History, culture play an important role in supporting the region’s future. Page

The Wenham Museum will mark 100 years in 2022.

simple joys The await

WENHAM MUSEUM DIRECTOR LEADS CALL TO CONNECT WITH REGION’S ATTRACTIONS

Tracey Westgate Photography A young visitor is captivated by a model train on display at the Wenham Museum.

By Kristin Z. Noon Wenham Museum

“I used to have one of those!”

It’s a popular sentiment heard in the train gallery of the Wenham Museum.

While our youngest visitors enjoy the motion, colors and lights of our museum’s model trains, the adults remember trains around the Christmas tree, a parent or grandparent with a basement full of model railroad tracks, or their own experiences in tinkering with trains.

These simple joys have been mainstays of the Wenham Museum experience for generations. The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that simple joys are valuable, and that time with friends and loved ones is precious.

Now, as always, the best reason to visit a museum is to spend time with the people you care about. Like many of the cultural and historical attractions on the North Shore, the Wenham Museum provides a wonderful place to foster quality time among all generations of the family.

We strive to create exhibitions that are engaging and playful for children and interesting and informative for adults. As the first teachers our children encounter, caregivers play an important role in talking with them about what they see in the museum and in sharing their memories. These multigenerational conversations are at the heart of our Kristin Noon mission. While the Wenham Museum is certainly a destination for families, a solid 20 percent of our audience is adults who enjoy local history and culture. From our diverse permanent collections to tours of the Patton Family Archives and popular events like our annual Sleigh Bell Artisan Fair, there truly is something for everyone at the Wenham Museum.

Visiting a local attraction like the Wenham Museum in the coming year will not only benefit you and your family, it will also help preserve our futures.

The pandemic has challenged many businesses and organizations to reinvent operations and to develop new ways for the community to engage with them. Despite successes in many of these areas, it has been difficult to

In 1921, the Claflin-Gerrish-Richards House at 132 Main St. in Wenham was purchased by the philanthropic Wenham Village Improvement Society for the purpose of preservation and exhibition. The next year, Elizabeth Richards Horton, a former resident of the house, donated her international doll collection to the improvement society, marking the beginning of the Wenham Museum as it’s known today. The museum was incorporated as a separate entity in 1952. Adeline P. Cole presided as president over the grand opening in 1953, when the Pickering Library and Burnham Hall meeting room were added. The Wenham Museum was accredited by the American Association of Museums in 1973 and underwent a major renovation and expansion from June 1996 to August 1997. It will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2022. Learn more about what’s happening at the Wenham Museum and how to help it recover from the challenges of COVID-19 at wenhammuseum.org.

replace all of the revenue lost from state-mandated closures and the related drop in visitors.

As public health continues to improve, we ask everyone to consider visiting the many historical and cultural institutions located right in your backyard.

All of these North Shore destinations are here to serve you, and we need your support through visitation to fulfill our missions and to remain viable organizations.

The Wenham Museum is 99 years young this year. Many of the attractions in the region boast similarly long histories. Visit them for the first time — or rediscover them — and experience simple moments of joy, spark new happy memories and spend time with those you love.

We’ll keep an eye out for you in our train room. I

Kristin Z. Noon is executive director of the Wenham Museum, a commissioner on the Essex National Heritage Commission, and a member of the Board of Directors of the North Shore Chamber.

Images courtesy Wenham Museum’s Benjamin H. Conant Collection The Wenham Museum’s extensive collection of archival photos and glass-plate negatives from Benjamin H. Conant, including these images of an electric trolley, left, and horse trolley, provide a glimpse of life in Wenham from the late 19th century to early 20th century.

Tracey Westgate Photography The Wenham Museum’s train gallery is one of its most popular attractions.

The museum’s quilt collection includes this radiating stars-pattern textile, circa 1850, donated by Lynne and Paul Weaver.

Tracey Westgate Photography A Wenham Regimental Band uniform is among the local artifacts on display.

Gaining momentum

THRIVE READIES TO LAUNCH ROBUST CALENDAR IN 2022

By Mary Anne Clancy THRIVE co-chair

Chamber Board of Directors member Patti Beckwith, right, chats with the featured panelists for THRIVE’s workshop on reducing stress and achieving balance on Oct. 21 at Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School in Danvers.

Mary Anne Clancy is senior vice president of marketing and communications for the Institution for Savings. She sits on the Board of Directors of the North Shore Chamber and is co-chair of THRIVE. By all accounts, it has been a good first year for THRIVE, the Chamber initiative with a mission of empowering businesswomen on the North Shore to succeed both professionally and personally.

A prelaunch cocktail party in June, a networking event in August, blockbuster kickoff luncheon in September, and a successful first roundtable discussion in October cumulatively engaged more than 350 attendees, with a year-end Chamber holiday party at The Cabot in Beverly rounding things out for 2021. In addition, the THRIVE Steering Committee comprised of Chamber President and CEO Karen Andreas and myself as co-chairs, Bernadette Butterfield of Groom Construction, Hannah Ginley of Windover Construction, Betsy Merry of Merry Fox Realty, and Gia Page of Davio’s announced the formation of a THRIVE Advisory Council.

The Advisory Council will be charged with providing advice, feedback and new ideas regarding THRIVE’s activities and offerings; assisting in the development, delivery and implementation of our programs; and serving as ambassadors for THRIVE in the community.

We are thrilled to announce the following members of the Council: Patti Beckwith, Constitution Financial Partners; Alan Berry, C.P. Berry Homes; Bethany Blake, Harborlight Community Partners; Christine Boncore, U.S.-1 Ventures; Sarah Burke, tonneson + co; Erin Calvo-Bacci, CB Stuffer; Deb Flohr, The Hellenic Center; Melisa Gillis, Gillis Consulting; Kasia Loor, Goldman & Partners; Bill Luster, Charing Cross Realty Trust; Dr. Raminder Luther, Salem State University; Jessica McLaughlin, Fairway Independent Mortgage; Kristen Menzone, Topline Performance Solutions; Nicole Mitsakis, CM&B Construction; Samanda Morales, Ahora Inc.; Dianne Palter Gill,

Amy Sweeney photo Virginia Buckingham, the head of MassPort on Sept. 11, was the keynote speaker for the THRIVE kickoff luncheon on Sept. 9 at Spinelli’s in Lynnfield.

North Shore Community College; Joe Riley, Salem Five; Sara Stanley, HAWC; and Kathleen Walsh, YMCA of Metro North.

What is on the horizon for THRIVE in 2022? THRIVE plans to launch a full schedule of activities that will be a mix of speaker events, panel discussions, mentoring activities and networking opportunities on a variety of topics identified as important and relevant to Chamber members. Advisory Council members have divided up into three subcommittees along these lines: Education and Personal Development; Mentorship; and Events/Networking with a Cause.

The group hopes to announce a schedule of events in early 2022 and welcomes ideas for inspiring and poignant speakers, panelists, topics and programs along these lines. Ideas can be sent to me at mclancy@ifs.bank or to Karen Andreas at karen.andreas@ northshorechamber.org. I

THRIVE ‘Take Back Control’ workshop

THRIVE kickoff with Virginia Buckingham

Amy Sweeney photos

Want to get more done? Quit multitasking

MONOTASKING IS THE NEW TOOL FOR SUCCESS

By Chris Vasiliadis

Priority Wellness

Many folks feel they have perfected multitasking. The term often appears in job descriptions and performance reviews.

If we’re discussing having multiple projects on your plate, delegating tasks to others or even running several machines at once (for example, starting the washer, dryer and dishwasher and then preparing a meal), sure. I’m all for background tasking and efficiency in how we manage people, tools and resources that boost our productivity.

It’s the “switchtasking” — a term used by Dave Crenshaw in his book, “The Myth of Multitasking” — that I discourage. Crenshaw defines switchtasking as attempting to do multiple attention-requiring tasks at the same time.

We know about distracted driving and the risks of that behavior. How about limiting distracted living?

Studies have consistently found that only 2 percent to 2.5 percent of people can successfully multitask. So, chances are, you fall into the majority without this skill.

Consider how often you’re distracted during your typical workday. A University of California study found that after each interruption, it takes over 23 minutes to refocus. (How frequently have you fallen into the email “black hole”?)

Further, if the interruption takes you onto an unrelated task, this can diminish your brain power to the equivalent of dropping 10 IQ points!

We should treat multitasking as a form of distraction and interruption. Overall, multitasking has the following pitfalls, according to Crenshaw:  Tasks take longer to perform.  It causes more stress and anxious feelings.  We make more mistakes. (A study out of Michigan

State found that a 2.8-second interruption results in the likelihood of mistakes doubling.)

We know about distracted driving and the risks of that behavior. How about limiting distracted living?

As an alternative, monotasking opens the door to more order and even increased creativity. As Eckhart Tolle, author of “The Power of Now,” states, “There is great depth in doing one thing at a time.”

“Don’t treat a moment, activity or task as a stepping stone,” Tolle writes. “When you do that, it reduces the aliveness of the moment. Peace then flows into what you do. Avoid reducing each moment to a means to an end.”

When companies identify multitasking as a desired skill, I truly believe that’s not what they are seeking. The reality is they want an individual to take responsibility for multiple tasks and complete them in an efficient way to produce quality results. Research shows multitasking is not the way to make this happen.

How do you effectively monotask? Be present with what’s in front of you and create the environment that enables you to give your full attention to that task. Here are some ideas to get you started:  For your high-priority tasks, block dedicated time to perform that task. Don’t respond to emails, messages or calls during that block. Only have the apps open on your computer or the papers on your desk necessary to perform the current task. Inform others that you are to be interrupted only for true emergencies. Clearly state your criteria for what constitutes an emergency.  When communicating with others, deeply listen.

Look them in the eye when in person (or into the

Chris Vasiliadis is a burnout-buster, speaker, author and solo proprietor of Priority Wellness, which she launched in 2008 after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She specializes in helping overstressed and overbusy individuals and teams elevate their focus and vitality with systems of sanity, so they can run their days without running themselves into the ground. She has been relapse-free from MS for over 14 years.

camera when on Zoom). Put your phone out of sight, ideally on “do not disturb” or “airplane mode,” and remove other distractions. Note tone, pace, what’s being said and what’s not being said. Listen to hear and understand their point of view, rather than reacting with yours.  Build mindfulness muscles through both mindful meditation and using your life as a lab to be mindful. Mindful meditation is a form of attention training. Some apps that are great for beginners include Headspace, Healthy Minds and Balance. To use your life as a lab, experiment with placing your singular attention on an activity, from hand-washing dishes to your next task on a project.

Think you’re wired to multitask and can’t change? Neuroscience says otherwise. Our brain’s neural pathways and past conditioning are not fixed. You can decide in any moment to create different patterns by repeating the newly desired behavior.

Just think what might be possible if we monotask more often? I

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Supporting the employee caregiver

A GROWING WORKFORCE IS TENDING TO THE NEEDS OF AGING PARENTS

By Joan Hatem-Roy

AgeSpan

Caregiving, whether provided by a family member or paid employee, has an impact on all of us. Caregivers are in our communities, in our families and are working for our companies.

Nationally, about 40 million people provide unpaid care to older adults and adults with disabilities — the majority of whom also juggle a job or other responsibilities, according to the National Council on Aging.

As an industry in Massachusetts, caregiving employs more than 180,000 community-based human services workers serving 1 out of 10 state residents, according to the Providers’ Council. The council is an association of more than 200 community-based human services agencies, including AgeSpan — the recently rebranded organization formerly known as Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and North Shore.

The high demand for caregivers, both paid and unpaid, will continue well into 2022. A recent article in The Boston Globe highlighted the workforce crunch of these paid care workers, describing it as a staffing crisis.

The pandemic has been crushing for family caregivers, and with so many people working from home while providing care, they often have no break from either. At the same time, the demand for paid, in-home care services has not abated, and is exacerbated further by a shortage of these critical workers.

Care work is at the heart of AgeSpan’s mission. We hear from caregivers every day and understand their vital importance in our families and communities.

Our care managers help individuals determine what supports they need and act as a liaison between the person in need of care and those support services. These managers continually monitor these services and intervene when necessary.

Family caregivers have also been under a tremendous burden through the pandemic, and the need for that informal type of care is not lessening. As our population ages, more and more of us will find ourselves in a position to provide care.

AgeSpan wants to make sure informal caregivers have a variety of programs and services available to assist them in caring for family members. One of those programs is the Savvy Caregiver, which is for people caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or related dementias.

Kate is a recent graduate of the Savvy Caregiver program. An attorney, she is an example of the sandwich generation — a working adult caring for both a parent and young children.

Kate and her husband are a good team, but they live 90 minutes away from her mom, whose health has deteriorated. Kate was able to take our Savvy Caregiver program remotely and connected with people going through situations like hers. People understood her feelings, and she came away from it with new knowledge, tools and action steps to help not only her mother, but herself.

In addition to the Savvy Caregiver program, there are other supports, including counseling; information and referral services; respite care; scholarships; family meeting facilitation; Alzheimer’s and dementia education and support; and events for caregivers, including the Memory Café. In some cases, family members may be eligible for programs that pay them for caring for a relative.

Caregiving affects us all, across all generations and communities, as an industry and as part of our families. As we look to 2022, the work of family caregivers will continue. Employers must find ways to acknowledge the role their employees play as they incorporate caregiving responsibilities into their days. I

Joan Hatem-Roy is chief executive officer of AgeSpan, formerly known as Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and North Shore. She has worked in the aging services field for over 35 years, improving the lives of older adults across Massachusetts, and she is passionate about advancing collaborations with health care systems to address the social determinants of health.

Create your mark

PROTECT YOUR BRAND FROM YOUR WILD SUCCESS

By Peter J. Caruso II

Caruso & Caruso LLP

Imagine designing the first wall-mounted automatic washing machine or the first automatic ascending staircase only to lose your brand name? The Laundromat and Escalator companies have felt that pain.

Or what about using branding you assumed was available only to find someone else had priority for its use? Twitter almost experienced that pain with the word “Tweet.”

Properly selected and maintained trademarks can protect your brand and become a most valuable asset to your company. Here is what you need to know.

CHOOSE CAREFULLY

Trademarks operate along a “spectrum of distinctiveness,” which helps to rate how distinguishable a mark is. Your goal: Avoid becoming generic (see Laundromat or Escalator).

Generic marks, which are never open to trademark, identify a specific product or service offered. Even if a mark is initially eligible for trademark status, failure to protect the mark can lead to “genericide,” an awfulsounding term with an equally awful result — death of protection. More on that later.

Descriptive marks, which merely describe services or products, are marginally better. American Airlines and Boston Magazine — now very strong and protected marks — once started as descriptive marks with very thin protection.

Each describes its products — an American-based airline and a magazine focused on Boston. But protection required “secondary meaning,” through protracted and consistent use, to allow the public to associate the brand with a single source. That takes time. And during that time, deviant competitors can take advantage of your thin protection and erode your brand’s power.

Stronger still are suggestive marks (Burger King, for example). They suggest products that you purchase. Trademark disputes can be more likely here, as suggestive marks often use descriptive terms and open the door to copy-cat users.

The final two categories to strive for are arbitrary or fanciful marks, which are the strongest of all categories.

Peter J. Caruso II is a partner at Caruso & Caruso LLP in Andover and Marblehead. He focuses on protecting client assets through lifetime planning and estate planning, including protection and monetization of intellectual property rights.

Think Apple and Domino’s (arbitrary) and Starbucks and Verizon (fanciful).

Arbitrary marks are words that have common understandings, but are used with unrelated products; Apple (computers and not fruit) and Domino’s (pizza, not a game).

Fanciful marks are generally made-up words with no relation to the product. What does the word Starbucks have to do with coffee? (Some would argue, everything.) A brand that is fresh and new will create a strong market presence. Andgiven the fanciful nature, any straight-faced denial of infringement would be difficult.

SEARCH

Selecting a strong mark is just the beginning. A complete trademark search is important. Such a search should be comprehensive enough to give you comfort that your use is unique to your offering.

Know the universe in which your mark will exist before investing in signage, websites, labels and other items. It will not only save money and embarrassment, but it may save your brand.

Searches can be as simple or as comprehensive as your budget will allow. A basic Google-type search may provide insight, but it is by no means reliable. Search state and federal trademark registrations to add further guidance. Should your budget allow, a comprehensive 50-state and federal review, domain name registration search, and internet review will provide the most comfort. Give yourself peace of mind.

REGISTER

Once you have that peace of mind, register your mark. A federal registration provides priority over others and opens the door to federal enforcement of your mark.

Twitter almost lost the use of the word “Tweet” due to a prior third-party federal filing. Twitter’s rights dangled in the balance until the company filed, and ultimately settled, a lawsuit against the previously filed registration. Register early to protect your brand.

POLICE

Finally, police your mark. You have thoughtfully selected and searched your mark. Now, make sure others do not usurp your hard work. Here are some tips:  If federally registered, use the ® mark. Otherwise, attach the TM or nonregistered marks to your name.  Send cease-and-desist letters to infringers. Do not ignore them.  Create a formalized watch protection program to monitor registrations and internet searches.

All will help stave off trademark trolls, competitors and brand hijackers looking to take control of your name and trade on your name to sell their products.

It will also help stave off genericide — loss of your brand to the public by becoming the generic name for a product (remember Laundromat and Escalator).

Google avoided genericide thanks to a 9th Circuit ruling that, despite the pervasive use of Google to define an internet search, Google was still protectable (a decision I’m not convinced is right).

Today, consumers are overstimulated by our digital world. Images and brands fly across our screens at a dizzying pace. Make certain your brand stands out. Be unique. Be fanciful. And most of all, be diligent. I

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