The Downtown Pittsfield, Inc.’s (DPI) Annual Meeting, sponsored by CornerStone Telephone was held at the Beacon Cinema today.  Nearly 100 business leaders, elected officials, and property owners attended the event.

The agenda included Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director of Barrington Stage, Mayor Daniel Bianchi and Pam Tobin, Downtown Pittsfield, Inc.’s newly appointed Executive Director.  The overarching theme of the meeting was about collaboration and partnerships.  “The DPI has been instrumental in fostering strategic alliances and will continue to do so as evident here today,” said Peter Lafayette, Board President.  “Downtown is the economic engine that the fuels the economy of the Berkshires.  I invite you all to join the DPI in making downtown a thriving, diverse, sustainable, innovative and vibrant heart of the community,” added Tobin.

Peter Lafayette, Board President presented the President's Award recognizing an individual or organization that has contributed in an outstanding manner to the growth of downtown Pittsfield.

The first Presidents Award was given to Dominion Dealer Solutions for making a substantial investment in downtown Pittsfield by moving its business with more than 50 employees to the Cooper Building at 116 North Street.  Carolann Strickling, Accounting Manager accepted the award.

Dominion Dealer Solutions is a national company that provides marketing services to more than 11,000 auto dealers across the country. Dominion started locally as Auto Revenue in Lee.  It joined Dominion in 2005 and late last year made the decision to move to downtown Pittsfield so its employees could take advantage of working in a downtown environment with all the activities, restaurants and amenities downtown offers.  It opened its new offices in November at 116 North Street with 50 employees, most under the age of 35. The Pittsfield team is also responsible for the most recent Dominion product providing the automotive, hospitality and medical markets with a unique on-line reputation management service solution.

The second President’s Award went to Berkshire Community College and MCLA for their creation of a higher education campus downtown in the Intermodal Transportation Center and the Conte Federal Building.  Accepting the Award were Ellen Kennedy, Interim President of BCC and Denise Richardello, Vice President of Enrollment and External Relations of MCLA.  This partnership between a two and four-year institution at the Intermodal Transportation Center and the Conte Federal Building met all the goals of the Berkshire Compact for Higher Education by providing student access, technology, aspiration and workforce development to satisfy employer and employee needs.

In addition to the colleges offering a variety of classes and programs in which students can enroll, MCLA established a new fast track undergraduate program along with their modular format for MBA degree students. The project consisted of eight classrooms and an art gallery which are serving the workforce development needs and general quest for higher education.

Gerry Murray, Vice President of Administration, for DPI and Mary McGinnis, Board Director presented the Community Recognition Awards to three volunteer-driven projects that demonstrated the creative spirit that exists today in Pittsfield bringing thousands of people downtown.

The first went to the Pittsfield 250 Committee under the leadership of Mary Rentz and Kit Dobelle for the planning and execution of a year-long series of community events that celebrated the 250thbirthday of Pittsfield’s incorporation.

The second Community Recognition Award went to the Word x Word Festival under the leadership of entrepreneur Jim Benson, for its annual 10- day downtown festival in August that celebrates the transformative power of words – written, spoken and sung in a series of venues up and down North and South Streets.

The third award went to the new 10 x 10 on North Winter Arts Festival, the brainchild of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director of Barrington Stage, which included a mixture of plays, films, comedy, music and art exhibits. More than 120 new works were performed with more than 3,000 people venturing out into downtown Pittsfield during the month of February.

About Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. - Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. represents more than 350 property owners, businesses, community leaders and residents dedicated to activities related to awareness and appreciation of downtown Pittsfield. Our mission is to attract and encourage economic, cultural, civic growth and social excellence for downtown Pittsfield. Visit us at www.downtownpittsfield.com.

About Dominion Dealer Solutions

Dominion Dealer Solutions helps car dealers attract, retain, and service customers for life. Dominion Dealer Solutions' marketing performance system includes: lead generation, mobile apps, reputation management solutions, web-based customer relationship and lead management tools; custom digital marketing tools including websites, SEO, SEM, digital advertising, specialized data aggregation; and, inventory management analytic including market reports. Every OEM and more than 60 percent of auto dealers nationwide utilize the Dominion Dealer Solutions' technologies to solve their marketing challenges. For more information, visit our website, friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.