37° and Partly Cloudy
Image
SPONSOR OF Business Briefs in the Franklin Observer
The chamber serves the communities of Bellingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Medway, Milford, Mendon, Millis, and Upton. More information is available at https://www.tricountychamberma.org
Greg Pauplis Made Sr. VP at N. Easton Savings
North Easton Savings Bank has named Greg Pauplis as Senior Vice President, Commercial Lender. With twenty plus years in the commercial banking industry focused on commercial real estate, residential and commercial construction, C&I, non-profit organizations and SBA 504 loans, Greg’s significant experience will aid in the Bank’s current expansion in commercial and small business lending, they said. “Greg brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will help bolster our local business and commercial resources,” stated Ralph Letner, Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer of North Easton Savings Bank. Prior to joining North Easton Savings Bank, Mr. Pauplis was the Senior Vice President and Commercial Lender at Cambridge Trust. From 2009 to 2020, Mr. Pauplis was Senior Vice President and Commercial Lender at Wellesley Bank. Mr. Pauplis is a graduate of Adelphi University, NY and received Commercial Banking accreditations from the American Institute of Banking and Babson College.
Franklin Dodges Bullet, NOT Named “Strongest Town”
After four rounds in a March Madness-style tournament against 15 other North American cities, Brattleboro, VT won the title Strongest Town in North America, narrowly beating, Saranac Lake, NY. Franklin was also nominated but didn’t make the cut. Strong Towns principles, such as” transparent local accounting, building safe and productive streets, encouraging incremental housing, eliminating parking mandates, and ending highway expansions,” can complicate already challenging municipal decision making and do not necessarily fulfill the wishes of most residents.
AIM Honors Boston Impact Initiative with 2023 Lewis Latimer Award
An impact investment fund focused on closing the racial wealth divide and building economic, social and political power in communities of color has been chosen to receive the 2023 Lewis Latimer Award at the annual meeting of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) next month. Launched in 2013, the Boston Impact Initiative (BII) has invested more than $12 million in more than 70 small businesses, social enterprises and community organizations in Massachusetts and beyond. Its Fund II, for which BII is raising $20 million, invests in entrepreneurs of color who are committed to making an impact, as well as in community-owned and controlled real estate projects to prevent displacement. The Award is named for Lewis Latimer, a Chelsea-born Black inventor who in 1882 patented a method for the production of carbon filaments critical to the development of the electric light bulb. A child of formerly enslaved people, Latimer also created the drawings that enabled Alexander Graham Bell to patent the telephone.
