Business Briefs: New CFO for CHP; Tsongas Award for Hotel on North; Sausage Fest; Farmer Awards total $116,000; WAM Theatre scholarships

Community Health Programs gains new CFO

Great Barrington — Community Health Programs has named Thomas Walbridge as its new chief financial officer. Walbridge has served as CFO and vice president for the Kinsley Group Inc. and as CFO for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, and was also director of finance and human resources at Six Flags New England. A marathon runner, Walbridge is also the founder and operator of Luckbridge Sports LLC, and volunteers with youth sports programs, the American Red Cross, March of Dimes, the Agawam Chamber of Commerce and the Agawam Rotary Club. His early professional career was spent in the banking sector in Pittsfield, where he also spent his childhood years. Walbridge holds a business degree from Babson College and an MBA from Western New England University. He lives in Longmeadow with his wife and three children.

–E.E.

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Hotel on North receives Tsongas Award for preservation work

Pittsfield — Hotel on North has received a 2017 Paul & Niki Tsongas Award in the category of Best Main Street Project for its preservation efforts.

The thoughtful conversion of an 1880s department store into the boutique Hotel on North has contributed to the re-emergence of Pittsfield’s downtown area through investment and commitment to both North Street and the surrounding community.

First presented by Preservation Massachusetts in 1988, the Tsongas Awards recognize and celebrate efforts and accomplishments that have made significant contributions to preserving the Commonwealth’s historic resources.

–E.E.

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Camp Fire to host Sausage Fest

Great Barrington — Camp Fire, at 389 Stockbridge Road, will host Sausage Fest from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 13, featuring six flavors of house-made sausages from local Berkshire pork served on freshly baked hoagies and house-made condiments. The event will also include cold lager from Big Elm Brewing and Sixpoint IPA on tap, Spindrift and Maine Root sodas, and ice cream from the Scoop. Live music will be provided by the Velvet Frog Band. Reservations are not required, but it is recommended that those interested arrive early and hungry. For more information call Camp Fire at (413) 644-5559.

–E.E.

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Farmer Awards give $116,000 to local farmers

Agawam — The 2017 Local Farmer Awards, a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and Big Y, made monetary awards of up to $2,500 to 49 farmers, all members of Berkshire Grown or CISA.

The funds from the Local Farmer Awards help farmers make infrastructure improvements to expand their businesses, compete in the marketplace and continue to provide the health and environmental benefits of local farming. Half of the 2017 award winners are newer farmers in business for 10 or fewer years. Berkshire area awards recipients include Ayrhill Farms, Brattle Farm, Caretaker Farm, Colfax Farm, Farm Girl Farm, Joshua’s Farm, Many Forks Farm, Red Shirt Farm, Sky View Farm, Square Roots Farm, Wild & Cultivated Farm and Woven Roots Farm.

A farmer appreciation event will be held in the fall for the more than 100 applicants and award recipients to recognize farmers and promote the importance of local agriculture.

–E.E.

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WAM Theatre enlists community support for scholarships

Lenox — In order to make it easier for women from across North America to attend its Berkshire Leadership Summit, WAM Theatre has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to provide scholarships and travel stipends that will make it possible for early- to mid-career theatre professionals of all backgrounds, gender identifications and locations to attend.

The campaign’s goal is to raise $3,500 by Saturday, May 27, in order to provide as many scholarships as possible before registration opens to the public on Wednesday, June 14. More than two thirds of the total has already been raised by individuals from across the country.

The summit, which will be presented at Shakespeare & Company in late October, is a professional development event for women aspiring to leadership positions in both artistic and operational tracks of nonprofit theatre.

–E.E.