Fairfield County Business Journal 052019

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MAY 20, 2019 VOL. 55, No. 20

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The No Tolls CT group delivering stacks of petitions with over 100,000 signatures to the Lamont administration on May 9.

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CRAFT BEER

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LEADERSHIP CHANGE

Toll troubles in Connecticut BIG MONEY VS. GRASSROOTS EFFORTS PART OF FIERCE DEBATE

BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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he fight over bringing tolls back to C on ne c t ic ut ’s highways is not limited to state Democrats and Republicans — it’s also pitting a deep-pocketed, protolls coalition called Move CT Forward against a grassroots group with the straightforward moniker No Tolls CT. “Tolls are just another

tax burden for residents,” No Tolls founder Patrick Sasser told the Business Journal. “The taxpayers of Connecticut have been very outspoken about this and made their feelings very clear in different polls.” One such poll, conducted by Sacred Heart University’s Institute for Public Policy, found 54.5 of respondents saying they’d alter their driving habits by avoiding toll roads should e-tolling be implemented on major highways in the state. But when

asked whether they’d be more likely to support tolls if it were guaranteed that the money “would only be spent on roads, bridges and highways,” 51 percent said they would either continue to support tolls or be more likely to do so. Sasser also noted that Connecticut already has the second-highest tax burden of any state. The Stamford firefighter, who also runs an excavating business, said residents have grown tired of hearing how “our bridges are about to collapse, but the money (from the state’s Special Transportation Fund) never seems to go there. So is there a crisis or is there not?” On May 9, Sasser presented Gov. Ned Lamont’s » TOLLS

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TONG APPEARS ON ‘60 MINUTES’ AS HE LEADS LAWSUIT AGAINST GENERIC DRUGMAKERS BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

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onnecticut Attorney General William Tong is taking the leadership role in a 43-state coalition against 20 generic drug manufacturers and 15 pharmaceutical industry executives, charging them with a broad conspiracy to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, thereby reducing competition and restraining trade on more than 100 generic drugs. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, argues that companies, including Teva, Sandoz, Mylan and Pfizer coordinated an industrywide campaign to fix prices, allocate markets and

rig bids for generic drugs for diseases and conditions ranging from basic infections to diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, HIV, ADHD and more. The attorneys general are charging that some of these coordinated price increases resulted in spikes of more than 1,000 percent. Tong argued the case before a national television audience during the May 12 broadcast of CBS’ “60 Minutes.” “It’s what we believe to be the biggest corporate cartel in history and probably the biggest antitrust price-fixing case in this country, certainly right now and maybe in our nation’s history,” Tong said May 13 on “CBS This Morning.” » DRUGMAKERS

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Frank Borres mixes marketing and documentaries MAIN OFFICE TELEPHONE 914-694-3600 OFFICE FAX 914-694-3699 EDITORIAL EMAIL bobr@westfairinc.com WRITE TO 701 Westchester Avenue, Suite 100 J White Plains, N.Y. 10604

BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com

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hen visiting the office of Frank Borres’ American View Productions in Bridgeport, it is difficult not to be impressed upon arrival. For starters, Borres runs his company from his home, which was built in 1888 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Once inside, Borres’ interior is tastefully decorated with remarkable antiques, and his mantlepiece is decorated with a lineup of shiny Emmy Awards and Telly Awards. Borres’ career spans different aspects of the media world — he began as a radio reporter going on camera as a television reporter for News 12. During this period, he began a video production company focused on weddings and special events. In 1988, he decided to leave journalism and take on the role of public relations for a local bank. “My timing was bad because that’s when all of the banks folded at the same time,” he lamented. But in a classic lemons-into-lemonade moment, Borres opted to tap his media background to preserve the moment. “I did a documentary recording the closing of the bank,” he continued. “I had the marshal coming in and handing the president his papers, and the FDIC coming in to the bank doors closing. It was an inside view of a bank closing. I caught the bug about producing.” Borres set up his American View Productions, dividing his professional attention between video production and public relations/ marketing. “The majority of our time is spent in marketing, while the minority of our time — maybe one-quarter — is spent in TV and video production. That was what we were first known for.” On the marketing side, Borres credited his journalism background in initially making his agency stand out from the competition. “That knowledge equipped me to understand the other side and to properly consult my clients,” he said. “But things have changed a lot. Now, the world is totally different and you cannot count on PR alone to satisfy the needs of your client to get their brand out there. Traditional media and self-produced media via Facebook, social media, your website or podcast — they’re all connected.” One area where American View

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Publisher Dee DelBello Managing Editor/Print Glenn Kalinoski Managing Editor/Digital Bob Rozycki Associate Publisher Anne Jordan Group Associate Publisher Dan Viteri NEWS Copy and Video Editor • Peter Katz Bureau Chief • Kevin Zimmerman Senior Reporter • Bill Heltzel, Reporters • Ryan Deffenbaugh, Phil Hall, Georgette Gouveia, Mary Shustack Research Coordinator • Luis Flores ART & PRODUCTION Creative Director Dan Viteri Art Director Sebastián Flores Art Director Kelsie Mania Digital Content Director Meghan McSharry ADVERTISING SALES Manager • Anne Jordan Director, Multimedia Marketing and Sales Neale V. Muccio Metro Sales & Custom Publishing Director Barbara Hanlon Account Managers Lisa Cash, Patrice Sullivan Events Sales & Development • Marcia Pflug Events Manager • Tracey Vitale

Frank Borres at his office in Bridgeport. Photo by Phil Hall.

Productions is increasingly focused involves corporate videos. Borres observed changes in how news and information are being consumed, particularly on digital platforms. “People don’t want to read on the website or social media post, so you are better off sending 10to 30-second videos,” he said. “On your website, it is good to have a two-minute intro video on your company. At an event, you may want to show a five-minute video on what you do.” Borres acknowledged that the rise of social media has encouraged many people to use the digital platform for self-marketing. While he did not think there was a right and wrong way to use social media for this pursuit, he advised businesses to emphasize the target

audience rather than the vehicle for reaching them. “I think there is a degree of usage,” he said. “You have people my age who might use it less and focus on the newspaper and then you have more of a middle-aged person who might do both, use the newspaper and social media, and then you have a younger person who doesn’t use the traditional forms at all. I think everyone has a customized use of social media. It is so varied and so full and holistic how messages are out there, you can kind of determine which channels you use for your information.” Nonetheless, Borres is making sure his agency doesn’t fall behind the high-tech curve. “I’m very fortunate to have young people working with me, and that has been done

somewhat intentionally,” he added. “I hire people who understand the technology that is coming — and everyone here is younger than I am. I have people working on all aspects of that technology.” Borres has been turning out a series of half-hour documentaries for broadcast on public television that spotlight Connecticut history and culture. His latest, “A Story in Stone,” follows a small cadre of artists, including Bridgeportbased Jim Reed who continue to create stone lithography using the techniques and procedures of the 1700s. Borres is now working on a follow-up to an earlier documentary on Puerto Rican migrations to Connecticut, focusing on the post-Hurricane Maria environment and the island’s future.

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & CIRCULATION Circulation Manager • Sylvia Sikoutris Telemarketing Director • Marcia Rudy ADMINISTRATION Contracted CFO Services Adornetto & Company L.L.C. Human Resources & Payroll Services APS PAYROLL Administrative Manager • Robin Costello Fairfield County Business Journal (USPS# 5830) is published Weekly, 52 times a year by Westfair Communications, Inc., 701 Westchester Avenue, Suite 100J, White Plains, NY 10604. Periodicals Postage rates paid at White Plains, NY, USA 10604. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Fairfield County Business Journal: c\o Westfair Communications, Inc., 701 Westchester Avenue, Suite 100J , White Plains, NY 10604. Annual subscription $60; $2.50 per issue More than 40 percent of the Business Journal is printed on recycled newsprint. © 2019 Westfair Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

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SUiTE TALK

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Phil Pappas: Trump’s tariffs impacting brewers

he Connecticut Brewers Guild was founded in 2012 as the trade association for the state’s craft brewing industry. In this edition of Suite Talk, reporter Phil Hall speaks with Phil Pappas, the organization’s executive director, regarding the issues and trends that impact this industry. What is the state of Connecticut’s brewery scene? “The state of the industry is going extremely well. There are a lot of breweries that were up and coming within the last five years, when they allowed on-premise sales. We had a dozen breweries at the time, now we are at 85 going on 90, and we have about 20 to 30 in the planning process.” What is the appeal of these breweries? “What really started the whole scene was what happened in the restaurant industry, where a lot of people wanted to know where their ingredients were coming from, and that rolled over into the beer industry. People want to know where the product is being

made. That is the whole experience of the brewery. You see the tank. You see where the liquid is being produced. You see the stacks of grain. You see the head brewers in the back cleaning up. There is a phenomenal taproom experience where you get to talk to the bartenders about the different types of products they have. The customer relationship they have is superior.” What about quality control? Are the beers made at the breweries better than the mass-produced products that you would buy at a package store or a supermarket? “Yes, it is a lot fresher because it is made a few feet away. A lot of breweries have set up their own quality-control program, inviting different universities to come in and test the products to see the freshness and cleanliness of them.” What about the revenue generated by these breweries? “Craft beer itself has a $750 million impact on the state of

lished the Connecticut Beer Trail Passport program in August and now it is a yearlong program for 2019. We brought in about 12 percent from out of state last year. I had visitors from Texas and Florida — people who are here on business and want to check out the scene.”

Phil Pappas, executive director of the CT Brewers Guild. Photo by Phil Hall.

Connecticut. We’ve been able to create 5,000 jobs, and now we are working with Sacred Heart University and the University of New Haven to put together brewing programs as part of their hospitality management classes.” Who are the patrons of the breweries? Is it strictly local residents or are people coming in from other states? “We are absolutely bringing in out-of-state people. The Connecticut Brewers Guild estab-

How does Connecticut’s brewery scene compare with its neighboring states? “We’re middle of the road. We ranked about 26th, 27th or 28th across a couple of areas such as number of breweries, economic impact, number of jobs, breweries per capita. When you look at a state like Vermont, it has the most breweries per capita. States like Maine, Colorado and California is where the craft brewing industry is 20 or 30 years deep, whereas here in Connecticut you only have a few that are 20-plus. Here in the state now, everyone is producing under 100,000 barrels. We’re still on the small side.” There was a recent attempt in the state legislature to restrict sales of craft beer. What was the

story behind that? “From what I was told, a few package stores were not selling six-packs the way they used to. I think we have a huge opportunity to educate all of our legislators, both at a state level and within our cities, about what is a brewery and how we can bring this local ingredient to local package stores.” Have the Trump administration’s tariff policies impacted the manufacturing aspect of Connecticut breweries? “You can see that across a number of different areas, including the fermenters and the tanks that we manufacture the products with — those are hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment, so when you think about the tariffs increasing costs by just a couple of percentage points, that will massively impact the manufacturing. Even with the cans, we see prices increase as well due to tariffs imposed there. We are working very closely with Congress to make the Craft Beer Modernization and Tax Reform Act permanent, or at least to extend it to continue the conversation.”

Ridgefield’s Nod Hill becomes state’s only 100% solar-powered craft brewery BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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here are sunny days ahead at Ridgefield’s Nod Hill Brewery. Not just because its out-of-the-box success will see it nearly double its output this year, but also because it is now 100% powered by solar energy — the first craft brewer in the state to do so. “When we were still in the planning stages, one of our missions was to have the brewery be as energy-efficient and sustainable as possible,” said Rob Kaye, who with his son David opened Nod Hill at 137 Ethan Allen Highway in 2017. “We knew solar was an option for us to accomplish that goal.” Over the winter, the brewery worked with Newtown’s Smart Roofs Solar to install a 287 kw photovoltaic solar array on the roof of its building, offsetting 100% of its electrical usage. The solar panels

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also power the other businesses housed in the structure — including the elder Kaye’s long-established Riverside Fence — and push a minimum of 5,618 kwh per year back into the power grid. “When we were getting quotes for doing this, we didn’t realize how much impact solar could actually have — not just for the brewery but also for the environment,” Kaye said. “It still blows my mind.” Solar panel systems typically last about 30 years before needing replacement. Kaye said he was told by Smart Roofs that the carbon dioxide emissions reduction over that period can be equivalent to planting more than 200,000 trees. Concurrently, the reduction of gas usage over that time should be around 900,000 gallons of gas, equal to what a car would use to drive 17 million miles. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has estimated that if 100 gigawatts of solar power are

Newtown’s Smart Roofs Solar installed a 287kw photovoltaic solar array on the roof of Nod Hill Brewery’s building at 137 Ethan Allen Highway in Ridgefield.

installed in the U.S., over 100 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be saved by 2030. There are roughly 80 gigawatts of solar power currently installed in the nation. “We’re still a small microcosm,” Kaye said, “but if this turns into more and more people switching over to solar, it becomes very good for the environment — which is pretty cool.” Nod Hill has changed all of its

lighting to more energy-efficient LEDs. Nod Hill went with Smart Roofs because “they kind of held my hand through the whole process of understanding solar,” the brewer said. That the brewery will receive tax credits and other incentives helped seal the deal. Installation of the solar panels took about 10 months — longer than anticipated, since the building’s roof needed replacing, Kaye said —

and was financed by Greenworks Lending of Darien, whose C-PACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) funding program was also attractive. Also, Nod Hill expects to double the 1,000 barrels of beer it produced in 2018, and recently hired two salespeople as it focuses on “more intensive distribution,” he said. Expanding its taproom’s 2,400 square feet to offer a separate, 500-square-foot event room is also a possibility this year, Kaye added. As for being the state’s only all-solar craft brewery, Nod Hill may only be able to make that claim for so long. Ryan Broderick, co-owner of Reverie Brewing Co. at 57B Church Hill Road in Newtown, said he also had conversations with Smart Roofs Solar, though any such work would be dependent on Reverie taking ownership of, rather than continuing to rent, its space — something he said could take place as early as next year.


AsK Andi Maintaining control as the company grows

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Controlling things as you grow the company is a challenge for most small-business owners. Build systems, procedures and checklists so you can teach everyone how you want things done. Insist on reports and auditing as control tools. Building up checks and balances and cross-company incentives helps to get everyone on the same page, watching out for how things are going. Pay attention when you hear comments. One of the reasons that so many companies remain small is that business owners tend to be hands-on and

that limits the size to which their companies can grow. Bigger companies have more to do, more employees to manage, more customers to see. And that means that as an owner you’ll have to delegate more. Consistency makes money in any company. Help to ensure things get done the way you want by writing it down — procedures. Ask the next person in line to improve those procedures. Use checklists to learn more about when and why things go right and go wrong. As the company grows, one overhead investment

you’ll want to make is in people who make sure things go right. In the early stages of the business, it’s the owner. Later on the owner has other important roles to fill such as developing and managing the company’s long-term growth strategies. Managers, team leaders or people in a separate reporting line need to check and report. I know of many business owners who overlooked this crucial checking function. Then they find out there were errors with reporting, managers were fudging numbers, money was going out the door for the wrong things, and in some cases, outright theft was rampant. Why wouldn’t an owner put in place people to proof what’s going on? Because it costs money and owners are eternal optimists thinking bad things will never hap-

pen to them. Bad stuff can and does happen, all the time. Prevention through auditing can be hard to justify, because if it’s done right, the problems never show up. Savvy business owners know this, treat error checking and reporting as costs of doing business and build that into their overall profit structure in order to ensure the company stays safe as it grows. Get everyone on the same team with bonus programs. Reward everyone based on the company’s overall profitability. Get all employees involved in keeping a close eye on everything, fixing problems and looking for ways to implement best practices. Teach employees that bonuses ultimately depend on monitoring and improving what’s going on. Give

JUNE 10, 2019

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THE STANWI C H C LUB

Co-Chairs: Michael Clain, MD, Adam Ercoli, Rich Granoff and Vicki Leeds Tananbaum Golf Captains Chair: Jeff Mendell Auction Chair: Amy Sethi

everyone around you to pay attention to details and report in with both good and bad examples so everyone can work to improve how things are done.

employees reports to use and education on what to do with those reports. Emphasize the importance of cutting waste, dealing with unprofitable accounts, boosting growth with profitable customers and handling tough employee situations legally and fairly. Stay in touch by walking around and talking with people. When you get feedback, pay attention. Celebrate the good stuff. Carefully investigate complaints, even if they’re about someone you consider part of your insider team. Deal with problems promptly. Don’t avoid them. There’s a saying: respect what you inspect. If something is important enough to do well, make sure you can confirm that it’s done well. This is no time to hope, only to be disappointed later. Ask

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BOOK RECOMMENDATION: “The Connected Manager, Leadership 101,” by John Nesgoda III. Andi Gray is the 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.

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The good news is, our company is growing. This is what we always wanted. But it’s scary for us, as owners, too. We worry a lot about losing control. How do we keep in touch and know things are being done properly if we’re not directly involved?

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Tolls—

office with a stack of petitions containing over 100,000 signatures from people around the state who are against tolls. Sasser said he spoke “for a few minutes” with Lamont’s Chief of Staff Ryan Drajewicz — as he did in January — but received no indication as to what, if any, impact the petitions would have. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Construction Industries Association (CCIA), the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, the Connecticut Laborers’ District Council and the Connecticut Ready-Mixed Concrete Association are among the members of Move CT Forward, a coalition formed in late 2017 to address the state of Connecticut’s Special Transportation Fund, how it is facing bankruptcy, and, more recently, how electronic tolling is a viable solution. The group’s belief in the latter is so strong that it is spending $900,000 on a pro-tolls television, radio and digital ad campaign. CCIA President Don Shubert said the coalition believes that tolling “is the best approach to get a dependable funding stream for the Special Transportation Fund” — a point of view shared by Department of Transportation

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Commissioner Joe Giulietti, who has said the lack of such funding to maintain the state’s infrastructure “leads to major capital costs and the need to entirely revamp systems, which is not strategically smart as a financial best practice.” According to the coalition, 57% of Connecticut roads are in poor condition and a third of its bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. “Tolling means a steady stream of funding for repairs that keep us safe,” according to its website. Shubert also questioned what

the anti-tolls crowd would suggest as an alternative means of addressing the problem. “Everyone agrees that our roads are a problem,” he said. As for those complaining that tolls are “just another tax,” Shubert said: “You’re going to pay one way or another,” either through tolls or with continued crumbling of roadways, bridges and the like. Should the tolls bill as written pass, gantries — no more than 50 in total — would be placed roughly every six to seven miles on I-84, I-95, I-91 and Route 15 (The Merritt Parkway). Drivers who use

buy more time until the point at which we can revisit this conversation in another two years, all while our roads and rail continue to decline and economy limps along. I won’t kick the can down the road any longer.” While Republicans are nearly unanimous in their opposition to tolls, there is also less than 100% support among Lamont’s fellow Democrats, several of whom have complained that the tolls plan does not detail how the resultant revenue would be spent. Senators Alex Bergstein (D-Greenwich) and Will Haskell (D-Westport) support tolls but said they were perturbed by the administration’s inability to establish a coherent and long-term spending plan. Senate Republican President Pro Tempore and longtime tolls opponent Len Fasano (R-North Haven) released a statement expressing his disappointment that Lamont “remains unwilling to consider alternatives to fund transportation over the long term that do not involve tolls and new taxes. It is a plan that is based on hypothetical sketch numbers, that has never been shared with the federal government and that takes the full General Assembly out of the decision-making when it comes to how tolls will actually impact our residents and local communities.”

ic conditions and diseases from diabetes and cancer to depression and arthritis. “We all wonder why our health care, and specifically the prices for generic prescription drugs, are so expensive in this country. This is a big reason why. This investigation is still in its early stages. We will not stop until these companies and the individuals who orchestrated these

schemes are held accountable.” New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is part of the coalition of attorneys general, also commented on the depth of the lawsuit. “The evidence shows a multiyear, multi-faceted conspiracy to enrich pharmaceutical companies at the expense of consumers,” she said. “The scope of the conspiracy is breathtaking, affecting generic drugs that people rely on every day to treat acute and chronic conditions. The blatant anticompetitive conduct alleged in the complaint harmed consumers’ health and well-being in multiple ways and we intend to hold the wrongdoers accountable.” CBS News reported that it contacted the Association for Accessible Medicines, a trade group representing generic prescription drug companies. They deny engaging in any illegal collusion. In a statement, the association said it is “committed to supporting policies that promote competition.” It also said prices have declined overall in the last three years.

DrugMakers—

“We’re blowing the lid off this whole thing because … this is an attack on the American people. It’s a massive fraud that focuses on the drugs that we take every day,” he added, according to cbsnews.com. “As I said on ‘60 Minutes,’ we want to claw back the money that they stole from the American people.” The complaint also accuses industry executives of planning these actions with each other during industry dinners, “girls’ nights out” events and golf outings, with frequent communications conducted through telephone calls, emails and text messages. Defendants used terms like “fair share,” “playing nice in the sandbox” and “responsible competitor” to describe how they unlawfully discouraged competition, raised prices and enforced an ingrained culture of collusion, the attorneys general added. The lawsuit seeks damages, civil penalties and actions by the court to restore competition to the generic drug market. “We have hard evidence that

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Members of the Move CT Forward coalition visited Hartford in April.

a Connecticut EZ-Pass and a frequent-user discount could expect to pay roughly 25 to 30 cents per gantry, or 4.4 cents per mile. Lamont has said that toll revenue, 40% of which would be paid by out-of-state drivers, could total $800 million to $1 billion annually. Nevertheless, the road ahead for tolls remains uncertain — so much so that on May 9 the governor issued a letter to the General Assembly offering a compromise solution to the apparent stalemate. The letter did not specify how much borrowing Lamont would entertain, but presumably it would be significantly less than what Republicans have proposed under their “Prioritize Progress” plan. That proposal bypasses tolls entirely, calling instead for $684.6 million to $863 million of annual bonding over the next nine years for transportation projects, along with the continuation of Special Tax Obligation bonds for the regular Department of Transportation capital program, and a hard cap of $2 billion on annual general obligation bonds. The governor said he was not interested in “a compromise in which the numbers don’t add up, the excessive borrowing crowds out other needed and necessary investments elsewhere and the approach is simply a Band-Aid to

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We’re blowing the lid off this whole thing because … this is an attack on the American people. It’s a massive fraud that focuses on the drugs that we take every day.

William Tong

shows the generic drug industry perpetrated a multibillion-dollar fraud on the American people,” said Tong. “We have emails, text messages, telephone records and former company insiders that we believe will prove a multiyear conspiracy to fix prices and divide market share for huge numbers of generic drugs. These are drugs that people in this country rely on every day for acute and chron-


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In BRiEF NKF coordinates four office leases in Greenwich, Stamford

day,” said Rob Baril, president of SEIU 1199 New England. “Some of our members are making as little as $10.93 per hour, or just 83 cents above the bare minimum wage. This is totally unacceptable in a wealthy state like Connecticut.” Five more nursing homes with 600-plus workers may be joining the strike once their voting process has concluded. — Kevin Zimmerman

MINIMUM-WAGE HIKE TO $15 PASSES HOUSE

600 Summer St. in Stamford.

Commercial real estate advisory firm Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) has completed four leases at two office properties in Greenwich and Stamford. NKF represented landlord Putnam Properties in the leasing of its 35,000-square-foot building at 115 E. Putnam Ave. in Greenwich to new tenants SunEnergy1 and CSP Partners. SunEnergy1, based in Mooresville, North Carolina, is a solar power provider and leased a 5,120-square-foot space, and start-up business services provider CSP, together with three associates, leased 5,000 square feet of office space. With these lease transactions, the building is fully occupied. NKF represented owner New England Investment Partners in leasing deals at the 101,320-square-foot 600 Summer St. property in Stamford. Financial services firm ASL Capital Market expanded and extended its lease from a 3,000-square-foot space

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into a larger space totaling 5,104 square feet, while national job recruitment company JobTarget LLC added 3,350 square feet to its current space for a new total of 9,818 square feet. — Phil Hall

NURSING HOME STRIKE DEADLINE SET FOR JUNE 3

Over 2,500 nursing home caregivers at 20 nursing homes have set a new strike deadline — June 3 — as a show of frustration that the Connecticut Legislature

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has not amended the proposed budget to include additional funding to support wage increases. Represented by SEIU 1199 New England, the workers had voted in favor of a strike starting on May 1, though that was postponed after Gov. Ned Lamont’s office said it was open to continued negotiations. The National Labor Relations Act requires labor unions to give health care employers a minimum notice of 10 days before going on strike. Workers at the 20 facilities — including Autumn Lake Healthcare in Norwalk — did not receive an increase in their salaries in 2016 and 2017. They received a 2% raise in 2018 amounting to roughly 30 cents for most workers who would not receive raises in 2019 and 2020 if the current state budget proposal is approved. “This is a last resort for workers who care dearly about the residents and patients they serve every

The state House of Representatives has passed a bill to incrementally raise Connecticut’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. Under HB 5004 — which goes to the Senate — the hourly minimum wage would increase from $10.10 to $11 on Oct. 1, $12 by Jan. 1, 2020, $13 on Aug. 1, 2021, $14 on July 1, 2022, and $15 on June 1, 2023. Further wage increases would be indexed to the federal employment cost index. The bill does not increase the minimum hourly wage for bartenders and restaurant servers. Instead, bartenders would be paid the current $8.23 an hour, with servers and other restaurant workers earning the same $6.38 an hour, with the understanding that their wages are supplemented by tips. Employers would be required to contribute money to make up any shortfall in the hourly rate. Some 332,000 state workers will receive the pay raises. Workers aged 16 and 17 would receive 85 percent of the minimum wage for 90 days, after which they would receive the full $15 an hour, beginning in the summer of 2023. The debate fell mostly along party lines, with Democrats voting in favor of the bill and Republicans against it. The latter have maintained that such a wage hike would be par-

Ned Lamont

ticularly harmful to smallbusiness owners, and could dissuade them from expanding their existing business or even from starting a company here. Gov. Ned Lamont said he will “proudly sign this into law” upon Senate approval. — Kevin Zimmerman

PILOT HEMP-GROWING BILL APPROVED BY HOUSE; LAMONT EXPECTED TO SIGN

Connecticut’s House of Representatives has voted unanimously in favor of a bill authorizing a pilot program for the production and sale of industrial hemp. Last month the Senate passed the same bill, SB 893, also unanimously. Gov. Ned Lamont was expected to sign it into law. The legislation requires

the Connecticut Department of Agriculture to submit regulations to the federal government for the licensing, growing and processing of hemp, and to establish guidelines for tracking and inspecting farmland. Hemp is used in a variety of products, including clothing, rope, textiles, paper, bioplastics, insulation and biofuel. A by-product, cannabidiol or CBD, is used to treat inflammation, pain and anxiety, and is believed by some researchers to be a potential treatment for such diseases as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. The Connecticut Farm Bureau Association, which supported the bill’s passage, estimates that an acre of hemp could generate 500 to 1,500 pounds of dried f lowers worth $37,500 to $150,000. — Kevin Zimmerman


The Stop & Shop strikers’ battle for health care and how unions have helped all workers BY GLENN J. KALINOSKI

insurance, the importance of the health care-related aspect of the settlement can’t be overstated as health insurance premiums and medical expenses not covered by insurance carry the potential to financially devastate middle-class and working-class families. But the fight of the Stop & Shop workers must be understood in the larger context of what labor unions have done for everyone in the workforce, including executives and all who inhabit the white-collar world. According to thinkprogress.org, it was labor unions that achieved widespread employer-provided health coverage. By 1950, half of all companies with fewer than 250 employees and two-thirds of companies with more than 250 workers offered health insurance.

gkalinoski@westfairinc.com

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ationally, there’s a lot of talk these days about the importance of preserving institutions and utilizing established processes to the fullest extent possible. Institutions and processes touch virtually all aspects of our lives and what we do in business. We recently saw an example of how management and labor successfully used long-accepted methods of dealing with each other to resolve a conflict. Typically labor disputes are simplified by the media as essentially a battle in which workers are seeking higher wages. But there was much more than the size of paychecks on the line in the recently concluded Stop & Shop strike in New England. Health care was also at stake not only for the workers, but for their families as well. Something that went largely unnoticed was contained in the announcement by the United Food and Commercial Workers that its members voted in favor of a new contract: “All Stop & Shop members will continue to have access to affordable and quality health care that maintains eligibility for spouses.” Boston.com reported on the company’s “desire to implement a so-called ‘spousal exclusion’ to its family health care plan.” The exclusion would result in a denial of health care coverage for workers’ spouses who had coverage through their jobs. The union fought this proposal and said, if enacted, it would eliminate about 1,000 spouses from the family health plan. This would be done without considering the expense or quality of care provided by a spouse’s company. And for those who think the strikers were alone in their fight, think again. It was reported that in a four-day period during the strike, a hardship fund received donations from more than 1,000 supporters. There were politicians showing support for the workers on the picket lines. There was even a Boston hockey legend, Ray Bourque, who apologized for crossing a picket line. It was reported that strikers had pointed out his hypocrisy in crossing the line since he was in a union during his playing days on the ice. The bottom line to the story, as reported by The New York Times: more than three months of negotiations; an 11-day strike; and more than 30,000 Stop & Shop employees impacted at over 240 locations, with most full-time workers earning $21.30 per hour. (Based on working 2,000 hours per year, that comes to an annual salary of $42,600.) With some families in the U.S. paying close to $30,000 a year for health

Sen. Richard Blumenthal supporting striking Stop & Shop workers.

Also, everyone who enjoys weekends of fun and leisure should think about the labor movement every Saturday and Sunday. The average workweek in 1870 was 61 hours. Unions subsequently used strikes to obtain the shorter workweeks that most of us take for granted today. It is also important to keep in mind that for many American families union membership represented an opportunity to escape crushing poverty characterized by low-skill, low-wage jobs and join the middle class, which represents the foundation for a vibrant consumer-focused economy. Glenn J. Kalinoski is the managing editor/print of the Westchester County Business Journal and the Fairfield County Business Journal.

Go Red for Women Luncheon Join us for the Go Red for Women Luncheon, where we will raise awareness and lead the charge to end cardiovascular diseases in women. Friday, May 31, 2019 9:30 am – 2:00 pm Hilton Westchester Contact Jennifer Miller for more information: Jennifer.Miller@heart.org 914.806.0962 #GoRed914 Purchase tables or tickets online:

2019 Go Red for Women Keynote: Suzanne Steinbaum, MD, FAHA, FACC Cardiologist and Director of Women's Cardiovascular Prevention, Health and Wellness at Mt. Sinai Heart NYC 2019 Go Red for Women Chair: Judy Melillo Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation Go Red For Women Emcee: Lisa LaRocca, News 12 Reporter

WestchesterGoRed.Heart.org Go Red for Women National Sponsor

Signature Sponsor

Local sponsors

© Copyright 2018 American Heart Association, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. All rights reserved. Go Red for Women is a registered trademark of AHA.

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MAY 20, 2019

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YOU ARE INVITED REGISTER NOW! westfaironline.com/events Emcee

Keynote Speaker

Matt Scott Meteorologist / Co-Host, Fox 61 Morning News

Scott Johnson President of The Mack Media Group Host of The Mack Talks

June 11 • 5:30 - 7 p.m. For more information or sponsorship inquiries, contact Barbara Hanlon at bhanlon@westfairinc.com or 914-358-0766 or Marcia Pflug at mpflug@wfpromote.com or 203-733-4545. For information, contact: Tracey Vitale at tvitale@westfairinc.com.

CHAMBER PARTNERS: Darien Chamber of Commerce | Fairfield Chamber of Commerce | The Business Council of Fairfield County | Wilton Chamber of Commerce | Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce | Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce | Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce | Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce | Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce | Greenwich Chamber of Commerce | Bridgeport Regional Business Council

PRESENTED BY:

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SILVER SPONSOR:

BRONZE SPONSOR:

SUPPORTER:


Come meet

THE 2019 WINNERS The Rising stars in Fairfield County Amanda Almonte Andy Cabell Godiva Cadena Kevin Caskin Roger Chappuis Thomas Cingari Jr. Michelle Coletti Sasha Collins John Corraro Evan Cygler Shannon Daniels Kate Dischino Jackie Essex Katia Garcon Robyn Goldenberg Angelica Gorrio Brian Higgins Christian Keane Rhonda Klein Marisa MacLean Joshua Marcus, M.D. Elisabeth Marrocolla Eddie Martinez Samantha Mauro Peter McSherry Amanda Meeson Erin Mercede Kelli Meyer Oliver Page Roberta Rich Suobo Richards Chloe Richland Charles Rocco Erick Russell Katherine Russian Emily Anne Scalise Raya Ward Josh Weinshank Angela Wong Laura Zap

At-HomeCare of CT Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Danbury Union Savings Bank People’s United Bank Family & Children’s Aid ShopRite Grade A Markets LMC, a Lennar Company The Center for Family Justice Barnum Financial Group Miller Motorcars encaptiv Americares Greenwich Hospital House of Katia Strategy Leaders Marinera CT Aditum Gartner Modern Dermatology Westport Lifestyle Western CT Health Network Darien Library TOP Station Whiskey Barrel Epsilon Sterling House Community Center Bridgeport Regional Business Council University of Bridgeport Deloitte Consulting LLP Bank of America Service After Service Wilson Elser Rocco & Associates Wealth Management, Inc. Pullman & Comley Lentner NicholsMD of Greenwich Nielsen’s Florist & Garden Shop Cramer & Anderson City Center Danbury LaKota Oaks

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MAY 20, 2019

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CONTRIBUTING WRITER | By Eric Buhrendorf

Outsourcing IT is a money-saving cyber safety net for company data

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racking the cyber code to keep company and client information confidential without breaking the budget is a challenge for companies of all sizes. Many business owners may think it’s more secure and cost effective to manage their tech functions in-house, but in reality, outsourcing IT saves money while protecting data. Countless companies unwittingly do risky things every day that put their business in imminent danger of hack attacks. Installing an antivirus program is not a comprehensive IT solution. Smarter businesses realize that every one of their computers and servers should have antivirus, backup,

patching and monitoring. There has been explosive growth in business email compromise (BEC) attacks. Those hacks accounted for a mind-boggling 476 percent surge between the fourth quarter of 2017 and the fourth quarter of 2018. This is the most common attack that generally targets specific employees of a firm, usually in the finance department. Employees believe they’re dealing with an invoice from a vendor the company regularly does business with and agree to send large sums of money. This is typically via wire transfer to what appears to be a legitimate vendor account, but it’s actually controlled by the attackers. In addition to mitigating data breaches, the benefits of outsourcing IT-managed services, computer repair and data backup and recovery allow a business to: • Reduce labor costs — Outsourcing saves the salary and benefits cost of an in-house tech person. • Allocate employee resources wisely — Keep workers focused on more profitable, core activities. • Save capital for important projects — Customize IT management to fit your budget and adjust as needed. Work with an IT company that offers flat-rate IT and managed services, in order to save cash every month that would have been otherwise used for technology breakdowns. • Enjoy exemplary network uptime — Don’t worry about the company’s network being down at awkward times. With 24/7 monitoring, business owners can trust their network will be running when they need it. • Comprehensive employee tech training — From securing company tech

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devices when off premises to frequently changing passwords, all staff members need to be educated about possible vulnerabilities in their day-to-day interactions as well as proper use of software. • Tax savings — The cost of outsourcing is generally tax deductible. The potential risks of not outsourcing your data include: • Violation of HIPAA compliance requirements — Companies that have dealings with PHI (Protected Health Information) need to have network, physical and process security metrics in place to uphold and meet the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance standards for the safeguarding of medical data. This applies to anyone who delivers treatment, operations or payments in health care. In addition to having their own IT safeguards, every hospital and health care organization must protect itself through a well-defined and enforced business associate manage-

ment program. It covers their business associates such as accountants, medical equipment suppliers and document shredding companies. Business associates are subject to the same penalties as health care providers for noncompliance. If a penalty is issued, it can range from $100 to $50,000 per violation with a maximum penalty of $1.5 million per year for violations of an identical provision. •Lost productivity due to desktop problems — Engage an IT partner who is immediately available when you call for anything at all such as help desk support, computer repair and fixes, etc. to avoid having employees idle. •Increased risk — Technology changes constantly. A skilled IT provider can react quickly to address threats and provide system upgrades. •Lack of encryption protection — If your company sends sensitive information electronically, encryption is a necessity. There are many tools available, but setting them up is still a job for an IT professional. Once they’re set up, it’s as easy as typing ENCRYPT in the subject line of your message and the email system takes care of the rest. Encryption is also available for data stored on your hard drives. Mobile devices and computer operating systems allow the entire hard drive to be encrypted in a way that is transparent to the user. Without it, your data is wide open for the taking if your device is stolen. Eric Buhrendorf has been consulting and supporting businesses and their IT needs for 15 years. He is the CEO and senior consultant of EVERNET Consulting, LLC in Hartford. He can be reached at 860656-7810.


Groups turn up the heat on efforts to block Connecticut lawmakers’ energy fund raids BY LUTHER TURMELLE Hearst Connecticut Media Group

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fforts to stop continuing raids on funds designated for renewable energy and efficiency programs by Connecticut lawmakers in order to balance the state’s budget are continuing to gain momentum. Opponents of the Energy Efficiency Fund raids presented petitions from more than 2,000 Connecticut residents in 116 towns to representatives of Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration and to leaders in both chambers of the state Legislature on May 3. A coalition of community and environmental conservation organizations rallied in Hartford to halt the latest raid of the fund, scheduled for next month. At that time, $54 million is scheduled to be

diverted from the fund to balance the state’s budget, a move that opponents say will put approximately 6,800 Connecticut renewable energy and efficiency jobs at risk. An initial $54 million was taken from the fund last summer, a move that prompted legal action to block further raids and recover that money. “Connecticut has spoken and we want to stop this diversion to not only save ratepayers money, but also ensure our state is being efficient with our energy usage while creating good-paying, local jobs,” Lori Brown, executive director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, said in a statement. “Gov. Lamont and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for an end to the raids and they have the power to stop it.” Chris Lenda, chief execu-

tive officer of Branford-based Aegis Solar, said Lamont and state lawmakers have given “lip service to support for renewable energy.” “It hasn’t translated into concrete policy or action by them,” Lenda said. “And that makes it almost impossible for companies like mine to look forward and build a business. It creates a great

It’s difficult to build a business when your employees are uneasy.

deal of uncertainty and unrest.” The actions of lawmakers and the Lamont administration, he said, have trickled down to his 15-person workforce. “It’s difficult to build a business when your employees are uneasy,” Lenda said. “I’ve had several employees leave for jobs in states where there are thriving solar markets.” In addition to the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, other environmental groups backing the effort to put an end to the fund raids include Clean Water Action and Connecticut Fund for the Environment. The effort also has the political support of the Legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican and Progressive caucuses. State Rep. Geraldo Reyes (D-Waterbury), a member of

the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, said keeping the energy efficiency money in place for its intended uses is critical. “Environmental justice and enforcement is a quality of life issue for my constituents,” he said in a statement. State Rep. David Michel (D-Stamford) said using the energy funds for what they were intended will “replace the use of fossil fuels, create hundreds to thousands of jobs and offer a better price to the ratepayers.” “This is the future, where our labor unions can work in unison with our environmentalists,” Michel said in a statement. Calls to Republican and Democratic leaders in the Legislature about the energy fund raids were not returned. A spokesman for Lamont was not immediately available for comment on

the raids. The push to sway legislators comes about two months after attorneys for ratepayers, efficiency and clean energy businesses and environmental organizations filed an appeal seeking to overturn a U.S. District Court decision regarding the fund raids. The U.S. District Court ruling, which sought to stop state officials from making further raids of the fund and restore money already taken, came down in favor of lawmakers’ right to take the energy efficiency funding for other uses. An appeal of the lower court decision was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York in March. Luther Turmelle is a staff reporter with Hearst Connecticut Media. He can be reached at luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com.

25th Annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner A Midsommar-Inspired Celebration

June 7, 2019 • Rippowam Cisqua School Honoring

R. Todd Rockefeller (2019 Humanitarian) AND

Dan Ginnel (2019 John Beach Award)

Gala Co-Chairs

Heather & Kristoffer Durst bit.ly/2019HumanitarianAwards

Celebrating 20 years of BGCNW Marlins being Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Swimming Champions!

Enroll. Donate. Volunteer. www.bgcnw.com #jointheClub #WestchesterNY

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MAY 20, 2019

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THE LIST: URGENT CARE CENTERS

FAIRFIELD COUNTY

AFC URGENT CARE

CONCENTRA URGENT CARE CENTER

DOCS URGENT CARE

161 Boston Ave., Bridgeport 06610 • 333-4400 4200 Main St., Bridgeport 06606 • 916-5151 607 Main Ave., Norwalk 06851 • 987-6520 300 Summer St., Stamford 06905 • 872-9258 afcurgentcare.com

15 Commerce Road, Stamford 06902 • 324-9100 60 Watson Blvd., Stratford 06615 • 380-5945 concentra.com

1677 E. Main St., Bridgeport 06608 • 612-7929 525 Tunxis Hill Cut Off, Fairfield 06825 • 301-8579 677 Connecticut Ave., Norwalk 06854 • 298-9752 2001 W. Main St., Stamford 06902 • 658-8291 200 E. Main St., Stratford 06614 • 923-2976 docsmedicalgroup.com Contact: contact@docsofct.com

FAIRFIELD URGENT CARE

FIREFLY PEDIATRIC URGENT CARE

GREENWICH WALK-IN MEDICAL CENTER

309 Stillson Road, Fairfield 06825 331-1924 • bridgeporthospital.org

1011 High Ridge Road, Stamford 06905 968-1900 • fireflyafterhours.com Contact: ffpedi@gmail.com

1200 E. Putnam Ave., Riverside 06878 698-1419 • greenwichwalk-inmedicalcenter.com Contact: gabrielhealthcare@gmail.com

Additional info: staffed by Bridgeport Hospital physicians; closed Christmas Day

PHYSICIAN ONE URGENT CARE 10 South St., Suite 101, Ridgefield 06877 • 431-4600 346 Main Ave., Norwalk 06851 • 846-0005 1040 Barnum Ave., Stratford 06614 • 377-5733 266 S. Main St., Newtown 06470 • 270-9000 physicianoneurgentcare.com

Additional info: specializes in occupational health; closed Memorial Day

Additional info: open 365 days per year

STAMFORD HEALTH IMMEDIATE CARE CENTER

ST. VINCENT’S URGENT CARE WALK-IN CENTER

The Stamford Health Tully Health Center 32 Strawberry Hill Ct., Stamford 06902 276-2222 • stamfordhealth.org

1055 Post Road, Fairfield 06824 • 259-3440 15 Armstrong Road, Shelton 06484 • 929-1109 3272 Main St., Stratford 06614 • 380-3920 900 White Plains Road, Trumbull 06611 • 696-3500 stvincents.org

Additional info: emergency care providers on location

Additional info: Affiliate of Yale New Haven Health; open 365 days a year

This is a sampling from our list of urgent care centers located in the region. To view and download the complete list, please visit westfaironline.com.

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FOCUS ON

EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL

HERs Newtown manufacturer Sonics marks 50 years by passing leadership from father to daughter BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com

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ny family-owned business that can last 50 years deserves to be celebrated, so it was no surprise that Newtown’s Sonics & Materials Inc. threw a bash last month marking its half century of manufacturing as a supplier of ultrasonic welding systems and ultrasonic liquid processors. And it was no surprise that Newtown First Selectman Dan Rosenthal was on hand for the April 5 ceremony along with state

Attorney General William Tong. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy issued a statement noting Sonics’ “commitment to training the next generation of students in the ultrasonics field. Their hard work goes a long way in ensuring Connecticut manufacturing remains competitive.” Past anniversaries have resulted in testimonials from a number of Connecticut officials, including former Gov. Dannel Malloy, that hang on the lobby wall at the firm’s 53 Church Hill Road headquarters. “It was nice to have them here,” acknowledged President Lauren Soloff.

Lauren Soloff and Robert S. Soloff

“But our feeling is that they should be excited to come here — to see the diversity of our workforce and get a real understanding of what it takes to last 50 years.” Her father, Robert S. Soloff, founded the company and remains its CEO. Lauren’s ascension from executive vice president to president of both Sonics and its Newtown-based subsidiary QSonica was announced at the April 5 luncheon. The elder Soloff started the company in Danbury in 1969. “I was young and foolish,” Robert Soloff deadpanned about the company’s beginnings. Having

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received his first patent, for the ultrasonic method of welding thermoplastic parts in 1962, he’d worked for several years as a mechanical engineer before “I realized that I was never going to get anywhere working for another firm. “I came home one day and said that I was starting my own company. I had no idea what was involved with that, but I felt that I’d do what I had to do to make that leap.” The assembly technique originally patented by Soloff today is used across a number of manufac» SONICS

MAY 20, 2019

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FOCUS ON

EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY 15

Sonics—

turing sectors, including the automotive, aviation, medical device, electronics, appliance and battery industries. In addition to welding systems, Sonics’ other ultrasonic product lines, including liquid processors, are employed throughout research facilities, hospitals, laboratories and universities, as well as in the nanotechnology, cannabis, biotechnology and DNA sequencing fields. Privately held, Sonics does not disclose its revenue figures, which now include significant income from overseas markets. Lauren Soloff said Sonics does roughly half of its business in Asia. Robert Soloff demurred when asked if there was any way to quantify how successful

the company is beyond saying, “We’re slightly improving each year.” Employing 85 workers at its 65,000-square-foot facility — which maintains the same footprint it had when the firm moved there in 1998 — the Soloffs agreed that it was something of a given that Lauren would eventually succeed her father at the Sonics helm. “I pretty much grew up here,” Lauren said. Although she graduated from American University in 1991 with a law degree, and practiced in both New York and Connecticut for several years, “Over time, it made sense to shift back to this business,” she said. “It was the prudent thing to do,” Robert said of the timing of her promotion. “She’s been involved here for 25 years. She

has the respect of all the employees here. It was the right time.” Asked if this meant he’d be spending less time at the office, they both said “No” with a laugh. While admitting that he might like to do some traveling, the elder Soloff noted that, as the CEO of a company he founded, it can be difficult to let go entirely. Both Soloffs regularly journey overseas to meet with existing and potential customers. Lauren said its foreign customers hail from over 125 nations. Whenever a foreign contingent comes to Newtown, Sonics makes sure to fly the flag of the visitors’ country from its pole. A literal “hall of flags” displays over 30 such items. “Connecticut is a great place to do business,” Robert declared. “We have

a terrific diversity of people. There’s all the intellectual stimulation and services that are available. We get calls all the time from places like Virginia, Mississippi, trying to get us to relocate.” “But the costs of trying to find the right people to replace our skilled workforce would be too much,” Lauren added. “So we pay a little more in taxes, but we don’t have those costs of developing the necessary skill sets with all new people.” Their employees were born in places that include England, France, Brazil, Thailand, India and Vietnam. Asked about the reasons Sonic has made it to 50 years — and looks poised to add plenty more — the Soloffs responded in unison: “Great management!”

Study ranks CT, NY among best states for new college graduates

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onnecticut and New York ranked among the top states for new college graduates to proceed with their careers and adult lives, according to a study released by GOBankingRates.com. Connecticut placed fifth among the states, due to its 3.3% unemployment rate for people with a college degree and the nation’s second-highest median income for that group at approximately $62,000. The study found the median home price for the state was $314,900 and determined it would take 10.17 years to afford a down payment, while the median rent was $1,750. New York ranked 17th on the list, weighed down by a high median rent of $3,200 and the need to devote 67.5%

of one’s income to rental housing. Nonetheless, the state was praised for a median income of nearly $57,000 for new college graduates and an unemployment rate of 3.5% for residents with a college degree. GOBankingRate s.com named Maryland as the best state for new college graduates with Nevada placing last. The criteria for the study included median income for someone who earned a bachelor’s degree, rent-to-income ratio, median home prices, the number of years it will take a college graduate to stop renting and own a home, job availability and the percentage of jobs available for college graduates, and livability and quality of life.

Trinity-Pawling School Boarding and Day for Boys - Grades 7-12 / Postgraduate

Active, engaged, and out of their seats—this is how boys at Trinity-Pawling experience learning. Our distinctive programs bolster the way boys learn best: by doing. As experts in boys’ education, we understand how to guide our students to become young men of integrity who will rise to the challenges of an ever-changing world. This educational experience could make all the difference in your son’s future.

Learn more about the benefits of a Trinity-Pawling education at www.trinitypawling.org or call 845-855-4825

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— Phil Hall


HERDE DE FERME IS A COLLECTION OF LUXURY ALPACA ACCESSORIES AND HOME DÉCOR.

An array of colors keeps this long fur boa constantly surprising you – a quick flip reveals yet another look.

hdfalpaca.com

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MAY 20, 2019

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Good Things ASSISTED LIVING TECHNOLOGIES HONORED

Maura Smith

Christina Scott

LAW OFFICES OF EDWARD NUSBAUM’S NEW PARTNER

CATALYST WINS AWARDS FROM CT PRESS CLUB

Maura Smith recently joined the Law Offices of Edward Nusbaum P.C. as a partner in the Westport-based firm dedicated solely to the practice of family law. Smith is involved with the full spectrum of client representation, trials, drafting and prosecution of pre- and post-judgment motions, conducting and managing discovery and depositions, negotiation and drafting of separation agreements and other agreements submitted to the court. Prior to joining the firm, Smith founded her own law firm in 2016 after a 35-year career in private practice and as general counsel of several large public companies. Her firm’s offices in New York City and New Canaan focused on commercial and matrimonial matters. Smith also served as co-counsel in cases with large marital estates, including non-U.S. assets, privately owned businesses and complex financial instruments. Smith, a graduate of Vassar College with high honors and distinction in her major, economics, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was among the first women to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. She attended the University of Oxford, earning her master of philosophy degree in economics, and then attended the University of Miami School of Law as a John M. Olin Fellow in Law & Economics, receiving her Juris Doctorate with honors in 1982.

From left: technologies specialist/sales representative William Bonos; office manager Diamaris Lanh; technologies specialist Alisa Woodberry; shipping/receiving manager Sean McDonald; ALT Vice President Mario D’Aquila; and ALT Director of Information Systems Nick D’Aquila.

The tech center created by Assisted Living Technologies Inc. (ALT) of Meriden and area partners were honored with the sixth Special Achievement in Innovation Award by the Midstate Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented to the collaboration of MidState ARC, Assisted Living Technologies (ALT) and NESIT Makerspace for the Technology Training Center

of CT at the Chamber’s recent 123rd annual meeting. The annual Innovation Award recognizes “an individual or business that has done something new, extraordinary or innovative in the last 18 months, including improvements and responsiveness to challenges.” The honorees joined forces in 2017 to establish the Technology Center of Mer-

iden, located at 290 Pratt St., as a one-stop resource for electronic devices that assist people with physical and developmental disabilities with the activities of daily life. The showroom is unique in that it also trains social service employees as technology assessors who can provide high-quality, individualized services for the individuals they support.

BANKWELL SUPPORTS CARVER FOUNDATION OF NORWALK GYMNASIUM ENHANCEMENTS

A CHANCE TO WIN $500 WORTH OF SEAQUEST ACTIVITIES

FAIRFIELD WELCOMES FANEDOS JEWELRY The town of Fairfield’s Office of Community and Economic Development announced the opening of Fanedos Jewelry located at 525 Tunxis Hill Cut Off in Fairfield. The business has been open in the Hawley Lane Trumbull Mall for more than 23 years and has expanded its newest location in Fairfield. The shop does repairs in addition to custom design as well as buying gold and estate jewelry.

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Four awards from the Connecticut Press Club were awarded to Catalyst Marketing Communications of Stamford for work on behalf of its clients. Catalyst Public Relations Account Executive Christina Scott was recognized with three awards, including a first-place prize. Thomas Renner won a second-place award. Scott’s work won first place in the “News or Feature Release — Single Release” category. Her release on behalf of Bendheim about a unique architectural glass façade in New York City was published in Metropolis, Buildings and Arch Daily. She won third place in the “Media Pitch” category for a story on behalf of Stamford Health and won honorable mention in the same division, also for a Stamford Health project. Renner won second place in the “Media Pitch” category for a project about Cincinnati Music Hall that he completed on behalf of The BILCO Company, a New Haven-based manufacturer of specialty access products.

From left: Nikki LaFaye, director of philanthropy, The Carver Foundation of Norwalk; Lucy French, assistant vice president and marketing manager, Bankwell; and Novelette Peterkin, CEO, Carver Foundation of Norwalk.

Bankwell’s recent donation of $7,500 to the Carver Foundation of Norwalk will help fund the gymnasium enhancements needed to expand Carver basketball programs. Each year, a Bankwell employee is recognized for leadership, teamwork and dedication to community service. Lucy

French, assistant vice president and marketing manager for the bank, received the honor in January for her tireless and dedicated efforts and in return donated $2,500 to the basketball programs at the Carver Community Center. Her gift and dedication to Carver inspired Bankwell to donate an additional $5,000 for a total donation of

$7,500 to support the expansion of the Carver basketball programs. Carver is Norwalk’s largest provider of after-school programs for 5th to 12th grade students and the largest provider of summer programs for K through 9th grade students, operating in 12 Norwalk schools and the Carver Community Center.

SeaQuest in Meridian is seeking, on its @SeaQuestTrumbull Facebook account, nominations from community members for their favorite nonprofit to be entered in a chance to win $500 worth of SeaQuest activities. The $500 can be used for a party at SeaQuest that benefits their constituents or it can be broken up into several annual passports, birthday parties and/or other activities to be auctioned off as a fund-raiser. To be considered, a person has to like @SeaQuestTrumbull on Facebook, share the post, then Tag or Name the nonprofit of their choice. The $500 winner will be announced on May 24. Entries are accepted until May 23.


BIC SUPPORTS NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY

Stacy L. Butkus

HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL ELECTED TO HOUSATONIC HABITAT BOARD Stacy L. Butkus, principal of Henry Abbott Technical High School, was elected to the Housatonic Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors. Named principal of Abbott Tech in 2014 after joining as assistant principal six years earlier, Butkus, a Waterbury resident, began her career as a high school teacher in Wethersfield before joining Waterbury Public Schools where she gained increasing senior positions during her 10-year tenure. Housatonic Habitat for Humanity is both a builder and a bank, offering affordable homes for working families who qualify for homeownership under the Habitat model. For more, visit housatonichabitat.org.

BANK OF AMERICA, PRESENTING SPONSOR, TOASTS SUCCESS Dress for Success Mid-Fairfield County has announced that Bank of America is the presenting sponsor of its annual benefit Toast to Success on Thursday, May 23, 5:30 to 8 p.m., at The Patterson Club in Fairfield. The annual benefit features a fashion show with designs from Lord & Taylor and special guest Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro who will receive the Denise “Denny” Taft Davidoff Empowerment Award. The organization has helped more than 10,000 women since opening its doors in 1998. It offers all services to clients at no cost and relies on donations and fund-raising for support. All proceeds from the evening will support programs of the nonprofit, including Simply Suited and the Professional Women’s Group. Support for the event from several local businesses include M&T Bank, Synchrony Financial, Aquarian Water Company, Connecticut Community Bank, Epsilon Agency, Lord & Taylor, Moffly Media, Landmark Print and MPI. Tickets to the benefit are still available and can be purchased online at bit.ly/ ToastSuccess19 or by calling 203-610-8512.

From left: Katie Veccharelli and Melinda Stygles, first grade teachers; and Jamie Balisciano, the assistant principal at the Roosevelt School.

In recognition of National Teacher Appreciation Day, BIC donated 54 boxes of school supplies to support Roosevelt School students in Bridgeport. As part of BIC’s Bring Your Child to Work Day celebration, 80 children visited the Shelton headquarters and worked with team

members to assemble boxes that were filled with a variety of BIC stationery products. BIC is a world leader in stationery, lighters and shavers. For more than 70 years, including 60 in the U.S., it has honored the tradition of providing high-quality, affordable products to

consumers. National Teacher Appreciation Day has been celebrated on the first Tuesday in May for nearly 40 years and represents a day to honor teachers for the resources they provide and the lasting impression they make on students.

MILFORD MOVES 5K RUN AND WALK ON PACE The Milford Bank announced that the fifth annual Milford Moves 5K Run and Walk will take place Sunday, June 16, at Lisman Landing in Milford. Veterans groups from Milford will receive 100% of the proceeds raised at this event. Colony Grill of Milford will again be the event co-sponsor, hosting the post-race gathering and providing free pizza for all participants and a beer for all participants age 21 and over. To register online, visit runsignup. com/Race/CT/Milford/MilfordMovesforVeterans5K. Participants can also register in person at the bank’s 33 Broad St. location on Saturday, June 15, and on Sunday, June 16, at 7:30 a.m. at Lisman Landing. After checking in, there will be a Kid’s Fun Run beginning at 8:30 a.m., followed by the start of the 5k run/walk at 9 a.m. Awards for top male and female finisher, top male and female active military member or veteran and the top-three male and female finishers in age categories will be handed out. Also awarded will be the most patriotic participant and Colony Grill will award the top male and female finishers who are an active military member or veteran $500 each to donate to the charity of their choice. To become a sponsor, contact Peter Berube via e-mail at pberube@milfordbank.com.

FEMALE LEADERS AT WOMEN EMPOWERING WOMEN F+F MECHANICAL ENTERPRISES ACQUIRES AIRTECH OF STAMFORD

From left: Rebecca Surran and Gretchen Carlson at Women Empowering Women 2018.

Five women spoke at the seventh annual Women Empowering Women (WEW) event in Stamford on May 9. Each featured panelist shared stories of personal and professional growth to empower others. The panel was moderated by Rebecca Surran, Emmy-award winning and ninetime Emmy-nominated news anchor and founding member of News 12 Connecticut.

The panelists included Nina Davuluri, the first Miss America of Indian-American and South Asian heritage; Kendra Farn, local veteran TV journalist, entrepreneur and actress; Sheri West, founder and CEO of New-Canaan-based LiveGirl; and Rebecca Wilson, district coordinator, college and career readiness for Stamford Public Schools. One-hundred percent of the net pro-

ceeds from WEW go directly to The Rowan Center, a sexual assault resource agency based in Stamford and founded in 1979. Serving lower Fairfield County for 40 years, The Rowan Center is the area’s only nonprofit agency dedicated to educating the local community about the issue of sexual assault and supporting victims and their families.

F+F Mechanical Enterprises Inc. of North Haven has combined operations with Stamford-based Airtech of Stamford Inc., which has been providing sheet metal fabrication and installation as well as HVAC service for more than 30 years. The acquisition will allow F+F Mechanical to gain market share through its new Stamford location. It will provide sheet metal manufacturing and dispatch service technicians for both its North Haven and Stamford locations. Airtech of Stamford, an established heating and air-conditioning contractor performing business in Connecticut and Westchester County, New York, has established itself as a professional and experienced HVAC provider in both Connecticut and New York.

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

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Facts & Figures BUILDING PERMITS Commercial 36 Ritch Avenue LLC, Greenwich, contractor for 36 Ritch Avenue LLC. Install extension to cell tower at 36 Ritch Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $11,000. March 2019. 71 Byram Road LLC, Greenwich, contractor for 71 Byram Road LLC. Remove dry wall on ground floor at 71 Byram Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $6,000. March 2019. American Petroleum, Danbury, contractor for Ralph J. Gulliver, et al. Renovate fueling system at 417 Main St., Danbury. Estimated cost: $70,000. Filed March 20. Beck, Bobby, Danbury, contractor for Two Forty-Eight White Street LLC. Change two-car garage doors at 248 White St., Danbury. Estimated cost: $4,000. Filed March 18. Complete Dismantling Service, Stamford, contractor for Greenwich Academy Inc. Demolish detached garage at 176 N. Maple Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $2,000. March 2019. Complete Dismantling Service, Stamford, contractor for Greenwich Academy Inc. Demolish single-family dwelling at 2 Patterson Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $20,000. March 2019. El Sabor Ecuatoriano LLC, Danbury, contractor for El Sabor Ecuatoriano LLC. Repair fire damage at 81 Ives St., Danbury. Estimated cost: $5,000. Filed March 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: 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

ON THE RECORD

Empire Telecom USA LLC, Danbury, contractor for New Cingular Wireless PCS LLC. Upgrade cell tower at 144 Old Boston Post Road, Danbury. Estimated cost: $25,000. Filed March 27.

Belle Haven Club, Greenwich, contractor for Belle Haven Club. Prepare a private party, tents, lights and outlets at 100 Harbor Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $3,000. March 2019.

Environmental Construction LLC, West Haven, contractor for Michael Goldman and Jenna Goldman. Demolish detached garage at 15 Elm Place, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $6,000. March 2019.

Brunswick School, Greenwich, contractor for Brunswick School. Prepare for a fund raiser with raised platforms at 1252 King St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $56,607. March 2019.

Flying Colors Roofing LLC, Danbury, contractor for Joseph Pearl. Re-roof 6 Marion St., Danbury. Estimated cost: $8,000. Filed March 27.

Cardoso, Emma V. and Emily V. Lopez, Danbury, contractor for Emma V. Cardoso and Emily V. Lopez. Renovate siding at 13 Pleasant Drive, Danbury. Estimated cost: $6,528. Filed March 28.

The Home Depot USA Inc, Danbury, contractor for Peter Bringman and Jennifer L. Bringman. Replace windows at 2 Grammar School Drive, Danbury. Estimated cost: $3,366. Filed March 28. The Home Depot USA Inc, Danbury, contractor for Roger Donnelly. Replace windows and door at 5 Mannion Lane, No. 14, Danbury. Estimated cost: $5,042. Filed March 28.

Crown Castle USA Inc., Danbury, contractor for Robert J Kaufman. Replace cell antennas at 78 Padanaram Road, Danbury. Estimated cost: $20,000. Filed March 28. CS Contracting LLC, Danbury, contractor for Aidan P. Burns and Katherine D. Burns. Re-roof 60 Wedgewood Drive, Danbury. Estimated cost: $6,000. Filed March 28.

I J Development LLC, Stamford, contractor for Frank Cortese. Construct retaining walls at 8 Hemlock Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $50,000. March 2019. Jay and Jenny LLC, Danbury, contractor for Jay and Jenny LLC. Build a shushi bar at 40 Tamarack Road, Danbury. Estimated cost: $5,000. Filed March 14.

Trinity Solar, Danbury, contractor for Carlos J. Alvarez. Install roof-mounted solar panels at 27 Oak Ridge Gate, Danbury. Estimated cost: $24,000. Filed March 27.

Littlefield, Catherine Greenwich, contractor for Catherine Littlefield. Repair stairs at 70 N. Old Stone Bridge Road, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $2,000. March 2019.

Val-U Home George Carroll, Danbury, contractor for Susan R. Marano. Renovate vinyl siding at 3 Grenier Drive, Danbury. Estimated cost: $11,500. Filed March 28.

Losada, Cesar, Danbury, contractor for Elliot Herbas. Build stairs on existing deck at 125C Clapboard Ridge Road, Danbury. Estimated cost: $3,000. Filed March 28.

Val-U Home George Carroll, Danbury, contractor for Kevin R. Laroche and Merry C. Laroche. Renovate vinyl siding, windows and doors at 4 Anchor Lane, Danbury. Estimated cost: $29,500. Filed March 28.

Muzzafar, Mirza and Susan Nyzzafar, Greenwich, contractor for Mirza and Susan Muzzafar. Re-roof 36 Dublin Hill Drive, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $35,000. March 2019.

Eagle Hill Foundation, Greenwich, contractor for Eagle Hill Foundation. Renovate interior space at 49 Northfield St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $45,000. March 2019.

Lecla, Home Improvement LLC, Danbury, contractor for Timothy R. Tostanoski. Reroof 2 Crest Road, Danbury. Estimated cost: $14,600. Filed March 27.

Garret Wilson Builders LLC, Fairfield, contractor for James Heyworth and Susannah Heyworth. Renovate the kitchen at 393 Sound Beach Ave., Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $85,000. March 2019.

O.R. Construction LLC, Darien, contractor for Louis and Allison Kural. Construct a deck the same size and location as existing deck at 29 Breezemont Ave., Riverside. Estimated cost: $6,000. March 2019.

Greenwich Academy, Greenwich, contractor for Greenwich Academy. Prepare for a private event, lights, outlets, propane gas at 200 N. Maple Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $10,000. March 2019.

Signature Pools Inc., Norwalk, contractor for Doug and Jessica Fenton. Construct a spa and required safety barrier at 26 Jones Park Drive, Riverside. Estimated cost: $92,350. March 2019.

Henry Roofing & Co., Danbury, contractor for Gregory Schalkham. Re-roof 16 First St., Danbury. Estimated cost: $8,800. Filed March 28.

Sterry, John, Danbury, contractor for Danbury Hospital. Renovate office first floor at 80 Locust Ave., Danbury. Estimated cost: $25,000. Filed March 11.

Toll Conneticut III LTD Partnership, Danbury, contractor for The Mews and Ridge Condo. Build pool house at Clubhouse Winding Ridge Way, Danbury. Estimated cost: $150,000. Filed March 21.

Residential Antonelli, John E., Stamford, contractor for the Greenwich Library. Removal and replacement work at selected areas at 101 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $271,350. March 2019.

Hesse, Lisa J. and Therese Manley, Danbury, contractor for Lisa J. Hesse and Therese Manley. Repair auto strike at 6 Filmore Ave., Danbury. Estimated cost: $18,000. Filed March 25.

Total Pool & Spa LLC, Sandy Hook, contractor for Umeda Yusuke. Renovate existing swimming pool at 17 Tory Road, Riverside. Estimated cost: $60,000. March 2019.

Kontos, Joseph W. and Susan W. Kontos, Greenwich, contractor for Joseph Kontos and Susan Kontos. Re-align furnace flue at 33 Hunt Terrace, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $1,600. March 2019.

Langner Renovations Alterati, Wilton, contractor for Chinai Anil and Supurna Anil. Build new pool house cabana at 29 Lockwood Ave., Old Greenwich. Estimated cost: $60,000. March 2019.

Rizzo Corp., Danbury, contractor for SC Ridge Owner LLC. Renovate lobby at 100 Reserve Road, Danbury. Estimated cost: $379,000. Filed March 27.

Timberline Construction, Canton, Massachusetts, contractor for Greenwich American Inc. Renovate interior corporate space at 1 American Lane, Greenwich. Estimated cost: $2,200,000. March 2019.

Vataj, Nikoll and Leon Vataj, Bronx, New York, contractor for Nikoll Vataj and Leon Vataj. Remove kitchen, cut old gas lines and install new lines and drain for laundry washing machine at 101 Pine St., Greenwich. Estimated cost: $1,500. March 2019. Vaz Quality Works LLC, Bridgeport, contractor for 9 Dialstone Lane LLC. Demolish single-family dwelling at 9 Dialstone Lane, Riverside. Estimated cost: $6,100. March 2019. Wagner, Roger W., Danbury, contractor for Tracy F. Miller. Install new roof at 2 Meadowbrook Road, Danbury. Estimated cost: $5,200. Filed March 28. Walsh, Roger J., Danbury, contractor for Ponnur Prashanti. Replace skylight with sliding window at 55 Mill Plain Road, Danbury. Estimated cost: $6,730. Filed March 28.

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COURT CASES Bridgeport Superior Court Boychew, Rose, Stratford. Filed by Joanna Gazmey, Bridgeport Plaintiff’s attorney: George W Ganim Jr., Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision caused by the defendant and allegedly sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-196083109-S. Filed Feb. 8. Brick and Wood LLC, et al, Cheshire. Filed by Robert Cooper, Trumbull. Plaintiff’s attorney: Hayber Law Firm LLC, Hartford. Action: The plaintiff and the defendants entered into an agreement, whereby defendants agreed to pay yearly bonuses to the plaintiff, but the defendants failed to pay the bonuses. 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. FBT-CV-19-6083124-S. Filed Feb. 8. Brittney, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Deshawn Harper, Bridgeport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Skyers Skyers & Harrell LLC, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision caused by an unidentified driver; however, the motor vehicle is owned by the defendants and plaintiff allegedly sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-19-6083909-S. Filed March 7. Garrison, Edward, et al, New Milford. Filed by Geico, managed by Joseph Pugliese, Fairfield. Plaintiff’s attorney: Mazza & Welch, Fairfield. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision caused by the defendants and allegedly sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-19-6083214-S. Filed Feb. 13.

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Facts & Figures Gerosa, Amanda Elizabeth, et al, Avon. Filed by Stephan Leconte, Bridgeport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Cohen & Wolf PC, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision caused by the defendants and allegedly sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-19-6084522-S. Filed March 26.

Danbury Superior Court Brown, Julia C., Austin, Texas. Filed by Aurelian Pop, Seymour. Plaintiff’s attorney: Andrew J Pianka, Seymour. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision caused by the defendant and allegedly sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-19-6030568-S. Filed April 1. Mack, Ryan Thomas, et al, Danbury. Filed by Luz Velez, Danbury. Plaintiff’s attorney: Ventura Law, Danbury. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision caused by the defendants and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV19-6030392-S. Filed March 14. Providence Mutual Insurance Co., Providence, Rhode Island. Filed by Thais Bossoni, Brookfield. Plaintiff’s attorney: Yorio Law Group PC, Danbury. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision caused by the defendant and allegedly sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-19-6030397-S. Filed April 9.

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Ray Flanagan Inc., et al, Fairfield. Filed by Plimpton & Hills Corp., Danbury. Plaintiff’s attorney: Carreira And Wojciechowski LLC, New Preston. Action: The plaintiff and defendant entered into an agreement under which the defendant applied credit from the plaintiff and agreed to pay interest on the outstanding balance for all labor and services. The defendant defaulted on the agreement and failed to make payments. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages less than $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs. Case no. DBD-CV-19-6030096-S. Filed Feb. 14. Smith, II, Thomas P, Sandy Hook. Filed by Freedom Mortgage Corp., Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Plaintiff’s attorney: McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford. Action: The plaintiff was assigned the defendant’s mortgage. The defendant defaulted on the terms of the agreement and has failed to pay the plaintiff the amount due. The plaintiff claims foreclosure of the mortgage, possession of the mortgage premises, monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV19-6030021-S. Filed Feb. 7.

Stamford Superior Court Ascena Retail Group Inc., Mahwah, New Jersey. Filed by Patricia DelBello, Westport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder PC, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff was a business invitee on the defendant’s property. The plaintiff tripped over an improperly placed seating bench. As a result, the plaintiff fell causing several injuries. 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. FST-CV-196040508-S. Filed March 18.

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Costanzo, David, et al, Cincinnati, Ohio. Filed by Michael Stenger, et al, Norwalk. Plaintiff’s attorney: Nathaniel Wesley Shipp, Wilton. Action: The plaintiffs and defendants entered into a written contract of sale on a property. As part of the sale, defendants had the duty to complete an accurate disclosure report of the property. The plaintiffs moved to the property for about a week when they found water in the basement area. The defendants made a false representation of fact as to the presence of wetlands and water issues with respect to the basement and garage areas on the property. The plaintiffs seek 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-19-6040882-S. Filed April 9.

Strateman, Howard, Stamford. Filed by Rosemary Tracy Maxfield, Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Votre & Associates PC, Ridgefield. Action: The plaintiff leased the defendant’s premises. The defendant had the duty to maintain the premises in safe condition. The plaintiff operated a sash and window in defective condition when she injured her hands and wrist; the defective sash suddenly closed on her hands. As a result of this accident, the plaintiff suffered painful injuries. 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. FST-CV-196040749-S. Filed April 2.

Cummin, Pearson C., et al, Greenwich. Filed by Richard Bussa, Kew Gardens, New York. Plaintiff’s attorney: The Schwartzberg Law Firm, Stamford. Action: The plaintiff was an invitee on the defendants’ premises. The plaintiff was caused to slip and fall on a snowy and icy driveway of the defendants’ premises. As a result, the plaintiff suffered several injuries. 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. FST-CV-196040205-S. Filed Feb. 26.

Commercial

Darden, Sheldon, Norwalk. Filed by Sharon Lee, Islandia, New York. Plaintiff’s attorney: Charles L. Kurmay Law Offices, Milford. Action: The plaintiff objected to the last will and testament of her father, in which the defendant was appointed executrix of the estate of the plaintiff’s father. The defendant was his sole caregiver and the only person he interacted with and assumed the control of his finances. As a result of the plaintiff’s father’s cancer treatment, his capacity to execute a will was influenced and affected. The plaintiff seeks to be appointed executrix to complete the administration of her father’s estate and 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-19-6039941-S. Filed Feb. 7.

DEEDS

1339 Pembroke Company LLC, Easton. Seller: Pembroke Connecticut LLC, New Hyde Park, New York. Property: 1339-1343 Pembroke St., Bridgeport. Amount: $250,000. Filed April 25. 2019 Realty LLC, Hamden. Seller: 95 River Street LLC, Stratford. Property: 95 River St., Bridgeport. Amount: $525,000. Filed April 24. 5 Star Holdings LLC, New Rochelle, New York. Seller: CitiMortgage Inc, Bridgeport. Property: 104 Terry Place, Bridgeport. Amount: $168,000. Filed April 23. 5 Star Holdings LLC, New Rochelle, New York. Seller: US Bank National Association, Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 55-57 N Bishop Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $176,100. Filed April 25. 5 Star Holdings LLC, New Rochelle, New York. Seller: Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., West Palm Beach, Florida. Property: 39 Emerald St., Bridgeport. Amount: $101,000. Filed April 25. 73 River Street Realty LLC, Huntington. Seller: River Realty LLC, Yonkers, New York. Property: 73 River St., Bridgeport. Amount: $950,000. Filed April 30.

78 Lawrence Street LLC, Yonkers, New York. Seller: HRR Investments LLC, et al, Huntington, New York. Property: 1003-1009 High Ridge Road, Stamford. Amount: $10. Filed Jan. 29. Brothers Management LLC, Yonkers, New York. Seller: Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 26-28 Linen Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $279,950. Filed April 23. Brundage, Richard M. and Ursuline F. Foley, Stamford. Seller: Richard M. Brundage and Ursuline F. Foley, Stamford. Property: 23 Red Bird Road, Stamford. Amount: $1. Filed Jan. 31. CGC Properties LLC, Fairfield. Seller: Valentín C. Baptista Huntington. Property: 134 Chesnut St., Bridgeport. Amount: $45,000. Filed April 30. Dierna Investments LLC, Fairfield. Seller: Marcus L. Dierna, Fairfield. Property: Unit 224 Nob Hill Condominium, Bridgeport. Amount: $1. Filed April 24. Freedom Property LLC, Southington. Seller: Llesa E. O’Connor, Bridgeport. Property: 660 William St., Bridgeport. Amount: $68,000. Filed April 29. Makh Properties LLC, Stratford. Seller: Redwood Properties LLC, Wilton. Property: 120 Huntington Turnpike, Unit 403, Bridgeport. Amount: $63,000. Filed April 25. Mary McGuire Family Trust, Stamford. Seller: June Breeze LLC, Stamford. Property: 485 June Road, Four lots, Stamford. Amount: $10. Filed Jan. 28. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Seller: Wells Fargo Bank NA, Bridgeport. Property: 1657 Chopsey Hill Road, Bridgeport. Amount: $10. Filed April 24.

Residential 5 Star Holdings LLC, New Rochelle, New York. Seller: Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C. Property: 50 Oxbrook Road, Bridgeport. Amount: $164,500. Filed April 29. Branosky, Joseph and Jessica Branosky, Stamford. Seller: Joshua H. Bilenker and Stephanie Bilenker, Stamford. Property: 78 Fieldstone Road, Stamford. Amount: $686,000. Filed Feb. 1. Byfield, Paul A., Bridgeport. Seller: Wells Fargo Bank NA, Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 393 Laurel Ave., No. 306, Bridgeport. Amount: $56,000 Filed April 24. Cahn, Jeffrey and Judith Cahn, Stamford. Seller: Richard Strizver and Margaret Strizver, Stamford. Property: 320 Strawberry Hill Ave., Unit 28, Stamford. Amount: $626,000. Filed Feb. 1. Campbell, Verenice, Bridgeport. Seller: Joao L. Sousa and Maria G. Sousa, Bridgeport. Property: Lot 15, Chopsey Hill Road, Bridgeport. Amount: $165,000. Filed April 23. Chad, Scarlett, Bronx, New York. Seller: Robert Sherwood, Bridgeport. Property: 10-12, Cottage Place, Bridgeport. Amount: $240,000. Filed April 23. Courtney, Robyn Watson and Runique Everett Powell, Brooklyn, New York. Seller: Dimitrios Dimitroglou, Bridgeport. Property: 116 Rainbow Road, Bridgeport. Amount: $187,000. Filed April 26. DeAssis, Alexandre, Trumbull. Seller: US Bank NA, Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 530 Lakeside Drive, Bridgeport. Amount: $141,000. Filed April 25. DeLeon, Brendaly V., Bridgeport. Seller: Maria Ramos and Geremias Bonilla, Norwalk. Property: 35 Oakleaf St., Bridgeport. Amount: $229,000. Filed April 25.


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Facts & Figures Dicks, Robert and Angela Rawis, Bridgeport. Seller: Erika Wright and Eva Gyapay, Fairfield. Property: 114 Colony St., Bridgeport. Amount: $159,000. Filed April 23. Etienne, Jocelyn and Ralph Etienne, Brooklyn, New York. Seller: Michael J. Moccio, Stamford. Property: 700 Summer St., Unit 1-D, Stamford. Amount: $160,000. Filed Jan. 29. Femia, Anthony Michael, Stamford. Seller: Cindy Palladino and Diane Stoni, Stamford. Property: 82 Katona Lane, Stamford. Amount: $150,000. Filed Jan. 30. Franco, Nelson, Stamford. Seller: Jason C. Scanlan, Stamford. Property: 12 Carroll St., Stamford. Amount: $329,000. Filed Jan. 28. Gao, Ying, Stamford. Seller: Vantium REO Capital Markets LP, Irving, Texas. Property: 33 Virgil St., No. 4, Stamford. Amount: $57,000. Filed Jan. 30. Gjuraj, Pren, Shelton. Seller: Gabriela Wis, Greenwich. Property: Lot 14, Pleasant St., Bridgeport. Amount: $168,000. Filed April 23. Godzeno, Robert, Stamford. Seller: Robert D. Boehringer, Stamford. Property: 47 Iroquois Road, Stamford. Amount: $680,000. Filed Jan. 29. Gomez, Olivia and Enid Olivia Gomez-Buitrago, Bedford, New York. Seller: Bank of America NA, Plano, Texas. Property: 84-86 Yacht St., Bridgeport. Amount: $223,125. Filed April 24.

Juricek, Steven and Wynne Juricek, Port Chester, New York. Seller: Global Import LLC, Stamford. Property: 105 Sutton Drive East, Stamford. Amount: $485,000. Filed Jan. 31. Kruger-Lacayo, Maria L. and Carlos E. Rojas, Stamford. Seller: Bluedog Capital Partners LLC, Providence, Rhode Island. Property: 124 Wood Ridge Drive South, Stamford. Amount: $430,000. Filed Jan. 30. LaBonte, Norman J. and Bruno Iacono, Norwalk. Seller: Farzaneh Vaziri, Bridgeport. Property: 112 Ochsner Place, Bridgeport. Amount: $270,000. Filed April 29. Lanfranco, Monica Patricia, Stamford. Seller: Rajesh Raitani, Stamford. Property: 95 Lafayette St., Unit 13, Stamford. Amount: $328,000. Filed Jan. 28. Langlais, William and Grace Addow-Langlais, Stamford. Seller: The Missionary Sisters of The Mother of God Incorp., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Property: 97 Hubbard Ave., Stamford. Amount: $500,000. Filed Jan. 31.

Palamar, Oksana, Stamford. Seller: Ana C. Malhotra, Stamford. Property: 240 Wardwell St., Unit 19, Stamford. Amount: $255,000. Filed Jan. 31.

Warmflash, Michael and Belana Warmflash, Stamford. Seller: William Hopkins and Michael R. Baehr, Stamford. Property: Lot 35, Map 2875, Stamford. Amount: $485,000. Filed Jan. 28.

Peralta, Juan and Emily Peralta, Stamford. Seller: Jamie Russo, Stamford. Property: 48 Dean St., Unit 6, Stamford. Amount: $280,000. Filed Jan. 28. Picarillo, Roberta and John J. Bonamo, Stamford. Seller: Roberta Picarillo and John J. Bonamo, Stamford. Property: 70 Deer Meadow Lane, Stamford. Amount: $1. Filed Jan. 30. Ratner, Steven, Stamford. Seller: Jillian M. Payne, Stamford. Property: 46 Tupper Drive, Stamford. Amount: $465,500. Filed Jan. 28. Samaroo, Clayton and Patricia Samaroo, Little Neck, New York. Seller: Josephine Pikero, Stamford. Property: 148 Clay Hill Road, Stamford. Amount: $501,500. Filed Feb. 1. Shear, Melissa L., Stamford. Seller: Scott A. McMurry and Lauren B. McMurry, Stamford. Property: 47 Archer Lane, Stamford. Amount: $612,000. Filed Jan. 29

McMinn, Kevin Michael and Wendy Baron, Stamford. Seller: Vincent S. Pia and Carol A. Pia, Stamford. Property: 1276 Westover Road, Stamford. Amount: $665,000. Filed Jan. 29.

Sterling, Shirley L., Naugatuck. Seller: Joel Batres, West Haven. Property: Lot 314, Bishop Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $220,000. Filed April 29.

Morales, John Carlo, Trumbull. Seller: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, D.C. Property: 40-B Patricia Road, Bridgeport. Amount: $118,500. Filed April 24.

Guerrier, Sophonie D., Bridgeport. Seller: Arhauz LLC, Bridgeport. Property: 520 Vincellette St., Unit D-1, Bridgeport. Amount: $142,500. Filed April 29.

Ogunde, Abimbola, Bridgeport. Seller: Marcus L. Dierna, Fairfield. Property: 159 Black Rock Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $279,900. Filed April 25.

Joy, Elizabeth A., Stamford. Seller: Kevin Jason Chang, Fairfield. Property: 55 Laurel Road, Stamford. Amount: $490,000. Filed Jan. 31.

MAY 20, 2019

Vizhco Abarracin, Julio C., Bridgeport. Seller: Walter W. Jordan Jr., Bridgeport. Property: 55-57 Hastings St., Bridgeport. Amount: $255,000. Filed April 25.

Martinez, Tieliris, Stratford. Seller: Ernest Antone Rozario and Amanda Rozario, Bridgeport. Property: 74 Olive St., Bridgeport. Amount: $90,000. Filed April 23.

Gonzalez, Carlos I., Stamford. Seller: Michael W. Cappetta and Ann M. Cappetta, Stamford. Property: Lot 2, Map 10818, Stamford. Amount: $694,000. Filed Jan. 28.

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Omar, Faruk and Abdullah I. Omar, Stamford. Seller: Theodore G. Phillips, et al, Stamford. Property: 43 Culloden Road, Stamford. Amount: $395,000. Filed Jan. 30.

FCBJ

Taylor, Carla and Sherome Taylor, Bridgeport. Seller: Segundo Paltin, Bridgeport. Property: 953 Reservoir Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $195,000. Filed April 25. Tulloch, Oliver and Malika Tulloch, Bronx, New York. Seller: Simone N. Boucher, Bridgeport. Property: 267 Willow St., Bridgeport. Amount: $135,000. Filed April 25. Vaziri, Farzaneh Sandy Hook. Seller: Maria Gallucci, Newtown. Property: 869 Burnsford Ave., Bridgeport. Amount: $230,000. Filed April 25.

Weerasinghe, Senarath P. and Deepika N. Weerasinghe, Scarsdale, New York. Seller: Antonio Carrizzo and Bernadette Carrizzo, Stamford. Property: 58 Bartlett Lane, Stamford. Amount: $750,000. Filed Jan. 31. Yurukova, Kremena, Bridgeport. Seller: Jane P. Dortenzio and Lisa A. Dortenzio, Bridgeport. Property: Unit 85, Fox ledge Condominium, Bridgeport. Amount: $158,500. Filed April 29. Zheng, Yang, Sammamish, Washington. Seller: Vita Louise Smith, Stamford. Property: 2539 Bedford St., Unit 39-B, Stamford. Amount: $285,000. Filed Jan. 30.

FORECLOSURES Aladin, Regina, et al, Creditor: U.S. Bank Trust, NA, San Diego, California. Property: 6 Castle Court, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed March 28. Edwards, Peggy, et al, Creditor: Wells Fargo Bank NA, Frederick, Maryland. Property: 43 Deacon Hill Road, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed March 22. Gonzales, Victor, Creditor: U.S. Bank National Association, Coppell, Texas. Property: 15 Burwood Ave., Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed March 12. Hernandez, Aura, et al, Creditor: U. S. Bank, NA, Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 87 Courtland Hill St., Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed March 11. Tsum, Doris, et al, Creditor: Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 161 Grove St., Apartment 2, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed March 14.

JUDGMENTS Collins, Mary, Bridgeport. $4,299, in favor of The United Illuminating Company, New Haven, by Nair & Levin PC, Bloomfield. Property: 392 Huntington Road, No. 396, Bridgeport. Filed March 14. Jensen, Maureen, Bridgeport. $2,080, in favor of The United Illuminating Company, New Haven, by Nair & Levin PC, Bloomfield. Property: 1850 Noble Ave., Bridgeport. Filed March 14. Julius, Errolyn, Bridgeport. $4,907, in favor of The United Illuminating Company, New Haven, by Nair & Levin PC, Bloomfield. Property: 57 Mead St., Bridgeport. Filed March 14. Nelson, Trevor and Margaret Nelson, Bridgeport. $1,729, in favor of UCONN Health Center John Dempsey Hospital, Farmington, by Philip H. Monagan, Waterbury. Property: 720-722 Arctic St., Bridgeport. Filed March 15. Urena-Capoziello, Nelly, Bridgeport. $2,028, in favor of The Southern Connecticut Gas Co., Orange, by Nair & Levin PC, Bloomfield. Property: 139 Hawthorne St., Bridgeport. Filed March 14.

LIENS Federal Tax Liens Filed Alves, Antonio M. and Kelly R. Alves, 330 Mountain Road, Wilton. $5,883, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 19. Alves, Antonio M., 330 Mountain Road, Wilton. $1,703, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 19.

Djamjian, Ara and Hilda Djamjian, 9 Still Hollow Place, Ridgefield. $22,014, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 27. Fernandez, Jose O., 419 Bruce Ave., Stratford. $11,036, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 27. Gisby, Michael and Kathleen Gisby, 1514 Hillside Road, Fairfield. $837,789, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 19. Gramigna, Nicholas J., 270 Nutmeg Lane, Fairfield. $2,524, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 25. Greenspan, Howard and Carrie Greenspan, 242 Random Road, Fairfield. $1,174,562, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb.14. Greenspan, Howard, 242 Random Road, Fairfield. $154,741, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 4. Harrison, Marva, 1666 Fairfield Ave., Unit 3, Bridgeport. $17,481, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 12. Keating, Paul J., 1464 Melville Ave., Fairfield. $13,284, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 19. Kipp, Erik I., 217 Bronson Road, Southport. $113,956, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 18. Kipp, Heather A., 217 Bronson Road, Southport. $7,588, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 7. Kosakow, Gregory M., 7 Putnam Garden Apartment D, Greenwich. $16,440, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 12. Kuhn, Keith K., 35 Villa Place, Fairfield. $77,546, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 18.

Barton Weyers, Sheila, 130 Brookview Ave., Fairfield. $60,329, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 19.

Lariccia, Ryan, 87 Perry St., Fairfield. $13,103, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 26.

Conway, Thomas J., 2030 Merwins Lane, Fairfield. $740, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 19.

Miller Jr., William and L. Bitterman, 1100 Elm St., Stratford. $10,343, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 12.


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Facts & Figures Peele, Anthony, 18 Elmwood Ave., Bridgeport. $25,777, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 19. Ruas Soares, Nahun and M. Cerqueira, 485 Tuxies Hill Road, Fairfield. $12,698, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 19. Russell, Heather A., 703 Nantasket Court Apartment 3, San Diego, California. $273,086, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 7. Sagehorn, Dianne L., 499 Broadway 259, Bangor, Maine. $23,281, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 7. Santoro, Edward and Linda M. Santoro, 2 Mountainview Terrace, Unit 3111, Danbury. $65,565, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 27. Seidman, Martin A. and Natalie A. Predergas, 60 Rita Ave., Bridgeport. $101,779, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 11. Sierras, Dave S. and Kathie T. Sierras, 40 Country Road, Fairfield. $171,734, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 4. Sullivan, Guy, 3129 Burr St., Fairfield. $25,124, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 4. Troetti, Mauro C. and Janet Troetti, 27 Green Pasture Road, Bethel. $31,715, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 27. Wade, Kevin, 32 Kneen St., Shelton. $10,746, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 4. Waugh, Amy R., 253 Woodrow Ave., Southport. $4,029, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 18.

Wittstein, James, 341 Melville Ave., Fairfield. $1,449, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb.11.

LIS PENDENS Calderon, Matthew Nery, et al, Greenwich. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Mortgage Research Center LLC. Property: 32 Almira Drive, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed April 11. Capparelle, Lou-Ann, Greenwich. Filed by Marianne J. Charles, Greenwich, for Dean Capparelle. Property: 274-278 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich. Action: dissolution of the marriage. Filed March 21. Chung, Sam Young, et al, New Rochelle, New York. Filed by Lynch, Trembicki & Boynton, Westport, for Piazza, Simmons & Grant LLC. Property: 6 Neighborly Way, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed April 5. Cohen, Susan Emily, et al, Greenwich. Filed by Ackerly & Ward, Stamford, for Greenwich Green Condominium I Inc., Property: Unit 304, Building B1, Greenwich Green Condominium, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed April 17. DeVito, Sherri, et al, Greenwich. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for JPMorgan Chase Bank NA. Property: 508 Round Hill Road, Greenwich. Action: foreclosure of defendants’ mortgage from JPMorgan Chase Bank. Filed May 10. Farley, Cheryl, et al, Greenwich. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for M&T Bank. Property: 9 River Road, Unit 420, Cos Cob. Action: foreclosure of defendants’ mortgage from M&T Bank. Filed May 10.

Analyst, Systems Administrator (Greenwich, CT): Support system administration solutions for project and operational needs. Work with information technology (“IT”) in high frequency/low-latency engineering, administration and troubleshooting. Install, configure, optimize, maintain, and troubleshoot current and legacy Linux servers and desktop (RPM-based) operating systems. Work with advanced networking concepts and protocols, including IP addressing/subnet masks, DHCP, DNS, NTP and VLAN Tagging; Active Directory principles; security concepts, including firewall, server, and desktop endpoint protection; vSphere virtualization software; system monitoring and hardware monitoring; NAS and NFS/CIFS; Data Replication technologies; switching versus routing; VLANs; and transport mechanisms, including FTP, SSH/SCP, HTTP, and SSL. Req’s Bachelor’s degr plus 1 yr exp. Mail resume to: AQR Capital Management, LLC, ATTN: S. Rao, 2 Greenwich Plaza, Greenwich, CT 06830. Must Ref: M018AQRCT.

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MAY 20, 2019

FCBJ

Hill Jr., Benjamin D., Greenwich. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for JPMorgan Chase Bank NA. Property: 13 Meadow Wood Drive, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed April 5. Keller, Richard, et al, Greenwich. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for US Bank National Association. Property: 15 Echo Lane, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed April 23. Lobato, Joseph M., et al, Cos Cob. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for PNC Bank, National Association. Property: 8 Mimosa Drive, Cos Cob. Action: foreclosure of defendants’ mortgage from the PNC Bank, National Association. Filed April 30. Lutz, Margaret C., et al, Cos Cob. Filed by Ackerly & Ward, Stamford, for Portal Rock Owners Inc. Property: 98 Valley Road, Cos Cob. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed April 29. Pahoutas, Dennis, et al, Greenwich. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Bank of America, NA. Property: 17 Heronvue Road, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed March 7. Peterson, Dauvin J., et al, Greenwich. Filed by Wofsey, Rosen, Kweskin & Kuriansky LLP, Stamford, for First County Bank. Property: 15 Wilshire Road, Greenwich. Action: foreclosure of defendants’ mortgage from the First County Bank. Filed March 5 Petuck, Stephen J., et al, Greenwich. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Bank of America NA. Property: 80 Doubling Road, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed April 9. Romeo, John, et al, Greenwich. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company NA. Property: 31 Thornhill Road, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed March 12.

Schultz, Craig A., Greenwich. Filed by The Ekberg Family Law Group LLC, Greenwich, for Judith M. Schultz. Property: 45 Riverside Lane, Riverside. Action: legal separation of the marriage. Filed April 17.

Clep, Paul L. and Xiao Zhang, Fairfield, by Abraham M. Hoffmann. Lender: Homebridge Financial Services Inc., 194 Wood Ave., Ninth floor, Iselin, New Jersey. Property: 165 Pepperidge Circle, Fairfield. Amount: $400,000.

LEASES

Delany, Sean and Dorothy Delany, Fairfield, by Chris Benetto. Lender: Peoples United Bank NA, 850 Main St., Bridgeport. Property: 149 Crestwood Road, Fairfield. Amount: $454,750.

Davis, Angela, by Marylou Weeks. Landlord: Success Village Apartments Inc., Bridgeport. Property: 100 Court D, Building 6, Apartment 363A, Bridgeport. Term: 35 years, commenced April 26, 2019. Filed April 29. Rodriguez, Rafael, by Marylou Weeks. Landlord: Success Village Apartments Inc., Bridgeport. Property: 100 Court D, Building 51, Apartment 401, Bridgeport. Term: 35 years, commenced April 12, 2019. Filed April 15. Rozario, Amanda and Ernest Rozario, by Marylou Weeks. Landlord: Success Village Apartments Inc, Bridgeport. Property: 100 Court D, Building 27, Apartment 22, Bridgeport. Term: 35 years, commenced April 23, 2019, Filed April 26. Taylor, Thalia, by Marylou Weeks. Landlord: Success Village Apartments Inc, Bridgeport. Property: 100 Court D, Building 28, Apartment 61, Bridgeport. Term: 35 years, commenced April 25, 2019. Filed April 29.

MORTGAGES Adorno, Michelle, Fairfield, by Karen Lee Miller. Lender: M&T Bank, A Corp., 1 M&T Plaza, Buffalo, New York. Property: 38 Coburn St., Fairfield. Amount: $256,000. Biggers, Reeve K., et al, Fairfield, by Antonio Faretta. Lender: Keybank National Association, 127 Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio. Property: 2345 Redding Road, Fairfield. Amount: $883,800. Brennan, Benjamin and Rachel Brennan, Fairfield, by David K. Kurata. Lender: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, 1111 Polaris Pkwy, Columbus, Ohio. Property: 340 Marlborough Terrace, Fairfield. Amount: $272,000.

English, John E. and Carolyn English, Fairfield, by Dennis J. Bujdud. Lender: Bank of America NA, 101 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, North Carolina. Property: 18 Hurd St., Fairfield. Amount: $339,500. Estrada, Enrique and Luiza Kosminsky, Fairfield, by Eric Willinger. Lender: Webster Bank NA, 145 Bank St., Waterbury. Property: 138 Berkeley Road, Fairfield. Amount: $50,000. Farber, Gary and Sandra Farber, Fairfield, by Stacy C. Surgeon. Lender: Webster Bank NA, 145 Bank St., Waterbury. Property: 525 Oldfield Road Fairfield. Amount: $200,000. Gormley, David T. and Randi W. Gormley, Fairfield, by Beth L. Love. Lender: Wells Fargo Bank NA, 101 N. Philips Ave., Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Property: 843 Mill Plain Road, Fairfield. Amount: $172,000 Harnett, Matthew and Carre Bevilacqua, Fairfield, by Toni Marie Gelineau. Lender: Wells Fargo Bank NA, 101 N. Philips Ave., Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Property: 481 Westway Road, Southport, Amount: $924, 994. Johnson, Mark R. and Amy S. Johnson, Fairfield, by Alan Chaney. Lender: Quicken Loans Inc. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Property: 2032 Burr St., Fairfield. Amount: $750,000. Kelley, Bernard, Fairfield, by Michael S. Rosten. Lender: Guaranteed Rate Affinity LLC, 1899 W. Larchmont Ave., Chicago, Illinois. Property: 245 Palamar Drive, Fairfield. Amount: $296,000.

Lennhoff, Michael C. and Heidi M. Lennhoff, Fairfield, by Beverly Christie. Lender: Peoples United Bank NA, 850 Main St., Bridgeport. Property: 28 Sleepy Hollow Road, Fairfield. Amount: $250,000. Miller River Financial, LLC, Stratford, by Vincent J. Averaimo. Lender: Finance of America LLC, 6230 Fairview Road, Charlotte, North Carolina. Property: 78 Sunset Ave., Fairfield. Amount: $337,400. Mullen, Nell, Fairfield, by Shari Ann Madho. Lender: Quicken Loans Inc. 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Property: 93 Westport Turnpike, Fairfield. Amount: $285,290. Paris, Dimitri L., et al, Fairfield, by Cynthia Saunders. Lender: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, 1111 Polaris Pkwy, Columbus, Ohio. Property: 161 Henderson Road, Fairfield. Amount: $200,000. Poff, James J. and Kristina B. Poff, Fairfield, by Robert P. Curwen Jr. Lender: Peoples United Bank NA, 850 Main St., Bridgeport. Property: 70 Maple Drive, Fairfield. Amount: $95,000. Pozoukidis, Nicolaos and Eleni Pozoukidis, Fairfield, by Beverly Christie. Lender: Peoples United Bank NA, 850 Main St., Bridgeport. Property: 40 Crystal Lane, Fairfield. Amount: $75,000. Reenock, Christopher and Christine Reenock, Fairfield, by Daniel E. Jacobs. Lender: Wells Fargo Bank NA, 101 N. Philips Ave., Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Property: 187 Mayweed Road, Fairfield. Amount: $852,000. Rizzardi, Richard, Fairfield, by Peter Ambrose. Lender: Peoples United Bank NA, 850 Main St., Bridgeport. Property: 50 Stone Ridge Way, No. 2E, Fairfield. Amount: $280,000.

NEW BUSINESSES All Seasons Lawn Care, 249 Knicker Bocker Ave., Stamford 06907, c/o Michael Connelly. Filed March 21. Amanda Hirsch Geffner, LCSW, 102 Fawn Drive, Stamford 06905, c/o Amanda Hirsch Geffner. Filed March 12.


Facts & Figures Bubbi Greenwich, 4119 Billy Mitchell Drive, Addison, Texas 75001, c/o PDBG, LLC. Filed March 29.

Nicole Borsey Broker, 50 Neponset St., Stamford 06902, c/o Nicole Borsey. Filed March 19.

C Task, 241 Fairfield Ave., Stamford 06905, c/o Russell S. Marshall. Filed March 27.

NS Diagnostic Imaging, 60 Lawn Ave., Unit 16, Stamford 06902, c/o Nelya Stelmach. Filed March 21.

Coronado Painting LLC, 7 Burdick St., Apartment 3, Stamford 06905, c/o Ivan Coronado Reyes. Filed March 21. Cross Country Mortgage Inc., 1055 Washington Blvd, Sixth floor, Stamford 06902, c/o Elaine Teeters. Filed March 29.

Prime Staffing Services, 63 Maple Tree Ave., Unit B, Stamford 06906, c/o Milton A. Suarez. Filed March 20. Pro Wraps and Graphics, 45 Cedar St., Unit 3, Stamford 06902, c/o William J Coogan IV. Filed March 14.

Fastsigns, 95 Atlantic St., Stamford 06901, c/o Klor Marketing LLC. Filed March 29.

Resonant Shapes, 214 Westwood Road, Stamford 06902, c/o Tarleton LTD. Filed March 26.

Fire Doors Unlimited, 52 Arden Lane, Stamford 06905, c/o Gregory Smith. Filed March 20.

Selleck Market, 29 Irving Ave., Stamford 06902, c/o Selleck Market LLC. Filed March 29.

First Stamford Barber and Beauty Shop, 100 First Stamford Place, Stamford 06902, c/o Antonetta Tushi. Filed March 26.

Sin Fronteras LLP, 76 Progress Drive, Suite 215, Stamford 06902, c/o Claudia Romero. Filed March 19.

First Stamford Barbers, 100 First Stamford Place, Stamford 06902, c/o Thomas Lusita. Filed March 26. Gemz Balance, 34 Pine Hill Ave., Stamford 06906, c/o Valentina Gonzalez. Filed March 19. Hill Plumbing Corp., 44 Liberty Place, Stamford 06902, c/o Henry Lopez. Filed March 12. IPT LLC, 205 W. Main St., Stamford 06902, c/o Justin Kennedy. Filed March 18. Jimmy’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, 1975 W. Main St., Stamford 06902, c/o Le Bon Samaritan Inc. Filed March 26. Julie’s Magic Cleaning Services, 859 Cove Road Apartment 2R, Stamford 06902, c/o Julia E. Leiva. Filed March 29. Lanirock Consulting LLC, 193 Davenport Drive, Stamford 06902, c/o Elizabeth A. Adamson. Filed March 13. Miguel Garrido Roofing & Construction, 33 Stephen St., Stamford 06902, c/o Miguel Garrido. Filed March 25.

Soupe, 1295 Riverbank Road, Stamford 06903, c/o Augustine B. Fayomi. Filed March 26. Star Barber Shop, 117 W. Main St., Stamford 06902, c/o Jose M. Placencia. Filed March 26. Stillwater Ave Laundromat, 183 Stillwater Ave., Stamford 06902, c/o William J. Gerardi. Filed March 25. TWP Home LLC, 42 Magee Ave., Stamford 06902, c/o Ted Davey. Filed March 19.

PATENTS Blade geometry characterization tool. Patent no. 10,288,399 issued to Robert D. Higbie, Haslet, Texas; Jose DeAnda, Dallas, Texas; Sven Roy Lofstrom, Irving, Texas. Assigned to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford. Communication link accessibility aware navigation. Patent no. 10,289,122 issued to Michael Aaron Connor, Bridgeport; George Nicholas Loussides, Branford; Harshad S. Sane, Southbury. Assigned to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford.

Conditional adaptation network for image classification. Patent no. 10,289,909 issued to Fabien Baradel, Chambery, France; Boris Chidlovskii, Meylan, France; Gabriela Csurka, Crolles, France. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk. Current reduction system for inverters connected to a common bus. Patent no. 10,291,147 issued to Ajith Kuttannair Kumar, Erie, Pennsylvania; Subhas Chandra Das, Bangalore, India. Assigned to GE Global Sourcing LLC, Norwalk. Headphone ear cushion. Patent no. 10,291,979 issued to Ulrich Horbach, Canyon County, California; Kevin Bailey, Palmdale, California. Assigned to Harman International Industries Inc., Stamford. Lighting control system and devices. Patent no. 10,292,241 issued to Joseph E. Herbst, Newberg, Oregon; Nicholas G. Preiser, Portland, Oregon; Ward Ramsdell, Hillsboro, Oregon. Assigned to Revolution Lighting Technologies Inc., Stamford. Method to verify integrity of promotional billing data while preserving privacy. Patent no. 10,291,407 issued to Daniel W. Manchala, Torrance, California; Steven J. Harrington, Webster, New York. Assigned to Xerox Corp., Norwalk. Mixer attachment. Patent no. D848,214 issued to Kam Fai Fung, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. Assigned to Conair Corp., Stamford. Multifunction measuring instrument. Patent no. 10,288,401 issued to Richard E. Robicheau, Litchfield, New Hampshire; Daniel P. Owens, Brookline, New Hampshire. Assigned to Hubbell Inc., Shelton. Oven. Patent no. D848,197 issued to Chi Ho Kurt Wong, Yuen Long, Hong Kong. Assigned to Conair Corp., Stamford. Privacy device and method for use with network enabled cameras. Patent no. 10,291,861 issued to Vladan Djakovic, San Francisco, California; Shawn Monteith, Burlington; Christopher J. Allen Sr., West Hartford; Paul Brantner, Conifer, Colorado. Assigned to Hubbell Inc., Shelton.

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FCBJ

MAY 20, 2019

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Fairfield County

DOCTORS of DISTINCTION

Saluting those who go beyond the diagnosis

2019 Join us to Honor the Best Doctors in Health Care

MEET THE HONOREES

Peter Acker Diego Camacho Angela Campbell Patricia Close Marilee Freitas Jeannie Kenkare Mary MacDonald Philip McWhorter Mark Melendez Paul Schwartz Mark Vitale Andrew Yanik

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WestMed Medical Group, Caring for All Montefiore Health System, No Land Too Far Norwalk Hospital, Female Trailblazer WestMed Medical Group, All in the Family Stamford Health Medical Group, Cutting Edge PhysicianOne Urgent Care, Urgent Care Center Advanced Radiology Consultants, Support Staff Greenwich Hospital, Lifetime Achievement Award Cosmetic & Reconstructive Surgery Associates of Connecticut, Caring for All Bob Macauley Americares Free Clinic of Norwalk, Team Player Orthopedic & Neurosurgery Specialists, Cutting Edge Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, Promise for the Future

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May 23 • 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. • Serafina at the IC, Stamford For information, contact: Tracey Vitale at tvitale@westfairinc.com. For sponsorships, contact: Marcia Pflug at mpflug@wfpromote.com or 203-733-4545.

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