Modern fueling complex to offer fast charging stations for EVs, healthy fast food and an EV learning center

NORTHAMPTON—Developer Bruce Volz will open a carefully crafted, modern fueling station, called DC Station, at 5 Fulton Ave., on Oct. 4, providing 10 fast, Level 3 charging ports for electric vehicles and a place for drivers to grab a fast cup of good coffee or healthy meal while they wait.

The station—named DC for Direct Current—will also offer a learning hub, EV Base Camp, for those interested in EVs. The grounds will be landscaped with native plants to support local ecosystems and biodiversity. An array of solar panels will cover the charging stations to help defray the cost of the electricity.

“I’m a person who is concerned about the environment and wanted to do something that could have a direct impact,” Volz said, explaining he hopes to prove there is a need for a well-designed, efficient-to-operate, modern, electric fueling station that serves good coffee and food.  

Volz seeks tenants for DC Station to join in this enterprise, in particular, a coffee house or café to serve customers from early morning to afternoon, and a casual restaurant, such as a pizza or taco house, that would be open until later in the evening. Anyone interested in leasing should contact Volz’s realtor, Ben Bolotin at Region Commercial in West Springfield at ben@regionco.com or 413-415-1200.  

Volz began his professional life as a designer and builder of high-end custom wood furniture. In 1991, he and a colleague, Tony Clarke, launched Volz, Clarke & Associates in One Cottage Street in Easthampton. The firm soon shortened its name to VCA and developed a national reputation, known for the highest-quality custom furniture and architectural millwork. 

The business sold to Metrica in 2023 with all 48 employees retained.

As a side project, Volz also developed an award-winning, four-unit residential condominium project, designed by Jones Whitsett Architects, on Grove Street in 2016.  The project was conceived to prove the concept that modern design, with thoughtful landscaping, had an audience in Northampton. All units sold as soon as they were available.

The lot housing DC Station was previously the site for a gas station and used car lot, Pleasant Journey. “Kuhn Riddle Architects and Berkshire Design Group developed a plan to turn a barren parking lot into a vibrant addition to the Northampton gateway district,” Volz said. “This project incorporates many of the city’s sustainability goals. Keiter was hired as the general contractor in 2024 and has since been diligently at work developing the site and constructing a 4,800-square-foot, energy efficient building.” 

The Planning Board unanimously approved Volz’s project in June 2024. 

The modern DC Station faces Fulton Street, with access to charging and parking on Conz and Pleasant Street; the Level 3 chargers supplied by Lynkwell will soon be installed and are expected to be operational on Oct. 4.

“Level 3 are fast chargers that put out more electricity and cut charge time to 30 to 60 minutes,” Volz explained. “It’s really a game changer for people traveling long distances or for those who don’t have access to a home charger.” 

Volz has been an EV owner since 2016, and through ownership, became acutely aware of the limitations of the public charging infrastructure. 

“The DC Station concept was developed through answering the question, ‘As a customer, what would I want to see in an EV charging station?’” Volz said. “It was easy to come up with a list: multiple ports of Level 3 chargers, solar arrays to help offset the electrical needs, good coffee, healthy food options, a modern design for the building, a high-efficient HVAC system, native plants used in the landscaping, bike racks and clean bathrooms.” 

EV Base Camp is a new addition to Volz’s list for businesses at DC station. He is partnering with Greg Goff on that venture. “Greg has a passion for EVs and has extensive knowledge on all things related to EVs.  In addition he has worked with private clients to assist them in finding the right EV for their particular needs,” Volz said. “Through that, he has developed working relationships with many of the local EV dealers.”

EV Base Camp will offer a central place in the region for resources and information on EVs, including information on new and used vehicles; the ins and outs of charging; financing and rebate options; maintenance questions; and information on planning a trip to reduce “range anxiety.” Base Camp also plans to add an “EV of the Week” component in which interested parties can schedule a test drive from the site in that week’s featured EV.

A firm believer in the need to reduce carbon emissions, Volz hopes to expand ownership of EVs in the region. “If the transition to EVs is going to happen, people need to have access to Level 3 chargers. That’s critical,” added Volz, who drives a Hyundai Ionic 5 with a charge range of about 320 miles.

For leasing, contact Bolotin at ben@regionco.com or 413-415-1200.

For information on EV Base Camp, contact greg@evbasecamp.com.

To learn more about DC Station, contact info@thedcstation.com.

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NORTHAMPTON—Thornes Marketplace recently announced that the owners of Provisions on Crafts Avenue will move their store into Thornes with a projected opening in the fall.

Provisions’ owners Bruce McAmis and Benson Hyde had been considering various relocation options for some time. “When it became clear that Cornucopia was going to vacate its space on the lower level this summer, a deal came together quickly,” said Jody Doele, a Thornes co-owner who serves as marketing manager. 

Cornucopia will move out of its space at the end of June, and owners Nate Clifford and Jade Jump will relocate to 384-A Dwight St. in Holyoke, next to the Fame lounge. A moving sale runs through June 28.

“We are so excited to bring real, healthy, affordable and accessible food to the great, beautiful city of Holyoke,” Clifford said. “Jade and I have lived in Ward 8 since we moved here in 2015. We love Holyoke. We are good at this. We are scrappy, and we will always hold true to our core values.”

Clifford and Jump have set up a GoFundMe page for relocation costs, and donations can be made at gofundme.com/f/help-cornucopia-market-with-relocation-costs.

Provisions offers wine, spirits and specialty foods, including a wide array of cheeses. 

“They have a long history of success on Crafts Avenue and are an anchor of the downtown business community. We are honored they will join us in Thornes,” Doele said. 

McAmis and Hyde plan to move Provisions as soon as they receive approval from the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission to transfer their license and hope to open in September.

“We love Northampton, and we’re excited to be making a move into Thornes, which we hold in high esteem,” said McAmis.

Learn more about Provisions at provisionswine.com.

Thornes Marketplace has been the cornerstone of downtown Northampton and at the center of the Main Street shopping district for more than a century. Built in 1873, it holds 55,000 square feet of space for merchants and includes features like pressed tin ceilings and hardwood floors.

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FLORENCE—Florence Bank is pleased to announce that Amanda Constantilos has been promoted to manager of the bank’s King Street branch in Northampton.

Constantilos joined the bank’s team in 2016 as a senior teller, and since, she has served as a teller operations manager in the Granby branch and as a customer service representative and assistant branch manager in Hadley.

She has 19 years of experience in the banking industry and is skilled in customer service, team work, communication, problem-solving and employee development.

In her new role, which she assumed in May, Constantilos is responsible for leadership and team development, decision-making and community engagement. “I will make sure our customers feel welcome and taken care of from the moment they walk in,” she said. “It’s about building real relationships and helping our community with big and small needs.” 

Matt Garrity, president and CEO of Florence Bank, said, “We appreciate Amanda’s dedication to our customers, and we are proud to see her growing as a bank leader.”

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Springfield. Additionally, it offers 25 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through Florence Financial Group to consumers and businesses.

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Griggs among 29 nationwide to receive Jazz Journalists Association recognition

NORTHAMPTON—Northampton Jazz Festival Board President Ruth Griggs has been named a Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Association in its 25th annual recognition of “activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz” across the United States.

Griggs has led the Northampton Jazz Festival since 2017, when she reformed the festival board, reinstated its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and planned the first festival since 2015, which took place in 2018 at various venues throughout downtown Northampton. 

The Jazz Journalists Association, convened in 1987, is a nonprofit organization with 250 international members that provides creative and educational resources to individuals that forward the great American art form known as jazz. The association offers events, podcasts, webinars, promotional and educational resources, and master classes to musicians, promoters, educators, broadcasters, journalists, photographers and writers in the genre of jazz. 

Since 2001, the Jazz Journalists Association has identified and hailed individuals from local jazz communities across America who go beyond their basic responsibilities to sustain and expand on musical activities. The association believes Jazz Heroes are essential to the health of the overall jazz ecosystem and supports local efforts to celebrate them. The 2025 Jazz Heroes campaign is concurrent with the 30th Annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards for jazz musicians. 

Griggs, of Northampton, was also named a Difference Maker by BusinessWest in 2022 for her decades-long career as a marketing strategist and her leadership of the Northampton Jazz Festival, which has become a respected organization, attracting thousands to downtown Northampton each September.

A virtual gala celebrating the 29 Jazz Heroes of 2025 will be held on April 17, and an in-person presentation of Griggs’ Jazz Hero certificate will be held locally at a later date.

Past association award winners in the greater Connecticut River Valley region include Tom Reney, host of NEPM’s Jazz a la Mode, who received the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Career Excellence in Broadcasting in 2019, and Eugene Uman and Elsa Borrero, director and co-director of the Vermont Jazz Center, named Jazz Heroes in 2024. More about this year’s Jazz Heroes can be found at: news.jazzjournalists.org/29-jazz-heroes-across-north-america/

Said Griggs, “I am honored and humbled to stand alongside this impressive group of national Jazz Heroes—many of whom are my own heroes for all they do ‘to preserve and perpetuate this great American art form,’ to quote Max Roach.”

The Northampton Jazz Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation founded in 2011 and is funded by local businesses, organizations, foundations and individuals which makes it possible to provide free live music to the general public. The Festival is September 26 and 27, with several other jazz events planned in May, June and September. For more information about the Northampton Jazz Festival, visit northamptonjazzfest.org or email info@northamptonjazzfest.org.

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Co-owners are former area educators with a deep passion for community

NORTHAMPTON—Two former area educators turned entrepreneurs will bring a new version of GoBerry back to downtown Northampton in April.

Co-owners SiriNam Khalsa and Aaron Buford will open a GoBerry ’n Cream shop at 207 Main St., a second location for Khalsa, who has owned a GoBerry ’n Cream in Amherst since 2022. 

Khalsa, of Leverett, and Buford, of Amherst, have a shared passion for engaging young people as well as a commitment to community. 

With a mission to provide locally grown and produced food whenever possible, GoBerry will offer fresh frozen yogurt made with skim milk and organic non-fat yogurt from local farms. Like the Amherst location, the shop will also offer several flavors of the locally produced Bart’s ice cream as well as moo-free frozen Banana Nice Cream and sorbet.  

“We love the new, cozy location on the sunny side of Main Street,” Khalsa said. “We are looking forward to serving the smiling faces of local customers who have missed the distinct flavor of GoBerry.”

Alex and Molly Feinstein were the founders of GoBerry, with shops in Northampton, at 80 Main St., and in Amherst at 28 Amity St. In May 2022, Khalsa purchased the Amherst location, and the Feinsteins later closed the Northampton shop. 

Khalsa and Buford met when they were both educators in the Springfield Public School system and have been colleagues and friends for 15 years; Buford and his children are frequent visitors to the Amherst GoBerry ’n Cream shop. 

When Khalsa’s daughter, Ananda Khalsa, a jeweler in downtown Northampton, encouraged her father to reopen GoBerry in Northampton, Khalsa was intrigued and invited Buford to partner with him. 

“Northampton is going to have two business owners who are very empathetic and have a desire to improve the community and reach out to people,” Khalsa said. “What’s always needed in our society are connection and communication. I think I’m good at that, and I think Aaron is excellent at it.”

Buford said, “I am attentive and committed, and I’m excited to bring my motivation and passion into building a business that is successful and has value in the community. Being a relatively young person of color, I am also excited to model entrepreneurship for youth.”

Khalsa was a teacher and instructional coach in Springfield and is a past owner of Amherst Eco Laundry. He is also a part-time instructional coach at Four Rivers Public Charter School in Greenfield, and he performs with the local jazz band, Masala Jazz. He has three grown children.

Buford was a teacher in Springfield and worked for three years at Amherst-Pelham Regional High School as the restorative justice coordinator. GoBerry will be his main occupation, but he will continue to offer educational consulting. Buford has three school-aged children, and he mentors two young men through A Better Chance.

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Co-owners of the eclectic collectibles shop are author Augusten Burroughs, his husband Christopher Schelling, and creative entrepreneur Shari Sirkin

NORTHAMPTON—The Shiny Black Door, a new shop offering a highly curated selection of rare jewels, fine art, and other unique collectibles, will open on the second floor of Thornes Marketplace in late November.

Partners in the creative venture are best-selling author Augusten Burroughs, a Northampton native; his husband and literary agent, Christopher Schelling; and longtime friend and colleague Shari Sirkin, a creative and entrepreneur. Burroughs and Sirkin will run the shop in Suite 260, formerly occupied by LeBonNton, and Schelling will serve as a silent collaborator and contributor.

Burroughs is best known for his memoirs, “Running with Scissors” and “Dry.” He’s had nine titles appear on The New York Times bestseller list. He and Schelling live in Southbury, Connecticut, and Sirkin lives in Stratford, Connecticut.

“It’s like a homecoming in a way,” said Burroughs. “I had a famously dysfunctional childhood in Northampton, filled with abuse and neglect. I’m returning to the scene of the crime, if you will, but this time, I am bringing joy and experience. It’s an exciting way for me to be back here on a brand new journey.”

Burroughs and Sirkin are wide-ranging collectors of one-of-a-kind items, and their shop will reflect their whimsical and offbeat tastes, paired with their deep knowledge and their backgrounds as interior designers. Arranged to make visitors’ jaws drop, the space will hold pieces from each of their collections, including fine and undiscovered art, collectibles, musical instruments, vintage clothing, furniture and home accessories from antique to modern, all at a range of prices. 

As Burroughs and Sirkin have been developing the shop, passers-by have peeked in. “The looks on their faces have been amazing,” Sirkin said. “Even though they can see that it’s not open yet, they can’t help but be drawn in. That sense of wonder is what everybody will experience as they walk through the door.”

Burroughs added, “The store is a curiosity cabinet you can walk into.”

Burroughs’ love of jewelry came from his paternal grandparents, who collected jade in China and Hong Kong and inspired him from a young age. As he has gone on book tours across the world, he has been collecting unique items. Under the moniker The Blue Paisley Fox, he sells jewelry on 1stDibs.com. 

Sirkin is an entrepreneur who has worked in a variety of fields. In the 1990s, she introduced the concept of personal training gyms to Connecticut. She is also a well-respected and groundbreaking Realtor, having brought the concept of team-based real estate agencies to the region. She is a world traveler as well as an avid collector.

Schelling is an Ohio native who became a literary agent in the 1990s and has operated his own agency, Selectric Artists, representing many best-selling authors since 2011. 

Burroughs isn’t just a Northampton native; he has decades of connection with Thornes Marketplace. “I spent a lot of time at Thornes as a teen because I was obsessed with the window designs,” he said, noting that his silhouette was once painted on the walls of Thornes’ fourth floor as an art project that remained for years.

“It’s exciting to introduce people to things they may never have come across or seen before,” Burroughs said. “We’re creating an immersive experience for people so they can share in the joy that we feel. Every piece has a story and a history.”

The Shiny Black Door will open in late November.

For more information on the shop, visit theshinyblackdoor.com.

To learn more about Thornes Marketplace, visit thornesmarketplace.com.

Thornes Marketplace has been the cornerstone of downtown Northampton and at the center of the Main Street shopping district for more than a century. Built in 1873, it holds 55,000 square feet of space for merchants and includes features like pressed tin ceilings and hardwood floors.

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Visitors can play classic and new arcade games for $20 per day

NORTHAMPTON— Visitors to Thornes Marketplace will be able to play classic arcade games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders as well as newer games like PAC-MAN Smash Air Hockey after Hometown Arcade opens in November in space previously occupied by Acme Surplus.

For $20 a day, entrants can play games from the ’80s and ’90s, including ski ball, bubble and air hockey and lots of pinball machines. Rhythm games, like Guitar Hero and Beat Mania, will also be available. 

And youngsters who take a chance on the classic claw machine—trying to grab a toy as a prize—will be guaranteed a prize for $3 per play.

“What I love about arcades is they’re a fun place to spend some time with family and friends,” said Matt Snow, owner of Hometown Arcade, who also has a location in Norwood and one that recently opened in Bloomfield, New Jersey. “I prefer this sort of format of arcade that’s a mix of old-school, classic games at an affordable price point, and I’m excited to have a presence in Thornes.”

In Norwood, Snow’s arcade is off the beaten path, and he hopes the downtown foot traffic will bring players to his Thornes space. He added, “We’ve had a lot of support from the ownership group of Thornes, and we’re excited to be a part of it and be a part of the Northampton community.”

Snow hopes his Northampton arcade will be accepted into the New England Pinball League for team play, and he hopes to offer a women’s league. He will also have a unique 10-player game called Killer Queen, on which two teams of five compete, and he plans on hosting Killer Queen tournaments.

Hometown Arcade will also offer birthday party packages.

Snow is in the process of securing a beer and wine license for the arcade and is also negotiating a partnership with a local restaurant to provide pizza. Snacks and soft drinks will also be sold. 

Hometown Arcade should be open by mid-November, after work to upgrade the electrical panel and amps is complete. His Norwood location opened in May 2023, and the New Jersey venue opened recently.

To learn more about Hometown Arcade, visit hometownarcade.com.

To learn more about Thornes Marketplace, visit thornesmarketplace.com.

Thornes Marketplace has been the cornerstone of downtown Northampton and at the center of the Main Street shopping district for more than a century. Built in 1873, it holds 55,000 square feet of space for merchants and includes features like pressed tin ceilings and hardwood floors.

The post Hometown Arcade to Open in Thornes Marketplace in November appeared first on Beetle Press.

Fare includes crepes, macarons and frozen, to-go French specialty dishes 

NORTHAMPTON—French-born Jean-Luc Wittner and his wife, Evelyn Darling, will open a second location of their restaurant, Suzette French Creperie & Café, on the first floor of Thornes Marketplace in mid-November.

Because they will not offer coffee in their Northampton shop, it will be named Suzette French Creperie, but the fare will nearly mirror the popular offerings in their Worcester café—crepes, macarons and frozen to-go French delicacies such as Beef Bourguignon, Chicken Blanquette, Riesling Chicken or Navarin D’agneau, which is lamb ragout.

“What makes our success is we have savory and sweet, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options,” said Wittner, a self-taught chef with a deep respect for Julia Child and a passion for creating delicacies. “We also focus on quality and convenience. Our offerings resonate with a broad range of customers, from those seeking a quick snack to those in search of gourmet meals.”

Wittner and Darling live in Worcester and opened their business there in 2020, navigating and surviving both the pandemic and slow, weekday demand. Wittner’s two sons bolster the team and will be critical as the business expands to a second location in Northampton.

Clement “Clem” Wittner is the general manager in Worcester, and Marc Wittner is chef de cuisine; Wittner senior will work in Northampton full time, at least at the start. 

Wittner said he and Darling are excited about opening a second restaurant in Thornes. “We fell in love with Thornes Marketplace—the look of it, the tenants there. It’s like a small family business,” he said. “That’s who we are. That place is us.”

Suzette French Creperie gets its name from the classic recipe Crepes Suzette. Wittner gets his passion for cooking from his French mother and grandmother, who were always creating. That seed grew while he was working as a sales manager in France, and colleagues gathered for meals.

“They were cooking incredible dishes, and I thought, ‘If they can do it, I can do it too.’”

Wittner came to the United States in 2011 and worked in the hospitality industry for the first time, both as a server and in the kitchen. “I wanted to learn how food service works in America,” he said, adding that he had always longed to be his own boss.

When he met Darling, the two realized they could combine their skillsets—his in operations and hers in business management—and create the business of their dreams. “We are very complementary,” he said, adding, “This is not the American dream. It’s my dream, in America. I like that people are enjoying my food.”

Wittner finds—and tailors—recipes online and in the cookbooks that line his bookshelf, and he also finds recipes and techniques on YouTube. He is proud to have mastered the creation of French macarons, which his shop sells in 10 different flavors. 

“Usually, I’m humble, but the more time goes on, the less humble I am because of the feedback of the customers,” Wittner said with a chuckle.

Suzette French Creperie will be located in Suite 130 in Thornes, likely best recalled as a former flower kiosk. The business will not sell alcohol and will keep the same hours as Thornes Marketplace.

“We couldn’t be more pleased that Suzette French Creperie will be joining Thornes in November,” Marketing Manager Jody Doele said. “Jean-Luc and Evelyn have a well-established operation in Worcester, and we know that they will please the palates of many in downtown Northampton.”

To learn more about Suzette French Creperie, visit suzettecreperie.com.

To learn more about Thornes Marketplace, visit thornesmarketplace.com.

Thornes Marketplace has been the cornerstone of downtown Northampton and at the center of the Main Street shopping district for more than a century. Built in 1873, it holds 55,000 square feet of space for merchants and includes features like pressed tin ceilings and hardwood floors.

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Vacancies are unusual but not unprecedented for the iconic downtown shopping center

NORTHAMPTON—Thornes Marketplace recently announced it currently has four retail spaces to fill in the iconic downtown shopping center, which is unusual but not unprecedented.

Typically, Thornes has a full slate of retail vendors at the 150 Main St. location, but the closure of Acme Surplus after 43 years following the owner’s death, and several other shifts due to health issues and relocation, leave it with vacancies. 

“It was a bit of a whirlwind,” said Jody Doele, marketing manager and co-owner of Thornes. “Captain Candy closed after the owner was diagnosed with a serious health condition. Another business owner moved to Rhode Island, and the fourth decided running a brick-and-mortar retail operation was not for him.”

Available are the following: a highly visible second floor space with two entrances, a main floor space one door down from Thornes’ anchor tenant, Cedar Chest; a space on lower level one adjacent to Herrell’s ice cream and Cornucopia; and the second largest retail space in Thornes—the former Acme Surplus space, also on lower level one. 

“The former Acme space would be ideal for a large-scale bar or restaurant, entertainment center or unique retail concept,” said Doele.

Thornes Marketplace is a retail center in Northampton with over one million visitors annually. It holds popular longstanding businesses such as Cedar Chest, Herrell’s, Paul and Elizabeth’s, and Jackson & Connor.

“Our marketing and advertising budget exceeds a quarter million dollars per year,” Doele said. “What we offer retailers is an opportunity to have long-term success with a high-quality landlord. We work hard to help create an environment for success.”

Thornes has a carefully considered tenant selection process, and Doele said, “We’re all about creating a unique and highly attractive experience for those visitors coming to Thornes that seek an independent shopping experience.”

To learn more about the available spaces, visit thornesmarketplace.com/spaces-for-lease or email Doele at jdoele@thornesmarketplace.com.

To learn more about Thornes Marketplace, visit thornesmarketplace.com.

Thornes Marketplace has been the cornerstone of downtown Northampton and at the center of the Main Street shopping district for more than a century. Built in 1873, it holds 55,000 square feet of space for merchants and includes features like pressed tin ceilings and hardwood floors.

The post Thornes Marketplace Seeks to Fill Four Retail Spaces appeared first on Beetle Press.

Talented individuals bring experience in entrepreneurship, marketing, community organizing and music

NORTHAMPTON—The Northampton Jazz Festival has welcomed two new board members who bring broad skills and deep experience in entrepreneurship, marketing, community organizing and music from world cultures.

“I am thrilled to add these two dynamic and energetic individuals to the Northampton Jazz Festival Board of Directors. In a very short time, they have both contributed much to the organization,” said Ruth Griggs, president of the board.

The new members are Ricard Torres-Mateluna, who joined last month, and Jillian Duclos, who came on the board in September 2023. “Their ideas are fresh, realistic and are helping us expand the depth and scope of our offerings this September, like adding children’s programming, more jazz events in September and bringing musicians of world cultures to the stage,” said Griggs.

Duclos, a resident of Easthampton, is a mom first and community builder at heart. After earning a bachelor’s degree in politics at Mount Holyoke College as a Francis Perkins Scholar, class of 2017, she became a grass-roots organizer, a driver of work-force development and then a business owner. Now, as executive director of the Downtown Northampton Association, she facilitates collaboration with city leaders, downtown organizations and community members to drive economic development for downtown Northampton and to provide a much-needed safety net to local and small businesses who anchor the community. On the Northampton Jazz Festival board, Duclos looks forward to using her experience to explore the best ways all can work together to make Northampton thrive.

Torres-Mateluna, of Belchertown, is a communicator and brand and marketing strategist who thinks with a global perspective and seeks solutions at the local level. Over his more than 20 years in the field, he has successfully worked toward uplifting educational entities and nonprofit organizations, having worked in advertising agencies and startups—large and small, at home and abroad—run by people from all backgrounds.

Torres-Mateluna’s current role is vice president of marketing and communications for the Springfield- based human services agency Viability, Inc. He has been a jazz lover since childhood and is also a member of the editorial board and U.S. correspondent for Papeles de Jazz Magazine in his native Chile. He holds a double bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from the Universidad ARCIS, Chile, and a master’s degree in literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. As a first-generation college student and immigrant, he understands intimately the challenges “first” groups face and uses that empathy and perspective to create solutions that effectively incorporate everyone. “The only way a brand, a campaign or a strategy can be successful is by truly connecting with people,” he stated.

The Northampton Jazz Festival, founded in 2011, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The 2024 festival will stage seven or eight live jazz concerts on Friday, Sept. 27, and offer 10 or 11 performances on Saturday, Sept. 28 throughout downtown Northampton. Other events include Jazz Film Night at Northampton Center for the Arts on June 20, Jazzy Arts Night Out on Sept.13, and an outdoor lawn concert at the Forbes Library in early September. More information can be found at northamptonjazzfest.org.

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