"Linen is bringing a carefully selected line of leading international and European fabrics to the Berkshires," said Caligari. "We believe that the market for really beautiful home furnishings in the region was calling out for this."
Linen will be working closely with sister company The Drapery Workroom, a full-service fabrication studio, at 85 Main St. in providing customers with access to custom alteration, monogramming and design services for the home. Store hours for Linen are Wednesday through Saturday 10 to 5. More information is available by calling 413-429-8005 or on the website.
William Caligari Interiors is a full-service commercial and residential interior design firm specializing in residential interiors, spa and hospitality properties, and commercial interiors. It recently completed work on the Crane AP 2.0 project for the Technical Materials division of Crane in Dalton.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (PRNewswire) — Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. (NYSE: BHLB) held its annual meeting of shareholders on Thursday, May 9, in Pittsfield.
Chairman, President and CEO Michael P. Daly summarized Berkshire's accomplishments in 2012. They included strong organic growth and team recruitment, along with the acquisitions of CBT and Beacon Federal. The year's initiatives produced improved profitability and resulted in a 29 percent increase in core earnings per share. Berkshire's 2012 stock returns exceeded 10 percent, and the quarterly cash dividend was increased by 6 percent, providing a yield of over 3 percent. Daly concluded with a summary of the encouraging prospects for Berkshire's further growth and development.
Shareholders approved all proposals which were presented at the meeting. These included:
The election of three existing directors to new three-year terms: John B. Davies; Rodney C. Dimock; and J. Williar Dunlaevy
The election of one new director to a three-year term: Laurie Norton Moffatt
Approval of the Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. 2013 Equity Incentive Plan
Approval of a non-binding proposal to give advisory approval of the company's executive compensation
Ratification of the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2013
BACKGROUND
Berkshire Hills Bancorp is the parent of Berkshire Bank. The company has approximately $5.2 billion in assets and 73 full service branch offices in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Vermont providing personal and business banking, insurance and wealth management services.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This document may contain forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There are several factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from expectations described in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of such factors, please see Berkshire's most recent reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Berkshire does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made in this document.
ADAMS, Mass. — Adams Community Bank promoted three of its employees — Amy Giroux, Doreen Descoteau and Janice Adams. Additionally, Donna Halton was hired as senior vice president of commercial lending.
"I am happy to announce the promotion of these three individuals who are all strong contributors to the success of our bank," said Charles P. O'Brien, president and chief executive officer. "I am also very pleased that Donna has joined our team, bringing with her over 30 years of banking expertise."
As chief culture officer, Giroux will continue to be responsible for the processes that ties together the bank's strategies and critical drivers with sales, marketing and employee development.
"Amy has been instrumental in shaping the framework of our corporate sales culture and leading our service team in providing our customers with extraordinary service," O'Brien said. "In recognition of her work in these areas, the designation of chief culture officer has been added to her long standing SVP, Retail title."
Giroux is also the first vice president of the Northern Berkshire United Way and a member of the Adams Finance Committee. She and her husband Alan reside in Adams and they have two grown children.
As branch officer, Descoteau will be responsible for the day-to-day sales and operations, branch sales and new business development of the Williamstown branch. She resides in Clarksburg with her husband John and they have two grown children.
"We are very pleased that Doreen, with nearly 25 years banking experience, will be leading our team in Williamstown," said O’Brien. "She has come full circle, having started her banking career in this very location and to now return in a leadership role is a great accomplishment."
As network and systems officer, Adams will oversee the implementation and administration of computer and telecommunication networks for the bank. Adams is certified in information systems security from the University of Phoenix. She resides in Adams.
"We are also thrilled for Janice," O'Brien said, "Her advancement within the company is a clear demonstration of her work ethic, dedication, performance and initiative."
Prior to joining Adams Community Bank, Halton was a portfolio manager and commercial credit manager at Hoosac Bank and she was vice president and commercial loan oOfficer at Berkshire Bank. She and her husband Michael reside in North Adams and have two grown children.
"We are delighted to welcome Donna," said O'Brien. "She has a long and successful record meeting the needs of business customers throughout Berkshire County. Her knowledge in commercial lending will help us further meet the growing needs of business owners and commercial borrowers in our market."
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Greylock Federal Credit Union announced the hiring of three experienced banking professionals, which includes Paul Marchetti, Dianne Supranowicz and Donna Collins.
"The addition of these experienced professionals to our team supports Greylock’s focus on strengthening our credit union for the long term," said Marilyn Sperling, president of the credit union. "Our 70,000 members are counting on us to ensure that Greylock is built to last. We are honoring that obligation by emphasizing effective risk management practices, fiscal responsibility, and thorough training for all employees."
Marchetti joined the credit union as senior vice president and chief risk officer. Marchetti brings more than 20 years of experience in risk management, compliance and credit review. He worked for Citizens Financial Group in Rhode Island for 13 years, most recently as senior vice president and head of corporate regulatory compliance oversight. He previously held the position of vice president for corporate credit review at Fleet Financial Group in Boston. Marchetti began his career as a bank examiner with the Department of the Treasury and also worked with the FDIC. He brings broad experience in all aspects of commercial and retail banking including compliance, internal controls, credit, financial analysis, credit structuring, asset management, and special asset liquidation.
Dianne Supranowicz.
Marchetti earned his bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Rhode Island and an master's of business administration from Bryant University. Marchetti and his wife are relocating from Rhode Island to the Berkshires with their two children.
Supranowicz joined Greylock Federal Union as vice president and controller and brings 17 years of experience in all aspects of accounting, finance, and financial controls. Prior to joining Greylock, she held the position of vice president operations audit manager for Berkshire Bank, and was vice president and controller at Legacy Banks.
Supranowicz holds a bachelor of science in accounting and finance from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and has completed extensive training through the Massachusetts School of Financial Studies at Babson College and the Center for Financial Training. She is a 2004 graduate of the Senior Leadership Institute at Villanova University and University of Cincinnati. Supranowicz is also an active community volunteer, serving as board president of the Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center and served as a workplace campaign executive with the Berkshire United Way.
Donna Collins
Collins will join the human resources team as the training and development director. She brings 15 years of banking experience, including her most recent position as human resources officer at Berkshire Bank and a prior role as training and performance officer at Legacy Banks. In those positions she created, developed and administered training programs and supported human resource functions. Collins will support Greylock's management team in developing training programs to ensure compliance and enhance customer service. She will also oversee new employee onboarding programs.
Collins received a bachelor of arts from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and is a member of Berkshire Business and Professional Women.
Only a few people attended the auction for the North Street building, including representatives from the bank holding the mortgage.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The former Ferrin Gallery on North Street sold for $160,000 at auction on Tuesday.
Only a few people showed up for the 11 a.m. auction and there was only one bidder. While bids opened at $140,000, the sole bidder offered $160,000 when it was clear no one else was going to jump in.
The buyer refused to provide any information but left with representatives from the People's United Bank, the mortgageholder.
Aaron Posnik Auctioneers managed the short auction. The building features two commercial/condominium spaces. The Ferrin Gallery most recently occupied it as the only tenant in the building.
The building at 437 and 439 North St. has a total of 2,800 square feet — Unit 102 has 1,340 and Unit 103 has 1,460. there is a 1,900 square-foot basement. It is zoned as a Downtown Arts District Overlay and has parking for more than 20 vehicles in the back.
The purchaser is responsible for $1,885.11 in back taxes owed to the city.
Leslie Ferrin opened the gallery in 2007 but put it on the market in 2011 for $350,000. Failing to interest any buyers, Ferrin moved her business and closed the gallery last month and the bank took possession.
We show up at hurricanes, budget meetings, high school games, accidents, fires and community events. We show up at celebrations and tragedies and everything in between. We show up so our readers can learn about pivotal events that affect their communities and their lives.
How important is local news to you? You can support independent, unbiased journalism and help iBerkshires grow for as a little as the cost of a cup of coffee a week.
