Guest Columnist | “Meeting the Challenges of COVID-19 Using an Innovation Mindset” by Amy Jolly

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Meeting the Challenges of COVID-19 Using an Innovation Mindset
by Amy Jolly

 

Amy Jolly, Head of School, Applewild School

The COVID-19 pandemic brings sudden and startling focus to the idea that the future our children face is one marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (‘VUCA’). Our goal as parents and educators should be to prepare them to collectively rise to the challenges of our increasingly interconnected and evolving world. While COVID-19 has thrown all of us for a loop, at Applewild we have been preparing for this kind of uncertainty for years. Certainly, we don’t have this “all figured out” but changing our institutional stance towards innovation and change has made all the difference.

Several years ago, faculty and staff came to agree with Tony Wagner, author of Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World, who wrote “most policymakers—and many school administrators—have absolutely no idea what kind of instruction is required to produce students who can think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, and collaborate versus merely score well on a test.”  With this as context, we embraced the idea that we need to consciously educate students for a future which we cannot predict. The first step was to educate ourselves on how to teach critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, adaptability, and initiative, and how to access and analyze information with curiosity and entrepreneurialism. This institutional shift turned us into a school of metacognition, where both students and adults have the training to plan, monitor, and reflect on their own performance. These habits of mind are the keys to the intrinsic motivation and agile mindset needed to respond to adversity. When combined with a rigorous academic curriculum and our character education program, we see that this emphasis on metacognition allows our students to achieve broadly and across multiple venues. 

While we are proud of what we do for students, all this is possible because we focus on adult learning and development. Investing in our people over time has allowed us to become nimble, agile, and ruthlessly committed to educational excellence. Because of our focus on innovation, when COVID-19 hit, we were able to pivot immediately to online learning and kept all of our students engaged and academically on track throughout the school year. Even prior to COVID, our commitment to innovation inspired us to adapt our “product line” to meet the changing needs of our prospective families. For example, we opened a satellite location in Devens to allow us to serve a broader geographic range. We developed a school-within-a-school called “Foundations at Applewild” for students with language-based learning disabilities (ex. dyslexia), and we re-aligned our financial model so we can accept referrals from towns for out-of-district placements. We cultivated a partnership with a nonprofit in Somerville to launch a standalone, specialized one-year program for 8th and 9th graders called “Prospect Studio”. This small cohort program develops the skills demanded by the creative economy and offers a transformative year of design, innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills development. Knowing that some prospective families might find our location a challenge, we re-imagined our campus buildings and now market both 5- and 7- day boarding options to a much larger audience.

Was it easy to shift to an innovative culture? No, and we had many failures along the way and expect more challenges in the future.  How did we do it? We focused on providing the professional development needed to develop the behavior traits we desired. Instead of investing in how to teach, we invested in changing how to think. This has made all the difference. Our leadership team has set a climate where thoughtful risk-taking is encouraged and failure is seen as the courage to innovate. 

Founded in 1957 on 26 beautiful acres, Applewild School is an independent, coed junior boarding (grades 5–9) and day school (preschool–grade 9). Located one hour outside of Boston, Applewild educates students from over 30 communities in MA and NH and several countries, offering a vibrant liberal arts curriculum, a thoughtful approach to language based learning disabilities, robust athletics and arts offerings, and excellent secondary school placement. Email Amy Jolly, Head of School at to learn how an Applewild education will change the trajectory of your child’s life. 

What is a Guest Columnist?

Being a member of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber provides members with many opportunities to gain valuable information and connections. We are always on the lookout for valuable content that would be on interest to our members and communities. In an effort to provide an avenue to more easily access the vast array of the knowledge and expertise that our members possess, we are now offering exclusive Guest Columnist articles for the benefit of our members. As a membership based organization, submissions will only be considered from members at the Business Choice level and above.

This is a great opportunity to position your business as a thought leader and expert. Columns should not be self-promotional or sales oriented ,and should consist of content that would be useful to businesses, including tips, answers to important questions and any insights that would be helpful to fellow members. By participating, members have the chance to better inform, educate and aid in the development of other members and the North Central Massachusetts region.

Please contact David Ginisi, Marketing and Communications Manager, if you are interested in participating: | 978.353.7600 x240

Nine Issues to Watch Over The Next Nine Days

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Article Source: The Statehouse News Service
Article Author: The Statehouse News Service

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JULY 22, 2020…..Some call it building consensus and others see it as just plain old procrastination. It’s mid-July in an election year and in Massachusetts that means that some of the most important bills of the session are unfinished. Some are close to final passage while others, despite groundswells of support, are faltering. At this stage of the session, lawmakers are usually hashing out final compromises in conference committees, drawing from proposals approved in either branch. This year, due in part to the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, many priority bills haven’t made it to the conference stages yet legislative leaders still believe they may coalesce around proposals. Here are nine bills to keep an eye on as lawmakers grind closer to the July 31 end of formal sessions for 2020.

FISCAL 2021 BUDGET

BILL: H 2

HOUSE: The House has been in custody of Gov. Charlie Baker’s $44.6 billion fiscal 2021 budget for about six months. After opting against the usual April rewrite of the governor’s budget, the House gave itself a new July 1 deadline but that date also passed without a budget.

SENATE: Awaiting House action.

KEY PEOPLE: Gov. Charlie Baker, Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Karen Spilka, Ways and Means Chairs Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Sen. Michael Rodrigues

NOTES: Gov. Charlie Baker filed his fiscal 2021 budget bill Jan. 22 and has not offered a new plan that factors in the fundamentally altered landscape marked by plummeting revenues and soaring unemployment. The House has also put a long hold on the budget and this month seemed to publicly try to lower expectations for the spending plan. State government in July is running on an interim budget, and Baker has filed a second one-month budget to cover spending in August as July revenues are counted and the state waits for Congress to decide on a possible stimulus bill. An agreement between the governor and Legislature over local aid funding for the year could be coming soon, while Rep. Smitty Pignatelli has said he thinks the Legislature will be called back to session in the fall to deal with a complete fiscal year 2021 budget. Unless there is some novel last-minute agreement, a fall session appears inevitable as the alternative would be to limp along on interim budgets for half the year and then take up the budget after the elections in January.

POLICE REFORM

BILL(S): H 4794 (Baker), S 2820 (Senate), H 4860 (House)

HOUSE: Debate on H 4860 scheduled for July 22, possibly extending into a July 23 session.

SENATE: Approved its bill (S 2820) 30-7 at 4:12 a.m. July 14.

KEY PEOPLE: Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, Rep. Russell Holmes, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Rep. Claire Cronin, Sen. William Brownsberger, Sen. Michael Rodrigues, Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz

NOTES: The national backlash in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and anger over police brutality toward Black Americans forced an awakening on Beacon Hill marked by a commitment to pass police reform and accountability legislation by July 31. Gov. Charlie Baker collaborated with the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus on his police reform proposal (H 4794), filed June 17. The Legislature buried Baker’s bill in committee without a public hearing. The House and Senate differ on a few items such as how much the Legislature should curb qualified immunity for police officers from civil lawsuits. The issue became contentious during Senate debate and police unions have railed the upper chamber for going too far while the ACLU of Massachusetts said the House did not go far enough. The House took a scaled back approach, tying the court-made doctrine directly to the licensing process and revoking immunity in any case that results in the decertification of a police officer. Lawmakers in both branches appear committed to banning the use of chokeholds by police and imposing a certification regime to hold police officers accountable in the same way that other licensed professionals are. The question here is whether lawmakers will let the perfect be the enemy of the good and can they settle differences amongst themselves and with Gov. Baker in the short window before them.

HEALTH CARE

BILL(S): S 2796 (telehealth), S 2546 (mental health parity), S 2409 (drug pricing)

HOUSE: Health Care Financing on July 20 reported out a redraft of the telehealth bill; Mental health parity bill and drug pricing bill pending in House Ways and Means.

SENATE: Telehealth approved 38-0 on June 25; Mental health parity approved 38-0 on Feb. 13; Drug pricing approved40-0 on Nov. 14, 2019.

KEY PEOPLE: Rep. Ronald Mariano, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Sen. Cindy Friedman, Rep. Daniel Cullinane, Sen. Julian Cyr

NOTES: Two years ago, the House and Senate each passed major health care bills, with proponents warning some community health hospitals might not survive, but a conference committee couldn’t agree on a bill. Now, the industry is buried in pandemic-related losses, but consumers, providers and the state are trying to agree on what lessons from the pandemic are worth baking into state law. While it’s not the expansive approach Gov. Charlie Baker took when he filed his own health care bill, aimed at strengthening behavioral health and primary care, building on the policies tested by COVID-19 emergency orders could offer a path to agreement on an issue where House and Senate Democrats have long struggled to find common ground. Some consensus appears to be emerging around the idea of making telehealth more accessible — the House plans to vote this week on a telehealth bill, though its particulars differ from what the Senate approved. The House legislation also returns to the idea of bolstering cash-strapped community hospitals.

TRANSPORTATION BOND/REVENUE

BILL(S): H 4530 (Taxes and fees to fund transportation); H 4547 / S 2836 (Transportation bond bill)

HOUSE: House approved its transportation revenue package 113-40 on March 4, followed by approval of its roughly $18 billion transportation bond bill 150-1 on March 5.

SENATE: Senate approved its $17.97 billion bond bill 36-4 on July 16. The House’s transportation revenue package has sat in Senate Ways and Means since March 9.

KEY PEOPLE: Sen. Joseph Boncore, Rep. William Straus, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Sen. Michael Rodrigues, Rep. Mark Cusack, Sen. Aaron Hinds

NOTES: The Senate does not plan to take up a House-approved package of transportation tax and fee increases this session and instead aims to fund planned infrastructure improvements strictly with borrowing. That’s the approach Gov. Charlie Baker was hoping for earlier this year, when lawmakers in both branches appeared ready to make an election-year push for hikes on the gas tax and other taxes and fees to address substandard public transit and congested roads. Baker has filed his own proposal that’s primarily built on borrowing, and said in February that he was “disappointed” with core components of the House proposal. Legislators over the years have had no reservations about passing large bond bills, and the next step for the transportation bond is appointment of a conference committee to reconcile the House and Senate infrastructure bills.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BOND

BILL(S): H 4733 / S 2819

HOUSE: Approved House version totaling about $1.7 billion by 149-7 vote on May 20.

SENATE: Senate version, totaling $1.7 billion, approved 38-0 on July 2.

SENT TO CONFERENCE: July 16

NUMBER OF DAYS IN CONFERENCE: Six

CONFEREES: Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Sen. Michael Rodrigues, Rep. Danielle Gregoire, Sen. Sal DiDomenico, Rep. David Vieira, Sen. Ryan Fattman

NOTES: Gov. Charlie Baker filed the initial bill (H 3687) on April 11, 2019. The Legislature burst into action on the year-old bill after COVID-19 hit Massachusetts and the pandemic put a spotlight on the importance of technological infrastructure as telecommuting, remote education, and virtual government meetings increased in frequency. Interbranch negotiators held their first meeting July 21 to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.

CLIMATE CHANGE

BILL(S): H 3997 (GreenWorks), S 2500 (net-zero/carbon pricing), S 2498 (electric vehicles), S 2499 (efficiency standards), H 3983 (2050 roadmap)

HOUSE: Approved House GreenWorks 158-0 on July 24, 2019; House referred the Senate’s net-zero carbon pricing, electric vehicles, and efficiency standards bills to House Ways and Means on Feb. 10.

SENATE: House GreenWorks bill has sat in Senate Bonding since July 29, 2019; Senate approved its trio of climate bills Jan. 30: net-zero/carbon pricing 36-2, electric vehicles 35-2, efficiency standards 35-2.

KEY PEOPLE: Rep. Thomas Golden, Sen. Michael Barrett, Rep. Smitty Pignatelli, Sen. Marc Pacheco, Speaker Robert DeLeo

NOTES: Earlier this year, Gov. Charlie Baker, Speaker Robert DeLeo, and President Karen Spilka all declared support for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but the branches have not agreed on a legislative framework to get there. Both chairmen of the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee reiterated in June that the Legislature must send a climate bill to Baker by year’s end. Advocates have been pushing for action on a Rep. Joan Meschino “roadmap to 2050” bill with the vocal support of some House lawmakers including Environment Co-Chair Rep. Smitty Pignatelli. This is another issue where members of both parties agree that something should be done but can’t agree on the details of how to transition more quickly to cleaner vehicles, buildings and energy, ways to pull the state off its long relationship with fossil fuels, and a commitment to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

HOUSING

BILL(S): H 4263, Gov. Baker’s “Housing Choices” bill; S 2831, eviction and foreclosure moratorium extension; H 1316 and H 3924, rent control and tenant protection

HOUSE: Baker’s housing production bill has sat in House Ways and Means since Dec. 23, 2019; House concurred July 20 in referring evictions moratorium to Housing Committee; Rent control bills have sat since June 4 in House Steering, Policy and Scheduling after they were favorably reported by Housing Committee.

SENATE: Referred evictions moratorium to Housing Committee on July 16.

KEY PEOPLE: Rep. Kevin Honan, Sen. Brendan Crighton, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz

NOTES: The COVID-19 crisis has only exacerbated the housing insecurity issues that were prevalent before the pandemic, when there was broad agreement that something needs to be done to address housing affordability and production. House and Senate Democrats have failed to roll out and advance their own housing plan, while also largely ignoring Gov. Charlie Baker’s frequent calls for his plan to make housing projects more likely to secure local approval. On evictions and foreclosures, Baker extended the moratorium 60 days beyond its expiration from Aug. 18 to Oct. 17. Supporters still plan to push for legislation that would keep the moratorium in place until one year after the COVID-19 state of emergency ends. When the Housing Committee favorably reported the duo of rent control bills, Sen. Brendan Crighton said “some of the finer details still need to be worked out.” Citing the shortening legislative timeline, Crighton said in May: “We’re dealing with unprecedented times here, and obviously, we’re getting into June soon. We felt like getting the bill out of committee rather than having it stuck there for a prolonged period of time made sense.”

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

BILL(S): H 4529 (Baker), H 4854 (Economic Development Committee)

HOUSE: Economic Development Committee reported new draft of Baker’s bill July 15, and the House sent the new version to House Bonding; House Bonding accepted written testimony on July 17.

SENATE: Sen. Diana DiZoglio said during a July 2 Senate session, “I know that this body is hard at work on an economic development bill and on other provisions that we’ll be taking up in the coming weeks.” Senate President Karen Spilka told the News Service on July 18 that the Senate was working on the economic development bill, but had to wait for the House to act first.

KEY PEOPLE: Rep. Antonio Cabral, Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, Sen. Eric Lesser, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Sen. Michael Rodrigues

NOTES: Gov. Baker filed his jobs bill March 4, before the pandemic wreaked havoc on the local economy. Then he announced an update on June 26 in the form of a proposed $275 million COVID-19 recovery package. With unemployment above 17 percent and pillars of the local economy like health care and higher education shaken, the state could use any type of legislation to bring jobs back and get the economy back on track, as it was before the pandemic hit. An economic development bill is seen by many lawmakers as something to highlight for voters as they leave Beacon Hill for the summer and focus more intently on their re-election efforts. Baker had tried to attach his Housing Choices zoning reforms to the jobs bill, but saw it stripped by committee.

SEX EDUCATION

BILL(S): H 410 / S 2475, “Healthy Youth”

HOUSE: House bill reported favorably Feb. 20 by Education Committee and sent to Health Care Financing; Senate bill has sat in House Ways and Means since Jan. 23.

SENATE: Senate bill approved 33-2 on Jan. 16, based on a new draft of a Senate bill that cleared the Education Committee Nov. 14, 2019.

KEY PEOPLE: Speaker Robert DeLeo, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Rep. James O’Day, Sen. Sal DiDomenico

NOTES: Similar bills have died in the House without a vote the last two sessions after receiving Senate approval. Speaker Robert DeLeo said last summer that the bill’s language has evolved and “it’s something, obviously, that I think will be on our radar to take a look at.” Rep. James O’Day has been a vocal supporter in the House along with former Rep. Paul Brodeur, who left the Legislature earlier this session to become mayor of Melrose.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

… A late-breaking agreement between craft brewers and distributors could end a years-long fight over distribution … Following years of disagreement between credit unions and banks over their differing regulations, a bill is on the move to modernize the laws governing credit unions … The push to legalize sports betting resurfaced in late July when a Red Sox executive encouraged a House economic recovery panel to look at sports betting as an option for lessening the impact of pandemic-stricken revenues …

For bill texts and histories, visit the Legislature’s website: malegislature.gov.

Guest Columnist | “How to De-Clutter Your Home and Make Money at the Same Time” by Julie Paradise

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How to De-Clutter Your Home and Make Money at the Same Time
by Julie Paradise

 

Julie Paradise, Owner of Bin There Dump That, Wachusett

Finding the motivation to clear clutter from your house can be difficult. But, what if you had a financial motivation? Take a second to look at all of your clutter, and think about how much you spent on each item: The realization can be a bit overwhelming and alarming. Instead of letting the unwanted items continue to pile up, turn them into cash. Here are four reasons decluttering your home will save — and even make — you money. 

Put a Price Tag on It One of the easiest and quickest ways to make money off of your clutter is to sell it. Go through all of the items and decide what is trash and what has value — like clothes, furniture, jewelry, sporting goods or books. After you’ve separated the clutter, figure out where you can get the most money for each item. If you have something that’s in new or slightly used condition, consider selling it on sites like eBay, Craigslist or Amazon. You can try to sell your other items at yard sales or consignment stores. Whatever you don’t sell can be donated to a charity or thrift store — which will give you a tax deduction. No matter what you do with the items, you’ll be better off getting rid of them than having the items take up space in your home. 

Find It, Don’t Buy It Have you ever needed something you knew you had in your home but couldn’t find it? You’ll either have to go without it or buy a new one. By decluttering your home, you’ll know where to find everything. Not only will that save you time — and time is money — but it will also keep you from making unnecessary purchases to replace the lost item. 

Downsize Home, Utilities The less clutter you have, the less space you need. Figuring out what things you really need and what can go will help free up more of your home. When all of the clutter is cleared out, you might even realize you could move into a smaller home (or rent out that spare room/floor) and save money on your mortgage. To give you an idea of how much money clutter is costing you in your home, think about it like this: If your mortgage is $1,500 a month and you have a 2,000- square-foot home, you’re paying $0.75 per square foot (dividing the mortgage by the square footage). Look at how many square feet your items are taking up and calculate what you’re spending to store things in your home. Putting a real number on your clutter may surprise you and motivate you to get to work. Having a larger home to hold all of your stuff also means higher utility bills. So, figure out what items can go and if you could move into a smaller home to cut costs. 

Rent a Dumpster Whether you’re getting ready to move or just want to get rid of unneeded junk lying around, decluttering can be beneficial to your home, health, and wallet. To make the process a little easier, forget the garbage bags and rent a dumpster to hold all of your trash and unwanted items. You can even save money when you rent a dumpster by sharing it with your neighbors. Split the price between everyone who uses it — and it will make for a fun neighborhood activity. So when you’re ready to declutter your home, think about Bin There Dump That. These dumpsters have nice double back doors for easy walk-in loading, and boards are placed under the bin to protect your property. Bin There Dump That – the clean guys in a trashy business! Contact us at 978-582-1176 or www.WachusettDumpsterRental.com

What is a Guest Columnist?

Being a member of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber provides members with many opportunities to gain valuable information and connections. We are always on the lookout for valuable content that would be on interest to our members and communities. In an effort to provide an avenue to more easily access the vast array of the knowledge and expertise that our members possess, we are now offering exclusive Guest Columnist articles for the benefit of our members. As a membership based organization, submissions will only be considered from members at the Business Choice level and above.

This is a great opportunity to position your business as a thought leader and expert. Columns should not be self-promotional or sales oriented ,and should consist of content that would be useful to businesses, including tips, answers to important questions and any insights that would be helpful to fellow members. By participating, members have the chance to better inform, educate and aid in the development of other members and the North Central Massachusetts region.

Please contact David Ginisi, Marketing and Communications Manager, if you are interested in participating: | 978.353.7600 x240

Weekly Download | Why It’s Important to Buy Local First

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When you shop local, you do far more than get the items that you want quickly and conveniently. Buying local actually stimulates the economy in our community, helps benefit local schools and charities — and it even helps the environment.

Take a look at some of the many reasons why it’s important to shop and buy locally.

Buying Local Keeps Money in Our Community

When you buy locally, the small business you’re making your purchase from certainly benefits, but the benefits keep growing. A small business that does well is likely to hire more people, who then spend more money in the community.

Buying locally also pours money into the local institutions who need it. Taxes are paid locally, boosting the community’s libraries, schools, and infrastructure. Local businesses are also more likely to donate to charities in the local community, helping make improvements that all can enjoy.

In fact, when independent think tank The New Economics Foundation compared similar purchases made at chain stores vs. those made with local businesses, the experts determined that buying locally puts double the money into the community than occurs when you make a purchase at a chain store.

Buying Local Is Better for the Environment

Whether you buy online or from a major chain store, it typically requires some major effort to get your item to you. Trucks have to haul products across the country, burning up fossil fuel and contributing to pollution.

In addition, products that have to be packaged for shipping typically end up requiring extra packaging to survive the journey intact. Compare buying, say, a pre-packaged set of nails at a big box store — with your purchase sealed in one of those packages that practically require power tools to open — to picking out just the nails you need at your local hardware store, with the friendly local owner popping them into a simple paper bag (or even into the bag you brought yourself). All that extra packaging typically ends up in landfills or the ocean, adding to environmental damage.

Buying Local Results in More Diverse Choices for Customers

When you go to one big box store after another, you’ll see the same product choices, over and over. The only real difference is in price — and often that difference is a matter of pennies.

Buying locally is a whole different experience. Each small business in our community is unique, offering a true connection with customers and a real understanding of their visitors’ needs. Think about the diversity of stepping into a local boutique to do some clothes shopping versus perusing the offerings at chain stores, which all seem to look the same. Local artisans and craftspeople can show off their wares and build a following when you shop locally.

In addition, local businesses are typically far more flexible, adjusting to meet the immediate needs of customers much more quickly than giant national chains can do. They can also do a better job of stocking the products our community members want, since they’re part of the community.

Buy Local to Help Keep Our Community Unique

Related to the previous reason to buy locally is the idea that those unique products lead to a one-of-a-kind shopping experience. No one goes to a big box store to browse or to enjoy recreational shopping. But when your local shopping district is filled with local retailers, you create a sense of self-image that help defines our community. Our unique businesses are something to be proud of, and when we all support them, they create a reason for other shoppers to come visit our community.

By supporting local businesses, we can also help entrepreneurship thrive, which adds to local prosperity and innovation. Every local retailer is one of our neighbors who has taken a risk to try to make our region a better, stronger place, boosting the economy and helping lift friends and neighbors into the middle class.

When we all look for ways to buy local, we tell all our neighbors that we believe our community is worth investing in. We put our money into things we care about, including our local schools, and we enjoy a better purchasing experience overall personally. Shopping and buying locally is a win-win for you, for small businesses, and for our community as a whole.

Consider doing your part and buy local, shop local and support local by purchasing a Gift Local gift card. The Gift Local Card is the official gift card for North Central Massachusetts. Gift Local cards make wonderful, flexible gifts for birthdays, holidays, giving thanks, employee appreciation and much more! When you give a Gift Local Card as a gift you are not only supporting local small businesses in the community, but you are also giving the recipient the gift of choice. Due to the current pandemic and to show our deep dedication and support to our local businesses, all fees and start-up costs have been waived. 100% of the proceeds go to support our participating vendors. Visit GiftLocalMass.com for more information.

And that’s the download!

Government Affairs Update | Summer 2020

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The last few months have easily been the most disruptive anyone has experienced since the Second World War. Not only has the nation been forced to contend with a public health crisis, but the ensuing orders to shutter and shelter in place have wreaked havoc on our economy. Both Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill have taken drastic action to face this duel challenge, and the Chamber has actively worked to ensure that the needs of North Central Massachusetts and our employers are addressed by these efforts. 

Governor Baker addresses the business community at a Good Morning North Central event last winter.

When Governor Baker announced the establishment of a reopening taskforce in May, we were quick to submit recommendations encouraging them to ensure clarity in their guidance and prioritize the needs of small businesses. We have continued this advocacy since then, with Chamber staff serving on local reopening committees and participating in weekly calls with the Secretary of Housing and Economic Development- who cochairs the state’s taskforce. This approach has proven effective, allowing us to ensure businesses remain abreast of the latest developments while helping to improve communications between state and municipal officials as they navigate the reopening process. 

As with many things, this crisis has also disrupted the state’s legislative calendar. A number of major bills – including transportation reform, climate change and health care – have been overtaken by COVID-19’s immediate urgency. Lawmakers anticipate the state will absorb billions of dollars in lost revenues and increased costs as it works to simultaneously contain the virus and address the ensuing economic fallout. This has been compounded by uncertainty regarding federal aid, creating a significant challenge for the Legislature as they work to develop a balanced budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2020.  

Given this lack of clarity, the State House is expected to pass a series of one twelfth budgets for now, funding state operations from month to month. Unfortunately, though this allows lawmakers to adjust spending as revenue figures come into focus, it creates uncertainty for municipalities, which rely on state aid for their own budgets. In turn, this impacts school funding decisions and the availability of other services. It could also affect non-profits and state contractors were the Commonwealth to eliminate certain local programs or infrastructure projects. Of further concern are calls to increase taxes in an effort to bridge revenue shortfalls. This would exacerbate the current crisis, slowing investment, hiring, and – ultimately – recovery. 

On the federal level, Congress recently passed an extension of the PPP stimulus program through August 8. There are also reports that Congress is planning to pass another stimulus package, which may also include a consensus on state financial aid.  The Chamber staff has remained in close contact with national partners and the region’s Congressional Delegation on these issues.  

The Chamber will continue to monitor issues important to our members and region at the local, state and federal levels. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the Chamber’s public affairs manager- Christopher McDermott- at (978) 353-7600 ext. 224 or . We want your voice to be heard. 

This article is from the latest Chamber Report

 

Guest Columnist | “New Challenges In Vaccine Production During Global Pandemics” by Landrau Scientific Innovations

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New Challenges in Vaccine Production During Global Pandemics
by Nelson Landrau, CEO/Founder; Malcolm G. Pluskal, PhD.

How a Leominster, MA company is providing resources and expertise to support national and worldwide vaccine production

Nelson Landrau, CEO/Founder of Landrau Scientific Innovations

Massachusetts has encouraged and supported Biopharmaceutical R&D and large-scale Biologics manufacturing throughout the last 30+ years and has become one of the world leaders in development of new technology platforms. Influenza, SARS, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic, have increased the demand for novel vaccine production technologies to bring these vaccines to market quickly and in large quantities.

This demand has stimulated development of new mRNA-based vaccines by local companies in the Boston area. These new oligonucleotide-based vaccines offer great flexibility with respect to production and applications.  This scientific approach will enable any protein to be encoded and expressed by an in vitro transcribed mRNA. In principle enabling the development of wide range of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines to fight a broad range of diseases. To illustrate this diversity, this technology platform is being applied to fight diseases such as viral infections, cancer, and protein replacement therapy. During the production of this novel therapy only the mRNA sequence of the therapeutic target molecule is optimized. This enables diverse products to be manufactured using the same established production process, saving time and reducing cost as compared with other vaccine platforms.

Although mRNA therapy is diverse and can create new vaccines in relatively short time period (as compared to other vaccine technology approaches) new manufacturing challenges have arisen to produce the large quantities of these novel vaccines to fight outbreaks such as COVID-19.  As we react to this pandemic with this new class of vaccines based on mRNA and large molecule biologics, such as monoclonal antibodies future large-scale purification workflows will be challenged to meet production goals, regulatory requirements, and cost.  Large scale production, packaging and formulation to facilitate long term storage and deployment of these new vaccines will be key to their success.  For example, mRNA-based vaccines are being formulated in charged liposomes to enhance their intra-muscular uptake and delivery to the body’s immune system leading to in vivo production of therapeutic and viral neutralizing autoantibodies. 

To meet some of these vaccine production demands several new purification technologies are under development in Leominster MA, to accelerate bringing these COVID-19 vaccines to market; 1) Immunoaffinity resins for harvesting recombinant vaccine candidates from cell culture.  This approach, taken by the University of Queensland for their “clamp” viral antigen was first evaluated on a new orientated immobilization affinity bioprocess optimized resin developed in by LANSI. This new resin offers high antibody binding capacity while preserving full antibody-antigen binding efficiency. 2) mRNA vaccine candidates generated by in vitro transcription are being purified on oligo dT affinity resins targeting Poly A+ sequences on the 3’ end of the mRNA molecule.  Existing first generation R&D oligo-dT affinity resins were based on cellulose beads not fully optimized for large-scale bioprocess applications.  A new cellulose-based Oligo dT resin is under development at LANSI in collaboration with the Oligo Factory (Holliston, MA) based on resin beads that have been optimized for large scale bioprocess applications. Formulation of these novel vaccine candidates to confer stability and enhanced immunogenicity and delivery are in development at LANSI to support bringing these new vaccine molecules to market.

If your company has an mRNA or expressed protein viral antigen that you are looking for assistance in scale-up, purification, or formulation, please feel free to reach out to us for a complimentary confidential consultation at 978-537-2890 or write to us at info@lansi.tech. We have many years of experience in these fields and we are available to help you with your technical and product development needs.

 

What is a Guest Columnist?

Being a member of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber provides members with many opportunities to gain valuable information and connections. We are always on the lookout for valuable content that would be on interest to our members and communities. In an effort to provide an avenue to more easily access the vast array of the knowledge and expertise that our members possess, we are now offering exclusive Guest Columnist articles for the benefit of our members. As a membership based organization, submissions will only be considered from members at the Business Choice level and above.

This is a great opportunity to position your business as a thought leader and expert. Columns should not be self-promotional or sales oriented ,and should consist of content that would be useful to businesses, including tips, answers to important questions and any insights that would be helpful to fellow members. By participating, members have the chance to better inform, educate and aid in the development of other members and the North Central Massachusetts region.

Please contact David Ginisi, Marketing and Communications Manager, if you are interested in participating: | 978.353.7600 x240

Weekly Download | Handing off the Family Business Keys

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Once the major financial hurdles have been addressed, handing a family business over to the next generation can be handled in a variety of ways to suit your personal needs and goals. Obtaining professional help for determining any tax or legal issues should be placed at the top of the agenda. We value our local businesses, and their commitment to our community. Our guidelines can help you identify what items need to be addressed to ensure a seamless transition when handing off the keys to the store to the next generation.

Many local businesses have been in the same family for years. Your children may well have worked in the store growing up, and as they have gotten older, attended business meetings and begun to learn the ropes. The ability to help them get started while you are still able to advise and help them as problems arise is a wonderful opportunity for everyone.

Tips for Successfully Handing off the Family Business Keys to the to the Next Generation

As the current owner, and possibly the person who started the store, you will need to determine how much, if any, monetary compensation is required. The business can be transferred in various ways, gifted, sold at full or partial value, or put into a family corporation or trust with a different person named as manager.

A business plan and a transition plan can help your successfully transfer the business. If you are relying on a set income from the store, it is important to identify the role you will play in ensuring you receive it, and to have a contingency plan if it is not able to meet the goals.

Protecting the business against inter-family disputes should be discussed with a lawyer prior to transfer. Divorce, death, and changes in income can lead to problems between family members.

Ensure the person who is taking over the keys to the family store has the knowledge they need to operate it. If this person has not been active in all aspects of the business, they will require training. You will want to begin this process at least six months to a year prior to transferring the business.

Discuss with all family members what each person’s role, if any, will be in the business throughout the succession, and after, if you are keeping a portion of ownership.

Create a succession timeline and plan based on both of your needs. Some owners prefer a gradual turnover, while others do so all at once.

Accept that some things with the business will change. New products and technology are changing the way businesses operate and a fresh set of eyes may identify areas that are currently not performing as well as they should. Encourage your family to put their own personal stamp on the store.

We at the Chamber encourage all stores and family businesses to use our resources to increase their ability to be successful and continue to grow our community. Visit our Online Program On-Demand Library to discover educational tools to not only grow your business but also as a business owner.

And that’s the download!

Guest Columnist | “Let’s Do Everything We Can to Stop the COVID-19 Pandemic” by Dr. Karen Munkacy

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Let’s Do Everything We Can to Stop the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Karen Munkacy, M.D.

Karen Munkacy, M.D., Founder, President & CEO of Garden Remedies

The current pandemic has certainly uprooted lives all around the world. Our government is overburdened, healthcare and essential workers are on the frontlines facing a crisis, and supplies are strained. Now more than ever, it is important for businesses big and small to contribute to their local communities and help lift those who have supported them to get to where they are. It is a critical time to evaluate and change how we do business to accommodate the pandemic. We are not only facing a global virus, but we are all experiencing heightened anxiety during a time of great uncertainty. We can be a voice of comfort to our communities and show our empathy while adjusting to this new normal.

The pandemic is pushing us to be flexible and creative in finding solutions. Resourcefulness is key in overcoming obstacles and inventing new ideas and pushes us to think outside our normal thought process. Although I knew it all along, I learned how strong, resourceful, and creative my team is in how they have responded to this challenge. With sanitation supplies and masks running scarce, they did not hesitate to step up and explore their ideas to preserve resources all while keeping everyone safe.  Gene Ray, our VP of Laboratory Operations, and his team started the initiative of making sanitizing fluid to be used in our facilities to keep our customers and employees safe. Suzan Wentworth, a team member of our topical team, also jumped in to help by sewing face masks for our dispensary staff. Without the ideas experimented and brought to life by our team, our business would not have been able to operate as we are today. 

Every company must expend the effort to create a better world and a safer place. As a company that strongly believes in giving back, we sought out to provide these resources to those in need. We are proud to have donated over 300 gallons of sanitizer to the Massachusetts Hospital Association and to the first responders in the communities in which we operate. We also made substantial monetary donations to the communities we do business in, to help with Covid-19 relief.  Despite the obstacles we faced, our team worked hard to help our customers access legal cannabis products safely and support our local communities.  We will continue to put resources into keeping people safe and delivering products in a secure, safe way.  I got into this business solely to help people and it is our mission to find all the ways to do so. 

Once the pandemic subsides, the need for safety and health precautions will remain as we are forced to adapt to this new normal. Many of us, including Garden Remedies, had to modify business operations completely to protect our customers and employees. By leveraging technology, we have been able to operate safely and process our orders online, limiting the amount of human interaction during pickup. 

Unfortunately for retail, the pandemic prevents the customer interaction we value so much. Our goal as a company is driven on helping patients and providing our knowledge so we understood this aspect was too paramount to lose, especially during a time when they need our compassion the most.  We then utilized our technology capabilities and created more platforms for customer engagement such as our online chat and video consultations for our patients and customers with questions. 

The time for a re-envisioning your business plan is now. This is an opportunity to look at the scope of your business and see what needs to change, how consumer behavior has changed, and what you can do to help. It is essential to remember that the communities we live and work in are hurting and that we must not lose sight of the importance of giving back.

 

What is a Guest Columnist?

Being a member of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber provides members with many opportunities to gain valuable information and connections. We are always on the lookout for valuable content that would be on interest to our members and communities. In an effort to provide an avenue to more easily access the vast array of the knowledge and expertise that our members possess, we are now offering exclusive Guest Columnist articles for the benefit of our members. As a membership based organization, submissions will only be considered from members at the Business Choice level and above.

This is a great opportunity to position your business as a thought leader and expert. Columns should not be self-promotional or sales oriented ,and should consist of content that would be useful to businesses, including tips, answers to important questions and any insights that would be helpful to fellow members. By participating, members have the chance to better inform, educate and aid in the development of other members and the North Central Massachusetts region.

Please contact David Ginisi, Marketing and Communications Manager, if you are interested in participating: | 978.353.7600 x240

Weekly Download | Did Zoom Turn You Into a Zombie?

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This is for all you COVID-19 remote workers out there in North Central Mass and the people, like us, who care about them. Zoom meetings have taken over your day and perhaps your sanity, as well. So we’ve curated some tips to prevent you from becoming hollow-eyed and spirit-deprived.

Keep Your Mind and Body Sharp

For physical and mental health, actively adjust your habits to make sure that you keep sane and productive, even on your busiest days. If you use physical relaxation and mental de-focusing to give your mind and body a chance to pause, you can learn to stay effective as these technologies play a larger part in our lives.

Leave Your Chair Between Meetings

Don’t get stuck in back-to-back meetings. Stretch and get a change of scenery, take a few laps on the treadmill, or have a cold drink. Make sure that your calendar blocks out a few minutes’ buffer after each meeting so that no one slips another one in that starts too quickly.

Mind Your Kids’ Screen Time Too

Those of us who are parents have probably noticed our kids, even very young, becoming Zoom Zombies too. As we learn to cope, we can help them adjust. Our community will benefit in COVID time and beyond if we all learn to Zoom healthily.

Use Your Phone for Mobility

If you’re not an active meeting participant, turn off your camera and use the dial-in number or a Bluetooth headset. Give yourself some freedom to roam but leave the meeting video on for reference. On regular meetings, choose some to join audio-only and make your impression by your knowledge, not your hairstyle.

Change Your Environment When You’re “AFK”

AFK is gamer-speak for “away from keyboard,” or taking a break — off the clock, we say. Make sure that your AFK time is outdoors, playing with your pets, or taking a hike up Wachusett Mountain. Don’t forget your Zombie snacks, goodies that turn you human again- our Johnny Appleseed Visitors’ Center is chock full of locally-made snacks featuring the likes of Golden Girl Granola, apple cider donuts from Red Apple Farm, cheese sticks from Smith’s Country Cheese and so much more.

Be an Active Listener

One way to restore the connection is to use active listing techniques. Paying close attention to the speaker, pause, then begin your response with a summary of what you heard. It maintains continuity and improves the human connection as well.

A Taste of Business Meetings to Come

With telehealth and virtual conventions joining Zoom meetings as essential tools in the future, it will pay to learn to adapt. As usual, our kids are already doing it with their boundless energy. They chat, game, and live much of their lives online. We, too, can relax, interact, and avoid becoming Zoom Zombies — maybe even enjoy online life.

We hope you find these tips helpful. Try to implement one or two the next time you join in on one of our online programs. Also, be sure to visit our Online Program On-Demand Library to catch up on any content you may have missed.

And that’s the download!

DAVID A. DUVAL TO CHAIR NORTH CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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David A. Duval, president and founder of Protective Services, Inc. has been elected Chair of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for 2020-2021. The announcement was made at the chamber’s Annual Meeting: An Online Event on June 11, 2020.

Based in Lunenburg, Protective Services was established in 1979 by David Duval, who still remains the company’s president. Since its founding, Protective Services has been servicing businesses, institutions and residents in North Central Massachusetts with fire, security, surveillance, access control and sprinkler system contracting. Their long-standing reputation of excellence along with their fully dynamic range of services, make Protective Service Inc a leader in supporting small and large businesses, financial institutions and educational institutions with the superior services they need. 

In addition to his involvement with the Chamber, Mr. Duval also currently chairs the Massachusetts Systems Contractors Association and sat on the State Board of Fire Prevention Fire Protection, for 14 years. He is also active in several other state industry associations and organizations. Nationally, Mr. Duval is a member of the the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association and the Automatic Fire Alarm Association. Mr. Duval earned his bachelors degree in engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

He is married to wife Leslie and resides in Leominster. Mr. Duval also has a son, Alex, who is currently a student at George Washington University in Washington D.C.

Duval was first elected to the Chamber’s Board of Directors in 2013 and has held several leadership positions including Vice Chair, Treasurer and has served on the Chamber’s Leadership Council. Mr. Duval is also a board member of the  North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC), an affiliate of the Chamber, where he serves as Vice Chair.  As the Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, Mr. Duval will work with the Board, Chamber staff, and membership to champion the Chamber in its mission to serve the region’s business community. 

“We are honored to have David serve as the Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors,” said Roy Nascimento, Chamber president & CEO. “We are fortunate to have someone with his experience and strong history of leadership help guide our organization’s efforts. We look forward to working with him to help our members and the communities of North Central Massachusetts persevere through what is expecting to be a very challenging and difficult time over the next year”

He succeeds Steve Rocheleau, president of Rocheleau Tool & Die Co. Inc., who now moves to the position of Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors.

“It is an honor and privilege to serve as Chair of this dynamic and respected organization that plays such an important role in shaping the region’s future ,” expressed Mr. Duval, “I am excited to continue Steve Rocheleau’s efforts and work to support our members and advance North Central Massachusetts..”

In the same election, Rachel Lopez, president of Resource Management, Inc. in Fitchburg, was elected Vice-Chair and director Christopher McCarthy, president & COO of Fidelity Bank of Leominster, was elected to the position of Treasurer.  Board members elected for a new three-year term were Tony Fields, president and owner of Cleartech Group in Leominster; Elaine Fluet, president & CEO of Care Central VNA and Hospice in Gardner; and Bruce Platzman, president of AIS, Inc. in Leominster; Re-elected for three year terms were Henry Tessman, general manager of Great Wolf Lodge New England in Fitchburg; and Dr. James Vander Hooven, president of Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner. 

Continuing current terms on the Board of Directors are Neil Abramson, CFO of ECI Stores in Leominster; Will Aubuchon, president & CEO of W.E. Aubuchon Company in Westminster; Steve Duvarney, owner of Duvarney Jewelers in Fitchburg and Clinton; Matthew Fournier, president of Elite Construction & Design in Fitchburg; Mark Freeman, president of SteelFab, Inc. in Fitchburg; Dr. Richard Lapidus, president of Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg; Anne Leader, president of Vision Payroll in Leominster; Cheryl Molebash, general manager of Dixie Consumer Products in Leominster; John O’Brien, president & CEO of Leominster Credit Union in Leominster. 

 

About the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce

The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce (northcentralmass.com) is a business advocacy, economic development organization working to create and sustain relationships among businesses and between businesses and the community. With nearly 700 member firms, employing over 25,000 people in the region, the Chamber is working to foster economic opportunity in Fitchburg, Leominster, and surrounding communities. Find the Chamber online at northcentralmass.com or on Twitter at @NCMChamber.