Articles from BusinessWest

Getting Down to Business

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 31 2012)

Jeff Ciuffreda has worn many hats over the years. He joked that his time in the Peace Corps taught him the virtue of volunteering without thought of personal accolades. “But I also know that you need to get your good reputation out there more,” he said, “to let people understand what you can do.”

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Comment Mentions:   MassMutual   Russell Denver   West Springfield

Momentum Building

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 31 2012)

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

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Comment Mentions:   University of Massachusetts   Holyoke Community College   Springfield Technical Community College

Shot in the Arm

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 31 2012) Health Care

Late in 2008, just as the economy began to slide into the Great Recession, officials at Baystate Health were having second thoughts about moving forward with their planned $250 million Hospital of the Future expansion. They eventually decided to press on, much to the relief of hundreds of workers in the construction trades — most of them local — who found the project a lifeline at a time when opportunities were scarce.

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Comment Mentions:   West Springfield   Baystate Health   Springfield

Site Seers

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 31 2012)

The operating ratios are very thin, with little margin for error, and downward pressure on rents. You have to be very focused on operating margins, and that means being a partner with the owner, not just running the property.” Jack Dill, president and CEO of Colebrook Realty Services in Springfield, which manages some 1.8 million square feet of space in Western Mass., echoed that assessment. “Management is not just shoveling snow and cleaning bathrooms,” he told BusinessWest. “These are very large assets that have a lot of risk in them, and we really need to understand and be thoughtful ...

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Comment Mentions:   Springfield

‘A Potential Game Changer’

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 31 2012)

David Thor estimates that, in the days and weeks after it was first suggested that a floor in One Financial Plaza would be a suitable location for the 500 employees expected to join his company, Thing5, LLC, this year, he probably said “that’s not a good idea” several dozen times.

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Comment Mentions:   Springfield   Basketball Hall of Fame   GZA Geoenvironmental, Inc

Banking for Life | BusinessWest

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 30 2012) Financial Services

“When we decided to go in there, we felt that our approach to banking would serve us well competing in a highly competitive environment,” said Bob Annon, Webster’s regional president for Northern Conn. and Greater Springfield. (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   West Springfield   Baystate Health   Springfield

Strategies for Springfield

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 17 2012)

Indeed, 2012 will be a year when tornado-recovery plans are put on the table, many downtown initiatives could take big steps forward, the Union Station project may actually go to bid, and the casino debate — with a Springfield site among many in contention — will intensify. “While the hits we took in 2011 were substantial, I foresee a very good year in 2012 — we have enormous possibilities,” said Kennedy. “If we can all work together and coalesce around the plans and come up with the correct strategies to implement what’s there, we’ve got great opportunity. We still have good ... (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Springfield

Continuity and Change

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 17 2012) Financial Services

Glenn Welch, the new president and COO of Hampden Bank, takes over with an informal philosophy of not trying to fix anything that isn’t broken — and this encompasses most all strategic initiatives at the nearly 160-year-old institution. For now, his primary focus is on seizing opportunities to grow the commercial portfolio presented by improving confidence among business owners and what Welch called “concern with larger-bank relationships and where they’re headed.” (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Hampden Bank   Glenn Welch

Getting Down to Business: Playing Matchmaker

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 17 2012)

The full measure of his organization, Allan Blair will tell you, is pretty straightforward. “Three goals,” he began. Blair is president and CEO of the Economic Development Council (EDC) of Western Mass., and he explained that those goals to stimulate the regional economy are quality jobs, public and private investment, and bringing in additional visitors. (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Allan W. Blair

Class Trip

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 3 2012) Education

“Cambridge College is delighted to partner with the city of Springfield and Tower Square to offer a high-quality education in what will be a state-of-the-art facility,” she said at a recent press conference. “In this new facility, we look forward to continuing our 20-year tradition of offering exceptional undergraduate and graduate education to working adults in Western Mass. and Connecticut.” (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Domenic J. Sarno   University of Massachusetts   Springfield

Getting Down to Business

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 3 2012)

Sitting around the conference table at the Northampton Chamber of Commerce were some members of a new ‘executive team.’ That’s the name the Northampton Area Young Professionals — or NAYP, as the group calls itself colloquially — are using for the new leadership that has been steadily helping to reinvent the organization. (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   University of Massachusetts   Springfield   Northampton

Taking Center Stage

Explore BusinessWest (Jan 3 2012)

Heriberto “Herbie” Flores has always had a heart for needy people, partly because he grew up poor. From its humble origins 40 years ago providing legal and financial assistance for migrant farm workers, he has grown his multi-agency nonprofit, Partners for Community, into an $80 million force for economic development and community improvement. But he’s made bigger news with a series of real-estate acquisitions, including the Paramount Theater (seen here), that promise to transform Springfield’s downtown. The kind of long-term change Flores envisions for the City of Homes will require energy and passion — and BusinessWest’s Top Entrepreneur ... (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Big Y Foods   MassMutual   Springfield Technical Community College

Groundbreaking Developments

Explore BusinessWest (Dec 20 2011)

Redevelopment of the Ludlow Mills complex, an ambitious undertaking on the part of Westmass Development, is well underway, with two large-scale projects punctuating ceremonies to mark the closing on the historic property. One is construction of a new HealthSouth rehabilitation hospital only a few blocks from the current site, the former Ludlow Hospital, while the other is a planned 82-unit senior independent-living facility. (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Springfield   Amherst   Chicopee

City2City

Explore BusinessWest (Dec 20 2011)

Following up a trip a year ago to Winston-Salem and Greensboro, N.C., a delegation from Greater Springfield recently visited Grand Rapids, Mich. to see and learn how that community has earned the designation of ‘resurgent city.’ Civic and business leaders there said much of it comes down to private-public partnerships, collaboration between all parties involved in an initiative, and what one official called “coloring waaay outside the lines.” (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Holyoke Community College   Springfield   Holyoke

Primed for Recovery

Explore BusinessWest (Dec 19 2011)

As 2011 winds to a close, it appears that the nation will see growth of only a percentage point or two. That’s nothing remarkable, but certainly an accomplishment, considering how bleak things looked only a few months ago, when a double dip seemed very possible. And now there are several indicators — from stronger-than-expected holiday sales to signs of life in the housing market — that something approaching real recovery could be on the horizon. (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   University of Massachusetts   MassMutual   Associated Industries of Massachusetts

Breaking Down the Report Card

Explore BusinessWest (Dec 6 2011) Education , Health Care

Bob Pura says he found at least a few things to like about the recent Boston Foundation report titled “The Case for Community Colleges: Aligning Higher Education and Workforce Needs in Massachusetts” — especially the main subject of the account. (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Holyoke Community College   Springfield Technical Community College   Greenfield Community College

No Time Like the Present

Explore BusinessWest (Dec 6 2011) Financial Services

When it comes to end-of-year business planning, Kevin Vann said, every company is different. “If you’re an accountant, obviously tax planning is critically important,” he said. “If you’re a business advisor, consultant, or whatever, other things are critical, like long-term strategic planning.” But he has one piece of advice that crosses all sectors: business planning is not just a year-end exercise. At least, it shouldn’t be. “We look at it as an ongoing thing,” said Vann, a principal with the Springfield-based Vann Group (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Springfield   Kevin B. Vann   Meyers Brothers Kalicka

The Casino Era Begins

Explore BusinessWest (Dec 6 2011)

Indeed, only a few seconds in, Blair, president of the Economic Development Council of Western Mass., said that, while he had no official determination on the matter, he thought it quite fair to say that the resort casino due to be built over the next several years somewhere within the 413 area code will easily be the region’s largest development project ever. And he wasn’t just talking about dollars and cents, although the projected $500 million (minimum) project — at least twice the cost of Baystate Health’s $250 million Hospital of the Future — will certainly cover that aspect ... (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Domenic J. Sarno   Governor Deval L. Patrick   Mohegan Sun

Center of Attention

Explore BusinessWest (Nov 22 2011) Transportation

The concept initially came together nearly a decade ago. It was a unique and ambitious plan — to combine a transportation center with adult basic education programs and a childcare facility — but it made sense on many levels. So much so, that the Holyoke Transportation Center was able to withstand myriad challenges, many of them capable of scuttling the initiative. The end result is what one of the private-equity investors calls “a one-stop shop to improve your life.” (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Holyoke Community College   Holyoke   Peter Pan Bus Lines

Stable Condition

Explore BusinessWest (Nov 22 2011) Education , Health Care

In many respects, the phrase ‘jobless recovery’ still applies to the landscape in Western Mass. But one key sector where that term doesn’t fit, or at least to the same degree, is health care. Indeed, shortages exist in many specialities, and hiring remains steady across the field. This situation presents opportunities for job seekers and career changers, but many positions require degress and completion of challenging programs. (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   American International College   Holyoke Community College   Springfield College

Going Great Guns

Explore BusinessWest (Nov 22 2011) Manufacturing

Steve Troy calls his venture, “the biggest company no one’s heard of.” And that’s largely due to his hard work to fly under the radar screen as he’s nurtured Troy Industries, a government contractor that designs, manufactures, and markets advanced small arms components and other products, into a diverse, cutting-edge company that will soon have 100 employees. But remaining anonymous is becoming increasingly difficult as this unique success story adds new and intriguing chapters. (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Smith & Wesson Corp.   Springfield Armory   Springfield

Stories Worth Telling

Explore BusinessWest (Oct 25 2011)

Jeffrey Ciuffreda says the annual Super 60 luncheon is more than a recognition of individual achievement in business, although it is definitely that, too. It’s also a celebration of Western Mass. as a whole. “I believe this program is a great showcase of our region and truly shows the diversity of our employment base, our businesses, which is our strength,” said Ciuffreda, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, which sponsors the event. “The list of winners includes human-services providers, manufacturers, institutions of higher education, technology, environmental firms, insurers, and more.” (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Palmer   Springfield   Northampton

Profiles in Business

Explore BusinessWest (Oct 14 2011) Retail

“I can literally say that I started from scratch, and with the help of my wife, my brother, my sisters, and my parents, plus hard work and perseverance, our company is growing and prospering,” the typed speech reads. Don D’Amour noted that he and his cousin, company President Charles D’Amour, will be called upon for remarks at the 75th gala, and that, while he hadn’t yet finalized his remarks, he was quite certain that they would strike a very similar theme, although the second generation certainly didn’t start from scratch, a point he emphasized many times. (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   University of Massachusetts   Big Y Foods   MassMutual

Grassroots Appeal

Explore BusinessWest (Sep 27 2011) Energy , Green Region

As secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Richard K. Sullivan Jr. heads up a sprawling mix of agencies that few states have placed under a similar umbrella. But the framework is a good one, he says, as the Commonwealth’s promotion of renewable-energy production goes hand-in-hand with its heavy investment in conservation and agriculture. (Read Full Article)

Comment Mentions:   Governor Deval L. Patrick   Westfield   Clean Energy Center