Armstrong St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $200,500
Buyer: Joshua L. Lane
Seller: Keith Ondras
Date: 10/14/20

204 Ashley St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $234,000
Buyer: Ter.rell Williams
Seller: Sally S. Amaral
Date: 10/09/20

20 Brightwater St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Jami D. Filiault
Seller: Cynthia M. Depalma
Date: 10/16/20

38 Cass Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Vincent Costanzi
Seller: Patrick J. Hourihan
Date: 10/16/20

33 Chapin St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Jorym Millete-Mercedes
Seller: Liliya Petrovna-Anipko
Date: 10/06/20

208 City View Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Daniel W. Adams
Seller: Joseph M. Messer
Date: 10/07/20

74-80 Doty Circle
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: John & Lorraine LLC
Seller: Ralph D. Cleveland
Date: 10/09/20

16 Exposition Ter.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: 1312 Memorial Avenue LLC
Seller: Expo Realty LLC
Date: 10/07/20

47 Hampden St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Anthony M. Podmore
Seller: Shauna N. Seligman
Date: 10/09/20

97 Hampden St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: William A. Ulasewich
Seller: Linda M. Page
Date: 10/09/20

7 High Meadow Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Jaclyn Magee
Seller: Mark A. Tokarz
Date: 10/16/20

175 Jeffrey Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Marco G. Amato
Seller: Ronald P. Campurciani
Date: 10/16/20

107 Lancaster Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Ricardo T. Wright
Seller: Nancy E. Lane
Date: 10/13/20

88 Old Barn Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Jeanne S. Goodsell
Seller: James J. Flowers
Date: 10/16/20

88 Partridge Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Maksim Loboda
Seller: Andrey Korniyenko
Date: 10/16/20

118 Pease Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Emma C. Lewin-Opitz
Seller: Donald B. Berry
Date: 10/09/20

125 South Blvd.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: Ievgenii Gusiev
Seller: John P. Targonski
Date: 10/05/20

WESTFIELD

32 Allen Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $173,400
Buyer: James Jylkka
Seller: McConnell, Constance M., (Estate)
Date: 10/06/20

188 Apple Blossom Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $188,500
Buyer: Jeffrey Keating
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 10/05/20

8 Birch Bluffs Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Charles N. Parker
Seller: Roman Radetskyi
Date: 10/16/20

62 Birch Bluffs Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Daniel H. Estee
Seller: Glenn P. Duperrault
Date: 10/05/20

110 Christopher Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Bryan Cote
Seller: Christopher Robare
Date: 10/09/20

38 Church St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Morizio Brothers Mgmt. LLC
Seller: Richard K. Adams
Date: 10/05/20

286 Falley Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $157,183
Buyer: William C. Butcher
Seller: Butcher, Richard H. Sr., (Estate)
Date: 10/06/20

5 Franklin Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Carlos E. Batlle
Seller: David F. Kellner
Date: 10/07/20

12 Mallard Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Bento Fernandes
Seller: MaryMargaret Burke
Date: 10/09/20

154 Glenwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Andrey Korniyenko
Seller: Cui X. Lin
Date: 10/15/20

4 King St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Kelnate Realty LLC
Seller: Assemblies Of God
Date: 10/16/20

85 Larchly Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $236,500
Buyer: Holly Goulet
Seller: Arena, Mary C., (Estate)
Date: 10/13/20

16 Lozier Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Konstantin A. Belyakov
Seller: Gennadiy A. Lisitsin
Date: 10/16/20

410 Montgomery Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $477,000
Buyer: Mary M. Burke
Seller: Andrey Rudin
Date: 10/09/20

46 Mountain View St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Jared M. Hague
Seller: Laurence D. Hunt
Date: 10/05/20

259 Notre Dame St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Alan Powers
Seller: David M. O’Connell
Date: 10/15/20

48 Orange St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $143,500
Buyer: Backlot Industries LLC
Seller: Mark Sears
Date: 10/08/20

35 Skyline Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $391,000
Buyer: Ronald D. Mack
Seller: Yevgeniy Yunikov
Date: 10/16/20

13 West School St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Jada M. Wiggins
Seller: Barbara A. Soto
Date: 10/16/20

39 West School St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Daniel Malancea
Seller: Mohammad Saleem
Date: 10/16/20

WILBRAHAM

35 Brookside Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $439,900
Buyer: Kerryann M. Serju
Seller: Wendy S. Coffey
Date: 10/16/20

30 Delmor Ave.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $259,000
Buyer: John E. Cutler
Seller: Plumtree Real Estate LLC
Date: 10/06/20

159 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Shauneen Coutu
Seller: Jason A. Grondin
Date: 10/16/20

2 Merrill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Francis Federico
Seller: Lori A. Tetrault
Date: 10/09/20

102 Mountain Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $213,000
Buyer: Joshua R. Blanchard
Seller: Ferne Andre
Date: 10/05/20

12 Ruth Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Kevin T. Burke
Seller: Lawrence M. Borysyk
Date: 10/16/20

408 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $273,000
Buyer: Joseph E. Selva
Seller: Scott A. Richard
Date: 10/09/20

648 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Karisa N. Syner
Seller: Chase, Dorothy M., (Estate)
Date: 10/14/20

903 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Hilario G. Tucker
Seller: Robert L. Page
Date: 10/06/20

1022 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Clifford Jensen
Seller: Rebecca S. Hurt
Date: 10/09/20

2 Vista Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Daniel Fenton
Seller: James Henriques
Date: 10/06/20

7 Whitford Place
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $550,000
Buyer: Darrin Dwight-Ray
Seller: John Barghout
Date: 10/13/20

9 Woodsley Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $521,000
Buyer: Michael R. Chechile
Seller: Jeanne M. Schmidt
Date: 10/15/20

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

104 Belchertown Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $367,000
Buyer: Nora Junaid
Seller: Dana Corson
Date: 10/16/20

99 Chestnut St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Jessica J. Somers
Seller: Owen Shufeldt
Date: 10/16/20

156 Columbia Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $422,000
Buyer: Raj K. Shahi
Seller: Ranju Shahi
Date: 10/06/20

50 East Leverett Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $335,700
Buyer: Mehran Pouresmail
Seller: Patricia A. Leitch
Date: 10/15/20

19 Glendale Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Lori S. Colliander
Seller: Nghia H. Le
Date: 10/13/20

87 Harlow Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Mariano C. Carmona
Seller: David D. Hixon
Date: 10/14/20

18 Hickory Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Daniel Lawren
Seller: Nina C. Bonazzi
Date: 10/15/20

590 Middle St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $465,000
Buyer: Julian M. Marinus
Seller: Richard L. Last
Date: 10/15/20

169 Northampton Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Michael M. MacDonald
Seller: Whaples, Miriam K., (Estate)
Date: 10/05/20

826 South East St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $434,000
Buyer: Abraham Marder
Seller: Jie Liang
Date: 10/15/20

Trillium Way
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $151,000
Buyer: Amir Mikhchi
Seller: Marion A. Waskiewicz RET
Date: 10/07/20

BELCHERTOWN

310 Bardwell St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Jacob W. Walker
Seller: Gary A. Bosselait
Date: 10/15/20

301 Boardman St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Geremias P. Encarnacion
Seller: Sergey Savonin
Date: 10/06/20

4 Daniel Square Ext.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Timothy Merchant
Seller: Nepus, Paul James, (Estate)
Date: 10/06/20

81 Gulf Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $424,000
Buyer: Khiran M. Raj
Seller: Leslie J. Franks
Date: 10/07/20

170 Jackson St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Carmen S. Wallace
Seller: David M. Clegg
Date: 10/16/20

491 Michael Sears Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Benjamin S. Duby
Seller: Richard E. Duby
Date: 10/13/20

115 North Main St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: James Bachand
Seller: Barbara W. Freed RET
Date: 10/07/20

19 Robin Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $328,500
Buyer: Richard S. Ethier
Seller: Joydell Cebula
Date: 10/15/20

24 Rockrimmon St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $570,000
Buyer: Nicholas J. Moynihan
Seller: Jeffrey D. Odom
Date: 10/15/20

442 Warren Wright Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Sara E. Laplante
Seller: G. E&M N. Lobenstine LT
Date: 10/16/20

CUMMINGTON

17 West Main St.
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $208,200
Buyer: Chelsea A. Lepak
Seller: Kaitlyn M. Myers
Date: 10/16/20

EASTHAMPTON

Colonial Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: W. Marek Inc.
Seller: Donna L. Wain
Date: 10/09/20

27 Drury Lane
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Elizabeth Jackson
Seller: Cheryle A. Campbell
Date: 10/05/20

204 Loudville Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Alice Lee
Seller: Erin Wheeler-Zimbler
Date: 10/15/20

420 Main St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Brahm Alaaiod
Seller: Steven J. Fickert
Date: 10/15/20

24 Morin Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $273,000
Buyer: Jacquelyn Claver
Seller: Mark A. Dean
Date: 10/13/20

GRANBY

17 Easton St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Robert W. Driscoll
Seller: Susan T. Pratt
Date: 10/06/20

65 West St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Benjamin A. Surner
Seller: Barbara A. Laramie
Date: 10/16/20

HADLEY

198 River Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Matthew D. Kushi
Seller: Mary R. Kushi
Date: 10/05/20

Stockbridge St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Walter J. Czajkowski
Seller: Henry & Linda Fil LT
Date: 10/13/20

5 Sunrise Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Maiya L. Otsuka
Seller: Jody E. Devine
Date: 10/15/20

HUNTINGTON

24 Allen Coit Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Andrea A. Jordan-Amberg
Seller: USA HUD
Date: 10/05/20

253 Goss Hill Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Sue A. Fopiano
Seller: Frederick R. Fopiano
Date: 10/06/20

NORTHAMPTON

115 Audubon Road
Northampton, MA 01053
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Rachel M. Koppelman
Seller: Dikinson, Nancy W., (Estate)
Date: 10/14/20

42 Bliss St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Michele L. Ruschhaupt
Seller: Bliss Hampshire TR
Date: 10/06/20

174 Bridge Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Angela M. Ditaranto
Seller: Kathleen Poklewski
Date: 10/07/20

294 Cardinal Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $535,000
Buyer: Andrea Agliati
Seller: Thomas A. Miranda
Date: 10/09/20

226 Emerson Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $739,077
Buyer: Richard L. Last
Seller: Sunwood Development Corp.
Date: 10/15/20

238 Emerson Way
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Ann-Marie Starck
Seller: Rosemund LLC
Date: 10/09/20

526 Florence Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $607,000
Buyer: Suri B. Roth-Katz
Seller: Darien Mcfadden
Date: 10/14/20

717 Florence Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $228,965
Buyer: Great Barrington Sunoco
Seller: David S. Smokler
Date: 10/15/20

Hockanum Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $605,000
Buyer: Steven J. Niedbala
Seller: Grygorcewicz, Joseph P., (Estate)
Date: 10/16/20

59 Ice Pond Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $579,000
Buyer: Elizabeth D. Simpson
Seller: Nu-Way Homes Inc.
Date: 10/16/20

20 Pine St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Jane E. Dalton
Seller: James J. Cronin
Date: 10/05/20

398 Pleasant St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $605,000
Buyer: Steven J. Niedbala
Seller: Grygorcewicz, Joseph P., (Estate)
Date: 10/16/20

408 Pleasant St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $605,000
Buyer: Steven J. Niedbala
Seller: Grygorcewicz, Joseph P., (Estate)
Date: 10/16/20

91 Round Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,372,500
Buyer: Shanthi Thomas
Seller: A. Kim Saal
Date: 10/09/20

129 Sandy Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $261,000
Buyer: Jennifer Brunton
Seller: Peter J. Clogston
Date: 10/07/20

112 Washington Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,110,000
Buyer: D. A&J Westcott 2012 FT
Seller: Sanford Bloomberg RET
Date: 10/14/20

PLAINFIELD

1 Pleasant St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Jamie M. Wooldridge
Seller: Thatcher, Arthur C., (Estate)
Date: 10/09/20

63 South Central St.
Plainfield, MA 01070
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Samantha J. Tomao
Seller: Jamie M. Wooldridge
Date: 10/07/20

SOUTH HADLEY

19 Foch Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Joseph A. Roxo
Seller: Robert J. Poirier
Date: 10/09/20

36 Lathrop St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $243,000
Buyer: Brittany L. Caouette
Seller: Robert A. Methot
Date: 10/16/20

11 Laurie Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $259,000
Buyer: Kyle J. Callahan
Seller: Marissa Montemagni
Date: 10/08/20

298 Newton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $790,000
Buyer: Joseph A. Marois
Seller: Careys Flowers Inc.
Date: 10/09/20

300 Newton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $790,000
Buyer: Joseph A. Marois
Seller: Careys Flowers Inc.
Date: 10/09/20

302 Newton St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $790,000
Buyer: Joseph A. Marois
Seller: Careys Flowers Inc.
Date: 10/09/20

33 North Main St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Linda Taylor
Seller: Michal P. Kosciolek
Date: 10/09/20

50 Prospect St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $316,000
Buyer: Samuel T. Clarke
Seller: Scot M. Duguay
Date: 10/15/20

11 Queen Circle
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $177,500
Buyer: Laurabeth Parent
Seller: Consolini, Laura P., (Estate)
Date: 10/16/20

11 Saybrook Circle
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $263,000
Buyer: Frederick C. Kielbasa
Seller: Robert C. Wallace
Date: 10/15/20

15 Sycamore Knolls
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Alexandria Moriarty
Seller: June M. Beattie
Date: 10/16/20

SOUTHAMPTON

45 Gilbert Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $449,900
Buyer: Jacob E. Gold
Seller: Michael J. Trusas
Date: 10/16/20

62 Gilbert Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Peter M. Gregg
Seller: Mary A. Jasinski
Date: 10/06/20

Quigley Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Harold A. Butson
Seller: Pellegrini Development LLC
Date: 10/08/20

WARE

4 Crescent St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Wendy Howes
Seller: Judy A. Cerrone
Date: 10/09/20

5-A&B Mirabile Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Sultana Anton
Seller: Carrie A. Alley
Date: 10/06/20

256 Greenwich Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Jonathan T. Orzech
Seller: Douglas R. Koczur
Date: 10/15/20

24 Pleasant St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Steven A. Click
Seller: Rafael Capellan-Polanco
Date: 10/16/20

23 Shoreline Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Jeremiah Blankenbaker
Seller: Rebecca A. Berg
Date: 10/15/20

WESTHAMPTON

Blueberry Hill Road #7
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $122,500
Buyer: Martin M. Downey
Seller: Patrick Properties LLC
Date: 10/14/20

WILLIAMSBURG

5 Deer Haven Dr.
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $675,900
Buyer: Peter F. Falco
Seller: Jihong Tang
Date: 10/05/20

WORTHINGTON

23 Sam Hill Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Seamus P. Cullen
Seller: Dustin Donovan
Date: 10/09/20