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LP Adams, owner earn regional industry award LP Adams Co. and its owner, Wayne Walton, have been named the 2025 Legends of the Industry by the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Western Massachusetts. Celebrating 125 years in business, LP Adams is the oldest continuously operating retail business in Dalton. Under Walton’s fourth-generation leadership, the company remains a trusted source for quality building materials and exceptional service across Berkshire County. For more than five decades, Walton has been active in the building community — helping to establish the Berkshire County Builders Association, serving multiple terms as president and supporting countless local causes, from schools and veterans’ programs to the traveling Vietnam Veterans War Memorial. Walton and LP Adams Co. will be honored at the HBRAMA Installation Banquet on Nov. 20, at the Charter Oak Country Club in Hudson. BCArc names board, honorees at meeting Berkshire County Arc elected its board of directors and presented its Employee of the Year award, selected from more than 800 employees during its annual meeting last month at the Country Club of Pittsfield. Board Chair Michael Ferry and President and CEO Maryann Hyatt presided over the Sept. 18 meeting. State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield, delivered the keynote speech. Shiwen “Wendy” Kanel was awarded Employee of the Year. Kanel has worked the same shift for 14 years at a house supporting a group of ladies each with a brain injury, where she arranges all their medical appointments, transports them, advocates for them, tracks their progress, and follows-up for each of them. Blue Q received Employer of the Year. Blue Q has been working with BCArc for more than 30 years, currently employing 10 individuals through BCArc. The Notch Insurance was awarded Innovative Business Partner of the Year. Awards were also presented to individuals with disabilities supported by BCArc. Gus Gundlach and Bruce Stiles received work achievement awards; Jill Reed and Cesar Martinez, personal achievement awards; and Katherine Butler and Rosemarie Tessier, community achievement awards. Staff awards were presented to Nicole Negri, the Carol Craighead Mission Award, and Sharon Johnson, the Debra Jarck Advocacy Award. BCArc provides a range of services to 1,000-plus individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and brain injuries throughout Berkshire County and the Pioneer Valley. BCC board of trustees adds 2 new members Berkshire Community College has announced the election of two new members to its board of trustees. Julie Fallon Hughes, of Dalton, is president and chief executive officer of Adams Community Bank. With over 25 years of experience in the banking industry, Hughes has held senior leadership positions at several major financial institutions. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Hughes is also active in community organizations focused on education, child advocacy and regional development. Victor X. Reyesthey/them of Pittsfield, a liberal arts student at Berkshire Community College, serves as a student trustee, parliamentarian and student leader within the Student Government Association. Reyes is involved in volunteer and advocacy work, including environmental initiatives and community service projects, and has held various leadership and customer service roles. The board is composed of area residents appointed by the governor of Massachusetts. — Staff reports
