FAIRFIELD COUNTY
BUSINESS JOURNAL YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS | westfaironline.com
March 10, 2014 | VOL. 50, No. 10
CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS
FCBJ this week SURVIVAL OF FITTEST The Business Council of Fairfield County is serious about healthy workplaces … 7
sHeltoN comPaNY PioNeers cruises for tHe autistic aND tHeir families BY BiLL FALLoN
A DAY AT THE INCUBATOR The Stamford Innovation Center hosts a “smart” event … 10
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Easier permitting and parking top the agenda. But before rolling up his sleeves and getting down to business, Rilling took a moment to applaud the Department of Public Works for its handiwork during the weather, making history this year as one of the coldest winters
roadway theater-goers endured a delectable dose of envy last year when a full house of autistic persons and their caregivers took over the Minskoff Theatre in New York City for a private performance of “The Lion King.” That “Hakuna matata”-filled afternoon — sponsored by the Theatre Development Fund — while a headline-grabber, was not alone in enriching the lives of the autistic and their families. For seven years, a Shelton-based company called Autism on the Seas has successfully sent autistic clients and their families and caregivers on “dozens and dozens, not quite 100” cruises. Autism on the Seas’ principal Mike Sobbell, 49, did not originally plan to build a company based on travel for individuals with challenges. But, he said citing an academic history in engineering, sociology and psychology, “I had an innate interest.” He and his wife and two children had enjoyed cruise ships in general. Sobbell, ever an engineer whose first business path was in manufacturing, confesses to a fascination for the structure and propulsion of big boats. His original plans for a generic cruise company eventually morphed into Autism on the Seas. He could not have chosen a more appreciative demographic to serve. Sobbell pointed to a page of company testimonials that equally tug at heartstrings and offer hope. One testimonial read, “I saw my Grandson bloom in ways I have waited to
» Rilling, page 6
» Captains, page 6
COMPUTING TAXES O’Connor Davies investigates electronic filing … 18 NEWSMAKERS Causes to celebrate, perhaps to toast … 22
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norwalk mayor Harry Rilling
RILLING CASTS WIDE POLICY NET SEEKS TAX SHIFT, EASED PERMITS AND A PLACE TO PARK
BY CRYSTAL KANG ckang@westfairinc.com
CELEBRATING 100 DAYS IN OFFICE, Mayor Harry Rilling gave Norwalk residents a rundown of the budget and development projects the city will be working on this year.
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THE BUSINESS CAVALRY mcgladrey is busy all year, not just in tax season
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