Editor’s Note: We had so much business news this week that we decided to break Business Briefs into two parts. This is the first part.
Carr Hardware was honored with the industry’s ‘Retailer Beacon Award’
Pittsfield— Carr Hardware was honored with the industry’s “Retailer Beacon Award” during the Hardware Conference Awards banquet held on August 18th in Marco Island in Florida. The Beacon Awards are the premier national industry awards program where the hardware industry recognizes the “best of the best” independent home improvement retailers.
Chosen based on their best in industry rated customer service, their innovative and creative marketing, and a strong commitment to the communities they serve, Carr was one of two Beacon Award winners across the country.
Sam Carr first opened Carr Hardware in 1928. Now, more than 95 years later, the company has expanded under the stewardship of the Raser family. Marshall Raser purchased Carr Hardware in 1962, and through the business savvy of his son, Bart, the company has steadily grown from a single location to six stores throughout western Massachusetts and Connecticut.
“Carr Hardware is very worthy of its inclusion in the long, impressive list of Beacon honorees,” stated Chris Jensen, editor of The Hardware Connection, the hardware industry’s leading digital publication. “Bart Raser has taken the business to new heights as the second-generation owner.” Raser, expressed his appreciation at the award ceremony, “On behalf of the 100 career professionals at Carr Hardware we are both humbled and honored to be considered for such a prestigious industry award.”
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Pittsfield Cooperative Bank donates $1,000 to the People’s Pantry
Pittsfield— Pittsfield Cooperative Bank recently made a $1,000 donation to the People’s Pantry in Great Barrington. The People’s Pantry, located at Saint James Place, is a local nonprofit offering locally sourced food and other resources to clients experiencing food insecurity.
“The People’s Pantry serves a critical need for Great Barrington and the southern Berkshires,” stated J. Jay Anderson, President and CEO of Pittsfield Cooperative Bank. “They are an admirable organization dedicated to helping the people in our community who need it most.”
Since 1999, The People’s Pantry has been a local staple for those experiencing food insecurity in the Berkshires. While mainly serving the Southern Berkshire community, all individuals in need of food support are encouraged to visit, with no required proof of income or status to receive services.
“We are extremely grateful and appreciative of the donation from The Pittsfield Cooperative Bank”, said Beth Moser, President of The People’s Pantry. “We rely on our donors’ generous support to help reduce food supply costs, so that we can keep serving our community.”
If you would like to make a donation, or volunteer at the Pantry, please visit The People’s Pantry to learn more about how you can get involved.
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Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum leases historic rail cars
Lenox— The Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum (BSRM) is pleased to announce it has leased five unique and historic railroad cars from the Budd Rail Diesel Car Foundation.
The lease is intended to continue the care and preservation of five Rail Diesel Cars manufactured by the Budd Company of Philadelphia.
The equipment was previously acquired by James Gagliardi, president of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Budd Rail Diesel Car Foundation. Gagliardi established the Budd Rail Diesel Car Foundation—based in Milford, Connecticut—for the purpose of preserving this equipment. The cars were acquired by the Foundation in the mid-1990s. Over the next 25 years, the cars were carefully restored.
“This is a significant addition to the museum’s collection, and we thank Mr. Gagliardi and the Budd RDC Foundation for having the confidence in our abilities to continue the preservation, restoration, and operation of these unique pieces,” said BSRM President Tom Delasco.
“After several years of discussions with the folks at Berkshire Scenic, and observing their successes at restoring and operating their own RDCs, I felt that the time was finally right to grant them stewardship of the fleet,” said Gagliardi.
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Berkshire Agricultural Ventures awarded $50,000 in USDA rural business development grants
Great Barrington— Berkshire Agriculture Ventures (BAV) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded two Rural Business Development Grants from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide the business planning technical assistance that farms and local-food businesses across the Berkshire-Taconic region need to thrive.
A combined $50,000 has been awarded; $30,000 to be deployed for business planning technical assistance projects in Berkshire County and $20,000 for Litchfield County.
The core objective of BAV’s technical assistance program is helping farms and food businesses identify and improve the precise issues constraining their growth. Through expert consultation and personalized coaching, participants will collaboratively develop a comprehensive action plan to tackle these obstacles head-on. Moreover, BAV will provide a robust measurement framework, allowing the progress and success of these initiatives to be assessed year over year.
“I am extremely grateful to have been introduced to BAV,” said Ruby Metzener, owner of Raven & Boar farm. “I have had to balance being a farmer, partner, mother, and business owner. With BAV’s individualized, one-on-one experience and understanding of the complexities of farming and business, they supported and connected me with technical assistance programs that I would not have been able to access otherwise.”
“We are grateful to the USDA for recognizing the significance of our initiatives and for their unwavering support in bolstering rural businesses in both Massachusetts and Connecticut,” added Rebecca Busansky, Executive Director of BAV. “We firmly believe that through these grants, we will strengthen farms and give farmers the business tools they need to succeed.”
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First round of awardees announced for the BIPOC Vendor Fund at Pittsfield Farmers Market
Pittsfield— Roots Rising and the Berkshire Black Economic Council are continuing last year’s successful launch of the BIPOC Vendor Fund at the Pittsfield Farmers Market, and are proud to announce the first round of 2023 awardees. The fund supports BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) farmers and entrepreneurs, and is funded thanks to generous support from Greylock Federal Credit Union.
The BIPOC Vendor Fund aims to reduce the barrier to participation at the Pittsfield Farmers Market by waiving the vendor booth fee and providing additional financial support for business start-up costs such as supplies, permits, and business development. In that way, the Pittsfield Farmers Market will be more accessible, more equitable, and better reflective of our community.
Three local businesses have been awarded in this round. They are:
- Upstreet Smoke is bringing their family recipes to the community. Their menu includes
pulled pork, smoked ribs, mac and cheese, collards, spicy slaw and more. They launched
their business at the Pittsfield Farmers Market this summer with a sell-out day. - Also new to the market, Grice Beauty creates natural skincare products. Founder
Ranisha Grice worked as a spa therapist before launching her own product line. She has created her own formulas made with essential oils, including patchouli, and fused with orange citrus. - Imperfectly Purple returns to the market with their beloved line of CBD body care and pet care products.
Individuals can learn more and apply at: farmersmarketpittsfield.org/bipocvendorfund.
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Construction underway for new Greylock branch in Lee
Lee— At 43 Park Street in Lee, construction has now begun on Greylock Federal Credit Union’s new branch, slated to open early next year. The new location will offer an enhanced member experience through the addition of key features and amenities.
The new Lee branch will be nearly three times larger than the existing branch currently located at 47 Main St. The new location will provide off-street parking, a drive-up window, and two Video Teller Service (VTS) machines, and will be in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Additionally, the new branch will feature a community room, a welcoming and convenient space that ensures Lee and other South County residents have full access to in-house financial education and wellness classes and resources.
In 1998, Greylock leased the space at 47 Main St. to open the current Lee branch. Today, it serves more than 3,400 members from Lee and surrounding towns. “This new space is going to allow us to provide even better service for the more than 3,400 Greylock members that regularly use our branch,” said Mindy Brown, Greylock’s Lee branch manager.
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MassDOT to host virtual public hearing on Meadow Street Bridge replacement project in Lee
Lee— On Wednesday, September 6th at 7 p.m., the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will host a live virtual design public hearing to present the design for the proposed replacement of the Meadow Street Bridge over Powder Mill Brook in Lee.
The purpose of this hearing is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed bridge replacement. All views and comments submitted in response to the hearing will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.
The proposed project consists of the replacement of the single span steel stringer bridge and will not significantly change the existing geometric layout of the roadway. However, the horizontal alignment will be slightly adjusted to improve the existing irregular roadway layout at the bridge and the vertical profile will be raised to accommodate the proposed bridge structure. The existing bridge span will be lengthened to 64 feet to provide a wider hydraulic opening for Powder Mill Brook and bend scour countermeasures will be installed. Shared use accommodations consisting of a wide travel lane have been provided in accordance with applicable design guides.
Project inquiries, written statements and other exhibits regarding the proposed undertaking may be submitted to Carrie E. Lavallee, P.E., Chief Engineer, via email to massdotmajorprojects@dot.state.ma.us to or via US Mail to Suite 7210, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Major Projects, Project File No. 607597. Statements and exhibits intended for inclusion in the hearing transcript must be emailed or postmarked no later than ten (10) business days after the hearing is hosted.
This hearing on September 6th is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Chief Diversity and Civil Rights Officer by calling 857-368-8580, TTD/TTY at 857-266-0603, faxing 857-368-0602 or emailing MassDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us. Requests should be made as soon as possible and for more difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART or language translation or interpretation, requests should be made at least ten business days before the hearing.
Registration for the virtual meeting can be found here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__3Pc6Rm-RX6HtmAFelZETQ#/registration.
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Pet therapy informational program offered
Great Barrington— Fairview Hospital’s volunteer program will present “The Pet Therapy Prescription: How to Become a Certified Therapy Dog”, on Monday, September 11th at 3 p.m. in the ground floor conference room at Fairview Hospital on 29 Lewis Avenue in Great Barrington.
Honor Blume, Director of Canine Link Therapy Training in Sheffield, will present an overview of training, benefits, risks, who is a good candidate to consider pet therapy, and how training and volunteering programs are administered.
Certified pet therapy volunteers at Fairview will speak about their experience at Fairview and at other organizations in the community. Volunteer manager, Tammy Risley, will give an overview of Fairview Hospital’s program and the requirements of joining the program.
There is no charge to attend but pre-registration is requested. Please call the Volunteer Office at Fairview Hospital at 413-854-9635 or email trisley@bhs1.org to register.
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Dalton United Methodist Church will host a dedication service for its newly reinstalled Carson window
Dalton— Dalton United Methodist Church at 755 Main Street will host a dedication service for its newly reinstalled Carson window at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17th followed by a celebration in the church’s Fellowship Hall and an afternoon open house.
The church’s signature stained-glass window, originally installed as a gift from the Carson family in 1894, was refurbished and reinstalled in July. It had been taken down and placed in storage for more than a decade because of structural concerns.
The dedication service will be led by Pastor Althea Jackson, assisted by former Pastor Stephanie Filiault, who spearheaded the two-year capital campaign that raised the nearly $140,000 needed to restore the window.
The community is invited to attend the 10 a.m. service and/or the 11:30 a.m. celebration, which will include a light luncheon. There will also be an open house from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for anyone wishing to visit the sanctuary, view the restored window, and learn about its history. Anyone planning to attend the light luncheon in the Fellowship Hall must RSVP no later than Sunday, September 10th so that the church can plan accordingly. RSVP must be made by contacting Bernie Klem at klembo3@yahoo.com or 413-347-3847.
