Business 411

	Jim Moran, CEO/Treasurer MJMoran, Inc., Haydenville “Treat people with respect. You treat people the way you would want to be treated. Work hard, and ask a lot of questions. Study hard. Wear appropriate dress, be punctual, and be on time. It’s like repetition, but its very, very important.”
	Emanuel “Manny” Rovithis, from Wilbraham, MA Business Owner, Entrepreneur http://www.mannystv.com “I think the first thing you have to do as a teenager is to get a job. And trust your people. Also, you have to go to school; make sure that you do -- and if you tell somebody that you’re going to do something, make sure you do it”.
	Judge Michael Ponsor, Federal Judge, United States District Court www.mad.uscourts.gov “Any piece of information; anything that you can learn is likely to help you later on so don’t be closed to things. Be open to all kinds of knowledge that draws your interest because it will help to enrich your life. In the end it will make you a better professional as well, and more importantly, a better, more interesting human being.”
	Patricia Spradley, Chief Parent & Community Engagement Officer, Springfield Public Schools "It’s really important to find somebody that has the job that you’d like - and to connect with them. It could be personal or through the Internet, or through a relative, a teacher or a friend. But there’s nothing better than speaking directly to the person that has the actual job. It gives you a chance to ask them some very real questions. And they’re going to give you real answers because it’s what they’re living right now."
	Brian Alberg Executive Chef, Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge, MA www.redlioninn.com “When I’m considering hiring someone, I ask about their background. But I also ask about the kind of music they listen to. I think a lot of what people listen to has something to do with their energy level, and what their likes are.”
	Diane Alveria, President of Diane Alverio & Co. of Hartford, CT www.dalvieroco.com “Read! Read the newspaper, read magazines. Know what’s going on in the world. If you do, you’re really going to be better positioned. And follow through! If you say you’re going to do something, do it, because that’s what’s going to give you a sense of accomplishment, a sense of achievement”.
	Michael Zivyak, Editor and Publisher of Berkshire Living Magazine www.berkshirelivingmag.com "I think acting actually helped me develop into a really good salesperson, which is what I became. Being an actor when I was younger allowed me to interact with people very easily."
	Luz Ramos, Actor, Founder, New England Actors Group, Hartford, CT neactorsgroup.ning.com "It's very important to find different niches within the entertainment industry that you can dabble in - especially in the beginning when you're trying to establish yourself as an Actor. It's very difficult to establish yourself if you have to work elsewhere for employment - which everyone has to do because you have to make money to survive. But if you're doing something within the industry, in between acting gigs, it helps you to make the other contacts and to continue to network."
	Bill Dwight, DJ and Former Host of "The Bill Dwight Show" WHMP AM, Northampton www.whmp.com "One of the most valuable learning experiences in the workplace is to realize you have value, and that you have the ability to express that value and devote it to the task at hand. Another lesson I've learned is that you have to buy into what you’re doing, and like what you're doing. It has to make sense to you. And it has to have purpose."
	Kevin Rhodes, Conductor, Springfield Symphony Orchestra www.springfieldsymphony.org “It makes absolutely no sense to choose a career because you think it’s a practical solution. Talk to any middle aged guy or gal who’s been kicked out of their practical job and now wishes they did something they love. So find something that you love.”