Fairfield County Business Journal 010620 by Westfair Business Journal

PRINT JOURNALISM: BECAUSE IT STILL MATTERS. JANUARY 6, 2020 VOL. 56, No. 1

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The reception area at BluePoint Wellness’ new location at 1460 Post Road East in Westport.

Pot profits

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COUNTY’S SECOND MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY OPENS IN WESTPORT

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CYBER REALITY IS UNFORGIVING

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FREE TUITION

STAMFORD STILL SETTING THE PACE FOR FAIRFIELD COUNTY OFFICE MARKET

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

ec. 23 is hardly the optimal date to open a new business. But for Nick Tamborrino, co-founder of medical marijuana dispensary BluePoint Wellness, the fact that his operation at 1460 Post Road East in Westport had finally cleared all the hurdles

meant the time was as good as any. “We opened on that Monday and then there was the holiday,” Tamborrino explained. “We’re getting patients registered one at a time, but so far we’ve been getting great feedback.” The 4,100-square-foot facility occupies the former site of Coco Spa and is only the second such operation in Fairfield County, joining

Compassionate Care Center of Connecticut in Bethel, which opened in 2014. Westport’s Planning & Zoning Commission passed limited regulations in 2017 allowing up to two medical marijuana dispensaries in the town, after imposing a 2013 moratorium on accepting applications or approving permits for such facilities. Dispensaries in the town are required to be more than 1,000 feet from schools, day-care facilities, parks, public buildings and houses of worship. BluePoint’s application was accepted in June 2018, with the town’s P&Z denying four other medical marijuana dispensary applica» WESTPORT

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

tamford led Fairfield County’s leasing activity in 2019, with its Central Business District (CBD) accounting for 36%, or nearly 1.2 million square feet, of the county’s volume of 3.2 million square feet. According to Newmark Knight Frank’s (NKF) fourth-quarter office market report, availability countywide remained stable from 2018 at 26.6%, while net absorption ended the year flat at 8,931 square feet. “Stamford definitely hit a high point in 2019,” said NKF Research Manager Karolina Alexandre, “and

we expect that activity to continue, not only in downtown but south of I-95 as well.” While another deal as large as WWE’s — which announced in March that it was leaving its 1241 E. Main St. headquarters in Stamford and signing a 16½-year lease for the 415,000-square-foot, three-building complex at 677 Washington Blvd. — is unlikely for 2020, NKF Executive Vice President, Managing Director James Ritman said all the activity in the city bodes well for the county at large. “There are a lot of good things happening in Stamford,” he said, noting that its CBD on average » STAMFORD

Henkel Experience Center designed to drive growth MAIN OFFICE TELEPHONE 914-694-3600 OFFICE FAX 914-694-3699 EDITORIAL EMAIL bobr@westfairinc.com WRITE TO 701 Westchester Avenue, Suite 100 J White Plains, N.Y. 10604

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

little over two years since Henkel moved its North American headquarters from Scottsdale, Arizona, to Stamford, the consumer goods company has positioned itself as a corporate citizen in good standing as it continues wooing consumers and retail partners alike. “Taking an active role in the community is a really integral part of the DNA at Henkel across the globe,” said Stephan FuestiMolnar, president of Henkel Consumer Goods North America. “It is very important for us to be engaged in all the communities we serve across America and the globe.” Based in Düsseldorf, the conglomerate’s product portfolio in the U.S. includes Dial soaps, Persil, Purex and All laundry detergents, Snuggle fabric softeners and Right Guard antiperspirants. An effort to connect with the community took place on July 26 when it opened the Henkel Experience Center at its Consumer Products headquarters at 200 Elm St. in Stamford. The 3,200-square-foot center, comprised of 10 interactive “experience stations,” is designed to allow the company’s retail partners “to experience our products with all of their senses,” FuestiMolnar said. “We have a large assortment of products and this is meant to offer customizable solutions to our seller stores to drive category growth.” The interactive stations include multimedia and experiential elements. Whether visited by a behemoth like Walmart or a smaller concern, “we want to show them how to optimize their shelves so that our retail partners feel very much focused on,” he added. The Experience Center is the only such operation outside of Düsseldorf, Fuesti-Molnar said, and serves to “demonstrate how our customers and consumers are at the heart of everything we do.” “By meeting with Henkel at the Experience Center,” added Henkel Beauty Care, North America Senior Vice President Heather Wallace, “our customers will have a firsthand look at our latest innovations and experience our proprietary consumer insights, digital capabilities, mar-

JANUARY 6, 2020

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Publisher Dee DelBello Managing Editor/Print Glenn J. Kalinoski Managing Editor/Digital Bob Rozycki Associate Publisher Anne Jordan Group Associate Publisher Dan Viteri NEWS Bureau Chief • Kevin Zimmerman Senior Enterprise Editor • Phil Hall Copy and Video Editor • Peter Katz Senior Reporter • Bill Heltzel, Reporters • Georgette Gouveia, Mary Shustack Research Coordinator • Luis Flores ART & PRODUCTION Creative Director Dan Viteri Art Director Sebastián Flores, Kelsie Mania, Fatime Muriqi ADVERTISING SALES Manager • Anne Jordan Metro Sales & Custom Publishing Director Barbara Hanlon Account Managers Beth Emerich, Marcia Pflug Events Sales & Development • Marcia Pflug Events Coordinator • Olivia D’Amelio

Henkel Consumer Goods North America President Stephan Fuesti-Molnar in the Henkel Experience Center.

The Experience Center is the only such operation outside of Düsseldorf and serves to demonstrate how our customers and consumers are at the heart of everything we do.

keting expertise and sustainability commitments in a stimulating, out-of-the-office environment.” The Stamford headquarters is also home to a formulation lab as well as Research@Elm, a clinical testing lab used to develop beauty care products. Opened in August 2017, the labs allow the public to come in and test various products with some 1,110 visitors to date. “The spots fill up fast,” FuestiMolnar said, noting that sessions usually involve five or six consumers who after testing the products fill out questionnaires and provide feedback. “It is very much part of our research and development efforts,” he declared. “We can learn a lot from our consumers, and from time to time we get great insights as to how they use a certain product, or unmet needs the consumer has. That feedback

can help us create better products and meet our consumers’ needs better.” Fuesti-Molnar said such efforts are helping Stamford grow its reputation as an innovation hub, something that is also happening on a smaller scale in Trumbull. In January 2018 it opened an expanded 27,000-square-foot R&D facility at 4 Trefoil Drive, complementing the laundry and home care R&D center at 30 Trefoil Drive that it inherited when it acquired Sun Products in 2016. The operation in Trumbull includes formulation laboratories, a consumer product and fragrance evaluation center, packaging design, and two pilot plants that support production scale-up capabilities for Henkel’s Beauty Care and Laundry & Home Care divisions.

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The firm invested $20 million to expand its Trumbull presence. Fuesti-Molnar said Henkel is establishing a 10-year partnership with the Trumbull Nature and Arts Center, to which it donated a sustainably sourced playground made from 50,000 plastic containers and built by employee volunteers and their families. The 4 Trefoil facility won the first-place award from The Connecticut Building Congress for renovating the property, and the company won the Trumbull Economic & Community Development Commission’s 2019 Corporate Success Award. The company has a target of making 100% of its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025, FuestiMolnar said, “and we have already achieved 80% of that.” Green efforts also include a partnership with Plastic Bank, which aims to reduce the disposal of plastic in the ocean, and is a founding member of the global Alliance to End Plastic Waste, an organization formed to develop and bring to scale solutions

that will minimize and manage plastic waste. The Alliance has committed more than $1 billion of a $1.5 billion target over the next five years to help end plastic waste in the environment. In September the company’s employees in Stamford and at its offices in Darien gathered at Stamford’s Mill River Park to pick up trash and debris from the park’s meadows and riverbanks. From a corporate perspective Henkel has its work cut out for it. On Dec. 12, outgoing CEO Hans Van Bylen said the firm expects “to continue to face a challenging market environment in fiscal 2020 that is difficult to predict.” Its adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) margin is anticipated to be around 15%, compared to 16.2% in 2019, and organic sales growth of zero to 2% is predicted for 2020. Henkel announced in October that Van Bylen was being replaced as CEO by Chief Financial Officer Carsten Knobel after a series of poor financial results.

Henkel’s North American headquarters at 200 Elm St. in Stamford.

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JANUARY 6, 2020

The Summit reaching new heights in Danbury BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

e’re in a different business here.” Developer Felix Charney was speaking of the changes that have taken place at The Summit at Danbury, formerly the Matrix Corporate Center, since his Southportbased Summit Development acquired it for $17 million in October 2018. What was an aging, dark and mostly empty edifice is being transformed into a bright and airy presence designed to attract both Connecticut and New York companies — and, if approvals are achieved as Charney hopes, apartment dwellers. But his “different business” remark also refers to what he later said was a “city within a city” approach, encompassing everything from offices and apartments to a wing featuring medical services, outdoor “pocket parks” that can be enjoyed by all tenants, a full-service Market Place restaurant and a grocery. “(Original occupant) Union Carbide built this as a very interior experience,” Charney said at a Dec. 19 event celebrating the con-

clusion of Phase I of the redevelopment. “We’ve had new roads put in, vertical transportation to common areas at each end of the main lobby, gathering spaces, co-working spaces … we’re rightsizing the building.” The complex at 39 Old Ridgebury Road will ultimately consist of 700,000 square feet of Class A office space; 75,000 square feet of conference and event space; 30,000 square feet of core services and amenities; and, it is hoped, 400,000 square feet of residential apartments. The 400-plus apartments will average around 650 square feet apiece, according to project manager Michael Basile. Phase II will mostly involve the completion of a fitness center, the pocket parks and Market Place. The latter operates six restaurants around the state, including another in Danbury, as well as in Newtown and Brookfield. In addition to its rustic American/fusion fare, it will offer a full beer, wine and cocktail menu with takeout service available in addition to its 100-seat dining room. Charney said he hopes that Phase II will also include those residences. “The idea is that all of

The lobby at The Summit at Danbury.

these components will feed off of each other,” he said. Summit Development has engaged Stamford’s Cushman & Wakefield for brokerage services. Kathleen Fazio, senior director at Cushman, said that several new commercial tenants have signed on, joining Christian nonprofit Guideposts, which was on

the brink of leaving its longtime home at the site before Charney came in, and software company MaxQ. New lessees include tech firm Service Engine; the Society of Plastic Engineers; construction company Morganti; Danbury Medical Group; Autism Behavioral Health; employment agency RightPro Staffing; and

Mel Gibson’s former Greenwich estate sells for $13.2M BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

he former Greenwich home of actor-director Mel Gibson that was briefly the subject of a controversial redevelopment plan was sold for $13.2 million. The 75.7-acre property at 124 Old Mill Road is anchored by a 16,862-square-foot, 28-room, Tudor-style man-

JANUARY 6, 2020

sion that was built in 1927 as the home for investment banker Charles L. Ohrstrom. Dubbed “Old Mill Farm” by its original owner, it was renamed “Wayne Manor” by Gibson after he bought it in 1994 for $9.3 million. Gibson modernized the home, including the installation of air conditioning and a home theater, and sold the property in 2010 for $24 million. After Gibson’s depar-

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Mel Gibson’s former estate in Greenwich.

American International Relocation Solutions (AIRES), which offers employee-relocation services to corporations. Office spaces range from 9,000 to 21,000 square feet, according to Brian Scruton, a director at Cushman. Charney said he’s continuing to dream big

with the project, with a golf course/driving range a possibility. “I’m also talking with BLADE about providing a helicopter service,” he said, referring to the company that offers flights between Manhattan, The Hamptons, Nantucket and the New Jersey coast.

ture, the new owner, Cosette Property LLC, attempted to sell the home in 2015 for $31.5 million. When no buyer came forth, it was taken off the market and brought back in 2018 with a $22.5 million asking price. Earlier this year, Cosette Property announced plans to divide the estate into sections, one covering 9.21 acres and including the mansion and another section to be turned into a development featuring 28 homes on 17 acres. But following complaints raised by Greenwich residents in a public hearing in August, Cosette Property withdrew that plan and secured 124 OM LCC as the estate’s buyer.

Cyber reality is unforgiving SECURITY WILL BE A PROBLEM AS LONG AS PEOPLE MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES WHILE ONLINE BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

he earliest recorded example of a cyberattack was Creeper, a 1971 computer worm that turned up on a number of mainframe computers attached via the pre-internet ARPANET. Although Creeper did not create digital wreckage — it merely generated the taunting message “I’m the creeper: catch me if you can” — it laid the groundwork for a seemingly endless stream of assaults aimed at the global computer environment. But at the start of a new decade, cyberattacks are showing no signs of abating. According to Al Alper, CEO of a pair of Wilton-headquartered information security firms — Absolute Logic and CyberGuard360 — cybersecurity will always be a problem as long as computer users make the same mistakes while online. “People are creatures of habit,” lamented Alper. “They know that they don’t have Nigerian uncles, but they still open those emails. They aren’t expecting a package delivered to their front doors, but they still open a PDF of a packing slip. You really can’t stop it. The No. 1 cause of breach is people. People do today what they did yesterday and until they are willing to change their behavior, the breaches are going to go on.” One might imagine that in-house IT teams are ready for the new decade’s cybersecurity challenges, but Alper observed that many of these professionals are not up to speed on the always-evolving nature of this problem. “The discipline demands that you have a real understanding of what an attack surface is,” he continued. “Over 80,000 new variants are released every day. If your job is just in IT, you’re not exposed to the threat vectors of today or tomorrow. And by the time it has gotten into the four corners of your company, it has already metastasized across the world.” Complicating matters, Alper added, is the preference for immediate convenience over long-term security concerns. He noted this raises endless concerns in a business setting through the use of mobile devices and Internet of Things (IoT) technology in the workplace. “IoT and mobile devices are the frontier of choice for hackers because they tend to be unprotected and they tend to be forgotten by internal IT,” Alper stated. “Mobile devices are, right now, green fields for hackers.” While Alper noted that some federal government agencies issue their employees mobile devices that can only be used for work-related messaging and internet access, that strategy would not work in the private sector. “Here’s the problem with corporate

Citrin Cooperman Corner What’s new for business is old in 2020 BY STEVE RONAN AND CARLOS A. CATALAN

STEVE RONAN AND CARLOS A. CATALAN

Al Alper, CEO of a pair of Wilton-headquartered information security firms, Absolute Logic and CyberGuard360. Photo by Phil Hall.

America: you have to balance convenience with security,” he said. “ As for IoT, Alper argued that while this technology creates a greater convenience in monitoring various aspects of the corporate environment, it can also be the back door to costly trouble when unsafe vendors join the digital circle. He recalled how the 2013 data breach involving Target was created through an unprotected opening created by an HVAC vendor that was part of the retailer’s IoT network. Target’s data breach impacted more than 41 million of the company’s customer payment card accounts and the company paid $18.5 million in a multistate settlement, the largest to date for a data breach. “The single biggest threat today is IoT,” Alper warned. “We are always in search of the easiest way to do things, but these are often employed without any consideration to security.” Alper noted that he saved a client from a potential IoT-rooted breach during an audit of the company’s headquarters. While walking through the lobby, Alper and his team realized a potential entrance for hackers in the least likely of places: two vending machines that were connected to the building’s IoT setup. The machines were online so the vendor would know when the supply of snacks was running low. “If we can do one thing to warp the threat, awareness and training is the single-most effective mechanism of doing that,” he said. “But people are numb to it to some degree. The headlines will help and hurt. Every day headlines decry somewhere there is another breach. They don’t necessarily know there is a recourse.”

The top business trend for 2020 is going to feel like a throwback. In 2018 and 2019, growth and innovation dominated the topics at the top of every executive’s news feeds. In many respects, reviewing what thought leaders were predicting in those years reads like a who’s who of the roaring 2010s – artificial intelligence leading customer experiences (Gartner 2018), the entry of Gen Z into the workforce (Forbes 2018), growth through marketing or new business models (Inc 2018), data-driven personalization (Inc 2019). It’s what everyone was talking about, it was all new and exciting, and in retrospect, some of these trends were inevitable while others fell flat. For nearly 10 years now, the economy has been strong with housing starts, consumer spending, and M&A activity – all key drivers for middlemarket businesses – continuing to demonstrate their strength. Predictions for 2020 aren’t quite as optimistic, although there is still uncertainty about when things will slow. As a result, CFO surveys across the board (the most notable this year was Duke Fuqua’s CFO annual survey) have indicated a widespread expectation of slower growth arriving by Q3 or Q4 of 2020. Lessons from recent downturns paint a clear picture; businesses that prepare for slower cycles, and even moreso, businesses that put themselves in a position to actually invest during downturns, dramatically outperform businesses that do not. In his landmark May 2019 Harvard Business Review article, Walter Frick synthesized studies from Harvard, Bain, and McKinsey to find that companies who prepared for and invested through the last four major recessions outperformed their counterparts by 10% afterwards, in both revenue and profit growth. The trend for 2020 will be preparing for slower times. Great preparation is mostly about getting back to basics, but with a modern twist To prepare for slower times in 2020, business activities will focus on two primary things: 1) cash and 2) creating efficiency now to avoid reactionary cost-cutting later. There are three basic tenants to addressing these priorities. Basic 1: De-leverage The U.S. corporate debt of almost $10 trillion– equates to half of the nation’s annual GDP, which means that since the Great Recession, the total value of nonfinancial corporate debt in the United States now stands at, or near, all-time highs (PBS News Hour, 2019). The more debt you have, the more your cash in a downturn is going to go towards interest payments rather than operations or investing. Leverage enabled the growth of many businesses, but most analysts expect well-prepared companies to undergo a deleveraging process in the first half of next year. This is likely to create cost-cutting efforts, efforts to lower cost of quality, and combined with a thriving talent market that is raising compensation, a renewed scrutiny on new hires. What do businesses need to focus on to free the cash flow required to de-leverage? Basic 2: Focus on operational efficiency Operational efficiency often gets buried in the discussion of new business trends and technology, but research continues to show that driving efficiency is the #1 thing businesses can do to improve returns and become more sustainable. What gets lost in the talk about fun new tech

like artificial intelligence, block chain, analytics, etc., is that they’re all essentially creating some sort of efficiency in the business itself. The process of identifying efficiencies will be driven by finance, using numbers that have gotten progressively better and more detailed as they have implemented new core systems and analytics tools. Efficiencies will be found in business processes, sourcing and purchasing power, and sales and marketing. It will generally be measured with process metrics in the short term like on-time delivery, error rates, or customer acquisition costs, but in the mid to long term, this will translate into lower expense-to-revenue ratios for both labor and materials. These projects have short-term costs, which means businesses are likely to put more of an emphasis on formal business cases and projected ROIs and less likely to invest in large projects on strategic grounds. This is appropriate in this economy, but businesses should make sure the assumptions they use in these cases are sound and are consistent with what executives expect to occur throughout the year. Basic 3: Automate and cross-train New automation possibilities recently made their way to the middle market. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) now enables businesses to automate what were previously inevitably manual processes. This is new and this is a big deal for the middle market. This allows businesses to automate tedious, lengthy, and error-prone manual activities and move their staff to roles analyzing data and overseeing much larger pools of transactions. Upskilling workers is going to be crucial for most companies – you need your best people doing your highest value activities. RPA is more reliable and faster, less expensive than hiring new staff, and allows your payroll investments to go towards more strategic, higher-value roles. If you wait until results stagnate to implement this, the initial investment required to get results may be hard to justify. By implementing these now, you will make the investment at a point when you can start to realize results quickly, and be in a great position to dramatically improve the functionality and scope of automation at a relatively low cost when you’re looking for additional efficiencies later. Excited yet? Getting back to the basics will help companies focus on fast-term results, create liquidity to sustain them through the economic cycles that lie ahead, and improve the quality of their businesses to make them more sustainable and more profitable. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Steve Ronan is a principal and the leader of Citrin Cooperman’s Strategy & Business Transformation Practice. He is an experienced professional in the theory and execution of improving business value. Steve has partnered with a range of companies, from the Fortune 100 to the middle-market, to develop and implement strategies that improve profitability, create scalable businesses, and strengthen customer relationships. His projects have created over $100M in value through top-line growth and bottom-line cost savings. Steve can be reached at sronan@citrincooperman.com. Carlos A. Catalan is a director and key player within Citrin Cooperman’s Strategy & Business Transformation Practice. He is leading the Robotic Process Automation and Finance Transformation Service Lines for Citrin Cooperman. He is an experienced professional in the field of finance and execution while focusing on areas of finance acceleration, financial reporting, and automation. Carlos can be reached at ccatalan@ citrincooperman.com. Citrin Cooperman is among the largest, fullservice assurance, tax, and business advisory firms in the United States, having steadily built its business serving a diverse and loyal clientele since 1979. Our daily mission is to help our clients “focus on what counts.” Rooted in our core values, we provide a comprehensive, integrated business approach to traditional services, which includes proactive insights throughout the lifecycle of our clients, wherever they do business, across the globe. citrincooperman.com

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JANUARY 6, 2020

Westport — From page 1

tions, for 833, 1803 and 1505 Post Road East and 345 Post Road West, citing concerns about traffic and safety as well as the size of the proposed locations. The company then had to obtain a license from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, which regulates all medical marijuana dispensaries in the state. In December 2018 that license was granted, along with eight others, including one for Arrow Alternative Care in Stamford, which expects to open in January at 814 East Main St. Tamborrino established BluePoint Wellness of Connecticut in 2014 — its other facility is in Branford

— following several years working as a pharmacist at Saint Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport. “In 2013, when Connecticut approved regulations for its medical marijuana program I was intrigued,” he recalled. “I viewed it as a new occupational path for pharmacists and as I did more and more research, it drew me in. Now I’m seeing the benefits firsthand.” Tamborrino is also vice president of the Academy of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, an affiliate of the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, which represents all state-approved medical marijuana dispensaries. BluePoint was a part of Advanced Grow Labs (AGL), one of only four companies

in Connecticut licensed to grow and process cannabis. In addition to its 46% stake in BluePoint, it operated a 41,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in West Haven. In January 2019, AGL was acquired by

national cannabis consumer packaged goods company Green Thumb Industries (GTI) in a deal valued at $80 million. AGL CEO and BluePoint co-founder David Lipton remains with the company

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JANUARY 6, 2020

Downtown Stamford. Photo by Derek Sabine.

imately 25,000 square feet at 300 First Stamford Place; and two new deals totaling 37,000 square feet by Thomson Reuters and Wexford Capital, also at 677 Washington Blvd. The removal of 415,000 square feet of high-priced space at the last address resulted in a countywide decrease in the average

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(vaporizers, pipes, papers and the like). The Westport operation employs 10 people. Tamborrino said there is room to expand as demand grows. As of Dec. 22 there were 38,421 registered medical marijuana patients in Connecticut with 8,362 of those in Fairfield County. Tamborrino declined to speculate on whether BluePoint would add recreational marijuana, should the state approve its sale. While the question has arisen in the General Assembly during the past couple of years, it has yet to come up for a formal vote. Gov. Ned Lamont and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have indicated they plan to ask their state legislatures to legalize recreational marijuana in 2020.

lion square feet. The year saw 352 new deals signed, compared with 416 in 2018 and 393 on average, for a total of 1.9 million square feet, a 13.2% year-over-year increase. After WWE, the largest deal was ASML taking nearly 100,000 square feet at 50 Danbury Road in Wilton. Renewal activity was led by Synchrony Financial’s deal for its 313,000 square feet at 777 Long Ridge Road in Stamford. The county saw 1.1 million square feet renewed. Norwalk “took a pretty big hit” with GE Capital’s 116,000-square-foot sublease space listed at 810 Main Ave., Alexandre said. Total leasing activity was less than 150,000 square feet, a whopping 67% below average. In addition, just 28 deals took place over the year against an average of about 41. Availability rose to 35.4% from 29% with a net loss of 300,000 square feet in occupancy. However, NKF remains bullish on Norwalk’s prospects moving forward. “The redevelopment that BLT is doing on Glover Avenue is similar to what they’ve done at (Stamford’s) Harbor Point,” Alexandre noted. “That should help

drive activity. Plus, there are a lot of millennials moving to Stamford who might find Norwalk a good next step.” Greenwich’s CBD has a glut of sublease space following corporate restructurings and downsizings. With 170,000 square feet of subleases coming on to the market, representing 53% of the total available space, the Class A availability rate rose from 7% in 2017 to 13.7% in 2018 to 16.5% in 2019. Availability in the town’s non-CBD market continues to decline, from 17.5% in 2018 to 16.6% in 2019. The average asking rent grew by 15.4% to $40.78 at the end of the year and asking rents at the Greenwich Office Park went from the mid-$40s to upper$50s. The upward trend is likely due to a shrinking office stock, Ritman said. Although Danbury was not broken out in the NKF report, Ritman said the new Summit at Danbury complex, which held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 19, has great potential. “There’s an interesting mixed-use concept at play there,” he said. “Repurposing of that property (at 39 Old Ridgebury Road) was clearly needed and what happens there will be worth watching.”

The reception area at BluePoint Wellness.

Stamford — captures about 25% of the county’s total yearly leasing. Its 1.2 million square feet was 62% above 2018’s figure and 18.5% higher than the five-year historical average. “Stamford has become more of a 24/7 community,” he said, “which is what’s drawing activity in the office and the multifamily market. With multifamily you’re seeing more interest from investors outside of the market — from around the country and internationally. Stamford’s really put itself on the map as a multidimensional city, which attracts and retains a large number of people.” Besides the WWE deal — the media company is expected to complete the move to 677 Washington in the spring of 2021 — Alexandre noted such Stamford transactions as Diageo’s planned relocation of its North American headquarters from 810 Main Ave. in Norwalk to 40,000 square feet of office space at 200 Elm St. in Stamford; Cenveo’s 25,590-squarefoot renewal at 200 First Stamford Place; Ernst & Young renewing approx-

— and, as Tamborrino noted, is a lifelong Westporter. Products include a variety of concentrates, topicals and transdermals, tinctures, medibles, capsules and tablets, as well as a number of accessories

Class A asking rent, from $40.24 to $39.11 per square foot. The Stamford CBD ended 2019 with positive 336,000 square feet of net absorption and a 4.1-percentage-point decrease in availability, from 31% in 2018 to 26.9%, Alexandre said. In the city’s non-CBD market, Sema4 committed

to 150,000 square feet along the waterfront. Class A availability in the market went from 38% in 2018 to 35.6% in 2019, with annual net absorption totaling positive 140,000 square feet. Countywide leasing volume was 3.2 million square feet, up 8.4% from 2018, but still below the 10-year historical average of 3.7 mil-

Lawsuit against Purdue Pharma paused until spring BY PAUL SCHOTT

onnecticut has confirmed that it is voluntarily abiding by an injunction on the lawsuits against bankrupt OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma until April 8, in exchange for the state maintaining access to financial records of the company’s owners. The state and 23 others that have not agreed to settlement terms with Purdue had gained permission from the judge overseeing the bankruptcy to initially limit the stay on their cases to six weeks. Having obtained a trove of financial information — including a report outlining multibillion-dollar company transfers that benefited the Sackler family members who own it — those non-consenting states will continue to halt their litigation. “Connecticut remains committed to making the Sacklers pay for the abatement of the health crisis they caused,” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a statement. “Getting access to Sackler financial documents is key to this effort. We have voluntarily and cautiously agreed to abide by the bankruptcy court’s injunction in return for the access we need, and we will continue to evaluate the completeness of the Sacklers’ disclosure and the injunction.” On Oct. 11 Judge Robert Drain had approved an initial stay on the cases until Nov. 6, a move aimed at helping to advance settlement negotiations. His ruling responded to Purdue’s and the Sacklers’ proposal to halt for six months the approximately 2,700 pending lawsuits that allege the company fueled the opioid crisis with deceptive OxyContin marketing. Purdue and its attorneys have argued that a pause to the litigation is needed to preserve the company’s value for a settlement. In its initial bankruptcy filings, Purdue predicted it would spend roughly $263 million in 2019 on legal and related professional costs comprising its “largest operating expense by far.” The company values its settlement offer at more than $10 billion, including a prospective cash payout of at least $3 billion by the Sacklers and the sale of their international pharmaceutical businesses. Its plan would also see the Sacklers relinquish control of the company so it could be restructured into a public trust or similar entity. The successor firm would contribute, for free or at low cost, tens of millions of doses of opioid overdose-reversal medications to cities and states. “We believe that the stay of litigation will provide the most productive environment to advance the proposed settlement structure, aimed at delivering more than $10 billion in value to address the opioid crisis and save lives,” Purdue said in a statement. Purdue has agreed to put $200 million into an “emergency fund” for efforts to tackle the opioid crisis. A message left for a spokesperson for the Sacklers who own Purdue was not

immediately returned. Tong argues that the Sacklers — whose family net worth has been estimated at $13 billion — can afford to contribute a much higher amount and also need to provide more because of their alleged culpability for exacerbating the opioid crisis. He has declined to give a specific number for how much he thinks Purdue and the Sacklers should pay. “There are 100 things wrong (with the offer), principal among them is that this does not do enough to pay for the harm that they

have caused and for which they are responsible,” Tong said in an interview. “On top of that, there are a ton of other questions. Many billions of dollars they ascribe to the value of these (overdose)-reversal drugs, I don’t think anybody believes that they’re worth that much and that you could just flip a switch in 57 states, territories and districts and that those drugs can be immediately deployed to help people.” Paul Schott is a staff reporter with Hearst Connecticut Media. He can be reached at pschott@ stamfordadvocate.com or 203-964-2236.

PRINT JOURNALISM: BECAUSE IT STILL MATTERS. westfaironline.com

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JANUARY 6, 2020

Ceo Forum Cultural integration key to expansion PEOPLE’S UNITED BANK CEO BARNES EYES CONTINUED GROWTH BY CHARLES V. FIRLOTTE

s Jack Barnes closes in on a decade as CEO of People’s United Bank, his aims are twofold: technological advances and continued growth. Digital technology rules the day and it’s demanding. For any business this means giving customers 24-hour access through online services, and it had better be easy to maneuver. Banks have an especially tall order in satisfying customers who want to be able to check their accounts day or night, withdraw their money when banks are closed, deposit checks from anywhere, transfer funds among accounts, pay bills through the bank, send money to others and apply for credit cards, loans and even mortgages. Competing in the digital world requires capital investment and prioritization. People’s technology investments and partnership with a financial technology company enable customers to enter a few pieces of information on peoples.com and learn if they are eligible for a loan. In fact, 20% of People’s home equity loans and mortgages start with customers applying through a computer or smartphone, said Barnes, and small-business owners have been able to obtain loans of up to $250,000 through that process. People’s website moved to an Adobe platform and has evolved to ensure ease of use, said Barnes. The bank also takes advantage of opportunities for digital marketing on the site. “A person comes to the site, leaves, then returns. We can help finish the journey,” he said. Social media is another reality of the digital world, and People’s approach has been “careful,” said Barnes, “but we’re getting better.” He emphasizes that the attention on digital technology does not mean branches are becoming unnecessary, however. “Branches will be relevant for a long, long time,” Barnes said. “People want to talk to a person for advice.”

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xxxxxxx Jack Barnes

People’s value has grown to $58 billion and it holds the highest deposit shares in Fairfield County, second highest in the Hartford region and third highest in New England.

Barnes was involved with information technology even before he came to People’s in 2008 after the Bridgeport-based bank, then valued at $14 billion, acquired Chittenden Corp. of Burlington, Vermont. He had been executive vice president of Chittenden Services Group, overseeing IT and other services. After the acquisition, which raised People’s value to $20 billion, he became senior executive vice president and chief administrative officer of People’s United Financial, again overseeing IT as well as operations, real estate and business services. Two years later, he took on the roles of president and CEO and, in May 2018, he was named chairman of the board

while retaining his CEO title. During Barnes’ years at the helm People’s has spread its reach, taking advantage of Connecticut’s location between New York and Boston. This included the acquisition of 57 branches from Citizens Bank in the Boston area. More recent acquisitions include Eagle Insurance Group, LLC of Raynham, Massachusetts, in April 2016; the Gerstein Fisher investment firm of New York City in November 2016; Suffolk Bancorp of Riverhead, New York, in April 2017; LEAF Commercial Capital, Inc. of Philadelphia in July 2017; First CT Bancorp, Inc./Farmington Bank in October 2018; VAR Technology Finance of Mesquite,

Texas, this past January; BSB Bancorp, Inc./Belmont Savings Bank of Belmont, Massachusetts, in April; and United Financial Bancorp, Inc./United Bank of Hartford in November. People’s value has grown to $58 billion and, said Barnes, it holds the highest deposit shares in Fairfield County, second highest in the Hartford region and third highest in New England. Acquisitions entail cultural integration. Barnes prefers to start the process with the human aspect. When People’s closed the deal for United Financial Bancorp, Barnes scheduled a town hallstyle meeting with United employees aiming to get in front of them as soon as possible. “I asked them to not assume anything. Our position is always, ‘We need good talent. Give us a chance,’” he said. “I talked about respect and empathy and that it is a two-way street. ‘We will respect you and we will be empathetic of the change and anxiety you are going through,’ and I asked them that they also be respectful and empathetic towards our people.” Looking ahead to the next decade, Barnes said, “We are who we are and there’s no reason to change. We have brought in talent and expertise in areas where we didn’t have it before, things our customers need and want. As we grow, we’re taking time to improve ourselves in that way. Looking at acquisitions and footprint, we’ve done a lot of work there and I see the pattern continuing.” With LEAF in the fold, he sees Philadelphia as the next region to expand People’s footprint. “We have a lot of long-tenured and a lot of great people who are really good at what they do,” he said. “Some are out front and some are in the back, in cybersecurity and the call centers. Customers interact with those in the branches, but they don’t see the background.” Charles V. Firlotte is the former president and CEO of Bridgeport-based Aquarion Company. He can be reached at cvfirlotte@gmail.com.

Success Runs in the Family

NOMINATE NOW Deadline: January 10

Submit your nomination at : westfaironline.com/events For the seventh year, Westfair Communications is honoring the leaders who built businesses in Westchester and Fairfield counties and kept them in the community — and in the family. Tell us about your own business or a family-owned business you think deserves recognition.

Business Requirements: • Owned by two or more relatives • Located in Fairﬁeld County or Westchester County or the Hudson Valley • At least ﬁve years old • Past winners from 2016 and prior are eligible to be nominated again. WestfairOnline

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Ask Andi Employees want more money Seems like the topic comes up every year. My employees want more money. They’re good employees and I don’t want to disappoint them, but I’m not sure what I can afford. How should I go about figuring out what’s doable and then how do I present it to my employees in a way that shows I’m trying to be fair? THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Finding ways to get more money is something we all go through as individuals as well as business owners. Make sure you’re paying for the right things when you go to award increases. Consider bonuses and payments from profit as ways to reward performance without creating a permanent obligation. Be sure to talk to employees about ways they can grow and increase their value to the business. Doing periodic check-

ins on how much we’re making is a sensible thing to do. Individuals as well as business owners should be encouraged to analyze how they’re keeping up with economic changes. Things tend to get more expensive as the years go by. If you want your employees to be financially secure, encourage them to think about how to keep expenses in line with what they can afford. Seems complicated? Not really.

It just takes practice at learning how to have grown-up conversations about being fiscally responsible. Often business owners avoid the topic altogether, either thinking that it’s none of their business or that they might uncover some uncomfortable topics. If you do it right, you could be helping your employees to gain experience managing finances that could lead to long-term financial security. And you may get earlywarning information from employees thinking about moving on because their income no longer matches their expectations. You may be able to do something to fix the situation, or you may be able to prepare for transitions that are likely to ensue. If you are ready to hand out more cash, consider

what it is that you want to reward. Is it to keep up with the cost of living? That’s fair. Use national standards to increase payroll by that small amount. Talk to your employees about why they’re getting a small increase for the year. To be sure you have enough money to pay for cost-of-living increases, make sure you’re driving annual company growth in revenue and profit. If you’re not sure how much the company’s top and bottom lines need to increase to afford these raises, give us a call. We’d be happy to help you calculate it. If your plan is to increase the amounts that you’re paying people beyond cost of living, consider offering bonuses to people who went above and beyond during

the year. Bonuses and profit distributions are a good way to reward employees without committing the company to annual payments. These kinds of rewards tie the money people receive to the company’s increased performance. If you have a down year, you’re not forced to cut weekly payroll. You simply eliminate the yearend bonus or profit distribution. Also make sure employees know there’s opportunity to grow. If they take courses, learn additional skills, take on more responsibility, they should be eligible for a promotion. With the promotion will likely go an increase in base pay. Identify slots that will be opening up in the coming year and make employees aware of those openings so they can pre-

pare to apply. BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “Designing Effective Incentive Compensation Plans: Create a plan that drives strategy, engages employees, and achieves success,” by Sal DiFonzo with Karen Newcombe. Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., StrategyLeaders.com, a business-consulting firm that teaches companies how to double revenue and triple profits in repetitive growth cycles. Have a question for AskAndi? Wondering how Strategy Leaders can help your business thrive? Call or email for a free consultation and diagnostics at 877-238-3535 or AskAndi@ StrategyLeaders.com. Check out our library of business advice articles at AskAndi. com.

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JANUARY 6, 2020

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In Brief Money drives motivation

a wheelchair lift. Firetree’s re-entry centers usually allow prisoners who are in the last six to 12 months of their sentence to serve that time instead at a facility such as the one proposed for Quintard Avenue as they are prepared for re-entering society. The settlement requires the city and its insurance carrier, CIRMA, to pay Firetree approximately $625,000. Of that amount, Norwalk paid approximately $275,000, “which is significantly less than what the city would have spent going to trial,” according to city officials. CIRMA paid approximately $350,000.

Gartner HQ building in Stamford. Photo by Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media.

U.S. companies are offering lower pay increases to attract new employees while the number of people looking to change jobs has declined, according to findings from IT consulting and research firm Gartner. The average pay increase to help persuade workers to switch jobs has declined in the past six months from 15% to 13%, according to Stamford-based Gartner’s Global Talent Monitor for the 2019 third quarter, which draws from survey data of nearly 30,000 employees across 40 countries and regions. Only one-third of employed U.S. workers said they were actively looking for a new position in the third quarter, compared with a global average of 40%, according to Gartner. The U.S. rate has dropped from a high of 41% in the first quarter of 2019 while the international average has remained steady during the same period. For the second consecutive quarter, 51% of U.S. workers said they planned to stay with their current employer compared with an international average of nearly 40%. Since the first quarter of 2018, compensation has ranked as the top reason why American employees leave their companies — a trend that continued, Gartner officials said. Career opportunities and “people management” came in as the second and third reasons why

workers moved on, respectively. Recruiting qualified professionals remains a challenge for many companies with the national unemployment rate running at a 50-year low of 3.5%. There are “more job openings than there are people to fill them,” according to Gartner.

NORWALK REACHES SETTLEMENT TO STOP HALFWAY HOUSE

The city of Norwalk has settled a lawsuit that will prevent a halfway house from being operated at 17 Quintard Ave. The suit filed by Firetree Ltd. — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, that is “designed to provide quality transitional services to individuals associated with the criminal justice

17 Quintard Ave. Photo by Alex Von Kleydorff / Hearst Connecticut Media.

system” — challenged a 2016 decision by the Norwalk Zoning Board of Appeals. That decision maintained that, although the property had previously been operated by Bridgeportbased Pivot Ministries as a halfway house for the rehabilitation of those addicted to drugs, Firetree’s efforts at making it a transitional space for former prisoners looking to re-enter society was “an un-allowed change from the pre-existing nonconforming use.” Firetree said it had researched the property before acquiring it, and that it had stated its intentions to Mayor Harry Rilling and other city officials before buying it. Afterward, it said, it invested more than $600,000 to install railings, fire alarms, a sprinkler system and

EXECUNET RENEWS LEASE ON DOWNSIZED NORWALK HQ

ExecuNet, a job recruiting service for senior executives, has negotiated for a downsized space on the lease of its headquarters at 295 Westport Ave. in Norwalk. The company, which was founded in 1988, has been at its location since 1998. ExecuNet expanded its office space in 2004 and in 2010, culminating in a 9,400-square-foot space. For its lease renewal, the company negotiated for a 5,221-square-foot space, citing the streamlining of its operations. The new lease will include landlord-financed renovations, including the relocation of its front entrance, new lighting, HVAC adjustments and the rewiring of the electrical system for its server room. John Hannigan, principal at Choyce Peterson, represented ExecuNet in the negotiations. The landlord, M.F. DiScala & Co., was represented by its in-house staff.

ATTORNEYS GENERAL FIGHTING TRUMP, SUPPORT CONTRACEPTION COVERAGE

Michael Wrinn

MICHAEL WRINN LEAVING NORWALK P&Z TO BECOME WILTON TOWN PLANNER

Norwalk’s Assistant Director of Planning and Zoning Michael Wrinn will become director of planning and land use management/town planner for Wilton starting Jan. 21. Wrinn replaces Bob Nerney, who is retiring after serving for 18 years as Wilton’s town planner. Wrinn joins Wilton as it continues to wrestle with the cost and dimensions of renovations to its 11,000-square-foot police station or the construction of a new building. Various proposals are under discussion, ranging from adding 6,000 to 8,500 square feet at an estimated cost of $11.6 million to $15.4 million, to building a new 19,500-square-foot station for $15.9 million, or combining the latter with other renovations to the town hall campus and the Comstock Community Center for a total of $22 million.

The attorneys general of New York and Connecticut, Letitia James and William Tong, have joined a coalition of their peers from 20 states and the District of Columbia in filing an amicus brief in an appeals court case challenging the Trump administration’s decision that enables employers to drop contraceptive care and services from their employees’ health insurance coverage. In 2017 and 2018, the Trump administration issued rules that allowed employers to cite religious and moral objections in eliminating birth control coverage from their employees’ health insurance. Two circuit courts issued injunctions against these new rules, but a Texas district court reversed those decisions. The case, DeOtte v. Azar, is before the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.

CONNECTICUT $22.9M IN THE RED

The state of Connecticut expected to end 2019 with a $22.9 million budget deficit, according to Office of Policy and Management Secretary Melissa McCaw. Connecticut’s “rainy day” fund was on track to end the year with $2.8 billion, or 13.9% of the general fund. - Kevin Zimmerman, Phil Hall and Paul Schott

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Aldrich Museum educates visitors regarding issues shaping society BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

n September 2018, Cybele Maylone picked up the reins as executive director of The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield. Maylone previously served for five years as executive director at UrbanGlass, an artist glass studio in Brooklyn and, while she was familiar with the Aldrich in a personal sense, her work at UrbanGlass increased her awareness of the Aldrich’s value as a New England art venue. “A number of UrbanGlass artists made work for exhibition here at the museum,” she recalled. “I was becoming more involved and attentive to what was happening here in a professional way.” Prior to UrbanGlass, Maylone was deputy director of apexart, a contemporary art space, and associate development director for individual giving at the New Museum of contemporary art, both in Manhattan. Her work within the contemporary art exhibition space provided her with the right background for leading the Aldrich, which was founded in 1964 with the private collection of fashion designer Larry Aldrich. The museum sold off Aldrich’s collection in 1981 to finance its endowment and pursue the celebration of current artists. “Larry had the foresight to understand that to be and remain truly contemporary, maintaining a collection was at odds with that mission,” Maylone said. “Nearly 20 years into the museum, that collection had already dated itself.” For Maylone and her curatorial team, finding the right work to present is both an exciting and a puzzling challenge. “It is a difficult question for all of us to understand who are the artists whose work really rises to the level that it deserves

JANUARY 6, 2020

Cybele Maylone at the Aldrich Museum. Photo by Bob Rozycki.

to be presented here, and what is the right moment in their career,” she said. “For us, a big part is that the artists haven’t yet had this opportunity. They are at a pivotal moment in their career where showing their work to a broader audience in a museum setting and accompanying publications could be transformative to them. There is something essential or inspiring to be revealed in the presentation of their work.” But hitching The Aldrich’s wagon to the stars of the art scene can be complex. Maylone acknowledged that the current art

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scene is a wide and diverse environment with no dominant stylistic trends dictating its direction. “One of the reasons that contemporary art remains so vital and inspiring is that it has very few boundaries to it in the way artists create and present work,” she said. “I think it is important for The Aldrich to be a place that responds to artmaking and to artists, and when those things change, we have an obligation to follow them.” Adding to Maylone’s consideration of artistic expression is the diversity of genres and media that

today’s artists employ. A recent Harmony Hammond exhibit offered painted sculptures created with such materials as rope, burlap, bone, metal roofing and blood, while a current show of work by Canadianborn Sara Cwynar offers a mix of photography, video installations and a space decorated with wallpaper consisting of classic modern art imagery. The Aldrich also commissions new work by artists, but that endeavor can also induce a bit of agita. “Often that means we don’t necessarily know what we are going to be

showing until later than we would like,” lamented Maylone. “In a perfect world, you would like to have every image that is going to be an exhibition years in advance. That helps in planning a wide variety of things, like fundraising and talking to the press. We want to give the artist freedom, but it can be a nail-biter not knowing where everything is going to go.” More nail-biting can occur with shows that contain a sharp sociopolitical message tinged with controversy. Earlier this year, The

Aldrich presented a show of works by 34 presently and formerly incarcerated artists, while an exhibit that opened Oct. 6 called “Weather Report” linked the environmental climate with the political one. Maylone acknowledged that such shows may not please everyone, but she insists they are vital in offering a testament to the ongoing discussions that shape society. “Living artists are engaged with contemporary social issues,” she said. “I feel it would be disingenuous for us as an institution to not be engaged with the issues that the artists are engaged with.” Maylone has lined up a major coup: From May 17 to Oct. 11 “Frank Stella’s Stars, A Survey” will highlight a unique subsection of the abstract expressionist icon’s output. “Stella is an artist that The Aldrich has had a very, very long relationship with,” she said. “Stella’s last name means star and he’s been making work that incorporates stars in a wide variety of ways. The stars change from two-dimensional representations to three-dimensional sculptures that are built around the stars. This gives us a chance to draw a line around this particular practice both inside and outside of the museum. Some of the work will be installed in the galleries and some will be in our sculpture gardens.” While hosting a fivemonth Stella retrospective is a considerable accomplishment, Maylone is still aiming for her concept of a dream exhibition that she defined as a show that “would be risky and rewarding for the artist involved and deeply engaging for the audience that is coming to see it. A dream exhibition would be one that knocked it out of the park on both fronts.” An earlier version of this article was featured in WAG magazine, also published by Westfair Communications.

FOCUS ON

EDUCATION FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

High marks for free tuition but CSCU’s consolidation plan draws slings BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

hile the Connecticut System of Colleges and Universities’ (CSCU) recently announced plan to offer free tuition to students — under certain conditions — is getting generally good reviews, its yearsin-the-making proposal to consolidate its 12 community colleges into one system is continuing to draw slings and arrows from various corners. CSCU’s Pledge to Advance Connecticut (PACT) will allow students to attend those 12 community colleges — which include Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport and Norwalk Community College — for free starting in the fall 2020 semester. To qualify, students must:

• Be a Connecticut high school graduate. • Be a full-time student attending college for the first time. • Complete the federal application for financial aid and accept all awards. • Remain in good academic standing. • Apply and register by July 15, 2020, for priority consideration. “PACT is a powerful message to potential students in Connecticut that education is attainable and that we are investing in the future of our state,” said CSCU President Mark Ojakian. “PACT will make access to Connecticut’s community college system even more affordable while maintaining excellence in education. “At a time when we face a student debt crisis in the U.S., this represents a great opportunity for potential students to access a

high-quality education close to home.” “As college education costs and student loan debt continue to rise, we need to protect our students from financial harm,” added State Sen. Will Haskell, D, whose 26th district includes Redding, Ridgefield and Wilton, as well as parts of Bethel, Weston, Westport and New Canaan.

CONSOLIDATION CONTROVERSY

Ojakian’s plan to consolidate the community colleges into a single system, which he has been touting since the fall of 2017, has been facing opposition for almost as long. Ojakian maintains that such a compression would save around $17 million a year by eliminating redundancies in back-office and administrative positions, not to mention in salaries paid to 12 individual college

presidents. But that proposal — for which accrediting body the New England Association of Schools and Colleges withheld approval in April 2018 — has continued to draw criticism from a variety of sources as Ojakian has been putting together a revised version for what is now the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). NECHE has invited CSCU back for a presentation in April 2020 and provided guidance as CSCU continues to address unspecified areas of NECHE concern. Even if the plan moves forward, consolidation would not take place until 2023. In addition to objections voiced by faculty members and students, the plan has been attacked by the Connecticut State University Faculty Leadership Group —

which includes faculty leaders from the four state universities in the CSCU, including: Western Connecticut State in Danbury; the Faculty Senate at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, which has called for Ojakian’s resignation; and, most recently, the Faculty Advisory Committee of the Board of Regents for Higher Education, which oversees CSCU. At a Dec. 19 Board of Regents meeting, William Lugo, an Eastern Connecticut State professor and vice chairman of the Faculty Advisory Committee, presented a report that outlined 11 questions. Those included how the consolidation would address the achievement gap in Connecticut; whether all independently accredited programs across the community colleges would retain their accreditation

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after consolidation; and how students’ access to federal financial aid could be impacted. Lugo said the committee believes that, under federal regulations, a newly accredited institution cannot receive federal financial aid for three years. Answers to those questions were not immediately provided. Also against the plan are such unions as the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges; the Federation of Technical College Teachers; the Connecticut State University chapter of the American Association of University Professors; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2480 Administrators; and the State University Organization of Administrative Faculty. Ojakian was not available for comment.

JANUARY 6, 2020

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CONTRIBUTING WRITER | By Matt Sullivan

EDUCATION

Educating entrepreneurs about the power of video

ne of the earliest memories I have from elementary school is a “show and tell” I did with books from our school’s library. I was determined to show my classmates and teacher the exciting world of “Universal Studios’ Monsters.” As I flipped through several orange and black jacketed books, all adorned with black-and-white pictures of Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy and the Wolfman, I was delighted to see the shared enthusiasm in the eyes of my classmates. For the better part of

30 years I would continue to do the same thing. Only my storytelling method would change and ironically adopt the same format as my silver-screen cohorts. What I learned at a young age is that we are visual beings but the “tell” was less constructive without the “show.” When I began my work in community media I was initially excited by the concept that I now had the ability to help tell real stories about real people in our community. This was a stretch from the fictional characters I helped bring to life in shows

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like “24,” “House” and “Castle.” And while those experiences were rewarding in their own way, I was able to connect differently when it came to “real life.” What makes video so powerful is its ability to harness many art forms and create real emotions in its audience. That same emotion can be the driver for your business. Video content can be approached and interpreted in myriad ways. But the “maker” should be conscious of all the tools they have at their disposal. This starts, in our case, with the message. What is it that

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you as a business owner would like to convey? What is your strongest “story” to tell? And lastly, why should I, the viewer, pay attention? Telling our stories may seem like a daunting challenge. But through good planning and pre-production, we begin to watch all the pieces come together. Perhaps you own a hardware store and the store has been in your family for generations. When thinking about your message, what are the emotions you want your viewer to experience when they watch your video? Perhaps it’s trust, reliability. If you’ve been around for 100 years somebody must like you. Working for a nonprofit organization, we have a mission statement. But we need to exceed that mission statement and create a set of core values that trickle down to everyone. From our board members, to our staff, to our volunteers, there needs to be a collective understanding of what our organization stands for. What are your business’ values and how can you “show” those to your audience? When selecting a video producer for your content, it is important to know how you want your audience to “feel.” This will direct the conversation with your video producer/director and set the overall tone for your piece. Are you an organization that helps others? Then perhaps you want your video to be inspiring. Are you a business that sells sporting equipment? Maybe you need an energetic vibe. Music is one of the strongest mechanisms we possess in our video toolbox. It works on a cognitive level to influence the emotional impact and interpretation of the story being told. Think of Steven Spielberg’s film “Jaws” for a moment. If we extract the brilliant score by John Williams, are we as audience members as terrified when we see the woman swimming alone in the ocean at the beginning of the film? Of course not! Great audio-visual storytelling combines two powerful mediums and makes a larger splash. The same is true when we tell the stories of our business. Leveraging a score to coincide with the emotions of our story will only make our message stronger. Utilizing video to connect with our audience and customers is essential in our digital world. According to a recent article on Forbes.com, “Video is projected to take up more than 80% of internet traffic this year alone.” Each of us has a story to tell. Start telling yours today. Matt Sullivan is a filmmaker and executive director at LMCTV, headquartered in Mamaroneck. He can be reached at msullivan@lmctv.org or 914-381-2002, ext. 202.

Plot A Course For Your Children’s Success

Parents dream of giving their children the best possible education and the ability for them to attend the college of their choice. This education, albeit primary, secondary or tertiary - costs money and requires thoughtful financial planning. It can be tedious, with many considerations to account for, which is why planning early is paramount. We understand that your financial goals are unique, which is why we provide customized, objective advice. You can depend on our investment management expertise to help you plan for your children’s future while not jeopardizing yours. Start plotting the course for your children’s success early, enjoy the journey with them and know we will navigate the financial waters with you.

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JANUARY 6, 2020

Good Things BUZZING ABOUT NEW HAIR SALON

Laurits Andersen Ring (Danish, 1854-1933), At the French Windows: The Artist’s Wife, 1897. Oil on canvas, 75.2 x 56.7 in. KMS 3716.

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBIT OPENS AT THE BRUCE Following a five-month construction project, the Bruce Museum in Greenwich will reopen its newly expanded main art gallery with an international exhibition: “On the Edge of the World: Masterworks by Laurits Andersen Ring from SMK — the National Gallery of Denmark.” The exhibition opens on Saturday, Feb. 1, and will be on view through Sunday, May 24. L.A. Ring (1854-1933), a realist and symbolist painter, ranks among the most significant figures in Danish art. Speaking about this first exhibition outside Scandinavia to be solely devoted to L.A. Ring, Mikkel Bogh, director of SMK, said, “It is part of our mission at SMK to inspire and spark creative thinking by making the art of our collection known to a wider audience, which includes audiences outside the Nordic region. L.A. Ring was a sensitive and profound interpreter of the changing conditions of human existence at the threshold of modernity, in Denmark and elsewhere. We believe his painting has an appeal to U.S. audiences and that his works, while embedded within specific geographic and historical circumstances, speak to us today in a powerful artistic language that matters as never before.” Laurits Andersen Ring never distanced himself from his humble origins. His work reflects the great upheavals taking place in society and art in the decades around 1900. The processes of industrialization caused major changes in the labor market, new enterprises flourished and people moved from the country to the cities. By the 1890s, Ring was regarded as Denmark’s greatest landscape painter.

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From left: Mark Barnhart, director of Community and Economic Development; Sarah Dobrosky, master stylist; Kelley O’Connell Mallozzi, master stylist; Kat Viera, co-owner and master colorist and stylist; Brenda Kupchick, first selectwoman; Wilson Viera, co-owner; and Beverly Balaz, president, Fairfield Chamber of Commerce.

ASH Hair Salon & Blow Dry Bar celebrated its grand opening on Dec. 12 at 2480 Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was officiated by the town of Fairfield’s First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick. Salon co-owners Kat Viera and Wilson Viera said, “We wanted to create a luxe hair salon experience that was

missing in Fairfield. We’re passionate and obsessed about beauty and style and we also know what our clients expect. Our commitment to excellence is evident when you step into our salon chairs and meet with our artists.” With more than 10 years of fashion and beauty industry experience, Kat Viera continues to deliver her clients with

high-end luxury beauty services that have created enormous notoriety across various social media platforms and among many notable brands and social media influencers. With an array of beauty services for everyone and a special focus on blow-drys and hair coloring, clients from around the county are booking hair appointments.

BANK FOUNDATION’S LEGACY AWARD

From left: Karen Kelly, vice president, First County Bank Foundation; Richard E. Koch; Clif McFeely; and Robert J. Granata, chairman and CEO of First County Bank and president, First County Bank Foundation.

First County Bank Foundation in Stamford hosted its annual Celebration of Mutual Partnerships at the Stamford Marriott, where the foundation presented the Reyno A. Giallongo Jr. Community Legacy Award to Richard E. Koch. More than 140 guests were in attendance, including representatives from 45 local nonprofits, First County Bank board members and corporators. Guest speaker Clif McFeely, founder of Future Five, a

Stamford-based nonprofit dedicated to connecting underresourced high school students to mentors, presented on the “Power of Connection.” Koch was honored with the Legacy Award for his dedication to giving back to his local community. A Norwalk resident, Koch has been an active volunteer throughout Fairfield County for more than 40 years. He is the longest-serving volunteer with Darien EMS-Post 53 and a

board member. Established in 2001 in honor of the bank’s 150th anniversary, First County Bank Foundation was created to distribute funds annually to nonprofit organizations that support community and economic development, affordable housing and programs that support quality of life and educational enrichment for children and families. First County Bank has been headquartered in Stamford for more than 165 years.

NEW UNITED WAY BOARD MEMBERS Two members have joined United Way of Western Connecticut’s board of directors. They will play key roles in setting the direction and guiding the nonprofit’s management of serving 15 cities and towns in western Connecticut. The new members include Kevin Walston, who serves as assistant superintendent of school and district development for the Danbury Public Schools, and Paul H. Bruce, vice president and chief financial officer of Union Savings Bank. The organization also welcomes a new member to its northern Fairfield County Council. Samantha LaBonne is the community relations and economic development specialist for Eversource. She will join 19 other members of the council in focusing on local priorities and identifying community needs in the greater Danbury area. In Stamford, Morgan Jensen, an account service manager for Legg Mason, joined the Community Council. She co-founded Legg Mason’s Westhill Financial Literacy Partnership. She will be the 20th member of the Stamford Community Council.

NEWTOWN SAVINGS BANK SUPPORTS LOCAL HABITAT Housatonic Habitat for Humanity in Danbury recently received $1,500 from Newtown Savings Bank to support the nonprofit’s mission of providing affordable housing to first-time homebuyers in the Greater Danbury area. Newtown Savings Bank President and CEO Kenneth Weinstein emphasized that the donation was part of the bank’s overall commitment to the work done in the communities by their nonprofits and their many dedicated volunteers. Housatonic Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Fran Normann acknowledged Newtown Savings Bank’s commitment to workforce housing. Douglas Hensal, first vice president, co-head retail banking sales, Newtown Savings Bank, serves on the Housatonic Habitat Board of Directors as vice president, and Laura Manz, vice president, loan servicing operations manager, serves on the Family Selection Committee. In addition, the bank provides pro bono mortgage servicing and consulting services while providing mentoring to many homeowners.

Information for these features has been submitted by the subjects or their delegates.

2020

NOMINATE TODAY SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JANUARY 31 at westfaironline.com/events

HONORING LEADERSHIP AND OUTSTANDING ORGANIZATIONS IN WESTCHESTER AND FAIRFIELD COUNTY. AWARD PRESENTATION EVENT: Thursday, March 12

Nominations may be entered for those who work in the following roles, or who manage these responsibilities. For more, visit westfaironline.com/events For event information, contact: Olivia D'Amelio at odamelio@westfairinc.com. For sponsorship inquiries, contact: Marcia Pflug at mpflug@wfpromote.com or 203-733-4545.

NOMINATION CATEGORIES: Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or the controller / financial leader Chief Technology Officer (CTO/CIO) or the technology executive Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or the top executive Chief Operating Officer (COO) Chief Medical or Marketing Officer (CMO) OR NOMINATE YOUR SENIOR EXECUTIVE THAT DESERVES HONORS, ACCOLADES OR ACKNOWLEDGMENT. WestfairOnline

PRESENTED BY:

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JANUARY 6, 2020

Facts & Figures BUILDING PERMITS Commercial Clark Construction, New Milford, contractor for Round Hill Club Inc. Add new snack bar, including patios and walkways and new underground pool equipment at 33 Round Hill Club Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $1,540,000. Filed Sept. 2019.

Michilli Construction, New York, New York, contractor for Westchester Tower LLC. Perform replacement alterations at 161-65 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $50,000. Filed Sept. 2019. Norwalk Tent, Norwalk, contractor for Lynn Realty Holdings LLC. Perform a private party at 885 Summer St., Stamford. Estimated cost: $1,000. Filed June. 18.

Execuspace Construction, Woburn, Massachusetts, contractor for Ivy Realty. Perform replacement alterations at 41 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $191,000. Filed Sept. 2019.

PA Treglia General Contractor LLC, Stamford, contractor for Friends of LMG Programs Inc. Replace fire doors at 115 Main St., Stamford. Estimated cost: $15,661. Filed June. 19.

Jewish Community Center Inc., Stamford, contractor for Jewish Community Center Inc. Set up for a private party at 1035 Newfield Ave., Stamford. Estimated cost: $1,000. Filed June. 20.

Pavarini North East Construction, Stamford, contractor for Tishman Speyer Properties LLC. Perform replacement alterations at 1 American Lane, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $489,400. Filed Sept. 2019.

John C. Landsiedel Construction, Stamford, contractor for DR Stamford LLC. Repair damage from a car accident at 272 Hope St., Stamford. Estimated cost: $20,000. Filed June. 18. La Porta Partners LLC, Stamford, contractor for the city of Stamford. Add wall at 83 Lockwood Ave., Stamford. Estimated cost: $10,000. Filed June. 17. Lehman, Victor A., Stamford, contractor for Stamford Urban Condominium Association. Construct a pool on top of commercial building at Unit 1 Greyrock Place, Stamford. Estimated cost: $209,550. Filed June. 20.

Items appearing in the Fairfield County Business Journal’s On The Record section are compiled from various sources, including public records made available to the media by federal, state and municipal agencies and the court system. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this information, no liability is assumed for errors or omissions. In the case of legal action, the records cited are open to public scrutiny and should be inspected before any action is taken.

Seventy 2 Cummings Point Road LLC, Stamford, contractor for Seventy 2 Cummings Point Road LLC. Set up for a private party at 72 Cummings Point Road, Stamford. Estimated cost: $15,000. Filed June. 17. Stamford Museum & Nature Center, Stamford, contractor for Stamford Museum & Nature Center. Set up for a private party at 39 Scofield Town Road, Stamford. Estimated cost: $3,980. Filed June. 20. The Tallman Building Company Inc., Southport, contractor for John Street Farm LLC. Renovate barn, attached tool sheds and two bedrooms at 214 John St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $650,000. Filed Sept. 2019. Town of Greenwich Board Office, Greenwich, contractor for town of Greenwich Board Office. Install storage behind the school at 33 Riversville Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $10,000. Filed Sept. 2019.

Questions and comments regarding this section should be directed to: Bob Rozycki c/o Westfair Communications Inc. 701 Westchester Ave, Suite 100 J White Plains, N.Y. 10604-3407 Phone: 694-3600 • Fax: 694-3699

JANUARY 6, 2020

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ON THE RECORD

Town of Greenwich Board Office, Greenwich, contractor for town of Greenwich Board Office. Build parking lot behind CVS at Sound Beach Avenue, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $50,000. Filed Sept. 2019.

Residential 235 East Putnam Avenue LLC, Cos Cob, contractor for 235 E. Putnam Ave. LLC. Remove fencing and construct walls around roof at 235 E. Putnam Ave., Cos Cob Estimated cost: $10,000. Filed Sept. 2019. 56 OFP LLC, Greenwich, contractor for 56 OFP LLC. Construct residential apartment at 56 Old field Point Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $378,000. Filed Sept. 2019. Brown, Kevin, Trumbull, contractor for Kevin Brown. Relocate stairs, renovate kitchens and bathrooms at 25 Edgewood Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $60,000. Filed Sept. 2019. Clark Construction, New Milford, contractor for Round Hill Club Inc. Construct new pergola near parking area at 33 Round Hill Club Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $25,000. Filed Sept. 2019. D’Arminio, John P. and Ching W. D’Arminio, Riverside, contractor for John P. D’Arminio. Replace siding and windows at 2 Perry Place, Riverside. Estimated cost: $50,000. Filed Sept. 2019.

Environmental Construction LLC, West Haven, contractor for 24 Park Ave LLC. Demolish single-family residence at 24 Park Ave., Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $10,700. Filed Sept. 2019. Exquisite Contractors LLC, Stamford, contractor for John W.Tarleton, et al. Remove and re-roof 120 White Oak Lane, Stamford. Estimated cost: $46,500. Filed June. 18. Exquisite Contractors LLC, Stamford, contractor for John W. Tarleton, et al. Install new siding at 120 White Oak Lane, Stamford. Estimated cost: $46, 500. Filed June. 19. Giordano, Gregory M., Cos Cob, contractor for Gregory M. Giordano. Replace siding at 11 Shannon Lane, Cos Cob Estimated cost: $8,800. Filed Sept. 2019. Graham, Melissa, Greenwich, contractor for Melissa Graham. Set up for a private party at 545 North St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $5,000. Filed Sept. 2019. Grychak, Roman, Monroe, contractor for The Nomia Trust. Renovate basement and add gym at 9 Creamer Hill Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $200,000. Filed Sept. 2019. Mahr, Thomas W., Cos Cob, contractor for Thomas W. Mahr. Set up for a private party at 62 River Road, Cos Cob Estimated cost: $3,000. Filed Sept. 2019.

Design Renovation Inc., Mamaroneck, New York, contractor for Ruth Philip. Install kitchen, remove siding, remodel baths and place propane tanks at 481 Round Hill Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $325,000. Filed Sept. 2019.

NAD Electrical and Construction Services Inc, Stamford, contractor for Kaba Bekim, et al. Replace Roof and insulation at 190 Highview Ave., Stamford. Estimated cost: $4,500. Filed June. 20.

Environmental Construction LLC, West Haven, contractor for 24 Park Ave LLC. Demolish garage at 24 Park Ave., Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $2,000. Filed Sept. 2019.

Northeast Tent Productions, Stamford, contractor for town of Greenwich. Set up for a private party at Tod’s Driftway Lane, Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $3,715. Filed Sept. 2019.

P. Morrissey Contracting Inc., Millwood, New York, contractor for Paul Tramontano. Construct a single- family residence at 206 Otter Rock Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $2,500,000. Filed Sept. 2019. P. Morrissey Contracting Inc., Millwood, New York, contractor for Paul Tramontano. Construct pool house at 206 Otter Rock Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $250,000. Filed Sept. 2019. Perinoto Home Improvement LLC, Stamford, contractor for Teresa A. Gagliano. Build car garage, expand kitchen and dining room at 167 Eden Road, Stamford. Estimated cost: $300,000. Filed June. 20. Piro, Steven and Judy Piro, Cos Cob, contractor for Steven and Judy Piro. Remove and replace kitchen cabinets at 43 Sundance Drive, Cos Cob Estimated cost: $5,700. Filed Sept. 2019. Posigen CT Solar Solutions, Bridgeport, contractor for Anthony Carboni. Install roof-top solar panels at 47 Glenville St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $28,800. Filed Sept. 2019. Quibus LLC, Greenwich, contractor for Elaine Tonckens. Remove and re-roof 7 Wynn Lane, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $45,000. Filed Sept. 2019. Roofing King LLC, Stamford, contractor for Rita Sanders. Remove and re-roof 55 Waterbury Ave., Stamford. Estimated cost: $11,000. Filed June. 18.

Song, Jennifer, Greenwich, contractor for Jennifer Song. Remove hardwood floor, ceiling tile and cleaning walls at 17 Idar Cottage, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $300,000. Filed Sept. 2019. Stamford Tent, Stamford, contractor for Richard McVey and Lara McVey. Set up for a private party at 134 Indian Head Road, Riverside. Estimated cost: $2,000. Filed Sept. 2019. Strazza Building & Construction Inc., Stamford, contractor for 16 Jamroga LLC. Convert attic space to master bedroom and relocate stairs at 16 Jamroga Lane, Stamford. Estimated cost: $132,872. Filed June. 18. The Greenwich Tent Co, Bridgeport, contractor for Robert Berner. Set up for a private party at 52 John St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $83,519. Filed Sept. 2019. Town of Greenwich, contractor for town of Greenwich. Set up for a private party at Tod’s Driftway Lane, Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $1,000. Filed Sept. 2019. Trinity Heating & Air Inc, Stamford, contractor for Cecilia Zavala-Frias. Install roof-top solar panels at 182 Lockwood Ave., Stamford. Estimated cost: $7,000. Filed June. 20. Trinity Heating & Air Inc, Stamford, contractor for Norma Marroquin. Install roof-top solar panels at 110 W. North St., Stamford. Estimated cost: $29,000. Filed June. 20.

Sanders, Jordan A., Greenwich, contractor for Jordan A. Sanders. Build a single-family residence at 20 Dewart Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $1,750,000. Filed Sept. 2019.

Vinylume Inc., Stamford, contractor for Rendell, Douglas M., et al. Remove and install new vinyl siding at 149 Skyview Drive, Stamford. Estimated cost: $44,100. Filed June. 17.

Signature Pools, Norwalk, contractor for Lucky Eight LLC. Complete inspection for pool at 521 Field Point Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $1,000. Filed Sept. 2019.

Vinylume Inc., Stamford, contractor for Vlad Lazarenko. Remove and install new asphalt shingles at 115 Mill Brook Road, Stamford. Estimated cost: $35,400. Filed June. 20.

Facts & Figures Williams, Christopher B, Greenwich, contractor for Christopher Williams. Add one story at 2 Stonehedge Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $58,000. Filed Sept. 2019.

COURT CASES Bridgeport Superior Court Ettore Jr, Thomas L., Unknown. Filed by Stonybrook Gardens Cooperative Inc., Bridgeport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Epstein Juda J Law Office, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff provides assessment of common charges for the condominium. The defendant has failed to make payments. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of its lien, possession of the premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs. Case no. FBT-CV19-6092257-S. Filed Dec. 9. Heirs beneficiaries and/ or devisees of the estate, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Regency Condominium Association Inc., Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Cohen and Wolf PC, Orange. Action: The plaintiff provides assessment of common charges for the condominium. The defendants have failed to make payments. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of its lien, possession of the premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs. Case no. FBT-CV-19-6092469-S. Filed Dec. 13. Jackson, Annette P., Bridgeport. Filed by Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC, Coral Gables, Florida. Plaintiff’s attorney: McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford. Action: The plaintiff was assigned the defendant’s mortgage. The defendant defaulted on the terms of the agreement and has failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-19-6090562-S. Filed Oct. 10.

Molnar, Scott, et al, Trumbull. Filed by Nationstar Mortgage LLC d.b.a. Mr. Cooper, Coppell, Texas. Plaintiff’s attorney: Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington. Action: The plaintiff was assigned the plaintiffs’ mortgage. The defendants defaulted on the terms of the agreement and have failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-19-6090257-S. Filed Sept. 30. SMMT LLC, et al, Ridgewood, New York. Filed by Patriot Bank, Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Diserio Martin O’Connor & Castiglioni, Stamford. Action: The plaintiff is the owner of the defendants’ mortgage. The defendants defaulted on the terms of the agreement and have failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-19-6090802-S. Filed Oct. 18.

Danbury Superior Court Ahmed, Mahbub, et al, Sandy Hook. Filed by Nationstar Mortgage LLC d.b.a. Mr. Cooper, Coppell, Texas. Plaintiff’s attorney: Milford Law LLC d.b.a. Kapusta Otzel & Av, Milford. Action: The plaintiff was assigned the mortgage of the defendants. The defendants defaulted on the terms of the agreement and have failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-19-6034179-S. Filed Oct. 29.

Covello, Sal, Danbury. Filed by Capital One Bank NA, Richmond, Virginia. Plaintiff’s attorney: London & London, Newington. Action: The plaintiff is a banking association. The defendant used a credit account issued by plaintiff and agreed to make payments for goods and services. The defendant failed to make payments. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages but less than $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs. Case no. DBD-CV-19-6034538-S. Filed Dec. 2. Hylton, Hannakay R .,et al, Danbury. Filed by Jacqueline Chacon, Danbury. Plaintiff’s attorney: Ventura Law, Danbury. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendants and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-196034617-S. Filed Dec. 5. Middleton, Abigail C., Danbury. Filed by Mayara Magrini, Danbury. Plaintiff’s attorney: Ventura Law, Danbury. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-196034392-S. Filed Nov. 18. Pugliese, Frank, Danbury. Filed by Richard D Arconti, Danbury. Plaintiff’s attorney: Christopher Gerard Winans, Danbury. Action: The plaintiff provided legal services to the defendant. Despite the legal services, the defendant has neglected to pay the balance due the plaintiff. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $2,500, exclusive of interest and costs . Case no. DBD-CV-19-6033681-S. Filed Sept. 19.

Stamford Superior Court Becker, Arthur, et al, Norwalk. Filed by Matrix Financial Services Corp., Plaintiff’s attorney: Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington. Action: The plaintiff was assigned the defendants’ mortgage. The defendants defaulted on the terms of the agreement and have failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV19-6044087-S. Filed Oct. 17. Hecht, Levi, et al, Stamford. Filed by Fairfield House Condominium Association of Greenwich Inc., Harrison, New York. Plaintiff’s attorney: Ackerly & Ward, Stamford. Action: The plaintiff provides assessment of common charges for the condominium. The defendants have failed to make payments. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of its lien, possession of the premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs. Case no. FST-CV-196044546-S. Filed Nov. 19. Imhoff Jr, Douglas J., et al, Norwalk. Filed by Midfirst Bank, Oklahoma City, Ohio. Plaintiff’s attorney: Korde & Associates P.c., New London. Action: The plaintiff is the owner of the defendants’ mortgage. The defendants defaulted on the terms of the agreement and have failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV-196044770-S. Filed Dec. 5.

Trautmann, Carl E., et al, Darien. Filed by First Niagara Bank NA, Brookline, Ohio. Plaintiff’s attorney: Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington. Action: The plaintiff is the owner of the defendants’ mortgage. The defendants defaulted on the terms of the agreement and have failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV-19-6044013-S. Filed Oct. 11.

DEEDS Commercial 300 Bullard Street LLC, Bridgeport. Seller: Margaret J. Tyminski, Fairfield. Property: 300 Bullard St., Fairfield. Amount: $309,000. Filed Sept. 6. AAP Builders LLC, Milford. Seller: Judy Benedict, Fairfield. Property: 9 Georgia St., Fairfield. Amount: $146,000. Filed Sept. 5. Arlopa Rock LLC, Norwalk. Seller: Jean B. San Souci, Spofford, New Hampshire. Property: 41 Glenrock Road, Unit 41, Norwalk. Amount: $210,000. Filed Aug. 12. Castlemore Real Estate LLC, Dover, Delaware. Seller: Wilmington Savings Fund Society, Christiansted, Virginia. Property: Lot 9, Map 5034, Farmstead Hill Road, Fairfield. Amount: $861,000. Filed Sept. 5. Decausey, Tanjia M., Norwalk. Seller: HSBC Bank USA National Association, Salt Lake City, Utah, Property: 4 Union Ave. Unit 31, Norwalk. Amount: $187,200. Filed Aug. 12. Fernandez, Job A. and Kara A. Stetler, Norwalk. Seller: Green Secure Capital LLC, Norwalk. Property: 32 Dorset Road, Norwalk. Amount: $485,500. Filed Aug. 16.

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Hansen, Barbara J., Westport. Seller: DAM Realty LLC, Norwalk. Property: Unit 401S, The Kensie Point Condominium, Fairfield. Amount: $1,125,000. Filed Sept. 11. Heitman, Matthew and Caitlin M. Heitman, Stamford. Seller: Birch Tree Builders LLC, Westport. Property: 283 High Ridge Road, Fairfield. Amount: $820,000. Filed Sept. 10. Moose Family Trust, Fairfield. Seller: Todd Feldman and Stephanie Feldman, Fairfield. Property: 221 High Meadow Road, Fairfield. Amount: $790,000. Filed Sept. 6. MTGLQ Investors LP, Greenville, South Carolina. Seller: Jeffrey N. Pressler, Fairfield. Property: 583 Jennings Road, Fairfield. Amount: $247,996. Filed Sept. 12. North Property Holdings Crest LLC, Westport. Seller: Pumiwat Shutsharawan and Jillian Shutsharawan, Westport. Property: 12 Crest Road, Norwalk. Amount: $1. Filed Aug. 16. Norwalk 455 West Avenue LLC, Norwalk. Seller: YMA LLC, Norwalk. Property: 455 West Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $1,060,000. Filed Aug. 12. Searfoss, Abigail, Stamford. Seller: Zip Code Group LLC, Greenwich. Property: 7 Devon Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $413,000. Filed Aug. 12.

Residential Aquino, Jacqueline and Daniel Prinz, Norwalk. Seller: Piotr Kurpinowicz and Monika M. Kurpiniwicz, Norwalk. Property: 1 Linden St., Unit B9, Norwalk. Amount: $265,000. Filed Aug. 14. Aronson, Christopher J. and Faith R. Aronson, Fairfield. Seller: Harry F. Hearon and Caryn M. Cox, Fairfield. Property: 511 Riverside Drive, Fairfield. Amount: $625,000. Filed Sept. 9. Avalos, Elda and Jose Molina, Norwalk. Seller: Eduardo Ceja, Norwalk. Property: 39 Baxter Drive, Norwalk. Amount: $345,000. Filed Aug. 14.

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Facts & Figures Bernson, Gail M., Westport. Seller: Eileen F. Collins, Norwalk. Property: 50 Aiken St., Unit 316, Norwalk. Amount: $245,000. Filed Aug. 16. Brown, Richard B. and Christine B. Brown, Fairfield. Seller: Abigail R. Hanson and Kurt J. Hanson, Fairfield. Property: 82 Rowland Road, Fairfield. Amount: $805,000. Filed Sept. 5. Burgdoerfer, Gregory and Carlee-Gene Sullivan, New York, New York. Seller: Gavin A. Dignon and Tara Engelman, Fairfield. Property: 113 Charles St., Fairfield. Amount: $550,000. Filed Sept. 10. Charette, Keith R., Fairfield. Seller: Keith R. Charette, Fairfield. Property: 136 Pine Creek Ave., Fairfield. Amount: $1. Filed Sept. 9. Chudoba, Jason A. and Yemsrach Chudoba, Fairfield. Seller: Ping Liu and Danian Zheng, Fairfield. Property: 33 Pansy Circle, Fairfield. Amount: $950,000. Filed Sept. 12. Cutler, Ira and Mary Cutler, Norwalk. Seller: Joseph Dul Jr. and Tari L. Dul, Norwalk. Property: 17 Woodchuck Lane, Norwalk. Amount: $545,000. Filed Aug. 16. Diamandis, Hollis Ann, Rowayton. Seller: Jason R. Milanese, Norwalk. Property: 8 Splitrock Road, Norwalk. Amount: $599,000. Filed Aug. 16. Dimler, Jr. Michael G. and Julie A. Dimler, Fairfield. Seller: Jessica Yael Goodman and Joshua Alan Goodman, Fairfield. Property: 252 James St., Fairfield. Amount: $1,050,000. Filed Sept. 12. English, Jr. William W. and Jeannine I. English, Easton. Seller: Richard Mola and Gloria Mola, Norwalk. Property: 39 First St., Norwalk. Amount: $375,000. Filed Aug. 15. Frate, Nicholas and Molly Frate, Fairfield. Seller: Nina D. Riley, Southport. Property: 15 Emerald Springs, Southport. Amount: $865,000. Filed Sept. 5.

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Gaibi, Maryam, Fairfield. Seller: Anthony G. Susi and Jamie L. Susi, Fairfield. Property: 54 Mohican Hill Road, Fairfield. Amount: $620,000. Filed Sept. 10.

Korb, Rachel, Norwalk. Seller: Arlinda Graves, Norwalk. Property: Unit 3-G, Briarwood Condominium, Norwalk. Amount: $336,000. Filed Aug. 19.

Proano, Diego A. and Luis Proano Cevallos, Stamford. Seller: Dorene S. Suggs, Norwalk. Property: 34 Glasser St., Norwalk. Amount: $350,000. Filed Aug. 14.

Guda, Michael M. and Irene A. Guda, Norwalk. Seller: Kevin Mark Mason, Norwalk. Property: 34 Dairy Farm Road, Norwalk. Amount: $680,000. Filed Aug. 12.

Larsen, James and Katherine Larsen, Westport. Seller: Jill Keogh, Fairfield. Property: 38 Eunice Ave., Fairfield. Amount: $1,565,500. Filed Sept. 6.

Rafalo, Krzysztof and Aneta Rafalo, Fairfield. Seller: Ghada K. Makuch, Norwalk. Property: 2010 Kings Highway, Fairfield. Amount: $408,000. Filed Sept. 9.

Mahoney, Kevin, Fairfield. Seller: Patrick Roberts Linsey and Caroline Jeanne Linsey, Fairfield. Property: 58 Fortuna Drive, Fairfield. Amount: $647,500. Filed Sept. 10.

Reichelt, David and Katelyn Lopez-Reichelt, Norwalk. Seller: Anthony B. Neville and Margaret J. Neville, Norwalk. Property: 1 Frank St., Norwalk. Amount: $595,000. Filed Aug. 15.

Lenders Assets Management. Creditor: Joseph Ursone, Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Property: 30 Morton St., Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Nov. 20.

Rinelli, Fabricio and Luana Fernandes, Stratford. Seller: Ruth Cohen, Fairfield. Property: 115 Bulkley Drive, Fairfield. Amount: $400,000. Filed Sept. 6.

M&M Mortgage Services Inc. Creditor: Caliber Home Loans Inc., Irving, Texas. Property: 10 Raymond Terrace, Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Nov. 18.

Mallard, Zak and Courtney L. Cullam, Bedford Hills, New York. Seller: Timothy Howells, et al, Fairfield. Property: 1284 Fairfield Woods Road, Fairfield. Amount: $500,000. Filed Sept. 9.

Roden, Marcia, Norwalk. Seller: Adnan S. Syed, Norwalk. Property: Unit 106, Stonewood Condominium, Norwalk. Amount: $375,000. Filed Aug. 14.

MCS. Creditor: Flagstar, Temecula, California. Property: 1 Burr Place, Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Dec. 6.

Merly, Gary J., Fairfield. Seller: Susan Jayne Ardell and Craig A. Ardell, Hillsboro, New Hampshire. Property: 2181 Congress St., Fairfield. Amount: $285,000. Filed Sept. 12.

Rodon, Lee C. and Jaime M. Rodon, Fairfield. Seller: Richard B. Brown Jr. and Christine B. Brown, Fairfield. Property: 159 Hollydale Road, Fairfield. Amount: $1,080,000. Filed Sept. 5.

Montellese, Justin and Lisa Montellese, Stamford. Seller: Jennifer S. Towle and William D. Towle, Fairfield. Property: 705 Towne House Road, Fairfield. Amount: $850,000. Filed Sept. 12.

Salerno, John, Fairfield. Seller: Linda A. Menillo and Michael A. Menillo Jr., Fairfield. Property: 1271 Fairfield Beach Road, Fairfield. Amount: $865,000. Filed Sept. 12.

Hartong, Quirine, Norwalk. Seller: A. Robinson Williard III, Norwalk. Property: 6 Trolley Place, South Norwalk. Amount: $835,000. Filed Aug. 15. Hawley, Stephanie and Stephen Fedorko, Monroe. Seller: Zoltan Pongracz Jr. and Jessica M. Pongracz, Southport. Property: 150 Arbor Drive, Southport. Amount: $595,000. Filed Sept. 12. Hogan, Jr. James, Norwalk. Seller: Hollis A. Diamandis, Norwalk. Property: 28 Yarmouth Road, Norwalk. Amount: $1,175,000. Filed Aug. 14. Howells, Timothy and Patricia Howells, Fairfield. Seller: Lee Christopher Rodon and Jamie Marie Rodon, Fairfield. Property: 200 Homefair Drive, Fairfield. Amount: $800,000. Filed Sept. 6. Jones-McDowell and Kary McDowell, Stamford. Seller: Paraskvevi Georgiades and Panagiotis Marmaras, Norwalk. Property: 9 Fairview Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $485,000. Filed Aug. 14. Kalsi, Mohinder S. and Amrit K. Kalsi, Liverpool, New York. Seller: Ira Cutler and Mary Cutler, Norwalk. Property: 519 Flax Hill Road, Norwalk. Amount: $697,500. Filed Aug. 15. Keogh, Jill, Fairfield. Seller: Luise M. Burger and Edward P. Burger, Fairfield. Property: 228 E. Lawn St., Fairfield. Amount: $1,220,000. Filed Sep. 10. Kiriakides, Vera, Norwalk. Seller: Carolyn Richards, Norwalk. Property: 75 Fairfield Ave., Unit 6, Norwalk. Amount: $235,000. Filed Aug. 19.

FCBJ

Malewicz, Andrew and Elizabeth Swedock, Norwalk. Seller: William John Preinsberger, Norwalk. Property: 113 Maywood Road, Norwalk. Amount: $1. Filed Aug. 14.

Nixon, Karla E., Norwalk. Seller: Andrew F. Dominguez and Mary E. Dominguez, Norwalk. Property: 94 Gillies Lane, Norwalk. Amount: $315,000. Filed Aug. 14. Petisi, Alexander and Giuseppina Lisanti, Norwalk. Seller: James F. Hogan Jr., Norwalk. Property: 4 Captains Walk, Norwalk. Amount: $2,315,000. Filed Aug. 14. Pouliovalis, Petros and Ioanna Pouliovalis, Norwalk. Seller: Irma L. Johnson, Norwalk. Property: 187 Flax Hill Road, Unit D-11, Norwalk. Amount: $200,000. Filed Aug. 13.

Seidman, Jennifer, Fairfield. Seller: Daniel M. Holland and Lindsay L. Holland, Fairfield. Property: 255 Hillside Road, Fairfield. Amount: $930,000. Filed Sept. 12.

FORECLOSURES 1 Home Campus, Des Moines, Iowa. Creditor: Wells Fargo Bank NA, Des Moines, Iowa. Property: 1 Rainbow Road, Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Dec. 4. Cypress. Creditor: Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing, Temecula, California. Property: 149 Water St., Apartment 18E, Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Dec. 6.

Five Brothers Mortgage Company Service & Securing. Creditor: American Advisors Group, Lansing, Michigan. Property:112 Comstock Hill Ave., Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Dec. 6.

Specialized Loan Servicing LLC. Creditor: Specialized Loan Servicing LLC, Littleton, Colorado. Property: 20 Avenue A. Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Nov. 18.

Korde & Associates PC. Creditor: MidFirst Bank, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Property: 116 Dry Hill Road, Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Nov. 25.

JUDGMENTS

NRT New England LLC. Creditor: PennyMac Loan Services, Temecula, California. Property: 33 N. Water St., Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Nov. 21. Roxanne Kudravy-Wargo. Creditor: Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s United Bank, National Association. Property: 4 Union Ave., Unit 6, Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Dec. 6. Safeguard Properties. Creditor: Connecticut Housing and Finance Authority, Lake Zurich, Illinois. Property: 48 Baxter Drive, Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Nov. 18. Safeguard Properties. Creditor: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, Columbus, Ohio. Property: 18 N. Taylor Ave., No.4, Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Nov. 19. Safeguard Properties. Creditor: Citibank NA, Ewing, New Jersey. Property: 364 Rowayton Ave., Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Nov. 27. SolutionstarField Services LLC. Creditor: Nationstar Mortgage LLC, Lewisville, Texas. Property: 47 First St., Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Dec. 4.

Alvarez, Michelle, Norwalk. $919, in favor of Standard Oil of Connecticut Inc., Bridgeport, by Philip H. Monagan, Waterbury. Property: 297 Newtown Ave., Norwalk. Filed Nov. 26. Carmichael, Brenda, Bridgeport. $4,026, in favor of The United Illuminating Company, New Haven, by Nair & Levin PC, Bloomfield. Property: 960 Sylvan Ave., Bridgeport. Filed Nov. 26. Ceci, Joseph, Norwalk. $6,521, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 20 Edlie Ave. Norwalk. Filed Nov. 21. Cruz, Bernadette, Norwalk. $3,245, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 13 Sention Ave., Norwalk. Filed Nov. 21. Curcio, Judith, Norwalk. $1,909, in favor of Petro Inc., Woodbury, New York, by Gerald S. Knopf, Stamford. Property: 9 Ravenwood Road, Norwalk. Filed Nov. 18. Frank, Gerald S., Norwalk. $8,606, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 80 N. Taylor Ave., Norwalk. Filed Nov. 21. Garcia, Simon, Bridgeport. $7,405, in favor of US Bank National Association, St. Louis, Montana, by Zwicker & Associates PC, Enfield. Property: 383 Fairfax Road, Bridgeport. Filed Nov. 26. Gilkes, Lowell, Bridgeport. $2,504, in favor of The United Illuminating Company, New Haven, by Nair & Levin PC, Bloomfield. Property: 665 Huntington Turnpike, Bridgeport. Filed Nov. 26.

Facts & Figures Gubitose, Justine, Norwalk. $3,011, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 46 Scofield Place, Norwalk. Filed Nov. 21.

Robinson, Beverly, Bridgeport. $3,574, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 831 Beechwood Ave., Bridgeport. Filed Nov. 26.

Hevesy, Elizabeth, Norwalk. $8,861, in favor of Unifund Corp., Cincinnati, Ohio, by Tobin & Marhn, Meriden. Property: 24 Possum Lane, Norwalk. Filed Nov. 18.

Stanitskyi, Stepan, Norwalk. $5,485, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 122 W. Rocks Road, Norwalk. Filed Nov. 21.

Jordanides, Carol, et al, Norwalk. $7,396, in favor of Fairfield University, Fairfield, by the Law Offices of Bruce E. Bergman, Hartford. Property: 5 Pink Cloud Lane, Norwalk. Filed Nov. 18. Joseph, Edvard, Norwalk. $6,065, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 80 Bayne St., Norwalk. Filed Nov. 21. Morales, Kerri, Bridgeport. $1,021, in favor of Hi-Ho Petroleum Corp., Bridgeport, by Philip H. Monagan, Waterbury. Property: 57 Quarry St., Bridgeport. Filed Nov. 27. Nelson, David L. and Judith A. Nelson, Norwalk. $1,494, in favor of LH Gault & Son Incorporated. Westporft, by Philip H. Monagan, Waterbury. Property: 42 Brooklawn Ave., Norwalk. Filed Nov. 18. Nolasco, Aracely, Norwalk. $3,582, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 24 Second St., Norwalk. Filed Nov. 21. Rahman, Masudur M., Norwalk. $4,166, in favor of Discover Bank, New Albany, Ohio, by Schreiber Law LLC, Salem, New Hampshire. Property: 4 Charles St., Norwalk. Filed Nov. 19. Ramirez, Luz Stella, Norwalk. $3,505, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 38 Center Ave., Norwalk. Filed Nov. 21.

Winter, Joan, Norwalk. $13,932, in favor of American Express National Bank, Salt Lake City, Utah, by Zwicker & Associates PC, Enfield. Property: 14 Bartlett Manor, Norwalk. Filed Nov. 26.

LIENS Federal Tax Liens Filed Arnone, Jane, 14 Pemberwick Road, Greenwich. $55,632, civil proceeding tax. Filed Sept. 30. Budkins, Jacqueline A., 56 Alexander St., Greenwich. $12,935, civil proceeding tax. Filed Sept. 3. Carter, Denise D., 18 Dandy Drive, Cos Cob. $13,963, civil proceeding tax. Filed Aug. 30. Castaldo, Victor V., P.O. Box 448, Cos Cob. $91,519, civil proceeding tax. Filed September. 30. Chuldjian, Sarkis H., 3 Putnam Ave. Apartment C, Greenwich. $10,867, civil proceeding tax. Filed Oct. 8. Currivan, Frank J. and Mary Ellen Currivan, 12 Perna Lane, Riverside. $20,237, civil proceeding tax. Filed Sept. 18. Elam, William and Gasbarri Elam, 26 Caroline Place, Greenwich. $12,488, civil proceeding tax. Filed Sept. 18.

English, Richard A., 60 Parsonage Road, Apartment A, Greenwich. $7,752, civil proceeding tax. Filed Oct. 7. Finkbeiner, Peter J., 10 Brookside Drive, Apartment 2K, Greenwich. $33,200, civil proceeding tax. Filed Sept. 3. Green, Anthony and Jennifer A. Lavalett, 81 Strickland Road, Cos Cob. $82,589, civil proceeding tax. Filed Aug. 23. Jackson, Tommie, 458 Wire Mill Road, Stamford. $209,064, civil proceeding tax. Filed July 23. Lamont, Edward, 4 Ashton Drive, Greenwich. $12,456, civil proceeding tax. Filed Sept. 3. Martinov, Michael, 98 Valley Road, Apartment 1, Cos Cob. $17,018, civil proceeding tax. Filed Aug. 23. Nivicela, Carlos A., 18 Pemberwick Road, Greenwich. $25,324, civil proceeding tax. Filed Sept. 3. Rutkowsky, Shannon E., 51 Forest Ave., Apartment 47, Old Greenwich. $94,983, civil proceeding tax. Filed Oct. 7. Salehzadeh, Ahmad M., 31 Hettiefred Road, Greenwich. $129,494, civil proceeding tax. Filed Sept. 6. Stevens, Nathaniel, 90 Bay Drive, Apartment 1005, Miami Beach, Florida. $10,386, civil proceeding tax. Filed Aug. 23. Villacis, Raul and Vivian S. Villacis, 15 Blackberry Drive, Stamford. $99,000, civil proceeding tax. Filed July 23. Wissak, Steven J., and Bonnie J. Glasser, 1046 King St., Greenwich. $6,722, civil proceeding tax. Filed Sept. 3. Zeeve, John R., and Amy A. Zeeve, 209 Glenville Road, Greenwich. $20,337, civil proceeding tax. Filed Aug. 30.

Mechanic’s Liens Buckthorne Lane LLC, Greenwich. Filed by Scaping Land Development Corp., by Salvatore Olivia. Property: 8 Buckthorne Lane, Greenwich. Amount: $90,825. Filed Aug. 7. Harrison at Holmdel LLC, Greenwich. Filed by JNR Plumbing LLC, by Mark W. Klein. Property: 325 Riversville Road, Greenwich. Amount: $3,156. Filed July 23. Zazzarino, Louis, Stamford. Filed by E. Garrity Water Solutions LLC, by Evan E. Garrity. Property: 7 Juniper Hill Road, Greenwich. Amount: $7,380. Filed Sep. 4.

LIS PENDENS 1404 Bradford Street LLC, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by The Marcus Law Firm, North Bradford, for Tower Fund Services. Property: 26 Crescent Place, Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 23. 1797 Main Street LLC, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by the Law Office of Juda J. Epstein, Bridgeport, for Benchmark Municipal Tax Services LTD. Property: 1795 Main St., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 26. Andrade, Irving, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Freedom Mortgage Corp. Property: 94 Bell St., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 18. Brown, Sandra, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust. Property: 186 Laurel Place, Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 18. Chamnerlain, Robert, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Wells Fargo Bank NA. Property: 269 Horace St., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 23.

D’Eramo, Theresa, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by The Marcus Law Firm, North Bradford, for Tower Fund Services. Property: 195 Merritt St., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 23. Etienne, Jennie, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Wells Fargo Bank NA. Property: 35 Waller Road, Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 18. Floyree, McGhie, et al, Hartford. Filed by The Marcus Law Firm, North Branford, for TLF National Tax Lien Trust. Property: 49 Canaan St., Hartford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 23. Galeano, Alberto, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by The Marcus Law Firm, North Branford, for the Water Pollution Control Authority for the city of Bridgeport. Property: 62 Porter St., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 17. Garricks, Kareen, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Greene Law PC, Farmington, for the Water Pollution Control Authority for the city of Bridgeport. Property: 320 Catherine St., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 23. Hussain, Sleman, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Amerihome Mortgage Company LLC. Property: 2612 North Ave., Unit D4, Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 22.

Lopez, Hector J., et al, Bridgeport. Filed by The Marcus Law Firm, North Branford, for the Water Pollution Control Authority for the city of Bridgeport. Property: 1512 Park Ave., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 17. McNaughton, Bruce W., Bridgeport. Filed by the Law Offices of Rachel Aylor LLC, Orange, for Melinda McNaughton. Property: 90 Silliman Ave., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed July 22. Morales, Christopher, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by the Law Office of Juda J. Epstein, Bridgeport, for Benchmark Municipal Tax Services LTD. Property: 108 Suggetts Lane, Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 26. Nationstar Mortgage LLC, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by The Marcus Law Firm, North Bradford, for US Bank National Association. Property: 39 Clearview Drive, Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 23. Neff Companies LLC, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by the Law Office of Juda J. Epstein, Bridgeport, for Benchmark Municipal Tax Services LTD. Property: 58 Sherman St., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 19. Neff Companies LLC, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by The Marcus Law Firm, North Bradford, for Tower Fund Services. Property: 148 Bishop Ave., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 23.

Koch, Steven C., et al, Bridgeport. Filed by The Marcus Law Firm, North Branford, for the Water Pollution Control Authority for the city of Bridgeport. Property: 172 Morehouse St., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 17.

Ramos Jr., Gabriel, Bridgeport. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Newrez LLC. Property: 114 Manhattan Ave., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed July 24.

Lelyk, Mariya, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by the Law Office of Juda J. Epstein, Bridgeport, for Benchmark Municipal Tax Services LTD. Property: 80 Cartright St., Unit 6K, Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 26.

Scott, Shaun, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for CSMC 2018-RPL1 Trust. Property: 733 Boston Ave., Unit 7A, Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 18.

FCBJ

JANUARY 6, 2020

Facts & Figures Similien, Jacob, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Freedom Mortgage Corp. Property: 200 Harral Ave., Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 22.

Brauer, Stephanie, Stamford, by Douglas B. Seltzer. Lender: Bank of America NA, 101 S Tryon St., Charlotte, North Carolina. Property: 320 Strawberry Hill Ave., Unit 18, Stamford. Amount: $510,750. Filed Aug. 5.

Mulreed, Kenneth C. and Sheri L. Mulreed, Stamford, by Christian W. Bujdud Lender: UBS Bank USA, 299 S Main St., Suite 2275, Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 38 Westcott Road, Stamford. Amount: $485,000. Filed Aug. 5.

Terryl, Wilkinson, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Wells Fargo Bank NA. Property: 333 Vincellette St., Unit 71, Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 18.

Brutus, Anita and Jean Brutus, Stamford, by William a. Snider. Lender: First County Bank, 117 Prospect St., Stamford. Property: 74 Elaine Drive, Stamford. Amount: $468,000. Filed Aug. 5.

Parry, Steven and Amanda Parry, Stamford, by Brooke Cavaliero. Lender: Wells Fargo Bank, 101 N. Philips Ave., Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Property: 273 Jonathan Drive Stamford. Amount: $1,012,500. Filed Aug. 5.

Whitman, Jeanette, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Wells Fargo Bank NA. Property: 290 Red Oak Road, Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 23. Williams, Ryan, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Cohen and Wolf PC, Orange, for Cartright Condominium Association Inc. Property: 25 Cartright St., Unit 1K, Bridgeport. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed July 25.

LEASES Harrison, Ricardo, by Marylou Weeks. Landlord: Success Village Apartments Inc., Bridgeport. property: 100 Court D, Building 94, Apartment 11, Bridgeport. Term: 35 years, commenced Nov. 21, 2019. Filed Nov. 25. Montanez, Barbara and Leoncio Montanez, by Marylou Weeks. Landlord: Success Village Apartments Inc., Bridgeport. Property: 100 Court D, Building 16, Apartment 27, Bridgeport. Term: 35 years, commenced Nov. 22, 2019. Filed Nov. 25.

MORTGAGES Bahl, Prateek and Lan Jin, Stamford, by Dina Tornheim. Lender: Citibank NA, 1000 Technology Drive, O’Fallon, Missouri. Property: 106 3RD St., Stamford. Amount: $300,000. Filed Aug. 5.

JANUARY 6, 2020

Butler, Barbara M., Stamford, by Benjamin Connor. Lender: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, 1111 Polaris Pkwy., Columbus, Ohio. Property: 40 Eonoke Place, Stamford. Amount: $91,072. Filed Aug. 5. Cribbin, Caitlin, Stamford, by Michael F. Murray. Lender: People’s United Bank National Association, 850 Main St., Bridgeport. Property: 39 Maple Tree Ave., Unit 60, Stamford. Amount: $294,000. Filed Aug. 5. Fairfield K&G Associates LLC, Stamford, by N/A. Lender: Patriot Bank NA, 900 Bedford St., Stamford. Property: 193 Hope St., Stamford. Amount: $249,995. Filed Aug. 7. Leary, Patrick, Stamford, by Margaret A. O’Neal. Lender: KeyBank National Association, 127 Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio. Property: 115 Colonial Road, Unit 56, Stamford. Amount: $460,000. Filed Aug. 5. Legutko, Steven Walter, Stamford, by Benjamin McEachin. Lender: Amerisave Mortgage Corp., 3525 Piedmont Road, Suite 600, Atlanta, Georgia. Property: 96 Crestwood Drive, Stamford. Amount: $335,250. Filed Aug. 5. Mongillo, Roswhita and Peter E. Mongillo, Stamford, by Carolyn A. Fernandez. Lender: American Advisors Group, 3800 W Chapman Ave., Orange, California. Property: 637 Fairfield Ave., Stamford. Amount: $718,500. Filed Aug. 6.

FCBJ

Bella Luna Photography LLC, 52 Lantern Circle, Stamford 06905, c/o Ksenia Lounes. Filed Oct. 28.

Never Trumper Swag, 243 Tresser Blvd., 17th floor, Stamford 06901, c/o Never Trumper LLC. Filed Nov. 6.

Coldwell Banker Realty Referral Net, 6 Landmark Square, Fouth floor, Stamford 06901, c/o Coldwell Banker Residential. Filed Oct. 25.

Rusk, 1 Cummings Point Road, Stamford 06902, c/o Conair Corp. Filed Oct. 31.

Coldwell Banker Realty, 6 Landmark Square, Fourth floor, Stamford 06901, c/o NRT New England LLC. Filed Oct. 25.

Rao, Pranil and Rajashree Madan, Stamford, by Andrew G. Brucker. Lender: Garden State Home Loans Inc, 2091 Springdale Road, Suite16, Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Property: 48 Pepper Ridge Road, Stamford. Amount: $395,000. Filed Aug. 5.

DryBar, 2215 Summer St., Stamford 06905, c/o Inspired Innovation Stamford LLC. Filed Oct. 24.

Tomsky, John M. and Debra F. Tomsky, Stamford, by Stella Charkales. Lender: Webster Bank NA, 145 Bank St., Waterbury. Property: 2 S. Lake Drive, Stamford. Amount: $500,000. Filed Aug. 5.

Hair Magic by Tina, 29 High Ridge Road, Suite 103, Stamford 06905, c/o Hair Magic by Tine LLC. Filed Oct. 23.

Tovshteyn, Yulia, Stamford, by Lisa Kent. Lender: Home Point Financial Corp., 9 Entin Road, Suite 200, Parsippany, New Jersey. Property: 156 Shadow Ridge Road, Stamford. Amount: $454,721. Filed Aug. 6. Zalis, Joseph I. and Lauren M. Zalis, Stamford, by David J. Rucci. Lender: People’s United Bank National Association, 850 Main St., Bridgeport. Property: 31 Chesterfield Road, Stamford. Amount: $1,040,000. Filed Aug. 5.

NEW BUSINESSES

Ever Spark Professional Cleaning, 15 Southwood Drive, No.102, Stamford 06902, c/o Gysania Pena. Filed Nov. 1.

Handy Services Connecticut, 139 Courtland Hill St., Stamford 06906, c/o Alexander Gonzalez. Filed Oct. 31. J & Company 2019, 1 Bank St., Suite 406, Stamford 06902, c/o Jennifer Martinez. Filed Nov. 6. Jual Printing, 950 Cove Road, Stamford 06902, c/o Alba Luz Pinzon. Filed Nov. 7. Juice Place, 220 W. Main St., Stamford 06902, c/o Martha Espino. Filed Nov. 4. Kidz Room, 870A E. Main St., Stamford 06902, c/o Karol A. Mejia. Filed Nov. 1.

3 Guys Vegan, 44 Euclid Ave., Apartment 2, Stamford 06902, c/o Arnaldo Andres Duarte. Filed Nov. 5.

Kurysh Construction, 123 Seaton Road, Apartment 2, Stamford 06902, c/o Ihor Kurysh. Filed Nov. 5.

Aalicious Bling, 42 Weed Hill Ave., Stamford 06907, c/o Vanessa Watkin. Filed Nov. 7.

Minchin Buick GMC of Stamford, 131 Jefferson St., Stamford 06902, c/o Minchin Buick of Stamford LLC. Filed Nov. 7.

Aquage, 1 Cummings Point Road, Stamford 06902, c/o Conair Corp. Filed Oct. 31.

Stamford Barbershop II, 39 Belltown Road, Stamford 06906, c/o Veloz Barbershop LLC. Filed Oct. 29. Stamford Row LLC, 5 Broad St., Stamford 06901, c/o Cody K. Dolly. Filed Nov. 6. Taco Daddy, 121 Towne St., Suite 2, Stamford 06902, c/o Taco Daddy LLC. Filed Oct. 29. Union De La Diaspora Haitienne Pour H., 84 Warren St., No. 4, Stamford 06902, c/o Francois Turnier. Filed Oct. 29. United Services of America, 750 E. Main St., Suite 520, Stamford 06902, c/o Affineco LLC. Filed Nov. 6. West Stone Supply LLC, 39 Greenheart Road, Stamford 06902, c/o Carlos Alvarez. Filed Oct. 28. Zezima Land and Tree LLC, 219 High Clear Drive, Stamford 06906, c/o Christopher J. Zezima. Filed Nov. 7.

PATENTS Adjusting the perceived elevation of an audio image on a solid cinema screen. Patent no. 10,516,963 issued to Paul Wayne Peace Jr., Port Hueneme, California. Assigned to Harman, Stamford. Apparatus and method for coating bulk quantities of solid particles. Patent no. 10,516,169 issued to Anthony F. Zeberoff, Brookfield; Jeffrey F. Roeder, Bethel; Peter C. Van Buskirk, Newtown. Assigned to Sonata Scientific LLC, Bethel.

Blade damper with a magnetic contaminants trap. Patent no. 10,513,330 issued to Adrial Kirchen, Stamford; James Orbon, New Haven. Assigned to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford. Carbon dioxide removal system for anode exhaust of a fuel cell. Patent no. 10,516,180 issued to Fred C. Jahnke, Rye; Matthew Lambrech, Sherman. Assigned to Fuelcell Energy Inc., Danbury. Crimp tool force monitoring device. Patent no. 10,513,015 issued to John David Lefavour, Litchfield, New Hampshire; Alan Douglas Beck, Bow, New Hampshire; Robert Michael Poirier, Bedford, New Hampshire; Peter Matthew Wason, Manchester, New Hampshire, Lawrence N. Brown, Ctr. Barnstead, New Hampshire. Assigned to Hubbell Inc., Shelton. Multisource wireless headphone and audio switching device. Patent no. 10,514,884 issued to Abhay Mathur, Karnatake, India. Assigned to Harman, Stamford. System for remotely running a service program. Patent no. 10,516,762 issued to William Van Wyck, Darien; Theresa Biasi, Shelton, Wisconsin; Kelly Jura, Seymour; Michelle Stevens, Stamford; Anuja Ketan, Oxford. Assigned to Zillion Group, Norwalk. Tiltwing aircraft. Patent no. 10,513,332 issued to Mark R. Alber, Milford; Jeffrey Parkhurst, Meriden; Charles Gayagoy, Orange. Assigned to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford.

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VO No TIN w G th IS ro NO ug W hF O eb PE .2 N 1 THE THRIVING THIRTY HAVE BEEN REVEALED Please go to westfaironline.com to read through the supplement that identified the winners and the categories they were nominated for. Then you will be able to vote for the Best of the Best in seven categories.

THE CATEGORIES ARE: Most Entrepreneurial Most Family-Friendly Greenest Most Pet-Friendly Most Visionary Most Promising for Future Generations Most Socially Conscious

Join us as we celebrate the Thriving Thirty and the seven BEST OF THE BEST

APRIL 28 AT 5 P.M. at the Crowne Plaza • 2701 Summer St., Stamford Business organizations partnering with the Fairfield County Business Journal are: Bridgeport Regional Business Council, The Business Council of Fairfield County, Darien Chamber of Commerce, Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce, Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, Stamford Chamber of Commerce, Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce For information, contact: Olivia D’Amelio at odamelio@westfairinc.com. For sponsorships, contact: Barbara Hanlon at bhanlon@westfairinc.com or 914-358-0766.

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