Biz Briefs: Bookstore in Lenox Features in New Book
Bookstore features: The Bookstore in Lenox is featured in a new book that offers a look inside local bookstores that have thrived as central hubs of conversation and learning. Famous New Yorker cartoonist Bob Eckstein's new book "Footnotes from the World’s Greatest Bookstores" invites readers into the heart and soul of every community: the local bookshop, each with its own quirks, charms, and legendary stories.
The Bookstore is not just in Eckstein’s collection of great local bookstores, they kick the whole thing off as the first book featured right on page one. Owner Matt Tannenbaum said that making it into a book like this that only has spots for so many stores and so many stories was a great honor for not just himself but his entire staff.
The book has also gotten amazing early reviews for the way that page by page, Eckstein perfectly captures the public's lifelong love affair with books, bookstores, and book-sellers that is at once heartfelt, bittersweet, and cheerfully confessional. The book is expected to draw more attention to local bookstores, and even more so for The Bookstore in Lenox who Eckstein has already informed will be a stop on his upcoming tour of events at stores.
Ending Alzheimer's: A team of employees and their families from Adams Community Bank joined the community and participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s at the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in Cheshire on Sept. 24, raising more than $12,000. The walk has become an annual event that the employees participate in.
The team, led by Dawn Lampiasi and Nancy Hubbard, raised the money through various efforts. They hosted a Mangia Mangia Italian Night at the Richmond Grille. Also helping to raise funds was the selling of flower bulbs as well as the "Dress down for Charities" program at Adams Community Bank, when employees pay to "dress down," and all money collected is donated to the charity of choice.
Housing grants: The Lenox Housing Trust is providing grants in the amount of 5 percent of the purchase price of a home to first time homebuyers. The Lenox Housing Trust has provided matching grants to seven first time home buyers since 2014, and has up to $50,000 to provide in new matching grants.
To qualify for a matching grant, the homebuyer must be purchasing their first home in Lenox; have an income of no more than 80 percent of the HUD Median Income; meet standard secondary market underwriting criteria determined by participating lender; own no other residential properties; and complete homebuyer counseling.
The Trust works with three area banks participating in the Federal Home Loan Bank Equity Builder Program: Lee Bank (Marge Pero at 413-243-9223), Adams Community Bank (Tess Sorrentino at 413-749-1181) and Pittsfield Coop Bank (Mike Barbieri at 413-629-1605).
Going pink: Simon Malls and Simon Premium Outlets in New England, parent of the Lee Premium Outlets, have announced the second year of a national engagement with Susan G. Komen, pledging to donate $1 million each year for the next two years to support the fight against breast cancer. More than 180 participating Simon malls and outlets nationwide will encourage employees, retailers and shoppers to make a bigger, bolder impact in the fight against breast cancer by participating in Simon-sponsored activities throughout the month of October.
Visitors will notice the pink theme carried throughout the centers with features such as pink-lit entrances, pink flowers on display, and more. Staff will also honor National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by donning pink accessories. Other planned activities that vary property by property include a discount card program, a "More Than Pink Hero" wall, a hero photo opportunity, and other local programming and surprises.
Doing good work: GoodWorks Insurance, an independent insurance agency founded in 2006, gives half of its profits to local nonprofits throughout the Northeast. Based in Glastonbury, the firm also has Connecticut offices in Avon, Columbia, and New Milford, as well as Massachusetts offices in Great Barrington and Worcester.
GoodWorks Community Grants go to nonprofits that support education, healthcare, public safety and community development in the places GoodWorks does business. Recent recipients include Operation Fuel (Avon, Conn.), New Milford Visiting Nurse Association, Community Health Plan (Great Barrington, Mass.), FOCUS Center for Autism (Canton, Conn.), Granby Education Foundation (Granby, Conn.), and the Farmington Valley YMCA.
How can the firm afford to give away so much to charity and still reinvest in itself? Part of it is that the principal owner doesn’t take any compensation from the company. Today, GoodWorks Insurance is financially strong, has a staff of top-notch insurance professionals headed by Chief Operating Officer Paul Brian, and is growing rapidly. Revenues are up 200 percent since 2011.
Growing revenues and profits let GoodWorks give away more. Yonker expects revenues to grow by about 25 percent in 2016, partly because of its acquisition of Metayer Bonding Associates of Avon, Connecticut, in late 2015. Metayer ranked as the largest privately owned surety-bond-only agency in the Northeast. The merger gives contractors in the Northeast the ability to meet all their bonding and insurance needs from a single provider, according to Yonker. The founder, Michael Metayer, joined the GoodWorks Insurance team. Now a part owner of Metayer Bonding Associates, he continues to run the firm as its president.
GoodWorks Insurance is also creating innovative “special funds” for some of its key program sponsors. These funds will grow over time and allow sponsoring organizations to direct grants to local charities their members care about. For instance, the 3,000 owners of the Berkshire Co-op Market in Great Barrington support local charities at the same time as saving on auto and home insurance. Whenever a Co-op owner buys a home or auto insurance policy through GoodWorks Insurance, the insurance agency will deposit 20percent of its commissions to the Berkshire Market Co-op Community Fund.
Serving more than 10,000 clients, GoodWorks Insurance (www.goodworksinsurance.com) offers auto, home insurance, business insurance and surety bonds. Besides insuring families and small businesses in general, it has special expertise in nonprofits, fuel dealers, aerospace firms, manufacturers, financial institutions, commercial contractors and surety bonds.
