BUSINESS BRIEFS: Salisbury Bank; Berkshire Innovation Center and MassHire; Berkshire Community College; Great Barrington Electricity Program; Public Opinion; Balise Auto

How to spot a phishing scam

Salisbury — Salisbury Bank is joining  the American Bankers Association (ABA) and over 1,000 banks from across the U.S. to kick off an industry-wide campaign in efforts to combat phishing and educate consumers about the persistent threat of phishing scams. 

Don’t fall for tricks. Learn the red flags and the questions banks ask to keep your money safe.

For tips on how to keep phishing criminals at bay, including videos, an interactive game and more, visit BanksNeverAskThat.com.

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“Innovation Lives Right Here” in the Berkshires

Pittsfield — Berkshire Innovation Center and MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board have announced a joint media campaign entitled “Innovation Lives Right Here.” The “Innovation Lives Right Here” campaign aims to highlight dynamic career opportunities that exist in Berkshire County including: Advanced Manufacturing, Life Sciences, CleanTech, Aerospace & Defense, Software & Engineering, and Healthcare.

The campaign announcement and initial 60 second video will be followed by industry-specific 30 second spots featuring footage sourced from local companies, and will eventually expand into broadcast television, billboards and print media. 

For more information please visit https://berkshireinnovationcenter.com/about/careers 

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Workforce Development Program at BCC helps fill jobs

Pittsfield — Berkshire Community College’s Workforce Development Program fills a niche for local Berkshire County Employers as it supports filling much-needed jobs.

The program encompasses noncredit workshops, certifications, community education and trainings to help the region’s workforce thrive. Targeted industries include advanced manufacturing, community health, and the culinary arts. While academic certificate programs can be completed in as little as two years, many workforce training programs can be completed in just one year, such as the advanced manufacturing technician program, the technical theater program and the community health worker program. Other year-long programs include digital marketing and e-commerce, IT support, making and manufacturing, project management and restaurant management.

To learn more about tuition-free learning opportunities at BCC, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/workforce. For information about upcoming community programs, email communityed@berkshirecc.edu with any questions about short workshops. For local businesses seeking information on making workforce development connections, email workforce@berkshirecc.edu. 

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Great Barrington fixed-price electricity program

Great Barrington — The town of Great Barrington has finalized a 12-month, fixed-price electricity supply agreement through its municipal power-purchasing program. This fixed rate, lower than a planned National Grid increase, is being passed on to local residents and businesses who can choose to opt into the program.

Many town residents are already enrolled in this program and do not need to do anything to receive the new fixed supply price. Electricity customers not already enrolled may opt in by returning a postcard they will receive in the mail from Colonial Power Supply. This postcard is being delivered to National Grid customers this week. The more detailed public notice of this rate agreement can be found here.

The Great Barrington Community Choice Power Supply program’s new supply rate is  $0.22203/kWh for the next 12 months. This is .11/kWh lower than the National Grid rate of nearly approximately .34/kWh, and the rate will not fluctuate during the 12-month period.

More information about the program can be found here. The complete public notice regarding the new rate agreement is here. Customers with questions are asked to contact Colonial Power Group with questions about the program, at (508) 485-5858.

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BCC awarded grant for health certificate programs

Pittsfield — Berkshire Community College (BCC) has been awarded a $1,080,231 grant from a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services program called Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET).  The four-year grant will provide stipends, partial reimbursement of tuition and fees, and supplies for up to 15 students per year enrolled in BCC’s Mental Health, Addiction Recovery, and Human Services certificate programs. Grant funds will also support hiring a project coordinator and a mentor/coach for students.

In addition to overseeing project activities, the project coordinator funded by the grant will help recruit diverse students and expand relationships with field placement sites in the community. Meanwhile, the mentor/coach will provide academic and personal support to students to help them progress and complete the program. Technology will be integrated into the curriculum to support distance learning and to prepare students for the state-of-the-art components within the human services field. 

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Berkshire Regional Planning Commission needs public input

Pittsfield — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission is seeking public comment on a draft Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for Berkshire County, which will be in effect from 2023 through 2027. The public comment period completes on November 12th, 2022.

The CEDS is a coordinated regional planning process that documents current economic conditions, identifies priority economic development projects, and sets goals and strategies for the upcoming 5-year period.

BRPC assists the thirty-two Berkshire cities and towns in a diverse set of topics including community and economic development, community planning, data and information services, emergency preparedness planning, environmental and energy planning, regional services, public health, housing, and transportation planning.

The draft document can be found on BRPC’s website at berkshireplanning.org/initiatives/berkshire-comprehensive-economic-development-strategy-ceds/ or at bit.ly/BerkshireCEDS, along with more information about the initiative and copies of former CEDS documents and annual reports.

The PDF document includes links to online forms for members of the public to suggest additions to the Action Plan and Resiliency Recommendations included in the draft. General comments can be emailed to BRPC Economic Development Program Manager, Laura Brennan, at lbrennan@berkshireplanning.org, with the subject line “CEDS draft”.

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Balise Auto donating portion of tire sales to Junior Achievement of Western Mass.

Springfield — Balise Auto, with nine locations throughout western Massachusetts, will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every set of four tires they sell from October 1 through November 30 to Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts (JAWM) as part of its ‘Tires to Inspire’ campaign.

JAWM is dedicated to providing economic education and financial literacy programs to youth throughout western Massachusetts, opening their minds to their potential and preparing them for life after graduation. 

To make a direct donation to Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts, visit jawm.org/donate.