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.
KB Accounting is offering a webinar on QuickBooks Online Basics for entrepreneurs and small business owners
Berkshire— KB Accounting is offering a webinar on QuickBooks Online Basics for entrepreneurs and small business owners on July 26th at 10 a.m.
Participants in the webinar will be shown how to record and categorize your invoices and bills using QuickBooks Online. This will make it easier for the business owner to keep track of where their organization is with their income and expenses at any point. Sarah DeZess, CPA, Senior Accountant Smith Watson & Co will discuss how this affects your taxes and possibly give some tips on how to save on your tax bill.
Katie Brelsford, President and CEO of KB Accounting, stated, “There are so many small business and entrepreneurs that cannot afford to outsource bookkeeping services yet and we thought this webinar might help organizations avoid high costs when they start outsourcing their bookkeeping.”
For more information, or for additional inquiries, please contact the KB Accounting Team at info@kbaccountingpittsfield.com.
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The Berkshire Music School (BMS) Board of Trustees announces new Executive Director
Pittsfield— The Berkshire Music School (BMS) Board of Trustees is pleased to announce Luis Granda as the School’s new Executive Director.
Granda joins BMS as an accomplished musician and administrator, and will use his skillsets to advance the School’s mission as it looks towards its 84th year of service to the community.
Granda is no stranger to the Berkshires or BMS. “As someone who attended the Berkshire Music School as a child”, he says, “I am keenly aware of the importance that the school brings to our community and I am honored and excited to become part of that robust legacy of bringing music to the Berkshires.”
Previous Executive Director Natalie Johnsonius Neubert has led the Berkshire Music School since 2020. Neubert expresses her confidence that “Luis has the passion, dedication, and talent to help us continue to grow and serve music lovers throughout the region.”
Born and raised in Berkshire County as the child of two artists, Luis Granda has been involved with the Berkshire music and the arts community since birth. As a child he took lessons at the Berkshire Music School and as a teenager started performing in rock, folk, and electronic bands. After six years as a freelance recording engineer he decided to pursue his love of music formally as an undergraduate at UMass Amherst where he received his Bachelors of Music in Jazz and African American Studies as well as a Professional Performance Certificate. Luis then moved to Boulder, Colorado to successfully obtain a Masters of Music Degree in Classical Double Bass Performance as well as a Masters level Arts Administration Certificate at the University of Boulder Colorado before working as the Assistant Director of Donor and Patron Relations at the Boulder Philharmonic.
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Berkshire Bank announce new Executive Vice President, Chief Internal Audit Officer of Berkshire Hills Bancorp and Berkshire Bank
Berkshire—Berkshire Bank is proud to announce that Andrew Plumridge, an accomplished internal audit, risk management and compliance professional has joined the Company as Executive Vice President (EVP), Chief Internal Audit Officer of Berkshire Hills Bancorp and Berkshire Bank.
“We’re pleased to welcome Mr. Plumridge to the Berkshire team as chief internal audit officer. He’s a seasoned executive leader with extensive financial industry and audit experience. His proven track record helping companies navigate complex regulations and uphold the highest ethical standards will serve our shareholders well and help us to continue to advance along our journey toward becoming a high-performing, leading socially responsible community bank,” stated Nitin Mhatre, CEO.
At Berkshire, Mr. Plumridge will be responsible for leading all aspects of Berkshire’s internal audit and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) testing programs. He will provide independent and objective assurance to management and the Audit Committee on the adequacy and effectiveness of governance and internal controls that support the achievement of organizational objectives. In addition, he will promote and facilitate the continuous improvement of controls as part of the third line of defense.
Mr. Plumridge’s extensive career includes nearly 30 years in auditing and consulting. Most notably he spent eight years with Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc. serving as senior vice president and general auditor. Prior to joining Boston Private, Mr. Plumridge held senior audit and consulting positions with State Street Corporation and PwC. He holds a M.B.A. with a concentration in accounting and finance from Boston University and an A.B. in Economics from Dartmouth College. Mr. Plumridge is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in Massachusetts, and serves as treasurer for the Dartmouth Educational Association.
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Greylock Federal Credit Union announces new Vice President market manager
Pittsfield— Greylock Federal Credit Union announces the promotion of Johno Hinkell as Vice President market manager for parts of the Pittsfield area and the Lanesborough market following the current market manager Gloria Beraldi’s retirement.
Johno joined Greylock in February of 2013 and most recently served as a branch manager in the West Street, Pittsfield location. In this new role, he will oversee operations for West Street, Elm Street, General Dynamics, and BMC branches. He will work closely with each branch’s manager to ensure continued exceptional service to Greylock’s Members.
“Throughout his career, Johno has exceeded every goal and every expectation the Credit Union has given him,” said Senior Vice President, Retail Services Robert Sims. “Through his volunteer efforts, he is a leader in our community, and we are now taking advantage of those leadership gifts at a higher level as market manager.”
Johno is a graduate of Worcester State University and is registered with the National Mortgage Licensing System.
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The Fisher Center at Bard announces a $2,000,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to support the work and livelihood of Tania El Khoury.
Annandale-On-Hudson— The Fisher Center at Bard announced that, in partnership with the OSUN Center for Human Rights and the Arts at Bard (CHRA), it has received a $2,000,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to support the work and livelihood of Tania El Khoury, a commissioned artist and guest co-curator at the Fisher Center, Founding Director of CHRA, and a Distinguished Artist in Residence at Bard’s Theater & Performance Program.
El Khoury’s live art engages the audience in close encounters with narratives drawn from the political realities of borders, displacement, and state violence. The grant will support her live art production and touring, her scholarly and artistic research, and her curatorial work at the Fisher Center and CHRA. Over the next three years, the Fisher Center and El Khoury will re-imagine the collaboration between an institution and an artist and will develop ways in which an institution becomes a holistic home for an artist.
El Khoury’s relationship with Bard began in 2017, when Gideon Lester, the Fisher Center’s Artistic Director and Chief Executive, invited her to co-curate “Where No Wall Remains”, the 2019 edition of the institution’s biennial festival, which focused that year on the subject of borders and comprised eight new interdisciplinary artworks commissioned by El Khoury and Lester. El Khoury created a new work of her own for the festival, Cultural Exchange Rate, a multi-sensory performance installation that invites the audience to follow her own family’s relationship to borders and migration across a century of time. Cultural Exchange Rate continues to tour internationally in various languages, as do several other works by El Khoury.
While developing “Where No Wall Remains”, El Khoury and Lester began to imagine a longer collaboration. Their work on the biennial led them, along with Tom Keenan, Director of the Human Rights Program at Bard, to envision a center that explores art practices that intersect with human rights advocacy through public programming and an international low-cost MA Program in Human Rights & the Arts.
Gideon Lester says, “We are delighted to be partnering with Mellon to develop a new, comprehensive model of support for Tania that will allow her not only to create and disseminate her work, but to live an artist’s life with dignity. Tania is a visionary artist, curator, and thought leader, and it’s an honor for us to be able to help steward her creative practice and research. Institutions of higher learning have an essential role to play in the country’s artistic infrastructure. Mellon’s visionary philanthropy will help deepen and extend the Fisher Center’s commitment to long-term, holistic support for artists’ practice, infrastructure, and livelihood.”
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EPOCH Senior Living received Purple Flag accreditation for Dementia Care
Old Lyme— EPOCH Senior Living, a Northeastern senior healthcare organization, has recently partnered with Purple Flag for Dementia Care™ to implement systemwide accreditation across all 12 of its communities offering memory care. Purple Flag is an accreditation program developed to recognize excellence and drive continuous improvement in the quality of services provided to residents in Assisted Living and Long-Term Care communities, Home Care Agencies and other settings with an emphasis on individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias.
Purple Flag’s platform recognizes organizations that go above and beyond every day–– those communities that truly see residents for who they are and through care, support, and programming aim to enhance their cognitive, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Purple Flag-accredited communities are setting the gold standard for memory care.
“EPOCH is leading the way in the world of memory care by adopting the high-quality standards set by Purple Flag Accreditation systemwide. We believe this to be a clear indicator of EPOCH’s passion and commitment to providing the best care possible for their residents,” said Christopher Carter, President of the Connecticut Assisted Living Association (CALA) and Purple Flag Governance Committee member.”
The Purple Flag for Dementia Care™ Accreditation standards, which include a quality framework and specific required elements for care programs, are considered essential and valuable in making a difference in the care of a person with dementia.
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Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) received a stewardship award
Pittsfield— This June, at the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET), local environmental organization Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) received a stewardship award for their work protecting and re-connecting wildlife habitat in the Berkshire Wildlife Linkage area.
This effort is part of a larger Staying Connected Initiative: a partnership of many conservation organizations that work together to maintain landscape connectivity across the Northern Appalachians in the Acadian Region of the US and Canada.
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Fairview Hospital named top 20 critical access hospital
Great Barrington— Fairview Hospital was recently named one of the top 20 critical access hospitals (CAHs) for overall performance in the country.
The top 20 CAHs, including Fairview Hospital, scored best among CAHs as determined by the Chartis Center for Rural Health for Overall Performance. The rankings were recently announced by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).
The top 20 CAHs have achieved success in overall performance based on a composite rating from eight indices of strength: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and finance.
“Fairview Hospital is proud of the efforts of the physicians and staff who have contributed to our hospital achieving this designation,” says Anthony Rinaldi, Jr., Executive Vice President of Fairview Hospital. “Our results as a top 20 critical access hospital means our community can count on us to deliver the services they need now and in the future.”
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Freedom Credit Union holding summer food drive through the end of August
Springfield— Throughout the months of July and August, Freedom Credit Union is holding its annual summer food drive for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts to help support essential services for people in need throughout the region.
“This cause will remain near and dear to our hearts as long as there are people in our community who suffer from food insecurity,” said Freedom Credit Union President Glenn Welch. “We are collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations at all our branch locations and invite our members, staff and community to contribute.
Last year, Freedom raised more than $4,100 for the Food Bank and collected an additional 930 pounds of food for The Gray House in Springfield.
“Please give to the extent you are able and help us take a bite out of food insecurity,” said Welch. “Invite your friends and family to help or create a company-wide initiative at your business. Every donation makes a difference!”
Since 1982, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts has helped provide much-needed food to area residents in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties. It sources its products from donations, which it distributes to participating pantries, meal sites and shelters throughout the region.
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Stockbridge Affordable Housing Trust will conduct a Community Housing Workshop
Stockbridge— Stockbridge Affordable Housing Trust will conduct a Community Housing Workshop on Monday, July 17th at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.
The Town of Stockbridge is in the process of preparing a Housing Production Plan (HPP) that will provide up-to-date information on local housing issues, identify priority housing needs, and propose strategies to address those needs. The Housing Trust will present the major findings from the first component of the HPP, the Housing Needs Assessment.
Rising housing prices make it more difficult for residents, those raised in the community, or those wanting to live in Stockbridge to find, or retain affordable living options. For example, the median single-family home price in 2022 was $575,000, requiring an estimated income of $148,000. As the Housing Needs Assessment documents, there are segments of the community spending 30% or even 50% of their income on housing costs.
Most important, the meeting will include a special program to gather the perspectives of attendees on the Town ‘s future housing agenda.
The meeting will be held in Town Offices at 50 Main Street, and all are welcome to attend. For more information or to submit comments about the project, please contact Janet Ackerman via email at JAckerman@stockbridge-ma.gov. To review the draft Housing Needs Assessment and Workshop presentation, visit the Town’s Affordable Housing Trust website at www.stockbridge-ma.gov after July 10th.
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Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires will host the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network
Great Barrington— Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires will host the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network (MNN) at Ventfort Hall on Tuesday, July 25th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The annual regional meeting brings together nonprofits from all subsectors to network and learn more about current advocacy efforts.
The event is free to Berkshire nonprofits and includes lunch and a short tour of Ventfort Hall, an historic mansion and Gilded Age museum on the National Register of Historic Places. Attendees will also hear from the event’s two partners — Massachusetts CORE 401K savings plan for small nonprofits and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
“MNN is our voice in the Statehouse,” said Liana Toscanini, Executive Director of the Nonprofit Center. “We welcome their policy updates and the opportunity to ask questions about issues of importance to our nonprofit sector.”
Register at https://www.tfaforms.com/5069202.
