Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire adds board members
GREAT BARRINGTON — Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire (CDCSB) has added two new members to its board of directors. Don Eaton, of Stockbridge, and Joe Grachmal, of Great Barrington, each were elected to serve a three-year term this past week.
Don Eaton is an account director at Toole Insurance Agency in Lee. He works with clients in the construction and other related sectors in Massachusetts and Eastern New York, and holds the Certified Insurance Counselor and Construction Risk Insurance Specialist designations. In his personal time, he has devoted many years to volunteerism and philanthropy and currently serves as a deacon for the Congregational Church in Stockbridge. Eaton has an interest in affordable housing and is dedicated to supporting small businesses. He joined the CDCSB board with the intent to serve on the Economic Development subcommittees and work closely with the organization’s new Small Business Technical Assistance Program.
Joe Grachmal is a 2019 Harvard graduate and Great Barrington resident with a passion for municipal innovation and supporting small towns. He is currently developing a private municipal innovation company called Ulpian Labs, which will “engage the next generation of leaders to address crucial challenges facing small to mid-sized municipalities.” He is a Lead America Hometown Fellow, and has a passion for all things sustainable. He took an interest in the CDCSB’s mission of building affordable housing, and will serve on the board’s Marketing and Fundraising subcommittee and contribute to the work of developing affordable housing projects in the Berkshires.
The board of directors also includes Jim Harwood, president; Richard Stanley, vice president; Cara Becker, treasurer; Anthony Blair, clerk; Erik Bruun; Jeffrey Cohen; Cara Davis; Thomas Doyle; Robin Helfland; Michael Igoe; Rufus Jones; Richard Melluzo; Rachel Moriarty; and David Thorne.
—A.K.
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Greylock awards $14,500 in scholarships
PITTSFIELD — Greylock Federal Credit Union recently awarded two rounds of scholarships to local college-bound high school seniors. Eighteen awards of $500 each were granted in Berkshire County and one in Columbia County, New York under the Credit Union’s annual Community Enrichment scholarship program. Five Scholastic Achievement Awards of $1,000 each were also awarded. These awards are available as a part of Greylock’s employee benefit package. In total, 24 students were awarded $14,500 toward continuing education.
“Greylock is delighted to recognize our area’s outstanding students with these scholarships,” said Greylock President John L. Bissell. “By investing in the education of our young people, we strengthen our future and help our community to thrive.”
Community Enrichment scholarship recipients: Cameron Langsdale (BART), Caroline Cellana (Drury), Emma Thurston and Sharaya Keele (Hoosac Valley), Asa Stone (Lee), Carolyn Cass and Natalie Vizcardo (Lenox), Stephen Pereault and Alaina Vigiard (McCann), Isabelle Bizalion (Mt. Everett), Victoria Melkonyan and Matt Sorrell (Mt. Greylock), Sasha Grosz and Briana Palmieri (PHS), Calie Champoux and Leeh Choon (Taconic), Nick Astore and Benjamin Klose (Wahconah), and Jennae McCalla (Hudson).
This year’s Scholastic Achievement Award recipients: Owen Brady (BART), Adam Garrett, (Carthage Central), Aiden Astorino (Hoosac Valley), and Kamila Forfa and Nickolas Huertas (Monument Mountain).
Scholarships are awarded to students who exemplify positive community spirit and demonstrate respect and concern for their peers in everything they do. The funds are to be applied toward tuition at state-accredited or nationally-accredited two- or four-year colleges or universities or a full-time technical school program.
—A.K.
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Jesse Tolz joins Berkshire Welco/The Pass as marketing director
SHEFFIELD — Berkshire Welco (The Pass Recreational Cannabis) has hired Jesse Ezekial Tolz as marketing director to continue building a management team to support retail and wholesale operations. The Pass currently employs 60 professionals in the community.
In this role, Tolz will lead marketing strategy and public relations initiatives for the organization, as well as build brand awareness and consumer engagement. He will be responsible for developing communication channels among multiple Pass departments, wholesale partners, and third-party vendors.
Tolz brings more than 10 years of marketing, management, and logistics experience in various industries, most recently as marketing and logistics director of Field Goods, where he led strategy, planning, and development of consumer marketing campaigns, events, and brand partnerships. He also managed a logistics team to deliver fresh food from small farms to more than 20,000 families in the region. In past positions, he has supervised multiple teams and is well versed in market research, search engine optimization, and POS software, with a strong knowledge base in technology, data collection, and analysis.
Tolz holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Babson College with concentrations in marketing and entrepreneurship. He lives in Philmont, New York.
—A.K.
