Winter 2011 - Corridor Nine Chamber of Commerce

WINTER/SPRING | 2011
CONNECTIONS
Serving the Corridor Nine Regional Business Community
CORRIDOR NINE
WELCOMES
95 NEW MEMBERS!
From September thru November, Corridor Nine held its
“Everyone Gets One” or what we called our EGO Boost Fall
New Member Campaign with the goal of signing up 65 new
members.
For the very first time we asked our members
to join in a spirited team competition to recruit new members. Over 60 volunteers participated in this campaign and
the results equaled a huge success with a total of 95 new
members! The list of all our new members is included inside
the newsletter.
Top Producer: The Lone Ranger- Jimmie Ames
of Avidia Bank
Top Producer of the campaign was Jimmie Ames of
Avidia Bank who worked as
a Lone Ranger in this campaign
successfully
signing
up 15 new members on his
own. Jimmie continues to be
the reigning champ in new
member recruitment for Corridor Nine! We salute our wellknown schmoozinator and Top
Producer
Jimmie
Avidia Bank.
Ames
of
Top Producer Jimmie Ames, Avidia Bank
First Place Team: Membership Mavericks
Congratulations to the Membership Mavericks for signing up 13
new members. The prize awarded to the first place team was a
fabulous 3 course dinner sponsored by Tavolino Restaurant and
the group enjoyed their fine dining experience in January.
Fall New Membership Campaign Kick-off with 65 volunteers forming teams at
Tatnuck Booksellers.
First Place Team “Membership Mavericks” left to right: Team Captain: Noel
Sior-Woodard, Woodard Interiors; Lalitha Ramakrishnan, LSR Associates; Jonathan Shapiro, Computer Care Associates; Jennifer DiGeronimo, Greenscape
Inc.; Vickie Griffin, Confetti Gifts; Lisa Shapiro, Computer Care Associates (not
present in photo: CJ Bowker, Aclaro Risk Management)
www.corridornine.org
Letter from President
Dear Member,
UNIBANK - for reaching 1 Billion
$ in assets.
Marlborough Savings Bank celebrated the opening of
its new corporate office on
Granger Blvd., Marlborough.
And now for a micro view of what’s happening in
our small corner of the world. We are finding that
you and almost all of our members continue to welcome all that is new, fresh and different. Change,
improve, grow, evolve, develop a unique fresh perspective and approach to all that we do is the 2011
mantra for C9! Enjoying what we offer and making it fun and productive for everyone is what we
are learning from you, our members. Connecting
with you and helping you connect with each other in meaningful ways has become our goal. The
Chamber of Inclusion is where we are right now.
In our world we are always learning and growing
with you our members, improving and changing
based on your reactions to our programs, events
and committee work.
Joe MacDonough recognized
by Karen Chapman and Barbara Clifford for his contributions to
Corridor Nine at his Avidia Bank
retirement party. Joe served
on Corridor Nine’s Board of
Directors for 15 years and served
as President of the Board from
2003-2005.
Photo by Ron Bouley
Well here we
all are, living in a
business climate
that appears to
be “the new normal” which we
are accepting
speedily, if not
joyously- since it
beats the harsh
realities of 20082009! Along with this new reality we’ve been
served up with an incredibly intense winter of
bad weather with tons of snow. When I visited
friends in the lakes region of Maine a couple of
weeks ago, it was somewhat staggering to see
that they had less snow accumulation than we
did here in the Corridor Nine region. To sum up
the macro view, between the extreme political
situation in many parts of the world and the impending reality of high prices for gasoline- we
still look forward rather hopefully to spring, which
can’t come soon enough for most of us!
Our newsletter is chock full of information on
what has happened in the C9 world these last
six months. As we look back on this period, we
can actually say that we have achieved some
wonderful accomplishments and as always it’s
our members that we thank for their incredible
support. You helped us grow by being generous
with your resources, allowing us to support and
improve the lives of so many others in our greater
community. Here’s to all of you, wishing you a
positive and improved spring/summer.
Looking forward to seeing all of you on April 6th
at the Business Expo!
Barbara Clifford
President, Corridor Nine
2#
Kudos!
Advanced Hearing Solutions at Whittier Rehab Hospital celebrated their Grand Opening
with a ribbon cutting event.
Wegmans Food Markets was
named by Fortune Magazine as
the Third Best Company to work
for in the U.S. Wegmans V.P Bill
Congdon with Corridor Nine
September 2011 Breakfast Speaker, Wegmans V.P. Mary Ellen Burris.
Cyprian Keyes Golf Club - Staff named
PING Regional Club Fitter of the Year.
Tavolino Italian Gourmet Restaurant celebrated its 1 year Anniversary in
business in Westborough.
Not Your Average Joes - celebrated
its 1 year Anniversary in business in
Westborough.
The Research Bureau, Worcester - celebrated its 25 year Anniversary.
St. Mary’s Credit Union, Northborough
celebrated their 5th Anniversary with a
Business After Hours (see photo page 6)
P. Pellegrino Trucking Company celebrates its 40th Anniversary in business.
Mercedes-Benz - cut the ribbon with a Grand Opening
at Wagner Motors in Shrewsbury. Phu Mai honors Mark
Wagner with a citation from
Representative Karyn Polito at
Mercedes Grand Opening.
Central One Federal Credit Union CEO
David L’Ecuyer and VP April Healey
open a new branch at Shrewsbury High
School.
The Blue Team wins Summer Sizzle competition led by team captain Dr.
John Abbondanza (bottom right)of Vision Care Specialists. Event hosted
by Teamworks, Bob Rojee (top left)and Kevin O’Connell (top right).
Joanne Goldstein, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development,
joins Senator Michael Moore to discuss Health Care small business issues.
2010 Holiday After Hours Sponsors: Robert Flora, Julie Hurley and Kelly
Marcimo of Charter Business; Darline Thorp Yatim and Adam Healy
of Shrewsbury Health and Racquet Club, Jim Ames of Avidia Bank,
Patrick Royce of Webster Five, Barry Chapin of Chapin Intellectual
Property Law, LLC, and Rick Anderson of Gaudette Insurance. Sponsors not in photo: Ed Lopes of Grafton Suburban Credit Union and
Howard O’Brien of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.
Applefest Road Race Committee (Left to right): Steven Lacerte,
AstraZeneca; Kristen Whalley, Betsey Cummings-Loomis, AstraZeneca;
Dave Jacobs, Office Depot; Vickie Griffin, Confetti Gifts; Paul Williams, Eastern Insurance; Carol Campomizzi, Car Wash & Detailing of
Westborough; Jessica Thomas, Westborough Swim & Tennis Club; and
Karen Chapman.
Race Committee Chairman Dave Jacobs of Office Depot recognizes
82 year old Marjorie Rosiello for finishing her 300th race!
More than 300 attendees pack White Cliffs for the legendary
Corridor Nine Holiday After Hours!
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UMass Memorial at Southborough Business After Hours: Karen Chapman, Corridor Nine Chairman Donna Cox, Marlborough Hospital CEO
John Polanowicz and Director of Marketing & Communications Melissa
Hodgson and Barbara Clifford.
St. Mary’s Credit Union CEO Jack Caulfield welcomes 300 attendees
to the Business After Hours celebrating St. Mary’s Credit Union 5 year
anniversary in Northborough.
“Let’s Make Beautiful Music Together” Business After Hours:
The Zombies – Winners from the “Name that Tune” Contest – From
Left to Right: Peter Stassa, Beth Meltzer, Steve Christy, Tara Auty,
Len Diana, Carey Buttfield, Brian Cristman, Roberta Savage.
Entertainer James Johnson and John of Crystal Entertainment
Services – February 2011 Business After Hours.
Legislative Breakfast Sponsor: The Commerce Bank Team:
CEO Brian Thompson, Duddie Massad, John McKenna and
Joe Ledoux.
Legislative Breakfast Speakers: Standing: Karen Chapman, Donna
Cox, Senator Harriette Chandler, Rep. George Peterson, Moderator
Mark Donahue, Duddie Massad and Brian Thompson of Commerce
Bank, Rep. Matt Beaton Seated: Rep. Steven Levy, Senator Michael
Moore, Rep. Carolyn Dykema, Barbara Clifford.
More than 300 attendees pack White Cliffs for the legendary
Corridor Nine Holiday After Hours!
2010 Corridor Nine Achievements
• 200+ attendees at breakfasts and business after hours
• 120 Exhibitors and 1,200 visitors at Open for Business Expo
• Hosted numerous FREE Networking events for members
• 180 New Members
• New CORPORATE membership growth with Wegmans Food Market, BJ’s Wholesale Club and Fallon Clinic Occupational
Health joining Corridor Nine
• Built Brand Awareness in Central Mass with 7 full page color
newspaper ads featuring Corridor Nine
• Led a successful campaign to reverse split tax rate in the Town of Southborough
Corridor Nine Chamber
& Doubletree Hotel Food
Campaign
Corridor Nine Chamber, the Doubletree Hotel and Westborough Community Education Spirit Program forged a
partnership to collect food items for those in need with
a drive benefitting the local pantries of Corridor Nine’s
five core towns of Westborough, Northborough, Southborough, Shrewsbury and Grafton.
An incredible 8,500 food items were delivered by the
Doubletree Hotel to the food pantries in December! Another wonderful component of the food campaign was
for every item collected the Doubletree Hotel donated
10 cents to the World Hunger Foundation!
• Introduced a new discount program to help members
aggressively market their business through our Smokin’ Hot Deals Discount Program
• Presented three Free Health Care Forums to share information
about Fair Share and new laws
• Awarded $11,000 in Scholastic Awards to High School Seniors
• Awarded $6,856 in Mini-Grants for Educators
• 397 runners competed in the 5K Applefest Road Race in Northborough
• 8,500 Food items collected for Annual Food Drive supporting
local food pantries
Food Drive collection center at Doubletree Hotel with Ollie
Knight, Barbara Clifford, Henry Tessman, Donna Cox, Peter
Tziahanas and Karen Chapman.
This successful food drive was made possible through
the incredible collaboration of dozens of volunteers and
businesses that included: chamber members and staff,
Doubletree Hotel team members, local schools, students and teachers, Price Chopper, Stop & Shop
and Roche Brothers for hosting food collection days,
Wegmans for a generous cash donation and Mark’s
Moving and Storage for donating all of the cartons used
to collect food and deliver it to the pantries. Corridor
Nine Chamber was happy to be the facilitator of a project that had such a positive impact on local hunger and
thanks all those who gave their time and talent to the
food campaign!
Corridor Nine President Barbara Clifford welcomes Chris Miller of BJ’s
Wholesale Club, Inc. who moved their corporate office with 1,100 employees from Natick to Westborough in January! BJ’s CEO Laura Sen
will be the Corridor Nine September Breakfast speaker.
Food Campaign Launch at the Fales Elementary School in
Westborough.
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Corridor Nine Awards $6,856 in
Mini-Grants to Educators
At the November 18th membership breakfast
with nearly 200 members and guests in
attendance, the Corridor Nine Chamber
awarded 18 mini-grants to educators totaling $6,856. Grants were awarded for special
and worthy projects that benefit students from
Kindergarten to Grade 12. The Chamber’s
mini-grant program is designed to support the
development of innovative teaching ideas and
increase student motivation and enthusiasm by
providing funds for instructional experimentation
and enrichment activities.
Since the mini-grant program’s inception,
312 grants have been awarded totaling over
$89,660. Funding for the grants is dependent
upon donations from Chamber members.
Donations have been made from private
individuals, businesses and corporations in our
community. Special thanks to the following grant
sponsors: Gold Sponsors: AstraZeneca, Avidia
Bank, Bank of America, Marlborough Savings
Bank, Middlesex Savings Bank, PENTA Communications, Inc., St. Mary’s Credit Union, TD Bank;
Silver Sponsors: Aalanco Service Corporation,
Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing
Centers, Central One Federal Credit Union, Datachem Software, Inc., Kurlan & Associates, Inc.,
New England Coaching, Shrewsbury Federal
Credit Union, Webster Five Cents Savings Bank,
The Willows at Westborough; Copper Sponsors: Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co., P.C.,
DYNAMX Financial Solutions, Paramount Cleaning Systems, RMB Consulting, Sovereign Bank,
Swiftec IT.
Congratulations:
Ambassadors of
the Month!
May, June, July, August
September, November 2010:
Jimmie Ames, Avidia Bank
Jimmie Ames of Avidia Bank receives
Ambassador of the Month award from
Chamber Chairman Donna Cox of
DYNAMX Financial Solutions.
October 2010: Dave Jacobs, Office Depot
Dave Jacobs of Office Depot receives
Ambassador of the Month award from
Chamber Chairman Donna Cox of
DYNAMX Financial Solutions.
2010 Mini-Grant Recipients
Upcoming Events
• Monday, March 14: CEO Roundtable Visitors Day!
Location: Corridor Nine Chamber Office, Westborough
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm
(see invitation inside)
• Thursday, June 16: 25th Annual School/Business Partnership Golf Tournament
Location: Juniper Hills Golf Course, Northborough
Time: 8:00 am
• Friday & Saturday, May 6 & 7- Corridor Nine Recycling
Days (Electronics and Paper Shredding) with E.L. Harvey & Sons
Location: Corridor Nine Chamber Parking Lot
30 Lyman St., Westborough
Time: Friday, May 6, 3:00-6:00 pm
Saturday, May 7, 9:00 am-12:00 noon
• Thursday, June 23: Business After Hours Mega Networking
Presented by Corridor Nine and Worcester Regional Chamber
Location: Beechwood Hotel, Worcester
Time: 5:00-7:30 pm
Your Gift is Your Niche
…Your Niche Will Make You Rich
Kathy M. Barron
508.769.7374
Division of Accurate Resource
Group Inc
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Fall Membership Campaign
2nd & 3rd Place Teams!
Prospecting Partners Team, signed up 9 1/2 new members—
please don’t ask about the ½ because it is a long story! These
team members each received a $25 restaurant gift card compliments of Not Your Average Joes!
Second Place Team “Prospecting Partners” (Left to Right)
Mary McParland, McParland Realty; Karen Durand, Acorn Accounting Inc.;
Luke Gilmore, Gilmore Building Company; Team Captain: Susan LaPlanteDube, Precision Marketing Group; Nancy Javaras, Nancy’s Nutrition Inc.
The EGO Maniacs Team, signed up 7 new members. These team
members each received an excellent bottle of cabernet sauvignon
sponsored by Julio’s Liquors!
Congratulations to each and every team member that
participated in our powerful fall membership campaign!
SAVE THE DATE:
2011 Open for Business Expo
Corporate
Sponsor:
Third Place Team “EGO Maniacs “ Team Captain: Steve Anderson, Unibank; Carole Donovan, Image Boosters; Mark Donahue, Fletcher, Tilton &
Whipple, P.C.; Janice Bogasky, Baystate Financial Services; Peter Gardner, Curry Printing (not in photo: T.J. Salvidio, Fletcher, Tilton & Whipple,
P.C.; Julie White, Francis Harvey & Sons)
Premier
Sponsor:
Wednesday, April 6 • Doubletree Hotel • 4:00-8:00 pm
HYPE9 - Young Professionals Network
Helping Young Professionals Engage in Corridor Nine
Corridor Nine’s young professional group – HYPE9 - continues to meet once
a month for their “Brew Before Nine”. HYPE9 members get together
first thing in the morning to network with other young professionals.
The goal of these meetings is to share information, make new contacts, and
exchange ideas with each other.
Motivated HYPE9ers love the theme of a casual, no-frills, business
focused event in which they can make connections, find synergies,
and grow their businesses and professional networks over a cup of coffee.
In addition to monthly networking, HYPE9ers enjoy participating in community service. In the summer, they donate their time to help plant and harvest
vegetables for the Community Harvest Project at the Brigham Hill Community
Farm in North Grafton.
HYPE9 Harvests Vegetables at Brigham Hill Community Farm
This past November and December, HYPE9 decided to collect Toys for Tots
during the holiday season. At the Brew Before 9 meetings, members brought a toy that best represented their profession/business.
Each member gave a 60 second presentation on why they chose the toy and how it related to their business. We not only learned
a lot more about each other’s business but we collected 51 toys for the Toys for Tots program.
Young professionals between the ages of 21-40 years old are welcome to join HYPE9. There is no cost to attend the events. The
events scheduled are listed on the Corridor Nine Chamber’s website www.corridornine.org and you can also find HYPE9 on
Facebook. If you would like to learn more or join the young professionals group, please contact us!
P.O. Box 122, Grafton, MA. 01519
508.887.3131
www.acornaccounting.biz
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Northboro, MA
Permit No. 50
30 LYMAN STREET, P.O. BOX 1555
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ed Sources
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Board of Directors 2010 - 2011
Executive Committee
Board
of
Directors
Committee Chairs 2010 - 2011
Corridor Nine Staff
Chairperson of the Board
Mike Allard
Avidia Bank
Steven Lacerte
AstraZeneca LP
Barbara Clifford
FPO
Chairperson Elect
Steve Anderson
UniBank
Keith Ledoux
Fallon Community
Health Plan
Karen J. Chapman
Donna Cox
DYNAMX Financial Solutions
Mark Donahue
O
Fletcher, Tilton, &F PWhipple,
P.C.
Joseph Barrett
Baesis
Mixed Sources
Vice Chairperson
Cert no. SW-COC-sSSSSSSSSSSxxs
A 1996 FSC
Henry Tessman
Doubletree Hotel
Nick Cantrell
New York Life
Treasurer
Paul F. McGrath
Robert A. Cooper
CPA, P.C.
Secretary
David D. Bagdon
Community Advocate
Patrick Royce
Benjamin Colonero
Webster Five Cents
The Willows at Westboro
Savings Bank
Armand Diarbekirian
Tracy Sasseville
MetroWest Business Marlborough Savings
Advisors
Bank
Peter Dennis
PMD Sales Training
& Consulting
Past Chair
Deborah Penta
PENTA Communications, Inc.
Carole Donovan
Image Boosters
President’s Council
Nancy M. Carlson
The Suburban Group
Robert E. Harvey
E.L. Harvey & Sons, Inc.
Joseph F. MacDonough
Avidia Bank
Pamela H. Sager
Sager & Schaffer, LLP
Paul Williams
Eastern Insurance Group
Robert Paulsen
Middlesex Savings
Bank
Linda Sevier
Pagetender LLC
Carol Sexton
Sovereign Bank
President
Vice President
Committee Chairs
Programs
Monique Rose
Central One Federal Credit Union
Marketing Co-Chairs
Membership Development
Chris Tzellas
David D. Bagdon
Community Advocate
Events and Service
Coordinator
Deborah Penta
PENTA Communications, Inc.
Member Support
David Jacobs
Office Depot
Kristen Whalley
Jane Williams
Committee Chairs
Ambassador
Adam Winter
Swiftec IT, Inc.
Membership Co-Chairs
Road Race
School/Business Partnership
Donna Cox
DYNAMX Financial Solutions
Technology Co-Chairs
Joseph Barrett
Baesis
Steve Anderson
UniBank
Linda Sevier
Pagetender LLC
Armand Diarbekirian
MetroWest Business Advisors
Tourism/Destination
Paul Fitzgerald
EMC Corporation
Mary Simone
Marlborough Courtyard
by Marriott
Peter Gardner
Curry Printing
Noel Sior-Woodard
Woodard Interiors
Mark Donahue
Fletcher, Tilton & Whipple, P.C.
Program Chairs
April Healey
Central One Federal
Credit Union
Dick Urato
Grafton Suburban
Credit Union
Golf Tournament
CEO Roundtable
Economic Development
Benjamin Colonero
The Willows at Westboro
David Jacobs
Office Depot
Robert L. Yale
ComVest Realty Service, Inc.
Mary Simone
Marlborough Courtyard by Marriott
Marcia Priestley
Priestley Marketing Group
Referral Group
Barbara Cantwell
Edward Jones Investment
HYPE9 Chair
We Welcome Your Feedback
Dr. Paul Levine
Vision Care Specialists
Connections strives to give Corridor Nine members useful news, updates and information.
If you have any suggestions, we welcome your feedback. Please email to events@corridornine.org.
Your valuable input will help us continue shaping this publication.
To connect with our organization call (508) 836-4444. Fax: (508) 836-2652.
Mailing address: 30 Lyman Street, PO Box 1555. Website: www.corridornine.org.
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Corridor Nine Connections is designed and produced by PENTA Communications, Inc. www.pentamarketing.com
Printing in partnership with Curry Printing. Photos by Ron Bouley & Sue Teplansky.
www.corridornine.org