Business Social Event at The Fay Club

November 30th – 5:45 p.m.

Buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m. – $45 pp (inclusive)

Hosted by: Steve Duvarney

Sponsored by: bankHometown

Join us for networking and dinner as Gil Ehmke, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at bankHometown/Hometown Financial Group, will give a short presentation on the state of the economy and interest rate environment. A brief Q&A will follow. Feel free to extend this invitation!

Please RSVP: 978.345.4537 or email reservations@thefayclub.com

 Key new hires bring experience in life science, academic and residential sectors which will help drive continued growth and support achievement of overall business goals 

Springfield, Mass & Worcester, Mass.—Fontaine Bros. Inc., a construction management and general contracting firm serving the public and private sectors since 1933, is pleased to announce three recent new hires to the organization: Michael Tiberii as Sr. Project Supervisor; Tom Ingle as Project Supervisor/Manager and Nicole LaCroix as Project Manager. 

Mike Tiberii joins Fontaine from AECOM TISHMAN where he was Vice President of MEP Services. With over 35 years of experience, Mike has worked on projects in many sectors including life science, hospitality and residential. He completed the Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Architectural Design and Drafting Program and earned a Certificate from the University of Texas’ Project Management Program. 

Before joining Fontaine, Tom Ingle was a General Contractor who managed his own construction and remodeling company. Tom is a licensed Construction Supervisor and earned a degree in Business Management from Providence College. 

Nicole Lacroix comes to Fontaine from Bowdoin Construction. She earned a Masters of Construction Management degree from Wentworth Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Interior Design. Nicole’s diverse experience includes a wide range of projects in the academic and life science sectors. 

About Fontaine Bros. 

As a fourth-generation family owned and operated construction management and general contracting firm, Fontaine Bros. takes great pride in our ability to innovate, adapt and persevere in an industry that is always evolving. With offices in Springfield and Worcester, Fontaine Bros. has completed more than $1 billion in construction projects across the Commonwealth. Maintaining our commitment to intentional growth by pursuing only projects that align with the Fontaine Bros. mission of quality, teamwork and client satisfaction has made the company successful since 1933. To learn more, visit www.fontainebros.com. 

Worcester, MA – The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts recently awarded 11 grants totaling $900,000 through its Activation Fund program, which aims to fund discrete one-year projects addressing community-identified health issues. As announced previously, a generous $500,000 distribution was received from the Central Massachusetts Independent Physicians Association (CMIPA) Foundation in early 2022 as part of its Commonwealth approved wind-down, and that distribution has been applied towards this round of Activation Fund grants, helping the Foundation respond to urgent health needs.

Among the recipients were three organizations serving North Central Massachusetts – GAAMHA, Making Opportunity Count (MOC), and Restoration Recovery Center—with grants totaling more than $200,000.

GAAMHA – $61,000 for installation of a new roof and windows at Pathway House, a 27-bed residential program for adult men with substance use disorders, which serves an average of 70 individuals annually.

Making Opportunity Count – $120,000 to build out space for a new Family Health clinic in Fitchburg offering no-cost/low-cost sexual and reproductive health care for people in the North Central region.

Restoration Recovery Center – $33,562 to build capacity of its Recovery Coaching program by formalizing a partnership with a local behavioral health center for referrals and third-party billing, and for purchase of related software to enhance data collection and reporting capabilities.

“The Foundation’s unique grantmaking approach involves learning about pressing and emerging health issues from the community through an extensive outreach process,” said Judge Timothy M. Bibaud, Chairman of the Board. He continued, “Thanks to the CMIPA’s selection of The Health Foundation to receive its remaining assets, we are pleased to be able to support many organizations of varying sizes and capabilities working to address health and equity-related challenges through the Activation Fund this year.”

Dr. Amie Shei, President and CEO of the Foundation, added, “The goal of the Activation Fund is to enable an organization to increase its capacity in a way that can be sustained after the grant ends. We are pleased to be able to honor the legacy of the CMIPA through these 2022 Activation Fund grants, which will improve health in the region for years to come.”

Other grants awarded include:

Community Health Center of Franklin County – $88,340 for buildout of office space to maximize patient care and outcomes at its North Quabbin facility, which serves more than 3,500 patients per year.

Guild of St Agnes – $118,000 to construct a 3,000 S.F. outdoor playground at its new state-of-the-art childcare facility and higher education learning lab on Mill Street in Worcester.

Milford Youth Center – $115,250 for replacement of the HVAC and steam unit heating systems for the gym and basement areas of its facility to address air quality issues and increase operating efficiency.

Thrive Support & Advocacy – $50,998 for furnishings and equipment to enable expansion of its Family Support Center in Worcester to include a new allergen-sensitive food pantry and additional space for after-school, recreational and vocational programming.

Western Mass Training Consortium – $67,627 for furnishings and technology to equip a new facility housing its Recovery Center of HOPE, a peer-led recovery program in the Quaboag region.

World Farmers – $120,000 for buildout of a new food aggregation and distribution hub adjacent to its main office in Lancaster to meet growing demand for its Community Supported Agriculture program and general wholesale operations selling cultural crops throughout the region.

YOU, Inc. – $56,795 for translation services and culturally aligned tools to equip a Bi-Lingual Welcome Center at the co-located Behavioral Health Center and Family Resource Center in Southbridge aimed to increase accessibility of services for people with limited English proficiency.

Youth Villages – $67,573 for upfront costs associated with scaling its Intercept for Emergency Diversion program in Central Massachusetts, addressing the issue of youth boarding in hospitals as they wait for inpatient psychiatric beds.

The Health Foundation was established in 1999 with the proceeds from the sale of Central Massachusetts Health Care, Inc., a physician-initiated, not-for-profit HMO. The Foundation has assets of approximately $90 million, as of this spring, and has awarded grants totaling over $50 million since it began its grantmaking in 2000. For further information about these grants or about the Foundation’s grantmaking programs and application process, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.hfcm.org or call (508) 438-0009.

Leominster, MA – Leominster Credit Union (LCU) presented a check for $5,000 to the Campus Bound Program to benefit Leominster High School (LHS) students.

Since 2020, Campus Bound experts have provided free support to Leominster High School to help reduce the costs of college. Campus Bound is a team of experienced, passionate college counseling and financial aid professionals working with the Leominster High School Guidance Department to help families successfully navigate the financial aid process and other cost-reduction strategies on their road to higher education. This program is made possible through the sponsorship by Leominster Credit Union.

“LHS is very grateful for the generosity of Leominster Credit Union and the support they show to Campus Bound and building opportunities for our students. This partnership helps LHS students meet their post-high school aspirations,” stated Joshua Romano, Principal, Leominster High School

Campus Bound is committed to helping students of all achievement levels to create strong applications and discover their best-fit schools.

“The Campus Bound team was extremely helpful by showing us how to build a budget of what we could afford for college and then how to build a list of affordable colleges our children should apply to,” quoted from a parent of the classes of ‘20, ‘21, ’24.  “With their help, we found errors in our Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that resulted in a substantial increase in aid once we worked with the college financial aid office of our child’s first choice school.”

Counselors at Campus Bound collaborate frequently with students, ensuring that all receive the most up-to-date information and personalized support with this challenging process.

“We regularly look for opportunities to engage and partner with organizations who offer products and services to the communities we serve.  Our objective in giving back is to fulfill a need and support an initiative. Given the rising costs associated with attending college, Campus Bound can offer a much-needed comprehensive solution. As a sponsor to this program, we are assisting local students with the opportunity to access resources to help them navigate and attain entry to great schools, find solutions to reduce college expenses and minimize debt,” said Barbara Mahoney, President & CEO, Leominster Credit Union.

For more information on Campus Bound, visit campusbound.com.

Local, woman-owned and operated graphic design and marketing studio looks back on 20 years of growth

Shirley, Mass.—Sitka® Creations, a graphic design studio providing clients with creative and effective graphic and web design and visual communication services, is celebrating 20 years in business this November.

Founded by Tamar Russell Brown in 2002, Sitka Creations was first opened in Rockland, Maine with Russell Brown and a few freelance staff. Over the years, the business has expanded to locations in Martha’s Vineyard, New York City, and Leominster, and moved to its current location in Phoenix Park in 2013.

“Moving to Phoenix Park gave me a real vision that I could grow my business,” said Russell Brown. “In 2015, I started offering payroll, and in the last three years offered benefits, such as health insurance and paid time off, in an effort to continue to grow and provide our team with what they need. Today, we have six employees and three contractors.”

Sitka Creations serves a variety of small businesses, and arts and culture organizations, in the food, retail, manufacturing, IT, and legal services industries. “We have a handful of clients in almost all of the places where I have done business in the past,” added Russell Brown. “While we are small, we are versatile and can offer clients a variety of services based on their unique needs. Typically, we essentially become contributing members of the client’s team.”

Like many entrepreneurs, Russell Brown took her passion of art and of being an artist as the drive for opening her business, while also looking up to her father, a small business owner himself.

“This started as a way to make extra money, but it was always in my head to design more creations than what I could do at my day job,” she said. “In my free time, I would try to obtain design gigs that were of interest to me, and since I loved working with clients directly, I made the transition to that of business owner.”

Russell Brown earned an associate degree from Nashville State Technical Institute and a bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication from Rhode Island College. She is also certified in photography, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

A resident of Fitchburg, Russell Brown volunteers with various organizations within the community. She is Chair of the Fitchburg Cultural Council, a Founder of the Fitchburg Open Studios event, and on the board at the Fay Club. She previously served on the Mount Wachusett Community College Design Board, the Montachusett Regional Technical Vocational High School Design Department Advisory Committee and is in her second term on the Rhode Island College Alumni Board, where she also served as a mentor to aspiring web developers.

Russell Brown and her team will be recognizing her 20 years in business at an invitation-only event on November 2 to look back on their success while thanking clients, partners, and friends for their support.