People in Business: Big Y appoints John W. Schnepp III to Marketing Vice President
The Board of Directors of Big Y Foods, Inc. announces the appointment of John W. Schnepp III as vice president of marketing. In this role, Schnepp will continue to oversee all marketing and advertising for the company by coordinating all print, electronic, digital and social platforms as well as all internal and external communications across…
In face of $3.1 million budget gap, PVTA approves delayed service cuts, plan to hike bus fares 20 percent
Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus riders will pay 20 percent more at the fare box and for passes and paratransit trips starting July 1 following a vote Monday of the the PVTA Advisory Board. The board also voted Monday to take a once-every-three-years review of its fares, which before Monday hadn’t gone up in a decade.…
Applications available today for Hampden County Regional Employment Board summer jobs program
With the unemployment rate for those ages 16-19 stuck at nearly 26 percent, the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County is once again calling for people to hire young workers, donate to its summer youth employment programs and provide work sites. Officials fear too many area young people will be out of school this summer with…
No English, no luck? Why MGM Springfield is looking for strong English skills and what’s being done to prep candidates
MGM Springfield made a big splash this week when it posted 1,000 available jobs in its website. It was a huge step forward for a $960 million project whose main selling point to skeptical voters, who ultimately approved casino gambling here, was jobs. For many of those jobs — even unskilled ones like bus person…
Bay Path Women’s Leadership Conference encourages women to ‘Be Curious’
As women stopped by the De La Sidra vendor table to ask about the colorful and beautifully woven bags, business owner Lillian Novoa was overwhelmed with emotion. “This has been my dream since I was ten years old in Guatemala and a young girl who was about eight gave me a beautiful piece of woven…
Grand Opening of Hcc Mgm Culinary Arts Institute Set for April 12
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will be the first featured speaker at a grand-opening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Thursday, April 12. The Holyoke Community College event will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the institute at 164 Race St. on the corner of Appleton Street.…
Training and Workforce Options to Host Financial Industry Forum
Training and Workforce Options (TWO), a partnership between Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), will host an employer-engagement forum focused on the financial-services industry on Thursday, May 3 from 8 to 10 a.m. at STCC’s Scibelli Hall, Rooms 701 and 702. The forum will provide financial professionals with information on workforce-development training opportunities…
New State Voucher Program Promotes Industry Use of UMass System Research Facilities to Stimulate Economic Development, Innovation
Advanced research laboratories and equipment across the five-campus University of Massachusetts system are being made available to start-up businesses and local companies through a new, state-funded subsidy program aimed at promoting economic growth and innovation. Created with a $2 million state investment championed by House Speaker Robert DeLeo, the Innovation Voucher Program began accepting industry…
Tower Square hotel in hands of new owners; local group plans renovations and rebranding
Businessman Dinesh Patel of East Longmeadow and his partners closed Thursday on their $10.5 million purchase of the Tower Square Hotel, formerly the Marriott, in the heart of downtown. The partners plan to buy the rest of Tower Square — including the parking garage — within a few weeks, for a sum they do not…
Southwick Country Club auction draws restaurateurs, flea market dealers and memories
Golf business owners, restaurateurs, golf enthusiasts and longtime club members crowded inside the Southwick Country Club’s Candlewood Inn Restaurant Thursday for an auction of the club’s golf course and restaurant equipment. The club, course and restaurant were sold to Fiore Realty Holdings for $1.9 million in February and will be developed into homes. Most people at…
Businesses Connect and Grow at the Orange Innovation Center
The movement toward innovation centers and collaborative maker spaces might be hot right now across Western Mass., but the Orange Innovation Center was on the cutting edge when it opened 20 years ago in this small Franklin County town. Under its current ownership, the complex has doubled its tenant roster over the past five years,…
Innovative Care Partners Aims to Better Integrate Health Services
The healthcare landscape is changing in dramatic fashion, with a movement toward population health and providers being paid to keep people healthy rather than strictly for treating them when they’re sick. There are many intriguing manifestations of this shift, and one that bears watching is a new venture involving three area providers — the Center…