Fairfield County Business Journal 040819

APRIL 8, 2019 VOL. 55, No. 14

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LaKota Oaks, formerly known as The Dolce Norwalk, at 32 Weed Ave.

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BRIDGEPORT SPEECH

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MCMAHON LEAVING SBA

A new beginning WITH $5 MILLION RENOVATION PROJECT WRAPPED, NORWALK’S LAKOTA OAKS GOES ABOUT REINTRODUCING ITSELF

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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hen it was announced last summer that The Dolce Norwalk event and conference center had been sold for a reported $19 million — and that it would be renovated and rebranded almost immediately as LaKota Oaks — it caught a lot of people by surprise.

“This facility has been Connecticut’s best-kept secret far too long,” said

Sam L. Haigh upon being named its general manager in September — a sentiment echoed by Christine Imbrogno, who on March 14 was named LaKota Oaks’ director of sales and marketing.

“It’s the bane of my existence,” she laughed in her office at LaKota Oaks’ site at 32 Weed Ave. “We had a group come through on a tour the other day and someone said, ‘Oh my gosh, I live just down the street and I never knew this existed.’ ” The facility’s history

dates back to 1904, when it was established as the Holy Ghost Fathers’ Seminary at Ferndale. It has gone through several iterations since, but hand-carved stations of the cross still are visible along the site’s 1.6-mile hiking trail.

Imbrogno, Haigh and the rest of the three-building complex’s 92-member staff are now rededicated to showing off the facility. Given that it consists of 10,500 square feet — including 120 guest rooms, 20 collaborative spaces for training, strategic planning and team building and a recreation center that features a four-lane lap pool, a fullsized basketball court, racquet ball courts and a fitness center — on 66 acres, that » DOLCE NORWALK

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Camelia Lawrence, Jason Shuker and Yili Huang.

PHYSICIANS FIGHT BACK AS WALLETHUB RANKS CONNECTICUT NEAR THE BOTTOM FOR DOCTORS

BY PETER KATZ pkatz@westfairinc.com WALLETHUB IS AN ONLINE FINANCIAL SERVICE BASED IN WASHINGTON, D.C., which is owned by Evolution Finance Inc. In addition to offering consumers financial tools for tasks such as credit monitoring and figuring out the costs of various goods and services, it frequently conducts surveys and publishes ratings on many topics.

It recently did a survey on obesity and food to find the fattest cities in the U.S. (McAllenEdinburg-Mission, Texas, was the fattest; the combined Bridgeport-NorwalkStamford area ranked 87th). It also ranked the best big cities for college basketball fans (Los Angeles was at the top) and the most federally dependent states (New Mexico took top honors in that » DOCTORS

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Ganim highlights real estate projects, avoids talk of poverty and police misconduct in Bridgeport speech

BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com “THE STATE OF THE CITY IS STRONG,” proclaimed Mayor Joe Ganim in an April 2 speech before the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce.

And while the presentation held at the University of Bridgeport’s John J. Cox Student Center was presented as “The Mayor’s Annual Address to the Business Community,” it was difficult not to detect Ganim’s preparation for a re-election bid as he trotted out an inventory of recent and upcoming construction projects while omitting several thorny problems that burden Connecticut’s largest city.

Frank Borres, the president of the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce, introduced the mayor and alluded to his unsuccessful attempt last year to secure the Democratic nomination for governor. “Sometimes, the second mouse gets the cheese,” Borres said, a notso-subtle reference to the struggles facing Gov. Ned Lamont, who soundly defeated Ganim in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

Ganim served as mayor from 1993 to 2003 before being forced out of office on corruption charges that resulted in a seven-year prison term, only to return in a dramatic comeback in the 2015 election, and he acknowledged his lengthy and often controversial presence in municipal politics as “Bridgeport’s second-longest serving mayor after Jasper McLevy, some say the most entertaining mayor since P.T. Barnum.” Ganim also played a political trump card to highlight the final year of his current term.

“Last week I delivered my budget to the city council,” he said. “We will cut taxes for the first time in 12 years.”

Ganim recalled a number of commercial real estate projects that took place during his current term, including the Cherry Street Lofts multifamily complex, the arrival of the Harlan Haus beer hall and Vinnie Brand’s Stress Factory Comedy Club within the McLevy Square Development and the creation of 1,800 residential units in the downtown neighborhood. He also dubbed the upcoming Harbor Yard Amphitheater as “one of the most exciting developments happening anywhere” while envisioning a maritime magnet at the Steel Point area where “people from all over will stop here in their boats in

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Mayor Joe Ganim

Bridgeport Harbor” to take advantage of “the closest deep water marina of its kind next to New York City.”

He reported that Exact Capital, the New York City-based developer on the North End project seeking to reopen the long-dormant Majestic and Poli Palace theaters and the neighboring Savoy Hotel while building two new adjacent residential towers, was moving forward on this effort after failing to meet a December 2018 deadline to have initial financing in place.

“They have made substantial progress and remain on track to secure financing for the first $50 million phase one of this overall $400 million project,” he said.

Ganim also stated the long-defunct Congress Street Bridge project was finally in motion.

“The $25 million needed for this project is finally in place,” he said. “I hope we can walk across the bridge next year or, better yet, pull

another Barnumesque stunt like we did at Stratford Avenue Bridge back in 1998 and ride an elephant across.”

However, the mayor’s speech was also notable by what was not acknowledged. There was no mention of the recently released draft of the city’s 10-year master plan, which found Bridgeport residents have a median household income of $43,137 that is less than half of the Fairfield County average of $90,123, along with a 22.1 percent poverty rate that is significantly higher than the overall county’s 8.6 percent.

He also omitted mention of percolating plans to attract commercial airline service to the cityowned Igor Sikorsky Memorial Airport, which carries a half-million-dollar operating deficit and saw the end of commercial flights in the mid-1990s in his initial mayoralty tenure.

While Ganim noted his efforts to increase the ranks of the city’s police force and to diversify hiring in emergency services departments, he did not talk about last month’s internal affairs report by the Bridgeport Police Department that found 17 police officers and two civilian detention officers engaged in serious misconduct in responding to a house party in October 2017. Two of the officers named in the internal affairs report committed suicide before the findings were released to the public, and the story gave Bridgeport unwelcome national news attention while straining the police department’s already-tense relationship with many residents.

Ganim insisted he would renew his focus on improving the quality of life for Bridgeport’s residents and business community, adding that “holding taxes down is a priority of this administration.”

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Stratford budget promises no tax increases

Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick.

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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ollaboration was the recurring theme of Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick’s March 27 state of the town address at the Oronoque Country Club — not only in her frequent acknowledgments of various local government personnel in attendance, but also when it came to what she called Stratford’s “vital, diverse community that is moving in a positive direction.”

“When the town council and I were elected, we promised to work civilly and professionally to move Stratford forward, and I’m happy to report we are doing just that,” said Hoydick, now in her second year as mayor after representing District 120 in the state House of Representatives for 20102018.

Hoydick did not take the opportunity to tout her 201920 budget, submitted to the Stratford Town Council on March 11. That $228.2 million budget promises no tax increases while spending 3.29 percent more than the prior year. The town’s taxable property grew by $63.8 million, or 1.4 percent, in the past year, maintaining its mill rate at 39.90.

The mayor cited a number of economic and community development projects, including that she

had “just received word” that construction on the exit 33 interchange on I-95 had finally been approved by the state Department of Transportation, with work set to begin in September or October. “Within the foreseeable future there will be a northbound entrance ramp and a southbound exit ramp near one of the most up-and-coming economic centers in Stratford,” she said.

Also, the long-neglected Sidney Street neighborhood will be home to a Chipotle restaurant, Starbucks and self-storage facility as Urstadt Biddle embarks upon redeveloping the area.

Hoydick also noted that, with the first phase of the $126 million renovation of Stratford High School completed last year, the second phase — which includes modifying the original 1920 structure and adding a skywalk to connect both buildings for a total of 233,250 square feet — is now underway. “It will have a state-ofthe-art auditorium and 21st century construction,” she declared.

The town’s Center Elementary School has been razed with the three-acre site going out for transit-oriented design bids later this spring. Hoydick noted that the site is near downtown and is “right next to the train station — there’s a lot of potential.”

Hoydick also noted that

the Bunnell High School and Stratford High School graduation rates are 100 percent and 98 percent, respectively.

Progress is also being made on the town’s “Complete Streets” project, intended to enhance access and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. With $200,000 in state funding, the technical design of complete streets improvements along a portion of Main Street from Barnum Avenue, south to Harvey Place, includes work to begin next year.

Hoydick further noted that Stratford was granted one opportunity zone last year, which it hopes will attract developers, and that a number of remediation projects are underway or about to be so around the town.

A major blow to the town took place in January, when its iconic American Shakespeare Theatre, which opened in 1955, burned to the ground. “With the state fire marshal investigation concluding soon, the town is moving forward with listening and community sessions about what to do” with the 13-acre property, the mayor said. Those sessions will begin this month.

The town added 16 new businesses last year, Hoydick said, noting that building permits and values have grown from 69 permits worth nearly $18.5 million in 2017 to 75 permits worth $28.2 million last year.

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Linda McMahon resigns as SBA administrator to work on Trump re-election

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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inda McMahon is the latest member of the Trump administration to exit, announcing that she will leave her position as administrator of the Small Business Administration on April 12.

“While it has truly been the honor of a lifetime to serve our country in this administration, it is time for me to step down and return to the private sector,” the 70-year-old Greenwich resident said in a statement. “I’ve had the opportunity to witness firsthand the transformative impact the president’s growth policies are having on communities across this country. Small businesses are reporting some of the highest levels of optimism on record … raising wages, providing bonuses and benefits and creating more jobs.”

Unlike many who have left the administration, McMahon will retain ties to Trump.

“She has been a superstar,” he

Linda McMahon and Donald Trump.

said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

“She’s going to go and help us with a very, very important year-and-ahalf that we have coming up (with) the re-election. And we look forward to that.”

According to reports, McMahon will chair the America First Action

PAC, which supports Trump’s candidacy and policies. It has raised over $39 million since last spring.

America First’s former chairman, Tommy Hicks Jr., was named co-chair of the Republican National Committee earlier this year.

McMahon donated about $7 million to a political action commit-

tee that supported Trump’s candidacy during the 2016 campaign.

McMahon — who is married to Vince McMahon, chairman and CEO of Stamford-based WWE — will apparently not run for public office again, having spent some $50 million on each of her two U.S. Senate defeats: one against Richard

Blumenthal in 2010 and the other against Chris Murphy in 2012.

Despite rumors that she could succeed Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross when he resigns, her own resignation would appear to improve the prospects of acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney for that job.

It is unclear who will replace McMahon at the SBA. Some reports have tipped Pradeep Belur, its chief of staff, as a likely candidate.

There has been 66 percent turnover in Trump’s senior executive team since his election, according to the Brookings Institute. That figure does not include senior cabinet positions — SBA administrator falls outside of the group — which have seen one resignation each from a secretary of state, secretary of defense, attorney general and secretary of health and human services.

As for “cabinet-level positions,” which includes SBA administrator, the White House has since January 2017 had three chiefs of staff, two CIA directors, three Environmental Protection Agency administrators and three FBI directors.

Retired Admiral Stavridis: Facebook can be viewed as ‘the largest nation in the world’

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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ducation, innovation, communication and collaboration are the key tools for leaders in the 21st century, according to retired Admiral James Stavridis, the first Navy officer to have held the position of NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

But reading a good novel can come in handy as well.

That was perhaps the surprising twist to his April 1 Charles F. Dolan lecture at Fairfield University titled “21st Century Leadership: Challenges and Opportunities.”

Stavridis — who also was considered as a possible running mate by the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016 and as a possible secretary of state by then-President-elect Donald Trump that same year — is now an operating executive with The Carlyle Group.

“The simplest, quickest and easiest way” to build upon one’s college education “is to read books — nonfiction, of course, but fiction as well,”

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Stavridis told the Business Journal before his presentation. “A novel can drop you into a world and help you create an image of yourself in that world, which allows every book to be a simulator” of real-life situations, he said.

“Reading and leading are inextricably intertwined,” he said.

Stavridis was essentially born to a life in the military, growing up as the son of Paul George Stavridis, a U.S. Marine Corps colonel who served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In addition to his four years atop NATO, he also led the U.S. Southern Command, overseeing military operations throughout Latin America for nearly three years; served as senior military assistant to the secretary of the U.S. Navy and the secretary of defense; and collected more than 50 medals, including 28 from foreign nations, during his 37-year naval career.

“I wanted the world,” he said about choosing the Navy, working his way up to becoming “a good mariner and captain, but while I knew how to launch a rocket, I couldn’t

Retired Admiral James Stavridis.

launch an idea to save my life.”

That changed in 1984 when he earned a Ph.D. in International Relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University while still in the Navy.

He served as The Fletcher School’s dean from 2013-18.

Developing his leadership philosophy throughout his adult life by both observation and experience, Stavridis said the nature of leadership has changed dramatically from the 19th century — an age of imperialism exemplified by

Otto von Bismarck, Germany’s “Iron Chancellor” — and the 20th, when Franklin Roosevelt took a more humane, open approach to leading.

During his speech, he offered figures both expected (Angela Merkel, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi) and less obvious (Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga) as 21st century leaders.

“Lady Gaga has 78 million followers on Twitter,” he told the audience. “Is she a leader? Yeah, I think so.”

Speed and transparency are

musts for leaders today, be they running a country, a corporation or a children’s baseball team, he said — noting that, with some 1.74 billion users, Facebook can be viewed as “the largest nation in the world.”

Messaging at scale must be accompanied at a retail, one-on-one level, he said.

He also sounded the alarm about cybersecurity, where he said the disparity between the nation’s preparedness and the threats it faces is still too great. “Data is kind of the new oil,” he said. “It drives the world.” He also wondered if the day’s numerous flight delays — one of which affected his own trip from Florida — might have been a cyberattack rather than the reported “technical glitches.”

Stavridis said one of the biggest challenges facing the U.S. is the tenor of its dialogue. Opposing viewpoints are rarely tolerated, he said, with vilification from and toward both sides becoming the default position.

“We are awash in discussions of leadership,” he said, “but we are underserved in discussions of character.”

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Dolce Norwalk—

shouldn’t be a tall order.

But as Imbrogno explained, LaKota Oaks “is a private hotel and confer-ence center. It’s not open to the public — you need to be part of a meet-ing, or coming to a social event as a guest — and you can’t just come in off the street and grab a glass of wine or a burger at the bar.”

Imbrogno indicated that discussions have taken place with the city about remaking its dining room to welcome outsiders, though concerns by neighboring residents could be difficult to overcome.

The $5 million in renovations to everything from its 300-capacity ball-room to its guest rooms and conference rooms — ranging from new car-peting and linens to added windows and tech capabilities — have made an obvious difference.

And they are all the more impressive for having been done on time: two different crews began work on Dec. 17 and wrapped before Feb. 24, when the LaKota was hosting a sold-out event.

The facility averages two to three conferences a week and two to three events, such as weddings, a month — numbers that Imbrogno said very much represent room for

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Doctors—

one). Now, one of its studies has determined that New York is the worst place in the U.S. in which a doctor can be practicing. WalletHub ranks New York at No. 51, just behind the District of Columbia. Connecticut ranks not much better at No. 47.

But, does WalletHub’s survey have physicians in Westchester and Fairfield counties packing their bags and catching the first bus for Montana, first on its list of states most hospitable for a doctor’s practice? Not from what the Business Journal was able to determine.

In trying to determine where the best conditions are for doctors to practice in the U.S., WalletHub looked at 18 metrics across two key dimensions, “Opportunity & Competition” and “Medical Environment.” The data included diverse items such as the average annual wage of physicians, the number of hospitals per capita and the quality of the public hospital system. It gathered statistics on the number of doctors who had done their residency in each state and subsequently stayed there and opened up a practice.

Among the other elements exam-

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improvement. LaKota is expanding its reach in the community and is in the midst of hosting numerous open house-style events to familiarize potential customers with what it offers.

Employees are being asked to invite their PTAs, church groups or other organizations to which they belong to come in for a tour, while interns from New Canaan High School are expected to get the word out via so-cial media. LaKota is also sponsoring Imbrogno’s son’s Little League team and will erect signage on its home field.

The rebranding reflects not just the renovations but also the facility’s new ownership. LaKota Hotels & Resorts is a specialized hospitality op-erating company whose mandate is to focus on new hotel, resort and conference center openings as well as rejuvenate underperforming sites.

Sam D. Haigh, former president and chief operating officer of Bench-mark Hospitality and former president of Doral Hotels and Resorts (and father of Sam L. Haigh) partnered with Andy and Danny Dolce, former chairman and vice president, development for Dolce International (and Dolce Norwalk namesakes) to create the parent company.

The patio outside LaKota Oaks’ 1904 Whiskey & Wine Room, named for the year it first opened.

ined by WalletHub were the number of continuing-education credits a state required a practicing physician to obtain in order to maintain his or her license, state medical licensing practices, the level of state disciplinary action against doctors and malpractice insurance rates.

“I think we have some of the best facilities in Connecticut and New York. They’re state of the art. They’re modern. We have the latest cutting-edge equipment as well as services and specialists available at our fingertips,” Camelia Lawrence, M.D., told the Business Journal.

She was recently elected to the board of trustees of the Fairfield County Medical Association. “It’s important for the community as a whole to take steps to ensure that a favorable environment exists for physicians who want to practice and want to stay because you want to have access to the specialists and make quick appointments.”

Lawrence has experience with medicine in both Connecticut and New York.

She’s the director of breast surgery at the Hospital of Central Connecticut and earned her medical degree from the

Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, completing her general surgery residency at the Western Medical Center/New York Medical College.

“The average medical student is graduating with a debt of over $175,000, so when you’re looking to get started you’re kind of starting from behind,” Lawrence said.

She noted that medical schools seldom prepare students for dealing with the financial piece of starting and maintaining a practice. “There’s a huge financial component that I think physicians are forced to at least consider.” She said that a state where the cost of living is comparatively high and malpractice insurance is a major expense can be less attractive for some physicians.

Jason Shuker, M.D., is associate medical director at the Westmed Medical Group, which has its headquarters in Purchase and multiple facilities in Westchester and Connecticut. He also practices emergency medicine and is affiliated with White Plains Hospital. “While I am surprised to see New York and Connecticut are ranked poorly, I am encouraged to know that every day I come to work (and) I see the people we help, the system that sup-

ports our patients and our staff and clinical providers, and the leadership that is directing the (Westmed) group to the future. I feel lucky to be a part of this system and I can’t imagine a better place to be.”

He told the Business Journal that medical results provide clear evidence demonstrating that practicing in Westchester is rewarding. “Access to great care from primary to subspecialty care is abundant and allows me to provide the best care to patients who have chosen me to take care of them.” He gave an example of an elderly patient “with multiple medical issues who might otherwise be sent to a hospital for the acute problem he presented, was able to be seen in one department, have lab work and radiological tests performed, and then specialists were consulted via our HIPAA-compliant messaging systems. A plan of care to keep that patient out of the hospital can be developed, which benefits the patient and the larger system,” he said.

Dr. Yili Huang specializes in pain management and anesthesiology at Phelps Hospital Northwell Health and Northwell Physician Partners in Sleepy

Hollow. He does not believe that New York is the worst state for a physician’s practice. “I think it is one of the best. I trained and practiced at Yale in Connecticut, trained in New York City and now practice in Westchester,” he said.

Huang suggested that one reason for New York being rated so low by WalletHub may be the highly competitive nature of the medicine practiced in the state.

“Our communities, our patients and the relative surplus of physicians in New York demand that we practice the best, most evidence-based, most innovative medicine. It forces us to stay on our toes, gives us access to each other and true thought leaders and pioneers in our fields.”

Huang says doctors who were born, raised or studied in New York or Connecticut will want to stay close to their support systems of family and friends. “This is especially true for a physician who encounters high stress and experiences burnout. Many of my colleagues who moved away from New York tell me that they end up just spending all their vacations visiting New York to be close to family and friends. Why not just live and practice here?”

Brookfield digital marketing agency spins off business-centric podcast

BY PHIL HALL

ments. Johnson admitted that production would be “a million times easier” if “The Mack Talks” was strictly an audio podcast, noting that the video element requires additional concerns for recording and editing.

Rather than work solo on the interviews, Johnson tapped Chase Hutchison as his co-host. Hutchison, who graduated from Loyola University in 2017, came to Mack Media Group as an intern and now holds the title of senior vice president of business development.

“We work together on a regular basis, and I feel it is a good dynamic,” said Johnson. “He is kind of like my young grasshopper who is coming up through the company.”

While “The Mack Talks” continues to find an

phall@westfairinc.com

S

cott Johnson had no qualifications to pursue podcasting, except one. “I always kind of had a big mouth,” he admitted. “But I never had any type of background in this, except for calling into a lot of sports talk radio shows.”

Nonetheless, Johnson is hosting and producing “The Mack Talks,” a weekly podcast that launched last November. “I wanted to start a podcast to generate conversation about entrepreneurs, community leaders and people that run nonprofits. It is valuable to hear these stories — it’s almost like entrepreneurial therapy, to a certain extent, to generate content to help other entrepreneurs.”

While business-oriented podcasting is not uncommon, Johnson’s involvement is somewhat different: he is the owner of Mack Media Group, a Brookfield-based digital marketing agency. The podcast is produced out of his office. And while a couple of Johnson’s clients have turned up as guests on “The Mack Talks,” the podcast attracts guests from outside the agency.

“The more we grow it out, the more it becomes a media entity,” Johnson explained. “We want to cover more and different kinds of things. We want it to be business-centric, but bring in other things that involve pop culture, music and sports in the overall theme of business.”

“The Mack Talks” has attracted an eclectic lineup of guests: Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, UFC athlete Glover Teixeira, newspaper publisher Emanuela Palmares and basement waterproofing entrepreneur Larry Janesky have found their way into Johnson’s officeturned-studio, where “The Mack Talks” is recorded for presentation over podcast networks including

Scott Johnson and Chase Hutchison, co-hosts of ‘The Mack Talks.’ Photo by Phil Hall.

SoundCloud and iTunes and videotaped for broadcast on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Perhaps the most serendipitous guest for Johnson was Jack Maxwell, host of the Travel Channel series “Booze Traveler.” An encounter with Maxwell at a Boston trade show sparked a spur-of-themoment invitation for Maxwell to record an unscheduled episode.

“He came to our Airbnb,” Johnson recalled.

“He’s just an awesome guy, and the episode came out fantastic.”

Johnson recalled the time needed from committing to podcast production to releasing the first episode occurred within a three-week span, with an investment of roughly $1,500 in equipment and Famous Pizza owner Perry Anastasakis lassoed as the first guest. Episode production schedules vary, with one week accommodating a single episode and another packed with three or four separate seg-

audience — the podcast’s Instagram page has more than 14,000 followers — Johnson acknowledged that the endeavor has yet to be monetized.

“There’s no real revenue to this yet,” he said. “It does cost money and it is not like servicing a client that pays.”

He has been able to leverage the podcast to ratchet up the Mack Media Group’s credibility with current and potential clients.

“When we speak to people on the agency side, a lot of the times if we have good rapport with them, we’ll just put the link in and say, ‘Hey, check out our podcast,’ ” Johnson said. “And the reaction is, ‘Hey, these guys are really legit.’ It adds a little of a personal feel to it so they get to know us.”

“I wanted to start a podcast to generate conversation about entrepreneurs, community leaders and people that run nonprofits. It is valuable to hear these stories — it’s almost like entrepreneurial therapy, to a certain extent, to generate content to help other entrepreneurs.”

— Scott Johnson

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Norwalk’s Damien Vega U-turned his life into fitness entrepreneurship

BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

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wo years ago, Damien Vega was 22 years old and in a rut. A high school athlete who planned on a sports career, he injured his shoulder playing football at Wesleyan University and, while recovering, opted not to pursue college athletics.

Switching to Quinnipiac University to pursue a health sciences career, he realized that his heart wasn’t in the subject. Dropping out of school, he was at a loss in identifying his career goals.

“I was doing maintenance work outdoors at a golf course and slaving pretty hard, working long days,” he recalled. “I would get out of work and go to the gym for two or three hours.”

For Vega, the lemons-into-lemonade moment came when he least expected it: in the middle of a gym workout. “I was like, ‘I could make money doing this for a living by training people’ — I would be happy and be fulfilled,” he said.

Vega pursued and received certification by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and created Vega Athletics, a Norwalk-based personal training and wellness consulting business.

He credited his parents with helping to attract his initial wave of clients.

Damien Vega. Photo by Phil Hall.

“My parents know a lot of people in Norwalk, so they were speaking about me,” he said, adding that he began to aggressively tap into social media marketing to attract wider attention.

“Posting daily on Facebook and Instagram helped spread the word. It’s all free marketing. It’s amazing what you can do with it.”

Vega initially based himself at a commercial gym in Norwalk, but quickly determined that a single location limited his customer

base. Switching to in-home one-on-one consulting, he expanded his focus to other towns.

“I have such a range of clients,” he said. “I train a 7-year-old boy who wants to get into boxing and I train a 60-year-old woman who wants to tone up and lose weight. I also train a college athlete who is on the football team of the University of New Haven. I bring the exercise mat, bands, kettle bells, dumbbells and other equipment to the clients — I

am a traveling gym.”

Vega’s training endeavors are also centered at Norwalk’s Brien McMahon High School, where he is responsible for the strength and conditioning programs for the football and lacrosse teams during their off-season months, and at Norwalk’s Autumn Lake Healthcare, where he leads a group exercise program.

Vega noted that many clients often dive into training programs expecting too much too soon.

“The most common mistake would be to set the bar too high in the beginning,” he explained. “People could say, ‘Oh, I’m going to lose 50 pounds,’ but two or three weeks down the road they don’t even see a pound gone.

I say to them, ‘Look, it’s going to take at least four weeks of consistent work to make sure every meal is right and you’re hitting the gym four or five days a week doing what you’re supposed to do, and that’s when you start to see the change. If you set that bar too high, you get discouraged.’

And a lot of times, though, people throw in the towel and call it quits. You want to start with a small goal — something very, very small that you can achieve — and use that to give you the energy you need in the beginning, which is the hardest part.”

Vega noted that there is a glut of theories on the nutrition aspect of physical training and wellness regimens, and he stressed a holistic approach to diet by noting how “everyone’s body is different and everyone is going to react differently to certain foods.” Vega places more emphasis on the scheduling of meal intakes.

“What I try to preach and what I instill in my lifestyle is eating instinctively and intuitively,” he said. “I basically listen to my body — if my body tells me I am hungry, I am going to eat. But if

I am getting up and I don’t feel like putting any food in my system, I’m not going to do it. I am also a firm believer in intermittent fasting, which has amazing benefits on your digestive system. It slows down aging.”

If there were items he would limit on the menu, it would be dairy products.

“They have a huge inflammatory response on our system,” he warned. As for red meat, he recommends it only once a week for athletes in training and once every other week for those enjoying a more casual lifestyle.

One ingredient Vega incorporates into his training is meditation.

“Meditation gives your body the ability to detach yourself from your mind and find the other elements to you that exist,” he said.

“And it is relaxing. If you have stress throughout your day, meditation allows you to let go and focus on what you’re grateful for.”

Vega is welcoming the return of warmer weather by hosting outdoor exercise boot camps at Flax Hill Park and Shady Beach in Norwalk. Looking to 2020, Vega is aiming to bring on an assistant and he hopes to expand his reputation to the point that he can create a franchise network.

“I would like to start a chain in New England and then branch out,” he said.

Judge prescribes 87 months in prison to Norwalk doc for health care fraud

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

R

amil Mansourov, a Darien resident who worked as a physician in Norwalk, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to 7¼ years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for health care

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fraud and money laundering offenses.

Between 2014 and November 2016, the 49-year-old Mansourov, who had an office at Family Health Urgent Care at 235 Main St. in Norwalk, billed Medicaid nearly $5 million for home, office and nursing home visits that never took place. An investigation revealed that Mansourov

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used the funds for personal and business purposes and that he transferred some of the stolen funds to a bank account in Switzerland.

A rterton ordered Mansourov to pay $4,994,027 in restitution, forfeit $50,000 and surrender his federal controlled substances registration to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Mansourov has been detained since July 13, 2017, when he was apprehended after fleeing to Canada.

On Sept. 17, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud and one count of money laundering, having already pleaded guilty on June 25, 2018, to narcotics distribution and health care fraud offenses.

A co-defendant, Bharat

Patel, admitted that he wrote hundreds of medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone and received $158,523.95 from federal health programs as a result of this and related criminal conduct. On Oct. 12, 2018, he was sentenced to 54 months of imprisonment.

The investigation was

conducted by the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the Norwalk Police Department with the assistance of the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General. The DEA Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Hamden, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Shelton, Wallingford and Wilton police departments.

Daily Voice Plus makes debut as premier media destination

BY PETER KATZ pkatz@westfairinc.com

A

gainst the background of increasingly segmented national news audiences and repeated attacks on the integrity of the news media, two experienced and respected publishers based in the local area have joined forces to create a groundbreaking concept in journalism. The new digital platform Daily Voice Plus promises to be a source that readers can trust for accurate and timely coverage of business, community and other news directly impacting their lives and businesses.

Daily Voice Plus became available on April 2. It’s a joint venture of White Plains-based Westfair Communications, publisher of the Westchester County Business Journal, Fairfield

County Business Journal and WAG magazine, and the Daily Voice, an established publisher of local news websites. Daily Voice has an office in Briarcliff Manor and has local websites serving communities in: Fairfield County, Connecticut; Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic and Union counties in New Jersey; and Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties in New York.

Daily Voice Plus is positioned as a premier destination for breaking news as well as entertaining lifestyle features. It is designed to have special appeal to members of the business and political communities as well as all citizens needing to know what’s happening in their communities, their neighborhoods and beyond.

“Viewers and subscribers to Daily Voice Plus will

soon realize the value of our two organizations working together to bring them complete local and wider news briefings every day as news breaks,” said Dee DelBello, publisher at Westfair Communications.

“During the course of our collaboration, we plan on bringing more and more exciting programs that will not only be useful but entertaining as well.”

The Business Journals were founded more than 50 years ago by David Moore, a descendant of famed American newspaper editor and publisher Joseph Pulitzer. They have remained the dominant source for news and information about real estate, development and construction, technology, health care, hospitality and other subjects of importance in the counties they serve. The print editions and internet

DAILYVOICEPLUS.COM presence at westfaironline. com have helped make Westfair’s publications accessible in whatever format is a personal preference.

Daily Voice, through its collection of local websites, attracts more than 700,000 unique visitors each month for an estimated 3 million monthly page views. Daily Voice’s users will be invited along with Westfair’s online

readers to make visiting Daily Voice Plus a regular part of their routines.

Westfaironline.com will continue operating as in the past, as will the local Daily Voice outlets, and the print editions of the Westchester County Business Journal, Fairfield Count Business Journal and WAG magazine will continue.

The Daily Voice was founded by Carll Tucker in

2010. He previously owned The Patent Trader newspaper in Mount Kisco. Ted Yang, president of Cantata Media, which now operates the Daily Voice, said, “Our new subscription product will bring together the best local reporting in lifestyle, politics and business to Fairfield and Westchester counties.

We will go deeper and show the full local picture that our neighbors care about.”

ASK ANDI Office drama must be eliminated THERE SEEMS TO BE A TON OF PERSONAL DRAMA IN THE OFFICE. AND I HATE IT. IT DISRUPTS NOT ONLY MY DAY, BUT OTHERS GET CAUGHT UP IN BACK-AND-FORTH CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THINGS THAT DON’T LEAD TO PRODUCTIVE WORK HABITS. HOW CAN I SHUT THIS DOWN? THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Encourage people to be up-front and honest, but with discretion. Get everyone to focus on what really matters and keep them busy working toward those goals.

Shut down the rumor mill.

Talk to people about taking a walk before blowing their stack. Teach your employees to value differences and to treat all people with respect, no matter how different their opinions or beliefs might be.

Unfiltered commentary does no good. You hire employees for their ability to make good work decisions.

Make it clear you expect

the same when it comes to their actions with co-workers. Not everything needs to be said. Not every situation calls for speculation. Ask your employees to filter what they say and make it clear with your own behavior that that is the standard.

Put people on the same side of the fence by giving them a set of common goals.

Make sure people understand they have to work together to achieve those goals, even if individuals might have different abilities to contribute.

Lead by example, encouraging people to team up with you. Take a good look at who

you team up with, to be sure you’re being inclusive.

Talk openly about the challenges posed for the workplace by negative thoughts, back stabbing and rumors. Ask people to focus on the work to be done and cut out commentary that leads to dissention and discord. Tell people you expect them to root out the truth behind rumors and come forward with facts, not interpretations.

Give people the opportunity to walk away from volatile situations so they have time to think about what they’re about to say or do.

Encourage people to recover their composure before acting. Whenever you think someone is about to say or do something that will be unproductive or hurtful, ask them to take a break first.

Know that you own and run the company. It’s up to you to set and adhere to a set of standards. If you find individuals feeding the rumor mill, take them aside and privately explain that will no longer be tolerated. If it keeps up, take them aside again. As in any other personnel situation, consider when the problem rises to the level of being worthy of probation or termination. Make sure you have backup for personnel you consider especially problematic, and pick a time that works for you to lay it all on the line by putting the repeat offender on probation with a choice of cleaning up their act or leaving the company.

Consider that some people have experienced poor examples of how to communicate, but also consider that you’re hiring people for their

ability to learn and grow. Get the point across that everyone must communicate with respect while at work or when dealing with work.

Teach people the following: • Practice the mantra, “If you think you shouldn’t say something, don’t.”

• Even though the temptation exists to share some juicy piece of gossip, resist.

• If you’re about to share something and ask the recipient to keep it secret, you’re better off keeping it to yourself.

If you think you need help, consider implementing training courses on productive workforce behavior.

Encourage collaboration. Put people with different points of view together.

Give them a common goal to achieve. Monitor how

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things are going with new work groups until you’re sure everyone is working together effectively.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “Don’t Sabotage Your Career: 11 Power-Filled Steps to Succeed,” by Connie J. Miller.

Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., StrategyLeaders.com, a business-consulting firm that teaches companies how to double revenue and triple profits in repetitive growth cycles. Have a question for AskAndi? Wondering how Strategy Leaders can help your business thrive? Call or email for a free consultation and diagnostics: 877-238-3535 or AskAndi@StrategyLeaders. com. Check out our library of business advice articles at AskAndi.com.

APRIL 8, 2019

9

LegaL Notice

To merchants who have accepted Visa and Mastercard at any time from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019: Notice of a class action settlement of approximately $5.54-6.24 Billion.

Si desea leer este aviso en español, llámenos o visite nuestro sitio web, www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

Notice of a class action settlement authorized by the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York.

This notice is authorized by the Court to inform you about an agreement to settle a class action lawsuit that may affect you. The lawsuit claims that Visa and Mastercard, separately, and together with certain banks, violated antitrust laws and caused merchants to pay excessive fees for accepting Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards, including by: • Agreeing to set, apply, and enforce rules about merchant fees (called default interchange fees); • Limiting what merchants could do to encourage their customers to use other forms of payment; and • Continuing that conduct after Visa and Mastercard changed their corporate structures.

The defendants say they have done nothing wrong. They say that their business practices are legal and the result of competition, and have benefitted merchants and consumers. The Court has not decided who is right because the parties agreed to a settlement. The Court has given preliminary approval to this settlement.

the settlement Under the settlement, Visa, Mastercard, and the bank defendants have agreed to provide approximately $6.24 billion in class settlement funds. Those funds are subject to a deduction to account for certain merchants that exclude themselves from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class, but in no event will the deduction be greater than $700 million. The net class settlement fund will be used to pay valid claims of merchants that accepted Visa or Mastercard credit or debit cards at any time between January 1, 2004 and January 25, 2019.

This settlement creates the following Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class: All persons, businesses, and other entities that have accepted any Visa-Branded Cards and/or Mastercard-Branded Cards in the United States at any time from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019, except that the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class shall not include (a) the Dismissed Plaintiffs, (b) the United States government, (c) the named Defendants in this Action or their directors, officers, or members of their families, or (d) financial institutions that have issued Visa-Branded Cards or Mastercard-Branded Cards or acquired VisaBranded Card transactions or Mastercard-Branded Card transactions at any time from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019. The Dismissed Plaintiffs are plaintiffs that previously settled and dismissed their own lawsuit against a Defendant, and entities related to those plaintiffs. If you are uncertain about whether you may be a Dismissed Plaintiff, you should call 1-800-625-6440 or visit www.PaymentCardSettlement.com for more information.

WhAt merChAnts WIll get from the settlement Every merchant in the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class that does not exclude itself from the class by the deadline described below and files a valid claim will get money from the class settlement fund. The value of each claim will be based on the actual or estimated interchange fees attributable to the merchant’s Mastercard and Visa payment card transactions from January 1, 2004 to January 25, 2019. Pro rata payments to merchants who file valid claims for a portion of the class settlement fund will be based on:

•

The amount in the class settlement fund after the deductions described below, • The deduction to account for certain merchants who exclude themselves from the class, • Deductions for the cost of settlement administration and notice, applicable taxes on the settlement fund and any other related tax expenses, money awarded to the Rule 23(b)(3) Class Plaintiffs for their service on behalf of the Class, and attorneys’ fees and expenses, all as approved by the Court, and • The total dollar value of all valid claims filed.

Attorneys’ fees and expenses and service awards for the Rule 23(b)(3) Class Plaintiffs: For work done through final approval of the settlement by the district court, Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel will ask the Court for attorneys’ fees in an amount that is a reasonable proportion of the class settlement fund, not to exceed 10% of the class settlement fund, to compensate all of the lawyers and their law firms that have worked on the class case. For additional work to administer the settlement, distribute the funds, and litigate any appeals, Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel may seek reimbursement at their normal hourly rates.

Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel will also request (i) an award of their litigation expenses (not including the administrative costs of settlement or notice), not to exceed $40 million and (ii) up to $250,000 per each of the eight Rule 23(b) (3) Class Plaintiffs in service awards for their efforts on behalf of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class.

hoW

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for

pAyment

To receive payment, merchants must fill out a claim form. If the Court finally approves the settlement, and you do not exclude yourself from the Rule 23(b) (3) Settlement Class, you will receive a claim form in the mail or by email.

Or you may ask for one at: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com, or call: 1-800-625-6440.

legAl rIghts

And

optIons

Merchants who are included in this lawsuit have the legal rights and options explained below. You may: • File a claim to ask for payment. Once you receive a claim form, you can submit it via mail or email, or may file it online at www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

• Exclude yourself from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class. If you exclude yourself, you can individually sue the Defendants on your own at your own expense, if you want to. If you exclude yourself, you will not get any money from this settlement. If you are a merchant and wish to exclude yourself, you must make a written request, place it in an envelope, and mail it with postage prepaid and postmarked no later than July 23, 2019, or send it by overnight delivery shown as sent by July 23, 2019, to Class Administrator, Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement, P.O. Box 2530, Portland, OR 97208-2530. Your written request must be signed by a person authorized to do so and provide all of the following information: (1) the words “In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation,” (2) your full name, address, telephone number, and taxpayer identification number, (3) the merchant that wishes to be excluded from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement

www.PaymentCardSettlement.com 10

Ask

Class, and what position or authority you have to exclude the merchant, and (4) the business names, brand names, “doing business as” names, taxpayer identification number(s), and addresses of any stores or sales locations whose sales the merchant desires to be excluded. You also are requested to provide for each such business or brand name, if reasonably available: the legal name of any parent (if applicable), dates Visa or Mastercard card acceptance began (if after January 1, 2004) and ended (if prior to January 25, 2019), names of all banks that acquired the Visa or Mastercard card transactions, and acquiring merchant ID(s).

• Object to the settlement. The deadline to object is July 23, 2019. To learn how to object, visit www.PaymentCardSettlement.com or call 1-800-625-6440. Note: If you exclude yourself from the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class you cannot object to the settlement.

For more information about these rights and options, visit: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

If

Court Approves fInAl settlement

the

the

Members of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class who do not exclude themselves by the deadline will be bound by the terms of this settlement, including the release of claims against the released parties provided in the settlement agreement, whether or not the members file a claim for payment.

The settlement will resolve and release claims by class members for monetary compensation or injunctive relief against Visa, Mastercard, or other defendants. The release bars the following claims: • Claims based on conduct and rules that were alleged or raised in the litigation, or that could have been alleged or raised in the litigation relating to its subject matter. This includes any claims based on interchange fees, network fees, merchant discount fees, no-surcharge rules, no-discounting rules, honor-all-cards rules, and certain other conduct and rules. These claims are released if they already have accrued or accrue in the future up to five years following the court’s approval of the settlement and the resolution of all appeals.

• Claims based on rules in the future that are substantially similar to – i.e., do not change substantively the nature of – the above-mentioned rules as they existed as of preliminary approval of the settlement. These claims based on future substantially similar rules are released if they accrue up to five years following the court’s approval of the settlement and the resolution of all appeals.

The settlement’s resolution and release of these claims is intended to be consistent with and no broader than federal law on the identical factual predicate doctrine.

The release does not extinguish the following claims: • Claims based on conduct or rules that could not have been alleged or raised in the litigation.

• Claims based on future rules that are not substantially similar to rules that were or could have been alleged or raised in the litigation.

• Any claims that accrue more than five years after the court’s approval of the settlement and the resolution of any appeals.

The release also will have the effect of extinguishing all similar or overlapping claims in any other actions, including but not limited to the claims asserted in a California state court class action brought on behalf of California citizen merchants and captioned Nuts for Candy v. Visa, Inc., et al., No. 17-01482 (San Mateo County Superior Court). Pursuant to an agreement between the parties in Nuts for Candy, subject to and upon final approval of the settlement of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class, the plaintiff in Nuts for Candy will request that the California state court dismiss the Nuts for Candy

action. Plaintiff’s counsel in Nuts for Candy may seek an award in Nuts for Candy of attorneys’ fees not to exceed $6,226,640.00 and expenses not to exceed $493,697.56. Any fees or expenses awarded in Nuts for Candy will be separately funded and will not reduce the settlement funds available to members of the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class.

The release does not bar the injunctive relief claims or the declaratory relief claims that are a predicate for the injunctive relief claims asserted in the pending proposed Rule 23(b)(2) class action captioned Barry’s Cut Rate Stores, Inc., et. al. v. Visa, Inc., et al., MDL No. 1720, Docket No. 05-md01720-MKB-JO (“Barry’s”). Injunctive relief claims are claims to prohibit or require certain conduct. They do not include claims for payment of money, such as damages, restitution, or disgorgement. As to all such claims for declaratory or injunctive relief in Barry’s, merchants will retain all rights pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure which they have as a named representative plaintiff or absent class member in Barry’s, except that merchants remaining in the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class will release their right to initiate a new and separate action for the period up to five (5) years following the court’s approval of the settlement and the exhaustion of appeals.

The release also does not bar certain claims asserted in the class action captioned B&R Supermarket, Inc., et al. v. Visa, Inc., et al., No. 17-CV-02738 (E.D.N.Y.), or claims based on certain standard commercial disputes arising in the ordinary course of business.

For more information on the release, see the full mailed Notice to Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class Members and the settlement agreement at: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com.

the Court heArIng About thIs settlement On November 7, 2019, there will be a Court hearing to decide whether to approve the proposed settlement. The hearing also will address the Rule 23(b) (3) Class Counsel’s requests for attorneys’ fees and expenses, and awards for the Rule 23(b)(3) Class Plaintiffs for their representation of merchants in MDL 1720, which culminated in the settlement agreement. The hearing will take place at: United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York 225 Cadman Plaza Brooklyn, NY 11201 You do not have to go to the Court hearing or hire an attorney. But you can if you want to, at your own cost. The Court has appointed the law firms of Robins Kaplan LLP, Berger Montague PC, and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP as Rule 23(b)(3) Class Counsel to represent the Rule 23(b)(3) Settlement Class.

QuestIons?

For more information about this case (In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation, MDL 1720), you may: Call toll-free: 1-800-625-6440 Visit: www.PaymentCardSettlement.com Write to the Class Administrator: Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement P.O. Box 2530 Portland, OR 97208-2530 Email: info@PaymentCardSettlement.com Please check www.PaymentCardSettlement.com for any updates relating to the settlement or the settlement approval process.

1-800-625-6440 • info@PaymentCardSettlement.com FCBJ

APRIL 8, 2019

11

THE LIST: LAW FIRMS

FAIRFIELD COUNTY

CUMMINGS & LOCKWOOD LLC

PULLMAN & COMLEY LLC

COHEN AND WOLF PC

6 Landmark Square, Stamford 06901 327-1700 • cl-law.com Year established: 1909 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): Jonathan B. Mills Number of attorneys in county; total number in firm: 42, 66 Number of partners, associates, counsel: 46, 15, 5 Email: jmills@cl-law.com

850 Main St., Bridgeport 06601 330-2000 • pullcom.com Year established: 1919 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): James T. Shearin, chairman Number of attorneys in county, total number in firm: 53, 95 Number of partners, associates, counsel: 68, 21, 6 Email: jtshearin@pullcom.com

1115 Broad St., Bridgeport 06604 368-0211 • cohenandwolf.com Year established: 1951 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): David A. Ball Number of attorneys in county, total number in firm: 51, 51 Number of partners, associates, counsel: 34, 8, 9 Email: dball@cohenandwolf.com

FINN DIXON & HERLING LLP

CARMODY TORRANCE SANDAK & HENNESSEY LLP

DAY PITNEY LLC

6 Landmark Square, Stamford 06901 325-5000 • fdh.com Year established: 1987 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): Michael J. Herling Number of attorneys in county; total number in firm: 51, 51 Number of partners, associates, counsel: 21, 23, 7 Email: mherling@fdh.com

707 Summer St., Suite 300, Stamford 06901 425-4200 • carmodylaw.com Year established: 1990 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): Brian T. Henebry Number of attorneys in county; total number in firm: 46, 76 Number of partners, associates, counsel: 34, 10, 2 Email: bhenebry@carmodylaw.com

1 Canterbury Green, Stamford 06901 • 977-7300 24 Field Point Road, Greenwich 06830 • 862-7800 daypitney.com Year established: 1902 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): Stanley Twardy Jr. Number of attorneys in county; total number in firm: 36, 280 Number of partners, associates, counsel: 16, 8, 12 Email: satwardy@daypitney.com

This is a sampling from our list of law firms located in the region, ranked by number of attorneys in county.

To view and download the complete list, please visit westfaironline.com

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APRIL 8, 2019

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APRIL 8, 2019

13

THE LIST: LAW FIRMS

FAIRFIELD COUNTY

BERCHEM MOSES PC

WIGGIN AND DANA LLP

IVEY, BARNUM & O’MARA LLC

1221 Post Road East, Westport 06880 • 227-9545 75 Broad St., Milford 06460 • 783-1200 berchemmoses.com Year established: 1993 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): Marsha Belman Moses, firm managing partner; Ira W. Bloom, Westport managing partner Number of attorneys in county; total number in firm: 37, 37 Number of partners, associates, counsel: 20, 14, 3 Email: ibloom@berchemmoses.com

281 Tresser Blvd., Stamford 06901 363-7600 • wiggin.com Year established: 1934 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): Paul Hughes Number of attorneys in county; total number in firm: 33, 147 Number of partners, associates, counsel: N/A Email: phughes@wiggin.com

170 Mason St., Greenwich 06830 661-6000 • ibolaw.com Year established: 1950 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): N/A Number of attorneys in county; total number in firm: 32, 34 Number of partners, associates, counsel: 19, 9, 6 Email: info@ibolaw.com

RYAN RYAN DELUCA LLP

SHIPMAN & GOODWIN LLP

ROBINSON & COLE LLP

707 Summer St., Stamford 06901 357-9200 • ryandelucalaw.com Year established: 21966 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): Robert O. Hickey Number of attorneys in county; total number in firm: 30, 39 Number of partners, associates, counsel: 14, 12, 4 Email: rohickey@ryandelucalaw.com

300 Atlantic St., Stamford 06901 • 324-8100 289 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich 06830 • 859-5600 shipmangoodwin.com Year established: 1919 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): Alan E. Lieberman Number of attorneys in county; total number in firm: 30, 178 Number of partners, associates, counsel: 17, 6, 7 Email: alieberman@goodwin.com

1055 Washington Blvd., Stamford 06901 462-7500 • rc.com Year established: 1845 Managing partner(s) or officer(s): April F. Condon, partner in charge, Stamford office Number of attorneys in county; total number in firm: 27, 211 Number of partners, associates, counsel: 17, 6, 4 Email: acondon@rc.com

This is a sampling from our list of law firms located in the region, ranked by number of attorneys in county.

To view and download the complete list, please visit westfaironline.com

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APRIL 8, 2019

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A Royal Flush reigns in portable toilet industry

BY PHIL HALL

have moved into the market and are taking up market share.” As a result, the company is putting a greater emphasis on proactive marketing.

“For the first 15 years, we didn’t have to do anything,” Butler said. “Everyone came to us because we were the big player. Now, we have a marketing department and we do a lot of ads and cold calling and mailing. We are also looking at doing radio and television and expanding print ads.”

Butler is also putting a greater push on the company’s trailer rental business and on its installation of electric flush toilets in campers and trailers. And while A Royal Flush can still be seen at high-profile regional events including PGA tournaments and the Road Runners’ marathons, Butler is aiming for a near-future where A Royal Flush’s units become even more ubiquitous throughout the East Coast.

“I would like to expand the company,” he said.

“We were originally in Washington, D.C., and I would like to expand back there. I want to go up to Boston and then to Portland, Maine, and down towards Charleston. I would like to own the I-95 corridor.”

phall@westfairinc.com

W

hen nature calls and a bathroom is nowhere to be found, Timothy Butler is often there to help with the response. Or, to be more specific, the distinctive blue and green portable toilets from Butler’s Bridgeport-based company A Royal Flush can often be found being in the right place at the right time.

Not surprisingly, Butler never envisioned himself as the chairman of a company that serves the portable toilet industry. “It was kind of a fluke,” said Butler, who was an attorney when he joined four friends as investors in A Royal Flush two decades ago as a 5 percent shareholder.

“The majority shareholder and driving force, Bill Malone, passed away in 2017. Some of the other partners retired and, virtually overnight, I went from 5 percent shareholder to running the company.”

Upon gaining the leadership at A Royal Flush, Butler conducted a study to determine whether he should put it up for sale or channel new investment funds and grow the business.

The answer, it seemed, was obvious.

“The decision was made by all of the employees and their family members, who asked me not to sell,” he recalled. “It was a family business, and we’re one big family — with over 140 families depending on this for their job. If I sold, I realized most of them would not keep their jobs.”

A Royal Flush has approximately 8,000 portable toilets spread across the Northeast from Philadelphia to Springfield, Massachusetts. The company divides its business focus into three key areas where bathroom facilities are often lacking: the construction industry; special events; and outdoor municipal properties including parks, marinas and ball fields.

Since taking the leadership role, Butler began upgrading the company’s internal operations.

Customer service was a key focus and Butler invested in new trucks “in order to provide better service to our daily route customers.”

New computer systems were installed along with upgrades to the telephone system and billing operations, and Butler strengthened his commitment to the company’s drivers and workers with improved benefits, including a new bonus program to reward jobs well done.

Traditionally, the life span of A Royal Flush unit was roughly six years, with the unit going to different locations over its existence. “The first two years would be at high-end and special events,” Butler observed. “Then, it was moved down to a park toilet. Its final days would be spent at a construction site.”

While Butler stated his construction industry presence is not in doubt — “You name the company and we’ve worked with them,” he said — he is making an effort to prioritize these clients with upgraded units.

“People want higher-end products at construction sites,” he said. “We are trying to make construction customers feel more appreciated.”

For years, A Royal Flush had a dominant role in the northeastern market. But Butler pointed out that “some very large national companies

Timothy Butler at the Bridgeport HQ of A Royal Flush. Photo by Phil Hall.

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APRIL 8, 2019

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Environmental Solutions

D&D: LEADING REGIONAL ELEVATOR MAINTENANCE COMPANY

B

ased in Elmsford, D&D Elevator Maintenance Inc. is a leading elevator maintenance company serving the greater-New York region with a legacy of longterm relationships, built on the highest levels of customer service. D&D is an independent, licensed and fully insured elevator company. Established in 1981, the company has been providing best maintenance practices throughout the New York metropolitan area for over 36 years. Many of our current contracts are with customers we have been servicing continuously since our beginnings in the early 1980s. Westchester properties served by D&D include Mercy College, Cambria Suites Hotel and 1 Glenwood Avenue in Yonkers, which is the tallest structure in the area.

D&D’s principals are always easily reachable and immediately responsive to all emergency and routine needs.

D&D’S PRINCIPALS ARE ALWAYS EASILY REACHABLE AND IMMEDIATELY RESPONSIVE TO ALL EMERGENCY AND ROUTINE NEEDS. WE STRIVE TO KNOW ALL OUR CUSTOMERS BY NAME AND PLACE PRIMARY VALUE ON PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, ACCOUNTABILITY AND RELIABILITY.

ident of violations and testing, began leading the effort to build an efficient and dynamic modernization and construction department. The company was joined in 2005 by Michael Bonardi, currently D&D’s vice president, who brought to bear his vast experience with large service, modernization and construction projects.

Over the years, D&D has achieved several industry milestones, including the first AC gearless machine installation in North America. This state-ofthe-art equipment has already given the customer more than 20 years of reliable

operation and remains in service today.

In 2001, we introduced our “Engineered Elevator Service Plan.” This concept was based on new code requirements adopted by the state and city of New York, complying with Section 8.6 of the A17.1 Code for elevators and escalators.

In 2002, Schaeffer partnered with the National Association of Elevator Contractors to develop an industrywide certification program for the education and training of field technicians. This program is now being used for both training and licensing by more than 80 elevator companies nationwide.

In 2003, D&D obtained approval of its “Certified Elevator Technician” (CET) program from both the federal and state Department of Labor. And in 2011, the CET program was awarded accreditation by both ANSI and ISO for meeting its standards for certification programs.

D&D is currently the only merit-shop contractor in the state of New York to offer apprenticeship training to its employees.

For further information, visit ddelevator.com or contact D&D Elevator Maintenance, 38 Hayes St., Elmsford, NY 10523, 914-347-4344.

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We strive to know all our customers by name and place primary value on personal relationships, accountability and reliability. Robert Schaeffer, currently D&D’s CEO and president, has been with the company since its inception.

Beginning as an apprentice and working under two seasoned veterans — Tom Davies and Theodore Dettmering, the original owners of D&D — he learned how to install, maintain, repair and modernize elevators. In 1984, Nunzio Meccariello, currently D&D’s vice pres-

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APRIL 8, 2019

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CCM Executive Director Joe DeLong: Pensions, schools, tolls top concerns

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

J

oe DeLong is onboard with Gov. Ned Lamont’s philosophy that, for Connecticut to emerge from its long-lived fiscal woes, some sacrifices will have to be made.

The executive director of the Connecticut Council of Municipalities (CCM), the state’s largest, nonpartisan organization of municipal leaders, said who’s going to make those sacrifices remains very much to be seen.

He described the state’s pension problem as “tricky, because we’re not dealing with a current problem — it’s a past problem that is now in our legislators’ laps.”

Connecticut has $21.2 billion in unfunded pension liabilities for its State Employee Retirement

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APRIL 8, 2019

System (SERS), with translates into the system being only 38 percent funded.

Its Teachers Retirement System (TRS) has $13.1 billion in unfunded liabilities, making it 57 percent funded.

The situation is even worse, according to a study by the American Legislative Exchange Council. Considering that these numbers are based on the state’s over-optimistic estimated rate of return for pension investments, ALEC.org put Connecticut’s unfunded pension liabilities at over $100 billion.

“Retirees are collecting very lucrative pensions,” he said.

According to the state’s OpenPension site, launched in December, 39,747 retirees who reside in Connecticut received about $1.53 billion in 2017 — topped by Dr. Jack Blechner, a former UConn

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professor who received $322,674.

DeLong added, “current and future hires are going to have to pay for the sins of our past,” as the state moved from a strictly defined benefit plan to a hybrid defined benefit/ defined contribution plan for those hired on or after July 31, 2017, under an agreement with the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC).

The state estimates that will save $4.8 billion over five years.

DeLong said the CCM had a generally positive reaction to Lamont’s costof-living arrangement (COLA) proposal, which would reduce the costof-living monies paid to future retired state employees if returns on pension investments underperform. Assuming an average return on pension invest-

Joe DeLong

ments of 6.9 percent, the proposal would cap COLA adjustments at 1 percent if returns fall short of expectations. Lamont said the plan could potentially save up to $131 million in fiscal year 2019-20 and $143 million in FY 2020-21.

Several union leaders have blasted that proposal. A SEBAC statement read, “To be clear: we will not be part of asking for still more sacrifices from state employees, who have already given so much for the people they serve. We will, however, continue working with the Lamont administration and the General Assembly on ‘winwin’ solutions for achieving efficiency and that will benefit everyone.”

Although Lamont’s proposal to shift 25 percent of the cost of TRS pensions to Connecticut municipalities, which currently pay nothing to defray those spiraling costs, has perhaps predictably been met with resistance from city and town leaders, DeLong said he did not necessarily disagree with the proposal itself, but with its underlying philosophy.

“Our position has never been that ‘towns and cities

didn’t create these problems, so don’t put them on us,’ ” he said. “But this and the Malloy administration have both failed to talk about it from a position of reform, rather than just cost shifting.”

DeLong pointed to a CCM report issued in the midst of last year’s election campaign to illustrate the organization’s stance. The report stated that the state’s municipalities are paying nearly 53 percent of the $11 billion in costs for local public schools, and they are paying nearly two-thirds of the cost of special education.

“State underfunding of local public education over time has shifted a huge unfair tax burden onto the backs of residential and business property taxpayers,” DeLong said. “To continue to transfer state budget problems to towns and cities and their property taxpayers is unfair and it shortchanges Connecticut’s future.”

The CCM is also against what DeLong said was the “forced regionalization” of the state’s schools, as has been proposed by SB 738, which would consolidate school districts in towns

with populations of fewer than 40,000. SB 457 would require any school district with a student population of fewer than 2,000 students to join a new or existing regional school district. SB 874, which would require districts with less than 10,000 residents, fewer than 2,000 students, or with only one or two elementary schools, that have their own superintendent to “receive direction concerning the supervision of [its] schools from another district’s superintendent or name a ‘chief executive officer’ to oversee the schools.”

Districts refusing to comply with the latter would risk losing their Education Cost Sharing funds.

Allowing that some redundancies exist — “Four full-time superintendents overseeing three school systems in a given town doesn’t make a lot of sense” — DeLong said that reasonable discussions should be able to address those situations.

“Instead, the Legislature has put out these bills that are not well thought out,” he said. “They’ve hijacked the conversation and turned it into one where everybody’s saying, ‘We love our schools — leave our schools alone.’ ” As for bringing tolls back to the state’s highways — DeLong said that, while CCM’s members “have varying views,” the organization generally feels that the revenue generated — $1 billion per year, according to state estimates — will be worth it “if the money goes where it’s supposed to.”

“But it’s not like we’re going to have a surplus of revenue right away,” he said. “It’s going to take several years of using that revenue to do necessary maintenance on our roads.”

DeLong said he gave Lamont “a ton of credit” for the toll proposal, noting that, if passed, it would probably take at least four years before gantries are erected and fully functional.

CELEBRATING MORE THAN A DECADE OF RISING STARS Nominate a candidate (perhaps yourself!) who fits the description of a young (25 or over and under 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.

June 11 • 5:30 - 7 p.m.

NOMINATE: westfaironline.com/events NEW NOMINATION DEADLINE: April 11 For information, contact: Tracey Vitale at tvitale@westfairinc.com.

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APRIL 8, 2019

19

brenda

Top heart specialists made sure this busy grandmother didn’t miss a beat.

When she almost fainted following a short walk, Brenda knew something was seriously wrong.

Her cardiologist discovered a slow heart rate, and sent her straight to the electrophysiology team at White Plains Hospital. Dr. Daniel Wang performed an innovative cardiac pacing procedure that rewired Brenda’s heart so she could keep up with her active family.

Don’t ignore your heart’s signals.

Download a heart health assessment at exceptionaleveryday.org/cardiac or to find a cardiologist call (914) 849-MyMD. A M E M B E R O F T H E M O N T E F I O R E H E A LT H S Y S T E M

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FOCUS ON

HEALTH CARE FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Danbury Hospital triumphs as state’s only robotic cardiac surgery facility

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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obotic surgery may be somewhat commonplace when it comes to certain gynecological and organ replacement procedures, but it is still something of a rarity when it comes to cardiac operations.

Danbury resident Tony Teixeira was able to take advantage of the fact that Danbury Hospital is the only one in the state offering robotic cardiac operations. That’s because it has on its staff Dr. Robert Gallagher, the only board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon in Connecticut, with advanced expertise in robotic cardiac surgery.

Having experienced shortness of breath and persistent coughing fits — two of which caused him to pass out — for several months, the 49-year-old Teixeira visited Dr. John Pezzimenti, a board-certified medical

hematologist/oncologist at Danbury Hospital, for what he thought would be a routine checkup. Pezzimenti, who had successfully treated Teixeira with radiation therapy for his Stage II Hodgkin’s lymphoma 28 years earlier, referred him to cardiologist Dr. Harvey Kramer.

Kramer detected a heart murmur. While that is not unusual, Kramer felt that, given the patient’s history of radiation therapy and his current symptoms, an echocardiogram and stress test were in order.

The echocardiogram revealed a 1/2-inch mass on the tricuspid valve, ultimately determined to be a papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) — a rare occurrence, especially as it was on the right side of the heart. PFEs usually occur on the left side where, if a piece breaks off and embolizes, it can travel to the brain and cause a stroke.

Although the worst that could happen if the right-side

PFE broke off and embolized would be its getting trapped in the lung, it was decided that surgical removal was necessary. Teixeira turned to the internet to learn about open-heart surgery.

“I saw that it involved a 12-inch incision (and) breaking ribs,” he remarked.

When Kramer suggested he meet with Gallagher to discuss the robotic approach, Teixeira dutifully looked up that procedure and was happy to find that “everyone was so positive about it.” A January 2018 date was set.

Gallagher said he first got involved with robotic cardio procedures while serving as a senior attending cardiothoracic surgeon at Hartford Hospital. He founded the robotic cardiothoracic program there.

“I found out when it comes to fighting cancer, trying to change the paradigm can be quite difficult — there can be a lot of resistance from the nursing staff, the OR and

the administration,” he said.

Gallagher continued to stay abreast of developments in robotic cardiac procedures, starting with basic operations in 2004 and “little by little gaining experience and getting into more complex surgeries.”

Gallagher said experience is the best way of learning how to do such procedures, likening it to taking flying lessons. “There comes a point when the instructor takes his hands off the wheel and says, ‘OK. Now you’re doing it solo,’ ” he said.

With more than 500 robotic cardiothoracic operations under his belt, Gallagher was confident that he could help Teixeira — although working up his treatment plan had to take into consideration his entire health history, including the radiation therapy.

“We were especially concerned about how he would heal from an open procedure because radiation is known

to affect how someone heals,” Gallagher said. “We also knew that Tony didn’t want the downtime required to recover from open heart surgery.

With the robotic procedure, he would be home in about three days after surgery, versus five to seven days with an open procedure.”

The need for speed was partially due to the impending wedding of Teixeira’s son in May. “Even if I’d had the open-heart surgery, I still probably would have made it” to the wedding, Teixeira said. “But this seemed like the best way to go.”

Gallagher warned his patient that, should he detect unforeseen problems once he’d gone in, he might have to change to an open-heart procedure.

During the five-hour surgery, Gallagher made five 8mm incisions in the right side of his patient’s chest in order to access his heart, as well as small incisions in his leg (femoral) and neck (jug-

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ular) to connect a drainage tube to a heart/lung machine in order to circulate blood during the procedure.

Using the robot, through the small incisions in his chest, Gallagher accessed and opened the heart with instrumentation, and then opened the right atrium.

He then resected the tumor.

When the tumor tissue was removed, Gallagher closed the right atrium with a robotically assisted running stitch.

“The first thing I asked when I woke up, when Dr. Gallagher was taking the tubes out, was, ‘Was it robotic or not?’ “ Teixeira recounted.

“And he told me that it was and that it was successful. I haven’t coughed since.”

He was back to work four-and-a-half weeks after the operation and even went ziplining six months after the procedure. Needless to say, he was present at the wedding.

“He saved my life,” Teixeira said of Gallagher

APRIL 8, 2019

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FOCUS ON HEALTH CARE

Seniors face daunting challenges regarding health care, affordable housing

BY FRANK CERBINI

H

alf of Americans over the age of 55 who earn less than $60,000 per year — accounting for 25 percent of households — feel they can’t afford to cover both housing and health care, according to a new survey conducted by The NHP Foundation, a not-for-profit provider of affordable housing with developments in Fairfield County and plans underway for Westchester County.

Of the seniors surveyed, 48 percent are “concerned to extremely concerned” that one costly emergency room visit will have a devastating financial impact.

Many in this income and age bracket have trouble affording medicines not entirely covered by private health insurance or Medicare Part D. Also, 50 percent of respondents have a chronic health condition, requiring regular checkups. However, 25 percent put off recommended medical procedures or appointments due to monetary worries.

And 25 percent of those surveyed consider their health insurance burden “somewhat or

not manageable” at all. Lower wage earners are less likely to receive employer-provided health insurance, according to a Kaiser Family report.

The monetary worries expressed in the national senior survey impact Westchester and Fairfield counties where there is a critical shortage of affordable housing. Federal housing statistics for 2016 — the last year available — show there were 1,750 homeless individuals in Westchester, up 31 percent from 2010. Also, 42 percent of Westchester households are “rent burdened,” which HUD defines as those “who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing” and “may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care.” Severe rent burden is defined as paying more than 50 percent of one's income on rent.

Only 2.5 percent of Fairfield County’s housing units are affordable. The average wait time to get on Fairfield’s housing authority affordable housing or rental assistance program lists is six to eight years. Also, New York and Connecticut are among the top 10 states spending the most per capita on health care costs.

“People see Westchester as a very wealthy county,” said Alec Cecil, a Westchester-based psychologist working with low-income families and seniors, “But the truth is many are struggling to keep themselves housed and healthy in a county where median rental prices for a one-bedroom apartment hover around $1,401, yet many struggle to get by on very low wages or just their Social Security benefits.”

The survey also revealed that 50 percent of respondents ranked “stable housing” and “steady income” as the greatest factors to staying healthy, yet the same percentage is “concerned to extremely concerned” about maintaining stable housing as they age. This information dovetails with Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies’ recent look at older adult households. “Housing America’s Older Adults 2018” showed 50 percent of all older renter households are cost-burdened, and 41 percent of those 65 or older still have mortgages.

“Every new affordable housing unit that we can create for our seniors, giving them the enjoyment of living with their peers, has the added benefit of making the unit

where they lived before available for a family,” according to Norma V. Drummond, the commissioner of planning for Westchester County. “Affordable housing is not a one-sizefits-all proposition. We need to create a wide variety of housing opportunities to meet the needs here in Westchester.”

In recent years Connecticut has put significant emphasis on providing more affordable housing in parts of the state with higher housing costs. The state has also favored adding affordable housing in communities where less than 10 percent of the housing is regulated affordable housing. Contributions in the form of property tax relief and/or financial contributions from local sources are also typically required to successfully leverage the private capital needed to create more affordable housing. These sources also allow affordable housing owners to acquire and successfully maintain properties as affordable housing.

Frank Cerbini is a vice president of the New York City-based NHP Foundation. He can be reached at fcerbini@nhpfoundation.org.

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APRIL 8, 2019

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• An array of indoor and outdoor activities Over 60 programs a week!

Visit us today and see the comforts and programs that make Braemar at Wallkill a true home for our residents.

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21 Riverside Drive, Middletown, NY 10941

FOCUS ON HEALTH CARE

Six tips for dealing with panic attacks

BY LATA MCGINN

A

panic attack is a sudden, intense episode of fear or dread accompanied by physical symptoms such as a pounding heart, sweating, trembling or shaking, lightheadedness, feeling faint, shortness of breath, choking sensations, nausea, abdominal distress, chest pain, cold and hot chills, numbness and tingling, feelings of being detached or things seeming unreal. Individuals with panic disorder fear that they are going to die, go crazy or lose control. They then begin to fear getting future attacks and will often change their behaviors to ward off panic attacks, a disorder called agoraphobia.

TIP NO. 5

Deep, slow breathing exercises (slow, diaphragmatic breathing) that help regulate oxygen and carbon dioxide can be calming and may be helpful to do regularly as a way of calming an overanxious state in general. However, it is wise not to use it to stop a panic that you are afraid to have in the moment as it likely won’t work anyway and it will also inadvertently convince your brain that you are in danger.

TIP NO. 6

It is best to first go to a medical doctor when you have your first attack to make sure it isn’t anything like a thyroid

condition, etc. Once the doctor rules out any physical basis for panic attacks, it is best to not keep going back and taking unnecessary medical tests over and over again. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective in treating panic disorder and agoraphobia. First, individuals are educated about panic attacks and the physical symptoms of anxiety and fear that are experienced.

Second, they are trained on how to examine and change their unhelpful thoughts and beliefs that lead to panic attacks in B:7.875” individuals are real time. In addition, trained to reduceT:7.375” physical tension, and are then exposed to physical sensations of

panic and to feared and avoided situations and sensations until the person realizes they are not dangerous. Repeated exposure helps to reduce the fear induced by these situations and teaches the person that the sensations experienced are not dangerous. When the fear of the physical sensations is reduced, future panic attacks are reduced.

Lata K. McGinn, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and co-founder of Cognitive Behavioral Consultants with its headquarters in White Plains and offices in New York City. She can be reached at lmcginn@cbc-psychology.com.

TIP NO. 1

The first thing to remember is that a panic attack is an emotional alarm that is meant to protect us, not harm us. Panic attacks, although unpleasant to experience, are not dangerous. Biologically, a panic attack is the fight-flight response or your body’s mechanism designed to protect you from danger. It is called the fight-flight response because it helps you fight or flee danger in order to protect us. If you are in danger, the fight-flight response would create fear and release adrenaline and create an automatic response in us to take immediate action (attack or run). In panic attacks the fight-flight response kicks in even though you are not in any danger.

MORE THAN TRAUMA CARE. TRIATHLETE CARE.

TIP NO. 2

Panic attacks usually begin right after a stressful life event so focus on dealing with the stress you are under rather than trying to stop the panic attack.

Billy Davis Motorcycle Accident Survivor New York, NY

TIP NO. 3

Fearing that panic will harm you only makes you have more panic attacks — your brain thinks you are in danger when you become afraid of panic attacks so the only thing it knows to do to protect you is to give you more panic attacks. Tell yourself you are not in danger and that it is just a harmless panic attack and that it will go away on its own without you doing anything to stop it.

TIP NO. 4

Trying to stop a panic attack in the middle of an episode is not helpful because you are inadvertently telling your brain that you are in danger even though you are not.

Letting the panic attack ride over you until it washes away and not changing your behavior to avoid it or escape it is the best thing you can do. Over time, your brain will learn that you are not in danger and the panic attacks will reduce over time.

As the ONLY Level I trauma center in the region, our expertise means a strong comeback when life knocks you off course.

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To read inspiring stories like Billy’s, visit WestchesterMedicalCenter.com/CultureofCare

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WESTCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER HEALTH NETWORK Westchester Medical Center l Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital l Behavioral Health Center l MidHudson Regional Hospital Good Samaritan Hospital l Bon Secours Community Hospital l St. Anthony Community Hospital HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus l HealthAlliance Hospital: Mary’s Avenue Campus l Margaretville Hospital

Trauma_WCBJ_7375x7125.indd 1

2/19/19 9:48 AM

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GOOD THINGS AMERICAN FAMILY CARE EARNS ACCREDITATION American Family Care (AFC) locations in Danbury, West Hartford, New Britain, Vernon and Torrington have achieved accreditation from the Urgent Care Association (UCA), the highest level of distinction for urgent care centers in the nation. AFC’s urgent care facilities met the stringent UCA criteria and established standards for quality of patient care, safety and scope of services provided, including X-ray and laboratory services.

AFC is Independently owned and operated by Connecticut native Tom Kelly who remarked, “We’re excited to continue fulfilling our mission of making quality health care accessible and economical to residents across Connecticut.

“The health care environment is changing and it is becoming more and more important for patients to understand their treatment options,” explained Kelly. “Urgent care fills the gap between primary care and hospital emergency rooms, offering increased convenience and cost savings without sacrificing care.“ American Family Care is open seven days a week, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. No appointment is required. For more, visit afcurgentcare.com.

ACTIVISTS REVEAL INFORMATION ABOUT AGENT ORANGE

From left: Megan Fisher, community outreach liaison for Assisted Living Services; Bob Boucher, veteran; Sen. Richard Blumenthal; and Vietnam veterans Paul Scappaticci, Gerry Wright and Mark Halliday.

Military veterans gathered on March 19 at the Cheshire Senior Center to hear crucial information about Agent Orange, a plant-killing chemical used during the Vietnam War. Guest speakers and Vietnam veterans U.S. Rep. Gerry Wright and Paul Scappaticci shared their stories about suffering from negative health effects caused by exposure to the chemical. U.S. Sen. Rich-

ard Blumenthal was present and showed his support and provided information about the Agent Orange Exposure Fairness Act, submitted by Congressmen Joe Courtney and Wright. He urged residents and veterans to contact Connecticut senators and congressmen to tell them to pass this critical legislation for our Vietnam Blue Water Navy Veterans.

This presentation was part of the monthly Veterans’ Coffee House developed by Assisted Living Services with the Cheshire Senior Center.

“All of the attendees expressed their gratitude for the valuable information provided by Gerry, Paul and Sen. Blumenthal,” said Megan Fisher, community outreach liaison for Assisted Living Services.

SHARKS, SCIENCE EXHIBITION AT BRUCE MUSEUM

HOUSATONIC HABITAT TO HOLD EARTH-WEEK CELEBRATION Housatonic Habitat for Humanity in Danbury will hold a week-long Earth Week celebration from Tuesday April 17 through Saturday April 21. The event will include activities and daily targeted sales in its ReStore thrift warehouse at 51 Austin St. “We will hold a raffle, distribute earth-friendly gifts and be available to answer questions about recycling, re-using and repurposing everyday items,” said Housatonic Habitat Executive Director Fran Normann. “Everyone is welcome to celebrate Earth Week with us.”

Housatonic Habitat is both a builder and a bank, building affordable homes for working families who might not qualify for a traditional mortgage. In addition, it provides home repairs for homeowners who are aging in place.

For more, visit housatonichabitat.org.

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

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THE PALACE HOSTS PLAYWRITING WORKSHOP FOR ADULTS The Palace Theatre at 61 Atlantic St. in Stamford will kick off a six-week “Elements of Playwriting” workshop for adults on April 13, led by teaching artist Mathilde Dratwa who will give participants the tools they need to write short plays and revise their work. Underwritten by Pitney Bowes, the workshop is free with advance registration.

It is running on select Saturdays in April, May and June from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Workshop participants will complete activities on their feet to generate ideas through improvisation, theatre games and sharing before recording their ideas on paper. Each class will include exercises in ensemble-building, trust, focus, projection and increasing students’ confidence, particularly while speaking in front of a group.

“We envision a vibrant, diverse community where every person is inspired through self-expression to embrace lifelong appreciation of the arts,” said Carol Bryan, The Palace director of education.

Dratwa is a teaching artist for The Shakespeare Society, The Roundabout Theatre Company and The New Victory Theatre in New York. She is a writer, producer, filmmaker and director For more information or to register, call 203-517-3431 or contact cbryan@palacetheatre.org. Space is limited to 15 adults.

BOUTIQUE REAL ESTATE FIRM EXPANDS WITH NEW TEAM MEMBER

Black tip sharks on loan from the Mystic Aquarium. Photo by Paul Mutino.

Few creatures inspire such fascination and fear as sharks. However, they are far from the mindless killing machines that they are commonly portrayed to be.

Worldwide, biologists have identified about 470 species of sharks, a cartilaginous fish in the class of Elasmobranchii. Some live peaceful lives skimming plankton from the water with specialized gill rakers. Others have robust social lives and remember their favored companions year after year. A few turn the phrase “cold-blooded killer” on its head even more thoroughly and actually have warm blood pumping through their veins.

Opening on April 20 at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich is a new exhibition, Sharks!, which will pose this question: How much of what is commonly “known” about

sharks is fact and how much is fiction?

To answer this question, visitors to this interactive science exhibition will get up close and personal with life-sized models of a great white, hammerhead and some of its living and extinct cousins. Visitors will watch live sharks developing within eggs and compare and contrast jaws from nearly 20 different species.

“To look at a shark is to see over 400 million years of evolutionary success,” said Paleontologist Kate Dzikiewicz, Bruce Museum science curatorial associate and curator of the exhibition. “That said, most species of sharks are long-lived, they mature late, and they produce relatively few ‘pups,’ which makes them especially vulnerable to over-exploitation and population decline.

“Sharks are also apex predators, which means declining shark populations affect the entire ocean ecosystem,” says Dzikiewicz, who also serves as Manager of the Bruce Museum Seaside Center. “Overfishing, bycatch capture and habitat degradation are all having a profound effect on this keystone, and charismatic, group.”

Sharks! will be on view in the Bruce Museum’s Science Gallery through Sept. 1.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students with ID, and free for members and children less than 5 years old. Individual admission is free on Tuesday. For more, call 203-869-0376 or visit brucemuseum.org.

Chilton & Chadwick, a boutique real estate firm in Greenwich, has appointed a new team member, Lori Montazella, an experienced Realtor with more than 10 years in the business. She specializes in advising clients on home buying, selling, renovating and home staging as well as interior décor and design. As executive vice president, Montazella will be leading Chilton & Chadwick’s expansion into shore-line towns Lyme, Old Lyme, Guilford, Branford, Madison and Essex.

Her prior background encompasses many areas, including fine arts, fine food and wine service as well as hospitality entrepreneurship and management. Montazella was also a commissioned portrait artist and previously was a flight attendant where she received a civilian award for entering the Gulf War theatre while transporting troops. She currently lives in Old Lyme.

“Lori has proved to be a successful real estate agent in Connecticut for 10-plus years and has been named Connecticut magazine’s 5-star Realtor for five years running,” said Chadwick Ciocci, founder and CEO of Chilton & Chadwick.

ALLIANCE FOR CANCER GENE THERAPY HONORS CANCER PIONEER

ORTHOCONNECTICUT PHYSICIANS RECEIVE TOP DOC HONORS The physicians at OrthoConnecticut, one of the regional leaders in nonsurgical and surgical orthopedic care with accessible offices in Danbury, Darien, New Milford, Litchfield, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Sharon, Southbury and Westport, have once again been honored with some of the nation’s top doctor awards.

Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. has recognized the following doctors as Top Doctors 2019 from the northern offices: Andrew Bazos, Michael Brand, Joseph DiGiovanni, Ross Henshaw and John G. Lunt and Robert Yaghoubian. From the southern offices Castle Connolly recognized doctors Brian A. Bast, Jeffrey V. DeLuca, Joshua B. Frank, Jay Kleeman, Michael Lynch and Nicholas Polifroni. The Top Doctors awards are given to leaders who are nominated by their peers in an extensive survey process of thousands of American doctors each year.

These doctors are screened by the Castle Connolly physician-led research team and only those who are among the very best in their specialties and in their communities are selected.

The physicians at OrthoConnecticut were also among the winners of the annual Vitals Patients’ Choice Awards. They are chosen according to the overall rating a doctor receives from his or her patients for the calendar year. In OrthoConnecticut southern offices Nicholas Polifroni, Paul Protomastro and Michael G. Soojian were recognized and Angelo Ciminiello, John Dunleavy, David Kloth, Philip Mulieri, John Mullen, Randolph Sealey, Daniel Southern and Paul Tomaszewski were the doctors in the northern offices who won Vitals Patients’ Choice Awards for 2019.

The physicians at OrthoConnecticut also received inclusion in to the Healthgrades Honor Roll. In the northern offices, awards were given to Andrew Bazos, Michael Brand, Angelo Ciminiello, James Depuy, Robert Deveney, Joseph DiGiovanni, John Dunleavy, Edton Ganal, John G. Lunt, Philip Mulieri, John Mullen, Randolph Sealey, Daniel Southern and Robert Yaghoubian. In the southern offices awards were given to doctors Brian Bast, Jeffrey DeLuca, Mark Fletcher, Joshua Frank, Jay Kleeman, Michael Lynch, Nicholas Polifroni and Paul Protomastro.

Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT), the nation’s only nonprofit dedicated exclusively to funding cancer cell and gene therapy research, is celebrating its 18th anniversary with an award gala, April 18, beginning at 6:45 p.m. at the Harvard Club of New York City. The 2019 ACGT Award Gala: Accelerating the Momentum of Early Pioneers, will honor Dr. Carl H. June with The Edward Netter Leadership Award. He will be honored for his lifesaving CAR T-cell treatment for leukemia and lymphoma, which was the first-ever FDA-approved gene therapy for cancer. June was one of ACGT’s first grant recipients for his work with CAR T-cells and the collaboration helped support his breakthrough work at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is now the director of its Center for Cellular Immunotherapy. He was named one of TIME magazine’s

Most Influential People of the Year in 2018 and is now a member of ACGT’s Scientific Advisory Council.

“I am beyond thrilled to present The Edward Netter Leadership Award to Dr. Carl June,” said Barbara Netter, co-founder of ACGT and honorary chairman of the board.

“My husband Edward Netter was one of the primary promulgators of gene therapy — before anyone else was interested. He was always thinking about gene therapy and knew that it was the key to unlocking better and more effective treatments for cancer. My only regret is that my husband Edward did not live to see the fulfillment of his vision, as he sadly passed away in 2011, only months before Dr. June’s research was published.”

“This is an exciting time in the field of cancer gene therapy,” said Kevin Honeycutt, CEO and president of ACGT. “We

continue to see promising gene therapy treatments being green-lit by the FDA and addressing a variety of different cancers. Each success begins with rigorous research, which is dependent on funding like that of ACGT….”.”

June has published hundreds of manuscripts and has received numerous prizes, honors and appointments. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, as well as Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, June received graduate training in immunology and malaria at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, and post-doctoral training in transplantation biology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

To learn more about the ACGT Gala or to reserve a ticket, call 203-358-5055 or email agoldman@acgtfoundation.org.

CBRE GROUP NETS 2018 NAIOP AWARDS CBRE’s Stamford office announced that its New York Suburban Institutional Properties Group, led by Jeff Dunne and, including Steven Bardsley, Gene Pride, Travis Langer, Eric Apfel and Stuart MacKenzie, captured the prestigious NAIOP 2018 Deal of the Year award in three separate categories at the Fairfield/Westchester County NAIOP awards banquet. The award-winning transactions included: Shippan Landing: A $151 million,

780,000-square-foot discrete off-market recapitalization to a pre-qualified pool of equity investors. CBRE represented George Comfort & Sons and Angelo Gordon in securing the new equity partner, Rubenstein Partners.

Reckson Executive Park (International Drive): CBRE represented SL Green in facilitating the six-building 564,000-squarefoot, value-add sale for $55 million to George Comfort & Sons. CBRE was able to prove to the buyer pool that the significant upside

in the deal could be achieved within the buyers’ hold period. CBRE represented SL Green and procured the buyer.

Element One: CBRE represented Fuller Development and Spinnaker Real Estate Partners in the $78 million sale of Element One, setting a record for the highest sale price per unit in Stamford for mid-rise construction. CBRE was able to position the property as highly differentiated from competing assets in the market.

CONNECTICARE CALL CENTER RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

FAIRFIELD RESIDENT ELECTED TO SAVE THE CHILDREN’S BOARD Tracy McHale Stuart has been elected to the Board of Trustees of Save the Children, the first global movement for children, founded 100 years ago.

Comprised of 32 individuals the Save the Children’s board is dedicated to the goal of giving children in the U.S. and around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm.

Stuart, who has served as co-chair of the Save the Children’s Illumination Gala in 2017 and 2018, is managing partner and CEO at Corbin Capital Partners, a New York-based investment firm that manages $6.7 billion in assets.

“Save the Children is proud to welcome Tracy McHale Stuart to our board of trustees,” said Carolyn Miles, president and CEO. “Tracy’s impressive expertise and leadership in finance will be incredibly beneficial to our organization. We have been fortunate to have Tracy play an integral role in our annual gala for the last two years and are looking forward to working with her in an expanded capacity as a new trustee.”

Previously, Stuart was managing director and head of the global multimanager strategies group at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. She also worked at Barra/RogersCasey Strategic Consulting Group, Wilshire Associates Inc. and SEI Corp.

“I’m honored to join Save the Children’s board of trustees,” said Stuart. “Save the Children has made extraordinary progress for children during its 100-year history, but there’s still much more work that needs to be done. I’m looking forward to working with Save the Children’s incredible staff and my fellow trustees to help create brighter futures for children in the U.S. and around the world.”

Stuart received her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master of international management degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

CONNECT WITH westfair communications Representatives from ConnectiCare on hand to accept the awards, from left: Mallory Duggan, manager, call center services; Theresa Gentile, director, member and provider services; and Kristin Hodgkins, manager, workforce analytics.

ConnectiCare, one of Connecticut’s leading health plans for more than 35 years, received two awards at the 13th annual Stevie Awards, held in Las Vegas Feb 22.

ConnectiCare’s member services call center took home a bronze award for Contact Center of the Year. The member services management team received a silver

award for Customer Service Management Team of the Year.

“This recognition provides our customers with third-party validation of what we know to be true: that we provide worldclass customer service to our members,” said Eric Galvin, president of ConnectiCare.

“We are very proud of these awards and our

talented team.”

“All of the Stevie Award winners should be very proud of their achievements. Independent professionals around the world have agreed that their accomplishments are worthy of public recognition,” said Stevie Awards President and Founder Michael Gallagher.

westfaironline.com wagmag.com

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What's the future of residential and commercial real estate in Fairfield and Westchester County — and how do you make money?

April 30 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

C.V. Rich Mansion, White Plains For more, visit westfaironline.com/events

Learn from our experts

From left: Louise Phillips Forbes, Halstead Manhattan; John S. Traynor, People’s United Advisors; HaNa Park, Vice President at Starwood Capital; Clay Fowler, Spinnaker Real Estate Partners; and Chris Halliburton, Compass.

For event information, contact: Tracey Vitale at tvitale@westfairinc.com.

For sponsorship inquiries, contact: Marcia Pflug at mpflug@wfpromote.com or 203-733-4545.

PRESENTED BY:

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SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS:

Facts & Figures BUILDING PERMITS Commercial AAA Advantage Carting & Demolition, Stamford, contractor for 206 Stanwich Road LLC. Demolish wood-frame garage at 206 Stanwich Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $2,500. Filed Dec. 12.

Controlled Air Inc., Branford, contractor for the University of Bridgeport. Construct structural frame for rooftop at 84 Iranistan Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $17,790. Filed March 12.

Hat Stadt, Philippe A. and Hatsta, Greenwich, contractor for Philippe A. Hat Stadt. Replace wood shingles and re-roof 578 Riversville Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $51,000.

Filed Dec. 12.

Horizon Retail Construction, Sturtevant, Wisconsin, contractor for Walgreens Co. Repair water damages at 4083 Main St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $16,000. Filed March 13.

Prasad, Valmiki and Hal Prasad, Cos Cob, contractor for Prasad Valmiki and Hal Prasad.

Renovate tile, vanity and toilet at 43 Mimosa Drive, Cos Cob. Estimated cost: $4,000. Filed Dec. 13.

Redwood Construction, Bethel, contractor for Christopher Laitala. Construct an open-air pool pavilion with roof at 93 Indian Head Road, Riverside. Estimated cost: $75,000.

Filed Dec. 7.

S&R Renovation LLC, Greenwich, contractor for Shetty Akshay and Kee. Construct a deck in backyard and change outdoor kitchen at 4 Game Cock Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $55,000. Filed Dec. 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:

ON THE RECORD

Scalise, Jeff, Darien, contractor for 101 Dingle Town Road LLC. Renovate all bathrooms, kitchen and walk-up attic at 101 Dingle Town Road, Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $375,000. Filed Dec. 7.

Frattaroli, Chris, Greenwich, contractor for Herbert E. Eichler. Update kitchen, bathroom, fixtures, windows, roof and utilities at 183 N. Maple Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $400,000. Filed Dec. 13.

Sullivan Construction Company LLC, Fairfield, contractor for James A. Firestone. Renovate kitchen, laundry room and construct two additions at 14 Meadow Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $320,000. Filed Dec. 7.

Ganim Improvements LLC, Greenwich, contractor for Shafranek Naumann. Finish attic, new bath, stair and sky lights at 3 E. Point Lane, Old Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $30,000. Filed Dec. 11.

Wynter, Stephenson, Bridgeport, contractor for Cardinal Shehan Center. Replace exterior door, remodel kitchen and bathroom at 1494 Main St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $30,000. Filed March 13.

Isley, Cris, Danbury, contractor for Cris Isley. Re-roof and perform interior alterations at 334 Ridgefield Ave., Bridgeport.

Estimated cost: $69,791. Filed March 13.

Residential Anand, Sanchin, Orange, contractor for Anand Sanchin.

Renovate siding, windows and two kitchens at 122-124 Savoy St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $0, Filed March 12.

Alliance Locksmiths Inc., Hawthorne, New York, contractor for the city of Bridgeport.

Replace doors at 52 George Pipkin Way, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $32,500. Filed March 12.

Beckering, Laura F., Old Greenwich, contractor for Laura F. Beckering. Remodel kitchen, half bath and change heater relocation at 6 Grimes Road, Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $90.000. Filed Dec. 12.

Benenson, Susan Yubas, Greenwich, contractor for Susan Yubas Benenson. Perform an interior demolition at 15 Valley Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $15,000. Filed Dec. 11.

DaSilva, Nilvan, Greenwich, contractor for Nilvan DaSilva.

Repair and replace foundation at 53 Pemberwick Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $140,000.

Filed Dec. 10.

Edgewater Development LLC, Old Greenwich, contractor for Kevin Greene. Construct a new two-car garage at 21 Lia Fail Way, Cos Cob. Estimated cost: $150,000. Filed Dec. 6.

J&M Construction & son, Fairfield, contractor for Susan Newbold. Construct a new gas fire place at 95 Seabright Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $5,000. Filed March 13.

J&M Construction & son, Fairfield, contractor for Anne Harris. Construct a new gas fire place at 87 Seabright Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $50,000. Filed March 13.

Jay Construction LLC, Fairfield, contractor for MR Designs and Investments LLC. Replace windows, renovate kitchen and bathroom at 1903 Chopsey Hill Road, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $17,000. Filed March 13.

JMK Construction Group, Westport, contractor for 4 Sitalia LLC. Build a single-family dwelling and finish basement at 9 Cottontail Road, Cos Cob. Estimated cost: $675,000. Filed Dec. 7.

Keep me Home, Berlin, contractor for Patricia Dunbar.

Build pre-fabricated ramp and replace two doors at 104 Benham Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $14,000. Filed March 13.

Lindemann, Sloan, Greenwich, contractor for Sloan Lindemann. Renovate kitchen, cabinets, electrical and plumbing at 601 Indian Field Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $250,000.

Filed Dec. 15.

Northeast Tent Productions, Stamford, contractor for Debbie Nielsen. Install generator at 205 Round Hill Road, Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $9,589. Filed Dec. 15.

Northeast Tent Productions, Stamford, contractor for George L. Farr. Install generator at 69 Vineyard Lane, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $2,730. Filed Dec. 15.

Rutledge, K M and Eliza Rutledge, Greenwich, contractor for K M and Eliza Rutledge. Replace deck at 64 Ivy St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $70,000.

Filed Dec. 10.

Spiess, Greta and Charles Spiess, Old Greenwich, contractor for Greta Spiess. Renovate interior at 24 Maher Ave., Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $155,000. Filed Dec. 7.

The Gardiner Group LLC, New Canaan, contractor for Aaron and Kim Arth. Construct kitchen, family room, dining room, wine room at 45 Birchwood Drive, Greenwich.

Estimated cost: $450,000. Filed Dec.6 Vitale, Suzanne, Greenwich, contractor for Suzanne Vitale.

Finish basement at 18 Candlelight Place, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $15,000. Filed Dec. 14.

Wardell, Charles W., Riverside, contractor for Charles W. Wardell. Perform a renovation and construct a new garage at 141 Riverside Ave., Riverside.

Estimated cost: $800,000. Filed Dec. 12.

Wheeler, Kenneth, Greenwich, contractor for Kenneth Wheeler. Install walls to create bedroom and closet and relocate laundry room at 81 View St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $5,400. Filed Dec.10 Zakhar, Theodore, Norwalk, contractor for William J. Schwartz and Betsy Schwartz.

Strip asphalt roof and install a new roof at 35 Gold St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $11,400.

Filed Dec. 11.

COURT CASES Bridgeport Superior Court 206 Jewett Avenue LLC, Trumbull. Filed by Manuel Rodrigues, Bridgeport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Thomas L Kanasky Jr, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff provided services on the premises of the defendant. In order to secure payment, plaintiff filed a mechanic’s lien. The sum due to the plaintiff remains unpaid; defendant breached the contract by failing to pay the balance due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the lien, possession of the premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate.

Case no. FBT-CV-19-6082813-S. Filed Jan. 29.

Hasko, Erio, Bronx, New York.

Filed by For U Builders Group LLC. Plaintiff’s attorney: Randall J Carreira, New Preston. Action: The plaintiff provided construction and electric services on the premises of the defendant.

Plaintiff completed its obligations under the agreement. In order to secure payment, plaintiff filed a mechanic’s lien. The sum due to the plaintiff remains unpaid; defendant breached the contract by failing to pay the balance due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the lien, possession of the premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV19-6083052-S. Filed Feb. 6.

Kolesnikov, Igor, Bridgeport.

Filed by Bridgeport Park Apartments Inc., Bridgeport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Rosenberg Miller Hite & Morilla LLC, Stratford.

Action: The plaintiff provides assessment of common charges for the condominium. The defendant has failed to make payments. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of its lien, possession of the premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs.

Case no. FBT-CV-19-6082148-S. Filed Jan. 4.

Levine, Matthew S., et al, Fairfield. Filed by DeLucia Home Improvements LLC, Hamden. Plaintiffs’ attorney: Esposito & Annunziata Law Offices, New Haven. Action: The plaintiff provided construction and electric services on the premises of the defendants for which the defendants left a balance. In order to secure the balance payment, plaintiff filed a mechanic’s lien. The sum due to the plaintiff remains unpaid; defendant breached the contract by failing to pay the balance due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the lien, possession of the premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate.

Case no. FBT-CV-19-6083162-S. Filed Feb. 11.

MaCrae, Allison M., Monroe.

Filed by Ditech Financial LLC, Tampa, Florida. Plaintiff’s attorney: McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford. Action: The plaintiff was assigned the defendant’s mortgage for which the defendant defaulted and has failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-19-6082948-S. Filed Feb. 4.

Danbury Superior Court Eike, Linda, Redding. Filed by JPMorgan Chase Bank National Association, Columbus, Ohio.

Plaintiff’s attorney: Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington. Action: The plaintiff is the owner of the defendant’s mortgage for which the defendant defaulted and has failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-196029701-S. Filed Jan 2.

Magnotta, Michael, Greenwich, contractor for Michael Magnotta. Replace windows, siding and roofing; renovate bathroom and bedroom at 37 Halock Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $40,000. Filed Dec. 12.

Bob Rozycki c/o Westfair Communications Inc. 701 Westchester Ave, Suite 100 J White Plains, N.Y. 10604-3407 Phone: 694-3600 • Fax: 694-3699

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Facts & Figures Francis, Dean A., et al, Danbury. Filed by Wells Fargo Bank N.A., Fort Mill, South Carolina.

Plaintiff’s attorney: Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington. Action: The plaintiff is the owner of the defendants’ mortgage.

The defendants defaulted on the terms of the agreement and have failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-196029846-S. Filed Jan. 18.

Hudson Glen Association Inc., Bethel. Filed by Jacquelyn Bruey, Bethel. Plaintiff’s attorney: Cohen & Wolf PC, Danbury.

Action: The plaintiff is the owner of an apartment, which is adjacent to a portion of the defendant’s property. The defendant is responsible for the care of the common areas, where there are multiple pine trees that represent high risk of personal or property damage. Despite multiple demands, the defendant has neglected to take down the trees. In addition, the trees roots are growing under the plaintiff’s property causing damage to the foundation and disrupting drainage on plaintiff’s property.

The plaintiff claims removal of the trees, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-19-6030214-S. Filed Feb. 27.

Salazar, Darleny, Danbury.

Filed by American Express National Bank, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Plaintiff’s attorney: Mark Sank & Associates LLC, Stamford.

Action: The plaintiff is a banking association from which the defendant used a credit account issued by the plaintiff and agreed to make payments for goods and services. The defendant failed to make payments; the plaintiff seeks monetary damages and less than $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs.

Case no. DBD-CV-19-6030449-S. Filed March 20.

Stern, Karin Frances, Parrish, Florida. Filed by Western Connecticut Health Network, Bethel. Plaintiff’s attorney: Michael V. Simko Jr. Law Office, Seymour.

Action: The plaintiff provided hospital and medical services to the defendant. The defendant has failed to make payments.

The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-196030015-S. Filed Feb. 6.

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Stamford Superior Court Geake, Mary, A., Norwalk.

Filed by Fatima Silva, Bridgeport. Plaintiff’s attorney: John R Bryk, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff provided real estate services to the defendant for which the defendant agreed to pay a commission for sale to the plaintiff. However, defendant refused to pay the commission and plaintiff filed a real estate broker’s lien to secure payment.

The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the lien, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV-19-5020908-S. Filed Dec. 26.

Gomez, Efraim, et al, Stamford. Filed by First County Bank, Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: MHR Lewis LLC, Stamford. Action: The plaintiff is the owner and holder of the defendants’ mortgage for which the defendants defaulted and failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV19-6039786-S. Filed Jan. 28.

Hare, Clare B, et al, Darien.

Filed by DLJ Mortgage Capital Inc., Houston, Texas. Plaintiff’s attorney: McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford. Action: The plaintiff was assigned the defendants’ mortgage for which they defaulted and have failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV19-6039588-S. Filed Jan. 11.

Jalbert, Ginko, et al, Tempe, Arizona. Filed by Webster Bank N.A., Waterbury. Plaintiff’s attorney: Seiger Gfeller Laurie LLP, West Hartford. Action: The plaintiff is the owner of the defendants’ mortgage for which they defaulted and have failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV19-6039904-S. Filed Feb. 4.

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Rutherford, Thomas D., et al, Norwalk. Filed by Bayview Loan Servicing LLC, Coral Gables, Florida. Plaintiff’s attorney: O’Connell Attmore & Morris LLC, Hartford. Action: The plaintiff was assigned the defendants’ mortgage for which they defaulted and have failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV19-6040123-S. Filed Feb 20.

DEEDS Commercial 12 Turner Drive LLC, Greenwich. Seller: Turner Drive Property LLC, Vero Beach, Florida.

Property: Turner Drive, Greenwich. Amount: $700,000. Filed March 19.

59 Stanwich LLC, Greenwich.

Seller: Ruth T. Suh, Chicago, Illinois. Property: 548 Stanwich Road, Greenwich. Amount: $430,000. Filed March 18.

75V, LLC, Greenwich. Seller: Charles J. Carino Sr. and Nancy A. Carino, Greenwich. Property: 55 Prospect St., Greenwich.

Amount: $368,000. Filed March 15.

99 E. Elm Properties LLC, Greenwich. Seller: 99 East Elm Street LLC., Greenwich. Property: 99 E. Elm St., Greenwich.

Amount: $0. Filed March 8.

Apazivel LLC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Seller: Mar LLC, Greenwich. Property: Meadowcroft Lane, Greenwich. Amount: $1. Filed March 15.

Beacon Hill Capital LLC, Greenwich. Seller: Beacon Hill II Investment LLC, Greenwich.

Property: 70 Soundview Drive, Unit 3-S, Greenwich. Amount: $1. Filed March 29.

Brookfield Relocation Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona. Seller: Nicolas Vaquer and Maria Laura Laureti, Greenwich. Property: 15 Ferris Drive, Greenwich.

Amount: $882,500. Filed March 29.

Connecticut Preservations Inc., Matawan, New Jersey.

Seller: The Bank of New York Mellon, Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Property: 325 Riversville Road, Greenwich. Amount: $850,000. Filed March 26.

Gellos, Philip Mark and Caro Anne Gellos, Greenwich. Seller: 172 Milbank Ave., Greenwich.

Property: 172 Milbank Ave., Greenwich. Amount: $10. Filed March 12.

Weisenburger, Nicole and Ross Wittenberg, Stamford.

Seller: Tauton Partners LLC, Newton. Property: 2 Randolph Place, Cos Cob. Amount: $2,000,000. Filed March 18.

Harrison at Holmdel LLC, Holmdel, New Jersey. Seller: Connecticut Preservations Inc., Stamford. Property: 325 Riversville Road, Greenwich. Amount: $0. Filed March 26.

Zdunek, Kami; and Miley Nakamura, Greenwich. Seller: Brookfield Relocation Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona. Property: 15 Ferris Drive, Greenwich.

Amount: $830,000. Filed March 29.

Ivey, Barnum & O’Mara LLC, Greenwich. Seller: David Russekoff and Amanda Russekoff, Greenwich. Property: 37 Burying Hill Road, Greenwich.

Amount: $10. Filed March 5.

Klausner, Steven C., Greenwich. Seller: Steven C. Klausner, Greenwich. Property: 42 Mohawk Lane, Greenwich.

Amount: $10. Filed March 6.

Kuehne, Michael H. and Ariana E. Kuehne, Greenwich.

Seller: Langerhorst LLC, Greenwich. Property: 20 Hervey St., Greenwich. Amount: $699,000.

Filed March 18.

Michler, Sally S., et al, Riverside. Seller: Sally Sandercock Michler, Greenwich. Property: 36 Leeward Lane, Riverside.

Amount: $1. Filed March 8.

Mission Dupree LTD, Greenwich. Seller: Wilmington Savings Fund Society, Greenwich.

Property: 43 Valley Drive, Greenwich. Amount: $890,000.

Filed March 20.

Rocky Point 30 LLC, Old Greenwich. Seller: James E. Morris and Nancy J. Morris, Old Greenwich. Property: 30 Rocky Point Road, Old Greenwich.

Amount: $3,000,000. Filed March 15.

Rocky Point 34 LLC, Old Greenwich. Seller: James E. Morris Jr., Old Greenwich. Property: 34 Rocky Point Road, Old Greenwich. Amount: $5,150,000. Filed March 15.

RWC Investments LP, Calexico, California. Seller: Duane M. Grubert and Joan G. Grubert, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Property: Marks Road, Greenwich. Amount: $1. Filed March 25.

Tarkazikis, John N. and Rosemarie Tarkasikis, Larchmont, New York. Seller: 29 Talbot Lane LLC, Greenwich. Property: 29 Talbot Lane, Greenwich. Amount: $800,000. Filed March 29.

Residential Brennan, William and Melissa Brennan, Newtown. Seller: Joel S. Francisco and Angela Barattieri Francisco, Greenwich. Property: 8 Thistle Lane, Greenwich. Amount: $1. Filed March 22.

Chang, Jennifer and James Zivin, Old Greenwich. Seller: Juan Martinez-Arraya and Roxana Lorena Carrasco, Old Greenwich. Property: 51 Forest Ave., Unit 102, Old Greenwich.

Amount: $1,200,000. Filed March 29.

Friedenberg, Marni and Michael Friedenberg, Riverside. Seller: Rhoda B. Molin, Vero Beach, Florida. Property: 35 Crawford Terrace, Riverside.

Amount: $740,000. Filed March 22.

Gorman, III, John Patrick, Rye, New York. Seller: Mark A. Vitale, Greenwich. Property: 53 Ridge St., Greenwich. Amount: $1,500,000. Filed March 18.

Iasenza, Marisa B., Greenwich. Seller: 17 Connecticut Avenue LLC, Greenwich. Property: 17 Connecticut Ave., Greenwich. Amount: $1,475,000. Filed March 25.

Kudrick, Donald and Necla Kirtok, Greenwich. Seller: Hagop Kechejian and Alenoosh Avanessians, Greenwich. Property: 47 Nutmeg Drive Greenwich. Amount: $10. Filed March 22.

Lee, Soon Bok, Greenwich.

Seller: Thurston H. Smith and Clarice Z. Smith, Greenwich.

Property: 29 Revere Road, Riverside. Amount: $0. Filed March 28.

Chong Dalton, Laura and Santiago Gomez Bernal, Cos Cob. Seller: Jon B. Erensen and Jennifer G. Erensen, Cos Cob. Property: Unit 10 of Eastwood II Condominium, Greenwich.

Amount: $1. Filed March 28.

Liamani, Annick and Said Liamani, Greenwich. Seller: Catrina J. Fox, et al, Greenwich.

Property: Edgewood Ave., Greenwich. Amount: $550,000.

Filed March 18.

Chubak, Steven and Ellen Chubak, Greenwich. Seller: Wendy Fockens, Greenwich.

Property: 16 Norton Lane, Old Greenwich. Amount: $0. Filed March 29.

Marr, Allesandra C., and Richard C. Marr, Stamford.

Seller: Ali Chiang Tsao, Cos Cob. Property: 11 Pink Oak Lane, Cos Cob. Amount: $1,150,000. Filed March 8.

Doyle, Dorothy K. and Patricia Ganey, Cos Cob. Seller: Dorothy Doyle, Greenwich. Property: Lot 8 Palmer Hill, Greenwich.

Amount: $1. Filed March 18.

McConnell Kimberly K. and John McConnell, Riverside.

Seller: Dominick Borchetta, et al, Greenwich. Property: 15 Harold Ave., Greenwich. Amount: $695,000. Filed March 15.

Earls, William D., Wilton. Seller: Patricia M. Englert, et al, Riverside. Property: 17 Dandy Drive, Cos Cob. Amount: $835,000.

Filed March 21.

Falco, Nicholas Thomas, Greenwich. Seller: Judson Vaningen, Greenwich. Property: 106 Henry St., Greenwich.

Amount: $725,000. Filed March 8.

Fehlmann, John D., Old Greenwich. Seller: John D. Fehlmann, Old Greenwich. Property: 5 Heusted Drive, Old Greenwich. Amount: $1. Filed March 26.

Morocho, Jose and Zoraida Rosas Caballero, Cos Cob. Seller: Linda Eberheim, Cos Cob. Property: 33 Bible St., Cos Cob. Amount: $10. Filed March 22.

Morris, James E. and Nancy J. Morris, Old Greenwich. Seller: John M. Morris and Lucille L. Morris, Greenwich. Property: 49 Lockwood Ave., Old Greenwich. Amount: $1,935,000. Filed March 26.

Facts & Figures Moyer, Kimchi and Liberty Moyer, Greenwich. Seller: Petrok LLC, Potomac Falls, Virginia. Property: 24A Harold St., Cos Cob. Amount: $925,000.

Filed March 22.

Nolletti, Jeffrey R. and Amy M. Nolletti, Greenwich. Seller: Catherine A. Pica, Stamford.

Property: 351 Pemberwick Road, Unit 505, Greenwich.

Amount: $10. Filed March 26.

O’Connell, Kevin S., Port Chester, New York. Seller: Kimberly A. Scorese, Norwalk. Property: 102 Greenwich Hills Drive, Greenwich. Amount: $720,000.

Filed March 8.

Smith, Irwin F. and Linda S. Smith, Scottsdale, Arizona. Seller: Janet L. Robinson, Jupiter, Florida. Property: 3 E. Lyon Farm Drive, Greenwich.

Amount: $1,242,500. Filed March 19.

Sobel, Gregory and Allison Sobel, Greenwich. Seller: Marek Dydecki and Malgorzata Dydecka, Greenwich. Property: 9 Fairfield Ave, Greenwich. Amount: $951,660. Filed March 4.

St. Phillip, Caren and Peter St. Phillip, Cos Cob. Seller: Anne Lawrie and Kevin Lawrie, Groton. Property: 30 Jeffrey Road, Greenwich. Amount: $1,699,000. Filed March 11.

Orchulli, Andrew and Cristina Orchulli, Greenwich.

Seller: Ayla Farnos and Antonio Farnos, Greenwich. Property: Otter Rock Drive, Greenwich.

Amount: $1. Filed March 18.

Sullivan, Craig and Elizabeth Sullivan, Greenwich. Seller: 743 Lake Ave., Greenwich. Property: 743 Lake Ave., Greenwich.

Amount: $10. Filed March 15.

Palmer, Catherine, New Canaan. Seller: John S. Zeranski, Greenwich. Property: 16 Prospect Drive, Greenwich. Amount: $ 875,000. Filed March 5.

Surel, Christopher M. and Lindsay E. Randall, Cos Cob. Seller: Gabriela M. Wis, Cos Cob. Property: 7 Grove St., Cos Cob. Amount: $600,000. Filed March 26.

Quatrone, Victoria, Riverside.

Seller: Livia Farina and Bruno Difilippo, Greenwich. Property: 50 Lafayette Place, 2C, Greenwich. Amount: $310,000. Filed March 28.

Rosenthal, Michael and Nathalie Berbari, Astoria, New York. Seller: John Player Crosby and Diana Litchfield, Greenwich. Property: 36 Sherwood Ave., Greenwich. Amount: $1,350,000. Filed March 29.

Rossi, Felipe Marcelo, Stamford. Seller: Christine M. Hong and Robert B. Hong, Greenwich.

Property: 1465 E. Putnam Ave., Unit 424, Greenwich. Amount: $370,500. Filed March 19.

Royce, Wesley C. and Patrick J. Conlisk, New York, New York.

Seller: Douglas M. Murphy and Maria Ingle Murphy, Greenwich. Property: 54 Woodside Drive, Greenwich. Amount: $3,900.000. Filed March 11.

Rudder, Michael and Lindsey Wilner, Old Greenwich. Seller: Greenwich Shore Road LLC, Greenwich. Property: 184 Shore Road, Old Greenwich. Amount: $3,850,000. Filed March 25.

Tien, Theodore K. and Jason W. Kainzbauer, Greenwich.

Seller: Christopher J. Ferris and Carly A. Ferris, Greenwich.

Property: 50 Almira Drive, Unit B, Greenwich. Amount: $693,000. Filed March 22.

Vadasdi, Gregory Peter and Katherine Bardzik Vadasdi, Old Greenwich. Seller: Gregory P. Vadasdi and Katherine B. Vadasdi, Greenwich. Property: 1 Benjamin St., Old Greenwich.

Amount: $1. Filed March 5.

Vladimorov, Meghan and Gene Vladimorov, Greenwich.

Seller: Jonathan Baxendale and Stacey Baxendale, Riverside.

Property: 326 Palmer Hill Road, Riverside. Amount: $1,700,000.

Filed March 4.

Whittington, Priscilla J., Greenwich. Seller: Samantha L. Mirabella and Matthew Swift, Old Greenwich. Property: 1465 E. Putnam Ave., Unit 625, Old Greenwich. Amount: $370,000.

Filed March 18.

Wussler, Jr. Robert Joseph and Allison Martin Wussler, Greenwich. Seller: Joan K. Ottman, Greenwich. Property: 10 North St., Greenwich. Amount: $ 750,000. Filed March 6.

FORECLOSURES

JUDGMENTS

Gainer, Lois, et al, Creditor: JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Carrollton, Texas. Property: 5 Jamroga Lane, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 26.

Caro, Jonathan and Jeanette Caro, Bridgeport. $3,598, in favor of Curtis F.C.U., Sandy Hook,

by Grady & Riley LLP, Waterbury. Property: 309-311 Garfield Ave., Bridgeport. Filed March 5.

Gleaton, Jane, Creditor: Deutsche Bank National Trust Company. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Property: 36 Ann St., Stamford.

Mortgage default. Filed Jan. 10.

Hernandez, Aura, et al, Creditor: U.S. Bank, N.A., Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 87 Courtland Hill St., Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed March 11.

KNB Properties, LLC, et al, Creditor: National Cooperative Bank, Arlington, Virginia.

Property: 291 Hope St., Unit B-4, Stamford. Mortgage default.

Filed Feb. 15.

Kondracki, Michael, et al, Creditor: Wilmington Savings Fund Society, Chicago, Illinois.

Property: 535 Hunting Ridge Road, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed Jan. 17.

Melo, Gladys, et al, Creditor: HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 32 Weed Hill Ave., Unit 19, Stamford.

Mortgage default. Filed Jan. 22.

Rodriguez, Leila, et al, Creditor; Fountain Terrace Condominium Association, Stamford.

Property: 91 Strawberry Hill Ave., Unit 1022, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed March 8.

Saunders, Catherine, et al, Creditor: Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, New Britain.

Property: 140 Grenhart Road, Unit 4, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed Jan. 15.

Silva, Leonildo, et al, Creditor: MTGLQ Investors LP, Stamford.

Property: 47 Victory St., Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed March 4.

Thelen, Matthew, et al, Creditor: Wells Fargo Bank N.A., Fort Mill, South Carolina. Property: 69 Maple Tee Ave., Unit 1, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 7.

Cogswell, Beverly, Norwalk. $2,206, in favor of Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC, Norfolk, Virginia, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 18 Spring Hill Ave., Norwalk. Filed Jan. 22.

Colcone, Frank, Norwalk. $5,074, in favor of Unifund Corp., Norwalk, by Calistro & Airone LLC, Westbrook. Property: 20 Edgewood St., Norwalk.

Filed March 22.

DeCampos, Viviana, Bridgeport. $142, in favor of Hop Energy LLC, East Hartford, by William G. Reveley, Tolland.

Property: 60 Clinton Ave., Bridgeport. Filed Feb. 26.

Forrester, Ridelle M., Norwalk. $4,330, in favor of Bank of America, N.A., Charlotte, North Carolina, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 30 Avenue C, Norwalk. Filed March 18.

Giordano, Deborah, Norwalk. $11,731, in favor of The Connecticut Light and Power Company, Berlin, by AGS Law, Waterbury.

Property: 33 Dairy Farm Road, Norwalk. Filed March 15.

Louis, Rignald J., Norwalk. $747, in favor of Standard Oil of Connecticut Inc., Bridgeport, by Philip H. Monagan, Waterbury.

Property: 2 Bridge St. Norwalk.

Filed March 25.

Rivera, Margarita, Bridgeport. $1,301, in favor of Cavalry SPV 1 LLC, Valhalla, New York,

by Tobin & Marohn, Meriden.

Property: 216 Deforest Ave., No.218, Bridgeport. Filed March 5.

Ruhnke, John L. and Kimberly L. Ruhnke, Norwalk. $1,590, in favor of Standard Oil of Connecticut Inc., Bridgeport, by Philip H. Monagan, Waterbury.

Property: 1 Thistle Road, Norwalk. Filed March 11.

Tiktapanidis, Ioannis, Norwalk. $258,505, in favor of NKW MAX Acquisitions 1 LLC, Miami, Florida, by Neubert, Pepe & Monteith PC, New Haven.

Property: 2 Byrd Road, Norwalk.

Filed Jan. 28.

Tilley, Jimmie, Norwalk. $1,005, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 116 Lexington Ave., Unit 1, Norwalk. Filed Feb. 4.

Wood, Frances M., Norwalk. $12,029, in favor of American Express Centurion Bank, Salt Lake City, Utah, by Zwicker & Associates PC, Enfield. Property: 70 Shorefront Park, Norwalk.

Filed March 22.

LIENS Federal Tax Liens Filed Anthony, John N. and Micaela McCain, 358 Nash Road, North Salem, New York. $35,435, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 21.

Antonik, Paul J. and Dale E. Antonik, 1151 King St., Greenwich. $270, civil proceeding tax.

Filed March 13.

Balzano, Robert A., 2 Homestead Lane, Unit 312, Greenwich. $24,816, civil proceeding tax.

Filed March 14.

Beacon Residential LLC., 12 Pintail Lane, Greenwich. $540, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 21.

Belmont, Richard Jr., 39 Orchard St., Cos Cob. $5,907, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 25 Blackstone, Tiffany, 15 E. Putnam Ave., No.130, Greenwich. $14,141, civil proceeding tax.

Filed March 19.

Blake, Patrick J. and Kristine Blake, 225 Weaver St., 17C, Greenwich. $133,495, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 21.

Feuer, Matthew B., 8Hobart Drive, Greenwich. $96,664, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 25.

G Management Corp., 124 Ritch Ave., Apartment C105, Greenwich. $5,448, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 25.

Gad, Thomas, 67 Mason St., Greenwich. $691,826, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 21.

Greenwich Walkin Medical Center LLC, 1200 E. Putnam Ave., Riverside, $6,418, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 25.

Haesloop, Gordon E. and Sue Ann Haesloop, 52 Charles St., Greenwich. $1,355, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 6.

Jason Antonil Landscaping LLC, 111Mill St., Greenwich. $3,531, civil proceeding tax.

Filed March 25.

JDP North Maple LLC, 185 N. Maple Ave., Greenwich. $10,769, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 8.

Katz, Patrice M., 49 Bible St., Cos Cob. $70,200, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 25.

Keegan, Elizabeth, 229 Stanwich Road, Greenwich. $22,650, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 21.

Knighthead GP-II LLC., 33 Benedict Place, Greenwich. $6,082, civil proceeding tax.

Filed Jan. 28.

Lee, Florence M., 406 Stanwich Road, Greenwich. $7,140, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 21.

Mason, Richard and Joanne Caplin, 348 Valley Road, Cos Cob. $15,101, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 25

Buehler, Lilach, 15 Ronald Lane, Cos Cob. $570, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 4.

Romanello, Daniel and Tina Romanello, 46 Byram Shore Road, Greenwich. $10,529, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 19.

Carpenteri, Frank and Diane T. Carpenteri, 42 Chapel St., Greenwich. $22,487, civil proceeding tax. Filed Jan. 28.

Snyder, Stuart and Doreen A, Snyder, 33 Barton Lane, Cos Cob. $26,118, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 21.

Craw, Terence and Kristen E. Craw, 300 Taconic Road, Greenwich. $72,209, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 21.

Stock, Daniel H., 2 Putnam GRN, Apartment C2, Greenwich. $149,573, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 25.

Ennis, Kathleen A., 30 Orchard St., Cos Cob. $89,938, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 21.

Torsiello, Mario P. and Jennifer G. Fun, 20 Church St., Apartment B53, Greenwich. $39,003, civil proceeding tax.

Filed March 25.

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APRIL 8, 2019

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Facts & Figures Trieagle Energy LP, 41 Greenway Drive, Greenwich. $21,060, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 25.

Ward, Tom S., 8 Old Round Hill Lane, Greenwich. $44,009, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 1.

Weeks, William H., Weeks Family Office, Greenwich. $221,146, civil proceeding tax.

Filed Jan. 22.

LIS PENDENS Armstrong, Gordon L., et al, Stamford. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. Property: 193 Sun Dance Road, Stamford. Action brought, inter alia, to foreclose the defendant’s mortgage Filed March 7.

Ayala, Jr., Miguel, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by The Witherspoon Law Offices, Farmington, for Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. Property: 197 Pixlee Place, Bridgeport. Action brought to foreclose a mortgage on the property of Miguel Ayala Jr. in favor of Webster Bank N.A. Filed Feb. 13.

Brown, Gwendolyn Y., et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Marinosci Law Group, PC, Warwick, Rhode Island, for U.S. Bank Trust National Association.

Property: 98 Valley Ave., Bridgeport. Action brought claiming a foreclosure of a defendant’s mortgage. Filed Feb. 14.

Calcano McDonald, Jeannie, et al, Stamford. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Property: 46 Webb Ave., Stamford. Action brought, inter alia, to foreclose defendant’s mortgage Washington Mutual Bank FA. Filed March 6.

Darula, Jan P., et al, Stamford. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Property: 47 Seventh St., Stamford.

Action brought, inter alia, to foreclose defendants’ mortgage from Wachovia Bank, National Association. Filed March 7.

Martucci, Michelle D., et al, Stamford. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Property: 1557 High Ridge Road, Stamford. Action brought, inter alia, to foreclose a defendant’s mortgage from Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Filed Feb. 25.

Skeeter, Danielle C., et al, Norwalk. Filed by Ackerly & Ward, Stamford, for Ben Franklin Gardens Homeowners Association. Property: Unit 3A, Ben Franklin Gardens, Norwalk.

Action brought to foreclose a lien held by plaintiff, against the defendants. Filed Jan. 8.

Hogan, Kevin J., et al, Stamford. Filed by Leopold & Associates, PLLC, Armonk, New York, for MTGLQ Investors LP. Property: 240 Seaside Ave., Stamford. Action brought to foreclose defendant’s mortgage.

Filed March 5.

Mecca, James, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Bershtein, Volpe & McKeon PC, New Haven, for U.S. Bank N.A. Property: 179-C Louisiana Ave., Unit 360, Bridgeport. Action brought to foreclose certain tax liens recorded against the property by the city of Bridgeport. Filed Feb 12.

Vassiliki, Thomas, Stamford.

Filed by Wofsey, Rosen, Kweskin & Kuriansky LLP, Stamford, for First County Bank. Property: 348 Club Road, Stamford.

Action is brought claiming a foreclosure of a mortgage in favor of First County Bank in the original amount. Filed March 7.

Mitola, John, et al, Bridgeport.

Filed by Marinosci Law Group PC, Warwick, Rhode Island, for Nationstar Mortgage LLC. Property: Unit No.76-A, Vincellette Apartments Condominium, Bridgeport. Action brought claiming a foreclosure of defendants’ mortgage from MetLife Home Loans. Filed Feb. 14.

Ventura, Ann, Stamford. Filed

by Ackerly & Ward, Stamford, for Arbor Green Condominium Association Inc. Property: Unit B-3 Arbor Green Condominium, Stamford. Action brought to foreclose a lien held by plaintiff, against the defendant. Filed Feb. 22.

Richards, Windus, et al, Stamford. Filed by Ackerly & Ward, Stamford, for the Stamford Water Pollution Control Authority. Property: 27 Randall Ave., Stamford. Action brought claiming nonpayments from defendants. Filed March 6.

Villa, Jose R., et al, Bridgeport.

Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Wilmington Trust N.A. Property: 80 Soundview Ave., Bridgeport. Action brought to foreclose defendants’ mortgage from Wells Fargo Financial America Inc. Filed Feb. 19.

J. O’Brien & 8 Sons Inc., Stamford. Filed by Barr & Morgan, Stamford, for OB&B Realty LLC. Property: 130 Lenox Ave., Unit 24, Stamford. Action brought claiming a right to title or interest in the parking area adjacent to the premises. Filed March 7.

Laurie, Harry C., et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Bershtein, Volpe & McKeon, PC, New Haven, for U.S. Bank, N.A. Property: 70 Clarkson St., Bridgeport. Action: is brought to foreclose certain tax liens recorded against the property by the city of Bridgeport. Filed Feb. 12.

Lyons, Jay C., et al, Bridgeport.

Filed by O’Connell, Attmore & Morris LLC, Hartford, for Bayview Loan Servicing LLC, Property: 249 Louisiana Ave., Unit 336, Bridgeport. Action brought claiming a foreclosure of defendants’ mortgage from Century 21 Mortgage. Filed Feb. 14.

M&M Enterprises, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by The Marcus Law Firm, North Branford, for Cazenovia Creek Funding I LLC, Property: 2353 E. Main St., Bridgeport. Action brought to foreclose the tax liens levied by the city of Bridgeport. Filed Feb. 13.

Sanchez, Amelia, et al, Stamford. Filed by Ackerly & Ward, Stamford, for Second Fairlawn Condominium Inc. Property: Unit 22-B-1 Second Fairlawn Condominium, Stamford. Action brought to foreclose a lien held by plaintiff, against the defendants. Filed Feb. 22.

Sheba Construction LLC, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Marinosci Law Group, PC, Warwick, Rhode Island, for American Mortgage Fund I LLC Property: 108-112 Wake St., Bridgeport. Action brought claiming a foreclosure of defendants’ mortgage from LendTerra. Filed Feb. 15.

Wright, Janet, et al, Stamford.

Filed by Benjamin, Gold & Troy PC, Stamford, for 71 Fountain Terrace Condominium Association Inc. Property: 71 Strawberry Hill Ave., Unit 109, Stamford.

Action brought to foreclose on defendants’ property due to unpaid common charges. Filed March 5.

Zieba, Jaraslaw, et al, Stamford. Filed by Lovejoy and Rimer PC, Norwalk, for Milena Rekowska. Property: 24 Dee Lane, Stamford. Action brought, inter alia, to recover property. Filed Feb. 27.

LEASES Vice President, Portfolio Management (with Specialization) – Respnsble for dvlpng strategy for own book of invstmnts to promote & test new invstmnt strategies in futures & currency mrkts as well as equities indices. Reqs: Bach or hghr in Math, Physics, Operatns Rsrch, Economics, Comp Sci, or Engnrg & 18 months exp in job offrd or 18 months exp as Sr. Rsrchr, &/or Rsrchr, or in similr positn(s) in quantitatve rsrch specific to alpha signal dvlpmnt in finance or invstmnt industries. Skills: Bkgd in educ, traing or exp must incld strong C++ programmg skills; excllnt optimizatns knwldge; proficiency in scriptg programmg languages (incldg Python); strong quantitatve & statisticl analysis skills. WorldQuant, LLC, Old Greenwich, CT. Send resumes to Sandra.DiCairano@worldquant.com; ref job title & #219900 in subject line.

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MORTGAGES Becraft, Kevin C. and Danielle Becraft, Norwalk, by Robert E. Colapietro. Lender: Bank of America, N.A. 100 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, North Carolina.

Property: 39 Witch Lane, Norwalk. Amount: $68,000. Filed Jan. 31.

Beltran, Pedro and Rosa M. Beltran, Norwalk, by Nicholas Gallicchio. Lender: American Financial Network Inc., 10 Pointe Drive, Suite 330, Brea, California. Property: 6 Pettom Road, Norwalk. Amount: $320,000.

Filed Feb. 1.

Chavez, Luis S., Norwalk, by Marc J. Grenier. Lender: Fairfield County Bank, 150 Danbury Road, Ridgefield. Property: 63 Old Rock Lane, Norwalk.

Amount: $759,200. Filed Feb. 1.

Cimo, Nicole, Norwalk, by Gregory LaDestro. Lender: Cross Country Mortgage Inc., 6850 Miller Road, Brecksville, Ohio. Property: 278 Sunrise Hill Lane, Norwalk. Amount: $253,600. Filed Feb. 1.

Craig, Wayne R. and Barbara E. Schneider, Norwalk, by Gary R. Khachian. Lender: People’s United Bank N.A., 850 Main St., Bridgeport. Property: 9 Rampart Road, Norwalk. Amount: $200,000. Filed Jan. 31.

D’Antonio, John and Toni D’Antonio, Norwalk, by David MacKensie. Lender: Caliber Home Loans Inc., 1525 S. Belt Line Road, Coppell, Texas.

Property: 40 Lakeview Drive, Norwalk. Amount: $348,570.

Filed Jan. 31.

Garavel, Paul and Patricia Garvel, Norwalk, by Kenneth J. Carifa. Lender: Fairfield County Bank, 150 Danbury Road, Ridgefield. Property: 8 Heron Road, Norwalk. Amount: $840,000.

Filed Feb. 1.

Everson, Patricia H. and Peter A. Everson, by Virginia R. Clyne. Landlord: Ground Leased Premises, Norwalk. Property: 94 West Ave., Norwalk. Term: 3 years, commenced Feb. 25, 2019.

Filed March 22.

Grega, Andrew M. and Lindsay Grega, Norwalk, by David W. Stergas. Lender: Wells Fargo Bank N.A., 101 N. Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Property: 16 Naromake Ave., Norwalk. Amount” $310,650. Filed Feb. 1.

Serrano, Raul and Awilda Serrano, by Felix R. Serrano.

Landlord: Serrano Children Trust Agreement, Norwalk.

Property: 15 Leuvine St., Norwalk. Term: 13 years, commenced Feb. 25, 2019. Filed March 22.

Guarente, Michael Vincent, Norwalk, by John R. Fiore. Lender: Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp., 4201 Marsh Lane, Carrollton, Texas. Property: 16 Olive Lane, Norwalk. Amount: $407,000. Filed Feb. 1.

Gutierrez, Jr., Efrain, Norwalk, by Mary Wilow. Lender: People’s United Bank N.A., 850 Main St., Bridgeport. Property: 25 Ryan Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $305,550. Filed Jan. 31.

McClain, Matthew and Lauren R. McClain, Norwalk, by Philip J. Todhey. Lender: Federal Credit Union, 300 Apollo Drive, Chelmsford, Massachusetts Property: 24 Woodbine St., Norwalk. Amount: $816,000. Filed Feb. 1.

NEW BUSINESSES Almeida Pools, 106 Trowel St., Bridgeport 06607, c/o Emanuel Almeida. Filed Jan. 17.

Area 809 Barber Shop, 2020 E. Main St., Bridgeport 06608, c/o Romeo Santos. Filed Feb. 27.

Assembleia de Deus Ministerio Sem Fronteiras, 447 Gregory St., Bridgeport 06606, c/o Fernando Da Costa. Filed Jan. 31.

Black Rock Food Pantry, 15 Princeton St., Bridgeport 06605, c/o Bernard H. Lee. Filed Feb. 21.

DBA Patrice & Associates, 165 Pearsal Place, Bridgeport 06605, c/o Alan Puklin. Filed Feb. 7.

Dr. Bathtub Refinisher, 838 Penbroke St., Bridgeport 06608, c/o Melvin Rodriguez. Filed Feb. 26.

F&F Market LLC, 616 William St., Bridgeport 06602, c/o Nino de Jesus Espinal. Filed Feb. 25.

Flaraz Jamaican Restaurant, 794 Boston Ave., Bridgeport 06610, c/o David Mason. Filed Feb. 20.

Green Sphere Environmental Systems Engineering, 103 Sampson St., Bridgeport 06606, c/o Thomas Boston. Filed Feb. 22.

Hamilton Janitorial Services, 190 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport 06604, c/o Leie Hamilton.

Filed Feb. 26.

Isla Restaurant, 420 E. Main St., Bridgeport 06608, c/o Nestor Morales. Filed Feb. 25.

Joseph and Sam Construction, 90 Clearview Drive, Bridgeport 06606, c/o Omroy Smith. Filed Feb. 22.

LRC Insurance Agency, 1096 State St., Bridgeport 06605, c/o Lorena Crackett. Filed Feb. 7.

Facts & Figures Luigi’s, 391 Lincoln Ave., Bridgeport 06606, c/o John C. Lynch.

Filed Feb. 22.

M.R.C. Grocery and Deli. 965 State St., Bridgeport 06605, c/o Razwan Hussin. Filed Feb. 8.

Melissa-An LLC., 303 Garfield Ave., Bridgeport 06606, c/o Antoinette Riley. Filed Feb. 22.

Mia’s Big Bite/Catering, 111 Bancroft Ave., Bridgeport 06604, c/o Mialani Morales.

Filed Feb. 11.

National Pool Association (NPA), 24 Worth St., Bridgeport 06604, c/o Raymond Ortiz.

Filed Feb. 14.

New England Bookkeeping & Tax Services, 25 Yale St., First floor, Bridgeport 06605, c/o Marisol Moreno. Filed Feb. 15.

Revelino Pereira, 191 Truman St., Bridgeport 06606, c/o Revelino N. Pereira. Filed Feb. 21.

T.K. Supermarket, 965 State St., Bridgeport 06605, c/o Tazin Ahmed Khon. Filed Feb. 8.

Tequila, Inc., 211 State St., Bridgeport 06604, c/o Samantha Mauro. Filed Feb. 14.

Truuconfort’s, 43 Washington Terrace, Bridgeport 06604, c/o Maishiyah Braun. Filed Feb. 22.

Wheel Move You! 525 E. Main St., Bridgeport 06608, c/o Eric Boykin. Filed Feb. 21.

PATENTS Argon condensation system and method. Patent no. 10,247,471 issued to James R. Handley, East Amherst, New York; Brian S. Powell, Williamsville, New York; Henry E. Howard, Grand Island, New York; Vijayaraghavan S. Chakravarthy, Williamsville, New York; Maulik R. Shelat, Williamsville, New York; Steven R. Falta, Honeoye Falls, New York. Assigned to Praxair Technology Inc., Danbury.

Brushing retention of threaded fastener. Patent no. 10,247,218 issued to Adrial Kirchen, Stamford; Richard T. Bourque, Oxford; Kristin Elizabeth Mailhot, New Haven.

Assigned to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford.

Cable installation aid for multistrand electrical conductors.

Patent no. 10,250,005 issued to Armand Thomas Montminy, Hooksett, New Hampshire. Assigned to Hubbell Inc., Shelton.

Clip-on bonding washer. Patent no. D844,425 issued to Thomas Edmund Olenick, Manchester, New Hampshire. Assigned to Hubbell Inc., Shelton.

Composite over wrap. Patent no. 10,247,273 issued to Jonathan Bremmer, Kennesaw, Georgia; Jeffrey G. Sauer, Woodbury; Robert A. Lacko, Oxford; Shihong G. Song, Cheshire; John H. Meeson Jr., Trumbull. Assigned to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford.

Discovery playlist creation. Patent no. 10,250,650 issued to Richard Allen Kreifeldt, South Jordan, Utah; Michelle L. Avary, Menlo Park, California. Assigned to Harman International Industries Inc., Stamford.

Display screen with icon. Patent no. D844,663 issued to Naomi M. Ryono, Manhattan Beach, California. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk.

Distributed processing in a network. Patent no. 10,248,615 issued to Lejin K. Joy, Bangalore, India. Assigned to Harman International Industries Inc., Stamford.

Distributed smart card reader for multifunction printer.

Patent no. 10,250,778 issued to Saravanan Sikkannan Govinda Rajan, Chennai, India; Pranesh Morris Georgian, Chennai, India; Lavanyaa Seshadri Renganathan, Chennai, India. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk.

Graphene-containing toners and related methods. Patent no.

10,248,038 issued to Yu Qi, Penfield, New York; Shigeng Li, Penfield, New York; Chieh-Min Cheng, Rochester, New York; Richard P.N. Veregin, Mississauga, Canada; Edward G. Zwartz, Mississauga, Canada. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk.

Light fixture assembly with pivoting reflector assembly and lens assembly. Patent no. 10,247,389 issued to Alan D. Seward, Simpsonville, South Carolina; Martin C. Werr, Easley, South Carolina; David J. Rector, Mauldin, South Carolina; Randy K. Lewis, Greenville, South Carolina, Raymond A. Brown, Greer, South Carolina. Assigned to Hubbell Inc., Shelton.

Method and system for print device problem capture. Patent no. 10,248,364 issued to Edward N. Chapman, Rochester, New York; Paul Roberts Conlon, South Bristol, New York; Timothy L. Dioguardi, Webster, New York; Lee Coy Moore, Penfield, New York; Stephen Santini, Honeoye Falls, New York. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk.

Methods and apparatus for integrating search results of a local search engine with search results of a global generic search engine. Patent no. 10,248,725 issued to Michael Gelfand, Rehovot, Israel; Zeevi Michel, Tel Aviv, Israel; Nir Polonsky, Ridgefield. Assigned to Gartner Inc., Stamford.

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Print media size/color detection using scanner. Patent no.

10,250,768 issued to Paul Roberts Conlon, South Bristol, New York; Edward N. Chapman, Rochester, New York. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk.

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System and method for indicating operational characteristics of a lighting system. Patent no.

10,251,235 issued to Christopher Lane Bailey, Greenville, South Carolina. Assigned to Hubbell Inc., Shelton.

Transfer assist members. Patent no. 10,248,053 issued to Jin Wu, Pittsford, New York; Lin Ma, Pittsford, New York. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk.

Wall-mounted light fixture having struts. Patent no. D844,883 issued to Robert Nankil, Buena Park, California. Assigned to Hubbell Inc., Shelton.

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TECHNOLOGY IT Application Engineer, Enterprise Integration Services, Synchrony Bank, Stamford, CT. Sprvse the dvlpmnt & implmentation of new web solns to integrate w/ 3rd party apps.

Req. Bach. deg., or frgn equiv., in Comp. Sci., Engg., or rel., + 5 yrs of post-bach prog rel work exp in IT Industry. Please apply to: HR Mana, Synchrony Bank, 777 Long Ridge Road, Stamford, CT 06902 (ref.: CTITAE).

TECHNOLOGY VP, Storage, Data Protection Architecture & Delivery Service, Synchrony Bank, Stamford, CT. Dsgn & dvlp storage & data protctn sftwr & hrdwre. Req. Bach. deg., or frgn equiv., in Comp. Sci., Telecomm. Mgmt., Engg. or rel., + 5 yrs of post-bach prog rel work exp in IT field. OR Mast. deg., or frgn equiv., Comp.

Sci., Telecomm. Mgmt., Engg. or rel., + 3 yrs rel work exp in IT field. Telecommuting available & accepted. Please apply to: HR Manager, Synchrony Bank, 777 Long Ridge Road, Stamford, CT 06902 (ref.: CTSDPA).

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