Half-day Business Expo in Dalton on August 9

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Entrepreneurship for All Berkshire County is coordinating a half-day Business Resource Expo on Tuesday, Aug. 9, at the Stationery Factory in Dalton from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

A collaborative effort of EforAll, 1Berkshire, Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corp. and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, the event will feature booths from more than 25 organizations that support small business, panel discussions and plenty of opportunities for networking. The event is free and open to the public.   

Business owners and managers will be able to connect with organizations and programs that have resources to help them – whether with technical assistance, funding or grant programs, marketing or other advice or support. The program will be valuable for existing businesses, would-be entrepreneurs and solo service providers and consultants.

Participants will be able to access experts through a series of panel discussions led by regional experts:

• "Which organization can help me with what?" moderated by Ben Lamb of 1Berkshire.

• "Fueling Your Business: Where’s the Money?" moderated by Raymond Lanza-Weil of Common Capital

• "How can I find more customers ... What marketing works?" moderated by Noah Cook-Dubin of Kanoa Consulting

A networking area will be open throughout the event for one-on-one conversations and meetings. The list of exhibitors, as of July 11, includes:

Five Local Firefighters Graduate From Massachusetts Firefighting Academy

05:32PM / Monday, January 06, 2025

Cody Doyle, left, and Owen Hoffman of Dalton hold their axes after graduating from the academy on Monday. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Five local firefighters were among the 20 graduates of the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy on Monday. 

 

Jahyde Bullard, Phourasamy Din and Matthew Tobin, all of Pittsfield, and Cody Doyle and Owen Hoffman of Dalton completed the academy's 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program.

 

Bullard, Din and Tobin were appointed permanent firefighters by Mayor Peter Marchetti last July. 

 

"Massachusetts firefighters are on the frontlines protecting their communities every day, and today’s graduates are needed now more than ever," said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine. "The hundreds of hours of foundational training they’ve received will provide them with the physical, mental, and technical skills to perform their jobs effectively and safely."

 

The graduating firefighters of Class  No. S39 represent the fire departments of Amherst, Chicopee, Dalton, Monson, Northampton, Palmer, Pittsfield, South Hadley Fire District 1, Springfield, Ware, and Westfield.

 

The Richard N. Bangs Outstanding Student Award, which is presented to one recruit in each graduating career recruit training class, was presented to Dylan Sliech of Springfield Fire and Emergency Services. The award is named for the longtime chair of the Massachusetts Fire Training Council and reflects the recruit's academic and practical skills, testing, and evaluations over the course of the 10-week program.

 

The graduates received classroom training in all basic firefighter skills during the course. They practice first under non-fire conditions and then during controlled fire conditions. To graduate, students must demonstrate proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation, and fire attack. Fire attack operations range from mailbox fires to multiple-floor or multiple-room structural fires.