MountainOne Celebrates Graduates of the Emerging Leaders Program

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. —  MountainOne announced that eight of its rising Mountaineers have graduated from the company's Emerging Leaders Program (ELP).

The ELP is a cornerstone of MountainOne's commitment to developing talent within the organization. Over the course of the 2024 program, this group of Mountaineers enhanced their leadership skills, while also taking on projects that created tangible business impact, and helped each participant build confidence and competency along this path. 

This year's cohort included the following eight Mountaineers:

  • Alyson Lesure, Claims Representative & Branch Support Supervisor (Insurance)
  • Betsy Kapner, VP, Marketing Manager (Marketing)
  • Erik Ray, Community Banking Officer (Community Banking)
  • Erin Galvin, Community Banking Officer (Community Banking)
  • Jessica Andrews, AVP, Deposit Compliance Officer & Fraud Administration Officer (Risk Management)
  • Kyle Shepard, Operations Analyst (Operations)
  • Paula Malloy, AVP, Assistant Controller (Accounting)
  • Ryan Belanger, Network & Systems Officer (IT)

The ELP consists of two phases: the first focuses on leadership training and self-discovery, and the second involves actionable activities to address high-priority projects that explore new possibilities for MountainOne.

Participants were split into two groups, with one team focusing on the impact of chat platforms and their potential to streamline workflows and enhance collaboration. The second team created a sustainable Social Media Ambassadorship Program, an initiative aimed at empowering employees to actively support MountainOne's brand on social platforms.

The groups presented their final projects to the executive and senior leadership team in November. At this time, a commencement ceremony was held to recognize the growth and achievements of this cohort of emerging leaders. 

"The Emerging Leaders Program is about more than just building leadership skills—it's about giving our employees the tools, confidence and opportunity to make a real impact," said Beth Petropulos, SVP, Senior Human Resources Officer. "This year's graduates tackled meaningful challenges with creativity and focus, delivering results that will have a lasting impact on our organization. It's exciting to see the talent and potential we have within MountainOne, and I'm very proud of each participant for their hard work and dedication."


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North Adams Airport Commissioners Review Badge Policy

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission will rethink its badge policy after a discussion with airport users who shared their grievances regarding the current system.
 
The commissioners voted last week to approve a new fee structure for the airport — minus badge fees — as they hope to continue their discussion and craft a policy that creates fewer barriers for airport users.
 
Three years ago, former manager Bruce Goff was charged with cleaning up the badge system. At the time, it was unknown how many badges were in circulation; some airport users had multiple badges, while others had moved away or passed away.
 
Badges are required to access the airside of the airport. Under the current rules, all new badges were set to expire in three years, leaving airport users currently scrambling to obtain new ones. This process comes with a $50 fee.
 
Airport user and former commissioner Trevor Gilman said the sticking point for him was not the price, but the automatic shutdown of the badges upon expiration, as well as the process by which users must obtain brand-new physical cards.
 
"Why change out a badge for the same person? They are perfectly good badges. It is not the cost, it is the process. All of a sudden my badge expired and I can't get in. It takes forever to get one from the state," Gilman said. "If you lose a badge, certainly you should have to buy a new one because there is a cost. That is not the problem; it is the process."
 
He said other airports do not have expiration dates on their badges, adding that he has held one from another airport for 10 years. Gilman argued there should be no barriers to users obtaining a badge, suggesting that higher badge adoption allows the city to better track airport activity.
 
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