MountainOne Celebrates Graduates of the Emerging Leaders Program

12:00PM / Friday, January 10, 2025Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — MountainOne announced that eight of its rising Mountaineers have graduated from the company's Emerging Leaders Program (ELP).

The ELP is a cornerstone of MountainOne's commitment to developing talent within the organization. Over the course of the 2024 program, this group of Mountaineers enhanced their leadership skills, while also taking on projects that created tangible business impact, and helped each participant build confidence and competency along this path.

This year's cohort included the following eight Mountaineers:

Alyson Lesure, Claims Representative & Branch Support Supervisor (Insurance)
Betsy Kapner, VP, Marketing Manager (Marketing)
Erik Ray, Community Banking Officer (Community Banking)
Erin Galvin, Community Banking Officer (Community Banking)
Jessica Andrews, AVP, Deposit Compliance Officer & Fraud Administration Officer (Risk Management)
Kyle Shepard, Operations Analyst (Operations)
Paula Malloy, AVP, Assistant Controller (Accounting)
Ryan Belanger, Network & Systems Officer (IT)

The ELP consists of two phases: the first focuses on leadership training and self-discovery, and the second involves actionable activities to address high-priority projects that explore new possibilities for MountainOne.

Participants were split into two groups, with one team focusing on the impact of chat platforms and their potential to streamline workflows and enhance collaboration. The second team created a sustainable Social Media Ambassadorship Program, an initiative aimed at empowering employees to actively support MountainOne's brand on social platforms.

The groups presented their final projects to the executive and senior leadership team in November. At this time, a commencement ceremony was held to recognize the growth and achievements of this cohort of emerging leaders.

"The Emerging Leaders Program is about more than just building leadership skills—it's about giving our employees the tools, confidence and opportunity to make a real impact," said Beth Petropulos, SVP, Senior Human Resources Officer. "This year's graduates tackled meaningful challenges with creativity and focus, delivering results that will have a lasting impact on our organization. It's exciting to see the talent and potential we have within MountainOne, and I'm very proud of each participant for their hard work and dedication."

Tags: MountainOne,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

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

Key West Bar Gets Probation in Underage Incident

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:54AM / Wednesday, February 11, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Key West is on probation for the next six months after an incident of underage drinking back in November.

The License Commission had continued a hearing on the bar to consult with the city solicitor on whether charges could be brought. The opinion was that it was up to the District Attorney.

Chief Mark Bailey at Tuesday's commission meeting said he did not believe criminal charges applied in this instance because no one at the bar "knowingly or intentionally" supplied the alcoholic beverages.

"I feel that the bartender thought that the person was over 21 so it's not like she knowingly provided alcohol to them, to a person under 21. She just assumed that the person at the door was doing their job," he said. "So I don't feel that we can come after them criminally, or the bartender or the doorman, because the doorman did not give them alcohol."

The incident involved two 20-year-old men who had been found inside the State Street bar after one of the men's mothers had first taken him out of the bar and then called police when he went back inside. Both times, it appeared neither man had been carded despite a bouncer who was supposed to be scanning identification cards.

The men had been drinking beer and doing shots. The chief said the bouncer was caught in a lie because he told the police he didn't recognize the men, but was seen on the bar's video taking their drinks when police showed up.

Commissioner Peter Breen hammered on the point that if the intoxicated men had gotten behind the wheel of their car, a tragedy could have occurred. He referenced several instances of intoxicated driving, including three deaths, over the past 15 years — none of which involved Key West.

View Full Story