LONGMEADOW—Glenmeadow has promoted two staff team members to recognize their dedication and also hired a new director to oversee Community Care for the Glenmeadow at Home program. 

Meaghan Carrier, of Westfield, previously the director of Glenmeadow at Home, has been named vice president of Community Services, the branch of Glenmeadow that manages all outreach to older adults not living at the life plan community. 

Torrie Dearborn, of East Longmeadow, marketing manager for many years, has been named director of Sales. 

Erin Koebler, of Longmeadow, formerly the outreach coordinator at the Longmeadow Council on Aging, has joined the Glenmeadow staff team as director of Community Care for Glenmeadow at Home.

“I am very pleased to recognize Meaghan and Torrie’s dedication and to also welcome Erin to our staff,” Glenmeadow President and CEO Anne Thomas said. “These three individuals embody the professionalism and high standards we expect from every Glenmeadow staff member. I am pleased to have them on our team.”

Thomas said Carrier’s new title recognizes the superlative effort she has demonstrated since coming to Glenmeadow in 2018, as well as the expanded caregiving and general service offerings Glenmeadow at Home will continue to provide throughout Greater Springfield to older adults living in their own homes. 

Carrier, a licensed certified social worker, holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Western New England University and a master’s of social work from Westfield State University. 

Koebler holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh. In her new role, she will work with current and prospective residents and clients, identifying unmet needs in order to develop a new Enhanced Living program designed to support independent older adults more effectively. 

Dearborn holds a bachelor’s in business management from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and a master’s in business management from Western New England University.

“Torrie has been a stellar employee since 2007, and adding her to the leadership team recognizes her consistently outstanding contributions,” Thomas said. 

Glenmeadow is a nonprofit life plan community—formerly known as a retirement community—and it has a mission to serve seniors in the Greater Springfield region, whether they live on the Longmeadow campus or in their own homes.

Established in 1884, Glenmeadow is an accredited life plan community; it provides independent and assisted living at its campus at 24 Tabor Crossing in Longmeadow and expanded Glenmeadow at Home services throughout greater Springfield.  

To learn more about Glenmeadow and its history and offerings, visit www.glenmeadow.org.

The post Glenmeadow Announces Promotions and New Hire to Staff Team appeared first on Beetle Press.

FLORENCE—Florence Bank has hired a new bank officer and promoted two employees.

Linda Haley, of Monson, will serve as commercial loan administration officer of the Commercial Loan Department in the main office in Florence; Andrew Tulis, of Northampton, was promoted to assistant Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) officer; and Heidi Hoover, of South Hadley, was promoted to the position of assistant vice president, Compliance.

Haley joined Florence Bank in October 2018 with over 30 years of banking experience. She currently attends the New England School for Financial Studies at Babson College.

Tulis joined Florence Bank in November 2011. Prior to his recent promotion, he had served as BSA administrator. Tulis earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from New York University and graduated with honors from the New England School for Financial Studies.

Hoover joined Florence Bank in May 2015 with nearly 20 years of banking experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Prior to her recent promotion, she served as compliance specialist. Hoover proudly serves her community as a board member for the Western Massachusetts Compliance Association, a member of the Baystate Medical Practices Patient and Family Council, and she volunteers for Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Florence Bank President and Chief Executive Officer John F. Heaps, Jr., said, “We are thrilled to announce the addition of Linda and the well-deserved promotions of Heidi and Andrew.”

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutually-owned savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 11 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, West Springfield and a new branch located on Allen Street in Springfield. Additionally, they offer 28 ATMs and a wide range of financial services including investment management through FSB Financial Group (FSBFG) to consumers and businesses.  Florence Bank is consistently voted best local bank by the readers of the Valley Advocate and the Daily Hampshire Gazette.  

The post Florence Bank Hires New Officer and Promotes Two Employees appeared first on Beetle Press.

Meaghan Carrier leads Glenmeadow at Home; Chris Einhaus to oversee dining

LONGMEADOW—Glenmeadow has hired two new members of its staff team.

Meaghan Carrier serves as director of Glenmeadow at Home, which provides caregiving and a range of other services to older adults in Greater Springfield who live in their own homes.

Chris Einhaus serves as executive chef and director of dining.

The two were officially welcomed to Glenmeadow during a reception on September 26. Both say they are settling in well to the life plan community and appreciate the warm welcomes they have received both from staff and residents.

About Carrier

Carrier launched her career at Redstone Rehab and Nursing Center in East Longmeadow after earning a bachelor’s degree in social work from Western New England University in 2012. She was a graduate student at Westfield State University at the time, working toward the master’s degree she earned there in 2013.

Since then, Carrier has served as the director of social services at the Calvin Coolidge Nursing and Rehab Center for Northampton and as short-term rehab director at Linda Manor in Leeds. While in these roles, Meaghan says she had a close look at the gaps that exist in services for older adults.

“I watched people go home from rehabilitation hundreds of times who could have used more help but may not have known it was out there,” she said. She enjoys her work with Glenmeadow at Home because, “I like the idea of filling a need that wasn’t being met.”

In her role, Carrier oversees staff who provide client services to residents at Glenmeadow as well as to clients throughout Greater Springfield. Glenmeadow at Home offers daily help with such tasks as getting dressed, taking a shower, cleaning house, or managing medications.

About Einhaus

As executive chef and director of dining, Einhaus draws on his 35 years of food service experience at local restaurants, hotels, and hospitals. He became interested in food service while in high school on the Jersey Shore when he chose culinary arts as the vocational offering in his junior and senior years.

Einhaus earned his culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University in 1981 and has held a variety of jobs since then. He’s been employed with Marriott’s corporate dining services; as food service director in the Brattleboro, Vermont, public school system; as manager for Fitzwilly’s in Northampton; and as food service production supervisor of Baystate Medical Center.

Established in 1884, Glenmeadow is a nonprofit, accredited life plan community; it provides independent and assisted living at its campus at 24 Tabor Crossing in Longmeadow and expanded Glenmeadow at Home services throughout greater Springfield.  

To learn more about Glenmeadow and its history and offerings, visit www.glenmeadow.org.

About Glenmeadow

In the 1800s, elderly individuals without family or means were sent to live at what was called “the poor farm.”  In 1884, a group of civic leaders raised funds among themselves and other area families and purchased a house on Main Street in Springfield’s south end, establishing The Springfield Home for Aged Women. Quickly outgrowing that house, land was purchased on the corner of Chestnut and Carew streets, where a new home was constructed and opened in 1900.  In 1960, the name was changed to Chestnut Knoll, and, in 1992, it began to admit men.

In 1993, the organization purchased a 23-acre parcel in Longmeadow to build a new community that would provide both independent living and assisted living in one building with various common areas.  This was a new concept known as a continuing care retirement community. Existing residents from the old Chestnut Knoll property were moved to the new campus in 1997. Shortly after the move, the board voted to change its legal name to Glenmeadow to coincide with the name being used by the developer of the property.

Continuing care retirement communities are now referred to as life plan communities, responding to the needs of the aging population with new opportunities for care, plus creative, educational and personal exploration. Glenmeadow offerings, which include everything from senior living options and handyman services to personal care and travel programs, are provided at its Longmeadow campus and across the region through Glenmeadow at Home. Glenmeadow strives to fulfill its mission of nurturing the whole person in mind, body and spirit.

The post Glenmeadow Welcomes Two New Staff Team Members appeared first on Beetle Press.

Trio charged with growing commercial lending in Greater Springfield and Northern Connecticut

FLORENCE—Florence Bank President and CEO John F. Heaps Jr. announced the bank has hired three well-known and highly-regarded banking professionals with long-term industry experience in the Springfield area. Heaps said they will be charged with helping to grow the bank’s Hampden County presence as it expands in that region.

Michael Moriarty, of West Springfield, will serve as senior vice president / commercial team leader; Joseph Kulig, of West Springfield, will serve as vice president / commercial loan officer; and Candace Pereira, of East Longmeadow, will be assistant vice president / commercial portfolio manager.

“We are very excited about bringing in these three professionals who truly are renowned in the region’s commercial lending world,” said Heaps. “The trio will focus on further developing commercial relationships in Hampden County and Northern Connecticut.”

Heaps added, “This is a big move for us and solidifies our strategic direction. Florence Bank is committed to expanding in Hampden County, and we are thrilled to have these banking leaders from the region join our commercial team to shepherd new growth. They will make Florence Bank even stronger.”

The decision to do business in Hampden County began in 2007 with a loan production office in West Springfield. Commercial loan officers James Montemayor, Nancy Mirkin and Hank Downey, along with Celia Alvarado, portfolio manager, have been instrumental in transforming the bank’s total commercial loan portfolio so that it is 44 percent Hampden-County based.

“As a result of our success, and the fact that we see more opportunity in Hampden County, it became clear to us that we needed to expand our Commercial Lending team,” said Michael Lynch, senior loan officer. “We had been looking to add a few new lenders, but we wanted it to be the right fit. Mike, Joe and Candace are exactly who we’ve been looking for.”  

Moriarty, Kulig and Pereira will be responsible for developing new business relationships in the Greater Springfield area as well as in Northern Connecticut. Florence Bank will open a branch on Allen Street in Springfield this fall; last year, it opened the Hampden County Banking Center in West Springfield, its first branch in the southern Massachusetts county.

Moriarty, Kulig and Pereira previously worked at Farmington Bank, a $3 billion commercial bank whose assets were recently purchased by Peoples United Bank.

At Farmington Bank, Moriarty was senior vice president and regional commercial team leader. Kulig was a relationship manager, and Pereira was assistant vice president.

All three previously worked with United Bank.

Moriarty said his team is excited about coming on board at Florence Bank.

“It’s a very well-run bank that is aggressively expanding into Hampden County, which is where I live and where I’ve marketed for 25 years,” he said.

Heaps has said that Florence Bank moved into the Springfield region precisely due to the kind of mergers that Farmington Bank has experienced, and Moriarty said the fact that Florence Bank is a mutually held bank with no obligations to shareholders makes it “a big plus for the team and I.”

In addition to this latest acquisition of Farmington Bank by Peoples United, Heaps points to a list of bank mergers and acquisitions that have kept the Hampden County market unstable for customers and bank employees in past years:

• United Bank was acquired by Rockville Savings Bank in Connecticut in a $369 million deal in 2014.
• Hampden Bank was acquired by Pittsfield-based Berkshire Bank for $109 million in April 2015.
• Westbank was acquired by First Niagara Bank, which was then sold to Key Bank for $4.1 billion in October 2015.
• Nuvo Bank & Trust was acquired in December 2015 for $21.8 million, or $7.15 a share by Merchants Bancshares of South Burlington, Vermont. Merchants Bancshares was then acquired in October 2016 by Community Bank System in a cash and stock transaction for total consideration valued at approximately $304 million.
• Chicopee Savings Bank was bought by Westfield Bank in a $110 million deal in April 2016.

“I’ve been through bank consolidations and mergers four times,” Moriarty said. “It causes such disruption for staff and customers alike. The fact that Florence Bank is a mutual bank is a plus for us and for its customers. Florence Bank is a community bank that really wants to emphasize commercial banking in Hampden and Hampshire counties.”

Moriarty has nearly three decades of experience in the western Massachusetts banking industry. He worked at United Bank for nine years as senior vice president and commercial regional executive, holding the title of executive vice president at the time of his departure.

Moriarty is the second vice president and board member for the West Springfield Boys & Girls Club and is vice chair for Pathlight’s Board of Directors. He has served as the treasurer of Human Resources Unlimited in Springfield, now known as Viability, and was a member of the board for the St. Thomas School in West Springfield. He also coaches basketball and baseball in West Springfield.

Moriarty holds a bachelor’s degree from Merrimack College and a master of business administration from Western New England University. He has also graduated from the American Bankers Association’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking.  

Kulig also has over 25 years of local banking experience, and he has held the position of relationship manager at both United Bank and TD Bank. He is a member of the board for Revitalize CDC, formerly known as Rebuilding Together Springfield; a board member and the treasurer for the West Springfield Youth Soccer Club; and treasurer of the West Springfield Youth Lacrosse Club. Kulig holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a master of business administration from Western New England University.

Pereira has over 15 years of local banking experience. She has spent the last four years as a commercial portfolio loan officer / assistant vice president for Farmington Bank. Prior to that, she spent nine years at United Bank. She is a member and the treasurer of the board of directors for The Gray House in Springfield and is a member of the board of directors for the East Longmeadow Educational Endowment Fund. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

“We’re excited to be growing and adding key individuals,” Heaps said. “We’re going to be here in the community for a long time. That’s why it’s so important for us to seek out and hire like-minded employees to continue to provide the type of customer service we’ve become known for.”  

Florence Bank is a mutually-owned savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the Bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 10 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby and West Springfield as well as through 27 ATMs.  Florence Bank offers a wide range of financial services including investment management through FSB Financial Group (FSBFG) to consumers and businesses.  Florence Bank is consistently voted best local bank by the readers of the Valley Advocate and the Daily Hampshire Gazette.  

The post Florence Bank Hires Three Long-term Banking Leaders in Hampden County appeared first on Beetle Press.

CHARLEMONT—Zoar Outdoor recently trained five new guides to lead its canopy tour experience in a 40-hour process that covered topics from safety to assessing the guest’s state of mind.

All five guide candidates aced written exams and technical drills on June 15, the last day of the training. Hired for the remainder of the season, which ends in November, were: Brian Schempf, 28, of Northampton; Matt Drazek, 20, of Athol; Haley Rode, 18, of Heath; Abby Schlinger, 18, of Montague; and Tynan Hewes, 18, of Ashfield.

All of the trainees had previous experience riding a zipline, and they all also had outdoor experience that ranged from hiking to mountain climbing.

Rode, a recent high school graduate from Mohawk Trail Regional High School, lives in Heath and will head to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams in the fall. She was inspired to train for a Zoar job because three older siblings have worked at Zoar; she and her older brother Sam, 20, will get to work together.

Schlinger, 18, of Montague will attend Skidmore College in the fall. As she trained, she said, “I’m trying to be more conscience about learning the procedures—paying attention to those small details that might be overlooked as a guest.”

All the trainees said that, while training, they felt the sense of responsibility that would come with being a guide.

“I’m focusing on learning how to be a good guide,” said Tynan Hewes, 18, of Ashfield. “I want to learn how to communicate with guests and ensure they have an awesome trip.”

Zoar currently has 43 guides for its zipline canopy tour, which was the first zip tour in southern New England and one of the first in the country; it is intricate, unique and set entirely in the treetops, with 11 zip lines, two sky bridges and three rappels.

Morris, 25, of Dalton, said he gets as much out of training guide candidates as the guides themselves. “I learn about how people learn, how to build a rapport, how to break the experience all down into the parts.”

“I love being a part of the new guide’s experience,” added trainer Ruben Perkins, 21, who lives on-site as the assistant lodging manager. “I love to see them work.”

Conversely, Rachel Maestri Hailey, Zoar’s canopy tour manager, said she enjoys watching guides like Morris and Perkins lead their first training.

“Zoar is about empowering staff to take on more responsibility and empowering them in their careers and lives,” she said. “It’s satisfying to watch them grow.”

For more information about Zoar, visit www.zoaroutdoor.com/ or call 413-339-4010.

The post Zoar Outdoor Trains, Hires Five Guides to Lead Canopy Tour Experience appeared first on Beetle Press.

FLORENCE—Florence Bank has hired three new employees to serve in various positions.

Lori Jarrett, of Southampton, will serve as assistant controller in the Finance Department in the main office in Florence; Celia Alvarado, of Springfield, was named portfolio officer / commercial loan origination; and Alicia Pare, of Hampden, was named to the position of cash management relationship officer.

Jarrett holds a master’s degree in accounting from Western New England University. She volunteers for area nonprofits, including Riverside Industries, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County, and Safe Passage, and she runs in the Apple-A-Day 5K, which benefits the Elementary Schools of Easthampton.

Alvarado joined Florence Bank in February 2018 with nearly 10 years of banking experience. She currently studies at the New England College of Business, where she’s working on a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance. She volunteers for Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts and has served on its board in the past.

Pare earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Assumption College in Worcester. In 2014, she received Florence Bank’s prestigious President’s Club Award, an annual tradition that recognizes outstanding performance, customer service and overall contribution to Florence Bank.

Florence Bank President and Chief Executive Officer John F. Heaps, Jr., said, “We are thrilled to announce these additions to our staff team.”

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutually-owned savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through nine full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown and Granby as well as through 27 ATMs and a new full-service Banking Center in West Springfield.  Florence Bank offers a wide range of financial services including investment management through FSB Financial Group (FSBFG) to consumers and businesses.  Florence Bank is consistently voted best local bank by the readers of the Valley Advocate and the Daily Hampshire Gazette.  John F. Heaps Jr. is the Bank’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Main headquarters are at 85 Main St. Florence, MA 01062. For additional information about the Bank or its services please visit www.florencebank.com or call 413.586.1300.

The post Florence Bank Hires Three New Employees appeared first on Beetle Press.

EASTHAMPTON—Genevieve Brough, president of Finck & Perras Insurance Agency, Inc., recently announced the firm has hired two new employees.

Alexandra Fach and Meghan Morton will serve as personal lines account managers. Fach will work in the firm’s Easthampton office, and Morton at the Florence location.

Fach holds a bachelor’s degree in communication technology and visual communication and a master’s degree from Lesley University in Cambridge. She has worked in the industry since 2013 and also holds state insurance licensure.

Morton is a certified insurance service representative and a certified insurance counselor. She holds state insurance licensure and has worked in the industry for six years.

The post Finck & Perras Insurance Agency, Inc. Adds Two Personal Lines Account Managers appeared first on Beetle Press.