Bay Path University

Today, Hackett lives with her husband and daughter in the city's Sixteen Acres neighborhood. Her past, present and future relationship to Springfield gives her an optimal vantage point for watching—and helping—it change. "The casino won't solve all of our problems. We need the spin-off effect; we need jobs to come here. We need restaurants to open. We need people to come to the city and eat at the restaurants. We need people to live here and send their kids to school here. We're the City of Firsts, and there's a sort of glamour and nostalgia in that. We're bringing it back." Alisa Garanzha G'17 Owner, Naismith's Pub & Pretzel When Alisa Garanzha G'17 was seven years old, a pack of bubble gum at a corner store in her Kiev, Ukraine neighborhood sent her down a pivotal path. When repeated pleas for the gum were met with a steady stream of parental "no's," she headed into her backyard, picked bunches of flowers, and sold them as bouquets to sidewalk passers. Needless to say, she got the gum. Years later, she brought that entrepreneurial instinct to western Massachusetts, where she channeled it into an MBA in Entrepreneurial Thinking and Innovative Practices at Bay Path, and now, a restaurant in downtown Springfield, Naismith's Pub & Pretzel. While at Bay Path, her capstone project focused on efficient reuse of large retail spaces. The program also introduced her to local resources available for burgeoning business owners, including the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center. Wheels started to turn. "It's way more difficult to open a business in the Ukraine. Unless you have a ton of money, you can't get credit. Springfield has a lot of community programs that help you build a business. There are so many opportunities for immigrants, especially for start-ups," she notes. Seeing potential in the city's pristine architecture and downtown vibe, Garanzha and her husband, Ed Kenney, a Springfield native she describes as a "real estate guy," bought the Worthington Street building that houses the restaurant. They live in one of its loft apartments as neighbors (and landlords) to tenants who also appreciate the density, energy—and volume—of city living. "Our tenants are young professionals, millennials, a few from the restaurant industry. They're in the heart of down- town, close to the museums and the restaurants…they love it." When the couple first viewed the building's ground floor, it was dirty, disheveled and strewn with remnants of the previous Naismith's Pub which had closed in 2008. As the beauty of its blonde wood, steel fixtures and tin ceilings were gradually revealed, the idea of leasing the space to another restaurateur morphed into Garanzha's own visions for it. They kept the iconic name for a few reasons. A former college basketball player, Garanzha states, "When I learned that Naismith invented basketball here, I felt like the name fit." Naismith's Pub & Pretzel offers a menu of select craft beers and pub food mainstays, developed around the soft pretzels Garanzha grew up with in the Ukraine. Served fresh from the oven, the pretzels are dense, bready and subtly sweet, punched up with of a sprinkle of salt. They're based on a recipe from Garanzha's grandmother, "an amazing cook. My whole neighborhood would smell these pretzels and come over to get one." 10 Bay Pathway Spring/Summer 2019 "ere are so many opportunities... It's exciting to be part of this revitalization. I really believe in Springfield." Lindsay Hackett '03 G'09 Julie Pagnoni, bartender, left, and Alisa Garanzha G'17

• Cover