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Bank donates $30K; VP joins chamber

NORTHA MPTON — Thomas Senecal of South Hadley, PeoplesBank’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, has joined the founding board of the Hampshire County Chamber of Commerce. PeoplesBank has pledged $30,000 over two years to help the organization get started.

Senecal was chief financial officer and treasurer of Florence Savings Bank from 2004 to 2008. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management and is a certified public accountant.

NEPR website wins excellence award

AMHERST — New England Public Radio’s website, nepr.net, has been recognized with the Standard of Excellence award from the Web Marketing Association.

The web design firm Gravity Switch of Northampton helped NEPR redesign its Web presence in 2011. The site has undergone continuous updates and improvements in the year since its launch.

It offers live streaming of all New England Public Radio’s services including 88.5 FM WFCR, AM 640, all-news WNNZ and 88.5 HD all-classical; music blogs written by local hosts John Montanari and Tom Reney; regional, national and international news; an online events calendar; and archives of locally produced features and news stories.

Penney joins family’s Northampton law firm

NORTHAMPTON — Attorney Mary E. Melnik Penney recently joined her father and brothers, Patrick J. Melnik Sr. and Patrick J. Melnik Jr., as a partner in their law practice at 110 King St.

Penney graduated with honors from Bowdoin College in 2004. She earned a master’s degree in archaeology from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2007 and was awarded her law degree cum laude from Western New England University in 2011.

Melnik Law Offices has been in business for more than 38 years, specializing in estate and elder planning, real estate transactions, and landlord and tenant, land use, environmental and business law.

Small business talk offered at HCC

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College will host a “Building a Small Business” panel discussion Monday, Oct. 22.

Panelists include Gerald Moreau, president of All Sales Consulting LLC; Geoffrey Croteau, managing associate at Mass Mutual Charter Oak Insurance and Financial Services; Jim Mumm, CEO, Sandler Training Systems; retired business owner Carl Eger Jr.; and Rosemary Arnold, co-owner of Conklin Office Furniture.

The event will be held in the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, 303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke.

A reception with food and beverages will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. with the panel beginning at 6.

Preregistration is requested by Oct. 18. To register call Joanna Brown at 552-2253.

Energy guides help farmers save

AMHERST — Local farmers looking to cut energy costs can consult a series of guidebooks from the Massachusetts Farm Energy Program (MFEP).

The five guidebooks provide farmers with practical information regarding energy-conscious and cost-effective upgrades. The manuals cover dairy farms, greenhouses, maple sugaring operations, orchards and vegetable farms.

MFEP has worked with more than 400 farmers since 2008, and assisted in leveraging more than $4.5 million for farm energy project implementation (about 60 percent of total project costs), resulting in over 137 projects completed on 86 farms.

For more information, visit www.berkshirepioneerrcd.org.