Pittsfield Businesses Named Finalists Economic Impact Awards

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. Mayor Peter Marchetti announced that two Pittsfield businesses, Hot Plate Brewing Co. and Interprint, were respectively named as Silver and Bronze Awardees for the 2023 MassEcon Economic Impact Awards.
 
According to MassEcon, the Economic Impact Awards celebrate companies throughout the Commonwealth for their contributions to the state's economy. Each awardee must meet three criteria including locating a new operation in Massachusetts or expanding operations resulting in added jobs and facility investment, social impact with community involvement/philanthropic efforts and internal/external equity, diversity and inclusion practices.
 
To honor these accomplishments, members of the public are invited to attend a celebration at Hot Plate, at 1 School Street, on Thursday, April 18 from 5-7 p.m. In addition, this event will include an opportunity to network with new business owners who have recently opened in Pittsfield.
 
"Interprint and Hot Plate are prime examples of thriving businesses within their industries," said Mayor Peter Marchetti. "Pittsfield continues to support the expansion of business and introduction of new businesses throughout our community."
 
The city has a variety of incentives to offer support to existing businesses who are looking to expand their operations or new businesses that want to relocate to Pittsfield.
 
Sarah Real, Owner and Head Brewer and Mike Dell'Aquila, co-founder and general manager opened Hot Plate Brewing Company in early 2023. 
 
Real is an award winning and nationally recognized home brewer.
 
The city provided Hot Plate with $140,000 of Pittsfield Economic Development funding for the creation of four full-time jobs with the addition of part-time staff positions. In addition, Hot Plate received $125,000 from the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation for a small business loan and technical assistance grant.
 
"We're thrilled to be recognized as a Silver Awardee by MassEcon, and we definitely see this as a win for the whole community," said Real. "If it weren't for support from the City, Pittsfield residents, and all of the collaborators we've had the chance to work with, we wouldn't have been able to meet and exceed some of Hot Plate's admittedly ambitious goals."
 
Interprint, a manufacturing business located in the city since 1985, is constructing a 57,000 square foot
manufacturing facility to accommodate a project that includes three new printing presses. The city provided a 10-year tax increment financing agreement for creating 20 permanent full-time manufacturing jobs by 2025 with a total capital investment of approximately $31 million dollars.
 
"Interprint, Inc. is proud to again be recognized by MassEcon for this expansion project – the largest ever at our Route 41 facility," said Director of Communications, Peter Stasiowski. "The City of Pittsfield's continuing support has paid dividends over our nearly 40-year history as a stable and growing employer whose fulltime workforce will soon exceed 200 for the first time."
 

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Central Berkshire Navigating AI in Education

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School District is researching artificial intelligence in education to inform future policy and practice.
 
"Our ultimate goal is to at least to have some common expectations that we can rally around first," Assistant Superintendent Aaron Robb said at December's School Committee meeting. 
 
In September, Robb established an AI ad hoc committee made up of teachers, a student, the IT director, and a School Committee member. The committee has been trying to meet twice a month, he said. 
 
It is charged with researching the challenges and opportunities AI presents in education to help the district navigate the "AI revolution."
 
Throughout the process, the committee will get guidance from Fadia Rostom-Makdisi, computer  scientist, AI educational adviser, and former principal of St. Agnes' School. 
 
"She's gone off on her own as a consultant and she's doing some consulting work with schools around AI and she's been doing some, as we've just been calling it, 'AI 101' training in our district," Robb said. 
 
During the November professional development days, almost 100 district staff and faculty received a three-hour basic AI training from Rostom-Makdisi which covered the how and what of AI and several commonly used AI tools in education. 
 
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