Rep. Neal, Sen. Markey Announce $2.8 Million for City of Chicopee

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and U.S. Sen. Edward Markey joined Chicopee Mayor John Vieau and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials this week to announce a $2,854,800 earmark to support the Chicopee Water Pollution Control Facility’s (WPCF) Nitrogen and Energy Optimization Project. The allocation was made possible through congressionally directed spending from the Department of the…

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Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts selects new leader

I am excited to share the news that the Trustees of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts have selected Megan Burke, a leader with a deep understanding of philanthropy and community foundations, to be our next President and CEO. Megan’s first official day at the Foundation will be January 18th. Megan serves as the current…

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Southwick Masters Delicate Balancing Act

Southwick residents love the natural beauty and the many recreation choices their town offers but they also like reasonable tax rates. Russell Fox, chair of the Southwick Select Board, said to accomplish both means business development must be part of the equation to ease the tax burden. “It’s a balancing act that the Select Board…

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Whalley Computer Continues Its Strong Growth Pattern

Mike Sheil says he enjoys his work because his business — information technology — is always changing. And he acknowledges that this is an understatement, as recent events have shown. Sheil, president of Whalley Computer Associates in Southwick, began his career with the computer reseller right after graduating from North Adams State College, now Massachusetts…

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“Parklets” Come to Downtown Amherst

The Amherst Business Improvement District (BID) has received an $80,750 grant from the Regional Economic Development Organization (REDO) for outdoor seating accommodations on Amity Street and South Pleasant Street that have been dubbed ‘parklets.’   The grant is funded through the Massachusetts Office of Business Development and is being administered through the Western Massachusetts Economic Development…

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Now Part of the Edc, Vvm Continues to Evolve and Grow

Valley Venture Mentors has long had a singular but multi-faceted mission — to promote entrepreneurship in the region and provide various forms of assistance to help business owners take their venture to the next stage. Through a new and broader affiliation with the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, the agency has an opportunity to become,…

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“Rise Up Springfield” small business development program accepting applications

A business development program aimed at small business owners is now taking applications for their next round of training programs.   “Rise Up Springfield” is a partnership between the City of Springfield’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, Valley Venture Mentors (VVM) and Interise. They will offer a six-month intensive program that teaches business owners how to…

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Westfield Data-center Project Makes a Hard Push for the Finish Line

It’s called a ‘hyper-scale data center.’ That’s the name attached to a $2.7 billion proposal planned for a 155-acre parcel in Westfield. The complicated project, now entering the local-approval phase, has cleared perhaps the biggest hurdle — the aggregation of a site that can check a unique set of boxes, including accessibility to huge amounts…

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Development project eyes Westfield as the potential `hub’ of data center market | The Westfield News |August 24, 2021

A new potential development project that would turn Westfield into the hub of the data center market in the Northeast is about to go through the local permitting process, and city leaders are very excited about it.  Listed under Servistar Realties, LLC, the project is the Westfield Data Center Campus at 199 Servistar Industrial Way.…

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BusinessTalk with Tara Brewster, Vice President of Business Development for Greenfield Savings Bank

BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien has a lively discussion with Tara Brewster, Vice President of Business Development for Greenfield Savings Bank and one of five finalists for BusinessWest’s coveted 40 Under Forty Alumni Achievement Award. The two talk about her work, but especially her involvement in the community, her latest assignment as radio talk host, and her life as…

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