Dear Massachusetts Employer: The Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) recently issued 2021 Unemployment Insurance (UI) rate notices, which included a tax schedule freeze on schedule "E" for 2021 and 2022. The tax schedule freeze slowed the annual employer contribution growth, on average, per employee.
Common Threads, the signature event of Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, is coming up on Thursday, April 22 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event will highlight the “My Strong Suit” campaign, which celebrates women’s unique talents and skills. The annual event, held virtually this year for safety reasons, is an evening that celebrates women. Guests will hear stories of success and be encouraged to discover and share their strong suits. Dress for Success serves low- to moderate-income women, many who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Now more than ever, it is important to ...
Springfield Technical Community College and the STCC Foundation will kick off a free learning series for the Western Mass. community that combines education and wellness in a fun and engaging format. Called “Spring Into Wellness,” the season begins with a three-part virtual series conducted on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.
Chikmedia invites the community to apply for the Chiks of the Future annual scholarship, and submissions are now open. Chikmedia, a boutique firm offering strategic marketing planning and creative PR, launched its annual scholarship to support future generations of marketing professionals. This $500 scholarship will be awarded to one deserving women of color who plans to pursue, or is currently pursuing, a degree in marketing, public relations, communications, or business.
Our Chamber was shocked when hearing the impact of the very recent solvency fund assessment increase and consequential cost to our MA businesses. If you are not familiar with the fund please read the article published in The Republican, April 8th by Steph Solis by clicking here. We are asking you to share this Call To Action free event with your members.
Springfield College announced that Slandie Dieujuste has been hired as vice president for Student Affairs. She is currently vice provost for Student Affairs and dean of students at Massasoit Community College, a position she has held since 2018. She will start her new role at Springfield College on July 1. Dieujuste will join the Springfield College President’s Leadership Team and play a key leadership role in fostering a sense of inclusion and engagement in a diverse and vibrant community. Working with students, faculty, and staff, she will be responsible for developing a comprehensive co-curricular vision for life on campus.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is among nine institutions chosen to collaborate with Big Idea Ventures to help develop and commercialize new, sustainable food products and agricultural innovation that will fuel economic development in rural communities, the New York City-based venture capital firm announced Tuesday.
The owners of Chez Josef have put the 54-year-old venue for proms, weddings, luncheons and banquets on the market for $2.5 million, citing a desire to move on to other business opportunities. General manager and current owner Marc Sparks bought Chez Josef in 2012 from the founding Skole family. At the time, he had worked at the venue for 21 years.
Jean Deliso of the Connecticut Valley General Office of New York Life, an agent since 1995, has received the Agent of the Year Award for 2020. This award recognizes the agent who has achieved the top production among all agents at the company’s Connecticut Valley General Office. “We applaud Jean for this achievement,” said Steven Solonch, managing partner of the Connecticut Valley General Office. “Being acknowledged as the Agent of the Year is a significant accomplishment. She received this recognition for her ability to meet the financial needs of families and businesses in the Western Massachusetts/Southern Connecticut area.”
Whalley Computer Associates (WCA) has once again been named to the Tech Elite 250 list comprised of solution providers in the U.S. and Canada that have made the investments necessary to earn the highest level of certifications from the largest and most prestigious manufacturers of technology products and services, such as Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Dell, IBM, Microsoft, Nutanix, VMware, HPI, and HPE, to name a few.
Florence Bank named Cynthia Malinowski as this year’s Community Support Award winner. Malinowski, vice president and branch manager of the downtown Northampton office, joined Florence Bank in October 1999 and has 33 years of banking experience. The Community Support Award was established by the bank in 1997 as a means of formally recognizing employees who are active participants in community events and donate their personal and professional time to local not-for-profit organizations.
As the nation recovers from a year of dealing with COVID-19, Palmer Town Manger Ryan McNutt looks to the future with optimism. While larger cities had to contend with high COVID infection numbers and revenue losses from business taxes, Palmer maintained low infection numbers and relies more on residential taxes, which remained stable. These days, as many people in the larger metropolitan areas work from home, there is no certainty they will return to five days a week in the office. That dynamic, McNutt believes, gives Palmer a real opportunity. With the average home price in Palmer at $191,000 ...
Since the collapse of retail began in earnest a decade or more ago, the future of the Eastfield Mall in Springfield has always been shrouded by question marks. They certainly remain today, but some recent COVID-related events — creation of a vaccination site and moving of jury trials to theaters in the malls — have certainly changed the landscape at the facility on Boston Road, while providing more proof of just what’s possible there: almost anything.
It has been 5 years since Westfield Gas + Electric first announced their plans to fully launch locally owned gigabit internet to Westfield as Whip City Fiber (WCF). Since then, Whip City Fiber has offered service to over 70% of the city and connected over 5,000 customers. Now, we are gearing up for the 2021 construction season with plans approved by the Municipal Light Board to expand Whip City Fiber service to 9 new areas in Westfield over the next twelve months.
Elms College will hold its second Rev. Hugh Crean Distinguished Lecture on Tuesday, April 20 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. This lecture is presented by the St. Augustine Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture at Elms College, and, due to COVID-19 protocols, this event will be held virtually via Zoom. The featured speaker will be David O’Brien, professor emeritus and Loyola professor of Roman Catholic Studies at the College of the Holy Cross, where he has been a faculty member since 1969.
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) has received a $28,720 Higher Education Innovation Fund Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE), which recently announced a slate of $1.7 million in grants for the state’s public colleges. These grants fund initiatives that help colleges work toward racial equity in Massachusetts public higher education.
Bulkley Richardson recently launched a Blockchain and Cryptocurrency practice group to provide solutions for businesses adopting blockchain technology in a complex and changing regulatory landscape. The group’s attorneys have broad-based experience in key areas affecting blockchain technologies, including financial services and banking, intellectual property, securities regulation, emerging businesses, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, taxation, and digital privacy and cybersecurity.
All States Transport Inc. recently welcomed Bill Shibley, former president of Zip Carriers in Westfield. He comes to AST with 41 years of experience, including 26 years at Zip Carriers. When the owner of Zip Carriers announced his retirement early this year, Shibley was looking to merge the firm’s longtime client base with a local transportation broker, and AST was his first choice.
The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) announced the debut of non-stop service from Bradley International Airport (BDL) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) on Frontier Airlines. “We’re delighted to announce new, non-stop service between Hartford and Atlanta,” said Tyri Squyres, vice president of Marketing at Frontier Airlines. “Our focus is delivering ‘low fares done right,’ and this new service represents our continued commitment to affordable flying and expanding travel opportunities for Connecticut flyers.” The service will commence on June 11 and will operate four times per week. To view flight times and booking information, visit www.flyfrontier.com.
A New York developer has been selected to build a 102-unit apartment building, a multi-sport indoor facility and a brewery and restaurant on a four-acre parcel of land that once was home to the Facemate factory complex. City officials announced on Wednesday that Singing Bridge, LLC. was chosen as the preferred developer for the 4.05-acre site on West Main Street, after a long negotiating process that began in January 2020 when the city requested proposals from developers interested in building on the land.
American International College’s (AIC) 81st annual Model Congress will convene virtually on Thursday, April 15 at 6 p.m. In lieu of the traditional weekend conference, AIC’s Model Congress is hosting a free-to-attend Zoom emergency session. Founded in 1940, AIC’s Model Congress is the longest-running continuous congress of its type in the nation, and one of the college’s oldest campus traditions. Every year since its inception, AIC’s Model Congress has brought high schools from throughout New England to campus to write, debate, and pass legislation in a simulated congress. The program, completely student-run from program ...
VHB recently welcomed Andrew Harris as senior project manager and senior geologist for its Connecticut Site Investigation & Remediation (SI&R) practice and the Southern New England markets. Harris brings extensive experience working with industrial and commercial clients to assess and remediate brownfield and legacy properties across the Upper Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England. His environmental and redevelopment projects span the full project life cycle from initial due diligence and hazardous-building materials assessments, decommissioning, and demolition to remedial design, construction, and site closure. He has vast knowledge in assessing and remediating asbestos, lead, PCBs, petroleum, VOCs, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
United Way of Pioneer Valley (UWPV) announced its latest initiative to feed the hungry in the Pioneer Valley: a food pantry in downtown Chicopee. Called Chicopee Cupboard, it will offer food to those in need on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Chicopee Cupboard, located at 32 Center St., will open on Thursday, April 15 at 10 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. People in need of food are welcome to call (413) 693-0213 to make an appointment starting on April 15 at 11 a.m.
Associated Builders Inc. recently welcomed Dan Dodge, whose role will encompass business development, pre-construction planning and logistics, and project coordination. His extensive experience in the execution of large-scale commercial and industrial construction projects will increase the capabilities of Associated Builders to better serve the business community of the Pioneer Valley and beyond.