| A short bio of Craig Della Penna |
For 20 years, I worked in the railroad industry marketing rail freight and I set up and operated two of New England's largest and most successful, railroad owned, transloading facilities. Through the course of that career, I took over 250,000 trucks off the roads coming into New England.
For eight years, I worked for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy as their New England Field Representative and covered the various New England states as a legislative agent on the issues of smart growth, sustainable economic development and alternative transportation.
I have authored four books and regularly author op-ed and guest editorials in the region's newspapers on various themes around smart growth, alternative transportation and a myriad of quality of life issues. I am an energizing and sought after, motivational speaker having given over 700 lectures in 16 states and Canadian provinces in the past several years.
I am in the top tier of agents at The Murphys Realtors, Inc. --one of the largest independent firms west of the Connecticut River in Hampshire County. In my first full year as a Realtor®, I sold $9.9 million in residential properties--2/3s of that was in my niche, houses next to or near to rail trails or other greenways. This niche is so in-tune with "Smart Growth" that the National Association of Realtors featured my ground-breaking and innovative practice in their monthly magazine that goes out to over 1.3 million readers around the U.S. The article can be seen here.
In 2007, I have been invited to speak at several major conferences in New York about residential real estate and rail trails and greenways. I will be the plenary speaker at the largest trails and greenways conference in the northeast in 2007 and will be speaking at the California State Bike/Pedestrian conference as well.
In addition to my real estate practice I also serve on a number of state wide panels including --co-chair of MassHighway's Trails and Greenways Taskforce and I was recently appointed by the Governor to serve on the Massachusetts Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board. [see the rest at the bottom of the page]
I have a small consulting firm, Northeast Greenway Solutions set up to help teach communities how to move their rails-to-trails and other greenways projects ahead. One of the things NEGS does is send out a html newsletter to over 11,000 advocates and decision makers in the 7 state region. To sign up, go to http://www.greenwaysolutions.org and sign via the button on the site.
Together with my wife Kathleen, we operate an award-winning bed & breakfast in Northampton, MA called Sugar Maple Trailside Inn. This is the closest B&B to downtown Northampton and Smith College and we are regularly voted "Best in the Valley."
In late 2005, some friends and I got tired of watching the state government allow 7-10 sales of year of former railroad corridor. So we set up a land acquisition company Central Highlands Conservancy, LLC to buy former railroad corridor that is in danger of being sold off to adjacent land owners--or inappropriate commercial developers. Our first project was in two central Massachusetts communities where we bought 3.5 miles of the future Mass Central Rail Trail that was in danger of being sold to adjacents. We took control and held onto it until the local land trust--in this case East Quabbin Land Trust raised enough funds to buy it from us. They did so in late June and we transferred ownership to them. [our costs plus expesenses.]
We will use this entity to purchase more miles in Massachusetts in the coming months. I estimate that we will be acquiring around 17-20 miles by the end of 2008--including a 1,000 foot tunnel. Sadly, and unbeknownst to most people, as I mentioned, there are about 7-10 sales a year of former railroad corridor in Massachusetts. With CHC, we can prevent many of these sales. Protecting these corridors now, will allow for their future conversion into a walking or biking pathway that will connect where people, live work and play.
Professional Affiliations and Associations
Governor’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Board
Co-chair of MassHighway’s Trails & Greenways Taskforce
Board member Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
Board Member for Mass DCR’s Massachusetts Recreational Trail Advisory Board
Board Member for Friends of Schell Bridge, Inc.
Member of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
Member of the Congress of New Urbanism
Member of the City of Northampton’s Historic Commission
Past Board Member at the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition
Chair of the East Coast Greenway’s Massachusetts Committee
Professional Association of Innkeepers International
Professional Realtor® through the National Association of Realtors®
Member of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors®
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