BusinessTalk

BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien has a lively discussion with  David Godaire, president and CEO of HassHire Holyoke. The two discuss  the ongoing labor shortage impacting virtually all businesses in the  region, the many different forces behind it, and the outlook for the  short term as federal unemployment benefits, specifically the $300  weekly bonuses expire. &n...

BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien has a lively discussion with Eugene Cassidy, president and CEO of the Big E. As the start of the fair approaches, there is both anticipation and apprehension about the 17-day gathering in the wake of COVID and the Delta variant.  The two discuss what the expectations are for the 2021 fair, the steps being taken in the wake of COVID, and the importance...

On the next installment of BusinessTalk,  BusinessWest  Editor  George O’Brien has a lively discussion with Dr. Robert Roose, chief  medical officer for Mercy Medical Center. The two discuss the changing  scene with COVID-19, the emergence of the Delta variant, the outlook for  the fall — and beyond, and the many factors that will determine the  course of the COV...

BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien has a lively discussion with  Peter Rosskothen, owner of the Log Cabin Banquet & meeting House,  the Delaney House restaurant, and other hospitality-related businesses.  The two talk about the changing numbers when it comes to the pandemic,  the emergence of the Delta variant, and what all this could mean for  businesses already...

BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien has a lively discussion with  Mary Flahive Dickson, chief development officer and chief medical  officer for Golden Years Homecare Services. The two talk about what has  become a very serious workforce crisis in healthcare, the reasons behind  it, the impact on area healthcare providers, and the outlook for the  future. It’s must li...

BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien has a lively discussion with  Meghan Rothschild, president and owner of Chikmedia and one of five  finalists for BusinessWest’s coveted 40 Under Forty Alumni  Achievement Award. The two talk about her business, but especially her  efforts to mentor and coach women in business and also her work within  the community and to support ma...

BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien has a lively discussion with  Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, another of the  finalists for BusinessWest’s coveted Alumni Achievement Award. The two  talk about a number of the D.A.’s recent programs and initiatives, from  work on cold cases, to the Emerging Adult Court of Hope, to efforts to  curb everything from...

George O’Brien has a lively discussion with Massachusetts State Sen.  Eric Lesser, one of five finalists for BusinessWest’s coveted 40 Under  Forty Alumni Achievement Award. The two tackle a wide range of topics,  including high-speed rail, the new Future of Work Commission Lesser now  sits on, and redistricting and what it might mean for Springfield and  the rest of Weste...

BusinessWest  Editor  George O’Brien has a lively discussion with Ray Berry, founder and  owner of White Lion Brewing, author of one of the region’s more  intriguing, and thirst-quenching, stories of entrepreneurship. The two  talk about everything from the recent opening of the company’s tap room  and restaurant in Tower Square, to the many challenges this business h...

BusinessWest editor George O’Brien talks with Charlie Christianson,  president of East Longmeadow-based CMD Technology Group. The two discuss  the recent spate of high-profile cyber attacks and how they have served  to drive home the point that small businesses — and large businesses as  well — need to do all they can to be prevent such breaches and properly  respond when...

BusinessWest editor George O’Brien talks with John Doleva, president and  CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. The two discuss the state’s New  Normal stage of reopening, new exhibits at the Hall, and how 2021 is  shaping up as a strong, memorable  year for the shrine. It’s must  listening, so tune in to BusinessTalk, a podcast presented by  BusinessWest in partnership...

BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien  continues his series of discussions with members of the magazine’s 40  Under Forty class of 2021. This week, his guest is Julissa Colon,  special programs coordinator for the Gateway to College program at  Holyoke Community College. The two discuss the many ways this program  helps those who have left traditional education set and...

On the next installment of BusinessTalk,  BusinessWest  Editor  George O’Brien begins a series of shows devoted to the 40 Under Forty  Class of 2021 by talking with top scorer Jessica Bossie, primary care  doctor for Health Services for the Homeless. The two discuss the  critical work that this agency carries out, the many challenges involved  with treating the h...

The two discuss a wide range of topics,  from how business owners and managers handle the reopening of their  offices and the return of employees — some will want to go to the  office, but many won’t — to the growing challenge of simply finding  enough good help. Employers across virtually all sectors are struggling  with this assignment, and Wise notes things may get even...

On this installment of BusinessTalk,  BusinessWest  Editor George  O’Brien talks with Suzanne Murphy, CEO and founder of Unemployment Tax  Control Associates in Springfield. The two discuss a critical issue now  facing employers across the region — the huge increases in the  unemployment insurance solvency fund assessment now facing all business  owners. These as...

The two have a lively discussion  about everything from the state of the golf business in the wake of the  pandemic — the sport has actually received a big boost from COVID — to  how the federal government’s various economic stimulus programs are  helping small businesses — like his — by giving people more buying  power. It’s must listening, so join us on BusinessTalk, a p...

BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien talks with Judy Matt, president of the Spirit of  Springfield. The two have a lively discussion about the toll the pandemic has taken  on this nonprofit and the many types of events it stages for the region,  and how, if all goes well,  2021 could be a bounce back year for this  important institution. They also talk about just how c...

BusinessWest  Editor  George O’Brien talks with Mark Melnik, director of economic and public  policy research at the UMass Donahue Institute in Amherst.  The two have a lively  discussion about everything from recent data on how many people are  leaving the state — and why — to the ongoing economic recovery, the  shape it will take, and the many factors that will...

BusinessWest  Editor  George O’Brien talks with Vince Jackson, executive director of the  Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. The two have a lively  discussion about the deep toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on  Paradise City, and how that community’s strong, eclectic business  community has responded with determination, imagination, and  perseverance. T...

BusinessWest  Editor  George O’Brien talks with Aaron Vega, the former state representative  who is now director of Planning and Economic Development in the city of Holyoke. The two discuss the  city’s efforts to recover momentum lost to the pandemic, and zero in on  efforts to expand a budding cluster of cannabis-related businesses in  this former mill town. New oper...

BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien talks with Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center, recently honored as one of the magazine’s Healthcare Heroes for 2020. The two discuss the state of the pandemic and current trends with cases and hospitalizations, as well as the many ways COVID is impacting the bottom line at this and  other hospitals. The two also discuss HMC’s ongoing...

BusinessWest  Editor  George O’Brien talks with Carol Campbell, president of Chicopee Industrial Contractors, and one of the magazine’s Women of Impact for  2020. The two discuss the state of the economy and the outlook for 2021,  but mostly they talk about the glass ceiling, why it still exists, and  what it will take to remove the barriers from women entering the  b...

BusinessWest Editor George O’Brien talks with State Sen. Eric  Lesser, co-chair of the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging  Technologies. The two discuss the recently passed $600 million economic  development bill and how its various provisions will help small  businesses severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. They also discuss  how the bill might help leve...

BusinessWest  Editor  George O’Brien talks with Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the  Western Mass. Economic Development Council. The two discuss the state of  the economy and the outlook for the balance of 2021. The two also  discuss the pandemic, its impact on the local business community, and  the possibility that it might provide some opportunities for the regi...

BusinessWest  Editor George O’Brien talks with Andy Yee, president of the Bean Restaurant Group. The two discuss the ongoing plight of area restaurants as they battle the pandemic, ever-tighter restrictions on their operations, and the onset of winter. They also discuss the various forms of relief restaurants are receiving and whether they will be enough to help them withstand the many challe...