What do a beauty salon, marketing firm, painting contractor and a video production company all have in common?

They are among Cape & Plymouth Business’s 20 Companies to Watch in 2021 Readers’ Choice Award winners.

It’s no small feat to launch a small business or to keep one solvent, in any year, but our winners found a way to survive and in some cases, thrive in 2020, amidst the worldwide pandemic.

We also have some video to share with you this month, throughout this digital edition.

Please contact us at news@capeplymouthbusiness.com if you have story ideas or would like to contribute content.

Dale Shadbegian
CEO

Carol K. Dumas
EDITOR

COVER STORY – 20 Companies To Watch in 2021
BY THE NUMBERS – Making Healthy Resolutions
COFFEE BREAK – Fun Alternatives To Zoom Networking Meetings
TIDBITS – Young Fishermen’s Bill Wins Congressional Support
NEWS AND MOVES
ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY – Radio Personality 
MENTORING – Taking Massive Action
NONPROFIT NEWS
MARKETING – How Does Social Proof Affect Your Business?
SPOTLIGHT ON GIVING: Big Brothers Big Sisters & Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
FEATURE STORY: Storefront Closure Didn’t Break These Gift Shop Owners’ Spirit (Or Their Business)
BUSINESS TOOLBOX – Develop A Crisis Communication Plan For 2021 And Beyond
LAST WORD – Moving Forward Takes Perseverance

Making Healthy Resolutions

After a year like this, do we even really need to make any resolutions? Maybe we should give ourselves a break and resolve to take a vacation as soon as possible. It certainly would be warranted.

Even so, there are those who will still make New Year’s resolutions – promises to one’s self to do something differently or better once that “clean slate” of a new year arrives.

In fact, each passing year’s resolutions around the globe sound (not surprisingly) the same as the resolutions of previous years – focusing on better health.

Here are some numbers on the different types of resolutions typically being made in years past.

2020
In 2020, one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, the world over, was to eat healthier: 44 percent of UK respondents chose this resolution, 44 percent of Polish participants, and 43 percent of Americans.

2019
In 2019, one survey found that more than half of Americans wanted to BE healthier, not just eat healthier: 59 percent wanted to exercise more, 54 percent said they would eat healthier, and 48 percent resolved to lose weight.

2018
About half of Americans in 2018 wanted to start the year by saving money (53 percent) and by getting in shape (45 percent). Only 16 percent of participants in a 2018 survey wanted to quit smoking, which was once the most popular New Year’s resolution ever.

2017
In 2017, a Stockholm University study found that more than 70 percent of the participants reported one or more resolutions falling into the “physical health” category. The second largest category was “self-improvement” (10 percent), followed by “psychological health” (5 percent).

Beacon Financial Welcomes Opishinkski

Beth Opishinski has joined Beacon Financial Planning in Hyannis as the all-female team’s newest member and third team member who carries the Certified Financial Planner designation.

She brings 16 years of experience in wealth management and a strong track record of nurturing and growing client relationships. Opishinski volunteers as a financial coach for cancer patients at Dana Farber as well as participates in her local high school’s Credit for Life Fair where she “speed teaches” students about the value of saving early.

Linda Gadkowski founded the firm in 1990.

Fun Alternatives To Zoom Networking Meetings

By Lisa Rangel

Since we are “Zooming” almost all the time, online meetings can now get downright boring. We have Zoom Coffeed, Zoom Happy Houred, and Zoom Trivia Nighted to name a few. So what are some other ways to spice up online networking meetings, for both personal and professional purposes, when we are bored by what we have been doing? Here are some thoughts on making the most of Zoom networking. The good news is, you can have fun and still accomplish a lot.

Zoom Athletes: Zoom while walking or jogging with someone or a small group. Not only does it get you out in the fresh air more, but you can be more committed when you have someone to talk to while walking or jogging. You can more than likely stay on pace, meet personal goals and make the time pass faster. Zoom walking or running can energize you to do it more often and that will definitely help with the pandemic blues.

Zoom Meditations: Zooming to meditate with someone actually keeps you more accountable to sitting still through the mediation. When I am by myself, I have a tendency to look down at the timer, look at my phone, etc. It’s too easy to get distracted. But when done with someone else or a group, you will find you’re more committed. Give it a go and see how much better you do.

Zoom As Is: When someone says to me (usually women), “Is the networking chat on zoom or by phone?” I know most of us chicks are thinking, “Do I need to get dressed up for this?” So I often say, “Let’s Zoom…but no need to dress up…ok?” Or, let’s Zoom but video is optional. This “as is” feel in and of itself creates a different vibe…a more human vibe. And who doesn’t want to cha chill a bit during these trying times?

Zoom Bread-Breaking: Pre-COVID rules for online meeting rules recommended that you didn’t eat during the meeting. But “breaking bread” with colleagues and personal friends is the one thing I miss most about pandemic life. So I say let’s break the rules and set up “Bread-Breaking” Zoom meetings. I encourage people to have breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a cookie break together, when needed. Sharing a meal with people is important. We once had the option to eat in person with new
and existing contacts, so let’s carry this concept over to Zoom meetings to get to know people in a less business like setting. Since we shouldn’t eat in person much for safety reasons for a bit longer, let’s break bread over Zoom!

Zoom Monthly Tasting Events: And speaking of breaking bread, who doesn’t love tasting events, especially during the holidays and carrying this idea into the New Year? The good news is that you can still have your favorite beverage or food tastings even during the pandemic. Wine, coffee, tea, hot sauce, bread, cheese, olives, chocolate, desserts, and all kinds of themed food/drink tastings are still fun to do in online groups. While it takes a bit more prep-planning on behalf of everyone participating, you will discover the added benefit of learning about new and exciting foods and drinks by having to shop for products to bring to the Zoom tasting versus how we used to do it by showing up to someone’s house. So go ahead and plan a tasting event and spice it up with some fun options you might not have tried
previously.

Zoom Biz Book Clubs: One positive effect the pandemic is having is more family time and also more time for reading. Without the option of going out to dinners, shopping, etc., more people than ever are enjoying sitting back and reading a great book! And even better, you can host a Zoom biz book club and discuss these
books with all your friends and associates. Add a little wine and you’ll have the perfect book club meeting.

Zoom New Year’s Parties: Just because you can’t gather together, doesn’t mean you have to forego the New Year festivities. Many companies today are ringing in the New Year by implementing Zoom New Year celebration parties. Who isn’t happy to welcome 2021? Let’s forget all about 2020 and go into 2021 renewed and inspired. The challenge many face during these meetings though is everyone talking at once, but that can easily be resolved with a laid out plan on how the party will actually take
place. Since this online party reduces drinking and driving, who knows it might turn into an annual event because everyone had a great time and stayed safe!

Things might be different today, but as you can see, even in the most challenging of times you can still have fun and make networking connections. These should help.

Lisa Rangel is the founder and managing director of Chameleon Resumes LLC (https://chameleonresumes.com/) an executive resume writing and job landing consulting firm named a Forbes Top 100 Career Website. Rangel has authored 16 career resources found at joblandingacademy.com.

Young Fishermen’s Bill Wins Congressional Support

People always ask Ken Baughman what he would do if he had a million dollars. And the Falmouth resident always has a ready answer – he’d go fishing, commercial fishing.

Getting into the industry has gotten more and more difficult in recent years; the average age of fishermen in many communities has shot up by 10 years. There’s the expense of buying a permit and a boat, plus many other hurdles: learning navigation and safety protocols, understanding markets and changing regulations, developing a solid business plan and understanding various technology, etc.

Baughman is thankful he was able to take a 40-hour course put together by the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance last year. Now an important federal bill, five years in the making and initiated and pushed by the national Fishing Communities Coalition (including the Alliance), has passed Congress.

The bill could provide $2 million a year, distributed nation-wide through a competitive grant program, to train, educate, and foster the next generation of commercial fishermen.

“The act takes on added importance as the pandemic, although painful in so many ways, has reintroduced many to delicious local seafood, and to the admirable and tenacious people who catch it – igniting interest in a worthy career,” said John Pappalardo, CEO of the Fishermen’s Alliance.

100% Clean Energy Electrification Could Save Massachusetts Households $7.1 Billion and Create 171,084 Jobs

A new analysis by Rewiring America shows that transitioning to 100% clean energy through electrification would save Massachusetts as much as $7.1 billion in energy costs each year while dramatically reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions. The Rewiring America Report, “No Place Like Home : Massachusetts. Saving Money And Creating Jobs By Electrifying America’s Households,” by Drs. Saul Griffith and Sam Calisch, finds that savings would mean up to $2,607 per year in savings to each Massachusetts household’s energy bills. The report builds on an earlier analysis by Rewiring America that shows that clean energy electrification could create 25 million new jobs and save Americans $321 billion in total. Every zip code in the state would see employment gains.

Today the average Massachusetts household spends approximately $4,528 per year on heating and cooling the home, generating hot water, and driving cars. Transitioning away from fossil fuels and electrifying the Massachusetts economy – replacing old fossil fuelbased machines with electric versions at every opportunity, and switching our electricity generation from dirty sources such as coal to clean ones such as rooftop solar – would provide significant savings to every Bay Stater.

“As Bay Staters continue to struggle to make ends meet, this analysis provides an exciting and desperately needed roadmap for a brighter future,” said Adam Zurofsky, Executive Director of Rewiring America.“If we do it right, electrifying the Massachusetts household presents a unique opportunity to create jobs, save families money, and dramatically slash harmful emissions in the process.”

This report from Rewiring America analyzes what these upgrades would cost households in each state and under what circumstances they could expect to save money.

Key findings of the report:
• Bay Staters as a whole would annually save $7.1 billion.
• The benefits laid out in the report are strictly economic, independent of additional benefits electrification would bring in terms of health, climate, reduced maintenance costs, and more consistent performance.
• Massive industrial growth will be necessary to meet increased demand for electric machines and bring about lower costs over the longer term.
• New jobs would be created in every zip code in Massachusetts.

Rewiring America is a coalition of engineers, entrepreneurs, and volunteers focused on rejuvenating the economy and addressing climate change by electrifying everything. The new, innovative nonprofit is dedicated to demonstrating that solving climate change is both technically possible and economically beneficial. The reports produced by Rewiring America are deeply rooted in data and provide high-level analysis of the U.S. energy economy. www.rewiringamerica.org/

Joy and Success At Work
By Mark McClain

“I can’t wait to get to work!”
When was the last time you felt that way? Have you ever? Mark McClain has and still does. He and his leadership teams have focused on creating companies that make
the quality of their employees’ work experiences of equal importance to the quality of the solutions those employees create.

With ”Joy and Success at Work,” McClain has produced a manual that shares how he and his teams have done it, and how you and your team can, too. Speaking directly to the lack of fulfillment that too often accompanies work – with generous portions of humor and irreverence – McClain deconstructs the modern business environment, then puts it back together.

He uses the real life examples of his own company to show what works and what doesn’t and lays out a roadmap to be a modern company that lives for more than the bottom line.

Shot through with pithy tales from his own experiences, “Joy and Success at Work” is McClain’s honest take on what team building can be and, if done right, what it produces: great places to work that support people’s broader lives, rather than sucking the life out of them.

Mark McClain is the CEO and founder of SailPoint, a leader in the enterprise identity management market. He has led the company from its beginnings in 2005 through its VC-and PE-backed stages to its IPO in 2017, as it grew from a team of three to more than 1,200 employees and about 1,500 enterprise-class customers in 35 countries.

C&PB Staff

Around the Region
TOWN OF HANOVER

Form of Government:
Open Town Meeting
Incorporated in: 1727
Demographics:
Total Population:………………………………..14,570
Female ………………………………………………51.5%
Male …………………………………………………48.5%
White ……………………………………………….96.9%
Black…………………………………………………..1.0%
American Indian…………………………………….. 0%
Asian………………………………………………….0.4%
Persons reporting two or more races………0.8%
Hispanic or Latino………………………………..0.6%
Family households: …………………………….. 4,913
Average household size: ……………………….. 2.91
Median Earnings:
Median household income: …………….. $127,981
Per capita income: ………………………… $54,290
Mean travel time to work: ………. 35.2 minutes
Educational Attainment (age 25+):
High school graduate: ………………………. 96.5%
Bachelor’s degree: …………………………… 48.7%
Business (2012)
Women-owned: …………………………………….. 614
Male-owned: …………………………………….. 1,070
Minority-owned: ……………………………………….14
Veteran-owned: ………………………………….. 240

SOURCE: CENSUS.GOV/QUICKFACTS; CITY-DATA.COM

Peak Physical Therapy Promotes Donofrio
Allison Donofrio has been promoted to office manager at Peak Physical Therapy & Sports Performance’s Braintree clinic.

A native and resident of Whitman, Donofrio joined the Peak team in 2019. She is a graduate of Framingham State University with a degree in Fashion Merchandising. She brings more than five years of experience in administration in the medical industry to her position at Peak. In addition Donofrio is a yoga instructor and avid hiker.

The Coop Expands Senior Leadership Team
The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod has appointed two financial services professionals to its senior leadership team.

Barbara Smith joins The Coop as executive vice president, chief banking and strategy officer, and Scott Kwarta has been named executive vice president and chief risk officer.

Smith’s career spans more than three decades, most recently serving as senior vice president at Cleveland-based KeyBank. At KeyBank, she led the company’s Key4Women initiative, providing insight, tools and support to female entrepreneurs and leaders.

Smith will oversee the strategies associated with client journey, data and market share statistics, sales processes, products, and product innovation. She will also oversee the bank’s delivery strategy and channels – mobile and digital banking and design, branch strategy, and ATM/ ITM networks. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University.

Kwarta joins the organization with more than 25 years of experience in senior roles at several leading financial institutions in New England including Workers Credit Union, UniBank for Savings, BankNewport and Citizens Financial Group.

Kwarta, a certified public accountant, holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Fordham University.

He will be in charge of developing an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Strategy and Program and also oversee information security, information technology, credit, compliance, and operations.

News From BayCoast Bank
BayCoast Bank announces hirings and promotions at its various offices on the South Coast.

Amy M. Hernandez of Providence, R.I., was named branch manager of the new Providence location slated to open in early 2021.

Rebekah R. Holland of Warwick, R.I., was named assistant vice president, Senior Credit Analyst, Commercial Lending.

Susan Bosley of Newport, R.I. was named vice president business development and relationship management officer.

Robert Bergdoll of Attleboro was named First Vice President Marketing Director.

Nicole Almeida has been named senior vice president, chief diversity officer, a newly created role where she will be responsible for shaping the company’s internal diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, as well as, building relationships with key leaders, communities and organizations to create awareness and advocacy in a manner that is authentic to BayCoast Bank.

Partners Insurance Group Helps Out Boys & Girls Club
Partners Insurance Group, LLC, with eight locations in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, recently presented two checks in the amount of $2,500 each to the Thomas Chew Memorial Boys & Girls Club, Inc. of Fall River.

The contribution represents a $2,500 gift from Partners Insurance Group and a matching $2,500 from the Arbella Insurance Foundation, which, since 2005, has been committed to supporting local, nonprofit organizations that work to positively impact the lives of people in New England.

Corporator, Trustee Elected For Martha’s Vineyard Bank
Robert “Bob” Mone was elected a corporator and Steve Aubrey was elected to the board of trustees at the annual meeting of the Martha’s Vineyard Bank Corporators on Nov.18.

Mone is the owner and operator of Mone Insurance, which he founded in 1996. Mone Insurance is located at the same waterfront vicinity where he spent more than 20 years as a fish broker. Mone holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and insurance from Northeastern University.

Aubrey brings his skill and expertise as a leader and entrepreneur in advertising and healthcare technology. He was in the advertising business for the greater part of his career serving as a senior executive for Arnold Advertising and Hill Holiday Advertising. He went on to become the president and COO of Pri-Med and afterwards founded Dovetail Health.

Aubrey was elected a corporator of the bank in November 2016.

Aubrey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Denison University.

Cape Cod 5 Promotes Ramos, Hires Boyd
Cape Cod 5 announces the promotion of Olympia Ramos to Banking Center Manager of its Centerville location at 1620 Falmouth Road and the hiring of Kristen Boyd as Banking Center Manager at its Brewster Banking Center at 2745 Main St.

Ramos has served as an Assistant Banking Center Manager at several Cape Cod 5 locations since 2014.

Ramos started with Cape Cod 5 as a Financial Services Representative in 2013 and quickly rose to positions of increased responsibility as part of the Banking Services team. Prior to joining the Bank, she served as a Teller Operations Specialist and a Lead Teller for two national banks.

She holds a bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, with a concentration in Operations and Information Management.

Boyd comes to the bank after serving in the role of branch manager for a regional financial institution. Earlier in her career, she gained experience in the areas of lending while working as an assistant to a mortgage originator at a local financial institution.

Larson Takes On CEO Role
Elevate Counseling Services, with locations in South Easton, Middleboro and Bellingham, announces that Leigh-Ann Larson of Bridgewater will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer.

Founder of the practice, Larson has served as director since its launch in 2015. With the growth over the past year, the addition of new therapists, the creation of a new Telehealth Division and the implementation of the Professional Development Center, the practice has grown to the point where it required a CEO to oversee the growth and overall planning for the future. She will work with the practice’s Associate Directors in charting the growth and direction of the practice.

Prior to Elevate Counseling, she spent five years as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in private practice, and five years working in the community mental health field.

She earned her master’s in Education in Mental Health Counseling from Bridgewater State University, as well as her bachelor’s degree.

Peak Physical Therapy Promotes Meade
Physical Therapy & Sports Performance announces that Samantha Meade of the Scituate clinic has been promoted to lead physical therapy aide for the company.

A native of Hamilton, Meade earned a bachelor of science degree in Exercise Science from Salem State University. In her new role she will assist the physical therapists in working with patients on their exercise programs.

Santoro Reelected
North Attleboro resident David Santoro, a principal in the firm Santoro Financial Planning Group, has been re-elected to the board of directors of the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts. Additionally, he will serve as the FPAMA’s Community Outreach Director.

Pretty Picky Properties Hires Communications Coordinator
Connie Hebert of West Chatham has joined the Pretty Picky Properties team as a full-time communications coordinator. She will be responsible for facilitating interactions among Pretty Picky managers, property owners and vacation rental guests.

Hebert holds a Massachusetts Real Estate Salesperson’s License and she is a Notary Public and an accomplished amateur photographer. Most of her career has been in education in various roles, including 20 years running her own consulting business and authoring several books.

Hebert will be based in the company’s Chatham office at 101 Depot Road.

King Collision Center Earns VQ Medallion Designation
King Collision Center of Pembroke recently earned the prestigious VQ Medaliion designation from Verifacts Automotive, the industry’s only independent, third-party quality verification service, for demonstrating that they consistently performed the highest quality repairs.

King Collision Centers is a second generation repair business run by brothers Chris and Matt King. Their father, Bruce, opened his first shop in Pembroke in 1983. The business employs 24 technicians.

Radio Personality
Loren Petisce

Where Do You Work: Country 102.5 & 105.7 WROR in Boston.

How Long Have You Been In Radio:
I just celebrated my 16th anniversary in the radio industry.

What Inspired Your Career? I used to tape songs off the radio when I was a kid, and I thought the DJs on the radio were so cool, I wanted to be just like them, so I think that’s what made me get into radio. Also, I’ve always been the type to go against the crowd, so when everyone told me being a radio DJ was “weird” or that it would never happen, it made me want to pursue it more.

Favorite Song: My absolute favorite song ever is “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve. I even walked down the aisle at my wedding to the instrumental version of it!

Favorite Artist: The band 311 (remember, the alternative rock reggae band from the ‘90s?). I know, it’s so random and weird, but they got me through my high school years and I have loved them ever since. I’ve seen them in concert at least 30 times, and I’ve even gone on two 311 cruises!

What’s Special About Your Job: I think it’s tough to narrow it down, so I’d say it’s all the times I’ve seen how radio makes a difference in other people’s lives. I believe that’s why I ended up in this career – to make a positive impact on others. Music is healing in so many ways, and there’ve been countless times when a listener has told me that a song I played for them or hearing my familiar voice has gotten them through a tough time, a loss, the death of a loved one, a surgery, or a bad day. THAT is always mind blowing to me, how something I did had that much power to help someone else; so that is always my favorite part.

What’s Next? Well, in addition to radio, I launched my own business this year, radioloren. com. I offer public speaking coaching as well as talent coaching for radio industry professionals looking to improve their skills and knowledge. In addition to my coaching services, I also do voiceover work and IVR (on hold) phone messages for businesses. Besides that, I love to read, I do some writing here and there and, once the pandemic passes, I can’t wait to start traveling again. I want to go EVERYWHERE!

Taking Massive Action By Dale Shadbegian

The famous motivational speaker, Tony Robbins, teaches us that if you want a better life, you have to take “massive action.” I’ve often thought about what it might mean to do that for my businesses and my own life.

I found the answer when it struck home this spring during the lockdown. After weeks of waiting, I decided to take massive action. For me, it meant pushing myself beyond what anyone else expected of me. Of course, it wasn’t easy, and at times it also meant facing my responsibilities and failures along the way.

But the end-result of taking massive action was an expansion of my knowledge, awareness, and opportunities.

It worked for me.

Here is a beginner’s guide to taking massive action in your business and your personal life and making it work for you:

Work On Your Self Esteem

Low self-esteem is a personality trait that, most professionals agree, is developed during childhood and impacts our adult life. It’s reported that nearly 85 percent of people experience it at some level.

You cannot create positive change or improve your career unless you believe that change is possible and you deserve it! Whether you want to be the best mentor, make the world’s most amazing phone, or work towards a new position in your company, there is something out there better for you. But before you get it, you’ll first have to believe that you are worthy of it.

Set Goals

Creating crystal-clear goals is absolutely imperative to achieving them.

Be very vivid and specific. Print pictures or make a vision board of exactly what you desire to accomplish. Whether you want to travel, purchase a new car, move into a new home, have better relationships, or increase your communication skills, you need to see these goals every day and have them top-of-mind.

Create A Plan

This is the blueprint for your massive action. Creating a very detailed step-by-step plan to achieving each and every single goal with milestones and dates is essential to the next step in your journey.
Think about putting assistive aids or controls in place so that your plan is followed. Time blocking your calendar or asking other friends to hold you accountable are the two most common ways people stay focused on executing their plan.

Ask For Help

Your plan may require skill sets, expertise or relationships you do not have at the moment, but they are crucial to your plan’s success. In that case, find someone who can help you in areas you lack or won’t have time to focus on.
This can be anything from calling a friend for motivation, hiring an accountant or CFO to help you control your finances, get HR assistance with hiring, or outsourcing your sales and marketing. Our community has a plethora of free knowledge and experienced professionals who are willing to help, so go ahead and find someone who’s right for you.

Create Positive Energy

One really important takeaway is that if you’re going to take massive action, you’re going to need energy. In his talks, Tony Robbins often drives home the fact that you need to take care of your body and mind. Eat well, rest, exercise, and engage in positive activities to create the energy you need to succeed. Remove all negativity from your thought, language, and from your life as much as possible; you’ll be better off for it

Take Massive Action!

Set your plan in motion. Visualize your goals, think about them every day, follow your dream.

Don’t Give Up

Entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk says, “Most people do it for a month and then give up.” This cannot be you!
Revisit the steps of this process: keep focused on your self-esteem, tweak your plan, ask for help when you need it, and continually create the energy you need to meet your goals.

I promise it’ll all be worth it in the end.

CARE Presents Awards
CARE (Creating A Responsible Environment) for the Cape and Islands presented its annual Stewardship Awards during its latest summit: “CARE about a Clean Cape & Islands Summit , Protecting Our Environment from Plastic Pollution and Litter.”

“My Business Can Compost!” was the second in a series on composting and was held virtually. Recordings of the summit presentations are available on CARE’s website.

The annual CARE Stewardship Award was presented to Jess Georges, owner of Green Road Refill. Green Road Refill is a zero waste mobile retail shop that provides consumers with the ability to eliminate single use plastic by purchasing products by the ounce and refilling containers. They offer a variety of items including personal care products such as all natural shampoo, lotion and soap to eco-friendly cleaning products.

CARE also announced brothers Owen, 10, and Rye, 7, Silva of West Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard as the recipients of the 2020 Youth Stewardship Award for their efforts to reduce trash in their community. Owen and Rye were noticing a lot of trash in the ocean, cracks in fishing piers, jetties and on the beaches when they spent time fishing. So they crafted an idea to solve the problem and presenting a plan to the annual MV Fishing Derby Committee. They proposed a challenge to participants to collect trash exchanging it for a chance to be entered for a prize.

CARE for the Cape and Islands was founded in 2012 to inspire stewardship to preserve and protect our natural environment, cultural and historical treasures. For more information about CARE’s work, educational programs and opportunities to get involved, visit careforthecapeandislands.org.

News From Community Health Center of Cape Cod
Community Health Center of Cape Cod has hired Jocelyn Hulburt, family nurse practitioner as a new provider in the Primary Care Department.

For the past two years, Hulburt worked at a practice in Waltham with a medically challenging and culturally diverse patient population. Hulburt had 11 years of experience as a nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital in two different Intensive Care Units and the emergency room. Hulburt will be seeing patients at the Health Center’s Falmouth office.

Samuel Kothalanka has been hired as a staff psychiatrist. Kothalanka is a board-certified psychiatrist who has experience working with refractory affective, mood disorder and psychotic patients, as well as substance abuse. Prior to CHC, he worked as a staff psychiatrist at South Bay Community Services in Mashpee. Kothalanka will see patients in the Health Center’s Mashpee and Falmouth offices.

Oral surgeon Dr. Luis Cohen Rubin has also joined the Community Health Center team. He previously worked at Harbor Community Dental Health Center and is seeing patients at the Health Center’s Mashpee office.

Dr. Nevine Henin has also joined the staff as a family practitioner. She is a board-certified family practice physician who began her career in Egypt before moving to the United States. She is currently seeing patients at the Health Center’s Mashpee office and will be seeing patients in the Health Center’s Sandwich office when it opens at 90 MA Route 6A, Unit 5A.

Falmouth Road Race Charity Runners Raise $2.3M
Despite a pandemic that forced the 48th running of the Falmouth Road Race to become a virtual event, runners participating in its Numbers for Nonprofits Program presented by Cape Cod Healthcare raised $2,323,801 for Massachusetts-based nonprofit organizations – including over $184,000 for nine Falmouth nonprofits alone. The funds raised in 2020 bring the Numbers for Nonprofits total to almost $45 million since 2000.

How Does Social Proof Affect Your Business?

By Emilie Steven

Having a strong brand image is ideal for future profitability and success of any business.

A key aspect for a business to have is social proof. Social proof, a term coined by Robert Cialdini in 1984, is a psychological phenomenon. It is when a person assumes the actions taken by others, as they believe it to be the correct way. Another way to call this is informational social influence.

Businesses need strong social proof for the success of their product or service, and one of the best ways to know if you have a strong social proof is through customer feedback, such as reviews. In a survey conducted by BrightLocal, 91 percent of those interviewed between the ages of 18 and 34 said reviews were just as credible as personal recommendations. Not having any reviews, or only having negative reviews, takes away from the trustworthiness of a business and ultimately leads to less opportunities for leads. In addition, Harvard Business Review found that every additional star on Yelp created between 5 percent to 9 percent of an increase in revenue, so for every positive feedback a business receives there is an upward trend in their sales and revenue stream.

Some of the most successful ways to create this social proof is by having a solid social media presence. The more followers and engagements a business sees on social platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, the more credibility, or social proof, that business has. Even collaborations with other businesses who already have a strong presence and a solid consumer base, can improve your own businesses standings as it is deemed trustworthy by another business.

Social media Influencers are always great for a business to hire as well, and are often used as a way to broaden marketing efforts. Having an influencer means using an unbiased source to promote the business through personal reviews and recommendations. Similarly to influencers using their own audience, a business can also post testimonials on a website, so consumers can see that other unbiased people have used the product and would recommend it to others in search of the same product or service.

A less commonly used strategy to create social proof would be to share a business’s milestones. These shared milestones create a sense of community and show the consumer the success the business is seeing, which in turn creates more trust in what it is the business produces. One common milestone businesses may have is to become verified. To be verified on social media means you have a check next to your business’s name, which proves that your business is legitimate and is credible. To get verification you need to have a strong follower base, because you must be a notable business on the platform; social media platforms do not make every business verified, otherwise it would make the verification checkmark less credible.

Lastly, some of the easier steps into creating social proof is to be a frequently active social media business. This means replying to messages quickly, showing appreciation to mentions, using shout-outs and sharing tagged posts from consumers. In addition it means following and building a community on platforms where your business likes and comments on others posts. These all create not only a stronger community feel to your business but also show credibility and proof that your business is not a sham, and is reliable.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has extended the deadline to apply for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program for the COVID19 Pandemic disaster declaration to Dec. 31, 2021. The deadline extension comes as a result of the recent bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress and enacted by President Trump on Dec. 27, 2020.

To date, the SBA has approved $197 billion in low-interest loans which provides working capital funds to small businesses, non-profits and agricultural businesses to help them make it through this challenging time. EIDL loan applications will continue to be accepted through December 2021, pending the availability of funds. Loans are offered at 3.75 percent interest rate for small businesses and 2.75 percent interest rate for nonprofit organizations, a 30-year maturity, and an automatic deferment of one year before monthly payments begin.

More information at sba.gov

Solar Projects Reach Milestones

Two of Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative’s solar installations under development have reached important milestones; one is now producing energy and another has completed construction.

These two PV projects are part of CVEC’s 35 municipal solar photovoltaic (PV) projects currently under development, which will bring CVEC’s total green power installed on behalf of local governmental agencies to over 54 megawatts, enough green energy to power over 95 percent of local municipal facilities.

The 239.49 kW DC PV system installed on the roof of Monomoy Regional High School in Harwich went live. The system is expected to save the school’s about $40,000 in electric costs. The completed rooftop solar system, installed in cooperation with the town of Harwich, will produce 282,200 kWh per year for the high school’s use and eliminate approximately 200 metric tons of CO2e.

The second milestone was the completion of two solar carport canopies at the Sandwich Police Station. These systems will generate 217,211 kWh per year feeding the police station directly, producing nearly $20,000 in annual energy savings and reducing the annual carbon footprint by approximately 154 metric tons of CO2e. Meanwhile, progress continues on CVEC’s previously announced PV installations: a carport solar canopy over the parking lot at Brewster’s Captains Golf Course driving range and a solar carport at the Sandwich Police Department.

Florida Company Purchases Cape Cod Senior Property

Elevation Financial Group, a senior and multifamily affordable housing provider, has acquired the former Wingate Residences at Brewster Place for $4 million.

Initial construction of the 121,000 square foot property began in 1973, with an additional phase completed in 1995. Wingate operated as a nursing home and skilled nursing facility before ceasing operations in 2019.

Elevation plans to bring the vacant property back to life and transition it to an affordable 55+ independent senior living community. The repositioning will allow Elevation to serve more seniors in the Brewster community while providing quality but elegant housing at an affordable price point, said Elevation CEO Chris King. The property will be rebranded as Serenity Apartments® at Brewster.

Additional properties in the Elevate Fund VII portfolio include a senior property in Illinois, four multifamily properties in Louisiana, a 496- unit senior community in Indiana and a 155-unit senior community in Memphis, Tenn.

Historic Marstons Mills Farm Returns To Its Roots

When she sold her land for conservation in 2012, Barbara Fuller told the Barnstable Land Trust that she wanted to see the land kept as farmland.

“People don’t know where their food comes from anymore,” she lamented.

Now, the land will return to its agricultural roots.

Barnstable Land Trust is beginning to implement their vision, which includes permaculture gardening and education, as well as creating a pollinator field. The land trust is also looking for opportunities and partners for sheep or other livestock grazing.

The old Fuller Farmhouse is coming down, after several years of efforts to find funds to restore it. Now the land trust plans to bring the property back to its historic agricultural use.

“We’re so happy to be able to fulfill our commitment to the Fuller family to keep the land undeveloped, and now to help realize Barbara Fuller’s vision of helping people connect to the land and the food it can provide,” said Janet Milkman, Barnstable Land Trust’s executive director.

The property includes 22 acres of fields and forested land, with walking trails throughout. The trails are open to the public. According to the land trust, plans are underway for improved parking, signage and kiosks to share the history of the Fullers, their farm and their role in the community.

BLT has a partnership under development with an organization to build a permaculture garden and hold educational workshops. They are also looking for a partner who is interested in using land for grazing. Interested parties should contact Kelly Barber, BLT Director of Land Stewardship, at Kelly@blt.org.

Jersey Mike’s Opens At Cape Cod Mall

Jersey Mike’s Subs opened Dec. 16 at Cape Cod Mall, 793 Iyannough Road, in Hyannis.

Based on guidance from the CDC and public health authorities, to start, Jersey Mike’s dining room will be open at 50 percent capacity with socially distant tables inside. Outdoor seating is also available.

Guests can continue to place takeout orders in-store or for pickup through the website or through the Jersey Mike’s app. Additionally, delivery is available in most areas through the Jersey Mike’s app or through third-party delivery partners.

The restaurant’s hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. Call 508-815-2323 for more information. Throughout the pandemic last year, Jersey Mike’s donated millions of sub sandwiches to healthcare workers, seniors, children and others. The company also donated more than $4.5 million to Feeding America, $1 million to Aaron Judge’s ALL RISE Foundation and $1 million to support the USTA Foundation’s mission to bring tennis and education together to change lives.

Jersey Mike’s Subs has more than 2,500 locations open and under development nationwide.

Storefront Closure Didn’t Break These Gift Shop Owners’ Spirit (Or Their Business)

By Ann Luongo

When you live in a coastal town, love of the ocean is practically a given. The water and sand are a part of what we know as home, and the salt life is ingrained in just about every person who’s fortunate enough to live here.

Friends Genile Dimaio and Kristen Schultz, who grew up in the beach towns of Salisbury and Wellfleet, respectively, took their love of the sea, combined it with their entrepreneurial spirits, and launched a nautical-themed jewelry and gift shop in Pembroke called By the Sea, LLC.

“Our business started out with a drink and vision of something really quaint,” said Schultz. “We both loved each other’s ideas, and from there we took the leap.”

By the Sea carries beautiful and unique items that sell out almost as fast as they come in. The nautical-themed and boho-style jewelry pieces and the gorgeous gift items are all researched and chosen by Dimaio and Schultz.

“We both loved nautical things and had a love of the water,” Dimaio said. “We both came to the realization that if we could it would be awesome to have a little storefront in our community. We spend an incredible amount of time researching products, as they represent who we are. We love to find local vendors, if we can, and we look for items that we love.”

Schultz and Dimaio enjoyed their brick-andmortar Pembroke store for five years before the property was unexpectedly sold. As a result, until they find that perfect next location, By the Sea’s online presence is fully functional. This pivot, in the meantime, has not stopped sales. It has, in fact, expanded its geographic area. Sales have stretched beyond the South Shore and include buyers in Florida and in several other states thus far.

“We carry jewelry. We have lots of functional pieces, but also a lot of fun, trendy pieces,” Schultz said. “We try to stay up in the latest trends.” When they once more have a storefront location, she added, inventory will be expanded to include “scarves, beach bags, wine glasses, and some other great entertaining pieces for that special housewarming gift or party you may be attending. We’ll try to carry candles, and different lines of hand and body lotion, as well.”

“We made our focus online while we researched storefronts,” said Dimaio. They were about to take a space in Plymouth, but ended up not taking it, which, she said, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. “We would have had the store, but it would have been closed during the pandemic. This made us really focus on our online service which we have been learning and growing daily.”

While online business has been busy, Schultz and Dimaio make it a priority to handle every transaction personally.

“This business was started by the two of us and it still runs that way,” said Schultz. “We do everything from research to ordering, to fulfilling orders, to shipping. Your business reflects you and we chose to run it ourselves, which we very much enjoy.”

The vision from the beginning was all about the experience and their customers, she added. “We wanted customer service to be the priority – wrapping their gifts, delivering them if needed, finding multiples of some item, etc. I think anyone who does business with us will tell you we are great to work with.”

Extraordinary service continues to be of top importance for Dimaio and Schultz when it comes to their customers.

“I truly believe what makes us stand out is our customer service. We have made it a point to know every customer’s name and have conversations with them,” Dimaio said. “We have hand-delivered packages. We wrap our gifts with tender-loving care. We support the community through donations to various organizations.”

As with so many other local small businesses, By the Sea, LLC, has not fully escaped the effects of the pandemic but, fortunately, they have found support along the way.

“Probably the most challenging event we have faced is this pandemic,” Schultz said. “It has been extremely hard and a lot of work to stay ‘in the spotlight.’ We have managed to do that and have great support from family, friends and, of course, our wonderful customers.”

In fact, Schultz and Dimaio agree that their loyal customers have remained with them through thick and thin, and that the most rewarding part of their business has been all of the relationships they’ve built along the way.

“We miss the interaction with (our customers) and they miss us,” said Dimaio. “We hear from them all the time. We would love if they stopped in just to chat over a cup of coffee and we want that back. We would love to just have our little storefront serving the community and enjoying all those relationships.

“We love our work and that is why it is not really work – it’s our happy place,” she said. “Our customers are truly wonderful and have been with us through this awful pandemic. They made us who we are! We both worked hard from the ground up and built a great little store. We were a Readers’ Choice winner in our first or second year. It is quite an accomplishment for two women with six kids between us to build something so special from the ground up. We have looked at this pandemic as a growing experience and will be back. By the Sea is a treasure and we love it dearly.”

Develop A Crisis Communication Plan For 2021 And Beyond

By Jim Farrell

None of us could have foreseen how 2020 would play out. Most business owners and CEOs faced circumstances that they could never have anticipated. Consider the plight of the community bank CEO forced to close branches due to the COVID-19 outbreak, or who had to establish contact tracing procedures because a teller tested positive at one of the busiest branches. How do you convey those messages to employees, shareholders and customers and reassure them that the situation is under control? Or the restaurant/function hall forced to cancel weddings, anniversaries and other events that had been booked more than a year in advance. How do you communicate that bad news to customers, and what can you do to prepare for any fallout from these actions?

We can’t anticipate what lies ahead, but we can be better prepared for the unknown with a crisis communication plan.

Crisis communication plans are a little like insurance policies. We buy them hoping we’ll never need them but we feel better knowing that we have protection if we do.

A formal crisis communication plan won’t make the pandemic go away, nor will it prevent a disgruntled customer from writing a negative Yelp review. What it will do, though, is provide you with a blueprint to respond more immediately and more effectively to any negative news that you need to deal with. This blueprint will save time and avoid confusion in those early minutes or hours between when something happens and when the business or organization formally reacts. Remember, it’s better to get out in front of something proactively than wait and react after the fact.

Here’s how to get started.
1. Develop a list of people with whom you should communicate if there is an unexpected event. This list should include employees, customers, stakeholders (Directors, Advisors), and potentially media outlets. It is advisable to have physical addresses, phones, and email addresses for everyone on the list so that if you need to communicate to this audience you aren’t wasting valuable time looking for this information.

2. Determine what communication channels you will use to deliver the message. These channels may include email, Facebook, text messaging, traditional mail, telephone and in some cases videoconferencing.

3. Each business or organization should have an authorized spokesperson for the company or organization in the event of a need to communicate about an unusual incident. Inform all employees and others who have positions of importance with the organization (such as directors, advisors, or shareholders) that it is this individual alone who is authorized to speak on behalf of the company. Be certain that you have buy-in from all these stakeholders and individuals, and impress upon them that their only responsibility is to refer the questions to the spokesperson. This is important enough to require everyone to sign a document attesting that they understand the role of a spokesperson.

4. Plan the specific message that you will communicate. Be certain that what you say is straightforward, addresses the situation, and offers a corrective action if one is needed.

5. As part of the communications plan, develop a FAQ page about the company: its history, role in the community, and products and services. This is a useful document to share if you encounter less-than-friendly questioners.

6. Practice a “what if” scenario with your leadership team. Role-play through the steps and processes of communication so that people are comfortable with the idea and the procedures. Have your team review and critique any communications. Have the spokesperson try her/his hand at addressing concerns.

If your company or organization doesn’t have a crisis communication plan, make this is a priority in 2021. If there is a silver lining to 2020, it is that we have learned some lessons about how to do things better than we once did. I will hearken back to the motto I learned as a Scout many years ago: Be prepared.

Happy New Year!

Moving Forward Takes Perseverance

By Jitka Borowick

In between running two companies and raising a family, I make a point each day to step away from the 9-to-5 grind and focus on my health and wellness. Sometimes it’s a walk with my daughter. Other times, it’s a yoga class at Nové, a new studio I opened last year shortly after the pandemic started. And other times, it’s a ride on my bicycle.

Physical activity has been a constant in my life, a critical part of who I am and how I’m able to remain productive, focused, and driven in my career. Of all these pursuits, I’ve found that the sport of biking can provide us with lessons we all can apply to our personal and professional lives.

Lesson 1: Keep Moving Forward
Each of us has goals we want to achieve. We don’t get from point A to point B overnight. It takes time, constantly moving forward – pedaling and pushing – to get to where you want to be.

If you’re in a race, you pedal faster. If you’re out for a leisurely Sunday ride, you’ll take more time to get to the end. Whatever your goal is, you will only reach it if you keep pedaling. From the outside, there have been several times where meeting my professional goals may have seemed impossible. As a small business owner on the Cape, I have learned to ignore the noise and focus on what I want to accomplish in the short- and long-term.

Lesson 2: Celebrate The Small Victories
Held every August, the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is considered one of the toughest hill climbs in the world. Three times, I have entered the race, finishing it twice in 2017 and 2019. In 2018, I bowed out at mile three after experiencing dizziness and fatigue.

Every day, each one of us is climbing a figurative mountain, in our personal and professional lives. What is your path to reaching the top?

Start by focusing on what is most achievable – the small hills. And when you reach that hill, take a moment to celebrate that accomplishment before heading to the next.

By focusing on the smaller goals, we make the larger ones possible. That’s something to acknowledge and a reminder that you’re one step closer to the summit.

Lesson 3: Bring Others Along For The Ride
Some of my favorite rides are the ones I have taken with friends and family.

Nothing great was ever accomplished alone so surround yourself with others who share your excitement. In many cases, those riding with you are the ones who will lift you up, inspire you to greater heights, and help you reach your goals.

Even complete strangers can be your biggest assets. We have so many incredible organizations in this region – WE CAN (Women’s Empowerment through Cape Area Networking), SCORE Cape Cod & the Islands, the Cape Cod Women’s Association, Cape & Plymouth Business Media, and EforAll Cape Cod, to name a few – that offer support, resources, guidance and connection to strengthen your business or career. I’ve been fortunate to experience the benefits of several of these organizations firsthand.

Don’t be afraid to lean on others for help. And if you’ve reached a level of success, make sure to offer the same for others – if anything, this past year has taught us that we’re all in this together.

Lesson 4: Enjoy the Journey
On even the toughest bicycle rides, there are incredible vistas and awe-inspiring sights that will take your breath away. Take time to enjoy these moments. They will serve to re-energize you as you move forward on your professional journey.