I’ve loved the outdoors since I was a little girl.

Whether I’m in the woods, on a mountaintop or on—or even nearby—any body of water, nature brings me peace and tranquility, recharging me for real life. Exploring the out of doors also gives me a sense of adventure.

So, I’m thrilled to be launching a new column about outdoor activities in Western Mass. Every other week, you’ll have a new installment, and together we’ll cover ground from hiking and biking to kayaking, boating and jet skiing in summer, and snowshoeing and skiing when there is snow on the ground. If you have an interest in a particular activity, please holler, using Janice@BeetlePress.com.

In the first column, published on May 18, I offer a look at a little-known trail on Mount Tom. There are dozens of trails on the mountain, but this is one of my favorites because it’s lesser-traveled than some of the trails that just get you up to the summit. And it offers great views—one for sunrise and one for sunset—and you’ll pass by a poignant World War II memorial.

Read the column here.

The post Excited about new outdoors column for the Springfield Republican appeared first on Beetle Press.

I’ve shared two of the stories I wrote this year for the Springfield Republican’s annual Outlook section on the region’s business and economy. One on Lili Dwight and the fire alarm app she is developing and one on Crooked Stick Pops of Easthampton.

Today’s blog features the third Outlook piece I wrote for editor Cynthia Simison; it’s on River Valley Co-op in Northampton. This market is a hot spot in the Valley, and its growth over the years has been tremendous. My housemate Craig Fear is a steadfast member and shopper, as are many of my friends.

It was a privilege to interview these leaders in the local food industry.

River Valley Co-op

Our Family Farms sold milk at the River Valley Co-op when the store first opened in April 2008, a time when small businesses in the country were struggling as a result of the Great Recession. “One of the owners of the local dairy cooperative came to our 2009 annual meeting,” said Rochelle Prunty, River Valley’s general manager since 2001. “They talked about how the economy hit them so hard.” She teared up with emotion, struggling to add, “But because the co-op opened, that’s what helped them get through it. They were able to keep their farm.”

Prunty is incredibly grateful about this kind of success story and the fact that the natural foods co-op has helped launch—and sustain—many other local farms. The business, which sells local and organic products, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2018 with various events, including a birthday party in April 2018 and partial sponsorship of Easthampton’s Millpond.Live music series in the summer. 

Since it first incorporated in 1999 and began selling co-op ownership shares at $150 per—the same one-time fee for the privilege today—the co-op has grown to 10,200 owners and 160 employees, over 90 percent of whom are full time. It sees $28 million in annual sales—more than twice what was predicted by its founders. This is no small feat in a competitive market that has suffered from online sales and fierce industry competition.

“In 10 years, we’ve purchased $40 million in local products that have gone into the community,” Prunty said. “We’ve made contributions to local nonprofits every year, totaling over $800,000 in 10 years. It feels like a really symbiotic relationship with the community. Because we’re independent and community owned, we’re able to adapt and evolve as needed with the changing times.”

Prunty, board president Andrea Stanley—also a farmer in Hadley and the owner of Valley Malt—, and Natasha Latour, the co-op’s marketing manager, agree that the co-op’s overwhelming popularity and growth came because it meets the needs of Valley residents. “It’s never about making the sale or making the money,” Prunty said. “The food meets peoples’ needs. Supporting local farmers meets peoples’ values. And in the process, we build community.” 

“We’re set up to sell what people want to buy,” she added. “Corporate supermarkets are set up to sell what big manufacturers want people to buy.”

High volume at the co-op means the parking lot and the aisles are over-crowded. This has Prunty and the board looking to expand in Easthampton on property formerly owned by Fedor Pontiac Oldsmobile on Route 10. The co-op already has 1,700 owners in Easthampton, and the dealership property, sitting on over four acres of buildable land, seems ideal.

Prunty said co-op leaders are looking at the feasibility of building a roughly 20,000-square-foot grocery store, considering financing and building costs. “We’re looking to break ground in July 2019 and open in July 2020,” she said, adding, “This is not yet a done deal. We expect to finalize our plans, fundraising, and secure financing for a final decision by June of 2019.”

She said the projection is that the second location could bring in about $14 million in annual sales. “Easthampton is a community that supports local entrepreneurs. It’s incubating lots of different kinds of local businesses,” Prunty said. “That kind of thinking, and that kind of spirit has good synergy with what we do, and it feels like a good match.”

The post River Valley Co-op Expansion my Third Outlook Focus appeared first on Beetle Press.

One of my favorite aspects of writing for the Springfield Republican’s annual Outlook section is having the chance to meet and interview a wide range of business owners. I am always listening to see what I might learn from them and enjoy the chance to expand my own network of business leaders.

In addition to Lili Dwight, this year I also wrote about Julie Tuman and her business in Eastworks, Crooked Stick Pops. The day I interviewed Julie, I also bought three pops, which I have since devoured. I had chai, key lime, and orange creamsicle.

I recommend you check her out this spring and summer. She also visits area fairs and events. Be on the lookout for a woman on a cart that looks like a giant tricycle. That will be Julie!

Also, here’s a fun story that didn’t fit in the Outlook piece:

Julie named her business Crooked Stick Pops because, in the beginning, she had a great deal of difficulty getting the pop sticks to freeze in a straight position; she figured the name would make it seem intentional. She later purchased a machine that ensures straight positioning, but the name was already set in stone, so, she adjusted her machine. The sticks are indeed crooked!

Julie Tuman

Julie Tuman’s inspiration for her Crooked Stick Pops comes in part from her experience with mixing interesting cocktails as a pastime. Her sense of smell plays a big role as well. In the summer, she’s apt to be found walking around a farmer’s market, holding local peaches in her hand while sniffing other vendors’ wares for the right companion flavor. This is how Tuman landed on her peach and goat cheese pop last summer.

“I get bored easily. I can’t just do strawberry-lemonade,” Tuman said, noting that she uses her entire range of spices in her frozen treats, often incorporating clove, ginger and star anise, as well as herbs. Because she is creative—and her pairings work—Tuman said her customers have learned to trust her sensibilities.

Tuman’s three-year-old venture is mainly mobile spring through fall; she takes a cart to festivals, fairs and farmer’s markets. Ten months of the year, a shop in the Eastworks building of Easthampton—where Tuman also lives with her husband, William—supplements sales of pop, which contain ingredients from local farms. Flavors include Maple Pear, Blueberry Lavender, Strawberry Sriracha and Bourbon Caramel Peach.

At 41, Tuman finds herself in an entrepreneurial role that couldn’t be further from her academic studies or the first several decades of her career. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Asian history from Appalachian State University in North Carolina, and a master’s degree in Chinese from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Tuman previously worked for nonprofits that ensured compliance at overseas organizations. She was charged with ensuring these businesses were not violating human rights or labor laws. “The stakes were high,” she said. “If you made a mistake, a child could end up working in a fireworks factory.”

She later marketed organizations that provide international education and study-abroad opportunities for college students. She traveled a great deal and was experiencing burn-out after several organizations she worked for went through mergers and buy-outs.

In the fall of 2015, Tuman decided to launch her own business. Inspired by her love of cocktails, and a pop shop in St. Augustine, Florida, she landed on her idea to make frozen treats. She employs eight people as seasonal, part-time workers and runs her shop March through December. “I need January and February to recuperate,” she said. 

Tuman said what sets her wares apart is that they are fruit-based; she flash-freezes local produce in a commercial kitchen she operates in the nearby Keystone building and will not supplement with fruit from outside the region if she runs short. “Even pops in December are made from strawberries from Sunderland,” she said.

Selling at $3.50 each, 3 for $10, or 10 for $30, Tuman’s pops cost more than those one would buy in the grocery store. Hers, though, are low in sugar and do not contain water and artificial flavors. In addition to bad weather that keeps thirsty buyers away, helping customers understand the cost is one of the challenges she’s faced. Tuman said, “Great fruit makes great pops. Mediocre fruit makes mediocre pops, so I only get fruit when it’s in season and at its best.”

The post Creating a Pop Business appeared first on Beetle Press.

A few weeks ago, I gave you a glimpse at some of the stories I wrote about local business and nonprofits for the Springfield Republican’s annual, award-winning Outlook business section.

Today, I offer the final three stories on Westfield State University’s The Westfield Promise program; Northstar Pulp & Paper of Springfield; and Mike Schilling and Jordana Starr, the owners of Beerology in Northampton.

The Westfield Promise

Ramon S. Torrecilha, Westfield State University’s 20th president, moved to this country from Brazil 40 years ago, landing a job at an orchard in Washington state. He knew admission into Portland State University would change the trajectory of his life because, as he says, knowledge becomes yours. While he had no idea how to get started, Torrecilha stumbled through the mystery of the college entrance process because he knew it would take him where he wanted to go.

Torrecilha is certain that today’s high school students are equally as unprepared for college and all that enrollment entails—lacking in what he calls “cultural capital.” So, he eagerly got behind The Westfield Promise after he came on board just over two years ago. The program gives high school students in Westfield, Springfield and Holyoke—and their high populations of underrepresented, low-income and first-generation college students—a taste of the academic experience as well as general savvy.

“It’s invaluable,” Torrecilha said. “For many students—especially students of color and first-generation students—the notion of going to college is a mystery. This program helps them bridge that space between high school and college. It’s about building the student’s self-esteem and respecting his or her ability to learn.”

Beerology

Mike Schilling and Jordana Starr met in 2002 as Tufts University freshmen. Their first few dates were over Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at midnight, but they soon evolved into more elegant affairs. “We were always too old for our age,” Schilling said, noting he loved the instant gratification of mixing elaborate cocktails. “When other kids were having keg parties, we were having people over for wine and cheese.”

Belgian beer captured Schilling’s attention, and when the two married in 2010, they received a homebrew kit as a wedding present, but they had to go into a brew shop to pick up the ingredients. Once inside, they were hooked.

Schilling earned an international diploma in brewing technology from the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago and Doemens Akademie in Munich in 2013. Three years later, in November 2016, he and Starr opened Beerology in downtown Northampton. They’ve been feeding the craft beer movement in the Valley ever since, providing malted grains, yeast, and hops to home brewers of beer, cider, wine, and mead as well as to local brewmasters.

Northstar Pulp & Paper

Thirty years ago, when Lori Goodman Novak was a teenager, she worked in the office for the family business, Northstar Pulp & Paper, answering the phone, weighing trucks on the scale and sorting mail. Nearly two decades later, while Novak was teaching kindergarten, her half-brother, Aaron Goodman, was old enough to work at the plant as a forklift operator, before he launched his college education and commercial banking career.

After making radical professional moves in recent decades, the two siblings—Novak, 49, and Goodman, 31, have committed to Northstar. With their father David, they serve as its key leaders.

These fourth- and fifth-generation operators run a recycling business that was founded 119 years ago, in 1898, in Worcester by Hyman Goodman, David Goodman’s great-grandfather. “It’s a privilege,” Novak said, noting that one of her sons is a senior in high school and will be building pallets at Northstar for the first time this summer. Before he starts college, Sam Byrne will work alongside his grandfather, David Goodman, chief executive officer; his mother, the company president; and his uncle, Goodman, chief operating officer.

Northstar Pulp & Paper, now located in Springfield, is not your everyday recycling company. It processes and resells paper, metals and plastics, and recently added repairing and selling wooden pallets to the reuse repertoire. The work—collecting, compressing, baling, grinding, and delivery—is done by roughly 80 employees who process 20,000 tons of scrap material every single month in two warehouses that together provide 300,000 square feet of working space.

The post Education, craft beer and recycling round out Outlook list appeared first on Beetle Press.

Every year, it is my privilege to write for the Springfield Republican’s annual, award-winning Outlook business section. This year was no different.

I wrote five stories, which came out in print in February. They were focused on: MicroTek in Chicopee; Donna Haghighat of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts; Westfield State University’s The Westfield Promise program; Northstar Pulp & Paper of Springfield; and Mike Schilling and Jordana Starr, the owners of Beerology in Northampton.

In this blog, and one that will post two weeks from today, I’ll offer excerpts from each article, along with links to those that have been uploaded to MassLive, a Republican partner.

Donna Haghighat

After Donna Haghighat’s parents were married in the 1950s, her father came to this country to find work, while her mother, 16 at the time, waited for him in Iran. Because she was a married woman, Haghighat’s grandfather didn’t think Parvaneh Haghighat needed to complete her high school education. Parvaneh won this right only after sneaking to school, getting caught and holding her own in a heated argument with her father.

Growing up in Connecticut, Haghighat heard this story many times. She heard as well that her mother did eventually earn her high school equivalency, and Haghighat watched her mother earn a bachelor’s degree at night firsthand as a teen. “I like to say that that really shaped my feminism, before I knew what feminism was,” said Haghighat, now the chief executive officer of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts. “That my mother valued college was foundational for me.”

It was also inspirational. Haghighat earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., as well as a law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. It was her experience in law, higher education, fundraising, communications and women’s issues that positioned her as valuable asset for the Women’s Fund last summer. She took over leadership on Sept. 1, 2017, several months after the organization moved to Springfield.

MicroTek

In the early 1980s, when the doors were closing on state hospitals, three concerned residents of Hampden County were worried about the security of those being so abruptly re-introduced into mainstream communities. The trio created MicroTek so that people with intellectual and physical disabilities would have a way to earn an income.

A nonprofit with an altruistic mission, MicroTek manufactures custom cable and wire configurations for equipment used globally in the medical, scientific and security industries. Its first customer was a powerhouse tech company that needed laborers to build cable assemblies. Still a client 33 years later, that $17-billion corporation is widely known, but Phil D’Entremont, MicroTek’s current chief executive officer, can’t name it because of non-disclosure agreements. Likewise, other clients are in the Fortune 500 realm; most are smaller firms.

“They didn’t know anything about the wire and cable industry,” said D’Entremont, of the firm’s founding partners. “They went looking for the types of work the individuals could do—work using their hands. The founders hoped the business would allow these employees to live productive and meaningful lives.”

There were only a handful of employees in the early years after MicroTek opened in 1983, and most all of them had a disability. Now, the nonprofit employs 136 people, 19 of whom are disabled. It grossed $12 million in 2017 and sits on five acres of land in Chicopee; employees work in a 54,000-square-foot location that houses offices, shipping and receiving, a production and storage space, and a gathering space for staff.

The post 2018 Slate of Stories for the Republican’s Outlook Section appeared first on Beetle Press.

You’ve heard me talk about the dos and don’ts of sending a press release. (If you haven’t, sign up for my enewsletter and get the white paper on the topic! Scroll down below the contact form until you see this paragraph: Sign up for my newsletter and receive my informative white paper “What is news? And how to share it.” Free.)

Equally important as the release itself are the photos that you send to illustrate your news. I am choosy about the photos I send with my clients’ releases; when they can’t provide one that I know cuts the mustard, I opt to send no photo at all.

The photo needs to tell the story too, and if it’s low-resolution, poor quality, or otherwise flawed, sending it will not help you.

A former colleague of mine, Dave Roback, a photographer with the Springfield Republican newspaper, knows the importance of the photo, of course. He’s on the receiving end of photos that come in with press releases, and he says he has seen some pretty bad ones. He has very generously offered up some tips to help ensure your photo will help, and not harm, your efforts.

Dave has been a photog—as they say—with the Republican since 1984 and was shooting for the Holyoke Transcript and the Beaufort Gazettte in Beaufort, South Carolina, before that. Through a reciprocal agreement the Republican has with other print media, Dave’s images also appear with stories that get picked up by the Associated Press, the Boston Herald, Boston Globe, and Daily Hampshire Gazette. His photos are also on MassLive.com, a partner of the Republican.

Here are his tips.

Fill the frame. Whether you’re using a cell phone or a digital camera, if you’re taking a head shot, make sure only the head is in your viewfinder. “Take a couple of steps closer,” Dave says. “Fill the frame with the person’s head and shoulders.” If the person’s whole body appears in the image, it’s very likely there is not enough detail to make the photo worth its while.

Watch the background. “Have whoever takes the photo watch the background. Again, you cannot believe how many photos we get with things sticking out of people’s heads,” Dave says. As you frame the photo, notice what’s behind the person you are photographing and move your subject away from exit signs, telephone poles, other people, posts, etc. Use a blank wall as a background if you can.

Watch the light. “Don’t put people in front of windows. They end up becoming silhouettes,” Dave says. Turn your subject around and use the light coming in from the window to your advantage. Conversely, of course, too little light, or red eyes from a flash, are also on the “no” list.

How to send your photo. Send your photo as a JPG file, attached to an email. Don’t insert the photo into your press release. “It can be a pain to try to get the photo out of the release,” Dave says. Photos embedded in a Word document are also apt to be low-resolution, once extracted.

No captions as file names. Recently, with a press release from a well-known chain store, Dave received two head shots of two different employees—one sideways—and neither were labeled. “We had no idea who was who,” he says. “I had to call them.” When naming a photo file, use the person’s name only. If you send more than one image of the same person to offer a choice, call them “Janice 1,” “Janice 2,” and “Janice 3.”

When you’re getting ready to send out a press release, remember that the photo isn’t a throw-away. It has to be professional, or it won’t make the cut.

The post Photo Tips for Your DIY Media Efforts appeared first on Beetle Press.

Today, the businessperson with the voice on the inside cover of Business Monday is Barbara Paulo, the owner and artistic director of Shear Xtreme Salon and Beauty to Be in Northampton. Last week, I featured Robert Floyd, the owner of the Robert Floyd Photo Gallery and Learning Center in Southampton. The week before that, Dave Sweeney, co-owner of Players Edge New England in Westfield.

And on and on for many Mondays, going back about four years.

I enjoy helping these businesspeople to raise awareness with thousands of readers of The Republican. They are always incredibly grateful. They write to thank me and tell me how their phones started ringing as soon as the ink on their piece was dry. Some write me thoughtful, handwritten notes.

The column isn’t really about them or for them, though. It’s a public service the newspaper provides the community; consumers have a chance to take a quick look at a new business each week to determine what interest and value it holds for them.

The trifecta win is that some readers connect with services that are life-changing.

Like Susan Manolakis’ clients.

Susan spent many years running a full-service hair salon but transitioned into a full-service cancer wellness and hair salon in January 2016. Her business, the Balance Cancer and Wellness Salon and Boutique in Southwick offers customize wigs for those struggling with cancer, as well as tailored bras, breast forms and symmetry shapers to accommodate any body shape.

After the piece on Susan’s business ran, she was contacted by a representative from a local hospital. Susan and the person had a nice conversation, and now, that hospital sends many of its patients Susan’s way. A beautiful outcome for Susan—but also for the patients, who have been connected to services that are giving them comfort in tough times.

Even with these results, though, it is difficult for me to find business owners willing to take the time to be featured in Voices. They are either too busy, or too skeptical. Hmm, I imagine some think. What’s the hook? Nothing is free these days.

But being highlighted in Voices is free, and there is no hook. There are a few qualifications: You must have been in business for at least six months; you can’t use the column to sell and hyper-promote; and your business needs to have some individual quality. (I can’t feature every insurance salesman and real estate agent in the Valley. Sorry.)

You don’t need to know me. You don’t need to write me a 500-word essay on the history and value of your business, and you don’t need to beg.

If you’d like to be featured in Voices, simply email me. It’s that easy.

Think about it. Email me today! It could be transforming for you—and for many readers of The Republican out there who need what you’re offering and don’t know it yet.

The post Giving Voice to Businesspeople appeared first on Beetle Press.

In the fall, I lined up interviews with four leaders in business: Dawn Creighton of the nonprofit Dress For Success; John Grossman of Holyoke Hummus; Michael Sundel and his wife, Lystra Blake, of Mill 180 Park in Easthampton; and Bruce Volz and Tony Clarke of VCA Inc./Alloy in Northampton.

I always enjoy meeting these key business owners, who are always grateful for the coverage. They are hard-working and inspiring, and I enjoy telling their stories on the pages of the newspaper. This year’s Outlook section came out in mid-February. Some of the stories are not online yet on MassLive.com, so I offer these excerpts from each article so you can begin to get to know Dawn, John, Michael, Lystra, Bruce and Tony.

Dress For Success

Dawn Creighton isn’t just inspired to lead Dress For Success because it suits up women in need so they can find jobs and security. Creighton is impressed that the nonprofit transforms the lives of everyone involved—from the job candidates up through the 15 board members. She sees the proof all the time.

Before the organization’s most recent pop-up tag sale, for instance, Creighton pushed—hard—on an employee from a local business to encourage her to volunteer to stock shelves at the event, while women shopped. The woman resisted but eventually gave in, and as the volunteer connected with shoppers she broke down and cried with the realization that she was helping to better the lives of under-served and at-risk women.

Dress For Success is about breaking the cycle of poverty for women by providing them with professional clothes in which to get an interview as well as skills training and education that even touches on good personal care and health.

Learn more about Dress For Success.

Holyoke Hummus

The Great Garbanzo food truck owned by John Grossman and Dawn Cordeiro of Holyoke Hummus Company is last in a long line of vendors behind Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton. It’s a Food Truck Friday night with live music and beer on tap, and Grossman—in his colorful middle-eastern cap—tends to a steady stream of customers like Alex and Jenna Barron of Easthampton. He prepares the well-known hummus-based sandwiches—some complete with stuffed grape leaves and pickled turnip—and his colleague Nate Wytrwal keeps the fried falafel coming.

Space inside the truck is tight, but Grossman and Wytrwal maneuver in the easy manner of people who have spent six months working together. Since the 1988 Chevy step van—with its elaborate, circus-themed paint job by artist Amy Johnquest of Spot 22 in Easthampton—went on the road in May 2016, they’ve been to fairs, festivals, farmer’s markets and events from Celebrate Holyoke to the Deerfield Craft Fair.

For Grossman, the food truck is a second job, a labor of love. Days, he works at EcoBuilding Bargains in Springfield, seeking out materials to be donated to the store. Cordeiro is an at-home mom with their son Lawrence, 2. They spend their weekends parked at various events, and they’ve developed a loyal following. They also recently opened a brick-and-mortar shop in downtown Holyoke.

Learn more about Holyoke Hummus.

Mill 180 Park

It’s mid-December 2016, and the outside temperature hovers in the 30s, yet there are dozens of people in the park; some play in the grass in their stocking feet. This is possible because Mill 180 Park is indoors.

Turf serves as flooring in this warm and impressive 14,000-foot indoor space in a transformed mill building in Easthampton, where nearly 50 adults and children are at play on this chilly Sunday. There are three children’s birthday parties going on. There are a few millennials drinking beer at the bar and playing games like corn hole and hackey sack. Some visitors sip green tea and stare out the window at Mt. Tom or study the various plants growing hydroponically.

This is the scene that owners Michael Sundel and his wife, Lystra Blake, envisioned when they first imagined an urban indoor park that would incorporate technology and philanthropy. There are no fees here, whether you come to do homework or take a painting or yoga class. You will be asked not to tip, and you can buy a beer and a hearty snack for under $10. As a bonus, your vegetarian chili will likely have ingredients grown in the park under lights, but without soil.

It took almost two years for Sundel and Blake’s corporation, Community Food Engine LLC, to prepare the mill building space for the park to open on Sept. 7, 2016, at a cost of roughly $2.6 million.  The park continues to grow in popularity, and this is a good sign for the couple, as they intend to take the idea to other cities for the community benefit of warmth, relaxation and rejuvenation at no cost to the visitor. They hope to make the enterprise financially rewarding by piloting software here that can be sold to other large businesses and organizations to manage tasks and procedures in an efficient, cost-effective way.

Learn more about Mill 180 Park.

VCA Inc./Alloy

The products produced by VCA, Inc./Alloy, LLC, on Earle Street in Northampton are like valuable secrets. From this $2 million shop nestled behind Smith College comes fine furniture and architectural millwork for such a high-end clientele that co-owners Bruce Volz and Tony Clarke agree not to reveal it via photography in their marketing materials. Sometimes, only with express permission from the end consumer, their work might appear on the pages of glossy magazines.

VCA’s pieces range from custom-built kitchen and bathroom cabinetry to such extravagances as 10-foot-tall dressing room shelving lined with ultra-suede, or a hand-carved fireplace mantel. The materials in use in this 20,000-square-foot industrial shop—divided with millwork projects on one side and furniture on another—are top shelf. The techniques, innovative and exclusive. It’s all part of a compelling reputation and a “relentless pursuit of perfection” that Volz and Clarke speak to on their Facebook page.

Learn more about VCA.

The post Outlook 2017 appeared first on Beetle Press.

Inevitably, interns make little goofs and mistakes here and there, and my response is always to offer them a course correction and a bit of advice—and a tale that will help them feel less silly and inexperienced.

I have a few stories up my sleeve for this purpose, all based on my own goofs and mistakes; each has its own moral.

I realized I should offer these stories up via my blog because it’s good for all of us to remember that we are always learning, and the anecdotes are also good for a laugh.

When I see interns who have confidence issues, I sit them down and let them know what I see as their strong suits and the skills they bring to the table. I tell them they need to trust themselves and work on mining their self-assurance. I say I had a serious lack of faith in myself when I was in college, and I tell this story:

I was a senior at Westfield State College. It was 1985, and I had spent the semester working at what was then called the Springfield Morning Union. (This paper later became the Union-News when it merged with the Springfield Daily News and later became what we know today as the Springfield Republican.)

My journalism professor, the late and fabulous Dave Humphrey, had arranged the internship for me and well-guided me in my four months in the Living department, where I wrote wedding and engagement announcements and also wrote a few feature stories.

Dave was the assistant managing editor at the Morning Union. One day, he told me that a man named Tom Haggerty would be calling me. Dave didn’t explain that Tom was an important guy, then the paper’s managing editor, and he didn’t tell me that Tom was going to offer me a job.

So, I’m in my on-campus apartment one afternoon, and Tom calls me. He offers me a part-time correspondent job covering Granby and South Hadley. I felt he might as well have asked me to climb Mount Everest or orbit the moon.

I said, “Oh, thank you so much, but I don’t think I’d be very good at that.”

There was an awkward pause on Tom’s end. We made polite small talk, and then he said thank you, and we hung up.

When I saw Dave next, he hollered to me from down the hall in Bates, an academic building I had many of my classes in at Westfield State.

“Beetle. In my office,” he said.

Dave gestured for me to sit, and I did.

“Did Tom Haggerty call you?” he asked me. He was clearly in a snit.

“Yes,” I said.

“Did he offer you a job?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Did you say no?”

“Yes,” I repeated.

“You’re an asshole,” he said.

Dave explained that I had spent four years preparing for such a job and that I was a qualified candidate and a good writer. I did not know this.

“What you’re going to do,” he said, “is you’re going to call Tom back. You’re going to tell him you’d be a great reporter and that you would be ecstatic to have the opportunity to work for the Springfield Morning Union.”

“Okay,” I said. And I called Tom back, and I got the job, and here I am today, very thankful that someone had my back so long ago. I honestly can’t say where I would be without Dave and his faith in me and my abilities. He was right. I was a good reporter. I was fast and accurate, and I had compassion.

I wish Dave were still alive, so I could take him out for a drink or a cup of coffee and thank him for being a good mentor and guide and tell him what that support has meant to me. Instead, what I can do is try to also be a good mentor and guide myself.

The post Giving Back for Good Mentoring appeared first on Beetle Press.