Business updates

FROM PAGE 4

Hospital staffers recognized

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center staff and leaders recently honored the winners of the hospital’s 2023 Putnam Awards, which are given annually to recognize employees who embody the organization’s values and mission.

Each year SVMC, a member of Dartmouth Health, presents one award for each of the organization’s five core values: quality, empathy, stewardship, teamwork and safety.

This year’s winners include Jessica Winship of The Learning Tree child care program for quality; Cooie Kenyon of Entry Point for empathy; Julie Case of finance for stewardship; Seth McClellan of environmental services for teamwork; and Randy Bates of security for safety.

Staff are nominated for the annual Putnam Awards and winners are the standard bearers within the organization.

NBT Bank has donated a total of $30,000 to three South County organizations: The People’s Pantry and Construct Inc. of Great Barrington and Sheffield Food Assistance Program Each organization received $10,000.

The donations were made as part of the bank’s commitment to maintain charitable support in the markets served by the former Salisbury Bank. Salisbury Bank merged into NBT in August.

“This incredibly generous donation from NBT will significantly impact our ability to address food insecurity in the community,” said Beth Moser, board president for The People’s Pantry.

“Our weekly program has been supplementing food budgets for residents in the Southern Berkshire School District for more than 35 years, and we can only do this with the generosity of community partners such as NBT Bank,” said Marcia Brolli from the Sheffield Food Assistance Program.

And Jane Ralph, executive director for Construct, Inc., said, “Construct is incredibly grateful for the recent gift and the long-term support we received from NBT and the former Salisbury Bank.”

Based in Norwich, N.Y., NBT Bank has been serving Berkshire County since 2011 with locations in Great Barrington, Lee, North Adams and Pittsfield. The merger of Salisbury into NBT Bank added a second location in downtown Great Barrington and offices in Sheffield and South Egremont.

Mill Town forms advisory board

Mill Town has formed a six-member advisory board to support the impact investment firm’s management team and contribute insights to further its mission and strategic planning.

Board members include John Bissell, the president and CEO of Greylock Federal Credit Union; JD Chesloff, the president and CEO of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable; Jayson Cuyler, executive director of 2nd Street Second Chances; Benjamin Downing, vice president of public affairs at The Engine in Boston; Ellen Kennedy, the president of Berkshire Community College; and Caitlin Pemble, head of The Living Balance Sheet at Guardian Life Insurance.

Formed in 2016, Mill Town’s mission is to improve the quality of life in the region as part of a broad economic and community development strategy. It has invested in and renovated numerous city properties in recent years, including Bousquet Mountain Ski Area, the former St. Mary the Morningstar Church, and several North Street buildings.

“We are thrilled to convene this high-caliber group of professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences,” said CEO Tim Burke said in a news release. “This group will support the Mill Town team as we continue to pursue transformative economic development and community partnerships in the region.”

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center recently awarded the 2023 Putnam Awards to employees who exemplify SVMC’s values. Pictured left to right are: Randy Bates, Julie Case, Jessica Winship, Cooie Kenyon, Seth McClellan and SVMC President and CEO Tom Dee.

The Berkshire Innovation Center, in partnership with Berkshire Health Systems and the Phelps Cancer Center, has released last summer’s TEDx Berkshires talk at the BIC featuring former NFL player and international Lung Cancer advocate Chris Draft, on YouTube.

Draft’s talk, “Changing the Face of Lung Cancer, is now available on the official TEDx YouTube Channel.

Draft, a Stanford University graduate who holds a bachelor’s degree in economics, played 12 years in the NFL after being drafted in 1998 by the Chicago Bears.

In 2010, Draft’s late wife, Keasha, was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer. Keasha was the vision of health and a non-smoker, doing P90X and preparing to run in a 10K race. The couple launched Team Draft, an initiative dedicated to creating a strong network of Lung Cancer “Survivor Advocates”, on their wedding day on Nov. 27, 2011.

Six local state-designated cultural districts are among the 54 entities across the state that have received a combined $810,000 from the Mass Cultural Council’s fiscal 2024 Cultural District Investment Program.

The grants are intended to encourage the development and success of the cultural districts and foster local cultural preservation. Each cultural district received $15,000.

The local recipients are Cummington Cultural District; Great Barrington Cultural District; Lenox Cultural District; North Adams Cultural District; Upstreet Cultural District in Pittsfield, and Williamstown Cultural District

Berkshire Bank has been included on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-24 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.

It is one of 1,384 major U.S. businesses that are ranked in the 2023-24 index.

“The ranking illustrates our continued strong commitment to creating an ecosystem of inclusion and equity for our employees, customers and communities,” said Gary Levante, senior vice president, corporate responsibility, in a news release.

The index rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars: Nondiscrimination policies across business entities; equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families; supporting an inclusive culture; and corporate social responsibility.

The full report is available online at hrc.org/cei.

The Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires recently launched a Power Hour homework help program. specifically designed to assist members in grades 3-12 with their academic studies.

Power Hour offers members a dedicated time and space to complete their homework assignments and receive academic support in a structured and supportive environment. It will provide homework help, tutoring and fostering self-directed learning.

The program runs from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday allowing students to make the most of their after-school hours.

Information: www.bgcberkshires.org.

The Healey-Driscoll administration has released the Massachusetts Farmland Action Plan, a long-range, strategic initiative to address the state’s farmland needs.

The plan sets goals and priorities around increasing farmland conservation and protection, addressing farmland access, and preserving and expanding the economic and environmental viability of farms across the state.

The plan was developed through a collaboration between MDAR, the UMass Donahue Institute, the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, and the American Farmland Trust, and engaged hundreds of farmers and stakeholders during its development.

It complements the state’s Clean Energy and Climate Plan, Healthy Soils Action Plan, Resilient Lands Initiative, and other related efforts as the state makes investments and policies. These plans also serve as a resource for private sector stakeholders as they contribute to the state’s environmental and economic goals.

Information: tinyurl.com/2vvkmex7.

Stockbridge has been ranked 7th on the 2023 list of America’s 75 Favorite “Christmassy Towns” by the photo book brand Mixbook.

Mixbook compiled its list based on a survey that was sent to 3,000 families nationwide. Stockbridge is the only Massachusetts town on this year’s list.

The listing states that Stockbridge “becomes a living postcard during the holiday season, reflecting a timeless beauty. The main street, resembling Rockwell’s famous painting, is festooned with festive decorations and lights, evoking a sense of nostalgia and warmth.”

Pigeon Forge, Tenn., is the top ranked town on the list. The rest of the top 10 includes, in order, Durango, Colo.; Lake Placid, N.Y.; Stowe, Vt.; Alexandria, Va.; Old Saybrook, Conn.;

Holland, Mich.; Bethlehem, Pa.; and North Pole, Alaska.

In 2020, Stockbridge was selected as the country’s best Christmas town in Country Living magazine’s “55 Best Christmas Towns To Put on Your Holiday Bucket List.” The publication highlighted the Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas festival, which pays tribute to Norman Rockwell’s painting of the village during the holidays.

The Berkshire Community College Foundation has pledged $16,000 in support of professional mentorship expenses related to the Associates to Bachelors Pathway to Licensure for Paraprofessionals, which is known as the P2T Cohort.

BCC formed the P2T Cohort with Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in January 2022. The program’s goal is to provide an efficient pathway to teacher licensure.

The mentor for the program at BCC, Gabriela Sheehan, attends education classes with paraprofessional students, meets weekly or as needed with them, helps identify resources they might find useful for a project or paper and offers specific feedback on their work.

Paraprofessionals support students under the supervision of a teacher. The P2T Cohort is specifically designed for paraprofessionals employed by pre-K–12 schools in Berkshire County.

The program also provides flexibility to meet the needs of participants with either some or no prior college experience, ultimately allowing paraprofessionals to earn an associate degree at BCC and then transfer to MCLA to earn a bachelor’s degree and a teaching license.

A free monthly publication by The Berkshire Eagle 75 South Church Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201

Visit berkshirebusinessjournal.com for advertising information and to subscribe

NEWS DEPARTMENT

TONY DOBROWOLSKI, Editor 413-496-6224 tdobrowolski@berkshireeagle com

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

KATE TEUTSCH, Director of Ad Services 413-496-6324 kteutsch@berkshireeagle com

CHERYL GAJEWSKI, Director of Ad Sales 413-841-6789 413-496-6330 cmcclusky@berkshireeagle com

Share your news with the Berkshire Business Journal. If you have a company promotion, a new business or a new venture, let the Berkshires know about it Remember the 5 W’s and that briefer is better Email text and photos to BBJ@newenglandnewspapers com.

Provide your expertise in the Berkshire Business Journal. Do you have the answer to a persistent question about business and the Berkshires? Do you have ideas and suggestions on how our business community can grow? If you have a comment to make about doing business in the Berkshires or if you re looking to raise an issue with the business community, this is the venue for that We welcome letters up to 300 words and commentary up to 600 words Send these to Tony Dobrowolski at tdobrowolski@berkshireeagle com.

Berkshire Business Journal is published monthly by New England Newspapers Inc 75 S Church St Pittsfield, MA 01201. Periodicals postage paid at Pittsfield, MA 01201.

Berkshire Business Journal is delivered free to businesses in Berkshire County via third class mail. Additional distribution is made via dropoff at select area newsstands The publisher reserves the right to edit, reject or cancel any advertisement at any time Only publication of an advertisement shall constitute final acceptance of an advertiser’s order All contents are copyrighted by New England Newspapers Inc