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During Restaurant Week, 13 participating restaurants will serve a lunch or dinner pre-fixe for $20.20 or another amount ending with $.20 (tax and gratuity not included).

Biz Briefs: Downtown Pittsfield Inc. Hosts Downtown Pittsfield Restaurant Week

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Downtown Pittsfield Restaurant Week

Downtown Pittsfield Inc. has announced Downtown Pittsfield Restaurant Week, a seven-day promotion running March 1-7. During Restaurant Week, 13 participating restaurants will serve a lunch or dinner pre-fixe for $20.20 or another amount ending with $.20 (tax and gratuity not included).

The goal of Downtown Pittsfield Restaurant Week is to highlight the numerous and diverse dining options of downtown Pittsfield and to help boost business during what is typically a slower time of the year for restaurants. DPI encourages residents to support their downtown favorites or try somewhere new. Participating restaurants include: Dottie's Coffee Lounge, Eat on North, Flavours of Malaysia, House of India, The Marketplace Café, Methuselah Bar & Lounge, Mission Restaurant, Otto's Kitchen & Comfort, Panchos Mexican Restaurant, Patrick’s Pub, That's a Wrap Café, Thrive Diner, and Tito's Mexican Grill.

New this year, dine downtown during Restaurant Week for a chance to win a basket of gift certificates. Pick up a Restaurant Week Passport at participating restaurants and purchase a Restaurant Week special to enter. Diners will receive a card punch, by restaurant staff, each time they buy a Restaurant Week special. Each punch entitles the diner one entry into the raffle (i.e., five punches equals five raffle entries). One grand prize winner will receive a basket of gift certificates for $20.20 from each participating restaurant.

For a full list of Restaurant Week promotions, visit the website or follow Downtown Pittsfield on Facebook.

 

SVHC 'Best Place to Work'

Southwestern Vermont Health Care has been named one of the 2020's Best Places to Work for the sixth year in a row. SVHC received the honor for the first time in 2015. It remains the only hospital in the state of Vermont to be recognized by the awards program.

This statewide program is presented by Vermont Business Magazine in partnership with the Society for Human Resource Management, Vermont State Council; the Vermont Department of Commerce and Community Development; and Best Companies Group. The program surveys and identifies the best places of employment to recognize organizations that benefit the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses.

In the recent past, SVHC has earned several other prominent distinctions, including appearing on Becker's Hospital Review's national list of the "Top 150 Places to Work in Healthcare" since 2016. In October 2019, Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, SVHC's skilled nursing facility, earned a deficiency-free rating from Vermont regulators, and in November 2019, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center earned an "A" for hospital safety from the Leapfrog Group. In 2017, the hospital received the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s top honor, the Magnet Prize.


The final rankings for each category of the Best Places to Work in Vermont awards will be announced at a special awards presentation in March 2020. For more information on the Best Places to Work in Vermont program, visit the website.

 

Nonprofit directory

The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires has issued the second edition of its Nonprofit Resource Directory designed to make it easier for nonprofits to find business services in Berkshire County. The 68-page directory is underwritten by advertisers and mailed free to more than 300 nonprofits. A digital version is available for download online, and additional printed copies can be purchased for $10 at npcberkshires.org.

The 2020 Nonprofit Resource Directory is arranged by subject and includes accounting, banking, events, fundraising, graphic design, human resources, insurance, legal, legislators, marketing, office supplies, organizational development, print services, professional development and technology services. Subcategories within the main categories further pinpoint the specific types of services that nonprofits need such as videographers, media contacts, and grant writers.  

The NPC also fields referrals daily via phone at 413-645-3151 or email.

 

PearsonWallace Insurance opens office

Pearson Wallace Insurance has opened an office at 25 Henry St. in Pittsfield and 11 Amity St. Amherst. Founder Beth Pearson, a resident of Pittsfield and Amherst, said that the agency will provide quality and affordable insurance products and services to Massachusetts and New York.

Pearson Wallace currently provides personal auto, home and business insurance services. PWI opened these office with the intent of filling a gap for customers facing limited choices in choosing a local agent. Banks and big insurance retailers with headquarters in other cities and sometimes other countries are buying up the local agents, and in many cases reducing key staff, leaving the less-experienced insurance people to run the office. These big box retailers and banks are managing customers as a commodity, not as individuals.

PWI will focus on concierge insurance services, including RMV registry runs, workers comp audits, claims management and more. The office can be reached at 413-464-9390.

 

Public Works Award

The City of North Adams Public Works Department has been selected for the 2020 Best of North Adams Award in the Utility Companies category by the North Adams Award Program. Each year, the North Adams Award Program identifies companies that have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the North Adams area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2020 North Adams Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the North Adams Award Program and data provided by third parties.

 

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

PEDA Site 9 Preparation, Member Retirement

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The redevelopment of Site 9 for mixed-use in the William Stanley Business Park is set to take off. 

Edward Weagle, principal geologist at Roux Associates, gave an update on the yearlong work to the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority last week.

"It's been a real pleasure for me to work on a project like this," he said. "This is kind of like a project of a career of a lifetime for me, and I'm very pleased to see that we're just at the finish line right now. My understanding is that all the documents are in front of the commissioner, waiting for her to sign off."

Mill Town Capital is planning to develop a mixed-use building that includes housing on the site. Roux, headquartered in Islandia, N.Y., was hired assist with obtaining grant financing, regulatory permitting, and regulatory approvals to aid in preparing the 16.5-acre site for redevelopment. Approximately 25,000 cubic yards of concrete slabs, foundations, and pavements were removed from the former GE site. 

Once the documents are signed off, PEDA can begin the work of transferring 4.7 acres to Mill Town. Weagle said the closing on this project will make it easier to work on the other parcels and that he's looking forward to working on Sites 7 and 8.

PEDA received a $500,000 Site Readiness Program grant last year from MassDevelopment for Sites 7 and Site 8. The approximately 3-acre sites are across Woodlawn Avenue from Site 9 and border Kellogg Street. 

In other news, the state Department of Transportation has rented the east side of the parking lot for CDL (Commercial Driver's License) training. This is an annual lease that began in September and will bring in $37,200 in revenue.

Lastly, the meeting concluded with congratulations to Maurice "Mick" Callahan Jr. on his retirement.

Callahan is a former chair and a founding member of PEDA, dating back to when the board was established in the 1990s. He has also served on a number of civic and community boards and has volunteered for many organizations in the Berkshires. He is the president of M. Callahan Inc. 

"The one thing that's been a common denominator back is that you've always put others before yourself. You've served others well. You've been a mentor to two generations of Denmarks, and I'm sure many generations of other families and people within this city," said board Chair Jonathan Denmark. "We can never say thank you enough, but thank you for your services, for the creation of this board, your service to the city of Pittsfield, and to all the communities that you've represented and enjoy retirement." 

"It wasn't always easy to be in the position that you were in Mick, but you handled it with so much grace, always respecting this community, bringing pride to our community," member Linda Clairmont said. "I could not have accomplished many of the things I did, especially here for this business part, without you all of the Economic Development discussions that we had really informed my thinking, and I'm so grateful."

Callahan left the team with a message as this was his final meeting, but said he is always reachable if needed.

"I also have to say that a lot of great people sat around this table and other tables before the current board, and the time that I had with Pam [Green] and Mike [Filpi] sticking around, the leadership of this mayor [board member Linda Tyer], and it really, it was always great synergy," he said.

"So don't be afraid to embrace change. And you know, you got a business model. It's been around long time. Shake it up. Take a good look at it, figure out where it needs to go, and you're lucky to have leadership that you have here."

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