| Home | About | Archives | RSS Feed |
Lenox Yarn Shop Offers 'Tasty' Designs
It looks almost good enough to eat ... if a little heavy on the fiber.Colorful Stitches co-owner Bonnie J. Burton designed and knitted a variety of fast food and traditional summer fare for exhibit at the specialty yarn store at 48 Main St. in Lenox.
The yarn sculpture food — "Knitted Taste of Lenox" — includes hot dog and hamburger, pizza, cake, a bottle of wine, ice cream, full lobster dinner and more. (We particularly loved that lobster dinner, although the layered chocolate cake looks good, too.)
"Little did I know how addictive this project would become. I just kept coming up with new subjects to knit, but finally had to stop adding dishes so the exhibit could actually be installed," said Burton, in the announcement the store sent us. "I didn't get all my ideas created yet. The list goes on. My husband even suggested I could knit the Thanksgiving dinner this year and skip all the cooking."
Burton said the exhibit is the latest in a string of "yarn bombings" started last year when the store's staff covered its porch and entry with custom designed and knitted fabric. They say that led to further "yarn bombs" around Lenox, including Shakespeare & Company.
Burton has been knitting for more than 50 years and is often a contributor to the collection of custom fashion designs/patterns for hand knitters exclusively found at Colorful Stitches. Check out the shop's website here.
Tighe & Bond Commemorative Book Covers Century
WESTFIELD, Mass. — Tighe & Bond recently published "Engineering a Century of Progress, The Evolution of Tighe & Bond" to mark its 100th anniversary. These commemorative books will be distributed to key clients, employees and local historical associations. Headquartered in Westfield, the civil engineering firm is a household name for many municipalities, as well as numerous other public and private organizations throughout New England.
It began with James Tighe, an Irish immigrant who began his career in 1892 as an engineer for the Holyoke Water Department and later as the city engineer. In 1911, Tighe established a private engineering practice and, in 1926, formed a partnership with Philip Bond, who added expertise in municipal engineering.
After weathering the Great Depression, Tighe & Bond began expanding its work force. Today, it has more than 200 employees in six offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire.
 James Tighe established his engineering firm in 1911. |
This past May, the Engineering News-Record once again ranked Tighe & Bond among the top 500 design firms in the nation. And in January, Tighe & Bond acquired Appledore Engineering, a highly regarded, 23-year-old civil engineering firm located in Portsmouth, N.H.
As part of Tighe & Bond's 100th anniversary celebration, the firm has established The Centennial Project to identify two worthy projects for nonprofit agencies in need of services. This past October, the company awarded $100,000 of pro bono engineering and environmental services to two nonprofit organizations. The dollar amount of the services – which will be split between the Boys & Girls' Club of Greater Holyoke Inc. and the Big Pond Preservation Association/Horizons Inc. of Connecticut – is earmarked to support a specific noteworthy project for each group.
Buy in the Berkshires Expo Coming
This year's Buy in the Berkshires Expo will be held on June 23, from 3 to 8 p.m., once again at Jiminy Peak Ski Resort.
The initiative was launched last year as a way to encourage residents to explore the many products and services available in the county. The expo also acted as a networking event for industries ranging from hospitality to printing to cultural venues to retail outlets to demonstrate their capabilities to each other.
Some 1,000 people attended last year's inaugural expo.
Both indoor and outdoor booths are available; Berkshire Chamber member rates are $125 for a 6-foot table and $175 for an 8-foot table.
The premier sponsor for this event is Greylock Federal Credit Union. Sponsorship opportunities at a different level are also possible. For more information, call 413-3499-4000, Ext. 26, for more information. Sponsors will be given great exposure before, during and after the event.
Click here for an application and site maps.
| Tags: Buy in the Berkshires |
South Adams Exposes Retail Clients
|
The employees of South Adams Savings Bank will put your shirt on their backs — if you're a customer. |
ADAMS, Mass. — If everyone at the South Adams Savings Bank is wearing a promotional T-shirt, it must be the first Monday of the month, when the bank quite visibly takes care of business.
The bank's found a way to help its commercial clients by offering free advertising. The concept's simple: Provide a space for business clients to showcase business cards, brochures and fliers. Then pick one to be featured for a whole month on the South Adams Web site.
The dividend: You can't buy that kind of advertising.
"Oasis Liquors was the first one we featured," said bank President Charles O'Brien. "They were being complimented just about on a daily basis."
Businesses were a bit shy about jumping on board, said O'Brien and Amy Giroux, senior vice president of retail banking, but soon saw the benefits. The promotion's only been going a couple months but the number of businesses participating has doubled with 35 featured during April. "Good buzz goes around," said Giroux.
The idea was hatched by a member of the Taking Care of Business committee, a group of bank employees who discuss ways to aid customers. In addition to space in the bank for advertising, the workers don promotional garb as well.
The promotion not only helps get out the word about businesses doing business with the bank, it also helps other bank patrons connect with its retail customers. The bank also has branches in Williamstown, Cheshire and Lee.
"We're really happy to provide this benefit to our customers," said Giroux. "It's such a spot-on idea and it doesn't cost anything."
This month's featured business on the Web site — and on the bank's Facebook page — is Bedini & St. Pierre Building and Maintenance Contractors. Look for a new business May 3.
If you're interested in becoming a featured business, contact tcb@sasavings.com.
| Tags: South Adams Savings, Adams |
Social Media Marketing is Focus of Upcoming Visitors Bureau Conference
 |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Visitors Bureau wants to help the local travel industry harness the power of social media. On Thursday, April 8, the organization will host its "Eye on Travel 2010" conference at the Crowne Plaza, with the theme "Social Media Marketing."
The program, which runs from 1 to 5 p.m., includes a keynote by Ethan Zuckerman, senior researcher at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, and sessions on social media as it relates to customer service, how to use social media effectively, and emerging trends. For a full program, click here.
Conference fees are $69 for bureau or area chamber of commerce members; $99 for nonmembers. The registration deadline is Thursday, April 1.
For more information or to register, click here.
.
| Tags: Berkshire Visitors Bureau, social media |
|
