Business Briefs: Main Street Hospitality expands to Rhode Island; new Berkshire Taconic board member; marketing for playwrights; Nichols gains certification

Main Street Hospitality Group enters Rhode Island with Hammetts Wharf development

Stockbridge — Main Street Hospitality Group has been named as the management partner for the new Hammetts Wharf hotel development on the waterfront in Newport, Rhode Island. This marks the company’s first step outside of Massachusetts as it pursues growth throughout the Northeast.

When completed in the spring of 2020, the $29 million development will include an 84-room boutique hotel to be managed by Main Street Hospitality, as well as a 4,000-square-foot restaurant, 3,000 square feet of retail space, seasonal valet parking, a full-service waterfront restaurant, a fitness center, flexible gathering spaces and a private deck for hotel guests. Developed by Peregrine Group LLC, Hammetts Wharf is located on the waterfront adjacent to the Newport Yachting Center, a recent Peregrine Group project.

“It is our belief that a great hotel can be a force for good in a community, and an important way for people to connect, both to the place and to the experience,” said Main Street Hospitality CEO Sarah Eustis. “This is central to the relationship each of our hotels has to the communities it serves, and we look forward to expanding that belief through New England and the Northeast as we expand further.”

An Oct. 23 ceremony marking the beginning of construction of the project was attended by Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, Newport Mayor Harry Winthrop, State Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor, Peregrine Group principal Colin Kane, Eustis and other members of the Main Street Hospitality executive team.

–E.E.

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Rathbun-Briggs joins Berkshire Taconic board

Jodi Rathbun-Briggs. Photo courtesy Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

Sheffield — Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation has announced that Jodi Rathbun-Briggs of Great Barrington has joined its board of directors.

Rathbun-Briggs has two decades of experience in the banking sector, specializing in the fields of internal audits, risk management and commercial lending. She joined the team at Greylock Federal Credit Union in 2010 and was promoted to the position of senior vice president and chief lending officer in December 2015. She previously worked at Legacy Banks in Pittsfield, where she served in various roles including vice president of commercial lending from 2004 to 2010. She was a recipient of the 2015 Credit Union Heroes Award, given by Banker & Tradesman.

Her volunteer activities include sitting on the board of directors for the 1Berkshire Foundation, and previously serving on boards and committees for such organizations as Community Health Programs and Berkshire Community Action Council. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Western New England College and an associate’s degree from Berkshire Community College.

–E.E.

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Dramatists Guild to hold marketing workshop for playwrights

Patrick Gabridge. Photo courtesy Dramatists Guild

Great Barrington — Dramatists Guild New England regional representative Patrick Gabridge will present “Marketing Tips and Strategies for New England Playwrights” Saturday, Nov. 17, from 10 a.m. to noon at Saint James Place.

Gbridge is the founder of the Playwright Submission Binge, the creator and initial publisher of Market InSight for Playwrights, and the co-founder and coordinator of the New England New Play Alliance. He has been helping playwrights market their work for more than 25 years.

The event is free. For more information or to RSVP, contact pgabridge@dramatistsguild.com.

–E.E.

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Greylock Insurance Agency’ Nichols gains certification

Julie Nichols. Photo courtesy Greylock Insurance Agency

Pittsfield — Greylock Insurance Agency has announced that Julie Nichols, who has been with the agency for over 12 years, has been certified as a Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist. The insurance designation recognizes specialized expertise in construction insurance and demonstrates Nichols’ commitment to Berkshire businesses through ongoing education.

The CRIS program is a specialized curriculum consisting of five courses attended by experts from across the construction sector including law firms, construction managers and other specialties supporting the industry.

–E.E.