Berkshire Bank, a relationship-driven, community-focused bank in New England and New York, has joined an effort by the Massachusetts State Treasurer’s Office to help support small businesses through Investing For the Long-Term Initiative (Invest MA), the state’s new program to provide small businesses enhanced access to capital.
Invest MA aims to promote small business growth by providing creditworthy enterprises in Massachusetts with greater access to bank loans. The program shifts $500 million in state cash deposits under the control of the Treasurer to Massachusetts banks like Berkshire that are committed to expanding their small business lending in the Commonwealth.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy, accounting for more than 85% of all businesses in Massachusetts,” said Denise Thompson, senior vice president and director of Small Business Credit & Operations at Berkshire Bank. “We’re committed to helping those businesses create the jobs and new opportunities that contribute to the vibrancy and success of their communities.”
Worcester-based advanced manufacturing technology company innovates and incubates, collaborating with government, industry and academia
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has named Solvus Global the 2024 Small Manufacturer of the Year for Massachusetts.
Solvus Global is a technology solution provider for materials and manufacturing, specializing in the areas of additive manufacturing, machine learning, and sustainable materials processing.
Dr. Aaron Birt and Dr. Sean Kelly earned the recognition as leading experts in various fields including machine learning, materials and manufacturing with a passion for using technology to develop solutions for critical industry problems.
“It’s amazing seeing how far a homegrown enterprise such as Solvus Global has come,” said District Director Robert Nelson. “The SBDC Central Regional Office at Clark University and the SCORE Worcester Chapter providing mentorship and counseling proved vital to the company’s journey to scale.”
Solvus Global leveraged SBA lending, including an equipment line of credit and a revolving line of credit for operating expenses to support their expansion. In addition, a Paycheck Protection Program loan helped keep staff employed with the business until recovery from the pandemic.
In 2019, the rapid growth of the company required shifting from Solvus Global’ s first office and lab space into the 8,000 sq. ft. facility – now the global headquarters in Worcester, MA. Through a partnership with Army Research Laboratory and VRC Metal Systems, Solvus Global additionally operates out of a collaborative production and R&D facility in Webster, MA.
In 2021, Solvus Global renovated an existing 32,000 sq. ft. warehouse into a Center for Scaled Innovations (cSIM) in Manufacturing to grow large production and workforce development in the City of Leominster.
“It’s an honor to be recognized as Small Manufacturer of the Year. Growing up in the area, it has been so exciting to see the resurgence of manufacturing in the region and we’re grateful for the support we’ve had from leaders in the region to have the opportunity to be part of that growth,” said Dr. Sean Kelly.
With support from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), Solvus Global has established an internship program with local colleges and universities such as Quinsigamond Community College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute to prepare the next generation of advanced manufacturing workforce in the North Central Massachusetts region.
The number of employees at Solvus Global has risen from 3 co-founders to 90 employees today.
“We exist to solve problems in the manufacturing technology industry, but at the end of the day it’s all about the people. Ideas are easy to come by, but really execution is that hard part and you can’t do that without amazing people like the ones on our team at Solvus,” says Dr. Aaron Birt.
The company was nominated by Patrick Royce, Vice President, Webster Five Bank.
Dr. Birt and Dr. Kelly will be honored at the annual National Small Business Week Massachusetts Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 10th, 2024, at the Doubletree Andover.
Fitchburg Access Television (FATV) and its Board of Directors proudly announce Peter Capodagli as the recipient of the 27th annual Boulder Award for his exceptional contributions to community media and civic engagement. FATV will also present three member awards during the ceremony.
FATV’s Boulder Award is bestowed upon individuals “For outstanding contributions to civic life through the use of public communications.” The award will be presented during an evening of celebration at Oak Hill Country Club in Fitchburg, MA on May 2nd, 2024. Doors open at Five O’clock with the dinner program beginning at Six O’clock. The public is invited to attend with a reservation.
Past winners of the FATV Boulder Award include Ellen DiGeronimo, David Clark, Lusia Fernandez, Stephen DiNatale, Barbara Foster, Bill Gates and more. FATV is honored to include Peter Capodagli on this list of prestigious winners over the past 27 years.
In addition to the Boulder Award, FATV Member Awards will be presented to David Suárez for Podcast of the Year, Christopher Landry for Producer of the Year and to Kevin Cormier for the Romolo Testarmata Award. Also recognized will be the winner of the 2024 FATV Robert Wilson Scholarship, Fitchburg State University student Skye Goba.
Tickets to the Boulder Award Dinner are available at FATV, 780 Main Street, or by calling 978-343-0834. Tickets must be purchased no later than Friday, April 26th. The cost of tickets are $40 each for the buffet dinner consisting of Prime Rib and Chicken, salad, vegetable and dessert.
Founded in 1987, Fitchburg Access Television (FATV) is an independent, not-for-profit organization operating the non-commercial Public, Civic and Government Access Channels for the city of Fitchburg. FATV provides equipment, training and channel time to its members for the purposes of building community, empowering the individual and ensuring First Amendment expression through the use of television technology. FATV maintains a state-of-the-art local access facility on Main Street, in the heart of downtown Fitchburg. To learn more visit www.fatv.org
This month, the City of Fitchburg begins implementation of its new Vacant Property Registry.
The City’s Problem Property Task Force has been working collaboratively, for over a decade, to address problem properties in order to improve the quality of life for our residents, neighborhoods and businesses. Trends and themes that continue to be a challenge generally fall into two categories; severely neglected properties and vacant properties. Vacant properties can have a whole host of unintended consequences that impact the community around them. These potentially unsafe buildings can attract curious kids and unhoused folks, pests can take shelter and start breeding, the blight of a vacant building(s), can lower property values for abutters and entire neighborhoods, and the often uninsured properties can become fire hazards.
In late 2022, the City adopted a vacant property registry in order address some of these challenges and protect and preserve public health, safety, and the quality of life in the City of Fitchburg.
The new initiative will require both residential and commercial property owners to register and properly maintain any 100% vacant, abandoned, foreclosed, or foreclosing residential or commercial property. Owners will pay an initial $100 registration fee, and will have to renew the registration annually. The renewal fees will escalate each year; the first anniversary renewal will be $250, the second will be $2,500, third and each anniversary thereafter will be $3,500. The fees charged are reflective of the administrative costs of monitoring and ensuring property maintenance of these vacant or abandoned buildings and may be used to fund proper maintenance if property owners fail to do so. Owners can register vacant properties on-line at fitchburgma.portal.opengov.com/.
The City understands sometimes it is unavoidable for a property to be vacant for a period of time. However, for those owners who have held vacant property in Fitchburg for many years, it’s time for them to either develop the property and get it occupied, or sell to someone who will develop the property. In this era of housing shortage and rising housing costs throughout the Commonwealth, now is the time for action- and Fitchburg can be a part of the solution.
Detached, single family homes actively being marketed by a realtor or owner of record and listed for sale on multiple listing service, and properties being developed for affordable housing under certain conditions are exempt from this requirement.
If you would like to report a vacant or potentially vacant property to the City, you can do so through your SeeClickFix smartphone app or through the City’s Report a Concern Page here: www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/139/Report-a-Concern.
For more information about this please contact Stephen D. Curry, Health Director. You can find the complete vacant property registration ordinance Chapter 137 of the City Code here: ecode360.com/41971911.
The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, Reliant Foundation and RIZE Massachusetts, in partnership with the UMass Memorial Health Road to Care team and UMass Chan Medical School, will offer a free continuing medical education (CME) conference on April 29 for providers to fulfill new federal training requirements and improve access to opioid use disorder treatment in the region.
The daylong training session, “Transforming Care: Harm Reduction, Overdose Prevention and Management of Opioid Use Disorder,” gives providers from different health systems and private practices the opportunity to immerse themselves in a comprehensive learning experience led by experts in the field. The conference can be attended in person or remotely.
This is the second training conference sponsored by the foundations, which provided more than $150,000 in total grant funding to advance prescriber education and opioid use disorder treatment in primary care settings throughout Central Massachusetts. The project aims to reduce barriers to access to treatment in the region, especially in underserved rural communities.
“We are pleased to partner on this training opportunity that will increase the number of providers who are equipped with the latest tools to tackle the ongoing overdose epidemic and the number of residents who will benefit from expanded access to opioid use disorder treatment in the region,” said Dr. Amie Shei, President and CEO of The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts.
The first session held in December was attended by more than 100 doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners from primary care and medical specialties. “Providers across the region are eager for more information and tools; this training gives them the confidence, ability and support to deliver evidence-based care and effective treatment for individuals with substance use disorder,” said Dr. Kavita Babu, Chief Opioid Officer at UMass Memorial Health and professor of emergency medicine at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester.
These training opportunities follow passage of the federal Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act, which aims to standardize substance use disorder training to ensure that providers possess baseline knowledge in evidence-based treatments and to normalize substance use disorder treatment in the primary care setting. All DEA-registered providers are required to receive at least eight hours of training in pain management, prescribing practices and medications for addiction treatment for substance use disorders.
The conference will be held on April 29 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Wellsworth Hotel, 14 Mechanic St., Southbridge, with breakfast and lunch provided. The session will also be offered via Zoom. Register here.
David Felton, Main Street Bank, Executive Vice President/Chief Deposit Officer
Main Street Bank, a leading community bank in Massachusetts, announced that David Felton has joined the Bank as Executive Vice President/Chief Deposit Officer, effective March 1st, 2024. In this role, Felton is responsible for the growth and development of the Bank’s deposit gathering capabilities with a focus on the Business Banking and Commercial Banking segments.
Felton has over 19 years of experience in financial services and has worked in the business and commercial banking space for the past 15 years. Having held various leadership positions at Rockland Trust, Customers Bank, and Cambridge Trust, Felton has a proven track record of building and managing high-performing teams, developing and executing strategic initiatives, and driving growth through delivering upon a model of collaboration, community engagement, and exceptional client experience. He holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from New England College of Business.
Felton is an active member of the community, particularly in the non-profit sector, serving as Board Member and Treasurer of Boston Arts Academy Foundation, the non-profit arm of Boston’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts, for 4 years. He is also an Advisory Board Member of Understanding Our Differences, a non-profit organization that provides disability awareness programs in Newton, MA, for 11 years. Felton has lived in Mansfield, MA and then the Boston area for most of his life, and now resides in Windham, NH with his wife, two daughters, and a baby boy on the way.
“I am thrilled to join Main Street Bank and be part of a dynamic and growing organization that is focused on serving the needs of its customers and communities,” says Felton. “I look forward to working with the talented team here and leveraging my experience and network to help realize our vision for the future.”
“We are delighted to welcome Dave to Main Street Bank and our executive leadership team,” says Walter Dwyer, CEO of Main Street Bank. “Dave brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and relationships, and he will play a key role in driving our deposit growth and expanding our market presence. He is also a great fit for our culture of excellence, innovation, and community involvement.
LUK, Inc. recently received funding from Brake the Silence Foundation to provide Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention trainings.
LUK will host these Mental Health and Suicide Prevention trainings to promote the health and well-being of Worcester County residents. Participants will learn how to identify potential mental health concerns, where they can receive support, and skills to interrupt harm.
The funding from Brake the Silence will allow LUK to offer a variety of trainings that vary in length, intensity, and scope. The overall goal of the project is to raise awareness of mental health challenges, prevent suicide, and connect people in need to supportive services. By raising awareness, LUK may strengthen mental/behavioral health services for Central Massachusetts residents, encourage individuals to strive for recovery, or support a loved one in their recovery journey.
LUK, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the safety, health, and well-being of youth, families, and adults in Central Massachusetts. As a community-based organization, LUK’s mission is to challenge and inspire youth, adults, and families to realize their unique potential through community-based prevention, intervention, education, and support services.
Hub International Massachusetts, global insurance brokerage, has released its outlook for insurance for 2024.
The report, complemented by 14 in-depth industry- and sector-specific assessments, is based on insights from HUB’s proprietary survey of 900 executives and 200 high net worth individuals and their advisors. Amid elevated risk factors — from geopolitical instability, natural disasters and labor disruptions to the rapid evolution of AI — many companies and high net worth individuals still rely on legacy risk mitigation, insurance and employee engagement strategies, resulting in a false sense of preparedness. Organizations with a forward-looking and comprehensive approach can seamlessly navigate risks. On the contrary, those lacking such actions and initiatives tend to overestimate their readiness or possess a false sense of preparedness and expose their businesses to risks.
3rd Consecutive Year on Newsweek’s Most Trustworthy Companies in America List
Berkshire Bank, a relationship-driven, community-focused bank in New England and New York, has been recognized as one of the top 10 most trusted banks in America by Newsweek magazine.
It’s the third consecutive year Berkshire Bank has been on the list of Newsweek’s Most Trustworthy Companies in America. It is the only bank recognized this year that is headquartered in Massachusetts.
Newsweek’s Most Trustworthy Companies in America 2024 includes 700 companies across 23 industries that were evaluated by U.S. customers, employees, and investors. Results were based on an independent survey from a sample of about 25,000 people who evaluated publicly and privately held companies based in the United States with revenues over $500 million. Respondents rated companies on customer, employee, and investor trust. Results also reflect a survey of what was said about a company in various media online.
Newsweek partnered with Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and provider of industry rankings, to issue its ranking of America’s most trustworthy companies.
The National Community Development Association (NCDA) has recognized April 1-5, 2024, as National Community Development Week. This week provides the opportunity for communities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. Member communities are also recognizing the work of the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program. The programs are critical to the development of local strategies and initiatives to provide affordable housing, critical services, community infrastructure, and economic development in low- and moderate-income areas.
Enacted by Congress in 1974 under the Housing and Community Development Act, the primary goal of the CDBG program is simple yet profound: to empower local communities, providing them with the resources and tools necessary to enhance the quality of life for all residents. Over 1,250 state and local governments receive CDBG allocations to support housing rehabilitation programs, public infrastructure projects, small business assistance, emergency housing assistance, and a broad range of public service programming.
From FY2005 to FY2023, CDBG facilitated the creation and retention of 563,236 economic development related jobs, contributed to infrastructure developments benefitting approximately 57 million persons, assisted over 189 million persons through public service activities, and met the housing needs of over 1.9 million households. Since 1992, the HOME program has produced more than 1.37 million affordable housing units and assisted more than 387,000 households through tenant-based rental assistance.
National Community Development Week provides the opportunity for Congressional members to see first- hand the results of these programs and to learn from grantees, program subrecipients and beneficiaries why more program funding is needed. We support National Community Development Week and value the impact the CDBG and HOME programs have made in our community.
Fitchburg Access Television (FATV) and its Board of Directors proudly announce Peter Capodagli as the recipient of the 27th annual Boulder Award for his exceptional contributions to community media and civic engagement. FATV will also present three member awards during the ceremony.