Fairfield County Business Journal 030617

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5 | WE CARE March 6, 2017 | VOL. 53, No. 10

13 | RISING FIGURES

YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

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Last inning for Bluefish? WITH RISING COSTS, LEASE LAPSING AND NEW TAX, OWNER JUST WANTS A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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ed to protect independent auto dealers from auto manufacturers looking to own licensed dealerships and/or sell cars directly to consumers. Enacted when the American auto industry was dominated by the Big Three — Ford, General Motors and Chrysler — the laws are viewed as outdated by Tesla and others in an era when electric vehicles are becoming popular. Adding complexity to the issue is the fact that Tesla, which to date has specialized in luxury sedans and SUVs, will introduce the mass-market Model 3 later this year at a cost of around $30,000. The company said it already has more than 400,000 orders nationwide for that vehicle.

s it enters its 20th season, the Bridgeport Bluefish baseball team finds itself at something of a crossroads. Attendance has been relatively flat for the past few years, principal owner and CEO Frank Boulton has personally spent what he says is “a lot of money” to keep the team afloat and there’s at least a chance that the team will have to look for a new home when its lease at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard expires this year. Still, Boulton told the Business Journal, “The 20 years have gone pretty quickly, which speaks to the old adage that time flies when you’re having fun … I guess.” Running the Bluefish as well as the Atlantic League in which it plays can be fun, Boulton said, but it can be challenging as well. While the team’s sponsors run an impressive gamut – from national companies such as Boar’s Head, McDonald’s and Allstate to firms in Bridgeport and surrounding towns like All Kids Dental, transportation company Dattco and Scap Auto Group in Fairfield – Boulton feels that more need to step up to the plate. “We need more corporate support,” he said. “I don’t mean corporate welfare, but something that would be a small piece of their marketing budget. You’ve got a captive audience of 185,000 to 200,000 people a season, who are sitting there for maybe up to three hours. They notice those signs and it can make the difference in whether they go to that store after the game.” According to Ballpark Digest, the Bluefish finished the 2016 season with a total attendance of 183,921 – a 4 percent decline from the previous year’s 192,466, and the lowest of the Atlantic League’s eight teams both years. Boulton maintains that total attendance was actually up last year thanks to such events as its annual “Battle of the

» Tesla, page 6

» Bluefish, page 9

Sealing TV deals

See story on page 2

Carl Higbie in Greenwich, where the ex-Navy SEAL operates his Ameriman consulting business. Photo by Phil Hall.

Conn. car dealers revved up against ‘Tesla Bill’ BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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ith the so-called “Tesla Bill” under consideration by the state legislature for the third consecutive year, the by-now usual battle lines are already

being drawn between the California electric-vehicle maker and Connecticut’s auto dealers. Tesla — formerly Tesla Motors — has been fighting against the Connecticut Franchise Act and similar laws in a number of states for the past several years. Many of those statutes were passed as far back as the 1930s and were intend-


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