Springfield - Five individuals or organizations from the past or present of this region have been selected for induction into the Class of 2006 of the Western Massachusetts Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, located at the Andrew M. Scibelli Enterprise Center in the Springfield technical Community College Technology Park.

The announcement was made at a May 4 reception at the Colony Club in downtown Springfield.

The formal induction will take place at the Hall of Fame on Thursday, Oct. 5, with an induction banquet following that evening at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House in Holyoke.

The Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame was created in 2000 to honor the entrepreneurial heritage of Western Massachusetts, honor individuals and organizations who have become part of that heritage, and to raise money to support programs that will foster future generations of entrepreneurs.    

Proceeds from the banquet are used to support entrepreneurship programs in Western Mass., including the YES (Young Entrepreneurial Scholars) program, which serves more than 1,000 young men and women in two dozen area high schools, as well as the Community Foundation of Western Mass. student business incubator.