Joseph Bednar

2 weeks ago | businesswest.com | Joseph Bednar

HADLEY — UMassFive College Federal Credit Union, Greenfield Community College (GCC), and MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board recently partnered to hold a Reality Fair for more than 70 students from Pioneer, Mohawk, and Athol high schools. Reality Fair is an immersive budgeting exercise for high school students, allowing them to envision their life at age 25.

2 weeks ago | healthcarenews.com | Joseph Bednar

Critical GapsWhen Beverly Fein surveys the nursing landscape at Holyoke Medical Center, she sees both positives and challenges, and the difference is generational. Take new nursing graduates, for example; the hospital hired more than 25 of them last year. “Many of them do their clinicals here. They have a good foundation working for us. They like the environment.

3 weeks ago | businesswest.com | Joseph Bednar

Community SpotlightAndrea Monson came to her new role as executive director of the Northampton Downtown Assoc. (DNA) in a roundabout way, but found it to be an intriguing fit during an uncertain time for the city and its downtown, which will soon undergo a major — and not universally loved — redevelopment project.

3 weeks ago | businesswest.com | Joseph Bednar

More Than WordsFor the past three years, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra has presented its Fearless Women Awards to area women who embody bravery, advocacy, passion, perseverance, and authenticity. Ayanna Crawford certainly represents all five qualities, which explains why the SSO included her among its class of 2025. But she also finds the honor humbling, recalling a recent conversation with SSO President and CEO Paul Lambert.

3 weeks ago | businesswest.com | Joseph Bednar

Sisters at WorkThe name says it all. The word ‘dream’ in particular. It’s the culmination of a dream of two sisters, who grew up on a tree farm, to co-found a business centered on a passion for nature they both share. Now, just a year after launching American Dream Landscape Design from her home in East Longmeadow, Rachel Begley said she and her sister, Abigail, have built a steady pipeline of projects, largely through word of mouth.