George Smith named Business Person of the Year
Great Barrington — The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that George Smith was selected as its 2015 Business Person of the Year. Smith is a Partner and founder of Smith, Watson & Company, LLP. The Chamber will honor Smith with a cocktail reception and tribute on Wednesday, September 9 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Chesterwood.
Smith grew up in nearby Winsted, Conn. He is a graduate of the Loomis Chaffee School, holds a bachelor of science in economics from Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, and is a certified public accountant. While Smith’s career began in sales, he found his passion assisting small business owners with accounting and financial matters. In 1973 Smith met Jack Watson and they joined forces to create Smith, Watson & Company, LLP, and the firm saw steady growth over the years. With his longtime partner retiring in 2000, Smith continued to lead the firm through its most significant growth and into a regional accounting and consulting firm, servicing clients from Vermont to Connecticut and beyond.
Smith’s community volunteerism is well known and he continues to serve in various capacities. His past and present service has included the Southern Berkshire Volunteer Ambulance Squad, Fairview Hospital, Catamount ski patrol, MCLA Foundation, Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Berkshire Bank, and others.
For more information or tickets to the event, call the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce at (413) 528-4284.
–E.E.
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Mahaiwe completes $2.2 million IMPACT campaign
Great Barrington — The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center’s board of directors has announced that the theater has completed its three-year, $2.2 million IMPACT Campaign by September 1, 2015 and will receive the $500,000 bonus that was offered anonymously if the fundraising goal was met. More than 240 donors made contributions ranging from $20 to $150,000, with 58 percent of the donations being $500 or less.
The $2.7 million total raised will allow the Mahaiwe to fully pay off its remaining mortgage, as well as establish a cash reserve fund that will enable it to better compete for high-profile artists, book shows farther in advance, and include a broad variety of artistically important events. It will also improve cash flow management, providing a cushion for seasonal and strategic cash needs, such as technology investments and necessary repairs.
Since 2005 the Mahaiwe has hosted more than 1,000 events and welcomed almost half a million people through its doors. Its education program has served more than 12,000 students from 35 different schools. The Mahaiwe generates in excess of $1 million in ticket revenue from 150 events each year while contributing more than $4 million in regional economic impact from the theater’s direct spending and audience’s restaurant, lodging, and shopping activities.
–E.E.
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Barry Shapiro elected Shakespeare & Company vice chair
Lenox — Shakespeare & Company has announced the election of Barry R. Shapiro as vice chair of the Board of Trustees. Shapiro has been a Shakespeare & Company Board Member since 2011 and has served on its executive committee for the past two years.
Shapiro retired at the end of 2014 as chair of the corporate practice group at the law firm Meyer, Suozzi, English and Klein, P.C. Deeply involved in community affairs, he serves as chairman of the Dr. Robert C. & Tina Sohn Foundation and as a director of the Viscardi Center, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Project Native, the New Marlborough Cultural Council, and public television station WNET where he was a vice chairman from 2003 through 2006. He previously served as chairman of public television station WLIW-21, the Long Island Philharmonic, and the New York College for Wholistic Health, Education and Research. He is a graduate of Columbia University School of Law and Hofstra University and resides in New Marlborough where he was recently elected town moderator and serves as a journalist for the town paper, the New Marlborough 5 Village News.
Shapiro noted that, “Shakespeare & Company is one of my passions. It brings world-class performances to our community along with internationally renowned education and training programs. I’m looking forward to working with this great Company to expand its programs.”
–E.E.
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Double Value Program at the Downtown Pittsfield Farmer’s Market
Pittsfield — Over the past two months, the Downtown Pittsfield Farmer’s Market has been flooded with shoppers doubling their SNAP, WIC, and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program benefits through the market’s new Double Value Program. There has been such a demand for the program that its funding was exceeded in just seven weeks. This weekend, with the sponsorship of Greylock Federal Credit Union and Health New England, the market will reinstate the program.
The Double Value Program is a money-matching program available to mothers, senior citizens, and low-income residents who are using their SNAP, WIC, and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program benefits. The market provides up to $20 per week for each person using SNAP benefits and a full match for WIC and Senior coupons (each are valued at $2.50 but amount given varies per person).
In just seven weeks, the Double Value Program has put more than $11,000 worth of fresh food on the tables of families in need and leveraged federal SNAP dollars to support local farms and the Berkshire economy. The market has had 107 SNAP transactions and gained 37 new SNAP shoppers; 113 WIC shoppers, 90 new to the market; and 218 Senior shoppers, 113 new to the market. And shoppers are coming from all over to make use of the Double Value Program, as the Downtown Pittsfield Farmer’s Market is the only market in Berkshire County doubling WIC and Senior coupons. In the two weeks that the program was halted, the market had to turn away over fifty shoppers looking to double their benefits.
The Downtown Pittsfield Farmer’s Market is a program of Alchemy Initiative, in partnership with the City of Pittsfield.
–E.E.
