Esther Quinn Award winner John Bissell is shown with his wife, Melissa, son, George, and daughter, Whidbey.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Leaders of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce called for a renewed focus on economic development at the chamber's 103rd annual meeting Friday evening at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
President and CEO Jonathan Butler said the chamber will set the tone for a "new way" for a unified future, including greater promotion and awareness of the 1Berkshire collaboration (the chamber, Berkshire Creative and the Berkshire Visitors Bureau), assisting businesses with recruitment and retention, addressing population loss, and creating an entrepreneurial environment.
Butler said studies have shown that the county has lost 18,000 residents in 40 years, with a notable loss of population of those aged 22 to 40. He said a population task force will focus on lifestyle in the Berkshires to attract that age group.
"Five years from now, we want opportunities for that group to work and live here," he said.
Butler said work force alignment is another critical need.
"There are 1,700 unfilled jobs in the county – good jobs with benefits – and there may be another thousand jobs that aren't listed," he said. "We need to produce a pool of qualified employees" to reassure businesses that the right work force is available in Berkshire County.
The chamber president also said the organization will focus on building an "entrepreneurial environment" to make the Berkshires a destination for small businesses.
"We will need mentors, advisers and professionals to foster that environment, and we need to provide financial incentives."
Butler said the chamber's foundation is strong, "but as the world moves, so must we."
He said there will be a shift in marketing and communication methods toward social media and the Internet, and will offer free social media consultation for businesses to help them assess the effectiveness of their own efforts.
Chamber members elected Linda Gaspardi Febles as the organization's new board chairman.
Febles, of Coakley, Pierpan, Dolan and Collins (a division of MountainOne Bank), called it a "special day" and said she has been "thinking about this moment for a long time – I've been waiting 10 years!"
Febles recalled her work as a Chamber ambassador, working with new members to make connections and build a network.
Members also honored outgoing board Chairman Peter Stasiowski, director of communications at Interprint Inc.
The 2014 Esther Quinn Award was presented to John Bissell, executive vice president of Greylock Federal Credit Union, for his commitment to developing the Berkshires' community, evident in his involvement in early childhood literacy, and cultural and economic development initiatives throughout the county.
In presenting the award to Bissell, Kristine Hazzard, executive director of Berkshire United Way, lauded him for his "impressive intellect and personable and respectful demeanor" and added, "he wants the best for his community."
Bissell thanked his employer for giving him the time to volunteer and said "volunteerism runs very deep" at Greylock Federal Credit Union.
"I accept this on behalf of the entire Greylock team. With teamwork, we can take on any challenge and we can succeed."
Massachusets Museum of Contemporary Art Executive Director Joseph Thompson presented the Francis H. Hayden Award to Duncan Brown, chairman of the North Adams Partnership. The award is given to a Northern Berkshire resident who has made significant contributions to the economic, social, or cultural condition of the region.
"I believe all of us in this room are New Englanders who share similar values," said Brown. He said those values include honesty at every level, frugality, and being good neighbors. "Helping our neighbors – it's in our genes. We wouldn't be in this room if we didn't do that. I'm honored to be a New Englander, I'm honored to be a Berkshirite. But I'm mostly honored to be a recipient of the Hayden Award."
Elected to three-year terms on the cdhamber Board of Directors were Jerry Burke (Hillcrest Educational Centers), Linda Bjork (TD Bank), Eugene Dellea (Hillcrest Campus of BMC), Donna DiGennaro (United Personnel), Stephanie Kinstle (Cranwell Resort), Joseph Lotano (NBT Bank), Mark McKenna (Lee Bank), Christa Proper (Proper Connections LLC), Jodi Rathbun-Briggs (Greylock Federal Credit Union) and Ron Griffin (EDM Services, Inc.)
Appointed to one-year terms were Jared Decoteau (Public Eat & Drink); Donna Halton (Adams Community Bank), Scott Kirchner (Mad Macs Inc.), Thomas Hammel (Martin, Oliveira & Hamel, PC) and Christine MacBeth (The Brien Center). David Paris (Carr Hardware) and Craig Smith (Berkshire Community College) were introduced as additional new board members.
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Esther Quinn Award winner John Bissell is shown with his wife, Melissa, son, George, and daughter, Whidbey.
