Berkshire Bank’s Foundation announces almost $600,000 in community investments
Pittsfield— Berkshire Bank, a leading, socially responsible community bank with financial centers in New England and New York, announced that its foundation provided $584,361 in philanthropic investments during the first quarter of 2023 (January 1- March 31) to foster upward economic mobility, racial equity, and enhance opportunities for success in the regions Berkshire Bank serves. The investments also support the company’s BEST Community Comeback which includes a planned $15 million in community contributions by the end of 2024.
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Greylock promotions Vermette to Assistant Vice President
Pittsfield— Greylock Federal Credit Union is proud to announce the promotion of Jeffrey Vermette to Assistant Vice President, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) Officer.
In his new role, Jeffrey will manage a team of direct reports and Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) regulatory compliance efforts throughout the organization.
He is responsible for the development, oversight, and performance of annual BSA/AML training for employees, new hires, senior management, the Supervisory Committee, and the Board of Directors. He also ensures that BSA compliance issues, audit findings, or regulatory examination findings are properly recognized and that sufficient action plans, corrective measures, and recommendations are implemented appropriately.
Jeffrey, who joined Greylock’s team 11 years ago, has been a BSA Officer in the banking industry since 1997. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Suffolk University and a bachelor’s degree from Salem State University. Jeffrey retired as a Master Sergeant from the Air National Guard after 20 years of service. He lives in Ludlow with his wife and their two sons.
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Community Bancorp of the Berkshires announced a year of strong financial performance
Adams— The annual meeting of the Community Bancorp of the Berkshires, MHC, the parent company of Adams Community Bank, was held on April 12, 2023, at Charles H. McCann Technical School in North Adams. The meeting included a review of the 2022 financial statements for the Bank, highlighting another year of record-breaking growth in assets, loans, deposits, and net income.
During his remarks, Charles O’Brien, President and CEO of Adams Community Bank, presented an overview of the year’s strong results. He stated, “Adams Community Bank reached record levels in many key areas, including growth in assets, loans, and deposits to $931 million, $751 million, and $797 million, respectively. Plus, we achieved record net income levels in 2022 as earnings totaled $5.1 million, an increase of about one million from last year.”
Upon the retirement of long-time Directors Jay O’Connor and Bernie Pinsonnault, Board Chair Jeff Grandchamp acknowledged their instrumental input, thoughtful guidance, and leadership to the Bank during the past 25 years.
A newly elected board director, John Sinopoli, was introduced and welcomed. Sinopoli is President and CEO of Synagex, an IT-managed services and cybersecurity company.
The Bank continued its strategic plan of expanding its physical footprint in Berkshire County by opening the Pittsfield branch in December 2022. A Great Barrington branch is slated for late 2023. ACB’s footprint will cover communities along the northern border with Vermont and extend southerly to Great Barrington.
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Norman Rockwell Museum announces new team members and promotions
Stockbridge— Norman Rockwell Museum (NRM) is pleased to welcome three new team members and to announce the promotion of two colleagues.
Newly appointed to the Museum’s staff are Joseph Harrigan as security and safety manager; KL Pereira as the Museum’s archivist/curatorial information manager, and Kat Warner as digital communications and marketing manager.
Museum director/CEO, Laurie Norton Moffatt, further announced promotions of two staff members, citing their leadership and talent in advancing important areas of the Museum. Lesley Hamilton has been promoted to the position of director of finance and administration. Alexa Wichowsky has been promoted to membership manager.
NRM continues to seek candidates for both year-round and seasonal positions. The Museum is offering several paid internships and invites interested candidates to apply. More information can be found at NRM.org/employment/.
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Greylock Federal Credit Union celebrates 88th Annual Meeting
Pittsfield— Greylock Federal Credit Union held its 88th Annual Meeting on March 28th at the Proprietor’s Lodge in Pittsfield with over 200 Members in attendance. The meeting included a celebration of the tenure of outgoing Board chair Stanley Walczyk and the recognition of Anna Flynn’s 40th anniversary of service.
The formal agenda resulted in the re-election of three board members and the acceptance of the previously released 2022 financial statements.
Those re-elected were:
Gerard Burke – 3-year term, retired President, CEO of Hillcrest Educational Centers
Kelly Krok – 1-year term, Sr. Advanced Human Resource Business Partner, General Dynamics
Sheila LaBarbera – 3-year term, Executive Director, Berkshire County Retirement Board
Immediately following the meeting, the Board of Directors held a special organizational meeting to elect officers. Those selected were: Peter Lopez, chair; Kelly Krok, vice chair; Krystle Blake, secretary/financial officer; and JamieEllen Moncecchi, assistant clerk/recording officer. Allison Bedard was also re-elected to the supervisory committee for a three-year term.
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Hancock Shaker Village announces Board of Trustees Chairman
Hancock— Hancock Shaker Village is very pleased to announce the appointment of Robert L. Plotz as the new chair of its Board of Trustees effective this spring.
Outgoing chair Diane Varrin Eshleman will conclude her 15-year tenure on the board in December and will work closely with Bob to support him during the transition.
Robert L. Plotz is a retired litigator. In the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, he investigated and prosecuted federal crimes including insider trading and stock manipulation cases. He subsequently practiced in a boutique litigation firm and later on his own. Plotz was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He received a J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was also Executive Editor of the Law Review. He was awarded a B.A. cum laude from Yale University. Plotz and his wife (Sue) are residents of Berkshire County and have been full-time residents for the past four years. They have three sons.
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Berkshire Agriculture Ventures awarded USDA Grant to increase local meat processing
Great Barrington— Berkshire Agriculture Ventures (BAV) has been awarded a $630,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture through its Rural Development Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program (MPILP). Together with an additional $210,000 match from community members, BAV will use this grant to establish a dedicated, $840,000 fund that will enable BAV to issue loans to meat processors within the Berkshire-Taconic foodshed, over the next three years. As these loans are repaid, they will be invested into a permanent funding mechanism that will significantly enhance BAV’s ability to support any kind of local food processing, distribution, and aggregation.
The creation of this additional, dedicated loan fund complements the work BAV conducts through its Local Meat Processing Support Program (LMPSP). Through the LMPSP BAV provides loans and high-level one-on-one technical assistance, ranging from financial planning to grant writing support, to processors and other agribusinesses in the middle of the local meat processing value chain. The LMPSP has helped BAV forge relationships with many of the existing meat processors in the Berkshire-Taconic foodshed and, with the MPILP funding, will now look forward to working with other regional processors to assess needs, develop strategies, and build a more resilient regional meat processing system.
