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‘Stunning’ Economic Growth Predictions? By Elizabeth Regan Connecticut’s economy could grow at a rate of 8.1 percent this year, according to a report released Wednesday by University of Connecticut economists, who describe the prediction as both “stunning” and “dubious.” The Connecticut Center of Economic Analysis released its study Wednesday morning, hours before Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was scheduled to present his two-year budget proposal.
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“Preliminary estimates for 2014 show Connecticut growing faster than the national economy and then surging by a stunning (and dubious) 8.1 percent in 2015, before tapering off to 3.2 percent growth in 2016,” the authors wrote. “Connecticut might now be on a strong growth trajectory, driven by biotechnology, aerospace engineering, venture capital, and a significantly more competitive environment. But if history predicts a rosy future, the array of downside risks is unusually long.” Last year’s projected 4.8 percent increase in output and the creation of 25,000 new jobs combined with uncertainties in the trajectory of fuel prices and the U.S. dollar exchange rate inform an outlook that is optimistic with reservations, according to the report. Continued on page 8
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FEBRUARY 2015
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ON THE RECORD New Haven Chamber Point Man Makes His Points A growing membership, a profitable year and a region getting economic traction makes for an optimistic Chamber president
Anthony Rescigno has been president of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce since 2000. A former Republican first selectman from North Haven, Rescigno has brought his significant political skills to bear at the New Haven Chamber with some success, spearheading growth for the business group in a time of great challenges for chambers across the country. Rescigno earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of New Haven in 1967. Business New Haven Publisher Mitchell Young interviewed Rescigno for On The Record.
is, but I don’t think they would make the choice to be here in a lot of cases if they had to make that decision today. New Haven is in the position of having both the top state legislators from both parties fro the region: State Sen. Len Fasano and State Sen. Martin Looney. How is that playing out to the benefit of New Haven? We do have a lot of support from the politicians in Hartford. Len Fasano is a very reasonable guy, so if you present him with a proposition that makes sense, you can get him on board.
*** Looking at 2015, how is the Chamber doing and how does it look for the year ahead? We are wrapping up our fiscal year at the end of February and we are right where we said we would be, with a very nice profit. We’re doing extremely well; our membership is up with businesses getting their message out about their companies through us. We took over the Quinnipiac Chamber about a year ago and we have a huge positive turnaround there. What would be in the way of increasing the number of members?
general issues or do they also help individual members?
Getting the message out to the general business community that we’re more than a networking entity. Most businesses that are in the mid-size category are thinking: “Well, I don’t have a need to join the Chamber because I sell my products to the Defense Department, overseas, etc., so if I go network with them, how is that going to benefit me?” We haven’t been able to get the message out that we can help them with finding training money from the federal government. We are great connectors with the people they need to get to at the state level or the political level here locally, getting in touch with the right folks at the utility companies. We solve a lot of problems for people in businesses who know that we can do it.
They do both. What we tell our members is that our government affairs people are at their disposal. They can work with them if they need special support on a particular issue, or they need us to testify at a hearing. When they’re not specifically working with a member, they’re working on the general matters of government affairs and trying to get legislation passed that makes this a better place to do business in a more competitive place.
You’ve always had a government affairs person. Do they work for
FEBRUARY 2015
You said you took over the Quinnipiac Chamber about a year ago, how do you best describe how that arrangement worked out? We set this up to keep it separate. We kept the Quinnipiac name, we kept the separate board in a way they operate independently, but they operate under our management. I’m responsible for the management of that, and I’m responsible for the finances of it.
Quinnipiac is mostly in North Haven and Wallingford and you were the head of the Board of Selectman in North Haven for many years, has that helped? It does. I know most of the people in North Haven and when I go to meetings today of the Quinnipiac Chamber, I know a lot of people in the room, so we’re off on the right foot. How do your members feel about the economy generally at this point here in Connecticut? Most of the members right now think things are getting better. They feel better about the economy, but their frame of reference is not necessarily from eight years ago, it’s only from last year or the year before. We can do a great job down here in the New Haven region, but unless the state is in a business-competitive situation, we’re not attracting companies to the state. Businesses for the most part are feeling that they have to be here because this is where their business
We’re very fortunate to have Yale here; we have the stability of a long time mayor. I’m impressed with Toni Harp based on my observations and experiences with her. She has taken a keen interest and has opened the door for me to get her out there to meet businesses and she’s very interested in doing that; we have started meeting with individual sectors. We had the first one a couple months ago with manufacturers and we have plans to meet with healthcare folks and IT people, and she’s willing to do it. She comes, she listens, she brings people to take notes. When you’re dealing with your government affairs person, what are you asking them to try to accomplish up in Hartford for your members or for the region in general? For the last 15 years, we put together a collation of interested parties that work with us putting together the legislative agenda. We’ve got the arts council, we’ve got the workforce development board, and we’ve got the consultant governments. What’s on that agenda? It’s getting the state fiscally sound. We are constantly trying to remind the legislators and the governor that any legislation that is going to be costly to businesses is going to continue to drive down jobs. So that’s always a No. 1 priority. We talk about supporting the proper education and certain manufacturing initiatives that are going Continued on page 16
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VIEWPOINT Watch Out for The Camel’s Nose
Who wouldn’t want a sleek super fast – best of class electric car – created by the worlds’ hippest tech entrepreneur? The founder and developer of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, sends rockets into space and is designing a pneumatic tube to send trains at high speeds up the California coast. We should mention that he has started and is Chairman of the largest solar company in the country, is building a multi-billion dollar battery factory that may really help us, and America’s growing band of survivalists, really “get off the grid,” and he even gives a way a lot of money to important and unmet causes.
All in all, Musk represents the very best example of what makes America great. Musk was born in South Africa, is a CanadianAmerican, is clearly making America a more successful place, a world leader, and for gosh sakes a leader in the solar system! So when this Iron Man (some say he inspired the movie character) super high-tech good guy says he needs to sell his cars directly to the consumers, we’re gonna listen, in spite of what apple carts it might overturn.
Tesla says it needs to protect its young brand and the nascent profits of a start-up and they can do that best by selling their cars directly to consumers, bypassing local dealerships. We, among others, surely want to help make Tesla a success. One of Connecticut’s great young leaders, a tech entrepreneur, Business New Haven Rising Star of 2013, and a Republican Senator from the Shoreline (Clinton – Essex), Art Linares, has his Tesla order already placed (see next page). State Senator Linares is leading the charge to allow Tesla to do what no other car company in Connecticut can do – sell cars directly to consumers without a dealership. BUT… are we all so sure we want to let the camel get his nose under this tent? We understand the importance of promoting disruptive technologies and business practices, but if Tesla can sell without dealers, then we’re a day away from General Motors, Chrysler, BMW, and everyone else doing the same. Tesla has already bought land for a showroom in Milford, and we expect that Connecticut will embrace their vehicles, especially as they put forward cars more folks can afford. We don’t question Tesla’s motives, but the auto industry has proven that it can make and sell good
cars and earn a profit while having local, independent dealerships. We are not a fan of the screaming pitchman on the broadcast commercials of many local car dealers. We are a fan of competition, and the lower prices, better service, and community oriented support that independent, mostly locally owned, auto dealers bring to the marketplace. If Elon Musk can get us to the moon and come back to land on a ship at sea, we’re pretty sure he can find a way to build a locally oriented dealership network that encourages competition and meets the needs of consumers and the community. BNH
Special Note
We mentioned in December that changes would be coming to Business New Haven. One of the obvious ones is that we are a little more narrow and hopefully our printing is crisper. The printing press we are experimenting with doesn’t have the same size option but we are trying to keep our commitment to quality presentation - thus the better printing quality. It is a trade-off we are deciding on and if you have any feedack please share it with us at mryoung@ contact.com. We have also decided to work with some journalistic partners that produce excellent work but their on- line s audenice don’t really overlap with ours.
You’d be surprised how much more your staff can do when they’re not stuck in traffic. Teleworking can make your staff more productive. Plus, it reduces the number of cars on the road, reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality for everyone in Connecticut. CTrides helps businesses throughout Connecticut build and formalize teleworking programs for individuals, teams or an entire staff. Let us help you – absolutely free. Visit CTrides.com or call 1-877- CTrides. A service of the CT Department of Transportation. 4
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Tesla Bill Revs Up Lawmakers consider cutting dealerships out of the loop By Karena Garrity
The Modern Face of Sales Shouldn’t Include Selling By Hampus Jakobsson, CEO of Brisk
W
ith an idea that may upset the balance between Connecticut car dealerships and consumers, Elon Musk’s Tesla Motor Inc. is hoping to set up direct sales showrooms in the Nutmeg State in the near future. With support from State Sen. Art Linares, Republican of the 33rd District, Connecticut lawmakers on the Legislature’s transportation committee
owned auto dealerships in Connecticut. Tesla already has direct sales opportunities in the neighboring states of New York and Massachusetts, as well as in 15 other states. The Californiabased company says it wants to sell their vehicles directly to consumers because its electric cars are unique and require education, which the carmaker itself wants to provide. “Tesla makes an amazing vehicle,” said Linares, who has pur-
If you have ever received a sales call during dinner, it’s probably safe to assume you’ve had a bad experience with selling. Unfortunately, the same negative reaction you experienced while eating green beans with your family is now commonplace – at all times of day – in the current selling environment. In most business models, the sales department is fix� ated on selling. The problem with this approach is that people no longer want to be sold. They want to be edu� cated on how a product or service will benefit them. It’s not that there isn’t a place for sales anymore, it’s just that consumer needs have shifted.
are considering a bill specifically exempting Tesla Motors from current auto dealership franchise regulations. The bill would allow the company to sell directly to customers. Believing this issue is larger than just Tesla, James Fleming, president of the Connecticut Auto Retail Association, explained that the big fear is opening a door so other companies could do the same, which could mean the eventual demise of privately
chased a Model S Tesla and is awaiting its delivery. He added that he believes within the next 10 to 15 years everyone will be driving electric cars and that is why Connecticut should be involved with Tesla early on. “Tesla’s innovation and forward thinking is good for the environment, the economy and job growth in the state.
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DISCOUNT FOOD CHAIN CLOSING Xpect Discounts has announced it is closing its four Connecticut discount grocery stores within the year, including, East Haven, Milford, New Haven and Cromwell. Xpect Discounts, owned by Parma, FEBRUARY 2015
Purchasers today value edu� cation on the products and services they’re looking at over a traditional sales pitch. Currently, the job of selling is stuck between marketing and customer service. With
Three To Be Inducted Into Jr. Achievement Hall of Fame
this in mind, what is the best strategy to establish a better sales cycle that will engender customer loyalty and significantly impact a company’s revenue? People want t������������� o buy, so re� move the sales wall – espe� cially any forms or language soliciting the consumer to “contact me to request quote.” This is especially important for smaller busi� nesses making smaller sales deals. When it comes to your offering, work with the customer to make sure they understand the value your product or service provides. You don’t want people to buy your product who don’t really need it and won’t ben� efit from it. Negative reviews can kill existing deals and adversely impact your ability to sell to prospective clients. Deals in the hundreds of thousands still require sub� stantial handholding and face-to-face meetings, but smaller deals are closed by answering questions and providing solid, timely cus� tomer service. Today’s buyers know a lot more about the market than they did 10 years ago. They come in with their own well-defined perceptions and knowledge about what they need. As a result, the chances of “selling” them on something are virtually non� existent. Be frank with your customers and acknowledge that they are coming in with their own predetermined ideas of your products and services. Work with them to enhance their understanding of the value of your offering, rather than attempting to in� fluence them to make a pur� chase. Challenge your sales
team to handle incoming inquiries with this approach. You will see an automatic uptick in sales, and your bot� tom line will thank you. Mind the increasing overlap between customer support and sales. Now more than ever, understanding the right time to bring in a dedicated salesperson is an art. There used to be a more defined handoff between the two but now both customer support and sales need to be aligned on where the consumer is at in the sales cycle at all times in order to provide the best possible service. Focus on educating and providing support all the way through the selling process until the very end when they are ready to buy. That is when the salesperson should enter. Even then, their role isn’t to make the sale but rather to guide the buyer through the purchasing process. We need to fundamentally change the way we look at “selling.” In 2015, this term has developed a borderline negative connotation when used in the context of con� vincing someone to make a purchase. Because buyers are now so well-informed when making purchase decisions, they no longer have use for being sold to in the traditional sense. Organizations will accom� plish more by allowing cus� tomers the space to make their own assessments and providing the resources – primarily customer support and product information – they need to make an edu� cated decision they can feel comfortable with.
[L-R] Sklarz, Healey, Rescigno
Three of New Haven’s hardest driving citizens will be honored by induction into the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame on March 12. Mark G. Sklarz, Partner, Day Pitney LLP, Kim Healey Executive Director at the NewAlliance Foundation and Anthony Rescigno, CEO [see page 3] of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. For information or to attend the event contact Mary Jane Lund, vice president at 860-525-4510 or mjlund@jaconn.org
Ohio-based Marc Glassman Inc., has nearly 60 closeout, discount stores operated under the Marc’s brand in Ohio.
The retail chain once had seven Connecticut stores, its Derby store closed in 2012, and in 2013, its North Haven store closed. It expects to close a Danbury store in early March, which, according to the Danbury News Times, will result in the loss of 87 jobs. 5
BIOTECH
Vol XX,I No.6 February 2015
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FEBRUARY 2015
‘Stunning’ Economic Growth Predictions? By Elizabeth Regan at a rate of 8.1 Connecticut’s economy could grow report released percent this year, according to a econoWednesday by University of Connecticut as both “stunmists, who describe the prediction ning” and “dubious.” Analysis The Connecticut Center of Economic hours released its study Wednesday morning, scheduled to before Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was present his two-year budget proposal. “Preliminary estimates for 2014 show Connecticut growing faster than the national economy and then surging by a stunning (and dubious) 8.1 percent in 2015, before in 2016,” the tapering off to 3.2 percent growth now be on a authors wrote. “Connecticut might strong growth trajectory, driven
Law Firms Make A Comeback From Recession
CEO Switch At Alexion
Drug firm looks ahead to new HQ, product rollout By Liese Klein
by biotec nology,
and a signifiaerospace engineering, venture capital, But if history cantly more competitive environment. downside risks is predicts a rosy future, the array of unusually long.” increase in output Last year’s projected 4.8 percent combined with and the creation of 25,000 new jobs fuel prices and the uncertainties in the trajectory of outlook that is an inform to rate exchange U.S. dollar to the report. optimistic with reservations, according Gross Domestic The report is based in part on Real of Economic Product figures from the U.S. Bureau
Continued on page 8
SEE PAGE 18
Publisher Mitchell Young
Managaing Editor Liese Klein
Editorial Assistant Rachel Bergman
Graphics Manager Matt Ford
Publisher’s Assistant Amy Kulikowski
Publisher’s Representative Robin Kroopnick Robin Ungaro
Contributors Mimi Friedman Karena Garrity Jessica Giannone Ken Liebeskind Derek Torrellas
Photography Steve Blazo Priscilla Searles Derek Torrellas
Hallal joined Alexion in 2006 and served as the company’s first chief commercial officer before being appointed COO in 2014. He helped launch the company’s signature product, Soliris (eculizumab), and helped develop Alexion’s 50-country operating platform.
“Are we looking to renovate, demolish? Those are the kinds of questions we’re asking,” Sheeley said. “We need more information on the existing building.”
Alexion founder Leonard Bell is stepping aside as CEO, will remain as board chair.
David Hallal, COO will take the helm as CEO in April of the now $30 billion company.
year-over-year in sales of Soliris. Profits rose to $657 million, or $3.26 per share, compared to $253 million, or $1.27 per share in 2013.
Meanwhile, construction is ongoing at the new Alexion HQ building, a $140 million, 11-story structure rising along Route 34 in downtown New Haven.
The FDA and drug agencies in Europe and Japan are expected to rule early this year on approval of the company’s second major drug, asfotase alfa. That compound targets defective metabolic processes in patients with an ultra-rare disease called hypophosphatasia.
The personnel change was announced along with Alexion’s 2014 results, which showed a 38 percent increase
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Bill To Classify Unpaid Interns as Employees
COMING BUSINESS & CIVIC AWARDS - MARCH HEALTHCARE HEROES - APRIL BOOKF OF LISTS CT MAY GREEN BUSINESS AWARDS JUNE
By Elizabeth Regan ctnewsjunkie.com A bill from Senate President Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, aims to protect unpaid interns from workplace harassment, discrimination, and retaliation by classifying them as employees. Looney cited the unprotected population of unpaid interns as among the most vulnerable to discrimination and harassment. “Interns seek to make good impressions in the hopes of being hired permanently, network with colleagues, and receive good references for other job applications. This creates an environment where interns can be subject to exploitation,” Looney said in a release. “Everyone in a workplace should feel safe and protected. This proposal will go a long way in preventing the exploitation of interns by clarifying that harassment and discrimination against interns is illegal.” The Labor and Public Employees Committee drafted the proposal as a committee bill Thursday.
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University close to figuring out future for former Gateway CC building
An in-depth report on the building and the site will be wrapped up by the end of February, according to Robert Sheeley, SCSU’s associate vice president for capital budgeting and facilities operations.
Business New Haven is a publication of Second Wind Media, Ltd., with offices at 495 Grand Avenue, New Haven, CT 06513. Telephone (203) 781-3480. Fax (203) 781-3482.
email: news@ conntact.com
Southern Still Eyeing Long Wharf, City Not So Sure
SCSU is nearing a decision on how to use the former Gateway Community College campus at 60 Sargent Drive in New Haven.
With its New Haven headquarters nearing completion and a new drug awaiting approval, Cheshire-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals has announced a leadership shuffle. David Hallal, the firm’s chief operating officer, will take over the top spot on April 1, succeeding founding CEO Leonard Bell. Bell, who helped start Alexion in New Haven’s Science Park in 1992, will stay on as chairman of the board.
EDUCATION
The company’s move from Cheshire to the new campus is on track to be completed by the end of this year, according to Kim Diamond, Alexion’s senior director of corporate communications.
A public hearing held Tuesday included written testimony from Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, who brought up a New York case in which an unpaid intern filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against a supervisor. The court ruled she had no grounds to sue because she was not an employee, he said, prompting legislation in New York to extend sexual harassment protections to unpaid interns. “I’m torn by the story: On one hand, it’s a great example of lawmakers hearing about a major problem and coming together to fix it,” Finch said. “On the other hand, it’s another example of our failing to address a problem until a high-profile example forces us to do so.” Since then, New York has joined California and Oregon in enacting a statute to protect interns from harassment and discrimination, according to Looney. Illinois and Washington, D.C., have provisions protecting interns from workplace harassment, but not discrimination. In its testimony, The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities proposed amending the definition of “employee” in the Human Rights and Opportunities section of state law to include unpaid interns.
The steel-framed, 150,000- square-foot structure was built in 1971 and the university wants a closer look at its electrical and mechanical systems, along with the soil at the site. A new location for SCSU’s nursing programs was among the uses for the Long Wharf site floated after the school took possession last year. A leaky roof had sent earlier tenants packing. The university can use the stateowned site for free. Real estate sources have told us that the city administration is not enthusiastic about the plan for Southern to use the Long Wharf site, preferring a downtown location. Suggestions that the Live, Work and Play [and Learn] development at the former Coliseum site would be a natural for SCSU’s Nursing program but is hampered by the state’s rule that parking for students must be free. The price tag to build a garage to accommodate the students would be another $40 million or so.
the committee in drafting the wording of the legislation. Looney said in his own testimony that the bill is intended to protect interns from harassment and discrimination, not to apply an expanded definition of the term “employee” across the board. Laura Callachan, a first-year graduate student with the University of Connecticut’s School of Social Work and an unpaid intern with the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, said she’s never been the victim of workplace discrimination or harassment — but she’s heard from unpaid interns who have. “As an unpaid intern who is receiving school credit and, furthermore, as a person — I believe that I deserve equal protection under the law as paid interns,” she said in her testimony. Jillian Gilchrist, director of public policy and communication with Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Service Inc., recommended the legislation also require sexual harassment training “because all employees, paid and unpaid, should know their rights and be able to identify harassment and discrimination.”
The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women expressed willingness to work with WWW.CONNTACT.COM
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ECONOMY
Continued from page 1
They They Help, They Care, Heal, Old Blues Pony Up They Help, They Care, They Save Lives... They Heal, They Save They Lives... They Help, Care, It’s Time TimeLives... It’sSave They To Say Thanks! To Say It’sThanks! Time hey Heal,
The report is based in part on Real The data in the study are the most EDUCATION Gross Domestic Product figures optimistic it has reported to date, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic according to the report’s authors. Analysis that put the state ahead of “But there are unusually large potennational growth trends. Initial annual tial downside risks to Connecticut’s projections for national RGDP growth economy delivering on that forecast, Yale gears up for $200 million ask to benefit financial aid campus-wide came in at 2.4 percent in 2014 and and the state itself continues to under4.85 percent in both 2015 and 2016. In mine its own future with inadequate Deep-pocketed alumni are the focus Connecticut, the impressive output of a new push by Yale University to public-sector investment, inattention forecasts expected to taper offover to to major strategic opportunities, and raiseare more than $200 million 3.2 percent growth in for 2016. poor data,” the report said. “Do we two years to pay scholarships. The Ivy League school has already really understand how we are perThe report, titled “Will Connecticut raised $50 million toward the new forming and what we might achieve?” Thrive in an Uncertain World: initiative, called “Access Yale”
Exchange Volatility, Shifting hopes and to expand financial Labor Yale Markets, Collapsing Oilaid across the university as it plans Prices,” was written by the center’s for expanding its undergraduate student Forecasting and Analysis Group. Its body for the first time in nearly 50 authors were wary of the bullish GDP years.
To Say Thanks!
The report drew parallels between technological and political forces at play 100 years ago and those that make it difficult to predict the economic outlook today.
“Access Yale is an opportunity to secure the resources we need to expand our undergraduate program, make our financial support more competitive at the graduate and professional level, and enable more of our students, throughout the university, to graduate without excessive debt,” said Yale President Peter Salovey.
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For more information and to nominate Healthcare Publication Hero visit www.conntact.com/hcheroe.htm
The school has already banked $25 million from the estate of prominent lawyer Richard J. Urowsky, $10 million from the
SOHO China Foundation and an anonymous $10 million contribution.
Yale expects to spend $340 million on financial aid across the campus for the school year ending in spring 2015. With the opening of two new undergraduate dorms in coming years, an additional 800 new Yale College students will matriculat and need an estimated $18 million more i financial aid annually.
For more information and to nominate January 2014 visit www.conntact.com/hcheroe.htm
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it was when gasoline hovered near or “Few leaders in early 1914 foresaw above $4 a gallon. GAS TAXit until we see it — it that within months Europe would be won’t believe Community Service – Individual But there are huge political obstacles to Community Service – Corporate Advancements in Healthcare from page 1 is hardContinued to see where Connecticut has engulfed in the horrors of the Great – Individual – Individual Health Care Professional Community Service Murphy’s idea. War, let alone stalemated for years – Individual Health Care Professional in place the spare capacity to deliver Physician of Help the Year Us to Recognize Individual of Merit The federal Highway Trust Fund was Physician of the Year Individual of Merit that level of growth,” the economists within entrenched quagmires,” the White House spokesman Josh Earnest Nurse of the Year Institution or Program 2009 propped up last summer through tempothe Region’s Most Corporate Achievement Nurse of the Year Institution or Program 2009 wrote. “But there now appear to be report said. said last week the Obama administratio Heroes Researcher of the Year Fallen Heroes Healthcare Heroes By: Researcher of the Year Fallen Heroes Presented rary funding set to expire in May. About Publication Education Award A powerful processes of both internal Outstanding Healthcare wants to adhere to a plan to finance new Publication half of the trust fund’s money comes The current global climate is rengrowth in bioscience and external infrastructure spending Community Service dered unstable by groups such asby closing tax Professionals from a federal gas tax, now about 18.4 attraction through co-location: a – Corporate loopholes that favorfactors the wealthy. ISIS as well as by economic a gallon, that hasn’t been increased major cents genome Community Service Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said there is since 1993. Since then Americans are sequencing facility – Individual Healin little appetite in Congress for the plan: g the W driving less and cars are more fuel effiorld coming to Branford; Physician of the Year Most House Republicans have taken a cient, while an aerospace engi-the cost of building roads “no new taxes” pledge. and highways Nurse of the Year neering firm open- has gone up. But Murphy said those lawmakers may ing offices in East Researcher of the Year Murphy’s proposed fix is to raise the tax be persuaded to vote for his plan by Hartford; a surge of 12 cents a gallon over two years. A including in his legislation an extension venture capital carFor more information and to nominate “Nobody likes to pay more gas tax,” of a series of tax cuts for businesses and rying Connecticut mryoung@conntact.com Murphy said. But he said the tradeoff in individuals. into one of the top better transportation is worth the price. targets measured on If new money isn’t added to the trust He also said the gasoline tax is one area a per capita basis.” fund before the May deadline, federal where Connecticut receives more from highway money to would be A shifting employment situation has that include the volatility instates currency Washington than it pays in. Corporate Achievement Volunteers of the Year become evident in the increase in severely cut. Despitedeflation the looming deadmarkets and the threatened “The reality is that Connecticut does Education Award Advancements in Healthcare private-sector service jobs, according line, however, to Congress has not come u of the euro, according the report: – Corporate incredibly well when it comes to the gas Community Service to the report. Such service jobs now with a permanent solution to keep the “World economies are still fraught – Corporate Advancements in Healthcare tax,” Murphy said. ”It gets $1.60 in transaccount for 72.5 percent of all employwith uncertainty, shifting prices highway as trust fund completely solvent. – Individual portation funds for every dollar paid Community Service ment in the state, though wages in and new knowledge continue to drive Meanwhile, state transportation – Individual Health Care Professional in gas taxes.” That’s because the trust every service sector, except one, have unexpected change and new techagencies, including Connecticut’s fund distributes money to the states in a Physician of the Year Individual of Merit failed to keep up with national growth nologies lead to paths never before Department of Transportation, have said formula that’s based in part on how many Nurse of the Year Institution or Program or have decreased. imagined.” it is difficult to plan large infrastructure miles are driven on that state’s federal Researcher of the Year Fallen Heroes The report’s most optimistic model projects with the fate of the highway highways. predicts an additional 44,000 jobs trust fund in flux. The by recent statewide 2016.precipitous drop in gasoline For more information or to nominate. Reprinted and edited with permission from prices has prompted some to say that the ctmirror.com imposing a hike in the gas tax now would email Publisher Mitchell Young at Advancements in Healthcare Volunteers of the Year predictions for the state. February visit www.conntact.com/hcheroe.htm –2014 Corporate
Education Award
Corporate Achievement
Community Service Education Award – Corporate
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RETAIL
After Devastating Fire, New Haven’s Westville Neighborhood Looks Ahead Business district pins hopes on improvements after Delaney’s fire
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By Liese Klein
here’s a vacant lot at the heart of the Westville business district in New Haven, but community leaders see green shoots poking through. The building that housed Delaney’s Restaurant and Tap Room, considered the anchor of the business district, burned to the ground in a threealarm fire last August. Now all that remains at the intersection of Whalley and Central avenues is an expanse of dirt. The owners of both the building site and the Delaney’s business have promised to rebuild the popular tavern, but progress has stalled as insurance payouts are negotiated, neighborhood leaders say. Proprietor Peter Gresme also runs the Stone Hearth restaurant in Westville and is still committed to reviving Delaney’s, said Chris Heitmann, executive director of neighborhood group Westville Village Renaissance Alliance. The site’s owner has also expressed support for rebuilding. “We’re very hopeful and optimistic that they will rebuild,” Heitmann said. “Everybody is eager to have Delaney’s back.” The center of Westville has been noticeably quieter since the fire, Heitmann added.
But Heitmann sees lots of activity behind the scenes to improve the
Westville business district. Work is set to resume when the weather warms at the village’s central parking lot and on lighting and traffic calming efforts. More than $200,000 has been allocated to modernize the lot at the corner of Whalley Avenue and Blake Street, adding up-to-date meters, signage and
EMPLOYMENT
Job Program Goes National
Long-term unemployed target of effort by growing CT firm An intensive effort to get long-term unemployed people back into the workforce is paying off nationwide for a Connecticut company. Bridgeport-based The Workplace marked the opening of its Platform to Employment program last month in Reno, Nev. The Reno launch is the second Platform to Employment program in that state, operated in FEBRUARY 2015
Phase one of a traffic-calming effort will look at Westville’s “gateways,” the sections of Whalley demarcated by Harrison and Phillip streets to the west and Fitch Street and West Park Avenue to the east. The second stage of the plan will look at the feasibility of a new crosswalk across from the main lot at Phillip Street, “where everyone jaywalks now,” Heitmann said. The state Department of Transportation is reviewing the proposal and the results will be presented to the public later this spring, with construction expected by the end of summer. In the wake of the fire, Westville residents also pulled together to help house the 10 families displaced by the blaze, who had been living in apartments upstairs from Delaney’s. The successful effort to find homes for the displaced helped unite Westville and remains a point of pride despite the destruction of the restaurant, said State Rep. Pat Dillon, who represents the neighborhood. “We feel a loss – on the other hand, people are excited. We really didn’t start with much, everything was built on the grass-roots level,” Dillon said. Among successful neighborhood efforts in recent years is the popular ArtWalk festival, set for its 18th iteration this May. Another blow to the Westville business community came this fall when First Niagara Bank announced it would shutter its branch at 36 Fountain St., along with its ATM. Both are now closed and the building is on the market, Dillon said. Even with the closings, several new businesses have opened in the district in the last year and the neighborhood in February celebrated the reopening of Edgewood Park’s Coogan Pavilion after it was damaged in a 2012 fire.
The popular Delaney’s Restaurant was the commercial anchor of the center of New Haven’s storied Westville neighborhood before it burned down last August.
“There’s a lot less traffic from lunchtime on, happy hour on,” Heitmann said. [Delaney’s] was our physical and social anchor. The village did better with them here – that’s what a good anchor does.”
access. New street lighting more suitable to the village setting is planned for the lot’s main entrance on Whalley.
Westville has the committed neighborhood leaders and energy to bounce back from recent setbacks, Dillon said. Once plans for the Delaney’s site are clarified, she expects the community to unite to support whatever arises from the site. “People are very hopeful about moving forward once we have a clearer sense of where we are,” Dillon said.
Perez Selected As Banking Commissioner Jorge Perez, the governor’s choice to oversee the banking industry in Connecticut, would bring a background in community banking, neighborhood activism and urban politics to the state Department of Banking.
Perez, 52, the president of the New Haven Board of Alders, was selected by Governor Dannel P. Malloy as his nominee for commissioner, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. He will resign as an alder. “I am humbled,” Perez said. He began his career in the mailroom at First Union Bank, eventually rising to his current job as vice president and senior commercial loan officer at Liberty Bank, a regional bank based in Middletown that entered the New Haven market through the acquisition of the Bank of Southern Connecticut. Perez is a native of Cuba who came to the U.S. as a child, eventually settling with his family in the Hill section of New Haven, where he still lives. Perez attended public schools in New Haven and has a degree in accounting from the University of New Haven. Malloy, Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, and Perez all said he would bring a different perspective to the job — without precisely saying what difference it would make. Perez, who has been an adviser to non-profits in New Haven as well as an elected official since 1987, says he has ideas that he wants to first share with Malloy. As commissioner, Perez would be primarily responsible for overseeing the financial soundness of statechartered banks and credit unions. This story is an edited version of a report written by Mark Pazniokas with permision from ctmirror.com.
partnership with Nevada’s Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation. The program operates in 12 cities nationwide and is seeking to expand.
The program was first launched in Las Vegas with funding from the State of Nevada last year and has placed 50 percent of the initial 26 participants in jobs.
Those out of work 99 weeks or longer can qualify for Platform to Employment, which offers classes and intensive tutoring on interviewing and online application skills. Candidates can also qualify for eight-week internships with local businesses, which may then offer them permanent jobs.
Connecticut’s Platform to Employment effort, offered in five regions, has served 500 people and the program is on track to place 80 percent of participants, according to The Workplace. An estimated 3 million workers nationwide have been out of work for 27 weeks or longer and the long-term unemployed account for more than 30 percent of the unemployed, according to government statistics. – Liese Klein
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GOVERNMENT
Malloy Plan Pumps Up Tax Receipts By More Than $800 Million
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By: Keith M. Phaneuf Special from ctmirror.com
overnor Dannel P. Malloy’s two-year budget plan raises more than $360 million in net new tax receipts over the biennium, while canceling or delaying more than $480 million in net tax cuts that he signed last term and promised to start after the election. And while the administration argued $330 million of those new receipts would effectively be returned to the hospital industry that paid them, Connecticut has violated a similar pledge in the past.
Despite warnings from nonpartisan analysts that state finances faced large shortfalls in the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years, Malloy signed big tax cuts into law in the second-half of his first term – and scheduled them all to begin after the 2014 election. But while the governor committed the state to dish out almost $550 million in tax relief over the coming biennium, his new plan recommends postponing or canceling all but $62 million of that relief. Retired teachers will receive an income tax break on a portion of their pensions, and consumers benefit from a sales tax exemption on non-prescription medications.
“If (the governor’s proposals) are bringing in more revenue through any type of change, then that is a tax increase” Malloy insisted, in his annual budget address, that the relief he does provide as he grapples with big deficits is focused in the right areas. “Even in this time of difficult choices, we must not ask any more of our middle class,” the governor said. “The hard-working members of our middle class have helped turn our economy around. They’ve pitched in and shared in the sacrifice. Let’s give them something back.” But a host of other tax breaks were put on hold, including: an expanded income tax credit for the working poor; another income tax exemption for single individuals; surcharges on the corporations and insurance premiums taxes; and a sales tax exemption on clothing costing less than $50.
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But the Malloy administration engaged in budget semantics as it tried to argue that a roughly $360 million net increase in tax receipts over the next two years did not represent a “tax increase,” since it didn’t involve changing any tax rates. The governor recommended new restrictions on credits that corporations can claim to raise almost $350 million. The administration’s budget presentation referred to these changes as “closing loopholes” rather than as tax increases. But Joseph F. Brennan, president of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, said these changes clearly are tax hikes that will cost businesses deeply. “I think it strikes a blow at business confidence,” he said. “I think it strikes a blow at our recovery.” Brennan added that companies count on a stable tax credit system. “If (the governor’s proposals) are bringing in more revenue through any type of change, then that is a tax increase,” he added. “Whether we call it loopholes or taxes, who cares?” said House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby. “You’re paying more.” Even some of Malloy’s fellow Democrats conceded the no-taxincrease argument was a tough one. “Obviously anyone that is asked to pay more is going to see that as a tax increase,” said Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, co-chairman of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. “Our job is now to begin evaluating them and we will do that with the goal of continuing to grow our economy.” House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, said he is concerned about lowering the sales tax rate if only one sales tax exemption is to be eliminated.
“It should only be done if there is a large goal of reform in mind,” he said. Another $340 million would come in over the next two years combined by changing the formula for calculating a tax on hospitals. The administration also argues this isn’t a tax hike since it plans to return all of those funds to the industry – a move to leverage about $200 million in additional federal aid. But when Malloy and lawmakers imposed the original $350 million-peryear hospital tax in 2011, the governor made the same argument. But hospitals only got the full tax payment back for one year. The governor and legislature have steadily reduced it since then. This year, for example, hospitals pay in $350 million but get $96 million back. The corporation and tax revenue increases total almost $690 million. The governor’s plan does offset some of these tax revenue increases with proposals that would cost the state funds, chiefly a two-stage reduction in the sales tax that would save consumers $225 million over the biennium. And by eliminating the business entity tax, a small fee levied every two years, small companies would get about $40 million in relief. Subtracting the almost $62 million in promised tax cuts that the Malloy budget did deliver still leaves a net increase in tax receipts for the upcoming biennium in excess of $360 million.
Budget Pllan Could Harm Reputation With Investors State Treasurer Denise L. Nappier has warned Gov. Dannel P. Malloy that one component of his new budget could harm Connecticut’s reputation on Wall Street. In a letter released to the media, Nappier – a Democrat – called the Democratic governor’s plan to rely on $325 million in borrowing to cover operating costs “too aggressive.” The new budget the governor proposed this past week includes $1.65 billion next fiscal year to cover general fund debt service and $1.77 billion in 2016-17. These amounts combined are $325 million shy of what Nappier estimates is necessary to cover contractually obligated payments on state borrowing for municipal school construction and other capital projects. Similarly, Malloy’s recommendations are $328 million less than the legislature’s nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates is necessary. “Budgeting for fixed costs, such as principal and interest on bonds, is a sound fiscal practice,” Nappier wrote to Malloy. “And failure to do so can become a concern for ratings agencies and investors alike.” The treasurer added that if she had to request supplemental funding because the adopted budget couldn’t cover Connecticut’s debts, this “may harm its reputation among bondholders and the investment community at large.” Both Malloy and Nappier have faced increasing criticism from Republican legislative leaders over the past year for the state’s growing reliance on what are commonly referred to as “bond premiums.” The State, in some instances when issuing bonds, will pay a higher interest rate than originally planned in return for a premium – extra money to the state in addition to the bonds’ face value. This is a tool that helps the treasurer market bonds, particularly when interest rates are low. But rather than using those premiums to accelerate debt reduction, the governor and the Democrat-controlled legislature have used them in recent years to build up the state’s fiscal reserves, or to close past budget deficits. The state has taken more than $400 million in bond premiums since Malloy became governor. And Benjamin Barnes, Malloy’s budget chief, confirmed Thursday when questioned by the legislature’s Appropriations Committee, that the proposed budget would rely on bond premiums to cover the $325 million gap in the biennial debt service account. To count on those funds, “before they are realized,” she added, “is equivalent to counting one’s chickens before they hatch.” – Keith Faneuf, ctmirror.com
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ALMANAC News Union Wins Vote
two pubic companies, Tribune Media and Tribune Publishing.
The news staff of Fox CT (Channel 61) has voted to join the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET) by a vote of 35 to 17.
The publishing arm’s newspapers include The Hartford Courant, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. Prior to the spinoff, the Courant and Fox shared some facilities within the Hartford Courant building and Courant news reporters were featured regularly on the news show.
A previous effort by NABET to unionize Fox CT in 2003 failed by one vote. Reporters, editors, camera operators and even anchors will be covered by the union contract. Fox TV is part of Tribune Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Tribune media, which owns 42 local television stations that the company claims reach 50 million households. Affiliates include ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS and the CW. According to the NABET, Tribune made a significant effort to defeat the unions. In a statement announcing its victory, the union said, “The company began by conducting employee meetings, with both individuals and groups, followed by repeated emails to the employees in the group. To coordinate the effort, the Tribune Company engaged the services of a New York law firm with a reputation for anti-union crusades.” Fox CT had been the only Connecticut network television newsroom not unionized. In August of 2014, the Tribune Company spun off its newspapers from its broadcasting and web operations, creating
Mohegans Bite into Sub Biz
With its gambling revenues stagnant and more local competition from Massachusetts and New York, the Mohegan tribe, owners of the Mohegan Sun Casino, is entering the sandwich business.
Jersey Mike’s, based in Manasquan, N.J., was founded in 1956 and has more than 1,300 shops that sell hot and cold sandwiches. It was named the fastestgrowing chain last year in Nation’s Restaurant News.
New Haven-based Woodbridge International, a middle-market mergers and acquisitions firm, is opening an office in Mexico City. The firm is building on its presence in Mexico, where it currently has an existing office in Monterrey. Woodbridge says it aims to provide world-class M&A services to companies with $5 million to $100 million in annual revenue and will focus on serving middle-market companies in Mexico interested in selling and acquiring companies or finding strategic joint venture partners anywhere in the world.
Connecticut Senators Blumenthal and Murphy have joined a bipartisan effort supporting Senate Bill 375, the Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce [BREW] Act. The principal goal of the proposed legislation is to reduce the excise tax on beer produced by small brewers.
Mixed Housing Message Median home sales prices declined in Connecticut for the month of December, despite a 1.5 percent increase in overall sales for the month against the prior year, according to the Bostonbased Warren Group. The company, publisher of Connecticut’s Commercial Record newspaper,
tracks home sales and mortgage activity throughout the state.
Woodbridge, founded in 1993, has 28 offices around the world in locations including China, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, France and Japan.
In addition to the sub business, the tribe is betting on the burger trend as
Sam Adams was perhaps America’s first and most influential revolutionary and a Boston beer brewer as well. Today, the beer industry is undergoing a revolution of its own, with an explosion of small and craft brewers in Connecticut and nationwide.
14
M&A Firm Looks South
The tribe expects to open 10 Jersey Mike’s Subs franchises, two by the end of the year. Their franchise territory includes Rhode Island and parts of southern Worcester County in Massachusetts.
Give Us A Cold One – Please
Under current law there is a tax of $7 per barrel for the first 60,000 barrels brewed and $18 per barrel above 60,000. The proposal is to cut the tax on the first 60,000 barrels to $3.50 per barrel, and reduce it to $16 per barrel over 60,000. Above 2 million barrels annually and the tax would revert to $18 per barrel. The tax cut
well, opening a Smashburger outlet in Waterford. The Denver-based burger franchise and the tribe expect to open 15 other locations in southern New England. Unlike the 25 percent take on the slots, the state will only be getting the traditional sales tax bite on the subs and burgers.
would free up $60 million to the combined industry, according to estimates. The Brewers Association, a national trade group based in Boulder, Colo., says that there are more than 3,000 small and independent breweries nationwide, which employ 108,000 people and provide $3 billion in wages. An average of 1.5 new breweries are opening every day, the group added. Locally, Branford-based Thimble Island Brewery received town approvals to expand into the former Gravy Master building at 16 Business Park Drive. The company expects to be up and running by the summer and its new facility will include manufacturing and a tasting room.
Connecticut saw 2,196 singlefamily homes sold in December 2014. While only a 1.5 percent increase, it represented the largest number of homes sold in the state for the month since December 2009. For the year, however, Connecticut saw a 1 percent decline in sales to 25,660, compared with 25,919 in 2013. The median price of a singlefamily home fell 2.1 percent to $240,000 in December, down from $245,000 a year earlier. The year-to-date figures show somewhat more housing cost deflation, with the median price at $251,500, falling 3.3 percent from $260,000 last year. Perhaps revealing a trend toward smaller homes, condominium sales had a 4.9 percent increase in December with 603 condos sold, up from 575 a year ago. Condo sales increased by 3.1 percent. But condo prices followed the deflationary trend, with a median sales price decline in December of 4.8 percent, to $160,000 from $168,000 in December 2013. The year-to-date median selling price was stronger at $168,500, down only 1.4 percent from $170,800 a year ago.
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RESCIGNO
Continued from page 3
to increase the amount of interest in manufacturing in the state.
12th Annual Gala
The Art of Giving
There seems to be a lot of anger on social media about resolving a lot of problems, for example the argument with the charter schools and Achievement First. These comments surprise me in terms of their negativity when this has been a pretty successful situation in New Haven. Education in particular is a very emotional subject and people get really fired up to the core. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly. There is a lot of cooperation – it’s not perfect, but for the most part people are working together. There are big issues that relate to education and when it comes to money, everybody digs in their heels. I have a really optimistic point of view about the whole region. I see the mayors working together in the region, which in the past wasn’t always the case, and we’ve got an education roundtable that is operating. There was a dust-up about Tweed Airport and the lack of cooperation between East Haven and New Haven. Where do you think we’re going with Tweed Airport and do you see it being taken over by the state eventually through the Airport Authority? That’s something we hope happens, from a cost point of view. The state could be responsible for it, but I think we are way off from that. I don’t think it’s going to happen tomorrow. Because of cost, or because of something else?
Honoring Marilyn Ferguson Blessing oFFor
The state Airport Authority is kind of brand-new; it’s about a year and a half old. It took them almost this whole amount of time just to ramp up and to have an authority that’s operating. Their No. 1 focus right now has been Bradley. Bradley is the most productive airport and they haven’t really focused on these smaller airports around the state. When you throw in the political differences down here, it’s an easy out for the legislators
and the politicians up in Hartford to say: ‘Well, you guys don’t even agree yourselves yet.’ I believe that dust-up was a miscalculation or a misunderstanding. We have to make sure we are communicating effectively. In the past, there was a fair amount of agitation within the business community about Tweed.Are businesses saying to you that this is an important issue for them still? They are, but in a lot of ways they are saying this has been going on for so long, so they are just dealing with alternatives. They definitely want to see improvements. There is a creative idea for a chartered airplane back and fourth to D.C. every day of the week. When we brought Delta in, the business community put up $2 million in guaranteed money. We tracked very closely who was using the planes and we did a good job of filling the planes. Interestingly, individuals, not businesses used the airport and those airplanes more than anybody. If the planes were there, the public would be using them. Do you think the Baby Boomers are in touch with the new vitality of the marketplace? No. I am conscious of it and I am working very hard towards understanding, but it doesn’t come naturally. Our young professionals organization today is 550 members strong, a very impressive group. But when we started out, our differences were so vast. They operated a different way but we both came around and we have a great group now. I’m trying to understand because, as of right now, there are about 120 million young people 39 and under in this country. It’s growing and these young people are going to run this place. If we’re not thinking about them and we’re not thinking about how to woo them, we’re going to miss the boat.
Mary ann White
Thursday, March 26, 2015 5:30 - 8:00 pm For additional and sponsorship information, contact Carolyn Mcnally at cmcnally@aces.org or (203) 498-6842
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I am very impressed with these young folks and how smart they are. I think they get a bad rap – people talk about this generation that they are lazy and aren’t working as hard. I, frankly, have not seen it. What I’m seeing are ambitious people. They don’t have the same mindset that “I’m going to work for this company for 30 years.” They would prefer working random hours. When I say we work 8-5, they look at me like I’m crazy. Are the city, state, Chamber and all the leaders doing a good enough job of helping small business formation by these young people? I think we could do more. As a chamber, we are trying to do our share; we are working with the Small Business Administration. We have a full-time counselor at the Small Business Development Center. We’re running academies for small businesses to teach them how to do a business plan, how to set up an LLC, etc. We’ve got a [the Chamber’s] young professionals group once a month meeting with a different CEO from the region. How do we tap into this energy when we’re not so natural to it? It’s taken me a while to adjust and to work at it. I have hired, over the last probably three or four years, six young people that I would consider under that 39 years old and probably most of them
“You really need to have an office here. You need to have a bridge here” are under 30. It really is an adjustment. You’ve got to accommodate them and you can’t be bull-headed about, “Hey, this is the way it’s done here and that’s all there is to it.” They understand respect and loyalty. What I’m finding is, money isn’t the No. 1 driver, what really is a driver is they want to be part of a group, they want to be part of a team that’s making things happen. What do you think is needed to get the message out about Greater New Haven today? You’ve got a wonderful Ivy League school right here and you’ve got five other universities within a 10- or 15-minute drive. I don’t think about New Haven specifically as that is where the borders end. You’ve got wonderful educational opportunities right here and you’ve got a terrific healthcare sec-
tor that is generating a lot of the jobs for young people. You certainly need all the culture, all the recreation and all the things that are going to attract them. The one thing that we do need is for them to have jobs. If they don’t have jobs and they don’t have a way to support themselves with affordable housing – which is not the right word because it is usually a turn-off word.. The research we did five or six years ago, before we started our young professionals organization, said that if young people have associations and friendships and colleagues, they are less likely to move away. New Haven was an underdog city for a really long time – is our generation so used to the negativity that we’re not really putting the best face on things? I think we have to promote our assets and promote the things that not only young people want, but businesses want. I talk to businesses all the time, law firms and accounting firms that have offices outside of this area, and I say, “You really need to have an office here. You need to have a bridge here.” We’re certainly bringing people in, but the area where we seem to be struggling in is this workforce. Not only small businesses, but also we should be able to attract even larger companies.
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I think they’ve got to take the state seriously first, because there is a built-in cost and I don’t think any one political party is responsible, I think everybody’s got to take some of the heat on where we are today. We are not highly rated when we compare against other states. Companies are not going to put their businesses here without looking at what the state costs are first. We can make the case for great quality of life. We have some shortcomings, but we can make the case for a very good workforce. There are a lot of good school systems that people could choose from. We’ve got a great location and wonderful schools of higher learning. I think there’s a lot to offer, but companies are looking at costs to start with. If they can justify the cost, then they start to fall in love with all the other stuff. Is this really anything we can do something about? Absolutely. I think we’ve got to continue to keep the heat on Hartford and D.C. We cannot back off – if we take the position that it’s a lost cause, things will get worse. We need to be there constantly to remind them what the potential issues might be. BNH
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Law Firms Bounce Back After Recession After a difficult few years, the billings are coming back By Ken Liebeskind
N
New Haven law firms are regaining some ground after years of struggle in the wake of the most recent recession, local attorneys say. “On Sept. 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy, it was the beginning of the financial crisis, and the next day, LeClairRyan opened in New Haven,” said Richard Bowerman. Bowerman, one of the firm’s attorneys, left Tyler Cooper & Alcorn LLP, one of New Haven’s oldest firms, which closed after 161 years in the face of the recession.
“We have the same mix of clients but New Haven has changed from homegrown banks and businesses to Yale and the health center,” Bowerman said. “As the economy has changed, small businesses still need our services – including insurance companies – and we handle federal litigation. When companies are sued in Connecticut, they need local counsel. Twenty-five percent of our work comes from outside of Connecticut. If we were Tyler Cooper, that wouldn’t have been the case.”
Stan Twardy, Day Pitney Managing Partner Day Pitney, a regional law firm with close to 300 attorneys in nine offices throughout the Northeast, wasn’t hit hard by the recession in 2008, but felt its repercussions two years later, Stan Twardy said. “The client base wasn’t hit immediately, but we had a bad inventory of cases in 2010-11, it was an aftershock. We had a dip in earnings, some partners left and we had some layoffs.” Twardy said the firm concentrates on litigation but in the midst of the reces-
Tyler Cooper & Alcorn LLP and Jacobs, Grudberg, Belt, Dow & Katz P.C. are two New Haven firms that went belly up during the recession and were incorporated into other firms.
President of the New Haven County Bar Association
Richard Bowerman, LeClairRyan
Bowerman: “The Connecticut economy got globalized.”
Twardy: “We had a bad inventory of cases in 2010-11, it was an aftershock.”
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Howard Levine said the recession didn’t just impact New Haven law firms, but also law school students looking for jobs. “Things started to get difficult in 2008 and firms who hired large first-year classes were not doing as much hiring. People were coming out of law school not getting the jobs they expected. A lot more people were hanging out their own shingle.” The recession also impacted client budgets and payment methods. “The money was much tighter and people were being selective about how they spent their money and even larger firms were no longer doing things as a matter of course,” Levine said. “Companies were also looking more carefully at how they hired outside counsel and looking for better rates. Commercial litigation and bank work changed due to foreclosures and defaults.”
“Institutional clients started using larger law firms outside Connecticut as Connecticut businesses were being absorbed. We had three Connecticut offices, but we needed a larger platform so we went with LeClairRyan. They had 22 offices and the ability to take care of clients on a national basis.” Today, LeClairRyan continues to handle clients from Tyler Cooper & Alcorn LLP, but has expanded to out-of-state accounts.
The firm froze salaries for a while, rolled back starting salaries and experienced some layoffs, “but we stabilized in 2013 and ’14 and we’ve come out and exceeded budget,” he said. “There was a delayed hit, but now we’re back on an upswing. Most of our work is in Connecticut, but we have a presence outside the state. We’re coming back up with the number of lawyers, but staff numbers haven’t completely come back because we’ve realized more efficiencies.”
Howard Levine, Carmody, Torrance, Sandak & Hennessey
Business New Haven spoke with five New Haven-area lawyers to discuss the impact of the recession on their firms and the business today in its aftermath.
Richard Bowerman said Tyler Cooper & Alcorn LLP was experiencing good times in the 1980s and had opened offices in Hartford and Stamford. “We were expanding, the first New Haven firm to go into another county,” he said. “These were the economic good times for the state and we were growing exponentially, hiring 10 to 15 lawyers each summer, and paying six-figure salaries. We represented multiple utilities and 30 banks, but they were absorbed by other banks and the Connecticut economy globalized.
sion, “companies were saying, ‘We don’t have the money to spend and we don’t need to bring a lawsuit.’ So there was deferred litigation and they tried to resolve issues without paying lawyers.” He also said mergers and acquisitions business fell off.
Levine: “Didn’t just impact New Haven law firms, but also law school students looking for jobs”.
Pellegrino: “Substantial decrease in real estate transactions but foreclosure firms saw an upswing”.
Levine sees the economy improving, which impacts law firms. “We’re looking to find a new normal and a steady state, but it’s not the same practice as it was in 2000. A lot of practices are comWWW.CONNTACT.COM
bining into regional firms, so competing for work is a different animal. A lot of individual people in small businesses haven’t recovered, so there are a lot of self-represented parties representing themselves in litigation in court. On the commercial side, it’s off the charts. I don’t know if it’s the recession or people watching People’s Court, but 80 percent of family cases have at least one self-represented party.”
Maria Chiarelli, Chiarelli Law Firm The trend toward self-representation impacts Maria Chiarelli, a family lawyer with a firm in Hamden who handles divorce, child custody, visitation and parenting cases.
again. Self-represented parties are difficult because they’re not lawyers and they don’t understand the system. Sometimes they ask the judge for advice. It’s tough for the system when they can’t afford attorneys, but that’s how the recession affects family cases.” Chiarelli said she has more potential clients who can’t afford her but the rate of clients hasn’t decreased.
Bernie Pellegrino, Pellegrino Law Firm Bernie Pellegrino, who specializes in real estate law, said the recession caused “a substantial decrease in real estate transactions but foreclosure firms saw an upswing. Firms that do a lot with real estate experienced a transition period dealing with the changing economic times. Our firm remained unchanged with the number of lawyers, but we had to refocus certain areas and tighten our budget to deal with those changes. We had to deal with the decline in income. Our rates didn’t really go down, but they weren’t increasing, that’s for sure. The income
of our lawyers changed and we had to reshuffle the work load.” Pellegrino said firms that were doing refinancing and bank closings also suffered during the recession. “When the market tanked, those things went completely dry. Firms that were heavily weighted in real estate transactions took a pretty big hit. Ours is a more general practice, so it was not as big of a blow to us. Personal injury wasn’t impacted by the recession, defense work and zoning work slowed down in that period, but it was less of a blow for our firm of 10 lawyers than other firms that took a sharp decline.”
Do You Need Help Understanding the Affordable Care Act? Chiarelli: “The recession has caused an increase in selfrepresented litigants”. “The recession has caused an increase in self-represented litigants; there is an overwhelming number,” she said. “People can’t afford to retain attorneys. Property values have declined. How do people move on with assets with negative value? They can’t sell their house and split the proceeds. You have houses with no equity because people have refinanced over value and there is a decline in value due to the recession. Before the recession, the value of the property was always increasing, but now you have people who can’t sell their house. People are still living together after they’re divorced and cannot hire an attorney to represent them.”
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Chiarelli said that court regulations have changed to accommodate client financial problems. “They allow lawyers to appear for pieces of cases – it’s called limited scope representation,” she said. “They allow you to represent a client for pretrial and once you complete it, you file a certificate and you’re out of the case. There are a lot of difficulties with this process but the rules committee made it part of the practice book and it makes it more affordable for clients. Sometimes, clients use a lawyer for pretrial and then they’re representing themselves FEBRUARY 2015
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Enrollment Crunch Hits Law Schools Universities struggle as application downturn continues By Liese Klein
Q
uinnpiac University unveiled a new School of Law Center building in North Haven at the start of this academic year, complete with an imposing, columned facade, its own two-tiered courtroom, and 13 new state-of-the-art classrooms with multimedia capability. “It’s a huge investment. There are very few universities, I would suspect, in America today that are dedicating a new School of Law Center as we are here in North Haven,” Quinnipiac President John L. Lahey said at the building’s grand opening celebration in October. Now all the university needs is more students to fill those classrooms. Facing a nationwide plunge in the number of aspiring lawyers, two of the three Connecticut law schools are nervously eyeing the bottom line and admitting students with lower grades and test scores.
The root of the drop: Students have been quick to figure out that law is no longer a surefire path to a good job. ABA statistics show that nine months after graduation, only 57 percent of 2013 law graduates held full-time jobs that required bar exam passage. Yet even as employment rates stagnate, student debt loads for those with a private law school education have risen to an average of $125,000. As the bad news gets out, the number of students taking the Law School Admission Test continues to decline. Tests administered in June 2014 were down 9.1 percent compared to a year earlier, according to the Law School Admission Council. studies dropping in 2014 to the lowest level since 1973, according to the American Bar Association (ABA). Total students seeking law degrees at the 204 ABA-approved schools last year fell nearly 7 percent from the year before, and the number is down
17.5 percent from the historical peak in enrollment, recorded in 2010. Experts predict that some law schools may be forced to close if the trend continues: two Minnesota institutions announced a merger in February due to deepening financial straits.
Quinnipiac has it the worst, enrolling only 92 students into its 2014 first-year class compared to 127 in 2013, a drop of 28 percent. Median GPA and LSAT scores were also down, even as fewer students matriculated. The number of applications to the school fell in 2014 to 816 from 1,496 the year before, a decline of 45 percent.
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The University of Connecticut Law School, located in West Harford, saw a drop in applications but a slight increase in enrollment for the 2014 academic year, to 160 students, up from 151 in 2013. Seeing low initial application numbers, the school extended its deadline to July. Law students who enrolled at UConn in 2014 had slightly lower GPAs and LSAT scores than the class entering in 2013. UConn officials credit new programs that combine work experience with law studies for the uptick in enrollment, including an externship that offers a semester in Washington, D.C.
“Everybody’s suffering,” said Ed Wilkes, Quinnipiac’s dean of law admissions. “People just aren’t applying because the jobs aren’t there.” The decline in law school admissions echoes a nationwide trend, with the number of students choosing legal
Analysts see a possible rebound in the trend as the economy picks up, with some schools seeing application numbers on the rise.
Wilkes: “People just aren’t applying because the jobs aren’t there.”
Rutt: Affordability and new programs driving enrollment.
“This is a result not only of our continuing commitment to excellence and affordability, but also to new programs designed to give students real-world legal experience as pracWWW.CONNTACT.COM
feet of new facilities, the center is located in a complex at 370 Bassett Road, adjacent to Quinnipiac’s schools of medicine, social work, nursing and education. “That’s a real plus,” Wilkes said, citing the potential for interdisciplinary programs and partnerships with the other professional schools. “As we get settled into this, we’re excited about the possibilities.” Quinnipiac moved it’s law school to the North Haven campus
tical preparation for a legal career,” Ellen Rutt, UConn’s associate dean for enrollment and strategic planning, said in an email. Two new master’s degree programs are also on tap at UConn in the popular fields of environmental law and human rights and social justice, Rutt said. The school’s Career Planning Center has also welcomed a new director: James Ray. Ray is a partner at Robinson & Cole, a firm with offices in seven states.
law school” in a 2013 analysis affirming an A3 rating on the university’s debt. The ratings agency also cited a drop in the university’s three-year average operating margin to 13.2 percent in fiscal year 2013, down from 20.7 percent in 2009. “We’re working very hard,” Wilkes said of Quinnipiac’s struggles. “It is what it is and we hope for the best.”
The law school’s struggles are already impacting Quinnipiac’s bottom line: Moody’s Investors Service cited “significant enrollment shortfalls at the
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Not surprisingly, the exception to the enrollment crunch rule is Yale’s No. 1-ranked law school. Student applications rose 8 percent in 2014, to 2,859 from 2,637 in 2013, even as applicants’ media GPAs rose year-over-year. Yale Law School’s class of 2017 “consists of three Peace Corps volunteers, three Rhodes Scholars, one Marshall Scholar, six Fulbright Fellows, three Truman Fellows, 10 Teach for America teachers, 10 members of the military, seven marathoners and three triathletes,” Dean Robert C. Post said in welcoming remarks this August. At Quinnipiac, the law school has responded to steep drops in applications by putting the brakes on tuition hikes for the 2014 class. Students will pay the same price for each year of education – $47,190 for full-time students and approximately $33,000 for part-time students. “Tuition will be frozen for three years for full-time students, four years for part-time,” said Wilkes, the law school admissions dean. “That may be a small incentive.” The school is also bolstering its mentoring program, pairing each new student with both a pair of upper classmen and a faculty member. “Our students are reacting very positively to that; they have both students and faculty mentors to talk to,” Wilkes said. University officials also hope the new $50 million Law Center will be a draw. In addition to its 150,000 square FEBRUARY 2015
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HEALTH Last Rites for Hospital Deal
Tenet ends bid, citing state restrictions By Liese Klein
81 Percent Medicaid, 19 Percent Private Plans
T
By Christine Stuart ctnewsjunkie.com.
his time it’s really over.
Tenet Healthcare, a Texasbased for-profit that owns 77 hospitals that had been seeking to buy five Connecticut hospitals, pulled the plug on the deal with finality on February 4, citing excessive regulatory scrutiny. Tenet had said it would invest more than $535 million dollars in the acquired hospitals While mostly silent about the initial collapse of the deal and the new negotiations, the Yale New Haven Hospital system was to own a minority interest in the Connecticut company and was to manage the healthcare operations.
Connecticut’s insurance exchange signed up more than 103,000 individuals in private insurance plans through Feb. 13, but its Medicaid enrollment was far more robust.
affected communities, and our colleagues in the legislature to come up with smart, creative solutions that will preserve local access to care for all patients.”
Tenet has said it would invest more than $535 million dollars in the acquired hospitals.
Tenet and Governor Dan Malloy issued a joint statement signaling the end of negotiations.
“Unfortunately, the issues that separated us simply could not be overcome,” Malloy said. “We will continue to work with the hospitals, the
Chief among the issues that sank the Tenet deal were the 47 restrictions put on its proposal to buy Waterbury Hospital by the state’s Office of Health Care Access. After
Old Boss New Boss at Exchange Access Health CT, the state’s insurance exchange, has named its former information chief as its new CEO. Jim Wadleigh had been serving as interim CEO since September and was named permanent CEO at the exchange’s February board meeting. Wadleigh stepped into the leadership role after ex-boss Kevin Counihan took the top job at the national insurance exchange, HealthCare.gov. The Access Health CT board voted unanimously to approve Wadleigh’s appointment. First hired by the exchange as its IT director, Wadleigh had earlier worked at CIGNA and Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. As of Feb. 13, 103,007 people had signed up for private insurance plans through Access Health CT. Exchange officials have begun gearing up for the next enrollment push, which ends Dec. 15. The exchange’s budget for this year is $65 million.
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ACCESS HEALTHCARE SIGNUPS:
seeing the regulator’s report, Tenet first withdrew its application in December. The governor’s office, after prodding by State Senators’ Len Fasano and Martin Looney, then stepped in to revive talks. Waterbury was to be the first hospital acquired by Tenet, which also sought permission to buy Rockville General, Manchester Memorial, Bristol and St. Mary’s in Waterbury. The affected hospitals, several in acute financial straits, are implementing layoffs and cost cuts to stay afloat. Waterbury Hospital and Rockville General have already cut jobs.
Open enrollment in the exchange ended on Feb. 15 and enrollment during the last two days of enrollment will be released on Monday, according to Access Health CT officials. Of the 103,000 enrollees in private insurance plans, 35,887 were new customers. Another 235,000 individuals enrolled in Medicaid and of those, 153,828 were new applicants. Access Health CT officials said 81 percent of enrollments during the second year of the exchange qualified for Medicaid and 19 percent enrolled in private insurance plans. Of the 35,887 new private insurance enrollees, 42 percent enrolled with ConnectiCare Benefits, 30 percent with Anthem, 23 percent with HealthyCT, and 4 percent with UnitedHealthcare.
Funding Snafu Costs Mentally Ill
Achillion Sells $133 million in stock
Mentally ill adults and their families are suffering due to a holdup in federal approvals to pay out $5 million to Connecticut providers, an advisory group has charged.
New Haven-based Achillion Pharmaceuticals reaped $132.7 million in net proceeds in a public offering of common stock that closed in February. The company sold
The Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council, which advises the state departments of Children and Families, Mental Health and Addiction Services and Social Services, sent a plea to budget director Benjamin Barnes to facilitate the approval. Mental health and substance abuse treatment providers face cuts because the state has yet to get permission to spend $5 million budgeted for them this year. “Children and families are negatively impacted when the adult caregiver cannot access needed services, often resulting in the removal of the child from the home,” council leaders wrote in the letter to Barnes. The $5 million sum was budgeted to bridge the gap between expenses and Medicaid rates. The Department of Social Services has yet to get needed permission from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to release the funding.
13.8 million shares of its common stock in the offering, at a price to the public of $10.25 per share, including the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase an additional 1.8 million shares of common stock at the public offering price. Shares of Achillion soared early in February after a positive report on its hepatitis C drug, ACH-3102, now in mid-stage trials. The drug achieved 100 percent functional cure rates after six weeks of treatment when used in combination with Gilead Sciences’ Sovaldi, according the company. Achillion focuses on small molecule therapeutics for infectious disease and complement-related diseases.
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MANUFACTURING Re-Powering Fuel Cell Company Korean Company Turns Around ClearEdge
Advancing Technology The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) has elected Michelle Allinson, president of Cursor and partowner/ vice president of sales and marketing of Aerospace Alloys, to its board of directors.
A Connecticut fuel cell company is adding jobs and expanding rapidly as it gears up for stronger worldwide demand for the clean-energy technology. Doosan Fuel Cell America, based in South Windsor, has increased its workforce from 30 to 180 people and is expected to add 120 more workers this year. Its South Korea-based parent company, Doosan Corp., bought the local assets of bankrupt ClearEdge Power last July for $32 million. In January, Doosan installed a $3 million fuel cell in a renovated Hartford apartment building. The 400-kilowatt fuel cell will supply most of the power for apartments in the Old Hartford Bank Building at 777 Main St. in the city’s downtown. The fuel cell helped earn the $85 million project a platinum rating for energy efficiency from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Doosan fuel cell operation dates from efforts by Hartford-based United Technologies to expand the scope of the technology with the help of federal grants. UTC eventually sold its fuel cell unit to Oregon-based ClearEdge Power in 2013. The acquisition, however, proved overwhelming for the thinly capitalized ClearEdge and they declared bankruptcy in 2014. Doosan manufactures Bobcat tractors and has a large, diversified power-plant manufacturing business selling a wide variety of products from antipollution equipment to massive steam turbines. South Korean utility companies have been among the leading buyers of fuel cells and are the principal customers for Connecticut’s other fuel-cell company, Danbury-based Fuel Cell Energy.
Milford Rep Calls for Better Training State Rep. Pam Staneski (R - Milford & Orange) has joined the bipartisan Manufacturing Caucus, whose first 2015 meeting she attended at the State Capitol. The Manufacturing Caucus consists of 70 members, 50 of whom are state legislators. The group focuses on the effects of new 24
legislation on manufacturing job creation and retention. In her new role, Staneski, a Republican, called for better, simpler ways of training young adults for middle-skill positions in manufacturing. Having worked in manufacturing for 10 years, Staneski said she brings both technical and legislative experience to the push for better manufacturing climate in Connecticut. A Connecticut Industrial Energy analysis found that $25.9 billion
CCAT is a nonprofit economic development organization headquartered in East Hartford that focuses on technology and workforce development, with expertise in manufacturing technology, IT, education and energy. Allinson’s experience spans industrial engineering, major project management and manufacturing optimization. In 2007, she purchased Cursor, which serves the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Navy and General Dynamics in
of the gross state product comes from manufacturing, but manufacturing employers struggle to fill middle-skill positions that require postsecondary technical education and training. According to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, Connecticut’s average hourly wage for manufacturing positions that do not require a college degree was $20.83 in 2013, fifth-best in the nation. The analysis also found that Connecticut has nearly 164,000 manufacturing jobs, the greatest percentage of which are found in the eastern half of the state.
the acquisition of specialty metals.
new bus-only expressway system, CTfastrak.
In addition to her purchase of Cursor, Allinson also joined the family business, Aerospace Alloys, which specializes in supplying component parts for the aerospace industry with a focus on heatexchanger component parts.
All of the 48-bus hybrid fleet vehicles convert kinetic energy to stored electric energy when they decelerate or stop. When in operation, 40 percent of the energy the buses use to accelerate comes from stored braking energy.
Allinson holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University and is a Supplier Management Council board member of the Aerospace Industry Association.
Hybrid Buses to Hit the Road The state of Connecticut has purchased a fleet of hybrid diesel-electric buses manufactured by Allison Transmission Holdings of Indianapolis for its
The system’s main line will use 30-foot Gillig buses for neighborhood circulator service and 40-foot New Flyer buses for connector routes. The new bus system links Hartford and New Britain, with express service extending to Waterbury and Cheshire. The routes are scheduled to open for business on March 28, according to the CTfastrak Bus Rapid Transit system website. Federal grants are expected to pay for twothirds of the 9.4-mile line’s projected $570 million cost.
Venue Change for Gun Lawsuit Although Remington Arms had a long history in our state, its current location in North Carolina was cited by the company in a successful effort to move a Sandy Hook-related lawsuit from Connecticut to Federal Court. Nine families of those killed in the Sandy Hook massacre are suing Remington, claiming that that the company’s Bushmaster AR-15 rifle is too powerful a weapon to be sold to civilians. Newtown resident Adam Lanza used a Bushmaster to kill 20 children and six adults in the 2012 rampage. The venue change was critical to Remington as federal law makes it very difficult to sue a firearms company over the criminal misuse of their products. Lawyers representing the Sandy Hook families countered on February 13 by filing a motion to move the lawsuit back to state court on jurisdictional grounds. The Sandy Hook families are also suing Camfour, a firearms distributor based in Westfield Mass., and Riverview Gun Sales of East Windsor. Riverview, now out of business, sold the Bushmaster rifle used in the massacre to Adam Lanza’s mother in 2010.
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WALTERS Latinos United for Professional Advancement has named Rowena OrtizWalters one of the 50 Most Influential Latinos in Connecticut for 2014. A Hamden resident, OrtizWalters is professor and chair of the management department in the Quinnipiac University School of Business. Ortiz-Walters was nominated for the roll of co-founder and co-director of the Center for Women & Business at Quinnipiac. The center, which opened last year, is dedicated to addressing concerns faced by women in a professional capacity. Ortiz-Walters, who joined the Quinnipiac faculty in 2004, earned her Ph.D. in management from the University of Connecticut. She also holds a MBA from the University of New Haven and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UCONN.
mation for both privately held and public U.S. and multinational clients in various industries, including manufacturing and distribution, high technology, higher education and healthcare, as well as pension plans and tribal entities. His expertise includes Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, auditing and accounting, internal audit department outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions, implementation of new accounting pronouncements and financing alternatives. Solomon is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is a board member of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce and the Greater New Haven Literacy Coalition. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Bentley College.
MORAN
SOLOMON Jeffrey C. Solomon, CPA, has been named Connecticut partner-in-charge of assurance services by Marcum LLP, a top national accounting and advisory services firm. Based in New Haven, Solomon will also be responsible for assurance services to clients of the Firm’s Hartford and Greenwich offices. Solomon has more than 15 years of experience managing, reviewing and analyzing financial infor-
FEBRUARY 2015
Lynda Moran has been named human resources director at the Meadow Ridge senior living community in Redding. As human resources director, Moran is responsible for providing overall strategic guidance and initiatives that support and maintain a desired workplace culture and engaged workforce throughout Meadow Ridge. Most recently, Moran’s title was human resources manager and corporate compliance officer at Jefferson’s Ferry LifeCare Retirement Community in South Setauket, N.Y. Previously, she was a human resources manager at SavATree in Bedford Hills, N.Y., where she oversaw day-to-day responsibilities and strategic Human Resource functions for 588 employees in 24 locations across seven states. Moran has a Bachelor of Science degree in business
administration, management/human resources from Western Connecticut State University. She also obtained her human resources studies certificate from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Mercy College in Tarrytown, N.Y. Lynn Ward, president and CEO of the Waterbury Regional Chamber, has announced that Tamath K. Rossi of Naugatuck has been named the organization’s new membership development manager. Currently deputy mayor of Naugatuck, Rossi will replace the Chamber’s former membership director, Cathy Dalton. The Waterbury Regional Chamber includes the Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce and the Watertown/Oakville Chamber of Commerce. The organization represents over a thousand businesses in Beacon Falls, Bethlehem, Cheshire, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Oakville, Oxford, Prospect, Southbury, Thomaston, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott, and Woodbury. CohnReznick LLP, one of the largest accounting, tax and advisory firms in the United States, announced the election of Mark Livingston to its partnership in Hartford as of February 1. Livingston is a CPA and works in the firm’s Hartford office. He has more than 18 years of experience, specializing in federal taxes at large corporations, both public and private, in industries including manufacturing, distribution, software, retail and renewable energy. Livingston earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Bryant University and a Master of Science in taxation from the University of Hartford. Governor Dannel P. Malloy has announced that he has selected Morna Murray of Glastonbury to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Developmental Services. Murray currently serves as the president and CEO of the Connecticut Community Providers Association, a trade group for communitybased health and human service providers. In this role, she has been an advocate for children, adults
and families in the areas of developmental disabilities, health care, behavioral health, early childhood and child and family well being. Murray is an attorney and public policy specialist, with extensive background in state and federal public policy. She previously served as senior counsel to Pennsylvania Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.; as vice president of First Focus, a national children’s policy organization in Washington, D.C.; and as director of youth development for the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, D.C.
WALKER Frontier Communications Corporation has announced the appointment of Cynthia A. Walker as area general manager for Northwest Connecticut, including Litchfield County and the Waterbury area. As area general manager, Walker will be responsible for every aspect of the customer experience, including all issues related to the provision of broadband, voice services and TV services. She will also direct marketing, business strategy and engage employees and key community stakeholders. Most recently, Walker served as director of customer care support for FairPoint Communications, a telecommunications provider operating in more than a dozen states. Walker, in conjunction with her teams, built multiple management and technology portals to improve both internal and external communications and productivity at the company. Walker attended the College of St. Joseph in Rutland, Vt., and received a certificate from the principles of telemanagement program at the University of Kansas. Frontier is a provider of communications services in 28 states and has been headquartered in Connecticut since 1946. New Haven-based WTNH
News 8 has named Keith Connors as news director. Most recently, Connors was the news director of WTHR in Indianapolis. Under his leadership, the newsroom captured two national Edward R. Murrow Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, two National Headliner Awards and more regional and state awards for journalistic excellence than all other stations in the market combined. Prior to WTHR, Connors served as news director at KHOU in Houston, where his team was awarded the national Edward R. Murrow award for overall excellence. He has also worked as news director at WCNC in Charlotte, N.C., and WVEC in Norfolk. Va. Connors has guest-lectured at a number of colleges and universities including Syracuse, North Carolina and Texas. He was also a guest instructor and mentor at the Belo/ Hearst Producer Academy in Orlando. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties President and
ADAMS CEO Candace Adams was recently named to the Swanepoel Power 200 List for 2014/2015. Adams is on the list for the second year in a row and ranks as one of the “Top 20 Most Powerful and Influential Women” on the prestigious list. The Swanepoel Power 200 is a comprehensive roster of leading CEOs and senior executives whose leadership and experience drive the industry and their organizations. Suzanne Brown Walsh is joining Murtha Cullina’s trusts and estates department where she will practice estate planning, particularly for families of children with special needs, and elder law and estate and trust administration. Brown Walsh is a past chair of both the Connecticut Bar Association’s estates and probate and elder law sec-
tions. She serves as one of Connecticut’s eight uniform law commissioners and is a fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel. Brown Walsh is a member of the Connecticut Bar and received her B.S. degree from Boston University and her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. Loxo Oncology, Inc., a Stamford-based biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of targeted cancer therapies, today announced that Alan Fuhrman is joining its board of directors. He will serve as an independent director and chair the audit committee. Fuhrman was CFO of Ambit Biosciences from October 2010 until its recent sale to Daiichi Sankyo for $410 million. Prior to this role, he served as CFO of Naviscan, Inc., a privately-held medical imaging company from November 2008 until September 2010, and as CFO of Sonus Pharmaceuticals from September 2004 until August of 2008. New Haven-based Arvinas Inc., a biotechnology company creating a new class of oncology drugs based on protein degradation, has announced that it has appointed Manuel Litchman, M.D., as president and chief executive officer of the company. Dr. Litchman was most recently senior vice president and global program head at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Arvinas,
Litchman Dr. Litchman spent more than 18 years with Novartis, serving in multiple positions of increasing responsibility, focusing on oncology.
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TECHNOLOGY The Increasing Need For Speed Efforts To Implement Gigabit Internet Moving Right Along By Mitchell Young Things are speeding up for Connecticut, which is becoming what Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro recently called the “first gigabit state in the country.” DeLauro is hoping that her newly offered bill calling for the creation of a national “infrastructure bank” will help facilitate deployment of faster, cheaper Internet service in Connecticut and nationwide. State Senate President Martin Looney is also on board the high-speed Internet train, submitting a bill in January calling for facilitating the rapid development of a one-gigabit Internet infrastructure in cities and towns across the state. An effort by the city of New Haven, however, has apparently gotten somewhat off the rails. The city kicked off a high-speed effort last fall, seeking bids from Internet providers to provide service in New Haven. But the Boston-based New England Cable and Telecommunications Association released a statement in early February criticizing New Haven for a lack of transparency, claiming that initial proposals from 11 potential providers should be in the public record.
a U.S. city with what it calls “Google Fiber.” More than a thousand U.S. cities and towns – including New Haven – submitted proposals to encourage the company to offer the service in their communities.
New Haven is not the only Connecticut city looking to see faster and cheaper Internet service. Officials from nearly a hundred cities and towns have voiced support and are seeking to join an effort to expand Internet service to 1,000 megabits per second, with much lower rates than are currently available.
Kansas City was selected in 2011 as the first city to be wired by Google. One-gigabit service in Kansas City for small business is priced at $100 per month. But like many other Internet providers, Google has restrictions on the deployment of servers on their network.
The cable company Comcast offers a 108 MPS service (quite fast by current standards, but only one-tenth the speed of a Gigabit service) for $79 a month on its website.
Google has begun expanding its service, and currently it’s also available in Provo, Utah, and Austin, Tex., although coverage is not universally deployed across the entire city.
Google began the movement to higherspeed service when it announced plans in 2010 to test a gigabit service along with a selection process to provide
Google has committed to rolling out service in Atlanta and Charlotte N.C., and has announced plans to include Phoenix, San Antonio, Salt Lake City
Pumping Up The Environment Ansonia Company Goes 100% Solar Ansonia based HOMA Pump Technology says it will offset upwards of 84 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, with a recently completed solar power design to generate 100% of their energy.
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and Portland, Ore. No Northeastern or New England city appears to be in Google’s announced plans.
CONNPIRG Gives Online Ride-Sharing A Lift
In Connecticut, most consumers and small businesses receive their Internet over DSL, an enhanced telephone line connection, or coaxial cable from a cable TV provider. Fiber-optic cable, which allows for the faster speeds, is deployed for the infrastructure “backbone” of Connecticut’s Internet providers. The industry has said a relatively small number of larger companies and specialized users have fiber optic cable at their own locations, and that demand for the service is not currently significant. AT&T, which recently sold its Connecticut operations to Frontier Communications, has announced it will offer gigabit service in Dallas, its headquarters city. In high-tech and youthful Austin, AT T’s highest speed offering is 300 mps. In Connecticut, fiber-optic service typically costs at least $1,000 to $2,000 per month where it can be currently deployed. Google’s plan to wire 7.5 million homes is estimated to cost $10 billon, approximately $1,300 per household. Connecticut has 1.35 million households, which means a full-scale deployment could potentially cost between $1 billion and $2 billion. Internet providers have claimed a recent announcement by the Federal Trade Commission that would seek to limit them from charging high-volume content companies for their greater use of bandwidth will affect plans to maintain and improve their networks. The industry says it’s not getting paid for the cost of the infrastructure it is creating and needs revenue from highvolume content producers to make new investments. Two companies – Netflix and YouTube (owned by Google) – currently account for 50 percent of all Internet bandwidth used.
Ross Solar Group’s installation of 320 high-efficiency solar panels [104,640-watt installation], is projected to account for all the energy needed by HOMA, a global manufacturer of submersible pumps and motors, in its Ansonia factory. The carbon emission offset is equivalent to removing 480 cars from Connecticut’s roads over the next thirty years, according to estimates by
The Connecticut consumer group CONNPIRG on February 4th has weighed in on the battle between regulators, taxi cab companies and new transportation options such as the ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft., A report released by the group says that Hartford is ranked 61 out of the nation’s 70 largest cities for “technology enabled services and tools that meet transportation needs.” The Innovative Transportations Index report tries to cast light on options that cities can use to reduce the need for car ownership. Beyond the online ride-sharing companies, the report includes Zipcar, bike and ride-sharing and smart phone apps that help riders connect with taxis and public transportation. “None of these options even existed a few years ago, and the trend is just beginning,” said Sean Doyle, ConnPIRG organizer. “Technological advances are giving people new and convenient ways to get around more freely without having to own a car.” The consumer group’s advocacy for new transportation options is running up against some of their traditional regulators and partners in the Connecticut legislature who are seeking regulation of the ride-sharing industry. Uber operates in fifty plus countries and has been criticized around the globe over issues of vehicle safety, driver background and safety checks. Uber’s Nicole Benincasa spoke to the General Assembly’s transportation committee about some potential regulations saying that the company was open to some vehicle and drive safety oriented regulations. The taxi industry in Connecticut has already challenged Uber and Lyft in court, claiming that that it should meet the same regulations that they meet.
the US Environmental Protection Agency. HOMA’s installation was initially commissioned in December of 2014, and is a part of a total of over fifteen million watts of solar power Ross Solar has installed at several corporations across the Northeast. Ross Solar secured, on HOMA’s behalf, financial assistance through the Connecticut ZREC [Zero Emission Renewable Energy Credit] program. WWW.CONNTACT.COM
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