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John G. Gallup, the last surviving Charter Trustee of the Community Foundation (CFWM), passed away March 2nd. For those who knew John, you’ll agree he was a giant of a man—in his physical presence and in his ability to champion a cause. John was part of the original group of volunteers who helped imagine an…

Ryan Pelletier says that, while it was “scary at times,” he believes life has returned to something approaching normal — although ‘normal’ is certainly a relative term — when it comes to construction within the broad and all-important healthcare sector in Western Mass. And he should know. He’s project manager for Houle Construction in Ludlow,…

Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) had a long-term plan to ramp up online and digital learning. But then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced staff working at STCC’s Center for Online and Digital Learning to move faster than they ever imagined. The staff includes instructional designers who assistant faculty in online teaching methods they incorporate into…

On a Thursday in February while snow fell on the region, Bob Schwein was answering a steady stream of phone calls at Drewnowski Pools. Sure, some calls were from people who use their spas year-round, but many more inquiries were to schedule swimming-pool openings. “Swimming-pool owners know that if they want to schedule a pool…

Holyoke Community College (HCC) President Christina Royal is among the Massachusetts women featured in a photo exhibition and story project in the State House unveiled last month by Senate President Karen Spilka. The photo exhibition on display in the Senate president’s office suite celebrates the often-unsung stories of women of color throughout Massachusetts’ history. “HERstory:…

The Deck at Union Station has opened 10 outdoor heated dining igloos. These state-of-the-art facilities comfortably have a seating capacity of four to six people. All COVID-19 guidelines from the CDC are stringently followed by all restaurant staff on the premises, and all units are thoroughly sanitized prior to and following every dining reservation. Read the…

Western New England University will host high-school students and their parents in a virtual open house that will be streamed live on Saturday, March 6 from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The event is free, but advance reservation is required by visiting visit.wne.edu or calling the Admissions Office at (413) 782-1312. Read the source article at…

BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien talks with Aaron Vega, the former state representative who is now director of Planning and Economic Development in the city of Holyoke. The two discuss the city’s efforts to recover momentum lost to the pandemic, and zero in on efforts to expand a budding cluster of cannabis-related businesses in this former mill…

MassMutual is launching a new $50 million investment fund to support black-owned businesses across the state and tech startups outside of the metro Boston area, the Boston Globe reported. Read the source article at BusinessWest