Amherst’s Turku Named bankESB Retail SVP

EASTHAMPTON — bankESB has named Gary Turku senior vice president, retail banking officer, succeeding Nancy Lapointe who recently retired.

Turku, of Amherst, joined bankESB in May 2021 as the vice president, branch officer of the bank’s former Locust St., Northampton office, later transitioning to the 36 Main St., Easthampton, main office. Before joining bankESB,

Turku was vice president, branch manager at both People’s United Bank/United Bank and Key Bank as well as senior credit manager with Wells Fargo Financial. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tirana in Albania.

Gary brings more than 25 years of banking experience in both retail banking and lending to the role, in which he will assume responsibility for direct oversight of the bank’s 11 branches, including business development, the customer experience, and branch operations.

Smith College’s Lazarus Center for Career Development honored

NORTHAMPTON — Smith College’s Lazarus Center for Career Development has earned the national Career Services Pursuit of Excellence Award, presented by the Career Leadership Collective at its annual conference.

Smith joins Centre College, University of Delaware and Miami University as the four campuses to earn this inaugural award for embodying a holistic and long-standing commitment to excellence in career services.

The recognized career centers display a strong commitment to growth and quality in scaled and equitable career services, career outcomes data analysis and visualization, career services strategic planning, career staff leadership development, and career team professional development.

The Lazarus Center offers career development support to all undergraduate students and alums who are within five years of graduation. The center hosts more than 400 advising and recruiting events each year, including career fairs, site visits with employers and Q&A panels.

Students and recent alums can book one-on-one appointments with the center’s 10 advisers who specialize in areas such as graduate school, fellowships and health professions. They can also engage with the more than 700 alums who are active employer partners. Additionally, the Lazarus Center offers financial support programs, including Praxis, which pays stipends to students who are working at unpaid internships.

The Career Leadership Collective is a consulting group for colleges and universities globally. It provides advisory and data services to assist campuses in building career development effectiveness.

Big Y announces new appointments

SPRINGFIELD — The management of Big Y Foods, Inc. has announced the following new appointments:

Ross M. Corcoran of Belchertown as inventory control manager in the company’s Springfield distribution center.

Steven A. Fernandes of Belchertown as continuous improvement systems and analytics specialist in the company’s Springfield Store Support Center.

Anthony C. Zarlengo of Easthampton as store director of Big Y Supermarket in North Adams.

Tara A. Beauregard of Granby as fresh foods coordinator-produce in the company’s Springfield Store Support Center.

Calvin J. Eckerle of Granby as customer service manager of Big Y Supermarket in Northampton.

Anita R. Giroux of Hatfield as a senior manager of networking hardware support at the company’s Springfield Store Support Center.

Sara L. Rooney of South Hadley as deli, kitchen and bakery merchandiser trainer in the company’s Springfield Store Support Center.

Christopher R. Woloszyn of South Hadley as senior design product marketing supervisor at the Springfield Store Support Center.

Meredith A. Johnson of Southampton as assistant store director of Big Y Supermarket in Northampton.

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