Letter: New Name for Apkin

To the Editor:

George Apkin & Sons Inc., would like to share with you some exciting news about our company. We have been working on a strategic plan to ensure that we will be able to continue servicing all our industrial and dealer customers seamlessly for the long term. To ensure that success, we have recently partnered with the Joseph Freedman Co. in Springfield and its affiliates, Perlman Recycling in Pittsfield and Eastern Vehicle Recycling in Westfield.

We are very excited for the depth that this partnership brings. They have a long history dating back 132 years, a great reputation, a professional and friendly team, and a full suite of metal recycling services to further complement our operations.

The only real change will be a small name change to: Apkin Inc. All of our employees in Adams are staying onboard in their current positions, and both of us (Joe Apkin and Bill Apkin) will be staying on as well. Joe Apkin will be leading the company as president, and Bill Apkin will be staying onboard in an advisory role. Sally Cable and Cindi McLain will remain in the office for anything you need.

We appreciate the community that we work with, and it is important to us that we sustain the reputaton and the standing that we have built. To ensure that, we have worked trelessly to make sure that we have partnered with a company that shares our values. We are confident that you will not be disappointed by the transiton.

Thank you to all who have supported us through the years, we look forward to a new chapter.

Joe & Bill Apkin, the Apkin Team
Adams,Mass. 

State Fire Marshal Returns to Hoosac Valley to Offer Career Advice

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
02:36PM / Sunday, May 31, 2026

Jon Davine joined the Marines just out of high school and spent 25 years moving up the ladder as a Northampton firefighter. He was selected to replace State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey in 2023. 

CHESHIRE, Mass. — As juniors and seniors consider their futures, Hoosac Valley High School officials strive to introduce them to various industries and accomplished professionals through the Pathways program.

 

On May 22, State Fire Marshal Jon Davine was one such official, returning to his alma mater to give students an inside look into his profession and offer some words of advice.

 

During the 50-minute presentation, he outlined his career journey, which began with his service in the Marine Corps, continued through work as a bricklayer, firefighter, and fire captain, and ultimately led to his current leadership role in public safety. He later visited Hoosac Elementary.

 

The Adams native and 1989 Hoosac graduate was chief of the Northampton Fire and Rescue Department when he was tapped by the state in 2023. He was the first fire marshal from Western Massachusetts and, according to the state Department of Fire Services, the first of its recruits to "work his way to the top job using a system designed to make that possible."

 

His journey demonstrated that students do not need to have everything figured out at this stage in their lives.

 

"I think it helped kind of relieve some of the nerves that I have about taking that next step and going off and pursuing college," senior Nathan Lapinski said.

 

"He went through a couple … career opportunities before he went to firefighting, before he became the fire marshal, so I think it helped relieve some of the nerves about trying to figure out what I want to do so early."