Speaking For Business: Newsletter for the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce

12:00AM / Monday, February 04, 2002Print Story | Email Story

Speaking For Business: Newsletter for the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce February 2002 check www.greatbarrington.org often! Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce PO Box 810 Great Barrington, MA 01230-0810 413-528-4284, fax 413-528-2200 Sharon Palma, Executive Director sbcoc@bcn.net Diana Harwood, Admin. Assistant www.greatbarrington.org Visitor's Center: 362 Main Street 413-528-1510 Lodging hotline 528-4006 Joy Lyon, Manager GALA AUCTION UPDATE! Mark Your Calendar Today! The 7th Annual Gala Winterfest Auction is upon us and YOU'RE INVITED. Saturday, February 23rd beginning at 5 PM, the season's premier event kicks off with the live auction preview and the silent auction. The BIG NEWS this year is our NEW LOCATION! We've moved to The Egremont Country Club on Route 23 West in Great Barrington. The country club will provide a cash bar and there will be the usual array of assorted hors d'oeuvres and desserts donated by numerous and generous purveyers of food around the region. Also back is the ever popular Treasure Chest, containing well over $1,000 worth of merchandise and gift certificates that will go to one lucky winner that night. Tickets for the Treasure Chest, numbering ONLY 250, will be sold that night for $10 each. Auctioneer Louis Caropreso will be helping out again this year, and there is also a new addition to the roster. Attorney Ed McCormick will kick off the live auction at 6 PM and he and Louis will be entertaining us all evening long. Don't miss this fun evening where you can bid on fantastic trips, fun and useful merchandise & services, and gift certificates galore. See you on the 23rd! Sharon Palma, Executive Director Maximize Your Potential Among the absolutes in our world is change. We can count on it. Our ability to deal with or manage change is a major factor in our ability to live our lives to the fullest, whether at work or personally. A key ingredient to our success (or lack thereof) in managing change is our beliefs: how they work for us and how they may limit us. February 20th in the Hitchcock Room at the Red Lion Inn, Walter Bowers is offering an encore presentation of his highly regarded full-day seminar titled "Maximizing Your Potential in the Midst of Change." Ordinarily a $350 seminar, Walter has agreed to offer this program to SBCC members for the unbelievable cost of just $45.00 per person. Non-members pay just $95.00. Comments from attendees at the program in November range from "I was blown away by what he said" to "I can't believe I was doing this in my life! Now I know why I was stuck and can move forward." Registration for this great all-day seminar is required and seating is limited. Check-in begins at 8:30 am. The seminar runs from 9 - 4 with a break for lunch (on your own). Call 413-528-4284 or send an email to sbcoc@bcn.net to request an application. Don't miss this great opportunity on Wednesday, February 20th. We are pleased to welcome these new members. Please keep them in mind when you need goods or services, or a comfortable place for friends and family to dine, shop or stay. East Mountain Medical Building, 780 Main Street, Great Barrington, 01230, 413-499-1630, Office space leasing Grape Finds, 684 South Main Street, Great Barrington, 01230, Gene & Karen Faul, 528-6600, Unique Wine Store UBS Paine Webber, PO Box 365, Great Barrington, 01230, Louis Moscatello, Investments Resources For Health the Pilates Studio, 12 Barrington Place, Great Barrington, 01230, Annie Rye, 528-3504, Health, Wellness Letter from Police Chief William R. Walsh, Jr. Dear Chamber Members: I'd like to thank Sharon and the Chamber for allowing me to make some remarks in this month's newsletter regarding the recent breaks into downtown businesses. Since November 1st the Police Department has investigated five breaks into buildings housing seven businesses. Most entries were made through side windows or doors and in all only cash was taken. Last July the Department assigned Officer Paul R. Montgomery fulltime to investigations and he is following up on these incidents. Additionally, extra officers have been deployed on some nights. We also have at our disposal the services of the Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Unit based in Agawam. Within this same time period, the towns of Lee and Lenox have experienced several break and enterings and we're in contact with those Police agencies. Lately I've been asked by several people what can be done to help the Police and to prevent these crimes. Not keeping cash in stores would be a tremendous help. Outside lighting also really does work. Alarms are an investment and may be considered. If nothing else, an alarm prevents someone from staying more than a minute or two inside your building. Although Officer Montgomery is the Department's liaison with anyone who has suffered a break, I am more than glad to meet with anyone to provide you with information on our efforts to solve these crimes. I held one such meeting recently with Marvin Lieberman and Richard Donovan and we all felt that it was very beneficial. Once again thank you for allowing me to share these thoughts with you and be assured that solving these breaks is our top priority. Please feel free to call me at 528-0306 for any reason. William R. Walsh, Jr. Chief of Police Business After Hours Make new contacts! Have some fun! Relax with friends! You can experience all of this when you attend the next Business After Hours networking event on Thursday, February 7th at 5:30. Lee Bank at 279 Main Street in Great Barrington is the host in their brand new space. Until now Lee Bank's Great Barrington office was a great place to go for mortgages and financial services. As of February 1st they are taking on the role of full-service bank and are opening their doors to SBCC members and guests on February 7th from 5:30 - 7:30. Complimentary refreshments will be provided by Moore Fine Foods. NEW THIS MONTH! A new feature for SBCC networking events is a Business Card Table where Chamber members are invited to display their cards for others to pick up if they choose. This will add another layer to networking and will be especially appealing to those who may not be comfortable with introducing themselves to strangers. Plan to have about a dozen cards for the table in addition to what you hand out to prospective customers. RSVP to sbcoc@bcn.net or 413-528-1510. Business Move Alterations, a new sewing business in Great Barrington, has moved out of Laramee's Cleaners. The new location will be announed in February. In the mean time, call 298-4502 for services. Be sure to mark these important dates in your calendar! Saturday, February 2, GROUND HOG DAY Wednesday, February 6, Pay A Compliment Day Thursday, February 7, Business After Hours, Lee Bank, Gt. Barrington, 5:30 - 7:30. RSVP sbcoc@bcn.net or 528-1510. Wednesday, February 13, Ash Wednesday Thursday, February 14, VALENTINE'S DAY Thursday, February 14, Board of Directors meeting - Berkshire Bank - 11:45 am. Monday, February 18, PRESIDENTS DAY Wednesday, February 20, Maximizing Your Potential seminar at Red Lion Inn - 9 - 4. Registration required. See related article Saturday, February 23, 7th Annual Gala Winterfest AUCTION!! Sunday, March 3rd, "Building Community", a presentation by Bill McKibbon, will be the cornerstone of the annual meeting for the Great Barrington Land Conservancy. This event, at the First Congregational Church in Gt. Barrington, is open to the public with a suggested donation of $7.00. The talk begins at 2 PM. Info: 528-2583. Business Expos Two chances to promote your business are on the horizon: 1) On Sunday, March 10th, the 10th annual Tri-State Trade Festival is being held at the Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, CT. from 10 - 3. Co-sponsored by the Salisbury, CT, Canaan, CT, Millerton, NY and Southern Berkshire Chambers, this event is a great way to showcase your business to nearly 3,000 qualified people from a 60 mile radius of the tri-state region. For sponsor and/or exhibitor information contact Nancy Coon at 860-435-9828. 2) On March 14 thru 17, the Berkshire Expo, A Showcase of Homes, Businesses & Gardens is being held at the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough. The show will be open each day during Mall hours. This is another great opportunity to showcase your business to thousands of people from all over the Berkshires. For information or an application, contact Marianne Juby at 413-499-4000, ext. 12. Special Promotion Beginning in February and each quarter after that (May, August & November) Quality Printing is offering a full-color postcard special. The price of $149 includes 1,000 full-color standard-size postcards. Use them for reminder notices, giveaways and promotions. Call June Roy-Martin at Quality Printing at 442-4166 or email jmartin@ qualprint.com for details. Please help us keep our address data base up to date. Check your address on this newsletter and let us know that everything is exactly the way the Post Office wants it. Kinderhof Kinderhof, a full-day pre-school/kindergarten program located in a warm home/farm atmosphere in N. Egremont, was recently granted accreditation by the National Association for Young Children (NAEYC). This prestigious recognition has been achieved by approximately 7% of early childhood programs nationwide. "The heart of NAEYC accreditation focuses on the child's experience", said Barbara Willer of NAEYC. "The process carefully considers all aspects of a program inlcuding health and safety, staffing, staff qualifications and physical environment. The greatest emphasis is on the children's relationships with the staff and how the program helps each child grow and learn intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally." Kinderhof is committed to fostering the natural curiosity and wonder of the young child by providing a beautiful and caring environment where children can experience human culture. The children learn directly from life, developing self-confidence, learning social skills and reverence for life. They can be reached at 413-528-2485 for additional information. Colin Smith Promoted Smith, Watson & Company, LLP Certified Public Accountants, announces the promotion of Colin H. Smith to Associate of the firm. Colin joined Smith, Watson in 1997. He concentrates his practice in the areas of corporate tax, financial reporting and audit. He is one of the firm's technology experts and has extensive experience with computer information systems. Please note: The listing for Berkshire Lodgings Association was omitted in error from the 2002 membership directory. That listing should read: Berkshire Lodgings Association 888-298-4760 PO Box 1284 Stockbridge, MA 01262 "Ours is a professional association of established, inspected and approved country inns and bed and breakfasts in Berkshire County. As a year round lodgings resource, you may phone our hot line (# above) any day for availability and referrals."

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McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:32PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Landon LeClair and Superintendent James Brosnan with Landon's parents Eric and Susan LeClair, who is a teacher at McCann.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Superintendent's Award has been presented to Landon LeClair, a senior in McCann Technical School's advanced manufacturing course.

The presentation was made last Thursday by Superintendent Jame Brosnan after Principal Justin Kratz read from teachers' letters extolling LeClair's school work, leadership and dedication.

"He's become somewhat legendary at the Fall State Leadership Conference for trying to be a leader at his dinner table, getting an entire plate of cookies for him and all his friends," read Kratz to chuckles from the School Committee. "Landon was always a dedicated student and a quiet leader who cared about mastering the content."

LeClair was also recognized for his participation on the school's golf team and for mentoring younger teammates.

"Landon jumped in tutoring the student so thoroughly that the freshman was able to demonstrate proficiency on an assessment despite the missed class time for golf matches," read Kratz.

The principal noted that the school also received feedback from LeClair's co-op employer, who rated him with all fours.

"This week, we sent Landon to our other machine shop to help load and run parts in the CNC mill," his employer wrote to the school. LeClair was so competent the supervisor advised the central shop might not get him back.

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