Entrepreneurship

Michael Preli’s career has been one of constant advancement — not necessarily in title or income, but in job satisfaction. And he’s a long way from where he started, in the auto-body field. “My father is a frame technician for auto body. And I always thought that’s what I wanted to do,” Preli told BusinessWest.…

A new business is being planned in downtown Springfield that will house a luxury and tasting cafe. Gissel Santiago of RE_EstateGissel intends to open a new business, called “CAFEDIOR,” on 1593 Main Street, which is an area that appears to be experiencing growth. Among the menu items will be barista-style coffee, cappuccinos, lattes, bacon eggs,…

Local LEGO artists from western Massachusetts will be displaying their LEGO creations at the Springfield Brick Convention. The Springfield Brick Convention will be the first-ever LEGO convention in Springfield and will be supporting Creations for Charity with a portion of the proceeds going to the nonprofit, according to a news release from Brick Convention. The…

West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt is expected to make an appearance at the ‘Moe’s Pop Up Experience’ from The Simpsons on Friday. Two Weeks Notice Brewing Company on Bosworth Street in West Springfield is transforming its brewery into a Moe’s Tavern from The Simpsons from June 2nd through June 11th. On the opening day from…

Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Berkshire County will celebrate the nine graduates of the 2023 Spring Accelerator Program and award nearly $7,000 in seed capital at its Showcase and Gala at Hot Plate Brewing Company on Thursday, June 8 at 5:30 p.m. EforAll Berkshire County began its seventh accelerator in February and will celebrate the nine…

Collective Soul The artists at Sawmill River Arts Gallery in Montague have taken a creative approach — not just to their art, but to how they run their business. Organized as an artist collective 12 years ago, Sawmill River Arts consists of 15 member artists who run the business and 22 guest artists who display…

Things Are CLICing It was officially called a groundbreaking, but Jennifer Connelly says it was more of a “wallbreaking.” Indeed, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, representatives of the many sponsors involved with the project, and other VIPs took turns swinging a large sledgehammer at a wall just off the entrance to the Tower Square offices of…

News That’s Fit to Print At first, Jim and Kelly Sullivan thought the email was junk or a hoax. “It was an invitation to us from the president to go to the White House to sit in the Rose Garden with him and the vice president for a remarks ceremony,” Kelly recalled, adding that the…

Tech Foundry, the regional leader in IT workforce development and training, has opened applications for its fall 2023 classes, which will run from Aug. 21 through Dec. 22. Tech Foundry’s training includes 14 weeks of tech-focused classes supported by professional-development activities and individualized coaching and tutoring, followed by four weeks of internship experience and ongoing…

Hayley Procon entered college with the goal of one day getting into broadcast journalism. In fact, her ambition was to be the “next Erin Andrews,” as she put it, referencing the well-known sideline reporter for FOX on its NFL broadcasts. “I loved baseball, and I still love baseball; I just wanted to be on the…