GREENFIELD — For Lisa Alber, providing hearing services in Greenfield is more than simply running her own business while practicing her profession.
“This is the town I grew up in, so it’s about providing hearing care to my hometown community,” says Alber, who received the Franklin County Community Development Corp.’s sixth-annual Haas Entrepreneurship Award Thursday night at a celebration at the Shea Theater.
Alber not only received the accolades of fellow entrepreneurs and clients but also was presented with citations from the state House of Representatives and Senate.
“My greatest joy is that I have the ability to make people’s lives better,” Alber said, after receiving her award. “There’s nothing greater than that.”
Alber is the owner of Alber Hearing Services, which has been in business since 2009 but moved a month ago to 31 Riddell St. An audiologist with nearly 25 years of experience, Alber says it’s fulfilling to give back to her community by becoming part of the Greenfield Rotary, by sponsoring scholarships at Greenfield High School and Frontier Regional School and by performing hearing evaluations and fitting, adjusting and repairing hearing aids.
A GHS alumna, Alber earned degrees from the University of Massachusetts and a doctorate in audiology from Arizona State University before working for Baystate Rehabilitation Services and then launching her own business.
“When I went out on my own, I didn’t realize that people would follow me,” she said. “It got very busy, and we grew.”
In winning this Haas award from the CDC, she said, “I’m very grateful, and I’m overcome with the honor of it all.”
The award, named for Hillside Plastics founder Richard Haas, honors “business owners who make Franklin County special by balancing entrepreneurship, family and community,” according to CDC Business Development Director Amy Shapiro.
Shapiro said Alber’s business was selected as “a great example of a service business in our community. She has a huge impact on people’s lives, created good jobs and gives back to our community … (She) is someone who cares about her customers, employees and community.”
When Alber was planning her business at the CDC, Shapiro recalls, “With vision, planning and determination Lisa jumped in and never looked back.”
Featured speaker Thomas Simmons, co-chair of Business and Information Technology at Greenfield Community College, said that Alber practices one of the key rules for a thriving business: “Love what you do,” Simmons urged. “Have a passion for what you do — not because it’s good for you, but because its good for your customers.”
Penny Ricketts, past president of the Greenfield Rotary Club, told Alber, “I’m so proud of you in every way. Our motto is ‘service above self.’ And Lisa really sets the bar far above.”
On the Web:
www.alberhearing.com
www.fccdc.org
You can reach Richie Davis at:
rdavis@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 269