Greylock Federal Promotes Vice President, Business Banking Officer II

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Greylock Federal Credit Union announced the promotion of Chris Barry to Vice President, Business Banking Officer II.
 
"For nearly two decades, Chris has been a dedicated member of our Greylock team. Through the years, Chris has consistently demonstrated a proven track record of success by listening to our members' needs and supporting them through the process from start to finish," said Jodi Rathbun-Briggs, Senior Vice President, Chief Lending Officer. "One of Chris' strengths is the willingness to educate and help others on their path to entrepreneurship. In his new role, I know that Chris, and his team, will continue to provide this level of authentic and meaningful service to our existing and future business members."
 
In his role, Barry will service existing and new business members, work on business development, originate and underwrite commercial loans, and help to create and manage new products, services, and classes to serve the community.
 
Barry began his career with Greylock as a commercial credit analyst in 2006.
 
"In this work, I have the privilege of supporting our business members each step of the way, whether that's helping them to get started or expand on what they've worked so hard to build. In each case, it's great to see their businesses flourish and succeed. For our team at Greylock, that's really what matters the most, and in this role, I look forward to continuing to support our business members achieve their dreams," said Barry.
 
Beyond his professional role, Barry serves on the board of directors for the Berkshire Family YMCA, volunteers with the Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) initiative, and is actively involved with Berkshire Agricultural Ventures.
 
Barry lives in Lee with his wife, Christine, and has two daughters, Paige, and Quinn.
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Social Service Organizations Highlight Challenges, Successes at Poverty Talk

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Dr. Jennifer Michaels of the Brien Center demonstrates how to use Narcan. Easy access to the drug has cut overdose deaths in the county by nearly half. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Recent actions at the federal level are making it harder for people to climb out of poverty.

Brad Gordon, executive director of Upside413, said he felt like he was doing a disservice by not recognizing national challenges and how they draw a direct line from choices being made by the Trump administration and the challenges the United States is facing. 

"They more generally impact people's ability to work their way out of poverty, and that's really, that's really the overarching dynamic," he said. 

"Poverty is incredibly corrosive, and it impacts all the topics that we'll talk about today." 

His comments came during a conversation on poverty hosted by Berkshire Community Action Council. Eight local service agency leaders detailed how they are supporting people during the current housing and affordability crisis, and the Berkshire state delegation spoke to their own efforts.

The event held on March 27 at the Berkshire Athenaeum included a working lunch and encouraged public feedback. 

"All of this information that we're going to gather today from both you and the panelists is going to drive our next three-year strategic plan," explained Deborah Leonczyk, BCAC's executive director. 

The conversation ranged from health care and housing production to financial literacy and child care.  Participating agencies included Upside 413, The Brien Center, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, MassHire Berkshire Career Center, Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and Child Care of the Berkshires. 

The federal choices Gordon spoke about included allocating $140 billion for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, investing $38 billion to convert warehouses into detention centers, cutting $1 trillion from Medicaid over 10 years, a proposed 50 percent increase in the defense budget, and cutting federal funding for supportive housing programs. 

Gordon pointed to past comments about how the region can't build its way out of the housing crisis because of money. He withdrew that statement, explaining, "You know what? That's bullshit, actually."

"I'm going to be honest with you, that is absolute bullshit. I have just observed over the last year or so how we're spending our money and the amount of money that we're spending on the federal side, and I'm no longer saying in good conscience that we can't build our way out of this," he said. 

Upside 413 provided a "Housing Demand in Western Massachusetts" report that was done in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's Donahue Institute of Economic and Public Policy Research. It states that around 23,400 units are needed to meet current housing demand in Western Mass; 1,900 in Berkshire County in 2025. 

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