Marketing Research Workshop
April 17: The Western New England College Law and Business Center for Advancing Entrepreneurship has rescheduled a free workshop on marketing research for noon at the Scibelli Enterprise Center, One Federal St., Springfield. Originally scheduled for Feb. 14, the session was postponed due to snow. Workshop discussion will include how to make better business decisions by learning how to plan a market study, collect data, and interpret the results. For more information about the workshop, call (413) 736-8462 or visit www.law.wnec.edu/lawandbusiness.
Creating Healthy Conversations
April 18: Guillermo Cuellar, Ed.D., MBA faculty member, and MBA students discuss why it is so difficult to create and sustain genuine, collaborative, healthy conversations, even among people who have similar goals, as part of the Kaleidoscope series at Bay Path College in Longmeadow. The lecture is planned for 7 p.m. in Blake Student Commons and is free. The audience and facilitators will discuss opportunities to create a culture of collaboration, beginning with how mental models or strategies for behavior determine the process of our conversations. For more information, call (413) 565-1293 or visit www.baypath.edu.
Selecting a Legal Entity
April 18: The Mass. Small Business Development Center Network will host a workshop, “Selecting the Right Legal Entity,” which will offer an overview of legal entities available when one is forming a new business. Discussion will focus on the benefits and drawbacks that must be considered when deciding to operate your business as a sole proprietorship, corporation, or limited liability company. The workshop will be conducted at the Florence Savings Bank Community Room, on Russell Street in Hadley, from 9 to 11 a.m. For more information, call (413) 737-6712.
Beacon Hill Summit
April 25: The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield Inc., the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce have planned a full day of learning and experiencing government firsthand at the State House for local business executives. Gov. Deval Patrick, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi, and Senate President Robert Travaglini have all been invited to participate in the day’s events. A luncheon and reception with area legislators is also included in the package. The cost is $165 per person, and advance registration is required. For more information, contact Diane Swanson at swanson@myonlinechamber.com.
Marketing to Multiple Generations
April 25: The Ad Club will present a half-day seminar titled “The Generational Imperative: Because It’s No Longer an Option” at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Chuck Underwood, founder and president of the Cincinnati-based consulting firm the Generational Imperative, will be the guest speaker. Underwood has been studying America’s generations for 20 years and will share his knowledge of how to market to multiple generations that can benefit small and large corporations. He provides consulting, research, and seminars to some of America’s largest corporations and organizations, including Procter & Gamble, Time Warner, Sony, Disney, and Coca-Cola. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with a continental breakfast. The program starts at 8:30 and wraps up with a luncheon at noon. The cost is $85 for Ad Club members and $100 for nonmembers. For more information or to register for the event, visit www.adclubwm.org.
2007 Business Market Show
May 2: The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield Inc. (ACCGS) will host its 2007 Business Market Show from 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. The show will feature more than 225 booths offering products and services to help, enhance, and grow one’s business. Admission is free with a business card, and no registration is required. Special events include the ACCGS Breakfast Club meeting featuring guest speaker Wes Moss from The Apprentice, the Better Business Bureau luncheon, and 12 business seminars. In addition, a “Taste the Market” event is planned from 3 to 5 p.m. with local restaurants offering free samples from their menus, and a microbrew tasting rounds out the day’s highlights. For more information, visit www.businessmarketshow.com.
Go FIT Breakfast
May 3: Go FIT of Springfield will present Dr. Charles Steinberg, executive vice president of public affairs for the Boston Red Sox, as its keynote speaker at a 7:30 a.m. breakfast at Bay Path College in Longmeadow. Steinberg will focus his talk on how loyalty, creativity, and the love of the game are major themes that have driven him throughout his career. He will also explain how the organization engenders good will — and how that translates into good business — even through the smallest gestures. Go FIT will also present the Go FIT Champion Award to William A. Burke III, global president of Lenox/American Saw. Since the organization’s inception, Burke has been both a supporter and a resource who has made a tremendous impact for Go FIT. The breakfast is planned from 7:30 to 8:45 at the Blake Student Commons. Tickets can be ordered by calling Go FIT at (413) 796-9007. Pre-registration is required. Tickets are $25 per person. Go FIT is a non-profit organization that provides health and fitness opportunities to economically underprivileged and underserved youth and women in inner-city and rural settings.
The After 5
May 9: The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, Inc. will host its “After 5” from 5 to 7 p.m. at Balise Toyota Scion, 1399 Riverdale St., West Springfield. The After 5 is an opportunity to meet business professionals in a casual setting. Participants are encouraged to bring business cards. Reservations can be made by signing up online at www.myonlinechamber.com. Tickets are $10 for Chamber members and $15 for non-members. For more information, call (413) 755-1313.
‘Not Just Business as Usual’
May 10: As part of ongoing celebrations marking its 40th anniversary, Springfield Technical Community College, in collaboration with Berkshire Bank, will host “Not Just Business as Usual,” a program highlighted by a presentation from business leader Larry Bossidy, at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame from 5:30 to 9 p.m. The program will include a networking cocktail hour followed by a dinner catered by Max’s Tavern. Highlights of STCC’s first 40 years will be followed by the address from Bossidy, who will bring a wide range of experience to his presentation. Named CEO of the Year in 1994 by Financial World, and Chief Executive of the Year in 1998 by CEO magazine, Bossidy is a retired chairman and CEO of Honeywell International Inc., former chairman of Allied Signal, and is on the board of directors of Merck & Co., as well as an incorporated member of the Business Council and Business Roundtable. He is also a best-selling author whose book, Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, details how business leaders can turn strategy into results. Sponsorships for the evening will benefit the STCC Foundation. For more information, call (413) 755-4477.
‘In the Driver’s Seat’
May 10: Study after study recognizes that women-led businesses outpace state and national averages in growth rate, and are becoming key drivers of the state’s revenue and employment. This is not coincidental. There are very specific strategies and management styles adopted by women business owners and executives that promote exceptional business growth. At this workshop, organized by the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network, attendees can hear women business owners and leaders share their knowledge, experiences, and keys to success. The program, slated for 9 a.m. to noon (with an optional lunch), will be staged at the Country Club of Pittsfield, 639 South St. Speakers will include Allison Berglund of the Mass. Office of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, and Kathy Selvia, president of New England Promotional Marketing. For more information, call (413) 737-6712.
The Voice of Fenway Park
April 19: The Valley Press Club will host a luncheon featuring Carl Beane, the so-called “voice of the Red Sox,” in Western New England College’s River Memorial Hall at noon. Beane, an Agawam native, has been uttering those famous words “Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, welcome to Fenway Park’ since 2003, when he became the club;s public address announcer. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. For more information, call (413) 335-8551
