Who is Toby?

Tobias “Toby” Casey is a sixth-generation West Stockbridge native. He grew up just across the street from the farm maintained and cherished by his grandparents, Jean and Arthur Baldwin. He was fortunate to observe his grandfather running the family hardware store (now owned by his uncle), cousins running the family extracts business, and an overall love the Baldwin family held for the town.

Toby attended Village School in town, Searles Middle School, and then was homeschooled for his high school career. After finishing school, he had opportunities to work with startups Gilder Technology Group, a Housatonic-based collaboration between renowned author George Gilder and Forbes magazine, followed by Innosight, a Cambridge-based consultancy founded by Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen.

Mid-2002, Toby decided it was time to move his family back to the Berkshires. His grandfather allowed them to live with him at the farm while Toby started Anteris, a nationwide managed IT services firm. Anteris has grown from a single office in downtown Lenox to offices located in Pittsfield, Boston, and Asheville, NC.

In late 2016, Toby had the opportunity with his wife, Cameo, to purchase the family farm that had allowed them to establish Anteris fourteen years prior. This allowed them not only to return to the town Toby grew up in and loved, but also to begin the quest of returning the farm, which had not been worked in over a generation, to a working beef, pork, and poultry farm.

Toby and Cameo have nine children, two of whom are married, and three grandchildren. Their two eldest have worked with Anteris for many years, while the third runs the farm operations. Each of the children has embraced the ethic of hard work necessary to make these entrepreneurial efforts succeed, and Toby has every expectation that the family will found another business or two before he is done.

Toby serves as CEO of both Anteris and Baldwin Farm, while also serving as an elder of Hope Church in Lenox, MA, and a board member of a retirement village in northern Florida.

He is running for selectman of West Stockbridge because he believes it has a bright future and desires to help move the town forward in a positive and meaningful way.

Below are questions and answers relevant to why Toby is running for this seat.

Over the coming weeks, we will continue to add answers to questions the constituents of West Stockbridge ask, so that you may know Toby’s views more fully.

  • I love West Stockbridge and had many conversations with my grandfather through the years about all the potential this little town possesses.

    In the years since we bought the farm, we have witnessed sometimes weekly articles in area newspapers and a steady stream of social media posts which paint our town as dysfunctional and devastatingly split.

    Quite honestly, I could be content to sit on the side-lines and hope this might be remedied by others, but several people asked me to consider this run and as I discussed the idea with trusted people throughout the town they felt I could make a difference.

    My family is here for the long haul. We are invested in this town. It is my hope that my experience with other boards and leading organizations might serve the town in a positive way.

  • Our town needs a vibrant and consistent blend of businesses and people to move forward.

    I plan to approach this role with simple objectivity. Our own experiences and my short time on the zoning board of appeals tell me that efforts may be made to streamline and assist both businesses and individuals alike in their hopes and dreams of flourishing in West Stockbridge.

    As an IT guy, I am driven by the data. My approach to leading will be driven by what the data says and then applying it to the unique challenges and opportunities our townspeople confront.

  • Yes! After attending several informational hearings and talking with many involved with the research and planning process, I am convinced the new high school is the most fiscally responsible path forward for Monument Mountain.

    Not only does the new school provide a fixed cost vs the variable costs of renovating the old building, but the addition of an electrical vo-tech program appropriately highlights a sorely-needed trade program.

    Much more could be said about this, but I believe the Monument Mountain Building Project website is a great resource for further information.