The Home Depot is hiring more than 290 part-time and full-time positions in the Springfield and Holyoke area to support its busy spring season. The in-store positions will focus on customer service, filling online orders that are picked up curbside or in store, unpacking overnight freight and merchandising.
The company is also hiring more than 1,500 employees across its 100 distribution centers in 80 markets. These roles will focus on replenishing store inventory and helping pick and ship orders.
Available positions locally vary by store. Interested candidates can apply by texting JOBS to 52270 or online at careers.homedepot.com.
Home Depot has stores in Hadley, West Springfield, Westfield, Wilbraham and Chicopee.
SPRINGFIELD — Professional Drywall Construction, Inc., of Springfield, is celebrating one of its co-owners, Vice President Nick Shaink, of Belchertown, on his 21st year with the company. Shaink started with PDC at age 15 working weekends and school vacations and now is co-owner of the company.
“My first job with PDC was when we were helping to build the Target store at the Holyoke Mall,” said Shaink. “My role was to remove all the trash on the site and keep things clean. After my high school graduation, I started my apprenticeship, becoming a foreman by age 22, which is pretty young. I’ve worked pretty much every job in this company at one time or another over the past 21 years.”
Shaink has overseen many projects during his tenure with PDC. Some of those include the UMass Amherst Football Performance Center, Champions Center and Isenberg School of Management Business Innovation Hub, as well as the Roger L. Putnam Vocational School, the DCU Center renovations in Worcester and countless other ventures.
Dedicated to giving back to the community, Shaink heads up a lot of the charitable efforts at PDC, including their annual golf tournament, which raises money for a different charity every year. He lives in Belchertown with his wife and three daughters.
ATLANTA — York Public Relations, a brand awareness and crisis public relations firm dedicated exclusively to financial institutions and fintechs, has hired John Brady, of Haydenville, as its vice president of sales. In his role, Brady will spearhead the firm’s business development efforts and expand its visibility.
With nearly 25 years of sales experience, Brady was previously a senior sales consultant with American Express for almost 10 years, where he managed large business-to-business campaigns. He was also a senior business development manager with FarmTek, where he managed a sales team of over 50 national account managers.
Brady graduated with honors from Plattsburgh State College in New York with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography.
Elizabeth Staples, the owner of The Good Dog Spot located in Chicopee and Northampton, is now a member of an elite group of pet care professionals who have successfully demonstrated their comprehensive pet care knowledge and passion for pet safety by becoming a certified professional animal care operator.
The Professional Animal Care Certification Council recently conducted an independent certification exam for pet care providers. To initially qualify to take the exam, Staples had to meet minimum education requirements, have a minimum of five years of experience with at least one year in an operator position, maintain membership in a pet-related association or organization, engage in ongoing community service, and provide letters of reference from veterinarians and other pet care industry professionals.
The in-depth 175-question examination covered animal care topics including health, nutrition, dog fight and bite protocol, on-leash and off-leash interaction, sanitation, dog behavior and temperament, dog body language, dog training, animal and handler safety, vaccination protocol, workflow management, pathogen control, emergency and quarantine protocols, air quality standards, staff management expectations, professional business and financial management, and much more.
CHICOPEE — Florence Bank recently opened its third Hampden County branch with a ribbon cutting highlighted by the presentation of a $5,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee.
In attendance at the new branch, located at 705 Memorial Drive, were Chicopee Mayor John L. Vieau, Florence Bank President and CEO Kevin R. Day, Branch Manager Kimberly Downing, community leaders, and bank employees, board members and corporators.
Day said 1,000 of the 5,000 Hampden County customers live in Chicopee. The branch is the third to open in the county since 2017.
The branch has an open floor plan with two teller pods and technology for quick cash handling. The location will also feature a drive-up ATM with SMART technology for easy depositing.
Kimberly Downing of Wilbraham, assistant vice president/branch manager for the new location, was also present, along with other branch employees: Diane Afonso, assistant branch manager; Tracy Keefe, customer service representative and senior teller; Kiara Sonoda, teller operations manager; and Karen Willemain, senior teller.