Hello, Friend of the Franklin County CDC
As we pass the halfway mark of Black History Month, many organizations, businesses, and individuals are finding creative ways to celebrate and honor the history of Black people and their contributions to this nation. History is fascinating in that it is supposed to share the study of change over time, covering all aspects and phases of life: social, economic, scientific, technological, and cultural. Historians and other researchers examine events of the past, with the primary focus of teaching and authenticating historical data.
For Black people taking a trip back in history to look at slavery and comparing those facts to today, it appears much has changed. However, when we examine current systems closely, not much has actually changed, except that the racism is more covert.
The Franklin County Community Development Corporation has begun to behave in a manner that is more intentional, and not performative, in our efforts to acknowledge Black History Month not just annually, but year round. We have done this by evaluating our programs, language, policies, and hierarchy. For example, we are asking questions such as, “What in our language and daily communications may be harmful or offensive?” We are sharing conversations in a space that is uncomfortable and learning how to sit with that discomfort when discussing racism. The goal–to set an example and become more welcoming in Franklin County and surrounding counties. These efforts are happening every day.
The Franklin County CDC sees white privilege as a valid obstacle that negatively impacts Black people and separates white people from their humanity. As active members of this community and the surrounding community, and on behalf of the Franklin County CDC, we would like to express our thanks for the work and celebrations happening to honor Black History Month. The Franklin County CDC invites you to join our efforts by examining your internal processes, asking the tough questions, and encouraging your staff, family, and friends, to be okay with uncomfortable conversations with regards to racism.
As a community, we want to get to the point where real change for Black people is happening all year. Let’s disrupt and dismantle language and systems that host harmful practices.
Together, and only together, can we reduce fear and realign our thinking, achieving an inclusive culture. Feel free to reach out to the Franklin County CDC.
Sincerely,
Traci Talbert
Racial Justice Community Engagement Leader
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What a treat to spend Valentine’s Day hosting U.S. Rep. James McGovern and USDA State Director Scott Soares as they announced the awarding of our $30,000 Rural Microentrepreneur Assist Program grant and celebrated the successes of many years’ investment in the Franklin County CDC (and by extension, small business and our food system) via federal programs. “These grants are essential. This is a success story,” said Rep. McGovern, a champion of food access. “We’re here visiting a success story.”
Pictured above, from left, are Liz Buxton, Food Processing Center Operations Director; Scott Soares; James McGovern; and Gigi Gomes.
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South American Fellows Visit |
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It was wonderful to welcome a group of fellows from the Institute for Training and Development in Amherst earlier this month. Early career entrepreneurs from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay toured the Franklin County CDC and its Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center and asked lots of insightful questions.
The young people work in a variety of fields: one is developing a carpooling app, another is using social media marketing to promote her family's small bakery, and another is helping biomedical engineers create new healthcare devices.
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Round one of GCC's Take The Floor pitch contest is complete, with a crop of entrepreneurs sharing new and innovative ideas for businesses. The January 19 event at Greenspace CoWork featured judges Lisa Davol from the Franklin County Chamber, Faith Williams of Way Finders, and the Franklin County CDC's Executive Director John Waite.
Successful pitches were a clothing line made with upcycled elements (Augustine Lilly), a brand of blended spices (Nalini Goordial), and Honey Hive Green Cleaning Service (Diana Van Cott).
The next events will be on March 23, and May 18, with winners from each event coming together for the final, nail-biting pitch-off on June 29. Be sure to mark your calendar. The winner in the Food and Agriculture segment will receive free services from our Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center.
Thanks to the Franklin County Chamber for the photo! Pictured are, from left, Faith Williams, John Waite, Nalani Goordial, Augustine Lilly, Diana Van Cott, and Lisa Davol.
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Franklin County CDC is looking for a Small Business Lending Associate with financial analysis and small business experience. This person will work directly with potential borrowers and offer support in underwriting and portfolio management of FCCDC’s loan funds. Responsibilities include communicating with clients, financial statement analysis, loan documentation, loan monitoring/reporting, and relationship management. This is a great opportunity for someone interested in supporting small businesses and community lending. Join us and help make a difference! The full job description and information on how to apply are on our website.
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Client Focus: Massive Bookshop |
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Bookstore as Art Project with Social Justice at the Fore
When Andrew Ritchey began exploring the idea of opening a bookstore, his mind traced out the usual steps: get a lease on a space, buy a lot of books, hire people, etc. However, the traditional path was not for him. He decided on a unique business model, an anti-profit online bookstore, which places his values and social justice first.
Ritchey opened Massive Bookshop in 2020, operating out of his Greenfield home at first, and then in 2022 moving into the Franklin County CDC’s Venture Center. The bookshop’s structure gives him the flexibility to hold a day job delivering mail for the U.S. Postal Service while selling hard-to-find and radical titles to a global market online. He had explored the Franklin County CDC’s business classes several years earlier. “Eventually the reason that I came back here was that the books had just overtaken all of my home,” he said with a laugh. “They were just like stacked up in the dining room and everywhere, and I needed a space.” The ability for him to receive shipments here was also key.
Setting up the business was just a matter of "building a website and establishing accounts with distributors and publishers so that we could fill orders, and then promoting it,” he said. “So the whole business, I started just with a credit card, and there still isn't very much capital tied up in it, so I could do it forever. I'm not dependent on it, [and] I don't have employees.” He also hand delivers books locally.
Perhaps the most nontraditional aspect of this business is that he doesn’t earn a salary or make any money from the shop. Profits go to mutual-aid and community-building nonprofits working toward racial justice. From 2020 to 2022, the shop donated $18,000 to such groups. In 2022, he started sending profits to Decarcerate Western Mass, a coalition of people and organizations that came together at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic with the purpose of supporting incarcerated people and addressing the harms of pretrial detention.
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WMFPC Professional Development |
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As part of our Community Empowerment and Reinvestment grant from the state of Massachusetts, we are able to provide professional development training to our Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center crew. The group assembled in the conference room recently to meet with Amanda Kinchla of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Food Science Extension for advanced training on cleaning and sanitation.
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Looking Back: A History of Entrepreneurship |
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Drawing on research from the project "Documenting the Early History of Black Lives in the Connecticut River Valley" by the Pioneer Valley History Network in partnership with the UMass Amherst Public History Program, we are spotlighting prominent Black business owners in Springfield: members of the Scottron family and restauranteur and “League of Gileadites” member Thomas Thomas for our new yearlong series, Looking Back: A History of Entrepreneurship.
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Jane Maria Robinson Scottron, a dressmaker in the 1870s also sold notions and technology for "fluting" fabric. She advertised her business as “Hair Dressing, Dress Making, Braiding and Stamping,” and also sold costumes. Jane’s son, Samuel Raymond Scottron, invented the “adjustable mirror,” patented in March 1868, while the family was living in Springfield. Pictured at left is Springfield's Haynes Hotel, which still stands, where Jane's husband Samuel J. Scottron was a successful barber. Fun fact: Jane and Samuel Scottron’s great-great granddaughter would go on to become one of the most celebrated performers of the twentieth century: the Grammy-award-winning singer, dancer, and actress Lena Horne. Read more.
Our second featured entrepreneur is Thomas Thomas, who among other notable pursuits, opened an "eating saloon" in 1863, first on Main Street and later on Worthington, near Main. His business was very successful, and he entertained “many dignitaries, court officials, business and professional men.” Thomas was acquainted with abolitionist John Brown and was also considered to have been a member of the “League of Gileadites,” the group of Springfield citizens, mostly Black men, who pledged to defend by any means any local African Americans threatened under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Read more.
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NOFA Mass Winter Conference |
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Two Franklin County CDC staffers attended the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Massachusetts Winter Conference on January 15. Rebecca Busansky, Program Director of the PVGrows and Massachusetts Food Trust Programs, and Tricia Wancko, Massachusetts Agriculture Innovation Center Director, shared information about their programs and learned about what other organizations and individuals active in our food system are up to.
Pictured are, from left, Jeremy Barker Plotkin of Simple Gifts Farm and Rebecca Busansky.
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Pocket Park More Than Half Funded |
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The Shelburne Falls Initiative's pocket park and mosaic projects on the Buckland side of the village have received a boost, with a $30,000 investment from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. The donation pushed SFI past the halfway mark as it seeks to raise $50,000 in matching funds for a Commonwealth Places Grant from MassDevelopment.
The funds will be used for the construction of a new bicyclist-friendly pocket park and the installation of five or six new mosaic murals along Conway Street and the Deerfield River. The two linked projects are intended to boost the area’s arts community, support the local economy, and increase enjoyment of the historic village downtown and its rural region. The grants require a one-to-one match from the community.
Those interested in donating can go to the crowdfunding site Patronicity or mail a check made out to FCCDC/SFI to the Franklin County CDC, the group's fiscal sponsor. Our address is 324 Wells Street, Greenfield, MA 01301.
Mosaic below by Cindy Fisher
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Love the FCCDC? Review Us on Google |
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Positive Google reviews help the Franklin County CDC present itself in the best light. We invite you to think about what you love about this organization and write a Google review (or just give us 5 stars!) using this link. The Food Processing Center also has a link for Google reviews! Feel free to share these links with others who know about us. |
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Twenty-five food entrepreneurs are working with Franklin County CDC experts in the Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center to learn more about what it takes to get their products to wholesalers through our Wholesale Readiness program. Kate Minifie, Food Entrepreneurship Program Manager, is working with the cohort through online classes, funded by a USDA Local Food Promotion Program grant. All the participants will exhibit their products at the Local Food Trade Show, put on by our partner in the project, the Sustainable Business Network, on March 1. |
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Municipal Program
Northfield Beautification Grants
The Town of Northfield is accepting applications from Northfield business owners and commercial property owners for Storefront Renovation Program grants of up to $25,000. Grants will support building façade improvements and other exterior beautification projects. The program’s goals are to help existing businesses attract more customers, increase investment in Northfield’s Village Center Districts, and support Northfield’s long-term economic sustainability as the recovery from Covid-19 continues. The program is competitive and an estimated 8-10 grants will be made.
To determine eligibility, learn more, and apply, please review the program guidelines and application, which are available at Northfield's Town Hall and online. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and interested individuals are encouraged to submit their completed application promptly. Questions may be directed to Mallory Sullivan, grant development director, by email or phone at 413-498-2901 ext. 111.
Cultural Work
Indigenous Culture Nonprofit
Earlier this year the Franklin County CDC, the Farm School in Orange, Mount Grace Land Trust, and the Nipmuc people collaborated on a grant application to pair Black and Indigenous farmers in need of land with available local farmland. Our Nipmuc partner, Andre Strongbearheart Gaines Jr., has just established his own nonprofit, No Loose Braids, to carry on and expand the cultural work that he has been collaborating on with Mount Grace. They are kicking off a fundraising campaign to purchase a truck and trailer to carry out their cultural work, create a homesite for Nipmuc people to gather, and continue to educate people about Indigenous culture. Please donate if you are able. |
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Donations of any size are needed now to continue free and subsidized business support for your neighbors!
Please consider the FCCDC in your yearly budget for charitable donations. As a non-profit organization we rely on donations to provide services to low and moderate-income residents. Many entrepreneurs turn to their family and friends when starting their business. For a lot of people in our area, their family and friends do not have much either, so they turn to their community–that’s all of us!
If you donate $1,000 or more, you may qualify for the Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) program.
CITC Credits help us maximize your gifts, while you get 50% back in state tax credits! Email John for details.
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Free Classes at the FCCDC |
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Starting a Food Product Business
Got a dream product? We can help!
Third Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
Upcoming virtual session is on February 21.
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Grow Your Farm with Value-Added Food Products
We'll guide you through the food business roadmap!
Fourth Wednesdays at 11 a.m.
Upcoming virtual session is on February 22.
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Grow Your Business
For businesses of all types at any stage
First Wednesdays at 2 p.m.
Upcoming virtual session is on March 1.
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Financing Farms and Healthy Food Retail
Professional guidance on local food businesses
Second Wednesdays at 11 a.m.
Upcoming virtual session is on March 8.
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Franklin County CDC | 324 Wells Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 | 413-774-7204 | fccdc.org
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