Client News

Ice cream is a big deal in Boston. Short New England summers leave no room for a subpar cone or cup. The city’s residents realize this truth by committing themselves to indulge only in the most decadent, unique and local varieties. As these ice cream connoisseurs make their rounds through each neighborhood, many are finding that the best scoop in the city comes from a farm south-west of town. Crescent Ridge, a dairy in Sharon, Massachusetts brings the pastoral experience of fresh ice cream on the farm to locals who visit the Boston Public Market at Haymarket Station nestled between Boston’s North and West Ends. Boston Magazine has revealed this local secret to the masses by crowning Crescent Ridge the Hub’s ice cream king with their recognition of Crescent Ridge as Best Ice Cream in 2019.

Crescent Ridge’s ice cream has the ability to transport one to a simpler time, when local dairy farms and milk men were part of daily life. For employees and customers of Crescent Ridge, they still are. They continue to pasteurize and glass bottle local New England milk at their Sharon Farm and deliver it directly to families across the state – just as they did nearly a century ago. In addition to home delivery, the Sharon-based dairy bar, and the location at the BPM, Crescent Ridge glass bottled milk and ice cream can be found throughout greater Boston. Retailers include area Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, Big Y, Roche Brothers as well as several other independent stores and scoop shops.

Vacationers, staycationers and anyone else who decides to brighten the day of those they care about and themselves can choose from over two dozen flavors at Crescent Ridge. Some play it safe with tried and true Chocolate and Vanilla, other go for classic mash-ups like Mocha Chip or Cookies and Cream, the more adventurous go for experimental creations like decadent S’Mores® or refreshing Orange Pineapple. If you’re feeling really ambitious you can attempt their colossal Wide Mouth Sundae that features an entire 6 scoop quart of ice cream and heaps of fresh toppings.

Though Boston Magazine is the most recent to recognize Crescent Ridge’s ice cream, it is far from the first for this mainstay of the dairy industry. Their ice cream has received international acclaim with their inclusion in National Geographic Magazine’s The 10 Best of Everything, an Ultimate Guide for Travelers’ list of the 10 Best Ice Creams in The World three times and counting. Their Sharon dairy bar that overlooks grazing cattle has been featured in Food & Wine Magazine’s Best Ice Cream Spots in the U.S. as well as Men’s Journal’s 27 Best Ice Cream Shops in America.

The Crescent Ridge Story

Malby and Mildred Parrish started Crescent Ridge in 1932 when they purchased the 44-acre plot farmland on Sharon’s historic Bay Road and made it suitable to grow crops and raise cows for milk. Back then, Malby was able to make his rounds delivering fresh dairy to the community he belonged to with just one dependable 1928 Chevrolet truck. In less than 10 years, the operation had achieved enough success to justify the installation of a modern pasteurization and bottling plant. By 1953 Crescent Ridge controlled a fleet of milk trucks that served not only families in Sharon, but the neighboring towns of Canton, Stoughton, Norwood, Walpole and Westwood, Massachusetts as well.

Crescent Ridge opened their first Dairy Bar on their original plot of land in 1968. Its popularity has only grown since then, with the ice cream it serves winning the reputation of the best in New England amongst locals and seasoned travelers alike. Years later, National Geographic would name it one of The 10 Best Ice Creams in the World. This expansion and the loyal following Crescent Ridge had developed helped the brand weather the troubled economic climate of the 1970 and prosper into the 1980’s. By the early 1990’s Crescent Ridge began expanding its menu starting with fresh squeezed orange juice.

Mark Parrish became the third generation to own and operate the family business in 1998. This same year, he made significant investments into Crescent Ridge’s infrastructure by expanding their warehouse, freezer and lab space and making updates to their milk plant. Mark continues to innovate and grow the Crescent Ridge brand. Their products can now be found on the shelves of major stores like Stop & Shop, Whole Foods, Shaw’s / Star Market, Roche Bros, Big Y and others. He has teamed up with other local businesses and diversified his own operation to feature fresh seafood, grass-fed beef, pork, chicken, produce, maple syrup and other artisan products in their catalogue.

Crescent Ridge’s farm and ice cream dairy bar are located at 355 Bay Road, Sharon MA 02067. A second dairy bar location is Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover Street, Boston. For more information, call (781) 784-2740 or visit crescentridge.com.

Licking the best. Best of Boston Ice Cream goes to Crescent Ridge Dairy, Sharon, Mass.Read More

Jessica Stott, M.S., BCBA, LABA, Director of Center Based Services for Behavioral Concepts (BCI) in Worcester spoke to staff members at UMass Memorial Community Healthlink Youth and Family Center in Worcester on the topic of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

BCI is a company of behavioral clinicians specializing in the care of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout Central Massachusetts. As provider ofApplied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services to children diagnosed with ASD, BCI serves over 500 clients and families with the goal of providing treatment for behavior change to meet individualized milestones. 

On June 4, 2019, Stott spoke to staff at Community Healthlink Youth and Family Center at 335 Chandler Street in Worcester about the services that BCI offers, the role of ABA, and the different roles of providers within ABA, such as Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). She also highlighted stories of success and provided an overview of services available within the community.

Speaker’s Bureau

Stott is available to speak to a wide range of audiences, from business and fraternal organizations to civic groups.

Stott has provided ABA based services to children with disabilities for more than 10 years and is a former adjunct faculty for Endicott College. As BCI’s Director of Center Based Services in Worcester, Stott specializes in staff and parent training, consultative services, and program development. She also oversees these services. 

Stott received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Endicott College in Beverly, MA and a Master’s degree in Applied Behavioral Analysis from Simmons College in Boston. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), a Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst (LABA) in the state of Massachusetts. She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). 

A native of Medway, MA, Stott resides in Hudson, MA.

For more information about Community Healthlink Youth and Family Center, visit http://www.communityhealthlink.org/chl/

To arrange a speaking engagement or to learn more about BCI, visit their website at https://bciaba.com or contact 508-363-0200.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Worcester, BCI has grown to become the go-to provider of ABA services to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders throughout Massachusetts. BCI is a partner agency that receives Early Intervention referrals from the Department of Public Health for children under age three with a diagnosis Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To learn more about BCI’s Early Intervention and center-based services, visit https://bciaba.com.

About BCI

Behavioral Concepts (BCI) provides Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services to children with autism and their families in central Massachusetts. We identify and facilitate effective personalized instruction that allows children to discover more, learn more, and be more – increasing their independence and enhancing their quality of life at home, in school, and in the community. BCI is a Massachusetts Department of Public Health approved provider of specialty ABA services for early intervention. BCI also provides center, home-based, and afterschool services through private and public health insurance. The organization was founded in 2002 by Dr. Jeffrey R. Robinson. Further information on BCI is available at https://bciaba.com.

BCI is part of the LEARN Behavioral family of companies, a national organization dedicated to helping all children succeed in school and life. Learn more at http://learnitsystems.com

Behavioral Concepts Director Speaks About Autism Spectrum Disorder at Community Healthlink Youth and Family Center in WorcesterRead More

Chris Downey, president of Braintree-based Harbor Mortgage Solutions is set to ride with his team in Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) 2019 on August 3 and 4, 2019.

This is Downey’s third year riding the PMC annual bike-a-thon that raises money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Downey will be part of Team WillPower, which  was formed in 2017 as a tribute to a great friend, John Willett, who passed away in 2016 after a courageous battle with cancer. In 2017, their community lost two more amazing people to cancer, Steve Lenhardt and David Gardner. The tragic loss of Lenhardt, Gardner and Willett has only reinvigorated their team to help fund the cure for cancer, so that families do not have to endure such sadness and loss in the future.

In 2018, Team WillPower raised $125,000 in donations to PMC, and their goal is to raise the same amount this year. The team of 13 will be riding a total of 163 miles from Wellesley to Provincetown, in honor of their Pedal Partner, Charlie, a five-year-old boy from Cohasset who is currently going through cancer treatment. 

Downey has been training every week on team rides. Currently, Team WillPower bikes approximately 45 miles per ride, and this will soon increase as they approach the event date.

“Most everyone has their own personal experience with cancer in some manner,” said Downey. “My wife Celia recently celebrated her 12th year of remission from breast cancer. We are very fortunate and owe much to this incredible community that was able to cure her. To that end, the Pan-Mass Challenge is the most well-run and efficient means of fundraising I know of, and every rider-raised dollar goes to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for cancer research and treatment.”

Downey resides in Norwell, MA.

To make a donation to Team WillPower, visit https://profile.pmc.org/CD0269.

About the PMC

In 2018, the PMC gift to Dana-Farber was $56 million. The PMC donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For more information about PMC, visit https://www.pmc.org

Harbor Mortgage Solutions, Inc. is a family-owned, residential mortgage company serving Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Recognized as a leading housing wealth management authority, Harbor Mortgage is dedicated to serving the unique home financing and often complex needs of senior homeowners, while also promoting those needs among consumers, professional advisors, state legislators and industry regulators.

Harbor Mortgage (NMLS #2846, MA-MB2846, and RI 20041821LB) is located in Braintree, MA. For more information, contact 781-843-5553 or visit HarborMortgage.com.

Braintree-based Mortgage Company President to Ride for Pan-Mass ChallengeRead More

PLYMOUTH, MA…

When Marcia Mantell began her BoomerRetirementBriefs.com blog in 2011, it was her intent to have a virtual “kitchen table” to share retirement planning tips with Baby Boomers. This generation continues to reshape and redefine the very idea of “retirement” and the pioneers are charting new territory. To have more of an impact and actual conversations with real Boomers who have lots of unanswered questions on their minds, Mantell recently launched a series of Boomer workshops associated with BoomerRetirementBriefs.

“The kitchen table is always the gathering spot for family and friends, where we could talk about any topics, including retirement planning,” said Mantell, who also owns and operates Mantell Retirement Consulting, a retirement education and marketing communications firm. She conducts innovative retirement income planning workshops and programs for advisors and their clients and for employers who want to help their employees be better prepared for retirement one day.

“The idea behind creating a Boomer Workshop series is to bring topics that are top of mind to Boomers out in the open,” said Mantell.  “We can discuss what it means to retire, where the money will come from to pay the bills, Social Security and Medicare, and such, in a comfortable, less formal setting.” 

Adds Mantell, “While I don’t necessarily plan on running these workshops from an actual kitchen table—though I’m not ruling that out—I am looking to get the discussions rolling in a wide range of settings, such as company lunch ‘n learn sessions, women’s professional and civic groups, chambers of commerce, meetups of varying sizes, over age 55+ communities, philanthropic organizations, etc.”

Mantell is also available for conferences, both as a keynote speaker and panel member.

For topics, Mantell envisions covering many of the issues addressed in her blog and monthly updates. Those include but are not limited to:

• Becoming a Financially Fearless Female
• Becoming a Financially Fearless Female after Fifty
• Uncovering Social Security Secrets
• Demystifying Medicare
• Early Retirement Offer:  10 Tasks to Tackle Before Saying “Yes”
• Boomer Small Business Owners: Is Being Your Own Boss in Your Retirement Dreams?
• Boomer Women and Their Money: A Complicated Past

Mantell’s fees vary depending on the nature and length of the presentation or workshop (they range from one hour to half-day to full-day), as well as travel considerations and expenses. Reduced rates are available for non-profits and civic organizations.

“Being a Boomer myself, I know we are cut from a different cloth. As a woman and a professional in the retirement planning arena, it’s long been a desire of mine to create a better way for fellow Boomers, and even the Gen Xers who are now in their 50s, to grasp and embrace retirement strategies well before they leave their job behind,” said Mantell. “The new workshop series creates a ‘kitchen table’ approach.  This is one way to accomplish that mission and I’m looking forward to helping more Boomers reach that redefined retirement they dearly want and richly deserve.”

In addition to her blog, BoomerRetirementBriefs.com, Mantell is the author of What’s the Deal with Retirement Planning for Women. A subsequent title, What’s the Deal with Social Security for Women (Rethink Press), is due out this fall.

For more information on the Boomer workshop series, you can contact Mantell at 781-559-8260 or marcia.mantell@mantellretirement.com  For additional background on Mantell and her work with Mantell Retirement Consulting, visit https://mantellretirementconsulting.com/.

BoomerRetirementBriefs.com launches Boomer Workshops for business, civic and non-profit speaking engagementsRead More