The Home-Price Crisis Came for Western Mass., and It Isn’t Leaving
A steady stream of remote workers fled Boston for rural New England during the pandemic. It’s helped the Pioneer Valley become one of the nation’s hottest housing markets.
Uneven Gateway Cities Housing Production May Indicate Bigger Problems Ahead
Early results suggest zoning reforms work only where the private real estate market works like Worcester, while indicating deeper challenges in Western Massachusetts.
State Should Target Western Mass. for Biomanufacturing Push
Massachusetts can be a winner in the federal government’s push to bring biomanufacturing back to the United States – if it plays its cards right.
Country Bank Plans Springfield Branch by 2025
Ware-based Country Bank is planning to put up a branch in Springfield by 2025 to establish a physical presence there amid growth opportunities and intensifying competition in the Western Massachusetts market.
Liberty Bank Opens First Mass. Branch in East Longmeadow
After opening a loan office in downtown Springfield in October, Connecticut-based Liberty Bank officially opened its first bank branch in Massachusetts following successful expansion of its business lending in the Pioneer Valley this year.
Liberty Bank Opens New Loan Office in Springfield
Connecticut-based Liberty Bank recently opened a new loan office in Springfield, and is set to open a full-size branch in East Longmeadow “later this fall” as it chases what it believes is strong growth potential in the Western Massachusetts market.
Liberty Bank Gets OK for First Mass. Branch
The Pioneer Valley banking scene has a new entrant, in the form of Liberty Bank.
Rail Supporters Demand Connection to Western Mass.
Dozens of Western Massachusetts residents packed into the Northampton Senior Center on Tuesday, urging policymakers to make frequent, affordable rail service connecting the state’s eastern and western halves a reality.
Valley Flyer Train Service to Become Permanent
Citing “strong” ridership, state officials and Amtrak announced Friday that train service for passengers traveling between western Massachusetts and New York City will become permanent.
Western Mass. Needs Champions in the Globe, State House
The gap between Greater Boston and the rest of the state is a microcosm of what has happened across the United States over the past 40 years with Boston sucking in the talent and investment.
Berkshires Poised for Second Year of Explosive Home Price Growth
Desperate buyers waiving home inspections and going way over asking. A steadily shrinking pool of homes available for sale. Yes, the tidal wave of homebuying unleashed by the pandemic in the suburbs of big urban markets across the country has reached bucolic, quirky and cultured Western Massachusetts.
Western Mass. Officials Use Pandemic to Push Growth Opportunties
As Massachusetts works to claw its way back from the economic upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, business leaders in the western part of the state see an opportunity to generate new interest in the region’s offerings.
Freedom Credit Union Adds Connecticut Counties to Membership
Springfield-based Freedom Credit Union has expanded its field of membership to include Hartford and Tolland counties in Connecticut.
Envision Bank Books First Profitable Quarter Since 2016
For the first time in over two years, Randolph-based Envision Bank has had a profitable quarter. The bank attributed declining mortgage rates and four new loan production offices in Central and Western Massachusetts for the success.
Wilbraham Agent Named Pioneer Valley Realtor of the Year
Cheryl Malandrinos of Real Living Realty Professionals in Wilbraham was named the 2019 Realtor of the Year by the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley
Marijuana Cultivator Buys Holyoke Mill Building for $3.2M
A 150-year-old brick mill in Holyoke could soon become a hub for Massachusetts’ burgeoning marijuana industry following a $3.2 million sale.
Raytheon Merger Could Hit the Office Market
To listen to all the corporate speak coming out of Raytheon and United Technologies over the past few days, you’d think one of the biggest mergers in New England history will involve all gain and no pain.
Lawmakers, Residents Want Study for Train From Boston to North Adams
Armed with emails and social media comments from more than 700 Western Massachusetts residents, two lawmakers pitched the Transportation Committee on studying an east-west passenger rail connection between Boston, Greenfield and North Adams.
Westmass CEO, Ludlow Mills Developer Dead at 61
The CEO of Westmass Area Development Corporation, the Chicopee-based business development nonprofit, died suddenly last week.
Envision Bank Plans Four New Loan Production Offices
Despite trouble reaching profitability, Randolph-based Envision Bank is not giving up and turning toward growth mode.
