Join Jill Monson with guest Elizabeth Staples; founder, president and co-owner of The Good Dog Spot. On this 'Beyond the BIZ Card' episode they go behind the scenes and discuss her background as an entrepreneur, balancing a family, and more; plus you can only imagine how many animals she has in her “zoo” at home.

Guest Contact Info

• The Good Dog Spot
• (413) 534-1333
• 35 C North Chicopee Street Chicopee, MA 01020
• 139 King Street Northampton, MA 01060
• Website: https://gooddogspot.net 
• Email: [email protected] 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegooddogspot
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegooddogspot

Welcome to Season 3 of BIZ BUZZ 413. Host Jill Monson is so excited to sit down with the new President & CEO of the Western Mass Economic Development Council (EDC), Aaron Vega, along with Xiomara DeLobato, Vice President and Chief of Staff. They have an awesome conversation (include a few laughs) about the goals under Aaron’s leadership, what Xiomara would like to see next, and of course you get a chance to know a bit more about who Aaron is as well. 

Guest Contact Info

Western Mass Economic Development Council (EDC)

• Aaron Vega, President & CEO, [email protected] 
• Xiomara DeLobato, Vice President and Chief of Staff, [email protected] 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/western-massachusetts-economic-development-council 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westernmassedc 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wmassedc 

Website: https://www.westernmassedc.com 

For this last episode of 2025 it’s a special episode - a ‘Beyond the BIZ Card’ feature with Angela Park, Executive Director & Co-Founder of Springfield Performing Arts Ventures at 52 Sumner ("SPAV"). Host Jill Monson takes you behind the scenes with Angela and they discuss, among other things, the conversion of a historic church to a venue, her background as an entrepreneur, and the upcoming 2026 line-up. 

Contact info:

• Springfield Performing Arts Ventures at 52 Sumner 
• 52 Sumner Avenue, Springfield, MA 01108
• Website: https://52sumner.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/52sumner 
• Email: [email protected] 
• Phone: (413) 523-8100

This week we chat with Emily Carlson, Agency Owner at We Do Travel Right. We discuss: 

• The myths about working with a travel agent, 
• Why WDTR’s tagline “Life is short… take the trip” is so much more than just a marketing line… it’s a mantra. And how everyone needs to consider making this part of their life.
• Cool places people should check out in 2026 (for families or grown-up only get-a-ways), 
• Plus, Jill asks Emily what’s her favorite place she’s ever gone to.

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Emily Carlson, We Do Travel Right 

• Website: wedotravelright.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wedotravelright 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wedodisneyright/ 
• Email: [email protected] 

Host Jill Monson shares about Dri Umbrellas. 

• What exactly is a Dri umbrella? 
• Why do you need one? 
• And more specifically... What can getting this one umbrella do for the greater good?

GUEST CONTACT INFO

• Deirdre Bird
• Founder & CEO of Dri Umbrellas
• Website: www.dri.earth 
• Email: [email protected] 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deirdre-h-bird-0abbb087
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DriUmbrellas
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dri_umbrellas

This week’s BIZ BUZZ 413 episode drops a few days early because of the holiday. Jill, our host, had a blast welcoming Dawn Creighton, Liberty Bank’s Community Outreach Officer. They chatted about a very important survey that entrepreneurs are being asked to participate in, about the bank’s mantra “Be Community Kind” and what it really means for us who live here, and about their Academy for Small Business. 

CONTACT OUR GUEST:

• Dawn Creighton
• Community Outreach Officer, Liberty Bank
• NMLS#2514657
• Email: [email protected] 
• Dawn’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawncreighton 
• C: 413-530-0545
• O: 413-846-2524
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liberty-bankct 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Liberty
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libertybankct 
• Main website: https://www.liberty-bank.com 
• Academy for Small Business (ASB) website (direct link): https://www.liberty-bank.com/business/banking/academy-for-small-business
  • To register for an upcoming session of Academy for Small Business, please complete the Registration Form > https://www.liberty-bank.com/docs/default-source/sitecollateral/asb-registration-form_508.pdf?sfvrsn=1793c31b_2 

Breaking Barriers: A Study of Western Mass Entrepreneurs (Survey): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJoVvvnmtHJDlFsI-pH5a27tsyrunoQFre4tdu1UY-k6_miQ/viewform 

Thank you to Bax from Rock’s “Bax and Nagle” morning show for joining host Jill Monson to share about their annual Mayflower Marathon. It returns this coming Monday for three days leading up to Thanksgiving!

Bax and Nagle will broadcast for 52 hours, from 6am on Monday, November 24th until 10am on Wednesday, November 26th from outside the South End Market at MGM Springfield!

Their goal is to fill as many trailers as possible with non-perishable food donations for The Open Pantry – but they need you to make it happen.

To learn more or to donate online head to > https://rock102.com/mayflower-marathon.

LOTS & LOTS OF THANKS TO THIS YEARS SPONSORS: 

• Liberty Bank
• Beaulieu Home Improvement
• Aqua Pump Co
• Finck & Perras
• Western Mass Heating, Cooling & Plumbing,
• Alkeman Ditusa
• All State Materials Group
• Freedom Credit Union
• Wellpoint
• Olender’s
• Dave Miner Exterior Home Improvements

Contributing Sponsors:

• MGM Springfield
• Capital Relocation & Logistics
• Charlie Arment Trucking
• Camping World
• Xfinity
• Michael’s Party Rentals
• Springfield Thunderbirds
• Text Me For Tires
• Manny’s Appliances
• Gio’s Pizzeria
• Autumn Mist Farm
• Tandem Bagel
• Western Mass News 
• Keller Williams Realty

LIVE from November "413 Entrepreneur Spotlight" brought to you by Common Capital 

Chatting with Janell Caldwell, Founder & CEO of Phenomenal Js LLC. They are committed to helping companies maintain a safe and compliant work environment. Whether you're hiring CDL drivers or ensuring your team meets workplace standards, we provide trusted solutions to support your business growth.

Find out more about them online at https://www.phenomenaljsllc.com. 

LIVE from November "413 Entrepreneur Spotlight" brought to you by Common Capital 

Host Jill Monson catches up with Kelly Thadison, Business Navigator, at Common Capital. Kelly equips entrepreneurs with technical assistance, funding readiness, and business strategy support. Learn more about what she does and how she can help you with entry into Common Capital. 

Contact Info:

• Website > https://commoncapitalma.org
• Email Kelly > [email protected] 
• Kelly on LinkedIn > https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-thadison21 

LIVE from November "413 Entrepreneur Spotlight" brought to you by Common Capital 

DeeDee, Partner of Mimi’s Queer Shack - a PHENOMENAL food truck in Western Mass (this isn’t just conjecture — I just tried the butternut squash soup… and the shrimp pasta… oh and the meatballs – and YUM!!). 

Serving lots of delicious cuisine, they specialize in piña coladas, fresh squeeze lemonades and handheld foods such as taco in a bag! 

Find them on Instagram > https://www.instagram.com/mimisqueershack.