Thanks to all who came out and joined us for the FCCDC's 46th Annual Meeting and celebration of John Waite's 25 years leading the organization. Scroll to see the fun! And welcome to our new board members, Angela Campbell, Vice President of Institutional Mission, Culture, and Climate at Greenfield Community College; and Patricia Bernard, Vice President of Finance and Operations at Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services. We also said good-bye and thank you to Tasha Marshall, an attorney who spent three years on the board.

You've got questions:

• How many people did the FCCDC serve in the 2025 fiscal year? 373!
• How many loans did we close? 32, totaling $2.38 million!
• How many entrepreneurs and small business owners worked with our Business Development program, receiving 5 or more hours of assistance? 103!

For more facts and an in-depth look at our work and impact this year, read our 2025 Impact Report. One more fun fact: the Western MA Food Processing Center processed 53,000 pounds of produce and helped launch 17 new products!

Hannah Brookman and Vanessa Brewster from Looky Here

Amy Schotanus from Macabre

Calvin Fisher from Franklin County Picker

Congratulations to the 16 entrepreneurs who graduated from our 10-week Entrepreneurship Accelerator! Stay tuned for our next cohort in March, dates coming soon. Looking to start a business but not sure where to start? Go to the Get Started page of our website or sign up for an information session.

The Board and Staff of the Franklin County CDC wish everyone a joyous Thanksgiving. We all give thanks for our local farms and food businesses that provide healthy and delicious foods for our table, as well as to all the organizations throughout the region working toward food access this season.

We also acknowledge that for many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning and protest since it commemorates the arrival of settlers in North America and the centuries of oppression and genocide that followed. Read more here.

Part breakfast joint, part deli, part prepared-food-to-go spot, part grocery store, part coffee shop, part community hub, Common Variety lives up to its name as a go-to for foodies looking for a, well, variety of goodies. Started by the then-Brooklyn-based duo of Molly Botnick and Tawni Benick, the Montague business sources ingredients from local farms and offers breakfast and lunch, with the possibility of pop-up dinners in their future. Molly's husband David D'Altorio manages operations and the front of the house. Common Variety received financing through the PVGrows Investment Fund earlier this year. We spoke to Molly and Tawni on a recent sunny Thursday morning when the espresso machine was humming and in the cheerful dining room, conversations were flowing.

Read the interview.

Pictured above, David D'Altorio, Molly Botnick, and Tawni Benick

Kwaku Ofori joined the FCCDC as Director of Lending earlier this month.

A finance and development professional with over 15 years’ experience in business lending, small business technical assistance, and community-focused finance, Kwaku leads the FCCDC’s lending programs that expand access to capital for small businesses and entrepreneurs across western Massachusetts. He is passionate about helping local enterprises start, grow, and thrive through responsible and inclusive lending.

Born in Ghana, Kwaku has dedicated his career to empowering small businesses and underserved markets, holding senior leadership roles in financial institutions dedicated to the service of small businesses, low-income individuals and underserved segments. Recently, he served as Board Fellow with Justice for Housing Inc., a Boston-based nonprofit supporting justice-impacted individuals with re-entry and housing, reflecting his commitment to community development and social justice.

Kwaku holds an MBA in Quantitative Finance and Entrepreneurship from Babson College. He is a Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA, UK), and holds the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation jointly issued by AICPA and CIMA, along with multiple international certifications in microfinance and rural credit.

Outside of work, he enjoys visiting cultural and heritage sites and attending local events.

We are so pleased to welcome Kwaku!

Are you looking for business financing? Go to the Lending page of our website to see what your first steps will be.

The Gift Guide that breaks the Internet every year is back!

Look, we know you want to support local small businesses...but do you also want to give functional, fun, and delicious gifts? Our clients have you covered! From mushrooms to meats, merch to mouth-watering condiments (and even live elves for your seasonal party) you'll find something for everyone here. These are just a sampling of the 373 innovative, passionate entrepreneurs we were proud to work with this year.

In order to reach businesses owners closer to where they are, Business Assistance Manager Angela Varilly will be meeting clients in the Greenfield Business Association (GBA) location at 278 Main Street on Monday mornings. Thanks to this new partnership with the GBA, Angela will be taking 30-minute free appointments with residents who would like to discuss their business or business idea from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Send her an email to make an appointment, angelav@fccdc.org.

A donation to the Franklin County CDC not only supports local farms and businesses but also helps them retain and create jobs, leading to increased prosperity and bounty. As we gather this Thanksgiving, and get ready for the holidays ahead, let's resolve to seek out local businesses for our shopping and gifting. That helps our neighbors and builds community.

As the season of giving approaches, you can make your end of year donation now to support small business development in the region by making a secure gift to the Franklin County CDC. We are incredibly grateful for your support! If you give $1,000 or more, you may receive half back as a tax credit through the Community Investment Tax Credit program.

Squash from PVGrows borrower Brookfield Farm

Several staff took the FCCDC show on the road in November. At the Shared Kitchen Summit in Cleveland, Farm and Food Products Program Director Kate Minifie and Western MA Food Processing Center Director of Operations Liz Buxton talked about the challenges and opportunities that go along with providing crucial infrastructure to our region's food system.

And at the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, Massachusetts Food Trust Program (MFTP) Manager Hannah Sobel joined MFTP client and Chicopee grocery store Fruit Fair owners Sam and Jared Newell and our partners at Local Enterprise Assistance Fund for the program From Barns to Bodegas: Why Independent Food Retail is a Key Component of Food Access.

Executive Director John Waite spoke about resources the FCCDC provides to farmers at the Franklin County Chamber Breakfast Growing Our Economy panel (see coverage by the The Recorder).  He shared how Franklin County CDC offers loans to farmers from its PVGrows Investment Fund, which lets people invest as little as $500 into the program that pools funds to provide flexible loans to farmers, who can pay them back as they can. Other offerings include Greenfield’s Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center and the Preserve the Valley program, which lets farmers send their produce to the Processing Center to turn it into products, mostly shelf-stable ones, that they can sell at farm stands, at farmers markets, through farm shares, online and wholesale.

Liz and Kate at the Shared Kitchen Summit in Cleveland

Liz shares info on offering co-packing as a service for shared kitchens

Fruit Fair's Jared and Sam Newell with Hannah at the MA Food System Collaborative in Worcester

Check out one of our free virtual information sessions to Get Started at the FCCDC! Find all our information sessions on our website at fccdc.org/get-started.

Our Grow Your Business session welcomes businesses of all types at any stage. Zoom with an expert who has worked with hundreds of businesses over the years and can answer questions and offer resources. This is a great way to get started with the Franklin County CDC. Join us on the first Monday of the month at 11 a.m. Sign up. Upcoming session is on December 1.

Are you dreaming of launching a packaged food product? Are you a farmer looking to turn your harvest into a value-added food product, but not sure where to begin? We can help! Zoom with a food product expert from the Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center to begin a conversation about your food product idea. Discussion topics will include product development, shelf life, packaging, labeling, food safety, regulatory compliance, manufacturing, and distribution. Additionally, we have flexible financing available for farm and food entrepreneurs using locally grown ingredients. Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at 10am to learn more! Sign up here. Upcoming session is on December 16.

Learn how some common words and expressions in use today have origins in slavery and racism. We'll talk about how to recognize these words and what to do when you hear them said by others. By understanding the resonance and eliminating these phrases, we can foster environments where everyone feels welcome.

Join us quarterly (March, June, September, December) on the third Wednesday of the month at 2 p.m. to learn more. Sign up here. Upcoming session is on December 17.

Events

Greening Greenfield

Thursday, December 11th at 5:45pm, Greening Greenfield will show the film “The Social Dilemma” at LAVA, 324 Main Street, Greenfield, MA. What is the dilemma? First, this part-documentary, part docu-drama digs into the world of algorithms – the ones quietly deciding what you see online, how long you stay there, and who benefits from your scrolling. And then, it nails the urgency of the conversation, regulation, digital literacy, mental health awareness. These simply aren’t optional anymore.

Racial Justice Rising

An event celebrating community in the spirit of Kwanzaa will be held Sunday, Dec. 14, 2 to5 p.m. at the Second Congregational Church in Greenfield. Presenters include Dr. Amilcar Shabazz, Gloria Matlock & Twice As Smart Singers accompanied by Michael Nix on guitar, Ursa Shabazz African Drums

Thanks for reading!

Franklin County CDC | 324 Wells Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 | 413-774-7204