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Steve Lowell, President and CEO of Monson Savings Bank

By
Class of 2020

Giving Back Has Always Been a Big Part of His Life — and His Work

Photo by Leah Martin Photography

Steve Lowell vividly recalls the conversation he had with his wife, Anne, when he decided to apply for a position at a bank located on Cape Cod — roughly half the state away from their home in Upton.

“She said, ‘Steve, you can go ahead and take the job, but I’ll tell you right now that we are not moving Emily out of school to go to another place,’” he told BusinessWest, noting that his daughter was in the second grade at the time. “If I wanted the job, I was going to have to commute.”

Long story short, he took the job, and he did commute — 90 miles each way — for 16 years. And, as we’ll see, he didn’t just commute to the office. In fact, he was at so many community events, and became so involved with all that was happening in that area of the Cape, that people just assumed he lived there and were often shocked to find out he didn’t.

This ‘giving back’ has always been a big part of who Lowell is, as a person and as a financial-services professional. And he certainly brought this trait to another job he pursued and eventually won — president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank.

Pretty much since the day he took that job early in 2011, Lowell has been active not only in Monson and surrounding communities, but also across the region as a whole, through his work with agencies ranging from the United Way of Pioneer Valley to Link to Libraries.

And when we say ‘from the day he took the job,’ we mean it.

Indeed, just a matter of weeks after he arrived, a tornado ripped across the region — and downtown Monson. As the community began the arduous task of digging out, many looked to the bank, one of the pillars of the community, for guidance and support.

Lowell and the bank responded in all kinds of ways, from helping to clear debris — he remembers cutting up fallen trees himself — to providing some leniency on mortgage and loan payments for those who needed it to emergency loans to help businesses reopen their doors.

For Lowell, who recently announced that he’ll be retiring early next year, ‘giving back’ isn’t just something he does. It’s something he preaches, if that’s the right word. Over the course of his more than 40 years in banking, he told BusinessWest, he’s had mentors who taught him the importance of community banks — and the people who work for them — to be involved in the communities in which they do business. And for decades now, he’s been teaching others.

Steve Lowell, center, is among the many dignitaries cutting the ribbon at the YMCA of Greater Springfield’s new Learning Center in Tower Square, sponsored by Monson Savings Bank.

“I learned early on, if I was going to be successful in this work, that it was important to be involved and give back — not only your monetary contributions, but your time and talent,” he said. “I’ve tried to live by that, and it’s worked out well.”

Thus, he has been a very effective role model for countless young professionals, and also something else — a true Difference Maker in Western Mass.

Saving Grace

Lowell said he could hear the tornado roaring down Main Street in Monson that fateful afternoon, noting that it really did sound like a freight train — a phrase so many have used to describe it. And that sound told him he needed to move. Fast.

“I hid in that bathroom right over there,” he said, pointing to a door in his office within the 150-year-old Lyons House, a large, handsome former residence now home to a few businesses, including some of the bank’s offices. “I looked around at the glass chandelier and all these windows and decided this was not a good place to be. And when I came out…”

He started shaking his head for emphasis as be recalled what he saw as he ventured out of that bathroom and then onto the street.

“It was over quickly, and there was dead quiet; I went outside, and it looked like a war zone,” he recalled, noting that trees were down, roofs had been torn off buildings, and a peaceful, rural town had been turned on its side, figuratively, but almost literally.

Lowell, who, as noted, had only been on the job a few months, hadn’t had a chance to meet too many people or find out just what kind of community Monson was. Suffice to say, the tornado greatly accelerated that process, thus providing the only real bright spot he could see from that catastrophe.

Steve Lowell, seen here with Link to Libraries executive director Laurie Flynn and students at Elias Brookings School, has made Monson Savings one of the leading corporate supporters of LTL.

“As traumatic and as bad as that was for the community, it provided me with the opportunity to meet a lot of people right away,” he said. “People from the town were reaching out to us, saying, ‘how is the bank going to be able to help?’ I got to meet a lot of people that it would have taken me years to meet.”

Only a few months before the tornado, Lowell was taking Anne on a drive to see Monson. He was applying to be president of the community bank based there and admits now to not actually knowing where said community was.

A headhunter had alerted him to the opportunity, and he was eager to consider it because the president of that bank on the Cape was just a little older than him and not ready to retire any time soon.

The subject of community involvement came up repeatedly during the many interviews for the position, and Lowell recalls being eager to answer those questions.

“I told them what I did on the Cape — I had been chairman of the United Way, chairman of the local YMCA, involved with the EDC, and involved with a host of other things, even though I didn’t live on the Cape,” he recalled. “So it was easy for me to let the board know what kind of commitment I was willing to make.”

And, as noted, it didn’t take long for this commitment to manifest itself, in all kinds of ways.

Starting with the United Way of Pioneer Valley, a story that is also related to the tornado in some ways.

Active Interest

Indeed, Dora Robinson, then executive director of the United Way chapter, knowing of Lowell’s involvement with that organization earlier in his career, asked him about being on her board.

Before getting to that, he informed her that many people in the Monson area were critical of the United Way’s response — or a perceived lack of a response — after the tornado struck. Upon being informed the agency was highly involved in relief efforts, Lowell recalls telling Robinson, “no one knows that — and you have to tell them; you have to take credit.”

And so he became not only a board member, but a very active one, taking on a role as “advocate” (his word) for those living in the many smaller towns in the eastern part of Hampden County.

“I have a hard time saying ‘no’ when people ask me like that,” he told BusinessWest, adding that his stint with the board, including his recent work as president, has been one of extreme challenge as the United Way chapter has battled through fiscal woes (as many have) and leadership changes, eventually coming into a partnership agreement to essentially share an executive director with the United Way of MetroWest, a move that has brought about many economies of scale.

Like most others, Lowell found it impossible to say ‘no’ to Link to Libraries (LTL) founder Susan Jaye Kaplan when she came to talk with him about that still-fledgling nonprofit soon after he arrived in the area. The occasion was a check presentation; soon after Lowell arrived, the bank created a program whereby the public could help decide how the bank gave back to the community through cash donations by voting for nonprofits via Facebook. Link to Libraries was one of the highest vote gatherers.

But upon learning more about the agency, Lowell took the bank’s involvement to a much higher plane.

“I was fascinated by the mission,” he said, adding that, through introductions made by Kaplan, the bank soon sponsored two schools — one in Monson and the other in Hampden — as part of LTL’s Community Book Link program. Today, the bank sponsors five schools — Elias Brookings School in Springfield, Springfield Public Day Elementary School, Springfield Public Day Middle School, Quarry Hill Community School in Monson, and Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School in Ware — the most of any company in the region.

“Steve Lowell’s generosity and passion for this community, particularly with regard to children and education, has had an enormous impact on our work at Link to Libraries,” said Laurie Flynn, president and CEO of LTL. “Through their sponsorships, community-giving initiatives, and emphasis on volunteering, Steve has created a culture of giving at Monson Savings Bank. Through their sponsorship of five local elementary schools in need and the numerous Monson Savings Bank employees who volunteer to read in classrooms each month, Steve Lowell and the bank have impacted the lives of more than 1,000 underserved children.”

Lowell has also become involved with Baystate Health, serving as chairman of its Eastern Region, as well as with the Monson Free Library, the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts, and a number of other groups and institutions.

But what really makes him a Difference Maker is that culture of giving that he has helped create and the way he mentors others to give back.

“One of the things I really enjoy is helping my staff move up within the organization,” he said. “And I tell them all, ‘if you want to get ahead here, you’re going to have to be involved in the community.’ I tell them it’s not really important to me what they do, but I encourage them to find something they’re interested in and that they enjoy. I tell them they need to buy into that, and they need to be part of it.”

Common Cents

Returning to that commute from Upton to the Cape, Lowell said that, over the course of those 16 years, he became quite fond of books on tape — “I was very well read” — and adept at knowing when the traffic would be worst and how to avoid it.

“I made it work,” he said simply, adding that those years helped cement a legacy of giving back and getting involved.

But in Monson, he has taken that philosophy to an even higher level, putting the bank at the forefront of a number of efforts to improve quality of life and secure a strong future.

Today, he enjoys a much shorter commute, affording him time to be even more of a Difference Maker.

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

Momentum Building

By
Robin Sauve, owner of Barkley Logistics
Commercial Real Estate Sections
Enterprise Center Has a New Lease on Life

Dan Touhey, a partner in psi 91, which develops and distributes inflatable products for Under Armor

Dan Touhey, a partner in psi 91, which develops and distributes inflatable products for Under Armor, is one of many new tenants in the Springfield Enterprise Center.

One of the main marketing taglines for the Scibelli Enterprise Center at Springfield Technical Community College is ‘Business Building.” This explains both what the facility is — a facility housing small businesses, said Director Marla Michel — and what it does, which is to help certain clients develop, mature, and get to the next level. In recent years, the focus has been primarily on the former, she said, noting that, as the economy sagged, the emphasis was on filling space. Moving forward, the shift will be more to the latter, which has always been the primary mission.

Marla Michel acknowledged that Square One is not exactly the kind of tenant that the creators of the Scibelli Enterprise Center, a business incubator, had in mind when they opened its doors more than a dozen years ago.
The provider of early-childhood-education programs and related services is certainly not a startup (in fact, it’s one of the oldest businesses in Springfield), and it’s not a fledgling outfit looking for advice and technical support on how to get to that proverbial next level — two variations on the desired-tenant profile.
But the institution needed office and operations space after its headquarters and other facilities on Main Street were destroyed in the June 1 tornado, and the Technology Park at Springfield Technical Community College, as well as the so-called SEC, which is part of that complex, provided an attractive, accessible, and affordable option.
“So by taking seven suites in the SEC, Square One has helped forge a classic win-win scenario,” said Michel, the SEC’s director, adding that the company moves into centrally located Class A space not far from where it was before, while the enterprise center gains what she called “much-needed breathing room.”

Marla Michel

Marla Michel says Square One’s arrival at the SEC provides the facility with much-needed breathing room to conduct strategic planning.

Elaborating, Michel said the SEC, through its arrangement with Square One and other recent additions to the tenant roster, has gained a strong measure of financial stability and thus the time and opportunity to conduct some strategic planning, marketing, and other steps to attract more of the type of tenants that those aforementioned creators have in mind.
Companies like psi 91, which moved in just over a year ago.
Started by two former Spalding executives who opted to stay in the region when the corporation left Springfield for Kentucky in 2009, the venture — which takes its name from its function (inflatable products and their unit of measure, pounds per square inch) and its location, off the interstate — develops and distributes products for apparel maker Under Armor. A basketball and football were brought to the market last year, its first in operation, and a volleyball and soccer ball will follow later in 2012 (a rugby ball is also in the works).
There’s also Tickets for Groups, which, as the name suggests, serves groups of 15 or more looking for tickets for everything from Rockettes performances to the current traveling show known as “Bodies: the Exhibition,” touted as a celebration of the human form. Deb Axtell, who started the venture after working as director of group sales for Radio City Music Hall and then Disney Theatricals, and moved into the SEC in 2010, said the King Tut exhibit that was in Discovery Times Square for several months before recently returning to Egypt was a “home run” for the company, and she’s looking for the another show that will fit that description.
Another recent arrival is Barkley Logistics, a third-party logistics company owned by Robin Sauve, that arranges the transportation of shipments between two points, with palletized freight — usually much less than a truckload — comprising much of the business volume. There is a separate division, called My Luggage Valet, which will do the same thing with suitcases, golf clubs, and other items that one may not want to trust to an airline.
The most recent addition, meanwhile, is Sanitas Solutions, a technology partner focused specifically on helping individual physicians and practice groups make the transition to electronic medical records.
To attract more ventures of this type and thus secure long-term sustainability for the SEC, Michel is preparing what amounts to a new strategic plan. As part of that process, the college has hired a consultant, Jim Robbins, a noted expert on business incubators and innovation clusters, to help develop a game plan for the facility as well as implementation processes.
Summing up what Robbins has told the college thus far, Michel said he’s suggested strongly that it undertake revenue-diversification efforts, meaning more income streams — “right now, what we have is the state [through the college] and rent, which is a model that’s not sustainable,” she explained. Also, he has suggested a more regional approach to marketing, greatly increasing the number of incubator tenants, and also providing services outside the walls of the SEC to make it more of a regional resource.
“Once we take location off the table and start shoring up the services an incubator provides, that an enterprise center provides, we can potentially have a much larger economic impact,” she explained, adding that successful incubators around the country have both ‘resident’ and ‘non-resident’ programs, and the SEC will look to emulate those models.

What’s In the Cards?
Like most people in business and education (she’s in both, technically), Michel, who splits her time between the SEC and UMass Amherst, where she serves as executive director for economic development and regional partnerships, has a stack of business cards on her desk. Only, her stack is unlike almost any other.
Her cards are what she calls “three-dimensional.” They fold into small, four-sided cubes, many of which she has sculpted into a multi-level tower. Printed inside the cube are the words ‘business’ and ‘building,’ which, depending on which order they’re arranged, explains both what the SEC is and what it does, said Michel.
And moving forward, it would like to put much more emphasis on the latter half of that equation, and this explains why Square One’s move to the facility is so important.
In recent years, the SEC has suffered from high vacancy rates (near 50% at the low point) that have stemmed from several factors, but mostly the sluggish economy and a lack of aggressive marketing, said Michel. She noted that her initial focus when she arrived 20 months ago, as part of a cooperative agreement between the college and the university, was much more on filling space than the mission of incubating fledgling companies.
Indeed, not long after she took the helm, college administrators gave her the go-ahead to bring in tenants that were non-incubator-related, with the over-arching goal of lessening the financial burden imposed by the center on the college.
She’s added several companies and agencies that fit that description, one of many initiatives designed to help position the center for a stronger, more impactful future when it comes to economic development and all-important job creation.

Deb Axtell, owner of Tickets for Groups

Deb Axtell, owner of Tickets for Groups, says many SEC incubator tenants leave kicking and screaming — and she intends to do the same.

These steps include bringing more space on line, or into the ‘leaseable’ category, by taking some unused or underutilized square footage and retrofitting it for paying tenants. She’s also reduced the rates on suites, from $800 per month to $560, and created what is now known as the E-Zone, located in the former student incubator. It houses cubicles leased by budding entrepreneurs who don’t require a suite but do need some space and an Internet connection to advance their business concept.
Meanwhile, she’s also been building what she calls “business clusters” within the center. There are now three of them — Cleantech, IT, and Education, and the hope is that a growing critical mass will help attract other ventures in each category.
With these and other efforts, as well as the relocation of Square One following the tornado, Michel has built up occupancy to near capacity, with tenants falling into four categories:
• Incubator Clients, now totaling six, including psi 91, Tickets for Groups, and Barkley Logistics;
• Anchor Tenants, including the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network, SCORE, and the Small Business Administration;
• SEC Tenants, or non-incubator clients, including Square One, Alliance Medical Gas, CTC Electric, the Achievement Network, and the Veritas Preparatory Charter School; and
• STCC Tenants, or agencies related to the college, such as T.W.O., the workforce-training initiative undertaken in collaboration with Holyoke Community College, and the MassGreen Initiative, a program designed to train people for jobs in green-energy businesses.
The goal moving forward, Michel said, is to gradually increase that number of incubator tenants, but also enable the SEC to have a greater impact on economic development through both resident and non-resident programs aimed at helping ventures survive their first few years in operation and stay in business rather than failing or selling out.
“Our region is lacking services that help companies that are already in business,”she explained. “We have a fair amount of services for those who want to get into business, but when they’re in business, we have to make services more accessible that will teach companies how to grow rather than sell.”
At the moment, she focused on steps ranging from more aggressive marketing of the square footage to simply telling the stories of the people who now have a business address of 1 Federal St., Building 101.
They are all unique, but with several common denominators, including, in many cases, a need and desire to have a place to bring potential clients other than the corner Dunkin Donuts.

A Fortuitous Bounce
Such was the case with Dan Touhey, a former sales executive with Spalding (and BusinessWest 40 Under Forty winner) who opted not to relocate his family when the corporation that owned the sporting-goods maker moved it to Kentucky.
He took his career in a few directions, including a stint in business consulting and an assignment teaching management at UMass, where he met Michel. Later, after he and former Spalding colleague John Frank decided to launch psi 91 together, Touhey asked Michel if the partners could use one of the conference rooms in the SEC to meet with Under Armor executives.
“We had been meeting at Panera Bread or wherever we could grab a cup of coffee, and it just wasn’t working for us to have confidential conversations in that environment,” he told BusinessWest, adding that, to make a long story a little shorter, he and Frank inked their first contract in that conference room and shortly thereafter decided to move into the SEC. Meanwhile, Michel created a new policy whereby any pre-revenue-stage company can use the conference room at the enterprise center.
Just over a year after opening, Touhey and Frank can claim a number of success stories. For example, if one was to look really hard — and past the new (and many would say garish) uniforms worn by the University of Maryland football team last fall — he or she would notice that the team’s offensive unit uses an Under Armor pigskin.
“That’s how it works in college football — the offensive team can decide what ball it wants to use,” said Touhey, adding that several squads that wear Under Armor apparel are now using its footballs and basketballs as well.
“The beauty of our relationship with Under Armor is that we can come under the umbrella of the master brand of that company,” he explained. “And they have a very strong relationship with about 15 colleges and universities; for example, the University of Maryland is an all-Under Armor school, and it used our football last year.
“In basketball, it’s a little different; you play the ball the home team decides to use,” he continued. “If you go Auburn, Texas Tech, Towson University, LaSalle, Lamar, the University of Utah, and others, they’re playing with our basketball.”
The company has added staffing, including other former Spalding employees, and is already tight on space in its 635-square-foot facility. Touhey anticipates that psi 91 will have to move to larger quarters sometime in 2013, an eventuality he’s not looking forward to, because he likes the building, gains from the expertise of Michel and others, and enjoys sharing war stories with other entrepreneurs.
Axtell can relate. She’s not looking to move out either, although she understands that ‘graduation,’ as it’s often called, is part of the incubation process.

Robin Sauve, owner of Barkley Logistics

Robin Sauve, owner of Barkley Logistics, says one of the main benefits from being an incubator tenant is being able to learn from people who have “been there and done that.”

For now, she’s looking for the next King Tut exhibit, for which she booked a number visits to Gotham. “I could use another blockbuster,” she said, noting that field trips comprise a large part of this business, which she started on a lap-top computer in her bedroom eight years ago after tiring of the commute from Western Mass. to New York while working for Radio City Music Hall and Disney.
She eventually moved into a tiny office in East Longmeadow and quickly outgrew that. Thus commenced a search for larger and better quarters that ended at the SEC; she moved in just before Michel arrived.
She told BusinessWest that she’s now up to six employees — four in the SEC, and two who work out of their homes in New York — and is in the process of “taking a snapshot” of her business and writing a new five-year plan.
Meanwhile, Sauve is focused more on crafting a two-year plan for Barkley Logistics, which she created not long after Premiere Logistics, which she served as vice president of business administration before it lost its line of credit, then its reputation, and then most of its customers.
She bought the equipment (mostly hardware and software) used by Premiere,  and, seeking a clean break from that venture, started Barkley Logistics, which has been growing steadily since its formation, thanks in large part to support from the panel of advisors assigned to the company as part of its incubation experience.
“There’s an enormous sense of affirmation when you’ve met with people who have been there and done that,” she explained. “The people on my panel, designed to meet my specific needs, have been instrumental.
“As much as I have a general business-management background, I’m not an accountant,” she continued, noting that there is one on her panel who has been helpful with the many financial aspects of operating the venture. “The same with marketing — I’m not an advertising person, so some of the tips I’ve been given on that have been tremendous.
“Just hearing from other people who have run their own business and been through many of the same things I’m going through is a great benefit,” she went on. “It’s comforting to hear them tell me I’m on the right track, and also to know that, if I was doing something wrong, they’d be the first to let me know about it and steer me back in the right direction.”

Room for Improvement
Axtel told BusinessWest that she knows how it’s supposed to work in a business incubator.
“You’re supposed to get the support you need, spunk up, and then you’re thrown out,” she said. “I’ve heard stories that people exit here kicking and screaming, and I hope to be one of those.”
But exit she will — eventually — because, while the SEC is indeed a business building, the focus for the future will be more on what the facility does. And with that in mind, Michel intends to take full advantage of the breathing room that she’s been given.

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

Home Builders Reflect on a Successful, If Challenging, Year

By Contributor
Nick Riley
Construction Special Coverage

Space Jam

By Mark Morris

Nick Riley

Nick Riley says he had to reschedule in-home jobs at the start of the pandemic until he could figure out how to do them safely.

For home builders in Western Mass., 2020 brought opportunity and challenge in equal measure.

For example, Nick Riley, owner of N. Riley Construction, said 2020 was his best year based on the number of projects, but COVID-19 posed obstacles to nearly all facets of the job. In fact, when the pandemic first arrived, he rescheduled all his in-home projects until he could learn how to safely do those jobs.

“We were fortunate that we had several new construction projects that kept us working until we could figure out the right way to get our in-home jobs done,” Riley said.

Other home builders shared similar stories of adjusting to a new reality on the fly.

When many industries were mandated to stop working back in March, home builders were deemed an essential business by Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration. That was the right call, said Bill Laplante, president of Laplante Construction. “We had projects with critical work that needed to be completed so people, in some cases, could get back into their homes.”

“We had to postpone jobs like kitchen renovations where people were still trying to live in the space we were working on.”

The builders who spoke with BusinessWest all construct new houses as well as additions and renovations to existing homes. On balance, they say, renovations and additions account for more business than new home construction.

“Most of the calls we get are from people who want to stay where they are, so many of them are looking to build additions or do a renovation,” said A.J. Crane, partner at A. Crane Construction.

Of course, staying put became nearly universal as COVID-19 mandates resulted in many people working from home. Even those who continued to work at their place of business found themselves at home more often because so many recreational activities and destinations had been curtailed or shut down.

And that posed opportunity for builders. As Laplante observed, the more time people spend at home, the more looking around they do. “They start thinking about adding a room or renovating part of the house to make their space more comfortable.”

In the age of COVID, that means builders must approach job sites differently than in the past. For starters, more people — both adults and children — are likely to be at home while the work is getting done. While workers follow screening protocols before going into the home and wear PPE once there, Laplante instructs his crews to isolate the work area from the residents as much as possible. That’s easy to do for additions and outside renovations, but some work is just more intrusive.

“We had to postpone jobs like kitchen renovations where people were still trying to live in the space we were working on,” he said, adding that other projects were pushed off because customers were simply not yet comfortable with outside workers in their homes during the pandemic.

But enough homeowners were OK with their presence to generate a successful, if unusual, year for the home-building and renovation industry.

 

Slow-building Issues

Keeping work crews and homeowners safe was only one challenge builders faced due to COVID-19. In a normal year, the process of getting a permit for a new home or addition is fairly straightforward. Builders bring plans to the appropriate municipal office and pick up the permit a week or two later. As COVID-19 shifted city and town business to e-mails and Zoom calls, it delayed the permitting process — in some cases, for months.

“When you go down the street to the local lumber yard to pick up a pressure-treated two-by-four and they don’t have any, it throws you for a loop.”

Meanwhile, supply-chain shortages of common consumer goods such as toilet paper and cleaning products marked the early days of the pandemic. The manufacturing supply chain around the world was disrupted for many building products as well. Riley said appliances and electrical components such as circuit breakers were often delayed by as much as three or four months. As another example, Crane learned that window companies were having trouble getting glass.

“As a result, we were only getting three-fourths of the windows we ordered for a job,” he said. “This created a delay that frustrates the homeowner and puts a big dent into our profit margin.”

In short, COVID-19 kept people at home, they wanted to improve their space, creating high demand for building materials at a time when many manufacturers were already experiencing delays due to the coronavirus, resulting in shortages. And in the wake of those delays, price increases followed.

Andy Crane

Andy Crane says he wants to present a home show this year, but only if he can do so safely.

“We saw a 45% spike in the cost of building materials,” Laplante said. “That was difficult to deal with because we had jobs that were already under contract.”

Shortages of special-order or custom materials were no surprise to the builders, but everyday items were affected, too.

“When you go down the street to the local lumber yard to pick up a pressure-treated two-by-four and they don’t have any, it throws you for a loop,” Crane said.

While they acknowledge that delays, shortages, and price hikes will be here for the near term, all three builders are optimistic about 2021. Because mortgage interest rates remain at historic lows, Riley does not expect a slowdown anytime soon. “For 2021, our company is operating full steam ahead for both new construction and remodeling projects.”

“I know a lot of folks who switched to remote work, and they are not going back into the office. I believe people working from home or their vacation home will continue into the foreseeable future.”

One challenge going forward, he noted, is finding property in Western Mass. to purchase at a reasonable price where he can make a profit on new construction.

For 2021, Laplante has plenty of new construction and renovation projects in the pipeline both in Western Mass. and on Cape Cod, where he recently opened a satellite office.

“We’ve always done work on the Cape, but this is the first year we made it official with an office,” he told BusinessWest. “We’re seeing a tremendous amount of activity and opportunity there.”

Expanding to Cape Cod is a bet Laplante is willing to make because he believes that the pandemic has severely shifted consumer trends. As he sees it, the people who would have sought out exotic travel to places like Europe are now spending their money on their home or investing in a vacation home close to where they live.

 

On with the Show?

For 66 years, hundreds of home projects started with a tour of the Western Mass Home and Garden Show held in late March on the Big E fairgrounds. In 2020, the show was canceled for the first time in its history as the initial wave of COVID-19 swept across Massachusetts just before the event.

Will there be a show in 2021? Andrew Crane, executive director of the Home Builders and Remodelers Assoc. of Western Massachusetts, faces a common dilemma in this time of COVID-19: there is plenty of interest in holding the show, but no one knows if conditions will allow it to take place.

“When things clear up and people can safely go out and stay healthy, we will run a home show, and not until then,” he said. At the same time, his organization, which runs the home show, has nearly sold out all available booths.

“We don’t even have dates for when the home show will happen, but I sold two booths this week,” Crane said, noting that his members are involved in nearly all areas of home improvements. As most of them had success in 2020, they would like to keep the momentum going this year.

Bill Laplante

Bill Laplante says the more time people spend at home, the more they think about how to improve their homes.

When BusinessWest spoke with vendors in preparation for last year’s event, several said a key strength of the home show was the opportunity for people and contractors to speak with each other, as well as the ability to see and touch the latest products in home improvements.

Plexiglass dividers, one-way aisles, and mandatory mask wearing are among the different ways Crane and his staff are looking to configure this year’s show. He doesn’t want a situation, however, in which a member pays for an expensive booth only to allow one person at a time to visit.

“That’s not fair to the vendor or the people attending the show,” he said. “It’s not even fair to the folks who just drop by a booth to take the candy.”

Because planning events is so difficult these days, Crane continues to move forward in planning the home show, but understands that nothing is certain. “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but we don’t know if it’s a freight train or if it’s the vaccine coming to solve our problems.”

Even with an effective vaccination rollout, Laplante predicts the home-building industry will continue to thrive locally. In addition to new construction, he has several whole-house renovations in the works — projects in which an existing house is torn down and a new one is built on the same lot. With many projects in the pipeline, Laplante believes people have changed their behavior long-term, and the home will continue to be a focal point long after COVID-19 is under control.

“I know a lot of folks who switched to remote work, and they are not going back into the office,” he said. “I believe people working from home or their vacation home will continue into the foreseeable future.”

Stimulating Conversation

By
Tim Brennan
Features
Just Where Is All That Money Going?
Tim Brennan

Tim Brennan says the primary motivation for stimulus spending is job creation, but there could be some other benefits for the region, including improved rail service.

It’s been a couple months in the making, but the federal stimulus program is starting to come to fruition. You’ve already seen the benefits on your tax return, but as the spring construction season commences, people on the front lines of stimulus funding have high hopes for 2009. While there are different subjects on which to focus — from infrastructure to rail lines; from schools to ‘green’ initiatives — the primary concern is job creation.

Historic times call for historic measures.

By all accounts, the current state of the world’s economy has precipitated the largest financial rescue effort in history. Prior to President Obama’s federal stimulus program, 2008 saw Washington doling out $700 billion to failing banks, more than $500 billion to collapsing money-market managers, $150 billion to insurance giant AIG, and the list goes on. It has led one economist to wonder if we are using greenbacks or Monopoly money.

The hue and cry across the nation at the use of taxpayer dollars to bail out the villains of the financial collapse is apparently yesterday’s news. Looking into 2009, the real story is not a whodunit, but rather, who is going to get it? — as in stimulus money. And the good news is that the answer to that question is communities across the nation, via the Obama administration’s stimulus package.

Stimulus: by now the term has become woven into the national lexicon, and in 2009 it will continue to be the watchword. The first waves of the $789 billion federal stimulus package have been rolling out since Obama’s inauguration, and almost immediately Gov. Deval Patrick and a host of local officials began working hard win slices of that enormous pie.

In addition to money for long-overdue projects in public education, workforce development, and social services, at the beginning of the year, cities and towns across Massachusetts pulled together their shovel-ready infrastructure projects for the first wave of stimulus funds.

Chicopee Mayor Mike Bissonnette filed nearly $200 million in requests, with school renovation, senior centers, and industrial redevelopment the top priorities. Springfield sent off $1 billion dollars in proposals, nearly half of that targeted to the city’s schools. With such an invoice to the stimulus pool of funds, Mayor Domenic Sarno told the press in January that “we threw everything against the wall to see what sticks.”

Almost every community in the Commonwealth has done essentially the same thing.

Massachusetts expects to receive close to $600 million in the first round of funds, for projects that need to be started within 120 days of the January passing of the stimulus plan. And, as might be expected, the administrative facet to the federal stimulus program is enormous. To streamline the process by which funds are disbursed, the state has gone with existing systems: regional planning boards to be the umbrella organizations to serve the towns under their jurisdiction.

In this region, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission is the designated body to oversee stimulus funds, and PVPC Executive Director Tim Brennan called the project “enormous.”

But with so much funding for so many different programs, be they focused on energy, transportation, education, or tax relief, the prevailing mindset is that with such an unprecedented need also comes an unprecedented opportunity, and the obligation to take full advantage of that opportunity.

“There’s two ways to think about the solutions,” said Robert Pollin, a professor of Economics at UMass Amherst who is a more-than-interested observer when it comes to the stimulus process. “One is in terms of the short run. If the economy is in a ditch, like we are now, what is the best way to get out of the ditch? And the longer-run question is, if we’re going to be spending huge amounts of money to help us get out of the ditch, maybe it should also help ward off future ditches.”

For this issue, BusinessWest takes an indepth look at all things stimulus, and what the sum of the various parts means for this region.

Local Dirt

Looking at the anticipated breakdown of stimulus money for Massachusetts, the total amount in the first round of funds adds up to about $600 million, with the lion’s share projected for the Boston area’s Metropolitan Area Planning Council, with projects totaling $309 million.

However, among the state’s 12 other regional planning boards, the PVPC is estimated to garner the third-largest appropriation, about 6% of the total, amounting to $35.4 million.

According to the PVPC’s status reports, the majority of presently green-lighted projects are roadwork, with Route 9 from Belchertown to Ware designated for $6 million; another $4.5 million for Routes 5 and 10 in the communities of Easthampton, Northampton, Southampton, and West-field; and just over $4.5 million to connect two rail-trail bicycle and pedestrian byways in Northampton and Easthampton.

As the planning body for Hampden and Hampshire counties, the PVPC is not a federal or state organization, but, in its words, “a consortium of local governments that have banded together under the provisions of state law to address problems and opportunities that are regional in scope.”

Brennan was instrumental in the early days of both Patrick’s and Lt. Gov. Murray’s task forces to speed aid to Mass. communities. He described that process as “unprecedented in scope.”

Commenting on the first round of submissions from the communities across the state, he said, “One thing that I think that has to be underscored here, is that the shovel ready-ness of a project is a much more daunting situation than people might understand.”

Elaborating, Brennan said that, given the nature of the bill, to stimulate employment, “in order for a stimulus to have an effect it has to come out quickly. The bottom line is that it’s a jobs bill. So, many projects came in, but realistically speaking were not shovel-ready.”

An unprecedented aspect to the 120-day expedited timeline, he mentioned, was the speed from proposal to plan. “As the bids are open, contractors are asked to sign the contract for the winning bid on the spot. That’s unheard of, but that gives you an impression of the speed that things are envisioned. No state, including ours, wants to leave any funds on the table. If you don’t spend the dollars within the timeline, it goes back into the pool and gets redistributed to other states.”

But Brennan’s job isn’t just about getting the checks out on time.

Key areas of interest for the PVPC in 2009 include, among other things, climate change, energy, economic development, infrastructure investment, and transportation. As executive director, Brennan sees these as points of focus when looking at the stimulus funding.

He said that building the area’s infrastructure is an excellent opportunity for the overall stimulus plan, both in this first round, with its focus on highway and road work, and in the planning stages for the second round of funds.

Commenting on the big news of the day, that many construction bids were coming in well under estimate, he said, “that’s because the cost of materials has dropped dramatically. Asphalt is way down from a year ago, and petroleum has come down too, but also contractors are hungry. Overall, this is good. We can get more projects out there. There is a backlog of projects, also, so that if any one falters, there could easily be another to move in its place so that no Commonwealth dollars are left behind.”

But for Brennan, the big story isn’t what’s in the news … yet.

On the Right Track

Indeed, commenting on a recent groundbreaking in Greenfield for a multi-modal transportation center, he mentioned that the city had provisioned for that building’s inclusion in a potential rail connection from Springfield due north to Vermont, the Connecticut River Line.

Currently, Amtrak passenger rail enters Springfield, then takes a circuitous route out to Palmer before eventually linking to the Green Mountain State. The existing north-south rail lines are so outdated that only freight trains traveling at a very low speed can use them.

A big hope for stimulus money in the subsequent round of funding is to completely repair the track along the population centers of the Connecticut River Valley, bringing commuter possibilities, expanded tourism options, and ultimately big opportunities for some communities that could use the support. Mayor Mike Sullivan has spoken in the past of his hopes for a rail stop in Holyoke, and Brennan noted that Chicopee, Northampton, Greenfield, and other cities and towns could easily envision themselves as within commuting distance for all points along the rail, even as far south as New York.

“This as an excellent example of how you can make a stimulus investment,” said Brennan, “and get large amounts of economic activity spinning off because of it.”

Ultimately, the goal for further stimulus money is to have a brick-and-mortar application, rather than as tax credits, said Brennan. “Out of the $789 billion stimulus bill, almost half of it went to tax relief, $800 for a family and $400 for an individual,” Brennan said. “That’s nice, but that doesn’t go far in the way of creating new jobs.

“You get more jobs out of infrastructure creation than you do out of tax relief — they’ve put actual concrete numbers to this,” he continued, citing the work of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at UMass Amherst (which Pollin co-directs) as having identified distinct benefits to spending over tax breaks.

A Green Recovery

Some of these benefits are spelled out in Green Recovery: A Program to Create Good Jobs & Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy, a report that Pollin co-authored and released last fall.

“As the nation debates its energy future, this report shows that the U.S. can create 2 million jobs by investing in a rapid, green economic-recovery program,” states the study’s abstract, “which will strengthen the economy, increase energy independence, and fight global warming.”

Pollin modestly states that he had little to do with the creation and design of the Obama administration’s stimulus plan. He does admit, however, “I’ve heard that Green Recovery was heavily used, and in the final measure which passed, the green component to it, pretty closely reflects what we published.”

Talking to BusinessWest recently, Pollin set out the importance of his study’s focus, and its application to the stimulus plan. From his perspective, a focus on a green application to any stimulus planning is the right thing to do for the environment, but also for the employment rate.

“I think it’s fair to say that the green-investment agenda, as well as the broadening infrastructure, will be effective on both counts, on the short term and the long term,” he said. “Here’s the reason for it. Over the short term, spending on the green agenda, or public infrastructure, has a bigger short-term positive job impact.

“It is about 25% to 30% bigger,” he continued. “So, if you spend $1 million on a green agenda, or an infrastructure agenda, you’re going to get about 17 jobs created. If you do the same thing for tax cuts, at maximum you’re going to get about 14 jobs. And I do stress the maximum. You’re probably going to get less, and the reason is, many of us are in bad shape financially.

“When we get our stimulus checks, it’s not necessarily that we’re going to go out and spend it. Some of us may, but some of us are going to save, or pay off debts. On the other hand, when the government says, ‘we’re going to start retrofitting a building,’ or ‘we’re going to start constructing a bridge,’ you know the money is going to get spent for that, because that’s what the money is meant to do.”

Continuing with his thoughts on how the stimulus funding should proceed, Pollin said that over the long term, we need to make this transition to a clean-energy economy — even former President Bush paid lip service to that toward the end. We’ve got to start, and it’s got to be some time. If we’re going to spend $1 trillion in the next couple of years, why not invest in things that are going to help us over the long term?”

As to how Western Mass. could benefit from such a program, Pollin merely shrugged and said, “most of the job creation from the green agenda comes through construction projects and retrofits. Every community has buildings that could be retrofitted, and we also certainly need to improve our infrastructure grid.”

In citing the study’s numbers, Pollin mentioned six areas that could both have that green agenda, and also create a maximum of employment. They included the building retrofitting and rail and mass transit, but also work on ‘smart grid’ technology systems, wind power, solar power, and advanced biofuels.

Within all of these sectors, according to the report, “the vast majority of jobs are in the same areas of employment that people already work in today, in every region and state of the country.”

On-the-money Analysis

Ultimately, time will tell what the stimulus will indeed stimulate, be it tax dollars returning to people’s wallets on up to larger social systems. The ideas are big, but even those framing the complexities are hammering down the edges. Pollin himself is working with the Department of Energy on its own funding programs.

“There are the really big issues,” he said expansively, but then, there are the regularly big issues, like making what has been funded work properly.

“So how do we get the money out the right way, and how would we need to make mid-term corrections if there are things that aren’t going right with job creation?” he asked. “Because, above all else, it’s important to create jobs.”

Driving Forces

By
Uncategorized

For decades, Massachusetts was the only state in the U.S. that set automobile-insurance rates for all drivers, barring carriers from competing based on price. That changed last spring with the institution of managed competition, which allows carriers to provide options to motorists, within limits. That has created more work for insurance agencies, but it has been a benefit to drivers, especially those with clean records.

How someone feels about the recent changes in Massachusetts’ auto-insurance rules might depend on where in the state they live.

“It’s good for the consumers, especially the consumers in Western Mass.,” said Dean Florian, president of the Insurance Center of New England in West Springfield.

He noted that, in most states, drivers who live in urban areas pay higher rates than those in less-populated communities, but until recently, the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires didn’t enjoy a similar advantage over the metro Boston area because of a state law that strictly regulated automobile-insurance rates for all drivers.

“For many years, the rates were artificially high in Western Mass. to subsidize Eastern Mass. drivers,” Florian said. “We were paying their freight for the last 30 years. But that’s being eroded considerably.”

Indeed, for much of the past century, auto-insurance rates in Massachusetts have been set by the state Division of Insurance — until last spring, the only such regulated system among the 50 states. Anyone who requested a premium quote for a certain level of coverage would receive the same price from any number of companies, unless they were eligible for a group discount.

Managed competition, which began about 15 months ago, allows insurance companies to offer their own rates. Although these rates may vary, they must still be approved by the Division of Insurance — hence the term ‘managed.’ But now, for the first time since an ill-fated attempt at changing the system 30 years ago, Massachusetts drivers are able to compare the different rates, benefits, and services offered by the 20 insurance companies competing for their business.

“I think it has been a big winner for the consumer,” said William Grinnell, president of Webber and Grinnell Insurance in Northampton. “It has really accomplished what the insurance commissioner set out to do, which was to create a more competitive environment. More companies have entered the state, and rates have been pushed down; every company essentially dropped their rates from where they were two years ago, so that’s been great for the consumer.”

Initially, said Grinnell, the change spurred a rush of customers calling about how to reduce the rates they were currently paying, but those calls have died down to some degree. “But as policies renew, there is still a heightened interest from clients wanting to know what’s out there, what their various options are.”

In this issue of BusinessWest, we talk to the leaders of area insurance agencies to learn how the change to managed competition benefits consumers, and how it has added a layer of challenge to agents’ jobs.

Accelerating the Workload

“There’s been a little more work, no doubt about it,” said Jules Gaudreau, president of the Gaudreau Group in Wilbraham.

He was referring to the fact that helping customers find the right carrier — for both cost and benefits — has become more time-intensive in the current environment.

“From an agent’s perspective, it’s a more difficult environment from which to operate,” Grinnell agreed. “We’re all paid on commission, so as rates drop, our revenues drop. At the same time, our staff people are working a lot harder. Obviously, people are calling looking for the best deal they can get, and it takes a lot of time to shop among all the carriers we represent.

“Sometimes the auto is tied into the homeowners insurance, and there are additional credits available,” he added. “You’ve got to make sure they meet the guidelines to get an accurate quote. It takes time and a lot of explaining. It’s more work, but it isn’t necessarily generating more dollars.”

Gaudreau, however, goes further, questioning how beneficial, in the long run, managed competition will be for consumers.

“When one considers the auto-insurance market, if we had maintained the status quo, rates would have gone down 9% or 10% in 2008, and then would have done the same thing a year later,” he explained.

“So you have to ask the question: how has the reform market performed compared to what would have happened anyway? And the fact is, it has underperformed,” he said. “The voluntary rates went down about 10% in 2008 when carriers could compete, but we did not see the same thing in 2009. Meanwhile, from 2007 to 2009, the status quo would have resulted in a 20% rate decrease.”

Still, he conceded that motorists seem to appreciate having options based on their lifestyles and economic priorities.

“There has been more innovation in the marketplace as a result of competition — not so much competition, actually, but allowing carriers to do the things they feel are important to their customers,” Gaudreau said.

Such actions might include discounts for students away from home that make it easier for their parents to carry them on their policies year-round, coverage of pets that are injured in car accidents, and significant discounts on auto and home insurance if both policies are bought from the same carrier.

“There are a variety of ways in which that innovation has led to a better market for consumers,” he said. “Certainly better drivers in Massachusetts will do much better over the next five to 10 years than under the old system, but the jury’s still out on how much money others will save.”

Driving Change

Under the prior, regulated system, insurance providers were required to apply specific surcharges for certain accidents and traffic violations, a program known as the Safe Driver Insurance Plan (SDIP). Now, insurance companies are permitted to develop their own rules, subject to state approval, for imposing surcharges for at-fault accidents and traffic violations. They may also use the state-established SDIP in setting their rates.

The last time Massachusetts waded into managed competition was three decades ago, and premiums shot up more than 25% for some motorists. Lawmakers quickly passed a law capping increases at 25% over 1976 levels, and in 1978, amid widespread discontent, Massachusetts reverted to a fully regulated system yet again.

To avoid the rate-spike problems of 1977, when managed competition began last year, Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes capped any increase at 10% for the worst drivers.

But Florian predicts that could change, and although rates have fallen across the board, he said, they could eventually drop even lower for good drivers, while motorists with spottier records could find it more difficult to keep costs down.

“There is still a ceiling on how much companies can charge, and until that ceiling goes away, rates won’t go as low as they could,” he explained. “There’s only so much they can charge an inner-city driver in Boston, and that’s holding the rates high in more suburban areas.

“In Connecticut, you can charge anything you want for a 22-year-old, crazy driver,” he continued, and better drivers pay less because they’re not subsidizing that risk. “I think that will happen in the next year or two here. The commissioner just didn’t want to implement all the changes at once.”

“For drivers with good records, those rates have come down more substantially than for drivers with poorer records,” Grinnell said. “They’re down across the board, but they’re especially aggressive for the good driver.”

That hearkens back to Florian’s point about companies being limited in how high they can set rates. Because carriers operating in Massachusetts are restricted in how much they can charge motorists who have poor records, live in cities, or demonstrate other factors, they’re taking on greater financial risk with those shakier drivers — making competition for customers with clean records even more fierce.

Roadmap for Savings

Independent agencies are learning something about competition, too, from the likes of so-called ‘direct writers’ like Progressive and, soon to enter the market, Geico — businesses that operate largely off Web sites and focus their marketing on price. Gaudreau, a longtime proponent of the independent insurance agent, is confident that most Bay Staters will continue to demand more.

“People are used to talking to a licensed professional and want to continue to enjoy that kind of service,” he said, adding that getting in touch with a local agent is just as easy as accessing the Internet, and that agent will have a better idea of what questions to ask in tailoring the right policy.

“Why take the risk of not being properly covered when you can just fax a copy of your insurance to a local agent in your own community who’s dedicated to taking care of you and your family?” he asked. “You’re not talking to someone in a call center in India or Texas, but someone right here, available to help you.”

“The direct writers have certainly had an impact,” Grinnell said. But they’ve also brought some controversy, he added, such as Progressive’s recent fining by the state for allegedly deceptive rate-quoting policies that made six-month terms seem like annual rates.

When quoting comparison rates on the Web, “their default choices are often bare-bones coverage with higher deductibles,” Grinnell said. “We were losing a fair amount of business to them until they were forced to straighten their Web site out. Hopefully, more-informed customers will call you so you can have an opportunity to explain the differences.”

And because of the state’s landmark law change last year, there are plenty of differences to explain.

“It certainly is more work,” Florian said. “Our customer-service representatives have to know more, but it’s making everyone a better salesperson.

“All I used to hear was, ‘Massachusetts auto is Massachusetts auto.’ But that’s not true anymore. It’s a brave new world.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at[email protected]

Joan Kagan, President and CEO of Square One

By
Class of 2017 Difference Makers

The ‘Unflappable’ Joan Kagan

Leader Guides Square One Through All Kinds of Adversity

Photo by Leah Martin Photography

Photo by Leah Martin Photography

Joan Kagan’s corner office on the second floor of 1095 Main St. in Springfield comes complete with two large windows offering stunning views of the ongoing construction of MGM Springfield.

That’s the good news — and the bad news.

Indeed, while she and others have been fascinated by the panorama presented by this front-row seat, Kagan readily admits that at times — or most of the time, to be more precise — it can be a huge distraction and even an impediment to workflow.

“It’s … amazing,” Kagan said of the beehive of activity that has been a constant for more than a year now. “A few days ago, I’m at my desk working, and all of the sudden I see this huge piece of equipment dangling in front of my window; I look out, and they’re placing it on an 18-wheeler parked on Main Street.”

She acknowledged that, while she, other staff members, and certainly the children at Square One have been captivated by the construction work and giant cranes moving steel and equipment just a few feet from those windows, the demolition work that preceded it was equally, if not more, compelling and attention-diverting.

“When they were moving the [former First Spiritualist] church, I think we were down to about 10% productivity,” she said with a wry smile, noting that the historic structure seemed to move at a snail’s pace, but that didn’t stop observers from becoming entranced by the exercise. “It was fascinating, but it made it tough to get work done.”

She’s seen worse impediments to productivity, unfortunately. Much, much worse.

Start with the June 1, 2011 tornado that roared down Main Street and then through Square One’s former offices just a few hundred yards to the north, displacing young students and staffers alike and leaving the agency without a permanent home for … well, even the current quarters wouldn’t exactly be considered permanent.

Joan Kagan with several of the students at Square One

Joan Kagan with several of the students at Square One. Since 2003, she has led the agency through profound change — and large amounts of adversity.

But the tornado did more than dislocate employees and programs. It seriously impacted cash flow by removing from the equation invaluable seats in early-childhood-education classes, and it would be years before those losses could be made up.

Then there was the natural-gas explosion roughly 18 months later that absolutely erased the gentlemen’s club on Worthington Street next to another Square One facility, leaving it uninhabitable, thus displacing more people and programs and further imperiling the bottom line.

Kagan’s actions during both disasters, but especially the tornado, have been described as heroic, in both a literal and figurative sense, with the latter saved for how she fashioned response plans and rallied the various troops. As for the former, she acted quickly and calmly that June afternoon to help move young students and employees — and even a technician in the building working on the air conditioning — to safety in the basement. Then, while standing in the middle of Main Street surveying the considerable damage and hearing police issue loud warnings about gas leaks and a second tornado, she essentially commandeered a school bus to get students and staff to a shelter set up down the street at the MassMutual Center.

“She was … unflappable,” said Kevin Maynard, an attorney with Springfield-based Bulkley Richardson, a long-time (now former) Square One board member, and current volunteer, who would use that word often to describe Kagan’s work before, during, and well after those calamities . “After both the tornado and the gas blast, Joan leaned on the board for support, but the board really leaned on Joan. She was rock-solid, knew what she had to do, and worked with others to get it all done.”

She continues to fight every day, through all the bureaucracy, to make sure that Square One and other organizations are heard and they’re able to meet their individual mission statements.”

While being unflappable in the face of natural and man-made disasters is certainly part of the reason Kagan was named a Difference Maker for 2017, there is, of course, much more to this story — and this individual.

It involves not only her work to stabilize, diversify, and expand Square One, an agency that was in a definite state of disarray when she arrived in 2003, but also her tireless efforts to bring attention to the critical need for not only early-childhood education, but other programs focused on strengthening families and championing their cause — on Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill, and everywhere in between.

Bill Sullivan, a long-time Square One board member

Bill Sullivan, a long-time Square One board member, said of Joan Kagan’s outlook on children and families and society’s responsibilities to them, “she gets it.”

Bill Sullivan, first vice president of Commercial Loans at PeoplesBank and another long-time board member, summed it all up succinctly and effectively.

“She gets it,” he told BusinessWest. “She understands that human services, and especially childcare, is really the foundation of the whole local — and national — economy. If you have an employee who doesn’t have safe, secure childcare, what is that employee’s attendance going to be like?

“Joan gets that,” he went on. “And she continues to fight every day, through all the bureaucracy, to make sure that Square One and other organizations are heard and they’re able to meet their individual mission statements.”

Not Child’s Play

As he talked further about Kagan, Sullivan said the place to start the discussion was not with the day she was hired at Square One — and he was one of those on the search committee that hired her — or that fateful June day in 2011, or even the day after Thanksgiving in 2012, when the natural-gas explosion leveled a city block.

Instead, he chose an unlikely place and time — the funeral services he attended for Kagan’s mother in Pittsfield 2013. That’s when and where he gained a real understanding of — and a deeper appreciation for — her passion for helping others, and especially children.

“Her mother really was involved in the community, and she understood the social activism that’s needed to make sure people are heard, especially the people who are less fortunate than we are,” Sullivan explained. “My epiphany at that time was ‘Joan’s pretty good, but now I understand why she’s pretty good. She comes from a family that has a long heritage of giving back.”

That heritage has defined her career through a number of career stops, including an unlikely starting point, and a certainly intriguing 14-year stint at Square One, one that has seen everything from the adaptation of that name (the agency was formerly known as Springfield Day Nursery) to a profound broadening of its mission to what everyone would agree has been far too much practice dealing with adversity.

Our story begins in New York City in the fall of 1975. Kagan had recently earned a master’s degree in social work (MSW) at Columbia University, but was confronting a historically bleak job market.

Indeed, the Big Apple was in the depths of its worst financial crisis since the height of the Great Depression, and was teetering on bankruptcy that would only be avoided when President Gerald Ford, who initially balked at a $4 billion federal bailout of the city (the New York Daily News headline on Oct. 29 famously read ‘Ford to City: Drop Dead’), eventually relented.

But the federal assistance would come far too late to improve in any way Kagan’s job-search prospects.

“I couldn’t buy a job, and in fact, some of the people I was calling to inquire about opportunities with were telling me they were getting laid off,” she explained while talking about the months after she graduated. “So I went back home with my tail between my legs.”

Kevin Maynard

Kevin Maynard says that, during times of crisis, Joan Kagan would lean on her board, but the board would really lean on her.

Home was Pittsfield, a city dominated in every way, shape, and form by its largest employer, General Electric. And while she thought ever-so-briefly about trying to work there, Kagan instead joined the field she was trained for. Well, not really, but it was in the ballpark, as they say.

She found an opportunity at Berkshire Home Care, tending to the needs of the elderly, not those at the other end of the spectrum, as she desired. But it was work, and it was actually much better than that.

Indeed, at age 25, she was named client-service supervisor — the job demanded an MSW, and there were not many people with that credential — and tasked with overseeing co-workers and coordinating services with other community agencies. This would be the first of a host of leadership roles on her résumé.

The next would come a few years later, after a short stay as a social worker at Child & Family Services of Springfield Inc., when she became supervisor of Social Services at Brightside for Families and Children in 1979.

She would stay with that West Springfield-based agency for 17 years, serving in no fewer than 12 positions, ranging from program manager for the Family Resource Unit to the last one, vice president of Community Development.

“I kept getting promoted and given new management responsibilities and training,” she explained. “Brightside was going through a major transition, and I had a lot of opportunities for growth and development, and appreciated that very much.”

In 1996, she would apply those skills to a new career challenge serving as administrator of the Western Mass. region for the Mass. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC), a position — one that saw her supervise a staff of nearly 400 — she would keep for seven years before deciding she was ready for “something else.”

That turned out to be the administrator’s role at a Springfield institution with a proud past, a shaky ‘present,’ and uncertain future.

Name of the Game

Indeed, as he talked about the situation at Springfield Day Nursery when Kagan arrived, Maynard spoke in measured tones, choosing his words in a careful, diplomatic manner, while still getting his point across.

His point was that the agency was at a crossroads in many respects, and in need of strong leadership to return it to stability.

“We had gone through some tumultuous times and several changes in leadership,” he explained. “The organization very much needed someone like Joan, with her credentials and her experience, to right the ship, which had been roiled by some pretty big waves.”

Kagan, being equally diplomatic, agreed.

“When I arrived, Springfield Day Nursery needed a lot of restructuring, fiscally as well as programmatically and administratively,” she said, adding that the CFO left just before she arrived, and the agency’s board had just closed its center in East Longmeadow and was in the process of closing the facility in Tower Square.

“Eight centers immediately became seven, and I consolidated two of those centers, so the seven became five, and that’s how we were rolling along until the tornado,” she said, before replaying the tape and moving much more slowly.

June 2011 tornado

In many ways, Joan Kagan and Square One became the face of the June 2011 tornado and its aftermath.

Her first eight years would see expansion of the agency well beyond its Springfield roots (into Holyoke, for example) and its primary mission — to provide daycare services. To undertake this diversification of services, Kagan called upon experience, and perspective, amassed at several of her previous stops.

“They hired a social worker who was coming to them with a background in child welfare and mental health,” she said of her career path. “And with that came a perspective, or philosophy, that the strategic point of intervention in making a difference with children is the family.

“You cannot work with just the child — you must work with the family,” she went on. “I said that before I even got hired during the interview phase; I said I wanted to integrate early-childhood education, child welfare, and mental health.”

That’s because many of the same families she saw at the MSPCC were arriving at the doors at Springfield Day Nursery, she said, adding that a far more holistic approach to serving children was needed.

So, over her first several years, she implemented one, after first educating the board and then gaining its blessing.

“I’m not sure anyone really knew what I was talking about or quite understood it,” she said with a laugh. “But I think it was intriguing enough that they went with it.”

In 2006, Kagan, amid some skepticism, hired the agency’s first social worker with the help of a grant and some other funding cobbled together, thus beginning the process of changing the conversation from a focus on the child to a focus on family-support services.

“I remember someone saying to me, ‘how can you hire someone? — this is a one-year grant; you’re just going to have to lay her off,’” she recalled. “I said, ‘welcome to the world of nonprofits — this is what we do. And over the next year, we’re going to work very hard to find more funding and hire more of these people.’”

And she did. There are now 40 social workers, funded in large part by a contract through the Children’s Trust Fund called Healthy Families. Other contracts would follow, including one with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department to work with individuals who have been incarcerated.

These various forms of expansion involving geography and programming created the need for a name change, she explained, adding that neither ‘Springfield’ nor ‘day nursery’ really worked anymore.

Several options were considered, before the board, after much debate, decided upon ‘Square One,’ a name crafted to connote that this was where a child got a solid start and a foundation he or she could build on.

Little did board members and agency administrators know they would be going back to square one themselves in the years to come, and in ways they probably couldn’t have imagined.

A Force in the Community

Before moving on to Columbia, Kagan earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Washington University in St. Louis. While there, she received an informal education in a much different subject matter — tornadoes.

Indeed, while that Missouri city located on the banks of the Mississippi River isn’t as noted for twisters as sections of Oklahoma and Kansas, it is visited by them frequently, she told BusinessWest. “We never had a direct hit while I was there, but there were times when it got pretty scary; it would get very dark and very still, and the winds would pick up, and the pressure would build.”

She would call on those experiences nearly 40 years later on that fateful afternoon in 2011, reacting instinctively, for example, to get her assistant away from the large window through which she first spotted the twister, and then herd everyone into the basement, including that reluctant air-conditioning technician.

Joan Kagan chats with state Sen. Eric Lesser

Joan Kagan chats with state Sen. Eric Lesser. Over the years, she’s lobbied tirelessly for programs benefiting children and families.

Thinking back, Kagan said that, while everything happened very quickly — three minutes total, by her estimate — she remembers events unfolding almost in slow motion. And what she remembers most are sights and sounds.

Starting with the latter, while most would compare the noise generated by the twister as it passed over and through the building to a freight train moving at high speed, she would get into even more detail.

“It was deafening,” she said while recalling the brief time she and several others spent in the basement listening to what was going on overhead. “It was like you were on a airport tarmac, and jumbo-jet engines were running, and someone was taking pieces of metal and throwing them into those engines. It was like metal crunching, and it was very loud.”

As for the sights, there are too many to recount, but the one that resonates most, perhaps, was the view she had of the building next door to Square One’s after arriving on a chaotic Main Street.

“The wall had been sheared off … I’m looking at it, and I’m looking at people’s offices; I can see their pictures on the wall,” she recalled. “It was totally exposed; it was like a doll’s house.”

In the days and weeks after the tornado, Square One, and especially its president and CEO, would become the face of the tornado and the recovery that followed — quite literally.

Indeed, the June 20 issue of BusinessWest, bearing the headline “Blown Away: Business Community Grapples with the Tornado Aftermath,” features a picture of a grim-but-determined-faced Kagan with a pile of rubble that used to be the Square One offices in the background.

And that verb grapple was the operative word. While the tornado packed a wallop, the aftermath was in many ways far more grueling, said those we spoke with, noting that the challenges were many, ranging from simply finding new quarters to the immediate and severe cash-flow problems, to dealing with insurance companies that covered the agency.

“The tornado totally took out our infrastructure — the administration building was demolished — and dramatically altered our business plan,” Kagan explained. “That spring, we had just secured funding to renovate our King Street site; our plan was to add 100 more children there. When we lost the Main Street site, instead of being able to add 100 children, I ended up having to place the 100 children we were serving on Main Street to King Street.”

Those renovations weren’t ready until August, she went on, adding that the agency had to find temporary space for the displaced children while waiting for an insurance settlement and finding a new home for administrative offices.

Unfortunately, and almost unbelievably, the agency’s misfortunes would be compounded by a different disaster, the natural-gas blast 18 months later. Kagan was actually out of town traveling when it happened, but quickly returned to handle an aftermath that featured far too much déjà vu.

“Just as we were getting things together from the tornado, the gas explosion hit, and we lost the capacity to serve another 100 children,” she said. “We were rocking and reeling and trying to find places for those kids, dealing with staff issues, dealing with the insurance companies, dealing with Columbia Gas … on it went.”

The twin disasters certainly tested the agency’s mettle, said Sullivan, adding that, in many ways, the present tense is still needed, because Square One is still dealing with infrastructure and cash-flow issues and still rewriting its business plan; it has gone from serving 1,000 children to handling roughly 700.

“Instead of growing, we were just trying to keep things together,” he said, adding that Kagan’s calm, determined brand of leadership has been a key factor in weathering those storms. “She never gets rattled; she’s been the voice of reason, and that has certainly helped us as we’ve fought our way back.”

Battle Tested

But while Kagan has in many ways become best-known for her leadership in the form of disaster response — something they don’t teach people in business school, let alone the social-work program at Columbia — her work before and after those calamities has more far-reaching implications for Square One and the community as a whole.

In recent years, that work has increasingly focused on the day-to-day fiscal challenges facing all nonprofits today, as well as bringing attention to a challenging, almost debilitating system for funding agencies like Square One and lobbying for a replacement that enables such institutions to function more effectively.

“They pay you per child, per day,” said Kagan, adding that this puts enormous pressure on efforts to build capacity, efforts that have been, as noted, crippled by those twin disasters, but also by simple demographics.

Joan Kagan and students at Square One

Joan Kagan and students at Square One pose with members of the Western Mass. delegation to the state Legislature.

“Because of the population we serve, it’s very hard to keep children in the seats day after day,” she explained, adding that the current system would be akin to a college being paid only for the classes a student attends, rather than a designated tuition amount set to cover a host of expenses. “We have all these fixed costs, and they’re the same whether we have 15 kids in the class or 20. But if we only have 15, they’ll only pay us for 15, which makes it very difficult to operate.”

For years, Kagan and others have been lobbying for change, and a sliver of hope for such a system has come in the form of a pilot program, which Square One is now part of, whereby agencies are paid on a reimbursement system based not on students in the classrooms, but costs incurred.

“It’s still difficult, but it’s better; if I spend this amount on teachers, that’s the bill I submit,” she explained, adding that there are still challenges, because the agency incurs expenses one month, bills the state the next month, and gets reimbursed the third, which adds up to serious cash-flow-management issues at an already-difficult time for nonprofits.

“We can manage now,” she went on, adding that the challenge ahead is to convince the state to change its funding model because, with the old (current) one, center-based care is simply not viable, let alone profitable.

Fighting this fight is just one example of the strong leadership Kagan has provided to the larger community of Greater Springfield and all of Western Mass., said Sullivan, adding that she has never stopped battling for children and families — and won’t.

“The state looks at centers like this, and it figures there will be 50% private pay, something you can make margin on, and 50% are poor children who have to be subsidized,” he explained. “Well, Square One doesn’t have that benefit; all our children are subsidized. The children we serve are the future employees in this city, and she’s out there saving souls every day.

“Joan’s been a director, but also a kind of battlefield commander,” he told BusinessWest, referring specifically to the twin disasters but also to the sum of the challenges she and the agency have confronted. “She gets her arms around things quickly and can understand what has to be done.”

Family Business

As he talked about Kagan’s career — the chapters that have been written and those still to be penned — Bill Sullivan harkened back to the woman he came to know and fully appreciate at that memorial service in Pittsfield more than three years ago.

“I think about how proud Joan’s mother would be knowing what a tremendous human-service advocate her daughter has been, and how she has continued that family legacy by passing it on to her children,” he said, adding quickly that Irene Besdin Kagan certainly wouldn’t be the only proud one.

All those who had the foresight to hire her daughter would fall into that category, he said, as would everyone who has the opportunity to work with her — at Square One, all her other career stops, and within the community as well.

Through more than 40 years of service to children and families in need, she has been not only a true leader, but, as Maynard so eloquently put it, “unflappable,” especially during the times when that quality was most urgently needed.

And for that, Joan Kagan is truly a Difference Maker.

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

HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute Marks Five Years at New Location

By
Warren Leigh, co-chair of the HCC Culinary Arts program.
Education Special Coverage

What’s Cooking?

 

Warren Leigh, co-chair of the HCC Culinary Arts program.

Warren Leigh, co-chair of the HCC Culinary Arts program.

 

Restaurant work is not easy.

Maureen Hindle knows that, having graduated from Holyoke Community College’s (HCC) Culinary Arts program in 2013 and working as a sous chef before returning to work in the HCC program about seven years ago as a lab technician.

“It’s a challenging industry, but it’s all passion-based, and I think that’s a huge thing,” she said. “Our students come here because they have a passion for cooking, and they want to grow that, and this is a good place to do that. And we wouldn’t continue to work in the industry in some capacity if we didn’t love it as well.”

By ‘we,’ she meant the team at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, which occupies the first two floors of the Cubit building in downtown Holyoke. The $7.5 million, 20,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility opened in January 2018, so it will soon mark five years of growth and innovation, which included weathering the pandemic.

Chef and Professor Warren Leigh, who co-chairs the Culinary Arts program, said he’s surprised enrollment isn’t even higher, given the opportunities available in a restaurant industry that’s crying out for workforce help.

“Our students come here because they have a passion for cooking, and they want to grow that, and this is a good place to do that. And we wouldn’t continue to work in the industry in some capacity if we didn’t love it as well.”

“They can’t find employees,” he told BusinessWest. “Nobody knows why we’re not packed to the gills; we should be turning students away, but it’s not happening. Every industry is looking for employees, and especially hospitality. Most all the restaurants are hiring for some position.”

The fall enrollment numbers were encouraging, however, and spring looks strong as well, perhaps because more students are hearing about the needs in a field where pay typically starts in the high teens per hour and can move quickly into the twenties as they move into higher responsibilities. “There is that ability to grow, so you’d think they’d be busting down the doors here.”

Degree programs at the center have been described as ‘stackable.’ Students can choose a one-year certificate program in culinary arts, and if they want to go further, they can enter the associate-degree program and essentially build on what they started.

With that associate degree, a student could transfer to, say, Johnson & Wales, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), or any college that offers a four-year program in the culinary field. But most of the time, they don’t pursue more education, because of the career opportunities already open to them.

Briana Marizan

Briana Marizan says instructors consider the unique qualities each aspiring chef brings to the program.

“Most of the time, they want to get their degree and go to work. That’s what we see,” Leigh explained. “The question is always, are you getting your money’s worth for this? Compared to other four-year schools and culinary schools, community colleges are inexpensive — a great value. And what we’re seeing is the students who have the associate’s degree tend to wind up in supervisory positions.

“The students who do the two-semester certificate and stick with it also end up moving fairly quickly, but most of the supervisors out there who are alums have associate degrees,” he went on. “That doesn’t mean if you don’t have an associate degree, you won’t get a supervisor’s job. Some of those have made it to some level of supervision, absolutely.”

At a time when career stability is important to so many, enrolling in the Culinary Arts Institute is certainly an attractive option.

 

Heating Up

The institute represents a big step forward in the realm of workforce development within the culinary-arts field, both locally and regionally, a segment of the economy that was already growing and now faces even greater pressure to retain workforce in the post-pandemic era, beset by the Great Resignation at the same time when most people have returned to their old dining-out habits.

“Every industry is looking for employees, and especially hospitality. Most all the restaurants are hiring for some position.”

There has a been a culinary-arts program, in one form or another, at HCC for about 35 years, though the program was more hospitality-related than culinary-focused years ago. It has had several homes over the years, none of them large or particularly well-equipped.

The facility at the Cubit, however, features a fully equipped demonstration kitchen; a production kitchen set up European-style, with the student chefs facing each other and communicating with each other as they work together to prepare a meal; two teaching kitchens; a bake shop; classrooms; a student lounge; and an 80-seat dining facility to host events. As a broad hospitality program, it also maintains a hotel lab with a mock front desk and bedroom.

Hindle, whose role includes food ordering, making sure classes run smoothly, supporting the students and instructors, and more, has seen the program and its physical home evolve since she graduated more than a decade ago, and she’s beyond impressed.

Chef Warren Leigh speaks with students at the start of a class.

Chef Warren Leigh speaks with students at the start of a class.

“It’s incredible. We went from one and a half kitchens to five. So that in itself is huge growth for us,” she said. “But seeing the students able to use this equipment, versus what we had when I was a student, it’s just incredibly beneficial to them because this is what they’re using in the industry. We’re not shoving six students around a range. In fact, this is better than they would see in most industry kitchens; they can learn on the best equipment possible.”

Briana Marizan is one of those current students, working toward her associate degree.

“I came here because I want to be a chef. I want to perfect my craft and then move up,” she said, adding that instructors are sensitive to the learning and work styles of each student. “Each chef brings something unique to the table, and they teach us not only what works best for them, but also what might work best for us.”

As part of its mission to support the region’s hospitality industry, the institute also regularly runs free, eight-week line-cook training and certification courses. Participants learn all the essential competencies they need to become successful line cooks: knife skills; how to prepare stocks, soups, sauces, desserts, poultry, fish, and meat; culinary math and measurements; moist- and dry-heat cooking methods; as well as workplace soft skills, such as building a résumé and presenting themselves at job interviews.

Maria Moreno Contreras, a culinary instructor who was administering a midterm test to one of those classes the day BusinessWest visited, said some participants are already in the industry and want to upgrade their skills, while others are exploring a possible new career in a high-demand field.

“With the non-credit training, many of them getting ready to get a very entry-level job, or it’s exploratory to see if they even want to go there,” Leigh said. “Their endgame is to get a job — but that’s everyone’s endgame here.”

 

Rolling Along

Five years since opening its new headquarters, HCC’s Culinary Arts program is evolving in some intriguing ways. For instance, it was awarded a $147,000 Skills Capital Grant by the state to purchase a truck that will be used as a mobile kitchen for community outreach and education.

“The mobile kitchen has nothing to do with raising income,” Leigh said, noting that it’s not going to set up on the corner and sell tacos. The main purpose is to engage the community while giving students experience in food-truck operations.

According to the award letter, HCC will use the $147,000 to purchase and outfit a mobile food lab that will support both credit and non-credit culinary-arts programs and also incorporate other areas of study, including nutrition, health, business, and entrepreneurship. HCC’s grant application notes that residents of Holyoke face a high level of food insecurity and that downtown Holyoke has been identified as a ‘food desert.’

Maureen Hindle

Maureen Hindle says the state-of-the-art facilities are a far cry from what she used as a student more than a decade ago.

“HCC will deploy the truck to bring food to neighborhoods of downtown Holyoke,” HCC wrote in its application. In addition, the college plans to connect this project to its downtown Freight Farms initiative with a focus on basic nutrition, local produce, and healthy eating.

Leigh envisions using the mobile food lab to engage community partners such as the Holyoke Boys & Girls Club and area food pantries. Students will meet with representatives from area organizations to create menus based on ingredients of their choice or what might be seasonally available.

Food trucks are one way to enter the industry more inexpensively than opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, he added, citing the example of HCC culinary arts alumna Nicole Ortiz, who wrote a letter in support of the grant and started her own culinary career with her Crave food-truck business. She now also runs Crave restaurant on High Street in Holyoke.

Leigh also said the institute is working with Holyoke Medical Center on putting together some professional development for nurses and nutritionists, planning to package it as a non-credit course with possible grant support.

The facility also recently partnered with the Boys & Girls Club by helping lay out its new kitchen and hosting the club’s eighth-graders at the Cubit.

“We’re trying to be a community partner,” Leigh said, adding that the school started preparing Thanksgiving to-go packages — everything but the turkey for a family of four — to raise money for the President’s Student Emergency Fund at HCC, which assists thousands of students with basic needs.

The program is reaching out to the community in other ways as well, such as a plan to offer professional-development opportunities for culinary-arts teachers in several vocational and technical schools in the region. “It would clearly cost less than at Johnson & Wales or CIA,” he noted. “But maybe we can get grant funding for it.”

At the same time, Leigh and his team are trying to be more purposeful in recruitment, an ongoing effort, as he said, to get the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Center “packed to the gills.”

“We’re trying to tag-team a faculty member and an admissions person and go to those six or eight voke-tech schools, and we’ll try to do the same with the non-culinary students at the other high schools,” he said. “They might only hear about Johnson & Wales and CIA, where the price starts at $50,000 or $60,000.”

With the need for culinary talent more critical than ever before, and the cost of a community-college education within reach for most, he hopes HCC has a winning message for those young people.

As Hindle said, the work isn’t easy, but it’s a field where those with a passion can thrive.

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Breifcase

By
Briefcase Departments

Applicants Sought for Leadership Institute
EASTHAMPTON — The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts has created the Leadership Institute for Political Impact to develop future leaders in civic affairs. The institute is now accepting applications for the 2011-12 training cycle. The organization encourages women to think seriously about becoming more involved as civic leaders in their communities and running for office, according to Carla Oleska, CEO of the Women’s Fund. Focusing on areas such as community organizing, the legislative process and policy-making, fund-raising and campaigning, and running for office, the institute gives women the tools and confidence they need to become political leaders. At each training session, a woman working at the elected level presents her experiences. The initiative “perfectly links” the foundation’s emphasis on social change with leadership development, added Oleska in a statement. “We believe that a critical way to address the problems facing our communities is to engage the talents and the input of women at all levels and in all sectors of decision making.” The year-long commitment will begin for new members in September; however, applications are being accepted through June. Applications are available on the foundation’s Web site, www.womensfund.net.

Architect Chosen for Union Station Project
SPRINGFIELD — Boston-based HDR Architecture has been chosen to oversee designs for long-dormant Union Station, which is slated to be renovated into a multi-modal transportation center. The announcement was made at a press conference in Springfield City Hall on April 4. Donald Warner, senior vice president of the company, said construction work on the $70 million project is slated to begin in the summer of 2012 and be completed in 2015. Plans call for renovations to the 200,000-square-foot main terminal building and a refurbished passenger train platform. The existing freight building will be razed and replaced with a 23-bay bus terminal and parking garage.

Bankruptcy Filings Fall 6%
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The number of Americans filing for bankruptcy dropped 6% in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the previous year, two industry groups announced recently. Monday. The number of filings in the first three months of 2011 dropped to 340,012, down from 363,215 filings recorded in the first quarter of 2010, according to data from the American Bankruptcy Institute and the National Bankruptcy Research Center. “Though bankruptcy filings are still elevated, consumers continue to take steps to reduce debt levels and shore up their finances,”said ABI Executive Director Samuel Gerdano said in a statement. The bottom line is that the sharp increase in bankruptcy levels in recent years might be starting to level off, and perhaps even decrease. Personal bankruptcy filings had been climbing steadily since 2007, when the U.S. fell into a deep recession that left millions of Americans unemployed. In 2005 Congress amended the Bankruptcy Code, making it more difficult for Americans to file and sparking a rush to file by October 2005, when the amendments kicked in. In 2005, bankruptcy filings totaled more than 2 million.

Harbor Freight Tools to Open New Store in Hadley on July 10

By
Daily News

HADLEY — Harbor Freight Tools will celebrate the grand opening of its new store in Hadley on Wednesday, July 10 at 8 a.m. The store, located at 303 Russell St., is the 15th Harbor Freight Tools store in Massachusetts.

“We’re excited to serve customers in the great city of Hadley,” said Steve Handscomb, store manager. “At Harbor Freight, we’re passionate about providing our customers with the tools they need to get the job done, and always at an affordable price. We look forward to welcoming auto technicians, contractors, woodworkers, homeowners, hobbyists — anyone who needs affordable tools.”

The 15,000-square-foot store will stock a full selection of tools and accessories in categories including automotive, air and power tools, storage, outdoor power equipment, generators, welding supplies, shop equipment, hand tools, and more. Harbor Freight’s hand tools come with a lifetime warranty.

The new Harbor Freight Tools store will be open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

As a Shipping-solutions Company, AST Delivers for Its Customers

By
AST
Features Special Coverage

Going the Extra Mile

AST

AST President Billy Kingston, center, with his sons, Chris, left, vice president of International Services, and Tim, vice president of Domestic Services.

Billy Kingston says the global shipping business has historically been an ultra-challenging, often-misunderstood sector of the economy, one defined by heavy competition, demanding customers, unseen twists and turns, and a landscape that can, and does, change quickly and often.

And that was before COVID and the manner in which it eventually turned the supply chain on its ear, inflation, the war in Ukraine, higher tariffs on many goods, a workforce crisis, soaring fuel prices, remote work, and everything else that has happened over the past few years.

Summing it all up, Kingston, president of All States Transport, better known as AST, said this has certainly been a tumultuous and very difficult time for this industry, one that AST has withstood because of all it can bring to the table, especially (in his case) a half-century of experience, but also a deep, talented core of employees, connections around the globe, and, most importantly, a commitment to delivering for customers and going the extra mile.

Those are both industry terms, sort of, but they help explain why AST, a domestic freight broker and international freight forwarder, terms that are self-explanatory, is able to stand out in a sea of competitors, both domestically and globally, in a business where firms are tasked with getting things from here to there — or there to here — in a timely fashion.

Elaborating, he said the keys to success for any company in this business are flexibility, the ability to move quickly and effectively, establishing trust with customers, and amassing a track record for success in delivering for clients, in every sense of that phrase.

“We arrange for transportation of goods to and from our customers anywhere in the world,” said Kingston, offering a simple explanation for work that is anything but simple. “The domestic side of the business is how we started way back, and that side of it is very active. The international side has been growing over the years and doing well; we move freight internationally by land and water.”

“We have so many great customers … if you’re upfront with them, they’re going to be upfront with you. That way, you can work through things, because transportation is nothing if not problems that have to be worked through.”

“It’s a rugged business with real issues, and we live them,” continued Kingston, who leads a staff of 20 along with his sons, Chris, vice president of International Services, and Tim, vice president of Domestic Services. “Through all of the ups and downs of the economy, fuel issues, and supply-chain woes over the past few years, it has just been very challenging.

“For us as a company, it has been our best period of time, business-wise,” he went on. “But it’s also been the most difficult to operate in.”

In a wide-ranging interview, the Kingstons pulled back the curtain on an industry that few outside really know, one that is settling back into something approaching what was happening before the pandemic, although no one came close to using the word ‘normal.’

To put things in perspective, Billy Kingston said that, before the pandemic, the cost for a shipping container coming in from China was $4,000 to $5,000. At the height of the pandemic, that cost had soared to $25,000 to $30,000.

“The spike was just amazing, and at that price, you were bidding, and hoping, to be able to get a container, and then hoping to get a spot on a ship to come this way,” he said, adding that the impact of the many issues within the shipping industry on inflation and the general economy cannot be understated.

 

Train of Thought

As he talked about the global shipping business, Chris noted that, like other sectors of the economy, this one has a language all its own, with an alphabet soup of acronyms.

These include TL (truckload), LTL (less than truckload), DAP (delivered at place), DPU (delivered at place unloaded), and myriad others.

Learning this language and helping clients understand it is just one of the many nuances of the global shipping business, said Billy, who got his start in it back in the mid-’70s, working in sales for several different national trucking companies as well as an international freight forwarder.

After working in the business for many years, he decided he knew it well enough, and had enough solid connections, to strike out on his own. He started All States Transport in the basement of his home in the Forest Park section of Springfield in 1985.

The global shipping industry is highly competitive and ever-changing, and the pandemic only added several additional layers of challenge.

For the first year or so, it was a one-person operation that eventually moved into a small office in Market Square in downtown Springfield, adding employees as it continued to grow and expand its portfolio of clients, many of which have stayed with the company through its history.

The company had a few different homes — as well as its own small trucking company, which it operated out of property on Avocado Street in Springfield for several years — before settling into its current location on East Columbus Avenue, the former home to the Leonard Gallery and Sam’s Glass.

For the past 15 years, AST has also operated a small office in Miami. At one time, it also housed a trucking operation there, but that, like the one in Springfield, became difficult to manage. So, in both locations, the company has returned to its roots — and its routes — as a freight broker and forwarder.

“When the pandemic hit, because there was so much uncertainty in the general economy, you saw companies all over the world closing down and canceling orders that had been in place for a long time.”

As he explained the operation, Billy said that, in a nutshell, AST goes about finding global shipping solutions for its many kinds of clients, most of them manufacturers. About 80% of the company customers are based in Western and Central Mass., Northern Connecticut, and Rhode Island, he said, with the rest spread out over the country.

As a broker, AST will work with a client to secure the shipping of goods to or from their business. To do so, it works with trucking outfits across the region and around the country, as well as rail-service providers and sea and air carriers. What separates the many (as in thousands) of competitors in this field is their ability to make and maintain connections with carriers, know and understand the market, move quickly (many clients want same-day service), and deliver on both price and quality of service.

And all this requires an experienced, talented workforce. “You need a staff that is familiar with the marketplace and has all the tools and technology they need to succeed,” Billy explained. “It’s a fast-moving, time-sensitive, rate-conscious industry — that’s what it’s about.

“We have other customers that we’ve done business with for years and years … they don’t ask us for rate on every load,” he went on. “In many cases, we have the ability with those customers to move up or down as we need to, to service their needs and ours. And that only comes from years of good faith and years of trust, built up between us and our customers because they know that if we need to add extra dollars to a rate, there’s a good reason for that. They also know that if we can reduce that rate, we’re going to do that, and we do this as often as we can.”

Beyond rates, successful freight brokers and forwarders need to have a thorough understanding of the players in the shipping field, where they operate, and how, said Tim Kingston, adding that AST works with trucking companies across the country.

“And we need to, because trucking companies, by their nature, and by their history, generally service certain sections of the country,” he explained. “Some will go anywhere, but a lot of them carve out a part of the country that they want to service for their business needs. You learn those, and when you have freight moving to South Carolina, you know where to start.”

Chris agreed, and said one constant for the company through the years has been to apply an established set of values and principles and to effectively partner with clients and communicate with them — another must in this business.

“It’s a super-competitive, time-sensitive, money-sensitive industry that changes on a dime in many cases. You need to have a staff that’s dedicated; you need to have a staff that’s used to hearing the word ‘no,’ because they hear it a lot.”

“If you have good news for a customer, give them good news; if you have bad news, something’s gone wrong, let them know early, communicate that, and try to work through problems,” he said. “We have so many great customers … if you’re upfront with them, they’re going to be upfront with you. That way, you can work through things, because transportation is nothing if not problems that have to be worked through.

“Sure, 60% of your loads are going to go without a hitch,” he went on. “The other 40% … that’s where the real work is, so we try to apply the same values across all our different sectors.”

 

Plane Speaking

This combination of experience, built-up trust, and ability to adjust to rapidly — and often profoundly — changing conditions, has enabled AST to not only thrive for the past four decades, but also persevere through this recent, and ongoing, period of heavy turbulence.

Indeed, as noted earlier, this challenging business has become more so — make that even more so — over the past several years with the profound changes to the landscape brought on by the pandemic.

At the top of this list were supply-chain issues that could only be described as historic, said all three Kingstons, noting that the industry was seeing explosive surges in prices for shipping containers and backups at ports around the globe. It didn’t happen overnight, but almost.

Billy explained how it all happened. “When the pandemic hit, because there was so much uncertainty in the general economy, you saw companies all over the world closing down and canceling orders that had been in place for a long time,” he said. “Manufacturers then began cutting back, as well as transportation companies — steamship lines parked vessels all over the world because the demand wasn’t there. No one had an idea when it was going to come back, and that really kicked off the fluctuation in the supply chain.”

Chris agreed, and noted that, three or four months into the pandemic, an array of colliding forces made the situation much worse.

“A lot of people were at home, and they weren’t doing the things they always did in terms of discretionary income,” he explained. “People were at home, and they bought many more things than they normally buy. And then, you had the stimulus programs, which gave people more spending money. Then … you had a lot less international shipping capacity, but a giant surge in demand. Meanwhile, you had empty containers in the wrong places that took forever to get repositioned.

All this created a messed-up supply-and-demand curve, which would have resulted in a container coming in from China for $25,000, just for the cost of the container, never mind the tariff,” he went on. “It created a lopsided supply-and-demand curve, which pushed prices out of sight.”

This phenomenon, which has eased considerably in recent months but is still an issue, is just one of many that has contributed to this being what is considered the most volatile period ever for an industry known for volatility.

On top of everything else, the global shipping industry, like virtually every other sector, has been impacted by an ongoing workforce crisis, Billy said, adding, again, that success in this business is directly related to the quality and consistency of the people doing the work.

“It’s a super-competitive, time-sensitive, money-sensitive industry that changes on a dime in many cases,” he told BusinessWest. “You need to have a staff that’s dedicated; you need to have a staff that’s used to hearing the word ‘no,’ because they hear it a lot; you need to have a staff that understands customer needs and understands which customers can be a little more flexible and more reasonable at times, and which customers can’t be because of the nature of their business. They need to be thick-skinned because it’s not always pretty.”

Indeed, many in this business, including AST, are looking for help right now, he went on, adding that, over the past several years, and essentially from the beginning, AST has made itself into what he considers a good place to work — and grow.

“In this environment, especially, we take care of our staff in every possible way,” he said. “We have some benefits that are quite outstanding, especially for a company our size, and we’re proud of that. As a result, generally, our people are with us for a very long time; very few people leave, and we’re proud of that, too.”

Elaborating, he said that, because of tight deadlines and the need to deliver, there is pressure on employees, something the company’s managers work to alleviate as best they can.

“We have some fun every day — at different times, you never know when it’s going to happen,” he went on. “And there are days when the fun doesn’t come very quickly or very often because you’re right to the wall, morning ’til night. But we try to lighten things up when we can and in whatever way we can.”

MassDOT Announces $1.8 Million in Awards to Expand Industrial Rail and Freight

By
Daily News

BOSTON — The state Department of Transportation recently awarded five grants totaling more than $1.8 million as part of the Industrial Rail Access Program (IRAP), which helps increase rail and freight access, economic opportunity, and job growth.

IRAP is a competitive, state-funded, public/private partnership program that provides financial assistance to eligible applicants to invest in improvement projects in rail infrastructure access. State funding for these five projects will be matched by more than $2.4 million in private funds.

“These awards will help support economic development and job growth throughout Massachusetts by providing businesses better access to rail and freight infrastructure and connecting them with customers and opportunities throughout the region,” Baker said. “We are pleased to partner with these companies to leverage public and private funds to continue strengthening our transportation system through the development of rail infrastructure projects.”

Locally, $500,000 was awarded to the Western Recycling rail-spur project in Wilbraham. The project will allow an existing solid-waste-handling facility to load outbound waste into rail cars for shipment to out-of-state landfills. With the restoration of rail service to the site, the facility will start processing municipal waste, in addition to construction and demolition debris.

The project includes the construction of one loading track and five storage tracks for a total of 6,000 feet of new track. With completion of the project, the facility will be served by more than 1,500 rail cars each year, eliminating 7,500 regional truck trips each year and supporting the creation of eight to 10 additional jobs at the facility.

IRAP provides grants to railroads, rail shippers, and municipalities that identify a public benefit gained through improved rail transportation usage or economic growth that would be realized through improved access to rail assets. The other four grants went to projects in Littleton, Peabody, and Upton.

Commonwealth to Purchase Knowledge Corridor Rail Line

By
Daily News

GREENFIELD — Gov. Deval Patrick announced an agreement in principle allowing the Commonwealth to purchase the Knowledge Corridor rail line between East Northfield and Springfield from Pan Am Southern, a joint venture of Pan Am and Norfolk Southern.

The 49-mile segment of rail is currently undergoing a major restoration that will allow for more efficient passenger service, in response to increased demand, and will allow the Commonwealth to maintain and enhance freight service, which will take trucks off the roads, reducing congestion and greenhouse-gas emissions.

“For close to 100 years, the Commonwealth’s rail infrastructure was the lifeblood of economic vitality for communities in Franklin and Berkshire counties, and across Western Mass.,” said Patrick. “Through this agreement, we are realizing the renewed value this infrastructure can have in creating economic opportunities throughout the region.”

The agreement in principle to purchase the Knowledge Corridor rail line is an important milestone in the Knowledge Corridor/Restore Vermonter Project. The project will restore the original route of Amtrak’s Vermonter travelling between St. Albans, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. from its current routing via Palmer and Amherst.

The work on the project includes upgrades to the 50-mile Pan Am Southern Connecticut River Line running between Springfield and East Northfield, known as the Knowledge Corridor. The ongoing restoration project will lead to the relocation of the Vermonter, Amtrak’s north-south passenger rail service to the Knowledge Corridor, by the end of 2014, potentially reducing trip times by 25 minutes.

Starting in East Northfield, the restoration runs south to Springfield and includes the construction of three new station platforms in Greenfield, Northampton, and Holyoke. Passenger service on this line ceased in the 1980s and was rerouted southeast to Palmer, where trains reverse direction and head west to Springfield.

“It is clear that the residents of Western Massachusetts are hungry for rail service,” said U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern. “Today’s announcement, coupled with state and federal investments to rehabilitate the Knowledge Corridor line, will make such service a reality.”

Added U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, “as an outspoken supporter of increased rail travel throughout New England, I am pleased the Commonwealth has agreed to purchase the rail line that runs along the Knowledge Corridor. The completion of this segment of track will lead to increased passenger and freight service from the Pioneer Valley to the Vermont border. Not only will this project will help improve our transportation infrastructure, it will also grow the local economy. It’s exciting news for Western Massachusetts.”

Initiated in August 2012, the restoration work consists of the replacement of approximately 95,000 rail ties, new continuously welded rail, new active warning signals and crossing gates at 23 public-grade crossings, upgrades to six bridges, and the first phase of a new signal installation. The restoration is funded through a $75 million grant awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration and approximately $40 million in state funds. The work is expected to be complete in 2016, after the start of passenger service. These improvements will improve safety, increase operating speeds for existing freight-train traffic and the Vermonter, and enhance capacity on the rail line to accommodate future increased levels of train traffic.

“The Knowledge Corridor is a rail asset that will play a key role in the region’s transportation system, both by delivering improved customer service in the form of faster travel times, as well as by being built to a standard that can accommodate more freight,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard Davey. “Purchasing the line will also allow us to preserve the line’s viability for the long term, and will position the Commonwealth to use this line for increased passenger service that could provide commuters in the region a competitive alternative to driving on I-91.”

The Knowledge Corridor/Restore Vermonter project is part of the vision for a New England high-speed, intercity rail network that will provide a foundation for economic competitiveness and promote livable communities from major and smaller cities to rural areas.

Beyond the Knowledge Corridor, the Commonwealth’s work to increase rail opportunities for commuters and tourists alike continues. MassDOT has been working closely with Pan Am Southern, the city of North Adams, and the town of Adams to have Berkshire Scenic Railway operate the Adams Branch railroad line between the two towns. The operation of a scenic railway between North Adams and Adams would be another draw for the thousands of tourists who flock to the Berkshires each year.

Briefcase

By
Briefcase Departments

State to Purchase Knowledge Corridor Line
GREENFIELD — Gov. Deval Patrick announced an agreement in principle allowing the Commonwealth to purchase the Knowledge Corridor rail line between East Northfield and Springfield from Pan Am Southern, a joint venture of Pan Am and Norfolk Southern. The 49-mile segment of rail is currently undergoing a major restoration that will allow for more efficient passenger service, in response to increased demand, and will allow the Commonwealth to maintain and enhance freight service, which will take trucks off the roads, reducing congestion and greenhouse-gas emissions. “For close to 100 years, the Commonwealth’s rail infrastructure was the lifeblood of economic vitality for communities in Franklin and Berkshire counties, and across Western Mass.,” said Patrick. “Through this agreement, we are realizing the renewed value this infrastructure can have in creating economic opportunities throughout the region.” The agreement in principle to purchase the Knowledge Corridor rail line is an important milestone in the Knowledge Corridor/Restore Vermonter Project. The project will restore the original route of Amtrak’s Vermonter travelling between St. Albans, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. from its current routing via Palmer and Amherst. The work on the project includes upgrades to the 50-mile Pan Am Southern Connecticut River Line running between Springfield and East Northfield, known as the Knowledge Corridor. The ongoing restoration project will lead to the relocation of the Vermonter, Amtrak’s north-south passenger rail service to the Knowledge Corridor, by the end of 2014, potentially reducing trip times by 25 minutes. Starting in East Northfield, the restoration runs south to Springfield and includes the construction of three new station platforms in Greenfield, Northampton, and Holyoke. Passenger service on this line ceased in the 1980s and was rerouted southeast to Palmer, where trains reverse direction and head west to Springfield. “It is clear that the residents of Western Massachusetts are hungry for rail service,” said U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern. “Today’s announcement, coupled with state and federal investments to rehabilitate the Knowledge Corridor line, will make such service a reality.” Added U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, “as an outspoken supporter of increased rail travel throughout New England, I am pleased the Commonwealth has agreed to purchase the rail line that runs along the Knowledge Corridor. The completion of this segment of track will lead to increased passenger and freight service from the Pioneer Valley to the Vermont border. Not only will this project will help improve our transportation infrastructure, it will also grow the local economy. It’s exciting news for Western Massachusetts.” Initiated in August 2012, the restoration work consists of the replacement of approximately 95,000 rail ties, new continuously welded rail, new active warning signals and crossing gates at 23 public-grade crossings, upgrades to six bridges, and the first phase of a new signal installation. The restoration is funded through a $75 million grant awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration and approximately $40 million in state funds. The work is expected to be complete in 2016, after the start of passenger service. These improvements will improve safety, increase operating speeds for existing freight-train traffic and the Vermonter, and enhance capacity on the rail line to accommodate future increased levels of train traffic. “The Knowledge Corridor is a rail asset that will play a key role in the region’s transportation system, both by delivering improved customer service in the form of faster travel times, as well as by being built to a standard that can accommodate more freight,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard Davey. “Purchasing the line will also allow us to preserve the line’s viability for the long term, and will position the Commonwealth to use this line for increased passenger service that could provide commuters in the region a competitive alternative to driving on I-91.” The Knowledge Corridor/Restore Vermonter project is part of the vision for a New England high-speed, intercity rail network that will provide a foundation for economic competitiveness and promote livable communities from major and smaller cities to rural areas. Beyond the Knowledge Corridor, the Commonwealth’s work to increase rail opportunities for commuters and tourists alike continues. MassDOT has been working closely with Pan Am Southern, the city of North Adams, and the town of Adams to have Berkshire Scenic Railway operate the Adams Branch railroad line between the two towns. The operation of a scenic railway between North Adams and Adams would be another draw for the thousands of tourists who flock to the Berkshires each year.

Assistance Center Opens in North Adams for Former Hospital Workers
NORTH ADAMS — State Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rachel Kaprielian and state Health and Human Services Secretary John Polanowicz recently joined legislators and local workforce-development officials at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open a worker-assistance center inside North Adams City Hall. The center is the latest effort to marshal state resources in helping 530 area residents who lost their jobs when North Adams Regional Hospital (NARH) and its affiliates closed in March. “The Patrick Administration is committed to making sure no worker or region is left behind as the state’s economy continues to improve and enjoys record job growth,” said Kaprielian. “This center and the skills-training opportunities the state is allocating will help get these residents back to work.” The Mass. Department of Public Health has been instrumental in helping the hospital reopen as a healthcare facility and restore regional healthcare services. Three months ago, Berkshire Health Systems opened an emergency room in the facility and hired approximately 150 former NARH employees. “Massachusetts is committed to ensuring that quality healthcare is accessible in every region across the Commonwealth,” said Polanowicz. “This worker assistance center in North Adams reinforces the administration’s commitment to the region’s healthcare community, and to supporting workers, patients, and families.” Added North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright, “a huge ‘thank you’ to our state partners at the Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development, and our local partners at Berkshire County Regional Employment Board and BerkshireWorks, for providing this wonderful opportunity to the residents of our Greater Northern Berkshire region. This center will provide significant resources to the unemployed and underemployed that will help them seek out opportunities and provide training for the skills necessary to attain employment. What is also very exciting is that this center will be located right next to our Veteran’s Services Office, providing an on-the-spot resource for our local veterans seeking employment.”

State, MassChallenge Launch Government Innovation Competition
BOSTON — MassIT, the Commonwealth’s lead state agency for technology across the executive branch, announced a first-of-its-kind MassIT Government Innovation Competition, with a $50,000 prize for the winning project. MassIT will partner with MassChallenge, a start-up accelerator that supports high-impact, early-stage entrepreneurs, on this initiative. The goal of the MassIT Government Innovation Competition is to provide high-quality startups with incentives to develop innovative solutions that can help the state government meet constituent needs more efficiently and at lower cost to taxpayers. For the first time, the Commonwealth will have access to entrepreneurs focused on improving the constituent-government relationship. The Commonwealth plans to implement a pilot of the winning project, with the goal of cost-effectively improving delivery of services to constituents, achieving greater internal efficiencies, or both. “Massachusetts is renowned as a hub for technology and innovation; MassChallenge’s support of high-impact, early-stage entrepreneurs has helped enhance that reputation. By working together, MassIT and MassChallenge can accelerate the Commonwealth’s use of technology solutions and harness the wealth of expertise available to us,” said Bill Oates, the state’s chief information officer. MassChallenge awards more than $1 million in cash prizes each year to winning startups, with zero equity taken. Additional benefits for startups include world-class mentorship and training, free office space, access to funding, legal advice, media exposure, and more than $10 million of in-kind support. MassChallenge is open to early-stage entrepreneurs from any industry, from anywhere in the world. Now in its fifth year, the competition has supported 489 startups, which have created more than 4,000 new jobs and raised more than $550 million in outside funding. This year alone, MassChallenge received approximately 1,650 applications from 50 countries and 40 states. After initial rounds of judging of all applicants, 128 finalists — in honor of Massachusetts’s Route 128 technology corridor — are invited to participate in MassChallenge’s four-month startup accelerator program and related sidecar competitions. The MassIT Government Innovation Competition is open to any qualifying startup that applies by the Aug. 27 deadline. Entrepreneurs whose work can help MassIT leverage innovation to support, enable, and transform the operation of state government and delivery of services to constituents are invited to compete.

State Reaches Solar Milestone
BOSTON — Gov. Deval Patrick announced another major clean-energy milestone, surpassing 15,000 solar installations in the Commonwealth. There are now 15,762 systems installed across Massachusetts, a 20-fold increase from 2008. “This achievement is due in large part to the strength of the Massachusetts solar industry,” Patrick said. “Clean-energy investments are smart for the environment and the economy, as proven by our 24% industry job growth in the last two years.” There were 778 systems installed in Massachusetts on Jan. 1, 2008. As a result of this exponential growth, Massachusetts ranked fourth in the nation for new solar capacity installed in 2013 by the Solar Energy Industries Assoc. It also ranked fourth nationally in total solar jobs in 2013 by the Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census. There are more than 8,000 people working in the solar industry in the Commonwealth, and nearly 80,000 clean-energy workers at 5,500 companies. “These achievements show that the Patrick administration’s policies and strategic investments are paying off,” said state Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett. “When we are competitive with other states much sunnier than ours, it’s a testament to the commitment of state and local officials, as well as home and business owners across the Commonwealth, to renewable energy.”

The New Era of Export Compliance

By
Sections Supplements
New Regulations Will Change How many companies Do business.
Whether you export circuit boards or cranberries, your exports are under the uspices of U.S. export control laws. These regulations known as the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) affect every product in every company in every industry.

Later this year, the new regulations will be effective. The Bureau of Census will issue new regulations (ETA Oct. 1) which will hold exporters, forwarders and carriers more accountable for complying with the export laws. According to Paul Devecchio, Devecchio & Associates, “significant changes to the regulations will impact companies currently doing business in China and will tighten controls and enhance enforcement of technology transfers to foreign nationals.

The Mass. Export Center, part of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network, serves as the state’s one stop resource for export assistance. Part of that assistance is educating companies across the Commonwealth on a variety of issues including compliance and regulatory policies. The center’s Partners for Trade publication is forwarded to more than 13,000 individuals semi-annually and in 2004 the Center held over 30 training sessions. Many of those seminars involve logistics and compliance.

Export controls help protect our country and it is the obligation of every company and individual involved in international trade to adhere to them. The changes that have already been made and those that are forthcoming affect all exporters, freight forwarders and other parties involved in the process. Finally, when the new regulations become final later this year all exports will have to be filed automatically through the Automated Export System (AES). This change makes it a lot easier for U.S. Customs, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), formerly the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA), and other federal agencies to track exports.

The Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED), as we know it, will cease to exist. Instead, the exporter will either submit directly to census through AES or ensure that comprehensive and accurate information is submitted to the freight forwarder by a Shipper’s Letter of Instruction for AES entry. For those products found on either the Commerce Control List (CCL), or the U.S. Munitions List, or for shipments of rough diamonds, companies are already obligated to file through AES. The CCL is controlled by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Munitions List through the U.S. State Department.

Other changes in the regulations include much higher penalties for individuals or companies found in violation of the regulations. If your fine would have been $10,000 under the old regulations, it will be $100,000 with the new. According to Paula Murphy, director of the Center in Boston, “violations may include failure to file, filing late, and errors in AES entries.” The regulations also provide for greaterscrutiny of transactions and broadening of enforcement authority through BIS and the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to new regulations, things were done by hand, but now with the touch of a button any one of several agencies can check on your exports. AES gives the agencies a much greater chance of identifying violations. The agencies will be working more closely toensure that detections are dealt with swiftly and that agencies such as the Office of Export Enforcement will be able to penalize companies for a variety of violations including those dealing with AES. Certain areas of AES are going to be much easier to track, so exporters should be more careful when importing data that it is correct. Some areas include:

Classification

If the product is a controlled product, make sure it has the correct Export Commodity Control Number (ECCN) and Schedule B number. Whatever you do, do not allow the freight forwarder to decide what these should be. Do the research necessary and make the decision in-house. If you are having trouble determining this information, assistance is available through a variety of sources.

In one instance, a routed freight forwarder was using the wrong Schedule B using the wrong Schedule B number for a product and after he was provided with the correct one, he did not want to correct the previous documents for fear it would send out an error message and his company might receive a violation. In order for the exporter of the product to protect themselves, it was suggested that they write the forwarder a letter requesting the change. If something does happen they have done due diligence on their end.

Valuation

Overseas custom officials have always kept a close eye on the valuation of imports, but with everyone now reporting through AES, U.S. Customs will also be able to better track the data. Companies have always been advised that if this request to undervalue merchandise being shipped is received that the exporter should explain to their customer that U.S. laws forbid them to undervalue a shipment.

License Information

Authorities will be looking for inconsistencies in licensing for products. Make sure if your product is controlled either by ECCN or ITAR that the information is listed correctly.

U.S. Principal Party of Interest (USPPI)

The USPPI shall be reported as the address or street location (no post office box number) from which the goods actually begin the journey to the port of export.

For shipments with multiple origins, report the address from which the commodity with the greatest value begins its export journey.

Ultimate Consignee Information

The ultimate consignee is the party that the exporter knows to be the end user. This is an area that is going to received greater attention in the future. If you know the name of the end user, even if it is being shipped from a subsidiary or distributor, make sure you indicate it on your AES entry Also, make sure that you put the Destination Control Statement on all your commercial invoices. The statement reads as follows: e.g,

These commodities, technology, or software were exported from the United State in accordance with the Export Administration Regulations. Diversion contrary to U.S. law is prohibited.h

Record keeping Requirements

Current regulations indicate that the exporter needs to maintain copies of their SED, airway bill, or bill of lading, purchase order, commercial invoice, and any related licensing information for a period of five years. The new regulations, while doing away with the SED, now requires you to keep the ITN number for that same period of time. advised keeping everything as it relates to a particular shipment. If you gave the forwarder a Shipperfs Letter of Instruction, I would keep it to show anyone questioning an AES entry what was the actual information that was given.

While not required, it is recommended that companies develop an Export Management System (EMS). This process will assist companies in making sure that their exports and export decisions are consistent with the EAR. The more a company exports, the greater the need for the system. If a company has more than one division, it is highly recommended in order to make sure that everyone understands the importance of the regulations and that various departments are consistent in record-keeping and documentation.

Again, this fall the Mass. Export Center will be holding a variety of seminar related to compliance, regulations and AES. For information on upcoming Partner for Trade seminar, go to ww.mass.gov/exports/pft.htm.

P. Ann Pieroway is program director of the Western Mass.
Massachusetts Export Center;(413) 552-2316;[email protected]

By
Departments

Reality Store

Area high-school seniors learned the financial facts of life at the Reality Store event hosted at Springfield Technical Community College on Oct. 17. Tables represented categories such as housing, transportation, clothing, furniture, child care, groceries, insurance, and financial institutions, and were staffed by local business volunteers. Each student was handed a card with a life scenario, including a fictitious age, salary, education level, marital status, number of children, employment history, etc. They were given a check register and had to allocate their funds to provide necessities of life; if they ran out of money, they were steered to the part-time job table to see if there were any jobs available for which they would qualify. The students came from Chicopee High School, Chicopee Comprehensive High School, Enfield High School, Enrico Fermi High School, and West Hartford High School. The financial-literacy event is held annually by the Enfield Public Schools, based on a national model pioneered by the Indiana chapter of the Business and Professional Women Assoc. At top right is Barbara Lyon, transition coordinator for the Enfield Public Schools, who has organized the Reality Store event for students in this area for the past five years.

Driving Force

All States Transport Inc. (AST) recently celebrated the official opening of its national headquarters at 1067 East Columbus Ave. in Springfield. Founded in 1985, AST is a freight-brokerage company with offices in Texas, Florida, and Wisconsin, and it moves customer freight via road, rail, water, and air. From left are Pam Okeefe, an employee of AST; Angie Florian, a representative of the South End Citizens Council (SECC); Chris Kingston, AST; Leo Florian, SECC; Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno; Billy Kingston, president of AST; and Jennifer Irwin, Phil Ierasi, Mary Dinas, and Natalia Wichowsky, all employees of AST.

County Strengths Dialogues

Hampden County leaders gathered recently to discuss the strengths of the county and their vision for change. The luncheon at the Delaney House was part of the Women’s Fund of Western Mass. “County Strengths Dialogues” in each of the counties of Western Mass. From left are Carla Oleska, CEO of the Women’s Fund of Western Mass.; Carol Klyman and Ellen Freyman of Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin; and Joan Kagan, CEO of Square One.

Food Bank of Western Massachusetts Announces Sale of Hatfield Facility

By
Daily News

HATFIELD — The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts announced the successful sale of its Hatfield building and property to Myers Produce, a woman-owned regional produce distributor and trucking company offering farmer-focused distribution, freight, and warehousing services.

The strategic decision to sell the building marks a significant milestone for both businesses. The Food Bank will move to its new location at 25 Carew St., Chicopee, during the last week of August, and Myers Produce will move into its new Hatfield facility in October.

“We are thrilled that Myers Produce has purchased the Food Bank’s Hatfield building,” said Andrew Morehouse, executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. “The Food Bank board of directors decided that an extension of our mission is to sell our Hatfield facility to Myers Produce to help expand markets for local farmers and strengthen our region’s farm economy. The Food Bank relies heavily on local farmers for a large portion of the fresh produce it provides for free every year to households who otherwise would not be able to afford it.”

Myers Produce has a long-standing commitment to bolster access to regionally grown food and to support farmers in Western Mass. and Vermont. With this strategic move, Myers Produce is taking a significant step to expand the purchasing of food from local growers and producers and transporting and reselling it to food retailers throughout the region and beyond.

“We are excited to embark on this new chapter as we celebrate 10 years of operation,” said Annie Myers, owner of Myers Produce. “Our mission has always been to support our region’s agricultural communities by increasing farmers’ access to wholesale markets within the Northeast. This acquisition allows us to take our efforts to the next level. In addition to allowing for the expansion of our distribution and freight operations, this facility will enable us to offer short-term storage and cross-docking services to farmers, producers, distributors, and carriers throughout our region.”

Moving to Hatfield will generate employment opportunities and place Myers Produce close to farmlands, near highways, and at a central crossroads for serving growers, customers, and fellow distributors in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Both the Food Bank and Myers Produce are looking forward to sharing resources at their respective new facilities, including cross docking and temporary storage. This arrangement will facilitate Food Bank deliveries to its member food pantries and meal sites in Hampshire and Franklin counties. For Myers Produce, this arrangement will contribute to its current ‘donation transportation’ program, facilitating the free transportation of donated food to the Food Bank for distribution to the local community.

“The planning board voted unanimously to approve the Myers Produce project,” said Stephanie Slysz, Hatfield Planning Board chair. “We are sad to see a landmark organization such as the Food Bank go, and we wish them well. We’re thrilled to welcome Myers Produce, which is a great fit for the parcel, and for Hatfield, with their commitment to local agriculture and farms in our town and in the region.”

Foreseeing it was running out of space many years ago, the Food Bank purchased 16.5 acres of vacant land in the Chicopee River Business Park in 2020. In 2021, it launched a successful, $26 million capital campaign to raise funds to build a larger facility, with support from individual and business donors, state and federal governments, and volunteers. In 2022, construction began on its new distribution center and headquarters, which is nearing completion.

By
Departments

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT

Allied Fire Protection Inc. v. Delancey Clinton Associates, L.P.
Allegation: Non-payment for services rendered: $5,900
Filed: 8/10/09

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT

The Yankee Candle Co. Inc. v. Changing Paradigms, LLC et al
Allegation: Breach of agreements relating to electric fragrance diffuser products, conversion of property, and unfair and deceptive conduct: $200,000+
Filed: 8/10/09

GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Country Oil Inc. v. River Maple Farm Inc.
Allegation: Balance due on heating oil and service delivery: $5,685.75
Filed: 8/12/09

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Dorene M. Vadnais v. Karen E. Kupner, M.D., Chanel G. Bouchereau, M.D., and Mercy Medical Center
Allegation: Medical malpractice: $2,080,000
Filed: 8/19/09

Lutron Electronics v. Bottaro-Skolnick, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $29,927.05
Filed: 8/7/09

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Ace Fire and Water Restoration Inc. v. Village at Hospital Hill, LLC and The Community Builders Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of restoration and repair services rendered: $36,820.37
Filed: 8/18/09

Kemper Insurance Cos. v. Five Colleges Inc.
Allegation: Action for insurance premiums unpaid by defendant: $356,304.04
Filed: 8/7/09

Mark L. and Pamela Linnehan v. Caracas Construction Corp. and Luis P. Gomes
Allegation: Police officer struck by excavator, while on duty, resulting in head trauma: $10,586.31
Filed: 8/10/09

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

TBF Financial LLC, assignee of GE Capital Corporate v. Somatic Systems Institute Inc.
Allegation: Damages for lease of a business lease agreement: $8,149.47
Filed: 7/22/09

The Darcy Co. v. Northampton Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
Allegation: Non-payment of refrigeration goods and services rendered: $4,844.87
Filed: 7/27/09

PALMER DISTRICT COURT

Fetch Logistics Inc. v. Quaboag Transfer Inc.
Allegation: Failure to pay freight charges for transportation of goods: $5,825
Filed: 7/21/09

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Bradco Supply Co. v. Copperworks Inc. and Ronald McGowan
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $5,115.60
Filed: 8/5/09

Capital One Bank, N.A. v. Ty Lucia Plumbing and Heating, LLC
Allegation: Monies owed for credit advanced: $5,020.22
Filed: 7/28/09

Carrier Sales & Distribution, LLC v. All Phases Mechanical and Yvette & Paul Tucci
Allegation: Non-payment of freight services rendered: $15,564
Filed: 8/13/09

By
Departments

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

AGAWAM

Trimboard Inc., 25 Century St., Agawam 01001. David W. Townsend, 227 Farmington Road, Longmeadow 01106. Manufacturing.

AMHERST

Art and Music Games Inc., 70 Columbia Dr., Amherst 01002. Roman Yakub, same. Publisher of art and music software.

Umoja Too Performing Arts Company Inc., 560B Riverglade Dr., Amherst 01002. Tashina Bowman, same. (Nonprofit) To expose children to the performing arts, West African Dance and Drum, Japanese Song, South African Dance and Song, etc.

CHESTERFIELD

Golden Sunset Farm Inc., 103 Bryant St., Chesterfield 01012. Gary W. Wickland, 191 South St., Chesterfield 01012. Dairy farm operation.

CHICOPEE

Economy Transmission Repair Inc., 959 Meadow St., Chicopee 01013. A. Timothy Tetrault, same. Automotive repair services.

Ginka Construction Company Inc., 71 Lambert Ter., Chicopee 01020. Jeanne E. Fleming-Armata, same. General construction.

Iglesia Cristiana Casa De Bios Inc., 454 Grattan St., Chicopee 01020. Miguel A. Jusino, 28 Simard Dr., Chicopee 01013. (Nonprofit) To function as a church, etc.

Min Royal Inc., 1503 Memorial Dr., Chicopee 01020. Shan Min Li, 63 Voss Ave., Chicopee, president, treasurer and secretary. Restaurant (Chinese buffet).

EASTHAMPTON

DiGrigoli Easthampton Inc., 66 Northampton St., Easthampton 01027. Paul DiGrigoli, 6 Westernview Road, Holyoke 01027. Beauty salon and spa services.

EAST LONGMEADOW

G & A Import Auto Repair Inc., 41 Fisher Ave., East Longmeadow 01028. Giovanni Gioiella, 40 Highland Ave., E. Longmeadow 01028. To repair imported automobiles.

GRANBY

Granby Educators’ Association Inc., 393 East State St., Granby 01033. Nancy Karmelek, 17 Sherwood Dr., Belchertown 01007. (Nonprofit) To improve the quality of education for all, advance the socioeconomic well-being of educators, etc.

HAMPDEN

Pamerica Inc., 487 Glendale Road, Hampden 01036. Erica Dwyer, same. The practice of law.

HOLLAND

Holland Elementary Parent Teacher Organization Inc., 28 Sturbridge Rd., Holland 01521. Scarlett Ferrar, same. (Nonprofit) To raise funds to help meet the financial and educational needs of our small school.

HOLYOKE

Healing Waters Family Church Inc., 98 Suffolk St., Holyoke 01010. Mark Thomas, 100 Beacon Ave., Holyoke 01040. (Nonprofit) To operate as a church for the propagation of the Christian faith, etc.

Soxology Inc., 10 Hospital Dr., Suite 306, Holyoke 01040. John J.
Swierzewski, D.P.M., same. To deal in items relative to baseball, history of baseball, online and in print, video and other media.

Worlds Famous Hot Dogs Inc., 1597 Northampton St., Holyoke 01040. Kevin J. Chateauneuf, same. To carry on a restaurant business.

LONGMEADOW

East Longmeadow Grille Inc., 153 Elm St., Longmeadow 01028. Laura L. Lacrosse, same. Diner/restaurant.

LUDLOW

Keloo Inc., 245 East St., Apt. A, Ludlow 01056. Sezgin Turan, same. Food service/restaurant.

NORTH HATFIELD

Dermal Direction Inc., 166 Depot Road, North Hatfield 01066. Marian Ruth Curran, same. Wound care consulting and education.

NORTHAMPTON

J&S Trading Inc., 776 North King St., Northampton 01060. Tariq Javaid, 380D Hatfield St., Northampton 01060. Gasoline and all convenience store items.

PALMER

A Clear Vue Auto Glass Inc., 1219 Thorndike St., Palmer 01069. Kevin C. Samble, 66 Hillside Manor Ave., Vernon, CT 06066. Charles T. Samble, 2 Blacksmith Road, Wilbraham 01095, treasurer. To deal in automobile glass.

SPRINGFIELD

Atlantic Cascade Corp., 1272 Morgan Road, Springfield 01089. Claudia H. Mick, 234 Timpany Blvd., Gardner 01440. Business consulting services.

Blue Planet Enterprises Inc., 904 State St., Springfield 01109. Minerva Willis, 18 Stanhope Rd., Springfield 01109. To deal in clothes, telephones/cell phones, lottery sales and retail management.

Torres Insurance Agency Inc., 2652 Main St., Springfield 01107. Daniel Torres, 20 Lafayette St., Springfield 01109. An insurance brokerage business.

THREE RIVERS

New Future Development Corporation II, 2 Springfield St., Three Rivers 01080. John W. Morrison, 166 Peterson Road, Palmer 01069. General contracting, build homes, sell real estate.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

bdfhklt Inc., 233 Western Ave., West Springfield 01089. Eric J. Wapner, same. Commercial printing.

Center for the Traditional Family Inc., 183 Ashley St., W. Springfield 01089. Dean C. Vogel, Sr., same. (Nonprofit) To provide information regarding the value of the traditional family and marriage for raising children, etc.

MacKenzies Furniture Inc., 1680 Riverdale St., West Springfield 01089. Barbara Spear, 285 Christopher Ter., West Springfield 01089. Retail.

WILBRAHAM

Worldwide Freight Service, Inc., 4 Highridge Road, Wilbraham 01095. Richard Francis Faille, same. Transportation brokerage of freight.

Incorporations

By
Departments

The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden and Hampshire counties between mid-October and mid-November, the latest available. They are listed by community.

AGAWAM

1813 Main Street Corp., 1813 Main St., Agawam 01001. Carlo P. Bonavita, 68 Old Feeding Hills Road, Westfield 01085. To own and operate a restaurant/bar.

AMHERST

Matthieu J. Massengill, P.C., South East St., Amherst 01002. Matthieu J. Massengill, same. The practice of law.

Valley Arts Project Inc., 129 Glendale Road, Amherst 01002. Michael Brooks, 192 Belchertown Road, Amherst 01002. (Nonprofit) To create performance opportunities to showcase the talents of young artists in the Pioneer Valley, etc.

ZX Inc., 135 Belchertown Road, Amherst 01002. Xiaoda Xiao, same. To sell newly invented Vector Blind Spot Mirrors to completely eliminate blind spots.

BELCHERTOWN

CBA Marketing USA II Inc., One Main St., Belchertown 01007. Irene A. Kane, 684 Ridge Road, Wilbraham 01095. Freight forwarding and freight management.

Uncommon Photography Inc., 145 River St., Belchertown 01007. Robert Wallace, same. Photography.

CHICOPEE

DJDF Real Estate Inc., 40 Nichols Road, Chicopee 01013. David Deslauriers, 82 Lord Terrace, Chicopee 01020. Real estate.

J.M.B.B. Company Inc., 45 Doverbrook Road, Chicopee 01022. Joyce Chapin, same. Consulting for mortgage brokers.

New Tour Corp., 9 Stanley Dr., Chicopee 01020. Si Yuan Tseng, same. Chartered bus.

Two-Putt Inc., 1469 Granby Road, Chicopee 01020. Joseph L. Larrivee, 27 Windpath E., West Springfield 01089. Real estate holding.

EASTHAMPTON

Uncommon Clarity Inc., 3 Payson Ave., Easthampton 01027. Ann Latham, same. Business operations consulting.

FEEDING HILLS

CMBW Inc., 22 Kathy Terrace, Feeding Hills 01030. Robert J. Wierdo, same. Ladies physical fitness.

FLORENCE

NCP and Associates Inc., 60 Platinum Circle (Rear), Florence 01062. Patricia Haynes Nnaji, same. To provide practical advice for individuals undergoing occupational change, financial stress, etc.

HOLYOKE

Appleton Pre-School, Early Learning Center and Childcare Inc., 397 Apppleton St., Holyoke 01040. Sharon Zayas, 18 White Birch Dr., Springfield 01119. To provide pre-school, early learning and childcare services to the public.

T.W.C. Towing Inc., 56 Jackson St., Holyoke 01040. Juan Figueroa, same. Towing, selling automobiles and automobile parts, detailing automobiles.

LONGMEADOW

M.W.C. Construction Inc., 1661 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow 01106. Michael C. DeMarche, 46 Mohawk Dr., Longmeadow 01106. Construction.

R.F.L. Electric Inc., 195 Redfern Dr., Longmeadow 01108. Robert Lipp, same. Electrical contracting.

LUDLOW

Sekoswki Family Inc., 67 Bluebird Circle, Ludlow 01056. Gabriela Sekowski, same. To own and operate a package store.

Your Choice Insurance Agency Inc., 120 East St., Ludlow 01056. Samuel R. Hanmer, 123 Englewood Road, Longmeadow 01106. An insurance agency.

NORTHAMPTON

Healing Across the Divides Inc., 72 Laurel Park., Northampton 01060. Lawrence Lowenthal, American Jewish Committee, 126 High St., Boston, 02110. (Nonprofit) To promote cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian health organizations/individuals, etc.

Pioneer Valley Travel Medicine, P.C., 69 State St., Northampton 01060. Ann K. Markes, 124 Maple Ridge Road, Florence 01062. To engage in the practice of travel medicine.

PALMER

New Millenium Appraisal Inc., 11 Diane St., Palmer 01069. Barry J. Cook, same. To offer real estate appraisal services, develop methods and materials to appraisers of real estate.

SPRINGFIELD

Antique and Specialty Flooring Company Inc., 169 Paridon St., Springfield 01118. Anthony Frogameni, 76 Pembroke Lane, Agawam 01001. Purchase of antique wood and manufacturing and sale of flooring products made therefrom.

Compass Car Rental Inc., 155 Allen Park Road, Springfield 01118. Olga Arnst, 107 Chestnut St., West Springfield 01089. Car rental agency.

Gordies Gourmet Inc., 1209 Sumner Ave., Springfield 01118. Gordon Richard Weissman, 174 Abbott St., Springfield 01118. The manufacturing, packaging and sale of snack food.

J.T. Home Improvements Inc., 38 Jenness St., Springfield 01004. Jeff Lariviere, same, president, treasurer, and secretary. Home improvements and repairs.

Latin Flava Cafe Inc., 1677 Main St., Springfield 01103. Isabel Pellot, same. To provide Spanish food and beverages in a cafe atmosphere.

Law Offices of Brian Shea, P.C., 127 Mulberry St., Springfield 01105. Brian Shea, same. To operate a legal practice.

Law Offices of Frank A. Caruso, P.C., 127 Mulberry St., Springfield 01105. Frank A. Caruso, same. To operate a legal practice.

Orr Chevrolet Inc., 10 Mill St., Springfield 01104. Sterling A. Orr, II, 12 Winterberry Dr., Wilbraham 01095. Automobile dealership.

RGoodridge Inc., 206 Marsden St., Springfield 01109. Winifred Renee Haskins, same. E-commerce retail.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Canterbury Development Inc., 84 Cedar Woods Glen, West Springfield 01089. Kathleen H. Sweeney, same. To own real property, remodeling, construction, etc.

Carl Yam Inc., 1051 Elm St., Unit 9, West Springfield 01089. Koang Cheu Yam, same. The sale of food.

Rural Lane Inc., 1771 Riverdale Road, West Springfield 01089. Mark S. Lyon, 53 Rural Lane, East Longmeadow 01028. Purchasing for resale or the consignment of household/business furnishings and household-related items.

Sullivan Private Label Inc., 42 Progress Ave., West Springfield 01089. Paul Fortini, 120 Greystone Ave., West Springfield 01089. To design and distribute retail packaging products to major department stores and specialty stores.

Valley Convenience Plus Inc., 242 Cayenne St., West Springfield 01089. Olga Alkattan, same. Convenience store and mini market.

WESTFIELD

Codru Transport Inc., 14 Sycamore St., #22, Westfield 01085. Stepan Foksha, same. A local, interstate and coast-to-coast trucking business.

Crane Marketing Associates Inc., 362 Granville Road, #105, Westfield 01085. Donald F. Hogan, same. The marketing of specialty chemicals and related products.

New England Pizza Restaurant of Westfield Inc., 280 Southampton Road, Westfield 01085. Jose M. Davila, 10 So. Maple St., Enfield, CT 06082. Jose M. Davila, 280 Southampton Road, Westfield 01085, resident agent. Restaurant.

WILBRAHAM

Halon Estates Homeowners Association Inc., 2148 Boston Road, Wilbraham 01095. Jason Sares, 168 Fuller St., Ludlow 01056. (Nonprofit) To maintain the common open space areas and subdivisions of “Halon Estates”.

JLS Architects Inc., 7 Rice Dr., Wilbraham 01095. John L. Strandberg, same. Architectural services.

Taste of Greece, Springfield Inc., 6 Evergreen Circle, Wilbraham 01095. Christine Dourountoudakis, same. To operate a deli and variety store, distribute food supplies to individuals, stores and restaurants.

By
Departments

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

AGAWAM

JEH Inc., 485B Springfield St. Agawam, MA 01001. Joseph E. Herring Jr., same. Bar and grill.

AMHERST

Optegen Incorporated, 433 West St., Suite 8B, Amherst, MA 01002. Jeannie E. Williams, same. Technology development.

Stakeholders Capital Inc., 216 Lincoln Ave., Amherst, MA 01002. Andrew Bellak, same. Investment Advisory activities.

Travel Financial LTD., 56 Hop Brook Road, Amherst, MA 01002. Elizabeth Travel, same. Consultant.

CHICOPEE

Gritty Entertainment Inc., 22 John St., Chicopee, MA 01013 Andre Johnson, same. To teach and develop individuals skills on producing professional records.

John B. Duncan Construction Inc., 20 Mount Carmel Ave. Chicopee, MA 01013. John Duncan, same. To educate consumers about construction trade and techniques.

HOLYOKE

RDM Freight Consultants Inc., 323 Sargeant St., Holyoke, MA 01040 David V. Mathes, same. Freight consulting.

LEE

Arcus Inc., 75 Orchard St., Lee, MA 01238 John N.S. Philp, same. To design software and to sell, service, fabricate, produce, manufacture, repair, alter, design, engineer, or refine products and components of all kinds, with material of all kinds.

  

LONGMEADOW

Cote Personal Training Inc., 66 Dwight Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Nathan Cote, same. Personal fitness training.

SPRINGFIELD

Caban Orthodontics, P.C., 1797 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103. Michael D. Caban, 19 Oak Hollow Dr., Longmeadow, MA 01106. To engage in the practice of
Orthondontics/dentistry and such ancillary services.

Dennis 2008 Inc., 1391 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103 Thomas P. Dennis, Jr., same. Providing construction service and related engineering.

SOUTHWICK

McGarrity Inc., 6 North Pond Road, Southwick, MA 01077. Mark M. Garrity, same. To operate an ATM franchise and deal with the purchase and sale of real estate.

SOUTHAMPTON

Pease Plumbing & Heating Inc., 62 Brickyard Road Ext., Southampton, MA 01073. Daniel Jason Pease, same. Installation and repair of plumbing and heating.

WILBRAHAM

Practical Design Inc., 18 Westwood Dr. Wilbraham, MA 01095 Thomas F. Langevin, same.To engage in the business of tool and drafting services, machine design and controls, robot integration, tooling and fixturing of automated machines, and provide consulting services regarding the same.

Briefcase

By
Briefcase

Advertising Club Selects 2018 Pynchon Medalists

SPRINGFIELD — The Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts’ trustees of the Order of William Pynchon announced their selection of four local residents as recipients of this year’s Pynchon medal. “Our choice of these four remarkable individuals represents a collective concern and dedication to the past, present, and future of our region,” said Mary Shea, chairman of the Pynchon trustees. Slated to receive the Advertising Club’s Pynchon Medal on Oct. 18 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke are: Craig Carr, one of the original incorporators of the Ronald McDonald House of Springfield; Sally Fuller, a tireless advocate for early childhood literacy; Robert McCarroll, a noted historic preservationist; and Ronald Weiss, who was instrumental in the creation of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. The Advertising Club confers the Order of William Pynchon and the Pynchon Medal upon citizens of Western Mass. who have rendered distinguished service to the community. Recipients are nominated each year by members of the community, and are chosen by unanimous decision of the Pynchon trustees, who are Ad Club’s current and five past presidents.

Employer Confidence Weakens During June

BOSTON — Confidence among Massachusetts employers weakened considerably during June as tariffs, rising raw-material costs, and approval of paid family and medical leave in the Bay State raised concerns about business growth. The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index dropped 5.3 points to 61.3 last month, its lowest level since August 2017. Confidence remains well within the optimistic range, but the June decline left the BCI slightly below its level of a year ago. Though analysts say the volatility in business confidence during May and June may reflect some statistical anomalies, the comments provided by employers on the monthly AIM survey suggest that companies are becoming increasingly concerned about a perfect storm of issues on the federal and state levels. The constituent indicators that make up the overall Business Confidence Index all lost ground during June. The Massachusetts Index assessing business conditions within the Commonwealth fell 7.2 points to 62.8, leaving it 1.4 points lower than in June 2017. The U.S. Index ended the month at 60.0, down 9.3 points for the month but 2.6 points better than a year ago. The Current Index, which assesses overall business conditions at the time of the survey, declined 2.6 points to 63.5. The Future Index, measuring expectations for six months out, fell 7.5 points to 59.1. The Current Index gained 1.6 points during the year, while the Future Index lost 2.6 points. Employer views of their own companies also weakened. The Company Index declined 3.3 points to 61.2, down 1.2 points for 12 months. The Employment Index ended the month at 55.0, a 3.3-point decrease for the month and 3.1 points lower than a year ago. The Sales Index lost 2.9 points for the month and 0.2 points for the year. Manufacturing companies (62.5) were slightly more optimistic than non-manufacturers (60.2). Companies in the eastern part of Massachusetts (63.3) were more bullish than those in the west (58.7).

More Than $2 Million Announced for Collaborative Workspaces

BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration and MassDevelopment announced $2,155,000 in funding for the third round of Collaborative Workspace Program grants, a MassDevelopment program that accelerates business formation, job creation, and entrepreneurial activity in communities by supporting infrastructure that fuels locally based innovation. Eligible organizations may apply for either seed grants to plan and study the feasibility of new collaborative workspaces, or fit-out grants to develop and expand existing workspaces. Through its first two rounds of grants, the Collaborative Workspace Program provided $3 million in funding to more than 50 organizations for the planning, development, and build-out of different types of collaborative workspaces. This new round includes $1.5 million from the Commonwealth’s capital budget and $655,000 from the Barr Foundation, the second installment of a three-year, $1,965,000 grant to the program to expand support for arts-related collaborative workspaces in the Commonwealth. Funding decisions are expected to be announced at the end of September.

MassDOT Announces $1.8M to Expand Industrial Rail and Freight

BOSTON — The state Department of Transportation recently awarded five grants totaling more than $1.8 million as part of the Industrial Rail Access Program (IRAP), which helps increase rail and freight access, economic opportunity, and job growth. IRAP is a competitive, state-funded, public/private partnership program that provides financial assistance to eligible applicants to invest in improvement projects in rail infrastructure access. State funding for these five projects will be matched by more than $2.4 million in private funds. Locally, $500,000 was awarded to the Western Recycling rail-spur project in Wilbraham. The project will allow an existing solid-waste-handling facility to load outbound waste into rail cars for shipment to out-of-state landfills. With the restoration of rail service to the site, the facility will start processing municipal waste, in addition to construction and demolition debris. The project includes the construction of one loading track and five storage tracks for a total of 6,000 feet of new track. With completion of the project, the facility will be served by more than 1,500 rail cars each year, eliminating 7,500 regional truck trips each year and supporting the creation of eight to 10 additional jobs at the facility. IRAP provides grants to railroads, rail shippers, and municipalities that identify a public benefit gained through improved rail transportation usage or economic growth that would be realized through improved access to rail assets. The other four grants went to projects in Littleton, Peabody, and Upton.

DPH Releases State Study Detailing Marijuana Use

BOSTON — A new, statewide study of marijuana use among Massachusetts residents found that about 21% of adults had used marijuana in the past 30 days, and the proportion of marijuana use was highest among 18- to 25-year-olds. The study, conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), was mandated by the Legislature as part of its revisions to the 2016 adult-use marijuana law. The purpose of the study was to investigate the patterns of use, methods of consumption, and general perceptions of marijuana; incidents of impaired driving and hospitalization related to marijuana use; and the economic and fiscal impacts for state and local governments. Among the study’s other highlights, smoking is the most common method of marijuana consumption, although more than 40% of marijuana users report using multiple methods of use. More than half of adults perceive marijuana to have slight or no risks and use marijuana for non-medical purposes. A survey of patients who use marijuana products for medical use suggests that the average person uses marijuana 24 days a month, with the majority using marijuana products for at least 21 out of the past 30 days. Among respondents that use marijuana, 34.3% reported driving under the influence. Overall, 7.2% of the adult population drove under the influence of marijuana in the past 30 days, and 11.3% of adults rode with a marijuana-using driver in the past 30 days. This is similar to estimates from a survey of medical marijuana patients that found approximately 10% of respondents drove under the influence in the past 30 days. The number of marijuana-related calls to the Regional Poison Control Center in Massachusetts has been increasing over time. The calls include incidents of unintentional exposures among children, with the majority of calls related to 10- to 19-year-old individuals, and/or exposure to dried marijuana flower. The proportion of calls increased after medical marijuana was available in the Commonwealth. Economic projections suggest that marijuana will increase Massachusetts state revenue by about $215.8 million in the first two years of retail sales. The increase will largely come from sales and excise taxes collected on retail purchases. Based on experiences from states with existing legalized adult use, sales-tax revenue is expected to be higher in the second year ($154.2 million), as compared to the first year ($61.6 million).

Google Announces $100,000 Sponsorship for FutureWorks

SPRINGFIELD — During its Grow with Google tour in Springfield, Google announced a sponsorship for FutureWorks Career Center totalling $100,000. The sponsorship will help FutureWorks deepen its available resources to prepare active job seekers with the digital skills necessary to obtain jobs and succeed in the workforce. FutureWorks will deploy Google’s Applied Digital Skills Curriculum its diverse group of youth and adult job seekers over the course of a year. Some of its staff will also be trained on Google for Jobs and teach active job seekers how to use the online platform to streamline their job search. Launched in October 2017, Grow with Google is the tech company’s new initiative to help create economic opportunities for Americans. The project is an extension of Google’s long-standing commitment to making information and technology accessible to everyone, and focuses on providing digital skills and learning opportunities to communities across the U.S.

Jugglers Convention Projects Economic Impact of More Than $1 Million

SPRINGFIELD — With 600 juggling enthusiasts from all over the world descending on Springfield last week for the 71st International Jugglers’ Assoc. (IJA) Annual Festival, the area’s hoteliers, restaurateurs, and retailers expected to see an impact in their cash registers. The six-day convention was projected to have an economic impact of $1,015,545, according to the Western Mass Sports Commission, a division of the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The organizers are expecting 600 attendees, and two of our largest downtown hotels have 1,100 room nights booked as a result,” said Mary Kay Wydra, president of the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This represents a strong economic shot in the arm for these properties. And we anticipate upbeat business at area eateries and shops as well. It’s a fun, terrific event to have coming into Western Mass.”

Doing Business as Certificates

By
DBA Certificates

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

AMHERST

Alice Buckner Consulting
85 Crossbrook Ave.
Alice Buckner

Amherst Extensions & Beauty Salon
460 West St.
Yasmin Brandford

Bouvier Grant Group
30 Autumn Lane
Margaret Bouvier

Doctorbird LLC
26 South Prospect St., #7
Khama Ennis

Intentional Health LLC
26 South Prospect St., #7
Khama Ennis

Rivershed Farm
132 Pelham Road
Mark Rutkowski

BELCHERTOWN

Northeast Green
21 Plaza Ave.
George Hassenfratz

Rustic Logging & Tree Service Co.
230 Old Enfield Road
Russell Scott Jr.

CHICOPEE

7th Ave. Designs
91 7th Ave.
Thomas LaFleur

Abundant Wellness
665 Prospect St., Suite 1
Deborah Boulanger

Ashley Homestore
1441 Memorial Dr.
Susan Halvarson

Caron Construction
11 Freedom St.
Scott Caron

Cruz Notary Service
1316 Memorial Dr.
Edgardo Cruz Ortiz

D2 Cleaning Services
627 Chicopee St.
Prossy Drinkwine, Thomas Drinkwine

Live Love Hair
129 Church St.
Betsy Cotto, Lilliana Rosario Santana

Partyka Resource Management Cos. Inc.
495 Springfield St.
Joan Partyka, John Krzeminski Jr.

Resident Apartments
690 Chicopee St.
Wayzaro Mills

Sweet Moments Ultrasound Studio Inc.
246 Montcalm St., Suite 2C
Cenea Velasquez

Two Hands Construction LLC
24 Baril Lane
Edwin Morales

EASTHAMPTON

Artisan Builders and Craftsmen
19 Plain St.
Aaron Scott

The Giving Tree of Massage & Reiki
247 Northampton St., Suite 8
Janna Mangini

Joyful Valley Coaching
11 Water St.
Sarah Schmidt

Mark Nomad
9 Reservation Road
Mark Maulucci

Salon Avanti
186 Northampton St.
Michelle Finnessey

Tip Top Wine Shop
150 Pleasant St., #155
Miranda Brown, Lauren Clark

EAST LONGMEADOW

A.W. Brown
144 Shaker Road
TBW Inc.

Connecticut Valley Construction
12 Town View Circle
Felix Tranghese

John R. Sweeney Insurance Agency
264 North Main St., #6
John Sweeney

Landmark Realtors
60 North Main St.
Susan Rheaume

Meadows Driving School Inc.
16-20 Baldwin St.
Maria Spear

Picano Landscaping
30 Maynard St.
John Picano

VA Motors
57 Tufts St.
Andrii Fedosh

HADLEY

BodyMind Bodywork & Movement
245 Russell St.
Michele Feldmein

Eversource Energy
55 Russell St.
NSTAR Electric Co.

Generative Leadership Consult
200 Venture Way
Institute for Generative LS LLC

Harbor Freight Tools
303 Russell St.
Harbor Freight Tools USA Inc.

Northwest Auto Sales II
117 Russell St.
Jim Boyle

Steve Lewis Subaru
315 Russell St.
Balise SLS LLC

ZG Motors
249 Russell St.
Armani George

LEE

Berkshire Gal Friday
17 Greylock St.
LivDeAndrea

Berkshire Pet Pals LLC
45 Hartwood Road
Kathy Kergaravat

Berk St. James
80 St. James Ave.
Rebecca Leger

Collins & Sons General Store
100 Meadow St.
Alice Collins

Eddie Bauer LLC
270 Premium Outlets Blvd.
Ron Byers

First Response Outdoor Services
90 Pine St.
Joseph Gardino

Kate Spade
490 Premium Outlets Blvd.
Tapestry Inc.

The Lakehouse Inn
615 Laurel St.
Kurt Inderbitzin

Mind Over Motion
214 West Park St.
Tiffany Wilding-White

MJ Kelly Inc.
3 Main St.
Michael Kelly

Papa Gino’s
370 Stockbridge Road
New England Authentic Eats LLC

S.J. Michael’s Construction
35-2 Housatonic St.
Steven Michaels

Stone Improvements
19 Union St.
Micah Stone

Valley Veterinary Services
920 Pleasant St.
CareVet Massachusetts LLC

Wickham & Daughters
45 David St.
Thomas Wickham

PALMER

A&J Mowing
89 Shearer St.
James Taylor

Amy’s All Natural Soaps
21 Wilbraham St.
Amy Mitchell

Cute Kids Preschool
17 Highland St.
Ghada Ghrear

Demore’s Automotive LLC
1307 Park St.
Michelle Demore

Doc’s Duffle Bag LLC
1085 Park St.
Michael McKenney

Kitchen Table Taxes
65 Jim Ash St.
David Whitney, Melissa Whitney

Palmer Antiques Co-op
1239 South Main St.
Louise Krassler

Repair Services Inc.
145 Boston Road
Robert McNabb

RJ Foskit Building & Remodeling
42 Barker St.
Ronald Foskit

Rondeau’s Dairy Bar
1300 Ware St.
Michael Rondeau

Sensory Solutions Today
3 Carriage Dr.
Kristopher Theriault

TJ’s Pop
1418 North Main St.
Troy Atherton Sr.

The Victorian
1500 North Main St.
Julia Dias

Yankee Flea Market
1311 Park St.
Michael Walker

Ziemba Home Improvments
42 Mechanic St.
Mike Ziemba

PITTSFIELD

Assured Home Renovations
99 Wendell Ave.
Christopher Temkin

AST Scuba
19 Arch St.
AST Scuba Inc.

Berile Environmental Inc.
P.O. Box 607
Mark Barile

Berkshire Custom Apparel
98 Brown St.
Brendan Remillard

Berkshire Mountain Faerie Festival
35 Atwood Ave.
Blackington Artisans Inc.

Berkshire Real Estate Title Examinations
31 Whittier Ave.
Romana Messer

Cove Street Service Inc.
9 Cove St.
Cove Street Service Inc.

Dairy Cone
359 Crane Ave.
Richard Herbert

digitalcarbon
34 James St.
Michael White

The Dungeon’s Edge
15 Atwood Ave.
Ashley Davis

Faateh
253 South St.
Saleem Ahmed

Fresh Start Painters
17 Noble Ave.
Joshua Salas

Gate Management Systems
28 Fairfield St.
Russell Marcus

JEL Construction
31 Wendell Ave.
Estefania Arias Batista

JS Works LLC
91 Elberon Ave.
Jack Salatino

K&M Bowling
555 Dalton Ave.
Kari Mathes

Maggie Sadoway Immigrant Cooperative
97 Edward Ave.
Maria Arias

Marie’s Eatery
146 North St.
Marie’s Eatery Pittsfield LLC

Shelley’s Kitchen
453 South Main St.
Shelley Strizzi

SOUTHAMPTON

Bolduc Farm
48 Russellville Road
Gregoire Bolduc

Renex Construction
133 Middle Road
Valentin Katalnikov

SOUTH HADLEY

Love Leaf Farm
169 Granby Road
Love Leaf Farm LLC

Pioneer Valley Health and Rehabilitation
573 Granby Road
Blupoint Boston Healthcare

WESTFIELD

AG Home Infusion LLC
53 Murray Ave.
Alexander Govor

Buscalabras
18 Margerie St.
Jaime Riano

Citrine Circus Design & Supply
5 Woronoco Ave.
Brianne Zulkiewicz

FL Productions
102 Elm St.
Fong Lee

Greg Mastroianni Electrician
265 Montgomery Road
Greg Mastroianni

Guidance for Inner Peace
5 Noble Ave.
Janice Pagano

Hot Oven Cookies LLC
40 Elm St.
Sheila Coon

Le Buddies Helping Hands
110 Main St.
Althea Carter

Precision Kitchen & Bath
467 Loomis St.
Siarhei Sharbatsevich

Western Mass Demolition Corp.
64 Medeiros Way
Western Mass Demolition Corp.

William H. Fenton Co. Inc.
174 Main St.
William H. Fenton Co. Inc.

VNG Home Improvement
46 Western Ave.
Valeriy Gavrilyuk

WEST SPRINGFIELD

A&A Furniture Repair
32 Partridge Lane
Alan Archambault

Advanced Aesthetics Medi Spa LLC
166 South Blvd.
Yelena Ivanov

Avis Budget Group
2161 Riverdale St.
Matt Rettura

Clarion Motel
1080 Riverdale St.
Shailesh Patel

Exude Relaxation Spa Essentials
107 Lancaster Ave.
Cassandra Price

Jakes JS
481 Brush Hill Ave.
Jake Janis

Parus
766 Main St.
Javat Azizov

Pavel Water Filtration
70 Windsor St.
John Crean

Santana’s Kung-Fu Studio
452 Main St.
Maria Santana

SMD & Associates
343 Birnie Ave.
Suzanne Demers

Soaps Scents & Blessings
73 Peachstone Glen
Alexandra Mason

Super Washing Well Laundry
1126 Union St.
David Cortis

The Venetian Bakery
90 Baldwin St.
Adam Oliveri

WILBRAHAM

Blue Elephant Restaurant LLC
2000 Boston Road
Dan O’Connell, Nuchjaree O’Connell

DIY Productions
4 Chestnut Hill Road
Ryan Visneau

Essential Canine
777 Stony Hill Road
Heather Hitchcock

Fieldcrest Brewing Co. LLC
2343 Boston Road
Adam Field

Filomena’s Gifts
10 Brentwood Dr.
Donna Gregoire

The Flower Shed
95 Post Office Park, #10-11
Jennifer Wands

Home Medics
4 Tall Timber Road
Oussama Awkal

Jessica Hurley
2 Three Rivers Road
Jessica Hurley

Life Care Center of Wilbraham
2399 Boston Road
Dennis Lopata

The Massage Clinic
2341 Boston Road, Unit 301
Anne Ambrose

Mountainbrook Landscaping
27 Mountainbrook Road
Brett Jones

Owen Comeau Farrier
7 Ripley St.
Owen Comeau

Platinum Beverage Services
1070 Glendale Road
Darren Vickery

Te Marie’s Hair Design
40 Dumaine St.
Esther Martinez Munoz

Wilbraham Commons Assoc.
269 Stony Hill Road
Chris Bowden

Picture This

By
Picture This

A photo essay of recent business events in Western Massachusetts

Winning Drive

Mercedes-Benz of Springfield recently awarded a new Mercedes-Benz to William Morrissey of Agawam, who won the car by hitting a hole in one on June 18 at the LETR Celebrity Golf Classic Tournament at Wilbraham Country Club, benefiting Special Olympics in coordination with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department. “We are thrilled to have been a part of the LETR golf outing and couldn’t be happier for Mr. Morrissey,” said Mercedes-Benz of Springfield co-owner Peter Wirth. “We are proud to sponsor local community events such as this, and we hope Mr. Morrissey enjoys his new car.” Pictured: Mercedes-Benz of Springfield co-owner Michelle Wirth, Morrissey, Peter Wirth, Special Olympics representative Al Tomlinson, Milton Torres of Wilbraham Country Club, and Jon Laporte of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department.

 

 

Farming the Future

Holyoke Community College students, staff, and alumni, along with community farmers and others, trained last month to grow produce inside two urban container farms set up in a lot off Race Street next to the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. The 40-foot-long Freight Farms shipping containers were delivered in April for a joint urban agriculture project that includes HCC, the city of Holyoke, and the community nonprofit Nuestras Raices. The two shipping containers use hydroponic methods (without soil) to grow leafy greens and herbs. Each of the container farms can grow as much produce in a year as an acre of farmland. Pictured: Francesca Mazzillio, head farm manager for Freight Farms, explains some of the equipment to Dylan Donicz, farm manager for Nuestras Raices and a 2015 graduate of HCC’s sustainable agriculture program. Behind them is Kate Maiolatesi, HCC professor of Sustainable Studies and Sustainable Agriculture.

 

 

Rink of Honor

The Environmental Business Council of New England (EBCNE) recognized the new $18 million Worcester Ice Center with the James D.P. Farrell Award for Brownfields Project of the Year during its annual meeting and celebration on June 27. Tighe & Bond oversaw the project’s environmental remediation prior to site redevelopment. Completed last year, the Worcester Ice Center features twin ice rinks, shops, restaurants, and a variety of recreational venues. Pictured, from left: Shawn Rising, Bryan Gammons, Jeffrey Arps, and Douglas Landry of Tighe & Bond, Paul Hoffman of GKN Sinter Metals, and Marc Richards, Matthew Abraham, Becky Bozadjian, Sue Courtemanche, and Fran Hoey of Tighe & Bond.

All States Transport Inc. Welcomes Bill Shibley, Former President of Zip Carriers

By
Daily News

SPRINGFIELD — All States Transport Inc. recently welcomed Bill Shibley, former president of Zip Carriers in Westfield. He comes to AST with 41 years of experience, including 26 years at Zip Carriers. When the owner of Zip Carriers announced his retirement early this year, Shibley was looking to merge the firm’s longtime client base with a local transportation broker, and AST was his first choice.

“We’ve been friendly competitors for years, and AST has always had a great reputation,” Shibley said. “They’re very well-established, and it’s a similar culture to Zip Carriers — family-run, with a focus on excellent customer service. I’ve had some of my clients for almost 30 years. I couldn’t drop the ball. I knew I could count on AST to provide the same level of support, service, and expertise that I’ve always delivered. At 66, it’s a little funny to be starting out at a new place, but so far, so good.”

All States Transport Inc. is a domestic freight broker and international freight forwarder offering customized shipping solutions across road, rail, ocean, and air.

“We’re thrilled to bring Bill and his clients aboard,” said Billy Kingston, president of AST. “He’s a real pro, and it’s a great fit. AST is very growth-oriented, and we’re excited to move forward with the strong addition of Bill and his client base.”

People on the Move

By
People on the Move
Beth Zapatka

Beth Zapatka

Springfield College announced that Beth Zapatka has been hired as the new vice president for Institutional Advancement, following a national and competitive search. Zapatka comes to Springfield College from Yale University, where she served as associate dean for Development and Alumni Affairs for the Yale School of Nursing. She will join the President’s Leadership Team on July 1 and oversee all institutional-advancement efforts, including the departments of Advancement Services, Alumni Relations, and Development. In a nine-year career at Yale, Zapatka held numerous roles that created a well-rounded set of experiences in institutional advancement that are directly transferable to Springfield College. In her most recent role in the School of Nursing, her accomplishments include securing significant new resources — nearly tripling contributions to the school — overseeing a rebranding campaign, building university-wide collaborations, broadening the use of social-media platforms, and reinvigorating the alumni and advisory boards.

•••••

Slandie Dieujuste

Slandie Dieujuste

Springfield College announced that Slandie Dieujuste has been hired as vice president for Student Affairs. She is currently vice provost for Student Affairs and dean of students at Massasoit Community College, a position she has held since 2018. She will start her new role at Springfield College on July 1. Dieujuste will join the Springfield College President’s Leadership Team and play a key leadership role in fostering a sense of inclusion and engagement in a diverse and vibrant community. Working with students, faculty, and staff, she will be responsible for developing a comprehensive co-curricular vision for life on campus. Prior to her current role at Massasoit Community College, Dieujuste was associate vice provost for Residence and Greek Life at Illinois Institute of Technology. She also held student-affairs leadership positions at Governors State University, Jackson College, Saint Mary’s College, and Northeastern University. She received her PhD in higher education administration from Andrews University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston College. Dieujuste will lead the Springfield College Division of Student Affairs, which includes the following offices and programs: Spiritual Life, Community Standards, Alcohol and Other Drug Education, Dean of Students, Student Orientation Programs, Career Center, Counseling Center, Housing and Residence Life, Student Activities and Campus Union, Campus Recreation, Center for Service and Leadership, and the Health Center.

•••••

Western New England University announced the appointment of Basil Andrew Stewart as vice president for Finance and Administration after a comprehensive national search. Currently, he is vice president for Finance and chief financial officer for Lasell University and assistant treasurer and chief financial officer of Lasell Village in Newton. At Western New England, Stewart will serve as the chief financial officer for the university. Stewart will be responsible for the university’s finance and budgeting, internal audits, facilities management and construction, campus police, risk management, information technology, and auxiliary services. As CFO, he will serve as chief advisor to the president on financial and administrative matters and will have administrative responsibility to the board of trustees by providing administrative support to its finance, audit, and investment committees. Prior to his current post, Stewart served as chief financial officer and senior vice president for Finance and Administration at Merrimack College and held controller posts at such prestigious institutions as MIT, Northeastern, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Smith College, and Wentworth Institute of Technology. He held auditing posts for the Gillette Co. and Coopers & Lybrand. He earned his MBA and a BBA in accounting from UMass Amherst. He is a board member of the Boston Consortium for Higher Education and Boston Senior Home Care Inc. and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Inc. and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants Inc. He holds designations as a chartered global management accountant and certified public accountant. Stewart, who joins Western New England University in June, succeeds retiring Vice President for Finance and Administration Richard Wagner, who also served as director of Institutional Leadership and Planning for 18 years.

•••••

Alex Fullerton

Alex Fullerton

Kristina Smith

Kristina Smith

Christina Reynolds

Christina Reynolds

Tara Sanderson

Tara Sanderson

UMassFive College Federal Credit Union announced four recent promotions. Alex Fullerton has been promoted to assistant vice president of Loan Operations. In this new role, he is responsible for providing leadership, oversight, and direction for all consumer-lending activities. Fullerton has been with the credit union for nine years and has held numerous roles, beginning as a teller, and most recently a supervisor of the Debt Solutions department. Kristina Smith has been promoted to assistant vice president of Retail Administration. Transitioning from overseeing retail branches, she now supports frontline teams to help plan and implement organizational growth projects; manage retail policies, procedures, and training; as well as assist with retail programs to ensure operational efficiencies are maintained. Beginning as a part-time teller after graduating from UMass Amherst, her assorted roles at the credit union over the past 12 years have prepared her for this new position. Smith’s UMassFive career includes working as the assistant to the former president/CEO manager of the Mercy Medical Center branch and senior branch manager in Hadley. Christina Reynolds has been promoted to Card Services manager. She began her career at UMassFive 10 years ago as a part-time online banking specialist in the Contact Center, eventually taking on other various branch assignments, including most recently the Northampton branch manager position. In her new role, she oversees the Card Services department, ensuring debit- and credit-card quality control and audit processes are in place while also maintaining policies to maximize efficiency and service to members. Tara Sanderson has been promoted to loan servicing manager. She began her career at UMassFive in December of 2017 as a loan servicing specialist. She was promoted to senior loan servicing specialist in mid-2019, shortly followed by a promotion to loan servicing supervisor. In her new position as loan servicing manager, Sanderson oversees both the loan-processing and loan-servicing aspects of lending to ensure compliance and maximize efficiency and service internally as well as for UMassFive members.

•••••

Jean Deliso

Jean Deliso

Jean Deliso of the Connecticut Valley General Office of New York Life, an agent since 1995, has received the Agent of the Year Award for 2020. This award recognizes the agent who has achieved the top production among all agents at the company’s Connecticut Valley General Office. Deliso has developed an expertise in helping business owners and individuals protect and secure their own and their family’s future. Her extensive experience has led to a focus in certain fields, such as cash and risk management, retirement, and estate planning. She is committed to educating individuals regarding their finances and frequently conducts workshops advocating financial empowerment. She is a Nautilus Group member agent, an exclusive advanced-planning resource for estate-conservation and business-continuation strategies. Her access to this exclusive resource enables her clients to benefit from the group’s collective experience and insightful solutions as they apply to the protection, accumulation, and distribution of wealth to individuals, families, and business owners throughout the country. Deliso has also been a member of New York Life Chairman’s Council since 2012 and a qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table since 1999. Members of the elite 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. Active in her community, she currently serves on the board of the Baystate Health Foundation and is the immediate past chairman. She also serves on and is the past chairman of the board of the Community Music School of Springfield and is the past chairman of the board of YMCA of Greater Springfield. She is a graduate of Bentley College.

•••••

Cynthia Malinowski

Cynthia Malinowski

Florence Bank named Cynthia Malinowski as this year’s Community Support Award winner. Malinowski, vice president and branch manager of the downtown Northampton office, joined Florence Bank in October 1999 and has 33 years of banking experience. The Community Support Award was established by the bank in 1997 as a means of formally recognizing employees who are active participants in community events and donate their personal and professional time to local not-for-profit organizations. Each year, the award recipient can select a nonprofit organization of his or her choice, and the bank will donate to that organization. At Malinowski’s recommendation, Florence Bank will donate $500 to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. The mission of the Food Bank is to feed neighbors in need and lead the community in ending hunger. Malinowski serves as an active member of the Greater Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce. She is also involved with the Easthampton Helping Hand Society and occasionally volunteers at the Easthampton Community Center.

•••••

Kelly Partridge, founder of the philanthropic clothing boutique Contribution Clothing, recently published her first children’s book. How Owls Become Wise, a story that focuses on bullying and self-correction, is available for purchase online on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Walmart, with 10% of the book’s proceeds to benefit Unify Against Bullying. Contribution Clothing empowers women and supports the community through monetary donations to Western Mass. nonprofit organizations. Partridge has worked with Unify Against Bullying since the inception of Contribution Clothing and, when she decided to write a book about bullying, knew she wanted to use it as a way to show her support for the Unify mission. “Bullying is a topic that everyone has experienced one time or another in their lives, and I really wanted to bring awareness to it,” Partridge said, adding that she understands how victims of bullying feel, and she hopes her book can help both those who have experienced bullying and those who have inflicted it. To bring her story to life, the first-time author teamed up with illustrator Stephanie Hider, whom she met through a children’s book networking group.

•••••

Greg Landry

Greg Landry

Freedom Credit Union recently welcomed Greg Landry as a mortgage loan originator in its West Springfield branch. “We’re delighted to have Greg on our lending team,” Vice President and Chief Loan Officer Jeffrey Smith said. “In a way, it’s like he’s coming home, as he previously worked at West Springfield Federal Credit Union before it merged with Freedom in 2019. He has a long history in this community and is the perfect person to help our members in the area become homeowners.” A graduate of Framingham State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Landry has worked as a mortgage and home-equity loan originator for more than 24 years.

•••••

All States Transport Inc. recently welcomed Bill Shibley, former president of Zip Carriers in Westfield. He comes to AST with 41 years of experience, including 26 years at Zip Carriers. When the owner of Zip Carriers announced his retirement early this year, Shibley was looking to merge the firm’s longtime client base with a local transportation broker, and AST was his first choice. “We’ve been friendly competitors for years, and AST has always had a great reputation,” Shibley said. “They’re very well-established, and it’s a similar culture to Zip Carriers — family-run, with a focus on excellent customer service. I’ve had some of my clients for almost 30 years. I couldn’t drop the ball. I knew I could count on AST to provide the same level of support, service, and expertise that I’ve always delivered. At 66, it’s a little funny to be starting out at a new place, but so far, so good.” All States Transport Inc. is a domestic freight broker and international freight forwarder offering customized shipping solutions across road, rail, ocean, and air.

•••••

Andrew Harris

Andrew Harris

VHB recently welcomed Andrew Harris as senior project manager and senior geologist for its Connecticut Site Investigation & Remediation (SI&R) practice and the Southern New England markets. Harris brings extensive experience working with industrial and commercial clients to assess and remediate brownfield and legacy properties across the Upper Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England. His environmental and redevelopment projects span the full project life cycle from initial due diligence and hazardous-building materials assessments, decommissioning, and demolition to remedial design, construction, and site closure. He has vast knowledge in assessing and remediating asbestos, lead, PCBs, petroleum, VOCs, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. In 2014, Harris was a member of the active working group for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to develop the department’s Guidance Document on Calculating the 95% Upper Confidence Level. In addition to being a licensed environmental professional (LEP) in Connecticut, a professional geologist (PG) in New Hampshire, and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design 2.0 accredited professional (LEED 2.0 AP), Harris is also adjunct faculty at the University of Connecticut, teaching a class on how to conduct ASTM phase I and II environmental site assessments in Connecticut. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in geology from Ohio Wesleyan University and his master’s degree in geoscience from the University of Connecticut.

•••••

Dennis Shockro

Dennis Shockro

Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown

Continuing a period of unprecedented growth, Pixel Health, a five-company, national healthcare-consulting ecosystem, appointed two seasoned IT professionals to fill new brand-level operations manager roles. Former Yankee Candle Chief Information Officer Dennis Shockro assumes the role of director of Operations at engineering consultancy VertitechIT. IT managed-services industry manager Jennifer Brown joins baytechIT as senior director of Operations. In addition to Yankee Candle, Shockro held senior operational roles at Brookstone and Northern Tool and Equipment. Brown has more than 20 years of customer-focused and technical experience, both in the human-services and IT managed-services industries. Pixel Health companies VertitechIT, baytechIT, Nectar Strategic Consulting, akiro, and Liberty Fox Technologies work with health systems, hospitals, clinics, and medical practices across North America. VertitechIT is the leading certified HIMSS Analytics INFRAM consultant in the world. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began a year ago, Pixel Health has expanded its overall workforce by approximately 40% across its U.S. operations.

•••••

Kayombo Kamawu

Kayombo Kamawu

Kayombo Kamawu, a longtime administrator and advocate in the human-services field, was recently tapped by Pathlight to join its leadership team as vice president of Residential Supports. Prior to joining Pathlight, Kamawu served as vice president of Adult Services at the Kennedy-Donovan Center, where he was responsible for residential, day, and community Services, including shared living, family-support centers, and individual/supported living. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer and management information systems. Kamawu has also served in various leadership capacities in community-based day supports, employment, and day habilitation service lines. He prides himself in developing strong teams and enjoys the hands-on experience gathered while working with those teams. Pathlight, established in 1952, is a pioneer in services for children, teens, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout the four counties of Western Mass.

Doing Business as Certificates

By
The Class of 2019

The following business certificates and trade names were issued or renewed during the month of April 2019.

AMHERST

MillBrook Farm
1730 South East St.
Jason Edwards

Northeast Environmental Solutions
577 West St.
Karen Davis

BELCHERTOWN

A & E Partnership
10 Meadow Pond Road
Olena Boryssenko, Anatoliy Boryssenko

Alix & Son’s Computer Center
40 Daniel Shays Highway
John Alix

AVS
424 Springfield Road
Matthew Fillmore

Belmont Driving School
1 Main St., Suite E
Michael O’Rourke

Equine Ky Chiropractic
22 South Main St.
Bethany Bowman

Events Near Here
413 Allen St.
Brian Page

Hampshire Myotherapy
145 Old Amherst Road
Robert Andersen

J & J Services
114 North Washington St.
Justin White Sr.

JM Cleaning Service
37 Jucket Road
Joseph Moreau

Magic Catering
25 Cedar Glen Dr.
Gary Majka, Mary Majka

CHICOPEE

Bullseye Property Management and Maintenance
42 Gelinas Dr.
Steven Bull

Frank’s General Service
25 Baril Lane
Frank LaFlamme

Fran’s Lyft Service
884 Prospect St.
Francis Deschaine

New England Landscaping
345 Casey Dr.
Jason Batrano

Pizza Express #2
557 East St.
Sabri Bajrami

Plum Island Jams
18 Curtis St.
Ruth Adams

DEERFIELD

Dave Nunez Building
70 North Main St.
Dave Nunez, Ty Townsend

EASTHAMPTON

Apex Network Promotions
219 East St., Apt. B
Polina Bulgakova

V Financial Safety Education
247 Northampton St.
Michelle Mulea

EAST LONGMEADOW

Dutko Electric, LLC
50 Heatherstone Dr.
Andrew Dutko

Eugina Bshara at Obsessions
10 Center Square
Gina Bshara

Forastiere Smith Funeral & Cremation
220 North Main St.
Frank Forastiere

HOLYOKE

Abe Mart
679 Main St.
Abbas Younes

A. Rex DPT
4 Open Square Way, Suite 204
April Rex

Cano Used Tire
640 South Bridge St.
Carmen Garcia

InHome Remodeling
215 Madison Ave.
Richard Ahlstrom

Racing Mart
582 South St.
Abbas Younes

Rack Room Shoes
50 Holyoke St.
Rack Room Shoes Inc.

LONGMEADOW

Arbormax Tree Care
186 Cooley Dr.
Philip Schafer

Challenge Diabetes Program
47 Pleasantview Ave.
C. William Galaska

Clearview Health & Wellness Group
167 Dwight Road
Ramon Lorenzi

Couloute Renovations Group
66 Dwight Road
April Couloute

Dave’s Creative
54 Wild Grove Lane
David Brinnel

MM Applications & Software Consulting
14 Ferncroft St.
Moissei Mekler

PS Salon and Spa
770 Converse St.
John Polatz

NORTHAMPTON

CleanSlate Centers Inc.
244 Main St.
Greg Marotta

Garden Paving and Landscaping
49 Country Way
Nhamodzangu Magadza

Get Lost
58 Belmont Ave.
Brian Foote

Pioneer Valley Education Press Inc.
155 Industrial Dr.
Matt Dufresne, Robert Dufresne, Michele Dufresne

Seth Gregory Design
18 Northern Ave.
Seth Gregory

Top DJ
49 Country Way
Nhamodzangu Magadza

Treasures on Main MA
6 Conz St.
Seth Fischer

PALMER

New England Patent Prints
37 Smith St.
Gail Sterner

Rick’s Handcrafted Cornhole Boards
21 Wilbraham St.
Richard Lafley

Rx Massage
19 Linda St.
Kristine Gustafson

SOUTHWICK

Jameson R’s Farm and Freight
1 Laro Road
Jameson Ball

Nick’s Handyman Service
6 Bungalow St.
Nicholas Buss

North Pond Guitars
20 Castle St.
William Storozuk

Your CBD Store Southwick, LLC
549 College Highway, Unit C
Lorraine Denoncourt

SPRINGFIELD

APC Computer Consulting
141 Winterset Dr.
Aaron Curto

Artisan Finish Carpentry
30 Brandon Ave.
Lukas Grincavitch

Atwater Associates
140 Atwater Terrace
Scott Balfour

Baiyee Healthcare Solutions
78 Chauncey Dr.
Alice Baiyee

Bamboo House Restaurant
676 Belmont Ave.
Tuyen Le

Changework Hypnosis
43 Harvard St.
Kimberly Miner

Chellyboo Chique
52 Patton St.
Michelle Miller

Chino’s Landscaping
28 Florida St.
Alexis Del Valle

City Smoke
115 State St.
Nilkant 115 Inc.

Eva Beauty Salon
9 Dorset St.
Ashley Martinez

Eversource Energy
300 Cadwell Dr.
NSTAR Electric

Koi Home and Office Cleaning
181 State St.
Maria Sombe-Baraka

The Label Group
580 St. James Ave.
Jack Beaudry Jr.

LMP Trucking
319 Main St.
Robert Parker

Mitchell Home Improvement
189 Essex St.
Michael Mitchell

The Money Stop
445 Main St.
Jeffrey Fiske

Pioneer Valley Auto Transport
22 Warner St.
Jack Cruz

Pognali Motors
128 Pine Grove St.
Mykhailo Grytsenko

Primo’s Pizza
824 Worthington St.
David Larochelle

Prudhomme Home Improvement
106 Washington Road
Rafael Perdomo

R & R Lawn Sprinklers
11 Baird Trace
Richard Hutchinson

Spiritual Woman Press
135 Odion St.
Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

St. Pierre Pools
79 Merida St.
Nicholas Goggin

Suluna Boutique
85 William St., Apt. 411
Joanna Ojeda

Supreme Mart
1295 Worcester St.
Santiago Mejia

Tenares Grocery Store
261 Locust St.
Jose Almanzar Duran

Two Brothers Towing
193 Taylor St.
Emanuela Hernandez

Two Brothers Transport
145 Colton St.
Gabriel Gomez

Urban Gear Inc.
1640 Main St.
Jim Woo

WARE

The Blue Valentine Shop
51 Pulaski St.
Amy Hall

Lost Towns Apiary
96 Coffey Hill Road
Joshua Kusnierz

Matzak & Associates
14 Williston Dr.
Michael Barbiasz

Steve and Sons Auto Detailing Inc.
187 Gilbertville Road
Steven Mansfield

WESTFIELD

Devco Design & Development
130 Elizabeth Ave.
David Deveau

Fast Lane Towing
22 Hickory Ave.
Fast Lane Towing

GenSwiss
6 Old Stage Road
Genevieve Swiss Industries Inc.
GS Microtech
6 Old Stage Road
Genevieve Swiss Industries Inc.

J.J.L. Landscape Services
Joshua Lesko
91 Russell Road

Running Shoe Productions
273 Paper Mill Road
Benjamin Quackenbush

Westfield Flight Academy
111 Airport Road
Five Star Flight Inc.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

East Market
1111 Elm St.
Cortez Percy-Clay

El Safi
532 Main St.
Doaa Madi

Griffin Real Estate
1349 Piper Road
Zed Griffin

Quality Renovations
74 Elm St.
Craig McCarthy

Taco Bell 29245
298 Memorial Ave.
Amy Kim

WILBRAHAM

The Fabulous 50’s Diner
2650 Boston Road
John Wrona

Filomena’s Gifts
10 Brentwood Dr.
Donna Gregoire, Michael Gregoire

Green Square Realty
260 Crane Hill Road
Richard Lewenczuk

Old Boston Hollow
68 Old Boston Road
Jacquelynne Korzeniowski

Team Giroux Health Coaching
603 Glendale Road
Steven Giroux, Jodee Giroux

Verdon’s Restoration
65 Main St.
Real Verdon

Wilbraham Tanning
2341 Boston Road
Brett Cloud

By
Departments

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

Industrial Residential Security Co. v.
Guardian Systems Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract —
Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $10,990
Date Filed: Jan. 18

Quality Care Nurse Staffing Agency v.
Northampton Nursing & Rehab
Allegation: Breach of contract —
Failure to pay for services: $7,044.26
Date Filed: Jan. 20

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Anixter Inc. v.
Regenerated Resources MA f/k/a
Associated Professional Engineering Consultants Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract —
Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $7,885
Date Filed: Jan. 17

The Street Lumber Co. v.
A.J. Virgilio Construction Inc. a/k/a Virgilio Construction
Allegation: Breach of contract —
Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $6,354.94
Date Filed: Jan. 11

J.R. Kakley & Sons Inc. v.
CS & K Inc. f/k/a Coll, Sacchetti & Karpells Inc., Christopher C. Karpells a/k/a Christopher Karpells
Allegation: Breach of contract —
Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $12,426.14
Date Filed: Jan. 11

Custom Packaging Inc. v.
TDB Inc. d/b/a Taxi’s Dog Bakery
Allegation: Breach of contract —
Failure to pay for goods and services: $38,497.05
Date Filed: Jan. 12

Old Dominion Freight Line v.
Dorchester Industries Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract —
Failure to pay for freight services: $3,260.77
Date Filed: Jan. 13

Granite Creations Inc. v.
Mountainview Builders Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract —
Failure to pay for goods sold and delivered: $6,956.83
Date Filed: Jan. 13
 

Building Permits

By
Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the month of May 2019.

AMHERST

Town of Amherst
4 Boltwood Ave.
$8,000 — Install mini split system in server room

Town of Amherst
4 Boltwood Ave.
$7,500 — Install interior partitions, wiring, create two storage rooms and mail room

CHICOPEE

Meadow Street Partners, LLP
317 Meadow St., Units 5A, 5B
$80,000 — Build out additional office/training area in existing tenant space

Fernando Pires
24 Casino Ave.
$12,200 — Roofing

Mike Tarrant
83 Center St.
$1,350 — Roofing

DEERFIELD
Deerfield Academy
13 Albany Road
$492,000 — Retrofit air-handling units

Deerfield Academy
53 Old Main St.
$153,000 — Solar array on south side of new health center

Mycoterra
75 Stillwater Road
$63,316 — Install roof-mounted solar array

Red Roof Room
9 Greenfield Road
$28,000 — Sign

EASTHAMPTON

Keystone Enteprises
122 Pleasant St.
$75,000 — Build out interior space at INSA

Palmer Paving Corp.
23 Arthur St.
$162,000 — Erect accessory building

Wells Fargo Bank
22-24 Arlington St.
$21,700 — Install vinyl siding

EAST LONGMEADOW

CHD
736 Parker St.
7,500 — Demolish guest house

CHD
742 Parker St.
$54,000 — Convert garage to rec room

Redstone Pasta
642 North Main St.
$128,000 — Remodel bathrooms, new stairs

GREENFIELD

Baystate Franklin Medical Center
164 High St.
$6,350 — Fire protection for behavioral-health pod

Country Club of Greenfield
244 Country Club Road
$6,860 — Install pine ceiling on back deck

RCK Greenfield, LLC
5 Pierce St.
$48,183 — Remove and replace six packaged commercial HVAC units

Nicole Stafford
335 Federal St.
$3,000 — Insulation

HADLEY

303 Russell Street, LLC
303 Russell St.
$254,846 — Interior buildout for Harbor Freight store

303 Russell Street, LLC
303 Russell St.
$8,000 — Two new wall signs for Harbor Freight store

Parmar and Sons Inc.
41 Russell St.
$1,250 — New sign for Pathlight on building roof

Chang Tso-Cheng
459 Russell St.
$28,100 — Roofing

Town of Hadley
46 Middle St.
$143,350 — Install HVAC system for senior center

W/S Hadley Properties II, LLC
353 Russell St.
$745,000 — Tenant build-out for 110 Grill

LEE

Ronald Halpin
645 Pleasant St.
$28,000 — Repairs following burst heating pipes

MRG CRW Holdings, LLC
55 Lee Road
$34,600 — Install fire-sprinkler system in Cottage D

MRG CRW Holdings, LLC
55 Lee Road
$3,418,728 — Renovate existing spa to accommodate a renovated spa, commercial kitchen, and culinary educational training areas

LENOX

Art First Lenox, LLC
22 Walker St.
$5,000 — Install sink, coffee counter, and prepared food sales counter in gallery space

LONGMEADOW

Bliss Williams, LLC
679 Bliss Road
$4,000 — New signage for Big Y

NORTHAMPTON

The Brush Works, LLC
221 Pine St.
$11,500 — Build wall, fix bathroom, fire protection

Ellery Owner, LLC
259 Elm St.
$1,400 — Illuminated monument ground sign

ES Realty Corp.
34 Bridge St.
$40,000 — Add interior half-walls, change toilet, slop sink, entry door changes

Glass Lake Partners, LLC
43 Ladd Ave.
$38,000 — Convert space to marijuana processing facility

Hampshire Regional YMCA
286 Prospect St.
$46,000 — Roofing

Kendrick Property
31 Lyman Road
$29,400 — Roofing

King Enterprises
176 King St.
$32,200 — Roofing at Florence Savings Bank

Northampton Montessori Society
51 Bates St.
$2,500 — Roofing

Northwood Redevelopment, LLC
23 Atwood Dr.
$72,500 — Enclose parking spaces with motorized gate, add private entry door into building

Smith College
44 College Lane
$27,000 — Renovate two rooms in Sabin-Reed Hall

Smith College
College Lane
$66,000 — Interior lab renovation at Scott Gymnasium

Smith College
50 Elm St.
$6,000 — Repair and replace stair assembly at Clark Hall

SPRINGFIELD

Bar South Land Holdings, LLC
450 Main St.
$30,000 — Demolish existing building

Baystate Medical Center Inc.
280 Chestnut St.
$8,950 — Alter space for new media room on fifth floor

Chestnut Springfield Inc.
146 Chestnut St.
$11,500 — Alter interior space on first and fifth floors of Libertas Academy Charter School for educational use

Chestnut Springfield Inc.
146 Chestnut St.
$2,100 — Interior demolition for future build-out on first and fifth floors of Libertas Academy Charter School

Clinical & Support Options Inc.
755 Worthington St.
$5,000 — Build two new offices

KMJ Associates, LLC
1954 Wilbraham Road
$15,000 — Interior demolition for future build-out for Pioneer Valley Credit Union

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center
3 Rutland Ave.
$62,345 — Install solar panels on existing building

RLM Enterprise, LLC
83 Gilman St.
$2,300 — Roofing

Smithfield Packard Meats Corp.
20 Carando Dr.
$120,000 — Roofing

Springfield Library & Museums Assoc.
85 Chestnut St.
$89,772 — Install solar panels on existing building

WARE

118 Main Street Ware, LLC
135 Main St.
$3,100 — Change out 10 windows

Aldrich Management Co., LLC
124 West St.
$150,000 — Tenant fit-out

Sengen Properties, LLC
48-58 Park St.
$28,000 — Roofing

WEST SPRINGFIELD

333 Elm St. Realty Trust
333 Elm St.
$22,527 — Remove existing window and modify opening to accept new ATM

Agri-Mark
1000 Riverdale St.
$7,000 — Remodel office in basement

DDRM Riverdale Shops, LLC
931 Riverdale St.
$143,700 — Interior renovations to dining room, including new wall finishes and new décor/seating package; exterior renovations, including new paint

DDRM Riverdale Shops, LLC
935 Riverdale St.
$54,000 — Interior renovations of existing commercial retail space, creating new, 30-seat restaurant

EPT Nineteen Inc.
864 Riverdale St.
$868,802 — Remodel interior of existing movie theater

Hampden Charter School of Science
511 Main St.
$118,900 — Construct two classrooms

Kevin Knight
82 Elm St.
$25,000 — Frame two walls, add storage room, pad out existing wall for plumbing

Landmark at Monastery Heights
110 Monastery Ave.
$1,400 — Install handicap ramp

Phillip Patel
1573 Riverdale St.
$40,000 — Interior renovations

Palmer Aims to Expand on Rich Rail History

By
Rachel Rosenbloom and her husband, Michael Bedrosian
Community Spotlight

Community Spotlight

Rachel Rosenbloom and her husband, Michael Bedrosian

Rachel Rosenbloom and her husband, Michael Bedrosian, named their brewery Seven Railroads in a nod to Palmer’s rich rail history.

 

Palmer is known to many as the Town of Seven Railroads, a nod to a very rich history as a transit center.

Indeed, several passenger and freight rail lines ran though the community at one time, most notably the Boston & Albany, which ran east-west between the two cities, and the Central Vermont, which ran north-south from the Canadian border to New London, Conn., with those two railroads sharing Union Station, an elegant structure designed by noted architect Henry Hobson Richardson.

Today, rail is still part of the town’s character, with five rail lines still running through the community, a renovated Union Station now serving as home to the popular Steaming Tender restaurant, and a new brewery — called, appropriately enough, Seven Railroads Brewing — opening its doors on Route 20 just a few weeks ago.

Passenger rail service in Palmer ceased back in the 1970s, when Amtrak closed Palmer’s station, leaving few who can recall first-hand that important aspect of the town’s history — and psyche.

But all that could be changing in the not-too-distant future.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has recommended Palmer as a stop on the proposed east-west passenger rail service, and is now in the process of studying and eventually selecting a site for a new rail station.

There is no timetable for when that service will start, but the DOT’s backing of Palmer as a stop is generating high levels of excitement and anticipation in the community, said Town Planner Heidi Mannarino, noting that she is already seeing more interest in the town and some of its available real estate from the development community. Overall, she and others are enthusiastic about what a rail stop will mean for the existing business community and ongoing efforts to grow it.

“I’ve already seen more people purchase land and start to eyeball Palmer,” she said, “because once you hear that news … it’s just so valuable to have that kind of public transportation available.

“Rail will be a great boost for economic development in downtown Palmer,” she went on. “It’s going to bring a lot of business in, and I think it’s going to bridge some econimic gaps between Springfield and Boston.”

Indeed, passenger rail service is expected to change the overall profile of this community, situated roughly halfway between Springfield and Worcester off exit 63 (formerly exit 8) of the Mass Pike. Palmer’s location has always been considered close to the state’s second- and third-largest cities, but, in the eyes of some economic-development leaders, not close enough.

Rail will bring the community closer to both — and also closer to Boston and all of Eastern Mass., said John Latour, Palmer’s director of Community Development, noting that the proposed service will enable people to live in Palmer and work in Boston and surrounding communities, adding that remote work has already brought some to the town as they seek to escape the sky-high prices for real estate, childcare, and everything else in Greater Boston. And rail service should bring more.

“Whether they’re working fully remote or going to the office a few days a week, it still makes sense for people to live in a community like Palmer and commute,” he said, adding that, while some already commute from Palmer to Greater Boston, rail service will be a better, safer alternative that will enable people to work while they commute.

East-west rail is easily the biggest developing story in Palmer, but there are others, said Mannarino, listing early-stage construction of a new strip mall near the Big Y off the turnpike exit, one that is expected to bring a Starbucks, Jersey Mike’s, and other major brands to the community; the new brewery (much more on that in a bit); and ongoing efforts to repurpose two closed schools, Thorndike School and Converse School, for housing — a need in this community as in most all cities and towns in the 413 and other parts of the state.

“There’s a deficiency of affordable housing in most communiies, and Palmer is no exception,” she said, adding that the need for senior housing is most acute, and one that could be eased by converting the two schools for that use.

For this, the latest installment of its Community Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at Palmer and how several initiatives, and especially east-west rail, are seemingly on track.

 

Coming to a Head

They call it ‘Old Exit 8.’

That’s the name that Rachel Rosenbloom and her husband, Michael Bedrosian, owners of Seven Railroads Brewery, gave to a New England IPA that has become one of their most popular offerings.

It comes complete with a tagline — “We don’t know what exit nunber we are anymore, and we don’t care to find out” — and Rosenbloom said the brew, and its tagline, speak to how this brewery operation, unlike most of the others in this region, is mostly about a town and its people. And they are among them, living just a few minutes from their taproom.

“It was designed to be a place where people, and especially those from Palmer, can come and hang out,” she said, adding that, in the few weeks it has been open, it has become just that.

For Rosenbloom, who by day is head brewer at Fort Hill Brewery in Easthampton (although not for much longer as she works toward making her venture a full-time endeavor), and Bedrosian, Seven Railroads is a dream now close to three years in the making.

It took that long to find a location (a building on Route 20 that was once home to a trucking operation and other businesses and actually has rail tracks running behind it), secure the necessary permits and licenses, build out the space, and open the doors.

“It was a long journey, but it was well worth it,” she said, not once but several times, noting that the brewery is off to a solid start, drawing a mix of locals, students from the nearby Five Colleges, and a number of other brewers who have come in to welcome the latest addition to the region’s growing portfolio of craft breweries.

In most respects, Roenbloom said, all that competition is good — for the region, for beer lovers, and even the various breweries, because it creates a critical mass that makes the region a craft-beer destination.

Meanwhile, Seven Railroads is on an island of sorts, she went on, adding that it is the only brewery in Palmer — in fact, the only one within 25 minutes of the center of the community — giving it some breathing room.

Thus far, things are going pretty much according to the business plan, said Rosenbloom, noting that Seven Railroads has become part of a growing restaurant and hospitality scene in Palmer, with many patrons stopping in before or after visiting one of several restaurants in town, including the Steaming Tender, Figlio’s, Tables, Day and Night Diner, and others. And she expects that rail service might bring more additions to that list and, overall, more people to Palmer.

 

Next Stop: Palmer

Indeed, while the rail stop is expected to encourage people to live in Palmer and perhaps work in Boston, it could also bring more people from Boston and other parts of the state to this community and those around it, said Lavoie, adding that, while the turnpike already brings visitors to exit 63, rail service will bring even more convenience.

Elaborating, he noted that students at UMass Amherst and the other Five Colleges could take the east-west rail service to Palmer and then take a bus or an Uber to those institutions.

“There will be more connectivity,” he said, adding that this quality will bring many benefits, especially a greater ability to commute from Palmer and surrounding towns to other parts of the state.

“You can take the Mass Pike, but it will be more conducive for more people to take the rail and not risk delays or inclement weather; it’s a safer mode of travel,” Lavoie told BusinessWest, adding that professionals can commute and work at the same time.

Meawhile, at a time when fewer young people are married to the notion of owning and maintaining a car, a community with a rail stop, and especially one with home prices several notches (at least for now) below those in Eastern Mass., moves toward the top of their places to live, work, or both.

“In essence, you’re pushing the bedroom community of the business hub of Massachusetts [Boston] further west, and anything that’s occuring in the Springfield area, you’re pushing that bedroom community further east,” he explained, adding that rail can only help amplify this trend.

Mannarino agreed, noting that one of the next steps in the process of making rail a reality in Palmer is finding a site for a new station. A committee of town officials and residents is being assembled to work with Andy Koziol, the recently named director of East-West Rail, and MassDOT on that assignment.

Several sites have been proposed, Mannarino said, listing the land near the Steaming Tender and DPW property off Water Street among the contenders. “The goal is to choose the one that’s most feasible and makes the most sense. Each of the sites has caveats.”

There is no timetable yet for east-west rail or Palmer’s stop on this highly anticipated transit initiative, and residents and town officials understand that it will likely be several years before the first trains stop in town. But the general consensus is that, after years of lobbying and pushing for this facility, it is now becoming real, and the question, increasingly, isn’t if, but when.

That means this town with a deep rail past is set to write an exciting new chapter in that history.

PVRR Among Railroads to Receive Grants

By
Daily News

BOSTON — MassDOT recently announced the awarding of five grants totaling more than $2 million for industrial rail projects as part of the 2015 Industrial Rail Access Program (IRAP). Among the grants awarded: $175,045 to Pioneer Valley Railroad for installation of new rail siding at Railroad Distribution Services facility in Westfield. The IRAP funding for the five projects is being matched by more than $1.7 million in private sector funds for a total $3.7 million investment in freight rail improvements in the third year of the IRAP program. Created as part of the 2012 Transportation Bond Bill, IRAP provides grants to railroads, rail shippers and municipalities that identify a public benefit gained through improved rail transportation usage or economic growth that would be realized through improved access to rail assets. “The IRAP program is an example of government working with the private sector to solve a problem. We are glad to have the opportunity to improve rail access and support industrial uses. It is truly a “win-win,” said Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack. The five 2015 IRAP recipients represent a variety of projects meeting the program objective of improving the rail network while boosting economic growth.

Company Notebook

By
Company Notebook

Food Bank Sells Facility to Myers Produce

HATFIELD — The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts announced the successful sale of its Hatfield building and property to Myers Produce, a woman-owned regional produce distributor and trucking company offering farmer-focused distribution, freight, and warehousing services. The strategic decision to sell the building marks a significant milestone for both businesses. The Food Bank moved to its new location at 25 Carew St., Chicopee, during the last week of August, and Myers Produce will move into its new Hatfield facility in October. Myers Produce has a long-standing commitment to bolster access to regionally grown food and to support farmers in Western Mass. and Vermont. With this strategic move, Myers Produce is taking a significant step to expand the purchasing of food from local growers and producers and transporting and reselling it to food retailers throughout the region and beyond. Moving to Hatfield will generate employment opportunities and place Myers Produce close to farmlands, near highways, and at a central crossroads for serving growers, customers, and fellow distributors in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine. Both the Food Bank and Myers Produce are looking forward to sharing resources at their respective new facilities, including cross docking and temporary storage. This arrangement will facilitate Food Bank deliveries to its member food pantries and meal sites in Hampshire and Franklin counties. For Myers Produce, this arrangement will contribute to its current ‘donation transportation’ program, facilitating the free transportation of donated food to the Food Bank for distribution to the local community. Foreseeing it was running out of space many years ago, the Food Bank purchased 16.5 acres of vacant land in the Chicopee River Business Park in 2020. In 2021, it launched a successful, $26 million capital campaign to raise funds to build a larger facility, with support from individual and business donors, state and federal governments, and volunteers. In 2022, construction began on its new distribution center and headquarters, which is nearing completion.

 

AIC Introduces Division of Arts, Media, and Design

SPRINGFIELD — American International College (AIC) has made a significant advance toward meeting the evolving demands of the workforce with the introduction of a new Division of Arts, Media, and Design within the School of Business, Arts, and Sciences. This division encompasses redesigned undergraduate programming in the bachelor of arts and bachelor of science curricula, launching with the upcoming fall 2023 semester. This new division will introduce four undergraduate majors, each crafted to provide students with a comprehensive foundation. The offerings include public relations & social media administration, digital media production, arts and entertainment management, and graphic arts and design. Moreover, AIC unveiled six new undergraduate minors that complement these majors. The minors include public relations and social media administration, digital media production, arts & entertainment management, graphic arts and design, fashion design and merchandising, and music technology & production.

MCLA’s LEAD Academy Expands with Support from Greylock Federal Credit Union

NORTH ADAMS — LEAD Academy, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ (MCLA) almost two-decade-old program to help new students integrate into college life, is getting a huge boost thanks to Greylock Federal Credit Union. Greylock pledged $100,000 to support a reimagined Greylock LEAD Academy, allowing the program to grow from around 30 MCLA students each year to this fall’s cohort of 200 participants. Thanks to Greylock’s generosity, LEAD is now available to all MCLA first-year students at no cost. LEAD, which stands for Leadership, Education, Action, and Development, is a college success, leadership, and civic-engagement program designed to help students develop leadership skills and the skills necessary for college preparation, which they can immediately apply. Beginning Aug. 26, this year’s LEAD students will participate in a holistic onboarding experience before the start of fall classes. The first five days will provide a signature experience focusing on leadership development, team building, community building, and workshops conducted by student leaders.

 

Community Music School Receives $10,000 Grant from New York Life

SPRINGFIELD — Community Music School of Springfield (CMSS), which provides accessible, affordable music education, has been awarded a $10,000 Community Impact Grant from New York Life. The grant will support the Adaptive Music Program (AMP), which connects music education and special education to improve students’ lives, impacting their social/emotional, academic, and artistic development. “We are grateful for New York Life’s investment in AMP, which will change many lives for the better,” said Jean Deliso, CFP, an agent with New York Life’s Connecticut Valley General Office and CMSS board member. “We are pleased that our partnership will have a long-lasting impact on CMSS and the population they serve.” The Community Impact Grant program awards grants of up to $25,000 to local nonprofit organizations, which are championed by New York Life agents and employees. Since the program’s inception in 2008, nearly 800 grants totaling more than $10 million have been awarded to nonprofits across the country. “With this generous support from New York Life, this year, AMP will be able to work with over 800 students at more than 15 Springfield public schools, providing critical skill building, including receptive and expressive language, motor skills, and building social relationships, helping these vulnerable children build their foundation for future success in all types of academic and personal areas,” said Eileen McCaffery, executive director of CMSS.

 

Maybury Material Handling, Community Action Pioneer Valley Win HNE Well Worth It Award

SPRINGFIELD — Health New England has awarded Maybury Material Handling of East Longmeadow and Community Action Pioneer Valley of Greenfield its Well Worth It Award, Gold designation, for outstanding employee-wellness programs. Maybury Material Handling provides industrial products and services to manufacturing, distribution, and warehousing customers. Community Action Pioneer Valley is a not-for-profit that helps those with low incomes achieve economic stability and security, and works to build communities in which all people can thrive. Both employers demonstrated their responsibility to the health and well-being of their employees by encouraging them to use Health New England’s suite of health and wellness services. These include its Healthy Choices Rewards Program that offers monetary rewards for healthy activities, such as joining a gym, nutrition counseling, smoking cessation, and more. Health New England also awarded Well Worth It Awards in the Silver designation to Scantic Valley Regional Health Trust and PeoplesBank, and in the Bronze designation to Springfield Area Transit Co. Inc./Pioneer Valley Transit Authority. Well Worth It Award winners will be honored at a luncheon on Oct. 5 at the Sheraton Springfield.

 

Country Bank, WooSox Foundation Announce 2023 WooStars

WARE — Country Bank and the Worcester Red Sox Foundation recently announced the 2023 WooStars, a program that supports nonprofit leaders throughout the region. Country Bank recently recognized nine local WooStars and the nonprofits they are affiliated with at Polar Park, including Mari Gonzalez of El Buen Samaritano Food Program Inc., Jenna Rahkonen of HomeFront Strong, Brian Feeley of Miracle League of Western Massachusetts, Todd Stewart of Camp Putnam, Sharon MacDonald of Guild of St. Agnes of Worcester Inc., Anna Rice of Dismas House, Gina and John Connolly of Lou Gehrig Little League, and Joseph Kenadek of Jack Barry Little League. Each nonprofit was presented with a $5,000 donation. In the past three years, 27 WooStars have been awarded a total of $135,000 in donations.

 

The Stubblebine Co., JLL Announce Sale of Property

WESTFIELD — The Stubblebine Co./CORFAC International and JLL announced the sale of 323 Lockhouse Road, Westfield to ERD Metal Inc. for $14.5 million. The property consists of a 229,867-square-foot industrial building on 26.09 acres. Situated two miles from I-90 and seven miles from I-91, the property is located adjacent to Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport. Erdoganlar Aluminum (ERD Metal Inc.) was established in 1987 in Istanbul, Turkey as a family-owned aluminum-extrusion company. Its vision is to fulfill the needs of its partners by offering a wide range of products and services, including custom fabrications, plastic injection, aluminum casting, custom aluminum extrusions, custom packaging, and more. Established in 1987, the Stubblebine Co./COFAC International specializes in selling and leasing large industrial investment properties and adaptive reuse sites throughout New England.

Adding Weight to the Argument

By
Sections Supplements
Obesity Trend Demands Personal and Societal Responses

In December 2001, then-U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher issued a call to action on the trend toward being overweight or obese, saying both conditions “may soon cause as much preventable disease and death as cigarette smoking.”

Two years later, his successor, Dr. Richard Carmona, addressed Congress on the obesity crisis, calling it “the fastest-growing cause of disease and death in America.”

The situation is not improving. Today, obesity in America, and indeed throughout the world, is a runaway freight train heading down the track of public health. The question is whether we stand still or do something to stop the train.

A Large Problem

The National Center for Health Statistics says that more than 30% of U.S. adults — some 60 million people — are obese, and at least an additional 35% are overweight. The distinction between the two is determined by Body Mass Index, a physical measurement using an individual’s height and weight.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the percentage of overweight young people has tripled since 1980: among children and teens age 6 to 19, 16% — about 9 million — are considered overweight. In Massachusetts, the CDC estimates that 55% of adults are overweight or obese, and 24% of high-school students are overweight or at risk of becoming so.

The consequences of overweight and obese children are that adult complications begin much earlier. Imagine patients in their 30s comprising more than half of the beds in an intensive care unit for heart disease, standing at the pharmacy to get bottles of pills for their diabetes, filling the roster of the cancer care center, or lining up for injections to treat their arthritis.

Obesity is associated with more than 30 medical conditions, including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, respiratory illness, low back pain, and cancer. It’s a major cause of joint-replacement surgeries, type 2 diabetes, and osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, affecting about 21 million Americans.

There’s more. Studies show that overweight Americans are sicker late in life and die prematurely, women who are overweight or obese at 18 are at greater risk of dying in middle age than women who stay at a healthy weight in their teens, and obesity is even affecting infants, posing potential health problems in children as they age.

Obesity has some troubling side effects as well. Radiologists say that very obese people can’t get full medical care because they’re too big to fit into imaging scanners, or their fat is too dense for X-rays or sound waves to penetrate.

As a result, hospitals are making capital investments to care for such patients, paying for wider doorways, beds, and operating tables that hold up to 1,000 pounds, and special lifting devices to move obese patients, to avoid injuries to the staff.

The causes of obesity — genetic, environmental, and behavioral — are being debated around the world. Nonetheless, as a ‘super-size me’ society, we find ourselves in a perfect storm, consuming much larger numbers of calories than we expend.

Today, even small amounts of physical activity are decreasing, as remote controls, escalators, and now personal transport devices are all designed to remove the need to put one foot in front of the other.

Dual Response

Our response to this crisis must be both personal and societal. Individuals must think more about healthy eating and less about convenience eating. Physical activity must become a part of everyday life.

In other words, the best parking space is farther away from the entrance. Take the stairs for one or two flights.

Meanwhile, businesses can provide on-site exercise programs. Buildings can be built or renovated to encourage using the stairs. Communities and government agencies can develop walking and biking trails and provide safe places for exercise. Schools can promote physical activity and healthy eating and create smarter consumers and shoppers in restaurants and grocery stores.

If we become more informed and take action, we can influence the marketplace — and business, government, and communities — to create the goods, services, and environment we need to maintain a healthy life.

Stuart R. Chipkin, M.D., a physician with the Valley Medical Group in Amherst and a research professor in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at UMass Amherst, chairs the Mass. Medical Society’s Committee on Nutrition.

HCC Hosting ‘Taste & Tour’ on April 11 at HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute

By
Daily News

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College will hold an open house on Thursday, April 11 at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute for anyone interested in taking classes there as well as members of the general public who want to tour the facility and sample dishes prepared by students and staff. 

The “Taste & Tour” event runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the 164 Race St. facility and coincides with an open house at the adjacent Freight Farms hydroponic container farm, where visitors can learn about the ongoing urban-farming project there managed by HCC.

Guests at the open house will be able to tour the state-of-the-art, 20,000-square-foot Culinary Arts Institute, view cooking demonstrations, sample appetizers, meet faculty chefs, and learn about HCC’s certificate and associate-degree programs in Culinary Arts, as well as the college’s non-credit culinary and hospitality workforce-training programs.

HCC Admissions counselors will take on-the-spot applications and talk with students about programs and the enrollment process, including applying for financial aid and preparing for the college placement test.

By
Departments

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

CHICOPEE

INDIAN ORCHARD

Altoros Systems Inc., 195
Meadow St., 2nd floor,
Chicopee 01013. Renat
Khasanshyn, same. Software
engineering services, IT
consulting, systems
integration.

Global Logistics
Management Services Inc.,
460 Main Street Office 1,
Indian Orchard 01151.
James E. Menard, 153
Chestnut St., East Longmeadow 01028.
A freight company, trucking,
air and ocean service. etc.

Alykat Inc., 766 Memorial
Dr., Chicopee 01020. Brenda
A. Guiel, 161 Wilson Ave.,
Chicopee 01013. Jewelry
store.

J & J Architectural Inc., 34-
40 Front St., Annex 4, Indian
Orchard 01151. David A.
Carter, 52 Maple St.,
Belchertown 01007.
Manufacturing and fabrication.

Lilybugs Inc., 10 Woodcrest
Circle, Chicopee 01020.
Crystal C. Kane, same.
Manufacture and sale of
baby products.

Marty’s RE 528 Main St.,
Inc., 528 Main St., Indian
Orchard 01151. Martin
Dietter, same. Real estate.

EASTHAMPTON

 LUDLOW
Mt. Tom Plastics Inc., 142
Pleasant St., Easthampton
01027. Richard Prucnal, 104
Perry St., Easthampton
01027. Manufacturing and
printing of plastic bags.

Brazilian Cultural
Community Center Inc., 124
Holycross Cir., Ludlow 01056.
Marco Aurelio Alvan, same.
(Nonprofit) To provide after
school programs for single mothers
and working parents
and a safe haven for recreational
youth athletic programs, etc.

RJL The Curtain Shop
Inc., 36 Ashley Circle,
Easthampton 01027. Jill C.
LaFleur, same. To operate a
retail curtain shop.

NORTHAMPTON

McAire Co. Inc., 76 Crescent
St., Suite 1, Northampton
01060. Richard M. Mc

EAST LONGMEADOW SOUTH HADLEY
Next Systems Inc., 22 Deer
Park Dr., East Longmeadow
01106. Steven R. Torres, 500
Park Dr., Springfield 01106.
Distribution and resale of
scales and load cells.

Ishah ‘El Theatre Arts
Collaborative Inc., 29
Woodbridge St., South
Hadley 01075. Elliott
Merritt Burke Jr., same.
(Nonprofit) To encourage,
support and promote
Christian art, craft and artists in
theatre arts, create new works
of theater fostering
a multicultural perspective, etc.

FLORENCE  
Crossroads Accessories
Inc., 221 Pine St., Suite 145,
Florence 01062. Dmitri
Robbins, 16 Myrtle St.,
Northampton 01060.
Wholesale and retail sale
and distribution of jewelry
and accessories.		 Joshua Generation
Fellowship, 186 East St.,
South Hadley 01075. Edward
J. Lemelin, same. (Nonprofit)
To establish a church
congregation to promote the
work of God and the ministry
of his word, etc.

HOLYOKE

SPRINGFIELD

House Bidders Inc., 76
Eastern Promanade St.,
Holyoke 01040. James
Fernandes, same. Consulting
services to homeowners
engaged in home renovation
and improvements.		 Peak Performance
Chiropractic Inc., 1 Stafford
St., Springfield 01104.
Michael M. Levesque, D.C,
same, president, treasurer
and secretary. Chiropractic/
physical rehab.
The Turn Group Inc., 824
South Bridge St., Holyoke
01040. Gary Silva, 29
Pleasantview St., Ludlow
01056. To effect the
association of American citizens
and others of Germanic ancestry,
to operate club facilities, etc.		 ZMP Inc., 473 State St.,
Springfield 01109. Martin P.
Zebrowski, 122 Main St.,
South Hadley 01075. Bar and
restaurant.

HUBBARDSTON

WESTFIELD

Wide Angle Marketing
Inc., 27D Old Colony Road,
Hubbardston 01452. Kraig
Kaijala, same. Design and
maintenance of trade show
exhibits and store fixtures.

 Proudly Landscaping Inc.,
37 Janelle Dr., Westfield
01085. David S. Prouty, same.
General landscaping, yard
restoration and gutter
cleaning.

HUNTINGTON

Gateway Family Center
Inc., The, 9 Russell Road,
Huntington 01050. Kimberly
Jazlies Savery, 11 Harry
Pease Road, Middlefield
01243. (Nonprofit) To
enhance and strengthen
family life in the community,
promote education, etc.

Residential Tree Service
Inc., 41 Mill St., Westfield
01085. James M. Greene,
same. Tree cutting, trimming,
removal.

 

UMass Study to Explore How Automation Will Affect Truckers

By Contributor
Architecture

The Road Ahead

 

Last year, trucks moved 73% — 11.5 billion tons — of the freight in the U.S., making trucks, and truckers, crucial to the U.S. economy. With automation in trucking projected to grow 22% over the next 10 years, a team of UMass Amherst researchers has received a grant to explore how automation will affect the role of American long-haul truckers.

An interdisciplinary group of researchers led by Shannon Roberts, associate professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, has been awarded nearly $2 million over four years by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Future of Work Program.

“We know that, when automation is introduced into trucks, it changes the role of a trucker,” Roberts said. “The question we are asking is, how do we examine and improve upon the future of work in long-haul trucking not by focusing on technology development, but rather by focusing on the trucker?”

Laurel Smith-Doerr, professor of Sociology and co-principal investigator on the study, noted that, “unlike other research projects on the future of work in long-haul trucking that assume driverless automation, our interdisciplinary, NSF-funded project centers the driver in the process of imagining the future of work in trucking.”

Roberts added that the role technology plays and the needs of truckers have to be carefully balanced. “Let’s focus on taking the best of both worlds to make sure they work together seamlessly. In the end, that will reap the greatest benefit.”

“Technology is good at handling consistent situations with predictable, rational people, but humans are not predictable, rational beings. Because of this, technology will not be able to react to everything that might happen on the road. It’s impossible. We will need a person in the truck.”

Automation has many benefits, like fewer crashes and better efficiency, but that doesn’t mean the human should be removed from the equation entirely, she added. “Technology is good at handling consistent situations with predictable, rational people, but humans are not predictable, rational beings. Because of this, technology will not be able to react to everything that might happen on the road. It’s impossible. We will need a person in the truck.”

At the same time, automation can’t make workers feel expendable, she said. “People take pride in what they do. We don’t want to take everything out of that job such that people are unsatisfied and unhappy. Many people get into trucking as a means to move into the middle-class lifestyle with a high-school diploma or a GED. It’s a means of betterment for a large chunk of the population.”

Roberts added that there’s a significant equity factor to consider as well. She sees how automation can also help relieve the ongoing trucker shortage by making the field more accessible to people who are underrepresented in the field — veterans, women, and minorities.

Ultimately, these questions converge on a topic she calls the human-truck symbiosis. “How do we take advantage of all the things that people are good at doing, and all the things that technology is good at doing, to make sure we have a system that works really well?”

Such a complex landscape requires an interdisciplinary team to evaluate it from all angles. Other principal investigators include Henry Renski, professor of Regional Planning; Shlomo Zilberstein, professor of Computer Science; Michael Knodler, professor of Civil Engineering; and Robin Riessman of the UMass Transportation Center as senior personnel.

Some of the methods the team plans to use to collect the information include ride-alongs with truckers, participatory design with truckers, and workforce-development analysis.

“We’re working with this workforce — that is, truckers,” Roberts said. “One of the things that will make this project successful is our stakeholders.”

 

Incorporations

By
Departments Incorporations

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

CHICOPEE

Ela Deli Inc., 226 Exchange St., Chicopee, MA 01013. Elzbieta Magda, 75 Wheatland Ave., Chicopee, MA 01020. Deli & grocery store.

CUMMINGTON

LM Cubed Inc., 320 Stage Road, Cummington, MA 01026. Mark    F. Sullivan, same. Providing solutions for clients’ needs arising from construction activities they have undertaken.

EAST LONGMEADOW

J&B Fleet Maintenance Inc., 290 Westwood Ave., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Suzanne Lynch, same. The repair of tractor-trailer trucks.

HOLYOKE

Holy Spirit International Chaplin of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 460 Tokeneke Road, Holyoke, MA 01040. Norma Rodriguez, 60 Alvord Ave., Chicopee, MA 01020. Volunteer services to the community and the poor through religious and non-religious outreach.

LEE

K.B. Regency Inc., 65A Fairview St., Lee, MA 01238. Karen Hawkins, same. Author.

LEVERETT

Coolcap Fund Inc., 88 Shutesbury Road., Leverett, MA 01054. Roger Bird, same. Provides poor smallholder farmers in Kenya and other African counties with low-cost-to-buy farming equipment at a price they can afford with terms they can meet.

MONSON

Eight Eight One Entertainment Inc., 189 Hovey Hill Road, Monson, MA 01057. John P. Siniscalchi, same. Operation of restaurant and lounge.

SOUTH DEERFIELD

Frontier Youth Football Association Inc., 195 North St., South Deerfield, MA 01373. Jennifer Hannum, same. Non-profit that provides an opportunity for eligible youth (ages 8-14) to engage in athletic exercises in a supervised, organized, and safety-oriented manner.

SOUTHAMPTON

Green Thumb Investment Corp., 170 Pomeroy Meadow Road, Southampton, MA 01073. Leakhena Som, same. Investing in medical dispensaries and cultivation.

SPRINGFIELD

Hampden County Bar Foundation Inc., 50 State St., Room 137, Springfield, MA 01103. Kevin V. Maltby, 165 Viscount Road, Longmeadow, MA 01106. Raise and expend funds for research in the public interest in any branch of the law.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Eagle Express Freight Inc., 480 Cold Spring Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Arber Allajbegu, same. Transportation services.

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.

HOLYOKE

Nova Leap Health Ma II Inc., 1593 Northampton St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Christopher Dobbin, 104-37 Wentworth St., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. Provide personal care services, homemaking, non-medical companion care.

HOUSATNOIC

Pilot Recording Studios Inc., 1073 Main St., Housatonic, MA 01236. William Schillinger, same. Recording studio.

PALMER

Northern Hope Foundation Inc., 30 Burlingame Road, Palmer, MA 01069. Syed M Naveed, 10 Kendall Dr., Northborough, MA 01532. Organization dedicated to improving the lives of children battling debilitating or chronic medical conditions through wish granting services and financial support to them and their families.

PITTSFIELD

Nourish the Sheep Corporation, 152 North St 41, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Zachari Durso, 152 North St., Suite 41, Pittsfield, MA 01201. We connect services and build systems to streamline the process of getting assistance. We offer classes, training and other educational programs to clients and agencies.

Nurclan Inc., 180 Elm St., Suite I, Apt 229, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Nurbek Murzakhanov, same. General freight trucking service.

On Time Inc., 82 Wendell Ave. Ste 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Thiago Dos Santos, same. State-to-state transportation.

SOUTHAMPTON

P&M Mechanical Inc. 27 Gilbert Road, Southampton, MA 01073. Pawel Misniakiewicz, same. HVAC services.

SPRINGFIELD

R L Chayle Inc., 176 1/2 Main Street Indian Orchard, Springfield, MA 01151. Renata Lancaster, same. Regulated and licensed sales of marijuana products.

River Valley Chiropractic, P.C., 1003 St. James Ave. Unit 2, Springfield, MA 01104. Spencer R. Burling, same. Chiropractic services.

WESTFIELD

Picture Perfect Ponds Inc., 1911 East Mountain Road, Westfield, MA 01085. Jeffrey Richard Paquette, same. Building and maintaining landscaping ponds.

Incorporations

By
Departments Incorporations

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

CHICOPEE

Sophie Adam Inc., 1747 Westover Road, Chicopee, MA 01020. William Stetson, same. Restaurant and tavern.

Spectators Sports Bar & Grill Corp., 154 School St., Chicopee, MA 01013. Robert Scribner, 28 Beaumont Ave., Chicopee, MA 01013. Sports Bar & Grill.

EAST LONGMEADOW

TJI Enterprises Inc., 56 Sanford St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Todd Illingsworth, same. Painting, varnishing, shellacking, enameling, oiling, and staining of buildings, structures, vehicles, and machinery.

HOLYOKE

Moskal-Dowd Insurance Agency Inc., 14 Bobala Road, Holyoke, MA 01040. John Dowd, same. Insurance agency.

U.S. Heyichang Technology Engineering Co., Ltd., 16 Maple Crest Circle, Apt J, Holyoke, MA 01040. Xinya Liu, same. Provider of goods and services through technology applications.

NORTH ADAMS

Shaw Shambhala Inc., 66 Summer St., North Adams, MA 01247. John Shaw, 5338 Main Road, Route 100, Stamford, VT, 05352. Charitable organization for the purpose of physical, spiritual, and emotional self-healing.

OTIS

Mountainview Campground Inc., 1856 South Main Road, Otis, MA 01253. Philip Bignacki, 15 Birch Hill Road, Northborough, MA 01532. Seasonal family campground.

PALMER

R.O.D. Freight Management Inc., 21 Wilbraham St., Palmer, MA 01069. Scott Desantis, 224 Boston Road, Palmer, MA 01069. Shipper of general building products.

Seven Railroads Chapter HRHS Inc., 29 Flynt St., Palmer, MA 01069. Philip Johnson, 9 Ester Ave., Palmer, MA 01301. Nonprofit organization established for historical and educational preservation.

PITTSFIELD

Mickey Bubbles Inc., 105 Dalton Ave., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Pamela Veazie, 32 Gwenn Lane, West Stockbridge, MA 01266. Hand car wash and detailing.

RUSSELL

Northeast Roofing and Construction Inc., 862 Blandford Road, Russell, MA 01071. Joseph Ravosa, same. Roofing and construction services.

SPRINGFIELD

J & P Green Partners Inc., 173 Pine St., Springfield, MA 01105. Jonathan Fonseca, same. Educate consumers and businesses on green technology initiatives.

JC Wireless Inc., 135 Boston Road, Springfield, MA 01109. Ho Jeong Han, 9 Kimbell Ct., #811 Burlington, MA 01803. Retail wireless store.

L.V. Trucking Incorporated, 321 Orange St. Floor 2, Springfield, MA 01108. Luis Manuel Villa, same. Transportation, shipping, and delivery services.

Relevant Energy Concepts Inc., 1833 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield, MA 01109. Brian Tolliver, same. Smart energy practices and solutions for businesses and residents to create a smaller carbon footprint.

S.W.A.G.G.E.R. Corp., 94 Wilbraham Road, Springfield, MA 01109. Clarence Smith, 58 Berkshire St., Springfield, MA 01109. Retail clothing store.

Sky Home Improvement Inc., 27 Continental St., Springfield, MA 01108. Gregory Garcia, same. Home improvement services.

Sponsor a Student Ltd., 64 Denver St., Springfield, MA 01109. Kafi Akillah Martin, same. Charitable organization established to provide financial support to tax exempt 501 c(3) nonprofit organizations.

The Grime Fighters Corp., 57 Merrimac Ave., Springfield, MA 01104. Luis Adams, same. Air duct cleaning for the purpose of improved energy efficiency.

Y.L.S. Inc., 442 Page Blvd., Springfield, MA 01104. Yorky Santos, same. Bar and lounge.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Shades of Jade & JB Studios Inc., 1138 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Fanta Simmons, 120 Longhill St., Apt. 8, Springfield, MA 01108. Hair salon

WESTFIELD

Quotemule Inc., 8 Darby Dr., Westfield, MA 01085. Carlton Hale, same. Internet broker between contractors and engineers with materials suppliers worldwide.

Westfield Contracting Inc., 63 Country Club Dr., Westfield, MA 01085-5009. Richard Doiron, same. General contractor.

Community Spotlight: Palmer

By
Community Spotlight Features
In Palmer, Life Goes On After Failed Casino Bid

Linda Leduc and Charles Blanchard

Linda Leduc and Charles Blanchard say it’s important to implement strategies to raise Palmer’s profile and reputation as a business-friendly town.

Charles Blanchard says many residents and people who drive through Palmer think, because the majority of its mills have closed, that industrial jobs no longer exist in town.

“We hear it all the time,” the town manager said, adding that this is an erroneous conclusion, and a new video, titled Industry Alive in Palmer: An Inside Look at Local Businesses, has been created to dispel that notion.

It was shown for the first time on Oct. 14 during a Town Council meeting and showcases eight of the town’s successful manufacturing companies. They range in size from large to very small, but many have been operating for generations inside former mills and locations such as the Maple Tree Industrial Center, a 48-acre site on Route 20 with access to rail that abuts the Massachusetts Turnpike.

“There are people doing things behind walls here better than anywhere else in the world; it’s just interesting that it’s happening in Palmer,” said Mark Borsari, president of Sanderson MacLeod Inc., a company featured in the video that makes twisted wire brushes.

Darcy Fortune agrees. “I’m a fifth-generation Palmer resident, and before I did the interviews for this video, I did not realize how many factories, foundries, commercial distribution facilities, and industrial parks we have here in town,” said the co-creator of the production. “Although Palmer is known as the Town of Seven Railroads, it should actually be called the Hub for Industrial Activity.

“People work hard here every day behind the scenes to produce products that are distributed all over the world,” she went on. “These establishments are participating in the American dream, and they deserve recognition, along with the smaller mom-and-pop businesses that prosper here. Palmer is an ideal place to live, work, and operate a business.”

Getting that message across was the unofficial motivation behind the video, which shows that there is definitely life in this community after a high-stakes attempt to bring a casino to a site off Turnpike exit 8 — an endeavor that went on for several years — came to an abrupt end 13 months ago when town voters voted against the plan.

And while the casino dominated talk in the town, officials there didn’t wait for the matter to be decided before moving forward with a number of economic-development-related initiatives. These include everything from a tax-increment-financing (TIF) zone to establishment of so-called priority-development sites, a status that requires officials to issue permits for new businesses in those sites within 180 days, to the creation of the new position of economic development director. Linda Leduc, who had been serving as the town’s planner, now has that new title as well, and she’s moving ahead with a number of strategic initiatives ro raise Palmer’s profile and bring more businesses to the community.

“We have a variety of strategies and resources that can help businesses that want to move here,” she noted. “They include our priority-development- zoned properties, which have an expedited permitting process, as well as our single tax rate. We just want people to know that Palmer is a business-friendly town.”

Making Strides

Leduc said she plans to use the video as a marketing tool at economic-development conferences and other appropriate settings. She told BusinessWest that she and Blanchard came up with the idea for the production after she became economic-development director last year, and they began to tour local businesses with Lenny Weake, president of the Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce.

“We wanted to see what types of businesses were in town, make sure the town was meeting their needs, and find out what they needed to help them grow and prosper,” Leduc said, adding that the visits generated a wealth of information and insight.

Blanchard said they visited 16 companies. “Along the way, we met a lot of owners, learned about their businesses, and became excited about what was going on in Palmer. Many had developed a strong niche in the marketplace, and their prosperity has been a well-kept secret,” he told BusinessWest, citing examples that included a foundry, a precision metal company, a construction firm, and a major tree service.

After the trio completed their visits, Blanchard approached M-Pact TV General Manager Bruce Henriques with the idea of creating a video that would focus on companies involved with manufacturing and distribution. M-Pact is the town’s public-access station and airs in Palmer and Monson on channels 7 and 12.

Henriques said he would be happy to do the work at no charge. “I had been self-employed most of my life when I took this job 15 years ago, and I wanted to give the station a more commercial feel and do more for the business community, so it was an ideal fit,” he explained. “I know some of the business owners who are profiled in the video, and they have gone through some tough times over the years. I felt they deserved a break; they supply jobs and are doing some great things people aren’t even aware of.”

Leduc concurred. “We wanted people to understand the types of businesses we have here and why they are successful, and the video speaks loudly about why a business would want to be located in Palmer.”

Since its completion, the video has been shown frequently on the public-access channels and has also been posted on the town’s website, YouTube, and Facebook. Companies featured in the production include Palmer Foundry, Mustang Motorcycle Seats, Rathbone Precision Metals Inc., Sanderson MacLeod, Maple Leaf Distribution Services Inc., Palmer Paving Corp., Northern Tree Service, Northern Construction Service LLC, Architectural Millwork Specialists, and BL Tees Inc.

Beyond simply telling Palmer’s story, though, town officials are also taking steps to incentivize businesses to move there.

Within the TIF zone, for example, a new business that opens there can negotiate an agreement with the town to pay taxes on a graduated rate for a period of no less than five and no more than 20 years. The state also offers incentives connected with the agreement, and Leduc said Palmer Corp. and, more recently, Detector Technology Inc. have taken advantage of the program.

“Palmer Corp. moved into warehouse space and made $1 million in improvements,” she noted, “while Detector Technology acquired a second building and changed warehouse space into manufacturing space.”

Right Place, Right Time

Blanchard believes there is plenty of opportunity to build a business in Palmer’s four villages, including space in a mill in Thorndike that is only partially occupied. He also believes the town is an ideal location for businesses due to its location.

“Palmer has access to a number of major highways,” he said, adding that, in addition to the turnpike, Routes 20, 32, 181, and 67 run through town. “Plus, there are a number of freight lines that go into Palmer Industrial Park, and there is an off-loading rail-line facility at Maple Street Industrial Park on Route 20.”

Blanchard cited Sherwood Industries, which is not showcased in the video, as a prime example of how Palmer’s access to rail is beneficial to businesses.

“They bring lumber products here by rail from the Northwest, then distribute them all over the Northeast and into the Carolinas,” he said. “And last year, they received an industrial rail access grant to extend rail service onto their property to allow more products to be brought in and distributed.

“There was also another grant issued to expand rail service in our industrial park,” he went on, adding that many local businesses not featured in the video are doing well, such as American Dry Ice, which distributes carbon dioxide and dry ice to various firms, including hospitals and restaurants.

Leduc agrees there is plenty of room for new businesses. “Palmer Technology Center and Maple Tree Industrial Park have unfilled space, and there are some empty storefronts available in Depot Village,” she said.

The town also has five priority-development sites, and in 2009, the community received a $15,000 grant to conduct a study to determine what was needed in terms of water and traffic control to put the sites to “their highest and best use,” said Leduc. These sites include:

• Olson Farm, 30 acres of open land zoned for mixed business along Route 20;
• The Holbrook site, a downtown parcel of less than a half-acre on the corner of Route 20 and Bridge Street;
• Chamber Road Industrial Park, a site containing two parcels of shovel-ready land totaling 10.7 acres;
• Thorndike Energy, an old mill complex located off Church Street on five acres with the potential for 90,000 square feet of renovated building space; and
• The area formerly slated for the casino, 152 acres across from the turnpike exit controlled by Northeast Realty.

Moving Pictures

Leduc, Blanchard, Fortune, Henriques, and other people who helped create the video hope it will inspire new businesses to consider moving to these sites or other available properties in Palmer. However, Blanchard said the production has already had an impact within the town.

“It opened new lines of communication between town officials and existing businesses, which we hope will continue whenever an issue comes up and they need support,” he told BusinessWest.

Meanwhile, the screening before the Town Council probably inspired a vote to make the town more business-friendly, or at least not less so.

“They were scheduled to vote on the tax-classification rate that night,” said Blanchard. “Although we have historically maintained a single tax rate, the council was considering changing it because of rising costs. But the video made them recognize the value of maintaining the single tax rate, and they voted to continue it to help the businesses in Palmer.”

It is the hope of those involved that the video, not to mention the many other initiatives undertaken by town officials, will yield more success stories to relate in the years and decades to come.

Palmer at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1775
Population: 12,140 (2010)
Area: 32 square miles
County: Hampden
Residential Tax Rate: Palmer, $19.36; Three Rivers, $20.06; Bondsville, $19.97; Thorndike, $20.25
Commercial Tax Rate: Palmer, $19.36; Three Rivers, $20.06; Bondsville, $19.97; Thorndike, $20.25
Median Household Income: $50,050
Family Household Income: $58,110
Type of government: Town Council
Largest Employers: Baystate Wing Hospital; Sanderson MacLeod Inc.; Camp Ramah; Big Y

* Latest information available

Real Estate Transactions

By
Departments Real Estate

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

FRANKLIN COUNTY

ASHFIELD

Apple Valley Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $514,995
Buyer: Gary Epstein
Seller: Robert L. Pratt
Date: 12/28/17

BERNARDSTON

808 Brattleboro Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Bradley J. Letourneau
Seller: Clifford C. Spatcher
Date: 12/28/17

61 Deane Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Robert A. Deane
Seller: Bank Of America
Date: 12/18/17

COLRAIN

1 Church St.
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Megan N. Weller
Seller: Ann M. Martin
Date: 12/19/17

CONWAY

34 Academy Hill Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Josephine Lally
Seller: Nicholas Potter
Date: 12/19/17

38 Academy Hill Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Josephine Lally
Seller: Nicholas Potter
Date: 12/19/17

201 Maple St.
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Scott Hoffman
Seller: William Sheehan
Date: 12/29/17

2701 Shelburne Falls Road
Conway, MA 01341
Amount: $180,500
Buyer: Bear River Investments
Seller: Sara Logan
Date: 12/21/17

GILL

143 Barney Hale Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Nicole A. Coombs
Seller: Wells Fargo Bank
Date: 12/29/17

GREENFIELD

12 Armory St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Claire Huttlinger
Seller: George R. Marchacos
Date: 12/26/17

117 Beacon St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Judith M. Maloney
Seller: Laurel J. Brocklesby
Date: 12/29/17

1 Harrison Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Jody P. James
Seller: PDV Inc.
Date: 12/29/17

22 Little Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Jodie L. Suhl
Seller: Kempf, Jean P., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/17

86 Meridian St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: James A. Hazel
Seller: FNMA
Date: 12/29/17

125 Mohawk Trail
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $1,597,650
Buyer: Parmar Properties North
Seller: Shree Vinayak Inc.
Date: 12/29/17

33 Norwood St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Dorothea L. Melnicoff
Seller: PDV Inc.
Date: 12/28/17

33 Norwood St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $171,963
Buyer: PDV Inc.
Seller: Jason M. Thompson
Date: 12/20/17

69 Oakland St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $259,500
Buyer: Nancy Y Conant
Seller: Jeffrey I. Scroggin
Date: 12/22/17

49 Phyllis Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $291,000
Buyer: Yuriy Kovrizhnykh
Seller: Kenneth J. Cook
Date: 12/28/17

30 River St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Christopher H. Martenson
Seller: Robert G. Wallitis
Date: 12/28/17

98 River St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $197,000
Buyer: Darren S. Schmidt
Seller: George M. Sanford
Date: 12/19/17

35 Sauter Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Silvio Lima
Seller: Michael S. Mota
Date: 12/21/17

204 Wells St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Patricia Simmons
Seller: Laurie A. Newsome
Date: 12/20/17

LEYDEN

West Leyden Road
Leyden, MA 01301
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: S. Lisa Hayes
Seller: Damon, Edwin H. Jr. (Estate)
Date: 12/29/17

MONTAGUE

14-16 3rd St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $323,000
Buyer: 108 Properties LLC
Seller: Steven W. Rossetti
Date: 12/27/17

79 7th St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Jesse Hall
Seller: David W. Bartlett
Date: 12/29/17

6 Gunn Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $318,000
Buyer: Cameron T. Gray
Seller: Trevor J. Allenby
Date: 12/28/17

43 Hillside Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Steven S. Gochinski
Seller: PDV Inc.
Date: 12/22/17

74 Montague St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: James E. Adams
Seller: Balboni, Robert H., (Estate)
Date: 12/19/17

NORTHFIELD

54 Pine St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Walter A. Smith
Seller: Donald B. Randall
Date: 12/28/17

ORANGE

136 Brookside Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $493,000
Buyer: WM Realty Holdings NH LLC
Seller: BD Waterford Real Estate
Date: 12/22/17

53 Burrill Ave.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Maureen D. Wright
Date: 12/22/17

167 East Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $493,000
Buyer: WM Realty Holdings NH LLC
Seller: BD Waterford Real Estate
Date: 12/22/17

3 Memory Lane
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $164,500
Buyer: John A. Gallagher
Seller: Daniel Stoodley
Date: 12/22/17

SHUTESBURY

7 Oak Knoll
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Phil Potts Roaring Bluff
Seller: Aaron M. Snow
Date: 12/20/17

SUNDERLAND

41 South Silver Lane
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Vincent J. Tran
Seller: Michael A. Wissemann
Date: 12/29/17

WENDELL

9 Davis Turn Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Aaron M. Snow
Seller: David M. Beck
Date: 12/21/17

WHATELY

63 Long Plain Road
Whately, MA 01373
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Ryan P. Bailey
Seller: Wilcox Builders Inc.
Date: 12/22/17

100 State Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $700,000
Buyer: P&M Holding LLC
Seller: ALDT Realty LLC
Date: 12/29/17

31 Swamp Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: David J. Limero
Seller: Eileen Buckowski
Date: 12/20/17

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

84-86 Bridge St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $171,500
Buyer: Valley Building Co. LLC
Seller: Frederick D. Fusco
Date: 12/19/17

5 Elmar Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Devin T. Galloway
Seller: Mark R. Verville
Date: 12/29/17

Franklin St. Ext.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Yegor Muravskiy
Seller: Shirley G. Drenzek
Date: 12/29/17

19 Horsham Place
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Mark L. Berthiaume
Seller: Robert L. Loomis
Date: 12/28/17

515 Mill St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $266,000
Buyer: Yegor Muravskiy
Seller: Shirley G. Drenzek
Date: 12/29/17

131-137 Moore St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Susan Grossberg
Seller: RAK Realty Assocs. LLC
Date: 12/29/17

703 North St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $181,000
Buyer: Andrei Klimov
Seller: Thomas J. Davis
Date: 12/29/17

326 North West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: William G. Grimaldi
Seller: Robert P. Ollari
Date: 12/22/17

51 Peros Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $194,900
Buyer: Marta M. Rodriguez
Seller: Teresa A. Frogameni
Date: 12/20/17

107 Reed St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Viktoriya Tikhomirova
Seller: Edward A. Walters-Zucco
Date: 12/29/17

521 South West St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Jessica L. Breton
Seller: David J. Limero
Date: 12/20/17

371 Southwick St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Southwick Street RT
Seller: Dion L. Berte
Date: 12/29/17

576 Southwick St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: James K. Burghoff
Seller: Donna M. Santos
Date: 12/22/17

399-401 Springfield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Tina Nguyen
Seller: Geraldo V. Perez
Date: 12/20/17

1673 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Igor Banar
Seller: Carol J. Pananas
Date: 12/22/17

2 Westview Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $254,238
Buyer: FHLM
Seller: Mikhail S. Sergeychik
Date: 12/21/17

17 Wilbert Terrace
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Kathleen A. Klimoski
Seller: Kristen L. Buoniconti
Date: 12/29/17

BLANDFORD

6 Wyman Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $141,000
Buyer: James Start
Seller: Ian T. McEwan
Date: 12/22/17

BRIMFIELD

167 Warren Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Gail L. West
Seller: Burnham, Patricia M., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/17

CHICOPEE

21 Academy St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Michelle R. Filiau
Seller: Suzanne Murphy
Date: 12/29/17

6 Dejordy Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $267,000
Buyer: Eugene R. Lapierre
Seller: David Geoffroy
Date: 12/29/17

428 East Main St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: John R. Wolowicz
Seller: Edward S. Wolowicz
Date: 12/21/17

19 Freedom St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Stephanie M. Marotte
Seller: Karen J. Chlosta
Date: 12/27/17

76 Lawndale St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Veniamin Telelyuyev
Seller: Vasiliy Telelyuyev
Date: 12/22/17

15 Leclair Terrace
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: O’Connor Rentals LLC
Seller: Peter A. Desrosiers
Date: 12/29/17

49 Mary St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Eirielle Granger
Seller: Adrien F. Goulet
Date: 12/26/17

665 McKinstry Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $115,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Dowd
Seller: Lemieux, Janet E., (Estate)
Date: 12/29/17

49 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Nzabandora Appolinaire
Seller: MS Homes LLC
Date: 12/26/17

17 Moore St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Stephen S. Storozuk
Seller: Lisa A. Lonczak
Date: 12/22/17

71 Nye St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $164,000
Buyer: Sylwia A. Boryczka
Seller: Deborah A. Kvarnstrom
Date: 12/29/17

7 Otis St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Adrian Cedeno
Seller: Jane M. Wysocki
Date: 12/28/17

40 Pickering St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $247,000
Buyer: J. Townsend-Butterworth
Seller: David Abert
Date: 12/18/17

40 Plymouth St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Karen M. Boisjolie
Seller: Constance A. Houle
Date: 12/28/17

89 Royalton St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Joshua Donohue
Seller: John E. Duda
Date: 12/29/17

35 Savory Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Todd A. Beaudoin
Seller: Kevin T. Laplante
Date: 12/22/17

22 Suzanne St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $117,000
Buyer: Steven J. Niedbala
Seller: FNMA
Date: 12/18/17

58 Taft Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Gabriel Morales-Velez
Seller: Amy L. Guyott
Date: 12/22/17

164 Wheatland Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Derek T. Topulos
Seller: Scott M. Haselkorn
Date: 12/29/17

EAST LONGMEADOW

Baldwin St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Baldwin Street LLC
Seller: D&C Properties Inc.
Date: 12/22/17

11 Crescent Hill
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Sarah E. Metcalf
Seller: Peter D. Abel
Date: 12/21/17

5 Donamor Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $203,000
Buyer: Cynthia R. Palmer
Seller: Imogen Foster
Date: 12/20/17

14 High Meadow Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $625,000
Buyer: Robert A. Weishaus
Seller: Hal B. Jenson
Date: 12/29/17

6 Kelsey St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $259,000
Buyer: Michael C. Healey
Seller: Charles M. Healey
Date: 12/21/17

28 Kibbe Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Mark E. Evans
Seller: Brian M. McGrath
Date: 12/22/17

313 Maple St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Fairview Extend Care Services
Seller: Meadows Realty Holdings
Date: 12/28/17

7 Melwood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $316,000
Buyer: Donna M. Prather
Seller: Victor Degray
Date: 12/22/17

Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Love Of FT
Seller: William F. Johnson
Date: 12/21/17

43 Pembroke Terrace
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Ruben Vaidya
Seller: R. Bruce Snyder
Date: 12/29/17

472 Porter Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Mariano Dross
Seller: Irving C. Ostrander
Date: 12/22/17

10 Silver Fox Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $323,839
Buyer: C&M Builders LLC
Seller: John F. Cassidy
Date: 12/19/17

23 Wilder Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Alan P. Coppolo
Seller: Dennis M. Welch
Date: 12/20/17

GRANVILLE

1572 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: David A. Burl
Seller: Anthony Melchionno
Date: 12/28/17

HAMPDEN

25 Kibbe Lane
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $479,000
Buyer: Gregory W. Simonelli
Seller: Custom Homes Development
Date: 12/28/17

HOLLAND

10 Julia Ann Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Edward L. Fisher
Seller: David A. Lopez
Date: 12/29/17

HOLYOKE

94 Beacon Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Ileana M. Cruz
Seller: Donna W. Hoener
Date: 12/18/17

209 Beech St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Marcela Gebara
Seller: Melissa A. O’Connell
Date: 12/22/17

36 Elliot St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $274,900
Buyer: Reinaldo Cruz
Seller: Steven J. Moran
Date: 12/21/17

25 Erie Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $188,000
Buyer: Philip A. Momnie
Seller: Wesley Lukas
Date: 12/29/17

81 Hillside Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Ray A. Phillips
Seller: William T. Lyle
Date: 12/18/17

330 Mackenzie Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Kathryn J. Fleming
Seller: Bank Of America
Date: 12/29/17

1655 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Valley Building Co. Inc.
Seller: Jane L. Rodrigue
Date: 12/21/17

1678 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Gallagher Properties LLC
Seller: Elizabeth A. Cartier
Date: 12/18/17

1698-1700 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Andrew R. Weibel
Seller: Champigny, Thomas R., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/17

158 Ontario Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: Alexandro S. Laftsidis
Seller: Ernest E. Smith
Date: 12/20/17

9 Vadnais St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Ailin Borkowski
Seller: Maureen A. Connor
Date: 12/28/17

57 West Glen St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $136,595
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Tina Leclair
Date: 12/28/17

44-46 Westfield Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $146,500
Buyer: Max C. Hebert
Seller: Carolyn E. Henneman
Date: 12/20/17

LONGMEADOW

111 Captain Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $626,000
Buyer: Nehal P. Patel
Seller: Williams J. Dupont
Date: 12/18/17

71 Lawrence Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $557,000
Buyer: Gregory S. Diamond
Seller: Martin E. Upperton
Date: 12/22/17

863 Maple Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $258,000
Buyer: Chuan Lin
Seller: Timothy J. Bannon
Date: 12/29/17

270 Park Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $343,875
Buyer: Robert Kushner
Seller: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Date: 12/18/17

550 Pinewood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $681,000
Buyer: JBSB 550 Pinewood RT
Seller: Patti G. Glenn
Date: 12/21/17

80 Primrose Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Jeffrey D. Katz
Seller: Lawrence B. Katz
Date: 12/29/17

LUDLOW

38 Circuit Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $176,278
Buyer: Melissa L. Smith
Seller: Mark J. Reilly
Date: 12/22/17

134 Colonial Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $317,615
Buyer: Linda E. Bourcier RET
Seller: Artur D. Demoura
Date: 12/22/17

24 Holy Cross Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Colm E. Landers
Seller: Mary A. Driscoll
Date: 12/29/17

115 Howard St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $123,000
Buyer: JP Morgan Chase Bank
Seller: Kimberly A. Pellegrini
Date: 12/27/17

371 Miller St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Joseph S. Pio
Seller: M&G Investors LLC
Date: 12/26/17

630 West St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: E&G Joint Venture NT
Seller: Aimee Y Arizmendi-Pagan
Date: 12/27/17

36 Williams St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Hussein T. Alsammaraee
Seller: Lucille K. Hancock
Date: 12/20/17

MONSON

20 Chestnut St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Thomas A. Boyer
Seller: Michele D. Byrne
Date: 12/27/17

3 Country Club Lane
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Thomas D. Piendak
Seller: David Z Podworski
Date: 12/20/17

32 Main St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: BG Real Estate Inc.
Seller: Robert S. Dix
Date: 12/29/17

PALMER

152-156 Bourne St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $248,000
Buyer: Robert A. Smus
Seller: Warren H. Spears
Date: 12/22/17

215 Burlingame Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: Keith E. Leaning
Seller: Ronald G. Belling
Date: 12/29/17

7 Desimone Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $292,500
Buyer: Paul Eusebio
Seller: Peter D. Baruffaldi
Date: 12/21/17

61 East Palmer Park Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: HSBC Bank USA
Seller: Kelly L. Robbins
Date: 12/28/17

153 Jim Ash Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $254,000
Buyer: Wess F. Jarvis
Seller: William W. Gravel
Date: 12/22/17

7 Kelly Road
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Collin Vartanian
Seller: Aram Vartanian
Date: 12/29/17

1427 North Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Gaoli LLC
Seller: David Chau
Date: 12/22/17

9 South St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Charles G. Nothe
Seller: James F. Kapinos
Date: 12/19/17

42-48 Stewart St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Ruby Realty LLC
Seller: Edward J. Philbrook
Date: 12/29/17

SOUTHWICK

185 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Elizabeth Gomez
Date: 12/19/17

12 Hunters Ridge Circle
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $379,900
Buyer: J. A. Santos-Villanueva
Seller: Richard D. Bossie
Date: 12/29/17

33 Miller Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $205,500
Buyer: Denise A. Dorazio
Seller: William W. Motyl
Date: 12/22/17

283 South Longyard Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Daniel M. Felix
Seller: Dorothy R. Cauthen
Date: 12/29/17

SPRINGFIELD

100-102 Abbe Ave.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Luis G. Vergara
Seller: Edward Boczon
Date: 12/22/17

93 Agnes St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Maxine D. Moultrie
Seller: Connie L. Johnson
Date: 12/28/17

6 Andrew St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $3,687,750
Buyer: BMG Holdings LLC
Seller: Lorilee 1 LLC
Date: 12/19/17

41 Ansara St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $149,000
Buyer: Jose Rivera
Seller: Michelle L. Bilodeau
Date: 12/20/17

90 Atwater Road
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $192,500
Buyer: J. R. Villanueva-Figueroa
Seller: Nahabed L. Charkoudian
Date: 12/27/17

71 Avon Place
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Rawal Realty LLC
Seller: Glory Realty LLC
Date: 12/29/17

73-R Avon Place
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Rawal Realty LLC
Seller: Glory Realty LLC
Date: 12/29/17

34-36 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $3,687,750
Buyer: BMG Holdings LLC
Seller: Lorilee 1 LLC
Date: 12/19/17

65 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,012,250
Buyer: 65 Belmont Holdings LLC
Seller: Lorilee 1 LLC
Date: 12/19/17

102-104 Blaine St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Anthony Thornton
Seller: Mark B. Pease
Date: 12/28/17

819 Bradley Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Christopher C. Walker
Seller: Timothy Flouton
Date: 12/29/17

45 Burnside Terrace
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Omotunde M. Bailey
Seller: Randy E. Nick
Date: 12/19/17

122 Chestnut St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Amount: $4,800,000
Buyer: 3 Chestnut LLC
Seller: 122 Chestnut LLC
Date: 12/29/17

151-157 Chestnut St.
Springfield, MA 01103
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Chestnut Acquisitions LLC
Seller: Ciocca Construction Corp.
Date: 12/28/17

32-34 Continental St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Edid T. Figueroa-Santiago
Seller: Henry J. Vargas
Date: 12/19/17

31 Cottonwood Lane
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Matthew P. David
Seller: Catherine E. Adornato
Date: 12/28/17

79 Dana St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $142,500
Buyer: Felix Rosado
Seller: Lisa Santaniello
Date: 12/19/17

11 Derryfield Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Shavone L. Gauthier
Seller: Bryar, Phyllis H., (Estate)
Date: 12/28/17

178 Denver St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Amanda Duda
Seller: Chad Lynch
Date: 12/18/17

48 Drexel St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Andrea Martinez
Seller: Richardo James
Date: 12/21/17

19 Edendale St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $162,000
Buyer: Shelby R. Bouchard
Seller: Christian B. Wiernasz
Date: 12/21/17

42 End St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $152,000
Buyer: Firas I. Kotaich
Seller: Junior Properties LLC
Date: 12/28/17

33 Fort Pleasant Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $3,687,750
Buyer: BMG Holdings LLC
Seller: Lorilee 1 LLC
Date: 12/19/17

80 Greaney St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Arelis Roy
Seller: Megazzini FT
Date: 12/29/17

141 Hadley St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Kari A. Stewart
Seller: Lori A. Blocher
Date: 12/29/17

16 Harkness Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Katie E. Byrne
Seller: Tina Forbes
Date: 12/22/17

44 Herman St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $129,000
Buyer: Elsie M. Rodriguez
Seller: Ethep P. Donahue
Date: 12/29/17

26 Huntington St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $145,500
Buyer: Nicholas R. Dejesus
Seller: Christopher Michniewicz
Date: 12/22/17

125 Ithaca St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Amanda J. Hill
Seller: Ting Chang
Date: 12/29/17

45 Kimberly Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $124,100
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Patrick Gonzalez
Date: 12/19/17

7 Lancaster St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: David A. Rivera
Seller: Donald H. Ayotte
Date: 12/22/17

17 Leyfred Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $1,012,250
Buyer: 65 Belmont Holdings LLC
Seller: Lorilee 1 LLC
Date: 12/19/17

288 Locust St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $3,687,750
Buyer: BMG Holdings LLC
Seller: Lorilee 1 LLC
Date: 12/19/17

75 Lyons St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $151,000
Buyer: C. M. Fernandez-Garcia
Seller: Kavork M. Merigian
Date: 12/19/17

3111 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: Zahoor U. Haq
Seller: GDK Spring Realty LLC
Date: 12/27/17

79 Maplewood Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Michael P. Riggins
Seller: Constance H. Ryder
Date: 12/22/17

206 Marsden St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $116,450
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Nikia M. McCoy
Date: 12/20/17

24 Michigan St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Noel Twagiramungu
Seller: Tiara L. Warren
Date: 12/26/17

70 Mooreland St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Vaycheslav Foksha
Seller: Sean F. Curran
Date: 12/21/17

N/A
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Maria C. Lopez
Seller: Joan Lupa
Date: 12/21/17

7 Naismith St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Edwin Torres
Seller: Franciso Bruno
Date: 12/29/17

17 Northway Dr.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $147,900
Buyer: Roger Francis
Seller: Agnes Kearon
Date: 12/21/17

39 Oakland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Drama Studio Inc.
Seller: Episcopal Missions of Western Mass.
Date: 12/22/17

752 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $1,250,000
Buyer: Kasa Springfield Realty
Seller: H&S Olson Of Springfield
Date: 12/27/17

69 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Lazy Valley Winery Inc.
Seller: WN Management LLC
Date: 12/27/17

11-13 Pauline St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Extremely Clean 2 LLC
Seller: Michael Paton
Date: 12/29/17

66 Powell Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $129,900
Buyer: Rosemary Perez
Seller: Sigmund C. Barnes
Date: 12/22/17

25 Redstone Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Anthony Santiago
Seller: Tooker, John S. Jr. (Estate)
Date: 12/19/17

42 Redstone Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $210,900
Buyer: Ashley M. McFarlane
Seller: Jacob P. Goodin
Date: 12/22/17

304 Roosevelt Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $164,900
Buyer: Lisa A. Folvi
Seller: Kenny Nguyen
Date: 12/28/17

120 Rosewell St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Miguel Acosta
Seller: Chappella Hernandez
Date: 12/19/17

118 Santa Barbara St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $116,300
Buyer: Brett A. Staples
Seller: Nelson Santos
Date: 12/22/17

17 Sherwood Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Jonathan A. Goldman
Seller: Pamela A. Greaney
Date: 12/27/17

81 Signal Hill Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $378,000
Buyer: Ryan Walsh
Seller: Grahams Construction Inc.
Date: 12/29/17

17 Silvia St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Mohamed Smaili
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 12/29/17

886-892 State St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $3,687,750
Buyer: BMG Holdings LLC
Seller: Lorilee 1 LLC
Date: 12/19/17

50-52 Stebbins St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: John E. Harley
Seller: Gihad A. Awkal
Date: 12/22/17

73-75 Sterling St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Jens Martinez
Seller: Richard Decoteau
Date: 12/22/17

76 Strong St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Chatherine Y. Brantley
Seller: Mirna Chennaoui
Date: 12/22/17

1179 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $121,600
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Beneficial Mass Inc.
Date: 12/29/17

14 Taber St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Debra Deleon
Seller: Errol L. Holloway
Date: 12/29/17

249 Talmadge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $157,350
Buyer: Travis A. Greeley
Seller: James Fiore
Date: 12/26/17

Timothy Circle
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Mario Nascimento
Seller: Wendy S. Mascaro
Date: 12/22/17

110 Treetop Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: Nelson Santos
Seller: Kristin Wampler
Date: 12/22/17

104-106 Washington Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Gerson Souza
Seller: Nancy Conway
Date: 12/28/17

71 Wexford St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: William Hollwedel
Seller: Joel T. Senez
Date: 12/19/17

114 William St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Isidoro R. Sanchez
Seller: Fernando J. Lucio
Date: 12/29/17

98-100 Woodside Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Fabian L. Holness
Seller: Onyx Investments LLC
Date: 12/20/17

183 Woodside Terrace
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $3,687,750
Buyer: BMG Holdings LLC
Seller: Lorilee 1 LLC
Date: 12/19/17

614-616 Worthington St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $168,000
Buyer: Field Group Holdings LLC
Seller: Sylvia M. Maynard
Date: 12/29/17

177 Wrentham Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Hawa N. Busolo
Seller: Joseph L. Harris
Date: 12/29/17

WALES

10 Shaw Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $268,900
Buyer: Steven E. Frank
Seller: Tatyana Y Komarova
Date: 12/28/17

32 Stafford Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $202,000
Buyer: Ricky J. Mustion
Seller: Wendy V. Johnson
Date: 12/29/17

24 Woodland Dr.
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Diblasi
Seller: Edward L. Fisher
Date: 12/29/17

WEST SPRINGFIELD

13 Alderbrook Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: Heritage Ventures LLC
Seller: Bank Of New York Mellon
Date: 12/21/17

60 Armstrong St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $219,900
Buyer: Tek Gautam
Seller: Sean L. Poirier
Date: 12/28/17

17 Blossom Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $162,100
Buyer: Stephen Buynicki
Seller: William F. Bennett
Date: 12/29/17

16 Bonair Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Murat Selim
Seller: Justin H. Carr
Date: 12/22/17

7 Bond St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $347,500
Buyer: Peter A. Slepchuk
Seller: Ryan M. Walsh
Date: 12/29/17

89 Burke Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Marc H. Gendron
Seller: Naura C. Lutat
Date: 12/21/17

63 Elm Circle
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $151,672
Buyer: HSBC Bank
Seller: Tammy Lamountain
Date: 12/19/17

25 Fox St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Abdul AlQaisy
Seller: Brian W. Clark
Date: 12/22/17

29 Neptune Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $244,000
Buyer: Christopher McRobbie
Seller: Kevin P. Malloy
Date: 12/18/17

130 Pine St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: Mykola Persanov
Seller: MHFA
Date: 12/28/17

176 Woodbrook Terrace
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: John A. Peterson
Seller: Joseph C. Kelley
Date: 12/21/17

WESTFIELD

76 Alexander Place
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $318,000
Buyer: Stephen L. Thomas
Seller: Amanda R. Collins
Date: 12/29/17

189 Barbara St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Suzanne M. James
Seller: Stephen F. Cook
Date: 12/29/17

Birch Bluffs Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: DDLP Development LLC
Seller: Edward F. Szuba
Date: 12/21/17

289 Buck Pond Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Alexandr Botyan
Date: 12/27/17

30 Cara Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Paul G. Piquette
Seller: Dawn L. Obitz
Date: 12/18/17

16 Casimir St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,144
Buyer: Nicholas A. Maratea
Seller: Terence P. Bray
Date: 12/22/17

12 Cortez St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $181,000
Buyer: Damon A. Blanchette
Seller: Stephanie M. Marotte
Date: 12/21/17

193 Falley Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $296,000
Buyer: Kim E. Clifton
Seller: Helen Vardakas
Date: 12/29/17

23 Family Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $329,900
Buyer: Jacob T. Allen
Seller: Nicholas Johnson
Date: 12/21/17

120 Franklin St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Sanaa Oprecht
Seller: Jeffrey W. Jason
Date: 12/22/17

40 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Bruce Scott
Seller: Gary E. Russolillo
Date: 12/29/17

204 Hillside Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $306,000
Buyer: Daniel M. Szalankiewicz
Seller: Mark A. Szalankiewicz
Date: 12/22/17

340 Holyoke Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: City Of Westfield
Seller: Patricia A. Madamas
Date: 12/20/17

50 Loomis Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Jessica Kelso
Seller: Luis E. Santos
Date: 12/28/17

20 Malone Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $124,500
Buyer: Kyle M. Amberman
Seller: Jason M. Seybold
Date: 12/27/17

33 Morningside Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Alexandrea M. Rees
Seller: Jeffrey W. Gilmer
Date: 12/22/17

77 Moseley Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $217,000
Buyer: Ruslan S. Kravchenko
Seller: Craig A. McRobbie
Date: 12/18/17

20 Myrtle Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Carolyn M. Wall
Seller: Tina M. Benson
Date: 12/28/17

North Westfield St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $148,000
Buyer: Michael J. McElligott
Seller: John D. West
Date: 12/29/17

27 Noble Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $130,001
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Angelo Rivera
Date: 12/27/17

119 Northridge Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $272,500
Buyer: Nadine M. Cignoni
Seller: Jesse Babcock
Date: 12/28/17

68 Plantation Circle
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: MTGLQ Investors LP
Seller: Mark C. Bydlak
Date: 12/18/17

15 Smith Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Tina Benson
Seller: Jessica Kelso
Date: 12/28/17

700 Southampton Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $145,800
Buyer: Mount Tom Properties LLC
Seller: Michael F. Szenda
Date: 12/26/17

89 Sunset Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Ellen M. Unsderfer
Seller: Matthew B. Osowski
Date: 12/20/17

WILBRAHAM

36 Decorie Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: David Z Podworski
Seller: Mark A. Butterfield
Date: 12/20/17

11 Grassy Meadow Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $468,000
Buyer: Jeffrey B. Iafrati
Seller: Miriam J. Siegel
Date: 12/29/17

9 Millbrook Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $323,000
Buyer: Maureen L. Obrien
Seller: S. Bertolacini & B. Mann TR
Date: 12/28/17

115 Soule Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $347,500
Buyer: Shaughn Dermody-Cadieux
Seller: Pamela S. Wallace
Date: 12/22/17

47 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Miriam Siegel
Seller: Melissa A. Donohue
Date: 12/29/17

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

16 Alpine Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $255,500
Buyer: Alicia K. Kuzia
Seller: Lauren A. McCarthy
Date: 12/29/17

870 Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Alexandra Bradspies
Seller: Snyder, Mary S., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/17

99 Chestnut St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Owen Shufeldt
Seller: Freiband, Evelyn, (Estate)
Date: 12/21/17

156 Columbia Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $264,610
Buyer: Sonja Kadziolka
Seller: Catherine E. Bell
Date: 12/18/17

160 East Leverett Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $494,000
Buyer: James Cuomo
Seller: Alka Indurkhya
Date: 12/29/17

23 Owen Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $590,000
Buyer: Arya Mazumdar
Seller: Chun I. Song
Date: 12/22/17

109 Potwine Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Robert W. Adair
Seller: Elizabeth G. Horvay
Date: 12/21/17

870 South East St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $437,500
Buyer: Karl E. Zimmerman
Seller: Margaret A. Riley
Date: 12/18/17

258 Strong St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $349,000
Buyer: Boyoung Seo
Seller: Sun-Hee Kim
Date: 12/22/17

2 Wintergreen Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Natalie McKeon IRT
Seller: John A. Tesauro
Date: 12/22/17

BELCHERTOWN

99 Allen Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Jeffrey W. Stpeter
Seller: Byron L. Miltz
Date: 12/22/17

30 Brandywine Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $312,500
Buyer: Rachel Mandel
Seller: Robert T. Beauchamp
Date: 12/28/17

884 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: American Advisors Group
Seller: Robert C. Follette
Date: 12/26/17

175 Jabish St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: H. Scott Grondin
Seller: Gary L. Brougham
Date: 12/21/17

166 North Liberty St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $219,000
Buyer: Katherine R. Polanco
Seller: Alfred A. Benoit
Date: 12/29/17

328 Old Enfield Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Nicholas A. Capell
Seller: M. T. Bergeron-Cichaski
Date: 12/18/17

160 Sargent St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Shawn M. Harris
Seller: Jackson Brothers Property
Date: 12/26/17

245 Ware Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Alexandra M. Weigel
Seller: George B. Jackson
Date: 12/28/17

350 Warren Wright Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $305,000
Buyer: Thomas E. Whiteley
Seller: Musaddak J. Alhabeeb
Date: 12/29/17

60 Warren Wright Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Kenneth P. Slate
Seller: Cynthia K. Schneider
Date: 12/27/17

EASTHAMPTON

13 Bayberry Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $423,000
Buyer: Stanley Gajda
Seller: John J. Hasper
Date: 12/28/17

7 Hannum Brook Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Thomas M. Bacis
Seller: Samora, Eunice M., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/17

6 West St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Bernhard K. Kober
Seller: Kober, Bernhard W., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/17

13 West St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $381,500
Buyer: Martin W. Fleming
Seller: Shirlee B. Williams
Date: 12/19/17

15 Wilton Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Gregory R. Blackburn
Seller: Thomas E. Whiteley
Date: 12/29/17

GOSHEN

25 Aberdeen Road
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Mary C. Colwell
Seller: Luanne B. Knox FT
Date: 12/29/17

GRANBY

143 Chicopee St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Leonard Camano
Seller: Mark L. Drapeau
Date: 12/22/17

131 School St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Matthew R. Dennis
Seller: 131school Street NT
Date: 12/21/17

HADLEY

9 East St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $394,835
Buyer: Michael J. Lengieza
Seller: East Street Commons LLC
Date: 12/22/17

152 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Lynn C. McKenna
Seller: James V. Foley
Date: 12/29/17

HATFIELD

28 Linseed Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Francis C. Lyman
Seller: Matthew N. Lyman
Date: 12/18/17

8 School St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $451,407
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Carla J. Brannan
Date: 12/19/17

117 West St.
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Wind River Properties LLC
Seller: Ursula M. Donaldson
Date: 12/28/17

HUNTINGTON

15 Bromley Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: 15 Bromley Road Land TR
Seller: Charles A. Blackman TR
Date: 12/22/17

114 Goss Hill Road
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Christofer Thrasher
Seller: Andrew B. McCaul
Date: 12/26/17

208 Norwich Lake
Huntington, MA 01050
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Sarah E. White
Seller: Richard W. Wiernasz
Date: 12/28/17

NORTHAMPTON

50 Avis Circle
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Timothy R. Johnson
Seller: Michael J. Dibrindisi
Date: 12/29/17

65 Baker Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $515,000
Buyer: David Butts
Seller: Josland & Associates PC
Date: 12/22/17

36 Beattie Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $332,000
Buyer: Matthew T. Donovan
Seller: Phyllis J. Maggiolino
Date: 12/19/17

20 Bridge Road #25
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $675,513
Buyer: Roy G. Jinks
Seller: Bridge Road LLC
Date: 12/22/17

93 Cahillane Terrace
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $170,300
Buyer: Matthew A. Motamedi
Seller: Elise M. Russell
Date: 12/18/17

76 Gothic St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Patrick J. Melnik
Seller: Roger A. Walaszek
Date: 12/20/17

44 Graves Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $730,000
Buyer: Black Dogs LLC
Seller: Noho Partners LLP
Date: 12/28/17

41 Henry St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Nancy L. Bak
Seller: Bak 2008 RET
Date: 12/22/17

7 Higgins Way
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $641,568
Buyer: Patricia J. Aslin
Seller: Sturbridge Development
Date: 12/22/17

28 Maple Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Kysa Nygreen
Seller: Mark A. Sayre
Date: 12/20/17

12 Maple St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $233,174
Buyer: V. Mortgage REO 2 LLC
Seller: Monica T. Toomey
Date: 12/22/17

110 Market St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $349,900
Buyer: Valley Building Co. Inc.
Seller: Timothy S. Cotton
Date: 12/18/17

256 Pleasant St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,055,000
Buyer: Lumber Yard Northampton
Seller: Valley Community Development Corp.
Date: 12/28/17

193 Ryan Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Ilene Berezin
Seller: Dora M. Onhilevich
Date: 12/20/17

282 Spring St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Steven M. Sanderson
Seller: Roger P. Clark
Date: 12/19/17

65 State St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $560,000
Buyer: APE Realty LLC
Seller: Josephine F. Cavallari TR
Date: 12/29/17

88 Village Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Denmark Property Group
Seller: Hospital Hill Development
Date: 12/19/17

54 Washington Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $644,000
Buyer: Andrew S. Leland
Seller: Charles Mick
Date: 12/19/17

101 Washington Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Trysquare LLC
Seller: Edward J. Grady
Date: 12/28/17

38 Willow St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $296,500
Buyer: Marvin Cable
Seller: Lucille R. Crowther
Date: 12/20/17

SOUTH HADLEY

16 Berwyn St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $174,500
Buyer: Ryan Kennedy
Seller: Moore, James J. Sr., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/17

16 Doane Terrace
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Christopher P. Guilmette
Seller: Durand, Mary K., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/17

281 East St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Robin D. Giroux
Seller: Rehm Family Properties
Date: 12/28/17

2 Hillside Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $236,000
Buyer: Thomas G. Poole
Seller: Casey Belieu
Date: 12/28/17

9 Hillcrest Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Stephen S. Templeton
Seller: Gail B. Fitzgerald
Date: 12/20/17

20 Meadow Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Stephen A. Rondeau
Seller: Nelen FT
Date: 12/22/17

3 Tigger Lane
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $439,000
Buyer: Brendan P. Cronin
Seller: Matthew T. Lapinski
Date: 12/29/17

SOUTHAMPTON

43 Coleman Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $255,250
Buyer: Kevin J. Evelti
Seller: Roger E. Jette
Date: 12/29/17

46 High St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Caryl J. McPherson
Seller: Janet L. Johnston
Date: 12/28/17

45 Pleasant St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Wynter H. Howland
Seller: William D&E A. Schaffer TR
Date: 12/29/17

Valley Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Thomas M. Bacis
Seller: James R. Labrie
Date: 12/19/17

6 Woodmar Lane
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $455,000
Buyer: Howard A. Koski
Seller: David Garstka Builders
Date: 12/27/17

WARE

16 Coldbrook Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Michael Messier
Seller: Benchmark Custom Homes
Date: 12/20/17

7 Kelly Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Collin Vartanian
Seller: Aram Vartanian
Date: 12/29/17

WILLIAMSBURG

7 Laurel Road
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $125,500
Buyer: Jason C. Harder
Seller: FNMA
Date: 12/28/17

100 Petticoat Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Brian Moriarty
Seller: Richard A. Barnard
Date: 12/21/17

6 Williams St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $187,000
Buyer: Brittany Superba
Seller: Greenwood, Richard E., (Estate)
Date: 12/29/17

WESTHAMPTON

177 Main Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Brian McLain
Seller: Sequoia Properties LLC
Date: 12/29/17

Pine Island Lake #46
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Laura A. Pompei
Seller: Hart FT
Date: 12/22/17

Pine Island Lake #46A
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Laura A. Pompei
Seller: Hart FT
Date: 12/22/17

Pine Island Lake #47
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Laura A. Pompei
Seller: Hart FT
Date: 12/22/17

26 Pine Island Lake
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Michael D. Tiskus
Seller: Stanne, Anthony J., (Estate)
Date: 12/28/17

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