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Passenger traffic at Bradley International Airport through the first 11 months of 2020 was down 63% compared with the year before, with just more than 2.2 million people getting on or getting off airliners. In 2019, more than 5.6 million people had traveled through Bradley by the end of October, and the airport was on…

MGM Springfield stands hand in hand with the Springfield community, our local partners, team members, and guests during this time of unprecedented challenges. As we turn the page, we approach the future with optimism. The Foundation is Strong: Often the way forward begins with a look back. Prior to the pandemic, MGM Springfield was actively…

During a somewhat somber Zoom meeting the last week of the year, called to discuss relief grants for small businesses in Chicopee, a high-pitched, Cindy-Lou-Hoo voice shouted from outside the frame, “I love you, and I can’t wait to see you tomorrow!” My colleague’s daughter was bidding farewell to her classmates, having just wrapped up…

What a year! As the wild and turbulent 2020 has drawn to a close, we look back on how COVID-19 sent the global economy into the worst slump in a century and focus on what to expect beyond lockdowns, the virus and the vaccine in 2021. A new year, a new way of life. 2020…

Early last March, business leaders convened for the Springfield Regional Chamber’s 2020 Outlook luncheon, what would become the chamber’s final in-person event before the COVID-19 pandemic. As I listened to excellent speeches from U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and state Rep. Joseph Wagner, assistant majority leader, I envisioned a much different future…

As the executive director of the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce (ERC5), I’m always grateful to contribute to The Republican’s Outlook. However, let’s face facts: This 2021 article was a challenge. It’s more likely than not that mine is among a chorus articulating the impediments of 2020. The word “outlook” itself…

What a difference a year makes. In December 2019, the Western Massachusetts tourism industry appeared to be in its strongest position in decades. And, it was. We were enjoying a continued strong economy, stable gasoline prices and our solid inventory of one-of-a-kind attractions had been enhanced by key new investments. Fueled by newly planned and…

Small and large businesses, municipalities and residents of the Pioneer Valley have all felt the effects of our current economic situation stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, more than ever, we find the value and benefits of our local chamber of commerce. As we find ourselves in challenging times the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce…

Joined by the town administrator from rural Buckland, Gov. Charlie Baker hosted a virtual ceremonial signing Wednesday for the $16 billion transportation bond act passed last month just as the legislative session was ending. The bond act authorizes as much as $50 million for east-west rail. The money could be used to begin design and…

Columbia Manufacturing Inc. began as the country’s first bicycle maker in 1877 and switched gears to school furniture in the 1950s, a line that became the company’s mainstay. In 1993, so it could focus solely on school furniture, Columbia authorized another company to make bicycles. “The company has a tradition of reinventing itself,” says Ali…