Crane to build banknote-printing facility in Malta
Boston — Crane Currency has announced plans to build a new banknote printing facility and customer experience center in the country of Malta. The Malta facility will represent an investment of approximately $100 million for the construction of the factory, the machinery and the equipment. The company expects to initially hire approximately 200 new employees. The planned 140,000-square-foot facility, expected to be completed in early 2018, is being constructed in the Hal Far industrial area. The company made the announcement during a visit to its offices by the prime minister of Malta, the Honorable Dr. Joseph Muscat.
The state-of-the art banknote production and customer experience center will offer the latest in printing equipment and technology. As banknotes move away from ‘ink on paper’ to a combination of highly engineered substrates and applied security features, the capabilities of the modern printing works must also evolve. Crane Currency Malta, the first commercial banknote printing facility to be built in several decades, will reflect this technological evolution in its layout and equipment.
–E.E.
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BerkShares to hold ‘buy local’ workshop
Great Barrington — BerkShares Inc. and the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce (SBCC) will co-sponsor a workshop entitled “Bringing ‘Buy Local’ Full Circle” on Wednesday, Sept. 28, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at Bard College at Simon’s Rock’s Blodgett House. The event is part of a series of workshops co-facilitated by BerkShares Inc. and the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network which will take participants through a collaborative “rapid build-out” process in which they will identify local business opportunities and work together to flesh out ideas. The ideas generated during the workshops will become part of a library of business possibilities that seed the next cohort of youth entrepreneurs in 2017’s Entry To Entrepreneurship program, and will also be made available on the BerkShares website so that other potential entrepreneurs to may draw inspiration from them. For more information or to RSVP, contact Betsy Andrus at the SBCC at (413) 528-4284.
–E.E.
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NPC to hold grant-funding workshop
Great Barrington — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires will offer a “Grant Funding for Arts & Culture Organizations” workshop from 9 – 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5., at Berkshire Community College’s South County Center.
The workshop, to be led by Laurie M. Werner, is for staff and board members of arts and cultural organizations and will cover types of grants, sources of grants, researching grants, and grant-writing skills and guidelines. Participants will be given specific examples of funding sources, research sources, selections from actual proposals, and a template for a basic grant proposal.
Laurie M. Werner has been working in nonprofit management and development since 1994 with a focus on capital and annual fundraising and organizational strategy. Her experience includes senior development positions at MASS MoCA, the Mount, and the Berkshire Museum. She has written successful grant proposals for programs, operating support, construction and renovation projects, and endowments.
The cost of the workshop is $25 for NPC members and $35 for nonmembers. For more information or to register, call Liana Toscanini at (413) 441-9542.
–E.E.
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VIM Berkshires receives grant from the Reeve Foundation
Great Barrington — Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires (VIM) has received a $6,000 quality of life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The award will be used to help pay for an electric wheelchair lift to provide access to disabled patients at VIM’s newly expanded clinic.
Grant requests are evaluated and scored based on a rigorous review process to determine funding for organizations that improve daily life for those living with paralysis, as well as their families and caregivers. VIM’s award was one of 79 grants totaling over $575,704. Since 1999, the program has awarded more 2,700 grants totaling over $20 million.
–E.E.
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Love Apple Farm re-opens after fire
Ghent, N.Y. — Following a 2012 fire that devastated its entire business, Love Apple Farm re-opened in August and will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Sept. 30, at 5 p.m.
The 80-acre apple and fruit orchard features a newly constructed 9,000-square-foot facility that includes a new fresh foods market, cafe and bakery. The facility also offers a petting zoo and a playground. Love Apple Farm supervisor Keith Bogdanovich, who took over operations almost two years ago following the fire, and market manager Amy Cutaia are enjoying the opportunity to show off the brand new facility and serve customers.
–E.E.
