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Let's Welcome: 

DCS Security, Inc.

We are located in Western Mass and serve all of Massachusetts and Connecticut. We specialize in ADT monitored security and state of the art General Electric wireless and hard wired security systems and home security cameras, all backed by ADT's world class monitoring. Our systems are extremely affordable and provide solutions for Burglary, monitored home fires, medical alarms, carbon monoxide protection, remote access and much more.

AS YOUR LOCAL ADT AUTHORIZED DEALER, OUR PRIMARY MISSION IS TO:

Protect the persons and things you value most, superior service, reliability and advanced technology.

Let's Welcome: 

 Frosted Swirl Cupcakes

Figure 3 Valerie Hanson, Owner, Frosted Swirl Cupcakes

Growing up I was always by my mother's side baking in the kitchen. Together we have created many lasting memories and it's where my passion started to develop. Eventually my goal was to turn that passion for baking into a career. About 2 years ago I put the wheels in motion and began creating my menu. Using my mother's secret chocolate and vanilla cake recipe as a starting point, I started experimenting with all kinds of flavors. With a willing group of taste testers the recipes evolved into the 20+ flavors that I offer today, and it continues to grow.

My menu offers a blend of the classic flavors and some non-traditional creations utilizing high quality ingredients that are sure to tempt your taste buds. Some customer favorites include The Key Lime Pie cupcake with a graham cracker bottom and the French Toast Bacon Cupcake.

Frosted Swirl Cupcakes officially launched in the summer of 2011. By word-of-mouth advertisement, business was off to a great start. While a traditional bake shop was my initial thought, I was looking for something a little bit different. Inspiration came from a trip with my husband to New York City on one of our yearly cupcake retreats. We stumbled upon a cupcake truck and decided right there that I would bring this big city idea to Western Mass. The business plan began and I was set to launch the truck in the fall of 2011 but received exciting news that we were expecting twins. So the cupcake truck went on hold but I still kept filling orders.

Our boys arrived in February 2012 so it was back on track with my plan! With many sleepless nights of strategizing and planning I was finally ready and made my first public appearance at the Easthampton Farmers Market on June 1st, 2012.

The cupcake truck will be bringing gourmet cupcakes to fairs, festivals, and farmers markets around Western Mass. Deliveries can be made right to your doorstep. For events and special occasions the truck can be located at your location and serve your guests right from our vending window.

Visit our website www.frostedswirl.com and like us on Facebook (facebook.com/FrostedSwirlTruck) & Twitter (@FrostedSwirl) to see where we will be and what flavors we will have in store. We have a create-a-cupcake flavor contest underway. For details, check out our website.

Contact Information

Frosted Swirl Cupcakes

P.O. Box 1971

Westfield, MA 01086

413-557-8121

Twitter@FrostedSwirl

Facebook.com/FrostedSwirlTruck

Email: Valerie@FrostedSwirl.com

The GWCC Executive Committee meets on the second Wednesday of every month. The full GWCC Board of Directors meets on the third Wednesday of the month. The Board of Directors held a Strategic Planning Retreat on Wednesday, July 18th. As the strategic plan is developed and finalized, we will share with you some exciting changes to our Chamber. Your Board of Directors is listed here:  http://www.westfieldbiz.org/directors-officers.html  

Fund Development Committee

(Meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month at 8:00 am at
Air Compressor Eng.)

If you would like to be a part of this committee, please contact Dave Felty at  dfelty@fivestarcorp.net.

The Fund Development Committee is looking forward to seeing everyone in September at our next WestNet.  

Membership Committee

The next meeting of the Membership Committee is TBA. If you would like to be a member of this committee, please contact Kate Phelon at kphelon@westfieldbiz.org.

Legislative Committee

The next meeting of the Legislative Committee is TBA. If you would like to be a member of this committee, please contact Cal Annino at cannino@admlawfirm.com.

Due to vacation schedules, there are no updates at this time.

RIBBON CUTTING

Kate Phelon, Chamber Executive Director, Mayor Knapik, Kathy - Owner, Kathy's Mom, Jeff Daley, City Advancement Officer

  

 

 

BERKSHIRE BANK FOUNDATION AWARDS $25,000

TO AMELIA PARK CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

Berkshire Bank Foundation announced that the Amelia Park Children's Museum in Westfield, MA was awarded a $25,000 grant to support the construction of a new interactive banking exhibit. The check was presented by Mike Mirski, VP and Regional Branch Manager for Berkshire Bank in the Pioneer Valley and Nick DiCaprio, Berkshire Bank's Branch Officer at its' Court Street branch in Westfield.

Amelia Park Children's Museum provides an enriching environment where children and their families can learn about themselves, their communities, and the world around them. Integrated throughout the museum is a broad range of create exhibits and imaginative hands on activities, which foster a climate of learning and exploration. The museum currently has 11 exhibit areas for visitors to explore and excite their imagination.

The new exhibit will replace and enhance the current miniature Berkshire Bank branch in the museum which provides visitors with important hands on learning opportunities focused on financial literacy. The project will allow the museum to purchase and install new, exciting banking components as an opportunity to teach basic math skills, problem solving skills, and help kids become money smart. The current Berkshire Bank exhibit is already very popular with visitors, but the enhancements will make the exhibit more interactive and educational.

The project will include "Know What A Million $ Looks Like" a  new full size working bank vault to encourage visitors to match the code and open the vault to reveal a 3D representation of stacks of money showing $1, $100, $1000 and $10,000 equaling $1,000,000 total. Also included is a working ATM station that allows children learn about deposits, withdrawals, and how consumers manage their accounts using technology. Wall mounted finance stations will offer interactive games and challenges where children can practice identifying currency and learn important lessons about managing personal finances. All of these new enhancements will allow children the opportunity to explore activities that highlight earning, saving, and spending. The new exhibit will open in the fall of 2012.

Peter J. Lafayette, Executive Director of Berkshire Bank Foundation said "Berkshire Bank is proud to make this grant to the Amelia Park Children's Museum to enhance the educational offerings they provide. Helping children, even at a young age, learn about how to manage their finances in a fun and exciting way will help them succeed in the future."

FRIENDS OF THE COLUMBIA GREENWAY RAIL TRAIL, INC. RECIPIENT OF

PAUL H. D'AMOUR MEMORIAL CHARITY GOLF OUTING

Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail, Inc. (FOCGRT) are the grateful recipient of $2,500 from the 2012 Big Y Paul H. D'Amour Memorial Charity Golf Outing. The funding allows FOCGRT to continue forging new pathways to create a bicycle and pedestrian friendly Westfield. Specifically the group is working to: (1) achieve completed construction of all phases of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail, (2) establish (upon construction) maintenance of the trail; and, (3) educate on the importance of comprehensive infrastructure to respond to the need for safe, viable, and active alternative transportation routes in Westfield.

According to Jeffrey LaValley, Chair, Board of Directors has said, "Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail is honored and grateful to Big Y Foods, Inc. and its employees for including us among their charities of choice. Their generosity and support will go a long way to help us fulfill our mission."

ANDREA ROBITAILLE, P.E., JOINS TIGHE & BOND

EXPANDING FIRM'S STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND BRIDGE DESIGN EXPERTISE

Andrea Robitaille, P.E., recently joined Tighe & Bond, Inc. as a project engineer who brings eight years of professional experience to the firm's expanding structural engineering team.  She has provided bridge design and inspection, construction design, and transportation planning services for numerous clients and projects throughout New England. 

Robitaille's wide range of experience spans from conceptual engineering through construction management and oversight. Her credentials in public policy also give her a solid understanding of client financing challenges associated with the repair and maintenance of aging infrastructure, as well as a background in determining viable solutions. This expertise gives her the capacity to develop engineering solutions that are efficient, cost-effective, and appropriate to each client's unique needs.

A resident of West Springfield, Robitaille will work primarily in the firm's Westfield office and play a pivotal role in enabling Tighe & Bond to keep pace with the growing demand for its structural engineering services.  Over the past year, the firm's structural engineering team has expanded by more than 50 percent.

Robitaille holds a master of engineering and public policy from the University of Maryland, and a bachelor of science in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  You can view her testimonial for the University of Maryland's Master of Engineering and Public Policy program here:  http://www.mepp.umd.edu/ad/robitaille.html.

She is also a member of the Massachusetts and Connecticut chapters of the American Society of Engineers, and has co-authored several technical publications.

UNITED WAY OF PIONEER VALLEY TEAMS UP WITH PVTA

FOR THIRD ANNUAL STUFF THE BUS PROGRAM

Springfield, Westfield and West Springfield

United Way of Pioneer Valley is announcing a new partner for their annual STUFF the BUS program to collect school supplies.

"Many children in our community facing homelessness don't have the basic things they need to go back to school, and we want to make sure that these students have what they need to get off on the right foot," said Dora D. Robinson, president and CEO of United Way of Pioneer Valley. "Thanks to the support of our community, last summer we were able to stuff a bus of school supplies for 2,000 children in Springfield, Holyoke, Westfield, Chicopee and West Springfield."

UWPV and PVTA will have collection sites in the following locations 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM: 

The Holyoke Mall will have a collection box at their Customer Service Center (located on the lower level near Sears) for those wishing to make a donation and can't make it on one of the Saturday collection dates. Donations will also be accepted at PVTA terminals and customer service offices or online at www.uwpv.org

"We are pleased to join United Way and partner for this program to help children get the school supplies they need. Many children and children of people who ride PVTA will benefit from this drive," said Mary L. MacInnes, Administrator of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority.

This year UWPV has already obtained brand new backpacks and will be collecting new supplies only. Individuals are encouraged to donate the following supplies. Financial contributions are also welcome and will be used to purchase additional backpacks and supplies as needed. Contributions may be made online on the Stuff the Bus link at  www.uwpv.org.

Highlighters
Pencil Boxes
Glue Sticks
Single-subject notebooks
Two-Pocket Folders
Calculators

On Monday, August 27 through Wednesday, August 29, after the buses have been "stuffed," volunteers from United Way of Pioneer Valley and PVTA will distribute the filled backpacks to the children through McKinney-Vento coordinators within the Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, Westfield and West Springfield school districts. These coordinators, established through the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act, work directly with the children and families in each school district to assist them to receive the services they need and serve as liaison between the school district, community and service providers.

FOR PHOTO OPS, PLEASE CALL DEB FOLEY AT 413-693-0239 or 413-426-8426 (CELL). For more information, visit our Stuff the Bus page at  www.uwpv.org orhttp://www.pvta.com or call United Way of Pioneer Valley at (413) 737-2691.

 Promote your company for only $75.00! Each month a Chamber member has the opportunity to submit a write-up on their company and the profile will be under the "Member Spotlight" section for a fee of $75. Please submit images no wider than 440px.

All members are encouraged to submit their upcoming events to be published at no cost! The deadline for submission is the third Thursday, 5:00 pm of every month - no exceptions!

Sponsorships and/or advertising are available to you in our newsletter. Please contact the Chamber office at 568.1618 for more information.

The Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce serves the communities of Blandford, Chester, Granville, Huntington, Montgomery, Russell, Tolland, Southwick, and Westfield.