Pride Stores CEO Looking to Sell Chain
Pride Stores CEO Bob Bolduc announced plans to sell the chain, which includes 31 stores and 525 employees, with 10 additional sites in development. Bolduc told the Republican he will know in six to eight weeks if he will sell and who the buyer will be. He has hired a merger and acquisition firm and…
MassDevelopment Awards Grant to Relocate Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival Downtown
MassDevelopment awarded a $10,000 grant to Blues to Green Inc., which will use the funds to relocate the Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival downtown to the Springfield Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) district to help catalyze economic recovery and support black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)-owned businesses in the neighborhood. Festival events will also take…
West Springfield, Eastern States Exposition Leaders Officially Announce Big E Plans
Eastern States Exposition (ESE) President Gene Cassidy and West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt met with media on Tuesday to officially announce the opening of the 105th edition of the Big E, slated for Sept. 17 to Oct. 3. “It’s a good day,” Cassidy said. “We have long awaited the opportunity to make this announcement and…
Christopher Silipigno Named CEO of Renaissance Investment Group
Christopher Silipigno has been promoted to CEO of Renaissance Investment Group, LLC, a financial-services firm headquartered in the Berkshires that specializes in comprehensive financial counseling and investment management for high-net-worth individuals. Managing approximately a half-billion dollars in assets, Renaissance’s clients reside across the U.S. with a concentration in Western Mass., Upstate New York, Connecticut, and…
HCC, Enchanted Circle Theater Partner on Summer Youth Program
Holyoke Community College (HCC) and Enchanted Circle Theater are joining forces to offer an in-person racial-justice program this summer for area youth. Called “I Am Somebody,” the four-day, interactive performing-arts program will run Monday, July 19 through Thursday, July 22 from 9 a.m. to noon each day in the HCC Kittredge Center for Business and…
BIG NEWS BIG IS BACK — THE BIG E IS A GO!
Eastern States Exposition (ESE) is thrilled to announce that The Big E is Back! ESE President Gene Cassidy, and West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt met with media Tuesday, June 15 to officially announce the opening of the 105th edition of The Big E, September 17- October 3. Cassidy said, “It’s a good day! We have…
BusinessTalk with Claudia Pazmany, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce
BusinessWest editor George O’Brien talks with Claudia Pazmany, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. The two discuss the broad impact of the pandemic on a region heavily dependent on college students and tourism, and how the same region is bracing for the ‘new normal’ and the many challenges and opportunities that will…
Community Foundation Grants $150,000 to Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley
The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) announced a grant of $150,000, spread over the next three years, to the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley (HRIPV). The grant represents a significant contribution to the initiative’s capital drive to raise $1 million in commitments now to support and build capacity for the organization over the…
Business Confidence Rises in Massachusetts in May
An emerging economic recovery and good news about COVID-19 pushed business confidence slightly higher in Massachusetts during May. The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index rose 1.2 points to 61.9 last month, leaving it almost 20 points higher than a year ago. Confidence levels remain comfortably in optimistic territory. The increase was the…
Bradley International Airport Launches New, Nonstop Service to Atlanta With Frontier Airlines
The Connecticut Airport Authority launched the inaugural Frontier Airlines flight from Bradley International Airport (BDL) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). “We are thrilled to offer our passengers more travel options to Atlanta with the launch of new, nonstop service with Frontier Airlines,” said Kevin A. Dillon, A.A.E, Executive Director of the Connecticut Airport Authority.…
White Lion Brewing Tapped as Partner at MGM Springfield’s Free Music Fridays
MGM Springfield announced it will partner with local brewery White Lion Brewing to provide guests a wide selection of craft beer during the resort’s Free Music Fridays concert series at the Plaza. Located in downtown Springfield, the brewing company will activate a bar and beer trailer from 6 to 9 p.m. where guests can tap…
UMass President Says University System Set to Drive Post-pandemic Renewal, Recovery
University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan said the university system is emerging from the pandemic period “with its academic, research, and financial strengths fully intact” and positioned to play a major role in driving economic renewal and recovery in the Commonwealth. “Thanks to the leadership of the board of trustees and the sound management of…