Page 57 – BusinessWest

HOLYOKE — The Cannabis Education Center at Holyoke Community College (HCC) will begin its spring schedule of industry training programs this weekend, Jan. 21-22, with “Cannabis Core: Foundations of the Industry,” a two-day, introductory cannabis course.

Additional Cannabis Core programs are set for Feb. 11-12, March 11-12, April 22-23, and May 20-21. All classes meet over Zoom on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The spring calendar also includes multi-week training programs for jobs as culinary assistants, patient-services associates, cultivation assistants, and extraction technicians.

The Cannabis Core program provides an overview of the cannabis industry in Massachusetts and is geared for people looking for general knowledge as they consider a cannabis career. The program is a foundational course and a prerequisite for the center’s four career track courses:

• Culinary assistants are responsible for preparing cannabis or cannabidiol-infused products using a variety of cooking, baking, and infusion techniques;

• Patient-service associates work behind the counters at cannabis dispensaries, interacting with the public, answering technical questions, and providing information to registered cannabis patients, caregivers, and recreational customers making purchases;

• Cultivation assistants provide the daily care of the crops from seed to harvest and may be involved in cracking seeds, soil mixing, potting, defoliation, watering, pest control, and trimming; and

• Extraction technicians work in labs assisting production managers in all aspects of extraction, purging, oil manipulation, winterization, distillation, solvent recovery, and quality control.

Here is the full CEC cannabis training program schedule for spring 2023:

“Cannabis Core: Foundations of the Industry”: Sept. 9-10, Oct. 1-2, Oct. 29-30, Dec. 10-11; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (classes held over Zoom).

“Culinary Assistant”: Jan. 24 to Feb. 9, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. (classes held over Zoom and in-person at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke).

“Patient Services Associate”: Jan. 28 to Feb. 12, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (classes held over Zoom).

“Cultivation Assistant”: March 19 to April 16, Sundays, 4:30-6 p.m. (self-paced online plus four instructor-led Zoom sessions).

“Extraction Technician”: April 22 to May 13, Saturdays, 10-11:30 a.m. (self-paced online plus four instructor-led Zoom sessions).

The cost of the Cannabis Core training is $599, and career-track programs are $799, but scholarships are available to those who qualify.

To register, visit hcc.edu/cannabis-core or contact Lanre Ajayi, HCC director of Education and Corporate Learning, at [email protected] or (413) 552-2324.

Bacon Wilson, P.C. Welcomes Attorney Alexander Pattacini

SPRINGFIELD — Bacon Wilson, P.C. announced that attorney Alexander Pattacini has joined the firm. He is a member of the firm’s Estate Planning and Elder Law department.

Pattacini earned his juris doctorate with a concentration in transactional law from Western New England University School of Law, where he served as a clinician in the Small Business Clinic. He previously earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Prior to joining Bacon Wilson, P.C., he interned with the Connecticut Department of Education Division of Legal Affairs, and served as legal counsel for the Connecticut House Majority Leader’s Office. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Assoc. as well as the Education Law Assoc. He is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and will be working in all Bacon Wilson office locations, but primarily in Springfield.

“Alex is such a great addition to our growing Estate Planning and Elder Law practice groups and will add depth for years to come,” Managing Shareholder Kenneth Albano said.

Scholarship and Fellowship Awards Available from Horace Smith Fund

WESTFIELD — The Horace Smith Fund, now in its 124th year, makes scholarship and fellowship money available for graduates of Hampden County public and private high schools. Scholarship awards of $12,000 are distributed as $3,000 annually, renewable each year until graduation. Fellowship awards of $15,000 are distributed as $5,000 annually, renewable for two additional years. Students must maintain at least a B average in college.

Recipients are selected on a variety of criteria, including financial need, college entrance exam scores (if taken), class rank, extracurricular activities, and recommendations. Of great importance is a personal written account of why the student feels deserving of financial assistance. Fellowship applicants must also submit their transcripts and, if applicable, GRE or degree-specific test scores. All recipients must be full-time students and residents of Hampden County.

Last year, $249,000 was awarded to 20 individuals. Scholarships were given to 14 graduating seniors from eight Hampden County high schools. Three scholarships were also awarded to current college students to assist them in completing their undergraduate degrees. Three fellowships were given to college graduates pursuing graduate degrees, who had graduated from Hampden County high schools.

Completed applications must be received either electronically or by mail to the Horace Smith Fund at 16 Union Ave., Suite 2K, Westfield, MA 01085 no later than March 15. Applications are available at local high-school guidance offices, college financial-aid offices, online at www.horacesmithfund.org, or by calling (413) 739-4222.

EforAll Berkshire County Awards $13,000 to Fall 2022 Business Accelerator Cohort

Banking and Financial Services

PITTSFIELD — Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Berkshire County awarded $13,000 in prizes to the fall 2022 Business Accelerator cohort at an awards ceremony held at the Berkshire Innovation Center on Jan. 12.

The showcase kicked off with 16 businesses sharing their product or service during networking and dinner, catered by MadJacks BBQ. Following the showcase, the gala opened with remarks from long-time EforAll volunteer and mentor Diana Wall. The class speaker, Tiffany Wilding-White, followed. She was chosen by her colleagues and shared many of the lessons of the program and plans for the 2022 cohort.

The awards were granted as follows:

• $500 to Dana Grieb of Bumblebee Pet Care in Pittsfield received the Paula Buxbaum Award, established in honor of a member of the fall 2021 cohort who passed away during her time in the program. This award in Buxbaum’s memory is granted to an individual making a career pivot and incorporating a social mission into their business;

• $1,000 to Molly Racette of Herbellion/Molly and Herbs in North Adams;

• $2,000 to Lisa Mendel of Mendel’s Stained Glass Art Studio in Adams;

• $2,000 to Julie Haagenson of New Pathways Coaching and Consulting in Pittsfield;

• $2,000 to Tiffany Wilding-White of Mind Over Motion in Lee;

• A $2,500 award sponsored by the Lee Bank Foundation to Christina Meucci of the Recovery Room in Pittsfield; and

• $3,000 to Michelle Marrocco and Tiffany Boyden of Berkshire Pup People in North Adams.

EforAll’s next Business Accelerator class will begin in 2023, with applications due on Jan. 25. Applications may be found at eforall.org/berkshire-county.

The Employee Retention Credit and You

By Contributor January 20, 2023

Features

Determining Whether a Business Qualifies Can Be Complicated

By Scott Foster & Jacob Kosakowski

Scott Foster

Jacob Kosakowski

Business owners have been bombarded recently with solicitations from firms offering to help them realize millions of dollars through the IRS’s Employee Retention Credit (ERC) program, which was included in the CARES Act adopted in the early phases of COVID-19. The CARES Act also contained the popular, and well-documented, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), with forgivable loans that kept many businesses afloat.

Originally, if a business received a PPP loan, it was not eligible to receive ERC. The initial IRS guidance on this could not have been more clear: “an employer may not receive the Employee Retention Credit if the employer receives a PPP loan that is authorized under the CARES Act. An Eligible Employer that receives a PPP loan, regardless of the date of the loan, cannot claim the Employee Retention Credit.”

However, subsequent legislation, namely the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020, enacted Dec. 27, 2020; the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, enacted March 11, 2021; and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, enacted Nov. 15, 2021, greatly expanded eligibility for ERC.

While some of these firms are offering legitimate services and will help businesses file accurate and legitimate claims for ERC, business owners should proceed with extreme caution due to several factors: the very complex rules regarding eligibility for an ERC, the IRS’s near-automatic acceptance of these filings (and payment of the credit, of which the firm usually collects 25% or more), the very strong likelihood that these filings will be audited in years to come (the IRS has up to five years to audit ERC returns), and the equally strong likelihood that the less-reputable ERC firms will have closed their doors and have liquidated all assets before those audits are completed, leaving the business holding the proverbial bag for tax penalties, fines, and interest.

“Perhaps the most complicated facet of determining eligibility under ERC relates to how its provisions interact with the Internal Revenue Code’s special aggregation rules for businesses.”

The IRS issued a warning on Oct. 19, 2022, stating that some firms “are taking improper positions related to taxpayer eligibility for and computation of the credit.” The IRS warning goes on to explain that firms “often charge large upfront fees or a fee that is contingent on the amount of the refund and may not inform taxpayers that wage deductions claimed on the business’ federal income-tax return must be reduced by the amount of the credit.”

Determining whether a business qualifies for ERC can be quite complicated. If the business was fully or partially suspended due to a governmental order limiting commerce, travel, or group meetings related to COVID, then it may qualify for the time during which it was so suspended. If the business was not suspended but suffered a “significant decline in gross receipts,” it may also qualify. A significant decline in gross receipts is measured on a quarterly basis, comparing 2020 quarterly receipts to 2019 quarterly receipts (50% or greater decline), 2021 quarterly receipts to 2019 (20% or greater decline), or Q4 2020 receipts to Q4 2019 receipts (20% or greater decline).

Perhaps the most complicated facet of determining eligibility under ERC relates to how its provisions interact with the Internal Revenue Code’s special aggregation rules for businesses. Under the aggregation rules, multiple businesses may be combined into an ‘aggregated group’ based on common ownership, where all employees of an aggregated group will be treated as employed by a single employer. The members of an aggregated group are determined based upon the stock or membership interest ownership of a business entity. If multiple businesses are comprised of similar ownership, those businesses might be combined into an aggregated group.

The ownership of a business might be comprised of individuals, trusts, partnerships, or corporations. The ownership composition of a potential aggregated group must be closely examined because the aggregation rules and thresholds will differ based on whether the group consists of corporations, LLCs, or partnerships. Further, the relationship of individuals to one another will also impact how the aggregations rules operate.

By way of example, imagine three individuals: Alice, Brady, and Carol. Each own a one-third interest in each of Alpha LLC, Bravo LLC, and Charlie LLC. Under the aggregation rules, the three LLCs would form an aggregated group, known as a ‘brother-sister controlled group,’ based on their common ownership structure. All employees of all three LLCs would be treated as employed by a single employer. As another example, now assume that Alice and Brady own a one-half interest in Alpha LLC, Brady and Carol own a one-half interest in Bravo LLC, and Carol and Alice own a one-half interest in Charlie LLC. Under the aggregation rules, none of the LLCs would form an aggregated group with each other because any potential aggregated group would not meet the requisite ownership threshold requirements.

An aggregated group will impact how the members of such group are treated under the ERC provisions. Most notably, the aggregation rules affect the determination of a business’ average number of full-time employees, as well as what constitutes a ‘significant decline’ in gross receipts among members in an aggregated group. The aggregation rules also impact how suspensions due to governmental orders are enforced among members of an aggregated group. Businesses should consider carefully examining their ownership compositions so beneficial business aggregations are not missed.

And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.

Scott Foster chairs Bulkley Richardson’s Business/Finance Department, and Jacob Kosakowski is an associate in the firm’s Trusts & Estates Department.

Webber & Grinnell Insurance Maintains Its Local Focus

By Joseph Bednar January 20, 2023

Policy of Partnership

Among other reasons, Bill Grinnell says Webber & Grinnell joined with the Alera Group because of its commitment to the agency’s local focus.

Bill Grinnell says last year’s move by Webber & Grinnell Insurance to become part of the national Alera Group hasn’t changed much about the agency’s business model or its relationships with clients. And that was the idea.

“We’re still managing the agency locally here in Northampton and Holyoke,” said Grinnell, the agency’s longtime partner. “It’s still basically the same crew we had before, outside of some normal turnover.”

So why the move to Alera?

“I turned 60 last year, and we’re looking toward the future of perpetuating the agency and continuing to grow it, so we began looking for partners to help us perpetuate that moving forward,” he said. “We talked to 10 to 12 overall, and Alera, hands down, was the one group that really fit all our needs, and thus we became part of the Alera Group.

Partner Mike Welnicki, who specializes in employee benefits, explained why Alera stood out.

“Our area is a tight-knit business community, and we knew, if we joined a firm that wanted us to rebrand right away, to maybe move our offices or join up with other companies and really change the way that our model worked, we were going to lose that small-business feel in Western Massachusetts,” he said. “What Alera told us was, ‘we’re going to give you all the resources both regionally and nationally, but you’ve been successful for over 100 years; keep running your business the way you run it, and we want to be part of that.’ That’s really what made Alera stick out immediately.”

“What Alera told us was, ‘we’re going to give you all the resources both regionally and nationally, but you’ve been successful for over 100 years; keep running your business the way you run it, and we want to be part of that.”

What has changed, Grinnell said, is the breadth of resources Webber & Grinnell can now access.

“Our business is split three ways: personal lines, commercial lines, and employee benefits. Alera has a group of other property-casualty agencies, other employee-benefit agencies, across the Northeast. And we’re on the phone or in meetings just collaborating with them all the time. For example, we might get an opportunity to work on a risk, but we might not have the expertise or experience to enable us to write that risk, but another Alera agency might specialize in that market niche. So we’re able to tap into their expertise, into their markets. It just brings extra insurance minds and experience to the table in addition to what we had already at Webber & Grinnell.”

Mat Geffin says Webber & Grinnell has been consistently growing both organically and geographically.

Jenna Duval, Commercial Lines manager at Webber & Grinnell, said Alera’s values also lined up with the local agency. “That’s where it was an easy sell with my team to get behind Alera; they really do work in a collaborative spirit, and they work with each person to make sure those individual needs are being met, and it’s not just the big corporate feel of one company. We run as an individual branch with that collaborative spirit, and it really does make a huge difference with morale; everybody is on board with it.”

Beyond the new affiliation, Webber & Grinnell has been growing both organically and geographically, said Mat Geffin, another partner. He was on Cape Cod when he spoke with BusinessWest, an example of how the agency’s reach has spread.

“Our roots are in Western Mass., and that’s where the bulk of our business is, but we get pulled into clients all over New England, just because of our approach, the way we work with clients, and the value they get from it. From an organic growth standpoint, year over year, I want to say we’re always consistently growing in that 8% to 10% range, some years bigger, some years smaller, but we’re consistently growing, and most of it is referral-based business. And I think it’s because of the consultative approach we take to this business, which clients really appreciate, and it differentiates us quite a bit.”

Threat Assessment

That approach ensures that clients understand all their risks and exposures so they purchase the right policy, but it goes much deeper than that, Geffin said.

“We get really involved in the client’s business. Of course, we have a huge personal-lines operation as well, home and auto, but speaking from the commercial side of the house, it’s about being a part of their business, being on their team — understanding what they do operationally and how that translates to risk management, rather than just looking at it purely from the standpoint of coverage and insurance and quotes.

“Any agency can just quote a bunch of policies; that’s the basic part of the job,” he went on. “But how do you understand their operations, their culture, their level of employee engagement, and how that translates to risk and risk management? That’s the difference. And I think that’s what clients value about what we do.”

Welnicki said Webber & Grinnell wants clients to see the agency as a key employee in their firm.

“You need to evaluate what revenues we’re receiving as your broker and decide, are we worth it, just like any other key employee? If we’re not, then we’re not the right fit,” he explained. “We really want them to view us as an important resource of their business, and that’s why our retention rates have been in that 97%, 98%, 99% range year after year, to help us achieve that 8% to 10% growth.”

“We’re consistently growing, and most of it is referral-based business. And I think it’s because of the consultative approach we take to this business, which clients really appreciate, and it differentiates us quite a bit.”

Risk is always evolving, Grinnell said, most notably in the cyber liability realm. Since major breaches like

Bill: It’s always evolving. The biggest new coverage that emerged in the last five to eight years is cyber liability, and even that started off really as a coverage to protect your data. The TJ Maxx breach in 2007, which compromised the data of 94 million customers, and other breaches that followed have spurred companies to get on board with protecting their data.

“And that’s evolved even more; the bigger exposure now is extortion, where cyber thieves are coming in and shutting down your entire computer system and saying they want to be paid $100,000, $200,000, $500,000, or you’ll never log into your computer system again,” Grinnell said. “Not only is the coverage new, but how you’re selling it and what the exposures are have changed.”

So has the reporting employers have to do now because of the Affordable Care Act and a host of other regulatory entities, Welnicki said.

“You’ve got human-resource folks wearing 19 different hats, and controllers, CFOs, and business managers trying to do the HR functions. Part of our job is help support human resources, make sure they’re in compliance with the DOL and IRS and ACA. So many of our clients really don’t have that classically trained human resources professional, and that’s where our team, not only locally but with Alera nationally, can help them make sure they’re in full compliance.”

On the residential side, customers need to understand what their policies cover as well, Grinnell said, while insurance carriers are insisting on certain levels of protection these days, especially in coastal regions or other areas vulnerable to catastrophic weather, “because the cost of claims has just skyrocketed.”

Creating a Culture

Webber & Grinnell’s relationship with clients even extends to conversations about workplace culture, which is key to employee retention, especially at a time when businesses are struggling with that.

“We practice what we preach here at the agency, and we’re really proactive about creating a positive culture, and we’ve learned a lot along the way,” Grinnell said. “As a result, we’re able to have those conversations with our clients. So we get into not only insurance, but also just plain running your business and how to make it better. We try to have those overall business conversations with our clients and not just focus on quoting policies.”

Duval seconded the idea of practicing what they preach. “We’ve continued to build our culture. We have a work-hard, play-hard atmosphere; we’re definitely busy, and we put education into everything we do to better our employees, but we like to have fun, too.”

For example, a social committee plans events for both in-office and remote workers that helps everyone feel part of the organization and its collaborative spirit, she explained. “We want to get to know the team and have team-building moments, so everyone feels supported and has an opportunity to meet and talk and have that collaborative spirit outside of work.”

Geffin noted that culture is so important at Webber & Grinnell that the agency has a ‘culture book’ that’s given to new employees as part of the onboarding.

“It’s a way to emphasize how important culture is to the company, because, again, we try to practice what we preach. We talk about employee engagement with our clients, with our prospective clients, but most importantly with ourselves.”

That culture extends to supporting some 50 to 60 organizations in the community, by sponsoring events, like Safe Passage’s Hot Chocolate Run, and sitting on boards; for example, Grinnell is treasurer of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and Geffin is treasurer of Clinical & Support Options.

“Whenever an employee has an idea on something they want to do from a community standpoint, we’re always figuring out how we can work it in,” Geffin said. “I think that’s just being a part of a business community with our peers and colleagues throughout Western Mass. What makes Western Mass. so great is we all do this. It’s not unique to us. We’re just happy to be a part of that community.”

When the agency acquired Ross Insurance in Holyoke several years ago, that was an important consideration for Ross as well, Grinnell said, which is why Webber & Grinnell has continued to support many Holyoke organizations.

It’s all part of a local focus that Alera has promoted from day one and impacts all parts of the business, he added.

“Alera’s tagline is ‘national scope, local service,’ and I think it’s really important to emphasize that, because we wanted that national scope, that ability to further enhance our colleagues’ careers and help our clients get more resources, yet not lose the local touch and the local leadership,” Geffin said. “When we made that move, that was top of the list.”

Amy Jamrog Takes Financial Advising, Coaching to Wider Audience

By George O'Brien January 20, 2023

Banking and Financial Services

Taking Flight

Amy Jamrog says she started Four Wings and wrote her book Confetti Moments to broaden her impact as a coach and consultant.

Amy Jamrog says the past few years have certainly been a rough ride for investors — and anyone looking for financial advice.

Indeed, between the pandemic and its many side effects, wild swings — and serious dips — on the stock market, copious amounts of uncertainty, and non-stop talk about inflation and recession, people have been looking for a calm voice, someone who can help them make sense of all this, someone who can help them cope.

Meanwhile … those doing the financial advising have been looking for all of those same things. And this certainly helps explain the rapid growth and intriguing staying power of a relatively new resource for these financial advisors called Four Wings Consulting. That name, and the accompanying logo, have some real significance.

“The dragonfly is the only insect that can fly forward, backward, up, down, and side to side,” Jamrog, a 25-year veteran of the financial advising sector, told BusinessWest. “And so, my coaching is about helping people figure out which direction they’re currently flying in and getting them moving in a forward direction.”

Elaborating, she said the coaching service was designed to help financial planners come up with relevant content, innovative solutions, and new ideas month after month — and pass on what they learn (often about subjects other than money) to their clients. At the same time, they were getting needed support themselves.

“The dragonfly is the only insect that can fly forward, backward, up, down, and side to side. And so, my coaching is about helping people figure out which direction they’re currently flying in and getting them moving in a forward direction.”

“During the pandemic, I was finding that so many financial advisors were working really hard to help their clients, and not having any support for themselves and feeling really isolated,” she said. “I just put out this idea of creating a community of advisors and coaching them as a group.”

Initially she thought maybe 20 or 25 of her colleagues might be interested in being part of such a group. But to her surprise, 130 signed up for it, and most of them continue to join each week.

Light in the Darkness

For Jamrog, Four Wings has become one way to share and spread ideas and inspiration. Another is the book she recently wrote called Confetti Moments: 52 Vignettes to Spark Conversation, Connect Deeply & Celebrate the Ordinary, a title that really says it all.

The book, finished in August and launched in November, is now a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, popular with CEOs, team managers, and even families.

Confetti Moments is a collection of entries to a blog Jamrog started near the start of the pandemic called Wednesday Wisdom, which was started to bring some light to some very dark times. To explain, she turned back to when the world shut down.

“I wanted to bring something positive to our clients in the wake of such uncertainty and depressing information everywhere,” she explained. “So I started blogging weekly with uplifting stories that I thought would be a nice diversion for my clients.

Amy Jamrog book

“I did it every week for two years during COVID, and I came to find out that thousands and thousands of people were reading it and forwarding it to their entire companies or their departments,” she went on. “I heard from people who said, ‘my boss sends me this every Wednesday, and I love your stories.’ And the feedback from my readers was ‘I wish you could package all these stories into a book — I would read the whole book again.’”

She did, and they are.

The 52 chapters in Confetti Moments take titles that include “Sometimes We Need a Wider Lens,” “You Can’t Take It With You,” “Stay in Your Lane,” “Lower Your Expectations,” “What Our Scars Say,” and “When Eight Oars Are In Sync.” Collectively, they are designed to provoke thought and inspire positive change, said Jamrog, who is doing all this in addition to her day job as a financial consultant with MassMutual.

“There are opportunities to impact one client at a time — that’s a fine career, and many people do really well with that. I got to a point, maybe five or six years ago, where I really wanted to have a bigger impact on my industry.”

As she talked about both Four Wings and Confetti Moments, she said they were both born from a desire to broaden her impact as both a financial consultant and coach.

“There are opportunities to impact one client at a time — that’s a fine career, and many people do really well with that,” she told BusinessWest. “I got to a point, maybe five or six years ago, where I really wanted to have a bigger impact on my industry. I knew that the work my team and I do as financial advisers is very, very good and very different than the average advisor, and I wanted to teach that.”

This was the start of Four Wings, through which she now coaches roughly 100 financial advisors, who take part in monthly Zoom sessions. This consulting work started a few years before the pandemic, she noted, but it really picked up steam during the early months of the pandemic, when, as she noted earlier, advisors were isolated, their clients were looking for answers, and many were just searching for a guiding voice.

“It started with financial advisors feeling isolated, trying to help their clients financially, and being resourceful for them,” she said. “But they were realizing that many of their clients were just stuck; they couldn’t make financial decisions, or they [the advisors] didn’t know how to move them forward in the wake of such uncertainty and panic for most people.”

Three years later, the community of advisors she created, who pay a monthly subscription fee to take part, continue to meet, with participants from across the 413 and also across the country, all of whom are still helping clients cope with a volatile market, uncertainty, and growing fears about recession and what might come next.

“Advisors want to be resourceful and bring a positive message to the clients,” Jamrog said. “But at the same time, they also need an outlet, someone to vent to, someone to present their worries and concerns to and get some great feedback. The biggest challenge in being a financial advisor is that we give advice and guidance all day long, but sometimes it’s nice to actually get some advice and guidance; that’s what I provide, and that’s what these groups provide.”

Sparking Change

As for Confetti Moments, she said she’s already sold several thousand copies of the book, which is comprised of what she considers the 52 “best” of her Wednesday Wisdom blog entries.

Each chapter has the blog post, followed by some “Ideas to Spark, Connect & Create This Week,” and a page to write down some notes.

In the chapter titled “Stay in Your Lane,” Jamrog writes: Safety features on cars are designed specifically to keep the drivers safe. Too bad we as humans don’t come equipped with those warnings too. Wouldn’t be great if we came programmed with a little sensor that reminded us periodically to stay in our lane? How often do we take on things that are not our business? Do you find yourself straying into other people’s areas with good intentions — probably even genuinely meaning to help them — but then realize that staying in your own lane is the better, safer place? For everyone?

For those ideas to spark, connect, and create, or ‘prompts,’ as she calls them, she has these:

• Look around at different areas in your life. Where are you drifting out of your lane?

• In an effort to be ‘helpful,’ have you drifted into someone else’s lane? Do you owe them an apology and a promise to stay out of their way in the future?

• What is your lane? Take some time to define this for yourself since it can change over the years. Once you identify the area(s) you excel and thrive, you’ll be happy to spend more time in those lanes.

“The prompts ask you to change something in your life over the next seven days,” she explained. “And then you do it again next week.”

Elaborating, Jamrog said the book is inspiring people to “celebrate the ordinary,” and in the few months since the book came out, readers, many of them business owners and managers, are heeding that advice and encouraging others to do the same.

“I have five appointments this week for corporations who want to book me for corporate speaking engagements because companies want to bring more Confetti Moments to their employees,” she said, adding that this was a typical week.

Summing things up, she said that all aspects of her work, including her day job, are about creating such Confetti Moments. That’s what she meant by broadening her impact.

And if the volume of book sales, as well as the number of advisors attending her weekly Zoom meetings, are any indication, then she is certainly succeeding with that goal.

How to Attract Employees with the Right Retirement Plan

By Contributor January 20, 2023

Banking and Financial Services

Saving Grace

By Barbara Trombley, CPA

With a labor shortage and looming recession, attracting the right employee is more important than ever. Many small businesses are struggling to find qualified candidates.

Other than wages and healthcare, how can you make your business more attractive to a potential worker? Often, a retirement plan is the answer.

With the absence of traditional pensions today, the onus for retirement is on the employee. Many small-business owners may feel a personal responsibility to enable their employees to fund a retirement. Not having one at all can certainly be a deal breaker for many applicants.

The ability to save, directly from a paycheck, is very attractive. But what plan should you offer, and what are the costs? What are the benefits of the different types of plans?

The most common type of plan is a 401(k). You need only one employee to set up a 401(k). The biggest advantage to this plan is the high level of salary deferrals that it allows. The limit for 2023 is $22,500 with a $7,500 catch-up contribution for those over age 50. Many plans can offer both pre-tax contributions and post-tax (Roth) contributions. There are many investment choices that are possible in a 401(k) plan. Also, many plans are associated with a financial advisor who will offer education to your employees, possibly helping them save more for retirement.

“Other than wages and healthcare, how can you make your business more attractive to a potential worker? Often, a retirement plan is the answer.”

Barbara Trombley

One drawback is that a 401(k) plan can be one of the more expensive types of plans to set up and maintain. The plan needs to be either a safe-harbor plan, where the employer must make a specified matching contribution or automatically deposit 3% of the employee’s salary into the plan (any contributions made by the employer are tax-deductible), or the plan needs to be tested each year to ensure that the plan does not discriminate against highly compensated employees.

In the past, this type of plan had to be offered to all employees over 21 years of age who work at least 1,000 hours. The rules are changing to allow some part-time workers to participate. In my opinion, a 401(k) plan is the most advantageous plan to the employee but may cost the employer more in administration, setup fees, and safe-harbor contributions compared to other plans.

Another popular plan for employers is the SEP plan. Again, this plan can be offered by businesses with more than one employee. The main difference between the SEP plan and a 401(k) is that SEP contributions are made only by the employer; there are no employee contributions. This type of plan is very simple to set up and does not have testing requirements. The maximum annual contribution is 25% of salary, up to a limit of $66,000. The employer has to make the same percentage contribution for each of his or her employees.

The benefit of this plan is that it is very simple to set up; the drawback to the plan is that the business owner needs to make all of the contributions, which may not be economically feasible. As an advisor, I often see a solo business owner having this type of plan.

What if a business owner does not want the complexity and costs of a 401(k) and does not want to fully fund a retirement plan like the SEP? A Simple Plan may be the answer. A Simple Plan can be offered by a business with fewer than 100 employees. There is no annual filing, and you usually use a financial advisor to set it up and choose the investments.

The limit for an employee’s contribution is $15,500 in 2023, or $19,000 if the employee is over age 50. The reductions can come directly from payroll, and the employee can decide how much to contribute. The employer must either contribute 2% of each employee’s compensation or match 100% of employees’ contributions up to 3% of their salary (which can be lowered to 1% in any two of five years). This plan is attractive to many small-business owners as the administration overhead is drastically reduced compared to a 401(k), and there is a relatively small matching contribution that needs to be made.

Lastly, I have helped a few small businesses set up a Payroll Deduction IRA. This is the perfect solution for an owner that would like to enable their employees to save for retirement but may not have the funds for matches or administration. In this type of plan, the employee can contribute up to the Traditional IRA limit ($6,500 if under age 50 and $7,500 if over), with the funds drawn directly from their paycheck. There are no setup fees for the business owner and no employer matches or testing requirements. The employees own their account if they change jobs. Many people are eligible to contribute to a Traditional IRA, but having the deduction made through payroll makes the plan more accessible.

As an additional motivation for a small business to set up a retirement plan, the federal government has been increasing the incentives to the business owner with tax credits. The owner can deduct up to 50% or $500 of plan startup and administration costs for the first three years of the plan. Additional tax credits may become available as our government continues to encourage retirement saving. Consult your financial advisor or an employee-benefits specialist to set up a plan.

Barbara Trombley is a financial planner with Wilbraham-based Trombley Associates Investment and Retirement Planning; (413) 596-6992. Securities offered through LPL Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Trombley Associates, a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial. This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal, or investment advice. If you are seeking investment advice specific to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your own separate from this education material.

Nicole Bercume Steers Her Father’s Company into a Bright Future

By Joseph Bednar January 20, 2023

Building Trades

Generation Next

Nicole Bercume stands outside one of her current projects in Hadley.

When Ron Bercume passed away in 2021, his daughter, Nicole Bercume, said there was never a doubt that she would pick up the mantle of leadership in Bercume Builders, the company he started almost 40 years ago.

But it was a winding road that brought Nicole to that point, along which she settled in Florida, got married, built a law career with her husband, Andrew Bass, had kids, and returned home to Hadley.

Before her father succumbed to pancreatic cancer in October 2021, Bercume was already helping him build the final seven homes in a 28-home development in North Hadley called Shattuck Estates and Sapphire Estates; when he passed away, she stepped in and worked with the company’s longtime subcontractors to finish the job. By that time, she had already decided to stay on and continue Ron’s work.

“My dad had created such a fantastic company,” she told BusinessWest. “It would be a shame if it didn’t continue.”

Today, those 28 large homes on Crystal Lane, Indian Pipe Drive, and Nikki’s Way stand as the last success story in Ron’s career and the first in Nicole’s new one. Beyond that development, she is currently building her third house on a lot on Colony Drive, right across Shattuck Road, with a goal of creating a constant flow of residential projects, and even expanding the business beyond her father’s traditional focus on Hadley and Amherst.

“My dad had created such a fantastic company. It would be a shame if it didn’t continue.”

“Forty years is a long time,” Bercume said as she and Bass took BusinessWest on a walking tour of the development. “My parents started it together right when I was born, and they just went from there. Once I got older, I realized how talented of a businessman and builder my dad was. It’s not just that he would build homes; this was all wooded land, so he would design the actual subdivision. He would design the roads, and that takes a lot of skill.”

When he died at age 81, “he was still plugging away,” she added. “He always loved to work. All his subs worked for him for a long time. All the guys have known me since I was little, and I was very lucky to have learned from my father.”

Winding Path

Bercume had interest in the family business, but in her early 20s, the timing wasn’t right. “He was still working aggressively, and at that point, he was doing everything himself, so there wouldn’t have been a substantial role for me.”

So she went to college and law school in Florida, met Bass, and moved back to Hadley in 2015 and passed the Massachusetts bar. She started working at a firm in Northampton, while Bass started his own firm; in 2019, they bought a building on Route 9 in Hadley, which today houses Bass/Bercume Law Offices. Bercume handled the firm’s real-estate practice, while Bass handled the litigation practice.

Bass started out in consumer-protection work, particularly around Massachusetts’ lemon law. “That was really strong, so I started doing those cases all over the state; they mostly went to litigation because the dealerships wouldn’t resolve the cases, so that’s how I got into litgation,” he recalled. “After I got rolling, I got into construction litigation because Nicole’s dad had a lot of cases, so litigation became my core focus.”

Nicole Bercume and Andrew Bass live in the 28-home development in Hadley that Nicole’s father started and she completed after his death.

Cases in that realm include land-use issues, contracts, and purchases of land; at one point, Ron settled a notable case with Tofino Associates of Hadley over a roadway issue in the Amherst Hills development near the Belchertown line.

Bass was recently recognized by Lawyers of Distinction as one of the top 10% civil-litigation attorneys in Massachusetts. Meanwhile, over the past couple years, Nicole was transitioning away from the practice into her new role leading Bercume Builders. “My father did teach me everything; once we had our kids and moved back here, that’s when he taught me everything.”

Ron typically built large homes with “classy, simple interiors, not a lot of clutter,” Nicole said, noting that homes in the new development start at 3,000 square feet, and typically feature open floor plans, high-end appliances, and maple flooring — and each was built in just four months. After her third house on Colony, she said she’s on the cusp of buying more land to develop a subdivision like the Shattuck/Sapphire project.

Woman’s Work

At a time when it’s still uncommon for a woman to lead a building firm (see related story on page 25), Bercume doesn’t particularly care if people question her abilities, noting that the subs who worked with her father for, in some cases, decades know what she can do — and they know she’s committed to her father’s values.

“My father really had such a great process. Even if you didn’t like my dad, you definitely respected him because he was an astute businessman, and he was just on top of it.”

“My dad’s greatest skill was that he had good taste; he picked out all the plans himself. People always say you know when a home is a Bercume home because they’re attractive and clean and classy-looking,” she said. “Construction defects were never an issue for him because, the second there was a problem, my dad, who could never sit still, would take care of it.

“He always did higher-end homes for whatever the era was,” she continued. “He liked big homes; the bigger he could build, the more fun it was for him.”

And when she got her Massachusetts construction license and reaffirmed her working relationships with those longtime subs, she knew it would be fun for her, too.

“My father really had such a great process. Even if you didn’t like my dad, you definitely respected him because he was an astute businessman, and he was just on top of it. All his subs respected him, and that transferred to me nicely. He taught me a lot, so I know what to expect from everyone, and it was very fluid.”

It’s just another way Bercume Builders has been a generational success story — one that occupies Nicole’s earliest memories, when she’d visit Ron at job sites. “And now, our three kids are always on the job sites with us.”

Because it’s never too early to introduce them to the family business.

New Ownership Brings Renewed Vibrancy to West Side Property

By George O'Brien January 20, 2023

Commercial Real Estate

Building Momentum

Michael Martin, left, and Nick LaPier have acquired 333 Elm St. in West Springfield and made it home to their businesses.

In many respects, Nick LaPier is back where he started. Or at least back to where he started his own accounting firm in 2003.

That would be the office building at 333 Elm St. in West Springfield.

Back then, he took a tiny office (600 square feet) on the first floor. There, with his mother, Elaine, serving as an office manager, he quickly grew his firm and eventually moved out and up.

Today, he is co-owner of the property where he first put his name on the door, along with Michael Martin, managing partner of Paladin Wealth Partners, which will soon be expanding with a second office at 333 Elm, sharing the property with LaPier Dillon & Associates (LaPier partnered with Brian Dillon several years ago); New Valley Bank, which moved in last August; and tenants that will occupy roughly 1,500 square feet of space currently being built out.

Together, they’re filling the parking lot and bringing new vibrancy to the property known to many in the community as the ‘Checkwriters Building’ (the payroll company occupied most of the property before outgrowing the space and moving to Northampton in 2021) and, before that, as the home to a dental practice — Dr. James Sady built the property in 1975 — and other tenants.

It was also home years ago to Multi Bank, where LaPier and his wife, Kathy, secured their first car loan.

So LaPier has a long history with the property, and he and Martin intend to write more chapters, starting with the relocation of their businesses to that site, thus becoming part of the revitalization of West Springfield’s downtown, a work in progress that includes the redevelopment of the former United Bank property, 95 Elm St., just a few blocks to the south; some new restaurants; and planned traffic improvements, including a rotary at the intersection of Elm Street and Route 20 (more on that later).

“The hope with this move is that, as we continue to grow, we will have the space available to accommodate that growth.”

LaPier, Dillon, and the accounting firm’s other employees finished moving in just after the new year. Meanwhile, Martin and others from Paladin Wealth Partners are set to move in later this month. While the property was acquired last summer, the two partners have invested heavily in renovating its spaces.

“We essentially gutted it and designed it from the ground to function as a full-service CPA firm,” LaPier said of his firm’s 6,500 square feet, adding that the company now has 16 employees. “We designed it to be the most efficient operation format for a CPA firm, but, at the same time, designed for 2023.”

With both LaPier, Dillon & Associates and Paladin Wealth Partners, the acquisition of 333 Elm started with the realization that they had outgrown their existing homes. For the accounting firm, that meant space roughly a mile away at 71 Park Ave., and for Paladin, space in Tower Square.

“The hope with this move is that, as we continue to grow, we will have the space available to accommodate that growth,” LaPier said.

Martin said his firm, which he launched with partner Pat Donnelly in 2018, has seen steady growth over the past several years. Having outgrown the space in Tower Square, the logical decision was made to expand with a second office.

“We have 2,500 square feet in Tower Square, and we were full,” he told BusinessWest, adding that, at the advice of his son, Ryan, who once worked in sales at Checkwriters (and now works at Paladin Wealth Partners), he took a close look at the 333 Elm St. property. Later, he would partner with LaPier, his long-time accountant, to acquire it for $1.9 million.

But there were other considerations for this acquisition beyond the need for more space.

Both LaPier and Martin were looking for real-estate investment opportunities, and when the property came on the market in 2021, they gave it a close look and decided that, in addition to a storied past, it had a solid future, given its location, parking, and other amenities.

Nick LaPier, left, and Brian Dillon in their renovated space at 333 Elm St. in West Springfield.

Soon after taking ownership, they signed New Valley Bank, an emerging player in the region’s financial-services sector, to a long-term lease for what is now its third location. A solid tenant, the bank also brings potential new customers to both LaPier, Dillon & Associates and Paladin Wealth Partners, he said, as well as needed foot traffic in the city’s emerging downtown — a story both partners wanted to be part of.

“Elm Street’s a growing area; that’s another reason to invest here,” LaPier said. “There’s been positive growth on the street for the past 10 years, and it appears that the city wants to continue developing it as a business corridor; we want to be part of that story.”

West Springfield Mayor William Reichelt confirmed those aspirations. He said there has been significant progress made in making Elm Street more of a destination in recent years, especially through the redevelopment of the former United Bank Building, which is now home to several tenants, including Tandem Bagel Company, Future Health, Kindred at Home, and several others.

Having 333 Elm vibrant again, especially with service businesses that will have employees but also bring people to that location, will certainly bring more momentum to that central business district.

“Just to have more bodies in the downtown is good overall,” Reichelt said, referring to employees working at that location. “There are now more people who are going to go eat at Tandem, the Celery Stalk, or the other restaurants in the area. They’re going to bring customers and more foot traffic down here, and that’s what our downtown is going to thrive on.

“That building being vacant really hurt us — all those employees who weren’t there anymore,” he went on, adding that the property had been largely vacant for roughly two years.

The parking lot is filling back up again, a positive sign for the city and the start of another intriguing chapter in the story of a property with an already-rich business history.

Red Sox Winter Weekend Begins Tomorrow in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — Red Sox Winter Weekend returns to Springfield on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 20-21, at MGM Springfield and the MassMutual Center.

Red Sox Winter Weekend includes a town-hall meeting with Red Sox leaders, autographs and photos with Red Sox players, and roundtable discussions on a variety of baseball topics. The weekend also includes a full baseball festival for fans of all ages.

Major League Baseball Hall of Famers David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Dennis Eckersley, Jim Rice, and Wade Boggs are confirmed to be in attendance. Members of the 2023 Red Sox team, including coaching staff, will also be in attendance, as well as Boston alumni, Wally the Green Monster, and his sister Tessie.

Throughout the day on Saturday, fans will have an opportunity to get autographs and take photos with players and see the four World Series trophies and Red Sox artifacts such as Silver Slugger Bats, Gold Gloves, MVP Awards, and Cy Young Awards.

Click here for more information, and click here to purchase tickets.

Excel Dryer Promotes Michael Savitt to Director of Domestic Sales

EAST LONGMEADOW — Excel Dryer Inc., manufacturer of the XLERATOR Hand Dryer, announced the promotion of Michael Savitt to director of Domestic Sales. Savitt has held positions with increasing responsibility over his 10 years with Excel Dryer, most recently serving as Business Development manager for North America.

“Michael has demonstrated an in-depth understanding of our sales process, generated new business, and provided excellent customer service during his tenure with us,” said William Gagnon, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Excel Dryer. “He is also a proven leader with the ability to effectively train, coach, and motivate our employees. He’s a perfect fit for this important position.”

In his new role, Savitt will supervise the U.S. sales team, explore opportunities to support the company’s growth, and work closely with architects, distributors, and end users to identify how high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers fit into cost-saving and sustainability initiatives.

Prior to his role as Business Development manager for North America, Savitt started at Excel Dryer as a field sales manager and then became a national field sales manager. He has worked across all markets, verticals, and channels for Excel Dryer over the past decade.

“I really appreciate the opportunities I’ve had to learn and grow at such a forward-thinking company like Excel Dryer,” he said. “Our sales team is incredible, and I am excited to bring us to the next level while continuing to help our customers achieve their sustainability goals.”

Before joining the company, Savitt worked at Avatar HR Solutions and Data Recognition Corp. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’a degree in journalism and went on to receive his master’s degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington. He completed the “Mastering Sales: A Toolkit for Success” course at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, “Coaching for Improved Performance & Results” with Leadership Dynamics Inc., and “Effective Personal Productivity” with Leadership Management International Inc.

Springfield Regional Chamber’s Leadership Institute Now Open for Applications

SPRINGFIELD — For more than 40 years, the Springfield Regional Chamber’s (SRC) Leadership Institute has helped mid- and upper-level managers grow their skills to bring their careers, organizations, and communities to the next level. Applications are now open for Leadership Institute 2023, which will run from February through May.

Facilitated by Western New England University faculty, SRC’s Leadership Institute program features a series of six workshops along with peer coaching. The Leadership Institute focuses on developing core management and leadership skills for increasing personal and organizational effectiveness. Upon completion of the program, participants will have more knowledge and skills to take their leadership to the next level and expand their personal and professional network.

“One of the key factors to sustaining a successful business is growing the strength of your leadership team,” Springfield Regional Chamber President Diana Syznal said. “I encourage all aspiring managers, new managers, and professionals interested in expanding their impact to consider this program to take yourself and your team to the next level.”

This program is comprised of 13 sessions, and graduates will be honored at the Chamber Celebration and Annual Meeting on June 14. Attendees who complete the Leadership Institute will also receive a free graduate course offered through the College of Business at Western New England University.

Those interested must apply by Feb. 16. Tuition costs $995 per student, and all sessions will be hosted at the TD Bank Conference Center in Springfield. To learn more, visit springfieldregionalchamber.com.

Greater Westfield Emergency Food Pantry Receives Gift from Bulkley Richardson

Banking and Financial Services Special Coverage

WESTFIELD — The Greater Westfield Emergency Food Pantry received recently a $2,000 donation from the Springfield-based law firm Bulkley Richardson.

“Since the expiration of special government assistance during the pandemic, we have witnessed the need for additional aid in feeding the hungry,” said Rebecca Hart, director of the Greater Westfield Emergency Food Pantry. “Along with a dramatic rise in prices for food and housing, food insecurity remains a growing concern.”

Mike Roundy, partner at Bulkley Richardson and longtime Westfield resident, added that “seeing the real struggles that members of our community face every day to meet basic needs is painful. I am pleased that our firm can be a small part of the solution to help combat hunger, but there is so much more work to be done. I encourage others to help in ways that they are able.”

The mission of the Greater Westfield Emergency Food Pantry is to provide food to those in need in the Westfield area; to foster self-sufficiency in individuals through encouragement, support, guidance, and education; and to identify and address the root causes of hunger in the community and to strive to provide long-term solutions.

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

By George O'Brien January 19, 2023

Features Special Coverage

Going the Extra Mile

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.”

Area Banks Navigate Unpredictable Economic Tides

By Joseph Bednar January 19, 2023

Cloudy Forecast

Paul Scully says loan demand was strong in 2022 despite the interest-rate hikes.

A constant flow of interest-rate increases didn’t exactly make borrowers happy in 2022, Paul Scully said, but it didn’t keep them from participating in the economy.

“I think, coming out of the pandemic, there was a pent-up desire to reconnect, within business circles and in communities. We had a terrific year for lending,” said Scully, president and CEO of Country Bank, which opened a new business production office in Tower Square in downtown Springfield last year. “That’s worked out beautifully for us. Our loan production in 2022 was the greatest level ever — we originated over $400 million in loans, almost $170 million in net growth.”

A broadening of the focus made a difference, Scully said. “Country Bank has been known as a commercial real-estate lender; that was our niche. We’ve gotten more deliberately into C&I lending from 2021 going into 2022, and have done some significant C&I deals: $10 million, $20 million, $30 million deals. We have the expertise in house to be able to do that. And based on our capitalization — we’re one of the highest-capitalized banks in the Commonwealth — it gives us the opportunity to be able to grow along with businesses and customers.”

bankESB’s holding company, Hometown Financial Group, continued to grow in 2022 as well, with the acquisition of Randolph Bancorp and its subsidiary, Envision Bank, which was merged into Abingdon Bank, another Hometown holding, more than doubling its presence on the South Shore.

“The most interest-sensitive customers are residential borrowers, and as residential mortgage rates rose throughout 2022, we saw the volume of residential lending, especially refinances, drop dramatically. Commercial lending is definitely impacted as well, though not to the same extent.”

“We’re in a very low-margin industry,” said bankESB and Hometown President and CEO Matt Sosik, explaining why growing geographically to create scale is an important part of the company’s strategy. “Any business person will tell you costs are rising, whether it’s insurance, utilities, fuel oil, you name it — and, of course, wages. It’s the same for us, and if we’re not growing, we’re going backward.”

That said, “we had our best earnings year ever in 2022, and it wasn’t even anywhere near second place,” Sosik noted.

Part of that was the fact that interest rates for borrowers rose so quickly that the lag between those rates and the rates paid to depositors generated income for banks. But heading into 2023, margins are again shrinking as deposit costs rise, and a slowing economy has some people worried about a possible recession, which would further soften the loan market.

“The most interest-sensitive customers are residential borrowers, and as residential mortgage rates rose throughout 2022, we saw the volume of residential lending, especially refinances, drop dramatically,” Sosik said. “Commercial lending is definitely impacted as well, though not to the same extent.”

Tony Worden, president and CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank, agreed.

“Obviously, the residential market became soft because of what’s going on with rates as the year progressed,” he told BusinessWest. “And frankly, the commercial lending market became softer because people don’t know what the economy is going to do going forward; they’re keeping their powder dry, as they say. They don’t want to make big decisions if they don’t know how the economy will turn out.

Matt Sosik says fundamentals like low inventory have kept housing prices high.

“This year, everyone is holding their breath to see what the outcome will be,” he went on. “Will the Federal Reserve be able to engineer a soft landing? Last year, we thought we were in for a couple of rate increases, but the rates went much higher than everyone thought they would. When you do strategic planning, you make assumptions about what the rate environment will be, and we were all wrong last year.”

This year, economic projections include not only the rate issue, but whether unemployment will rise, what the impact of energy costs will be, and much more. On the topic of energy, Worden said the region has seen a mild winter so far, so that could help people weather the still-high costs.

“I guess if people knew what was going to happen, they could make a lot of money. From a banking standpoint, a lot of loan customers don’t want to make decisions until they know where we’re all situated.”

Saving and Spending

Worden lend some recent historical perspective to what banks are seeing when it comes to consumer and business behavior, starting in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“For a few months, Americans were saving at a rate that hadn’t been seen in 80, 90 years. They were saving money, they weren’t going anywhere, there was a lot of stimulus, both federal and state, and banks saw their deposits increase tremendously because people were sitting on a lot of cash.”

While that’s generally not a bad thing for banks, he said, cooperative banks not only pay for FDIC insurance, but also pay premiums on the private Depositors Insurance Fund, which covers deposits beyond the $250,000 the FDIC covers. “All the deposits coming in but no loan demand cost us money in a way; we were paying insurance on all the deposits, but couldn’t put the deposits to work.”

In the second year of the pandemic, people were starting to spend again, take vacations, and work on their homes, while most stimulus had ended, so deposit levels crept toward a more typical environment, and loans picked up as well. And while the current interest-rate environment has made some potential borrowers skittish, Worden said it’s important to note that those rates are still historically low — yes, a fixed 30-year mortgage rate is north of 5% right now, but a generation ago, it was 17% or higher.

“I think it’s a mental thing with borrowers,” he went on. “Rates were so low for an extended time, you get used to that mentally, and it’s hard to readjust when they start going up again.”

“Last year, we thought we were in for a couple of rate increases, but the rates went much higher than everyone thought they would. When you do strategic planning, you make assumptions about what the rate environment will be, and we were all wrong last year.”

Still, Sosik said, the housing market remains strong due to the fundamentals of low inventory levels and those still relatively low interest rates. But especially with remote work taking hold, “people who may be inclined to think about moving may not want to give up their 3% mortgage.’

“And there’s not a flow of new inventory, so we have this interesting dynamic where rates are rising, but it’s not impacting home prices materially,” he added — especially for a class of higher-income cash buyers who aren’t interest-sensitive.

“There’s a lot of liquidity in the economy, a lot of it funneled toward the residential market,” he said. “Volume is still good, but inventory is still low. Everything is still working; it’s just more expensive to borrow.”

Scully said Country continues to see significant loan demand early in 2023 — “not at the level of 2022, but we are seeing good pockets of business on the commercial side.” Meanwhile, to help customers purchase homes, the bank kicked off a homebuyers’ program in the fall featuring no money down and no private mortgage insurance in select areas.

“We’re still seeing a decent residential market, not as robust as it had been, but still decent,” he said. “On the commercial side, we’re still looking at some interesting deals. But everyone is holding their breath when it comes to construction lending for large projects.”

That said, investors are seeing positive signs, he added, including a comeback for retail and hospitality. “The restaurant industry is starting to have workers come back.”

Meanwhile, Scully added, “unemployment is still pretty low, and we’re not hearing much of layoffs, so hopefully we’ll see the Fed reach its level, see that interest-rate changes have impacted inflation, and we may be starting to see the other side of this sometime in 2023.”

Tony Worden says everyone is hoping the Fed helps the economy to a “soft landing” with its rate policy aimed at reversing inflation.

Worden said no one really knows where the economy will turn, though there are hopeful signs. “As we see inflation numbers coming down, we’ll start to get an idea whether what the Fed is doing is starting to work. And maybe they’ll start pulling back on rate increases. If they can pull off that soft landing, we might see people reinvesting in business, buying equipment, buying new properties. But I think everyone is waiting a little bit.

“When you have a good economy, banks do well; people are out investing, buying, selling, doing things,” he added. “When the economy is bad, banks struggle because no one’s out doing anything.”

Community Counts

The higher-than-usual heating costs that impact every homeowner affect bank employees as well, Scully said, which is why Country recently gave a $750 stipend to all its employees to mitigate those impacts, and other inflationary pressures.

But Country isn’t taking its focus off the community at large, recently adopting the tagline “made to make a difference,” which applies not only to customers and business clients, but to the community as well, where the bank has focused much philanthropic energy over the years to needs like healthcare and food security. In 2022, the bank donated close to $1.3 million, a year after donating a total of $1 million to two major food banks on top of its other giving.

Scully said the pandemic shed a spotlight on basic human needs, not only for banks, but their employees, who, at least in Country’s case, have been more engaged in recent years.

“We’re still seeing a decent residential market, not as robust as it had been, but still decent. On the commercial side, we’re still looking at some interesting deals. But everyone is holding their breath when it comes to construction lending for large projects.”

“We learned a lot about ourselves and humanity during the pandemic, and we have a lot of staff members who really flourished in the sense of being able to volunteer and give time to the community,” he explained. “This what our brand us all about.”

Worden said Western Mass. is fortunate to be home to numerous locally owned banks that are active in their communities by supporting nonprofits through direct donations and volunteer efforts.

“In other parts of the country, this isn’t a thing,” he said. “But up and down 91 are all these good, local, community banks, and we’re all doing what we can do for the community. Obviously, we want to make money; that’s how we stay in business and give raises to our employees and hire new employees. But when Western Mass. does well, we all do well.”

bankESB recently announced that a fundraising drive raised $35,000 for local food pantries, part of its robust charitable giving program known as the Giving Tree, which reflects the bank’s commitment to making a difference in the neighborhoods it serves.

“We try to give back to all the communities we’re in, and we pointedly give back to those in need, things like food insecurity, for both children and older folks,” Sosik said. “The objective of the Giving Tree campaign is around $1 million a year — giving that back to the communities we serve and trying to make a difference for those who truly need it.

“Food insecurity is a year-round problem,” he went on, “but we turn our focus on it a little more at the end of the year and make that the key part of our campaign.”

Looking out his window, Scully noted a $35 million project the bank financed. “That makes a difference for the property owner, but we want to make a difference for everyone in our community,” he told BusinessWest. “All community banks do a tremendous job with community giving, and we’re not cutting back on our giving. Our earnings may change, but we’re committed to our level of philanthropy.”

Tower Square Owners Add Neighboring 1550 Main Building

By George O'Brien January 19, 2023

Commercial Real Estate Special Coverage

Building the Portfolio

Vid Mitta acknowledged that the emergence of remote work and its impact — still to be determined in many respects — on the region’s inventory of office space was certainly a consideration when he and business partner Dinesh Patel were deciding whether to submit a proposal for the purchase of the 1550 Main building in downtown Springfield.

But ultimately, this was just one of many considerations, he told BusinessWest, adding that the others — as well as his firm belief that business owners and managers will always see value in having people working together in one place — convinced the two serial entrepreneurs to move forward and answer the request for proposals sent by the property’s now-former owner, MassDevelopment, early last year.

Mitta and Patel eventually prevailed in the bidding to acquire the property — formerly occupied by the U.S. Federal Court and currently home to tenants ranging from Baystate Health to the Springfield School Department — for $6 million.

As he talked about its prospects for the future, Mitta focused on those other considerations that played into this decision, especially that age-old axiom when it comes to commercial real estate — location, location, location. Beyond that, though, the current tenant mix, the timeline on current leases, and the good overall condition of the building also played a factor in generating a green light.

“These properties are connected, and they are the two best buildings in Springfield’s downtown for class-A space.”

“Remote work is the main thing that comes to anyone’s mind when we talk about office spaces today,” he acknowledged. “But look at the location — this is what we were looking at, as well as the maintenance and good condition of the property. These factors led us to see this as a good investment. When vacancies arise, people have choices, and they’re going to move into the best building possible.”

Thus, another chapter has begun in what would have to be called a developing story, in every sense of that phrase. That would be the expanding portfolio of properties now owned by Mitta and Patel, either individually or collectively.

That list includes Tower Square and its recently renovated hotel, which has re-earned the Marriot flag, as well as several other hotels, 99 Restaurant & Pub locations, a Walgreens, three McDonald’s franchises, adult day-care facilities, early-education facilities, and more. These collective investments and entrepreneurial gambits earned Patel and Mitta BusinessWest’s Top Entrepreneur award just a year ago.

Mitta told BusinessWest that 1550 Main St. was a common-sense addition to the portfolio, one that gives the partners a property that is essentially full (97% occupancy), with a stable tenant base that also includes the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, regional offices for U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, the law firm Alekman DiTusa, and an attractive, well-maintained property in the heart of the central business district.

“These properties are connected, and they are the two best buildings in Springfield’s downtown for class-A space,” he said of 1550 Main and Tower Square. “With these properties, we’ll be well-positioned to attract new tenants looking for quality space.”

The property that has come to be known as 1550 Main was acquired by MassDevelopment from the federal government in 2009. At that time, it was roughly 70% occupied, said a spokesperson for MassDevelopment, adding that, after achieving all its stated goals for the property, the agency decided to put the property up for sale through a disposition process to allow it to refocus its efforts on other projects.

Dinesh Patel, left, and Vid Mitta, who together orchestrated a stunning turnaround at Tower Square, believe 1550 Main St. is a logical addition to their growing portfolio of commercial real-estate properties.

That includes an initiative in Greenfield, where MassDevelopment is partnering with the city and the Community Builders in the acquisition and redevelopment of the former Wilson’s Department Store property in the heart of the community’s downtown. The redevelopment will create roughly 65 mixed-income rental units and reactivate prominent first-floor and basement retail spaces through the relocation and expansion of Franklin Community Co-ops’s Greenfield store, Green Fields Market.

Referencing 1550 Main, MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera said, “working with tenants, partners, and the city of Springfield over the years allowed us to cultivate this property to its best and highest use. This type of focused teamwork is how long-lasting redevelopment takes root. It is what makes converting an old federal courthouse into a stunning multi-tenant office building possible.”

The property went on the market in the spring of 2022, and the request for proposals issued by MassDevelopment attracted a number of bids.

Moving forward, Mitta said several of the leases of current tenants will be expiring over the next several years. He expressed optimism for renewals, but also for new tenants looking to take advantage of the property’s location and other amenities.

“Tenancy is not a permanent thing — tenants come and go; we know that,” he said. “Some leases are going to expire over the next few years, but we know how to market, and we have a very strong team here.”

“Even those working at home still go to the office — businesses prefer the hybrid model. They need a place where people can collaborate, meet, greet, that kind of thing. That need is still there, and I don’t know if it will ever go.”

Elaborating, he said this team is hoping to attract some current occupants of class-B space to properties that are not much more expensive but bring a number of amenities that class-B properties do not, including parking garages, lighting safety, and that aforementioned location in the heart of downtown.

The property at 1550 Main differs from its neighbor, Tower Square, to which it is connected by a skybridge, in many respects, said Mitta. He noted that Tower Square required significant investment and “re-imagining,” a word he and Patel use often, such as with new tenants that include the YMCA of Greater Springfield. The newer 1550 Main will not require much of either, he said, which is another of those considerations that prompted interest in the building.

As for the trend toward remote work and hybrid work schedules, Mitta acknowledged that there is likely permanence attached to these trends, but, ultimately, he anticipates that there will still be strong demand for office space, especially in the class-A category.

“Even those working at home still go to the office — businesses prefer the hybrid model,” he explained. “They need a place where people can collaborate, meet, greet, that kind of thing. That need is still there, and I don’t know if it will ever go.”

For evidence of this, Mitta points to Tower Square, where he acknowledged that the number of people in the office tower on any given day may be lower than it was prior to the pandemic. But overall, space needs have not changed to a great degree, and new leases continue to be signed.

“Overall, rent is a comparatively small item on the P&L statement,” he said, adding that, for this reason, he has seen few if any tenants at Tower Square downsizing.

Matt Garrity Takes Helm as New President and CEO of Florence Bank

Matt Garrity

FLORENCE — Matthew “Matt” Garrity, a Lee native, launched a new era for Florence Bank today, taking the helm as president and CEO.

He is excited to return to Western Mass. and brings extensive experience as a leader and promoter of growth along with a broad base of knowledge in serving both business customers and general banking consumers. He specializes in team management and embraces Florence Bank’s nurturing culture because “our biggest assets are our people. They are critical to success.”

Garrity was formerly the executive vice president and chief lending officer and head of Residential Lending at Premier Bank, serving Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. He replaces Michael Lynch, senior vice president and senior commercial lender, who has served as interim president since former president and CEO Kevin Day retired on Nov. 25.

“Florence Bank is a real gem — a jewel in the community, and I take that very seriously,” Garrity said. “The bank has been well-served by the people who came before me, and I’m excited about the opportunity to carry on the legacy.”

Garrity is pleased to be working at a mutual bank, where the focus is on the customers and the community, rather than pleasing stockholders. “All the banks I’ve worked in have had mission-based objectives that impact the community. In a bank like Florence Bank, those impacts on the community are accentuated. Giving back to the community is a big part of what Florence Bank is about, and that’s very attractive to me. We can be focused on how the bank performs and also on being as mission-focused as we can be to make sure the needs of the community are being served by what we do.”

In his first year — the 150th-anniversary year for Florence Bank — Garrity expects to focus on getting to know the Florence Bank staff and, over time, on growth, particularly further expansion into Hampden County, where the bank currently has three branches.

John Ebbets, chair of the bank’s board of directors, said the search for a new president and CEO began in July and was led by Kaplan Partners, which broadcast the position throughout New England, parts of the mid-Atlantic, and Ohio.

A pool of 125 candidates was methodically pared to two finalists, each of whom met live with the full board, which sought a leader with vision, a history of execution, and a willingness to embrace Florence Bank’s mutual culture. “Florence Bank has been a mutual bank for 150 years, and it will continue to be a mutual bank well into the future,” Ebbets said.

Garrity was chosen because he embodied the qualities sought and demonstrated he is a thorough, thoughtful leader. “Matt was excellent at offering analysis and strategic thought,” Ebbets said. “He came in with a framework of ideas. I believe Matt’s going to be really good at assessing and developing people as priority number one.”

Garrity lived in Lee until seventh grade, when he moved to Ohio. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Ohio University and chose banking as a career so he could help consumers achieve their financial goals. “It was an opportunity to help people and a good match for me professionally,” he said.

His first job was in consumer banking, but he quickly learned he was drawn to commercial banking and took a job as a credit analyst; he rose into leadership steadily over the years. In 2009, he was recruited to serve as chief credit officer for a mid-size bank and rescued the organization from significant financial distress and the threat of closure via a federal cease-and-desist order.

Florence Bank had its strongest financial showing ever in 2022, and Garrity feels up to the challenge of forging future growth, particularly by continued expansion in Hampden County.

Ebbets explained that growth will not happen for growth’s sake. “That’s not the focus point. The bank’s expansion plan has been slow and steady. Going forward, that would continue to be the plan,” he said, noting that, in addition to bringing jobs and increased philanthropy, the bank sees the opportunity to create products that will meet the distinct needs of people in the communities it serves as well.

The ability to affect customers’ lives serves as Garrity’s inspiration as a bank leader, and he appreciates that each day brings new economic and regulatory challenges. “Having direct input on customers’ lives and how the bank is performing at the same time is really impactful,” he said. “You can really get done with a day’s work and know you’ve accomplished something.”

Garrity, a volunteer and board member for many years with the American Red Cross in Greater Cleveland, will begin his work at Florence Bank by getting to know team members, customers, and community partners. “That’s my job, and I take that very seriously,” he said. “Community banking is about developing relationships. That will be important. I’m going to be very busy.”

Dietz & Company Architects Welcomes Ibrahim Alkahiabri

SPRINGFIELD — Dietz & Company Architects Inc. announced the addition of Ibrahim Alkahiabri in the role of architectural associate, where he will assist project teams throughout all phases of design.

Alkahiabri holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in architecture from Savannah College of Art and Design, as well as a diploma in business and tourism from the Prince Sultan College of Business in Saudi Arabia. He comes to Dietz having worked at firms in Charlotte, N.C. and Atlanta, where he gained experience working on multi-family and single-family housing projects.

Dietz & Company Architects, one of the largest full-service firms in Western Mass., is an employee- and woman-owned business that opened its doors in Springfield in 1985. The firm’s areas of practice include housing, education, commercial, hospitality, historic renovations, public, and municipal work.

Cybersecurity Center at Springfield Union Station Gains $3 Million Federal Earmark

SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal joined Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, STCC President John Cook, and Springfield Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Amanda Pham this week to announce a $3 million earmark to establish a Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (CCE) within Springfield Union Station.

The allocation was made possible through congressionally directed spending from the U.S. Department of Education. Neal included funding for this project in the FY 2023 spending bill that was signed into law on Dec. 29.

“The threats facing our nation at both the national and local level are significant, and having the cutting-edge technology capable of countering these threats is of the utmost importance,” Neal said. “Union Station has become a world-class intermodal transportation hub for the Greater Springfield community, and it will now serve as home to a state-of-the-art cybersecurity training center. This will give the brightest young minds in our region the resources they need to combat these threats, ultimately expanding the region’s skilled workforce and shoring up the resiliency of our cybersecurity in Western Massachusetts and beyond.”

Added Cook, “we are tremendously grateful for these federal dollars, which provide a unique investment in students, community college, and the workforce needs of a key sector. Thank you, Congressman Neal, for championing Union Station and helping build our local cyber resiliency.”

The CCE will be developed and operated in collaboration with the MassCyberCenter and serve as a regional CCE for Western Mass. and beyond. The project brings together a consortia of area higher-education institutions, business and civic leaders, and facility professionals. The CCE will provide hands-on training and professional opportunities for students to develop a career in the burgeoning cyber workforce and will be an integral part of the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Consortium.

Massachusetts Gaming Commission Reports Gross Gaming Revenue for December

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reported that, during the month of December, MGM Springfield, Encore Boston Harbor, and Plainridge Park Casino generated approximately $103 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR).

MGM generated $22.5 million of that total: $17.6 million from slots and $4.8 million from table games, paying $5.6 million of that in taxes to the state. The three casinos combined to pay $28.8 million in taxes in December. To date, the Commonwealth has collected approximately $1.29 billion in total taxes and assessments from MGM, Encore, and Plainridge Park since the respective openings of each gaming facility.

The Region Needs a Growth Strategy

By Editorial January 18, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

As he talked with BusinessWest recently about the prospects for the region in 2023 and beyond, Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, stressed the need for creation of a growth strategy for Western Mass.

And he’s right. A region that has become notorious, if that’s the right word, for its lack of growth over the past several decades needs a strategy for bringing more jobs, more businesses, and more vibrancy to the 413.

What goes into such a strategy? Many different things, but it starts with identifying areas where a region can grow and then putting specific strategies in place for making it happen. After all, growth doesn’t occur in a vacuum — it happens where there are opportunities, be it through developable land, location, a large and talented workforce, comparatively lower costs of doing business, an existing infrastructure and critical mass of businesses in specific sectors, a high quality of life, and … did we mention a talented workforce?

These elements have led to profound growth in areas ranging from Silicon Valley to the Research Triangle in North Carolina; from Cambridge to countless towns in Mexico.

The region has several of these attributes, including quality of life, a comparatively lower cost of living (for now, anyway); some available land; a solid workforce trained for some specific sectors, especially manufacturing; a location that provides easy access to Boston, New York, and other major cities; and emerging sectors such as cybersecurity, green energy, and even so-called water technology.

But is this region ready to grow? Can it accommodate more businesses and provide them with the workers they need?

That is a harder question to answer. On the surface, it would seem that, based on the fact that almost every business in every sector, especially healthcare, is struggling to find good help, the answer is ‘no.’ But throughout history, regions have found that, if you create jobs, people will come to that area.

Moving forward, the region needs to take some steps to enable growth to happen. It needs to build its workforce by keeping more young people here and prompting more young people to come here. To do that, there must be jobs, as in good jobs, and places to live. Right now, the region doesn’t have enough of either, which is a problem.

But while creating jobs is important in this new age, the jobs don’t necessarily have to be in the 413. With the advent of remote work, the jobs can be in New York, Boston, or elsewhere, and people can live here.

Either way, this region will need more housing, specifically affordable housing. It will also need a larger and more skilled workforce, which means more training programs and better utilization of one of the region’s best and perhaps least-appreciated assets — its four community colleges.

Meanwhile — and we know you’ve heard this before — it needs to do a better job of telling its story and marketing itself to businesses in other regions of this state and well beyond.

None of this is new, really. The region has known it needs to take these steps and others for years, if not decades now. What would help would be to formalize all this, put a plan together, and take steps to implement it.

Because growth doesn’t happen by accident.

Six Workforce Trends to Watch

By Contributor January 18, 2023

Opinion

By MissionSquare Research Institute

State and local governments, along with other public-service organizations, faced yet another challenging year. Recent research by MissionSquare Research Institute highlights key strategies to become public-service employers of choice in 2023.

1. Communicate the full value of benefits. The wages advertised for a position represent only a small portion of the full value of a job’s financial and other benefits. Public-service jobs often include more than traditional benefits like health insurance, pensions, and deferred compensation. Benefits also can include paid leave, life insurance, flexible scheduling, and student loan or housing assistance, not to mention greater job stability in the public sector.

2. Customize recruitment appeals. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are important to many jurisdictions’ recruitment and retention efforts. Each position’s recruitment plan may include new audiences, active partnerships with outside agencies, and outreach that communicates in ways that best resonate with audiences. Tailor campaigns to appeal to candidates with different benefit focuses depending on their life stages or economic circumstances.

3. Maintain retirement plan funding. While 2021 data showed steady funding for retirement plans, 2022 brought significant economic volatility impacting individual finances and worker anxiety. The first mission for plan sponsors is to weather volatility and commit to maintaining actuarially determined contributions. Full funding of retirement plans supports the dual goals of long-term fiscal stability and leveraging retirement plans to serve as effective workforce recruitment and retention tools.

4. Restructure the workforce. The recession and Great Resignation have been significant disrupters to the public workforce status quo, offering opportunities to rethink future staffing models. Workforce restructurings anticipated in 2023 and beyond stem not only from the pandemic and economic changes; they are also tied to evolving technologies touching every field from customer service to accounting to transportation. And while automation may not fully replace certain jobs, it is certain to contribute to job restructurings, the need to update job descriptions, and the consideration of part-time or temporary staffing models.

5. Take a holistic view. The pandemic normalized the idea that it is okay for workers not to be OK. Now, there’s a focus on worker mental health and burnout as real concerns that employers must take seriously. And as persistent inflation leads to consideration of compensation changes, it will no longer be enough to point to cost-of-living adjustments. Rather, employers should lean into difficult conversations with team members about their financial stress, workload, health, or childcare issues.

6. Prioritize data-driven decision making. The Institute’s recent DEI survey found a majority of governments identified workforce DEI as a priority, yet about a quarter are not tracking DEI results. Institute research also found 85% of governments are performing exit interviews, but just 37% are performing employee-satisfaction surveys, while only 11% are conducting stay interviews. Public-service workforce management cannot be viewed as something that is only managed at budget time or at the end of a worker’s career. Instead, it requires timely analysis of recruitment results, regular check-ins with existing staff, and strategic action on the data collected to avoid preventable staffing or retention problems.

Picture This

Picture This

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

No Shave November

No Shave November campaign 1

No Shave November campaign 2

TommyCar Auto Group joined forces with the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Patrick Cahillane for their No Shave November campaign to raise awareness and funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This year, the Sheriff’s Office raised $2,440, which was matched by TommyCar Auto Group. In addition, TommyCar customers were also able to donate their TommyCar rewards points (which can be earned through vehicle servicing and spent toward a new car), adding another $3,736 for a grand total of $8,616, topping last year’s tally by $2,700.

Fighting Hunger

Pictured: two staff members at the Center for Access Services at STCC — Helen Angeles, assistant, and Luis Martinez, special programs coordinator — stand in the food pantry on campus known as the Ram Minimart.

Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) received a $180,000 state grant to help students facing food insecurity. The Hunger Free Campus Initiative, a grant program funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, is intended to support college students who are experiencing food insecurity to reduce barriers to success.

Sparking Change

Pictured, from left: MSB President and CEO Dan Moriarty with Girls Inc. of the Valley’s Adrienne Garcia, Marketing & Communications coordinator; Ciara Speller, board member; and Alyssa Sirani, Development coordinator.

Monson Savings Bank (MSB) recently donated $1,000 to Girls Inc. of the Valley in support of its event, Speaking Out: Sparking Change. “This event invited members of the community to network and listen to a panel of inspiring local leaders,” said Suzanne Parker, executive director of Girls Inc. of the Valley.

Court Dockets

Court Dockets

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.

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Melissa Stetson v. Lower Mill Inc. and Jelly Belly’s Pools & Spas Inc.

Allegation: Negligence; slip and fall causing personal injury: $53,182

Filed: 11/15/22

Justin Fernengel v. RCW Inc.

Allegation: Breach of employment contract: $150,000

Filed: 11/15/22

Daniel Poe and Brittney Poe v. Bretta Construction LLC, Thomas Jendrysik, Amy Beth Jendrysik, Dennis Powers and Richard Brooslin

Allegation: Legal malpractice, breach of contract, negligence, breach of contract of good faith and fair dealing, trespassing: $275,000

Filed: 11/16/22

Dennis Leclerc v. David Kalman, MD; Vikram Budhraja, MD; Linda Preston, MD; Jay Kuhn, MD; Holly Michaelson, MD; Rodrick Williams, MD; Milliam Kataoka, MD; Hampshire Gastroenterology Associates LLC; CentMass Imaging Inc.; Northampton Radiologic Associates Inc.; and New England Medical Imaging, P.C.

Allegation: Medical malpractice: $50,000

Filed: 11/16/22

Miguel Rivera v. Norberto Diaz and City of Springfield

Allegation: Negligence; motor-vehicle negligence causing personal injury: $7,068

Filed: 11/16/22

Brad Emmonds and Mary Ann Emmonds v. Jan Wojcik, MD; Trinity Health of New England Corp. Inc.; and Riverbend Medical Group

Allegation: Medical malpractice, negligence: $289,538.83

Filed: 11/18/22

Edgardo Gonzalez v. 659 State Street Apt LLC

Allegation: Negligence resulting in personal injury, failure to maintain property in a reasonable and safe manner: $32,628

Filed: 11/21/22

Maria Carrion v. PRRC Inc.

Allegation: Negligence resulting in personal injury: $35,854.92

Filed: 11/21/22

Catalina Davis v. Daniel Pava and Progressive Insurance

Allegation: Fraud, violation of HIPAA, falsifying medical document, emotional distress, harassment

Filed: 11/29/22

Quantum Properties LLC v. ESG Clean Energy LLC and Nicholas Scuderi

Allegation: Breach of contract, breach of purchase and sale agreement: $700,000

Filed: 11/29/22

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Florence Cichocki and Robert Cichocki v. Pikeshukumar Patel, M.D. and Baystate Gastroenterology

Allegation: Medical malpractice, negligence resulting in personal injury, pain and suffering, breach of expressed and implied warranties, failure to inform plaintiff of risks and potential consequences of choice of treatment, failure to inform plaintiff of alternative treatments, emotional distress, breach of warranties, failure to obtain informed consent, failure to adequately and properly diagnose plaintiff’s medical condition, failure to prescribe proper and timely treatment for condition: $50,000+

Filed: 12/7/22

Norman Guertin v. Gomez Enterprises I LLC and Jorge Gomez

Allegation: Employee discrimination, wrongful termination: $50,000+

Filed: 12/12/22

Brian Maraglia v. Joseph Chehade and Tall Cedar LLC

Allegation: Construction dispute, consumer-protection violations, breach of contract, negligence, misrepresentation: $41,210.07+

Filed: 12/13/22

Neighborhood Enterprises LLC v. 27 Brown Street LLC and Farmhouse Properties LLC

Allegation: Breach of contract: $1,011,320.23

Filed: 12/14/22

Agenda

Agenda

Applications for Local Farmer Awards

Through Jan. 31: Farmers in Western Mass. are invited to apply for Local Farmer Awards of up to $2,500. These awards are for capital/infrastructure improvement projects related to growing, harvesting, and processing that will help farms compete in the marketplace. The Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, in partnership with Big Y and with the support of other funders, is entering the ninth year of the awards program, which has helped more than 235 farmers carry out a total of 474 projects. Some examples of how the awards have been used include electric fencing, no-till equipment, irrigation improvements, frost-free water systems, feed troughs, and shade cloth for greenhouses. To be eligible, farms must have gross sales of $10,000 or above and either be a member of buy-local organizations Berkshire Grown or Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) or farm in one the four counties of Western Mass. For a full list of eligibility requirements and application information, farmers are encouraged to visit www.farmerawards.org.

YPS Membership Drive

Jan. 19: The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield (YPS) will host its annual membership-drive networking event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Springfield Country Club. This ‘Throwback’ Third Thursday membership drive and board alumni night will be hosted by former YPS board members Amie Miarecki and Alfonso Santaniello. Presented by the Westfield Starfires with support from America’s Box Choice and LiftTruck Parts & Service, the event will feature discounted membership rates, available exclusively on the night of the networking event. The membership drive is free and open to anyone who wishes to attend. Former YPS board of directors members are encouraged to attend the event early for a cocktail hour from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. to celebrate the 15th anniversary of YPS. The champagne toast will be sponsored by Sumner & Toner Insurance Agency Inc. and NRG Real Estate. Advance registration is requested. To register, visit www.springfieldyps.com/events.

Easthampton WinterFest

Feb. 11: The 10th annual Easthampton WinterFest will be held in locations throughout the city. The festival is organized by the Nashawannuck Pond Steering Committee and is a fundraising event created to bring public awareness about ongoing efforts needed to keep Nashawannuck Pond healthy for generations to come. More than 35 family-friendly activities and events are scheduled, and most are free to attend due to generous business sponsorship. Donations are accepted. Outdoor activities include a historical ice harvest on Nashawannuck Pond featuring historian Dennis Picard. Participants can try their hands at using a pond saw to ‘harvest’ blocks of ice as they learn about Easthampton’s part in the area’s ice industry. Other outdoor activities include a nature walk at Arcadia, Clay Hill Farm draft-horse wagon rides, and a fire by the pond. Ice carver Mike Rondeau will create an ice bar, luge, and tabletops on the Keystone Mill patio. Indoor activities at Keystone Mill, 122 Pleasant St., include a vendor/artisan/craft fair, Art in Motion dance demonstration, Dennis the Magician, puppeteer Tom Knight, a martial-arts demonstration, Emily Foxtrot dance lessons, and a Juggernaut Glass and Go with the Float open house. Emily Williston Library, the Council on Aging, and Easthampton Media are also planning events. Adult fun includes the first Winterfest Deca-Dance Gala, a ticketed event, at Boylston West Room featuring Johnny & the Flashbacks and appetizers by Meyers Catering and ice bar/luge outdoors on the Keystone patio featuring two signature drinks. Other events include a chili tasting hosted by Big Bear Used Books and Café, WinterFest After Dark with live music at Abandoned Building Brewery, 1 Man Party trivia at New City Brewery, and bingo at Abandoned Building Brewery. To view the full list of activities, visit www.nashawannuckpond.org/winterfest.html.

MOSSO Concert Series at Westfield Athenaeum

Feb. 23, March 23, April 20: The Westfield Athenaeum will present a three-concert chamber-music series with MOSSO (Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra) performing. This is the second year of this partnership. Guy McLain, executive director of the Westfield Athenaeum, will offer a pre-performance talk at 6 p.m., which is free to ticket holders. The Westfield Athenaeum series opens with MOSSO and Friends on Feb. 23. Violinist Beth Welty, horn player Sarah Sutherland, and pianist Elizabeth Skavish will perform horn trios of Frédéric Duvernoy, Trygve Madsen, and Johannes Brahms. Welty, chair of MOSSO, is acting principal second violin of MOSSO and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO). Sutherland, MOSSO and SSO horn player, is also MOSSO’s finance director. The series continues on Thursday, March 23 with a performance by the Vermont-based Champlain Trio, which includes MOSSO and SSO principal cello Emily Taubl. The Champlain Trio will perform “Brilliant Colors,” a program that features music by Tchaikovsky, Erik Neilsen (“Trio No. 2” written for the ensemble), Jennifer Higdon, Amy Beach, and Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite.” The series concludes on Thursday, April 20 with MOSSO and SSO horn player Robert Hoyle’s quintet, the Connecticut-based Harmonia V. The quintet will celebrate April in Paris with an all-French program, featuring pieces by Barthe, Fauré, Ravel, Poulenc, Debussy, Pierné, and Lefebvre. Tickets for the concerts, $25 per person, must be purchased in advance at the Westfield Athenaeum during business hours, or online at www.westath.org.

Chamber Corners

Chamber Corners

1BERKSHIRE

(413) 499-1600; www.1berkshire.com

Jan. 20: Women & Minority Owned Business Certification Summit, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., hosted by Berkshire Innovation Center, 45 Woodlawn Ave., Pittsfield. 1Berkshire, EforAll Berkshire County, Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corp., Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, and Berkshire Innovation Center welcome any women- and/or minority-owned businesses in the Berkshires to join us for this free event that will provide information about becoming a certified women- and minority-owned business enterprise (WMBE), a space to network with fellow businesses, and direct access to resource providers who can walk you through the process of certification. This event is free and includes lunch. Registration is required at www.1berkshire.com.

Jan. 31: 1Berkshire Entrepreneurial Meetup, 4:30- 6 p.m., hosted by Anahata Schoolhouse Yoga and Wellness Center, 201 North Summer St., Adams. Join us for our first Entrepreneurial Meetup of 2023. Reconnect with your colleagues and hear from owner Howard Rosenberg about his entrepreneurial journey. This event is free to attend and made possible through the support of Pittsfield Cooperative Bank. Registration is required at www.1berkshire.com.

GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

(413) 527-9414; www.easthamptonchamber.org

Jan. 19: Annual meeting, 12-2 p.m., hosted by the Boylston Room, 122 Pleasant St., Easthampton. Join us as we share the successes of the last year, what we have learned, and where we are headed. Cost: $35 for members, including lunch; $40 for future members, including lunch. To register, visit easthamptonchamber.org.

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

(413) 568-1618; www.westfieldbiz.org

Jan. 26: Morning Brew, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Shortstop Bar & Grill, 99 Springfield Road, Westfield. Join us for a great networking opportunity. Introduce yourself and your business to the attendees. Everyone has a chance to discuss what their business does and what they are looking for to expand and improve. This event is free to attend. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org.

People on the Move

People on the Move

Megan Lagoy

UMassFive College Federal Credit Union announced that Megan Lagoy has been promoted to assistant vice president (AVP) of Loan Operations. Lagoy began her career at UMassFive in 2012 as a call-center representative before taking on other various Contact Center roles, eventually becoming assistant vice president of the Contact Center and Interactive Teller Machine department. More recently, she held direct oversight of UMassFive’s flagship Hadley branch in the position of assistant vice president of Retail Services. Her various roles at the credit union over the past 10 years have prepared her for this transition to assistant vice president of Loan Operations.

•••••

Girls Inc. of the Valley recently welcomed five new members to its board of directors: Nikai Fondon, George Keady, Alaina Macaulay, Cheri Mills, and Ciara Speller. These new members join the current board of directors to support strategic planning to map out the future of the organization. Fondon has worked at Marketing Doctor Inc. since January as a marketing specialist and previously worked at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) as a donor-engagement coordinator and scholarship program associate for four years. She currently serves as a board member for the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield (YPS). She has been a panelist for the 2020 Girls and Racism Virtual Town Hall and has worked with Girls Inc. teens on creative writing and marketing projects. She was recognized as a Dream Maker at Spirit of Girls 2022. Keady has worked at UBS Financial Services/Wealth Management in Springfield for 39 years and, upon retirement this year, was a managing director. He has served as a board member for CFWM and Saint Michael’s College, and was a chairperson for Glenmeadow Retirement Community and Bay Path University. He has been a long-time champion for girls and friend of Girls Inc. Macaulay is the senior director for Inclusion and Strategic Engagement at UMass Amherst. She worked previously at UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management for three years as the executive director of Diversity and Inclusion and, before that, at Elms College as the director of Diversity and Inclusion for two years. She has been involved with Girls Inc. through support of the 2020 Girls and Racism Virtual Town Hall. She currently serves as a board member for YPS and Chester Theatre Co. Mills has worked at PeoplesBank for eight years as a Business Banking manager and is currently the assistant vice president. She has been involved with Girls Inc. as a volunteer through the finance committee this past year. She also served on the corporate and community impact committee and helped secure sponsorship commitments for Spirit of Girls 2022. Speller has worked at WWLP as an evening anchor for five years. She has been involved with Girls Inc. for the past couple of years, including as the moderator for the 2020 Girls and Racism Virtual Town Hall and host for Spirit of Girls 2021. She and WWLP did the news broadcast live for Spirit of Girls 2022 on location at the Big E, where she was also a recipient of a Girls Inc. Dream Maker award. She also serves as a board member for the nonprofit I Found Light Against All Odds.

•••••

Monte Belmonte

New England Public Media has hired local radio personality Monte Belmonte as host and executive producer of a new radio show and podcast celebrating life in Western Mass. Belmonte comes to New England Public Media (NEPM) from 93.9 the River/WRSI, where he’s hosted the popular “Mornings with Monte” since 2006. The new show and podcast will launch later this winter. Belmonte will be joined by Kaliis Smith, who also comes to NEPM from the River, where she hosted weekday evenings and was a regular guest on “Mornings with Monte.” Smith will be the show’s digital producer and will join Belmonte on air. Belmonte plans to bring some of his regular guests and popular segments to the live, daily program, along with new segments and opportunity for regular audience call-ins. The show will be available as a podcast and on YouTube. Belmonte will also have a presence at NEPM events and other station initiatives.

•••••

After a yearlong national search, the board of directors at Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts (JFSWM) announced the hiring of a new CEO, Rabbi James Greene, who brings more than two decades of expertise in the Jewish nonprofit world from the interdenominational space of Jewish community centers (JCCs) and independent camps. JFS’s current CEO, Maxine Stein, whose vision and leadership was responsible for the agency’s unprecedented growth and expansion during her tenure, will retire at the end of January 2023. After 20 years of professional communal work, Greene sees the need for bringing core Jewish values to the work of building a stronger community and is excited by the challenge of empowering people to build better lives and growing organizational capacity to meet the needs of this unique moment at JFS. He spent nine years in the JCC movement, first as the program director at the Addison-Penzak JCC, and more recently as the assistant executive director for the Springfield JCC. In early 2020, he stepped into Jewish camping full-time as the executive director at Camp Laurelwood, where he successfully guided the agency through the pandemic, grew fundraising and grant revenue, took new programs from vision to successful execution in partnership with community agencies around the state, and oversaw the creation of a strategic vision to guide the organization into the future. Greene has a bachelor’s degree in Holocaust and Judaic studies from Florida Atlantic University, and a master’s degree in Hebrew letters rabbinic ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.

Company Notebook

Company Notebook

Hot Plate Brewing Co. Receives National Recognition

PITTSFIELD — Hot Plate Brewing Co., a Latina-owned brewery opening in downtown Pittsfield in early 2023, was selected as one of the Imbibe 75 in the January/February 2023 issue of Imbibe. According to the magazine, the Imbibe 75 features “individuals, organizations, and businesses that are dedicated to creating a more positive, sustainable, inclusive, and equitable drinks world.” As a BIPOC- and women-owned business, Hot Plate was selected by Imbibe because of the company’s mission to make the craft-beer world more accessible and inclusive. According to the Brewers Assoc., less than 1% of all American craft breweries are owned by women of color, which makes Hot Plate stand out in a crowded, maturing marketplace. Beyond representation, Hot Plate also seeks to leverage its founders’ professional skillsets to execute on their brand promise in a data-driven way. With almost 40 years of combined experience in market research, brand development, and data analysis, founders Sarah Real and Mike Dell’Aquila plan on implementing tools and best practices to reach, inspire, and engage historically underrepresented consumers. In addition to its beers and marketing plans, Hot Plate also intends to make a tangible, positive impact in the Berkshires with its Community Line, which will feature collaborations with a rotating list of mission-aligned nonprofit organizations and raise money for a variety of causes; proceeds from these collaborative beers will go directly to the charitable organizations with whom they are partnering.

PeoplesBank Donates Record $2.3 Million in 2022

HOLYOKE — For a second year in a row, PeoplesBank set a new annual record for donations to civic and charitable causes. The bank tallied $2.3 million in donations for 2022, which is $1 million dollars more than last year’s record. Since 2011, the bank has donated well over $13 million to area causes. “Supporting the community is essentially what we were set up to do,” said Tom Senecal, president and CEO of PeoplesBank. “We are a mutual bank, chartered to serve our customers and the communities they live in. As a mutual bank, we do not have stockholders who would divert profits. Therefore, we are able to significantly support nonprofits and other community causes.” As a large regional employer whose values include community service, Senecal added, PeoplesBank is able to increase its support to the community and social-service organizations through volunteerism. “We have a lot of talent in our organization, and because of that, we have a significant presence on area nonprofit boards of directors. We also look for opportunities to roll up our sleeves and serve, and we spend thousands of hours each year doing that.”

Tighe & Bond Acquires WorldTech Engineering

WESTFIELD — Tighe & Bond, a Northeast leader in engineering, design, and environmental consulting, announced it has acquired WorldTech Engineering, a full-service transportation and civil-engineering firm. This strategic acquisition aligns with the firm’s vision of being a trusted advisor by offering clients a comprehensive, single-source solution to their engineering, design, and environmental-science needs. The addition of WorldTech’s staff bolsters Tighe & Bond’s transportation services across a complementary client base. Tighe & Bond’s current offices in Eastern Mass. offices are now augmented by WorldTech’s Woburn office, bringing the total number of offices to 13 across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Maine.

MassDevelopment, PeoplesBank Complete Financing Package for New Girls Inc. Facility

HOLYOKE — The new Girls Inc. of the Valley headquarters and program center is one big step closer to reality thanks to a new financing package developed by MassDevelopment and PeoplesBank. Girls Inc. recently announced the closing of financing on a $2,275,000 MassDevelopment revenue bond for the new program center in Holyoke. PeoplesBank was the purchaser of the bond, continuing the bank’s longtime support of Girls Inc. of the Valley. MassDevelopment enhanced the bond with a $455,000 mortgage insurance guarantee. The newly renovated, 16,000-square foot facility will allow the organization to consolidate its programs at one location. It will include a cutting-edge STEM makers’ space, a library, two multi-purpose rooms, a teen lounge, a kitchen and dining area, and administrative offices.

ILI Awarded Five-year Grant for Free English Classes

NORTHAMPTON — In mid-December, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced the results of its competitive grant program to fund free English classes for immigrants and refugees across the state. The International Language Institute of Massachusetts (ILI), located in Northampton, was on the list. “We were thrilled to get the good news,” said Macey Faiella, director of ILI’s English programs. “The pandemic shed new light on the disparities that face immigrants and refugees, and we reassessed our program to include greatly expanded offerings. DESE responded positively — all to the benefit of the students.” For 34 years, ILI has partnered with the state to provide free English classes in Western Mass. The new award extends the partnership for an additional five years and funds about two-thirds of the overall program. ILI is responsible for the remaining costs, raised primarily from individual donors and local businesses and foundations.

Country Bank Grants $30,000 to Revitalize CDC

WARE — Country Bank, a full-service financial institution serving Central and Western Massachusetts, announced a $30,000 grant to support Revitalize Community Development Corp. (CDC) in Springfield. Revitalize CDC performs critical repairs, modifications, and rehabilitation on the homes and nonprofit facilities of low-income families with children, elderly military veterans, and people with special needs. In 2022, the organization served 826 households with 2,309 individuals across Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee, and completed 75 home repairs, nine owned by military veteran families.

AIC Receives Second Grant to Expand Scope of DEIB Objectives

SPRINGFIELD — American International College (AIC) announced it has received a $35,000 grant from the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation to support the college’s commitment to embracing diversity and fostering a sense of belonging. The grant will assist in establishing an Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) on campus to expand the breadth and scope of activities and initiatives that support the College’s DEIB objectives as outlined in AIC’s newly released five-year strategic plan, “AIC Reimagined.” On Dec. 6, the college also received a $30,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts to support the establishment of this office. With these grants, the creation of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging will help AIC create and sustain an organizational environment and culture that readily acknowledges and celebrates DEIB by achieving a more diverse and inclusive undergraduate and graduate student body, faculty, and staff.

Bank of America’s Support for Massachusetts Food Relief Tops $1,175,000 in 2022

BOSTON — Bank of America announced a $275,000 donation to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Greater Boston Food Bank, Lovin’ Spoonfuls, and the Worcester County Food Bank to help address food insecurity in the state. The donation is part of a unique program to encourage bank employees to support the health and safety of their teammates and help address one of the most critical needs facing communities: food insecurity. As part of this program, Bank of America donated $50 to local hunger-relief organizations on behalf of employees who got their annual flu shot and an additional $50 donation for those who received and recorded their coronavirus vaccine booster before Nov. 23. The $275,000 donation builds on the bank’s first phase of the vaccine campaign, which resulted in $575,000 raised earlier this year. Along with other financial support, Bank of America has given more than $1,175,000 to help fight hunger in Massachusetts in 2022. The overall commitment is part of the bank’s longstanding efforts to address hunger relief and support the health and safety of its employees and community. As a result of these efforts, Bank of America has committed nearly $19 million to local hunger-relief organizations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, as well as to the World Central Kitchen and World Food Programme globally.

STCC Awarded $1.17 Million to Expand Adult-education Services

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) received $1,174,200 in state funding to expand adult-education services after submitting for a competitive grant. The Baker-Polito administration announced historic funding amounts to STCC and 73 other adult-education providers and seven correctional institutions in the state. The awards total $250 million over the next five years. Statewide, adult education services will expand to new programs not currently funded and provide 5,000 total seats for adult basic education students and more than 16,000 for adult English learners. The Workforce Development Center at STCC provides free adult education through the Springfield Adult Learning Center. The community can take classes to further their education by obtaining a high-school equivalency certificate, which includes preparing for a GED or HiSET exam; developing computer, email, or internet skills; learning English as a second language; or enrolling as a student at STCC after earning a high-school equivalency certificate. STCC will receive funding for fiscal 2024, which starts July 1, 2023.

Westfield State Receives $1 Million in Community Project Funding

WESTFIELD — Westfield State University was included in community project funds secured by U.S. Rep. Richard Neal. Of the $20,367,800 included in the final 2023 appropriations government-funding package for the 1st Congressional District of Massachusetts, $1 million will go toward supporting Westfield State University’s training capacity for nursing and health science students and providing a space for healthcare practitioners from both academia and practice sectors to explore, design, and prototype solutions to current healthcare gaps. Funding will be used to expand and enhance Westfield State’s simulation spaces, including the development of a new ‘Easy Street’ simulation space that will allow healthcare students to apply concepts of home-based and community care in their learning.

Franklin-Hampshire CASA Receives $31,000 Grant

NORTHAMPTON — Franklin-Hampshire CASA has been awarded a $31,000 needs-based grant from the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian Ad Litem Assoc. for Children (CASA/GAL). Franklin-Hampshire CASA recruits, trains, and supports volunteers who advocate for the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect. The national CASA/GAL needs-based grants are designed to help sustain the capacity of local programs to recruit, screen, train, supervise, and retain CASA/GAL volunteers while maintaining quality advocacy and supporting initiatives to increase the number of children served. The $31,000 grant will enable Franklin-Hampshire CASA to focus on sustaining service to qualifying children in Franklin and Hampshire counties. Friends of Children was formed as a nonprofit child-advocate organization in 1990 to address the needs of high-risk children who are not readily supported by systems designed to protect them and encourage their full participation in society. Friends of Children has provided child-advocacy services to more than 15,000 children, 99% of whom are low-income.

STCC Receives $75,000 State Grant to Help Close Achievement Gaps

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) received a $75,000 state grant to increase the faculty’s core equity competencies and knowledge about racial equity, social justice, and structures that have an impact on student success. The Massachusetts Higher Education Innovation Fund grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education will support professional development for 20 faculty members. The goal of the project is to help underserved and underrepresented students — especially students of color — succeed along their academic journey, from applying to STCC to graduation. With the funding in hand, STCC plans to recruit faculty who will join a core coaching group known as Equity Leaders & Guides who will train in equity-minded practices. At the conclusion of their work, they will share their discoveries with STCC colleagues. The faculty will work together to discover new teaching techniques and will attend workshop training with the Collaborative for Educational Services in Northampton. In addition, they will engage in a virtual book club, among other tasks. STCC, which has a technical focus in all its programs, is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution. About 30% of the student body are Latino, Latina, or Latinx.

HCC Grant to Expand Outreach to Formerly Incarcerated

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) has been awarded an $81,605 Bridges to College grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to expand community outreach to adult learners who have been previously incarcerated. Specifically, the money goes to Western Mass CORE, an HCC program that works in partnership with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department to facilitate pathways to education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. CORE stands for community, opportunity, resources, and education. The program was founded in 2019 by two HCC professors, Nicole Hendricks (criminal justice) and Mary Orisich (economics). The Bridges to College grant will allow Western Mass CORE to expand office hours, advising services, and information sessions at the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department’s AISS facility, located in the WW Johnson Life Center on State Street in Springfield. AISS stands for Al Inclusive Support Services (formerly After Incarceration Support Services). The grant will also support the hiring of a new community-navigator position to lead this outreach work. This is Western Mass CORE’s third Bridges to College grant as project lead. The grant also will provide funding for Western Mass CORE to host a series of community events, including a monthly children’s story hour at the Holyoke Public Library for parents who have been previously incarcerated and their children, and community coffee hours at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street. In the meantime, Western Mass CORE will continue its work inside the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow and the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center in Chicopee. This spring, at the Ludlow jail, Hendricks will teach a criminology course, while Orisich will lead an economics class. HCC theater professor Patricia Sandoval will teach a fundamentals of acting class at the women’s jail.

Incorporations

Incorporations

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

AGAWAM

Anchor Incorporated Investment, 40 Merrill Dr., Agawam, MA, 01001. Laura A Jennison, same. Investments in various for-profit entities.

Agawam Food Inc., 325 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001. Aijaz Mohammed, 27 Brandywine Place, Southington, CT 06489.

BELCHERTOWN

Hartman Construction Corp., 732 Daniel Shays Highway, Belchertown, MA 01007. Ross Hartman, Same. Construction of single-family houses.

CHICOPEE

Camacho Lawns & Landscapes Inc., 96 Clark St., Chicopee, MA 01013. Ruben Camacho, same. Landscaping services.

Anjos Cleaning Corp., 101 Davenport St., Chicopee, MA, 01013. Marcia Dos Anjos Klosowski, same. Building maintenance, janitorial, and landscape service; and purchase and sales of janitorial and landscape supplies necessary or useful in such services.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Tiffany Road Management Co. Inc., 200 North Main St., Suite 204, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Cynthia A. Redin, same. General partner of limited partnership.

HAMPDEN

Americharge Inc., 601 Glendale Road, Hampden, MA, 01036. Amy C. Lomascolo, same. Sales and installation of EV charging stations.

LONGMEADOW

Longmetal Robotics Inc., 53 Westmoreland Ave., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Lee Allentuck, same. Fostering interest and education in programming and robotics.

PALMER

Phg Innovations Inc., 6 Brittany Dr., Palmer, MA 01069. Paul H Gibney, same. Development, manufacture, and sale of goods.

PITTSFIELD

East West Logistics Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Francisco Recillas, same. Transportation services.

Mission Minded Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Jennifer Hinman, 145 Maywood Way, San Rafael, CA 94901. Brand development and marketing services.

Z Beauty Nails Inc., 555 Hubbard Ave., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Xizhen Zhang, 18 East St Oneonta, NY 13820. Nail salon.

SOUTHWICK

Ham Hill Tents Inc., 11 Ham Hill Road, Southwick, MA 01077. Julie Servis, same. Party-tent rentals.

SPRINGFIELD

Ella’s Feline Rescue Mission, Inc., 33 Marengo Park, Springfield, MA 01108. Robert Stanley Wilk Jr., same. Rescue, rehabilitation, provision of veterinary care, and adoption into appropriate homes for homeless, abandoned, or abused cats in the greater Springfield area. Where appropriate, veterinary care will also be provided to feral cats.

John H. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Inc., 11 Balboa Dr., Springfield, MA 01119. Azell Cavaan, same. Non-profit organized to provide scholarships for students in Hampden County, Massachusetts as well as Hampton and Jasper Counties of South Carolina and the surrounding area.

Powerful Dream Inc., 10 South Marchioness Road, Springfield, MA 01129. Erikas Manerskas, same. Any and all lawful business.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Parsons Sewing Connections Inc., 2005 Riverdale St., West Springfield, MA 01089. Anne Marie Whelihan, 12 Allen St., Chicopee, MA 01020. Sewing machine sales and service.

WESTFIELD

The Whip Corp., 287 North Elm St., Westfield, MA 01085. Jacob C Danek, 85 Skyline Dr., Westfield, MA 01085. Restaurant.

Doing Business as Certificates

DBA Certificates

The following business certificates and/or trade names were issued or renewed during the month of December 2022. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

AGAWAM

Business Planning and Development Services
66 Stony Hill Road
David Lyman

Chestnut Hill Farm & Services
625 Shoemaker Lane
Jon Benerakis

Collars and Couplings
92 Herbert P Almgren Dr.
Christopher Damore

Danner Painting
76 Alfred Circle
Eric Danner

Elite Services
172 School St.
Karen Melloni

Feeding Hills Dental Care
33 Southwick St.
Mark Bourcier

New Renovation Inc.
10 Columbus St., Unit 3
Roman Khyliuk

AMHERST

Bacon Wilson, P.C./Monsein & MacConnell
6 South East St.
Bacon Wilson

Public Serpents
44 North Pleasant St.
Sean Mcardle

BELCHERTOWN

Austin Ridge Acres
241 Bardwell St.
Loni Austin

Webster’s Garage
176 Federal St.
Barry Potter

CHICOPEE

Bowlero Chicopee
291 Burnett Road
Brett Parker

Everything Window Tint
450B New Ludlow Road
Victor Delgado

Jan’s Auto Service
1737 Donahue Road
Jan Wegrzynek

JD Group
515 Granby Road
John Dunn

Kristen Thiel, LMT
48 Center St., Suite 215
Kristin Thiel

DEERFIELD

Carolyn Wallace
66 North Main St.
Carolyn Wallace

Greenfield Antiques & Collectibles
242A Greenfield Road
Cynthia Meehan, Virginia Tash

EAST LONGMEADOW

Cherokee Flying Club Inc.
116 Meadowbrook Road
Hugh Stebbins

Dina Tax Services
72 Canterbury Circle
Dina Pham Lam

Dusty Goat Farm Living Foods
229 Hampden Road
Erin Sewell

FM Cleaning Service
7 Odion St.
Maria Machado

EASTHAMPTON

DCW Stairways
158 Line St.
Denis Shpak

Silver Spoon Restaurant
73 Main St.
Ana Diaz

ENFIELD

Acapulcos Mexican Restaurant
61 Palomba Dr.
Ruben Huerta

Asset Business & Tax Services
389 Elm St.
Barbara Crabb

CMI Time Management
89 Phoenix Ave.
Sean Grady

EVSE
89 Phoenix Ave.
Sean Grady

GREAT BARRINGTON

Berkshire Compost
307 North Plain Road
Melissa Beeson Higgins

Berkshire Glass & Glow
175 Main St.
Daniel Lowenstein

Berkshire Glass & Glow
965 Main St.
Daniel Lowenstein

GREENFIELD

AAP
12 Verde Dr.
David Komerzan

Cole Ecological Inc.
15 Bank Row, Suite B
Michael Cole

Fortin Painting
169 Wisdom Way
Shawn Fortin

Found & Co.
284 High St.
Tracy Dresser

Georgio’s Pizza
25 Main St.
Costas Alimonos

Green Mart Convenience
124 Conway St.
Sameer Khan

Ken’s Tax Prep
280 Main St.
Frank Dudek

L&S Cleaning
69 Devens St.
Serghei Taraburca

HADLEY

Aspen Dental
344 Russell St.
Patrick Dermesropian

Astarte Farm LLC
123 West St.
James Mead

Latino’s Cuisine
367 Russell St., Unit C19
Alejandro Peignand

LeCleaner
245 Russell St.
Cipriano Rodriques

LEE

Almost Anything Legal for a Buck, LLC
25 Greylock St.
Stephen Passetto

J.M. Salice
95 Old Pleasant St.
Joseph Salice

LENOX

21 Housatonic Street LLC
21 Housatonic St.
Scott Shortt

Brava
65 Church St.
Whitney Asher

Eye Care Center
55 Pittsfield Road, Unit 8A
Amanda Hale

LUDLOW

Hole Specialist
38 Virginia St.
Joseph Deliso

J.B. Meats
141 Center St.
John Batista

John’s Corner
784 Chapin St.
John Wrona

MONSON

Oktober Acres Equestrian Center
147 Wales Road
Aliya Corkery

NORTH ADAMS

Bluebird Cleaning Co.
23 South St.
Lydia Reyburn

Tim Allard Publishing
171 Kemp Ave.
Tim Allard

Top Shelf Sales
29 Dean St.
Mitchell Biros

NORTHAMPTON

Aubrey Clarinet Services
351 Pleasant St., Suite B196
Jonathan Aubrey

Bird’s Store
94 Maple St.
Gaurang Patel

Cat Nanny Love
60 Platinum Circle
Nevline Ninaji

Dunbar Associates
1152 Burts Pit Road
Joseph Dunbar

Fitness Together
22 Strong Ave.
Jessica Phaneauf

La Escuela Family Childcare
34 Hockanum Road
Bertha Thorman

Nail Care by Shawna
16 Center St., Suite 511
Shawna Rogers

PALMER

A to Z Heating and Cooling
422 Old Warren Road
Kevin Kowalski

Acropolis Pizza
1240 Park St.
Kathleen Athanasiadis

Apollo Pizza
1581 North Main St.
Jose Guimares

Baldyga Services LLC
11 Walnut St.
Bruce Baldyga

Bohnet Romani and Farrington PA
16 King St.
Jeffery Bohnet

Depot Auto Sales
1221 Thorndike St.
Edward Wurszt

Edward Jones
1448 Main St.
Edward Jones

Elite Transmision
320 Wilbraham St.
Robert Linehan III

Florian Soaps
11 Vernon St.
Ryan Gauthier

SOUTH HADLEY

Automotive Solutions
650 New Ludlow Road
Carriagetown Specialized Transportation Inc.

CR Auto Repair
55A School St.
Carlos Luis Rivera Morales

Ebenezer’s Bar & Grill
60 Bridge St.
DFI Enterprises

Hangar Pub & Grill
515 Granby Road
Chicowings Inc.

Lev Networks LLC
4 Karen Drive
Lev Networks

Liz Schwellenbach Massage Therapy
19 Ashfield Lane
Liz Schwellenbach

Medalco Metals
23 College St.
Metal Exchange Corp.

SOUTHAMPTON

The Mossy Apothecary LLC
285 College Highway
Allison Gero, Rebekah Hanlon

SPRINGFIELD

413Therapy
130 Maple St.
413Therapy

A.Tajae Clothing
17 Ringgold St.
A.Tajae Clothing

Acropolis Enterprises
191 Chestnut St.
Jorge Martinez

Before and After Beauty Services
686 Belmont Ave.
Jose Calderon

Boringquen Convenience Store
239 Dwight St.
Zainio LLC

Cintron Home Repair
11 Fordham St.
Javier Cintron

Cortes Transportation
59 Parkside St.
Ruddy Cortes

DS Design & Events Planner
104 Dunmoreland St.
Donnalee Stewart

DiLaura Naturals
245 Roosevelt Ave.
Tunzala Eynula

Family Dollar #32212
1250 St. James Ave.
Family Dollar Stores

First Family Logistics LLC
113 Cambridge St.
Veronica Wilson

G&G Transport
49 Webster St.
Jonathan Guzman

Garcia Transport
66 Oswego St.
Engel Garcia

Golden Base Tech Solutions
1500 Main St.
Michael Ayittey

Gorkha Mart
712 Sumner Ave.
Sita Pathak

The Hair Boutique
524 Main St.
Gary Corbett

Hancock Market
260 Hancock St.
Rigoberto Grullon, Cristine Batista

I.Q. Smoke Shop
1655 Boston Road
Cameron Quinlan

Immaculate Cleaning Service
64 Melha Ave.
Shukrallah Reissour

J’Majesty Hair Collection
30 Leete St.
Janeesa Smalls

SOUTHWICK

Della’s Property Services
23 North Longyard Road
Paul Della Giustina

JJORP Enterprises
1 Noble Steed Xing
Jason Perron

WARE

Hall of Fresh Embroidery and Designs
26 Pine St.
Bobbie Grimes

MSK Proofreading Services
25 Hardwick Pond Road
Martha Klassanos

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Appa Accounting & Tax Professionals
776 Westfield St.
Thinesh Kumar

Beauty Nails Care
366 Memorial Ave.
Long Ly

Cariot Consulting
1343 Riverdale St.
Jose Barina

Consumer Transport
75 West School St.
Miguel Garcia Jr.

Contractors Home Appliances
2025 Riverdale St.
Todd Thibodeau

C’s Signature and Cleaning Services
110 Old Barn Road
Lucy Mushi

WILBRAHAM

Mama Life Oils and Wellness
6 Old Farm Road
Jessica Petit

Melissa Stimpson Photography
10 Springfield St.
Melissa Stimpson

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcies

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

Andert, John T.
96 Everett St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/06/2022

Balg, Christopher J.
15 Athol Road
Philipston, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/02/2022

Battles, Jeffrey Keith
P.O. Box 2426
Westfield, MA 01086
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/07/2022

Bezio, Janice M.
111 Wildwood Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/06/2022

Bushey, Anthony Troy
92 Grove St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Date: 12/14/2022

Cerrone, Joan J.
630 Chicopee St., Apt. 307
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/01/2022

Colon Rodriguez, Noelia
4 Sawmill Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/09/2022

Foucher, Christopher J.
17 Tracy St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Date: 12/05/2022

Madden, Michael Ewen
12B North Farms Road
Haydenville, MA 01039
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/12/2022

Moran, Stephen E.
9 Cricket Dr.
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 13
Date: 12/08/2022

Nilsen, Leigh C.
88 Narragansett Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/09/2022

Peixoto, Marlene J.
39 Eunice Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 13
Date: 12/02/2022

Richards, Victoria O.
86 Redden St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Date: 12/12/2022

Sherwin, James A.
226 Sewall St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/07/2022

Simonz, Eilbra
32 Winthrop St., 2nd Fl.
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Date: 12/12/2022

Real Estate Transactions

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

1910 Cape St.
Ashfield, MA 01096
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Madeline Leue
Seller: Edward T. Landers IRT
Date: 12/16/22

BERNARDSTON

11 Deacon Parker Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $5,300,000
Buyer: All Purpose Storage
Seller: Bernardston Self Storage
Date: 12/15/22

Northfield Road
Bernardston, MA 01337
Amount: $5,300,000
Buyer: All Purpose Storage
Seller: Bernardston Self Storage
Date: 12/15/22

DEERFIELD

208 Greenfield Road
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Finance Of America Structured
Seller: Margaret A. Robbins
Date: 12/19/22

6 Keets Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $196,500
Buyer: Kyle A. Johnson
Seller: Brandon Tessier
Date: 12/16/22

Mill Village Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: Bar-Way Farm Inc.
Seller: Pasiecnik, James M., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/22

North Main St.
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: James Heller
Seller: John Bysiewski
Date: 12/19/22

144 North Main St.
Deerfield, MA 01373
Amount: $510,000
Buyer: James Heller
Seller: John Bysiewski
Date: 12/19/22

46 Old Main St.
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $1,750,000
Buyer: Trustees Of Deerfield Academy
Seller: Fenwick LLP
Date: 12/21/22

GREENFIELD

2 Birch St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Carol Martin
Seller: Chad D. Morey
Date: 12/15/22

147-151 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $905,000
Buyer: 407 Water Street LLC
Seller: David J. Larue
Date: 12/20/22

153 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $905,000
Buyer: 407 Water Street LLC
Seller: David J. Larue
Date: 12/20/22

355 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Thomas E. Mimitz
Seller: Alexander J. Erviti
Date: 12/14/22

16 Grove St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $905,000
Buyer: 407 Water Street LLC
Seller: David J. Larue
Date: 12/20/22

76 Hope St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $640,000
Buyer: James B. Stillwaggon
Seller: Christopher J. Ethier
Date: 12/21/22

84 Hope St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $640,000
Buyer: James B. Stillwaggon
Seller: Christopher J. Ethier
Date: 12/21/22

246-248 Hope St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $377,000
Buyer: Lauren E. Harris
Seller: MJDB Construction Services LLC
Date: 12/16/22

Newton St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Premier Self Storage LLC
Seller: George Marchacos
Date: 12/19/22

133 School St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Donna Manuel
Seller: EDS Enterprises LLC
Date: 12/16/22

151 Wells St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Karen Calderon
Seller: Jeffrey Phillips
Date: 12/19/22

HAWLEY

17 Bozrah Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Amount: $341,500
Buyer: James McNaughton
Seller: Angela M. Clark
Date: 12/19/22

LEVERETT

2 Chestnut Hill Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $668,000
Buyer: Catherine M. Rubinstein
Seller: Anne Beresford-Clarke
Date: 12/15/22

16 Long Hill Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $697,000
Buyer: Christine G. McDannald
Seller: Charles H. Urquhart
Date: 12/12/22

MONTAGUE

9 Burnett St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $311,000
Buyer: Joseph F. Katz
Seller: Russell F. Dean IRT
Date: 12/16/22

62 Montague St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Laurie F. Devino
Seller: William P. Devino
Date: 12/20/22

51 Swamp Road
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Robert L. Boulanger
Seller: Michael R. Boulanger
Date: 12/21/22

34 Turners Falls Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Grace A. Moore
Seller: Kassandra R. Rounds
Date: 12/12/22

NORTHFIELD

60 Ashuelot Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Peter Orlowski
Seller: Steven C. Wiggin
Date: 12/15/22

ORANGE

77 High St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Robyn L. Gintner
Seller: Kathryn M. Ahearn
Date: 12/22/22

SHELBURNE

65 Fiske Mill Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $149,000
Buyer: Wicked Deals LLC
Seller: John Dawicki
Date: 12/15/22

SUNDERLAND

100 Bull Hill Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $234,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Sheridan
Seller: William Case
Date: 12/23/22

167 North Main St.
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $411,807
Buyer: Todd Campbell
Seller: Laurel Turk
Date: 12/15/22

197 River Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $420,000
Buyer: Christopher Haas
Seller: Ferdene I. Chin-Yee
Date: 12/23/22

WENDELL

22 Checkerberry Lane
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Laura A. Torraco
Seller: Abigail R. Shapiro
Date: 12/16/22

Gate Lane
Wendell, MA 01379
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Mass. Audubon Society Inc.
Seller: James M. Killay
Date: 12/16/22

WHATELY

61 Old State Road
Whately, MA 01373
Amount: $570,000
Buyer: Ruchi Grover LLC
Seller: Niemiec 2014 RET
Date: 12/22/22

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

18 Damato Way
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $740,000
Buyer: Sajid Khan
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 12/16/22

52 Edgewood Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $379,900
Buyer: Alma Garcia
Seller: John E. Currier
Date: 12/15/22

72 Granger Dr.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Cameron Davidson
Seller: Phyllis J. Harrison
Date: 12/14/22

54 Hampden Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Sean K. O’Connor
Seller: L. William Fradet TR
Date: 12/16/22

13 James St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $279,500
Buyer: Andrew Minicuccvi-Gold
Seller: Joseph Rufino
Date: 12/15/22

22 Kathy Ter.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: ZF SPV LLC
Seller: Timothy D. Pelletier
Date: 12/20/22

17 Liberty St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Elaine Della-Ripa
Seller: Della Ripa Re LLC
Date: 12/21/22

154 Nicole Ter.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $560,000
Buyer: Scott P. Smith
Seller: Hillside Development Corp.
Date: 12/20/22

40 Nolan Lane
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $485,000
Buyer: Ba Vantran
Seller: Robert L. Bell
Date: 12/22/22

54 Ramah Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $640,000
Buyer: Blue Fields Property LLC
Seller: Marlene A. Christy
Date: 12/23/22

55 Royal Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $240,100
Buyer: Stephine S. Busbee
Seller: Amanda M. Cotto
Date: 12/22/22

960 Springfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Heidi L. Dintzner
Seller: Lawrence F. Army
Date: 12/16/22

976 Springfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Heidi L. Dintzner
Seller: Lawrence F. Army
Date: 12/16/22

1001 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Fahad Rajee
Seller: Anthony J. Smigelski
Date: 12/20/22

130 Valentine St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $312,500
Buyer: Diane L. Jones
Seller: Brett M. Gearing
Date: 12/21/22

BLANDFORD

28 Herrick Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Joseph Sanctuary
Seller: Wilford A. Taylor
Date: 12/12/22

CHESTER

100 Prospect St.
Chester, MA 01011
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Joseph M. Barnicle
Seller: Susan E. Berger
Date: 12/19/22

CHICOPEE

70 Arthur St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Kristin McCoy
Seller: At Home Properties LLC
Date: 12/16/22

24 Beesley Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Rachael Kaplan
Seller: Adam Eckert
Date: 12/16/22

190 Bemis Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $282,000
Buyer: Fidelino R. Morales-Perez
Seller: Maple Tree Investors LLC
Date: 12/22/22

8 Bonneta Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Fatima Z. Azouina
Seller: Douglas J. Dichard
Date: 12/22/22

105 Britton St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Joseph R. Lepage
Seller: Barbara A. Hebert-Pranes
Date: 12/19/22

25 Clinton St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Abdullah Mutar
Seller: Naser Thajeel
Date: 12/12/22

84 East Meadow St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: 84 East Meadow St. LLC
Seller: Edwin J. Malikowski
Date: 12/14/22

135 East St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Brent Shy
Seller: Anthony Gallant
Date: 12/12/22

Griffith Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $8,500,000
Buyer: Griffith Road Property Owner
Seller: Leoni Wire Inc.
Date: 12/13/22

301 Griffith Road
Chicopee, MA 01022
Amount: $8,500,000
Buyer: Griffith Road Property Owner
Seller: Leoni Wire Inc.
Date: 12/13/22

274 Hampden St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $363,000
Buyer: Michelle Rosa
Seller: Nres LLC
Date: 12/23/22

163 Ingham St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Ethan Bloomfield
Seller: Krzysztof J. Przybylek
Date: 12/19/22

173 Irene St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Ethan Bloomfield
Seller: Krzysztof J. Przybylek
Date: 12/19/22

119 Jamrog Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Ryan W. Jopson
Seller: Robert D. Mashia
Date: 12/16/22

148 Joy St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: Ted Popper
Seller: J. Hunter Properties LLC
Date: 12/22/22

8 Leclair Ter.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Revampit Holdings LLC
Seller: Maureen A. Gagne
Date: 12/13/22

100 Manning St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Malia Homebuyers LLC
Seller: Donald B. Pringle
Date: 12/13/22

71 Maple St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $288,000
Buyer: Gloria Vasquez
Seller: Lisa A. Rubner
Date: 12/19/22

126 Mountainview St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $364,000
Buyer: Victoria M. Gagnon
Seller: Rachael L. Kaplan
Date: 12/16/22

163 Mountainview St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Sarah B. Fisher
Seller: Sarah Ledoux-Bielecki
Date: 12/23/22

327 New Ludlow Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $390,000
Buyer: Samuel Sharpe
Seller: German Garcia
Date: 12/19/22

100 Northwood St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Angela D. Soto
Seller: Tina L. Defranco
Date: 12/16/22

31 Ohio Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Lisa L. Dashnaw
Seller: Julia Albizu
Date: 12/22/22

31 Prospect St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: MAR Real Estate LLC
Seller: Michael F. Pawlishen
Date: 12/20/22

172 Rimmon Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $246,000
Buyer: Priscilla F. Rucks-Smith
Seller: Caroline E. Dziel
Date: 12/16/22

26 Sampson St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Ilya Matiach
Seller: Diane E. Page
Date: 12/14/22

188 School St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Ethan A. Iglesias
Seller: Raquel M. St. Pierre
Date: 12/21/22

159 Silvin Road
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Jeffrey Chagnon
Seller: Chouinardloretta, C., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/22

49 Washington St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $244,000
Buyer: Nathan B. Shaheen
Seller: Nicole M. Lopez
Date: 12/16/22

123 Wheatland Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $281,000
Buyer: Landny Khampaeng
Seller: Michael S. Duffus
Date: 12/12/22

86 Woodstock St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Jesenia Garcia
Seller: Nelson Garcia
Date: 12/23/22

EAST LONGMEADOW

56 Avery St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $449,900
Buyer: Grace N. Lacharite
Seller: John Foster
Date: 12/23/22

10 Callender Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Juliana M. Evans
Seller: Michael R. Greene
Date: 12/12/22

15 Channing Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01108
Amount: $398,900
Buyer: Hien P. Nguyen
Seller: Tayyab Rahil
Date: 12/19/22

54 Dearborn St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Michael R. Henshaw
Seller: Judith A. Bocchino
Date: 12/22/22

34 Favorite Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Aaron Richards
Seller: Panther NT
Date: 12/22/22

20 Hampden Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Matthew K. Smith
Seller: Gary R. Underhill
Date: 12/15/22

15 High Meadow Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $880,000
Buyer: Leah M. Kenney
Seller: Nancy Weithofer
Date: 12/15/22

16 Maynard St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Angel L. Serrano-Rios
Seller: MTGLQ Investors LP
Date: 12/13/22

393 Pease Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $495,000
Buyer: Teodoro Torres
Seller: Michelle Segura
Date: 12/12/22

41 Rollins Dr.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $630,000
Buyer: Ryan McCarthy
Seller: Thomas P. Sweeney
Date: 12/21/22

37 Taylor St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Vanessa Byrnes
Seller: Marissa N. Rocha
Date: 12/12/22

GRANVILLE

1012 Main Road
Granville, MA 01034
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Peter B. Crowley
Seller: Rita Martin
Date: 12/16/22

HAMPDEN

19 Deerfield Circle
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Peter E. Miccoli
Seller: Zachary J. Muscaro
Date: 12/21/22

319 Main St.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $126,500
Buyer: James W. Fiore
Seller: Thomas Joseph
Date: 12/15/22

HOLLAND

24 East Brimfield Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Steven F. Whittredge
Seller: 2019 Donald Demetrius IRT
Date: 12/19/22

29 Kimball Hill Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Justin D. Kelsey
Seller: Positive Spin Real Estate Inc.
Date: 12/14/22

134 Mashapaug Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Sparling
Seller: Shaina Labonte
Date: 12/23/22

517 Old Turnpike Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $499,853
Buyer: Ryan G. Beecher
Seller: Cormier & Sons Construction
Date: 12/23/22

97 Sandy Beach Road
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Noelle Bonnevie
Seller: Michael S. Melville
Date: 12/15/22

HOLYOKE

16 Cranberry Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $331,400
Buyer: Kamil Bak
Seller: Tyler M. Limoges
Date: 12/22/22

979-981 Dwight St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $242,060
Buyer: Phantom Holdings LLC
Seller: Patriot Property Management Group
Date: 12/12/22

15 Green Willow Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Onix Cruz
Seller: Stankiewicz Sr., V. J., (Estate)
Date: 12/23/22

1059 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $298,000
Buyer: Cecily Selden
Seller: Daunheimer, Grace S., (Estate)
Date: 12/16/22

155 Huron Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $278,000
Buyer: Liam Fitzgerald
Seller: Laurie A. Gaulin
Date: 12/14/22

40-42 James St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Germika L. Davis
Seller: Pioneer Valley Redevelopment LLC
Date: 12/23/22

49 Liberty St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $540,000
Buyer: Andrew Freed
Seller: Michael P. Stoddard FT
Date: 12/23/22

32 Lindbergh Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: James C. Gilbert
Seller: Irwin, Sheryl A., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/22

284 Maple St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Ryan E. Knoechelman
Seller: Salim Abdoo
Date: 12/21/22

30 Myrtle Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Travis McBryde
Seller: Thomas W. Spencer
Date: 12/23/22

51 North Summer St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Carmen R. Martinez
Seller: Western Mass Realty LLC
Date: 12/22/22

1697-1699 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $408,000
Buyer: Three Lions LLC
Seller: Stanley Hill
Date: 12/20/22

90 Pleasant St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $655,000
Buyer: Rachel Sadler
Seller: Kenneth A. Foley
Date: 12/13/22

40 River Ter.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $373,000
Buyer: Steven Flynn
Seller: Anna C. Colvin
Date: 12/12/22

24 Rugby St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Perry R. Dulude
Seller: Joanne J. Finck
Date: 12/12/22

15 Steiger Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $314,000
Buyer: Lucy K. Kaminsky
Seller: Scott A. Taupier
Date: 12/15/22

51 Taylor St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $264,000
Buyer: Jennifer Calvo
Seller: Renovations Of RE LLC
Date: 12/21/22

LONGMEADOW

111 Academy Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $365,625
Buyer: Susan K. Carey IRT
Seller: Cheryl A. O’Connor
Date: 12/21/22

104 Ardsley Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $1,100,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Seeley
Seller: Peter Novak
Date: 12/12/22

61 Birch Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $430,200
Buyer: Susanita Carvajal
Seller: Matthew K. Smith
Date: 12/12/22

209 Birch Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $276,000
Buyer: Jackie Tang
Seller: Maryann E. Moquin
Date: 12/12/22

33 Eton Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $483,000
Buyer: Adam J. Dube
Seller: Bertrand, Joanne H., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/22

29 Eunice Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $435,000
Buyer: Stanislav Yagudaev
Seller: Deborah L. MacDonald
Date: 12/15/22

72 Fairway Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $372,400
Buyer: Wojciech Z. Grochowski
Seller: Ray A. Thomas TR
Date: 12/15/22

113 Franklin Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $362,500
Buyer: Matthew Fratini
Seller: Marc E. Sandler
Date: 12/13/22

34 Hillcrest Ave.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $490,000
Buyer: Michael J. Mazur
Seller: Ryan W. Tunstall
Date: 12/23/22

125 Meadowbrook Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $640,000
Buyer: Richard Plaut
Seller: Regina M. Shriver RET
Date: 12/16/22

32 Meadowlark Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $401,450
Buyer: Kylee C. Granfield
Seller: Chun K. Wun
Date: 12/16/22

110 Rugby Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Christine Aye
Seller: Denis, Louis B., (Estate)
Date: 12/20/22

LUDLOW

2 Alvin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $525,000
Buyer: Krzysztof J. Przybylek
Seller: Bruce Tetrault
Date: 12/19/22

29 Baker St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: JT Realty Associates Inc.
Seller: Patnode, Robert J., (Estate)
Date: 12/23/22

22 Eden St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Alicia M. Ferreira
Seller: Diane A. Drozdowski
Date: 12/19/22

37 Massachusetts Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Ryan J. Kazeroid
Seller: Daniele A. Decesare
Date: 12/16/22

42 Perimeter Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Deliso Development LLC
Seller: C&J Realty LLC
Date: 12/15/22

160 Pine St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Greg Lesniak
Seller: Megliola Realty LLC
Date: 12/15/22

160 Pinewood Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Brianna Novaris
Seller: Peter E. Miccoli
Date: 12/16/22

257 State St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $530,000
Buyer: Julima Property Mgmt. LLC
Seller: David F. Huot
Date: 12/14/22

346-348 West Ave.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Miguel Goncalves
Seller: J. A. Properties LLC
Date: 12/16/22

MONSON

4 Fern Hill Road
Monson, MA 01069
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Priscilla Chan
Seller: Brittany A. Williams
Date: 12/16/22

3 Heritage Lane
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $401,000
Buyer: Brent Ketner
Seller: Kyle Williams
Date: 12/19/22

77 May Hill Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Christine M. Mannis
Seller: US Bank
Date: 12/16/22

12 Munn Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $369,900
Buyer: Choctaw American Insurance Inc.
Seller: Luc Hardyn
Date: 12/19/22

120 Stebbins Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Benjamin K. Barton
Seller: William F. Lemon
Date: 12/16/22

11 Upper Hampden Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Samuel A. Duarte
Seller: A. R. Phillips Survivors TR
Date: 12/23/22

296 Wales Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $332,000
Buyer: Daniel Edgerton
Seller: Faerie Hill RT
Date: 12/19/22

MONTGOMERY

78 Pineridge Road
Montgomery, MA 01085
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: No Limit Assets LLC
Seller: Cormier, Nancy, (Estate)
Date: 12/22/22

PALMER

9 Countryside Dr.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Bailey T. Canedy
Seller: Michael J. Olbrych
Date: 12/21/22

68 Flynt St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $283,290
Buyer: Dwayne Jolicoeur
Seller: Monique Vadnais
Date: 12/16/22

97 Laurel Road
Palmer, MA 01095
Amount: $287,000
Buyer: Joshua Labarre
Seller: Jonathan D. Jedziniak
Date: 12/21/22

2358 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Renee R. Butler
Seller: Jacqueline Rygiel
Date: 12/21/22

66 Randall St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $336,000
Buyer: Marlene M. Williams
Seller: Todd M. Kirkland
Date: 12/20/22

SOUTHWICK

662-A College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Premier Self Storage LLC
Seller: Ralph Depalma
Date: 12/23/22

45 Coes Hill Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Ann M. Goucher
Seller: Richard P. Marshall
Date: 12/16/22

83 College Hwy.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Sean Bienvenue
Seller: R. M. Blerman LLC
Date: 12/15/22

136 Hillside Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Eric Shilyuk
Seller: Janet C. Whitney
Date: 12/23/22

7 Logie Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Joshua Gibbs
Seller: Bonnie M. Girard
Date: 12/19/22

8 Noble Steed Xing
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $549,000
Buyer: Lyudmila A. Maksyuk
Seller: Hedge Hog Industries Corp.
Date: 12/19/22

81 Point Grove Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $1,000,000
Buyer: Frank Grillo Ent LLC
Seller: Tri-Pbj Enterprise LLC
Date: 12/21/22

9-A Sawgrass Lane
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $697,600
Buyer: Ashish Patel
Seller: Hamelin Framing Inc.
Date: 12/16/22

SPRINGFIELD

105 Alden St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Serapio R. Perez
Seller: R. M. Blerman LLC
Date: 12/22/22

853 Armory St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $151,000
Buyer: Pah Properties LLC
Seller: John Burlingham
Date: 12/16/22

59 Ashley St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Carlos Vargas
Seller: Iris N. Baez
Date: 12/14/22

770 Bay St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Argenis Ramos
Seller: MMF Realty LLC
Date: 12/21/22

225 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $352,000
Buyer: Kinan Al Haffar
Seller: Nodia W. Wright
Date: 12/20/22

486-494 Belmont Ave.
Springfield, MA 77056
Amount: $850,000
Buyer: Nalani Capital LLC
Seller: JK Wave Inc.
Date: 12/14/22

300 Birnie Ave.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $12,000,000
Buyer: Neos Realty LLC
Seller: Birnie Medical LLC
Date: 12/21/22

977 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Nilsa E. Laboy
Seller: Jart RT
Date: 12/22/22

995 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $302,500
Buyer: H&F Properties Inc.
Seller: Jart RT
Date: 12/21/22

163 Bowles St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Linnette N. Barbosa-Ortiz
Seller: OPM Investments LLC
Date: 12/23/22

165 Brewster St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Rafael A. Rodriguez
Seller: Cory L. Phillips
Date: 12/16/22

10-12 Brookline Ave.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $395,000
Buyer: Marie N. Stilus
Seller: Dubs Capital LLC
Date: 12/22/22

49 Campechi St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: William T. Raleigh
Seller: Mark A. Phaneuf
Date: 12/16/22

27 Castle St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Qais M. Malalla
Seller: Andrew M. Siano
Date: 12/14/22

117 Cheyenne Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Yadira Rivera
Seller: James Broderick
Date: 12/14/22

78 Coral Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Raymond G. Turcotte
Seller: Joshua M. Gibbs
Date: 12/13/22

206 Corcoran Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: John J. Beas
Seller: Kimberly A. Santiago
Date: 12/19/22

31 Cottonwood Lane
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Pah Properties LLC
Seller: Matthew P. David
Date: 12/16/22

36 Crestwood St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $600,000
Buyer: Justice H. Pellegrino
Seller: J. Norbert Properties LLC
Date: 12/21/22

40 Dennis St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: James Coombs
Seller: Nationwide Abstract LLC
Date: 12/21/22

371 Dickinson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Forest Orchard LLC
Seller: Jessica Demarco
Date: 12/12/22

376 Dwight Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Daniel Torres
Seller: Luis Rosa
Date: 12/13/22

103 El Paso St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $227,000
Buyer: Bertha Mahue
Seller: Ronnie E. Crapps
Date: 12/15/22

111 Elijah St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Alexandra L. Ortiz
Seller: Rose M. Soto
Date: 12/16/22

294 Gifford St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Justin Harrison
Seller: Glen J. Jusczyk
Date: 12/22/22

7 Gilmore St.
Springfield, MA 01013
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Chanel Gamble
Seller: Steven W. Lewis
Date: 12/15/22

326 Goodwin St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Miguel Vazquez
Seller: Joao A. Bernardo
Date: 12/12/22

24-26 Grove St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Angel Rios
Seller: Home LLC
Date: 12/13/22

62-64 Groveland St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $277,000
Buyer: Jose L. Santiago-Alicea
Seller: Long K. Tran
Date: 12/13/22

54-56 Grover St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Diana Morales-Ramirez
Seller: Moises Zanazanian
Date: 12/23/22

97 Hadley St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $279,900
Buyer: Jeffrey Donaruma
Seller: Michael J. Avigliano
Date: 12/21/22

70 Harrow Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Bryan Rae
Seller: Juan R. Rodriguez
Date: 12/23/22

12 Haskin St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Mirtha Laguerre-Lundy
Seller: Alex Owusu
Date: 12/20/22

10 Hemlock Court
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Gage M. Miller
Seller: Ming Tsang
Date: 12/20/22

25 Hilltop St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Daniel P. Candido
Seller: Christopher G. Roig TR
Date: 12/16/22

412 Island Pond Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Alexandra Charette
Seller: M&F Vazquez Home Improvements
Date: 12/15/22

99 Jenness St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Cynthia L. Maldonado
Seller: Jerry Luciano
Date: 12/21/22

116-118 Johnson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Anthony Gibbs
Seller: Kelnate Realty LLC
Date: 12/12/22

103-105 Kent Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $340,000
Buyer: Mark Melikian
Seller: Michael J. Jolicoeur
Date: 12/23/22

391 Kent Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Amber Jaeger
Seller: Hien P. Nguyen
Date: 12/16/22

113-115 Knollwood St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $295,874
Buyer: Lycaste LLC
Seller: Jose R. Escribano
Date: 12/14/22

47 Kulig St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Yadira Rivera
Seller: Robert J. Schroeter
Date: 12/14/22

246 Lamont St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $269,000
Buyer: Matthew Bourque
Seller: Joan Diaz
Date: 12/20/22

5 Lynebrook Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Ruet Properties LLC
Seller: Michael Palmer
Date: 12/20/22

50 Macomber Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Jacob Martinez
Seller: Blythewood Property Mgmt. LLC
Date: 12/16/22

396 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Forest Orchard LLC
Seller: J. L. H. RT
Date: 12/23/22

56 Mandalay Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $214,500
Buyer: Ruth M. Holland
Seller: Lori A. Beston
Date: 12/22/22

179-181 Massasoit St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Felix Gyabaa
Seller: Brian Thai
Date: 12/15/22

110 Mill St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Patricia Patterson
Seller: Pah Properties LLC
Date: 12/14/22

281 Newton Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $294,685
Buyer: Freedom Mortgage Corp.
Seller: Wilfred Fontaine
Date: 12/21/22

6 North Chatham St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $189,900
Buyer: Van Tran
Seller: ALDD Real Estate LLC
Date: 12/15/22

91 Northampton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Andres Martinez-Matamoros
Seller: Bailey, Wylene, (Estate)
Date: 12/22/22

121 Northampton Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Quaker Capital LLC
Seller: Mark Glenn
Date: 12/21/22

98 Patricia Circle
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Daniel R. Dacruz
Seller: D&V RT
Date: 12/16/22

191 Pine Acre Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $237,500
Buyer: Nancy Vaz
Seller: Diane S. Salstead
Date: 12/19/22

260 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Tynisha A. Henderson
Seller: Christopher S. Gaffney
Date: 12/19/22

24 Putnam St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Aaron Rothwell
Seller: Phyllis R. Lacasse
Date: 12/21/22

43 Ringgold St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Kerline Prophete
Seller: Selocin Inc.
Date: 12/19/22

18 Rittenhouse Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $362,000
Buyer: Hawa Kibodya
Seller: Joejoe Properties LLC
Date: 12/21/22

30 Scott St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Erasmito Gonzalez
Seller: J3 LLC
Date: 12/19/22

198 Senator St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Alexander Sierra
Seller: Thomas A. O’Sullivan
Date: 12/22/22

47 Silver St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Jasmine Owen
Seller: Rose A. Owen
Date: 12/16/22

1447 South Branch Pkwy.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $268,000
Buyer: Deon Charles
Seller: Julian Colo
Date: 12/13/22

691 State St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: M. Mistri LLC
Seller: 691 State Street LLC
Date: 12/20/22

73-75 Sterling St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $307,000
Buyer: Janthony R. Molina
Seller: Jens Martinez
Date: 12/21/22

390 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Sumner Avenue LLC
Seller: Andrew W. Vivenzio
Date: 12/20/22

419 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Ty G. Mezzetti
Seller: University Of St. Joseph
Date: 12/21/22

1164 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Armando Zayas-Izquierdo
Seller: Manchester Ent. LLC
Date: 12/16/22

Tyler St.
Springfield, MA 01101
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Tyler Street LLC
Seller: Central City Boxing & Barbell
Date: 12/22/22

22-24 Tyler St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Tyler Street LLC
Seller: CEntral City Boxing & Barbell
Date: 12/22/22

28 Van Buren Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $127,500
Buyer: Strategic Homes Inc.
Seller: Alfred B. Roy
Date: 12/12/22

145 Vincent St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Dimitri Brutskiy
Seller: Janeczek, Gary, (Estate)
Date: 12/22/22

20 Wallace St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Exavier J. Adorno
Seller: Naylor Nation Real Estate LLC
Date: 12/16/22

30 Wallace St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Miriam Ortiz
Seller: Equity TR Co.
Date: 12/12/22

72 Waverly St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Neha Chavan
Seller: 72 Waverly Street LLC
Date: 12/22/22

96 Wheeler Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Horatio Lennox-Pinnock
Seller: Rodriguez, Maria C., (Estate)
Date: 12/22/22

59-61 Willard Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Rury A. Vasquez-Juarez
Seller: Danoma DG LLC
Date: 12/14/22

114 William St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: RBT Enterprise LLC
Seller: Isidoro R. Sanchez
Date: 12/21/22

116-120 William St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: Rbt Enterprise LLC
Seller: Isidoro R. Sanchez
Date: 12/21/22

5 Wilshire Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Megliola Realty LLC
Seller: Brian K. Scott
Date: 12/16/22

31 Wilton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $232,500
Buyer: Jeremy A. Powloka
Seller: Tara T. Woods
Date: 12/16/22

72 Wrentham Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: Reinaldo Perez-Rodriguez
Seller: Jjj17 LLC
Date: 12/23/22

WALES

75 Main St.
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $224,000
Buyer: Nathan R. Quattrocelli
Seller: Kerrie A. Manchester
Date: 12/19/22

185 Union Road
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $700,000
Buyer: Sonja J. Majstoravich
Seller: John Grasso
Date: 12/16/22

WESTFIELD

9 Bates St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Kathleen S. Wiechec
Seller: John P. Wiechec
Date: 12/14/22

9 Charles St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Jennifer A. Mason
Seller: Andrzej Rokicki
Date: 12/12/22

32 Cleveland Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $323,000
Buyer: Kayla A. Beany
Seller: Charles McNutt
Date: 12/15/22

49 Ely St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Amanda R. Pelletier
Seller: Betty J. Welch
Date: 12/22/22

135 Meadow St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $185,840
Buyer: Kmak LLC
Seller: Kimberly Sulek
Date: 12/22/22

145 Miller St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Shanil Bhujel
Seller: Valerie M. Cabral
Date: 12/16/22

539 North Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $2,480,000
Buyer: Nizan Holdings LLC
Seller: Djj 539 LLC
Date: 12/20/22

4 Oak St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Stephen Hupfer
Seller: Amanda R. Pyzocha
Date: 12/19/22

132 Pontoosic Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $262,000
Buyer: Anthony Bortolussi
Seller: Joan C. Bryskiewicz
Date: 12/20/22

19 Rider Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Ihor Sazhai
Seller: Jose A. Figueroa
Date: 12/16/22

30 Tanglewood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $364,000
Buyer: Mitchell R. Barnes
Seller: Sean F. Smith
Date: 12/12/22

70 West Silver St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $242,000
Buyer: John R. Ciampaglia
Seller: Great Brook TR
Date: 12/15/22

WILBRAHAM

6 Birch St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $315,000
Buyer: Brittany M. Dussault
Seller: Todd N. Ashford
Date: 12/15/22

52 Brookside Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $477,000
Buyer: Erica Etchells
Seller: Irwin W. Wilk
Date: 12/16/22

18 Circle Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Patrick Duncan
Seller: Circle Drive RT
Date: 12/20/22

10 Forest Glade Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $639,000
Buyer: Jonathan Mish
Seller: Jeffrey D. Wicks
Date: 12/21/22

11 Hunting Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $399,900
Buyer: Keith A. Nunes
Seller: Elizabeth A. Chmura
Date: 12/21/22

4 Laurel Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $494,000
Buyer: Alireza Jarihi
Seller: Paul E. Dernavich
Date: 12/20/22

166 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Marcel Nunes
Seller: Brian S. Lashway
Date: 12/16/22

15 Maplewood Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Megan F. Hill
Seller: Richard Butler
Date: 12/15/22

11 Old Orchard Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $427,000
Buyer: Marcus D. Verteramo
Seller: Nancy Labrie
Date: 12/22/22

6 Patriot Ridge Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $640,000
Buyer: Hunter E. Boody
Seller: Adam May
Date: 12/19/22

2 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Chad Roy
Seller: Robert T. Kelliher
Date: 12/23/22

463 Springfield St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $339,900
Buyer: John F. Gamba
Seller: Todd R. Burke
Date: 12/16/22

78 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Teodosia C. Sanchez
Seller: Edwin Misiaszek
Date: 12/12/22

WEST SPRINGFIELD

61 Alderbrook Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $333,000
Buyer: Erik Tancrati
Seller: Strout, Kenin, (Estate)
Date: 12/23/22

92 Bonnie Brae Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $314,900
Buyer: Jennifer Curtis
Seller: Michael Vincent
Date: 12/14/22

905 Dewey St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Sirat Byati
Seller: Bikash Chhetri
Date: 12/21/22

23 Elm Circle
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Malia Homebuyers LLC
Seller: Debbie D. Leavitt
Date: 12/20/22

69 Hanover St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Adriel E. Hernandez
Seller: Anthony Becker
Date: 12/19/22

25 Hayes Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Tempus Unlimited Inc.
Seller: Normandeau Realty LLC
Date: 12/23/22

440 Massachusetts Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Zeiad Zaitoun
Seller: Ebi Poudyel
Date: 12/15/22

15 Oleander St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $199,500
Buyer: MFRA TR
Seller: Anthony P. Ceccheteli
Date: 12/21/22

1240 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Nicole C. Brochu
Seller: Jerrold F. Granger
Date: 12/13/22

288 Westfield St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Westfield St. Group LLC
Seller: West Springfield Animal
Date: 12/16/22

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

24 Dickinson St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: 24 Dickinson LLC
Seller: Sea Gull Properties LLC
Date: 12/15/22

145 Glendale Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $349,600
Buyer: William M. Palmer
Seller: Mark C. Moriarty
Date: 12/16/22

30 Hitching Post Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $460,000
Buyer: Sophie Lippert
Seller: Mehta, Surinder K., (Estate)
Date: 12/13/22

81 Memorial Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $487,000
Buyer: David Salutric
Seller: Aaron D. Rubinstein
Date: 12/14/22

340 South Pleasant St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $321,750
Buyer: Jonathan Obert
Seller: Amherst College Trust
Date: 12/15/22

15 Teaberry Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $749,000
Buyer: Joseph L. MacDonald
Seller: Terry S. Johnson
Date: 12/16/22

BELCHERTOWN

71 Bardwell St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Nohika Cherubin
Seller: M&G Land Development LLC
Date: 12/22/22

181 Franklin St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $331,750
Buyer: Katherine Nadeau
Seller: Jessica M. Daly
Date: 12/14/22

11 Rita Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $308,000
Buyer: Alison Montemagni
Seller: Enix Zavala
Date: 12/14/22

475 South Washington St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $585,000
Buyer: Paul A. Valentine
Seller: JHP Builders LLC
Date: 12/21/22

59 Springfield Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $311,900
Buyer: Stacey Kronenberg
Seller: Benjamin A. Graham
Date: 12/14/22

Upper Pond
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $337,500
Buyer: Sharon S. Carty
Seller: Linda Tolpa
Date: 12/16/22

167 Warren Wright Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: James L. Beadle
Seller: Trexler M. Topping
Date: 12/13/22

CUMMINGTON

59 Dodwells Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $345,000
Buyer: Harrison Datkowitz
Seller: Cristi K. Lindblom
Date: 12/15/22

61 Nash Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $451,000
Buyer: Lisa A. Harvey
Seller: Aaron Robb
Date: 12/22/22

EASTHAMPTON

13 Carillon Circle
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $381,500
Buyer: Alberto Perez
Seller: Philip F. Civello
Date: 12/16/22

17 Hill Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Christopher Langevin
Seller: Antonio Langevin
Date: 12/14/22

30 Pomeroy St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $385,000
Buyer: Olaleye A. Aina
Seller: David Marek
Date: 12/19/22

GRANBY

134 Aldrich St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Craig Helbok
Seller: David R. Jodoin
Date: 12/19/22

549 Amherst Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $294,000
Buyer: Jonathan M. Larder
Seller: Barbara Martino RET
Date: 12/15/22

601 Amherst Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $163,000
Buyer: Michael Pancione
Seller: Megliola Realty LLC
Date: 12/16/22

144 Carver St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Harold A. Chua
Seller: Sawicki, Thaddeus J., (Estate)
Date: 12/14/22

HADLEY

46 Huntington Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Jeremy Ober
Seller: Ronald J. Barrett
Date: 12/21/22

30 Russell St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $750,000
Buyer: 30 Russell Street LLC
Seller: Gregory F. Hancock
Date: 12/22/22

HATFIELD

58 Linseed Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Izabela Wasylik
Seller: Gretchen M. Adamski
Date: 12/21/22

NORTHAMPTON

485 Bridge Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $397,950
Buyer: Kenneth Lee
Seller: Jay Cebik
Date: 12/23/22

128 Cross Path Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Talmas LLC
Seller: Reil, Nancy, (Estate)
Date: 12/15/22

23 Fort Hill Ter.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $530,000
Buyer: Luca Capogna
Seller: Scott R. Hodges
Date: 12/13/22

34 Fort Hill Ter.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $262,400
Buyer: Jeffrey T. Massimino
Seller: John G. Tenczar RET
Date: 12/13/22

21 Harold St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Jon Paul Stracco
Seller: Paul Stracco
Date: 12/16/22

1 Market St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,500,000
Buyer: Goodmarket Properties LLC
Seller: E. Paul Brown LT
Date: 12/15/22

661 Park Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $675,000
Buyer: Elisa S. Daus
Seller: Jeanne A. Kelley LT
Date: 12/19/22

451 Rocky Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $367,100
Buyer: Adam Freed
Seller: Jessica Hertzberg
Date: 12/19/22

PELHAM

39 Harkness Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $357,500
Buyer: Jessica R. Ladin
Seller: Pamela K. Borglum
Date: 12/21/22

166 Packardville Road
Pelham, MA 01007
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Dimiero Investments LLC
Seller: Robert L. Vallee
Date: 12/23/22

SOUTH HADLEY

48 Amherst Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Paul Viens
Seller: John Arthur
Date: 12/13/22

13 Lyon Green
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: JN Duquette & Son Construction
Seller: Mountain Brook LLC
Date: 12/22/22

17 Lyon Green
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: JN Duquette & Son Construction
Seller: Mountain Brook LLC
Date: 12/22/22

21 Lyon Green
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: JN Duquette & Son Construction
Seller: Mountain Brook LLC
Date: 12/22/22

33 Mary Lyon Dr.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $380,000
Buyer: Patricia Hourihan
Seller: Jane M. Joslyn
Date: 12/21/22

147 Mosier St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: Patrick K. Asselin
Seller: Partyka, Eva Agnes R., (Estate)
Date: 12/23/22

4 Pershing Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $360,000
Buyer: James Takuraneyi-Hokonya
Seller: Kerry L. Hussey
Date: 12/22/22

93 Pittroff Ave.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $212,000
Buyer: Jacob Bacis
Seller: Johnson, Robert C., (Estate)
Date: 12/15/22

SOUTHAMPTON

126 East St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $405,000
Buyer: Stephen A. Miller
Seller: David M. McGrath
Date: 12/19/22

WARE

1 Anna St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Allen C. Edwards
Seller: Power, Christopher T., (Estate)
Date: 12/16/22

8 Highland St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Jacob Mingels
Seller: M&G Land Development LLC
Date: 12/15/22

19 Horseshoe Circle
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $636,000
Buyer: David Swirk
Seller: Clifford D. Heaton
Date: 12/14/22

150-R North St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $255,000
Buyer: Sainphonie Berlus
Seller: James E. Beauregard
Date: 12/23/22

126 West Main St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: David P. Bourdeau Realty
Seller: Melha Temple Holding Corp.
Date: 12/16/22

WESTHAMPTON

356 Northwest Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Gary Wickland
Seller: David R. Morin
Date: 12/16/22

Reservoir Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Kestrel Land TInc
Seller: Harris, Nancy T., (Estate)
Date: 12/21/22

WILLIAMSBURG

88 Old Goshen Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $475,000
Buyer: Robert B. Longley
Seller: Luciano E. Barrios
Date: 12/13/22

Building Permits

Building Permits

The following building permits were issued during the months of November and December 2022. (Filings are limited due to closures or reduced staffing hours at municipal offices due to COVID-19 restrictions).

CHICOPEE

Hare Krishna Springfield Hotel LLC
36 Johnny Cake Hollow
$1,537.50 — Add fire separation to mechanical room

LENOX

Casella Waste Management Inc.
64 Willow Creek Road
$176,740 — Construct parts room, two offices, a half bath, and a mezzanine storage area within existing steel garage

Casella Waste Management Inc.
68 Willow Creek Road
$60,804 — Construct office and break room within existing storage area of main building

NORTHAMPTON

Bobo LLC
88 King St.
$16,882 — Seven replacement windows

City of Northampton
80 Locust St.
$257,166 — Seventy-four replacement windows at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School

Colvest/Northampton LLC
303 King St.
$20,000 — Illuminated ground sign for Aldi

Colvest/Northampton LLC
303 King St.
$4,000 — Illuminated wall sign for Aldi

Colvest/Northampton LLC
303 King St.
$4,000 — Illuminated side elevation wall sign for Aldi

Mananto Holdings LLP
36 King St.
$48,000 — Repair water-damaged ceilings

PITTSFIELD

Berkshire Hospitality Group LLC
1 West St.
$10,500 — Remove cell-tower equipment from roof

South Congregational Church
110 South St.
$5,000 — Remove and replace stair tread material from front steps

SOUTH HADLEY

Curran-O’Brien Funeral Home
33 Lamb St.
$10,400 — Remove and replace window

Mount Holyoke College
50 College St.
$120,000 — Renovate combined spaces, remove interior walls to enlarge reconfigured space to make new laboratory classroom, new electrical and data, add cabinets and sink

South Hadley Police Department
41 Bridge St.
$55,000 — Roofing

SPRINGFIELD

Arcoleo Realty LLC
50 Maple St.
$30,000 — Install new door to waiting area of medical office

401 Liberty Street LLC
165 Stafford St.
$56,840 — Alter interior space and install new exterior windows at McCormick-Allum

Baystate Medical Center Inc.
759 Chestnut St.
$127,696 — Alter interior space on second floor for cart-washing equipment replacement

FNBC Realty Corp.
1350 Main St.
$10,693.33 — Change ninth-floor conference suite from business use to assembly use

SJC LLC
57 Pearl St.
$15,000 — Remove and replace sheetrock at Yenian Oriental Rugs, remove and replace 14 windows and one interior door

SRC Springfield
215 Bicentennial Highway
$50,000 — Remove nine antennas and install 12 new antennas on AT&T telecommunications tower

United Way of Pioneer Valley to Distribute $258,500 in Emergency Food and Shelter Funds

SPRINGFIELD — The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) is a program funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and designed to supplement and expand the ongoing work of local social0service organizations to provide shelter, food, and supportive services to individuals and families who are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing, homelessness or hunger.

The United Way Pioneer Valley (UWPV) serves as the administrator for Hampden County, South Hadley, and Granby for all EFSP funds. With the help of a local board comprised of local community leaders, UWPV determines how funding is allocated through a competitive grant application process.

EFSP funding for Phase 40 recently became available, resulting in the distribution of $258,500 to be disbursed on a reimbursement basis to local nonprofit organizations.

“We are honored to be the vehicle through which these funds are allocated to the community, to the people most challenged with finding food and shelter,” said Jason Newmark, president of the UWPV board. “We are especially grateful to our local board partners at Catholic Charities, the Red Cross, etc., who help us make this happen.”

EFSP funds must be used to supplement food and shelter services and may not be used as seed money for new programs. The key responsibility of participating organizations is to provide assistance within the intent of their programs.

Wistariahurst to Present ‘Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow’

HOLYOKE — Through the month of February, Wistariahurst Museum and Garden will display a poster exhibition titled “Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow,” organized and distributed by the New York Historical Society Museum and Library, with lead support for this traveling exhibition provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Black Americans gained monumental new liberties after the Civil War and the end of slavery. The era known as Reconstruction brought freedom, citizenship, and, for Black men, the right to vote. By the early 1900s, these liberties had been sabotaged by a repressive racial system known as Jim Crow. This exhibit chronicles the long strides forward, bruising setbacks, and heroic struggle for equality that took place during these years.

Erika Slocumb, scholar of Black studies, who has done much research on the local Black community in Holyoke, noted that “the fight for Black citizenship in the age of Jim Crow is interesting because Black folks used soldiering in the Civil War as a means to attain citizenship in the U.S. Specifically, this demand for citizenship came from Black abolitionists in the North, including Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Du Bois. The Massachusetts 54th Regiment was at the forefront of this call. There were quite a few soldiers from Western Mass. who fought in the 54th and were recognized for their bravery not only on the battlefield but also in their call for equal pay and rights in the U.S. Army.

“I think that it’s important to understand that emancipation, while it ‘freed’ enslaved Black people in the U.S., did not afford them the opportunities of the protections of the law,” Slocumb added. “Many people fled the Jim Crow south in search of a better life and greater opportunity. And that wave of northern migration and ones that followed are how many of the Black families we have spoken to came to be in Holyoke.”

In addition to the exhibit, this program provides a resources for teachers and the public, including recommended readings, recommending watching, links to interactive presentations, workshops and educational curricula, and lesson plans for grades K-12.

The exhibit will be in the Gallery at Wistariahurst Feb. 6-21 and will be supplemented with artifacts and images from the Black Holyoke collection. The gallery is open Mondays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Visit wistariahurst.org/events-2 to register for this event.

MCLA Leadership Academy Applications Open, Information Sessions Announced

NORTH ADAMS — MCLA’s Leadership Academy, a postgraduate program for educators seeking administrator licensure, will host a series of information sessions between January and March for prospective students.

Applications will be accepted through April 15, and information sessions are scheduled in person and remotely this winter. The 12-month program starts on July 7 with an on-campus, in-person, 14-day residency followed by online courses and three weekend residencies.

Leadership Academy alumni and administrators will answer questions about the program and application process during virtual sessions today, Jan. 17 at 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 4 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 4 p.m.; and Monday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m. An in-person session will also be held today, Jan. 17 at 4:30 p.m. at MCLA Pittsfield, 66 Allen St.; and an on-campus open house at MCLA in North Adams is slated for Saturday, March 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Those interested should visit bit.ly/3PIoADW to register.

TheaterWorks Hartford to Present New England Premiere of ‘Queen of Basel’