Fairfield County Business Journal 031615

FAIRFIELD COUNTY

BUSINESS JOURNAL March 16, 2015 | VOL. 51, No. 11

18 | NEWSMAKERS

4 | SBA INSIGHTS YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

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Cutting through the data clutter KURT JETTA SEEKS CLARITY FOR HIS CLIENTS, WITH SALES IN MIND

BY BILL FALLON bfallon@westfairinc.com KURT JETTA, CEO OF SHELTONBASED TABS, worked for Playtex in Westport for seven years before founding the business analytics company in 1998 in his Shelton basement, a one-person operation that has since grown to 25 employees at a 2 Corporate Drive address.

TABS’ data-driven model has gained a global clientele that includes the likes of sweets-mak-

Kurt Jetta. Photo by Bill Fallon

ers Mars and Wrigley, baby products maker Evenflo and beverage maker Anheuser-Busch, which is one of 26 companies in the “food and beverage” client list on the company’s website.

If the client list is stacked with A-listers — which it is — Jetta said the backbone of the company is a cohort of small and midsize businesses. The TABS system — which he said “cuts through the clutter” — offers big-company data management to smaller companies. “These companies typically do not have large marketing budgets or marketing departments,” he said.

TABS stands for The Analytical Business Solution.

Jetta, who already possessed a 1986-minted MBA from Duke » NUMBERS, page 1

Payback time for payday loans TV ads could mask illegal activities

BY LEIF SKODNICK lskodnick@westfairinc.com CONNECTICUT’S DEPARTMENT OF BANKING HAS taken steps to protect residents from payday lending, ordering lenders to repay millions of dollars and levying six-figure fines.

Connecticut’s scrutiny of the TV commercial-promoted loans matches neighboring New York, which recently levied a $2.1 million penalty and reached an agreement to stop a company from using a famous endorser.

Last year, the Connecticut Department of Banking settled with CashCall Inc., Western Sky Financial LLC and Martin Webb, the owner of Western Sky Financial, for violating Connecticut law pertaining to small-loan lenders after

an investigation determined that CashCall had made more than 3,800 illegal loans to Connecticut residents, netting more than $5 million in excess interest.

The lenders were forced by Connecticut to pay a $350,000 fine and also paid more than $3.7 million in restitution to the borrowers.

In January, the Connecticut Department of Banking ordered $1.5 million in fines be levied against the head of a Midwest-based Native American tribe and its two payday lending companies.

John Shotton, chairman of the OtoeMissouria tribe, and Great Plains Lending LLC were each fined $700,000. The second tribeowned company, Clear Creek Lending, was fined $100,000 for violations of Connecticut’s

laws governing unsecured consumer loans.

In New York, Selling Source LLC, a Nevada-based company that does business as MoneyMutual, along with celebrity endorser Montel Williams, agreed to a consent order from the New York State Department of Financial Services that included the $2.1 million penalty to settle charges.

The charges alleged that Selling Source sold payday lenders sales leads for more than 800,000 New Yorkers. The lenders then made loans to those New York residents with interest rates far above those allowed by state law, according to the state agency.

The sanctions against Selling Source are the result of the first successful enforcement » PAYDAY, page 6

Three years in, SIC is hitting its stride Rippowam Labs went looking for a dedicated facility, they gave the Stamford Innovation Center scant thought, instead settling on a small commercial space on Summer Street just a few blocks away.

BY ALEXANDER SOULE Hearst Connecticut Media

O

n a June day in 2012, when a baking sun had temperatures hovering near 100 degrees in downtown Stamford, startup guru Bob Dorf rolled up his sleeves to engage his audience with a combination lecture and pep talk, some 60 people crowding a room at the Stamford Innovation Center.

Taking in the crowd in the sweltering room, Peter Propp knew the formula he was cooking up alongside Barry Schwimmer and other founders of the Stamford Innovation Center was going to work.

“People were there the whole time,” said Propp, the center’s chief marketing officer.

“I was thinking, if they were going to sit through something like this, then we actually had something. I mean, we had cold beer in the back of the room, but it was uncomfortable to sit down — it was unpleasant.”

From its launch more than three years ago as a business accelerator for entrepreneurs, the Stamford Innovation Center has turned out to be much more — a crossroads in downtown Stamford to engage not just startups and their mentors but all manner of businesspeople interested in the city’s growth.

From a couple of events a month in the early going, the center today maintains a bustling schedule heading into perhaps the signature event on its annual lineup, the Stamford Startup Weekend business plan competition, scheduled this year for April 10-12.

If the startup event draws people from throughout the Northeast, it is the ongoing workshops held at the Stamford Innovation Center that have become the biggest contributing factor to the city’s emerging vitality for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Formerly a manager with IBM, Propp was getting involved in the strategy and marketing of the center early in the summer of 2012 while running a regional meetup group.

“We were trying to figure out how to go to market,” Propp said. “So what I thought of doing was events. It would be a place where every meetup wants to be, where every business school alumni group wants to be.

“We always felt that if we made people want to be here, for a variety of programs, that we could grow the number of people who know about us,” he added. “So we have really matured that process.”

TIME TO CATCH UP

In what some considered a startling conclusion, the Kauffman Foundation in 2013 determined that in the decade between 1990 and 2010, lower Fairfield County suf-

POP-UP COMPANIES

Stamford Innovation Center Chief Marketing Officer Peter Propp talks during hacker night at the center in January.

Photo by Tyler Sizemore

fered the second steepest drop in high-tech startup density of midsize metropolitan areas nationally. The largest decline was in New Haven, which likewise has embraced an entrepreneurship incubator in its midst called The Grove.

Last April, the Kauffman Foundation ranked Connecticut 23rd among the 50 states for entrepreneurship, estimating there are 28 entrepreneurs for every 10,000 people here. If far from the startup instincts demonstrated in California — 40 people in every 10,000 there are entrepreneurs — Connecticut was about on par with New York and Massachusetts.

In October 2012, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy launched Connecticut’s Innovation Ecosystem, creating central hubs for entrepreneurship throughout the state, including at the Stamford Innovation Center. The state would form an organization called CTNext to act as a facilitator online and behind the scenes for innovators seeking backers to give them a boost.

“It will take some time to catch up,” Malloy said at the time. “But we’re back in the game.”

As measured by venture capital dollars, Malloy’s hometown of Stamford still has some catching up to do. Hearst tracked 11

2 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

venture capital deals by Stamford companies in 2014 totaling $37.8 million, down from 18 deals for $48.4 million the year before.

But if counted by the sheer number and diversity of events offered up at the Stamford Innovation Center, the ecosystem is thriving.

In February — typically not the busiest month on the event calendar — the Stamford Innovation Center helped organize 15 events across four weeks; in October, it crammed 20 events into the month.

By contrast, The Business Council of Fairfield County and the Stamford Chamber of Commerce combined for 10 events in February, albeit some of those confabs drawing far larger crowds from the big bases of membership on which those two organizations can draw.

In the diversity of programming it offers, the closest to the Stamford Innovation Center may be SCORE Fairfield County, which has 11 events on its March schedule.

But SCORE borrows space for its events throughout lower Fairfield County, and so does not offer the sense of community that a single site can offer like the Stamford Innovation Center.

Still, the center does not hold a monopoly on the innovation event space. When the founders of the “maker space” organization

The center’s showcase event remains Stamford Startup Weekend, won last year

by Pop.Up Shoppees, created by Bruno Chima of Creating Economic Opportunities in Storrs and Walid Namane and Cyril Senu, both now with Sikorsky Aircraft. The trio’s team won with a plan to recycle used shipping containers into pop-up store fronts.

Though an intriguing idea, it’s similar to the Stamford Innovation Center, with its original mission to serve as an incubator for startup businesses, only adding the ongoing slate of events at a later date. On a regular basis, the center offers up entrepreneurs who have spent time building their companies within its walls to share their experiences, in most cases candidly detailing their failures and successes along the way.

Schwimmer thinks back to the first Stamford Startup Weekend in 2012, and recalls marveling at the 150 people that attended on the Friday pitch night where contestants showcase their ideas and recruit team members for the weekend.

“This had never been done in Fairfield County before and I remember sitting there and going, ‘Wow, people are interested in this,’” Schwimmer said. “People are now really looking at this place and they are saying ... ‘There’s interesting people there. There’s things going on and there’s companies that are being created ... and strong partnerships that are being formed.’”

With a 10-year lease in hand, the Stamford Innovation Center has plenty of time to figure out how it will fit into Stamford’s business scene going forward, and by extension, Connecticut’s.

“What I really want is the longest runway possible so that people know we’re going to be around,” Propp said. “We feel very comfortable we are going to be around for quite a while. ... The comfort level that 20 or 30 years (from now) we could be doing this, interesting stuff like this and the number of jobs we would produce doing this. ... The companies that would come through here and build up and bust out, and the impact on the region? I think it would be phenomenal.”

Hearst Connecticut Media includes four daily newspapers: Connecticut Post, Greenwich Time, The Advocate (Stamford) and The News Times (Danbury). See stamfordadvocate.com for more from this reporter.

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FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015

3

In Stamford visit, SBA leader seeks to inspire

TOUTS EFFORTS TO SUPPORT BUSINESSES RUN BY WOMEN, MINORITIES

• • • • •

Main office telephone . . . . . . . 914-694-3600 Newsroom fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 914-694-3680 Sales fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 914-694-3699 Research fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .914-694-3682 Editorial e-mail bfallon@westfairinc.com

Or write to: Fairfield County Business Journal 3 Westchester Park Drive, Suite G7 White Plains, N.Y. 10604-3407

BY LEIF SKODNICK lskodnick@westfairinc.com

B

efore a group of businesswomen at the Women’s Business Development Council in Stamford on March 10, Maria Contreras-Sweet told a story she knew well.

Contreras-Sweet, the administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, spoke about the girl born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the daughter of migrant workers, whose grandmother told her that someday, maybe, she could work in an office and be a secretary.

“I said, gee, Grandma, I do hold office, and I am a cabinet secretary,” ContrerasSweet said, concluding the story of how she went from moving to the U.S. to working at Westinghouse, to becoming California’s secretary of business, transportation and housing under Gov. Gray Davis, to being named SBA administrator by President Barack Obama last year. It was a story she hoped would inspire the small-business owners in the audience of 30-plus – among them, an ice cream shop owner and the founder of an outsourced administrative assistant service – to achieve their goals in business.

“I don’t believe that she ever imagined that,” Contreras-Sweet said, referring to her grandmother. “It was less about me, and more about this country and its social mobility, that someone could come in and harvest opportunity.”

Contreras-Sweet made the visit to the WBDC, which provides entrepreneurial and financial counseling and training, to promote the SBA’s efforts as a loan guarantor to small businesses nationwide and encourage support for the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement, as well as hear from women in small businesses on how the SBA could improve its programs.

“I’m using this opportunity during March, which is Women’s History Month, to come and visit Connecticut, because there are so many dynamic opportunities here,” Contreras-Sweet told the Business Journal.

“We want them to learn more about the SBA’s services, around counseling, capital and contracting, so they can benefit from our programs.”

Contreras-Sweet said that since taking office, she has implemented a three-pronged strategy to improve the administration’s services and increase access for women and minority-run businesses. The SBA had gotten feedback that SBA-backed loans were

FAIRFIELD COUNTY

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Maria Contreras-Sweet, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Photo by Leif Skodnick

difficult to navigate, expensive and difficult to find.

“We streamlined the paperwork extensively,” Contreras-Sweet said. “You do have to pay extra fees to get an SBA guarantee, but we’ve zeroed out fees for SBA loans under $150,000 for both the lender and the borrower, so that’s helped a lot.”

Additionally, Contreras-Sweet said the SBA has entered into partnerships with credit unions to make more financial institutions available to provide SBA-guaranteed loans.

“We think that three-pronged strategy is going to be effective,” she said. “In minority lending, we already have a 32 percent average increase just since we put these programs in place.”

In addition to providing counseling to small-business owners and the capital that guarantees SBA loans, Contreras-Sweet told the audience at the WBDC that the federal government hopes to achieve its procurement goals by contracting with businesses run by women and minorities.

“The SBA directs 23 percent (of government procurement contracts) to small businesses, and so that’s a big spend. … We’ve met that goal,” Contreras-Sweet said. “We have

4 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

not met the goal for women, and that’s only a 5 percent goal. You’d think that would be easy, but women are not coming forward to sell things to the federal government.”

In the year since she became leader of the SBA, Contreras-Sweet has sought and received congressional approval for a new tool that requires the government to contract with female-owned businesses for procurement when they are available to do so.

While the goal of 5 percent of government procurement contracts being awarded to female-owned businesses hasn’t been reached yet, Contreras-Sweet said, “I’m determined that on my watch we’re going to reach it.”

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Algonquin pipeline projects move along in approval processes

BY COLLEEN WILSON cwilson@westfairinc.com

O

ver the last three weeks, Spectra Energy Partners LP has moved forward in the federal processes for two different projects on the Algonquin Gas Transmission line.

Spectra intends to modify its natural gas pipeline in four states, including New York and Connecticut. It plans to replace sections of the pipeline with larger diameter pipes, replace meter stations used to monitor the gas, add compressors to help transport gas along the route and make changes to various meter stations.

On March 3, roughly one year after applying for a certificate to proceed in construction, the Algonquin Incremental Market Project was given the go-ahead by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the $971.6 million project.

The 66-page document approved about 37.4 miles of pipeline modification.

The biggest chunk will replace 20.1 miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline with 42-inchdiameter pipeline in Putnam, Rockland and

Westchester counties and Fairfield County in Connecticut.

In addition, Spectra will add compressor units at six stations in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island, including modifying station piping at the Stony Point Compressor Station in Rockland County and at the Southeast Compressor Station in Putnam County.

Connecticut will also add new meter stations and replace one in New London County.

A few weeks earlier, on Feb. 20, FERC approved a pre-filing review of Spectra’s Atlantic Bridge Project, which looks to make similar improvements and expansions on the AIM Project, but along different sections of the Algonquin transmission pipeline.

This project is aimed at modifying the pipeline along roughly 36.2 miles total, constructing one new compressor station, adding two compressor units and making improvements to some existing meter stations.

As the Atlantic Bridge Project gets closer to filing its certificate application, which Spectra hopes to do by the end of the year, there will be multiple open houses in March to provide information and gather input

WE ARE LENDING…

from the community.

FERC in its approval of the AIM Project rejected all concerns raised by environmental and residential groups who feared that its construction could prove hazardous.

One major environmental issue concerned the potential for earthquakes in the Ramapo Fault near where the pipeline would cross the Hudson River near the Indian Point Energy Center. According to FERC, “the recorded magnitude of earthquakes in the project area is low and the ground vibration will not pose a problem for a modern welded-steel pipeline. Based on the low seismic risk and occurrence assigned to the project area, we agree with the conclusions in the final EIS (environemental impact statement) and find the risk of damage to pipeline facilities by earthquakes to be low.”

In addition, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission “concluded that a breach and explosion of the proposed 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline would not adversely impact the safe operation of the Indian Point facility. Therefore, the final EIS concludes that the project will not result in increased

safety impacts at the Indian Point facility.”

At the nearby Buchanan-Verplanck Elementary School, residents and parents of schoolchildren were concerned of the pipeline’s location near the school.

“The project’s right-of-way and construction workspace will be about 450 feet from the school facility at the closest point,” according to the FERC document. Citing the utility’s plans to avoid blasting and instead use open-cut construction near the school, FERC stated the impacts to the school would be “sufficiently minimized.”

U.S. Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-Harrison, the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, said she was disappointed with the decision.

“This decision was made without independent risk analyses, consideration of existing energy sources and transportation routes and a comprehensive review of the project’s environmental impact on the lower Hudson Valley. We must prioritize the health and safety of our communities and environment,” she said in a statement.

Staff writer Bob Rozycki contributed to this report.

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FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015

5

Numbers — » » From page 1

University, went on to earn a doctorate from Fordham University — in three years, while working — with his dissertation on “price promotional theory,” a topic he still holds dear. “People say promotions don’t work,” he said. “Promotions work, if they’re done correctly.”

“Massive databases have been out there forever.

And nobody has known what to do with them.”

— Kurt Jetta

Jetta’s “lightbulb moment” for founding TABS came with the realization that data management, for all its promise, was underperforming and “causing the same pain” repeatedly.

“Massive databases have been out there forever,” he said. “And nobody has known what to do with them.” Instead of efficiency, he had witnessed a cumbersome system of creating reports, presenting them and meeting about them. “Soon enough, you’re

looking at six months and a 500-page monstrosity,” he said.

The TABS method is based on streamlining data troves — “stripping out the inefficiencies” — and empowering manufacturers to use the results in sales-driven ways, whether wholesale or retail. “We address both issues,” Jetta said.

“We use analytical innovation to simplify and improve the way business analysis is conducted in our industry,” Jetta said. The company website says, “Our analytics reports won’t give you headaches or hernias.”

TABS provides specific data points to assist sales and marketing. It could mean macromarketing a product in the Northwest versus the Northeast or it could mean product placement on a shelf. If a product is wrapped or packaged and sold in a supermarket, TABS likely has data on it.

Jetta identified the current moment as a new age in sales where, for the first time, the product’s attributes — the pitches of newest, brightest, best — share the driving with data analytics.

And therein lies a rub.

Jetta said the data analysis industry nationally is focused in Fairfield County, northern New Jersey and the suburbs of Chicago. He pointed out all those areas are expensive, which can skew data analysis.

He said, “The trouble is that the people who practice this think the country is just like they are. They think everyone shops at Whole Foods. If you want to see the American marketplace, go the DMV – that is your typical consumer. You get everyone. I write on this topic. I call it out. A lot of weakness in the industry is a function of that basic disconnect. By living in places like Fairfield County, where the median income is high, it creates a bubble.”

Kurt Jetta. Photo by Bill Fallon

Payday — » » From page 1

action against a lead-generation firm. Leadgeneration firms do not typically make payday loans directly, but instead set up websites marketing those illegal loans, according to the New York Department of Financial Services. Through promises of easy access to quick cash, the lead-generation companies entice consumers to provide them with sensitive personal information such as Social Security and bank account numbers, and then sell that information to payday lenders operating unlawfully in New York and other states.

Williams, a talk show host and celebrity

endorser for Selling Source, agreed to no longer extend his endorsement of Selling Source to New York customers. In addition, Williams and Selling Source will no longer advertise specifically to New York residents.

“Using Mr. Williams’ reputation as a trusted celebrity endorser, MoneyMutual marketed loans to struggling consumers with sky-high interest rates — sometimes in excess of 1,300 percent — that trapped New Yorkers in destructive cycles of debt,” Benjamin F. Lawsky, superintendent of the Department of Financial Services, said in a press release announcing the settlement. “The company made special efforts to target the more than 55 percent of their customers who were ‘repeat clients’ — including so-called ‘gold’

6 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

customers who took out a new loan to pay off a previous loan.”

Payday loans are short-term, small-value loans that are typically structured as an advance on a consumer’s next paycheck but frequently have extremely high interest rates that can trap consumers in an increasing cycle of debt.

The settlement with Selling Source is part of a continuing investigation by Lawsky’s department into illegal payday lending in New York that began in 2013. Since the investigation began, the New York Department of Financial Services has gotten Visa and MasterCard to take steps to stop payday lenders from using debit card networks, gotten five banks — Bank of America, Citibank,

JPMorgan Chase, M&T Bank and Valley National Bank — to use a database created by the department to curtail payday lending, and warned debt collectors that loans with interest rates above the statutory maximums are void and unenforceable, and that collecting on such loans is therefore illegal.

In New York state, Lawsky indicated that his department will continue investigating payday lenders, including Selling Source.

“London Bay Capital LLC is a private equity company that acquired Selling Source in late 2007,” the Department of Financial Service’s press release said. “(The) agreement does not release London Bay from liability for the conduct uncovered during DFS investigation, which remains ongoing.”

FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015

7

BY DANIELLE M. CYR

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS

Turn your blog into a lead-generation hub

N

early one-third of business-to-business companies have a blog in their marketing toolkit. Blogs are a great avenue for making a website more contentrich, showcasing thought leadership and providing commentary on timely industry topics and trends. Blogging is also a great way to generate qualified leads and tie marketing more closely to one’s sales cycle.

Converting your business’ blog into a lead-generation hub doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a carefully-planned content strategy, a keen understanding of your sales cycle and a commitment to consistently producing high-quality content that will resonate with Web-surfing target audiences and inspire action. For companies willing to make the commitment however, it can

significantly increase return on investment from marketing.

GETTING STARTED

Whether you’re new to blogging or looking to revamp an existing business blog, auditing existing marketing, sales and other thought leadership assets is a great place to start. Auditing existing assets will help to generate topics for future blog posts and aggregate content that can be repurposed to help ease the content creation burden.

With the intelligence from your audit in tow, it’s time to talk to the sales team.

Remember, integration between marketing and sales is key to building an effective leadgeneration blog, so you’ll want to gather firsthand insights from the folks who interface

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with current and prospective clients day in and day out.

Ask for common questions they field during the sales cycle, barriers to purchase and who among your competitors tends to win bids over your company. You’ll also want to do some online research to see whose websites and blogs are popping up as top results for key search terms. All of these insights can help to hone your content strategy and identify opportunities for your business to stand out from the crowd.

DRIVING ACTION

With a content plan in place, it’s time to determine how to drive meaningful action via your business’ blog. For example, do you want people to ask questions, leave comments, download a complementary whitepaper or contact the company after consuming your content? While we’d all like a direct sales inquiry after consuming one piece of content, that isn’t entirely realistic.

In most instances, you’ll need to move readers through the whole sales funnel, guiding them from awareness to consideration and consideration to action. Keep this top-ofmind as you work to build the content that supports and enhances your blog.

As you add these additional content mediums into the mix, you’ll want to make sure the user experience remains a positive one – that data capture forms are easy to fill out (while still giving your marketing and sales teams the preliminary data they need), that paths to content are as direct as possible (nobody wants to click three, four or five times to get to their ultimate destination) and that everything you pen, illustrate or animate is audience-centric.

Using blogs to generate leads isn’t about a hard sell — it’s about educating target audiences and building trust so that when the time does come to buy, your company is top-of-mind.

STAYING ON THE RADAR Beyond consistently publishing relevant, high-quality content, you’ll want to be sure that any data capture forms linked to your blog – be they to download a whitepaper, schedule a consultation, etc. — are tied to an email lead-nurturing campaign that can help move prospects down the aforementioned sales funnel. When crafting these emails, focus on providing added value. You want people to open, read and benefit from the emails, so be sure everything from your headline to your closing line are on point and aligned with the target audiences’ wants and needs (also known as their buyer persona).

GROWING READERSHIP

Great content alone isn’t enough to make your blog a high-performing lead generator. You’ll need to identify ways to drive the right readers to your content. This mix may include a search engine marketing program, social media marketing and email marketing, among other tactics. The key is to employ a diverse range of communication channels that will reach the right audiences. Securing guest blogging opportunities on strategic partners’ blogs and through industry trade association and publication blogs can also help boost readership.

As you work to cement your business’ blog as a lead-generation hub, keep your eye on the competition and your antennae up for timely opportunities to develop new content. Your blog is a real-time marketing tool and with the right content and a keen understanding of the company sales cycle, it can consistently generate ROI. Danielle M. Cyr is vice president of integrated marketing for Co-Communications, a marketing and public relations agency with of�ices in Farmington, Mount Kisco, N.Y., and Manhattan. She can be reached at danielle@ cocommunications.com.

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Create a culture of safety in the workplace Lately we’ve been dealing with a lot of careless injuries.

People on the job site and in our office, are getting hurt and I think a lot of it is unnecessary. I care a lot about my workforce and I want my company to be known for being a leader in safety. How do I create a safer place to work?

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Put the company on a mission. Slow down the pace. Research the industry. Implement training programs. Make sure everyone understands the priorities.

It starts with you, at the top, recognizing that safety has costs. When people get hurt, their families get hurt. Co-workers have to work harder to cover for the injured person.

Bills mount up to treat and heal the injury.

That’s just on the surface.

When a company is missing an essential worker, orders may fall behind, creating more stress and more temptation to rush or take shortcuts, leading to more incidents.

Company reputation may be harmed, making it harder to attract and retain safetyminded personnel and top-notch customers. Fines and inspections may eat away at productivity and profits. All summed up, it’s much better to build a culture of safety.

Start by slowing down the pace of activity. Selling more can lead to more rushing, slip-ups, missteps, injuries, stress and poor judgments. Address gaps in sales versus delivery schedules by looking carefully at what’s realistic in the short and long term.

Consider outsourcing production until you can get things under control.

Treat safety by making it visible and giving it priority. Have zero tolerance for taking shortcuts. When there’s an incident, require that it be documented and discussed at staff meetings. Follow incidents all the way up the chain of command. Keep records for reviews, rewarding safety and penalizing dangerous behavior.

Make a list of all possible safety issues that could hit your company. It’s more than just dealing with a job site injury. Include illness, accidents inside and outside the building, security and interpersonal conflict.

Get everyone to take responsibility for making your business a safer place to work.

Ask each employee to own one safety issue.

Assign overseers that people can go to if they need to report something untoward. Offer

confidentiality and freedom from retribution for whistleblowers.

Find out who in your industry is doing an excellent job at safety. Refer to trade organizations for help. Identify benchmark companies and experts in your field.

Look for training programs to teach your people how to do their jobs properly. Ensure safety equipment is available, in good repair and in use all the time. Make sure people can afford to stay home when they’re sick.

If people want to find a better way to do something, have them do the research.

Document the new practices. Set aside time for training. Make sure people know how to perform safely before putting new methods into general use.

Build a list of safety training resourc-

es. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration provides a wealth of information. Many associations offer industryspecific courses. Insurance brokerage firms have a vested interest in helping their clients build safe work environments. Private companies offer a variety of services, from workplace assessments to assistance building safety manuals and train-the-trainer programs, right on down to on-site training – just be sure to check references.

Make it mandatory that every employee participates in safety training. Show employees and vendors the role safety plays in the company’s priorities. Help people make the right decisions in their day-to-day work environment by giving them practice in the classroom.

Lending options with your business in mind.

If you have questions about how we can help your business, please call Gene Schreiner, Vice President, Business Banking at 203.462.4208

Set aside work time for people to talk about ways to be safe. Educate people on the consequences for the business if safety becomes a problem. Make it clear that a safe work environment comes from every watching everyone’s back, all the time.

LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK? Try “Steps to Safety Culture Excellence” by Terry L. Mathis and Shawn M. Galloway.

Andi Gray is president of Strate�y Leaders Inc., strate�yleaders.com, a business-consulting �irm that specializes in helping entrepreneurial �irms grow. She can be reached by phone at 877-238-3535. Do you have a question for Andi? Send it via email to AskAndi@strate�yleaders. Visit AskAndi.com for an entire library of Ask Andi articles.

First County Bank provided the following credit facilities to local businesses: A $4,500,000 permanent mortgage on a commercial building in Greenwich, CT

A $10,500,000 construction to permanent mortgage on a medical office building in Westport, CT

A $3,000,000 permanent mortgage on a commercial building in Darien, CT

A $6,600,000 construction loan for a 23-unit condominium development project in Stamford, CT

A $500,000 term loan to an equipment rental company in Stamford, CT

A $700,000 capital improvement loan to a condo association in Norwalk, CT

A $1,500,000 permanent mortgage on three mixed-use buildings in New Canaan, CT

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©2015 First County Bank. FIRST COUNTY BANK,

First County Bank, and the

A $1,300,000 commercial mortgage and a $100,000 line of credit to a nonprofit agency in Stamford, CT

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logo are registered trademarks of First County Bank. NMLS# 411487

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FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015

9

Women underrepresented in Greenwich workforce WAGE GAP LARGER IN THE TOWN THAN IN REST OF STATE

Hearst Connecticut Media

T

he number of female billionaires in Connecticut grew significantly this year, up to three women from one in 2014, according to the annual list issued

by Forbes magazine. But the increase isn’t exactly enough to elicit chants of “girl power” through the streets of Hartford. Because while all of the 13 Connecticut men named to the list control self-made fortunes, with

titles like hedge fund manager and energy investor, all three women shared one title — heiress.

“The fact that there are three billionaires in Connecticut that are all heiresses, that doesn’t surprise me at all,” said Fran Pastore, president and CEO of the Connecticut’s Women’s Business Development Council.

“Years and years ago, women were never encouraged to go out and do things on their own, especially in fields like math and sci-

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10 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

ence,” she said. “And it takes a very, very long time to get over social stigmas. It’s very, very hard to get out of the way of those social dynamics that plague us.”

It’s been decades since women began joining the American workforce in large numbers.

And while the national share of women who work outside of the home has soared in recent decades — up to 58.8 percent now, compared with 33.9 percent in 1950 and 43.3 percent in 1970 — there is still a large gap between men and women in the workplace, both in their presence and paychecks.

That’s true throughout Connecticut, but in wealthy towns like Greenwich, especially.

“I can tell you, in a study we published last year, the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women found that the wage gap is largest in this part of the state,” said Greenwich resident Mary Lee Kiernan, a commissioner of the PCSW. “Women here on an aggregate basis make 50 percent of the median annual earnings of men.”

CLUSTER EFFECT

But in a world where women are no longer confined to cherry-printed aprons, there’s one big question: Why? “There are two factors we cite in the report as to why that wage gap exists: The first factor is occupational segregation.

Women tend to cluster in lower-paying occupations, and men tend to cluster in higherpaying occupations, and some economists think that counts for half the wage gap,” Kiernan explained.

Women are more likely to be found teaching in local classrooms or answering phones at a receptionist’s desk than men in Greenwich, while men are more likely to manage assets at a hedge fund or work in the technology sector, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And it’s no secret that hedge fund employees take home a significantly bigger paycheck than a Greenwich Public Schools teacher.

“When we look at the kind of work and how they’re being rewarded, we wouldn’t care if men and women happened to go into different fields if they were valued equally,” said Christin Munsch, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut.

“But because we don’t see as many women going into the male-dominated fields, that’s problematic, because then women don’t have access to the highest-paying jobs.”

Katie Flaherty, director at Merrill Lynch’s Stamford complex, spends a considerable amount of time actively recruiting women to join her in roles as financial advisers, a job that has traditionally attracted more men than women.

“I think that overall, we are starting to see more women come into our part of the business, on the individual and family side of wealth management,” Flaherty said.

Even with more women coming in, her field is far from 50-50. “In my complex, where I have 125 financial advisers, roughly 20 percent are women.”

‘OPTING OUT’

But occupational segregation is just half of the story. Kiernan points to the fact that men and women are also paid differently for the same job. In fact, she noted, when the commission examined 19 different occupations, they found men made more money than women in all but one role: secondary school teacher.

“You have an enormous share of our workforce who are not reaching their full potential as salary and wage earners,” Kiernan said.

Often, that turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy, especially in wealthy towns. If a husband earns the median salary for men in Greenwich of $103,000 and the wife earns the median $47,000 recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau, the woman is much more likely to leave the workforce than her partner after their family expands to include children, simply because it makes financial sense.

“It’s called ‘opting out,’” Munsch said.

And it’s more likely to happen in a town like Greenwich than other places around the country, despite the fact that there is a larger percentage of women with college and advanced degrees in town than the rest of the nation.

“Women say, ‘Once I had my kids, my boss wouldn’t send me on assignment to Chicago anymore,’ and there’s all these subtle ways that they’re being pushed out, and people aren’t expecting them to do as well at the job they were doing before,” she said.

“And because their husband is making so much money, they could save a lot of money if they stay home with their kids.”

So the percentage of women in an office declines even further, and so does the aggregate earning power of women when compared to their male counterparts.

“Having more women in the workplace is not just a women’s issue,” Kiernan said.

“It’s an economic-development issue, and it’s smart business.”

Hearst Connecticut Media includes four daily newspapers: Connecticut Post, Greenwich Time, The Advocate (Stamford) and The News Times (Danbury). See greenwichtime.com for more from this reporter.

Juicy deal

BEVERAGE COMPANY TO BUY COMPETITOR

T

he Stamford-based manufacturer of the Juicy Juice brand of juice drinks has reached a deal to purchase a Rye Brook, N.Y.-headquartered beverage company.

Brynwood Partners VII LP announced on March 9 that its majority-owned portfolio company, Harvest Hill Beverage Co., has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire American Beverage Corp. from the Dutch food conglomerate Wessanen for approximately $55 million. Harvest Hill was founded in 2014 to purchase the Juicy Juice brand from Nestle USA Inc. American Beverage Co. is the manufacturer of the Little Hug Fruit Barrels line of juice drinks.

“The Little Hug brand provides Harvest Hill with an entry into the sizable juice drink category,” said Henk Hartong, chairman and CEO of Brynwood Partners and chairman of Harvest Hill, in a statement. “The addition of Little Hug to our retail juice portfolio enables Harvest Hill to participate in all segments of the juice aisle, strengthening our position with our retail partners.”

Founded in 1960, American Beverage Corp. is a manufacturer and marketer of fruit drinks, ready-to-drink alcoholic drinks and nonalcoholic cocktail mixers. In addition

“The addition of Little Hug to our retail juice portfolio enables Harvest Hill to participate in all segments of the juice aisle, strengthening our position with our retail partners.”

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to Little Hug Fruit Barrels, the company’s brands include Big Hug and Guzzler, as well as Daily’s alcoholic cocktail drinks and mixers. The company, which has approximately 337 employees, is headquartered in Rye Brook and manufactures its products out of a company-owned facility in Verona, Pa., and a leased facility in Phoenix.

Brynwood Partners VII LP is a private equity fund operated by Brynwood Partners, a Greenwich-based private equity firm that makes control investments in North American-based lower middle-market companies in the consumer sector.

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval.

— Leif Skodnick

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FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015 11

THE LIST

LARGEST EMPLOYERS

Fairfield County

Largest Employers Ranked by number of employees.

Company Name Address Area code: 203 unless otherwise noted Website

Top Executive Title Year company established

Number of employees

Type of company

Brief Description

General Electric Co.

Jeffrey Immelt Chairman and CEO 1892

307,000

Public

Manufacturing of electronic components

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

Adam Aron Interim CEO 1930

180,400

Public

Hotel and leisure company

Xerox Engineering Systems

Ursula Burns Chairman and CEO 1980

140,000

Public

Electrical equipment and supplies

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) America

Ross McEwan President and CEO 1727

115,000

Public

Financial services company

Deloitte

Barry Salzberg CEO 1893

64,884

Private

Accounting firm

Thomson Reuters

James Smith President and CEO 1799

57,800

Public

Manager of financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, intellectual property and science and media markets

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals

Paul Fonteyne President and CEO 1885

47,400

Private

Pharmaceutical company

Diageo North America

Larry Schwartz President, Diageo North America 1997

28,000

Public

Alcoholic beverage manufacturer

Pitney Bowes Inc.

Marc B. Lautenbach President and CEO 1920

27,000

Public

Produces and services mailing hardware and software and provides financing for equipment purchases

Charter Communications Inc.

Tom Rutledge President and CEO 1993

23,000

Public

Telecommunications company

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.

Mick Maurer President 1923

15,264

Public

Aircraft manufacturer

University of Connecticut*

Susan Herbst President 1880

9,874

Public

Research university with more than 30,000 students offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees

Nestlè Waters North America

Tim Brown President and CEO, Nestlè Waters North America 1843 John P. Barnes President and CEO 1842

7,500

Public

Bottled water company

4,788

Public

State-chartered savings bank, security brokers, real estate, investors, developers and manager

Ethan Allen Inc.

M. Farooq Kathwari CEO 1932

4,300

Public

Furniture and home accessories

Danbury Hospital

John M. Murphy President and CEO, Western Connecticut Health Systems 1885 Kevin J. Kelleher President and CEO 1970

4,000

Private

Hospital and health care services

2,919

Public

Global mobility and workforce development support to organizations worldwide

Stuart G. Marcus President and CEO, St. Vincent's Heath Services 1903 Bill Jennings President and CEO 1878

2,773

Private

Nonprofit, teaching, acute care, tertiary hospital

2,600

Private

Hospital and health care services

Stew Leonard Jr. President and CEO 1969 Daniel J. DeBarba President and CEO 1893

2,226

Private

Grocery store

1,900

Private

Nonprofit hospital

Greenwich Hospital

Norman G. Roth Interim CEO 1903

1,783

Private

Regional hospital serving Fairfield and Westchester counties; academic affiliate of Yale University School of Medicine

Western Connecticut State University

James W. Schmotter President 1903

1,133

Public

University

Ability Beyond

Thomas H. Fanning President and CEO 1953, relocated to area 1980

1,100

Private

Health and human services provider serving people with moderate to significant disability

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE)

Vincent K. McMahon Chairman and CEO 1980

895

Public

Entertainment company

1

3135 Easton Turnpike, Fairfield 06828 373-2211  ge.com

2

1 StarPoint, Stamford 06902 964-6000 • starwoodhotels.com

3 4 5 6 7

45 Glover Ave., Norwalk 06856 602-5700 • xerox.com

600 Washington Blvd., Stamford 06109 897-2700 • rbs.com

695 E. Main St., Stamford 06901 708-4000 • deloitte.com 1 Station Place, Stamford 06902 539-8000 • thomsonreuters.com 900 Ridgebury Road, Ridgefield 06877 798-9988 • boehringer-ingelheim.com

8

801 Main Ave., Norwalk 06851 229-2100 • diageo.com

9

1 Elmcroft Road, Stamford 06902 356-5000 • pb.com

10

9 Commerce Road, Newtown 06470 888-438-2427 • charter.com

11

6900 Main St., Stratford 06614 386-4000 • sikorsky.com

12

Storrs 06269 860-486-4900 • uconn.edu

13

900 Long Ridge Road, Building No. 2, Stamford 06902 888-747-7437 • nestle-watersna.com

People's United Bank

14

850 Main St., Bridgeport 06604 338-0300 • peoples.com

15

512 Main Ave., Route 7, Norwalk 06851 846-9545 • ethanallen.com

16

24 Hospital Ave., Danbury 06810 739-7000 • danburyhospital.org f

Cartus Corp.

17

40 Apple Ridge Road, Danbury 06810 205-3400 • cartus.com

18

2800 Main St., Bridgeport 06606 576-6000 • stvincents.org

19

267 Grant St., Bridgeport 06610 384-3000 • bridgeporthospital.com

20

100 Westport Ave., Norwalk 06581 847-7214 • stewleonards.com

21

34 Maple St., Norwalk 06850 852-2000 • norwalkhospital.org

22 23

St. Vincent’s Medical Center

Bridgeport Hospital

Stew Leonard's

Norwalk Hospital

(Part of Yale New Haven Health) 5 Perryridge Road, Greenwich 06830 863-3000 • greenwichhospital.org 181 White St., Danbury 06810 877-837-9278 • wcsu.edu

24

4 Berkshire Blvd., Bethel 06801 775-4700 • abilitybeyonddisability.org

25

1241 E. Main St., Stamford 06902 352-8600 • wwe.com

This list is a sampling of largest employers in the region. If you wish your employer to be included in our next listing, please contact Danielle Renda at drenda@westfairinc.com. * Address contains town of the university's main campus; for specific building addresses, visit the university website.

12 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

SPECIAL REPORT

BANKING & FINANCE

New regional president at reins of Wells Fargo PERRY BRINGS ‘FAST-PACED STYLE’ TO CHANGING INDUSTRY

BY BILL FALLON bfallon@westfairinc.com

A

former Wells Fargo regional president in Florida, Larisa Perry now is the bank’s lead Northeast region president for Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

Perry oversees 4,700 employees, 461 retail banking locations — “Our research tells us the majority of our customers still visit,” she said — and 747 ATMs, which are increasingly sophisticated and multilingual.

Despite brick-and-mortar popularity, Perry said the value of regional real estate is an undeniable factor in running the bank.

“It’s a challenge in the Northeast because it’s more expensive than other parts of the nation,” she said. “We’ve already made changes, particularly in New York, with smaller stores with smaller footprints and innovations like tablet technology.”

In the bank’s downtown Trenton, N.J., location, those changes resulted in an acrossthe-street move that eliminated 7,000 square feet of superfluous space.

Perry said she is “committed to being in places that are convenient” and that includes addressing customer bases like the millennials through technology, “constantly adjusting our model to adapt to all the ways people want to bank with us, whether it’s mobile or in the stores.”

Perry arrived just as Wells Fargo’s national annual small-business survey cited the highest level of small-business confidence in seven years.

“There are uncertainties, like the effect of Obamacare on small businesses,” she said by phone from her Summit, N.J., office. “But we’re all fighting for the same thing and that is job growth.”

The small-business survey, conducted Jan. 5-9, cited its “overall index score,” gauging small-business owner optimism, was 71, up from 58 in November and up from 45 in January 2014. While the score is still below pre-recession levels, the bank reported, “it is the highest it has been since January 2008, when the index score was 83.”

Perry’s said her job was “to continue to ensure all of our customers’ financial needs are met.” She painted a client base ranging from businesses to newlywed couples.

For six months of the year, a large por-

Larissa Perry

tion of Wells Fargo’s northern customers become the bank’s Florida customers, and Perry, a 25-year banker, said, “I’ve made a few friends.” She has been active with Junior Achievement and has submitted her name for consideration on the New Jersey JA board of directors. As the mother of a 15-yearold, she is passionate about education. Her Bachelor of Science degree in management is from the University of South Alabama. She is also a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Retail Bank Management.

The Business Journal also emailed several questions to Perry: What is the status of loans to small businesses at Wells Fargo? Up, down? Is there a single reason above all others that an applicant is denied a small-business loan?

“Working with small-business owners is one of the most important things we do at Wells Fargo. America needs small businesses to succeed financially, grow and add jobs for our communities to prosper. In 2014, we extended $18 billion in new loan commitments to small businesses throughout the U.S. (primarily with annual revenues less than $20 million). Our business banking group (revenues from $2 million to $20 million) is experiencing a slight increase in small-business lending in New York and Connecticut.

“That is a positive sign. We don’t give out specific numbers but it is up. We are making

credit available to every credit-worthy small business that we can to grow new lending.

New lending growth is dependent on a number of factors, including demand from businesses and economic conditions.

“I would say the number one challenge is the economy. There’s still uncertainty out there. Our latest Wells Fargo Small Business Index says small-business optimism is the highest since the beginning of 2008, yet business owners are still unsure about health care costs, the regulatory environment, where the economy is heading, the world situation, etc. All this uncertainty leads many business owners to stay on the sidelines. This impacts the overall economy. As a result, there’s less job creation and expansion – and less loan demand. There’s also much competition out there for the same loans, so we have to differentiate ourselves from the competition and state clearly why they should do business with us.”

“The bank is always looking to make loans to qualified companies that are looking to expand and create jobs. Business owners are feeling more upbeat today than any other time in seven years.”

– Larisa Perry

Are there general regulatory differences between the southeast — you’ve worked in Georgia and Florida — and tristate regions that benefit one or the other?

“Certainly there are more regulations than ever before, many of which are good for the industry and hopefully will prevent another financial crisis. At Wells Fargo, we are not opposed to regulations. However, if there are ever ones that we believe will have negative consequences, we will point them out to those proposing them.”

Calling on personal experiences (and besides regulations), what do you believe has to date most driven the exodus of people and jobs from north to south?

The weather this winter seems a likely candidate.

“I have not been here long enough to really comment on that. The high cost of living has to be one reason. It is no secret that it is cheaper to live in some other parts of the country. While I’ve never lived here, one of the reasons I pursued this job is because I already know what wonderful people live here through experiencing them first-hand. For six to seven months, tens of thousands of residents from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut live in Florida, especially in the region where I came from. They also visit Florida year-round on vacations or for business. I was based in Orlando and Northeasterners are always in our central Florida stores. And, I just love everything about the people from this region; their style really complements my fast-paced style so I know I will fit in easily. I’ve already been here a couple weeks and I know it is a perfect match.”

We’ve been reporting on a surge in manufacturing — both making things and training future manufacturers. Is it a viable economic pillar for the region? Any efforts to spur loans in manufacturing?

“I can tell you the bank is always looking to make loans to qualified companies that are looking to expand and create jobs.

Business owners are feeling more upbeat today than any other time in seven years.

Our Wells Fargo Small Business Index score increased to positive 71 in January, up from positive 58 in November and at its highest level since the beginning of 2008, when it was positive 83.”

How big a challenge does the Northeast’s infrastructure — including the traffic-choked Interstate 95 — impact economic development? Does the situation add a negative asterisk to a regional loan application?

“This is a major issue all over the country.

The U.S. has an aging infrastructure and there has to be a stable, dedicated funding mechanism to upgrade our highways, bridges and railways. If we can’t move people and goods around, our economy will suffer.”

FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015 13

Hedge fund calls for Webster Bank spinoff

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14 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

hedge fund with a significant stake in Webster Bank has sent a letter to the bank’s parent company suggesting it spin off its health care savings account business to boost the company’s share price.

The letter was sent to Waterbury-based Webster Financial Corp. by New York City hedge fund Kerrisdale Capital, which holds approximately 2 million shares in Webster Financial Corp.. Kerrisdale believes the company is undervalued by approximately $1 billion and should spin off its HSA Bank unit.

Kerrisdale believes the business unit, if spun off, would be worth $2 billion on its own, based on a comparison to a similar independent health care savings account business.

“Given HSA Bank’s already distinct customer base, business model, headquarters, and technology platform, we believe a spinoff is the most natural approach,” the letter, signed by Sahm Adrangi, Kerrisdale’s chief investment officer, and Jordan Giancoli, the fund’s director of research, said. The letter is accessible on Kerrisdale Capital’s website.

Health care savings accounts allow employees to deposit pretax income to pay for medical expenses not covered by health insurance.

“Webster has diligently nurtured HSA Bank for years; now it is strong enough to stand on its own,” the hedge fund executives wrote. “The successful public offering of one of HSA Bank’s competitors has demonstrated

T

the market’s well founded enthusiasm for the HSA sector; should HSA Bank require growth capital in the future, whether to support its ongoing organic expansion or to complete opportunistic acquisitions, it will enjoy a far more attractive cost of capital if it can draw on an investor base that understands the scope of its opportunities and is willing to pay a premium for long-term growth.”

Webster, however, responded in an SEC filing disclosing the letter that it has no plans to spin off the health care savings account unit.

“Regarding the shareholder’s suggestion that the board consider strategic options including a spin-off, we have considered multiple structures for HSA Bank over the years and have consistently found that it is best situated inside Webster,” the disclosure, filed on Monday, said. “This is because, in our opinion, the economic benefit of these low-cost, long duration deposits greatly exceeds potential revenue derived from brokering deposits to other banks, though our flexible model allows us to do so if we choose. This compelling financial advantage and other competitive benefits derived from being a bank, including endto-end relationships with our clients and cross-sell opportunities with our customers, are available only if HSA Bank remains under Webster’s control.”

— Leif Skodnick

State bond ratings reaffirmed

hree major rating agencies have reaffirmed their ratings of Connecticut’s general obligation bonds, though two of the agencies have a negative outlook on the bonds.

Moody’s Investors Service, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings have announced that Connecticut’s general obligation bonds will remain rated at Aa3, AA and AA, respectively.

The rating news came in advance of an expected $500 million general obligation bond sale last week.

Despite reaffirming its rating, Standard & Poor’s placed a negative outlook on Connecticut’s general obligation bonds, meaning the rating will be under review over the next two years. Fitch Ratings also has a negative outlook on the state’s general obligation bonds, which it first put in place

in July 2013.

“Today’s news is bittersweet, no doubt,” state Treasurer Denise Nappier said in a press release. “While there is the good news that the state’s ratings remain unchanged — which demonstrates continued confidence in our creditworthiness — the recent negative outlook further strengthens our resolve to fortify the state’s fiscal footing.”

Moody’s continues to have a stable outlook on the Nutmeg State’s bonds, stating, “The outlook for Connecticut is stable, reflecting the positive steps the state has taken to address its long-standing balance sheet weakness and reduce its fixed postemployment benefit costs through pension reforms, as well as the adoption of a budget that largely relies on recurring solutions.”

— Leif Skodnick

BY WINTHROP H. SMITH JR.

I

Bring Main Street back to Wall Street

n 1940, my father convinced his friend Charlie Merrill to return to the business of stock broking. For the prior decade, Merrill had focused on his private equity investments, notably Safeway, while my dad was a partner of E.A. Pierce at a stock brokerage firm in Chicago.

There were many parallels to today. The average American was confused about how to invest in the stock market. People thought it was a rigged game for the privileged few, now known as the 1 percent. They saw a Wall Street full of greedy bankers and an industry that was rife with conflicts of interest and unprofessional profit-seeking brokers.

Into that world came a new firm with the long name of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Beane, which brought a revolutionary approach to investing, believing that the capital markets could be democratized and that Wall Street could be brought to Main Street. To do so, the firm’s leaders understood the new company needed a core set of values, and it began with the principle that the customer’s interest always had to come first. They understood that it took time to build trust and only moments to lose it. They knew that integrity was everything.

of Fairfield County Supporter, Cultural Alliance Fairfield County’s Community Foundation Juanita T. James, president and CEO

Give where you live! place for us to work and call home. make Fairfield County an even better Giving Day. Every contribution can Please join us online at FCGives.org for Fairfield County’s homes or other causes, you can make a local impact. books to children, support the arts, find animals their forever Whether your passion is helping to feed the hungry, give ployed, protect our environment — the list goes on. schools, shelter the homeless, treat the ill, train the unemThey help bolster our cultural programs, strengthen our nearly 35,000 children living in food insecure households.

County families that struggle to find their next meal and the Local nonprofits help feed the nearly one in 10 Fairfield unable to meet that demand.

Unfortunately, due to reduced contributions, 57 percent were its saw a significant increase in demand for their services. found that in 2013, 78 percent of Connecticut nonprofnational research conducted by the Nonprofit Finance Fund Fairfield County’s nonprofits can use every dollar. Recent America and other businesses, institutions and individuals.

These additional awards are funded by lead sponsor Bank of compete for 30 cash prizes ranging from $500 to $25,000. as modest as $10 will add up. Gifts will also help nonprofits lect which nonprofits you want to support. Even donations choose your favorite local causes and communities and seIt’s easy and fun. On March 5, go to FCGives.org and FCGives.org.

11:59 p.m., March 5, through secure, online donations at Our goal is to raise $1 million between midnight and neighbor. customers, give back to the community and be a benevolent way to “give where you live” and engage employees, involve No matter how small or large the company, it’s an ideal Fairfield County. than 300 vetted local nonprofit organizations throughout good. Giving Day offers 24 hours of online giving to more It is well documented that businesses do well by doing America for Giving Day. ing Fairfield County’s Community Foundation and Bank of ers can make a difference in our region March 5 by joinFairfield County businesses, their employees and custom-

Give Where You Live 0 Years of Wedding Dresses

“The leaders of all Wall Street institutions need to spend more time talking about how to best serve their customers and walk the talk when it comes to placing the customer’s interest first.”

The new firm put brokers through a rigorous training program before allowing them to deal with customers. This was a first for Wall Street.

Brokers were taken off commission and paid a salary and a bonus based on how well they did for their customers. Research was separated from investment banking and became truly independent, free to recommend a sell as well as a buy.

The company also developed free seminars and publications, and devoted a tremendous amount of resources to educating the public about how to invest in stocks. Over the next few decades, Merrill Lynch succeeded in bringing Wall Street to Main Street. In 1940, less than 15 percent of households owned stocks, but by the 1990s, a majority of Americans had become investors.

Unfortunately, I hear tremendous distrust for Wall Street today, especially after the near collapse of world economies that was brought on by the subprime mortgage and collateralized debt

Winthrop H. Smith Jr.

obligation problems of 2007 and 2008. Average Americans don’t understand how certain executives who nearly brought down the financial system were allowed to walk away with hundreds of millions of dollars in severance pay and suffer no legal consequences. They don’t understand what fast trading is all about, but it smells bad. They don’t think that Wall Street cares about them.

There are many, many honorable professionals working for financial services firms and, while many people might trust their financial adviser, they don’t trust the collective Wall Street.

This is a shame because our capital markets are essential to the sustainability of our economy, and financial intermediaries, like banks and brokers, are needed to make the capital markets work. If Main Street doesn’t trust Wall Street, this will be reflected in the attitudes of their elected officials, which can lead to legislation with unintended and undesirable consequences. While government has an important role to play, it is not the solution. That lies with the leaders of Wall Street.

So what needs to be done? I think the leaders of all Wall Street institutions need to spend more time talking about how to best serve their customers and walk the talk when it comes to placing the customer’s interest first. They need to value integrity above all else. They need to come across as, and actually become, normal, caring people who aren’t isolated in their corporate offices.

They need to get out and understand why Main Street is angry. Regaining the trust of Main Street is essential.

History can be the precursor of the future.

I believe that the values Charlie Merrill and my father established in 1940 are as valid today as they were nearly 75 years ago.

Winthrop H. Smith formerly was executive vice president of Merrill Lynch & Co. and chairman of Merrill Lynch International. He is majority owner and president of Sugarbush Resort in Vermont. He can be reached at 802-583-6388.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015 15

Life as an Artist in Fairfield County It started in Stamford in the sixth grade. My art teacher fished out my linoleum block print I had tossed in the garbage and submitted it to a scholastic art competition. Seeing my work on display awakened my love of art. Fast forward to high school and taking the train into the Art Students League in New York City every Saturday, art college followed, then working in the design, marketing, and communications fields.

Like the House of Medici the 14th-century banking family that created an environment where arts flourished, Fairfield County’s business community has been my patron of the arts. As a result, I’ve supported myself through my creativity.

C.R. Gibson gave me my first job as a designer in Norwalk.

My boss was a mentor. He saw the transferrable skills I had and taught me how to apply fine art dexterity to the graphic design world. I’ve since traversed the worlds of fine and commercial art. Fairfield County has offered me an array of opportunities to expand my work in corporate, creative and academic environments. It has also been fertile ground for me to launch three entrepreneurial businesses.

I’ve always viewed my fine art as a business, which is an important piece of the mosaic of life as an artist. The ways I market myself and my work, and the ways I conduct the commerce side of my trade are just as important as the creative applications. Starting my own graphic design firm was made possible by independent companies willing to give opportunities to local designers. The open-mindedness of Fairfield County then helped me start my next business, The Center for Creativity and Wellness. Once my son was born I closed it on a high note and pursued writing and consulting. These adventures have led me here, to the nonprofit world as the director of communications for Pequot Library.

As an artist I’ve received grants, awards and exhibited original prints, photographs and paintings in galleries and museums. The joy of seeing my work on display has never left me and neither have the lessons I’ve been taught from the people and businesses of Fairfield County.

Thank you to all the Medicis of Fairfield County. As the community uplifts the artists, the artists, in turn, uplift the community and each other.

Adair Wilson Heitmann, artist Member, Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County

The mission of the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is to support cultural organizations, artists and creative businesses by providing promotion, services and advocacy.

For more information, visit CulturalAllianceFC.org or email infoCulturalAllianceFC.org or call 256-2329.

For events lists, visit FCBuzz.org.

FCBUZZ

Arts & Culture of Fairfield County

Bridgeport Theatre Company Presents ‘Lord of the Flies’ Bridgeport Theatre Company continues its fifth season with the stage adaptation of the best-selling novel, “Lord of the Flies,” with alternating female and male casts running in repertory. The show runs March 19-29 at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre, 263 Golden Hill St., Bridgeport. Under the artistic direction of Eli Newsom, Bridgeport Theatre Company operates in residence and presents the Community Theatre Series for the Downtown Cabaret Theatre.

“Lord of the Flies” is a 1954 dystopian novel by Nobel Prize-winning English author William Golding about a group of boys stuck on an uninhabited island who try to govern themselves with disastrous results. Its stances on the already controversial subjects of human nature and individual welfare versus the common good earned it a spot on Time magazine’s list of the 100 best Englishlanguage novels.

The performance schedule will be as follows for March 19-29: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.: March 19 (boys), 20 (girls), 21 (boys), 26 (girls), 27 (boys), 28 (girls). Sundays at 5:30 p.m.: March 22 (girls) and 29 (boys). Seating begins 30-45 minutes before showtime, and an attended parking lot is available across from the theater on Golden Hill Street.

Tickets are $23 for adults and $18 for seniors and students.

Concessions will be available for purchase throughout each performance and patrons are encouraged to pack picnics (BYO everything format) for the full Cabaret experience. To order tickets visit BridgeportTheatre.org or phone 203-576-1636 (option “0”).

Bridgeport Theatre Company was founded in May 2010 by a group of Connecticut-based performing artists.

Concert for INTAKE at Norwalk Concert Hall Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling is proud to present the fourth annual Gala Concert of the INTAKE Organization, scheduled for Saturday, March 21, 7 p.m., Norwalk Concert Hall. The event will gather the Norwalk Youth Symphony and the Mariachi Academy of Connecticut from the Spanish Community Center of Wallingford along with Norwalk’s Ballet Tonantzil, the INTAKE Ensemble and international virtuoso artist Paco Godoy.

“I am proud to present the annual Gala Concert of the Intake Organization here in my city. We hope you will join us and share this important multicultural experience,” said Rilling about the opportunity to showcase his city’s support for the musicians and the music at the concert hall, adjacent to City Hall.

Sarah Watkins, executive director of the Norwalk Youth Symphony states they are “proud to share this musical experience with our community. Once again, our young musicians will perform classics like Bach, Danzón Number 2 by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez and the Peruvian classic ‘El Condor Pasa’ by Daniel Alomía Robles.”

Angelica Durrell, from the INTAKE Organization, expressed her satisfaction in preparing for this concert, which gives

young artists the opportunity to share the stage with internationally renowned artists. “Thanks to Mayor Rilling, our partners in the arts and our kind audiences for allowing us to open the doors of this concert hall and combine classical music with the traditional genres of different countries,” said Durrell. For more information, visit intakemusic.org

Visit FCBuzz.org for more information on events and how to get listed.

16 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Presented by: Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County

FACTS & FIGURES on the record ATTACHMENTS FILED Crystal LLC, Norwalk. Filed by Anthony D. Verrico. $10.5 million in favor of ARS Investors II 2012-1 HVB LLC. Property: Parcel B, Map 11505, Lot 55, Map 9329, Lot 74A, Map 11028, Norwalk. Filed Feb. 19.

BUILDING PERMITS

COMMERCIAL 91 Fountain Terrace Condo Association, Stamford, contractor for self. Install a wall in the basement of a condominium complex at 71-91 Strawberry Hill Ave., Unit 109, Stamford.

Estimated cost: $2,500. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

A Pappajohn Co., contractor for Patriot National Bank. Reduce an existing commercial residence to its core at 900 Bedford St., Stamford. Estimated cost: $50,000. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Acme Sign Co., Stamford, contractor for Three 75 Fairfield Avenue Associates. Add a sign to an existing commercial residence at 375 Fairfield Ave., Stamford. Estimated cost: $15,000.

Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

AG-GCS ShippanLanding Owner LLC, Stamford, contractor for self. Refurbish the interior of an elevator cab in an existing commercial residence at 208 Harbor Drive, Stamford. Estimated cost: $80,000. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Blauvelt, Edward, Bridgeport, contractor for self. Renovate the storefront of an existing commercial residence at 399 Boston Ave., Bridgeport.

Estimated cost: $22,000. Filed Feb. 23.

Cherry Center LLC, New Canaan, contractor for self. Combine the stores in an existing commercial residence at 111 Cherry St., New Canaan.

Estimated cost: $30,000. Filed Feb. 13.

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.

Questions and comments regarding this section should be directed to: Bill Fallon c/o Westfair Communications Inc. 3 Westchester Park Drive, Suite G7 White Plains, N.Y. 10604-3407 Phone: (914)694-3600 Fax: (914)694-3680

Chimblo, Anthony J., Greenwich, contractor for Anthony Pastore and Marion W. Pastore. Perform an interior fit-up to an existing commercial residence to repair fire damage at 15 Grand St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $3,000.

Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

City of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, contractor for self. Add an office trailer to the exterior of an existing commercial residence at 1 Lincoln Blvd., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $3,250.

Filed Feb. 25.

Costco Wholesale, Sasqua, Wash., contractor for self. Replace a restaurant in the food court of an existing commercial residence at 779 Connecticut Ave., Norwalk. Estimated cost: $47,000. Filed Feb. 26.

Di Iorio Bros Excavation Inc., contractor for Roxbury Swimming and Tennis Club. Replace a concrete pool deck at a country club at 240 Roxbury Road, Stamford. Estimated cost: $230,215. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Erland Construction Inc., Stamford, contractor for Element One LLC. Construct a new five-story wood frame structure at 111 Morgan St., Stamford. Estimated cost: $27.4 million. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

ESRT Construction TRS LLC, Stamford, contractor for ESRT First Stamford Place SPE LLC. Alter the interior of an existing commercial residence at 151 Greenwich Ave., Unit 100, Stamford. Estimated cost: $170,500.

Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Four Harbor Point Square LLC, Stamford, contractor for self. Buildout a restaurant at an existing commercial residence at 15 Harbor Point Road, Unit S4, Stamford. Estimated cost: $800,000. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Green Maid LLC, Southbury, contractor for Cute Associates LLC. Perform alterations to an existing commercial residence at 991 Danbury Road, Wilton. Estimated cost: $2,000.

Filed Feb. 13.

Greenwich Hospital Association, Greenwich, contractor for self. Renovate the “case management” suite in the interior of an existing commercial residence at 5 Perryridge Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $10,000.

Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Landmark Square 1-6 LLC, Stamford, contractor for owner. Alter the interior of an existing commercial residence for a new tenant at 101 Broad St., Stamford. Estimated cost: $2 million. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Lazarte, Ricardo M., contractor for Ayoub Properties LLC. Add wallframing sheetrock to an existing commercial residence at 259 Hope St., Stamford. Estimated cost: $1,000.

Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Mercer Builders Inc., Wilton, contractor for the town of Wilton.

Perform alterations to an existing commercial residence at 395 Danbury Road, Wilton. Estimated cost: $53,300. Filed Feb. 4.

3300 Park Ave. Condo Association, Bridgeport, contractor for self.

Add a roof to the garage of a condominium at 3300 Park Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $4,500. Filed Feb. 23.

Hawley Construction Corp., Danbury, contractor for Wilton River Park 1688 LLC. Perform minor renovations to an existing single-family residence at 5 River Road, Wilton. Estimated cost: $114,000. Filed Feb. 26.

Midland Contracting Group, Westport, contractor for 15 Grove Street LLC. Perform an interior fit-out to an existing commercial residence for a new tenant at 15 Grove St., New Canaan. Estimated cost: $80,000.

Filed Feb. 11.

A & A Quality Home Improvements, Norwalk, contractor for Cheryl D. Hadley. Perform minor renovations to an existing single-family residence at 211 Branch Brook Road, Wilton. Estimated cost: $25,000. Filed Feb. 25.

Haynes Construction Co., contractor for Trinity Park Mutual Housing.

Renovate the interior and exterior of an apartment complex at 78 Spruce St., Stamford. Estimated cost: $38,467.

Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Mike Fazzinga Construction LLC, Bedford Hills, N.Y., contractor for Frank Albert Real Estate Trust. Perform an interior fit-out to an existing commercial residence for a new office at 125 Elm St., New Canaan. Estimated cost: $23,800. Filed Feb. 10.

Adamian, Karyna, Stamford, contractor for self. Add a new bathroom and kitchen to a condominium unit at 87 Glenbrook Road, Unit 9E, Stamford. Estimated cost: $5,000. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Nelson, George, Bridgeport, contractor for Brosler Real Estate. Renovate the interior of an existing commercial residence at 1784 Barnum Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $22,000. Filed Feb. 23.

Pavarini North East Construction Co. Inc., Stamford, contractor for 177 Broad Street Owner LLC. Perform an interior fit-out to an existing commercial residence for a new office at 177 Broad St., Unit 1, Stamford. Estimated cost: $1 million. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

St. Joseph’s Church, Norwalk, contractor for self. Remodel the existing kitchen, remove window between the office and the laundry and install two new windows and a heated floor at 85 S. Main St., Norwalk. Estimated cost: $64,665. Filed Feb. 17.

Tristine, John, Bridgeport, contractor for the city of Bridgeport. Renovate the interior of an existing commercial residence at 45 Lyon Terrace, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $2,000.

Filed Feb. 25.

Turner Construction Co., Milford, contractor for Norwalk Hospital. Rearrange four treatment rooms in a hospital at 34 Maple St., Norwalk. Estimated cost: $40,000. Filed Feb. 26.

Wescorp, Greenwich, contractor for 644 West Putnam Associates. Perform interior construction of an office space, including partitions and ceilings in an existing commercial residence at 644 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $320,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

RESIDENTIAL 3 Mill Pond Court LLC, Greenwich, contractor for self. Upgrade the plumbing and renovate the first-floor bathroom in an existing single-family residence at 3 Mill Pond Court, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $30,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

AF Contracting LLC, Stamford, contractor for Robert J. Carlson, et al.

Renovate four bathrooms in an existing single-family residence at 5 Bennett St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $40,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Agate, Michael P., Stamford, contractor for self. Renovate the interior and exterior of an existing single-family residence at 2979 High Ridge Road, Stamford. Estimated cost: $89,000.

Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Alpha Pools Patio & Garden LLC, Stamford, contractor for Matthew J. Finnerty, et al. Install an in-ground swimming pool and a spa on the property of an existing single-family residence at 72 Van Rensselaer Ave., Stamford. Estimated cost: $75,000.

Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

AMEC Carting LLC, Norwalk, contractor for Thor K. Mangus, et al.

Demolish a multifamily dwelling at 7 Connecticut Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $9,500. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Anarcaya, Alfonso W., Stamford, contractor for self. Insulate the interior walls at 1 Elm Tree Place, Stamford.

Estimated cost: $3,500. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Angus 11 LLC, Greenwich, contractor for self. Construct a new singlefamily home with an unfinished basement, a terrace and an attached four-car garage at 11 Angus Lane, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $1.2 million. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Ann, Lisa W. and Mathew J. Lori, Greenwich, contractor for self. Renovate basement and an attached garage on the property of an existing single-family residence at 201 Otter Rock Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $70,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Iosifides, Kostas, Norwalk, contractor for self. Add a two-story addition to an existing one-story single-family residence with three bedrooms and two bathrooms at 23 Rome St., Norwalk. Estimated cost: $120,000. Filed Feb. 18.

J A Rosa Construction LLC, Wolcott, contractor for Greenwich Chateau Condo A. Perform plaster and sheetrock work. Fill in with masonry around the elevator door at a condominium at 4 Lafayette Court, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $9,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Jonah, Kim Yo Hyun, et al., Greenwich, contractor for self. Replace the kitchen cabinets and finish the house siding at 17 Dale Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $10,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Jurate, Jason J., Greenwich, contractor for self. Add columns in the garage.

Renovate the kitchen, family room and dining room in an existing singlefamily residence at 22 Carpenters Brook Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $200,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Karp Associates Inc., New Canaan, contractor for Oak Glenn LLC. Construct a new single-family residence with six bedrooms, three fireplaces, seven full baths, a finished attic, an unfinished basement, an open patio, a covered patio and a three bay garage at 69 Welles Lane, New Canaan. Estimated cost: $950,000. Filed Feb. 12.

Kevin O’Brien Design LLC, Greenwich, contractor for Jeffrey L. E. Stockwell. Finish an attic with a bathroom, renovate powder rooms and master bathrooms and perform ductwork in an existing single-family residence at 27 Valley Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $75,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

L & L Builders, Bethel, contractor for John J. Ferguson, et al. Renovate the kitchen and replace the windows in an existing single-family residence at 365 N. Maple Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $75,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

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Lanni, Peter, New Canaan, contractor for Donald J. Casturo, et al. Demolish a pool on the property of an existing single-family residence at 135 Field Point Circle, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $20,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015 17

NEWSMAKERS [PLUS AWARDS AND EVENTS] FAIRFIELD MUSEUM REQUESTS ENTRIES FOR PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW The Fairfield Museum and History Center is requesting entries for its seventh annual IMAGES photography competition and is inviting professional/serious amateur and student photographers from Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts to participate. IMAGES, an exhibition celebrating the work of regional photographers, is being sponsored by Pascale Communications, Venu magazine, Southport Gallery, WSHU Public Radio and Fairfield University. In addition to the juried show, IMAGES is also featuring a solo exhibition by photographer Howard Schatz.

A jury will select approximately 50 photographs from the entries, which will be on view at the Fairfield Museum from May 14-July 19. The deadline for entries is 9 a.m. April 2.

To submit, visit fairfieldhistory.org/ exhibitions-2/images/.

CELLUCCI NAMED PRESIDENT OF CROSS INSURANCE Cross Insurance, a subsidiary of Cross Financial Corp. with an office in Stamford, appointed Paul J. Cellucci as president of the agency’s southern New England region.

Cellucci’s responsibilities include expanding the brand throughout this market. He has more than 30 of years insurance industry experience.

STAFFING FIRM PROMOTES JACOBELLIS Southport-based Mackey & Guasco Staffing LLC, a staffing firm, promoted Rima Jacobellis to director of research.

Rima joined the firm in 2010 with 10 years’ experience in corporate human resources. She most recently served as the firm’s manager of research, sourcing and matching candidates with corporations.

Rima Jacobellis

Howard Schatz, “Underwater Study No. 3200,” 2008.

GAINE JOINS OPERATIONSINC Norwalk-based OperationsInc., a human resources consulting and outsourcing provider, appointed Chris Gaine to the newly created position of director of business development. The firm experienced growth of more than 30 percent in 2014 and the addition of Gaine is expected to maintain that momentum. Gaine has more than 20 years’ experience building teams and engaging clients and strategic partners of all sizes. He holds a bachelor’s in psychology

Chris Gaine

from the State University of New York at Albany.

BNI ALIVE MEETING IN STAMFORD BNI Alive, a chapter of northern BNI, the Avonbased organization for the development and exchange of business referrals, held a meeting at the government center in Stamford, March 3. Business owner attendees included:

Sandra Long of Westport, principal of Post Road Consulting LLC; Peter Flierl of Greenwich, founder and CEO of Broccoli Soup; and Victoria Vandamm of Norwalk, principal of Vandamm Interiors. The featured speaker was Rocco Panetta of

18 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Ridge�ield, owner of Ridge�ield Contracting.

BNI Alive meets every Tuesday in the cafeteria of the government center in Stamford, 7:30 to 9:15 a.m. For more information, call 203-536-0021 or email john@safeandsoundelectric.com.

LAW FIRM OPENS HARTFORD OFFICE

CALANNI JOINS CARTUS CORP.

Stamford-based law firm Ryan Ryan Deluca LLP recently welcomed seven attorneys to the firm, six of whom will work in its new Hartford office. The new Stamfordbased attorney is David D. Ryan and the new Hartford-based attorneys are Steven H. Malitz, Janice D. Lai, Maria Alexander, Joaquin L. Madry, Michael P. Kenney and Kate J. Boucher.

Danbury-based Cartus Corp., a global relocation management company, appointed Rick Calanni as director of business development for the mid-Atlantic region.

Calanni currently serves as a board member and director of marketing for the New Jersey Relocation Council. He is working out of the Roxbury Township, N.J., office.

COLDWELL BANKER NAMES TOP ASSOCIATE IN WESTPORT The Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Westport-Riverside named Joni Usdan as the office’s top sales associate in 2014 with more than $25.7 million in closed sales volume. Usdan received the Coldwell Banker International President’s Elite Award for her accomplishments. The honor is awarded to the top 2 percent of approximately 87,000 sales associates worldwide in the Coldwell Banker system. She will be honored during a celebra-

Joni Usdan

tion at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich on May 14.

LBG NAMES FLICK AS SENIOR ASSOCIATE Shelton-based Leggette, Brashears & Graham Inc. (LBG), a groundwater and environmental engineering services firm, named Bill Flick as senior associate. For the past seven years, Flick has provided soil and groundwater-

consulting services to support the reconstruction of more than 20 abandoned or damaged properties.

He holds a bachelor’s in geology from Union College and is a licensed environmental professional in the state of Connecticut.

‘A HANDFUL OF IMAGES’ COLLECTION

DATES MARCH 18

THE CALENDAR GROUP HIRES SCHIPANI AS PRESIDENT

SCORE Western Connecticut features a discussion titled “Turning Conversations into Clients,” led by Kim Kasparian, a business and personal growth coach, 8-9 a.m., Mark Twain Library, 439 Redding Road, Redding. To register, visit marktwainlibrary.com.

Norwalk Community College features its Regional Business Networking Expo 2015, 2-5 p.m., 188 Richards Ave., Norwalk. More than 100 businesses will showcase their products and services. To register, visit stamfordchamber.com.

SCORE Fairfield County and co-sponsor the Norwalk Public Library present a complimentary case study series workshop titled “Running a Manufacturing Business,” 6-8 p.m., Norwalk Public Library, 1 Belden Ave., Norwalk. Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m. Guest speaker includes Matt Krieger. For more information, call 203-831-0065.

Mia Schipani

MPS ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The exhibit is a collection of blackand-white photographs showcasing people, places and things throughout New York City in the 1970s and 1980s. The opening reception is 4 to 6 p.m. March 7. The event is free.

NEW TRUSTEES TO NCEF

Senior Services of Stamford, a nonprofit that provides assistance and financial support for older adults, officially changed its name to SilverSource to accommodate the growing baby boomer population. The name change was announced Jan. 22 at a reception hosted by the University of Connecticut in Stamford.

Bill and Debbi Cary of Darien were among those inducted as new trustees of Naples, Fla.-based The Naples Children & Education Foundation, an organization committed to improving the educational, emotional and health outcomes of underprivileged and at-risk children.

A former president and chief operating officer of GE Capital, Bill Cary serves as a director of Synchrony Financial and Rush Enterprises. Debbi Cary, a former community banker, has been active in philanthropy in northern California, Naples, Fla., and Darien.

Women’s Business Development Council features a business express program for small-business owners seeking to determine eligibility for grants of up to $100,000 or loans up to $300,000 from the Department of Economic Community Development, noon to 2 p.m. March 18 in Danbury and March 23 in Shelton. To register, visit ctwbdc.org.

Ridgefield Playhouse features Don Felder, a former member of The Eagles for 27 years and co-writer of “Hotel California,” playing live with his band, 8 p.m., 80 E. Ridge Road, Ridgefield. For tickets, call the box office at 203-438-5795.

Ridgefield Playhouse features James Van Praagh, the “Ghost Whisperer,” who will communicate messages from the grave, 7:30 p.m., 80 E. Ridge Road, Ridgefield.

MARCH 22

SENIOR SERVICES BECOMES SILVERSOURCE

Fairfield County Chambers of Commerce present the Regional Networking Tabletop Expo, 2-5 p.m., Norwalk Community College, West Campus, 188 Richards Ave., Norwalk.

The event features more than 90 exhibitors.

For more information, call 203-335-3800.

MARCH 20 MARCH 21

Medical Professional Services Inc., a physician membership organization with offices in Middletown and Middlebury, appointed David Printy as executive director. Printy has served as senior administrator for nationwide medical schools along with their physician practices, teaching hospital and residency programs at affiliated community hospitals.

Photographer Jeffrey B. Kellner is featuring his first exhibition of 2015, “A Handful of Images,” March 7 to April 4, The Upstairs Gallery of the Ridgefield Guild of Artists, 34 Halpin Lane, Ridgefield.

MARCH 18 & MARCH 23

The Calendar Group, a staffing consultancy firm with an office in Westport, appointed Mia Schipani as its president. Schipani previously led strategic and business-development roles across an array of sectors, with an emphasis on human capital consulting, talent acquisition and relationship development.

Schipani holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Emerson College in Boston.

Temple Israel features a Passover cooking class with Nancy Wergeles, 1 p.m., 14 Coleytown Road, Westport. Class is free.

For information, call 203-227-1293.

Byrd’s Books hosts New York Times bestselling author Garth Stein, 6:30 p.m., Ruth Haas Library, Western Connecticut State University Midtown campus, 181 White St., Danbury. For more information, call 203-730-2973.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015 19

FACTS Sears Home Improvement Products Inc., Rocky Hill, contractor for Binu C. Balachandran. Replace the windows in an existing single-family residence at 38 Red Bird Road, Stamford. Estimated cost: $1,699. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Tiefenthaler Construction, Norwalk, contractor for Theodore A. Bell.

Add a one-story basement frame and a new stone veneer on the property of an existing single-family residence at 185 Old Mill Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $300,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Shack, Adam, Greenwich, contractor for Joann F. P. Mirone. Remove old cabinets and replace with new cabinets, countertops and finish the floor in an existing single-family residence at 7 Shorelands Place, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $25,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Timberline First Construction, Mamaroneck, N.Y., contractor for Christina A. Cilento and Douglas S. Cilento. Perform minor renovations to an existing single-family residence at 5 Old Lantern Drive, Wilton. Estimated cost: $18,000. Filed Feb. 20.

Shay Homes LLC, Darien, contractor for self. Finish the basement with a bathroom and a shower in an existing single-family residence at 26 Stillman Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $28,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Tortorella, Angela, Greenwich, contractor for homeowner. Add a laundry room and a shower to the basement of an existing single-family residence at 13 Center Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $2,500. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Shoreline Pools, Stamford, contractor for Glen J. Moore. Construct a new in-ground pool with a spa on the property of an existing single-family residence at 544 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan. Estimated cost: $100,000.

Filed Feb. 23.

Tribelli, Rebecca and Leonard Tribelli, Norwalk, contractor for self.

Finish a basement in an existing single-family residence to create an exercise area, laundry room, playroom and a half bathroom at 11 Richmond Hill Road, Norwalk. Estimated cost: $20,600. Filed Feb. 25.

Star Property Real Estate LLC, Bridgeport, contractor for self. Renovate the third floor of an existing single-family residence at 215 Merriam St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $1,000.

Filed Feb. 24.

Svilem, Noam, Bridgeport, contractor for self. Renovate the kitchen and the bathroom in an existing singlefamily residence at 100 Edna Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $10,000.

Filed Feb. 26.

Sweeney Construction LLC, Greenwich, contractor for Richard Gold. Enclose a carport in an existing single-family residence with breakaway walls at 19 Rowayton Ave., Norwalk. Estimated cost: $14,600. Filed Feb. 18.

Tanikawa, Yoshio and Noriko Tanikawa, Greenwich, contractor for homeowner. Add a fitness room to an existing single-family residence at 23 Bayside Terrace, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $20,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Taylor, Thomas J., Fairfield, contractor for Mark H. Loomis and Stephanie N. Loomis. Perform interior alterations to an existing barn at 747 Ponus Ridge, New Canaan. Estimated cost: $100,000. Filed Feb. 23.

Techno Development LLC, Stamford, contractor for self. Construct a new single-family dwelling at 2 Ravenglass Drive, Unit T11, Stamford.

Estimated cost: $750,000. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

Techno Development LLC, Stamford, contractor for self. Construct a new single-family dwelling at 4 Ravenglass Drive, Unit T12, Stamford.

Estimated cost: $750,000. Filed between Feb. 23 and Feb. 27.

V & C Services, Greenwich, contractor for Annelise Rothe. Restore a bathroom damaged by a fallen tree in an existing single-family residence at 178 Clapboard Ridge Road, Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $243,363. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

Velez, Doris and Luis Velez, Norwalk, contractor for self. Amend the second floor over the existing first floor with two bedrooms and one bathroom at 69 Truman St., Norwalk.

Estimated cost: $80,000. Filed Feb. 20.

Viesto, Anthony J., Darien, contractor for Adam Potter and Thomas Wallace. Remodel the kitchen and the master bathroom in an existing single-family residence at 7 Hawthorne Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $65,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

White, Danielle and Daniel White, Wilton, contractor for self. Perform minor renovations to an existing single-family residence at 115 Linden Tree Road, Wilton. Estimated cost: $2,000. Filed Feb. 4.

Wilson, Intriago, Bridgeport, contractor for self. Add fire doors to an existing single-family residence at 114 Norman St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $3,600. Filed Feb. 20.

Wistreich, Amy and Carl Wistreich, Wilton, contractor for self.

Perform minor renovations to an existing single-family residence at 39 Wicks End Lane, Wilton. Estimated cost: $15,000. Filed Feb. 25.

Wu, Daren and Betty Wu, Greenwich, contractor for self. Update a bathroom between the first and second floors of an existing single-family residence at 5 Raymond St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $12,000. Filed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23.

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COURT CASES The following court cases represent the allegations made by defendants in the initial filings of civil lawsuits, and do not represent legally binding judgments made by the courts.

BRIDGEPORT SUPERIOR COURT Able Floors Designs LLC, et al., Bridgeport. Filed by Yves Pierre, Bridgeport. Plaintiff’s attorney: De Lucis & Levine LLC, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff has brought this personal injury suit against the defendants alleging that she was hit by a car owned and driven by an employee of the defendants. The plaintiff claims monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interests and costs.

Case no. FBT-cv15-6048580-S. Filed Feb. 25.

A-List Design LLC, et al., Norwalk.

Filed by Shalva Clinic LLC, et al., Westport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Alan Neigher, Westport. Action: The plaintiffs have brought this breach of contract suit against the defendants alleging that they hired the defendants to redesign their clinic and paid them money for equipment. Despite payment made, the plaintiffs allege they have not received the materials they ordered.

The plaintiffs claim repayment of all sums paid to the defendants, money damages, punitive damages, treble damages, attorney’s fees and costs.

Case no. FBT-cv15-6048533-S. Filed Feb. 23.

Bridgeport Healthcare Center Inc., Bridgeport. Filed by Jeffrey M. Kealey, Monroe. Plaintiff’s attorney: Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder PC, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff has brought this medical malpractice suit against the defendant alleging that it failed to properly monitor and supervise the plaintiff’s descendant.

As a result, plaintiff’s descendant allegedly became entangled in the privacy curtain and ended up getting strangled. The plaintiff claims monetary damages in excess of $15,000.

Case no. FBT-cv15-6048543-S. Filed Feb. 24.

Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Hartford. Filed by Donna Walker, Bridgeport.

Plaintiff’s attorney: Carter Mario Injury Lawyers, North Haven. Action: The plaintiff has brought this motor vehicle suit against the defendant alleging that she collided with an underinsured motorist and suffered injury. The insurance policy carried by the underinsured motorist is inadequate to fully compensate for the damages.

The plaintiff alleges that her injuries are the legal responsibilities of her insurance company, the defendant.

The plaintiff claims judgment and money damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interests and costs.

Case no. FBT-cv15-6048605-S. Filed Feb. 26.

20 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

FIGURES Overfreight.com Inc., et al., Douglas, Mass. Filed by Newtown Savings Bank, Newtown. Plaintiff’s attorney: Neubert, Pepe & Monteith PC, New Haven. Action: The plaintiff has brought this breach of contract suit against the defendants alleging that they had failed to make timely payments to the plaintiff for a Quick Credit Revolving Line Promissory Note. The plaintiff has declared the entire outstanding principal balance of $25,000 due and has made a demand for the balance, yet has not received payment. The plaintiff claims money damages of at least $15,000, costs, attorney’s fees, pre-judgment interest, post-judgment interest and such other and further equitable relief in law or equity as this court deems just and proper.

Case no. FBT-cv15-6048592-S. Filed Feb. 25.

The Lofts On Lafayette Condominium Association Inc., New Haven.

Filed by Karen Mosney, Bridgeport.

Plaintiff’s attorney: DiScala & DiScala LLC, Norwalk. Action: The plaintiff has brought this personal injury suit against the defendant alleging that she slipped on an icy surface owned by the defendant and sustained injury. This icy condition was allegedly allowed to exist due to the negligence of the defendant and its employees in that they failed to properly supervise the parking lot to prevent ice from accumulating. The plaintiff claims monetary damage in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court may deem just and equitable.

Case no. FBT-cv15-6048532-S. Filed Feb. 23.

DANBURY SUPERIOR COURT Christmas Tree Shops Inc., Union, N.J. Filed by Erika Henderson, Brookfield. Plaintiff’s attorney: Esty & Buckmir LLC, Hamden. Action: The plaintiff has brought this personal injury suit against the defendant alleging that she slipped on a slippery liquid in a store owned by the defendant and sustained injury. This slippery condition was allegedly allowed to exist due to the negligence of the defendant and its employees in that they allowed a clear liquid to remain on the floor.

The plaintiff claims monetary damages in excess of $2,500, costs and such other and further relief as the court may deem just and equitable.

Case no. DBD-cv15-6016927-S. Filed Feb. 27.

Runnin Free USA LLC, et al., Hartford. Filed by Saucony Inc., Lexington, Mass. Plaintiff’s attorney: Sugarmann & Sugarmann, New Haven. Action: The plaintiff has brought this breach of contract suit against the defendants alleging that they had failed to make timely payments to the plaintiff for merchandise delivered. The plaintiff has declared the entire outstanding principal balance due and has made a demand for the balance, yet has not received payment. The plaintiff claims money damages of $15,000, costs, post-judgment interest and such other and further equitable relief as this court deems just and proper.

Case no. DBD-cv15-6016900-S. Filed Feb. 23.

STAMFORD SUPERIOR COURT

FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT

Ancar Inc., New Canaan. Filed by Frame & Art Gallery II of New Canaan LLC, New Canaan. Plaintiff’s attorney: Law Office of David J. Mathis, Hartford. Action: The plaintiff has brought this personal injury suit against the defendant alleging that its employee fell through the floor owned by the defendant in the course of his work and sustained injury. The plaintiff was forced to payout payments to cover the employee’s medical expenses. This accident was allegedly due to the negligence of the plaintiff in that it failed to secure the floor of the premises. The plaintiff claims money damages, interest, costs and such other and further relief as the court deems necessary.

Case no. FST-cv15-6024664-S. Filed Feb. 25.

ACE Property & Casualty Insurance Co., et al. Filed by Travelers Casualty and Surety Co. Plaintiff’s attorney: Day Pitney LLP, Hartford.

Action: The plaintiff has brought this reinsurance contract suit against the defendants alleging that it was reinsured by the defendants and allegedly issued an insurance policy to a nuclear company. This nuclear company sustained loss due to environmental damages. The plaintiff alleges that they submitted invoices to the defendants to recoup money under the reinsurance contract, yet the defendants have not paid. The plaintiff claims $1.7 million in monetary damages. Case no. 3:15-cv-00275-VAB. Filed Feb. 25.

Crosby Construction LLC, et al., Cheshire. Filed by Canaan Distributors Corp., Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Lampert, Toohey & Rucci LLC, New Canaan. Action: The plaintiff has brought this breach of contract suit against the defendants alleging that they had failed to make timely payments for goods provided. The plaintiff has declared the entire outstanding principal balance of $35,035 due and has made a demand for the balance, yet has not received payment. The plaintiff claims money damages of at least $15,000, costs, attorney’s fees and such other and further equitable relief as this court deems fair and equitable.

Case no. FST-cv15-6024672-S. Filed Feb. 26.

Stamford Petroleum and Mart LLC, Stamford. Filed by John Cifuentes, Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: John J. LaCava, Stamford. Action: The plaintiff has brought this personal injury suit against the defendant alleging that he fell down stairs at a gas station owned by the defendant and sustained injury. This accident allegedly occurred due to the negligence of the defendant and its employees in that they allowed a defective staircase to exist. The plaintiff claims monetary damages in excess of $15,000, excluding interest and costs. Case no. FSTcv15-6024638-S. Filed Feb. 23.

Walmart Stores Inc., Hartford.

Filed by Linda Piacenza, Norwalk.

Plaintiff’s attorney: Tooher Wocl & Leydon LLC, Stamford. Action: The plaintiff has brought this personal injury suit against the defendant alleging that she slipped on a wet surface in a store owned by the defendant and sustained injury. This slippery condition was allegedly allowed to exist due to the negligence of the defendant and its employees in that they permitted the floor to become slippery. The plaintiff claims monetary damages in excess of $15,000, excluding interest and costs.

Case no. FST-cv15-6024635-S. Filed Feb. 23.

Auntie Bella LLC, et al. Filed by Rosa Morales, et al. Plaintiff’s attorney: New Haven Legal Association Inc., New Haven. Action: The plaintiffs have brought this suit against the defendants alleging that they were not paid the minimum wage and were not paid for overtime. The plaintiffs allegedly were fired for complaining about their work treatment and wages. The plaintiffs claim unpaid wages, liquidated damages, compensatory damages, punitive damages, double damages, nominal damages, costs, attorney’s fees, and such other legal or equitable relief as may be required by the law. Case no. 3:15-cv-00260-WWE. Filed Feb. 24.

Five Brothers Mortgage Company Services and Securing, Inc., Warren, Mich. Filed by McCue Mortgage Co., New Britain. Plaintiff’s attorney: Sweeney & Griffen, New Britain. Action: The plaintiff has brought this breach of contract suit against the defendant alleging that it provided field services and inspections to the plaintiff. The defendant allegedly failed to sufficiently complete contracted services provided to the plaintiff and refused to indemnify the plaintiff for the loss. Specifically, the defendant allegedly failed to treat mold and failed to disconnect water lines on property it surveyed. The plaintiff claims $600,000 in monetary damages, compensatory damages, punitive damages, exemplary charges, attorney’s fees, costs and such other legal or equitable relief. Case no. 3:15-cv00287-AWT. Filed Feb. 26.

Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston. Filed by Kathleen Weiss.

Plaintiff’s attorney: Cohen & Thomas, Derby. Action: The plaintiff has brought this employee-benefits suit against the defendant alleging that she became disabled and was covered under an insurance contract set by the defendant. The defendant allegedly limited the benefits beyond what it has specified in the contract by counting disbursements from a tort settlement as part of the plaintiff’s income, thus lowering the monthly payouts from the defendant. The plaintiff claims costs and attorney’s fees. Case no. 3:15-cv-00270-JAM. Filed Feb. 24.

FACTS M & M Produce Inc., et al., Hartford. Filed by Pacific Pro Inc., Bellevue, Wash. Plaintiff ’s attorney: Day Pitney LLP, New Haven. Action: The plaintiff has brought this agricultural commodities suit against the defendants alleging that they failed to pay an invoice of $56,170 for commodities sold to the plaintiff. This failure to pay allegedly constitutes a breach of contract. The plaintiff claims an entry of order against the defendants to turn over assets, a judgment against the defendants, cost, attorney’s fees, interests and such other further legal or equitable relief as deemed necessary by the court.

Case no. 3:15-cv-00259-AWT. Filed Feb. 23.

Metro-North Commuter Railroad Co., New Haven. Filed by Thalma Maignan, Bridgeport. Plaintiff ’s attorney: Thalma Maignan, Bridgeport.

Action: The plaintiff has brought this personal injury suit against the defendant alleging that she was traveling on a train owned and operated by the defendant. The train allegedly derailed and collided with another train, causing serious injury to the plaintiff. The plaintiff also alleges that the defendant misrepresented the train’s safety in advertisements. The plaintiff claims compensatory and punitive damages and attorney’s fees.

Case no. 3:15-cv-00262-JBA. Filed Feb. 25.

M & M Produce Inc., et al., Hartford. Filed by Del Monte Fresh Produce NA, Inc. Plaintiff ’s attorney: Reid & Reige PC Hartford. Action: The plaintiff has brought this agricultural commodities suit against the defendants alleging that they failed to pay an invoice for commodities sold to the plaintiff. This failure to pay allegedly constitutes a breach of contract. The plaintiff claims a judgment against the defendants ordering them to turn over assets, cost, attorney’s fees, interests and such other further legal or equitable relief as deemed necessary by the court.

Case no. 3:15-cv-00267-WWE. Filed Feb. 24.

DEEDS

COMMITTEE DEEDS Kaufman, Edward J., et al., Westport. Appointed committee: Robert F. Frankel, Westport. Property: 3 Sylvan Lane, Unit 3B, Westport. Amount: $235,000. Filed Feb. 20.

Kaufman, Edward J., et al., Westport. Appointed committee: Robert F. Frankel, Westport. Property: 3 Sylvan Lane, Unit 5B, Westport. Amount: $375,000. Filed Feb. 20.

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FIGURES

Pompee, Destin, et al., Stratford.

Appointed committee: Edward F. Czepiga II, Stratford. Property: 50 Roosevelt Ave., Stratford. Amount: $147,738.

Filed Feb. 17.

77 Locust Ave LLC, New Canaan.

Seller: Sherri L. Sauer and Glenn Berglund, New Canaan. Property: 77 Locust Ave., Unit 124, New Canaan.

Amount: $1. Filed Jan. 6.

Armida, Marta and Peter Sondergaard Jensen, Wilton. Grantor: Elizabeth A. Schellhorn, Wilton. Property: Lot 2, Map 5478, Wilton. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 27.

Christofferson, Thomas H., New Canaan. Grantor: Clarke T. Latimer, New Canaan. Property: 85 Four Winds Lane, New Canaan. Amount: $1. Filed Jan. 12.

Tomkins, Dorothy D., et al., Stratford. Appointed committee: Daniel F. Schopick, Trumbull. Property: 79 Wooster Ave., Stratford. Amount: $60,001. Filed Feb. 24.

Cartus Financial Corp, Danbury.

Seller: Eric S. Smith, Stratford. Property: 39 Stilles St., Stratford. Amount: $294,000. Filed Feb. 20.

Arroyo, Daniel, Bridgeport. Grantor: Pawel Kulak, Stratford. Property: Apt. 1, Building 15, Court A of Success Village Condominium, Stratford.

Amount: $50,000. Filed Feb. 19.

Deamer, Katherine M., Norwalk.

Grantor: James F. Rogers, Norwalk.

Property: 40 Concord St., Norwalk.

Amount: $20,000. Filed Feb. 26.

COMMERCIAL

Closes Brook LLC, Greenwich. Seller: Silver Gwen LLC, Greenwich. Property: 63 John St., Lot 2, Greenwich.

Amount: $3.8 million. Filed Feb. 12.

142 Compo Road North Properties LLC, Westport. Seller: Stuart A. Stakoff and Courtney Stakoff, Westport. Property: 142 Compo Road North, Westport. Amount: $737,500.

Filed Feb. 17.

East Coast Renovators LLC, Stratford. Seller: Anthony J. Marro, Stratford. Property: 89 Van St., Stratford.

Amount: $158,500. Filed Feb. 26.

2 Oneida Drive, A1, Greenwich CT LLC, Greenwich. Seller: The Steamboat Road Property LLC, Greenwich.

Property: 2 Oneida Drive, Unit A-1, Greenwich. Amount: $3.5 million.

Filed Feb. 23.

24 Decatur St. LLC, Greenwich.

Seller: Frederick H. Weinberg and Michele H. Weinberg, Greenwich.

Property: Lots 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116 and 117, Map 348, Greenwich.

Amount: $1.5 million. Filed Feb. 25.

Fairfield County Homebuyers LLC, Stratford. Seller: Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., Salt Lake City, Utah.

Property: 246 Garibaldi Ave., Stratford.

Amount: $80,100. Filed Feb. 19.

QUIT CLAIM 172 Scofield Avenue LLC, Stratford.

Grantor: Paul M. DeMattia and Jamie R. DeMattia, Stratford. Property: 10-20 Corinthian Ave., Stratford. Amount: $1. Filed Feb. 26.

350IR LLC, New Canaan. Seller: Margarita Sprague, Miami Beach, Fla. Property: 350 Indian Rock Road, New Canaan. Amount: $2.1 million. Filed Jan. 12.

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Brant, Christopher M., Greenwich.

Grantor: Peter M. Brant, Greenwich.

Property: 417 Taconic Road, Greenwich. Amount: $100,000. Filed Feb. 27.

Chevalier, Eve Taylor, Weston.

Grantor: Alice Chevalier, Weston.

Property: Area C, Map 5827, Wilton.

No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 11.

Farrell, Christopher R., Wilton.

Grantor: Aimee A. Farrell, Wilton. Property: 1090 Ridgefield Road, Wilton. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 26.

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., McLean, Va. Grantor: Citimortgage Inc., O’Fallon, Mo. Property: 43 Village Walk, Unit 43, Wilton. For an unknown amount paid. Filed Feb. 20.

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., McLean, Va. Grantor: Bayview Loan Servicing LLC, Cheektowago, N.Y. Property: 41 Wolfpit Ave., Unit 3-0, Norwalk. An unknown amount paid.

Filed Feb. 24.

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Brant, Christopher M. and Paul Berg, Greenwich. Grantor: Peter M. Brant, Greenwich. Property: Parcel B, Map 7014, Greenwich. Amount: $1.

Filed Feb. 27.

Dubner, Russell, Norwalk. Grantor: Retained Realty Inc., New York, N.Y. Property: 39 Doubling Road, Greenwich.

Amount: $2.9 million. Filed Feb. 26.

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Bedoya, Arturo, Norwalk. Grantor: Arturo Bedoya, Norwalk. Property: Lot 4, Map 3119, Norwalk. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 27.

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Grantor: Maureen Bridget Dudas, Norwalk. Property: 40 Concord St., Norwalk. Amount: $20,000. Filed Feb. 26.

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FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015 21

FACTS Federal National Mortgage Association, Dallas, Texas. Grantor: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, Jacksonville, Fla. Property: 70 Cambridge Place, Stratford. An unknown amount paid.

Filed Feb. 17 Federal National Mortgage Association, Dallas, Texas. Grantor: PNC Bank NA, Miamisburg, Ohio.

Property: 15 Eleanor St., Stratford. An unknown amount paid. Filed Feb. 23.

Federal National Mortgage Association, Dallas, Texas. Grantor: Nationstar Mortgage LLC, Lewisville, Texas. Property: 138 W. Cedar St., Apt. 4, Norwalk. An unknown amount paid. Filed Feb. 17.

Firlotte, Charles, Stratford. Grantor: Marlene Firlotte, Stratford. Property: 1182 Prospect St., Stratford. Amount: $1. Filed Feb. 23.

Gallacher, Elizabeth N., Norwalk.

Grantor: Lawrence V. Gallacher, Norwalk. Property: 136 Gregory Blvd., Norwalk. Amount: $1. Filed Feb. 23.

Garibay, Ana D., Norwalk. Grantor: Jorge E. Castillo and Ana D. Castillo, Norwalk. Property: 25 W. Main St., Unit 7, Norwalk. An unknown amount paid. Filed Feb. 24.

Gaviria, Claudia, Norwalk. Grantor: William Gaviria, Norwalk. Property: Lot 7, Map 7042, Norwalk. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 24.

LJ Renovation LLC, Norwalk. Grantor: Jane Walters and Liam Hickey, Norwalk. Property: Lot 111, Map 778, Norwalk. Amount: $1. Filed Feb. 26.

Trigonis, Mary Ellen, Tara Anne Trigonis, James Thomas Trigonis and Thomas S. Trigonis, Stratford.

Grantor: Dimitrios Trigonis, Bridgeport. Property: 40 Silver Lane, Stratford. Amount: $1. Filed Feb. 23.

Trofa, Immacolata, Norwalk.

Grantor: Silvio Trofa, Norwalk. Property: 7 Pine Hill Ave., Norwalk. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 24.

Vertucci Jr., Alan, Norwalk. Grantor: Deborah A. Vertucci, Westport.

Property: 143 Strawberry Hill Ave., Norwalk. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 19.

Volpe, Maria Mikhail and Gregory Volpe, Stratford. Grantor: Gregory Volpe, Stratford. Property: 204 Forest Road, Stratford. Amount: $1. Filed Feb. 27.

Walter, John Mark, Stratford. Grantor: Elaine C. Hunt, Ormond Beach, Fla. Property: 105 Elizabeth Terrace, Stratford. An unknown amount paid.

Filed Feb. 23.

Wang, Xianhui, Norwalk. Grantor: Zhitao Song, Great Neck, N.Y. Property: 234 Ely Ave., Norwalk. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 23.

Gillman, Lillian M., Wilton. Grantor: Lillian M. Gillman, Wilton. Property: Lot 31, Map 1819, Wilton. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 27.

Weldon, Kelleen L., Wilton. Grantor: Christopher B. Weldon and Kelleen L. Weldon Wilton. Property: 157 Signal Hill Road, Wilton. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 19.

Granados, Vilman Zuluaga, Norwalk. Grantor: Sandra Santa, Norwalk.

Property: Lot 32, Map 2355, Norwalk.

No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 23.

Wilson, Paul O., Jamaica. Grantor: Leon A. Wilson, Norwalk. Property: 19 Mills St., Norwalk. Amount: $1. Filed Feb. 20.

Grodd, Judith C., Weston. Grantor: Leslie E. Grodd and Judith C. Grodd, Weston. Property: 26 River Ridge Lane, Home 13, Wilton. An unknown amount paid. Filed Feb. 19.

Wilton Land Conservation Trust, Wilton. Grantor: Seely Farm LLC, Westport. Property: Parcel A-1, Map 5826, Wilton. An unknown amount paid. Filed Feb. 4.

Hall, Laurie, Norwalk. Grantor: Laurie Hall, Norwalk. Property: Parcel A, Map 3380, Norwalk. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 27.

Wong, Simon T., Wilton. Grantor: Simon T. Wong and David Wong, Wilton. Property: 24 Topfield Road, Wilton. Amount: $10. Filed Feb. 24.

Hiller, Deanna L., Norwalk. Grantor: Mark L. Hiller, Norwalk. Property: Lot 11, Map 5906, Norwalk. Amount: $1.

Filed Feb. 24.

Zaffuto, Theresa M. and Richard Zaffuto, Norwalk. Grantor: Anthony D. Conte, Norwalk. Property: 8 Silwen Lane, Norwalk. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 24.

Jandl, Hilary and Steven M. Burke, Norwalk. Grantor: Thomas B. Schulhof and Anne K. Schulhof, Norwalk.

Property: 6 Valley Road, Norwalk. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 23.

Kubik, Paul J., Stratford. Grantor: Evelyn J. Kubik, Stratford. Property: 45 Sulik Terrace, Stratford. No consideration paid. Filed Feb. 27.

Lavaty, Ebba V. K. and Geoffrey A. Lavaty, Wilton. Grantor: Ebba V. K. Lavaty, Wilton. Property: .825 Acres, Map 3203, Wilton. Amount: $1. Filed Feb. 17.

RESIDENTIAL Holliday, Tamara and Alan S. Lhota, Greenwich. Seller: Maria Socorro Heagney and Maria Regina Groves, Gambrills, Md. Property: 52 Lafayette Place, Unit 3A, Greenwich. Amount: $356,000. Filed Feb. 20.

Hu, Xiaojuan, Norwalk. Seller: 12 Willard Holdings LLC, Norwalk.

Property: Unit 10 in Enclave of Willard Road Associaton Inc., Norwalk.

Amount: $389,900. Filed Feb. 20.

&

FIGURES

Hubbard, Kathleen A. and Charles P. Hubbardm Greenwich. Seller: Mark D. Hart, Stateline, Nev. Property: 20 Division St., Greenwich. Amount: $1.2 million. Filed Feb. 24.

Pellerin, Meena P. and Mark Pellerin, Westport. Seller: Lauren Oztemel, New York, N.Y. Property: 240 Saugatuck Ave., Westport. Amount: $2.1 million. Filed Feb. 25.

Hurst, Sandra and Simon Hurst, Greenwich. Seller: Kurt J. Von Holzhausen, Greenwich. Property: Lot 3R, Map 7642, Greenwich. Amount: $2.3 million. Filed Feb. 9.

Versaggi, Marilen D., Greenwich.

Seller: 1465 East Putnam Avenue 627 LLC, Stamford. Property: 1465 E. Putnam Ave., Unit 627, Greenwich.

Amount: $380,000. Filed Feb. 27.

James, Alison and James H. Reesman, Westport. Seller: SIR-18 Web LLC, Westport. Property: 18 Webb Road, Westport. Amount: $2.3 million.

Filed Feb. 19.

Vidmar, Gregor V., Norwalk. Seller: 12 Willard Holdings LLC, Norwalk.

Property: Unit 9 in Enclave of Willard Road Association Inc., Norwalk.

Amount: $364,900. Filed Feb. 20.

Jamrozik, Anna and Krzysztof Jamrozik, Ashton. Seller: Sandra Joan Hill and John B. Devine, Norwalk.

Property: 12 Naromake Ave., Norwalk.

Amount: $129,000. Filed Feb. 27.

Viswanathan, Sowmya, Fairfield.

Seller: Maria Florencia Mymicopulo, Norwalk. Property: Unit C-9 in Arch Hill Commons, Norwalk. Amount: $100,000. Filed Feb. 27.

Jankowski, Malgorzata and Marek Janowski, Norwalk. Seller: Zbigniew Gosiewski and Agniewszka Gosiewski, Wilton. Property: 57 Blue Ridge Road, Wilton. Amount: $620,000.

Filed Feb. 26.

Vitali, Wilfredo and Brian Moutinho, Stratford. Seller: Manuel Moutinho, Bridgeport. Property: 15 Nicki Laine Circle, Stratford. Amount: $369,000. Filed Feb. 24.

Janoff, Shari L. and Philip A. Janoff, Greenwich. Seller: Jeffrey Rubin and Laura L. Rubin, Greenwich.

Property: 6 Ferris Drive, Greenwich.

Amount: $1.3 million. Filed Feb. 20.

Jin, Xin, Westport. Seller: Reoco Inc., Norwalk. Property: 41 Fairfield Ave., Unit C, Norwalk. Amount: $126,000.

Filed Feb. 24.

Joseph, Shaneka and Tyrone Joseph, Stratford. Seller: Jennifer Lau and Eugene Lau, Stratford. Property: 60 Hortense St., Stratford. Amount: $245,000. Filed Feb. 27.

Kane, Jennifer A. and Matthew D. Kane, New York, N.Y. Seller: Stephen Batkin and Annette M. Batkin, Greenwich. Property: 39 Skylark Road, Greenwich. Amount: $1.9 million.

Filed Feb. 17.

Vladymyrenko, Mykhaylo and Rostyslav Drohobytskyy, Norwalk.

Seller: Wells Fargo Bank NA, Frederick, Md. Property: 267 W. Cedar St., Unit 1C, Norwalk. Amount: $150,000.

Filed Feb. 24.

Vogelmann, Elizabeth Amanda and Kevin Juju Vogelmann, Westport. Seller: Gregory W. Kearney and Lynn C. Kearney, Westport. Property: 10 Clayton St., Westport. Amount: $820,000. Filed Feb. 17.

Volpicelli, Eldida R. and Frank M. Volpicelli, Greenwich. Seller: Miroslava Lozina, Greenwich. Property: 73 Stonehedge Drive, Greenwich.

Amount: $1.3 million. Filed Feb. 26.

West, Amy L. and David West, New York, N.Y. Seller: Jay B. Kane, Greenwich. Property: Lot 7, Map 4345, Greenwich. Amount: $1. Filed Feb. 27.

Kearney, Joan and Peter Kearney, Greenwich. Seller: Elizabeth C. Moore, Greenwich. Property: Unit 309 of Lyon Farm Condominium, Greenwich. Amount: $917,500. Filed Feb. 23.

Wical, Angela and Eric Lee Wichal, Westport. Seller: Leslie E. Grodd, Wilton. Property: Lot A-2, Map 2570, Wilton. Amount: $935,000.

Filed Feb. 17.

Kelly, Marcia E. and Thomas E. Kelly, Stratford. Seller: Brian O’Shea and Katharina E. O’Shea, Stratford.

Property: 296 First Ave., Stratford.

Amount: $311,000. Filed Feb. 26.

Williams Jr., Arthur C., Fairfield.

Seller: Paul P. DeLeo and Ellen DeLeo, New Fairfield. Property: 11B Algonquin Lane, Stratford. Amount: $187,000. Filed Feb. 27.

Kibbe, Peter S., Norwalk. Seller: Kimberly Orf, Norwalk. Property: 22 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Unit 6C, Norwalk. Amount: $220,000. Filed Feb. 19.

Larocca, Salvatore, Westport. Seller: R.E.X. Investments, New Canaan.

Property: 40 Silent Grove North, Westport. Amount: $865,000. Filed Feb. 25.

Williams, Amanda Bock and Cory Williams, Greenwich. Seller: 3 Gregory Road LLC, Stamford. Property: 2 Gregory Road, Greenwich. Amount: $2.1 million. Filed Feb. 12.

Yordanova, Daniela, Stamford.

Seller: Federal National Mortgage Association, Dallas, Texas. Property: 13 Keith St., Norwalk. Amount: $145,000.

Filed Feb. 23.

Pasqua-Lohnes, Brittany and Luke L. Lohnes, Stratford. Seller: Terry L. Moore, Stratford. Property: 175 Freeman Ave., Stratford. Amount: $187,500. Filed Feb. 18.

Zagrobelny, Mary and Robert Lyons, Greenwich. Seller: Tania E. Flynn, Greenwich. Property: Lot 51, Map 3764, Greenwich. Amount: $1.3 million. Filed Feb. 9.

22 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Zdunek, Kamil, Norwalk. Seller: Bruce A. Miller and Elizabeth A. Miller, Norwalk. Property: 155 Strawberry Hill Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $371,000.

Filed Feb. 26.

Powell, Jane D., et al. Creditor: Citimortgage Inc., Calabasas, Calif. Property: 43 Village Walk, Unit 43, Wilton.

Delinquent common charges. Filed Feb. 23.

FORECLOSURES

Resto, Juan M., et al. Creditor: U.S. Bank NA, Miamisburg, Ohio. Property: 117 Yarwood St., Stratford. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 23.

Arias, Xavier G., et al. Creditor: Bank of America NA, Plano, Texas.

Property: 263 Taft Ave., Stratford.

Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 26.

Crowley, Timothy M., et al. Creditor: PNC Bank NA, Miamisburg, Ohio.

Property: 15 Eleanor St., Stratford.

Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 23.

Gibson, Steve, et al. Creditor: U.S. Bank NA, Miamisburg, Ohio. Property: 192 Otis St., Stratford. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 23.

Gomez, Ana, et al. Creditor: Nationstar Mortgage LLC, Lewisville, Texas.

Property: 138 W. Cedar St., Apt. 4, Norwalk. Delinquent common charges.

Filed Feb. 17.

Gundeck, Claire L., et al. Creditor: U.S. Bank NA, Miamisburg, Ohio.

Property: 169 S. Water St., Greenwich.

Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 11.

Haley, Laura M., et al. Creditor: LNV Corp., Lake Zurich, Ill. Property: 216 Albright Ave., Stratford. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 25.

Leon, John W., et al. Creditor: Green Tree Servicing LLC, Tempe, Fla. Property: 635 Connors Lane, Stratford.

Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 17.

Lombardo, John, et al. Creditor: Citimortgage Inc., Calabasas, Calif.

Property: 510 Emerald Place, Stratford. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 26.

Melo, Jose E., et al. Creditor: Wells Fargo Bank NA, Frederick, Md. Property: 31 Fairview Ave., Stratford. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 17.

Montreuil, Renaud, et al. Creditor: The Bank of New York Mellon, Tempe, Ariz. Property: 1423 Broadbridge Ave., Stratford. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 17.

Moses, Denise S., et al. Creditor: Wells Fargo Bank NA, Frederick, Md. Property: 20 Roosevelt St., Norwalk.

Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 24.

Nordquist, Kirstin J., et al. Creditor: Bayview Loan Servicing LLC, Coral Gables, Fla. Property: 41 Wolfpit Ave., Unit 3-0, Norwalk. Delinquent common charges. Filed Feb. 24.

Pierelli, Thomas P., et al. Creditor: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, San Diego, Calif. Property: 7 Elm Terrace, Stratford. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 20.

JUDGMENTS Arroyo, Migdalia, Norwalk. $12,432 in favor of Razor Capital LLC, Bloomington, Minn., by Cohen, Burns, Hard & Paul, West Hartford. Property: 18 Honeysuckle Drive, Norwalk. Filed Feb. 23.

Brissette, Sheila, Stratford. $4,752 in favor of JH Portfolio Debt Equities LLC, Hazelwood, Mo., by Tobin Melien & Marohn, New Haven. Property: 92 Wiklund Ave., Stratford. Filed Feb. 23.

Capalbo, Richard W., Greenwich. $3,458 in favor of Discover Bank, New Albany, Ohio, by Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford.

Property: 1 Grove St., Greenwich. Filed Feb. 23.

Carryl, Dwain, Norwalk. $1,205 in favor of Standard Oil of Connecicut Inc., Bridgeport, by Philip H. Monogan, Waterbury. Property: 32 Juhasz Road, Norwalk. Filed Feb. 23.

Castro, Alicia, Norwalk. $1,800 in favor of Petro Inc., Melville, N.Y., by Gerald S. Knopf, Stamford. Property: 20 Primrose Court, Norwalk. Filed Feb. 17.

Diamontopulos, Carol G. and John Diamontopulos, Greenwich. $1,136 in favor of Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, by Nathanson Cipriano and Gambardella PC, Hamden. Property: 62 Hillside Road, Greenwich.

Filed Feb. 17.

Drury, Jayne and David L. Drury Jr., Stratford. $2,549 in favor of Advanced Radiology Consultants LLC, Trumbull, by Nathanson Cipriano and Gambardella PC, Hamden. Property: 133 Evelyn St., Stratford. Filed Feb. 17.

Gardner, Arlene, Norwalk. $2,081 in favor of Standard Oil of Connecticut Inc., Bridgeport, by Philip H. Monogan, Waterbury. Property: 20 Lincoln Ave., Norwalk. Filed Feb. 18.

Gillick, Kevin P., Greenwich. $3,460 in favor of Asset Acceptance LLC, Warren, Mich., by Tobin Melien & Marohn, New Haven. Property: 8 Neil Lane, Greenwich. Filed Feb. 23.

Knox, Jay D., Norwalk. $7,882 in favor of Discover Bank, New Albany, Ohio, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 14 Arnold Lane, Norwalk. Filed Feb. 18.

VISIONARY VACUUM? WHAT MAKES SOME AREAS DAZZLING AND OTHERS JUST PLAIN BORING? This Westfair program on development and real estate will reveal the obstacles to creativity in our local towns, villages and cities. Is there a vision vacuum among our elected and appointed officials or are fear, economics and regulations too overwhelming?

HEAR WHAT OUR EXPERT PANELISTS HAVE TO SAY

SAL CAMPOFRANCO

DISCUSSION MODERATOR

Founder and managing member Luzern Associates LLC

LUIZ ARAGON

RALPH DIBART

New Rochelle development commissioner

Executive director Business Improvement District

DATE: TUESDAY, APRIL 28 TIME: 11:30 A.M. TO 1 P.M. LOCATION: THE WATERS EDGE AT GIOVANNI’S 2748 POST ROAD, DARIEN, CONN. SPONSOR

SAM FULLER President Fuller Development LLC

Presented by The Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals and WAG magazine For more information, call Holly DeBartolo at 914-694-3600, ext. 3006, or email hdebartolo@westfairinc.com.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015 23

FACTS LEASES Arroyo, Daniel, by Mary Beth Rapice. Landlord: Success Village Apartments Inc., Bridgeport. Property: Apt. 1, Building 15, Court A, Stratford. Term: 99 years, commenced Feb. 18, 2015.

Filed Feb. 19.

Marrero, Dolores and Ramon Marrero, by self. Landlord: Stonybrook Gardens Cooperative Inc., Stratford. Property: 9 Marsh Way, Stratford. Term: 3 years, commenced Feb. 24, 2015. Filed Feb. 26.

LIENS

FEDERAL TAX LIENSFILED Abdal, Charlene, 25B Columbus Ave., Greenwich. $38,804, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 23.

Agura, Vivian and John M. Thompson, 3 Old Boston Road, Wilton. $28,905, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 18.

Kirby, Rita and David Kirby, 24 Father Peters Lane, New Canaan. $145,094, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Jan. 8.

Brown, Lisa and Daniel Acosta, 80 Country St., Apt. 1J, Norwalk. $9,182, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 20.

Lang, Dana and John F. Lang, 24 Bauer Place, Westport. $65,876, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 17.

MECHANIC’S LIENSFILED

Libertas LLC, 40 Richards Ave., Suite 3, Norwalk. $36,359, quarterly payroll taxes, payroll taxes and failure to file correct information returns tax penalty. Filed Feb. 25.

Brockwell, Sharon J., Westport.

Filed by Ring’s End Inc., Darien, by Kelvin Tyler. Property: 11 Caccamo Lane Extension, Westport. Amount: $20,983. Filed Feb. 24.

Madden, Susanna F. and William Madden, 299 North Ave., Westport. $115,399, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 25.

Connolly Inc., Wilton. Filed by GP Construction Services LLC, Stamford,

by Giuliano Pagani. Property: 50 Danbury Road, Wilton. Amount: $4,000.

Filed Feb. 18.

Country Pumping Sanitary Service, 33 Stonecrop Road, Norwalk. $21,358, quarterly payroll taxes. Filed Feb. 25.

Diorio, Salvador, 67 Osborne Ave., Norwalk. $55,999, failure to file correct information returns tax penalty and a tax debt on personal income.

Filed Feb. 20.

Drain Doctor Plumbing Specialist, 220 Byram Road, Greenwich. $77,588, corporate income taxes, payroll taxes and quarterly payroll taxes.

Filed Feb. 20.

Edelman, Jon J., 3704 Mactibby St., San Diego, Calif. $104.9 million, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 20.

Greene, Barry, 300 Flax Hill Road, Apt. 11, Norwalk. $14,571, failure to correct or pay tax penalty. Filed Feb. 20.

Greene, Jill, 300 Flax Hill Road, Apt. 11, Norwalk. $7,087, failure to correct or pay tax penalty. Filed Feb. 20.

Benson, Diane R., P.O. Box 5185, Westport. $37,490, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 17.

Hamrick, Sheryl S. and Charles A. Hamrick, 1064 Ridgefield Road, Wilton. $13,420, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 4.

Beyer, Dana J., 145 Okenuck Trail, Stratford. $13,713, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 24.

FIGURES

Boot, Marie Antoinette and Dirk R. Boot, 169 Sturges Ridge Road, Wilton. $79,862, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 4.

Allegrini, Judith and Theodore Allegrini, 27 Lyon Ave., Greenwich. $28,141, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 20.

Benson, Diane, P.O. Box 7006, Wilton. $37,490, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 18.

&

Schaffer, Daniel S., 28 Wooddale Road, Greenwich. $141,207, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 20.

Scott, Jennifer and Gary Scott, 25 W. Elm St., Apt. 47, Greenwich. $111,326, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 26.

Speath, Daniel J., 94 Mianus Road, Greenwich. $73,793, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 23.

Speath, Maura C. and Daniel J. Speath, 94 Mianus Road, Greenwich. $26,221, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 20.

Yoder, Nina H. and Merle E. Yoder, 739 Lake Ave., Greenwich. $28,592, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 26.

Henry, James L., 85 Murray St., Norwalk. $56,048, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 20.

FEDERAL TAX LIENSRELEASED

Hunt, Christopher, 19 Stanwich Lane, Greenwich. $5,989, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 23.

Backos, Theone and Antonios C. Backos, 311 Riversville Road, Greenwich. $221,980, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 20.

Managed Futures Researcher (AQR Capital Management – Greenwich, CT) Prfrm stat & economic rsrch on finanl data to dvlp new, & improve current Managed Futures invstmt strats in collaboration w/ exist’g rsrch teams.

F/T. Reqs Bach’s degr (or forgn equiv) in Finan, Econ, Math, Stat or rel fld & 2 yrs of exp in job offered or in systematic asset mgmt. Exp mst incl the follw’g: econometrics or stats; portfolio construction, portfolio constraints & transaction-cost aware optimization; exp w/ widely used vendor optimizers (e.g. Axioma); prgrm’g in Python (incl’g NumPy & PANDAS); SQL; exp w/ mechanics of trad’g futures contracts; familiarity w/ Limited Partnership, ’40 act, & UCITS fund structures & rules; & backtst’g, prfrmance attribution, & portfolio monitor’g. Resume: AQR Capital Management, LLC, ATTN: Meghan Kies, 2 Greenwich Plaza, 3rd Flr, Greenwich, CT 06830. Job Code AQR-24345.

Baggeas LLC, 1000 Stratford Ave., Stratford. $4,567, quarterly payroll taxes. Filed Feb. 24.

Berman, Frauke and Richard Berman, 2 Sterling Drive, Westport. $190,141, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 17.

Berman, Frauke and Richard Berman, 2 Sterling Drive, Westport. $310,606, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 17.

Cacioppo, Bonnie and Robert Cacioppo, 24 Livingston Place, Greenwich. $13,634, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 20.

Cheung, Elke Wai Ming and Samuel Tatum, 132 Henry St., Greenwich. $26,010, property taxes. Filed Feb. 20.

Davis, Deidrea L., 38 Glenwood Ave., Apt. 10, Norwalk. $15,889, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 20.

Frederick, Keville and Robert Tomasson, 355 Riversville Road, Greenwich. $28,981, a tax debt on personal income. Filed Feb. 20.

24 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Icing on The Cake Inc., 3641 Main St., Stratford. $23,830, quarterly payroll taxes and payroll taxes. Filed Feb. 24.

Hull, Berta and David Hull, Wilton.

Filed by Simon White Construction and The Eagle Leasing Co., Orange,

by Matthew Eagle. Property: 82 Pipers Hill Road, Wilton. Amount: $573. Filed Feb. 20.

Martinez, Zachary, Greenwich.

Filed by Quibus LLC, Greenwich, by Steven K. Mueller. Property: 2 Konittekock Road, Greenwich. Amount: $16,050. Filed Feb. 19.

Martinez, Zachary, Greenwich.

Filed by Steven Mueller Architects LLC, Greenwich, by Steven K. Mueller.

Property: 2 Konittekock Road, Greenwich. Amount: $5,982. Filed Feb. 19.

New Schreve, Crump & Low LLC, Greenwich. Filed by All Phase Steel Works LLC, Bridgeport, by Paul J. Pinto. Property: Lewis Street and Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich. Amount: $26,493. Filed Feb. 17.

MECHANIC’S LIENSRELEASED Munnynck, Natalie De and Yoav Wiegenfeld, Greenwich. Released by Lee Stewart Plumbing & Heating Inc.,

by Lee Stewart. Property: 82 Doubling Road, Greenwich. Amount: $16,000.

Filed Feb. 13.

LIS PENDENS Bogal, Christine and Thomas Bogal, et al., New Canaan. Filed

by Goldman Gruder & Woods LLC, Norwalk, for Hudson City Savings Bank. Property: 99 Myanos Road, New Canaan. Action: to foreclose on a delinquent mortgage in the original principal amount of $2 million, dated September 2011. Filed Jan. 6.

Brockwell, Sharon J., Mark Brockwell and Romano Construction, Westport. Filed by Randall Carreina, New Preston, for T. Edward & Son Company Inc. Property: 11 Caccamo Lane Extension , Westport. Action: to foreclose on a mechanic’s lien in the original amount of $26,120 and take immediate possession of the premises. Filed Feb. 18.

Carpenter, Anna M., et al., Stratford. Filed by Hunt, Leibert & Jacobsen PC, Hartford, for Nationstar Mortgage LLC, Lewisville, Texas. Property: 37 Winter St., Stratford. Action: to foreclose on a delinquent mortgage in the original principal amount of $390,000, dated March 2009. Filed Feb. 26.

Nardi, Wendy Jane, et al., Norwalk.

Filed by Hunt, Leibert & Jacobsen PC, Hartford, for Onewest Bank NA Property: 11 Van Zant St., Unit 4, Norwalk.

Action: to foreclose on a delinquent mortgage in the original principal amount of $420,000, dated December 2004. Filed Feb. 25.

Courbron, Richard, et al., Stratford.

Filed by Hunt, Leibert & Jacobsen PC, Hartford, for Wells Fargo Bank NA, Frederick, Md. Property: 92 Brewster St., Stratford. Action: to foreclose on a delinquent mortgage in the original principal amount of $272,000, dated December 2006. Filed Feb. 23.

Pinto, William, Stratford. Filed by Frankel & Berg, Norwalk, for Short Beach Condominium, Stratford.

Property: 115 Short Beach Road, Unit 205, Stratford. Action: to foreclose on a condominium lien for delinquent common charges and assessments and take immediate possession of the premise. Filed Feb. 17.

Frank, George Andrew, Westport.

Filed by Goldman Gruder & Woods LLC, Norwalk, for ES Ventures One LLC. Property: 34 Turkey Hill Road South, Westport. Action: to foreclose on a delinquent mortgage in the original principal amount of $3.7 million, dated January 2007. Filed Feb. 26.

Huckabee, Carole E., et al., Stratford. Filed by Hunt, Leibert & Jacobsen PC, Hartford, for Wells Fargo Bank NA, Frederick, Md. Property: 40 Rockaway Ave., Stratford. Action: to foreclose on a delinquent mortgage in the original principal amount of $345,000, dated February 2007. Filed Feb. 19.

Iannone, Tomiko J., Stratford. Filed by the Law Office of Lawrence A. Levinson, PC, New Haven, for Prime Bank. Property: 23 W. Hillside Ave., Stratford. Action: to foreclose on a judgment lien against the defendant and take immediate possession of the property. Filed Feb. 20.

Jones, Sonia L., et al., Greenwich.

Filed by Goldman Gruder & Woods LLC, Norwalk, for Kramer Lane Construction LLC, Greenwich. Property: Lot 1, Map 3802, Greenwich. Action: to foreclose on a mechanic’s lien and take immediate possession of the premises. Filed Feb. 12.

Kelly, Dawn M. and Brian C. Kelly, et al., Norwalk. Filed by Simon Sumberg, Norwalk, for Thomas Place Association Inc., Norwalk. Property: Unit 8 of Thomas Place Condominium, Norwalk. Action: to foreclose on a condominium lien for delinquent common charges and assessments and take immediate possession of the premise. Filed Feb. 24.

Klee, Jennifer, Stratford. Filed by The Jackson Law Group LLC, Milford, for Longbrook Condominium Inc., Stratford. Property: Unit 201 of Longbrook Condominium, Stratford. Action: to foreclose on a condominium lien for delinquent common charges and assessments and take immediate possession of the premise. Filed Feb. 27.

Kurbs, William J., et al., Stratford.

Filed by Leopold & Associates, Stamford, for Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 98 Taft St., Stratford. Action: to foreclose on a delinquent mortgage in the original principal amount of $175,000, dated February 2007. Filed Feb. 17.

Rucker, Georgana, et al., Norwalk.

Filed by Simon Sumberg, Norwalk, for Columbus Court Homeowners Association Inc., Norwalk. Property: Unit 2-H, Building II Columbus Court, Norwalk. Action: to foreclose on a condominium lien for delinquent common charges and assessments and take immediate possession of the premise.

Filed Feb. 24.

Salerno, Brian J. and Stanley Wong, et al., Norwalk. Filed by Ackerly & Ward, Stamford, for Riverside Plaza Residential Association Inc., Norwalk. Property: Unit 22GB in Riverside Plaza Residential, Norwalk. Action: to foreclose on a condominium lien for delinquent common charges and assessments and take immediate possession of the premise. Filed Feb. 18.

Sarsoza, Elizabeth and Isiash E. Cobbs, et al., Norwalk. Filed by Shapiro & Epstein PC, Hamden, for Highpoint Association Inc. Property: Unit D-3 of Flax Hill Condominium, Norwalk. Action: to foreclose on a condominium lien for delinquent common charges and assessments and take immediate possession of the premise.

Filed Feb. 27.

Smith, Edward W., et al., Stratford.

Filed by Leopold & Associates, Stamford, for Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 1910 Broadbridge Ave., Stratford.

Action: to foreclose on a delinquent mortgage in the original principal amount of $116,000, dated September 2002. Filed Feb. 23.

Wysocki, Steven and Milford Bank, Stratford. Filed by Greene Law PC, Farmington, for Chesworld (TL) LLC. Property: 72 Sycamore Drive, Stratford. Action: to foreclose on a tax lien levied against the defendant and take immediate possession of the premises. Filed Feb. 27.

MORTGAGES

COMMERCIAL 1265 Post Road East LLC, Westport,

by Victoria F. Bodine. Lender: Fairfield County Bank, Ridgefield. Property: 1265 Post Road East, Westport.

Amount: $450,000. Filed Feb. 20.

FACTS 142 Compo Road North Properties LLC, Westport, by Janos Kanta.

Lender: Secure Capital Group LLC, Stratford. Property: 142 Compo Road North, Westport. Amount: $800,000.

Filed Feb. 17.

172 Scofield Avenue LLC, Stratford,

by Jamie DeMattia. Lender: Bankwell Bank, New Canaan. Property: 10-20 Corinthian Ave., Stratford. Amount: $250,000. Filed Feb. 26.

183 Barnum Terrace LLC, Easton,

by Carl A. Massaro Jr. Lender: People’s United Bank, NA, Bridgeport. Property: 183 Barnum Terrace, Stratford.

Amount: $400,000. Filed Feb. 26.

32 Turkey Hill Road, Westport,

by Kristen W. McDonald. Lender: People’s United Bank, NA, Bridgeport.

Property: 32 Turkey Hill Road South, Westport. Amount: $3.3 million. Filed Feb. 20.

332 Wilton Road Associates, Westport, by Steve Crowley. Lender: Fairfield County Bank, Ridgefield.

Property: 332 Wilton Road, Westport.

Amount: $519,000. Filed Feb. 17.

337 Kenyon Street LLC, Trumbull,

by John J. Vazzano. Lender: Fairfield County Bank, Ridgefield. Property: 270 Carol Road, Stratford. Amount: $134,194. Filed Feb. 25.

Double Diamond Properties LLC, Easton, by John D. Miranda. Lender: People’s United Bank, NA, Bridgeport.

Property: 239 Graham St., Stratford.

Amount: $400,000. Filed Feb. 26.

Hollister Street LLC, Stratford,

by Lawrence J. LaConte Jr. Lender: Fairfield County Bank, Ridgefield.

Property: 400 Hollister Sta. and 152154 Thompson St., Stratford. Amount: $365,806. Filed Feb. 25.

Jai Lakshmi Realty LLC, Norwalk,

by Rohan Virmani. Lender: The Greenwich Bank & Trust Co., Greenwich. Property: 1 Testa Place, Norwalk.

Amount: $4.1 million. Filed Feb. 18.

Old Greenwich Holding I LLC, Greenwich, by Patrick J. Dussol. Lender: Kimberly J. Dussol, Greenwich.

Property: 1465 E. Putnam Ave., Unit 622, Greenwich. Amount: $600,000.

Filed Feb. 27.

NEW BUSINESSES 242 Stillwater Avenue LLC, 242 Stillwater Ave., Stamford 06902, c/o Basentry G. Mousa. Filed Feb. 3.

A & S, 11 Willowbrook Court, Stamford 06902, c/o Stephan E. Devita.

Filed Feb. 18.

Affordable Kitchen & Bath, 1177 High Ridge Road, Stamford 06902, c/o Larry Labonte. Filed Feb. 2.

Agarwal Hospitality, 388 Westport Ave., Norwalk 06851, c/o Jaiprakash K. Agarwal. Filed Feb. 25.

American Solar & Alternative Power, 85 Old Long Ridge Road, Suite A1, Stamford 06903, c/o American Carrera Tech LLC. Filed Feb. 5.

Andean Fibers, 2216 High Ridge Road, Stamford 06903, c/o Glen Tobias. Filed Feb. 17.

Antique & Artisan Center LLC, 29 Jefferson St., Stamford 06902, c/o Mari Ann Maher and Bruce Wylie.

Filed Feb. 18.

Avery Center For Obstetrics and Gynecology, 12 Avery Place, Westport 06880, c/o Physicians For Women’s Health LLC. Filed Feb. 23.

Bassett Park, 177 High Ridge Road, Stamford 06905, c/o Larry Labonte.

Filed Feb. 5.

Beats Aids Project Zimbabwe, 618 West Ave., Norwalk 06850, c/o Scott Gretz. Filed Feb. 25.

Birgin Anich Staging & Interiors LLC, 6 Overlook Road, Norwalk 06851, c/o Birgit Anich. Filed Feb. 19.

BMC Marketing LLC, 119 Patrick Ave., Norwalk 06851, c/o John F. Wall.

Filed Feb. 26.

C. M. Maintenance LLC, 24 Dolsen Place, Stamford 06902, c/o Charles J. Kanapaska. Filed Feb. 19.

Car Service Solutions, 37 Woodrow St., Stamford 06902, c/o Alexander Jordan. Filed Feb. 13.

Rockland Estates LLC, by Peter J. DeLeo. Lender: Arbor Commercial Funding LLC, New York, N.Y. Property: 42-44 Ferris Ave., Norwalk.

Amount: $1.5 million. Filed Feb. 23.

Caring Hearts Home Care, 11 Fairmont Ave., Stamford 06906, c/o Irma Rubino and Tamara Mosidze. Filed Feb. 20.

VG Development LLC, Stratford, by Kathleen M. Dunn. Lender: Neil Velasquez, Stratford. Property: 120 Lindsey St., Stratford. Amount: $90,000. Filed Feb. 25.

Carousel Balloons, 20 Grenhert Road, Stamford 06902, c/o Martin Edward Roth. Filed Feb. 27.

Cherry Daydream, 16 Washington St., Norwalk 06854, c/o Fernanda Bernstsen. Filed Feb. 25.

White Birch Farm Inc., Greenwich,

by Patrick O. Phalon. Lender: Webster Bank NA, Waterbury. Property: Map 5677, Greenwich. Amount: $10 million. Filed Feb. 27.

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FIGURES

Circle Care Center Pharmacy, 618 West Ave., Norwalk 06850, c/o Scott Gretz. Filed Feb. 25.

Infinite Fitness, 27 Lois St., Norwalk 06851, c/o Tom Romano Fitness LLC. Filed Feb. 19.

PDR Finish Carpentry, 9 Maple Tree Ave., Apt. 3F, Stamford 06906, c/o Pablo C. Reyes. Filed Feb. 6.

Teri Jannes Interiors, 30 Walker Lane, Westport 06883, c/o Terri Jannes. Filed Feb. 23.

Circle Care Center, 618 West Ave., Norwalk 06850, c/o Scott Gretz. Filed Feb. 25.

JimTrippe.com, 137 Valley Drive, Greenwich 06831, c/o James R. Trippe. Filed Feb. 19.

Peter Brooks Enterprises, 31 Clinton Ave., Norwalk 06854, c/o Peter Brooks. Filed Feb. 24.

The Bank Street Charity Invitational, 4 Landmark Square, third floor, Stamford 06901, c/o Lukaj Foundational Inc. Filed Feb. 9.

Cloud No. 9, 254 Mill St., Unit B, Greenwich 06830, c/o Mark Butler.

Filed Feb. 23.

Kalm and Koolie, 71-1 Ludlow St., Stamford 06902, c/o Larence Worsley. Filed Feb. 4.

Photography by Frank Wood, 10 Half Mile Common, Westport 06880, c/o Frank Wood. Filed Feb. 17.

Coco Nails, 889 High Ridge Road, Stamford 06905, c/o High Ridge Nails LLC. Filed Feb. 9.

Kimyea Boutique & Braiding Salon, 1925 Barnum Ave., Stratford 06615, c/o Kim Watson. Filed Feb. 19.

Portillo’s Painting, 29 Nurney St., Stamford 06902, c/o Mario Portillo.

Filed Feb. 10.

Columbian Jeans, 14 North St., Stamford 06902, c/o Gloria Bermudez. Filed Feb. 9.

Lean Innovation Group, 92 Aspen Lane, Stamford 06903, c/o Bob Dorf Inc. Filed Feb. 18.

Pumping Iron of Greenwich Inc., 209 Bruce Park Ave., Greenwich 06830, c/o Kenneth Triolo. Filed Feb. 12.

Crumbs Bank Shop, 1067 High Ridge Road, Stamford 06902, c/o Lemonis Fisher Acquisition Company LLC. Filed Feb. 17.

Lehrman & Co LLC, 1 Fawcett Place, Suite 130, Greenwich 06830, c/o Frank P. Trotta. Filed Feb. 27.

R & S Motta Landscaping & Construction, 61 Carroll St., Stamford 06907, c/o Stefano Motta. Filed Feb. 17.

Leonel M. Corona Landscaping, 11 Macintosh Road, Norwalk 06851, c/o Leonel M. Corona. Filed Feb. 17.

Relax The Back, 367 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich 06830, c/o Robert F. Pigue. Filed Feb. 17.

Long Ridge Post-Acute Care, 710 Long Ridge Road, Stamford 06902, c/o Senior Living Philanthropy of Stamford LLC. Filed Feb. 5.

Reyes Bar & Restaurant, 99 Stillwater Ave., Stamford 06902, c/o Adriano Leon Concepcion. Filed Feb. 4.

Decassia Hardwood Flooring, 99 Connecticut Ave., Stamford 06902, c/o Vanderlei Luiz Decassia Jr. Filed Feb. 6.

Dr. Randall Weeks, 20 Buxton Farm Road, Suite 230, Stamford 06902, c/o Randall Weeks. Filed Feb. 5.

Dynamic Iris Photography, 30 Brookside Drive, Apt. 1C, Greenwich 06830, c/o Ahmed Rajput. Filed Feb. 23.

Education Growth Advisors LLC, 1 Landmark Square, First floor, Stamford 06902, c/o Adam Newman. Filed Feb. 12.

Erik’s Green, 22 Leonard St., Norwalk 06850, c/o Erik Hernandez.

Filed Feb. 25.

Fran & Co, 1 Dock St., Stamford 06902, c/o Alexander Butryn-McCormick. Filed Feb. 17.

FVL Enterprise, 17 Bennett St., Unit 5, Stamford 06907, c/o Leondard Sanchez. Filed Feb. 12.

Glamour Café, 84 W. Park Place, Flushings, N.Y., 11355, c/o Hui Fen Li. Filed Feb. 3.

Greenwich Developmental Swimming, 29 Sylvan Knoll Road, Stamford 06902, c/o Justo A. Karell. Filed Feb. 2.

Greenwich Fitness, 209 Bruce Park Ave., Greenwich 06830, c/o Michelle Triolo. Filed Feb. 12.

Gregory Clark Collection, 2 Hollyhack Road, Weston 06883, c/o Gregory Clark. Filed Feb. 26.

Choice Insurance Agency, 205 Atlantic St., Stamford 06902, c/o Michele D. Rivera. Filed Feb. 13.

HC Design & Décor, 32 Hilltop Circle, Milford 06460, c/o Heloisa C. Char. Filed Feb. 23.

Christine McGovern Designs, 32 Charter Oak Drive, Wilton 06897, c/o Christine B. McGovern. Filed Feb. 27.

Hunan Gourmet, 68 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich 06830, c/o Daniel J. Cheung. Filed Feb. 13.

M Squared Productions, 1 First Stamford Place, Stamford 06911, c/o Marlon Martir. Filed Feb. 17.

Ridgeway Pizza, 2802 Summer St., Stamford 06905, c/o Arddisha LLC. Filed Feb. 18.

The Mat, 293 Shippan Ave., Stamford 06902, c/o Shaunte Little. Filed Feb. 6.

The Mat, 293 Shippan Ave., Stamford 06902, c/o Jeff Zolluccio. Filed Feb. 17.

The Staging Studio, 6 Overlook Road, Norwalk 06851, c/o Birgit Anich. Filed Feb. 19.

The Tico Company, 131 N. Taylor Ave., Norwalk 06854, c/o Carlos Gamboa. Filed Feb. 26.

The Traveling Garden, 2 Hoover Ave., Apt. B, Stamford 06905, c/o Kristy Schutzman. Filed Feb. 5.

The Waypointe, 515 West Ave., Norwalk 06850, c/o CP IV Waypointe BP I LLC. Filed Feb. 25.

Translation & Interpreting Services, 818 Hope St., Suite 1A, Stamford 06911, c/o Isabelle Arvridor. Filed Feb. 9.

Trust No One, 66 Lafayette St., Stamford 06902, c/o Dwan Masheck. Filed Feb. 18.

Magic Maids, Ruby Street, Norwalk 06854, c/o Katherine Anne Koeelwyn. Filed Feb. 20.

Riverside Express Limousine Service, 9 Carolina Road, Stamford 06902, c/o Santiago Pineda. Filed Feb. 18.

Maserati of Westport, 1026 Post Road East, Westport 06880, c/o Miller Motorcars Inc. Filed Feb. 23.

Sharlee Designs, 34 Reed Lane, Greenwich 06878, c/o Tina Zaya.

Filed Feb. 13.

Medicinal Skin, 16 Ketchaum St., Westport 06880, c/o Holly Arrindell.

Filed Feb. 25.

Simpl You Fitnesswear, 35 Ayers Drive, Stamford 06905, c/o Natalia Lepivert. Filed Feb. 9.

Mitchell’s Tax Services, 346 Columbus Ave., Stratford 06615, c/o Marcia V. Mitchell. Filed Feb. 24.

SRN, 14 Pilot Rock Lane, Greenwich 06878, c/o Robert T. Sadock. Filed Feb. 24.

Mobile Devise MD, 124 East Ave., Norwalk 06851, c/o Neos-It LLC. Filed Feb. 17.

Stamford Salad, 30 Spring St., Stamford 06901, c/o Volta Volta LLC. Filed Feb. 12.

Moreno Barber Shop, 27 Smith St., Stamford 06902, c/o Jose Pena. Filed Feb. 4.

Stratford Chiropractic Group, 2505 Main St., Stratford 06615, c/o Robert Pesale. Filed Feb. 17.

Movimiento Misionero Mundial Inc., 75 Selleck St., Stamford 06902, c/o Reverand Manuel Santiago. Filed Feb. 12.

Streamcon, 50 Day St., Norwalk 06854, c/o Jones Britton and Renfrew M. Brighton. Filed Feb. 24.

Black Bear Wine And Spirits, 221 Post Road West, Westport 06880, c/o Maximillian Leander Corp. Filed Feb. 19.

T & M Roofing, 900 Riverdale Road, West Springs, Mass., 01101, c/o Scott Milanovich. Filed Feb. 23.

Hatley & Parker Ltd., 100 Browning St., Stratford 06615, c/o Hartley & Parker Ltd. Permit no. LIW.0000512.

Filed Feb. 17.

New England Construction Group, 157 Harpsichord Turnpike, Stamford 06903, c/o Andrew Wandzel. Filed Feb. 20.

Organized By Tory, 18 Deming Lane, Stamford 06903, c/o Victoria Brucato. Filed Feb. 3.

Partners In Digital Health, 69 Riverdale Ave., Suite 102, Greenwich 06831, c/o Teuta Conaj. Filed Feb. 19.

Task Home Care Services, 19 Post Road Eastm Westport 06880, c/o John Matijeric and Deborah Faruegio.

Filed Feb. 24.

U.S. Realty Group, 20 Lindenwoods Road, Norwalk 06851, c/o Pradip Khanal. Filed Feb. 26.

UBS Builders Services LLC, 38 Minor Place, Stamford 06902, c/o Carlos Zapf, Luis Correa and Daniel Logue.

Filed Feb. 18.

Valley Deaf Club, 38 Camden St., Fairfield 06825, c/o Chris Whitney, Robert Sabia and Anne Pellegrino.

Filed Feb. 26.

Virtual Research Center LLC, 1700 E. Putnam Ave., Third floor, Greenwich 06870, c/o Jeffrey Blomberg.

Filed Feb. 12.

NEW LIQUOR LICENSE

Sports Corner Café, 1212 Stratford Ave., Stratford 06615, c/o Kim L. Trovarelli. Permit no. LCA.0006731. Filed Feb. 18.

Taylor Anthony Investments Online, 55 Yarwood St., Stratford 06615, c/o Aaron Taylor. Filed Feb. 27.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015 25

2015

40 40 FAIRFIELD COUNTY

UNDER

SCHEDULED FOR

JUNE 2015 PRESENTED BY THE FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

CELEBRATING MORE THAN A DECADE OF RISING STARS Don’t miss out, place your nominations TODAY! Nominate a candidate (perhaps yourself) who fits the description of a young (under the age of 40), dynamic industry leader who is part of the county’s business growth. Candidate MUST work in Fairfield County and have not previously won the competition.

NOMINATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 17. PLEASE ACT QUICKLY SPONSORS PLEASE VISIT WESTFAIRONLINE.COM FOR NOMINATION FORM For more information, please contact Holly DeBartolo at (914) 358-0743.

26 Week of March 16, 2015 • FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

BUSINESS CONNECTIONS ISSUES & POLICIES

Businesses in Cross Hairs Again

E

very year, various groups show up at the Capitol with ideas to change the rules for Connecticut’s workplaces.

In a bygone age, when local businesses competed only with each other, such changes often had an evenhanded effect.

However, Connecticut businesses today are competing in a global marketplace, and these one-size-fits-all mandates, such as paid family medical leave, don’t apply to their competitors in other states or nations. Operating a business in Connecticut can be costly, and when other states don’t follow us down the path, the playing field tilts.

The proposals being considered at the Capitol are not nearly as effective as the creative, innovative strategies being worked out by employees and employers to accommodate the needs of both. As a result of these proposals, running a business in Connecticut, ranked by many standards as a costly place to do business, becomes even more expensive.

Think about something as basic as the workday. Fewer and fewer employees work the traditional workweek of 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Many businesses offer flexible work hours or allow telecommuting. These developments,

increasingly popular with employer and employee alike, are happening organically—not by government fiat.

Yet HB 6932, proposed by the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee, would require employers to allow workers who choose to be in the program to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave each year, at 100% of their pay, to care for their own illness or that of a family member.

As a state, Connecticut is just starting to regain economic confidence. Adding more costs to businesses would cause the state to veer off course.

At its best, the legislative process is an evolution. If Connecticut lawmakers would learn from these experiences, this year’s debate over paid family and medical leave would be very different.

What if, rather than imposing a oneConnecticut is size-fits-all mandate, the legislature took a new approach relevant to the modern-day workplace? What if it offered businesses a carrot rather than in Cost of Doing Business immediately resorting to the stick?

47th

It sounds great at first glance. But it actually would be costly for an employee as it would be funded by another paycheck deduction—even if the employee never uses the leave. And it would be costly for an Taking this approach would give employer that would have to pay to businesses incentives to craft policies Source: CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business 2014 collect these paycheck deductions, that work for them. If they did it on and continue to provide fringe benefits to an absent their own, it wouldn’t cost state taxpayers a dime. The employee. businesses that couldn’t afford to impose a policy, even with a tax credit, wouldn’t have to. However, those that could What’s more, if the state of Washington is any guide, it would would have one more incentive to attract top talent. be costly for state taxpayers. A program similar to the one proposed for Connecticut, rejected in Washington, would It’s your call, Connecticut lawmakers. We can do it the tired have cost $1.2 billion. way we’ve always done it, or we can work together to craft a public policy agenda that is informed, flexible, and relevant.

This is one of several mandates this legislative session that would increase the cost of doing business in Connecticut.  Learn more at gov.cbia.com

Thousands of Connecticut small businesses have chosen CBIA Health Connections. If you haven’t, it’s the perfect time to check us out.

Your insurance solution.

CBIA Health Connections offers solutions for all your employee insurance benefits — from medical and dental to life, disability, and vision options. And it’s

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got built-in cost controls. You simply set your budget then let your employees choose a plan from Aetna, ConnectiCare, Harvard Pilgrim, or UnitedHealthcare that best meets their needs without having any impact on your benefit costs.

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Contact your agent for a quote or call 860.244.1900.

Health Insurance for Small Business cbia.com/insurance

FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL • Week of March 16, 2015 27

NOMINATE a DOCTOR IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

DOCTORS of DISTINCTION

Saluting those who go beyond the diagnosis

2015 A UNIQUE AWARD PROGRAM CELEBRATES THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF FIVE PHYSICIANS IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY JUDGED BY A PANEL OF PEERS AND SCHOLARS TO BE THE MOST EXEMPLARY IN THE PROGRAM’S CATEGORIES. THIS PRESTIGIOUS EVENT IS SPONSORED BY ACCOUNTING AND CONSULTING FIRM CITRIN COOPERMAN, THE FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL, AND QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY FRANK H. NETTER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.

Open to nominations from the public, this is an opportunity to recognize those physicians who make an impact each and every day on people’s lives.

NOMINATIONS will be open from now until April 6. To nominate please visit westfaironline.com for instructions and nomination forms or call Holly DeBartolo at (914) 358-0743.

}}HUMANITARIAN AWARD: In recognition of a physician

whose project or service significantly enhanced the quality of life for people in the region, the nation, or the world.

}}LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: In recognition of a physi-

cian respected for a lifetime career in the medical profession.

}}LEADERSHIP IN MEDICAL ADVOCACY AWARD: In recognition

of a physician who has provided exceptional leadership in the form of advocacy on behalf of the medical profession at the local, state, or national level.

}}COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: In recognition of a physician

for providing pro bono patient medical care services for people in need.

}}EXCELLENCE IN MEDICAL RESEARCH AWARD: In recognition

of a physician whose ingenuity or clinical research significantly contributed to the advancement of medical practice.

AWARD PRESENTATION A distinguished panel of judges will choose a winner in each category, all of whom will be awarded at the elegant reception and ceremony below.

May 12

5:30 p.m.

SPONSORS

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, Norwalk