Resource Guide 2020

From the Editor and Publisher

As always, the editors and designers at BusinessWest spent a good deal of time selecting a cover for the annual Resource Guide. Readers know that over the years we’ve had an eclectic mix of subjects, from new business and cultural developments (MGM Springfield was last year’s subject, for example), to iconic images (like the C-5 cargo plane from Westover Air Reserve Base a few years ago) to photos that simply celebrate the region and its heritage (like fireworks going up over the Memorial Bridge, from several years back).

For 2020, we did something a little different, an image that captures both the past and the present — as well as the imagination.

Indeed, one can’t look at this image, a composite photo of the ruins of the Eyrie House on Mount Nonotuck in Holyoke and the Oxbow beyond, without wondering, or asking, ‘what’s the story behind it.’

The story involves one William Street, who built the Eyrie House hotel and resort, one of many so-called ‘summit houses’ in the region, in the 1860s. As that grand facility got on in years, Street created a vision for a new Eyrie House, a magnificent four-story stone and concrete summit house, and began construction in 1893.

That vision never became reality as a fire raced up the mountain in 1901 and leveled the structure under construction. Underinsured, Street was never able to rebuild. All that remains today are the ruins of the foundation, which offer a glimpse into a different time in this region’s history — as well as intriguing photo ops, like this one.

That’s the story.

In a way, this picture is somewhat like the region’s business community. We look at it, we become intrigued, and we want to know more. We want to know the story behind it.

BusinessWest’s annual Resource Guide helps tell the story — or stories. The more than 200 pages to follow provide important information on thousands of businesses, nonprofits, and regional institutions. Together, these snapshots convey the size, strength, and diversity of this region’s business community and how, as a group, they contribute to a vibrant, always changing economy that revels in the past but is firmly focused on the future.

We urge you to make full use of the information this guide contains (it is also available online as a pdf flipbook at www.businesswest.com) to both grow your company and grasp the breadth and depth of the local business community.

Putting this publication together has been a months-long process that has required substantial amounts of patience and perseverance, and we thank all those involved in making it reality. High praise goes to Art Director Mike Nasuti, Graphic Designer Danielle Fox, researchers Joe Bednar, Kayla Ebner, Jhomary Ramirez, and Ashley Zecca, and our entire sales and marketing teams.

Special thanks to our sponsors and advertisers, whose support makes it possible to publish this great resource.

George O’Brien, Editor

John Gormally, Publisher

Kate Campiti, Associate Publisher