1Berkshire Welcomes New Economic Recovery Corps Fellow

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 1Berkshire announced the arrival of its new Economic Recovery Corps fellow, Lani Willmar.

The ERC Fellowship is a national program run by the International Economic Development Council thanks to funding from the United States Economic Development Administration. For the next year, Lani will be working with the Economic Development team at 1Berkshire, in partnership with the Berkshire Innovation Center, to assist existing and new efforts focused on supporting  the region's innovation economy. 1Berkshire is one of only 64 host organizations across the country selected to host an ERC fellow, making it an exciting and rare chance to leverage highly skilled professional capacity for regional good.

The ERC Fellowship role in the Berkshires is focused on four primary areas, including:

• Bridging opportunities for youth to engage significantly in entrepreneurial activities within small and innovative businesses in the region.

• Helping to build additional connective tissue across partners and qualified referral resource providers across the four counties of Western Massachusetts.

• Identifying and pursuing new funding and technical assistance opportunities to bring into the region to support current and future business success.

• Sharing the authentic narrative of existing innovative businesses, entrepreneurs, and powerful stories being written across the region's diverse economic landscape. 

Willmar is a Vietnamese American entrepreneur who began her journey in the Berkshires as a QuestBridge Scholar for low-income, first-generation students at Williams College. As the founder of Ethos Pathways and Ethos Admissions, she leads two youth-centered social impact organizations focused on education access, climate justice, and workforce development.

Drawing on both lived and professional experience, Willmar strives to bridge gaps in educational and economic mobility for students. She brings a decade of expertise building cross-sector youth development programs along with private tech-sector experience in early stage talent acquisition and scaled hiring. Willmar's work draws from both a global and local lens, including her time as a Fulbright Scholar in rural Slovakia working with beekeepers and at an agriculture trade school, and most recently as a member of the Berkshire Innovation Center's Stage 2 Accelerator. 

Dalton Swap Shed Seeks Volunteers; Wahconah Umbrella Club Designs Shed

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
12:42PM / Friday, June 26, 2026

The swap shed has usable goods looking for a second life. 

DALTON, Mass. —The town is seeking volunteers to operate "Dal-mart," the transfer station's swap shed. 

 

The initiative provides individuals the opportunity to leave items they no longer need and/or take some items they need for free which prevents usable items from being tossed in landfills, reducing waste and supporting sustainability.

 

The shop is currently open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with hopes to expand operating hours as community awareness grows and additional volunteers become available to help staff the space.

 

"It's a way of reusing other people's stuff that's still in good condition," Green Committee member Kathy Perney said, highlighting a few items often found in the shop including toys, books, and dinnerware. 

 

The town opened the shop last June and to spread awareness invited Wahconah Regional High School students in the Umbrella Club to paint it.

 

When presented with this experience, 19 students stepped up to help design the illustration, although only eight were able to go on the field trip to paint. 

 

The students researched indigenous flowers and fauna to incorporate in its design, featuring the area's four seasons. Prominently displayed on the front are images that bring to light fall and spring and a native blue butterfly.