NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Need a gross of Crayola crayons in violet? Now they're just a click away at Cascade School Supplies.

The 80-year-old provider of everything from glue to chalkboards to crayons of every color just launched a new and easier-to-navigate website.

The new site features improved item search options and a multi-level approval option that Cascade says is critical to school district business. The site also offers improved navigation, more specials and sale items, prioritized shipping of orders and delayed shipping options.

Cascade Paper Co. was established in 1931 in North Adams as a wholesale supplier of office and school materials, including furniture. It grew rapidly in the ensuing decades and moved to the Gale Shoe Co. mill on Brown and Grimes street in 1950, when Gale went under. It also operates out of the former Strong-Hewat Mill in Clarksburg.

Founder Robert O. Wells' children continue to own the operation which now offers more than 20,000 "consumable" items, such as those colorful crayons, pens, paper and glue, along with teaching aids and other materials. The company employs about 30 full time and more than 150 during the back-to-school season when it's filling orders from school districts and co-operatives around the Northeast. Cascade officials say it's the leading supplier in the Northeast for the K-12 school supply market.

"Cascade School Supplies is expanding on its already very successful Web business which has been working hand in hand with its catalog and bid business," said the release sent by Vice President Todd E. Shafer.

The new site allows for ordering small amounts as well as log-in area for school district and municipal purchasers to review bids and make bulk purchases.

Credit Cards are accepted for individual orders and purchase orders are accepted for school districts and businesses. The web address is cascadeschoolsupplies.com. To find out more call 1-800-628-5078 or e-mail sales@cascadeschoolsupplies.com.

Networking events, workshops and seminars for the month of October are listed below. Got an upcoming business event? Send it to info@iberkshires.com.

On Thursday, Oct. 7, the Housatonic Heritage History Alliance will hold a free workshop on using social media. The workshop, led by web designer Brent Colley, will be held from noon to 1:30 at the Berkshire Community College South County Center, Great Barrington. Participants are invited to bring their lunch to the workshop if they wish; beverages and snacks will be provided. Although the event is free, registration is required. For more information, call 413-298-3468 or e-mail history@housatonicheritage.org.

The Consulting Alliance will hold a lunch meeting on Friday, Oct. 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wolferts Roost Country Club, 120 Van Rensselaer Blvd., Menands, N.Y.

Presenters Tina Chase and Mary George, owners of Chasing George LLC, will discuss The Berkshire Forum, which they produced. The women will describe their decadelong history of producing internationally recognized technology investment conferences in association with Forbes magazine and Gilder Publishing LLC and describe how they parlayed that experience into the development and production of the inaugural Berkshire Forum event, which took place Sept.14 through 16 at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield.

The cost is $15 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Guests and prospective members are invited to attend. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 518-434-0489 or by e-mailing info@consultingalliance.org.

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation will be holding "2010 Fall Seminars in Nonprofit Excellence," a series of seminars designed to provide essential guidance to nonprofits as funding dollars remain scarce and compliance with federal regulations becomes more complex.

Participants must register in advance; the fee is $40 per participant ($60 for "Prove Your Worth") and discounts are available. For more information and to register, go to www.berkshiretaconic.org/nonprofits/Seminars.shtml or call 413-229-0370. The schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, Oct.  5, 1 to 2:30 p.m., Webinar
Don’t Panic! Understanding the new IRS Filing Requirements for Small Nonprofits
Instructor: Eve Borenstein, Borentstein and McVeigh Law Office

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2 to 5 p.m. Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Sheffield, Mass.
Get Organized and Boost Your Odds of Landing Grants
Instructor: Cynthia M. Adams, CEO, GrantStation

Thursday, Oct. 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Foundation for Community Health, Sharon, Conn.

Wednesday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Pittsfield.
Prove Your Worth: Learn How Measurable Results Assert Your Mission
Instructor: Douglas Tanner, New England Network

Thursday, Nov. 18, 8:30 to noon, Berkshire Community College Intermodal Center, Pittsfield.
Compliance is Not An Option: Learn the Tough New Standards of the Massachusetts Data Protection Law
Instructor: Mark R. Adams, director of HR services, Employers Association of the Northeast

The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will hold a Business After Hours event on Thursday, Oct. 14, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at WearHouse,  307 Main St., Great Barrington. For more information and to RSVP: visitor@rnetworx.com.

Zonta Club of Berkshire County will meet on Monday, Oct. 18, beginning at 5 at Patrick's Pub on Park Square, downtown Pittsfield. The guest speaker will be North Adams City councilor and soon-to be-state representative for the 1st Berkshire District Gailanne Carridi. The meeting includes a brief networking time, business meeting, speaker and dinner. Guests are welcome at all meetings, but reservations are required for dinner. For more information: berkshire@zontadistrict1.org or call 413-637-2722.

On Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 10:30 a.m., Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism Director Betsy Wall and Director of Communications Lisa Simmons will present a question-and-answer session (with coffee) at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington. The event, geared towards area tourism industry professionals, will bring guests up to speed on the office's programming and marketing initiatives, and then open up the dialogue to participants. RSVP to betsy.larkin@state.ma.us.

The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will host a free Chamber Nite event at Legacy Banks, 331 State Road, North Adams, on Wednesday, Oct. 20,  from 5 to 7 p.m.

Berkshire Chamber members and their employees are invited to attend; complimentary hors d'oeuvres will be served. Bring along plenty of business cards for networking and to be eligible for the door prize drawing. Registration for this event by Oct. 18 is strongly encouraged. To register: 413-499-4000,  choyt@berkshirechamber.com or www.berkshirechamber.com.

The Berkshire Visitors Bureau will host a marketing showcase on Thursday, Oct. 21, to assist area businesses explore media options and make informed marketing decisions in 2011. The showcase begins at 3:30 p.m. and will take place at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre at Shakespeare and Company, 70 Kemble St., Lenox. Local and national media will be on hand. For more information or to RSVP, call 413-743-4500 or e-mail dmossman@berkshires.org.

The Williamstown Chamber of Commerce will hold a Business After Hours event on Thursday, Oct. 21, from 5:30 to 7:30 at Living Well Chiropractic, 140 Pleasant St., North Adams. The event is free to chamber members and their employees. Hors d'oeuvres and cocktails will be offered; RSVP to 413-458-9077 or info@williamstownchamber.com.

On Friday, Oct. 22, the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will hold a breakfast from 7:45 to 9 at the Egremont Country Club, Great Barrington. Keynote speaker state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, D-Lenox, will give an update on the legislative session and other news of interest to South County. Tickets are $20 for chamber members, $30 for nonmembers and walk-ins; to register, send a check to Southern Berkshire Chamber, P.O. Box 810, Great Barrington, MA 01230 or call 413-528-4284 to pay by phone.

The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will host the fifth installment of its 2010 Good News Business Salute breakfast series on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, One West St., Pittsfield, from 7:45 to 9. This event will be sponsored by The Pittsfield Cooperative Bank and will salute Berkshire Life/Guardian, Hillcrest Educational Centers, Legacy Banks, Normandeau Communications and Pittsfield YMCA.

Joe Scelsi, general manager of the Berkshire Mall, will discuss the opening of the new and improved mall access road and highlighting plans the mall has in place for the holiday season.
Cost is $25 for chamber members and $35 for nonmembers and includes a breakfast buffet. To register: 413-499-4000, Ext. 26, choyt@berkshirechamber.com, or  www.berkshirechamber.com. 

The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will hold a social media workshop on Thursday, Oct. 28, at 9 a.m., at the American Institute for Economic Research, 250 Division St, Great Barrington. The 90-minute workshop will be led by Christina Barrett, director of marketing and public relations at Berkshire Community College, and is designed to help attendees get started in using the latest social media tools to promote their brand, communicate with current customers and market to a new generation of customers.

Advance registration is required; no walk-ins will be accepted. The event is free for chamber members; $15 for nonmembers. To register, send name, business name and phone number to sbcc@rnetworx.com.

Berkshire Young Professionals, a program of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, will host its fourth annual Halloween Bash at Baba Louie’s, located at 34 Depot St, Pittsfield on Friday, Oct. 29, from 9 p.m. to midnight. This year’s party will feature music by Bob Heck Entertainment, prizes, and treats for all attendees. Prizes for best overall costume, male and female, and best duo/group will be awarded during the event.  Tickets can be purchased at the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce for $15 per or $10 for BYP Cardholders.  Costumes are required.

To become a BYP Member, visit www.berkshirechamber.com/byp.

VPP STAR status is the highest honor given to worksites with comprehensive, successful safety and health management systems.

According to a statement issued by Covanta "Sites such as Covanta Pittsfield are committed to effective employee protection beyond the requirements of federal standards and participants develop and implement systems to effectively identify, evaluate, prevent and control occupational hazards to prevent injuries and illnesses."

“By achieving VPP STAR status, Covanta Pittsfield employees have joined an elite group of worksites with the very best health and safety practices. I salute this dedicated group of employees for their continuous improvement and follow through to achieve this coveted designation,” said Seth Myones, president of Covanta Americas.

The keys to health and safety success under VPP are the employee engagement and ongoing involvement in on-site health and safety program development combined with long-term commitment and support from management. VPP-level recipients routinely incur injury and illness rates that are at or below the state average for their specific industry.

According to Covanta, continuous improvement of health and safety programs is central to its corporate and workplace cultures and has lead to a majority of Covanta’s North American facilities earning the prestigious VPP STAR status. Covanta Pittsfield is one of 35 worksites in Massachusetts to have received the honor.

Covanta Pittsfield processes 240 tons per day of solid waste generated from residential and commercial operations throughout Berkshire County. Annually, the plant produces some 400 million pounds of steam as well as 3.5 million kW hours of electricity used in-house for facility operations. The steam generated daily by the Energy-from-Waste facility and used by adjacent paper company Crane & Co., avoids the use of 16,000 gallons of oil per day.

For more information about Covanta, visit www.covantaenergy.com.

BOSTON — The three labor market areas in the Berkshires each saw their jobless rates fall nearly a percent since July, posting unemployment figures on par with August 2009.

The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported that the August seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates were down in all 22 labor-market areas. Statewide, the August seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate dropped from 9.1 percent in July to 8.3 percent. Statewide, jobs unadjusted were down 5,800 over-the-month as the private sector unadjusted job gain of 3,100 was more than offset by the loss of 8,900 jobs in government.

The North Adams micropolitan area saw its jobless rate drop from 10.1 in July to 9.0 in August, the same rate as a year ago. Pittsfield dropped from 8.7 to 7.9 and Great Barrington from 6.5 to 5.7. Jobs gains for the most part were minimal, with each market showing a loss in total labor force since July.

The Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner area added jobs, jobs were unchanged in the Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton area and the remaining ten areas for which jobs are estimated lost jobs in August. Over-the-year, six areas added jobs.

Over-the-year, unemployment rates were lower in 15 areas, unchanged in the North Adams area and up in the remaining 17 labor market areas.

Over-the-year, the unadjusted unemployment rate is down 0.3 percent from the 8.6 percent rate in August 2009.

The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate released on Sept. 16 showed 2,100 jobs gained. The state has added 64,300 jobs since December. The seasonally adjusted statewide August 2010 unemployment rate of 8.8 percent was down from the 9.0 percent rate in May and June and below the national rate of 9.6 percent.

The unadjusted unemployment rates and job estimates for the labor market areas reflect seasonal fluctuations and therefore may show different levels and trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates.

The September 2010 unemployment rate, labor force data and jobs estimates for Massachusetts will be released on Oct. 21, 2010; local unemployment statistics will be released on Oct. 26, 2010. Detailed labor market information is available at www.mass.gov/lmi.

MassDevelopment is shuttling a bevy of real estate professionals out to the hinterlands on Tuesday to size up opportunities in Lee, Lenox and Pittsfield.

The Berkshire Economic Development Corp. will host Walter Upton, director of construction at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; Fred Kramer, president of Boston design firm Add Inc.; Maury Wolfe, a partner in the Boston architectural firm of DiMarinisi and Wolfe; and Eden Milroy, president of development and property management firm Pilot Development, along with some 25 real estate professionals and local officials.

The group will get a bus tour of Lee and Lenox before heading to the William Stanley Business Park in Pittsfield sometime after 11 a.m. Then they'll look at the former KB Toys building on West Street before having lunch at the Colonial Theatre. The whirlwind tour wraps up at 1 when the bus departs back for Boston.

The BEDC is hoping to spark interest in some of the vacant business properties in the area, particularly the stalled Pittsfield business park whose sole tenant at the moment is a field of solar panels.

The good news is that the response for the Berkshire trip was high, we're told. The panel is also expected to offer advice and insight on how best to reuse and market some of the properties.